592 THE CHARMED FAWN.

After a little time had thus passed, one night the queen be-
gan to speak, and sang,
“ How is my baby and how is my fawn ?
Twice more may I come, and then vanish at dawn.”
‘The nurse did not enswer her, and as soon as she had disap-
peared, went to the king and told him all. The king said,
“Oh, heaven, what is this! I will watch the next night by the
child.” Inthe evening he went into the nursery, and about
midnight the queen appeared again, and said,
«How is my baby, and how is my fawn ?
‘Once more may I come, and then vanish at dawn.”

‘And she nursed the child as usual before she disappeared.
The king did not trust himself to speak, but watched again the
next night, and she came and said,

« How is my baby, and how is my fawn ?
Once more I have come, but I vanish at dawn.”

‘Then the king could not restrain himself, but sprang up to
her, and said, “ You can be none else than my dear wife?”
‘Then she answered, “ Yes, I am thy dear wife.” And at tht
moment, by God’s grace, she received her life again, and wat
quite well and cheerful. Then she told the king tho tric
which the wicked witch and her daughter had played her, and
he bad them both tried, and sentence was pronounced a
them. The daughter was led into the wood, where the wild
beasts tore her in pieces ; and the witch was put into the fir,
where she was burned in terrible anguish. And as soon as sie
was burnt to ashes, the fawn was unbewitched, and received
again a man’s form, and the-brother and sister lived happily
to the end of their days.