Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/56

24 heaven to my father. What joy it will be when we see each other again! How much I shall have to tell him, and he will show me so many things and teach me all about the glories of heaven, just as he taught me here on earth. Oh, what a joy that will be!"

Johannes pictured it so vividly to himself that he smiled while the tears were still running down his cheeks. The little birds sat in the chestnut-trees, twittering: "quivit, quivit!" They were so pleased and happy, although they had come to the funeral, but they seemed to know that the dead man was in heaven, that he had wings larger and much more beautiful than theirs, and that he was now happy, for he had been a good man here on earth, and all this made them happy. Johannes saw how they flew away from the green trees far out into the world, and then he felt a longing to fly away with them also. But first he made a large wooden cross to put on his father's grave, and when he brought it there in the evening he found the grave was strewn with sand and decked with flowers; this had been done by people who, although strangers to him, had greatly respected his dear father, who was now dead.

Early next morning Johannes packed his little bundle and hid his whole inheritance, which consisted of fifty dollars and a couple of smaller silver coins, in his belt, with which he was now going to set out into the world. But first he went to his father's grave in the churchyard, repeated the Lord's Prayer and said: "Farewell, my dear father! I will always try to be a good man, and so you may well ask the kind God that it may go well with me!"

Out in the fields, through which Johannes passed, all the flowers were standing so fresh and lovely in the warm sunshine, and they nodded with the wind just as if they wished to say: "Welcome into the green fields! Isn't it beautiful here?" But Johannes turned round once more to have a look at the old church where he was christened when quite a little child, and where he had gone every Sunday with his old father to worship and sing hymns. Then, high up in one of the openings of the church tower, he saw the little brownie with his pointed red cap standing, shading his face with his uplifted arm, so that the sun should not shine in his eyes. Johannes nodded farewell to him, and the little brownie waved his red cap, laid his hand on his heart, and kissed his hand to him many times to show him that he wished him all possible good and a safe and prosperous journey.

Johannes then began to think of all the fine things he would now get to see in the great and glorious world, and walked on farther and farther, farther than he had ever been before; he did not know any of the towns through which he passed, or the people he met; he was now far away among strangers.

The first night he had to lay down and sleep under a haystack out in the fields; he had no other bed. But he thought it was quite grand;