o the castle-yard, and shows them as his wife had bidden him.
These, said he, were pilgrims, as you are, once, and they trespassed on
my grounds as you have done; and when I thought fit I tore them in
pieces, and so within ten days I will do you; go, get you down to your
den again. And with that he beat them all the way thither. They lay,
therefore, all day on Saturday in a lamentable case, as before. Now when
night was come, and when Mrs. Diffidence and her husband, the Giant,
were got to bed, they began to renew their discourse of their prisoners;
and withal the old Giant wondered that he could neither by his blows nor
counsel bring them to an end. And with that his wife replied, I fear,
said she, that they live in hopes that some will come to relieve them;
or that they have picklocks about them, by the means of which they hope
to escape. And sayest thou so, my dear? said the Giant; I will therefore
search them in the morning.

Well, on Saturday, about midnight, they began to pray, and continued in
prayer till almost break of day.

Now, a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed,
broke out into this passionate speech: What a fool, quoth he, am I, to
lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a
key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any
lock in Doubting Castle. Then said Hopeful, That's good news; good
brother, pluck it out of thy bosom, and try.

Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the
dungeon door, whose bolt, as he turned the key, gave back, and the door
flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he
went to the outward door that leads into the castle-yard, and with his
key opened that door also. After that he went to the iron gate, for that
must be opened too, but that lock went desperately hard, yet the key did
open it. Then they thrust open the gate to make their escape with speed;
but that gate as it opened, made such a creaking that it waked Giant
Despair, who hastily rising to pursue his prisoners, felt his limbs to
fail; for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after
them. Then they went on, and came to the King's highway again, and so
were safe, because they were out of his jurisdiction.

Now, when they were gone over the stile, they began to contrive with
themselves what they should do at that stile, to prevent those that
shall come after from falling into the han