Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/363

Rh This frightened them, and they jumped up into the drawer of the window seat.

Here were three or four packs of cards which were not complete, and a small toy theater which had been put up as well as could be; a play was being acted, and all the queens of diamonds and hearts, clubs, and spades were sitting in the first row, fanning themselves with their tulips, and behind them stood all the knaves, showing they had heads both at top and bottom, as playing-cards generally have. The play was about two lovers who were not allowed to marry, and the shepherdess cried because it was just like her own story.

"I cannot bear it," she said ; "I must get out of this drawer." But when they got down on the floor and looked up at the table, the old Chinaman had awakened and all his body was rocking to and fro, although the bottom of him was a heavy lump.

"The old Chinaman is coming!" cried the little shepherdess, and fell down on her porcelain knees, so great was her distress.

"I have an idea," said the sweep; "let us creep into the great jar with potpourri, which stands in the corner; there we can lie on roses and lavender, and throw salt in his eyes when he comes."

"That will not do," she said; "besides, I know that the old Chinaman and the potpourri jar were once engaged, and there always remains a little kindly feeling between those who have stood in this relation to one another. No, there is no help for it; we must go out into the wide world."

"Have you really courage to go with me out into the wide world?" asked the sweep. " Have you considered how big it is, and that we can never come back here again?"

"Yes, I have," she said.

And the sweep looked fixedly at her, and then said: "My way lies through the chimney. Have you really courage to creep with me through the stove, both through the drum and the pipe? Then we get into the chimney, and there I know my way well. We shall climb up so high that they cannot reach us, and at the top there is a hole leading out to the wide world." And he led her to the door of the stove. " It looks dark in there," she said, but she went with him for all that, both through the drum of the stove and through the pipe, where it was pitch dark.

"Now we are in the chimney," he said; "and see! look at the beautiful star that is shining just above us!" And it was a real star in the sky which shone down on them, as if it wanted to show them the way. And they crawled and crept on, and a terrible way it was, so high, so very high ; but he lifted her and supported her. He held her and showed her the best places where she should put her little porcelain feet, and thus they reached right up to the top of