第301章
《安徒生童话英文版 全TXT版》章节:第301章,宠文网网友提供全文无弹窗免费在线阅读。!
Persons often give their servants finer cloth for theirliveries than for their own clothes, and so I have dressed out myshadow like a man; nay, you may observe that I have even given him ashadow of his own; it is rather expensive, but I like to have thingsabout me that are peculiar."
"How is this?" thought the princess; "am I really cured? This mustbe the best watering-place in existence. Water in our times hascertainly wonderful power. But I will not leave this place yet, justas it begins to be amusing. This foreign prince- for he must be aprince- pleases me above all things. I only hope his beard won't grow,or he will leave at once."
In the evening, the princess and the shadow danced together in thelarge assembly rooms. She was light, but he was lighter still; she hadnever seen such a dancer before. She told him from what country shehad come, and found he knew it and had been there, but not while shewas at home. He had looked into the windows of her father's palace,both the upper and the lower windows; he had seen many things, andcould therefore answer the princess, and make allusions which quiteastonished her. She thought he must be the cleverest man in all theworld, and felt the greatest respect for his knowledge. When shedanced with him again she fell in love with him, which the shadowquickly discovered, for she had with her eyes looked him through andthrough. They danced once more, and she was nearly telling him, butshe had some discretion; she thought of her country, her kingdom,and the number of people over whom she would one day have to rule. "Heis a clever man," she thought to herself, "which is a good thing,and he dances admirably, which is also good. But has hewell-grounded knowledge? that is an important question, and I must tryhim." Then she asked him a most difficult question, she herselfcould not have answered it, and the shadow made a most unaccountablegrimace.
"You cannot answer that," said the princess.
"I learnt something about it in my childhood," he replied; "andbelieve that even my very shadow, standing over there by the door,could answer it."
"Your shadow," said the princess; "indeed that would be veryremarkable."
"I do not say so positively," observed the shadow; "but I aminclined to believe that he can do so. He has followed me for somany years, and has heard so much from me, that I think it is verylikely. But your royal highness must allow me to observe, that he isvery proud of being considered a man, and to put him in a goodhumor, so that he may answer correctly, he must be treated as a man."
"I shall be very pleased to do so," said the princess. So shewalked up to the learned man, who stood in the doorway, and spoke tohim of the sun, and the moon, of the green forests, and of people nearhome and far off; and the learned man conversed with her pleasantlyand sensibly.
"What a wonderful man he must be, to have such a clever shadow!"thought she. "If I were to choose him it would be a real blessing tomy country and my subjects, and I will do it." So the princess and theshadow were soon engaged to each other, but no one was to be told aword about it, till she returned to her kingdom.
"No one shall know," said the shadow; "not even my own shadow;"and he had very particular reasons for saying so.
After a time, the princess returned to the land over which shereigned, and the shadow accompanied her.
"Listen my friend," said the shadow to the learned man; "nowthat I am as fortunate and as powerful as any man can be, I will dosomething unusually good for you. You shall live in my palace, drivewith me in the royal carriage, and have a hundred thousand dollars ayear; but you must allow every one to call you a shadow, and neverventure to say that you have been a man. And once a year, when I sitin my balcony in the sunshine, you must lie at my feet as becomes ashadow to do; for I must tell you I am going to marry the princess,and our wedding will take place this evening."
"Now, really, this is too ridiculous," said the learned man. "Icannot, and will not, submit to such folly. It would be cheating thewhole country, and the princess also. I will disclose everything,and say that I am the man, and that you are only a shadow dressed upin men's clothes."
"No one would believe you," said the shadow; "be reasonable,now, or I will call the guards."
"I will go straight to the princess," said the learned man.
"But I shall be there first," replied the shadow, "and you will besent to prison." And so it turned out, for the guards readily obeyedhim, as they knew he was going to marry the king's daughter.
"You tremble," said the princess, when the shadow appearedbefore her. "Has anything happened?