when the maiden awoke the next morning , the prince as well as the castle had disappeared . she lay in a green opening in the midst of a thick , dark wood , and beside her lay the bundle of poor belongings she had brought from home . and when she had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes , and had cried her fill , she set out and wandered many , many days , until at last she came to a great hill . and before the hill sat an old woman who was playing with a golden apple . the maiden asked the woman whether she did not know which road led to the prince who lived in the castle that was east of the sun and west of the moon , and who was to marry a princess with a nose three yards long . " how do you come to know him ? " asked the woman . " are you , perhaps , the maiden he wanted to marry ? " " yes , i am that maiden , " she replied .
an old woman .
who sat before the hill ?
who sat before the hill ?