Stories & fairy tales

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ANDERSEN'S
STORIES fcf FAIRY TALES

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15

STORIES ^FAIRYTALES
BY HANS CHRISTIANA

TRAN SLATED
H.OSKAR SOMMER.Ph:D.

WIH 100 PICTURES
ARTHUR .3

VOLUME 1

'ROCK A BY BABY

ON THE TREE 'TOP."

^PUBLISHED BY GEORGE
LONDON & ORPINGTON. M-D-CCC-XC-llt

BALIAHTYNE PRESS
LONDON fif EDINBURGH

All rights reserved

Pz,

CONTENTS

Nightingale

* The Rose-Elf .

1 The Emperor's New Suit

* The Storks
"The Daisy

The Steadfast Tin Soldier .
4 The Buckwheat ....
The Swineherd .

The Elfin Hill .....
The Fir-Tree . ; .
Big Claus and Little Claus .
The Saucy Boy .
The Shepherdess and the Sweep .
The Goloshes of Fortune .
A Beginning .

What Happened to the Counsellor .
The Watchman's Adventures . '.. ••:.
A Critical Moment— A Most Extraordinary

Journey . . .
The Clerk's Transformation
The Best Thing the Goloshes did
The Flying Trunk

VOL. I.

CONTENTS

The Little Match Girl .

OleLuk-Oie . ' • f • • * jig

Monday. './.-> • '

Tuesday. - -

Wednesday .

Thursday . • • • • •

Friday

1 26

Saturday .

127

Sunday . •/ • • /--.

^ The Ugly Duckling .

Twelve by the Mail .

\/The Little Mermaid .

The Lovers .

' Thumbelina ....
The Flax . . •
The Princess and the Pea .. .
The Garden of Paradise
The Snowman .
Holger Danske .
j The Red Shoes .

The Little Elder-tree Mother
The Darning Needle .
The Last Dream of the Old Oak
A The Wild Swans
The Shadow
The Old Street Lamp
The Neighbouring Families
The Wicked Prince .
The Old House .

CONTENTS xi

Story of a Mother . .''.-. . Tage/tqy

TheBdl 300

The Girl who Trod on the Loaf of Bread . . 305

The Shirt-Collar

The Happy Family .... ,17

Little Tuk . V . . «»,

' The Tinder-Box " . ! .
A Cheerful Temper . ! . . / . m

Little Ida's Flowers . ,,a

33°
The Story of the Year

The Travelling Companion .... (^cT^

" There is no Doubt about it " . . ""174.

Soup from a Sausage-Peg ....

What the First Little Mouse had Seen and

Learnt on her Travels . . . 3~g

What the Second Little Mouse had to Tell 382

What the Fourth Mouse had to Tell, before

the Third One had Spoken . . 386

How it was Prepared .... 389

The Beetle

The Nightingale

IN China, as you know,
the emperor is a China-
man, and all those he has
about him are Chinamen
too. The following story
happened many years ago,
but that is just why it is
worth hearing before it
is forgotten. The em-
peror's castle was the
most beautiful in the
world and was entirely
of fine porcelain ; it was
very costly, but so brittle
and delicate to touch,
that one had to be very
careful. In the garden
were seen the most won-
derful flowers, to the

a STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

finest of which tinkling silver bells were tied, lest people should !
pass without noticing them. Indeed, everything in the emperor's ;
garden was well thought out, and it was such a large one that the i
gardener himself did not know where it ended. If you kept on i
walking you came to a noble forest with high trees and deep i
lakes. The forest sloped straight down to the deep blue sea, and
large ships could sail right up under the branches of the trees. In
one of these trees there lived a nightingale who sang so beautifully
that even the poor fishermen, who had plenty of other things to do,
would stop and listen when, on going out at night to spread their :
nets, they heard it sing. " Heavens ! how beautiful that is," they
would say ; but they had to attend to their work and forget the
bird. So if it sang again next night, and the fishermen came
that way, they would again exclaim, " How beautifully that bird !
sings ! "

Travellers came from every country in the world to the
emperor's city, which they admired very much, as well as the
castle and the garden. But when they heard the nightingale,
they would exclaim, " That is the best of all ! " And when
the travellers returned home they told of these things, and the
learned ones wrote many books about the town, the castle and
the garden. Neither did they forget the nightingale : that was
praised most of all, and those who could write poetry wrote
most beautiful poems about the nightingale in the wood by the
deep sea.

These books travelled all over the world, and some of them;
came into the hands of the emperor. He sat in his golden
chair reading and reading on; every moment he nodded his head,;,
for it pleased him to find the beautiful descriptions of the city,
the castle and the garden. Then he came to the words :

" But the nightingale is the best of all ! "

" What is this ? " said he. " I don't know the nightingale at
all. Is there such a bird in my empire, and even in my garden ?
I have never heard of it. Fancy learning such a thing for the
first time from a book ! "

Hereupon he called his chamberlain, who was so important
that when any one of lower rank than himself dared to speak to

THE NIGHTINGALE 3

him or to ask him anything, he would only answer, " Pooh ! "
and that meant nothing.

" There is said to be a most remarkable bird here, called the
nightingale," said the emperor. " They say it is the finest thing
in my great empire. Why have I never been told about it ? "

" I have never heard it mentioned before," said the chamber-
lain. " It has never been presented at court."

"I wish it to come and sing before me this evening," said the
emperor. "The whole world knows what I possess, while I
myself do not."

, "I have never heard it mentioned before," said the chamber-
lain ; " but I shall look for it and I shall find it."

But where was it to be found ? The chamberlain ran up and
iown all the stairs, through halls and corridors, but not one of
:hose whom he met had heard of the nightingale. So he
ran back to the emperor, and said that it must certainly be an
nvention of those people who wrote books.

"Your Imperial Majesty will scarcely believe," said he, "what
hings are written in books. It is all fiction and something that
s called the black art."

" But the book in which I have read this," said the emperor,
' has been sent to me by the high and mighty Emperor of Japan,
ind there cannot therefore be anything untrue in it. I will hear
he nightingale ! It must be here this evening ! It has my
lighest favour, and if it does not come, the whole court shall be
rampled upon after supper."

" Tsing pe ! " said the chamberlain, and ran up and down all
le stairs again, and through all the halls and corridors \ and half
pe court ran with him, for they were not at all desirous of being
fcampled upon. Then there was a great inquiry after the remark-
jible nightingale which was known to all the world except to the
eople at court.

i! At last they came upon a poor little girl in the kitchen, who
aid, " Dear me, I know the nightingale well, and it can sing too !
Jlvery evening I have leave to take home to my poor sick mother
:ie scraps from the table ; she lives down by the seashore, and
ithen I am tired I sit down to rest in the wood as I come back,

4 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

and then I hear the nightingale sing. It makes the tears come
into my eyes, and I feel just as if my mother were kissing me.'

"Little maid," said the chamberlain, "I will get you an
appointment in the kitchen, and permission to see the emperor
dine, if you will lead us to the nightingale, for it has been com-
manded to appear this evening."

So they all went out into the wood, where the nightingale was
wont to sing ; half the court was. there, When they were well on
their way a cow began to low. " Oh," said the courtiers, " now
we've got it ! What wonderful power in such a small creature ! I
nave certainly heard it before."

« No, those are cows lowing," said the little maid ; " we are a
long way from the place yet."

Some frogs then began to croak in the marsh.
" Beautiful ! " said the Chinese court chaplain. " Now I hear
it ; it sounds exactly like little church bells."

" No," said the little maid, " those are frogs. But I think we
shall soon hear it now." And then the nightingale began to
sing.

" That's it ! " said the little girl. " Hark, hark j there it sits ! "
And she pointed out a little grey bird up in the branches.

" Is it possible ? " said the chamberlain. " I should never have
imagined it like that. How simple it looks ! I suppose it has
lost its colour at seeing so many grand people around it."

"Little nightingale," the little maid called out in a loud tone,
" our most gracious emperor wishes you to sing to him."

" With the greatest pleasure," said the nightingale, and sang
so nicely that it was a pleasure to hear it.

" It sounds exactly like glass bells," said the chamberlain.

" And look at its little throat, how it works. It is remarkable

that we never heard it before ; it will be a great success at court."

" Shall I sing before the emperor again ? " asked the nightingale,

believing that the emperor was also present.

" My excellent little nightingale," said the chamberlain, " I
have great pleasure in inviting you to a court festival this evening,
when you will bewitch His Imperial Majesty with your charming
song."

THE NIGHTINGALE 5

"That is best heard in the woods," said the nightingale; but
j still it came willingly when it heard the emperor wished it.

The castle had been elegantly decorated. The walls and the
floors, which were of porcelain, glittered in the light of many
[thousands of golden lamps; the most beautiful flowers, which
j tinkled merrily, stood in the corridors. In fact, what with the
j running to and fro and the draught, the bells tinkled so loudly
ithat you could not hear yourself speak.

In the centre of the great hall in which the emperor sat, a
teolden perch had been fixed for the nightingale. The whole
bourt was present, and the little kitchen-maid, having now received
khe title of a real court cook, had obtained permission to stand
behind the door. All were dressed in their very best, and all had
heir eyes on the little grey bird, to whom the emperor nodded.

The nightingale sang so beautifully that tears came into the
mperor's eyes and ran down his cheeks, and when the bird sang
till more beautifully it went straight to one's heart. The emperor
?as so pleased that he said the nightingale should have his golden
lipper to wear round its neck. But the nightingale declined with
hanks, saying that it had already received sufficient reward.

" I have seen tears in the emperor's eyes, and that is the
reatest treasure for me. An emperor's tears have a wonderful
>ower. Heaven knows, I have been sufficiently rewarded."
Thereupon she again sang in her beautiful, sweet voice.

" That is the sweetest coquetry that we know," said the ladies

vho were standing round, and then took water in their mouths to

nake them cluck when any one spoke to them. This made them

hink they were nightingales too. Even the footmen and the

hambermaids allowed themselves to express their satisfaction —

hat is saying a good deal, for they are the hardest to please. In

word, the nightingale was a great success.

It was now to remain at court, have its own cage, and liberty to

o out twice a day and once during the night. It was then

ccompanied by twelve servants, each of whom held it fast by a

ilken string attached to its leg. There was by no means any

leasure in such flying.

The whole city talked about the wonderful bird, and if two

6 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

people met, one would say to the other " Nightin," and the other
would answer "gale." And then they sighed and understood
each other. Eleven pedlars' children had even been named after
the bird, though not one of them could sing a note.

One day the emperor received a large parcel, on which was
written : " The nightingale."

" Here we have a new book about our celebrated bird," said
the emperor. It was no book, however, but a small work of art,
which lay in a casket : an artificial nightingale, supposed to look
like the living one, but covered all over with diamonds, rubies and
sapphires. As soon as the imitation bird had been wound up, it
could sing one of the pieces that the real bird sang, and then it
would move its tail up and down, all glittering with silver and
gold. Round its neck hung a little ribbon on which was written :
" The Emperor of Japan's nightingale is poor compared with that
of the Emperor of China."

" How beautiful ! " they all cried ; and he who had brought the
artificial bird immediately -received the title of Imperial Nightin-
gale-bringer-in-chief.

" Now they must sing together ; what a lovely duet that will be ! "

And so they had to sing together ; but it did not go very well,
for the real bird sang in its own way, and the imitation one sang
only waltzes.

" That is not the new one's fault," said the music-master ; " it
sings in perfect time, and quite according to my method." So
the imitation bird had to sing alone. It had quite as great a
success as the real one ; besides, it was much prettier to look at
glittering like bracelets and breast-pins.

Thirty-three times it sang one and the same tune and still was |
not tired.

The courtiers would like to have heard it all over again, but the :
emperor thought that the live nightingale ought now to sing
something as well. But where was it ? No one had noticed ill
flying out of the window back to its green woods.

" But how is that ? " said the emperor. And all the courtiers
blamed the nightingale, and thought it a most ungrateful
creature. " In any way, we have the best bird," they said ; and

THE NIGHTINGALE 7

so the imitation one had to sing again, which made the thirty-
Fourtht time that they had heard the same tune. Even then
they did not know it by heart, for it was much too difficult.
The music-master praised the bird exceedingly; indeed, he
issured them that it was better than a nightingale, not only in
its dress and the number of beautiful diamonds, but also in its
inside.

" For, see, your gracious majesty and my lords, with a real
nightingale we never know what is coming next, but with the
irtificial one everything is arranged. You can open it, you can
explain it, and make people understand how the waltzes lie, how
they work, and why one note follows the other."

" That is just what we think too," they all said ; and the
nusic-master received permission to show the bird to the
Deople on the following Sunday. The emperor commanded that
:hey should also hear it sing. When they did so, they were as
jleased as if they had all got drunk on tea, which is a Chinese
ashion ; and they all said " Oh ! " and held up their first fingers
md nodded. But the poor fishermen, who had heard the real
lightingale, said, " It sounds pretty enough, the tunes are all
ilike too, but there is something wanting — I don't know what."

The real nightingale was banished from the country and the
5mpire. The imitation bird had its place on a silk cushion close
o the emperor's bed ; and all the presents which it had received
jay around it, and it had been promoted to the rank of Number
t)ne on the Left, with the title of Grand Imperial Toilet-table
linger. The emperor considered the left side, on which the
jieart lies, as the most noble, and an emperor has his heart on
left just like other people. The music-master, too, wrote

ork of twenty-five volumes about the artificial bird ; it was so
earned and so long, so full of the most difficult Chinese words,
lat all the people said they had read it and understood it,
3r otherwise they would have been thought stupid and had
ieir bodies trampled upon.

For a whole year it went on like that. The emperor, the
ourt, and all the other Chinamen knew every turn in the
rtificial bird's song by heart, and that was just why it pleased

8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

them now more than ever. They could sing with it, and often
did so, too. The street boys sang " Tseetseetsee ! Cluck, cluck,
cluck ! " and the emperor did just the same. It was really most
beautiful.

One evening, when the artificial bird was singing its best and
the emperor was lying in bed and listening to it, something inside
the bird snapped with a bang. All the wheels ran round with a
" whirr-r-r," and then the music stopped.

The emperor immediately jumped out of bed and sent for
his physician ; but what could he do ? Then they fetched the
watchmaker, and, after a good deal of talking and examining,
he got the bird into something like order; but he said that
it must not be used too much, as the barrels were worn out, and
it was impossible to put in new ones with any certainty of the
music going right. Now there was great sorrow ; the imitation
bird could only be allowed to sing once a year, and even that
was almost too much. On these occasions the music-master
would make a little speech full of big words, and say that the
singing was just as good as ever; and after that of course the
court were as well pleased as before.

Five years had now passed, and a great sorrow fell upon the land.
The Chinese were all really very fond of their emperor, and now
he was ill and could not live long, they said. A new emperor
had already been chosen, and the people stood out in the street
and asked the chamberlain how their old emperor was.

" Pooh ! " he said, and shook his head.

Cold and pale lay the emperor in his great, splendid bed ; the
whole court thought he was dead, and every one ran away t<|
greet the new emperor. The pages ran out to gossip about it,
and the maids-of-honour had a grand tea-party. Cloth had beem
laid down in all the halls and corridors, so that no footstep i
should be heard, and it was therefore very, very quiet. But the|
emperor was not dead yet; stiff and pale he lay on the
splendid bed with the long velvet curtains and the heavy i
gold tassels, and high up a window stood open, and the mooni
shone in upon him and the artificial bird.

The poor emperor could hardly breathe; he felt as though;

THE NIGHTINGALE 9

something were sitting on his chest. He opened his eyes and
saw that it was Death who was sitting there ; he had put on the
emperor's golden crown, and held his golden sword in one hand,
and his beautiful flag in the other.

All around, strange heads peeped out from the folds of the
large velvet bed-curtains : some were hideous, others were sweet
and gentle.

These were all the emperor's bad and good deeds, which were
staring at him now that Death was sitting on his heart.

" Do you remember this ? " they whispered one after another.
" Do you recollect that ? " And then they told him of so much
that the perspiration ran down from his brow.

" That I did not know," cried the emperor. " Music ! music !
the great Chinese drum ! " he shouted ; "so that I may not have
to hear what they say."

But they went on, and Death nodded like a Chinaman to all that
was said.

" Music ! music ! " shrieked the emperor. " You precious little
golden bird ! Sing, do sing ! I have given you gold and jewels,
I have hung even my gold slipper round your neck. Sing, I say,
sing ! "

But the bird was silent ; it could not sing without being wound
up, and there was no one to do it. Death continued to stare at
the emperor with his large, hollow eyes, and all was still, terribly
still. Suddenly from the window came the sound of sweetest
singing ; it was the real little nightingale sitting on a bough outside,
tt had heard how the emperor was suffering, and had there-
fore come to console him and bring him hope by its singing.
And as it sang, the ghostly heads grew paler and paler, the blood
began to flow faster and faster through the emperor's weak limbs
and even Death listened and said : " Go on, little nightingale,
go on."

"Yes, but will you give me the beautiful golden sword? Will
you give me the rich banner ? Will you give me the emperor' rich
crown ? "

And Death gave up each of these treasures for a song, whilst the
nightingale still went on singing. It sang of the quiet churchyard

10 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

where the white roses grow, where the elder tree scents the air, and
where the fresh grass is moistened by the tears of those who are
left behind. Then Death longed to be in his garden, and floated
out through the window like a cold white mist.

"Thanks, thanks," said the emperor. "You heavenly little
bird I I know you well. It was you that I drove out of my
country and my empire. And still you have charmed away the
evil faces from my bed, and removed Death from my heart. How
can I reward you ? "

" You have rewarded me," said the nightingale. " I drew tears
from your eyes when for the first time I sang to you ; that I shall
never forget. They are jewels that gladden the heart of a singer.
But sleep now and get well and strong again. I will sing you
something."

And as it sang the emperor fell into a sweet slumber. Oh, how
mild and refreshing was that sleep ! The sun shone in upon him
through the window when he awoke strong and well. None of his
servants had yet returned, for they believed he was dead ; only the
nightingale was still sitting by him singing.

" You must always stay with me," said the emperor. " You shall
now sing only when you like, and I shall smash the imitation bird
into a thousand pieces."

41 Don't do that," said the nightingale. " It did its best, as long
as it could. Keep it, as before. I cannot build my nest and live
in the castle ; but let me come just when I like. In the evening I
will sit on that bough near your window and sing something to you,
so that you shall be joyful and pensive at the same time. I will sing
of those who are happy and of those who suffer. I will sing of the
good and of the bad that are hidden all around you. The little
singing bird flies far away, to the poor fisherman, to the peasant's
cottage, to all who are far removed from you and your court. I love
your heart more than your crown, and yet the crown has almost a
halo of holiness around it. I will come and I will sing to you.
But you must promise me one thing."

"Everything," said the emperor, and standing there in bis
imperial robes, which he had himself put on, he pressed his sword,
all heavy with gold, to his heart.

THE ROSE-ELF n

" I only ask one thing. Let no one know that you have a little
bird that tells you everything ; it will be for the best."

Saying this the nightingale flew away.

The servants came in to look after their dead emperor. When
[they saw him they stood aghast, and the emperor said, " Good

The Rose-Elf

N the midst of a garden grew a rose-tree ;
upon it were many, many roses ; in one
of them, the most beautiful of all, lived
an elf. He was so very small that no
human eye could perceive him. Behind
every petal of the rose he had a bed-
room. No child could have been more
beautifully formed than he was ; he had wings that reached from
lis shoulders down to his feet. All his rooms were so sweet and
fragrant, the walls were so bright and beautiful, for they consisted
)f the pink rose-petals.

All day long the elf enjoyed himself in the warm sunshine, flying
rom flower to flower, and dancing on the wings of the fluttering
Butterfly. One day he measured how many steps he would have
p take in order to pass through all the roads and paths which
fcrere on a single leaf of the lime-tree. These were what we call
Hie veins of the leaf; to him they seemed to be endless roads,
pefore he had finished the sun set ; he had begun his task too late,
t became very cold, dew fell and the wind was blowing; at
this time he would have been best at home. He hastened as
fluch as he could, but his rose was closed up, he could not enter,
I nd not a single rose was open. The poor little elf was very
Tightened. He had never before been out of doors at night; as
:.e had always sweetly slumbered behind the warm rose-petals,
'his would mean certain death to him !

' The elf knew that at the other end of the garden stood a summer-
Uouse, covered all over with beautiful honeysuckle ; the blossoms

I2 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

looked like large painted horns ; in one of them, he thought, he
might enter and sleep until the next morning Thither he flew.

But hush ! Two people were sitting in the summer-house : a
handsome young man and a beautiful girl. They sat side by I
side and wished that they need never part. They loved one !
another so much— much more indeed than the best child would
love his father or mother.

"Alas! we must part," said the young man. "Your brother |
dislikes me, and that is why he sends me on an errand so far away i
over mountains and seas. Farewell, my own dear love, for that !
you will always be to me."

Then they kissed each other, and the girl cried and gave him a
rose. But before she gave it to him she so ardently pressed it to !
her lips that the flower opened.

Now the little elf flew into it and rested his head against the
fine fragrant walls ; there he could hear very well how they bade l
farewell to each other 1 He felt that the young man placed the '
rose on his breast. Oh, how his heart was beating ! The little elf
could not fall asleep, it throbbed so much.

The rose did not long remain undisturbed on his breast. The
young man, while walking alone through the dark forest, took j
it out, and kissed it so often and so passionately that the little elf !
was almost crushed. He could feel through the leaf how hot the i
young man's lips were ; and the rose had opened its petals as if
the strongest midday sun were shining upon it.

Then came another man, sullen and wicked ; he was the
malicious brother of the beautiful girl. He drew out a dagger, i
and while the other fondly kissed the rose, stabbed him to death ;
then he cut off the head from the body, and buried both in the
soft ground under a lime-tree.

" Now he's gone and forgotten," thought the murderer ; " he will
never return again. He was to set out on a long journey, over!
mountains and across the sea ; on such an expedition a man might
easily lose his life, and he has lost it. He will never come back,'
and my sister dare not ask me what has become of him."

Thus thinking, he scraped dry leaves together with his foot,
heaped them on the soft mould, and went home in the darkness

THE ROSE-ELF 13

>f the night. But he was not alone, as he imagined, for the little
:lf was with him. He had seated himself in a dry, rolled-up leaf
j«f the lime-tree, which had fallen on the wicked man's hair while
ke was digging the grave. He had put his hat on now ; it was
rery dark inside the hat, and the elf was trembling with horror
Lnd indignation at the evil deed.

In the dawn of the morning the murderer reached home ; he
;ook off his hat, and entered his sister's bedroom. There the
beautiful girl, with rosy cheeks, was sleeping and dreaming of him
Lhom she loved so dearly, and whom she supposed now to travel
^ver mountains and across the sea.

The unnatural brother bent over the girl, and laughed hideously,
only evil demons can laugh. The dry leaf dropped out of his
lir on her counterpane, but he did not notice it, and went out of
e room to have a little sleep in the early morning hours. The
left his resting-place and slipped into the ear of the sleeping
rl, and told her, as in a dream, the horrible deed ; he described
spot where her lover was stabbed and where his body was
; he told her of the blooming lime-tree standing close by,
id said : " That you should not think all I told you is only a
ream, you will find on your bed on awaking a dry leaf." And
hen she awoke she really found it. Then she cried bitterly,
he window was open all day long ; the little elf might easily have
turned to the roses and to the other flowers in the garden, but
e had not the heart to leave the unfortunate girl.
On the window-sill stood a little bunch of monthly roses in a
ower-pot ; in one of its blooms the elf sat down and looked at the
oor girl. Her brother came several times into the room, and in /
pite of his crime seemed quite cheerful, and she had not the
ourage to say a word about her grief.

No sooner had the night come than she stole out of the house
nd went into the wood, to the spot where the lime-tree stood ;
le removed the dry leaves from the ground, turned the earth up
nd found her murdered sweetheart. And she wept bitterly. She
rayed God that she might also die.

She would have gladly taken the body home with her, but that
/as impossible. So she took up the pale-faced head with the

,4 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

closed eyes, kissed the cold lips and shook the earth out of the
beautiful curls. " I will at least keep this," she said When she
had replaced the mould and the dry haves on the body, she took
the head and a little bough of a jasmine-bush growing near the
spot where the body was buried, and returned home. Upon

reaching her room she took the largest flower-pot she could find,
put the head into it, covered it over with mould, and planted
therein the jasmine bough.

" Farewell, farewell," whispered the little elf, being unable to
witness any longer her grief and pain. He then returned to his
rose in the garden ; but the rose was faded, only a few withered
petals were still clinging to the green stalk. " Oh, how" soon all
that is beautiful and good vanishes," sighed the little e]L-

At last he found a new rose and made it his home ; under the
shelter of its tender and fragrant petals he could abide in safety, j
Every morning he flew to the window of the poor girl, and every
morning he found her crying by the flower-pot. Her tears fell l

THE ROSE-ELF 15

upon the jasmine-bough, and day by day, in the same measure as
she grew paler, the bough became fresher and greener ; one shoot
after another sprang up ; many little white buds burst forth, and
she kissed them. The heartless brother scolded her and asked
her if she had lost her senses ; for he did not like to see her crying
over the flower-pot, and he could not make out why she did it.
He had no idea whose closed eyes, whose red lips were decaying
in the flower-pot.

One day the little rose-elf found her slumbering and resting with
her head on the flower-pot. He slipped again into her ear, and
told her of the evening in the summer-house, of the sweet smell of
the rose, and of the love of rose-elves. She dreamt so sweetly, and
with her dream her life passed away; she died a calm and peaceful
death. She had gone to heaven to him whom she loved.

And the jasmine unfolded its buds into large white flowers, and
filled the air with its peculiarly sweet fragrance, it could not other-
wise give vent to its grief for the dead girl.

The wicked brother took the beautiful jasmine bush as his in-
eritance, carried it into his bedroom and placed it close by his
ed ; for it was delightful to look at, and its fragrance was very
leasant. The little rose-elf followed; he flew from flower to
ower — for in each of them lived a little elf— and told them of the
lurdered young man whose head was decaying beneath the mould,
nd of the wicked brother and the poor sister.

We know all about it," replied the little elves, " we know it, for
ave we not sprung forth from the eyes and lips of the dead man's
ice ? We know," they repeated, nodding their heads in a strange
nanner.

The rose-elf could not understand why they remained so calm ;
le flew out to the bees, which were gathering honey, and told them
he story of the wicked brother. The bees told their queen, and
he queen ordered that they should all go on the next morning to
all the murderer. But when it was night — the first night after
sister's death— while the brother was sleeping close by the
ragrant jasmine-bush in his bed, all its flowers opened and all the
ittle invisible elves came out, armed with venomous spears, and
•eated themselves in his ears and told him terrible dreams ; then

1 6 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

they flew on to his lips and stabbed his tongue with their poisonous
weapons. "Now we have avenged the dead," they said, and re-
turned to their white flowers.

When, on the next morning, the window of the bedroom was
opened, the rose-elf and the whole swarm of the bees with their
queen entered to carry out their revenge. But he was already
dead. People standing around the bed, said : " The smell of the
jasmine has killed him."

The rose-elf understood the revenge of the flowers and told
the queen of the bees about it, who with her whole swarm
was humming round the flower-pot. The bees could not be
driven away from it, and when at last a man took up the pot
a bee stung him in the hand, so that he dropped it, and it broke
to pieces. Then all saw the bleached skull and understood that
the dead man in the bed was a murderer.

The queen of the bees hummed and sang of the revenge of the
flowers and of the rose-elf, and said that behind the smallest
jeaf dwells one who can disclose evil deeds and revengejhem.

The Emperor's New Suit

JANY, many years ago lived an emperor, who
thought so much of new clothes that he
spent all his money in order to obtain
them ; his only ambition was to be always
well dressed. He did not care for his
soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him ;
the only thing, in fact, he thought anything
of was to drive out and show a new suit
of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day ; and as
one would say of a 'king " He is in his cabinet," so one could
say of him, " The emperor is in his dressing-room."

The great city where he resided was very gay; every day
many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day
two swindlers came to this city; they made people believe

THE EMPEROR'S NEW SUIT 17

lat they were weavers, and declared they could manufacture
ie finest cloth to be imagined. Their colours and patterns,
icy said, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes
lade of their material possessed the wonderful quality of being
ivisible to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably
upid.

"That must be wonderful cloth," thought the emperor. "If
were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should be
t)le to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their
laces, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I
lust have this cloth woven for me without delay." And he
ive a large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that
ley should set to work without any loss of time. They set up
FO looms, and pretended to be very hard at work, but
icy did nothing whatever on the looms. They asked for
ie finest silk and the most precious gold-cloth; all they got
icy did away with, and worked at the empty looms till late
: night.

" I should very much like to know how they are getting on
ith the cloth/' thought the emperor. But he felt rather un-
l^y when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office
auld not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that he had
athing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send somebody else
•st to see how matters stood Everybody in the town knew what
remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to
e how bad or stupid their neighbours were.

I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers,"
ought the emperor. " He can judge best how the stuff looks,
r he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better
an he."

The good old minister went into the room where the swindlers
t before the empty looms. " Heaven preserve us!" he thought,
d opened his eyes wide, " I cannot see anything at all," but he
d not say so. Both swindlers requested him to come near, and
iced him if he did not admire the exquisite pattern and the beau-
ul colours, pointing to the empty looms. The poor old minister
ed his very best, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing

VOL. I. B

1 8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

to be seen. " Oh dear," he thought, " can I be so stupid ? I shoul*
never have thought so, and nobody must know it ! Is it possiby I
that I am not fit for my office ? No, no, I cannot say that I wa
unable to see the cloth."

"Now, have you got nothing to say?" said one of tr
swindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.

" Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful," replied the old
minister looking through his glasses. " What a beautiful pattern,
what brilliant colours ! I shall tell the emperor that I like the
cloth very much."

" We are pleased to hear that," said the two weavers, and
described to him the colours and explained the curious pattern.
The old minister listened attentively, that he might relate to the
emperor what they said ; and so he did.

Now the swindlers asked for more money, silk and gold-cloth,
which they required for weaving. They kept everything for them-
selves, and not a thread came near the loom, but they continued,*
as hitherto, to work at the empty looms.

Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtier to thei
weavers to see how they were getting on, and if the cloth was
nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked and looked
but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.

" Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth ? " asked the two swindlers,
showing and explaining the magnificent pattern, which, however,
did not exist.

"I am not stupid," said the man, "it is therefore my good
appointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange, but I;
must not let any one know it ; " and he praised the cloth, whichj
he did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours and
the fine pattern. " It is very excellent," he said to the emperor.

Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth.
At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still
on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two
who had already been there, he went to the two clever swindlers,
who now worked as hard as they could, but without using any
thread.

" Is it not magnificent ? " said the two old statesmen who had

THE EMPEROR'S NEW SUIT 19

been there before. " Your Majesty must admire the colours and
the pattern." And then they pointed to the empty looms, for
they imagined the others could see the cloth.

" What is this ? " thought the emperor, " I do not see anything
at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be

i emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that
could happen to me."

* " Really," he said, turning to the weavers, " your cloth has our
hmost gracious approval ; " and nodding contentedly he looked at
!the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing.
lAll his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and
although they could not see anything more than the others, they
said, like the emperor, " It is very beautiful." And all advised
ihim to wear the new magnificent clothes at a great procession
(which was soon to take place. "It is magnificent, beautiful,
[excellent," one heard them say; everybody seemed to be de-
l 'lighted, and the emperor appointed the two swindlers " Imperial
i Court weavers."

The whole night previous to the day on which the procession

20 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and burned
more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were
busy to finish the emperor's new suit. They pretended to take
the cloth from the loom, and worked about in the air with big
scissors, and sewed with needles without thread, and said at last :
" The emperor's new suit is ready now."

The emperor and all Jhis barons then came to the hall ; the
swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in their
hands and said : " These are the trousers ! " " This is the coat ! "
and " Here is the cloak ! " and so on. " They are all as light as a
cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the
body ; but that is just the beauty of them."

" Indeed ! " said all the courtiers ; but they could not see any-
thing, for there was nothing to be seen.

" Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress," said
the swindlers, " that we may assist your Majesty in putting on the
new suit before the large looking-glass ? "

The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put the
new suit upon him, one piece after another ; and the emperor
looked at himself in the glass from every side.

" How well they look ! How well they fit ! " said all. " What
a beautiful pattern ! What fine colours ! That is a magnificent suit
of clothes ! "

The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of the
canopy, which was to be carried in the procession, were ready.

" I am ready," said the emperor. " Does not my suit fit me
marvellously ? " Then he turned once more to the looking-glass,
that people should think he admired his garments.

The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretched their
hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train, and pretended to
hold something in their hands ; they did not like people to know
that they could not see anything.

The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful
canopy, and all who saw him in the street and out. of the windows
exclaimed : " Indeed, the emperor's new suit is incomparable !
What a long train he has ! How well it fits him ! " Nobody wished
to let others know that he saw nothing, for then he would have ,

THE EMPEROR'S NEW SUIT 21

been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never emperor's clothes
were more admired.

" But he has nothing on at all," said a little child at last.
" Good heavens I listen to the voice of an innocent child," said the
father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said.
" But he has nothing on at all," cried at last the whole people. That
made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him
that they were right, but he thought to himself, ''Now I must
bear up to the end." And the chamberlains walked with still
greater dignity, as if they carried the train which did not exist.

The Storks

N the roof of the last house in a little village
was a stork's nest ; a mother-stork sat in it,
and four young ones were stretching forth
their little heads with the pointed black
beaks, which had not yet turned red like
those of the old birds. At a little distance
the father-stork stood upright and almost
immovable on the ridge of the roof; he had drawn up one leg, in
lorder not to be quite idle, while he was watching over his nest like
|a sentry. He stood so still that one might have thought he was
Icarved in wood. " Surely, it must look very important, that my
•wife has a sentry before her nest," he thought. " Nobody knows
[that I am her husband. People will think that I am commanded
to stand here. That looks so distinguished." And he continued
KO stand on one leg.

A crowd of children were playing below in the street ; no sooner
had they noticed the storks than one of the pluckiest boys began
KO sing an old ditty to tease them ; soon all his playmates joined
In ; but they only repeated what he could remember of it :

" Fly away, stork, fly away !
Stand not on one leg all day,
While your dear wife in the nest
Gently rocks her babes to rest.

22 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" The first little stork they will hang,
The second will fry by the fire,
The third will be shot with a bang,
The fourth will be roast for the squire."

"Do you hear what those boys are singing?" said the young j
storks, "they say we shall be hanged and roasted."

"Never mind what they say," replied the mother-stork; "if you I
do not listen to them, they can do you no harm."

The boys went on singing, and pointed at the storks with
their fingers ; only one of them, named Peter, said that it was
wrong of them to tease the birds, and did not join them. The
mother-stork comforted her children. " You must not pay atten-
tion to them ; look at your father, how quietly he stands there on
one leg ! "

" Oh, we are so frightened," said the young ones, and then they
hid their heads in the nest.

On the following day, when the children had come out to play
and saw the storks, they sang again the song :

" The third will be shot with a bang,
The fourth will be roast for the squire."

"Shall we really be hanged and roasted?" asked the young
storks.

" Certainly not," replied the mother, " you will learn how to fly ;
I shall teach you myself. Then we shall fly into the meadows and
go to see the frogs, who will bow to us in the water and cry :
' Croak, croak ' ; and then we shall eat them up. That will be
delightful."

" And then ? " asked the young ones.

" Then," continued the mother-stork, " all the storks of this
country will come together, and the great autumn manoeuvre will
be gone through ; every stork must be able to fly well, for that is
of great importance. All those who cannot fly the general kills
with his beak. Therefore you must take great pains to learn it
well, when the drilling begins."

" Why, then we shall be stabbed after all as the boys sing
listen, they are singing it again."

THE STORKS 23

"Only listen to me, and not to them," said the mother-
stork.

"After the great autumn manoeuvre we shall fly away from
here to warmer countries, far away over mountains and woods.
We shall fly to Egypt, where you shall see three-cornered stone
houses, the pointed tops of which almost touch the clouds ; people
call them Pyramids, and they are much older than a stork can
imagine. There is a river in that country which rises every year
over its banks, covering the whole land with mud. We shall walk
about in the mud and eat frogs."

" Oh, how charming," cried the young ones.

" Yes, indeed, that country is very pleasant ; we shall do nothing
there but eat all day long ; and while we shall be so comfortable
there, they will not have a single leaf on the trees in this country,
and it will be so cold that the clouds will freeze, and fall down on
the ground in little white rags." She meant, of course, the snow,
but she could not otherwise explain it.

" Will the naughty boys also freeze to pieces ? " asked the
young storks.

" No," answered the mother, " they will not freeze to pieces,
but they will not be very far from it They will have to stay all
day long in-doors, in the gloomy room ; whereas you will fly
about in foreign lands, where the warm sun shines and many
towers are blooming."

After some time the young ones had grown so tall that they
could stand upright in the nest and look about into the
neighbourhood ; the father-stork returned every day with frogs
and little snakes and all sorts of stork-dainties which he
lad picked up. Oh, it was so funny to see him perform tricks
or their amusement ; he used to place his head quite back on
his tail and clatter with his beak as if it had been a rattle;
and then he used to tell them stories about the marsh-land.

"Come along," the stork-mother said one day, "now you
must learn to fly." The four young storks had to come out of
the nest on to the ridge of the roof. At first they tottered about
a good deal, and although they balanced themselves with their
wings, they nearly fell down.

24 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" You have only to look at me," said the mother. " You must
hold your heads like this, and place your feet thus : one, two,
one> two— that's right; that is what will enable you to get on in
the world." Then she flew a short distance away from them, and
the young ones made a little jump, but they fell down with a
thud, for their bodies were still too heavy.

"I do not wish to fly," said one of the young ones, and^crept
back into the nest ; " I do not care to go to warm countries."

" Would you prefer to freeze to death here, when the winter
comes ; or shall the boys come to hang and roast you? I will
call them."

" Oh no, no, dear mother," said the young stork, hopping out on
the roof again to the others. On the third day they could already
fly a little, and now they thought they would be able to soar in
the air like their parents. They tried to do so, but they tumbled
down, and had quickly to move their wings again. The boys in
the street began to sing again :

" Fly away, stork, fly away,
Stand not on one leg all day," &c.

" Shall we fly down and pick their eyes out ? " asked the young
storks.

"No," said the mother; "do not mind them. Only listen to
me, that is far more important. One, two, three, now we turn to
the right ; one, two, three, to the left ; now round the chimney-top.
That was very good indeed ! The last clap with the wings was so
correctly and well done that I shall let you come to-morrow with
me to the marshes. There you will see several respectable storks
with their families ; you must let them see that my children are
the prettiest and best-behaved. You must proudly stride about ;
that will look well, and by this you will gain respect "

" But shall we not punish those wicked boys? " asked the young
storks.

" Let them cry as much as they like ; you will rise high into
the clouds and fly away to the country of the pyramids while
they are freezing, and have not a single green leaf nor a sweet
apple."

THE STORKS 25

" We shall take our revenge upon them," whispered the little
ones, and went on practising.

Of all the boys in the street none was more bent upon singing
the song than the one who had first started it, and he was quite a
mite and not more than six years old. The young storks thought
he was more than a hundred years old, because he was so much
taller than their father and mother, and what did they know
about the age of children and grown-up people ? They made up
their minds to take their revenge upon this boy, because he was
the first to sing the song and was never tired of going on with
it. The young storks were very angry with him, and the older they
became the less they would suffer it ; at last the mother had to
give them the promise that they should be revenged, but not until
(the day before their departure. » *

" We must first see how you will behave at the great manoeuvre,
f you do badly, so that the general has to thrust his beak through
rou, the boys will be right, at least in a way. But let us see."

" You shall see," said the young ones, and took still greater
»ins ; they practised every day, and soon they could fly so well
bat it was a pleasure to see them.

Autumn came at last : all the storks began to assemble and to
et out for the warm countries, to pass the winter. That was a
rreat manoeuvre ! They had to fly over woods and villages, only
o see what they could do, for their journey was a very long one.
Tiey acquitted themselves so well that they passed the review
xcellently, and received frogs and snakes as a reward. That was
tie best certificate, and they could eat the frogs and the snakes,
•hich was better still.

" Now we shall take our revenge," they said.
"Certainly," cried the mother-stork. "I have already thought
f the best way. I know where the pond is in which all the little
hildren are lying until the storks come and take them to their
arents. The pretty little babies sleep there and dream so
wreetly, much more sweetly than they will dream ever after. All
le parents wish for such a little child, and the children wish for a
rother or a sister. Now we shall go to the pond and fetch one for
very child who has not sung that wicked song to tease the storks."

26 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

« But what shall we do to the bad boy who began to sing the

S° «gln' the pond lies a little dead baby that has dreamt itself to
death, that we will take to him; then he will cry because we
have brought him a dead little brother. But the good boy-I hope
you have not forgotten him, who said that it was wrong to
tease animals-we will bring him a brother as well as a sister.
And as this boy's name was Peter, you shall all henceforth •

^And soTt'was done, and all the storks are called Peter to the
present day.

The Daisy

lOW listen ! In the country, close by
the high road, stood a farmhouse;
perhaps you have passed by and
seen it yourself. There was a little
flower garden with painted wooden
palings in front of it; close by was
!T~ditch, on its fresh green bank
grew a little daisy; the sun shone
as warmly and brightly upon it as or

the magnificent garden flowers, and therefore it thrived well
One morning it had quite opened, and its little snow-whit<
petals stood round the yellow centre, like the rays of the sun
It did not mind that nobody saw it in the grass, and that i
was a poor despised flower ; on the contrary, it was quite happy
and turned towards the sun, looking upward and listening to tfo
song of the lark high up in the air.

The little daisy was as happy as if the day had been a grea
holiday, but it was only Monday. All the children were a
school, and while they were sitting on the forms and learnin;
their lessons, it sat on its thin green stalk and learnt from th
-from its surroundings how kind God is, and it rejoice

,*fJM*sP*SS

THE DAISY 29

:hat the song of the little lark expressed so sweetly and distinctly
Its own feelings. With a sort of reverence the daisy looked up
:o the bird that could fly and sing, but it did not feel envious.
!" I can see and hear," it thought ; " the sun shines upon me,
and the forest kisses me. How rich I am ! "
I In the garden close by grew many large and magnificent
powers, and, strange to say, the less fragrance they had jthe
laughtier and prouder they were. The peonies puffed them-
selves up in order to be larger than the roses, but size is
hot everything ! The tulips had the finest colours, and they
pew it~weH7foo, for they were standing bolt upright like candles,
tfiat one might see them the better. In their pride they did not
lee the little daisy, which looked over to them and thought,
' How rich and beautiful they are ! I am sure the pretty
bird will fly down and *call upon them. Thank God, that I
stand so near and can at least see all the splendour." And while
:he daisy was still thinking, the lark came flying down, crying
[' Tweet," but not to the peonies and tulips — no, into the grass to
!he poor daisy. Its joy was so great that it did not know what to
ihink. The little bird hopped round it and sang, " How beauti-
tully soft the grass is, and what a lovely little jtower with its golden
icart and silver dress is growing here." The yellow centre in
he daisy did indeed look like gold, while the little petals shone as
>rightly as silver.

* How happy the daisy was ! No one has the least idea. The
:>ird kissed it with its beak, sang to it, and then rose again up

0 the blue sky. It was certainly more than a quarter of an
hour before the daisy recovered its senses. ' Half ashamed, yet
:;lad at heart, it looked over to the other flowers in the garden ;
iurely they had witnessed its pleasure and the honour that had
iieen done to it ; they understood its joy. But the tulips stood

1 lore stiffly than ever, their faces were pointed and red, because
[hey were vexed. The peonies were sulky ; it was well that they
lould not speak, otherwise they would have given the daisy a

ood lecture. The little flower could very well see that they were
' 1 at ease, and pitied them sincerely.
I Shortly after this a girl came into the garden, with a large sharp

3o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

knife. She went to the tulips and began cutting them off, one
after another. " Ugh ! " sighed the daisy, " that is terrible ; now
they are done for."

The girl carried the tulips away. The daisy was glad that it
was outside, and only a small flower— it felt very grateful. At
sunset it folded its petals, and fell asleep, and dreamt all night
of the sun and the little bird.

On the following morning, when the flower once more
stretched forth its tender petals, like little arms, towards the air
and light, the daisy recognised the bird's voice, but what it sang
sounded so sad. Indeed the poor bird had good reason to be sad,
for it had been caught and put into a cage close by the
open window. It sang of the happy days when it could
merrily fly about, of fresh green corn in the fields, and of
the time when it could soar almost up to the clouds. The poor
lark was most unhappy as a prisoner in a cage. The little daisy
would have liked so much to help it, but what could be
done? Indeed, that was very difficult for such a small flower
to find out, It entirely forgot how beautiful everything around
it was, how warmly the sun was shining, and how splendidly
white its own petals were. It could only think of the poor
captive bird, for which it could do nothing. Then two little boys
came out of the garden ; one of them had a large sharp knife,
like that with which the girl had cut the tulips. They came
straight towards the little daisy, which could not understand what
they wanted.

" Here is a fine piece of turf for the lark," said one of the boys,
and began to cut out a square round the daisy, so that it remained
in the centre of the grass.

"Pluck the flower off," said the other boy, and the daisy
trembled for fear, for to be pulled off meant death to it ; and it!
wished so much to live, as it was to go with the square of turf:
into the poor captive lark's cage.

" No, let it stay," said the other boy, " it looks so pretty."

And so it stayed, and was brought into the lark's cage. The
poor bird was lamenting its lost liberty, and beating its wingsi
against the wires ; and the little daisy could not speak or utter

THE DAISY 31

a consoling word, much as it would have liked to do so. So the
forenoon passed.

" I have no water," said the captive lark, " they have all gone
out, and forgotten to give me anything to drink. My throat is dry
and burning. I feel as if I had fire and ice within me, and the
air is so oppressive. Alas ! I must die, and part with the warm
sunshine, the fresh green meadows, and all the beauty that God
has created." And it thrust its beak into the piece of grass,
to refresh itself a little. Then it noticed the little daisy, and
nodded to it, and kissed it with its beak and said : " You must
also fade in here, poor little flower. You and the piece of grass
are all they have given me in exchange for the whole world,
which I enjoyed outside. Each little blade of grass shall be a
jgreen tree for me, each of your white petals a fragrant flower.
Alas ! you only remind me of what I have lost."

" I wish I could console the poor lark," thought the daisy,
t could not move one of its leaves, but the fragrance of its
(delicate petals streamed forth, and was much stronger than such
flowers usually have : the bird noticed it, although it was dying
[with thirst, and in its pain tore up the green blades of grass, but
idid not touch the flower.

| The evening came, and nobody appeared to bring the poor bird
!a drop of water ; it opened its beautiful wings, and fluttered about
in its anguish ; a faint and mournful " Tweet, tweet," was all it
tcould utter, then it bent its little head towards the flower, and its
iheart broke for want and longing. The flower could not, as on
.the previous evening, fold up its petals and sleep ; it drooped
^sorrowfully. The boys only came the next morning ; when they
»saw the dead bird, they began to cry bitterly, dug a nice grave
Jfor it, and adorned it with flowers. The bird's body was placed
£n a pretty red box ; they wished to bury it with royal honours-
jWhile it was alive and sang they forgot it, and let it suffer want
Bin the cage ; now, they cried over it and covered it with flowers
'(The piece of turf, with the little daisy in it, was thrown out on
fthe dusty highway. Nobody thought of the flower which had
felt so much for the bird and had so greatly desired to comfort it.

32 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Steadfast Tin-Soldier

HERE were once twenty-five tin soldiers, who
were all brothers, as they were cast from an
old tin spoon. They all carried a gun in
their left arm and looked straight forward;
their uniform was red and blue. The first
words which they heard upon seeing the
light of day, when the lid was taken off the
box in which they were packed, were, " Tin soldiers ! " These
words were uttered by a little boy who had received them as a
birthday present, and clapped his hands for joy ; he then put them
in rank and file on the table. One soldier looked exactly like the
other : only one, who had been cast last of all, when there was not
enough tin, was not like his brothers, for he had only one leg ;
nevertheless, he stood just as firmly on his one leg as the others
on two ; and he was the one who became remarkable.

On the table on which they were placed were many other toys ;
but what caught the eye most of all was a pretty little castle of
cardboard. Through its small windows one could look into the
rooms. Before the castle stood little trees surrounding a clear lake,
which was formed by a small looking-glass. Swans made of wax
were swimming on it and were reflected by it. All this was very
pretty, but the prettiest of all was a little lady who stood in the
open door of the castle; she was cut out of paper, but she had a
frock of the whitest muslin on, and a piece of narrow blue ribbon
was fixed on her shoulders like a bodice, on it was fixed a glittering
tinsel rose, as large as her whole face. The little lady stretched j
out both arms, for she was a dancer ; and as she had lifted one j
leg high up, so that the tin soldier could not see it, he thought she |
had only one leg like himself.

" That is a wife for me," he thought ; " but she is very grand ; j
she lives in a castle, while I have only a box, which I share with ,
twenty-four ; that is not a place for her. But I must make her
acquaintance." And then he laid himself at full length behind f

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER 33

_.-box which was on the table ; from his place he could
the little well-dressed lady, who continued to stand on one leg
vithout losing her balance.

! At night the tin soldiers were put back into their box and the
i teople of the house went to bed. Now the toys began to play, to pay
Irisits, to make war, and to go to balls. The tin soldiers rattled in
(heir box, for they wished to take part in the games, but they could
i ot raise the lid. The nutcrackers made somersaults, the slate-pencil
irijoyed itself on the slate ; they made so much noise that the
Unary woke up, and began to talk, and that in verse. The tin
tbldier and the dancer were the only ones who remained in their
laces. She was standing on tiptoe with her arm stretched out ;
fee stood firmly on his one leg, never taking his eyes away from her
br a moment. When the clock struck twelve, suddenly the lid
c the snuff-box was flung open ; there was no snuff in it, but a
jnall black Jack-in-the-box, who had performed his trick.
I "Tin soldier," said the Jack, "don't covet things that do not
felong to you."

I The tin soldier pretended not to hear anything.
1 "All right; wait till to-morrow," said the Jack.
I When the morning had come and the children were up, the
fei soldier was placed on the window-sill ; all at once, whether
Irough draught or through the Jack, the window flew open and
le soldier fell headlong down into the street from the third
prey. That was a terrible fall ! His one leg high up in the
r, he stood on fns helmet, while his bayonet entered into the
fcound between the paving stones. The servant and the little
iy came at once down to look for him ; but although they
':re so close to him that they almost trod upon him, they did
it find him. If the tin soldier had cried : " Here I am,"
py would surely have found him ; but he did not consider it
ifDper to cry aloud, because he was in uniform.
[Now it began to rain, first very little, but soon more, till it
Icame a heavy shower. When the rain had ceased two boys
|ssed by the soldier.

[•." Look, there is a tin soldier," said one of them, " let us make
S)oat for him."

VOL. i. c

34 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

They then made a boat out of a piece of newspaper, put the tin
soldier in it, and let him float down the gutter; both ran by
the side and clapped their hands for pleasure. Heaven preserve
us ! there were large waves in the gutter, and a strong current,1!
too, for the rain had been pouring down in torrents. The papeij
boat was rocking up and down; sometimes it turned round sc
quickly that the tin soldier trembled ; but he remained firm, he!
did not move a muscle, and looked straight forward, holding the!
gun in his arm. Suddenly the boat was driven under a large';
bridge which was over the gutter, and there it became as dark as.
in the tin soldier's box.

"Where am I going to?" he thought. "That is the fault &
the black Jack-in-the-box. I wish the little lady were here witlj
me in the boat, then I should not mind how dark it was."
Then came a big water-rat which lived under the bridge.
" Have you a passport ? " asked the rat. " Give it up at once.">
But the tin soldier was silent and held his gun tighter than
before. The boat was rushing forward ; the rat followed, gnashing
its teeth, and crying out to the chips of wood and straws : " Stojj
him, stop him ! He has paid no toll, and has not shown hij
passport ! "

The current became stronger and stronger; the tin soldie
could already see the light of day where the bridge ended ; bil
he also heard a roaring noise, strong enough to frighten a bravjj
man. Just think : the gutter ran there, where the bridge ended, intr
a canal, that was for him as dangerous as for us to cross a big wate^
fall. He was already so close to it that stopping was impossiblrtj
The boat drifted on, the poor tin soldier held himself as stiff as bij
could; nobody could say of him that he had blinked an eyl
The boat rapidly whirled round three or four times, and w£|
filled with water to the very brim ; he must sink down. The ti i
soldier stood up to his neck in the water; deeper and deepr
sank the boat, more and more the paper became wet and limf • |
then the water closed over his head. He thought of the swej
little dancer which he should never see again, and it sounde,
into his ear :

" Farewell, soldier, true and brave,
Nothing now thy life can save."

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER 35

i Then the paper-boat fell to pieces, and the tin soldier, sinking
into the water, was swallowed up by a large fish.

It was indeed very dark inside the fish, much darker than
,under the bridge over the gutter, and, in addition, it was awfully
.narrow, but the tin soldier remained firm, and lay down at full
, length, holding his gun tightly in his arm.

The fish was swimming about and made most extraordinary
jmovements ; at last it became quiet ; it seemed as if a flash of
lightning passed through it, the broad daylight appeared, and
•p voice said, " Hallo ! there is the tin soldier." The fish had
ibeen caught and taken to market; there it had been sold and
prought to the kitchen, where the cook was just cutting it open.
•fa two fingers she took the tin soldier round the waist, carried
•I into the room, to show everybody the wonderful man who

• been travelling about in a fish's stomach ; but the tin soldier
ibs not proud. They put him on the table, and there— what
fjtrange things occur in this world !— he was in the same place
jfhere he had been before; he saw the same children, and the
lame toys were on the table; there was also the pretty castle with
|pe dear little dancer. She stood still on one leg and held the
|;ther high up in the air: she too was steadfast. The tin
jbldier was very much touched, and he nearly shed tin tears, but that

• not becoming for a soldier. He looked at her but said
[pthing. Suddenly one of the little boys took up the tin soldier
hid threw him into the stove, without giving any reason for this
trange conduct; surely it was again the fault of the Jack-in-the-
Ipx. The tin soldier stood there in the strong light and felt an
•taxable heat, but whether this heat was caused by the real fire
h by love, he did not know. His colours had vanished, but
•tody could say if that happened during his journey, or if heart
JM was the cause of it. He looked at the little lady and she
jbked at him, and he felt that he was melting, but still he stood
Bright with his gun in his arm. All at once a door flew open,
fc wind seized the dancer, she flew like a sylph into the stove to
Ife tin soldier, where she was burnt and gone in a 'moment. The
It soldier melted down into a lump, and when the servant cleared

* the cinders on the next morning, she found it in the shape of

Sc

36 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

a little tin heart. Of the little dancer only the tinsel rose was left
which had become as black as coal.

The Buckwheat

|HEN you pass by a field of buckwheat afte
a thunderstorm you will often find it lookin
blackened and singed, as if a flame of fir
had swept over it. Peasants say : " Th
lightning has caused this." But why did th
lightning blacken the buckwheat? I wi
tell you what I heard from the sparrow, wh
was told by an old willow-tree standing near a field of buckwheai
It was a large imposing old willow-tree, although somewhat cripple
by old age, and split in the middle ; grass and a bramble-bus
grew in the cleft ; the tree was bending down its branches so tha
they nearly touched the ground, hanging down like long gree:
hair. On all the neighbouring fields grew corn, not only rye am
barley, but also oats — splendid oats indeed, which look, when the
are ripe, like many little yellow canary-birds on a branch. Th
corn was lovely to look at, and the fuller the ears were the lowe
they were hanging down, as if in godly humility. Close by, rigt
opposite to the old willow-tree, was also a field of buckwhea
The buckwheat did not bend down like the other corn, but stoo
proudly and stiffly upright.

"I am certainly as well off as the corn," it said,." I am i:
addition to this much better-looking ; my flowers are as beautift
as the blossoms of the apple-tree ; it must be a pleasure to loo'
at me and my companions. Do you know anything more magni
ficent than we are, old willow-tree ? "

The willow-tree nodded its head, as if it wished to say : " Ye;
certainly, I do." The buckwheat spread, full of pride, its leave
and said : " This stupid old tree ! It is so old that grass is grov
ing out of its trunk."

Soon a heavy thunder-storm arose ; all the flowers in the fiel

THE BUCKWHEAT 37

>lded their leaves or bowed their little heads down, while the
:orm passed over them ; but the buckwheat remained proudly
anding upright.

" Bend your head, as we do," said the flowers.

" Why should I ? " asked the buckwheat.

" Bend your head, as we do," said the corn. " The angel of
le storm is approaching ; his wings reach from the clouds down
> the ground ; he will cut you in two, ere you can cry for mercy."

" But I refuse to bend my head," said the buckwheat.

" Close up your flowers and bend down your leaves," cried the
Id willow-tree. " Do not look up at the lightning when it tears
ie clouds; even mankind can't do that, for while a flash of
ghtning lasts one can look into heaven, and that dazzles even
lankind ; what would then happen to us, the plants of the earth,
hich are so greatly inferior to men, if we dared do so ? "

" Why greatly inferior ? " said the buckwheat. " If you cannot
ve a better reason, i will look up into heaven." And in its
oundless pride and presumption it did look up. Suddenly came

flash of lightning, that was so strong that it seemed for a
loment as if the whole world was in flames.

When the storm had abated, the flowers and the corn stood
freshed by the rain in the pure, still air ; but the buckwheat was
urnt by the lightning, and had become a dead, useless weed.

The wind moved the branches of the old willow-tree, so that
ige drops of water fell down from its green leaves, as if the tree
as weeping ; and the sparrows asked it, " Why do you cry ?
lessings are showered upon us all ; look how the sun shines, and
pw the clouds sail on ! Do you not smell the. sweet fragrance of
pwers and bushes ? Why do you cry, old willow-tree ? "
j Then the willow -tree told them of the pride of the buckwheat,
I its presumption, and of the punishment which it had to suffer,
'who have told you this story have heard it from the sparrows ;
.ey related it to me one night when I had asked them for a tale.

38

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Swineherd

NCE upon a time lived a poor prince ; his •
kingdom was very small, but it was large
enough to enable him to marry, and marry he
would. It was rather bold of him that he
went and asked the emperor's daughter: ;
" Will you marry me ? " but he ventured to do
so, for his name was known far and wide, and
there were hundreds of princesses who would
have gladly accepted him, but would she do so ? Now we shall
see.

On the grave of the prince's father grew a rose-tree, the most
beautiful of its kind. It bloomed only once in five years, and
then it had only one single rose upon it, but what a rose ! It had
such a sweet scent that one instantly forgot all sorrow and grief ,
when one smelt it. He had also a nightingale, which could sing
as if every sweet melody was in its throat. This rose and the
nightingale he wished to give to the princess ; and therefore both
were put into big silver cases and sent to her.

The emperor ordered them to be carried into the great hall
where the princess was just playing " Visitors are coming " with
her ladies-in-waiting ; when she saw the large cases with the
presents therein, she clapped her hands for joy.

" I wish it were a little pussy cat," she said. But then the:
rose-tree with the beautiful rose was unpacked.
" Oh, how nicely it is made," exclaimed the ladies.
" It is more than nice," said the emperor, " it is charming."
The princess touched it and nearly began to cry.
" For shame, pa," she said, " it is not artificial, it is natural ! "
" For shame, it is natural,' repeated all her ladies.
" Let us first see what the other case contains before we are
angry," said the emperor ; then the nightingale was taken out, and
it sang so beautifully that no one could possibly say anything,
unkind about it.

THE SWINEHERD 3$

"Superbe, charmant," said the ladies of the court, for they all
prattled French, one worse than the other.

" How much the bird reminds me of the musical box of the
late lamented empress," said an old courtier, " it has exactly the
same tone, the same execution."

" You are right," said the emperor, and began to cry like a
little child.

" I hope it is not natural," said the princess.

" Yes, certainly it is natural," replied those who had brought
the presents.

" Then let it fly," said the princess, and refused to see the
iprince.

But the prince was not discouraged. He painted his face, put
,on common clothes, pulled his cap over his forehead, and came
foack.

" Good day, emperor," he said, " could you not give me some
employment at the court ? "

" There are so many," replied the emperor, " who apply for
places, "that for the present I have no vacancy, but I will
:emember you. But wait a moment ; it just comes into my mind, I
;equire somebody to look after my pigs, for I have a great many."
• Thus the prince was appointed imperial swineherd, and as such
«ie lived in a wretchedly small room near the pigsty ; there he
worked all day long, and when it was night he had made a pretty
jittle pot. There were little bells round the rim, and when the
f ater began to boil in it, the bells began to play the old tune :

" A jolly old sow once lived in a sty, " Y**
Three little piggies had she," S-c. A***

3ut what was more wonderful was that, when one put a finger
ito the steam rising from the pot, one could at once smell what
leals they were preparing on every fire in the whole town. That
ras indeed much more remarkable than the rose. When the
,rincess with her ladies passed by and heard the tune, she stopped
pd looked quite pleased, for she also could play it — in fact, it was
rie only tune she could, play, and she played it with one finger.
" That is the tune I know," she exclaimed. " He must be a

4o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

well-educated swineherd. Go and ask him how much the
instrument is."

One of the ladies had to go and ask ; but she put on pattens.

" What will you take for your pot ? " asked the lady.

« I will have ten kisses from the princess," said the swineherd.

" God forbid," said the lady.

" Well, I cannot sell it for less," replied the swineherd.

" What did he say ? " said the princess.

" I really cannot tell you," replied the lady.

" You can whisper it into my ear."

" It is very naughty," said the princess, and walked off.

But when she had gone a little distance, the bells rang again so

sweetly :

"A jolly old sow once lived itt a, sty,
Three little piggies had she," &c.

"Ask him," said the princess, "if he will be satisfied with ten
kisses from one of my ladies."

" No, thank you," said the swineherd : " ten kisses from the
princess, or I keep my pot."

"That is tiresome," said the princess. "But you must stand
before me, so that nobody can see it."

The ladies placed themselves in front of her and spread out
their dresses, and she gave the swineherd ten kisses and received
the pot.

That was a pleasure ! Day and night the water in the pot was

THE SWINEHERD 41

boiling ; there was not a single fire in the whole town of which
they did not know what was preparing on it, the chamberlain's as
well as the shoemaker's. The ladies danced and clapped their
hands for joy.

" We know who will eat soup and pancakes ; we know who will
eat porridge and cutlets ; oh, how interesting ! "

" Very interesting, indeed," said the mistress of the household.
" But you must not betray me, for I am the emperor's daughter.

" Of course not," they all said.

The swineherd — that is to say, the prince — but they did not know
otherwise than that he was a real swineherd — did not waste a single
day without doing something ; he made a rattle, which, when turned
quickly round, played all the waltzes, galops, and polkas known
since the creation of the world.

" But that is superbe" said the princess passing by. " I have
never heard a more beautiful composition. Go down and ask him
what the instrument costs ; but I shall not kiss him again."

" He will have a hundred kisses from the princess," said the lady,
who had gone down to ask him.

" I believe he is mad," said the princess, and walked off, but soon
she stopped. " One must encourage art," she said. " I am the
emperor's daughter ! Tell him I will give him ten kisses, as I did
the other day ; the remainder one of my ladies can give him."

" But we do not like to kiss him," said the ladies.

"That is nonsense," said the princess; "if I can kiss him, you
can also do it. Remember that I give you food and employment."
And the lady had to go down once more.

" A hundred kisses from the princess," said the swineherd, " or
everybody keeps his own."

" Place yourselves before me," said the princess then. They did
as they were bidden, and the princess kissed him.
; " I wonder what that crowd near the pigsty means ! " said the
emperor, who had just come out on his balcony. He rubbed his
'eyes and put his spectacles on.

i " The ladies of the court are up to some mischief, I think. I
shall have to go down and see." He pulled up his shoes, for they
iwere down at the heels, and he was very quick about it. When

42 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

he had come down into the courtyard he walked quite softly, and
the ladies were so busily engaged in counting the kisses, that all
should be fair, that they did not notice the emperor. He raised
himself on tiptoe.

" What does this mean ? " he said, when he saw that his daughter
was kissing the swineherd, and then hit their heads with his shoe
just as the swineherd received the sixty-eighth kiss.

" Go out of my sight," said the emperor, for he was very angry;
and both the princess and the swineherd were banished from the
empire. There she stood and cried, the swineherd scolded her,
and the rain came down in torrents.

" Alas, unfortunate creature that I am ! " said the princess, " I
wish I had accepted the prince. Oh, how wretched I am ! "

The swineherd went behind a tree, wiped his face, threw off his
poor attire and stepped forth in his princely garments ; he looked
so beautiful that the princess could not help bowing to him.

" I have now learnt to despise you," he said. " You refused an
honest prince ; you did not appreciate the rose and the nightingale ',
but you did not mind kissing a swineherd for his toys ; you have
no one but yourself to blame ! "

And then he returned into his kingdom and left her behind.
She could now sing at her leisure :

" A jolly old sow once lived in a sty,
Three little piggies had she," &c.

The Elfin Hill

OME large lizards were nimbly running about
in the clefts of an old tree ; they understood
one another very well, for they all spoke the
lizard language.

" I wonder what is rumbling and rattling
in yon old elfin hill," said the first lizard.
" I have been unable to shut an eye for the
last two nights, so great was the noise ; it was
just as bad as toothache, for that also prevents me from sleeping."

THE ELFIN HILL 43

n I am sure there is something on," said another lizard ; " they
had the top of the hill propped up on four red pillars until the
cock crowed this morning ; it must be well aired ; the elfin girls
have also learnt new dances. Surely, there is something on."

" Yes," said a third lizard, " I have seen an earthworm of my
acquaintance, just when it came out of the hill where it had been
groping about in the ground day and night. It has heard a good
deal ; the unfortunate animal cannot see, but knows well enough
how to wriggle about and listen. They expect visitors in the
elfin hill, and very distinguished ones too ; but whom the earth-
worm was unwilling or unable to tell me. All the will-o'-the wisps
are ordered to take part in a torchlight procession, as it is called ;
the silver and gold, of which there is plenty in the hill, is
polished and placed out in the moonlight."

" Who may these visitors be ? " asked all the lizards. " What
are they doing? Listen, how it hums and rumbles!" No
sooner had they said this than the elfin hill opened and an old
elfin girl, hollow at the back,* came tripping out ; she was the
housekeeper of the old elfin king, and being distantly connected
with the family, she wore an amber heart on her forehead. Her feet
moved so nimbly — trip, trip. Good gracious ! how she could trip —
she went straight down to the sea to the night-raven, f

" I have to invite you to the elfin hill for to-night," she said j
11 but you would do us a great favour if you would undertake the
invitations. You ought to do something, as you do not entertain
yourself. We expect some very distinguished friends, sorcerers,
who can tell us something ; that is why the old king of the elves
wishes to show off."

" Who is to be invited ? " asked the night-raven.

* Elfin girls are, according to the popular superstition, to be looked at
only from one side, as they are supposed to be hollow, like a mask.

t When in former days a ghost appeared the priest banished it into the
earth ; on the spot where this had happened they drove a stake into the
ground. At midnight there was suddenly a cry heard : " Let me go." The
stake was then removed, and the banished ghost escaped in the shape of a
raven with a hole in his left wing. This ghostly bird was called the
night-raven.

44 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" All the world may attend the grand ball, even human beings, if
they can talk in their sleep or know anything of the like which is
according to our ways. But for the feast the company has to be
strictly select : we only wish to have tiptop society. I have had
an argument with the king, for in my opinion not even ghosts
ought to be admitted. The merman and his daughters have to
be invited first of all. Perhaps they may not like to come to the
dry land, but we shall provide them with wet stones to sit on,
or with something still better ; and under these circumstances I
think they will not refuse this time. All the old demons of the
first class, with tails such as the goblins, we must invite, of course ;
further, I think, we must not forget the grave-pig,* the death-horse,
nor the church dwarf; they belong, it is true, to the clergy, who
are not of our class, but that is only their vocation ; they are our
near relatives, and frequently call upon us."

" Croak," said the night-raven, and flew off at once to invite the
people.

The elfin girls were already dancing on the hill, they were
wrapped in shawls made of mist and moonshine, which look very
pretty to people who like things of this kind. The large hall in
the centre of the elfin hill was beautifully adorned ; the floor had
been washed with moonshine, while the walls had been polished
with a salve prepared by witches, so that they shone like tulip-
leaves in the light. In the kitchen they were very busy ; frogs
were roasting on the spit, dishes of snail-skins with children's
fingers and salads of mushroom-seed, hemlock and mouse noses
were preparing; there was beer of the marshwoman's make,
sparkling wine of saltpetre from the grave vaults : all was very
substantial food ; the dessert consisted of rusty nails and glass
from church windows. The old king of the elves had his golden
crown polished with crushed slate-pencil ; it was the same as used
by the first form, and indeed it is difficult for an elf king to obtain
such slate-pencils. In the bedroom, curtains were hung up and

* In Denmark, superstitious people believe that under every church a
living horse or pig is buried. It is supposed that the ghost of the horse
limps on three legs every night to some house where somebody is going to
die.

THE ELFIN HILL 45

fastened with snail-slime. There was a running, rumbling and
jostling everywhere.

" Now let us perfume the place by burning horse-hair and pig's
bristles, and then, I think, I have done all I can," said the old
elfin girl.

" Father, dear," said the youngest daughter, "may I now know
who our distinguished guests will be ? "

" Well, I suppose I may tell you now," he said. " Two of my
daughters must be prepared for marriage ; for two will certainly
be married. The old goblin of Norway, who lives in the old
Dovre-mountains and possesses many strong castles built on the
cliffs and a gold mine, which is much better than people think,
will come down with his two sons, who are both looking out for
a wife. The old goblin is as genuine and honest an old chap as
Norway ever brought forth; he is merry and straightforward too.
I have known him a very long time, we used to drink together to
our good friendship ; he was last here to fetch his wife, she is
dead now ; she was a daughter of the king of the chalk-hills
near Moen. He took his wife on tick, as people say. Oh, how I
am longing for the dear old goblin again ! They say his sons are
somewhat naughty and forward, but people may do them wrong
by supposing that, and I think they will be all right when they
grow older. Let me see that you can teach them good
manners."

46 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" When are they coming?" asked one of the daughters.
" That depends on wind and weather," replied the king of the
elves. "They travel economically. They will come when they
have the chance to go by ship. I wished them to come through
Sweden, but that was not to the old man's liking. He does not
advance with time, and I do not like that at all."

Just then two will-o'-the-wisps came leaping in, the one much
quicker than the other, and therefore one arrived first.
" They are coming, they are coming," they cried.
" Give me my crown, and let me stand in the moonshine," said
the elf king.

The daughters raised their shawls and bowed to the ground.
There stood the old goblin from Dovre; he wore a crown of
hardened ice and polished fir-cones ; he was wrapt in a bear-skin
and had large warm boots on; his sons, on the contrary, had
nothing round their necks and no braces on their trousers, for
they were strong men.

" Is that a hill ? " asked the youngest of the boys, pointing to
the elfin hill. " We should call it a hole, in Norway."

" Boys," said the old man, " you ought to know better, a hole
goes in, a hill stands out ; have you no eyes in your heads ? "

The only thing that struck them, they said, was that they were
able to understand the language without any difficulty.

" Don't be so foolish," said the old goblin ; " people might think
you are still unfledged."

Then they all went into the elfin hill, where the distinguished
visitors had assembled, and so quickly, that it seemed as if the
wind had blown them together. But every one was nicely and well
accommodated. The sea folks sat at dinner in big water-tubs ;
they said they felt quite at home. All showed very good breeding
except the two young goblins of the north, who put their legs on
the table, for they imagined that they might take such liberties.

"Take your feet off the table," said the old goblin ; and they
obeyed, though reluctantly. They tickled their fair neighbours at
table with fir-cones which they brought in their pockets ; they took
their boots off, in order to be at ease, and gave them to the ladies
to hold. But their father, the old Dovre goblin, was quite

THE ELFIN HILL 47

different; he talked so well about the stately Norwegian rocks,
and of the waterfalls which rushed down with a noise like thunder
and the sound of an organ, forming white foam ; he told of the
salmon which leap against the rushing water when the Reck begins
to play on the golden harp ; he spoke of the fine moonlight winter
nights, when the sledge-bells are ringing and the young men skate
with burning torches in their hands over the ice, which is so clear
and transparent that they frighten the fishes under their feet. He
could talk so well that those who listened to him saw all in
reality ; it was just as if the sawmills were going, and as if servants
and maids were singing and dancing ; suddenly the old goblin
gave the old elfin girl a kiss, and it was a real kiss, and yet they
were almost strangers to each other.

After this the elfin girls had to perform their dances, first in the
ordinary way, and then with stamping of their feet, and it looked
very well; afterwards came the artistic and solo dance. Good
gracious ! how they threw their legs up ; nobody knew where they
began or where they ended, nor which were the legs and which
the arms ; all were flying about like sawdust, and they turned
so quickly round that the death-horse and the grave-pig became
unwell and had to leave the room.

" Hallo ! " cried the old goblin, " that is a strange way of
working about with the legs ! But what do they know besides
dancing, stretching the legs, and producing a whirlwind ? "

" That you shall soon see," said the elf king, and called the
youngest of his daughters. She was as nimble and bright as moon-
shine ; she was indeed the finest-looking of all the sisters. She
took a white chip of wood into her mouth, and disappeared in-
stantly ; that was her accomplishment. But the old goblin said
he should not like his wife to possess such a power, and was
sure his sons would be of the same opinion. The second could
walk by her own side as if she had a shadow, while everybody
knows that goblins never have a shadow. The third was quite
different in her accomplishments ; she had been apprenticed to
the marsh-woman in the brewery, and knew well how to lard
elder-tree logs with glow-worms.

"She will make a good housekeeper," said the old goblin,

48 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

drinking her health with his eyes, as he did not wish to take any-
thing more.

Now came the fourth, with a large harp to play upon ; no
sooner had she struck the first chord than all lifted up the left leg

for the goblins are left-legged — and when she touched the

strings again every one had to do what she wished.

" That is a dangerous person," said the old goblin ; and his two
sons went out of the hill, for new they had seen quite enough.
" What does your next daughter know ? " asked the old goblin.

" I have learnt to admire all that is Norwegian, and I shall never
marry unless I can go to Norway."

But the smallest of the sisters whispered into the old man's ear :
" That is only because she has heard in a Norwegian song that
when the world is destroyed through water the Norwegian cliffs
will remain standing like monuments ; therefore she wishes to
go there, because she is so much afraid of being drowned."

" Ho, ho ! " said the old goblin ; " is that really what she
meant ? But tell me, what can the seventh and last do ? "

" The sixth comes before the seventh," said the elf king, for he
could count ; but the sixth was rather timid.

" I can only tell people the truth," she said at last. " Nobody
cares for me, and I am sufficiently occupied in making my shroud."

Now came the seventh and last ; what could she do ? Why,
she could tell fairy tales, and as many as ever she wished.

" Here are my five fingers," said the old goblin ; " tell me one
for each of them."

And she took him by the wrist, and he laughed so much that he
was nearly choked; when she came to the ring-finger, which
had a golden ring upon it, as if it was aware that a betrothal should
take place, the old goblin said, " Hold fast what you have ; this
hand is yours ; I shall marry you myself."

Then the elfin girl said that the tales of the ring-finger and
that of Peter Playman had yet to be told.

" Those we shall hear in the winter," said the old goblin, " and
also those of the birch-tree, of the ghosts' presents, and of the
creaking frost. You shall relate all your stories, for nobody up
there can tell stories well ; and then we shall sit in the rooms of

THE ELFIN HILL 49

stone where the pine logs are burning, and we shall drink mead
but of the drinking-horns of the old Norwegian kings — Reck has
nade me a present of a couple of them— and when we are sitting
ihere the mermaid will come to see us ; she will sing to you all the
:ongs of the shepherd-girls in the mountains. We shall enjoy it
Jery much. The salmon will leap up in the waterfalls against the
rtone walls, but they cannot come in. Indeed, life is very pleasant
in dear old Norway. But where are my boys ? "
I Where had they gone to ? They were running about in the
ields and blowing out the will-o'-the-wisps who had so kindly
[ome to march in the torchlight procession.
I "What have you been doing?" asked the old goblin. " I have
taken a new mother for you ; now you can each choose one of
jhe aunts."

I But the boys declared that they preferred to make speeches
kid drink ; they had no wish to marry. And they began to
bake speeches, drank to other people's health, and emptied
heir glasses to the dregs. Afterwards they took off their coats
Lnd placed themselves on the tables to sleep, for they did not
hind on ceremonies. But the old goblin danced with his young
jveetheart about the room, and exchanged boots with her, for
i mt is more fashionable than exchanging rings.
I "The cock is crowing," cried the old elfin girl that did the
busekeeping ; " now we must close the shutters, lest the sun
Lrn us."

I Then the hill was closed up. But outside, the lizards were
Itnning about in the cleft tree, and one said to the other: "I like
lie old Norwegian goblin very much."

" I prefer the boys," said the earthworm ; but the unfortunate
himal could not see.

VOL.

50 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Fir-Tree

AR out in the forest grew a pretty little fir-tree.
It had a favourable place ; the sun shone
brightly on it, and there was plenty of fresh
air, while many taller comrades, both pines
and firs, were thriving around it. The little
fir-tree longingly desired to grow taller ! It
was indifferent to the warm sun and the
fresh air, it took no notice of the peasant children, who ran about
and chattered, when they had come out to gather strawberries
and raspberries. Often they came with a basket full, and had
threaded strawberries on a straw like beads ; then they used to sit
down near the little fir-tree and say : " What a pretty little tree
this one is ! " But this the tree did not like to hear at all.

In the following year it grew taller by a considerable shoot,
and the year after by another one, for by the number of shoots
which fir-trees have, we may discover how many years they have
grown.

" Oh, that I were as tall a tree as the others ! " sighed the little
tree; "then I might spread out my branches far around, and
look with my crown out into the wide world ! The birds would
build their nests in my boughs, and when the wind blew I could
proudly nod, just like the others yonder ! "

It took no delight in the sunshine, in the birds, nor in the red
clouds which in the morning and evening passed over it. When
the winter had come and the snow was lying white and
sparkling on the ground, often a hare came running and jumped
right over the little tree— oh, that annoyed it so much ! But two
winters passed, and in the third the little tree was already so
high that the hare had to run round it. " To grow, to grow, to
become tall and old, this is the most desirable thing in the world,"
thought the tree.

Every year in autumn woodcutters came and felled several of
the biggest trees; the young tree, now well grown, shuddered, for

THE FIR-TREE $i

the tall magnificent trees fell to the ground with a crash;
and when their branches were hewn off, the trees looked so
naked, long and slender, they were hardly to be recognised. Then
they were placed upon carts, and horses drew them out of the
wood. Whither were they going ? What was to become of them ?
In spring, when the swallows and storks returned, the tree
asked them : " Can you not- tell me whither they have taken /
them ? Have you not met them ? "

The swallows knew nothing about them ; but the stork looked
pensive, nodded his head and said: "Yes, I think I know..
When I left Egypt I passed by many new ships, and on the ships
were splendid masts ; I suppose these were the trees, for they
smelt like fir-trees, and they looked very stately indeed ! "

" I wish I were tall enough to go over the sea ! I should like
| to know what the sea is. What does it look like ? "

" To explain that," replied the stork, " would take me too long," '
\ and thus saying he flew away.

" Enjoy thy youth ! " said the sunbeams ; " take pleasure in
ithy vigorous growth, in the fresh life that is within thee."

The wind kissed the tree, and the dew shed tears over it ; but
; the fir-tree did not understand them. ><?/<0*w-fv<i34stXl

About Christmas-time people cut down many trees which were
quite young and smaller than the fir-tree, which had no rest and
i always wished to be off. These young trees, the very best that
.could be found, kept all their branches ; they were placed upon
• carts and drawn out of the wood by horses.
! " What are they doing with them ? " asked the fir-tree. " They
[are not taller than I am — nay, there was one much smaller ! Why
Ijdid they retain all their branches? Where are they conveying
Ethem to?"

I " We can tell you ; we know ! " chirped the sparrows. " Down
•below in the town we have looked through the windows!
I'We know where they are taken to ! They come to the greatest
I splendour you can imagine ! We have looked in at the windows
ind have seen them standing in the middle of a warm room
j Covered with the most beautiful things : gilded apples, gingerbread,
I toys, and many, many wax-candles."

54 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"And then," asked the fir-tree, trembling all over, "what
happens after that?"'

" Why, that is all we have seen ! But that was very beautiful."

" I wonder whether I am destined to receive such great splendour,"
exclaimed the fir-tree merrily. " That is far better than crossing
the sea ! How much I am longing for the time ! I wish Christmas
had arrived ! Now I am tall and have grown to a good length
like the others which they took away last year ! I wish I were
already placed on the cart or in the warm room adorned with all
the bright and beautiful things ! And then there is something
much better and brighter to come, or why would they decorate
the trees so beautifully? Yes, indeed, there is something more
splendid and grand to follow ! But what can it be ? Oh, how I
suffer with longing; I hardly know how I feel."

" Enjoy our presence," said the air and the sunshine ; " delight
in thy young life here in the forest."

But the tree did not enjoy anything, it grew and grew; winter
and summer it was green, and people who saw it said that it was a
beautiful tree.

Christmas came at last, and the tree was the first to be cut
down. The axe entered deeply into its stem ; the tree fell groaning
to the ground ; a pain and a faintness overcame it ; it was unable
to think of the happiness to come, it was sad that it had to leave
its home, the spot where it had grown up ; it knew well enough
that it would never see again the dear old comrades, the little
bushes and the flowers, and perhaps not even the birds. Parting
was not at all pleasant. The tree did not recover until it was taken
from the cart in a court-yard with other trees and heard a man
say : " This one is very fine, we only want this one."

Two servants in livery soon came and carried the tree into a
large, beautiful room. The walls were all covered with pictures,
and by the side of the tile-stove stood big Chinese vases with lions
on the lids ; there were rocking-chairs, couches covered with silk,
on a large table were displayed picture-books and toys of very
great value — at least, so the children said. The fir-tree was put
into a large vessel filled with sand ; but nobody could see that it
was a vessel, for it was covered all over with green cloth and

THE FIR-TREE 53

placed on a handsome carpet of many colours. How the fir-tree
trembled I What was to happen now ? The young ladies of the
house, aided by the servants, adorned the tree. They hung on its
branches little nets cut out of coloured paper and filled with
sweets ; gilded apples and walnuts were fastened to the tree, as if
they grew on it, and more than a hundred small candles, red, blue,
and white, were fixed to the branches. Dolls looking exactly like
human beings — the tree had never seen anything of the like
before— were hanging in the green foliage, and on the very top of
the tree they fixed a glittering star of tinsel. It was very beautiful.
"To-night," they all said— " to-night it will shine !"
" Oh, that the evening had come ! " thought the tree. " I wish
the candles were lighted! And what will happen then? I
wonder if the trees will come from the wood to look at me, or if
the sparrows will look in at the windows. Am I to grow fast here
an^jejoajn^winter and summer adorned asJLamoiow ? "

Indeed, that was not a bad guess ! Its longing made its bark
ache ; barkache for a tree is just as bad as a headache for

us.

i At last the candles were lighted. What a blaze of light ! What
a splendour! The tree trembled so much with joy in all its
.branches that one of the lights set fire to one of its boughs and
scorched it.

, "Heaven preserve us!" exclaimed the young ladies, and
quickly extinguished the flame.

Now the tree was no longer allowed to tremble ! That was
dreadful. It was so afraid lest it might lose some of its ornaments ;
it was quite dazzled by all the splendour. Then the folding-doors
were thrown open, and the children rushed into the room as if
Jfcey wished to upset the tree ; the elders followed. For a moment
4ie children stood silent with surprise, but only for a moment ;
i :hen they shouted for joy till the room rang; they danced joyfully
found the tree, and present after present was taken down from it.

"What are they doing?" thought the tree. "What is to
I lappen ? " The candles burnt gradually down to the boughs on
> Thich they were fastened and were put out, and then the children
j.vere allowed to plunder the tree, Oh, how they rushed at it; all

54 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

its branches cracked, and had it not been fastened with the
glittering star to the ceiling, they would have upset it. The
children were dancing about with their beautiful toys. No-
body took any notice of the tree, except the old nurse, who came
and looked at the branches, but only to see if there was not a fig
or an apple left on them.

"A story! a story!" cried the children, while they pulled a
small stout man towards the tree. He seated himself just under-
neath the tree, " for there we are in its green shade " he said,
" and it will be an advantage to the tree to listen ! But I shall
only tell one story. Would you like to hear Ivede-Avede or
Humpty Dumpty, who fell downstairs, but came to honours after
all and married the princess ? "

" Ivede-Avede ! " cried some, " Humpty Dumpty ! " cried
others ; there was a good deal of crying and shouting. Only the
fir-tree was quite silent and thought to itself : " Am I not to
take part in this ? " but it had already done what it was expected
to do.

And the man told the story of Humpty Dumpty who fell down-
stairs, and after all came to honours and married the princess.
And the children clapped their hands and cried : " Go on, tell
us another ! " They wished also to hear the story of Ivede-Avede,
but he only told that of Humpty Dumpty. The fir-tree was
standing quite silent and thoughtful ; the birds of the wood had
never told such stories. "Humpty Dumpty fell downstairs, and
yet married the princess. Thus it happens in the world,"
thought the fir-tree, and believed that it was all true, because such
a nice man had told the story. " Well, well ! Who knows ?
Perhaps 1 shall also fall downstairs and marry a princess ! " And
it looked forward with joy to being adorned again on the following
day with toys, glitter, and fruit.

" To-morrow I shall not tremble ! " it thought ; " I shall
enjoy all my splendour thoroughly. To-morrow I shall hear
the story of Humpty Dumpty again, and perhaps also that of
Ivede-Avede."

All night the tree was standing silent and thoughtful. In
the morning the man-servants and housemaids entered the

THE FIR-TREE 55

room. " Now," thought the tree, " they will adorn me again ! "
But they dragged it out of the room, upstairs into the garret,
and placed it there in a dark corner, where no daylight reached
'it. " What does this mean ?" thought the tree. "What am I to
do here ? What can I hear in such a place ?" and it leaned against
:the wall, and thought and thought. And, indeed, it had time
enough to think ; for days and nights passed, but nobody came
upstairs, and when at last somebody did come, it was only to store
away some big chests. Thus the tree was quite hidden; one
might have thought that they had entirely forgotten it.

" Now it is winter," thought the tree. " The ground is so hard -
[and covered with snow that people cannot plant me again !
[Therefore, I think, they shelter me here until spring comes. How
(thoughtful ! How kind people are to me ! I only wish it was
mot quite so dark and so dreadfully lonely here ! Not even
a small hare is to be seen ! How nice it was in the wood, when
ohe snow covered the ground and the hare was running by; I
should not even mind his jumping right over me, although then I
Kould not bear the thought of it. It is awfully lonely here, indeed ! "
I "Squeak, squeak," a little mouse said just then, creeping timidly
[forward ; another one soon followed. They sniffed at the fir-tree
and slipped into its branches.

f " Oh, that it were not so bitter cold," said the mice, " then we
[should feel quite comfortable here. Don't you think so, old
fir-tree?"

I " I am not old at all ! " replied the fir-tree ; " there are many
knuch older than myself."

f " Where do you come from ? " asked the mice ; " what do you
know ? " for they were very inquisitive. " Tell us about the most
beautiful place on earth! Have you been there? Have you
peen in the pantry where cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams
hang from the ceiling, where one can dance on tallow candles,
Imd go in thin and come out fat ? "

l " I have not been there," said the tree; "but I know the wood
[where the sun shines and the birds sing." And then the tree
| :old the mice all about its youth. The little mice, who had never
Lieard anything like it before, listened attentively and exclaimed :

56 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"You have seen a great deal, indeed; how happy you must
have felt!"

" Do you think so ? " said the tree, and reflected on its own
story. " After all, those days were not unhappy." Then it told
them all about Christmas-eve, when it was so beautifully adorned
with cake and lights.

" You must have been very happy, you old fir-tree," replied the
mice.

"I am not old at all," repeated the tree, " I only left the wood
this winter ; I am somewhat forward in my growth."

" How well you can tell stories," said the little mice. Next
night they returned with four more little mice, whom they wished
to hear what the tree had to relate ; the more the tree told them,
the more it remembered distinctly all that had happened, and it
thought, " Those days were happy indeed, but they may come again.
Humpty Dumpty fell downstairs, and married the princess after
all ; perhaps I may also marry a princess ! " And then the fir-tree
thought of a pretty little birch in the wood, which appeared to it
a beautiful princess.

" Who is Humpty Dumpty ? " asked the little mice. And then
the tree had to relate the whole tale. It remembered every word
of it, and the little mice were so delighted that they nearly jumped
to the top of the tree for joy. The next night many more mice
came to listen to the tree ; and on Sunday two rats came ; they,
however, said the story was not pretty. The little mice were very
sorry, for they began to think less of it.

" Do you know only that one story ? " asked the rats.

"Only that one," said the tree, " and that I heard on the
happiest night of my life ; but then I did not know how happy I
was."

"That is a very poor tale," said the rats. "Do you not know
one about bacon and tallow candles — a sort of store-room story ? "

" No," said the tree.

" We do not care for this one ; " thus saying, the rats went off.

In the end also the little mice stayed away, and the tree sighed
and said : " How pleasant it was to see all the lively little mice
sitting round me when I talked! Now all this is passed. I

THE FIR-TREE 57

should be very pleased if they came to fetch me away from
here."

But whenever would that happen ? One morning people came
to tidy the garret; the chests were put aside, the tree was
dragged out of its corner and thrown roughly to the ground; a
man-servant carried it at once towards the staircase, where the
sun was shining.

" Now life is beginning again," thought the tree ; it felt the
fresh air and the first sunbeams, and soon it was carried into the
courtyard. All happened so quickly that the tree forgot to look
at itself; there was so much about it to look at. The courtyard
bordered on a garden, where all plants were in flower ; the roses
hung fresh and fragrant over the small fence ; the lime-trees were
blooming, and the swallows flew about, saying, " Twit, twit, twit,
my husband has come !" but they did not mean the fir-tree.

"Now I shall live," exclaimed the fir-tree joyfully, spreading
out its branches ; but alas ! they were all withered and yellow ;
and it lay between weeds and nettles. The star of gilt paper was
still fixed to its top and glittered in the sunshine. Some of the
bright children who had been dancing round the tree so merrily
on Christmas-eve were playing in the courtyard. One of the
smallest came and tore the gilt star off.

" Look, what is still sticking to the ugly fir-tree ! " said the
child, treading on the branches, which cracked under its boots.
And the tree looked at all the fresh and beautiful flowers in the
garden; it looked at itself and wished that it had remained in
the dark corner of the garret ; it remembered its bright youth in
the forest, the delightful Christmas-eve, the little mice, which had
so quietly listened to the story of Humpty Dumpty.

" All is over," said the old tree. " Oh, that I had enjoyed
myself while I could do so ! All is passed away."

A man-servant came and chopped the tree into small pieces,
until a large bundle was lying on the ground; then he placed
them in the fire, under a large copper, where they blazed
up brightly ; the tree sighed deeply, and each sigh was as loud as
a little pistol-shot ; the children, who were playing near, came \
and sat down before the fire, and looking into it cried, "Pop,

58 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

pop." But at each little shot, which was a deep sigh, the tree
thought of a summer day in the wood, or a winter night there,
when the stars sparkled ; it remembered the Christmas-eve and
; Humpty Dumpty, the only fairy tale which it had heard and
knew to tell, and then it was all burnt up.

The boys played in the garden, and the smallest had fixed the
gilt star which had adorned the tree on its happiest night on his
breast. Now all had come to an end, the tree had come to an end,
and also the story, for all stories come to an end !

Big Claus and Little Glaus

|N a village there once lived two men, who
had both the same name. Both were called
Claus, but the one had four horses and
the other had only a single one. So, to
distinguish them from each other, he who
had four horses was called " Big Claus,"
and he who had only one " Little Claus."
Now let us hear what happened to both, for it is a true story.

Throughout the whole week Little Claus had to plough for Big
Claus and lend him his only horse ; then in return big Claus lent
him his four, but only once a week, and that was on Sunday.
Hurrah! how Little Claus cracked his whip over all the five
horses ; they were indeed as good as his, on that one day. The
sun shone beautifully, all the bells in the church steeple were
ringing, and the people, dressed in their best, were going to
church, with their hymn-books under their arm, to hear the vicar
preach. They saw Little Claus, who was ploughing with five
horses, and he was so happy that he kept on cracking his whip
and shouting, " Gee-up, all my horses ! "

"You must not talk like that," said Big Claus, "only one of
them is yours ! "

But as soon as some one went by Little Claus forgot that he
ought not to say so, and cried : « Gee-up, all my horses ! "

G€G-UB,
^ — = ~

1 I \ /muoQy

BIG CLAUS AND LITTLE CLAUS 61

" Well, now I must ask you to leave off saying that," said Big
[Glaus ; " for if you say it once more, I shall strike your horse on
the head, so that it will die on the spot ; it will be all over with
him then."

" I will really not say so any more," said Little Glaus. But as
soon as people came near again, and nodded him " good-day," he
felt happy, and thought how very fine it looked to have five horses
to plough his field ; so he cracked his whip once more and cried,
" Gee-up, all my horses ! "

i " I'll gee-up your horses ! " said Big Glaus, and taking a heavy
bar struck Little Glaus's only horse on the head, so that it fell down
dead on the spot.

; " Oh, now I have no longer any horse," said Little Glaus, and
began to cry. He then took the hide from off his horse and let it
pry well in the wind, put it into a sack which he slung across his
shoulder, and went to the town to sell it.

He had a very long way to go, through a great, dark wood, and
a violent storm came on ; he lost his way entirely, and before he
came to the right road again it was evening, and much too far to
reach the town or to return home before nightfall.

Close to the road lay a large farm ; the shutters were up before
the windows, but the light could still shine through at the top.
;" I daresay I shall be able to get permission to stay there for the
night," thought Little Glaus, and went up and knocked.
[ The farmer's wife opened the door, but when she heard what he
wanted, she told him to be off, saying that her husband was not at
lome, and that she did not take in strangers.
I " Well, then I must lie down outside," said Little Glaus, and
|;he farmer's wife shut the door in his face.

[ Close by stood a large haystack, and between this and the house
aras a small shed covered with a flat thatched roof.
I " I can lie down there," thought little Glaus, when he spied
;he roof; "that will make a splendid bed. I don't suppose the
•stork will fly down and bite my legs." For a live stork was stand-
ng high up on the roof, where it had its nest.

Little Glaus now crept up on the shed, where he lay and turned
limself over to settle down comfortably. The wooden shutters

62 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

before the windows did not reach to the top, and so he could see
right into the room.

There was a big table laden with wine and roast meat and a
splendid fish ; at this table were seated the farmer's wife and the
sexton, but no one else. She was filling his glass, and he was
pegging away with his fork at the fish, for it was his favourite
dish.

"How ever could I get some of it, too?" thought Little
Glaus, and stretched his head out towards the window. Heavens !
what a fine cake he saw in there ! That was indeed a feast !

Now he heard some one riding from the high road towards
the house ; that was the woman's husband, who was coming
home. He was a very good man, but he had the strange peculiarity
that he could never bear to see a sexton ; if he caught sight of a
sexton he would get quite mad. It was also for this reason that
the sexton had gone to see the wife to bid her good-day, because
he knew that her husband was not at home, and the good woman
therefore placed before him the best fare that she had. But when
they heard the husband coming they were startled, and the woman
begged the sexton to creep into a great empty chest. He did so,
because he knew that the poor man could not bear to see a sexton.
The woman hastily hid all the fine things and the wine in her
oven, for if her husband had seen them, he would certainly have
asked what it meant.

" Ah me ! " sighed Little Glaus up on his shed when he saw the
good things vanishing.

" Is any one up there ? " asked the farmer, and cast his eyes up
to Little Glaus. "What are you lying there for? You had
better come with me into the room."

Then Little Glaus told how he had lost his way, and begged to
be allowed to stay there for the night.

"Most certainly!" said the farmer; "but we must first have
something to live on."

The woman received them both in a very friendly manner, laid
the cloth on a long table, and gave them a large dish of porridge.
The farmer was hungry and ate with a good appetite, but Little
Glaus could not help thinking of the fine roast meat, fish, and

BIG CLAUS AND LITTLE CLAUS 63

cake which he knew were in the oven. Under the table, at his
feet, he had placed the sack containing the horse-hide, which, as
we know, he was going to sell in the town. He did not care
for the porridge, and therefore trod upon his sack so that the dry
hide creaked.

" Hush ! " said Little Glaus to his sack, treading, at the same
time, on it again, when it creaked louder than before.

" What is it that you have in your sack ? " asked the farmer.

" Oh, that's a magician ! " said Little Claus. " He says we
should not eat any porridge, as he has conjured the whole oven
full of roast meat, fish and cake."

" Gracious me ! " said the farmer, and quickly opened the oven,
where he saw all the nice dainty fare which his wife had hidden
there, but which he believed the magician in the sack had
conjured up for them. The woman dared not say anything, but
put the things on the table at once, and so they both ate of the
fish, the roast meat and the cake. Little Claus then trod on his
sack again, so that the hide creaked.

" What does he say now ? " asked the farmer.

"He says that he has also conjured three bottles of wine for
us, and that they are standing in the corner near the oven."
The woman was now obliged to bring out the wine which she
had hidden, and the farmer drank and became very merry. A
magician, such as Little Claus had in his sack, he would have
very much liked to possess.

" Can he conjure up the devil too ? " asked the farmer ; " I
should like to see him, for I am merry now."

" Yes," said Little Claus, " my magician can do anything that
I ask of him. Can't you ? " he asked, and trod on the sack to
make it creak. " Do you hear ? He says, ' Yes,' but the devil is
very ugly ; we had better not see him."

" Oh, I'm not at all afraid. I wonder what he is like."

" He will take the form of a sexton."

" Ugh ! " said the farmer, " that's awful ! I must tell you that
I cannot bear to see a sexton. But that's nothing ; I know that
it's the devil, so I can easily put up with it. Now I have courage.
But he must not come too near to me."

64 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"Then I will ask my magician," said Little Glaus, and treading
on the sack held his ear to it.

" What does he say ? "

" He says that if you open the chest which is standing in the
corner there, you will see the devil crouching inside ; but you
must hold the lid so that he does not escape."

« Will you help me to hold it ? " he said, and went up to the chest

in which the woman had hidden the real sexton, who was sitting
inside in a great fright.

The farmer opened the lid a little, and looked in under it.
" Ugh ! " he cried, and sprang back. " Yes, now I've seen him ;
he looked exactly like our sexton. Nay, that was terrible."

After that they were obliged to drink, and so they drank till far
into the night.

"You must sell me the magician," said the farmer. "Ask
what you like for him. I'll give you a whole bushel full of money
at once."

" No, I can't do that," said Little Glaus. " Just think, how
much profit I can get out of this magician."

" I should so much like to have him," said the farmer, and
went on begging.

BIG CLAUS AND LITTLE CLAUS 65

" Well," said Little Glaus at last, " as you have been so good as
to give me shelter to-night, I'll do it. You shall have the
magician for a bushel full of money, but I must have the bushel
heaped up."

"That you shall have," said the farmer. "But you must take
the chest there with you. I won't keep it in my house an hour ;
one can never know, perhaps he is still in there."

Little Glaus gave the farmer his sack containing the dry hide,
and received for it a bushel full of money, heaped up too. The
farmer even gave him a truck as well, to carry away the money
and the chest.

" Good-bye ! " said Little Glaus, and went away with his money
and the large chest in which the sexton was still concealed.

On the other side of the wood was a large, deep river; the
water flowed so rapidly that it was scarcely possible to swim
against the stream. A large new bridge had been built across it ;
Little Glaus stopped on the middle of this, and said quite loud
so that the sexton in the chest could hear it :
, " Whatever am I to do with this stupid chest ? It's as heavy
as if there were stones in it. I shall only get tired by dragging it
'farther ; I'll throw it into the river. If it swims home to me, well
and good, and if it doesn't, it won't matter much."
: He then took hold of the chest with one hand and lifted it up
i little, as if he wanted to throw it into the water.

" No, don't do that ! " cried the sexton in the chest. " Let me
out first."

; " Ugh ! " said Little Glaus, and pretended to be frightened.
' He's still inside ! Then I must throw him into the river
quickly, so that he drowns."

| " Oh no, no ! " shouted the sexton. " I'll give you a whole
: Dushel full of money, if you let me go."

" Oh, well ! that's different," said Little Glaus, and opened the
I :hest. The sexton crept out quickly, threw the empty chest into
.he water, and went to his home, where Little Glaus received a
Bushel full of money; he had already received one from the
j fanner, so he now had his truck full of money.
| " See, I was well paid for the horse ! " he said to himself, when
VOL. i. E

66 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

he shook out all the money into a heap in his room at home.
"That will make Big Glaus angry, when he hears how rich I
have become through my single horse ; but I won't tell him all
about it."

He then sent a boy to Big Glaus to borrow a bushel measure.

"What can he want with that?" thought Big Glaus, and
smeared some tar on the bottom, so that something of whatever
was measured would remain sticking to it. And so it happened,
too ; for when he got the bushel measure back, three new silver
shilling pieces were sticking to it.

"What's that?" said Big Glaus, and immediately ran to Little
Glaus.

" Where did you get so much money from ? "

" Oh 1 that's for my horse-hide ; I sold it yesterday evening."

" That's really well paid ! " said Big Glaus, and running quickly
home, took an axe, and struck all his four horses on the head ; he
then flayed them, and drove to the town with the hides.

" Hides ! Hides ! Who'll buy hides ! " he cried through the
streets. All the shoemakers and tanners came running up and
asked what he wanted for them.

" A bushel of money for each," said Big Glaus.

" Are you mad ? " they all cried. " Do you think we have
money by the bushel ? "

" Hides ! Hides ! Who'll buy hides ! " and to all who asked
him what the hides cost, he answered : " A bushel of money."

" He wants to fool us," they all said ; so the shoemakers took
their straps, and the tanners their leather aprons, and gave Big
Glaus a sound thrashing.

"Hides! Hides!" they jeeringly called after him; "yes,
we'll tan your hide, till the red liquor runs down from you. Out
of the town with him ! " they cried, and Big Glaus had to run aa
fast as he could, for he had never had such a sound thrashing
before.

"Well," he said, when he got home, " Little Glaus shall pay me
for that ; I'll strike him dead for it."

Little Claus's grandmother, who lived with him, had died. She
had really been very cross and bad to him, but still he was sorry,

BIG CLAUS AND LITTLE CLAUS 67

and took the dead woman and laid her in his warm bed to see
whether she did not come to life again. He would let her lie
| there the whole night ; he himself would go to sleep upon a
chair in the corner, as he had often done before.

As he was sitting there in the night, the door opened, and Big
Claus came in with his axe. He well knew where Little Claus's bed
i stood, went straight up to it, and struck the grandmother on the
; head, thinking that it was Little Claus.

" There," he said, " now you shall not make a fool of me again,"
i and went home.

"That is a very wicked man," thought Little Claus. "He
wanted to kill me. It is lucky for grandmother that she was dead
already, else he would have taken her life."

He then dressed his grandmother in her Sunday clothes, borrowed
a horse of his neighbour and harnessed it to the cart ; then he put
his grandmother on the back seat, in order that she could not fall
out as he drove, and so they rode away through the wood. By
sunrise they had arrived at a large inn ; here Little Claus stopped
and went in to get something to drink. The landlord had a
great deal of money : he was a very good man, too, but as
passionate as if he were filled with pepper and tobacco.

" Good morning ! " he said to Little Claus. " You got into your
jclothes early to-day."

! "Yes," said Little Claus, "I am going to the town with my
grandmother ; she is sitting outside on the cart, I can't bring her
knto the room. Will you give her a glass of mead ? But you must
Speak very loud, for she can't hear well."

I " Yes, certainly I will," said the landlord, and poured out a
large glass of mead, which he took out to the dead grandmother,
who was placed upright in the cart.

" Here is a glass of mead from your son," said the landlord.
The dead woman, however, did not answer a word, and sat still.

" Don't you hear ? " shouted the landlord, as loud as he could ;
"here is a glass of mead from your grandson."

He shouted it out once more and then still once more, but as
she did not move at all from her place he became angry and threw
the glass in her face, so that the mead ran down her nose and she

68

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

fell backwards in the cart ; for she had only been placed upright
and not tied fast.

" Hallo ! " cried Little Glaus, rushing out and seizing the land-
lord by the throat; "you have killed my grandmother. Look
here, there is a large hole in her forehead."

" Oh, what a misfortune ! " cried the landlord, wringing his
hands. "All this comes of my hot temper. My dear Little
Glaus, I will give you a bushel of money and have your grand-
mother buried as if she were my own ; but keep silent, or they
will cut off my head and that would be so unpleasant." So Little
Glaus got a bushel of money, and the landlord buried his grand-
mother as if she had been his own.

When Little Glaus came home again with all the money, he at
once sent his boy over to ask Big Glaus to lend him a bushel
measure.

" What's that ? " said Big Glaus. " Have I not killed him ? I
must go and see for myself." So he himself took the bushel
measure over to Little Glaus.

BIG CLAUS AND LITTLE CLAUS 69

"Tell me where you got all that money," he said, and opened
his eyes wide when he saw what had been added.

" You didn't kill me, but my grandmother," said Little Claus ;
" I have sold her and got a bushel of money for her."

" That's really well paid," said Big Claus ; and hurrying home,
took an axe and killed his grandmother on the spot. Placing her
in the cart, he drove with her to the town where the apothecary
lived, and asked him whether he could buy a dead body.

" Who is it, and where did you get it ? " asked the apothecary.

" It's my grandmother," said Big Claus. " I killed her to get a
bushel of money for her."

"Heaven preserve us!" said the apothecary. "You are mad.
Don't talk like that, or you will lose your head." And then he
explained to him what a wicked deed he had done, and what a
bad man he was, and that he ought to be punished ; this frightened
Big Claus so, that he rushed out of the shop into the cart, lashed
his horses and drove home. But the apothecary and all the people
thought he was mad, and so let him drive where he liked.

" You shall pay me for that ! " said Big Claus, when he got on
the high road outside the town. " Yes, you shall pay me for it,
Little Claus." As soon as he reached home he took the largest
sack that he could find, went over to Little Claus, and
said, "You have made a fool of me again. First I killed my
horse, then my grandmother. That's all your fault, but you
shall not fool me again." With that he took hold of Little
Claus round the body and put him in his sack, then took him on
his back, and called out to him : " Now I am going to take you
away to drown you."

It was a long way that he had to go before he came to the river,
and Little Claus was not very light to carry. The road led close
by the church, and the organ was pealing and the people were
singing beautifully. So Big Claus put down his sack with Little
Claus in it close to the church door, and thought it might be a
very good thing to go in and hear a psalm before going any
farther. Little Claus could not possibly get out of the sack,
and all the people were in the church ; so he went in.
' " Oh dear ! oh dear ! " sighed Little Claus in the sack, turning

;o

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

and twisting about ; but it was impossible for him to untie the
string. By-and-bye an old cattle-driver with snow-white hair
passed by, with a long staff in his hand. He was driving a herd
of cows and oxen before him, and these, stumbling against the
sack in which Little Glaus lay, it was thrown over. " Ah me !"

sighed Little Glaus, " I am still so young, and am going already
to heaven."

" And I, poor man," said the driver, " who am already so old,
cannot get there yet."

" Open the sack," called out Little Glaus ; " get in instead of
me, and you will go to heaven immediately."

" With all my heart," said the driver, and untied the sack, out of
which Little Glaus crept at once.

" But will you look after my cattle ? " asked the old man, as he
got into the sack ; upon which Little Glaus tied it up and went
away with all the cows and oxen.

Soon afterwards Big Glaus came out of the church and took
his sack on his back again, although it seemed to him to have
become lighter, for the old cattle-driver was only half as heavy as
Little Glaus. " How light he is to carry now ! That is because

BIG CLAUS AND LITTLE CLAUS 71

I have heard a psalm." So he went to the river, which was
deep and wide, threw the sack, with the old driver in it, into the
water, and called out after him, for he believed that it was
Little Glaus : " Lie there ! You will not fool me again." He
then went home ; but when he came to the place where two roads
crossed, he met Little Glaus, who was driving his cattle along.

" What's that ? " said Big Glaus. " Haven't I drowned you ? "

" Yes ! " said Little Glaus. " You threw me into the river
scarcely half an hour ago."

"But where did you get these beautiful cattle?" asked Big
Glaus.

" These are sea-cattle," said Little Glaus. " I will tell you the
whole story, and thank you for having drowned me, for now I am
up in the world and am really rich. How frightened I was while
I was in the sack ! the wind whistled in my ears as you threw me
down from the bridge into the cold water. I immediately sank to
the bottom, but did not hurt myself, for down there grows the
finest soft grass. I fell on that and the sack was opened at once ;
a most lovely maiden, with snow-white clothes and a green
wreath around her wet hair, took me by the hand and said, " Are
you there, Little Glaus ? Here you have some cattle to begin with.
A mile farther on the road there is another large herd, which I will
give you." Then I saw that the river formed a great highway for
the people of the sea. Down at the bottom they were walking
and driving straight from the sea right up into the land, as far as the
place where the river ends. It was full of lovely flowers and the
freshest grass ; the fish, which swam in the water, shot past my
ears, just as the birds do here in the air. What lovely people
there were there, and what fine cattle grazing in the valleys and on
the hills ! "

" But why did you come up again to us so quickly ? " asked
Big Glaus. " I shouldn't have done so, if it is so fine down
there."

" Well," said Little Glaus, " that was good policy on my part.
You heard me say that the sea-maiden told me there was a herd
of cattle for me a mile farther on the road. Now by the road she
meant the river, for she cannot go anywhere else. But I know

72 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

what windings the river makes, first here and then there, so that
it is a long way round ; it is much shorter by landing here and
cutting across the field back to the river. I save almost half a
mile in that way, and get to my cattle more quickly."

" Oh, you are a lucky man," said Big Claus. " Do you think
that I should get some cattle too if I went to the bottom of the
river?"

" Yes, I think so," said Little Claus. " But I can't carry you
in the sack to the river ; you are too heavy for me. If you will
walk there yourself and creep into the sack, I will throw you in
with the greatest pleasure."

" Thank you," said Big Claus ; " but if I don't get any sea-cattle
when I reach the bottom, I promise you I'll give you a sound
thrashing."

" Oh, don't be as bad as that ! " So they both went to the
river. When the cattle, who were thirsty, saw the water, they ran
as fast as they could, to get down to the stream.

" See how they hurry ! " said Little Claus. " They are longing
to get back to the bottom."

"Yes, but help me first," said Big Claus, " else I'll thrash you ;"
and he crept into a large sack which had been lying across the
back of one of the oxen. " Put a stone into it, or I am afraid I
shall not sink to the bottom," he added.

" That's all right ! " said Little Claus ; but he put a large stone
into the sack all the same, tied the string tightly, and then pushed.
Plump ! there lay Big Claus in the river, and immediately sank to
the bottom.

" I don't think he'll find the cattle," said Little Claus, and went
home with those that he had.

THE SAUCY BOY 73

The Saucy Boy

NCE upon a time there was an old poet, one
of those right good old poets.

One evening, as he was sitting at home,
there was a terrible storm going on outside ;
the rain was pouring down, but the old poet
sat comfortably in his chimney-corner, where
the fire was burning and the apples were
roasting.

" There will not be a dry thread left on the poor people who are
put in this weather," he said.

! " Oh, open the^door ! I am so cold and wet through," called a
little child outside. It was crying and knocking at the door, whilst
che rain was pouring down and the wind was rattling all the
Vindows.

j " Poor creature ! " said the poet, and got up and opened the
loor. Before him stood a little boy; he was naked, and the
.vater flowed from his long fair locks. He was shivering with
bid ; if he had not been let in, he would certainly have perished
n the storm.

1 " Poor little thing ! " said the poet, and took him by the hand.
I; Come to me ; I will soon warm you. You shall have some wine
nd an apple, for you are such a pretty boy."
i And he was, too. His eyes sparkled like two bright stars, and
Ithough the water flowed down from his fair locks, they still
! urled quite beautifully.

I He looked like a little angel, but was pale with cold, and trem-
i ling all over. In his hand he held a splendid bow, but it had
een entirely spoilt by the rain, and the colours of the pretty arrows
ad run into one another by getting wet.

The old man sat down by the fire, and taking the little boy on
! is knee, wrung the water out of his locks and warmed his hands
i his own.
He then made him some hot spiced wine, which quickly revived

74 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

him; so that, with reddening cheeks, he sprang upon the floor and
danced around the old man.

" You are a merry boy," said the latter. " What is your name ? "

" My name is Cupid," he answered. " Don't you know me ? j
There lies my bow. I shoot with that, you know. Look, the
weather is getting fine again— the moon is shining."

" But your bow is spoilt," said the old poet.

" That would be unfortunate," said the little boy, taking it up and
looking at it. " Oh, it's quite dry and isn't damaged at all. The !
string is quite tight ; I'll try it." So, drawing it back, he took an j
arrow, aimed, and shot the good old poet right in the heart. " Do |
you see now that my bow was not spoilt ? " he said, and, loudly !
laughing, ran away. What a naughty boy to shoot the old poet like
that, who had taken him into his warm room, had been so good to
him, and had given him the nicest wine and the best apple !

The good old man lay upon the floor crying ; he was really shot
in the heart. " Oh ! " he cried, " what a naughty boy this Cupid
is ! I shall tell all the good children about this, so that they take
care never to play with him, lest he hurt them."

And all good children, both girls and boys, whom he told about
this, were on their guard against wicked Cupid ; but he deceives
them all the same, for he is very deep. When the students come
out of class, he walks beside them with a book under his arm, and
wearing a black coat. They cannot recognise him. And then, if
they take him by the arm, believing him to be a student too, he
sticks an arrow into their chest. And when the girls go to church
to be confirmed, he is amongst them too. In fact, he is always after
people. He sits in the large chandelier in the theatre and blazes
away, so that people think it is a lamp ; but they soon find out
their mistake. He walks about in the castle garden and on the
promenades. Yes, once he shot your father and your mother in
the heart too. Just ask them, and you will hear what they say. Oh !
he is a bad boy, this Cupid, and you must never have anything to
do with him, for he is after every one. Just think, he even shot an
arrow at old grandmother ; but that was a long time ago. The
wound has long been healed, but such things are never forgotten.
Now you know what a bad boy this wicked Cupid is.

THE SHEPHERDESS AND THE SWEEP 75

The Shepherdess and the Sweep

AVE you ever seen a very old wooden
3J ^***gi^jfcl cupboard, blackened by age, and de-
lA ^Oi^OsSXI corated with many carved arabesques
and foliage? Such a one stood in a
sitting-room ; it was a legacy from the
great-grandmother, and was covered all
over with carved roses and tulips. Upon
it one could see the most peculiar figures,
nd little stagheads with antlers were projecting from them. In the
icntre of the cupboard stood a carved man ; he looked, indeed,
jery ridiculous, and he grinned, for one could not possibly call
i laughing ; he had legs like a goat, little horns on his forehead,
ind a long beard. The children in the room used to call him
•Jnder- General -Commander -War -Sergeant -in -Chief Billy Goat-
;gs. That was a name difficult to pronounce, and there are very
•w who obtain such a title ; but to have such a man cut out was
Bitainly something. There he was ! He looked continually
owards the table underneath the looking-glass, where a sweet
?ttle shepherdess of porcelain was standing. Her shoes were
tiilded, her dress was adorned with a red rose ; she wore a golden
at and crook ; in short, she was very beautiful. Close by her
lood a little chimney-sweep, as black as coal, and he, too, was of
brcelain. He was as clean and nice as any other person ; that he
as a sweep was only because he was to represent one ; the
[brcelain modeller might just as well have made him a prince, if
K had liked.

i There he was standing with his ladder, and his face was as
ihite and rosy as a girl's ; properly speaking, that was wrong, for it
t'jght to have been a little blackened. He was close by the
i icpherdess, and both were standing on the spots where they had
btn placed. As they were thus brought together, they had
jcome engaged. They were very suitable for each other ; both
sre young, of the same porcelain and equally fragile.

76 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Close by stood another figure, which was three times as large as
this couple ; it was an old china-man who could nod. He, too,
was made of porcelain, and pretended to be the grandfather of
the little shepherdess, but he had no proof of it. He claimed to
have power over her, and therefore he had nodded to the Under-
General-Commander- War-Sergeant - in - Chief Billy Goatlegs, who
paid his addresses to the little shepherdess.

" You will have a husband," said the old china-man, " who, I
incline to think, is of mahogany. He can make you Mrs. Under-
General-Commander- War-Sergeant - in - Chief Billy Goatlegs; he
has a whole cupboard full of silver-plate, which he keeps in secret
compartments."

" I do not wish to go into the dark cupboard," said the little
shepherdess. "I have heard it said that he has eleven china-
women inside the cupboard."

" Then you may well become the twelfth," said the china-man.
"To-night, as soon as it rattles in the cupboard, you shall be
married, as truly as I am a china-man." Then he nodded again
and fell asleep.

But the little shepherdess cried and looked at her beloved one,
the porcelain chimney-sweep.

" I entreat you," she said to him, " to take me far, far away, for
we cannot stay here."

" I will do anything you please," said the little sweep. " Let us
be off at once. I think I shall be able to keep you by my
trade ! "

" I wish we had already safely got down from the table," she
said. " I shall not be happy, until we are far away."

And he comforted her, and showed her how she must put her
little feet on the carved corners and the gilded ornaments of the
leg of the table ; he aided her with his little ladder, and soon they
arrived on the floor. When they looked towards the old cup-
board, they noticed that there was a great deal of noise in it ; all
the carved stags put their heads further out, lifted up their antlers,
and twisted their necks. The Under-General-Commander-War-
Sergeant-in-Chief Billy Goatlegs jumped up with excitement, and
called out to the old china-man : " Look, there they are running

THE SHEPHERDESS AND THE SWEEP 77

'.way." Then they were terribly frightened, and leapt quickly into
(he drawer of the window-seat.

• In this drawer were three packs of cards, but none of them was
complete, and a little doll's theatre, which was built up as well as
rcircumstances permitted. There a comedy was being performed,
,nd all the ladies, diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades, were sitting
n the front row and fanning themselves with their tulips; all the
.inaves were standing behind them, showing that they had a head
>elow as well as above, as all playing-cards have. The comedy
vas about two people who were not to marry each other. The
jhepherdess shed tears over it, for it was exactly her own story.
f " I cannot stand this any longer," she said, " I must get out of
he drawer." But when they got out and looked up towards the
able, the old china-man was awake and shook his whole body,
jyhich was all one piece.

" Now the old china-man is coming," cried the little shepherdess,
,nd fell down on her porcelain knees, she was so much afraid,
i " I have an idea," said the sweep. " Shall we creep into the
'ig pot-pourri vase yonder in the corner ? There we can repose
|;n roses and lavender, and throw salt into his eyes when he
Domes."

: "That will not save us," she said, "for I know that the old
jiiina-man and the pot-pourri vase were one day engaged, and
:iere always remains a certain friendly feeling between people who
iave once been on such terms. No, we have no alternative ; we
mst go out into the wide world."

!, " Have you really the courage to go with me out into the wide
orld? "asked the sweep. "Have you ever thought how large
le world is, and that we shall never return here ? "
5 " Yes, certainly," was her reply.

! Then the sweep looked her straight into the face and said :
;My way leads through the chimney. Have you really the
purage to go with me through the stove, through the iron case
>s well as through the pipes ? Through them we get out into
le chimney, and then I know my way very well. We shall get
P high up, that they can no longer reach us ; on the very top is a
.Die which leads out into the wide world."

78 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

He then led her to the stove-door.

" How black it looks ! " she said ; but she went with him, not only
through the iron case, but also through the pipes, where it was
pitch dark.

" Now we are in the chimney," he said. " Look up above you,
there is a beautiful star shining."

It was a real star in the sky which was shining straight down upon
them, as if it wished to show them the way. They climbed and
crept on ; it was a dreadful way and very high up. He held her
tightly and pointed the best places out to her, where she could
put her little porcelain feet safely down ; at last they reached the
rim of the chimney-pot and sat down, for they were very tired,
and that was not wonderful.

The sky, with all its stars, was high above them, the roofs of the
town spread out at their feet. They could see very far, far out
into the world. The poor shepherdess had not thought that it
would be like this ; she leant her head on her sweep and began
to cry so bitterly that all the gilt came off her girdle.

"That is too much," she said. " I cannot stand it. The world
is too large ! I wish I were again on the table underneath the
looking-glass. I shall not be happy until I have got back there.
I have gone out with you into the wide world, now you can take
me back again, if you really care so much for me as you say."

The sweep reasoned with her, talked about the old china-man
and the Under-General-Commander-War-Sergeant-in-Chief Billy
Goatlegs ; but she sobbed bitterly, and kissed her little sweep
so much, that he could not do otherwise than give in, although
it was foolish.

So they returned, with great difficulties, through the chimney,
and crept through the pipes and the iron case : that was very
unpleasant. When they had arrived in the dark stove they stood
and listened behind the door to hear what was going on in the
room. But there all was quiet ; they peeped in, and there the
old china-man was lying on the floor. He had fallen down from
the table when he wished to run after them, and was broken into
three pieces ; the whole back had come off in one piece, and the
head had rolled into a corner. The Un.der-General-Commander-

THE SHEPHERDESS AND THE SWEEP 79

tfar-Sergeant-in-Chief Billy Goatlegs stood still in the place
svhere he had always been, and meditated.

" That is terrible," ''said the little shepherdess. « The old
rrandfather is broken to pieces, and that is all our fault I
[hall never get over this." And then she wrung her hand"

"He can be riveted,'Lsaid.-the sweep. "He can be riveted
gam. Do not be too frightened^ If they cement his back and
ut a good strong n^eHnttrffis neck, he will be as good as new,
nd may still say many disagreeable things to us."

" Do you think so ? " she asked. Then they crept up to the
ible and returned to their former places.

( " Here we are again on the same spot," said the sweep. " We
tight have saved all the trouble."

, " Oh, that grandfather were riveted again ! " said the shepherdess.
Is that very expensive ? "

; And he was riveted. The people had his back cemented, and
jgood strong rivet was put into his neck ; he was as good as new
;ain, but he could no longer nod.

" You seem to have become haughty since you broke to pieces,"
id the Under-General-Commander-War-Sergeant-in-Chief. "I
Jink you have no cause to be so conceited. Am I to have her
'am I not?"

The sweep and the little shepherdess looked quite piteously at the
id china-man ; they feared lest he might nod again. But he could
tt do so. It was very unpleasant for him to tell the people that
\ had a rivet in his neck. Thus the two lovers remained together,
Jjssed the grandfather's rivet, and loved each other till they broke
i pieces. '

80 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Goloshes of Fortune

I. A BEGINNING.

|T a house in East Street, Copenhagen, not far
from the King's New Market, a very large
party had assembled; evidently the host
aimed at receiving invitations in return, as
he had invited so many people. Half of
the guests had already sat down at the
card-tables, while the others seemed to be
waiting for the answer to their hostess's question, " What shall we
do now ? " The entertainment had advanced far enough for the
people to be getting more and more animated. Among various
other subjects, the conversation turned upon the Middle Ages.
Some held the opinion that the Middle Ages were more interesting
than our own time ; and Counsellor Knapp stood up for this
opinion so warmly, that the lady of the house sided with him at
once, and both eagerly declaimed against Oerstedt's treatise in the
Almanac " On Ancient and Modern Times," in which the main
preference is given to our own age. The Counsellor held that
the times of the Danish King Hans were the best and most
prosperous.

While this was the subject of the conversation, which was only
interrupted for a moment by the arrival of a newspaper contain-
ing nothing worth reading, let us look into the anteroom,
where the cloaks, sticks, and goloshes belonging to the guests
were lying. Here two women were sitting, the one young, the
other more advanced in years. One might have thought they
were servants who had come to accompany their mistresses
home ; but upon looking more closely at them, one was soon (
convinced that they were not common servants ; their appearance
was too dignified, their skins too delicate, and their dresses too
elegant. They were two fairies.

The youngest was not Fortune herself, it is true, but the hand-

VOL. I.

THE GOLOSHES Of FORTUNE £3

maid of one of her ladies in waiting, who carried the smaller gifts
about. The elder one looked somewhat gloomy; she was Care
who always transacts all her business personally, for only then
does she know that it is well done.

They were telling each other where they had been during the
jday. Fortune's messenger had only carried out some unimpor-
ant commissions ; for instance, she had saved a new hat from a
ihower of ram, obtained a bow from a titled nonentity for an
lonest man, &c. ; but she had now something of greater con-
, equence to do. « I must also tell you," she said, « that to-day is
»ay birthday, and in honour of it a pair of goloshes have been
L ntrusted to me, which I am to bring to mankind. These goloshes
.ave the property, that whoever puts them on is instantly trans-
ited to the place and age where he or she most desires to be •
l very wish regarding time or place of existence is at once realised'
tid thus man can for once be happy here below "
"Believe me," said Care, "he will be most unhappy, and bless
le moment when he is once more rid of the goloshes "
" Is that your opinion ? " replied the other. « Now I shall put
iem down at the door ; some one will take them, and become the
ippy man."
> Such was their conversation.

II. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COUNSELLOR.

| It was late; Counsellor Knapp, deeply lost in thought over the
jloe of King Hans, wished to go home; but fate so arranged
flitters that, instead of his own goloshes, he put on those of
totune, and walked out into East Street.

\ The magic power of the goloshes instantly carried him back to
p times of King Hans, and his feet sank deeply into the mud
tf mire of the street, which was not paved in those days

'It is awfully dirty here," said the Counsellor; "why, the good
njstones are gone and the lamps are all out."

Fhe moon had not yet risen high enough; the atmosphere
»i somewhat thick, so that all the surrounding objects were not
•tt recognised in the darkness. When he came to the next

84 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

corner, he found a lamp before a picture of the Holy Virgin, but
the light it gave was so small that he only notaced it when he
was passing underneath it, and his eyes fell upon the punted
figures of the Mother and Child.

" That is evidently a curiosity shop," he thought, " and they
have forgotten to take in their sign."

Several people in the costume of that age then passed by
him.

" How funnily they are dressed up ! No doubt they are r
turning from a masquerade."

Suddenly the sound of drums and fifes struck his ears. He saw
the flaring light of torches, and stopped. A very extraordinar)
procession passed before him. First marched a band «
drummers, beating their instruments with great skill ; they wen
followed by attendants with cross-bows and lances. Thi

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 85

principal person in the procession was a clergyman. The astonished
Counsellor asked what all this meant, and who the clergyman
was.

" The Bishop of Zealand," was the answer.

"Good heavens!" sighed the Counsellor, "what does the
Bishop intend to do?" Then he shook his head; he could not
.believe it possible that the man was the bishop.

Still torturing his brains on this point, he passed through East
(Street and over High Bridge Place. The bridge, which he used
ko cross in order to reach Castle Square, was nowhere to be
|found; he at last reached the bank of a shallow river, where
he saw two men with a boat.

" Would the gentleman like to cross over to the Holm ?" they
asked him.

"To the Holm ? " said the Counsellor, who was quite uncon-
scious that he lived in a different age. " I wish to go to Christian's
Port, in Little Turf Street."

The two men stared at him.

" Only tell me where the bridge is," he said. " It is unpardon-
able that they have not lighted the lamps here, and it is as
buddy as if it were a marsh."

B The more he talked to the boatmen, the less intelligible their
[language became to him.

8 " I do not understand your Bornholmish," he said at last in an
jingry tone, and left them. He could not find the bridge, nor
•as there any rail-fence. " It is a downright shame that things
Ire in such disorder here," he said. He had never thought his
56 more miserable than he did this evening. " I think it will
fs best for me to take a droske," * he thought. But where were
lie cabs ? None were visible. " I shall have to return to King's
j'ewmarket to find a vehicle, otherwise I shall never reach
t hristian's Port. " Then he went back to East Street, and had
Nrly come to the end of it, when the moon broke through the
I'ouds.

"Good heavens! What strange building have they erected
Ipre!" he exclaimed when he saw the East Gate, which in
* A cab is called " droske" in Copenhagen.

86 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

those days stood at the end of East Street. He found, however,
one of the wickets still open, and passed through it, in the hope
of reaching the King's Newmarket; but there were wide
meadows before him, with a few bushes growing upon them, and
a broad canal or river streaming through them. A few wretched
wooden huts, belonging to Dutch sailors, stood on the opposite
bank. " Either what I see is a. fata morgana, or I am intoxicated,"
lamented the Counsellor. " If I only knew what all this means!"
He returned again, firmly believing that he was ill. Walking
back through the same streets, he looked more closely at the
houses, and noticed that most of them were only built of lath
and plaster, and had thatched roofs.

" I do not feel at all well ; " he sighed, " and yet I have only taken
one glass of punch. But punch does not agree with me, and it is
altogether wrong to serve punch with hot salmon. I shall tell the
agent's wife so. Would it be wise to go back now, and let them
know how I feel? No, no, it would look too ridiculous; and:
then, after all, the question is, if they are still up." He looked for
the house, but was unable to find it.

" This is dreadful ; I cannot even recognise East Street again.
I do not see a single shop ; there are only wretched old houses,
as if I were in Roeskilde or Ringstedt. There is no longer any
doubt ; I am ill, and it is useless to stand on ceremonies. But
where in all the world is the agent's house ? It is no longer the
same ; but in yonder house I see some people still up. Alas ! I am
very ill." He soon arrived at a half-opened door, and saw the light
inside. It was an inn of that period, a sort of public-house.
The room looked very much like a Dutch bar : a number of j j
people, sailors, citizens of Copenhagen, and a few scholars, sat I
there in lively conversation, with their mugs before them, and j
paid little attention to the Counsellor coming in.

"I beg your pardon," said the Counsellor to the landlady,
" I have been suddenly taken ill ; would you kindly send for a cab '•
to drive me to Christian's Port ? "

The woman looked at him and shook her head. Then she
addressed him in German. The Counsellor, supposing that she
could not speak Danish, repeated his request in German ; this, In .

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 87

addition to his dress, made the woman feel sure that he was a
.foreigner; but she understood that he was unwell, and brought
;him a jug of water : it tasted very much of sea-water, although it
,had been fetched from the well outside.

The Counsellor rested his head upon his hand, drew a deep
.breath and thought over all the strange things around him.

"Is that this evening's number of the Day*1» he asked me-
ichanically when he saw the woman putting a large piece of paper
aside.

1 She did not know what he meant, but she gave him the
paper. It was a woodcut representing a phenomenon which had
been seen in the city of Cologne.

; "That is very old," said the Counsellor, and became quite
cheerful at the sight of this old curiosity. " How did you get this
fare cut? It is highly interesting, although the whole is but a
jable. These phenomena are now explained as polar lights •
:hey probably are caused by electricity."

; Those who sat next to him, and heard his speech, looked at
lim with great surprise, and one of them rose, politely raised his
,iat, and said in a serious tone, " You are certainly a very learned
nan, monsieur."

I; " Not at all," replied the Counsellor ; " I can only talk about
.hings that everybody is supposed to understand."
' "Modestia is a fine virtue," said the man. " Moreover, I have
poadd to your explanation mihi secus videtur ; yet in the present
.;:ase I willingly suspend myjudictum."

" May I ask with whom I have the honour to speak ? " replied
<he Counsellor.

" I am a Bachelor of Divinity," said the man.
I This answer was enough for the Counsellor; title and dress
irere in accordance with each other. "Surely," he thought,
this man is an old village schoolmaster, such a specimen as
ine still meets with sometimes in the upper parts of Jutland."

"Although here we are not in a locus docendi," began the
ban again, "I request you to take the trouble to give us a
speech. You are Burely well read in the ancients."
* Evening paper at Copenhagen.

88 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

11 Oh, yes," replied the Counsellor, " I am very fond of reading
old and useful books, but I am also interested in new ones — with
the exception of every-day stories, of which we have so many in
reality."

" Every-day stories ? " asked the Bachelor of Divinity.

" Why, yes ; I mean the modern novels."

" Oh ! " said the man, smiling, " they certainly contain a great
deal of wit, and are read at Court. The King especially likes the
romance by Iffven and Gaudian which treats of King Arthur and
his valiant Knights of the Round Table. He has made jokes
about it to his courtiers."

" This one certainly I have not read yet," said the Counsellor.
" It must be quite a new one, published by Heidberg."

" No," replied the man, " Heiberg is not the publisher, but
Gotfred of Gehmen." *

" Is he the author ? " asked the Counsellor ; " that is a very old
name. Was it not the name of the first Danish printer ? "

" Yes, he is our first printer," said the scholar.

So far everything went fairly well; now one of the citizens
spoke of the dreadful plague which had raged a few years ago,
meaning that of the year 1484. The Counsellor thought he
spoke of the cholera, and so they could discuss it, unaware of
the fact that each spoke of something else. The war against the
freebooters had happened so lately that it was unavoidably
mentioned ; the English pirates, they said, had seized some ships
that were in the harbour. The Counsellor, in the belief that they
meant the events of 1801, was strongly against the English.
The latter part of the conversation, however, did not go off so
smoothly ; they could not help contradicting each other every
moment; the good Bachelor of Divinity was dreadfully ignorant,
so that the simplest remark of the Counsellor seemed to him too
daring or too fantastic. They often looked at each other in aston-
ishment, and when matters became too difficult, the scholar began
to talk Latin, hoping to be better understood, but all was of no avail.

"How do you feel now?" asked the landlady, pulling the

* First printer and publisher in Denmark, under the reign of King
Hans.

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 89

Counsellor's sleeve. Only then his memory returned; in the
course of the conversation he had forgotten all that had
happened.

"Good heavens! where am I?" he said, and he felt quite
dizzy when he thought of it.

" Let us have claret, mead, or Bremen beer," cried one of the
guests. " And you shall drink with us."

Two girls came in ; one had on a cap of two colours. They
poured the wine out, and made curtseys. The Counsellor felt
a cold shiver run down his back. " What does all this mean ? "
he said. But he had to drink with them, they asked him so
politely. He was quite in despair, and when one of them said that
he was intoxicated, he did not doubt it for a moment, and only
requested them to get him a droske. Now they thought he
spoke the Muscovite language. Never in his life had he been in
such rude and vulgar company. "One would think that the
country had gone back to Paganism," he thought ; " this is the
most terrible moment in all my life."

Just then the idea struck him that he would stoop under the
table and creep towards the door. He carried this out, but
when he was near the door, the others discovered his intention ;
they took hold of his feet, and to his great good fortune, pulled
off the goloshes, and at once the whole enchantment was broken.

The Counsellor distinctly saw a street lamp burning, and
(behind it a large building; it all seemed familiar and grand to
him. He was in East Street, as we know it now, and was resting
;on the pavement with his legs towards the door, and opposite sat
•the watchman, asleep.

i " Goodness gracious ! have I really lain here in the street dream-
Sing?" he said. " Yes, this is East Street. How beautifully light
:and pleasant it looks ! That glass of punch must have had a
idreadful effect upon me."

Two minutes later, he sat in a cab, and drove to Christian's
Port. He thought of all the anguish he had suffered, and praised
the present, his own age, with all his heart, as being, in spite of
its shortcomings, much better than the age in which he had
existed a short while ago.

90 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

III. THE WATCHMAN'S ADVENTURES.

" Well, I never ! " said the watchman ; " there are a pair of
goloshes. They evidently belong to the lieutenant who lives up
there, for they are close by his door." The honest man would
gladly have rung the bell and returned them to their owner, for
there was still a light upstairs, but he did not wish to wake up the
other people in the house, so he left them there. " I am sure a
pair of such things must keep one's feet very warm," he said.
" How nice and soft the leather is ! " They fitted his feet
exactly. " How strange things are in this world ! This man,
now, might go into his warm bed, and yet he does not do so,
but walks up and down in his room. He is a fortunate man. He
has neither wife nor child ; he is out every evening. I wish I
were in his place, I should certainly be happy."

No sooner had he uttered this wish than the goloshes carried it
out ; the watchman became the lieutenant in body and mind.

There he was, standing upstairs in the room, holding a sheet of
pink note-paper between his fingers, on which was written a poem
— a poem from the lieutenant's own pen. Who has not had, once in
his life, a poetical moment ? Then, if one writes down one's
thoughts, they are poetry.

Such poems people only write down when they are in love, but
a prudent man never has them printed. To be a lieutenant, poor
and in love— this forms a triangle ; or one might better describe
it as half the broken die of fortune. That is just what the
lieutenant thought at this moment, and therefore leant his head
against the window frame and sighed. "The poor watchman
down in the street is much happier than I. He does not know
what I call want. He has a home, a wife and children, who
share his joys and sorrows. I should be much happier if I could
change places with him, and live with only his hopes and
expectations. I am sure he is much happier than I."

Instantly the watchman became a watchman again, for, through
the goloshes of Fortune, he had become, body and soul, the
lieutenant ; but as such he felt less contented than before, and

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 91

preferred what he had despised a short time ago. He was a
watchman again.

"That was a hideous dream," he said, "but very curious; I
I felt as if I were the lieutenant up there, and that was by no means
a pleasure. I missed my wife and children, who are always ready
to smother me with their kisses."

He sat down again and nodded ; he could not quite get over
ithe dream ; the goloshes were still on his feet. A shooting star
passed over the sky.

I " There it goes " he said, " and yet there are plenty left. I
(should like to look a little more closely at these things, especially
bt the moon, for she would not slip so easily out of one's hands.
fThe student my wife does washing for, says that when we are dead
kve shall fly from one planet to another. That is wrong, although
fit would not be at all bad. I wish I could take a little leap up
jthere. I should not mind leaving my body here on the steps."

There are some things in this world that must be spoken of
with caution, and one ought to be still more careful when one has
l:he goloshes of Fortune upon one's feet. Now, let us see what
Happened to the watchman.

j Everybody knows how quickly one can move from one place to
tinother by steam, having experienced it either on a railway or a
Lteamboat. But this speed is not more than the crawl of the
3 loth or creeping of a snail in comparison to the swiftness with
Jvhich light travels. It flies nineteen million times faster than the
buickest railway engine. Death is an electric shock to our hearts :
the delivered soul vanishes away on the wings of electricity,
feunlight requires about eight minutes and a few seconds to per-
brm a journey of more than ninety-five millions of miles ; the
loul travels as quickly on the wings of electricity. The distance
Hnreen the various celestial bodies is not greater to it than we
Ihould find the distance between the houses of friends living
li the same town quite close together. The electric shock to our
B earts costs us our bodies, unless we have by chance the goloshes
j,f Fortune on our feet, like the watchman.

I In a few seconds the watchman had traversed the distance of
jffo hundred and sixty thousand miles to the moon, which

92 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

consists, as everybody knows, of much lighter material than our
earth ; something like new-fallen snow, as we should say. He had
arrived on one of the numerous circular mountains which one
sees on Dr. Maedler's large map of the moon. The inside was a
basin of about half a mile in depth. Down below was a town ; to
get an idea of its appearance, the best thing would be to pour
the white of an egg into a glass of water ; the substance here was
just as soft, and formed similar transparent towers, domes, and
terraces, floating in the thin air like sails. Our globe hung above
his head, like a dark red ball.

He soon noticed a great many beings, surely intended to be
what we call "men," but they were very different from us. If
they had been arnftiged in rank and file, and painted, one would
certainly say, " What a beautiful arabesque ! " They also had
a language, but how could the soul of a watchman be expected to
understand it? Nevertheless, it did understand the moon-
language, for a soul has much greater faculties than we commonly
suppose. Have we not frequent proof of its dramatic power in
dreams ? Then all our friends appear to us in their own character
and voice, so exactly like the reality that we should have great
difficulty in imitating them in our waking hours. Does not our
soul often recall persons of whom we have not thought for years ?

Suddenly they appear before our mental eyes in such living
reality that we are able to recognise their minutest peculiarities.
Truly, our soul's memory is a dreadful thing, for it will be able
one day to recall every sin, every evil thought, we ever had ; and
then we shall have to give an account of every light word which
was in our hearts or on our lips.

Thus the watchman's soul understood the language of the
inhabitants of the moon very well. They were discussing our
earth, and had doubts as to its being inhabited ; they asserted the
air there must be too thick for any moon-being to live in. They
were of opinion that the moon only was inhabited ; that it was
the celestial body where the ancient inhabitants of the world
lived.

They also talked politics ; but let us leave them, and return to
East Street, and see what happens to the watchman's body. He

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 93

was still sitting motionless on the steps, his staff having fallen out
of his hand, while his eyes looked fixedly towards the moon, where
his honest soul was rambling about.

" What's o'clock, watchman ? " asked one of the passers-by.
But the watchman gave no answer. Then the man gently
fillipped his nose, which caused him to lose his equilibrium, and
fall, full length, on the ground, like a dead man. His comrades
were frightened ; he seemed quite lifeless, and remained in the
same condition. The incident was reported and discussed, and
later on in the morning the body was taken to the hospital.

It might have turned out a capital joke if the soul had come
back and looked for its body in East Street, without being able
to find it. Probably it would first go to the Police Station, from
thence to the Lost Property Office, that inquiries might be made,
and in the end repair to the hospital. But we need not trouble
our minds on that point, for souls are most clever when they act
on their own responsibility ; only the bodies make them stupid.

As I have stated, the watchman's body was carried to the
hospital ; there it was taken to the room where the bodies were
washed, and naturally, the first thing they did was to take off the
goloshes, whereupon the soul was obliged to return to the body.
It at once started straight for the body, and in a few moments the
man was alive again. He declared that he had never in all his
life passed such a dreadful night, and not for any amount of
money would he care to have such sensations again ; but he got
over it all right.

He was able to leave the hospital the same day, but the
goloshes remained there.

IV. A CRITICAL MOMENT — A MOST EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY.

Every inhabitant of Copenhagen knows the entrance to
Frederick's Hospital, but as probably also some people who have
not seen Copenhagen will read this story, it will be well to give a
short description of it.

Towards the street the hospital is surrounded by an iron
railing of considerable height, the thick bars of which stand so far

94 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

apart that sometimes, as the story goes, some of the most slender
young medical assistants have squeezed themselves through and
paid little visits to town. Their heads were the most difficult to
be brought through, and therefore here, as in other things in this
world, those who had the smallest heads were the best off. This
information will be sufficient for our narrative.

One of the volunteers, of whom one could only say that he had
a great head in the physical sense, was on watch one evening ; the
rain was pouring down; but in spite of these two obstacles
he wished to go out.

Just for a quarter of an hour, he thought ; he need not trouble
the porter, especially if he could slip through the bars. He
noticed the goloshes which the watchman had forgotten ; it did
not strike him in the least that they were those of Fortune ; they
would render him good service in the bad weather, he thought,
and so put them on. The point was now, if he could squeeze
himself through the bars — he had never tried before. They were
now in front of him.

"I wish I had my head outside," he said, and instantly,
although it was very thick and large, it glided smoothly through
the bars ; the goloshes seemed to know how to do that very well ;
now he tried to pass his body through too, but this was
impossible.

" I am too stout," he said ; " I thought my head was the worst ;
but it is my body that I can't get through."

Now he tried to withdraw his head again, but he was unable to
do so ; he could move his neck about comfortably, and this was
all. At first he felt very angry, but soon became discouraged.
The goloshes of Fortune had placed him in this awkward position,
and, unluckily, it never came into his mind to wish himself free
again. Instead of wishing, he struggled to get his head out of the
bars, but all his attempts were in vain. The rain was pouring
down j not a soul was to be seen in the street ; he could not reach
the bell at the porter's lodge. How could he get out ? He felt
certain he would have to stop there until the next morning, then
they would be obliged to send for a blacksmith to file through the
iron bars. But all this would take time ; all the charity children

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 95

. would be going to their school opposite, all the inhabitants of the
adjoining sailor's quarter would flock together to see him in the

i stocks ; there would be a large crowd, no doubt ! " Ugh ! " he

K cried, " the blood is rushing to my head ; I must go mad ! Yes I

am going mad; oh, I wish I were free, then perhaps I might fed

He ought to have said this sooner, for the thought was

Scarcely expressed when his head was free, and he rushed up to
hisjoom, quite upset by the fright which the goloshes had caused

Now we must not think it was all over for him. No • the
[..worst was still to come.

The night and the following day passed; nobody claimed the
Jlosnes. In the evening a recital was to take place on the plat-
term of a private theatre in a far-off street. The house was filled
jo every part; the volunteer from the hospital was among the
adience, and seemed to have entirely forgotten what had hap-
pened to him the night before. He had put on the goloshes
no one had claimed them, and they rendered him good

IT06 > °r the StfeetS W6re V6ry dirty' A new P°em> entitled

Aunty s Spectacles," was being recited, in which the spectacles

re described as enabling the person who wore them in a large

hisembly to read the people like cards, and to predict from them

p that would happen in the coming year.

I The spectacles pleased him; he would have very much liked to
|.ve such a pair. He thought, one might perhaps be able to look
•light into people's hearts, if one made good use of them and
•at surely would be much more interesting than to see what
•mid happen in the coming year; the latter, one would be sure
1 see, but not the former.

f" I think if I could look into the hearts of the ladies and gentle-

fcn in the first row, they would seem to me to form a sort of

|ge warehouse; oh, how my eyes would wander about in it !

§ the heart of that lady, sitting there, I am sure I should find a

rimer's shop, in the next one the shop is empty, but a cleaning

| would do it no harm. Would there also be some shops with

f d articles to be found in them ? " « Yes, yes," he sighed, " I

m* one in which everything is genuine, but there is already

96 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

a clerk in it, and that, in fact, is the only thing I have to find j
fault with One might be invited to come into various others and
inspect them. I wish I could pass like a little thought through

these hearts ! "

That was the catch-word for the goloshes ; the volunteer shrunk
together, and at once began a most extraordinary journey through
the hearts of the occupiers of the first row. The first heart
through which he passed belonged to a lady ; it seemed to him
that he was in one of the rooms of an orthopaedic museum, where
the plaster casts of deformed limbs are arranged on the walls, the
only difference being, that while in the museum the casts are
formed when the people enter, they were formed and kept in this
heart after they had left. There were casts of the bodily and
mental deformities of the lady's female friends carefully preserved.
Quickly he glided into another lady's heart. It appeared to
him to be like a large holy church; the white dove of innocence
fluttered over the high altar. He would have gladly knelt down,
but he had no time— he had to go into the next heart ; the sound
of the organ was still ringing in his ears, and he felt he had
become a new and better man, so that he did not feel unworthy
to enter the next sanctuary, where he saw a sick mother in a
miserable garret-room. But God's bright sun was shining through

the window, splendid roses were growing in the little flower-box

on the roof, and two sky-blue birds were singing of the joys of

childhood, while the sick mother implored God to bless her

daughter.

Then he crept on all-fours through an overcrowded butchers

shop ; wherever he turned there was nothing but meat. It was

the heart of a rich and respectable man, whose name you win

certainly find in the directory.

Thence he came into the heart of this gentleman's wife

it was nothing but an old dilapidated pigeon-house.

husband's portrait served as a weathercock, and was connected

with the doors, so that they opened and shut whenever he turned

his head.

In the next heart he found a cabinet of mirrors, like those on<

sees in the castle of Rosenburg. But the mirrors magnified in at

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 97

incredible degree. The insignificant / of the proprietor sat in
the centre of the floor, like the Dalai- Lama, admiringly contem-
plating his own greatness.

i Next he thought he had entered a narrow case, full of pointed
needles, and said, " No doubt, this is the heart of an old maid."
8ut such was not the case ; it belonged to a young officer with
several orders, whom people considered a man of intellect and
;ieart. The poor volunteer was quite dizzy when he came out of
phe last heart in the row ; he could not collect his thoughts, and
fancied his too strong imaginative powers had run away with
lim.

, " Good heavens ! " he sighed, " I have a strong tendency to go
•,nad, without doubt, and in here it is intolerably hot ; the blood is
iiishing to my head." Just then he remembered his critical
jituation the evening before, when he had stuck fast between the
)ars of the hospital railing.

>| " Surely that was when I caught it," he thought ; " I must do
fomething for it in time. Perhaps a Russian bath would do me
ijood. I wish I were already on the top-shelves."
>', There he lay on the top-shelf of the vapour-bath, fully dressed,
iyith boots and goloshes still on, and the water dropped down
rrom the ceiling on his face.

I " Ugh ! " he cried, and jumped down to take a plunge-bath.
|l The attendant cried out loudly in his surprise at seeing a man
;yith all his clothes on.

I The volunteer fortunately had enough presence of mind to
i/hisper in his ear, "It is for a bet."

L Upon arriving home, he at once placed a large mustard plaster
tjn his neck and another on his back, to draw out the madness.
I The next morning he had a very sore back, and that was all he
gained through the goloshes of Fortune.

V. THE CLERK'S TRANSFORMATION.

r The watchman, whom surely we have not yet forgotten in the
Meantime, remembered the goloshes which he had found, and
lirried with him to the hospital

I VOL. I. G

98 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

He went to fetch them, and when neither the lieutenanlj
nor anybody else in the same street recognised them as theii,
property, he took them to the police-office.

"They look exactly like my own goloshes," said one of th<|
clerks, looking at the goloshes, and placing them by the side o:
his own. " It requires more than a shoemaker's eye to distinguish
the difference "

"Mr. Clerk," said an attendant, who entered the room witr.
some papers. The clerk turned round and spoke to the man
afterwards, when he looked at the goloshes again, he was
uncertain whether the pair on the left or on the right were his.
" The wet ones must be mine," he thought ; but in this he was
wrong — they were the goloshes of Fortune ; and after all it is not
so wonderful, for a police-clerk can make mistakes like any-
body else.

He put the goloshes on, thrust some papers into his pocket
took some others under his arm (the latter he was to read at homej
and make abstracts of their contents), and went out. By chance
it was Sunday morning, and splendid weather. "A trip M
Fredericksburg would do me good," he thought, and thither he
bent his steps.

No one could be more quiet and steady than this young clerk.
We will not grudge him the little walk ; after so much sitting, it
will no doubt be beneficial to him. At first he walked on
mechanically without thinking of anything at all, and therefore
gave the goloshes no opportunity of proving their magic powers.
In the Avenue he met an acquaintance, a young Danish poet,
who told him that he intended to start the next day for a summer
tour.

"Are you really off again?" asked the clerk. "You are
indeed a luckier and freer man than one of us. You can go
wherever you like, but we always have a chain to our
feet."

" But it is fastened to the bread-tree," replied the poet. " You
need not have a care for the morrow, and when you grow old you
will receive a pension."

"But you are better off, after all," said the clerk. " It must be

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 99

a pleasure to sit down and write poetry. Everybody has some-
thing pleasant to say to you, and you are your own master.
Come and try what it is like to be obliged to sit in court and
listen to all sorts of frivolous cases."

The poet shook his head ; the clerk did the same, and so they
parted, each retaining his own opinion.

"They are peculiar people, these poets," thought the clerk.

" I should very much like to try and enter into such a nature, and

become a poet myself, for I am certain I should not write such

lamentations as the others. To-day is a splendid spring day for a

boet ! The air is exceptionally clear, the clouds look beautiful,

d the green grass has such a fragrance. For many years I

ve not felt as I do now."

From these remarks we see that he had already turned a poet,
express such feelings would in most cases be considered
iculous. It is foolish to think a poet is a different being from
ler men; there may be some among the latter who have far
3re poetical minds than professional poets. But a poet has
better memory, he can retain ideas and thoughts until
y are clearly fixed and expressed in words; and that
lers cannot do. But the transition of an ordinary nature to a
etical one must needs be noticeable, and so it was with the
jrk.

" What a delicious fragrance ! " he said. " How much it reminds
of the violets at Aunt Laura's. That was when I was a small
y. Dear me! I have not thought of that for a long time.
)od old lady ! She used to live near the canal. She always kept
;reen branch or a few green shoots in water, however hard the
nter was. The violets smelt sweet when I was putting hot pennies
ainst the frozen window-panes to make peep-holes. And I had
fine view through them. There lay the ships out in the canal,
>zen in and deserted by their crews; a lonely crow was the
ly living thing on board. But when spring came, all became
ve ; with cries and shouting the ice was burst, the ships were
rred and rigged, and then they started for distant lands. I have
ways remained here, and shall always be obliged to do so, and
in a police office, while other people take passports for

ioo STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

abroad. That's my fate." And he sighed deeply. Suddenly he
stopped. "Good heavens! what can be the matter with me?
I have never thought and felt like this. The spring air must be
the cause of it. It alarms me, and yet it is not disagreeable ! " He
felt in his pockets for his papers. " They will soon make me think
of something else," he said, and his eyes glided over the first
page:

" ' Mrs. Sigbirth : Original Tragedy, in Five Acts,' " he read.
" What's this ? It's my own handwriting. Have I written this
tragedy ? ' The Intrigue on the Promenade ; or, Fast Day : a
Vaudeville.' But wherever have I got these things? Some-
body must have put them into my pocket. And here is a letter."

It was from a theatrical manager ; the plays were refused, and
the letter was written in not over-polite language.

" H'm — H'm," said the clerk, and seated himself on a bench.
His thoughts were very elevated, and his nerves highly strung.
Involuntarily he plucked a flower growing near him ; it was a
common daisy. What botanists tell us in many a lecture, this
flower tells us in a minute. It told the story of its birth, of the
power of the sunlight, which, spreading out the fine petals,
compels them to breathe forth sweet fragrance. Then he thought
of the struggle of life, which in the same way awakens feelings in
our breast. Air and light are the flower's lovers, but light is the
favoured one. It turns towards the light, and when light vanishes, ,
it folds its petals and sleeps in the arms of the air.

" Light adorns me," said the flower.

"But the air enables thee to breathe," whispered the poet.

A little way off, a boy was splashing with a stick in the water of
a marshy ditch, so that the drops of water flew up to the green .
branches ; the clerk thought of the millions of animalculae which
were thrown up in each drop of water, which, considering their
size, must produce in them the same feeling as if we were thrown
up high into the clouds. When the clerk thought of the great
change that had taken place in him, he smiled.

" I am asleep and dreaming ! It is strange how naturally one ,
can dream and all the time one knows that he is only dreaming.
I hope I may be able to remember this dream to-morrow when

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 101

I am awake. I feel unusually excited. What a clear perception I
have of everything, and how free I feel ! But I am sure, should I
remember anything of it to-morrow, it will seem stuff and nonsense;
something of the like has happened to me before. All the clever
and beautiful things one hears of and speaks about in dreams, are
like the underground treasure ; when one digs it up, it looks rich
and beautiful, and in the daylight it is but stones and faded
leaves. " Ah ! " he sighed sadly, and looked at the singing birds
hopping merrily from branch to branch, " they are much better
off than I ! Flying is a fine art. Happy is he who has been born
with wings. If I could transform myself into a bird, I should
choose to be r. lark."

Immediately his coat-tails and sleeves became wings, his clothes
feathers, and the goloshes, claws j he noticed it and smiled to
himself. " Well, now ! I see that I am dreaming, but I never had
such a foolish dream ! "

; He flew up into the green branches and sang, but there was no
poetry in his song ; the poetical mind was gone. The goloshes, like
Anybody else who wishes to do a thing well, could only do one
phing at a time. He wished to be a poet : he became one. Then
he desired to be a little bird, and by becoming one, his former
(Character disappeared.

I "This is charming indeed," he said. "In the daytime I sit
lit the police office among the most uninteresting official papers ;
t.t night I can dream, and fly about as a lark in the park of
Fredericksburg. One might really write a popular comedy about
111 this."

I Then he flew down into the grass, turned his head from side to
tide, and pecked the flexible blades of grass with his beak, which,
Ii proportion to his present size, appeared to him as large as
ialm-leaves in North Africa. The next moment all became as

• ark as night around him. Something, as it seemed to him, of

• normous size was thrown over him ; it was a sailor boy's cap.
i- . hand then came underneath the cap, and seized the clerk by
1'ie back and wings so tightly that he cried out. In his fright
re instinctively shouted out, "You rascal, I am a clerk in the
folice office." But this only sounded to the sailor boy like

loz STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Tweet, tweet." He tapped the bird on its beak and walked

off.

In the avenue he met two schoolboys of the upper class— that
is, from the social point of view ; for as far as their abilities were
concerned they belonged to the lowest class in the school ; they
bought the bird for a small sum, and thus the clerk was brought
back to Copenhagen.

" It is a good thing that I am dreaming," said the clerk, " other-
wise I should certainly feel very angry ! First I was a poet, now I
am a lark. Surely the poetical nature has transformed me into
this little bird ! It is a very poor story, especially if one falls into
boy's hands. I should very much like to know how it will
end."

The boys took the bird into a very elegantly furnished room ; a
stout, amiable-looking lady received them. She was not at all
pleased to see that they had brought home such a common field
bird, as she called the lark. She would only allow them to keep
it for the day, and they had to put the bird into an empty cage
near the window.

"Perhaps it will please Polly," she added, and nodded to a
large green parrot which was proudly rocking itself in its ring in
a beautiful brass cage. " To-day is Polly's birthday," she said
foolishly, " the little field-bird wants to congratulate it."

Polly did not reply a single word, and continued to rock
itself, but a pretty canary, which had been brought away from
its warm native country only last summer, began to warble
sweetly.

" Squaller ! " cried the lady, and threw a white cloth over the
cage.

"Tweet, tweet," it sighed ; "this is a terrible snowstorm." And
then became silent.

The clerk, or, as the lady called him, the field-bird, was put into
a small cage close by the canary and not far from the parrot
All that Polly could say (and it sounded sometimes most comical)
was, " No, let us be men." What it said besides was no more
intelligible than the warbling of the canary ; but the clerk, being
now a bird himself, understood his comrades very well.

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 103

I flew about beneath green palms and flowering almond-
trees," sang the canary. " I used to fly with my brothers and
sisters over the beautiful flowers and smooth clear lakes, at the
bottom of which one could see the plants waving their leaves.
I also saw many fine-looking parrots, which could tell the most
amusing tales."

"They were wild birds," replied the parrot, "they were not
I educated. No, let us be men. Why don't you laugh ? When the
i lady and all the other people laugh you ought to do so also. It
I is a great shortcoming not to be able to appreciate fun. No, let
jus be men."

" Do you remember the handsome girls who used to dance in the
tents near the flowering trees ? " asked the canary. " Have you
forgotten the sweet fruit, and the cooling juice of the wild herbs ? "

" Oh, yes, I remember it all," replied the parrot ; " but I am
jmuch more comfortable here. I have good food, and am well
ijtreated ; I know I am clever, and I do not ask for more. Let us
|be men. You are a poet, as men call it ; I possess sound know-
ledge and wit ; you are a genius, but you lack discretion. You
wise up to those high notes of yours, and then they cover you over.
IjThey dare not treat me like that. I was more expensive. My
ubeak gains me consideration, and I can be witty. No, let us be
«nen."

I " Oh, my warm native country," sang the canary. " I will sing
»f your dark green trees, your calm bays, where the branches kiss
Lhe smooth, clear water. I will sing of all my shining comrades'
loy, where the plants grow by the desert springs."
[, " Leave off those mournful strains," said the parrot. " Sing
liomething that makes one laugh. By laughing you show that
I/ou possess the highest mental accomplishments. Have you ever
ween a horse or a dog laugh ? No, they can cry out ; but laugh
li— only man has the gift of laughing." Then it laughed " Ha, ha,
la ! " and added, " Let us be men."

i " You poor little grey bird of the North," said the canary, " you

} ,ire a prisoner here, like us. Although it is cold in your woods,

r ;rou have freedom there. Fly away ; they have forgotten to close

he door of your cage, and the top window is open. Fly away ! "

,04 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The clerk instinctively obeyed, and hopped out of the cage.
At the same moment the half-open door leading into the next
room creaked, and stealthily, with green shining eyes, the cat came
in and chased him. The canary fluttered in the cage, the parrot**
opened its wings, and cried, " Let us be men." The clerk felt a
mortal fright and flew out through the window, over houses and
streets, until he was obliged to rest himself a little.

The house opposite his resting-place seemed familiar to him ;
the windows stood open j he flew in— it was his own room.

He perched himself on the table, and said, " Let us be men,"
involuntarily imitating the parrot. Instantly he became the clerk
again, but he was sitting on the table.

" Oh dear," he said, " I wonder how I came up here, and fell
asleep. That was a disagreeable dream. After all, it was nothing
but stuff and nonsense."

VI. THE BEST THING THE GOLOSHES DID.

The next day, early in the morning, when the clerk was still in
bed, somebody knocked at his door; his neighbour, a young
student of theology, who lived in the same storey, walked in.

" Lend me your goloshes," he said ; " it is damp in the garden,
but the sun shines so brightly that I should like to smoke a pipe out
there." He put on the goloshes and was soon in the garden below,
in which a plum-tree and a pear-tree were growing. Even such a
small garden is considered a wonderful treasure in the centre of
big cities.

The student walked about in the garden ; it was only six o'clock,
and from the street he heard the sound of a post-horn.

"Travelling, travelling," he exclaimed. "That is the most
desirable thing in the world, that is the aim of all my wishes.
The restlessness which I often feel would be cured by travelling.
But I ought to be able to go far away. I should like to see

beautiful Switzerland, to travel through Italy, and "

It was well that the goloshes acted instantly, otherwise he
might have gone too far, not only for himself, but for us too.
He was travelling in the heart of Switzerland, closely packed

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 105

with eight others in a diligence. He had a headache, his neck
was stiff with fatigue, the blood had ceased to circulate in his feet,
they were swollen, and the boots pinched. He was half-asleep
!knd half-awake. In his right-hand pocket he carried his letters of
credit ; in his left, the passport ; and some gold coins sewn in a
little bag he wore on his chest. Whenever he dozed off he woke
up imagining he had lost one or other of his valuables, and
started up suddenly ; then his hand would move in a triangle from
the right over the breast to the left, to feel if they were still in their
places. Umbrellas, sticks and hats were swinging in a net in front
of him, and almost entirely deprived him of the view, which was
very imposing ; he looked at it, but his heart sang what, at least,
one poet we know of has sung in Switzerland, although he had
not yet printed it —

/ dreamt of beauty, and I now behold it
Mont Blanc doth rise before me, steep and grey !
Were my purse full, I should esteem it
The greatest joy in Switzerland to stay."

Grand, serious, and dark was all nature around him. The pine-
.woods looked as small as heather on the high rocks, the summits
,of which towered into the misty clouds ; it began to snow ; an icy
Iwind was blowing.

i " Ugh ! " he shivered, " I wish we were on the other side of the
sAlps ; there it would be summer, and I should have raised money
pn my credit notes. I am so anxious about my money that I do
not enjoy Switzerland. Oh ! I wish I had already come to the
[other side."

And there he was on the other side, in Central Italy, between
BFlorence and Rome. The lake Thrasymene lay before his eyes,
and looked in the evening light like fiery gold between the dark
plue mountains. Here, where Hannibal defeated Flaminius,
wines were peacefully growing ; by the wayside, lovely half-naked
children watched over a herd of swine under the flowering laurel-
jstrees. If we could describe this picture correctly, all would
exclaim, "Beautiful Italy!"
I But neither the student, nor any of his travelling companions

106 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

in the carriage of the vetturino, said anything of the sort.
Venomous flies and gnats flew into the carriage by thousands;
they tried to drive them away with myrtle branches, but in vain ;
the flies stung them nevertheless. There was not one among
them whose face was not swollen from their painful stings. The
poor horses looked dreadful ; the flies covered them in swarms, and
it was only a momentary relief when the coachman dismounted
and swept the flies off.

Now the sun set, and a sudden icy cold pervaded all nature —
much like the cold air in a tomb when we enter it on a hot
summer day ; the mountains round about appeared wrapped
in that peculiar green which we see in some old oil paintings,
and which, if we have not witnessed it in the south, we believe
to be unnatural. It was a superb spectacle, but the travellers'
stomachs were empty and their bodies exhausted with fatigue ; all
they were longing for was good night quarters, but what could
they find ? They looked more longingly for this than they did
at the magnificent scenery before them.

The road led through an olive grove, much like a road between
pollard willow trees at home. Here was at last a lonely inn. A
dozen crippled beggars were lying down before it ; the liveliest of
them looked, to use one of Marryat's phrases, "like the eldest son
of Hunger having just come of age " ; the others were either blind
or had paralysed feet, and crept about on their hands, or they had
crippled arms and fingerless hands. That was misery in rags,
indeed !

" Excellenza miserabili? they sighed, and stretched forth their
crippled limbs. The landlady herself, barefooted and with dis-
orderly hair and a soiled blouse, received the guests.

The doors were fastened with strings ; the floors of the rooms
consisted of bricks, and were broken in many places; bats
flew about under the ceilings, and there was a vile odour
within.

" Lay the table down in the stable," said one of the travellers.
"There, at least, we know what we breathe."

The windows were opened to allow the fresh air to enter ; but
the crippled arms and continual lamenting, " Miserabili excellent?

THE GOLOSHES OF FORTUNE 107

came in quicker than the air. Many inscriptions covered the
walls ; half of them were not in favour of the Bella Italia !

Supper, when served, consisted of watery soup, with pepper and
rancid oil. The latter was the chief ingredient in the salad. Musty
eggs and fried cockscombs were the best dishes ; even the wine
had a peculiar taste ; it was a nauseous mixture.

At night the travellers' boxes were placed against the door,
and one of them had to watch while the others slept. It was the
student's turn to watch. Oh, how unbearably close the room
was ! The heat was oppressive j the gnats buzzed and stung, the
miserabili outside groaned in their dreams.

" Travelling," said the student, " would be a pleasure if one had
no body. If the body could rest and the mind fly about. Where-
ever I go I feel a want that oppresses me ; I wish for something
better than the moment can give me ; something better — nay, the
best ; but where and what is it ? "

No sooner had he uttered this wish than he was at home again.
The long white curtains were hanging before the window, and
in the middle of the room stood a black coffin ; in it he slept the
sleep of death. His wish was fulfilled ; his body rested, his spirit
was free to travel.

" Consider no man happy until he rests in the grave," were the
words of Solon. In this case their truth was confirmed. Every
dead body is a sphinx of immortality. The sphinx in the black
, coffin answered the questions which the student two days before
; had written down :

" 0 Death, thou stern dark angel, we do find
Nought but the tombs that thou dost leave behind!
Will not the soul on Jacob's ladder upward pass,
Or only rise as sickly churchyard grass ?

" The world doth seldom see the greatest woes —
Y« lonely suffering ones ! ye now repose !
Your hearts were often more opprest by care.
Than by the earth your coffin-lid doth bear."

Two beings were moving about in the room ; we know them
already. One was the fairy Care, the other was the messenger of
I Fortune. They bent over the dead.

,o8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Now you see," said Care, " what happiness your goloshes have
brought to mankind ! "

" They, at least, brought a lasting gift to him who slumbers
here," answered Fortune's messenger.

" Oh, no," said Care. " He passed away at his own wish ; he
was not summoned. His mental power was not strong enough to
discern the treasures Fate had destined him to discover. I will
render him a good service now."

And she pulled the goloshes from his feet ; the sleep of death
was at once ended ; the awakened man raised himself. Care dis-
appeared, and with her the goloshes; probably she considered
them her property.

The Flying Trunk

HERE was once a merchant who was so rich
that he could pave the whole street, and
almost a little lane too, with silver. But
he did not do so ; he knew how to employ
his money differently. If he spent a shilling,
he got back four ; such a clever merchant was
he— till he died.
His son now got all this money. He lived merrily, went
masquerading every night, made kites out of dollar-notes, and
played at ducks and drakes on the sea-shore with gold pieces
instead of stones. In this manner the money could easily come
to an end, and it did so. At last he possessed no more than four
shillings, and had no other clothes than a pair of slippers and an
old dressing-gown. His friends now no longer troubled them-
selves about him, as they could not of course walk along the
streets with him ; but one of them, who was good-natured, sent
him an old trunk, with the remark, " Pack up ! " That was
indeed very nice of him, but he had nothing to pack up, so he sat
down in the trunk himself.

THE FLYING TRUNK 109

It was a wonderful trunk. As soon as you pressed the lock,
the trunk could fly. He pressed, and away it flew with him
through the chimney, high up above the clouds, farther and
farther away. But as often as the bottom creaked a little he was
in great terror lest the trunk might go to pieces ; in that case he
would have turned a mighty somersault.

Heaven preserve us ! In this manner he arrived in the country
of the Turks. He hid the trunk in the wood under the dry leaves,
and then went into the town. He could do so very well, for
among the Turks everybody went about like that — in a dressing-
gown and slippers. Meeting a nurse with a little child, he said,
[" I say, you Turkish nurse, what grand castle is that close by the
town, in which the windows are so wide open ? "
ji "The Sultan's daughter lives there," she replied. "It was
prophesied that she would be very unhappy about a lover, and
therefore no one may go to her, unless the Sultan and Sultana are
£here too."

" Thank you," said the merchant's son ; and going out into the
wood, sat down in his trunk, flew up on the roof and crept through
!the window into the Princess's apartments. She was lying on
[che sofa asleep, and was so beautiful that the merchant's son
[:ould not help kissing her. At this she awoke, and was greatly
(.certified ; but he said he was a Turkish god, who had come down
!:o her from the sky, and that pleased her.

f They sat down next to one another, and he told her little stories
[about her eyes : that they were the most glorious dark lakes, in
Uhich thoughts were swimming about like mermaids. And he told
her of her forehead, that it was a mountain of snow with the most
splendid halls and images.

[ They were indeed fine stories ! Then he asked the Princess for
ner hand, and she said " Yes " at once.

I " But you must come here on Saturday," she said. " The Sultan
|md the Sultana will be here to tea then. They will be very
broud at my marrying a Turkish god. But mind you bring a very
pretty little tale with you, for my parents like them immensely.
[ Mother likes them moral and high-flown, but father likes merry
:ones, at which he can laugh."

no STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"Yes, I shall bring no other marriage gift than a story," said he,
and so they parted. But the Princess gave him a sword orna-
mented with gold pieces, and the latter were very useful to him.

So he flew away, bought himself a new dressing-gown, and
sitting down in the wood made up a story : it was to be ready by
Saturday, and that was no easy task. By the time he had got
it ready Saturday had come. The Sultan, the Sultana and the
whole Court were at the Princess's to tea. He was received very
graciously.

" Will you tell us a tale ? " said the Sultana. " One that is deep
and instructive."

" But something to laugh at, too," said the Sultan.

"Certainly," he replied, and commenced. And now pay
attention :

" Once upon a time there was a box of matches which were
very proud of their high descent. Their genealogical tree — that is
to say, the great fir-tree, of which each of them was a little splinter
— had been a high old tree in the forest. The matches were
now lying between a tinder-box and an old iron pot, and they
were telling about their youth. ' Yes,' said they, ' when we were
upon the green branches, then we were really upon the green
branches. Every morning and evening there was diamond tea,
that was the dew : we had sunshine the whole day long, and when the
sun shone the little birds had to tell stories. We could very
well see that we were rich too, for the other trees were only
dressed in summer, while our family had means for green dresses
both in summer and winter.

" 'But one day the woodman came ; that was the great revolution ;
and our family was split up. The head of the family received a
post as mainmast on a splendid vessel which could sail round the
world, if it wished ; the other branches settled in different places,
and we now hold the office of kindling a light for the common
herd. That is how such grand people as we have come down to
the kitchen.'"

" My fate shaped itself in another way," said the iron pot next
to which the matches were lying. "From the time I first

THE FLYING TRUNK ITI

came into the world, much scrubbing and cooking has gone on
3 inside me. I look after the material wants of life, and occupy the
1 first place in the house. My only pleasure is to be on the shelf
after dinner, very nice and clean, and to carry on a sensible
1 conversation with my comrades. But with the exception of the
jpail, which now and then gets taken down into the yard, we
jalways live within our four walls. The only one who brings us
kny news is the market basket, but it speaks very unassuringly
Itabout the government and the people ; indeed, only the other day
fan old pot fell down from fright and broke into pieces It is a
Liberal, I tell you !"

" Now you're talking too much," interrupted the tinder-box,
fend the steel struck against the flint, so that it gave out sparks.
|[c Had we not better have a pleasant evening ? *
I "Yes, let us talk about who is the grandest," said the
. Hatches.

"No, I don't like to talk about myself," objected the pot.
L'Let us get up an evening's entertainment. I will begin by
telling a story of every-day life— something that any one can take
r.n interest in and derive pleasure from, too.

" On the Baltic by the Danish coast "

" That's a pretty beginning ! " said all the plates. " That will
te a story which we shall like."

"Yes, I passed my youth there, in a quiet family. The furniture
his polished, the floor was scrubbed, and every fortnight clean
rurtains were hung up."

"How interesting you make your story," said the broom.
lOne can hear at once that the teller is a man who has
l-oved much among women. Something so pure runs through

! " Yes, that is so," said the pail, and jumped for joy, so that the
feter splashed all over the floor.

I And the pot continued telling its story, the end of which was
I st as good as the beginning.

I All the plates rattled for joy, and the broom got some green
flrsley out of the dust-hole and made a wreath for the pot, for it
ftew that this would make the others angry. " If I present him

iiz STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

with a wreath to-day," it thought, " he will have to give me one
to-morrow."

" Now I will dance," said the tongs, and did so. Heavens !
how high she could lift up one leg. The old chair-cushion in
the corner burst when he saw it. " Shall I get a wreath too ?"
asked the tongs ; and she got one.

" Still, they're only common people," thought the matches.
Now the tea-urn was asked to sing; but she said she had
caught cold and could not sing unless she were boiling. That
was mere affectation, however ; she would not sing unless she were
standing on the table with the family.

By the window was stuck an old goose-quill, with which the
maid wrote. There was nothing remarkable about it, except that
it had been dipped far too deep into the ink. But it was
proud of that. "If the tea-urn will sing," it said, "let her
alone. Outside there is a nightingale in a cage which can sing.
It is true that it has learnt nothing, but we'll leave that out of
the question this evening."

" I don't think it at all right," said the tea-kettle — he was kitchen
singer and half-brother to the tea-urn — " that such a foreign
bird should be heard. Is that patriotic ? Let the market-basket
decide."

" I should only be angry," said the market-basket ; " there is
such a conflict going on within me as no one would believe.
Is this a proper way in which to pass an evening ? Would it not
be more sensible to put the house in order ? Every one ought
to go to his own place, and I would lead the game. That would
be quite another thing."

"Yes, let us make a noise," they all said. Then the door
opened, and the servant came in, at which they all stood still ;
not one stirred. But there was not a single pot who did not
know what he could do and how grand he was. " Yes, if I
had liked," each one thought, " we might have had a right merry
evening."

The maid took the matches and lit the fire with them.
Heavens ! what sparks they threw out, and how they burst into
flame!

THE FLYING TRUNK 113

"Now, everybody can see that we are first," they thought.
" How we shine, and with what light ! " And they were
burnt up.

"That was a fine story," said the Sultana. "I feel quite
transplanted to the kitchen among the matches. Yes, now you
shall have our daughter."

" Indeed you shall," said the Sultan ; " you shall marry our
daughter on Monday." And they made him feel quite one of
the family.

The wedding was settled, and on the evening before it the whole
Icity was illuminated. Biscuits and cakes were thrown among
(the people; the street boys stood upon their toes, shouting
(" Hurrah " and whistling on their fingers. It was uncommonly
grand.

" Well, I suppose I shall have to treat them to something too,"
thought the merchant's son. So he bought some rockets and
crackers, and every kind of fireworks that you can think of, put
'hem in his trunk and flew up to the sky with them.

Bang, bang ! How they went off and cracked 1
; All the Turks jumped so high that their slippers flew over
'heir ears ; such a display they had never yet seen. Now they
tould understand that it was the god of the Turks himself who
vas to marry the Princess.

< As soon as the merchant's son had come down again into the
taod with his trunk, he thought, " I'll just go into the town to
tear what impression it made." And it was natural that he
iiould wish to know that.

• What stories the people did tell ! Every one whom he asked
pout it had seen it in his own way ; but all thought it beautiful.
'' "I saw the god of the Turks himself," said one. "His eyes

ere like shining stars, and his beard like foaming water."
" He flew in a mantle of fire," said another. " The sweetest
:tle cherubs peeped out of its folds."

, Indeed they were fine things that he heard, and on the follow -

g day he was to be married.

So he went back to the wood to get into his trunk ; but what

VOL. I. H

n4 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

had become of it ? The trunk was burnt. A spark from the
fireworks had fallen into it and had set it alight, and now the
trunk lay in ashes. He could not fly any more, nor get to his
bride.

She stood on the roof the whole day and waited, and is pro-
bably waiting still. But he wanders through the world telling
tales, which are, however, no longer such merry ones as the one
he told about the matches.

The Little Match Girl

IT was terribly cold; it snowed and was
almost dark on this, the last evening of
the year. In the cold and darkness, a
poor little girl, with bare head and naked
feet, went along the streets. When she
left home, it is true, she had had slippers
on, but what was the use of that ? They
were very large slippers ; her mother had worn them till then, so
big were they. So the little girl lost them as she sped across the
street, to get out of the way of two carts driving furiously along.
One slipper was not to be found again, and a boy had caught up
the other and run away with it. So the little girl had to walk
with naked feet, which were red and blue with cold. She carried
a lot of matches in a red apron, and a box of them in her hand.
No one had bought anything of her the live-long day ; no one
had given her a penny.

Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along, poor little thing,
a picture of misery.

The snow-flakes covered her beautiful fair hair, which fell in long
tresses about her neck : but she did not think of that now.
Lights were shining in all the windows, and there was a tempting
smell of roast goose, for it was New Year's Eve. Yes, she was
thinking of that.

In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL i,$

the other, she crouched down in a little heap. Although she
had drawn her feet up under her, she became colder and
colder ; she dared not go home, for she had not sold any matches
nor earned a single penny.

She would certainly be beaten by her father, and -it was cold
at home, too; they had only the roof above them, through which

the wind whistled, although the largest cracks had been stopped up

frith straw and rags.

: Her hands were almost numb with cold. One little match

might do her good, if she dared take only one out of the box,

strike it on the wall and warm her fingers. She took one out

and lit it. How it sputtered and burned !

I It was a warm, bright flame, like a little candle, when she held

jier hands over it ; it was a wonderful little light, and it really

;eemed to the child as though she was sitting in front of a great

ron stove with polished brass feet and brass ornaments. How the

;ire burned up, and how nicely it warmed one ! The little girl

n 6 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

was already stretching out her feet to warm these too, when — out
went the little flame, the stove vanished, and she had only the
remains of the burnt match in her hand.

- She struck a second one on the wall ; it threw a light, and where
this fell upon the wall, the latter became transparent, like a veil ;
she could see right into the room. A white table-cloth was spread
upon the table, which was decked with shining china dishes, and
there was a glorious smell of roast goose stuffed with apples and
dried plums. And what pleased the poor little girl more than all
was that the goose hopped down from the dish, and with a knife
and fork sticking in its breast, came waddling across the floor
straight up to her. Just at that moment out went the match, and
only the thick, damp, cold wall remained. So she lighted another
match, and at once she sat under the beautiful Christmas tree ; it
was much larger and better dressed than the one she had seen
through the glass doors at the rich merchant's. The green boughs
were lit up with thousands of candles, and gaily-painted figures,
like those in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The
little girl stretched her hands out towards them and — out went the
match. The Christmas candles rose higher and higher till they
were only the stars in the sky ; one of them fell, leaving a long
fiery trail behind it.

" Now, some one is dying," thought the little girl, for she had
been told by her old grandmother, the only person she had ever
loved, and who was now dead, that when a star falls a soul goes
up to heaven.

She struck another match on the wall ; it was alight once more,
and before her stood her old grandmother, all dazzling and bright,
and looking very kind and loving.

" Grandmother ! " cried the little girl. " Oh ! take me with you.
I know that you will go away when the match is burnt out ; you
will vanish like the warm stove, like the beautiful roast goose, and
the large and splendid Christmas-tree." And she quickly lighted
the whole box of matches, for she did not wish to let her grand-
mother go. The matches burned with such a blaze that it was
lighter than day, and the old grandmother had never appeared so
beautiful nor so tall before. Taking the little girl in her arms,

OLE LUK-OIE 117

she flew up with her, high, endlessly high, above the earth ; and
there they knew neither cold, nor hunger, nor sorrow — for they
were with God.

But in the cold dawn, the poor little girl was still sitting — with red
cheeks and a smile upon her lips — in the corner, leaning against
,the wall : frozen to death on the last evening of the Old Year.
The New Year's sun shone on the little body. The child sat up
stiffly, holding her matches, of which a box had been burnt.
" She must have tried to warm herself," some one said. No one
iknew what beautiful things she had seen, nor into what glory she
had entered with her grandmother on the joyous New Year.

Ole Luk-Oie

HERE is no one in the world who knows
so many stories as Ole Luk-Oie. He can tell
them beautifully !

Towards evening time when children are
still sitting nicely at table or on their stools,
Ole Luk-Oie comes. He creeps up the stairs
very quietly, for he always walks in his socks ;
lie opens the doors gently, and whish ! he squirts sweet milk into
ihe children's eyes in tiny drops, but still quite enough to prevent
hem from keeping their eyes open and therefore from seeing him.
rle steals behind them, and blows softly on their necks, and this
nakes their heads heavy. Of course it does not hurt them, for
Ole Luk-Oie is the children's friend ; he only wants them to be
iiuiet, and that they are not until they have been put to bed.
j He wants them to be quiet only to tell them stories.
| When the children are at last asleep, Ole Luk-Oie sits down upon
heir bed. He has fine clothes on ; his coat is of silk, but it is im-
:>ossible to say of what colour, for it shines green, red and blue,
.ccording as he turns. Under each arm he carries an umbrella ;
jhe one with pictures on it he opens over good children, and then
hey dream the most beautiful stories all night ; but the other, on

Ii8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

which there is nothing at all, he opens over naughty children, and
then they sleep as though they were deaf, so that when they awake
in the morning they have not dreamt of the least thing.

Now we shall hear how during one week Ole Luk-Oie came to a
little boy named Hjalmar every evening, and what he told him.
There are seven stories : for there are seven days in the week.

MONDAY.

" Look here," said Ole Luk-Oie in the evening, when he had
put Hjalmar to bed ; " I'll just make things look nice."

And all the flowers in the flower-pots grew into large trees
stretching out their long branches across the ceiling and along the
walls, so that the room looked like a beautiful arbour ; and all the
branches were full of flowers, every flower being finer than a rose
and smelling sweetly. If one wanted to eat them, they were

OLE LUK-OIE 119

sweeter than jam. The fruits shone like gold, and there were
cakes simply bursting with currants. Nothing like it had ever
been seen before. But at the same time terrible cries were
heard coming from the table-drawer in which Hjalmar's school-
books lay.

"Whatever is the matter?" said Ole Luk-Oie, going to the
table and opening the drawer. It was the slate, upon which a
terrible riot was going on amongst the figures, because a wrong one
had got into the sum, so that it was nearly falling to pieces ; the
pencil hopped and skipped at the end of its string, as if it were a
little dog who would have liked to help the sum, but it could
not. And from Hjalmar's copy-book there also came the sounds
of woe, terrible to hear. On every page there stood at the begin-
ning of each line a capital letter, with a small one next to it ; that
was for a copy. Now next to these stood some other letters which
Hjalmar had written, and these thought they looked just like the
two first. But they lay there as if they had fallen over the pencil-
lines upon which they ought to have stood.

" Look, this is the way you ought to hold yourselves up," said
the copy. " Look, slanting like this, with a powerful up-stroke."

" Oh, we should like to," said Hjalmar's letters ; " but we can't,
we are too weak."

"Then you must take some medicine," said Ole Luk-
Oie.

" Oh, no," they cried, and stood up so gracefully that it was a
pleasure to see them.

" Well, we cannot tell any stories now! " said Ole Luk-Oie ; I
must drill them. One, two ! one, two ! " And in this way he
drilled the letters. They stood up quite gracefully, and looked as
nice as only a copy can do. But when Ole Luk-Oie had gone
and Hjalmar looked at them in the morning, they were just as weak
and miserable as before.

TUESDAY.

As soon as Hjalmar had gone to bed, Ole Luk-Oie touched all
1 the furniture in the room with his little magic squirt, whereupon it
immediately began to talk.

I2o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Every piece spoke about itself, with the exception of the spit- !i
toon, which stood quietly there and got very angry at their being ja
so vain as to talk only about themselves, to think only about jj
themselves, and to take no notice whatever of it, which ||
stood modestly in the corner and allowed itself to be spat
upon.

Over the wardrobe hung a large picture in a gilt frame ; it was
a landscape. There might be seen large old trees, flowers in
the grass, and a wide river flowing round the wood, past many
castles, and far out into the stormy sea.

Ole Luk-Oie touched the picture with his magic squirt, and the
birds immediately began to sing, the branches of the trees to move,
and the clouds to sail past ; their shadows could be seen gliding
along over the landscape.

Then Ole Luk-Oie lifted Hjalmar up to the frame and put his
little feet into the picture, right among the high grass ; there he
stood. The sun shone down upon him through the branches of
the trees. He ran to the water and got into a small boat which
was lying there ; it was painted red and white, the sails glittering
like silver ; and six swans, wearing golden crowns round their
necks and brilliant blue stars on their heads, drew the boat along,
past the green wood where the trees tell of robbers and witches, and
where the flowers speak of the dainty little elves and of what the
butterflies have told them.

Most lovely fishes, with scales like silver and gold, swam after
the boat ; now and then they took a jump, making the water
splash. Birds, blue and red, small and large, also followed, flying
in two long rows.

The gnats danced and the cockchafers said : " Boom, boom ! "
They all wanted to follow Hjalmar, and each had a story to
tell.

What a pleasant voyage it was ! At times the woods were
thick and dark, at times full of sunlight and flowers like the most
beautiful garden. There were great castles built of glass and of
marble, and on the balconies stood princesses, who were all little
girls whom Hjalmar knew very well, and with whom he had
formerly played. Every one of them stretched out her hands,

OLE LUK-OIE 121

offering him the prettiest sugar-heart that you could find in a
sweetstuff shop. Hjalmar caught hold of one side of the sugar-
heart as he sailed by, and the princess also holding on tightly, each
got a piece of it ; she the smallest, Hjalmar the biggest. At every
castle little princes were keeping guard, shouldering their golden
swords and showering down raisins and tin-soldiers ; it was easy to
see that they were real princes.

Sometimes Hjalmar sailed through forests, sometimes through
great halls or through the middle of a town ; he also came to the
town in which lived the nurse who had carried him when he was
still a little boy and who had always been so good to him. She
nodded and beckoned to him, and sang the pretty little verse
which she had herself composed and sent to Hjalmar :

"/ think of thee full many a time.

My own dear darling boy ;
To kiss thy mouth, thine eyes, thy brow,
Was once my only joy.

"I heard thee lisp thy first sweet words,

Yet from thee I was torn ;
May Heaven be e'er that angel' s shield
Whom in my arms I've borne. "

[And all the birds sang too, the flowers danced on their stalks,
and the old trees nodded as if Ole Luk-Oie were also telling them
i stories.

WEDNESDAY.

, How the rain was pouring down outside ! Hjalmar could hear
:it in his sleep, and when Ole Luk-Oie opened one of the windows
•the water came up to the window-sill. It formed quite a lake,
and a most splendid ship lay close to the house.

" If you would like to sail with us, little Hjalmar," said Ole
Luk-Oie, " you can reach foreign countries to-night, and get back
here by the morning."

Then Hjalmar suddenly found himself dressed in his Sunday
clothes in the middle of the beautiful ship ; the weather at once
became fine, and they sailed through the streets, cruised round

122 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

the church, and were soon sailing on a great stormy sea. They
sailed until they lost sight of land, and could see only a flight of!
storks which were coming from Hjalmar's home and going to warm
climates. They were flying in a line one after another, and had
already come very far. One of them was so tired that his
wings could scarcely carry him any longer ; he was the last in the
line, and was soon left a long way behind, finally sinking lower and
lower with outspread wings. He flapped them once or twice
more, but it was of no use ; first he touched the rigging of the
vessel with his feet, then he slid down from the sail, and at last
he stood on the deck.

The cabin-boy took him and put him into the fowl-coop with
the hens, ducks, and turkeys; there stood the poor stork, a
prisoner among them.

" Look at the fellow," said all the fowls, and the turkey-cock
puffed himself out as much as he could, and asked him who he
was; the ducks waddled backwards and jostled each other,
quacking : " What a fool ! What a fool ! " And the stork told
them about the heat of Africa, about the pyramids, and about the
ostrich who runs across the desert like a wild horse ; but the
ducks did not understand him, and nudged each other, saying :
" I suppose we all agree that he is very stupid."

" Of course he is very stupid," said the turkey ; and then he
gobbled. So the stork was silent and thought of his Africa.

" What beautifully thin legs you have," said the turkey-cock.
" What do they cost a yard ? "

" Quack, quack, quack ! " grinned all the ducks ; but the stork
pretended not to have heard it.

" You might laugh anyhow," said the turkey-cock to him ; " for
it was very wittily said. But perhaps it was too deep for you.
Ha, ha ! he is not very clever. We will keep to our interesting
selves." And then he gobbled, and the ducks quacked. It was
irritating to hear how they amused themselves.

But Hjalmar went to the fowl-coop, opened the door and called
the stork, who hopped out to him on the deck. He had now
had a good rest, and he seemed to nod at Hjalmar, as if to thank
him. He then spread his wings and flew to the warm countries;

OLE LUK-O1E I23

»ut the hens cackled, the ducks quacked, and the turkey-cock
turned red as fire in his face.

"To-morrow we shall make soup of you," said Hjalmar ; and
with that he awoke and found himself between his linen sheets.
But it was a strange journey upon which Ole Luk-Oie had taken
him that night.

THURSDAY.

"Do you know what?" said Ole Luk-Oie; "only don't be
frightened, and you will see a little mouse here." And he held
out his hand with the pretty little animal in it. " She is come to
invite you to a wedding. There are two little mice, who are
going to enter the state of matrimony to-night. They live under
the floor of your mother's pantry, which must be a fine place to
dwell in."

"But how can I get through the little mouse-hole in the
floor ? " asked Hjalmar.

"Let me look after that," said Ole Luk-Oie. "I will soon
make you small." And then he touched Hjalmar with his little
magic squirt, making him immediately smaller and smaller, until
at last he was only as big as a finger. " Now you can borrow the
clothes of the tin soldier ; I think they will fit you, and it looks
well to wear a uniform when you are in company."

" So it does," said Hjalmar, and in a moment he was dressed
like the prettiest little tin soldier.

" Will you be good enough to sit in your mother's thimble ? "
,said the little mouse ; " then I shall have the honour of drawing
you along."

j "Dear me! will you take so much trouble yourself?" said
Hjalmar; and in that fashion they drove to the mouse's
wedding.

j At first they came to a long passage under the floor, just
high enough to enable them to drive along with the thimble, and
ihe whole passage was illuminated with lighted tinder.

" Doesn't it smell delightful here ? " asked the mouse, who was
Drawing him along. " The passage is smeared with bacon-rind.
There can be nothing nicer ! "

I24 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

They now came into the hall where the wedding was to take
place. On the right-hand side stood all the little lady-mice
whispering and squeaking as though they were having rare fun ;
on the left stood all the gentlemen-mice stroking their whiskers
with their paws. In the middle of the hall could be seen the
bride and bridegroom standing in the hollowed-out rind of a
cheese ; they were kissing each other in a shameless manner
before the eyes of all, for they were already betrothed and on the
point of being married.

More strangers were continually arriving; the mice were
almost treading each other to death, and the bridal pair had
placed themselves right in the doorway, so that it was impossible
to go in and out. The whole room, like the passage, had been
besmeared with bacon-rind, and that was all the refreshments ; for
dessert, however, a pea was shown, in which a mouse of the
family had bitten the name of the bridal pair— that is to say,
of course only the initials. But what a novel idea it was !

All the mice agreed that it had been a splendid wedding, and
that the conversation had been most agreeable.

Then Hjalmar drove home again. He had certainly been in
distinguished society, but he had also had to huddle himself up a
good deal, to make himself small, and to wear the uniform of a
tin soldier.

FRIDAY.

" You would hardly believe how many grown-up people there
are who would only be too pleased to have me," said Ole Luk-
Oie. "Particularly those who have done something bad.
' Dear little Ole,' they say to me, ' we cannot close our eyes, and
so we lie awake the whole night and see all our wicked deeds
sitting like ugly little goblins on the bedstead, and squirting hot
water over us ; we wish you would come and drive them away, so
that we could get a good sleep.' Then they sigh deeply.
'Indeed we would willingly pay for it; good-night, Ole, the
money is on the window-sill.'

" But I don't do it for money," said Ole Luk-Oie.

" What are we going to do to-night ? " asked Hjalmar.

OLE LUK-OIE ,2$

" Well, I don't know whether you would like to go to another
wedding to-night ; it is of quite a different kind to last night's.
Your sister's big doll— the one that looks like a man and is called
Hermann— is going to marry the doll Bertha. Besides this it is
the bride's birthday, and therefore they will receive a great many
presents."

"Yes, I know that," said Hjalmar. "Whenever the dolls
want new clothes, my sister says it is a birthday or a wedding ;
that has happened quite a hundred times already."

" Yes, but to-night is the hundred and first wedding, and when
that number is reached, everything is over. That is why this one
will be quite unlike any other. Only just look ! "

And Hjalmar looked upon the table. There stood the little
doll's house with lights in the windows, and all the tin soldiers
presenting arms in front of it. The bride and bridegroom were
sitting on the floor and leaning against the leg of the table ; they
seemed very thoughtful, and for this they had perhaps good cause.
Ole Luk-Oie, dressed in grandmother's black gown, married
them. When the ceremony was over, all the furniture in the
room began to sing the following beautiful song, written by the
lead-pencil to the air of the soldiers' tattoo :

" We'll troll the song out like the wind,

Long live the bridal pair !
They're both so dumb, so stiff and blind,

Of leather made, they'll wear.
Hurrah, hurrah, though deaf and blind
We'll sing it out in rain and wind."

And now came the presents ; they had, however, declined to
accept any eatables, love being enough for them to live on.

" Shall we take a country-house, or would you rather travel ? "
asked the bridegroom. To settle this, the swallow, who had
travelled a great deal, and the old hen, who had hatched five
broods of chicks, were asked for their advice.

The swallow spoke of the beautiful warm countries, where the
grapes grow large and full, where the air is so mild and the
mountains have such colours as are never seen on them in our
country.

i26 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" But still they have not our broccoli," said the hen. " I was
once in the country for a whole summer with all my chicks ;
there was a sand-pit, into which we might go, and scrape up, and
then we were admitted to a garden full of broccoli. Oh, it was
grand ! I cannot imagine anything nicer."

"But one head of cabbage is just like another," said the
swallow ; " and then we very often have bad weather here."

" Well, one gets used to that," said the hen.

" But it is cold here, and it freezes."

" That is good for cabbages," said the hen. " Besides, it can
be warm here too. Didn't we have a summer, four years ago,
that lasted five weeks ? It was almost too warm to breathe.
And then we have not poisonous animals, as they have there ;
and we are free from robbers. He must be a wicked man
who does not think that our country is most beautiful. He
really does not deserve to be here."

And then the hen wept and added : " I have travelled too.
I rode for more than twelve miles in a coop. Travelling is by
no means a pleasure."

" The hen is a sensible woman," said the doll Bertha. " I don't
in the least care for mountain travelling myself, for you only go
up and down again. No, we will go into the gravel-pit outside
the gate and take a walk in the cabbage-garden."

And so they did.

SATURDAY.

" Shall I hear any stories to-night ? " asked little Hjalmar, as
soon as Ole Luk-Oie had sent him to sleep.

" We have no time for any this evening," said Ole Luk-Oie,
opening his beautiful umbrella over him. "Just look at these
Chinamen ! "

The umbrella looked like a large Chinese bowl with blue trees
and pointed bridges, and with little Chinamen nodding their
heads.

"We must have the whole world cleaned up by to-morrow
morning," said Ole Luk-Oie, " for it is a holiday, it is Sunday.
I will go to the church-steeple and see whether the little church

OLE LUK-OIE 127

goblins are polishing the bells, so that they may sound sweetly;
I will go out into the fields and see whether the wind is blowing
the dust off the grass and the leaves ; and what is the most
necessary work of all, I must fetch down the stars to polish them.
I take them in my apron ; but first each one must be
numbered, and the holes in which they are fixed must also be
numbered, so that they may be put back in their right places.
They would otherwise not hold fast and we should have too many
falling stars, one tumbling down after another.

" Look here ; do you know, Mr. Ole Luk-Oie," said an old
portrait which hung on the wall in Hjalmar's bedroom, " I am
Hjalmar's great-grandfather? I thank you for telling the boy
tales ; but you must not put wrong ideas into his head. The
stars cannot be taken down. The stars are worlds, just like our
earth, and that is the beauty of them."

"Thank you, old great-grandfather," said Ole Luk-Oie;
"thank you. You are the head of the family; you are its
founder ; but I am still older than you. I am an old heathen ;
the Greeks and Romans called me the God of Dreams. I have
visited the grandest houses, and still go there. I know how to
deal both with the humble and the great. Now, you may tell
your stories." And Ole Luk-Oie went away and took his umbrella
with him.

" Well ! One must not even give one's opinion any more,"
grumbled the old portrait.

And Hjalmar awoke.

SUNDAY.

"Good evening," said Ole Luke-Oie. Hjalmar nodded and
sprang up to turn his great-grandfather's portrait against the wall,
so that it could not interrupt, as it had done yesterday.
. " You must tell me some stories about the five green peas
prho lived in one pod; about the leg of the cock which went
,:ourting the leg of the hen ; and about the darning-needle who
;vas so grand that she fancied she was a sewing-needle.
, " You can have too much of a good thing," said Ole Luk-Oie.
1 You know very well that I prefer showing you something. I

i28 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

will show you my brother. He is also called Ole Luk-Oie, but
he never comes to any one more than once, but when he does
come to them, he takes them with him on his horse and tells
them stories. He only knows two ; one is so extremely beautiful
that no one in the world can imagine anything like it ; the other
is most awful and horrible — it cannot be described."

Then Ole Luk-Oie lifted little Hjalmar up to the window, saying :
" Now you will see my brother, the other Ole Luk-Oie. They call
him Death. Do you see, he does not look so bad as in the
picture books, where they make him out to be a skeleton. That
splendid hussar uniform that he is wearing is embroidered with
silver; a black velvet mantle floats behind him over the horse.
See at what a gallop he rides."

And Hjalmar saw how this Ole Luk-Oie rode away, taking both
young and old upon his horse. Some he placed before him and
others behind, but he always asked first :

" How is your report for good behaviour ? "

" Good," they all replied.

" Yes, but let me see it myself," said he ; and then each one
had to show him his book of reports. All those who had ' Very
good ' and ' Excellent ' were placed in front upon the horse and
heard the delightful story ; but those who had ' Pretty good ' and
1 Middling ' had to get up behind and listen to the horrible tale ;
they trembled and wept, and wanted to jump down from the
horse, but could not do so, because they had immediately grown
fast to it.

" But Death is a most beautiful Ole Luk-Oie," said Hjalmar.
" I am not afraid of him."

" Neither should you be," said Ole Luk-Oie ; " only take care
that you get good reports."

"Well, that's instructive," muttered the great-grandfather's por-
trait. " It is of some use to give one's opinion occasionally."

Now he felt satisfied.

And that is the story of Ole Luk-Oie; perhaps he will tell you
some more to-night himself.

THE UGLY DUCKLING

The Ugly Duckling

HE country was looking beautiful. It was
summer; the wheat was yellow, the oats
were green, the hay stood in stacks on the
green meadows, and the stork strutted
about on his long red legs chattering
Egyptian, for he had learnt that language
from his mother. All around the fields
and meadows were large forests, and in the middle of these
forests deep lakes. Yes, it was really glorious out in the
country. In the sunshine one could see an old country seat
surrounded by deep canals, and from the wall, right down to
the water, there grew large burdock leaves, which were so' high
that little children could stand upright under the tallest.
It was as wild there as in the thickest wood. A duck, who was
hatching her young, sat on her nest here, but she got very tired
of waiting for the young ones to come. She rarely had visitors,
for the other ducks preferred swimming about in the canals to
waddling up and sitting down under a burdock leaf to gossip
with her.

At last one egg cracked after another. "Chick, chick;" all
the yolks were alive, and the little heads peeped out.

"Quack, quack!" said the duck; so they all hurried up as
fast as they could, and looked about on all sides under the
green leaves. Their mother let them look as much as they liked,
because green is good for the eyes.

" How large the world is," said all the little ones ; for, of course,
they had much more room now than in the egg.
I " Do you think this is the whole world ? " said the mother ;
"why, thpt stretches far beyond the other side of the garden,
right into the parson's field, but I have never been there yet. I
suppose you are all here ? " she continued, getting up. " No, you
are not ; the largest egg is still lying here. How long will this
last ? I'm getting tired of it ! " And so saying she sat down again*

VOL, I. I

1 30 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Well, how are you getting on ? " said an old duck, who had
come to pay her a visit.

" This egg takes such a long time," answered the sitting duck ;
" it will not break. But just look at the others ; are they not the
daintiest ducklings that were ever seen ? They all look like their
father, the rascal — he doesn't come to pay me a visit."

" Let me see the egg that will not break," said the old duck.
" Depend upon it, it is a turkey's egg. I was once deceived in
the same way myself, and had a lot of trouble and bother with
the young ones, for they are afraid of the water. I couldn't get
them into it ; I quacked at them and I hacked at them, but it was
of no use. Let me see the egg. Yes, that is a turkey's egg. Let
it alone and rather teach the other little ones to swim."

" I'll just sit on it a little while longer," said the duck ; " having
sat so long now, I may as well sit a few days more."

"As you like," said the old duck, and went away.

At last the big egg broke. " Tweet, tweet," said the young one,
creeping out. It was very big and ugly. The duck looked at it.
" That's a mighty big duckling," said she ; " none of the others
look like that ; could he be a young turkey-cock ? Well, we shall
soon get to know that ; he will have to go into the water, if I have
to push him in myself."

The next day the weather was gloriously fine ; the sun shone
down on all the green leaves, and the mother duck went down to
the canal with her whole family. She sprang with a splash into
the water, and as she went " Quack, quack ! " one duckling after
another jumped in. The water closed over their heads, but they
soon came up again, and swam beautifully ; their legs moved by
themselves, and all were in the water. Even the ugly little grey
one was swimming too.

" No, he is not a turkey," said the duck ; " look how beautifully
he moves its legs, and how upright he holds itself; he is my own
child. And if you only look at him properly, he is really very pretty.
Quack, quack ! Come with me ; I will take you into society, and
introduce you to the duck-yard ; but mind you always keep near
me, so that no one treads on you ; and beware of the cat."

So they came into the duck-yard. There was a terrible noise

THE UGLY DUCKLING 131

inside, for there were two families who were fighting about the
head of an eel ; and after all the cat got it.

" You see, such is the way of the world," said the mother-duck,
sharpening her beak, for she, too, wanted the eel's head. " Now,
use your legs," said she ; " try to hurry along, and bend your
necks before the old duck there ; she is the most distinguished of

all here. She is of Spanish blood, that is why she is so fat ; and

you see she has a red rag round her leg. That is something

extremely grand, and the greatest distinction a duck can attain ; it

\ is as much as to say that they don't want her to get lost, and that

i she may be recognised by man and beast. Hurry up ! Don't

'• turn your feet inwards; a well-educated duckling turns his feet

1 outwards as much as possible, just like his father and mother.

i Look, like that ! Now bend your neck and say ' Quack ! ' "

And they did as she told them ; but the other ducks all around

looked at them and said, quite loud : " Look there ! Now we are

1 to have that lot too ; as if we were not enough already. And, fie !

how ugly that one duckling is; we will not stand that." And one

1 of the ducks immediately flew at him, and bit him in the neck.

" Leave him alone," said the mother ; " he is doing no one any
harm."

I3z STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Yes, but he is too big and strange-looking," said the duck who
had bitten him ; " and therefore he must be whacked."

" They are pretty children which the mother has," said the old
duck with the rag round her leg ; " they are all fine, except one,
which has turned out badly. I wish she could hatch him over
again."

" That cannot be, your highness," said the duckling's mother ;
" he is not handsome, but he has a very good heart, and swims as
beautifully as any other ; indeed, I may say, somewhat better. I
think he will grow prettier and get to look a little smaller in
time. He has lain too long in the egg, and therefore not received
the right shape." And with this she scratched the little one's
neck and smoothed his feathers. " Besides," she said, " he is a
drake, and therefore it does not matter so much. I think he
will become very strong and fight his way through the world."

"The other ducklings are very pretty," said the old duck;
" pray make yourselves at home, and if you find an eel's head,
you may bring it to me."

So now they felt at home. But the poor duckling who had
been the last to leave his shell, and who was so ugly, was bitten,
pushed, and made a fool of, and that by the hens as well as by the
ducks. " He is too big," they all said, and the turkey-cock, who
had come into the world with spurs, and therefore thought himself
an emperor, puffed himself up like a ship in full sail, and bore
down upon him, gobbling and getting quite red in the face. The
poor duckling did not know where to stand or where to go ; he was
distressed at being so ugly and the jest of the whole duck-yard.

So passed the first day, and afterwards things grew worse and
worse. The poor duckling was chased about by all ; even his
sisters were unkind to him, and kept on saying : " If only the cat
would catch you, you hideous creature ! " And his mother said,
" Would that you were far away ! " The ducks bit him, the hens
beat him, and the girl who had to feed the poultry kicked him
away with her foot.

So he ran and flew over the hedge, frightening away the little
birds in the bushes. " That is because I am so ugly," thought
the duckling, closing his eyes, but running on just the same. So

THE UGLY DUCKLING 133

he came to a great moor, where some wild ducks lived ; here he
lay the whole night, being tired and sorrowful.

Towards morning the wild ducks flew up and gazed at their
new comrade.

" Pray, who are you ? " they asked, and the duckling turned in
all directions, and greeted them as well as he could.

" You are exceptionally ugly ! " said the wild ducks ; " but that
does not matter to us as long as you do not marry into our family."

Poor thing ! he was really not thinking of marrying, but only
wanted permission to lie among the reeds and drink a little moor
water. So he lay two whole days ; then two wild geese, or rather
ganders, came by ; they had not long crept out of their shell, and
that is why they were so bold.

" Listen, comrade," they said ; " you are rather ugly but we like
you very well ; will you come with us and be a bird of passage ?
On another moor near this place there are some nice sweet wild
geese, all females too, every one of whom can say ' Quack ! ' You
would be in a fair way to make your fortune there, ugly as
you are."

" Bang ! bang ! " went a gun, and the two wild ganders fell
down dead among the reeds, and the water became red with their
blood. " Bang ! bang ! " came again, and whole flocks of wild
geese flew up out of the reeds. Once more came a shot. There
was a great hunting party going on, and the huntsmen were lying
all round the moor ; some were even sitting up in the branches of
the trees, which stretched far out over the reeds. The blue
smoke dispersed itself into the thick trees and far out over the
water, like clouds ; the hounds came splashing across the moor,
the reeds and the rushes bending in all directions. What a fright
the poor duckling was in ! He turned his head to put it under
his wing, but at the same moment a terribly large dog stood quite
close to him, his tongue hanging far out of his mouth, his eyes
gleaming angrily, hideously. Craning forward straight at the

duckling, he showed his sharp teeth, and splash ! splash !

he was gone again, without touching him.

" Oh, how thankful I am ! " sighed the duckling; " I am so
ugly that even the dog will not bite me."

134 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

And so he lay still whilst the shots whistled through the reeds,
one report following another.

It was late in the day before all was quiet, but the poor little
one did not dare to stir even then ; he waited several hours more
before he looked round, and then hurried away from the moor as
fast as he could. He ran over fields and meadows, though there
was such a storm raging that it was difficult for him to get along
at all.

In the evening he reached a wretched little peasant's hut ; it
was in such bad repair that it did not know itself on which side
to fall, and therefore remained standing. The wind whistled so
round the duckling that he was obliged to sit down in order to
withstand it, and. it grew worse and worse. He then noticed that
the door had fallen from one of its hinges, and hung so to one
side that he could creep into the room through the gap, which
he did.

Here lived a woman with her tom-cat and her hen. The tom-
cat, whom she called her little son, could put his back up and
purr ; he could even give out sparks, but that was only when he
was stroked the wrong way. The hen had very small short legs
and was therefore called " Chickling Short-legs " ; she laid good
eggs, and the woman loved her like her own child. The next
morning they immediately noticed the strange duckling, and the
tom-cat began to purr and the hen to cluck.

" What's the matter ? " said the woman, looking round ; but she
could not see well, and took the duckling to be a fat duck who
had lost her way. " That's indeed a rare catch," said she. " Now
I can have duck's eggs. I hope it's not a drake. That we must
find out."

And so the duckling was taken on trial for three weeks, but no
eggs came.

The tom-cat was master in the house, and the hen was mistress,
and they used always to say "We and the world," for they
believed themselves to be the half, and by far the better half too.
The duckling thought that it was possible to be of another
opinion, but that the hen would not allow.

" Can you lay eggs ? " she asked. •

THE UGLY DUCKLING 135

"No."

" Well, then you will have the goodness to be quiet."

And the tom-cat said, " Can you set your back up, purr and
give out sparks ? "

"No."

" Then you may have no opinion when reasonable people are
speaking."

So the duckling sat in the corner and was in a bad humour ;
here the fresh air and the sunshine came in to him, and excited
in him such a strong desire to swim on the water that he could
not help telling the hen of it.

"What are you thinking of?" asked the latter. "You have
nothing to do, and that is why you get these fancies. Either lay
eggs or purr, and then they will pass away."

" But it is so nice to swim on the water," said the duckling ;
" so delightful to let it close over your head and to dive to the
bottom."

" Well, that seems a fine pleasure," said the hen. " I think you
must be mad. Ask the tom-cat — he is the wisest creature I know
— whether he likes to swim on the water or to dive under. I won't
speak of myself. Ask even our mistress, the old woman ; there
is no one in the world wiser than she. Do you think she has a
longing to swim and to let the water close over her head ? "

" You don't understand me," said the duckling.

" We don't understand you ? Who then would be able to under-
stand you ? I don't suppose you pretend to be wiser than the tom-
cat and the old woman — I won't speak of myself at all. Don't get
silly things into your head, child, and be thankful 'for all the kind-
ness that has been shown you. Have you not come into a warm
room, and are you not in the society of those from whom you can
learn something ? But you are a fool, and it is disagreeable to
have anything to do with you. Believe me, I wish you well.
I tell you unpleasant things, and it is in this way that one's real
friends may be known. Only learn to lay eggs or to purr and
send out sparks."

" I think I shall go out into the wide world," said the
duckling.

I36 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Well, do so," said the hen.

So the duckling went ; he swam upon the water, he dived down,
but none of the animals took any notice of him, on account of his
ugliness.

The autumn now came ; the leaves in the wood turned yellow
and brown ; the wind caught them and made them dance about ;
and up in the air it was very cold. The clouds were heavy with
hail and snow-flakes, and the raven sat on the hedge and croaked
with cold ; indeed, it made one shiver only to think of it. The
poor duckling had by no means a good time. One evening — there
was a glorious sunset — a flock of beautiful large birds came out of
a thicket. The duckling had never seen such handsome ones ;
they were of dazzling whiteness, with long slender necks. They
were swans ; and uttering a peculiar cry they spread their long,
splendid wings and flew away out of the cold region to warmer
countries and open seas.

They rose so high, that a strange feeling came over the ugly
young duckling. He turned round and round in the water like a
wheel, stretched his neck high up in the air after them, and uttered
such a loud and peculiar cry that he was quite frightened by it
himself ! Oh ! he could not forget the beautiful happy birds, and
when he could see them no longer he dived down to the bottom ;
on coming up again he was almost beside himself. He did not
know what the birds were called, nor whither they were flying ;
yet he loved them as he had never loved any one before. He did
not envy them at all How could it occur to him to wish himself
such loveliness as that ? He would have been quite happy if only
the ducks had suffered him to be among them— the poor, ugly
creature.

The winter became cold, very cold. The duckling was obliged
to swim about in the water to prevent it from freezing over entirely,
but every night the opening in which he swam became smaller and
smaller. It froze so hard that the ice cracked ; the duckling was
obliged to use his legs continually, so that the hole should
not close up. At last he got tired, lay quite still, and froze fast
in the ice.

Early next morning a peasant came by, and seeing what had

THE UGLY DUCKLING ,37

happened, went up, broke the ice in pieces with his wooden
shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife. There he
revived.

The children wanted to play with him ; but the duckling thought
they wished to do him some harm, and in his terror jumped right
into the milk-pail, so that the milk flew about the room. The
farmer's wife clapped her hands at him, upon which he flew into the
butter-vat, then down into the meal tub, and out again. What a
sight he looked ! The woman screamed and struck at him with
the tongs, and the children, all laughing and screaming, knocked
each other down in trying to catch him. It was a good thing for
him that the door was open, and that he could slip out among the
bushes into the freshly fallen snow. There he lay, quite worn out.

But it would be too sad to relate all the trouble and misery that
the duckling had to endure during the severe winter. He was
lying on the moor among the reeds when the sun began to shine
warmly again. The larks were singing ; it was beautiful spring.

Then once more the duckling was able to use his wings ; they
were much stronger, and carried him along more swiftly than
before, and ere he was aware of it, he found himself in a
large garden, where an elder-tree scented the air, and bent its
long green branches down to the winding canal. Oh, what
beauty, what vernal freshness was here ! And out of the thicket
came three splendid white swans ; they ruffled their feathers and
swam lightly on the water. The duckling knew the splendid
creatures, and was seized with a strange sadness.

" I will fly to them, to those royal birds ! And they will kill
me, because I, who am so ugly, dare to come near them. Better
to be killed by them than to be bitten by the ducks, beaten by
4je..hens, kicked by the girl who minds the poultry-yard, and to
suffer so much in winter." So he flew into the water and swam
towards the beautiful swans. They perceived him, and shot
down upon him with all their feathers up. " Only kill me," said
the poor creature, bowing his head to the level of the water and
awaiting his death. But what did he see in the clear water ? He
saw beneath him his own image, no longer an awkward dark grey
bird, ugly and deformed, but a swan himself.

138 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

It matters little whether one has been born in a duck-yard so
long as one has been hatched from a swan's egg.

He felt quite happy at having suffered so much trouble and
care. Now only could he rightly value the good fortune that
greeted him. And the large swans swam round him and stroked
him with their beaks.

Some little children came into the garden and threw bread
and corn into the water. The youngest one cried, "There is
a new one ; " and the other children also shouted with glee,
" Yes, a new one has come," dancing about and clapping their
hands. They ran to their father and mother, and bread and cake
was thrown into the water, while every one said, " The new one is
the finest j so young and so beautiful ! " And the old swans
bowed down before him.

Then he felt quite ashamed, and put his head under his wing ;
he really did not know what to do. He was all too happy, but
not at all proud. He remembered how he had been persecuted
and despised, and now he heard every one saying that he was the
most beautiful of all beautiful birds. Even the elder-tree bowed
down before him till its branches touched the water, and the sun
shone warm and bright. Then he shook his feathers, stretched
his slender neck, and from the bottom of his heart joyfully
exclaimed, " I never even dreamed of such happiness when I was
still the ugly duckling."

Twelve by the Mail

|T was intensely cold, the sky was studded
with stars, there was no breath of air
stirring.

" Boom! " An old earthen pot was flung
against the neighbour's door. "Bang,
bang ! " A gun was fired off. They were
greeting the New Year. It was New
Year's Eve ! The church-clock was striking Midnight.

TWELVE BY THE MAIL 139

" Ta-ta-ra, ta-ta-ra ! " The heavy mail-coach came lumbering up
and stopped before the gate of the town. There were twelve
passengers in it, for all seats were occupied.

" Hip, hip, hurrah ! " cried the people in the houses of the town,
where they were keeping New Year's Night, and rose when the
clock struck twelve with their glasses in their hands, drinking the
health of the New Year.

" A Happy New Year to you ! " was the cry. " A pretty wife !
plenty of money ! no trouble and sorrow ! "

Such were the good wishes expressed amid clinking of glasses.
There was singing and ringing ! Before the gate of the town
stopped the mail-coach with twelve guests, the passengers.

And who were these strangers ? Each of them had his pass-
jport and luggage with him ; they even brought presents for you,
j for me, and for all the inhabitants of the little town. But who
.were they, what did they intend to do, and what did they bring
with them?

" Good morning ! " they called out to the sentry at the town-gate
" Good morning ! " answered the sentry, for the clock had
already struck twelve o'clock.

" Your names ? your business ? " the sentry asked the first who
left the coach.

• " Look for yourself in my passport," replied the man. " I am
i//" And he was indeed a man, clad in a large bearskin and
; wearing fur boots. "I am the man on whom many people set
their hopes. Come and see me to-morrow and I shall give you a
1 New Year's gift. I throw coppers and silver among the people,
:and give balls — to wit, thirty-one) but more nights I cannot
sacrifice. My ships are frozen in, but in my office it is warm and
pleasant. My name is January ; I am a merchant, and carry all
my accounts with me."

Then the second alighted from the coach. He was a jovial
: fellow; he was theatrical manager, arranger of masquerades and
all sorts of amusements that one could think of. His luggage
: consisted of a big cask.

"We shall drive the cat out of this cask at carnival time," he
said. " I shall give you and myself pleasure. We shall be merry

Ho STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

every day. I have not too long to live— in fact, of all the" familj
my life is the shortest, for I shall only become twenty-eight day;
old. Sometimes they allow me one day more, but I don't trouble
myself about that. Hurrah ! "

"You must not shout so ! " said the sentry.

"Why shouldn't I ? " replied the man. " I am Prince Carnival
travelling under the name of Februarius."

Then the third left the coach. He looked the very picture ol
fasting ; he carried his nose very high, for he was related to the
" forty knights," and he was a weather-prophet. But this is not
a remunerative trade, and therefore he was in favour of fasting.
He had a bunch of violets in his button-hole, but it was very small.

"March, March!" cried the fourth after him, slapping his
shoulders, " do you not smell something ? Come quick into the
guardroom ; they are drinking punch there, which is your favourite
beverage ; I can smell it outside. March, Mr. Martius ! " But it
was not true, he only wished to tease him by making him ar
April fool ; for with such merriment the fourth generally made
his entrance into the town. He looked very smart, worked bul
very little, and kept more holidays than others. " I wish there was
a little more steadiness in the world," he said, " but sometimes
one is in good, sometimes in bad, humour, always according to cir-
cumstances ; one has continually to change one's dress, for some
times it rains and sometimes the sun shines. I am a sort of house
agent and undertaker ; I can laugh and weep according to circum
stances. I have my summer-clothes here in my portmanteau,
but it would be foolish to put them on. Here I am ! On Sundays
I take a walk in shoes and white silk stockings, and with a muff."

After him a lady alighted from the coach. Her name was Mis:
May. She wore a summer dress and goloshes, her frock was of i
light green, and anemones adorned her hair; she smelt s<
strongly of thyme that the sentry could not help sneezing
" Health and prosperity to you," she said, greeting him. Hov
pretty she was ! She was a singer, but not a theatrical vocalist
nor a ballad-singer ; she was a songstress of the grove ; sh<
roamed about in the green forests and sang for her own pleasur<
and amusement.

TWELVE BY THE MAIL 141

" Now comes the young married woman," they cried from inside
the coach, and a young, beautiful and distinguished-looking
woman stepped out. One could see that Mrs. June was not
accustomed to do much for herself, but rather to be waited upon.
On the longest day in the year she gave a great dinner-party, that
her guests might have time to eat the numerous courses which were
served. Although she had her own carriage, she travelled like
the others by the mail, in order to show people that she was not
haughty. But she was not unaccompanied, for her younger
brother Julius was with her. He looked very well fed, wore
summer clothes and a straw hat. He had but little luggage, as
it was burdensome to carry in the great heat ; he had only a pair
of bathing-drawers with him.

Then the mother alighted, Mrs. August, a wholesale fruiterer,
the proprietress of many fish-ponds and a farmer, wearing a large
crinoline ; she was stout and hot, worked hard, and carried the
ibeer out to her labourers in the field herself. " In the sweat
lof thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread," she used to say ;
:"that is written in the Bible. When the work is done follow
tthe excursions into the country, dance and play under the green
itrees, and the harvest festivals." She was an excellent house-
keeper.

After her a man came out of the coach who was a painter ; he
was the famous colourist, September; he would repair to the
woods and change the colour of the leaves according to his ideas ;
md soon it gleamed with crimson, russet, and gold. The master
::ould whistle like a starling ; he was a quick worker, and decorated
lis beer-jug with a twining branch of hops, so that it looked
Beautiful ; he had a strong sense of beauty. There he stood with
lis colour-box, which made up his whole luggage.

He was followed by a landowner, who only thought of ploughing
i.nd preparing the field in the seed-month, and who was fond of field
:ports. Mr. October had his dog and gun with him, and carried
luts in his game-bag. " Crack, crack ! " He had a great deal
if luggage, including even an English plough ; he talked about

griculture, but on account of the coughing and groaning of his

eighbour one could not hear much of it.

142 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

It was November who coughed so much when he got out. He
suffered a great deal from colds, and blew his nose continually ;
and yet he declared that he must accompany the servant-girls to
their new places and initiate them into their winter service ; his
cold, he thought, would soon be better when he began wood-
cutting, for he was a master woodcutter, and the president of the
guild. He passed his evenings cutting wood for skates, for he
knew well, he said, that in a few weeks these articles would be in
great demand for the people's amusement.

Finally, the last passenger made her appearance —the old
mother December, carrying a foot-warmer with her. The old
woman was shivering with cold, but her eyes were as bright as two
stars. She held a flower-pot in her arm, in which a little fir-tree
was growing. " This tree," she said, " I will take care of and
cherish, that it may thrive and grow very tall, till Christmas-eve ;
it must reach from the floor to the ceiling, and will be covered
with glittering lights, gilded apples, and cut-out figures. The
foot-warmer warms me like a stove ; I shall take a story-book out
of my pocket and read it aloud, until all the children in the room
are quiet, and all the little figures on the tree become alive ; and
the little wax angel on the top of the tree opens his wings of
tinsel, flies down from his green resting-place, and kisses all the
children and grown-up people in the room. Nay, he also kisses
the poor children who stand outside in the street and sing the
Christmas song of the " Star of Bethlehem."

"Well, the coach may drive off," said the sentry, "now we
have all the twelve. And the luggage cart may come up."

" First let the twelve come in to me," said the captain of the
guard, " one after the other. I shall keep their passports here ;
they are all available for one month ; when it is gone I shall give
them a character on the passports. Now, Mr. January, please
walk in."

And Mr. January accepted the invitation.

When a year is gone, I shall tell you what the twelve passengers
have brought you, myself, and all of us. At present I do not
know it, and perhaps they do not know it themselves ; for it is a
strange time we live in.

THE LITTLE MERMAID 143

The Little Mermaid

AR out in the ocean the water is as blue as the
petals of the finest corn-flower, and as trans-
parent as the purest glass. But it is very
deep, much deeper indeed than any anchor-
chain can fathom ; many steeples would have
to be piled one on the top of the other in
order to reach from the bottom to the surface
of the water. Down there live the sea-folks.

You must not think that there is nothing but the bare white
sand at the bottom of the ocean ; no, on the contrary, there grow
the most peculiar trees and plants, having such pliable trunks,
stalks, and leaves that they stir at the slightest movement of the
water, as if they were alive. All the big and small fishes glide
through their branches as birds fly through the trees. Where the
ocean is deepest stands the sea-king's castle ; its walls are built of
coral, and the high arched windows are cut out of the clearest
amber ; the roof is covered all over with shells, which open and
close according as the current of the water sets. It looks most
beautiful, for each of them is filled with pearls of priceless value ;
a single one of them would be a fit ornament for a queen's
diadem.

The sea-king had been a widower for many years, and his aged
mother was keeping house for him. She was a clever woman, but
she was very proud of her noble birth ; therefore she wore twelve -
oysters on her tail, while other distinguished sea-folks were only
allowed to wear six. In every other respect she deserved un-
mingled praise, especially for her tender care of the sea-princesses,
her grand-daughters. They were six in number, and the youngest
was the most beautiful of all. Her skin was as clear and delicate
as the petals of a rose, her eyes as blue as the sea in its greatest
depth ; but she also, like the others, had no legs — her body ended
in a fish-tail. All day long the princesses used to play about in
the spacious halls of the castle, where flowers blossom from the

I44 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

walls. When the large amber windows were thrown open the
fishes came swimming to the princesses, as the swallows sometimes
fly in when we open the windows ; the fishes were so tame that
they ate out of their hands, and suffered the princesses to stroke
them.

In front of the castle was a large garden in which bright red
and dark blue flowers were growing ; the fruit glittered like gold,
and the flowers looked like flames of fire ; their stalks and leaves
were continually moving. The ground was covered with the
finest sand, as blue as the flame of sulphur. A peculiar blue light
was shed over everything ; one would rather have imagined one's
self to be high up in the air, having above and below the blue sky,
than at the bottom of the sea. When the sea was calm one could
see the sun ; it looked like an immense purple flower, from which
the light streamed forth in all directions.

Each of the little princesses had her own place in the garden,
where she was allowed to dig and to plant at her pleasure. One
gave her flower-bed the shape of a whale, another preferred to
form it like a little mermaid; but the youngest made hers as
round as the sun, and her flowers were also of the purple hue of
the sun. She was a peculiar child, always quiet and sensitive ;
while her sisters thought a great deal of all sorts of curious objects
which they received from wrecked ships, she only loved her
purple flowers, and a beautiful figure, representing a boy, carved
out of clear white marble, which had come from some wreck to
the bottom of the sea. She had planted a red weeping-willow
close by the marble figure, which throve well and was hanging
over it with its fresh branches reaching down to the blue sand
and casting a violet-coloured shadow. Like the branches, this
shadow was continually moving, and it gave one the impression as
if the top and the roots of the tree were playing together and try-
ing to kiss each other.

The little mermaid liked most of all to hear stories about man-
kind above, and the grandmother had to tell her all she knew
about ships, towns, and animals ; she was very much surprised to
hear that on earth the flowers were fragrant (the sea-flowers had no
Smell) and that the woods were green, that the fishes which one saw

THE LITTLE MERMAID 145

there on the trees could sing beautifully and delight everybody.
The grandmother called the little birds fishes ; otherwise her
grand-daughters would not have understood her, as they had
never seen a bird.

" When you are fifteen years old," said the grandmother, " you
will be allowed to rise up to the surface of the sea and sit on the
cliffs in the moonlight, where the big ships will be sailing by. ^
Then you will also see the woods and towns."

In the following year the eldest princess would complete her
fifteenth year; the other sisters were each one year younger
than the other; the youngest therefore had to wait fully five
years before she could go up from the bottom of the sea and
look at the earth above. But each promised to tell her sisters
what she liked best on her first visit; for their grandmother,
they thought, did not tell them enough— there were so many
things on which they wished to be informed. None of them,
however, longed so much to go up as the youngest, who had
to wait the longest time, and was always so quiet and pensive.
Many a night she stood at the open window and looked up
through the dark blue water, watching the fishes as they splashed
in the water with their fins and tails. She could see the moon
and the stars — they looked quite pale, but appeared through the
water much larger than we see them. When something like a
dark cloud passed over her and concealed them for a while, she
knew it was either a whale, or a ship with many human beings,
who had no idea that a lovely little mermaid was standing ',
below stretching out her white hands towards the keel of their i
ship.

The eldest princess now completed her fifteenth year, and was
illowed to rise up. When she came back she had to tell about
lundreds of things : the greatest pleasure, she said, was to lie in
he moonlight on a sandbank, when the sea was calm, and to
ook at the near coast and the large town where the lights
parkled like many hundreds of stars; to hear the music and
loise caused by the clamour of carriages and human voices, to
: ee the many church-steeples and to listen to the ringing of the
'ells. The youngest sister listened attentively to all this, and

VOL. I. K

146 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

when she again, at night, stood at the open window and
looked up through the dark-blue water, she thought of the great
town, with all its bustle and noise, and imagined she heard the
ringing of the bells in the depth of the sea.

In the following year the second sister's turn came to rise up
to the surface of the sea and to swim whither she pleased. She
came up just as the sun was setting, and this aspect she con-
sidered the most beautiful of all she saw. The whole sky looked
like gold, and she could not find words to describe the beautiful
clouds. Purple and violet, they were sailing by over her head ;
but even quicker than the clouds she saw a flight of wild swans
flying towards the sun; she followed them, but the sun sank
down and the rosy hue on the surface of the water and in the
clouds vanished.

The year after, the third sister rose up. She was the boldest
of all, arid swam up the mouth of a broad river. She saw
beautiful green hills covered with vines. Strongholds and castles
peeped out of the splendid woods ; she heard the birds sing, and
the sun was shining so warmly that she had often to dive down
and cool her burning face. In a little creek she found a troop of
human children playing ; they were quite naked, and splashed in
the water; she wished to play with them, but they ran away,
terrified. Then a little black animal, a dog, came — she had never
seen one before — and barked so dreadfully at her that she was
frightened, and hurried back as fast as she could to the open
sea. But she could never forget the stately woods, the green
hills, and the nice children who could swim, although they had no
fish-tails.

The fourth sister was not so daring ; she remained out in the
open sea, and declared that there it was most pleasant to stay.
There, she said, one could look around many miles, and the
sky appeared to one like an immense glass globe. She had also ,
seen ships, but only from a great distance ; they looked to her "
like seagulls. The playful dolphins, she said, threw somer-
saults, while the big whales spouted up the sea-water through
their nostrils, as if many hundred fountains were playing all
around her.

THE LITTLE MERMAID 147

Now the fifth sister's turn came, and as her birthday was in winter
she saw something different from her sisters on her first visit.
The sea looked quite green ; enormous icebergs were floating
around her — every one of them was like pearl, she said, although
they were much higher than the church- steeples built by men.
They had the most peculiar shapes and glittered like diamonds. She
had seated herself on one of the highest, and while the wind was
playing with her hair she noticed how the ships were tossed about ;
towards the evening the sky became covered with black clouds, it
lightened and thundered, and the big ice-blocks reflected the
flashes of lightning while they were tossed up by the roaring
sea. The sailors reefed all their sails, for they were terrified and
anxious ; but she was sitting quietly on the floating iceberg, and
watching how the flashes of lightning descended zigzag into the
foaming sea.

The first time one of the sisters came to the surface, all
the new and beautiful things charmed her ; but» now, being as
grown-up girls allowed to rise whenever they pleased, all this i
became indifferent to them, and after a month they declared j
that it was best down below in their own home. On many a
night the five sisters would rise to the surface of the water arm-in-
arm, in a row, and sing, for they had beautiful voices, much finer
than any human being ever has ; and when a storm was
approaching, and they thought that some ships might be wrecked,
, they swam in front of them, singing of the beautiful things at the
bottom of the sea, and bidding the people not to be afraid, but
come down. The people, however, did not understand them, and
mistook their singing for the noise of the wind ; they never saw the
treasures below, for when the ship went down they were drowned,
and only arrived dead at the sea-king's castle. When her sisters
thus went up arm-in-arm, the youngest princess used to stand
alone and follow them with her eyes j then she often felt as if she
must cry; but mermaids have no tears, therefore they suffer
much more than we do.

" Oh ! that I were already fifteen years old," she said ; " I know
I shall love the world above, and the people that dwell in it, very
much."

I48

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

At last she was fifteen. " You are now grown up," said her
grandmother, the old dowager-queen, to her ; " now let me adorn
you like your sisters." She placed a wreath of white lilies on
her head, the petals of the flowers being half-pearls; and in
order to show her high rank the old lady caused eight oysters
to be fixed to her grand-daughter's tail.

" They hurt me, Granny," said the little mermaid. " Never
mind, my child, pride must suffer pain," replied the old lady. The
little princess would have gladly taken off all her ornaments and the
heavy wreath; her purple flowers would have suited her much
better, but she could not offend her grandmother. " Farewell ! "
she said, and rose up as lightly as a bubble. The sun had just
set when she lifted her head out of the water, but the clouds were
still coloured like purple and gold; the evening-star sparkled
beautifully through the rose-tinted atmosphere ; the air was mild
and fresh, and the sea perfectly calm. There was a big ship with
three masts lying before her ; only one sail was set, as not a breath
of air was stirring ; the sailors were sitting about on deck and in
the rigging. There were music and dancing on board, and when it
became dark many hundreds of coloured lamps were lighted, and

THE LITTLE MERMAID 149

it looked as if the flags of all nations were floating in the air.
The little mermaid swam up close to the cabin windows, and
when the waves lifted her up she could see many well-dressed
people through the clear panes. The most beautiful of them was
a young prince with large black eyes — he certainly seemed not
older than sixteen ; it was his birthday, and that was the cause
of all this rejoicing. The sailors were dancing on deck, and
when the young prince stepped out of the cabin-door hundreds
of rockets were thrown up into the air, and became for some
moments as bright as day. The little mermaid was frightened,
and dived under the water; but soon she lifted up her head
again, and then it seemed to her as if all the stars were falling
down from the sky. She had never seen such a display of fireworks.
Large Catherine-wheels turned rapidly round, splendid fiery
fishes flew through the air, and all was reflected by the bright
calm sea. On the ship it was so light that one could distinctly
see everything, even the smallest rope. And the young prince
was so beautiful ! He shook hands with the people and smiled
graciously, while the music sounded dreamily through the starry
night.

It became very late, but the little mermaid could not turn her
eyes away from the ship and the beautiful prince. The coloured
lamps were extinguished ; no more rockets were sent up nor
cannons fired off. But in the sea, deep below, was a strange
murmuring and humming, while the little mermaid was rocking
on the waves and looking into the cabin. Soon the wind began
to blow ; one sail after another was furled ; the waves rose up
high ; flashes of lightning were seen in the distance ; a terrible
storm was approaching. Then all the sails were reefed. The
large ship in its rapid course was tossed about like a nutshell by
the waves, which rose up as high as mountains, as if they would
roll over the top of the masts. The ship dived like a swan
down between the waves, and was then carried up again by
them to a great height. The little mermaid thought it was a
pleasant journey ; not so the sailors. The ship creaked and
groaned ; her strong planks were bending under the weight of the
heavy waves which entered into her; the mainmast was broken

1 5o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

like a reed ; the ship lay over on her side, and the water rushed
over her. The little mermaid then perceived that the crew was
in danger ; she herself had to be careful, lest the posts and planks
floating about on the water might hurt her. For moments it was
so dark that one could distinguish nothing, but when it lightened
everything was visible. The little mermaid was looking out for
the prince ; she saw him sink down into the depths when the ship
broke up. She was very pleased, for now she thought he would
come down to her. But soon she remembered that men cannot
live in the water, and that he would arrive dead at her father's
castle. No, he must not die ! Heedless of the beams and planks
floating on the waters, she dived down to the bottom, and came
up again in search of the prince. At last she found him ; his
strength was failing him ; he was no longer able to swim in the
storm-tost sea ; his arms and legs became powerless ; his beautiful
eyes closed ; he would surely have died had not the little mermaid
come to his assistance. She held up his head, and let the waves
drift them where they would.

Next morning the storm had abated, but not a plank was
visible of the ship anywhere ; the sun rose purple and radiant
out of the water, and seemed to impart new life to the prince's
cheeks ; his eyes, however, remained closed. The mermaid kissed
his beautiful forehead, stroked back his wet hair ; he looked to her
very much like the white marble figure in her little garden at
home. She kissed him again and again, and wished that he were
alive.

Now she had before her eyes the dry land, where high
mountains towered into the clouds, while the snow was glittering
on their summits, and looking like swans resting there. Down
on the coast were magnificent green woods, and quite in the fore-
ground stood a church or a convent— she did not know which ; but
at any rate it was a building. Lemon and orange trees were
growing in the garden, and high palms stood before the gate.
The sea formed a little bay here and was quite calm, although
very deep j she swam straight to the cliff, where the fine white
sand had been washed ashore, and put him down, taking special
care that his head was raised up to the warm sunshine. Then all

THE LITTLE MERMAID 151

the bells began to ring in the large white building, and many
young girls passed through the garden. The little mermaid swam
farther out, hid herself behind some rocks, covered her hair and
breast with sea-foam, lest anybody might see her little face, and
watched to see who would come to the poor prince. After a
while a young girl came to the spot where the prince was lying ;
at first she seemed very much frightened, but she soon recovered
herself, and called some people. The little mermaid saw that the
prince came back to life, and smiled at all who stood around him, •
but at her he did not smile ; he little knew that she had saved

him. She was very sad ; and when they had taken him into the
large building, she dived down and so returned to her father's
castle.

She had always been silent and pensive ; now she was still more
so. Her sisters asked her what she had seen when she went up
for the first time, but she told them nothing. Many a morning
and many an evening she returned to the spot where she had
left the prince ; she saw how the fruit in the garden became ripe
and was gathered, how the snow melted on the high mountains ;
but she never caught sight of the prince, and each time she
returned home she was more mournful than before.

Her only consolation was to sit in her little garden, and to put
her arms round the marble figure which resembled the prince,
but she no longer looked after her flowers. Her garden became

152 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

a wilderness ; the plants straggled over the paths, and twined their
long stalks and leaves round the trunks and branches of the trees,
so that it became quite dark and gloomy.

At last she could bear it no longer, and confided her troubles to
one of her sisters, who of course told the others. These, and a few
other mermaids who mentioned it confidentially to their intimate
friends, were the only people who were in the secret. One
of them knew the prince, and could tell them where his
kingdom was. She also had witnessed the festival on board the
ship.

" Come, dear sister," said the other princesses ; and arm-in-arm,
in a long row, they rose up to the spot where the prince's castle
stood. It was built of bright yellow stone, and had broad
marble staircases, one of which reached right down to the sea.
Magnificent gilt cupolas surmounted the roof, and in the colon-
nades, running all round the building, stood lifelike marble
statues. Through the clear panes in the high window could be
seen splendid halls, where costly silk curtains and beautiful tapestry
hung, and the wall was covered with paintings so exquisite that it
was a pleasure to look at them. In the centre of the largest hall
a fountain played ; its jets rose as high as the glass cupola in the
ceiling, through which the sun shone upon the water and the
beautiful plants growing in the great basin.

Now she knew where he dwelt, and near there she passed many
an evening and many a night on the water. She swam much
closer to the shore than any of the others would have ventured ;
nay, she even went up the narrow canal under the magnificent
marble balcony which threw a large shadow on the water. Here
she sat and gazed at the young prince, who thought that he was
quite alone in the moonlight. Often she saw him sailing in a
stately boat, decorated with flags, and with music on board. She
listened from behind the green rushes ; and when the wind caught
her long silver-white veil, and people noticed it, they imagined it
was a swan opening its wings. Many a time at night, when the
fishermen were upon the sea with torches, she heard them say
many good things about the prince, and she was glad that she had
saved his life when he was drifting half-dead upon the waves ; she

THE LITTLE MERMAID 153

remembered how his head had rested on her bosom, and how
fervently she had kissed him, but he knew nothing about it, and
did not even dream of her. Her love for mankind grew from day
to day, and she longed more and more to be able to live among
them, for their world seemed to her so much larger than hers, - J
They could cross the sea in large ships, and ascend mountains
towering into the clouds. The lands which they possessed, both
woods and fields, stretched farther than her eyes could reach.
There were still so many things on which she wished to have in-
formation, and her sisters could not answer all her questions ;
therefore she asked her grandmother, who knew the upper world
very well, and appropriately styled it "the countries above
the sea."

I '*"*"" If human beings are not drowned," asked the little mermaid,
" can they live for ever ? Do they not die as we do down here in
the sea?"

" Yes " replied the old lady. " They also die, and their life is
even shorter than ours. We sometimes live to be three hundred
years old ; but when we cease to exist here we are turned into foam
on the surface of the water, and have not even a grave in the
depth of the sea among those we love. We never live again ; our
souls are not immortal ; we are like the green seaweed, which, when

; once severed from its root, can never grow again. Men, on the
other hand, have a soul which lives for ever after the body has N,
become dust ; it rises through the sky, up to the shining stars.

,! As we rise out of the sea, and behold all the countries of the
earth, so they rise to unknown glorious regions which we shall

; never see."

" Why have we not also an immortal soul ? " asked the little

h mermaid, sorrowfully. " I would gladly give all the years I have
yet to live, if I could be a human being only for one day, and

[ to have the hope of seeing that marvellous country beyond the
' sky."

" You must not dream of that," replied the old lady. "We are
much happier and better off than mankind above."

" Then I shall die, and drift on the sea as foam, never hearing
the music of the waves, or seeing the beautiful flowers and the red

I54 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

sun. Is there not anything I can do in order to obtain an im-
mortal soul ? "

" No ! " said the grandmother. " Only if a man would love you
so much that you would be dearer to him than father or mother,
if he would cling with all his heart and all his love to you, and let
the priest place his right hand into yours, with the promise to be
faithful to you here and to eternity, then his soul would flow over
into your body, and you would receive a share of the happiness of
mankind. He would give you a soul and yet keep his own. But
that can never happen ! What is beautiful here below, your fish
tail, they consider ugly on earth — they do not know any better ; up
there one must have two clumsy limbs, which they call legs, in
order to be beautiful."

The little mermaid sighed, and looked at her fish-tail mourn-
fully. " Let us be merry," said the old lady. " Let us dance and
make the best of the three hundred years of our life. That is
truly quite enough ; afterwards repose will be more pleasant. To-
V jiight we will have a court ball."

Such a splendid sight is never seen on earth. The walls and
the ceiling of the large ballroom were of thick transparent glass.
Several hundred enormous shells, purple and bright green, stood
at each side in long rows, filled with blue fire, which lit up the
whole room and shone through the walls so that the sea outside
was quite illuminated ; one could see countless fishes, of all sizes,
swimming against the glass walls ; the scales of some gleamed
with purple, others glittered like silver and gold. A broad stream
ran through the middle of the ballroom, upon which the sea-folks,
both men and women, danced to the music of their own sweet
songs. Human beings have not such beautiful voices. The little
mermaid sang best of all, and the whole court applauded with
fins and tails. For a moment she felt a joy in her heart at the
thought that she possessed the most beautiful voice of all living
on earth or in the sea. But soon her mind returned to the world
above ; she could not forget the beautiful prince, nor cease griev-
ing that she did not possess an immortal soul like his. Therefore
she stole out of her father's castle ; and while within the others en-
joyed songs and merriment, she sat sorrowfully in her little garden.

THE LITTLE MERMAID 155

Then she heard a bugle sound through the water, and thought,
" Surely now he is sailing above, he who fills my mind, and into
whose hands I should like to entrust my fate. I will dare all in
order to obtain him and an immortal soul ! While my sisters are
dancing in my father's castle I will go to the sea-witch, whom I
have always feared so much ; perhaps she can advise and help me."

Then the little mermaid left her garden and went out to the
roaring whirlpools where the witch dwelt. She had never gone
that way before ; no flowers, no seaweed even, was growing there
— only bare grey sandy soil surrounded the whirlpools, where the
water rushed round like mill-wheels and drew everything it got
hold of down into the depths. She had to pass right through
these dreadful whirlpools in order to reach the witch's territory.
For a good part of the way the road led over warm bubbling mud ;
this the witch called her peat-moor. Behind this her house stood,
in a strange wood, for all the trees and bushes were polypes — half-
animals and half-plants. They looked like snakes, with many
hundred heads, growing out of the ground. All the branches were
slimy arms with fingers like supple worms, every limb was moving
from .the root to the highest branch, all they could seize out of the
sea they clutched and held fast, never letting it go again. The
little mermaid stopped timidly in front of them ; her heart was beat-
ing with fear, she nearly turned back again ; but then she thought
of the prince and the immortal soul, and regained her courage.
She twisted her long flowing hair round her head, lest the polypes
might seize it ; she crossed her hands upon her breast, and shot
through the water like a fish, right past the dreadful polypes,
which stretched out their supple arms and fingers after her. She
saw that each of them had seized something and held it tightly
with hundreds of little arms. The polypes held in their arms
white skeletons of people who had perished at sea and had sunk
into the depth, the oars of ships, and chests, skeletons of land
animals, and a little mermaid whom they had caught and strangled :
this latter was the most dreadful sight to the little princess.

Then she came to a big marshy place in the wood, where large
fat water-snakes were rolling about, and showing their ugly light
yellow bodies.

I56 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

In the middle of this place stood a house, built with the white
bones of shipwrecked people; there the sea-witch sat, letting a
toad eat out of her mouth, as we should feed a little canary with
sugar. The ugly fat water-snakes she called her little chickens,
and allowed them to crawl all over her.

" I know very well what you want," said the sea-witch. " It is
silly of you, but you shall have your way; you will become
wretchedly unhappy, my beautiful princess. You wish to get rid
of your fish-tail and have two limbs instead, which men use for
walking, that the young prince may fall in love with you and that
you may gain him, and an immortal soul." Thus saying the old
witch laughed loud and hideously, so that the toads and the
snakes fell to the ground, where they wriggled about. " You are
just in good time," said the witch ; " if you had come to-morrow
after sunrise, I should not have been able to help you for a whole
year. Jj will prepare you a drink, and you must swim ashore
before the sun rises, and sit down and drink it ; then your tail will
disappear and shrink together into what mankind call legs ; but it
will hurt you, as if a sharp sword pierced you. Every man who sees
you will say that you are the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.
You will keep your gracefulness, and no dancer will be able to
move as lightly as you ; but at each step that you take you will
feel as though you trod on a sharp knife, and as if your blood
must flow. If you are ready to suffer all this, I will help you."

" Yes ! " said the little mermaid, with a trembling voice ; and
she thought of the prince and the immortal soul.

" But remember," said the witch, " if you have once received a
human form you can never become a mermaid again ; you will
never be able to return again to your sisters and to your father's
cattle ; and if you fail to gain the prince's love, so that he forgets,
for your sake, father and mother, clings to you with body and
soul, and makes the priest join your hands, that you become man
and wife, you will not obtain an immortal soul. On the first
morning after he has wedded another, your heart will break, and
you will become foam on the water."

" I will have it," said the little mermaid, and turned as pale as
death.

THE LITTLE MERMAID ,57

" But you must pay me," said the witch, " and it is not a little
that I ask. You have the most beautiful voice of all who live at
the bottom of the sea; you may think you can bewitch him
with it ; but this voice you must give me. I will have the best
thing you possess in exchange for my costly drink, for I must give
you my own blood, that the drink may be strong enough, and as
cutting as a two-edged sword."

" If you take my voice," said the little mermaid, " what is left to
me?"

" Your fine figure," said the witch, " your gracefulness and your
speaking eyes — with these you may easily capture a human heart.
Now, have you lost your courage? Put out your little tongue,
that I may cut it off in payment, and I will give you the wonderful
drink."

" Do it," said the little mermaid ; and the witch placed her pot
on the fire to prepare the draught.

" Cleanliness is a good thing " she said, and scoured the kettle
with snakes which she had tied into a bundle ; then she pricked
herself in the breast and let her black blood drop into it. The
steam rose up in the strangest shapes ; any one who could have
seen it, would have been frightened to death. Every moment the
witch threw new things into the pot, and when it boiled the sound
was like the weeping of a crocodile. At last the drink was ready,
and looked like the clearest water.

"There it is," said the witch, and cut the little mermaid's
tongue off; so now she was dumb, and -could neither sing nor
speak. " If the polypes should seize you when you go back
through my wood," said the witch, " you have only to throw one
drop of this fluid over them, and their arms and fingers will break
into a thousand pieces." But the little mermaid had no need of
it ; the polypes shrunk back in fear at the sight of the sparkling
drink, which shone in her hand like a glittering star.

Thus she passed quickly through the wood and the marsh and
the roaring whirlpools. She could see her father's castle ; the
torches in the ballroom were all extinguished ; they were all
asleep ; she dared not go to them ; now she was dumb and on the
point of leaving them for ever, she felt as though her little heart

i58 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

would break. She stole into the garden, took a blossom from
each of her sisters' flower-beds, kissed her hands a thousand times
towards the castle, and rose up through the dark blue sea. The
sun had not yet risen when she reached the prince's castle and
went up the magnificent marble steps. The moon was shining
more brightly than usual. The little mermaid took the burning
draught, and felt as though a two-edged swor^^ejreejd_herjender
body ; she fainted, and lay there as if dead. When the sun rose out
of the sea she awoke and felt a sharp pain, but just before her stood
the beautiful young prince. He fixed his black eyes upon her, so
that she cast hers down, and noticed that her fish tail had
disappeared, and that she had, instead, two of the prettiest feet
any girl could wish for. As she had no clothes she wrapped her-
self in her long hair. The Prince asked her who she was, and
where she came from ; she looked at him sweetly and yet mourn-
fully with her dark blue eyes, for she was unable to speak. Then
he took her by the hand and led her into the castle. At every
step she took she felt, as the witch had told her in advance, as if
she trod upon needles and knives ; but she suffered it willingly,
and stepped as lightly as a soap-bubble at the prince's side, who,
with all the others, admired her graceful movements.

They gave her splendid dresses of silk and muslin to put on,
and she was the most beautiful of all women in the castle ; but
she was mute, and could neither sing nor speak. Lovely slaves,
dressed in silk and gold, came to sing before the prince and his
royal parents. One sang better than all the rest, and the prince
clapped his hands and smiled at her. Then the little mermaid
became sorrowful ; she knew that she had been able to sing much
more sweetly, and thought, " Oh ! if he only knew that in order to
be with him I have sacrificed my voice for ever ! "

Then the slaves danced graceful dances to the loveliest music ;
and the little mermaid lifted her beautiful white arms, balanced
herself on tiptoe, and glided, dancing, over the floor; none of
them could equal her. At every movement her beauty became
still more apparent, and her eyes spoke more deeply to the heart
than the songs of the slaves. All were charmed, especially the
prince, who called her his little foundling. She danced again, and

THE LITTLE MERMAID 159

again, although she felt, whenever her feet touched the ground as
though she trod upon sharp knives. The prince wished her
always to remain with him, and gave her permission to sleep on a
velvet cushion before his door.

He had her dressed like a page, that she might accompany him
on horseback. They rode through the fragrant woods, where the
green boughs touched their shoulders and the birds sang in the
fresh foliage. She climbed with the prince to the summits of the
high mountains, and although her tender feet bled so much that
even others could see it, she smiled and followed him until they
saw the clouds sailing beneath their feet, like a flight of birds
travelling to foreign countries. At home, in the prince's castle,
when the others slept at night, she went out on the broad marble
staircase ; it was cooling for her burning feet to stand in the cold
sea-water, and then she thought of those below in the deep. One
night her sisters came up arm in arm ; they sang mournfully as
they floated on the water; she beckoned to them, and they
recognised her and told her how much she had grieved them.
After this she saw them every night, and once she also saw her
old grandmother, who had not come up to the surface for many,
many years, and the Sea King with his crown on his head. They
stretched out their hands towards her, but they did not venture so
close to the land as her sisters.

The prince cared more for her from day to day ; he loved her as
one would love a dear good child, but he never had the least
thought of marrying her; and yet she had to become his wife
before she could obtain an immortal soul, otherwise she would
turn to foam on the sea the morning after his wedding. " Don't
you love me most of all ? " the mermaid's eyes seemed to say
when the prince took her in his arms and kissed her beautiful
forehead.

" Yes, I care most for you," he said, " for you have the best
heart of them all. You are most devoted to me, and resemble a
young girl whom I once saw, but whom I shall certainly not find
again. I was on board a ship which was wrecked ; the waves
washed me ashore near a sacred temple, where several young girls
officiated. The youngest of them found me on the beach, and

i6o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

saved my life. I only saw her twice ; she would be the only girl
in the world I could love ; but you are like her, and you almost
efface her likeness from my heart. She belongs to the sacred
temple, and therefore my good fortune has sent you to me. Let
us never separate."

" Alas ! he does not know that I have saved his life," thought
the little mermaid. " I carried him across the sea towards the
wood where the temple stands ; I was sitting behind the foam,
looking to see if any one would come to him. I saw the beautiful
girl whom he loves better than me." She sighed deeply, for she
could not weep. " The girl belongs to the sacred temple, he has
said. She will never come out into the world ; they will never
meet again ; but I am near him, and see him every day. I will
care for him, love him, and sacrifice my life for him."

But soon the rumour spread that the prince was to marry the
beautiful daughter of a neighbouring king, and that was why they
were* equipping a magnificent ship. They say the prince is
travelling to see the neighbouring king's country, but in reality
he goes to see his daughter. A large suite is to accompany him.
The little mermaid shook her head and smiled ; she knew the
prince's thoughts much better than the others. " I must travel,"
he had said to her; " I must go and see the beautiful princess, for
my parents wish it ; but they will not compel me to marry her. I
cannot love her ; she is not like the beautiful girl in the temple,
whom you resemble. Should I one day select a bride, I should
prefer you, my dumb foundling with the eloquent eyes." And
he kissed her ruby lips, and played with her long tresses, and
placed his head on her bosom, so that she began to dream of
human happiness and an immortal soul.

" You are not afraid of the sea, my dumb child ? " he said to her
when they were standing on the stately ship that was to take him
to the neighbouring king's country. He told her of the storm and
of the calm, of the strange fishes in the deep, and of the marvel-
lous things divers had seen there. She smiled at his words, for
who knew more about the things at the bottom of the sea than
she did ? In the moonlight night, when all were asleep except
the man at the wheel, she sat on board, gazing down into the

THE LITTLE MERMAID 161

clear water. Then she imagined she saw her father's castle ; and
her grandmother with her silver crown on her head, looking up
through the violent currents at the ship's keel. Her sisters came
up to the surface, looked mournfully at her, and wrung their white
hands. She beckoned them, smiled, and wished to tell them she
was comfortable and happy, but a sailor boy approached her, and
her sisters dived under, so that he thought the white objects he
had seen were foam on the surface of the water.

The next morning the ship arrived in the harbour of the neigh-
bouring king's splendid city. All the church bells were merrily
pealing, trumpets were sounding from the high towers, while the
soldiers paraded, with colours flying and bayonets glittering.
Every day another festivity took place ; balls and entertainments
followed one another; but the princess had not yet come. They
said she was being educated in a sacred temple far away, where
she was learning every royal virtue. At last she arrived. The little
mermaid was anxious to see her beauty, and did not fail to
acknowledge it when she saw her. She had never seen a lovelier
being; her complexion was clear and delicate, and behind dark
lashes smiled a pair of dark blue, faithful-looking eyes.

"You are she who saved me when I was lying like a dead
body on the beach," said the prince, and he pressed his blushing
bride to his heart. " I am too happy," he said to the little
mermaid. " My greatest hopes have been realised. You will be
glad to hear of my happiness, for you have always been so kind to
me." The little mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if her heart
was going to break. She knew that she was to die on his wedding
morning, and turn to foam on the sea.

The church bells pealed, heralds rode through the streets and
innounced the engagement. On all the altars sweet-smelling
)il burnt in costly silver lamps. The priests swung their censers ;
iride and bridegroom joined hands, and received the bishop's
>lessing. The little mermaid was dressed in silk and gold, and
arried the bride's train ; but her ears did not hear the festive
lusic, her eyes did not see the sacred ceremony ; she thought of
ie night of her death, and all that she had lost in this world.

The very same evening bride and bridegroom went on board
VOL. i. L

i6z STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

the ship ; the cannons roared ; the flags streamed in the wind ;
in the middle of the ship a beautiful tent of purple and gold was
erected for the royal couple.

The sails swelled in the wind, and the ship glided gently and
lightly through the smooth sea. When it became dark, coloured
lamps were lit, and the sailors danced merrily on deck. The
little mermaid could not help thinking of the first time she rose
to the surface, when she had witnessed the same splendour and
joy; she danced madly, hovering like a swallow when it is
pursued. All applauded her, for she had never danced so well.
It was like sharp knives cutting her tender feet, but she did not
feel it ; her heart suffered much greater pain. She knew that it I
was the last evening that she was to be with him — him for whom
she had deserted her relatives and her home, sacrificed her sweet
voice, and daily suffered endless pain, while he had not the
slightest idea of it. It was the last night that she could breathe
the same air with him, and see the deep sea and the starry sky ;
eternal night, without thought or dream, was waiting for her who
had not been able to gain a soul. On board the ship joy and
merriment lasted till long past midnight ; she laughed and danced
while her heart was full of thoughts of death. The prince
kissed his beautiful bride, and she fondly touched his dark curls,
and arm in arm they retired to rest in the magnificent tent.

Then all became still on board ; only the man at the wheel
remained at his post. The little mermaid rested her white arms
on the railing of the ship, and looked towards the east for the
morning dawn; the first sunbeam she knew would kill her.
She saw her sisters rising out of the waves ; they were as pale as
herself; their beautiful long hair was no longer fluttering in the
wind— it was cut off. " We have given it to the witch, that
we might help you, and save you from death to-night. She has
given us a knife ; here it is ! Look how sharp it is ! Before the
sun rises you must thrust it into the prince's heart, and when the
warm blood spurts upon your feet, they will grow together again
into a fish-tail, and you will be a mermaid once more ; then you
can come back to us, and live your three hundred years before
you become dead salt sea-foam. Hasten ! You or he must die

THE LITTLE MERMAID 163

before the sun rises. Our grandmother is so grieved, her white
hair has also been cut off by the witch's scissors. Kill the prince
and return to us ! Hasten ! Do you see that red streak in
the sky ? In a few minutes the sun will rise, and then you must
die ! "

Then they heaved a mournful sigh, and disappeared in the
waves.

The little mermaid drew back the purple curtain at the door of
the tent, and saw the beautiful bride lying with her head on the
prince's breast. She bent down and kissed his forehead, and
looked up to the sky, where daybreak was approaching ; then she
looked at the sharp knife, and again at the prince, who murmured
his bride's name in his dreams. Only she was in his thoughts,
and the knife trembled in the little mermaid's hand. Suddenly
she threw it far out into the sea, and where it fell the waves
looked red, and it seemed as if drops of blood were spurting
up out of the water. As she was passing away she looked
once more at the prince, then threw herself down from the ship
into the sea, and felt her body dissolving into foam.

The sun rose out of the sea, and his rays fell with gentleness
and warmth upon the cold sea-foam; the little mermaid felt
no pain of death. She saw the bright sun, and above her were
hovering hundreds of transparent beings ; their language was
, melodious, but so ethereal that no human ear could hear them,
and no earthly eye could see them; they were lighter than
s air, and floated about in it without wings. The little mermaid
. noticed that she had a body like theirs, which rose higher and
higher out of the foam.

" Where am I coming to ? " she asked, and her voice sounded
jlike that of the other beings — so ethereal that no earthly music
. could equal it. " To the daughters of the air," replied the others.
"The mermaids have no immortal souls, and can never obtain
,one unless they gain the love of human beings; their eternal
existence depends on another's power. The daughters of the air
have no immortal soul either, but they can obtain one for them-
, selves by good actions. We fly to the hot countries where the
poisonous vapours kill mankind, and bring them cool breezes.

i64

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

We spread the fragrance of the flowers through the air, an
refresh and heal them. When we have striven for three hundred
years to achieve all the good that is in our power, we obtain an
immortal soul, and share the eternal happiness of mankind.
You poor little mermaid, you have striven with all your heart for

the same object ; you have endured and suffered ; now you have
risen to the aerial world ; and now, after three hundred years of
good works, you will gain an immortal soul for yourself."

And the little mermaid raised her eyes up to the sun and felt
tears in them for the first time.

On the ship there was life and noise once more ; she saw how
the prince and his beautiful bride were looking for her ; mourn-
fully they gazed at the glittering foam, as if they knew that she
had thrown herself into the waves. Invisibly she kissed the bride's
forehead and caressed the prince ; then she rose with the other
children of the air up to the rosy cloud which sailed through
the ether.

"After three hundred years we float thus into the eternal
Kingdom of God ! "

THE LOVERS 165

" But we may get there sooner," whispered one of the daughters
of the air. " Invisibly we penetrate into the houses of human
beings, where they have children, and for every day on which we
find a good child that causes its parents joy and deserves their
love, God shortens our period of probation. The child does not
know when we fly through the room, and if we smile for joy, one
of the three hundred years is taken off; but if we see a naughty
or wicked child, we must shed tears of sorrow, and every tear
augments our period of probation by one day.

The Lovers

TOP and a little ball lay together among
other toys in a drawer. The top said to the
little ball one day, " Shall we be sweethearts,
as we are lying together here in the same
drawer?" But the little ball, which was
covered with red morocco, and thought as
much of itself as any young lady, would not
even reply to such a proposal.
On the next day the little boy to whom the toys belonged took

ie top, painted it red and yellow, and drove a nail with a brass

ead into it, so that the top looked very beautiful when it was

Dinning round.
" Look at me," it said to the little ball. "What do you say to

lis ? Shall we be sweethearts now ? We are so well suited to

ich other ; you jump and I dance. No two people could be

ippier than we two."
"Really, do you think so?" replied the little ball. "You

idently do not know that my father and mother were morocco

ppers, and that I have a Spanish cork in my body.

"Very well, but I am made of mahogany," said the top. " The

:iyor himself has turned me, for he has a lathe of his own which

•uses him a great deal of pleasure."

1 66

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"Can I depend upon this being true?" asked the little
ball.

" May I never be whipped again, if I do not speak the truth,"
replied the top.

" You know very well how to plead your cause," said the little
ball. " But I cannot comply
with your wishes, for I am as good
as engaged to a swallow. When-
ever I fly up into the air it puts
its head out of the nest and asks
me : ' Will you ? ' And in myself
I have already said Yes, and that
is as much as half an engagement ;
but I will promise never to forget
you."

"What is the good of that to
me?" said the top ; and they spoke
no more to each other.

Soon after this conversation
the boy took out the little ball.
The top saw it flying high up
into the air, like a bird, till it was
no longer visible : it always came
back, and every time it touched
the ground it made a high leap ;
this was either because it was
desirous to fly up again, or be-
cause it had a Spanish cork in its
body.

When the boy threw it up for
the ninth time, the little ball did
not come back ; he looked every-
where for it, but could not find it — it was gone.

" I know very well where it has gone to," sighed the top, " it is
in the swallow's nest, and has married the swallow." The more
the top thought of this, the more it loved the little ball ; and its
love increased for the very reason that its wish could not be

THE LOVERS 167

fulfilled, for the little ball had married another; and the top
twirled round and hummed, and was continually thinking of the
little ball, which, to its imagination, became more and more
beautiful. Thus the years passed by, and its love grew quite
old.

The top itself was no longer young ; but one day it was gilded
all over, and looked more beautiful than it had ever done before.
Now it was a golden top, and leapt and twirled till it hummed.
But suddenly it jumped too high and was gone.

They sought it everywhere, even in the cellar, but it was not to
be found.

Where was it ?

It had jumped into the dust-bin, where all sorts of rubbish were
lying: old cabbage stalks, dust and dirt, that had fallen down
through the gutter.

" Here, I am well placed indeed ! Here my gilding will soon
disappear. Oh, what company I have come into ! " And then it
looked at a long naked cabbage stalk and at a peculiar round
thing that was much like an old apple ; but it was no apple — it
was an old ball which had lain for many years in the gutter and
was soaked through with water.

" Heaven be thanked ! here is an equal at last ; somebody to
whom one can talk," said the little ball, and looked at the gilded
top. " I was originally covered with morocco, and sewn by the
hands of a young lady, and have a Spanish cork in my body ; but
nobody will think so now. I was on the point of marrying a
swallow, but then I dropped into the gutter, and there I remained
more than five years, and was thoroughly soaked through. You
can believe me, it was a very long time for a little ball."

But the top said nothing ; it thought of its old love, and the
more the little ball talked, the more it became certain that this
was its old sweetheart. Just then the servant came to throw
some rubbish into the dust-bin. " Ah, there is the gilt top,"
she said.

Thus the top came again to respectability and honour, but the
little ball was never heard of again. The top did not mention its
old love any more, for love vanishes when one's sweetheart has

1 68 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

lain five years in the gutter and become soaked through ; one does
not recognise it again, if one meets it in the dust-bin.

Thumbelina

INCE upon a time there was a woman who
wished very much to have a very small
child, but she did not know where to get
one. So she went to an old witch and said
to her : " I would so very much like to have
a small child ; can you tell me where I can
get one ? "

"Oh, we shall soon be able to manage
that," said the witch. " Here is a barleycorn ; it is not of the
same kind that grows in the farmer's field, or that the chickens
get to eat. Put it into a flower-pot, and you will see something."
"Thank you," said the woman, and gave the witch twelve
shillings, for that was the price of it. Then she went home and
planted the barleycorn ; immediately there grew up a large hand-
some flower, looking like a tulip; the leaves, however, were
tightly closed, as though it were still a bud. "It is a beautiful
flower," said the woman, kissing its red and yellow leaves ; but as
she kissed it the flower opened with a bang. It was a real tulip,
as could now be seen ; but in the middle of the flower, on the
green velvety pistils, sat a tiny maiden, delicately and gracefully
formed. She was scarcely half a thumb's length high, and there-
fore she was called Thumbelina.

A neat polished walnut-shell served Thumbelina for a
cradle, blue violet leaves were her mattresses, and a rose-leaf her
blanket. There she slept at night, but in the daytime she played
about on the table, where the woman had put a plate with a
wreath of flowers round it, the stalks of which stood in water.
On this water floated a large tulip leaf, and on this she could sit
and row from one side of the plate to the other, having two

THUMBELINA

,69

white horse-hairs for oars. It looked wonderfully pretty. She
could sing, too, and indeed, so tenderly and prettily as had never
been heard before.

One night, as she was lying in
her pretty bed, an old toad came
creeping in through the window,
in which there was a broken pane.
The toad was a very ugly one,
large and wet; it hopped down
upon the table, where Thumbelina
lay sleeping under the red rose-
leaf.

" She would be a pretty wife for
my son," said the toad, taking the
walnut-shell in which Thumbelina
was sleeping, and hopping with it
through the window, down into
the garden.

There flowed a great wide
brook, the margin of which was
swampy and marshy, and here
lived the toad with her son.
Ugh ! he was so ugly and nasty,
and looked just like his mother
"Croak, croak! Crek-kek-kex ! »
was all that he could say when
he spied the graceful little girl in
the walnut-shell.

" Don't speak so loud, else you'll
wake her," said the old toad.
"She might run away from us,
for she is as light as swan's-down,
so we will put her on one of the broad leaves of the water-lily in
the brook ; that will be just like an island for her, she is so light
and small. She will not be able to run away from there while
we are getting ready the state-room under the marsh, where you
ire to live and keep house."

170 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Out in the brook there grew a great many water-lilies with broad
green leaves, which looked as though they were floating on the
water ; the leaf which lay farthest off was the largest, to this the
old toad swam out, and laid the walnut-shell with Thumbelina
upon it.

Tiny Thumbelina woke early in the morning, and when she
saw where she was she began to cry very bitterly ; for there was
water on every side of the great green leaf, and she could not get
to land.

The old toad was sitting in the marsh decking out her room

with reeds and yellow flowers — it was to be made very pretty for
the new daughter-in-law ; then she swam out with her ugly son
to the leaf where Thumbelina was. They wanted to fetch her
pretty bed, which was to be placed in the bridal chamber before
she herself entered it. The old toad bowed low in the water
before her and said : " Here you have my son ; he will be your
husband, and you will live in great splendour down in the marsh."
" Croak, croak ! Crek-kek-kex ! " was all that the son could say.
Then they took the pretty little bed and swam away with it,
leaving Thumbelina sitting alone on the green leaf, crying, for she
did not want to live with the nasty old toad, or have her ugly son
for a husband. The little fishes swimming down in the water
had both seen the toad and also heard what she had said ; so
they put out their heads, for they wanted to see the little girl too.
As soon as they saw her they thought her so pretty that they felt
very sorry that she was to go down to the ugly toad. No, that should

THUMBELINA 17,

never be ! They assembled together down in the water, round
the green stalk that held the leaf on which the tiny maiden stood,
and with their teeth they gnawed away the stalk ; the leaf floated
away down the stream with Thumbelina — far away, where the
toad could not reach her.

Thumbelina sailed by many towns, and the little birds sitting
in the bushes saw her and sang, " What a lovely little girl ! "
The leaf went floating away with her farther and farther, and so
Thumbelina travelled right out of the country.

A pretty little white butterfly kept fluttering around her, and at
last sat down upon the leaf. Thumbelina pleased him, and she
was very glad of it, for now the toad could not reach her, and it
was so beautiful where she was; the sun was shining on the
water, making it sparkle like the brightest silver. She took her
girdle, and tied one end of it round the butterfly, fastening the
other end of the ribbon to the leaf ; it glided along much quicker
now, and she too, for of course she was standing on it.

A great cockchafer came flying along, who spied her, and im-
mediately clasped his claws round her slender waist and flew up
with her into a tree. The green leaf floated down the stream, and
the butterfly with it ; for he was bound fast to the leaf and could
not get away.

Heavens ! how frightened poor Thumbelina was when the cock-
chafer flew up into the tree with her. But she was mostly grieved
for the sake of the beautiful white butterfly which she had bound
fast ; in case he could not free himself, he would be obliged to
starve. But the cockchafer did not care about that. He sat
down with her on the largest green leaf of the tree, gave her the
honey from the flowers to eat, and told her that she was very
pretty, although she was not at all like a cockchafer.

Later on all the other cockchafers who lived in the tree came to
pay a visit ; they looked at Thumbelina and said, " She has not
even more than two legs ; that looks miserable ! " " She hasn't
any feelers," said another. " She has such a narrow waist, and
looks quite human. Ugh, how ugly she is ! " said all the lady
cockchafers ; and yet Thumbelina was very pretty — even the cock-
chafer who had carried her off admitted that. But when all the

1 72 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

others said she was ugly, he at last believed it too, and would no
longer have her; she might go where she liked. So they flew
from off the tree with her and put her upon a daisy ; she wept
because she was so ugly that the cockchafers would not have her,
and yet she was the loveliest little girl that one could imagine — as
delicate and as tender as the most beautiful rose-leaf.

The whole summer through poor Thumbelina lived alone in the
great forest. She wove herself a bed out of blades of grass, and
hung it under a shamrock, in order to be protected from the rain ;
she gathered the honey out of the flowers for food, and drank of
the dew that was on the leaves every morning. In this way
summer and autumn passed, but now came winter — the long, cold
winter. All the birds who had sung so beautifully about her flew
away ; the trees became bare and the flowers faded. The large
shamrock under which she had lived dried up, and there remained
nothing of it but a withered stalk ; she was dreadfully cold, for her
clothes were in tatters, and she herself was so small and delicate.
Poor little Thumbelina, she would be frozen to death. It began
to snow, and every snow-flake that fell upon her was like a whole
shovelful thrown upon us ; for we are so tall, and she was only an
inch long. So she wrapped herself in a dry leaf, but that tore in
half and would not warm her ; she was shivering with cold.

Close to the wood to which she had now come lay a large corn-
field ; but the corn was gone long since, and only the dry naked
stubbles stood up out of the frozen ground. These were like a
forest for her to wander through, and oh ! how she was trembling
with cold. In this state she reached the door of a field-mouse
who occupied a hole under the corn stubbles. There the mouse
lived comfortably, had a whole room full of corn, a splendid
kitchen and larder. Poor Thumbelina stood before the door like
a little beggar girl, and asked for a piece of a barleycorn, for she
had not had a bit to eat for two days.

" You poor little creature ! " said the field-mouse — for she was
really a good old mouse — " come into my warm room and dine
with me."

Now, being pleased with Thumbelina, she said : " If you like,
you can stay with me the whole winter, but you must keep my

THUMBELINA ,73

room clean and neat, and tell me tales, for I am very fond of them."
And Thumbelina did what the good old field-mouse wished, and
in return was treated uncommonly well.

" Now we shall soon have a visit," said the field-mouse ; " my
neighbour is in the habit of visiting me once a week. He is even
better off than I am ; has large rooms, and wears a beautiful black
velvety fur. If you could only get him for a husband you would
be well provided for. But he cannot see. You must tell him the
prettiest stories that you know."

But Thumbelina did not trouble herself about it; she did not
think much of the neighbour, for he was only a mole.

He came and paid a visit in his black velvety fur. He was so
rich and so learned, said the field-mouse, and his dwelling was
twenty times larger than hers; he possessed great learning, but
he could not bear the sun and the beautiful flowers. Of the
latter he seldom spoke, for he had never seen them.

Thumbelina had to sing, and she sang: "Cockchafer
cockchafer, fly away," and "When the parson goes afield." }\
So the mole fell in love with her because of her beautiful voice :
but he said nothing, for he was a prudent man.

A short time before, he had dug a passage through the earth
from his house to theirs, and the field-mouse and Thumbelina
received permission to take a walk in this passage as often as they
liked. But he begged them not to be afraid of the dead bird
which lay there. It was an entire bird, with feathers and beak,
who had probably died only a short time before, and was buried
just where the mole had made his passage.

The mole took a piece of decayed wood in his mouth, for that
glimmers like a light in the dark, and then went on in front, and
lighted them through the long dark passage. When they came
to the spot where the dead bird lay, the mole thrust his broad
nose against the ceiling and pushed the earth up, so that a large
hole was made, through which the light could shine down. In
the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, with its beautiful
wings pressed close to its sides and its feet and head drawn under
its feathers; the poor bird had certainly died of cold. This
grieved Thumbelina very much ; she was very fond of all the

I74 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

little birds who had sung and twittered so beautifully to her all
the summer. But the mole kicked him with his crooked legs, and
said, " He doesn't pipe any more now. How miserable it must
be to be born a little bird ! Thank Heaven, that can happen
to none of my children ; such a bird has nothing but his tweet,
and is obliged to starve in winter."

" Yes, you may well say that as a sensible man," said the field-
mouse. " What does the bird get for all his twittering when winter
comes ? He must starve and freeze. But I suppose that is con-
sidered very grand."

Thumbelina said nothing ; but when the two others had turned
their backs upon the bird, she bent down, and putting the feathers
aside which covered its head, she kissed him upon his closed
eyes.

"Perhaps it was he who sang so beautifully to me in the
summer," she thought. How much pleasure he has given me,
the dear, beautiful bird ! "

The mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylight
shone in, and then accompanied the ladies home. But at night
Thumbelina could get no sleep ; so she got up from her bed and
wove a fine large carpet of hay, which she carried along, and
spread out over the dead bird. She also laid the tender stamina
of flowers, which were as soft as cotton, and which she had found
in the field-mouse's room, around the bird, so that he might lie
warm.

" Good-bye, you beautiful little bird," she said. " Good-bye
and many thanks for your beautiful singing in summer, when all
the trees were green and the sun shone down warm upon us."
Then she laid her head upon the bird's heart. But the bird was
not dead ; he was only lying there benumbed, and having now
been warmed again was coming back to life.

In autumn all the swallows fly away to warm countries ; but if
there is one who is belated, it gets so frozen that it drops down as
if dead, and remains lying where it falls, and soon the cold snow
covers it.

Thumbelina trembled, so frightened was she, for the bird was
big, very big, compared with her, who was only an inch long.

THUMBELINA 175

But she took courage, and laying the cotton more closely round
the poor swallow, she fetched a leaf of mint which she herself had
used as a blanket, and laid it over the bird's head.

The next night she again stole up to him ; he was alive, but
very weak, and could open his eyes only for a short moment to
look at Thumbelina, who stood before him with a piece of
decaying wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern.

" Thank you, my pretty little child," said the sick swallow to
her. " I have been so beautifully warm. Soon I shall get my
strength back and will then be able to fly about in the warm
sunshine outside."

" Oh ! " said she, " it is cold outside ; it is snowing and freezing.
Stay in your warm bed ; I will take care of you."

Then she brought the swallow some water in a leaf of a flower.
This the swallow drank, and told her how he had torn one of his
wings on a thorn-bush, and had therefore been unable to fly so
quickly as the other swallows who had flown far away to warm
countries. So he had at last fallen to the ground, but could not
remember anything more, and did not at all know how he had
come there.

So he remained down there the whole winter, and Thumbelina
nursed and tended him with all her heart ; neither the mole nor
the field-mouse knew anything about it, for they did not like the
poor swallow at all.

As soon as spring came, and the sun warmed the earth, the
swallow said good-bye to Thumbelina, who opened the hole
which the mole had made up above. The sun shone in beautifully
upon them, and the swallow asked her whether she would go with
him ; she could sit upon his back, he said, and they would fly far
into the green forest. But Thumbelina knew that it would grieve
the old field-mouse if she left her like that. "No, I cannot,"
she said.

' Good-bye, good-bye, you good pretty little girl ! " said the
swallow, and flew out into the sunshine. Thumbelina looked
after him, and the tears came into her eyes, for she was very fond
of the poor swallow.

"Tweet, tweet," sang the bird and flew into the green forest

176 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Thumbelina was very sad. She got no permission to go out into
the warm sunshine. The corn which had been sown on the field
over the house of the field mouse grew up high into the air ; it
was a thick wood for the poor little girl who was only an inch
high.

"Now you are a bride, Thumbelina," said the field-mouse.
" Our neighbour has asked for your hand. What a great piece of
luck for a poor child ! Now you will have to make your outfit,
both woollen and linen clothes ; for you must lack nothing when
you are the mole's wife."

Thumbelina had to turn the spindle, and the field-mouse
hired four spiders to weave for her day and night. Every evening
the mole used to visit them, and was always saying that at the end
of the summer the sun would not shine so warm by a long way,
that it was burning the earth as hard as a stone. Yes, when the
summer was over he would celebrate his marriage with Thumbelina.
But the latter was not at all pleased, for she could not bear the
tiresome mole. Every morning when the sun rose, and every
evening when it set she stole out to the door, and when the wind
parted the ears of corn, so that she could see the blue sky, she
would think how bright and beautiful it was out there, and would
have a great longing to see the dear swallow again. But he never
came back; he had probably flown far away into the beautiful
green wood.

When autumn came, Thumbelina had her whole outfit ready.

" You are to be married in four weeks," said the field-mouse
to her. But Thumbelina wept, and said she would not have the
tiresome mole.

" Fiddlesticks ! " said the field-mouse ; " don't be obstinate, or
I will bite you with my white teeth. He is a fine man whom you
are going to marry. The Queen herself has not such black
velvety fur. He has a full kitchen and cellar. Be thankful for
it!"

Now the wedding was to take place. The mole had already
come to fetch Thumbelina ; she was to live with him deep down
under the earth, and never come out to the warm sunshine, for
that he did not like. The poor little girl was very sad ; she was

THUMBELINA 177

now to say good-bye to the beautiful sun, which, while she lived
with the field-mouse, she had always had permission to look at
from the door. " Good-bye, bright sun ! " she said, and stretched
her arms out high, and walked a little way off from the house of
the field-mouse, for now the corn was cut and there remained
only the dry stubbles. " Good-bye, good-bye ! " she said, and
wound her arms round a little red flower which was still blooming
there. "Greet the little swallow for me, if you see him."
! " Tweet, tweet," suddenly sounded above her head ; she looked
,up, and saw the little swallow, who was just flying by. When he
ispied Thumbelina, he was very pleased ; she told him how un-
.willing she was to marry the ugly mole, and that she would have
|to live deep down under the earth, where the sun never shone.
She could not held crying in telling it.

j "The cold winter is coming now," said the little swallow; "I
•am flying away to warm countries ; will you come with me ? You
lean sit on my back ; then we shall fly away from the ugly mole
and his dark room, far away over the mountains, to warm
Countries, where the sun shines more beautifully than here, where
l .t is always summer and there are glorious flowers. Do fly with
i ne, dear little Thumbelina — you who saved my life when I lay
rozen in the dark underground cellar."

[; " Yes, I will go with you," said Thumbelina ; and she seated
5 icrself on the bird's back, with her feet on his outspread wing,
Binding her girdle fast to one of his strongest feathers. Then the
\ wallow flew up into the air, over forest and sea, high up over
Ihe great mountains, where snow always lies. And Thumbelina
!r>egan to freeze in the cold air, but then she crept under the bird's
harm feathers, and only put out her little head to admire all the
g-eauty beneath her.

I At last they came to the warm countries. There the sun shone

I ir brighter than here , the sky seemed twice as high, and in the

r itches and on the hedges grew the finest green and blue grapes.

ti i the woods hung citron and oranges ; the air was heavy with

I le scent of myrtle and mint, and on the high roads the prettiest

ttle children ran and played with large coloured butterflies.

I ut the swallow flew still farther, and it became more and more

VOL. i. M

178 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

beautiful. Under the most majestic green trees by the blue lake
stood a marble castle of dazzling whiteness, all of the olden time, i
Vines wound themselves round the tall pillars, and up above
there were a number of swallows' nests, and in one of these lived
the swallow who was carrying Thumbelina.

" This is my house," said the swallow. " But it would not be
proper for you to live with me here, and my arrangements are
not such as you would be satisfied with. Pick out for yourself
one of the most beautiful flowers that are growing down there ;
then I will put you into it, and you shall have everything as nice1
as you can wish.'

" That is glorious ! " she said, clapping her little hands.
There lay a large white marble pillar which had fallen to the
ground and broken into three pieces; between these grew the
finest large white flowers . The swallow flew down with Thumbe-
lina, and set her upon one of the broad petals. But what was
her surprise ! There in the middle of the flower sat a little man,,
as white and transparent as if he were made of glass ; he wore the
prettiest golden crown on his head, and had splendid little wings
on his shoulders ; he himself was no bigger than Thumbelina.
He was the angel of the flower. In every flower lived such a
little man or woman ; but this one was the king of all.

" Heavens ! how beautiful he is ! " whispered Thumbelina to the
swallow. The little prince was very frightened at the sight of
the swallow, for it was a giant bird compared to him, who was so;
small and delicate. But when he spied Thumbelina he was
greatly pleased; she was the prettiest little girl he had ever seen.
He therefore took his golden crown from off his head, and put it,
upon hers, asking her what her name was, and whether she would
be his wife ; then she should be queen of all the flowers. He
was indeed quite a different man to the son of the toad, and
the mole with the black velvety fur. She said " Yes " to the
grand prince. And out of every flower came a lady and a gentle-
man, so dainty that they were a pleasure to behold. Each one
brought Thumbelina a present ; but the best of all was a pair of
beautiful wings from a large white fly ; these were fastened on to
Thumbelina's back, and now she too could fly from flower to flower.

THE FLAX ,79

There was much rejoicing, and the little swallow sat up in his
nest, and was to sing the bridal song ; this he did as well as he
could, although in his heart he was sad, for he was so fond of
Thumbelina, and would have liked never to separate himself
from her.

"You shall not be called Thumbelina," said the Flower Angel
to her. " That is an ugly name, and you are too pretty for it.
We will call you Maia." " Good-bye, good-bye ! " said the little
swallow with a heavy heart, and flew away from the warm
countries back to Denmark. There he had a little nest over the
window where the man lives who can tell tales. To him he
sang " Tweet, tweet." That is how we know the whole story.

The Flax

[HE flax was standing in full bloom ; it had
pretty blue flowers, as delicate as the wings
of a moth, if not more so. The sun was
warming it with his rays, the rain-clouds
watered it; and that was as beneficial to
the flax as it is to little children to be
washed and afterwards kissed by their
mothers. It makes them look much
brighter. So it did the flax.

" People say I am standing very well," said the flax ; " that I

1 have a good length to make a piece of strong linen. Oh, I am

( so very happy ! I am certainly the happiest of all plants ! How

well I am cared for ! And I shall be useful ! How much I

enjoy the warm sun, how much the rain refreshes me. I am

exceedingly happy— nay, I am the happiest of all plants."

"That is all very well," said a fence-post; "you do not know
: the world as well as I, for I have plenty of knots in me." And
1 then it groaned quite piteously :

1 Snip, snap, snurre —
Bassellurre :
Ended is the song."

,8o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"No, it is not ended," said the flax, "the sun will shine to-
morrow, or the rain will refresh us. I feel how I am growing.
I see that I am in full flower, I am the happiest of all plants."

One day people came, seized the flax and pulled it out by the
roots ; that was very painful ! They placed it in water as if they
intended to drown it, and afterwards hung it over a fire, as if they
wished to fry it. It was dreadful !

" One cannot always be happy," said the flax ; " one must also
suffer in order to become experienced."

And things much worse happened to it. The flax was steeped,
roasted, broken, and hackled. How could it possibly know the
names of the various operations they performed upon it ? After-
wards the flax was put on the spinning-wheel. "Whirr, whirr,"
the wheel turned so rapidly round that the flax was not able to
gather its thoughts.

" How very happy I was," it thought, whilst it suffered agonies
of pain ; " one must be contented with the good one has enjoyed
in the past. Contented, contented ! " Thus the flax still said,
when it was put on the loom. A large piece of beautiful linen
was woven from it, and all the flax, to the very last stalk, was
used up for this one piece.

"But this is marvellous; I should never have thought it!
Fortune favours me very much indeed. The fence-post knew
something after all when it sang :

'Snip, snap, snvrre—
Bassellurre.'

The song is by no means ended. No, on the contrary, now
it only begins. That is very extraordinary. I have suffered a
great deal, no doubt, but now I have turned out something useful
I am the happiest of all plants ! How strong and fine, how
white and long I am. It is something very different from being
only a plant, although it bears flowers ; as a plant, one is not so
much looked after, and gets water only when it rains. Now I
am well cared for ; the maid turns me over every morning, and
at night she gives me a shower-bath with the watering-pot ; the
pastor's wife has even made a speech in praise of me ; she said

THE FLAX 181

that I was the best piece of linen in the whole parish. I cannot
possibly be happier than I am now ! "

The linen was taken into the house and operated upon with
scissors. How they cut and tore it, and pricked it with sewing-
needles ; it was by no means a pleasure ! They made twelve
garments of it of a kind which people do not like to mention,
although nobody can get on without them ; they made a whole
dozen out of one piece of linen.

" Look at me now," said the flax, " only now I have become
something really useful, and clearly understand what I am
destined for in this world. What a blessing ! Now I am useful,
and so everybody ought to be, for that is the only true happiness
in the world. Although they have cut twelve pieces of me,
all the twelve are one and the same ; we just make up the dozea
What an exceptional luck ! "

Years and years passed : the garments were so much worn
that they began to fall to pieces.

" There must be an end one day," said every piece. " I should
have very much liked to last a little longer, but one must not
expect more than is possible."

Then they were torn into rags and tatters. " It is all over
now," they thought, when they were ground in a mill, soaked, and
boiled, and went through various processes they were unable to
remember. But they became beautiful white paper.

" That is a surprise indeed, and what a pleasant one," said the
paper. " Now I am finer than before, and now they will write
upon me. That is an extraordinary good fortune.
i And really the most interesting stories and beautiful stanzas were
written upon the paper, and there was only one ink-blot ; of course
this was quite an exceptional chance. And the people heard
what was written upon it; it was good and clever, and made
them better and enlightened them. Thus the words written on
this paper produced a great blessing.

" That is more than I ever dreamt of, when I was a little blue
flower in the field. How could it come into my mind that I
should be destined to give mankind pleasure and knowledge ? I
can hardly believe it, and yet it is true. God knows that I have

i8t STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

myself done nothing more with my feeble strength than what was
necessary for my existence and growfh, and yet He heaps honour
after honour upon me. Whenever I think, ' Now the song is
ended,' I pass into something better and higher. Now I shall
probably travel about in the world, that all people may read what
is written upon me. It can't be otherwise ; it is most likely. I
have so many great thoughts written upon me as I had formerly
blue flowers. I am indeed the happiest of all plants."

The paper, however, was not sent on travels — nay, it was taken to
the printer's, and there the whole manuscript was set up in type,
and a book, or rather many hundreds of books were made of it,
so that many more might have pleasure and profit from the
writing than was possible if the paper on which it was written
had been sent about in the world ; no doubt it would have fallen
to pieces before it had performed half its journey.

"Certainly, this is the wisest thing that could be done,"
thought the written paper, " although it never struck me. I
remain at home, and am honoured like an old grandfather, for
that I am indeed to all new books. Thus some good can be
done. I should not have been able to wander so much about.
Only he who wrote the book has looked at me, for every one of
his words run out of his pen straight upon me. I am the happiest
of all!"

Then the paper was tied up in a bundle with other papers, and
thrown into a cask which stood in the wash-house.

" When the work is done, it is pleasant to rest," said the paper.
" It is wise to collect one's thoughts and to reflect on all that lives
in one. It is only now that I thoroughly understand all that is
written upon me. I wonder what will happen now ? Surely there
will be progress again ; one always advances — that I know by my
own experience."

One day all the paper was taken out of the cask and placed on
the hearth ; it was to be burnt, for people said it must not be
sold to tradesmen to wrap butter or sugar in it. All the children
of the house were standing round the fireplace, for they wished to
see the paper burning ; it flamed up so beautifully, and afterwards
One could see so many red sparks flying about in the ashes : one

THE FLAX 183

after another of the sparks disappeared as quickly as the wind.
They called it " seeing the children coming out of school " : the
last spark was the schoolmaster. They thought they knew all
about it, but that was a mistake. We, however, shall soon know.

All the old paper, the whole bundle of it, was put on the fire and
was soon ablaze. " Ugh," it said, and flamed up high. " Ugh,
that is not at all pleasant ; " but when all was alight the bright
flames reached much higher than the flax would ever have been
able to stretch its little blue flowers, and the flames shone more
brightly than the linen could ever have done. All the written
letters turned red for a moment, and all the words and thoughts
they expressed vanished in the flames. " Now I am flying straight
up to the sun," said a voice in the flame ; and it seemed as if a
thousand voices repeated it, and the flames came out of the
chimney-pot.

And finer than the flames, invisible to human eyes, there were
rising up as many little beings as the flax had had flowers. They
were still lighter than the flame that had borne them, and when it
was extinguished and nothing left of the paper but black ashes,
they danced once more over the ashes, and wherever they touched
it red sparks leapt up. " The children came out of school, and
the last was the schoolmaster." That was a pleasure ! And the
children sang :

" Snip, snap, snurre —
Bassellurre :
Ended is the song,'*

-s

But all the little invisible beings said : " The song is never ended
—that is the best of all ; and therefore I am the happiest of all in
the world."

Of course the children could neither hear nor understand it, and
that was quite right, for children must not know everything.

1 84

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Princess and the Pea

NCE upon a time there was a prince who
wanted to marry a princess ; but she would
have to be a real princess. He travelled
all over the world to find one, but nowhere
could he get what he wanted. There were
princesses enough, but it was difficult to find
out whether they were real ones. There was
always something about them that was not as

it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would

have liked very much to have a

real princess.

One evening a terrible storm

came on ; there was thunder

and lightning, and the rain

poured down in torrents.

Suddenly a knocking was heard

at the city gate, and the old

king went to open it.

It was a princess standing

out there in front of the gate.

But, good gracious ! what a

sight the rain and the wind had

made her look. The water ran

down from her hair and clothes ; it ran down into the toes of her

shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was

a real princess.

" Well, we'll soon find that out," thought the old queen. But

she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off

the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom ; then she took twenty

mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down

beds on top of the mattresses.

On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she

was asked how she had slept.

" Oh, very badly ! " said she. " I have scarcely closed my

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 185

eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I
was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over
my body. It's horrible ! "

Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had
felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty
eider-down beds.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had
a real princess ; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may
still be seen, if no one has stolen it.

There, that is a true story.
-/

The Garden of Paradise

NCE upon a time there was a king's son. No
one had so many fine books as he; he
could read in them about everything that
had happened in this world, and see pictures
of it all in beautiful engravings. He could
get information upon every nation and
every country ; but there was not a word to
say where the Garden of Paradise was to be
found, and that happened to be just what he thought most about.
His grandmother had told him when he was still little, and was
about to go to school for the first time, that every flower in this
Garden of Paradise was made of the nicest cake, and that the
pistils contained the finest wines; that history was written on
some of them, and geography or tables on others, so that one had
only to eat cake to know one's lesson. The more one ate, the
more history, geography, and tables one would learn.

At that time he believed it. But soon, when he was a bigger
boy, and had learned more and become wiser, he understood well
enough that 'there must be quite a different kind of delight in the
Garden of Paradise.

" Oh, why did Eve pluck from the tree of knowledge ? Why
did Adam eat of the forbidden fruit ? If I had been he, it would

i86

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

not have happened. Sin would never have come into the world."
He said this then, and he still said so when he was seventeen
years old. The Garden of Paradise occupied all his thoughts.

One day he was walking in the wood alone, for that was his
greatest pleasure. The sun went down, and the sky became

clouded over. The rain came down as though the whole of
heaven were a single sluice-gate, out of which the water poured ;
and it was as dark as it is only at night in the deepest well. He
often slipped on the wet grass, and often fell over the smooth
stones which protruded from the wet rocky ground. Everything
was dripping with water ; there was not a dry thread on the poor
prince. He was obliged to clamber over great boulders, where
the water welled up out of the high moss. He was almost faint-
ing, when he heard a strange rushing sound and saw before him a
large illuminated cave. There was such a large fire burning in the
middle that a stag could have been roasted before it. And indeed
this was: being done. A splendid stag with long horns had been

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE i?9

placed upon a spit and was being slowly turned between two
felled pine-trunks. An elderly woman, tall and strong, looking
like a man in woman's clothes, was sitting by the fire and throwing
on one piece of wood after another.

" Come nearer," she said ; " sit down by the fire, so that your
clothes may dry."

" There's a terrible draught here," said the prince, sitting down
on the floor.

"It will' be worse when my sons come home," answered the
woman. " You are here in the Cave of the Winds ; my sons are
the four winds of the world. Can you understand that ? "

" Where are your sons ? " asked the prince.

"Well, it is difficult to answer when people ask stupid
questions," said the woman. "My sons do just as they like:
now they are playing at shuttlecock with the clouds up there in
the king's hall." And with these words she pointed upwards.

1 88 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Indeed ! " said the prince. " But I must say you speak rather
gruffly, and are not so gentle as the women I usually have about me."

"Well, I suppose they have nothing else to do. I must be
hard, if I wish to keep my boys in order; but that I can do,
although they are obstinate fellows. Do you see these four sacks
hanging on the wall ? They are as frightened of those as you used
to be of the rod behind the mirror. I can bend those boys
together, I tell you, and then I pop them into the sack ; we make
no ceremony about it. Then they sit there and dare not stir
out before I think fit. But here we have one of them."

It was the North-wind, who brought in icy coldness ; large hail-
stones skipped upon the floor, and snowflakes fluttered around.
He wore bearskin trousers and jacket, and a sealskin cap came
down over his ears ; long icicles hung down from his beard, and one
hailstone after another slid down from the collar of his jacket.

" Don't go near the fire at once," said the prince. " You might
get your hands and face frostbitten."

"Frostbitten?" said the North-wind, and laughed out loud.
" Cold is my greatest pleasure. And pray what tailor's son may
you be ? How did you come into the Cave of the Winds ? "

" He is my guest," said the old woman ; " and if you are not
satisfied with this explanation, you will find your way into the
sack. Do you understand me now ? "

That settled the matter ; and the North-wind told whence he
came, and where he had been almost a whole month.

" I come from the Polar Sea," said he. " I have been on
Bear Island with the Russian walrus-hunters. I sat at the helm
and slept when they set sail from the North Cape, and when I
awoke now and then the stormy petrel was flying about my legs.
What a strange bird that is ! It makes a quick stroke with its wings,
holds them stretched out and unmoved, and is then in full flight."

" Come, don't make your tale too long," said the mother of the
winds. " So you came to Bear Island ? "

" It is a beautiful place. The ground would do for dancing
on, smooth as china. The half-thawed snow mixed with a little
moss, sharp stones and the skeletons of walruses and ice-bears lay
all around, as well as giant arms and legs covered with mouldy

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 189

green. One would have believed that the sun had never shone
upon it at all. I blew the fog off a little in order to see the hut.
It was built of wreckage, covered over with walrus hides, the flesh
side of which had been turned outwards ; a live polar bear was
sitting on the roof growling. I went to the shore, and looking
into the birds' nests, saw the naked young ones, who were crying
with their beaks wide open. I blew down into their thousand
throats, and they learned to keep their beaks shut. A little
farther off, the walruses were rolling about like live entrails,
or giant worms with swine-heads and teeth a yard long."

"You tell your story beautifully, my son," said the mother.
" My mouth waters when I listen to you."

"Then the hunting began. The harpoon was thrust into the
breast of the walrus, so that the steaming blood rushed over the
ice like a fountain. Then I remembered my sport too. I blew
and made my ships, the towering icebergs, shut in the boats.
Hey ! how the men whistled and shouted ; but I whistled still
louder. They were obliged to throw the bodies of the dead
walruses, the boxes and the cordage out upon the ice. I shook
snow-flakes over them, and let them float southwards, in their
hemmed-in vessels, with what they had caught, to taste the sea-
waters. They will never come to Bear Island again."

" Then you have been doing mischief, "said the mother of the winds.

" The good that I have done others may tell about," said he.
" But here we have my brother from the West. I like him best
of all : he smells of the sea, and brings a fine coldness with him."

" Is that the little Zephyr ? " asked the prince.

11 It is indeed Zephyr," said the old woman. " But he is by no
means little. Years ago he was a pretty boy, but that time is now past."

He looked like a savage, and wore a padded hat, so that he
should not hurt himself in falling. In his hand he held a
mahogany club, hewn in the mahogany forests of America. It
was no plaything !

" Where do you come from ? " asked his mother.

" From the forest-wastes," said he, " where the water-snake lies
in the wet grass and people seem to be unnecessary."

" What did you do there ? "

190 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" I looked into the deepest river and saw how it hurled itself
from the rocks, became dust and flew up to the clouds to carry
the rainbow. I saw the wild buffalo swimming in the stream, and
how the current carried him away. He floated along with a flock
of wild ducks, who flew into the air when they came to the water-
fall. But the buffalo had to go down ; that pleased me, and I
raised a storm that shivered the oldest trees into splinters."

" And is that all you have done ? " asked the old woman.

" I have turned somersaults in the savannahs ; I have stroked
the wild horses, and shaken down the coker-nuts. Dear me !
what stories I could tell. But one must not say everything that
one knows. You know that very well, old lady." And he kissed
his mother so boisterously that she almost fell backwards. He
was a terribly wild boy.

The South-wind now came in, wearing a turban and the flowing
mantle of a Bedouin.

" It is very cold out here," said he, throwing some more wood
upon the fire. " It is easy to see that the North-wind came in first."

" It is hot enough here to roast an ice-bear," said the North-wind.

" You are an ice-bear yourself," answered the South-wind.

" Do you want to be put into the sack ? " asked the old woman.
" Sit down on that stone there, and tell me where you have been."

"In Africa, mother," he answered. " I went lion-hunting with
the Hottentots in the country of the Kaffirs. Grass grows on the
plains there as green as an olive. The ostrich ran a race with
me, but I am still quicker than he. I came to the desert and to
the yellow sand, where it looks just like the bottom of the sea. I
met a caravan : they were killing their last camel to get some
drinking water, but they got only a little, after all. The sun
burned from overhead and the sand from underfoot. The far-
stretching desert was boundless. I danced about in the fine loose
sand, and whirled it up into great pillars. What a dance that
was ! You should have seen how despondently the dromedary
stood there, and how the trader drew his caftan over his head.
He threw himself down before me as before Allah, his god.
Now they are buried ; a pyramid of sand is heaped up over them
all. When I blow that away, the sun will bleach their white bones ;

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 191

then travellers will see that human beings have been there before.
Otherwise that would not be believed in the desert."

" Then you have only done evil," said his mother. " Into the
sack with you ! " And before he knew where he was she had
caught the South-wind round the body, and popped him into the
sack. He rolled himself over and over on the ground, but she
sat down on him, and he had to lie still.

"These boys of yours are lively," said the prince.

" They are," she answered, " but I know how to keep them in
order. Here comes the fourth ! "

This was the East-wind, dressed like a Chinaman.

" Oh, so you come from that quarter ? " said his mother.
" I thought that you had been in the Garden of Paradise."

"I am not going there until to-morrow," said the East-wind.
"That will be a hundred years since I have been there. I
come from China now, where I danced round the porcelain tower
and made all the bells jingle. The officials were being beaten in
the street ; bamboo canes were split across their shoulders, and
they were all people from the first to the ninth grade. They
shouted : ' Many thanks, my paternal benefactor.' But the cry
did not come from their hearts, and I jingled the bells and sang :
' Tsing, tsang, tsu ! ' "

" You are mischievous," said the old woman. It is a good
thing that you are going to the Garden of Paradise to-morrow ;
you always learn better manners there. Take a good draught at
the fountain of wisdom, and bring a bottleful home for me."

" I will ! " said the East-wind. " But why have you put my
brother of the south into the sack ? Out with him ! He must tell
me about the phoenix bird ; the princess in the Garden of
Paradise always likes to hear about it, when I pay her a visit
every hundred years. Open the sack, and then you will be my
sweetest mother, and I will give you two bags full of tea, as green
and as fresh as I picked it on the spot where it grew."

" Well, for the sake of the tea, and because you are my pet boy, I
will open the sack." She did so, and the South-wind crept out ; but
he looked quite dejected, because the stranger prince had seen his
disgrace.

I9z STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"Here is a palm-leaf for the princess," said he. "This leaf
was given me by the phoenix, the only bird of that kind in the
world. It has traced upon it with its beak the whole story of
its life during the hundred years that it has lived. Now she can
read for herself how the phoenix bird set fire to its nest and sat in
it while it was consumed by the flames, like a Hindoo widow.
How the dry twigs crackled ! What a smoke and a vapour there
were ! At length all had been destroyed by the flames ; the old
phoenix bird had become ashes. But its egg lay red and glowing
in the fire ; suddenly it burst with a great clap, and the young one
flew out, and that one now reigns over all birds, and is the only
phoenix bird in the world. It has bitten a hole in the palm-leaf I
gave you ; that is its greeting to the princess."

" Let us eat something," said the mother of the Winds. So they
all sat down together and ate of the roast stag. The young
prince sat by the side of the East-wind, and therefore they soon
became good friends. "I say," said the prince, "just tell me
what princess that is of whom you were talking so much just
now, and where is the Garden of Paradise situated ? "

" Ho, ho 1 " said the East-wind ; " would you like to go there ?
Well, then, fly with me to-morrow. But I must tell you this : no
human being has been there since the time of Adam and Eve. I
suppose you know them from your Bible history ? "

" Of course," said the prince.

"At that time, when they were driven out, the Garden of
Paradise sank into the earth ; but it retained its warm sunshine,
its balmy air, and all its beauty. The fairy queen lives there now ;
there lies also the Island of Happiness, where Death never comes
and where all is beautiful. If you get upon my back to-morrow,
I will take you with me ; I think we shall be able to manage it.
But leave off talking now, because I want to go to sleep."

And then they all went to sleep.

Early in the morning the prince awoke, and was not a little
surprised to find himself already high above the clouds. He was
sitting on the back of the East-wind, who held him fast; they
were so high up in the air that forests and meadows, rivers and
seas looked as though painted on a map.

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 193

" Good morning," said the East-wind. " You might just as well
sleep a little longer, because there is not much to be seen on the flat
country beneath us, unless you have a mind to count the churches.
They stand like little lumps of chalk on the green board." What
he called a green board were the fields and meadows.

" It was very rude of me not to say good-bye to your mother
and your brothers," said the prince.

"Such things are excusable if one is asleep," said the East-
wind. And thereupon they flew along still faster. It could be
heard by the tree-tops, for when they flew over them all the
branches and the leaves rustled ; it could be heard by the sea and
the lakes, for wherever they flew the waves rose higher, and the
great ships dipped low into the water, like swans swimming.

Towards evening, when it was getting dark, the large towns
were an extremely pretty sight, with all the lights being kindled,
first here and then there. It was just like watching all the little
sparks as they vanish one after another from a burnt piece of
paper. At this the prince clapped his hands ; but the East-wind
begged him not to do so, and rather to hold on tight, as otherwise he
might easily fall, and remain hanging from the top of a church steeple.

The eagle in the dark forests flew very lightly, but the East-
wind flew more lightly still. The Cossack on his little steed sped
very swiftly across the plain, but the prince rode more swiftly still.
" Now you can see the Himalayas," said the East-wind. " They
are the highest mountains in Asia, and we shall soon reach the
Garden of Paradise." Then they turned more towards the south,
and soon the air was balmy with spices and flowers. Figs and
pomegranates were growing wild ; red and white grapes hung from
the wild vines. Here they both descended and stretched them-
selves on the soft grass, where the flowers nodded to the wind, as
if they wanted to say, " Welcome ! "

" Are we now in the Garden of Paradise ? " asked the prince.

" Dear me ! no, " answered the East-wind. " But we shall soon
get there. Do you see yonder cliff and the wide cave in front of
which the vines hang like a long green curtain ? We must go
through there to get in. Wrap yourself up in your cloak ; the sun
burns here ; but one step farther, and it will be as cold as ice.

VOL. I. N

194 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The bird which flies past the cave has one wing in the warmth of
summer, and the other in the cold of winter."

" Indeed ! So that is the way to the Garden of Paradise," said
the prince. They now entered the cave. Oh, how icy cold it
was ! But it did not last long ; the East-wind spread out his
wings, and they shone like the brightest fire. What a cave it was !
The great boulders, from which the water trickled down, hung
above them in the strangest forms. In one place it was so narrow
that they had to creep along on hands and feet, and in another as
high and wide as in the open air. It looked like subterranean
chapels with mute organ-pipes and petrified organs.

" I suppose we are going to the Garden of Paradise by the road
of Death ? " asked the prince. But the East-wind answered not a
syllable, only pointing forwards, where the most beautiful blue
light was streaming towards them. The boulders above became
more and more hazy, till at last they looked like a white cloud in
the moonlight. Now they breathed a beautiful balmy air, as fresh
as on the mountains, as fragrant as among the roses of the valley.
A river flowed there, as clear as the air itself, and the fish were
like silver and gold. Purple eels, which gave forth blue sparks
with every movement, were playing beneath the surface, and the
broad leaves of the water-lily had all the colours of the rainbow.
The flower itself was a glowing orange- coloured flame, which was
fed by the water, just as oil keeps a lamp continually burning. A
strong marble bridge, so delicately and artistically carved as though
it were of lace and seed-pearls, led over the water to the Island
of Happiness, where the Garden of Paradise was.

The East-wind took the prince in his arms, and carried him
across. The flowers and leaves sang the most beautiful songs of
his childhood, but with such sweet modulations as no human
voice can command. Were they palm-trees or gigantic water-
plants that grew here ? The prince had never before seen trees
so large and full of sap, and hanging there in long garlands were
the most wonderful creepers, such as are only found, painted
in colours and gold, on the margins of old missals or wound
about initial letters. They were the strangest compounds of
birds, flowers, and stalks. Close by, on the grass, stood a group of

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE j9$

peacocks with their bright tails spread out. It was really so ! But
when the prince touched them he found that they were not birds,
but plants ; they were large plantain-leaves, that shone here like
the majestic tail of the peacock. Lions and tigers sprang like
agile cats in and out of the green hedges, which were as fragrant
as the flowers of the olive-tree ; but they were tame. The wild
wood-pigeon shone like the finest pearl, and beat her wings against
the lion's mane ; the antelope, so shy elsewhere, stood by and
nodded its head, as if it wished to join them in their play.

There now appeared the Fairy of Paradise. Her raiment was
resplendent as the sun, and her face wore a smile like that of a
glad mother when she is happy on account of her child. She was
young and fair, and the loveliest maidens, each wearing a bright
star in her hair, followed her. The East-wind gave her the leaf
on which the phoenix bird had written, and it made her eyes
sparkle with joy. She took the prince by the hand, and led him
into her castle, where the walls had colours like those of the
brightest tulip petals when they are held in the sunlight. The
ceiling itself was a large shining flower, and the more one looked
up at it the deeper seemed to be its cup. The prince went to the
window and looked through one of the panes : there was the Tree
of Knowledge, and Adam and Eve standing close by. " Were they
' not driven out ? " he asked. And the Fairy smiled and explained
' to him that Time had stamped its picture on every pane ; but
: not as pictures are generally seen. Here there was life in them.
: The leaves of the trees moved ; the people came and went just as
anything is seen in a mirror. And he looked through another pane
iand saw Jacob's dream, with the ladder reaching up to heaven, and
angels with great wings were floating up and down. Indeed, every-
thing that had happened in this world lived and moved in the glass
panes ; such artistic pictures could only be engraved by Time.

The fairy smiled and led him to a large lofty hall, the walls of
'which appeared to be transparent. Here were many portraits,
;one more beautiful than the other. Millions of happy faces were
;seen, all smiling and singing in beautiful harmony. The top ones
were so small that they looked smaller than the smallest rose-buds
when they are drawn, no larger than a pin's head on paper. In the

196 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

middle of the hall stood a large tree with luxuriant branches hang-
ing down ; golden apples peeped out like oranges from between the
green leaves. It was the Tree of Knowledge, of whose fruit Adam
and Eve had eaten. From each leaf there trickled a bright red
dew-drop ; it looked as if the tree were weeping tears of blood.

" Let us get into the boat now," said the fairy, " and we will
have some refreshments on the billowy water. Our bark will not
move from the spot, but all the countries of the earth will glide
past before our eyes."

And it was wonderful to behold how the whole coast moved.
First came the high, snow-clad Alps, with clouds and dark fir-trees ;
the horn sent forth its melancholy note, and the shepherd sang
lustily in the valley. Then the banana-trees trailed their long hang-
ing branches over the boat ; black swans swam upon the water, and
the strangest animals and flowers appeared on the river-bank : it
was New Holland, the fifth quarter of the globe, which with a view
of its blue mountains now swept by. One could hear the chant of
the priests and see the savages dancing to the sound of the drums
and the bone trumpets. The pyramids of Egypt, their tops reach-
ing the clouds, ruined pillars and sphinxes, half buried in the
sand, sailed past in like manner. The Northern Lights shone out
over the extinct volcanoes of the Arctic regions : a firework display
which no one could imitate. The prince was very happy, for he
saw a hundred times as much as we can tell of here.

" And can I always stay here ? " he asked.

" That depends upon yourself," answered the fairy. " If you
do not wish to do, as Adam did, what is forbidden, you can always
stay here."

"I will never touch the apples on the Tree of Knowledge,"
said the prince.

" There are thousands of kinds of fruit here, just as fine as they
are. Try yourself, and if you are not strong enough, go back with
the East-wind, who brought you here. He is now about to fly
back, and will not let himself be seen here for a hundred years )
that time will pass for you in this place as if it were a hundred
hours, but it is a long time to resist temptation. Every evening
when I leave you, I must call to you : " Come with me ! " I must

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 197

beckon you to me with my hand. But stay where you are. Do
not go with me, or else your desire would grow stronger at every
step. You would then reach the hall where the Tree of Know-
ledge grows ; I sleep under its fragrant, hanging branches. You
will bend over me, and I must smile, but if you press a kiss upon
my mouth, Paradise will sink deep into the earth, and be lost to
you. The piercing wind of the desert will whistle round you, and
the cold rain will trickle upon your head. Sorrow and trouble
will be your lot."

" I will stay here," said the prince. And the East-wind kissed
him on the forehead and said : " Be strong ; then we shall meet
each other here again after a hundred years. Farewell, farewell ! "
And the East-wind spread out his great wings ; they shone like
lightning in harvest-time, or like the North-light in winter.

" Farewell, farewell ! " re-echoed all the flowers and trees.
Rows of storks and pelicans flew like waving ribbons, and
accompanied him to the boundaries of the garden.

"Now let us begin our dances," said the fairy. "Towards
the end, when I am dancing with you, and the sun is sinking, you
will see me beckon you, and hear me call to you to come with
me. But do not do so. For a hundred years I must repeat it
every evening ; on every occasion, as soon as the time is past, you
will have gained more strength, and at last you will no longer even
think of it. To-night is the first time ; now I have warned you."

The fairy then led him into a large hall of white transparent
lilies; the yellow stamina in each flower formed a little golden
harp, from the strings of which came notes like those of a flute.
The most beautiful maidens, graceful and slender, clad in wavy
gauze, so that their charming limbs could be seen, glided through
the dance, and sang how beautiful it was to live, that they would
never die, and that the Garden of Paradise would flourish for ever.

The sun was setting ; the whole sky became the colour of gold,
1 and gave the lilies the appearance of the most lovely roses. The
prince drank the sparkling wine which the maidens handed him,
and felt a happiness that he had never experienced before. He
saw the background of the hall open itself, and the Tree of
Knowledge standing in a splendour which blinded his eyes; the.

198 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

singing there was soft and sweet, like his mother's voice, and it
seemed as though she were singing : " My child, my beloved child !"

Then the fairy beckoned to him, and called so sweetly, " Come
with me ! Come with me ! " that he rushed towards her, forgetting
his promise, forgetting it already on the first evening, while she
beckoned and smiled. The fragrance, the spicy fragrance, all
around became stronger ; the harps sounded much sweeter, and
it seemed as if the millions of smiling heads in the hall, where the
tree grew, nodded and sang : " One should know everything.
Man is lord of the earth." And they were no longer tears of
blood that fell from the leaves of the Tree of Knowledge ; they
were brilliant red stars, which the prince thought he saw. " Come
with me ! Come with me ! " sang the quivering tones, and with
every step the prince's cheeks burned more hotly, his blood rushed
more quickly through his veins. " I must," said he. " It is no
sin — can be none. Why may I not follow beauty and joy ? I will
see her sleep ; there is no harm done if I refrain from kissing
her. And I shall not kiss her. I am strong ; I have a firm will."

And the fairy, throwing aside her dazzling raiment, bent back
the boughs, and a moment after she was concealed behind them.

" I have not yet sinned," said the prince ; " neither will I do
so."

And then he diew the boughs aside ; she was already asleep, as
beautiful as only the fairy in the Garden of Paradise can be. She
smiled in her dream, but he bending down over her, saw tears
trembling between her eyelids.

" Do you weep on my account ? " he whispered. " Do not
weep, you lovely creature. Now only do I understand the bliss
of Paradise. It is rushing through my blood, through my
thoughts ; I feel the strength of the cherub and of eternal life in
my earthly body. N May eternal night come over me ! One minute
such as this is riches enough ! " And he kissed the tears from her
eyes ; his mouth touched hers.

There came a crash of thunder more deep and terrible than had
ever been heard. Everything rushed together ; the beautiful fairy,
the blooming Garden of Paradise sank, sank lower and lower.
The prince saw it sink into the black night ; it shone in the

THE SNOWMAN 109

distance like a twinkling little star. Icy coldness ran through his
limbs ; he closed his eyes and lay for a long time as one dead

The cold rain beat into his face, the sharp wind flew about his
head, and his senses returned. " What have I done ! " he sighed.
" I have sinned, like Adam — sinned, so that Paradise has sunk
far away." He opened his eyes and still beheld the star in the
distance, the star that shone like the lost Paradise — it was the
morning-star in the heavens. He rose and found himself in the great
forest near the Cave of the Winds ; the mother of the winds was
sitting beside it ; she looked angry and raised her hand in the air.

" Already, on the first evening," she said. " I thought as much !
Well, if you were my son you would go into the sack."

" He shall go in," said Death. He was a strong old man, with
a scythe in his hand and with large black wings. " He shall be
laid in the coffin, but not yet. I will only mark him, and let him
wander about a little while longer in the world to repent of his sins
and to become good and better. But I shall come one day when
he least expects it, put him into the blapk coffin, place it on my
head and fly up to the star. There too blooms the Garden of
Paradise, and if he is good and pious, he shall enter ; but if his
thoughts are wicked and his heart is still full of sin, he will sink
deeper with his coffin than Paradise sank, and I shall fetch him
up only every thousand years, so that he either sinks still deeper
or reaches the star — that star which shines yonder."

The Snowman

is so bitterly cold that my whole body
creaks," said the snowman. " The wind is
wonderfully invigorating. How that glow-
ing thing up there is staring at me ! " He
meant the sun, who was just setting. " He
shall not make me wink ; I will hold the
pieces tightly." For you must know that
he had two large triangular pieces of red tile in the place of eyes

200 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

in his head ; an old rake represented his mouth, and therefore
he had also teeth.

He was born amidst the cheering of the boys, and greeted by
the tinkling of sledge-bells and the cracking of whips.

The sun set, the full moon rose large, round and clear on the
blue sky. " There he is again on the other side ! " said the snow-
man. Of course he fancied the sun was showing himself again.
" I thought I had cured him of staring. Now let him hang there,
and give me a light, that I may see myself. I wish I knew how
to move, I should so much like to walk about. If I could, I
should like to go down and slide on yonder ice, as I have seen
the boys do ; but I don't know how — I can't even walk."

" Away, away ! " barked the old dog in the yard ; he was some-
what hoarse, and could no longer well pronounce the proper
" Wow, wow." He had become hoarse when he used to live
indoors and lie all day long under the warm stove. " The sun
will soon teach you how to run ; I have seen him teach your
predecessor last year, and his predecessors before him. Away,
away, they are all gone."

" I do not understand you, friend," said the snowman. " Do
you mean to say that she up there is to teach me walking ? " He
meant the moon. " I have certainly seen her walk a little while
ago when I looked her straight in the face, but now she comes
creeping from the other side."

" You are dreadfully ignorant," replied the dog, " but that is no
wonder, for you have only just been put up. She whom you see
up there is the moon ; he whom you have seen going off a little
while ago was the sun ; he is returning to-morrow, and is sure to
teach you how to run down into the ditch. We shall soon have a
change in the weather, I feel it by the pain I have in my left hind
leg ; the weather is going to change."

" I do not understand him," said the snowman, " but it strikes
me that he speaks of something disagreeable. He who was so
staring at me and afterwards went off— the sun, as he calls him—
is not my friend ; so much I know for certain."

" Away, away," barked the dog ; turned three times round him-
self, and crept back into his kennel to sleep.

THE SNOWMAN 201

The weather really changed. On the next morning the whole
country was enveloped in a dense fog ; later on an icy wind began
to blow, it was bitter cold ; but when the sun rose, what a
splendour! Trees and bushes were covered with a hoar-frost,
they looked like a wood of white coral ; all the branches seemed
to be strewed over with shiny white blossoms. The many
delicate boughs and twigs, which are in the summer
completely hidden by the rich foliage, were all visible now. It
looked very much like a snowy white cobweb ; every twig seemed
to send forth rays of white light. The birch-tree moved its
branches in the wind, as the trees do in the summer; it was
marvellously beautiful to look at.

And when the sun rose the whole glittered and sparkled as if
small diamonds had been strewed over them, while on the snowy
carpet below large diamonds or innumerable lights seemed to
shine even more white than the snow.

" How charming ! " said a young girl who stepped out into the
garden with a young man. Both stopped near the snowman, and
then looked admiringly at the glittering trees. "There is no
more beautiful scene in the summer," she said, and her eyes were
beaming. " And we can't possibly have such a fellow there in
the summer," replied the young man, pointing at the snowman.

The girl laughed, nodded at the snowman, and then both
walked over the snow, so that it creaked under their feet like starch.

" Who were these two ? " asked the snowman of the dog. " You
are longer in the yard than I ; do you know them ? "

" Certainly I do," replied the dog. " She has stroked me, and
he has given me a meat-bone. I shall never bite those two."

" But what are they ? " asked the snowman again.

"Lovers," was the dog's answer. "They are going to live
together in one kennel, and gnaw on the same bone. Away, away ! "

" Are they beings like ourselves ? " asked the snowman.

" They are members of the master's family," replied the dog.
" Of course one knows very little if one has only been born yester-
day. I can see that from you ! I have the age and the knowledge
too. I know all in the house. I also knew a time when I was
not obliged to be chained up here in the cold. Away, away ! "

202 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" The cold is splendid," said the snowman. " Go on, tell me
more ; but you must not rattle so with the chain, for you make me
shudder if you do ."

" Away, away ! " barked the dog. " They say I was once
a dear little boy. Then I used to lie on a chair covered
with velvet, up in the mansion, or sit on the mistress's lap;
they kissed me upon the mouth and wiped my paws with an
embroidered handkerchief. They called me Ami, dear sweet
Ami. But later on I became too big for them, and they gave me
to the housekeeper ; thus I came down into the basement. You
can look in at the window from the place where you are standing.
You can look down into the room where I was one day master,
for master I was at the housekeeper's. The rooms were not so
grand as above in the mansion, but they were more homely ; I
was not continually touched and pulled about by the children,
and the food was just as good, if not better, than at the mansion.
I had my own cushion, and there was a stove in the room,
which is at this time of the year the best thing in the world. I
used to creep under the stove ; there was enough room for me.
I am still dreaming of this stove. Away, away ! "

" Does a stove look nice ? " asked the snowman. " Does it
resemble me ? "

" The very contrary of you ! It is as black as a raven and has
a long neck with a broad brass band round it. It eats so much
fuel that the fire comes out of its mouth. One must keep at its
side, close by or underneath it ; there one is very comfortable.
Perhaps you can see it from your place."

The snowman looked and noticed something, brightly polished
with a broad brass band round it ; in its lower parts the fire was
visible. A strange feeling overcame the snowman ; he had no idea
what it was, nor could he explain the cause of it ; but all beings,
even those who are not snowmen, know it.

" Why did you leave her ? " asked the snowman, for he had a
notion that the stove was a woman. " How could you leave such
a place ? "

" I was compelled to," replied the dog ; " they threw me out of
the house and fastened me up here with the chain. I had bitten

THE SNOWMAN 2O3

the youngest son of the squire in the leg, because he pushed
away the bone which I was gnawing with his foot. Bone for bone,
I think. But this they took very ill of me, and from this time
forward I was chained up. And I have lost my voice, too — do you
not hear how hoarse I am ? Away, away ! I can no longer bark
like other dogs. Away, away ! That was how it ended."

The snowman was no longer listening to him ; he looked un-
swervingly at the basement into the housekeeper's room, where the
stove was standing on its four iron legs, as high as the snowman.

"What a strange noise I hear within me," he said. "Shall I
never get in there ? It is such an innocent wish of mine, and
they say innocent wishes are sure to be fulfilled. I must
go in there, and lean against her, even if I must break the
window."

" You will never get in there," said the dog, " and if you come
close to the stove you are gone. Away, away ! "

" I am already now as good as gone," replied the snowman, " I
believe I am fainting."

The snowman was all day long looking in at the window. In
the dawn the room appeared still more inviting; a gentle light
shone out of the stove, not like that of the moon or the sun, but
such light as only a stove can produce after being filled with fuel.
When the door of the room was opened, the flame burst out at
the mouth of the stove — that was its custom. And the flame was
reflected on the white face and breast of the snowman, and made
him appear quite ruddy.

" I can no longer stand it," he said ; " how well it suits her to
put out her tongue ! "

The night was long, but it did not appear so to the snowman,
for he was standing there deeply lost in his pleasant thoughts,
which were so freezing that it creaked.

In the morning the window-panes of the basement were
covered with ice ; the most beautiful ice-flowers that one could
wish for were upon them ; but they concealed the stove.

The ice on the window-panes would not thaw ; the snowman
could not see the stove which he imagined to be such a lovely
woman. It groaned and creaked within him ; it was the very

204 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

weather to please a snowman ; but he did not rejoice—how could
he have been happy with this great longing for the stove ?

"That is a dreadful disease for a snowman," said the dog ; "I
suffered myself from it one day, but I have got over it."
" Away, away ! " he barked. " We shall soon have a change in the
weather," he added.

The weather changed ; it was beginning to thaw. The warmer
it became, the more the snowman vanished away. He said
nothing, he did not complain ; that is the surest sign.

One morning he broke down ; and lo ! in the place where he
had stood, something like a broomstick was sticking in the
ground, round which the boys had built him up.

" Well, now I understand why he had such a great longing," said
the dog ; "I see there is an iron hook attached to the stick, which
people use to clean stoves with; the snowman had a stove-scraper in
his body, that has moved him so. Now all is over. Away, away ! "

And soon the winter was gone. "Away, away," barked the
hoarse dog, but the girls in the house were singing :

" Thyme, green thyme, come out, we sing,
Soon will come the gentle spring ;
Ye willow trees, your catkins don :
The sun shines bright and days roll on.
Cuckoo and lark sing merrily too,
We also will sing Cuckoo ! cuckoo ! "

And nobody thought of the snowman.

Holger Danske

|N Denmark, close by the Oeresund, stands
the old castle of Kronborg ; hundreds of
ships, English, Russian, and Prussian, pass
through the sound every day and fire salutes
to the old castle — " Boom, boom ! "— and
the old castle returns their salutes with can-
nons, for in the language of cannons
"Boom "means " Good-day " and "Thank you." In the winter-

THE SLEEP OFHOLGERDANSKE.

HOLGER DANSKE 207

time no ships can sail by there, for then the water is frozen right
across to the Swedish coast, and has quite the appearance 6f a high-
road. There the Danish and Swedish flags are streaming in the
wind, and Danes and Swedes bid each other " Good-day " and
"Thank you," not with cannons, but with cordial shaking of hands ;
each comes to buy the bread and cake of the other, for you know
other people's bread and butter tastes better than one's own. But
the old castle of Kronborg is by far the most beautiful sight of all ;
there Holger Danske is sitting in a deep, dark cellar, into which
nobody can go. He is clad in an armour of iron and steel, and
rests his head on his strong arms ; his long beard hangs down over
the marble table, and has grown through it. He sleeps and dreams,
but in his dream he sees all that is going on in Denmark. Every
Christmas-eve an angel of God comes to him and tells him that all
he has dreamt is true, and that he might go on sleeping, as Den-
mark is in no real danger ; but should it ever get into trouble, the
old Holger Danske will rise and burst the table in withdrawing
his beard. Then he will strike with his sword, so that the dint of
his strokes will be heard through all the countries of the world.

An old grandfather was telling all this about Holger Danske to
his little grandson, and the little boy knew that all his grandfather
said was true. While the old man spoke he busily carved a large
wooden figure, intended to represent Holger Danske and to be
fixed to the prow of a ship, for he was a carver in wood — that is to
say, a man who carves the figures of persons in wood, which are to
be fixed to the fronts of ships according to the names they receive.
Now he had carved Holger Danske, who was standing there so
proudly with his long beard, holding his broad sword in one hand
while the other rested on the Danish arms.

The old man said so much about distinguished Danish men and
women that it seemed to his little grandson in the end as if he
knew quite as much as Holger Danske, who after all was only
dreaming. And when the child was put to bed he thought so
much about all he had heard, that he pressed his chin against the
counterpane, believing he had a long beard which had grown
through it.

The grandfather went on working : he was carving the kst part

zo8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

of the figure, the arms of Denmark. When he had finished and
looked at the whole and thought of all he had read and heard of,
and what he had told his little grandson, he nodded, wiped his
spectacles and put them on again, saying : " Well, well, Holger
Danske will not come in my lifetime, but the little boy there in
bed may have a chance of seeing him one day, when there is
really need." The old man nodded again ; the more he looked at
his figure of Holger Danske, the more he was satisfied with his
work ; it seemed to him to become coloured, and the armour to
gleam like iron and steel ; the hearts in the Danish arms turned
more and more red, and the lions with the golden crowns on their
heads were leaping.*

" Indeed, there is no more beautiful coat of arms in the world,"
said the old man. " The lions represent strength, the hearts kind-
ness and love ! " He looked at the uppermost of the lions and
thought of King Canute, who subjected the great England to the
Danish throne ; the second lion reminded him of Waldemar,
who united Denmark and conquered the Wendish territories ;
when he looked at the third lion he thought of Margaret, who
united Denmark with Sweden and Norway. When he looked at
the red hearts they seemed to glow more than before ; they became
flames which moved, and in his mind he followed each of them.

The first flame led him into a narrow dark prison ; there sat a
prisoner, a beautiful woman, Eleanor Ulfeld,t the daughter of
Christian the Fourth, and the flame took the shape of a rose on
her bosom, and became one with the heart of this noblest and
best of all Danish women.

" That is a heart indeed in Denmark's arms," said the old
grandfather. And his mind followed the second flame far out into
the sea, where the cannons roared and smoke enveloped the ships ;
it fixed itself in the shape of the ribbon of an order to the breast

* The Danish arms consist of three lions between nine hearts.

t Eleanor was the wife of Corfitz Ulfeld, who was accused of high
treason. The only crime of this high-minded woman was her faithful love
to her unhappy husband. She passed twenty-two years in a dreadful
prison, and was only delivered after the death of her prosecutor, Queen
Sophia Amelia.

HOLGER DANSKE 209

of Hvitfeld* when he blew himself up with his ship in order to
save the fleet.

The third flame led him to the miserable huts in Greenland,
where the missionary Hans Egede t ruled in word and deed with
love; the flame became a star on his breast— that was another
heart of the Danish coat of arms.

The old man's mind hastened on in front of the fourth flame ;
he knew where it would go. In the wretched room of a peasant
woman stood Frederick the Sixth, and wrote his name with chalk
on a beam ; the flame was burning on his breast and in his heart,
and there in the peasant's room his heart became a heart of the
Danish arms.

The old man wiped his eyes, for he had known King Frederick
with his silvery locks and honest blue eyes, and loved him ; he
folded his hands and was silent for a moment. Just then the old
man's daughter-in-law entered the room, and said : " It is late; you
must go to rest ; supper is ready."

" The figure you have carved is very beautiful, Holger Danske,
and our whole old coat of arms," she continued. " I feel as if I
have seen this face before."

" No, that is impossible," said the grandfather ; " but I have
seen it, and I have endeavoured to carve it in wood as I have kept
it in my memory. It was when the English were in the port, on
the memorable second of April when we gave proof that we were
all old Danes. On board the Denmark, where I fought in the
squadron of Steen Bille, there was a man by my side whom the
balls seemed to fear. He merrily sang old songs and fought as if
he were more than a man. I remember him still very well, but
whence he came and whither he went nobody knows. I have
often thought that he was perhaps Holger Danske himself, who
had swam down from Kronborg in order to help us in the hour
of danger ; that was my idea, and that is his likeness."

* When Hvitfeld's ship, the Danebrog, in the battle on the Kjoge Bay,
710, caught fire, this gallant man blew himself up in order to save the
'own and the Danish fleet, against which the ship was drifting.
1 f Hans Egede went in 1721 to Greenland, and worked there as a mission-
ry for fifteen years under very hard conditions.

210 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

And the figure cast a great shadow all over the wall and part of
the ceiling ; it seemed as if the real Holger Danske was casting it,
for it moved ; but this might also have been caused by the flame,
which did not burn steadily. And the daughter-in-law kissed the
old man and led him to the big easy chair near the table ; and
there she and the old man's son, who was the father of the little boy
in bed, had their supper. The grandfather spoke of the Danish
lions and the Danish hearts, of their strength and kindness ; he
declared that there existed yet another strength besides that of the
sword ; he pointed to the shelves filled with old books, where
Holberg's comedies stood which were so much read and so
amusing, it seemed almost as if all the persons of bygone days
could be recognised in them. " He, too, knew how to strike a
blow," said the grandfather, "for he ridiculed as much as he
could the follies and prejudices of the people." Then the grand-
father nodded towards the looking-glass where the almanac with
the picture of the Round Tower * was hanging, and said : " Tycho
Brahe was also a man who made use of the sword, not to cut
flesh and bone, but to make the path on the sky through the stars
more distinct. And he, whose father belonged to my trade, the j
old wood-carver's son, he whom we have often seen with his white
curls and broad shoulders, he who is known all over the world — he
could shape the stone ; but I can only carve wood. Well, well,
Holger Danske can appear in many shapes, so that all the world
hears of Denmark's strength. Let us drink Bert el's t health ! "

The little boy in bed saw distinctly the old castle of Kronborg
and the Oeresund, the real Holger Danske who was sitting deep
below with his beard grown to the marble table and dreaming of
all that happens here above. Holger Danske was also dreaming
of the humble little room where the wood-carver sat ; he heard all
that was said, and nodded in his dream, saying : " Yes, remember
me, ye Danish people — keep me in your memory. I shall return
to you in the hour of danger ! "

And outside before the Kronborg the bright day shone ; the
wind carried the sounds of the bugle over from the neighbouring

* Observatory at Copenhagen.

t Bertel Thorwaldsen. the famous sculptor.

THE RED SHOES 2II

country ; the ships sailed by and saluted " Boom, boom ! " and
from the Kronborg it echoed " Boom, boom ! " But Holger
Danske did not awake, however strong the cannons roared, for it
was only " Good day " and " Thank you." They must fire more
strongly if they wish to wake him up ; but one day he will wake
up, for there is still life in Holger Danske.

The Red Shoes

NCE upon a time there was a little girl,
pretty and dainty. But in summer-time
she was obliged to go barefooted because
she was poor, and in winter she had to wear
large wooden shoes, so that her little instep
grew quite red.

In the middle of the village lived an old
shoemaker's wife ; she sat down and made,
as well as she could, a pair of little shoes out of some old pieces
• of red cloth. They were clumsy, but she meant well, for they
were intended for the little girl, whose name was Karen,
i Karen received the shoes and wore them for the first time on
the day of her mother's funeral. They were certainly not
suitable for mourning ; but she had no others, and so she put her
bare feet into them and walked behind the humble coffin.

Just then a large old carriage came by, and in it sat an old
lady ; she looked at the little girl, and taking pity on her, said to
the clergyman, " Look here, if you will give me the little girl, I
will take care of her."

Karen believed that this was all on account of the red shoes,
but the old lady thought them hideous, and so they were burnt.
Karen herself was dressed very neatly and cleanly ; she was taught
:o read and to sew, and people said that she was pretty. But the
tiirror told her, " You are more than pretty — you are beautiful."

One day the Queen was travelling through that part of the
:ountry, and had her little daughter, who was a princess, with her.

2I2 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

All the people, amongst them Karen too, streamed towards the
castle, where the little princess, in fine white clothes, stood before
the window and allowed herself to be stared at. She wore neither
a train nor a golden crown, but beautiful red morocco shoes ;
they were indeed much finer than those which the shoemaker's
wife had sewn for little Karen. There is really nothing in the
world that can be compared to red shoes !

Karen was now old enough to be confirmed; she received
some new clothes, and she was also to have some new shoes.
The rich shoemaker in the town took the measure of her little
foot in his own room, in which there stood great glass cases full of
pretty shoes and white slippers. It all looked very lovely, but
the old lady could not see very well, and therefore did not get
•much pleasure out of it. Amongst the shoes stood a pair of red
ones, like those which the princess had worn. How beautiful
they were ! and the shoemaker said that they had been made for
a count's daughter, but that they had not fitted her.

" I suppose they are of shiny leather ? " asked the old lady.
" They shine so."

" Yes, they do shine," said Karen. They fitted her, and were
bought. But the old lady knew nothing of their being red, for
she would never have allowed Karen to be confirmed in red
shoes, as she was now to be.

Everybody looked at her feet, and the whole of the way from
the church door to the choir it seemed to her as if even the
ancient figures on the monuments, in their stiff collars and long
black robes, had their eyes fixed on her red shoes. It was only of
these that she thought when the clergyman laid his hand upon her
head and spoke of the holy baptism, of the covenant with God,
and told her that she was now to be a grown-up Christian. The
organ pealed forth solemnly, and the sweet children's voices
mingled with that of their old leader ; but Karen thought only of
her red shoes. In the afternoon the old lady heard from every-
body that Karen had worn red shoes. She said that it was a
shocking thing to do, that it was very improper, and that Karen
was always to go to church in future in black shoes, even if they
were old.

THE RED SHOES 213

On the following Sunday there was Communion. Karen
looked first at the black shoes, then at the red ones — looked at
the red ones again, and put them on.

The sun was shining gloriously, so Karen and the old lady
went along the footpath through the corn, where it was rather
dusty.

At the church door stood an old crippled soldier leaning on a
crutch ; he had a wonderfully long beard, more red than white,
and he bowed down to the ground and asked the old lady
whether he might wipe her shoes. Then Karen put out her little
foot too. "Dear me, what pretty dancing-shoes!" said the
soldier. "Sit fast, when you dance," said he, addressing
shoes, and slapping the soles with his hand.

The old lady gave the soldier some money and then went with
Karen into the church.

And all the people inside looked at Karen's red shoes, and all
the figures gazed at them ; when Karen knelt before the altar and
put the golden goblet to her mouth, she thought only of the red
shoes. It seemed to her as though they were swimming about in
the goblet, and she forgot to sing the psalm, forgot to say the
" Lord's Prayer."

Now every one came out of church, and the old lady stepped
into her carriage. But just as Karen was lifting up her foot to
get in too, the old soldier said : " Dear me, what pretty dancing
shoes ! " and Karen could not help it, she was obliged to dance a
few steps ; and when she had once begun, her legs continued to
dance. It seemed as if the shoes had got power over them.
She danced round the church corner, for she could not stop ; the
coachman had to run after her and seize her. He lifted her into
the carriage, but her feet continued to dance, so that she kicked /
the good old lady violently. At last they took off her shoes, and
her legs were at rest.

At home the shoes were put into the cupboard, but Karen
could not help looking at them.

Now the old lady fell ill, and it was said that she would not
rise from her bed again. She had to be nursed and waited upon,
and this was no one's duty more than Karen's. But there was a

214

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

grand ball in the town, and Karen was invited. She looked at
the red shoes, saying to herself that there was no sin in doing
that; she put the red shoes on, thinking there was no harm
in that either ; and then she went to the ball, and commenced to
dance.

But when she wanted to go to the right, the shoes danced to
the left, and when she wanted to dance up the room, the shoes

danced down the room, down the stairs through the street, and
out through the gates of the town. She danced, and was obliged
to dance, far out into the dark wood. Suddenly something shone
up among the trees, and she believed it was the moon, for it was
a face. But it was the old soldier with the red beard ; he sat
there nodding his head and said : " Dear me, what pretty dancing
shoes!"

She was frightened, and wanted to throw the red shoes away ;
but they stuck fast. She tore off her stockings, but the shoes had
grown fast to her feet. She danced and was obliged to go on
dancing over field and meadow, in rain and sunshine, by night
and by day — but by night it was most horrible.

She danced out into the open churchyard ; but the dead there

THE RED SHOES 215

did not dance. They had something better to do than that.
She wanted to sit down on the pauper's grave where the bitter
fern grows ; but for her there was neither peace nor rest. And as
she danced past the open church door she saw an angel there in
long white robes, with wings reaching from his shoulders down to
the earth ; his face was stern and grave, and in his hand he held a '
broad shining sword.

" Dance you shall," said he, " dance in your red shoes till you
are pale and cold, till your skin shrivels up and you are a
skeleton ! Dance you shall, from door to door, and where proud
and wicked children live you shall knock, so that they may hear
you and fear you ! Dance you shall, dance ! "

" Mercy ! " cried Karen. But she did not hear what the angel
answered, for the shoes carried her through the gate into the
fields, along highways and byways, and unceasingly she had to
dance.

. One morning she danced past a door that she knew well ; they
were singing a psalm inside, and a coffin was being carried out
covered with flowers. Then she knew that she was forsaken by
every one and damned by the angel of God.

She danced, and was obliged to go on dancing through the
dark night. The shoes bore her away over thorns and stumps till
she was all torn and bleeding ; she danced away over the heath to
a lonely little house. Here, she knew, lived the executioner ; and
she tapped with her finger at the window and said : >

"Come out, come out! I cannot come in, for I must
dance."

And the executioner said : " I don't suppose you know who I
am. I strike off the heads of the wicked, and I notice that my
axe is tingling to do so."

" Don't cut off my head ! " said Karen, "for then I could not^.
repent of my sin. But cut off my feet with the red shoes."

And then she confessed all her sin, and the executioner struck
off her feet with the red shoes ; but the shoes danced away with
the little feet across the field into the deep forest.

And he carved her a pair of wooden feet and some crutches,
and taught her a psalm which is always sung by sinners ; she kissed

216 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

the hand that had guided the axe, and went away over the
heath.

r " Now, I have suffered enough for the red shoes," she said ;

"I will go to church, so that people can see me." And she went

/' quickly up to the church-door ; but when she came there, the

| red shoes were dancing before her, and she was frightened, and

" turned back.

^ During the whole week she was sad and wept many bitter tears,
but when Sunday came again she said : " Now I have suffered
and striven enough. I believe I am quite as good as many of
I those who sit in church and give themselves airs." And so she
went boldly on ; but she had not got farther than the churchyard
gate when she saw the red shoes dancing along before her. Then
she became terrified, and turned back and repented right heartily
of her sin.

She went to the parsonage, and begged that she might be taken
into service there. She would be industrious, she said, and do
everything that she could ; she did not mind about the wages
as long as she had a roof over her, and was with good people.
The pastor's wife had pity on her, and took her into her service.
And she was industrious and thoughtful. She sat quiet and
listened when the pastor read aloud from the Bible in the
evening. All the children liked her very much, but when they
spoke about dress and grandeur and beauty she would shake her
head.

On the following Sunday they all went to church, and she was
asked whether she wished to go too ; but, with tears in her eyes,
she looked sadly at her crutches. And then the others went to
hear God's Word, but she went alone into her little room ; this
was only large enough to hold the bed and a chair. Here she sat
down with her hymn-book, and as she was reading it with a pious
mind, the wind carried the notes of the organ over to her from the
church, and in tears she lifted up her face and said : " O God !
help me 1 "

Then the sun shone so brightly, and right before her stood an
angel of God in white robes ; it was the same one whom she had
seen that night at the church-door. He no longer carried the sharp

THE RED SHOES

217

sword, but a beautiful green branch, full of roses ; with this he
touched the ceiling, which rose up very high, and where he had
touched it there shone a golden star. He touched the walls, which
opened wide apart, and she saw the organ which was pealing
forth ; she saw the pictures of the old pastors and their wives,
and the congregation sitting in the polished chairs and singing

from their hymn-books. The church itself had come to the poor
girl in her narrow room, or the room had gone to the church. She
sat in the pew with the rest of the pastor's household, and when
they had finished the hymn and looked up, they nodded and said,
" It was right of you to come, Karen."

" It was mercy," said she.

The organ played and the children's voices in the choir
sounded soft and lovely. The bright warm sunshine streamed
through the window into the pew where Karen sat, and her heart
became so filled with it, so filled with peace and joy, that it broke.
Her soul flew on the sunbeams to Heaven, and no one was there
who asked after the Red Shoes.

2i 8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Little Elder-tree Mother

HERE was once a little boy who had caught
cold; he had gone out and got wet feet.
Nobody had the least idea how it "had
happened ; the weather was quite dry. His
mother undressed him, put him to bed,
and ordered the teapot to be brought in,
that she might make him a good cup of tea
from the elder-tree blossoms, which is so warming. At the same
time, the'kihd-hearted old man who lived by himself in the upper
storey of the house came in ; he led a lonely life, for he had no
wife and children ; but he loved the children of others very much,
and he could tell so many fairy tales and stories, that it was a
pleasure to hear him.

" Now, drink your tea," said the mother ; " perhaps you will
hear a story."

" Yes, if I only knew a fresh one," said the old man, and nodded
smilingly. " But how did the little fellow get his wet feet ? " he
then asked.

" That," replied the mother, " nobody can understand"
" Will you tell me a story ? " asked the boy.
" Yes, if you can tell me as nearly as possible how deep is the
gutter in the little street where you go to school."

" Just half as high as my top-boots," replied the boy ; " but then
I must stand in the deepest holes."

" There, now we know where you got your wet feet," said the
old man. " I ought to tell you a story, but the worst of it is, I do
not know any more."

"You can make one up/ said the little boy. "Mother says
you can tell a fairy tale about anything you look at or touch."

" That is all very well, but such tales or stories are worth
nothing ! No, the right ones come by themselves and knock at
myjorehead saying : ' Here I am.' "

" Will not one knock soon ? " asked the boy ; and the mother

THE LITTLE ELDER-TREE MOTHER

219

smiled while she put elder-tree blossoms into the teapot and poured
boiling water over them. " Pray, tell me a story."

" Yes, if stories came by themselves ; they are so proud, they
only come when they please. — But wait," he said suddenly,
" there is one. Look at the teapot ; there is a story in it now."

And the little boy looked at the teapot; the lid rose up
gradually, the elder-tree blossoms sprang forth one by one, fresh
and white ; long boughs came forth ; even out of the spout they
grew up in all directions, and formed a bush—nay, a large elder
tree, which stretched its branches up to the bed and pushed the
curtains aside ; and there were so many blossoms and such a
sweet fragrance ! In the midst of the tree sat a kindly-looking
old woman with a strange dress ; it was as green as the leaves,
and trimmed with large white blossoms, so that it was difficult to
say whether it was real cloth, or the leaves and blossoms of the
elder-tree.

" What is this woman's name ? " asked the little boy.

" Well, the Romans and Greeks used to call_he/a Dryad)," said
the old man ; " but we do not understand that. Out in the sailors1
quarter they give her a better name j there she is called elder-tree

220 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

mother. Now, you must attentively listen to her and look at the
beautiful elder tree."

" Just such a large tree, covered with flowers, stands out there ;
it grew in the corner of an humble little yard ; under this tree sat
two old people one afternoon in the beautiful sunshine. He was
an old, old sailor, and she his old wife ; they had already great-
grandchildren, and were soon to celebrate their golden wedding,
but they could not remember the date, and the elder-tree mother
was sitting in the tree and looked as pleased as this one here. ' I
know very well when the golden wedding is to take place,' she
said ; but they did not hear it— they were talking of bygone days.

" ' Well, do you remember ? ' said the old sailor, ' when we were
quite small and used to run about and play — it was in the very
same yard where we now are — we used to put little branches into
the ground and make a garden.'

" 'Yes,' said the old woman, ' I remember it very well; we used
to water the branches, and one of them, an elder-tree branch, took
root, and grew and became the large tree under which we are now
sitting as old people.'

" ' Certainly, you are right,' he said; ' and in yonder corner stood
a large water-tub ; there I used to sail my boat, which I had cut
out myself — it sailed so well ; but soon I had to sail somewhere else.'

" ' But first we went to school to learn something,' she said,
' and then we were confirmed ; we wept both on that day, but in
the afternoon we went out hand in hand, and ascended the high
round tower and looked out into the wide world right over Copen-
hagen and the sea ; then we walked to Fredericksburg, where the
king and the queen were sailing about in Their magnificent boat on
the canals.'

" ' But soon I had to sail about somewhere else, and for many
years I was travelling about far away from home.'

" ' And I often cried about you, for I was afraid lest you were
drowned and lying at the bottom of the sea. Many a time I got
up in the night and looked if the weathercock had turned ; it
turned often, but you did not return. I remember one day dis-
tinctly : the rain was pouring down in torrents ; the dustman had
come to the house where I was in service ; I went down with the

THE LITTLE ELDER-TREE MOTHER 221

dust-bin and stood for a moment in the doorway, and looked at
the dreadful weather. Then the postman gave me a letter ; it was
from you. Heavens ! how that letter had travelled about. I tore
it open and read it ; I cried and laughed at the same time, and
was so happy ! Therein was written that you were staying in the
hot countries, where the coffee grows. These must be marvellous
countries. You said a great deal about them, and I read all
while the rain was pouring down and I was standing there with
the dust-bin. Then suddenly some one put his arm round my
waist '

" ' Yes, and you gave him a hearty smack on the cheek,' said
the old man.

" * I did not know that it was you — you had come as quickly as
your letter; and you looked so handsome, and so you do still.
You had a large yellow silk handkerchief in your pocket and a
shining hat on. You looked so well, and the weather in the
street was horrible ! '

" ' Then we married,' he said. ' Do you remember how we got
our first boy, and then Mary, Niels, Peter, John, and Christian ? '

" ' Oh yes ; and now they have all grown up, and have become
useful members of society, whom everybody cares for.'

" ' And their children have had children again,' said the ofd
sailor. 'Yes, these are children's children, and they are strong
and healthy. If I am not mistaken, our wedding took place at
this season of the year.'

"'Yes, to-day is your golden wedding-day,' said the little
elder-tree mother, stretching her head down between the two old
people, who thought that she was their neighbour who was
nodding to them ; they looked at each other and clasped hands.
Soon afterwards the children and grandchildren came, for they
knew very well that it was the golden wedding-day ; they had
already wished them joy and happiness in the morning, but the
old people had forgotten it, although they remembered things so
well that had passed many, many years ago. The elder tree smelt
strongly, and the setting sun illuminated the faces of the two old
people, so that they looked quite rosy ; the youngest of the grand-
children danced round them, and cried merrily that there would

222 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

be a feast in the evening, for they were to have hot potatoes ; and
the elder mother nodded in the tree and cried ' Hooray ' with the
others."

"But that was no fairy tale," said the little boy who had
listened to it.

" You will presently understand it," said the old man who told
the story. " Let us ask little elder-tree mother about it."

" That was no fairy tale," said the little elder-tree mother ; " but
now it comes ! Real life furnishes us with subjects for the most
wonderful fairy tales ; for otherwise my beautiful elder-bush could
not have grown forth out of the teapot."

And then she took the little boy out of bed and placed him on her
bosom ; the elder branches, full of blossoms, closed over them ; it
was as if they sat in a thick leafy bower which flew with them through
the air ; it was beautiful beyond all description. The little elder-tree
mother had suddenly become a charming young girl, but her dress
was still of the same green material, covered with white blossoms, as
the elder-tree mother had worn ; she had a real elder blossom on her
bosom, and a wreath of the same flowers was wound round her curly
golden hair; her eyes were so large and so blue that it was wonderful
to look at them. She and the boy kissed each other, and then they
were of the same age and felt the same joys. They walked hand
in hand out of the bower, and now stood at home in a beautiful
flower garden. Near the green lawn the father's walking-stick was
tied to a post. There was life in this stick for the little ones, for as
soon as they seated themselves upon it the polished knob turned
into a neighing horse's head, a long black mane was fluttering in
the wind, and four strong slender legs grew out. The animal was
fiery and spirited ; they galloped round the lawn. " Hoorray ! now
we shall ride far away, many miles ! " said the boy ; " we shall ride
to the nobleman's estate where we were last year." And they rode
round the lawn again, and the little girl, who, as we know, was no
other than the little elder-tree mother, continually cried, " Now we
are in the country ! Do you see the farmhouse there, with the
large baking stove, which projects like a gigantic egg out of the
wall into the road ? The elder tree spreads its branches over it,
and the cock struts about and scratches for the hens. Look how

THE LITTLE ELDER-TREE MOTHER 223

proud he is ! Now we are near the church ; it stands on a high
hill, under the spreading oak trees ; one of them is half dead !
Now we are at tj^e smjthj^whjej^^^

men beat with their hammers so that the sparks fly far and wide.
Let's be off to the beautiful farm !" And they passed by every-
thing the little girl, who was sitting behind on the stick, described,
and the boy saw it, and yet they only went round the lawn. Then
they played in a side-walk, and marked out a little garden on the
ground ; she took elder-blossoms out of her hair and planted them,
and they grew exactly like those the old people planted when they
were children, as we have heard before. They walked about hand
in hand, just as the old couple had done when they were little, but
they did not go to the round tower nor to the Fredericksburg
garden. No ; the little girl seized the boy round the waist, and
then they flew far into the country. It was spring and it became
summer, it was autumn and it became winter, and thousands of
pictures reflected themselves in the boy's eyes and heart, and the
little girl always sang again, " You will never forget that ! " And
during their whole flight the elder-tree smelt so sweetly ; he noticed
the roses and the fresh beeches, but the elder-tree smelt much
stronger, for the flowers were fixed on the little girl's bosom,
againstT which the boy often rested his head during the flight.

" It is beautiful here in spring," said the little girl, and they were
again in the green beechwood, where the thyme breathed forth
sweet fragrance at their feet, and the pink anemones looked lovely
in the green moss. " Oh ! that it were always spring in the
fragrant beechwood ! n

" Here it is splendid in summer ! " she said, and they passed by
old castles of the age of chivalry. The high walls and indented
battlements were reflected in the water of the ditches, on which
swans were swimming and peering into the old shady avenues.
The corn waved in the fields like a yellow sea. Red and yellow
flowers grew in the ditches, wild hops and convolvuli in full bloom
in the hedges. In the evening the moon rose, large and round,
and the hjiyjicks in the meadows smelt sweetly. " One can never
forget it ! "

" Here it is beautiful in autumn ! " said the little girl, and the

224 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

atmosphere seemed twice as high and blue, while the wood shone
with crimson, green, and gold. The hounds were running off,
flocks of wild fowl flew screaming over the barrows, while the
bramble bushes twined round the old stones. The dark-blue sea
was covered with white-sailed ships, and in the barns sat old
women, girls, and children picking hops into a large tub ; the
young ones sang songs, and the old people told fairy tales about
goblins and sorcerers. It could no be more pleasant anywhere.

"Here it's agreeable in winter ! " said the little girl, and all the
trees were covered with hoar-frost, so that they looked like white
coraL— -The snow creaked under one's feet, as if one had new
boots on. One shooting star after another traversed the sky. In
the room the Christmas tree was lit, and there were song and
merriment. In the peasant's cottage the violin sounded, and
games were played for apple quarters ; even the poorest child said,
" It is beautiful in winter ! "

And indeed it was beautiful ! And the little girl showed every-
thing to the boy, and the elder-tree continued to breathe forth
sweet perfume, while the red flag with the white cross was
streaming in the wind ; it was the flag under which the old sailor
had served. The boy became a youth ; he was to go out into the
wide world, far away to the countries where the coffee grows.
But at parting the little girl took an elder-blossom from her breast
and gave it to him as a keepsake. He placed it in his prayer-
book, and when he opened it in distant lands it was always at the
place where the flower of remembrance was lying ; and the more
he looked at it the fresher it became, so that he could almost
smell the fragrance of the woods at home. He distinctly saw the
little girl, with her bright blue eyes, peeping out from behind the
petals, and heard her whispering, " Here it is beautiful in spring,
in summer, in autumn, and in winter," and hundreds of pictures
passed through his mind.

Thus many years rolled by. He had now become an old man,
and was sitting, with his old wife, under an elder-tree in full bloom.
They held each other by the hand exactly as the great-grandfather
and the great-grandmother had done outside, and, like them, they
talked about bygone days and of their golden wedding. The little

THE LITTLE ELDER-TREE MOTHER 225

girl with the blue eyes and elder-blossoms in her hair was sitting
high up in the tree, and nodded to them, saying, "To-day is the
golden wedding ! " And then she took two flowers out of her
wreath and kissed them. They glittered at first like silver, then
like gold, and when she placed them on the heads of the old
people each flower became a golden crown. J"here they both sat
like a kjn^ind^een^una^rtrie sweet-smelling tree, which looked
exactly like an elder-free, and he told his wife the story of the
elder-tree mother as it had been told him when he was a little
boy. They were both of opinion that the story contained many
points like their own, and these similarities they liked best.

" Yes, so it is," said the little girl in the tree. " Some call me
Little Elder-tree Mother ; others a Dryad ; but my real name is
' Eejn£mbrance/__ It is I who sit in the tree which grows and
grows. I can remember things and tell stories ! But let's see if
you have still got your flower."

And the old man opened his prayer-book ; the elder-blossom
was still in it, and as fresh as if it had only just been put in.
Remembrance nodded, and the two old people, with the golden
Drowns on their heads, sat in the glowing evening sun. They

:losed their eyes and — and

; Well, now the story is ended ! The little boy in bed did not
know whether he had dreamt it or heard it told ; the teapot stood
n the table, but no elder-tree was growing out of it, and the old
nan who had told the story was on the point of leaving the room,
nd he did go out.

How beautiful it was ! " said the little boy. " Mother, I have
ieen to warm countries ! "

"I believe you," said the mother; "if one takes two cups of
ot elder-tea it is quite natural that one gets into warm countries l'~'
Lnd she covered him up well, so that he might not take cold.
You have slept soundly while I was arguing with the old man
hether it was a story or a fairy tale ! "

" And what has become of the little elder-tree mother ? " asked
le boy.

" She is in the teapot," said the mother ; " and there she may
imain."

226 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Darning Needle

HERE was once upon a time a darning
needle, which thought itself so fine that it
imagined that it ought to be a sewing needle.
" Take care that you hold me tightly," said
the darning needle to the fingers which took
it up. " Do not drop me, for if I fall on the
ground one will certainly not find me again, I
am so fine ! "

" That's what you say," said the fingers, and seized her round
the body.

" Look out ! I am coming with a suite ! " said the darning
needle, and dragged a long thread after it ; but there was no knot
in the thread. The fingers directed the needle straight towards
the cook's slipper. The upper leather was torn and had to be
mended.

" That's degrading work," said the darning needle ; " I shall
never get through it ; I shall break, I shall break ! " And really it
broke. " Did I not tell you so ? " said the darning needle, " I am
too fine."

" Now it's good for nothing," said the fingers ; but yet they had
to hold it. The cook fixed a knob of sealing-wax to the needle,
and fastened her neckerchief with it. " So ! now I am a scarf-
pin," said the needle. " I knew very well that I should come
to honour ; when one is worthy one gets on in the world ! " And
then it laughed to itself; but one never sees when a darning
needle laughs. It sat there as proudly as if it was in a state car-
riage, and looked in all directions.

" May I ask if you are made of gold ? " it inquired of a pin, its
neighbour. " You have a bright exterior, and a head of your own,
although it is but small ! You must endeavour to grow, for it is
not every one who receives a knob of sealing-wax 1 " Thus saying,
the darning needle raised itself so proudly that it fell out of the
neckerchief, straight into the sink which the cook was rinsing

THE DARNING NEEDLE 227

down. " Now I am going on my travels," said the darning needle,
" I hope I shall not be lost ! " But it was lost indeed. " I am too
fine for this world," it said, when it was lying in the gutter, " but
I know who I am, and that is always a little pleasure." And the
darning needle kept its proud bearing, and did not lose its cheer-
ful temper. All sorts of things passed over it ; chips, straws, and
bits of old newspaper. " Look how they sail," said the darning
needle, "they do not know what is underneath them! I am
sticking fast here. See, there goes a chip, thinking of nothing
in the world but itself — a chip ! There is a straw drifting by ;
how it turns round and round ! Don't think only of yourself ; you
might easily run against a stone. There floats a piece of news-
paper ; and although what is printed upon it was forgotten long
ago, it gives itself airs. I am sitting here patiently and quietly ;
I know who I am, and that I shall continue to be ! "

One day something lay by the side of it which glittered so
splendidly that the darning needle thought it was a diamond; but
it was only a piece of a broken glass bottle, and because it was so
bright the darning needle spoke to it, and introduced itself as a
scarf-pin. " I suppose you are a diamond ? " — " Yes, something
of that kind." And then they both thought each other something
very precious ; they spoke of the pride of the world.

" I have been in a girl's box," said the darning needle, " and
this girl was a cook ; she had five fingers on each hand, but I have
never seen anything so conceited as these fingers ! And yet they
were only there to take me out of the box, and put me back
again."

" Were they very distinguished ? " asked the piece of glass.
" Distinguished ! " said the darning needle ; " no, but haughty.
They were five brothers, all born fingers. They held proudly
together, although they were of different lengths. The first, the
thumb, was short and thick ; it stood out of the rank, and had only
one joint in its back and could only make one bow ; but it said, if
it was cut off a man's hand he could not be a soldier. Sweet-
'tooth, the second finger, was put into sweet and sour dishes,
pointed to the sun and the moon, and made the downstrokes
when the fingers wrote. Longman, the third, looked over the

228 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

heads of all the others. Gold rim, the fourth, wore a golden girdle
round the waist ; and little Playman did nothing at all, and was
proud of it. They did nothing but brag, and therefore I left them."

" And now we sit here and glitter," said the piece of glass. At
the same moment more water rushed into the gutter ; it overflowed,
and carried the piece of glass away. " So, now it is promoted,"
said the darning needle, " but I remain here ; I am too fine ; but
that is my pride, and I have good reason for it ! " And it sat
there proudly and had many great thoughts. " I am almost
inclined to think I am the child of a sunbeam, I am so fine ! It
seems to me as if sunbeams were always looking for me here under
the water also ! I am so fine that my mother cannot find me. If
I had my old eye, the one that broke off, I believe I should cry,
but I shall not do it — it is not considered good breeding to cry."

One day, a few urchins lay grubbing in the gutter, where they
found old nails, farthings, and suchlike treasures. It was dirty
work, but it caused them great pleasure. " Oh ! " cried one, who
had pricked himself with the darning needle, "look, what a
fellow."

" I am not a fellow, I am a miss," said the darning needle, but
nobody listened to it. The sealing wax had come off and the
needle had turned black ; but black makes one look thinner, and
therefore it thought itself finer than ever.

" Here comes an egg-shell drifting along," said the boys, and f
they stuck the darning needle firmly into it. " White walls, and I ,
am black myself," said the darning needle ; "that is very becoming;
now one can see me at least. I wish I may not become seasick
and break." But it did not become seasick, nor did it break.

" It is a good thing against seasickness if one has a steel
stomach, and does not forget that one is something better than a
man. Now my seasickness is past ; the finer one is, the more one
can bear ! "

" Crack," cried the eggshell, as a heavy cart went over it.

" Good heavens ! " said the darning needle, " how it presses !
Now I shall become seasick after all. I am breaking ! "

But itdid not break, although the heavy cart passed over it ; it
lay there full length, and there it may stay.

THE LAST DREAM OF THE OLD OAK 229

The Last Dream of the Old Oak

(A CHRISTMAS STORY)

a wood, high up on the steep shore, near
the open sea, stood a very old oak tree. It
was three hundred and sixty-five years old,
but all this long time had not appeared
any longer to the tree than the same
number of days to us human beings. We
are awake in the daytime, we sleep at
night, and then we have our dreams. It is different with a tree ; it
is awake during three seasons, and only begins to sleep towards
the winter. Winter is its resting-time, its night after a long day,
consisting of spring, summer, and autumn.

On many a warm summer day the ephemera — the fly that lives
but one day — danced round its crown, lived and felt happy in the
sunshine, and then the little creature rested a moment in quiet
contentment on one of the large fresh oak leaves, and the oak tree
would say: "Poor little one! your whole life is but one day!
How very short ! It is sad indeed ! "

" Sad ? What do you mean by that ? " the ephemera used to \
ask. "All around me it is so wonderfully light, warm, and
beautiful, and that makes me glad."

" But only one day, and then it is all over ! "
"Over," repeated the ephemera; "What does over mean? Is it
not over with you too ? "

"No; I live perhaps thousands of your days, and my days
consist of entire seasons ! That is so long that you are unable to
reckon it up ! "

" No. I don't understand you ! You have thousands of my
days, but I have thousands of moments in which I can be merry
and happy. Does all the splendour of this world cease to exist
when you die ? "

" No," said the tree ; " that will probably last much longer —
indefinitely longer than I am able to imagine."

230 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" But then we have both the same time to live, only we reckon
differently." And the ephemera danced and flew about in the
air, rejoicing in the possession of its wonderful wings of gauze and
velvet; it enjoyed the warm air, which was saturated with the
spicy fragrance of the clover fields, the dog roses, the lilac and
honeysuckle, the garden hedges, thyme, the primrose, and the
mint The fragrance was so strong that the ephemera was almost
intoxicated with it. The day was long and beautiful, full of joy
and sweet pleasures, and when the sun set the little fly always felt
agreeably tired of all the delight. Its wings would no longer
support it, and gently and slowly it glided down on the waving
blades of grass, nodded as an ephemera can nod, and fell
asleep, peacefully and joyfully. It was dead. "Poor little
ephemera," said the oak, "that was really too short a life."

The same dance, the same questions and answers, the same
falling asleep, occurred again on every summer day ; all repeated
itself through whole generations of ephemeras, which all felt
equally merry and happy.

The oak stood awake in the spring, its morning j the summer, its
midday; and the autumn, its evening; soon its resting-time, night,
was approaching. The winter was at hand. Already the storms
sang " Good night ! good night ! " Here dropped a leaf, there
dropped a leaf. "We will stir you and shake you ! Go to sleep,
go to sleep ! We shall sing you to sleep, we shall shake you to
sleep, and surely it will do your old twigs good ; they will crackle
with delight and joy. Sleep sweetly ! sleep sweetly ! It is your
three hundred and sixty-fifth night; properly speaking you are
only a stripling ! Sleep sweetly ! The clouds will throw snow
down and make you a covering to keep your feet warm ! Sleep
sweetly — and pleasant dreams ! "

The oak stood there, deprived of its foliage, to go to rest for the
whole long winter and to dream many a dream ; all was of some-
thing that had happened to it, as in the dreams of human
beings. The large tree was once small— nay, an acorn had been
its cradle. According to human calculation, it was now living its
fourth century ; it was the largest and best tree in the wood, and
over-towered by far all the other trees with its crown. It was seen

THE LAST DREAM OF THE OLD OAK 231

from a great distance out at sea, and served as a landmark to the
sailors. Of course, it had no idea that so many eyes looked for
it. High up in its green crown the wood-pigeon built her nest,
and the cuckoo made its voice heard ; and in autumn, when its
leaves looked like hammered copper, the birds of passage rested
themselves there before they flew across the sea. Now, however,
it was winter ; the tree stood there without leaves, and one could
see how crooked and knotty the branches were that grew out of the
stem. Crows and jackdaws came and sat alternately on it while
they talked about the hard times which were now beginning, and
how difficult it was to find food in the winter.

Towards the holy Christmas time the tree dreamt a most
beautiful dream. It had a distinct notion of the festive time, and
it seemed to the tree as if all the church bells round about were
merrily pealing, and as if all this took place on a bright, mild, and
warm summer day. Fresh and green its mighty crown spread
forth, the sunbeams were playing between the leaves and branches,
the air was filled with the fragrance of herbs and blossoms;
coloured butterflies chased each other, the ephemeras danced
about as if all was only there for them to enjoy. All the tree had
seen happening round it during many years passed before it in a
festive procession. It saw the knights and noble ladies of bygone
days on horseback, with waving plumes on their heads, the
falcons on their wrists, riding through the wood; the bugle
sounded, the hounds barked ; it saw hostile warriors in coloured
garments, with glittering arms, spears, and halberds, pitching tents
and striking them again ; the watch-fires were burning while they
sang and slept under the branches of the oak tree ; it saw lovers in
quiet happiness meet at its trunk in the moonlight and cut their
names, their initials, into the dark-green bark. Guitars and
^Eolian harps were once— many, many years ago — hung in the
branches of the oak by merry travellers ; now they were hanging
there again, and their wonderful sounds rang forth. The wood-
pigeons cooed as if they wished to tell what the tree was feeling,
and the cuckoo called out to it how many days it had yet to live.
Then the tree felt new life streaming into it, down to the smallest
root and high up into the topmost branches and leaves.. It felt

232 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

how it spread and extended — nay, it felt, by means of its roots,
that there was also warmth and life deep below in the earth ; its
force was increasing, it grew higher and higher, the trunk shot up,
there was no resting ; more and more it grew, the crown became
fuller, spread out, and raised itself, and in measure as the tree
grew, its happiness and its longing to reach higher and higher
increased, right up to the bright warm sun. It had already grown
up into the clouds, which sailed under it like flights of birds of
passage, or large white swans. Every leaf of the tree had the gift
of sight, as if they had eyes to see. The stars became visible to it
in broad daylight ; they were large and sparkling, each of them
glittered as mildly and clearly as a pair of eyes ; they recalled to
its memory well-known kind eyes — children's eyes, lovers' eyes —
who had met under the tree. It was a marvellous moment, so full of
joy and delight ! And yet amidst all this joy the tree felt a
desire, a longing wish, that all the other trees down in the wood —
all the bushes, all the herbs and flowers — might be able to rise
with it, see all this splendour, and feel this joy. The great
majestic oak, with all its grandeur, was not quite happy without
having them all, great and small, around it, and these feelings
of longing passed through all the leaves and branches as vigorously
as they would pass through a human breast. The crown of the
tree was rocking to and fro as if it were seeking something in its
deep longing j it was looking back. Then it smelt the fragrance
of the thyme, and soon the still stronger scent of the honeysuckle
and violet ; it seemed as if the cuckoo was answering it

Yes, through the clouds the green tops of the wood became
visible, and below the oak recognised the other trees — how they
grew and rose. Bushes and herbs shot high up, several tearing
themselves up by the roots and flying up the quicker. The birch
tree was the quickest of all ; like a white flash of lightning its
slender stem shot up in a zigzag line, the branches surrounding it
like green gauze and flags. The whole wood, even the brown
feathery reed, grew up ; the birds followed and sang, and on a
long blade of grass which fluttered in the air like a green silk
ribbon sat a grasshopper, cleaning his wings with his legs ; the
cockchafers and the bees were humming ; every bird was singing

THE LAST DREAM OF THE OLD OAK 233

as well as it could ; sounds and songs of joy and gladness rose
up to heaven.

" But where is the little blue flower that grows near the water,"
cried the oak, "and the harebell and the little daisy?" Indeed,
the old oak wished to have them all around it.

" Here we are ! Here we are ! " echoed from all sides.

"But where is the beautiful thyme of last summer? — and wasn't
there a bed of snowdrops here last year ? — and the crab-apple that
bloomed so beautifully, and the splendour of the woods during
the whole year ! Oh ! that it were only born now, that it were
only here now ; then it could be with us ! "

" We are here ! We are here ! " sounded voices still higher, as
if they had flown up in advance.

" No ! that is too beautiful to be believed ! " exclaimed the old
oak. "I have them all, both great and small; not one is for-
gotten ! How is all this happiness imaginable ? How is it
possible ? "

"In God's eternal kingdom it is possible and imaginable,"
sounded through the air.

The old tree, which was incessantly growing, felt its roots
tearing themselves away from the earth. " That is right so, that
is the best of all," said the old tree. " No fetters are holding me
any longer ; I can rise to the highest light and splendour, and all
my beloved ones are with me, both great and small. All ! All ! "

That was the dream of the old oak, and while it thus dreamed
a terrible storm was raging over land and sea — on holy Christmas
Eve. The sea was rolling heavy waves against the shore ; the tree,
which crackled and groaned, was torn out of the ground by the
roots at the very moment when it was dreaming that its roots tore
themselves out of the earth. It fell to the ground. Its three
hundred and sixty-five years had now passed away like the one
day of the ephemera.

On Christmas morn, when the sun rose, the storm had abated.
!• All the church bells were merrily pealing ; out of every chimney
top, even from the smallest and humblest cottage, the smoke rose
up in blue clouds, like the smoke which rose from the altars of
the Druids when they offered thankofferings. The sea became

234 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

gradually calm ; and on board a large ship which had been
struggling all night with the storm, and happily got through it, all
the flags were hoisted as a sign of Christmas joy.

" The tree is gone ! The old oak, our landmark on the coast,"
said the sailors, " it has fallen during last night's storm. Who
can replace it ? No one ! "

Such a funeral oration, short and sincere, was pronounced on
the tree, which lay stretched out on the snow near the shore ; and
over it passed the sound of the psalms from the ship— songs of
Christmas joy, and of the redemption of the human soul through
Christ, and of eternal life :

" Christians, awake! salute the happy morn,
Whereon the Saviour of the world was born;
Rise to adore the mystery of love
Which hosts of angels chanted from above.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah."

Thus sounded the old hymn, and every one on board the ship
felt himself edified by song and prayer, as the old tree had done
in its last most beautiful dream, on Christmas morn.

The Wild Swans

AR from here, where the swallows fly when
it is winter with us, there lived a king
who had eleven sons, and one daughter,
called Elise.^) The eleven brothers were
princes, and went to school with stars on
their breasts and swords at their sides. They
^____^___ wrote with diamond pencils on gold slates,
and learning by heart came as easy to them as reading ; one could
see at once that they were princes. Their sister Elise sat upon
a little plate-glass stool, and had a picture-book that had been
bought for half a kingdom.

Oh, the children were extremely well cared for, but it was not

THE WILD SWANS 2^

to be always so. Their father, who was king of the whole country,
married a wicked queen, who did not love the poor children
at all. That they found out the very first day. There were
grand doings at the castle, and the children were playing at
" visiting " ; but instead of having as many cakes and roasted
apples as they used to have, the queen gave them only some
sand in a teacup and told them they could pretend it was
something.

The following week she took little Elise to live with some pea-
sants in the country, and it was not long before she told the king
so much that was untrue about the poor princes that he would
have nothing more to do with them.

" Go out into the world and gain your own living," said the
wicked queen. " Fly, like the great dumb birds ! " But she
could not make matters as bad as she wished, for they became
eleven beautiful wild swans.

With a strange cry they flew out of the castle windows, far away
over the park and into the wood.

It was still early in the morning when they passed the place
where their sister Elise lay sleeping in the peasant's hut. Here
they hovered about the roof, stretched their long necks and
flapped their wings ; but no one heard or saw them. They
were obliged to go farther, high up in the clouds, out into the
wide world ; so they flew on to a great dark forest which extended
as far as the seashore.

Poor little Elise stood in the peasant's hut playing with a green
leaf, for she had no other plaything. She pricked a hole in the
leaf^and looking up at the sun through it, she seemed to see her
brothers' bright eyes, and whenever the warm sunbeams fell upon
her cheeks she thought of all their kisses.

One day passed just like the other. When the wind blew
through the great edge of rose bushes before the house it would
whisper to the roses : " Who can be more beautiful than you ? "
But the roses would shake their heads and say " Elise ! " And
when the old woman sat before the door on Sundays reading her
hymn-book, the wind would turn over the leaves and say to the
book: "Who can be more pious than you?" And the hymn-

236 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

book would answer, " Elise." It was the pure truth too, what the
roses and the hymn-book said.

When she wasjtoeenjears old she was to go home ; and when
the queen saw how beautiful she was she disliked her more than
ever. She would gladly have changed her into a wild swan like
her brothers ; but she did not dare to do so at once, because the
king wished to see his daughter.

Early in the morning the queen went into the bath, which was
built of marble and furnished with soft cushions and the most
splendid coverings. She took three toads, and, kissing them, said
to one : " Get on Elise's head when she enters the bath, so that
she may become dumb like you." " Get on her forehead," she
said to the other, " and let her become ugly like you, so that her
father may not know her ! " " Rest on her heart ! " she whispered
to the third ; " let her become wicked, so that she may be tor-
mented." Putting the toads into the clear water, which imme-
diately turned green, she called Elise, undressed her, and made
her get in too. As Elise dived under, one of the toads got into
her hair, another upon her forehead, and the third upon her
breast. She, however, appeared not to notice them, and as soon
as she stood up, three red poppies were floating on the water.
Had the creatures not been poisonous and kissed by a witch, they
would have been changed into red roses. But having rested on
her head, her forehead, and her heart, they were bound to become
flowers of some kind. She was too pious and innocent for sorcery
to have any power over her.

When the wicked queen saw that, she rubbed Elise all over
with walnut juice, so that she became dark brown, smeared an
evil-smelling salve over her pretty face and entangled her glorious
hair. It was impossible to recognise the beautiful Elise.

When her father saw her he was quite startled, and said she was
not his daughter. No one knew her except the watch-dog and
the swallows ; but they were merely poor animals who had
nothing to say.

Then poor Elise wept and thought of her eleven brothers who
were all away. She stole out of the castle sorrowfully, and walked
the whole day over fields and moors till she reached the great

THE WILD SWANS 237

forest. She did not know where to go, but she felt extremely
miserable and longed for her brothers : she supposed that they,
like her, had been driven out into the world, and she determined
to seek and find them.

She had been in the forest only a short time when night came
on ; then she entirely lost her way. So she lay down on the soft
moss, said her evening prayer, and leaned her head against the
stump of a tree. A deep silence reigned, the air was mild, and
all around in the grass and in the moss there gleamed, like green
fire, hundreds of glow-worms ; when she touched a branch gently
with her hand, the glimmering insects fell down upon her like
falling stars.

All night long she dreamed of her brothers ; they were playing
again as when they were children, writing with the diamond
pencils on the golden slates and looking at the beautiful picture-
book that had cost half a kingdom. But on the slate they did not
make, as formerly, noughts and strokes ; they wrote, instead, of
the daring deeds they had done and of all they had seen and gone
through. And in the picture-book everything was alive ; the
birds sang, and the people came out of the book and spoke to
Elise and her brothers. But when she turned over a leaf, they
immediately jumped back, so that there should be no confusion.

When she awoke, the sun was already high in the heavens. It
is true she could not see it, for the branches of the tall trees were
so closely entwined overhead. But the sunbeams played among
them like a wavy golden veil, while the foliage gave forth a sweet
fragrance and the birds almost sat upon her shoulders. She
heard the splashing of water, for there were a number of large
springs which all flowed into a lake having the softest sand for its
bed. Although thick bushes grew all around it, the deer had
made an opening in one place, and through this Elise went down
to the water.

It was so clear that if the wind had not moved the branches and
bushes one would have believed that they were painted on the
surface ; so distinctly was every leaf reflected in it, both those
upon which the sun shone and those which were in the shade.

As soon as Elise perceived her own face, she was quite startled,

238 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

so brown and ugly did it look ; but when she wetted her little
hand and rubbed her eyes and forehead, her skin appeared as
white as before. Then she undressed and got into the fresh
water. A more beautiful king's daughter than she could not be
found in the wide world.

When she had dressed herself again and plaited her long
hair, she went to the bubbling spring, drank out of the hollow
of her hand, and wandered far into the forest, without knowing
whither. She thought of her brothers, and of the good God who
would certainly not forsake her. He had made the wild crab-
apples grow to feed the hungry, and now led her to a tree the
branches of which bent under the weight of their fruit. Here she
made her mid-day meal, put some props under the branches, and
then penetrated into the darkest part of the forest. It was so
still that she could hear her own footsteps, as well as the rustling
of every dry leaf that bent under her feet. Not one bird was to
be seen, not a single ray of the sun could penetrate the thick dark
foliage. The tall stems stood so close together, that when she
looked straight before her, it seemed as if she was enclosed by
palisades on all sides. Here was a solitude such as she had
never known before.

The night became very dark ; not a single little glow-worm glim-
mered in the moss. Sorrowfully she laid herself down to sleep.
Then it seemed to her as though the boughs above her were parted,
and the good God looked down upon her with kindness, and little
angels peeped out from above and behind Him.

When she awoke in the morning she did not know whether she
had dreamed it or whether it had really happened.

After walking a few steps she met an old woman with some
berries in her basket ; the old woman gave her some of them, and
Elise asked whether she had not seen eleven princes riding
through the forest.

"No," replied the old woman; "but yesterday I saw eleven
swans with golden crowns on their heads swimming in the river
close by."

And she led Elise a short distance farther to a slope, at the foot
of which a streamlet wound its way. The trees on its banks

THE WILD SWANS 239

stretched their long leafy branches out towards each other, and
where by their natural growth they could not reach across, the
roots had been torn out of the earth, and hung, entwined with the
branches, over the water.

Elise bade the old woman farewell, and went along the stream
to the place where it flowed out to the great open shore.

The whole glorious sea lay before the young girl, but not one
sail appeared upon it : not a single boat was to be seen. How
was she to get any farther ? She gazed on the innumerable little
pebbles on the shore ; the water had worn them all smooth and
round. Glass, iron stones, everything that was lying washed
together there, had received its shape from the water, which was,
however, softer than her dainty hand.

" It rolls on unweariedly, and thus it makes hard things smooth.'
I will be just as indefatigable. Thanks for your lesson, you clear \
rolling waves ; my heart tells me that some day you will carry me J \^
to my brothers."

Upon the seaweed that had been washed ashore lay eleven
white swans' feathers, which Elise collected into a little bunch.
Some drops of water lay upon them : whether they were dewdrops
or tears no one could tell. It was very lonely on the sea-shore,
but she did not feel it, for the sea afforded constant variety ;
indeed, more in a few hours than the lovely inland lakes
presented in a whole year. When a great black cloud came it
seemed as if the sea wished to say : " I can look black too " ; and
then the wind would blow and the waves turn their white linings
outside. But when the clouds shone red, and the winds slept,
then the sea was as smooth as a rose-leaf; sometimes green,
sometimes white. But however peaceful it might be, there was
always a slight movement on the shore ; the water would heave
gently, like the bosom of a sleeping child.

Just as the sun was about to set, Elise saw eleven wild swans,
with golden crowns on their heads, flying towards the land ; they
flew one behind the other, and looked like a long white ribbon.
Then Elise ascended the slope and hid behind a bush ; the swans
descended close to her and flapped their great white wings.

As the sun sank beneath the water, the swans' feathers suddenly

240

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

disappeared, and there stood eleven beautiful princes — Elise's
brothers.

She uttered a loud cry, for although they had altered very much,
she knew that they were, and felt that they must be, her brothers.
She sprang into their arms and called them by their names ; and

the princes felt very happy when they saw their little sister, and
recognised her too, who was now so tall and beautiful. They
laughed and wept, and soon they had told each other how wickedly
their stepmother had behaved towards them all.

"We brothers," said the eldest, "fly about as wild swans when
the sun is in the heavens ; as soon as it has set, we again return to
our human shape. We therefore have to be very careful to find a
safe resting-place by sunset, for if at that time we should be flying
up towards the clouds, we should be hurled down into the depths
in our human form. We do not live here ; there is a country just
as beautiful as this across the sea, but it is a long way off. We
have to cross the great ocean, and there is no island on our
way where we can rest for the night ; only one little rock rises up
from the waters midway, and that is only just large enough to

VOL. I.

r one of them, the youngest remain
hmduand the swan laid his head in her
1 ap and she strokedhi? wings; and the
whole day they remamedrogether.:®

THE WILD SWANS H5

accommodate us if we stand very close together. When the sea
is very rough, the water dashes up right over us, but still we thank
Heaven for this resting-place. There we pass the night in our
human form ; if it were not for this rock we could never visit our
dear native land, for we require two of the longest days in the
year for our flight. Only once a year are we permitted to visit
our home; we may stay here for eleven days and fly over the
great forest from whence we can see the castle in which we were
born, and where our father lives, and catch a glimpse of the high
church-tower where our mother lies buried. Here it seems as if
even the trees and bushes were related to us ; here the wild horses
career across the steppes as we saw them do in our childhood ;
Jiere the charcoal-burner sings the old songs to which we danced
when children ; here is our native land, hither we feel drawn, and
here we have found you, dear little sister. We can stay here two
days longer; then we must away across the sea to a glorious
country, which, however, is not our native land. How can we get
?ou away ? We have neither ship nor boat."

" In what manner can I release you ? " asked their sister. And
hey sat talking nearly the whole night, taking only a few hours'
lumber. Elise was awakened by the beating of the swans' wings
.s they rustled above her. Her brothers were again transformed,
.nd flew in great circles, and at last went far away ; but one of
hem, the youngest, remained behind, and the swan laid his head
i her lap and she stroked his wings ; the whole day they were
Dgether. Towards evening the others came back, and when the
un had set they stood there in their natural forms.

"To-morrow we fly away from here, and cannot come back
efore a 'whole year has gone by. But we cannot leave you like
ut. Have you courage to go with us? My arms are strong
aough to carry you through the wood ; ought not, then, all our
ings be strong enough to fly with you across the sea ? "

" Yes, take me with you," said Elise.

They were occupied the whole night in making a great strong
2t out of the pliable willow bark and tough reeds. On this Elise
id herself, and when the sun rose, and her brothers were changed
to wild swans, they seized the net with their bills and flew with

244 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

their dear sister, who was still asleep, high up towards the clouds.
The sunbeams fell right upon her face, so one of the swans flew
over her head so that his broad wings might overshadow her.

They were far away from land when Elise awoke ; she thought
she was still dreaming, so strange did it seem to her to be carried
across the sea, high up in the air. At her side lay a branch with
beautiful ripe berries and a bunch of sweet carrots ; the youngest
of her brothers had picked them and laid them there for her. She
smiled at him gratefully, for she recognised him; he it was who
flew over her and shaded her with his wings.

They were so high that the largest ship they saw beneath them
looked like a white sea-gull lying on the water. A large cloud;
stood behind them looking just like a mountain, and upon itj
Elise saw her own shadow and that of the eleven swans in'l
gigantic proportions. It was a picture more splendid than she;
had ever seen before. But as the sun rose higher and the cloud:
remained farther behind, the floating shadow picture vanished.

The whole day they flew on like an arrow rushing through the
air ; but they went slower than usual, for now they had their sistei
to carry. Bad weather came on and evening drew near; Elise
looked anxiously at the setting sun, and still the lonely rock in the
ocean was not to be seen. It seemed to her as if the swans were'
making stronger efforts with their wings. Alas ! it was through he;
that they did not get along fast enough. When the sun had se
they must become human and fall into the sea and drown. Ther^ i
she sent up a prayer to Heaven from the bottom of her heart, bu; ,

THE WILD SWANS 24.5

still she perceived no rock. The black clouds came nearer, form-
ing themselves into one great threatening wave, which shot for-
ward as if it were of lead, while continuous flashes of lightning lit
up the sky.

The sun was now just at the water's edge. Elise's heart beat

fast; suddenly the swans shot down, and so quickly that she

' thought she should fall, but still they sailed on for a little. The

sun was already half below the water when she perceived the little

rock beneath her. It looked no larger than if it were a seal

i putting its head above the water. The sun sank very fast; it

i looked only like a star as her foot touched the firm ground, and

then it vanished like the last spark in a piece of burnt paper. She

saw her brothers standing arm-in-arm around her, but there was

j only just room enough for them and her, not more.

The sea dashed against the rock and covered them with its
; spray; the heavens were ablaze with continuous flashes of
i lightning, and the thunder rolled in peal upon peal ; but sister and
I brothers held each other by the hand and sang psalms, from which
1 they gathered comfort and courage.

In the early dawn the sky was serene and calm ; as soon as the
. sun rose, the swans flew away with Elise from the island. The
j sea still ran high ; it seemed to them, high up in the air, as if the
white foam on the dark green sea were millions of swans swim-
ming upon the water.

When the sun rose higher Elise saw before her, half floating in

| the air, a mountainous land with shining masses of ice on its

heights ; in the middle of it rose a castle quite a mile long, with

row upon row of stately pillars, while beneath waved forests of

palms and gorgeous flowers. She asked whether that was the land

, for which they were making ; but the swans shook their heads, for

. what she beheld was the beautiful but ever-changing castle in the

air of the Fata Morgana ; into this they might bring no human

I being. As Elise gazed upon it, mountains, woods, and castle fell

i into an indistinct heap, and twenty proud churches, all alike, with

tall spires and pointed windows, stood in their place. She thought

. she heard the organ pealing, but it was only the sea that she

heard. When she came quite close to the churches they changed

*46 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

to a whole fleet sailing away beneath her, but when she looked
down it was only a sea-mist floating on the water. Thus she had
a constant change before her, till, at last, she saw the real land for
which they were making ; there arose the most beautiful blue
mountains with cedar forests, cities, and castles. Long before the
sun went down she was sitting on a rock in front of a great cave
which was overgrown with delicate green creepers looking like
embroidered carpets.

" Now we shall see what you dream of here to-night," said the
youngest brother showing her her bedroom.

" Heaven grant that I may dream how I can release you," said
she. This thought filled her mind completely, and she fervently
prayed to Heaven for help; indeed, even in her sleep she con-
tinued to pray. Then it seemed to her as if she were flying high
up into the air, to the castle among the clouds of the Fata Mor-
gana ; and the fairy came towards her, beautiful and radiant, but
still bearing a close resemblance to the old woman who had given
her berries in the forest and had told her of the swans with the
golden crowns.

"Your brothers can be released," she said, "but have you
courage and perseverance? Water is indeed softer than your
dainty hands, and yet it changes the shape of stones ; but it does
not feel the pain which your fingers will feel ; it has no heart, and
therefore does not suffer the anxiety and torment which you must
endure. Do you see the stinging-nettle that I hold in my hand ?
Many of the same kind grow around the cave in which you sleep ;
now remember that only that kind, and those which grow upon
the graves in the churchyard, are of any use. Those you must
pluck, although they will make your hands full of blisters. If you
,,1;read these nettles underfoot, you will get flax : of this you must
plait and weave eleven shirts of mail with long sleeves ; throw
these over the eleven swans, and the charm will be broken. But
remember that from the moment when you begin this task until it
is finished, even if it should take years to do, you may not speak ;
the first word that you utter will go like a deadly dagger straight
to your brothers' hearts. Upon your tongue depends their life.
Remember all that I tell you ! "

THE WILD SWANS 247

And at the same time she touched her hand with the nettle ;
it was like a burning fire, and awoke Elise. It was broad daylight,
and close to where she had slept lay a nettle like the one she had
seen in her dream. Then she fell upon her knees to offer up her
thanks to Heaven, and went out of the cave to begin her task.

With her delicate hands she caught hold of the hateful nettles ;
they stung like fire and raised great blisters on her hands and
arms ; but she would bear it gladly if she could but release her
dear brothers. She trod on every nettle with her bare feet and
plaited the green flax.

When the sun had gone down her brothers returned and were
frightened at finding her so dumb ; they believed it was a new
charm of their wicked stepmother. But when they saw her hands
they understood what she was doing for their sake. The youngest
brother wept, and wherever his tears fell she felt no pain and the
birning blisters vanished.

She passed the night at her work, for she could not rest until
she had released her dear brothers. The following day, whilst the
swans were away, she sat in her solitude ; but never before had the
time flown so quickly as now. One shirt of mail was already
finished, and now she was beginning the second.

Suddenly a hunting-horn was heard among the hills, and she
was seized with fear. The sound came nearer and nearer, and she
heaid the baying of hounds ; she fled in terror into the cave, and
binding the nettles which she had collected and prepared into
a bundle, sat down upon it.

Immediately a great dog came leaping up out of the ravine, and
soon afterwards another and yet another ; they kept running to
and fro, baying loudly. In a few minutes all the huntsmen were
; before the cave, and the most handsome among them was the
king of that country. He went up to Elise, for he had never seen
a more beautiful maiden.

" How did you come hither, you lovely child ? " he asked.

Elise shook her head ; she dared not speak, for her brothers'
deliverance and life were at stake. She also hid her hands under
her apron, so that the king should not see what she had to suffer.

" Come with me ! " he said ; " you shall not stop here. If you

248 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

are as good as you are beautiful I will clothe you in silk and
velvet, place a golden crown upon your head, and you shall live
in my grandest castle and reign ! " Then he lifted her upon his
horse. She wept and wrung her hands, but the king said : " I
only wish for your happiness. Some day you will thank me for
it." With these words he galloped away across the mountains,
holding her before him on his horse, and the hunters galloped
behind.

When the sun went down, the beautiful royal city with its
churches and cupolas lay before them. The king led her into the
castle, where great fountains were splashing in the marble halls,
and where walls and ceilings were adorned with paintings. But
she had no eyes for all this, she only wept and mourned. She
passively allowed the women to dress her in royal robes, to plait
pearls in her hair, and to draw on dainty gloves over her blistered
fingers.

When she stood there in her splendour she was dazzlingly
beautiful, so that the courtiers bowed low before her. The king
chose her for his bride, although the archbishop shook his held,
and whispered that the beautiful forest maiden was certainlr a
witch who dazzled the eyes and fooled the heart of the king.

The king, however, did not listen to this, but ordered the music
to play, the costliest dishes to be served, and the loveliest maidens
to dance before them. And she was led through fragrant gardens
into splendid halls, but never a smile came upon her lips or f'om
her eyes : she stood there a picture of grief. Then the ling
opened a little chamber close by, where she was to sleep ; it was
hung with costly green tapestry and resembled the cave in which
she had been. On the floor lay the bundle of flax which she had
made from the nettles, and under the tapestry hung the shirt of
mail which she had already completed. All these things one of
the huntsmen had taken with him as curiosities.

" Here you can dream yourself back in your former home ! "
said the king. " Here is the work that occupied you there ; now,
in the midst of all your splendour it will be pleasant for you to
recall that time."

When Elise saw the work she was so anxious about, a smile

THE WILD SWANS 249

played round her mouth and the blood came back to her cheeks.
She thought of her brothers' deliverance, and kissed the king's hand,
while he pressed her to his heart and had the marriage feast pro-
claimed by all the church bells. The beautiful dumb maiden out
of the wood became queen of the land.

Then the archbishop whispered evil words into the king's ear,
but they did not reach hi- heart. The marriage was to take
place ; the archbishop himself had to place the crown upon her
head, and he maliciously pressed the narrow circlet down tightly
upon her brow so that it pained her. But a heavier band encom-
passed her heart — sorrow for her brothers. She did not feel
bodily pain. Her lips were dumb, for a single word would have
caused her brothers to die, but her eyes spoke of tender love
for the good handsome king who did everything to please her.
He became dearer to her from day to day, and oh ! how she
wished that she could confide in him and tell him of her
sorrows. But she was forced to be dumb, and to remain so
until she had finished her task. Therefore at night she crept
away from his side, went into the little chamber which had
been decorated like the cave, and wove one shirt of mail after
the other. But when she began the seventh, she had no more
flax.

She knew that in the churchyard there grew nettles that she
could use ; but she must pluck them herself, and how was she to
get there?

" Oh, what is the pain in my fingers compared to the torture
that my heart endures?" thought she. "I must venture it.
Heaven will not withdraw its protection from me."

In fear and trembling, as though what she intended doing were
a wicked deed, she crept down into the garden in the moonlight
night and went through the lanes and the lonely streets to the
churchyard. There she saw a circle of vampires sitting on one of
the broadest tombstones. These hideous witches took off their
rags, as if they were going to bathe, and then digging up the
newly-made graves with their long skinny fingers, they snatched
out the corpses with fiendish greed and ate the flesh. Elise had
to pass close by them, and they fastened their evil glances upon

250 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

her; but she prayed quietly, collected the stinging nettles, and
carried them home to the castle.

Only one person had seen her ; it was the archbishop, for he
was awake when other people slept. Now he knew that he was
right in his opinion, that all was not with the queen as it should
be : she was a witch, and therefore she had cast a spell over the
king and the people.

He secretly told the king what he had seen and what he feared.
And when the hard words fell from his lips the images of the
saints in the church shook their heads as though they wished to
say, " It is not so ; Elise is innocent ! " But the archbishop in-
terpreted it in a different way ; in his opinion they bore witness
against her and shook their heads at her sins. Then two big
tears rolled down the king's cheeks ; he went home with doubt in
his heart and pretended to be asleep in the night. But no peace-
ful slumber came to his eyelids, and he noticed that Elise got up.
Every night she did the same, and every time he followed her
softly and saw her vanish into her room.

From day to day his looks grew darker ; Elise saw it, but did
not understand the reason ; but it made her anxious, and what
did she not suffer in her heart for her brothers ! Her hot tears
fell upon the royal velvet and purple ; they lay there like glittering
diamonds. And all who saw the rich splendour wished to be
queen. In the meantime she had almost finished her work ; only
one shirt of mail was still wanting, but she had no more flax and
not a single nettle. Therefore she was obliged to go once more,
for the last time, to the churchyard to pluck a few handfuls.
She thought with terror of this lonely walk and of the horrible
vampires ; but her will was firm as well as her faith in Providence.

Elise went ; but the king and the archbishop were following
her. They saw her disappear by the gate leading into the church-
yard, and when they approached it, they saw the vampires sitting
on the tombstone as Elise had seen them ; and the king turned
aside, for among them he believed her to be whose head had
rested on his breast only that evening.

" The people must condemn her," he said : and the people con-
demned her to be burnt.

THE WILD SWANS

251

Out of the splendid regal halls she was led into a dark damp
hole, where the wind whistled in through the grated window ; in-
stead of velvet and silk, they gave her the bundle of nettles that
she had collected. She could lay her head upon them and the
hard stinging coats of mail which she had woven were to be her
coverlet. But they could have given her nothing more dear to
her ; she took up her work again and prayed to Heaven. Outside

the street-boys sang mocking songs about her ; not a soul com-
forted her with a kind word.

Towards evening there was a rustling of swans' wings close to
the grating ; it was the youngest of her brothers. He had found
his sister, and she sobbed aloud for joy, though she knew that the
next night would probably be the last she had to live. But now
the work was almost ended, and her brothers were here.

The archbishop now came, to be with her in her last hours :
that he had promised to the king. But she shook her head and
begged him with looks and gestures to go. That night she had
to finish her work, otherwise all would have been in vain ; the
pain, the tears, and the sleepless nights. The archbishop went
away with nothing but evil words for her ; but poor Elise knew
that she was innocent and went on with her work.

The little mice ran about upon the floor and dragged the nettles

252 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

up to her feet in order to help in some way too, and the thrush
sat upon the window grating and sang all night as merrily as it
could, so that Elise should not lose courage.

In the morning twilight, about an hour before sunrise, the
eleven brothers stood at the castle gate and requested to be taken
before the king. They were told that that could not be ; that it
was not daylight yet : that the king was asleep and could not be
disturbed. They begged and threatened so, that the sentinels
came up, and even the king himself came out and asked what the
matter was. Just then the sun rose and no brothers were now to
be seen, but eleven wild swans flew away over the castle.

The whole people streamed out of the city gates ; they were
going to see the witch burnt. A broken-down old horse drew the
cart along on which she sat ; they had dressed her in a gown of
coarse sackcloth, and her glorious hair hung loose about her
beautiful head. Her cheeks were deadly pale ; her lips moved
slightly, whilst her ringers were busied with the green flax. Even
on the way to her death she did not interrupt the work she had
begun ; ten shirts of mail lay at her feet, and she was now work-
ing at the eleventh. The mob jeered at her.

" Look at the red witch, how she mutters ! She has no hymn-
book in her hand ; no, there she sits with her hideous sorcery —
tear it from her into a thousand pieces."

And they all crowded upon her and wanted to tear up the
shirts of mail ; then eleven wild swans came flying up and sat
round her on the cart, beating their great wings. Now the mob
fell back terrified. " It is a sign from heaven ! She cannot be
guilty," many whispered. But they did not dare to say so aloud.

As the executioner seized her by the hand she quickly threw
the eleven shirts of mail over the swans. Immediately eleven
beautiful princes stood there. But the youngest had a swan's
wing instead of an arm, for one sleeve was wanting in his
shirt of mail — that one she had not quite finished.

" Now I may speak," said she. " I am innocent."

And the people who saw what had happened bowed down
before her as before a saint ; she, however, sank lifeless into her
brothers' arms, the suspense, anguish, and pain having told upon her.

THE WILD SWANS 253

"Yes, she is innocent," said the eldest brother, and then he
related all that had taken place. Whilst he spoke a fragrance as
of millions of roses spread itself in the air, for every piece of wood
piled around the stake had taken root and was sending out
shoots. There stood a fragrant hedge, tall and thick, full of red

roses ; on the top was a flower of dazzling whiteness, gleaming like
a star. This the king plucked and placed upon Elise's bosom,
whereupon she awoke with peace and happiness in her heart.

All the church bells rang of their own accord and the birds came
in great flocks. There was a wedding procession back to the castle
such as no king had ever seen.

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Shadow

|N hot countries the sun is very strong ;
people turn mahogany brown, and in the
hottest countries they are even burnt to
niggers. This time it was, however, only
as far as the hot countries that a learned
man from the cold regions had come.
He believed that he would be able to walk
about there in the same way as he did at home, but he soon
found out his mistake. He had to stay at home like other
sensible people ; the window-shutters and the doors were closed
the whole day, and it looked just as if everybody in the house were
asleep or had gone out. The narrow street of high houses where
he lived was so situated that the sun fell upon it from morning till
night, making it really unbearable. The learned man from the
cold regions was, although a young man, a wise one ; he felt as
though he were sitting in a burning oven, and this injured his
health, and he became thin. Even his shadow shrivelled up and
became smaller than it used to be at home ; the sun went so far as
to take it away altogether, and it only re-appeared in the evening
after that luminary had set. It was a pleasure to see it return.
As soon as the light was brought into the room the shadow
stretched itself up the wall, and even made itself so tall that it
reached the ceiling ; it was obliged to stretch itself in order to get
its strength back. The learned man used to go out upon the
balcony to stretch himself, and as soon as the stars appeared in
the beautiful clear sky he seemed to come back to life. People
now appeared on all the balconies in the street, and in warm
countries there is a balcony before every window, for one must
have fresh air even if one is accustomed to getting mahogany
brown. Then there was life above and below. Below, all the
cobblers and tailors — among whom is included everybody else —
came out into the street ; they brought out tables and chairs and
lights. Thousands of lights were lit, One talked, another sang,

THE SHADOW ±55

and some walked about ; carriages passed and mules trotted by,
the bells which they wear on their harness tinkling merrily. On
one side was heard the chant of a funeral procession, on the other
the tolling of the church bells. Yes, there was indeed life in the
street at such an hour. Only in one house — the one opposite to
which the learned man from the north lived — it was very quiet.
And yet somebody lived there, for on the balcony there were
flowers which bloomed beautifully even in the heat of the sun ;
this they could not have done if they had not been watered, and
there must have been somebody to do that. Besides, the doors
were half opened towards evening ; but then it was dark, at least
in the front room, while music was heard proceeding from the
inner one. The learned stranger thought this music particularly
fine, but that might have been only a fancy of his, for he thought
everything in these warm countries excellent, with the exception of
the sun. The stranger's landlord told him that he did not know
who had taken the house opposite ; no one had ever been seen,
and as to the music, it seemed to him terribly tedious. "It
is just as if some one were sitting there practising a piece
that he can't play : always the same piece. ' I shall play it
after all/ he thinks, but he won't play it, however long he may
practise."

One night the stranger awoke. He always slept with the
balcony door open ; the wind blew aside the curtain hanging
before it, and it seemed to him as though there were a strange
light coming from the balcony of the house opposite. All the
flowers shone like flames of the most beautiful colours, and in the
midst of the flowers stood a lovely graceful maiden. She seemed
to be all aglow, and it quite dazzled his eyes, but he had opened
them too wide, having just woke up out of his sleep. With one
jump he was out of bed. Softly he crept behind the curtain ; but
the maiden was gone, the splendour was gone, and the flowers no
longer shone, although they stood there as beautiful as ever. The
door was ajar, and from inside came such sweet and lovely music
that one could really go into raptures about it. It was like
sorcery ; but who lived there ? Where was the actual entrance ?
For towards both the street and the side-street the whole of the

256 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

ground floor was taken up by shops, and surely people could not
go through these to get upstairs.

One evening the stranger was sitting on his balcony : a light
was burning in the room close behind him, and it was therefore
natural for his shadow to fall upon the wall of the house opposite.
Yes, there it sat, among the flowers on the balcony, and when the
stranger moved the shadow moved too.

" I believe my shadow is the only living thing to be seen over
there," said the learned man. "See how nicely it sits there among
the flowers. The door is only half closed : now my shadow ought
to have the sense to go in, have a look round, and then come
back and tell me what it has seen. "Yes, you would make
yourself useful by doing that," he said in a joke. "Be good
enough to go in. Well, why don't you go ? " He then nodded to
the shadow, and the shadow nodded back. " Well, go ! but don't
stay away altogether." The stranger got up, and the shadow on
the balcony opposite got up too ; the stranger turned round, and
if any one had paid particular attention to it he would have seen
how the shadow went straight through the half-opened balcony
door of the opposite house at the same moment that the stranger
entered his room and let fall the long curtains.

The next morning the learned man went out to get a cup of
coffee and to read the papers. " How's this ? " he said when he
came into the sunshine. " I've lost my shadow. Then it really
went away last night and did not come back; this is most
annoying ! "

He was vexed ; not so much because his shadow was gone, but
because he knew that there was already a story of a man without
a shadow. Everybody in his own country knew that story, and
when he returned home and told his own tale they would say that
it was only an imitation, and he did not care about having that
said of him. He therefore resolved to say nothing about it, which
was very sensible of him.

In the evening he again went out upon his balcony ; he had
placed the light just behind him, for he knew that a shadow
always likes to have its master for a screen, but he could not
entice it to come out. He made himself first small and then tall,

THE SHADOW 257

but there was no shadow, and there came no shadow. He said
" Hem, hem ! " but that was of no use either.

It was very, very vexing ; but in warm countries everything grows
very quickly, and after the lapse of a week he perceived, to his
great joy, that a new shadow was growing out of his legs when he
walked in the sunshine : the roots must therefore have remained.
After three weeks' time he had a tolerable shadow, which
continued to grow during his journey back to the north till it was
at last so tall and so broad that he could well have spared
half of it.

When the learned man came home he wrote books about all
that was true, and good, and beautiful in the world ; and days and
years — many years — passed.

One evening as he was sitting in his room there was a gentle
rap at the door. " Come in," he said ; but as nobody appeared
le got up and opened the door. There stood a man before him
;o excessively thin that it made him feel quite queer, but as the
nan was also very well dressed he took him to be an important
)ersonage.

" With whom have I the honour of speaking ? " he asked.

" Ah ! " said the fine gentleman, " I hardly expected that you
srould recognise me. I have grown so much body that I have
i x)th flesh and clothes. I suppose you never thought of seeing
tie in this condition ? Don't you know your old shadow ? You
ioubtless never believed that I would ever come back. Things
; ave gone exceedingly well with me since I saw you last, and I
ave amassed fortune in every way. I could easily buy myself
•ee from servitude if I wished to do so." He rattled a bunch of
aluable seals which hung from his watch, and passed his hand
ver the massive gold chain which he wore round his neck. And
ow the diamond rings on his fingers glittered ! Everything was
;al too !

1 "I am utterly bewildered!" said the learned man. "What
: oes all this mean ? "

"Well, certainly nothing usual," answered the shadow. "But
; 3U are not like ordinary men yourself, and, as you well know, I
ive trodden in your footsteps since childhood. As soon as you
VOL. i. R

258 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

thought that I was old enough to 30 out into the world alone I
went my own way, and I am now in brilliant circumstances. But
a kind of longing came over me to see you once more before you
die, and I wanted to see these places again, for one always loves
one's native country. I know that you have grown another
shadow ; have I anything to pay to it or to you ? If so, kindly
say so."

" But is it really you ? " said the learned man. " It is indeed
astonishing. I should never have believed that one could ever
see one's old shadow again turned into a human being."

"Do tell me what I have to pay," said the shadow, "for I
would not like to be in any one's debt."

" How can you talk like that ? " said the learned man. " What
debt can there be? You are as free as any one else. I am
exceedingly glad of your good fortune. Sit down, my old friend,
and just tell me how all this came about, and what you have seen
in the warm countries and in that house opposite to which we
used to live."

" Well, I will tell you," said the shadow, sitting down ; " but
you must promise me never to tell any one in the town here,
wherever you may meet me, that I was once your shadow. I
intend to become engaged ; I can support more than one family."

" Have no fear," said the learned man ; " I will tell no one who
you really are. Here is my hand ; I promise it upon my honour
as a man ! "

" Upon my honour as a shadow ! " said the other. He was, of
course, obliged to speak like that.

It was, however, most wonderful how much of a human being
he had become. He was dressed in the finest black cloth, and
wore patent leather boots and an opera hat — that is, a hat which
can be closed up till it looks all brim and crown. We will say
nothing more of the seals, the gold chain, and the diamond rings,
with which we are already acquainted. Yes, the shadow was
exceedingly well dressed, and it was, in fact, this that made him
look quite like a man.

" Now I will tell you all about it," said the shadow ; and then
he put down his feet with the patent leather boots as hard as he

THE SHADOW 259

could on the arm of the learned man's new shadow, which was
lying like a dog at his feet. This he did either out of pride or
because he thought the new shadow might stick to him. But the
shadow lying down remained very still, in order that he might hear
all about it ; he was also desirous to know how he might free
himself and become his own master.

" Do you know who lived in the house opposite us ? " said the
shadow. "That was the most charming of all ! It was Poetry.
I was there for three weeks, and that is exactly the same as living
three thousand years and reading everything that is composed and
written. For this I tell you and it is true : I have seen every-
thing, and I know everything."

" Poetry ! " cried the learned man. " It is true she only lives as
a hermitess in large cities. Poetry ! Yes, I saw her for one short
moment, but sleep was still in my eyes ; she was standing on the
balcony radiant as the northern lights, in the midst of flowers
with living flames. Tell me, tell me ! You were on the balcony.
You went in at the door and then "

" Then I found myself in the front room," said the shadow.
" You were sitting on the other side and continually looking across
into the room. It was not lit up, but there was a kind of twilight ;
one door after another stood open in a long row of rooms and
halls, and at the end it was so bright that the mass of light would
have killed me if I had reached the maiden. But I was prudent ;
I took my time, and that one is obliged to do."
j " And what did you see then ? " asked the learned man.

" I saw everything ! And I will tell you all about it ; but — you
,must really not put it down to pride on my part — as a free man,
and considering the knowledge that I possess, to say nothing of
my position and circumstances, I wish you would speak to me a
.ittle more respectfully."

" I beg your pardon," said the learned man, " but my way of
speaking is an old habit, and it is therefore difficult to drop,
/ou are perfectly right, I will think of it in future. But now do
ell me all that you saw."

" All," said the shadow, " for I saw all and I know all."

" How did it look in the inner rooms? " asked the learned man,

26o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Were they like the cool grove ? Were they like a holy temple ?
Were the halls like the starry heavens seen from the mountain-
tops?"

" Everything was there," said the shadow. " I certainly did not
go right inside, for I remained in the twilight of the outer room,
but that was an excellent position. I saw everything and know
everything. I have been in the antechamber of the Court of
Poetry."

" But what did you see ? Did the gods of antiquity pass along
the lofty halls? Did you see the combats of the ancient heroes?
Did sweet children play there and tell their dreams ? "

" I tell you that I was there, and from that you must understand
that I saw everything that was to be seen. If you had gone there,
you would not have remained a human being, but I became one,
and at the same time I obtained a knowledge of my inmost nature,
of what is born in me, and the relationship in which I stood to
Poetry. When I was still with you I never thought of such things ;
but you know that whenever the sun rose or set I was often
wonderfully tall, and in the moonlight I was almost more notice-
able than yourself. At that time I did not understand my inner
self; it was made plain to me in the antechamber when I became
a human being. I came out fully mature, but you were no longer
in the warm countries. I was ashamed of myself to go about as
a human being in the condition in which I then was. I wanted
boots and clothes and the whole of that human outfit that distin-
guishes a man. I made my way — yes, I think I can trust you
with this, for you will not put it into a book — I made my way
under the cook's cloak ; I hid myself under it, and the woman
did not know how much she was hiding. It was only in the
evening that I went out, and walked about the streets in the
moonlight. I stretched myself up along the wall, which tickles
one very pleasantly in the back ; I ran up and down, looked
through the highest windows into grand halls, as well as through
the attic windows which nobody could reach, and I saw what no
one saw, what no one was supposed to see. It is really a wicked
world after all ; I would not care to be a man if it were not the
generally accepted idea that it is an honour to be one. I saw the

THE SHADOW z6l

most incredible things among men and women, among parents,
and ' sweet incomparable children.' I saw what no one knows,
but which all would so much like to know : their neighbour's evil
deeds. Had I published a newspaper, it would have been read,
but I wrote straight to the evil-doers themselves, and in every
town I came I created terror. They were so afraid of me that
they loved me to excess. Professors made me a professor ;
tailors gave me new clothes (I am well provided) ; coiners made
money for me ; women said that I was beautiful — and so I became
the man I now am. I must now bid you adieu. Here is my
card, I live on the sunny side, and am always at home when it
rains." And the shadow went.

" That was very remarkable," said the learned man.

Days and years passed away, and the shadow came again.

" How do you do ? " he asked.

j " Ah ! " sighed the learned man ; " I am writing about the true,
the good, and the beautiful ; but no one cares to hear about such
things. I am in despair, for I take it to heart."

" That I never do," said the shadow; "I grow strong and fat
as every one should try to be. You don't understand the world,
md. that makes you ill — you must travel. I am going to make a
:our this summer ; will you go with me ? I should like to have a
.ravelling companion ; will you come as my shadow ? It would
)e a great pleasure to me, and I will pay your expenses."
i ', "I suppose you are going very far ? " asked the learned man.
, " Some might call it so," said the shadow. " A journey will do
,ou a deal of good. Will you be my shadow ? You shall have
, very thing paid for you."

" The idea is too mad," said the learned man.

"But so is the world," said the shadow, "and it will remain

3."

• : With that he went away.

Everything went wrong with the learned man; sorrow and
ouble followed him, and what he wrote about the true, the good,
id the beautiful, was like casting pearls before swine. At length
j fell ill.

" You really look like a shadow," people said to him, and at

262 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

these words a shudder ran through the learned man, for he had
his own thoughts on the matter.

" You must go and drink the waters," said the shadow, who one
day paid him a visit. " There is no other help for you. I will
take you with me for old acquaintance' sake. I will pay your ex-
penses, and you shall write a description of the journey to entertain
me on the way. I want to go to a watering-place ; my beard does
not grow quite as it ought, which is as bad as being ill, for one
must have a beard. Now be reasonable, and accept my offer;
we will travel as comrades."

And they travelled. The shadow was now master, and the
master, shadow. They drove, they rode, and they walked
together, sometimes next to each other, sometimes before or
behind each other, according to the position of the sun. The
shadow always took care to secure the place of honour; the
learned man hardly noticed it, for he had a very kind heart and
exceedingly mild and friendly manners. One day the master said
to the shadow, " As we have become travelling comrades in this
way and have also grown up together from childhood, shall we not
call each other * thou ' ? It sounds so much more familiar."

"What you say," said the shadow, who was now really the
master, " is very kind and straightforward ; I will now be just as
kind and straightforward. You, who are a learned man, know
very well how strange nature is. There are some people who
cannot bear the smell of brown paper — it makes them ill, while
it makes others' flesh creep to hear a pane of glass scratched with
a nail ; I myself have a similar feeling when I hear you address
me as ' thou.' I feel as though I were thrust back into my old
position with you — pressed to the earth. You see it is only a
matter of feeling, not pride. I cannot let you say ' thou ' to me,
but I will willingly call you ' thou,' and so your wish will be half
fulfilled."

And now the shadow called its former master " thou." " That's
rather cool," thought the latter, " that I have to say ' you ' to him,
while he says ' thou ' to me " ; but he was obliged to put up with
it.

They came to a watering-place where there were a great many

THE SHADOW 263

strangers, and among them a very pretty princess whose malady
consisted in being too sharp-sighted, which was very alarming.

She at once perceived that the new arrival was quite a different
kind of person from all the others. " It is said that he is here to
make his beard grow, but I recognise the real cause— he cannot
cast a shadow."

Her curiosity now being aroused, she immediately entered into
conversation with the stranger on the promenade. Being a king's
daughter, it was not necessary for her to make any ceremonies, so
she told him straight out : " Your illness consists in your being
unable to cast a shadow."

" Your royal highness must be well on the road to recovery,"
said the shadow. " I know that your illness consists in seeing too
sharply, but that is past, and you are cured. I have a very
uncommon shadow. Don't you see the person who always walks
next to me? Other people have common shadows, but I don't
like what is common. People often give their servants better
cloth for their liveries than they wear themselves, and so I have
allowed my shadow to dress himself up like a man ; as you see, I
have even given him a shadow. It costs a great deal, but I like
to have something uncommon."

"What!" said the princess, "can I be really cured? These
baths are the best that exist ; the waters have quite marvellous
powers nowadays. But I sha'n't go from here yet, for it is only
just beginning to be amusing ; the strange prince — for he must be
a prince — pleases me immensely. I only hope his beard won't
• grow, for if it does he will be off again."

In the evening the king's daughter danced with the shadow in
the great ballroom. She was light, but he was still lighter ; she
: had never seen such a dancer before. She told him from what
; country she came, and he knew the country; he had been there,
but she was away at the time. He had looked through the
i windows of the castle, both the upper and the lower ones ; there
ihe had learnt one thing and another, and could therefore give the
iprincess answers and make allusions that greatly astonished her.
She thought he must be the cleverest man in the world, and she
[conceived a great respect for all that he knew. And when she

264 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

danced with him again she fell in love with him ; and that the
shadow perceived very well, for she almost looked him through
and through with her eyes. They danced together once more,
and she was nearly telling him of her love, but she was judicious,
and thought of her country and her kingdom and of the many
people over whom she was to reign.

" He is a clever man," she said to herself; " that is good. And
he dances excellently ; that is good too. But I wonder whether
he has good sound knowledge. That is just as important; he
must be examined." And she immediately put a difficult question
to him which she herself could not have answered; and the
shadow pulled a long face.

"You can't answer me that," said the princess.

" I knew that already when I was a child," said the shadow. " I
believe even my shadow, standing by the door there, could
answer that."

" Your shadow," said the princess ; " that would be very strange."

" I don't say for certain that he can," said the shadow, " but I
should almost think so. He has followed me now for so many
years, and he has heard so much from me, that I should think so.
But your royal highness will permit me to draw your attention to
the fact that he is so proud of passing for a man that if he is to be
put into a good humour — and that he must be to answer cor-
rectly— he should be treated just like a human being.

" I like that ! " said the princess.

And now she went up to the learned man at the door and
spoke with him about the sun and the moon, about the green
forests and nations both near and far, and the learned man
answered very wisely and well.

" What a man that must be, who has such a clever shadow ! "
she thought. " It would be a real blessing for my people and my
kingdom if I chose him. I will do so ! "

And the matter was soon agreed to between the princess and
the shadow, but no one was to know anything of it till she had
returned to her country.

" No one ; not even my shadow," said the shadow, and for that
he had special reasons.

THE SHADOW 265

They came to the country where the princess ruled when she
was at home. "Listen, my friend," said the shadow to the
learned man ; " now I am as happy and powerful as any one can
become, and now I will do something special for you. You shall
live with me in the castle, you shall drive with me in the royal
carriage, and you shall have a hundred thousand dollars a year ;
but you must allow yourself to be called a shadow by each and
every one, and may never say that you have ever been a man.
And then once every year, when I sit in the sun on the balcony
to show myself, you must lie at my feet as befits a shadow ; for I
will tell you that I am going to rnarry the princess, and the
wedding will take place this evening."

"No, that is too mad!" said the learned man. "I won't
do it, and I sha'n't do it; why, it means cheating the whole
country and the princess too ! I'll tell everything : that I am a
man, and that you are a shadow merely dressed up in men's
clothes."

" No one would believe you," said the shadow. " Be reasonable,
or I'll call out the guard."

" I am going straight to the princess ! " said the learned man.

"But I shall go first," said the shadow, "and you'll go to
prison." And it was so too, for the sentries obeyed the one whom
they knew the princess was going to marry.

" You are trembling," said the princess when the shadow came
into her room. " Has anything happened ? You must not be ill
to-day, just as we are going to get married."

" I have experienced the most terrible thing that can happen to
one," said the shadow. " Just fancy — such a poor shadow brain
' cannot stand much— just fancy, my shadow has gone mad ; he
imagines that he has become a man, and that — only just fancy ! —
that I am his shadow."

"How terrible!" said the princess. "He is locked up, I
suppose ? "

"Of course ; I fear he will never recover."

" Poor shadow ! " cried the princess. " He is very unfortunate ;
it would be a real kindness to rid him of his life. And if I
consider the matter rightly — how in our time the people are only

266 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

too ready to take the part of the lower against the higher — it
appears to me necessary to have him quietly put away."

"That's really hard, for he was a faithful servant," said the
shadow, and he pretended to sigh.

" You are a noble character ! " said the princess, and bowed
before him.

In the evening the whole city was illuminated, and cannon
were fired " Boom ! " — and the soldiers presented arms. What a
wedding it was ! The princess and the shadow came out upon
the balcony to show themselves and receive another " Hurrah ! "
The learned man heard nothing of all these festivities, for he was
already executed.

The Old Street Lamp

WE you ever heard the story of the old
street lamp? It is not particularly
amusing, it is true, but still it is worth
hearing for once.

It was a very honest old lamp, that
had done its duty for many, many years,
but was now to retire from active service.
It felt like an old ballet-dancer who
dances for the last time, and who on the morrow will sit in her
garret forgotten. The lamp was very anxious indeed about the
next day, for it knew that it was to appear for the first time in
the Town Hall and be examined by the burgomaster and the
council to see whether it was fit for further service or not.

It was to be decided whether it was in future to show its light
for the inhabitants of one of the suburbs, or in some factory in
the country ; its way might even lead straight to an iron foundry
to be melted down. In the latter case anything might indeed be
made of it, but the thought whether it would then retain the re-
collection of having formerly been a street lamp troubled it
terribly. Whatever might happen to it, this much was certain :

THE OLD STREET LAMP 267

that it would be separated from the watchman and his wife, who
looked upon it as belonging to their family. When the lamp was
hung up for the first time, the watchman was a sturdy young
man ; it happened at the very same hour when he first entered
on his duties. Yes, it was certainly a long time ago, that it
became a lamp and he a watchman. The wife was at that time
rather proud. Only when she went by in the evening would she
deign to notice the lamp ; in the daytime, never. But now, of
late years, when they all three, the watchman, his wife, and the
lamp, had grown old, the wife had also tended it, cleaned it, and
provided it with oil. The old couple were thoroughly honest ;
never had they cheated the lamp of one drop of its proper
measure of oil.

It was its last evening in the street, and on the morrow it was
to go to the Town Hall ; these were two gloomy thoughts. No
wonder that it did not burn brightly. But many other thoughts
passed through it too. To how much had it lent its light ! How
much it had seen ! Perhaps quite as much as the burgomaster
and the council. But it did not give utterance to these thoughts,
for it was a good, honest old lamp, which would never have hurt
any one, least of all the authorities. It thought of many things,
and from time to time its flame flickered up. At such moments
it had a feeling that it, too, would be remembered. " There was
that handsome young man — it is certainly a long time ago — who
had a letter on pink paper with gilt edges. It was so daintily
written, as if by a lady's hand. Twice he read it and kissed it
and looked up at me with eyes which plainly said, ' I am the
happiest of men ! ' Only he and I knew what was written in this
first letter from his love. Yes, there is still another pair of eyes
that I remember. It is something wonderful how thoughts jump
about. There was a funeral procession in the street ; the young
beautiful lady lay on a grand hearse in a coffin covered with
flowers and wreaths, and the number of torches darkened my
light. The people stood in crowds along the houses, and all
followed the funeral as it passed. But when the torches were out
of my sight and I looked round, a single person still stood leaning
against my post, weeping. Never shall I forget those mournful

268 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

eyes that looked up to me!" These and similar thoughts
occupied the old street lamp, which was burning to-day for the
last time.

The sentry who is relieved from his post at least knows his
successor and may whisper a few words to him. The lamp did
not know who was to succeed it, and yet it might have given a few
useful hints regarding rain and fog, and some information as to
how far the rays of the moon fell upon the pavement, and from
what side the wind generally blew, and many other things.

On the bridge of the gutter stood three persons who wished to
introduce themselves to the lamp, believing that the latter itself
had the bestowal of the office it filled. The first person was a
herring's head, which could shine in the dark too. He thought it
would be a great saving of oil if he were stuck up on the post.
Number two was a piece of rotten wood, which also shines in the
dark. It believed itself to be descended from an old stock, once
the pride of the forest. The third person was a glow-worm;
whence it had come the lamp could not understand, but there it
was, and it could give light too. But the rotten wood and the
herring's head swore by all that they held sacred that it only gave
light at certain times, and could therefore not be taken into
account.

The old lamp declared that none of them gave sufficient light
to fill the post of a street lamp ; but none of them believed that.
They were therefore very glad to hear that the office could not
be given away by the lamp itself, declaring that it was much too
decrepit to choose aright.

At the same moment the wind From the street corner came
rushing along and passed through the air-holes of the old lamp.
" What do I hear ? " he said ; " you are going away to-morrow ?
Do I meet you to-day for the last time ? Then I must give you
something at parting ; I am now going to blow into your brain-
box in such a way that in future you will not only be able to re-
member all that you have seen and heard, but it will be so
bright within you that you will be able to see all that is read
about, or spoken of, in your presence."

"Oh, that is really much, very much," said the old lamp.

THE OLD STREET LAMP 269

" I thank you heartily. I only hope I shall not be melted
down."

" That won't happen just yet," said the wind. " Now I am
blowing memory into you ; if you get many presents like that, you
will be able to pass your old days very pleasantly."

" I only hope I shall not be melted down," said the lamp.
" Or should I, in that case, also retain my memory ? "

" Old lamp, be sensible," said the wind, and blew.

At that moment the moon came out from behind some clouds.

"What do you give the lamp ? " asked the wind.

" I give nothing," answered the moon. " I am on the wane,
and the lamps have never given me light ; on the contrary, I have
often given the lamps light." With these words it again hid itself
behind the clouds to escape from further demands.

A drop now fell down upon the lamp as if from the roof; the
drop declared that it came from the grey clouds, and that it was
also a present, and perhaps the best of all. " I will penetrate you
so thoroughly that you will have the power to turn into rust and
to crumble away in a single night, if you wish it."

This seemed to be a very bad present to the lamp, and the wind
thought the same. " Does no one give any more ? Does no one
give any more ? " he blew as loud as he could.

There fell a bright shooting star, forming one long band of
light.

"What was that?" cried the herring's head. "Didn't a star
fall down ? I verily believe it went into the lamp. Really, if such
high-placed personages compete for this post, we may say good
night and betake ourselves home."

And they all three did so. The old lamp shed a wonderfully
strong light. " That was a splendid present ! " it said. " The
bright stars, which have always been my greatest joy, and which
shine as I have never been able to shine, although I have tried
with all my might, have yet noticed me, the poor old lamp, and
have sent me a present, consisting in the power of letting those I
love see all that I remember, and which I myself see as plainly as
if it stood before me. And herein lies true pleasure ; for joy that
cannot be shared with others is only half joy."

270 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"Such sentiments do you honour," said the wind. "But for
that, wax lights will be necessary. If these are not lit up in you,
your rare powers will be of no use to others. Do you see ? — the
stars have not thought of that; they take you and every other
light to be wax candles. But I must go down." And the wind
went down.

" Good heavens ! Wax lights ! " said the lamp. " I never had
such things till now, and don't suppose I shall get them in the
future. I only hope I shall not be melted down."

The next day — well, the next day we shall do better to pass
over. The next evening the lamp was reclining in an armchair.
Guess where. At the old watchman's. He had begged of the
burgomaster and council, in consideration of his long and faithful
services, the favour of being allowed to keep the old lamp, which
he himself had set up and lit for the first time on his first day of
office, four-and-twenty years ago.

He looked upon it as his child, for he had no other ; and the
lamp was given to him.

Now it lay in the armchair, near the warm stove. It secerned
as if it had got bigger, for it occupied the chair all alone.

The old people sat at supper and cast kindly glances at the old
lamp, which they would gladly have given a place at the table.

They certainly only occupied a cellar, six feet below the ground,
and one had to go along a stone passage to get to the room. But
inside it was very comfortable and warm, strips of cloth having
been nailed along the door. Everything was clean and neat;
there were curtains round the little bedsteads and before the little
windows. On the window-sill stood two curious flower-pots which
Christian the sailor had brought from the East and West Indies.
They were only of clay, and represented two elephants whose
backs were wanting ; in their place there sprang up from the earth
with which one figure was filled the most beautiful chives : that
was the kitchen garden. Out of the other grew a large geranium :
that was the flower garden. On the wall hung a large coloured
picture : the Congress of Vienna. There they had all the kings
and emperors at once. A kitchen clock with heavy weights went
" tick, tick," and always went fast too ; but the old people thought

THE OLD STREET LAMP 2?I

that this was much better than going slow. They ate their supper,
and the street lamp lay, as we have said, in the armchair close to
the stove. It seemed to the lamp as if the whole world had been
turned round and round. But when the old watchman looked at
it and spoke of what they two had gone through together — in

rain and fog, in the short bright summer nights, as well as in the
long nights of winter, when the snow came down and one longed
to be back in the cellar — then the old lamp felt all right again. It
saw everything as plainly as if it were now taking place ; yes, the
wind had provided it with a capital light.

The old people were very active and industrious ; not an hour
was spent in idleness. On Sunday afternoons some book or
other was brought out — preferably a book of travels. And the
old man read aloud of Africa, of the great forests, of the elephants
which run about wild ; and the old woman listened intently, with
stolen glances at the clay elephants which served as flower-pots.

"I can almost picture it to myself," said she. And the lamp
heartily wished that a wax candle had been there, and could have
been lit up within it ; then the old woman could have seen every-
thing to the smallest detail, just as the lamp saw it : the high trees,
the branches all closely interwoven, the naked black people on

272 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

horseback, and bands of elephants trampling down the reeds and
bushes with their broad clumsy feet.

" What is now the use of all my powers if I get no wax light ? "
sighed the lamp. " They have only oil and tallow candles, and
that won't do."

One day a great heap of wax candle-ends came down into the
cellar ; the largest pieces served as lights, the small ones the old
woman used for waxing her thread. So there were wax candles
enough, but it occurred to no one to put a little piece into the
lamp.

"Here stand I with my rare powers," thought the lamp. "I
carry everything within me, and cannot let them take part in it ;
they do not know that I am able to transform bare walls into the
most gorgeous tapestries, into the most beautiful woods, into
everything they can wish for." The lamp was, however, kept
clean, and stood shining in a corner where it caught everybody's
eye. Strangers considered it a great piece of rubbish; but the
old people did not mind that : they loved the lamp.

One day — it was the old watchman's birthday— the old woman
approached the lamp, smiling to herself, and said: "I'll have
some illuminations to-day in honour of my old man." And the
lamp rattled its metal frame and thought : " Well, at last they have
a bright idea." But the idea only went as far as oil, and no wax
candle came forth. The lamp burned the whole evening, but
now saw only too well that the gift of the star would remain a lost
treasure for all its life. Then it had a dream — with such faculties
there was, of course, nothing wonderful in that. It seemed to it
that the old people were dead, and that it had itself come to the
iron foundry to be melted down. It felt quite as terrified as the
time when it had to go to the Town Hall to be inspected by the
burgomaster and the council. But although the power had been
given it to fall into rust and dust at will, still it did not do so. It
was put into the furnace and turned into an iron candlestick to
hold wax candles — as beautiful a candlestick as any one could
wish for. It had received the shape of an angel holding a large
bouquet, and in the middle of the bouquet the wax candle was to
be placed. The candlestick had a place given to it on a green

THE NEIGHBOURING FAMILIES 273

writing-table. The room was very comfortable: many books
stood round it, and the walls were hung with, beautiful picturesjjt
belonged to a poet. Everything that he thought or wrote showed
itself round about him." Nature changed itself into thick dark
jlorests, into smiling meadows where the storks strutted about, into
a ship on the billowy sea, into the clear sky with all its stars.

" What powers lie in me ! " said the old lamp, awakening. " I
icould almost wish to be melted down. But no ! that must not be
as long as the old people are alive. They love me for my own
sake; they have cleaned me and provided me with oil. I am
indeed quite as well off as the whole Congress, in the contempla-
tion of which they also take pleasure."

! And since that time it enjoyed more inner peace, and that the
; Honest old street lamp had"weircTeserved.

The Neighbouring Families

NE would have thought that something im-
portant was going on in the duck-pond, but
it was nothing after all. All the ducks lying
quietly on the water or standing on their
heads in it — for they could do that — at once
swam to the sides ; the traces of their feet
were seen in the wet earth, and their
^^ cackling was heard far and wide. The

Uer, which a few moments before had been as clear and smooth
p a mirror, became very troubled. Before, every tree, every
tlighbouring bush, the old farmhouse with the holes in the roof
pi the swallows' nest, and especially the great rose-bush full of
fl-vers, had been reflected in it. The rose-bush covered the wall
9-1 hung out over the water, in which everything was seen as if in
ancture, except that it all stood on its head; but when the water
v> troubled everything- got mixed up, and the picture was gone.
lojeathers which the fluttering ducks had lost floated up and
dvn ; suddenly they took a rush as if the wind were coming, but

VOL. 1. S

274 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

as it did not come they had to lie still, and the water once more
became quiet and smooth. The roses were again reflected ; they
were very beautiful, but they did not know it, for no one had .told
them. The sun shone among the delicate leaves; everything
Breathed forth the loveliest fragrance, and all felt as we do when
we are filled with joy at the thought of our happiness.

"How beautiful existence is!" said each rose. "The only
thing that I wish for is to be able to kiss the sun, because it is so
warm and bright. I should also like to kiss those roses down in
the water, which are so much like us, and the pretty little birds
down in the nest. There are some up above too ; they put out
their heads and pipe softly ; they have no feathers like their father
and mother. We have good neighbours, both below and above.
How beautiful existence is ! "

The young ones above and below — those below were really only
shadows in the water — were sparrows ; their parents were sparrows
too, and had taken possession of the empty swallows' nest of last
year, and now lived in it as if it were their own property.

"Are those the ducks' children swimming there?" asked the
young sparrows, when they saw the feathers on the water.

"If you must ask questions, ask sensible ones," said their
mother. " Don't you see that they are feathers, such as I wear
and you will wear too ? But ours are finer. Still, I should like
to have them up in the nest, for they keep one warm. I am
very curious to know what the ducks were so startled about;
not about us, certainly, although I did say ' peep ' to you pretty
loudly. The thick-headed roses ought to know why, but they
know nothing at all ; they _only look at themselves and smell. I
am heartily tired of such neighbours."

" Listen to the dear little birds up there," said the roses ; "they
begin to want to sing too, but are not able to manage it yet. But
it will soon come. What a pleasure that must be ! It is fine to
have such cheerful neighbours."

Suddenly two horses came galloping up to be watered. A
peasant boy rode on one, and he had taken off all his clothes
except his large broad black hat. The boy whistled like a bird,
and rode into the pond where it was deepest, and as he passed the

THE NEIGHBOURING FAMILIES 2?5

rose-bush he plucked a rose and stuck it in his hat. Now he
looked dressed, and rode on. The other roses looked after their
sister, and asked each other, "Where can she be going to?"
But none of them knew.

'• I should like to go out into the world for once," said one ;
"but here at home among our green leaves it is beautiful too.

The whole day long the sun shines bright and warm, and in the
night the sky shines more beautifully still; we can see that
through all thejittle holes in it."

They meant the stars, but they knew no better.

" We make it lively about the house," said the sparrow-mother ;
" and people say that a swallows' nest brings luck ; so they are
glad of us. But such neighbours as ours ! A rose-bush on the
wall like that causes damp. I daresay it will be taken away;
then we shall, perhaps, have some corn growing here. The roses
are good for nothing but to be looked at and to be smelt, or at
most to be stuck in a hat. Every year, as I have been told by my
mother, they fall off. The farmer's wife preserves them and
strews salt among them ; then they get a French name which I
neither can pronounce nor care to, and are put into the fire to

276 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

make a nice smell. You see, that's their life ; they exist only for
the eye and the nose. Now you know."

In the evening, when the gnats were playing about in the warm
air and in the red clouds, the nightingale came and sang to the
roses that the beautiful was like sunshine to the world, and that
the beautiful lived for ever. The roses thought that the nightin-
gale was singing about itself, and that one might easily have
believed ; they had no idea that the song was about them. But
they were very pleased with it, and wondered whether all the little
sparrows could become nightingales.

" I understand the song of that bird very well," said the young
sparrows. " There was only one word that was not clear to me.
What does ' the beautiful ' mean ? "

"Nothing at all," answered their mother; "that's only some-
thing external. Up at the Hall, where the pigeons have their own
house, and corn and peas are strewn before them every day — I
have dined with them myself, and that you shall do in time, too ;
for tell me what company you keep and I'll tell you who you are
— up at the Hall they have two birds with green necks and a crest
upon their heads ; they can spread out their tails like a great wheel,
and these are so bright with various colours that it makes one's
eyes ache. These birds are called peacocks, and that is 'the
beautiful.' If they were only plucked a little they would look no
better than the rest of us. I would have plucked them already if
they had not been so big."

"I'll pluck them," piped the young sparrow, who had no
feathers yet.

In the farmhouse lived a young married couple; they loved
each other dearly, were industrious and active, and everything in
their home looked very nice. On Sundays the young wife came
down early, plucked a handful of the most beautiful roses,
and put them into a glass of water, which she placed upon the
cupboard.

" Now I see that it is Sunday," said the husband, kissing his
little wife. They sat down, read their hymn-book, and held each
other by the hand, while the sun shone down upon the fresh roses
and upon them.

THE NEIGHBOURING FAMILIES 277

" This sight is really too tedious," said the sparrow-mother, who
could see into the room from her nest ; and she flew away.

The same thing happened on the following Sunday, for every
Sunday fresh roses were put into the glass; but the rose-bush
bloomed as beautifully as ever. The young sparrows now had
feathers, and wanted very much to fly with their mother ; but sha
would not allow it, and so they had to stay at home. In one of
her flights, however it may have happened, she was caught, before
she was aware of it, in a horse-hair net which some boys had
attached to a tree The horse-hair was drawn tightly round her
leg — as tightly as if the latter were to be cut off; she was in great
pain and terror. The boys came running up and seized her, and
in no gentle way either.

" It s only a sparrow," they said ; they did not, however, let her
go, but took her home with them, and every time she cried they
hit her on the beak.

In the farmhouse was an old man who understood making soap
into cakes and balls, both for shaving and washing. He was a
merry old man, always wandering about. On seeing the sparrow
which the boys had brought, and which they said they did not
want, he asked, " Shall we make it look very pretty ? "

At these words an icy shudder ran through the sparrow-mother.

Out of his box, in which were the most beautiful colours, the
old man took a quantity of shining leaf-gold, while the boys had
to go and fetch some white of egg, with which the sparrow was to
be smeared all over; the gold was stuck on to this, and the
sparrow-mother was now gilded all over. But she, trembling in
every limb, did not think of the adornment. Then the soap-man
tore off a small piece from the red lining of his old jacket, and
cutting it so as to make it look like a cock's comb, he stuck it to
the bird's head.

"Now you will see the gold-jacket fly," said the old man, letting
the sparrow go, which flew away in deadly fear, with the sun
shining upon her. How she glittered ! All the sparrows, and
even a crow — and an old boy he was too — were startled at
the sight ; but still they flew after her to learn what kind of a
strange bird she was.

*78 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Driven by fear and horror, she flew homeward ; she was almost
sinking fainting to the earth, while the flock of pursuing birds
increased, some even attempting to peck at her.

" Look at her ! Look at her ! " they all cried.

"Look at her! Look at her!" cried her little ones, as she
approached the nest. "That is certainly a young peacock, for it
glitters in all colours; it makes one's eyes ache, as mother told us.
Peep ! that's ' the beautiful '." And then they pecked at the bird
with their little beaks so that it was impossible for her to get into
the nest; she was so exhausted that she could not even say
" Peep ! " much less " I am your own mother ! " The other birds,
too, now fell upon the sparrow and plucked off feather after feather
until she fell bleeding into the rose-bush.

" Poor creature ! " said all the roses ; " only be still, and we will
hide you. Lean your little head against us."

The sparrow spread out her wings once more, then drew them
closely to her, and lay dead near the neighbouring family, the
beautiful fresh roses.

" Peep ! " sounded from the nest. " Where can mother be so
long ? It's more than I can understand. It cannot be a trick of
hers, and mean that we are now to take care of ourselves. She has
left us the house as an inheritance ; but to which of us is it to
belong when we have families of our own ? "

" Yes, it won't do for you to stay with me when I increase my
household with a wife and children," said the smallest.

"I daresay I shall have more wives and children than you," said
the second.

" But I am the eldest ! " exclaimed the third. Then they all got
excited ; they hit out with their wings, pecked with their beaks,
and flop ! one after another was thrown out of the nest. There
they lay with their anger, holding their heads on one side and
blinking the eye that was turned upwards. That was their way of
looking foolish.

They could fly a little ; by practice they learned to improve, and
at last they agreed upon a sign by which to recognise each other if
they should meet in the world later on. It was to be one " Peep ! "
and three scratches on the ground with the left foot

THE NEIGHBOURING FAMILIES 279

The young one who had remained behind in the nest made
nimself as broad as he could, for he was the proprietor. But this
greatness did not last long. In the night the red flames burst
through the window and seized the roof; the dry straw blazed up
high, and the whole house, together with the young sparrow, was
burned. The two others, who wanted to marry, thus saved their
lives by a stroke of luck.

When the sun rose again and everything looked as refreshed as
if it had had a quiet sleep, there only remained of the farmhouse a
few black charred beams leaning against the chimney, which was
now its own master. Thick smoke still rose from the ruins, but
the rose-bush stood yonder, fresh, blooming, and untouched, every
flower and every twig being reflected in the clear water.

"How beautifully the roses bloom before the ruined house,"
exclaimed a passer-by. " A pleasanter picture cannot be imagined.
I must have that." And the man took out of his portfolio a little
book with white leaves : he was a painter, and with his pencil he
drew the smoking house, tKe~charred beams and the overhanging
chimney, which bent more and more ; in the foreground he put
the large, blooming rose-bush, which presented a charming view.
For its sake alone the whole picture had been drawn.

Later in the day the two sparrows who had been born there
came by. " Where is the house ? " they asked. " Where is the
nest ? Peep ! All is burned and our strong brother too. That's
what he has now for keeping the nest. The roses got off very
well ; there they still stand with their red cheeks. They certainly
I do not mourn at their neighbours' misfortunes. I don't want to
talk to them, and it looks miserable here— that's my opinion." And
away they went

On a beautiful sunny autumn day — one could almost have
believed it was still the middle of summer — there hopped about in
ithe dry clean-swept courtyard before the principal entrance of the
Hall a number of black, white, and gaily- coloured pigeons, all
.shining in the sunlight. The pigeon-mothers said to their young
ones: "Stand in groups, stand in groups! for that looks much
'better."

"What kind of creatures are those little grey ones that run

28o STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

about behind us ? " asked an old pigeon, with red and green in her
eyes. " Little grey ones ! Little grey ones ! " she cried.

" They are sparrows, and good creatures. We Jiave always had
the reputation of being pious, so we will allow them to pick up the
corn with us ; they don't interrupt our talk, and they scrape so
prettily when they bow."

Indeed they were continually making three foot-scrapings with
the left foot and also said " Peep ! " By this means they recog-
nised each other, for they were the sparrows from the nest on the
burned house.

" Here is excellent fare ! " said the sparrow. The pigeons
strutted round one another, puffed out their chests mightily, and
had their own private views and opinions.

" Do you see that pouter pigeon ? " said one to the other. " Do
you see how she swallows "the peas ? She eats too many, and the
best ones too. Curoo ! Curoo ! How she lifts her crest, the
ugly, spiteful creature ! Curoo ! Curoo ! " And the eyes of all
sparkled with malice. " Stand in groups ! Stand in groups !
Little grey ones, little grey ones ! Curoo, curoo, curoo ! "

So their chatter ran on, and so it will run on for thousands of
years. The sparrows ate lustily ; they listened attentively, and
even stood in the ranks with the others, but it did not suit them
at all. They were full, and so they left the pigeons, exchanging
opinions about them, slipped in under the garden palings, and
when they found the door leading into the house open, one of
them, who was more than full, and therefore felt brave, hopped
on to the threshold. " Peep ! " said he ; "I may venture that."

" Peep ! " said the other ; " so may I, and something more
too ! " And he hopped into the room. No one was there ; the
third sparrow, seeing this, flew still farther into the room, exclaim-
ing, "All or nothing! It is a curious man's nest all the same;
and what have they put up here ? What is it ? "

Close to the sparrows the roses were blooming ; they were re-
flected in the water, and the charred beams leaned against the
overhanging chimney. " Do tell me what this is. How comes
this in a room at the Hall ? " And all three sparrows wanted to fly
over the roses and the chimney, but flew against a flat wall. It

THE NEIGHBOURING FAMILIES 2gi

was all a picture, a great splendid picture, which the artist had
painted from a sketch.

" Peep ! " said &6^Mi6w^J4^no^rg._ It only looks like
something. Peep! that is 'the beautiful.' Do you understand

it? raoffF*-

And they flew away, for some people came into the room.
Days and years went by. The pigeons had often cooed, not to
say growled— the spiteful creatures ; the sparrows had been frozen

I in winter and had lived merrily in summer : they were all betrothed,
or married, or whatever you like to call it. They had little ones,
and of course each one thought his own the handsomest and
cleverest ; one flew this way, another that, and when they met they
recognised each other by their " Peep ! " and the three scrapes

i with the left foot. The eldest had remained an old maid and had
no nest nor young ones. It was her pet idea to see a great city,
so she flew to Copenhagen.

There was a large house painted in many gay colours standing
close to the castle and the canal, upon which latter were to be

! seen many ships laden with apples and pottery. The windows of
the house were broader at the bottom than at the top, and when

j the sparrows looked through them, every room appeared, to them

, like a tulip with the brightest colours and shades. But in the
middle of the tulip stood white men, made of marble ; a few were

: of |_ plaster. ; still, looked at with sparrows' eyes, that comes to the

i same thing. Up on the roof stood a metal chariot drawn by
metal horses and the goddess of Victory, also of metal, was driving.

. It was Thonvaldsen's Museum.

irHow it shines ! how it shines ! " said the maiden sparrow. " I
suppose that is * the beautiful.' Peep ! But here it is larger than
a peacock." She still remembered what in her childhood's days
her mother had looked upon as the greatest among the beautiful.
She flew down into the courtyard : there everything was extremely

( fine. Palms and branches were painted on the walls, and in the
middle of the court stood a great blooming rose-tree spreading out
its fresh boughs, covered with roses, over a grave. Thither flew
the maiden sparrow, for she saw several of her own kind there. A
" peep " and three foot-scrapings — in this way she had often

282 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

greeted throughout the year, and no one here had responded, for
those who are once parted do not meet every day ; and so this
greeting had become a habit with her. But to-day two old
sparrows and a young one answered with a " peep " and the thrice-
repeated scrape with the left foot.

" Ah ! Good-day ! good-day ! " They were two old ones from
the nest and a little one of the family. " Do we meet here ? It's
a grand place, but there's not much to eat. This is ' the beauti-
ful.' Peep ! "

Many people came out of the side rooms where the beautiful
marble statues stood and approached the grave where lay the great
master who had created these works of art. All stood with
enraptured faces round Thorwaldsen's grave, and a few picked up
the fallen rose-leaves and preserved them. They had come from
afar : one from mighty England, others from Germany and France.
The fairest of the ladies plucked one of the roses and hid it in her
bosom. Then the sparrows thought that the roses reigned here,
and that the house had been built for their sake. That appeared
to them to be really too much, but since all the people showed
their love for the roses, they did not wish to be behindhand.
" Peep ! " they said, sweeping the ground with their tails, and
blinking with one eye at the roses, they had not looked at them
long before they were convinced that they were their old neigh-
bours. And so they really were. The painter who had drawn the
rose-bush near the ruined house, had afterwards obtained per-
mission to dig it up, and had given it to the architect, for finer
roses had never been seen. The architect had planted it upon
Thorwaldsen's grave, where it bloomed as an emblem of 'the
beautiful ' and yielded fragrant red rose-leaves to be carried as
mememtoes to distant lands.

" Have you obtained an appointment here in the city ? " asked
the sparrows. The roses nodded; they recognised their grey
neighbours and were pleased to see them again. " How glorious
it is to live and to bloom, to see old friends again, and happy
faces every day. It is as if every day were a festival." " Peep ! "
said the sparrows. " Yes, they are really our old neighbours ; we
remember their origin near the pond. Peep ! how they have got

THE WICKED PRINCE 283

on. Yes, somejsucceed while they are asleep. Ah! there's a
faded leaf; lean see that quite plainly." Andlhey pecked at it
till it fell off. But the tree stood there fresher and greener than
ever ; the roses bloomed in the sunshine on Thorwaldsen's grave
and became associated with his immortal name.

The Wicked Prince

HERE lived once upon a time a wicked prince
whose heart and mind were set upon conquer-
ing all the countries of the world, and on
frightening the people ; he devastated their
countries with fire and sword, and his soldiers
trod down the crops in the fields and destroyed
the peasants' huts by fire, so that the flames
licked the green leaves off the branches, and the fruit hung dried '
up on the singed black trees. Many a poor mother fled, her naked
baby in her arms, behind the still smoking walls of her cottage ;
but also there the soldiers followed her, and when they found her,
she served as new nourishment to their diabolical enjoyments ;
demons could not possibly have done worse things than these
soldiers ! The prince was of opinion that all this was right, and
that it was only the natural course which things ought to take.
His power increased day by day, his name was feared by all, and
fortune favoured his deeds.

He brought enormous wealth home from the conquered towns,
'and gradually accumulated in his residence riches which could
nowhere be equalled. He erected magnificent palaces, churches,
•and halls, and all who saw these splendid buildings and great
treasures exclaimed admiringly : " What a mighty prince ! " But
they did not know what endless misery he had brought upon other
countries, nor did they hear the sighs and lamentations which rose
up from the debris of the destroyed cities.

' The prince often looked with delight upon his gold and his mag-
aificent edifices, and thought, like the crowd : " What a mighty

284. STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

prince ! But I must have more — much more. No power on
earth must equal mine, far less exceed it."

He made war with all his neighbours, and defeated them. The
conquered kings were chained up with golden fetters to his
chariot when he drove through the streets of his city. These kings
had to kneel at his and his courtiers' feet when they sat at table,
and live on the morsels which they left. At last the prince had
his own statue erected on the public places and fixed on the
royal palaces ; nay, he even wished it to be placed in the churches,
on the altars, but in this the priests opposed him, saying : " Prince,
you are mighty indeed, but God's power is much greater than
yours ; we dare not obey your orders."

" Well," said the prince, " then I will conquer God too." And
in his haughtiness and foolish presumption he ordered a magnificent
ship to be constructed, with which he could sail through the air ; it
was gorgeously fitted out and of many colours ; like the tail of a
peacock, it was covered with thousands of eyes, but each eye was the
barrel of a gun. The prince sat in the centre of the ship, and had
only to touch a spring in order to make thousands of bullets fly
out in all directions, while the guns were at once loaded again.
Hundreds of eagles were attached to this ship, and it rose with
the swiftness of an arrow up towards the sun. The earth was
soon left far below, and looked, with its mountains and woods,
like a cornfield where the plough had made furrows which
separated green meadows ; soon it looked only like a map with
indistinct lines upon it; and at last it entirely disappeared in
mist and clouds. Higher and higher rose the eagles up into
the air; then God sent one of his numberless angels against
the ship. The wicked prince showered thousands of bullets upon
him, but they rebounded from his shining wings and fell down
like ordinary hailstones. One drop of blood, one single drop,
came out of the white feathers of the angel's wings and fell upon
the ship in which the prince sat, burnt into it, and weighed upon
it like thousands of hundredweights, dragging it rapidly down to
the earth again ; the strong wings of the eagles gave way, the
wind roared round the prince's head, and the clouds around—
were they formed by the smoke rising up from the burnt cities ? —

THE WICKED PRINCE 285

took strange shapes, like crabs many, many miles long, which
stretched their claws out after him, and rose up like enormous
rocks, from which rolling masses dashed down, and became fire-
spitting dragons.

The prince was lying half-dead in his ship, when it sank at last
with a terrible shock into the branches of a large tree in the wood.

" I will conquer God ! " said the prince. " I have sworn it : my
will must be done ! "

And he spent seven years in the construction of wonderful ships
to sail through the air, and had darts cast from the hardest steel
to break the walls of heaven with. He gathered warriors from all
countries, so many that when they were placed side by side they
covered the space of several miles. They entered the ships and
the prince was approaching his own, when God sent a swarm of
gnats — one swarm of little gnats. They buzzed round the prince
and stung his face and hands ; angrily he drew his sword and
brandished it, but he only touched the air and did not hit the
gnats. Then he ordered his servants to bring costly coverings
and wrap him in them, that the gnats might no longer be able to
reach him. The servants carried out his orders, but one single
gnat had placed itself inside one of the coverings, crept into the
prince's ear and stung him. The place burnt like fire, and the
poison entered into his blood. Mad with pain, he tore off the
coverings and his clothes too, flinging them far away, and danced
about before the eyes of his ferocious soldiers, who now mocked
iat him, the mad prince, who wished to make war with God, and
was overcome by a single little gnat.

286

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Old House

DOWN yonder in the stree
stood an old, old house
It was almost three hur
dred years old according t
the inscription on one of th
beams, which bore the dat
of its erection surrounded b
tulips and trailing hops. Ther
one could read whole verse
in old-fashioned letters, an
over each window a fact
making all kinds of grimace;
had been carved in the bean

One storey projected a Ion
way beyond the other, an
close under the roof was
leaden gutter with a dragon;
head. The rain-water was t
run out of the jaws, but it ra
out of the animal's stomad
for there was a hole in th
gutter.

All the other houses in th
street were still new and nea
with large window-panes an
smooth walls. It was plainl
to be seen that they wishe
to have nothing to do with th
old house. Perhaps they wer
thinking : " How long is th*
tumble-down old thing to n
main a scandal to the whol
street ? The parapet project

THE OLD HOUSE 287

so far that no one can see from our windows what is going on
on the other side. The steps are as broad as those of a castle,
and as high as if they led to a church steeple. The iron railings
look like the gate of a family vault, and they have brass knobs too.
It is really too silly ! "

Opposite, there were some more new neat houses, and they

thought just as the others ; but at the window sat a little boy with

fresh rosy cheeks and clear sparkling eyes, and he was particularly

fond of the old house, both by sunshine and by moonlight. And

when he gazed across at the wall where the plaster had fallen off,

he could make out the strangest pictures of how the street had

formerly looked, with its open staircases, parapets, and pointed

gables; he could see soldiers with halberds, and gutters in the

form of dragons and griffins. It was a house worth looking

at, and in it lived an old man who went about in leather

knee-breeches, and wore a coat with great brass buttons, and a

wig which it was easy to see was a real one. Every morning an-

! other old man came to clean the place for him and to run on

I errands. With this exception, the old man in the knee-breeches

I lived quite alone in the old house. Occasionally he came to the

| window and looked out, and the little boy would nod to him, and

: the old man would nod back, and so they became acquainted and

j became friends, although they had never spoken to each other.

i But indeed that was not at all necessary.

The little boy once heard his parents say: "The old man
opposite is very well off; but he is alone ! "

On the following Sunday the little boy wrapped something up
i in a piece of paper, went into the street with it, and addressing
i the old man, who ran errands, said: "Here! will you take this
i to the old man who lives opposite, from me? I have two tin
I soldiers ; this is one of them, and he shall have it, because I know
1 he is quite alone."

And the old attendant looked pleased, nodded, and took the tin

I soldier into the old house. Afterwards word was sent over

' whether the little boy would not like to come himself and pay a

i visit. His parents gave him leave to do so, and he 'went over to

the old house.

288 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The brass knobs on the staircase railings shone brighter than
ever; one would have thought that they had been polished on
account of the visit. And it looked just as if the carved trum-
peters— for on the door trumpeters had been carved all in tulips —
were blowing with all their might ; their cheeks were more blown
out than before. Yes, they blew, " Ta-ta-ra-ta ! The little boy is
coming ! Ta-ta-ra-ta ! " And then the door opened. The whole
hall was hung with old portraits of knights in armour, and ladies
in silk dresses ; and the armour clattered and the silk dresses
rustled. And then came a staircase which went up a long way
and then down a little bit, and then one found oneself upon a
balcony, which was certainly very rickety, with large holes and
long cracks ; out of all these grew grass, for the whole balcony, the
courtyard, and the wall was so overgrown with green that it
looked like a garden ; but it was only a balcony. Here stood old
flower-pots which had faces and asses' ears ; but the flowers grew
just as it pleased them. In one pot pinks were growing over on
all sides — that is to say, the green part of them — sprout upon
sprout. And they said quite plainly : " The air has caressed me,
the sun has kissed me and promised me a little flower on Sunday,
— a little flower on Sunday."

And then one came to a room where the walls were covered
with pigskin, and on the pigskin golden flowers had been

stamped.

" Gilding fades fast,

But pigskin will last!"
said the walls.

And there stood chairs with high backs, all carved and with
arms on each side. " Sit down," they said. " Oh, how it cracks
inside me ! I am certainly getting gouty, like the old cupboard.
Gout in the back — ugh ! "

And then the little boy came to the room where the old man
was sitting.

"Thank you for the tin soldier, my little friend," said he, "and
thank you for coming over to me."

" Thanks, thanks ! " or rather, " Crick, crack ! " said all the fur-
niture. There was so much of it that the pieces almost stood in
each other's way to see the little boy.

THE OLD HOUSE 289

And in the middle of the wall hung a picture of a beautiful lady,
of young and cheerful appearance, but dressed in the old-fashioned
way, with powdered hair and clothes that stood out stiff. She
said neither " Thanks " nor " Crack," but looked down with kind
eyes upon the little boy, who immediately asked the old man,
" Where did you get her from ? "

" From the second-hand dealer over the way," said the old man.
" There are always a lot of portraits hanging there ; no one knows
who they were or troubles about them, for they are all buried.
But I knew this lady many years ago, and now she has been dead
and gone these fifty years."

And under the portrait hung, in a frame, a bouquet of faded
flowers ; they were certainly half a century old too— at least they
looked so.

And the pendulum of the great clock swung to and fro, and the
hands moved, and everything in the room grew older still ; but no
one noticed it.

" They say at home," said the little boy, " that you are always
alone."

" Oh ! " replied the old man, "the old thoughts, with all that
they bring with them, come and visit me ; and now you come too.
: I am very comfortable, I'm sure ! "

And then he took from a shelf a book with pictures ; there were
long processions and the most wonderful coaches, such as are
never seen now-a-days ; soldiers like the knave of clubs, and
citizens with waving banners. The tailors had a banner with a
pair of shears on it, held by two lions, and the shoemakers a
banner without any shoes, but with an eagle that had two heads,
for shoemakers must have everything in such a way that they can
say, " That's a pair ! " What a picture-book it was !

The old man went into the next room to get some preserves,
apples, and nuts. It was really glorious in the old house.

" I can't stand it any longer ! " said the tin soldier, who was
standing on the chest of drawers. " It is quite too lonely and
dull here. No ; when once one knows what family life is, there
is no getting accustomed to this kind of thing. I cannot stand it !
The day seems already long enough; but the evening is longer
VOL. T. T

2go STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

still. Here it is not at all like it is at your house, where your
father and mother always talked pleasantly, and where you and
the other sweet children made a capital noise. Dear me ! how
lonely it is here at the old man's ! Do you think he gets any
kisses ? Do you think he gets friendly looks or a Christmas tree ?
He'll get nothing but a grave ! I can't stand it ! "

" You mustn't look at it from the dark side," said the little boy.
"All this seems to me extremely beautiful, and all the old
thoughts, with all that they bring with them, come and visit here."

" Yes, but I don't see them and I don't know them," said the
tin soldier. " I can't stand it ! "

" You must ! " said the little boy.

The old man came with a most pleased look on his face, and
with the finest preserved fruits and apples and nuts ; then the
little boy thought no more of the tin soldier.

The little boy came home happy and pleased. Days and weeks
passed by, during which there was a great deal of nodding both
to and from the old house ; then the little boy went across again.

The carved trumpeters blew " Ta-ta-ra-ta ! There's the little
boy I Ta-ta-ra-ta ! " The swords and armour on the old knights'
portraits clattered, and the silk dresses rustled ; the pigskin told
tales, and the old chairs had gout in their backs : " Oh ! " It was
just like the first time, for over there one day or one hour was just
like another.

11 1 can't stand it ! " said the tin soldier. " I have wept tin. It
is too dull here. Let me rather go to war and lose my arms and
legs. That would be at least a change. I can't stand it ! Now I
know what it means to be visited by one's old thoughts, with all
that they bring with them. I have had visits from mine, and you
may believe me, that's no pleasure in the long run. I was at last
nearly jumping down from the chest of drawers. I saw you all in
the house over there as plainly as if you were really here. It was
again Sunday morning, and you children were all standing round
the table singing the hymn that you sing every morning. You
were standing devoutly with folded hands, and father and mother
were also feeling very solemn ; then the door opened and your
little sister Mary, who is not yet two years old, and who always

THE OLD HOUSE 2gi

dances when she hears music and singing, of whatever kind it may
be, was brought in. She ought not to have done so, but she
began to dance, though she could not get into the right time, for
the notes were too long drawn ; so she stood first on one leg and
held her head forward, but she could not keep it up long enough.
You all looked very earnest, though it was rather difficult to do
so ; but I laughed inwardly, and therefore fell down from the table
and got a bump, which I have still. It was certainly not right
of me to laugh. All this, and everything else that I have gone
through, now passes through me again, and these are, no doubt, the
old thoughts with all that they bring with them. Tell me, do you
still sing on Sundays ? And tell me something about little Mary.
And how is my comrade, the other tin soldier ? He is certainly a
very happy fellow. I can't stand it ! "

" You have been given away," said the little boy ; " you must
stay. Can't you see that ? "

Then the old man came with a chest in which there were many
things to be seen : little rouge-boxes and scent-boxes and old
cards, so large and so thickly gilt as one never sees now-a-days.
Many little boxes were opened ; the piano too, and on the inside
of the lid of this were painted landscapes. But it sounded quite
hoarse when the old man played upon it ; then he nodded to the
portrait that he had bought at the second-hand dealer's, and his
eyes sparkled quite brightly.

" I'll go to war ! I'll go to war ! " cried the tin soldier as loud as
he could, and threw himself down upon the floor.

Yes, but where had he gone ? The old man looked for him
and the little boy looked too, but away he was, and away he
stopped. " I'll find him some day," said the old man, but he
never did ; the flooring was too open and full of holes. The tin
soldier had fallen through a crack, and there he now lay as in an
open grave.

The day passed, and the little boy came home. Several weeks
passed by ; the windows were quite frozen up, and the little boy
had to breathe upon the panes to make a peep-hole to look at the
old house. The snow had blown into all the carvings and in-
\ scriptions, and covered the whole staircase, as if there were no one

292 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

in the house. And there was no one in the house, either : the old
man had died ! In the evening a carriage stopped at the door,
and upon that he was placed in his coffin ; he was to rest in his
family vault in the country. So he was carried away ; but no one
followed him, for all his friends were dead. The little boy threw
kisses after the coffin as it was driven by.

A few days afterwards an auction was held in the old house,
and the little boy saw from his window how the old knights and
the old ladies, the flower-pots with the long ears, the chairs and
the old cupboards, were carried away. One went this way,
another that way ; her portrait, that had been bought from the
second-hand dealer went back to his shop, and there it remained
hanging, for no one cared about the old picture.

In the spring the old house itself was pulled down ; it was ^n
old piece of lumber, people said. You could see from the street
straight into the room with the pigskin wall-covering, which was
torn down all in tatters, and the green of the balcony hung in
confusion around the beams, which threatened a total downfall.
And now the place was cleared up.

" That's a good thing ! " said the neighbouring houses.

A noble house was built, with large windows and smooth white
walls ; but in front of the place where the old house had stood a
little garden was laid out and wild vines crept up the neighbours'
wall. Before the garden were placed great iron railings with an
iron gate, looking very stately. People remained standing before
it and looked through. And the sparrows sat in dozens upon the
vine branches, all chattering at once as loud as they could, but not
about the old house, for that they could not remember, many
years having passed — so many, that the little boy had grown into
a man, a sturdy man who was a great joy to his parents. He was
just married, and had moved with his wife into the house which
had the garden in front of it ; and here he stood beside her while
she planted a field flower which she thought very pretty; she
planted it with her little hand, pressing the earth close round it
with her fingers. " Oh ! what was that ? " She had pricked her-
self. Out of the soft ground something pointed was sticking up.
It was— just fancy !— the tin soldier, the same that had been lost

THE OLD HOUSE 2g3

up at the old man's, that had been roaming about for a long time
amongst old wood and rubbish, and that had now lain already
many years in the earth.

The young wife first dried the soldier with a green leaf, and then
with her dainty handkerchief, which smelt delightfully.

The tin soldier felt just as if he were waking up out of a
swoon.

" Let me see him ! " said the young man. He smiled and then
shook his head. " No, it can hardly be the same one ; but it
reminds me of the story of a tin soldier which I had when I was a
little boy." And then he told his wife about the old house and
the old man, and the tin soldier which he had sent across to him
because he was so lonely ; and the tears came into the young
wife's eyes when she heard of the old house and the old man.

" But it is quite possible that this is the very tin soldier ! " said
she. " I will take care of him and remember what you have told
me ; but you must show me the old man's grave."

" I don't know where that is," he replied, " and no one knows.
All his friends were dead ; no one tended it, and I was only a
little boy."

" Oh ! how lonely he must have been ! " said she.

"Yes, very lonely !" said the tin soldier; "but it is glorious
not to be forgotten."

" Glorious ! " exclaimed a voice close by ; but no one except
the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the pigskin hangings,
which had now lost all its gilding. It looked like wet earth; but
still it had an opinion which it expressed as follows :

" Gilding fades fast,
But pigskin will last ! "

But the tin soldier did not believe it. «» .

294 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Story of a Mother

MOTHER was sitting by her little child;
she was very sad, for she was afraid that it
was going to die. Its little face was pale,
and the little eyes were closed. The child
breathed with difficulty, and at times as
deeply as if it were sighing, and the mother
looked more and more sadly at the little
being. There was a knock at the door, and a poor old man came
in wrapped up in a large horse-cloth to keep him warm; he had
need of it, too, for it was in the depth of winter. Outside every
thing was covered with ice and snow, and the wind blew so keenly
that it cut one's face.

As the old man was shivering with cold and the child was
asleep for a moment, the woman got up and warmed some beer in
the oven in a little pot. The old man sat down and rocked the
cradle, while the mother also sat down on an old chair next to
him, looking at her sick child, who was breathing so heavily, and
holding his little hand.

" You don't think I am going to lose it, do you ? " she asked.
" Heaven will not take it from me."

The old man — it was Death — nodded his head in such a
strange way that it might just as well have meant " Yes " as " No."
The mother looked down and tears rolled over her cheeks. Her
head began to feel heavy ; for three days and three nights she had
not closed her eyes, and now she slept, but only for a minute;
then she jumped up shivering with cold. "What is it?" she
asked, looking all around her ; but the old man was gone and her
little child too. He had taken it with him. The wheels of the
old clock in the corner went whirring round ; the heavy leaden
weight ran right down to the ground, and then the clock stood
still.

The poor mother rushed out of the house, calling for her
child

THE STORY OF A MOTHER

295

Outside, in the midst of the snow, sat a woman in long black
clothes, who said : " Death has been in your room ; I saw him
hurry away with your little child. He strides along more quickly
than the wind, and never brings back what he has taken."

"Only tell me which way he went," said the mother. "Tell
me the way, and I will find him."

" I know the way," said the woman in black ; " but before I tell
it you, you must sing me all the songs you sung to your child. I
like those songs ; I have heard them before, for I am Night, and
saw your tears when you were singing them."

"I will sing them all — all!" said the mother. "But do not
detain me now ; let me overtake him, so that I may get my child
back."

But Night sat dumb and motionless. The mother wrung her
hands, singing and weeping. There were many songs, but still

296 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

more tears. Then Night said : " Go to the right into the dark
pine forest; thither I saw Death wend his way with the little
child."

In the depths of the forest the road divided, and she did not
know in which direction to go. There stood a blackthorn bush,
without any leaves, or flowers ; for it was winter time, and icicles
hung from its boughs.

" Have you seen Death pass by with my little child ? "

" Yes," replied the blackthorn bush ; " but I shall not tell you
which road he took unless you first warm me at your bosom. I
am freezing to death here — I am turning into pure ice ! "

So she pressed the blackthorn bush close to her bosom in order
to thaw it completely. The thorns pierced her flesh and her
blood flowed in large drops. But the blackthorn bush put forth
fresh green leaves and blossomed in the cold winter's night ; so
warm is the heart of a sorrowing mother. Then the bush told her
which road she was to take.

She came to a great lake upon which there was neither ship nor
boat. The lake was not frozen hard enough to bear her, nor was
it shallow and even enough for her to wade through it, and yet she
must cross it if she wished to find her child. Then she lay down
to drink the lake dry, but that was impossible for one person to
do. The sorrowing mother, however, thought that perhaps a
miracle might be wrought.

" No, that will never do," said the lake. " Let us rather see
whether we can come to some agreement. I love to collect pearls,
and your eyes are two of the brightest I have ever seen ; if you
will weep them out into me, I will carry you over to the great hot-
house where Death lives and where he grows flowers and trees,
each one of which is a human life."

''Oh, what would I not give to get back my child !" said the
sobbing mother. She wept still more, and her eyes fell down to
the bottom of the lake and became two costly pearls. Then the
lake took her up as though she were sitting in a swing, and in one '
sweep wafted her to the opposite shore, where stood a wonderful
house, miles in length. It was difficult to say whether it was
a mountain with forests and caves, or whether it had been

THE STORY OF A MOTHER 2g7

lilt. But the poor mother could not see it ; she had cried out
her eyes.

" Where shall I find Death, who took my little child away?" she
asked.

" He has not arrived here yet," said an old grey-haired woman,
who was walking to and fro and guarding Death's hothouse.
" But how did you find your way here, and who helped you ? "

" Heaven has helped me," she answered. " It is merciful, and
that you will be too. Where shall I find my little child ? "

"I don't know it," said the old woman, "and you can't see.
Many flowers and trees have faded during the night, and Death
will soon come to transplant them. You know very well that
every human being has his tree of life or his flower of life, accord-
ing to how it has been arranged for each. They look just like
other plants, but their hearts beat. Children's hearts can beat
too. If you try, perhaps you may be able to recognise the heart-
beat of your child. But what will you give me if I tell you what
else you must do ? "

u I have nothing to give," said the unhappy mother. " But I
will go to the end of the world for you."

" I have nothing there for you to do," said the old woman ;
" but you can give me your long black hair: I daresay you know
yourself that it is beautiful; it pleases me. You can have my
white locks for it ; they are better than nothing."

" Is that all you want?" she said. " I will give you that with
pleasure." And she gave her her beautiful hair, receiving for it
the snow-white locks of the old woman.

Then they went into Death's great hothouse, where flowers and
trees grew strangely intermingled. Here stood some delicate
hyacinths under glass bells, and great strong paeonies. There
grew water-plants, some quite fresh, others somewhat sickly;
water-snakes lay upon them, and black crabs clung fast to the
stalks. In another place were splendid palm-trees, oaks, and
plantains, parsley and blooming thyme. All the trees and flowers
bore names ; each one was a human life, and the people they
represented were still living, some in China, others in Greenland,
and all over the world. There were great trees planted in small

298 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

pots, so that they were cramped and almost bursting the pots ;
and there was also many a weakly little flower set in rich mould,
with moss all round it, and well taken care of and tended. The
anxious mother bent down over all the little plants to hear the
human heart beating in each, and from among millions she
recognised that of her child.

" There it Is ! " she cried, and stretched out her hand towards a
little crocus, which was feebly hanging over on one side.

"Don't touch the flower!" said the old woman, "but stand
here, and when Death comes — I expect him every moment — don't
let him tear up the plant, but threaten him that you will do the
same with the other flowers : that will frighten him ! He is
responsible for them to Heaven; not one may be pulled up
before permission has been given."

Suddenly an icy blast swept through the hall, and the blind
mother felt that it was Death who was approaching.

" How could you find the way here ? " he asked. " How were
you able to come here more quickly than I ? "

" I am a mother ! " she replied.

Death stretched out his long hand towards the small delicate
flower ; but she held her hands firmly round it, held them clasped
— oh ! so closely, and yet full of anxious care lest she should touch
one of the petals. Then Death breathed upon her hands, and she
felt that this was colder than the cold wind ; and her hands sank
down powerless.

" You have no power to resist me ! " said Death.

" But Heaven has ! " said she.

"I only do its will," said Death. " I am its gardener. I take
up all its flowers and trees and transplant them into the great
Garden of Paradise, into the Unknown Land. How they thrive
there and what that life is like I may not tell you."

" Give me back my child ! " said the mother, weeping and
imploring.

Suddenly she grasped two pretty flowers firmly in her hands and
called out to Death : " I will tear up all your flowers, for I am in
despair."

•'' Do not touch them ! " said Death. " You say that you are so

THE STORY OF A MOTHER 299

unhappy, and would you now make another mother as unhappy
as yourself?"

" Another mother ! " exclaimed the poor mother, and immedi-
ately let both flowers go.

" Here are your eyes," said Death. " I fished them up out of
the lake ; they were sparkling brightly at the bottom ; I did not
know that they were yours. Take them back — they are now even
brighter than before — and then look down into this deep well. I
will utter the names of the two flowers you were about to tear up,
and you will see what you were on the point of destroying."

She looked down into the well ; it was a glorious thing to see
how one of the lives became a blessing to the world, to see how
much happiness and joy diffused itself around it. She also saw
the life of the other, which consisted in sorrow and want, trouble
and misery.

" Both are the will of God ! " said Death.

"Which of them is the flower of unhappiness, and which the
blessed one ? " she asked.

"That I will not tell you," answered Death; "but this you
shall learn from me, that one of the flowers is that of your own
child. It was the fate of your child that you saw — the future of
your own child."

Then the mother shrieked with terror. "Which of them is
that of my child ? Tell me that ! Liberate the innocent child !
Release my child from all this misery ! Rather take it away !
Take it to the Kingdom of God ! Forget my tears, forget my
entreaties and all that I have done ! "

" I don't understand you," said Death. " Will you have your
child back, or shall I take it to that place that you do not
know ? "

Then the mother wrung her hands, and falling on her knees,
prayed to the good God : " Hear me not when I pray contrary to
Thy will, for Thy will is ever best ! Hear me not ! Hear me
:not!"

Her head sank down upon her breast, and Death went with her
child to the Unknown Land.

300 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

The Bell

IN the narrow streets of a large town people
often heard in the evening, when the sun
was setting, and his last rays gave a golden
tint to the chimney-pots, a strange noise
which resembled the sound of a church
bell ; it only lasted an instant, for it was
lost in the continual roar of traffic and
hum of voices which rose from the town. " The evening bell is
ringing," people used to say ; " the sun is setting ! " Those who
walked outside the town, where the houses were less crowded and
interspersed by gardens and little fields, saw the evening sky much
better, and heard the sound of the bell much more clearly. It
seemed as though the sound came from a church, deep in the
calm, fragrant wood, and thither people looked with devout
feelings.

A considerable time elapsed : one said to the other, «' I really
wonder if there is a church out in the wood. The bell has indeed
a strange sweet sound ! Shall we go there and see what the cause
of it is ? " The rich drove, the poor walked, but the way seemed
to them extraordinarily long, and when they arrived at a number
of willow trees on the border of the wood they sat down, looked
up into the great branches and thought they were now really in
the wood. A confectioner from the town also came out and put
up a stall there ; then came another confectioner who hung a bell
over his stall, which was covered with pitch to protect it from the
rain, but the clapper was wanting.

When people came home they used to say that it had been
very romantic, and that really means something else than merely
taking tea. Three persons declared that they had gone as far as
the end of the wood ; they had always heard the strange sound,
but there it seemed to them as if it came from the town. One
of them wrote verses about the bell, and said that it was
like the voice of a mother speaking to an intelligent and

THE BELL 30I

beloved child; no tune, he said, was sweeter than the sound
of the bell.

The emperor of the country heard of it, and declared that he
who would really find out where the sound came from should
receive the title of " Bellringer to the World," even if there was no
bell at all.

Now many went out into the wood for the sake of this splendid
berth ; but only one of them came back with some sort of explana-
tion. None of them had gone far enough, nor had he, and yet he
said that the sound of the bell came from a large owl in a hollow
tree. It was a wisdom owl, which continually knocked its head
against the tree, but he was unable to say with certainty whether
its head or the hollow trunk of the tree was the cause of the noise.

He was appointed " Bellringer to the World," and wrote every
year a short dissertation on the owl, but by this means people did
not become any wiser than they had been before.

It was just confirmation-day. The clergyman had delivered a
beautiful and touching sermon, the candidates were deeply moved
by it ; it was indeed a very important day for them : they were all
at once transformed from mere children to grown-up people ; the
childish soul was to fly over, as it were, into a more reasonable
being.

The sun shone most brightly; and the sound of the great
unknown bell was heard more distinctly than ever. They had a
mind to go thither, all except three. One of them wished to go
home and try on her ball dress, for this very dress and the ball
were the cause of her being confirmed this time, otherwise she
would not have been allowed to go. The second, a poor boy,
had borrowed a coat and a pair of boots from the son of his land-
lord to be confirmed in, and he had to return them at a certain
time. The third said that he never went into strange places if his
parents were not with him ; he had always been a good child, and
wished to remain so, even after being confirmed, and they ought
not to tease him for this ; they, however, did it all the same.
These three, therefore, did not go ; the others went on. The sun
was shining, the birds were singing, and the confirmed children
sang too, holding each other by the hand, for they had no position

302 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

yet, and they were all equal in the eyes of God. Two of the
smallest soon became tired and returned to the town ; two little
girls sat down and made garlands of flowers, they, therefore, did
not go on. When the others arrived at the willow trees, where the
confectioner had put up his stall, they said : " Now we are out
here ; the bell does not in reality exist — it is only something that
people imagine ! "

Then suddenly the sound of the bell was heard so beautifully
and solemnly from the wood that four or five made up their
minds to go still further on. The wood was very thickly grown.
It was difficult to advance : wood lilies and anemones grew almost
too high ; flowering convolvuli and brambles were hanging like
garlands from tree to tree ; while the nightingales were singing and
the sunbeams played. That was very beautiful ! But the way
was unfit for the girls ; they would have torn their dresses. Large
rocks, covered with moss of various hues, were lying about ; the
fresh spring water rippled forth with a peculiar sound. " I don't
think that can be the bell," said one of the confirmed children,
and then he lay down and listened. " We must try to find
out if it is ! " And there he remained, and let the others walk
on.

They came to a hut built of the bark of trees and branches ; a
large crab-apple tree spread its branches over it, as if it intended to
pour all its fruit on the roof, upon which roses were blooming ;
the long boughs covered the gable, where a little bell was hanging.
Was this the one they had heard ? All agreed that it must be so,
except one who said that the bell was too small and too thin to be
heard at such a distance, and that it had quite a different sound to
that which had so touched men's hearts.

He who spoke was a king's son, and therefore the others said
that such a one always wishes to be cleverer than other people.

Therefore they let him go alone ; and as he walked on, the
solitude of the wood produced a feeling of reverence in his breast ;
but still he heard the little bell about which the others rejoiced,
and sometimes, when the wind blew in that direction, he could
hear the sounds from the confectioner's stall, where the others
were singing at tea. But the deep sounds of the bell were much

THE BELL 3o3

stronger; soon it seemed to him as if an organ played an
accompaniment — the sound came from the left, from the side
where the heart is. Now something rustled among the bushes,
and a little boy stood before the king's son, in wooden shoes and
such a short jacket that the sleeves did not reach to his wrists.
They knew each other : the boy was the one who had not been
able to go with them because he had to take the coat and boots
back to his landlord's son. That he had done, and had started
again in his wooden shoes and old clothes, for the sound of the
bell was too enticing— he felt he must go on.

" We might go together," said the king's son. But the poor
boy with the wooden shoes was quite ashamed ; he pulled at the
short sleeves of his jacket, and said that he was afraid he could
not walk so fast ; besides, he was of opinion that the bell ought to
be sought at the right, for there was all that was grand and
magnificent.

" Then we shall not meet," said the king's son, nodding to the
poor boy, who went into the deepest part of the wood, where the
thorns tore his shabby clothes and scratched his hands, face, and
feet until they bled. The king's son also received several good
scratches, but the sun was shining on his way, and it is he whom
we will now follow, for he was a quick fellow. " I will and must
find the bell," he said, " if I have to go to the end of the world."

Ugly monkeys sat high in the branches and clenched their
teeth. "Shall we beat him?" they said "Shall we thrash
him ? He is a king's son ! "

But he walked on undaunted, deeper and deeper into the wood,
where the most wonderful flowers were growing ; there were stand-
ing white star lilies with blood-red stamens, sky-blue tulips shin-
ing when the wind moved them ; apple-trees covered with apples
like large glittering soap bubbles: only think how resplendent
these trees were in the sunshine! All around were beautiful
green meadows, where hart and hind played in the grass. There
grew magnificent oaks and beech-trees ; and if the bark was split
of any of them, long blades of grass grew out of the clefts ; there
were also large smooth lakes in the wood, on which the swans
were swimming about and flapping their wings. The king's son

304 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

often stood still and listened; sometimes he thought that the
sound of the bell rose up to him out of one of these deep lakes,
but soon he found that this was a mistake, and that the bell was
ringing still farther in the wood. Then the sun set, the clouds
were as red as fire; it became quiet in the wood ; he sank down on
his knees, sang an evening hymn and said : " I shall never find
what I am looking for ! Now the sun is setting, and the night, the
dark night, is approaching. Yet I may perhaps see the round sun
once more before he disappears beneath the horizon. I will climb
up these rocks, they are as high as the highest trees ! " And then,
taking hold of the creepers and roots, he climbed up on the wet
stones, where water-snakes were wriggling and the toads, as it
were, barked at him : he reached the top before the sun, seen
from such a height, had quite set. "Oh, what a splendour!"
The sea, the great majestic sea, which was rolling its long waves
against the shore, stretched out before him, and the sun was
standing like a large bright altar out there where sea and
heaven met — all melted together in the most glowing colours ; the
wood was singing, and his heart too. The whole of nature was >
one large holy church, in which the trees and hovering clouds
formed the pillars, the flowers and grass the woven velvet carpet,
and heaven itself was the great cupola ; up there the flame colour i
vanished as soon as the sun disappeared, but millions of stars
were lighted ; diamond lamps were shining, and the king's son
stretched his arms out towards heaven, towards the sea, and
towards the wood. Then suddenly the poor boy with the short- :
sleeved jacket and the wooden shoes appeared; he had arrived
just as quickly on the road he had chosen. And they ran towards
each other and took one another's hand, in the great cathedral of
nature and poesy, and above them sounded the invisible holy
bell; happy spirits surrounded them, singing hallelujahs and
rejoicing.

THE GIRL WHO TROD ON THE LOAF 305

The Girl who Trod on the Loaf
of Bread

|HE story of the girl who trod on a loaf of
bread in order to avoid soiling her shoes,
and how she was punished for it, is well
known; it is written down — nay, even printed.
Ing€ was the girl's name; she was a poor
child, but proud and haughty ; there was a
bad foundation in her, as the saying is.
Already, when quite a small child, it amused her greatly to catch
flies, pull their wings off, and to transform them into creeping things.
Later on she took cockchafers and beetles, stuck them on a needle,
and held a green leaf or a little piece of paper close to their feet.
Then the poor animal seized it, and turned it over and over in its
struggles to get free from the needle. " Now the cockchafer is
reading," said Inge", "look how it turns the leaf over." As years •
passed by she became rather worse than better, but she was beau-
tiful, and that was her misfortune ; otherwise something else might _^
have happened to her than what really happened.

"Your bad disposition ought to be thoroughly rooted out," hei
own mother said to her. "As a child you have often trampled
upon my apron, but I am afraid you will one day trample on my
heart."

And that she really did.

1 She went into the country, and entered the service of some rich
Deople who treated her like their own child, and dressed her
iccordingly ; she looked very well, but her haughtiness increased. /

When she had been there about a year, her mistress said to her :
' Inge", you ought to go for once to see your parents."

And Ing£ went off, but only in order to show herself in her

lative place ; she wished people to see how grand she had

tecome. But when she came to the entrance of the village and

aw the young men and girls chatting there, and her own mother

VOL. i. U

306 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

near them, resting on a stone, and having a bundle of sticks in
front of her which she had picked up in the wood, Inge turned
back ; she was ashamed to think that she, who was so well clad,

had a poor ragged woman for a mother, who picked up sticks in
the wood. And she was not sorry that she returned ; she was only
angry.

Again six months passed by, and her mistress said: "You
ought to go home again and visit your parents, Inge*. I will give
you a large loaf of bread for them. I am sure they will be
pleased to see you."

Inge put her best dress and her new shoes on, raised her skirt,
and walked very carefully that she might be clean and neat about
the feet and for that no one could find fault with her. But when

THE GIRL WHO TROD ON THE LOAF 307

she came to the point where the path runs over the moor, where
it was muddy, and where many puddles had formed, she threw
the loaf down and trod on it, in order to keep her shoes clean ;
but while she was thus standing with one foot on the loaf and the
other raised up in order to go on, the loaf sank down with her

deeper and deeper, and she entirely disappeared. A large puddle
with bubbles on it was all that was left to show where she had
sunk. That is the story. But what became of Inge ? She sank
iown into the ground, and came to the Marsh Woman below,
vhere she was brewing. The Marsh Woman is a sister of the
Sinn Girls, who are known well enough, for there are songs and
pictures of them ; but of the Marsh Woman people only know
hat when in the summer mists rise in the meadows, she is brew-
ng below. Inge sank down to the Marsh Woman's brewery, but
here nobody can bear to stay long. The dung hole is a splendid
Irawing-room compared to the Marsh Woman's brewery. Every

3o8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

vessel smells so disagreeably that one almost faints, and in addition
the barrels are so closely packed that if there were a small open-
ing between them through which one might creep, it would be
impossible because of the wet toads and fat serpents which abide
there. In this place Ing£ arrived ; all the horrible creeping things
were so icy cold, that she shuddered all over, and then she became
I more and more rigid. She stuck fast to the loaf, which dragged
V her down as an amber button attracts a straw.

The Marsh Woman was at home. There were visitors at the
brewery, for Old Bogey and his grandmother inspected it. And
Old Bogey's grandmother is a wicked old woman, who is never
idle ; she never rode out on visits without having her needlework
with her, and also here she had not forgotten it. She sewed little
bits of leather to be attached to men's shoes, so that they
continually wander about without being able to settle anywhere ;
she embroidered cobwebs of lies, and made crochet-work of
foolish words which had fallen to the ground : all this was for
men's disadvantage and destruction. Yes, indeed ! She knew
how to sew, to embroider, and to crochet — this old grandmother.

She saw Inge", put her spectacles on, and looked at her again.

" That's a girl who possesses talents," she said ; " and I request
you to let me have the little one as a memento of my visit here.
She will make a suitable statue in my grandson's ante-room."

And she was given to her, and thus Inge" came into still lower
regions. People do not go there directly, but they can get there
by a circuitous road, when they have the necessary talents. That
was an endless ante-room; one felt quite dizzy if one looked
forward or backward. A crowd of people, exhausted to death,
were standing here and waiting for the gate of mercy to be opened
to them. They had to wait a long time. Large, fat, waddling
spiders spun cobwebs, which lasted thousands of years, over their
feet, and cut like iron foot-traps and copper chains ; besides this,
every soul was filled with everlasting restlessness— a restlessness of
misery. The miser was standing there, and had forgotten the key
of his money-box ; the key was in the keyhole, he knew that. It
would lead us too far to enumerate all the tortures and misery
which were seen there. Ing£ felt inexpressible pain when she had

f

|

THE GIRL WHO TROD ON THE LOAF 309

to stand there as a statue; it was as if she had been tied to
the loaf.

"That is the consequence of trying to keep one's feet clean and
tidy," she said to herself. " Look how they stare at me ! "

And indeed the eyes of all were fixed upon her ; their wicked
desires were looking out of their eyes and speaking out of their
mouths, without a sound being heard. They were dreadful to
look at.

" It must be a pleasure to look at me ! " thought Inge*. " I
have a pretty face and fine clothes." And then she turned her
eyes, for she could not move her neck — it was too stiff. She had
forgotten that she had been much soiled in the Marsh Woman's
brewery. Her dress was covered with slime ; a snake had fixed
itself in her hair, and hung down her back ; out of every fold of
her dress a toad looked forth, croaking like a short-winded pug-
dog. That was very disagreeable. " But the others down here
look just as dreadful," she thought, and thus consoled herself.

The worst of all, however, was the terrible hunger she felt.
Could she not stoop down and break off a piece from the loaf on
which she was standing ? No, her back was stiff, her arms and
hands were rigid, her whole body was like a pillar of stone ; she
could only turn her eyes in her head, but right round, so she
could also see behind her. It was an awful aspect. And then
flies came and ran to and fro over her eyes. She blinked, but
they did not fly away, for they could not, as their wings were torn >
off, and they were transformed into creeping things. It was a
horrible pain, which was increased by hunger, and at last
'it seemed to her as if there was nothing left in her body. "If
this is to last much longer," she said, " I shall not be able to bear
it." But she had to bear it. Then a hot tear fell upon her head,
:and rolled over her face and her breast, down to the loaf upon
'which she stood ; and another tear fell, and many others more.
Who do you think was weeping for Inge* ? Her mother was still
['alive ! The tears of grief which a mother sheds over her child
always reach it, but they do not redeem ; they burn and augment
the torture— this unbearable hunger, and not to be able to reach
the loaf upon which she was standing with her feet ! She had a

3io STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

feeling as if her whole interior had consumed itself. She was like
a thin hollow reed which takes in every sound ; she heard every-
thing distinctly that was spoken about her on earth, but what she
heard was hard and evil. Although her mother shed a great
many tears over her, and was sad, she could not help saying,
" Pride goes before a fall. That was your misfortune, Inge". You
have much grieved your mother."

Her mother and all on earth knew of the sin which she had
committed ; they knew that she had trod on the loaf, and that she
had sunk and disappeared, for the cowherd had seen it from the
slope near the marsh land.

" How you have grieved your mother, Inge* ! " said the mother.
" I had a sort of presentiment."

" I wish I had never been born ! " thought Ing£ ; " it would
have been much better. Of what use are my mother's tears now?"

She heard how her master and mistress, the good people who
had taken care of her like parents, said that she was a sinful child
who had despised God's gifts, and trod upon them with her feet.
The gates of mercy would be very slowly opened to her !

" They ought to have chastised me, and driven out the whims,
if I had any," thought Inge".

She heard that a song was composed about her — the haughty
girl who had trod on a loaf to keep her shoes clean — and that it
was sung all over the country.

"That one must bear so much evil, and have to suffer so
much ! " thought Inge". " Others ought to be punished too for
their sins ! But, of course, then there would be much to be
punished. Alas ! how I am tortured ! "

( Her mind now became harder than her exterior. " In such

': company," she said, " it is impossible to become better, and I

don't wish to become better. Look how they stare at me ! " Her

mind was full of wrath and malice against all men. " At last

} those up there have something to talk about ! Alas ! how I am

tortured ! "

She also heard how her story was told to children, and how the
little ones called her wicked Inge". They said she was so ugly and
wicked she ought to be severely punished. Again and again hard

THE GIRL WHO TROD ON THE LOAF 3n

words were uttered about her by children. Yet, one day, while
grief and hunger were gnawing her hollow body, she heard her
name pronounced and her story told to an innocent child— a little
girl — and she also heard that the little one burst into tears at the
story of the haughty, vain Inge*.

" But will Inge never come up again ? " asked the little girl.

" No, never," was the answer.

" But if she says ' please,' and asks pardon, and promises never
to do it again ? "

" Then, yes ; but she will not ask to be pardoned," they told the
child.

" I should like her so much to do it," said the little girl, and was
quite inconsolable. " I will give my doll and all my toys if she
may only come up. It is too terrible— poor Inge."

These words touched Inge to the depth of her heart ; they did
her good. It was the first time any one had said, " Poor Inge","

3i2 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

/ and did not add anything about her faults. A young innocent
child cried and asked mercy for her. She felt very strange ; she
' would have much liked to cry herself, but she could not do it :
she was unable to cry, and that was another torture.

While years passed on above, no change took place below.
She more rarely heard words from above ; she was less spoken of.
Then suddenly one day a sigh reached her ear : " Inge* ! Ing£ !
how sad you have made me. I have said it would be so ! " It
was the last sigh of her dying mother. Sometimes she heard her
name mentioned by her former master and mistress, and these
were pleasant words when the lady said : " Shall I ever see you
again, Inge" ? One does not know where one comes to ! "

But Inge was convinced that her kind mistress would never
come to the place where she was.

Again a long while passed — a long bitter time. Then Inge*
heard her name pronounced once more, and saw two stars spark-
ling above her. These were two kind eyes which had closed on
earth. So many years had passed since the little girl had been
inconsolable and had wept over " poor Inge'," that the child had
become an old woman, whom God was calling back again, and in
the hour when thoughts of various periods of her life came back
to her mind she remembered how she had once as a little child
cried bitterly when she heard the story of Inge". And the old
lady had such a lively recollection, in the hour of death, of the
impression the story had made upon her that she exclaimed : " My
God and Lord, have I not sometimes, like Inge", trampled Thy
blessings under my feet, without thinking it wrong ? Have I not
walked about with haughtiness ? But in Thy mercy Thou hast not
let me sink, but supported me. Oh, do not forsake me in my last
hour ! " The eyes of the old lady closed, and the eyes of her soul
opened to see hidden things. She, whose last thoughts Inge had
so much occupied, saw now how deep she had sunk, and at this
sight the pious woman burst into tears ; in heaven she was stand-
ing like a child and crying for poor Ingd ! And these tears and
prayers resounded like an echo in the hollow outside shell that
enclosed the fettered tortured soul ; the never-dreamt-of love from
above overwhelmed her ; an angel of God was shedding tears over

THE GIRL WHO TROD ON THE LOAF 313

her. Why was this granted her ? The tortured soul collected as
it were in thought every action she had done on earth, and Inge*
trembled in tears such as she had never wept. Grief at herself
filled her, she felt as if the gates of mercy could never be thrown
open to her ; and while in contrition she recognised this, a beam
of light rushed down to her in the precipice with a force much
stronger than that of the sunbeam which melts the snowman that
boys have put up, and much quicker than the snowflake melts
that falls on the warm lips of a child, and becomes a drop of
water ; the petrified shape of Inge* dissolved into mist — a little bird
flew up with the quickness of lightning into the upper world. But
the bird was timid and shy towards all that surrounded it, it was
ashamed of itself, ashamed to face the living creatures, and
quickly concealed itself in a dark hole in an old weather-beaten
wall. There it sat and cowered, trembling all over and unable to
utter a single sound : it had no voice. It sat there a long time
before it could see all the splendour around it ; indeed it was very
beautiful ! The air was fresh and mild, the moon threw her
silvery light over the earth ; trees and bushes breathed forth fra-
grance, and the place where it sat was pleasant ; its feathers were
pure and fine. How love and brightness pervaded all creation !
The bird wanted to burst into song, and to sing forth all that
filled its breast, but was unable to do it ; it would gladly have
sung like the cuckoo and nightingale in spring. But God, who
hears the soundless hymn of praise of the worm, also heard the
notes of praise which filled its breast, as the psalms of David
were heard before they were expressed in word and tune.

For weeks these soundless songs stirred in the bird's breast ; a
good deed had to be performed to make them burst forth !

Holy Christmastime approached. A peasant set up a pole near
the wall and tied a bunch of oats to it, that the birds of the air
might also have a pleasant Christmas and a good feed in this
blissful time. When the sun rose on Christmas morn and shone
upon the oats, the twittering birds flew in flocks round the pole.
Then also a " tweet, tweet " sounded from a hole in the wall— the
• swelling thought became a sound, the weak "tweet, tweet," a
whole song of joy, the thought of a good deed was called to life,

3i4 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

the bird left its hiding-place ; in heaven it was known what sort of
bird this was !

The winter was hard, the water frozen over, and the birds and
the animals in the wood had little food. Our little bird flew over
the highroad, and found a grain of corn here and there in the ruts
the sledges made, and a few crumbs at the halting-places ; it ate
but few, but called all the other starving sparrows that they might
have some food. It flew into the towns, looked all round, and
where a loving hand had strewn bread-crumbs on a window-sill
for the birds, it only ate a single crumb, leaving all to the other
birds.

In the course of the winter the bird had gathered so many
crumbs and given them to other birds, that altogether they
equalled the weight of the whole loaf on which Inge* had trodden
to keep her shoes clean. And when the last bread-crumb was
found and given away, the grey wings of the bird turned white
and expanded.

" There flies a sea-swallow over the water," said the children
who saw the white bird; it dived down into the sea and
then rose up again into the bright sunshine; it glittered, and
it was impossible to see what became of it — they said it flew
into the sun.

The Shirt-Collar

HERE lived once a rich gentleman whose
whole goods and chattels consisted of a
boot-jack and a hair-brush, but he wore the
finest shirt-collar in the world, and it is about
this very shirt-collar that we shall hear
a story. The shirt-collar had now become
so old that it thought of getting married;

and it happened that it was sent to the laundress together

with a garter.

" Truly," said the shirt-collar, " I have never seen anybody so

THE SHIRT-COLLAR 315

slender and refined, so tender and nice before ! May I ask for
your name ? "

" I shall not answer you," replied the garter.

" Where do you live ? " continued the shirt-collar.

But the garter was somewhat shy, and thought it strange to be
expected to answer such questions.

" I suppose you are a girdle," said the shirt-collar, "a sort of inside
girdle. I see you are useful as well as ornamental, my little lady ! "

"Do not speak to me," said the garter, "I think I have given
you no encouragement to do so ! "

" If one is as beautiful as you are," said the shirt-collar, " is this
not encouragement enough ? "

" Go away, and do not come too close to me 1 " said the garter,
" you look exactly like a man."

" I am a gentleman, indeed," said the shirt-collar, " I possess a
boot-jack and a hair-brush ! "

But that was not true, for it was his master who possessed these
articles.

" Do not come too near me ! " said the garter, " I am not
accustomed to that."

" Conceited thing ! " said the shirt-collar.

Then they were taken out of the washing-tub, stretched and put
on a chair in the sunshine to dry, and put on the ironing-board.
And now came, {he |iot iron. ; .

" Mistress wldirnr ! " cried the shirt-collar, " little mistress widow,
I am getting very warm ! I am turning quite another being, all
my creases are coming out ; you are burning a hole in me ! Ugh !
I propose to you ! "

" Wretch ! " said the iron, proudly passing over the shirt-collar,
for it imagined itself a steam-engine which was to run on metals
and draw carriages. " Wretch ! " it repeated.

As the edges of the shirt-collar were a little frayed, the scissors
were brought to trim it. " I believe," said the shirt-collar,
addressing the scissors, " you must be a first-class dancer. How
you can throw your legs up ! I have never seen anything more
charming ; no human being can do what you do."

" I know," replied the scissors.

316 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

"You deserve to be made a countess," continued the shirt-
collar. " All I possess is a gentleman, a boot-jack, and a hair-
brush. I wish, for your sake, that I had an earl's estate."

" What ! He will propose to me ! " said the scissors, and be-
came so angry, that they cut too deeply into the shirt-collar, and
it had to be turned out as useless.

" I shall have to propose to the hair-brush," thought the shirt-
collar. One day it said, speaking to the hair-brush : " What
remarkably beautiful hair you have, my little lady ! Have you
never thought of becoming engaged ? "

" Of course ! How could you have any doubt about this ? "
replied the hair-brush. " I am engaged to the boot-jack."

" Engaged ? " said the shirt-collar. As there was now nobody
left to propose to, the shirt-collar began to despise all love-
makings.

A long time passed after this ; the shirt-collar came at last into
the bag of the paper-maker ! There was a large company of rags,
the fine ones lay apart from the coarse ones, as it ought to be.
They had all a great deal to tell, but most of all the shirt-collar,
for it was a wonderful bragger.

" I have had no end of love-affairs," said the shirt-collar ; " they
never left me alone ; but, of course, I was a distinguished gentle-
man, and well starched. I possessed a boot-jack and a hair-brush,
which I never used. You ought to have seen me — seen me when
I was put aside ! I shall never forget my first love ! It was a
girdle, and how fine, soft and nice it was ! My first love threw
itself fjpr my sake into a large washing-tub. There was also a
widow, which loved me very ardently, but I left it and it turned
quite black ! Then there was a first-class dancer, the very person
which inflicted the wound upon me which you still see ; it was a very
excitable being. My own hair-brush was in love with me — and
lost all its hairs because I disappointed it. I have seen a great
deal of this sort of thing, but most of all I am sorry for the garter
— girdle, I intended to say — which threw itself into a washing-tub.
I have a great deal to answer for ; it is time that I should be turned
into white paper."

And to this the collar was transformed at last, the very same

THE HAPPY FAMILY

317

paper on which this story here is printed, because it had bragged
so much and told things which were not true. And we ought to
remember this, and never imitate the shirt-collar, for who knows
if we may not one day also come into the rag-bag and be turned
to white paper, upon which our whole story, even its most secret
parts, might be printed, so that we should be obliged, like the
shirt-collar, to run about and tell it ourselves.

The Happy Family

HE largest green leaf here in the country is
certainly the burdock leaf: if you put it
round your little waist it is like an apron ;
and if you lay it upon your head when it
rains, it is almost as good as an umbrella, for
it is extremely large. One burdock never
grows alone ; where one grows there are

several more, making quite a splendid sight. And all this

splendour is food for snails. Of these large white snails, which

lived on burdock leaves, the

grand people in olden times

used to have fricassee made,

and when they had eaten it

they would say, " Dear me !

how nice it is " ; for they really

believed it tasted excellent.

And that is why burdocks

were sown.

Now there was an old country-seat, where snails were no longer

eaten. They had died out, but the burdocks had not died out.

They grew and grew in all the paths, on all the beds ; there was

no stopping them any more — it was quite a forest of burdocks.

Here and there stood an apple or plum tree ; otherwise one would

never have thought that it was a garden. Everything was burdock,

and among it all lived the two last ancient snails.

3i8 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

They did not know themselves how old they were, but they
could very well remember that there had been a great many more
of them, that they came from a foreign family, and that the forest
had been planted for them and theirs. They had never been out
of it, but it was known to them that there was something in the
world besides, which was called " the Castle " ; there one was
boiled, became black, and was laid upon a silver dish — but what
happened after that they did not know. They could not imagine
what it was like to be boiled and laid upon a silver dish, but it
was said to be very fine and particularly grand. Neither the
cockchafer, nor the toad, nor the earthworm, all of whom they
questioned, could give them any information about it ; for none
of their kind had ever been boiled or laid upon a silver dish.

The old white snails were the grandest in the world : that they
knew. The forest was there on their account, and the castle too,
so that they might be boiled and laid upon a silver dish.

They lived very retired and happy, and as they themselves were
childless, they had adopted a common little snail, which they
brought up as their own child. But the little one would not grow,
for it was only a common snail ; the old people, however,
particularly the mother-snail, declared that it was easy to see how
it grew. And she said that if the father could not see that, he was
only just to feel the little shell, and on doing so, he found that the
mother was right.

One day it rained very hard.

" Listen how it drums upon the burdock-leaves— rum-a-dum-
dum, rum-a-dum-dum ! " said the father-snail.

" Those are what I call drops ! " said the mother-snail. " It is
running down the stalk. You see it will get wet here. I'm
only glad that we have our good houses, and that the little one has
his too. More has really been done for us than for other
creatures ; it is very plainly to be seen that we are the lords of the
world. We have houses from our birth, and the burdock forest
was planted for our sakes. I should like to know how far it
extends, and what lies outside it."

" There is nothing," said the father-snail, " that could be better
than it is with us : I have nothing to wish for."

THE HAPPY FAMILY 3I9

"Yes ! " said the mother. " I should like to be taken up to
the Castle, boiled and laid upon a silver dish; that is what
happened to all our ancestors, and you may believe that it is some-
thing uncommon."

" The Castle has perhaps fallen in," said the father-snail ; " or
the burdock forest has grown over it, so that the people cannot
come out. But there's not the slightest hurry about it. You're
always in too great a hurry, and the little one is beginning to be
just the same. Has he not been crawling up that stalk for
already three days ? It really gives me a headache to look up at
him."

"You must not scold him," said the mother-snail. " He crawls
along very deliberately: we shall certainly live to have great joy
of him, and we old ones have really nothing else to live for. But
have you ever thought of where we shall get a wife for him ?
Don't you think that there are some of our kind still living farther
in the burdock forest ?

" I daresay there are some black snails there," said the old
man ; " black snails without houses ; but they are too vulgar, and
yet they fancy themselves somebody. But we can give the ants
the commission ; they run to and fro, as though they had some
business to do ; they will certainly know of a wife for our little one."

" I certainly know the most beautiful one you could have," said
one of the ants ; but I am afraid the proposal is of no use, for she
is a queen."

"That doesn't matter!" said the old people. "Has she a
house ? "

"She has a castle," answered the ant ; "a most beautiful ant-
hill with seven hundred passages."

" Many thanks ! " said the mother-snail. " Our son shall not
go into an ant-hill. If you know of nothing better than that, we
will give the white gnats the commission ; they fly far around in
rain and sunshine ; they know the burdock forest in and out."

" We have a wife for him," said the gnats. " A hundred man's
paces from here there is a little snail with a house sitting on a
gooseberry-bush ; she is all alone, and old enough to marry.
It is only a hundred man's paces from here."

320 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Well, let her come to him," said the old people. " He has a
burdock forest ; she has only a bush."

And so they fetched the little maiden snail. She took eight
days in coming ; but that was the beauty of it, for by that one
could see that she was of the right kind.

Then they had the wedding. Six glow-worms gave as much
light as they could ; for the rest, things went very quietly, for the
old people could not bear much feasting and dissipation. A
beautiful speech was, however, made by the mother-snail. The
father could not speak ; he was too deeply moved. Then they
gave the young couple the whole burdock forest as an inheritance,
and said what they had always said : that it was the best in the
world, and that if they lived honest and upright lives, and
multiplied, they and their children would one day be taken to the
Castle, boiled black, and laid upon a silver dish. And after this
speech had been made, the old people crept back into their
houses and never came out again ; they slept. The young couple
now ruled in the forest and had a numerous progeny. But as
they were never boiled and laid upon the silver dish, they con-
cluded that the Castle must have fallen in, and that all the people
in the world had died out. And as nobody contradicted them,
they knew they were right. The rain fell upon the burdock
leaves to play the drum for them, and the sun shone to colour the
burdock forest for their sake. They were very happy, and the
whole family was happy — infinitely happy !

LITTLE TUK 32J

Little Tuk

XL, yes, that was little Tuk. That was not
his name, but when he could not yet speak
he called himself Tuk, which he meant for
Charlie; and that does very well, but one
must know it. He had to look after his
little sister Gustava, who was much
younger than himself, and at the same time
he had to learn his lessons ; these two things, however, would not
igo very well together. The poor boy sat there with his little sister
,on his knee, singing to her all the songs he knew, and glancing
now and then into his geography book which lay open before him.
The next morning he had to know all the towns of Zealand by
heart, and all that any one can be expected to know "about them.

Then his mother came home, who had been out, and took little

Gustava herself. Tuk went as quickly as possible to the window,

ind read so zealously that he had almost read his eyes out ; it

Decame darker and darker, but the mother had no money to buy

I candles.

" There goes the old washerwoman from over the way," said the

[ nother, looking out of the window. " The poor woman can hardly

. Irag herself along, and has to carry a pail full of water from the

veil ; be a good boy, Tuk, my child, run over and help the old

vroman. Will you ? "

And Tuk ran quickly over and helped her ; but when he came

>ack to the room it had become quite dark, and as there could be

; 10 question about light, he was to go to bed ; his bed was an old

j ettle^ He was lying upon it thinking of his geography lesson

$ f Zealand, and of all the master had said. Of course he ought

till to be learning, but that was impossible. He therefore put the

1 eography book under his pillow, because he had heard that this

i elps one a great deal when one wants to learn a lesson ; the only

i iing is, one can't depend upon it. There he was lying and think-

ig and thinking, and then it seemed to him suddenly as if some

VOL. i. x

32*

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

one kissed him on the eyes and mouth. He slept, and yet he did
not sleep"-' he felt as if the old washerwoman looked at him with
her kind eyes and said : " It would be a great pity if you did not
know your lesson to-morrow ! You have helped me ; therefore I
will now help you, as God always helps every one." And suddenly

the book under Tuk's pillow began to move. " Cluck, cluck ! "
It was a hen which came crawling out, and she was from Kjoge.1
" I am a Kjoge-hen," she said, and then she told him how many
inhabitants the town had, and of the battle that had taken place
there, although this latter was not worth mentioning.

Then he heard a rattling noise and a plump — something fell
down. It was a wooden bird, the parrot that was used at the
shooting competition in Prastoe.4 It said that there were as many
inhabitants in that town as it had nails in its body ; it was very

1 Kjoge is a small town in the bay of the same name.

2 Prastoe is a little town, only known because the Castle of Nysoe, where
' Thorwaldsen lived, is in its immediate neighbourhood.

LITTLE TUK 323

proud too. "Thorwaldsen has been living quite close to me,
Plump ! here I am, quite comfortable ! "

But now little Tuk was no longer lying in bed, but sat on horse-
back, and went off at a gallop. A magnificently dressed knight,
:with a shining plume on his helmet, held Tuk before him on the
: saddle, and so they rode through the wood to the old town of
'Wprdingborg,1 and that was a large lively town ; on the king's
castle were high towers, and light streamed from all the windows.
(Inside there was singing and dancing, for King Waldemar danced
with the gaily-dressed Court ladies. Now it became morning, and
as the sun rose, the whole city and the king's castle, tower after
itower, sank down ; and at last one single tower stood on the hill
(where the castle had been standing. The town was very small
and poor, and the boys came out of school with their books under
|:heir arms, and said : " Two thousand inhabitants \ " but that was
I jiot true, for there were not so many in the town.
i! And little Tuk was again in bed, and did not know if he was
Ireaming or not, but somebody stood close by his side. " Little
; Tuk, little Tuk," a voice said. It was a sailor who spoke, but he
i ras as small as if he were a midshipman, although he was not one.
r f I have to greet you from Cprsor ; that's a rising town, and is very
\ ively ; it has steamboats and mail-coaches — formerly they said
hat it was ugly, but that is no longer true."

j "I am situated upon the sea," said Corsor;2 "I have high-roads

I nd pleasure-grounds, and I am the birthplace of a poet who was

itty and entertaining, qualities that not all poets possess. Once I

ished to equip a ship that was to go all round the world ; but it

id not do it, although it might have done it. In addition, I smell

veetly, for close by my gates grow the most splendid rose trees."

; Little Tuk looked, but all was red and green before his eyes ;

'ben the confusion of colours had passed by, he all at once saw

'wooded slope near a bay, and high above it stood a beautiful

d church with two high pointed spires. Springs of water flowed

t -it of the slope in numerous jets, so that there was continual

. ' Wordingborg is known for the ruins of the old castle. Under King

aldeinar it was a flourishing town. "
{ ! Corsor, a small town on the Great Belt.

324 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

splashing. Close by sat an old king with a golden crown on
his long hair. He was King Hroar, near the springs, close by the
city of Roeskilde,1 as one now calls it. And over the slope went
all the kings and queens of Denmark, hand in hand, with their
golden crowns on their heads, up to the old church, and the organ
was playing, and the springs rippled. Little Tuk saw and heard
everything. " Don't forget the towns," said King Hroar.

All at once everything was gone again, but whither ? It seemed

to Tuk as if some one turned over the leaves of a book. And

there stood an old peasant woman before him, who came from

Soroe,2 where the grass grows in the market-place. A grey linen

apron was hanging over her head and back, and was very wet; it

must have been raining. "Yes, it has," she said, and she could

tell many amusing passages from Holberg's comedies and of Wal-

demar and Absolom. But all at once she shrank together and

nodded her head as if she wanted to jump. " Croak," she said ;

" it is wet, it is wet ; Soroe is as quiet as a grave ! " Suddenly she

became a frog. " Croak ! " And then she turned an old woman

again. " One must dress oneself according to the weather," she*

said ' " It is wet ! It is wet ! My town is like a bottle— one had

to go in at the neck, and come out at the neck again ! Formerly

I had most splendid fishes, and now I have fresh rosy-cheekec

boys at the bottom of the bottle, who learn wisdom, Hebrew

Greek. Croak 1 " That sounded as if the frogs croaked, or as i|

some one walked over the marshes with large boots— always thj

same sound, so monotonous and tiresome, that little Tuk fe

asleep, and that could not do him any harm. But even in th

sleep came a dream, or something of that kind. His little sistq

Gustava, with her blue eyes and golden curly hair, had sudden!

become a tall slender girl, and could fly without haying a

wings; .«r,d then they flew right across Zealand, with its gree

woods and blue lakes.

« Do you hear the cock crow, little Tuk ? ' Cock-a-doodle-d<
The cocks fly up from Kjoge ! You shall have a large farmyai

1 Roeskilde was once the capital of Denmark.

2 Soroe, a small beautifully-situated town ; the Danish poet t
founded an academy here.

THE TINDER-BOX 325

one day! You will never suffer want or hunger ! And you will
I take the cake, as people say : you will become a rich and happy
man. Your house will rise like the tower of King Waldemar, and
| will be richly adorned with marble statues like those at Eriistqe,
i Understand me well : your name shall travel with glory all over
.the world, like the ship that was to sail off from Corsor, and at

Roeskilde "don't forget the towns!" said King Hroar

i" there you will speak well and cleverly, little Tuk ; and when they
place you at last in your grave you will sleep peacefully."

" As if I lay in Soroe,." said little Tuk, and then he woke up.

It was broad daylight, and he could no longer remember his
dream, but that was not necessary, for one must not know what is
focoffiejnjuture. He quickly jumped out of bed and read his
jook, and there, all at once, he knew his whole lesson.
I The old washerwoman just then peeped in at the door, nodded
tindly to him, and said : " Many thanks, you good child, for your
resistance ! May God realise your beautiful dream ! "
i Little Tuk did not remember what he had dreamt, but God
::new it.

The Tinder-Box

SOLDIER was marching along the high-
road—left, right ! left, right ! He had a
knapsack on his back and a sword at his
side. He was returning from war, and now
on his way home.
When he had gone some distance he met

an old witch. She was dreadfully ugly, her

iderlip was hanging down upon her breast.
" Good evening, soldier," she said ; " what a fine sword you
ive, and what a big knapsack ! You are a true soldier, and now
;>u shall have as much money as ever you wish for."
" Thank you, old witch," replied the soldier.
i"Do you see yonder large tree?" asked the witch, pointing out
«:ree which stood not far from them. " It is hollow inside. You

326 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

must climb right up to its summit, when you will see a hole;
through this hole you can let yourself down and get deep into the
tree. I shall tie a rope round your waist, so that I can pull you up
when you call out to me."

" What shall I do down in the tree ? " asked the soldier.

"Fetch money," said the witch. "You must know that you
will find a spacious hall at the bottom of the tree ; it is quite light,
for there are no less than three hundred lamps burning down
there. You will then see three doors ; you can open them — the
keys are in the locks. If you enter the first room you will find in
the middle of the floor a large wooden chest and a dog sitting on
it, which has a pair of eyes as large as tea-cups. Never mind him !
I shall give you my blue checked apron ; you can spread it on the
floor ; then go quickly, seize the dog and place him on my apron,
open the chest, and take out of it as many coins as you like. They

THE TINDER-BOX 327

are of copper ; if you prefer to have silver, you must go into the
second room. There you will see a dog having eyes as large as
mill-wheels. But do not be afraid ; put him on my apron and take
as much money as you like. If, however, you wish to have gold,
you can have that too, and as much as you can carry, if you go
into the third room. The dog which sits on the chest in this
room has eyes as large as a church-steeple. He is a very wicked
dog, I can assure you, but you need not fear him. If you put him
on my apron he will not hurt you, and you can take as much gold
as you like out of the chest"

" That is not at all bad," said the soldier. " But what do you
expect me to give you in return, for surely you will not do all this
for nothing ? "

"Yes," replied the witch. "I shall not ask you for a single
, shilling. I only want you to bring up for me an old tinder-box
which my grandmother forgot when she was down there for the
last time."

" Well, then, tie the rope round my waist," said the soldier.

" Here it is," said the witch, " and here is also my blue checked
apron."

The soldier then climbed up the tree, descended inside it by the
rope, and arrived, as the witch had told him, in the great hall
where the three hundred lamps were burning.

He opened the first door. Ugh ! there the dog with the eyes as
arge as teacups was staring at him.

"You are a fine fellow," said the soldier, placed him on the

ipron of the witch, and took as many coppers as his pockets

1 vould hold. Then he locked the chest, put the dog upon it, and

vent to the second room. Really, there was the dog with the

,yes as large as mill-wheels.

jj "You had better not look at me so hard," said the soldier, "you

light strain your eyes," and put the dog on the witch's apron.

! Vhen he saw the silver in the chest, he threw all the copper he had

: ;iken away, and filled his pockets and knapsack with silver. Then

e went into the third room. That was dreadful to look at. The

og there had really two eyes as large as church steeples, which

irned in his head like wheels.

328 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Good evening," said the soldier, and touched his cap, for he
had never in his life seen a dog like this. When he had looked at
him more closely, he thought w that is enough," lifted him down
on the floor, and opened the chest. Good heavens ! what a lot of
gold there was ! There was enough gold to buy the whole town,
and all the sweets from all the sweetmeat stalls, in addition to all
the tin soldiers, whips, and rocking-horses in the whole world.
The soldier quickly threw away all the silver with which he had
filled his pockets and knapsack, and replaced it by gold. He
filled even his cfep and his boots with gold, so that he could
scarcely walk. Now he was rich.

He placed the dog again on the chest, shut the door, and called
up through the tree.

" Now pull me up, old witch."

" Have you found the tinder-box ? " asked the old witch.

" Upon my soul," said the soldier, " that I should really have
forgotten." He returned and fetched it. The old witch pulled
him up, and soon he was again in the high road, his pockets,
boots, knapsack, and cap filled with gold.

"What will you do with the tinder-box?" asked the soldier.

" Do not trouble your mind about that," said the witch. " You
have received your reward. Give me the tinder-box."

" Certainly not," replied the soldier. " Tell me quickly what you
are going to do with it, or I shall draw my sword and cut your
head off."

" No," said the witch.

Then the soldier cut her head off, so that she lay dead on the
ground. He tied all his gold up in her apron, took it like a
bundle on his shoulders, put the tinder-box into his pocket, and
went straight to the nearest town.

It was a very pleasant town. He put up in the best inn, asked
for the best rooms and for his favourite dishes ; for he was rich,
having so much gold.

The servant, who had to clean his boots, thought they were
rather shabby old things for such a rich gentleman, for he had not
yet bought a new pair. On the next day, however, he purchased
decent boots and fine clothes. Thus the poor soldier had become

THE TINDER-BOX 329

a gentleman, and people talked to him about all the sights of their
town, about the king, and about the beautiful princess his
daughter.

" Where can one see her ? " inquired the soldier.

" Nobody can see her," they all said, " she lives in a strong
copper castle with many towers, surrounded by high walls.
Nobody but the king himself can pass in and out, for there has
been a prophecy that she would marry a private soldier, and the
king will prevent that."

" I should very much like to see her," thought the soldier,
but he could by no means obtain permission to do so.

He led a merry life, went to the theatre, drove in the Royal
Gardens, and gave largely to the poor — that was very good of
him ; he remembered well of former days what it means to have
not a single penny. He was now rich, had fine clothes, and soon
found many friends, who all told him that he was a splendid fellow
and a true gentleman ; all this pleased the soldier greatly. As,
however, he spent every day a good deal of money, without
gaining anything, he had soon nothing left but two shillings ;
therefore he had to give up the elegant rooms which he occupied
and live on the top of the house in a little garret; he had
to black his own boots, and to mend] them with a darning
needle. None of his former friends came to see him, he lived
so high up.

On one dark evening he could not even buy a candle. Then
he remembered that there was a piece of candle in the tinder-box
which he had fetched out of the hollow tree with the assistance of
the witch. He took up the tinder-box and the little end of the
candle, and was going to strike a light, when suddenly the door
flew open, and the dog with a pair of eyes as large as tea-cups,
which he had seen under the tree, made his appearance and
asked : " Your lordship's commands ? "

" What is this ? " asked the soldier. " That is a capital tinder-
I box if I can get through it what I wish for. Get me some money,"
: he said to the dog. The dog was gone like lightning ; but in a
: moment he returned again, holding a large bag of coppers in his
: mouth.

330 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Thus the soldier learnt what a wonderful tinder-box he had.
If he struck once, the dog from the chest containing the copper
appeared ; two strokes made the dog who watched the silver
come ; and if he struck three times, the dog who sat on the chest
containing the gold made his appearance. Now the soldier
moved back into the elegant rooms, and appeared again well-
dressed. All his former friends recognised him, and thought
much of him.

One day the soldier thought : " It is very strange that nobody is
allowed to see the princess. All agree in saying that she is so
beautiful ; but what is the use of her beauty if she is compelled to
remain for ever in the big copper castle with its many towers ? Is
there no chance at all to see her ? "

At this moment he thought of his tinder-box. He struck a
light, and there the dog with a pair of eyes as large as tea-cups
came.

"Although it is midnight," said the soldier, "I should very
much like to see the princess for a moment."

No sooner had he pronounced his wish than the dog ran away,
and returned in a few seconds with the princess. She was lying
fast asleep on the dog's back ; she was so lovely to look at, that
nobody could help seeing at once that she was a princess. The
soldier could not abstain from kissing her, for he was a true
soldier.

Then the dog carried the princess back ; but on the next morn-
ing, when she was at tea with the king and the queen, she told them
that she had had a very strange dream of a dog and a soldier in
the night ; she had been riding on the dog and the soldier had
kissed her.

" That would be a fine tale," said the queen.

Next night one of the Court ladies had to watch by the bed of
the princess to see whether it was really a dream, or what else it
could be.

The soldier felt a great longing to see the princess again, so he
called the dog next night once more, who fetched her, running with
her as fast as he could. But the old lady put on water-boots and
followed him. When she saw that the dog disappeared with the

THE TINDER-BOX 33I

princess in a large house, she took a piece of chalk and made a
large white cross on the door, thinking that she would be able to
recognise the house again. Then she returned home and went
to bed. The dog soon brought the princess back ; and when he
saw the white cross on the house where the soldier lived, he

made white crosses on all the doors in the town, that the Court
lady might not be able to find it.

Early on the next morning, the king, the queen, the lady, and
many officers of the Court came to see where the princess had
been.

" There is the house," said the king when he saw the first door
with a white cross.

" No ; there it is, my dear husband," said the queen, on seeing a.
second door with a white cross.

" But there is one, and there is another," said all, and wherever

332 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

they looked they saw white crosses on the doors. Then they
understood that it would be useless to search any more.

The queen was a very clever woman ; she could do more than
merely ride in a carriage. She took her large golden scissors, cut a
piece of silk in squares and made a nice little bag of it. This bag
she filled with ground buckwheat, then tied it to the princess's
back, and cut a little hole into it, so that the buckwheat could
run out all along the road the princess was taken.

At night the dog came again, took the princess on his back,
and ran with her to the soldier, who was deeply in love with
her, and wished nothing more than to be a prince, that he might
marry her.

The dog did not notice how the buckwheat strewed all the way
from the castle up to the soldier's house, where he climbed up the
wall to enter the soldier's window. Next morning the king and
the queen knew where their daughter had been taken to: the
soldier was at once arrested and thrown into prison.

There he sat, and found it awfully dark and dull. He
was told, " To-morrow you will be hanged." All this was very
unpleasant, and the worst was that he had left his tinder-box at
the inn.

On the next morning he could see through the iron bars how
the people were hurrying out of the town in order to witness his
execution. He heard the noise of the drums and saw the soldiers
march past. In the crowd he noticed a shoemaker's apprentice
with a leather apron and wooden slippers on, who ran so fast that
one of his slippers came off and flew against the wall, quite close
to the window at which the soldier sat behind the iron bars.

" You need not hurry so, boy," cried the soldier, " they can't do
anything until I arrive. If you would run to the place where I
used to live and fetch me my tinder-box, I will give you four
shillings."

The boy, who was very anxious to have so much money, fetched
the tinder-box and handed it to the soldier. Now, let us see what
happened.

Outside the town they had erected a high gibbet ; soldiers and
many thousands of people stood around it. The king and the queen

THE TINDER-BOX 333

were sitting on a magnificent throne opposite the judges and
counsel.

The soldier was already standing on the top of the ladder, and
they were just going to put the rope round his neck, when he
said he knew that it was a custom to grant a last request to a poor
criminal before he suffered death, and he should very much like to
smoke a pipe — the last he would ever have a chance of smoking in
this world.

The king would not refuse this favour, and the soldier took up
his tinder-box and struck — " One, two, three." And lo ! there
suddenly appeared the three dogs ; the first with eyes as large as
tea-cups, the second with eyes as large as mill-wheels, and the
third having eyes as large as church-steeples.

" Help" me now, that they cannot hang me," said the soldier.
Then the dogs rushed at the judges and the counsel, took the
one up by the legs, the other by the nose, and threw them high
up into the air, so that they fell down and were smashed to
pieces.

" Leave me alone," said the king ; but the largest of the dogs
seized both him and the queen and threw them up after the
others.

When the soldiers and all the people saw that, they had great
fear, and cried : " Good soldier, you shall become our king and
marry the beautiful princess."

They seated the soldier in the king's carriage, and the three
dogs danced in front of it and cried " Hurrah ! " The boys
whistled on their fingers, and the soldiers presented arms. The
princess came out of the copper castle and became queen, and
she liked it very much.

The wedding festivities lasted eight days ; the dogs sat at table
and opened their eyes wide.

334 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

A Cheerful Temper

]Y father left me the best inheritance any man
can leave to his son — a cheerful temper. But
who was my father ? Why, that really has
nothing to do with the cheerful temper. He
was lively and quick, although somewhat
stout and fat ; in fact, he was in body and
mind the very opposite to what one would
expect from a man of his calling. But what
was his position, what services did he render to the community ?
Why, if that were to be written down and printed at the very
beginning of a book, some people in reading it would be likely to
lay it aside and say there is something unpleasant about it ; I don't
like anything of that sort. And yet my father was neither a
knacker nor a hangman ; on the contrary, his office was such that
it placed him at the head of the most distinguished citizens of the
town, and he was fully entitled to be there, for it was his proper
place. He must needs be the foremost of all — before the bishop,
nay, even before princes of royal blood, because he was a hearse-
driver.

There, now I have betrayed the secret! and I must confess
that, when one saw my father sitting high up on the box of
Death's bus, clad in his long wide black cloak, having a black-
trimmed three-cornered hat on, and then looked into his face,
which was as round and smiling as a picture of the sun, one
could not think of mourning and the grave ; for his face said : " It
doesn't matter, never mind — it will go much better than one thinks."
So, you see, from him I have my cheerful temper and also the
habit of often going to the churchyard : and that is quite amusing,
if one goes thither in good spirits. I forgot to say that I also take
in the Advertiser, as he used to do.

I am no longer young — I have neither wife nor child, nor a
library, but I read, as I have mentioned, the Advertiser ; that
suffices me. It is my favourite newspaper, as it was my father's.

A CHEERFUL TEMPER 335

The Advertiser is a most useful paper, and contains really
everything a man requires to know ; therein you find who preaches
in the churches and in new books ; it tells you about charitable
institutions, and contains many harmless poetical attempts.
Marriages are desired, and meetings brought about. All is so
simple and natural ! One can indeed live very happily and be
buried, if one reads the Advertiser— nay, at the end of one's
life one has such a heap of paper that one can comfortably lie on
it, if one does not care to rest on wood shavings.

The Advertiser and the churchyard were always the two
things that most elevated my mind, and best nourished my good
temper.

Everybody can peruse the Advertiser by himself, but let him

go with me to the churchyard. Let us go there when the sun is

shining and the trees are green ; let us walk about between the

graves. Every one of them is a closed book with its back turned

up ; one can read its title, which says all the book contains, and

yet says nothing at all. But I know my way ; I learnt much from

my father, and something I know from my own experience. 1

have it all written down in a book, which I have made for use

; and pleasure ; there is something written about them all, and

; about a few more.

Now we are at the churchyard.

Here, behind the railings, painted out in white, where one day
a rose-tree stood — it is gone now, and only a little bush of ever
green from the neighbour's grave stretches a few straggling
; branches in, lest it be quite bare — rests a very unfortunate man,
and yet he was, as people call it, well-off when he was alive ; he
had sufficient to live comfortably, and something to spare, but the
world — that is to say " art " — used him too badly. When he went
in the evening to the theatre to enjoy a play thoroughly, he nearly
went out of his mind when the machinist put too strong a light
into one of the cheeks of the moon, or when the canvases repre-
senting the sky were hanging in front of the scene instead of
behind, or if they made a palm appear in a garden at Copen-
hagen, or a cactus plant in Switzerland, or beech-trees in the
northern regions of Norway. What does it matter to any one?

336 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Who would trouble his mind about anything of that sort ? All is
only a play which is intended to amuse people. Sometimes the
people applauded too much in his opinion, sometimes not enough.
" That is wet wood to-night," he used to say, " it will not catch
fire ; " and when he looked round to see what sort of people were
there, then he found that they laughed in the wrong places, when
they were not expected to laugh at all. All this angered him,
pained him, and made him miserable ; and now he rests in the grave.

Here rests a man who was very lucky in life; I mean to say
that he was a nobleman of high birth, and that was his luck, for
otherwise he would not have turned out anything at all. Nature
orders all things so wisely that it is a pleasure to think of it ! He
used to wear a coat richly embroidered with silk ; and one might
very well have compared him with a precious bell-pull in a
drawing-room. As such, a bell-pull generally has a good strong
string behind it ; so he had a substitute to do his work for him,
and he does it, in fact, still for some other man of that type. Yes,
yes ; all is so well arranged in this world, one has good reason to
have a cheerful temper.

Now here rests — it is very sad indeed — a man who exercised
his brains for sixty-seven years in perpetual search for a good idea ;
at last, according to his own opinion, he had one, and was so
pleased with himself that he died for joy. So his good idea was
of no use to any-one, for nobody heard anything at all about it.
I am inclined to think that this good idea will prevent him from
resting quietly in the grave ; for suppose it was such that it could
only be well explained at breakfast-time, and that, being a dead
man, he can only rise about midnight — according to the common
notion about ghosts — it is not suitable for the time ; nobody laughs
at it, and the man must take his good idea again down with him
into his grave.

Here rests a miser : in her lifetime this woman was so dreadfully
stingy that she used to get up at night and mew in order to make
people believe she kept a cat.

Here rests a young lady of good family, who liked immensely
to sing in society : when she sang " Mi manca la voce," it was
the only true thing she said in her life.

A CHEERFUL TEMPER 33?

Here rests a maiden of another kind. Yes, indeed love does
not hsten to reason ! She was to be married ; but that 's an eve '
day story. Let the dead rest.

Here lies a widow who had a sweet voice, but bitterness in her
heart. She used to visit the families in the neighbourhood and
pursuit °Ut Sh°rtcomings> and she was very zealous in this

What you see here is a family grave. All the members of this

family were so much of one opinion that when the whole world

id all the newspapers said a certain thing was so, and the little

boy came home from school and said it was not so, he was right

Because he belonged to the family. And you can be sure if it

Happened that the cock of this family crowed at midnight,' they

it was morning, even if the watchman and all the clocks of

the town were announcing the midnight hour.

The great poet Goethe concludes his « Faust" with the words:
•May be continued"; we may say the same about our walk
irough the churchyard. I often come here; and when any of
ny friends or non-friends go too far, I go out to the churchyard,

:ct a plot of ground, and consecrate it to him or to her, whom-
oever I wish to bury ; then I do bury them immediately, and
|hey remain there dead and powerless until they return as new
d better people. I write down their lives and deeds into my
ook m my own fashion ; everybody ought to do so. Nobody
hould be vexed ; if his friends do something foolish, let him
•ury them at once and keep his good temper. He can also read
^Advertiser, which is a paper written by the people, although
'ieir hands are sometimes guided.

I When the time comes that I myself and the story of my life are
'> be bound in the grave, I wish they may write upon it the
Ditaph ;

A CHEERFUL TEMPER.

VOL.

338 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Little Ida's Flowers

poor flowers are quite dead," said little
Ida. " They were so beautiful last night,
and now their leaves hang all withered on
the stalks ! Why do they do that ? " she
asked the student who was sitting on the
sofa, and who liked her very much. He
knew how to tell the most beautiful
stories, and could cut the most amus-
ing figures out of paper: hearts, with little ladies in them
who danced, flowers, and large castles in which one could open
the doors. He was a merry student. " Why do my flowers look
so faded to-day?" she asked him again, and showed him the
bunch, which was quite withered.

"Do you know what is the matter with them?" asked th<
student. " The flowers have been at a ball last night, and that L
why they droop their heads so."

" But the flowers can't dance," said little Ida.
" Certainly," said the student. "When it grows dark, and w
are asleep, they jump merrily about ; they have a ball almos
every night."

" Cannot children go to this ball ? "

"Oh, yes!" said the student; "the little daisies and 1
snowdrops."

"Where are the beautiful flowers dancing ?" asked little Ida.
"Have you not often been outside the town gate, near tt
large castle where the king lives in in the summer, where tl
beautiful garden is, with the many flowers? You have seen tr
swans which swim towards you when you give them bread-crumbi
Believe me, out there the great balls take place."

" I was out there in the garden yesterday with my mother," s
Ida ; " but all the leaves were off the trees, and there are no long,
any flowers there. Where are they? In the summer I saws,
many 1 "

LITTLE IDA'S FLOWERS 339

"They are within the castle, » said the student. "You must

know that as soon as the king and his courtiers return to town

the flowers immediately run into the castle and enjoy themselves

You ought to see that: the two most beautiful roses seat them'

selves on the throne, and then they are king and queen ; all the

red cockscombs come and place themselves on each side and bow

-they are the chamberlains. Afterwards all the pretty flowers

:! arrive, and a great ball takes place. The blue violets represent

•little naval cadets; they dance with hyacinths and crocuses, which

; they address as ' Miss ' ; the tulips and the large tiger-lilies are old

ladies, who see that they all dance well, and behave themselves."

"But," asked little Ida, "is nobody there who hurts the flowers

(because they dance in the king's castle?"

"The truth is, nobody knows about it," said the student.
I Sometimes, of course, the old steward of the castle, who has
to watch out there, comes during the night; he has a big bunch
of keys, but as soon as the flowers hear the keys rattle they are
Iquiet, and hide themselves behind the curtains, and only peep out
with their heads. ' I smell that there are flowers here,' says the
?ld steward, but he cannot see them."

"That's splendid!" said little Ida, and clapped her hands.
" But should I not be able to see the flowers either ? "

"Yes," said the student; "only remember, when you go out
i.gain to look through the window — then you will see them. I
ooked in to-day, and saw a large yellow lily resting on the sofa
nd stretching herself. She was a lady-in-waiting."

" Can the flowers from the Botanical Gardens also go there ?
>?an they go such a long distance ? "

" Yes, certainly," said the student ; " if they wish it, they can
y. Have you not seen the beautiful red, yellow, and white
utterflies ? They almost look like flowers, and that they have
'een. They have flown off their stalks high into the air, and
ive beaten it with their petals as if they had little wings, and
len they flew. And because they behaved themselves well they
^tained permission to fly about in the daytime too, and had not
• return home and sit still on their stalks ; and thus the petals
Beanie in the end real wings. That you have seen yourself. It

34-0 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

is, however, very probable that the flowers in the Botanical
Gardens have never been at the king's castle, or do not know
that there is such merriment out there at night. Therefore I will
tell you how you can give a surprise to the Professor of Botany,
who lives next door : you know him well, do you not ? When you
go into his garden you must tell one of the flowers that a large
ball takes place at the castle every night ; then the flower will tell
all the others, and they will all fly away ; and if the professor
comes into the garden he will not find a single flower there, and
he will be unable to understand what has become of them."

" But how can one flower tell the others ? Flowers can't talk ! "

"Of course they can't," said the student, "but then they make
signs. Have you never seen that when the wind blows a little \
the flowers nod to one another and move all their green leaves ? ;
That they understand as well as us when we talk together."

"Can the professor understand their signs?" asked Ida.

"Certainly. One morning he came into the garden and saw a
large stinging-nettle making signs with its leaves to a beautiful redr
carnation. It said : ' You are so pretty, and I love you with all
my heart.' But the professor can't stand things of that sort, and.i
beat the nettle at once on its leaves, which are its fingers ; bul|
then it stung him, and since that time he never dares touch a!
nettle again."

" That's amusing," said little Ida, laughing.

" How can one make a child believe such silly things ! " said z -I
tiresome actuary, who had come to pay a visit and was also sitting <
on the sofa. He could not bear the student, and always grumblec
when he saw him cutting out the funny amusing figures : some I
times he cut out a man hanging on a gibbet and holding a hear
in his hand, for he had been stealing hearts ; sometimes an ok
witch, who was riding on a broomstick, and carrying her husbanc
on her nose. But all this the old actuary could not stand, am .
then he generally said, as he did now : " How can one make a£
child believe such silly things ? That is stupid fancy ! "

But to little Ida what the student told her about the flower o
seemed very amusing, and she thought a great deal of it.

The flowers hung their heads because they were tired and hat

LITTLE IDA'S FLOWERS 3 z

1

danced all night ; they were surely ill. Then she took them to
. her other toys, which were placed on a nice little table, and the
;! whole drawer was full of beautiful things. In the doll's bed her
,; do Sophy was sleeping, but little Ida said to her : •• You mS

really get up now, Sophy, and be satisfied to lie in the drawe^to

night. The poor flowers are ill, and they must rest in your bed ;
iperhaps then they will recover ! " And she took the doll out at
ionce, but Sophy looked displeased and did not say a single word,
for she was vexed that she could not keep her bed.

Then Ida placed the flowers in her doll's bed, pulled the little
counterpane over them, and bade them lie quietly; she would
make them some tea, so that they might get well again, and be able
so get up in the morning. She drew the little curtains round
:he bed, lest the sun might shine into their eyes. She could not
uelp thinking the whole evening about all the student had told
jer. And when she was going to bed herself, she first looked
Behind the curtains, which were hanging before the window, on
'hich her mother's beautiful flowers stood, hyacinths and tulips,
'nd she whispered in a low voice : "I know where you are going
D-night— to the ball ! " The flowers pretended not to understand
ier, and did not stir a leaf, but little Ida was convinced it was so.

342 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

When she had gone to bed she lay for a long time thinking how
delightful it would be to see the beautiful flowers dancing on the
king's castle. " I wonder if my flowers have really been there ? "
Then she fell asleep. In the night she woke up again ; she had
been dreaming of the flowers and of the student whom the actuary
had blamed. It was quiet in the bedroom where Ida slept ; the
night lamp was burning on the table, and father and mother were
asleep.

" I wonder if my flowers are still resting in Sophy's bed ? " she
thought, " how much I should like to know that ! " She raised
herself a little and looked towards the door, which was ajar ; in
the room to which it led were her flowers and all her toys. She
listened, and it seemed to her as if she heard some one in the
room playing the piano, but quite softly, and she had never heard
any one play so well before. " I am sure all my flowers are
dancing in there," she thought. " How much I should like to see
them ! " But she dared not get up for fear of waking her father
and mother.

" Oh ! I wish they would come in here," she thought. But the
flowers did not come, and the music continued to sound sweetly ;
at last she could no longer bear it — it was too beautiful ; she crept
out of her little bed, went softly towards the door and peeped into
the adjoining room. What a splendid sight she saw there !
There was no night lamp burning, and yet it was quite bright — the
moon was shining on the floor ; it was almost as light as day. All ;
the hyacinths and tulips stood in two long rows in the room ; not ';
a single one remained on the window-sill, where only the empty
pots were left. On the floor all the flowers danced very grace-
fully round one another, made figures, and held each other by
their long green leaves while swinging round. At the piano
sat a large yellow lily, which little Ida was certain she had
seen in the summer, for she remembered distinctly that the
student had said : " How much this lily resembles Miss Lina ! "
But then they had all laughed at him ; but now it seemed to little
Ida as if the flower was really like the young lady : she had the
same peculiar manners when she played — sometimes she bent her
yellow smiling face to one side, sometimes to the other, and

LITTLE IDA'S FLOWERS 343

nodded in time to the sweet music ! None of them noticed little

; Ida. Then she saw a large blue crocus jump on the table, walk

, straight to the doll's bed and draw away the curtains ; there were

the sick flowers, but they got up at once and nodded to the others,

saying that they wished to dance with them. The old fumigator,

in the shape of a man whose underlip was broken off, got up and

bowed to the beautiful flowers ; they looked by no means ill ; they

leapt down to the others and enjoyed themselves very much.

Then it seemed as if something fell from the table. Ida looked
i and saw the carnival birch-rod jump down, and it seemed as if it
i was one of the flowers. It looked very pretty, and a little wax-
doll with a broad-brimmed hat, such as the actuary usually wore,
sat upon it. The carnival birch-rod hopped about among the
flowers on its three red stilts, and stamped on the ground, for it
j was dancing a mazurka, a dance which the other flowers were
| unable to manage, as they were too light and could not stamp on
, the ground.

The wax doll on the carnival birch-rod suddenly grew up, and
raising itself over the paper flowers which were on the rod,
exclaimed : " How can one make a child believe such foolish
things ? That is stupid fancy ! " And the wax doll looked
.exactly like the actuary — just as yellow and dissatisfied as he was.
But the paper flowers beat against his thin legs, and then he
shrank together again and became the little wax doll. All this
was very amusing to see, and little Ida could not help laughing.
The carnival birch-rod continued to dance, and the actuary had
jto dance too. There was no getting out of it, whether he made
himself tall or long or remained the little yellow wax doll with the
broad-brimmed black hat. Then the other flowers, especially
:hose which had rested in the doll's bed, interceded in his favour,
md the carnival birch-rod gave in. At the same moment a loud
cnock was heard in the drawer where Ida's doll Sophy lay with
nany other toys ; the fumigator in the shape of a man walked up
o the edge of the table, laid itself down at full length, and began
o open the drawer a little way. Sophy rose and glanced with
istonishment all round. " I suppose there is a ball here to-night,"
,he said. " Why has nobody told me of it ? "

344 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" Will you dance with me ? " asked the fumigator.

" You would be the right sort of fellow to dance with ! " she said,
and turned her back upon it.

Then she sat down on the edge of the drawer and thought that
perhaps one of the flowers would ask her to dance, but none came.
Then she coughed, " Hem, a-hem," but even in spite of this none
appeared. Then the fumigator began to dance by itself— not so
badly, after all ! As none of the flowers seemed to notice Sophy,
she let herself drop down from the drawer on the floor, to make a
noise. All the flowers came running to her and inquired if she
had hurt herself; they were all very polite to her, especially the
flowers who had been in her bed. But she was not hurt, and Ida's
flowers thanked her for the beautiful bed, and were very kind to
her — took her into the centre of the room, where the moon was
shining, and danced with her, while ail the other flowers stood in
a circle round them. Now Sophy was happy, and said they might
keep her bed ; she did not mind sleeping in the drawer.

But the flowers said : " You are very kind, but we cannot live
any longer; we shall be dead by to-morrow. Tell little Ida to
bury us in the garden, where she has buried the canary ; then we
shall wake up again next summer and be more beautiful than ever ! "

" No, you must not die," said Sophy, and kissed them. Then
the door flew open and many beautiful flowers came dancing in.
Ida could not at all understand where they came from; surely
they had come from the king's castle. Two beautiful roses with
crowns on their heads walked in front ; they were king and queen. ;
Then came pretty stocks and carnations, bowing to all sides : they
had brought music with them. Large poppies and peonies blew on ,
pea-pods until they were quite red in the face. The blue hyacinths
and the little white lilies of the valley tinkled as if they had bells. !
That was wonderful music ! Then many other flowers came, and
they all danced — blue violets, the red night daisies, and lilies of the i
valley. All the flowers kissed one another; it was very sweet to,
look at. At last the flowers said "Good-night" to one another,.
and then little Ida stole back into her bed again, and dreamt of
all she had seen. When she got up in the morning she quickly
went to the little table to see if her flowers were still there. She

THE STORY OF THE YEAR 345

drew the curtains from the little bed, and there they lay, all
withered — much more so than the day before. Sophy was lying in
the drawer where she had placed her, but she looked very sleepy.
" Do you not remember what you have to tell me ? " asked little
Ida. But Sophy was dumb, and did not say a single word.
" You are not good," said Ida ; " have they not all danced with
you?" Then she took a small paper box on which beautiful
birds were painted, opened it, and placed the dead flowers inside.
"This shall be your pretty coffin," she said, "and when my
cousins come again they shall help me to bury you, out in the
garden, that you may next summer grow again, and become more
beautiful!"

The cousins were two bright boys called Jonas and Adolphe ;

their father had given them each a crossbow, which they had

brought with them to show Ida. She told them about the poor

flowers, and asked them to help her to bury them. The two boys

walked in front with their crossbows on their shoulders, while

! little Ida followed, carrying the pretty box with the dead flowers.

! In the garden they dug a little grave. Ida first kissed the flowers

; and then laid them with the little box in the earth. Adolphe and

Jonas shot with their crossbows over the grave, for they had

neither guns nor cannons.

The Story of the Year

|T was in the latter part of the month of
January. A violent snowstorm was raging ;
the snow whirled along the streets and
lanes and covered the outside of the
window-panes all over, whilst it fell down
in larger masses from the roofs of the
houses.

< All the people in the street were seized with a sudden haste ;
they hurried along, often jostling against one another or falling
'into one another's arms, holding on tightly, so as to be safe for a

346 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

moment at least. Carriages and horses looked as if they were
powdered all over with sugar ; the footmen were standing with their
backs to the carriages, in order to shelter their faces from the
cutting wind ; foot-passengers eagerly sought the protection of the
vehicles which moved slowly forward through the deep snow.
When at last the storm had abated, and narrow paths were
cleared along the fronts of the houses, people nevertheless
often came to a dead stop when they met, neither wishing
to step aside into the deep snow to make room for the other

to pass.

Still and silently they were standing face to face, till at last
they mutually arrived at the tacit compromise of exposing each
one foot to the snow-heaps.

Towards the evening the wind ceased to blow ; the sky looked
as if it had been swept, and became higher and more trans-
parent ; the stars seemed to be quite new, and some of them were
shining marvellously bright and clear ; it was freezing so much that
the snow creaked, and soon it was covered with a crust strong
enough to carry the sparrows at daybreak, when they hopped up
and down, where the snow had been shovelled away; but there
was very little food to be found, and it was bitterly cold.

" Twit," said one to another, " this is what they call a new year j
it is much worse than the last, and we might just as well have kept
the old one. I am very dissatisfied, and I think I have good
cause to be so."

" Yes ; people were running about and firing salutes in honour
of the new year," said a little sparrow, shivering with cold. " They
were throwing pots and dishes against the doors, and were nearly
out of their minds for joy, because the old year was gone. I was
glad of it too, for I hoped we should soon have warmer days
again ; but nothing of the sort has happened yet ; on the contrary,
it freezes much harder than before. I think they must have made
a mistake in their calculation of the time."

" There is no doubt about it," said a third, an old grey-headed
bird. " They have a thing they call a calendar, which is entirely
their own invention, and that is why they wish to regulate every-
thing according to it ; but that can't be so easily done. When

THE STORY OF THE YEAR 347

Spring comes the new year begins ; that is the course of nature—
I go by that."

" But when will Spring come ? " asked the others.

" It will come when the stork comes back ; but he is very
uncertain. Nobody here in town knows anything about him ; they
are better informed in the country. Shall we fly thither and wait ?
There we are certainly much nearer to Spring."

" That is all very well," said one of the sparrows, who had hopped

about and chirped for a long time, without really saying anything.

" I have found here in town comforts which I fear I should have

to go without in the country. Near here, in a courtyard, live

| some people who had the happy thought of attaching two or

j three flower-pots to their house, so that their open ends are close

to the wall, whilst the bottoms of the pots stand out; a hole is cut

I into each of them large enough for me to fly in and out ; there my

• husband and I have built our nest, and there we have reared all
j our young ones. These people have of course done all this to
| have the pleasure of seeing us, otherwise I am sure they would
I not have done it. For their own pleasure, also, they strew out
: bread-crumbs, and thus we have food : we are, as it were, provided
: for. Therefore I think my husband and I will stay, although we
i are very discontented — yes, I think we shall stay."

" And we shall fly into the country to see if Spring is not yet
1 coming." And off they went.

In the country the winter was harder still, and the glass showed

* a few degrees more cold than in town. The piercing wind swept
' over the snow-covered fields. The peasant sat in his sledge, with
'his hands wrapt in warm mittens, beating his arms across his
.chest to get warm, whilst his whip was lying on his knees ; the

:ilean horses ran so fast that they steamed; the snow creaked, and
,the sparrows hopped about in the ruts and froze. " Twit ! When
.will Spring come ? It takes a very long time."

" A very long time," resounded from the nearest snow-covered
hill far over the field; it might have been an echo which
'one heard, or perhaps the language of the wonderful old man
who sat in wind and weather on the top of snow-heaps; lie
.was quite white, dressed like a peasant in a coarse white coat of

348 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

frieze; he had long white hair, was very pale, and had large
clear eyes.

" Who is the old man yonder ? " asked the sparrows.

" I know," said an old raven sitting on the post of a railing, who
was condescending enough to acknowledge that we are all small
birds in the sight of the Lord, and who was therefore ready to
talk to the sparrows and to give them information. "I know
who the old man is. It is Winter, the old man of last year : he
is not dead, as the calendar says, but is guardian to the young
prince Spring, who is coming. Yes, Winter is still swaying his
sceptre. Ugh ! the cold makes you shiver, you little ones, does
it not?"

" Yes ; but is it not as I said ? " asked the sparrow. " The
calendar is only the invention of men, it is not arranged according
to nature. They ought to leave such things to us, who are more
sensitive."

Week after week passed by ; the frozen lake was motionless,
and looked like molten lead; damp, icy mists were hanging
heavily over the country ; the large black crows flew about in long
rows without making a noise ; it was as if everything in nature was
asleep. Then a sunbeam glided over the icy surface of the lake,
and made it shine like polished tin. The snow covering the fields
and the hill no longer glittered as before ; but the white man,
Winter himself, was still sitting there and looking unswervingly
southward ; he did not notice that the snowy carpet sunk, as it
were, into the ground, and that here and there little green spots
came forth, and on these spots the sparrows flocked together.

" Twit, twit ! is Spring coming now?"

" Spring ! " It sounded over field and meadow, and through
the dark woods, where bright green moss was shining on the
trunks of the trees ; and the two first storks arrived from the
south, carrying on their backs two lovely little children, a boy and
a girl ; they kissed the earth in greeting, and wherever they set
their feet, white flowers sprang forth out of the snow ; hand-in-
hand they went to the old ice-man, Winter, and tenderly clung to
his breast. In a moment they had all three disappeared, whilst
the whole country round them was enveloped in a thick damp

-

THE STORY OF THE YEAR 349

ist, dense and heavy, which covered everything like a veil
Gradually the wind began to blow, and rushed with a roar against
the mist and drove it away with violent blows ; the sun shone
brightly.

Winter had disappeared, but Spring's lovely children had seated
themselves on the throne of the year.

" This is the new year ! " cried the sparrows. " Now we shall
get our due, and damages in addition, for the severe winter."

Wherever the two children directed their steps, green buds
burst forth on the bushes and trees ; the grass was shooting up ;
the cornfields became day by day greener and more lovely to look
at. The little girl strewed flowers all around— there were no end
of them in her frock, which she held up ; however jealously she
strewed them, they seemed to grow there. In her great zeal she
poured forth a snow of blossoms over apple and pear trees, so
that they stood there in all their splendour, before the green leaves
had time to grow forth.

And she clapped her hands, and the boy followed her example ;
flocks of birds came flying, nobody knew where they came from,
and chirped and sang : " Spring has come ! "

That was wonderful to see. Many an old woman came out of
her doorway into the sunshine, and basked in it, looking at the
yellow flowers, blooming everywhere in the fields, and thinking
that it was just like that in her young days ; the world grew young
again to her. " It is a blessing to be out here to-day," she said.

The wood still wore its dark green garments, made of buds, but
the thyme had already come out, filling the air with sweet
fragrance, and there were plenty of violets, anemones and prim-
roses : every blade of grass was full of sap and strength. Truly
that was a marvellous carpet, on which one could not help wish-
ing to rest. There the two Spring children sat down hand-in-
hand, singing and smiling, and continually growing. A mild rain
fell down from heaven] they did not notice it, the rain-drops
mingled with their own tears of joy.

: The two lovers kissed each other, and in a moment the green
of the wood became alive. When the sun rose again all the
woods were green.

350 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Hand-in-hand the betrothed wandered under the fresh
hanging roof of leaves, wherever the sunbeams and shadows
produced a change of colour in the green.

What delicate tints, what a sweet fragrance the new leaves had !
The clear stream and brooks rippled merrily between the velvet-
lik^ rushes and over the coloured pebbles. " So it was for ever
and shall ever remain so," said all Nature. The cuckoo sang, the
lark flew up — it was a beautiful spring ; but the willow trees wore
woollen mittens over their blossoms; they were exceedingly
careful, and that is tiresome.

Days and weeks passed by, and the heat came, as it were, roll-
ing down ; hot waves of air passed through the corn and made it
yellower from day to day. The white water-lily of the north
spread its large green leaves over the surface of the streams and
lakes, and the fishes sought shade beneath them. In a spot
where the trees of the wood sheltered it stood a farmer's cottage ;
the sun shone on its walls and warmed the unfolded roses, and
the black juicy berries with which the cherry-trees were loaded.
There sat the lovely wife of Summer, the same that we have seen as
child and bride ; her glances were fixed on the rising dark clouds,
which, like mountains, in wave-like outlines, dark blue and heavy,
were rising higher and higher. From three sides they came, con-
tinually growing, and seemed very much like a petrified reversed
ocean gradually settling down on the forest, where everything, as
if by magic, had become quiet. Not a breath of air was stirring ;
every bird was silent, there was an earnest expectation in the
whole of Nature, but on the paths and roadways people in
carriages, on horseback, and on foot, hastened to reach a shelter.

Suddenly there came a flash of light, as if the sun broke through
the clouds again, flaming, dazzling, all-devouring ; and then again
it became dark, and the thunder rolled. Rain came pouring down
in torrents ; darkness and light, absolute silence and terrible noise,
followed each other in quick succession. The wind moved the
long, feather-like reeds on the moor like the waves of the sea ; the
branches of the trees were concealed in watery mist. Grass and
corn lay beaten down and swamped, looking as if they could
never rise again. Then the rain gradually ceased, the sun burst

THE STORY OF THE YEAR 351

forth, drops of water glittered on the stalks and leaves like pearls,
the birds began to sing, the fishes darted out of the water, the
gnats played in the sunshine ; and out on a stone in the foaming
water stood Summer himself, the strong man, with vigorous limbs,
and wet, dripping hair, refreshed by the bath, basking in the
sunshine.

All Nature seemed born anew, and stood forth in rich, strong,
beautiful splendour ; it was Summer, warm, sweet Summer.

Sweet and agreeable was the fragrance streaming forth from the
rich clover field ; the bees were humming yonder round the ruins
of the old meeting-place ; a bramble-bush wound itself round the
stone altar, which, washed by the rain, was glittering in the sun-
shine, thither flew the queen with the whole swarm to prepare
wax and honey. Only Summer saw it, and his vigorous spouse ;
for them the altar-table was covered with Nature's offerings.

The evening sky looked like gold ; no church dome was ever
so bright, and the moon was shining between the evening red and
the dawn. It was Summer !

And days and weeks passed by. The shining scythes of the
reapers glittered in the cornfields, the branches of the apple-trees
were bending under the weight of the red and yellow fruit ; the
hops smelt sweetly and hung in large clusters, and under the
hazel bushes, where the nuts grew in big bunches, sat Summer,
with his serious wife.

"What a wealth !" she said ; "blessings are spread everywhere.

Wherever one turns it is pleasant to abide ; and yet— I do not

know why— I am longing for peace, rest ; I cannot express what I

feel. They are already ploughing again. Men are insatiable ;

they always wish to gain more and more. See, the storks come in

flocks and follow at a little distance behind the ploughs ; it is the

| bird of Egypt which carried us through the air. Do you still

i remember when we two came hither to this northern land ? We

'. brought with us flowers, lovely sunshine, and green woods. The

, wind has dealt very roughly with them; they are becoming brown

, and dark like the trees of the south, but they do not carry golden

I fruit like those."

" You would like to see the golden fruit?" asked Summer. " Look

352 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

up, then." He lifted his arm, and the leaves of the trees became
red and golden. A splendour of colour was spread over all the
woods ; the dog-rose hedge glittered with scarlet hips, the
elder-trees were full of large bunches of dark-brown berries,
the horse-chestnuts fell down out of their dark-green husks,
and on the ground below violets were blooming for the second
time.

But the queen of the year grew quieter and paler. "It is
blowing very cold," she said ; " the night brings damp mists. I
am longing for the country where I passed my childhood."

And she saw the storks fly away. Not a single one remained ;
and she stretched out her hands after them, as if she wished
to retain them. She looked up at the empty nests — in one a
long-stalked cornflower, in another the yellow rape-seed were
thriving, as if the nest was only intended to protect them and
serve as a fence for them; and the sparrows flew up into the
Storks' nest.

" Twit ! What has become of the master and his wife ? They
cannot bear it if the wind blows a little, and therefore they have
left the country. I wish them a happy journey."

The leaves in the wood became more yellow day by day, and
fell down one after another. The violent autumn winds were
blowing ; the year was far advanced, and on a couch of dry leaves
rested the queen of the year, and looked with mild eyes at the
sparkling stars, while her husband stood by her side. A gust of
wind made the leaves rustle ; a great many of them fell down, and
suddenly she was gone • but a butterfly — the last of the year — flew
through the cold air.

Damp fogs came, icy winds were blowing, and the dark long
nights set in. The ruler of the year stood there, with white locks,
but he was not aware of it ; he thought snowflakes were falling
from the clouds.

A thin layer of snow was spread over the green fields, and the
church bells were pealing forth the Christmas chimes.

" The bells are telling of Christ's birth," said the ruler of the
year. " Soon the new rulers will be born, and I shall go to rest,
like my wife : to rest in the shining star."

THE STORY OF THE YEAR

And out in the green pinewood the Christmas angel consecrate,
[the young trees which he selected to serve at his festival

"May there be joy in the homes under the green branches"
laid the old ruler of the year: in a few weeks his hair had
•*^!*L? SnOW" :The time for my rest draws

y Crow"
"You are still in power," said the Christmas angel; "you must

»ot yet go to rest. Let the snow still cover and warm the young
leed. Learn to bear the thought that honour is done to another
•Be you are still the ruler. Learn to be forgotten and vet to
f ve. The hour of your deliverance approaches with Spring"

" When is Spring coming ? " said Winter.
I " He will come when the stork returns."
6 And Winter, ice-cold and broken down, with white locks and
U whiter beard, was sitting on the top of the hill, where his
Predecessor had sat, and looked towards the south. The ice
lacked, the snow creaked, the skaters enjoyed themselves on
Je smooth surface of the lake and the black of the ravens
|id crows stood in strong contrast to the white ground. Not
I breath of air was stirring. Old Winter clenched his fists in
le cold air, and the ice on the rivers and lakes was several
fct thick.

| Then the sparrows came out of town again and asked : " Who
§ the old man yonder?" And the raven was there again, or
irhaps his son, which comes to the same thing, and replied to
{turn : " It is Winter, the old man from last year. He is not dead,
i the calendar says, but is the guardian of Spring, who is
tf preaching."

j," When will Spring come ? " asked the sparrows ; " then we
Jill have a better time and milder regime ; the old one was good
(f nothing."

|And Winter nodded pensively towards the dark leafless woods,
fcere every tree showed the graceful outline of its branches, and
Jring the long winter night icy fogs descended— the ruler
framt of his young days, of his manhood, and at daybreak the
lole forest was glittering with hoar-frost; that was Winter's

VOL. I.

354 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

summer dream, but the sunshine soon made the frost melt and
drop down from the branches.

" When will Spring come ? " asked the sparrows

" Spring ! " echoed the snow-covered hills : the sun shone more
warmly, the snow melted, the birds chirped, " Spring is coming."

And the first stork came flying through the air, a second soon
followed : each had a lovely child on his back. They descended
in an open field, kissed the ground and kissed the silent old man ;
and as Moses disappeared on the mount, so he disappeared,
carried away by the clouds.

The story of the year was ended.

" This is all very fine," said the sparrows ; " it is beautiful too ;
but it is not according to the calendar, and therefore it must
be wrong."

The Travelling Companion

OOR John was in great trouble, for his
father was very ill and could not be cured.
Besides these two there was no one at all
in the little room : the lamp on the table
was almost out, and it was late at
night.

" You have been a good son, John," said
the sick father ; " the Lord will help you
on in the world." He looked at him with his grave loving eyes,
took a deep breath, and died : it seemed as if he were asleep. John
wept; now he had no one in the world, neither father nor
mother, neither sister nor brother. Poor John ! He lay on his
knees at the bedside, kissed his dead father's hand, and wept many
bitter tears ; but at last his eyes closed, and he fell asleep with his
head resting against the hard bedpost.

Then he dreamed a strange dream. He saw the sun and moon
bow down before him ; he saw his father alive and well again, and
heard him laugh as he always laughed when he was right merry.

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 355

A beautiful girl, with a golden crown on her long shining hair, gave
him her hand, and his father said : " Do you see what a bride
| you have obtained? She is the most beautiful maiden in the
; world." Then he awoke, and all the joy was gone ; his father lay
:dead and cold upon the bed, and there was no one else in the
room. Poor John !

The next week the funeral took place. John walked close
•behind the coffin; he could no longer see the kind father
(who had loved him so dearly. He heard them throwing the
tearth down upon the coffin, and gazed upon it till only the last
corner was to be seen ; but with the next shovelful of earth that
loo was hidden. Then he felt as if his heart must burst with
tsorrow. Those around him were singing a psalm in beautiful
jsacred tones that brought tears into his eyes ; he wept, and that
jdid him good in his grief.

The sun shone beautifully upon the green trees, as if it would
isay : " You must not give way to sorrow any longer, John ! Do you
5ee how beautiful the sky is ? Up yonder is your father, and he
is praying to the good Lord that it may always go well with
•jrou."

fj " I will always be good," said John ; " then I shall join my
;ather in heaven; and what joy it will be when we see each
, ;>ther again ! How much shall I then be able to tell him ! And
lie will show me so many things, and explain to me the glory of
.icaven, just as he used to instruct me here upon earth. Oh !
I /hat joy that will be ! "

','. He saw it all so plainly that it made him smile, whilst the tears

: .'ere still running down his cheeks. The little birds sat up in the

i hestnut-trees and twittered. They were joyous and cheerful,

i ilthough they too had been present at the funeral ; but they knew

1 .2ry well that the dead man was now in Heaven, and that he had

.ings, larger and more beautiful than theirs. They knew that he

as happy now, because he had been good down here on earth,

! Ad therefore they were pleased. John saw how they flew far out

rto the world from the green trees, and he felt a desire to fly with

.em. But first he cut a large wooden cross to place upon his

• ther's grave, and when he brought it there in the evening he

356 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

found the grave already strewn with sand and flowers. Strangers
had done this, for all loved the good father who was now
dead.

Early next morning John packed his little bundle, and care-
fully placed in his belt his whole inheritance, amounting to fifty
dollars and a few silver pennies ; with this he intended to start
out into the world. But he first went to the churchyard to his
father's grave, recited the Lord's Prayer, and said " Farewell ! "

In the fields through which he passed all the flowers looked
fresh and blooming in the warm sunshine ; they nodded in the
wind as if they wished to say, " Welcome to the green pastures !
Is it not beautiful here ? "

But John turned round once more to take a last look at the old
church in which he had been baptized when a little child, and
where he had gone to service with his father every Sunday, and
where he had sung many a psalm. On looking back he saw the
goblin of the church, with his little red pointed cap, standing high
up in one of the openings of the steeple, shading his face with his
bent arm to keep the sun out of his eyes. John nodded him
farewell, and the goblin waved his red cap, laid his hand upon his
heart, and threw him a great many kisses to show that he wished
him well and hoped that he might have a right pleasant journey.

John thought of the many beautiful things he would now see in
the great splendid world, and he went farther and farther — farther
than he had ever been before. He did not know the places
through which he passed nor the people whom he met; he was,
now in quite a strange land.

The first night he had to lie down to rest upon a haystack in
the open fields ; he had no other bed. But it was a very nice
one, he thought ; the king could have no better : the whole field,
with the brook, the haystack, and then the blue sky above — what
a fine bedroom it made ! The green grass, with its little red and
white flowers, was the carpet ; the elder bushes and the wild roses
were bouquets; and the whole brook, with its clear fresh water, in,i
which the reeds bowed down and wished him good evening and
good morning, served him as a wash-hand basin. The moon was
really a splendid night-lamp high up under the blue canopy, and

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 357

it would not set light to the bed-curtains—John could sleep in
i .peace. And he did so too, not waking up till the sun rose and
i all the little birds round about were singing " Good morning !

Good morning ! Are you not up yet ? "
The bells were ringing for church ; it was Sunday. The people

were going to hear the sermon, and John went in with them, sang

- a hymn and listened to the Word of God. He felt as if he were
i in his own church, in which he had been baptized and where he

had sung hymns with his father.

; Outside in the churchyard were many graves, and on some
i there grew long grass. Then he thought of his father's grave,

which would one day look like these, for he would not be able to
. weed it and keep it trim. So he sat down, tearing up the weeds,
:i setting upright the wooden crosses that had fallen down, and

•estoring to their places the wreaths which the wind had carried

rom the graves.

1 " Perhaps some one will do the same to my father's grave, since
cannot do so ! " thought he.

1 At the churchyard gate stood an old beggar leaning on a crutch.

ohn gave him the silver pennies he had, and then went farther
pj 'n his way into the wide world, happy and contented.

Towards evening a dreadful storm came on. He hastened to
; et under shelter, but the dark night soon fell, and at last he

- cached a small church which stood alone upon a little hill.

|| " I will sit down in a corner here," he said, and went in. " I am
red, and must rest for a little while."

So he sat down, folded his hands, and said his evening prayer ;
id before he knew it he was asleep and dreaming, while outside

thundered and lightened.

When he awoke it was midnight ; the storm was over and the
oon was shining in through the windows. In the middle of the
.urch stood an open coffin in which lay a dead man waiting to be
'tried. John was by no means afraid, for he had a clear
1 nscience, and he knew that the dead hurt no one.

Only the living who do evil are wicked. Two of these living
Tcked people stood close by the corpse, which had been placed in
ti church before burial ; they had come with the wicked intention

358 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

of taking the poor man out of his coffin and of throwing him out
before the church door.

" Why do you want to do that ? " asked John. " That is wicked
and bad ; let him rest, in God's name."

"Fiddlesticks!" said the two evil-looking men. "He has
deceived us. He owes us money which he could not pay ; and
now that he is dead into the bargain, we shall not get a penny of it :
that's why we want revenge. He shall lie like a dog before the
church-door."

"I have only fifty dollars," said John. "That is my whole
inheritance ; but I will gladly give it you, if you promise me, upon
your honour, to leave the poor dead man in peace. I daresay I
shall manage to get on without the money ; I have strong healthy
limbs, and the Lord will provide."

" Very well," said the men ; " if you will pay his debts, we shall
neither of us do him any harm, you may depend upon that." So
they took the money that he gave them and went their way,
laughing loudly at his simplicity. He then laid the body straight
again in the coffin, folded its hands, and bidding it farewell went
further into the wood with a light heart.

All around him, wherever the moon shone through the trees, he
saw the pretty little elves playing merrily. They were not at all
disturbed by him; they knew very well that he was good and
innocent, and it is only bad people who never see the elves.
Some of them were no taller than a finger's breadth, and had their
long yellow hair fastened up with golden combs. Two by two they
played at see-saw on the large dew-drops that lay upon the leaves
and the tall grass ; every now and then a drop rolled down, and
then they fell among the long blades of grass, causing much
laughter and noise among the rest of the little people. It was
delightful ! They sang, and John distinctly recognised the pretty
songs which he had learnt when a little boy. Great gaily-coloured
spiders, with silver crowns on their heads, were made to spin lon£
suspension bridges from one hedge to another, and palace;
that looked like glittering glass in the moonshine when thf
fine dew fell upon them. And so it went till sunrise. Thei
the little elves crept into the flower-beds, and the wind seize<

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 359

their bridges and castles, which flew through the air like spiders'
webs.

John had just left the wood, when a strong manly voice called
out after him : " Hallo, comrade, where are you going to?"

"Out into the wide world!" he replied. "I have neither
father nor mother, I am only a poor fellow • but the Lord will help
me."

" I am going out into the wide world, too," said the stranger.
" Shall we keep each other company ? "

"Certainly," replied John ; and so they went together.

They soon grew very fond of each other, for they were both good
hmen. But John perceived that the stranger was much wiser than
ihimself. He had travelled almost all over the world and could
Upeak of every possible thing that existed.

I The sun was already high in the heavens when they sat down
I under a large tree to eat their breakfast. Just then an old woman
rame up. She was very old and lame, supporting herself on a
putch; on her back she carried a bundle of firewood that she had
[collected in the woods. Her apron was tied up, and John saw that
^he had three large bundles of ferns and willow-boughs in it. As
Lhe came near them, her foot slipped, and she fell with a loud cry,
or she had broken her leg, poor old woman.
[ John at once suggested that they should carry the old woman
I o her home ; but the stranger, opening his knapsack, took out a

360 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

box, and said that he had a salve that would heal her leg, and
make it strong immediately, so that she would be able to walk
home herself, as if she had never broken her leg at all.

But he demanded that in return she should give him the three
bundles she had in her apron.

"That would be well paid," said the old woman, shaking her
head in a strange manner. She was very unwilling to give up the
herbs, but it was certainly unpleasant to lie there with a broken
leg. So she gave him the three bundles, and as soon as he had
rubbed the salve into her leg she got up and walked much better
than before. All this the salve could do. But it was not to be
bought at the chemist's.

"What do you want the bundles for?" John asked his
companion.

" They are three fine bundles of herbs," he replied. " I am very
fond of them, for I am an odd kind of fellow."

They walked on some distance.

" Look how the clouds are gathering," said John, pointing
straight before him. " How terribly black they are ! "

"No," said his companion, "those are not clouds, they are
mountains — the glorious high mountains by which one gets up
amongst the clouds and into the fresh air. Believe me, it is
delightful to be there. To-morrow we shall certainly be a good
stretch on our way."

But they were not so near as they looked ; they had to walk a
whole day long before they reached the mountains, where the dark
forests grew up towards the sky, and where there were stones
almost as large as a whole town. It would certainly be a great
exertion to cross them, so John and his companion turned into an
inn to take a good rest, and recruit their strength for the morrow's
march.

A great many people were assembled in the roomy bar of the
inn, for there was a man giving a puppet-show. He had just put
up his little theatre, and the people were sitting round in a circle
to see the play. A fat butcher had taken the best seat in the first
row, and by his side sat his big mastiff— a ferocious-looking
animal— staring, like all the others, with all his might.

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION s6l

The show now began; it was a pretty little play with a kin
and a queen m it. They sat upon a splendid thron* ^ »5*

; crowns upon their heads, and long trains to their robes fofSS
means permitted it. The sweetest little wooden dolls 'wkh da

: eyes and great moustaches, stood at all the doors, owning and

• closing them, so that fresh air might come into the room ft ^

• really a very pretty play. But when the queen got up and walked

he dSh ,h r K f ^ maStiff~Heaven kn<™ why !-not being
held by the fat butcher, jumped right into the theatre, and seized

• the queen by the waist, making her crack. It was terrible •

The poor showman was very upset and grieved about his queen
I ?*l H K m°St,beautiful do11 he Possessed, and now the ugTy
..mastiff had bitten her head off. But when all the people had gone
:ithe stranger who had come with John said that he would soon
.make it right again; taking out his box, he rubbed some of the
salve that he had used to heal the old woman's broken leg, into the
loll. As soon as it had been applied, the doll was whole again •
indeed, it could even use all its limbs by itself; there was no longer'
my need to pull the string. The doll was just like a human being
scept that it could not speak. The owner of the little show was
lelighted; he no longer needed to hold this doll, for it could dance
>y itself. None of the others could do that.
Later in the night, when all the people in the inn were in bed
ae one was heard groaning so terribly and so continuously that
very one got up to see who it was. The showman went to his little
•heatre, for it was from that quarter that the groans came. All
ie wooden puppets, including the king and all the soldiers, lay
Scattered about; they were groaning terribly, and looking most
: iteously out of their glass eyes, for they were all most anxious to
2 besmeared with the salve like the queen, so that they also
Wit be able to move by themselves. The queen immediately
11 upon her knees, and holding out her splendid crown, said in
mploring tones: "Take this, but anoint my consort and my
)urtiers ! " At this the poor showman could not refrain from
eping ; he really felt for her. He promised to give the stranger
I the money he should receive for his play on the following
"ening, if he would only besmear four or five of his best dolls.

362 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

But the stranger said he desired nothing more than the sword that
the showman carried at his side; on that being given him, he
besmeared six puppets, which immediately began to dance, and so
prettily, that all the young girls who were looking on soon began
to dance too. The coachman and the cook, the waiter and the
chambermaid, all the guests, and even the shovel and the tongs,
joined in ; the latter, however, fell over as soon as they had taken
the first step. What a merry night it was !

Next morning John left the inn with his companion, ascending
the lofty mountains, and going through the vast pine-forests.
They got up so high that the church towers far beneath them
looked like little blue berries amongst all the verdure ; they could
see very far, for many, many miles, places where they had never been.
John had never before seen so much of the beauty of this fair
world at once. The sun shone warm in the clear blue sky, and
when he heard the sweet notes of the horn as it was blown by the
huntsmen in the mountains, tears of joy came into his eyes, and he
could not refrain from crying : " How good is God to have created
so much beauty in the world, and to have given it us to enjoy ! "

His comrade too stood there with his arms folded, gazing out
over woods and towns, into the warm sunshine.

At that moment they heard a strange sweet sound over their
heads, and looking up they saw a large white swan hovering in the
air above them and singing as they had never heard a bird sing
before. The song, however, grew fainter and fainter ; with droop-
ing head the bird slowly sank down at their feet, where the
beautiful creature died.

" Two beautiful wings," said John's companion, " so white and
large as those which this bird has, are worth money ; I will take
them with me. Do you see what a good thing it was that I had a
sword ? "

So he struck off both wings of the dead bird with one blow ; he
was going to keep them.

They now travelled many, many miles, far across the mountains,
till at last they saw a great city before them, with hundreds of
steeples that shone like silver in the sun. In the city was a
splendid marble castle with a roof of pure gold. There lived the

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 363

king. John and his companion did not wish to go into the town
at once, but stopped at an inn just outside, in order to wash and
dress themselves a bit, for they wanted to look neat when they
went into the streets.

The landlord told them that the king was a very good man, who
never did any one any harm ; but as for his daughter— Heavens

preserve us ! — she was a bad princess. She was beautiful enough ;
nobody was so pretty nor so dainty as she ; but what was the use
of that ? She was a wicked sorceress, who was the cause of many
handsome princes losing their lives. She had given everybody
permission to woo her. Any one might come, were he prince or
beggar; that was all one to her. He was only to guess three
things that she happened to be thinking of when she asked him.
If he could do so, she would marry him, and he would be king
over the whole country when her father died ; but if he could not
guess the three things, she had him hanged or beheaded. Her
father, the old king, was very grieved about it ; but he could not
prevent her from being so wicked, for he had once declared that
he would never have anything to do with her lovers, and that she

364 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

could do as she liked. Every time a prince came and tried to
guess in order to have the princess, he failed, and then he was
either hanged or beheaded. He had been warned in time ; he
might have gone away without guessing. The old king was so
grieved at all the sorrow and misery she caused, that he and all
his soldiers spend a whole day on their knees every year, praying
that the princess might reform \ but that she never would. The
old women who drank brandy used to colour it black before they
drank it— so deeply did they mourn. And more than that they
really could not do.

" What a hateful princess ! " said John. " She ought really to
be flogged — that would do her good. If only I were the old king,
she should soon be thrashed."

As they spoke they heard the people shouting " Hurrah " out-
side. The princess was passing ; she was really so beautiful that
all the people forgot how wicked she was, and so they shouted
" Hurrah." Twelve fair maidens, all in white silk dresses, and
each carrying a golden tulip in her hand, rode at her side on black
horses. The princess herself was on a white horse adorned with
diamonds and rubies. Her riding habit was of pure cloth of gold,
and the whip which she held in her hand glittered like a sunbeam.
The golden chain around her neck seemed as though composed
of small heavenly stars, and her mantle had been made up
from more than a thousand butterflies' wings. Nevertheless, she
was still more beautiful than her attire.

When John beheld her, he got as red in the face as a drop of
blood, and could not say a single word. The princess looked just
like the beautiful maiden with the golden crown of whom he had
dreamt the night his father died. He thought her so beautiful
that he could not help loving her with all his heart. " It could not
be true," he said to himself, " that she was a wicked sorceress, who
had people hanged or beheaded if they could not guess what she
asked them. Every one is free to woo her, even the poorest beggar.
Then I will really go to the castle, for I feel that I must."

Every one told him not to go, and warned him that he would
certainly share the fate of all the others. His companion, too,
tried to dissuade him, but John was of opinion that it would be

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 365

all right. He brushed his shoes and coat, washed his hands and
face, combed his beautiful fair hair, and went into the town alone
and up to the castle.

"Come in," said the old king when John knocked at the door.
John went in, and the old king, in his dressing-gown and slippers,

aw

:ame to meet him. He had his crown on his head and held the
;ceptre in one hand and the orb in the other.
: " Wait a moment," he said, putting the orb under his arm in
>rder to shake hands with John. But as soon as he heard that
le was a suitor, he began to cry so bitterly that both the sceptre
ind the orb fell upon the floor, and he was obliged to dry his eyes
)n his dressing-gown. Poor old king !

" Pray, don't," he said. " You will share the fate of all the others.
Veil, you will see." Then he led him out into the princess's pleasure
garden. What a terrible sight was there ! In each tree there
lung three or four princes who had wooed the princess, but had
lot been able to guess what she had asked them. Every time a

366 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

gust of wind came, all the skeletons rattled, so that the little birds
were startled and never ventured to comeinto the garden. All
the flowers were tied up to human "bones, and in the flower-pots
were grinning skulls. It was really a strange garden for a
princess.

" Now you see it," said the old king. " You will share the
same fate. Therefore give up the idea. You will really make
me very unhappy, for I take these things much to heart.'

John kissed the good old king's hand and said it would be all
right, for he was charmed with the fair princess.

Then the princess herself came riding into the courtyard with
all her ladies, so they went out to her and bade her "Good-day."
She was marvellously fair to look at, and gave John her hand. He
loved her still more passionately than before. She could certainly
be no wicked sorceress, as all the people wanted to make out.
Then they went into the hall and the little pages offered them
preserves and ginger-nuts. But the old king was sad and could
eat nothing. Besides, the ginger-nuts were too hard for him.

It was arranged that John was to come to the castle again on
the following morning ; then the judges and the whole council
would be assembled to hear the guessing. If it turned out all right
he would have to come twice more ; but hitherto no one had yet
guessed aright the first time, and had all lost their lives.

John was not much concerned about his fate. On the contrary,
he was in good spirits, and thought only of the fair princess,
feeling sure Heaven would help him— how, he did not know, and
preferred not to think about it. He danced along the high-
road as he went back to the inn, where his travelling companion
was waiting for him.

John did not tire of telling how gracious the princess had
been to him, and how beautiful she was. He already longed for
the next day, when he was to go to the castle to try his luck at
guessing.

But his companion shook his head and was very sad. " I am
so fond of you,'' he said ; " we might have stayed together a long
while yet, and I am to lose you so soon. Poor dear John ! I
could weep, but I will not spoil your happiness on the last evening

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION

367

that we shall perhaps spend together. We will be merry, right
merry; to-morrow, when you are gone, I will weep undisturbed."

All the people in the town had soon heard that a new
suitor for the princess had arrived, and consequently there was
great mourning. The theatre was closed ; all the cake-women tied
crape round their sugar-figures,
and the king and the priests lay
upon their knees in the churches.
There was general mourning, for
no other fate awaited John than
that which had befallen all the
other suitors.

Towards the evening John's
companion made a large bowl of
punch, and said to him : " Now
let us be right merry, and drink
to the health of the princess."
But when John had drunk two
glasses he became so sleepy that
it was impossible for him to keep
his eyes open; he sank into a
deep slumber. His companion
lifted him gently from the chair
and laid him in the bed. When
it had got quite dark he took the two large wings that he had cut
off from the swan, and fastened them upon his own shoulders. He
then put into his pocket the largest of the bundles which he had
received from the old woman who had fallen and broken her leg,
and, opening the window, flew over the town to the castle, where
,ae sat down in a corner under the window that belonged to the
['princess's bedroom.

l' Stillness reigned throughout the city. As the clock struck a

quarter to twelve the window opened, and the princess, with black

vings and a long white mantle, flew away over the town to a high

: nountain. John's companion, making himself invisible, flew after

per, and whipped her so with his rod that the blood came at

;very stroke. What a journey that was through the air ! The

368 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

wind caught her mantle, which spread itself out on all sides like a
sail of a ship, and the moon shone through it.

" How it hails ! how it hails ! " said the princess at each blow
she received from the rod ; and it served her right. At last she
arrived at the mountain and knocked. There was a noise like
thunder as the mountain opened and she went in. John's
companion followed her, for no one could see him : he was
invisible. They went through a long wide passage where the
walls shone strangely, for more than a thousand gleaming spiders
were running up and down them, making them look as though
illuminated with fire. Then they entered a great hall built of
silver and gold. Red and blue flowers as large as sunflowers
shone on the walls ; but no one could pick them, for the stalks
were hideous poisonous snakes, and the flowers were flames
darting out of their jaws. The whole ceiling was covered with
shining glow-worms and sky-blue bats flapping their flimsy wings.

The place looked quite horrible. In the middle of the floor
was a throne, borne by four skeleton horses, whose harness had
been made by the red fiery spiders. The throne itself was made
of milk-white glass, and the cushions were little black mice, who
were biting each other's tails. Over it was a canopy of rose-
coloured spiders' webs studded with pretty little green flies that
shone like precious stones. On the throne sat an old sorcerer,
with a crown on his ugly head and a sceptre in his hand. He
kissed the princess on the forehead, gave her a seat by his side on
the splendid throne, and then the music began. Great black
grasshoppers played on mouth-organs, and an owl beat the
drum. It was a ridiculous concert. Little black goblins, each
with a will-o'-the-wisp on its cap, danced around in the hall.
But no one could see the travelling companion; he had
placed himself behind the throne and could hear and see every-
thing. The courtiers, who now entered, looked very noble and
grand, but any one with common sense could see what they
really were. They were nothing more than broomsticks with
cabbages stuck upon them; the sorcerer had blown life into
them and given them embroidered robes. But that made no
difference ; they were only used for show.

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 369

After there had been some dancing, the princess told the
sorcerer that she had a new suitor, and therefore asked him what
;he was to think of for him to guess when he came to the castle
iext morning.

" Listen," said the sorcerer ; " I will tell you. You must choose
iomething very easy, for then he will not guess it at all. Think of
rour shoes. He won't guess that. Have his head chopped off,
i»ut don't forget to bring me his eyes when you come to-morrow
'ight, for I want to eat them."

! The princess bowed low and said she would not forget the eyes,
[he sorcerer then opened the mountain and she flew back again •
jut the travelling companion followed her and whipped her so
Kth the rod that she groaned aloud at the severity of the hail-
•:orm, and made as much haste as she could to get back to her
edroom through the window. The companion then flew back

0 the inn where John was still asleep, took off his wings and lay
pwn on the bed, for he was naturally very tired.

It^vas early in the morning when John awoke. His com-
iinion got up too, and told that he had had a wonderful dream
[at night of the princess and her shoe, and therefore begged him
c ask her whether she had not thought of her shoe. For that
ns what he had heard from the sorcerer in the mountain.
I" I can just as well ask that as anything else," said John.
[Perhaps what you have dreamt is correct, for I trust in Heaven,
hich I am sure will help me. But still I will bid you farewell,
[ if I guess wrong I shall never see you again."
(Then they embraced each other, and John went into the town
M to the castle. The hall was full of people \ the judges sat in
hir armchairs and had eider-down cushions upon which to rest
\ir heads, for they had a great deal to think of. The old king
^: up and dried his eyes with a white pocket-handkerchief.
jMow the princess entered. She was still more beautiful than
|: had been on the previous day, and greeted every one in the
^st gracious manner ; but to John she gave her hand and said,
* ood morning to you."

1 Jow, John was to guess of what she had thought. Heavens !
fc/ kindly she looked at him. But as soon as she heard him

\ VOL. I. 2 A

370 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

utter the word " shoe " she turned deathly pale and trembled
all over. But that could not help her, for he had guessec
aright.

Gracious ! how pleased the old king was — he turned a somer
sault which it was a pleasure to see. And all the people clappec
their hands in his honour and John's, who had guessed rightly th(
first time.

The travelling companion too was glad when he heard ho\i
successful John had been. But the latter folded his hands anc
thanked God, who he felt sure would also help him on the tw<
other occasions. On the next day the guessing was again to tab
place.

The evening was passed like the preceding one. When Johr
was asleep his companion flew after the princess to the mountair
and flogged her more severely than the night before, for now h<
had taken two rods. No one could see him, and he heard every
thing. The princess was to think of her glove, and this he tolc
John as if he had again heard it in a dream. He was therefon
able to guess correctly, and it caused great joy at the castle. Th<
whole Court turned somersaults, just as they had seen the king d(
on the first occasion. But the princess lay upon the sofa anc
would not say a single word. Now it depended whether Johr
would be able to guess aright the third time. If he did, he woulc
receive the fair princess's hand, and inherit the whole kingdoir
after the death of the old king. But if he guessed wrong, h<
would lose his life, and the sorcerer would eat his beautiful blue
eyes.

The evening before the day John went to bed early, said his
evening prayer, and slept peacefully. But his companion tied on
his wings, hung his sword by his side, took all the three rods, and
flew to the castle.

The night was dark and it was so stormy that the tiles flew from
off the houses, and the trees in the garden, with the skeletons on
them, bent like reeds before the wind. The lightning flashed
every moment, and the thunder rolled as though it were one con-
tinuous peal all night. The window opened, and the princess flew
out. She was as pale as death, but she laughed at the storm and

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 37,

thought it was not bad enough. Her white mantle fluttered in
the air like the great sail of a ship, and John's travelling companion
Chipped her with his three rods till the blood ran down upon the
ground and she could scarcely fly any farther. At last, however,
she reached the mountain.

" What a terrible hail-storm ! " she said ; " I have never been
put in such weather."

" One can have too much of a good thing," said the sorcerer.
f hen she told him that John had guessed aright the second time
[oo, and if he did the same the next morning he would have won,
jmd she would never be able to come to the mountain again, or
practice such magic arts as she had formerly done ; therefore she
pas very grieved.

" He will not be able to guess it this time," said the sorcerer.
[ I will think of something for you that he has never thought of,
nless he be a greater magician than I. But now let us be
berry."

j And then he took the princess by both hands, and they danced
bound with all the little goblins and will-o'-the-wisps in the
;>om. The red spiders ran up and down the walls quite as
kerrily ; and it seemed as if the fiery flowers were throwing out
barks. The owl beat the drum, the crickets whistled, and the
ack grasshoppers played on mouth-organs. It was a merry
ill.

[ When they had danced enough the princess had to go home,
jit she might be missed at the castle. The sorcerer said he
buld accompany her; they would thus still be together on
[e way.

iThen they flew away through the storm, and the travelling
mpanion broke his three rods across their backs. Never had
;J sorcerer been out in such a hail-storm. Just outside the
stle he bade the princess good-bye, and whispered to her:
Think of my head ! " But the companion had heard it, and
t as the princess slipped through the window into her bedroom,
|I the magician was about to turn back, he seized him by his
g beard and with his sword struck off his hideous head just at
: shoulders, so that the sorcerer did not even see him. He

372 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

threw the body into the sea to the fishes, but the head he only
dipped in the water, and then tying it up in his silk handkerchief
he took it with him to the inn and lay down to sleep.

The next morning he gave John the handkerchief and told him
not to untie it before the princess asked him what she had
thought of.

There were so many people in the great hall of the castle that
they stood as close as radishes tied together in a bundle. The
councillors sat upon their chairs with the soft cushions, and the
old king had new clothes on ; his golden crown and the sceptre
had been polished up, and he looked quite stately. But the
princess was pale and wore a black gown, as though she were
going to a funeral.

" What have I thought of? " she asked John.

He immediately untied the handkerchief, and was himself
startled when he beheld the hideous head of the sorcerer. All
the people shuddered, for it was horrible to look at; but the
princess sat there like a marble statue, and could not utter a
single word. At last she rose and gave John her hand, for he had
guessed aright. She looked at no one, but sighed deeply and said j
"You are my master now; the wedding shall take place this
evening."

" Well, I am pleased," said the old king. " That's just what 1
wished."

All the people shouted "Hurrah," the band played in the streets1
the bells rang, and the cake-women took the black crape off thei:
sugar figures, for now there reigned great joy. Three roast oxer
stuffed with ducks and chickens were put in the middle of th<'
market-place, and every one could help himself to a slice. Th<
fountains ran with the finest wines, and if you asked for a penn;
roll at the baker's, you got six large buns as a present — and wit!
raisins, too.

In the evening the whole town was illuminated ; the soldiers le
off cannons, and the boys crackers ; there were eating and drinking
toasting and dancing, up at the castle. All the grand lords ani
ladies danced together; at a great distance they could be hear
singing :

THE TRAVELLING COMPANION 373

Here are many maidens fair

Dancing all so gladly.
Turning like a spinning-wheel

In the maze so madly;
Dance and jump the whole night through,
Till the sole falls from your shoe.

But the princess was still a witch, and did not care for John at
IL His travelling companion had thought of that, and he there-
bre gave John three feathers from the swan's wings, and a little
lottle containing a few drops. He then told him to have a large
hb full of water placed before the princess's bed, and when she was
bout to retire, he must give her a little push, so that she might fall
fcto the water in which he was to dip her under three times, after
aving first thrown the feathers and the drops into it. This would
jispel the charm under which she was, and she would love him
^arly.

John did everything that his companion told him. The
jincess shrieked when he dipped her under the water, and
'niggled in his hands in the form of a great black swan with
harkling eyes. When she came out of the water for the
jjcond time, the swan was white, with the exception of a black
ng round its neck. John prayed devoutly to Heaven, and
b the water close a third time over the bird's head, and
I the same moment it was changed into the most beautiful
pncess. She was more beautiful than before, and thanked
tn with tears in her glorious eyes for having dispelled the
[arm.

[The next morning the old king came with his whole Court, and
Jpre were congratulations till late in the day. Last of all came
Inn's travelling companion; John embraced him many times, and
Id him he must not go away, but must remain with him, for he
Is the cause of his good fortune. But the other shook his head
id said quietly and kindly : " No, my time is up. I have only
[id my debt. Do you remember the dead man whom the
>:ked men wanted to ill-treat? You gave everything you
psessed, so that he might rest in his grave. I am that dead i

374 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Saying this, he vanished.

The wedding lasted a whole month. John and the princess
loved each other dearly, and the old king lived to see many happy
days, and used to let his little grandchildren ride on his knee and
play with his sceptre.

And in time John became king over the whole land.

"There is no Doubt about It.!

HAT was a terrible affair ! " said a hen, and
in a quarter of the town, too, where it had
not taken place. " That was a terrible
affair in a hen-roost. I cannot sleep alone
to-night. It is a good thing that many of
us sit on the roost together." And then she
told a story that made the feathers on the
other hens bristle up, and the cock's comb fall. There was no
doubt about it.

But we will begin at the beginning, and that is to be found in a
hen-roost in another part of the town. The sun was setting, and
the fowls were flying on to their roost; one hen, with white
feathe'rs and short legs, used to lay her eggs according to the re-
gulations, and was, as a hen, respectable in every way. As she
was flying upon the roost, she plucked herself with her beak, and a
little feather came out.

" There it goes," she said ; " the more I pluck, the more
beautiful do I get." She said this merrily, for she was the best of
the hens, and, moreover, as has been said, very respectable. With
that she went to sleep.

It was dark all around, and hen sat close to hen, but the one
who sat nearest to her merry neighbour did not sleep. She had
heard and yet not heard, as we are often obliged to do in this
world, in order to live at peace ; but she could not keep it from
her neighbour on the other side any longer. " Did you hear what
was said ? I mention no names, but there is a hen here whc

"THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT" 375

intends to pluck herself in order to look well. If I were a cock,

I should despise her."
Just over the fowls sat the owl, with father owl and the little

owls. The family has sharp ears, and they all heard every word

that their neighbour hen had said. They rolled their eyes, and

mother owl, beating her wings, said : " Don't listen to her ! But

I suppose you heard what was said ? I heard it with my own
| ears, and one has to hear a great deal before they fall off. There

is one among the fowls who has so far forgotten what is becoming
I to a hen that she plucks out all her feathers and lets the cock
[see it."

" Prenez garde aux enfants I " said father owl ; " children should

not hear such things."

" But I must tell our neighbour owl about it ; she is such an

estimable owl to talk to." And with that she flew away."

" Too-whoo ! Too-whoo ! " they both hooted into the neigh-
Ibour's dove-cot to the doves inside. " Have you heard ? Have
;;you heard ? Too-whoo ! There is a hen who has plucked out
[sail her feathers for the sake of the cock ; she will freeze to death,
[if she is not frozen already. Too-whoo ! "
" Where ? where ? " cooed the doves.
" In the neighbour's yard. I have as good as seen it myself.

It is almost unbecoming to tell the story, but there is no doubt
about it."

t " Believe every word of what we tell you," said the doves, and
booed down into their poultry-yard. " There is a hen — nay, some
I say that there are two — who have plucked out all their feathers, in
prder not to look like the others, and to attract the attention of
tthe cock. It is a dangerous game, for one can easily catch cold
|ind die from fever, and both of these are dead already."
I " Wake up ! wake up ! " crowed the cock, and flew upon his
fcoard. Sleep was still in his eyes, but yet he crowed out : " Three
liens have died of their unfortunate love for a cock. They had
fftlucked out all their feathers. It is a horrible story ; I will not
fceep it to myself, but let it go farther."

I " Let it go farther," shrieked the bats, and the hens clucked
5 .nd the cocks crowed, " Let it go farther ! Let it go farther ! " In

376

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

this way the story travelled from poultry-yard to poultry-yard, and
at last came back to the place from which it had really started.

" Five hens," it now ran, " have plucked out all their feathers to
show which of them had grown leanest for love of the cock, and
then they all pecked at each other till the blood ran down and
they fell down dead, to the derision and shame of their family, and
to the great loss of their owner."

The hen who had lost the loose little feather naturally did not
recognise her own story, and being a respectable hen, said : " I
despise those fowls ; but there are more of that kind. Such things
ought not to be concealed, and I will do my best to get the story
into the papers, so that it becomes known throughout the land ;
the hens have richly deserved it, and their family too."

It got into the papers, it was printed ; and there is no doubt
about it, one little feather may easily grow into five hens.

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 377

Soup from a Sausage-Peg

HAT was an excellent dinner yesterday," said
an old mouse of the female sex to another
who had not been present at the festive
meal. " I sat number twenty-one from the
old mouse-king; that was not such a bad
place ! Would you like to hear the menu ?
The courses were very well arranged :
mouldy bread, bacon rind, tallow candles, and sausage — and then
the same things over again. It was just as good as having two
banquets. Everything went on as jovially and as good-humouredly
as at a family gathering. There was absolutely nothing left but
the sausage-pegs ; the conversation turned upon these, and at last
the expression ' soup from sausage skins,' or, as the proverb runs
in the neighbouring country, ' soup from a sausage-peg,' was men-
tioned. Now every one had heard of this, but no one had tasted
such soup, much less prepared it. A very pretty toast to the
inventor was drunk ; it was said that he deserved to be made an
overseer of the poor. That was very witty, wasn't it ? And the
old mouse king rose and promised that the young female mouse
who could prepare the said soup in the most tasty way should be
his queen ; he gave her a year and a day for the trial."

"That wasn't bad !" said the other mouse; "but how is the
soup prepared ? "

" Ah ! how is it prepared ? " That was just what all the other
female mice, both young and old, were asking. They would all
have liked to be queen, but they did not want to take the trouble
to go out into the wide world to learn how to prepare the soup,
and yet that was what would have to be done. But every one is
not ready to leave home and family ; and out in the world cheese-
rinds are not to be had for the asking, nor is bacon to be smelt
every day. No, one must suffer hunger, perhaps even be eaten up
alive by a cat.

Such were probably the considerations by which the majority

378 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

allowed themselves to be deterred from going out into the world
in search of information. Only four mice gave in their names as
being ready to start. They were young and active, but poor ;
each of them intended to proceed to one of the four quarters of
the globe, and it would then be seen to which of them fortune
was favourable. Each of the four took a sausage-peg with her, so
that she might be mindful of her object in travelling ; the sausage-
peg was to be her pilgrim's staff.

They set out at the beginning of May, and not till the May of
the following year did they return, and then only three of them ;
the fourth did not report herself, nor did she send any word or
sign, notwithstanding that the day of trial had arrived.

" Yes, every pleasure has its drawback," said the mouse-king ;
then he gave orders that all the mice for many miles round should
be invited. They were to assemble in the kitchen, and the three
travelled mice should stand in a row alone ; a sausage-peg, hung
with black crape, was erected in memory of the fourth, who was
missing. No one was to give his opinion before the mouse-king
had said what was to be said.

Now, we shall hear !

II.

WHAT THE FIRST LITTLE MOUSE HAD SEEN AND
LEARNT ON HER TRAVELS.

" When I went out into the wide world," said the little mouse,
" I thought, as a great many do at my age, that I already knew all
there was to be known. But that was not so ; years must pass
before one gets as far as that. I went straight to the sea. I
went in a ship that sailed to the north. I had been told that a
ship's cook must know how to make the best of things at sea, but
it is easy to make the best of things if one has plenty of sides of
bacon and great tubs of salt pork and mouldy flour ; one has
delicate living there, but one does not learn how to make soup
from a sausage-peg. We sailed on for many days and nights ; the
ship rocked fearfully, and we did not get off without a wetting
either. When we at last reached our destination I left the vessel ;
it was up in the far north.

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 379

" It is a strange thing to leave one's own corner at home, to sail
in a ship which is only a kind of corner too, and then to suddenly
find oneself more than a hundred miles away in a strange land. I
saw great trackless forests of pines and birches, that smelt so
strong that I sneezed and thought of sausages. There were great
lakes there too. The waters when looked at quite close were
clear, but from a distance they appeared black as ink. White
swans lay upon them ; they lay so still I thought they were foam,
but when I saw them fly and walk I recognised them. They
belong to the same race as the geese ; one can easily see that by
their walk — no one can deny his descent. I kept to my own
kind. I associated with the forest and field mice, who by the way
know very little, especially as regards cooking, and yet that was
just what I had gone abroad for. The idea that soup might be
made from a sausage-peg seemed to them so extraordinary that it at
once spread from mouth to mouth through the whole wood. That
the problem could ever be solved they thought an impossibility,
and least of all did I think that there, and the very first night too,
should I be initiated into the manner of preparing it. It was the
height of summer, and that, said the mice, was why the forest smelt
so strongly, why the herbs were so fragrant, the lakes so clear and
yet so dark, with the swans floating upon them.

" On the edge of the wood, surrounded by three or four houses,
a pole as high as the mainmast of a ship had been set up, and
from the top of it hung wreaths and fluttering ribbons — it was a may-
pole. Lads and lasses danced around the tree, and sang as loudly
as they could to the music of the fiddler. All went merrily in the
sunset and by moonlight, but I took no part in it— what has a
little mouse to do with a May-dance ? I sat in the soft moss and
held my sausage-peg fast. The moon threw its rays just upon a
spot where stood a tree covered with such exceedingly fine moss
; that I may almost say it was as fine and soft as the mouse-king's
'fur ; but it was green, and that is good for the eyes.

" All at once the most charming little people came marching
;out. They did not reach higher than my knee, and though they
looked like human beings they were better proportioned. They
called themselves elves, and wore fine clothes of flower-leaves

380 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

trimmed with the wings of flies and gnats, which did not look at
all bad. Directly they appeared they seemed to be looking for
something — I did not know what ; but at last some of them came
up to me, the chief among them pointing to my sausage-peg, and
saying : ' That is just the kind of one we want ! It is pointed — it
is excellent ! ' And the more he looked at my pilgrim's staff the
more delighted he became.

" ' To lend,' I said, ' but not to keep.'

" ' Not to keep ! ' they all cried ; then they seized the sausage-
peg, which I let go, and danced off with it to the spot with the fine
moss, where they set it up in the midst of the green. They wanted
to have a maypole too, and that which they now had seemed
cut out for them. Then it was decorated ; what a sight that was !

" Little spiders spun golden threads round it, and hung it with
fluttering veils and flags, so finely woven and bleached so snowy
white in the moonshine that it dazzled my eyes. They took the
colours from the butterflies' wings and strewed these over the white
linen, and flowers and diamonds gleamed upon it so that I did not
know my sausage-peg again ; there was certainly not another may-
pole in the whole world like that which had been made out of it.
And now only came the real great party of elves. They wore no
clothes at all — it could not have been more genteel. I was invited
to witness the festivities, but only at a certain distance, for I was
too big for them.

" Then began a wonderful music ! It seemed as if thousands of
glass bells were ringing, so full, so rich that I thought it was the
singing of the swans ; I even thought I heard the voice of the
cuckoo and the blackbird, and at last the whole wood seemed to
join in. There were children's voices, the sound of bells, and the
song of birds ; the most glorious melodies and all that was lovely
came out of the elves' maypole— it was a whole peal of bells, and
yet it was my sausage-peg. That so much could have been got
out of it I should never have believed, but it no doubt depends
upon what hands it gets into. I was deeply moved ; I wept, as a
little mouse can weep, for pure joy.

" The night was far too short, but up yonder they are not any
longer about that time of year. In the morning dawn the light

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 381

breezes sprang up, the surface of the woodland lake became ruffled,
and all the dainty floating veils and flags floated in the air. The
wavy garlands of spiders' web, the hanging bridges and balustrades,
or whatever they are called, vanished as if they were nothing ;
six elves carried my sausage-peg back to me, asking me at the
same time whether I had any wish that they could fulfil. So I
begged them to tell me how to make soup from a sausage-peg.

" ' How we do it ? ' asked the chief of the elves, smiling. ' Why, you
have just seen it. You hardly knew your own sausage-peg again.'

" 'They only mean that for a joke,' I thought, and I told them
straight away the object of my journey and what hopes were
entertained at home respecting this brew. ' What advantage,' I
asked, ' can accrue to the mouse-king and to the whole of our
mighty kingdom by my having witnessed this splendour ? I can't
shake it out of the sausage-peg and say: "Look, here is the
sausage-peg ; now comes the soup ! " That would be a kind of dish
that could only be served up when people had had enough.'

"Then the elf dipped his little finger in the cup of a blue
violet and said to me : ' Pay attention ! Here I anoint your
pilgrim's staff, and when you return home and enter the mouse-
king's castle, touch the warm breast of your king with it, and
violets will spring forth and cover the whole of the staff, even in
the coldest winter time. And with that I think I have given you
something to take home with you, and even a little more ! ' "

But before the little mouse said what this " a little more " was,
she touched the king's breast with her staff, and in truth the most
beautiful bunch of violets burst forth. They smelt so strongly that
the mouse-king immediately ordered the mice who stood nearest
the chimney to put their tails into the fire to make a smell of
I burning, for the scent of the violets was not to be borne, and was
not of the kind they liked.

"But what was the 'more' of which you spoke?" asked the
mouse-king.

«' Well," said the little mouse, " that is, I think, what is called

> ' effect.' " And thereupon she turned the sausage-peg round, and

behold, there was no longer a single flower to be seen upon it : she

held only the naked peg, and this she lifted like a. conductor's baton.

382 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

" ' Violets,' the elf told me, ' are to look at, to smell, and to
touch. Hearing and taste, therefore, still remain to be con-
sidered.' " Then the little mouse beat time, and music was heard
— not such as rang through the forest at the elves' party, but such
as is to be heard in the kitchen. What a sound of cooking and
roasting there was ! It came suddenly, as if the wind were rushing
through all the victuals, and as if the pots and kettles were boiling
over. The fire-shovel hammered upon the brass kettle, and then
— suddenly all was quiet again. The low subdued singing of the
tea-kettle was heard, and it was wonderful to listen to : they could
not quite tell whether the kettle was beginning to boil or leaving
off. The little pot bubbled up and the big pot bubbled up ; the
one did not care for the other, and it seemed as if there were no
rhyme or reason in the pots. Then the little mouse waved her
baton more and more wildly — the pots foamed, threw up large
bubbles, boiled over ; the wind roared and whistled through the
chimney — ugh ! it became so terrible that the little mouse even
lost her stick.

" That was a heavy soup ! " said the mouse-king.

" Isn't the dish coming soon ? "

" That is all," answered the little mouse, with a bow.

" All ! Well, then let us hear what the next has to say ! " said
the king.

III.

WHAT THE SECOND LITTLE MOUSE HAD TO TELL.

" I was born in the castle library," said the second mouse. " I
and several members of our family have never had the good for-
tune to get into the dining-room, let alone the larder ; it was only
on my travels and here to-day that I saw a kitchen. Indeed we
often had to suffer hunger in the library, but we acquired much
knowledge. The rumour of the royal prize offered to those who
could make soup from a sausage-peg reached our ears, and then
my old grandmother brought out a manuscript that she could not
read herself, but which she had heard read out, and in which was
written : ' If one is a poet, one can make soup from a sausage-peg.'

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 383

|j She asked me whether I was a poet. I felt that I was innocent

in that respect, and she said that then I must go out and manage

to become one. I again asked what I was to do, for it was

I quite as difficult for me to find that out as to make the soup.

j But my grandmother had heard a good deal read out, and she said

jj three things above all were necessary : < Understanding, imagina-

| tion, and feeling. If you can manage to attain these three, you

j; are a poet, and then the matter of the sausage-peg will be an easy

|i one for you.'

" I departed and marched towards the west, out into the wide
I world, to become a poet.

" Understanding is of the most importance in everything— that I
I knew ; the other two qualities are held in much less esteem, and
| I therefore went in quest of understanding first. Yes, where does
I it dwell ? ' Go to the ant and learn wisdom,' said a great king of
I the Jews ; that I had learnt in the library, so I did not stop till I
I came to the first great ant-hill, and there I lay upon the watch to
L become wise.

" The ants are a very respectable little people ; they are under-
| standing all over. Everything with them is like a well-worked sum
jj in arithmetic that comes right. To work and to lay eggs, they say,
j means both to live and to provide for posterity, and so that is
I what they do. They divide themselves into clean and dirty ants ;
I the ant-queen is number one, and her opinion the only correct one.
She contains the wisdom of all the world, and it was important for
I me to know that. She spoke so much, and it was so clever, that
I it seemed to me like nonsense. She said that her ant-hill was the
highest thing in the world, though close beside it stood a tree
I which was higher, much higher — that was not to be denied, and
so nothing was said of it. One evening an ant had lost herself on
• the tree and had crawled up the trunk— not so far up as the
I crown, but still higher than any ant had reached till then ; and
iwhen she turned round and came home again she told of some-
I thing far higher that she had come across out in the world. But
Sf.this all the ants thought an insult to the community, and the ant
I was therefore condemned to be muzzled and to be kept in solitary
^confinement for life. But shortly afterwards another ant came

384 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

across the same tree and made the same journey and the same
discovery. She spoke about it with deliberation, but unintelligibly,
as they called it ; and as she was, besides, a much-respected ant and
one of the clean ones, she was believed ; and when she died an egg
shell was erected to her memory, for they had a great respect for
the sciences. I saw," continued the little mouse, " that the ants
always ran about with their eggs on their backs. One of them
once dropped her egg, and though she took great pains to pick it
up again, she did not succeed ; just then two others came up who
helped her with all their might, so that they nearly dropped their
own eggs in doing so. But then they immediately stopped in
their efforts, for one must think of one's self first — and the ant-
queen declared that in this case both heart and understanding
had been shown. ' These two qualities,' she said, ' give us ants a
place in the first rank among all reasoning beings ; we all possess
understanding in a high degree, and I have the most of all.' And
with that she raised herself on her hind legs, so that she could not
fail to be recognised. I could not be mistaken : I swallowed her.
' Go to the ants to learn wisdom ' — now I had the queen !

" I now went closer to the large tree I have already mentioned
several times. It was an oak, with a tall trunk and a full wide-
spreading crown, and was very old. I knew that here dwelt a
living being, a woman called a Dryad, who is born with the tree
and dies with it. I had heard of this in the library ; now I beheld
such a tree, and one of these oak maidens. She uttered a terrible
cry when she saw me so close to her. Like all women, she was
very much afraid of mice ; but she had more cause to be so than
others, for I could have gnawed the tree through, on which her
life depended. I spoke to the maiden in a friendly cordial way,
and inspired her with courage ; she took me in her dainty hand,
and when I had told her why I had gone out into the wide world,
she promised me that very evening I should probably have one of
the two treasures of which I was still in quest. She told me that
Phantasy was her intimate friend, that he was as handsome as the
God of Love, and that he rested many an hour under the leafy
branches of the tree, which then rustled more strongly than ever
over the two. He called her his Dryad, she said, and the tree his

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 385

cree ; the beautiful gnarled oak was just to his taste, the roots
spread themselves deeply and firmly in the ground, and the trunk
ind the crown rose high up into the fresh air; they knew the driving
snow, the keen winds, and the warm sunshine, as these should be
known. ' Yes,' continued the Dryad, ' the birds up there in the
Town sing and tell of foreign countries they have visited, and on
lie only dead bough the stork has built his nest— that is very
ornamental, and one hears a little too about the land of the
pyramids. All this pleases Phantasy, but it is not enough for him ;
o I myself have to tell him about the life in the woods, and have
£> go back to my childhood's days when I was young and the tree
-fas frail, so frail that a stinging-nettle overshadowed it; and I
lave to tell everything till now that the tree has grown big and
fcrong. Now sit you down under the green thyme yonder and
, ay attention ; and when Phantasy conies I'll find some oppor-
fanity to pinch his wings and to pull out a little feather ; take the
father — no better one has been given a poet for a pen — and it
: ill suffice you ! '

I " And when Phantasy came, the feather was pulled out, and I
I ized it," said the little mouse. " I put it in water and held it
b.ere till it got soft. It was very hard to digest even then, but
I ill I nibbled it up at last. It is very easy to gnaw one's self into
g.'ing a poet, though there are many things that one has to
jrallow. Now I had two — understanding and imagination — and
Brough these two I knew that the third was to be found in the
m>rary ; for a great man has said and written that there are novels
f rich exist purely and solely to relieve people of their superfluous
•ITS, and are therefore a kind of sponge to suck up the feelings,
^remembered a few of those books which had always looked
Irticularly appetising, and were well thumbed and greasy ; they
fcist have absorbed an infinite deal of emotion.
I" I betook myself back to the library, and devoured, so to
«ak, a whole novel — that is, the soft or essential part of it ; but
I; crust, the binding, I left. When I had digested it, and
»ther one besides, I noticed what a stirring there was inside me,
II I devoured a piece of a third novel. And now I was a poet.
laid so to myself and told it to others too. I had headache and

3 86 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

stomach-ache, and I don't know what aches I didn't have. Then j
I began to think what stories might be made to refer to a sausage-
peg, and a great many pegs and sticks and staves and splinters,
came into my thoughts— the ant-queen had possessed an extra-
ordinary understanding. I remembered the man who put a white
stick into his mouth by which he could make both himself and
the stick invisible. I thought of wooden hobby-horses, of stock
rhymes, of breaking the staff over any one, and of goodness knows
how many expressions of that kind concerning staves, sticks, and
pegs All my thoughts ran upon pegs, sticks, and staves, and il
one is a poet— and that I am, for I have tortured myself till I have
become one— one must be able to make poetry on these things
too. I will therefore be able to serve you up a peg— that is, a,
story— every day in the week j yes, that is my soup 1 "

" Let us hear what the third one has to say ! " ordered the
mouse-king.

" Peep ! peep ! " was heard at the kitchen door, and a in
mouse— it was the fourth of the mice who had competed for the,
prize, the one whom the others believed to be dead— shot in hi
an arrow. She threw the sausage-peg with the crape right over.
She had been running day and night, had travelled on the railway
by goods train, having watched her opportunity, and yet she hac
arrived almost too late. She pressed forward, looking m
crumpled ; she had lost her sausage-peg, but not her voice, for s
began to speak at once, as if they had been waiting only for h
and wanted to hear her only-as if everything else in the worl
were of no consequence whatever. She spoke at once and wen
on till she had said all she had to say. She appeared so ur
expectedly that no one had time to object to her speech while
was speaking. Let us hear what she said.

IV.

WHAT THE FOURTH MOUSE HAD TO TELL, BEFORE THE

THIRD ONE HAD SPOKEN.

« I immediately betook myself to the largest town," she said
*' the name has escaped me— I have a bad memory for names

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 387

From the railway station I was taken with some confiscated goods
to the town-hall, and when I arrived there, I ran into the gaoler's
dwelling. The gaoler was talking of his prisoners, especially of one
ffho had uttered some hasty words. About these words other words
lad been spoken, and then again others, and these again had
3een written down and recorded.

1 " The whole thing is soup from a sausage-peg," said the gaoler ;
* but the soup may cost him his neck ! "

" Now this gave me some interest in the prisoner," said the
|ttle mouse, " so I seized an opportunity and slipped in to him ;
here is a mouse-hole behind every locked door ! The prisoner
boked very pale, and had a long beard and large sparkling eyes,
the lamp nickered and smoked, and the walls were so used to
,jiat, that they grew no blacker for it. The prisoner was scratch-
fig pictures and verses in white upon black, but I did not read
lem. I believe he felt very dull, and I was a welcome guest.
lie lured me with bread-crumbs, with whistling, and with gentle
prds. He was very glad to see me : I gradually began to trust him,
Lid we became friends. He shared his bread-and-water with me,
jve me cheese and sausage, and I lived well ; but I must say that
iier all it was principally the good company that kept me there.
Be let me run about in his hand, on his arm, and right up his
fceve ; he let me creep about in his beard, and called me his
pie friend. I really began to like him — such things are mutual !
forgot what I had gone out into the wide world to seek, and left
m sausage-peg in a crack in the floor; it lies there still. I
jtfnted to stay where I was ; if I went away, the poor prisoner
tuld have no one at all, and that is too little in this world I
lyed, but he did not. He spoke to me very sadly the last time,
g'e me twice as much bread-and-cheese as usual, and threw me
lies ; he went and never came back. I don't know his history.
'u)up from a sausage-peg ! ' the gaoler had said, and to him I
m? went. He certainly took me in his hand, but he put me into
4 ige, into a tread-mill. That's awful ! One runs and runs and
g<; no farther, and is only laughed at.

J The gaoler's daughter was a most charming little girl with a
•i of curls like the finest gold, and such joyous eyes and such

388 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

a smiling mouth ! 'You poor little mouse,' she said ; and peeping
into my hateful cage she drew out the iron pin, and I sprang down
upon the window-sill and so out upon the gutter of the roof.
Free ! free ! I thought only of that, and not of the object of my
travels.

" It was dark — night was drawing near. I took up my lodgings
in an old tower where a watchman and an owl dwelt. I trusted
neither, and least of the two the owl. That animal is like a cat>
and possesses the great failing of eating mice ; but one may be
mistaken, and that I was. She was a respectable, highly-educated
old owl ; she knew more than the watchman, and quite as much
as I. The owl children made a fuss about everything. ' Don't
make soup from a sausage-peg,' the old one would say ; those
were the harshest words she could bring herself to utter, such
tender affection did she cherish for her own family. Her behaviour
inspired me with such confidence that I sent her a ' peep ' ! from
the crack where I sat ; this confidence pleased her very much,
and she assured me that I should be under her protection,
and that no animal would be allowed to do me harm. She
would eat me herself in winter, she declared, when food got
scarce.

" She was in every way a clever woman ; she explained to me
that the watchman could only shriek through the horn that hung
loose at his side, saying, ' He is terribly conceited about it, and
thinks he is an owl in the tower. He wants to look big, but is
very little ! Soup from a sausage-peg ! '

" I begged the owl to give me the recipe for the soup, and then
she explained it to me : ' Soup from a sausage-peg,' she said, 'isi
only a human expression, and can be used in different ways.
Every one thinks his own way is the most correct, but the whole
thing really means nothing.'

" Nothing ! " I exclaimed. I was struck. The truth is not
always agreeable, but truth is above everything, and the old owl
said so too. So I thought it over, and soon perceived that if I
brought home that which is above everything, I should bring far
more than soup from a sausage-peg. And thereupon I hastened
away, so that I might get home in time and bring the highest and

SOUP FROM A SAUSAGE-PEG 389

best, that which is above everything— the truth. The mice are an
enlightened little people, and the mouse-king is above them all.
He is capable of making me queen— for the sake of truth ! "

" Your truth is a lie ! " said the mouse who had not yet spoken.
" I can prepare the soup, and I will prepare it too."

V.

How IT WAS PREPARED.

" I didn't travel," said the third mouse ; " I remained in the
country, and that's the right thing to do. There is no necessity to
travel — one can get everything just as good here. I remained ; I
did not get my information from supernatural beings, did not
gobble it up, nor yet learn it from owls. I have evolved mine
from my own thoughts. Now just you get the kettle put upon
the fire. That's it. Now some water poured into it ! Quite
Full — up to the brim ! So — now more fuel ! Let it burn up, so
that the water boils — it must boil over and over! That's it!
Now throw the peg in. Will the king now be pleased to dip his
jail into the boiling water and stir it with that tail ? The
jonger the king stirs, the stronger the soup will become. It costs
nothing. It requires no other ingredients— only stirring ! "
I " Can't any one else do that ? " asked the king.
I " No," said the mouse, " it is only the king's tail that contains
he power."

| And the water boiled and spluttered, and the mouse-king
placed himself close to the kettle — there was almost danger
attached to it — he put out his tail, as the mice do in the dairy
Lhen they skim a pan of milk, and then lick their creamy tails ;
lut he only put his tail in as far as the hot steam, then he quickly
(Sprang down from the hearth.

I " It's understood, of course, that you are to be my queen ! " he
: ried ; " but we'll leave the soup till our golden wedding; in this way
1 le poor of my kingdom, who will have to be fed then, will have
jiDmethmg to look forward to with pleasure, and for a long time,

390 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

Then they held the wedding. But several of the mice said as
they were returning home, " that was really not to be called soup
from a sausage-peg after all, but rather soup from a mouse's tail."
This and that of what had been told they thought very good ; but
the whole thing might have been different. " Now I would have
told it so — and so — and so ! "

These were the critics, and they are always so wise— after-
wards.

This story went out all over the wide world, and opinions
differed about it, but the story itself remained as it was.
And that is the best thing in both great things and small, even
with regard to soup from a sausage-peg — not to expect any thanks
for it

The Beetle

HE emperor's favourite horse was shod with
gold ; he had a golden horseshoe on each foot,
But why was that ?

He was a beautiful creature, with slender
legs, bright intelligent eyes, and a mane that
hung down like a veil over his neck. He had
carried his master through the smoke of
powder and the rain of bullets, and had heard the balls whistling
past ; he had bitten, kicked, and taken part in the fight when the
enemy pressed forward, and leaping with the emperor across the
fallen horse of one of the foe, had saved the bright golden crown
and the life of the emperor — and that was worth more than all the
bright gold. And that is why the emperor's horse had golder
horseshoes.

A beetle came creeping out. " First the great, then the small/
said he ; " but size is not everything." And with that he stre tehee
out his thin legs.

" Well, what do you want ? " asked the smith.
" Golden shoes," replied the beetle.

THE BEETLE 39,

"Why, you must be out of your senses!" cried the smith.
" You want golden shoes too ? tt

" Certainly— golden shoes ! " said the beetle. " Am I not as
good as that creature there, that is waited on, and brushed, and
has food and drink put before him ? Don't I belong to the imperial
stables too ? "

"But why has the horse golden shoes?" asked the smith.
" Don't you understand that ? "

"Understand? I understand that it is a personal slight for
me," said the beetle. " It is done to vex me, and I will therefore
go out into the wide world."

" Go along ! " said the smith.

"You rude fellow!" said the beetle; and then he went out
of the stable, flew a short distance, and soon afterwards found
himself in a beautiful flower garden, fragrant with roses and
lavender.

" Isn't it beautiful here ? " asked one of the little lady-birds that
were flying about with their red shield-shaped black-spotted wings.
" How sweet it is here, and how lovely ! "

" I have been used to better than that," said the beetle. "You
call this beautiful ? Why, there's not even a dunghill."

Then he went on, under the shadow of a big gilliflower, where a
caterpillar was creeping along.

" How beautiful the world is ! " said the caterpillar ; " the sun is
so warm, and everything so happy ! And when I one day fall
j asleep and die, as they call it, I shall awake as a butterfly."

" What things you do fancy ! " said the beetle. " To fly about
i as a butterfly ! I come from the emperor's stable, but no one
I there — not even the emperor's favourite horse, that wears my cast-
• off golden shoes— fancies anything like that. Get wings ! Fly !
: Well, we'll fly now ! " And away flew the beetle. " I don't want
to be vexed, but I am all the same," he said, as he flew oft".

Soon afterwards he fell upon a great lawn ; here he lay awhile,
and pretended to be asleep, but at last he really dozed off.

Suddenly a heavy shower of rain fell from the clouds. The
noise awoke the beetle, and he wanted to creep into the earth, but
could not, for he was being turned over and over. First he was

592 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

swimming on his stomach, then on his back, and flying was not to
be thought of; he despaired of getting away from the place alive.
So he lay where he lay, and remained there. When the rain had
left off a little, and the beetle had blinked the water out of his
eyes, he saw the gleam of something white ; it was linen laid out
to bleach. He reached it and crept into a fold of the damp linen.
It was certainly not so comfortable here as in the warm dunghill
in the stable, but nothing better happened to be at hand, and so
he stayed where he was — stayed a whole day and a whole night,
and the rain stayed too. Towards morning he crept out ; he was
greatly annoyed at the climate.

On the linen sat two frogs, their bright eyes sparkling with
pure joy.

" This is glorious weather," said one. " How refreshing ! And
the linen keeps the water together so beautifully. My hind legs
are itching to swim."

" I should like to know," said the other, " whether the swallow
which flies about so far has ever found a better climate than ours in
her many travels abroad. So nice and damp ! It is really like
lying in a wet ditch. Whoever doesn't like this can't be said to
love his native country."

" Have you then never been in the emperor's stable ? " asked
the beetle. " There the dampness is warm and fragrant : that's
the climate for me ! But you can't take it with you when you
travel. Is there no dung-heap in the garden here, where people
of rank, like myself, can feel at home and take up their quar-
ters ? "

The frogs either could not or would not understand him.

" I never ask twice ! " exclaimed the beetle, after he had already
asked three times and received no answer.

Thereupon he went a little further, and came across a piece of
broken pottery which should certainly not have been lying there,
but which, as it lay, afforded a good shelter against wind and
weather. Here lived several families of earwigs ; they did not
require much — only company. The females are full of tenderest
maternal love, and every mother therefore praised her child as the
most beautiful and cleverest.

THE BEETLE 393

"Our little son is engaged to be married \» said one mother
" Sweet innocence ! It is his sole ambition to get into a parson's
ear some day. He is so artless and loveable; his engagement
will keep him steady. What joy for a mother ! "

" Our son," said another mother, "had hardly crept out of the
egg, when he was off on his travels. He's all life and spirits •
he'll run his horns off. What joy for a mother 1 Isn't it so,'
Mr. Beetle?" They recognised the stranger by the cut of his
wings.

^ "You are both right ! " said the beetle, and then they begged
him to enter the room ; that is to say, to come as far as he could
under the piece of pottery.

" Now you see my little earwig too," cried a third and a fourth
mother. "They are the sweetest children, and very playful.
They are never naughty, except when they occasionally have pains
in their inside ; unfortunately, one gets those only too easily at
their age."

^ In this manner every mother spoke of her baby, and the babies
joined in too, and used the little nippers that they have in their
tails to pull the beetle by his beard.

" Yes, they're always up to something, the little rogues ! " said
the mothers, boiling over with maternal affection. But this bored
the beetle, and so he asked whether it was much farther to the
dunghill.

" Why, that's out in the wide world, on the other side of the
ditch," answered an earwig ; " I hope none of my children will go
so far— it would be the death of me."

" I'll try to get as far anyhow," said the beetle ; and he went off
without saying good-bye, for that is considered the most polite way.
[By the ditch he met several of his kind— all beetles.

" We live here ! " they said. " We are very comfortable. May
tare ask you to step down into the rich mud ? The journey has no
poubt been very fatiguing for you ? "

" Very," said the beetle. " I have been exposed to the rain,
Und have had to lie on linen, and cleanliness always weakens
ine very much. I have pain too in one wing through hav-
;ng stood in the draught under a broken piece of pottery.

394 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

It is really quite a comfort to get once more among one's own
kindred."

" Perhaps you come from the dung-heap ? " asked the eldest.

" Oho ! from higher places ! " cried the beetle. " I come from
the emperor's stable, where I was born with golden shoes
on my feet. I am travelling on a secret mission, but you
must not ask me any questions about it, for I won't betray the
secret."

With that the beetle stepped down into the rich mud. There
sat three young beetle maidens ; they giggled, because they did
not know what to say.

" They are all three still disengaged," said the mother ; and
the young beetle maidens giggled again, this time from bash-
fulness.

" I have not seen greater beauties in the imperial stables," said
the beetle, taking a rest.

" Don't you spoil my girls for me, and don't speak to them
unless you have serious intentions. But about that I have no
doubt, and so I give you my blessing ! "

" Hurrah ! " cried all the other beetles, and our beetle was now
engaged. The engagement was immediately followed by the
wedding, for there was no reason for delay.

The following day passed very pleasantly, and the one after
that fairly so ; but on the third day the time had come to think of
food for the wife, and perhaps even for the children.

" I have allowed myself to be taken in," thought the beetle ;
"nothing is therefore left for me but to take others in, in
return."

So said, so done. Away he went, and stayed out the
whole day and the whole night — and his wife sat there, a lonely
widow.

" Oh ! " said the other beetles, " that fellow whom we received
into our family is a thorough vagabond ; he went away and left
his wife sitting there, to be a burden upon us."

" Well, then she must be passed off as unmarried again, and
stay here as my child," said the mother. " Fie on the villain who
deserted her ! "

THE BEETLE ^

In the meantime the beetle had gone on travelling, and had
sailed across the watery ditch on a cabbage-leaf. In the morning
two people came to the ditch ; when they spied him, they picked
him up, turned him over and over, and looked very wise, especially
one of them— a boy. " Allah sees the black beetle in the black
stone and in the black rock. Isn't it written so in the Koran ? "
Then he translated the beetle's name into Latin, and enlarged upon
its species and nature. The second person, an older scholar,
was for taking him home with them. But the other said that they
had specimens quite as good as that, and this, our beetle thought,
was not a polite thing to say— so he suddenly flew out of the
speaker's hand. His wings being now dry, he flew a pretty long
distance and reached a hotbed, where, one of the windows of
the glass-house being ajar, he slipped in comfortably and buried
himself in the fresh manure.

" How delightful it is here ! " he said.

Soon after, he fell asleep and dreamed that the emperor's
favourite horse had fallen and had given him his golden horse-
shoes, with the promise to have two more made for him.

That was very acceptable. When the beetle awoke, he crept
out and looked about him. What splendour there was in the hot-
house ! In the background were palm trees, growing to a great
height ; the sun made them look transparent, and under them
what a wealth of verdure and bright flowers, red as fire, yellow
as amber, and white as driven snow !

"There is an incomparable splendour in these plants," said
the beetle ; " how fine they will taste when they decay ! This is
a good larder ! There must certainly be relatives of mine living
here. I'll have a look round to see if I can find any one to
associate with. Proud I am, and that is my pride." And now
he strolled about in the hothouse, and thought of his beautiful
dream of the dead horse, and the golden horseshoes he had in-
herited.

Suddenly a hand seized the beetle, pressed him, and turned him
over and over.

The gardener's son and a little girl who played with him had
come up to the hotbed, had spied the beetle, and wanted to have

396 STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

some fun with him. First he was wrapped up in a vine-leaf, and
then put into a warm trousers-pocket. There he cribbled and
Grabbled about with all his might ; but for this he got a squeeze
from the boy's hand, and that taught him to be quiet. Then the
boy ran off to the great lake at the end of the garden. Here the
beetle was put into an old half-broken wooden shoe, in which a
little stick was placed for a mast, and to this mast the beetle was
bound by a woollen thread. Now he was a sailor and had to sail.
The lake was very large, and to the beetle it seemed an ocean ;
he was so terrified by it that he fell on his back and kicked out
with his feet. The little ship sailed away, and the current of the
water seized it. But when it went too far from the shore, the
little boy would turn up his trousers, go into the water, and fetch
it back to the land. But at last, just as it was setting out to sea
again in full sail, the children were called away for something
important; they hastened to obey, and running away from the
lake, left the little ship to its fate. This drifted farther and
farther away from the shore, and farther out into the open sea ; it
was terrible for the beetle, for he could not get away, being bound
to the mast. Then a fly paid him a visit. "What lovely
weather ! " said the fly. " I'll rest here and bask in the sun ; it's
very pleasant for you here."

" You talk of what you don't understand ! Don't you see that
I'm tied fast?"

" But I'm not," said the fly, and flew off.

" Well, now I know the world," said the beetle. " It's a base
world. I'm the only honest one in it. First, they refuse me
golden shoes ; then I have to lie on wet linen and stand in a
draught ; and, to cap all, they fasten a wife on to me. Then, when
I have taken a quick step out into the world, and learn how com-
fortable one can be there, and how I ought to have it, up comes a
human boy, binds me fast, and leaves me to the wild waves, while
the emperor's favourite horse prances about in golden shoes.
That vexes me most of all ! But one must not count on sympathy
in this world. My career is very interesting ; but what's the use
of that if nobody knows it? The world doesn't deserve to be
made acquainted with my story, for it ought to have given me

THE BEETLE 397

golden shoes in the emperor's stable when the emperor's favourite
horse was being shod, and I stretched out my legs too. If I had
received golden shoes I should have been an ornament to the
stable ; now the stable has lost me, the world has lost me— all
is over ! "

But all was not over yet. A boat, in which there were some
young girls, came rowing up.

" Look, there's an old wooden shoe sailing along," said one of
the girls.

" There's a little creature tied up in it ! " cried another.

The boat came quite close to our beetle's little ship, and the
young girls fished it up out of the water. One of them drew a
small pair of scissors out of her pocket, cut the woollen thread
without hurting the beetle, and when she got to the shore placed
him in the grass.

" Creep, creep. Fly, fly— if you can," she said. " Freedom is
a glorious thing."

The beetle flew up and went through the open window of a
large building ; there he sank down, tired and exhausted, upon the
fine, soft, long mane of the emperor's horse that was standing in
the stables where both he and the beetle were at home. The
beetle clung fast to the mane, sat there quite still for a short
time, and recovered.

" Here I sit on the emperor's favourite horse — sit on him just
like an emperor. But what was I going to say? Ah, yes! I
remember. It's a good idea, and quite correct. Why does the
emperor's horse have golden shoes ? That's what the smith asked
me. Now the answer is clear to me. The horse had golden
horseshoes on my account ! "

And now the beetle was in a good temper. " Travelling opens
one's brains," he said.

The sun's rays came streaming into the stable upon him, and
made things bright and pleasant.

" The world is not so bad after all, when you come to examine
it," said the beetle, " but you must know how to take it."

Yes, the world was beautiful, because the emperor's favourite
horse had only received golden shoes so that the beetle might

398

STORIES AND FAIRY TALES

become his rider. " Now I will go down to the other beetles and
tell them how much has been done for me. I will relate to them
all the disagreeable things I went through in my travels abroad,
and tell them that I shall now remain at home till the horse has
worn out his golden shoes."

BO
BENDED
••AY
TALE

EN

-ED:

"Printed by BAU.ANTYNE, HANSON & Co.

London & Edinburgh

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