Page:Fairy tales and other stories (Andersen, Craigie).djvu/372

 360 they seemed long years to Ib. The old innkeeper and his wife died, and the whole of their property, many thousands of dollars, came to the son. Yes, now Christine could have the golden carriage and plenty of fine clothes.

During the two long years that followed, no letter came from Christine; and when her father at length received one from her, it was not written in prosperity, by any means. Poor Christine! neither she nor her husband had understood how to keep the money together, and there seemed to be no blessing with it, because they had not sought it.

And again the heather bloomed and faded. The snow had swept for many winters across the heath, and over the ridge beneath which Ib dwelt, sheltered from the rough winds. The spring sun shone bright, and Ib guided the plough across his field, when one day it glided over what appeared to be a flint stone. Something like a great black shaving came out of the ground, and when Ib took it up it proved to be a piece of metal; and where the plough had cut into it, it gleamed brightly. It was a great heavy armlet of gold from heathen times. A grave-mound had been levelled here and its precious treasure found. Ib showed what he had found to the clergyman, who explained its value to him, and then he betook himself to the local judge, who reported the discovery to Copenhagen, and recommended Ib to deliver up the treasure in person.

'You have found in the earth the best thing you could find,' said the judge.

'The best thing!' thought Ib. 'The very best thing for me, and found in the earth! Well, if that is the best, the gipsy woman was correct in what she prophesied to me.'

So Ib travelled with the boat from Aarhus to Copenhagen. To him, who had only crossed Gudenaa, it was like a voyage across the ocean. And he arrived in Copenhagen.

The value of the gold he had found was paid over to him; it was a large sum—six hundred dollars. And Ib of the heath wandered about in the great capital.

On the day on which he had settled to go back with the captain, Ib lost his way in the streets, and took quite a different direction from the one he intended to follow.