On the morrow the old woman, with a heavy heart, went to the palace, and was shown as before into the king’s presence. Seeing her there for the third time, his Majesty asked her impatiently, ‘What do you want this time, old woman?’ And she, trembling all over, said, ‘Please your Majesty—nothing.’ Then the king exclaimed, ‘But it cannot be nothing. Something you must want, so tell me the truth at once, if you value your life!’ Thereupon the old woman was forced to tell all the story to the king; how her son had a great desire to marry the princess, and so had forced her to come and ask the king to give her to him for wife.
When the king had heard everything, he said, ‘Well, after all, I shall say nothing against it if my daughter will consent to it.’ He then told his servants to lead the princess into his presence. When she came he told her all about the affair, and asked her, ‘Are you willing to marry the son of this old woman?’
The princess answered, ‘Why not? If only he learns first the trade that no one knows!’ Thereupon the king bade his attendants give money to the poor woman, who now went back to her hut with a light heart.
The moment she entered, her son asked her, ‘Have you engaged her?’ And she returned, ‘Do let me get my breath a little! Well, now I have really asked the king; but it is of no use, for the princess declares she will not marry you until you have learnt the trade that no one knows!’
‘Oh, that matters nothing!’ exclaimed the son. ‘Now I only know the condition, it’s all right!’ The next morning the young man set out on his travels through the world in search of a man who could teach him the trade that no one knows. He wandered about a long time without being able to find out where he could learn such a trade. At length one day, being quite tired out with walking and very sad, he sat down on a fallen log by the wayside. After he had sat thus a little while, an old woman came up to him, and asked, ‘Why art thou so sad, my son?’ And he answered, ‘What is the use of your asking, when you cannot help me?’ But she continued, ‘Only tell me what is the matter, and perhaps I can help you.’ Then he said, ‘Well, if you must know, the matter is this: I have been travelling about the world a long time to find a master who can teach me the trade which no one knows.’ ‘Oh, if it is only that,’ cried the old woman, ‘just listen to me! Don’t be afraid, but go straight into the forest which lies before you, and there you will find what you want.’
The young man was very glad to hear this, and got up at once and went to the forest. When he had gone pretty far in the wood, he saw a large castle, and, whilst he stood looking at it and wondering what it was, four giants came out of it and ran up to him, shouting, ‘Do you wish to learn the trade that no one knows?’ He said, ‘Yes; that is just the reason why I come here.’ Whereupon they took him into the castle.
Next morning the giants prepared to go out hunting, and, before leaving, they said to him, ‘You must on no account go into the first room by the dining-hall.’ Hardly, however, were the giants well out of sight before the young man began to reason thus with himself: ‘I see very well that I have come into a place from which I shall never go out alive with my head, so I may as well see what is in the room, come what may afterwards.’ So he went and opened the door a little and peeped in. There stood a golden ass, bound to a golden manger. He looked at it a little, and was just going to shut the door when the ass said, ‘Come and take the halter from my head, and keep it hidden about you. It will serve you well if you only understand how to use it.’ So he took the halter, and, after fastening the room door, quickly concealed it under his clothes. He had not sat very long before the giants came home. They asked him at once if he had been in the first room, and he, much frightened, replied, ‘No, I have not been in.’ ‘But we know that you have been!’ said the giants in great anger, and seizing some large sticks, they beat him so severely that he could hardly stand on his feet. It was very lucky for him that he had the halter wound round his body under his clothes, or else he would certainly have been killed.
The next day the giants again prepared to go out hunting, but before leaving him they ordered him on no account to enter the second room.
Almost as soon as the giants had gone away he became so very curious to see what might be in the second room, that he could not resist going to the door. He stood there a little, thinking within himself, ‘Well, I am already more dead than alive, much worse cannot happen to me!’ and so he opened the door and looked in. There he was surprised to see a very beautiful girl, dressed all in gold and silver, who sat combing her hair, and setting in every tress a large diamond. He stood admiring her a little while, and was just going to shut the door again, when she spoke, ‘Wait a minute, young man. Come and take this key, and mind you keep it safely. It will serve you some time, if you only know how to use it.’ So he went in and took the key from the girl, and then, going out, fastened the door and went and sat down in the same place he had sat before.
He had not remained there very long before the giants came home from hunting. The moment they entered the house they took up their large sticks to beat him, asking, at the same time, whether he had been in the second room.