The boy must be lying at death's door.' Without a word Peter caught up his mattock, darted from the cottage, and was at the bottom of the hill in less time than he usually took to get halfway.
The door of the king's house stood open; he rushed in and up the stair.
But after wandering about in vain for an hour, opening door after door, and finding no way farther up, the heart of the old man had well-nigh failed him.

Empty rooms, empty rooms!--desertion and desolation everywhere.
At last he did come upon the door to the tower stair.

Up he darted.
Arrived at the top, he found three doors, and, one after the other, knocked at them all.

But there was neither voice nor hearing.

Urged by his faith and his dread, slowly, hesitatingly, he opened one.