that she
saw her brothers' clear eyes; each time the warm sun shone upon her
cheeks she thought of all the kisses they had given her.

Each day passed just like the rest. When the wind swept through the
great rose hedges outside the house, it seemed to whisper to them: "What
can be more beautiful than you?" But the roses shook their heads and
answered "Eliza!" And when the old woman sat in front of her door on
Sunday and read in her hymn-book, the wind turned the leaves and said to
the book: "Who can be more pious than you?" and the hymn-book said,
"Eliza!" And what the rose bushes and the hymn-book said was the simple
truth.

When she was 15 years old she was to go home. And when the Queen saw how
beautiful she was, she became spiteful and filled with hatred toward
her. She would have been glad to change her into a wild swan, like her
brothers, but she did not dare to do so at once, because the King wished
to see his daughter.

Early in the morning the Queen went into the bath, which was built of
white marble, and decked with soft cushions and the most splendid
tapestry; and she took three toads and kissed them, and said to the
first: "Sit upon Eliza's head when she comes into the bath, that she may
become as stupid as you. Seat yourself upon her forehead," she said to
the second, "that she may become as ugly as you, and her father may not
know her. Rest on her heart," she whispered to the third, "that she may
receive an evil mind and suffer pain from it."

Then she put the toads into the clear water, which at once assumed a
green color; and calling Eliza, she caused her to undress and step into
the water. And while Eliza dived, one of the toads sat upon her hair,
and the second on her forehead, and the third on her heart; but she did
not seem to notice it; and as soon as she rose, three red poppies were
floating on the water. If the creatures had not been poisonous, and if
the witch had not kissed them, they would have been changed into red
roses. But at any rate they became flowers, because they had rested on
the girl's head, and forehead, and heart. She was too good and innocent
for sorcery to have power over her.

When the wicked Queen saw that, she rubbed Eliza with walnut juice, so
that the girl became dark brown, and smeared a hurtful ointment on her
face, and let her beautiful hair hang in confusion. It was quite
impossible to recognize the pretty Eliza.

When her father saw her he was much shocked and