"Goodness me!" he thought, and opened his eyes wide; "I cannot see
anything," but he did not say so. Both of the rogues begged him to be
so kind as to step nearer, and asked him if it was not a pretty
design, and were not the colors beautiful, and they pointed to the
empty looms.
But the poor old minister kept on opening his eyes wider and wider: he
could not see anything for there was nothing there.
"Goodness me!" he thought; "am I really stupid? I never thought so,
and nobody must know it. Am I really unfit for my office? No; I must
certainly not tell anybody that I cannot see the stuff."
"Well, what do you think of it?" asked the one who was weaving.
"Oh, it is beautiful! Most magnificent!" replied the old minister, and
looked through his spectacles. "What a pattern! and what colors! Yes,
I must tell the Emperor that I like it very much indeed."
"Ah! we are very glad of that," said both weavers, and then they
described the colors, and explained the strange patterns.
The old minister listened attentively, so as to be able to repeat it
all when he returned to the Emperor, and this he did.
The rogues now asked for more money, and for more silk and gold
thread, which they required for weaving. They put everything into
their pockets, and not a thread went on the frames, but nevertheless
they continued to work at the empty looms.
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