The distance was greater than he thought , and it was dark before he reached the foot of the mountain ; indeed , he could not have found the road at all had it not been for the bright light , which shone like the moon on his path . At length he came to the door of a fine castle , which had a blaze streaming from every window . He mounted a flight of steps and entered a hall where a hideous old woman was sitting on a golden chair . She scowled at the young man and said , ` With a single one of the hairs of my head I can turn you into stone . ' ` Oh , what nonsense ! ' cried he . ` Be quiet , old woman . What could you do with one hair ? ' But the witch pulled out a hair and laid it on his shoulder , and his limbs grew cold and heavy , and he could not stir . Now at this very moment the younger brother was thinking of him , and wondering how he had got on during all the years since they had parted . ' I will go to the fig-tree , ' he said to himself , ` to see whether he is alive or dead . ' So he rode through the forest till he came where the fig-tree stood , and cut a slit in the bark , and waited . In a moment a little gurgling noise was heard , and out came a stream of blood , running fast . ` Ah , woe is me ! ' he cried bitterly . ` My brother is dead or dying ! Shall I ever reach him in time to save his life ? ' Then , leaping on his horse , he shouted , ` Now , my steed , fly like the wind ! ' and they rode right through the world , till one day they came to the town where the young man and his wife lived . Here the princess had been sitting every day since the morning that her husband had left her , weeping bitter tears , and listening for his footsteps .
And when she saw his brother ride under the balcony she mistook him for her own husband , for they were so alike that no man might tell the difference , and her heart bounded , and , leaning down , she called XXXXX him , ` At last !
at in of on since than that till to with