“Now, then, I shall really enjoy life,” said he exultingly, and spread out his branches; but, alas, they were all withered and yellow!  It was in a corner that he lay, among weeds and nettles.  The golden star of tinsel was still on the top of the Tree, and glittered in the sunshine.

In the court-yard some of the merry children were playing who had danced at Christmas round the Fir Tree, and were so glad at the sight of him.  One of the youngest ran and tore off the golden star.

“Only look what is still on the ugly old Christmas tree!” said he, trampling on the branches, so that they all cracked beneath his feet.

And the Tree beheld all the beauty of the flowers, and the freshness in the garden; he beheld himself, and wished he had remained in his dark corner in the loft; he thought of his first youth in the wood, of the merry Christmas-eve, and of the little Mice who had listened with so much pleasure to the story of Humpy-Dumpy.

“’Tis over—­’tis past!” said the poor Tree.  “Had I but rejoiced when I had reason to do so!  But now ’tis past, ’tis past!”

And the gardener’s boy chopped the Tree into small pieces; there was a whole heap lying there.  The wood flamed up splendidly under the large brewing copper, and it sighed so deeply!  Each sigh was like a shot.

The boys played about in the court, and the youngest wore the gold star on his breast which the Tree had had on the happiest evening of his life.  However, that was over now—­the Tree gone, the story at an end.  All, all was over—­every tale must end at last.

THE SNOW QUEEN

First story.  Which Treats of a Mirror and of the Splinters

Now then, let us begin.  When we are at the end of the story, we shall know more than we know now:  but to begin.

Once upon a time there was a wicked sprite, indeed he was the most mischievous of all sprites.  One day he was in a very good humor, for he had made a mirror with the power of causing all that was good and beautiful when it was reflected therein, to look poor and mean; but that which was good-for-nothing and looked ugly was shown magnified and increased in ugliness.  In this mirror the most beautiful landscapes looked like boiled spinach, and the best persons were turned into frights, or appeared to stand on their heads; their faces were so distorted that they were not to be recognised; and if anyone had a mole, you might be sure that it would be magnified and spread over both nose and mouth.

“That’s glorious fun!” said the sprite.  If a good thought passed through a man’s mind, then a grin was seen in the mirror, and the sprite laughed heartily at his clever discovery.  All the little sprites who went to his school—­for he kept a sprite school—­told each other that a miracle had happened; and that now only, as they thought, it would be possible to see how the