He took a party of huntsmen with him, but again he made them wait on the outskirts of the forest while he went on by himself.
The wild boar made a dash at the little tailor, but the man was too quick for it. He slipped into a little building close by, with the animal at his heels. Then, catching sight of a small window, he forced his way out into the forest again, and while the boar, who was too big and clumsy to follow, stood gazing at the spot where he had disappeared, the tailor ran round and closed the door, keeping the animal quite secure inside. Then he called the hunters, who shot the boar and carried the body back to the palace.
This time the king was obliged to keep his promise; so the little tailor became a prince, and a grand wedding they had, too.
When they had been married for about a couple of years, the princess once overheard her husband talking in his sleep.
“Boy, if you have put a patch on that waistcoat, take the Lord Mayor’s coat home at once, or I’ll box your ears,” he said.
“Oh, dear,” cried the princess, “to think that I’ve married a common tailor! Whatever can I do to get rid of him?”
So she told her father the story, and the king said she need not worry, for he would find a way out of the difficulty. She was to leave the door open that night, and while the tailor was sleeping, the king’s servants should steal into the room, bind the tailor, and take him away to be killed.
The princess promised to see that everything was in readiness, and she tripped about all day with a very light heart.
She little knew that one of the tailor’s servants had overheard their cruel plot, and carried the news straight to his master.
That night, when the princess thought her husband was sleeping fast, she crept to the door and opened it.