But Michael was silent . XII Lina 's sisters had seen her talking to the little garden boy , and jeered at her for it . ` What prevents your marrying him ? ' asked the eldest , ` you would become a gardener too ; it is a charming profession . You could live in a cottage at the end of the park , and help your husband to draw up water from the well , and when we get up you could bring us our bouquets . ' The Princess Lina was very angry , and when the Star Gazer presented her bouquet , she received it in a disdainful manner . Michael behaved most respectfully . He never raised his eyes to her , but nearly all day she felt him at her side without ever seeing him . One day she made up her mind to tell everything to her eldest sister . ` What ! ' said she , ` this rogue knows our secret , and you never told me ! I must lose no time in getting rid of him . ' ` But how ? ' ` Why , by having him taken to the tower with the dungeons , of course . ' For this was the way that in old times beautiful princesses got rid of people who knew too much . But the astonishing part of it was that the youngest sister did not seem at all to relish this method of stopping the mouth of the gardener 's boy , who , after all , had said nothing to their father . XIII It was agreed that the question should be submitted to the other ten sisters . All were on the side of the eldest . Then the youngest sister declared that if they laid a finger on the little garden boy , she would herself go and tell their father the secret of the holes in their shoes . At last it was decided that Michael should be put to the test ; that they would take him to the ball , and at the end of supper would give him the philtre which was to enchant him like the rest .
They sent for the Star Gazer , and asked him how he had contrived XXXXX learn their secret ; but still he remained silent .
At For from in like of that to with without