I will then give you a riddle , ' he said ; ` if you guess it , you shall be free and out of my power . ' The dragon then flew away , and they journeyed on with their little whip . They had as much money as they wanted , wore grand clothes , and made their way into the world . Wherever they went they lived in merrymaking and splendour , drove about with horses and carriages , ate and drank , but did nothing wrong . The time passed quickly away , and when the seven years were nearly ended two of them grew terribly anxious and frightened , but the third made light of it , saying , ` Do n't be afraid , brothers , I was n't born yesterday ; I will guess the riddle . ' They went into a field , sat down , and the two pulled long faces . An old woman passed by , and asked them why they were so sad . ` Alas ! what have you to do with it ? You can not help us . ' ` Who knows ? ' she answered . ` Only confide your trouble in me . ' Then they told her that they had become the servants of the Dragon for seven long years , and how he had given them money as plentifully as blackberries ; but as they had signed their names they were his , unless when the seven years had passed they could guess a riddle . The old woman said , ` If you would help yourselves , one of you must go into the wood , and there he will come upon a tumble-down building of rocks which looks like a little house . He must go in , and there he will find help . ' The two melancholy ones thought , ` That wo n't save us ! ' and they remained where they were . But the third and merry one jumped up and went into the wood till he found the rock hut . In the hut sat a very old woman , who was the Dragon 's grandmother .
She XXXXX him how he came , and what was his business there .
answered asked confide drank faces find journeyed knows passed thought