ree with leaves of glass,
of costly glass; and in the middle, from a thick golden stem, hung two
beds, each of which resembled a lily. One was white, and in this lay the
Princess; the other was red, and it was here that Gerda was to look for
little Kay. She bent back one of the red leaves, and saw a brown neck.
Oh! that was Kay! She called him quite loud by name, held the lamp
towards him--the dreams rushed back again into the chamber--he awoke,
turned his head, and--it was not little Kay!

The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was young and
handsome. And out of the white lily leaves the Princess peeped, too,
and asked what was the matter. Then little Gerda cried, and told her her
whole history, and all that the Ravens had done for her.

"Poor little thing!" said the Prince and the Princess. They praised the
Ravens very much, and told them they were not at all angry with them,
but they were not to do so again. However, they should have a reward.
"Will you fly about here at liberty," asked the Princess; "or would you
like to have a fixed appointment as court ravens, with all the broken
bits from the kitchen?"

And both the Ravens nodded, and begged for a fixed appointment; for
they thought of their old age, and said, "It is a good thing to have a
provision for our old days."

And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep in his bed, and more than this
he could not do. She folded her little hands and thought, "How good men
and animals are!" and she then fell asleep and slept soundly. All the
dreams flew in again, and they now looked like the angels; they drew
a little sledge, in which little Kay sat and nodded his head; but the
whole was only a dream, and therefore it all vanished as soon as she
awoke.

The next day she was dressed from head to foot in silk and velvet. They
offered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a happy life; but she
begged to have a little carriage with a horse in front, and for a small
pair of shoes; then, she said, she would again go forth in the wide
world and look for Kay.

Shoes and a muff were given her; she was, too, dressed very nicely; and
when she was about to set off, a new carriage stopped before the door.
It was of pure gold, and the arms of the Prince and Princess shone
like a star upon it; the coachman, the footmen, and the outriders, for
outriders were there, too, all wore golden crowns. The Prince and the
Princess assisted her into the carriage themselves, and w