Fairy Tales - The Emperor's new clothes (part-2)

     The Emperor's new clothes - part 2

    A Fairy tale by - Hans Christian Andersen

   
  The whole city was talking of the wonderful cloth which the Emperor had ordered to be woven at his own expense.

   And now the Emperor himself wished to see the costly clothes, while it was still in the loom. Accompanied by a select number of officers of the court, among them were the two honest men, who had already admired the cloth, he went to the crafty frauds. The frauds, as soon as they were aware of the Emperor's approach, went on working more attentively than ever; although they still did not pass a single thread through the looms.
 

   "Is not the work absolutely magnificent?" said the two officers of the crown, already mentioned. "What a splendid design! What glorious colors!" and at the same time they pointed to the empty frames; for they imagined that everyone else could see this wonderful piece of fashion.

   "How is this? I can see nothing! This is indeed a terrible situation! Am I a mad, or am I unfit to be an Emperor? That would be the worst thing that could happen.”- said the Emperor to himself. “Oh! The cloth is charming," said the Emperor, loudly. 

   "It has my complete approval.", the Emperor smiled most decently, and looked closely at the empty looms; for on no account would he say that he could not see what two of the officers of his court had praised so much. All his followers now stressed their eyes, hoping to discover something on the looms, but they could see no more than the others. Yet they all exclaimed, "Oh, how beautiful!" and advised his majesty to have some new clothes made from this wonderful material, for the approaching procession. "Magnificent! Attractive! Excellent!" resounded on all sides; and everyone was unusually glad. The Emperor shared in the general satisfaction and presented the frauds with the ribbon of an order of knighthood, to be fixed in their button-holes, and the title of "Gentlemen Weavers."

   The frauds sat up the whole of the night before the day on which the parade was to take place, and had sixteen lights burning, so that everyone might see how anxious they were to finish the Emperor's new suit. They pretended to roll the cloth off the looms, cut the air with their scissors and sewed with needles without any thread in them. "See!" they cried, “At last the Emperor's new clothes are ready!"

   And now the Emperor, with all the courtiers, came to the weavers. Then the frauds raised their arms, as if in the act of holding something up, saying, "Here are your Majesty's trousers! Here is the scarf! Here is the coat! The whole suit is as light as a cobweb. This might be so fancy that one has nothing at all on, when dressed in it; that, however, is the great virtue of this delicate cloth."
 

    "Yes indeed!" said all the courtiers, although not one of them could see anything of this wonderful manufacture.
"If your Imperial Majesty will be kindly pleased to take off your clothes, we will fit on the new suit, in front of the looking glass."

   The Emperor was accordingly undressed, and the frauds pretended to display him in his new suit. The Emperor was turning round from side to side before the looking glass.

   "How wonderful his Majesty looks in his new clothes, and how well they fit!" everyone cried out. "What a design! What colors! These are indeed royal clothes!"

   "The canopy which is to be borne over your Majesty, in the parade, is waiting," announced the chief master of the ceremonies.

   "I am quite ready," replied the Emperor. "Do my new clothes fit well?" asked he, turning himself round again before the looking glass, in order that he might appear to be examining his handsome suit.

   The lords of the bedchamber, who were to carry his Majesty's train felt about on the ground, as if they were lifting up the ends of the mantle. They were pretended to be carrying something for they would by no means betray anything like simplicity, or unfitness for their office.

   So now the Emperor walked under his high umbrella in the center of the parade. The emperor walked through the streets of his capital, all the people standing by and those at the windows, cried out, "Oh! How beautiful are our Emperor's new clothes! What a magnificent train there is to the mantle; and how gracefully the scarf hangs!" 

   In short, no one would allow that he could not see these much-admired clothes. Because, in doing so, he would have declared himself either a mad or unfit for his office. Certainly, none of the Emperor's various suits, had ever made so great an impression, as these invisible ones.

   "But the Emperor has nothing at all on!" said a little child.

   "Listen to the voice of innocence!" exclaimed his father. Then what the child had said was whispered from one to another.

   "But he has nothing at all on!" at last cried out all the people. The Emperor was irritated, for he knew that the people were right. But the Emperor thought the parade must go on now! And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains than ever to appear holding up a train, in reality there was no train to hold.

 



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