w escape,' said the king, turning to his wife, who
sat pale with fright, and clasping her baby tightly in her arms.
'Frightful,' murmured the queen; 'but look, what is that glittering
object that is lying out there?' The king walked in the direction of
her finger, and to his astonishment beheld another cradle and another
baby.

'Ah! the monster must have stolen this as he sought to steal
Geirlaug,' cried he. And stooping lower, he read some words that were
written on the fine linen that was wound round the boy. 'This is
Grethari, son of Grethari the king!' Unfortunately it happened that
the two neighbouring monarchs had had a serious quarrel, and for some
years had ceased holding communication with each other. So, instead of
sending a messenger at once to Grethari to tell him of the safety of
his son, the king contented himself with adopting the baby, which was
brought up with Geirlaug the princess.

For a while things went well with the children, who were as happy as
the day was long, but at last there came a time when the queen could
no more run races or play at hide-and-seek with them in the garden as
she was so fond of doing, but lay and watched them from a pile of soft
cushions. By-and-by she gave up doing even that, and people in the
palace spoke with low voices, and even Geirlaug and Grethari trod
gently and moved quietly when they drew near her room. At length, one
morning, they were sent for by the king himself, who, his eyes red
with weeping, told them that the queen was dead.

[Illustration: THE DRAGON DISCOMFITED]

Great was the sorrow of the two children, for they had loved the
queen very dearly, and life seemed dull without her. But the
lady-in-waiting who took care of them in the tower which had been
built for them while they were still babies, was kind and good, and
when the king was busy or away in other parts of his kingdom she made
them quite happy, and saw that they were taught everything that a
prince and princess ought to know. Thus two or three years passed,
when, one day, as the children were anxiously awaiting their father's
return from a distant city, there rode post haste into the courtyard
of the palace a herald whom the king had sent before him, to say that
he was bringing back a new wife.

Now, in itself, there was nothing very strange or dreadful in the fact
that the king should marry again, but, as the old lady-in-waiting soon
guessed, the queen, in spite of her beauty, was a witc