with excitement, believing, that, perhaps, after all, Chrysomela was not
dreaming, but was arranging for their meeting.
"I do not know a thing," replied the Hamster. "I am only an underground
creature and it is not given to us to know the secret; but I believe
that she exists, for the larks are singing of her, when I am running
through the fields, the bees are buzzing about her in the grass and the
flowers are dreaming of her, when in the evening they are breathing out
their fragrance."
The Hamster rose and went out, coming back to say that it was now
possible to ride out and he would not try any longer to delay Tom.
Tom went to say farewell to Chrysomela's last resting place; then he
took his seat in the Hamster's fur coat and started out of the hole. Tom
was greatly amazed when he looked around. Far and wide, wherever the eye
could see, there was a great, white plain, and, everywhere, the snow was
sparkling in the sun. The Hamster hurried through the snow, with the
snow-dust rising behind them. Tom held on to his fur and could hardly
breathe in the fresh morning air. They ran down by the field, crossed
the meadow and saw the chapel under the wood, shining in the plain by
the brook, but nowhere was the hut.
[Illustration]
Tom looked around in vain; even from the stone steps of the chapel, he
could not see it. All at once, a bright, little mouse stuck her sharp
nose from under the rail and welcomed the Hamster. "How do you do,
Godfather," she cried. "You have brought us a guest. How is it that you
still take walks in the snow?"
The Hamster introduced Little Tom and told her that they were seeking
the widow's hut, but could not find it. The Mouse was surprised. "You
are my neighbor and do not know it?" she asked incredulously. "Long
since the widow has been sleeping under the ground of the chapel. In the
Spring, she was ill and did not even chase us when we visited her. In
the Summer, she lay down and died. They tore down her hut seeking some
treasure. Now, they want to build here, I do not know what."
The Mouse knew all the news for miles around and was very greatly
pleased that she could talk with someone. The Hamster thanked her for
all the information and asked where the lady was lying, for he suspected
that Little Tom would like to say farewell to her. The Mouse took them
through the hole under the floor, until they came into the crypt, where
were standing the old, decaying coffins of the former knights and, in
the middle, a black new one, the Godmother's.
Tom stood before it and was so unhappy, that he did not even feel his
great suffering. Then they came out into the daylight and said good-by
to the talkative Mouse. Tom sat in the Hamster's fur and they started to
return.
[Illustration]
The sky, in the meantime, was covered with clouds, a gentle wind came
up, and small flakes began to fall from the darkened sky. On the plain
far away, Tom saw a reddish leaf and noticed how it was running, as if
blown by the wind straight towards them. It seemed strange to him. The
Hamster became confused, as he looked around; he looked once more, then
doubled with fright into the snow, whispering, "The Queen!"
The leaf came nearer; but it proved to be not a leaf at all, but a
beautiful sledge drawn by four black crickets. On the box, sat a
speckled coachman and, beside him, the footmen--centipedes, while,
behind, nestled a most beautiful lady, all wrapped up in the green and
black fur of a butterfly caterpillar. The little bells were ringing on
the horses and the coachman snapped his whip as they approached the
Hamster.
The lady, leaning out of the sledge and shaking her finger at Little
Tom, said, "You wanderer. Where are you going now? For a long time I
have been looking for you. Everyone is expecting you and here you are,
running around with such an underground monster. Come at once and sit
down. You will go with me."
The Hamster buried himself still deeper in the snow, but Tom bowed and
said, "Dear Queen, the Hamster is my good friend. He helped me to take
care of my beloved Chrysomela. I can not go where he may not, for I will
not be untrue to him".
The Queen smiled at the Hamster. "Look at this. Sometimes, even the
Hamsters have good hearts. But now don't trouble about him. Hamster, go
to your den, and when the time comes, speak and we will open to you."
Tom said good-by to the Hamster, took his seat in the sledge, the Queen
wrapped him up in her fur cloak, and soon they were flying and
disappearing through the whirling flakes into the realm of Queen Fairy.
[Illustration]
* * * * *
TRANSCRIBER NOTES
Page 15 " removed after "when she had cleaned it, there was the
horseshoe."
Page 27 extra r removed from measurring: "measuring out the paths"
Page 31 typo corrected: Godmocher to Godmother in "when his Godmother
saw him"
Page 53 changed , to . in "ride upon around the garden." Before"
Page 59 replaced desieved with deceived in "punished for having
deceived his Grandmother."
Page 67 corrected typo: of to if in "if you want to see what God's
world is like,"
Page 67 inserted space between valour and but in "She did not give
much thought to his valour but"
Page 68 inserted space between monster and darted in "Then the great
monster darted"
Page 69 mill corrected to milk in "drunk some milk,"
Page 70 blosoom corrected to blossom in "push right into the
blossom."
Page 74 space removed from the middle of today. "It is a miracle that
you did not die today."
Page 81 smellimg corrected to smelling in "sweet-smelling mint by the
water."
Page 90 typo corrected from Axterl to After in "After he had
dismounted"
Page 93 hin corrected to him in "Mirmex came to him and said:"
Page 94 healty corrected to healthy in "knowing that he is creating
strong and healthy descendants"
Page 94 Readheads corrected to Redheads in "This the Redheads well
know"
Page 95 duplicate "and" deleted in "defeated the Redheads and driven
them away"
Page 96 comma inserted: "Let us go a little further," he continued
Page 103 hat corrected to that in "from whom they learned that,"
Page 111 changed wery to were very in "and were very angry."
Page 112 comma inserted in "Tom was very glad to have the work, for
the time"
Page 119 hin corrected to him in "ran with him into the forest"
Page 120 The corrected to Then in "Then he sat hidden near by,"
Page 121 duplicate "of" deleted in "Nowhere was there a sign of the
former life,"
Page 122 missing " added after "you will find the hut.""
Page 131 hyphen put in dining-room for consistency "until they came to
his dining-room."
Page 132 exitedly corrected to excitedly in "the hamster woke him
excitedly;"
Page 134 neighfor corrected to neighbor in ""You are my neighbor"
Page 134 missing hyphen put in good-by in "and said good-by to the
talkative Mouse."
Page 134 full stop added after "and said good-by to the talkative
Mouse."
Page 134 increduously corrected to incredulously in "she asked
incredulously."
Page 136 hin corrected to him in "It seemed strange to him."
The use of " and " for open and close quotation marks respectively
has been retained.
[^S] and [^C] represent S and C with caron.