Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/215

Rh emperor, as he stepped out on the balcony; he rubbed his eyes and put on his spectacles." Why, it is the maids of honor at some of their tricks. I shall have to go down there!" And so he pulled up his slippers at the back; for they were shoes which were trodden down at the heel. Gracious goodness! what a hurry he was in!

As soon as he came down into the courtyard, he began to walk quietly; the maids of honor were so taken up with counting the kisses in order that there might be fair play — that he should not get too many, but at the same time not too few — they did not notice the emperor. He raised himself on the tips of his toes.

"What does this mean?" he exclaimed, when he saw them kissing, and he hit them on the head with his slipper, just as the swineherd got his eightieth kiss. "Off you go!" shouted the emperor, for he was angry, and both the princess and the swineherd were expelled from his empire.

There she was sitting, crying, while the swineherd was scolding and the rain pouring down.

"Oh, what a miserable creature I am!" cried the princess; "if only I had taken that handsome prince ! Oh, how unhappy I am!"

And the swineherd went behind a tree, rubbed the blacking off his face, threw aside the dirty clothes, and stepped out in his princely dress, looking so handsome and grand that the princess could not help courtesying to him.

"I have learned to despise you!" he said, "You would not have an honest prince! You did not understand the rose and the nightingale, but you could kiss the swineherd for the sake of a musical toy ! Now you can make the best of it!" And so he went into his kingdom, shut the door after him, and bolted it; she could now stand outside and sing:

"Oh, thou darling Augustin,

All's lost and gone!"