《安徒生童话英文版》第53章

　　I must throw him into the river, that he maybe drowned."

　　"Oh, no; oh, no," cried the sexton; "I will give you a wholebushel full of money if you will let me go.

　　"Why, that is another matter," said Little Claus, opening thechest. The sexton crept out, pushed the empty chest into the water,and went to his house, then he measured out a whole bushel full ofgold for Little Claus, who had already received one from the farmer,so that now he had a barrow full.

　　"I have been well paid for my horse," said he to himself when hereached home, entered his own room, and emptied all his money into aheap on the floor. "How vexed Great Claus will be when he finds outhow rich I have become all through my one horse; but I shall nottell him exactly how it all happened." Then he sent a boy to GreatClaus to borrow a bushel measure.

　　"What can he want it for?" thought Great Claus; so he smearedthe bottom of the measure with tar, that some of whatever was put intoit might stick there and remain. And so it happened; for when themeasure returned, three new silver florins were sticking to it.

　　"What does this mean?" said Great Claus; so he ran off directly toLittle Claus, and asked, "Where did you get so much money?"

　　"Oh, for my horse's skin, I sold it yesterday."

　　"It was certainly well paid for then," said Great Claus; and heran home to his house, seized a hatchet, and knocked all his fourhorses on the head, flayed off their skins, and took them to thetown to sell. "Skins, skins, who'll buy skins?" he cried, as he wentthrough the streets. All the shoemakers and tanners came running,and asked how much he wanted for them.

　　"A bushel of money, for each," replied Great Claus.

　　"Are you mad?" they all cried; "do you think we have money tospend by the bushel?"

　　"Skins, skins," he cried again, "who'll buy skins?" but to all whoinquired the price, his answer was, "a bushel of money."

　　"He is making fools of us," said they all; then the shoemakerstook their straps, and the tanners their leather aprons, and beganto beat Great Claus.

　　"Skins, skins!" they cried, mocking him; "yes, we'll mark yourskin for you, till it is black and blue."

　　"Out of the town with him," said they. And Great Claus was obligedto run as fast as he could, he had never before been so thoroughlybeaten.

　　"Ah," said he, as he came to his house; "Little Claus shall pay mefor this; I will beat him to death."

　　Meanwhile the old grandmother of Little Claus died. She had beencross, unkind, and really spiteful to him; but he was very sorry,and took the dead woman and laid her in his warm bed to see if hecould bring her to life again. There he determined that she should liethe whole night, while he seated himself in a chair in a corner of theroom as he had often done before. During the night, as he sat there,the door opened, and in came Great Claus with a hatchet. He knewwell where Little Claus's bed stood; so he went right up to it, andstruck the old grandmother on the head. thinking it must be LittleClaus.

　　"There," cried he, "now you cannot make a fool of me again;" andthen he went home.

　　"That is a very wicked man," thought Little Claus; "he meant tokill me. It is a good thing for my old grandmother that she wasalready dead, or he would have taken her life." Then he dressed hisold grandmother in her best clothes, borrowed a horse of his neighbor,and harnessed it to a cart. Then he placed the old woman on the backseat, so that she might not fall out as he drove, and rode awaythrough the wood. By sunrise they reached a large inn, where LittleClaus stopped and went to get something to eat. The landlord was arich man, and a good man too; but as passionate as if he had been madeof pepper and snuff.

　　"Good morning," said he to Little Claus; "you are come betimesto-day."

　　"Yes," said Little Claus; "I am going to the town with my oldgrandmother; she is sitting at the back of the wagon, but I cannotbring her into the room. Will you take her a glass of mead?