ed empty and deserted.

The Poor Boy and the prince entered, went through all the rooms filled
with costly ornaments, and, seeing no one, thought that the dragon
must surely have gone hunting and determined to wait for him. But they
were surprised that they did not find their sisters here. Each
stretched himself on one of the beautiful divans and was going to
rest, when suddenly both started up, amazed by what they heard.

Dear me! It was a song, so touching that it would have softened the
very stones; it made those who listened feel as if they were in
heaven, and the notes were in a woman's voice. The two companions did
not listen long, but hurried off in the direction from which the sound
came.

This is what they saw--in one part of the palace was a glass tower,
and in this tower sat a girl spinning, singing, and weeping, but her
tears, in falling, were instantly changed to pearls. This maiden was
so beautiful that, if she had been in the world, two men would have
killed each other for her sake. When the heroes beheld her, they stood
motionless and gazed longingly at her, but the girl stopped spinning,
and neither sang nor wept, but looked at them in amazement.

She was not the sister of either youth, but as usually happens in such
cases, the Poor Boy supposed she was the prince's sister, and the
prince thought she was the sister of the Poor Boy.

"I'll stay here," said the Poor Boy, "and you can go on, deliver my
sister, and marry her."

"No, I'll stay here," replied the prince, "you can go on and release
my sister, for this maiden shall be my wife."

Now came trouble! When they understood that the lovely girl was the
sister of neither, the handsome heroes seized their swords and were on
the point of fighting as men do fight when they are obliged to divide
any thing.

"Stop," said the fair girl, "don't attack each other. It is better
first to discover whether I am really what I seem to you, or, after
all, only a shadow! I am the Bodiless Maiden, who will not obtain
form in this world until the dragon has stolen me from the other
shore. I shall then be as you see me now, shall spin, sing, and weep,
because I shall think of my mother who is spinning, singing, and
weeping; and your sisters, who were stolen by the two older brothers
of the dragon who rules this palace spin, sing, and weep, too."

On hearing this, the two heroes wanted to set off at once, in order to
lose no more time on the way.

"Stop, don'