in the gardens or in the road. Along this road-a row of willow-trees had
been planted to separate it from a ditch on one side of it. They were not
very handsome trees, for the tops had been cut off; however, they were
intended for use, and not for show. The old willow-tree in the garden was
much handsomer, and therefore the children were very fond of sitting under
it. The town had a large market-place; and at the fair-time there would be
whole rows, like streets, of tents and booths containing silks and ribbons,
and toys and cakes, and everything that could be wished for. There were
crowds of people, and sometimes the weather would be rainy, and splash
with moisture the woollen Jeanets of the peasants; but it did not destroy the
beautiful fragrance of the honey-cakes and gingerbread with which one
booth was filled; and the best of it was, that the man who sold these cakes
always lodged during the fair-time with little Knud’s parents. So every now
and then he had a present of gingerbread, and of course Joanna always had
a share. And, more delightful still, the gingerbread seller knew all sorts of
things to tell and could even relate stories about his own gingerbread. So
one evening he told them a story that made such a deep impression on the
children that they never forgot it; and therefore I think we may as well hear
it too, for it is not very long.
“Once upon a time,” said he, “there lay on my counter two gingerbread
cakes, one in the shape of a man wearing a hat, the other of a maiden
without a bonnet. Their faces were on the side that was uppermost, for on
the other side they looked very different. Most people have a best side to
their characters, which they take care to show to the world. On the left, just
where the heart is, the gingerbread man had an almond stuck in to represent
it, but the maiden was honey cake all over. They were placed on the counter
as samples, and after lying there a long time they at last fell in love with
each other; but neither of them spoke of it to the other, as they should have
done if they expected anything to follow. ‘He is a man, he ought to speak
the first word,’ thought the gingerbread maiden; but she felt quite happy-she
was sure that her love was returned. But his thoughts were far more
ambitious, as the thoughts of a man often are. He dreamed that he was a real
