Description

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Once upon a time there lived a King who was immensely rich. He had broad lands, and sacksoverflowing with gold and silver; but he did not care a bit for all his riches, because the Queen, hiswife, was dead. He shut himself up in a little room and knocked his head against the walls for grief, until his courtiers were really afraid that he would hurt himself. So they hung feather-beds betweenthe tapestry and the walls, and then he could go on knocking his head as long as it was anyconsolation to him without coming to much harm. All his subjects came to see him, and saidwhatever they thought would comfort him: some were grave, even gloomy with him; and someagreeable, even gay; but not one could make the least impression upon him. Indeed, he hardlyseemed to hear what they said. At last came a lady who was wrapped in a black mantle, and seemedto be in the deepest grief. She wept and sobbed until even the King's attention was attracted; andwhen she said that, far from coming to try and diminish his grief, she, who had just lost a goodhusband, was come to add her tears to his, since she knew what he must be feeling, the Kingredoubled his lamentations. Then he told the sorrowful lady long stories about the good qualities ofhis departed Queen, and she in her turn recounted all the virtues of her departed husband; and thispassed the time so agreeably that the King quite forgot to thump his head against the feather-beds, and the lady did not need to wipe the tears from her great blue eyes as often as before. By degreesthey came to talking about other things in which the King took an interest, and in a wonderfullyshort time the whole kingdom was astonished by the news that the King was married again to thesorrowful lad.