“See now,” said the princess, “did I not say that you should have brought the lad who blew upon the key?”
The next day the lad went out and rapped upon the ground for the third time.
“I should like,” said he, “to have a splendid castle all built of silver and gold, such as nobody ever saw before.”
That was what he said, and before the words had left his tongue just such a great castle grew up out of nothing like a soap-bubble.
The king chanced to look out of the window just then, and there was the great splendid gold and silver castle. He took off his spectacles and rubbed them and rubbed them, but there was the castle just the same as ever.
He bade them saddle the horses, and he and the princess, and all of the court besides, rode away to find out who it was that had built such a fine castle all in one night.
But the lad saw them coming, and rapped upon the ground with his key. “I should like,” said he, “for things to be just as they were before;” and puff! away went the castle like the light of a candle when one blows it out.
Up came the king and the princess and all the court, and not a speck of the grand castle could they find, but only a lad in rags and tatters who sat upon a great round stone and whistled upon a key.
But the princess was a lass who could see through a millstone with a hole in it. So soon as she set eyes upon him she knew the whole business from beginning to end. Up she marched to him, before them all, and took him by the hand. “Now I will marry you,” said she, “for I see that you have brought the key of wish-house with you;” and there she was as wise as ever. For there be many kings and princes in the world, but I have never yet heard of any one except the fisher-lad who had the key of wish-house. Have you?