t promise me."

"Every thing!" said the Emperor; and he stood there in his imperial
robes, which he had put on himself, and pressed the sword which was
heavy with gold to his heart.

"One thing I beg of you: tell no one that you have a little bird who
tells you everything. Then it will go all the better."

And the Nightingale flew away.

The servants came in to look at their dead Emperor, and--yes, there he
stood, and the Emperor said, "Good-morning!"

195

This story is a favorite for the Christmas
season. It is loosely constructed, and rambles
along for some time after it might have been
expected to finish. Such rambling is often very
attractive to childish listeners, as it allows
the introduction of unexpected incidents. Miss
Kready has some interesting suggestions about
dramatizing this story in her _Study of Fairy
Tales_, pp. 151-153. The translation is
Dulcken's.

THE FIR TREE

HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

Out in the forest stood a pretty little Fir Tree. It had a good place;
it could have sunlight, air there was in plenty, and all around grew
many larger comrades--pines as well as firs. But the little Fir Tree
wished ardently to become greater. It did not care for the warm sun and
the fresh air; it took no notice of the peasant children, who went about
talking together, when they had come out to look for strawberries and
raspberries. Often they came with a whole pot-full, or had strung
berries on a straw; then they would sit down by the little Fir Tree and
say, "How pretty and small that one is!" and the Fir Tree did not like
to hear that at all.

Next year he had grown a great joint, and the following year he was
longer still, for in fir trees one can always tell by the number of
rings they have how many years they have been growing.

"Oh, if I were only as great a tree as the other!" sighed the little
Fir, "then I would spread my branches far around, and look out from my
crown into the wide world. The birds would then build nests in my
boughs, and when the wind blew I could nod just as grandly as the others
yonder."

It took no pleasure in the sunshine, in the birds, and in the red clouds
that went sailing over him morning and evening.

When it was winter, and the snow lay all around, white and sparkling, a
hare would often come jumping along, and spring right over the little
Fir Tree. Oh! this made him so angr