ning, he felt that he knew the plan of the walls by heart, and took
his place by the side of the others. Thanks to what he had learned
from the failure of the rest, he managed to grasp one little rough
projection after another, till at last, to the envy of his friends, he
stood on the sill of the princess's window. Looking up from below,
they saw a white hand stretched forth to draw him in.

Then one of the young men ran straight to the king's palace, and said:
'The wall has been climbed, and the prize is won!'

'By whom?' cried the king, starting up from his throne; 'which of the
princes may I claim as my son-in-law?'

'The youth who succeeded in climbing to the princess's window is not a
prince at all,' answered the young man. 'He is the son of the master
of the horse to the great king who dwells across the river, and he
fled from his own country to escape from the hatred of his
stepmother.'

At this news the king was very angry, for it had never entered his
head that anyone _but_ a prince would seek to woo his daughter.

'Let him go back to the land whence he came,' he shouted in wrath;
'does he expect me to give my daughter to an exile?' And he began to
smash the drinking vessels in his fury; indeed, he quite frightened
the young man, who ran hastily home to his friends, and told the youth
what the king had said.

Now the princess, who was leaning from her window, heard his words and
bade the messenger go back to the king her father and tell him that
she had sworn a vow never to eat or drink again if the youth was taken
from her. The king was more angry than ever when he received this
message, and ordered his guards to go at once to the palace and put
the successful wooer to death; but the princess threw herself between
him and his murderers.

'Lay a finger on him, and I shall be dead before sunset,' said she;
and as they saw that she meant it, they left the palace, and carried
the tale to her father.

By this time the king's anger was dying away, and he began to consider
what his people would think of him if he broke the promise he had
publicly given. So he ordered the princess to be brought before him,
and the young man also, and when they entered the throne room he was
so pleased with the noble air of the victor that his wrath quite
melted away, and he ran to him and embraced him.

'Tell me who you are?' he asked, when he had recovered himself a
little, 'for I will never believe that you have not royal