Quantities of the same sort grow round thecave in which you sleep, but none will be of any use to you unlessthey grow upon the graves in a churchyard. These you must gathereven while they burn blisters on your hands. Break them to pieces withyour hands and feet, and they will become flax, from which you mustspin and weave eleven coats with long sleeves; if these are thenthrown over the eleven swans, the spell will be broken. Butremember, that from the moment you commence your task until it isfinished, even should it occupy years of your life, you must notspeak. The first word you utter will pierce through the hearts of yourbrothers like a deadly dagger. Their lives hang upon your tongue.Remember all I have told you." And as she finished speaking, shetouched her hand lightly with the nettle, and a pain, as of burningfire, awoke Eliza.
  It was broad daylight, and close by where she had been sleepinglay a nettle like the one she had seen in her dream. She fell on herknees and offered her thanks to God. Then she went forth from the caveto begin her work with her delicate hands. She groped in amongst theugly nettles, which burnt great blisters on her hands and arms, butshe determined to bear it gladly if she could only release her dearbrothers. So she bruised the nettles with her bare feet and spun theflax. At sunset her brothers returned and were very much frightenedwhen they found her dumb. They believed it to be some new sorcery oftheir wicked step-mother. But when they saw her hands theyunderstood what she was doing on their behalf, and the youngestbrother wept, and where his tears fell the pain ceased, and theburning blisters vanished. She kept to her work all night, for shecould not rest till she had released her dear brothers. During thewhole of the following day, while her brothers were absent, she sat insolitude, but never before had the time flown so quickly. One coat wasalready finished and she had begun the second, when she heard thehuntsman's horn, and was struck with fear. The sound came nearer andnearer, she heard the dogs barking, and fled with terror into thecave. She hastily bound together the nettles she had gathered into abundle and sat upon them. Immediately a great dog came boundingtowards her out of the ravine, and then another and another; theybarked loudly, ran back, and then came again. In a very few minutesall the huntsmen stood before the cave, and the handsomest of them wasthe king of the country. He advanced towards her, for he had neverseen a more beautiful maiden.
  "How did you come here, my sweet child?" he asked. But Eliza shookher head. She dared not speak, at the cost of her brothers' lives. Andshe hid her hands under her apron, so that the king might not seehow she must be suffering.
  "Come with me," he said; "here you cannot remain. If you are asgood as you are beautiful, I will dress you in silk and velvet, I willplace a golden crown upon your head, and you shall dwell, and rule,and make your home in my richest castle." And then he lifted her onhis horse. She wept and wrung her hands, but the king said, "I wishonly for your happiness. A time will come when you will thank me forthis." And then he galloped away over the mountains, holding herbefore him on this horse, and the hunters followed behind them. As thesun went down, they approached a fair royal city, with churches, andcupolas. On arriving at the castle the king led her into marble halls,where large fountains played, and where the walls and the ceilingswere covered with rich paintings. But she had no eyes for all theseglorious sights, she could only mourn and weep. Patiently sheallowed the women to array her in royal robes, to weave pearls inher hair, and draw soft gloves over her blistered fingers. As shestood before them in all her rich dress, she looked so dazzinglybeautiful that the court bowed low in her presence. Then the kingdeclared his intention of making her his bride, but the archbishopshook his head, and whispered that the fair young maiden was only awitch who had blinded the king's eyes and bewitched his heart. But theking would not listen to this; he ordered the music to sound, thedaintiest dishes to be served, and the loveliest maidens to dance.After-wards he led her through fragrant gardens and lofty halls, butnot a smile appeared on her lips or sparkled in her eyes. She lookedthe very picture of grief. Then the king opened the door of a littlechamber in which she. was to sleep; it was adorned with rich greentapestry, and resembled the cave in which he had found her. On thefloor lay the bundle of flax which she had spun from the nettles,and under the ceiling hung the coat she had made. These things hadbeen brought away from the cave as curiosities by one of the huntsmen.
  "Here you can dream yourself back again in the old home in thecave," said the king; "here is the work with which you employedyourself. It will amuse you now in the midst of all this splendor tothink of that time."
  When Eliza saw all these things which lay so near her heart, asmile played around her mouth, and the crimson blood rushed to hercheeks. She thought of her brothers, and their release made her sojoyful that she kissed the king's hand. Then he pressed her to hisheart. Very soon the joyous church bells announced the marriage feast,and that the beautiful dumb girl out of the wood was to be made thequeen of the country. Then the archbishop whispered wicked words inthe king's ear, but they did not sink into his heart. The marriage wasstill to take place, and the archbishop himself had to place the crownon the bride's head; in his wicked spite, he pressed the narrowcirclet so tightly on her forehead that it caused her pain. But aheavier weight encircled her heart- sorrow for her brothers. Shefelt not bodily pain. Her mouth was closed; a single word would costthe lives of her brothers. But she loved the kind, handsome king,who did everything to make her happy more and more each day; she lovedhim with all her heart, and her eyes beamed with the love she darednot speak. Oh!