he, 'is supper ready?' 'It is,' says she; and
before he rose from the table he ate three-quarters of a calf, and a
flask of wine. 'I think,' says he, when all was done, 'I smell fresh
meat still.' 'It's sleepy you are,' says she; 'go to bed.' 'When will
you marry me?' says the giant. 'You're putting me off too long.' 'St.
Tibb's Eve,' says she. 'I wish I knew how far off that is,' says he; and
he fell asleep, with his head in the dish.

Next day, he went out after breakfast, and she sent the prince to the
castle where the eldest sister was. The same thing happened there; but
when the giant was snoring, the princess wakened up the prince, and they
saddled two steeds in the stables and rode into the field on them. But
the horses' heels struck the stones outside the gate, and up got the
giant and strode after them. He roared and he shouted, and the more he
shouted, the faster ran the horses, and just as the day was breaking he
was only twenty perches behind. But the prince didn't leave the castle
of _Seven Inches_ without being provided with something good. He reined
in his steed, and flung a short, sharp knife over his shoulder, and up
sprung a thick wood between the giant and themselves. They caught the
wind that blew before them, and the wind that blew behind them did not
catch them. At last they were near the castle where the other sister
lived; and there she was, waiting for them under a high hedge, and a
fine steed under her.

But the giant was now in sight, roaring like a hundred lions, and the
other giant was out in a moment, and the chase kept on. For every two
springs the horses gave, the giants gave three, and at last they were
only seventy perches off. Then the prince stopped again, and flung the
second knife behind him. Down went all the flat field, till there was a
quarry between them a quarter of a mile deep, and the bottom filled with
black water; and before the giants could get round it, the prince and
princesses were inside the kingdom of the great magician, where the high
thorny hedge opened of itself to everyone that he chose to let in.
There was joy enough between the three sisters, till the two eldest saw
their lovers turned into stone. But while they were shedding tears for
them, _Seven Inches_ came in, and touched them with his rod. So they
were flesh, and blood, and life once more, and there was great hugging
and kissing, and all sat down to breakfast, and _Seven Inches_ sat at
the head of the tab