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“It was the height of summer， which the mice told me was the reason that the forest smelt so strong， and that the herbs were so fragrant， and the lakes with the white swimming swans so dark， and yet so clear. On the margin of the wood， near to three or four houses， a pole， as large as the mainmast of a ship， had been erected， and from the summit hung wreaths of flowers and fluttering ribbons； it was the Maypole. Lads and lasses danced round the pole， and tried to outdo the violins of the musicians with their singing. They were as merry as ever at sunset and in the moonlight， but I took no part in the merry-making. What has a little mouse to do with a Maypole dance？ I sat in the soft moss， and held my sausage skewer tight. The moon threw its beams particularly on one spot where stood a tree covered with exceedingly fine moss. I may almost venture to say that it was as fine and soft as the fur of the mouse-king， but it was GREen， which is a color very agreeable to the eye. All at once I saw the most charming little people marching towards me. They did not reach higher than my knee； they looked like human beings， but were better proportioned， and they called themselves elves. Their clothes were very delicate and fine， for they were made of the leaves of flowers， trimmed with the wings of flies and gnats， which had not a bad effect. By their manner， it appeared as if they were seeking for something. I knew not what， till at last one of them espied me and came towards me， and the foremost pointed to my sausage skewer， and said， 'There， that is just what we want； see， it is pointed at the top； is it not capital？' and the longer he looked at my pilgrim's staff， the more delighted he became. 'I will lend it to you，' said I， 'but not to keep.'
“'Oh no， we won't keep it！' they all cried； and then they seized the skewer， which I gave up to them， and danced with it to the spot where the delicate moss GREw， and set it up in the middle of the green. They wanted a maypole， and the one they now had seemed cut out on purpose for them. Then they decorated it so beautifully that it was quite dazzling to look at. Little spiders spun golden threads around it， and then it was hung with fluttering veils and flags so delicately white that they glittered like snow in the moonshine. After that they took colors from the butterfly's wing， and sprinkled them over the white drapery which gleamed as if covered with flowers and diamonds， so that I could not recognize my sausage skewer at all. Such a maypole had never been seen in all the world as this. Then came a great company of real elves. Nothing could be finer than their clothes， and they invited me to be present at the feast； but I was to keep at a certain distance， because I was too large for them. Then commenced such music that it sounded like a thousand glass bells， and was so full and strong that I thought it must be the song of the swans. I fancied also that I heard the voices of the cuckoo and the black-bird， and it seemed at last as if the whole forest sent forth glorious melodies—the voices of children， the tinkling of bells， and the songs of the birds； and all this wonderful melody came from the elfin maypole. My sausage peg was a complete peal of bells. I could scarcely believe that so much could have been produced from it， till I remembered into what hands it had fallen. I was so much affected that I wept tears such as a little mouse can weep， but they were tears of joy. The night was far too short for me； there are no long nights there in summer， as we often have in this part of the world. When the morning dawned， and the gentle breeze rippled the glassy mirror of the forest lake， all the delicate veils and flags fluttered away into thin air； the waving garlands of the spider's web， the hanging bridges and galleries， or whatever else they may be called， vanished away as if they had never been. Six elves brought me back my sausage skewer， and at the same time asked me to make any request， which they would grant if in their power； so I begged them， if they could， to tell me how to make soup from a sausage skewer.
“'How do we make it？' said the chief of the elves with a smile. 'Why you have just seen it； you scarcely knew your sausage skewer again， I am sure.'
“they think themselves very wise， thought I to myself. Then I told them all about it， and why I had travelled so far， and also what promise had been made at home to the one who should discover the method of preparing this soup. 'What use will it be，' I asked， 'to the mouse-king or to our whole mighty kingdom that I have seen all these beautiful things？ I cannot shake the sausage peg and say， Look， here is the skewer， and now the soup will come. That would only produce a dish to be served when people were keeping a fast.'
“then the elf dipped his finger into the cup of a violet， and said to me， 'Look here， I will anoint your pilgrim's staff， so that when you return to your own home and enter the king's castle， you have only to touch the king with your staff， and violets will spring forth and cover the whole of it， even in the coldest winter time； so I think I have given you really something to carry home， and a little more than something.'”
But before the little mouse explained what this something more was， she stretched her staff out to the king， and as it touched him the most beautiful bunch of violets sprang forth and filled the place with perfume. The smell was so powerful that the mouse-king ordered the mice who stood nearest the chimney to thrust their tails into the fire， that there might be a smell of burning， for the perfume of the violets was overpowering， and not the sort of scent that every one liked.
“But what was the something more of which you spoke just now？” asked the mouse-king.
“Why，” answered the little mouse， “I think it is what they call 'effect；'” and thereupon she turned the staff round， and behold not a single flower was to be seen upon it！ She now only held the naked skewer， and lifted it up as a conductor lifts his baton at a concert. “Violets， the elf told me，” continued the mouse， “are for the sight， the smell， and the touch； so we have only now to produce the effect of hearing and tasting；” and then， as the little mouse beat time with her staff， there came sounds of music， not such music as was heard in the forest， at the elfin feast， but such as is often heard in the kitchen—the sounds of boiling and roasting. It came quite suddenly， like wind rushing through the chimneys， and seemed as if every pot and kettle were boiling over. The fire-shovel clattered down on the brass fender； and then， quite as suddenly， all was still，—nothing could be heard but the light， vapory song of the tea-kettle， which was quite wonderful to hear， for no one could rightly distinguish whether the kettle was just beginning to boil or going to stop. And the little pot steamed， and the GREat pot simmered， but without any regard for each； indeed there seemed no sense in the pots at all. And as the little mouse waved her baton still more wildly， the pots foamed and threw up bubbles， and boiled over； while again the wind roared and whistled through the chimney， and at last there was such a terrible hubbub， that the little mouse let her stick fall.
“That is a strange sort of soup，” said the mouse-king； “shall we not now hear about the preparation？”
“That is all，” answered the little mouse， with a bow.
“That all！” said the mouse-king； “then we shall be glad to hear what information the next may have to give us.”What the Second Mouse Had to Tell
WAS born in the library， at a castle，“ said the second mouse. ”Very few members of our family ever had the good fortune to get into the dining-room， much less the store-room. On my journey， and here to-day， are the only times I have ever seen a kitchen. We were often obliged to suffer hunger in the library， but then we gained a GREat deal of knowledge. The rumor reached us of the royal prize offered to those who should be able to make soup from a sausage skewer. Then my old grandmother sought out a manuscript which， however， she could not read， but had heard it read， and in it was written， 'Those who are poets can make soup of sausage skewers.' She then asked me if I was a poet. I felt myself quite innocent of any such pretensions. Then she said I must go out and make myself a poet. I asked again what I should be required to do， for it seemed to me quite as difficult as to find out how to make soup of a sausage skewer. My grandmother had heard a great deal of reading in her day， and she told me three principal qualifications were necessary—understanding， imagination， and feeling. 'If you can manage to acquire these three， you will be a poet， and the sausage-skewer soup will be quite easy to you.'
