Little Ida's Flowers30/Hans Christian Andersenby Jean Hersholt翻訳

Little Ida's Flowers
A translation of Hans Christian Andersen's "Den lille Idas Blomster" by Jean Hersholt.

"My poor flowers are quite dead," said little Ida. "They were so pretty last evening, but now every leaf has withered and drooped. Why do they do that?" she asked the student who sat on the sofa.
「私の可哀想な花は、すっかり枯れた。」いとけないイ―ダは言った。「どれも昨日の夜には本当に綺麗だったのに、今は萎んで項垂れてしまった。何故そうなったの？」彼女は、ソファに座った学生に聞いた。

She was very fond of him because he told such good stories and could cut such amusing figures out of paper-hearts with dancing ladies inside them, flowers of all sorts, and castles with doors that you could open and close. He was a rollicking fellow.
彼女は、彼がとても好きだった。面白い話をしたり、紙のハ―トゥ型から、その中に踊り子達や、いろんな種類の花や貴方が開けたり閉めたり出来る幾つかの出入りロを持った城のあるこんなに夢中にさせる図柄を切り抜けたりしたから。
彼は、陽気な奴だった。

"Why do my flowers look so ill today?" she asked him again, and showed him her withered bouquet.
「どうして今日は、私の花は、こんなに元気がないの？」彼女は、彼にもう一度聞きながら、萎れた花束を見せた。

"Don't you know what's the matter with them?" the student said. "They were at the ball last night, that's why they can scarcely hold up their heads."
「一体何があったのか、貴女は知らないの？」学生は言った。「彼女達は、昨日の夜、舞踏会だった。だから、彼女達の頭を殆ど持ち上げられない。」

"Flowers can't dance," said little Ida.
「花って踊れないのよ。」いとけないイ―ダは言った。

"Oh, indeed they can," said the student. "As soon as it gets dark and we go to sleep, they frolic about in a fine fashion. Almost every night they give a ball."
「ああ、全く大丈夫。」と学生は言った。「暗くなって、眠ってしまうと直ぐに、彼女達は、素敵なファッションに身を包んで、あちこちで浮かれ騒ぐ。彼女達は、殆んど毎晩、舞踏会を開く。」

"Can't children go to the ball?"
「子供達は、舞踏会に行けるの？」

"Little daisies can go. So can lilies of the valley."
「可愛らしいフランス菊は、行ける。きっと、谷の百合も大丈夫。」

"Where do the prettiest flowers dance?" Ida asked.
「一番綺麗な花は、どこで踊るの？」イ―ダは、問いかけた。

"Haven't you often visited the beautiful flower garden just outside of town, around the castle where the King lives in the summertime? You remember-the place where swans swim close when you offer them bread crumbs. Believe me! that's where the prettiest flowers dance."
丁度町外れにある、王様が夏を過ごす城の周りの、美しい花の咲く庭によく行かなかった？貴女が忘れられない―その場所、貴女がパン屑をあげると、スワン達が滑るようにやって来るそこ。信じて！それが最も美しい花達が踊る所。」

"Yesterday I was there with my mother," said Ida, "but there wasn't a leaf on the trees, or a flower left. Where are they? Last summer I saw ever so many."
「昨日、私、お母さんと一緒にそこにいたの。」とイ―ダは言った。「でも、木に一枚の葉も付いてなかった。それに花一本残ってなかった。みんな、どこにいるの？去年の夏は、何時だってあんなに沢山見たのに。」

"They are inside the castle, of course," said the student. "Confidentially, just as soon as the King comes back to town with all of his court, the flowers run from the garden into the castle and enjoy themselves. You should see them. The two loveliest roses climb up on the throne, where they are the king and the queen. All the red coxcombs line up on either side, to stand and bow like grooms of the bedchamber. Then all the best dressed flowers come, and the grand ball starts. The blue violets are the naval cadets. Their partners, whom they call 'Miss,' are hyacinths and crocuses. The tulips and tiger lilies are the old chaperones, who see to it that the dancing is done well and that everyone behaves properly."
「彼女達は城の中にいる、当然。」学生は言った。「内緒で、王様がありったけの延臣を連れて町に戻ると、間もなく、花は、城の中に庭から群を成して移動し、心ゆくまで楽しく過ごす。惚れ惚れするような二本のバラが、王様と王妃が着く王座によじ登るのを、貴女は見るだろう。どちらの側にも、御寝所係官のように、立って礼をする為に、赤いカクスコウム（ケイトウ）ばかり、一列に並んでいる。とその時、美しく装った花達が勢揃いして登場し、大舞踏会が始まる。青い菫達は、海軍士官候補生だ。彼らが何々嬢と呼ぶパ―トゥナ―は、ハイアシンスとクロウカス。チュ―リップと鬼百合は、年配の付き添い婦人。彼女達は、ダンスが申し分なく行われ、誰もがきちんと振舞っているか、見ている。」

"But", said little Ida, "doesn't anybody punish the flowers for dancing in the King's own castle?"
「でも。」といとけないイ―ダは言った。「王様の城の中でダンスをしていると、誰かが花を懲（こ）らしめない？

"Nobody knows a thing about it," said the student. "To be sure, there's the old castle keeper, who is there to watch over things. Sometimes he comes in the night with his enormous bunch of keys. But as soon as the flowers hear the keys jangle they keep quiet, and hide, with only their heads peeking out from behind the curtains. Then the old castle keeper says, 'I smell flowers in here.' But he can't see any."
「そういう事は、誰にも分からない。」と学生は言った。「確か、そこには年配の城番がいる。彼は、そこで様々な出来事を余す所なく見張る為にいる。時々、彼は、巨大な束の鍵を持って現れる。しかし、花達は、その鍵がジャラジャラ鳴るのを聞くや否や、彼女達は静かにしたまま、カ―テンの後ろから、只その頭だけ覗かせて、隠れている。その時、年配の城番は言う。『ここに入ると花の匂いがする。』ところが彼には何も見えない。」

"What fun!" little Ida clapped her hands. "But couldn't I see the flowers either?"
「おかしいわ！」いとけないイ―ダは、拍手をした。」「でも私でも、その花達を見る事は出来なかった？」

"Oh easily," said the student. "The very next time you go there, remember to peep in the windows. There you will see them, as I did today. A tall yellow lily lay stretched on the sofa, pretending to be a lady-in-waiting."
「ああ、簡単に。」学生は言った。「貴女が次にそこに出向くその時は、窓の中を覗く事を忘れないで。そこで貴女は彼女達を見る。僕が今日経験したように。背の高い黄色い百合が、待っている女を装って、ソファに手足を伸ばし、横になっていた。

"Can the flowers who live in the botanical gardens visit the castle? Can they go that far?"
「植物園にいる花達は、あの城に行けるの？彼女達は、どんなに遠くても行けるの？」

"Why certainly. They can fly all the way if it suits them. Haven't you seen lovely butterflies-white, yellow, and red ones? They almost look like flowers, and that's really what they used to be. They are flowers, who have jumped up off their stems, high into the air. They beat the air with their petals, as though these were little wings, and so they manage to fly. If they behave themselves nicely, they get permission to fly all day long, instead of having to go home and sit on their stems. In time their petals turn into real wings. You've seen them yourself. However, it's quite possible that the botanical garden flowers have never been to the King's castle and don't know anything about the fun that goes on there almost every night. Therefore I'll tell you how to arrange a surprise for the botanical professor. You know the one I mean-he lives quite near here. Well, the next time you go to the garden, tell one of his flowers that they are having a great ball in the castle. One flower will tell the others, and off they'll fly. When the professor comes out in the garden not one flower will he find, and where they've all gone he will never be able to guess."
「そう勿論。彼女達は、もしそれが気に入れば、どんなに遠くても飛べる。貴女は、可愛らしい蝶の白や黄色や赤いのを見た事はない？彼らは殆んど花のように見える。それは、実際彼らは何かしら何時もそうだった。彼女達は、花。彼女達は、その茎を離れて空中高く飛び上がった事がある。彼らは、まるでこれらが小さな翼ででもあるかのように彼らの花弁で宙を叩く。だからなんとか飛べる。もし彼らが綺麗に振舞えば、彼女達は一日中飛べる許可証を得る。家に帰って茎の上にじっとしていなくてもよくなって、やがて彼女達の花弁は、本当の翼に変わる。貴女は、それを自分で見た事がある。しかし、植物園の花達が王様のお城に一度も行った事がなく、ほとんど毎晩続く遊びについて何一つ知らないと言う事は大いにあり得る。僕は、どのように植物のプロに思いがけない事を手配すればいいか、貴女に話して置こう。貴女は、彼はここのすぐ近くに住んでいるのではないかと考えているその人を知っている。ところで貴女が庭へ行く次の機会に彼女達が城で大きな舞踏会を開こうとしていると彼の花の一つに話してほしい。一つの花は、他にきっと伝える。すると、彼女達は飛び去る。そのプロが庭に出て来ても、一つの花も見当たらない。そして、彼女達が揃って何処に出掛けたのか、彼は全く想像も出来ない。」

"How can a flower tell the others? You know flowers can't speak."
「花は、他にどういう風に伝えのかしら？花は話せないって、貴方は知ってるでしょ。」

"They can't speak," the student agreed, "but they can signal. Haven't you noticed that whenever the breeze blows the flowers nod to one another, and make signs with their leaves. Why, it's as plain as talk."
「彼女達は話せない。」学生は認めた。「しかし、彼女達は合図出来る。微風が花に吹けば互いに頷き合い、彼女達の葉で合図出来る。もちろん、それは、話すのと同じくらい分かり昜い。」

"Can the professor understand their signs?"
「そのプロは、彼女達の合図が分かっているの？」

"Certainly he can. One morning he came into his garden and saw a big stinging nettle leaf signaling to a glorious red carnation, 'You are so beautiful, and I love you so much.' But the professor didn't like that kind of thing, so he slapped the nettle's leaves, for they are its fingers. He was stung so badly that he hasn't laid hands on a stinging nettle since."
「勿論、彼には分かる。或る朝、彼は、庭に現れて、栄ある力一ネイションに大きなチクリと刺しそうなイラクサの葉が、合図を送っているのを見た。「貴女は、とても美しい。だから僕は、こんなに深く愛する。」しかし、プ口は、そんなものは好きではなかった。そこで、彼は、イラクサの葉を勢いよく投げた。それは、彼がとてもひどく刺されたので、それ以来、刺されそうなイラクサの上に手を置く事はなかった。

"Oh, how jolly!" little Ida laughed.
「まあ、なんて大層な！」いとけないイ―ダは笑った。

"How can anyone stuff a child's head with such nonsense?" said the prosy councilor, who had come to call and sit on the sofa too. He didn't like the student a bit. He always grumbled when he saw the student cut out those strange, amusing pictures-sometimes a man hanging from the gallows and holding a heart in his hand to show that he had stolen people's hearts away; sometimes an old witch riding a broomstick and balancing her husband on her nose. The councilor highly disapproved of those, and he would say as he said now, " How can anyone stuff a child's head with such nonsense-such stupid fantasy?"
「どういう風に誰がくだらない考えで、子供の頭をすし詰めに出来るの？」呼んで来たばかりのくどい議員はそう言って、やはりソファに座った。彼は、学生がちっとも好きではなかった。彼は、その学生がその変わった、可笑しな絵―時に、絞首台からぶら下がっていたり、彼が人々の心臓を奪い取ったという事を見せる為に、彼の手に一つの心臓を持っている男、時に、箒の柄に乗って、その鼻の上で夫を天秤に掛けたりする老いた魔法使い―を切り抜くのを見かけると、何時もぶつぶつ言った。議員は、そうした事の不満を著しく顕（あらわ）にした。「どういう風に誰がくだらない考え―こんな馬鹿げた空想で、子供の頭をすし詰めに出来るの？」

But to little Ida, what the student told her about flowers was marvelously amusing, and she kept right on thinking about it. Her flowers couldn't hold their heads up, because they were tired out from dancing all night. Why they must be ill. She took them to where she kept her toys on a nice little table, with a whole drawer full of pretty things. Her doll, Sophie, lay asleep in the doll's bed, but little Ida told her:
いとけないイ―ダに学生が話した事は最高に面白かった。だから彼女はそれをずっと考え続けた。彼女の花達は、頭を持ち上げられなかった。というのも彼女達は、一晩中踊って疲れ切っていたから。まあ、彼女達は、きっと気分が優れないままでいる。彼女は、素敵で小さなテイブルの上に彼女の玩具を置いておいた場所に彼女達を持って行った。彼女の人形ソフィ―は、人形用のべッドゥで横になって眠っていた。それでもいとけないイ―ダは、彼女に話し掛けた。

"Sophie, you'll really have to get up, and be satisfied to sleep in the drawer tonight, because my poor flowers are ill. Maybe, if I let them sleep in your bed tonight, they will get well again."
「ソフィ―、貴方はもう起きなくちゃ。それでね、今夜引き出しの中で眠る事になるんだけどいいでしょ。私の可哀相な花達が具合いが良くないのよ。多分、私が今夜貴女のべッドゥで彼女達を眠らせれば、彼女達は、又元気になるわ。」

When she took the doll up, Sophie looked as cross as could be, and didn't say a word. She was sulky because she couldn't keep her own bed.
彼女が、人形を抱き上げると、ソフィ―は、精一杯不機嫌を装って、何も言わなかった。彼女は、自分のべッドゥを確保出来なかったからむっとしていた。

Ida put the flowers to bed, and tucked the little covers around them. She told them to be good and lie still, while she made them some tea, so that they would get well and be up and about tomorrow. She carefully drew the curtains around the little bed, so the morning sun would not shine in their faces.
イ一ダは、花違をべッドゥに置いて、彼女達を包（くる）小さな包み紙をかけた。彼女は、元気になる為に未だ寝ているよう、彼女達に言い聞かせた。そして、彼女達が?日にはよくなって起き上がれるように、お茶を用意した。彼女は、小さなべッドゥの周りの力―テンを気を付けて引いた。そう、朝陽が彼女達の顔に差さないように。

All evening long she kept thinking of what the student had said, before she climbed into bed herself. She peeped through the window curtains at the fine potted plants that belonged to her mother-hyacinths and tulips, too. She whispered very softly, "I know you are going to the ball tonight."
彼女は、自分のべッドの中によじ?る前に、一晩中、学生が話した事を考え続けた。彼女は、お母さんのハイアシンスやチュ―リップと同じ見事な鉢植えの植物を、窓のカ―テンから覗いた。彼女は、とても静かに呟いた。貴女達が今夜舞踏会に行くつもりでいるのは知ってる。

But the flowers pretended not to understand her. They didn't move a leaf. But little Ida knew all about them.
しかし、花達は、彼女の話に知らんぷりだった。彼女達は、葉一枚揺さぶらなかった。それでもいとけないイ―ダは、彼女達の事を何もかも分かっていた。

After she was in bed, she lay there for a long while thinking how pleasant it must be to see the flowers dance in the King's castle. "Were my flowers really there?" she wondered. Then she fell asleep. When she woke up again in the night, she had been dreaming of the flowers, and of the student, and of the prosy councilor who had scolded him and had said it was all silly nonsense. It was very still in the bedroom where Ida was. The night lamp glowed on the table, and Ida's mother and father were asleep.
彼女は、ベッドゥに入ってから、王様のお城で花達のダンスを見られたら、どんなにか嬉しいに違いない、と長い間考えて橫になっていた。「私の花は、本当にそこにいたの？」彼女は、不思議な気がした。そうしている内に、彼女は眠ってしまった。夜中に再び目覚めると、彼女は、花達や学生や、彼を叱って、そんなの全くくだらない戯言だ、と言ったくどい議員の夢を見ていた。イ―ダがいた寝室は、とても静かだった。夜のランプがテイブルの上で赤く燃えた。そしてイ―ダのお母さんもお父さんもぐっすり寝ていた。

"Are my flowers still asleep in Sophie's bed?" Ida wondered. "That's what I'd like to know."
「私の花達は、未だソフィ―のべッドゥで眠っているの？」イ―ダは、不審に思った。「私が知りたかったのはその事。」

She lifted herself a little higher on her pillow, and looked towards the door which stood half open. In there were her flowers and all her toys. She listened, and it seemed to her that someone was playing the piano, very softly and more beautifully than she had ever heard it played.
彼女は、枕の上に少し高く自分を持ち上げ、半分開けてあるドアの方を見た。その中には、彼女の花達と彼女の玩具が、皆、置いてあった。彼女が耳を傾けると、誰かが、今までそれが演奏されるのを彼女が聞いたものよりとても優しくその上美しく弾いていた。

"I'm perfectly sure that those flowers are all dancing," she said to herself. "Oh, my goodness, wouldn't I love to see them." But she did not dare get up, because that might awaken her father and mother.
T私は、その花達は、間違いなく踊っていると、絶体信じる。」彼女は、独り言を言った。「ああ、良かった。私は、彼女達に会いたくはないの。」しかし、彼女は、起きようとはしなかった。というのは、お父さんとお母さんを起こすかも知れなかったから。

"I do wish the flowers would come in here!" she thought. But they didn't. The music kept playing, and it sounded so lovely that she couldn't stay in bed another minute. She tiptoed to the door, and peeped into the next room. Oh, how funny-what a sight she saw there!
「花達がここに来てくれたらいいんだがなあ！」と彼女は思った。しかし彼女達は来なかった。音楽が鳴り続けていた。そして、それは、何故か心惹かれ、彼女は、ほんの僅かな時間も、べッドゥの中でじっとしていられなくなった。ドアまで爪先立ちで行き、隣の部屋の中を覗いた。オゥ、なんて面白く何という光景を彼女はそこで目にしたのでしょう！

No night lamp burned in the next room, but it was well lighted just the same. The moonlight streamed through the window, upon the middle of the floor, and it was almost as bright as day. The hyacinths and the tulips lined up in two long rows across the floor. Not one was left by the window. The flowerpots stood there empty, while the flowers danced gracefully around the room, making a complete chain and holding each other by their long green leaves as they swung around.
隣の部屋には、夜のランプが赤々と燃えてはいなかった。それでもそこは、全く同じ様に申し分なく明るく照らされていた。月光が窓からフロアの中程に差し込んだが、それは、昼間と殆んど同じ明るさだった。ハイアシンスやチュ―リップは、フロアを横切る二つの長い列になった。窓の側に残っていたのは、一本ではなかった。花の鉢は、そこにぼうっと立っていた。花達が、部屋のここかしこで優雅に踊っている間、くるりと回る時は、完全な鎖を作って、その長い緑色の葉で互いに支え合いました。

At the piano sat a tall yellow lily. Little Ida remembered it from last summer, because the student had said, "Doesn't that lily look just like Miss Line?" Everyone had laughed at the time, but now little Ida noticed that there was a most striking resemblance. When the lily played it had the very same mannerisms as the young lady, sometimes bending its long, yellow face to one side, sometimes to the other, and nodding in time with the lovely music.
ピアノには、背の高い百合が座った。いとけないイ―ダは、去年の夏からそれを知っていた。何故なら学生が「あの百合は、ミス・ラインに本当にそっくりじゃない？」と言ったから。
皆、その時笑った。けれども、いとけないイ―ダは、やっと今、大変目立った類似点があると気付いた。百合がそれを演じたら、若い女性と全く同じような特徴を持っていた。時に、その長くて、黄色い顔を片方に時に他の側に撓（たわ）ませ、心惹かれる音楽に何時の間にか揺れながら。

No one suspected that little Ida was there. She saw a nimble blue crocus jump up on the table where her toys were, go straight to the doll's bed, and throw back the curtains. The sick flowers lay there, but they got up at once, and nodded down to the others that they also wanted to dance. The old chimney-sweep doll, whose lower lip was broken, rose and made a bow to the pretty flowers. They looked quite themselves again as they jumped down to join the others and have a good time.
誰もいとけないイ―ダがそこにいると思わなかった。彼女は、自分の玩具があったテイブルの上に、俊敏な青いクロウカスが飛び乗るのを見た。人形のべッドゥの方へ真直ぐに向かいカ―テンを元に戻した。病気の花達は、そこで横になっていたが、彼女達は、直ぐに起きた。そして彼女達もダンスがしたくて別の方へ揺れた。年配の煙突掃除人形、彼女のちょっと下がった唇は壊れていたが、立ち上がって綺麗な花達にお辞儀をした。彼女達は、他に加わって、楽しい時間を過ごす為に飛び下りた時、もう一度自分自身を念入りに眺めた。

It seemed as if something clattered off the table. Little Ida looked, and saw that the birch wand, that had been left over from Mardigras time, was jumping down as if he thought he were a flower too. The wand did cut quite a flowery figure, with his paper rosettes and, to top him off, a little wax figure who had a broad trimmed hat just like the one that the councilor wore.
何かテ―ブルをカタカタ言わせているようだった。
いとけないイ―ダが振り向くと、あの樺の木の魔法の杖が目に入った。それは告解火曜日の日からずっと残されていたが、彼も又、花ででもあるかのように飛び下りようとしているのは分かった。魔法の杖は、彼の紙のバラの花飾りで、又議員が被っていたのと全く同じ幅広の飾りの付いた帽子を持った小さな蝋人形を残らず覆う為に、花の形に実によく似たものを切って作った。

The wand skipped about on his three red wooden legs, and stamped them as hard as he could, for he was dancing the mazurka. The flowers could not dance it, because they were too light to stamp as he did.
魔法の杖は、彼の三本の赤い木の足の上をあちこち飛んだ。出来るだけ一生懸命それを踏み鳴らした。何しろ彼は、マズルカを踊っていたのだから。花達は、それは踊れなかった。彼女達は、軽過ぎて彼と同じように踏み鳴らせなかった。

All of a sudden, the wax figure grew tall and important. He whirled around to the paper flowers beside him, and said, "How can anyone stuff a child's head with such nonsense-such stupid fantasy?" At that moment he was a perfect image of the big-hatted councilor, just as sallow and quite as cross. But the paper flowers hit back. They struck his thin shanks until he crumpled up into a very small wax manikin. The change was so ridiculous that little Ida could not keep from laughing.
当に突如として、?人形は、背が高く、偉そうになった。彼は、彼の近くの紙の花の方へとくるくる回り、そして言った。「こんな下らない、こんな馬鹿げた気まぐれで、子供の頭に誰がどういう風に詰め込める?」その瞬間、彼は、大きな帽子を被った完全な議員の生き写しになった。実際柳の木のようでもあり、全く十字架のようでもあり。しかし、紙の花は、一撃を返した。彼女遠は、彼の足をとても小さな?マ二カンの中で拉（ひし）げてしまうまで打撃を加えた。その変わりようは、ひどく馬鹿げていたので、いとけないイ―ダは、笑わずにはいられなかった。

Wherever the sceptered wand danced the councilor had to dance too, whether he made himself tall and important or remained a little wax figure in a big black hat. The real flowers put in a kind word for him, especially those who had lain ill in the doll's bed, and the birch wand let him rest.
王位に就いた魔法の丈がダンスをする所なら何処であっても、議員も踊らなければならなかった。彼が自分の背を高くして偉そうにしようと、又小さな?人形を大きな黒い帽子の中に入れたままにしたとしても。本物の花達は、彼に親切な言葉を掛けた。特に人形のべッドゥで病気で寝ていたそれらと柳の杖は、彼を休ませた。

Just then they heard a loud knocking in the drawer where Ida's doll, Sophie, lay with the other toys. The chimney-sweep rushed to the edge of the table, lay flat on his stomach and managed to pull the drawer out a little way. Sophie sat up and looked around her, most surprised.
当にその時、彼女達は、イ―ダの人形ソフィ―が他の玩具と一緒に寝ている引き出しの中でノックする大きな音を聞いた。煙突掃除は、テイブルの角に突進した。彼のお腹の上にペったりと寝て、何とか引き出しをほんの少し開けた。大変驚いて、ソフィ―は上半身を起こし、彼女を見回した。

"Why, they are having a ball!" she said "Why hasn't somebody told me about it?"

"Won't you dance with me?" the chimney-sweep asked her.

"A fine partner you'd be!" she said, and turned her back on him.

She sat on the edge of the drawer, hoping one of the flowers would ask her to dance, but not one of them did, She coughed, "Hm, hm, hm!" and still not one of them asked her. To make matters worse, the chimney-sweep had gone off dancing by himself, which he did pretty well.

As none of the flowers paid the least attention to Sophie, she let herself tumble from the drawer to the floor with a bang. Now the flowers all came running to ask, "Did you hurt yourself?" They were very polite to her, especially those who had slept in her bed. But she wasn't hurt a bit. Ida's flowers thanked her for the use of her nice bed, and treated her well. They took her out in the middle of the floor, where the moon shone, and danced with her while all the other flowers made a circle around them. Sophie wasn't at all cross now. She said they might keep her bed. She didn't in the least mind sleeping in the drawer.

But the flowers said, "Thank you, no. We can't live long enough to keep your bed. Tomorrow we shall be dead. Tell little Ida to bury us in the garden, next to her canary bird's grave. Then we shall come up again next summer, more beautiful than ever."

"Oh, you mustn't die," Sophie said, and kissed all the flowers.

Then the drawing room door opened, and many more splendid flowers tripped in. Ida couldn't imagine where they had come from, unless - why, they must have come straight from the King's castle. First came two magnificent roses, wearing little gold crowns. These were the king and the queen. Then. Then came charming gillyflowers and carnations, who greeted everybody. They brought the musicians along. Large poppies and peonies blew upon pea pods until they were red in the face. Blue hyacinths and little snowdrops tinkled their bells. It was such funny music. Many other flowers followed them, and they all danced together, blue violets with pink primroses, and daisies with the lilies of the valley.

All the flowers kissed one another, and that was very pretty to look at. When the time came to say good night, little Ida sneaked back to bed too, where she dreamed of all she had seen.

As soon as it was morning, she hurried to her little table to see if her flowers were still there. She threw back the curtain around the bed. Yes, they were there, but they were even more faded than yesterday. Sophie was lying in the drawer where Ida had put her. She looked quite sleepy.

"Do you remember what you were to tell me?" little Ida asked.

But Sophie just looked stupid, and didn't say one word.

"You are no good at all," Ida told her. "And to think how nice they were to you, and how all of them danced with you."

She opened a little pasteboard box, nicely decorated with pictures of birds, and laid the dead flowers in it.

"This will be your pretty coffin," she told them. "When my cousins from Norway come to visit us, they will help me bury you in the garden, so that you may come up again next summer and be more beautiful than ever."

Her Norwegian cousins were two pleasant boys named Jonas and Adolph. Their father had given them two new crossbows, which they brought with them for Ida to see. She told them how her poor flowers had died, and they got permission to hold a funeral. The boys marched first, with their crossbows on their shoulders. Little Ida followed, with her dead flowers in their nice box. In the garden they dug a little grave. Ida first kissed the flowers, and then she closed the box and laid it in the earth. Adolph and Jonas shot their crossbows over the grave, for they had no guns or cannons.

20:25 2016/02/21日