In the evening, the princess and the shadow danced together in the large
assembly rooms. She was light, but he was lighter still; she had never seen
such a dancer before. She told him from what country she had come, and
found he knew it and had been there, but not while she was at home. He had
looked into the windows of her father’s palace, both the upper and the lower
windows; he had seen many things, and could therefore answer the
princess, and make allusions which quite astonished her. She thought he
must be the cleverest man in all the world, and felt the greatest respect for
his knowledge. When she danced with him again she fell in love with him,
which the shadow quickly discovered, for she had with her eyes looked him
through and through. They danced once more, and she was nearly telling
him, but she had some discretion; she thought of her country, her kingdom,
and the number of people over whom she would one day have to rule. “He
is a clever man,” she thought to herself, “which is a good thing, and he
dances admirably, which is also good. But has he well-grounded
knowledge? that is an important question, and I must try him.” Then she
asked him a most difficult question, she herself could not have answered it,
and the shadow made a most unaccountable grimace.
“You cannot answer that,” said the princess.
“I learnt something about it in my childhood,” he replied; “and believe
that even my very shadow, standing over there by the door, could answer
it.”
“Your shadow,” said the princess; “indeed that would be very
remarkable.”
“I do not say so positively,” observed the shadow; “but I am inclined to
believe that he can do so. He has followed me for so many years, and has
heard so much from me, that I think it is very likely. But your royal
highness must allow me to observe, that he is very proud of being
considered a man, and to put him in a good humor, so that he may answer
correctly, he must be treated as a man.”
