Page 562 - Child's own book

O, these children were happy indeed,—but, unfortunately,
their happiness was not to last.
Their father, who was the king; of the land, married a wicked
quern, who was not well disposed towards the poor children.
This they perceived from the very first day. There were
festivities in the palace, and the children were playing at
receiving visitor;;; but instead of their obtaining as usual, all
the cakes and roast apples that were to be had, she merely gave
them some sand in a tea*cup, and told them they could make-
believe with that.
tn the following week, she sent their little sister Klisc to a
peasant's cottage in the country ; and before long, she spoke so
ill of the poor princes to the king, that he no longer troubled
himpclf about them.
“ Fly out into the world, and pick up your own liveli­
hood/’ said the wicked fjueen. i4 Fly in the shape of large
birds without voices." But she could not make things as
bad as she wished, for they were turned into eleven beautiful
wild swans; and away they flew out of the palace windows,
uttering a peculiar cry, as they swept over the park to the forest
beyond.
It was still early, as they passed by the peasant’s cottage,
where Klise lay asleep. They hovered over the roof, and ex­
tended their long necks, and flapped their wings, hut nobody
heard or saw them ; so they were obliged 10 go on. And they
rose up to the clouds, and flow out into the wide world, until
they reached a large gloomy forest, that shelved down to the
sea-shore.
Poor Eliso was standing in a room in the cottage, playing
with a green leaf, for she had no other toy. And she pierced
a hole through the leaf, and looked up at the sun, when she
fancied she saw her brothers’ clear eyes ; and every time the