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THE DIAMOND FAIRY BOOK.
_UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME_
Each in square 8vo, richly bound in cloth gilt and gilt edges, =3s. 6d.=
THE RUBY FAIRY BOOK
With 8 beautiful coloured plates by Frank Pape and 77 drawings by H.
R. Millar.
THE GOLDEN FAIRY BOOK
With 8 beautiful coloured plates by Frank Pape and 110 drawings by H.
R. Millar.
THE SILVER FAIRY BOOK
With 8 beautiful coloured plates by Norman Little and 83 illustrations
by H. R. Millar.
[Illustration: "Upon the back of his noble steed the Prince gallantly
lifted his beautiful charge."
FRONTISPIECE. _page 273_]
[Illustration: THE DIAMOND FAIRY BOOK
COMPRISING STORIES BY
ISABEL BELLERBY
Z. TOPELIUS.
MRS. EGERTON EASTWICK.
CLEMENS BRENTANO.
XAVIER MARMIER.
J. JARRY.
W. HAUFF.
RICHARD LEANDER.
K. E. SUTTER.
SAINT-JUIRS.
A. GODIN.
PAULINE SCHANZ.]
With 8 Coloured Plates by FRANK PAPE and 82 Drawings by H. R. MILLAR
LONDON
HUTCHINSON & CO.
PATERNOSTER ROW
PRINTED BY HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
PRINCESS CRYSTAL, OR THE HIDDEN TREASURE. 1
_By Isabel Bellerby._
THE STORY OF THE INVISIBLE KINGDOM. 15
_From the German of Richard Leander._
HOW SAMPO LAPPELILL SAW THE MOUNTAIN KING. 35
_From the Swedish of Z. Topelius._
THE WITCH-DANCER'S DOOM. 51
_A Breton Legend._
THE THREE VALLEYS. 61
_From the German._
THE SPRING-TIDE OF LOVE. 77
_By Pleydell North (Mrs. Egerton Eastwick)._
RINGFALLA BRIDGE. 97
_By K. E. Sutter._
THE CHILDREN'S FAIRY. 113
_From the French of Saint-Juirs._
WITTYSPLINTER. 127
_From the German of Clemens Brentano._
THE MID-DAY ROCK. 143
_From the French of J. Jarry._
LILLEKORT. 157
_From the French of Xavier Marmier._
THE TEN LITTLE FAIRIES. 169
_From the French of Georges Mitchell._
THE MAGICIAN AND HIS PUPIL. 185
_From the German of A. Godin._
THE STRAWBERRY THIEF. 201
_From the German of Pauline Schanz._
THE ADVENTURES OF SAID. 217
_From the German of W. Hauff._
LITTLE BLUE FLOWER. 241
_From the German of Miss F. E. Hynam._
"THE PRINCESS WHO DESPISED ALL MEN." 257
_By Charles Smith Cheltnam._
THE NECKLACE OF TEARS. 277
_By Mrs. Egerton Eastwick._
THE PRINCE AND THE LIONS. 297
_From the Persian._
Princess Crystal, or the Hidden Treasure.
[Illustration]
PRINCESS CRYSTAL OR THE HIDDEN TREASURE.
A Story by Isabel Bellerby.
THERE were the four Kings: the King of the North, the region of
perpetual snow; the King of the South, where the sun shines all the year
round; the King of the East, from whence the cold winds blow; and the
King of the West, where the gentle zephyrs breathe upon the flowers, and
coax them to open their petals while the rest of the world is still
sleeping.
And there was the great Dragon, who lived on top of a high mountain in
the centre of the universe. He could see everything that happened
everywhere by means of his magic spectacles, which enabled him to look
all ways at once, and to see through solid substances; but he could only
see, not hear, for he was as deaf as a post.
Now the King of the North had a beautiful daughter called Crystal. Her
eyes were bright like the stars; her hair was black like the sky at
night; and her skin was as white as the snow which covered the ground
outside the palace where she lived, which was built entirely of crystals
clear as the clearest glass.
And the King of the South had a son who had been named Sunshine on
account of his brightness and warmth of heart.
The King of the East had a son who, because he was always up early and
was very industrious, had been given the name of Sunrise.
The King of the West also had a son, perhaps the handsomest of the
three, and always magnificently dressed; but as it took him all day to
make his toilette, so that he was never seen before evening, he received
the name of Sunset.
All three Princes were in love with the Princess Crystal, each hoping to
win her for his bride. When they had the chance they would go and peep
at her as she wandered up and down in her glass palace. But she liked
Prince Sunshine best, because he stayed longer than the others, and was
always such excellent company. Prince Sunrise was too busy to be able to
spare her more than half an hour or so; and Prince Sunset never came
until she was getting too tired and sleepy to care to see him.
It was of no use, however, for her to hope that Sunshine would be her
husband just because she happened to prefer him to the others. Her
father--the stern, blusterous old King, with a beard made of icicles so
long that it reached to his waist and kept his heart cold--declared
that he had no patience for such nonsense as likes and dislikes; and one
day he announced, far and wide, in a voice that was heard by the other
three Kings, and which made the earth shake so that the great green
Dragon immediately looked through his spectacles to see what was
happening:
"He who would win my daughter must first bring me the casket containing
the Hidden Treasure, which is concealed no man knows where!"
Of course the Dragon was none the wiser for looking through his
spectacles, because the words--loud though they were--could not be heard
by his deaf ears.
But the other Kings listened diligently; as did the young Princes. And
poor Princess Crystal trembled in her beautiful palace lest Sunrise, who
was always up so early, should find the treasure before Sunshine had a
chance: she was not much afraid of the indolent Sunset, except that it
might occur to him to look in some spot forgotten by his rivals.
Very early indeed on the following morning did Prince Sunrise set to
work; he glided along the surface of the earth, keeping close to the
ground in his anxiety not to miss a single square inch. He knew he was
not first in the field; for the Northern King's proclamation had been
made towards evening on the previous day, and Prince Sunset had
bestirred himself for once, and had lingered about rather later than
usual, being desirous of finding the treasure and winning the charming
Princess.
But the early morning was passing, and very soon the cheery,
indefatigable Sunshine had possession of the entire land, and flooded
Crystal's palace with a look from his loving eyes which bade her not
despair.
Then he talked to the trees and the green fields and the flowers,
begging them to give up the secret in return for the warmth and gladness
he shed so freely on them. But they were silent, except that the trees
sighed their sorrow at not being able to help him, and the long grasses
rustled a whispered regret, and the flowers bowed their heads in grief.
Not discouraged, however, Prince Sunshine went to the brooks and rivers,
and asked their assistance. But they, too, were helpless. The brooks
gurgled out great tears of woe, which rushed down to the rivers, and so
overcame them--sorry as they were on account of their own inability to
help--that they nearly overflowed their banks, and went tumbling into
the sea, who, of course, wanted to know what was the matter; but, when
told, all the sea could do was to thunder a loud and continuous "No!" on
all its beaches. So Prince Sunshine had to pass on and seek help
elsewhere.
He tried to make the great Dragon understand; but it could not hear him.
Other animals could, though, and he went from one to another, as
cheerful as ever, in spite of all the "Noes" he had met with; until, at
last, he knew by the twittering of the birds that he was going to be
successful.
[Illustration: "'MY ROBE IS OF SNOW,' SHE FALTERED" (_p._ 8).]
"We go everywhere and learn most things," said the swallows, flying up
and down in the air, full of excitement and joy at being able to reward
their beloved Sunshine for all his kindness to them. "And we know this
much, at any rate: the Hidden Treasure can only be found by him who
looks at its hiding-place through the Dragon's magic spectacles."
Prince Sunshine exclaimed that he would go at once and borrow these
wonderful spectacles; but a solemn-looking old owl spoke up:
"Be not in such a hurry, most noble Prince! The Dragon will slay any
one--even so exalted a personage as yourself--who attempts to remove
those spectacles while he is awake; and, as is well known, he never
allows himself to sleep, for fear of losing some important sight."
"Then what is to be done?" asked the Prince, beginning to grow impatient
at last, for the afternoon was now well advanced, and Prince Sunset
would soon be on the war-path again.
A majestic eagle came swooping down from the clouds.
"There is only one thing in all the world," said he, "which can send the
Dragon to sleep, and that is a caress from the hand of the Princess
Crystal."
Sunshine waited to hear no more. Smiling his thanks, he hastened away to
put his dear Crystal's love to the test. She had never yet ventured
outside the covered gardens of her palace. Would she go with him now,
and approach the great Dragon, and soothe its savage watchfulness into
the necessary repose?
As he made the request, there stole into the Princess's cheeks the first
faint tinge of colour that had ever been seen there.
[Illustration: "HE LEARNED THE SECRET AT ONCE" (_p._ 11).]
"My robe is of snow," she faltered; "if I go outside these crystal
walls into your radiant presence it will surely melt."
"You look as if you yourself would melt at my first caress, you
beautiful, living snowflake," replied the Prince; "but have no fear:
see, I have my own mantle ready to enfold you. Come, Princess, and trust
yourself to me."
Then, for the first time in her life, Princess Crystal stole out of her
palace, and was immediately wrapped in Prince Sunshine's warm mantle,
which caused her to glow all over; her face grew quite rosy, and she
looked more than usually lovely, so that the Prince longed to kiss her;
but she was not won yet, and she might have been offended at his taking
such a liberty.
Therefore, he had to be content to have her beside him in his golden
chariot with the fiery horses, which flew through space so quickly that
they soon stood on the high mountain, where the Dragon sat watching them
through his spectacles, wondering what the Princess was doing so far
from home, and what her father would think if he discovered her absence.
It was no use explaining matters to the Dragon, even had they wished to
do so; but of course nothing was further from their intention.
Holding Prince Sunshine's hand to give her courage, the Princess
approached the huge beast and timidly laid her fingers on his head.
"This is very nice and soothing," thought the Dragon, licking his lips;
"very kind of her to come, I'm sure; but--dear me!--this won't do! I'm
actually--going--to--sleep!"
He tried to rise, but the gentle hand prevented that. A sensation of
drowsiness stole through all his veins, which would have been delightful
but for his determination never to sleep. As it was, he opened his mouth
to give a hiss that would surely have frightened the poor Princess out
of her wits; but he fell asleep before he could so much as begin it; his
mouth remained wide open; but his eyes closed, and his great head began
to nod in a very funny manner.
Directly they were satisfied that he really slept, Prince Sunshine
helped himself to the Dragon's spectacles, requesting the Princess not
to remove her hand, lest the slumber should not last long enough for
their purpose.
Then he put on the spectacles, and Princess Crystal exclaimed with fear
and horror when--as though in result of his doing so--she saw her
beloved Prince plunge his right hand into the Dragon's mouth.
Prince Sunshine had stood facing the huge beast as he transferred the
spectacles to his own nose, and, naturally enough, the first thing he
saw through them was the interior of the Dragon's mouth, with the tongue
raised and shot forward in readiness for the hiss which sleep had
intercepted; and under the tongue was the golden casket containing the
Hidden Treasure!
The spectacles enabled the Prince to see through the cover; so he
learned the secret at once, and knew why the King of the North was so
anxious to possess himself of it, the great treasure being a pair of
spectacles exactly like those hitherto always worn by the Dragon, and by
him alone--which would keep the King informed of all that was going on
in every corner of his kingdom, so that he could always punish or reward
the right people and never make mistakes; also he could learn a great
deal of his neighbours' affairs, which is pleasant even to a King.
The Princess was overjoyed when she knew the casket was already found;
she very nearly removed her hand in her eagerness to inspect it; but,
fortunately, she remembered just in time, and kept quite still until
Prince Sunshine had drawn his chariot so close that they could both get
into it without moving out of reach of the Dragon's head.
Then, placing the spectacles, not in their accustomed place, but on the
ground just beneath, and laying the golden casket on the Princess's lap,
the Prince said, as he gathered up the reins:
"Now, my dearly beloved Crystal--really mine at last--take away your
hand, and let us fly, without an instant's delay, to the Court of the
King, your royal father."
It is well they had prepared for immediate departure. Directly the
Princess's hand was raised from the Dragon's head his senses returned to
him, and, finding his mouth open ready for hissing, he hissed with all
his angry might, and looked about for his spectacles that he might
pursue and slay those who had robbed him; for, of course, he missed the
casket at once.
But he was a prisoner on that mountain and unable to leave it, though he
flapped his great wings in terrible wrath when he saw the Prince and
Princess, instead of driving down the miles and miles of mountain side
as he had hoped, being carried by the fiery horses right through the
air, where he could not reach them.
They only laughed when they heard the hiss and the noise made by the
useless flapping of wings. Prince Sunshine urged on his willing steeds,
and they arrived at the Court just as the King, Crystal's father, was
going to dinner; and he was so delighted at having the treasure he had
so long coveted, that he ordered the marriage to take place at once.
Prince Sunset called just in time to be best man, looking exceedingly
gorgeous and handsome, though very disappointed to have lost the
Princess; and the festivities were kept up all night, so that Prince
Sunrise was able to offer his good wishes when he came early in the
morning, flushed with the haste he had made to assure Prince Sunshine
that he bore him no ill-will for having carried off the prize.
Princess Crystal never returned to her palace, except to peep at it
occasionally. She liked going everywhere with her husband, who, she
found, lived by no means an idle life, but went about doing
good--grumbled at sometimes, of course, for some people will grumble
even at their best friend--but more generally loved and blessed by all
who knew him.
The Story of the Invisible Kingdom.
[Illustration]
The Story of the Invisible Kingdom.
From the German of Richard Leander.
IN a little house half-way up the mountain-side, and about a mile from
the other houses of the village, there lived with his old father a young
man called George. There was just enough land belonging to the house to
enable the father and son to live free from care.
Immediately behind the house the wood began, the oak trees and beech
trees in which were so old that the grandchildren of the people who had
planted them had been dead for more than a hundred years, but in front
of the house there lay a broken old mill-stone--who knows how it got
there? Any one sitting on the stone would have a wonderful view of the
valley down below, with the river flowing through it, and of the
mountains rising on the other side of the river. In the evening, when he
had finished his work in the fields, George often sat here for hours at
a time dreaming, with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands;
and because he cared little for the villagers, but generally went about
silent and absorbed like one who is thinking of all sorts of things, the
people nicknamed him "George the Dreamer." But he did not mind it at
all.
The older he grew, the more silent he became, and when at last his old
father died, and he had buried him under a great old oak tree, he became
quite silent. Then, when he sat on the broken mill-stone, as he did more
often than before, and looked down into the lovely valley, and saw how
the evening mists came into the valley at one end and slowly climbed the
mountains, and how it then became darker and darker, until at last the
moon and the stars appeared in the sky in their full glory, a wonderful
feeling came into his heart. The waves of the river began to sing, quite
softly at first, but gradually louder, until they could be heard quite
plainly; and they sang of the mountains, down from which they had come,
and of the sea, to which they wished to go, and of the nixies who lived
far down at the bottom of the river. Then the forest began to rustle,
quite differently from an ordinary forest, and it used to relate the
most wonderful tales. The old oak tree especially, which stood at his
father's grave, knew far more than all the other trees. The stars, high
up in the sky, wanted so much to tumble down into the green forest and
the blue water, that they twinkled and sparkled as if they could not
bear it any longer. But the angels who stand behind the stars held them
firmly in their places, and said: "Stars, stars, don't be foolish! You
are much too old to do silly things--many thousand years old, and more.
Stay quietly in your places."
[Illustration: "IN THE SWING SAT A CHARMING PRINCESS" (_p._ 20).]
It was truly a wonderful valley! But it was only George the Dreamer who
heard and saw all that. The people who lived in the valley had not a
suspicion of it, for they were quite ordinary people. Now and then they
hewed down a huge old tree, cut it up into firewood, and made a high
stack, and then they said: "Now we shall be able to make our coffee
again for some time." In the river they washed their clothes; it was
very convenient. And even when the stars sparkled most beautifully, they
only said, "It will be very cold to-night: let us hope our potatoes
won't freeze." Once George the Dreamer tried to bring them to see
differently, but they only laughed at him. They were just quite ordinary
people.
Now, one day as he was sitting on the mill-stone and thinking that he
was quite alone in the world, he fell asleep. Then he dreamt that he
saw, hanging down from the sky, a golden swing, which was fastened to
two stars by silver ropes. In the swing sat a charming Princess, who was
swinging so high that each time she touched the sky, then the earth, and
then the sky again. Each time the swing came near the earth, the
Princess clapped her hands with joy and threw George the Dreamer a rose.
But suddenly the ropes broke, and the swing, with the Princess, flew far
into the sky, farther and farther, until at last he could see it no
longer.
Then he woke up, and when he looked round, he saw a great bunch of
roses lying beside him on the mill-stone.
The next day he went to sleep again, and dreamt the same thing, and when
he woke up the roses were lying on the stone by his side.
This happened every day for a whole week. Then George said to himself
that some part of the dream must be true, because he always dreamt
exactly the same thing. So he shut up his house, and set out to seek the
Princess.
After he had travelled for many days, he saw in the distance a country
where the clouds touched the earth. He hastened towards it, but came, on
his way, to a large forest. Here he suddenly heard fearful groans and
cries, and on approaching the place from which they seemed to come, he
saw a venerable old man with a silver-grey beard lying on the ground.
Two horribly ugly, naked fellows were kneeling on him, trying to
strangle him. Then George the Dreamer looked round to see whether he
could find some sort of weapon with which to run the two fellows through
the body; but he could find nothing, so, in mortal terror, he tore down
a huge tree-trunk. He had scarcely seized it when it changed in his
hands into a mighty halberd. Then he rushed at the two monsters, and ran
them through the body, and they let go the old man and ran away howling.
Then George lifted the old man up and comforted him, and asked him why
the two fellows had wanted to choke him. The old man said that he was
the King of Dreams, and had come by mistake into the kingdom of his
greatest enemy, the King of Realities. The latter, as soon as he noticed
this, had sent two of his servants to lie in wait for him and kill him.
"Have you then done the King of Realities any harm?" asked George the
Dreamer.
"God forbid!" the old man assured him. "He is always very easily
provoked, that is his character. And me he hates like poison."
"But the fellows he sent to strangle you were quite naked!"
"Yes, indeed," said the King, "stark naked. That is fashion in the land
of Realities; all the people, even the King, go about naked, and are not
at all ashamed. They are an abominable nation. But now, since you have
saved my life, I will prove my gratitude to you by showing you my
country. It is the most glorious country in the whole world, and Dreams
are my subjects."
Then the Dream-King went on in front and George followed him. When they
came to the place where the clouds touched the earth, the King showed
him a trap-door that was so well hidden in the thicket that not even a
person who knew it was there would have been able to find it. He lifted
it up and led his companion down five hundred steps into a brightly
lighted grotto that stretched for miles in undiminished splendour. It
was unspeakably beautiful. There were castles on islands in the midst of
large lakes, and the islands floated about like ships. If you wished to
go into one of them, all you had to do was to stand on the bank and call
out:--
Little castle, swim to me,
That I may get into thee.
[Illustration: "GEORGE COULD DO NOTHING BUT WONDER AND ADMIRE" (_p._
24).]
Then it came to the shore by itself. Farther on were other castles, on
clouds, floating slowly in the air. But if you said:--
Float down, little castle in the air,
Take me up to see thy beauties rare,
they slowly floated down. Besides these, there were gardens with flowers
which gave out a sweet smell by day, and a bright light by night;
beautifully tinted birds, which told stories; and a host of other
wonderful things. George could do nothing but wonder and admire.
"Now I will show you my subjects, the Dreams," said the King. "I have
three kinds--good Dreams for good people, bad Dreams for bad people, and
also Dream-goblins. With the last I amuse myself now and then, for a
King must sometimes have a joke."
So he took George into one of the castles, which was so queerly built
that it looked irresistibly comical.
"Here the Dream-goblins live: they are a tiny, high-spirited, roguish
lot--never do any harm, but love to tease." Then he called to one of the
goblins: "Come here, little man, and be serious a moment for once in
your life. Do you know," he continued, addressing George, "what this
rogue does if I, once in a way, allow him to go down to the earth? He
runs to the next house, drags the first man he comes across, who is
sound asleep, out of bed, carries him to the church tower, and throws
him down, head over heels. Then he rushes down the stairs so as to reach
the bottom first, catches the man, carries him home, and flings him so
roughly into bed that the bedstead creaks horribly. Then the man wakes
up, rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and says: 'Dear me! I thought I was
falling from the church tower. What a good thing it was only a dream.'"
"Is that the one?" cried George. "Look here, he has been to me before;
but if he comes again, and I catch him, it will be the worse for him."
He had scarcely finished speaking when another goblin sprang out from
under the table. He looked like a little dog, for he had a very ragged
waistcoat on, and he let his tongue hang out of his mouth.
"He is not much better," said the King. "He barks like a dog, and is as
strong as a giant. When people in their dreams are frightened at
something, he holds their hands and feet so that they cannot move."
"I know him, too," interrupted George. "When you want to run away, you
feel as stiff and stark as a piece of wood. If you want to move your
arms or your legs, you can't do it. But often it is not a dog, but a
bear, or a robber, or some other horrid thing."
"I will never allow them to come to you again, George the Dreamer," the
King assured him. "Now come and see the bad Dreams. But don't be afraid,
they won't do you any harm--they are only for bad people."
Then they passed through a great iron door into a vast space, inclosed
by a high wall. Here the most terrible shapes and most horrible monsters
were crowded together; some looked like men, others like animals, others
were half men and half animals. George was terrified, and made his way
back to the iron door. But the King spoke kindly to him, and persuaded
him to see more closely what wicked people have to dream. Beckoning to a
Dream that stood near--a hideous giant, with a mill-wheel under each
arm--he commanded him to tell them what he was going to do that night.
Then the monster raised his shoulders, wriggled about with joy, grinned
until his mouth met his ears, and said: "I am going to the rich man, who
has let his father starve. One day, when the old man was sitting on the
stone steps before his son's house, begging for bread, the son came and
said to the servants: 'Drive away that fellow.' So I go to him at night
and pass him through my mill-wheels, until all his bones are broken into
tiny pieces. When he is properly soft and quivering, I take him by the
collar and shake him and say, 'See how you tremble now, you fellow!'
Then he wakes up with his teeth chattering, and calls to his wife to
bring him another blanket, for he is freezing. And when he has fallen
asleep once more, I begin it all again."
When George the Dreamer heard this, he rushed out through the door,
dragging the King after him, and crying out that he would not stay a
moment longer with the bad Dreams. They were too horrible!
The King next led him into a lovely garden where the paths were of
silver, the beds of gold, and the flowers, beautifully cut precious
stones. Here the good Dreams were walking up and down. The first he saw
was a pale young woman, with a Noah's Ark under one arm, and a box of
bricks under the other.
"Who is that?" asked the Dreamer.
[Illustration: "GEORGE CRIED OUT THAT HE WOULD NOT STAY A MOMENT LONGER"
(_p._ 26).]
"She goes every evening to a little sick boy, whose mother is dead. He
is quite alone all day, and no one troubles about him, but towards
evening she goes to him, plays with him, and stays the whole night. She
goes early, because he goes to sleep early. The other Dreams go much
later. Let us proceed; if you want to see everything, we must make
haste."
Then they went farther into the garden, into the midst of the good
Dreams. There were men, women, old men, and children, all with dear,
good faces, and most beautifully dressed. Many of them were carrying all
sorts of things: everything that the heart can possibly wish for.
Suddenly George stood still and cried out so loudly that all the Dreams
turned round to look.
"What is the matter?" said the King.
"There is my Princess--she who has so often appeared to me, and who gave
me the roses," George the Dreamer answered, in an ecstasy.
"Certainly, certainly, it is she," said the King. "Have I not sent you a
very pretty Dream? It is almost the prettiest I have."
Then George ran up to the Princess, who was sitting swinging in her
little golden swing. As soon as she saw him coming she sprang down into
his arms. But he took her by the hand and led her to a golden bench, on
which they both sat down, telling one another how sweet it was to meet
again! And when they had finished saying so, they began again. The King
of Dreams meanwhile walked up and down the broad path which goes
straight through the garden, with his hands behind his back. Now and
then he took out his watch, to see how the time was getting on; for
George the Dreamer and the Princess never came to an end of what they
had to say to one another. At length he went to them, and said:
"That's enough, children. You, Dreamer, are far from your home, and I
cannot keep you here over-night, for I have no beds. You see, the Dreams
never sleep, but have to go up every night to men on the earth. And you,
Princess, must make yourself ready; dress yourself all in pink, and then
come to me, so that I may tell you to whom you must appear to-night, and
what you must say."
When George the Dreamer heard this, he felt more courageous than ever
before in his life. Standing up, he said firmly: "My lord the King, I
will never more leave my Princess. You must either keep me here below or
let her go up with me to the earth: I love her much too much to live
without her." Then a tear big as a hazel-nut came into each of his eyes.
"But George, George," answered the King, "it is the prettiest dream I
have. Still, you saved my life; so have your own way; take your Princess
up with you. But as soon as you have got on to the earth take off her
silver veil, and throw it down to me through the trap-door. Then she
will be of flesh and blood like every other child of man; now she is
only a Dream."
George the Dreamer thanked the King most heartily, and then said: "Dear
King, because you are so very good I should like to ask for one thing
more. I have a Princess now--but no kingdom. A Princess without a
kingdom is impossible. Cannot you get me one, if it is only a small
one?"
Then the King answered: "I have no visible kingdoms to give away,
Dreamer, only invisible ones; one of the latter you shall have, one of
the biggest and best that I possess."
Then George asked what invisible kingdoms were like. The King told him
he would find that out, and would be amazed at their beauty and
magnificence.
"You see," he said, "it is often very unpleasant to have anything to do
with ordinary, visible kingdoms. For example: suppose you are an
ordinary King, and early one morning your Minister comes to your bedside
and says: 'Your Majesty, I want a hundred pounds for the kingdom.' Then
you open your treasury and find not even a farthing in it! What are you
to do? Or again, you wage war and lose, and the King who has conquered
you marries your Princess, and shuts you up in a tower. Such things
cannot happen in invisible kingdoms."
"But if we cannot see it, of what use would our kingdom be to us?" asked
George, still somewhat puzzled.
"You strange man," said the King, and pointing to his forehead, he
continued: "You and your Princess see it well enough. You see the
castles and gardens, the meadows and forests which belong to your
kingdom. You live in it, walk in it, do what you like with it. It is
only other people who do not see it."
[Illustration: "THEY LIFTED UP THE CLOTH AND BEGAN TO SPREAD IT OUT"
(_p._ 32).]
Then the Dreamer was highly delighted, for he was beginning to be afraid
lest the village people should look enviously at him if he came home
with his Princess and was King. He took a very touching leave of the
King of Dreams, climbed the five hundred steps with his Princess, took
the silver veil off her head and threw it down. Then he wanted to shut
the trap-door, but it was so heavy that he could not hold it. So he let
it fall, and the noise it made was as great as the noise of many cannons
shot off at the same time, and for a moment he became unconscious. When
he came to himself again he was sitting in front of his cottage with the
Princess sitting on the mill-stone at his side, and she was of flesh and
blood like any other person. She was holding his hand, stroking it, and
saying: "You dear, good, stupid man, you have not dared tell me how much
you love me for such a long time. Have you been very much afraid of me?"
And the moon rose and illumined the river, the waves beat against the
banks, and the forest rustled, but they still sat there and talked.
Suddenly it seemed as if a small black cloud was passing over the moon,
and all at once something like a large folded shawl fell at their feet;
then the moon stood out again in her full glory. They lifted up the
cloth and began to spread it out. But they took a long time over this,
for it was very fine and folded many hundred times. When it was quite
spread out, it looked like a large map; in the middle was a river, and
on both sides were towns, forests, and lakes. Then they noticed that it
was a kingdom, and knew that the good Dream-King must have sent it down
to them from the sky. And when they looked at their little cottage it
had become a beautiful castle, with glass stairs, marble walls, velvet
carpets, and pointed blue-tiled towers. Then they took hands and went
into the castle, where their subjects were already assembled. The
servants bowed low, drums and trumpets sounded, and little pages went
before them strewing flowers. They were King and Queen.
The next morning the news that George the Dreamer had come back, and had
brought a wife with him, ran like wildfire through the village. "She is
probably very clever," the people said. "I saw her early this morning,
when I went into the forest," said a peasant; "she was standing at the
door with him. She is nothing special, quite an ordinary person, small
and delicate-looking, and rather shabbily dressed. What did he see in
her? He has nothing, and she probably has nothing!"
So the stupid people chattered, for they could not see that she was a
Princess; and in their stupidity they did not see that the house had
changed into a great, wonderful castle--for the kingdom that had come
down from the sky for George the Dreamer was an invisible one. So he did
not trouble about the stupid people, but lived happily and contentedly
in his kingdom with his Princess, who presented him with six children,
each one more beautiful than the other, and they were all six Princes
and Princesses. But no one in the village knew it, for they were quite
ordinary people, and much too silly to notice it.
How Sampo Lappelill saw the Mountain King.
[Illustration]
HOW SAMPO LAPPELILL SAW THE MOUNTAIN KING.
From the Swedish of Z. Topelius.
FAR away in Lapland, at a place called Aimio, near the River Jana, there
lived, in a little hut, a Laplander and his wife, with their small son,
Sampo.
Sampo Lappelill was now between seven and eight years of age. He had
black hair, brown eyes, a snub nose, and a wide mouth, which last is
considered a mark of beauty in curious Lapland. Sampo was a strong child
for his age; he delighted to dance down the hills in his little
snow-shoes, and to drive his own reindeer in his own little sledge. The
snow whirled about him as he passed through the deep drifts, until
nothing of him could be seen except the tuft of his black forelock.
"I shall never feel comfortable while he is from home!" said the mother.
"He may meet Hisue's reindeer with the golden antlers."
Sampo overheard these words, and wondered what reindeer it could be that
had golden antlers. "It must be a splendid animal!" said he; "how much I
should like to drive to Rastekais with it!" Rastekais is a high, dreary
mountain, and can be seen from Aimio, from which it is five or six miles
distant.
"You audacious boy!" exclaimed the mother; "how dare you talk so?
Rastekais is the home of the trolls, and Hisue dwells there also."
"Who is Hisue?" inquired Sampo.
"What ears that boy has!" thought the Lapp-wife. "But I ought not to
have spoken of such things in his presence; the best thing I can do now
is to frighten him well." Then she said aloud: "Take care, Lappelill,
that you never go near Rastekais, for there lives Hisue, the Mountain
King, who can eat a whole reindeer at one mouthful, and who swallows
little boys like flies."
Upon hearing these words, Sampo could not help thinking what good fun it
would be to have a peep at such a wonderful being--from a safe distance,
of course!
Three or four weeks had elapsed since Christmas, and darkness brooded
still over Lapland. There was no morning, noon, or evening; it was
always night. Sampo was feeling dull. It was so long since he had seen
the sun that he had nearly forgotten what it was like. Yet he did not
desire the return of summer, for the only thing he remembered about that
season was that it was a time when the gnats stung very severely. His
one wish was that it might soon become light enough for him to use his
snow-shoes.
One day, at noon (although it was dark), Sampo's father said: "Come
here! I have something to show you."
Sampo came out of the hut. His father pointed towards the south.
"Do you know what that is?" asked he.
"A southern light," replied the boy.
"No," said his father, "it is the herald of the sun. To-morrow, maybe,
or the day after that, we shall see the sun himself. Look, Sampo, how
weirdly the red light glows on the top of Rastekais!"
Sampo perceived that the snow upon the gloomy summit, which had been so
long shrouded in darkness, was coloured red. Again the idea flashed into
his mind what a grand sight the terrible Mountain King would be--from a
distance. The boy brooded on this for the remainder of the day, and
throughout half the night, when he should have been asleep.
He thought, and thought, until at length he crept silently out of the
reindeer skins which formed his bed, and then through the door-hole. The
cold was intense. Far above him the stars were shining, the snow
scrunched beneath his feet. Sampo Lappelill was a brave boy, who did not
fear the cold. He was, moreover, well wrapped up in fur. He stood gazing
at the stars, considering what to do next.
Then he heard a suggestive sound. His little reindeer pawed the ground
with its feet. "Why should I not take a drive?" thought Sampo, and
proceeded straightway to put his thought into action. He harnessed the
reindeer to the sledge, and drove forth into the wilderness of snow.
"I will drive only a little way towards Rastekais," said Sampo to
himself, and off he went, crossing the frozen River Jana to the opposite
shore, which--although the child was unaware of this fact--belonged to
the kingdom of Norway.
As Sampo drove, he sang a bright little song. The wolves were running
round his sledge like grey dogs, but he did not mind them. He knew well
that no wolf could keep pace with his dear, swift little reindeer. Up
hill and down dale he drove on, with the wind whistling in his ears. The
moon seemed to be racing with him, and the rocks to be running
backwards. It was thoroughly delightful!
Alas! at a sudden turning upon the downward slope of a hill the sledge
overturned, and Sampo was pitched into a snow-drift. The reindeer did
not observe this, and, in the belief that its master was still sitting
behind it, it ran on. Sampo could not cry "Stop!" for his mouth was
stuffed with snow.
He lay there in the darkness, in the midst of the vast snowy wilderness,
in which was no human habitation for miles around.
At first, he naturally felt somewhat bewildered. He scrambled unhurt out
of the big snow-drift. Then, by the wan moonlight, he saw that he was
surrounded on all sides by snow-drifts and huge mountains. One mountain
towered above the others, and this he knew must be Rastekais, the home
of the fierce Mountain King, who swallowed little boys like flies!
[Illustration: "THEY WENT OFF AT A GALLOP" (_p._ 42).]
Sampo Lappelill was frightened now, and heartily wished himself safe at
home. But how was he to get there?
There sat the poor child, alone in the darkness, amongst the desolate,
snow-covered rocks, with the big, black shadow of Rastekais frowning
down upon him. As he wept his tears froze immediately, and rolled down
over his jacket in little round lumps like peas; so Sampo thought that
he had better leave off crying, and run about in order to keep himself
warm.
"Rather than freeze to death here," he said to himself, "I would go
straight to the Mountain King. If he has a mind to swallow me, he must
do so, I suppose; but I shall advise him to eat instead some of the
wolves in this neighbourhood. They are much fatter than I, and their fur
would not be so difficult to swallow."
Sampo began to ascend the mountain. Before he had gone far, he heard the
trotting of some creature behind him, and a moment after a large wolf
overtook him. Although inwardly trembling, Sampo would not betray his
fear. He shouted:
"Keep out of my way! I am the bearer of a message to the King, and you
hinder me at your peril!"
"Dear me!" said the wolf (on Rastekais all the animals can speak). "And,
pray, what little shrimp are you, wriggling through the snow?"
"My name is Sampo Lappelill," replied the boy. "Who are you?"
"I," answered the wolf, "am first gentleman-usher to the Mountain King.
I have just been all over the kingdom to call together his subjects for
the great sun festival. As you are going my way, you may, if you please,
get upon my back, and so ride up the mountain."
Sampo instantly accepted the invitation. He climbed upon the shaggy back
of the wolf, and they went off at a gallop.
"What do you mean by the sun festival?" inquired Sampo.
"Don't you know _that_?" said the wolf. "We celebrate the sun's feast
the day he first appears on the horizon after the long night of winter.
All trolls, goblins, and animals in the north then assemble on
Rastekais, and on that day they are not permitted to hurt each other.
Lucky it was for you, my boy, that you came here to-day. On any other
day, I should have devoured you long ago."
"Is the King bound by the same law?" asked Sampo anxiously.
"Of course he is," answered the wolf. "From one hour before sunrise
until one hour after sunset he will not dare to harm you. If, however,
you are on the mountain when the time expires, you will be in great
danger. For the King will then seize whoever comes first, and a thousand
bears and a hundred thousand wolves will also be ready to rush upon you.
There will soon be an end of Sampo Lappelill!"
"But perhaps, sir," said Sampo timidly, "you would be so kind as to help
me back again before the danger begins?"
The wolf laughed. "Don't count on any such thing, my dear Sampo; on the
contrary, I mean to seize you first myself. You are such a very nice,
plump little boy! I see that you have been fattened on reindeer milk and
cheese. You will be splendid for breakfast to-morrow morning!"
Sampo began to think that his best course might be to jump off the
wolf's back at once. But it was too late. They had now arrived at the
top of Rastekais. Many curious and marvellous things were there to be
seen. There sat the terrible Mountain King on his throne of cloudy
rocks, gazing out over the snow-fields. He wore on his head a cap of
white snow-clouds; his eyes were like a full moon; his nose resembled a
mountain-ridge. His mouth was an abyss; his beard was like tufts of
immense icicles; his arms were as thick and strong as fir trees; his
coat was like an enormous snow-mountain. Sampo Lappelill had a good view
of the King and his subjects, for a bow of dazzling northern lights
shone in the sky and illuminated the scene.
All around the King stood millions of goblins, trolls, and brownies;
tiny, grey creatures, who had come from remotest parts of the world to
worship the sun. This they did from fear, not from love; for trolls and
goblins hate the sun, and always hope that he will never return when
they see him disappear at the end of summer.
Farther off stood all the animals of Lapland, thousands and thousands of
them of all sizes; from the bear, the wolf, and the glutton, to the
little mountain-rat, and the brisk, tiny reindeer-flea. No gnats
appeared, however; _they_ had all been frozen.
Sampo was greatly astonished at what he saw. Unobserved, he slipped from
the wolf's back, and hid behind a ponderous stone, to watch the
proceedings.
[Illustration: "THE TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN KING" (_p._ 44).]
The Mountain King shook his head, and the snow whirled about him. The
northern lights shone around his head like a crown of glory, sending
long, red streamers across the deep blue sky; they whizzed and sparkled,
expanded and drew together, fading sometimes, then again darting out
like lightning over the snow-clad mountains. This performance amused the
King. He clapped with his icy hands until the sound echoed like thunder,
causing the trolls to scream with joy, and the animals to howl with
fear. At this the King was still more delighted, and he shouted across
the desert:
"This is to my mind! Eternal darkness! Eternal night! May they never
end!"
"May they never end!" repeated all the trolls at the top of their
voices. Then arose a dispute amongst the animals. All the beasts of prey
agreed with the trolls, but the reindeer and other gentle creatures felt
that they should like to have summer back again, although they disliked
the gnats that would certainly return with it. One creature alone was
ready to welcome summer quite unreservedly. This was the reindeer-flea.
She piped out as loudly as she could:
"If you please, your Majesty, have we not come here to worship the sun,
and to watch for his coming?"
"Nonsense!" growled a polar bear. "Our meeting here springs from a
stupid old custom. The sooner it ends the better! In my opinion, the sun
has set for ever; he is dead!"
At these words the animals shuddered, but the trolls and goblins were
much pleased with them, and reiterated them gaily, shaking with laughter
to such an extent that their tiny caps fell off their heads. Then the
King roared, in a voice of thunder:
"Yea! Dead is the sun! Now must the whole world worship me, the King of
Eternal Night and Eternal Winter!"
Sampo, sitting behind the stone, was so greatly enraged by this speech
that he came forth from his hiding-place, exclaiming:
"That, O King, is a lie as big as yourself! The sun is _not_ dead, for
only yesterday I saw his forerunner. He will be here very shortly,
bringing sweet summer with him, and thawing the icicles in your funny,
frozen beard!"
[Illustration: "'That, O King, is a lie as big as yourself!' exclaimed
Sampo." _page 46_]
The King's brow grew black as a thunder-cloud. Forgetful of the law, he
lifted his tremendous arm to strike Sampo; but at that moment the
northern light faded. A red streak shot suddenly across the sky, shining
with such brilliancy into the King's face that it entirely dazzled him.
His arm fell useless at his side. Then the golden sun rose in slow
stateliness on the horizon, and that flood of glorious light caused even
those who had rejoiced in his supposed death to welcome his
re-appearance.
But the goblins were considerably astonished. From under their red caps
they stared at the sun with their little grey eyes, and grew so excited
that they stood on their heads in the snow. The beard of the
Mountain King began to melt and drip, until it was flowing down his
jacket like a running stream.
By-and-by, Sampo heard a reindeer say to her little one:
"Come, my child, we must be going, or we shall be eaten by the wolves."
"Such will be _my_ fate also if I linger longer," thought Sampo. So he
sprang upon the back of a beautiful reindeer with golden antlers, which
started off with him at once, darting down the rocks with lightning
speed.
"What is that rustling sound that I hear behind us?" asked the boy
presently.
"It is made by the thousand bears; they are pursuing us in order to eat
us up," replied the reindeer. "You need not fear, however, for I am the
King's own enchanted reindeer, and no bear has ever been able as yet to
nibble my heels!"
They went on in silence for a time, then Sampo put another question.
"What," asked he, "is that strange panting I hear behind us?"
"That," returned the reindeer, "is made by the hundred thousand wolves;
they are at full gallop behind us, and wish to tear us in pieces. But
fear nothing from them! No wolf has ever beaten me in a race yet!"
Again Sampo spoke:
"Is it not thundering over there amongst the rocky mountains?"
"No," answered the now trembling reindeer; "that noise is made by the
King, who is chasing us. Now, indeed, all hope has fled, for no one can
escape _him_!"
"Can we do nothing?" asked Sampo.