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 great high wall, covered with ivy, rose before
them, and was so high they could not see to the top of it; and
there was an arch in this wall, and the bottom of the draw-well
was inside the arch. The youngest pair went last; and says the
princess to the prince, 'I'm sure the two princes don't mean any
good to you. Keep these crowns under your cloak, and if you are
obliged to stay last, don't get into the basket, but put a big
stone, or any heavy thing inside, and see what will happen.'

As soon as they were inside the dark cave, they put in the eldest
princess first, and stirred the basket, and up she went. Then the
basket was let down again, and up went the second princess, and
then up went the youngest; but first she put her arms round her
prince's neck, and kissed him, and cried a little. At last it
came to the turn of the youngest prince, and instead of going
into the basket he put in a big stone. He drew on one side and
listened, and after the basket was drawn up about twenty perches,
down came it and the stone like thunder, and the stone was broken
into little bits.

Well, the poor prince had nothing for it but to walk back to the
castle; and through it and round it he walked, and the finest of
eating and drinking he got, and a bed of bog-down to sleep on,
and long walks he took through gardens and lawns, but not a sight
could he get, high or low, of Seven Inches. He, before a week,