“But I shall be there first,” replied the shadow, “and you will be sent to
prison.” And so it turned out, for the guards readily obeyed him, as they
knew he was going to marry the king’s daughter.
“You tremble,” said the princess, when the shadow appeared before her.
“Has anything happened? You must not be ill to-day, for this evening our
wedding will take place.”
“I have gone through the most terrible affair that could possibly happen,”
said the shadow; “only imagine, my shadow has gone mad; I suppose such a
poor, shallow brain, could not bear much; he fancies that he has become a
real man, and that I am his shadow.”
“How very terrible,” cried the princess; “is he locked up?”
“Oh yes, certainly; for I fear he will never recover.”
“Poor shadow!” said the princess; “it is very unfortunate for him; it
would really be a good deed to free him from his frail existence; and,
indeed, when I think how often people take the part of the lower class
against the higher, in these days, it would be policy to put him out of the
way quietly.”
“It is certainly rather hard upon him, for he was a faithful servant,” said
the shadow; and he pretended to sigh.
“Yours is a noble character,” said the princess, and bowed herself before
him.
