But the little old woman held her hand to shield her eyes from the fire’s blaze, and looked across at the Queen. "I shouldn’t think it was a very nice country to live in," she said. The Queen asked, "Why?" "Well, one evening when we were down by the sea, we saw the whole sky lit up over there, and, later, we heard from a traveller, that the people had set fire to the town when they were fighting about who was to be Regent." "Yes, I’m afraid they are rather fond of doing that; but I didn’t know anything about it." "How was that?" the ploughman said. And in reply, the Queen told them her story, to which they listened very attentively, and hardly interrupted at all to ask questions. And so, it being finished, the little old woman took the Queen up to bed in a little room under the eaves, and, bidding her a kind good night, left her. The Queen’s window looked out down the valley, and she could, as she undressed, see the moon shining placidly along it, gleaming on the dew mist, and glancing here and there on the waters of the little stream where its zigzag course caught the light. There was never a sound save the tinkle of the brook or the dull noise of a horse that moved its feet in the stable. So the Queen fell asleep, and did not awaken till the sun was high in the sky. She rubbed her eyes and could not quite make out where she was at first. She missed the noise of the geese, to which she had been used to awaken. But gradually it all came back to her, and for a while she lay and watched the roses that were peeping in at the window and nodding in the morning breeze. "Come, this will never do!" the Queen said to herself. "Whatever will they think of me?" So she arose from between the warm, clean sheets, and, having dressed herself, went downstairs. There she found the little old woman busy in the kitchen. "Good morning, my dear," she said. And the Queen answered, "Good morning, mother." And the little old woman’s eyes smiled her pleasure. "I didn’t wish to wake you," she said, "you seemed so tired last night. My son has gone off to his ploughing; but you will see him as you pass the hill, and he will guide you a little on your way, if you have to go further." The little old woman’s eyes looked quite wistful. "We wish you would stay a little while with us; we should like it so much." "Why, of course I will," the Queen said; "that is, if I can be of any use to you." "Oh yes, you can be of use," the little old woman said. "But it is such a pleasure for us to have guests, for we like to talk with them, and we like to please them as much as may be. But here is your breakfast; you must be quite hungry. And afterwards—after to-day, that is—my son will show you all about the farm. Only to-day he wants to finish his ploughing, and I am too old to go very far up the hills." "It is wonderful how your son manages to work as he does," the Queen said. And the little old woman’s eyes looked proud and happy.