The old shoes had always been so easy that they seemed a part of himself and he never knew he had them on. But with the new shoes it was all different. He could not keep his thoughts away from them, and the night he played before the king his mind was filled with the new shoes that pinched his feet, instead of his beloved music.
For the first time in his career Lars was a failure. Other failures followed, for the new shoes tried him sorely. As time went on people became disappointed. When he first came among them, they had found Lars charming because he was natural. That was the time he wore the old shoes. The people had never noticed these shoes that Lars wore with such ease and grace. Now they began to notice the new shoes. Men nudged each other and ladies smiled behind their fans.
One by one they dropped him out of their lives, and one morning Lars awoke to find himself quite alone and almost as poor as when he had left the northern cottage.
It was a long time since he had thought of the dear, northern cottage and a mighty longing came into his heart to see it.
It was a long time since he had seen the pair of old shoes. He remembered them now and he went to the corner where he had left them, but they had disappeared.
He searched for them everywhere, but they could not be found.
He traveled day and night, and reached the dear, northern cottage. It was empty. The pair of old shoes, dear old shoes that had been left in the corner so long had disappeared. A strange loneliness crept into the heart of Lars. He threw himself on the shore of the great ocean and cried himself to sleep.
The North-wind found him and kissed his cheek. She is a great, beautiful woman with long, flowing hair and she likes well Lars’ northern country.
At first Lars shivered at her touch, but it did not sting like the ridicule of the great world he had lived in.
After a while the kiss of the North-wind was a magic touch to Lars. He became a boy again. He nestled on the back of the North-wind and played with her flowing hair. He drew it in shining threads to his finger-tips and made music as he used to do on his old violin.