Page:Fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen (Walker).djvu/290

248 at all afraid, for he had a good conscience, and he knew that the dead can do no harm; it is living wicked people who do harm to others. There were two such bad men standing by the coffin. They had come to do harm to this poor dead man; to turn him out of his coffin and throw the body outside the church door.

"Why do you want to do this?" asked John. "It is very wicked and disgraceful; let the man rest, for Heaven's sake!"

"Oh, nonsense!" replied the wretches; "he cheated us, he owed us money which he could not pay, and now he has gone and died into the bargain, and we shall never see a penny, so we want to revenge ourselves. He shall lie like a dog outside the church doors!"

"I have not got more than fifty dollars," said John; "it is my whole inheritance, but I will gladly give it to you if you will honestly promise me to leave the poor dead man in peace. I shall manage very well without the money. I have good strong limbs, and the Lord will always help me."

"Well," said the bad men, "if you are ready to pay his debt like that, we won't do him any harm, we can assure you!

And they took the money John gave them, laughing at him for being such a simpleton, and then they went away. John put the body straight again, folded the hands, said goodbye and went away through the woods in a state of great satisfaction. Around him where the moon pierced through the trees he saw numbers of little elves playing about merrily. They did not disturb themselves on his account, they knew very well that he was a good innocent person, and it is only bad people who never see the fairies. Some of them were no bigger than one's finger, and they had long yellow hair fastened up with golden combs. They swung hand in hand upon the big dewdrops which covered the leaves and the long grass. Sometimes the dewdrop rolled down, and then they fell with