Page:Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales (1888).djvu/346

 Many went to the wood because of the good entertainment there, but only one returned with a sort of explanation. None of them had gone far enough into the forest, nor, indeed, had he; yet he said that the bell-like sound proceeded from a large owl who lived in a hollow tree, and who was the owl of wisdom, and constantly striking its head against the trunk; but whether the sound came from the owl’s head, or from the trunk of the tree, he could not say with certainty. However, he was appointed “Bell-ringer to the world,” and every year wrote a little treatise upon the subject, which left people who read it as wise as they were before.

On a certain day a confirmation was held at a church in the town. The clergyman spoke well and earnestly, and the candidates were deeply moved. It was a very important day for them. From children they at once became grown people. The childish soul seemed to have assumed the sense and feeling of mature age. It was a glorious summer day, and as the confirmed children walked out of the town there sounded from the deep wood the great, mysterious bell. A wish arose to go and see what it was, in all of them excepting three. One of these, a girl, wanted to go home to try on a ball dress; for she was invited to this ball on the occasion of her confirmation, or she would not have thought of going. The second was a poor boy, who had borrowed the coat and boots of his landlord’s son to be confirmed in, and he had to return by a certain time. The third said that he never went to a strange place, unless his parents were with him; that he always had been a good child, and that he would continue to be so, even after his confirmation, and therefore no one was to laugh at him; but they did laugh at him, notwithstanding. So these three did not go, but the others stepped on, while the sun shone, the birds sung, and the newly-confirmed sang also, and held each other’s hands; for they had not yet any position in life, but were all equal in the eyes of God that day of their confirmation. Two of the youngest soon became tired, and returned home; and then two little girls sat down to weave garlands of flowers, and went no farther. And when at last the rest reached the willow-trees, where the confectioner’s tent was pitched, they said, “Now we are really a long way out, there is no bell; it does not exist at all, people only fancy it.”

Then suddenly the bell sounded so beautifully and solemnly that four or five determined to go still deeper into the forest. The trees grew so closely together, and the leafy branches hung down so low, that it was really very difficult to go forward. Forest lilies and anemones grew high from the ground, and blooming convolvulus and blackberry blossoms hung in long garlands from tree to tree, while the nightingale sung and the sunbeams glanced through the trees. It was all beautiful to see, but the path was not fit for girls, who would have torn their clothes to pieces. There lay large blocks of stone, overgrown with moss of various colours, and the fresh springwater bubbled forth, and seemed to utter the words, “Gurgle, gurgle.”

“That cannot be the bell,” said one of the newly confirmed; and he laid himself down and listened. ‘‘It should be studied carefully,” said he; so he remained behind, and let the others go forward.

They came to a cottage built with the bark of trees and branches; a