"
But what fell down from the wall was not a dead frog, but a living
young prince, with beautiful and loving eyes, who at once became, by
her own promise and her father's will, her dear companion and husband.
He told her how he had been cursed by a wicked sorceress, and that no
one but the king's youngest daughter could release him from his
enchantment and take him out of the well.
The next day a carriage drove up to the palace-gates with eight white
horses, having white feathers on their heads and golden reins. Behind
it stood the servant of the young prince, called the Faithful Henry.
This faithful Henry had been so grieved when his master was changed
into a frog, that he had been compelled to have three iron bands
fastened round his heart, lest it should break. Now the carriage came
to convey the prince to his kingdom, so the faithful Henry lifted in
the bride and bridegroom, and mounted behind, full of joy at his
lord's release. But when they had gone a short distance, the prince
heard behind him a noise as if something was breaking. He turned
round, and cried out, "Henry, the carriage is breaking!"
But Henry replied: "No, sir, it is not the carriage, but one of the
bands from my heart, with which I was forced to bind it up, or it
would have broken with grief, while you sat as a frog at the bottom of
the well."
Twice again this happened, and the prince always thought the carriage
was breaking; but it was only the bands breaking off from the heart of
the faithful Henry, out of joy that his lord the Frog-Prince was a
frog no more.
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