The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep

Have you ever seen a very old wooden cabinet, quite black with age and carved all over with leaves and curlicues? Just such a cabinet stood in a living room. It had belonged to great-great-grandmother. It was carved from top to bottom with roses and tulips; there were the strangest curlicues, and out of them peeped little stags' heads. But in the middle of the cabinet a whole man had been carved. He was really funny to look at; he grinned, for you could not call it laughing. He had goat's legs, little horns on his forehead and a long beard. The children called him "Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant". It was a hard name to say, and not many people have a title like that. But they had taken the trouble to carve him!

He was always looking at the table under the mirror, for there stood a lovely little shepherdess made of porcelain. Her shoes were gilded, her dress was pinned up with a red rose, she had a golden hat on her head and a shepherd's crook in her hand. She was very lovely. Right beside her stood a little chimney sweep. He too was made of porcelain, as black as coal, but just as clean and neat as anyone else. Being a chimney sweep was only make-believe; the porcelain maker could just as well have made him a prince, it was all the same.

He held his ladder very gracefully under his arm; his face was pink and white like a girl's, which was really a mistake, for it ought to have been a little black. He stood very close to the shepherdess; they had both been put where they were, and having been put there, they had become engaged. They suited each other very well; they were both young, they were both made of the same porcelain, and they were both equally fragile.

A little way off stood another figure, three times as big as they were. It was an old Chinaman who could nod his head. He too was made of porcelain, and he said he was the little shepherdess's grandfather; but he could not prove it. He claimed to have authority over her, and so, when Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant asked for the shepherdess's hand, he nodded his head. "You'll have a fine husband," said the old Chinaman. "I think he's made of mahogany. He'll make you Lady Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant. He has a whole cabinet full of silver plate, not to mention what's hidden in the secret drawers." "I don't want to go into the dark cabinet," said the little shepherdess. "I've heard he has eleven porcelain wives in there." "Then you'll make the twelfth," said the Chinaman. "Tonight, as soon as the old cabinet starts creaking, the wedding will take place, as sure as I'm a Chinaman." Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

But the little shepherdess wept and looked at her dear porcelain chimney sweep. "I must ask you," she said, "to go out into the wide world with me. We can't stay here." "I'll do anything you want," said the little chimney sweep. "Let's go at once. I think I can support you by my trade." "If only we can get safely down from the table," said the shepherdess. "I shan't be happy until we're out in the wide world."

The chimney sweep comforted her and showed her how to set her little foot on the carved curlicues and gilded leaves of the table. He helped her with his ladder, and at last they reached the floor. But when they looked at the old cabinet, they saw a great commotion there. All the carved stags stuck out their heads, raised their antlers and turned their necks. Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant jumped high into the air and shouted to the old Chinaman: "They're running away! They're running away!" At this they were very frightened and quickly jumped into the drawer under the windowsill.

In there were three or four incomplete packs of playing cards and a little puppet theatre. A play was being performed, and all the queens of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades sat in the front row, fanning themselves with their tulips. Behind them stood all the knaves, showing that they had heads both at the top and at the bottom. The play was about two people who loved each other but could not be together. The shepherdess cried, because it was just like her own story. "I can't bear it," she said. "We must get out of this drawer."

But when they got back to the floor, they saw that the old Chinaman had woken up and was rocking his whole body. "The old Chinaman is coming!" cried the little shepherdess, and she fell on her porcelain knees in great distress. "I have an idea," said the chimney sweep. "Let's crawl into the big potpourri jar in the corner. We can lie among the roses and lavender and throw salt in his eyes if he comes." "That won't do," said the shepherdess. "I know that the old Chinaman and the potpourri jar were once engaged. There's always a little fondness left over from that sort of thing. No, there's nothing for it but to go out into the wide world."

"Do you really have the courage to go out into the wide world with me?" said the chimney sweep. "Have you thought how big it is, and that we can never come back here?" "I have," said the shepherdess. The chimney sweep looked at her steadily and said: "My way lies through the chimney. Have you the courage to crawl with me through the stove and up the chimney? From there we'll come out at the top; I know what to do up there. We'll climb so high that they can't reach us. At the very top there's a hole that leads out into the wide world."

He led her to the door of the stove. "How black it is," said the shepherdess. But still she went with him into the stove, and from there into the pitch-dark chimney. "Now we're in the chimney," said the chimney sweep. "Look, look up there, what a lovely star is shining!" And there really was a star in the sky, shining down as if to show them the way. They climbed and crawled; it was a dreadful way, so very high. But he lifted her and helped her and showed her the best places to set her little porcelain feet. At last they reached the top of the chimney and sat down there, for they were very tired, as well they might be.

Above them was the sky full of stars, and below lay all the roofs of the town. They could see far out into the wide world. The poor shepherdess had never imagined it like this. She leaned her little head on the chimney sweep's shoulder and cried so hard that the gilt ran off her sash. "It's too much," she said. "I can't bear it. The world is too big. If only I were back on the little table under the mirror! I'll never be happy until I'm back there again. I've followed you out into the wide world; now, if you love me, you can take me home again."

The chimney sweep reminded her of the old Chinaman and of Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant; but she sobbed so hard and kissed him so much that he could do nothing but give in to her, foolish as it was. With great difficulty they climbed back down the chimney and crept into the stove. That was not pleasant at all. Then they stood in the dark stove and listened behind the door to hear what was happening in the room. All was quiet. They peeped out; the old Chinaman was lying on the floor. He had fallen off the table trying to follow them and had broken into three pieces. His whole back had come off in one piece, and his head had rolled into a corner. Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant stood where he had always stood, thinking.

"How dreadful," said the little shepherdess. "Old grandfather is broken, and it's our fault. I can't bear it!" And she wrung her little hands. "He can be riveted," said the chimney sweep. "He can be riveted. Don't get so upset. They'll glue his back on and put a good rivet in his neck, and then he'll be as good as new and can say lots of unpleasant things to us again." "Do you think so?" said the shepherdess. And they climbed back up onto the table where they had always stood.

"You see," said the chimney sweep, "we could have saved ourselves all that trouble." "If only old grandfather were riveted," said the shepherdess. "Is it very expensive, I wonder?" And the old Chinaman was riveted; the family had his back glued on and a good rivet put in his neck, and he was as good as new, but he could no longer nod his head. "You've become very proud since you were broken," said Goat-legs Major and Minor General Field Sergeant. "But I don't think you have anything to be proud of. Am I to have her or not?"

The chimney sweep and the little shepherdess looked so pleadingly at the old Chinaman; they were afraid he would nod his head. But he could not nod. And he did not like to tell a stranger that he had a rivet in his neck. So the porcelain couple stayed together, and they blessed grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they broke.