And when the King had ridden off she took the little shirts and went into the wood , and the reel showed her the way . The children , who saw someone coming in the distance , thought it was their dear father coming to them , and sprang to meet him very joyfully . Then she threw over each one a little shirt , which when it had touched their bodies changed them into swans , and they flew away over the forest . The Queen went home quite satisfied , and thought she had got rid of her step-children ; but the girl had not run to meet her with her brothers , and she knew nothing of her . The next day the King came to visit his children , but he found no one but the girl . ` Where are your brothers ? ' asked the King . ` Alas ! dear father , ' she answered , ` they have gone away and left me all alone . ' And she told him that looking out of her little window she had seen her brothers flying over the wood in the shape of swans , and she showed him the feathers which they had let fall in the yard , and which she had collected . The King mourned , but he did not think that the Queen had done the wicked deed , and as he was afraid the maiden would also be taken from him , he wanted to take her with him . But she was afraid of the stepmother , and begged the King to let her stay just one night more in the castle in the wood . The poor maiden thought , ` My home is no longer here ; I will go and seek my brothers . ' And when night came she fled away into the forest . She ran all through the night and the next day , till she could go no farther for weariness . Then she saw a little hut , went in , and found a room with six little beds . She was afraid to lie down on one , so she crept under one of them , lay on the hard floor , and was going to spend the night there . But when the sun had set she heard a noise , and saw six swans flying in at the window . They stood on the floor and blew at one another , and blew all their feathers off , and their swan-skin came off like a shirt . Then the maiden recognised her brothers , and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed .
Her brothers were not less delighted than she XXXXX see their little sister again , but their joy did not last long .
at in into of over that through till to with