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-;{@ The roses of St.Elizabeth @};-
In a little kingdom called Thuringia there once lived a queen who was so good and sweet beatiful that she was laved by all her subjects. Nobody ever heard her speak an unkind word, and always she went about trying to do good to her people.
Elizabeth, for that was a queen’s name, was hardly more than a girl. She had a husband who loved her very dearly, and she loved him as well. But he was older than she was, and rather grave and quiet, and sometimes Elizabeth felt just a little bit afraid of him.
One day the king rode out to hunt as usual with his courtiers and huntsmen, and after he had gone Elizabeth set out, as she often did, to visit her poor people. She took with her only one serving - maid, to help her carry the food she was taking to them; and because there was more then the maid could manage, Elizabeth herself queen though she was, filled her apron with the loaves of bread which she was going to give away.
Now it happened that the king was not in a mood for hunting that morning and he and his courtiers presently left the case and turned homewards, some somehours before it was his custom to do so, and Elizabeth and her waiting – woman had hardly left the castle when they met the cavalcade returning.
Elizabeth was overcome with confusion, and did not know what to do. She knew that her husband was good and kind, and approved of her charitable actions, but she did not knowif he would quite like to think that his wife herself went round to the cittages, carrying the loaves of bread she meant to give away. She would have turned aside and avoided him if she could, but that was impossible, for already the horsemen were clattering aroung her, some of the grand guests looking askance at seeing the wife of their king walking about the streets in such a humble manner.
But the king smiled at the wife whom he loved so dearly, and streching out his hand he drew to his horse’s side.
“What have you there, sweet wife?” he said, looking down at the burden she carried, and the courtiers and guests drew nearer to see.
Elizabeth did not know what to do or say. How could she shame her dear husband before all these grand people by teling them what she really had in her apron? For those days people had very foolish ideas about what a queen might do or might not do, a high - born lady like Elizabeth should demean herself by carrying bread to her poor people.
Elizabeth felt that she could not bear to see the scronful simles on their faces if they saw what was in her apron, and, acting on a sudden impulse, she said quickly:
“Roses.”
Directly she had said it she knew that it was wrong. She knew that she should have owned up bravely and spoken the truth, and not have been afraid of being laughed at. A crimson flush rose to her cheeks, and she hung her head, not daring to meet her husband’s eyes, while tha hands that held the apron trembled.
Her husband saw that something was wrong. Perhaps he guessed what the apron really held, for hie voice was very grave as he bent down from his horse and said kindly but firmly:
“Let me see.”
Tremblingly Elizabeth opened her apron, and the tears came into her eyes as she wondered what her husband would think of her. But a wonderfull thing had happened. There were no loaves of bread in the apron as she held it out towards her husband – the loaves had been turned into roses , red and white.
For a moment nobody spoke, then the king bent down and kissed Elizabeth tenderly.
“Go your ways, sweetheart,” he said, and rode on to the castle, leaving Elizabeth standing gazing, breathless and bewildered, at the roses that she held.
Is was wrong of her, of course, not to have told the truth, but she always so good and gentle, and tried so hard to help her poor people, that God would not let her be shamed before those proud, scornful guests. So He had truned the loaves into roses and made the untruth true.
