understanding and cleverness
of their prisoner, for he knew everything better than they did
themselves. But much greater was the astonishment of the judges when
they heard the account of the affair from the boy's own mouth. He spoke
so clearly and reasonably that they gave judgment in his favour, and
acquitted him of all blame. The great lady then applied to the king, who
promised to investigate the whole affair himself; but he also was forced
to agree with the judges and to pronounce the youth innocent. The lady
was now ready to burst with rage at the thought that a peasant boy
should have gained a verdict in her despite. She complained to the
queen, knowing that she was very much harsher than the king. "My
consort," said the queen, "is an old idiot, and his judges are all
fools. It is a pity that you brought the matter before the court,
instead of coming to me, for I would have managed the affair
differently, and would have done you justice. Now that the matter has
passed through the court, and the judgment is confirmed by the king, I
am no longer in a position to put a better face on it openly, but we
must see how we can arrange to punish the youth without attracting
attention." It occurred to the lady that there lived a very
ill-tempered peasant woman on her estate, with whom no servant would
stay, while her husband said that his life with her was more
uncomfortable than if he was in hell. If the impudent boy could be
induced to go to her as herd-boy, she thought the woman would give him a
severer punishment than any judge could inflict upon him. "I'll arrange
the matter just as you wish," said the queen. So she summoned a
trustworthy messenger, and instructed him what to do. If she had had the
least idea that the herd-boy was the exiled prince, she would have had
him put to death at once, without troubling herself about the king or
the judges' decision.

As soon as the prince's master heard the queen's desire, he at once
released the herd-boy from his service. He thanked his stars that he had
got out of the scrape so easily. The queen's messenger now took the lad
to the farm to which she had consigned him without his consent. The
wicked old woman shouted for joy when she heard that the queen had found
her a herd-boy, and sent word that she might treat him as she pleased,
because the youth was very perverse, and nothing good was to be got out
of him. She did not know how hard the new millstone was, and hoped to
tre