when the step-mother came home with her daughter, and they saw that they were both as black as coal and ugly, but that the step-daughter was white and beautiful, wickedness increased still more in their hearts, and they thought of nothing else but how they could do her an injury. the step-daughter, however, had a brother called reginer, whom she loved much, and she told him all that had happened. once on a time reginer said to her, "dear sister, i will take thy likeness, that i may continually see thee before mine eyes, for my love for thee is so great that i should like always to look at thee." then she answered, "but, i pray thee, let no one see the picture." so he painted his sister and hung up the picture in his room; he, however, dwelt in the king’s palace, for he was his coachman. every day he went and stood before the picture, and thanked god for the happiness of having such a dear sister. now it happened that the king whom he served, had just lost his wife, who had been so beautiful that no one could be found to compare with her, and on this account the king was in deep grief. the attendants about the court, however, remarked that the coachman stood daily before this beautiful picture, and they were jealous of him, so they informed the king. then the latter ordered the picture to be brought to him, and when he saw that it was like his lost wife in every respect, except that it was still more beautiful, he fell mortally in love with it. he caused the coachman to be brought before him, and asked whom the portrait represented? the coachman said it was his sister, so the king resolved to take no one but her as his wife, and gave him a carriage and horses and splendid garments of cloth of gold, and sent him forth to fetch his chosen bride. when reginer came on this errand, his sister was glad, but the black maiden was jealous of her good fortune, and grew angry above all measure, and said to her mother, "of what use are all your arts to us now when you cannot procure such a piece of luck for me?" "be quiet," said the old woman, "i will soon divert it to you," and by her arts of witchcraft, she so troubled the eyes of the coachman that he was half-blind, and she stopped the ears of the white maiden so that she was half-deaf. then they got into the carriage, first the bride in her noble royal apparel, then the step-mother with her daughter, and reginer sat on the box to drive.