and saw that it was the rod she had found on
her bed on Shrove Tuesday, and that it seemed to wish to belong to the
flowers. It was a pretty rod, for a wax figure that looked exactly like
the councilor sat upon the head of it.

The rod began to dance, and the wax figure that was riding on it became
long and great, like the councilor himself, and began to exclaim, "How
can one put such stuff into a child's head?" It was very funny to see,
and little Ida could not help laughing, for the rod kept on dancing, and
the councilor had to dance too,--there was no help for it,--whether he
remained tall and big or became a little wax figure again. But the other
flowers said a good word for him, especially those that had lain in the
doll's bed, so that at last the rod left it in peace.

At the same time there was a loud knocking inside the drawer where
Sophie, Ida's doll, lay with many other toys. She put out her head and
asked in great astonishment: "Is there a ball here? Why has no one told
me of it?" She sat down upon the table, expecting some of the flowers to
ask her to dance with them; but as they did not, she let herself fall
upon the floor so as to make a great noise; and then the flowers all
came crowding about to ask if she were hurt, and they were very
polite--especially those that had lain in her bed.

She was not at all hurt, and the flowers thanked her for the use of her
pretty bed and took her into the middle of the room, where the moon
shone, and danced with her, while the other flowers formed a circle
around them. So now Sophie was pleased and said they might keep her bed,
for she did not mind sleeping in the drawer the least in the world.

But the flowers replied: "We thank you most heartily for your kindness,
but we shall not live long enough to need it; we shall be quite dead by
to-morrow. But tell little Ida she is to bury us out in the garden near
the canary bird's grave; and then we shall wake again next summer and be
even more beautiful than we have been this year."

"Oh, no, you must not die," said Sophie, kissing them as she spoke; and
then a great company of flowers came dancing in. Ida could not imagine
where they could have come from, unless from the king's garden. Two
beautiful roses led the way, wearing golden crowns; then followed
wallflowers and pinks, who bowed to all present. They brought a band of
music with them. Wild hyacinths and little white snowdrops jingled merry
bells. It was a most re