“No, indeed,” cried the Darning Needle, “but very haughty. There were five brothers, all of the finger family. They kept very proudly together, though they were of different lengths: the outermost, the thumbling, was short and fat; he walked out in front of the ranks, and only had one joint in his back, and could only make a single bow; but he said that if he were hacked off a man, that man was useless for service in war. Daintymouth, the second finger, thrust himself into sweet and sour, pointed to sun and moon, and gave the impression when they wrote. Longrnan, the third, looked at all the others over his shoulder. Goldborder, the fourth, went about with a golden belt round his waist; and little Playman did nothing at all, and was proud of it. There was nothing but bragging among them, and therefore I went away.” “And now we sit here and glitter!” said the Bit of Bottle. At that moment more water came into the gutter, so that it overflowed, and the Bit of Bottle was carried away. “So he is disposed of,” observed the Darning Needle. “I remain here, I am too fine. But that’s my pride, and my pride is honorable.” And proudly she sat there, and had many great thoughts. “I could almost believe I had been born of a sunbeam, I’m so fine! It really appears as if the sunbeams were always seeking for me under the water. Ah! I’m so fine that my mother cannot find me. If I had my old eye, which broke off, I think I should cry; but, no, I should not do that: it’s not genteel to cry.” One day a couple of street boys lay grubbing in the gutter where they sometimes find old nails, farthings, and similar treasures. It was dirty work, but they took great delight in it. “Oh!” cried one, who had pricked himself with the Darning Needle, there’s a fellow for you!” “I’m not a fellow; I’m a young lady!” said the Darning Needle. But nobody listened to her. The sealing wax had come off, and she had turned black; but black makes one look slender, and she thought herself finer even than before. “Here comes an eggshell sailing along!” said the boys; and they stuck the Darning Needle fast in the eggshell. “White walls, and black myself! that looks well,” remarked the Darning Needle. “Now one can see me. I only hope I shall not be seasick!” But she was not seasick at all. “It is good against seasickness, if one has a steel stomach, and does not forget that one is a little more than an ordinary person! Now my seasickness is over. The finer one is, the more one can bear.” “Crack!” went the eggshell, for a wagon went over her. “Good heavens, how it crushes one!” said the Darning Needle. “I’m getting seasick now—I’m quite sick.” But she was not really sick, though the wagon went over her; she lay there at full length, and there she may lie. PEN AND INKSTAND By Hans Christian Andersen The following remark was made in a poet’s room, as the speaker looked at the inkstand that stood upon his table: