Page:The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (c1899).djvu/202

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ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES

As the princess then rode into the palace-yard, accompanied by all her ladies, they went out to greet her. She was marvellously fair to look upon, as she presented her hand to Johannes. And he thought a great deal more of her than he did before ; and felt certain she could not be a wicked witch, as everybody said she was. They then went into a room where little pages handed them sweetmeats and gingerbread-nuts. But the old king was so out of sorts, he could not eat at all. Besides, the gingerbread-nuts were too hard for him.

It was agreed that Johannes should return to the palace on the following morning, when the judges and the whole council would be assembled to see and hear how the guessing was carried on. If he succeeded, he was then to return twice more ; but there never yet had been anybody who had been able to solve any question the first time, and in each case his life was forfeited.

Johannes felt no an.xiety as to how he should fare. On the contrary, he was pleased, and thought onl>' of the beautiful princess ; and was quite confident that God would help him through his trials. Though how this was to be accomplished he knew not, and preferred not troubling himself to think about the matter. He capered along on the high-road, as he returned to the inn where his fellow-traveller was waiting his return,

Johannes could not cease expatiating on the gracious reception he had met with from the princess, and on her extreme beauty. He quite longed for the morrow, when he was to go to the palace and try his luck at guessing.

But his fellow-traveller shook his head mournfully. " I wish you so well ! " said he. " VVe might have re- mained together a good deal longer, and now I must lose you ! Poor, dear Johannes ! I could weep, only I will not spoil your joy on the last evening that we may ever spend together. VVe will be merry — right merry ! To-morrow, when you are gone, I shall be able to weep undisturbed."

All the inhabitants of the town had immediately heard that there was a new suitor for the princess's hand, and there prevailed universal consternation. The theatre was closed ; the pastry-cooks put crape round their sugar- husbands ; and the king and the priests were on their knees in the church. This sadness was occasioned by the conviction that Johannes could not succeed better than all the other suitors had done.

Towards evening Johannes' fellow-traveller prepared a

goodly bowl of punch, and said : " Now let us be merry,

and drink the princess's health." But after drinking a

couple of glasses, Johannes proved so sleepy, that he could

not possibly keep his eyes open, and fell fast asleep.

His fellow-traveller then lifted him gently out of his chair,

and laid him in bed ; and when it was quite dark, he

took the two large wings he had cut off from the dead

swan, and fastened them firmly to his own shoulders. He

then put into his pocket the largest rod that he had obtained from the old woman who fell and

broke her leg ; and opening the window, he flew over the town, straight to the palace, where he

placed himself in an upper corner of the building right under the princess's bed-chamber.

The whole town was perfectly quiet. The clock now struck a quarter to twelve, when the window opened, and the princess, wrapped in a flowing white mantle, and provided with a pair of black wings, flew over the citj- towards a large mountain. But the fellow-traveller made himself invisible ; and as he flew behind the princess, he thrashed her with his rod till she bled. What a strange flight through the air it was ! The wind caught her mantle, which swelled out on all sides like the large sail of a ship, and the moon shone through it.

" How it does hail, to be sure ! " said the princess, at every blow she received from the rod ;

THE PRINCESS, WRAPPED IN A FLOWING WHITE ROBE, AND PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF BLACK WINGS, FLEW OVER THE CITY.