When they had done eating, they looked about to find where to sleep.  Thereupon the door flew open unexpectedly all at once, and into the room came the wizard; a bent old man in a long black garb, with a bald head, a gray beard down to his knees, and three iron hoops instead of a girdle.  By the hand he led a beautiful, very beautiful damsel, dressed in white; she had a silver girdle round her waist, and a crown of pearls on her head, but was pale and sad, as if she had risen from the grave.  The prince recognized her at once, sprang forward, and went to meet her; but before he could utter a word the wizard addressed him:  “I know for what you have come; you want to take the princess away.  Well, be it so!  Take her, if you can keep her in sight for three nights, so that she doesn’t vanish from you.  If she vanishes, you will be turned into stone as well as your three servants; like all who have come before you.”  He then motioned the princess to a seat and departed.

The prince could not take his eyes off the princess, so beautiful was she.  He began to talk to her, and asked her all manner of questions, but she neither answered nor smiled, nor looked at any one more than if she had been of marble.  He sat down by her, and determined not to sleep all night long lest she should vanish from him, and, to make surer, Long extended himself like a strap, and wound himself round the whole room along the wall; Broad posted himself in the doorway, swelled himself up, and stopped it up so tight that not even a mouse could have slipped through; while Sharpsight placed himself against a pillar in the midst of the room on the look-out.  But after a time they all began to nod, fell asleep, and slept the whole night, just as if the wizard had thrown them into the water.

In the morning, when it began to dawn, the prince was the first to wake, but—­as if a knife had been thrust into his heart—­the princess was gone!  He forthwith awoke his servants, and asked what was to be done.  “Never mind, sir,” said Sharpsight, and looked sharply out through the window, “I see her already.  A hundred miles hence is a forest, in the midst of the forest an old oak, and on the top of the oak an acorn, and she is that acorn.”  Long immediately took him on his shoulders, extended himself, and went ten miles at a step, while Sharpsight showed him the way.

No more time elapsed than would have been wanted to move once round a cottage before they were back again, and Long delivered the acorn to the prince.  “Sir, let it fall on the ground.”  The prince let it fall and that moment the princess stood beside him.  And when the sun began to show itself beyond the mountains, the folding doors flew open with a crash, and the wizard entered the room and smiled spitefully; but when he saw the princess he frowned, growled, and bang! one of the iron hoops which he wore splintered and sprang off him.  He then took the damsel by the hand and led her away.