But the prince didn't leave the castle
of Seven Inches without being provided with something good. He reined
in his steed, and flung a short, sharp knife over his shoulder, and up
sprung a thick wood between the giant and themselves. They caught the
wind that blew before them, and the wind that blew behind them did not
catch them. At last they were near the castle where the other sister
lived; and there she was, waiting for them under a high hedge, and a
fine steed under her.

But the giant was now in sight, roaring like a hundred lions, and the
other giant was out in a moment, and the chase kept on. For every two
springs the horses gave, the giants gave three, and at last they were
only seventy perches off. Then the prince stopped again, and flung the
second knife behind him. Down went all the flat field, till there was a
quarry between them a quarter of a mile deep, and the bottom filled with
black water; and before the giants could get round it, the prince and
princesses were inside the kingdom of the great magician, where the high
thorny hedge opened of itself to everyone that he chose to let in. There
was joy enough between the three sisters, till the two eldest saw their
lovers turned into stone. But while they were shedding tears for them,
Seven Inches came in, and touched them with his rod. So they were flesh,
and blood, and life once more, and there was great hugging and kissing,
and all sat down to breakfast, and Seven Inches sat at the head of the
table.

When breakfast was over, he took them into another room, where there
was nothing but heaps of gold, and silver, and diamonds, and silks,
and satins; and on a table there was lying three sets of crowns: a gold
crown was in a silver crown, and that was lying in a copper crown.
He took up one set of crowns, and gave it to the eldest princess; and
another set, and gave it to the second youngest princess; and another,
and gave it to the youngest of all; and says he, 'Now you may all go to
the bottom of the pit, and you have nothing to do but stir the basket,
and the people that are watching above will draw you up. But remember,
ladies, you are to keep your crows safe, and be married in them, all
the same day. If you be married separately, or if you be married without
your crowns, a curse will follow--mind what I say.'

So they took leave of him with great respect, and walked arm-in-arm to
the bottom of the draw-well. There was a sky and a sun over them, and
a