一年后，国王不得不出征，临行把年轻的王后托付给他母亲，说：“如果她生孩子，请你照顾她，伺候好她，并且立刻写信告诉我。”她果然生下一个漂亮儿子，老婆婆赶紧写信向国王报告喜讯。谁料信使半路上在一道小溪旁休息，因为长途跋涉太疲倦，便睡着了。这时那个老想害虔诚的王后的魔鬼走来，掉换了信，在假信中说什么王后生了个怪胎。国王读完信大惊，心情十分忧郁，不过仍然回信要家人好好照料王后，等他回去再说。信使回去时在同一个地方休息，又睡着了。魔鬼走来放了另一封信在他口袋里，信中说，把王后和她儿子一起处死。老太后接到信吓得要命，不相信真有这事，又写一封信给儿子，可是，回答仍旧一个样，因为魔鬼每次都把信使的袋子给换了。在最后封信里还写着，必须在处死王后时留下她的舌头和眼珠作凭证。
But the old mother wept to think such innocent blood was to be shed，and had a hind brought by night and cut out her tongue and eyes，and kept them.Then said she to the queen，“I cannot have you killed as the king commands，but here you may stay no longer.Go forth into the wide world with your child，and never come here again.”The poor woman tied her child on her back，and went away with eyes full of tears.She came into a great wild forest，and then she fell on her knees and prayed to God，and the angel of the Lord appeared to her and led her to a little house on which was a sign with the words，here all dwell free.A snowwhite maiden came out of the little house and said，“Welcome，lady queen.”and conducted her inside.Then she unbound the little boy from her back，and held him to her breast that he might feed，and laid him in a beautifullymade little bed.Then said the poor woman，“From whence do you know that I was a queen？”The white maiden answered，“I am an angel sent by God，to watch over you and your child.”The queen stayed seven years in the little house，and was well cared for，and by God"s grace，because of her piety(piety n.虔诚，孝行)，her hands which had been cut off，grew once more.
但是，老太后痛哭流泪，不忍心看清白无辜的人被杀死，便让人在夜里捕来一头母鹿，挖出它的舌头和眼珠保存起来。然后她告诉王后：“我不忍按国王的命令处死你，可这里你不能呆了，带着你的孩子走得远远的吧，永远别再回来。”说完她把婴儿绑在媳妇背上，可怜的女人只好眼泪汪汪地走了。她走到一片原始森林里，双膝跪下祈求上帝，上帝的天使出现了，领着她来到一幢小屋前。小屋门上挂着个小牌儿，牌上写着：人人可以自由居住。从屋里走出来一位衣裙雪白的少女，说，“欢迎您，王后娘娘！”接着领她进了屋。在屋里少女替她解下背上的婴儿，把婴儿放反进她怀里吃奶，吃完奶又放他到一张制作精美的小床上。这时候，可怜的女人才问：“你从哪儿知道我是位王后呢？”“我是个天使，”白衣少女回答，“上帝派我来照顾你母子。”随后，她在小屋中一住七年，得到很好的照顾。由于她的虔诚，上帝保佑她，使她被砍掉的手又长了出来。
At last the king came home again from his journey，and his first wish was to see his wife and the child.Then his aged mother began to weep and said，“You wicked man，why did you write to me that I was to take those two innocent lives.”And she showed him the two letters which the evil one had forged，and then continued，“I did as you bade me，”and she showed the tokens，the tongue and eyes.Then the king began to weep for his poor wife and his little son so much more bitterly(bitterly adv.苦苦地，悲痛的，厉害的)than she was doing，that the aged mother had compassion on him and said，“Be at peace，she still lives，I secretly caused a hind to be killed，and took these tokens from it，but I bound the child to your wife"s back and bade her go forth into the wide world，and made her promise never to come back here again，because you were so angry with her.”Then spoke the king，“I will go as far as the sky is blue，and will neither eat nor drink until I have found again my dear wife and my child，if in the meantime(meantime n.其间，其时)they have not been killed，or died of hunger.”