father and mother were alive, and he had a great
desire to see them again.

They thought that this might easily be done.

'You shall go and return in perfect safety if you will follow our
advice,' said the Princesses.

So he said that he would do nothing that they did not wish.

Then they dressed him so splendidly that he was like a King's son; and
they put a ring on his finger, and it was one which would enable him to
go there and back again by wishing, but they told him that he must not
throw it away, or name their names; for if he did, all his magnificence
would be at an end, and then he would never see them more.

'If I were but at home again, or if home were but here!' said Halvor,
and no sooner had he wished this than it was granted. Halvor was
standing outside his father and mother's cottage before he knew what he
was about. The darkness of night was coming on, and when the father and
mother saw such a splendid and stately stranger walk in, they were so
startled that they both began to bow and curtsey.

Halvor then inquired if he could stay there and have lodging for
the night. No, that he certainly could not. 'We can give you no such
accommodation,' they said, 'for we have none of the things that are
needful when a great lord like you is to be entertained. It will be
better for you to go up to the farm. It is not far off, you can see the
chimney-pots from here, and there they have plenty of everything.'

Halvor would not hear of that, he was absolutely determined to stay
where he was; but the old folks stuck to what they had said, and told
him that he was to go to the farm, where he could get both meat and
drink, whereas they themselves had not even a chair to offer him.

'No,' said Halvor, 'I will not go up there till early to-morrow morning;
let me stay here to-night. I can sit down on the hearth.'

They could say nothing against that, so Halvor sat down on the hearth,
and began to rake about among the ashes just as he had done before, when
he lay there idling away his time.

They chattered much about many things, and told Halvor of this and of
that, and at last he asked them if they had never had any child.

'Yes,' they said; they had had a boy who was called Halvor, but they did
not know where he had gone, and they could not even say whether he were
dead or alive.

'Could I be he?' said Halvor.

'I should know him well enough,' said the old woman rising. 'Our Halvor
was so idle and slothful th