The Complete Fairy Tales & Other Stories
By Hans Christian Andersen - online book

Oxford Complete Illustrated Edition all his stories written between 1835 and 1872.

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THE FLAX
407
very right that one should collect one's thoughts. Now I'm able for the first time to think of what is in me, and to know oneself is true progress. What will be done with me now ? At any rate I shall go forward again : I'm always going forward.'
One day all the paper was laid on the hearth in order to be burnt, for it must not be sold to the grocer to wrap up butter and sugar. And all the children in the house stood round ; they wanted to see it blaze, they wanted to see among the ashes the many red sparks, which seemed to dart off and go out, one after the other, so quickl}r. These
are the children going out of school, and the last spark of all is the schoolmaster : one often thinks he has gone already, but he always comes a little after all the others. All the old Paper, the whole bundle, was laid upon the fire, and it was soon alight. ' Ugh ! ' it said, and burst out into bright flame that mounted up higher than the Flax had ever been able to lift its little blue flowers, and glittered as the white Linen had never been able to glitter. All the written letters turned for a moment quite red, and all the words and thoughts turned to flame.
1 Now I'm mounting straight up to the sun,' said a voice in the flame ; and it was as if a thousand voices said this in unison ; and the flames mounted up through the chimney