d--it was not
little Kay!

The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was young and
handsome. And out of the white lily leaves the Princess peeped too, and
asked what was the matter. Then little Gerda cried and told her whole
history, and all that the Crows had done for her.

"Poor little thing!" said the Prince and the Princess, and they praised
the Crows very much, and told them they were not at all angry with them,
but they were not to do so again. However, they should have a reward.

"Will you fly about at liberty?" asked the Princess; "or would you like
to have a steady place as court Crows with all the broken bits from
the kitchen?"

And both the Crows nodded, and begged for a steady place; for they
thought of their old age, and said "it was a good thing to have
something for the old folks," as the saying is.

And the Prince got up and let Gerda sleep in his bed, and more than this
he could not do. She folded her little hands, and thought, "How good men
and animals are!" and then she shut her eyes and slept soundly. All the
dreams came flying in again, and they now looked like the angels; they
drew a little sled, on which Kay sat and nodded his head: but the whole
was only a dream, and so it was all gone as soon as she awoke.

The next day she was dressed from top to toe in silk and velvet. They
offered to let her stay at the palace, and lead a happy life; but she
begged only to have a little carriage with a horse in front, and for a
small pair of shoes; then, she said, she would again go forth in the
wide world and look for Kay.

And she got both shoes and a muff; she was dressed very nicely, too; and
when she was about to set off, a new carriage stopped before the door.
It was of pure gold, and the arms of the Prince and Princess shone like
a star upon it; the coachman, the footmen, and the outriders, for
outriders were there too, all wore golden crowns. The Prince and
Princess helped her into the carriage themselves, and wished her good
luck. The Crow of the woods, who was now married, went with her for the
first three miles. He sat beside Gerda, for he could not bear riding
backward; the other Crow stood in the doorway, and flapped her wings;
she could not go with Gerda, because she suffered from headache since
she had had a steady place, and ate so much. The carriage was lined
inside with sugar-plums, and in the seats were fruits and cookies.

"Good-by! good-by!" cried Prince and Princess; a