CONCLUSION.
It was not yet evening when the three happy people reached Villeneuve,
and sat down to their repast. After dinner the miller sat in an
easy-chair with his pipe, and took a little nap. The young couple went
arm in arm out of the town, then by the carriage road under the rocks
so thick with bushes, skirting the deep bluish-green lake. The gloomy
Chillon reflected its gray walls and massive towers in the clear
water; the little island with the three acacia trees lay still nearer,
appearing like a bouquet in the lake.
"It must be delightful out there!" said Babette; she had still the
strongest inclination to go there, and that wish could be immediately
fulfilled; there lay a boat by the bank, the line that held it was
easy to unfasten. They could not see any one from whom to ask
permission, and so they took the boat, for Rudy could row well.
The oars caught hold of the water like the fins of a fish, the water
that is so pliable and yet so strong, that is all a back to bear, all
a mouth to devour, mildly smiling, softness itself, and yet
overwhelming and strong to rend asunder. The water foamed in the wake
of the boat, in which in a few minutes the couple had gained the
island, where they landed. There was not more than room enough on it
for two to dance.
Rudy turned Babette round two or three times, and then, hand in hand,
they seated themselves on the little bench beneath the overhanging
acacias, and gazed into each other's eyes, while all around them was
illuminated in the splendor of the setting sun. The pine forests on
the mountains put on a lilac hue like heather when in flower, and
where the trees ceased and the bare rock came into view it glowed as
if the mountain was transparent; the clouds in the heavens were
lighted up as if with red fire, the whole lake was like a fresh,
blushing rose-leaf. Already, as the shadows lifted themselves up to the
snow-clad hills of Savoy, they became bluish, but the topmost peaks
shone as if of red lava, and for one moment looked as if these glowing
masses had raised themselves from the bowels of the earth and were not
yet extinguished. That was an Alpine glow, such as Rudy and Babette
could never hope to see the equal of. The snow-covered Dent du Midi
had a splendor like the face of the full moon when it is rising.
"So much beauty! so much happiness!" they both said.
"The earth has no more to give me!" said Rudy. "An evening hour like
this is a whole lifetime! How often have I felt my good fortune as I
feel it now, and thought, 'If all were now ended, how fortunately I
should have lived! How blessed is this world!' and the day ended; but
a new one began again, and it seemed to me that it was fairer still!
Heaven is infinitely good, Babette!"
"I am so happy!" said she.
"Earth has nothing more to give me!" exclaimed Rudy.
And the evening bells chimed from the mountains of Savoy, from the
mountains of Switzerland; the dark blue Jura lifted itself towards the
west in a golden luster.
"God give thee what is grandest and best!" exclaimed Babette.
"That He will!" said Rudy. "To-morrow I shall have it! to-morrow thou
wilt be mine! my own little, charming wife!"
"The boat!" cried Babette at that moment.
The boat, which was to take them back, had broken loose and drifted
from the island.
"I will fetch it!" said Rudy, throwing off his coat; and he pulled off
his boots, sprang into the lake, and took rapid strokes towards the
boat.
Cold and deep was the clear, bluish-green water from the mountain
glacier. Rudy looked down below, only one single glance--and he
thought he saw a golden ring rolling, and gleaming, and playing--he
thought of his lost betrothal ring, and the ring became larger, and
expanded into a sparkling circle, and in that shone the clear glacier;
interminable deep crevasses yawned around him, and the dripping water
sounded like a carillon of bells and gleamed with bluish flames; in an
instant he saw what we have to tell in so many words. Young huntsmen
and young maidens, men and women, once swallowed up in the crevasses
of the glacier, stood here alive, with open eyes and smiling mouth,
and deep under them came the sound of church bells from submerged
towns; a congregation knelt under the church arches, pieces of ice
formed the organ-pipes, mountain torrents played on it. The Ice-Maiden
sat on the clear, transparent floor; she raised herself up towards
Rudy, kissed his feet, and there ran a deadly coldness through his
limbs, an electric shock--ice and fire! one does not know the
difference at the first touch.
"Mine! mine!" sounded about him and in him. "I kissed thee when thou
wast little! I kissed thee on the mouth! now I kiss thee on the toe
and on the heel--thou art mine altogether!"
And he was lost in the clear blue water.
All was still; the church bells ceased to ring, the last notes died
away with the splendor on the red clouds. "Mine thou art!" sounded
again in the depths; "Mine thou art!" sounded in the heights, from the
Infinite.
The icy kiss of Death overcame that which was corruptible; the prelude
was over before the drama of life could begin, the discord resolved
into harmony.
It is beautiful to fly from love to Love, from earth into the Heaven.
Do you call that a sad story?
Unfortunate Babette! It was a fearful time for her! the boat drifted
farther and farther away. No one on shore knew that the bridal pair
were on the little island. Night drew on; the clouds descended and it
became dark. She stood there alone, despairing, weeping. A furious
storm broke over her; lightning illuminated the mountains of Jura,
Switzerland, and Savoy, and thunder rolled continuously. The
lightning was almost as bright as the sun; one could see each single
vine as at midday, and then immediately everything would be shrouded
in the thickest darkness. The flashes formed knots, rings, zig-zags;
they struck round about the lake, they shone from all sides, while the
peals were increased by the echoes. On the land people drew the boats
higher up the banks; every living thing sought shelter, and the rain
poured down in torrents.
"Wherever are Rudy and Babette in this furious storm?" said the
miller.
Babette sat with clasped hands, with her head in her lap speechless
with grief.
"In that deep water!" she said within herself. "He is deep down, as
under the glacier!"
And she remembered what Rudy had told her of his mother's death, of
his own rescue, and how he had been brought up as one dead out of the
crevasse in the glacier. "The Ice-Maiden has him again!"
And the lightning flashed as blinding as a ray of the sun on the white
snow. Babette started; the lake lifted itself at that instant, like a
shining glacier; the Ice-Maiden stood there, majestic, pale blue,
shining, and at her feet lay Rudy's corpse. "Mine!" said she; and
round about was again darkness and gloom, and rushing water.
"Cruel!" moaned Babette. "Why then should he die, when the happy day
was come! O God! enlighten my understanding! shine into my heart! I
cannot understand Thy ways, but I bow to Thy power and wisdom!"
And God shone into her heart. A flash of thought, a ray of light, her
dream of last night, as if it were real, seemed to shine through her;
she called to mind the words which she had spoken: she had wished for
_the best thing_ for herself and Rudy.
"Woe is me! was that the seed of sin in my heart? was my dream a future
life, whose string must be snapped for my salvation? Miserable me!"
She sat wailing in the gloomy, dark night. In the deep stillness she
thought that Rudy's words sounded again, the last he had uttered:
"Earth has nothing more to give me!" They had been said in the
abundance of happiness, they came back to her in the depth of her
grief.
[Illustration: The Ice-Maiden stood there, majestic, pale blue,
shining, and at her feet lay Rudy.]
A couple of years have elapsed. The lake smiles, the banks smile; the
vines put forth swelling grapes; steamboats with waving flags hurry
past, pleasure-boats with both their sails set fly like white
butterflies over the expanse of water; the railway above Chillon has
been opened, and leads deep into the Rhone valley. At every station
visitors get out, they come with their red guide-books and read to
themselves what remarkable things they have to see. They visit
Chillon, they see from thence in the lake the little island with the
three acacias, and read in the book of a bridal pair who, in the year
1856, sailed thither one evening, of the bridegroom's death and: "next
morning the bride's despairing cry was first heard on the shore."
But the guide-books make no mention of Babette's quiet life with her
father, not in the mill--strangers live there--but in the pretty
house near the railway station, where from the windows she often looks
out in the afternoon over the chestnut trees to the snow mountains
where Rudy used to disport himself; she sees in the evenings the
Alpine glow, the Children of the Sun encamping above and repeating the
song of the traveler whose mantle the whirlwind carried away; it took
the covering, but not the man himself.
There is a rosy luster on the snow of the mountains, there is a rosy
luster in every heart where the thought is: "God lets that which is
best come to pass!" but that is not always revealed to us as it was to
Babette in her dream.
THE FELLOW-TRAVELER.
Poor Johannes was sorely afflicted, for his father was ill, past all
hope of recovery. Besides their two selves, not a soul was present in
the little room. The lamp on the table was flickering, and it was late
at night.
"You have been a good son, Johannes," said the sick father, "and God
will, no doubt, help you on in the world." And he gazed at him with
mild and thoughtful eyes, fetched a deep sigh, and then died--though
he only looked as if he had gone to sleep. But Johannes wept; for now
he had nobody in the wide world--neither father, mother, sister, nor
brother. Poor Johannes! He knelt down beside the bed, kissed his dead
father's hand, and shed many, many bitter tears! But at length his
eyes closed, and he fell asleep against the hard bedpost.
He had then a strange dream. He thought the sun and moon came down to
him, and he saw his father again in full health and freshness, and
heard him laugh as he used to do when he was pleased. A pretty girl,
with a gold crown on her long, shining hair, presented her hand to
him; and his father said: "Look what a bride you have won. She is the
loveliest maid upon earth." He then woke, and all these fine things
vanished; his father lay dead and cold in his bed, and nobody was near
them. Poor Johannes!
In the following week, the dead man was buried. The son followed close
behind the coffin, for he was never again to behold the father who had
loved him so dearly. He heard them fling the earth down upon the
coffin, and still saw a little corner of it left; but, at the next
shovelful, even that disappeared. Then he felt as though his heart
would break, so afflicted was he. They sang a psalm round the grave,
and it sounded so beautiful that it brought tears into Johannes' eyes.
He wept, and felt relieved. The sun shone down gloriously on the green
trees, just as if it meant to say: "You must not be so mournful,
Johannes. Look how beautifully blue the sky is yonder! Your father is
up above, and is begging of the All-merciful that you may thrive at
all times!"
"I will always be good," said Johannes, "then I shall join my father
in heaven; and what joy it will be to meet him again! How much I shall
have to tell him, and how much he will have to teach me about the
delights of heaven, just as he used to teach me here on earth. Oh,
what joy that will be!"
He fancied it all so plainly that he smiled, while the tears still ran
down his cheeks. The birds in the chestnut trees kept twittering,
"Twit! twit!" They were gay, although they had been at the funeral;
but they knew that the dead man was now in heaven, and had wings much
larger and more beautiful than their own; and that he was happy,
because he had been good here on earth: and, therefore, they were
pleased. Johannes saw how they flew from the green trees out into the
wide world, and then he wished to fly away also. But he first cut out
a large wooden cross to place on his father's grave; and when he
brought it thither in the evening, he found the grave decked with
gravel and flowers. This had been done by strangers, who all esteemed
the worthy man who had gone to his last home.
Early the next morning, Johannes packed up his little bundle, and put
into his girdle his whole legacy, consisting of fifty dollars and a
couple of silver shillings, with which he meant to wander forth into
the world. But first of all he repaired to his father's grave in the
churchyard, where he repeated the Lord's Prayer, and then said,
"Farewell!"
Abroad in the fields through which he passed, all the flowers looked
fresh and lovely in the warm sunshine. And they nodded in the wind,
just as if they meant to say: "Welcome to the greenwood! Is it not
delightful here?" But Johannes turned round to give a last look at the
old church, in which he was christened as an infant, and where he used
to go with his father every Sunday to hear the service, and to sing
his psalm; and in so doing he perceived, in one of the upper loopholes
of the church tower, the little goblin belonging to it, who stood
with his little pointed, red cap on his head, shading his countenance
with his arm, so that the sun might not stream into his eyes. Johannes
nodded farewell to him; and the little goblin waved his red cap, laid
his hand on his heart, and then kissed his hand to him, to show that
he was kindly disposed towards him, and wished him a happy journey.
Johannes now thought of how many beautiful things he should see in the
wide world, so large and so magnificent as it was; and he went on and
on much further than he had ever been before. He did not know the
places through which he passed, nor the people whom he met. He was now
abroad in a foreign land.
The first night he was obliged to lie on a haycock in the open fields,
for he had no other bed. But this he thought was so nice a bed that
the king himself could not be better off. The field, and the haycock,
with the blue sky above, certainly formed a very pretty bed-chamber.
The green grass, dotted with little red and white flowers, was the
carpet; the elder bushes and hedges of wild roses were the nosegays
that decorated the room; and his washing-basin was the brook, with its
clear, pure waters, where the reeds were nodding to bid him good night
and good morning. The moon was a large lamp, high up in the blue
ceiling, and one that could not set fire to the curtains. Johannes
might sleep in peace, and he did so, nor did he wake till the sun
rose, and all the little birds around were singing: "Good morrow! Good
morrow! Are you not yet up?"
The bells were ringing for church, for it was Sunday. The people were
going to hear the preacher, and Johannes followed them, sang a psalm,
and heard the word of God. He felt just as if he were in his own
parish church, in which he had been christened, and where he sang
psalms with his father.
In the churchyard were several graves, some of which were overgrown
with very high grass. And he thought how his father's grave would grow
to look the same in the end, as he would not be there to weed it and
deck it. So he fell to work and tore up the grass, and set up the
wooden crosses that had fallen down, and replaced the wreaths that had
been blown away by the wind, thinking all the time, "Perhaps some one
is doing the same for my father's grave, as I am unable to take care
of it."
Before the church door stood an aged beggar, leaning on a crutch.
Johannes gave him his silver shillings, and then went forth on his
way, lighter and happier than he had felt before.
Towards evening there arose a violent storm, which made him hasten to
find a shelter. Darkness soon came on; but at length he reached a
small and lonely church that stood on a little hill.
"I will sit down in a corner," said he, as he went in; "I am so tired
that I need rest." He then sat down, and folded his hands, and said
his evening prayer; and before he perceived it, he was fast asleep,
and dreaming, while a thunderstorm was raging abroad.
When he awoke, it was in the middle of the night, but the fearful
storm was over, and the moon shone in through the window to greet him.
In the middle of the church stood an open coffin, in which lay the
body of a man, that was awaiting burial. Johannes was not fearful, for
he had a good conscience; and, besides, he knew that the dead never
injure any one. It is only living, wicked men that do any harm. Two
such bad characters stood beside the dead man that was lying in the
church awaiting burial, and they wanted to vent their spite, by not
letting him rest in his coffin, and casting his poor body outside the
church door.
"Why do you want to do so?" asked Johannes. "It would be very wicked.
In Christ's name, let him rest in peace!"
"Oh, stuff and nonsense!" said the two hideous men; "he has taken us
in. He owed us money, and couldn't pay it; and now he is dead into the
bargain, and we shan't recover a penny! Therefore we will take our
revenge, and he shall lie outside the church door like a dog."
"I have nothing in the world but fifty dollars," said Johannes, "which
form my whole patrimony; yet will I willingly give them to you,
provided you promise truly to leave the dead man in peace. I shall
manage without the money. I have strong and healthy limbs, and a
merciful God will assist me in times of need!"
"Of course," said the ugly men, "if you pay his debt, we will neither
of us lay a finger upon him--that you may depend upon." And hereupon
they took the money which he gave them, laughed aloud at his simple
good nature, and went their ways. Then he laid the body carefully back
into the coffin, folded the dead man's hands, took leave of him and
continued his way through a large forest, in a contented frame of
mind.
All around him, wherever the moon shone through the trees, he saw
numbers of elegant little elves at play. His presence did not disturb
them, for they knew him to be a good and harmless son of the earth;
for it is only bad people who are not privileged to see the elves.
Some of them were not taller than the breadth of one's finger, and
wore their long yellow hair fastened up with gold combs. They were
rocking themselves, two by two, on the large dewdrops that sparkled on
the leaves and the tall grass. Now and then the drop would roll away,
and down they fell between the long blades, occasioning a deal of
laughter and merriment amongst the tiny folk. It was a pretty sight.
Then they sang, and Johannes recognized distinctly all the pretty
songs he had learned as a little boy. Large speckled spiders, with
silver crowns upon their heads, were set to build suspension bridges
and palaces from one hedge to another, which, when spangled by the
dew, glittered like glass in the moonshine. These frolics continued
till sunrise, when the little elves crept into the flower-buds and the
wind took possession of their bridges and palaces, which were tossed
upon the air as cobwebs.
Johannes had just left the forest, when the full-toned voice of a man
cried out to him, "Ho there, comrade! whither are you going?"
"Into the wide world," said he. "I have neither father nor mother, and
am a poor boy; but the Lord will help me in time of need."
"I am likewise going into the wide world," said the stranger. "Shall
we keep each other company?"
"Willingly," said he; and so they walked on together. They soon felt a
mutual liking for each other, for both were good; only Johannes soon
found out that the stranger was much wiser than himself. He had
traveled throughout nearly the whole world, and could tell of
everything that existed.
The sun was already high when they sat down under a tree to eat their
breakfast, just as an old woman was coming up to them. She was very
aged, and almost bent double, and supported herself on a crutch-stick,
while she carried on her back a bundle of firewood, which she had
gathered in the forest. Her apron was tucked up, and Johannes saw
three large rods of fern and willow twigs peeping out at each end.
When she was quite close to our travelers, her foot slipped, and she
fell with a loud scream, for she had broken her leg--poor old woman!
Johannes at once proposed that they should carry the old woman home;
but the stranger opened his knapsack, and took out a box, saying that
he had an ointment which would immediately make her leg whole again,
and so strong that she would be able to walk home by herself, just as
if the accident had never happened: only he required that she should
give him in return the three rods she carried in her apron.
"That would be well paid," said the old woman, nodding her head in a
peculiar manner. She did not like giving up the rods; but, on the
other hand, it was still more disagreeable to be lying there with a
broken limb. So she gave him the rods, and the moment he had rubbed
her leg with the ointment the old dame got up, and walked much better
than before. Such were the effects of the ointment; and truly it was
not of a sort to be purchased at the apothecary's.
"What do you want with these rods?" asked Johannes of his
fellow-traveler.
"They are three very pretty herb-brooms," said he, "and I like them,
because I am a foolish fellow."
They then went on a good deal further.
"Look how overcast the sky appears!" said Johannes, pointing before
them. "Those are frightfully heavy clouds."
"No," said his fellow-traveler, "they are not clouds; they are
mountains--fine, large mountains--at the top of which one may overlook
the clouds, and breathe fresh air. And delightful it is, believe me,
to stand there! To-morrow we shall assuredly be far out in the wide
world."
But they were not so near as they looked, and it took a full day
before they had reached the mountains, where the black forests were
towering up to the sky, and where blocks of stone might be found as
huge as a large town. It seemed a somewhat difficult undertaking to
cross them; therefore, Johannes and his fellow-traveler turned into an
inn, in order to rest and gather strength for the next day's
excursion.
A number of persons were assembled in the tap-room of the inn, where a
man was exhibiting a puppet-show. He had just set up his little
theater, and the people were sitting round to see the play. But, right
in front, a stout butcher had sat himself down in the very best place,
while a great bulldog by his side--who looked wondrously snappish--sat
staring like the rest of the audience.
The play now began. It was a very pretty piece, with a king and queen,
who sat on a splendid throne, with gold crowns on their heads and long
trains to their robes; for their means allowed them to indulge in such
luxuries. The prettiest little puppets, with glass eyes and large
mustaches, stood at all the doors, and opened and shut them, to let in
fresh air. It was a very agreeable play, and not at all mournful. But,
just as the queen got up, and passed across the stage, no one knows
what the huge bulldog took into his head; but, being no longer held by
the butcher, he jumped right into the theater, and seized the queen by
the middle of her slender waist, so that it cracked again. It was
quite shocking to hear.
The poor man who exhibited the show was both frightened and sorry for
the loss of his queen, for she was the most elegant puppet in his
stock, and the ugly bulldog had bitten her head off. But when the rest
of the spectators had retired, the stranger who traveled with Johannes
said that he would set her to rights, and taking out his box, he
smeared the puppet with the same ointment that had cured the old
woman's broken leg. The moment this was done, the puppet was whole
again, and could even move all her limbs of herself, and no longer
required to be pulled by wires. The puppet was like a human being,
except that it could not speak. The showman was vastly delighted, for
now he had no longer any occasion to hold this puppet, who could dance
of her own accord, which none of the others could do.
Late at night, when all the folks at the inn had gone to bed, somebody
was heard to sigh so dreadfully deep, and so frequently, that the
whole household got up, to see what could be the matter. The showman
went to his little theater, for it was from thence the sighing
proceeded. All the wooden puppets were lying in a heap; the king and
his body-guard it was who were sighing so piteously, and staring with
their glass eyes, because they wished to be smeared a little like the
queen, in order that they might move of themselves. The queen knelt
down and lifted up her pretty crown, saying, "Take this, but do smear
my husband and my courtiers." The poor showman could not then help
crying, for he was really sorry for his puppets. He immediately
promised Johannes' fellow-traveler all the money he might earn on the
following evening through his puppet-show, if he would only smear four
or five of his prettiest puppets. But the fellow-traveler said he did
not require anything but the large sword that he wore at his side, on
receiving which, he besmeared six puppets, that immediately danced so
gracefully that all living girls that beheld them were irresistibly
impelled to dance likewise. The coachman and the cook began dancing,
then the waiters and the chambermaids, and all the strangers present,
as well as the shovel and the tongs--only the latter fell down at the
very first leap. They had indeed, a merry night of it!
Next morning, Johannes started with his fellow-traveler, before any of
the others were astir, and crossed the large forest of fir-trees, in
their way up the high mountains. They climbed to such a height that
the church steeples below looked like little blue berries in the green
grass, and they could see for miles and miles around, where they had
never yet been. Johannes had never before seen so much at once of the
beauties of this lovely world. And then the sun shone so warmly
through the fresh blue air, and the huntsmen's horns echoed so
beautifully between the mountains, that tears came into his eyes, and
he could not forbear exclaiming, "All-merciful God! what a kind Father
Thou art to us, to have given us all the fine things to be seen in the
world!"
His fellow-traveler likewise stood with folded hands, and gazed upon
the forest, and the towns that lay in the bright sunshine. At the same
moment, they heard a lovely sound above their heads, and on looking
up, they perceived a large white swan hovering in the air, and singing
as no bird had ever sung before. But its voice grew weaker and weaker,
till its head drooped, and it slowly dropped down to their feet, where
the poor bird lay quite dead.
"Two such beautiful wings," said the fellow-traveler, "so white and so
large as this bird's, are worth some money; so I will take them with
me. You see it was well that I obtained a sword." And he cut off the
two wings of the dead swan at a single blow, and kept them.
They now traveled many miles across the mountains till they at length
reached a large city containing hundreds of towers, that shone like
silver in the sunshine. In the midst of the town stood a handsome
marble palace, roofed with pure red gold, in which dwelt the king.
Johannes and his fellow-traveler did not care to enter the town
immediately, but went into an inn, situated in the outskirts, in order
to dress themselves; for they wished to look tidy when they walked
through the streets. The landlord informed them how good a man the
king was, and that he never injured anybody; but as to his
daughter--heaven defend us!--she was a bad princess indeed! Beauty she
possessed in abundance: nobody was prettier or more elegant than
herself. But what of that? She was a wicked witch, and was the cause
of many accomplished princes having lost their lives. She had given
leave to everybody to woo her. Any one might present himself, be he a
prince or a beggar; it was all the same to her. Only he must guess
three things that she had thought of and questioned him about. If he
succeeded, he was to marry her, and become king over all the land at
her father's death; but if he could not guess the three things, he was
then to be hung, or to have his head struck off. Her father the old
king, was deeply concerned at all this: but he could not forbid her
being so wicked because he had once declared that he would never
meddle with her lovers and that she might do as she liked about them.
Every time a prince came to try his luck at guessing, in order to
obtain the princess's hand, he was sure to fail, and was, therefore,
hung or beheaded. He had been warned betimes that it would be safer to
desist from his suit. The old king was so afflicted at the mourning
and wretchedness thus occasioned that, for one whole day in the year,
he and all his soldiers used to kneel and pray that the princess might
grow good; but she would not. The old women who tippled brandy used to
color it quite black before they drank it; this was their way of
mourning, and they could not well do more.
"What a shocking princess!" said Johannes. "She deserves the rod, and
it would do her good. If I were the old king, she should have been
thrashed long ago."
They now heard the mob cheering outside the inn. The princess was
passing, and she was really so beautiful that everybody forgot how
wicked she was, and therefore hurrahed. Twelve beautiful maidens,
dressed in white silk clothes and holding golden tulips in their
hands, rode by her side on coal-black horses. The princess herself was
mounted on a snow-white steed, with diamond and ruby trappings. Her
riding-dress was of gold brocade; and the whip she held in her hand
looked like a sunbeam. The gold crown on her head resembled the little
stars twinkling in the heavens, while her mantle consisted of
thousands of splendid butterflies' wings stitched together. Yet, in
spite of this magnificence, she was herself far more beautiful than
her clothes.
When Johannes caught sight of her, his face grew as red as a drop of
blood, and he was struck completely dumb; for the princess exactly
resembled the beautiful girl with the golden crown, whom he had
dreamed of the night his father died. He thought her most beautiful,
and could not help loving her passionately. It could not be possible,
thought he, that she was a wicked witch, who ordered people to be hung
or beheaded when they were unable to guess what she asked. "But since
every one, down to the poorest beggar, is free to woo her," said he,
"I will repair to the palace, for I cannot resist doing so." Everybody
advised him not to attempt such a thing, as he must inevitably fail
like the rest. His fellow-traveler, likewise, warned him to desist;
but Johannes thought he should succeed. He brushed his shoes and his
coat, washed his hands and face, combed his pretty flaxen hair, and
then went alone into the town, and proceeded to the palace.
"Come in," said the old king, when Johannes knocked at the door.
Johannes opened it, and the old king came forward to meet him in his
dressing-gown and embroidered slippers; he wore his crown on his
head, and bore his scepter in one hand and his ball in the other.
"Wait a bit," said he, putting the ball under his arm, to leave one
hand free to present to Johannes. But the moment he heard he came as a
suitor, he began to weep so violently that both ball and scepter fell
on the floor, and he was fain to wipe his eyes with the skirts of his
dressing-gown. Poor old king!
"Think not of it," said he, "you will fare as badly as all the others.
Come, you shall see."
He then led him into the princess's pleasure-garden, and a frightful
sight was there to behold! From every tree hung three or four kings'
sons who had wooed the princess, but had been unable to guess her
riddles. At every breeze that blew, all these skeletons rattled till
the little birds were frightened, and never dared to come into the
garden. All the flowers were propped with human bones; and human
skulls might be seen grinning in flowerpots. It was an odd garden for
a princess.
"Now, you see," said the old king, "your fate will be just the same as
that of all the others whose remains you behold. Therefore give up
the attempt. You really make me quite unhappy, for I take it so to
heart."
Johannes kissed the good old king's hand, and assured him that all
would be well; for he was quite enchanted with the lovely princess.
As the princess then rode into the palaceyard, accompanied by all her
ladies, they went out to greet her. She was marvelously fair to look
upon, as she presented her hand to Johannes. And he thought a great
deal more of her than he did before; and felt certain she could not be
a wicked witch, as everybody said she was. They then went into a room
where little pages handed them sweetmeats and gingerbread-nuts. But
the old king was so out of sorts, he could not eat at all. Besides,
the gingerbread-nuts were too hard for him.
It was agreed that Johannes should return to the palace on the
following morning, when the judges and the whole council would be
assembled to see and hear how the guessing was carried on. If he
succeeded, he was then to return twice more; but there never yet had
been anybody who had been able to solve any question the first time,
and in each case his life was forfeited.
Johannes felt no anxiety as to how he should fare. On the contrary, he
was pleased, and thought only of the beautiful princess; and was quite
confident that God would help him through his trials. Though how this
was to be accomplished he knew not, and preferred not troubling
himself to think about the matter. He capered along on the high-road,
as he returned to the inn where his fellow-traveler was waiting his
return.
Johannes could not cease expatiating on the gracious reception he had
met with from the princess, and on her extreme beauty. He quite longed
for the morrow, when he was to go to the palace and try his luck at
guessing.
But his fellow-traveler shook his head mournfully. "I wish you so
well!" said he. "We might have remained together a good deal longer,
and now I must lose you! Poor, dear Johannes! I could weep, only I
will not spoil your joy on the last evening that we may ever spend
together. We will be merry--right merry! To-morrow, when you are gone,
I shall be able to weep undisturbed."
All the inhabitants of the town had immediately heard that there was a
new suitor for the princess's hand, and there prevailed universal
consternation. The theater was closed; the pastry-cooks put crape
round their sugar-husbands; and the king and the priests were on their
knees in the church. This sadness was occasioned by the conviction
that Johannes could not succeed better than all the other suitors had
done.
Towards evening Johannes' fellow-traveler prepared a goodly bowl of
punch, and said: "Now let us be merry, and drink the princess's
health." But after drinking a couple of glasses, Johannes proved so
sleepy, that he could not possibly keep his eyes open, and fell fast
asleep. His fellow-traveler then lifted him gently out of his chair,
and laid him in bed; and when it was quite dark, he took the two large
wings he had cut off from the dead swan, and fastened them firmly to
his own shoulders. He then put into his pocket the largest rod that
he had obtained from the old woman who fell and broke her leg; and
opening the window, he flew over the town, straight to the palace,
where he placed himself in an upper corner of the building right under
the princess's bed-chamber.
The whole town was perfectly quiet. The clock now struck a quarter to
twelve, when the window opened, and the princess, wrapped in a flowing
white mantle, and provided with a pair of black wings, flew over the
city towards a large mountain. But the fellow-traveler made himself
invisible; and as he flew behind the princess, he thrashed her with
his rod till she bled. What a strange flight through the air it was!
The wind caught her mantle, which swelled out on all sides like the
large sail of a ship, and the moon shone through it.
"How it does hail, to be sure!" said the princess, at every blow she
received from the rod; and such weather suited her. At last she
reached the mountain, and knocked for admittance. Then came a noise
like a clap of thunder, while the mountain opened, and the princess
went in. The fellow-traveler followed her, for nobody could see him,
as he was invisible. They went through a long, wide passage, where the
walls shone brilliantly from the light of above a thousand glittering
spiders that were running up and down and illuminating them like fire.
They next entered a large hall built of silver and gold; red and blue
flowers as large as sunflowers were beaming from the walls; but nobody
could pluck them, for the stems were ugly, venomous serpents, and the
flowers were the flames their jaws kept vomiting forth. The whole
ceiling was covered with glow-worms and light-blue bats that were
flapping their thin wings. It looked quite frightful. In the middle of
the floor stood a throne that was supported by the skeletons of four
horses, whose harness had been furnished by the red, fiery spiders.
The throne itself was of milk-white glass, and the cushions were
little black mice that kept biting each other's tails. Above it was a
canopy of a deep-red cobweb, dotted with the prettiest little green
flies that sparkled like precious stones. On the throne sat an old
magician, with a crown on his ugly head and a scepter in his hand. He
kissed the princess on her forehead, and placed her beside him on his
splendid throne, and then the music struck up. Huge black grasshoppers
played the jew's-harp, while the owl beat a tattoo on its own body,
having no better drum. It was a ludicrous concert. Little dark-colored
goblins, with a will-o'-the-wisp in their caps, danced about the room.
But nobody could see the fellow-traveler, who had placed himself right
behind the throne, where he could see and hear everything. The
courtiers, who now came in, were very delicate and genteel. But
anybody who could see what is what, would quickly perceive what they
were made of. They were nothing better than broomsticks with cabbages
for their heads, whom the magician had conjured into life, and whom he
had tricked out in embroidered clothes. However, they did just as
well, as they were only wanted for show.
After a little dancing, the princess related to the magician that she
had a new suitor, and consulted him as to what she should ask him
next morning when he came to the palace.
"I will tell you what," said the magician; "you must choose something
easy, and then he'll never hit upon it. Think of one of your shoes.
He'll never guess that. Then you will have him beheaded, and mind you
don't forget to bring me his eyes to-morrow night."
The princess bowed, and said she would not forget to bring them. The
magician then opened the mountain, and she flew back; but the
fellow-traveler followed her, and struck her so smartly with the rod,
that she sighed most deeply over such a hail-storm, and hastened all
she could to reach her bed-chamber through the window. The
fellow-traveler then returned to the inn, where Johannes was still
asleep, took off his wings, and went to bed likewise, for he might
well be tired.
Johannes woke at an early hour next morning. His fellow-traveler got
up, and told him that he had had a strange dream that night about the
princess and her shoe, and therefore urged him to ask whether it was
not her shoe that the princess was thinking about? For this he had
learned from the magician in the mountain.
"I may as well ask that as anything else," said Johannes. "Perhaps
your dream may turn out to be the truth, for I trust in God to help me
through. Still, I will take leave of you, because should I guess
wrong, I shall never see you again."
They then embraced one another, and Johannes went into the town, and
walked to the palace. The whole hall was filled with people. The
judges sat in their armchairs, with their heads propped up by
eider-down cushions, because they had so much to think about. The old
king stood wiping his eyes with a white pocket-handkerchief. The
princess now entered. She looked more beautiful than even the day
before, and saluted the assembly with charming grace. But she extended
her hand to Johannes, saying: "Good morning to you."
Johannes was now called upon to guess what she had thought of. Bless
me! how kindly she did look at him! But no sooner had he pronounced
the single word "shoe," than she turned as pale as chalk, and trembled
all over. Still, this did not serve her much, since he had guessed
correctly.
But, goodness! how pleased the old king was--he cut a caper that was
quite pleasant to behold! And all present clapped their hands, to
cheer both him and Johannes, who had been successful in this, his
first ordeal.
The fellow-traveler was likewise much rejoiced on hearing how matters
had turned out. But Johannes folded his hands and thanked his God, who
he felt certain would help him through the two next times. On the
following day, he was to make a second attempt at guessing.
The evening passed much the same as the foregoing one. When Johannes
had gone to sleep, his fellow-traveler flew after the princess to the
mountain, and thrashed her more violently than before, having taken
two rods with him. Nobody saw him, and he heard all that was said. The
princess was to think of her glove, and this he repeated to Johannes,
as if it had been a dream. So that he was able to guess correctly,
which occasioned great joy amongst the inmates of the palace. The
whole court cut capers as they had seen the king do the first time.
But the princess lay on the sofa, and would not speak a word. All now
depended on whether Johannes could guess right the third time. If he
succeeded, he was to marry the beautiful princess, and reign over the
land at the old king's death. But if he guessed wrong, he was to
forfeit his life, and the magician would have his beautiful blue eyes.
On the preceding evening, Johannes went to bed early, said his
prayers, and then fell into a quiet sleep. But his fellow-traveler
tied his wings to his back, and put his sword at his side, and taking
the three rods with him, flew towards the palace.
It was as dark as pitch, and there was such a storm that the tiles
were flying off from the roofs of the houses, and the trees in the
garden, where hung the skeletons, bent like so many reeds beneath the
wind. It lightened every moment, and the thunder rolled along as
though it was a single clap that lasted through the whole night. The
window now opened, and the princess flew out. She was as pale as
death, but she laughed at the bad weather, and thought it was scarcely
bad enough. And her white mantle fluttered in the wind like a large
sail, while the fellow-traveler thrashed her with the three rods till
her blood flowed, and she could scarcely fly any farther. She managed,
however, to reach the mountain.
"This is a violent hail-storm," said she; "I was never out in such
weather before."
"There may be too much of a good thing," observed the magician.
She now told him that Johannes had guessed aright the second time, and
should he succeed again on the following morning, he would then have
won, and she would never again be able to come to the mountain, or to
practise magic arts as she had hitherto done; therefore was she quite
out of spirits.
"He shall not be able to guess it," said the magician, "for I will
find out something that he will never hit upon, unless he is a greater
conjurer than myself. But now let's be merry!" And then he took both
the princess's hands, and they danced about with all the little
goblins, wearing will-o'-the-wisp lights, that were in the room. The
red spiders jumped just as merrily up and down the walls; it looked as
if the fiery flowers were emitting sparks. The owl beat the drum, the
crickets whistled, and the black grasshoppers played on the
jew's-harp. It was a frolicsome ball.
When they had danced enough the princess was obliged to go home, for
fear of being missed in the palace. The magician said he would
accompany her, that they might be together a little longer.
They then flew away through the bad weather, while the fellow-traveler
broke his three rods across their shoulders. The magician had never
been out in such a hail-storm before. Just on reaching the palace, and
on bidding the princess farewell, he whispered, "Think of my head."
But the fellow-traveler heard him, and just as the princess slipped in
at her bedroom window, and the magician was about to turn round, he
seized him by the long black beard, and cut off his ugly head at a
single stroke from his sword, so that the magician had not even time
to see him. He then threw the body into the sea, to serve as food for
the fishes; but he merely dipped the head in the waters, and then tied
it up in his silk handkerchief, and took it to the inn, and went to
bed.
Next morning he gave the bundle to Johannes, bidding him not open it
till the princess should ask him what she was thinking of.
There were so many spectators in the large hall of the palace, that
they stood as thick as radishes tied in a bunch. The council sat on
their armchairs with the soft cushions, and the old king was dressed
in new clothes; his golden crown and scepter had been furbished up;
and the whole scene looked very solemn. But the princess was pale as
ashes, and wore a coal-black dress, as though she were attending a
funeral. "What have I thought of?" asked she of Johannes. And he
immediately opened the silk handkerchief, when he was himself quite
startled on beholding the ugly magician's head. Everybody shuddered,
for it was frightful to look at; but the princess sat like a statue,
and could not speak a word. At length she rose and gave her hand to
Johannes, for he had guessed aright. She looked neither to the right
nor the left, but sighed out: "Now you are my master! Our wedding will
be celebrated this evening."
"So much the better," said the old king, "that's just what I wish."
All present cried "Hurrah!" The soldiers on parade struck up their
music in the streets, the bells were set-a-ringing, the pastry-cooks
took the black crape off their sugar-husbands, and rejoicings were
held everywhere. Three oxen, stuffed with ducks and chickens, and
roasted whole, were placed in the middle of the market-place, and
every one was free to cut a slice; the fountains spouted the most
delicious wine; and if one bought a penny cracknel at the baker's one
received six large biscuits as a present--and the biscuits had raisins
in them!
Towards night the whole town was illuminated, the soldiers fired
cannons, and the boys let off pop-guns; and there was a deal of
eating, and drinking, and crushing, and capering at the palace. All
the fine gentlemen and the beautiful young ladies danced together, and
one might hear them from afar singing the following song:--
"Here are many maidens fair,
Who twirl like any spinning-wheel,
And tread the floor as light as air;
Still round and round, sweet maiden, reel,
And dance away the mazes through,
Until the sole has left your shoe."
But the princess was still a witch, and could not endure Johannes.
This struck his fellow-traveler, and therefore he gave Johannes three
feathers out of the swan's wings, and a small phial containing only a
few drops, and told him to place a large vat full of water in front of
the princess's bed, and when the princess was about to get into bed,
he must give her a slight push, so that she should fall into the
water, into which he must dip her three times, having taken care first
to shake in the feathers and the contents of the phial. The magic
spell would then be broken, and she would love him tenderly.
Johannes did all that his fellow-traveler suggested. The princess
shrieked aloud when he dipped her into the water, and struggled out of
his hands under the form of a coal-black swan with fiery eyes. The
second time she rose to the surface the swan had become white, all but
a black ruff round its neck. Johannes prayed to God, and made the bird
dive down a third time, when it was suddenly transformed to the most
beautiful princess. She was far lovelier than before, and thanked him,
with tears in her eyes, for having broken the spell that bound her.
On the following morning, the old king came with all his court, and
the congratulations lasted till late in the day. Last of all came
Johannes' fellow-traveler, with his stick in his hand, and his
knapsack at his back. Johannes embraced him affectionately, and said
that he must not go away, but stay with him, for he was the cause of
all his happiness. But his fellow-traveler shook his head, and said in
a mild and friendly voice: "No; my time is now up. I have but paid a
debt. Do you remember the dead man whom his wicked creditors would
fain have ill-used? You gave all you possessed that he might rest in
peace in his grave. I am that dead man!"
And at the same moment he vanished.
The wedding rejoicings now lasted a full month. Johannes and the
princess loved each other dearly, and the old king lived to see many a
happy day, and dandled his little grand-children on his knee, and let
them play with his scepter. And Johannes became king over the whole
land.
THE OLD BACHELOR'S NIGHTCAP.
There is a street in Copenhagen oddly named Hysken Strâde, and one
naturally asks what Hysken signifies, and why Hysken at all. Common
report says it is a German word, but in justice to the German tongue
this is not the case, since it would then have been Hauschen, of which
Hysken is the Danish corruption, and it means "the street of tiny
houses."
For many a year it consisted of nothing but wooden booths, such as may
be seen to this day in the market-place; possibly they were a little
larger. The window-panes were not of glass, but horn, for at that time
glass was too expensive for general use. Remember, we are speaking of
many years ago. Your great-grandfather would have called them "the
olden times." Yes, several hundred years ago.
Trade in Copenhagen was entirely, or nearly so, in the hands of
wealthy Bremen and Lübeck merchants, whose clerks (for they themselves
stayed at home) lived in the Hysken Sträde, in the booths of this
street of tiny houses, and sold beer and groceries. Delicious German
beer it was too, and all kinds for sale--Bremen, Prussian, and
Brunswick, and spices of every variety--saffron, aniseed, ginger and
above all pepper. Indeed, this was the staple commodity--hence the
German clerks in Denmark acquired the nickname Pepper-folk--and since
they were bound not to marry whilst in that country, many grew old and
gray in service, and, as they performed their own domestic services
themselves they became crabbed old fellows with whimsical ideas. This
being so, it became usual to dub all crotchety old bachelors
"pepper-fogeys," an expression now naturalized into the German
language. This must be borne in mind if you would understand what
follows.
These pepper-fogeys used to be unmercifully ridiculed, and told to
pull down a nightcap over their ears and toddle off to bed, and many
are the doggerel verses in which the nightcap figures. Yes, fun was
poked at the pepper-fogeys with their nightcaps, just because they
were so little known. And why should not one wish for a nightcap? you
may ask. Listen, and I will tell you.
Hauschen Street was in those days unpaved, and wayfarers stumbled
along as if it were a little side-alley. So narrow indeed was it, and
so huddled together the booths, that in summertime a sail would be
stretched from side to side, and strong was the fragrance of saffron
and ginger pervading the stalls, behind which there served for the
most part old men. They were not, however, clothed, as in the
portraits of our ancestors, with peruke, knee-breeches, elegant
waistcoat and tunic of ample cut, as you might suppose.
No, these old pepper-fogeys were no dandies to be portrayed on canvas,
though one could well wish to have a picture of one as he stood at the
counter, or betook himself with leisurely gait to church on holy days.
A broad-brimmed hat, high in the crown, in which maybe the younger
among them would sport a feather, a woolen shirt beneath a wide
flapping collar, a close-fitting jacket, a loose cloak worn over it,
and the trousers tucked into the broadly-peaked shoes, for stockings
had they none. At his belt a knife and fork, and a larger knife for
self-defense--a necessary precaution in those days.
Such was the costume of old Anthony, one of the oldest of the
pepper-fogeys, only in place of the broad-brimmed high-crowned hat he
always wore a sort of bonnet, under which was a knitted skullcap, a
veritable nightcap, which never left his head. One or other, for he
had two, was always on his head day and night. He formed a perfect
study for an artist, so lean and wizened was he, so wrinkled his brow,
his fingers so skinny, his eyebrows so bushy. He was said to be a
native of Bremen; but in truth, though his master was, old Anthony was
born at Eisenach, hard by the Wartburg. He never told the others, but
pondered over it the more.
The old fellows did not often come together. He stayed in his own
room, a dim light penetrating the opaque window-panes. Seated on the
bed, he chanted his evening psalm. Theirs was not a happy
lot--strangers in a strange land, heeded by none, save to be brushed
aside when in the way.
On black nights, when the rain was pelting down outside, it was far
from cosy within. Not a lamp visible, save that which threw a light on
a picture of the Virgin painted on the wall. Hark to the rain beating
in torrents on the masonry of the castle-wharf! Such evenings were
long and dreary without some task. To arrange and rearrange things in
the house, to make paper bags, to polish scales, is not work for every
day. One must find other things to do, as did old Anthony. He would
darn his clothes, and patch up his boots. And when at last he went to
bed, true to his habit, down he would draw his nightcap, but soon
raised it to see the candle was quite extinguished. He would snuff out
the wick between finger and thumb, pull down his nightcap, and turn
over to sleep. But it occurred to him to see if the ashes on the
little hearth in the corner were quite burnt out; if they were damped
enough, lest a stray spark should kindle a fire, and do damage.
Up he would get again, creep down the ladder (for steps they could not
be called), and finding not a spark in the ash-pan, would go back in
peace. But before he was half in bed he would have a doubt whether the
bolts and shutters of the shop were secured, and down once more went
the tottering feet, his teeth a-chattering with the cold, for never
such biting frost as in late winter. Then, pulling up the coverlet and
drawing down his nightcap, he would dismiss all thoughts of business
and the day's toil from his mind. But no happier than before--old
memories would weave their fantastic shapes before his fancy, and a
many thorn lay hidden in the garlands.
When one pricks one's finger tears brim to the eyelids, and oftentimes
old Anthony shed hot and bitter tears, that glistened like pearls. The
largest pearls would fall on the coverlet with so sad a sound that it
seemed his heart's strings were breaking.
Brightly would they glisten and illumine pictures of his childhood,
never fading memories.
As he dried his tears on the nightcap, the scenes would vanish, but
not the source of his tears: that lay deep in his heart.
The scenes did not follow the natural sequence of life; the saddest
and most joyful together, but the last had the deepest shadows.
The beech forests of Denmark are admitted by all to be fine, but
fairer still to the eyes of old Anthony were those around the
Wartburg. More majestic and lofty the aged trees around the baronial
castle, where the foliage of creepers trailed over the stone
buttresses. Sweeter there the perfume of apple-blossoms. Vividly did
he call them to mind, and a shining tear rolled down his cheek,
wherein he saw two children, a boy and a girl, at play. The boy,
rosy-cheeked and curly-haired, with clear blue eyes, was himself, the
little Anthony. The girl had brown eyes, dark hair, and a merry,
bright expression. She was the Burgomaster's daughter, Molly. The
children were playing with an apple, which they shook to hear the pips
rattle inside. They shared the apple and ate it up, all but one pip,
which the little girl proposed they should plant in the earth.
"Then you will see something you'd never think of," said she; "an
apple tree will grow, but not all at once." So they busied themselves
planting it in a flower-pot. He made a hole, and she laid the pip in,
and both heaped on the earth.
"Mind," said she, "you don't dig up the pip to see if it has struck
root. Indeed, you mustn't. I did so--only twice--because I knew no
better, and the flowers withered." Anthony kept the flower-pot, and
every day the winter through watched it, but nothing was to be seen
but the black earth. Then came the spring and warm sunshine, and two
little twigs peeped forth from the pot. "Oh, how lovely!" cried
Anthony, "they are for Molly and me."
Soon came another shoot; whom could that represent? Then another and
yet another, and every week it grew, till it became a big plant. All
this was mirrored in a single tear. Brush it away as he might, the
source dwelled deep in his bosom.
Not far from Eisenach is a ridge of rocky heights, treeless and bare,
known as the Venusberg.
Here was the abode of Venus, goddess of heathen mythology, known also
to every child round about as Lady Holle. She it was who lured the
knightly Tannhäuser, the minstrel of the Wartburg, to her mountain.
Little Molly and Anthony would ofttimes stand at the foot of the
mountain, and one day she asked him, "Do you dare knock and say, 'Lady
Holle! Lady Holle! open the door. Tannhäuser is here'?" But Anthony
was afraid, only his playmate ventured.
"Lady Holle! Lady Holle!" she cried, loud and clear, but the rest so
low and indistinct that he believed that she did not utter it. She
looked so winning and was of such high spirit. When they were at play
with other children in the garden, Molly alone of them all would dare
to kiss him, just because he was unwilling and resisted. "I dare kiss
him," she would cry, and throw her arms round his neck, and the boy
would submit to her embrace, for how charming, how saucy she was, to
be sure!
Lady Holle, so people said, was beautiful, but her beauty was that of
a wicked temptress. The noblest type of beauty was that of the devout
Elizabeth, tutelary saint of the land, the pious lady whose gracious
actions were known near and far. Her picture hangs in the chapel lit
up by silver lamps, but she and Molly bore no resemblance to one
another.
The apple tree they had planted grew year by year till it was so large
it had to be planted anew in the open air, where the dew fell and the
sun shed his warm rays; and it flourished and grew hardy, and could
bear the wintry blast, blossoming in the springtide as if for very
joy. In the autumn it bore two apples--one for Molly, one for Anthony.
Rapidly grew the tree, and with it grew Molly, fresh as one of its
blossoms; but not for long was Anthony fated to watch this fair
flower.
All things here on earth are subject to change.
Molly's father left the old home and went afar. Nowadays, by the
railroad, it takes but some few hours, but in those times over a day
and night, to travel so far east as to Weimar.
Both Molly and Anthony cried, and she told him he was more to her
than all the fine folk in Weimar could be.
A year passed by--two, three years--and only two letters came: the
first sent by a letter-carrier, the other by a traveler--a long and
devious way by town and hamlet.
How often had he and Molly together read the story of Tristan and
Isolde, and bethought them the name Tristan meant "conceived in
tribulation." But with Anthony no such thought could be harbored as
"She has forsaken me."
True, Isolde did _not_ forsake Tristan; buried side by side in the
little churchyard, the lime trees met and entwined over their graves.
Anthony loved this story, sad though it was.
But no sad fate could await him and Molly, and blithely he sang as he
rode in the clear moonlight towards Weimar to visit Molly.
He would fain come unexpected, and unexpected he came.
And welcome they made him. Wine-cups filled to the brim, distinguished
company, a comfortable room, all these he found, but it was not as he
had pictured it, dreamed of it.
Poor Anthony could not make it out, could not understand them, but we
can. We know how one may be in the midst of others and yet be
solitary; how one talks as fellow-voyagers in a post-chaise, boring
one another, and each wishing the other far away.
One day Molly spoke to him. "I am straight-forward, I will tell you
all. Since we were playmates together much has altered. It is not only
an outward change in me, you see. Habit and will do not control our
affections. I wish you well, Anthony, and would not have you bitter
towards me when I am far away, but love, deep love, I cannot feel for
you. Fare thee well!"
So Anthony bade her farewell. No tear bedimmed his eye, but he felt he
had lost a friend. Within four and twenty hours he was back in
Eisenach; the horse that bore him, bore him no more.
"What matter?" said he, "I am lost. I will destroy whatever reminds me
of the Lady Holle. The apple tree--I will uproot it, shatter it. Never
more shall it bloom and bear fruit."
But the tree was not injured. Anthony lay on his bed, stricken with
fever. What can avail him. Suddenly a medicine, the bitterest medicine
known to man, cured his fever, convulsing body and soul. Anthony's
father was no longer the rich merchant he had been!
Troublous days, days of trial, awaited them. Misfortune fell upon the
home; the father, dogged by fate, became poor. So Anthony had other
things to think about than the resentment he cherished in his heart
towards Molly. He must take his father's place, he must go out into
the great world and earn his bread.
He reached Bremen: hardship and dreary days were his lot--days that
harden the heart or sometimes make it very tender. How he had
misjudged his fellow-men in his young days! He became resigned and
cheerful. God's way is best, was his thought. How had it been if
heaven had not turned her affection to another before this calamity?
"Thanks be to heaven," he would say. "She was not to blame, and I have
felt so bitter towards her."
Time passed on. Anthony's father died, and strangers occupied the old
home. But he was destined to see it once more. His wealthy master sent
him on business that brought him once more to Eisenach, his native
town.
The old Wartburg was unchanged--the monk and nun hewn on its stones.
The grand old trees set off the landscape as of old. Over the valley
the Venusberg rose, a gray mass in the twilight. He longed to say,
"Lady Holle! Lady Holle! open the door to me. Fain would I stay
forever." It was a sinful thought, and he crossed himself. Old
memories crowded to his mind as he gazed with tear-bedewed eyes at the
town of childhood's days. The old homestead stood unchanged, but the
garden was not the same. A roadway crossed one corner of it. The apple
tree, which he had _not_ destroyed, was no longer in the garden, but
across the way.
Still, as of old, bathed in sunshine and dew, the old tree bore
richly, and its boughs were laden with fruit. One of its branches was
broken. Wilful hands had done this, for the tree now stood by the
highway.
Passers-by plucked its blossoms, gathered its fruit, and broke its
branches. Well might one say, as one says of men, "This was not its
destiny as it lay in its cradle." So fair its prospects, that this
should be the end! Neglected, forsaken, no longer tended, there
between field and highway it stood--bare to the storm, shattered and
rent. As the years roll by it puts forth fewer blossoms, less
fruit--and its story comes to a close!
So mused Anthony many a lonely evening in his room in the wooden booth
in a strange land, in the narrow street in Copenhagen, whither his
rich master sent him bound by his vow not to marry.
Marriage, forsooth, for him! Ha, ha! he laughed a strange laugh.
The winter was early that year with sharp frost. Outside raged a
blinding snowstorm, so that every one that could stayed indoors. And
so it befell that his neighbors never saw that for two days his shop
was unopened, nor Anthony been seen, for who would venture out if not
compelled to?
Those were sad, dismal days in his room, where the panes were not of
glass, and--at best but faintly lighted--it was often pitch dark. For
two days did Anthony keep his bed; he lacked strength to rise. The
bitter weather affected his old joints. Forgotten was the
pepper-fogey; helpless he lay. Scarce could he reach the water-jug by
the bedside, and the last drop was drunk. Not fever, not sickness,
laid him low: it was old age.
It was perpetual night to him as he lay there.
A little spider spun a web over the bed, as if for a pall when he
should close his eyes forever.
Long and very dreary was the time. Yet he shed no tears, nor did he
suffer pain. His only thought was that the world and its turmoil were
not for him; that he was away from them even as he had passed from the
thoughts of others.
At one time he seemed to feel the pangs of hunger, to faint with
thirst. Was no one coming? None could come. He thought of those who
perished of thirst, thought how the saintly Elizabeth, the noble lady
of Thüringen, visited the lowliest hovels, bearing hope to and
succoring the sick. Her pious deeds inspired his thoughts; he
remembered how she would console those in pain, bind up their wounds,
and though her stern lord and master stormed with rage, bear
sustenance to the starving. He called to mind the legend how her
husband followed her as she bore a well-stocked basket to the poor,
and confronting her demanded what lay within. How in her great dread
she replied, "Flowers I have culled in the garden." How when he
snatched aside the cloth to see whether her words were true, wine,
bread, and all the basket held miraculously changed to roses.
Such was the picture of the saint; so his weary eyes imagined her
standing by his bed in the little room in a strange land. He raised
his head and gazed into her gentle eyes. All round seemed bright and
rosy-hued. The flowers expanded, and now he smelt the perfume of
apple-blossoms; he saw an apple tree in bloom, its branches waving
above him. It was the tree the children had planted in the flower-pot
together.
And the drooping leaves fanned his burning brow and cooled his parched
lips; they were as wine and bread on his breast. He felt calm and
serene, and composed himself to sleep.
"Now I will sleep, and it will bring relief. To-morrow I shall be
well; to-morrow I will rise. I planted it in love; I see it now in
heavenly radiance." And he sunk to rest.
* * * * *
On the morrow--the third day--the storm abated, and his neighbors came
to see old Anthony. Prone he lay, clasping in death his old nightcap
in his hands.
Where were the tears he had shed, where the pearls? They were still in
the nightcap. True pearls change not. The old thoughts, the tears of
long ago--yes, they remained in the nightcap of the old pepper-fogey.
Covet not the old nightcap. It would make your brow burn, your pulse
beat fast. It brings strange dreams. The first to put it on was to
know this. It was fifty years later that the Burgomaster, who lived in
luxury with wife and children, put it on. His dreams were of unhappy
love, ruin, and starvation.
"Phew! how the nightcap burns," said he, and tore it off, and pearl
after pearl fell from it to the ground. "Good gracious!" cried the
Burgomaster, "I must be feverish; how they sparkle before my eyes."
They were tears, wept half a century before by old Anthony of
Eisenach.
To all who thereafter put on the nightcap came agitating visions and
dreams. His own history was changed to that of Anthony, till it became
quite a story. There may be many such stories; we, however, leave
others to tell them.
We have told the first, and our last words shall be, "Don't wish for
the old bachelor's nightcap."
THE GARDEN OF PARADISE.
THE FOUR WINDS.
There once lived a king's son, who possessed a larger and more
beautiful collection of books than anybody ever had before. He could
read in their pages all the events that had ever taken place in the
world, and see them illustrated by the most exquisite engravings. He
could obtain information about any people or any country, only not a
word could he ever find as to the geographical position of the Garden
of the World; and this was just what he was most desirous of
ascertaining.
His grandmother had told him, when he was quite a little boy, and
beginning to go to school, that each flower in the Garden of the World
was the most delicious cake, and had its stamina filled with luscious
wine; on one stood written historical facts, on another geography or
arithmetical tables--and so one need only eat cakes to learn one's
lesson, and the more one ate, the more history, geography, and
arithmetic one acquired.
He used to believe this. But when he grew a little older, and had
learned more and become wiser, he began to understand that there must
be better delights than these in the Garden of the World.
He was now seventeen, and nothing ran in his head but this garden.
One day he went to take a walk in the forest, all alone, as he best
liked to be.
As evening came on, the sky grew overcast, and there came on such a
shower, that it seemed as if the heavens had become one vast sluice
that kept pouring down water; besides this, it was darker than it
usually is, even at night, except at the bottom of the deepest well.
At every step, he either slipped on the wet grass, or stumbled over
some bare rock. Everything was dripping wet, and the poor prince had
not a dry thread about him. He was obliged to climb over huge blocks
of stone, where water was running down from the thick moss. He was
near fainting away, when he heard a singular rushing noise, and
perceived a large cavern, lighted up by a huge fire, piled up in the
middle, and fit to roast a whole deer. And this, indeed, was being
done. A very fine deer, with its branching horns, was placed on a
spit, and slowly turned round between the felled trunks of two
pine-trees. An elderly woman, as bony and masculine as though she were
a man in female attire, sat by the fire, and kept throwing in one log
of wood after another.
"Come nearer," said she, "and sit by the fire, and dry your clothes."
"There is a great draught here," observed the prince, sitting down on
the ground.
"It will be much worse when my sons come home," returned the woman.
"You are in the Cavern of the Winds. My sons are the Four Winds of
Heaven--can you understand that?"
"Where are your sons?" asked the prince.
"It is difficult to answer a silly question," said the woman. "My sons
are now at it, with their own hands. They are playing at shuttle-cock
with the clouds, up there in the King's hall." And she pointed above.
"Oh, that's it!" quoth the prince. "But you seem to speak rather
harshly, and are not as gentle as the women I am accustomed to see."
"Because they have nothing else to do. But I must be harsh, to keep my
boys in any order; which I manage to do, headstrong as they are. You
see those four bags hanging on the wall? Well, they are every bit as
much afraid of them as you used to be of the rod behind the
looking-glass. I bend the boys in two, I can tell you, and then pop
them into the bag, without their making the least resistance. There
they stay, and don't dare come out till I think it proper they should.
But here comes one of them."
It was the North Wind who came in, diffusing an icy coldness around.
Large hailstones jumped about on the floor, and snowflakes were
scattered in all directions. He wore a bearskin jacket and clothes;
his cap of sea-dog's skin came down over his ears; long icicles clung
to his beard, and one hailstone after another fell from the collar of
his jacket.
"Don't go too near the fire at once," said the prince, "or your face
and hands might easily get frozen."
"Frozen, quotha!" said the North Wind, with a loud laugh. "Why, cold
is my greatest delight! But what kind of little snip are you? How did
you come into the Cavern of the Winds?"
"He is my guest," said the old woman; "and if that does not satisfy
you, why, you need only get into the bag. Do you understand me now?"
Well, this did the business at once; and the North Wind then began to
relate whence he came, and where he had been staying for nearly a
month past.
"I come from the Arctic Sea," said he, "and I have been on Bear's
Island, with the Russian sea-cow hunters. I sat and slept at the helm,
as they sailed away from the North Cape; but whenever I happened to
wake, the petrels were flying about my legs. What comical birds they
are! They will flap their wings suddenly, and then remain poised upon
them, and quite motionless, as if they had had enough of flying."
"Don't be so diffuse," said the mother of the Winds. "And so you
reached Bear's Island?"
"It's a beautiful place! There's a ballroom floor for you, as smooth
as a plate! Heaps of half-thawed snow, slightly covered with moss,
sharp stones, and skeletons of sea-cows and bears were lying about,
together with the arms and legs of giants in a state of green decay.
It looks as if the sun had never shone there. I blew slightly on the
mist, that the hovels might be visible, and there appeared a hut,
built from the remains of a ship that had been wrecked, and covered
over with sea-cows' skins. The fleshy side was turned outwards, and it
was both red and green. A living bear sat growling on the roof. I went
to the shore, and looked after birds' nests, and saw the unfledged
youngsters opening their beaks and screaming lustily; so I blew into
their thousands of throats, and they learned to shut their mouths. A
little farther on, the sea-cows were rolling about like giant worms
with pigs' heads, and teeth a yard long."
"You tell your adventures right pleasantly, my son," said his mother;
"it makes my mouth water to hear you."
"Then the hunting began. The harpoon was flung right into the
sea-cow's chest, so that a smoking jet of blood spurted forth like
water from a fountain, and besprinkled the ice. Then I thought of my
part of the game. I began to blow, and set my vessels, the towering
icebergs, to stick the boats fast. Oh! what a whistling and a bawling
there was! Only I whistled louder than all of them. They were obliged
to unpack the dead sea-cows, the chests, and the tackle upon the ice;
I then shook snowflakes over them, and left them and their spoils to
sail in their pent-up vessels towards the south, to drink salt-water.
They will never return to Bear's Island."
"Then you have done mischief?" said the mother of the Winds.
"Let others tell of the good I may have done!" said he. "But here
comes my brother from the West. I like him the best, because he smacks
of the sea, and brings a nice bracing cold with him."
"Is that the little Zephyr?" asked the prince.
"Yes, that is the Zephyr!" said the old woman; "but he's not so very
little either. Some years ago he was a pretty boy; but that is now
over."
He looked like a wild man; but he wore a roller round his head, that
he might not get hurt. In his hand he held a mahogany club, hewn from
an American mahogany forest. It was no small weight to carry.
"Whence do you come?" asked the mother.
"From the wild forests," said he, "where tangled bindweed forms a
hedge between each tree, where water-snakes lie in the damp grass, and
where man seems to be a superfluous nonentity."
"What have you been doing there?"
"I looked into the deep river, and saw it had rushed down from the
rocks, and then became dust, and flew towards the clouds to support
the rainbow. I saw a wild buffalo swimming in the river, but he was
carried away by the tide. He had joined a flock of wild ducks, who
flew up into the air the moment the waters dashed downwards. The
buffalo was obliged to be hurled into the precipice. This pleased me,
and I raised a storm, so that the oldest trees sailed down the river,
and were reduced to splinters."
"And was that all you did?" asked the old woman.
"I cut capers in the savannahs, I stroked wild horses and shook
cocoanut trees. Oh! I have plenty of tales to tell! Only one must not
tell all one knows, as you well know, good mammy." And he kissed his
mother so roughly, that she had nearly fallen backwards. He was a
shocking wild lad.
Now, in came the South Wind in a turban and Bedouin's flying mantle.
"It is very cold hereabouts!" said he, throwing wood upon the fire.
"It is easy to perceive that the North Wind has preceded me."
"It is hot enough here to roast a northern bear!" said the North Wind.
"You are a bear yourself!" answered the South Wind.
"Have you a mind to be both put into the bag?" asked the old woman.
"There! sit down on that stone, and tell us where you have been."
"In Africa, mother," returned he. "I was amongst the Hottentots, who
were lion-hunting in Caffraria. The grass in their plains looks as
green as an olive. An ostrich ran a race with me, but I beat him
hollow. I reached the yellow sands of the desert, which look like the
bottom of the sea. I met a caravan. They killed their last camel to
obtain some water; but they only got a very little. The sun was
scorching above, and the sand equally scorching beneath one's feet.
The desert stretched out into boundless expanse. I then rolled in the
fine loose sand, and made it whirl about in large columns. A fine
dance I led it! You should have seen how dejected the dromedaries
looked as they stood stock still, and how the merchants pulled their
caftans over their heads. They threw themselves on the ground before
me as they would before Allah, their God. They are now all buried
beneath a pyramid of sand; and when I come to puff it away, the sun
will bleach their bones, and travelers will see that others have been
there before them: a fact which is seldom believed in the desert,
short of some tangible proof."
"Then you have done nothing but mischief!" said his mother. "Into the
bag with you!" And before he had time to perceive it, she had taken
the South Wind round the waist, and popped him into the bag. He
wiggled about on the ground; but she sat upon him, and then he was
forced to lie still.
"Your sons are a set of lively boys!" said the prince.
"Yes," answered she; "and I know how to correct them. Here comes the
fourth."
This was the East Wind, who was dressed like a Chinese.
"Oh! you come from that neighborhood, do you?" said his mother. "I
thought you had been to the Garden of the World?"
"I am going there to-morrow," said the East Wind. "To-morrow will be a
hundred years since I was there. I have just returned from China,
where I danced round the porcelain tower till all the bells were set
a-jingling. The government officers were being beaten in the street;
the bamboo stick was broken across their shoulders; and these were
people belonging to the several degrees from the first to the ninth.
They cried out: 'Many thanks, my fatherly benefactor!' But the words
did not come from their hearts, so I made the bells jingle, and sang!
'Tsing! tsang! tsu!'"
"You are a wanton boy!" said the old woman. "It is well you are going
to-morrow to the Garden of the World, for that always improves your
mind. Pray drink abundantly from the fountain of wisdom, and take a
small phial and bring it home full for me."
"I will," said the East Wind. "But why have you put my brother from
the South into the bag? Take him out again; I want him to tell me
about the phœnix, for the princess in the Garden of the World
always asks after him when I pay her my visit every hundredth year.
Open the bag, there's a dear mammy, and I'll give you two pocketfuls
of tea-leaves, all green and fresh, just as I plucked them from the
bush on the spot where it grew."
"Well, for the sake of the tea, and because you are mammy's own boy, I
will open the bag."
This she accordingly did, and out crept the South Wind, looking rather
foolish, because the strange prince had witnessed his disgrace.
"There is a palm-tree leaf for the princess," said the South Wind.
"The old phœnix, the only bird of his sort in the wide world, gave
me this leaf. He has traced upon it with his beak the whole history of
his life during the hundred years that form its span. She may,
therefore, be now enabled to read how the phœnix set fire to his
nest, and sat upon it as it was burning, like the widow of a Hindoo.
How the dried twigs did crackle! and what a smoke there was! At length
out burst the flames: the old phœnix was burnt to ashes, but an egg
lay glowing hot in the fire. It burst with a loud report, and the
young bird flew out; and now he is king over all the other birds, and
the only phœnix in the world. He has bitten a hole in the leaf
which I gave you, and that is his way of sending his duty to the
princess."
"Now let us eat something," said the mother of the Winds. And they all
sat down to partake of the roast deer. The prince sat beside the East
Wind; therefore, they soon became good friends.
"And pray what kind of a princess may she be whom you are talking so
much about and where lies the Garden of the World?"
"Ho, ho!" said the East Wind. "What! have you a mind to go there?
Well, you can fly over with me to-morrow, though I must tell you no
mortal ever visited it before. It is inhabited by a fairy queen, and,
in it lies the Island of Happiness, a lovely spot where death never
intrudes. Get upon my back to-morrow, and I'll take you with me; for I
think it can be managed. But now don't speak any more, for I want to
sleep."
And then to sleep they all went.
The prince awoke at an early hour next morning, and was not a little
surprised on finding himself high above the clouds. He sat on the
back of the East Wind, who was holding him faithfully; and they were
so high in the air that forests, fields, rivers, and lakes lay beneath
them like a painted map.
"Good morning!" said the East Wind. "You might just as well have slept
a bit longer, for there is not much to be seen in the flat country
beneath us, except you have a mind to count the churches. They look
like chalk dots on the green board."
It was the fields and the meadows that he called the "green board."
"It was uncivil of me not to take leave of your mother and brothers,"
observed the prince.
"When one is asleep, one is to be excused," replied the East Wind.
And they began to fly quicker than ever. When they swept across the
tree-tops, you might have heard a rustling in all their leaves and
branches. On the sea and on the lakes, wherever they flew, the waves
rose higher and the large ships dipped down into the water like
swimming swans.
Towards evening, when it grew dark, the large towns looked beautiful.
They were dotted here and there with lights, much after the fashion of
a piece of paper that has burned till it is black, when one sees all
the little sparks going out one after another. The prince clapped his
hands with delight, but the East Wind begged him to let such
demonstrations alone, and rather attend to holding fast, or else he
might easily fall down and remain dangling on a church steeple.
Fast as the eagle flew through the black forests, the East Wind flew
still faster. The Cossack was scouring the plains on his little horse,
but the prince soon outstripped him.
"You can now see Himalaya," said the East Wind, "the highest mountain
in Asia--and now we shall soon reach the Garden of the World." They
then turned more southwards, and the air was soon perfumed with spices
and flowers. Figs and pomegranates grew wild, and clusters of blue and
red grapes hung from wild vines. They now descended to the earth, and
reclined on the soft grass, where the flowers seemed to nod to the
wind as though they had said--"Welcome!"
"Are we now in the Garden of the World?" asked the prince.
"No, indeed!" replied the East Wind; "but we soon shall be. Do you see
yon wall of rocks, and that broad cavern, where the vines hang down
like a huge green curtain? That's the road through which we must pass.
Wrap yourself in your mantle, for burning hot as the sun is just
hereabout, it is as cold as ice a few steps farther. The bird who
flies past the cavern feels one wing to be in the warm summer abroad
while the other is in the depth of winter."
"So then this seems to be the way to the Garden of the World?" asked
the prince.
They now entered the cavern. Oh, how icy cold it was! Only it did not
last long. The East Wind spread out his wings, and they beamed like
the brightest fire. But what a cavern it was, to be sure! The huge
blocks of stone from which the water kept dripping down, hung over
them in the oddest shapes, sometimes narrowing up till they were
obliged to creep on all-fours, at other times widening into an
expanse as lofty as though situated in the open air. It looked like a
chapel for the dead, with petrified organs and dumb organ-pipes.
"We seem to be crossing through an abode of Death to reach the Garden
of the World!" said the prince. But the East Wind did not answer a
syllable, and merely pointed forwards where the loveliest blue light
met their eyes. The blocks of stone above their heads rolled away into
a mist that finished by assuming the shape of a white cloud on a
moonlight night. They were now in a most delightfully mild atmosphere,
as cool as the mountain breeze, and as perfumed as a valley of roses.
A river, clear as the air itself, was running along, filled with gold
and silver fishes; scarlet eels, that emitted blue sparks at every
motion, were disporting in the depths of the waters; while the broad
leaves of the water-lilies that lay on its surface showed all the
tints of the rainbow; the flower itself was a reddish-yellow burning
flame that received its nourishment from the water as oil feeds the
flame of a lamp. A marble bridge, as delicately sculptured as though
it had been made of lace and glass beads, led across the water to the
Island of Happiness, where bloomed the Garden of the World.
The East Wind took the prince on his arm and carried him over. And the
flowers and leaves sang the sweetest songs of his childhood, but in so
lovely a strain of melody as no human voice ever yet sang.
Were they palm-trees or gigantic water-plants that grew on this
favored spot? The prince could not tell, for never had he seen such
large and luxuriant trees before. The most singular creepers, too,
such as one only sees represented in gold and colors in the margins of
illuminated old missals, or twined around the first letter in a
chapter, were hanging in long festoons on all sides. It was a most
curious mixture of birds, and flowers, and scrolls. Just by a flock of
peacocks were standing on the grass displaying their gorgeous fan-like
tails. The prince took them for live creatures, but found, on touching
them, that they were only plants--large burdock leaves, which, in this
favored spot, beamed with all the glorious colors of the peacock's
tail. A lion and tiger were disporting with all the pliancy of cats
amongst the green hedges, that were perfumed like the flower of the
olive-tree; and both the lion and the tiger were tame. The wild
wood-pigeon's plumage sparkled like the fairest pearl, and the bird
flapped the lion's mane with its wings; while the antelope, usually so
shy, stood near and nodded its head, as if willing to join them at
play.
Now came the fairy of the garden. Her clothes were radiant as the sun,
and her countenance was as serene as that of a happy mother rejoicing
over her child. She was young and beautiful, and was followed by a
train of lovely girls, each wearing a beaming star in her hair. The
East Wind gave her the leaf sent by the phoenix, when her eyes
sparkled with joy. She took the prince by the hand and led him into
her palace, whose walls were of the hues of the most splendid tulip
when it is turned towards the sun. The ceiling was a large radiant
flower, and the more one looked at it, the deeper its calyx appeared
to grow. The prince stepped to the window, and looked through one of
the panes, on which was depicted Jacob's dream. The ladder seemed to
reach to the real sky, and the angels seemed to be flapping their
wings. The fairy smiled at his astonished look, and explained that
time had engraved its events on each pane, but they were not merely
lifeless images, for the leaves rustled, and the persons went and came
as in a looking-glass. He then looked through other panes, where he
saw depicted the events of ancient history. For all that had happened
in the world lived and moved upon these panes; time only could have
engraved so cunning a masterpiece.
The fairy then led him into a lofty, noble hall, with transparent
walls. Here were a number of portraits, each of which seemed more
beautiful than the other. There were millions of happy faces whose
laughing and singing seemed to melt into one harmonious whole; those
above were so small that they appeared less than the smallest rosebud
when represented on paper by a mere dot. In the midst of the hall
stood a large tree with luxuriant drooping branches. Golden, apples,
both great and small, hung like china oranges amid the green leaves.
From each leaf fell a sparkling red dewdrop, as if the tree were
shedding tears of blood.
"We will now get into the boat," said the fairy, "and enjoy the
coolness of the water. The boat rocks, but does not stir from the
spot, while all the countries of the earth glide past us." And it was
wonderful to behold how the whole coast moved. First came the lofty
snow-capped Alps, overhung with clouds and overgrown with fir-trees.
The horn was sounding its melancholy notes, while the shepherd was
caroling in the vale. Then banana-trees flung their drooping branches
over the boat; coal-black swans swam on the water, and flowers and
animals of the strangest description might be seen on the shore. This
was New Holland, the fifth part of the world, that glided past, with a
view of the blue mountains. One could hear the hymns of the priests
and see the savages dancing to the sound of drums and trumpets made of
bones. Egypt's pyramids reaching to the clouds, overturned columns and
sphinxes, half buried in the sand, followed in their turn. The aurora
borealis next shone upon the extinguished volcanoes of the north.
These were fireworks that nobody could have imitated! The prince was
delighted; and he saw a hundred times more than what we have
mentioned.
"Can I remain here forever?" asked he.
"That depends on yourself," replied the fairy. "If you do not long for
what is forbidden, you may stay here forever."
"I will not touch the apple on the Tree of Knowledge," said the
prince; "here are thousands of fruits equally fine."
"Examine your own heart, and if you do not feel sufficient strength,
return with the East Wind who brought you hither. He is now about to
fly back, and will not appear again in this place for the next hundred
years. The time would seem to you here to be only a hundred hours, but
even that is a long span for temptation and sin. Every evening, on
leaving you, I shall be obliged to say: 'Come with me!' I shall make a
sign with my hand, yet you must stay away. If once you followed, your
longing would increase at every step. You would then enter the hall
where grows the Tree of Knowledge I sleep beneath its perfumed,
drooping branches. You would bend over me, and I should be forced to
smile. But if you pressed a kiss on my lips, then would the garden
sink into the earth and be lost for you. The sharp winds of the desert
would howl around you, the cold rain would trickle over your head, and
sorrow and distress would fall to your lot."
"I will remain here," said the prince. And the East Wind kissed his
forehead, saying, "Be firm, and then we shall meet again in a hundred
years. Farewell! farewell!" And the East Wind spread his large wings,
and they shone like the lightning in harvest time, or like the
northern lights in a cold winter.
"Farewell! farewell!" sounded from the flowers and the trees. Storks
and pelicans flew in long rows, like streaming ribbons to accompany
him to the boundaries of the garden.
"We will now begin our dances," said the fairy. "At the close, when
I'm dancing with you, and just as the sun is sinking, you will see me
make a sign, and you will hear me say, 'Come with me.' But do not do
it. For a hundred years shall I be obliged to repeat the same thing
every evening; and each time when it is over will you gain fresh
strength. In the end you'll cease to think about it. This evening will
be the first time--and now you are warned."
The fairy then led him into a large room made of white transparent
lilies. The yellow stamina in each flower pictured a little golden
harp that yielded a sweet music partaking of the combined sounds of
stringed instruments and the tones of the flute. Lovely girls with
slender aerial figures, and dressed in lightest gauze, floated through
the mazes of the dance, and sang of the delights of living and being
immortal, and blooming forever in the Garden of the World.
The sun now set. The whole sky was one mass of gold that imparted the
tints of the richest roses to the lilies; and the prince drank of the
sparkling wine handed to him by the young maidens, and felt a bliss
he had never before experienced. He saw the background of the ballroom
now opening, and the Tree of Knowledge stood before him in such
streams of light that his eyes were dazzled. The singing that rang in
his ears was soft and lovely as his mother's voice, and it seemed as
if she sang, "My child! my beloved child!"
The fairy then made him a sign with her eyes, and cried most sweetly:
"Come with me! Come with me!" And he rushed towards her, forgetting
his promise, though it was but the first evening, and she continued to
beckon to him and to smile. The spicy perfumes around grew yet more
intoxicating; the harps sounded sweeter; and it was as if the millions
of smiling faces in the room, where grew the tree, nodded and sang:
"We must know everything! Man is the lord of the earth!" And there
were no more tears of blood dropping down from the leaves of the Tree
of Knowledge; but he thought he saw red sparkling stars instead.
"Come with me! come with me!" said the thrilling tones; and at each
step the prince's cheeks glowed more intensely, and his blood rushed
more wildly.
"I must!" said he; "it is no sin, and cannot be one! Why not follow
when beauty calls? I will see her asleep; and provided I do not kiss
her, there will be no harm done--and kiss I will not, for I have
strength to resist, and a firm will."
And the fairy cast aside her dazzling attire, bent back the boughs,
and in another moment was completely concealed.
"I have not yet sinned," said the prince, "and do not intend to sin!"
And then he pushed the boughs aside; there she lay already asleep, and
lovely as only the fairy of the Garden of the World is privileged to
be. She smiled in her dreams; yet as he bent over her, he saw tears
trembling between her eyelashes.
"And do you weep for me?" whispered he. "Oh, weep not, most admirable
of women! I now begin to understand the happiness to be found in this
place. It penetrates into my blood, and I feel the joys of the blessed
in this my earthly form! Though it were ever after eternally dark for
me, one moment like this is happiness enough!" And he kissed the tears
in her eyes, and his mouth pressed her lips.
Then came a thunder-clap, so loud and so tremendous as never was heard
before. Down everything fell to ruins--the beautiful fairy, the
blooming garden, all sank deeper and deeper still. The prince saw the
garden sinking into the dark abyss below, and it soon only shone like
a little star in the distance. He turned as cold as death, and closed
his eyes, and lay senseless.
The cold rain fell on his face, and the sharp wind blew over his head.
He then returned to consciousness. "What have I done?" sighed he.
"Alas! I have sinned, and the Island of Happiness has sunk down into
the earth!" And he opened his eyes and saw a distant star like that of
the sinking garden; but it was the morning star in the sky.
He got up and found himself in the large forest close to the Cavern of
the Winds. The mother of the Winds sat by him, and looked angry, and
raised her arm aloft.
"The very first evening," said she. "I thought it would be so! If you
were my son, you should be put into the bag presently."
"Into it he shall go, sure enough!" said Death. He was a stalwart man
with a scythe in his hand, and large black wings. "In his coffin shall
he be laid, but not yet. I'll only mark him now, and allow him to
wander about the world yet awhile, to expiate his sins and to grow
better. But I shall come at last. When he least expects it, I shall
put him into the black bag, place it on my head, and fly up to the
stars. There, too, blooms a lovely garden, and if he be good and
pious, he will be allowed to enter it; but should his thoughts be
wicked, and his heart still full of sin, then will he sink in his
coffin yet lower than he saw the Garden of the World sink down; and it
will be only once in every thousand years that I shall go and fetch
him, when he will either be condemned to sink still deeper, or be
borne aloft to the beaming stars above."
* * * * *
A. L. Burt's Catalogue of Books for
Young People by Popular Writers, 52-58
Duane Street, New York
BOOKS FOR GIRLS.
=Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. By LEWIS CARROLL.= 12mo,
cloth, 42 illustrations, price 75 cents.
"From first to last, almost without exception, this story is
delightfully droll, humorous and illustrated in harmony with the
story."--=New York Express.=
=Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There.= By LEWIS
CARROLL. 12mo, cloth, 50 illustrations, price 75 cents.
"A delight alike to the young people and their elders, extremely
funny both in text and illustrations."--=Boston Express.=
=Little Lucy's Wonderful Globe.= By CHARLOTTE M. YONGE. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"This story is unique among tales intended for children, alike
for pleasant instruction, quaintness of humor, gentle pathos,
and the subtlety with which lessons moral and otherwise are
conveyed to children, and perhaps to their seniors as
well."--=The Spectator.=
=Joan's Adventures at the North Pole and Elsewhere.= BY ALICE
CORKRAN. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"Wonderful as the adventures of Joan are, it must be admitted
that they are very naturally worked out and very plausibly
presented. Altogether this is an excellent story for
girls."--=Saturday Review.=
=Count Up the Sunny Days=: A Story for Girls and Boys. By C. A.
JONES. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"An unusually good children's story."--=Glasgow Herald.=
=The Dove in the Eagle's Nest.= By CHARLOTTE M. YONGE. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Among all the modern writers we believe Miss Yonge first, not
in genius, but in this, that she employs her great abilities for
a high and noble purpose. We know of few modern writers whose
works may be so safely commended as hers."--=Cleveland Times.=
=Jan of the Windmill.= A Story of the Plains. By MRS. J. H.
EWING. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Never has Mrs. Ewing published a more charming volume, and that
is saying a very great deal. From the first to the last the book
overflows with the strange knowledge of child-nature which so
rarely survives childhood: and moreover, with inexhaustible
quiet humor, which is never anything but innocent and well-bred,
never priggish, and never clumsy."--=Academy.=
=A Sweet Girl Graduate.= By L. T. MEADE. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price $1.00.
"One of this popular author's best. The characters are well
imagined and drawn. The story moves with plenty of spirit and
the interest does not flag until the end too quickly
comes."--=Providence Journal.=
=Six to Sixteen=: A Story for Girls. By JULIANA HORATIA EWING.
12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"There is no doubt as to the good quality and attractiveness of
'Six to Sixteen.' The book is one which would enrich any girl's
book shelf."--=St. James' Gazette.=
=The Palace Beautiful=: A Story for Girls. By L. T. MEADE. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"A bright and interesting story. The many admirers of Mrs. L. T.
Meade in this country will be delighted with the 'Palace
Beautiful' for more reasons than one. It is a charming book for
girls."--=New York Recorder.=
=A World of Girls=: The Story of a School. By L. T. MEADE. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"One of those wholesome stories which it does one good to read.
It will afford pure delight to numerous readers. This book
should be on every girl's book shelf."--=Boston Home Journal.=
=The Lady of the Forest=: A Story for Girls. By L. T. MEADE.
12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"This story is written in the author's well-known, fresh and
easy style. All girls fond of reading will be charmed by this
well-written story. It is told with the author's customary grace
and spirit."--=Boston Times.=
=At the Back of the North Wind.= By GEORGE MACDONALD. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"A very pretty story, with much of the freshness and vigor of
Mr. Macdonald's earlier work.... It is a sweet, earnest, and
wholesome fairy story, and the quaint native humor is
delightful. A most delightful volume for young
readers."--=Philadelphia Times.=
=The Water Babies=: A Fairy Tale for a Land Baby. By CHARLES
KINGSLEY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"The strength of his work, as well as its peculiar charms,
consist in his description of the experiences of a youth with
life under water in the luxuriant wealth of which he revels with
all the ardor of a poetical nature."--=New York Tribune.=
=Our Bessie.= By ROSA N. CAREY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price
$1.00.
"One of the most entertaining stories of the season, full of
vigorous action, and strong in character-painting. Elder girls
will be charmed with it, and adults may read its pages with
profit."--=The Teachers' Aid.=
=Wild Kitty.= A Story of Middleton School. By L. T. MEADE. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Kitty is a true heroine--warm-hearted, self-sacrificing, and,
as all good women nowadays are, largely touched with the
enthusiasm of humanity. One of the most attractive gift books of
the season."--=The Academy.=
=A Young Mutineer.= A Story for Girls. By L. T. MEADE. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"One of Mrs. Meade's charming books for girls, narrated in that
simple and picturesque style which marks the authoress as one of
the first among writers for young people."--=The Spectator.=
=Sue and I.= By MRS. O'REILLY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75
cents.
"A thoroughly delightful book, full of sound wisdom as well as
fun."--=Athenæum.=
=The Princess and the Goblin.= A Fairy Story. By GEORGE
MACDONALD. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"If a child once begins this book, it will get so deeply
interested in it that when bedtime comes it will altogether
forget the moral, and will weary its parents with importunities
for just a few minutes more to see how everything
ends."--=Saturday Review.=
=Pythia's Pupils=: A Story of a School. By EVA HARTNER. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"This story of the doings of several bright school girls is sure
to interest girl readers. Among many good stories for girls this
is undoubtedly one of the very best."--=Teachers' Aid.=
=A Story of a Short Life.= By JULIANA HORATIA EWING. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price $1.00.
"The book is one we can heartily recommend, for it is not only
bright and interesting, but also pure and healthy in tone and
teaching."--=Courier.=
=The Sleepy King.= A Fairy Tale. By AUBREY HOPWOOD AND SEYMOUR
HICKS. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"Wonderful as the adventures of Bluebell are, it must be
admitted that they are very naturally worked out and very
plausibly presented. Altogether this is an excellent story for
girls."--=Saturday Review.=
=Two Little Waifs.= By MRS. MOLESWORTH. 12mo, cloth, illustrated,
price 75 cents.
"Mrs. Molesworth's delightful story of 'Two Little Waifs' will
charm all the small people who find it in their stockings. It
relates the adventures of two lovable English children lost in
Paris, and is just wonderful enough to pleasantly wring the
youthful heart."--=New York Tribune.=
=Adventures in Toyland.= By EDITH KING HALL. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price 75 cents.
"The author is such a bright, cheery writer, that her stories
are always acceptable to all who are not confirmed cynics, and
her record of the adventures is as entertaining and enjoyable as
we might expect."--=Boston Courier.=
=Adventures in Wallypug Land.= By G. E. FARROW. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price 75 cents.
"These adventures are simply inimitable, and will delight boys
and girls of mature age, as well as their juniors. No happier
combination of author and artist than this volume presents could
be found to furnish healthy amusement to the young folks. The
book is an artistic one in every sense."--=Toronto Mail.=
=Fussbudget's Folks.= A Story for Young Girls. By ANNA F.
BURNHAM. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Mrs. Burnham has a rare gift for composing stories for
children. With a light, yet forcible touch, she paints sweet and
artless, yet natural and strong,
characters."--=Congregationalist.=
=Mixed Pickles.= A Story for Girls. By MRS. E. M. FIELD. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"It is, in its way, a little classic, of which the real beauty
and pathos can hardly be appreciated by young people. It is not
too much to say of the story that it is perfect of its
kind."--=Good Literature.=
=Miss Mouse and Her Boys.= A Story for Girls, By MRS. MOLESWORTH.
12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"Mrs. Molesworth's books are cheery, wholesome, and particularly
well adapted to refined life. It is safe to add that she is the
best English prose writer for children. A new volume from Mrs.
Molesworth is always a treat."--=The Beacon.=
=Gilly Flower.= A Story for Girls. By the author of "=Miss
Toosey's Mission=." 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Jill is a little guardian angel to three lively brothers who
tease and play with her.. .. Her unconscious goodness brings
right thoughts and resolves to several persons who come into
contact with her. There is no goodiness in this tale, but its
influence is of the best kind."--=Literary World.=
=The Chaplet of Pearls=; or, The White and Black Ribaumont. By
CHARLOTTE M. YONGE. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Full of spirit and life, so well sustained throughout that
grown-up readers may enjoy it as much as children. It is one of
the best books of the season."--=Guardian.=
=Naughty Miss Bunny=: Her Tricks and Troubles. By CLARA
MULHOLLAND. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"The naughty child is positively delightful. Papas should not
omit the book from their list of juvenile presents."--=Land and
Water.=
=Meg's Friend.= By ALICE CORKRAN. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price
$1.00.
"One of Miss Corkran's charming books for girls, narrated in
that simple and picturesque style which marks the authoress as
one of the first among writers for young people."--=The
Spectator.=
=Averil.= By ROSA N. CAREY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price
$1.00.
"A charming story for young folks. Averil is a delightful
creature--piquant, tender, and true--and her varying fortunes
are perfectly realistic."--=World.=
=Aunt Diana.= By ROSA N. CAREY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price
$1.00.
"An excellent story, the interest being sustained from first to
last. This is, both in its intention and the way the story is
told, one of the best books of its kind which has come before us
this year."--=Saturday Review.=
=Little Sunshine's Holiday=: A Picture from Life. By MISS MULOCK.
12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"This is a pretty narrative of child life, describing the simple
doings and sayings of a very charming and rather precocious
child. This is a delightful book for young people."--=Gazette.=
=Esther's Charge.= A Story for Girls. By ELLEN EVERETT GREEN.
12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"...This is a story showing in a charming way how one little
girl's jealousy and bad temper were conquered; one of the best,
most suggestive and improving of the Christmas juveniles."--=New
York Tribune.=
=Fairy Land of Science.= By ARABELLA B. BUCKLEY. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price $1.00.
"We can highly recommend it; not only for the valuable
information it gives on the special subjects to which it is
dedicated, but also as a book teaching natural sciences in an
interesting way. A fascinating little volume, which will make
friends in every household in which there are children."--=Daily
News.=
=Merle's Crusade.= By ROSA N. CAREY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated,
price $1.00.
"Among the books for young people we have seen nothing more
unique than this book. Like all of this author's stories it will
please young readers by the very attractive and charming style
in which it is written."--=Journal.=
=Birdie=: A Tale of Child Life. By H. L. CHILDE-PEMBERTON. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"The story is quaint and simple, but there is a freshness about
it that makes one hear again the ringing laugh and the cheery
shout of children at play which charmed his earlier
years."--=New York Express.=
=The Days of Bruce=: A Story from Scottish History. By GRACE
AGUILAR. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"There is a delightful freshness, sincerity and vivacity about
all of Grace Aguilar's stories which cannot fail to win the
interest and admiration of every lover of good
reading."--=Boston Beacon.=
=Three Bright Girls=: A Story of Chance and Mischance. By ANNIE
E. ARMSTRONG. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"The charm of the story lies in the cheery helpfulness of spirit
developed in the girls by their changed circumstances; while the
author finds a pleasant ending to all their happy makeshifts.
The story is charmingly told, and the book can be warmly
recommended as a present for girls."--=Standard.=
=Giannetta=: A Girl's Story of Herself. By ROSA MULHOLLAND. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Extremely well told and full of interest. Giannetta is a true
heroine--warm-hearted, self-sacrificing, and, as all good women
nowadays are, largely touched with enthusiasm of humanity. The
illustrations are unusually good. One of the most attractive
gift books of the season."--=The Academy.=
=Margery Merton's Girlhood.= By ALICE CORKRAN. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price $1.00.
"The experiences of an orphan girl who in infancy is left by her
father to the care of an elderly aunt residing near Paris. The
accounts of the various persons who have an after influence on
the story are singularly vivid. There is a subtle attraction
about the book which will make it a great favorite with
thoughtful girls."--=Saturday Review.=
=Under False Colors=: A Story from Two Girls' Lives. By SARAH
DOUDNEY. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price $1.00.
"Sarah Doudney has no superior as a writer of high-toned
stories--pure in style, original in conception, and with
skillfully wrought out plots; but we have seen nothing equal in
dramatic energy to this book."--=Christian Leader.=
=Down the Snow Stairs=; or, From Good-night to Good-morning. By
ALICE CORKRAN. 12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"Among all the Christmas volumes which the year has brought to
our table this one stands out =facile princeps=--a gem of the
first water, bearing upon every one of its pages the signet mark
of genius.. .. All is told with such simplicity and perfect
naturalness that the dream appears to be a solid reality. It is
indeed a Little Pilgrim's Progress."--=Christian Leader.=
=The Tapestry Room=: A Child's Romance. By MRS. MOLESWORTH. 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"Mrs. Molesworth is a charming painter of the nature and ways of
children; and she has done good service in giving us this
charming juvenile which will delight the young
people."--=Athenæum, London.=
=Little Miss Peggy=: Only a Nursery Story. By MRS. MOLESWORTH.
12mo, cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
Mrs. Molesworth's children are finished studies. A joyous
earnest spirit pervades her work, and her sympathy is unbounded.
She loves them with her whole heart, while she lays bare their
little minds, and expresses their foibles, their faults, their
virtues, their inward struggles, their conception of duty, and
their instinctive knowledge of the right and wrong of things.
She knows their characters, she understands their wants, and she
desires to help them.
=Polly=: A New Fashioned Girl. By L. T. MEADE. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price $1.00.
Few authors have achieved a popularity equal to Mrs. Meade as a
writer of stories for young girls. Her characters are living
beings of flesh and blood, not lay figures of conventional type.
Into the trials and crosses, and everyday experiences, the
reader enters at once with zest and hearty sympathy. While Mrs.
Meade always writes with a high moral purpose, her lessons of
life, purity and nobility of character are rather inculcated by
example than intruded as sermons.
=One of a Covey.= By the author of "Miss Toosey's Mission." 12mo,
cloth, illustrated, price 75 cents.
"Full of spirit and life, so well sustained throughout that
grown-up readers may enjoy it as much as children. This 'Covey'
consists of the twelve children of a hard-pressed Dr. Partridge
out of which is chosen a little girl to be adopted by a spoiled,
fine lady. We have rarely read a story for boys and girls with
greater pleasure. One of the chief characters would not have
disgraced Dickens' pen."--=Literary World.=
=The Little Princess of Tower Hill.= By L. T. MEADE. 12mo, cloth,
illustrated, price 75 cents.
"This is one of the prettiest books for children published, as
pretty as a pond-lily, and quite as fragrant. Nothing could be
imagined more attractive to young people than such a combination
of fresh pages and fair pictures; and while children will
rejoice over it--which is much better than crying for it--it is
a book that can be read with pleasure even by older boys and
girls."--=Boston Advertiser.=
For sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by
the publisher, =A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York=.
Transcriber's Note:
Archaic and inconsistent spelling and punctuation retained.
End of Project Gutenberg's Rudy and Babette, by Hans Christian Andersen