it for the howling of the storm. And these things were never to be beautiful
for them; for if the ship sank, the men were drowned, and their dead bodies
alone reached the palace of the Sea King.
When the sisters rose, arm-in-arm, through the water in this way, their
youngest sister would stand quite alone, looking after them, ready to cry,
only that the mermaids have no tears, and therefore they suffer more. “Oh,
were I but fifteen years old,” said she: “I know that I shall love the world up
there, and all the people who live in it.”
At last she reached her fifteenth year. “Well, now, you are grown up,”
said the old dowager, her grandmother; “so you must let me adorn you like
your other sisters;” and she placed a wreath of white lilies in her hair, and
every flower leaf was half a pearl. Then the old lady ordered eight great
oysters to attach themselves to the tail of the princess to show her high rank.
“But they hurt me so,” said the little mermaid.
“Pride must suffer pain,” replied the old lady. Oh, how gladly she would
have shaken off all this grandeur, and laid aside the heavy wreath! The red
flowers in her own garden would have suited her much better, but she could
not help herself: so she said, “Farewell,” and rose as lightly as a bubble to
the surface of the water. The sun had just set as she raised her head above
the waves; but the clouds were tinted with crimson and gold, and through
the glimmering twilight beamed the evening star in all its beauty. The sea
was calm, and the air mild and fresh. A large ship, with three masts, lay
becalmed on the water, with only one sail set; for not a breeze stiffed, and
the sailors sat idle on deck or amongst the rigging. There was music and
song on board; and, as darkness came on, a hundred colored lanterns were
lighted, as if the flags of all nations waved in the air. The little mermaid
swam close to the cabin windows; and now and then, as the waves lifted her
up, she could look in through clear glass window-panes, and see a number
of well-dressed people within. Among them was a young prince, the most
beautiful of all, with large black eyes; he was sixteen years of age, and his
birthday was being kept with much rejoicing. The sailors were dancing on
deck, but when the prince came out of the cabin, more than a hundred
