小学英语 英语故事(童话故事)The Red Shoes 红鞋

The

Red

Shoes

红鞋

There was once a little girl, very nice and very pretty, but so poor that she had

to go barefooted all summer. And in winter she had to wear thick wooden shoes that

chafed her ankles until they were red, oh, as red as could be.

In

the

middle

of

the

village

lived

Mother

Shoemaker.

She

took

some

old

scraps

of red cloth and did her best to make them into a little pair of shoes. They were

a

bit

clumsy,

but

well

meant,

for

she

intended

to

give

them

to

the

little

girl.

Karen

was the little girl's name.

The first time Karen

wore her new red shoes was

on the very day when

her mother was

buried. Of course, they were not right for mourning, but they were all she had, so

she put them on and walked barelegged after the plain wicker coffin.

Just

then

a

large

old

carriage

came

by,

with

a

large

old

lady

inside

it.

She

looked

at

the

little

girl

and

took

pity

upon

her.

And

she

went

to

the

parson

and

said:

the little girl to me, and I shall take good care of her.

Karen

was

sure

that

this

happened

because

she

wore

red

shoes,

but

the

old

lady

said

the

shoes

were

hideous,

and

ordered

them

burned.

Karen

was

given

proper

new

clothes.

She was taught to read, and she was taught to sew. People said she was pretty, but

her mirror told her,

It happened that the Queen came traveling through the country with her little

daughter,

who

was

a

Princess.

Karen

went

with

all

the

people

who

flocked

to

see

them

at

the

castle.

The

little

Princess,

all

dressed

in

white,

came

to

the

window

to

let

them

admire

her.

She

didn't

wear

a

train,

and

she

didn't

wear

a

gold

crown,

but

she

did

wear

a

pair

of

splendid

red

morocco

shoes.

Of

course,

they

were

much

nicer

than

the ones

nothing in the world like a pair of red shoes!

When Karen was old enough to be confirmed, new clothes were made for her, and she

was to have new shoes. They went to the house of a thriving shoemaker, to have him

take the measure of her little feet. In his shop were big glass cases, filled with

the

prettiest

shoes

and

the

shiniest

boots.

They

looked

most

attractive

but,

as

the

old

lady

did

not

see

very

well,

they

did

not

attract

her.

Among

the

shoes

there

was

a pair of red leather ones which were just like those the Princess had worn. How

perfect

they

were!

The

shoemaker

said

he

had

made

them

for

the

daughter

of

a

count,

but that they did not quite fit her.

indeed

they

shine,

said

Karen.

As

the

shoes

fitted

Karen,

the

old

lady

bought

them,

but

she

had

no

idea

they

were

red.

If

she

had

known

that,

she

would

never

have

let Karen wear them to confirmation, which is just what Karen did.

Every eye was turned toward her feet. When she walked up the aisle to the chancel

of the church, it seemed to her as if even those portraits of bygone ministers and

their

wives,

in

starched

ruffs

and

long

black

gowns-even

they

fixed

their

eyes

upon

her

red

shoes.

She

could

think

of

nothing

else,

even

when

the

pastor

laid

his

hands

upon

her

head

and

spoke

of

her

holy

baptism,

and

her

covenant

with

God,

and

her

duty

as

a

Christian.

The

solemn

organ

rolled,

the

children

sang

sweetly,

and

the

old

choir

leader sang too, but Karen thought of nothing except her red shoes.

Before the afternoon was over, the old lady had heard from everyone in the parish

that

the

shoes

were

red.

She

told

Karen

it

was

naughty

to

wear

red

shoes

to

church.

Highly improper! In the future she was always to wear black shoes to church, even

though they were her old ones.

Next Sunday there was holy communion. Karen looked at her black shoes. She looked

at her red ones. She kept looking at her red ones until she put them on.

It

was

a

fair,

sunny

day.

Karen

and

the

old

lady

took

the

path

through

the

cornfield,

where it was rather dusty. At the church door they met an old soldier, who stood

with a crutch and wore a long, curious beard. It was more reddish than white. In

fact it was quite red. He bowed down to the ground, and asked the old lady if he

might dust her shoes. Karen put out her little foot too.

come

off when you

dance,

The old lady gave the soldier a penny, and went on into the church with Karen. All

the

people

there

stared

at

Karen's

red

shoes,

and

all

the

portraits

stared

too.

When

Karen

knelt

at

the

altar

rail,

and

even

when

the

chalice

came

to

her

lips,

she

could

think

only

of

her

red

shoes.

It

was

as

if

they

kept

floating

around

in

the

chalice,

and she forgot to sing the psalm. She forgot to say the Lord's Prayer.

Then

church

was

over,

and

the

old

lady

got

into

her

carriage.

Karen

was

lifting

her

foot to step in after her when the old soldier said,

dancing!

Karen couldn't resist taking a few dancing steps, and once she began her feet kept

on dancing. It was as if the shoes controlled her. She danced round the corner of

the church-she simply could not help it. The coachman had to run after her, catch

her,

and

lift

her

into

the

carriage.

But

even

there

her

feet

went

on

dancing

so

that

she

gave

the

good

old

lady

a

terrible

kicking.

Only

when

she

took

her

shoes

off

did

her legs quiet down. When they got home the shoes were put away in a cupboard, but

Karen would still go and look at them.

Shortly

afterwards

the

old

lady

was

taken

ill,

and

it

was

said

she

could

not

recover.

She

required

constant

care

and

faithful

nursing,

and

for

this

she

depended

on

Karen.

But a great ball was being given in the town, and Karen was invited. She looked at

the old lady, who could not live in any case. She looked at the red shoes, for she

thought there was no harm in looking. She put them on, for she thought there was

no harm in that either. But then she went to the ball and began dancing. When she

tried to turn to the right, the shoes turned to the left. When she wanted to dance

up

the

ballroom,

her

shoes

danced

down.

They

danced

down

the

stairs,

into

the

street,

and out through the gate of the town. Dance she did, and dance she must, straight

into the dark woods.

Suddenly something shone through the trees, and she thought it was the moon, but

it

turned

out

to

be

the

red-bearded

soldier.

He

nodded

and

said,

what

beautiful

shoes for dancing.