advanced. She had known nothing of this in the beautiful garden, where the
sun shone and the flowers grew all the year round.
“Oh, how I have wasted my time?” said little Gerda; “it is autumn. I must
not rest any longer,” and she rose up to go on. But her little feet were
wounded and sore, and everything around her looked so cold and bleak. The
long willow-leaves were quite yellow. The dew-drops fell like water, leaf
after leaf dropped from the trees, the sloe-thorn alone still bore fruit, but the
sloes were sour, and set the teeth on edge. Oh, how dark and weary the
whole world appeared!
Fourth Story: The Prince and Princess
Gerda was obliged to rest again, and just opposite the place where she
sat, she saw a great crow come hopping across the snow toward her. He
stood looking at her for some time, and then he wagged his head and said,
“Caw, caw; good-day, good-day.” He pronounced the words as plainly as he
could, because he meant to be kind to the little girl; and then he asked her
where she was going all alone in the wide world.
The word alone Gerda understood very well, and knew how much it
expressed. So then she told the crow the whole story of her life and
adventures, and asked him if he had seen little Kay.
The crow nodded his head very gravely, and said, “Perhaps I have-it may
be.”
“No! Do you think you have?” cried little Gerda, and she kissed the crow,
and hugged him almost to death with joy.
“Gently, gently,” said the crow. “I believe I know. I think it may be little
Kay; but he has certainly forgotten you by this time for the princess.”
“Does he live with a princess?” asked Gerda.
“Yes, listen,” replied the crow, “but it is so difficult to speak your
language. If you understand the crows’ language
better. Do you?”
