《安徒生童话英文版》第253章

　　wonderful! That apple-tree, planted in love, now appearsbefore me in heavenly beauty." And he slept.

　　The following day, the third day during which his house had beenclosed, the snow-storm ceased. Then his opposite neighbor stepped overto the house in which old Anthony lived, for he had not yet showedhimself. There he lay stretched on his bed, dead, with his oldnightcap tightly clasped in his two hands. The nightcap, however,was not placed on his head in his coffin; he had a clean white oneon then. Where now were the tears he had shed? What had become ofthose wonderful pearls? They were in the nightcap still. Such tears asthese cannot be washed out, even when the nightcap is forgotten. Theold thoughts and dreams of a bachelor's nightcap still remain. Neverwish for such a nightcap. It would make your forehead hot, causeyour pulse to beat with agitation, and conjure up dreams which wouldappear realities.

　　The first who wore old Anthony's cap felt the truth of this,though it was half a century afterwards. That man was the mayorhimself, who had already made a comfortable home for his wife andeleven children, by his industry. The moment he put the cap on hedreamed of unfortunate love, of bankruptcy, and of dark days."Hallo! how the nightcap burns!" he exclaimed, as he tore it fromhis bead. Then a pearl rolled out, and then another, and another,and they glittered and sounded as they fell. "What can this be? Isit paralysis, or something dazzling my eyes?" They were the tearswhich old Anthony had shed half a century before.

　　To every one who afterwards put this cap on his head, came visionsand dreams which agitated him not a little. His own history waschanged into that of Anthony till it became quite a story, and manystories might be made by others, so we will leave them to relate theirown. We have told the first; and our last word is, don't wish for a"bachelor's nightcap."

　　THE END.

　　1872

　　FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

　　THE OLD CHURCH BELL

　　(WRITTEN FOR THE SCHILLER ALBUM)

　　by Hans Christian Andersen

　　IN the country of Wurtemburg, in Germany, where the acacias growby the public road, where the apple-trees and the pear-trees in autumnbend to the earth with the weight of the precious fruit, lies thelittle town of Marbach. As is often the case with many of these towns,it is charmingly situated on the banks of the river Neckar, whichrushes rapidly by, passing villages, old knights' castles, and greenvineyards, till its waters mingle with those of the stately Rhine.It was late in the autumn; the vine-leaves still hung upon thebranches of the vines, but they were already tinted with red and gold;heavy showers fell on the surrounding country, and the cold autumnwind blew sharp and strong. It was not at all pleasant weather for thepoor. The days grew shorter and more gloomy, and, dark as it was outof doors in the open air, it was still darker within the small,old-fashioned houses of the village. The gable end of one of thesehouses faced the street, and with its small, narrow windows, presenteda very mean appearance. The family who dwelt in it were also very poorand humble, but they treasured the fear of God in their innermosthearts. And now He was about to send them a child. It was the hourof the mother's sorrow, when there pealed forth from the churchtower the sound of festive bells. In that solemn hour the sweet andjoyous chiming filled the hearts of those in the humble dwellingwith thankfulness and trust; and when, amidst these joyous sounds, alittle son was born to them, the words of prayer and praise arose fromtheir overflowing hearts, and their happiness seemed to ring outover town and country in the liquid tones of the church bells'chime. The little one, with its bright eyes and golden hair, hadbeen welcomed joyously on that dark November day. Its parents kissedit lovingly, and the father wrote these words in the Bible, "On thetenth of November, 1759, God sent us a son." And a short time after,when the child had been baptized, the names he had received wereadded, "John Christopher Frederick."

　　And what became of the little lad?