emed never to end, and
the ogress climbed up by them. The next day the ogress descended, and
when the prince saw her depart, he came from under the tree where he
had concealed himself, and cried: "Snow-white-fire-red, lower your
tresses for me to climb up!" She, believing it was her mother (for she
called the ogress mother), lowered her tresses, and the prince climbed
boldly up. When he was up, he said: "Ah! my dear little sister, how I
have labored to find you!" And he told her of the old woman's
imprecation when he was seven years old.

She gave him some refreshments, and then said: "You see, if the ogress
returns and finds you here, she will devour you. Hide yourself." The
ogress returned, and the prince concealed himself.

After the ogress had eaten, her daughter gave her wine to drink, and
made her drunk. Then she said: "My mother, what must I do to get away
from here? Not that I want to go, for I wish to stay with you; but I
want to know just out of curiosity. Tell me!" "What you must do to get
away from here!" said the ogress. "You must enchant everything that
there is here, so that I shall lose time. I shall call, and instead of
you, the chair, the cupboard, the chest of drawers, will answer for you.
When you do not appear, I will ascend. You must take the seven balls of
yarn that I have laid away. When I come and do not find you, I shall
pursue you; when you see yourself pursued, throw down the first ball,
and then the others. I shall always overtake you until you throw down
the last ball."

Her daughter heard all that she said, and remembered it. The next day
the ogress went out, and Snow-white-fire-red and the prince did what
they had to do. They went about the whole house, saying: "Table, you
answer if my mother comes; chairs, answer if my mother comes; chest of
drawers, answer if my mother comes;" and so she enchanted the whole
house. Then she and the prince departed in such a hurry that they seemed
to fly. When the ogress returned, she called: "Snow-white-fire-red, let
down your tresses that I may climb up!" The table answered: "Come, come,
mother!" She waited a while, and when no one appeared to draw her up,
she called again: "Snow-white-fire-red, lower your tresses for me to
climb up!" The chair answered: "Come, come, mother!" She waited a while,
but no one appeared; then she called again, and the chest of drawers
replied: "Come, come, mother!" Meanwhile the lovers were fleeing. When
there was nothing