“You poor child,” said the prince and princess; then they praised the
crows, and said they were not angry for what they had done, but that it must
not happen again, and this time they should be rewarded.
“Would you like to have your freedom?” asked the princess, “or would
you prefer to be raised to the position of court crows, with all that is left in
the kitchen for yourselves?”
Then both the crows bowed, and begged to have a fixed appointment, for
they thought of their old age, and said it would be so comfortable to feel
that they had provision for their old days, as they called it. And then the
prince got out of his bed, and gave it up to Gerda,-he could do no more; and
she lay down. She folded her little hands, and thought, “How good
everyone is to me, men and animals too;” then she closed her eyes and fell
into a sweet sleep. All the dreams came flying back again to her, and they
looked like angels, and one of them drew a little sledge, on which sat Kay,
and nodded to her. But all this was only a dream, and vanished as soon as
she awoke.
The following day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet,
and they invited her to stay at the palace for a few days, and enjoy herself,
but she only begged for a pair of boots, and a little carriage, and a horse to
draw it, so that she might go into the wide world to seek for Kay. And she
obtained, not only boots, but also a muff, and she was neatly dressed; and
when she was ready to go, there, at the door, she found a coach made of
pure gold, with the coat-of-arms of the prince and princess shining upon it
like a star, and the coachman, footman, and outriders all wearing golden
crowns on their heads. The prince and princess themselves helped her into
the coach, and wished her success. The forest crow, who was now married,
accompanied her for the first three miles; he sat by Gerda’s side, as he could
not bear riding backwards. The tame crow stood in the door-way flapping
her wings. She could not go with them, because she had been suffering
from headache ever since the new appointment, no doubt from eating too
much. The coach was well stored with sweet cakes, and under the seat were
fruit and gingerbread nuts. “Farewell, farewell,” cried the prince and
