und she saw that the summer was over; it was late autumn.
It had not changed in the beautiful garden, where were sunshine and
flowers all the year round.

'Oh, dear, how late I have made myself!' said Gerda. 'It's autumn
already! I cannot rest!' And she sprang up to run on.

Oh, how tired and sore her little feet grew, and it became colder and
colder.

She had to rest again, and there on the snow in front of her was a large
crow.

It had been looking at her for some time, and it nodded its head and
said, 'Caw! caw! good day.' Then it asked the little girl why she was
alone in the world. She told the crow her story, and asked if he had
seen Kay.

The crow nodded very thoughtfully and said, 'It might be! It might be!'

'What! Do you think you have?' cried the little girl, and she almost
squeezed the crow to death as she kissed him.

'Gently, gently!' said the crow. 'I think--I know I think--it might be
little Kay, but now he has forgotten you for the princess!'

'Does he live with a princess?' asked Gerda.

'Yes, listen,' said the crow.

Then he told her all he knew.

'In the kingdom in which we are now sitting lives a princess who is
dreadfully clever. She has read all the newspapers in the world and has
forgotten them again. She is as clever as that. The other day she came
to the throne, and that is not so pleasant as people think. Then she
began to say, "Why should I not marry?" But she wanted a husband who
could answer when he was spoken to, not one who would stand up stiffly
and look respectable--that would be too dull.

'When she told all the Court ladies, they were delighted. You can
believe every word I say,' said the crow, 'I have a tame sweetheart in
the palace, and she tells me everything.'

Of course his sweetheart was a crow.

'The newspapers came out next morning with a border of hearts round it,
and the princess's monogram on it, and inside you could read that every
good-looking young man might come into the palace and speak to the
princess, and whoever should speak loud enough to be heard would be
well fed and looked after, and the one who spoke best should become the
princess's husband. Indeed,' said the crow, 'you can quite believe me.
It is as true as that I am sitting here.

'Young men came in streams, and there was such a crowding and a mixing
together! But nothing came of it on the first nor on the second day.
They could all speak quite well when they were in the street, but as
so