“Did you go into the little room?” said Mother Hildegarde.
“No,” said the princess; but her heart beat so that she could hardly speak.
Then Mother Hildegarde snatched the kerchief off of the princess’s head, and her golden hair came tumbling down all about her shoulders, glittering, so that it was the finest sight that you could see between here and Nomansland.
“Then how came your hair to be like that?” said Mother Hildegarde.
“I do not know,” said the princess; and then she began crying and sobbing as though her heart would break.
“See now,” said Mother Hildegarde; “you have served me well for all of the time that you have been with me, therefore I will have pity upon you, only you must tell me the truth. Did you go into the little room while I was away?”
But for all that Mother Hildegarde spoke ever so kindly the princess could not bring herself to speak the truth.
“No,” said she.
“Then how came your hair to be like that?” said Mother Hildegarde.
“I do not know,” said the princess.