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202 GRIMM S FAIRY TALES. she, "and not able to speak a word! She is not worthy of a king !” After a year had passed, and the queen brought her first child into the world, the old woman carried it away, and marked the queen’s mouth with blood as she lay sleeping. | Then she went to the king and declared that his wife was an | eater of human flesh. The king would not believe sucha | thing, and ordered that no one should do her any harm. And © the queen went on quietly sewing the shirts and caring for | nothing else. The next time that a fine boy was born, the © wicked step-mother used the same deceit, but the king would | give no credence to her words, for he said, ) ‘She is too tender and good to do any such thing, and if | she were only not dumb, and could justify herself, then her © innocence would be as clear as day.” ; When for the third time the old woman stole away the © new-born child and accused the queen, who was unable to say © a word in her defence, the king could do no other but give | her up to justice, and she was sentenced to suffer death by fire. / The day on which her sentence was to be carried out was © the very last one of the sixth year of the years during which she © had neither spoken nor laughed, to free her dear brothers from © the evil spell. The six shirts were ready, all except one which © wanted the left sleeve. And when she was led to the pile of wood, | she carried the six shirts on her arm, and when she mounted © the pile and the fire was about to be kindled, all at once she | cried out aloud, for there were six swans coming flying through | the air; and she saw that her deliverance was near, and her © heart beat for joy. The swans came close up to her with rushing wings, and stooped round her, so that she could throw © the shirts over them; and when that had been done the swan- ' skins fell off them, and her brothers stood before her in their | own bodies quite safe and sound; but as one shirt wanted the © left sleeve, so the youngest brother had a swan’s wing instead © of a left arm. They embraced and kissed each other, and the © queen went up to the king, who looked on full of astonishment, and began to speak to him and to say, ‘¢ Dearest husband, now I may dare to speak and tell you that — I am innocent, and have been falsely accused,” and she related ©
