r company.'

The young man agreed to this proposal, but he took care not to get on
terms of familiarity with the new comer until he had tried him with the
apple.

By-and-by they reached an inn, and at sight of it the king's son said,
'I am very hungry. Let us enter and order something to eat.' The other
consented, and they were soon sitting before a good dinner.

When they had finished the king's son drew an apple from his pocket,
and cut it into a big half and a little half, and offered both to the
stranger, who took the biggest bit. 'You are no friend of mine,' thought
the king's son, and in order to part company with him he pretended to be
ill and declared himself unable to proceed on his journey.

'Well, I can't wait for you,' replied the other; 'I am in haste to push
on, so farewell.'

'Farewell,' said the king's son, glad in his heart to get rid of him so
easily. The king's son remained in the inn for some time, so as to let
the young man have a good start; them he ordered his horse and rode
after him. But he was very sociable and the way seemed long and dull by
himself. 'Oh, if I could only meet with a true friend,' he thought, 'so
that I should have some one to speak to. I hate being alone.'

Soon after he came up with a young man, who stopped and asked him,
'Where are you going, my fine fellow?' The king's son explained the
object of his journey, and the young man answered, as the other had
done, that he also was fulfilling the vow of his mother made at his
birth.

'Well, we can ride on together,' said the king's son, and the road
seemed much shorter now that he had some one to talk to.

At length they reached an inn, and the king's son exclaimed, 'I am very
hungry; let us go in and get something to eat.'

When they had finished the king's son drew an apple out of his pocket
and cut it in two; he held the big bit and the little bit out to his
companion, who took the big bit at once and soon ate it up. 'You are no
friend of mine,' thought the king's son, and began to declare he felt so
ill he could not continue his journey. When he had given the young man a
good start he set off himself, but the way seemed even longer and duller
than before. 'Oh, if I could only meet with a true friend he should be
as a brother to me,' he sighed sadly; and as the thought passed through
his mind, he noticed a youth going the same road as himself.

The youth came up to him and said, 'Which way are you going, my fine
fe