‘Would you like your liberty?’ said the Princess, ’or would you prefer permanent posts about the court as court crows, with perquisites from the kitchen?’

Both crows curtsied and begged for the permanent posts, for they thought of their old age, and said ’it was so good to have something for the old man,’ as they called it.

The Prince got up and allowed Gerda to sleep in his bed, and he could not have done more.  She folded her little hands, and thought ’how good the people and the animals are’; then she shut her eyes and fell fast asleep.  All the dreams came flying back again; this time they looked like angels, and they were dragging a little sledge with Kay sitting on it, and he nodded.  But it was only a dream; so it all vanished when she woke.

Next day she was dressed in silk and velvet from head to foot; they asked her to stay at the Palace and have a good time, but she only begged them to give her a little carriage and horse, and a little pair of boots, so that she might drive out into the wide world to look for Kay.

They gave her a pair of boots and a muff.  She was beautifully dressed, and when she was ready to start, there before the door stood a new chariot of pure gold.  The Prince’s and Princess’s coat of arms were emblazoned on it, and shone like a star.  Coachman, footman, and outrider, for there was even an outrider, all wore golden crowns.  The Prince and Princess themselves helped her into the carriage and wished her joy.  The wood crow, who was now married, accompanied her for the first three miles; he sat beside Gerda, for he could not ride with his back to the horses.  The other crow stood at the door and flapped her wings; she did not go with them, for she suffered from headache since she had become a kitchen pensioner—­the consequence of eating too much.  The chariot was stored with sugar biscuits, and there were fruit and ginger nuts under the seat.  ‘Good-bye, good-bye,’ cried the Prince and Princess; little Gerda wept, and the crow wept too.  At the end of the first few miles the crow said good-bye, and this was the hardest parting of all.  It flew up into a tree and flapped its big black wings as long as it could see the chariot, which shone like the brightest sunshine.

[1] Children have a kind of language, or gibberish, formed by adding letters or syllables to every word, which is called ‘crow’s language.’

FIFTH STORY

THE LITTLE ROBBER GIRL

[Illustration:  ’It is gold, it is gold!’ they cried.]

They drove on through a dark wood, where the chariot lighted up the way and blinded the robbers by its glare; it was more than they could bear.

‘It is gold, it is gold!’ they cried, and darting forward, seized the horses, and killed the postilions, the coachman, and footman.  They then dragged little Gerda out of the carriage.