The meat stopped roasting before the fire.
The cook in the kitchen was just going to box the ears of the kitchen
boy, but her hand dropped and she sank to sleep.
Outside the castle the wind was still, and upon the trees not a leaf
stirred.
In a short time there sprung up around the castle a hedge of thorn
bushes.
Year by year the hedge grew higher and higher, until at last nothing of
the castle could be seen above it, not even the roof, nor the chimneys,
nor the flag on the tower.
BRIAR ROSE--III
As years went by the story of the sleeping beauty was told all over the
kingdom.
Many kings' sons came and tried to get through the hedge of thorns, but
this they could not do.
The sharp thorns seemed to have hands which held the young men fast.
After many, many years a prince came from a far-off kingdom.
He heard the story of the castle and its sleeping beauty.
He knew what danger lay in the great hedge of thorn bushes.
But the young prince was brave, and he was not to be turned back.
"I am not afraid. I will go out and see this beautiful Briar Rose," he
said.
It happened that the hundred years of the magic spell had just ended.
The day had come when the sleeping princess was to wake up again.
As the prince came to the hedge of thorn bushes, it was in full bloom
and covered with beautiful red flowers.
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