Story the Fourth

A Prince and Princess

Gerda had to rest again. And there, hopping over the road right in front of where she sat was a large crow. For a long time it had sat and looked at her, and now it said, “Kra, Kra—Goo’day, Goo’day!”—it couldn’t say it any better, but it meant very kindly by the little girl, and asked where she was going all alone in the wide world. The words “all alone” Gerda understood very well; so she told the crow all the story of her life and asked if it had seen Kay. The crow nodded very thoughtfully, and said, “Maybe, maybe.”

“What? Do you think you have?” the little girl cried.

“I think it may be little Kay, but if so, he’s quite forgotten you for the Princess.”

“Does he live with a Princess?” asked Gerda.

“Yes, listen,” said the crow, “but I find it so hard to talk your speech. If you can understand crow-talk I can tell you better.”

“No, I haven’t learnt it,” said Gerda. “I wish I did.”

“Doesn’t matter,” said the crow, “I’ll tell you as well as I can.” So it told what it knew.

“In the kingdom where we are now there lives a Princess who is very clever. The other day she was sitting on her throne, which isn’t much fun, as people say; and she decided to find a husband; only she wanted a husband who knew how to answer when you talked to him, one that wasn’t very dull. So she gathered all the court ladies, and when they heard what she wanted, they were delighted. ‘We do like that,’ they said, ‘we were just thinking something of the sort the other day.’ Now you may be sure every word I’m telling you is true,” said the crow, “for I’ve got a sweetheart who goes everywhere about the palace, and she told me the whole thing.” Of course, the sweetheart was a crow too, for crow seeks his mate, and the mate’s always a crow.

“The newspapers came out immediately with the Princess’s monogram, and it said that any good-looking young man can come up to the palace and speak with the Princess, and the one that talked the best the Princess would take for her husband. The people came streaming in: there was a crowd and a commotion, but nothing came of it, neither on the first day nor the second. They could all talk well enough while they were out in the street, but when they came inside the palace and saw the guards and the footmen and the throne where the Princess was sitting, they couldn’t think of anything to say, and she didn’t care about hearing that again. There was a row of them reaching right from the town gate to the palace. I went there myself to look at it,” said the crow. “They got hungry and thirsty too. Some of the cleverest, to be sure, had brought a bit of bread and butter with them, but they didn’t share: they thought to themselves: ‘Just let him look hungry and the Princess won’t have him.’”

“But Kay, little Kay,” asked Gerda. “When did he come? Was he among all those people?”

“Give me time, give me time! It was the third day, and there came a little fellow without horse or carriage. He was quite cheerful and went straight up to the palace. His eyes shone like gems and he had lovely long hair, but his clothes were shabby.”

“It was Kay,” Gerda cried out. “Oh, then I’ve found him!” And she clapped her hands.

“He had a little bundle on his back,” the crow said.

“Ah, that must have been his sledge,” said Gerda.

“It might be that,” said the crow. “I didn’t look very close at it. I know from my sweetheart that when he came in at the palace gate and saw the guards and the footmen, he nodded and said to them: ‘It must be dull standing on the stairs. I’d sooner go in.’ The halls were shining with lights, and it was enough to make anybody feel solemn. His boots creaked dreadfully loud too.”

“That’s certainly Kay,” said Gerda. “I know he’d got some new boots, I heard them creak in Granny’s room.”

“He walked straight to the Princess, who was sitting on the throne, and all the court ladies with their maids and their maids’ maids, and all the courtiers with their men and their men’s men, were standing all around.”

“That must be scary,” said little Gerda, “and yet Kay won the Princess!”

“He spoke every bit as well as I do when I speak crow-talk, so my sweetheart tells me. He was cheerful and nice-looking. He had come to hear the Princess’s conversation, and he thought well of it, and she thought well of him.”

“Oh, yes! Certainly it’s Kay,” said Gerda. “He is clever. Oh, won’t you take me into the palace?”

“It’s easy enough to say that,” said the crow, “but how are we to manage it? I must talk to my sweetheart about it. I must tell you that a little girl like you will never be allowed to come right in.”

“When Kay hears I’m here, he’ll come out to me,” said Gerda.

“Well, wait for me here,” said the crow and flew off. Only when it was dark did he come back. “Rax! rax!” said he. “She sends you her best compliments, and here’s a small loaf for you which she took from the kitchen: I’m sure you’re hungry. You shall get in the palace. My sweetheart knows of a little backstair that leads to the bedroom, and she knows where she can get the key.”

They went into the garden. Oh, how Gerda’s heart beat with anxiety and longing! She felt as if she was going to do something wrong, yet all she wanted was to know if it was little Kay; why, it must be he; she imagined his clever eyes and his long hair; she could actually see how he would smile when they were sitting at home beneath the roses. How anxious and how glad she was!

They were now at the stairs: in the middle of the floor stood the tame crow, looking at Gerda, who curtsied as her grandmother had taught her to do.

“My betrothed has spoken most charmingly of you, my little lady,” said the tame crow. “If you will take the lamp, I will lead the way. We shall go by the shortest way, where we shall meet no one.”

They now entered the first chamber, which was of rose-red satin with worked flowers on the walls. Each chamber was handsomer than the last, it was enough to bewilder anyone; and now they were in the bedchamber. The roof was made to look like a palm tree with leaves of glass and in the middle of the floor there hung from a thick gold stem two beds, each made to look like a lily. One was white, and in it lay the Princess; the other was red, and there lay the Prince. Gerda bent down, called the boy’s name aloud and held the lamp over him. He woke, turned his head, and—it wasn’t little Kay.

Out of the white lily bed the Princess peeped and asked what was the matter. Then little Gerda burst into tears and told her whole story and all that the crows had done for her.

“Poor little dear!” said the Prince and the Princess, and they praised the crows. They were not angry with them, but all the same they warned the crows not to do it again. “Would you like to go free?” the Princess asked, “or would you like to live in the palace?”

Both crows bowed and asked to live in the palace, for they had their old age in mind. The Prince got up out of his bed and let Gerda sleep in it, and he couldn’t do more than that! She clasped her little hands and said: “How kind people and animals are.” And then she shut her eyes and slept.

Next day she was dressed in silk and velvet from top to toe and invited to stay at the palace and enjoy herself. But she begged only to have a little carriage and horse, and a pair of little boots, and she could find Kay. She was given both boots and a muff, and was dressed very nicely, and when she was ready to go a new carriage of pure gold drew up at the door. The arms of the Prince and Princess shone like a star on it. The Prince and Princess helped her into the carriage themselves and wished her the best of luck. Inside the carriage there was a provision of sugar twists, and inside the seat was fruit and gingerbread nuts. “Good-bye, good-bye!” shouted the Prince and Princess. Then the crow said, “Good-bye” and that was the hardest parting.

Exercises

2.1. Translate into Russian.

backstair, bundle, carriage, chamber, commotion, dead, downstream, dull, lily, muff, oddly, palace, precious, rusty, splendid, sunshine, tame, thirsty, to drift, witch

2.2. Answer the questions.

1. Where did Gerda go to search for Kay?

2. What color were Gerda’s new boots?

3. Who did Gerda meet at the house?

4. How many wooden soldiers were near the house?

5. What did Gerda eat at the house?

6. Were there any flowers missing from the garden?

7. Who told Gerda about the boy in the palace?

8. How did Gerda get into the palace?

9. Did the Princess help Gerda?

10. What did the Princess and the Prince give to Gerda?

2.3. Insert the right prepositions (about, after, at, for, in, into, on, to, with).

1. I’ll go down to the river and ask _____________ him.

2. She took her shoes and threw them _____________ the river.

3. I went there myself to look _____________ it.

4. There was nobody coming _____________ her.

5. I’ll put _____________ my new red shoes.

6. She went _____________ sleep in a lovely bed with red silk pillows.

7. The windows _____________ the house were placed very high up.

8. The old woman combed her hair _____________ a gold comb.

9. Does he live _____________ a Princess?

10. Wait _____________ me here.

2.4. Complete the sentences using the words below.

dressed • tears • autumn • skilled • sledge • true • towards • shining • creaked • dull

1. Many _____________ were shed.

2. Is that _____________ that you’ve taken Kay?

3. The river carried the boat straight _____________ the shore?

4. The old woman was _____________ in witchcraft.

5. The summer was over and it was late _____________.

6. It must be _______________ standing on the stairs.

7. The halls were _____________ with lights.

8. She was _____________ in silk and velvet.

9. His boots _____________ dreadfully loud.

10. That must’ve been his ___________.

2.5. True or false?

1. Gerda had a pair of new red shoes.

2. The river has taken Kay.

3. The boat that Gerda was in was being followed by pigeons.

4. The house had blue and green windows.

5. The old woman was skilled in witchcraft.

6. There was one flower missing from the garden.

7. The Prince had short hair.

8. The crows gave Gerda some food from the kitchen.

9. The Princess’s bed was red.

10. The crows decided to go free.