第99章 THE TWELVE BROTHERS(2)

`But,' she replied, `I will gladly die if by that means I can restore my twelve brothers to their own.'

`No,' he answered, `there is no need for that; only go and hide under that tub till our eleven brothers come in, and I'll soon make matters right with them.'

She did as she was bid, and soon the others came home from the chase and sat down to supper.

`Well, Benjamin, what's the news?' they asked.

But he replied, `I like that; have you nothing to tell me?'

`No,' they answered.

Then he said: `Well, now, you've been out in the wood all the day and I've stayed quietly at home, and all the same I know more than you do.'

`Then tell us,' they cried.

But he answered: `Only on condition that you promise faithfully that the first girl we meet shall not be killed.'

`She shall be spared,' they promised, `only tell us the news.'

Then Benjamin said: `Our sister is here!' and he lifted up the tub and the Princess stepped forward, with her royal robes and with the golden star on her forehead, looking so lovely and sweet and charming that they all fell in love with her on the spot.

They arranged that she should stay at home with Benjamin and help him in the house work, while the rest of the brothers went out into the wood and shot hares and roe-deer, birds and wood-pigeons.

And Benjamin and his sister cooked their meals for them.She gathered herbs to cook the vegetables in, fetched the wood, and watched the pots on the fire, and always when her eleven brothers returned she had their supper ready for them.Besides this, she kept the house in order, tidied all the rooms, and made herself so generally useful that her brothers were delighted, and they all lived happily together.

One day the two at home prepared a fine feast, and when they were all assembled they sat down and ate and drank and made merry.

Now there was a little garden round the enchanted house, in which grew twelve tall lilies.The girl, wishing to please her brothers, plucked the twelve flowers, meaning to present one to each of them as they sat at supper.But hardly had she plucked the flowers when her brothers were turned into twelve ravens, who flew croaking over the wood, and the house and garden vanished also.

So the poor girl found herself left all alone in the wood, and as she looked round her she noticed an old woman standing close beside her, who said:

`My child, what have you done? Why didn't you leave the flowers alone? They were your twelve brothers.Now they are changed for ever into ravens.'

The girl asked, sobbing: `Is there no means of setting them free?'

`No,' said the old woman, `there is only one way in the whole world, and that is so difficult that you won't free them by it, for you would have to be dumb and not laugh for seven years, and if you spoke a single word, though but an hour were wanting to the time, your silence would all have been in vain, and that one word would slay your brothers.'

Then the girl said to herself: `If that is all I am quite sure Ican free my brothers.' So she searched for a high tree, and when she had found one she climbed up it and spun all day long, never laughing or speaking one word.

Now it happened one day that a King who was hunting in the wood had a large greyhound, who ran sniffing to the tree on which the girl sat, and jumped round it, yelping and barking furiously.

The King's attention was attracted, and when he looked up and beheld the beautiful Princess with the golden star on her forehead, he was so enchanted by her beauty that he asked her on the spot to be his wife.She gave no answer, but nodded slightly with her head.Then he climbed up the tree himself, lifted her down, put her on his horse and bore her home to his palace.

The marriage was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed.

When they had lived a few years happily together, the King's mother, who was a wicked old woman, began to slander the young Queen, and said to the King:

`She is only a low-born beggar maid that you have married;who knows what mischief she is up to? If she is deaf and can't speak, she might at least laugh; depend upon it, those who don't laugh have a bad conscience.' At first the King paid no heed to her words, but the old woman harped so long on the subject, and accused the young Queen of so many bad things, that at last he let himself be talked over, and condemned his beautiful wife to death.

So a great fire was lit in the courtyard of the palace, where she was to be burnt, and the King watched the proceedings from an upper window, crying bitterly the while, for he still loved his wife dearly.But just as she had been bound to the stake, and the flames were licking her garments with their red tongues, the very last moment of the seven years had come.Then a sudden rushing sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens were seen flying overhead.They swooped downwards, and as soon as they touched the ground they turned into her twelve brothers, and she knew that she had freed them.

They quenched the flames and put out the fire, and, unbinding their dear sister from the stake.they kissed and hugged her again and again.And now that she was able to open her mouth and speak, she told the King why she had been dumb and not able to laugh.

The King rejoiced greatly when he heard she was innocent, and they all lived happily ever afterwards.[22]

[22] Grimm.