554 THE WILD SWANS.

offer. Then there came forth a little lady or a tiny gentleman
from every flower ; all of them so exquisitely beautiful that
it was a treat to behold them! and each brought a present, the
best of all being a handsome pair of wings, like those of a large
white fly ; these were fastened to Maia’s shoulders, and then
she could fly from flower to flower. So that there was a deal
of rejoicing, and the little swallow, who sat above in his nest,
was called upon to sing a wedding song, which he performed as
well as he could, though he felt rather sad at heart, as he was
so fond of Maja that be would willingly never have parted
from her.

“ Farewell, farewell!” said the little swallow, with a heavy
heart, on leaving the warm lands to fly back to Denmark.
There he hasa little nest over the bed-room window of the
man who tells these stories. The bird sang “twit, twit” to
him ; and that is the way he came by the whole story.

THE WILD SWANS.

ps

Far away hence, in the land whither the swans fly when it is
cold winter with us, there once lived a king who had eleven
sons, and one daughter named Elise. The eleven brothers were
princes, and used to go to school with stars on their breast, and
swords at their side. They wrote on gold slates with diamond
pencils, and learned by heart as easily as they could read;
one could immediately perceive they were princes. Their
sister Elise sat on a little glass stool, and had a book fall
of prints, that had cost nearly half the kingdom to purchase.