"Oh no, I am not as stupid as all that!"
And then he said good-bye to Lars with a nod; but Lars only made faces at him, for he was very much put out because he could not cheat Anders out of his cap which his mother had made.
Soon after this, Anders met a very old, old woman who curtsied till her skirts looked like a balloon. She called him a little gentleman and said that he was so fine that he might go to the royal court ball.
"Yes, why not?" thought Anders. "Seeing that I am so fine, I may as well go and visit the King."
And so he did. In the palace yard stood two soldiers with shining helmets, and with muskets over their shoulders; and when Anders came, both the muskets were levelled at him.
"Where may you be going?" asked one of the soldiers.
"I am going to the court ball," answered Anders.
"Indeed you are not," said the other soldier, and put his foot forward. "Nobody is allowed there without a uniform."
But just at this instant the Princess came tripping across the yard. She was dressed in white silk with bows of ribbon. When she became aware of Anders and the soldiers, she walked over to them.
"Oh," she said, "he has such an extraordinarily fine cap on his head, that that will do just as well as a uniform."