安徒生童话全集 英文版(4)

　　“That was funny,” cried little Ida ; and she laughed.

　　“How can any one put such notions into a child's head?” said the tiresome privy councillor, who had come to pay a visit, and was sitting on the sofa. He did not like the student , and always grumbled when he saw him cutting out the comical funny pictures ---- sometimes a man hanging on a gibbet and holding a heart in hishand , to show that he stole hearts; sometimes an old witch riding on a broom, and carrying her husband on her nose . The councillor could not bear this, and then he said, just as he did now, “How can any one put such notions into a child's head? Those are stupid fancies!”

　　But to little Ida , what the student told about her flowers seemed very entertaining; and she thought much about it. The flowers hung their heads, for they were tired because they had danced all night; they were certainly ill. Then she went with them to all her other toys, which stood on a pretty little table, and the whole drawer was full of beautiful things . In the doll's bed lay her doll Sophy , asleep; but little Ida said to her,

　　“You must really get up, Sophy, and manage to lie in the drawer for tonight. The poor flowers are ill, and they, must lie in your bed; perhaps they will then get well again . ”

　　And she at once took the doll out ; but the doll looked cross, and did not say a single word; for she was angry because she could not keep her own bed.

　　Then Ida laid the flowers in the doll's bed, pulled the little coverlet quite up over them, and said they were to lie still and be good, and she would make them some tea, so that they might get well again, and be able to get up tomorrow . And she drew the curtains closely round the little bed , so that the sun should not shine in their eyes .

　　The whole evening through she could not help thinking of what the student had told her. And when she was going to bed herself, she was obliged first to look behind the curtain which hung before the windows where her mother's beautiful flowers stood ---- hyacinths as well as tulips; then she whispered quite softly , “I know you' re going to the ball tonight!” But the flowers made as if they did not understand a word, and did not stir a leaf; but still little Ida knew what she knew .