She hurried to the guest room and took all the bedclothes off the bed; then on the bare bedstead she put a pea. On top of the pea she put twenty mattresses; and on top of the mattresses, twenty eiderdown quilts. That was the bed on which the princess had to sleep.

In the morning, when someone asked her how she had slept, she replied, “Oh, just wretchedly! I didn’t close my eyes once, the whole night through. God knows what was in that bed; but it was something hard, and I am black and blue all over.”

Now they knew that she was a real princess, since she had felt the pea that was lying on the bedstead through twenty mattresses and twenty eiderdown quilts. Only a real princess could be so sensitive!

The prince married her. The pea was exhibited in the royal museum; and you can go there and see it, if it hasn’t been stolen.

Now that was a real story!

4

Little Ida’s Flowers

“What a pity, all my flowers are dead!” said little Ida. “Last night they were so beautiful, and now all their leaves have withered. Why does that happen?” she asked the student who had come visiting.

The young man was sitting on the sofa. Ida was very fond of him because he knew the most marvelous stories, and with a pair of scissors could cut out of paper the most wonderful pictures: flowers, hearts, little dancing ladies, and castles with doors that could open. He was a happy young man and fond of children.

“Why do my flowers look so sad today?” she asked again, and showed the student her bouquet of dying flowers.

He looked at them a moment before he said, “I know what is wrong with them, they have been dancing all night and that is why they look so tired and hang their heads.”

“But flowers can’t dance,” said little Ida.

“Sure they can,” replied the student. “When darkness comes and we go to bed and sleep, then the flowers jump about gaily enough. Nearly every night they hold a grand ball.”

“Are children allowed to come to the ball too?” asked little Ida, who was eager to know how flowers brought up their children.

“Oh yes, both the little daisies and the lilies of the valley are allowed to come,” smiled the student.

“Where do the most beautiful of the flowers dance?”

“You have been in the park near the king’s summer castle, the one that has the splendid garden. You’ve been there to feed the swans. Remember how they swim toward you when you throw bread crumbs? That’s where the grand ball is held; and very grand it is.”

“I was there yesterday with my mother,” little Ida said, and looked pensive. “But there wasn’t a leaf on any of the trees, and not a flower anywhere. There were a lot this summer. Where are they now?”

“As soon as the king and all his courtiers move into town, then the flowers move up to the castle. There they live a merry life; I wish you could see it. The two most beautiful roses sit on the throne; they are the king and queen. The big red tiger lilies are lords in waiting; they stand behind the throne and bow. Then in come all the most beautiful flowers and the grand ball begins. The blue violets are midshipmen. They dance with the hyacinths and the crocuses, and call them Miss. The tulips and the big yellow lilies are the old ladies, they see to it that everyone behaves and dances in time to the music.”

“But,” interrupted little Ida, “are the flowers allowed to dance in the king’s castle?”

“No one knows they are there,” continued the student. “Sometimes the old night watchman, who is supposed to take care of the castle when the king is away, does walk through it. He carries a great bunch of keys, one for every door in the castle; and as soon as the flowers hear the rattle of the keys they hide. The old night watchman can smell them but he has never seen them.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” little Ida clapped her hands. “Wouldn’t I see the flowers either if I were there?”

“I think you could,” said the student. “Next time you are in the park, look in through the windows of the castle and you will probably see them. I was out there today, I saw a long yellow daffodil, she was lying stretched out on a sofa.