delivered from the evil one. Many voices joined in, and a hymn
of praise was sung; then he heard the priest again, and heard his
own name and that of the princess, and thought that he was being
wedded to her. The church was packed full, but he could see
nothing. Then he heard again the many footsteps as ol' folk
leaving the church, while the music sounded fainter and fainter,
until it altogether died away. When it was silent, the light of
day began to break in through the windows.

The smith sprang up out of the chest and fell on his knees and
thanked God. The church was empty, but up in front of the altar
lay the princess, white and red, like a human being, but sobbing
and crying, and shaking with cold in her white shroud. The smith
took his sentry coat and wrapped it round her; then she dried her
tears, and took his hand and thanked him, and said that he had
now freed her from all the sorcery that had been in her from her
birth, and which had come over her again when her father broke
the command against seeing her until she had completed her
fourteenth year.

She said further, that if he who had delivered her would take her
in marriage, she would be his. If not, she would go into a
nunnery, and he could marry no other as long as she lived, for he
was wedded to her with the service of the dead, which he had
heard.

She was now the most beautiful young princess that anyone could
wish to see, and he was now lord of half the kingdom, which had
been promised him for standing on guard the third nigh. So they
agreed that they would have each other, and love each other all