a
swoon; but, coming a little to himself again, they renewed their
discourse about the giant's counsel, and whether yet they had best take
it or no. Now Christian again seemed for doing it, but Hopeful reminded
him of the hardships and terrors he had already gone through, and said
that they ought to bear up with patience as well as they could, and
steadily reject the giant's wicked counsel.

Now, night being come again, and the giant and his wife being in bed,
she asked him concerning the prisoners, and if they had taken his
counsel. To this he replied, "They are sturdy rogues, they choose rather
to bear all hardships than to make away themselves."

Then said she, "Take them into the castle yard to-morrow, and show them
the bones and skulls of those that thou hast already dispatched, and
make them believe, thou wilt tear them in pieces, as thou hast done
their fellows before them."

So when morning has come, the giant goes to them again, and takes them
into the castle yard, and shows them as his wife had bidden him.
"These," said he, "were pilgrims, as you are, once, and they trespassed
on my grounds, as you have done; and when I thought fit, I tore them in
pieces; and so within ten days I will do to you. Get you down to your
den again."

And with that he beat them all the way thither.

Now, when night was come, Mrs. Diffidence and her husband began to renew
their discourse of their prisoners. The old giant wondered that he could
neither by his blows nor by his counsel bring them to an end.

And with that his wife replied, "I fear," said she, "that they live in
hopes that some will come to relieve them, or that they have picklocks
about them, by the means of which they hope to escape."

"And sayest thou so, my dear?" said the giant; "I will therefore search
them in the morning."

Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, and continued in
prayer till almost break of day.

Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed,
brake out into a passionate speech: "What a fool am I, thus to lie in a
dungeon! I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am
persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle."

Then said Hopeful, "That's good news, good brother; pluck it out of thy
bosom and try."

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the
dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door
flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful bot