Then he pulled out his watch, looked at it and shuddered. "Only three quarters of an hour left," he groaned. And there they sat at the window worrying and worrying and worrying, and wondering what to do. And underneath the window sat the twenty-headed Gallopus gloating and gloating and gloating over the way they were worrying. And finally the three-quarters of an hour passed and they knew if Ting stayed in the castle another minute he would turn into a spider. [Illustration: Underneath the window sat the twenty-headed Gallopus] "Oh, dear," said the boy, "I guess I'll have to go out and be eaten. It's bad enough but I think I'd rather be eaten than be a spider." "Yes," said the Princess, "and I think I should, too, only I _would_ like to disappoint that Gallopus. I know he'd much rather eat you than have you turn into a spider." "Oh, do you think so?" said Ting. "I'm sure of it," responded the Princess. "Then," said the boy, "maybe I can make a bargain with him." So he leaned out of the window and called to the monster: "you might as well go away now. I've decided to become a spider." "What!" shouted the twenty-headed Gallopus, "why, you must be crazy. Why--why, it's an awful feeling to be a spider. It's much nicer to be eaten. Come on out and I'll swallow you whole and it won't hurt a bit." "No," said Ting, "I think I prefer to be a spider." "Oh, go on," said the Gallopus, looking awfully disappointed, "you can't mean it." "Yes, I do," said the Prince, "although I might change my mind if you let the Princess go free." "Never," cried the monster, gnashing his teeth. "Very well, then," said Ting, "you'll not eat _me_." And he started to draw in his head. "Wait, wait," shouted the Gallopus, "wait a moment. Let me think." Then after a moment he groaned. "All right, I'll do it, though I ought to be ashamed of myself. But it has been so many years since I tasted a boy I simply cannot resist the temptation. So come out and be eaten and the moment I gulp you down I'll go off to my cave and shut my eyes, and the Princess can come out of the castle." And the instant the monster said that the Prince jumped out of the window, because he knew if he hesitated the Princess, who had been listening in horrified silence, would never let him be eaten to set her free. "Ah, ha!" cried the Gallopus, smacking his twenty pairs of lips, when he saw Ting standing before him, "now I _have_ got you." Then he burst into a roar of laughter. "I knew that story about the spider would fetch you. That's the reason I made it up." "You made it up?" cried Ting. "Do you mean to say it wasn't true?" With another laugh the Gallopus shook every one of his heads merrily. "Of course it wasn't true, and only a ninny like you would have believed it." "Is that so!" cried the Princess. And as she spoke _she_ jumped out of the window and marched right up to the monster. "You wicked, wicked creature," she said, her cheeks flaming and her eyes sparkling like diamonds.