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the trees were once more clothed in fresh green, the king of the
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country was hunting in the forest, and followed a roe, and as it had
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fled into the thicket which shut in this part of the forest, he got
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off his horse, tore the bushes asunder, and cut himself a path with
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his sword. When he had at last forced his way through, he saw a
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wonderfully beautiful maiden sitting under the tree, and she sat
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there and was entirely covered with her golden hair down to her very
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feet. He stood still and looked at her full of surprise, then he
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spoke to her and said 'who are you. Why are you sitting here in the
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wilderness.' But she gave no answer, for she could not open her
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mouth. The king continued 'will you go with me to my castle. Then
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she just nodded her head a little. The king took her in his arms,
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carried her to his horse, and rode home with her, and when he reached
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the royal castle he caused her to be dressed in beautiful garments,
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and gave her all things in abundance. Although she could not speak,
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she was still so beautiful and charming that he began to love her
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with all his heart, and it was not long before he married her. After
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a year or so had passed, the queen brought a son into the world.
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Thereupon the virgin mary appeared to her in the night when she lay
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in her bed alone, and said 'if you will tell the truth and confess
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that you did unlock the forbidden door, I will open your mouth and
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give you back your speech, but if you persevere in your sin, and deny
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obstinately, I will take your new-born child away with me.' The the
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queen was permitted to answer, but she remained hard, and said 'no, I
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did not open the forbidden door, and the virgin mary took the
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new-born child from her arms, and vanished with it. Next morning
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when the child was not to be found, it was whispered among the people
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that the queen was a man-eater, and had put her own child to death.
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She heard all this and could say nothing to the contrary, but the
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king would not believe it, for he loved her so much. When a year had
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gone by the queen again bore a son, and in the night the virgin mary
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again came to her, and said 'if you will confess that you opened the
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forbidden door, I will give you your child back and untie your tongue
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but if you continue in sin and deny it, I will take away with me this
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new child also.' Then the queen again said 'no, I did not open the
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forbidden door.' And the virgin took the child out of her arms, and
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away with her to heaven. Next morning, when this child also had
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disappeared, the people declared quite loudly that the queen had
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devoured it, and the king's councillors demanded that she should be
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brought to justice. The king however, loved her so dearly that he
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would not believe it, and commanded the councillors under pain of
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death not to say any more about it. The following year the queen gave
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birth to a beautiful little daughter, and for the third time the
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virgin mary appeared to her in the night and said 'follow me.' She
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took the queen by the hand and led her to heaven, and showed her
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there her two eldest children, who smiled at her, and were playing
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with the ball of the world. When the queen rejoiced thereat, the
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virgin mary said 'is your heart not yet softened. If you will own
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that you opened the forbidden door, I will give you back your two
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little sons.' But for the third time the queen answered 'no, I did
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not open the forbidden door.' Then the virgin let her sink down to
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earth once more, and took from her likewise her third child.
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Next morning, when the loss was reported abroad, all the people cried
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loudly 'the queen is a man-eater. She must be judged, and the king
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was no longer able to restrain his councillors. Thereupon a trial was
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held, and as she could not answer, and defend herself, she was
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condemned to be burnt at the stake. The wood was got together, and
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when she was fast bound to the stake, and the fire began to burn
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round about her, the hard ice of pride melted, her heart was moved by
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repentance, and she thought 'if I could but confess before my death
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that I opened the door.' Then her voice came back to her, and she
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cried out loudly 'yes, mary, I did it, and straight-way rain fell
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from the sky and extinguished the flames of fire, and a light broke
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forth above her, and the virgin mary descended with the two little
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sons by her side, and the new-born daughter in her arms. She spoke
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kindly to her, and said 'he who repents his sin and acknowledges it,
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is forgiven.' Then she gave her the three children, untied her
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tongue, and granted her happiness for her whole life.
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A certain father had two sons, the elder of whom was smart and
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sensible, and could do everything, but the younger was stupid and
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could neither learn nor understand anything, and when people saw him
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they said 'there's a fellow who will give his father some trouble.'
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When anything had to be done, it was always the elder who was forced
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to do it, but if his father bade him fetch anything when it was late,
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or in the night-time, and the way led through the churchyard, or any
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other dismal place, he answered 'oh, no, father, I'll not go there,
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it makes me shudder.' For he was afraid. Or when stories were told
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by the fire at night which made the flesh creep, the listeners
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sometimes said 'oh, it makes us shudder.' The younger sat in a corner
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and listened with the rest of them, and could not imagine what they
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could mean. 'They are always saying 'it makes me shudder, it makes
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me shudder, it does not make me shudder.' Thought he. 'That, too,
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must be an art of which I understand nothing.'
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Now it came to pass that his father said to him one day 'hearken to
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me, you fellow in the corner there, you are growing tall and strong,
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and you too must learn something by which you can earn your bread.
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Look how your brother works, but you do not even earn your salt.'
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'Well, father, he replied, 'I am quite willing to learn something -
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indeed, if it could but be managed, I should like to learn how to
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shudder. I don't understand that at all yet.' The elder brother
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smiled when he heard that, and thought to himself 'good God, what a
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blockhead that brother of mine is. He will never be good for
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anything as long as he lives. He who wants to be a sickle must bend
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himself betimes.' The father sighed, and answered him 'you shall soon
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learn what it is to shudder, but you will not earn your bread by
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that.' Soon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit, and
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the father bewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was
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