T*. 32«- READING ROOM % 'F.g"ERi-'''r>-J'" ^^- KEEP i"^S BOOK L^EAN DO NOT TURN DOWN THE LEAVES Borrowers finding this book pencil-mariced, written upon, mutilated or unwarrantably defaced. »r» it f 'Ik- lih- Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/fairytalesofhansOOande The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen WITH UPWAR.|)S of; FOUR HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS BY HELEN STRATTON WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY EDWARD E. HALE, D.D. 4 c^ \ PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY ^f^J^^f^ c 0 c c Copyright, iSgg, BY '.'';■'. Thuslove, Hanson aV*d'.Uom»a, 1 -.1 1 INTRODUCTION ^ v^ Hans Christian Andersen, without knowing it, prescribed a healthy tonic for more than one writer in England and America. It would be a pity not to acknowledge this. He was not well known in either country when Mary Howitt published her translations of his stories in England. Perhaps her intimacy with Frederica Bremer, the Swedish novelist, opened the way to her acquaintance with the Danish story-teller. The children of England and America had the first benefit of this invasion of the Dane. For, by a rather provoking law, it will happen that the literature of chilj^ood is sadly apt to fall into the ruts of sen- timentalists or of mechanics. " Anybody can write a child's book " is the false theory of publishers in the decline which comes upon children's books once in a generation. As an experienced editor once said to me, ninety-nine hundredths of the articles sent to him about boys and girls are written by ladies who never had the charge of either boy or girl. Into the midst of books thus written down for children there comes, once in a generation, such a revelation as the publication of Grimm's Fairy Tales made early in this century, as the appearance in England of Andersen's children's stories, made. And again, such as children enjoyed when Stevenson's poems for them appeared. Probably Stevenson's poems would not have been written but for such prose poems as " The Constant Tin Soldier." " For certain soldiers lately dead Our reverent dirge shall here be said : Them, when their martial leader called, I No dread preparative appalled, But leaden-hearted, leaden-heeled, I marked them steadfast in the field. Death grimly sided with the foe, And smote each leaden hero low ; Proudly they perished one by one ; The dread pea-cannon's work was done I Oh not for them the tears we shed, Consigned to their congenial lead ; But while unmoved their sleep they take, We mourn for their dear captain's sake, — For their dear captain, who shall smart Both in his pocket and his heart, Who saw his heroes shed their gore, And lacked a penny to buy more." I do not venture to describe the indescribable, and so I will not try to analyze the charm of Ander- sen's children's stories. They can speak for themselves. They do speak for themselves in the memories of all those young people who, if I may say so, were brought up on them. There is sentiment in them, because there is sentiment in all life ; but it is not a morbid or manufactured sentiment. It is the senti- ment which belongs to the occasion. Here is what I have meant when I say that he administered a health- ful tonic to all those writers for children who had sense enough to wish to improve on their own methods. For the mere mechanics, the people who build stories up as a child makes a mud pie, — so much water and so much clay, without going farther than the water and the clay, — no tonic is possible. People generally speak as if " The Improvisatore " were the autobiography of Andersen, and as if whoever has read that understands his life. This does not seem to me quite broad enough. His own memoir of himself, which has been translated by Mrs. Howitt, gives a very curious picture of life in Den- mark. It shows us what that gallant little kingdom is, has been, and may be. And in the midst of a charming egotism, — perhaps because of this charming egotism — it reveals Andersen to us in a way which makes us love him more and not less. It is immensely to the credit of the artists of Copenhagen, of the people of rank there, of what Mrs. Grundy calls " Society," that this boy, only not a beggar boy, landing in the streets there with nothing but hope and one rixthaler, should have pressed his way forward and upward till he became the Dane spoken of most often in the literary circles of the world. It makes one believe in small kingdoms, small common- wealths— may I say, in Brick Moons ? — when one sees the cordiality, the best form of charity, the distin- guished care, with which Copenhagen could take care of such a Danish boy when he needed care. His first attempts at fame are made when he goes upon the stage of the theatre as one of the " populace," dressed in the dress which was made out of his father's coat for his own confirmation. He thinks to be a singer, and is not fit to be a singer. He thinks to be a poet, and they do not accept him as a poet ; this is their fault, not his. But he then does what he can do : he writes, and writes the truth. He tells what he has seen, with that admirable unwillingness to try to tell what he has not seen. Realism, the realism of the nineteenth century, about which much is absurdly said and sung, appears, whether in the story of the tin soldier or in romance so called, made out of the life of a fiddler. And here, as it seems to me, is the tonic which this Danish peasant administered to the literature of England and America. I do not know whether he did as much good in Denmark as he did here ; I do not know whether they needed it as much as I think it was needed by the writers for children here ; I do know that this quiet use of language, in which there is a nominative case for the thing that is de- scribed, and a good steadfast verb which describes that thing ; in which there is no rushing north, south, east, or west for an effect which is visible and at hand, — I do know that this use of language is an excellent example for young authors or for old. It is fifty-four years since Mary Howitt introduced this shepherd of the people to people who could not read Danish but could read English. This English nation for whom she wrote, and the American nation which is born from that English nation, would not be what they are if, some thousand years ago, rather more than less, certain Danes, so called, had not occasionally found their way into English seaports, and when they chose colonized the lands of the inhabitants. It is not simply that a quaint word or two slipped from their dialect into ours. There is more than that. The blood of Norsemen is in our veins. Perhaps it is true that the habit of calling a spade a spade was particularly a Danish habit. Perhaps the Danes had the gift of using words of one syllable where the Latin nations preferred to use words of four syllables ; they liked to say Thor, and did not like to say Diispeter. And perhaps, — these are only my guesses, but I am in the habit of thinking that we like to hear Jenny Lind sing, that we like to read the poems of Tegner and the voyages of Nansen, that we like to find the Linnca borealis on the slopes of the White Mountains, because we are all Scandinavians in blood. Perhaps this is the reason why we and our chil- dren like to read Hans Christian Andersen. It may please the reader to have a little remembrance of Andersen, which I copy from a private note of one of his friends : " I once had the good fortune to pass four months under the same roof with Hans Christian Andersen. I often heard him read his fairy tales, and one beautiful moonlight night he wrote down these lines to me. The following is a literal translation of the autograph : " ' The moon shines round and full Over field and swamp. And in the stillness of the wood Grows the Rose of Poesy.' He then gathered this bouquet in the garden where we were, and gave it to me as a remembrance of him, but I shall not forget him even without it." The faded rose is in the letter from which I copy the lines. EDWARD E. HALE Contents PACE THE RED SHOES * THE CHIMNEY SWEEP ^ THE NIGHTINGALE " THE GARDEN OF PARADISE »8 THE LITTLE SWINEHERD 29 A WEEK WITH OLE LUK OIE 33 THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES 42 THE ICE-MAIDEN, OR THE EAGLE'S NEST 47 THE STORKS 78 THE UGLY DUCKLING 82 THE WILD SWANS 89 THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER 100 THE LITTLE MERMAID i^S THE GIRL WHO TROD ON THE LOAF . 141 THE CONSTANT TIN SOLDIER i47 THE SNOW QUEEN '5i THE FELLOW-TRAVELLER 172 THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL 186 THE REAL PRINCESS 188 UNDER THE WILLOW 191 LITTLE CLAUS AND BIG CLAUS 202 THE SHADOW 210 THE STORY OF A MOTHER 220 THE FLYING TRUNK 225 THE TINDER-BOX 230 THE GOLOSHES OF HAPPINESS 236 HOLGER DANSKE ... 257 THE FIR-TREE .... . , .... 261 LITTLE TUK 268 WHAT THE MOON SAW 271 THE BRONZE PIG 293 IB AND LITTLE CHRISTINE 3°° THE CRIPPLE 308 THE OLD BACHELOR'S NIGHTCAP 314 ft 0 ...; List of Illustrations The Red Shoes The Princess stood at a window . She thought only of her shoes . She could not stop herself. It was the old soldier She tapped at the window . She went across the heath . All the children made much of her Her soul was carried up to God The Chimney bweep I entreat you to go with me into the wide world . They saw the old cupboard was all in an uproar. She fell on her china knee . . . . . He led her to the door of the stove . The roof of the town lay below . . . . His head had rolled into a corner 1 2 2 3 4 .5 5 6 7 8 9 9 lO 10 The Nightingale Sat on his golden throne reading the book Ran up and down, and looked through all the rooms The nightingale sang exquisitely She went willingly on hearing the emperor wished it Each had fastened a ribbon round her leg . All cried out " Oh ! " The boys in the street would go about singing . Jumped out of bed, and called for his physician . She sang, and the Emperor fell into a sweet sleep II 12 13 14 14 15 1.5 16 17 The Garden of Paradise At every step he slipped on the wet grass .... " I sat and slept at the helm " He kissed his mother so roughly that she nearly fell backwards "An ostrich ran a race with me" ..... He sat on the back of the east wind ..... They now entered the cavern . . . , TQ 20 21 21 22 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE She led the Princess into her palace 24 Storks and pelicans flew in long rows 26 The Fairy cried, " Come with me ! come with me ! " 27 He pushed the boughs aside 28 The Little Swineherd ; or. The Prince in Disguise " Good morning," said he . . ..... 29 The Prince became swineherd .............. 30 The swineherd got ten kisses .............. 30 " What's the meaning of this ? " cried he 31 " What a miserable creature I am," sobbed the Princess 32 A Week with Ole Luk-Oie On the balcony stood princesses ............. 35 "We shall cook you to-morrow," said Hjalmar ........... 37 Away they went to the mouse's wedding . 37 The mice were near treading each other to death 38 The bridal pair were sitting on the floor ............ 39 01^ Luk-Oie lifted little Hjalmar up to the window 41 " Look how he gallops along ! " 42 The Emperor's New Clothes Staring as hard as he could 43 " It has our most gracious approval " 43 People could see them at work 44 The Emperor went forth in grand procession ........... 45 " But he has got nothing on ! " 46 The Ice-Maiden ; or. The Eagle's Nest " Come with me on the roof," said the cat 47 Rudy loved the morning air .............. 48 They still had to cross one great glacier ............ 49 The Queen of the Glaciers .............. 49 The cold kisses which the Queen of the Glaciers had given him 5° They bleated " Med ! med ! may ! " . . . 5 ' Began to tell tales and legends of the spirits of the Alps 5^ The mysterious shepherd and his black sheep ........••• 53 His uncle would tell tales of his childhood 54 Rudy clung to the stem of a tree .........•••• 54 " Write a letter for me to the Lord Christ ! " 55 " He gave me a kiss at the dance " 5^ The parlour cat stood on the steps ......-.>•••• 57 Offered him an Alpine rose 5^ Singing and playing on all kinds of instruments 59 " Have you a sweetheart ? " said Rudy 60 The snow came down and the wind shrieked . . . . . i • - - • • ^' Rudy submitted to be kissed .....••.. r .-.«• 62 f tiey trod on me more than once ' ^3 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IX PAGE They opened the door, and both went in 63 They set off with poles, banners, and ropes 64 In the black, gaping depth sat the Ice Maiden 65 It was captured alive 65 Rudy and Babette 67 " They play at masters down below," said the Ice Maiden 68 Peeped through the curtain 7° Held the bowl to his lips • • 7' The Ice Maiden gave him a kiss 7* Therefore Babette lectured him 7* Only his hunting jacket and hat 73 Hand in hand, seated on the little bench 75 The ring expanded into a sparkling circle 75 The Ice Maiden stood majestic, with Rudy at her feet 76 The Storks " Stork, stork, fly home and rest " 78 " We then go into the mire and eat frogs " 79 The four youngsters were all obliged to come out on the top of the roof 80 A little fellow, scarcely more than six years old 80 There were evolutions for you ! 81 " Now, we'll fly to the pond and fetch one for every child " 82 " In the pond lies a little infant, who has dreamed itself to death " 82 The Ugly Duckling " Now bend your neck, and say ' Quack ! ' " The girl who fed the poultry kicked him . " What's that ? " said the woman, looking round . The duckling sat in a corner, very much out of spirits He turned round and round in the water like a wheel The children would have played with him . Some of the children threw bread-crumbs and corn into the water 84 85 8S 86 87 87 88 The Wild Swans A book full of prints 9° Helped her to undress and get into the bath 9° Stole out of the palace in great affliction 9* An old woman with a basket full of cherries 9' Elise followed the rivulet v ^^ Just at sunset Elise saw eleven swans flying towards the shore 92 She stroked his wings » 93 The swans carried Elise away from the rock 94 Held him before him on his horse ' • • • • 95 Allowed the women to dress her in regal robes 9^ Until she reached the churchyard ....... = ••••• 97 The rustling of a swan's wings sounded near the grating 98 To see the witch burnt ........••••••• 99 The King plucked it, and placed it in Elise's bosom 99 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Marsh King's Daughter Was found by the King's daughter '-'.Don't get excited " . Tore her feather dress into a hundred pieces It was he who pulled her down . The stork at first believed it to be the Princess turned a child ag; Screamed passionately, and stretched out its arms and legs There, just at the foot of the bed, was a great ugly toad The Viking's wife sat on the cross bench in the open banqueting hall The serfs slept for the night in the warm ashes . All his limbs rigid and stretched out like a mummy We bound fire under the wings of a swallow He stood on one leg ...... She was to hold her ear to the lips of the dead . Came dripping with water into the lofty hall Then the Viking's wife could take her on her knees "But he is still the handsomest of them all," said the mother stork Drove the knife into his side \Vent away wrathful and sad " Who art thou ? " The horse galloped on Rode through the forest The sun went down at that moment Sat there all through the long day Looked with astonishment at her fine white hands The Christian priest raised his cross on high Lay a sleeping woman ..... Trembled and nestled up closer to her foster-mother Stretched out her arms towards them . There stood two beautiful women, as like as two drops of dew She saw two powerful ostriches running round in narrow circles Placed the golden circlet about his neck .... Asked him to fly to the beech forest ..... She looked towards the twinkling, sparkling stars Fell on her knees ........ The Little Mermaid Ate out of their hands and allowed themselves to be stroked The youngest planted hers in a circle to imitate the sun A statue, representing a handsome youth, hewn out of pure white marble They flew away in great alarm ........ All the vessels scudded past in great alarm ...... As often as the water lifted her up she peeped in through the transparent panes . She held his head above the water, and then let the waves carry them whither they pleased It was not long before a young maiden approached the spot where he was lying . " You must not think about that," said the old dame ....... Crossing her hands over her bosom she darted along ....... Within sat the sea witch, feeding a toad from her mouth When the sun rose over the sea she awoke and felt a sharp pang. .... Everybody was enchanted, but most of all the Prince, who called her his little foundling LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Xl; She would go and sit on the broad marble steps, for it cooled her burning feet to bsthe water ............. He kissed her rosy mouth and played with her long hair ... Gazed through the clear waters, and fancied she saw her father's palace She was fain to laugh and dance, though the thoughts of death were in her heart She then saw her sisters rising out of the flood . . . . Then jumped overboard, and felt her body dissolving into foam . to b)t he them in the '37 137 138 'i3gi "146 The Girl who Trod on the Loaf Inger turned away, for she was ashamed to have for her mother a ragged woman who gathered sticks . 142 Flung the loaf into the mud that she might step on it and come over dry-shod . . . . .145 But the worst of all was the horrible hunger which she felt . . . . . . . . 143 They told her story to the children, and the little ones called her " the wicked Inger " . . . . 144 "T do so wish she would !" said the little girl, and she was quite inconsolable 145 A peasant set up a pole close to the wall, and tied a sheaf of oats to the top 145 " There is a sea-swallow flying away over the sea," said the children . . . . . . .146 The Constant Tin Sold icr Though they had nearly trodden upon him they could not manage to find him . The boat flew past, and the rat followed ......... Everybody was desirous of seeing the celebrated man who travelled about inside a fish When the maid raked out the ashes she found him in the shape of a tin heart 148 149 i5> The Snow Queen He' climbed up to the window . . And she placed him beside her in the sledge, and wrapped the skin round him A little house with strange red and blue windows .... While she was eating, the old woman combed her hair with a golden comb Gerda knew every flower ......... " I don't understand anything about it," said little Gerda . Little Gerda ran forth with bare feet into the wide world "No — have you, though ? " cried the little girl, and had nearly hugged the crow to death, so she kiss him . . ''. She began to sing a song which ran thus ; " Wherefore shouldn't I marry ? And when they approached the throne where sat the Princess, they found nothing to say On the third day there came marching cheerfully along towards the palace a little body, who horse nor coach ........... And he was pleased with her, and she with him ...... Gazed at Gerda, who curtsied ........ Horses with flying manes appeared like shadows on the wall The coach was amply stored inside with sweet cakes, and under the seat were frui " Oh, la ! " screamed the woman ........ By that time they had reached Lapland ....... The Finlandish woman's intelligent eyes twinkled, though she said nothing . Little Gerda then repeated the Lord's Prayer ...... But he sat quite motionless, stiff and cold ....... Xhere emerged from it a beautiful horse ....... fondly di. had neither and gingei bread-nuts IS? 154 155 156 156 157 158 ■59 160 161 162 163 163 164 1 64 166 167 168 169 169 x:i LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS The Fellow Traveller The first night he was obliged to lie on a haycock in the open fields Before the church door stood an aged beggar, leaning on a crutch ...... " Of course," said the ugly men, " if you pay his debt, we will neither of us lay a fuiger upon him " Took out a box, saying that he had an ointment which would immediately make her leg whole again Seized the Queen by the middle of her slender waist, so that it cracked again The Queen knelt down . He cut off the two wings of the dead swan, at a single blow, and kept them He, and all his soldiers use i to kneel and pray that the Princess might grow good They now heard the mob cheering outside the inn. The Princess was passing by A frightful sight to behold ! From every tree hung three or four kings' sons The Princess, wrapped in a flowing white robe, flew over the city .... The judges sat in their arm-chairs with their heads propped up, because they had so much to I Thrashed her more violently than before, having taken two rods with him . But the Princess lay on the sofa, and would not speak a word ..... " So much the belter," said the old King ; " that's just what I wish " . The Princess shrieked aloud when he dipped her into the water ..... The old King dandled his grandchildren on his knees, and let them play with his sceptre think about 173 173 174 175 176 176 177 177 178 179 1 80 181 182 182 •83 184 •85 The Little Match Girl She now sat down, cowering in a corner. She had drawn her little feet under her, but felt colder than ever 186 And — what was more delightful still — the goose jumped down and waddled along the ground with a knife and fork in its breast 187 The Real Princess There came a knock at the town gate, and the old king went and opened it . . . . .189 But she said nothing, and went into a spare room and laid a pea on the sacking of the bedstead . . 190 " I scarcely closed my eyes all night ! I do not know what was in the bed " 190 Under the Willow It was impossible to get him to go and paddle 191 One evening he told a story, which greatly impressed them ........ 192 And told to a party of children the story of their mute affection, which led to nothing .... 193 He should certainly not be mute, like those two gingerbreads 194 She poured out the tea, and she herself offered him a cup 195 Canute went out into the town and looked up at her window 195 Joan turned as pale as death ; she let go his hand . . . . . . . . . .196 As she had a whole handful of roses, she gave him one also 197 Right opposite there was a great, old willow-tree ... . . . . ... 198 The girls nodded to him from the wooden balconies of the houses, as they made their lace . . .199 Canute looked right into her face and she looked right into Canute's face; but she did not recognise him . 199 And here stood Joan in all her magnificence, with the golden crown on 200 She bent her head over his face, and ice-cold tears trickled from her eyes 201 Little Claus and Big Claus She was pouring him out wine, while he was busy with his fork in the fish . 203 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xiu " Zounds ! " said the farmer, hastily opening the oven The farmer opened the lid a little, and peeped in " What can he want it for ? " thought Big Claus, as he smeared the bottom of it with tar Fell to belabouring Big Claus's shoulders Seized his axe, and killed his old grandmother at a blow ...... " The moment I fell upon it the loveliest girl imaginable took me by the hand " " There's no fear about that," said Little Claus ; still he put a large stone into the bag The Shadow In the midst of the flowers stood a slender, lovely maiden .... A light was burning in the room, just behind him ..... He perceived, to his great joy, that a new shadow had sprouted out of his legs " Come in," said he ; but no one came. So he opened the door " Yes, I will tell you," said the shadow, sitting down I drew myself up to my full height along the walls, which tickled my vanity very agreeably The shadow always managed to take the precedence ....... She immediately perceived that the newly-arrived stranger was quite a different sort of everybody else Being a king's daughter, she was not obliged to stand upon ceremony . On all of which topics the learned man answered with sense and judgment . " I will go straight to the king's daughter," said the learned man .... "It is a hard case, for he was a faithful servant," said the shadow, pretending to sigh person to PAGE 204 205 206 207 208 209 209 211 21 1 2:2 213 214 2'5 216 217 217 218 219 220 The Story of a Mother The mother then wrung her hands, wept, and sang And she wept and wept till her eyes dissolved into the lake and became two costly pearls . And Death stretched out his hand towards the little delicate flower The Flying Trunk "I say, you Turkish nurse," cried he, "what is that large castle near the town, where the windows are placed so high ?".............•• She lay asleep on the sofa, and looked so beautiful that the merchant's son could not help kissing her . The king and queen and the whole court were at tea with the princess, and he was received very politely ................. The boys in the streets stood on tip-toe, cried hurrah ! and whistled through their fingers . She stood on the roof, and waited the whole day long ......-.- The Tinder Box And he set the dog on the witch's apron ............ " Do you know what ? " said the soldier. " Vou must either te'l me at once what you mean to do with it, or I'll draw my sword and cut your head off" ......... She lay asleep on the dog's back, and was so lovely that everybody might see she was a real princess . "But there's one and there's another," said all present, for, whichever way they looked, there were crosses on all the doors .............. " I say, you shoemaker's 'prentice, you needn't be in such a hurry," said the soldier .... The Goloshes of Happiness These goloshes have the property instantly to transport whomsoever shall put them on, to the place and time he best likes 221 222 223 226 227 228 229 229 232 233 234 235 236 XIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS I he more he talked to the boatmen the more incomprehensible they appeared to him " Excuse me," said the councillor of justice to the landlady ....... " How are you now? " said the landlady, pulling the councillor's sleeve ..... Just as he was going out, the company perceived his intention, and seized him by the feet . The lieutenant felt this to be the case, and therefore leant his head against the window frame and sighed deeply ............... He found himself on one of the countless circular ranges of mountains that we see in Dr. Madler's large map of the moon ............. The young fellow then filliped his nose, which made him lose his balance ..... The first heart he entered was a lady's, but at first he fancied he had got into an orthopaedic institution Her husband's portrait served as a weathercock .......... The attendant uttered a loud exclamation at the sight of a man in all his clothes (.'lose by stood a boy, striking with a stick in a swampy ditch ....... At the same moment the skirts and sleeves of his coat became wings, his clothes turned to feathers, and his goloshes to claws .............. They purchased the bird for eightpence, and so the clerk returned to Copenhagen Lovely half-naked children were tending a herd of coal-black swine, under a knot of fragrant laurels The shrivelled arms and the monotonous whines of "Afiserabtli eccelenza / " came in much faster than the breezes ............... She drew the goloshes off his feet, when the sleep of death ended, and he once more revived PAGE 238 239 240 241 243 244 245 246 247 248 250 251 252 254 255 256 Holger Danske As the old man sat talking, he was carving a large wooden figure representing Holger Danske The first flame led him into a dark and narrow prison, where sat captive a beautiful woman " But what you have carved is very fine, grandfather," said she ...... 258 259 260 The Fir Tree They would often bring a pipkin full of berries and seat themselves near the little fir tree . . . 261 "We know, we know," twittered the sparrows, " for we have looked in at the windows in yonder town ! " 262 At length the tapers were lit, and a grand sight it was, to be sure - 263 Told the story of Humpty-Dumpty, who fell downstairs 264 The little mice were fit to jump to the top of the tree with delight 265 "Your servant," answered the rats, and they returned back to their own sets ..... 265 The youngest ran and tore off the gold star. " See what is sticking to the ugly old fir tree," said the child 266 So the children left off playing, and came and sat near the fire ........ 267 Little Tuk And Tuk ran off and helped her 269 Large streams of water sprang from the cliff, and close by sat an aged king with a golden crown on his white hair 27° What the Moon Saw Up and down danced the flame, but yet kept alight, and the dark eyes dwelt longingly upon it as it went 272 The hen was terrified, and made a great to do, spreading her wings to protect her chicks . . . 272 She dropt her head, and her eyes brimmed with tears 273 Motionless she sat, as I looked at her, her hands in her lap ........ 273 She knelt down and kissed the purple 274 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XV Then came a poor girl, who dropped her load and sat down to rest on the grave of the Hun A shroud of skins was already being sewed upon him by his wife .... The driver glanced round nervously .......... The singer stood upon the time-worn stage and sang ....... Away in a corner sat a girl reading a book ......... A little boy came out and stood by his sister. "What .nre you w.ntching ? " said he An angel brings them under his cloak ......... " Come in both of you," she said, "and see the little brother the stork brought". The wives bore the babies on their backs, while the older ones trotted unsteadily at their sides As a child among children Nature marked him out for Punch's part .... Columbine, indeed, was beautiful and kind to h m . His chin on his hands, his eyes turned to me, he looked like a grotesque sculpture There stood the little thing stiff and starched ........ He looked at his white cheeks in the glass ........ There she stood barefoot, weeping, daring not to lift the latch to her palace home The leader drew a figure in the sand with his staff ....... In the bell-tower stood two of the sisters, still young, and looked out over tiie world beyond The child wept, for she could neither reach her doll, nor could the doll be helped down The bushes seemed to her fancy crowded with elves in steeple hats ... I laughed at the duck with her leg tied up, she did limp so funnily .... Just then his mother woke up. She moved the curtain aside ..... Their master stood bareheaded, and reverently kissed her hand — his mother's hnnd "Swe-e-ep," cried a voice— the liitle chimney-sweeper's, who had just climbed the cliiinney his head out ............. Stirred slowly, deep in thought ........... The white faced child dreamed too, her lashes wet with unshed tears .... They crept into corners of the room, but he found each one, and snuffed at them, and did The bear lay down, and the baby climbed on him, and hid his head in the shaggy fur. So they began marching — Right, left ; R'ght, left ! Piling up the clothes round a chair, making out that he was playing statues " Don't be angry, mother dear," I only said, "and a lot of butter, please " . the and no liar >tuck PAc.:; 275 276 277 278 278 279 280 280 28t 281 282 283 284 284 28s 28s 286 286 287 287 280 288 289 289 290 291 291 292 292 293 The Bronze Pig He sat himself on the Bronze Pig's back, and ere he was aware of it sank into slumber The bronze horse that bears the Duke's statue neighed out loud . " What do you bring back? " she asked the boy. ..... " Innocent souls know each other." said the woman, and petted dog and child Beheld Bellissima barking, as if to say, " Hallo ! I'm here too " . The creature shivered with cold, and he took to his heels at full speed The woman bemoaned her dog, and the boy wept ..... " You bad, bad boy ! The poor little creature ! " was all she could utter , 294 295 296 297 298 299 299 300 lb and Little Christine There they found some snipe's eggs — a great event in their lives As both wanted it at once, the result was that they let it fall into the water . At last they were quite lost in the bushes ........ On her back she had a bundle, and in her hand a knoU^d stick. She was a gipsy " You must have that," said Christine, " and it's so pretty, too " . He set it in the hinge of the door and broke the shell, but there was little inside . 301 302 302 303 304 304 XVI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS " Did you know me then, lb ? " she said . So he set himself to write, but the words would not come Where the plough had cut it, it glittered before him . Life and joy reigned there, for there was little Christine 305 305 306 307 The Cripple But Hans was pleased with it .......... . " Good-night," said the king ; " now you can go home and curse your folly " The swineherd sat in the ditch, and laughed and sang. " I am that most fortunate man ' Even people quite out on the high-road could hear it singing ..... He held the cage in his hands, and ran with it out of the door into the road 308 309 311 312 313 The Old Bachelor's Nightcap Seated on the bed he chanted an evening psalm. .... One pip the little girl proposed they should plant in the earth " Lady Holle ! Lady Holle ! " she cried, loud and clear " I dare kiss him," she would cry, and throw her arms round his neck He longed to say, " Lady Holle, Lady Holle, open the door to me ! " Wine, bread, and all the basket held, miraculously changed to roses . Prone he lay, clasping in death his old nightcap. .... 315 315 316 317 3'8 319 320 iE The Red Shoes HERE was once a little c^irl who was delicately pretty, but who was obliged to walk about with bare feet in summer (for she was poor), and to wear coarse wooden shoes in winter, so that her little insteps were red all over. In the village lived an old shoemaker's wife, who fashioned a little pair of shoes as well as she could out of some old strips of red cloth ; they were rather clumsy, but the intention was kind, for the)' were to give to the little girl, whose name was Karen. She received the red shoes, and put them on, for the first time, on the very day her mother was buried. They were not fit for mourning, it is true, but having no others, she put them on to her bare feet, and followed the pauper's coffin to its last resting-place. There happened to pass by a large, old-fashioned carriage, in which sat an old lady, who took compassion on the little girl, and said to the preacher : " Pray, give me that little girl, and 1 will adopt her." And Karen fancied that all this was owing to the red shoes ; but the old lady thought them abominable, and ordered them to be burnt. Karen then was dressed in clean and tidy clothes, and was taught to read and to sew, and people said she was pretty. But the looking-glass said : " You are more than pretty — you are beautiful ! " The queen once travelled through the land, with her little daughter, who was a princess. And crowds flocked towards the palace, and Karen stood amongst the rest, to see the little princess, who stood at a window, dressed in the finest white clothes. She had neither a train, nor a golden crown, but beautiful red morocco shoes — which, it must be confessed, were a trifle prettier than those the shoemaker's wife had patched together for little Karen. Surely nothing in the world can be compared to red shoes ! Karen was now old enough to be confirmed. She had new clothes given her, and she was to have a pair of new shoes like- wise. The rich shoemaker of the town took the measure of her little foot in his own house, in a room where a number of glass cases were filled with elegant shoes and shining boots. It was a very pretty sight ; but as the old lady could not see very well, she took no pleasure in it. Amongst the shoes was a pair of red ones, just like those the princess wore. How pretty they were, to be sure ! The shoemaker said they had been made for a count's child, but had not fitted well. " Are they of polished leather ? " asked the old lady, " for they shine so." "The\' shine, indeed," said Karen ; and they fitted her and were purchased. But the old lady did not know they were red, or she would never have allowed Karen to go to be confirmed in red shoes, which she, however, now did. PT. I. THE PRINCESS STOOD AT A WINDOW. ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES SUE THUUGUl ONLY OK HKK SHOES. Everybody looked at her feet. And when she stepped across the church to reach the choir, she fancied that even the old pictures over the graves, the portraits of preachers and their wives, with their stiff collars and long black clothes, were fixing their eyes on her red shoes. And she thought of nothing but them, even when the preacher laid his hand on her head, and descanted on the holy baptism that ad- mitted her within the pale of God's servants, and reminded her that she must now behave like a grown Christian. And the organ pealed solemnly, while the children's voices joined with those of the choristers ; but Karen thought of nothing but her red shoes. In the afternoon, the old lady heard everybody say that the shoes were red ; and she said it was quite shocking, and highly improper, and that in future Karen must always go to church in black shoes, even though they should be some- what worn. Next Sunday she was to receive the sacrament ; and Karen looked first at the black shoei: and then at the red ones, and then looked again, and finished by putting on the red ones. The sun shone brightly. Karen and the old lady went by the footway across the cornfield, which was rather dusty. Near the church door stood an old invalid soldier, with a crutch-stick, and a singularly long beard, that was red rather than white, for he had red hair. And he stooped to the ground, and asked the old lady if he might wipe her shoes. And Karen likewise put out her little foot. " See, what smart dancing pumps ! " said the soldier ; " they will stick on firmly when you dance " ; and thereupon, he slapped the soles with his hand. The old lady gave the invalid soldier some alms, and entered the church with Karen. And everybody inside looked at Karen's red shoes, and all the pictures looked at them ; and when Karen knelt before the altar, and put the gold cup to her lips, she thought only of her red shoes : and it seemed to her as though the?y were swimming in the communion cup ; and she forgot to sing her psalm, and forgot to say the Lord's prayer. The congregation now left the church, and the old lady got into her carriage. As Karen raised her foot to step in after her, the. old soldier said : " See, what smart dancing pumps ! " And Karen could not help making a few dancing steps, and having once begun, her feet went on dancing. It was just as if the shoes had some power over her. She danced round the church corner, and could not stop herself, and the coach- man was obliged to run after her and catch hold of her, and lift her into the carriage ; but her feet went on dancing, so that she trod upon the good old lady's toes at a great rate. At last the shoes were taken off her feet, which then obtained rest. The shoes were put by into a closet at home, but Karen could not cease looking at them. The old lady now fell ill, and it was said she could not live. She had to be nursed and waited on, and it was nobody's business to attend her so much as Karen's ; but there happened to be a great ball in the town, to which Karen was invited, and she gazed at the old lady, who was not likely to recover, and then looked at her red she could not stop herself. THE RED SHOES 3 shoes, and thought there could not be any very great sin in putting them on — and so far there was not — but she next went to the ball, and began to dance : only, when she wanted to go to IT WAS THE OLD SOLDIER. the right, the shoes would dance to the left : and when she wanted to go up the room, the shoes persisted in going down the room ; and then down the steps into the street, and out through the town gate. And she danced on, in spite of herself, right into the gloomy forest. ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES Something was gleaming through the tops of the trees, and she thought it was the moon — for it was a face — but it was the old soldier with his red beard, who sat and nodded, saying : " See, what pretty dancing pumps ! " She was now frightened, and tried to fling off the red shoes, but they clung fast ; and she tore off her stockings. But the shoes had, as it were, grown to her feet, and dance she must, across fields and meadows — in rain or in sunshine- — by day and by night — only by night it was far more dread- ful still. She danced up to the open churchyard, where the dead did not dance, having something much better to do. She would fain have sat down on some pauper's grave, where grows the bitter fern ; but there was no rest for her. And as she danced towards the open church door, she saw an angel, in long white clothes, and with wings that reached from his shoulders down to the earth. His countenance was stern and grave, and his hand grasped a broad and shining sword. " Thou shalt dance ! " said he, " dance in thy red shoes, until thou art pale and cold, and till thy skin has shrivelled up to a skeleton. Thou shalt dance from door to door ; and thou shalt knock at the doors where proud and haughty chil- that they may hear and take warning ! shalt dance — yea, dren, thee, Thou dance- " Mercy ! " cried Karen. But she heard not what the angel answered, for the shoes carried her from the door into the field, away — away — still dancing on and on. One morning she danced past a well-known door ; she heard the sounds of a dirge from within, and a coffin, decked with flowers, was brought forth : and she now knew that her old patroness was dead, and she felt as though she were abandoned by every one, and cursed by God's angel. On she danced, for dance she must — aye, dance through the gloomy night. The shoes carried her through brambles and stumps of trees, which scratched her till she bled. And she danced across the heath, to a little lonely house, where she knew the executioner lived ; and she tapped at the windows with her fingers, saying : SHE TAPPED AT THE WINDOW. THE RED SHOES SHt WENT ACROSS THE HEATH. " Come out — come out. I cannot come in, for 1 am obliged to dance." And the executioner s?id : " Do you not know who 1 am ? It is I who strike off wicked men's heads, and I perceive that my a.xe now clinks." " Do not strike off my head," said Karen, " for then I shall not be able to repent of m\- sins. But strike my feet off, that I may get rid of my red shoes." And she then con- fes.sed her sins, and the executioner struck off her red shoes only, though it gave her as sharp a pang as if her toes had come off with them. And away the shoes danced, across the fields, and into the depths of the forest. He then gave her crutches, for she felt unable to walk, and taught her the psalm that peni- tents sing, and she kissed the hand that had directed the axe, and went away across the heath. " I have now suffered enough for the red shoes," said she ; " so now I will go to church, that people may see me." And she hobbled up to the church door, but had no sooner reached it, than the red shoes danced before her, and frightened her back. She was in deep affliction that whole week, and shed many bitter tears ; but when Sunday came round again, she said : " I have now suffered and struggled enough ! I believe I am quite as good as many of those who are sitting at church, and bridling up." And she sallied boldly forth, but she reached no farther than the churchyard gate ; for she saw the red shoes dancing before her, and was so frightened that she turned back, and heartily repented of her sins. She then went to the parsonage, and begged, as a favour, to be taken into the family's service, promising to be diligent, and to do everything she could. She did not care about wages ; all she wanted was to have a roof over her head, and to be with good people. The preacher's wife felt com- passion for her, and took her into her ser- vice ; and she proved very industrious and very thoughtful. She sat and listened with deep attention when the preacher read the Bible aloud in the evening. All the children made much of her ; but when they spoke of dress, or finery, or beauty, she would then shake her head. On the following Sunday they all went to church, and they asked her if she would accompany them ; but she looked at her crutches with tearful eyes. And so the others went forth to listen to the Word of God, while she repaired alone to her little chamber, that was only just large enough to contain a bed and a chair. And here she sat down ALL THE CHILDREN MADE MUCH OP HER. With her psalm-book in her hand ; and as ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES she read its pages, in a pious frame of mind, the wind wafted to her the sounds of the organ from the church, and she raised her tearful countenance, saying : " O Lord, do Thou succour me ! " Then the sun shone brightly, and before her stood God's angel, in white clothes, such as she had seen him that night near the church door ; only he no longer bore the sharp sword in his hand, but held a beautiful green branch, all full of roses ; and he touched the ceiling with it, and the ceiling forthwith became lofty ; and at the spot where he had touched it shone a golden star. And he touched the walls, and they widened ; and she could see the organ that was being played upon. She saw, too, the old pictures of the preachers and their wives, and the congregation sitting on their neat chairs, and singing out of their psalm-books. For the church itself had come to the poor girl in her small chamber, or she had come to it. She sat on a chair, amongst the rest of the preacher's servants, and when they had finished the psalm, and looked up, they nodded, and said : " That was right of you to come, Karen." " It is by the grace of God," said she. And the organ pealed forth, and the chorus of chil- dren's voices sounded most sweet and lovely ! The bright sunshine shed its warm rays through the window, over the pew where Karen sat ; and her heart was so overwhelmed with sunshine, peace, and joy, that it broke ; and her soul was carried up to God on a sunbeam, and in Heaven there was no one who asked about the red shoes. HER SOUL WAS CARRIED UP TO GOD. The Chimney Sweep THE SHEPHERDESS AND THE CHIMNEY- SWEEPER AVE you ever seen an old wooden cupboard, quite black with age, and ornamented with carved scrolls and foliage, and nondescript figures? Just such an one stood in a sitting- room ; it was a legacy left by the great-grandmother of the family — it was covered from top to bottom with carved roses and tulips. There were the oddest scrolls, out of which peeped little stags' heads with their antlers. But in the middle of the cupboard was represented the full-length figure of a man ; it is, true he was rather ridiculous to look at, and was grinning — for one could not call it laughing — and, more- over, he had goat's legs, little horns upon his head, and a long beard. The children always called him General-and-Lieutenant- General-Goat-Bandylegs-Field-Sergeant — there's a name for you ! rather difficult to pronounce, certainly, nor are there many who obtain such a title — but to have had him carved was something indeed ! However, there he was. He was always looking at the table under the looking-glass, where stood a pretty little china shepherdess. Her shoes were gilt, and her dress was ornamented with a red rose, besides which she had a golden hat and a crook ; she was marvellously pretty to behold. Close by her side stood a little chimney-sweeper, as black as a coal, though likewise of china ; he was just as clean and THE CHIMNEY SWEEP as delicate as another, and as to his being a chimney-sweeper, it was only that he represented one ; the potter might just as well have made a prince out of him, for it would have been all one ! There he stood so elegantly with his ladder, and with a countenance as white and as rosy as a girl's — indeed, this was, properly speaking, a fault, for his face ought to have been rather black. He stood close to the shepherdess ; they had both been placed where they stood ; and having been so placed, they became betrothed to each other. They were well matched, being both young people, made of the same china, and equally fragile. Close to them sat another figure, three times their size. He was an old Chinese, who could nod his head. He also was made of china, and pretended to be the grandfather of the little shepherdess ; but this he could not prove. He maintained that he was entitled to control her, and, there- fore, when General-and- Lieutenant - General - Goat- Band}-legs - Field - Sergeant asked for the little shepherdess's hand, he had nodded consent. " You will obtain in him," said the old Chinese, " a husband whom I verily believe to be of mahogany. You will become the lady of General - and - Lieu- tenant - General - Goat - Bandylegs - Field - Ser - geant ! and he has a whole cupboardful of plate, to say nothing of what may be hid in the spring-drawers and se- cret compartments." " I don't choose to live in the dark cup- board," said the little shepherdess. " I have heard say that he has eleven china wives in it already." " Then you can be- come the twelfth ! " said the Chinese. To-night, as soon as you hear a creaking in the old press, your wedding shall take place, as true as I'm a Chinese." And thereupon he nodded his head, and fell asleep. But the little shepherdess cried, and looked at her sweetheart, the china chimney-sweeper. " I entreat you," said she, " to go with me into the wide world, for we can't remain here." " I will do anything you please," said the little chimney-sweeper ; " let us set out immediately. t think I can maintain you with my profession." I ENTREAT YOU TO GO WITH ,ME INTO THE WIDE WORLD. ' 8 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES " I wish we were but safe down from the table ! " said she. " I shall not be easy till we are out in the wide world." And he comforted her, and showed her how she might set her little foot on the carved pro- jections and gilt foliage of the feet of the table ; besides, he took his ladder to help, and so they managed to reach the floor. But when they looked towards the old cupboard, they saw it was all in an uproar. The carved stags poked out their heads, raised their antlers, and turned their necks. The Gen- eral - and - Lieutenant - General - Goat - Bandy- legs - Field - Sergeant was cutting tremend- ous capers, and bawling out to the Chinese : " They are running away ! they are running away ! " The fugitives were somewhat frightened, and jumped into the drawer in the window- seat. Here lay several packs of cards, that w^re not complete, and a little dolls' theatre, which had been built up as neatly as could be. A play was being represented, and all the queens, whether of hearts or diamonds, spades or clubs, sat in the front row, fanning themselves with their tulips ; and behind them stood all the knaves, and showed that they had heads, both upwards and downwards as playing- cards have. The play was about two lovers, who were not allowed to marry ; and the shepherdess cried, for it seemed just like her own story. " I cannot bear it," said she ; " I must leave the drawer." But when they had reached the floor, and looked up at the table, there was the old Chinese awake, and shaking himself— and down he came on the floor like a lump. " The old Chinese is coming 1 " shrieked the little shepherdess, falling on her china knee, for she was much affected. THEY SAW THE OLD CUPBOARD WAS ALL IN AN UPROAR. THE CHIMNEY SWEEP 9 SHE FELL ON HER CHINA KNEE, " 1 have thoucjht of a plan," said tlie chimney-sweeper. " Suppose we creep into the jar of perfumes that stands in the corner. There we might he upon roses and lavender, .ind throw salt into his eyes if he comes near us." " That would be of no use," said she. " Besides, I know that the old Chinese and the jar were formerly betrothed, and there always remains a degree of good-will when one has been on such terms. No ! we have nothing for it but to ;_;o out into the wide world ! " " Have you really the courage to go out into the wide world with me?" asked the chimney-sweeper. " Have you rcHccted how large it is, and that we can never come back hither ? " " I have," said she. And the chimney-sweeper looked hard at her, and said : " My way lies through the chimney. Have you really the courage to go with me, not only through the stove itself, but to creep through the flue ? We shall then come out by the chimney, and then I know how to manage. We shall climb so high that they won't be able to reach us, and quite at the top is a hole that leads out into the wide world." And he led her to the door of the stove. " It looks very black," said she ; still, in she went with him, both through the stove and through the pipe, where it was as dark as pitch. " Now we are in the chimney," said he ; " and look ! there shines the most beautiful star above ! " And it was a real star in the sky that seemed to shine down upon them as though it would Hght them on their way. And now they climbed and crept, and a frightful way it was — so steep and so high I But he went first, and smoothed it as much as he could ; he held her, and showed her the best places to set her little china foot upon, and so they managed to reach the edge of the chimney-pot, on which they sat down — for they were vastly tired, as may be imagined. The sky and all its stars was above them, and all the roofs of the town lay below. They saw far around them, and c great way out into the wide world. It was not like what the poor shepherdess had fancied it. She leaned her little head on her chimney-sweeper's shoulder, and cried till she washed the gilding off her sash. "This is too much ! " said she ; " it is more than I can bear. The world is too lar<je ! I wish I were safe back on the table under o the looking-glass. I shall never be happy till I am once more there. Now I have followed )'ou into the wide world, you can accompany me back if you really love me." Then the chimney-sweeper tried to reason with her, and spoke of the old Chinese, and of General- and - Lieutenant - General - Goat - Bandylegs - Field - Sergeant ; but she sobbed so violently, and kissed her little chimney-sweeper, till he could not do other- wise than what she wished, foolish as it was. And so they climbed down the chimney with infinite difficulty. They next crept through the flue and the stove, which were anything but pleasant places ; and then they stood in the dark stove, and listened behind the door, to catch what might be HB LED HER TO THE DOOK OF THE slOVE. lO ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES going forward in the room. All was quiet ; so they peeped out — and behold ! there lay the old Chinese sprawling in the middle of the floor. He had fallen down from the table, when he attempted to pursue them, and lay broken into three pieces : his whole back had come off in one lump, and his head had rolled into a corner. The General - and - Lieuten- ant - General - Goat - Bandylegs - Field - Sergeant stood where he always had done, and was wrapped in thought. " This is shocking ! " said the little shepherdess ; " my old grandfather is broken in pieces, and by our fault ! I shall not be able to survive such a mishap ! " And so saying, she wrung her little hands. " He can be rivetted ! " said the chimney-sweeper — " he can be rivetted. Do not take on so ! If they cement his back, and put a proper rivet through his neck, he will be just as good as new, and will be able to say as many disagreeable things to us as ever." "Do you think so?" said she. And then they crept up to the table, where they formerly stood. " Since we have got no farther than this," said the chimney-sweeper, " we might have saved our- selves a deal of trouble." " I wish grandfather was rivetted," said the shep- herdess ; " I wonder if it costs much ? " And rivetted sure enough he was. The family had his back cemented, and an efficient rivet run through his neck. He was as good as new, except that he could no longer nod. IHE KOOFS OK THE Mclhinl- " Yuu have become proud since you were broken to shivers," observed General-and-Lieutenant-General- 5 there is no reason why you should be so captious. Goat-Bandylegs-Field Sergeant. Am I to have her or not? " And the chimney-sweeper and the little shepherdess looked most touchingly at the old Chinese. They were afraid he would nod. But he could not ; and it would have been derogatory to have confessed to a stranger that he had a rivet in his neck. And so the china couple remained together, and blessed the grandfather's rivet, and loved each other till they were broken to pieces. HIS HEAD HAD ROLLED INTO A CORNER. ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES 11 The Niahtinorale N China, you know, the emperor is a Chinese, and all those about him are Chinamen. It is now many years ago — but for that very reason the story is better worth hear- ing before it is quite forgotten — the emperor's palace was the most magnificent in the whole world ; it was built entirely of the finest porcelain, and \n as costly to a degree, but so brittle and so ticklish, that one scarcely dared to touch it. In the garden might be seen the most singular flowers, and to the most beautiful of these were fastened little silver bells that kept jingling, so that one could not pass by without observing them. Everything in the emperor's garden was calculated after the same fashion. The garden itself extended so far that even the gardener did not know where it ended. If one went beyond its limits, one reached the finest forest with lofty trees and deep lakes. The forest sloped down to the deep blue sea : large ships could sail under its branches, in one of which dwelt a nightingale that sang so sweetly, that even the poor fishermen, who had something else to do, were fain to stand still and listen, whenever they heard her, as they went to spread their nets over-night. " Oh dear, how beautiful ! " said they ; and then they were forced to attend to their business, and forget the bird. Yet, if the bird happened to sing again on the following night, and any one of the fishermen came near the spot, he was sure to say to himself: " Dear me, how beautiful that is, to be sure ! " Travellers flocked from all parts of the earth to the emperor's capital, and admired it, as well as the palace and the garden. Yet when they came to hear the nightingale, they all declared : " This is better still." And the travellers, on their return home, related what they had seen, and learned men wrote many volumes upon the town, the palace, and the garden. Nor did they forget the nightingale, which was reckoned the most remarkable of all ; and those who could write poetry penned the most beautiful verses about the nightingale in the forest near the lake. Tiie books circulated through the world, and some of them fell into the emperor's hands. He sat on his golden throne, and kept reading and reading, and nodding his head every momf nt, for he was delighted with the beautiful descriptions of the town, the palace, and the garden. " But the nightingale is the most lovely of all ! " said the book. " What is that ? " said the emperor. " I don't know of any nightingale ! Can there be such a bird in my empire, and in my very garden, without my having .ever heard of it ? Must one learn such things from books?" He then called his lord-in-waiting, who was so grand a personage, that if any one of inferior rank to himself dared to speak to him, or ask him a question, he only answered " P ! " which meant nothing at all. "This must be a verj' remark- -^^P^lf* able bird that is called a nightingale," said the emperor. " They say it is the ^^JK^iT^l finest thing in my large kingdom. Why was I never told anything about " I never heard of her ^T^ _!^^iXi#^ .. , before!" said the lord-in-waiting. "She has never been presented " I choose that she .a«*^'^.^\J'*' ^^'^3f^ should come and sing before me thi.s very evening," said the emperor. " The whole world knows what I possess, while I myself do not ! " " I never heard her mentioned before," repeated the lord-in- waiting ; " but I will seek for her and find her." But where was she to be found ? The lord - in - waiting sat on his golden throne reading the book. 12 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES ran up and down all the stairs in the palace, looked through all the rooms and passages, but none of those whom he met had ever heard of the nightmgale. So the lord-in-waiting returned to the emperor, and said that it must be a mere fiction invented by those who wrote the books. " Your imperial majesty is not to believe all that is written," said he ; " these are mere poetical fancies, and what is called the black art." "But the book in which I read this," said the emperor, "was sent to me by the high-potent Emperor of Japan, and therefore it cannot contain a falsehood. I will hear the nightingale ! She must come hitiier this evening. She enjoys my gracious favour. And if she does not come, the whole court shall have their bodies trampled upon the moment supper is over." " Tsing-pe ! " said the lord-in-waiting, and he again ran up and down all the stairs, and looked through all the rooms and passages, and half of the courtiers accompanied him in his .search, for they did not relish the thoughts of being trampled upon. And there was a mighty inquiry after the wonderful nightingale, which all the world knew of e.xccpt those who resided at court. At last they found a little girl in the kitchen, who said : "Oh dear! I know the nightingale well enough, and beautifully she sings I I have leave to take home to my poor sick mother the remains of the dinner-table ; and she lives down by the shore, and when I come back and am tired, and sit down to rest in the forest, then I hear the nightingale sing. And the tears come into my eyes, and it is just as if my mother kissed me." " Little cook," said the lord-in-waiting, " I will obtain for you a lasting situation in the kitchen, and the permission to see the emperor dine, if }ou will show us the way to the nightingale, for she is be- spoken for this evening." And so they all went out into the forest, where the nightingale used to sing. Half the court was there. As they walked along, a cow began lowing. " Oh," cried some of the joung lords of the court, " now we've found her ! What wonderful strength for so small an animal ! I have certainly heard this before ! " " Nay, those are cows a-bellowing," said the little cook. " We are at a good distance yet from the spot." The frogs now began to croak in a neighbouring marsh. " Magnificent ! " said the Chinese court-preacher ; " now I hear her — it sounds like little church bells." " Na)', those are frogs," said the little cook ; "but 1 thnik that we shall soon hear her now." The nightingale then began to sing. " There she is," said the little girl. " Hark ! hark ! and there she sits," added she, pointing to a little grey bird up in the boughs. " Is it possible?" said the lord-in-waiting. " I should never have fancied her like that 1 How simple she looks I She has certainly lost her colour at seeing so many persons of rank around her." " Little nightingale," cried the little cook aloud, " our most gracious emperor wishes you to sing before him." " With the greatest pleasure ! " said the nightingale, and sang so exquisitely, that it was a delight to hear her. "It sounds like glass bells," said the lord-in-waiting; "and look how her little throat is working I It is surprising that we never heard her before I She will have great success at court." " Shall I sing once more before the emperor ? " asked the nightingale, who thought the emperor was there. " My sweet little nightingale," said the lord-in-waiting, " I have the pleasure to invite you to a court assembly for this evening, at which you will enchant his Imperial Highness with your delightful singing." RAN Vf AND DOWN, AND LOOKED THROUGH ALL THE ROO.MS. THE NIGH'IINGALE 13 " It is best when heard in the greenwood," said the nightingale ; still she went willingly, on hearing the emperor wished it. The preparations in the palace were magnificent. The walls and the floor, both of porcelain, were shining in the light of several thou- sand golden lamps ; the rarest flowers, such as had a right to ring their bells, were f)laced in the passages. What with the running to and fro, and the draught, there was such a jing- ling of bells that one could scarce!)' hear one's self speak. In the middle of the state room, where the emperor sat, there was a golden perch for the nightingale. The whole court was present, and the little cook had leave to stand behind the door, as she had now obtained the title of a real court cook. All present were dressed in their best, and all eyes were turned to- wards the little grey bird, to whom the emperor now made a sign by nodding his head. And the night- ingale sang so ex- quisitely, that tears came into the em- peror's eyes. The tears rolled down his cheeks, and then the nightingale sang in still more touching strains, that went to one's veryheart. And the emperor was so enchanted, that he declared the night- ingale should have his golden slipper to wear round her neck. But the nightingale declined the honour with thanks ; she was sufficiently rewarded already. " I have seen tears in the emperor's eyes, and these are like the richest treasure to me. An emperor's tears possess a peculiar virtue ! God knows that I am sufficiently rewarded." And thereupon she sang again in her sweet, melodious voice. THE NIGHTiNGALK SAMG EXQUISITELY. 14 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES SHE WENT WILLINGLY, ON HEARING THE EMI'EROR WISHED IT. " This is the prettiest piece of coquetry that I know of," said the ladies present ; and they put water into their mouths, to make a kind of liquid, cluck- ing sound when any- body spoke to them. They then fancied themselves nightin- gales. Even the foot- men and the chamber- maids gave out that they were satisfied with the performance: and that is saying a great deal, for they are the most fastidious to please. In short, the nightingale's success was complete. She was now invited to take up her abode at court, where she was to have her own cage, besides the liberty of going out twice a day, and once in the night, on which occasions she was attended by twelve servants, each of whom had fastened a ribbon round her leg to hold her fast. There was no pleasure to be had in flying after such a fashion as that. The whole talk of the town ran on no other subject than the wonderful bird. Eleven old-clothes-men's children were christened after her, but not one of them had a note in their throat. One day the emperor received a large parcel, on which was written : " The Nightingale." " Here's no doubt a new book about our celebrated bird," said the emperor. But instead of a book, it was a piece of mechanism that lay in a box — an artificial nightingale made to imitate the living one, only set all over with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. As soon as the artificial bird was wound up, it could sing one of the pieces that tiie real one sang ; and then it wagged its tail up and down, all sparkling with silver and gold. Round its neck was slung a little ribbon, on which was written : " The Emperor of Japan's nightingale is poor in- deed compared to that belonging to the Em- peror of China." " This is splendid," said all present, while he who had brought the bird was immediately invested with the title of Imperial Chief Night- ingale-bringer. " Now they must sing together," said the courtiers, " and what a duet that will be ! " And they were ac- cordingly set to sing together. But it did not do, for the real nightingale sang after her fashion, and the artificial bird according each had fastened a ribbon round her leg. THE NIGHTINGALE 15 to the barrel. " It is not the fault of the latter," observed the musical conductor, " for the bird is a good timeist, quite after my school." So the artificial bird was made to sing alone. It obtained just as much success as the real bird, and then it was thought so much prettier to look at, for it sparkled like bracelets and breast-pins. Three-and-thirty times did it sing the same piece without being tired. The company would willingly have heard it anew, but the emperor said that it was time the living nightingale should take her turn. But where was she? Nobody had remarked that she had flown out at the open window and back to her green woods. "How comes this?" said the emperor. And all the courtiers blamed her, and set down the nightingale for a most ungrateful animal. " But we have the best bird left," said they ; and accordingly the artificial bird was made to sing again, and they heard the same tune for the four-and- thirtieth time. Only they had not yet learned it by heart completely, for it was difficult to catch. And the conductor praised the bird to the skies, and even maintained that it was superior to a real nightingale, not only as regards out- ward appearance and the profusion of diamonds, but in point of intrinsic merit. " For you perceive, my gracious lord and emperor of us all," said he, " wi real nightingale you can never depend on what is coming ; but with an artif bird all is laid out beforehand. One can analyze it, one can open it, and show the human skill that contrived its mechanism, and how the barrels lie, how they work, and how one thing proceeds from another." " Those are quite my own thoughts," said all present ; and the musical conductor was allowed to exhibit the bird to the people on the following* Sunday. And the emperor commanded that the people should likewise hear it sing. They accordingly heard it, and were as delighted as though they had got drunk with tea, for it was so thoroughly Chinese. And they all cried out " Oh ! " and held up their forefingers, and nodded their heads. But the poor fisherman, who had heard the real nightingale, said : " It sounds prettily enough, and the melodies are all alike ; but there's a something wanting, though I can't tell what." The real nightingale was banished from the land. The artificial bird was placed on a sifk cushion beside the emperor's bed. All the presents of gold and precious stones which had been showered upon it lay around, and the bird had risen to the title of Imperial Toilet-singer, and to the rank of number one on the left side. For the emperor reckoned the left side the noblest, as being the seat of the heart ; for an emperor's heart is on the left. THE BOYS IN THE STREET WOULD GO ABOUT SINGING. ALL CRIED OUT " OH ! just as Other people's are. And the conductor of the music wrote a work in twenty-five volumes about the artificial bird, which was so learned, and so long, and so full of the hardest Chinese words, that everybody said they had read it and understood it, for fear of being thought stupid, or being trampled to death. A whole year passed by. The emperor and his court, and all other Chinese, now knew by heart every little flourish in the artificial bird's song. But that was the very reason why it pleased them better than ever, because they could now sing with the bird — which they accordingly did. The boys in the street would go about singing " Zi-zi-zi — cluck- cluck — cooo-00 " ; and the emperor sang it likewise. It was really quite delightful 1 But one evening, when the artificial bird was singing its best, and the emperor lay in .6 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES lied listening, sometliing inside the bird seemed to say "crick ! " Then a spring flew — whirr-r-r-r ! All the wheels ran round, and suddenly the music came to a standstill. The emperor jumped out of bed and called for his physician. ]5ut of what use could he be? JUMPED OUT OF BED AND CALLED FOR HIS I'll VSICL\N. They next fetched a watchmaker, and after a deal of talking and examination, he managed to set the bird in order to a certain degree ; but he said it must be used sparingly, for the uvula was worn away, and it was impossible to put in a new one so as to be sure not to injure the music. THE NIGHTINGALE 17 Here was a cause for deep mourning ! The artificial bird was now only to be heard once a year, and that was almost too often for its safety. But the conductor of the music made a speech, consisting of very hard words, in order to prove that it was just as good as ever ; and so, of course, it was considered. Five years had now flown past, when a real affliction threatened the land. The Chinese all loved their emperor, and he now lay so ill that it was said he could not recover. A new emperor was already chosen ; and the people who stood outside in the street asked the lord-in-waiting how it fared with their old emperor ? " P ! " said he, shaking his head. The emperor lay pale and cold in his fine large bed. The whole court thought he was dead, and everybody had run away from him to pay their respects to the new emperor. The valets had run away to prate about the event, and the chambermaids had a large company to coffee. Cloth coverings had been laid down in all the rooms and passages, that nobody's step might be heard, and therefore all was silent as the grave. But the emperor was not yet dead, though he lay stiff and pale in his magnificent bed, with its long velvet curtains and heavy gold tassels. High above was an open window, through which the moon shone down upon the emperor and the artificial bird. The poor emperor could scarcely breathe ; he felt as if a weight were lying on his chest, and on opening his eyes he saw that it was Death who was sitting on his breast, and had put on his gold crown, and was holding the imperial sword in one hand and his beautiful banner in the other. Strange heads were peeping out on all sides through the velvet bed-curtains, some of which were quite ugly, while others were mild and lovely. These were the em- peror's good and bad actions, which looked him in the face now that Death was at his heart " Do you remember this ? " whispered one after another. " Do you remember that ? " And they told him so many things that the perspiration stood on his brow. " I never knew it," said the emperor. " Music ! music ! — the large Chinese drum ! " cried he, " to drown what they say ! " But they went on, and Death nodded to all they said, like a true Chinese. " Music ! music ! " vociferated the emperor. " You little charming golden bird, sing away ! — sing, can't you ? I have given you gold and precious stones, and I have even hung my golden slipper round your neck. Sing, I tell you, sing ! " But the bird remained silent. There was nobody there to wind it up, and without that it could not sing a note. And Death went on staring at the emperor with his hollow sockets, and a frightful stillness reigned around. Suddenly a gust of melody sounded through the window. It proceeded from the little living nightingale who sat on a bough. She had heard of her emperor's danger, and had hastened hither to sing hope and comfort to his soul. And as she sang, the phantoms grew fainter and fainter, while the blood began to circulate faster and faster through the emperor's weak limbs, and even Death listened, and said, " Go on, little nightingale, go on." " But will you give me that costly golden sword ? Will you give me that rich banner ? Will you give me the emperor's crown ? " And Death gave each of the baubles for a song, and the nightingale continued singing. She sang of the quiet churchyard, where the white roses blossom, where the elder sheds its perfumes, and where the cool grass is moistened by the tears of the survivors. Then Death longed to go to his garden, and he floated out through the window, like a cold, white mist. SHE SANG, AND THE EMPEROR FELL INTO A SWEET SLEEP. i8 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES "Thanks! thanks!" said the emperor, " you heavenly little bird ! I know you well. I banished you from my dominions, and yet have you sung away those tvil faces from my bedside, and expelled Death from my heart. How can 1 reward you ?" "You have rewarded me," said the nightingale. "I beguiled tears from your eyes the first time I sang — I shall never forget that ! Those are the jewels that rejoice a singer's heart. But now sleep and grow strong and healthy. I will sing to you." And she sang, and the emperor fell into a sweet sleep. And most mild and beneficent was that slumber. The sun was shining through the window when he awoke, refreshed and restored to health. None bf his servants had returned, for they thought he was dead ; but the nightingale still sat and sang. " You must always remain with me," said the emperor. " You shall only sing v\hen you choose, and I will break the artificial bird into a thousand pieces." " Do not do that," said the nightingale ; "the bird did good as long as it could. Keep it as before. I cannot build my nest and live in the palace, but let me come when I have a mind, and I will sit on the bough near the window of an evening and sing to you, that )'ou may be at once glad and thoughtful. I will sing of the happy, and of those who suffer. I will tell of the bad and the good that is concealed from you by those about your person. For the little songster flies far around to the poor fishermen, and to the peasants' humble roof, and to all who live at so great a distance from yourself and your court. I love your heart better than your crown, and yet the crown has a perfume of sacredness about it too. I will come and sing to you, but you must promise me one thing." "All I possess !" said the emperor, as he stood in his imperial robes, which he had himself put on, and pressed his sword of weighty gold to his heart. " One thing only I require of you : that is, to let no one know you have a little bird who tells you everything, and all will be for the best." And away the nightingale flew. The servants came in to look after their late emperor, amazement on hearing the emperor say " Good morning ! " When there, they stood in *Sr The Garden of Paradise THE FOUR WINDS HERE once lived a king's son, who possessed a larger and more beautiful collection of books than anybody ever had before. He could read in their pages all the events that had ever taken place in the world, and see them illustrated by the most exquisite engravings. He could obtain information about any people or any country, only not a word could he ever find as to the geographical position of the Garden of the World ; and this was just what he was most desirous of ascertain- His grandmother had told him, when he was quite a little boy, and beginning to go to school, that each flower in the Garden of the World was the most delicious cake, and had its stamina filled with luscious wine ; on one stood written historical facts, on another geography or arithmetical tables — and so one need only eat cakes to learn one's lesson, and the more one ate, the more history, geography, and arithmetic one acquired. He used to believe this. But when he grew a little older, and had learned more and become wiser, he began to understand that there must be better delights than these in the Garden of the World. He was now seventeen, and nothing ran in his head but this garden. One day he went to take a walk in the forest, all alone, as he best liked to be. THEVKA^DEN OK PARADISE 19 As eveniiig caifie on, the sky grew overcast, and there came on such a shower, that it seemed as if the heavens had become one yast sluice that kept pouring down water ; besides this, it was darker than it usually is, even at night, except at the bottom of the deepest well. At every step, he either slipped on the.wet grass; or stumbled over some bare rock. Everything was dripping wet, and the poor prince had not a dry thread about him. He was' obliged to climb over huge blocks of stone, where water was running down from the thick moss. - He was near fainting away, when he heard a singular rushing noise, and perceived a large cavern, lighted up by a huge fire, piled up in the middle, and fit to roast a whole deer. And this, indeed, was being done. A very fine deer, with its branching horns, was placed on a spit, and slowly turned round between the felled trunks of two pine-trees. An elderly woman, as bony and masculine as though she were a man in female attire, sat by the fire, and kept throwing in one log" of wood after another. " Come nearer," said she, " and sit by the fire, and dry your clothes." " There is a great draught here," observed the prince, sitting down on the ground. " It will be much worse when my sons come home," returned the woman. " You are in the Cavern of the Winds. My sons are the Four Winds of Heaven — can you understand that ? " " Where are your sons ? " asked the prince. " It is difficult to answer a silly question," said the woman. " My sons are now at it, with their own hands. They are playing at shuttle- cock with the clouds, up there in the King's hall." And she pointed above. " Oh, that's it ! " quoth the prince. " But you seem to speak rather harshly, and are not as gentle as the women I am accustomed to see." " Because they have nothing else to do. But I must be harsh, to keep my boys in any order ; which I manage to do, headstrong as they are. You see those four bags hanging on the wall ? Well, they are every bit as much afraid of them as you used to be of the rod behind the looking-glass. I bend the boys in two, I can tell you, and then pop them into the bag, without their making the least resist- ance. There they stay, and don't dare come out till I think it proper they should. But here comes one of them." It was the North Wind who came in, diffusing an icy coldness around. Large hailstones jumped about on the floor, and snow-flakes were scattered in all directions. He wore a bearskin jacket and clothes ; his cap of sea-dog's skin came down over his ears ; long icicles clung to his beard, and one hailstone after another fell from the collar of his jacket. " Don't go too near the fire at once," said the prince, " or your face and hands might easily get frozen." " Frozen, quotha ! " said the North Wind, with a loud laugh. " Why, cold is my greatest delight! But what kind of little snip are you? How did you come into the Cavern of the Winds ? " " He is my guest," said the old woman ; " and if that does not satisfy you, why, you need only get into the bag. Do you understand me now ? " Well, this did the business at once ; and the North Wind then began to relate whence he came, and where he had been staying for nearly a month past. " I come from the Arctic Sea," said he, " and I have been on Bear's Island, with the Russian sea-cow hunters. I sat and slept at the helm, as they sailed away from the North Cape ; but AT EVERY STEP HB SLIPPED ON THE WET GRASS. 20 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES whenever I happened to wake, the petrels were flying about my legs. What comical birds they are ! They will flap their wings suddenly, and then remain poised upon them, and quite motion- less, as if they had had enough of flying." " Don't be so diffuse," said the mother of the Winds. " And so you reached Bear's Island ? " " It's a beautiful place ! There's a ball-room floor for you, as smooth as a plate ! Heaps of half-thawed snow, slightly covered with moss, sharp stones, and skeletons of sea-cows and bears were lying about, together with the arms and legs of giants in a state of green decay. It looks as if the sun had never shone there. I blew slightly on the mist, that the hovels might be visible, and there appeared a hut, built from the remains of a ship that had been wrecked, and covered over with sea-cows' skins. The fleshy side was turned outwards, and it was both red and green. A living bear sat growling on the roof I went to the shore, and looked after birds' nests, and saw the unfledged youngsters opening their beaks and screaming lustily ; so I blew into their thousands of throats, and they learned to shut their mouths. A little farther on, the sea-cows were rolling about like giant worms with pigs' heads, and teeth a yard long." " You tell your adventures right pleasantly, my son," said his mother ; " it makes my mouth water to hear you." " Then the hunting began. The harpoon was flung right into the sea-cow's chest, so that a smoking jet of blood spurted forth like water from a fountain, and besprinkled the ice. Then I thought of my part of the game. I began to l)low, and set my vessels, the towering icebergs, to stick the boats fast. Oh ! what a whist- ling and a bawling there was ! Only I whistled louder than all of them. They were obliged to unpack the dead sea-cows, the chests, and the tackle upon the ice ; I then shook snow- flakes over them, and left them and their spoils to sail in their pent-up vessels towards the south, to drink salt-water. They will never return to Bear's Island." " Then you have done mischief? " said the mother of the Winds. " Let others tell of the good I may have done ! " said he. " But here comes my brother from the West. I like him the best, because he smacks of the sea, and brings a nice bracing cold with him." " Is that the little Zephyr?" asked the prince. " Yes, that is the Zephyr ! " said the old woman ; " but he's not so very little either. Some years ago he was a pretty boy ; but that is now over." He looked like a wild man ; but he wore a roller round his head, that he might not get hurt. In his hand he held a mahogany club, hewn from an American mahogany forest. It was no small weight to carry. " Whence do you come ? " asked the mother. " From the wild forests," said he, " where tangled bindweed forms a hedge between each tree, where water-snakes lie in the damp grass, and where man seems to be a superfluous nonentity." " What have you been doing there ? " " I looked into the deep river, and saw it had rushed down from the rocks, and then became dust, and flew towards the clouds to support the rainbow. I saw a wild buffalo swimming in the river, but he was carried away by the tide. He had joined a flock of wild ducks, who flew up into the air the moment the waters dashed downwards. The buffalo was obliged to be hurled into the precipice. This pleased me, and I raised a storm, so that the oldest trees sailed down the river, and were reduced to splinters." SAT AND SLEPT AT THE HELM. THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 21 KB KISSED HIS MOTHER SO ROUGHLY, THAT SHE NEARLY FELL BACKWARDS. " And was that all you did ? " asked the old woman. " I cut capers in the savannahs ; I stroked wild horses, and shook cocoa- nut trees. Oh ! I have plenty of tales to tell ! Only one must not tell all one knows, as you well know,good mammy." And he kissed his mother so roughly, that she had nearly fallen backwards. He was a shocking wild lad. Now, in came the South Wind in a turban and Bedouin's flying mantle. "It is very cold here- abouts ! " said he, tlirow- ing wood upon the fire. "It is easy to perceive that the North Wind has preceded me." "It is hot enough here to roast a northern bear ! " said the North Wind. " You are a bear yourself! " answered the South Wind. " Have you a mind to be both put into the bag? " asked the old woman. " There! sit down on that stone, and tell us where you have been." " In Africa, mother," returned he. " I was amongst the Hottentots, who were lion-hunting in Caffraria. The grass in tlicir plains looks as green as an olive. An ostrich ran a race with me, but I beat him hollow. I reached the yellow -sands of the desert, which loo' like the bottom of the ? I met a caravan. T^ killed their last cami obtain some water •.1 — . ^ • -, • scorching beneath feet. The desert stre out into boundless exj 1 then rolled in the fine, loose sand, and made it whirl about in large columns. A fine dance I led it ! You should have seen how dejected the dromedaries looked as they stood stock still, and how the merchants pulled their caftans over their heads. They threw them- selves on the ground be- fore me as they would before Allah, their God They are now all buried AN OSTRICH RAN A RACB WITH ME.' 22 , ANI^ERSKN'S FAIRY TALES beneath a pyramid oP sand ]"'and~when^l~cbme"f6puflrit away, the sun will bleach their' bones, and travellers will see that others have been there before them : a fact which is seldom believed in the desert, short of some tangible proof" "Then you have done nothing but mischief! " said his mother. " Into the bag with you ! " And before he had time to perceive it, she had taken the South Wind round the waist, and popjjed him into the bag. He wriggled about on the ground ; but she sat upon him, and then he was forced to lie still. " Your sons are a set of lively boys ! " said the prince. " Yes," answered she ; " and I know how to correct them. Here comes the fourth." This was the East Wind, who was dressed like a Chinese. " Oh ! you come from that neighbourhood, do you ? " said his mother. " I thought you had been to the Garden of the World ? " " I am going there to-morrow," said the East Wind. " To-morrow it will be a hundred _\ears since I was there. 1 iiave just returned from China, .vhere I danced round the porcelain tower till all the bells were set a-jingling. The government officers were being beaten in the street ; the bamboo stick was broken across their shoulders ; and these were people belonging to the several degrees from the first to the ninth. They cried out : ' Many thanks, my fatherly benefactor ! ' But the words did not come from their hearts, so I made the bells jingle, and sang : ' Tsing ! tsang ! tsu ! ' " "You are a wanton boy !" said the old woman. " It is well you are going to-morrow to the Garden of the World, for that always improves your mind. Pray drink abun- dantly from the fountain of wisdom, and take a small phial and bring it home full for me." " I will," said the East Wind. " But \\h)' hav^e you put my brother from the South into the bag ? Take him out again ; I want him to tell me about the phoenix, for the princess in the Garden of the World always asks after him when I pay her my visit every hundredth year. Open the bag, there's a dear mammy, and I'll give you two pocketfuls of tea-leaves, all green and fresh, just as I plucked them from the bush on the spot where it grew." " Well, for the sake of the tea, and because you are mammy's own boy, I will open the bag." This she accordingly did, and out crept the South Wind, f rather foolish, because the strange prince had wit- nessed-his d-'sg-ace. " There is a palm-tree leaf for the princess," said the South Wind. " The old phoenix, the only bird of his sort in the wide world, gave me this leaf He has traced upon it with his beak the whole history of his life during the hundred years that form its span. She may, therefore, be now enabled to read how the phoenix set fire to his nest, and sat upon it as it was burning, like the widow of a Hindoo. How the dried twigs did crackle ! and what a smoke there was ! At length out burst the flames ; the old phoenix was burnt to ashes, but an egg lay glowing hot in the fire. It burst with a loud report, and the young bird flew out ; and now he is king over all the other birds, and the only phoenix in the world. He has bitten a hole in the leaf which I gave you, and that is his way of sending his duty to the princess." " Now let us eat something," said the mother of the Winds. And they all sat down to partake of the roast deer. The prince sat beside the East Wind ; therefore, they soon became good friends. " And pray what kind of a princess may she be whom you are talking so much about, and where lies the Garden of the World ? " " Ho, ho ! " said the East Wind. " What ! have you a mind to go there ? Well, you can fly over with me to-morrow ; though I must tell you no mortal ever visited it before. It is inhabited by a fairy queen, and in it lies the Island of Happiness, a lovely spot, where death never intrudes. HE SAT ON THE BACK OF THE EAST WIND. THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 23 Get upon my back to-morrow, and I'll take you with me; for I think it can be managed. But now don't 'jpeak any more, for I want to sleep." And ihen to sleep they all went. The prince awoke at an early hour next morning, and was not a little surprised on finding himself high above the clouds. He sat on the back of the East Wind, who was holding him faith- fully ; ^nd they were so high in the air that forests, fields, rivers, and lakes lay beneath them like a painted map. "Good morning!" said the East Wind. "You might just as well have slept a bit longer, for there is not much to be seen in the flat country beneath us, except you have a mind to count the churches. The\' look like chalk dots on the green board." It was the fields and the meadows that he called the "green board." " It was uncivil of me not to take leave of your mother and brothers," observed the prince. " When one is asleep, one is to be ex- cused," replied the East Wind. And they began to fly quicker than ever. When they swept across the tree-tops, you might have heard a rustling in all their leaves and branches. On the sea and on the lakes, wherever they flew, the waves rose higher and the large ships dipped down into the water like swimming swans. Towards evening, when it grew dark, the large towns looked beautiful. They were dotted here and there with lights, much after the fashion of a piece of paper that has burned till it is black, when one sees all the little sparks going out one after another. The prince clapped his hands with delight ; but the East VVind begged him to let such demonstrations alone, and rather attend to holding fast, or else he might easily fall down and remain dangling on a church steeple. Fast as the eagle flew through the black forests, the East Wind flew still faster. The Cossack was scouring the plains on his little horse, but the prince soon outstripped him. " You can now see Himalaya," said the East Wind, " the highest mountain in Asia — and now we shall soon reach the Garden of the World." They then turned more south- wards, and the air was soon perfumed with spices and flowers. Figs and pomegranates grew wild, and clusters of blue and red grapes hung from wild vines. They now descended to the earth, and reclined on the soft grass, where the flowers seemed to nod to the wind as though they had said — " Welcome ! " " Are we now in the Garden of the World ? " asked the prince. " No, indeed ! " replied the East Wind ; " but we soon shall be. Do you see yon wall of rocks, and that broad cavern, where the vines hang down like a huge green curtain ? That's the road through which we must pass. Wrap yourself in your mantle, for burning hot as the sun is just hereabouts, it is as cold as ice a few steps farther. The bird who flies past the cavern foels one wing to be in the warm summer abroad while the other is in the depth of winter." " So then this seems to be the way to the Garden of the World ? " asked the prince. ThL-y now entered the cavern. Oh, how icy cold it was ! Only it did not last long. The East Wind spread out his wings, and they beamed like the brightest fire. But what a cavern it was, to be sure ! The huge blocks of stone, from which the water kept dripping down, hung over them in the oddest shapes, sometimes narrowing up till they were obliged to creep on all-fours, THEY NOW ENTERED THE CAVERN. 24 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES at other times widening into an expanse as lofty as though situated in the open air. It looked like a chapel for the dead, with petrified organs and dumb organ-pipes. " We seem to be crossing through an abode of Death to reach the Garden of the World ! " said the prince. But the East Wind did not answer a syllable, and merely pointed forwards where the loveliest blue light met their eyes. The blocks of stone above their heads rolled away into a mist that finished by assuming the shape of a white cloud on a moonlight night. They were now in a most delightfully mild atmosphere, as cool as the mountain breeze, and as perfumed as a valley of roses. A river, clear as the air itself, was running along, filled with gold and silver fishes ; scarlet eels, that emitted blue sparks at every motion, were disporting in the depths of the waters ; while the broad leaves of the water-lilies that lay on its surface showed all the tints of the rainbow ; the flower itself was a reddish-yellow burning flame that received its nourishment from the water as oil feeds the flame of a lamp. A marble bridge, as delicately sculptured as though it had been made of lace and glass beads, led across the water to the Island of Happiness, where bloomed the Gar- den of the World. The East Wind took the prince on his arm and carried him over. And the flowers and leaves sang the sweetest songs of his childhood, but in so lovely a strain of melody as no human voice ever yet sang. Were they palm- trees or gigantic water- plants that grew on this favoured spot ? The prince could not tell, for never had he seen such large and luxuriant trees before. The most singular creepers, too, such as one only sees represented in gold and colours in the margins of illuminated old mis- sals, or twined around the first letter in a chapter, were hanging in long festoons on all sides. It was a most curious mixture of birds, and flowers, and scrolls. Just by a flock of pea- cocks were standing on the grass displaying their gorgeous fan-like tails. The prince took them for live creatures, but found, on touching them, that they were onl}' plants— large burdock leaves, which, in this favoured spot, beamed with all the glorious colours of the peacock's tail. A lion and tiger were disporting with all the pliancy of cats amongst the green hedges, that were per- fumed like the flower of the olive-tree ; and both the lion and the tiger were tame. The wild wood-pigeon's plumage sparkled like the fairest pearl, and the bird flapped the lion's mane with its wings ; while the antelope, usually .so shy, stood near and nodded its head, as if willing to join them at play. Now came the fairy of the garden. Her clothes were radiant as the sun, and her countenance was as serene as that of a happy mother rejoicing over her child. She was young and beautiful, and was followed by a train of lovely girls, each wearing a beaming star in her hair. The East Wind gave her the leaf sent by the phoenix, when her eyes sparkled with joy. She took the prince by the hand and led him into her palace, whose walls were of the hues of the most splendid tulip when it is turned towards the sun. The ceiling was a large radiant flower, and the more one looked at it, the deeper its calyx appeared to grow. The prince stepped to the window, and looked through one of the panes, on which was depicted Jacob's dream. The ladder seemed to reach to SHli LED IHE I'RINCE l.NTO HER PALACE. THE GARDEN OF PARADISE 25 the real sky, and the angels seemed to be flapping their wings. The fairy smiled at his astonished look, and explained that time had engraved its events on each pane, but they were not merely lifeless images, for the leaves rustled, and the persons went and came as in a looking-glass. He then looked through other panes, where he saw depicted the events of ancient history. For all that had happened in the world lived and moved upon these panes ; time only could have engraved so cunning a masterpiece. The fairy then led him into a lofty, noble hall, with transparent walls. Here were a number of portraits, each of which seemed more beautiful than the other. There were millions of happy faces whose laughing and singing seemed to melt into one harmonious whole ; those above were so small that they appeared less than the smallest rosebud when represented on paper by a mere dot. In the midst of the hall stood a large tree with luxuriant drooping branches. Golden apples, both great and small, hung like china oranges amid the green leaves. From each leaf fell a sparkhng red dewdrop, as if the tree were shedding tears of blood. " We will now get into the boat," said the fairy, " and enjoy the coolness of the water. The boat rocks, but does not stir from the spot, while all the countries of the earth glide past us." And it was wonderful to behold how the whole coast moved. First came the lofty snow-capped Alps, overhung with clouds and overgrown with fir-trees. The horn was sounding its melancholy notes, while the shepherd was carolling in the vale. Then banana-trees flung their drooping branches over the boat ; coal-black swans swam on the water, and flowers and animals of the strangest description might be seen on the shore. This was New Holland, the fifth part of the world, that glided past, with a view of the blue mountains. One could hear the hymns of the priests and see the savages dancing to the sound of drums and trumpets made of bones. Egypt's pyramids reaching to the clouds, overturned columns and sphinxes, half buried in the sand, followed in their turn. The aurora borealis next shined upon the extinguished volcanoes of the north. These were fireworks that nobody could have imitated ! The prince was delighted ; and he saw a hundred times more than what we have mentioned. " Can 1 remain here for ever ? " asked he. "That depends on yourself," replied the fairy. " If you do not long for what is forbidden, you may stay here for ever." " I will not touch the apple on the Tree of Knowledge," said the prince ; " here are thousands of fruits equally fine." " Examine your own heart, and if you do not feel sufficient strength, return with the East Wind who brought you hither. He is now about to fly back, and will not appear again in this place for the next hundred years. The time would seem to you here to be only a hundred hours, but even that is a long span for temptation and sin. Every evening, on leaving you, I shall be obliged to say : 'Come with me ! ' 1 shall make a sign with my hand, yet )ou must stay away. If once you followed, your longing would increase at every step. You would then enter the hall where grows the Tree of Knowledge. I sleep beneath its perfumed, drooping branches. You would bend over me, and I should be forced to smile. But if you pressed a kiss on my lips, then would the garden sink into the earth and be lost for you. The sharp winds of the desert would howl around you, the cold rain would trickle over your head, and sorrow and distress would fall to your lot." " I will remain here," said the prince. And the East Wind kissed his forehead, saying, " Be firm, and then we shall meet again in a hundred years. Farewell ! farewell ! " And the East Wind spread his large wings, and they shined like the lightning in harvest time, or like the nor- thern lights in a cold winter. " Farewell ! farewell ! " sounded from the flowers and the trees. Storks and pelicans flew in long rows, like streaming ribbons, to accompany him to the boundaries of the garden. " We will now begin our dances," said the fairy. " At the close, when I'm dancing with you, and just as the sun is sinking, you will see me make a sign, and you will hear me say, 'Come with me.' But do not do it. For a hundred }-ears shall I be obliged to repeat the same thing every evening ; and each time when it is over will you gain fresh strength. In the end you'll cease to think about it. This evening will be the first time — and now you are warned." The fairy then led him into a large room made of white transparent lilies. The yellow stamina in each flower pictured a little golden harp that yielded a sweet music partaking of the combined sounds of stringed instruments and the tones of the flute. Lovely girls with slender, aerial figures, and dressed in lightest gauze, floated through the mazes of the dance, and sang of the delights of living and being immortal, and blooming for ever in the Garden of the World. The sun now set. The whole sky was one mass of gold that imparted the tints of the richest PT. II. 26 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES roses to the lilies ; and the prince drank of the sparkling wine handed to him by the young maidens, and felt a bliss he had never before experienced, f^e saw the background of the ball- STORKS A^D PliLICAN'S FLEW IN LONG ROWS. room now opening, and the Tree of Knowledge stood before him in such streams of light that his eyes were dazzled. The singing that rang in his ears was soft and lovely as his mother's voice, and it seemed as if she sang, " Mv child ! my beloved child ! " THE ^GARDENi OFi PARADISE 27 _. The fairy then made him a si^n with her eyes, and cried most sweetly: "Come with me! Come with me ! " And he rushed towards her, forgetting his promise, though it was but the first evening, and she continued to beckon to him- and to smile. The spicy perfumes around grew yet more intoxicating ; the harps sounded sweeter ; and it was as if the millions of smiling faces in the room, where grew the tree, nodded and sang: "' We must know everything ! Man is the lord of the earth ! " And there were no more tears of blood dropping down from the leaves of the Tree of Knowledge ; but he thought he saw red sparkling star^ instead. " Come with me I come with me ! " said the thrilling tones ; and at each step the prince's cheeks glow- ed more intensely, and his blood rushed more wild!)'. " I must ! " said he ; " it is no sin, and cannot be one ! VVh\' not follow when beauty calls? I will see her asleep ; and provided I do not kiss her, there will be no harm done — and kiss I will not. for I have strength to resist, and a firm will." And the fair\ cast aside herdazzling attire, bent back the boughs, and in an- other moment was completely concealed. " I have not y<. i sinned," said tlu prince, "and do not intend to sin ! " And then he pushed the boughs aside ; there she lay already asleep, and lovely as only the fairy of the Garden of the World is privileged to be. She smiled in her dreams ; yet as he bent over her, he saw tear-< trembling between her eyelashes. " And do you weep for me ? " whispered he. " Oh, wrep not, most admirable of women ! I THE FAIRY CRIEU, "COME WITH ME! COME WITH ME! 28 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES HE PUSHED THE BOUGHS ASIDE ' now begin to understand the happiness to be found in this place. It penetrates into my blood, and I feel the joys of the blessed in this my earthly form ! Though it were ever after eternally dark for me, one moment like this is happiness enough ! " And he kissed the tears in her eyes, and his mouth pressed her lips. Then came a thunder-clap, so loud and so tremen- dous as never was heard before. Down everything fell to ruins — the beautiful fairy, the blooming garden, all sank deeper and deeper still. The prince saw the garden sinking into the dark abyss below, and it soon only shone like a little star in the distance. He turned as cold as death, and closed his eyes, and lay senseless. The cold rain fell on his face, and the sharp wind blew over his head. He then returned to consciousness. " What have I done ? " sighed he. " Alas ! I have sinned, and the Island of Happiness has sunk down into the earth ! " And he opened his eyes and saw a distant star like that of the sinking garden ; but it was the morning star in the sky. He got up and found himself in the large forest close to the Caverrii of the Winds. The mother of the Winds sat by him, and looked angry. I thought it would be so ! If you were my son, you and raised her arm aloft. " The very first evening," said she. should be put into the bag presently." " Into it he shall go, sure enough ! " said Death. He was a stalwart man with a scythe in his hand, and large black wings. " In his coffin shall he be laid, but not yet. I'll only mark him now, and allow him to wander about the world yet awhile, to expiate his sins and to grow better. But I shall come at last. When he least expects it, I shall put him into the black bag, place it on my head, and fly up to the stars. There, too, blooms a lovely garden, and if he be good and pious, he will be allowed to enter it ; but should his thoughts be wicked, and his heart still full of sin, then will he sink in his coffin yet lower than he saw the Garden of the World sink down ; and it will be only once in every thousand years that I shall go and fetch him, when he will either be condemned to sink still deeper, or be borne aloft to the beaming stars above." ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES 29 The Little Swineherd THE PRINCE IN DISGUISE emperor It is I II*' RE was once a poor prince, who had but a very small kingdom ; still, as it was large enough to support a wife, he had a mind to marry. It was, to be sure, rather bold of him to venture to say to the emperor's daughter : " Will you have me ? " Yet, venture he did ; for his name was celebrated both far and near, and there were scores of princesses who would gladly have said " Yes " ; but the question was, whether she would say so or not ? Now we shall see, prcsentl)'. Over the grave of the prince's father there grew a rose-tree, and a beautiful rose-tree it was. It only bloomed once in every five years, and then it only bore one rose ; but what a rose it was ! Its perfume was so exquisite, that everybody forgot their cares and sorrows when they smelt it. Besides this, he had a nightingale, who sang as though all the lovely melodies in the world had been assembled in its little throat. He resolved to make the princess a present of this rose and this nightingale, and accordingly they were placed in two large silver shrines, and sent to her. The emperor had them brought to him in a large room, where the princess was playing at " There came a knight a-wooing " with her ladies-in-waiting ; and when she saw the silver shrines containing the presents, she clap[je<l her hands for joy. "If it could but be a kitten!" said she. But out came the rose-tree with the beautiful rose. " How very elegantly it is made ! " exclaimed all the court ladies. "It is more than elegant," said the charming." But the princess, having felt it, was ready to cry. " Fie, papa ! " said she ; " it is not an artificial rose, but merely a natural one." " Fie ! " echoed all natural rose." " Let's see what the other shrine may contain, before we fly into a passion," said his majesty; and then out came the nightingale, and sang so sweetly, that nobody at first thought of any spiteful fault-finding. " Superbe ! charmant ! " cried the court ladies ; for they all chattered French, however badly. " The bird reminds me of the late empress's musical-bo.x," observed an old lord-in-waiting ; " it has the same tone and the same execution " " Yes," said the emperor, crying like a little child. " But it is not a real bird, I trust ? " asked the princess. " Yes, it is a real bird," said those who had brought it. " Then let it fly away," said the princess, who would not hear of the prince coming to pay his respects to her. But he was not to be discouraged. He painted his countenance brown and black, drew his cap over his fore- head, and then knocked at the palace door. " Good morning, fcmperor," said he ; " can I find any employment at the palace ? " Why," said the emperor, " there are so many that apply the ladies-in-waiting ; " it is merely a for places, that I really don't know whether we can do any- "good morning," said he. 30 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES^ THE PRINCE BECAME SWINEHERD. thiiifj; for you ; however, I'll bear it in mind. But, nnw I think of it, I am in want of somebody to take care of the swine ; for I have a vast number of pig.s." So the prince became the imperial swineherd. They ga\e him a wretched little room near the pig-sty, and here he was obliged to remain. But he sat and worked the whole day, and by the even- ing he had made a neat little pipkin, and round it was a set of bells, and the moment the pot began to boil, they fell to jingling most sweetly, and played the old meludv : — " Oh ! clearest Augustine, All's gone clean away !" But the most in- genious part of the business was, that if one held one's finger in the steam of the pipkin, one could im- mediately smell what dinner was cooking on every hearth in the town. This was indeed something far superior to the rose ! The princess now happened to be walking out with her ladies-in-waiting ; and on hearing the melody, she stood still, and appeared highly delighted ; for she could play " Oh ! dearest Augustine." It was, indeed, the only tune she could play, but then she played it with one inger. " Why, that's what I play ! " cried she. " He must be a very intellectual swineherd. I say, go and ask him the price of his instrument." So one of the ladies-in-waiting was obliged to go down to speak to him ; but she put on pattens. " How much do you ask for your pipkin ? " inquired the lady. " I ask ten kisses from the princess," said the swineherd. " Good gracious ! " said the lady-in-wait- ing. " I will not take less," answered the swineherd. " Well, what did he say ? " asked the princess. " I dare not repeat it," replied the lady-in- waiting. " Then whisper it into my ear." " He is very ill bred ! " observed the princess, as she turned THE SWINEHERD GOT TEN KIsSlib. away. But after walking a few steps, the bells jingled so sweetly- '•Oh ! dearesi AugUitir.^. All's gone clean away ! ' THE LITTLE SWINEHERD that the princess said, "I say, go and ask him if hc'M take ten kisses from my ladies- waitin"." ■■ 3' 'V.HAl's THE MEANING OF THIS?" CRIED HE. " I'm much obliged to you," said the swineherd ; " eitlier I'll nave ten kisses from the princess, or else I'll keep my pipkin." " How tiresome he is ! " said the princess. " Then you mu t stand round me. so that nobody may see me." ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES Accordingly, the ladies-in-waiting stood before her, and spread out their clothes, and the swineherd got the ten kisses, and she obtained the pipkin. And how delighted she was ! All that evening, and the whole day following, was the pipkin set to boil ; and there was not a hearth in the kingdom on which anything could be cooked without their knowing it — from my lord-chamberlain's down to the shoemaker's. The ladies-in-waiting clapped their hands and jumped with joy. " VVe now know who is going to eat sweet porridge and an omelet, or who will have gruel and broiled meat. How interesting, to be sure ! " " Very interesting," quoth the mistress of the robes. " But you must not blab, because I am the emperor's daughter." " Of course not," said they in a breath. The swineherd, or rather, the prince — though they took him to be a real swineherd — did not let a day go by without working at something ; and so he next fashioned a rattle, which only required springing to play all the waltzes, galops and polkas known since the creation of the world. " Reall}', this is superbe\" said the princess, as she passed by. " I never heard a finer composition. I say, go in and ask him what's the price of the instrument. Only I will not give any more kisses." " He wants a hundred kisses from her royal highness ! " said the lady-in-waiting, who had been in to inquire. " He must be crazy, I should think ! " said the princess, turn- ing away. But after going a few steps, she stopped short. " We must encourage the fine arts," said she, " and I am the emperor's daughter. So tell him that he shall have ten kisses as before, and he may take the rest from my ladies-in- waiting." " Nay, but we should not much relish that," said the ladies-in-waiting. "Nonsense!" said the princess ; "if I can kiss him, surely you .may. Remember I give you board, and lodging, and wages." And so the ladies-in-waiting were obliged to go in once more to speak to him. * A hundred kisses from the princess," said he, " or it's no bargain." " Stand before me," said she ; and the ladies-in-waiting did as they were bid, and he began kissing the princess. " What's that mob after, near the pig-sty? " asked the emperor, who had just stepped into the 'WHAT A MISERABLE CREATURE I AM SOBBED THE PRINCESS. A WEEK WITH OLE LUK-OIE 33 balcony. He rubbed his eyes, and then put on his spectacles. " Why, it's the ladies-in-waiting, who are after some trick, I'll be bound. I must go down and see." So he drew up his slippers, for they were shoes down at heel. My goodness ! what haste he did make ! As soon as he had reached the yard, he walked very softly, and the ladies-ir-waiting were so busy counting the kisses, that there might be no cheating, that they did not perceive the emperor. He stood on tiptoe. " What's the meaning of this ? " cried he, on seeing them kissing away at such a rate, and he flung his slipper at their heads just as the swineherd had received the eighty-sixth kiss. " Get out of my sight," said the emperor, who was very angry ; and both the princess and the swineherd were turned out of his empire. There she stood and wept, while the swineherd grumbled, and the rain fell in torrents. " What a miserable creature I am ! " sobbed the princess. " Would that I had married the handsome prince ! Oh, how unhappy am I ! " The swineherd then went behind a tree, and rubbed the black and brown paint off his face, and threw off his shabby clothes, and appeared in his princely garb, and looking so handsome, that the princess involuntarily curtseyed to him. " I have now learned to despise you," said he. " You refused an honourable prince — you could not appreciate a rose or a nightingale — but you could stoop to kiss a swineherd to obtain a toy. You must now suffer the punishment.' So saying, he went back into his outside to sing — kingdom, and shut the door in her face ; and she was left 'Oh 1 dearest Augustine, All's gone clean away ! " A Week with Ole Luk-OIe OLE LUK-OIE; OR, THE DUSTMAN HERE is no one in the world who knows so many stories as Ole Luk-Oie, and nobody can tell them so prettil)-. Towards evening when the children are sitting round the table, or upon their stools, in steals Ole Luk-Oie. He comes up- stairs very softly, for he walks about in his socks, and then opens the doors so gently — and, heigh presto ! he squirts dust into the children's eyes, in very, very small quantities, yet sufficient to prevent their keeping their eyes open, and that's why they can't ever see him. He slinks behind them, and breathes softly over their necks, and then their heads begin to feel heavy. But don't think he hurts them. Oh, no ! 016 Luk-Oie means kindly to- wards all children — he only wants them to be quiet, and that they never are till they have been put to bed ; and he merely wishes them to be quiet in order that he may tell them pretty stories So, when the children have fallen to sleep, Ole Luk- Oie sits upon their bed. He is very well dressed, for his coat is made of some silk stuff, though it is impossible to tell its colour, for it changes from green to red or to blue, according to which side he turns. He carries an umbrella under each arm, and he spreads one of these, all lined with pretty pictures, over the heads of good children, which makes them dream of amusing stories all night long ; but as for the other umbrella, which is completely blank, he spreads that over naughty children, who then sleep so heavily that next morning when they wake they find they have dreamed nothing at all. 34 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES Now we are going to hear how Ole Luk-Oie came every evening, for a whole week, to a little boy named Hjalmar, and what he told him. There were seven stories, as there are seven days in the week. Monday ISTEN to me," said Ole Luk-Oie at night, after he had sent Hjalmar to bed ; " I am going to deck out the room." Accordingly all the flowers in the flower-pots shot up into large trees, that spread their wide branches beneath the ceiling and along the walls, so that the whole room looked an enchanting summer-house ; and all the branches were loaded with blossoms, and each blossom was lovelier than a rose, and smelt most deliciously, and if you had tasted them you would have said they were sweeter than sweetmeats ! The fruit sparkled like gold, and there were, besides, cakes literally bursting with plums. It was a rare sight indeed ! But at the same moment a woeful groan arose from the box that stood on the table, and contained Hjalmar's school- books. " What is that ? " said Ol^ Luk-Oie, going to the table and opening the box. It was the slate that was all up in arms because there was a wrong figure in a sum, and threatened to fall to pieces. The pencil was hopping about and leaping as far as its string would allow, just as if it had been a little dog trying to help the sum, but not able to manage it. And then there came a groan from Hjalmar's copy-book — and an ugly one it was too. On each leaf stood the capital letters according to order, and every one had a small letter by its side — these formed the copy. Next to them stood other letters that thought they looked like the former, and these had been penned by Hjalmar, but they lay very much as if they had fallen over the pencil line on which they ought to have stood upright. " Look ! this is the way you ought to stand upright I " said the copy ; " you seem as if you had been bent double by a violent blow." " Oh, we should be willing enough to stand upright," said Hjalmar's letters, "only we can't. We are such deplorable things." " Then you must take physic," said Ole Luk-Oie. " Oh, no ! " cried they, placing themselves as straight as could be. " There, now — we shan't be able to have any stories ! " said Old Luk-Oie ; " for I must drill them. One, two — one, two 1" and he drilled the letters till they all stood as slim and as straight as ever copy could be. But when Ole Luk-Oie was gone, and Hjalmar looked at them next morn- ing, they were just as deplorable as ever. Tuesday S soon as Hjalmar was in bed, 0\6 Luk-Oie touched all the pieces of furniture in his room with his little magic wand, and they immediately began to talk, and each talked of nothing but itself Over the chest of drawers hung a large picture in a gilt frame, that represented a landscape. In it might be seen old trees, flowery meadows, and a broad river skirting a forest and flowing past a number of castles, till it reached the open sea. Ole Luk-Oie touched the picture with his magic wand, and immediately the birds began to sing, the branches to rustle, and the clouds to sail ; even the shadows of the latter might be seen gliding over the landscape. Ole Luk-Oie now lifted little Hjalmar up to the frame, and placed his feet in the tall grass inside the picture ; and there he stood, with the sun shining upon him through the branches of the trees. He then ran to the water's edge, and got into a little boat that was lying there ; the A WEEK WITH OLE LUK-OIE 35 boat was painted red and white, the sails were as dazzling as silver, and six swans all wearincr gold crowns round their necks, and a brightly beaming blue star on their heads, towed the boat ON THE BALCONIES STOOD PRINCESSES. past the green forest, where the trees related stories of robbers and witches, and the flowers told all about pretty little elves, as well as what the butterflies had said to them. The most beautiful fishes with gold and silver scales swam after the boat; and every now 36 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES and then they gave a leap that ruffled the surface of the water, while birds both red and blue, great and small, flew behind in two long rows. The gnats kept dancing, and the cockchafers saying : " Buzz ! buzz ! " They all wanted to follow Hjalmar, and they each had a story to tell. What a pleasant sail he had ! Sometimes the woods were quite thick and dark, at other times they were laid out like the most enchanting garden, full of flowers and sunshine ; then there were castles built of glass or of marble, and on the balconies stood princesses, all of whom wore the familiar faces of the little girls Hjalmar knew and had played with. Each held out her hand to offer him the prettiest sugar heart that ever confectioner sold; and Hjalmar caught hold of one side of the sugar heart, as he sailed past, and the princess kept firm hold of the other, so that each had a piece, the smallest falling to her share and the largest to Hjalmar's. At each castle little princes stood upon guard as sentinels ; they presented arms with tiny golden swords, and made it rain plums and tin soldiers, so that one saw at once they were real princes. Hjalmar went on sailing, now through forests, now through vast halls, now through the middle of some city ; and he passed through the town where lived the nurse who had carried him in her arms when he was quite a little boy, and had been so kind to him. And she nodded and smiled, and sang the pretty little stanza that she had herself composed and sent to Hjalmar: — " How oft thine image doth arise, Hjahnar dear ! beloie mine eyes, As I recall those days of joy When I might kiss my baby boy. Oh, it was hard to part from thee. Whose first sweet words were Hsped to me. But may kind Heaven grant my prayer, And bless my angel here and there." And all the birds joined in the song, the flowers danced on their stems, and the old trees nodded, just as if Ole Luk-Oie were telling them stories. Wednesday OW it did rain, to be sure ! Hjalmar could hear it in his sleep ; and when Ole Luk-Oie opened the window, the water stood as high as the window-seat. There was a complete lake outside, but the prettiest ship in the world stood close to the house. " Will you sail with me, little Hjalmar ? " asked Ole Luk-Oie ; " if so, you can reach foreign lands to-night and yet be back by morning." And Hjalmar found himself suddenly standing, in his holiday clothes, on the beautiful ship, when the weather immediately grew fine, and they sailed through the streets, rounded the church, and then emerged into the open sea. They sailed till they lost sight of land, when they saw a flock of storks who were likewise leaving their home to go to a warmer climate ; one stork flew behind the other, and they had already flown a long, long way. One of them was so tired that his wings could scarcely carry him any further ; he was the last in the row, and was a good bit behind the others. At last he kept sinking, with outspread wings, lower and lower still ; then he flapped his wings twice more, but to no purpose ; his feet now touched the rigging of the vessel, then he glided down from the sails, and, plump I there he stood on the deck. A sailor-boy now took him and put him into the hen-house, amongst ducks, hens and guinea- fowls. The poor stork remained quite confounded in the midst of them. " Look at that chap ! " said the hens. And the guinea-fowl puffed himself out to look as big as he could, and inquired who he might be, while the ducks walked backwards, cackling, "Quack! quack!" And the stork told all about warm Africa and the Pyramids, and the ostriches that run through the desert like wild horses. But the ducks could not understand what he said, and they A WEEK WITH OLE LUK-OIE 37 then cackled amongst each other : " I think we are all of opinion that he is very stupid." " Yes, stupid enough in all conscience," said the guinea-fowl, and fell into a rage. So the stork re- mained silent, and thought of his dear Africa. "Those are very dainty, thin legs of yours," said the guinea-fowl ; " pray, what may they cost per yard ? " " Quack ! quack ! quack ! " tittered all the ducks, but the stork pretended not to have heard what had been said. " You may as well laugh too," said the guinea- fowl to him, " for it was very witty. Or was it above your understanding? In truth, I fancy he is not very deep ; we must try and lower ourselves to his level." And then he clucked, and the ducks cackled, " Ghick, ghack ! Ghick, ghack ! " It was quite abominable to hear how they amused themselves. But Hjalmar went to the hen-house, and opened the door, and called to the stork, who hopped out to him upon deck. He was now rested, and it seemed as if he nodded to Hjalmar to thank him. He then spread his wings, and flew to warmer lands ; while the hens clucked, the ducks set up a cackling, and the guinea-fowl turned scarlet in the head. " We shall cook you to-morow for broth," said Hjalmar, and thereupon he awoke, and found him- self in his little bed. It was a singular voyage, to be sure, that Ole Luk-Oie had made him take during that night ! Thursday. " WE SHALL COOK YOU TO-MORROW," SAID HJALMAR, " Leave that to me," said Ole Luk- Oie ; "I'll contrive to make you little enough." And he touched Hjalmar with his little magic wand, whereupon he be- came less and less, till at last he was not so long as one's finger. " Now you can borrow the clothes of the lead soldier, which I think will ju.st fit you ; and it looks well to wear a uniform when one goes into company." " That's true," said Hjalmar ; and in a moment he was dressed like the sprucest lead soldier. HAT do you think I have here?" said Ole Luk-Oie, "only you must not be frightened. It is a little mouse " ; and then he stretched forth his hand, in which lay the elegant little creature. " She is come to invite you to a wedding. There are two little mice about to be married to-night. They live under your mother's store-room floor, which must be a very pretty dwelling." " But how can I creep through a little mouse's hole in the floor?" asked Hjalmar. AWAY THEY WENT TO THE MOUSES WEDDING. 38 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES THE MICE WERE NEAR TREADING EACH OTHER TO DEATH. "Will you have the goodness to sit in your mamma's thimble ? " said the little mouse, " and then I shall have the honour to draw you." " Dear me ! will you take all that trouble yourself, madam ? " said Hjal- mar. And away they went to the mouse's wedding. First of all they descended be- neath the floor into a long passage that was only just high enough to admit of their driving through it with the thimble. The whole passage was lit up with phosphorescent wood. " Does it not smell nice here ? " asked the mouse that drew him. " The whole passage is smeared with rinds of bacon. Nothing can be more delicious." They now came into the room where the wedding party was assembled. On the right side stood all the lady mice, who were whispering and gossiping, as if they were making game of each other. To the left stood the gentlemen mice, stroking their moustaches with their paws ; and in the middle of the room were seen the bridal pair standing side by side in a scooped-out cheese- rind, and kissing each other most heartily before all the company, for they were betrothed, and were just about to be married. More and more strangers kept arriving ; the mice were near treading each other to death ; and the bridal pair had placed themselves in the doorway, so that it was impossible to go in or to come out. The room had been daubed over with rinds of bacon like the passage, and that was all the refreshment offered to the guests ; but at dessert they brought out a pea in which a mouse belonging to the family had bitten the name of the bride and bridegroom — that is to say, the first letter of their name. And this was something quite extraordinary. All the mice declared that it was a very grand wedding, and that the entertainment had been very agreeable. Hjalmar then went home. He had certainly been into very genteel society ; but then, on the other hand, he had been obliged to creep into a little hole, and make himself small, and put on the uniform of the lead soldier. Friday T is wonderful how many persons more advanced in years would like to have me come to them!" said Ole Luk-Oie, "especially those who have done bad actions. ' Dear little Ole,' say they, ' we cannot get a wink of sleep, and we lie the whole night long looking at all our wicked deeds that are sitting like so many ugly little kobolds on our bed, sprinkling hot water over us ; do come and drive them away, that we may have a good night's rest' And then they sigh so heavily. ' We would gladly pay you handsomely ! Good night, Ole ; the money lies on the window-seat.' But I wouldn't do it for money," added 01^ Luk-Oie. "What shall we do to-night?" asked Hjalmar. "Why, I don't know whether you'll care to go to another wedding to-night, though it is a different one from }-esterday's. Your sister's large doll that looks like a man, and is called Hermann, is going to marry the doll Bertha. It is, moreover, the doll's birthday, and so they will receive a great many presents." "Yes, I know," said Hjalmar. "Whenever the dolls wants new clothes, my sister is sure to celebrate their birthday or their wedding, s happened, at least, a hundred times." This ha A WEEK WITH OLE LUK-OIE 39 " So it has ; only to-night is the hundred wedding ; and when that has taken place, it m last ; therefore, this one will surpass all the magnificence. Only look ! " Hjalmar turned towards the table. There the little pasteboard dolls'-house, with lights in windows, and all the lead soldiers outside were presenting arms. The bridal pair were sitting on the floor in a pensive mood, as they had good cause to be, leaning against the leg of the tabl But 0\6 Luk-Oie, dressed up in grandmamma's black gown, soon married them. When the ceremony was over, all the furniture in the room joined in the following beautiful song, which the lead-pencil had written, and which was adapted to a military tattoo : THE BRIDAL PAIR WERE SITTING ON THE FLOOR. "Our song shall float upon the wind, And celebrate the ties that bind This bridal couple, stiff and blind, Who both are made of white glove leather ! Hurrah ! let's hope the deaf and blind At least may live in peace together." And they now received presents ; but all eatables were prohibited, as love was their food. " Shall we go to a country-seat, or shall we travel ? " asked the bridegroom. And they con- sulted the swallow, who had travelled so much, and the old hen in the yard, who had sat upon five batches of chickens. The swallow told of beautiful warm climates, where large bunches of grapes hung heavily on the vines, where the air was so mild, and where the mountains are tinged with colours that we know nothing about here. " But they haven't our red cabbage ! " said the hen. " I was one whole summer in the country, with all my chickens ; and there was a sand-pit, where we could walk about and scratch up the earth ; and, besides this, we had admittance to a garden, where grew red cabbages. Oh, how nice they were ! I can't imagine anything finer ! " " But one cabbage-stalk is as good as another," observed the swallow ; " and we have bad weather so often here." " Oh, yes ; but we're accustomed to it," said the hen. " But it is so cold here, and it freezes ! " " That is good for cabbages," said the hen ; " besides, we have warm weather sometimes. Had not we a summer that lasted five whole weeks, some four years ago ? — and wasn't it so hot one couldn't breathe ? And then we have none of the venomous animals that they have yonder ; and we are free from robbers. Wicked, indeed, must he be, who does not think our country the finest of any ! Such an one does not deserve to be here ! " And the hen then wept, and added, " I, too, have travelled. I once went above twelve miles in a tub. I can assure you there is no pleasure in travelling." " The hen is a sensible person," said the doll Bertha. " I don't care, either, for travelling over mountains ; it is but going up here and down there. No ; let's go to the sand-pit in front of the gate, and then walk about in the cabbage-garden." And this was accordingly agreed upon. 4-0 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES Saturday M I to hear any stories?" asked little Hjalmar, as soon as Ole Luk-Oie had laid him to sleep. We shall not have time for any this evening," said Ole Luk-Oie, spreading his prettiest umbrella over the little boy. " Now, look at these Chinese." And the umbrella seemed like a large china bowl, with blue trees and pointed bridges, with little Chinese upon them, who stood nodding their heads. " We must put the whole world to rights, that it may look smart to-morrow," said Old Luk-Oie ; " for it will be a holi- day, as it is Sunday. I must be off to the steeples, to see if the little elves that live in the church turrets have polished all the bells, so that they may sound prettily ; I must go into the fields, and see if the wind has swept all the dust off the grass and leaves, and, what's the longest job of all, I must take down all the stars, to furbish them up a bit. I put them into my apron ; but they have all to be numbered first, and the holes I take them from must be numbered likewise, in order that they may be put back else they would not stick fast, too many falling stars, as they into the same places, or and then we should have would all tumble down one after the other." " I say. Master Ole Luk-Oie," cried an old portrait, that hung on the wall against which was placed Hjalmar's bed, " I am Hjalmar's great grandfather. I am obliged to you for telling the boy stories ; only you must not warp his understanding. The stars cannot be taken down and polished. The stars are spheres like our earth, and that is their principal merit." " Thank you, old great-grandfather ! " said Ole Luk-Oie — " thank you ! You are unquestion- ably the head of the family, and a very aged head, too ; but I happen to be older still than you. I am an ancient heathen. The Greeks and Romans used to call me the God of Dreams. I have been into the highest houses, and still visit such to this day. I know how to behave towards the humblest, as well as towards the greatest, upon earth. So you may just tell stories your- self, if you please." And Ole Luk-Oie went away, taking his umbrella with him. " Well, well I I suppose next, one must not even give one's opinion," grumbled the old portrait. And thereupon Hjalmar awoke. the five green skeleton. Sunday OOD evening ! " said 016 Luk-Oie ; and Hjalmar nodded, and sprang forward and turned his great-grandfather's picture to the wall, that it might not interrupt them as it did yesterday. " Now you must tell me the stories of peas that lived in a pod, and of the ranunculus that made love to the chick-weed, and of the darning-needle that was so grand that it fancied itself a sewing-needle." " One may have too much of a good thing," said 0\6 Luk- Oie. " You know that I like better to show you something ; so I'll show you my brother. His name is Ole Luk-Oie, like mine ; but he never comes to anybody more than once ; and whomsoever he comes to, he takes him away on his horse, and tells him stories. He only knows two stories, however, one of which is so wonderfully beautiful, that nobody in the world can imagine anything like it ; and the other so ugly and so frightful, that it is bev'ond description ! " And then Ole Luk-Oie lifted little Hjalmar up to the window, and said. " There, now, you may see my brother, the other Ole Luk-Oie, who is likewise called Death. You may perceive that he does not look as dreadful as in the picture-books, where he is No, his clothes are embroidered with silver, and he wears a most splendid A WEEK WITH OLE LUK-OIE 41 hussar's uniform ; a black velvet mantle Qies behind him over his horse. Only look how he ralloos alon"!" ■' fa H OLE LUK-OIE LIFTED LITTLE HJAI.MAR VV TO THE UTNDDW. And Hjalmar saw this Ole Luk-Oie rode on, taking up both young and old, and carrying them away on his horse. He placed some before, and others behind ; but he always inquired first, " How stands your book of merit ? " 42 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES " Very satisfactorily," was the universal answer. " Let me see it myself," then they were obliged to hand over the book. And all those who could show upon its pages the words " Very good," or " Remarkably good," were placed on the front of the horse, and were treated to the pretty story ; while those who could show nothing but the words " Toler- ably good," or " Middling," were obliged to sit behind, and were forced to hear the frightful story, while they trembled and cried, and would fain have jumped down from the horse ; but they could not, for they had immediately grown rooted to it. " Why, Death is the prettier Ol^ Luk- Oie of the two," said Hjalmar. " I am not at all afraid of him." " No more you need be," said 0\6 Luk- Oie, " if you only mind and keep a good book of merit." ' LOOK HOW HE GALLOPS ALONG." It is " Now, that I call something instructive," murmured the great-grandfather's picture, some use, after all, to speak one's mind." And he felt quite satisfied. So that is the story of 01^ Luk-Oie ; and now let us hope he will himself tell you some others this evening. «ff The Emperor's New Clothes ANY years ago there lived an emperor, who was so fond of having new clothes that he spent all his money upon dress and finery. He did not trouble himself about his army, nor had he any taste for theatrical amusements, nor did he care even to drive out, except it was to show his new clothes. He had a coat for every hour in the day ; and just as in other countries they say of a king, " His majesty is in his council-chamber," they said of him, " The emperor is in his dressing-room." The large city which he inhabited was very gay, and was daily visited by numerous foreigners. One day, there came, amongst the rest, a couple of impostors, who gave themselves out as weavers, and pretended that they could weave the most beautiful stuff imaginable. Not only were the colours and the pattern of remarkable beauty, but the clothes made of this material possessed the wonderful quality of being invisible to the eyes of such persons as were either not fit for the office they held, or were irremediably stupid. " Those would, indeed, be valuable clothes," thought the emperor ; " for when I put them on I should be able to find out which men in my «mpire are unfit for their offices, and I should be able to distinguish the wise from the stupid ones. I must have some of this stuff woven for me directly." And he gave the two impostors a handsome sum as earnest-money to begin their work with. They then put up two looms, and did as if they were at work, though there was nothing THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES 43 STARING AS HARD AS HB COULD. whatever upon the looms. They next asked for the finest silk that could be had, and the most splendid gold thread ; all of which they put into their pockets, and continued working at the empty looms till late at night. " I should like to know how they are getting on with the stuff," thought the emperor. Yet he felt some misgivings when he recollected that stupid persons, or such as were unfit for their office, could not see the material ; and though he trusted that he had nothing to fear per- sonall)', still he preferred sending some one else to see how the mattei stood. All the inhabitants of the town had heard of the singular pro- perties of the stuff, and everybody was curious to see how unfit or how stupid his neighbour might be. " I will send my worthy old minister to the weavers," thought the emperor ; "he is best capable of judging of this stuff, for he has a great deal of good sense, and nobody is more fit for his office than he." The good old minister accordingly went into the room where the two impostors sat working at the empty looms. " Mercy on us ! " thought the old minister, staring with all his might ; " I can see nothing at all." But he took care not to say so. The two impostors requested him to step nearer, and asked if he did not think the pattern very pretty and the colours extremely beautiful. They then pointed to the empty loom, while the poor old minister kept staring as hard as he could, but without being able to see what in fact, was not there to be seen. " Have mercy on us ! " thought he ; " can I be so stupid, after all ? I never thought myself so, and I must not let any one know it. Can I be unfit for my office ? No ! it will never do for me to own that I could not see the stuff." " You have not told us what you think of our stuff," said one of the weavers. " Oh ! it is most elegant — most lovely !" answered the minister, look- ing through his spectacles ; " both the pattern and the colours. I shall be sure to tell the emperor how pleased I am with the stuff." " We are delighted to hear you say so," observed the weavers ; and hereupon they mentioned the names of the colours, and explained the peculiarities of the pattern. The old minister listened very attentively, in order to be able to repeat what they said to the emperor, which he accord- ingly did. The two impostors now asked for more money, more silk, and more gold, to go on with their work. They put it all into their pockets, as before, and not a thread was fastened to either shuttle, though they continued pretending to work at the empty looms. The emperor soon sent another IT HAS OUR MOST GRACIOUS APPRovAi,. honourable statesman to see how the 44 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES PEOPLE COULD SEE THEM AT WORK. weaving was getting on, and whether the stuff would soon be ready. The same thing happened to him as had befallen the minister. He looked and looked, and as there was nothing but an empty loom, he could not contrive to see anything. " Is not this a beautiful stuff? " asked the two impostors, pre- tending to show and expatiate on the beau- tiful pattern which was not there. " I am not stupid," thought the statesman ; " it would therefore seem I were unfit for my office. That would be comical, indeed ; only I must not let anybody perceive it." So he praised the tissue which he did not see, and assured them that he admired its beautiful colours and remarkable pattern. " It is really exquisite," reported he to the emperor. Everybody in the town spoke of the splendid stuff that was being woven. The emperor had now a mind to see it himself, while it was still on the loom. So he went into the room where the two cunning impostors were working away at a great rate, without either woof or warp, followed by a retinue of picked men, amongst whom were the two worthy statesmen who had been there already. " Is it not magnificent? " said the two latter. " Will your majesty be pleased just to examine the pattern and the colours?" And they pointed to the empty loom, concluding that those present would be able to see the tissue. " Why, how's this ? " thought the emperor. " I see nothing whatever. This is quite alarming. Can I be stupid? Am I not fit to be emperor? That would be the most shocking thing that could happen to me. Oh ! its very pretty ! " cried he ; " it has our most gracious approval." And he nodded condescendingly as he gazed at the empty loom, for he would not own that he saw nothing. His whole retinue looked and looked in turn, but could not make anything more out of it than the others had done ; still they repeated after the emperor, " Oh ! it's very pretty ! " And they advised him to wear these beautiful new clothes on the occasion of a grand procession that was about to take place. The words " elegant ! " " splendid ! " " magnificent ! " were bandied about from mouth to mouth. Everybody seemed vastly delighted, and the emperor conferred on the two impostors the title of •' weavers to the imperial court." The two impostors sat up the whole of the night preceding the day on which the procession was to take place, and had lit up more than sixteen tapers. People could see them busy at work, finishing the emperor's new clothes. They imitated the action of taking the stuff off the loom ; then they cut it out in the air with large scissors, and proceeded to sew the garments without either needles or thread, till at length they said : " The clothes are now read}-." The emperor then came in, accompanied by the principal lords of his court, when the two impostors each raised an arm as if they were holding something up, saying : " Here are the trunk- hose ; here is the vest ; here is the mantle " ; and so forth. " The tissue is as light as a cobweb, and one might fancy one had nothing on ; but that is just its greatest beauty." " So it is," said the courtiers ; though they could see nothing, as nothing was there to be seen. THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES 45 "Will your imperial majesty be graciously pleased to take off your clothes?" said the impostors ; " and we will dress you in the new ones before this large glass." THE EMl'EKOR WENT FORTH IN GRAND fROCliSSION. The emperor accordingly took off all his clothes, and the impostors made believe to put on each of the new garments they had just finished ; while his majesty turned and twisted himself round before the looking-glass. 46 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES " How capitally the clothes fit ! " said all present. " What a beautiful pattern, and what vivid colours! What a costly attire ! " " They are waiting outside with the canopy that is to be carried over your majesty's head in the procession," said the master of the ceremonies, now com- ing in. " 1 am quite ready, as you may per- ceive," answered the emperor. " My dress fits nicely — does it not ? " added he, turning once more to the glass, to make it appear as if he were examin- ing its beauties most minutely. The lords of the bedchamber, who were to bear the train, pretended to pick it up from the floor with both hands, and then did as if they were holding something in the air ; for they did not venture to show that they saw nothing. The emperor then went forth, in grand procession, under the splendid canopy, while the people in the street, and others at their windows, all ex- claimed : " Dear me ! how incomparably beautiful are the emperor's new clothes ! What a fine train he has, and how well it is cut ! " No one, in short, would let his neighbour think that he saw nothing, for it would have been like declaring himself unfit for his office, whatever that might be, or, at best, extremely stupid. None of the emperor's clothes had ever met with such universal approbation as these. " But he has got nothing on ! " cried at length one little child. " Only listen to that innocent creature," said the father ; and the child's remark was whis- pered from one to the other as a piece of laughable simplicity. " But he has got nothing on ! " cried at length the whole crowd. This startled the emperor, for he had an inkling that they were in the right, after all ; but he thought : " I must, nevertheless, face it out till the end, and go on with the procession." And the lords-in-waiting went on marching as stiffly as ever, and carrying the train that did not exist. "BUT HE HAS GOT NOTHING ON !" i: i^ ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES -tl The Ice-Maiden j or, The Eagle's Nest LITTLE RUDY ET us now go to Switzerland, and see its wonderful mountains, whose steep, rocky sides are covered with trees. We will climb up to the fields of snow, and then make our way down to the grassy valleys, with their countless streams and rivulets, impetuously rushing to lose themselves in the sea. The sunshine is hot in the narrow valley ; the snow becomes firm and solid, and in the course of time it either descends as an avalanche, or creeps along as a glacier. There are two of these glaciers in the valle}'s below the Schreckhorn and the Wetterhorn, near the long village of Grindelwald. They are a re- markable sight, and therefore many travellers from all countries come in the summer to visit them : they come over the high mountains covered with snow, they traverse the deep valleys ; and to do this they must climb, hour after hour, leaving the valley far beneath them, till they see it as if they were in an air-balloon. The clouds hang above them like thick mists over the mountains, and the sun's rays make their way through the openings between the clouds to where the brown houses lie spread, lighting up some chance spot with a vivid green. Below, the stream foams and blusters ! but above it murmurs and ripples, and looks like a band of silver hang- ing down the side of the rock. On either side of the path up the mountain lie wooden houses. Each house has its little plot of potatoes ; and this they all require, for there are many children, and they all have good appetites. The children come out to meet every stranger, whether walking or riding, and ask him to buy their carved wooden chalets, made like the houses they live in. Be it fine or be it wet, the children try to sell their carvings. About twenty years since you might have seen one little boy standing apart from the others, but evidently very desirous to dispose of his wares. He looked grave and sad, and held his little tray tightly with both bands as if he was afraid of losing it. This serious look and his small size caused him to be much noticed by travellers, who often called him and purchased many of his toys, though he did not know why he was so favoured. His grandfather lived two miles off among the mountains, where he did his carving. He had a cabinet full o<" the things he had made. There were nut-crackers, knives and forks, boxes carved with leaves and chamois, and many toys for children ; but little Rudy cared r. for nothing so much as for an old gun, hanging from a rafter in the ceiling, for his grand- fat ler had told him it should be his own when he was big enough to know how to use it. Though the boy was little, he wab set in charge of the goats ; and Rudy could climb as high as any of his flock, and was fond of climbing tall trees after birds' nests. He was brave and high-spirited, but he never smiled except when lie watched the foaming cataract, or heard the thundering roar of an avalanche. He never joined in the children's games, ' COMR WITH ME ON THE ROOF, SAID THE CAT. 48 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES and only met them when his grandfather sent him to sell his carvings ; and this employment Rudy did not much like. He would rather wander alone amongst the mountains, or sit by his grandfather while he told him stories of former ages, or of the people who lived at Meiringen, from whence he had come. He told him they had not always lived there, but had come from a distant northern country called Sweden. Rudy took great pride in this knowledge ; but he also learnt much from his four-fioted friends. He had a large dog, named Ajola, who had been his father's ; and he had also a tom-cat who was his particular friend, for it was from him he had learnt how to climb. " Come with me on the roDf," the cat said to him ; for when children have not learnt to talk, they can understand the speech of birds and animals quite as well as that of their father and mother ; but that is only while they are very little, and their grandfather's stick seems as good as a live horse, with head, legs, and tail. Some children lose this later than others, and we call them backward. People say such funnv things ! "Come with me, little Rudy, on the roof," was one of the first things the cat had said which Rudy had understood : " it is all imagination about falling ; \'ou don't fall if }'ou are not afraid. Come ; put one of your paws so, and the other so ! Feel for yourself with your forepaws ! Use your eyes and be active ; and if there's a crevice, just spring and take firm hold, as I do I " Rudy did as he was told, and you might often have seen him sitting beside the cat on the top of the roof ; afterwards they climbed together to the tops of the trees, and Rudy even found his way to the rocky ledges which were quite out of the cat's reach. " Higher ! higher ! " said the trees and the bushes ; " see how we can climb. We stretch upwards, and take firm hold of the highest and nar- rowest ledges of the rocks." So Rudy found his way to the very top of the mountain, and often got up there before sunrise ; for he enjoyed the pure invigorating air, fresh from the hands of the Creator, which men say combines the delicate perfume of the mountain herbs with the sweet scent of the wild thyme and the mint found in the valley. The grosser part of it is taken up by the clouds, and as they are carried by the winds, the lofty trees catch the fragrance and make the air pure and fresh. And so Rudy loved the morning air. The happy sunbeams kissed his cheek, and Giddiness, who was always near, was afraid to touch him ; the swallows, who had built seven little nests under his grandfather's eaves, circled about him and his goats, singing : " We and you ! and you and we!" They reminded him of his home, his grand- father, and of the fowls ; but although the fowls lived with them in the same house, Rudy had never made friends with them. Although he was such a little boy, he had already travelled a considerable distance. His birthplace was in the canton of Vallais, whence he had been brought over the mountains to where he now lived. He had even made his way on foot to the Staubbach, which descends through the air gleaming like silver below the snow-clad mountain called the Jungfrau. He had also been to the great glacier at Grindelwald ; but that was a sad stor)-. His mother lost her life at that spot; and Rudy's grandfather said that it was there he had lost his happy spirits. Before he was a twelvemonth old his mother used to say that he laughed more than he cried, but since he had been rescued from the crevasse in the ice, a different spirit seemed to have possession of him. His grandfather would not talk of it, but every one in that district knew the story. Rudy's father had been a postillion. The large dog, which was now lying in the grandfather's room, was his constant companion when travelling over the Simplon on his way to the Lake of Geneva. Some of his relations lived in the Valley of the Rhone, in the canton of Vallais. His uncle was a successful chamois-hunter and an experienced guide. When Rudy was only a twelve- month old, his father died, and his mother now wished to return to her own relations in the Bernese Oberland. Her father lived not many miles from Grindelwald ; he was able to maintain himself by wood-carving. So she started on her journey in the month of June, with her child in her arms, and in the company of two chamois-hunters, over the Gemmi towards Grindelwald. r.OVED THE MORNING AIR. THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 49 They had accomplished the greater part of their journey, had passed the highest ridge and reached the snow-field, and were now come in sight of the valley where her home was, with its well-remem- bered wooden houses, but still had to cross one great glacier. It was covered with recent snow, which hid a crevasse which was much deeper than the height of a man, although it did not extend to where the water rushed below the glacier. The mother, while carrying her baby, slipped, fell into the cleft, and disappeared from sight. She did not utter a sound, but they could hear the child crying. It was more than an hour before they could fetch ropes and poles from the nearest house, and recover what seemed to be two corpses from the cleft in the ice. They tried every possible means, and suc- ceeded in restoring the child, but not his mother, to life ; so the old man had his daughter's son brought into his home, a little orphan, the boy who used to laugh more than he cried ; but he seemed to be entirely changed, and this change was made down in the crevasse, in the cold world of ice, where, as the Swiss peasants think, lost souls are imprisoned until Doomsday. The immense glacier looks like the waves of the sea frozen into ice, the great greenish blocks heaped together, while the cold stream of melted ice rushes below towards the valley, caverns and immense retch far away beneath it. abode of the Ice-Maiden THEY STILL HAD TO CROSS ONE GREAT GLACIER. It is like a palace of glass, the Queen of the Glaciers. the overwhelming one, is in part a spirit of the air, though she also rules over the river ; therefore she can rise to the topmost peak of the snow mountain, where the adventurous climbers have to cut every step in the ice before they can place their feet ; she can float on the smallest branch down the torrent, and leap from block to block with her white hair flying about her, and resembling the water lakes. " I have the power to crush and to seize ! " robbed me of a lovely boy whom I have kissed, but have not killed. He now lives among men : he keeps his goats amid the hills, he ever climbs higher and higher away from his fellows, but not away from me. He belongs to me, and I will again have him ! " So she charged Giddiness to seize him for her, for the Ice-Maiden dared not venture among the woods in the hot summer time ; and Giddi- ness and his brethren — for there are many of them — mounted up to the Ice-Maiden, and she selected the strongest of them for her purpose. They sit on the edge of the staircase, and on the rails at the top of the tower ; they scamper like squirrels on the ridge of the rock, they leap from the rails and the footpath, and tread the air like a swimmer treading water, to tempt their victirrs after them and dash them into the abyss. Both Giddiness and the Ice- Maiden seize a man as an octopus seizes all within its reach. And now Giddiness had been charged to seize little Rudy. " I seize hin? ! " said Giddiness ; " I cannot. The miserable cat has taught him all her trick.' The boj- possesses a power which keeps me from him ; I and her pale blue robe in the beautiful Swiss she cries. " They have TUE QUEEN OF THE GLACIERS. PT. Ill, 50 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES cannot seize him even when he hangs by a branch above the precipice. I should be delighted to tickle his feet, or pitch him headlong through the air ; but I cannot ! " " We will succeed between us," said the Ice-Maiden. " Thou or I ! I ! I ! " " No, no ! " an unseen voice replied, sounding like distant church bells ; the joyful singing of good spirits — the Daughters of the Sun. These float above the mountain every evening ; they expand their rosy wings which glow more and more like fire as the sun nears to setting over the snowy peaks. People call it the "Alpine glow." And after sunset they withdraw into the snow and rest there until sunrise, when they again show themselves. They love flowers, and but- terflies, and human beings ; and they were particularly fond of Rudy. " You shall never catch him — you shall never have him," said they. " I have captured bigger and stronger boys than he," said the Ice-Maiden. The Daughters of the Sun now sang a song of a traveller whose cloak was carried away by the storm : " The storm took the cloak, but not the man. You can grasp at him, but not hold him, ye strong ones. He is stronger, he is more spiritual than we are ! He will ascend above the sun, our mother ! He has the power to bind the winds and the waves, and make them serve him and do his bidding. If you unloose the weight that holds him down, you will set him free to rise yet higher." Thus ran the chorus which sounded like distant church bells. Each morning the sunbeams shone through the little window of the grandfather's house, and lighted on the silent boy. The Daughters of the Sun kissed him, and tried to thaw the cold kisses which the Queen of the Glaciers had given him, while he was in the arms of his dead mother, in the deep crevasse, whence he had been so wonderfully rescued. THE COI.n KISSES WHICH THE QUEEN OF THE GLACIERS HAD C.IVEN HIM. see that things II GOING TO THE NEW HOME UDY was now a boy of eight. His uncle, who lived in the Rhone valley at the other side of the mountains, wished him to come to him, and learn how to make his way in the world ; his grandfather approved of this, and let him go. Rudy therefore said good-bye. He had to take leave of others besides his grandfather ; and the first of these was his old dog, Ajola. " When your father was postillion, I was his post-dog," said Ajola. " We travelled backwards and forwards together ; and I know some dogs at the other side of the mountains and some of the people. I was never a chatterer ; but now that we are not likely to have many more chances of talking, I want to tell you a few things. I will tell you something I have had in my head and thought over for a long time I can't make it out, and you won't make it out ; but that doesn't matter. At least I can are not fairly divided in this world, whether for dogs or for men. Only a few THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 51 are privileged to sit in a lady's lap and have milk to drink. I've never been used to it myself, but I've seen a little lap-dog riding in the coach, and occupying the place of a passenger. The lad}- to whom It belonged, or who belonged to it, took a bottle of milk with her for the dog to drink"; and she offered him sweets, but he sniffed at them and refused them, so she ate them herself I had to run in the mud beside the coach, and was very hungry, thinking all the time that this couldn't be right ; but they say that there are a great many things that aren't right. Would you like to sit in a lady's lap and ride in a carriage ? I wish you could. But you can't arrange that for yourself I never could, bark and howl as I might ! " This is what Ajola said ; and Rudy put his arms round him, and kissed his cold, wet nose. Then he took up the cat, but puss tried to get away, and said, " You're too strong ! and I don't want to scratch you. Climb over the mountains, as I taught you. Don't fancy you can fall, and then you will always keep firm hold." As he said this, the "cat ran away ; for he did not wish Rudy to see that he was crying. The fowls strutted about the room. One of them had lost its tail feathers. A tourist, who imagined he was a sportsman, had shot its tail off, as he thought it was a wild bird. " Rud)' is going away over the mountains," said one of the fowls. The other one replied, " He's in too great a hurry : I don't want to say good-bye." And then they both made off. He then said good-bye to the goats ; they bleated " Med ! med ! may ! " and that made him feel sad. Two neighbouring guides, who wanted to cross the mountains to be- yond the Gemmi, took Rudy with them, going on foot. It was a fatiguing walk for such a little boy ; but he was strong, and never feared anything. The swallows flew part of the way with them. " We and you ! and you and we ! " they sang. Their route lay across the roaring Liitschine, which flows in many little streams from the Grindel glacier, and some fallen trees served for a bridge. When they gained the forest at the other side, they began to mount the slope where the glacier had quitted the mountain, and then they had to climb over or make their way round the blocks of ice on the glacier. Rudy sometimes was obliged to crawl instead of walking ; but his eyes sparkled with pleasure, and he planted his feet so firmly that you would think he wanted to leave the mark of his spiked shoes behind him at every step. The dark earth which the mountain torrent had scattered over the glacier made it look almost black, but still you could catch sight of the bluish-green ice. They had to skirt the countless little pools which lay amongst the huge blocks of ice ; and sometimes they passed by a great stone that had rested at the edge of a cleft, and then the stone would be upset, and crash down into the crevasse, and the echoes would reverberate from all the deep clefts in the glacier. So they went on climbing. The mighty glacier seemed like a great river frozen into ice, hemmed in by the steep rocks. Rudy remembered what he had been told, of how he and his mother had been pulled up out of one of those deep, cold crevasses ; but he soon thought no more of it, and it seemed no more than many other stories which he had been told. Occasionally, when the men thought the path too rough for the boy, they offered him a hand ; but he was not easily tired, and stood on the ice as securely as a chamois. Now they got on rock, and clambered over the rough stones ; then they would have to walk through the pine-trees, or over pasture- lands, whilst the landscape was constantly changing. Around them were the great snow moun- tains— the Jungfrau, the Monch, and the Eiger. Every child knew their names, and, of course, Rudy knew them. Rudy had never before been up so high ; he had never walked over the wide snow-fields : like the ocean with its waves immovable, the wind now and again blowing off some of the snow as if it were the foam of the sea. The glaciers meet here as if they were joining hands ; each forms one of the palaces of the Ice-Maiden, whose power and aim is to capture and over- THEY BLEATED " .MED ! MED ! .MAY ! " 52 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES whelm. The sunshine was hot, the snow was brilliantly uliite, and seemed to sparkle as if covered with diamonds. Countless insects, most of them butterflies or bees, were lying dead on the snow ; they had gone up too high, or been carried by the wind, and had been frozen to death. A threatening cloud hung over the VVetterhorn, looking hke a bundle of black wool ; it hung down, heavy with its own weight, ready to burst with the resistless force of a whirlwind. The recollection of this whole journey — the encamping for the night at such a height, the walk in the dark, the deep clefts in the rock, worn away by the force of water during countless years — all this was fixed in Rudy's memory. An empty stone hut beyond the nier de glace gave them shelter for the night. Here they found pine branches fur fuel, and they quickly made a fire and arranged the bed as comfortably as they could. They then seated themselves about the fire, Hghted their pipes, and drank the hot drink which they had prepared. They gave Rudy some of their supper, and then began to tell tales and legends of the spirits of the Alps ; of the mighty serpents that lay coiled in the lakes ; of the spirits who were re- ported to have carried men in their sleep to the marvellous floating city, Venice ; . of the m\-sterious shepherd, who tended his black sheep on the mountain pastures, and how no one had seen him, al- though many had heard the tones of his bell and the bleating of his flock. Rudy listened to all this, though he was not fright- ened, as he did not know what fear was ; and as he was listening he thought he heard the weird bleating ; it grew more and more distinct till the men heard it too, and left off talking to listen, and told Rudy to keep awake. This was the Fohn, the blast, the terrible tempest, which sweeps down from the mountains upon the valleys, rending the trees as if they were reeds, and sweeping away the houses by a flood as easily as one moves chessmen. After a time they said to Rudy that it was all over, and he might go to sleep ; and he was so tired with his long tramp that he obeyed at once. BEGAN TO TELL TALES AND LEGENDS OF THE SPIRITS OF THE ALI'S. THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 53 When day broke, they pushed forward. The sun now shone for on new mountains, new glaciers, and snow-fields. They were now canton of Vallais, and had crossed the range which could be seen from Grindelwald, but were yet far v from his new home. Other ravines, other pastures, woods, and mountain- paths now came into sight, other houses, and other people ; but they were strange and deformed- looking beings, with pale faces, ^-^■^'-. t<\J.- and huge wens hanging from their necks. They were cretins, feebly moving about, and looking listlessly at Rudy and his companions — the women were particularly repulsive to look at. Should he find such peopL Rudy n the THE MYSTERIOUS SHEPHERD AND HIS BLACK SHEEP. in his new home ? Ill UNCLE UDY had now come to his uncle's house, and found to his reh'ef that the people were like those he had been used to. There was only one cretin, a poor silly boy — one of those who rove from one house to another in the canton of Vallais, staying a month or two in each house, and the unfortunate Saperli was there when Rudy came. Uncle was a great hunter, and also knew the cooper's trade. His wife was a lively little person, and almost looked like a bird ; her eyes were like those of an eagle, and her long neck was quite downy. Rudy found everything new to him — dress, habits and customs, and language, though he would soon get u.sed to that. They seemed more comfortably off than in his grandfather's house. The rooms were large, and the wails were decorated with chamois' horns and polished guns, and there was a picture of the Virgin over the door ; fresh Alpine roses and a burning lamp stood before it. Uncle was, as I have said, one of the most successful chamois-hunters in the neighbourhood, and also one of the best guides. Rudy soon became the pet of the household. They had one pet already, an old hound, blind and deaf ; he was no longer able to go out hunting, but they took care of him in return for his former services. Rudy patted the dog, and wished to make friends ; but he did not care to make friends with strangers, though Rudy was not long a stranger there. " We live very well here in the canton of Vallais," said uncle ; " we have chamois, who are not so easily killed as the steinbock, but we get on better than in the old days. It is all very well to praise former times, but we are better off now. An opening has been made, and the air blows through our secluded vale. We always get something better when the old thing is done with," said he ; for uncle had much to say, and would tell tales of his childhood, and of the days when his father was vigorous, when Vallais was, as he said, a closed bag, full of sick folk and unfortunate cretins ; " but the French soldiers came, and they were the right sort of doctors, for they killed both the disease and the persons who had it. The French knew all about fighting ; they struck their blows in many ways, and their maidens could strike too I " and here uncle nodded at his wife, who was a Frenchwoman. " The French struck at our stones in fine style I They struck the Simplon road through the rocks ; they struck the road, so that I may say to a child of three years old, ' Go to Italy, keep right on the highway ! ' and the child will find himself in Italy if he only keeps right on the road ! " and then uncle sang a French song, " Hurrah for Napoleon Buonaparte ! " 5 + ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES HIS UNCLE WOULD TELL TALES OF HIS CHILDHOOD. to look out ; but the hunter must be still them so stupid that if he hung his coat and alpenstock, the chamois took the coat for a man. Uncle played this trick one day when he and Rudy were out hunting. The mountain paths were narrow ; they were often a mere cornice or ledge projecting over a giddy precipice. The snow was half melted, and the rock crumbled beneath the feet ; so the uncle laid himself down at full length and crept along. Each stone, as it broke off, fell, strik- ing and rolling from ledge to ledge till it was out of sight. Rudy stood about a hundred paces from his uncle on a projecting rock, and from this point he saw a great bearded vulture swooping over his uncle, whom it seemed to be about to strike over the precipice with its wings, to make him its prey. Uncle had his eye on the chamois, which he could see with its kid on the other side of the ravine ; Rudy kept his eye on the bird, knew what it would do, and had his hands on his gun ready to fire ; the chamois suddenly sprang up, uncle fired, the animal fell dead, the kid made off as if it was used to dangers. At the sound of the gun the bird flew away, and uncle knew nothing of his danger until told of it by Rudy. As they were going home in the best of humours, uncle whistling one of his songs, they suddenly heard a strange noise not far off; they looked round them, and saw that the snow on the side of the mountain was all in motion. It waved up and down, broke into pieces, and came down with a roar like thunder. It was an avalanche, not over Rudy and uncle, but near, too near, to them. " Hold fast, Rudy ! " he shouted ; " fast, with all your power ! " And Rudy clung to the stem of a tree ; uncle climbed Rudy now heard for the first time of France, and of Lyons, a great town on the river Rhone, where his uncle had been. In a few years Rudy was to be- come an active chamois-hunter. His uncle said he was capable of it ; he therefore taught him to handle a gun and to shoot. In the hunting season he took him to the mountains, and made him drink the warm blood from the chamois, which keeps a hunter from giddiness. He taught him to know the seasons when avalanches would roll down the mountain sides, at mid-day or in the afternoon, according to whether the sun had been strong on the places. He taught him to watch how the chamois sprang, and notice how his feet fell that he might stand firm ; and that where he could obtain no foothold he must catch hold with his elbows, grasp with his muscles, and hold with his thighs and knees — that he might even hold with his neck if necessary. The chamois were very wary, — they would send one more wary, — put them off the scent. He had known hat on an ^^.r^.,^::^=T '// '// /> RUDY CLUNG TO THE STEM OF A TREE. THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 55 a distance reeds, and above him up to the branches and held fast, while the avalanche rolled past at of a few yards ; but the rush of air broke the trees and bushes all around like cast the fragments down, and left Rudy pressed to the earth. The tree-stem to which he had held was broken, and the top flung to a distance ; there, among the broken branches, lay imcle, his head crushed ; his hand was still warm, but you would not know his face. Rudy stood pale and trembl- ing ; it was the first shock in his life, the first time he had felt horror. It was late when he brought the tidings of death to what was now a sorrowful home. The wife was speechless and tearless until they brought the body home, then her grief broke forth. The unfortunate cretin hid himself in his bed, nor did they see him all the next day ; but in the evening he came to Rudy. " Write a letter for me ! Saperli can- not write ! Saperli can go with the letter to the post ! " " A letter from thee ? " exclaimed Rudy. " And to whom ? " " To the Lord Christ ! " " What do you mean ? " And the half-idiot, as they called the cretin, cast a pathetic glance at Rudy, folded his hands, and said solemnly and slowly : " Jesus Christ ! Saperli wishes to send a letter to ask Him that Saperli may lie dead, and not the man in this house." And Rudy took him by the hand. " That letter would not go there ! that letter would not bring him back." But it was impossible for Rudy to make him understand.. " Now thou art the support of the house," said the widow, and Rudy became so 'WRITE A LErrEK KOR ME IHIC LORD CHRIST. IV BABETTE HO is the best shot in the canton of Vallais ? Even the chamois knew. " Take care of Rudy's shooting ! " they said. " Who is the handsomest huntsman ? " "Rudy is!" said the maidens, but they did not say, " Take care of Rudy's shooting ! " nor did their serious mothers say so either ; he nodded to them as lightly as he did to a young girl ; for he was brave and joyous, his cheeks were brown, his teeth sound and white, and his eyes coal-black and sparkling ; he was a handsome fellow, and not more than twenty. The ice-cold water did not hurt him in swimming ; he swam like a fish, could climb better than any other man, could hold fast like a snail to the walls of rock, for his muscles and sinews 56 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES were good ; and you saw when he leapt that he had taken lessons from the cat and from the chamois. Rudy was the surest guide to depend on, and might have made his fortune in that way ; his uncle had also taught him coopering, but he gave little thought to that, for his pleasure and delight was in shooting the chamois ; and in this way he earned money. Rudy was a good match, as they say, if he did not look above his own position. And he was a dancer among dancers so that the maidens dreamt of him, and some of them even thought of him when waking. " He gave me a kiss at the dance ! " said Annette, the schoolmaster's daughter, to her dearest friend ; but she ought not to have said that even to her dearest friend. Such a secret is not easy to keep : it is like sand in a bag full of holes, it will run out ; and they all soon knew that Rudy had given her a kiss at the dance, though he had not kissed the one that he wanted to kiss. "Just watch him!" said an old huntsman; "he has kissed Annette ; he has begun w iih A, and he will kiss all through the alphabet." A kiss at the dance was all that the gossips could say against Rudy so far ; but although he had kissed Annette, she was not the flower of his heart. Down at Bex, among the great walnut-trees, close to a little rapid mountain stream, there lived a rich miller ; his dwelling-house was a big building of three floors, with small turrets, roofed with shingle and ornamented with metal plates which shone in the rays of the sun or the moon ; the biggest turret had for a weather-cock a glittering arrow which had transfixed an apple, in memory of Tell's marksmanship. The mill appeared fine and prosperous, and one could both sketch and describe it, but one could not sketch or describe the miller's daughter ; at least, Rudy says one could not, and yet he had her image in his heart. Her eyes had so beamed upon him that they had quite kindled a flame ; this had come quite suddenly, as other fires come, and the strangest thing was, that the miller's daughter, the charming Babette, had no thought of it, as she and Rudy had never spoken to each other. The miller was rich, and his riches made Babette hard to a])proach ; " But nothing is so high," said Rudy to himself, " that a man can't get up to it ; a man must climb, and he need not fall, nor lose faith in himself." This lesson he had learnt at home. It happened one day that Rudy had business at Bex, and it was quite a journey, for the railway did not then go there. From the Rhone glacier, at the foot of the Simplon, between many and various mountain-heights, stretches the broad valley of the Rhone, whose flood often overflows its banks, overwhelming everything. Between the towns of Sion and St. Maurice the valley bends in the shape of an elbow, and below St. Maurice it is so narrow that it hardly allows room for more than the river itself and a narrow road. An old tower stands here on the mountain side, as a sentry to mark the boundary of the canton of Vallais, opposite the stone bridge by the toll-house ; and here begins the canton Vaud, not far from the town of Bex. As you advance you notice the increase of fertility, you .seem to have come into a garden of chestnuts and walnut-trees ; here and there are cypresses and pomegranates in flower ; there is a southern warmth, as if you had come into Italy. Rudy arrived at Bex, finished his business, and looked about him ; but never a lad from the mill, not to mention Babette, could he see. This was not what he wished. It was now towards evening ; the air was full of the scent of the wild th\me and of the flowers of the limes ; a shining veil seemed to hang over the wooded mountains, with a stillness, not of sleep, nor of death, but rather as if nature were holding its breath, in order to have its likeness photographed on the blue vault of heaven. Here and there between the trees, and across the green fields stood poles, to support the telegraph wires, already carried through that tranquil valley ; by " HE GAVE ME A KISS AT THE DANCE." THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 57 one of these leaned an object, so still that it might have been mistaken for a tree-stump, but it was Rudy, who was as still and quiet as everything about him ; he was not asleep, and he certainly was not dead. But thoughts were rushing through his brain, thoughts mighty and overwhelming, which were to mould his future. His eyes were directed to one point amidst the leaves, one light in the miller's parlour where Babette lived. So still was Rudy standing, that you might believe he was taking aim at a chamois, for the chamois will sometimes stand for an instant as if a part of the rock, and then suddenly, startled by the rolling of a stone, will spring away ; and so it was with Rud)- — a sudden thought startled him. " Never give up!" he cried. "Call at the mill ! Good evening to the miller, good day to Babette. A man doesn't fall when he doesn't think about it ; Babette must see me at some time if I am ever to be her husband." Rudy laughed, for he was of good cheer, and he went to the mill ; he knew well enough what he wished for — he wished for Babette. The river, with its )'ellowish water, rushed along, and the willows and limes overhung its banks; Rudy went up the path, and as it sa)s in the old children's song : " to the miller's house, But found no one at home E.xcept little Puss ! " The parlour cat stood on the steps, put up his back, and said " Miou !" but Rudy had no thought for that speech ; he knocked at the door ; no one heard, no one opened it. " Miou ! " said the cat. If Rudy had been little, he would have understood animals' language, and known that the cat said : " There's no one at home ! " So he went over to the mill to ask, and there he got the information. The master had gone on a journey, as far as the town of Interlaken, " inter lac fis^heiween the lakes," as the school- master, Annette's father, had explained it in a lesson. The miller was far away, and Babette with him ; there was a grand shooting competi- tion— it began to-morrow, and went on for eight days. Switzers from all the German cantons would be there. Unlucky Rudy, you might say, this was not a fortunate time to come to Be.x ; so he turned and marched above St. Maurice and Sion to his own valley and his own mountains ; but he was not disheartened. The sun rose ne.xt morning, but his spirits were already high, for they had never set. " Babette is at Interlaken, many days' journey from hence," he said to himself. " It is a long way there if one goes by the high road, but It is not so far if you strike across the mountains, as I have often done in chamois-hunting. There is my old home, where I lived when little with my grandfather ; and the shooting-match is at Interlaken ! I will be the best of them ; and I will be with Babette, when I have made acquaintance with her." With his light knapsack, containing his Sunday suit and his gun and game-bag, Rudy went up the mountain by the short wa>', which was, however, pretty long ; but the shooting-match only began that day and was to last over a week, and all that time, he was told, the miller and Babette . would spend with their relations at Interlaken. So Rudy crossed the Gemmi, meaning to come down near Grindelwald. Healthy and joyful, he stepped along, up in the fresh, the light, the invigorating mountain air. THE PARLOUR CAT STOOD ON THE STEPS. 58 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES The valley sank deeper, the horizon opened wider ; here was a snow-peak, and there another, and soon he could see the wliole shining range of the Alps. Rudy knew every snow-mountain, and he made straight for the Schreckhorn, which raised its white-sprinkled, stony fingers high into the blue air. At length he crossed the highest ridge. The pastures stretched down towards his own valley ; the air was light, and he felt merry ; mountain and valley smiled with abundance of flowers and verdure ; his heart was full of thoughts of youth : one should never become old, one need never die ; to live, to conquer, to be happy ! free as a bird — and he felt like a bird. And the swallows flew by him, and sang, as they used to do in his childhood : " We and j-ou, and >'ou and we ! " All was soaring and rejoicing. Below lay the velvety green meadow, sprinkled with brown chalets, and the LUtschine humming and rushing. He saw the glacier, with its bottle-green edges covered with earth-soiled snow ; he saw the deep fissures, and the upper and the lower glacier. The sound of the church bells came to him, as if they were ringing to welcome him home ; his heart beat more strongly, and swelled so that Babette was forgotten for a moment, so large was his heart and so full of memories ! He again went along the way where he had stood as a little urchin with the other children, and sold the carved chalets. He saw among the pines his grand- father's house, but strangers now lived in it. Children came along the path to sell things, and one of them offered him an Alpine rose ; Rudy took it as a good omen, and he thought of Babette. He soon crossed the bridge where the two Lutschine unite ; the trees here grew thicker, and the walnuts gave a refreshing shade. He now saw the flag waving, the white cross on a red background, the flag of the Switzers and the Danes ; and now he had reached Interlaken. This, Rudy thought, was certainly a splendid town. It was a Swiss town in Sunday dress ; not like other places, crowded with heavy stone houses, ponderous, strange, and stately. No ! here it seemed as if the chalets had come down from the mountains into the green valley, close by the clear, rapid stream, and had arranged themselves in a row, a little in and out, to make a street. And the prettiest of all the streets — yes, that it certainly was ! — had sprung up since Rudy was here, when he was little. It seemed to have been built of all the charming chalets which his grandfather had carved and stored in the cabinet at home, and they had grown up here by some power like the old, oldest chest- nut-trees. Each house was a hotel, with carved woodwork on the windows and doors, and a pro- jecting roof, and was elegantly built ; and in front of the house was a flower-garden, between it and the broad, macadamized road ; all the houses stood on one side of the road, so as not to hide the fresh green meadows, where the cows wandered about with bells like those in the high Alpine pastures. It seemed to be in the midst of loft)- mountains, which had drawn apart in one direction to allow the snow-clad peak of the Jungfrau to be seen, most lovely of all the Swiss mountains. There were a great many well-dressed visitors from foreign countries as well as many Switzers from the different cantons. Each competitor had his number in a garland on his hat. Singing and playing on all kinds of instruments were to be heard ever\'where, mingled with cries and shouts. Mottoes were put up on the houses and bridges, flags and pennons floated in the breeze ; the crack of the rifles was frequently heard, and Rudy thought this the sweetest sound of all ; indeed, in the excitement of the moment he quite forgot Babette, although he had come on purpose to meet her. The marksmen now went in the direction of the target. Rudy went with them, and was the- best shot of them all — he hit the bull's-eye every time. " Who is that young stranger who shoots so well ? " the onlookers asked each other. " He OFFERED HIM AN ALPINE ROSE. THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 59 talks French as they do in canton Vallais. But he also speaks German very well," others replied. " They say he was brought up near Grindelwald," one of the competitors remarked. There was life in the fellow, his eyes shone, his arm was steady, and for that reason he never failed in hitting the mark. Courage comes with success, but Rudy had a store of natural courage. Admiring friends soon gathered around him, and complimented him on his success ; he altogether forgot Babette. Then some one laid his hand on his shoulder, and spoke to him in French. " You belong to the canton of Vallais ? " Rudy turned, and saw a burly individual with a rosy, good-humoured face. It was the wealthy miller from Bex ; his stout form almost concealed the pretty, slim Sabette, but she looked at Rudy with her sparkling, dark eyes. The miller was glad that a rifleman from his own canton should prove the best shot, and should have won universal applause. Rudy was certainly in luck, for although he had forgotten his principal object in coming, she had now come forward to him. When neighbours meet one another at a distance from home they generally get talking, and make each other's acquaintance. Because Rudy was a good shot he had become a leader at the rifle competition, just as much as the miller was at Bex, because of his wealth and his good business; so they clasped each other by the hand for the first time; Babette also offered her hand to Rudy who squeez- ed it, and looked at her so earnestly that -^lie quite blushed. The miller spoke of their long journey, and how many large towns they had come through ; and it cer- tainly seemed to have been a very long journey, as they had travelled by the steamboat, and also by rail and by post- chaise. " I came the nearest way," said Rudy. " I walked over the mountains ; no road is too high for a man to come over it." " And break your neck," said the miller. " You look just the man to break his neck one day, you look so headstrong." " A man doesn't fall if he doesn't think about it," replied Rudy. The miller's relatives in Interlaken, with whom he and Babette were staying, asked Rudy to visit them, as he was from the same canton. This was a chance for Rudy ; fortune favoured him, as she always does favour those who endeavour to succeed by their own energy, and re- member that " Providence gives us nuts, but we have to crack them for ourselves." Rudy was welcomed by the miller's relatives as if he had belonged to the family, and they drank to the health of the best shot, and Babette clinked her glass with the others, and Rudy thanked them for the toast. In the evening they went for a stroll on the road by the big hotels beneath the old walnut- trees, and there was such a throng, and the people pushed so that Rudy was able to offer his arm to Babette. He said he was glad to have met the people from Vaud. The cantons of Vaud and Vallais were very good neighbours. He seemed so thoroughly pleased that Babette could not resist the inclination to press his hand. They walked together just like old acquaintances, and she was very amusing. Rudy was delighted with her naive remarks on the peculiarities in the dress and behaviour of the foreign ladies ; and yet she did not wish to make fun of them, for she knew that many of them were amiable and worthy people — indeed, her own godmother was an English lady. She had been living in Bex eighteen years ago, when Babette was christened, and she had bl.N'GI.N'G AND TLAYING ON ALL KINDS OF INSTRUMENTS. 6o ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES given her the valuable brooch she was now wearing. Her godmother had twice written to her, and Babette was now hoping to see her and her daughters in Interlaken. " They were two old maids, almost thirty ! " said Babette ; but you must remember that she was only eighteen. Her little tongue was never still for an instant, and all that Babette had to say was intensely interesting to Rudy ; and he told her all about himself — that he had frequently been to Bex, and knew the mill well, and that he had often seen her, though he did not suppose she had ever noticed him ; and how he had called at the mill, hoping to see her, and found that her father and she were away from home, a long way from home, indeed, but not so far that he could not get over the barrier which divided them. He told her a great deal more than this. He told her that he was very fond of her, and that he had come here on purpose to see her, and not for the rifle competition. Babette was vcr\- quiet when he told her this ; she thought he set too high a value on her. While they continued rambling, the sun set behind the mighty wall of rock ; the Jungfrau stood out in all its beauty and magnificence, with the green of the tree-clad slopes on either side of it. All stood still to admire the gorgeous spectacle, and both Rudy and Babette were happy in watching it. " There is no place more lovely than this ! " said Babette. " No, indeed 1 " exclaimed Rudy, and then he looked at Babette. " I must go home to-morrow," he said, after a short silence. " You must come to see us at Bex," Babette whispered to him ; " my father will be pleased." V THE RETURN HOME H what a load Rud_\' liad to carry home with him over the moun- tains the next day ! He had won three silver cups, two rifles, and a silver coffee-pot ; this would be of use to him when he began housekeeping. But that was not the heaviest thing ; there was something heavier and stronger which he carried with him — or which carried him — on that return journey over the mountains. The weather was wild, dull, heavy, and wet ; dense clouds covered the mountain tops like a thick veil, quite hiding the snowy peaks. From the vallcN's he heard the sound of the woodman's axe, and huge trunks of trees rolled down the steep mountain sides ; they seemed only like small sticks, but they were big enough for masts. The I 'itschine rushed along with its con- tinual '\m, the wind shrieked, and the clouds huiried across the sky. Then Rudy discovered that a young maid was walking at his side ; he had not seen her until she was quite near. She also was about to climb over the mountain. The girl's eyes had a strange power ; you could not help looking at them, and they were wonderful eyes, very clear, and deep — oh, so deep ! " Have you a sweetheart?" said Rud}', for that was all he could think of HAVE YOU A SWEETHEART?" SAID RUDY. THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NnST 6i " No, I have not," laughingl}- leplicd the maiden truth. "Don't go round all that way," she tucn said. the shortest way." "Yes, and tumble down a crevasse ! " said Rudy. " You're a fine one to be a if you don't better than but she did not look as if she spoke the " You must bear more to the left ; that is guide know that ! ' I way, " and O^im^^^^^^^ know the she replied, my thoughts have not gone astray. Yours are below, in the valley, but here, on high, you should be thinking of the Ice - Maiden ; people say that she does not love men." "I fear her not!" exclaimed Rudy. " She had to yield me up when I was a bab\', and I am not going to yield myself up to her now that I am a man." It grew darker, and the rain poured down ; then came the snow, dazzling and bewildering. "Take my hand," said the maiden, " I will help you ; " and she touched him with her ice-ci)ld fingers. "You needn't help me ! " returned Rudy ; " I don't need a girl to teach me to climb!" and he hurried on, leaving her behind. The snow came down all around him, the wind shrieked, and he heard strange sounds of laughing and sing- ing behind him. He believed she was one of the spirits in the Ice-Maiden's train, of whom he had heard tales when he spent the night up in the mountains as a boy. The snow ceased to fall, and he was now above the clouds. He looked behind him, but saw no- body ; yet he heard a strange singing and yodeling that he did not like, as it did not sound human. When Rudy was quite at the highest ridge, from which the way tended downwards towards m^,-.:.- ^ THE SNOW CAME DOWN AND THE WIND SHRIEKED. 62 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES the Rhone valley, he saw above Chamonix, in a patch of blue sky, two bright stars shining and twinkling ; they reminded him of Babette, and of his own good fortune, and the thought Tjade him feel quite warm. VI A VISIT TO THE MILL 'HAT splendid things you have brought back with you ! " cried his old foster-mother ; and her eagle eyes sparkled, and her lean neck waved backwards and forwards more than ever. " You are lucky, Rudy ! Let me kiss you, my dear boy ! " And Rudy submitted to be kissed ; but he looked as if he regarded it as a thi-ng which had to be put up with. " What a handsome fellow you are getting, Rudy ! " said the old woman. " Don't talk such nonsense," Rudy replied, laugh- ing ; but nevertheless he liked to hear it. " I say it again,'" said the old woman. " You are very lucky ! " "Perhaps you may be right," he rejoined, for he was thinking of Babette. He had never before been so anxious to go down the valley. " They must have gone home," he said to himself " They were to have been back two days ago. I must go to Bex." So Rudy went to Bex, and found his friends at home at the mill. They received him kindly, and had brought a message for him from the family at Interlaken. Babette did not speak much ; she was very quiet, but her eyes spoke volumes, and that satisfied Rudy. Even the miller, who had always led the conversation, and who had always had his remarks and jokes laughed at on account of his wealth, seemed to delight in hearing of all Rudy's adventures in his hunting ; and Rudy described the difficulties and perils which the chamois-hunters have to face among the mountains — how they must cling to, or creep over, the narrow ledges of snow which are frozen on to the mountain sides, and make their way over the snow bridges which span deep chasms in the rocks. And Rudy's eyes sparkled as he was relating these hunting adventures, the intelligence and activity of the chamois, and the dangers of the tempest and the avalanche. He perceived as he went on that the miller grew increasingly interested in his wild life, and that the old man paid especial attention to his account of the bearded vulture and the royal eagle. Among other things, he happened to mention that, at no great distance, in the canton of Vallais, an eagle had built its nest most ingeniously under a steep projecting rock, and that the nest con- tained a young one which nobody could capture. Rudy said that an Englishman had offered him a handful of gold the other day if he could take him the eaglet alive ; " but there is a limit to every- thing," said he. "That eaglet cannot be taken ; it would be foolhardy to try." But the wine assisted the flow of conversation : and Rudy thought the evening all too short, though he did not start on his return journey until past midnight, the first time he visited the mill. Lights were still to be seen at the windows of the mill ; and the parlour cat came out at an (ipening in the roof, and met the kitchen cat on the gutter " Have you heard the news at the mill ? " said kudy subnutted to be kissed. THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 63 THEY TROD ON ME MORE THAN ONCE. usual high spirits, happy i ask that same evening. In the evening, when the omnibus was returning, Rudy was again inside ; but the parlour cat had great news to tell. " Do you know it, you from the kitchen ? The miller knows every- thing. That was a fine end to the expedition ! Rudy came here towards the evening, and he and Babette had much to whisper about ; they stood in the passage which leads to the miller's room. I lay at their feet, but they had neither ej'es nor thoughts for me. ' I am going straight in to your father ! ' said Rudy ; ' that is the fair thing.' ' Shall I accompany you ? ' said Babette ; ' it will encr)urage you.' ' I have sufficient courage I ' said Rudy, ' but if you go too, he must look kindly on us, whether he will or no I ' And they both went in. Rudy trod violently on my tail. Rudy is very clumsy I 1 mewed, but neither he nor Babette had ears to hear me. They opened the door, and they both went in, I in front ; but I sprang up or the back of a chair, for I could not , tell how Rudy would n the the parlour cat. " There's love-making going on in the house I The father doesn't know of it. Rudy and Babette have been treading on each other's paws all the evening under the table. They trod on me more than once, but I kept quiet, lest it should be noticed." " I would have mewed," replied the kitchen cat. " Kitchen behaviour will not suit the parlour," said the parlour cat ; " but I should like to know what the miller will say when he hears of the love-making." What will the miller say, indeed ? Rudy, also, wanted to know that ; and he would not wait very long without finding it out. So a .few days later, when the omnibus rolled over the - Rhone bridge between»Vallais and Vaud, Rudy was in it, in his expectation of a favourable answer to the question he intended to THEY OPENED THE DOOR AND BOTH WENT IN. 64 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES kick. But the miller kicked ! and it was a good kick ! out of the door, and into the mountains to the chamois ! Rudy may aim at them, and not at our little Babette." "But what did they talk about?" asked the kitchen cat. " Talk ? They talked of everything that people say when they go a-wooing : ' I am fond of her, and slie is fond of me! and when there is milk in the pail for one, there is also milk in the pail for two ! ' ' But she sits too high for you I ' said the miller ; ' she sits on grits, on golden grits; you can't reach her ! ' ' Nothing sits so high that a man can't reach it, if he will ! ' said Rudy ; for he was very pert. ' But you can't reach the eaglet — you said so yourself! Babette sits higher ! ' ' I will take them both ! ' said Rudy. ' Yes, I will give her to you, when you give me the eaglet alive ! ' said the miller, and laughed till the tears stood in his eyes ; ' but now I thank you for your visits, Rudy ; come again in the morning, and you will find no one at home I Farewell, Rudy ! ' And Babette also said farewell, as miserable as a little kitten that can't see its mother. ' An honest man's word is as good as his bond ! ' said Rudy. ' Don't cry, Babette ; I shall bring the eaglet ! ' ' You will break your neck, I hope ! ' said the miller, ' and so put an end to your race I ' I call tJiat a kick ! Now Rudy is off, and Babette sits and cries, but the miller sings German songs that he has learnt on his journey ! I won't grieve over that now ; it can't be helped ! " " But yet there is still some hope for him ! " said the kitchen cat. VII ^ THE EAGLE'S NEST ^— ROM the mountain path sounds the yodeling, merry and ■^ strong, telling of good spirits and dauntless courage ; it is Rudy — he is going to see his friend Vesinaud. " You will help me ! we will take Ragli with us. I must capture the eaglet up the face of the mountain ! " " Won't you take the spots of che moon first ; that is as easy ! " said Vesinaud. " You are in good spirits ! " " Yes, for I am thinking of getting married ! But now, to be in earnest, I will tell you what I am intending ! " And soon Vesinaud and Ragli knew what Rudy wished. " You are a daring lad ! " said they. " You will not get there ! You will break your neck ! " " A man does not fall down, when he does not think of it ! " said Rudy. THEY SET OFF WITH POLES, LADDERS, AND ROPES. THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 65 At midnight they set off with poles, ladders, and ropes ; the way was through thickets and bushes, and over rolling stones, always up, up in the gloomy night. The water rushed below, the water murmured above, heavy clouds drove through the air. When the hunters reached the pre- cipitous face of the mountain it was still darker, the rocky walls were almost met, and the sky could only be seen high up in a small cleft. Close by, under them, was the deep abyss with its rushing waters. All three sat quite still, waiting for daybreak, when the eagle would fly out ; for they must first shoot it before they could think of taking the young one. Rudy sat down, as still as if he were a piece of the stone he sat on. He had his gun in his hand ready to shoot ; his eyes were fi.xed on the topmost cleft, where, under a projecting ledge, the eagle's nest was concealed. After waiting long, the hunters heard high above them a cracking, rushing sound ; and suddenly they saw a great, hovering object. Two gun-barrels were pointed as the great black figure of the eagle flew out ^ of its nest. One shot was heard ; for a moment the bird moved its outstretched wings, and then slowly fell, as if with its greatness and the extension of its wings it would fill the whole of the chasm, and carr\ the hunters with it in its fall. The eagle sank into the depths ; and brushing against the branches of trees and bushes, broke them as it fell IN THE BLACK GAPING DEPTH SAT THE ICE-MAlDli.N. And now the hunters began work. They tied three of the longest ladders together, setting them up from the last secure foothold at the side of the precipice. But the ladders did not quite reach ; the nest was higher up, hidden safe below the projecting rock, where it was as smooth as a wall. After some deliberation they decided to tie two ladders together, and lower them into the cleft from above, and join them to the three which had been set up from below. With great trouble they drew up the two ladders and secured the rope ; they were then suspended over the projecting rock, and hung swinging over the abyss, and Rudy took his place on the lowest rung. It was an ice- cold morning, and vapours rose from the black chasm. Rudy sat out there as a fly sits on a waving straw which some bird has taken to the top of some high factory-chimney ; but the fly can fly away if the straw gets loose, while Rudy can only break his neck. The wind whispered about him, and below, in the abyss, rushed the hurrying water from the melting glacier, the Ice-Maiden's palace. When Rudy began to climb, the ladders trembled and swung like a spider's web ; but when he reached the fourth ladder he found it IT WAS CAPTUREn AI.IVE oo ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES secure, for the lashing had been well done. The topmost ladder was flattened against the rock, yet it swung ominously with Rudy's weight. And now came the most dangerous part of the climb. But Rudy knew this, for the cat had taught him ; he did not think about Giddi- ness, which hovered in the air behind him, and stretched its octopus-like arms towards him. Now he stood on the highest rung of the ladder, and found that after all it did not reach high enough for him to see into the nest ; he could only reach up to it with his hands. He tested the firmness of the thick plaited boughs that supported the lower part of the nest, and when he found a thick and firm bough, he pulled himself up by it till he got his head and chest over the nest. But there poured upon him an overpowering smell of carrion ; putrefying lambs, chamois, and birds lay here torn to pieces. Giddiness, which was not able to reach him, puffed the poisonous exhalation into his face, to confuse him, and below, in the black gaping depth, over the hurrying water, sat the Ice-Maiden herself, with her long greenish hair, staring with deathly eyes like two gun-barrels, and saying to herself, " Now I shall capture you ! " In a corner of the nest he saw a large and powerful eaglet, which could not yet fly. Rudy fastened his eyes on it, held himself with all the force of one hand, and cast, with the other hand, a noose over the young bird. Thus, with its legs entangled in the line, it was captured alive. Rudy threw the noose with the bird in it over his shoulder, so that it hung a good way below him, and by the help of a rope he made himself fast till his toes reached the highest rung of the ladder. " Hold fast I don't believe you will fall, and you won't fall ! " this was his old lesson, and he stuck to it ; he held fast, he scrambled, he was certain he should not fall, and he did not fall. And now was heard a yodel, so vigorous and joyful. Rudy stood on the firm rock with his eaglet. VIII ERE is what you demanded ! " said Rudy, entering the miller's house at Bex ; and, setting on the floor a large basket, he took off the cloth, and there glared from it two yellow, black-rimmed eyes, so sparkling, so wild, that they seemed to burn and devour everything they saw ; the short, strong beak gaped, ready to bite, the neck was red and downy. " The eaglet ! " shouted the miller. Babette gave one scream, and sprang aside, but she could not turn her eyes away from Rudy or the eaglet. " You are not to be frightened ! " said the miller. " And you always keep your word ! " said Rudy ; " each has his own characteristic ! " " But how is it you did not break )'our neck ? " inquired the miller. " Because I held fast ! " answered Rud\', " and that I do still ! I hold fast to Babette 1 " "First see that you have her!" said the miller with a laugh; and that was a good sign, Babette knew. " Let us get the eaglet out of the basket ; it looks dangerous. How it stares ! How did you catch it ? " And Rudy had to tell them, and the miller stared, opening his eyes wider and wider. " With your boldness and luck you can maintain three wives ! " said the miller. " Thank you I thank you ! " cried Rudy. said the miller, and jestingly slapped the young Yes ; still you have not got Babette ! ' hunter on the shoulder. " Have you heard the news in the mill ? " let, and will take Babette brought us the ea; said the parlour cat to the kitchen cat. " Rudy has in exchange. They have kissed each other and let father see it ! That is as good as an engagement. The old man didn't kick ; he drew in his claws, and took his nap after dinner, and let the two sit and wag their tails. They have so much to say, they won't be finished before Christmas." THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 67 Nor had they finished before Christmas. The wind scattered the brown leaves, the snow drifted in the valley and on the high mountains. The Ice-Maiden sat in her noble palace, which grows in the winter ; the rocky walls were coated with ice, there were icicles ponderous as elephants where in the summer the mountain-torrent poured its watery deluge ; ice-garlands of fantastic ice- crystals glittered on the snow-powdered fir trees. The Ice-Maiden rode on the whistling wind across the deepest valleys. The snow carpet was spread quite down to Bex, and she could come there and see Rudy within doors, more than he was accus- tomed to, for he sat with Babette. The marriage was to take place towards the summer ; he often had a ringing in his ears, so frequently did his friends talk of it. There was summer, glowing with the most beautiful alpine roses, the merry, laughing Babette, beautiful as spring, the spring that makes all the birds sing of summer and of weddings. " How can those two sit and hang over each other?'' said the parlour cat. " I am now quite tired of their mewing ! " KUUV A.NU BABErrt. IX THE ICE-MAIDEN 'HE walnuts and chestnut-trees, all hung with the green garlands of spring, spread from the bridge at St. Maurice to the margin of the Lake of Geneva along the Rhone, which with violent speed rushes from its source under the green glacier — the ice palace, where the Ice-Maiden lives, whence she flies on the wind to the highest snow- field, and there, in the strong sunlight, stretches herself on her drifting bed. And as she sits there she looks with far-seeing glance into the deepest valleys, where men, like ants on a sunlit stone, busily move about. " Powerful Spirits, as the Children of the Sun call you ! " said the Ice- Maiden, "you are creeping things! with a rolling snow-ball both you and your houses and towns are crushed and effaced ! " And she raised her proud head higher, and looked about her and deep down with deathly eyes. But from the valley was heard a rumbling, blasting of the rocks ; men were at work ; roads and tunnels were being made for railways. " They play like moles ! " said she ; " they are digging passages, therefore I hear sounds like musket-shots. When I move my castle the sound is louder than the rolling of thunder." From the valley arose a smoke, which moved onward like a flickering veil ; it was the flying plume from a locomotive, which was drawing a train on the recently opened railway, the winding serpent, whose joints are the carriages. " They play at masters down below, the Powerful Spirits ! " said the Ice-Maiden. " Yet the powers of nature are mightier ! " and she laughed and sang, and the valleys resounded. " Now there is an avalanche rolling ! " said the men below. But the Children of the Sun sang yet higher of human ideas, the powerful means which subdue the sea, remove mountains, fill up valleys ; human ideas, they are the lords of the powers of nature. At the same moment there came over the snow-field, where the Ice- Maiden sat, a party of mountain climbers ; they had bound themselves to one another with cords for greater security on the smooth plain of ice, near the deep precipices. " Creeping things ! " said she. " You the lords of nature ! " and she turned herself away from them and looked mockingly down into the deep valley, where the railway train was rushing past. 68 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES " There they sit, these thinkers ! they sit in their power ! I see them all ! One sits proud as a king, alone ! there they sit in a cluster ! there half of them are asleep ! and when the steam dragon stops get out, and go their way. thinkers go out into the ! " And she lauglied. There is an avalanche again ! " said those down below in the valley. " It will not reach us ! PLAY AT MASTERS DOWN BELOW," SAID THE ICE-MAIDEN. them said two people behind the steam dragon ; " two souls with one thought," as they say. It was Rudy and Babette ; the miller also was with them. As luggage ! " said he. " I am with them as something necessary ! " "There sit those two!" said the Ice-Maiden. "Many chamois have I crushed, millions of alpine roses have I snapped and broken, not leaving the roots ! I will blot out ! Thinkers ! Powerful Spirits ! " And she laughed. There's an avalanche rolling again ! " said those down below in the valle)-. X THE GODMOTHER .T Montreux, one of the nearest towns which, with Clarens, Vernex, and Glion, form a garland at the north-eastern end of the Lake of Geneva, lived Babette's godmother, an English lady of position, with her daughters and a j'oung relative ; they had recently arrived, but the miller had already paid them a visit, told them of Babette's engagement, and of Rudy and the eaglet, and of his visit to Interlaken — in short, the whole history — ard they had been highly delighted and pleased with Rudy and Babette, and with the miller ; and at last made them all three come, and so they came — Babette must see her godmother, the godmother see Babette. Near the little town of Villeneuve, at the end of the Lake of Geneva, lay the steamboat which in its half-hour's journey to Vernex lies under Montreux. This is a shore which poets have praised ; here, under the walnut-trees, on the deep blue-green lake, sat Byron, and wrote his melodious lines on the prisoner in the Castle of Chillon. Yonder, where Clarens is reflected with its weeping willows in the lake, wandered Rousseau, dreaming of Heloise. The river Rhone glides forth under the high, snow-capped mountains of Savoy; here lies, not far from its outlet in the lake, a little island — indeed, it is so small that from the shore it seems to be a boat out there ; it is a rock which, more than a hundred years ago, a lady had surrounded with a stone wall, covered with soil, and planted with three acacia-trees, which now overshadow the whole island. Babette was quite enraptured with the little spot — it was to her the most charming in the whole voyage ; she thought they ought to stay there, for it was a most delightful place. But the steamboat passed by it, and stopped, as it always did, at Vernex. The little company wandered hence between the white, sunlit walls which enclosed the vineyards about the little mountain town of Montreux, where fig-trees cast a shade in front of the peasants' cottages, and laurels and cypresses grow in the gardens. Half-way up stood the boarding-house where the godmother was living. They were very cordially received. The godmother was a tall, kind lady with a round, smiling THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 69 face ; as a child she must have been Hke one of Raphael's angel heads, but now she was an old angel head, as her silvery hair was quite curly. The daughters were handsome, delicate-looking, tall, and slim. The young cousin, who was with them, was entirely dressed in white from top to toe, with yellow hair and whiskers, of which he had so much that it might have been divided between three gentlemen, and he at once paid great attention to little Babette. Handsomely bound books, pieces of music, and drawings were spread over the large table, the balcony doors stood open overlooking the beautiful, extensive lake, which was so bright and still that the mountains of Savoy, with the country towns, woods, and snowy tops, were all re- flected in it. Rudy, who was always bold, lively, and confident, felt himself out of his element, as they say ; and he moved about as if he were walking on peas on a smooth floor. How slowly the hours passed ! as if on the treadmill. And now they went for a walk, and it was just as tedious ;. Rudy might have taken two steps forward and then one back, and still kept pace with the others. They walked down to Chillon, the old gloomy castle on the rock, to see the instruments of torture,, and death-chambers, the rusty chains on the rocky walls, the stony bed for those sentenced to. death, the trap-doors through which the unfortunate beings were precipitated downwards and im- paled on the iron spikes amidst the surf They called it delightful to see all this. It was a place of execution, elevated by Byron's song into the world of poetry. Rudy felt it altogether the scene of executions ; he leaned against the great stone window-frames and looked into that deep, bluish- green water, and over to the little solitary island with the three acacias ; he wished himself there, and away from the whole chattering party ; but Babette felt herself particularly cheerful. She said she had been unusually entertained ; she found the cousin perfect. " Yes, a perfect chatterbox I " said Rudy ; and it was the first time that Rudy said anything which displeased her. The Englishman had presented her with a little book as a memento of Chillon ; it was a French version of Byron's poem, Tlie Prisoner of Chillon, which Babette could read. " The book may be good enough," said Rudy, " but I don't care for the much-combed fellow who gave it you." " He seemed to me like a meal-sack without any meal ! " said the miller, laughing at his own wit. Rudy also laughed, and said that it was very well put. XI THE COUSIN FEW da}^s later, when Rud_\' came to call at the mill, he found the young Englishman there. Babette was just offering him some boiled trout, which she herself must have garnished with parsley, it looked so dainty. That was quite unnecessary. What business had the English- man here? What did he come for? To enjoy refreshments from the hands of Babette ? Rudy was jealous, and that amused Babette ; it gratified her to get a glimpse of all sides of his disposition, both strong and weak. Love was as yet but play to her, and she played with Rudy's whole heart ; and though, as one may say, he was her happiness, the chief thought of her life, the best and grandest in the world ; yes — but the more gloomy did he look, so much the more did her eyes laugh ; she could almost have kissed the blonde Englishman with the yellow whiskers, if b\- that means she could succeed in sending Rudy fuming away, for by that she would know how she was beloved by him. But this was not right or prudent of little Babette, only she was no more than nineteen. She did not think much of it ; she thought still less how she could explain her conduct, which was more free and easy with the young Englishman than was suitable for the miller's modest and recently betrothed daughter. The mill was situated where the highroad from Bex runs under wthe snow-covered peak which the country people call the Diablerets, not far from a rapid, greyish-white mountain stream, like foaming soap-suds. This did not drive the mill ; it was driven by a lesser stream, which was precipitated from the rock on the other side of the river, and was dammed up by a stone wall so as to increase its force ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES and headway, and carried into a closed wooden basin by a broad channel away over the rapid river. This channel was so abundantly supplied with water that it overflowed, and made a wet, slippery path for those who used it as a short cut to the mill. The idea occurred to the young Englishman to use it, and dressed in white, like a Working miller, he clambered over in the evening, guided by the light shining from Babette's room. But he had not learnt to climb, and nearly went head- foremost into the stream, but escaped with wet sleeves and be- spattered trousers. Muddy and dirty he came below Babette's windows, clambered up into the old lime-tree and imitated the call of an owl, for he could not sing like any other bird. Babette heard it, and peeped through her thin curtains ; but when she saw the white man, and easily guessed who it was, her little heart beat with fright and with resentment. She hastily put out her light, saw that all the window-bolts were fastened, and left him to hoot. It would be terrible if Rudy were now in the mill, but Rudy was not in the mill ; no, what was much worse, he was just below it. There was high talk, angry words ; there would be fighting, perhaps murder. Babette opened her window in alarm, called Rudy's name, and told him to go away. " You will not let me stay ! " he shouted ; " then it is an appoint- ment ! You are expecting good friends, better than me ! Shame on you, Babette ! " " You are detestable ! " said Babette ; " I hate you ! " and now she was crying. " Go I go ! " " I have not deserved this treatment ! " said he, and he went ; his cheeks were like fire, his heart was like fire. Babette flung herself on her bed, and wept. " I love you so much, Rudy ! and you can believe that of me ! " And she was angry, very angry, and that did her good, for other- wise she would have been deeply grieved ; now she could fall asleep and sleep the invigorating sleep of youth. PEEFED IHROCGH THE CURTAINS. XII THE POWERS OF EVIL UDY left Bex, and took the homeward jjath up the mountains, in the fresh, cooling air, the domain of the Ice-Maiden. The thick foliage of the trees deep below him looked as if they were potato plants ; the firs and the bushes appeared even less, the Alpine roses bloomed near the snow, which lay in separate patches as if it were linen put out to bleach. There was a single blue gentian, and he crushed it with the butt-end of his gun. Higher up he saw two chamois. Rudy's eyes sparkled, his thoughts took a new flight ; but he was not near enough to them for him to shoot with confidence ; so he climbed higher, where only coarse grass grew among the blocks of stone ; the chamois went placidly along the snow-fields. Rudy hurried on eagerly, surrounded by misty clouds, and on a sudden he stood in front of a precipitous rocky wall, and the rain began to fall in torrents. He felt a parching thirst, his head was hot, but his limbs were cold. He seized his hunting- flask, but it was empty ; he had not thought of it when he rushed up the mountain. He had never been ill, but now he had a presentiment of it ; he was tired, he felt a desire to throw himself down and go to sleep, but everything was streaming with water. Strange objects vibrated before his eyes, but he saw on a sudden, what he had never seen there before, a newly-built low house, lean- ing against the rock, and at the door stood a young maiden. He thought it was the schoolmaster's Annette, whom he once had kissed at a dance, but it was not Annette, and yet he had seen her before, perhaps near Grindelwald, that night when he went home from the shooting match at Interlaken. THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 71 " Where do you come from ? " he demanded. " I am at home ! " said she. " I am watching my flock." " Your flock ! Where do they graze ? Here is only snow and rocks ! " " You are very clever I " said she with a laugh. " Here behind us, lower down, is a beautiful meadow ! that is where my goats go. I take good care of them ! I don't lose one ; what is mine remains mine ! " " You are brave ! " said Rudy. " You also ! " replied she. " Have you any milk ? Pray give me some, for I am intolerably thirsty ! " " I have something better than milk ! " said she, " that you shall have ! Yesterday some travellers came here with their guide ; they forgot half a bottle of wine, such as you have never tasted ; they will not fetch it, and I don't drink it, so you can have it." And she came out with the wine, poured it into a wooden bowl, and gave it to Rudy. " That is good ! " said he. " I have never tasted any wine so warming and fiery!" and his eyes sparkled, and there came an animation, a glow into him, as if all sorrow and depression had evaporated ; and the gushing, fresh human nature coursed through his veins. "But this is surely the schoolmaster's Annette!" he exclaimed. " Give me a kiss ! " Then give me the pretty ring you have on your finger ! " " My engagement ring ? " " Exactly so I " said the girl ; and she poured wine into the bowl, and held it to his lips, and he drank it. The joy of living was in his blood, he felt as if all the world belonged to him, and why should he worry ? Everything is for us to enjoy and to make us happy ! The stream of life is a stream of joy ; to ride on it, to let ourselves float on its surface, that is felicity ! He looked at the young girl : it was Annette, and still it was not Annette ; even less was it the goblin phantom, as he had called her, he met near Grindelwald. The girl here on the mountain was fresh as the new-fallen snow, blooming as an Alpine rose, and nimble as a kid, but still formed out of Adam's ribs, as human as Rudy. And he put his arms around her, and gazed into her won- derfully clear eyes. It was only for a second, and in this — who can explain it ? was it the spirit of life or of death that filled him ? — was he raised on high, or did he sink down into the deep, murderous abyss of ice, deeper, ever deeper ? He saw the walls of ice like blue- green glass ; endless crevasses gaped around him, and water dripped sounding like chimes, and gleaming like pearls in bluish-white flames. The Ice-Maiden gave him a kiss, and it chilled him through his backbone and into his brain. He gave one cry of pain, dragged himself away, stumbled and fell, and it was night before his eyes. The powers of evil had played their game. When he reopened his eyes the Alpine maiden was gone, as was also the sheltering cottage. Water drove down the bare rocky wall, the snow lay all round him ; Rudy shivered the ice-maiden gave him a kiss. HELD THE BOWL TO HIS LIPS. 72 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES with cold, he was soaked to the skin, and his ring was gone, his engagement ring which Babette had given him. His gun lay by him in the snow ; he took it up and wished to discharge it, but it missed fire. Watery clouds lay like solid masses of snow in the crevasse ; Giddiness sat there and lured on her helpless prey, and under her there was a sound in the deep crevasse as if a huge rock were falling, crushing and sweeping away everything that would stop it in its fall. But in the mill Babette sat weeping. Rudy had not been near her for six days — he who was in the wrong, he who ought to ask her forgiveness, because she loved him with her whole heart. XIII IN THE MILLER'S HOUSE HAT horrid nonsense it is with these human beings!" said the parlour cat to the kitchen cat. " Now it is broken off again with Babette and Rudy. She is crying, and he does not think any more of her." " I can't endure that," said the kitchen cat. " No more can I," said the parlour cat, " but I won't grieve over it t Babette may now be the beloved of the red whiskers ! but he has not been here since he wished to get on the roof" The powers of evil have their game, both without us and within us. This Rudy had discovered and thought over. What was it that had taken place about him and in him on the top of the mountain ? Was it a vision, or a feverish dream ? Never before had he known fever or illness. He had made an examination of his own heart when he judged Babette. Could he confess to Babette the thoughts which assailed him in the hour of temptation ? He had lost her ring, and it was exactly in that loss that she had regained him. Would she confess to him ? It seemed as if his heart would burst asunder when he thought of her; there arose within him so many memories; he seemed really to see her, laughing like a merry child. Many an affectionate word she had spoken in the abundance of her heart came like a gleam of sunshine into his breast, and soon it was all sunshine therein for Babette. She might be able to confess to him, and she ought to do so. He went to the mill, and confessed, beginning with a kiss, and ending in the admission that he was the offender. It was a great offence in him that he could distrust Babette's fidelity ; it was almost un- pardonable ! Such distrust, such impetuosity might bring them both to grief Yes, indeed ! and therefore Babette lectured him, and she was pleased with her- self, and it suited her so well. But in one thing Rudy was right — godmother's relation was a chatter- box ! She wished to burn the book which he had given her, and not have the least thing in her possession that could remind her of him. " Now that's all over ! " said the parlour cat. " Rudy is here again, they understand each other, and that is the greatest good fortune, they say." " I heard in the night," said the kitchen cat, " the rats say the greatest good fortune is to eat tallow-candles and to have quite enough rancid bacon. Now, which shall I believe — rats, or a pair of lovers ? " " Neither of them ! " said the parlour cat. " That is always safest." The greatest good fortune for Rudy and Babette was close at hand ; the wedding day — the most beautiful day, as they called it. THEREFORE RAIIKTTE LECTURIiD HIM. THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 73 But the marriage was not to take place at the church at Bex, or in the miller's house ; the godmother wished the wedding to be held at her house, and that they should be married in the pretty little church at Montreux. The miller stuck to it that this request should be compHed with ; he alone was aware what the godmother intended to give the bride for a wedding present, and considered they ought to make so slight a concession. The day was fixed. On the previous evening they were to journey to Villeneuve, and to proceed in the early morning to Montreux by boat, that the godmother's daughters might deck the bride. "There will be a feast here the day after the wedding," said the parlour cat. "Otherwise I would not give one mew for the lot." " There lui// be a feast ! " said the kitchen cat ; " ducks and pigeons are killed, and a whole deer hangs on the wall. It makes my mouth water to look at it ! In the morning they start on their journey." Yes, in the morning! This evening Rudy and Babette sat together, as betrothed, for the last lime at the mill. Out of doors was the Alpine glow, the evening bells chimed, the daughters of the sunbeams sang : " May the best thing happen ! " XIV VISIONS IN THE NIGHT HE sun was set, the clouds came down in the Rhone valley Between the high mountains, the wind blew from the south, a wind from Africa, but, over the high Alps, a tempest, rending the clouds asunder, and, when the wind had swept by, for one instant it was quite still ; the torn clouds hung in fan- tastic shapes among the tree- clad mountains, and over the rushing Rhone ; they hung in shapes like Antediluvian monsters, like eagles hovering in the air and like frogs capiiig in a pool ; they came down over the rapid stream, they sailed over it al- though they sailed in the air. The river bore on its surface a pine-tree torn up by the roots, watery eddies flowed before it ; that was Giddiness — there were more than one — moving in a circle on the onward-rushing stream. The moon shone on^ the snow-covered mountain tops, on the black woods and the strange white clouds, visions of night, spirits of the powers of nature ; the mountain peasants saw them through the windows, they sailed bJow in crowds before the Ice-Maiden, who came from her glacier palace, and sat on her frail craft, the uprooted pine tree, carry- ing the glacier water with her down the stream to the open lake. " The wedding guests are comin^^ ! " That was what whistled and sang in the air and the water. There were visions without and visions within. Babette dreamed a strange dream. It appeared to her as if she was married to Rudy, and that many years had passed. He was now hunting chamois, but she was at home, and there sat with her the young Englishman with the yellow whiskers. His glances were warm, his words had a power of witchcraft ; he held out his hands to her, and she was obliged to follow him. They left her home and went down the mountain, ever down, and it seemed to Babette as if there lay a burden on her heart, which was always growing heavier. It was a sin against Rudy, a sin against God. • And then on a sudden she was deserted ; her clothes were torn by the thorns, TART IV. standing ONLY HIS HUNTING-JACKET AND HAT. 74 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES her hair was grey. She looked up in her grief, and on the edge of a chff she saw Rudy. She held out her arms towards him, but did not venture to call or pray. Nor would it have heljjed her, for she quickly saw that it was not he, but only his hunting-jacket and hat, which were hanging on his alpenstock, as hunters set them to deceive the chamois. And in the depth of her affliction Babette wailed out : " Oh, that I had died on the day I was married, the day of my greatest happiness ! that would have been a happy life ! that would have been the best thing that could happen for me and Rudy ! None knows his future ! " and in her impious grief she precipitated her- self into a deep chasm in the rocks. The spell was broken, and witn a cry she awoke. The dream had vanished, but she knew that she had dreamed something dreadful, and that she had dreamed of the young Englishman, whom she had not seen or thought of for several months. Was he in Montreu.x ? Was she about to see him at the wedding? Her pretty lips tightened at the thought, and she knit her brows. But soon there came a smile, and her eyes gleamed ; the sun was shining so beautifully outside, and the morning was that of her wedding with Rudy. He was already in the parlour when she came down, and soon they were away to Villeneuve. They were a very happy couple ; and the miller with them laughed and beamed in the highest spirits ; he was a good father and an upright man. " Now we are the masters at home ! " said the parlour cat. XV CONCLUSION T was not yet evening when the three happy people reached Villeneuve, and sat down to their repast. After dinner the miller sat in an easy chair with his pipe, and took a little nap. The young couple went arm in arm out of the town, then by the carriage road under the rocks so thick with bushes, skirting the deep bluish-green lake. The gloomy Chillon reflected its grey walls and massive towers in the clear water ; the little island with the three acacia trees lay- still nearer, appearing like a bouquet in the lake. "It must be delightful out there!" said Babette; she had still the strongest inclination to go there, and that wish could be immediately fulfilled : there lay a boat by the bank, the line that held it was easy to unfasten. The\- could not see anyone from whom to ask permission, and so they took the boat, for Rudy could row well. The oars caught hold of the water like the fins of a fish, the water that is so pliable and yet so strong, that is all a back to bear, all a mouth to devour, mildl\- smiling, softness itself, and )-et overwhelming and strong to rend asunder. The water foamed in the wake of the boat, in which in a few mmutes the couple had gained the island, where they landed. There was not more than room enough on it for two to dance. Rudy turned Babette round two or three times, and then, hand in hand, they seated themselves on the little bench beneath the overhanging acacias, and gazed into each other's eyes, while all around them was illuminated in the splendour of the setting sun. The pine forests on the moun- tains put on a lilac hue like heather when in flower, and where the trees ceased and the bare rock came into view it glowed as if the mountain was transparent ; the clouds in the heavens were lighted up as if with red fire, the whole lake was like a fresh, blushing rose-leaf Already, as the shadows lifted themselves up to the snow-clad hills of Savoy, they became bluish, but the topmost peaks shone as if of red lava, and for one moment looked as if these glowing masses had raised themselves from the bowels of the earth and were not yet extinguished. That was an Alpine glow, such as Rudy and Babette could never hope to see the equal of The snow-covered Dent du Midi had a splendour like the face of the full moon when it is rising. " So much beauty ! so much happiness ! " they both said. " The earth has no more to give me ! " said Rudy. " An evening hour like this is a whole y / THE ICE-MAIDEN ; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 75 HAND IN HAND, SEATED ON THE LITTLE BENCH. lifetime ! How often have I felt my good fortune as 1 feel it now, and thought, ' If all were now ended, how fortunately I should have lived ! How blessed is this world ! ' and the day ended ; but a new one began again, and it seemed to me that it was fairer still ! Heaven is infinitely good, Babette ! " " I am so happy ! " said she. " Earth has nothing more to give me ! " exclaimed Rudy. And the evening bells chimed from the mountains of Savoy, from the mountains of Switzerland ; the dark blue Jura lifted itself to- wards the west in a golden lustre. " God give thee what is grandest and best ! " exclaimed Habette. " That He will ! " said Rudy. " To-morrow' I shall have it ! to-morrow thou wilt be mine ! my own little, charming wife ! " " The boat ! " cried Babette at that moment. The boat, which was to take them back, had broken loose and drifted from the island. " I will fetch it ! " said Rudy, throwing off his coat ; and he pulled off his boots, sprang into the lake, and took rapid strokes towards the boat. Cold and deep was the clear, bluish-green water from the mountain glacier. Rudy looked down below, only one single glance— and he thought he saw a golden ring rolling, and gleaming, and playing— he thought of his lost betrothal ring, and the ring became larger, and expanded into a sparkling circle, and in that shone the clear glacier ; interminable deep crevasses yawned around him, and the dripping water sounded like a carillon of bells and gleamed with bluish flames ; in an instant he saw what we have to tell in so many words. Young huntsmen and young maidens, men and women, once swallowed up in the crevasses of the glacier, stood here alive, with open eyes and smiling mouth, and deep under them came the sound of church bells from submerged towns ; a congregation knelt under the church arches, pieces of ice formed the organ- pipes, mountain torrents played on it. The Ice-Maiden sat on the clear, transparent floor ; she raised herself up towards Rudy, kissed his feet, and there ran a deadly coldness through his limbs, an electric shock — ice and fire ! one does not know the differ- ence at the first touch. " Mine ! mine ! " sounded about him and in him. " I kissed thee when thou wast little ! I kissed thee on the mouth ! now I kiss thee on the toe and on the heel — thou art mine altogether ! " And he was lost in the clear blue water. All was still ; the church bells ceased to ring, the last notes died THE RING EXPANDED INTO A SPARKJ.ING CIRCLE. ^ 76 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES away with the splendour on the red clouds. " Mine thou art ! " sounded again in the depths ; " Mine thou art!" sounded in the heights, from the Infinite. THE ICE-MAIDEN STOOD MAJESTIC WITH RUDY AT HER FEET. The icy kiss of Death overcame that which was corruptible ; the prelude was over before the drama of life could begin, the discord resolved into harmony. It is beautiful to fly from love to Love, from earth into the Heaven. THE ICE-MAIDEN; OR, THE EAGLE'S NEST 77 ft Do you call that a sad story? Unfortunate Babette 1 it was a fearful time for her ! the boat drifted farther and farther away. No one on shore knew that the bridal pair were on the little island. Night drew on ; the clouds descended, and it became dark. She stood there alone, despairing, weeping. A furious storm broke over her ; lightning illuminated the mountains of Jura, Switzerland, and Savoy, and thunder rolled continuously. The lightning was almost as bright as the sun ; one could see each single vine as at mid-day, and then immediately everything would be shrouded in the thickest darkness. The flashes formed knots, rings, zig-zags ; they struck round about the lake, they shone from all sides, while the peals were increased by the echoes. On the land people drew the boats higher up the banks ; every living thing sought shelter, and the rain poured down in torrents. " Wherever are Rudy and Babette in this furious storm ? " said the miller. Babette sat with clasped hands, with her head in her lap, speechless with grief " In that deep water ! " she said within herself " He is deep down, as under the glacier ! " And she remembered what Rudy had told her of his mother's death, of his own rescue, and how he had been brought up as one dead out of the crevasse in the glacier. " The Ice-Maiden has him again ! " And the lightning flashed as blinding as a ray of the sun on the white snow. Babette started ; the lake lifted itself at that instant, like a shining glacier; the Ice-Maiden stood there, majestic, pale blue, shining, and at her feet lay Rudy's corpse. " Mine ! " said she ; and round about was again darkness and gloom, and rushing water. " Cruel ! " moaned Babette. " Why then should he die, when the happy day was come ! 0 God ! enlighten my understanding ! shine into my heart ! I cannot understand Thy ways, but 1 bow to Thy power and wisdom ! " And God shone into her heart. A flash of thought, a ray of light, her dream of last night, as if it were real, seemed to shine through her ; she called to mind the words which she had spoken : she had wished for tlie best thing for herself and Rudy. " Woe is me ! was that the seed of sin in my heart ? was my dream a future life, whose string must be snapped for my salvation? Miserable me ! " She sat wailing in the gloomy, dark night. In the deep stillness she thought that Rudy's words sounded again, the last he had uttered : " Earth has nothing more to give me ! " They had been said in the abundance of happiness, they came back to her in the depth of her grief ° ***** A couple of years have elapsed. The lake smiles, the banks smile ; the vines put forth swell- ing grapes ; steamboats with waving flags hurry past, pleasure-boats with both their sails set fly like white butterflies over the expanse of water ; the railway above Chillon has been opened, and leads deep into the Rhone valley. At every station visitors get out ; they come with their red guide-books and read to themselves what remarkable things they have to see. They visit Chillon, they see from thence in the lake the little island with the three acacias, and read in the book of a bridal pair who, in the year 1856, sailed thither one evening, of the bridegroom's death, and : " next morning the bride's despairing cry was first heard on the shore." But the guide-books make no mention of Babette's quiet life with her father, not in the mill- strangers live there— but in the pretty house near the railway station, where from the windows she often looks out in the afternoon over the chestnut trees to the snow mountains where Rudy used to disport himself; she sees in the evenings the Alpine glow, the Children of the Sun encamping above and repeating the song of the tra\eller whose mantle the whirlwind carried away; it took the covering, but not the man himself There is a rosy lustre on the snow of the mountains, there is a rosy lustre in every heart where the thought is : " God lets that which is best come to pass ! " but that is not always revealed to us as it was to Babette in her dream. *^ ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES The Storks N the last house in a little village there lay a stork's nest. The mother stork sat in the nest, beside her four little ones, who were stretching forth their heads with their little black bills, that had not yet turned red. At a short distance, on the top of the roof, stood the father stork, as stiff and bolt upright as well could be. He had drawn up one leg under him, in order not to remain quite idle while he stood sentry. One might have taken him to be carved out of wood, so motionless was he. " It no doubt looks very grand for my wife to have a sentinel by her nest ! " thought he. " They can't know that 1 am her husband, and they will, of course, conclude that I have been commanded to stand here. It looks so noble ! " And he continued standing on one leg. A whole swarm of children were playing in the street below ; and when they perceived the stork, the forwardest of the boys sang the old song about the stork, in which the others soon joined. Only each sang it just as he happened to recollect it : — " Stork, stork, fly home and rest, Nor on one leg thus sentry keep ! Your wife is sitting in her nest. To lull her little ones to sleep, There's a halter for one, There's a stake for another ; For a third there's a gun. And a spit for his brother ! " "Only listen to what the boys are singing I " said the young storks. "They say we shall be hanged and burned." " You shouldn't mind what they say," said the mother stork ; " if you don't listen, it won't hurt you." But the boys went on singing, and pointing at the stork with their fingers. Only one boy, whose name was Peter, said it was a shame to make game of animals, and would not join the rest. The mother stork comforted her young ones. " Don't trouble your heads about it," said she ; " only se; how quiet your father stands, and that on one leg ! " " VVe are frightened ! " said the young ones, drawing back their heads into the nest. Next day, when the children had again assembled to play, they no sooner saw the storks than they began their song : — " There's a halter for one, There's a stake for another." " Are we to be hanged and burned ? " asked the young storks. " No ; to be sure not," said the mother. "You shall learn how to fly, and I'll train you. Then we will fly to the meadows, and pay a visit to the frogs, who will bow to us in the water, and sing ' Croak I croak ! ' And then we'll eat them up, and that will be a right good treat ! " " STORK, STORK, H.Y HOME AND REST." THE STORKS 79 " And what next ? " asked the youngsters. " Tlien all the storks in the land will assemble, and the autumn mancEuvres will begin ; and every one must know how to fly properly, for that is very important. For whoever does not fly as he ought is pierced to death by the general's beak ; therefore, mind you learn something when the drilling begins." " Then we shall be spitted after all, as the boys said — and hark ! they are singing it again." " Attend to me and not to them," said the mother stork. " After the principal review we shall fly to the warm countries, far from here, over hills and forests. We fly to Egypt, where there are three-cornered stone houses, one point of which reaches to the clouds — they are called pyramids, and are older than a stork can well imagine. And in that same land there is a river which over- flows its banks, and turns the whole country into mire. We then go into the mire and eat frogs." " O — oh ! " exclaimed all the youngsters. " It is a delightful place, truly I One can eat all day long, and while we are feasting there, in this country there is not a green leaf left upon the trees. It is so cold here that the very clouds freeze in lumps, and fall down in little rags." It was snow she meant, only she could not explain it better. " Will the naughty boys freeze in lumps ? " asked the young storks. "No, they will not freeze in lumps, but they they will be obliged to sit moping in a gloomy about in foreign lands, where there are flowers Some time had now passed by, and the they could stand upright in the nest, and look stork came every day with nice frogs, little storks delight in, that he could find. And how feats he performed to amuse them ! He would tail ; then he would clatter with his bill just like tell them stories, all relating to swamps and " Come, you must now learn to fly," said four youngsters were all obliged to come out on did stagger ! They tried to poise themselves nearly fallen to the ground below. " Look at me," said the mother. " This is you must place your feet so ! Left ! right ! help you forward in the world." She then flew a little way, and the young assistance — but will be very near doing so, and room, while you will be flying and warm sunshine." young ones had grown so big that all about them ; and the father serpents, and all such dainties as funny it was to see all the clever lay his head right round upon his a little rattle ; and then he would fens. the mother stork one day, and the the top of the roof. How they with their wings, but they had the way to hold your head I Left ! right ! That's what And will bodies were still "I won't fly!" into the nest. " I countries." " Would you winter, and wait burn, or to roast " Oh, no ! " back to the roof they already be- fancied they in the air, up- they accordingly WE THEN GO INTO THE MIRE AND EAT FROGS ones took a little leap without plump ! down they fell, for their too heavy. said one youngster, creeping back don't care about going to warm like to stay and freeze here in the till the boys come to hang, to you? Well, then, I'll call them." said the young stork, hopping like the others. On the third day gan to fly a little, and then they should be able at once to hover borne by their wings, and this attempted, when down they fell, and were then obliged to flap their wings as quick as they could. The boys now came into the street below, singing their song : — " Stork, stork, fly home and rest." " Shan't we fly down and peck them ? " asked the young ones. " No ; leave them alone,' said the mother. " Attend to me — 8o ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES THK FOUR YOUNGSTERS WEKli ALL OBLlGLIi TO COME OU'l ON THE TOP OF THE ROOF. that's far more important — one — two — three ! Now let's fly round to the right. One — two — three ! now to the left, round the chimne_\-. Now that was very well ! That last flap of your wings was so graceful and so proper, that you shall have leave to fly with me to-morrow to the marsh. Several genteel families of storks are coming thither with their children ; now let me see that mine are the best bred of all, and mind you strut about with a due degree of pride, for that looks well, and makes one respected." " But shan't we take revenge on the naughty boys ? " asked the young storks. " Let them scream away as much as they like. You can fly up to the clouds, and go to the land of the Pyramids, while they are freezing, and can ncitJier see a green leaf nor eat a sweet apple." " But we wish to be revenged," whispered the j-oung ones amongst each other ; and then they were drilled again. Of all the bo\s in the street, iione seerfied more bent on singing the song that made game of the storks than the one who had first introduced it ; and he was a little fellow, scarcely more than six j-cars old. The )oung storks, to be sure, fancied that he was at least a hundred, becau se he was so much bisr- ger than their parents ; and besides, what did they know about the ages of children or of grown men ? So their whole vengeance was to be aimed at this boy, because he had been the first to begin, and had always persisted in mocking at them. The young storks were very much exasperated, and when they grew bigger, the>' grew still less patient of insults, and their mother was at length obliged to promise that they should be revenged, but only on the day of their departure. " VVe must first see how you will acquit yourselves at the great review. If you don't do your duty properly, and the general runs his beak through your chests, then the boys will be in the right — at least, so far. So we must wait and see." " Yes, you shall see," said the youngsters ; and they took a deal of pains, and practised every day, till they flew so elegantly and so lightly that it was a pleasure to see them. The autumn now set in, when all the storks began to assemble and to start for the warm countries, leaving winter behind them. And there were evolutions for you! The )'ouncf fledglings were A LITTLE FELLOW, SCARCELY MORE THAN SIX YEARS OLD. THE STORKS 8i set to fly over forests and villages, to see whether they could acquit themselves properly, for they had a long voyage before them. But the young storks gave such proof of capacity, that their THERE WERE EVOLUTIONS FOR YOU ! certificate ran as follows : — " Remarkably well — with the present of a frog and a serpent." This was the most palpable proof of the satisfaction they had given ; and they might now eat the frog and the serpent, which they lost no time in doing. 82 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES ' NOW WE LL FLY TO THE POND, AND FETCH ONE FOR EVERY CHILD." " Now for our revenge ! " said they. " Yes, assuredly," said the mother stork ; "and I have found out what would be the fairest revenge to take. I know where lies the pond in which all the little human child- ren are waiting till the storks shall come and bring them to their parents. The prettiest little children lie sleeping there, and dreaming far more sweetly than they will ever dream hereafter. Most parents wish for such a little infant, and most children wish for a sister or a brother. Now we'll fly to the pond, and fetch one for every child who did not sing the naughty song, and make game of the storks." " But the naughty, ugly boy, who was the first to begin singing it," cried the young storks ; " what shall we do with him?" " In the pond lies a little infant, who has dreamed itself to death. We'll take him home to the naughty boy, and then he'll cry, because we've brought him a little dead brother. But as for the good boy — you have not forgotten him — who said it was a shame to make game of animals, we will bring him both a brother and a sister. And as the boy's name is Peter, you shall all be called Peter after him." And all was done as agreed upon, and all storks were henceforth named Peter, and are called so still. "IN THE POND LIES A LITTLE INFANT, WHO HAS DREAMED ITSELF TO DEATH." ^ The Ugly Duckling N the fields how beautiful, how fresh everything looked ! It was summer, and the corn was yellow, the oats were green, the hayricks were standing in the verdant meadows, and the stork was walking about on his long, red legs, chattering away in Egyptian — the language he had learned from his lady mother. The cornfields and meadows were surrounded by large forests, in the middle of which lay deep lakes. Oh, it was lovely indeed to walk abroad in the country just then ! In a sunny spot stood an old country house, encircled by canals. Between the wall and the water's edge there grew huge burdock leaves, that had shot up to such a height that a little child might have stood upright under the tallest of them ; and this THE UGLY DUCKLING 83 spot was as wild as though it had been situated in the depths of a wood. In this snug retirement a duck was sitting on her nest to hatch her young ; but she began to think it a wearisome task, as the Httle ones seemed very backward in making their appearance ; besides, she had few visitors, for the other ducks preferred swimming about in the canals, instead of being at the trouble of climbing up the slope, and then sitting under a burdock leaf to gossip with her. At length one egg cracked, and then another. " Peep ! peep ! " cried they, as each yolk became a live thing, and popped out its head. " Quack ! quack ! " said the mother, and they tried to cackle like her, while they looked all about them under the green leaves ; and she allowed them to look to their hearts' content, because green is good for the eyes. " How large the world is, to be sure ! " said the young ones. And truly enough, they had rather more room than when they were still in the egg-shell. " Do you fancy this is the whole world ? " cried the mother. " Why, it reaches far away beyond the other side of the garden, down to the parson's field ; though I never went to such a distance as that. But are you not all there ? " continued she, rising. " No, faith ! you are not ; for there still lies the largest egg. I wonder how long this business is to last — I really begin to grow quite tired of it ! " And she sat down once more. "Well, how are you getting on ? " inquired an old duck, who came to pay her a visit. " This egg takes a deal of hatching," answered the sitting duck. " It won't break ; but just look at the others, are they not the prettiest ducklings ever seen ? They are the image of their father, who, by the bye, does not trouble himself to come and see me." " Let me look at the egg that won't break," quoth the old duck. " Take my word for it, it must be a guinea-fowl's egg. I was once deceived in the same way, and I bestowed a deal of care and anxiety on the youngsters, for they are afraid of water. I could not make them take to it. I stormed and raved, but it was of no use. Let's see the egg. Sure enough, it is a guinea-fowl's egg. Leave it alone, and set about teaching the other children to swim." " I'll just sit upon it a bit longer," said the duck ; " for since I have sat so long, a few days more won't make much odds." " Please yourself," said the old duck, as she went away. At length the large egg cracked. " Peep ! peep ! " squeaked the youngster, as he crept out. How big and ugly he was, to be sure ! The duck looked at him, saying : " Really, this is a most enormous duckling ! None of the others are like him. I wonder whether he is a guinea-chick after all ? Well, we shall soon see when we get down to the water, for in he shall go, though I push him in myself" On the following morning the weather was most delightful, and the sun was shining brightly on the green burdock leaves. The mother duck took her young brood down to the canal. Splash into the water she went. " Quack ! quack ! " cried she, and forthwith one duckling after another jumped in. The water closed over their heads for a moment ; but they soon rose to the surface again, and swam about so nicely, just as if their legs paddled them about of their own accord ; and they had all taken to the water, even the ugly, grey-coated youngster swam about with the rest. " Nay, he is no guinea-chick," said she. " Only look how capitally he uses his legs, and how steady he keeps himself — he's every inch my own child. And really he's very pretty when one comes to look at him attentively. Quack ! quack ! " added she ; " now come along, and I'll take you into high society, and introduce you to the duck-yard ; but mind you keep close to me, that nobody may tread upon you, and, above all, beware of the cat." They now reached the farmyard, where there was a great hubbub. Two families were fighting for an eel's head, which, in the end, was carried off by the cat. " See, children, that's the way with the world ! " remarked the mother of the ducklings, licking her beak, for she would have been very glad to have had the eel's head for herself " Now move on I " said she, " and mind you cackle properly, and bow your head before that old duck yonder. She is the noblest born of them all, and is of Spanish descent, and that's why she is so dignified ; and look 1 she has a red rag tied to her leg, which is the greatest mark of distinction that can be bestowed upon a duck, as it shows an anxiety not to lose her, and that she should be recognised by both beast and man. Now cackle — and don't turn in your toes ; a well-bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart, like papa and mamma, in this sort of way. Now bend your neck, and say ' Quack ! ' " The ducklings did as they were bid ; but the other ducks, after looking at them, only said aloud : " Now, look ! here comes another set, as if we were not numerous enough already. And, 84 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES 'now bend your neck, and say 'quack !'" bless me ! what a queer- looking chap one of the ducklings is, to be sure ; we can't put up with him ! " And one of the throng darted forward and bit him in the neck. " Leave him alone," said the mother ; " he did no harm to any one." " No ; but he is too big and uncouth," said the biting duck, " and therefore he wants a thrashing." " Mamma has a sweet little family," said the old duck with the rag about her leg ; " they are all pretty except one, who is rather ill-favoured. I wish mamma could polish him a bit." " I'm afraid that will be impossible, your grace," said the mother of the ducklings. " It's true, he is not pretty, but he has a very good disposition, and swims as well, or perhaps better than all the others put together. However, he may grow prettier, and perhaps become smaller ; he remained too long in the egg-shell, and therefore his figure is not properly formed." And with this she smoothed down the ruffled feathers of his neck, adding : " At all events, as he is a male duck, it won't matter so much. I think he'll prove strong, and be able to fight his way through the world." " The other ducklings are elegant little creatures," said the old duck. " Now, make yourself at home ; and if you should happen to find an eel's head, you can bring it to me." And so the family made themselves comfortable. But the poor duckling who had been the last to creep out of his egg-shell, and looked so ugly, was bitten, pushed about, and made gas.ie of, not only by the ducks, but by the hens. They all declared he was much too big, and a guinea-fowl who fancied him- self at least an emperor, because he had come into the world with spurs, now puffed himself up like a vessel in full sail and flew at the duckling, and blustered till his head turned completely red, so that the poor little thing did not know where he could walk or stand, and was quite grieved at being so ugly that the whole farm- yard scouted him. Nor did matters mend the next day, or the following ones, but rather grew worse and worse. The poor duckling was hunted down by everybody. Even his sisters were so unkind to him that they were continually saying : " I wish the cat would run away with you, you ugly creature ! " While his mother added : " I wish you had never been born ! " And the ducks pecked at him, the hens struck him, and the girl who fed the poultry used to kick him. So he ran awa\', and flew over the palings. The little birds in the bushes were startled, and took wing. " That is because I am so ugly," thought the duckling, as he closed his eyes, though he ran on further till he came to a large marsh inhabited by wild ducks. Here he spent the whole night, and tired and sor- rowful enough he was. On the following morning, when the wild ducks rose and saw their new comrade, they said : " What sort of a creature are you ? " Upon which the duckling greeted them all round as civilly as he knew how. " You are remarkably ugly," observed THE GiKL WHO FED THE POULTRY KICKED HIM. the wlld ducks ; " but we don't care about THE UGLY DUCKLING 85 that so long as you do not want to marry into our family." Poor, forlorn creature ! He had truly no such thoughts in his head. All he wanted was to obtain leave to lie among the rushes and drink a little of the marsh water. ' He remained there for two whole days, at the end of which there came two wild geese, or, more properly speaking, goslings, who were only just out of the egg-shell, and consequently very pert. " I say, friend," quoth they, " you are so ugly that we should have no objection to take you with us for a travelling com- panion. In the neigbouring marsh there dwell some sweetly pretty female geese, all of them unmarried, and who cackle most charmingly. Perhaps you ma\- have a chance to pick up a wife amongst them, ugly as you are." Pop! pop! sounded through the air, and the two wild gos- lings fell dead amongst the rushes, while the water turned as red as blood. Pop ! pop ! again echoed around, and whole flocks of wild geese flew up from the rushes. Again and again the same alarming noise was heard. It was a shooting party, and the sportsmen surrounded the whole marsh, while others had climbed into the branches of the trees that overshadowed the rushes. A blue mist rose in clouds and mingled with the green leaves, and sailed far away across the water ; a pack of dogs next flounced into the marsh. Splash, splash, the\- went, while the reeds and rushes bent beneath them on all sides. What a fright they occasioned the poor duckling ! He turned away his head to hide it under his wing, when, lo ! a tremend- ous-looking dog, with his tongue lolling out, and his eyes glaring fearfully, stood right before him, opening his jaws and show- ing his sharp teeth, as though he would gobble up the poor little duckling at a mouthful ; but splash, splash, on he went without touching him. " Thank goodness ! " sighed the duckling, " I am so ugly that even a dog won't bite me." And he lay quite still, while the shot rattled through the rushes, and pop after pop echoed through the air. It was not till late in the day that all became quiet, but the poor youngster did not yet venture to rise, but waited several hours before he looked about him, and then hastened out of the marsh as fast as he could go. He ran across fields and meadows, till there arose such a storm that he could scarcely get on at all. Towards evening he reached a wretched little cottage, that was in such a tumble-down what's that?" said the woma.n, looking round. 86 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES condition, that if it remained standing at all, it could only be from not yet having made up its mind on which side it should fall first. The tempest was now raging to such a height that the duckling was forced to sit down to stem the wind, when he perceived that the door hung so loosely on one of its hinges that he could slip into the room through the crack, which he accordingly did. The inmates of the cottage were a woman, a tom-cat, and a hen. The tom-cat, whom she called her darling, could raise his back and purr ; and he could even throw out sparks, provided he were stroked against the grain. The hen had small, short legs, for which reason she was called Henny Shortlegs ; she laid good eggs, and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child. Next morning they perceived the little stranger, when the tom-cat began to purr, and the hen to cluck. "What's that?" said the woman, looking round. Not seeing very distinctly, she mistook the duckling for a fat duck that had lost its way. " Why, this is quite a prize ! " added she ; " I can now get duck's eggs, FHE DUCKLING SAT IN A unlcss, indeed, it be a male ! We must wait a bit and see." CORNER VERY MUCH OUT So the duckling was kept on trial for three weeks ; but no eggs were OF SPIRITS. forthcoming. The tom-cat and the hen were the master and mistress of the house, and always said : " We and the world " — for they fancied them- selves to be the half, and by far the best half too, of the whole universe. The duckling thought there might be two opinions on this point ; but the hen would not admit of any such doubts. " Can you lay eggs ? " asked she. " No," " Then have the goodness to hold your tongue." And the tom-cat inquired : " Can you raise your back, or purr, or throw out sparks ? " " No." " Then you have no business to have any opinion at all, when rational people are talking." The duckling sat in a corner very much out of spirits, when in came the fresh air and the sunshine, which gave him such a strange longing to swim on the water, that he could not help saying so to the hen. " What's this whim ? " said she. " That comes of being idle. If you could either lay eggs or purr, you would not indulge in such fancies." " But it is so delightful to swim about on the water ! " observed the duckling, " and to feel it close over one's head when one dives down to the bottom." " A great pleasure, indeed ! " quoth the hen. " You must be crazy, surely ! Only ask the cat — for he is the wisest creature I know — how he would like to swim on the water, or to dive under it. To say nothing of myself, just ask our old mistress, who is wiser than anybody in the world, whether she'd relish swimming and feeling the waters close above her head." " You can't understand me ! " said the duckling. "We can't understand you? I should like to know who could. You don't suppose you are wiser than the tom-cat and our mistress — to say nothing of myself? Don't take these idle fancies, into your head, child ; but thank Heaven for all the kindness that has been shown you. Have you not found a warm room, and company that might improve you ? But you are a mere chatter- box, and there's no pleasant intercourse to be had with you. And you may take my word for it, for I mean you well. I say disagreeable things, which is a mark of true friendship. Now, look to it, and mind that you either lay eggs or learn to purr and emit sparks." " I think I'll take my chance, and go abroad into the wide world," said the duckling. "Do," said the hen. And the duckling went forth, and swam on the water, and dived beneath its surface ; but he was slighted by all other animals, on account of his ugliness. Autumn had now set in. The leaves of the forests had turned first yellow and then brown ; and the wind caught them up and made them dance about. It began to be very cold in the higher regions of the air, and the clouds looked heavy with hail and flakes of snow ; while the raven sat on a hedge, crying " Caw ! caw ! " from sheer cold ; and one began to shiver if one merely thought about it. The poor duckling had a bad time of it ! One evening, just as the sun was setting in all its glory, there came a whole flock of beautiful large birds from a large grove. The duckling had never seen any so lovely before. They were dazzlingly white, with long, graceful necks ; they were swans. They uttered a peculiar cry, and then spnead their magnificent wings, THE UGLY DUCKLING 87 HE TURNED ROUND AND ROUND IN THE WATER LIKE A WHEEL. and away they flew from the cold country to warmer lands across the open sea. They rose so high — so high that the ugly duckling felt a strange sensation come over him. He turned round and round in the water like a wheel, stretched his neck up into the air towards them, and uttered so loud and strange a cry, that he was frightened at it himself. Oh ! never could he again forget those beautiful, happy birds ; and when they were quite out of sight, he dived down to the bottom of the water, and when he once more rose to the surface, he was half beside himself. He knew not how these birds were called, nor whither they were bound ; but he felt an affection for them such as he had never yet experienced for any living creature. Nor did he even presume to envy them ; for how could it ever have entered his head to wish himself endowed with their loveliness ? He would have been glad enough if the ducks had merely suffered him to remain among them — poor ugly animal that he was ! And the winter proved so very, very cold ! The duckling was obliged to keep swimming about, for fear the water should freeze entirely ; but every night the hole in which he swam grew smaller and smaller. It now froze so hard that the surface of the ice cracked again ; yet the duckling still paddled about, to prevent the hole from closing up. At last he was so exhausted that he lay insensible, and became ice-bound. Early next morning a peasant came by, and, seeing what had happened, broke the ice to pieces with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife ; so the little creature was revived once more. The children wished to play with him ; but the duckling thought they meant to hurt him, and in his fright he bounced right into a bowl of milk, that was spirted all over the room. The woman clapped her hands, which only frightened him still more, and drove him first into the butter-tub, then down into the meal-tub, and out again. What a scene then ensued ! The woman screamed, and flung the tongs at him ; the children tumbled over each other in their endeavours to catch the duckling, and laughed and shrieked. Luckily the door stood open, and he slipped through ; and then over the faggots, into the newly-fallen snow, where he lay quite exhausted. But it would be too painful to tell of all the privations and misery that the duckling endured ■during the hard winter. He was lying in a marsh, amongst the reeds, when the sun again began to shine. The larks were singing, and the spring had set in in all its beauty. The duckling now felt able to flap his wings ; they rustled much louder than before, and bore him away most sturdily ; and, before he was well aware of it, he found himself in a large garden, where the apple-trees were in full blossom, and the fragrant elder was steeping its long, drooping branches in the waters of a winding canal. Oh, how beautiful everything looked in the first freshness of spring ! Three magnificent white swans now emerged from the thicket before him ; they flapped their wings, and then swam lightly on the surface of the water. The duckling recognised the beautiful creatures, and was impressed with feelings of melancholy peculiar to himself. " I will fly towards those royal birds, and they will strike me dead for daring to approach THE CHILDREN WOULD HAVE PLAYED WITH HIM. 88 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES them, so ugly as I am ! But it matters not. Better to be killed by them than to be pecked at by the ducks, beaten by the hens, pushed about by the girl that feeds the poultry, and to suffer want SOME OF THE CHILDREN THREW BREAD-CRUMBS AND CORN INTO THE WATER. in the winter." And he flew into the water, and swam towards these splendid swans, who rushed to meet him with rustling wings the moment they saw him. " Do but kill me ! " said the poor animal, as he bent his head down to the surface of the water and awaited his doom. But what THE WILD SWANS 89 did he see in the clear stream ? Why, his own image which was no longer that of a heavy- looking dark grey bird, ugly and ill-favoured, but of a beautiful swan ! It matters not being born in a duck-yard, when one is hatched from a swan's egg ! He now rejoiced over all the misery and the straits he had endured, as it made him feel the full depth of the happiness that awaited him. And the large swans swam round him, and stroked him with their beaks. Some little children now came into the garden, and threw bread-crumbs and corn into the water ; and the youngest cried : " There is a new one ! " The other children were delighted, too, and repeated : " Yes, there is a new one just come ! " And they clapped their hands and capered about, and then flew to their father and mother, and more bread and cake was flung into the water ; and all said : " The new one is the prettiest. So young, and so lovely ! " And the elder swans bowed before him. He then felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wings. He did not himself know what to do. He was more than happy, yet none the prouder ; for a good heart is never proud. He remembered how he had been pursued and made game of; and now he heard everybody say he was the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. Even the elder-bush bent its boughs down to him in the water ; and the sun appeared so warm, and so mild I He then flapped his wings, and raised his slender neck, as he cried in the fulness of his heart : " I never dreamed of such happiness while I was an ugly duckling." ^— - — ,, ~- ^^-- — — =— :— T ""7 ^ -■^^=r'=- '-=■ ~=..' ;- r:-~ =r. '^ — T" — *5r *^ ^^ The Wild Swans ipp iness was not AR away hence, in the land whither the swans fly when it is cold winter with us, there once lived a king who had eleven sons, and one daughter named Elise. The eleven brothers were princes, and used to go to school with a star on their breast and a sword at their side. They wrote on gold slates with diamond pencils, and learned by heart as easily as they could read ; one could immediately perceive they were princes. Their sister Elise sat on a little glass stool, and had a book full of prints, that had cost nearly half the kingdom to purchase. Oh, these children were happy indeed ! — but, unfortunately, their to last. Their father, who was the king of the land, married a wicked queen, who was not well disposed oo ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES A BOOK FULL OK PRINTS. towards the poor children. This they perceived from the very first day. There were festivities in the palace, and the children were pla3'ing at re- ceiving visitors ; but instead of their obtaining, as usual, all the cakes and roast apples that were to be had, she merely gave them some sand in a tea-cup, and told them they could make-believe with that. In the following week, she sent their little sister Elise to a peasant's cottage in the country ; and, before long, she spoke so ill of the poor princes to the king, that he no longer troubled himself about them. " Fly out into the world, and pick up your own livelihood," said the wicked queen. " Fly in the shape of large birds without a voice." But she could not make things as bad as she wished, for they were turned into eleven beautiful wild swans ; and away they flew out of the palace win- dows, uttering a peculiar cry as they swept over the park to the forest bej-ond. It was still Elise lay asleep. early as they passed by the peasant's cottage, where They hovered over the roof, and extended their long necks, and flapped their wings, but nobody heard or saw them ; so they were obliged to go on. And they rose up to the clouds, and flew out into the wide world, until they reached a large, gloomy forest, that shelved down to the sea-shore. Poor little Elise was standing in a room in the cottage, playing with a green leaf, for she had no other toy. And she pierced a hole through the leaf, and looked up at the sun, when she fancied she saw her brothers' clear eyes ; and every time the warm sunbeams fell on her cheeks, she used to think of their kisses. One day was just as monotonous as another. If the wind rustled through the large hedge of rose-bushes, he would whisper to the roses: "Who can be more beautiful than you?" But the roses would shake their heads, and answer : " Elise." And if the old woman sat before the door, on a Sunday, reading her psalm-book, the wind would turn over the leaves, and say to the book : " Who can be more pious than thou ? " And then the psalm-book would answer : " Elise." And both the roses and the psalm-book spoke the pure truth. When she was fifteen, she was to return home. But when the queen was, her heart was filled with hatred and spite. She would willingly have turned her into a wild swan, like her brothers, but she dared not do it just yet, because the king wished to see his daughter. Early in the morning, the queen went into the bath-room, which was built of marble, and furnished with soft cushions, and the most beau- tiful carpet and hangings imaginable ; and she took three toads and kissed them, and said to one of them : " Sit upon Elise's head when she comes into the bath, that she may become stupid like yourself Sit upon her forehead," said she to another, " that she may grow as ugly as you, so that her father may not recognise her. Rest on her heart," whispered she to the third, " that she may have a bad disposition, which will breed her pain." She then put the toads into the transparent water, which turned green, and next called Elise, and helped her to undress and to get into the bath. And as Elise dipped her head under the water, one toad placed itself on her hair, another on her forehead, and a third oti her breast. But she did not appear to observe them ; and as soon as she rose up again, three poppies were floating on the water. If the animals had not been venemous, and had not been kissed by the witch, they would have been changed into red roses. But flowers they became, however, be- cause they had rested on her head and her heart. She was too pious and too innocent for any witchcraft to have power over her. When the wicked queen perceived this, she rubbed the princess with walnut-juice till she was quite brown, and besmeared her face with rancid ointment, and tangled her magnificent hair, till it was impossible to re- cognise the beautiful Elise. When her father saw her he was quite frightened, and declared she was not his daughter. Nobody but the watch-dog and the swallows would recognise her — only they were poor animals, and could not speak a word. saw how beautiful she HLLl'Lll HER TO UNDRESS AND GET INTO THE BATH. THE WILD SWANS 91 STOLE OUT OF THE PALACE IN GREAT AFFLICTION. Poor Elise then cried, and thought of her eleven brothers, who were all away. And she stole out of the palace in. great affliction, and walked the whole day long across fields and marshes, till she reached the large forest. She knew not whither she was going, but she felt so sad, and she longed to see her brothers, who, she felt certain, had been driven out into the world like herself, and she determined to seek till she found them. She had been but a short time in the wood when night came on ; and having walked a long way, she lay down on the soft moss, said her prayers, and leaned her head against the stump of a tree. It was per- fectly quiet all around, the air was mild, and hundreds of glow-worms lit up the surrounding grass and moss like green fire ; and if she touched a twig ever so lightly, the brilliant insects showered down like so many falling stars. All night she dreamed of her brothers. She thought they were playing together as in childhood, and were writing with the diamond pencils on the gold slates, and looking at the prints in the book that had cost half the kingdom. Only, instead of making sums on the slates, as heretofore, they wrote down the valiant deeds they had achieved, and all that they had done and seen ; and in the print-book everything was living — the birds were singing, and the figures were walking out of the book, and speak- ing to Elise and her brothers. But the moment the latter turned over the leaves, they jumped back into their places, that no disorder might ensue. The sun was already high in the heavens when she woke. Not that she could see the sun, for the lofty trees were arching over her head, but its beams were playing here and there, like the fluttering of a gold gauze scarf; and there came a sweet fragrance from the woods, and the birds almost perched on her shoulders. She heard the rippling of water, which proceeded from several large streams that fell into a lake, that had a most beautiful sandy bed. Thick bushes grew round the lake, but the deer had made a large opening at one spot, through which Elise was enabled to reach the water. Its surface was so clear, that wVien the wind did not ruffle the branches and bushes, one might have fancied they had been painted on the bottom of the lake, so plainly was every leaf reflected, whether it stood in the sunshine or the shade. As soon as Elise saw her own image, she was frightened at finding herself so brown and so ugly. But on wetting her little hand, and rubbing her eyes and forehead, her white skin was soon apparent once more. She then undressed, and got into the water, and a lovelier royal child than herself could not have been met with in the wide world. When she had dressed herself again, and braided her long hair, she went to the running stream, and drank out of the hollow of her hand, and then she wandered deeper into the forest, without knowing what she meant to do. She thought of her brothers, and trusted that God would not abandon her. God has bidden the wild apples grow to feed the hungry, and He led her to one of these trees, whose boughs were bending beneath the weight of their fruit. Here she made her mid-day meal, and after propping up the branches, she went into the gloomiest depths of the forest. It was so quiet here that she could hear the sound of her own footsteps, and every little dried leaf that crackled under her feet. Not a bird was to be seen, nor did a sunbeam penetrate through the large dark branches. The lofty trunks stood so close to each other that when she looked before her it seemed as if she were shut in by a lattice AN OLD WOMAN WITH A BASKET FULL OF CHERRIES. 92 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES KLISE FOLLOWED THE RIVULEI made of huge beams of wood. It was solitude such as she had never known before. The night was quite dark. Not a little glow- worm beamed from the moss. She lay down sorrowfully to compose herself to sleep. She then fancied that the boughs above her head moved aside, and that the Almighty looked down upon her with pit\'ing eyes, while little angels hovered above His head and under His arms. Next morning when she woke she could not tell whether this was a dream, or whether it had really taken place. She then set out, but had not gone many steps when she met an old woman with a basket full of berries. The old woman gave her some to eat, and Elise asked her if she had not seen eleven princes riding through the forest. " No," said the old woman ; ' but yesterday I saw eleven swans, with gold crowns on their heads, swimming down the river hereabouts.". She then led Elise a little further, towards a slope, at the foot of which ran a winding rivulet. The trees on its banks stretched forth their long, leafy branches till they met, and wherever their growth would not have allowed them to mingle their foliage, the roots had broken loose from the soil, and hung entwined with the branches across the river. Elise then bid the old dame farewell, and followed the rivulet till it flowed towards a wide, open shore. The sea now lay before the young maiden in all its splendour, but not a sail was to be seen, and not as much as a boat could be descried. How was she to proceed further ? She looked at the countless little pebbles on the shore, which the water had worn till they were quite smooth — glass, iron, stones, ever\thing, in short, that lay there and had been washed by the waves, had assumed the shape of water, though it was softer still than her delicate hand. " It rolls along indefatig- ably, and wears away the hardest substances. I will be equally in- defatigable. Thanks for the lesson you give me, ye clear, rolling waves ! My heart tells me you will bear me to my dear brothers ! " In the moist sea- weeds lay eleven white swan's feathers, which she gathered into a bunch. Drops of water trembled upon them ; but whether they were deudrops or tears, no- body could tell. It was lonely on that sea- shore, but she did not feel it to be so, for the sea was ever chang- j^g^j. ^.j. sunset elise saw eleven wild swans, with golden crow.ns on mg, and displayed their heads, flying towards the shore. THE WILD SWANS 93 more variet}- in a few hours than the sweetest landscapes could show in a whole year. If a heavy black cloud arose, it seemed as if the sea meant to say : " I, too, know how to look dark " ; and then the wind blew, and the waves turned their white side outwards. But if the clouds were rosy, then the winds slept, and the sea looked like a rose leaf — now white, now green. Yet, however calm it might be, there was always a slight motion near the shore, and the waters would heave slightly, like the breast of a slumbering infant. Just at sunset Elise saw eleven wild swans, with gold crowns on their heads, fl}'ing towards the shore, one behind the other, like a long white ribbon. Elise then went up the slope, and hid herself behind a bush ; the swans came down close to her, and flapped their large white wings. The sun had no sooner sunk into the water than their swans' pjumage fell off, and Elise's brothers stood there as eleven handsome princes. She uttered a loud scream ; for, changed as they were, she knew and felt it must be they. She flung herself into their arms, calling them by their names ; and the princes were quite happy on recognising their little sister, and finding how beautiful she had grown. They laughed and cried all in a breath, and they had soon related to each other how wicked their stepmother had been to them all. " We brothers," said the eldest, " fly about, as wild swans, as long as the sun stands in the heavens ; but no sooner has it sunk down than we recover our human shape. Therefore we must always provide a resting-place for our feet towards sunset ; for were we flying in the clouds at this hour, we should fall into the sea on resuming our natural form. We do not live here. There lies across the sea a country as beautiful as this ; but the way thither is long. We have to cross the wide sea, and there is not an island to be met with on the passage ; only one solitary little rock lifts its head from the midst of the waters, and is barely- large enough to afford us a resting- place by crowding closely together. II the sea is rough, the waves dash over us ; still we thank God even for this barren crag, where we spend the night in our human shape, for without it we should never be able to visit our beloved country, since it requires two of the longest days in the year for our flight. It is only once a year that we have the privilege of visiting our home, and we have but eleven days to remain here and to fly over the forest, whence we can look upon the palace where we were born, and where our father lives, and at the church where our mother lies buried. We feel here as if the very trees and bushes were related to us ; we see the wild horses careermg over the steppes as we saw them in childhood ; we hear the charcoal-burners singing the old songs to which we danced as children ; it is, in short, the land of our birth, and hither do we feel our- selves irresistibly attracted ; and here have we found you, our dear little sister. But we have only two days left to remain here, and then we must cross the sea to go to a beautiful country, which, however, is not our own. How shall we take you with us when we have neither ship nor boat?" " How can I break your spell ? " asked the sister. And they talked nearly the whole night through, and only slept a very few hours. Elise awoke on hearing the rustling of the swans' wings as they hovered over her, for her brothers were once more transformed. They described large circles, and at length flew quite away ; but one of them, the youngest, remained behind. He nestled his head in her lap, and she stroked his wings, and they remained together the whole day. Towards evening the others re- turned ; and when the sun had set they resumed their natural shape. " To-morrow we must fly away," said one of them, " and may not return till the expiration of a whole year.' Yet we cannot leave you thus. Have you the courage to accompany us ? My arm is strong enough to carry you through the forest, and why should not the wings of us all suffice to bear you across the ocean ? " SHE STROKED HIS WINGS. 94 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES " Yes, do take me with you," said Elise. They spent the whole night in making a net with the phant bark of osiers and ropy sedges, and the net proved large and strong. Elise lay down upon it, and when the sun rose, and her brothers were changed to swans, they took up the net with their beaks, and flew up to the clouds with their beloved sister, who was still fast asleep. As the sunbeams fell right upon her coun- tenance, one of the swans hovered over her head to shade her with his broad wings. They were far from land when Elise woke. She thought she was still dreaming, so strange did it seem to her to be carried high up in the air over the wide sea. By her side lay a branch full of delicious ripe berries, and a bundle of savoury roots ; these had been gathered by her youngest brother, and placed ready for her use. She smiled her thanks to him, for she recognised him in the swan who was hovering over her to shade her with his wings. They were so high up in the air that the largest ship below them looked like a white sea-mew riding on the waves. A great cloud stood behind them like a vast mountain, and on this Elise saw depicted her own shadow and that of the eleven swans, in giant proportions. This was a prettier picture than she had ever yet seen. But when the sun rose higher, and the cloud remained further behind them, the floating vision vanished from her sight. They flew on and on the livelong day, like an arrow hurtling through the air ; still, they proceeded somewhat more slowly than usual, having their sister to carry. Dark clouds arose as evening came on, and Elise beheld the sinking sun with an anxious heart, for as yet no rock was in sight. It seemed to her as if the swans were flapping their wings with desperate efforts. Alas ! she was the cause they could not advance faster. And at sunset they must recover their human shape, and fall into the sea, and get drowned ! Oh, how she prayed for their safety from her inmost heart ! — but still no rock appeared. The black cloud approached, violent gusts of wind told of a coming storm, while the clouds, gathered into one massive, threatening wave, seemed to move forward like lead. One flash of followed upon another. The sun had now reached the edge of the sea. Elise's heart beat fast, and the swans darted down so swiftly that she thought she must fall. But now again they soared in the air. The sun had dipped half into the water, when at length the little rock appeared below them. It did not look larger than a sea-dog's head peeping out of the waves. The sun sank so rapidly that it now only looked like a star ; and at that moment their feet touched the solid ground. The sun went out like the last spark in a piece of burned paper, and the brothers now stood arm-in- arm round their sister ; but there was not an inch more room than just sufficient for herself and them. The waves lashed the rock, and a drizzling mist kept falling over them, while the sky was lighted up with continual flashes, and one clap of thunder followed close upon another ; but the sister and her brothers sat holding each other's hands, a"nd singing psalms, from which they derived both hope and courage. Towards dawn the air was pure and still ; and, the moment the sun had risen, the swans carried Elise away from the rock. The sea was still rough, and, when seen from above, the white foam that crested the dark green waves looked like millions of swans swimming on the waters. When the sun had risen higher, Elise saw before her, in the air, a mountain, with masses of glittering ice upon its crags, from the midst of which rose a castle at least a mile long, with colonnade upon colonnade piled boldly each on the top of the other. Forests of palm-trees were waving below, together with flowers as large as mill-wheels. lightning THE SWANS CARRIED ELISE AWAY FRO.M THE ROCK. THE WILD SWANS 95 She inquired if that was the land whither they were bound ? But the swans shook their heads ; for what she saw was nothing but the fairy Morgiana's beautiful and ever-varying castle, built of clouds, and which no mortal could enter. Elise was still gazing at it, when down fell mountains, forests, and castle in one vast heap, and twenty stately churches, all alike, with high steeples and gothic windows, rose upon their ruins. She thought she heard the organ pealing, but it was the roaring of the sea that deceived her. As she approached the churches, these, in turn, changed to a large fleet that seemed to be sailing under her. On looking below, however, she perceived it to be mere clouds of mist that were gliding across the waters. She thus kept viewing an endless succession of sights! till at length she perceived the real land whither they were going, where stood the finest blue mountains, with cedar forests, towers, and castles. Long before sunset she sat on a rock, in front of a large cavern, that was overgrown with delicate green creepers, looking like an embroidered carpet. " Now we shall see what you will dream about to-night," said the youngest brother, as he showed his sister her chamber. " Heaven send that I may dream how to save you ! " said she ; and this notion busied her intently, and she prayed heartily to God to help her — so heartily, indeed, that she continued pray- ing in her sleep. She then thought she was flying up through the air, to the fairy Morgiana's castle of clouds ; and the fairy came forth to welcome her, in all her beauty and splendour, yet resembling withal the old woman who had given her the berries in the forest, and told her of the swans with gold crowns en their heads. " Your brothers can be delivered," said she ; " but have you sufficient courage and constancy to break the spell? Water is softer than your delicate hands, and yet it wears away stones ; but it does not feel the pains your fingers will have to feel ; and, having no heart, it cannot suffer the cares and anxiety that )'ou will have to endure. Do )-ou see this stinging-nettle that I hold in my hand ? A number of the same sort grow round the cavern in which you are sleeping ; and, mark me well, only those, and such as grow in churchyards, are a- ailable for the pur- pose in question. You must pluck them, although they will blister your hands. By treading upon them with your feet you will obtain flax, with which you must braid eleven coats of mail, with long sleeves, that will no sooner be thrown over the eleven swans than the spell will be broken. But remember that from the moment you begin this work until it be finished, though it should take you years to accomplish, you must not speak a word, or the first syllable you pronounce would strike a death dagger through your brothers' hearts. Their lives depend on your silence. Mark this well." And at the same time she touched her hand with the nettle, which was like burning fire, and caused Elise to wake. It was broad day, and close beside her lay a nettle, like those she had seen in her dream. She then fell on her knees, and thanked God, and left the cave to begin her work. Her delicate hands now plucked the ugly nettles that were like fire. Large blisters rose on her hands and arms ; yet she suffered cheerfully, in the hopes of delivering her beloved brothers. She trod each nettle with her bare feet, and then began to braid the green flax. When the sun had sunk, her brothers came home, and were frightened to find her dumb. They thought it some fresh spell contrived by their wicked stepmother. But, on seeing her hands, they understood what she was doing for their sakes ; and the youngest brother wept, and wherever his tears fell on her hands the burning blisters disappeared. She worked all night, fo'r she could not rest till she had delivered her dear brothers. The swans were absent during the whole of the following day, and she sat alone , but never had the hours seemed to fly faster. One coat of mail was already finished, and she then began another. A bugle-horn now echoed amongst the mountains, and made her start with fear. The sound 96 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES approached, she heard the barking of dogs, and she flew back into the cave in great alarm ; and, tying up the nettles that she had gathered and dressed into a bundle, she sat upon it. ALLOWED THE WOMEN TOr DRESS HER IN REGAL ROBES. At that moment a large dog jumped out from a narrow pass between the mountains, and was quickly followed by another, and another still ; they barked aloud, and ran back, and then re- turned again. In a few minutes all the huntsmen stood before the cave, and the handsomest THE WILD SWANS 97 among them was the king of the land, he had ever seen. He stepped up to EUse, who was the most beautiful girl " How did you come hither, lovely maiden ? " asked he. Ehse shook her head. She dared not speak, for her brothers' delivery and lives were at stake: and she hid her hands under her apron, that the king might not see what she must be enduring. ' Come with me," said he ; beautiful, I will dress you in silk and velvet, and place my gold crown on your head, and you shall dwell in my richest palace. He then lifted her on to his horse. She wept, and wrung her hands, but the king said : " I do but wish for your happi- ness. Some day you will thank me for what I am doing." And then he hunted through the mountains, and held her before him on his horse, and the huntsmen hunted behind them. Towards sunset, the hand- some capital, with its churches and cupolas, lay before them. And the king led her into the palace, where large fountains were playing in marble halls, whose walls and ceilings were adorned with paintings. But she had not the heart to look at these fine things ; and kept weeping and mourning. How- ever, she willingly allowed the women to dress her in regal robes, to braid her hair with pearls, and to put delicate gloves over her scorched fingers. When she appeared in all her magnificence, she looked so dazzlingly beautiful, that the whole court bowed still more profoundly before her. And the king chose her for his bride, though the archbishop shook _— his head, and whispered that -j» the pretty maid of the forest j_ was in all likelihood a witch, ^ who had fascinated the eyes ~ and befooled the heart of their king. But the king would not listen dishes to be laid on the tabl you cannot remain here. If you are as good as you are UNTIL SHE REACHED HIE CHURCHYARD. to him, and ordered the music to strike up, and the most costly on tne taDie, while the loveliest girls danced around her. And she was led through the fragrant garden to most magnificent rooms ; but not a smile could be won from her lips, or made to sparkle in her eyes. She Seemed the image of sorrow. The king then opened a little room, close to her sleeping chamber, that was provided with a costly green carpet, and was exactly like the cave she came from. On the floor lay the bundle of flax that she had spun out of the nettles, while the coat of mail, which she had finished, hung from the ceiling. All these things had been taken away by a huntsman who looked upon them as curiosities. " You can fancy yourself in your early home," said the king. " Here is the work which busied PART V 98 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES )'ou in the cave ; and now, in the midst of all your magnificence, it may amuse you to look back at thosn days." When Elise saw that which interested her so deeply, a smile played round her mouth, and the blood rushed back to her cheeks. She thought of^ her brothers' delivery, and kissed the king's hand, while he pressed her to his heart, and ordered all the bells to ring to announce their mar- riage. And the beautiful, dumb maid of the forest became the queen of the land. The archbishop whispered slanderous words into the king's ears, but they could not reach his heart. The wedding, he was determined should take place, and the archbishop himself was obliged to place the crown on the new queen's head, though he maliciously pressed down its narrow circlet on her forehead, so that it hurt her. But a heavier circlet bound her heart, and that was her sorrow for her brothers' fate. She did not heed her bodily sufferings. She remained mute, for a single word would have cost her brothers their lives ; but her eyes expressed deep love for the kind, handsome king, who did everything to please her. Each day she loved him more and more. Oh, how it would have relieved her to have told him her sorrows, and to be able to com- plain ! But dumb she must remain, and in silence must she finish her work. She therefore used to steal away from his side at night, and go into the little room that was decorated like the cave, and plaited one coat of mail after another. On beginning the seventh, however, there was no flax left. She knew that the nettles she required grew in the churchyard ; only she must pluck them herself, and she knew not how she should manage to reach the spot. " Oh ! what is the pain in my fingers, compared to the anxiety my heart endures? " thought she. " I must attempt the adventure ! The Lord will not withdraw His hand from me." And with as much fear and trembling as if she were about to commit a wicked action, did she steal down into the garden one moonlight night, and, crossing the long alleys, she threaded the lonely streets until she reached the churchyard. There she saw a circle of witches sitting on one of the broadest gravestones. These ugly witches took off their rags as if they were going to bathe, and then they dug up the fresh graves with their long, skinny fingers, and took out the dead bodies and devoured their flesh. Elise was obliged to pass by them, and they scowled upon her ; but she prayed silently, and plucked the burning nettles, and carried them home. One human being alone had seen her, and that was the arch- bishop. He was up while others were sleeping. Now he felt con- firmed in his opinion that the queen was not what she ought to be, and that she was a witch, who had befooled the king and the whole nation by her arts. He told the king, in the confessional, what he had seen and what he feared. And when harsh words came out of his mouth, the carved images of saints shook their heads, as much as to say, " It is not true ! Elise is innocent ! " But the archbishop interpreted their protestations quite differently ; he pretended they bore witness against her, and that they shook their heads at her sins. Then a couple of bitter tears rolled down the king's cheeks. He went home, with a mis- giving in his heart, and that night he pretended to go to sleep. But no sleep visited his eyes, and he perceived that Elise got up. Every night she did the same, and each time he followed her softly, and saw her disappear into the little room. His brow grew darker day by day. Elise saw the change that had come over him, yet could not imagine the reason, though it made her uneasy — and besides this, how she suffered at heart on her brothers' account ! Her warm tears bedewed the regal velvet and purple, and there they lay like glittering diamonds, and all who saw their splendour wished to be a queen. Meantime, she had nearly finished her work. Only one coat of mail was wanting ; but she was short of flax, and had not a single nettle left. Once more — and this once only — would she have to go to the church- yard, and gather a few handfuls of nettles. She thought with horror of this lonely excursion, and of the frightful witches, but her will was as firm as her trust in the Lord. Elise went, but the king and the archbishop followed her. They saw her disappear behind the grated door of the churchyard, and when they had nearly come up with her, the witches were sitting on the gravestone, as Elise had seen them, and the king turned away, for he fancied that she, whose head had been pillowed on his breast that very evening, was making one amongst those loathsome creatures. THE RUSTLING OK A SWAN S WINGS SOUNDED NEAR THE GRATING. THE WILD SWANS 99 TO SEE THE WITCH BURNT. " The people must judge her," said he. And the people pronounced that she was to be burned as a witch. She was now taken from the splendours of the royal palace to a dark, damp dungeon, where the wind whistled through a grating ; and in- stead of silk and velvet they gave her the bunch of nettles which she had gathered — this was to serve as her pillow, while the hard, burning coats of mail that she had plaited were to be her coverlet. But nothing could have been more welcome to her — she re- sumed her work, and prayed to Heaven, The boys in the street sang lampoons upon her outside her prison, and not a soul comforted her with a kind word. Towards evening the rustling of a swan's wings sounded near the grating. This was her youngest brother, who had discovered his sister's dungeon ; and she sobbed for joy on seeing him, although she knew that the following night would, in all probability, be her last. But now her work was almost completed, and her brothers were there. The archbishop came to spend the last hour with her, as he had promised the king he would do. But she shook her head, and begged him by looks and by signs to go away. For, unless she completed her work that night, her sufferings, her tears, and her sleepless nights would all prove vain. The archbishop left the prison, muttering calumnies against her, but poor Elise knew that she was innocent, and therefore she proceeded with her work. The little mice ran about on the floor ; they dragged the nettles to her feet, in order to help as well as they could ; while a thrush sat near the grating of the window and sang most sweetly all night long, to keep up her spirits. At early dawn, about an hour before sunrise, the eleven brothers presented themselves at the palace gate, and requested to be shown in to the king. But they were told it was impossible. It was still night, and the king was asleep and could not be woke. They implored, they threatened, the guard appeared, and at last the king himself came out to inquire what was the matter ; but just then the sun rose, and no more princes were to be seen, and nothing but eleven swans flew over the palace. The whole population flowed out through the gates of the town, to see the witch burnt. An old, sorry-looking hack drew the cart on which she sat ; she was dressed in a sack- cloth kirtle, and her beautiful hair was hanging loose on her shoulders ; her cheeks were as pale as death, and her lips moved slightly, while her fingers continued braiding the green flax. Even on her way to death, she would not interrupt the work she had undertaken ; the ten coats of mail lay at her feet, and she was finishing the eleventh. The people scoffed at her. " Look how the witch is muttering ! She has no psalm-book in her hand — no ! she is busy with her hateful juggling — let's tear her work to pieces." And they all rushed forward, and were going to tear the coats of mail, when eleven wild swans darted down, and plac- ing themselves round her in the cart, flapped their large wings. The crowd now gave way in alarm. " 'Tis a sign from Heaven ! She is surely innocent ! " whispered the multitude ; THE KING PLUCKED IT, AND PLACED IT IN ELISE'S BOSOM. lOO ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES liut they did not dare to say so aloud. The executioner now took hold of her, but she hastily tluevv the eleven coats of mail over the swans, when eleven handsome princes instantly stood be- fore her. Only the youngest had a swan's wing instead of an arm, because a sleeve was wanting to complete his coat of mail, for she had not been able to finish it. " iSlow I may speak ! " said she ; " I am innocent ! " And the mob, on seeing what had taken place, now bowed before her as if she had been a saint ; but she sank fainting into her brothers' arms, exhausted by the intense anxiety and grief she had suffered. " Yes, she is innocent ! " said the eldest brother, and he now related all that had happened. And, as he spoke, the air was filled with the perfume as of millions of roses — for every stick of firewood in the funeral pile had taken root and put forth twigs, and there stood a fragrant hedge, both tall and thick, full of red roses ; and quite above bloomed a flower as white and brilliant as a star. The king plucked it, and placed it in Elise's bosom, and then she awoke, with a peaceful and happy heart. And all the bells fell a-ringing of themselves, and birds flocked thither in long processions. And such a wedding party as returned to the palace, no king had ever seen before ! ^ The Marsh Kind's Daughter HE storks tell their young ones ever so many fairy tales, all of them from the fen and the moss. Generally the tales are suited to the \-oungsters' age and understanding. The baby birds are pleased if they are told just " kribly, krably, plurry-murry ! " which they think wonder- ful ; but the older ones will have something with more sense in it, or, at the least, a tale about them- selves. Of the two oldest and longest tales which have storks, one we all know been told among the — that about Moses, who was placed by his mother in an ark on the waters of the Nile, was found by the king's daughter, and then was taught all learning, and became a great man, and no one knows where he was buried. Everybody has heard that tale. But the other story is not known at all even now ; perhaps because it is really a chimney-corner tale. It has been handed down by mother-stork to mother-stork for hundreds of years, and each in turn has told it better, till now we are telling it best of all. The first pair of storks who knew it had their summer quarters on a Viking's log- house by the moor in Wendsyssel, which is in the county of Hjorring, near Skagen in Jut- land, if we want to be accurate. To this day there is still an enormous great moss there. You can read all about it in your geograph}' book. The moss lies where was once the bottom of the sea, before the great upheaval of the land ; and now it stretches for miles, surrounded on all sides by watery meadows and quivering bog, with turf-moss, cloudberries. WAS FOUND BY THE KING'S DAUGHTER. THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER lOI lJU.\ r GET EXlULL) and stunted trees growing. A fog hangs over it almost continually, and till about seventy years ago wolves were still found there. It may certainly be called a wild moor, and you can imagine what lack of paths and what abundance of swamp and sea was there thou- sands of years ago. In that waste man saw ages back just what he sees to- day. The reeds were just as high, with the same kind of long leaves and purplish-brown, feathery flowers as they have now ; the birches stood with white bark and fine, loose-hung leaves just as now the,y stand ; and for the living creatures that came there, wh\', the fly wore its gauze suit of just the same cut as now, and the colour of the stork's dress was white and black, with red stockings. On the other hand, the men of that time wore different clothes from those we wear. But whoever it was, poor peasant or free hunter, that trod on the quagmire, it happened thousands of years ago just as it does to-day — in he went and down he sank, down to the Marsh King, as they called him, who reigned beneath in the great Moss Kingdom. He was called also the Mire King, but we will call him by the storks' name for him — Marsh King. People know very little about how he governed, but per- haps that is just as well. Near to the moss, and right in the Liim Fjord, stood the Vik- ing's log-house, with paved cellar and tower two storeys high. On the roof the storks had built their nest. Mother-stork sat on her eggs, and was positive they would turn out well. One evening father-stork had been out for a long time, and when he came home he seemed excited and flurried. " I've dreadful news for you ! " he said to mother-stork. " Don't get excited," said she. " Remember I'm sitting on my eggs, and I might be up- set by it, and then the eggs would Fuffer." "You must know it ! " he an- tore hek ;-eather dress into a hundred tieces, I02 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES swered. " She has come here, our landlord's daughter in Egypt ! She has ventured on the journey here, and she is lost ! " IT WAS HE WHO PULLED HER DOWN. " Why, she is of fairy descent ! Tell me all about it ; you know I can't bear to wait at this time, when I'm sitting." " Listen, mother. It's as you told me. She has believed what the doctor said, that the moor- flowers here could do her sick father good, and so she has flown here in a feather-dress with the THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER 103 THE STORK AT FIRST BELIEVED IT TO BE THE I'RIN'CESS TURNED A CHII.M AGAIN. other winged princesses, who have to come to the north every year to bathe and renew their \'outh. She has come, and she is lost ! " " You're getting too long-winded ! " said mother-stork. " The eggs may be chilled ! I can't bear to be excited ! " " I have watched," said father-stork, " and in the evening, when I went into the reeds, where the quagmire is able to bear me, there came three su'ans. Something in the way they flew told me, ' Watch ; that isn't a real swan ; it's only swan feathers.' You know the feeling, mother, as well as I do ; you can tell if it is right." " Yes, certainly," said she ; " but tell me about the princess. I'm tired of hearing about the swan's feathers." " Here, in the middle of the moor, you know," said father-stork, " is a kind of lake ; }ou can see a part of it if you stand up. There, by the reeds and the green quagmire, lies a great elder-stump. The three swans alighted on it, flapped their wings, and looked round them. Then one of them threw off her swan's plumage, and I saw it was our own princess, of our house in Egypt. Then she sat down, and she had no other covering than her own long, black hair. I heard her ask the two others to take great care of her swan-skin while she plunged under the water to gather a flower which she thought she saw. They nodded, and lifted up the loose feather-dress. ' I wonder what they mean to do with it,' said I to myself; and no doubt she asked them the same. And she got an answer, something she could see for herself They flew aloft with her feather dress ! ' Sink down,' they cried ; 'you .shall never fly in the swan-skin again; never see Egypt again! Stay in the moss!' And so they tore her feather-dress into a hundred pieces, till the feathers flew about as if it was snowing, and off flew the two good-for-nothing princesses." " Oh, how dreadful ! " said mother-stork. "I can't bear to hear it. Rut, tell me, what else happened ? " "Our prince-ss moaned and wept. Her tears fell on the elder-stump, and it was quite moved, for it was the Marsh King himself, who lives in the quagmire. I saw the stump turn it.self, so it wasn't only a trunk, for it put out long, muddy boughs like arms. Then the unhappy girl was frightened, and sprang aside into the quivering marsh, which will not bear me, much less her. In at once she sank, and down with her went the elder-stump — it was he who pulled her down. Then a few big black bubbles, and no trace of her left. She is engulfed in the marsh, and will never return to Egypt with her flower. You couldn't have borne to see it, mother ! " " You shouldn't have told me anything of the sort just now ; it may affect the eggs. The princess can take good care of herself She'll get help easily enough. Had it been you or r, there would have been an end of us." " However, I'll go day by day to see about it," said father-stork ; and so he did. The days and months went by. He saw at last one day that right from the bottom of the marsh a green stalk pushed up till it reached the sur- face of the water. Out of it grew a SCREAMED PASSIONATELY, AND STRETCHED OUT ITS ARMS l^af, that greW Wider aUU Wjluer, aHCl AND LEGS. close to it a bud put out. Then one I 04 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES morning, as the stork was flying over it, it opened, with the sun's warmth, into a full-blown flower, in the middle of which lay a beautiful child, a little girl, as if she were fresh from the bath. So like was the child to the princess from Egypt, that at first the stork believed it to be herself turned a child again. But when he thought it over, he decided that it was more likely to be the child of the princess and the Marsh King, and that was why she was lying in a water- lily. "She mustn't be left l)'ing there," thought father-stork, "and there are too many already in my nest. But I have it ! The Viking's wife has no children, and she has often wished for a little one. Yes, I get the name for bringing the babies ; I will do it in sober truth for once ! I'll fly to the Viking's wife with the child. They'll be delighted ! " So the stork took the little girl, flew to the log-house, made a hole with his beak in the window, with panes made of bladder, laid the child on the bosom of the Viking's wife, and flew away to mother-stork to tell her all about it. Her young ones heard it too, for they were now old enough. " Listen : has sent her She has a the princess is not dead, little one up, and the child home found for her." " Yes, so I said from the first," said mother- stork. " Now think a little about your own children. It's almost time for our journey. I begin to feel a tingling under my wings. The cuckoo and the nightingale are off already, and I hear the quails chattering about it, and say- ing that we shall soon have a favourable wind. Our young ones are quite fit for training, I'm sure." Glad indeed was the X'^iking's wife when she woke in the morning to find the beautiful little child near her side. She kissed and fondled it, but it screamed with passion, and threw out its arms and legs, and seemed utterly miserable. At last it cried itself to sleep, and there it lay, one of the prettiest babies you could set eyes on. The Viking's wife was so happy, so gay, so well, that she could not but hope that her husband and his men would return as suddenly as the little one had come, and so she and all her household busied themselves to get every- thing into order. The long coloured tapestries, which she and her maidens had woven with figures of their gods — Odin, Thor, Freya, as they were called — were hung up ; the slaves were set to polish the old shields used for decoration ; cushions were arranged on the benches, and dry wood placed on the hearth in the middle of the hall, so that the fire could be lit in a moment. The Viking's wife took her share in the work, so that by the evening she was very tired, and slept soundly. When she woke towards daybreak, she was terribly frightened. The little child had vanished ! She sprang up, lighted a brand, and looked everywhere around. There, just at the foot of the bed where "she had lain, was, not the baby, but a great ugly toad ! In utter disgust at it she took a heavy stick to kill it, but the creature looked at her with such wonderfully sad eyes that she could not destroy it. Once more she gazed round ; the toad uttered a faint, mournful croak. She started, and sprang from the bedside to the window, and opened it. At that moment the sun rose, and cast its rays upon the bed and upon the great toad. All at once it seemed that the creature's wide mouth shrank, and became small and rosy ; the limbs filled out into the most charming shape. It was her own beautiful babe that lay there, not the hideous reptile ! " What is this?" cried the dame. " Was it an ill dream? Yes, there is my own sweet elfin child lying there ! " She kissed it, and pressed it to her heart ; but it fought and bit like a wild kitten ) The Viking, however, did not come that day, nor the next ; for though he was on his way, the TULKE, JUST AT THE FOOT OF THE BED, WAS A GREAT UGLY TOAD. THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER 105 wind was against him as it blew to the south for the storks. Fair wind for one is foul for the other. In those two days and nights the Viking's wife saw clearly how it was with her little child. And dreadful indeed was the spell that lay on it. By day it was as beautiful as an angel of light, but it had a bad, evil disposition. By night, on the other hand, it was a hideous toad, quiet, sad, with sorrowful eyes. It had two natures, which changed with its outward form. And so it was that the baby, brought by the stork, had by daylight its mother's own rightful shape, but its father's temper ; while again, night made the kinship with him evident in the bodily form, in which, however, dwelt the mother's mind and heart. Who could loose the spell cast by the power of witchcraft ? The Viking's wife was worn and distressed about it, and her heart was heavy for the unhappy being, of whose condition she did not think that she dared tell her husband if he came home then, for he would certainly follow the custom and practice of the time, and expose 'IHE viking's wife SAT ON THE CROSS-BENCH IN THE OPEN BANQUETING HALL. the poor child on the high road for any one that liked to take away. The good dame had not the heart to do this : her husband should see the child only by daylight. One morning the wings of storks were heard above the roof More than a hundred pairs of the birds had rested themselves for the night after their heavy exercise, and they now flew up, preparatory to starting southwards. " All ready, and the wives and children ? " was their cry. " Oh, I'm so light," said the young storks. " My bones feel all kribly-krably, as if I was filled with live frogs ! How splendid it is to have to go abroad ! " " Keep up in the flight," said father and mother, " and don't chatter so much ; it tires the chest." And the)- flew. At the same moment a horn sounded over the moor. The Viking had landed with all his men, returning laden with booty from the coasts of Gaul, where the people, like those of Britain, used to chant in their terror : " From the rage of the Northmen, Lord, deliver us ! " Guess what stir and festival now came to the Viking's stronghold near the moor! A barrel io6 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES of mead was brought into hall ; a huge fire was Hghted ; horses were slaughtered ; everything went duly. The heathen priest sprinkled the slaves with warm blood, to begin their new life ; the fire crackled; the smoke curled under the roof; the soot fell down from the beams — but they were used to that. Guests were invited, and received valuable gifts. Plots and treachery were forgotten ; they drank deep, and threw the picked bones in each other's faces in good- humoured horse-play. The bard — a kind of musician, but a warrior as well, who went with them, saw their exploits, and sang about them — gave them a song in which they heard all their warrior-deeds and feats of prowess. Each verse ended with the refrain : " Wealth, kindred, life cannot endure, But the warrior's glory standeth sure." And they all clashed upon their shields, and beat upon the table with knives and fists, and made great clamour. The Viking's wife sat on the cross-bench in the open banqueting hall. She wore a robe of silk, with bracelets of gold and beads of amber. She had put on her dress of state, and the bard sang of her, and told of the golden treasure she had brought to her wealthy lord, THE SLAVES SLEPT FOR THE NIGHT IN THE WAR.M ASHES. while he was delighted with the beautiful child, for he could see it by day in all its loveliness. He was well pleased with the baby's wildness, and said she would become a right warrior- maid, and fight as his champion. She did not even blink her eyes when a skilful hand cut her eyelashes with a sharp sword as a rough joke. The barrel of mead was drained, and a second brought in, and all got well drunk, for they were folk who loved to drink their fill. They had a proverb : " The kine know when to go to stall from pasture, but the fool never knows when he has had enough." They knew it well enough, but know and do are different things. They had another proverb, too : " The dearest friend grows wearisome when he outstays his welcome." But on they stayed. Meat and mead are good : it was glorious ! — and the slaves slept in the warm ashes, and dipped their fingers in the fat and licked them. Oh, it was a great time! Once again that year the Viking went on a raid, though the autumn gales were rising. He led his men to the coast of Britain—" just over the water," he said ; and his wife remained with the little girl. And truth to tell, the foster-mother soon grew fonder of the unhappy toad with the gentle eyes and deep sigh than of the beautiful child that fought and bit all about her. THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER lO' The raw, dank autumn mist, " Mouthless," which devours the leaves, lay over forest and moor ; " Bird Featherless," as they called the snow, flew closely all around ; winter was nigh at hand. The sparrows took the storks' nests for themselves, and criticised the ways of the late owners during their absence. And where were mother and father-stork and their young ones all the time? Down in the land of Egypt, where the sun shone warm, as it does on a fine summer's day with us. Tamarinds and acacias bloomed round them ; the crescent of Mahomet gleamed bright from the cupolas of the mosques ; pairs and pairs of storks sat on the slender turrets, and rested after their long journey. Great flocks of them had built nest by nest on the huge pillars and broken arches of temples and forgotten cities. The date-palm raised its foliage on high, as if to keep off the glare of the sun. Grey-white pyramids stood out against the clear sky across the desert, where the ostrich raced at speed, and the lion crouched with great, wise eyes, and saw the marble sphinx that lay half-buried in the sand. The Nile flood had retired ; the whole bed of the river was swarming with frogs, and to the stork family that was quite the best thing to be seen in the country. The young ones thought their e}'es must be play- ing them tricks, it all seemed so wonderful. " We always have it just like this in our warm country," said mother- stork ; and the young ones felt their appetites grow. "Will there be anything more to see?" said they. "Shall we go much farther into the country ? " " There is nothing better to see," said mother-stork. " At that green border is only a wild wood, where the trees crowd one upon another, and are entangled together with thorny creepers. Only an elephant with his clumsy legs can make a wa)' there. The snakes are too large for us, and the lizards too lively. If you try to go into the desert you get your eyes full of sand in fair weather, and if there is much wind, you find yourself buried under a sand-heap. No, this is the best place. Here are frogs and locusts. I shall stop here, and you must stay with me." And they stayed. The old ones sat in their nest on the slender minaret and rested themselves, while yet they were busy preening their feathers and rubbing their beaks on their red-stockinged legs. They would raise their necks, bow gravely, and hold up their heads with their high foreheads, fine, smooth feathers, and brown eyes glancing sharply. The young hen- storks walked gravely about among the coarse reeds, stealing glances at the other young storks, and devouring a frog at every third step, or else a small snake, which they found so good for their health, and so tasty. The young males began to quarrel, beat each other with their wings, pecked, yes, stabbed till the blood flowed! And so one and another got betrothed, for that was the whole purpose of life. They built nests, and from that sprang new quarrels, for in hot countries tempers are so quick ! Nevertheless, it was all delightful, especially to the old ones. Everything that one's own youngsters do becomes them. Every day there was sun- shine; every day was so much taken up with eating that there was hardly time to think of amusement. But inside the rich palace of their Egyptian landlord, as they called him, jo)- was unknown. Rich and mighty lord, there he lay on a couch, his limbs rigid, stretched out like a mummy, in the midst of the great hall with its many-coloured walls ; it looked just as if he was lying in a tulip. His kinsmen and servants stood around him ; he was not dead ; you could not call him alive ; he existed. The healing moss-flower from the northern land, which should have been searched for and gathered by her who loved him most dearly, would never be brought. His young and beautiful daughter, who flew in swan's-plumage over sea and land, far towa'rds the north, would never return. " She is dead and gone I " the two swan-maidens had told him on their return. They had invented a whole history of it. Said they :— " We all three flew high in the air : a hunter saw us and shot an arrow ; it struck our friend, and sincrin"- her farewell, like a dying swan, she slowly sank, in the midst of a forest lake. There we buried her, near the shore of the lake, under a fragrant weeping-birch. But we took our revenge I We bound fire under the wings of a swallow which had built under the hunter's thatched roof ! The thatch caught ; the house blazed up ! He was burned in it, and the light shone over ALL HIS LIMBS RIGID AND STRETCHED OUT LIKE A MUMMY. io8 ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES the lake as far as the drooping birch tree under which she is buried. She will never come back tc the land of E^^ypt." And so they both wept ; and the father-stork, when he heard it, chattered with his beak till it rattled again. " Lies and make-up ! " said he. " I have a great mind to drive my beak into their hearts." "And break it off!" said mother-stork. "And what good would that do? Think first of yourself and your own family ; everything else is of no consequence ! " " However, I will seat myself on the edge of the open court in the morning, when all the learned doctors are met to talk about the illness. Perhaps they will come a little nearer the truth." Arl the learned doctors came together, and talked and talked all about, so that the stork could not make head or tail of it — nor did anything come of it for the sickness, or for the daughter in the moor ; but, nevertheless, we shall be glad to hear something about it, for we are obliged to listen to a great deal. But now it will be a very good thing to learn what had gone before this meeting, in order to understand the story better, for at least we know as much as father-stork. " Love brings life ! The highest love supports the high- est life ! Only through love will he be able to secure the pre- servation of his life ! " was what they said ; and very wisely and well said it was, according to the learned. " That's a pretty thought ! " said father-stork. " I don't rightly understand it ! " said mother-stork, " and it isn't my fault, but the expres- sions ! However, be that as it may, I've something else to think about ! " Then the learned men had spoken of love for one thing to another, of the difference there is between the affection of lovers and that of parent and child ; of the love of plant and sunbeam, where the rays of the sun touch the bud and the young shoot thus comes forth — all this was expounded at such great length and in so learned a way that it was impossible for father-stork to follow it, much less to repeat it He was quite thoughtful about it, and half closed his eyes and stood on one leg a whole day after- wards ; such learning was too heavy for him to bear. However, he understood one thing. He had heard both the common folk and those of the highest rank say the same thing from the bottom of their hearts — that it was a great misfortune for thousands of people, for the country at large, that this man should be ill and not recover ; it would be a joy and blessing if he were restored to health. " But where does the flower of health grow for him ? " that was what they had all inquired. They sought it from the scrolls of wisdom, from the twinkling stars, and from the winds ; they had asked in all byways where they might find it, and at last the learned and wise announced, as we have said : " Love brings forth life, the life of a father," and so they said more than they themselves understood. They repeated it, and wrote it as a prescription : " Love brings forth life " ; but how was the thing to be done from this prescription ? WE BOUND FIRE UNDER THE WINGS OF A SWALLOW. THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER 109 There lay the difficulty. At length they came to an agree- ment about it ; the help must come from the princess, who was attached to her father with her whole soul and heart. And then they decided how it was to be brought about (all this was more than a year and a day before) : she must go by night, at the new moon, to the marble sphinx near the desert, must clear away the sand from the door with her feet, and then go through the long passage that led into the middle of one of the great pyramids, where in his mummy-case lay one of the might)' kings of old, surrounded by splendour and magnificence. Here she was to hold her ear to the lips of the dead, and then it would be revealed to her how she was to gain life and health for her father. All this she had done, and had learned in vision that, from the deep marsh in the land of Denmark, a spot most clearly indicated, she might bring home the marsh-flower, which there in the depth of the water had touched her breast. "* Then he would be healed. So she flew in swan's plumage from the land of Egypt to the moor. You see, father-stork and mother-stork were aware of all this, and now we know the story more fully than before. We remember that the Marsh King dragged her down to him ; we know that for those at home she is dead and gone ; only the wisest of them all said still, with mother-stork : " She takes good care of herself! " and they were obliged to wait, for that was all they knew about it. " I believe I can steal the swans' plumage from the two good-for-nothing princesses ! " said father stork, '• then they will not be able to go to the moor to work mischief. I will hide the swans' skins themselves till they are wanted." " Where will you hide them ? " asked mother stork. " In our nest on the moor ! " said he. " 1 and the youngest of our brood can be helped along with them, and if they are troublesome to us, there are plenty of places on the way where we can hide them till next time of moving. One swan's dress would be enough for her, but two are better ; it is well to have plenty of luggage in a northern climate ! " " You will get no thanks for it ! " said mother-stork. " However, )'ou are the master. I have nothing to say, except when I am sitting." * ♦ * * * In the Viking's stronghold near the moor, whither the storks flew at the spring, the little girl had received her name. They had called her Helga, but that was far too sweet for such a 'disposition as the one possessed by this most beautiful child. Month after month it became more evident, and as years went by — whilst the storks pursued the same journey, in autumn towards the Nile, in spring towards the moor — the little child became a grown girl, and before people thought of it, she was in her sixteenth year, and the most beautiful of maidens. But the fruit was a beautiful shell, the kernel hard and rough. She was wilder than most people even in that hard, gloomy age. It was a delight to her to splash with her white hands in the hot blood of the horse which had been slaughtered as a sacrifice ; in her wildness she bit off the neck of the black cock which should have been slain by the heathen priest ; and she said in sober earnest to her foster-father : — " If thine enemy came and tied a rope to the beams of the roof, and lifted SHE WAS TO HOLD HER EAR TO THE LIPS OF THE DEAD. it ovcr thy chamber, whilst thou wast HE STOOIl ON ONE LEG. I lO ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES asleep, I should not wake thee, even if I could ! I would not hear it, my blood still so hums in my ears, where thou didst slap me years ago ! Thou ! I remember ! " CAME DRll'l'ING WITH WATER INIO IIIK LOK 1 Y HAM,. But the Viking did not believe what she said ; he was, like the others, infatuated with her beauty ; and he did not know how disposition and appearance changed in little Helga. She would sit without a saddle, as if she had grown to the horse, when it galloped at full speed ; and THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER III she would not leap off, even when it fought with other vicious horses. In all her clothes she would often cast herself from the bank into the strong current of the fjord and swim to meet the Viking when his boat was steering towards the land. She cut off the longest lock from her beautiful long hair, and made it into a string for her bow. " Self-made is well made ! " she said, The Viking's wife, according to the age and custom, was strong in will and in disposition, but towards the daughter she seemed a mild, anxious woman, for she knew that the dreadful child was bewitched. When her mother stood on the balcony, or walked out into the courtyard, it seemed as if Helga took an evil delight in placing herself on the edge of the well, e.xtending her arms and legs, and then leaping plump into the narrow, deep hole, where she, with her frog-nature, dived, and rose again, crawled out, just as if she was a cat, and came, dripping with water, into the lofty hall, so that the green leaves which were scattered on the floor floated ajout in the watery stream. But there was one bond that restrained little Helga, and that was the dusk of the evening. Then she be- came quiet and pensive, and would allow herself to be called and led. She seemed to be drawn by some internal feeling to her mother, and when the sun went down and the transformation without and within her took place, she sat there quiet and melancholy, shrunken together into the figure of a toad. Her body, indeed, was now far larger than that creature's, but it was only so much the more disgusting. She looked like a miser- able dwarf with frog's head, and web between the fingers. There was something of the deepest melancholy in the expression of her eyes ; she had no voice but a hollow moan, just like a child that sobs in its dreams. The Viking's wife could then take her on her knees ; she forgot the ugly form, and looked only at the sor- rowful eyes, and more than once she said : — " I could wish almost that thou wast always my dumb frog-child ! Thou art more frightful to look at when thy beauty returns to thee." And she wrote runes against witchcraft and disease, and cast them over the wretched girl, but she saw no change. " Now that she is a full-grown woman, and so like her Egyptian mother," said father-stork, " one could not believe'that she was once so little that she lay in a water-lily. We have never seen her mother since ! She did not take care of herself, as you and the learned men thought. Year out, year in, I have flown now in all directions over the moor, but she has never made any sign. Yes, let me tell you that every year when I have come up here some days ahead of you, to mend the nest and put one thing and another straight, I have flown for a whole night, like an owl or a bat, to and fro over the open water, but it was no use ! Nor have the two swan-dresses been any use which tlie young ones and I dragged hither from the land of the Nile. Toilsome work it was, and it took us three journeys to do it. They have now lain for many years at the bottom of the nest, and if such a disaster as a fire should happen at any time, and the log-house be burnt, they would be lost I " " And our good nest would be lost also ! " said mother-stork. " You think too little of that, and too much of the feather-dress, and your moss-princess ! You had better take it to her and stay in the bog ! You are a useless father to your own family ; I have said that ever since I sat on an egg for the first time ! I only hope that we or our young ones may not get an arrow in the wing from that mad Viking girl ! She does not know what she is doing. We have lived here a little longer than she, she should remember ! We never forget our obligations ; we pay our taxes yearly, a feather, an egg, and a young one, as is right. Do you think, when she is outside, I feel inclined to go down there, as in the old days, and as I do in Egypt, where I am half a companion with them, without their forgetting me, and </