Now the king had a daughter, and the princess was as pretty a lass as one could find were he to hunt for seven summer days. When she heard all the hubbub she came to see what it was about, for that is the way with all of us, and of women folk more than any. And the king told her all about it; how the soldier had come to that town to get rid of Trouble, and how he had done nothing but bring it with him. “Perhaps,” said she, “Trouble might leave him if he were married.” At this the king fell into a mighty fume, for no man likes to have a woman tell him to do thus and so when things are in a pickle. He should like to know what the princess meant by coming and pouring her broth into their pot! If that was her notion she might help the soldier herself. Married he should be, and _she_ should be his wife—that was what the king said. So the soldier and the princess were married, and then the king had them both put into a great chest and thrown into the sea—but there was room in the chest for Trouble, and he went along with them. Well, they floated on and on and on for a great long time, until, at last, the chest came ashore at a place where three giants lived. The three giants were sitting on the shore fishing. “See, brothers,” said the first one of them, “yonder is a great chest washed up on the shore.” So they went over to where it was, and then the second giant took it on his shoulder and carried it home. After that they all three sat down to supper. Just then the soldier’s nose began to itch and tickle, so that, for the life of him, he could not help sneezing. “At-tchew!”—and there it was. [Illustration: Here^† the Brave Soldier brings his trouble before the king to find if it shall follow him wherever he goes.] “Hark, brothers!” said the third giant, “yonder is somebody in the chest!” So the three giants came and opened the chest, and there were the soldier and the princess. Trouble was there too, but the giants saw nothing of him. They bound the soldier with strong cords so that they might have him to eat for breakfast in the morning. And now what was to be done with the princess? “See, brothers,” said the first giant, “I am thinking that a wife will about fit my needs. This lass will do as well as any, and, as I found her, I will just keep her.” “Prut! how you talk!” said the second giant, “do you think that nobody is to marry in the wide world but you? Who was it brought the lass to the house I should like to know! No; I will marry her myself.” “Stop!” said the third giant. “You are both going too fast on that road. I thought of a wife long before either of you. Who was it found that the lass was in the house, I should like to know!” And so they talked and talked until they fell to quarrelling, and then to blows. Over they rolled, cuffing and slapping, until each one killed the other two, so that they all lay as dead as fishes. And that was an end of them.