After they had lived like this for a few years, it happened one day that a Prince was riding through the wood and passed by the tower. As he drew near it he heard someone singing so sweetly that he stood still spell-bound, and listened. It was Rapunzel in her loneliness trying to while away the time by letting her sweet voice ring out into the wood. The Prince longed to see the owner of the voice, but he sought in vain for a door in the tower. He rode home,
but he was so haunted by the song he had heard that he returned every day to the wood and listened. One day, when he was standing thus behind a tree, he saw the old Witch approach and heard her call out:
`Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your golden hair.'
Then Rapunzel let down her plaits, and the Witch climbed up by them.
`So that's the staircase, is it?' said the Prince. `Then I too will climb it and try my luck.'
