` How are you , my unlooked-for Prince ? ' he said . ` You kept them waiting a good long time ! ' ` And who are you ? ' asked the prince . ` You will know soon enough . When you go home give my compliments to your father and tell him that I wish he would square accounts with me . If he neglects to pay his debts he will bitterly repent it . ' So saying the old man disappeared , and the prince returned to the palace and told his father what had happened . The king turned pale and explained to his son the terrible story . ` Do not grieve over it , father , ' answered the prince . ` It is nothing so dreadful after all ! I will find some way to force Kostieï to give up his rights over me . But if I do not come back in a year 's time , you must give up all hopes of ever seeing me . ' Then the prince began to prepare for his journey . His father gave him a complete suit of steel armour , a sword , and a horse , while his mother hung round his neck a cross of gold . So , kissing him tenderly , with many tears they let him go . He rode steadily on for three days , and at sunset on the fourth day he found himself on the seashore . On the sand before him lay twelve white dresses , dazzling as the snow , yet as far as his eyes could reach there was no one in sight to whom they could belong . Curious to see what would happen , he took up one of the garments , and leaving his horse loose , to wander about the adjoining fields , he hid himself among some willows and waited .
In a few minutes a flock of geese which had been paddling about in the sea approached the shore , and put on the dresses , struck the sand with their feet and were transformed in the twinkling of an eye into eleven beautiful young girls , who flew away XXXXX fast as they could .
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