When the morning was come, the giant went to them again and took them into the castle yard, and showed them all his wife had bidden him.

“These,” said he, “were pilgrims once as you are, but they walked in my grounds as you have done.  And when I thought fit, I tore them in pieces, and so within ten days I will do to you, Get you down to your den again,” and he beat them all the way there.

That night, about midnight, Christian and Hopeful began to pray, and they prayed till dawn of day.

Now just at dawn Christian spoke in sudden amazement.  “How foolish we are to lie here, when we might be free after all.  I have a key in my pocket called Promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle.”

Then said Hopeful, “That is good news, pull it out of your pocket and try.”

Christian pulled it out and began to try the dungeon door, and the bolt, as he turned the key, yielded, and the door flew open, and Christian and Hopeful both came out.  Then he went to the door that led to the castle yard, and with his key opened that door also.  After that he went to the iron gate, for that must be opened too.  That lock was terribly hard, yet the key did open it.  Then they thrust open the gate to make their escape in haste, but, as it opened, that gate made such a creaking that it waked Giant Despair, who got up hastily to follow his prisoners, but he could not run after them, for again he took one of his fits.  Then Christian and Hopeful went on till they came to the King’s highway and so were safe, because they were out of the giant’s grounds.  Now when they had got over the stile, they began to wonder what they should do to keep other pilgrims from falling into the hands of Giant Despair.  So they agreed to put up there a pillar, and to write on it this sentence:  “Over this stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the King of the Celestial Country and seeks to destroy His holy pilgrims.”

Many pilgrims, that came after, read what was written and escaped Giant Despair.  They then went on till they came to the Delectable Mountains.  These mountains belonged to the Lord of the steep hill which Christian had climbed.  So they went up these mountains to behold the gardens and orchards, the vineyards and fountains.  There, too, they drank and washed themselves and ate the fruit of the vineyards.  Now there were Shepherds on the mountains, who welcomed them lovingly and showed them many wonders.  First they took them to the top of a hill which was very steep on one side, and bid them look down to the bottom.  So Christian and Hopeful looked down, and saw at the bottom several men dashed all to pieces by a fall that they had had from the top.

“These,” said the Shepherds, “are for an example to others to be careful not to clamber too high, or to come too near the brink of this mountain.”  The name of this mountain was Error.