There was no night-lamp burning, but the room appearedquite light, for the moon shone through the window upon the floor, andmade it almost like day. All the hyacinths and tulips stood in twolong rows down the room, not a single flower remained in the window,and the flower-pots were all empty. The flowers were dancinggracefully on the floor, making turns and holding each other bytheir long green leaves as they swung round. At the piano sat alarge yellow lily which little Ida was sure she had seen in thesummer, for she remembered the student saying she was very much likeMiss Lina, one of Ida's friends. They all laughed at him then, but nowit seemed to little Ida as if the tall, yellow flower was reallylike the young lady. She had just the same manners while playing,bending her long yellow face from side to side, and nodding in time tothe beautiful music. Then she saw a large purple crocus jump intothe middle of the table where the playthings stood, go up to thedoll's bedstead and draw back the curtains; there lay the sickflowers, but they got up directly, and nodded to the others as asign that they wished to dance with them. The old rough doll, with thebroken mouth, stood up and bowed to the pretty flowers. They did notlook ill at all now, but jumped about and were very merry, yet none ofthem noticed little Ida. Presently it seemed as if something fell fromthe table. Ida looked that way, and saw a slight carnival rodjumping down among the flowers as if it belonged to them; it was,however, very smooth and neat, and a little wax doll with a broadbrimmed hat on her head, like the one worn by the lawyer, sat upon it.The carnival rod hopped about among the flowers on its three redstilted feet, and stamped quite loud when it danced the Mazurka; theflowers could not perform this dance, they were too light to stampin that manner. All at once the wax doll which rode on the carnivalrod seemed to grow larger and taller, and it turned round and saidto the paper flowers, "How can you put such things in a child'shead? they are all foolish fancies;" and then the doll was exactlylike the lawyer with the broad brimmed hat, and looked as yellow andas cross as he did; but the paper dolls struck him on his thin legs,and he shrunk up again and became quite a little wax doll. This wasvery amusing, and Ida could not help laughing. The carnival rod wenton dancing, and the lawyer was obliged to dance also. It was no use,he might make himself great and tall, or remain a little wax doll witha large black hat; still he must dance. Then at last the other flowersinterceded for him, especially those who had lain in the doll's bed,and the carnival rod gave up his dancing. At the same moment a loudknocking was heard in the drawer, where Ida's doll Sophy lay with manyother toys. Then the rough doll ran to the end of the table, laidhimself flat down upon it, and began to pull the drawer out a littleway.
  Then Sophy raised himself, and looked round quite astonished,"There must be a ball here to-night," said Sophy. "Why did notsomebody tell me?"
  "Will you dance with me?" said the rough doll.
  "You are the right sort to dance with, certainly," said she,turning her back upon him.
  Then she seated herself on the edge of the drawer, and thoughtthat perhaps one of the flowers would ask her to dance; but none ofthem came. Then she coughed, "Hem, hem, a-hem;" but for all that notone came. The shabby doll now danced quite alone, and not verybadly, after all. As none of the flowers seemed to notice Sophy, shelet herself down from the drawer to the floor, so as to make a verygreat noise. All the flowers came round her directly, and asked if shehad hurt herself, especially those who had lain in her bed. But shewas not hurt at all, and Ida's flowers thanked her for the use ofthe nice bed, and were very kind to her. They led her into themiddle of the room, where the moon shone, and danced with her, whileall the other flowers formed a circle round them. Then Sophy wasvery happy, and said they might keep her bed; she did not mind lyingin the drawer at all. But the flowers thanked her very much, andsaid,-
  "We cannot live long. To-morrow morning we shall be quite dead;and you must tell little Ida to bury us in the garden, near to thegrave of the canary; then, in the summer we shall wake up and bemore beautiful than ever."
  "No, you must not die," said Sophy, as she kissed the flowers.
  Then the door of the room opened, and a number of beautifulflowers danced in. Ida could not imagine where they could come from,unless they were the flowers from the king's garden. First came twolovely roses, with little golden crowns on their heads; these were theking and queen. Beautiful stocks and carnations followed, bowing toevery one present. They had also music with them. Large poppies andpeonies had pea-shells for instruments, and blew into them till theywere quite red in the face. The bunches of blue hyacinths and thelittle white snowdrops jingled their bell-like flowers, as if theywere real bells. Then came many more flowers: blue violets, purpleheart's-ease, daisies, and lilies of the valley, and they all dancedtogether, and kissed each other. It was very beautiful to behold.
  At last the flowers wished each other good-night. Then littleIda crept back into her bed again, and dreamt of all she had seen.When she arose the next morning, she went quickly to the little table,to see if the flowers were still there. She drew aside the curtains ofthe little bed. There they all lay, but quite faded; much more so thanthe day before. Sophy was lying in the drawer where Ida had placedher; but she looked very sleepy.
  "Do you remember what the flowers told you to say to me?"