"But I have more strength to lift you out of the boat and carry you than any of them. I'm sure I'm strong enough to hold you up a whole hour. Look here." He took her in his arms and lifted her up. She held on to his neck. "There, now you mustn't hold me any longer." He put her down. She said: "Yes, but Otto is strong too. And he has fought grown-up men too." Johannes asked doubtfully: "Grown-up men?" "Yes, he has. In town." Pause. Johannes was thinking. "Very well, that's the end of that," he said. "I know what I shall do." "What will you do?" "I shall take service with the giant." "Oh, but you're mad, do you hear!" screamed Victoria. "Oh well, it's all the same to me. I shall do it." Victoria was thinking of a way out. "Yes, but perhaps he won't come back again?" Johannes answered: "He'll come." "Here?" she asked quickly. "Yes." Victoria got up and made for the entrance. "Come along, we'd better go out again." "There's no hurry," said Johannes, who had turned pale himself. "He won't come before tonight. At the hour of midnight." Victoria felt reassured and was going to sit down again. But Johannes didn't find it easy to lay the uncanny feeling he had himself called up, the cave was getting too dangerous for him and he said: "If you really want to go out again I have a stone out there with your name on it. I'll show it you." They crept out of the cave and found the stone. Victoria was proud of it and happy. Johannes was touched, he could have cried, and he said: "When you look at it you must think of me sometimes when I am gone. Give me a kind thought." "Of course," answered Victoria. "But you'll come back, won't you?" "Oh, goodness knows. No, I don't suppose I shall." They began to walk homewards. Johannes was near to tears. "Well, good-bye," said Victoria. "No, I can go with you a little farther." But her heartlessness in being so ready to bid him good-bye had made him bitter, stirred up the wrath in his wounded heart. He stopped abruptly and said with righteous indignation: "But I'll tell you this, Victoria, you won't get anybody who would have been so kind to you as I should. That's all I've got to say." "Well, but Otto is kind too," she objected. "All right, take him." They went a few paces in silence. "I shall have a splendid time. Don't be afraid about that. You don't even know what my reward's going to be." "No. What is it going to be?" "Half of the kingdom. That was the first thing." "Fancy, are you going to have that?" "And then I'm to get the Princess." Victoria stopped still. "That's not true, is it?" "Yes, it is," he said. Pause. Victoria remarked absently: "I wonder what she looks like?" "Oh, bless you, she's prettier than any one on earth. And that we knew before." Victoria was conquered. "Will you take her then?" she asked.