Then all at once the Duckling could flap its wings.  They beat the air more strongly than before, and bore it strongly away; and before it well knew how all this happened, it found itself in a great garden, where the elder-trees smelt sweet, and bent their long green branches down to the canal that wound through the region.  Oh, here it was so beautiful, such a gladness of spring! and from the thicket came three glorious white swans; they rustled their wings, and swam lightly on the water.  The Duckling knew the splendid creatures, and felt oppressed by a peculiar sadness.

“I will fly away to them, to the royal birds, and they will beat me, because I, that am so ugly, dare to come near them.  But it is all the same.  Better to be killed by them than to be pursued by ducks, and beaten by fowls, and pushed about by the girl who takes care of the poultry yard, and to suffer hunger in winter!” And it flew out into the water, and swam towards the beautiful swans; these looked at it, and came sailing down upon it with outspread wings.  “Kill me!” said the poor creature, and bent its head down upon the water, expecting nothing but death.  But what was this that it saw in the clear water?  It beheld its own image; and, lo! it was no longer a clumsy dark-gray bird, ugly and hateful to look at, but a—­swan!

It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard if one has only lain in a swan’s egg.

It felt quite glad at all the need and misfortune it had suffered, now it realised its happiness in all the splendour that surrounded it.  And the great swans swam round it, and stroked it with their beaks.

Into the garden came little children, who threw bread and corn into the water; and the youngest cried, “There is a new one!” and the other children shouted joyously, “Yes, a new one has arrived!” And they clapped their hands and danced about, and ran to their father and mother; and bread and cake were thrown into the water; and they all said, “The new one is the most beautiful of all! so young and handsome!” and the old swans bowed their heads before him.  Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his head under his wings, for he did not know what to do; he was so happy, and yet not at all proud.  He thought how he had been persecuted and despised; and now he heard them saying that he was the most beautiful of all birds.  Even the elder-tree bent its branches straight down into the water before him, and the sun shone warm and mild.  Then his wings rustled, he lifted his slender neck, and cried rejoicingly from the depths of his heart: 

“I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!”

CHAPTER XXIII

THE LIGHT PRINCESS

I

What!  No Children?

Once upon a time, so long ago that I have quite forgotten the date, there lived a king and queen who had no children.