the king danced again with the beautiful maiden , and thought she had never looked so beautiful . and while he was dancing , he put a gold ring on her finger without her seeing it , and he commanded that the dance should last longer than usual . when it was finished he wanted to keep her hands in his , but she broke from him , and sprang so quickly away among the people that she vanished from his sight . she ran as fast as she could to her little room under the stairs , but because she had stayed too long beyond the half - hour , she could not stop to take off the beautiful dress , but only threw the fur cloak over it , and in her haste she did not make herself quite black with the soot , one finger remaining white . the many - furred creature now ran into the kitchen , cooked the king 's bread - soup , and when the cook had gone , she laid the gold reel in the dish . when the king found the reel at the bottom , he had the many - furred creature brought to him , and then he saw the white finger , and the ring which he had put on her hand in the dance . then he took her hand and held her tightly , and as she was trying to get away , she undid the fur - cloak a little bit and the star - dress shone out . the king seized the cloak and tore it off her . her golden hair came down , and she stood there in her full splendour , and could not hide herself away any more . and when the soot and ashes had been washed from her face , she looked more beautiful than anyone in the world . but the king said , ' you are my dear bride , and we will never be separated from one another . ' so the wedding was celebrated and they lived happily ever after . 
why did the king put a gold ring on the maiden's finger ?
to figure out who she was .
so that he can find her later .