emed to be in fire and flames, and the evil spirits howled even worse
than on the previous day; but the contract they would not give up.

The queen had only one nut left now, but even that she was ready to give
up in order to deliver the man. This time she cracked the nut as soon
as she came near the place where the spirits appeared, and what then
happened to them she could not see, but amid wild screams and howls the
contract was handed to her at the end of a long branch. The queen rode
happy home to the hut, and happier still was the man, who had been
sitting there in great anxiety, for now he was freed from all the power
of the evil spirits.

Meanwhile King Lindorm had come home from the war, and the first
question he asked when he entered the palace was about the queen and the
whelps. The attendants were surprised: they knew of no whelps. The queen
had had two beautiful princes; but the king had sent orders that all
these were to be burned.

The king grew pale with sorrow and anger, and ordered them to summon his
trusted retainer, to whom he had sent the instructions that the queen
and the whelps were to be carefully looked after. The retainer, however,
showed him the letter in which there was written that the queen and her
children were to be burned, and everyone then understood that some great
treachery had been enacted.

When the king's trusted retainer saw his master's deep sorrow he
confessed to him that he had spared the lives of the queen and the
princes, and had only burned a sheep and two lambs, and had kept the
queen and her children hidden in the palace for three years, but had
sent her out into the wild forest just when the king was expected home.
When the king heard this his sorrow was lessened, and he said that he
would wander out into the forest and search for his wife and children.
If he found them he would return to his palace; but if he did not find
them he would never see it again, and in that case the faithful retainer
who had saved the lives of the queen and the princes should be king in
his stead.

The king then went forth alone into the wild forest, and wandered there
the whole day without seeing a single human being. So it went with him
the second day also, but on the third day he came by roundabout ways to
the little hut. He went in there, and asked for leave to rest himself
for a little on the bench. The queen and the princes were there, but she
was poorly clad and so sorrowful that th