mother. There was gold- -the gold of the heart-in that blessed kiss. There was gold in the sunbeams that morning, and she was worth her weight in gold, That's my little story," said the buttercup.

“Yes,

"My dear old grandmother!" sighed Gerda. she is always thinking about me, and troubling about me, as she did about little Karl. But I will soon go home and take Karl with me. It is no use asking the flowers, who know nothing but their own songs." And then she tucked up her frock that she might run the faster. But the narcissus caught her foot as she was jumping over it, so she stopped short, and, looking at the tall flower, said, "Perhaps you know something." And what did the narcissus say?

"I can see myself to the life. Oh, how beautiful I smell! Up there is a little dancer, who stands sometimes on one leg, and sometimes on another." "What do I care about that?" interrupted Gerda, who ran to the far end of the garden. The gates were shut, but she pressed the rusty latch, and it gave way; they flew open, and Gerda ran out with bare feet into the wide. world. She looked back two or three times, but nobody came after her. So at last, when she could run no longer, she sat down on a big stone, and, looking around her, found that summer was over, and the autumn nearly over, though she had been unable to see it in the beautiful garden, where there were flowers and sunshine all the year round.

"Dear me! how long I have stayed," said poor little Gerda, and she got up to go on. Her poor little feet were tired and sore, and everything looked so bleak and cheerless the willow leaves were quite yellow, the

dew trickled down like water, the leaves kept falling from the trees; and though the sloe tree had some fruit on it, it was so sour that one could not eat it without making a wry face. Oh, how gray and dreary the whole world seemed!

CHAPTER IV.

ERDA went on and on, but was obliged to rest again; and now it began to snow. Just then a black crow hopped to where she was sitting, and after looking at her awhile, and wagging his head, said, "Caw, caw." He felt kindly towards the little girl, and asked her where she was going all alone in the wide world. The word "alone" went straight to Gerda's heart; so she told the crow her whole story, and asked him if he had seen Karl. The crow nodded her head thoughtfully, and said, "Maybe, maybe." "No-have you, though?" cried the little girl, and she nearly hugged the crow to death, she kissed him so fondly. "Steady, steady," said the crow. "I think I believe - it may be little Karl, but he has certainly forgotten you by this time, for the princess "Is he living with a princess?" said Gerda. 66 Yes, listen," said the crow. 66 "I do find it so hard to speak your language. If you understood crow language I should be able to tell you better." "I never learnt it," said Gerda, "but my grandmother knows it; I wish I had learnt." "Never mind," said the crow, "I'll tell you as well as I can.

"In the kingdom where we now are lives a princess, who is desperately clever. She has read and forgotten all the newspapers in the world, so clever is she. A while ago, as she was sitting on her throne, she thought

she would like to marry, if she could find a husband who knew how to answer when he was spoken to, instead of merely standing and looking grand. So she assembled all her ladies-in-waiting by the beating of a drum, and when they heard of her intention they were much pleased. We are glad of it,' said they.

6

"You may believe every word I tell you," said the crow, "for I have a tame sweetheart who hops about the palace and tells me all that passes. (Of course, his sweetheart was a crow.) "The newspapers immediately published the news that every good-looking young man was at liberty to go to the palace and speak to the princess. He who could say anything worth hearing would be welcome to stay at the palace, while he who spoke the best would be chosen by the princess to be her husband.

-

"The newspapers looked very smart; they were decorated with a border of hearts, with the princess's initials. Well, the young men all rushed helter-skelter to the palace. · You may believe me," said the crow, "it's as true as I am sitting here. But not one of the young men succeeded either the first or the second day. They could all speak well enough while they were outside in the street, but when they had passed through the palace gates, and beheld the body-guard in silver, and the footmen all over gold standing along the staircase, and the large rooms so finely lighted up, they were quite confounded. And when they

approached the throne on which the princess sat they found nothing to say, and could only repeat the last word she uttered, which was not very amusing for her. It was exactly as if the young men had taken a

sleeping-powder directly they got inside, and remained quite sleepy until they got back into the street. There was a whole row of them, reaching from the palace to the town gate. I went to see them," said the crow, "they were hungry and thirsty, but they did not get as much as a glass of water. Some of the wisest had taken slices of bread and butter with them, but they did not share it with their next neighbor, for each thought, 'Let him look hungry, and then the princess won't have him.""

"But Karl, my Karl," said Gerda, "was he amongst the crowd?"

66

Stop a bit, we are coming to him presently.

"On the third day there came marching cheerfully along a little person who had neither horse nor coach; his eyes sparkled like yours, and he had beautiful long hair, but was shabbily dressed." "That was Karl!" cried Gerda, in high delight. "Oh, then I have found him!" and she clapped her hands for joy.

"He had a little knapsack on his back," said the

crow.

"Surely it must have been his sleigh," said Gerda, "for he went away with his sleigh."

"That is very possible," said the crow. "I may not have looked very closely, but this I know, from my tame sweetheart, that when he came through the palace gate, and saw all the body-guard all over silver, and the footmen on the stairs in their smart clothes, he was not in the least put out, but nodded to them, saying, 'It must be very tiresome to stand on the staircase, I would rather go inside.'

"All the rooms were in a blaze of light, members