one by one, and he walked through a number of halls and corridors,
till he met a beautiful and richly-dressed young lady who started back
in surprise at the sight of him, and exclaimed, 'Oh, sir, how did
you contrive _to_ get in here?' The young man replied that he was her
brother, and told her by what means he had been able to pass through the
doors. In return, she told him how happy she was, except for one thing,
and that was, her husband lay under a spell, and could never break it
till there should be put to death a man who could not die.

They talked together for a long time, and then the lady said he had
better leave her as she expected her husband back at any moment, and he
might not like him to be there; but the young man assured her she need
not be afraid, as he had with him a cap which would make him invisible.
They were still deep in conversation when the door suddenly opened, and
a bird flew in, but he saw nothing unusual, for, at the first noise, the
youth had put on his cap. The lady jumped up and brought a large
golden basin, into which the bird flew, reappearing directly after as
a handsome man. Turning to his wife, he cried, 'I am sure someone is in
the room!' She got frightened, and declared that she was quite alone,
but her husband persisted, and in the end she had to confess the truth.

'But if he is really your brother, why did you hide him?' asked he.
'I believe you are telling me a lie, and if he comes back I shall kill
him!'

At this the youth took off his cap, and came forward. Then the husband
saw that he was indeed so like his wife that he doubted her word no
longer, and embraced his brother-in-law with delight. Drawing a feather
from his bird's skin, he said, 'If you are in danger and cry, "Come and
help me, King of the Birds," everything will go well with you.'

The young man thanked him and went away, and after he had left the
castle he told the boots that they must take him to the place where his
second sister was living. As before, he found himself at the gates of
a huge castle, and within was his second sister, very happy with her
husband, who loved her dearly, but longing for the moment when he should
be set free from the spell that kept him half his life a fish. When he
arrived and had been introduced by his wife to her brother, he welcomed
him warmly, and gave him a fish-scale, saying, 'If you are in danger,
call to me, "Come and help me, King of the Fishes," and everything will
go