Ivede-Avede, or Humpty Dumpty, who fell down stairs, but soon got upagain, and at last married a princess."
  "Ivede-Avede," cried some. "Humpty Dumpty," cried others, andthere was a fine shouting and crying out. But the fir-tree remainedquite still, and thought to himself, "Shall I have anything to do withall this?" but he had already amused them as much as they wished. Thenthe old man told them the story of Humpty Dumpty, how he fell downstairs, and was raised up again, and married a princess. And thechildren clapped their hands and cried, "Tell another, tellanother," for they wanted to hear the story of "Ivede-Avede;" but theyonly had "Humpty Dumpty." After this the fir-tree became quitesilent and thoughtful; never had the birds in the forest told suchtales as "Humpty Dumpty," who fell down stairs, and yet married aprincess.
  "Ah! yes, so it happens in the world," thought the fir-tree; hebelieved it all, because it was related by such a nice man. "Ah!well," he thought, "who knows? perhaps I may fall down too, andmarry a princess;" and he looked forward joyfully to the next evening,expecting to be again decked out with lights and playthings, goldand fruit. "To-morrow I will not tremble," thought he; "I will enjoyall my splendor, and I shall hear the story of Humpty Dumpty again,and perhaps Ivede-Avede." And the tree remained quiet and thoughtfulall night. In the morning the servants and the housemaid came in."Now," thought the fir, "all my splendor is going to begin again." Butthey dragged him out of the room and up stairs to the garret, andthrew him on the floor, in a dark corner, where no daylight shone, andthere they left him. "What does this mean?" thought the tree, "what amI to do here? I can hear nothing in a place like this," and he hadtime enough to think, for days and nights passed and no one camenear him, and when at last somebody did come, it was only to putaway large boxes in a corner. So the tree was completely hidden fromsight as if it had never existed. "It is winter now," thought thetree, "the ground is hard and covered with snow, so that people cannotplant me. I shall be sheltered here, I dare say, until spring comes.How thoughtful and kind everybody is to me! Still I wish this placewere not so dark, as well as lonely, with not even a little hare tolook at. How pleasant it was out in the forest while the snow lay onthe ground, when the hare would run by, yes, and jump over me too,although I did not like it then. Oh! it is terrible lonely here."
  "Squeak, squeak," said a little mouse, creeping cautiously towardsthe tree; then came another; and they both sniffed at the fir-tree andcrept between the branches.
  "Oh, it is very cold," said the little mouse, "or else we shouldbe so comfortable here, shouldn't we, you old fir-tree?"
  "I am not old," said the fir-tree, "there are many who are olderthan I am."
  "Where do you come from? and what do you know?" asked the mice,who were full of curiosity. "Have you seen the most beautiful placesin the world, and can you tell us all about them? and have you been inthe storeroom, where cheeses lie on the shelf, and hams hang fromthe ceiling? One can run about on tallow candles there, and go in thinand come out fat."
  "I know nothing of that place," said the fir-tree, "but I know thewood where the sun shines and the birds sing." And then the treetold the little mice all about its youth. They had never heard such anaccount in their lives; and after they had listened to it attentively,they said, "What a number of things you have seen?