Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales: Twenty Tales Illustrated by Harry Clarke

Author:Andersen, Hans Christian [Andersen, Hans Christian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780717156603
Publisher: Gill & Macmillan
Published: 2011-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

“THE BOY WAS POLITE AND PLEASANT TO THE PRINCESS AND SO VERY CLEVER!”

The prince climbed out of bed and insisted that Gerda spend the rest of the night there. As she drifted into sleep, the dreams came rustling and hissing back into the room. Gerda imagined she saw angels pulling a little sledge with Kay sitting on it. Next day, she was dressed in silk and velvet, a little fur muff and a pair of boots, and a golden coach took her on her journey.

There were sweet cakes, fruit and gingerbread-nuts for Gerda to eat as she travelled. The kind crows flew alongside her for the first few miles and then perched on a tree by the road, flapping their wings until the coach was out of sight. Soon the golden coach entered a dark forest. A band of robbers watched it and as it passed their hiding place they rushed out and seized the horses. They dragged Gerda out of the coach. “She looks as plump and juicy as a little lamb,” said an old robber woman clutching a glittering knife.

“You mustn’t kill her,” said a robber-girl. “She must give me her muff and her pretty dress. Then she can play with me and sleep in my bed.” The little robber-girl turned to Gerda. “They won’t kill you unless I say so,” she said. “Are you a princess?” Gerda told her the story of her search for Kay and the robber-girl listened silently.

At the robbers’ castle, Gerda was led into a big smoky hall with a fire burning on the stone floor. A large cauldron of soup was boiling over it, and rabbits were being roasted on spits. After they had eaten, the robber-girl took Gerda to a corner covered with straw and carpets.

“Those are my wild doves,” she said, pointing to a cage. “They’d fly away if they weren’t locked up. And here is my dear old reindeer!” And she grabbed the poor reindeer by his antlers and dragged him towards Gerda.

“I keep him tied up so that he can’t escape, and tickle his neck each night with my sharp knife, just to remind him that he is mine.”

Gerda and the robber-girl lay down to sleep.

“You must tell me your story again!” the robber-girl ordered, clutching her knife in one hand. But once she was asleep and snoring loudly, the wild doves cooed to Gerda, “We have seen Kay. He was in the Snow Queen’s sleigh when it flew over the forest. They were going to Lapland.”

“Lapland is my home,” said the reindeer. “The Snow Queen flies there each summer.”

Next morning Gerda told the robber-girl what the doves and the reindeer had said. The robber-girl thought for a moment. “Wait until noon when all the men have gone out hunting and my mother takes a nap. Then I will help you,” she said.

Once her mother was fast asleep, the little robber-girl went over to the reindeer.

“Much as I would love to keep you here and tickle you with my sharp knife,” she said, “I am going to let you go back to Lapland.

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