Page:Fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen (Walker).djvu/202

164 FOURTH EVENING

"I went to a German play last night," said the moon. "It was in a little town; a stable had been turned into a theatre, that is to say, the stalls were left standing and furnished up to make boxes. All the woodwork was covered up with bright paper. A little iron chandelier hung from the low ceiling, and so that it might disappear into the roof, as in a big theatre, at the sound of the prompter's bell, an inverted tub was fixed above it. 'Ring-a-ting' went the bell; and the little chandelier made a spring of about a foot, and then one knew that the play had begun. A young prince and his consort, who were travelling through the town, were present at the performance. The house was crammed; only the place under the chandelier was left like a little crater; not a creature sat there, for the grease dropped. 'Drop, drop.' I saw it all, for it was so warm that all the loopholes had been opened. The lads and lasses outside were peeping in, notwithstanding that the police inside kept threatening them with their sticks. The noble pair sat in a couple of old arm-chairs close to the orchestra. The burgo-master and his wife usually occupied these, but on this occasion they were obliged to sit on the wooden benches, just as if they had been ordinary citizens. 'There, you see there is rank above rank!' was the quiet remark of the goodwives; and this incident gave a special air of festivity to the entertainment. The chandelier gave its little hops; the crowd was rapped over the knuckles, and I Yes, the moon saw the whole entertainment."

FIFTH EVENING

"Yesterday," said the moon, "I looked down upon the life of Paris, and my eye penetrated to some of the apartments in the Louvre. An old grandmother, poorly clad, belonging to the lower classes, accompanied by some of the subordinate attendants, entered the great empty throne room. She wanted