with painted flowers on the wall. Here the dreams were rushing past, but
they hurried by so quickly that Gerda could not see the fine people. One
hall was more showy than the other--well might people be abashed; and at
last they came into the bed-chamber.

The ceiling of the room was like a great palm-tree, with leaves of
glass, of costly glass; and in the middle of the floor, from a thick
golden stalk, hung two beds, each of which was shaped like a lily. One
was white, and in this lay the Princess: the other was red, and it was
here that Gerda was to look for little Kay. She bent back one of the red
leaves, and saw a brown neck--oh, that was Kay! She called him quite
loud by name, held the lamp toward him--the dreams rushed again on
horseback into the chamber--he awoke, turned his head, and--it was not
little Kay!

The Prince was only like him about the neck; but he was young and
handsome. And out of the white lily leaves the Princess peeped too, and
asked what was the matter. Then little Gerda cried and told her whole
history, and all that the Crows had done for her.

"Poor little thing!" said the Prince and the Princess, and they praised
the Crows very much, and told them they were not at all angry with them,
but they were not to do so again. However, they should have a reward.

"Will you fly about at liberty?" asked the Princess; "or would you like
to have a steady place as court Crows with all the broken bits from
the kitchen?"

And both the Crows nodded, and begged for a steady place; for they
thought of their old age, and said "it was a good thing to have