His thoughts went back to the scene of the morning , and he wondered if , after all , he had not made a great mistake in marrying a low-born wife , however beautiful she might be . How could he have imagined that the quiet , gentle girl who had been so charming a companion to him during the first days of their marriage , could have become in a day the rude , sulky woman , who could not control her temper even to benefit herself . One thing was clear , if she did not change her conduct very shortly he would have to send her away from court . He was thinking these thoughts , when his eyes fell on the sea beneath him , and there , as before , was the figure that so closely resembled his wife , standing with her feet in the water , holding out her arms to him . ` Wait for me ! Wait for me ! Wait for me ! ' he cried ; not even knowing he was speaking . But when he reached the shore there was nothing to be seen but the shadows cast by the moonlight . A state ceremonial in a city some distance off caused the prince to ride away at daybreak , and he left without seeing his wife again . ` Perhaps she may have come to her senses by to-morrow , ' said he to himself ; ` and , anyhow , if I am going to send her back to her father , it might be better if we did not meet in the meantime ! Then he put the matter from his mind , and kept his thoughts on the duty that lay before him . It was nearly midnight before he returned to the palace , but , instead of entering , he went down to the shore and hid behind a rock . He had scarcely done so when the girl came out of the sea , and stretched out her arms towards his window . In an instant the prince had seized her hand , and though she made a frightened struggle to reach the water -- for she in her turn had had a spell laid upon her -- he held her fast . ` You are my own wife , and I shall never let you go , ' he said . But the words were hardly out of his mouth when he found that it was a hare that he was holding by the paw . Then the hare changed into a fish , and the fish into a bird , and the bird into a slimy wriggling snake . This time the prince 's hand nearly opened of itself , but with a strong effort he kept his fingers shut , and drawing his sword cut off its head , when the spell was broken , and the girl stood before him as he had seen her first , the wreath upon her head and the birds singing for joy . The very next morning the stepmother arrived at the palace with an ointment that the old witch had given her to place upon her daughter 's tongue , which would break the dove 's spell , if the rightful bride had really been drowned in the sea ; if not , then it would be useless .
The mother assured her that she had seen her stepdaughter sink , and that there was no fear XXXXX she would ever come up again ; but , to make all quite safe , the old woman might bewitch the girl ; and so she did .
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