Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/299

Rh she may become lazy like yourself!" "Sit upon her forehead," she said to the other, "so that she may become ugly like yourself, and her father will not recognize her!" "Rest close to her heart," she whispered to the third; "let her heart become wicked, so that she may suffer through it!" She then put the toads into the clear water, which at once turned a greenish color. She called Elisa, undressed her, and let her go into the water, and as she ducked her head, one of the toads settled itself in her hair, the other on her forehead, and the third on her breast; but Elisa did not seem to notice them. As soon as she stood up, three red poppies were floating on the water; had the animals not been poisonous and had they not been kissed by the queen, they would have been turned into red roses; but they became flowers, however, through resting on her head and near her heart. She was too good and innocent for the witchcraft to have any power over her.

When the wicked queen saw this, she took some walnut juice and rubbed Elisa with it till she became quite brown, besmeared her pretty face with a nasty-smelling salve, and ruffled her lovely hair, so that it was impossible to recognize the beautiful Elisa.

When her father saw her he became quite frightened and said that she was not his daughter. Nobody but the bandog and the swallows would acknowledge her; but they were only humble animals and were of no importance.

Poor Elisa then began to cry and think of her eleven brothers, who were all lost to her. Greatly distressed in mind, she stole out of the palace and walked the whole day across fields and moors till she came to the big forest. She did not know where she wanted to go, but she felt so sad and longed so much for her brothers. No doubt they, like herself, had also been driven out into the world, and she made up her mind she would try to find them.

She had been only a short time in the forest when night set in; she had strayed away from the roads and paths, and so she lay down on the soft moss, said her evening prayers, and leaned her head up against the stump of a tree. All was still and quiet, the air was so mild; and round about, in the grass and on the moss, hundreds of glow-worms were shining like green fire. When she gently touched one of the branches above her, the shining insects fell down to her like shooting-stars.

The whole night long she dreamed about her brothers. They were again playing as children, writing with diamond pencils on golden slates, and looking at the most beautiful picture-book, which cost as much as half the kingdom. But they did not write strokes and pot-hooks as before — no, they wrote about the most valiant deeds which they had performed, and about everything they had seen and gone through. In the picture- book everything was alive — the birds were singing and the people came walking out of the book and spoke to Elisa and her brothers, but when