,
No. 19). The latter version we give at length.

XI. THE CURSE OF THE SEVEN CHILDREN.

There was once a king and a queen who had six children, all sons. The
queen was about to give birth to another child, and the king said that
if it was not a daughter all seven children would be cursed. Now it
happened that the king had to go away to war; and before departing he
said to the queen, "Listen. If you have a son, hang a lance out of the
window; if a daughter, a distaff; so that I can see as soon as I arrive
which it is." After the king had been gone a month, the queen gave birth
to the most beautiful girl that was ever seen. Imagine how pleased the
queen was at having a girl. She could scarcely contain herself for joy,
and immediately gave orders to hang the distaff out of the window; but
in the midst of the joyful confusion, a mistake was made, and they put
out a lance. Shortly after, the king returned and saw the sign at the
window, and cursed all his seven sons; but when he entered the house and
the servants crowded around him to congratulate him and tell him about
his beautiful daughter, then the king was amazed and became very
melancholy. He entered the queen's room and looked at the child, who
seemed exactly like one of those wax dolls to be kept in a box; then he
looked about him and saw nothing of his sons, and his eyes filled with
tears, for those poor youths had wandered out into the world.

Meanwhile the girl grew, and when she was large she saw that her parents
caressed her, but always with tears in their eyes. One day she said to
her mother: "What is the matter with you, mother, that I always see you
crying?" Then the queen told her the story, and said that she was afraid
that some day she would see her disappear too. When the girl heard how
it was, what did she do? One night she rose softly and left the palace,
with the intention of going to find her brothers. She walked and walked,
and at last met a little old man, who said to her: "Where are you going
at this time of the night?" She answered: "I am in search of my
brothers." The old man said: "It will be difficult to find them, for
you must not speak for seven years, seven months, seven weeks, seven
days, seven hours, and seven minutes." She said: "I will try." Then she
took a bit of paper which she found on the ground, wrote on it the day
and the hour with a piece of charcoal, and left the old man and hastened
on her way. After she had run a long time,