He carried this with him into a large room. At the end of this room sat a king on a throne.
“Is that King Caloric?” asked Tina of the maiden, who had left the prince and was standing by her side.
“Yes,” she replied. “Listen!”
The prince went up to the foot of the throne, where a seat was ready for him.
Everything was as still as could be. There were a great many persons standing about, but it was as silent as noonday, and there was the same feeling in the air.
Presently in came the twelve geese, the first one with the prince’s crown on its head. They stopped some distance from the throne, and the prince began to play.
As he played, Tina saw the oven and the baker, the field and the brook, the narrow streets, and everything.
Everyone looked very grave, and the king listened. It seemed as if the prince were telling all that had happened, and yet he was only playing on his harp.
“It will do. It is not so bad,” said the king, when he had finished.
“It is all my good Breeze,” said the prince; “but for her, there would have been a sad tale to tell.”