When he told us not to go into that room he must have known what he was saying , and have had a good reason for saying it . ' ` Surely the sky wo n't fall about our heads if we DO go in , ' said the second Princess . ` Dragons and such like monsters that would devour us will not be hidden in the room . And how will our father ever find out that we have gone in ? ' While they were speaking thus , encouraging each other , they had reached the room ; the eldest fitted the key into the lock , and snap ! the door stood open . The three girls entered , and what do you think they saw ? The room was quite empty , and without any ornament , but in the middle stood a large table , with a gorgeous cloth , and on it lay a big open book . Now the Princesses were curious to know what was written in the book , especially the eldest , and this is what she read : ` The eldest daughter of this King will marry a prince from the East . ' Then the second girl stepped forward , and turning over the page she read : ` The second daughter of this King will marry a prince from the West . ' The girls were delighted , and laughed and teased each other . But the youngest Princess did not want to go near the table or to open the book . Her elder sisters however left her no peace , and will she , nill she , they dragged her up to the table , and in fear and trembling she turned over the page and read : ` The youngest daughter of this King will be married to a pig from the North . ' Now if a thunderbolt had fallen upon her from heaven it would not have frightened her more . She almost died of misery , and if her sisters had not held her up , she would have sunk to the ground and cut her head open . When she came out of the fainting fit into which she had fallen in her terror , her sisters tried to comfort her , saying : ` How can you believe such nonsense ? When did it ever happen that a king 's daughter married a pig ? ' ` What a baby you are ! ' said the other sister ; ` has not our father enough soldiers to protect you , even if the disgusting creature did come to woo you ? ' The youngest Princess would fain have let herself be convinced by her sisters ' words , and have believed what they said , but her heart was heavy .
Her thoughts kept turning to the book , XXXXX which stood written that great happiness waited her sisters , but that a fate was in store for her such as had never before been known in the world .
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