She called to them , and said that they could still get to shore alive if they would promise her the son that was next to come to their mother the queen . ` We ca n't do that , ' shouted the princes ; ` he does n't belong to us so we ca n't give him away . ' ` Then you can rot at the bottom of the sea , both of you , ' said the old woman ; ` and perhaps it may be the case that your mother would rather keep the two sons she has than the one she has n't got yet . ' Then she rowed away in her dough-trough , while the storm howled still louder than before , and the water dashed over their boat until it was almost sinking . Then the princes thought that there was something in what the old woman had said about their mother , and being , of course , eager to save their lives , they shouted to her , and promised that she should have their brother if she would deliver them from this danger . As soon as they had done so the storm ceased and the waves fell . The boat drove ashore below their father 's castle , and both princes were received with open arms by their father and mother , who had suffered great anxiety for them . The two brothers said nothing about what they had promised , neither at that time nor later on when the queen 's third son came , a beautiful boy , whom she loved more than anything else in the world . He was brought up and educated in his father 's house until he was full grown , and still his brothers had never seen or heard anything about the witch to whom they had promised him before he was born . It happened one evening that there arose a raging storm , with mist and darkness . It howled and roared around the king 's palace , and in the midst of it there came a loud knock on the door of the hall where the youngest prince was . He went to the door and found there an old woman with a dough - trough on her back , who said to him that he must go with her at once ; his brothers had promised him to her if she would save their lives . ` Yes , ' said he ; ` if you saved my brothers ' lives , and they promised me to you , then I will go with you . ' They therefore went down to the beach together , where he had to take his seat in the trough , along with the witch , who sailed away with him , over the sea , home to her dwelling . The prince was now in the witch 's power , and in her service . The first thing she set him to was to pick feathers . ` The heap of feathers that you see here , ' said she , ` you must get finished before I come home in the evening , otherwise you shall be set to harder work . ' He started to the feathers , and picked and picked until there was only a single feather left that had not passed through his hands . But then there came a whirlwind and sent all the feathers flying , and swept them along the floor into a heap , where they lay as if they were trampled together . He had now to begin all his work over again , but by this time it only wanted an hour of evening , when the witch was to be expected home , and he easily saw that it was impossible for him to be finished by that time .
Then he heard something tapping XXXXX the window pane , and a thin voice said , ` Let me in , and I will help you . '
around at before below for in into over that while