“It may be all very pretty what you are telling me,” said little Gerda, “but
you speak so mournfully, and you do not mention little Kay at all.”
What do the hyacinths say? “There were three beautiful sisters, fair and
delicate. The dress of one was red, of the second blue, and of the third pure
white. Hand in hand they danced in the bright moonlight, by the calm lake;
but they were human beings, not fairy elves. The sweet fragrance attracted
them, and they disappeared in the wood; here the fragrance became
stronger. Three coffins, in which lay the three beautiful maidens, glided
from the thickest part of the forest across the lake. The fire-flies flew lightly
over them, like little floating torches. Do the dancing maidens sleep, or are
they dead? The scent of the flower says that they are corpses. The evening
bell tolls their knell.”
“You make me quite sorrowful,” said little Gerda; “your perfume is so
strong, you make me think of the dead maidens. Ah! is little Kay really
dead then? The roses have been in the earth, and they say no.”
“Cling, clang,” tolled the hyacinth bells. “We are not tolling for little
Kay; we do not know him. We sing our song, the only one we know.”
Then Gerda went to the buttercups that were glittering amongst the bright
green leaves.
“You are little bright suns,” said Gerda; “tell me if you know where I can
find my play-fellow.”
And the buttercups sparkled gayly, and looked again at Gerda. What song
could the buttercups sing? It was not about Kay.
“The bright warm sun shone on a little court, on the first warm day of
spring. His bright beams rested on the white walls of the neighboring house;
and close by bloomed the first yellow flower of the season, glittering like
gold in the sun’s warm ray. An old woman sat in her arm chair at the house
door, and her granddaughter, a poor and pretty servant-maid came to see her
for a short visit. When she kissed her grandmother there was gold
everywhere: the gold of the heart in that holy kiss; it was a golden morning;
there was gold in the beaming sunlight, gold in the leaves of the lowly
