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 ‘But,’ said Roland, ‘you must first steal her magic wand, or we shall not be able to escape if she comes after us.’

The Maiden fetched the magic wand, and then she took her step-sister’s head, and dropped three drops of blood from it—one by the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the stairs. After that, she hurried away with her Sweetheart Roland.

When the old Witch got up in the morning she called her daughter in order to give her the apron, but she did not come. Then she called, ‘Where art thou?’

‘Here on the stairs,’ answered one drop of blood.

The Witch went on to the stairs, but saw nothing, so she called again: ‘Where art thou?’

‘Here in the kitchen warming myself,’ answered the second drop of blood.

The Witch went into the kitchen, but found nothing, then she called again: ‘Where art thou?’

‘Here in bed, sleeping,’ answered the third dropof blood.

So she went into the bedroom, and there she found her own child, whose head she had chopped off herself.

The Witch flew into a violent passion, and sprang out of the window. As she could see for many miles around, she soon discovered her step-daughter hurrying away with Roland.

‘That won’t be any good,’ she cried. ‘However far you may go, you won’t escape me.’

She put on her seven-league boots, and before long she overtook them. When the Maiden saw her coming, she changed her Sweetheart into a lake, with the magic wand, and herself into a Duck swimming in it. The Witch stood on the shore, and threw bread-crumbs into the water, and did everything she could think of to entice the Duck ashore. But it was all to no purpose, and she was obliged to go back at night without having accomplished her object.

When she had gone away, the Maiden and Roland resumed their own shapes, and they walked the whole night till break of day.

Then the Maiden changed herself into a beautiful Rose in