Hans Christian Andersen
THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES
Once upon a time, the Emperor, who loved fine clothes, was visited by two swindlers. They said they were weavers who knew how to weave the most beautiful cloth. Not only are the colours and patterns unusually beautiful, but the clothes they sew from this cloth have the miraculous quality of being seen only by a clever man capable of doing his job.
… The cunning weavers set up two looms and pretended to weave. Although the best silk and the most beautiful golden thread were brought to them, there was nothing to be seen on the looms. All night before the morning on which the procession was to take place, they were busy sewing the Emperor’s clothes. They worked as if they were taking the cloth off the loom, made cuts in the air with huge scissors, and they sewed with threadless needles.
The clothes are finished, see? They are as light as spider webs. One would almost think the Emperor had nothing on.
