THE EMPERORS NEW SUIT故事

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　　THE EMPERORS NEW SUIT故事
　　    MANY, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much
　　    of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain
　　    them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He did
　　    not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him;
　　    the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive
　　    out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every
　　    hour of the day; and as one would say of a king "He is in his
　　    cabinet," so one could say of him, "The emperor is in his
　　    dressing-room."
　　    The great city where he resided was very gay; every day
　　    many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day
　　    two swindlers came to this city; they made people believe that
　　    they were weavers, and declared they could manufacture the
　　    finest cloth to be imagined. Their colours and patterns, they
　　    said, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes
　　    made of their material possessed the wonderful quality of
　　    being invisible to any man who was unfit for his office or
　　    unpardonably stupid.
　　    "That must be wonderful cloth," thought the emperor. "If I
　　    were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should be
　　    able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their
　　    places, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I
　　    must have this cloth woven for me without delay." And he gave
　　    a large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that they
　　    should set to work without any loss of time. They set up two
　　    looms, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did
　　    nothing whatever on the looms. They asked for the finest silk
　　    and the most precious gold-cloth; all they got they did away
　　    with, and worked at the empty looms till late at night.
　　    "I should very much like to know how they are getting on
　　    with the cloth," thought the emperor. But he felt rather
　　    uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his
　　    office could not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that he
　　    had nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send
            
            

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　　    somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the
　　    town knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and
　　    all were anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbours
　　    were.
　　    "I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers,"
　　    thought the emperor. "He can judge best how the stuff looks,
　　    for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office
　　    better than he."
　　    The good old minister went into the room where the
　　    swindlers sat before the empty looms. "Heaven preserve us!" he
　　    thought, and opened his eyes wide, "I cannot see anything at
　　    all," but he did not say so. Both swindlers requested him to
　　    come near, and asked him if he did not admire the exquisite
　　    pattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the empty
　　    looms. The poor old minister tried his very best, but he could
　　    see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. "Oh dear," he
　　    thought, "can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so,
　　    and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for
　　    my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the
　　    cloth."
　　    "Now, have you got nothing to say?" said one of the
　　    swindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.
　　    "Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful," replied
　　    the old minister looking through his glasses. "What a
　　    beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell the
　　    emperor that I like the cloth very much."
　　    "We are pleased to hear that," said the two weavers, and
　　    described to him the colours and explained the curious
　　    pattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he might
　　    relate to the emperor what they said; and so he did.
　　    Now the swindlers ask
　　ed for more money, silk and
　　    gold-cloth, which they required for weaving. They kept
　　    everything for themselves, and not a thread came near the
　　    loom, but they continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty
　　    looms.
　　    Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtier
            
            

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　　    to the weavers to see how they were getting on, and if the
　　    cloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked
　　    and looked but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be
　　    seen.
　　    "Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?" asked the two
　　    swindlers, showing and explaining the magnificent pattern,
　　    which, however, did not exist.
　　    "I am not stupid," said the man. "It is therefore my good
　　    appointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange, but I
　　    must not let any one know it;" and he praised the cloth, which
　　    he did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours
　　    and the fine pattern. "It is very excellent," he said to the
　　    emperor.
　　    Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious
　　    cloth. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it
　　    was still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including
　　    the two who had already been there, he went to the two clever
　　    swindlers, who now worked as hard as they could, but without
　　    using any thread.
　　    "Is it not magnificent?" said the two old statesmen who
　　    had been there before. "Your Majesty must admire the colours
　　    and the pattern." And then they pointed to the empty looms,
　　    for they imagined the others could see the cloth.
　　    "What is this?" thought the emperor, "I do not see
　　    anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to
　　    be emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that
　　    could happen to me."
　　    "Really," he said, turning to the weavers, "your cloth has
　　    our most gracious approval;" and nodding contentedly he looked
　　    at the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw
　　    nothing. All his attendants, who were with him, looked and
　　    looked, and although they could not see anything more than the
　　    others, they said, like the emperor, "It is very beautiful."
　　    And all advised him to wear the new magnificent clothes at a
　　    great procession which was soon to take place. "It is
            
            

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　　    magnificent, beautiful, excellent," one heard them say;
　　    everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed
　　    the two swindlers "Imperial Court weavers."
　　    The whole night previous to the day on which the
　　    procession was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work,
　　    and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that
　　    they were busy to finish the emperor's new suit. They
　　    pretended to take the cloth from the loom, and worked about in
　　    the air with big scissors, and sewed with needles without
　　    thread, and said at last: "The emperor's new suit is ready
　　    now."
　　    The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the
　　    swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in
　　    their hands and said: "These are the trousers!" "This is the
　　    coat!" and "Here is the cloak!" and so on. "They are all as
　　    light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at
　　    all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them."
　　    "Indeed!" said all the courtiers; but they could not see
　　    anything, for there was nothing to be seen.
　　    "Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress,"
　　    said the swindlers, "that we may assist your Majesty in
　　    putting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?"
　　    The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put
　　    the new suit upon him, one piece after another; and the
　　    emperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.
　　    "How well they look! How well they fit!" said all. "What a
　　    beautiful pattern! What fine colours! That is a magnificent
　　    suit of clothes!"
　　    The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of
　　    the canopy, which was to be carried in the procession, were
　　    ready.
　　    "I am ready," said the emperor. "Does not my suit fit me
　　    marvellously?" Then he turned once more to the looking-glass,
　　    that people should think he admired his garments.
　　    The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretched
            
            

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　　    their hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train, and
　　    pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like
　　    people to know that they could not see anything.
　　    The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful
　　    canopy, and all who saw him in the street and out of the
　　    windows exclaimed: "Indeed, the emperor's new suit is
　　    incomparable! What a long train he has! How well it fits him!"
　　    Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he
　　    would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never
　　    emperor's clothes were more admired.
　　    "But he has nothing on at all," said a little child at
　　    last. "Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent
　　    child," said the father, and one whispered to the other what
　　    the child had said. "But he has nothing on at all," cried at
　　    last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the
　　    emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he
　　    thought to himself, "Now I must bear up to the end." And the
　　    chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they
　　    carried the train which did not exist.
　　    THE END