Page:Fairy tales and other stories (Andersen, Craigie).djvu/132

 120 The deepest woes escape the world's dull eye:

Thou that alone on duty's path hast sped.

Heavier those duties on thy heart would lie

Than lies the earth now on thy coffined head.

Two forms were moving to and fro in the room. We know them both. They were the Fairy of Care and the Ambassadress of Happiness. They bent down over the dead man.

'Do you see?' said Care. 'What happiness have your goloshes brought to men?'

'They have at least brought a permanent benefit to him who slumbers here,' replied Happiness.

'Oh, no!' said Care. 'He went away of himself, he was not summoned. His spirit was not strong enough to lift the treasures which he had been destined to lift. I will do him a favour.'

And she drew the goloshes from his feet; then the sleep of death was ended, and the awakened man raised himself up. Care vanished, and with her the goloshes disappeared too: doubtless she looked upon them as her property.

THE HARDY TIN SOLDIER

were once five and twenty tin soldiers; they were all brothers, for they had all been born of one old tin spoon. They shouldered their muskets, and looked straight before them: their uniform was red and blue, and very splendid. The first thing they had heard in the world, when the lid was taken off their box, had been the words 'Tin soldiers'! These words were uttered by a little boy, clapping his hands: the soldiers had been given to him, for it was his birthday; and now he put them upon the table. Each soldier was exactly like the rest only one of them was a little different, he had but one leg, for he had been cast last of all, and there had not been enough tin to finish him; but he stood as firmly upon his one leg as the others on their two; and it was just this soldier who became remarkable.

On the table on which they had been placed stood many other playthings, but the toy that attracted most attention