Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/160

128 "'Yes,' said the old woman, 'I remember it well! We watered the twigs, and one of them was from an elder-tree, and it took root, shot forth green shoots, and has now become the great tree under which we old people are sitting.'

"'Yes, of course!' said he, 'and over in the corner stood the water-butt, in which I used to sail my ship, which I had made myself. How it did sail! But I soon came to sail in quite a different style!'

"'Yes, but first we went to school and learned something!' she said. 'And then we were confirmed; we both cried, I remember. But in the afternoon we went hand and hand up the Round Tower, and looked out upon the world over Copenhagen and the Sound; then we went to Frederiksberg, where the king and queen sailed about in the canals in their beautiful boats.'

"'But I soon came to sail about in quite a different style, and for many years, far away on long voyages!'

"'Yes, I often wept for you!' she said; 'I thought you were dead and gone and lying rolling about at the bottom of the sea! Many a night have I got up to look at the weather-cock to see if the wind had shifted; it had shifted, of course, but you did not come. I remember so clearly how the rain was pouring down one day, when the dustman came outside the house where I was in service, and I came down with the dustbin, and was standing by the door. What terrible weather it was! Just as I was standing there, the postman came up and gave me a letter! It was from you. How it had traveled about! I snatched it and read it! I laughed and I cried! I was so happy! You wrote that you were in the hot countries, where the coffee grows! How delightful it must have been there! You told me