839.88 154m 1936 FATALISMOLONG A 697,984 کے TAMA YEA S Er Lilns THIS LOAN COLLECTION Of CHILDREN'S BOOKS Is Made Available C By the Children's Fund of Michigan Founded By Senator James Couzens 1929 22 T F CARRETE #DEPRESUME S ་་་་་་་་ ོ ༦ THIS LOAN COLLECTION Of CHILDREN'S BOOKS Is Made Available By the Children's Fund of Michigan Founded By Senator James Couzens 1929 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES Fairy Tales and Legends by Hans Andersen . 4 Fairy Tales and Sales and Legends by chris HANS ANDERSEN 20. Illustrated by Rex Whistler O A NEW YORK Oxford University Press 1936 F 27 :݂ . 839.88 A 54m t 1936 Kuratibabu kat : Printed in Great Britain by THE SHENVAL PRESS 1 Contents U of M. Extension Lib. Gift 6-5-58 page A Thousand Years Hence 468 Great Claus and Little Claus 325 Little Ida's Flowers 422 Little Tuk 274 Ole Lucköie: o or The Dustman Quite True Story of a Mother The Angel The Bottle Neck The Buckwheat The Constant Tin-Soldier The Darning-Needle The Drop of Water The Elfin-Mount The Elder-Tree Mother 213 The Emperor's New Clothes 32 The Fir-Tree 224 The Flax 27 The Flying Trunk The Galoshes of Fortune The Garden of Paradise 438 435 318 56 282 279 39 449 222 61 Prevodi, y. f. 8-1-6 67 352 363 453 t The Girl who Trod on a Loaf The Goblin and the The Shirt Collar The Snow Queen The Storks The Swineherd page 394 Huckster The Happy Family The Little Match Girl 293 The Little Mermaid 72 The Marsh King's Daughter 233 The Naughty Boy 96 The Nightingale 411 The Old House 402 The Old Street Lamp 205 The Real Princess 59 The Red Shoes 44 The Rose-Elf 268 The Shadow 338 The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweeper 430 22 152 359 118 I 51 י, ► 1 • page The Tinder-Box 99 The Top and the Ball 69 The Travelling Companions 296 The Ugly Duckling 108 The Emperor walked under his high canopy in the midst of the Procession Music and song resounded from the deck Full-page Illustrations She walked right into the water, seized the boat with her crutch and drew it to land The wreath of flowers on Columbine's grave was already faded as he sat down there creature especially Contents The savage ways of the little pleased him page 37 79 127 189 The Wild Swans The World's Fairest Rose Thumbelina What the Moon Saw 241 The Old Maid leant out to look at the Balloon He hit the old Grandmother on the head thinking she was little Claus Some were blind, some crawled about with withered limbs. Here was wretchedness indeed vii "Do you see yonder rock, and the large cave?" said the East Wind page 6 170 158 173 page 291 333 391 It was the little living Nightingale who was sit- ting on a branch outside 421 461 The Storks רב mu O N the roof of a house situated at the extremity of a small town, a Stork had built his nest. There sat the Mother- Stork, with her four young ones, who all stretched out their little black bills, which had not yet become red. Not far off, upon the parapet, erect and proud, stood the Father-Stork; he had drawn one of his legs under him, being weary of standing on two. You might have fancied him carved in wood, he stood so motionless. 66 It looks so grand," thought he, " for my wife to have a sentinel to keep guard over her nest; people cannot know that I am her husband; they will certainly think that I am commanded to stand here-how well it looks!" And so he remained standing on one leg. In the street below, a number of children were playing together. When they saw the Storks, one of the liveliest amongst them began to sing as much as he could remember of some old rhymes about storks, in which he was soon joined by the others :- "Stork ! stork! long-legged stork! Into thy nest I prithee walk; There sits thy mate, With her four children so great. B 2 The Storks (C ፡ The first we'll hang like a cat, The second we'll burn, The third on a spit we'll turn, The fourth drown dead as a rat ! "Only listen to what the boys are singing," said the little Storks; they say we shall be hanged and burnt! "Never mind," said the mother, " don't listen to them; they will do you no harm." But the boys went on singing, and pointed their fingers at the Storks only one little boy, called Peter, said it was a sin to mock and tease animals, and that he would have nothing to do with it. 'Never The Mother-Stork again tried to comfort her little ones. mind,” said she; "see how composedly your father is standing there, and upon one leg only." "But we are so frightened !" said the young ones, drawing their heads down into the nest. CC د. د. The next day, when the children were again assembled to play together, and saw the Storks, they again began their song :- “The first we'll hang like a cat, The second we'll burn!" 66 "And are we really to be hanged and burnt ?" asked the Storks. No, indeed!" said the mother. "You shall learn to fly: I will teach you myself. Then we can fly over to the meadow, and pay a visit to the frogs. They will bow to us in the water, and say, Croak, croak!' and then we shall eat them: will not that be nice?" "And what then?" asked the little Storks. در "Then all the storks in the country will gather together, and the autumnal exercise will begin. It is of the greatest consequence that you should fly well then; for every one who does not, the general will stab to death with his bill; so you must pay great attention when we begin to drill you, and learn very quickly." “Then we shall really be killed after all, as the boys said! Oh, listen, they are singing it again! "Attend to me, and not to them!" said the mother. "After the grand exercise, we shall fly to warm countries, far, far away from here, over mountains and forests. We shall fly to Egypt, where are the three-cornered stone houses whose summits reach The Storks ૭ Į ? the clouds: they are called pyramids, and are older than it is possible for storks to imagine. There is a river, too, which over- flows its banks, so as to make the whole country like a marsh, and we shall go into the marsh and eat frogs. "Oh !" said the young ones. "Yes, it is delightful! One does nothing but eat all the day long. And whilst we are so comfortable, in this country not a single green leaf is left on the trees, and it is so cold that the clouds are frozen, and fall down upon the earth in little white pieces." She meant snow, but she could not express herself more clearly. "And will the naughty boys be frozen to pieces too?" asked the young Storks. "No, they will not be frozen to pieces; but they will be nearly as badly off as if they were; they will be obliged to crowd round the fire in their little dark rooms; while you, on the contrary, will be flying about in foreign lands, where there are beautiful flowers and warm sunshine." ور Well, time passed away, and the young Storks grew so tall, that when they stood upright in the nests they could see the country around to a great distance. The Father-Stork used to bring them every day the nicest little frogs, as well as snails, and all the other stork tit-bits he could find. Oh! it was so droll to see him show them his tricks; he would lay his head upon his tail, make a rattling noise with his bill, and then tell them such charming stories, all about the moors. CC 66 "Now you must learn to fly !" said the mother one day; and accordingly all the four young Storks were obliged to come out upon the parapet. Oh! how they trembled! And though they balanced themselves on their wings, they were very nearly falling. Only look at me," said the mother. This is the way you must hold your heads; and in this manner place your feet-one, two! one, two! this will help you to get on." She flew a little way, and the young ones made an awkward spring after her— bounce! down they fell; for their bodies were heavy. I will not fly," said one of the young ones, as he crept back into the nest I do not want to go into the warm countries! "" 66 Do you want to be frozen to death during the winter? Shall the boys come, and hang, burn, or roast you? Wait a little, I Į 4 The Storks } I will call them ! "Oh no!" said the little Stork; and again he began to hop about on the roof like the others. By the third day they could fly pretty well, and so they thought they could also sit and take their ease in the air; but bounce! down they tumbled, and found themselves obliged to make use of their wings. The boys now came into their street, singing their favourite song— "Stork! stork! long-legged stork! "" CC Sudan olvastam "" Shall not we fly down and peck out their eyes?" said the young ones. cr "Attend to me, No, leave them alone!" said the mother. that is of much more importance! One, two, three, now to the right! One, two, three, now to the left, round the chimney-pot! That was very well; you managed your wings so neatly last time, that I will permit you to come with me to-morrow to the marsh; several first-rate stork families will be there with their children. Let it be said that mine are the prettiest and best behaved of all ; and remember to stand very upright, and to throw out your chest ; that looks well, and gives such an air of distinction! CC But are we not to take revenge upon those rude boys?" asked the young ones. "Let them screech as much as they please! You will fly among the clouds, you will go to the lands of the pyramids, when they must shiver with cold, and have not a single green leaf to look at, nor a single sweet apple to eat! "" 66 در Yes, we shall be revenged!" whispered they, one to another. And then they were drilled again. Of all the boys in the town, the forwardest in singing nonsensical verses was always the same one who had begun teasing the storks, a little urchin not more than six years old. The young Storks, indeed, fancied him a hundred years old, because he was bigger than either their father or mother: and what should they know about the ages of children, or grown-up human beings! All their schemes of revenge were aimed at this little boy; he had been the first to tease them, and he teased them still. The young Storks were highly excited about it, and the older they grew, the less they were inclined to endure persecution. Their mother, in order to The Storks 5 pacify them, at last promised that they should be revenged, but not until the last day of their stay in this place. “We must first see how you behave yourselves at the grand exercise; if then you should fly badly, and the general should thrust his beak into your breast, the boys will, in some measure, be proved in the right! Let me see how well you will behave! CC Yes, that you shall!" said the young ones. And now they really took great pains, practised every day, and at last flew so lightly and prettily, that it was a pleasure to see them. Well, now came the autumn. All the storks assembled, in order to fly together to warm countries for the winter. What a practising there was! Away they went over woods and fields, towns and villages, merely to see how well they could fly, for they had a long journey before them. The young Storks distinguished them- selves so honourably that they were pronounced "worthy of frogs and serpents." This was the highest character they could obtain; now they were allowed to eat frogs and serpents—and eat them they did. "Now we will have our revenge! "said they. Very well!" said the mother; "I have been thinking what will be best. I know where is the pool, in which all the little human children lie until the storks come and take them to their parents the pretty little things sleep and dream so pleasantly as they will never dream again. All parents like to have a little child, and all children like to have a little brother or sister. We will fly to the pool and fetch one for each of the boys who has not sung that wicked song, nor made a jest of the storks; and the other naughty children shall have none.' "But he who first sung those naughty rhymes-that great ugly fellow! What shall we do to him?" cried the young Storks. “In the pool there lies a little child who has dreamed away his life; we will take it for him, and he will weep because he has only a little dead brother. But as to the good boy who said it was a sin to mock and tease animals, surely you have not forgotten him? We will bring him two little ones, a brother and sister. And as this little boy's name is Peter, you, too, shall for the future be called ' Peter' ! CC د. دو "" And it came to pass just as the mother said; and all the storks were called “ Peter," and are still so called to this very day. The Wild Swans 0 0 10 n AR hence, in a country whither the swallows fly in our winter- time, there dwelt a King who had eleven sons, and one daughter, the beautiful Elise. The eleven brothers-they were princes-went to school with stars on their breasts and swords by their sides; they wrote on golden tablets with diamond pens, and could read either with a book or without one; in short, it was easy to perceive that they were princes. Their sister, Elise, used to sit upon a little glass stool, and had a picture-book which had cost the half of a kingdom. Oh! the children were so happy! but happy they could not be always. Their father, the King, married a very wicked Queen, who was not at all kind to the poor children; they found this out on the first day after the marriage, when there was a grand gala at the palace; for when the children played at receiving company, instead of having as many cakes and sweetmeats as they liked, the Queen gave them only some sand in a little dish, and told them to imagine that was something nice. The Wild Swans 7 << The week after, she sent little Elise to be brought up by some peasants in the country, and it was not long before she told the King so many falsehoods about the poor Princes that he would have nothing more to do with them. Away, out into the world, and take care of yourselves," said the wicked Queen; "fly away in the form of great speechless birds." But she could not make their transformation so disagreeable as she wished; the Princes were changed into eleven white Swans. Sending forth a strange cry, they flew out of the palace windows, over the park and over the wood. It was still early in the morning when they passed by the place where Elise lay sleeping in the peasant's cottage; they flew several times round the roof, stretched their long necks, and flapped their wings, but no one either heard or saw them; they were forced to fly away, up to the clouds and into the wide world; so on they went to the wide, dark forest which extended as far as the sea- shore. The poor little Elise stood in the peasant's cottage amusing herself with a green leaf, for she had no other plaything. She pricked a hole in the leaf and peeped through it at the sun, and then she fancied she saw her brothers' bright eyes; and whenever the warm sunbeams shone full upon her cheeks, she thought of her brothers' kisses. 99 One day passed exactly like the other. When the wind blew through the thick hedge of rose-trees in front of the house, she would whisper to the Roses, "Who is more beautiful than you? but the Roses would shake their heads, and say, "Elise." And when the peasant's wife sat on Sundays at the door of her cottage, reading her hymn-book, the Wind would rustle in the leaves and Elise,' say to the book, "Who is more pious than thou? replied the Hymn-book. And what the Roses and the Hymn-book said was no more than the truth. "" CC دو Elise was now fifteen years old, she was sent for home; but when the Queen saw how beautiful she was, she hated her the more, and would willingly have transformed her, like her brothers, into a wild swan, but she dared not do so, because the King wished to see his daughter. So the next morning the Queen went into a bath made of :: 8 The Wild Swans marble, and fitted up with soft pillows and the gayest carpets; she took three toads, kissed them, and said to one, "Settle thou upon Elise's head, that she may become dull and sleepy like thee." "Settle thou upon her forehead," said she to another, "and let her become ugly like thee, so that her father may not know her again." And " Do thou place thyself upon her bosom," whispered she to the third, "that her heart may become corrupt and evil, a torment to herself." She then put the toads into the clear water, which was immediately tinted with a green colour, and having called Elise, took off her clothes, and made her get into the bath. And one toad settled among her hair, another on her forehead, and a third upon her bosom; but Elise seemed not at all aware of it ; she rose up, and three poppies were seen swimming on the water. Had not the animals been poisonous and kissed by a witch, they would have been changed into roses whilst they rested on Elise's head and heart-she was too good for magic to have any power over her. When the Queen perceived this, she rubbed walnut- juice all over the maiden's skin, so that it became quite swarthy, smeared a nasty salve over her lovely face, and entangled her long thick hair : it was impossible to recognise the beautiful Elise after this. So when her father saw her he was shocked, and said she could not be his daughter; no one would have anything to do with her but the mastiff and the swallows; but they, poor things, could not say anything in her favour. Poor Elise wept, and thought of her eleven brothers, not one of whom she saw at the palace. In great distress, she stole away and wandered the whole day over fields and moors, till she reached the forest. She knew not where to go, but she was so sad, and longed so much to see her brothers, who had been driven out into the world, that she determined to seek and find them. She had not been long in the forest when night came on, and she lost her way amid the darkness. So she lay down on the soft moss, said her evening prayer, and leaned her head against the trunk of a tree. It was very still in the forest, the air was mild, and from the grass and mould around gleamed the green light of many hundred glow-worms, and when Elise lightly touched one of the branches hanging over her, bright insects fell down upon her like falling stars. The Wild Swans 9 All the night long she dreamed of her brothers. They were all children again, played together, wrote with diamond pens upon golden tablets, and looked at the pictures in the beautiful book which had cost half of a kingdom. But they did not, as formerly, make straight strokes and pot-hooks upon the tablets-no, they wrote of the bold actions they had performed, and the strange adventures they had encountered, and in the picture-book every- thing seemed alive; the birds sang, men and women stepped from the book and talked to Elise and her brothers: however, when she turned over the leaves, they jumped back into their places, so that the pictures did not get confused together. When Elise awoke the sun was already high in the heavens. She could not see it certainly, for the tall trees of the forest closely entwined their thickly-leaved branches, which, as the sunbeams played upon them, looked like a golden veil waving to and fro. And the air was so fragrant, and the birds perched upon Elise's shoulders. She heard the noise of water, there were several springs forming a pool with the prettiest pebbles at the bottom, bushes were growing thickly round, but the deer had trodden a broad path through them, and by this path Elise went down to the water's edge. The water was so clear that, had not the boughs and bushes around been moved to and fro by the wind, you might have fancied they were painted upon the smooth surface, so distinctly was each little leaf mirrored upon it, whether glowing in the sunlight or lying in the shade. As soon as Elise saw her face reflected in the water she was quite startled, so brown and ugly did it look: however, when she had wetted her little hand and rubbed her brow and eyes, the white skin again appeared. So Elise took off her clothes, stepped into the fresh water, and in the whole world there was not a king's daughter more beautiful than she then appeared. After she had again dressed herself, and had braided her long hair, she went to the bubbling spring, drank out of the hollow of her hand, and then wandered farther into the forest. She knew not where she was going, but she thought of her brothers, and of the good God, who, she felt, would never forsake her. He it was who made the wild crab-trees grow in order to feed the hungry, and who showed her a tree whose boughs bent under the weight of 10 The Wild Swans their fruit. She made her noonday meal under its shade, propped up the boughs, and then walked on amid the dark twilight of the forest. It was so still that she could hear her own footsteps, and the rustling of each little withered leaf that was crushed beneath her feet; not a bird was to be seen, not a single sunbeam penetrated through the thick foliage, and the tall stems of the trees stood so close together, that when she looked straight before her, she seemed enclosed by trellis-work upon trellis-work. Oh! there was a solitariness in this forest such as Elise had never known before. And the night was so dark! not a single glow-worm sent forth its light. Sad and melancholy, she lay down to sleep, and then it seemed to her as though the boughs above her opened, and that she saw the Angel of God looking down upon her with gentle aspect, and a thousand little cherubs all around him. When she awoke in the morning she could not tell whether this was a dream, or whether she had really been so watched. She walked on a little farther and met an old woman with a basketful of berries; the old woman gave her some of them, and Elise asked if she had not seen eleven Princes ride through the wood. (C No," said the old woman, but I saw yesterday eleven Swans with golden crowns on their heads swim down the brook near this place." CC And she led Elise on a little farther to a precipice, the base of which was washed by a brook; the trees on each side stretched their long leafy branches towards each other, and where they could not unite, the roots had disengaged themselves from the earth and hung their interlaced fibres over the water. Elise bade the old woman farewell, and wandered by the side of the stream till she came to the place where it reached the open sea. The great, the beautiful sea lay extended before the maiden's eyes, but not a ship, not a boat was to be seen; how was she to go on? She observed the numberless little stones on the shore, all of which the waves had washed into a round form; glass, iron, stone, everything that lay scattered there, had been moulded into shape, and yet the water which had effected this was much softer than Elise's delicate little hand. "It rolls on unweariedly," said she, The Wild Swans II “and subdues what is so hard: I will be no less unwearied ! Thank you for the lesson you have given me, ye bright rolling waves! Some day, my heart tells me, you shall carry me to my dear brothers! "" There lay upon the wet sea-weed eleven white swan-feathers ; Elise collected them together; drops of water hung about them, whether dew or tears she could not tell. She was quite alone on the sea-shore, but she did not care for that; the sea presented an eternal variety to her-more, indeed, in a few hours than the gentle inland waters would have offered in a whole year. When a black cloud passed over the sky, it seemed as if the sea would say, “I, too, can look dark": and then the wind would blow and the waves fling out their white foam; but when the clouds shone with a bright red tint, and the winds were asleep, the sea also became like a rose- leaf in hue. It was now green, now white, but it ever reposed peacefully; sometimes a light breeze would be astir on the shore, causing the water to heave gently, like the bosom of a sleeping child. At sunset Elise saw eleven Wild Swans with golden crowns on their heads fly towards the land; they flew one behind another, looking like a streaming white riband. Elise climbed the precipice, and concealed herself behind a bush: the Swans settled close to her, and flapped their long white wings. As the sun sank beneath the water, the Swans also vanished, and in their place stood eleven handsome Princes, the brothers of Elise. She uttered a loud cry, for although they were very much altered, Elise knew that they were-felt that they must be, her brothers; she ran into their arms, called them by their names— and how happy were they to see and recognise their sister, now grown so tall and so beautiful! They laughed and wept, and soon told each other how wickedly their stepmother had acted towards them. CC CC 'We," said the eldest of the brothers, fly or swim as long as the sun is above the horizon, but when it sinks below, we appear again in our human form; we are therefore obliged to look out for a safe resting-place, for if, at sunset, we were flying among the clouds, we should fall down as soon as we resumed our own form. We do not dwell here; a land quite as beautiful as this lies on the opposite side of the sea, but it is far off. To reach it, we have to 4 1 12 The Wild Swans cross the deep waters, and there is no island midway on which we may rest at night; one little solitary rock rises from the waves, and upon it we only just find room enough to stand side by side. There we spend the night in our human form, and when the sea is rough, we are sprinkled by its foam; but we are thankful for this resting-place, for without it we should never be able to visit our dear native country. Only once in the year is this visit to the home of our fathers permitted; we require two of the longest days for our flight, and can remain here only eleven days, during which time we fly over the large forest, whence we can see the palace in which we were born, where our father dwells, and the tower of the church in which our mother was buried. Here, even the trees and bushes seem of kin to us; here the wild horses still race over the plains, as in the days of our childhood; here the charcoal-burner still sings the same old tunes to which we used to dance in our youth; hither we are still attracted; and here we have found thee, thou dear little sister! We have yet two days longer to stay here, then we must fly over the sea to a land beautiful indeed, but not our fatherland. How shall we take thee with us? We have neither ship nor boat!' How shall I be able to release you?" said the sister. And so they went on talking almost the whole of the night; they slumbered only a few hours. 66 Elise was awakened by the rustling of swans' wings, which were fluttering above her. Her brothers were again transformed, and for some time flew round in large circles; at last they flew far, far away; only one of them remained behind—it was the youngest ; he laid his head in her lap, and she stroked his white wings; they remained the whole day together. Towards evening the others came back, and when the sun was set, again they stood on the firm ground in their natural form. "To-morrow we shall fly away, and may not return for a year, but we cannot leave thee; hast thou courage to accompany us? My arm is strong enough to bear thee through the forest: shall we not have sufficient strength in our wings to transport thee over the sea ? " "Yes, take me with you," said Elise. They spent the whole night in weaving a mat of the pliant willow bark and the tough The Wild Swans 13 rushes, and their mat was thick and strong. Elise lay down upon it; and when the sun had risen, and the brothers were again transformed into Wild Swans, they seized the mat with their beaks, and flew up high among the clouds with their dear sister, who was still sleeping. The sunbeams shone full upon her face, so one of the •Swans flew over her head, and shaded her with his broad wings. They were already far from land when Elise awoke: she thought she was still dreaming, so strange did it appear to her to be travelling through the air, and over the sea. By her side lay a cluster of pretty berries, and a handful of savoury roots. Her youngest brother had collected and laid them there; and she thanked him with a smile, for she knew him as the Swan who flew overhead and shaded her with his wings. They flew so high, that the first ship they saw beneath them seemed like a white seagull skimming over the water. Elise saw behind her a large cloud; it looked like a mountain; and on it she saw the gigantic shadows of herself and the eleven Swans: it formed a picture more splendid than any she had ever yet seen. Soon, however, the sun rose higher, the cloud remained far behind, and then the floating, shadowy picture disappeared. The whole day they continued flying with a whizzing noise somewhat like an arrow, but yet they went slower than usual— they had their sister to carry. A heavy tempest was gathering- the evening approached; anxiously did Elise watch the sun-it was setting; still the solitary rock could not be seen; it appeared to her that the Swans plied their wings with increasing vigour. Alas! it would be her fault if her brothers did not arrive at the place in time! they would become human beings when the sun set ; and if this happened before they reached the rock, they must fall into the sea and be drowned. She prayed to God most fervently --still no rock was to be seen; the black clouds drew nearer— violent gusts of wind announced the approach of a tempest—the clouds rested perpendicularly upon a fearfully large wave which rolled quickly forwards-one flash of lightning rapidly succeeded another. The sun was now on the rim of the sea. Elise's heart beat violently; the Swans shot downwards so swiftly that she thought she must fall, but again they began to hover; the sun was half 14 The Wild Swans sunk beneath the water, and at that moment she saw the little rock below her; it looked like a seal's head when he raises it just above the water. And the sun was sinking fast-it seemed scarcely larger than a star; her foot touched the hard ground, and it vanished altogether, like the last spark on a burnt piece of paper. Arm in arm stood her brothers around her; there was only just room for her and them; the sea beat tempestuously against the rock, flinging over them a shower of foam; the sky seemed in a continual blaze with the fast-succeeding flashes of fire that lightened it, and peal after peal rolled on the thunder, but sister and brothers kept firm hold of each others' hands. They sang a psalm, and their psalm gave them comfort and courage. By daybreak the air was pure and still, and as soon as the sun rose, the swans flew away with Elise from the rock. The waves rose higher and higher, and when they looked from the clouds down upon the blackish-green sea, covered as it was with white foam, they might have fancied that millions of swans were swimming on its surface. As day advanced, Elise saw floating in the air before her a land of mountains intermixed with glaciers, and in the centre a palace a mile in length, with splendid colonnades rising one above another, palm-trees and gorgeous-looking flowers as large as millwheels growing beneath. She asked if this were the country to which they were flying, but the Swans shook their heads, for what she saw was the beautiful airy castle of the fairy Morgana, where no human being was admitted and whilst Elise still bent her eyes upon it, mountains, trees, and castle, all disappeared, and in their place stood twelve churches with high towers and pointed windows. She fancied she heard the organ play, but it was only the murmur of the sea. She was now close to these churches, but behold! they have changed into a large fleet sailing under them. She looked down, and saw it was only a sea-mist passing rapidly over the water. An eternal variety floated before her eyes, till at last the actual land whither she was bound appeared in sight. Beautiful blue moun- tains, cedar woods, towns, and castles, rose to view. Long before sunset Elise sat down among the mountains, in front of a large cavern; delicate young creepers grew around so thickly, that it appeared covered with gay embroidered carpets. The Wild Swans 15 "Now we shall see what thou wilt dream of to-night!" said her youngest brother, as he showed her the sleeping chamber destined for her. CC (6 "Oh, that I could dream how you might be released from the spell!" said she; and this thought completely occupied her; she prayed most earnestly for God's assistance; nay, even in her dreams, she continued praying; and it appeared to her that she was flying up high in the air towards the castle of the fairy Morgana. The fairy came forward to meet her, radiant and beautiful, and yet she fancied she resembled the old woman who had given her berries in the forest, and told her of the Swans with golden crowns. Thou canst release thy brothers,” said she, but hast thou courage and patience sufficient? The water is indeed softer than thy delicate hands, and yet can mould the hard stones to its will, but then it cannot feel the pain which thy tender fingers will feel; it has no heart, and cannot suffer the anxiety and grief which thou must suffer. Dost thou see these stinging-nettles which I have in my hand? There are many of the same kind growing round the cave where thou art sleeping; only those that grow there or on the graves in the churchyard are of use-remember that! Thou must pluck them, although they will sting thy hand; thou must trample on the nettles with thy feet, and get yarn from them; and with this yarn thou must weave eleven shirts with long sleeves- throw them over the eleven Wild Swans, and the spell is broken. But, mark this! from the moment that thou beginnest thy work till it is completed, even should it occupy thee for years, thou must not speak a word; the first syllable that escapes thy lips will fall like a dagger into the hearts of thy brothers; on thy tongue depends their life. Mark well all this! "" And at the same moment the fairy touched Elise's hands with a nettle, which made them burn like fire, and Elise awoke. It was broad daylight, and close to her lay a nettle like the one she had seen in her dream. She fell upon her knees, thanked God, and then went out of the cave in order to begin her work. She plucked with her own delicate hands the disagreeable stinging- nettles: they burned large blisters on her hands and arms, but she bore the pain willingly in the hope of releasing her dear brothers. She trampled on the nettles with her naked feet, and spun the green yarn. 16 The Wild Swans At sunset came her brothers. Elise's silence quite frightened them; they thought it must be the effect of some fresh spell of their wicked stepmother; but when they saw her blistered hands, they found out what their sister was doing for their sakes. The youngest brother wept, and when his tears fell upon her hands, Elise felt no more pain-the blisters disappeared. The whole night she spent in her work, for she could not rest till she had released her brothers. All the following day she sat in her solitude, for the Swans had flown away; but never had time passed so quickly. One shirt was ready; she now began the second. Suddenly a hunting-horn resounded among the mountains. Elise was frightened. The noise came nearer; she heard the hounds barking. In great terror, she fled into the cave, bound up the nettles which she had gathered and combed into a bundle, and sat down upon it. In the same moment a large dog sprang out from the bushes ; two others immediately followed; they barked loudly, ran away, and then returned. It was not long before the hunters stood in front of the cave; the handsomest among them was the King of that country; he stepped up to Elise. Never had he seen a lovelier maiden. "How camest thou here, thou beautiful child?" said he. Elise shook her head; she dared not speak; a word might have cost her the life of her brothers, and she hid her hands under her apron lest the King should see how she was suffering. "Come with me," said he, “ thou must not stay here! If thou art good as thou art beautiful, I will dress thee in velvet and silk; I will put a gold crown upon thy head, and thou shalt dwell in my palace ! So he lifted her upon his horse, while she wept and wrung her hands; but the King said, "I only desire thy happi- ness! thou shalt thank me for this some day!" and away he rode over mountains and valleys, holding her on his horse in front, whilst the other hunters followed. When the sun set, the King's magnifi- cent capital, with its churches and cupolas, lay before them, and the King led Elise into the palace, where, in a high marble hall, fountains were playing, and the walls and ceiling displayed the most beautiful paintings. But Elise cared not for all this splendour ; she wept and mourned in silence, even whilst some female attendants در The Wild Swans 17 dressed her in royal robes, wove costly pearls in her hair, and drew soft gloves over her blistered hands. And now she was full dressed, and as she stood in her splendid attire, her beauty was so dazzling that the courtiers all bowed low before her, and the King chose her for his bride, although the Archbishop shook his head, and whispered that "the beautiful lady of the wood must certainly be a witch, who had blinded their eyes, and infatuated the King's heart." But the King did not listen; he ordered music to be played, and a sumptuous banquet served up; the loveliest maidens danced round the bride, and she was led through fragrant gardens into magnificent halls, but not a smile was seen to play upon her lips or beam from her eyes. The King then opened a small room next her sleeping apartment; it was adorned with costly green tapestry, and exactly resembled the cave in which she had been found: upon the ground lay the bundle of yarn which she had spun from the nettles, and by the wall hung the shirt she had completed. One of the hunters had brought all this, thinking there must be something wonderful in it. "Here thou mayest dream of thy former home," said the King ; "here is the work which employed thee: amidst all thy present splendour it may sometimes give thee pleasure to fancy thyself there again." When Elise saw what was so dear to her heart, she smiled, and the blood returned to her cheeks; she thought her brothers might still be released, and she kissed the King's hand; he pressed her to his heart, and ordered the bells of all the churches in the city to be rung, to announce the celebration of their wedding. The beautiful dumb maiden of the wood was to become Queen of the land. The Archbishop whispered evil words in the King's ear, but they made no impression upon him; the marriage was solemnised, and the Archbishop himself was obliged to put the crown upon her head. In his rage he pressed the narrow rim so firmly on her forehead that it hurt her; but a heavier weight-sorrow for her brothers lay upon her heart: she did not feel bodily pain. She was still silent-a single word would have killed her brothers; her eyes, however, beamed with heartfelt love to the King, so good and C 9 A 18 The Wild Swans €. handsome, who had done so much to make her happy. She became more warmly attached to him every day. Oh! how much she wished she might confide to him all her sorrows! but she was forced to remain silent; she could not speak until her work was completed! To this end she stole away every night, and went into the little room that was fitted up in imitation of the cave; there she worked at her shirts, but by the time she had begun the seventh all her yarn was spent. She knew that the nettles she needed grew in the churchyard, but she must gather them herself: how was she to get them? "Oh, what is the pain in my fingers compared to the anguish my heart suffers!" thought she. "I must venture to the church- yard; the good God will not withdraw His protection from me! " Fearful, as though she were about to do something wrong, one moonlight night she crept down to the garden, and through the long avenues got into the lonely road leading to the churchyard. She saw sitting on one of the broadest tombstones a number of ugly old witches. They took off their ragged clothes as if they were going to bathe, and digging with their long lean fingers into the fresh grass, drew up the dead bodies and devoured the flesh. Elise was obliged to pass close by them, and the witches fixed their wicked eyes upon her; but she repeated her prayer, gathered the stinging- nettles, and took them back with her into the palace. One person only had seen her-it was the Archbishop; he was awake when others slept. Now he was convinced that all was not right about the Queen; she must be a witch, who had through her enchant- ments infatuated the King and all the people. "" In the confessional he told the King what he had seen and what he feared; and when the slanderous words came from his lips, the sculptured images of the saints shook their heads, as though they would say, "It is untrue; Elise is innocent ! But the Archbishop explained the omen quite otherwise; he thought it was a testimony against her that the holy images shook their heads at hearing of her sin. Two large tears rolled down the King's cheeks; he returned home in doubt; he pretended to sleep at night, though sleep never visited him; and he noticed that Elise rose from her bed every night, and every time he followed her secretly and saw her enter her little room. The Wild Swans 19 His countenance became darker every day; Elise perceived it, though she knew not the cause. She was much pained, and, besides, what did she not suffer in her heart for her brothers! Her bitter tears ran down on the royal velvet and purple; they looked like bright diamonds, and all who saw the magnificence that surrounded her wished themselves in her place. She had now nearly finished her work-only one shirt was wanting; unfortunately, yarn was wanting also she had not a single nettle left. Once more, only this one time, she must go to the churchyard and gather a few handfuls. She shuddered when she thought of the solitary walk and the horrid witches, but her resolution was as firm as her trust in God. : Elise went; the King and the Archbishop followed her they saw her disappear at the churchyard door, and when they came nearer, they saw the witches sitting on the tombstones, as Elise had seen them, and the King turned away, for he believed her whose head had rested on his bosom that very evening to be amongst them. "Let the people judge her!" said he. And the people condemned her to be burnt. . She was now dragged from the King's sumptuous apartments into a dark, damp prison, where the wind whistled through the grated window. Instead of velvet and silk, they gave her the bundle of nettles she had gathered-on that must she lay her head ; the shirts she had woven must serve her as mattress and counterpane; but they could not have given her anything she valued so much : and she continued her work, at the same time praying earnestly to her God. The boys sang scandalous songs about her in front of her prison; not a soul comforted her with one word of love. Towards evening she heard the rustling of Swans' wings at the grating. It was the youngest of her brothers, who had at last found his sister, and she sobbed aloud for joy, although she knew that the coming night would probably be the last of her life; but then her work was almost finished, and her brother was near. The Archbishop came in order to spend the last hour with her; he had promised the King he would; but she shook her head and entreated him with her eyes and gestures to go: this night she must finish her work, or all she had suffered-her pain, her anxiety, her sleepless nights-would be in vain. The Archbishop went away 20 The Wild Swans with many angry words, but the unfortunate Elise knew herself to be perfectly innocent, and went on with her work. Little mice ran busily about and dragged the nettles to her feet, wishing to help her; and the thrush perched on the iron bars of the window, and sang all night as merrily as he could, that Elise might not lose courage. it It was still twilight, just an hour before sunrise, when the eleven brothers stood before the palace-gates, requesting an audience with the King; but it could not be, they were told was still night, the King was asleep, and they dared not wake him. They entreated, they threatened, the guard came up, the King himself at last stepped out to ask what was the matter: at that moment the sun rose, the brothers could be seen no longer, and eleven white Swans flew away over the palace. The people poured forth from the gates of the city, all eager to see the witch burnt. One wretched horse drew the cart in which Elise was placed, a coarse frock of sackcloth had been put on her, her beautiful long hair hung loosely over her shoulders, her cheeks were of a deadly paleness, her lips moved gently, and her fingers wove the green yarn: even on her way to her cruel death she did not give up her work; the ten shirts lay at her feet-she was now labouring to complete the eleventh. The rabble insulted her. 66 Look at the witch, how she mutters! she has not a hymn-book in her hand: no, there she sits, with her accursed witchery. Tear it from her! tear it into a thousand pieces!" And they all crowded about her, and were on the point of snatching away the shirts, when eleven white Swans came flying towards the cart; they settled all round her, and flapped their wings. The crowd gave way in terror. "It is a sign from Heaven! she is certainly innocent!" whispered some; they dared not say so aloud. The Sheriff now seized her by the hand-in a moment she threw the eleven shirts over the Swans, and eleven handsome Princes appeared in their place. The youngest had, however, only one arm, and a wing instead of the other, for one sleeve was deficient in his shirt-it had not been quite finished. 66 Now I may speak," said she: "I am innocent! And the people who had seen what had happened bowed · 2 "" The Wild Swans 21 before her as before a saint. She, however, sank lifeless in her brothers' arms; suspense, fear, and grief, had quite exhausted her. "Yes, she is innocent," said her eldest brother, and he now related their wonderful history. Whilst he spoke a fragrance as delicious as though it proceeded from millions of roses diffused itself around, for every piece of wood in the funeral pile had taken root and sent forth branches, a hedge of blooming red roses sur- rounded Elise, and above all the others blossomed a flower of dazzling white colour, bright as a star; the King plucked it and laid it on Elise's bosom, whereupon she awoke from her trance with peace and joy in her heart. And all the church-bells began to ring of their own accord, and birds flew to the spot in swarms, and there was a festive procession back to the palace, such as no King has ever seen equalled. I win The Happy Family ם. Pilities ATTE T HE largest green leaves that you can find in the country are the burdock-leaves; if a little girl take one of them and hold it in front of the skirt of her frock, it serves her as an apron; and if she place it on her head, it is almost as good a shelter against the rain as an umbrella-so very, very large are these leaves. Never is one burdock-leaf found growing alone, wherever one grows, a whole colony of them grow also; they are sociable leaves, and beautiful, too, but all their beauty is food for the snails. Those large white snails, of which the grand folks used, in olden time, to make fricassees, dine off the burdock- leaves; and greedily they eat of them, saying all the while, "Hum, how nice! how exquisite ! " for they think the food quite delicious; they live upon burdock-leaves, and for their sakes, they imagine, the burdock-leaves have been sown. Now there was an old-fashioned manor-house; snails were no longer cooked and eaten there, for not only had the custom died away, but the last owners of the house had also died, and no one lived in it at all. But burdock-leaves grew near this house, and The Happy Family 23 they had not died away; they still grew, and thrived, and multi- plied; and as there was no one to weed them up, they spread over all the paths and all the beds, till the garden at last became a perfect wilderness of burdock-leaves. Here and there, indeed, might still be seen a solitary apple or plum-tree, otherwise no one could possibly have guessed that this place had ever been a garden ; on all sides you saw burdock-leaves, nothing but burdock-leaves. And among them dwelt two old Snails, the last of their race. Even they themselves could not tell how old they were; but they could remember perfectly that their family had once been very numerous; that they belonged to a colony from a foreign land ; and that for them and theirs the whole grove had been planted. Beyond the burdock-grove they had never been, but they knew that there was another place in the world called the Manor-house, and that there snails were cooked, and then became black, and were laid upon silver dishes; but what happened afterwards they could not divine. Nor could they at all imagine how they would feel when cooked and laid on silver dishes; but that it was very delightful, and a very great honour and distinction— of that they were certain. Neither the Cockchafer, the Toad, or the Earthworm, all of whom they had questioned on the subject, could give them any correct information, for not one of these had ever been cooked or laid in a silver dish. No creatures in the world were held in such high honour as these old white Snails; they were quite sure of that: the burdock- wood had grown up solely on their account, and the Manor-house stood beyond merely that they might some day be taken there, cooked, and laid in silver dishes. They now lived a very lonely, and yet a very happy life, and as they had no children of their own, they had taken a liking to a little common Snail, and brought it up as their own child. Unfortunately, this little Snail, being of a different species, could not grow larger, so as to become like its foster-parents; however, old Mother Snail insisted that she could perceive he was growing fast; and she begged Father Snail, since he could not see it as she did, to touch the little Snail's house and feel it. And old Father Snail felt the house, and acknowledged that the mother was in the right. 24 The Happy Family 3 One day there came a heavy shower of rain. "Only listen, what a drum-drum-drumming there is on the burdock-leaves ! remarked Father Snail. دو "It is the drops that make that drumming,” rejoined Mother Snail. "Look, now they are running straight down the stalk; you will see it quite wet presently. I am glad we have our own good house; and the little one too, he is safe in his. Certainly, it cannot be denied, that more is done for us than for all other creatures put together; it is easily seen that we are of the first importance in the world. We have houses provided for us from our birth, and the burdock-wood is planted for our sakes! I should rather like to know, though, how far it extends, and what is beyond it." "There is nothing beyond it!" quoth Father Snail. "And if there were any other places, what would it signify? No place can be better than this; we have nothing to wish for." "I cannot say that, for my part," replied Mother Snail. "I own I should like to go up to the Manor-house, and there be cooked and laid in a silver dish. All our forefathers went there, and only think what an honour it must be ! " "Most probably the Manor-house has fallen to pieces," said Father Snail," or else the burdock-grove has grown over it, so that the human beings cannot now get out to fetch us. However, there is no need to be in such haste, but you are always in such a violent hurry about everything; and the little one, too, he begins to take after you. Why, he has crept all up the stalk in less than three days; it makes my head turn quite dizzy to look at him! " "Don't scold him," said Mother Snail," he crawls so cleverly! we shall have great pride and pleasure in him, and what else have we old folks got to live for? But there is one thing we ought to think of now; how are we to get him a wife? Don't you think that far out in the burdock-grove there may, perhaps, be a few more of our family left? "" "Black Snails, no doubt, there are in plenty,” replied the other; black Snails without houses; but they are so low, so vulgar! I'll tell you what we can do; we can commission the Ants to look about for us, they are always running backwards and forwards, 2 The Happy Family 25 as if all the business in the world had to be done by them; they must certainly be able to find a wife for our little Snail." "To be sure, we know where is the loveliest little creature imaginable!" exclaimed five or six Ants, who were passing by just then. But, perhaps, she may not choose to listen to the proposal, for she is a Queen.' "" "What does that matter? returned the two old Snails. Has she a house? that is much more to the purpose ! ” CC ' Oh, thank you! "A house!" repeated the Ants; "she has a palace! the most magnificent ant-palace, with seven hundred passages! said Mother Snail; if you fancy our son is going to live in an ant-hill, you are very much mistaken, that's all. If you have no better proposal to make than that, we can give the commission to the white Gnats; they flutter about in rain and in sunshine; they know every corner of the burdock-grove quite intimately." .، "" 'Ah, yes, we know the wife for him ! declared the Gnats, on being appealed to. "A hundred human paces off there sits, on a gooseberry-bush, a little Snail with a house; she lives so solitary, poor thing! like a hermitess, and she is quite old enough It is only the distance of a hundred human to marry. paces.' CC > So they made a boat out of an old newspaper, put the Tin-soldier into it, and away he sailed down the gutter, both the boys running along by the side and clapping their hands. The paper boat rocked to and fro, and every now and then veered round so quickly that the Tin-soldier became quite giddy; still he moved not a muscle, looked straight before him, and held his bayonet tightly clasped. All at once the boat sailed under a long gutter-board; he found it as dark here as at home in his own box. << 66 Where shall I get to next?" thought he yes, to be sure, it is all that Conjuror's doing! Ah, if the little maiden were but sailing with me in the boat, I would not care for its being twice as dark!" Just then a great Water-Rat, that lived under the gutter-board, darted out. J 42 The Constant Tin-Soldier 1 "Have you a passport?" asked the Rat. Where is your passport?" But the Tin-soldier was silent, and held his weapon with a still firmer grasp. The boat sailed on, and the Rat followed. Oh! how furiously he showed his teeth, and cried out to sticks and straws, “Stop him, stop him! he has not paid the toll! he has not shown his passport!" But the stream grew stronger and stronger. The Tin-soldier could already catch a glimpse of the bright daylight before the boat came from under the tunnel, but at the same time he heard a roaring noise, at which the boldest heart might well have trembled. Only fancy! where the tunnel ended, the water of the gutter fell perpendicularly into a great canal; this was as dangerous for the Tin-soldier as sailing down a mighty waterfall would be for us. He was now so close that he could no longer stand upright; the boat darted forwards, the poor Tin-soldier held himself as stiff and immovable as possible, no one could accuse him of having even blinked. The boat spun round and round, three, nay, four times, and was filled with water to the brim; it must sink. The Tin-soldier stood up to his neck in water, deeper and deeper sank the boat, softer and softer grew the paper; the water went over the soldier's head, he thought of the pretty little dancer, whom he should never see again, and these words rang in his ears :— "Wild adventure, mortal danger Be thy portion, valiant stranger! << "" The paper now tore asunder, the Tin-soldier fell through the rent; but in the same moment he was swallowed up by a large fish. CC Oh, how dark it was! worse even than under the gutter-board, and so narrow too! but the Tin-soldier's resolution was as constant as ever; there he lay, at full length, shouldering his arms. The fish turned and twisted about, and made the strangest. movements! at last he became quite still; a flash of lightning, as it were, darted through him. The daylight shone brightly, and some one exclaimed, Tin-soldier ! " The fish had been caught, taken to the market, sold, and brought home into the kitchen, where the servant-girl was cutting him up with a large İ i 11 The Constant Tin-Soldier 43 knife. She seized the Tin-soldier by the middle with two of her fingers, and took him into the parlour, where every one was eager to see the wonderful man who had travelled in the maw of a fish ; however, our little warrior was by no means proud. They set him on the table, and there-no, how could anything so extra- ordinary happen in this world! the Tin-soldier was in the very same room in which he had been before; he saw the same children, the same playthings stood on the table, among them the beautiful castle with the pretty little dancing maiden, who was still standing upon one leg, whilst she held the other high in the air; she, too, was constant. It quite affected the Tin-soldier; he could have found it in his heart to weep tin-tears, but such weakness would have been unbecoming in a soldier. He looked at her, and she looked at him, but neither spoke a word. And now one of the little boys took the Soldier and threw him without ceremony into the stove. He did not give any reason for so doing, but, no doubt, the Conjuror in the snuff-box must have had a hand in it. The Tin-soldier now stood in a blaze of red light; he felt extremely hot; whether this heat was the result of the actual fire, or of the flames of love within him, he knew not. He had entirely lost his colour; whether this change had happened during his travels, or were the effect of strong emotion, I know not. He looked upon the little damsel, she looked upon him, and he felt that he was melting; but, constant as ever, he still stood shouldering his arms. A door opened, the wind seized the Dancer, and, like a sylph, she flew straightway into the stove, to the Tin-soldier ; they both flamed up into a blaze-and were gone! The Soldier was melted to a hard lump, and when the maid took the ashes out the next day, she found his remains in the shape of a little tin-heart of the Dancer there remained only the gold wing, and that was burnt black as a coal. The Red Shoes T HERE was once a little girl, very pretty and delicate, but so poor that in summer-time she went barefoot, and in winter wore large wooden shoes, so that her little ankles grew quite red and sore. In the village dwelt the shoemaker's mother; she sat down one day, and made out of some old pieces of red cloth a pair of little shoes; they were clumsy enough certainly, but they fitted the little girl tolerably well, and she gave them to her. The little girl's name was Karen. It was the day of her mother's funeral when the red shoes were given to Karen; they were not at all suitable for mourning, but she had no others, and in them she walked with bare legs behind the miserable straw-bier. Just then a large old carriage rolled by; in it sat a large old lady; she looked at the little girl and pitied her, and she said to the priest, "Give me the little girl, and I will take care of her." The Red Shoes 45 And Karen thought it was all for the sake of the red shoes that the old lady had taken this fancy to her; but the old lady said they were frightful, and they were burnt. And Karen was dressed very neatly; she was taught to read and to work; and people told her she was pretty, but the Mirror said, "Thou art more than pretty, thou art beautiful! "" It happened one day that the Queen travelled through that part of the country, with her little daughter, the Princess; and all the people, Karen amongst them, crowded in front of the palace, whilst the little Princess stood, dressed in white, at a window, for every one to see her. She wore neither train nor gold crown; but on her feet were pretty red morocco shoes, much prettier ones, indeed, than those the shoemaker's mother had made for little Karen. Nothing in the world could be compared to these red shoes! Karen was now old enough to be confirmed; she was to have both new frock and new shoes. The rich shoemaker in the town took the measure of her little foot. Large glass cases, full of neat shoes and shining boots, were fixed round the room; however, the old lady's sight was not very good, and, naturally enough, she had not so much pleasure in looking at them as Karen had. Amongst the shoes was a pair of red ones, just like those worn by the Princess. How gay they were! and the shoemaker said they had been made for a count's daughter, but had not quite fitted her. CC CC They are of polished leather," said the old lady ; they shine! در see how "Yes, they shine beautifully!" exclaimed Karen. And as the shoes fitted her, they were bought, but the old lady did not know that they were red, for she would never have suffered Karen to go to confirmation in red shoes. But Karen did so. Everybody looked at her feet, and as she walked up the nave to the chancel, it seemed to her that even the antique sculptured figures on the monuments, with their stiff ruffs and long black robes, fixed their eyes on her red shoes; of them only she thought when the Bishop laid his hand on her head, when he spoke of Holy Baptism, of her covenant with God, and how that she must now be a full-grown Christian. The organ sent forth its deep, solemn tones; the children's sweet voices mingled with those of the choristers, but Karen still thought only of her red shoes. 46 The Red Shoes That afternoon, when the old lady was told that Karen had worn red shoes at her confirmation, she was much vexed, and told Karen that they were quite unsuitable, and that henceforward, whenever she went to church, she must wear black shoes, were they ever so old. Next Sunday was the Communion-day; Karen looked first at the red shoes, then at the black ones, then at the red again, and -put them on. It was beautiful, sunshiny weather; Karen and the old lady walked to church through the cornfields; the path was very dusty. At the church-door stood an old soldier; he was leaning on crutches, and had a marvellously long beard, not white, but reddish- hued, and he bowed almost to the earth, and asked the old lady if he might wipe the dust off her shoes. And Karen put out her little foot also. "Oh, what pretty dancing-shoes!" quoth the old soldier: “take care, and mind you do not let them slip off when you dance"; and he passed his hands over them. The old lady gave the soldier a halfpenny, and then went with Karen into the church. And every one looked at Karen's red shoes; and all the carved figures, too, bent their gaze upon them; and when Karen knelt before the altar, the red shoes still floated before her eyes; she thought of them, and of them only, and she forgot to join in the hymn of praise—she forgot to repeat " Our Father." At last all the people came out of church, and the old lady got into her carriage. Karen was just lifting her foot to follow her, when the old soldier standing in the porch exclaimed, "Only look, what pretty dancing-shoes!" And Karen could not help it, she felt she must make a few of her dancing-steps; and after she had once begun, her feet continued to move, just as though the shoes had received power over them; she danced round the churchyard-she could not stop the coachman was obliged to run after her he took hold of her and lifted her into the carriage, but the feet still continued to dance, so as to kick the good old lady most cruelly. At last the shoes were taken off, and the feet had rest. And now the shoes were put away in a press, but Karen could not help going to look at them every now and then. The old lady lay ill in bed; the doctor said she could not live much longer; she certainly needed careful nursing, and who The Red Shoes 47 should be her nurse and constant attendant but Karen? But there was to be a grand ball in the town; Karen was invited; she looked at the old lady, who was almost dying, she looked at the red shoes she put them on; there could be no harm in doing that, at least; she went to the ball, and began to dance. But when she wanted to move to the right, the shoes bore her to the left; and when she would dance up the room, the shoes danced down the room, danced down the stairs, through the streets, and through the gates of the town. Dance she did, and dance she must, straight out into the dark wood. Something all at once shone through the trees! she thought at first it must be the moon's bright face, shining blood red through the night mists; but no, it was the old soldier with the red beard— he sat there, nodding at her, and repeating, "Only look, what pretty dancing-shoes!" She was very much frightened, and tried to throw off her red shoes, but could not unclasp them. She hastily tore off her stock- ings; but the shoes she could not get rid of-they had, it seemed, grown on to her feet. Dance she did, and dance she must, over field and meadow, in rain and in sunshine, by night and by day— by night! that was most horrible! She danced into the lonely churchyard, but the dead there danced not—they were at rest: she would fain have sat down on the poor man's grave, where the bitter tansy grew, but for her there was neither rest nor respite. She danced past the open church door; there she saw an Angel, clad in long white robes, and with wings that reached from his shoulders to the earth; his countenance was grave and stern, and in his hand he held a broad glittering sword. "Dance shalt thou," said he; "dance on, in thy red shoes, till thou art pale and cold, and thy skin shrinks and crumples up like a skeleton's! Dance shalt thou still, from door to door; and wherever proud, vain children live, thou shalt knock, so that they may hear thee and fear! Dance shalt thou, dance on "" 66 Mercy! " cried Karen; but she heard not the Angel's answer, for the shoes carried her through the gate, into the fields, along highways, and by-ways, and still she must dance. One morning she danced past a door she knew well; she heard psalm-singing from within, and presently a coffin, strewn 1 48 The Red Shoes i 3 with flowers, was borne out. Then Karen knew that the good old lady was dead, and she felt herself a thing forsaken by all mankind, and accursed by the Angel of God. "" Dance she did, and dance she must, even through the dark night; the shoes bore her continually over thorns and briars, till her limbs were torn and bleeding. Away she danced over the heath to a little solitary house; she knew that the headsman dwelt there, and she tapped with her fingers against the panes, crying— "Come out! come out!-I cannot come in to you, I am dancing. And the headsman replied, "Surely thou knowest not who I am. I cut off the heads of wicked men, and my axe is very sharp and keen." "Cut not off my head! said Karen; for then I could not live to repent of my sin; but cut off my feet with the red shoes." And then she confessed to him all her sin, and the headsman cut off her feet with the red shoes on them; but even after this the shoes still danced away with those little feet over the fields, and into the deep forests. And the headsman made her a pair of wooden feet, and hewed down some boughs to serve her as crutches, and he taught her the psalm which is always repeated by criminals, and she kissed the hand that had guided the axe, and went her way over the heath. "Now I have certainly suffered quite enough through the red shoes," thought Karen ; I will go to church and let people see me once more !" and she went as fast as she could to the church porch; but as she approached it, the red shoes danced before her, and she was frightened and turned back. CC All that week through she endured the keenest anguish and shed many bitter tears; however, when Sunday came, she said to herself, "Well, I must have suffered and striven enough by this time; I dare say I am quite as good as many of those who are holding their heads so high in church." So she took courage and went there, but she had not passed the churchyard gate before she saw the red shoes again dancing before her, and in great terror she again turned back, and more deeply than ever bewailed her sin. She then went to the pastor's house, and begged that some employment might be given her, promising to work diligently and } "" · The Red Shoes 49 do all she could; she did not wish for any wages, she said, she only wanted a roof to shelter her, and to dwell with good people. And the pastor's wife had pity on her, and took her into her service. And Karen was grateful and industrious. Every evening she sat silently listening to the pastor, while he read the Holy Scriptures aloud. All the children loved her, but when she heard them talk about dress and finery, and about being as beautiful as a queen, she would sorrowfully shake her head. Again Sunday came, all the pastor's household went to church, and they asked her if she would not go too, but she sighed and looked with tears in her eyes upon her crutches. When they were all gone, she went into her own little lowly chamber-it was but just large enough to contain a bed and a chair and there she sat down with her psalm-book in her hand; and whilst she was meekly and devoutly reading in it, the wind wafted the tones of the organ from the church into her room, and she lifted up her face to heaven and prayed with tears, "Oh, God, help me! " Then the sun shone brightly, so brightly !—and behold! close before her stood the white-robed Angel of God, the same whom she had seen on that night of horror at the church porch, but his hand wielded not now, as then, a sharp, threatening sword- he held a lovely green bough, full of roses. With this he touched the ceiling, which immediately rose to a great height, a bright gold star sparkling in the spot where the Angel's green bough had touched it. And he touched the walls, whereupon the room widened and Karen saw the organ, the old monuments, and the congregation all sitting in their richly-carved seats and singing from their psalm- books. For the church had come home to the poor girl in her little narrow chamber, or rather the chamber had grown, as it were, into the church; she sat with the rest of the pastor's household, and when the psalm was ended, they looked up and nodded to her, saying, “Thou didst well to come, Karen ! "" "This is mercy!" said she. And the organ played again, and the children's voices in the choir mingled so sweetly and plaintively with it! The bright sunbeams streamed warmly through the windows upon Karen's E 50 The Red Shoes seat; her heart was so full of sunshine, of peace and gladness, that it broke; her soul flew upon a sunbeam to her Father in heaven, where not a look of reproach awaited her-not a word was breathed of the Red Shoes. Wall • A DUEFIETSSON „MEN. \{WITHUANIA The Swineherd T HERE was once a poor Prince, who had a kingdom; his kingdom was very small, but still quite large enough to and he wished to marry. marry upon; It was certainly rather cool of him to say to the Emperor's daughter, "Will you have me?" But so he did; for his name was renowned far and wide; and there were a hundred Princesses who would have answered "Yes!" and "Thank you kindly." We shall see what this Princess said. Listen! It happened, that where the Prince's father lay buried there grew a rose-tree-a most beautiful rose-tree, which blossomed only once in every five years, and even then bore only one flower, but that was a rose! It smelt so sweet, that all cares and sorrows were forgotten by him who inhaled its fragrance. And furthermore, the Prince had a nightingale, who could sing in such a manner that it seemed as though all sweet melodies 52 The Swineherd dwelt in her little throat. So the Princess was to have the rose, and the nightingale; and they were accordingly put into large silver caskets, and sent to her. The Emperor had them brought into a large hall, where the Princess was playing at "Visiting," with the ladies of the Court; and when she saw the caskets with the presents, she clapped her hands for joy. CC Ah, if it were but a little pussy-cat! exclaimed she: but the rose-tree, with its beautiful rose, came to view. "Oh, how prettily it is made ! " said all the Court ladies. "It is more than pretty," said the Emperor; "it is charming!" But the Princess touched it, and was almost ready to cry. Fie, papa ! "said she, “it is not made at all, it is natural ! "Fie!" cried all the courtiers, << it is natural! CC "" CC CC 1 Let us see what is in the other casket, before we get into a bad humour," proposed the Emperor. So the nightingale came forth, and sang so delightfully that at first no one could say any- thing ill-humoured of her. CC (c "" Superbe! Charmant!" exclaimed the ladies; for they all used to chatter French, each one worse than her neighbour. How much the bird reminds me of the musical box, that Oh yes belonged to our blessed Empress!" remarked an old Knight. ! these are the same tones, the same execution." "Yes! yes ! " said the Emperor, and he wept like a child at the remembrance. د. 66 "I will still hope that it is not a real bird," said the Princess. CC Yet it is a real bird," said those who had brought it. "Well, then let the bird fly," returned the Princess; and she positively refused to see the Prince. However, he was not to be discouraged; he daubed his face over brown and black; pulled his cap over his ears, and knocked at the door. "Good day to my lord the Emperor !" said he. "Can I have employment at the palace?' Why, yes," said the Emperor; "I want some one to take care of the pigs, for we have a great many of them.” So the Prince was appointed "Imperial Swineherd." He had a dirty little room close by the pigsty; and there he sat the The Swineherd 53 whole day, and worked. By the evening, he had made a pretty little saucepan. Little bells were hung all round it; and when the pot was boiling, these bells tinkled in the most charming manner, and played the old melody :- “Ach! du lieber Augustin, Alles ist weg, weg, weg ! But what was still more curious, whoever held his finger in the smoke of this saucepan, immediately smelt all the dishes that were cooking on every hearth in the city: this, you see, was something quite different from the rose. Now the Princess happened to walk that way; and when she heard the tune, she stood quite still, and seemed pleased; for she could play Lieber Augustin; it was the only piece she knew, and she played it with one finger. CC 66 ** Why, there is my piece!" said the Princess; "that swine- herd must certainly have been well educated! Go in and ask him the price of the instrument.' So one of the Court ladies must run in; however, she drew on wooden slippers first. "What will you take for the saucepan?" inquired the lady. "I will have ten kisses from the Princess," said the swineḥerd. "Yes, indeed!" said the lady. دو “I cannot sell it for less," rejoined the swineherd. "Well, what does he say?" asked the Princess. "I cannot tell you, really," replied the lady; "it is too bad!" "Then you can whisper it!" So the lady whispered it. "He is an impudent fellow !" said the Princess, and she walked on; but when she had gone a little way, the bells tinkled so prettily, "Ach! du lieber Augustin, Alles ist weg, weg, weg!" "" Stay," said the Princess. Ask him if he will have ten kisses from the ladies of my Court.' 66 'No, thank you!" answered the swineherd : the Princess, or I keep the saucepan myself.” *“Ah! dear Augustine! All is lost, lost, lost!" ten kisses from 54 The Swineherd "but do you "That must not be either!" said the Princess; all stand before me, that no one may see us. "" And the Court ladies placed themselves in front of her, and spread out their dresses; the swineherd got ten kisses, and the Princess-the saucepan. That was delightful! the saucepan was kept boiling all the evening, and the whole of the following day. They knew perfectly well what was cooking at every fire throughout the city, from the chamberlain's to the cobbler's; the Court ladies danced, and clapped their hands. "We know who has soup and who has pancakes for dinner to-day, who has cutlets, and who has eggs. How interesting!" "Yes, but keep my secret, for I am an Emperor's daughter." The swineherd-that is to say the Prince, for no one knew that he was other than an ill-favoured swineherd-let not a day pass without working at something; he at last constructed a rattle, which, when it was swung round, played all the waltzes and jig- tunes which have ever been heard since the creation of the world. CC Ah, that is superbe!" said the Princess when she passed by; "I have never heard prettier compositions! Go in and ask him the price of the instrument; but, mind, he shall have no more kisses! ઃઃ He will have a hundred kisses from the Princess!" said the lady who had been to ask. "I think he is not in his right senses!" replied the Princess, and walked on; but when she had gone a little way, she stopped again. "One must encourage art," said she; "I am the Emperor's daughter. Tell him, he shall, as on yesterday, have ten kisses from me, and may take the rest from the ladies of the Court.” "Oh !—but we should not like that at all ! " said they. "What are you muttering?" asked the Princess; "if I can kiss him, surely you can! Remember that you owe everything to me. So the ladies were obliged to go to him again. "A hundred kisses from the Princess!" said he, “or else let every one keep his own." <6 Stand round! said she ; and all the ladies stood round her whilst the kissing was going on. What can be the reason for such a crowd close by the pigsty? دو دو رو * "" The Swineherd 55 said the Emperor, who happened just then to step out on the balcony; he rubbed his eyes and put on his spectacles. "They are the ladies of the Court; I must go down and see what they are about!” So he pulled up his slippers at the heel, for he had trodden them down. As soon as he had got into the courtyard, he moved very softly, and the ladies were so much engrossed with counting the kisses, that all might go on fairly, that they did not perceive the Emperor. He rose on his tip-toes. What is all this?" said he, when he saw what was going on, and he boxed the Princess's ears with his slipper, just as the swine- herd was taking the eighty-sixth kiss. "March out!” cried the Emperor, for he was very angry; and both Princess and swineherd were thrust out of the city. The Princess now stood and wept, the swineherd scolded, and the rain poured down. "" If "Alas! unhappy creature that I am! said the Princess. I had but married the handsome young Prince! Ah! how unfortunate I am!' "" And the swineherd went behind a tree, washed the black-and- brown colour from his face, threw off his dirty clothes, and stepped forth in his princely robes; he looked so noble that the Princess could not help bowing before him. "Thou wouldst not "I am come to despise thee," said he. have an honourable prince! Thou couldst not prize the rose and the nightingale, but thou wast ready to kiss the swineherd for the sake of a trumpery plaything. Thou art rightly served." He then went back to his own little kingdom, and shut the door of his palace in her face. Now she might well sing, “Ach! du lieber Augustin, Alles ist weg, weg, weg! د. The Angel • W HENEVER a good child dies, an Angel of God comes down to earth, takes the dead child in his arms, and, spreading out his large white wings, flies with him over all the places that were dear to him. And the Angel gathers a handful of flowers, and takes them to the good God, that they may bloom yet more beautifully in heaven than they did upon earth. And the flower which most pleases its Creator receives a voice, and, supremely happy, joins in the chorus of the blessed Angels." Thus spoke an Angel of God while carrying a dead child to heaven, and the child listened as though in a dream, and together they flew over all those places where the child had formerly played, and they passed over gardens full of lovely flowers. "Which flower shall we take with us and plant in heaven?" asked the Angel. CC. • And there stood a fair delicate rose-tree, but an evil hand had broken the stem, so that all the branches, with their large half- opened buds, hung faded down to the ground. "Poor tree!" said the child, "let us take it, that it may bloom again with the good God in heaven." And the Angel took it, and kissed the child, and the little one half opened his eyes. They plucked many a splendid garden flower, but they also took the meek little daisy and the wild hearts- ease. "Now we have flowers enough!" said the child, and the Angel seemed to assent, but he did not yet fly up to heaven. It was night, it was very still; they stayed near a town, they hovered over one of its narrowest streets, where straw, ashes, and rubbish of all kinds, were scattered; there had been a removal that day, lying on the ground were broken plates, bits of plaster, rags, fragments of old hats, in short, nothing but things unseemly. Amidst this confusion the Angel pointed to the broken pieces of an old flower-pot, and a lump of earth fallen out of it; they were only held together by the roots of a large faded field-flower, which was no longer worth looking at, and had, therefore, been thrown out into the street. ઃઃ "We will take this flower with us," said the Angel. "I will tell thee about it as we are flying." The Angel 57 And they flew away, and the Angel spake as follows:- 66 There once lived in a low cellar down in that little narrow street a poor, sick boy; he had been confined to his bed from his earliest years; perhaps now and then he was able to take a few turns up and down his little room on his crutches, but that was all he could do. Sometimes, during the summer, the sunbeams would stream through his little cellar-window, and then, if the child ww OBUVILLE TODAY sat up and felt the warm sun shining upon him, and could see the crimson blood in his slight, wasted, transparent fingers, as he held them up to the light, he would say, 'To-day I have been out!' He only knew the pleasant woods and their bright vernal green by the neighbour's son bringing him the first fresh boughs of the beech-tree, which he would hold over his head, and then fancy he was under the shade of the beech-trees, with the birds warbling and the sun shining around him. "One day, in spring, the neighbour's son brought him some 58 The Angel . field-flowers, and among them was one with a root, so it was put into a flower-pot and placed at the window, close by the bed. And, being carefully planted, it flourished, and put forth fresh shoots, and bore flowers every year; it was like a beautiful garden to the poor boy-his little treasure upon earth; he watered it, and tended it, taking care that every sunbeam, from the first to the last, which penetrated his little low window, should fall upon the plant. And its flowers, with their soft colours and fragrance, mingled with his dreams, and towards them he turned when he was dying, when our Lord called him to Himself. The child has now been a year with the blessed-for a year the plant has stood by the window faded and forgotten, and to-day it was thrown out among the rubbish into the street. And this is the flower which we have just now taken, for this poor, faded field-flower has given more pleasure than the most splendid blossoms in the garden of a queen." "But how do you know all this?" asked the child whom the Angel was bearing to heaven. "How do I know it?" said the Angel, "I was myself that little sick boy who went upon crutches. Ought I not to know my own flower?" And the child opened wide its eyes, and looked into the Angel's fair, bright countenance—and in the same moment they were in heaven. And the dead child received wings like the Angel's, and flew with him hand in hand; and a voice was given to the poor, faded field-flower, and it sang with the Angels surrounding the great God, some very near Him, and others forming larger circles, farther and farther away, extending into infinity, but all equally blessed. And they all sang together, the Angels, the good child, and the poor, faded field-flower, which had lain among the rubbish of that dark and narrow street. The Real Princess www T HERE was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong. Princesses he found in plenty; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies. At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife. One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents; besides, it was as dark as pitch. All at once there was heard a violent knocking 60 The Real Princess at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out himself to open it. It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition: the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess. CC Ah! we shall soon see that! "" thought the old Queen; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do, but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put one little pea on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the pea, and put twenty feather- beds over the mattresses. Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night. The next morning, she was asked how she had slept. Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue. It has hurt me so much! دو