United States or South Sudan ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"It is Ole!" cried Hulda. She ran to the door. There, in a kariol, sat a man enveloped in a traveling-cloak, a man whose face was unknown to her. "Is this Dame Hansen's inn?" he asked. "Yes, sir," answered Hulda. "Is Dame Hansen at home?" "No; but she will soon return, and if you wish to speak to her " "I do not. There is nothing I want to say to her." "Would you like a room?"
What if his wonderful traveling-cloak should keep on thus traveling, perhaps to the world's end, carrying with it a poor, tired, hungry boy, who, after all, was beginning to think there was something very pleasant in supper and bed! "Dear godmother," he cried pitifully, "do help me! Tell me just this once and I'll never forget again."
"But I must now learn to be independent," thought he. "Fancy a king being dressed like a baby!" So he did the best he could, awkwardly but cheerily, and then he leaped to the corner where lay his traveling-cloak, untied it as before, and watched it unrolling itself which it did rapidly, with a hearty good-will, as if quite tired of idleness. So was Prince Dolor or felt as if he were.
This he did sooner than anybody would have imagined who did not know of his godmother and his traveling-cloak two secret blessings, which, though many guessed at, nobody quite understood.
The instant she was gone, however, taking with her the plates and dishes, which for the first time since his illness he had satisfactorily cleared, Prince Dolor sprang down from his sofa, and with one or two of his frog-like jumps reached the cupboard where he kept his toys, and looked everywhere for his traveling-cloak. Alas! it was not there.
She was setting out upon a long journey dressed in a low-necked, short-sleeved brown silk dress trimmed with quantities of fine lace. And for goodness' sake what do you think that woman wore over it for a traveling-cloak? Nothing more or less than a gray army blanket, a corner of which was thrown over her head like a hood and quite concealed her face.
I found Elma in her room, ready dressed to go out, wearing a long traveling-cloak, and in her hand was a small dressing-case. She was pale and full of anxiety until I showed her the slip of paper which Otto Kampf had given me with the address written upon it, and then together we hurried forth.
Nor did they understand why he loved so the little upper room, except that it had been his mother's room, from the window of which, as people remembered now, she had used to sit for hours watching the Beautiful Mountains. Out of that window he used to fly not very often; as he grew older, the labors of state prevented the frequent use of his traveling-cloak; still he did use it sometimes.
He could have looked at her forever half in love, half in awe; but she suddenly dwindled down into the little old woman all in gray, and, with a malicious twinkle in her eyes, asked for the traveling-cloak. "Bring it out of the rubbish cupboard, and shake the dust off it, quick!" said she to Prince Dolor, who hung his head, rather ashamed.
All during the winter so far as there ever was any difference between summer and winter in Hopeless Tower the little bird cheered and amused him. He scarcely needed anything more not even his traveling-cloak, which lay bundled up unnoticed in a corner, tied up in its innumerable knots. Nor did his godmother come near him.
Word Of The Day