from the nearby town who have come to parley with the Witch. (Self-referential moment: when the Broom-maker knocks at the door and asks the Witch if she would like to buy a broom, we hear the "Broom" motif from Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel.) After much hemming and hawing from the Woodcutter and Broom-maker, the Fiddler explains why they are there: the city fathers, proud of their wealth and affluence, want the wise woman to identify a king to lead them. The Witch foretells that the first person, be it man or woman, to enter the town gates when the bells toll noon the following day must be their next king. "Though he be clad like a clown, he is worthy to wear the crown." Happy with this prophecy, the Broom-maker and Woodcutter return to town. The Fiddler, however, has glimpsed the Goose-Girl through the window, and stays behind. As the sun sets, the Fiddler confronts the Witch about the Goose-Girl. The Goose-Girl complains to the Fiddler that she is prisoner to the Witch's magic, and even tells him about the prince who came calling that afternoon. The Fiddler immediately proposes that the Goose-Girl should marry the King's Son and come rule over his town. The Witch objects that the Goose-Girl is not noble-born. She tells the grim story of the Goose-Girl's parents: a greedy young lord sought the love of the hangman's daughter. Her boyfriend murdered him, then impregnated the daughter the night before he was executed—by her father, of course. The Goose-Girl is aghast, but the Fiddler comforts her: he knew her parents, he says, and their love and sufferings made them noble indeed; she is indeed a Königskind, a kingly child. The Goose-Girl cheers up and vows to win the King's Son. One of her geese brings her the golden crown; she tears off the shawl she has been wearing, revealing a head of glorious golden hair, prays to her parents for help, and suddenly a star falls down from the starry sky and into the lily, which glows. "Redeemed!" the Goose-Girl cries, and rushes away, followed by the Fiddler and her flock of geese. Act 2 In the central square of the town, just outside the inn, the people are in a turmoil of excitement, eager to welcome their new ruler. The Stable-Girl is scolded by the Innkeeper's Daughter. The King's Son enters, stretching; the Stable-Girl let