《安徒生童话英文版》第26章

　　Presently shepassed the laborer's hut; his wife stood at the door, and the twowomen spoke to each other.

　　"You look well," said the woman; "you're fat and plump; you arewell off."

　　"Oh yes," answered Anne Lisbeth.

　　"The boat went down with them," continued the woman; "Hans theskipper and the boy were both drowned; so there's an end of them. Ialways thought the boy would be able to help me with a few dollars.He'll never cost you anything more, Anne Lisbeth."

　　"So they were drowned," repeated Anne Lisbeth; but she said nomore, and the subject was dropped. She felt very low-spirited, becauseher count-child had shown no inclination to speak to her who loved himso well, and who had travelled so far to see him. The journey had costmoney too, and she had derived no great pleasure from it. Still shesaid not a word of all this; she could not relieve her heart bytelling the laborer's wife, lest the latter should think she did notenjoy her former position at the castle. Then the raven flew over her,screaming again as he flew.

　　"The black wretch!" said Anne Lisbeth, "he will end by frighteningme today." She had brought coffee and chicory with her, for shethought it would be a charity to the poor woman to give them to her toboil a cup of coffee, and then she would take a cup herself.

　　The woman prepared the coffee, and in the meantime Anne Lisbethseated her in a chair and fell asleep. Then she dreamed of somethingwhich she had never dreamed before; singularly enough she dreamed ofher own child, who had wept and hungered in the laborer's hut, and hadbeen knocked about in heat and in cold, and who was now lying in thedepths of the sea, in a spot only known by God. She fancied she wasstill sitting in the hut, where the woman was busy preparing thecoffee, for she could smell the coffee-berries roasting. Butsuddenly it seemed to her that there stood on the threshold abeautiful young form, as beautiful as the count's child, and thisapparition said to her, "The world is passing away; hold fast to me,for you are my mother after all; you have an angel in heaven, holdme fast;" and the child-angel stretched out his hand and seized her.Then there was a terrible crash, as of a world crumbling to pieces,and the angel-child was rising from the earth, and holding her bythe sleeve so tightly that she felt herself lifted from the ground;but, on the other hand, something heavy hung to her feet and draggedher down, and it seemed as if hundreds of women were clinging toher, and crying, "If thou art to be saved, we must be saved too.Hold fast, hold fast." And then they all hung on her, but there weretoo many; and as they clung the sleeve was torn, and Anne Lisbeth felldown in horror, and awoke. Indeed she was on the point of falling overin reality with the chair on which she sat; but she was so startledand alarmed that she could not remember what she had dreamed, onlythat it was something very dreadful.

　　They drank their coffee and had a chat together, and then AnneLisbeth went away towards the little town where she was to meet thecarrier, who was to drive her back to her own home. But when shecame to him she found that he would not be ready to start till theevening of the next day. Then she began to think of the expense, andwhat the distance would be to walk. She remembered that the route bythe sea-shore was two miles shorter than by the high road; and asthe weather was clear, and there would be moonlight, she determined tomake her way on foot, and to start at once, that she might reachhome the next day.

　　The sun had set, and the evening bells sounded through the airfrom the tower of the village church, but to her it was not the bells,but the cry of the frogs in the marshes. Then they ceased, and allaround became still; not a bird could be heard, they were all at rest,even the owl had not left her hiding place; deep silence reigned onthe margin of the wood by the sea-shore. As Anne Lisbeth walked on shecould hear her own footsteps in the sands; even the waves of the seawere at rest, and all in the deep waters had sunk into silence.There was quiet among the dead and the living in the deep sea. AnneLisbeth walked on, thinking of nothing at all, as people say, orrather her thoughts wandered, but not away from her, for thought isnever absent from us, it only slumbers. Many thoughts that have laindormant are roused at the proper time, and begin to stir in the mindand the heart, and seem even to come upon us from above. It iswritten, that a good deed bears a blessing for its fruit; and it isalso written, that the wages of sin is death. Much has been said andmuch written which we pass over or know nothing of. A light ariseswithin us, and then forgotten things make themselves remembered; andthus it was with Anne Lisbeth. The germ of every vice and every virtuelies in our heart, in yours and in mine; they lie like little grainsof seed, till a ray of sunshine, or the touch of an evil hand, oryou turn the corner to the right or to the left, and the decision ismade. The little seed is stirred, it swells and shoots up, and poursits sap into your blood, directing your course either for good orevil. Troublesome thoughts often exist in the mind, fermentingthere, which are not realized by us while the senses are as it wereslumbering; but still they are there. Anne Lisbeth walked on thus withher senses half asleep, but the thoughts were fermenting within her.

　　From one Shrove Tuesday to another, much may occur to weigh downthe heart; it is the reckoning of a whole year; much may be forgotten,sins against heaven in word and thought, sins against our neighbor,and against our own conscience. We are scarcely aware of theirexistence; and Anne Lisbeth did not think of any of her errors. Shehad committed no crime against the law of the land; she was anhonorable person, in a good position- that she knew.

　　She continued her walk along by the margin of the sea. What was itshe saw lying there?