《安徒生童话英文版》第79章

　　you thief!" She had never stolen her neighbor's goods; butas a little girl she had caused eggs and young birds to be takenfrom the trees, and she thought of that now.

　　From where she lay she could see the sand-dunes. By the seashorelived fishermen; but she could not get so far, she was so ill. Thegreat white sea-mews flew over her head, and screamed as the crows anddaws screamed at home in the garden of the manor house. The birds flewquite close to her, and at last it seemed to her as if they becameblack as crows, and then all was night before her eyes.

　　When she opened her eyes again, she was being lifted andcarried. A great strong man had taken her up in his arms, and shewas looking straight into his bearded face. He had a scar over oneeye, which seemed to divide the eyebrow into two parts. Weak as shewas, he carried her to the ship, where he got a rating for it from thecaptain.

　　The next day the ship sailed away. Madame Grubbe had not beenput ashore, so she sailed away with it. But she will return, willshe not? Yes, but where, and when?

　　The clerk could tell about this too, and it was not a storywhich he patched together himself. He had the whole strange historyout of an old authentic book, which we ourselves can take out andread. The Danish historian, Ludwig Holberg, who has written so manyuseful books and merry comedies, from which we can get such a goodidea of his times and their people, tells in his letters of MarieGrubbe, where and how he met her. It is well worth hearing; but forall that, we don't at all forget Poultry Meg, who is sittingcheerful and comfortable in the charming fowl-house.

　　The ship sailed away with Marie Grubbe. That's where we left off.

　　Long years went by.

　　The plague was raging at Copenhagen; it was in the year 1711.The Queen of Denmark went away to her German home, the King quittedthe capital, and everybody who could do so hurried away. The students,even those who had board and lodging gratis, left the city. One ofthese students, the last who had remained in the free college, at lastwent away too. It was two o'clock in the morning. He was carryinghis knapsack, which was better stacked with books and writings thanwith clothes. A damp mist hung over the town; not a person was to beseen in the streets; the street-doors around were marked with crosses,as a sign that the plague was within, or that all the inmates weredead. A great wagon rattled past him; the coachman brandished hiswhip, and the horses flew by at a gallop. The wagon was filled withcorpses. The young student kept his hand before his face, and smelt atsome strong spirits that he had with him on a sponge in a little brassscent-case. Out of a small tavern in one of the streets there weresounds of singing and of unhallowed laughter, from people who drankthe night through to forget that the plague was at their doors, andthat they might be put into the wagon as the others had been. Thestudent turned his steps towards the canal at the castle bridge, wherea couple of small ships were lying; one of these was weighinganchor, to get away from the plague-stricken city.

　　"If God spares our lives and grants us a fair wind, we are goingto Gronmud, near Falster," said the captain; and he asked the nameof the student who wished to go with him.

　　"Ludwig Holberg," answered the student; and the name soundedlike any other. But now there sounds in it one of the proudest namesof Denmark; then it was the name of a young, unknown student.

　　The ship glided past the castle. It was not yet bright day when itwas in the open sea. A light wind filled the sails, and the youngstudent sat down with his face turned towards the fresh wind, and wentto sleep, which was not exactly the most prudent thing he could havedone.

　　Already on the third day the ship lay by the island of Falster.

　　"Do you know any one here with whom I could lodge cheaply?"