The Top And Ball, Fairy Tales, Fairy Tales
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1872FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENTHE TOP AND BALLby Hans Christian AndersenA WHIPPING TOP and a little ball lay together in a box, amongother toys, and the top said to the ball, "Shall we be married, aswe live in the same box?"But the ball, which wore a dress of morocco leather, and thoughtas much of herself as any other young lady, would not evencondescend to reply.The next day came the little boy to whom the playthingsbelonged, and he painted the top red and yellow, and drove abrass-headed nail into the middle, so that while the top wasspinning round it looked splendid."Look at me," said the top to the ball. "What do you say now?Shall we be engaged to each other? We should suit so well; you spring,and I dance. No one could be happier than we should be.""Indeed! do you think so? Perhaps you do not know that my fatherand mother were morocco slippers, and that I have a Spanish cork in mybody.""Yes; but I am made of mahogany," said the top. "The major himselfturned me. He has a turning lathe of his own, and it is a greatamusement to him.""Can I believe it?" asked the ball."May I never be whipped again," said the top, "if I am not tellingyou the truth.""You certainly know how to speak for yourself very well," said theball; "but I cannot accept your proposal. I am almost engaged to aswallow. Every time I fly up in the air, he puts his head out of thenest, and says, 'Will you?' and I have said, 'Yes,' to myselfsilently, and that is as good as being half engaged; but I willpromise never to forget you.""Much good that will be to me," said the top; and they spoke toeach other no more.Next day the ball was taken out by the boy. The top saw itflying high in the air, like a bird, till it would go quite out ofsight. Each time it came back, as it touched the earth, it gave ahigher leap than before, either because it longed to fly upwards, orfrom having a Spanish cork in its body. But the ninth time it rosein the air, it remained away, and did not return. The boy searchedeverywhere for it, but he searched in vain, for it could not be found;it was gone."I know very well where she is," sighed the top; "she is in theswallow's nest, and has married the swallow."The more the top thought of this, the more he longed for the ball.His love increased the more, just because he could not get her; andthat she should have been won by another, was the worst of all. Thetop still twirled about and hummed, but he continued to think of theball; and the more he thought of her, the more beautiful she seemed tohis fancy.Thus several years passed by, and his love became quite old. Thetop, also, was no longer young; but there came a day when he lookedhandsomer than ever; for he was gilded all over. He was now a goldentop, and whirled and danced about till he hummed quite loud, and wassomething worth looking at; but one day he leaped too high, and thenhe, also, was gone. They searched everywhere, even in the cellar,but he was nowhere to be found. Where could he be? He had jumpedinto the dust-bin, where all sorts of rubbish were lying:cabbage-stalks, dust, and rain-droppings that had fallen down from thegutter under the roof."Now I am in a nice place," said he; "my gilding will soon bewashed off here. Oh dear, what a set of rabble I have got amongst!"And then he glanced at a curious round thing like an old apple,which lay near a long, leafless cabbage-stalk. It was, however, not anapple, but an old ball, which had lain for years in the gutter, andwas soaked through with water."Thank goodness, here comes one of my own class, with whom I cantalk," said the ball, examining the gilded top. "I am made ofmorocco," she said. "I was sewn together by a young lady, and I have aSpanish cork in my body; but no one would think it, to look at me now.I was once engaged to a swallow; but I fell in here from the gutterunder the roof, and I have lain here more than five years, and havebeen thoroughly drenched. Believe me, it is a long time for a youngmaiden."The top said nothing, but he thought of his old love; and the moreshe said, the more clear it became to him that this was the same ball.The servant then came to clean out the dust-bin."Ah," she exclaimed, "here is a gilt top." So the top wasbrought again to notice and honor, but nothing more was heard of thelittle ball. He spoke not a word about his old love; for that soondied away. When the beloved object has lain for five years in agutter, and has been drenched through, no one cares to know heragain on meeting her in a dust-bin.THE END.
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