said the soldier. "Sit fast, when you dance,"said he, addressing the shoes, and slapping the soles with his hand.
  The old lady gave the soldier some money and then went withKaren into the church.
  And all the people inside looked at Karen's red shoes, and all thefigures gazed at them; when Karen knelt before the altar and put thegolden goblet to her mouth, she thought only of the red shoes. Itseemed to her as though they were swimming about in the goblet, andshe forgot to sing the psalm, forgot to say the "Lord's Prayer."
  Now every one came out of church, and the old lady stepped intoher carriage. But just as Karen was lifting up her foot to get in too,the old soldier said: "Dear me, what pretty dancing shoes!" andKaren could not help it, she was obliged to dance a few steps; andwhen she had once begun, her legs continued to dance. It seemed asif the shoes had got power over them. She danced round the churchcorner, for she could not stop; the coachman had to run after herand seize her. He lifted her into the carriage, but her feet continuedto dance, so that she kicked the good old lady violently. At last theytook off her shoes, and her legs were at rest.
  At home the shoes were put into the cupboard, but Karen couldnot help looking at them.
  Now the old lady fell ill, and it was said that she would not risefrom her bed again. She had to be nursed and waited upon, and this wasno one's duty more than Karen's. But there was a grand ball in thetown, and Karen was invited. She looked at the red shoes, saying toherself that there was no sin in doing that; she put the red shoes on,thinking there was no harm in that either; and then she went to theball; and commenced to dance.
  But when she wanted to go to the right, the shoes danced to theleft, and when she wanted to dance up the room, the shoes danceddown the room, down the stairs through the street, and out through thegates of the town. She danced, and was obliged to dance, far outinto the dark wood. Suddenly something shone up among the trees, andshe believed it was the moon, for it was a face. But it was the oldsoldier with the red beard; he sat there nodding his head and said:"Dear me, what pretty dancing shoes!"
  She was frightened, and wanted to throw the red shoes away; butthey stuck fast. She tore off her stockings, but the shoes had grownfast to her feet. She danced and was obliged to go on dancing overfield and meadow, in rain and sunshine, by night and by day- but bynight it was most horrible.
  She danced out into the open churchyard; but the dead there didnot dance. They had something better to do than that. She wanted tosit down on the pauper's grave where the bitter fern grows; but forher there was neither peace nor rest. And as she danced past theopen church door she saw an angel there in long white robes, withwings reaching from his shoulders down to the earth; his face wasstern and grave, and in his hand he held a broad shining sword.
  "Dance you shall," said he, "dance in your red shoes till youare pale and cold, till your skin shrivels up and you are askeleton! Dance you shall, from door to door, and where proud andwicked children live you shall knock, so that they may hear you andfear you! Dance you shall, dance- !"
  "Mercy!" cried Karen. But she did not hear what the angelanswered, for the shoes carried her through the gate into thefields, along highways and byways, and unceasingly she had to dance.
  One morning she danced past a door that she knew well; they weresinging a psalm inside, and a coffin was being carried out coveredwith flowers. Then she knew that she was forsaken by every one anddamned by the angel of God.
  She danced, and was obliged to go on dancing through the darknight. The shoes bore her away over thorns and stumps till she was alltorn and bleeding; she danced away over the heath to a lonely littlehouse. Here, she knew, lived the executioner; and she tapped withher finger at the window and said:
  "Come out, come out!