` What are you doing wandering about my castle ? ' asked the old man . To whom the prince replied : ' I lost my way hunting in the forest . If you will take me into your service , I should like to stay with you , and will serve you faithfully . ' ` Very well , ' said the old man . ` You may enter my service . You will have to keep the stove always lit , you will have to fetch the wood for it from the forest , and you will have the charge of the black horse in the stables . I will pay you a florin a day , and at meal times you will always find the table in the hall spread with food and wine , and you can eat and drink as much as you require . ' The prince was satisfied , and he entered the old man 's service , and promised to see that there was always wood on the stove , so that the fire should never die out . Now , though he did not know it , his new master was a magician , and the flame of the stove was a magic fire , and if it had gone out the magician would have lost a great part of his power . One day the prince forgot , and let the fire burn so low that it very nearly burnt out . Just as the flame was flickering the old man stormed into the room . ` What do you mean by letting the fire burn so low ? ' he growled . ' I have only arrived in the nick of time . ' And while the prince hastily threw a log on the stove and blew on the ashes to kindle the glow , his master gave him a severe box on the ear , and warned him that if ever it happened again it would fare badly with him . One day the prince was sitting disconsolate in the stables when , to his surprise , the black horse spoke to him . ` Come into my stall , ' it said , ' I have something to say to you . Fetch my bridle and saddle from that cupboard and put them on me . Take the bottle that is beside them ; it contains an ointment which will make your hair shine like pure gold ; then put all the wood you can gather together on to the stove , till it is piled quite high up . '
So the prince did what the horse told him ; he saddled and bridled the horse , he put the ointment on his hair till it shone like gold , and he made such a big fire in the stove that the flames sprang up and set fire to the roof , and XXXXX a few minutes the palace was burning like a huge bonfire .
To beside for if in into of on though with