Page:Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (1888).djvu/312

 her. She was scarcely more than a child, with a pretty delicate figure, a gentle expression of face, and two bright, blue eyes, all of which the baron noticed; but as he galloped past the little goose-watcher, he reversed the whip he held in his hand, and in rough play gave her such a push with the butt-end that she fell backward into the ditch. “Everything in its right place” cried he; “into the puddle with you,” and then he laughed aloud at what he called his own wit, and the rest joined their voices with his. The whole party shouted and screamed, and the dogs barked loudly. In falling, the poor girl fortunately caught hold of one of the overhanging branches of the willow-tree, by which she was able to keep herself suspended over the muddy pool; and as soon as the baron, with his company and dogs, had disappeared through the castle gate, she tried to raise herself up by her own exertions, but the bough broke off at the top, and she would have fallen backwards among the reeds if a strong hand had not at the same moment seized her from above. It was the hand of a pedler, who, at a short distance, had witnessed the whole affair, and hastened up to give assistance. “Everything in its right place,” he said, imitating the noble baron, as he drew the little maiden up on dry ground. He would have restored the broken bough to the place from which it had been broken off, but “everything in the right place” is not always so easy to arrange, so he stuck the bough in the soft earth. “Grow and thrive as much as you can,” said he, “till you produce a good flute for some of them over there. With the permission of the noble baron and his family I should like them to hear my challenge.” So he betook himself to the castle, but not into the noble hall, he was too humble for that. He went to the servants’ apartments, and the men and maids examined and turned over his stock of goods, while from above, where the company were at table, came sounds of screaming and shouting which they called singing, and perhaps they did their best. Loud laughter, mingled with the howling of dogs, sounded through the open windows. All were feasting and carousing. Wine and strong ale foamed in the jugs and glasses; even the dogs ate and drank with their masters. The pedler was sent for, but only to make fun for them. The wine had mounted to their heads, and the sense had flown out. They poured wine into a stocking for him to drink with them, quickly of course, and this was considered very witty, and occasioned fresh bursts of laughter. And then at cards, whole farms with their stock of peasants and cattle, were staked on a card and lost. “Everything in its right place,” said the pedler, when he at last escaped from what he called Sodom and Gomorrah. “The open high-road is my right place; that house did not suit me at all.” And as he stepped along, he saw the little maiden keeping watch over the geese, and she nodded at him in a friendly way.

Days and weeks passed, and it soon became evident that the willow-branch which had been stuck in the ground by the pedler near to the castle moat, had taken root, for it remained fresh and green, and put forth new twigs.

The little girl saw that the branch must have taken root, and she was quite joyful about it. “This tree,” she said, “must be my tree now.”