ick, he would beat the dogs and cats that steal
the king's meat,' replied the boy.

'Thou art the cook's son!' cried the giant. 'Go home to thy mother'; and
turning his back he strode straight to the castle.

'If you seek to trick me this time, the highest stone will soon be the
lowest,' said he, and the king and queen trembled, but they could not
bear to give up their boy.

'The butler's son is the same age as ours,' whispered the queen; 'he
will not know the difference,' and she took the child and dressed him in
the prince's clothes, and the giant let him away along the road. Before
they had gone far he stopped, and held out a stick.

'If thy father had that rod, what would he do with it?' asked the giant.

'He would beat the dogs and cats that break the king's glasses,'
answered the boy.

'Thou art the son of the butler!' cried the giant. 'Go home to thy
mother'; and turning round he strode back angrily to the castle.

'Bring out thy son at once,' roared he, 'or the stone that is highest
will be lowest,' and this time the real prince was brought.

But though his parents wept bitterly and fancied the child was suffering
all kinds of dreadful things, the giant treated him like his own son,
though he never allowed him to see his daughters. The boy grew to be
a big boy, and one day the giant told him that he would have to amuse
himself alone for many hours, as he had a journey to make. So the boy
wandered to the top of the castle, where he had never been before. There
he paused, for the sound of music broke upon his ears, and opening a
door near him, he beheld a girl sitting by the window, holding a harp.

'Haste and begone, I see the giant close at hand,' she whispered
hurriedly, 'but when he is asleep, return hither, for I would speak with
thee.' And the prince did as he was bid, and when midnight struck he
crept back to the top of the castle.

'To-morrow,' said the girl, who was the giant's daughter, 'to-morrow
thou wilt get the choice of my two sisters to marry, but thou must
answer that thou wilt not take either, but only me. This will anger him
greatly, for he wishes to betroth me to the son of the king of the Green
City, whom I like not at all.'

Then they parted, and on the morrow, as the girl had said, the giant
called his three daughters to him, and likewise the young prince to whom
he spoke.

'Now, O son of the king of Tethertown, the time has come for us to part.
Choose one of my two elder daugh