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G.H. Andersen

Shepherdess and chimney sweep

Have you ever seen an ancient, antique wardrobe, blackened by time and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - my great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was all covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle was a full-length carved man. It was impossible to look at him without laughing, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead and a long beard. The children called him Ober-Unter-General-Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, because such a name is difficult to pronounce and not many people are given such a title. But it’s not easy to cut out such a figure, but they did it anyway. The little man kept looking at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on her head and a shepherd’s crook in her hand - isn’t it beautiful!

Next to her stood a little chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain and just as clean and cute as all the others. After all, he was only portraying a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was white and pink, like a girl’s, and that was a little wrong, he could have been a little crazy. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they went ahead and got engaged. The couple went anywhere: both were young, both were made of the same porcelain, and both were equally fragile.

Right next to them stood another doll, three times their height - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also made of porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he didn’t have enough evidence. He argued that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to the Chief Non-Commissar General of the Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

You will have a good husband! - said the old Chinese. - It looks like it's even made of mahogany. With him you will be chief non-commissioned general-kriegskommissar-sergeant. He has a whole cabinet of silver, not to mention what he has in his secret drawers.

I don't want to go into a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven porcelain wives there!

Well, you'll be twelfth! - said the Chinese. - At night, as soon as old wardrobe If he groans, we’ll have your wedding, otherwise I won’t be Chinese!

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear porcelain chimney sweep, said:

Please, let's run away with me wherever we look. We can't stay here.

I'm ready to do anything for you! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! I’ll probably be able to support you with my craft.

Just to get off the table! - she said. - I won’t breathe freely until we are far, far away!

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with her porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and they eventually descended safely to the floor. But, looking at the old closet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved deer stretched their heads forward, put out their antlers and twirled them in all directions, and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

They're running away! They're running away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep got scared and ran into the window box. There were scattered decks of cards lying here, it was somehow installed puppet theater. There was a performance on stage.

All the queens - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the front row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood the jacks and tried to show that they, too, had two heads, like all the figures in the cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess began to cry: it was so reminiscent of her own fate.

I have no more strength! - she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man had woken up and was rocking with his whole body - because a lead ball was rolling inside him.

Ay, the old Chinese is chasing us! - the shepherdess screamed and fell on her porcelain in despair. knees.

Stop! Got it! - said the chimney sweep. - Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase with dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! Let's lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese gets to us, we'll pour salt into his eyes*.

Nothing will come of it! - said the shepherdess. “I know that the Chinese man and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains of an old friendship.” No, we have only one road - to set off across the world!

Do you have the guts for this? - asked the chimney sweep. -Have you thought about how big the light is? About the fact that we will never go back?

Yes, yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole through which you can get out into the world!

And he led her to the stove.

How black it is here! - she said, but still she crawled after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was pitch dark.

Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look, look! A wonderful star is shining right above us!

A star actually shone in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed a terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it would be more convenient for her to place her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

To us they saw a sky strewn with stars, under them all the roofs of the city, and all around in all directions, both in breadth and in the distance, the free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bowed her head to the chimney sweep's shoulder and cried so bitterly that her tears washed away all the gilt from her belt.

This is too much for me! - said the shepherdess. - I can’t stand this! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I won't have a quiet moment until I get back there! I followed you to the ends of the earth, and now you take me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to reason with her, reminding her of the old Chinese and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It wasn't easy! Finding themselves again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was happening in the room. Everything was quiet, and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese was lying on the floor: after chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into the corner. The Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar Sergeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

What a horror! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and it’s our fault! Oh, I won't survive this!

And she wrung her tiny hands.

It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Just don't worry! They'll glue his back and drive a good rivet into the back of his head, and he'll be just like new again and will be able to say a bunch of unpleasant things to us!

You think? - said the shepherdess.

And they climbed onto their table again.

You and I have come a long way! - said the chimney sweep. - It wasn’t worth the effort!

If only grandpa could be fixed! - said the shepherdess. -Or will it be very expensive?..

Grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became as good as new, only he stopped nodding his head.

You've been on some kind of pride since you crashed! - Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog told him. - But why would that be? Well, will you give up your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also not much fun. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed their grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they were broken.

* - In the old days, vases with dried flowers and herbs were placed in rooms for scent; This mixture was sprinkled with salt to make it smell stronger.

Have you ever seen an ancient, antique wardrobe, blackened by time and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - my great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was all covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle was a full-length carved man. It was impossible to look at him without laughing, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead and a long beard. The children called him Ober-Unter-General-Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, because such a name is difficult to pronounce and not many people are given such a title. But it’s not easy to cut out such a figure, but they did it anyway. The little man kept looking at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on her head and a shepherd’s crook in her hand - isn’t it beautiful!

Next to her stood a little chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain and just as clean and cute as all the others. After all, he was only portraying a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was white and pink, like a girl’s, and that was a little wrong, he could have been a little crazy. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they went ahead and got engaged. The couple went anywhere: both were young, both were made of the same porcelain, and both were equally fragile.

Right next to them stood another doll, three times their height - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also made of porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he didn’t have enough evidence. He argued that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to the Chief Non-Commissar General of the Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

You will have a good husband! - said the old Chinese. - It looks like it's even made of mahogany. With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegskommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cabinet of silver, not to mention what lies in secret drawers.

I don't want to go into a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven porcelain wives there!

Well, you'll be twelfth! - said the Chinese. - At night, as soon as the old wardrobe groans, we will celebrate your wedding, otherwise I won’t be Chinese!

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear porcelain chimney sweep, said:

Please, let's run away with me wherever we look. We can't stay here.

I'm ready to do anything for you! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! I’ll probably be able to support you with my craft.

Just to get off the table! - she said. - I won’t breathe freely until we are far, far away!

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with her porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and they eventually descended safely to the floor. But, looking at the old closet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved deer stretched their heads forward, put out their antlers and twirled them in all directions, and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

They're running away! They're running away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep got scared and ran into the window box.

There were scattered decks of cards, and a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on stage.

All the queens - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the front row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood the jacks and tried to show that they, too, had two heads, like all the figures in the cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess began to cry: it was so reminiscent of her own fate.

I have no more strength! - she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man had woken up and was rocking with his whole body - because a lead ball was rolling inside him.

Ay, the old Chinese is chasing us! - the shepherdess screamed and fell on her porcelain knees in despair.

Stop! Got it! - said the chimney sweep. - Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase with dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! Let's lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese gets to us, we'll pour salt into his eyes.

Nothing will come of it! - said the shepherdess. “I know that the Chinese man and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains of an old friendship.” No, we have only one road - to set off across the world!

Do you have the guts for this? - asked the chimney sweep. -Have you thought about how big the light is? About the fact that we will never go back?

Yes, yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole through which you can get out into the world!

And he led her to the stove.

How black it is here! - she said, but still she crawled after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was pitch-dark.

Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look, look! A wonderful star is shining right above us!

A star actually shone in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed a terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it would be more convenient for her to place her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

Above them was a sky strewn with stars, below them all the roofs of the city, and all around in all directions, both in breadth and in the distance, the free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She leaned her head on the chimney sweep's shoulder and cried so hard that her tears washed away all the gilt from her belt.

This is too much for me! - said the shepherdess. - I can’t stand this! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I won't have a quiet moment until I get back there! I followed you to the ends of the earth, and now you take me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to reason with her, reminding her of the old Chinese and the Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlony, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It wasn't easy! Finding themselves again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was happening in the room. Everything was quiet, and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese was lying on the floor: after chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into the corner. The Ober-Unter-General Kriegskomissarsergeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

What a horror! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and it’s our fault! Oh, I won't survive this!

And she wrung her tiny hands.

It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Just don't worry! They'll glue his back and drive a good rivet into the back of his head, and he'll be just like new again and will be able to say a bunch of unpleasant things to us!

You think? - said the shepherdess.

And they climbed onto their table again.

You and I have come a long way! - said the chimney sweep. - It wasn’t worth the effort!

If only grandpa could be fixed! - said the shepherdess. -Or will it be very expensive?..

Grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became as good as new, only he stopped nodding his head.

You've been on some kind of pride since you crashed! - Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog told him. - But why would that be? Well, will you give up your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also not much fun. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed their grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they were broken.

Andersen Hans Christian

Have you ever seen an ancient, antique wardrobe, blackened by time and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - my great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was all covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle was a full-length carved man. It was impossible to look at him without laughing, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead and a long beard. The children called him Ober-Unter-General-Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, because such a name is difficult to pronounce and not many people are given such a title. But it’s not easy to cut out such a figure, but they did it anyway. The little man kept looking at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned up with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on her head and a shepherd’s crook in her hand - isn’t it beautiful!

Next to her stood a little chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain and just as clean and cute as all the others. After all, he was only portraying a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was white and pink, like a girl’s, and that was a little wrong, he could have been a little crazy. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they went ahead and got engaged. The couple went anywhere: both were young, both were made of the same porcelain, and both were equally fragile.

Right next to them stood another doll, three times their height - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also made of porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he didn’t have enough evidence. He argued that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to the Chief Non-Commissar General of the Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

You will have a good husband! - said the old Chinese. “It looks like it’s even made of mahogany.” With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegskommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cabinet of silver, not to mention what lies in secret drawers.

I don't want to go into a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven porcelain wives there!

Well, you'll be twelfth! - said the Chinese. “At night, as soon as the old wardrobe groans, we’ll celebrate your wedding, otherwise I won’t be Chinese!”

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear porcelain chimney sweep, said:

Please, let's run away with me wherever we look. We can't stay here.

I'm ready to do anything for you! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! I’ll probably be able to support you with my craft.

Just to get off the table! - she said. “I won’t breathe freely until we are far, far away!”

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with her porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and they eventually descended safely to the floor. But, looking at the old closet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved deer stretched their heads forward, put out their antlers and twirled them in all directions, and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

They're running away! They're running away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep got scared and ran into the window box.

There were scattered decks of cards, and a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on stage.

All the queens - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the front row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood the jacks and tried to show that they, too, had two heads, like all the figures in the cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess began to cry: it was so reminiscent of her own fate.

I have no more strength! - she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man had woken up and was rocking with his whole body - because a lead ball was rolling inside him.

Ay, the old Chinese is chasing us! – the shepherdess screamed and fell on her porcelain knees in despair.

Stop! Got it! - said the chimney sweep. – Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase with dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! Let's lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese gets to us, we'll pour salt into his eyes.

Nothing will come of it! - said the shepherdess. “I know that the Chinese man and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains of an old friendship.” No, we have only one road - to set off across the world!

Do you have the guts for this? - asked the chimney sweep. – Have you thought about how big the light is? About the fact that we will never go back?

Yes, yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole through which you can get out into the world!

And he led her to the stove.

How black it is here! - she said, but still she climbed after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was dark, even if you gouged out your eyes.

Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look, look! A wonderful star is shining right above us!

A star actually shone in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed a terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it would be more convenient for her to place her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

Above them was a sky strewn with stars, below them all the roofs of the city, and all around in all directions, both in breadth and in the distance, the free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She leaned her head on the chimney sweep's shoulder and cried so hard that her tears washed away all the gold from her legs.

This is too much for me! - said the shepherdess. - I can’t stand this! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I won't have a quiet moment until I get back there! I followed you to the ends of the earth, and now you take me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to reason with her, reminding her of the old Chinese and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It wasn't easy! Finding themselves again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was happening in the room. Everything was quiet, and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese was lying on the floor: after chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into the corner. The Ober-Unter-General Kriegskomissarsergeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

What a horror! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and it’s our fault! Oh, I won't survive this!

And she wrung her tiny hands.

It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Just don't worry! They'll glue his back and drive a good rivet into the back of his head, and he'll be just like new again and will be able to say a bunch of unpleasant things to us!

You think? - said the shepherdess.

And they climbed onto their table again.

You and I have come a long way! - said the chimney sweep. – It wasn’t worth the effort!

If only grandpa could be fixed! - said the shepherdess. – Or will it be very expensive?..

Grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became as good as new, only he stopped nodding his head.

You've been on some kind of pride since you crashed! - Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog told him. - But why would that be? Well, will you give up your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also not much fun. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed their grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they were broken.

Have you ever seen an ancient, antique wardrobe, blackened by time and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - my great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was all covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle was a full-length carved man. It was impossible to look at him without laughing, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead and a long beard. The children called him Ober-Unter-General-Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, because such a name is difficult to pronounce and not many people are given such a title. But it’s not easy to cut out such a figure, but they did it anyway. The little man kept looking at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on her head and a shepherd’s crook in her hand - isn’t it beautiful!

Next to her stood a little chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain and just as clean and cute as all the others. After all, he was only portraying a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was white and pink, like a girl’s, and that was a little wrong, he could have been a little crazy. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, that’s how they stood. And if so, they went ahead and got engaged. The couple went anywhere: both were young, both were made of the same porcelain, and both were equally fragile.

Right next to them stood another doll, three times their height - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also made of porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he didn’t have enough evidence. He argued that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to the Chief Non-Commissar General of the Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

- You will have a good husband! - said the old Chinese. “It looks like it’s even made of mahogany.” With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegskommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cabinet of silver, not to mention what lies in secret drawers.

- I don’t want to go into a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven porcelain wives there!

- Well, then you will be twelfth! - said the Chinese. “At night, as soon as the old wardrobe groans, we’ll celebrate your wedding, otherwise I won’t be Chinese!”

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear porcelain chimney sweep, said:

“Please, let’s run away with me wherever we look.” We can't stay here.

“I’m ready to do anything for you!” - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! I’ll probably be able to support you with my craft.

- Just get off the table! - she said. “I won’t breathe freely until we are far, far away!”

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with her porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and they eventually descended safely to the floor. But, looking at the old closet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved deer stretched their heads forward, put out their antlers and twirled them in all directions, and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

- They're running away! They're running away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep got scared and ran into the window box.

There were scattered decks of cards, and a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on stage.

All the queens - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the front row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood the jacks and tried to show that they, too, had two heads, like all the figures in the cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess began to cry: it was so reminiscent of her own fate.

- I have no more strength! - she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man had woken up and was rocking with his whole body - because a lead ball was rolling inside him.

- Ay, the old Chinese is chasing us! - the shepherdess screamed and fell on her porcelain knees in despair.

- Stop! Got it! - said the chimney sweep. - Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase with dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! Let's lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese gets to us, we'll pour salt into his eyes.

- Nothing will come of this! - said the shepherdess. “I know that the Chinese man and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains of an old friendship.” No, we have only one road - to set off across the world!

- Do you have the guts for this? - asked the chimney sweep. -Have you thought about how big the light is? About the fact that we will never go back?

- Yes, yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

- My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole through which you can get out into the world!

And he led her to the stove.

- How black it is here! - she said, but still she crawled after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was pitch dark.

- Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look, look! A wonderful star is shining right above us!

A star actually shone in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed a terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it would be more convenient for her to place her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

Above them was a sky strewn with stars, below them all the roofs of the city, and all around in all directions, both in breadth and in the distance, the free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She leaned her head on the chimney sweep's shoulder and cried so hard that her tears washed away all the gilt from her belt.

- This is too much for me! - said the shepherdess. - I can’t stand this! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I won't have a quiet moment until I get back there! I followed you to the ends of the earth, and now you take me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to reason with her, reminding her of the old Chinese and the Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlony, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It wasn't easy! Finding themselves again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was happening in the room. Everything was quiet, and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese was lying on the floor: after chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into the corner. The Ober-Unter-General Kriegskomissarsergeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

- What a horror! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and it’s our fault! Oh, I won't survive this!

And she wrung her tiny hands.

- It can still be repaired! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Just don't worry! They'll glue his back and drive a good rivet into the back of his head, and he'll be just like new again and will be able to say a bunch of unpleasant things to us!

- You think? - said the shepherdess.

And they climbed onto their table again.

- You and I have gone far! - said the chimney sweep. - It wasn’t worth the effort!

- If only they could fix grandpa! - said the shepherdess. - Or will it be very expensive?..

Grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became as good as new, only he stopped nodding his head.

“You’ve been kind of proud ever since you crashed!” - Chief Non-Commissioned General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog told him. - But why would that be? Well, will you give up your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also not much fun. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed their grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they were broken.

Have you ever seen an ancient, antique wardrobe, blackened by time and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - my great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was all covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle was a full-length carved man. It was impossible to look at him without laughing, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead and a long beard. The children called him Ober-Unter-General-Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, because such a name is difficult to pronounce and not many people are given such a title. But it’s not easy to cut out such a figure, but they did it anyway. The little man kept looking at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned up with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on her head and a shepherd’s crook in her hand - isn’t it beautiful!

Next to her stood a little chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain and just as clean and cute as all the others. After all, he was only portraying a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was white and pink, like a girl’s, and that was a little wrong, he could have been a little crazy. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they went ahead and got engaged. The couple went anywhere: both were young, both were made of the same porcelain, and both were equally fragile.

Right next to them stood another doll, three times their height - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also made of porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he didn’t have enough evidence. He argued that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to the Chief Non-Commissar General of the Kriegskomissar-Sergeant Kozlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

- You will have a good husband! - said the old Chinese. “It looks like it’s even made of mahogany.” With him you will be chief non-commissioned general-kriegskommissar-sergeant. He has a whole cabinet of silver, not to mention what lies in secret drawers.

- I don’t want to go into a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven porcelain wives there!

- Well, then you will be twelfth! - said the Chinese. “At night, as soon as the old wardrobe groans, we’ll celebrate your wedding, otherwise I won’t be Chinese!”

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear porcelain chimney sweep, said:

“Please, let’s run away with me wherever we look.” We can't stay here.

“I’m ready to do anything for you!” - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! I’ll probably be able to support you with my craft.

- Just get off the table! - she said. “I won’t breathe freely until we are far, far away!”

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with her porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and they eventually descended safely to the floor. But, looking at the old closet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved deer stretched their heads forward, put out their antlers and twirled them in all directions, and Chief Non-Commissar General Kriegskomissar Sergeant Kozlonog jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

- They're running away! They're running away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep got scared and ran into the window box. There were scattered decks of cards, and a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on stage.

All the queens - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the front row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood the jacks and tried to show that they, too, had two heads, like all the figures in the cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess began to cry: it was so reminiscent of her own fate.

- I have no more strength! - she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man had woken up and was rocking with his whole body - because a lead ball was rolling inside him.

- Ay, the old Chinese is chasing us! - the shepherdess screamed and fell on her porcelain in despair. knees.

- Stop! Got it! - said the chimney sweep. – Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase with dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! Let's lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese gets to us, we'll pour salt into his eyes.

– Nothing will come of this! - said the shepherdess. “I know that the Chinese man and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains of an old friendship.” No, we have only one road - to set off across the world!

- Do you have the guts for this? - asked the chimney sweep. – Have you thought about how big the light is? About the fact that we will never go back?

- Yes, yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

- My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole through which you can get out into the world!

And he led her to the stove.

- How black it is here! - she said, but still she crawled after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was pitch dark.

- Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look, look! A wonderful star is shining right above us!

A star actually shone in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed a terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it would be more convenient for her to place her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

To us they saw a sky strewn with stars, under them all the roofs of the city, and all around in all directions, both in breadth and in the distance, the free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bowed her head to the chimney sweep's shoulder and cried so bitterly that her tears washed away all the gilt from her belt.

- This is too much for me! - said the shepherdess. - I can’t stand this! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I won't have a quiet moment until I get back there! I followed you to the ends of the earth, and now you take me back home if you love me!