So they all went into the church together , but there was scarcely any one who listened to what the priest was saying , for they were all looking far too much at her , and the Prince fell much more deeply in love with her than he had been before . When the sermon was over and she went out of the church , and was just going to mount her horse , the Prince again came and asked her where she came from . ' I am from Towelland , ' said the King 's daughter , and as she spoke she dropped her riding-whip , and while the Prince was stooping to pick it up she said : ` Darkness behind me , but light on my way , That the Prince may not see where I 'm going to-day ! ' And she was gone again , neither could the Prince see what had become of her . He went far and wide to inquire for that country from whence she had said that she came , but there was no one who could tell him where it lay , so he was forced to have patience once more . Next Sunday some one had to go to the Prince with a comb . Kari begged for leave to go with it , but the others reminded her of what had happened last time , and scolded her for wanting to let the Prince see her when she was so black and so ugly in her wooden gown , but she would not give up asking until they gave her leave to go up to the Prince with the comb . When she went clattering up the stairs again , out came the Prince and took the comb and flung it at her , and ordered her to be off as fast as she could . After that the Prince went to church , and Kari also begged for leave to go . Again they all asked what she would do there , she who was so black and ugly , and had no clothes that she could be seen in by other people . The Prince or some one else might very easily catch sight of her , they said , and then both she and they would suffer for it ; but Kari said that they had something else to do than to look at her , and she never ceased begging until she got leave to go . And now all happened just as it had happened twice already . She went away to the rock and knocked at it with the stick , and then the man came out and gave her a gown which was very much more magnificent than either of the others . It was almost entirely made of pure gold and diamonds , and she also got a noble horse with housings embroidered with gold , and a golden bridle . When the King 's daughter came to the church the priest and people were all standing on the hillside waiting for her , and the Prince ran up and wanted to hold the horse , but she jumped off , saying : ` No , thank you , there is no need ; my horse is so well broken in that it will stand still when I bid it . ' So they all hastened into the church together and the priest got into the pulpit , but no one listened to what he said , for they were looking far too much at her and wondering whence she came ; and the Prince was far more in love than he had been on either of the former occasions , and he was mindful of nothing but of looking at her . When the sermon was over and the King 's daughter was about to leave the church , the Prince had caused a firkin of tar to be emptied out in the porch in order that he might go to help her over it ; she , however , did not trouble herself in the least about the tar , but set her foot down in the middle of it and jumped over it , and thus one of her gold shoes was left sticking in it . When she had seated herself on the horse the Prince came running out of the church and asked her whence she came . ` From Combland , ' said Kari . But when the Prince wanted to reach her her gold shoe , she said : ` Darkness behind me , but light on my way , That the Prince may not see where I 'm going to-day ! '
The Prince did not know what had become of her , so he travelled XXXXX a long and wearisome time all over the world , asking where Combland was ; but when no one could tell him where that country was , he caused it to be made known everywhere that he would marry any woman who could put on the gold shoe .
From at behind for on out that up while with