d
pounds a year; but then thou must submit to be called shadow by all
and every one; thou must not say that thou hast ever been a man; and
once a-year, when I sit on the balcony in the sunshine, thou must lie
at my feet, as a shadow shall do! I must tell thee: I am going to
marry the king's daughter, and the nuptials are to take place this
evening!"

"Nay, this is going too far!" said the learned man; "I will not have
it; I will not do it! it is to deceive the whole country and the
princess too! I will tell every thing!--that I am a man, and that thou
art a shadow--thou art only dressed up!"

"There is no one who will believe it!" said the shadow; "be
reasonable, or I will call the guard!"

"I will go directly to the princess!" said the learned man.

"But I will go first!" said the shadow, "and thou wilt go to prison!"
and that he was obliged to do--for the sentinels obeyed him whom they
knew the king's daughter was to marry.

"You tremble!" said the princess, as the shadow came into her chamber;
"has anything happened? You must not be unwell this evening, now that
we are to have our nuptials celebrated."

"I have lived to see the most cruel thing that any one can live to
see!" said the shadow. "Only imagine--yes, it is true, such a poor
shadow-skull cannot bear much--only think, my shadow has become mad;
he thinks that he is a man, and that I--now only think--that I am his
shadow!"

"It is terrible!" said the princess; "but he is confined, is he not?"

"That he is. I am afraid that he will never recover."

"Poor shadow!" said the princess, "he is very unfortunate; it would be
a real work of charity to deliver him from the little life he has,
and, when I think properly over the matter, I am of opinion that it
will be necessary to do away with him in all stillness!"

"It is certainly hard!" said the shadow, "for he was a faithful
servant!" and then he gave a sort of sigh.

"You are a noble character!" said the princess.

The whole city was illuminated in the evening, and the cannons went
off with a bum! bum! and the soldiers presented arms. That was a
marriage! The princess and the shadow went out on the balcony to show
themselves, and get another hurrah!

The learned man heard nothing of all this--for they had deprived him
of life.

------------

THE OLD STREET-LAMP.

Have you heard the story about the old street lamp? It is not so very
amusing, but one may very well hear it once. It was such