The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 1: Fairy and wonder tales
Children's literature
“She is not to be seen at all,” said they all together; “she lives in a
great copper castle, with a great many walls and towers round about it:
no one but the King may go in and out there, for it has been prophesied
that she shall marry a common soldier, and the King can’t bear that.”
“I should like to see her,” thought the Soldier; but he could not get
leave to do so. Now he lived merrily, went to the theater, drove in the
King’s garden, and gave much money to the poor; and this was very kind
of him, for he knew from old times how hard it is when one has not a
shilling.
Now he was rich, had new clothes, and gained many friends, who all said
he was a rare one, a true cavalier; and that pleased the Soldier well.
But as he spent money every day and never carried any, he had at last
only two shillings left; and he was obliged to turn out of the fine
rooms in which he had dwelt, and had to live in a little garret under
the roof, and clean his boots for himself, and mend them with a
darning-needle. None of his friends came to see him, for there were too
many stairs to climb.
It was quite dark one evening, and he could not even buy himself a
candle, when it occurred to him that there was a candle end in the
Tinder-box which he had taken out of the hollow tree into which the
Witch had helped him. He brought out the Tinder-box and the candle end;
but as soon as he struck fire and the sparks rose up from the flint,
the door flew open, and the dog who had eyes as big as a couple of
teacups, and whom he had seen in the tree, stood before him, and said:
“What are my lord’s commands?”
“What is this?” said the Soldier. “That’s a famous Tinder-box, if I can
get everything with it that I want! Bring me some money,” said he to
the dog; and whisk! the dog was gone, and whisk! he was back again,
with a great bag full of shillings in his mouth.
Now the Soldier knew what a capital Tinder-box this was. If he struck
it once, the dog came who sat upon the chest of copper money; if he
struck it twice, the dog came who had the silver; and if he struck it
three times, then appeared the dog who had the gold. Now the Soldier
moved back into the fine rooms, and appeared again in handsome clothes;
and all his friends knew him again, and cared very much for him indeed.
Once he thought to himself: “It is a very strange thing that one cannot
get to see the Princess. They all say she is very beautiful; but what
is the use of that, if she has always to sit in the great copper castle
with the many towers? Can I not get to see her at all? Where is my
Tinder-box?” And so he struck a light, and whisk! came the dog with
eyes as big as teacups.
“It is midnight, certainly,” said the Soldier, “but I should very much
like to see the Princess, only for one little moment.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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