when the king awoke the following morning , he looked out of the window as usual , and there the castle was standing as before , with its weathercocks gleaming handsomely in the sunlight . he sent for his courtiers , and they came in bowing and scraping . " do you see the castle over yonder ? " asked the king . they stretched their necks , and gazed and stared . yes , indeed , they could see the castle . then the king sent for the princess ; but she was not there . thereupon the king set off to see whether his son - in - law was hanging in the appointed spot ; but no , there was not a sign of either son - in - law or gallows . then he had to take off his crown and scratch his head . yet that did not change matters , and he could not for the life of him understand why things should be as they were . finally he set out with his entire court , and when they reached the spot where the castle should have been standing , there it stood . the gardens and the roses were just as they had been , and the duke 's servitors were to be seen in swarms beneath the trees . his son - in - law in person , together with his daughter , dressed in the finest clothes , came down the stairs to meet him . the devil has a hand in it , thought the king ; and so strange did all seem to him that he did not trust the evidence of his own eyes . " god greet you and welcome , father ! " said the duke . the king could only stare at him . " are you , are you my son - in - law ? " he asked . " why , of course , " said the duke , " who else am i supposed to be ? " " did i not have you strung up yesterday as a thief and a vagabond ? " inquired the king . " i really believe father has gone out of his mind on the way over to us , " said the duke and laughed . " does father think that i would allow myself to be hanged so easily ? or is there any one present who dare suppose such a thing ? " he said , and looked them straight in the eye , so that they knew he was looking at them . they bent their backs and bowed and scraped . " and who can imagine any such thing ? how could it be possible ? or should there be any one present who dare say that the king wishes me ill , let him speak out , " said the duke , and gazed at them with even greater keenness than before . all bent their backs and bowed and scraped . how should any of them come to any such conclusion ? no , none of them were foolish to such a degree , they said . now the king was really at a loss to know what to think . when he looked at the duke he felt sure that he could never have wished to harm him , and yet -- he was not quite sure . " was i not here yesterday , and was not the whole castle gone , and had not an old hut taken its place , and did i not enter the hut and see you standing there with scarcely a shirt to your name ? " he asked . " how father talks , " said the duke . " i am afraid , very much afraid , that trolls have blinded you , and led you astray in the forest . what do you think ? " he said and turned to the courtiers . they at once bowed and cringed fifty times in succession , and took the duke 's side , as stands to reason . the king rubbed his eyes and looked around . " it must be as you say , " he told the duke , " and i believe that i have recovered my reason , and have found my eyes again . and it would have been a sin and shame had i had you hung , " said he . then he grew joyful and no one gave the matter further thought . 
pretended the king did not actually hang him .
what did the duke do to trick the king after getting lasse back ?
what did the duke do to trick the king after getting lasse back ?