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diff --git a/17860.txt b/17860.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4982d8a --- /dev/null +++ b/17860.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4205 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Stories from Hans Andersen, by Hans Christian Andersen + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Stories from Hans Andersen + +Author: Hans Christian Andersen + +Illustrator: Edmund Dulac + +Release Date: February 26, 2006 [EBook #17860] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES FROM HANS ANDERSEN *** + + + + +Produced by Stacy Brown, Jason Isbell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + +[Illustration] + + + + +STORIES _FROM_ +HANS ANDERSEN + +_WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY_ +EDMUND DULAC + + +HODDER & STOUGHTON +LIMITED LONDON + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS + + +_THE SNOW QUEEN_ + PAGE +One day he was in a high state of delight because he had +invented a mirror 5 + +Many a winter's night she flies through the streets 11 + +Then an old, old woman came out of the house 23 + +She has read all the newspapers in the world, and forgotten +them again, so clever is she 37 + +'It is gold, it is gold!' they cried 51 + +Kissed her on the mouth, while big shining tears trickled +down its face 63 + +The Snow Queen sat in the very middle of it when she sat +at home 71 + + +_THE NIGHTINGALE_ + +Even the poor fisherman ... lay still to listen to it 81 + +'Is it possible?' said the gentleman-in-waiting. 'I should +never have thought it was like that' 89 + +Took some water into their mouths to try and make the same +gurgling, ... thinking so to equal the nightingale 95 + +The music-master wrote five-and-twenty volumes about the +artificial bird 101 + +Even Death himself listened to the song 109 + + +_THE REAL PRINCESS_ + +'I have hardly closed my eyes the whole night! +Heaven knows what was in the bed. I seemed to +be lying upon some hard thing, and my whole body +is black and blue this morning. It is terrible!' _Frontispiece_ + + +_THE GARDEN OF PARADISE_ + +His grandmother had told him ... that every flower in the +Garden of Paradise was a delicious cake 117 + +The Eastwind flew more swiftly still 131 + +The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them 139 + +The Fairy dropped her shimmering garment, drew back the +branches, and a moment after was hidden within their depths 147 + + +_THE MERMAID_ + +The Merman King had been for many years a widower 155 + +He must have died if the little mermaid had not come to +the rescue 169 + +At the mere sight of the bright liquid 183 + +The prince asked who she was and how she came there 189 + +Dashed overboard and fell, her body dissolving into foam 199 + + +_THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES_ + +The poor old minister stared as hard as he could, but he +could not see anything 209 + +Then the Emperor walked along in the procession under the +gorgeous canopy, and everybody in the streets and at the +windows exclaimed, 'How beautiful the Emperor's new +clothes are!' 215 + + +_THE WIND'S TALE_ + +She played upon the ringing lute, and sang to its tones 225 + +She was always picking flowers and herbs 233 + +He lifted it with a trembling hand and shouted with a +trembling voice: 'Gold! gold!' 241 + +Waldemar Daa hid it in his bosom, took his staff in his +hand, and, with his three daughters, the once wealthy +gentleman walked out of Borreby Hall for the last time 247 + + + + +THE SNOW QUEEN + +A TALE IN SEVEN STORIES + + +FIRST STORY + +WHICH DEALS WITH A MIRROR AND ITS FRAGMENTS + +[Illustration: _One day he was in a high state of delight because he had +invented a mirror with this peculiarity, that every good and pretty +thing reflected in it shrank away to almost nothing._] + +Now we are about to begin, and you must attend; and when we get to the +end of the story, you will know more than you do now about a very wicked +hobgoblin. He was one of the worst kind; in fact he was a real demon. +One day he was in a high state of delight because he had invented a +mirror with this peculiarity, that every good and pretty thing reflected +in it shrank away to almost nothing. On the other hand, every bad and +good-for-nothing thing stood out and looked its worst. The most +beautiful landscapes reflected in it looked like boiled spinach, and the +best people became hideous, or else they were upside down and had no +bodies. Their faces were distorted beyond recognition, and if they had +even one freckle it appeared to spread all over the nose and mouth. The +demon thought this immensely amusing. If a good thought passed through +any one's mind, it turned to a grin in the mirror, and this caused real +delight to the demon. All the scholars in the demon's school, for he +kept a school, reported that a miracle had taken place: now for the +first time it had become possible to see what the world and mankind were +really like. They ran about all over with the mirror, till at last there +was not a country or a person which had not been seen in this distorting +mirror. They even wanted to fly up to heaven with it to mock the angels; +but the higher they flew, the more it grinned, so much so that they +could hardly hold it, and at last it slipped out of their hands and fell +to the earth, shivered into hundreds of millions and billions of bits. +Even then it did more harm than ever. Some of these bits were not as big +as a grain of sand, and these flew about all over the world, getting +into people's eyes, and, once in, they stuck there, and distorted +everything they looked at, or made them see everything that was amiss. +Each tiniest grain of glass kept the same power as that possessed by the +whole mirror. Some people even got a bit of the glass into their hearts, +and that was terrible, for the heart became like a lump of ice. Some of +the fragments were so big that they were used for window panes, but it +was not advisable to look at one's friends through these panes. Other +bits were made into spectacles, and it was a bad business when people +put on these spectacles meaning to be just. The bad demon laughed +till he split his sides; it tickled him to see the mischief he had done. +But some of these fragments were still left floating about the world, +and you shall hear what happened to them. + + +SECOND STORY + +ABOUT A LITTLE BOY AND A LITTLE GIRL + +[Illustration: _Many a winter's night she flies through the streets and +peeps in at the windows, and then the ice freezes on the panes into +wonderful patterns like flowers._] + +In a big town crowded with houses and people, where there is no room for +gardens, people have to be content with flowers in pots instead. In one +of these towns lived two children who managed to have something bigger +than a flower pot for a garden. They were not brother and sister, but +they were just as fond of each other as if they had been. Their parents +lived opposite each other in two attic rooms. The roof of one house just +touched the roof of the next one, with only a rain-water gutter between +them. They each had a little dormer window, and one only had to step +over the gutter to get from one house to the other. Each of the parents +had a large window-box, in which they grew pot herbs and a little +rose-tree. There was one in each box, and they both grew splendidly. +Then it occurred to the parents to put the boxes across the gutter, from +house to house, and they looked just like two banks of flowers. The pea +vines hung down over the edges of the boxes, and the roses threw out +long creepers which twined round the windows. It was almost like a green +triumphal arch. The boxes were high, and the children knew they must not +climb up on to them, but they were often allowed to have their little +stools out under the rose-trees, and there they had delightful games. Of +course in the winter there was an end to these amusements. The windows +were often covered with hoar-frost; then they would warm coppers on the +stove and stick them on the frozen panes, where they made lovely +peep-holes, as round as possible. Then a bright eye would peep through +these holes, one from each window. The little boy's name was Kay, and +the little girl's Gerda. + +In the summer they could reach each other with one bound, but in the +winter they had to go down all the stairs in one house and up all the +stairs in the other, and outside there were snowdrifts. + +'Look! the white bees are swarming,' said the old grandmother. + +'Have they a queen bee, too?' asked the little boy, for he knew that +there was a queen among the real bees. + +'Yes, indeed they have,' said the grandmother. 'She flies where the +swarm is thickest. She is biggest of them all, and she never remains on +the ground. She always flies up again to the sky. Many a winter's night +she flies through the streets and peeps in at the windows, and then the +ice freezes on the panes into wonderful patterns like flowers.' + +'Oh yes, we have seen that,' said both children, and then they knew +it was true. + +'Can the Snow Queen come in here?' asked the little girl. + +'Just let her come,' said the boy, 'and I will put her on the stove, +where she will melt.' + +But the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him more stories. + +In the evening when little Kay was at home and half undressed, he crept +up on to the chair by the window, and peeped out of the little hole. A +few snow-flakes were falling, and one of these, the biggest, remained on +the edge of the window-box. It grew bigger and bigger, till it became +the figure of a woman, dressed in the finest white gauze, which appeared +to be made of millions of starry flakes. She was delicately lovely, but +all ice, glittering, dazzling ice. Still she was alive, her eyes shone +like two bright stars, but there was no rest or peace in them. She +nodded to the window and waved her hand. The little boy was frightened +and jumped down off the chair, and then he fancied that a big bird flew +past the window. + +The next day was bright and frosty, and then came the thaw--and after +that the spring. The sun shone, green buds began to appear, the swallows +built their nests, and people began to open their windows. The little +children began to play in their garden on the roof again. The roses were +in splendid bloom that summer; the little girl had learnt a hymn, and +there was something in it about roses, and that made her think of her +own. She sang it to the little boy, and then he sang it with her-- + + 'Where roses deck the flowery vale, + There, Infant Jesus, we thee hail!' + +The children took each other by the hands, kissed the roses, and +rejoiced in God's bright sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Child Jesus +were there. What lovely summer days they were, and how delightful it was +to sit out under the fresh rose-trees, which seemed never tired of +blooming. + +Kay and Gerda were looking at a picture book of birds and animals one +day--it had just struck five by the church clock--when Kay said, 'Oh, +something struck my heart, and I have got something in my eye!' + +The little girl put her arms round his neck, he blinked his eye; there +was nothing to be seen. + +'I believe it is gone,' he said; but it was not gone. It was one of +those very grains of glass from the mirror, the magic mirror. You +remember that horrid mirror, in which all good and great things +reflected in it became small and mean, while the bad things were +magnified, and every flaw became very apparent. + +Poor Kay! a grain of it had gone straight to his heart, and would soon +turn it to a lump of ice. He did not feel it any more, but it was still +there. + +'Why do you cry?' he asked; 'it makes you look ugly; there's nothing the +matter with me. How horrid!' he suddenly cried; 'there's a worm in that +rose, and that one is quite crooked; after all, they are nasty roses, +and so are the boxes they are growing in!' He kicked the box and broke +off two of the roses. + +'What are you doing, Kay?' cried the little girl. When he saw her alarm, +he broke off another rose, and then ran in by his own window, and left +dear little Gerda alone. + +When she next got out the picture book he said it was only fit for +babies in long clothes. When his grandmother told them stories he always +had a but--, and if he could manage it, he liked to get behind her +chair, put on her spectacles and imitate her. He did it very well and +people laughed at him. He was soon able to imitate every one in the +street; he could make fun of all their peculiarities and failings. 'He +will turn out a clever fellow,' said people. But it was all that bit of +glass in his heart, that bit of glass in his eye, and it made him tease +little Gerda who was so devoted to him. He played quite different games +now; he seemed to have grown older. One winter's day, when the snow was +falling fast, he brought in a big magnifying glass; he held out the tail +of his blue coat, and let the snow flakes fall upon it. + +'Now look through the glass, Gerda!' he said; every snowflake was +magnified, and looked like a lovely flower, or a sharply pointed star. + +'Do you see how cleverly they are made?' said Kay. 'Much more +interesting than looking at real flowers. And there is not a single flaw +in them; they are perfect, if only they would not melt.' + +Shortly after, he appeared in his thick gloves, with his sledge on his +back. He shouted right into Gerda's ear, 'I have got leave to drive in +the big square where the other boys play!' and away he went. + +In the big square the bolder boys used to tie their little sledges to +the farm carts and go a long way in this fashion. They had no end of fun +over it. Just in the middle of their games a big sledge came along; it +was painted white, and the occupant wore a white fur coat and cap. The +sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay quickly tied his sledge on +behind. Then off they went, faster, and faster, into the next street. +The driver turned round and nodded to Kay in the most friendly way, just +as if they knew each other. Every time Kay wanted to loose his sledge +the person nodded again, and Kay stayed where he was, and they drove +right out through the town gates. Then the snow began to fall so heavily +that the little boy could not see a hand before him as they rushed +along. He undid the cords and tried to get away from the big sledge, but +it was no use, his little sledge stuck fast, and on they rushed, faster +than the wind. He shouted aloud, but nobody heard him, and the sledge +tore on through the snow-drifts. Every now and then it gave a bound, as +if they were jumping over hedges and ditches. He was very frightened, +and he wanted to say his prayers, but he could only remember the +multiplication tables. + +The snow-flakes grew bigger and bigger, till at last they looked like +big white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the big sledge +stopped and the person who drove got up, coat and cap smothered in snow. +It was a tall and upright lady all shining white, the Snow Queen +herself. + +'We have come along at a good pace,' she said; 'but it's cold enough to +kill one; creep inside my bearskin coat.' + +She took him into the sledge by her, wrapped him in her furs, and he +felt as if he were sinking into a snowdrift. + +'Are you still cold?' she asked, and she kissed him on the forehead. +Ugh! it was colder than ice, it went to his very heart, which was +already more than half ice; he felt as if he were dying, but only for a +moment, and then it seemed to have done him good; he no longer felt the +cold. + +'My sledge! don't forget my sledge!' He only remembered it now; it was +tied to one of the white chickens which flew along behind them. The Snow +Queen kissed Kay again, and then he forgot all about little Gerda, +Grandmother, and all the others at home. + +'Now I mustn't kiss you any more,' she said, 'or I should kiss you to +death!' + +Kay looked at her, she was so pretty; a cleverer, more beautiful face +could hardly be imagined. She did not seem to be made of ice now, as she +was outside the window when she waved her hand to him. In his eyes she +was quite perfect, and he was not a bit afraid of her; he told her that +he could do mental arithmetic, as far as fractions, and that he knew the +number of square miles and the number of inhabitants of the country. She +always smiled at him, and he then thought that he surely did not know +enough, and he looked up into the wide expanse of heaven, into which +they rose higher and higher as she flew with him on a dark cloud, while +the storm surged around them, the wind ringing in their ears like +well-known old songs. + +They flew over woods and lakes, over oceans and islands; the cold wind +whistled down below them, the wolves howled, the black crows flew +screaming over the sparkling snow, but up above, the moon shone bright +and clear--and Kay looked at it all the long, long winter nights; in the +day he slept at the Snow Queen's feet. + + +STORY THREE + +THE GARDEN OF THE WOMAN LEARNED IN MAGIC + +[Illustration: _Then an old, old woman came out of the house; she was +leaning upon a big, hooked stick, and she wore a big sun hat, which was +covered with beautiful painted flowers._] + +But how was little Gerda getting on all this long time since Kay left +her? Where could he be? Nobody knew, nobody could say anything about +him. All that the other boys knew was, that they had seen him tie his +little sledge to a splendid big one which drove away down the street and +out of the town gates. Nobody knew where he was, and many tears were +shed; little Gerda cried long and bitterly. At last, people said he was +dead; he must have fallen into the river which ran close by the town. +Oh, what long, dark, winter days those were! + +At last the spring came and the sunshine. + +'Kay is dead and gone,' said little Gerda. + +'I don't believe it,' said the sunshine. + +'He is dead and gone,' she said to the swallows. + +'We don't believe it,' said the swallows; and at last little Gerda did +not believe it either. + +'I will put on my new red shoes,' she said one morning; 'those Kay never +saw; and then I will go down to the river and ask it about him!' + +It was very early in the morning; she kissed the old grandmother, who +was still asleep, put on the red shoes, and went quite alone, out by the +gate to the river. + +'Is it true that you have taken my little playfellow? I will give you my +red shoes if you will bring him back to me again.' + +She thought the little ripples nodded in such a curious way, so she took +off her red shoes, her most cherished possessions, and threw them both +into the river. They fell close by the shore, and were carried straight +back to her by the little wavelets; it seemed as if the river would not +accept her offering, as it had not taken little Kay. + +She only thought she had not thrown them far enough; so she climbed into +a boat which lay among the rushes, then she went right out to the +further end of it, and threw the shoes into the water again. But the +boat was loose, and her movements started it off, and it floated away +from the shore: she felt it moving and tried to get out, but before she +reached the other end the boat was more than a yard from the shore, and +was floating away quite quickly. + +Little Gerda was terribly frightened, and began to cry, but nobody heard +her except the sparrows, and they could not carry her ashore, but they +flew alongside twittering, as if to cheer her, 'We are here, we are +here.' The boat floated rapidly away with the current; little Gerda sat +quite still with only her stockings on; her little red shoes floated +behind, but they could not catch up the boat, which drifted away faster +and faster. + +The banks on both sides were very pretty with beautiful flowers, fine +old trees, and slopes dotted with sheep and cattle, but not a single +person. + +'Perhaps the river is taking me to little Kay,' thought Gerda, and that +cheered her; she sat up and looked at the beautiful green banks for +hours. + +Then they came to a big cherry garden; there was a little house in +it, with curious blue and red windows, it had a thatched roof, and two +wooden soldiers stood outside, who presented arms as she sailed past. +Gerda called out to them; she thought they were alive, but of course +they did not answer; she was quite close to them, for the current drove +the boat close to the bank. Gerda called out again, louder than before, +and then an old, old woman came out of the house; she was leaning upon a +big, hooked stick, and she wore a big sun hat, which was covered with +beautiful painted flowers. + +'You poor little child,' said the old woman, 'how ever were you driven +out on this big, strong river into the wide, wide world alone?' Then she +walked right into the water, and caught hold of the boat with her hooked +stick; she drew it ashore, and lifted little Gerda out. + +Gerda was delighted to be on dry land again, but she was a little bit +frightened of the strange old woman. + +'Come, tell me who you are, and how you got here,' said she. + +When Gerda had told her the whole story and asked her if she had seen +Kay, the woman said she had not seen him, but that she expected him. +Gerda must not be sad, she was to come and taste her cherries and see +her flowers, which were more beautiful than any picture-book; each one +had a story to tell. Then she took Gerda by the hand, they went into the +little house, and the old woman locked the door. + +The windows were very high up, and they were red, blue, and yellow; +they threw a very curious light into the room. On the table were +quantities of the most delicious cherries, of which Gerda had leave to +eat as many as ever she liked. While she was eating, the old woman +combed her hair with a golden comb, so that the hair curled, and shone +like gold round the pretty little face, which was as sweet as a rose. + +'I have long wanted a little girl like you!' said the old woman. 'You +will see how well we shall get on together.' While she combed her hair +Gerda had forgotten all about Kay, for the old woman was learned in the +magic art; but she was not a bad witch, she only cast spells over people +for a little amusement, and she wanted to keep Gerda. She therefore went +into the garden and waved her hooked stick over all the rose-bushes, and +however beautifully they were flowering, all sank down into the rich +black earth without leaving a trace behind them. The old woman was +afraid that if Gerda saw the roses she would be reminded of Kay, and +would want to run away. Then she took Gerda into the flower garden. What +a delicious scent there was! and every imaginable flower for every +season was in that lovely garden; no picture-book could be brighter or +more beautiful. Gerda jumped for joy and played till the sun went down +behind the tall cherry trees. Then she was put into a lovely bed with +rose-coloured silken coverings stuffed with violets; she slept and +dreamt as lovely dreams as any queen on her wedding day. + +The next day she played with the flowers in the garden again--and many +days passed in the same way. Gerda knew every flower, but however many +there were, she always thought there was one missing, but which it was +she did not know. + +One day she was sitting looking at the old woman's sun hat with its +painted flowers, and the very prettiest one of them all was a rose. The +old woman had forgotten her hat when she charmed the others away. This +is the consequence of being absent-minded. + +'What!' said Gerda, 'are there no roses here?' and she sprang in among +the flower-beds and sought, but in vain! Her hot tears fell on the very +places where the roses used to be; when the warm drops moistened the +earth the rose-trees shot up again, just as full of bloom as when they +sank. Gerda embraced the roses and kissed them, and then she thought of +the lovely roses at home, and this brought the thought of little Kay. + +'Oh, how I have been delayed,' said the little girl, 'I ought to have +been looking for Kay! Don't you know where he is?' she asked the roses. +'Do you think he is dead and gone?' + +'He is not dead,' said the roses. 'For we have been down underground, +you know, and all the dead people are there, but Kay is not among them.' + +'Oh, thank you!' said little Gerda, and then she went to the other +flowers and looked into their cups and said, 'Do you know where Kay is?' + +But each flower stood in the sun and dreamt its own dreams. Little Gerda +heard many of these, but never anything about Kay. + +And what said the Tiger lilies? + +'Do you hear the drum? rub-a-dub, it has only two notes, rub-a-dub, +always the same. The wailing of women and the cry of the preacher. The +Hindu woman in her long red garment stands on the pile, while the flames +surround her and her dead husband. But the woman is only thinking of the +living man in the circle round, whose eyes burn with a fiercer fire than +that of the flames which consume the body. Do the flames of the heart +die in the fire?' + +'I understand nothing about that,' said little Gerda. + +'That is my story,' said the Tiger lily. + +'What does the convolvulus say?' + +'An old castle is perched high over a narrow mountain path, it is +closely covered with ivy, almost hiding the old red walls, and creeping +up leaf upon leaf right round the balcony where stands a beautiful +maiden. She bends over the balustrade and looks eagerly up the road. No +rose on its stem is fresher than she; no apple blossom wafted by the +wind moves more lightly. Her silken robes rustle softly as she bends +over and says, 'Will he never come?'' + +'Is it Kay you mean?' asked Gerda. + +'I am only talking about my own story, my dream,' answered the +convolvulus. + +What said the little snowdrop? + +'Between two trees a rope with a board is hanging; it is a swing. Two +pretty little girls in snowy frocks and green ribbons fluttering on +their hats are seated on it. Their brother, who is bigger than they are, +stands up behind them; he has his arms round the ropes for supports, and +holds in one hand a little bowl and in the other a clay pipe. He is +blowing soap-bubbles. As the swing moves the bubbles fly upwards in all +their changing colours, the last one still hangs from the pipe swayed by +the wind, and the swing goes on. A little black dog runs up, he is +almost as light as the bubbles, he stands up on his hind legs and wants +to be taken into the swing, but it does not stop. The little dog falls +with an angry bark; they jeer at it; the bubble bursts. A swinging +plank, a fluttering foam picture--that is my story!' + +'I daresay what you tell me is very pretty, but you speak so sadly and +you never mention little Kay.' + +What says the hyacinth? + +'They were three beautiful sisters, all most delicate, and quite +transparent. One wore a crimson robe, the other a blue, and the third +was pure white. These three danced hand-in-hand, by the edge of the lake +in the moonlight. They were human beings, not fairies of the wood. The +fragrant air attracted them, and they vanished into the wood; here the +fragrance was stronger still. Three coffins glide out of the wood +towards the lake, and in them lie the maidens. The fire-flies flutter +lightly round them with their little flickering torches. Do these +dancing maidens sleep, or are they dead? The scent of the flower says +that they are corpses. The evening bell tolls their knell.' + +'You make me quite sad,' said little Gerda; 'your perfume is so strong +it makes me think of those dead maidens. Oh, is little Kay really dead? +The roses have been down underground, and they say no.' + +'Ding, dong,' tolled the hyacinth bells; 'we are not tolling for little +Kay; we know nothing about him. We sing our song, the only one we know.' + +And Gerda went on to the buttercups shining among their dark green +leaves. + +'You are a bright little sun,' said Gerda. 'Tell me if you know where I +shall find my playfellow.' + +The buttercup shone brightly and returned Gerda's glance. What song +could the buttercup sing? It would not be about Kay. + +'God's bright sun shone into a little court on the first day of spring. +The sunbeams stole down the neighbouring white wall, close to which +bloomed the first yellow flower of the season; it shone like burnished +gold in the sun. An old woman had brought her arm-chair out into the +sun; her granddaughter, a poor and pretty little maid-servant, had come +to pay her a short visit, and she kissed her. There was gold, heart's +gold, in the kiss. Gold on the lips, gold on the ground, and gold above, +in the early morning beams! Now that is my little story,' said the +buttercup. + +'Oh, my poor old grandmother!' sighed Gerda. 'She will be longing to see +me, and grieving about me, as she did about Kay. But I shall soon go +home again and take Kay with me. It is useless for me to ask the flowers +about him. They only know their own stories, and have no information to +give me.' + +Then she tucked up her little dress, so that she might run the faster; +but the narcissus blossoms struck her on the legs as she jumped over +them, so she stopped and said, 'Perhaps you can tell me something.' + +She stooped down close to the flower and listened. What did it say? + +'I can see myself, I can see myself,' said the narcissus. 'Oh, how sweet +is my scent. Up there in an attic window stands a little dancing girl +half dressed; first she stands on one leg, then on the other, and looks +as if she would tread the whole world under her feet. She is only a +delusion. She pours some water out of a teapot on to a bit of stuff that +she is holding; it is her bodice. "Cleanliness is a good thing," she +says. Her white dress hangs on a peg; it has been washed in the teapot, +too, and dried on the roof. She puts it on, and wraps a saffron-coloured +scarf round her neck, which makes the dress look whiter. See how high +she carries her head, and all upon one stem. I see myself, I see +myself!' + +'I don't care a bit about all that,' said Gerda; 'it's no use telling me +such stuff.' + +And then she ran to the end of the garden. The door was fastened, but +she pressed the rusty latch, and it gave way. The door sprang open, and +little Gerda ran out with bare feet into the wide world. She looked back +three times, but nobody came after her. At last she could run no +further, and she sat down on a big stone. When she looked round she saw +that the summer was over; it was quite late autumn. She would never have +known it inside the beautiful garden, where the sun always shone, and +the flowers of every season were always in bloom. + +'Oh, how I have wasted my time,' said little Gerda. 'It is autumn. I +must not rest any longer,' and she got up to go on. + +Oh, how weary and sore were her little feet, and everything round looked +so cold and dreary. The long willow leaves were quite yellow. The damp +mist fell off the trees like rain, one leaf dropped after another from +the trees, and only the sloe-thorn still bore its fruit; but the sloes +were sour and set one's teeth on edge. Oh, how grey and sad it looked, +out in the wide world. + + +FOURTH STORY + +PRINCE AND PRINCESS + +[Illustration: _She has read all the newspapers in the world, and +forgotten them again, so clever is she._] + +Gerda was soon obliged to rest again. A big crow hopped on to the snow, +just in front of her. It had been sitting looking at her for a long time +and wagging its head. Now it said, 'Caw, caw; good-day, good-day,' as +well as it could; it meant to be kind to the little girl, and asked her +where she was going, alone in the wide world. + +Gerda understood the word 'alone' and knew how much there was in it, and +she told the crow the whole story of her life and adventures, and asked +if it had seen Kay. + +The crow nodded its head gravely and said, 'May be I have, may be I +have.' + +'What, do you really think you have?' cried the little girl, nearly +smothering him with her kisses. + +'Gently, gently!' said the crow. 'I believe it may have been Kay, but he +has forgotten you by this time, I expect, for the Princess.' + +'Does he live with a Princess?' asked Gerda. + +'Yes, listen,' said the crow; 'but it is so difficult to speak your +language. If you understand "crow's language,"[1] I can tell you about +it much better.' + +'No, I have never learnt it,' said Gerda; 'but grandmother knew it, and +used to speak it. If only I had learnt it!' + +'It doesn't matter,' said the crow. 'I will tell you as well as I can, +although I may do it rather badly.' + +Then he told her what he had heard. + +'In this kingdom where we are now,' said he, 'there lives a Princess who +is very clever. She has read all the newspapers in the world, and +forgotten them again, so clever is she. One day she was sitting on her +throne, which is not such an amusing thing to do either, they say; and +she began humming a tune, which happened to be + + "Why should I not be married, oh why?" + +"Why not indeed?" said she. And she made up her mind to marry, if she +could find a husband who had an answer ready when a question was put to +him. She called all the court ladies together, and when they heard what +she wanted they were delighted. + +'"I like that now," they said. "I was thinking the same thing myself the +other day." + +'Every word I say is true,' said the crow, 'for I have a tame +sweetheart who goes about the palace whenever she likes. She told me the +whole story.' + +Of course his sweetheart was a crow, for 'birds of a feather flock +together,' and one crow always chooses another. The newspapers all came +out immediately with borders of hearts and the Princess's initials. They +gave notice that any young man who was handsome enough might go up to +the Palace to speak to the Princess. The one who spoke as if he were +quite at home, and spoke well, would be chosen by the Princess as her +husband. Yes, yes, you may believe me, it's as true as I sit here,' said +the crow. 'The people came crowding in; there was such running, and +crushing, but no one was fortunate enough to be chosen, either on the +first day, or on the second. They could all of them talk well enough in +the street, but when they entered the castle gates, and saw the guard in +silver uniforms, and when they went up the stairs through rows of +lackeys in gold embroidered liveries, their courage forsook them. When +they reached the brilliantly lighted reception-rooms, and stood in front +of the throne where the Princess was seated, they could think of nothing +to say, they only echoed her last words, and of course that was not what +she wanted. + +'It was just as if they had all taken some kind of sleeping-powder, +which made them lethargic; they did not recover themselves until they +got out into the street again, and then they had plenty to say. There +was quite a long line of them, reaching from the town gates up to the +Palace. + +'I went to see them myself,' said the crow. 'They were hungry and +thirsty, but they got nothing at the Palace, not even as much as a glass +of tepid water. Some of the wise ones had taken sandwiches with them, +but they did not share them with their neighbours; they thought if the +others went in to the Princess looking hungry, that there would be more +chance for themselves.' + +'But Kay, little Kay!' asked Gerda; 'when did he come? was he amongst +the crowd?' + +'Give me time, give me time! we are just coming to him. It was on the +third day that a little personage came marching cheerfully along, +without either carriage or horse. His eyes sparkled like yours, and he +had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very shabby.' + +'Oh, that was Kay!' said Gerda gleefully; 'then I have found him!' and +she clapped her hands. + +'He had a little knapsack on his back!' said the crow. + +'No, it must have been his sledge; he had it with him when he went +away!' said Gerda. + +'It may be so,' said the crow; 'I did not look very particularly; but I +know from my sweetheart, that when he entered the Palace gates, and saw +the life-guards in their silver uniforms, and the lackeys on the stairs +in their gold-laced liveries, he was not the least bit abashed. He just +nodded to them and said, "It must be very tiresome to stand upon the +stairs. I am going inside!" The rooms were blazing with lights. Privy +councillors and excellencies without number were walking about barefoot +carrying golden vessels; it was enough to make you solemn! His boots +creaked fearfully too, but he wasn't a bit upset.' + +'Oh, I am sure that was Kay!' said Gerda; 'I know he had a pair of new +boots, I heard them creaking in grandmother's room.' + +'Yes, indeed they did creak!' said the crow. 'But nothing daunted, he +went straight up to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a +spinning-wheel. Poor, simple boy! all the court ladies and their +attendants; the courtiers, and their gentlemen, each attended by a page, +were standing round. The nearer the door they stood, so much the greater +was their haughtiness; till the footman's boy, who always wore slippers +and stood in the doorway, was almost too proud even to be looked at.' + +'It must be awful!' said little Gerda, 'and yet Kay has won the +Princess!' + +'If I had not been a crow, I should have taken her myself, +notwithstanding that I am engaged. They say he spoke as well as I could +have done myself, when I speak crow-language; at least so my sweetheart +says. He was a picture of good looks and gallantry, and then, he had not +come with any idea of wooing the Princess, but simply to hear her +wisdom. He admired her just as much as she admired him!' + +'Indeed it was Kay then,' said Gerda; 'he was so clever he could do +mental arithmetic up to fractions. Oh, won't you take me to the Palace?' + +'It's easy enough to talk,' said the crow; 'but how are we to manage it? +I will talk to my tame sweetheart about it; she will have some advice to +give us I daresay, but I am bound to tell you that a little girl like +you will never be admitted!' + +'Oh, indeed I shall,' said Gerda; 'when Kay hears that I am here, he +will come out at once to fetch me.' + +'Wait here for me by the stile,' said the crow, then he wagged his head +and flew off. + +The evening had darkened in before he came back. 'Caw, caw,' he said, +'she sends you greeting. And here is a little roll for you; she got it +out of the kitchen where there is bread enough, and I daresay you are +hungry! It is not possible for you to get into the Palace; you have bare +feet; the guards in silver and the lackeys in gold would never allow you +to pass. But don't cry, we shall get you in somehow; my sweetheart knows +a little back staircase which leads up to the bedroom, and she knows +where the key is kept.' + +Then they went into the garden, into the great avenue where the leaves +were dropping, softly one by one; and when the Palace lights went out, +one after the other, the crow led little Gerda to the back door, which +was ajar. + +Oh, how Gerda's heart beat with fear and longing! It was just as if she +was about to do something wrong, and yet she only wanted to know if this +really was little Kay. Oh, it must be him, she thought, picturing to +herself his clever eyes and his long hair. She could see his very smile +when they used to sit under the rose-trees at home. She thought he would +be very glad to see her, and to hear what a long way she had come to +find him, and to hear how sad they had all been at home when he did not +come back. Oh, it was joy mingled with fear. + +They had now reached the stairs, where a little lamp was burning on a +shelf. There stood the tame sweetheart, twisting and turning her head to +look at Gerda, who made a curtsy, as grandmother had taught her. + +'My betrothed has spoken so charmingly to me about you, my little miss!' +she said; 'your life, "_Vita_," as it is called, is most touching! If +you will take the lamp, I will go on in front. We shall take the +straight road here, and we shall meet no one.' + +'It seems to me that some one is coming behind us,' said Gerda, as she +fancied something rushed past her, throwing a shadow on the walls; +horses with flowing manes and slender legs; huntsmen, ladies and +gentlemen on horseback. + +'Oh, those are only the dreams!' said the crow; 'they come to take the +thoughts of the noble ladies and gentlemen out hunting. That's a good +thing, for you will be able to see them all the better in bed. But don't +forget, when you are taken into favour, to show a grateful spirit.' + +'Now, there's no need to talk about that,' said the crow from the woods. + +They came now into the first apartment; it was hung with rose-coloured +satin embroidered with flowers. Here again the dreams overtook them, but +they flitted by so quickly that Gerda could not distinguish them. The +apartments became one more beautiful than the other; they were enough to +bewilder anybody. They now reached the bedroom. The ceiling was like a +great palm with crystal leaves, and in the middle of the room two beds, +each like a lily hung from a golden stem. One was white, and in it lay +the Princess; the other was red, and there lay he whom Gerda had come to +seek--little Kay! She bent aside one of the crimson leaves, and she saw +a little brown neck. It was Kay. She called his name aloud, and held the +lamp close to him. Again the dreams rushed through the room on +horseback--he awoke, turned his head--and it was not little Kay. + +It was only the Prince's neck which was like his; but he was young and +handsome. The Princess peeped out of her lily-white bed, and asked what +was the matter. Then little Gerda cried and told them all her story, and +what the crows had done to help her. + +'You poor little thing!' said the Prince and Princess. And they praised +the crows, and said that they were not at all angry with them, but they +must not do it again. Then they gave them a reward. + +'Would you like your liberty?' said the Princess, 'or would you prefer +permanent posts about the court as court crows, with perquisites from +the kitchen?' + +Both crows curtsied and begged for the permanent posts, for they thought +of their old age, and said 'it was so good to have something for the old +man,' as they called it. + +The Prince got up and allowed Gerda to sleep in his bed, and he could +not have done more. She folded her little hands, and thought 'how good +the people and the animals are'; then she shut her eyes and fell fast +asleep. All the dreams came flying back again; this time they looked +like angels, and they were dragging a little sledge with Kay sitting on +it, and he nodded. But it was only a dream; so it all vanished when she +woke. + +Next day she was dressed in silk and velvet from head to foot; they +asked her to stay at the Palace and have a good time, but she only +begged them to give her a little carriage and horse, and a little pair +of boots, so that she might drive out into the wide world to look for +Kay. + +They gave her a pair of boots and a muff. She was beautifully dressed, +and when she was ready to start, there before the door stood a new +chariot of pure gold. The Prince's and Princess's coat of arms were +emblazoned on it, and shone like a star. Coachman, footman, and +outrider, for there was even an outrider, all wore golden crowns. The +Prince and Princess themselves helped her into the carriage and wished +her joy. The wood crow, who was now married, accompanied her for the +first three miles; he sat beside Gerda, for he could not ride with his +back to the horses. The other crow stood at the door and flapped her +wings; she did not go with them, for she suffered from headache since +she had become a kitchen pensioner--the consequence of eating too much. +The chariot was stored with sugar biscuits, and there were fruit and +ginger nuts under the seat. 'Good-bye, good-bye,' cried the Prince and +Princess; little Gerda wept, and the crow wept too. At the end of the +first few miles the crow said good-bye, and this was the hardest parting +of all. It flew up into a tree and flapped its big black wings as long +as it could see the chariot, which shone like the brightest sunshine. + +[1] Children have a kind of language, or gibberish, formed by adding +letters or syllables to every word, which is called 'crow's language.' + + +FIFTH STORY + +THE LITTLE ROBBER GIRL + +[Illustration: _'It is gold, it is gold!' they cried._] + +They drove on through a dark wood, where the chariot lighted up the way +and blinded the robbers by its glare; it was more than they could bear. + +'It is gold, it is gold!' they cried, and darting forward, seized the +horses, and killed the postilions, the coachman, and footman. They then +dragged little Gerda out of the carriage. + +'She is fat, and she is pretty; she has been fattened on nuts!' said the +old robber woman, who had a long beard, and eyebrows that hung down over +her eyes. 'She is as good as a fat lamb, and how nice she will taste!' +She drew out her sharp knife as she said this; it glittered horribly. +'Oh!' screamed the old woman at the same moment, for her little daughter +had come up behind her, and she was biting her ear. She hung on her +back, as wild and as savage a little animal as you could wish to find. +'You bad, wicked child!' said her mother, but she was prevented from +killing Gerda on this occasion. + +'She shall play with me,' said the little robber girl; 'she shall give +me her muff, and her pretty dress, and she shall sleep in my bed.' Then +she bit her mother again and made her dance. All the robbers laughed and +said, 'Look at her dancing with her cub!' + +'I want to get into the carriage,' said the little robber girl, and she +always had her own way because she was so spoilt and stubborn. She and +Gerda got into the carriage, and then they drove over stubble and stones +further and further into the wood. The little robber girl was as big as +Gerda, but much stronger; she had broader shoulders, and darker skin, +her eyes were quite black, with almost a melancholy expression. She put +her arm round Gerda's waist and said-- + +'They shan't kill you as long as I don't get angry with you; you must +surely be a Princess!' + +'No,' said little Gerda, and then she told her all her adventures, and +how fond she was of Kay. + +The robber girl looked earnestly at her, gave a little nod, and said, +'They shan't kill you even if I am angry with you. I will do it myself.' +Then she dried Gerda's eyes, and stuck her own hands into the pretty +muff, which was so soft and warm. + +At last the chariot stopped: they were in the courtyard of a robber's +castle, the walls of which were cracked from top to bottom. Ravens and +crows flew in and out of every hole, and big bulldogs, which each looked +ready to devour somebody, jumped about as high as they could, but they +did not bark, for it was not allowed. A big fire was burning in the +middle of the stone floor of the smoky old hall. The smoke all went up +to the ceiling, where it had to find a way out for itself. Soup was +boiling in a big caldron over the fire, and hares and rabbits were +roasting on the spits. + +'You shall sleep with me and all my little pets to-night,' said the +robber girl. + +When they had something to eat and drink they went along to one corner +which was spread with straw and rugs. There were nearly a hundred +pigeons roosting overhead on the rafters and beams. They seemed to be +asleep, but they fluttered about a little when the children came in. + +'They are all mine,' said the little robber girl, seizing one of the +nearest. She held it by the legs and shook it till it flapped its wings. +'Kiss it,' she cried, dashing it at Gerda's face. 'Those are the wood +pigeons,' she added, pointing to some laths fixed across a big hole high +up on the walls; 'they are a regular rabble; they would fly away +directly if they were not locked in. And here is my old sweetheart Be,' +dragging forward a reindeer by the horn; it was tied up, and it had a +bright copper ring round its neck. 'We have to keep him close too, or he +would run off. Every single night I tickle his neck with my bright +knife, he is so frightened of it.' The little girl produced a long knife +out of a hole in the wall and drew it across the reindeer's neck. The +poor animal laughed and kicked, and the robber girl laughed and pulled +Gerda down into the bed with her. + +'Do you have that knife by you while you are asleep?' asked Gerda, +looking rather frightened. + +'I always sleep with a knife,' said the little robber girl. 'You never +know what will happen. But now tell me again what you told me before +about little Kay, and why you went out into the world.' So Gerda told +her all about it again, and the wood pigeons cooed up in their cage +above them; the other pigeons were asleep. The little robber girl put +her arm round Gerda's neck and went to sleep with the knife in her other +hand, and she was soon snoring. But Gerda would not close her eyes; she +did not know whether she was to live or to die. The robbers sat round +the fire, eating and drinking, and the old woman was turning +somersaults. This sight terrified the poor little girl. Then the wood +pigeons said, 'Coo, coo, we have seen little Kay; his sledge was drawn +by a white chicken, and he was sitting in the Snow Queen's sledge; it +was floating low down over the trees, while we were in our nests. She +blew upon us young ones, and they all died except we two; coo, coo.' + +'What are you saying up there?' asked Gerda. 'Where was the Snow Queen +going? Do you know anything about it?' + +'She was most likely going to Lapland, because there is always snow and +ice there! Ask the reindeer who is tied up there.' + +'There is ice and snow, and it's a splendid place,' said the reindeer. +'You can run and jump about where you like on those big glittering +plains. The Snow Queen has her summer tent there, but her permanent +castle is up at the North Pole, on the island which is called +Spitzbergen!' + +'Oh Kay, little Kay!' sighed Gerda. + +'Lie still, or I shall stick the knife into you!' said the robber girl. + +In the morning Gerda told her all that the wood pigeons had said, and +the little robber girl looked quite solemn, but she nodded her head and +said, 'No matter, no matter! Do you know where Lapland is?' she asked +the reindeer. + +'Who should know better than I,' said the animal, its eyes dancing. 'I +was born and brought up there, and I used to leap about on the +snowfields.' + +'Listen,' said the robber girl. 'You see that all our men folks are +away, but mother is still here, and she will stay; but later on in the +morning she will take a drink out of the big bottle there, and after +that she will have a nap--then I will do something for you.' Then she +jumped out of bed, ran along to her mother and pulled her beard, and +said, 'Good morning, my own dear nanny-goat!' And her mother filliped +her nose till it was red and blue; but it was all affection. + +As soon as her mother had had her draught from the bottle and had +dropped asleep, the little robber girl went along to the reindeer, and +said, 'I should have the greatest pleasure in the world in keeping you +here, to tickle you with my knife, because you are such fun then; +however, it does not matter. I will untie your halter and help you +outside so that you may run away to Lapland, but you must put your best +foot foremost, and take this little girl for me to the Snow Queen's +palace, where her playfellow is. I have no doubt you heard what she was +telling me, for she spoke loud enough, and you are generally +eavesdropping!' + +The reindeer jumped into the air for joy. The robber girl lifted little +Gerda up, and had the forethought to tie her on, nay, even to give her a +little cushion to sit upon. 'Here, after all, I will give you your fur +boots back, for it will be very cold, but I will keep your muff, it is +too pretty to part with. Still you shan't be cold. Here are my mother's +big mittens for you, they will reach up to your elbows; here, stick your +hands in! Now your hands look just like my nasty mother's!' + +Gerda shed tears of joy. + +'I don't like you to whimper!' said the little robber girl. 'You ought +to be looking delighted; and here are two loaves and a ham for you, so +that you shan't starve.' + +These things were tied on to the back of the reindeer; the little robber +girl opened the door, called in all the big dogs, and then she cut the +halter with her knife, and said to the reindeer, 'Now run, but take care +of my little girl!' + +Gerda stretched out her hands in the big mittens to the robber girl and +said good-bye; and then the reindeer darted off over briars and bushes, +through the big wood, over swamps and plains, as fast as it could go. +The wolves howled and the ravens screamed, while the red lights quivered +up in the sky. + +'There are my old northern lights,' said the reindeer; 'see how they +flash!' and on it rushed faster than ever, day and night. The loaves +were eaten, and the ham too, and then they were in Lapland. + + +SIXTH STORY + +THE LAPP WOMAN AND THE FINN WOMAN + +[Illustration: _The reindeer did not dare to stop. It ran on till it +came to the bush with the red berries. There it put Gerda down, and +kissed her on the mouth, while big shining tears trickled down its +face._] + +They stopped by a little hut, a very poverty-stricken one; the roof +sloped right down to the ground, and the door was so low that the people +had to creep on hands and knees when they wanted to go in or out. There +was nobody at home here but an old Lapp woman, who was frying fish over +a train-oil lamp. The reindeer told her all Gerda's story, but it told +its own first; for it thought it was much the most important. Gerda was +so overcome by the cold that she could not speak at all. + +'Oh, you poor creatures!' said the Lapp woman; 'you've got a long way +to go yet; you will have to go hundreds of miles into Finmark, for the +Snow Queen is paying a country visit there, and she burns blue lights +every night. I will write a few words on a dried stock-fish, for I have +no paper. I will give it to you to take to the Finn woman up there. She +will be better able to direct you than I can.' + +So when Gerda was warmed, and had eaten and drunk something, the Lapp +woman wrote a few words on a dried stock-fish and gave it to her, +bidding her take good care of it. Then she tied her on to the reindeer +again, and off they flew. Flicker, flicker, went the beautiful blue +northern lights up in the sky all night long;--at last they came to +Finmark, and knocked on the Finn woman's chimney, for she had no door at +all. + +There was such a heat inside that the Finn woman went about almost +naked; she was little and very grubby. She at once loosened Gerda's +things, and took off the mittens and the boots, or she would have been +too hot. Then she put a piece of ice on the reindeer's head, and after +that she read what was written on the stock-fish. She read it three +times, and then she knew it by heart, and put the fish into the pot for +dinner; there was no reason why it should not be eaten, and she never +wasted anything. + +Again the reindeer told his own story first, and then little Gerda's. +The Finn woman blinked with her wise eyes, but she said nothing. + +'You are so clever,' said the reindeer, 'I know you can bind all the +winds of the world with a bit of sewing cotton. When a skipper unties +one knot he gets a good wind, when he unties two it blows hard, and if +he undoes the third and the fourth he brings a storm about his head wild +enough to blow down the forest trees. Won't you give the little girl a +drink, so that she may have the strength of twelve men to overcome the +Snow Queen?' + +'The strength of twelve men,' said the Finn woman. 'Yes, that will be +about enough.' + +She went along to a shelf and took down a big folded skin, which she +unrolled. There were curious characters written on it, and the Finn +woman read till the perspiration poured down her forehead. + +But the reindeer again implored her to give Gerda something, and Gerda +looked at her with such beseeching eyes, full of tears, that the Finn +woman began blinking again, and drew the reindeer along into a corner, +where she whispered to it, at the same time putting fresh ice on its +head. + +'Little Kay is certainly with the Snow Queen, and he is delighted with +everything there. He thinks it is the best place in the world, but that +is because he has got a splinter of glass in his heart and a grain of +glass in his eye. They will have to come out first, or he will never be +human again, and the Snow Queen will keep him in her power!' + +'But can't you give little Gerda something to take which will give her +power to conquer it all?' + +'I can't give her greater power than she already has. Don't you see how +great it is? Don't you see how both man and beast have to serve her? How +she has got on as well as she has on her bare feet? We must not tell her +what power she has; it is in her heart, because she is such a sweet +innocent child. If she can't reach the Snow Queen herself, then we can't +help her. The Snow Queen's gardens begin just two miles from here; you +can carry the little girl as far as that. Put her down by the big bush +standing there in the snow covered with red berries. Don't stand +gossiping, but hurry back to me!' Then the Finn woman lifted Gerda on +the reindeer's back, and it rushed off as hard as it could. + +'Oh, I have not got my boots, and I have not got my mittens!' cried +little Gerda. + +She soon felt the want of them in that cutting wind, but the reindeer +did not dare to stop. It ran on till it came to the bush with the red +berries. There it put Gerda down, and kissed her on the mouth, while big +shining tears trickled down its face. Then it ran back again as fast as +ever it could. There stood poor little Gerda, without shoes or +gloves, in the middle of freezing icebound Finmark. + +She ran forward as quickly as she could. A whole regiment of snow-flakes +came towards her; they did not fall from the sky, for it was quite +clear, with the northern lights shining brightly. No; these snow-flakes +ran along the ground, and the nearer they came the bigger they grew. +Gerda remembered well how big and ingenious they looked under the +magnifying glass. But the size of these was monstrous. They were alive; +they were the Snow Queen's advanced guard, and they took the most +curious shapes. Some looked like big, horrid porcupines, some like +bundles of knotted snakes with their heads sticking out. Others, again, +were like fat little bears with bristling hair, but all were dazzling +white and living snow-flakes. + +Then little Gerda said the Lord's Prayer, and the cold was so great that +her breath froze as it came out of her mouth, and she could see it like +a cloud of smoke in front of her. It grew thicker and thicker, till it +formed itself into bright little angels, who grew bigger and bigger when +they touched the ground. They all wore helmets, and carried shields and +spears in their hands. More and more of them appeared, and when Gerda +had finished her prayer she was surrounded by a whole legion. They +pierced the snow-flakes with their spears and shivered them into a +hundred pieces, and little Gerda walked fearlessly and undauntedly +through them. The angels touched her hands and her feet, and then she +hardly felt how cold it was, but walked quickly on towards the Palace of +the Snow Queen. + +Now we must see what Kay was about. He was not thinking about Gerda at +all, least of all that she was just outside the Palace. + + +SEVENTH STORY + +WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SNOW QUEEN'S PALACE AND AFTERWARDS + +[Illustration: _The Snow Queen sat in the very middle of it when she sat +at home._] + +The Palace walls were made of drifted snow, and the windows and doors of +the biting winds. There were over a hundred rooms in it, shaped just as +the snow had drifted. The biggest one stretched for many miles. They +were all lighted by the strongest northern lights. All the rooms were +immensely big and empty, and glittering in their iciness. There was +never any gaiety in them; not even so much as a ball for the little +bears, when the storms might have turned up as the orchestra, and the +polar bears might have walked about on their hind legs and shown off +their grand manners. There was never even a little game-playing party, +for such games as 'touch last' or 'the biter bit'--no, not even a little +gossip over the coffee cups for the white fox misses. Immense, vast, +and cold were the Snow Queen's halls. The northern lights came and went +with such regularity that you could count the seconds between their +coming and going. In the midst of these never-ending snow-halls was a +frozen lake. It was broken up on the surface into a thousand bits, but +each piece was so exactly like the others that the whole formed a +perfect work of art. The Snow Queen sat in the very middle of it when +she sat at home. She then said that she was sitting on 'The Mirror of +Reason,' and that it was the best and only one in the world. + +Little Kay was blue with cold, nay, almost black; but he did not know +it, for the Snow Queen had kissed away the icy shiverings, and his heart +was little better than a lump of ice. He went about dragging some sharp, +flat pieces of ice, which he placed in all sorts of patterns, trying to +make something out of them; just as when we at home have little tablets +of wood, with which we make patterns, and call them a 'Chinese puzzle.' + +Kay's patterns were most ingenious, because they were the 'Ice Puzzles +of Reason.' In his eyes they were first-rate and of the greatest +importance: this was because of the grain of glass still in his eye. He +made many patterns forming words, but he never could find out the right +way to place them for one particular word, a word he was most anxious to +make. It was 'Eternity.' The Snow Queen had said to him that if he could +find out this word he should be his own master, and she would give him +the whole world and a new pair of skates. But he could not discover it. + +'Now I am going to fly away to the warm countries,' said the Snow Queen. +'I want to go and peep into the black caldrons!' She meant the volcanoes +Etna and Vesuvius by this. 'I must whiten them a little; it does them +good, and the lemons and the grapes too!' And away she flew. + +Kay sat quite alone in all those many miles of empty ice halls. He +looked at his bits of ice, and thought and thought, till something gave +way within him. He sat so stiff and immovable that one might have +thought he was frozen to death. + +Then it was that little Gerda walked into the Palace, through the great +gates in a biting wind. She said her evening prayer, and the wind +dropped as if lulled to sleep, and she walked on into the big empty +hall. She saw Kay, and knew him at once; she flung her arms round his +neck, held him fast, and cried, 'Kay, little Kay, have I found you at +last?' + +But he sat still, rigid and cold. + +Then little Gerda shed hot tears; they fell upon his breast and +penetrated to his heart. Here they thawed the lump of ice, and melted +the little bit of the mirror which was in it. He looked at her, and she +sang: + + 'Where roses deck the flowery vale, + There, Infant Jesus, we thee hail!' + +Then Kay burst into tears; he cried so much that the grain of glass +was washed out of his eye. He knew her, and shouted with joy, 'Gerda, +dear little Gerda! where have you been for such a long time? And where +have I been?' He looked round and said, 'How cold it is here; how empty +and vast!' He kept tight hold of Gerda, who laughed and cried for joy. +Their happiness was so heavenly that even the bits of ice danced for joy +around them; and when they settled down, there they lay! just in the +very position the Snow Queen had told Kay he must find out, if he was to +become his own master and have the whole world and a new pair of skates. + +Gerda kissed his cheeks and they grew rosy, she kissed his eyes and they +shone like hers, she kissed his hands and his feet, and he became well +and strong. The Snow Queen might come home whenever she liked, his order +of release was written there in shining letters of ice. + +They took hold of each other's hands and wandered out of the big Palace. +They talked about grandmother, and about the roses upon the roof. +Wherever they went the winds lay still and the sun broke through the +clouds. When they reached the bush with the red berries they found the +reindeer waiting for them, and he had brought another young reindeer +with him, whose udders were full. The children drank her warm milk and +kissed her on the mouth. Then they carried Kay and Gerda, first to the +Finn woman, in whose heated hut they warmed themselves and received +directions about the homeward journey. Then they went on to the Lapp +woman; she had made new clothes for them and prepared her sledge. Both +the reindeer ran by their side, to the boundaries of the country; here +the first green buds appeared, and they said 'Good-bye' to the reindeer +and the Lapp woman. They heard the first little birds twittering and saw +the buds in the forest. Out of it came riding a young girl on a +beautiful horse, which Gerda knew, for it had drawn the golden chariot. +She had a scarlet cap on her head and pistols in her belt; it was the +little robber girl, who was tired of being at home. She was riding +northwards to see how she liked it before she tried some other part of +the world. She knew them again, and Gerda recognised her with delight. + +'You are a nice fellow to go tramping off!' she said to little Kay. 'I +should like to know if you deserve to have somebody running to the end +of the world for your sake!' + +But Gerda patted her cheek, and asked about the Prince and Princess. + +'They are travelling in foreign countries,' said the robber girl. + +'But the crow?' asked Gerda. + +'Oh, the crow is dead!' she answered. 'The tame sweetheart is a widow, +and goes about with a bit of black wool tied round her leg. She pities +herself bitterly, but it's all nonsense! But tell me how you got on +yourself, and where you found him.' + +Gerda and Kay both told her all about it. + +'Snip, snap, snurre, it's all right at last then!' she said, and she +took hold of their hands and promised that if she ever passed through +their town she would pay them a visit. Then she rode off into the wide +world. But Kay and Gerda walked on, hand in hand, and wherever they went +they found the most delightful spring and blooming flowers. Soon they +recognised the big town where they lived, with its tall towers, in which +the bells still rang their merry peals. They went straight on to +grandmother's door, up the stairs and into her room. Everything was just +as they had left it, and the old clock ticked in the corner, and the +hands pointed to the time. As they went through the door into the room +they perceived that they were grown up. The roses clustered round the +open window, and there stood their two little chairs. Kay and Gerda sat +down upon them, still holding each other by the hand. All the cold empty +grandeur of the Snow Queen's palace had passed from their memory like a +bad dream. Grandmother sat in God's warm sunshine reading from her +Bible. + +'Without ye become as little children ye cannot enter into the Kingdom +of Heaven.' + +Kay and Gerda looked into each other's eyes, and then all at once the +meaning of the old hymn came to them. + + 'Where roses deck the flowery vale, + There, Infant Jesus, we thee hail!' + +And there they both sat, grown up and yet children, children at heart; +and it was summer--warm, beautiful summer. + + + + +THE NIGHTINGALE + +[Illustration: _Among these trees lived a nightingale, which sang so +deliciously, that even the poor fisherman, who had plenty of other +things to do, lay still to listen to it, when he was out at night +drawing in his nets._] + +In China, as you know, the Emperor is a Chinaman, and all the people +around him are Chinamen too. It is many years since the story I am going +to tell you happened, but that is all the more reason for telling it, +lest it should be forgotten. The emperor's palace was the most beautiful +thing in the world; it was made entirely of the finest porcelain, very +costly, but at the same time so fragile that it could only be touched +with the very greatest care. There were the most extraordinary flowers +to be seen in the garden; the most beautiful ones had little silver +bells tied to them, which tinkled perpetually, so that one should not +pass the flowers without looking at them. Every little detail in the +garden had been most carefully thought out, and it was so big, that even +the gardener himself did not know where it ended. If one went on +walking, one came to beautiful woods with lofty trees and deep lakes. +The wood extended to the sea, which was deep and blue, deep enough for +large ships to sail up right under the branches of the trees. Among +these trees lived a nightingale, which sang so deliciously, that even +the poor fisherman, who had plenty of other things to do, lay still to +listen to it, when he was out at night drawing in his nets. 'Heavens, +how beautiful it is!' he said, but then he had to attend to his business +and forgot it. The next night when he heard it again he would again +exclaim, 'Heavens, how beautiful it is!' + +Travellers came to the emperor's capital, from every country in the +world; they admired everything very much, especially the palace and the +gardens, but when they heard the nightingale they all said, 'This is +better than anything!' + +When they got home they described it, and the learned ones wrote many +books about the town, the palace and the garden; but nobody forgot the +nightingale, it was always put above everything else. Those among them +who were poets wrote the most beautiful poems, all about the nightingale +in the woods by the deep blue sea. These books went all over the world, +and in course of time some of them reached the emperor. He sat in his +golden chair reading and reading, and nodding his head, well pleased to +hear such beautiful descriptions of the town, the palace and the garden. +'But the nightingale is the best of all,' he read. + +'What is this?' said the emperor. 'The nightingale? Why, I know nothing +about it. Is there such a bird in my kingdom, and in my own garden into +the bargain, and I have never heard of it? Imagine my having to +discover this from a book?' + +Then he called his gentleman-in-waiting, who was so grand that when any +one of a lower rank dared to speak to him, or to ask him a question, he +would only answer 'P,' which means nothing at all. + +'There is said to be a very wonderful bird called a nightingale here,' +said the emperor. 'They say that it is better than anything else in all +my great kingdom! Why have I never been told anything about it?' + +'I have never heard it mentioned,' said the gentleman-in-waiting. 'It +has never been presented at court.' + +'I wish it to appear here this evening to sing to me,' said the emperor. +'The whole world knows what I am possessed of, and I know nothing about +it!' + +'I have never heard it mentioned before,' said the gentleman-in-waiting. +'I will seek it, and I will find it!' But where was it to be found? The +gentleman-in-waiting ran upstairs and downstairs and in and out of all +the rooms and corridors. No one of all those he met had ever heard +anything about the nightingale; so the gentleman-in-waiting ran back to +the emperor, and said that it must be a myth, invented by the writers of +the books. 'Your imperial majesty must not believe everything that is +written; books are often mere inventions, even if they do not belong to +what we call the black art!' + +'But the book in which I read it is sent to me by the powerful Emperor +of Japan, so it can't be untrue. I will hear this nightingale; I insist +upon its being here to-night. I extend my most gracious protection to +it, and if it is not forthcoming, I will have the whole court trampled +upon after supper!' + +'Tsing-pe!' said the gentleman-in-waiting, and away he ran again, up and +down all the stairs, in and out of all the rooms and corridors; half the +court ran with him, for they none of them wished to be trampled on. +There was much questioning about this nightingale, which was known to +all the outside world, but to no one at court. At last they found a poor +little maid in the kitchen. She said, 'Oh heavens, the nightingale? I +know it very well. Yes, indeed it can sing. Every evening I am allowed +to take broken meat to my poor sick mother: she lives down by the shore. +On my way back, when I am tired, I rest awhile in the wood, and then I +hear the nightingale. Its song brings the tears into my eyes; I feel as +if my mother were kissing me!' + +'Little kitchen-maid,' said the gentleman-in-waiting, 'I will procure +you a permanent position in the kitchen, and permission to see the +emperor dining, if you will take us to the nightingale. It is commanded +to appear at court to-night.' + +Then they all went out into the wood where the nightingale usually sang. +Half the court was there. As they were going along at their best pace a +cow began to bellow. + +'Oh!' said a young courtier, 'there we have it. What wonderful power +for such a little creature; I have certainly heard it before.' + +'No, those are the cows bellowing; we are a long way yet from the +place.' Then the frogs began to croak in the marsh. + +'Beautiful!' said the Chinese chaplain, 'it is just like the tinkling of +church bells.' + +'No, those are the frogs!' said the little kitchen-maid. 'But I think we +shall soon hear it now!' + +Then the nightingale began to sing. + +'There it is!' said the little girl. 'Listen, listen, there it sits!' +and she pointed to a little grey bird up among the branches. + +'Is it possible?' said the gentleman-in-waiting. 'I should never have +thought it was like that. How common it looks! Seeing so many grand +people must have frightened all its colours away.' + +'Little nightingale!' called the kitchen-maid quite loud, 'our gracious +emperor wishes you to sing to him!' + +'With the greatest of pleasure!' said the nightingale, warbling away in +the most delightful fashion. + +'It is just like crystal bells,' said the gentleman-in-waiting. 'Look at +its little throat, how active it is. It is extraordinary that we have +never heard it before! I am sure it will be a great success at court!' + +'Shall I sing again to the emperor?' said the nightingale, who thought +he was present. + +'My precious little nightingale,' said the gentleman-in-waiting, 'I have +the honour to command your attendance at a court festival to-night, +where you will charm his gracious majesty the emperor with your +fascinating singing.' + +'It sounds best among the trees,' said the nightingale, but it went with +them willingly when it heard that the emperor wished it. + +[Illustration: _'Is it possible?' said the gentleman-in-waiting. 'I +should never have thought it was like that. How common it looks. Seeing +so many grand people must have frightened all its colours away.'_] + +The palace had been brightened up for the occasion. The walls and the +floors, which were all of china, shone by the light of many thousand +golden lamps. The most beautiful flowers, all of the tinkling kind, were +arranged in the corridors; there was hurrying to and fro, and a great +draught, but this was just what made the bells ring; one's ears were +full of the tinkling. In the middle of the large reception-room where +the emperor sat a golden rod had been fixed, on which the nightingale +was to perch. The whole court was assembled, and the little kitchen-maid +had been permitted to stand behind the door, as she now had the actual +title of cook. They were all dressed in their best; everybody's eyes +were turned towards the little grey bird at which the emperor was +nodding. The nightingale sang delightfully, and the tears came into the +emperor's eyes, nay, they rolled down his cheeks; and then the +nightingale sang more beautifully than ever, its notes touched all +hearts. The emperor was charmed, and said the nightingale should +have his gold slipper to wear round its neck. But the nightingale +declined with thanks; it had already been sufficiently rewarded. + +'I have seen tears in the eyes of the emperor; that is my richest +reward. The tears of an emperor have a wonderful power! God knows I am +sufficiently recompensed!' and then it again burst into its sweet +heavenly song. + +'That is the most delightful coquetting I have ever seen!' said the +ladies, and they took some water into their mouths to try and make the +same gurgling when any one spoke to them, thinking so to equal the +nightingale. Even the lackeys and the chambermaids announced that they +were satisfied, and that is saying a great deal; they are always the +most difficult people to please. Yes, indeed, the nightingale had made a +sensation. It was to stay at court now, and to have its own cage, as +well as liberty to walk out twice a day, and once in the night. It +always had twelve footmen, with each one holding a ribbon which was tied +round its leg. There was not much pleasure in an outing of that sort. + +The whole town talked about the marvellous bird, and if two people met, +one said to the other 'Night,' and the other answered 'Gale,' and then +they sighed, perfectly understanding each other. Eleven cheesemongers' +children were called after it, but they had not got a voice among them. + +One day a large parcel came for the emperor; outside was written the +word 'Nightingale.' + +'Here we have another new book about this celebrated bird,' said the +emperor. But it was no book; it was a little work of art in a box, an +artificial nightingale, exactly like the living one, but it was studded +all over with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. + +When the bird was wound up it could sing one of the songs the real one +sang, and it wagged its tail, which glittered with silver and gold. A +ribbon was tied round its neck on which was written, 'The Emperor of +Japan's nightingale is very poor compared to the Emperor of China's.' + +Everybody said, 'Oh, how beautiful!' And the person who brought the +artificial bird immediately received the title of Imperial +Nightingale-Carrier in Chief. + +'Now, they must sing together; what a duet that will be.' + +Then they had to sing together, but they did not get on very well, for +the real nightingale sang in its own way, and the artificial one could +only sing waltzes. + +'There is no fault in that,' said the music-master; 'it is perfectly in +time and correct in every way!' + +Then the artificial bird had to sing alone. It was just as great a +success as the real one, and then it was so much prettier to look at; it +glittered like bracelets and breast-pins. + +[Illustration: _Then it again burst into its sweet heavenly song.] + +'That is the most delightful coquetting I have ever seen!' said the +ladies, and they took some water into their mouths to try and make the +same gurgling, thinking so to equal the nightingale._ + +It sang the same tune three and thirty times over, and yet it was +not tired; people would willingly have heard it from the beginning +again, but the emperor said that the real one must have a turn now--but +where was it? No one had noticed that it had flown out of the open +window, back to its own green woods. + +'But what is the meaning of this?' said the emperor. + +All the courtiers railed at it, and said it was a most ungrateful bird. + +'We have got the best bird though,' said they, and then the artificial +bird had to sing again, and this was the thirty-fourth time that they +heard the same tune, but they did not know it thoroughly even yet, +because it was so difficult. + +The music-master praised the bird tremendously, and insisted that it was +much better than the real nightingale, not only as regarded the outside +with all the diamonds, but the inside too. + +'Because you see, my ladies and gentlemen, and the emperor before all, +in the real nightingale you never know what you will hear, but in the +artificial one everything is decided beforehand! So it is, and so it +must remain, it can't be otherwise. You can account for things, you can +open it and show the human ingenuity in arranging the waltzes, how they +go, and how one note follows upon another!' + +'Those are exactly my opinions,' they all said, and the music-master got +leave to show the bird to the public next Sunday. They were also to hear +it sing, said the emperor. So they heard it, and all became as +enthusiastic over it as if they had drunk themselves merry on tea, +because that is a thoroughly Chinese habit. + +Then they all said 'Oh,' and stuck their forefingers in the air and +nodded their heads; but the poor fishermen who had heard the real +nightingale said, 'It sounds very nice, and it is very like the real +one, but there is something wanting, we don't know what.' The real +nightingale was banished from the kingdom. + +The artificial bird had its place on a silken cushion, close to the +emperor's bed: all the presents it had received of gold and precious +jewels were scattered round it. Its title had risen to be 'Chief +Imperial Singer of the Bed-Chamber,' in rank number one, on the left +side; for the emperor reckoned that side the important one, where the +heart was seated. And even an emperor's heart is on the left side. The +music-master wrote five-and-twenty volumes about the artificial bird; +the treatise was very long and written in all the most difficult Chinese +characters. Everybody said they had read and understood it, for +otherwise they would have been reckoned stupid, and then their bodies +would have been trampled upon. + +[Illustration: _The music-master wrote five-and-twenty volumes about the +artificial bird; the treatise was very long and written in all the most +difficult Chinese characters._] + +Things went on in this way for a whole year. The emperor, the court, and +all the other Chinamen knew every little gurgle in the song of the +artificial bird by heart; but they liked it all the better for this, and +they could all join in the song themselves. Even the street boys +sang 'zizizi' and 'cluck, cluck, cluck,' and the emperor sang it too. + +But one evening when the bird was singing its best, and the emperor was +lying in bed listening to it, something gave way inside the bird with a +'whizz.' Then a spring burst, 'whirr' went all the wheels, and the music +stopped. The emperor jumped out of bed and sent for his private +physicians, but what good could they do? Then they sent for the +watchmaker, and after a good deal of talk and examination he got the +works to go again somehow; but he said it would have to be saved as much +as possible, because it was so worn out, and he could not renew the +works so as to be sure of the tune. This was a great blow! They only +dared to let the artificial bird sing once a year, and hardly that; but +then the music-master made a little speech, using all the most difficult +words. He said it was just as good as ever, and his saying it made it +so. + +Five years now passed, and then a great grief came upon the nation, for +they were all very fond of their emperor, and he was ill and could not +live, it was said. A new emperor was already chosen, and people stood +about in the street, and asked the gentleman-in-waiting how their +emperor was going on. + +'P,' answered he, shaking his head. + +The emperor lay pale and cold in his gorgeous bed, the courtiers thought +he was dead, and they all went off to pay their respects to their new +emperor. The lackeys ran off to talk matters over, and the chambermaids +gave a great coffee-party. Cloth had been laid down in all the rooms and +corridors so as to deaden the sound of footsteps, so it was very, very +quiet. But the emperor was not dead yet. He lay stiff and pale in the +gorgeous bed with its velvet hangings and heavy golden tassels. There +was an open window high above him, and the moon streamed in upon the +emperor, and the artificial bird beside him. + +The poor emperor could hardly breathe, he seemed to have a weight on his +chest, he opened his eyes, and then he saw that it was Death sitting +upon his chest, wearing his golden crown. In one hand he held the +emperor's golden sword, and in the other his imperial banner. Round +about, from among the folds of the velvet hangings peered many curious +faces: some were hideous, others gentle and pleasant. They were all the +emperor's good and bad deeds, which now looked him in the face when +Death was weighing him down. + +'Do you remember that?' whispered one after the other; 'Do you remember +this?' and they told him so many things that the perspiration poured +down his face. + +'I never knew that,' said the emperor. 'Music, music, sound the great +Chinese drums!' he cried, 'that I may not hear what they are saying.' +But they went on and on, and Death sat nodding his head, just like a +Chinaman, at everything that was said. + +'Music, music!' shrieked the emperor. 'You precious little golden bird, +sing, sing! I have loaded you with precious stones, and even hung my own +golden slipper round your neck; sing, I tell you, sing!' + +But the bird stood silent; there was nobody to wind it up, so of course +it could not go. Death continued to fix the great empty sockets of his +eyes upon him, and all was silent, so terribly silent. + +Suddenly, close to the window, there was a burst of lovely song; it was +the living nightingale, perched on a branch outside. It had heard of the +emperor's need, and had come to bring comfort and hope to him. As it +sang the faces round became fainter and fainter, and the blood coursed +with fresh vigour in the emperor's veins and through his feeble limbs. +Even Death himself listened to the song and said, 'Go on, little +nightingale, go on!' + +'Yes, if you give me the gorgeous golden sword; yes, if you give me the +imperial banner; yes, if you give me the emperor's crown.' + +And Death gave back each of these treasures for a song, and the +nightingale went on singing. It sang about the quiet churchyard, when +the roses bloom, where the elder flower scents the air, and where the +fresh grass is ever moistened anew by the tears of the mourner. This +song brought to Death a longing for his own garden, and, like a cold +grey mist, he passed out of the window. + +'Thanks, thanks!' said the emperor; 'you heavenly little bird, I know +you! I banished you from my kingdom, and yet you have charmed the evil +visions away from my bed by your song, and even Death away from my +heart! How can I ever repay you?' + +'You have rewarded me,' said the nightingale. 'I brought the tears to +your eyes, the very first time I ever sang to you, and I shall never +forget it! Those are the jewels which gladden the heart of a +singer;--but sleep now, and wake up fresh and strong! I will sing to +you!' + +Then it sang again, and the emperor fell into a sweet refreshing sleep. +The sun shone in at his window, when he woke refreshed and well; none of +his attendants had yet come back to him, for they thought he was dead, +but the nightingale still sat there singing. + +'You must always stay with me!' said the emperor. 'You shall only sing +when you like, and I will break the artificial bird into a thousand +pieces!' + +[Illustration: _Even Death himself listened to the song and said, 'Go +on, little nightingale, go on!'_] + +'Don't do that!' said the nightingale, 'it did all the good it could! +keep it as you have always done! I can't build my nest and live in this +palace, but let me come whenever I like, then I will sit on the branch +in the evening, and sing to you. I will sing to cheer you and to make +you thoughtful too; I will sing to you of the happy ones, and of those +that suffer too. I will sing about the good and the evil, which are kept +hidden from you. The little singing bird flies far and wide, to the poor +fisherman, and the peasant's home, to numbers who are far from you and +your court. I love your heart more than your crown, and yet there is an +odour of sanctity round the crown too!--I will come, and I will +sing to you!--But you must promise me one thing!-- + +'Everything!' said the emperor, who stood there in his imperial robes +which he had just put on, and he held the sword heavy with gold upon his +heart. + +'One thing I ask you! Tell no one that you have a little bird who tells +you everything; it will be better so!' + +Then the nightingale flew away. The attendants came in to see after +their dead emperor, and there he stood, bidding them 'Good morning!' + + + + +THE REAL PRINCESS + + +There was once a prince, and he wanted a princess, but then she must be +a _real_ Princess. He travelled right round the world to find one, but +there was always something wrong. There were plenty of princesses, but +whether they were real princesses he had great difficulty in +discovering; there was always something which was not quite right about +them. So at last he had to come home again, and he was very sad because +he wanted a real princess so badly. + +One evening there was a terrible storm; it thundered and lightened and +the rain poured down in torrents; indeed it was a fearful night. + +In the middle of the storm somebody knocked at the town gate, and the +old King himself went to open it. + +It was a princess who stood outside, but she was in a terrible state +from the rain and the storm. The water streamed out of her hair and her +clothes; it ran in at the top of her shoes and out at the heel, but she +said that she was a real princess. + +'Well we shall soon see if that is true,' thought the old Queen, but she +said nothing. She went into the bedroom, took all the bedclothes off and +laid a pea on the bedstead: then she took twenty mattresses and piled +them on the top of the pea, and then twenty feather beds on the top of +the mattresses. This was where the princess was to sleep that night. In +the morning they asked her how she had slept. + +'Oh terribly badly!' said the princess. 'I have hardly closed my eyes +the whole night! Heaven knows what was in the bed. I seemed to be lying +upon some hard thing, and my whole body is black and blue this morning. +It is terrible!' + +They saw at once that she must be a real princess when she had felt the +pea through twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. Nobody but a real +princess could have such a delicate skin. + +So the prince took her to be his wife, for now he was sure that he had +found a real princess, and the pea was put into the Museum, where it may +still be seen if no one has stolen it. + +Now this is a true story. + + + + +THE GARDEN OF PARADISE + + +There was once a king's son; nobody had so many or such beautiful books +as he had. He could read about everything which had ever happened in +this world, and see it all represented in the most beautiful pictures. +He could get information about every nation and every country; but as to +where the Garden of Paradise was to be found, not a word could he +discover, and this was the very thing he thought most about. His +grandmother had told him, when he was quite a little fellow and was +about to begin his school life, that every flower in the Garden of +Paradise was a delicious cake, and that the pistils were full of wine. +In one flower history was written, in another geography or tables; you +had only to eat the cake and you knew the lesson. The more you ate, the +more history, geography and tables you knew. All this he believed then; +but as he grew older and wiser and learnt more, he easily perceived that +the delights of the Garden of Paradise must be far beyond all this. + +[Illustration: _His grandmother had told him, when he was quite a +little fellow and was about to begin his school life, that every flower +in the Garden of Paradise was a delicious cake, and that the pistils +were full of wine._] + +'Oh, why did Eve take of the tree of knowledge? Why did Adam eat the +forbidden fruit? If it had only been I it would not have happened! never +would sin have entered the world!' + +This is what he said then, and he still said it when he was seventeen; +his thoughts were full of the Garden of Paradise. + +He walked into the wood one day; he was alone, for that was his greatest +pleasure. Evening came on, the clouds drew up and it rained as if the +whole heaven had become a sluice from which the water poured in sheets; +it was as dark as it is otherwise in the deepest well. Now he slipped on +the wet grass, and then he fell on the bare stones which jutted out of +the rocky ground. Everything was dripping, and at last the poor Prince +hadn't got a dry thread on him. He had to climb over huge rocks where +the water oozed out of the thick moss. He was almost fainting; just then +he heard a curious murmuring and saw in front of him a big lighted cave. +A fire was burning in the middle, big enough to roast a stag, which was +in fact being done; a splendid stag with its huge antlers was stuck on a +spit, being slowly turned round between the hewn trunks of two fir +trees. An oldish woman, tall and strong enough to be a man dressed up, +sat by the fire throwing on logs from time to time. + +'Come in, by all means!' she said; 'sit down by the fire so that your +clothes may dry!' + +'There is a shocking draught here,' said the Prince, as he sat down on +the ground. + +'It will be worse than this when my sons come home!' said the woman. +'You are in the cavern of the winds; my sons are the four winds of the +world! Do you understand?' + +'Who are your sons?' asked the Prince. + +'Well that's not so easy to answer when the question is stupidly put,' +said the woman. 'My sons do as they like; they are playing rounders now +with the clouds up there in the great hall,' and she pointed up into the +sky. + +'Oh indeed!' said the Prince. 'You seem to speak very harshly, and you +are not so gentle as the women I generally see about me!' + +'Oh, I daresay they have nothing else to do! I have to be harsh if I am +to keep my boys under control! But I can do it, although they are a +stiff-necked lot! Do you see those four sacks hanging on the wall? They +are just as frightened of them as you used to be of the cane behind the +looking-glass. I can double the boys up, I can tell you, and then they +have to go into the bag; we don't stand upon ceremony, and there they +have to stay; they can't get out to play their tricks till it suits me +to let them. But here we have one of them.' It was the Northwind who +came in with an icy blast; great hailstones peppered about the floor and +snow-flakes drifted in. He was dressed in bearskin trousers and jacket, +and he had a sealskin cap drawn over his ears. Long icicles were +hanging from his beard, and one hailstone after another dropped down +from the collar of his jacket. + +'Don't go straight to the fire,' said the Prince. 'You might easily get +chilblains!' + +'Chilblains!' said the Northwind with a loud laugh. 'Chilblains! they +are my greatest delight! What sort of a feeble creature are you? How did +you get into the cave of the winds?' + +'He is my guest,' said the old woman, 'and if you are not pleased with +that explanation you may go into the bag! Now you know my opinion!' + +This had its effect, and the Northwind told them where he came from, and +where he had been for the last month. + +'I come from the Arctic seas,' he said. 'I have been on Behring Island +with the Russian walrus-hunters. I sat at the helm and slept when they +sailed from the north cape, and when I woke now and then the stormy +petrels were flying about my legs. They are queer birds; they give a +brisk flap with their wings and then keep them stretched out and +motionless, and even then they have speed enough.' + +'Pray don't be too long-winded,' said the mother of the winds. 'So at +last you got to Behring Island!' + +'It's perfectly splendid! There you have a floor to dance upon, as flat +as a pancake, half-thawed snow, with moss. There were bones of whales +and Polar bears lying about; they looked like the legs and arms of +giants covered with green mould. One would think that the sun had never +shone on them. I gave a little puff to the fog so that one could see the +shed. It was a house built of wreckage and covered with the skins of +whales; the flesh side was turned outwards; it was all red and green; a +living Polar bear sat on the roof growling. I went to the shore and +looked at the birds' nests, looked at the unfledged young ones screaming +and gaping; then I blew down thousands of their throats and they learnt +to shut their mouths. Lower down the walruses were rolling about like +monster maggots with pigs' heads and teeth a yard long!' + +'You're a good story-teller, my boy!' said his mother. 'It makes my +mouth water to hear you!' + +'Then there was a hunt! The harpoons were plunged into the walruses' +breasts, and the steaming blood spurted out of them like fountains over +the ice. Then I remembered my part of the game! I blew up and made my +ships, the mountain-high icebergs, nip the boats; whew! how they +whistled and how they screamed, but I whistled louder. They were obliged +to throw the dead walruses, chests and ropes out upon the ice! I shook +the snow-flakes over them and let them drift southwards to taste the +salt water. They will never come back to Behring Island!' + +'Then you've been doing evil!' said the mother of the winds. + +'What good I did, the others may tell you,' 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 splendid cool breeze with him!' + +'Is that the little Zephyr?' asked the Prince. + +'Yes, certainly it is Zephyr, but he is not so little as all that. He +used to be a pretty boy once, but that's gone by!' + +He looked like a wild man of the woods, but he had a padded hat on so as +not to come to any harm. He carried a mahogany club cut in the American +mahogany forests. It could not be anything less than that. + +'Where do you come from?' asked his mother. + +'From the forest wildernesses!' he said, 'where the thorny creepers make +a fence between every tree, where the water-snake lies in the wet grass, +and where human beings seem to be superfluous!' + +'What did you do there?' + +'I looked at the mighty river, saw where it dashed over the rocks in +dust and flew with the clouds to carry the rainbow. I saw the wild +buffalo swimming in the river, but the stream carried him away; he +floated with the wild duck, which soared into the sky at the rapids; but +the buffalo was carried over with the water. I liked that and blew a +storm, so that the primaeval trees had to sail too, and they were whirled +about like shavings.' + +'And you have done nothing else?' asked the old woman. + +'I have been turning somersaults in the Savannahs, patting the wild +horse, and shaking down cocoanuts! Oh yes, I have plenty of stories to +tell! But one need not tell everything. You know that very well, old +woman!' and then he kissed his mother so heartily that she nearly fell +backwards; he was indeed a wild boy. + +The Southwind appeared now in a turban and a flowing bedouin's cloak. + +'It is fearfully cold in here,' he said, throwing wood on the fire; 'it +is easy to see that the Northwind got here first!' + +'It is hot enough here to roast a polar bear,' said the Northwind. + +'You are a polar bear yourself!' said the Southwind. + +'Do you want to go into the bag?' asked the old woman. 'Sit down on that +stone and tell us where you have been.' + +'In Africa, mother!' he answered. 'I have been chasing the lion with the +Hottentots in Kaffirland! What grass there is on those plains! as green +as an olive. The gnu was dancing about, and the ostriches ran races with +me, but I am still the fastest. I went to the desert with its yellow +sand. It looks like the bottom of the sea. I met a caravan! They were +killing their last camel to get water to drink, but it wasn't much they +got. The sun was blazing above, and the sand burning below. There were +no limits to the outstretched desert. Then I burrowed into the fine +loose sand and whirled it up in great columns--that was a dance! You +should have seen how despondently the dromedaries stood, and the +merchant drew his caftan over his head. He threw himself down before me +as if I had been Allah, his god. Now they are buried, and there is a +pyramid of sand over them all; when I blow it away, sometime the sun +will bleach their bones, and then travellers will see that people have +been there before, otherwise you would hardly believe it in the desert!' + +'Then you have only been doing harm!' said the mother. 'Into the bag you +go!' And before he knew where he was she had the Southwind by the waist +and in the bag; it rolled about on the ground, but she sat down upon it +and then it had to be quiet. + +'Your sons are lively fellows!' said the Prince. + +'Yes, indeed,' she said; 'but I can master them! Here comes the fourth.' + +It was the Eastwind, and he was dressed like a Chinaman. + +'Oh, have you come from that quarter?' said the mother. 'I thought you +had been in the Garden of Paradise.' + +'I am only going there to-morrow!' said the Eastwind. 'It will be a +hundred years to-morrow since I have been there. I have just come from +China, where I danced round the porcelain tower till all the bells +jingled. The officials were flogged in the streets, the bamboo canes +were broken over their shoulders, and they were all people ranging from +the first to the ninth rank. They shrieked "Many thanks, Father and +benefactor," but they didn't mean what they said, and I went on ringing +the bells and singing "Tsing, tsang, tsu!"' + +'You're quite uproarious about it!' said the old woman. 'It's a good +thing you are going to the Garden of Paradise to-morrow; it always has a +good effect on your behaviour. Mind you drink deep of the well of +wisdom, and bring a little bottleful home to me.' + +'That I will,' said the Eastwind, 'But why have you put my brother from +the south into the bag? Out with him. He must tell me about the +phoenix; the Princess always wants to hear about that bird when I call +every hundred years. Open the bag! then you'll be my sweetest mother, +and I'll give you two pockets full of tea as green and fresh as when I +picked it!' + +'Well, for the sake of the tea, and because you are my darling, I will +open my bag!' + +She did open it and the Southwind crept out, but he was quite +crestfallen because the strange Prince had seen his disgrace. + +'Here is a palm leaf for the Princess!' said the Southwind. 'The old +phoenix, the only one in the world, gave it to me. He has scratched +his whole history on it with his bill, for the hundred years of his +life, and she can read it for herself. I saw how the phoenix set fire +to his nest himself and sat on it while it burnt, like the widow of a +Hindoo. Oh, how the dry branches crackled, how it smoked, and what a +smell there was! At last it all burst into flame; the old bird was burnt +to ashes, but his egg lay glowing in the fire; it broke with a loud bang +and the young one flew out. Now it rules over all the birds, and it is +the only phoenix in the world. He bit a hole in the leaf I gave you; +that is his greeting to the Princess.' + +'Let us have something to eat now!' said the mother of the winds; and +they all sat down to eat the roast stag, and the Prince sat by the side +of the Eastwind, so they soon became good friends. + +'I say,' said the Prince, 'just tell me who is this Princess, and where +is the Garden of Paradise?' + +'Oh ho!' said the Eastwind, 'if that is where you want to go you must +fly with me to-morrow. But I may as well tell you that no human being +has been there since Adam and Eve's time. You know all about them I +suppose from your Bible stories?' + +'Of course,' said the Prince. + +'When they were driven away the Garden of Eden sank into the ground, but +it kept its warm sunshine, its mild air, and all its charms. The queen +of the fairies lives there. The Island of Bliss, where death never +enters, and where living is a delight, is there. Get on my back +to-morrow and I will take you with me; I think I can manage it! But you +mustn't talk now, I want to go to sleep.' + +When the Prince woke up in the early morning, he was not a little +surprised to find that he was already high above the clouds. He was +sitting on the back of the Eastwind, who was holding him carefully; they +were so high up that woods and fields, rivers and lakes, looked like a +large coloured map. + +'Good morning,' said the Eastwind. 'You may as well sleep a little +longer, for there is not much to be seen in this flat country below us, +unless you want to count the churches. They look like chalk dots on the +green board.' + +He called the fields and meadows 'the green board.' + +'It was very rude of me to leave without saying good-bye to your mother +and brothers,' said the Prince. + +'One is excused when one is asleep!' said the Eastwind, and they flew on +faster than ever. You could mark their flight by the rustling of the +trees as they passed over the woods; and whenever they crossed a lake, +or the sea, the waves rose and the great ships dipped low down in the +water, like floating swans. Towards evening the large towns were amusing +as it grew dark, with all their lights twinkling now here, now there, +just as when one burns a piece of paper and sees all the little sparks +like children coming home from school. The Prince clapped his hands, but +the Eastwind told him he had better leave off and hold tight, or he +might fall and find himself hanging on to a church steeple. + +The eagle in the great forest flew swiftly, but the Eastwind flew more +swiftly still. The Kossack on his little horse sped fast over the +plains, but the Prince sped faster still. + +[Illustration: _The eagle in the great forest flew swiftly, but the +Eastwind flew more swiftly still._] + +'Now you can see the Himalayas!' said the Eastwind. 'They are the +highest mountains in Asia; we shall soon reach the Garden of Paradise.' + +They took a more southerly direction, and the air became scented with +spices and flowers. Figs and pomegranates grew wild, and the wild vines +were covered with blue and green grapes. They both descended here and +stretched themselves on the soft grass, where the flowers nodded to the +wind, as much as to say, 'Welcome back.' + +'Are we in the Garden of Paradise now?' asked the Prince. + +'No, certainly not!' answered the Eastwind. 'But we shall soon be there. +Do you see that wall of rock and the great cavern where the wild vine +hangs like a big curtain? We have to go through there! Wrap yourself up +in your cloak, the sun is burning here, but a step further on it is icy +cold. The bird which flies past the cavern has one wing out here in the +heat of summer, and the other is there in the cold of winter.' + +'So that is the way to the Garden of Paradise!' said the Prince. + +Now they entered the cavern. Oh, how icily cold it was; but it did not +last long. The Eastwind spread his wings, and they shone like the +brightest flame; but what a cave it was! Large blocks of stone, from +which the water dripped, hung over them in the most extraordinary +shapes; at one moment it was so low and narrow that they had to crawl +on hands and knees, the next it was as wide and lofty as if they were in +the open air. It looked like a chapel of the dead, with mute organ pipes +and petrified banners. + +'We seem to be journeying along Death's road to the Garden of Paradise!' +said the Prince, but the Eastwind never answered a word, he only pointed +before them where a beautiful blue light was shining. The blocks of +stone above them grew dimmer and dimmer, and at last they became as +transparent as a white cloud in the moonshine. The air was also +deliciously soft, as fresh as on the mountain-tops and as scented as +down among the roses in the valley. + +A river ran there as clear as the air itself, and the fish in it were +like gold and silver. Purple eels, which gave out blue sparks with every +curve, gambolled about in the water; and the broad leaves of the +water-lilies were tinged with the hues of the rainbow, while the flower +itself was like a fiery orange flame, nourished by the water, just as +oil keeps a lamp constantly burning. A firm bridge of marble, as +delicately and skilfully carved as if it were lace and glass beads, led +over the water to the Island of Bliss, where the Garden of Paradise +bloomed. + +The Eastwind took the Prince in his arms and bore him over. The flowers +and leaves there sang all the beautiful old songs of his childhood, but +sang them more wonderfully than any human voice could sing them. + +Were these palm trees or giant water plants growing here? The Prince +had never seen such rich and mighty trees. The most wonderful climbing +plants hung in wreaths, such as are only to be found pictured in gold +and colours on the margins of old books of the Saints or entwined among +their initial letters. It was the most extraordinary combination of +birds, flowers and scrolls. + +Close by on the grass stood a flock of peacocks with their brilliant +tails outspread. Yes, indeed, it seemed so, but when the Prince touched +them he saw that they were not birds but plants. They were big dock +leaves, which shone like peacocks' tails. Lions and tigers sprang like +agile cats among the green hedges, which were scented with the blossom +of the olive, and the lion and the tiger were tame. The wild dove, +glistening like a pearl, beat the lion's mane with his wings; and the +antelope, otherwise so shy, stood by nodding, just as if he wanted to +join the game. + +The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them; her garments shone +like the sun, and her face beamed like that of a happy mother rejoicing +over her child. She was young and very beautiful, and was surrounded by +a band of lovely girls, each with a gleaming star in her hair. + +When the Eastwind gave her the inscribed leaf from the Phoenix her +eyes sparkled with delight. She took the Prince's hand and led him into +her palace, where the walls were the colour of the brightest tulips in +the sunlight. The ceiling was one great shining flower, and the longer +one gazed into it the deeper the calyx seemed to be. The Prince went to +the window, and looking through one of the panes saw the Tree of +Knowledge, with the Serpent, and Adam and Eve standing by. + +'Are they not driven out?' he asked, and the Fairy smiled, and explained +that Time had burned a picture into each pane, but not of the kind one +usually sees; they were alive, the leaves on the trees moved, and people +came and went like the reflections in a mirror. + +Then he looked through another pane, and he saw Jacob's dream, with the +ladder going straight up into heaven, and angels with great wings were +fluttering up and down. All that had ever happened in this world lived +and moved on these window panes; only Time could imprint such wonderful +pictures. + +[Illustration: _The Fairy of the Garden now advanced to meet them; her +garments shone like the sun, and her face beamed like that of a happy +mother rejoicing over her child._] + +The Fairy smiled and led him into a large, lofty room, the walls of +which were like transparent paintings of faces, one more beautiful than +the other. These were millions of the Blessed who smiled and sang, and +all their songs melted into one perfect melody. The highest ones were so +tiny that they seemed smaller than the very smallest rosebud, no bigger +than a pinpoint in a drawing. In the middle of the room stood a large +tree, with handsome drooping branches; golden apples, large and small, +hung like oranges among its green leaves. It was the Tree of +Knowledge, of whose fruit Adam and Eve had eaten. From every leaf +hung a shining red drop of dew; it was as if the tree wept tears of +blood. + +'Now let us get into the boat,' said the Fairy. 'We shall find +refreshment on the swelling waters. The boat rocks, but it does not move +from the spot; all the countries of the world will pass before our +eyes.' + +It was a curious sight to see the whole coast move. Here came lofty +snow-clad Alps, with their clouds and dark fir trees. The horn echoed +sadly among them, and the shepherd yodelled sweetly in the valleys. Then +banian trees bent their long drooping branches over the boat, black +swans floated on the water, and the strangest animals and flowers +appeared on the shore. This was New Holland, the fifth portion of the +world, which glided past them with a view of its blue mountains. They +heard the song of priests, and saw the dances of the savages to the +sound of drums and pipes of bone. The pyramids of Egypt reaching to the +clouds, with fallen columns, and Sphynxes half buried in sand, next +sailed past them. Then came the Aurora Borealis blazing over the peaks +of the north; they were fireworks which could not be imitated. The +Prince was so happy, and he saw a hundred times more than we have +described. + +'Can I stay here always?' he asked. + +'That depends upon yourself,' answered the Fairy. 'If you do not, like +Adam, allow yourself to be tempted to do what is forbidden, you can stay +here always.' + +'I will not touch the apples on the Tree of Knowledge,' said the Prince. +'There are thousands of other fruits here as beautiful.' + +'Test yourself, and if you are not strong enough, go back with the +Eastwind who brought you. He is going away now, and will not come back +for a hundred years; the time will fly in this place like a hundred +hours, but that is a long time for temptation and sin. Every evening +when I leave you I must say, "Come with me," and I must beckon to you, +but stay behind. Do not come with me, for with every step you take your +longing will grow stronger. You will reach the hall where grows the Tree +of Knowledge; I sleep beneath its fragrant drooping branches. You will +bend over me and I must smile, but if you press a kiss upon my lips +Paradise will sink deep down into the earth, and it will be lost to you. +The sharp winds of the wilderness will whistle round you, the cold rain +will drop from your hair. Sorrow and labour will be your lot.' + +'I will remain here!' said the Prince. + +And the Eastwind kissed him on the mouth and said: 'Be strong, then we +shall meet again in a hundred years. Farewell! Farewell!' And the +Eastwind spread his great wings; they shone like poppies at the harvest +time, or the Northern Lights in a cold winter. + +'Good-bye! good-bye!' whispered the flowers. Storks and pelicans flew +in a line like waving ribbons, conducting him to the boundaries of the +Garden. + +'Now we begin our dancing!' said the Fairy; 'at the end when I dance +with you, as the sun goes down you will see me beckon to you and cry, +"Come with me", but do not come. I have to repeat it every night for a +hundred years. Every time you resist, you will grow stronger, and at +last you will not even think of following. To-night is the first time. +Remember my warning!' + +And the Fairy led him into a large hall of white transparent lilies, the +yellow stamens in each formed a little golden harp which echoed the +sound of strings and flutes. Lovely girls, slender and lissom, dressed +in floating gauze, which revealed their exquisite limbs, glided in the +dance, and sang of the joy of living--that they would never die--and +that the Garden of Paradise would bloom for ever. + +The sun went down and the sky was bathed in golden light which gave the +lilies the effect of roses; and the Prince drank of the foaming wine +handed to him by the maidens. He felt such joy as he had never known +before; he saw the background of the hall opening where the Tree of +Knowledge stood in a radiancy which blinded him. The song proceeding +from it was soft and lovely, like his mother's voice, and she seemed to +say, 'My child, my beloved child!' + +Then the Fairy beckoned to him and said so tenderly, 'Come with me,' +that he rushed towards her, forgetting his promise, forgetting +everything on the very first evening that she smiled and beckoned to +him. + +The fragrance in the scented air around grew stronger, the harps sounded +sweeter than ever, and it seemed as if the millions of smiling heads in +the hall where the Tree grew nodded and sang, 'One must know everything. +Man is lord of the earth.' They were no longer tears of blood which fell +from the Tree; it seemed to him that they were red shining stars. + +'Come with me, come with me,' spoke those trembling tones, and at every +step the Prince's cheeks burnt hotter and hotter and his blood coursed +more rapidly. + +'I must go,' he said, 'it is no sin; I must see her asleep; nothing will +be lost if I do not kiss her, and that I will not do. My will is +strong.' + +The Fairy dropped her shimmering garment, drew back the branches, and a +moment after was hidden within their depths. + +'I have not sinned yet!' said the Prince, 'nor will I'; then he drew +back the branches. There she lay asleep already, beautiful as only the +Fairy in the Garden of Paradise can be. She smiled in her dreams; he +bent over her and saw the tears welling up under her eyelashes. + +[Illustration: _The Fairy dropped her shimmering garment, drew back the +branches, and a moment after was hidden within their depths._] + +'Do you weep for me?' he whispered. 'Weep not, beautiful maiden. I +only now understand the full bliss of Paradise; it surges through my +blood and through my thoughts. I feel the strength of the angels and of +everlasting life in my mortal limbs! If it were to be everlasting night +to me, a moment like this were worth it!' and he kissed away the tears +from her eyes; his mouth touched hers. + +Then came a sound like thunder, louder and more awful than any he had +ever heard before, and everything around collapsed. The beautiful Fairy, +the flowery Paradise sank deeper and deeper. The Prince saw it sink into +the darkness of night; it shone far off like a little tiny twinkling +star. The chill of death crept over his limbs; he closed his eyes and +lay long as if dead. + +The cold rain fell on his face, and the sharp wind blew around his head, +and at last his memory came back. 'What have I done?' he sighed. 'I have +sinned like Adam, sinned so heavily that Paradise has sunk low beneath +the earth!' And he opened his eyes; he could still see the star, the +far-away star, which twinkled like Paradise; it was the morning star in +the sky. He got up and found himself in the wood near the cave of the +winds, and the mother of the winds sat by his side. She looked angry and +raised her hand. + +'So soon as the first evening!' she said. 'I thought as much; if you +were my boy, you should go into the bag!' + +'Ah, he shall soon go there!' said Death. He was a strong old man, with +a scythe in his hand and great black wings. 'He shall be laid in a +coffin, but not now; I only mark him and then leave him for a time to +wander about on the earth to expiate his sin and to grow better. I will +come some time. When he least expects me, I shall come back, lay him in +a black coffin, put it on my head, and fly to the skies. The Garden of +Paradise blooms there too, and if he is good and holy he shall enter +into it; but if his thoughts are wicked and his heart still full of sin, +he will sink deeper in his coffin than Paradise sank, and I shall only +go once in every thousand years to see if he is to sink deeper or to +rise to the stars, the twinkling stars up there.' + + + + +THE MERMAID + + +Far out at sea the water is as blue as the bluest cornflower, and as +clear as the clearest crystal; but it is very deep, too deep for any +cable to fathom, and if many steeples were piled on the top of one +another they would not reach from the bed of the sea to the surface of +the water. It is down there that the Mermen live. + +Now don't imagine that there are only bare white sands at the bottom; oh +no! the most wonderful trees and plants grow there, with such flexible +stalks and leaves, that at the slightest motion of the water they move +just as if they were alive. All the fish, big and little, glide among +the branches just as, up here, birds glide through the air. The palace +of the Merman King lies in the very deepest part; its walls are of coral +and the long pointed windows of the clearest amber, but the roof is made +of mussel shells which open and shut with the lapping of the water. This +has a lovely effect, for there are gleaming pearls in every shell, any +one of which would be the pride of a queen's crown. + +The Merman King had been for many years a widower, but his old mother +kept house for him; she was a clever woman, but so proud of her noble +birth that she wore twelve oysters on her tail, while the other grandees +were only allowed six. Otherwise she was worthy of all praise, +especially because she was so fond of the little mermaid princesses, her +grandchildren. They were six beautiful children, but the youngest was +the prettiest of all; her skin was as soft and delicate as a roseleaf, +her eyes as blue as the deepest sea, but like all the others she had no +feet, and instead of legs she had a fish's tail. + +All the livelong day they used to play in the palace in the great halls, +where living flowers grew out of the walls. When the great amber windows +were thrown open the fish swam in, just as the swallows fly into our +rooms when we open the windows, but the fish swam right up to the little +princesses, ate out of their hands, and allowed themselves to be patted. + +[Illustration: _The Merman King had been for many years a widower, but +his old mother kept house for him; she was a clever woman, but so proud +of her noble birth that she wore twelve oysters on her tail, while the +other grandees were only allowed six._] + +Outside the palace was a large garden, with fiery red and deep blue +trees, the fruit of which shone like gold, while the flowers glowed like +fire on their ceaselessly waving stalks. The ground was of the finest +sand, but it was of a blue phosphorescent tint. Everything was bathed in +a wondrous blue light down there; you might more readily have supposed +yourself to be high up in the air, with only the sky above and below +you, than that you were at the bottom of the ocean. In a dead calm you +could just catch a glimpse of the sun like a purple flower with a +stream of light radiating from its calyx. + +Each little princess had her own little plot of garden, where she could +dig and plant just as she liked. One made her flower-bed in the shape of +a whale; another thought it nice to have hers like a little mermaid; but +the youngest made hers quite round like the sun, and she would only have +flowers of a rosy hue like its beams. She was a curious child, quiet and +thoughtful, and while the other sisters decked out their gardens with +all kinds of extraordinary objects which they got from wrecks, she would +have nothing besides the rosy flowers like the sun up above, except a +statue of a beautiful boy. It was hewn out of the purest white marble +and had gone to the bottom from some wreck. By the statue she planted a +rosy red weeping willow which grew splendidly, and the fresh delicate +branches hung round and over it, till they almost touched the blue sand +where the shadows showed violet, and were ever moving like the branches. +It looked as if the leaves and the roots were playfully interchanging +kisses. + +Nothing gave her greater pleasure than to hear about the world of human +beings up above; she made her old grandmother tell her all that she knew +about ships and towns, people and animals. But above all it seemed +strangely beautiful to her that up on the earth the flowers were +scented, for they were not so at the bottom of the sea; also that the +woods were green, and that the fish which were to be seen among the +branches could sing so loudly and sweetly that it was a delight to +listen to them. You see the grandmother called little birds fish, or the +mermaids would not have understood her, as they had never seen a bird. + +'When you are fifteen,' said the grandmother, 'you will be allowed to +rise up from the sea and sit on the rocks in the moonlight, and look at +the big ships sailing by, and you will also see woods and towns.' + +One of the sisters would be fifteen in the following year, but the +others,--well, they were each one year younger than the other, so that +the youngest had five whole years to wait before she would be allowed to +come up from the bottom, to see what things were like on earth. But each +one promised the others to give a full account of all that she had seen, +and found most wonderful on the first day. Their grandmother could never +tell them enough, for there were so many things about which they wanted +information. + +None of them was so full of longings as the youngest, the very one who +had the longest time to wait, and who was so quiet and dreamy. Many a +night she stood by the open windows and looked up through the dark blue +water which the fish were lashing with their tails and fins. She could +see the moon and the stars, it is true; their light was pale, but they +looked much bigger through the water than they do to our eyes. When she +saw a dark shadow glide between her and them, she knew that it was +either a whale swimming above her, or else a ship laden with human +beings. I am certain they never dreamt that a lovely little mermaid was +standing down below, stretching up her white hands towards the keel. + +The eldest princess had now reached her fifteenth birthday, and was to +venture above the water. When she came back she had hundreds of things +to tell them, but the most delightful of all, she said, was to lie in +the moonlight, on a sandbank in a calm sea, and to gaze at the large +town close to the shore, where the lights twinkled like hundreds of +stars; to listen to music and the noise and bustle of carriages and +people, to see the many church towers and spires, and to hear the bells +ringing; and just because she could not go on shore she longed for that +most of all. + +Oh, how eagerly the youngest sister listened! and when, later in the +evening she stood at the open window and looked up through the dark blue +water, she thought of the big town with all its noise and bustle, and +fancied that she could even hear the church bells ringing. + +The year after, the second sister was allowed to mount up through the +water and swim about wherever she liked. The sun was just going down +when she reached the surface, the most beautiful sight, she thought, +that she had ever seen. The whole sky had looked like gold, she said, +and as for the clouds! well, their beauty was beyond description; they +floated in red and violet splendour over her head, and, far faster than +they went, a flock of wild swans flew like a long white veil over the +water towards the setting sun; she swam towards it, but it sank and all +the rosy light on clouds and water faded away. + +The year after that the third sister went up, and, being much the most +venturesome of them all, swam up a broad river which ran into the sea. +She saw beautiful green, vine-clad hills; palaces and country seats +peeping through splendid woods. She heard the birds singing, and the sun +was so hot that she was often obliged to dive, to cool her burning face. +In a tiny bay she found a troop of little children running about naked +and paddling in the water; she wanted to play with them, but they were +frightened and ran away. Then a little black animal came up; it was a +dog, but she had never seen one before; it barked so furiously at her +that she was frightened and made for the open sea. She could never +forget the beautiful woods, the green hills and the lovely children who +could swim in the water although they had no fishes' tails. + +The fourth sister was not so brave; she stayed in the remotest part of +the ocean, and, according to her account, that was the most beautiful +spot. You could see for miles and miles around you, and the sky above +was like a great glass dome. She had seen ships, but only far away, so +that they looked like sea-gulls. There were grotesque dolphins turning +somersaults, and gigantic whales squirting water through their nostrils +like hundreds of fountains on every side. + +Now the fifth sister's turn came. Her birthday fell in the winter, so +that she saw sights that the others had not seen on their first trips. +The sea looked quite green, and large icebergs were floating about, each +one of which looked like a pearl, she said, but was much bigger than the +church towers built by men. They took the most wonderful shapes, and +sparkled like diamonds. She had seated herself on one of the largest, +and all the passing ships sheered off in alarm when they saw her sitting +there with her long hair streaming loose in the wind. + +In the evening the sky became overcast with dark clouds; it thundered +and lightened, and the huge icebergs glittering in the bright lightning, +were lifted high into the air by the black waves. All the ships +shortened sail, and there was fear and trembling on every side, but she +sat quietly on her floating iceberg watching the blue lightning flash in +zigzags down on to the shining sea. + +The first time any of the sisters rose above the water she was delighted +by the novelties and beauties she saw; but once grown up, and at liberty +to go where she liked, she became indifferent and longed for her home; +in the course of a month or so they all said that after all their own +home in the deep was best, it was so cosy there. + +Many an evening the five sisters interlacing their arms would rise above +the water together. They had lovely voices, much clearer than any +mortal, and when a storm was rising, and they expected ships to be +wrecked, they would sing in the most seductive strains of the wonders of +the deep, bidding the seafarers have no fear of them. But the sailors +could not understand the words, they thought it was the voice of the +storm; nor could it be theirs to see this Elysium of the deep, for when +the ship sank they were drowned, and only reached the Merman's palace in +death. When the elder sisters rose up in this manner, arm-in-arm, in the +evening, the youngest remained behind quite alone, looking after them as +if she must weep; but mermaids have no tears, and so they suffer all the +more. + +'Oh! if I were only fifteen!' she said, 'I know how fond I shall be of +the world above, and of the mortals who dwell there.' + +At last her fifteenth birthday came. + +'Now we shall have you off our hands,' said her grandmother, the old +queen-dowager. 'Come now, let me adorn you like your other sisters!' and +she put a wreath of white lilies round her hair, but every petal of the +flowers was half a pearl; then the old queen had eight oysters fixed on +to the princess's tail to show her high rank. + +'But it hurts so!' said the little mermaid. + +'You must endure the pain for the sake of the finery!' said her +grandmother. + +But oh! how gladly would she have shaken off all this splendour, and +laid aside the heavy wreath. Her red flowers in her garden suited her +much better, but she did not dare to make any alteration. 'Good-bye,' +she said, and mounted as lightly and airily as a bubble through the +water. + +The sun had just set when her head rose above the water, but the clouds +were still lighted up with a rosy and golden splendour, and the evening +star sparkled in the soft pink sky, the air was mild and fresh, and the +sea as calm as a millpond. A big three-masted ship lay close by with +only a single sail set, for there was not a breath of wind, and the +sailors were sitting about the rigging, on the cross-trees, and at the +mast-heads. There was music and singing on board, and as the evening +closed in hundreds of gaily coloured lanterns were lighted--they looked +like the flags of all nations waving in the air. The little mermaid swam +right up to the cabin windows, and every time she was lifted by the +swell she could see through the transparent panes crowds of gaily +dressed people. The handsomest of them all was the young prince with +large dark eyes; he could not be much more than sixteen, and all these +festivities were in honour of his birthday. The sailors danced on deck, +and when the prince appeared among them hundreds of rockets were let off +making it as light as day, and frightening the little mermaid so much +that she had to dive under the water. She soon ventured up again, and it +was just as if all the stars of heaven were falling in showers round +about her. She had never seen such magic fires. Great suns whirled +round, gorgeous fire-fish hung in the blue air, and all was reflected +in the calm and glassy sea. It was so light on board the ship that every +little rope could be seen, and the people still better. Oh, how handsome +the prince was! how he laughed and smiled as he greeted his guests, +while the music rang out in the quiet night. + +It got quite late, but the little mermaid could not take her eyes off +the ship and the beautiful prince. The coloured lanterns were put out, +no more rockets were sent up, and the cannon had ceased its thunder, but +deep down in the sea there was a dull murmuring and moaning sound. +Meanwhile she was rocked up and down on the waves, so that she could +look into the cabin; but the ship got more and more way on, sail after +sail was filled by the wind, the waves grew stronger, great clouds +gathered, and it lightened in the distance. Oh, there was going to be a +fearful storm! and soon the sailors had to shorten sail. The great ship +rocked and rolled as she dashed over the angry sea, the black waves rose +like mountains, high enough to overwhelm her, but she dived like a swan +through them and rose again and again on their towering crests. The +little mermaid thought it a most amusing race, but not so the sailors. +The ship creaked and groaned; the mighty timbers bulged and bent under +the heavy blows; the water broke over the decks, snapping the main mast +like a reed; she heeled over on her side, and the water rushed into the +hold. + +Now the little mermaid saw that they were in danger, and she had for +her own sake to beware of the floating beams and wreckage. One moment it +was so pitch dark that she could not see at all, but when the lightning +flashed it became so light that she could see all on board. Every man +was looking out for his own safety as best he could; but she more +particularly followed the young prince with her eyes, and when the ship +went down she saw him sink in the deep sea. At first she was quite +delighted, for now he was coming to be with her, but then she remembered +that human beings could not live under water, and that only if he were +dead could he go to her father's palace. No! he must not die; so she +swam towards him all among the drifting beams and planks, quite +forgetting that they might crush her. She dived deep down under the +water, and came up again through the waves, and at last reached the +young prince just as he was becoming unable to swim any further in the +stormy sea. His limbs were numbed, his beautiful eyes were closing, and +he must have died if the little mermaid had not come to the rescue. She +held his head above the water and let the waves drive them whithersoever +they would. + +By daybreak all the storm was over, of the ship not a trace was to be +seen; the sun rose from the water in radiant brilliance, and his rosy +beams seemed to cast a glow of life into the prince's cheeks, but his +eyes remained closed. The mermaid kissed his fair and lofty brow, and +stroked back the dripping hair; it seemed to her that he was like the +marble statue in her little garden; she kissed him again and longed that +he might live. + +At last she saw dry land before her, high blue mountains on whose +summits the white snow glistened as if a flock of swans had settled +there; down by the shore were beautiful green woods, and in the +foreground a church or temple, she did not quite know which, but it was +a building of some sort. Lemon and orange trees grew in the garden, and +lofty palms stood by the gate. At this point the sea formed a little bay +where the water was quite calm, but very deep, right up to the cliffs; +at their foot was a strip of fine white sand to which she swam with the +beautiful prince, and laid him down on it, taking great care that his +head should rest high up in the warm sunshine. + +The bells now began to ring in the great white building, and a number of +young maidens came into the garden. Then the little mermaid swam further +off behind some high rocks and covered her hair and breast with foam, so +that no one should see her little face, and then she watched to see who +would discover the poor prince. + +[Illustration: _His limbs were numbed, his beautiful eyes were closing, +and he must have died if the little mermaid had not come to the +rescue._] + +It was not long before one of the maidens came up to him. At first she +seemed quite frightened, but only for a moment, and then she fetched +several others, and the mermaid saw that the prince was coming to life, +and that he smiled at all those around him, but he never smiled at her. +You see he did not know that she had saved him. She felt so sad +that when he was led away into the great building she dived sorrowfully +into the water and made her way home to her father's palace. + +Always silent and thoughtful, she became more so now than ever. Her +sisters often asked her what she had seen on her first visit to the +surface, but she never would tell them anything. + +Many an evening and many a morning she would rise to the place where she +had left the prince. She saw the fruit in the garden ripen, and then +gathered, she saw the snow melt on the mountain-tops, but she never saw +the prince, so she always went home still sadder than before. At home +her only consolation was to sit in her little garden with her arms +twined round the handsome marble statue which reminded her of the +prince. It was all in gloomy shade now, as she had ceased to tend her +flowers, and the garden had become a neglected wilderness of long stalks +and leaves entangled with the branches of the tree. + +At last she could not bear it any longer, so she told one of her +sisters, and from her it soon spread to the others, but to no one else +except to one or two other mermaids who only told their dearest friends. +One of these knew all about the prince; she had also seen the +festivities on the ship; she knew where he came from and where his +kingdom was situated. + +'Come, little sister!' said the other princesses, and, throwing their +arms round each other's shoulders, they rose from the water in a long +line, just in front of the prince's palace. + +It was built of light yellow glistening stone, with great marble +staircases, one of which led into the garden. Magnificent gilded cupolas +rose above the roof, and the spaces between the columns which encircled +the building were filled with life-like marble statues. Through the +clear glass of the lofty windows you could see gorgeous halls adorned +with costly silken hangings, and the pictures on the walls were a sight +worth seeing. In the midst of the central hall a large fountain played, +throwing its jets of spray upwards to a glass dome in the roof, through +which the sunbeams lighted up the water and the beautiful plants which +grew in the great basin. + +She knew now where he lived, and often used to go there in the evenings +and by night over the water. She swam much nearer the land than any of +the others dared; she even ventured right up the narrow channel under +the splendid marble terrace which threw a long shadow over the water. +She used to sit here looking at the young prince, who thought he was +quite alone in the clear moonlight. + +She saw him many an evening sailing about in his beautiful boat, with +flags waving and music playing; she used to peep through the green +rushes, and if the wind happened to catch her long silvery veil and any +one saw it, they only thought it was a swan flapping its wings. + +Many a night she heard the fishermen, who were fishing by torchlight, +talking over the good deeds of the young prince; and she was happy to +think that she had saved his life when he was drifting about on the +waves, half dead, and she could not forget how closely his head had +pressed her breast, and how passionately she had kissed him; but he knew +nothing of all this, and never saw her even in his dreams. + +She became fonder and fonder of mankind, and longed more and more to be +able to live among them; their world seemed so infinitely bigger than +hers; with their ships they could scour the ocean, they could ascend the +mountains high above the clouds, and their wooded, grass-grown lands +extended further than her eye could reach. There was so much that she +wanted to know, but her sisters could not give an answer to all her +questions, so she asked her old grandmother, who knew the upper world +well, and rightly called it the country above the sea. + +'If men are not drowned,' asked the little mermaid, 'do they live for +ever? Do they not die as we do down here in the sea?' + +'Yes,' said the old lady, 'they have to die too, and their lifetime is +even shorter than ours. We may live here for three hundred years, but +when we cease to exist we become mere foam on the water and do not have +so much as a grave among our dear ones. We have no immortal souls; we +have no future life; we are just like the green sea-weed, which, once +cut down, can never revive again! Men, on the other hand, have a soul +which lives for ever, lives after the body has become dust; it rises +through the clear air, up to the shining stars! Just as we rise from the +water to see the land of mortals, so they rise up to unknown beautiful +regions which we shall never see.' + +'Why have we no immortal souls?' asked the little mermaid sadly. 'I +would give all my three hundred years to be a human being for one day, +and afterwards to have a share in the heavenly kingdom.' + +'You must not be thinking about that,' said the grandmother; 'we are +much better off and happier than human beings.' + +'Then I shall have to die and to float as foam on the water, and never +hear the music of the waves or see the beautiful flowers or the red sun! +Is there nothing I can do to gain an immortal soul?' + +'No,' said the grandmother; 'only if a human being so loved you that you +were more to him than father or mother, if all his thoughts and all his +love were so centred in you that he would let the priest join your hands +and would vow to be faithful to you here, and to all eternity; then your +body would become infused with his soul. Thus, and only thus, could you +gain a share in the felicity of mankind. He would give you a soul while +yet keeping his own. But that can never happen! That which is your +greatest beauty in the sea, your fish's tail, is thought hideous up on +earth, so little do they understand about it; to be pretty there you +must have two clumsy supports which they call legs!' + +Then the little mermaid sighed and looked sadly at her fish's tail. + +'Let us be happy,' said the grandmother; 'we will hop and skip during +our three hundred years of life; it is surely a long enough time; and +after it is over we shall rest all the better in our graves. There is to +be a court ball to-night.' + +This was a much more splendid affair than we ever see on earth. The +walls and the ceiling of the great ballroom were of thick but +transparent glass. Several hundreds of colossal mussel shells, rose red +and grass green, were ranged in order round the sides holding blue +lights, which illuminated the whole room and shone through the walls, so +that the sea outside was quite lit up. You could see countless fish, +great and small, swimming towards the glass walls, some with shining +scales of crimson hue, while others were golden and silvery. In the +middle of the room was a broad stream of running water, and on this the +mermaids and mermen danced to their own beautiful singing. No earthly +beings have such lovely voices. The little mermaid sang more sweetly +than any of them, and they all applauded her. For a moment she felt glad +at heart, for she knew that she had the finest voice either in the sea +or on land. But she soon began to think again about the upper world, she +could not forget the handsome prince and her sorrow in not possessing, +like him, an immortal soul. Therefore she stole out of her father's +palace, and while all within was joy and merriment, she sat sadly in her +little garden. Suddenly she heard the sound of a horn through the water, +and she thought, 'Now he is out sailing up there; he whom I love more +than father or mother, he to whom my thoughts cling and to whose hands I +am ready to commit the happiness of my life. I will dare anything to win +him and to gain an immortal soul! While my sisters are dancing in my +father's palace I will go to the sea-witch, of whom I have always been +very much afraid; she will perhaps be able to advise and help me!' + +Thereupon the little mermaid left the garden and went towards the +roaring whirlpools at the back of which the witch lived. She had never +been that way before; no flowers grew there, no seaweed, only the bare +grey sands, stretched towards the whirlpools, which like rushing +mill-wheels swirled round, dragging everything that came within reach +down to the depths. She had to pass between these boiling eddies to +reach the witch's domain, and for a long way the only path led over warm +bubbling mud, which the witch called her 'peat bog.' Her house stood +behind this in the midst of a weird forest. All the trees and bushes +were polyps, half animal and half plant; they looked like hundred-headed +snakes growing out of the sand, the branches were long slimy arms, with +tentacles like wriggling worms, every joint of which, from the root to +the outermost tip, was in constant motion. They wound themselves tightly +round whatever they could lay hold of and never let it escape. The +little mermaid standing outside was quite frightened, her heart beat +fast with terror and she nearly turned back, but then she remembered the +prince and the immortal soul of mankind and took courage. She bound her +long flowing hair tightly round her head, so that the polyps should not +seize her by it, folded her hands over her breast, and darted like a +fish through the water, in between the hideous polyps, which stretched +out their sensitive arms and tentacles towards her. She could see that +every one of them had something or other, which they had grasped with +their hundred arms, and which they held as if in iron bands. The +bleached bones of men who had perished at sea and sunk below peeped +forth from the arms of some, while others clutched rudders and +sea-chests, or the skeleton of some land animal; and most horrible of +all, a little mermaid whom they had caught and suffocated. Then she came +to a large opening in the wood where the ground was all slimy, and where +some huge fat water snakes were gambolling about. In the middle of this +opening was a house built of the bones of the wrecked; there sat the +witch, letting a toad eat out of her mouth, just as mortals let a little +canary eat sugar. She called the hideous water snakes her little +chickens, and allowed them to crawl about on her unsightly bosom. + +'I know very well what you have come here for,' said the witch. 'It is +very foolish of you! all the same you shall have your way, because it +will lead you into misfortune, my fine princess. You want to get rid of +your fish's tail, and instead to have two stumps to walk about upon like +human beings, so that the young prince may fall in love with you, and +that you may win him and an immortal soul.' Saying this, she gave such a +loud hideous laugh that the toad and the snakes fell to the ground and +wriggled about there. + +'You are just in the nick of time,' said the witch; 'after sunrise +to-morrow I should not be able to help you until another year had run +its course. I will make you a potion, and before sunrise you must swim +ashore with it, seat yourself on the beach and drink it; then your tail +will divide and shrivel up to what men call beautiful legs. But it +hurts; it is as if a sharp sword were running through you. All who see +you will say that you are the most beautiful child of man they have ever +seen. You will keep your gliding gait, no dancer will rival you, but +every step you take will be as if you were treading upon sharp knives, +so sharp as to draw blood. If you are willing to suffer all this I am +ready to help you!' + +'Yes!' said the little princess with a trembling voice, thinking of the +prince and of winning an undying soul. + +'But remember,' said the witch, 'when once you have received a human +form, you can never be a mermaid again; you will never again be able to +dive down through the water to your sisters and to your father's palace. +And if you do not succeed in winning the prince's love, so that for your +sake he will forget father and mother, cleave to you with his whole +heart, let the priest join your hands and make you man and wife, you +will gain no immortal soul! The first morning after his marriage with +another your heart will break, and you will turn into foam of the sea.' + +'I will do it,' said the little mermaid as pale as death. + +'But you will have to pay me, too,' said the witch, 'and it is no trifle +that I demand. You have the most beautiful voice of any at the bottom of +the sea, and I daresay that you think you will fascinate him with it; +but you must give me that voice; I will have the best you possess in +return for my precious potion! I have to mingle my own blood with it so +as to make it as sharp as a two-edged sword.' + +'But if you take my voice,' said the little mermaid, 'what have I left?' + +'Your beautiful form,' said the witch, 'your gliding gait, and your +speaking eyes; with these you ought surely to be able to bewitch a human +heart. Well! have you lost courage? Put out your little tongue, and I +will cut it off in payment for the powerful draught.' + +'Let it be done,' said the little mermaid, and the witch put on her +caldron to brew the magic potion. 'There is nothing like cleanliness,' +said she, as she scoured the pot with a bundle of snakes; then she +punctured her breast and let the black blood drop into the caldron, and +the steam took the most weird shapes, enough to frighten any one. Every +moment the witch threw new ingredients into the pot, and when it boiled +the bubbling was like the sound of crocodiles weeping. At last the +potion was ready and it looked like the clearest water. + +'There it is,' said the witch, and thereupon she cut off the tongue of +the little mermaid, who was dumb now and could neither sing nor speak. + +'If the polyps should seize you, when you go back through my wood,' said +the witch, 'just drop a single drop of this liquid on them, and their +arms and fingers will burst into a thousand pieces.' But the little +mermaid had no need to do this, for at the mere sight of the bright +liquid, which sparkled in her hand like a shining star, they drew back +in terror. So she soon got past the wood, the bog, and the eddying +whirlpools. + +She saw her father's palace; the lights were all out in the great +ballroom, and no doubt all the household was asleep, but she did not +dare to go in now that she was dumb and about to leave her home for +ever. She felt as if her heart would break with grief. She stole into +the garden and plucked a flower from each of her sisters' plots, wafted +with her hand countless kisses towards the palace, and then rose up +through the dark blue water. + +[Illustration: _But the little mermaid had no need to do this, for at +the mere sight of the bright liquid which sparkled in her hand like a +shining star, they drew back in terror._] + +The sun had not risen when she came in sight of the prince's palace +and landed at the beautiful marble steps. The moon was shining bright +and clear. The little mermaid drank the burning, stinging draught, and +it was like a sharp, two-edged sword running through her tender frame; +she fainted away and lay as if she were dead. When the sun rose on the +sea she woke up and became conscious of a sharp pang, but just in front +of her stood the handsome young prince, fixing his coal black eyes on +her; she cast hers down and saw that her fish's tail was gone, and that +she had the prettiest little white legs any maiden could desire; but she +was quite naked, so she wrapped her long thick hair around her. The +prince asked who she was and how she came there. She looked at him +tenderly and with a sad expression in her dark blue eyes, but could not +speak. Then he took her by the hand and led her into the palace. Every +step she took was, as the witch had warned her beforehand, as if she +were treading on sharp knives and spikes, but she bore it gladly; led by +the prince, she moved as lightly as a bubble, and he and every one else +marvelled at her graceful gliding gait. + +Clothed in the costliest silks and muslins she was the greatest beauty +in the palace, but she was dumb, and could neither sing nor speak. +Beautiful slaves clad in silks and gold came forward and sang to the +prince and his royal parents; one of them sang better than all the +others, and the prince clapped his hands and smiled at her; that made +the little mermaid very sad, for she knew that she used to sing far +better herself. She thought, 'Oh! if he only knew that for the sake of +being with him I had given up my voice for ever!' Now the slaves began +to dance, graceful undulating dances to enchanting music; thereupon the +little mermaid, lifting her beautiful white arms and raising herself on +tiptoe, glided on the floor with a grace which none of the other dancers +had yet attained. With every motion her grace and beauty became more +apparent, and her eyes appealed more deeply to the heart than the songs +of the slaves. Every one was delighted with it, especially the prince, +who called her his little foundling; and she danced on and on, +notwithstanding that every time her foot touched the ground it was like +treading on sharp knives. The prince said that she should always be near +him, and she was allowed to sleep outside his door on a velvet cushion. + +He had a man's dress made for her, so that she could ride about with +him. They used to ride through scented woods, where the green branches +brushed her shoulders, and little birds sang among the fresh leaves. She +climbed up the highest mountains with the prince, and although her +delicate feet bled so that others saw it, she only laughed and followed +him until they saw the clouds sailing below them like a flock of birds, +taking flight to distant lands. + +[Illustration: _The prince asked who she was and how she came there; she +looked at him tenderly and with a sad expression in her dark blue eyes, +but could not speak._] + +At home in the prince's palace, when at night the others were +asleep, she used to go out on to the marble steps; it cooled her +burning feet to stand in the cold sea-water, and at such times she used +to think of those she had left in the deep. + +One night her sisters came arm in arm; they sang so sorrowfully as they +swam on the water that she beckoned to them, and they recognised her, +and told her how she had grieved them all. After that they visited her +every night, and one night she saw, a long way out, her old grandmother +(who for many years had not been above the water), and the Merman King +with his crown on his head; they stretched out their hands towards her, +but did not venture so close to land as her sisters. + +Day by day she became dearer to the prince; he loved her as one loves a +good sweet child, but it never entered his head to make her his queen; +yet unless she became his wife she would never win an everlasting soul, +but on his wedding morning would turn to sea-foam. + +'Am I not dearer to you than any of them?' the little mermaid's eyes +seemed to say when he took her in his arms and kissed her beautiful +brow. + +'Yes, you are the dearest one to me,' said the prince, 'for you have the +best heart of them all, and you are fondest of me; you are also like a +young girl I once saw, but whom I never expect to see again. I was on +board a ship which was wrecked; I was driven on shore by the waves close +to a holy Temple where several young girls were ministering at a +service; the youngest of them found me on the beach and saved my life; I +saw her but twice. She was the only person I could love in this world, +but you are like her, you almost drive her image out of my heart. She +belongs to the holy Temple, and therefore by good fortune you have been +sent to me; we will never part!' + +'Alas! he does not know that it was I who saved his life,' thought the +little mermaid. 'I bore him over the sea to the wood where the Temple +stands. I sat behind the foam and watched to see if any one would come. +I saw the pretty girl he loves better than me.' And the mermaid heaved a +bitter sigh, for she could not weep. + +'The girl belongs to the holy Temple, he has said; she will never return +to the world, they will never meet again. I am here with him; I see him +every day. Yes! I will tend him, love him, and give up my life to him.' + +But now the rumour ran that the prince was to be married to the +beautiful daughter of a neighbouring king, and for that reason was +fitting out a splendid ship. It was given out that the prince was going +on a voyage to see the adjoining countries, but it was without doubt to +see the king's daughter; he was to have a great suite with him. But the +little mermaid shook her head and laughed; she knew the prince's +intentions much better than any of the others. 'I must take this +voyage,' he had said to her; 'I must go and see the beautiful princess; +my parents demand that, but they will never force me to bring her home +as my bride; I can never love her! She will not be like the lovely girl +in the Temple whom you resemble. If ever I had to choose a bride it +would sooner be you with your speaking eyes, my sweet, dumb foundling!' +And he kissed her rosy mouth, played with her long hair, and laid his +head upon her heart, which already dreamt of human joys and an immortal +soul. + +'You are not frightened of the sea, I suppose, my dumb child?' he said, +as they stood on the proud ship which was to carry them to the country +of the neighbouring king; and he told her about storms and calms, about +curious fish in the deep, and the marvels seen by divers; and she smiled +at his tales, for she knew all about the bottom of the sea much better +than any one else. + +At night, in the moonlight, when all were asleep, except the steersman +who stood at the helm, she sat at the side of the ship trying to pierce +the clear water with her eyes, and fancied she saw her father's palace, +and above it her old grandmother with her silver crown on her head, +looking up through the cross currents towards the keel of the ship. Then +her sisters rose above the water; they gazed sadly at her, wringing +their white hands. She beckoned to them, smiled, and was about to tell +them that all was going well and happily with her, when the cabin-boy +approached, and the sisters dived down, but he supposed that the white +objects he had seen were nothing but flakes of foam. + +The next morning the ship entered the harbour of the neighbouring king's +magnificent city. The church bells rang and trumpets were sounded from +every lofty tower, while the soldiers paraded with flags flying and +glittering bayonets. There was a _fete_ every day, there was a +succession of balls, and receptions followed one after the other, but +the princess was not yet present; she was being brought up a long way +off, in a holy Temple they said, and was learning all the royal virtues. +At last she came. The little mermaid stood eager to see her beauty, and +she was obliged to confess that a lovelier creature she had never +beheld. Her complexion was exquisitely pure and delicate, and her +trustful eyes of the deepest blue shone through their dark lashes. + +'It is you,' said the prince, 'you who saved me when I lay almost +lifeless on the beach?' and he clasped his blushing bride to his heart. +'Oh! I am too happy!' he exclaimed to the little mermaid. + +'A greater joy than I had dared to hope for has come to pass. You will +rejoice at my joy, for you love me better than any one.' Then the little +mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if her heart were broken already. + +His wedding morn would bring death to her and change her to foam. + +All the church bells pealed and heralds rode through the town +proclaiming the nuptials. Upon every altar throughout the land fragrant +oil was burnt in costly silver lamps. Amidst the swinging of censers by +the priests the bride and bridegroom joined hands and received the +bishop's blessing. The little mermaid dressed in silk and gold stood +holding the bride's train, but her ears were deaf to the festal strains, +her eyes saw nothing of the sacred ceremony; she was thinking of her +coming death and of all that she had lost in this world. + +That same evening the bride and bridegroom embarked, amidst the roar of +cannon and the waving of banners. A royal tent of purple and gold softly +cushioned was raised amidships where the bridal pair were to repose +during the calm cool night. + +The sails swelled in the wind and the ship skimmed lightly and almost +without motion over the transparent sea. + +At dusk lanterns of many colours were lighted and the sailors danced +merrily on deck. The little mermaid could not help thinking of the first +time she came up from the sea and saw the same splendour and gaiety; and +she now threw herself among the dancers, whirling, as a swallow skims +through the air when pursued. The onlookers cheered her in amazement, +never had she danced so divinely; her delicate feet pained her as if +they were cut with knives, but she did not feel it, for the pain at her +heart was much sharper. She knew that it was the last night that she +would breathe the same air as he, and would look upon the mighty deep, +and the blue starry heavens; an endless night without thought and +without dreams awaited her, who neither had a soul, nor could win one. +The joy and revelry on board lasted till long past midnight; she went on +laughing and dancing with the thought of death all the time in her +heart. The prince caressed his lovely bride and she played with his +raven locks, and with their arms entwined they retired to the gorgeous +tent. All became hushed and still on board the ship, only the steersman +stood at the helm; the little mermaid laid her white arms on the gunwale +and looked eastwards for the pink-tinted dawn; the first sunbeam, she +knew, would be her death. Then she saw her sisters rise from the water; +they were as pale as she was; their beautiful long hair no longer +floated on the breeze, for it had been cut off. + +[Illustration: _Once more she looked at the prince, with her eyes +already dimmed by death, then dashed overboard and fell, her body +dissolving into foam._] + +'We have given it to the witch to obtain her help, so that you may not +die to-night! She has given us a knife; here it is, look how sharp it +is! Before the sun rises, you must plunge it into the prince's heart, +and when his warm blood sprinkles your feet they will join together and +grow into a tail, and you will once more be a mermaid; you will be able +to come down into the water to us, and to live out your three hundred +years before you are turned into dead, salt sea-foam. Make haste! you or +he must die before sunrise! Our old grandmother is so full of grief that +her white hair has fallen off as ours fell under the witch's scissors. +Slay the prince and come back to us! Quick! Quick! do you not see +the rosy streak in the sky? In a few minutes the sun will rise and then +you must die!' saying this they heaved a wondrous deep sigh and sank +among the waves. + +The little mermaid drew aside the purple curtain from the tent and +looked at the beautiful bride asleep with her head on the prince's +breast. She bent over him and kissed his fair brow, looked at the sky +where the dawn was spreading fast, looked at the sharp knife, and again +fixed her eyes on the prince, who, in his dream called his bride by +name. Yes! she alone was in his thoughts! For a moment the knife +quivered in her grasp, then she threw it far out among the waves, now +rosy in the morning light, and where it fell the water bubbled up like +drops of blood. + +Once more she looked at the prince, with her eyes already dimmed by +death, then dashed overboard and fell, her body dissolving into foam. + +Now the sun rose from the sea and with its kindly beams warmed the +deadly cold foam, so that the little mermaid did not feel the chill of +death. She saw the bright sun, and above her floated hundreds of +beauteous ethereal beings, through which she could see the white ship +and the rosy heavens; their voices were melodious, but so spirit-like +that no human ear could hear them, any more than earthly eye could see +their forms. Light as bubbles they floated through the air without the +aid of wings. The little mermaid perceived that she had a form like +theirs; it gradually took shape out of the foam. 'To whom am I coming?' +said she, and her voice sounded like that of the other beings, so +unearthly in its beauty that no music of ours could reproduce it. + +'To the daughters of the air!' answered the others; 'a mermaid has no +undying soul, and can never gain one without winning the love of a human +being. Her eternal life must depend upon an unknown power. Nor have the +daughters of the air an everlasting soul, but by their own good deeds +they may create one for themselves. We fly to the tropics where mankind +is the victim of hot and pestilent winds; there we bring cooling +breezes. We diffuse the scent of flowers all around, and bring +refreshment and healing in our train. When, for three hundred years, we +have laboured to do all the good in our power, we gain an undying soul +and take a part in the everlasting joys of mankind. You, poor little +mermaid, have with your whole heart struggled for the same thing as we +have struggled for. You have suffered and endured, raised yourself to +the spirit-world of the air, and now, by your own good deeds you may, in +the course of three hundred years, work out for yourself an undying +soul.' + +Then the little mermaid lifted her transparent arms towards God's sun, +and for the first time shed tears. + +On board ship all was again life and bustle. She saw the prince with his +lovely bride searching for her; they looked sadly at the bubbling foam, +as if they knew that she had thrown herself into the waves. Unseen she +kissed the bride on her brow, smiled at the prince, and rose aloft with +the other spirits of the air to the rosy clouds which sailed above. + +'In three hundred years we shall thus float into Paradise.' + +'We might reach it sooner,' whispered one. 'Unseen we flit into those +homes of men where there are children, and for every day that we find a +good child who gives pleasure to its parents and deserves their love God +shortens our time of probation. The child does not know when we fly +through the room, and when we smile with pleasure at it one year of our +three hundred is taken away. But if we see a naughty or badly disposed +child, we cannot help shedding tears of sorrow, and every tear adds a +day to the time of our probation.' + + + + +THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES + + +Many years ago there was an Emperor, who was so excessively fond of new +clothes that he spent all his money on them. He cared nothing about his +soldiers, nor for the theatre, nor for driving in the woods except for +the sake of showing off his new clothes. He had a costume for every hour +in the day, and instead of saying, as one does about any other king or +emperor, 'He is in his council chamber,' here one always said, 'The +Emperor is in his dressing-room.' + +Life was very gay in the great town where he lived; hosts of strangers +came to visit it every day, and among them one day two swindlers. They +gave themselves out as weavers, and said that they knew how to weave the +most beautiful stuffs imaginable. Not only were the colours and patterns +unusually fine, but the clothes that were made of the stuffs had the +peculiar quality of becoming invisible to every person who was not fit +for the office he held, or if he was impossibly dull. + +'Those must be splendid clothes,' thought the Emperor. 'By wearing them +I should be able to discover which men in my kingdom are unfitted for +their posts. I shall distinguish the wise men from the fools. Yes, I +certainly must order some of that stuff to be woven for me.' + +He paid the two swindlers a lot of money in advance so that they might +begin their work at once. + +They did put up two looms and pretended to weave, but they had nothing +whatever upon their shuttles. At the outset they asked for a quantity of +the finest silk and the purest gold thread, all of which they put into +their own bags, while they worked away at the empty looms far into the +night. + +'I should like to know how those weavers are getting on with the stuff,' +thought the Emperor; but he felt a little queer when he reflected that +any one who was stupid or unfit for his post would not be able to see +it. He certainly thought that he need have no fears for himself, but +still he thought he would send somebody else first to see how it was +getting on. Everybody in the town knew what wonderful power the stuff +possessed, and every one was anxious to see how stupid his neighbour +was. + +'I will send my faithful old minister to the weavers,' thought the +Emperor. 'He will be best able to see how the stuff looks, for he is a +clever man, and no one fulfils his duties better than he does!' + +So the good old minister went into the room where the two swindlers sat +working at the empty loom. + +'Heaven preserve us!' thought the old minister, opening his eyes very +wide. 'Why, I can't see a thing!' But he took care not to say so. + +Both the swindlers begged him to be good enough to step a little nearer, +and asked if he did not think it a good pattern and beautiful colouring. +They pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old minister stared as hard +as he could, but he could not see anything, for of course there was +nothing to see. + +'Good heavens!' thought he, 'is it possible that I am a fool. I have +never thought so, and nobody must know it. Am I not fit for my post? It +will never do to say that I cannot see the stuffs.' + +'Well, sir, you don't say anything about the stuff,' said the one who +was pretending to weave. + +'Oh, it is beautiful! quite charming!' said the old minister, looking +through his spectacles; 'this pattern and these colours! I will +certainly tell the Emperor that the stuff pleases me very much.' + +'We are delighted to hear you say so,' said the swindlers, and then they +named all the colours and described the peculiar pattern. The old +minister paid great attention to what they said, so as to be able to +repeat it when he got home to the Emperor. + +[Illustration: _They pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old +minister stared as hard as he could, but he could not see anything, for +of course there was nothing to see._] + +Then the swindlers went on to demand more money, more silk, and +more gold, to be able to proceed with the weaving; but they put it all +into their own pockets--not a single strand was ever put into the loom, +but they went on as before weaving at the empty loom. + +The Emperor soon sent another faithful official to see how the stuff was +getting on, and if it would soon be ready. The same thing happened to +him as to the minister; he looked and looked, but as there was only the +empty loom, he could see nothing at all. + +'Is not this a beautiful piece of stuff?' said both the swindlers, +showing and explaining the beautiful pattern and colours which were not +there to be seen. + +'I know I am not a fool!' thought the man, 'so it must be that I am +unfit for my good post! It is very strange, though! However, one must +not let it appear!' So he praised the stuff he did not see, and assured +them of his delight in the beautiful colours and the originality of the +design. 'It is absolutely charming!' he said to the Emperor. Everybody +in the town was talking about this splendid stuff. + +Now the Emperor thought he would like to see it while it was still on +the loom. So, accompanied by a number of selected courtiers, among whom +were the two faithful officials who had already seen the imaginary +stuff, he went to visit the crafty impostors, who were working away as +hard as ever they could at the empty loom. + +'It is magnificent!' said both the honest officials. 'Only see, your +Majesty, what a design! What colours!' And they pointed to the empty +loom, for they thought no doubt the others could see the stuff. + +'What!' thought the Emperor; 'I see nothing at all! This is terrible! Am +I a fool? Am I not fit to be Emperor? Why, nothing worse could happen to +me!' + +'Oh, it is beautiful!' said the Emperor. 'It has my highest approval!' +and he nodded his satisfaction as he gazed at the empty loom. Nothing +would induce him to say that he could not see anything. + +The whole suite gazed and gazed, but saw nothing more than all the +others. However, they all exclaimed with his Majesty, 'It is very +beautiful!' and they advised him to wear a suit made of this wonderful +cloth on the occasion of a great procession which was just about to take +place. 'It is magnificent! gorgeous! excellent!' went from mouth to +mouth; they were all equally delighted with it. The Emperor gave each of +the rogues an order of knighthood to be worn in their buttonholes and +the title of 'Gentlemen weavers.' + +[Illustration: _Then the emperor walked along in the procession under +the gorgeous canopy, and everybody in the streets and at the windows +exclaimed, 'How beautiful the Emperor's new clothes are!'_] + +The swindlers sat up the whole night, before the day on which the +procession was to take place, burning sixteen candles; so that people +might see how anxious they were to get the Emperor's new clothes ready. +They pretended to take the stuff off the loom. They cut it out in the +air with a huge pair of scissors, and they stitched away with +needles without any thread in them. At last they said: 'Now the +Emperor's new clothes are ready!' + +The Emperor, with his grandest courtiers, went to them himself, and both +the swindlers raised one arm in the air, as if they were holding +something, and said: 'See, these are the trousers, this is the coat, +here is the mantle!' and so on. 'It is as light as a spider's web. One +might think one had nothing on, but that is the very beauty of it!' + +'Yes!' said all the courtiers, but they could not see anything, for +there was nothing to see. + +'Will your imperial majesty be graciously pleased to take off your +clothes,' said, the impostors, 'so that we may put on the new ones, +along here before the great mirror?' + +The Emperor took off all his clothes, and the impostors pretended to +give him one article of dress after the other of the new ones which they +had pretended to make. They pretended to fasten something round his +waist and to tie on something; this was the train, and the Emperor +turned round and round in front of the mirror. + +'How well his majesty looks in the new clothes! How becoming they are!' +cried all the people round. 'What a design, and what colours! They are +most gorgeous robes!' + +'The canopy is waiting outside which is to be carried over your majesty +in the procession,' said the master of the ceremonies. + +'Well, I am quite ready,' said the Emperor. 'Don't the clothes fit +well?' and then he turned round again in front of the mirror, so that he +should seem to be looking at his grand things. + +The chamberlains who were to carry the train stooped and pretended to +lift it from the ground with both hands, and they walked along with +their hands in the air. They dared not let it appear that they could not +see anything. + +Then the Emperor walked along in the procession under the gorgeous +canopy, and everybody in the streets and at the windows exclaimed, 'How +beautiful the Emperor's new clothes are! What a splendid train! And they +fit to perfection!' Nobody would let it appear that he could see +nothing, for then he would not be fit for his post, or else he was a +fool. + +None of the Emperor's clothes had been so successful before. + +'But he has got nothing on,' said a little child. + +'Oh, listen to the innocent,' said its father; and one person whispered +to the other what the child had said. 'He has nothing on; a child says +he has nothing on!' + +'But he has nothing on!' at last cried all the people. + +The Emperor writhed, for he knew it was true, but he thought 'the +procession must go on now,' so held himself stiffer than ever, and the +chamberlains held up the invisible train. + + + + +THE WIND'S TALE + +ABOUT WALDEMAR DAA AND HIS DAUGHTERS + + +When the wind sweeps across a field of grass it makes little ripples in +it like a lake; in a field of corn it makes great waves like the sea +itself: this is the wind's frolic. Then listen to the stories it tells; +it sings them aloud, one kind of song among the trees of the forest, and +a very different one when it is pent up within walls with all their +cracks and crannies. Do you see how the wind chases the white fleecy +clouds as if they were a flock of sheep? Do you hear the wind down +there, howling in the open doorway like a watchman winding his horn? +Then, too, how he whistles in the chimneys, making the fire crackle and +sparkle. How cosy it is to sit in the warm glow of the fire listening to +the tales it has to tell! Let the wind tell its own story! It can tell +you more adventures than all of us put together. Listen now:-- + +'Whew!--Whew!--Fare away!' That was the refrain of his song. + +'Close to the Great Belt stands an old mansion with thick red walls,' +says the wind. 'I know every stone of it; I knew them before when they +formed part of Marsk Stig's Castle on the Ness. It had to come down. The +stones were used again, and made a new wall of a new castle in another +place--Borreby Hall as it now stands. + +'I have watched the highborn men and women of all the various races who +have lived there, and now I am going to tell you about Waldemar Daa and +his daughters! + +'He held his head very high, for he came of a royal stock! He knew more +than the mere chasing of a stag, or the emptying of a flagon; he knew +how to manage his affairs, he said himself. + +'His lady wife walked proudly across the brightly polished floors, in +her gold brocaded kirtle; the tapestries in the rooms were gorgeous, and +the furniture of costly carved woods. She had brought much gold and +silver plate into the house with her, and the cellars were full of +German ale, when there was anything there at all. Fiery black horses +neighed in the stables; Borreby Hall was a very rich place when wealth +came there. + +'Then there were the children, three dainty maidens, Ida, Johanna and +Anna Dorothea. I remember their names well. + +'They were rich and aristocratic people, and they were born and bred in +wealth! Whew!--whew!--fare away!' roared the wind, then he went on with +his story. + +'I did not see here, as in other old noble castles the highborn lady +sitting among her maidens in the great hall turning the spinning-wheel. +No, she played upon the ringing lute, and sang to its tones. Her songs +were not always the old Danish ditties, however, but songs in foreign +tongues. All was life and hospitality; noble guests came from far and +wide; there were sounds of music and the clanging of flagons, so loud +that I could not drown them!' said the wind. 'Here were arrogance and +ostentation enough and to spare; plenty of lords, but the Lord had no +place there. + +'Then came the evening of May-day!' said the wind. 'I came from the +west; I had been watching ships being wrecked and broken up on the west +coast of Jutland. I tore over the heaths and the green wooded coasts, +across the island of Funen and over the Great Belt puffing and blowing. +I settled down to rest on the coast of Zealand close to Borreby Hall, +where the splendid forest of oaks still stood. The young bachelors of +the neighbourhood came out and collected faggots and branches, the +longest and driest they could find. These they took to the town, piled +them up in a heap, and set fire to them; then the men and maidens danced +and sang round the bonfire. I lay still,' said the wind, 'but I softly +moved a branch, the one laid by the handsomest young man, and his billet +blazed up highest of all. He was the chosen one, he had the name of +honour, he became 'Buck of the Street!' and he chose from among the +girls his little May-lamb. All was life and merriment, greater far than +within rich Borreby Hall. + +'The great lady came driving towards the Hall, in her gilded chariot +drawn by six horses. She had her three dainty daughters with her; they +were indeed three lovely flowers. A rose, a lily and a pale hyacinth. +The mother herself was a gorgeous tulip; she took no notice whatever of +the crowd, who all stopped in their game to drop their curtsies and make +their bows; one might have thought that, like a tulip, she was rather +frail in the stalk and feared to bend her back. The rose, the lily, and +the pale hyacinth--yes, I saw them all three. Whose May-lambs were they +one day to become, thought I; their mates would be proud +knights--perhaps even princes! + +'Whew!--whew!--fare away! Yes, the chariot bore them away, and the +peasants whirled on in their dance. They played at "Riding the Summer +into the village," to Borreby village, Tareby village, and many others. + +'But that night when I rose,' said the wind, 'the noble lady laid +herself down to rise no more; that came to her which comes to every +one--there was nothing new about it. Waldemar Daa stood grave and silent +for a time; "The proudest tree may bend, but it does not break," said +something within him. The daughters wept, and every one else at the +Castle was wiping their eyes; but Madam Daa had fared away, and I fared +away too! Whew!--whew!' said the wind. + +[Illustration: _She played upon the ringing lute, and sang to its +tones._] + +'I came back again; I often came back across the island of Funen and +the waters of the Belt, and took up my place on Borreby shore close to +the great forest of oaks. The ospreys and the wood pigeons used to build +in it, the blue raven and even the black stork! It was early in the +year; some of the nests were full of eggs, while in others the young +ones were just hatched. What a flying and screaming was there! Then came +the sound of the axe, blow upon blow; the forest was to be felled. +Waldemar Daa was about to build a costly ship, a three-decked +man-of-war, which it was expected the king would buy. So the wood fell, +the ancient landmark of the seaman, the home of the birds. The shrike +was frightened away; its nest was torn down; the osprey and all the +other birds lost their nests too, and they flew about distractedly, +shrieking in their terror and anger. The crows and the jackdaws screamed +in mockery, Caw! caw! Waldemar Daa and his three daughters stood in the +middle of the wood among the workmen. They all laughed at the wild cries +of the birds, except Anna Dorothea, who was touched by their distress, +and when they were about to fell a tree which was half-dead, and on +whose naked branches a black stork had built its nest, out of which the +young ones were sticking their heads, she begged them with tears in her +eyes to spare it. So the tree with the black stork's nest was allowed to +stand. It was only a little thing. + +'The chopping and the sawing went on--the three-decker was built. The +master builder was a man of humble origin, but of noble loyalty; great +power lay in his eyes and on his forehead, and Waldemar Daa liked to +listen to him, and little Ida liked to listen too, the eldest +fifteen-year-old daughter. But whilst he built the ship for her father, +he built a castle in the air for himself, in which he and little Ida sat +side by side as man and wife. This might also have happened if his +castle had been built of solid stone, with moat and ramparts, wood and +gardens. But with all his wisdom the shipbuilder was only a poor bird, +and what business has a sparrow in a crane's nest? Whew! whew! I rushed +away, and he rushed away, for he dared not stay, and little Ida got over +it, as get over it she must. + +'The fiery black horses stood neighing in the stables; they were worth +looking at, and they were looked at to some purpose too. An admiral was +sent from the King to look at the new man-of-war, with a view to +purchasing it. The admiral was loud in his admiration of the horses. I +heard all he said,' added the wind. 'I went through the open door with +the gentlemen and scattered the straw like gold before their feet. +Waldemar Daa wanted gold; the admiral wanted the black horses, and so he +praised them as he did; but his hints were not taken, therefore the ship +remained unsold. There it stood by the shore covered up with boards, +like a Noah's Ark which never reached the water. Whew! whew! get along! +get along! It was a miserable business. In the winter, when the fields +were covered with snow and the Belt was full of ice-floes which I drove +up on to the coast,' said the wind, 'the ravens and crows came in +flocks, the one blacker than the other, and perched upon the desolate, +dead ship by the shore. They screamed themselves hoarse about the forest +which had disappeared, and the many precious birds' nests which had been +devastated, leaving old and young homeless; and all for the sake of this +old piece of lumber, the proud ship which was never to touch the water! +I whirled the snow about till it lay in great heaps round the ship. I +let it hear my voice, and all that a storm has to say, I know that I did +my best to give it an idea of the sea. Whew! whew!' + +'The winter passed by; winter and summer passed away! They come and go +just as I do. The snow-flakes, the apple blossom, and the leaves fall, +each in their turn. Whew! whew! they pass away, as men pass too! + +'The daughters were still young. Little Ida, the rose, as lovely to look +at as when the shipbuilder turned his gaze upon her. I often took hold +of her long brown hair when she stood lost in thought by the apple-tree +in the garden. She never noticed that I showered apple-blossom over her +loosened hair; she only gazed at the red sunset against the golden +background of the sky, and the dark trees and bushes of the garden. Her +sister Johanna was like a tall, stately lily; she held herself as +stiffly erect as her mother, and seemed to have the same dread of +bending her stem. She liked to walk in the long gallery where the family +portraits hung. The ladies were painted in velvet and silk, with tiny +pearl embroidered caps on their braided tresses. Their husbands were all +clad in steel, or in costly cloaks lined with squirrel skins and stiff +blue ruffs; their swords hung loosely by their sides. Where would +Johanna's portrait one day hang on these walls? What would her noble +husband look like? These were her thoughts, and she even spoke them +aloud; I heard her as I swept through the long corridor into the +gallery, where I veered round again. + +'Anna Dorothea, the pale hyacinth, was only a child of fourteen, quiet +and thoughtful. Her large blue eyes, as clear as water, were very +solemn, but childhood's smile still played upon her lips; I could not +blow it away, nor did I wish to do so. I used to meet her in the garden, +the ravine, and in the manor fields. She was always picking flowers and +herbs, those she knew her father could use for healing drinks and +potions. Waldemar Daa was proud and conceited, but he was also learned, +and he knew a great deal about many things. One could see that, and many +whispers went about as to his learning. The fire blazed in his stove +even in summer, and his chamber door was locked. This went on for days +and nights, but he did not talk much about it. One must deal silently +with the forces of nature. He would soon discover the best of +everything, the red, red gold! + +'This was why his chimney flamed and smoked and sparkled. Yes, I was +there, too,' said the wind. + +[Illustration: _I used to meet her in the garden, the ravine, and in +the manor fields. She was always picking flowers and herbs, those she +knew her father could use for healing drinks and potions._] + +'Away with you, away! I sang in the back of the chimney. Smoke smoke, +embers and ashes, that is all it will come to! You will burn yourself up +in it. Whew! whew! away with it! But Waldemar Daa could not let it go. + +'The fiery steeds in the stable, where were they? The old gold and +silver plate in cupboard and chest, where was that? The cattle, the +land, the castle itself? Yes, they could all be melted down in the +crucible, but yet no gold would come. + +'Barn and larder got emptier and emptier. Fewer servants; more mice. One +pane of glass got broken and another followed it. There was no need for +me to go in by the doors,' said the wind. 'A smoking chimney means a +cooking meal, but the only chimney which smoked here swallowed up all +the meals, all for the sake of the red gold. + +'I blew through the castle gate like a watchman blowing his horn, but +there was no watchman,' said the wind. 'I twisted round the weather-cock +on the tower and it creaked as if the watchman up there was snoring, +only there was no watchman. Rats and mice were the only inhabitants. +Poverty laid the table; poverty lurked in wardrobe and larder. The doors +fell off their hinges, cracks and crannies appeared everywhere; I went +in and out,' said the wind, 'so I know all about it. + +'The hair and the beard of Waldemar Daa grew grey, in the sorrow of his +sleepless nights, amid smoke and ashes. His skin grew grimy and yellow, +and his eyes greedy for gold, the long expected gold. + +'I whistled through the broken panes and fissures; I blew into the +daughters' chests where their clothes lay faded and threadbare; they had +to last for ever. A song like this had never been sung over the cradles +of these children. A lordly life became a woeful life! I was the only +one to sing in the castle now,' said the wind. 'I snowed them up, for +they said it gave warmth. They had no firewood, for the forest was cut +down where they should have got it. There was a biting frost. Even I had +to keep rushing through the crannies and passages to keep myself lively. +They stayed in bed to keep themselves warm, those noble ladies. Their +father crept about under a fur rug. Nothing to bite, and nothing to +burn! a lordly life indeed! Whew! whew! let it go! But this was what +Waldemar Daa could not do. + +'"After winter comes the spring," said he; "a good time will come after +a time of need; but they make us wait their pleasure, wait! The castle +is mortgaged, we are in extremities--and yet the gold will come--at +Easter!" + +'I heard him murmur to the spider's web.--"You clever little weaver! You +teach me to persevere! If your web is broken, you begin at the beginning +again and complete it! Broken again--and cheerfully you begin it over +again. That is what one must do, and one will be rewarded!" + +'It was Easter morning, the bells were ringing, and the sun was at play +in the heavens. Waldemar Daa had watched through the night with his +blood at fever pitch; boiling and cooling, mixing and distilling. I +heard him sigh like a despairing soul; I heard him pray, and I felt that +he held his breath. The lamp had gone out, but he never noticed it; I +blew up the embers and they shone upon his ashen face, which took a +tinge of colour from their light; his eyes started in their sockets, +they grew larger and larger, as if they would leap out. + +'Look at the alchemist's glass! something twinkles in it; it is glowing, +pure and heavy. He lifted it with a trembling hand and shouted with a +trembling voice: "Gold! gold!" He reeled, and I could easily have blown +him over,' said the wind, 'but I only blew upon the embers, and followed +him to the room where his daughters sat shivering. His coat was powdered +with ash, as well as his beard and his matted hair. He drew himself up +to his full height and held up his precious treasure, in the fragile +glass: "Found! won! gold!" he cried, stretching up his hand with the +glass which glittered in the sunbeams: his hand shook, and the +alchemist's glass fell to the ground shivered into a thousand atoms. The +last bubble of his welfare was shattered too. Whew! whew! fare away! and +away I rushed from the goldmaker's home. + +[Illustration: _He lifted it with a trembling hand and shouted with a +trembling voice: 'Gold! gold!'_] + +'Late in the year, when the days were short and dark up here, and the +fog envelops the red berries and bare branches with its cold moisture, +I came along in a lively mood clearing the sky and snapping off the dead +boughs. This is no great labour, it is true, yet it has to be done. +Borreby Hall, the home of Waldemar Daa, was having a clean sweep of a +different sort. The family enemy, Ove Ramel from Basness, appeared, +holding the mortgage of the Hall and all its contents. I drummed upon +the cracked window panes, beat against the decaying doors, and whistled +through all the cracks and crannies, whew! I did my best to prevent Herr +Ove taking a fancy to stay there. Ida and Anna Dorothea faced it +bravely, although they shed some tears; Johanna stood pale and erect and +bit her finger till it bled! Much that would help her! Ove Ramel offered +to let them stay on at the Castle for Waldemar Daa's lifetime, but he +got no thanks for his offer; I was listening. I saw the ruined gentleman +stiffen his neck and hold his head higher than ever. I beat against the +walls and the old linden trees with such force that the thickest branch +broke, although it was not a bit rotten. It fell across the gate like a +broom, as if some one was about to sweep; and a sweeping there was +indeed to be. I quite expected it. It was a grievous day and a hard time +for them, but their wills were as stubborn as their necks were stiff. +They had not a possession in the world but the clothes on their backs; +yes, one thing--an alchemist's glass which had been bought and filled +with the fragments scraped up from the floor. The treasure which +promised much and fulfilled nothing. Waldemar Daa hid it in his +bosom, took his staff in his hand, and, with his three daughters, the +once wealthy gentleman walked out of Borreby Hall for the last time. I +blew a cold blast upon his burning cheeks, I fluttered his grey beard +and his long white hair; I sang such a tune as only I could sing. Whew! +whew! away with them! away with them! This was the end of all their +grandeur. + +'Ida and Ana Dorothea walked one on each side of him: Johanna turned +round in the gateway, but what was the good of that? nothing could make +their luck turn. She looked at the red stones of what had once been +Marsk Stig's Castle. Was she thinking of his daughters? + + '"The elder took the younger by the hand, + And out they roamed to a far-off land." + +Was she thinking of that song? Here there were three and their father +was with them. They walked along the road where once they used to ride +in their chariot. They trod it now as vagrants, on their way to a +plastered cottage on Smidstrup Heath, which was rented at ten marks +yearly. This was their new country seat with its empty walls and its +empty vessels. The crows and the magpies wheeled screaming over their +heads with their mocking "Caw, caw! Out of the nest, Caw, caw!" just as +they screamed in Borreby Forest when the trees were felled. + +'Herr Daa and his daughters must have noticed it. I blew into their +ears to try and deaden the cries, which after all were not worth +listening to. + +'So they took up their abode in the plastered cottage on Smidstrup +Heath, and I tore off over marshes and meadows, through naked hedges and +bare woods, to the open seas and other lands. Whew! whew! away, away! +and that for many years.' + +What happened to Waldemar Daa? What happened to his daughters? This is +what the wind relates. + +'The last of them I saw, yes, for the last time, was Anna Dorothea, the +pale hyacinth. She was old and bent now; it was half a century later. +She lived the longest, she had gone through everything. + +'Across the heath, near the town of Viborg, stood the Dean's new, +handsome mansion, built of red stone with toothed gables. The smoke +curled thickly out of the chimneys. The gentle lady and her fair +daughters sat in the bay window looking into the garden at the drooping +thorns and out to the brown heath beyond. What were they looking at +there? They were looking at a stork's nest on a tumble-down cottage; the +roof was covered, as far as there was any roof to cover, with moss and +house-leek; but the stork's nest made the best covering. It was the only +part to which anything was done, for the stork kept it in repair. + +[Illustration: _Waldemar Daa hid it in his bosom, took his staff in his +hand, and, with his three daughters, the once wealthy gentleman walked +out of Borreby Hall for the last time._] + +'This house was only fit to be looked at, not to be touched. I had to +mind what I was about,' said the wind. 'The cottage was allowed to +stand for the sake of the stork's nest; in itself it was only a +scarecrow on the heath, but the dean did not want to frighten away the +stork, so the hovel was allowed to stand. The poor soul inside was +allowed to live in it; she had the Egyptian bird to thank for that; or +was it payment for once having pleaded for the nest of his wild black +brother in the Borreby Forest? Then, poor thing, she was a child, a +delicate, pale hyacinth in a noble flower-garden. Poor Anna Dorothea; +she remembered it all! Ah, human beings can sigh as well as the wind +when it soughs through the rushes and reeds. + +'Oh dear! oh dear! No bells rang over the grave of Waldemar Daa. No +schoolboys sang when the former lord of Borreby Castle was laid in his +grave. Well, everything must have an end, even misery! Sister Ida became +the wife of a peasant, and this was her father's sorest trial. His +daughter's husband a miserable serf, who might at any moment be ordered +the punishment of the wooden horse by his lord. It is well that the sod +covers him now, and you too, Ida! Ah yes! ah yes! Poor me! poor me! I +still linger on. In Thy mercy release me, O Christ!' + +'This was the prayer of Anna Dorothea, as she lay in the miserable hovel +which was only left standing for the sake of the stork. + +'I took charge of the boldest of the sisters,' said the wind. 'She had +clothes made to suit her manly disposition, and took a place as a lad +with a skipper. Her words were few and looks stubborn, but she was +willing enough at her work. But with all her will she could not climb +the rigging; so I blew her overboard before any one discovered that she +was a woman, and I fancy that was not a bad deed of mine!' said the +wind. + +'On such an Easter morning as that on which Waldemar Daa thought he had +found the red gold, I heard from beneath the stork's nest a psalm +echoing through the miserable walls. It was Anna Dorothea's last song. +There was no window; only a hole in the wall. The sun rose in splendour +and poured in upon her; her eyes were glazed and her heart broken! This +would have been so this morning whether the sun had shone upon her or +not. The stork kept a roof over her head till her death! I sang at her +grave,' said the wind, 'and I sang at her father's grave. I know where +it is, and hers too, which is more than any one else knows. + +'The old order changeth, giving place to the new. The old high-road now +only leads to cultivated fields, while peaceful graves are covered by +busy traffic on the new road. Soon comes Steam with its row of waggons +behind it, rushing over the graves, forgotten, like the names upon them. +Whew! whew! Let us be gone! This is the story of Waldemar Daa and his +daughters. Tell it better yourselves, if you can,' said the wind, as it +veered round. Then it was gone. + +[Illustration] + +Printed in Great Britain + +Text printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty, Edinburgh + +Illustrations by Henry Stone and Son, Ltd., Banbury + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories from Hans Andersen, by +Hans Christian Andersen + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES FROM HANS ANDERSEN *** + +***** This file should be named 17860.txt or 17860.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/8/6/17860/ + +Produced by Stacy Brown, Jason Isbell and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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