bridegroom went on board ship; cannons were roaring, flags waving, and in
the centre of the ship a costly tent of purple and gold had been erected. It
contained elegant couches, for the reception of the bridal pair during the
night. The ship, with swelling sails and a favorable wind, glided away
smoothly and lightly over the calm sea. When it grew dark a number of
colored lamps were lit, and the sailors danced merrily on the deck. The little
mermaid could not help thinking of her first rising out of the sea, when she
had seen similar festivities and joys; and she joined in the dance, poised
herself in the air as a swallow when he pursues his prey, and all present
cheered her with wonder. She had never danced so elegantly before. Her
tender feet felt as if cut with sharp knives, but she cared not for it; a sharper
pang had pierced through her heart. She knew this was the last evening she
should ever see the prince, for whom she had forsaken her kindred and her
home; she had given up her beautiful voice, and suffered unheard-of pain
daily for him, while he knew nothing of it. This was the last evening that
she would breathe the same air with him, or gaze on the starry sky and the
deep sea; an eternal night, without a thought or a dream, awaited her: she
had no soul and now she could never win one. All was joy and gayety on
board ship till long after midnight; she laughed and danced with the rest,
while the thoughts of death were in her heart. The prince kissed his
beautiful bride, while she played with his raven hair, till they went arm-in-
arm to rest in the splendid tent. Then all became still on board the ship; the
helmsman, alone awake, stood at the helm. The little mermaid leaned her
white arms on the edge of the vessel, and looked towards the east for the
first blush of morning, for that first ray of dawn that would bring her death.
She saw her sisters rising out of the flood: they were as pale as herself; but
their long beautiful hair waved no more in the wind, and had been cut off.
“We have given our hair to the witch,” said they, “to obtain help for you,
that you may not die to-night. She has given us a knife: here it is, see it is
very sharp. Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the
prince; when the warm blood falls upon your feet they will grow together
again, and form into a fish’s tail, and you will be once more a mermaid, and
