serious. His boots creaked loudly as he walked, and yet he was not at all
uneasy.”
“It must be Kay,” said Gerda, “I know he had new boots on, I have heard
them creak in grandmother’s room.”
“They really did creak,” said the crow, “yet he went boldly up to the
princess herself, who was sitting on a pearl as large as a spinning wheel,
and all the ladies of the court were present with their maids, and all the
cavaliers with their servants; and each of the maids had another maid to
wait upon her, and the cavaliers’ servants had their own servants, as well as
a page each. They all stood in circles round the princess, and the nearer they
stood to the door, the prouder they looked. The servants’ pages, who always
wore slippers, could hardly be looked at, they held themselves up so
proudly by the door.”
“It must be quite awful,” said little Gerda, “but did Kay win the
princess?”
“If I had not been a crow,” said he, “I would have married her myself,
although I am engaged. He spoke just as well as I do, when I speak the
crows’ language, so I heard from my tame sweetheart. He was quite free
and agreeable and said he had not come to woo the princess, but to hear her
wisdom; and he was as pleased with her as she was with him.”
“Oh, certainly that was Kay,” said Gerda, “he was so clever; he could
work mental arithmetic and fractions. Oh, will you take me to the palace?”
“It is very easy to ask that,” replied the crow, “but how are we to manage
it? However, I will speak about it to my tame sweetheart, and ask her
advice; for I must tell you it will be very difficult to gain permission for a
little girl like you to enter the palace.”
“Oh, yes; but I shall gain permission easily,” said Gerda, “for when Kay
hears that I am here, he will come out and fetch me in immediately.”
“Wait for me here by the palings,” said the crow, wagging his head as he
flew away.
