《安徒生童话英文版》第207章

　　' said the old sailor, 'when we were quitesmall and used to run about and play- it was in the very same yardwhere we now are- we used to put little branches into the ground andmake a garden.'

　　"'Yes,' said the old woman, 'I remember it very well; we used towater the branches, and one of them, an elder-tree branch, tookroot, and grew and became the large tree under which we are nowsitting as old people.'

　　"'Certainly, you are right,' he said; 'and in yonder cornerstood a large water-tub; there I used to sail my boat, which I had cutout myself- it sailed so well; but soon I had to sail somewhere else.'

　　"'But first we went to school to learn something,' she said,'and then we were confirmed; we both wept on that day, but in theafternoon we went out hand in hand, and ascended the high roundtower and looked out into the wide world right over Copenhagen and thesea; then we walked to Fredericksburg, where the king and the queenwere sailing about in their magnificent boat on the canals.'

　　"'But soon I had to sail about somewhere else, and for manyyears I was travelling about far away from home.'

　　"'And I often cried about you, for I was afraid lest you weredrowned and lying at the bottom of the sea. Many a time I got up inthe night and looked if the weathercock had turned; it turned often,but you did not return. I remember one day distinctly: the rain waspouring down in torrents; the dust-man had come to the house where Iwas in service; I went down with the dust-bin and stood for a momentin the doorway, and looked at the dreadful weather. Then the postmangave me a letter; it was from you. Heavens! how that letter hadtravelled about. I tore it open and read it; I cried and laughed atthe same time, and was so happy! Therein was written that you werestaying in the hot countries, where the coffee grows. These must bemarvellous countries. You said a great deal about them, and I read allwhile the rain was pouring down and I was standing there with thedust-bin. Then suddenly some one put his arm round my waist-'

　　"'Yes, and you gave him a hearty smack on the cheek,' said the oldman.

　　"'I did not know that it was you- you had come as quickly asyour letter; and you looked so handsome, and so you do still. Youhad a large yellow silk handkerchief in your pocket and a shininghat on. You looked so well, and the weather in the street washorrible!'

　　"'Then we married,' he said. 'Do you remember how we got our firstboy, and then Mary, Niels, Peter, John, and Christian?'

　　'Oh yes; and now they have all grown up, and have become usefulmembers of society, whom everybody cares for.'

　　"'And their children have had children again,' said the oldsailor. 'Yes, these are children's children, and they are strong andhealthy. If I am not mistaken, our wedding took place at this seasonof the year.'

　　"'Yes, to-day is your golden wedding-day,' said the littleelder-tree mother, stretching her head down between the two oldpeople, who thought that she was their neighbour who was nodding tothem; they looked at each other and clasped hands. Soon afterwards thechildren and grandchildren came, for they knew very well that it wasthe golden wedding-day; they had already wished them joy and happinessin the morning, but the old people had forgotten it, although theyremembered things so well that had passed many, many years ago. Theelder-tree smelt strongly, and the setting sun illuminated the facesof the two old people, so that they looked quite rosy; the youngest ofthe grandchildren danced round them, and cried merrily that therewould be a feast in the evening, for they were to have hot potatoes;and the elder mother nodded in the tree and cried 'Hooray' with theothers."

　　"But that was no fairy tale," said the little boy who had listenedto it.

　　"You will presently understand it," said the old man who toldthe story. "Let us ask little elder-tree mother about it."

　　"That was no fairy tale," said the little elder-tree mother;"but now it comes!