Page:Fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen (Walker).djvu/175

Rh in to the Princess looking hungry, that there would be more chance for themselves."

"But Kay, little Kay!" asked Gerda; "when did he come? was he amongst the crowd?"

"Give me time, give me time! we are just coming to him. It was on the third day that a little personage came marching cheerfully along, without either carriage or horse. His eyes sparkled like yours, and he had beautiful long hair, but his clothes were very shabby."

"Oh, that was Kay!" said Gerda gleefully; "then I have found him!" and she clapped her hands.

"He had a little knapsack on his back!" said the crow.

"No, it must have been his sledge; he had it with him when he went away!" said Gerda.

"It may be so," said the crow; "I did not look very particularly, but I know from my sweetheart that when he entered the Palace gates, and saw the life guards in their silver uniforms and the lackeys on the stairs in their gold laced liveries, he was not the least bit abashed. He just nodded to them and said, 'It must be very tiresome to stand upon the stairs. I am going inside!' The rooms were blazing with lights. Privy councillors and excellencies without number were walking about barefoot carrying golden vessels; it was enough to make you solemn! His boots creaked fearfully, too, but he wasn't a bit upset."

"Oh, I am sure that was Kay," said Gerda. "I know he had a pair of new boots; I heard them creaking in grandmother's room."

"Yes, indeed, they did creak!" said the crow. "But nothing daunted, he went straight up to the Princess, who was sitting on a pearl as big as a spinning wheel. Poor, simple boy! all the court ladies and their attendants, the courtiers, and their gentlemen, each attended by a page, were standing round. The nearer the door they stood, so much the greater was their haughtiness; till the footman's boy, who always wore