They shall provide me with bride-maidens too . But beware lest you deceive me , and do not miss a single one . That shall be the test of your truth towards me . ' Unwilling as the gnome was to lose sight of his beautiful bride for a moment , he obeyed her commands without delay , and hurried off to begin his task . He skipped along among the turnips as nimble as a grasshopper , and had soon counted them all ; but , to be quite certain that he had made no mistake , he thought he would just run over them again . This time , to his great annoyance , the number was different ; so he reckoned them for the third time , but now the number was not the same as either of the previous ones ! And this was hardly to be wondered at , as his mind was full of the princess 's pretty looks and words . As for the maiden , no sooner was her deluded lover fairly out of sight than she began to prepare for flight . She had a fine fresh turnip hidden close at hand , which she changed into a spirited horse , all saddled and bridled , and , springing upon its back , she galloped away over hill and dale till she reached the Thorny Valley , and flung herself into the arms of her beloved Prince Ratibor . Meanwhile the toiling gnome went through his task over and over again till his back ached and his head swam , and he could no longer put two and two together ; but as he felt tolerably certain of the exact number of turnips in the field , big and little together , he hurried back eager to prove to his beloved one what a delightful and submissive husband he would be . He felt very well satisfied with himself as he crossed the mossy lawn to the place where he had left her ; but , alas ! she was no longer there . He searched every thicket and path , he looked behind every tree , and gazed into every pond , but without success ; then he hastened into the palace and rushed from room to room , peering into every hole and corner and calling her by name ; but only echo answered in the marble halls -- there was neither voice nor footstep . Then he began to perceive that something was amiss , and , throwing off the mortal form that encumbered him , he flew out of the palace , and soared high into the air , and saw the fugitive princess in the far distance just as the swift horse carried her across the boundary of his dominions . Furiously did the enraged gnome fling two great clouds together , and hurl a thunderbolt after the flying maiden , splintering the rocky barriers which had stood a thousand years . But his fury was vain , the thunderclouds melted away into a soft mist , and the gnome , after flying about for a while in despair , bewailing to the four winds his unhappy fate , went sorrowfully back to the palace , and stole once more through every room , with many sighs and lamentations . He passed through the gardens which for him had lost their charm , and the sight of the princess 's footprints on the golden sand of the pathway renewed his grief . All was lonely , empty , sorrowful ; and the forsaken gnome resolved that he would have no more dealings with such false creatures as he had found men to be . Thereupon he stamped three times upon the earth , and the magic palace , with all its treasures , vanished away into the nothingness out of which he had called it ; and the gnome fled once more to the depths of his underground kingdom . While all this was happening , Prince Ratibor was hurrying away with his prize to a place of safety .
With great pomp and triumph he restored the lovely princess to her father , and was then and there married to her , and took her back XXXXX him to his own castle .
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