After a year or so had passed, the Queen brought a son into the
world. Thereupon the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the night when she
lay in her bed alone, and said, "If thou wilt tell the truth and confess
that thou didst unlock the forbidden door, I will open thy mouth and give
thee back thy speech, but if thou perseverest in thy sin, and deniest
obstinately, I will take thy new-born child away with me." Then the queen
was permitted to answer, but she remained hard, and said, "No, I did not
open the forbidden door;" and the Virgin Mary took the new-born child from
her arms, and vanished with it. Next morning when the child was not to be
found, it was whispered among the people that the Queen was a man-eater,
and had killed her own child. She heard all this and could say nothing to
the contrary, but the King would not believe it, for he loved her so much.
When a year had gone by the Queen again bore a son, and in the night
the Virgin Mary again came to her, and said, "If thou wilt confess that
thou openedst the forbidden door, I will give thee thy child back and
untie thy tongue; but if you continuest in sin and deniest it, I will
take away with me this new child also.
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