ssors, and,
presto, they became shorter and shorter until they were only the length
of an ordinary sword.

"Here," she said, giving them into his hands; "because thou wast
persevering and fearless in setting me free, these shall win for thee
thy heart's desire. But remember that thou canst not keep them sharp and
shining, unless they are used at least once each day in some
unselfish service."

Before he could thank her she had vanished, and he was left in the
forest alone. He could see the Ogre standing powerless to hurt him, on
the other side of the chasm, and gnashing his teeth, each one of which
was as big as a millston.

The sight was so terrible, that he turned on his heel, and fled away as
fast as his feet could carry him. By the time he reached the edge of the
forest he was very tired, and ready to faint from hunger. His heart's
greatest desire being for food, he wondered if the scissors could obtain
it for him as the Fairy had promised. He had spent his last coin and
knew not where to go for another.

Just then he spied a tree, hanging full of great, yellow apples. By
standing on tiptoe he could barely reach the lowest one with his
scissors. He cut off an apple, and was about to take a bite, when an
old Witch sprang out of a hollow tree across the road.

"So you are the thief who has been stealing my gold apples all this last
fortnight!" she exclaimed. "Well, you shall never steal again, that I
promise you. Ho, Frog-eye Fearsome, seize on him and drag him into your
darkest dungeon!"

At that, a hideous-looking fellow, with eyes like a frog's, green hair,
and horrid clammy webbed fingers, clutched him before he could turn to
defend himself. He was thrust into the dungeon and left there all day.

At sunset, Frog-eye Fearsome opened the door to slide in a crust and a
cup of water, saying in a croaking voice, "You shall be hanged in the
morning, hanged by the neck until you are quite dead." Then he stopped
to run his webbed fingers through his damp green hair, and grin at the
poor captive Prince, as if he enjoyed his suffering. But the next
morning no one came to take him to the gallows, and he sat all day in
total darkness. At sunset Frog-eye Fearsome opened the door again to
thrust in another crust and some water and say, "In the morning you
shall be drowned; drowned in the Witch's mill-pond with a great stone
tied to your heels."

Again the croaking creature stood and gloated over his victim, then left