says the giant . ` You 're putting me off too long . ' ` St. Tibb 's Eve , ' says she . ' I wish I knew how far off that is , ' says he ; and he fell asleep , with his head in the dish . Next day , he went out after breakfast , and she sent the prince to the castle where the eldest sister was . The same thing happened there ; but when the giant was snoring , the princess wakened up the prince , and they saddled two steeds in the stables and rode into the field on them . But the horses ' heels struck the stones outside the gate , and up got the giant and strode after them . He roared and he shouted , and the more he shouted , the faster ran the horses , and just as the day was breaking he was only twenty perches behind . But the prince did n't leave the castle of Seven Inches without being provided with something good . He reined in his steed , and flung a short , sharp knife over his shoulder , and up sprung a thick wood between the giant and themselves . They caught the wind that blew before them , and the wind that blew behind them did not catch them . At last they were near the castle where the other sister lived ; and there she was , waiting for them under a high hedge , and a fine steed under her . But the giant was now in sight , roaring like a hundred lions , and the other giant was out in a moment , and the chase kept on . For every two springs the horses gave , the giants gave three , and at last they were only seventy perches off . Then the prince stopped again , and flung the second knife behind him . Down went all the flat field , till there was a quarry between them a quarter of a mile deep , and the bottom filled with black water ; and before the giants could get round it , the prince and princesses were inside the kingdom of the great magician , where the high thorny hedge opened of itself to everyone that he chose to let in . There was joy enough between the three sisters , till the two eldest saw their lovers turned into stone . But while they were shedding tears for them , Seven Inches came in , and touched them with his rod . So they were flesh , and blood , and life once more , and there was great hugging and kissing , and all sat down to breakfast , and Seven Inches sat at the head of the table . When breakfast was over , he took them into another room , where there was nothing but heaps of gold , and silver , and diamonds , and silks , and satins ; and on a table there was lying three sets of crowns : a gold crown was in a silver crown , and that was lying in a copper crown .
He took up one set of crowns , and gave it to the eldest princess ; and another set , and gave it to the second youngest princess ; and another , and gave it to the youngest of all ; and says he , ` Now you may all go to the bottom of the pit , and you have nothing XXXXX do but stir the basket , and the people that are watching above will draw you up .
after as behind between into of outside to under while