ne corner of Praestoe, close by me. Am I not
a pretty bird, a merry popinjay?"

And now little Tuk no longer lay in bed. All in a moment he was on
horseback, and on he went, gallop, gallop! A splendid knight, with a
bright helmet and waving plume,--a knight of the olden time,--held him
on his own horse; and on they rode together, through the wood of the
ancient city of Vordingborg, and it was once again a great and busy
town. The high towers of the king's castle rose against the sky, and
bright lights were seen gleaming through the windows. Within were music
and merrymaking. King Waldemar was leading out the noble ladies of his
court to dance with him.

Suddenly the morning dawned, the lamps grew pale, the sun rose, the
outlines of the buildings faded away, and at last one high tower alone
remained to mark the spot where the royal castle had stood. The vast
city had shrunk into a poor, mean-looking little town. The schoolboys,
coming out of school with their geography-books under their arms, said,
"Two thousand inhabitants"; but that was a mere boast, for the town had
not nearly so many.

And little Tuk lay in his bed. He knew not whether he had been dreaming
or not, but again there was some one close by his side.

"Little Tuk! little Tuk!" cried a voice; it was the voice of a young
sailor boy. "I am come to bring you greeting from Korsoer. Korsoer is a
new town, a living town, with steamers and mail coaches. Once people
used to call it a low, ugly place, but they do so no longer.

"'I dwell by the seaside,' says Korsoer; 'I have broad highroads and
pleasure gardens; and I have given birth to a poet, a witty one, too,
which is more than all poets are. I once thought of sending a ship all
round the world; but I did not do it, though I might as well have done
so. I dwell so pleasantly, close by the port; and I am fragrant with
perfume, for the loveliest roses bloom round about me, close to my
gates.'"

And little Tuk could smell the roses and see them and their fresh green
leaves. But in a moment they had vanished; the green leaves spread and
thickened--a perfect grove had grown up above the bright waters of the
bay, and above the grove rose the two high-pointed towers of a glorious
old church. From the side of the grass-grown hill gushed a fountain in
rainbow-hued streams, with a merry, musical voice, and close beside it
sat a king, wearing a gold crown upon his long dark hair. This was King
Hroar of the springs;