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 you will tell the truth and confess
that you did unlock the forbidden door,
I will open your mouth and give you back your speech,
but if you perseverest in your sin, and deniest obstinately,
I will take your 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 you will confess that you opened the forbidden
door,
I will give you your child back and untie your tongue;
but if you continuest in sin and deniest it,
I will take away with me this new child also."
Then the queen again said, "No, I did
not open the forbidden door;"
and the Virgin took the child out of her arms, and away with her to
heaven.
Next morning, when this child also had disappeared,
the people declared quite loudly that the queen had devoured it,
and the king's councilors demanded that she should be brought to justice.
The king, however, loved her so dearly, that he would not believe
it,
and commanded the councilors under pain of death not to say any more about it.
The following year the queen gave birth to a beautiful little
daughter,
and for the third time the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the night and said,
"Follow me."
She took the queen by the hand and led her to heaven,
and showed her there her two eldest children,
who smiled at her, and were playing with the ball of the world.
When the queen rejoiced thereat, the Virgin Mary said,
"Is your heart not yet softened? If you will own that
you opened the forbidden door, I will give you back your two little sons."
But for the third time the queen answered, "No, I did not open the forbidden door."
Then the Virgin let her sink down to earth once more, and took from her likewise her third child.
Next morning, when the loss was reported abroad, all the people
cried loudly,
"The queen is a man-eater. She must be judged,"
and the king was no longer able to restrain his councilors.
Thereupon a trial was held, and as she could not answer,
and defend herself, she was condemned to be burnt alive.
The wood was got together, and when she was fast bound to the
stake,
and the fire began to burn round about her, the hard ice of pride melted,
her heart was moved by repentance, and she thought,
"If I could but confess before my death that I opened
the door."
Then her voice came back to her, and she cried out loudly, "Yes,
Mary, I did it;"
And straight-way rain fell from the sky and extinguished the flames of fire,
and a light broke forth above her,
and the Virgin Mary descended with the two little sons by her side,
and the new-born daughter in her arms.
She spoke kindly to her, and said, "He who repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven."
Then she gave her the three children, untied her tongue, and granted her happiness for her whole life.