wings of dragon flies, and with pearls in her glorious
hair.

"Why do you sit whistling instead of working?" she asked. "Poor prince, you
must be hungry. Here is a little table set for two under this big tree.
When things worry you, don't give up. The man who keeps his appetite has
no cause to despair."

So they sat down and ate peacock tongues and frosted cakes and almonds and
many other delicacies, and were happier than ever.

"But it is growing late, and the stable is still unthatched!" cried the
prince, suddenly remembering his task as soon as his appetite was
satisfied.

"Look behind you," said the girl.

The prince, to his utter surprise, saw that the stables were thatched with
downy bird feathers, no two of them alike.

"You are a wonder," he said, grasping her hands in gratitude.

"Not at all," she replied. "How could the birds work for you while you
stood there blowing that terrible whistle? Birds would be as good friends
to people as dogs are, if people did not frighten them so. But say no more.
I hear father drinking at the spring two miles away, and he will be here in
four minutes."

She drew her skirts closely about her and with a sweet smile hastened into
the castle.

"Who thatched that roof?" shouted the giant as soon as he arrived.

"My own strength did it," said the prince humbly, feeling that he had not
told a falsehood, for Yellow Lily was even more than strength to him.

The giant, instead of thanking him for his services, seized him again, and
threw him headlong into the kitchen tank. Then he sat down by the fire. No
sooner had his head begun to nod than Yellow Lily placed the slumber-pin
over his nose to be sure that he could not wake up. Then she set the prince
free, and they spent the evening as before, except that there was much more
merriment.

On the following morning the giant opened the tank and ordered the prince
to climb out.

"I have a task for you to do that even a prince cannot do," he said. "I am
sure that I shall have your head before night. Near the castle is a tree
nine hundred feet high. It has but one branch and that is near the top.
This branch contains a crow's nest. In the nest is one egg. I want that egg
for supper to-night. If you do not get it, you will be sorry."

The giant took the prince to the tree, which rose like a great pillar of
smooth glass, so slippery that not even an ant could crawl upon it without
sliding off.

When the giant had gone, the pr