Page:The Red Fairy Book.djvu/333

Rh next Thursday evening one of them is to come to fetch her. Ritter Bed has said that he will be able to set her free, but who knows whether he will be able to do it? so you may easily imagine what grief and distress we are in here.’

So when Thursday evening came, Bitter Bed accompanied the Princess to the sea-shore; for there she was to meet the Troll, and Bitter Bed was to stay with her and protect her. He, however, was very unlikely to do the Troll much injury, for no sooner had the



Princess seated herself by the sea-shore than Bitter Bed climbed up into a great tree which was standing there, and hid himself as well as he could among the branches.

The Princess wept, and begged him most earnestly not to go and leave her; but Bitter Bed did not concern himself about that. ‘It is better that one should die than two,’ said he.

In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily to give him leave to go down to the strand for a short time.