THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES(Page 12)

Little Tuk looked, and all was red and green before his
eyes; but as soon as the confusion of colors was somewhat
over, all of a sudden there appeared a wooded slope close
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to the bay, and high up above stood a magnificent old
church, with two high pointed towers. From out the hillside
spouted fountains in thick streams of water, so that
there was a continual splashing; and close beside them sat
an old king with a golden crown upon his white head:
that was King Hroar, near the fountains, close to the town
of Roeskilde, as it is now called. And up the slope into the
old church went all the kings and queens of Denmark,
hand in hand, all with their golden crowns; and the organ
played and the fountains rustled. Little Tuk saw all, heard
all. ‘Do not forget the diet,’ said King Hroar.*
* Roeskilde, once the capital of Denmark. The town
takes its name from King Hroar, and the many fountains
in the neighborhood. In the beautiful cathedral the greater
number of the kings and queens of Denmark are interred.
In Roeskilde, too, the members of the Danish Diet
assemble.

THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES(Page 11)

knowledge I have, not to speak of my position in life, my
excellent circumstances—I certainly wish that you would
say YOU* to me!’
* It is the custom in Denmark for intimate
acquaintances to use the second person singular, ‘Du,’
(thou) when speaking to each other. When a friendship is
formed between men, they generally affirm it, when
occasion offers, either in public or private, by drinking to
each other and exclaiming, ‘thy health,’ at the same time
striking their glasses together. This is called drinking
‘Duus": they are then, ‘Duus Brodre,’ (thou brothers) and
ever afterwards use the pronoun ‘thou,’ to each other, it
being regarded as more familiar than ‘De,’ (you). Father
and mother, sister and brother say thou to one another—
without regard to age or rank. Master and mistress say
thou to their servants the superior to the inferior. But
servants and inferiors do not use the same term to their
masters, or superiors—nor is it ever used when speaking to
a stranger, or anyone with whom they are but slightly
acquainted —they then say as in English—you.

THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES(Page 10)

And she pressed the thorn-bush to her breast, so firmly,
that it might be thoroughly warmed, and the thorns went
right into her flesh, and her blood flowed in large drops,
but the thornbush shot forth fresh green leaves, and there
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came flowers on it in the cold winter night, the heart of
the afflicted mother was so warm; and the thorn-bush told
her the way she should go.
She then came to a large lake, where there was neither
ship nor boat. The lake was not frozen sufficiently to bear
her; neither was it open, nor low enough that she could
wade through it; and across it she must go if she would
find her child! Then she lay down to drink up the lake,
and that was an impossibility for a human being, but the
afflicted mother thought that a miracle might happen
nevertheless.

THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES(Page 9)

The Sunday following, the little boy took something,
and wrapped it up in a piece of paper, went downstairs,
and stood in the doorway; and when the man who went
on errands came past, he said to him—
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‘I say, master! will you give this to the old man over
the way from me? I have two pewter soldiers—this is one
of them, and he shall have it, for I know he is so very,
very lonely.’
And the old errand man looked quite pleased, nodded,
and took the pewter soldier over to the old house.
Afterwards there came a message; it was to ask if the little
boy himself had not a wish to come over and pay a visit;
and so he got permission of his parents, and then went
over to the old house.
And the brass balls on the iron railings shone much
brighter than ever; one would have thought they were
polished on account of the visit; and it was as if the
carved-out trumpeters-for there were trumpeters, who
stood in tulips, carved out on the door—blew with all
their might, their cheeks appeared so much rounder than
before. Yes, they blew—‘Trateratra! The little boy comes!
Trateratra!’—and then the door opened.