greatly desired them.

* * * * *

Now Karen was old enough to be _confirmed_ by the bishop, and that she
might be ready to go to the church, the old lady had new clothes made
for her, and took her to the rich shoemaker's in the city to select
some shoes. This took place in his store, where stood large glass cases,
filled with elegant shoes and brilliant boots. All this looked charming,
but the old lady could not see well, and so had no pleasure in looking
at them. In the midst of these shoes stood a pair of red ones just like
those the little princess had worn. How beautiful they were! The
shoemaker said also that they had been made for the child of a count,
but had not fitted.

"That must be patent leather," said the old lady, "they shine so."

"Yes, they shine," said Karen, "and I should be delighted to have them!"

And they were tried on, and fitted her little foot so well that they
were bought; but the old lady knew nothing about their being red, else
she would never have allowed Karen to have gone in red shoes to be
confirmed. Yet such was the case.

Everybody looked at her feet; and when she stepped through the
chancel-door on the church pavement, it seemed to her as if the old
figures on the tombs--those portraits of old preachers and preachers'
wives, with stiff ruffs and long black dresses, fixed their eyes on her
red shoes. And she thought only of them as the clergyman laid his hand
upon her head, and spoke of the holy baptism, of the covenant with God,