पृष्ठ 145 / 626

Immediately the hair fell down and the king's son climbed up.

At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her

eyes had never yet beheld, came to her; but the king's son began

to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart

had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had

been forced to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he

asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that

he was young and handsome, she thought: 'He will love me more

than old Dame Gothel does'; and she said yes, and laid her hand

in his. She said: 'I will willingly go away with you, but I do

not know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk every

time that you come, and I will weave a ladder with it, and when

that is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your

horse.' They agreed that until that time he should come to her

every evening, for the old woman came by day.