that reached from his shoulders down to the ground. His countenance was grave and stern, and in his hand he held a bright and glittering sword.
“Thou shalt dance,” said he, “dance in thy red shoes till thou art pale and cold, and till thy skin shrivels up to a skeleton. Thou shalt dance from door to door; and where proud, haughty children live thou shalt knock, so that they may hear thee, and be afraid; yea, thou shalt dance.”
“Mercy!” cried Karen; but she heard not what the angel answered; for her shoes carried her away from the door, into the fields, over highways and byways; but dancing, dancing ever.
One morning she danced by a door which she knew well. She could hear sounds of singing within, and a coffin, decked with flowers, was presently carried out. Then she knew that the old lady was dead, and she felt that she was forsaken by all the world, and condemned by an angel from heaven. Still must she dance through the long days, and the dark, gloomy nights. The shoes carried her on through brambles, and over stumps of trees, which scratched her till the blood came. Then she danced across a heath to a little lonely house. Here, she knew, the executioner dwelt; and she tapped with her fingers on the window-pane, and said, “Come out, come out; I cannot come in, for I must dance.”
And the executioner said, “Do you not know who I am? I cut off the heads of wicked people, and I perceive now that my axe tingles through my fingers.”
“Do not strike off my head,” said Karen, “for then I shall not be able to repent of my sin; but cut off my feet with the red shoes.” And then she confessed all her sins, and the executioner cut off her feet with the red shoes on them, and the shoes, with the little feet in them, danced away over the fields, and were lost in the dark wood. And he cut out a pair of wooden feet for her, and gave her crutches; then he taught her a psalm, which the penitents always sing, and she kissed the hand that had held the axe, and went away across the heath. “Now I have suffered enough for the red shoes,” said she; “I will go to church, that I may be seen there by the people;” and she went as quickly as she could to the church door, but when she arrived there, the red shoes danced before her eyes so, that she was frightened, and turned back. Through the whole week she was in sorrow, and wept many bitter tears; but when Sunday came again, she said, “Now I have suffered and striven enough; I believe I am quite as good as many of those who go to church, and sit there showing their airs.” And then she went boldly on, but she did not get further than the churchyard gate, for there were the red shoes dancing before her. Then she was really frightened, and went back, and repented of her sinful pride with her whole heart. Then she went to the parsonage and begged to be taken there as a servant, promising to be industrious, and do all she could, even without wages. All she wanted was the shelter of a home, and to be with good people. The clergyman’s wife had pity on her, and took her into her service, and she was industrious and thoughtful. Silently she sat and listened when the clergyman read the Bible aloud in the evening. All the little ones became very fond of her, but when they spoke of dress, or
