So his sister could not do less than open the door with a heavy heart,
and the roe sprang out joyfully into the forest.

As soon as the king saw him, he said to his huntsmen, "Now hunt him
all day till evening, but don't do anything to hurt him."

When the sun was set the king said to his huntsman, "Now come and show
me the little house you saw in the wood." And when he was before the
door he knocked and cried, "Dear little sister, let me in."
Immediately the door opened, the king entered, and there stood a
maiden more beautiful than any one he had ever seen. The damsel was
frightened when she found there had come in, not her roe, but a man
who wore a golden crown on his head. But the king looked kindly at
her, took her hand and said, "Wilt thou go with me to my castle, and
be my dear wife?"

"Oh yes," answered the maiden, "but the roe must come with me, for I
cannot forsake him."

The king replied, "He shall remain with you as long as you live, and
shall want for nothing."

At this moment he came springing in, his sister tied the cord of
rushes round his neck, led him with her own hand, and they all left
the little house together.

The king took the beautiful maiden on his own horse and conducted her
to his castle, where the marriage was celebrated with great pomp. She
was now queen, and they lived a long time very happily together; while
the roe was petted and taken care of, and played all day about the
palace-garden.

But the wicked stepmother, on whose account these children had been
driven into the wide world, thought nothing less than that the little
sister had been torn to pieces by wild beasts in the forest, and that
the brother, in the shape of a roe, had been killed by the hunters.
When she now heard they were so happy, and that everything went well
with them, envy and spite raged in her heart and gave her no rest, and
her only thought was how she could do some mischief to them both. Her
own daughter, who was as ugly as the night and had only one eye, was
continually reproaching her, and saying, "It is I who ought to have
been made queen."

"Never mind," said the old witch to console her; "when the time comes
I will manage it."

By and by the queen gave birth to a beautiful little boy; and the king
being away at the hunt, the old witch took upon herself the form of
the lady-in-waiting, entered the room where the queen lay, and said to
her, "Come, the bath is ready, which will do you good and give