therehestood,and,totheirastonishment,said,"goodmorning."

theend.

1872

fairytalesofhanschristianandersen

theoldbachelor'snightcap

byhanschristianandersen

thereisastreetincopenhagenwithaverystrangename.itiscalled"hysken"street.wherethenamecamefrom,andwhatitmeansisveryuncertain.itissaidtobegerman,butthatisunjusttothegermans,foritwouldthenbecalled"hauschen,"not"hysken.""hauschen,"meansalittlehouse;andformanyyearsitconsistedonlyofafewsmallhouses,whichwerescarcelylargerthanthewoodenboothsweseeinthemarket-placesatfairtime.theywereperhapsalittlehigher,andhadwindows;butthepanesconsistedofhornorbladder-skins,forglasswasthentoodeartohaveglazedwindowsineveryhouse.thiswasalongtimeago,solongindeedthatourgrandfathers,andevengreat-grandfathers,wouldspeakofthosedaysas"oldentimes;"indeed,manycenturieshavepassedsincethen.

therichmerchantsinbremenandlubeck,whocarriedontradeincopenhagen,didnotresideinthetownthemselves,butsenttheirclerks,whodweltinthewoodenboothsinthehauschenstreet,andsoldbeerandspices.thegermanbeerwasverygood,andthereweremanysorts-frombremen,prussia,andbrunswick-andquantitiesofallsortsofspices,saffron,aniseed,ginger,andespeciallypepper;indeed,pepperwasalmostthechiefarticlesoldhere;soithappenedatlastthatthegermanclerksindenmarkgottheirnicknameof"peppergentry."ithadbeenmadeaconditionwiththeseclerksthattheyshouldnotmarry;sothatthosewholivedtobeoldhadtotakecareofthemselves,toattendtotheirowncomforts,andeventolighttheirownfires,whentheyhadanytolight.manyofthemwereveryaged;lonelyoldboys,withstrangethoughtsandeccentrichabits.fromthis,allunmarriedmen,whohaveattainedacertainage,arecalled,indenmark,"peppergentry;"andthismustberememberedbyallthosewhowishtounderstandthestory.these"peppergentlemen,"or,astheyarecalledinengland,"oldbachelors,"areoftenmadeabuttofridicule;theyaretoldtoputontheirnightcaps,drawthemovertheireyes,andgotosleep.theboysindenmarkmakeasongofit,thus:-

"pooroldbachelor,cutyourwood,

suchanightcapwasneverseen;

whowouldthinkitwaseverclean?

gotosleep,itwilldoyougood."

sotheysingaboutthe"peppergentleman;"sodotheymakesportofthepooroldbachelorandhisnightcap,andallbecausetheyreallyknownothingofeither.itisacapthatnooneneedwishfor,orlaughat.andwhynot?well,weshallhearinthestory.

inoldentimes,hauschenstreetwasnotpaved,andpassengerswouldstumbleoutofoneholeintoanother,astheygenerallydoinunfrequentedhighways;andthestreetwassonarrow,andtheboothsleaningagainsteachotherweresoclosetogether,thatinthesummertimeasailwouldbestretchedacrossthestreetfromoneboothtoanotheropposite.atthesetimestheodorofthepepper,saffron,andgingerbecamemorepowerfulthanever.behindthecounter,asarule,therewerenoyoungmen.theclerkswerealmostalloldboys;buttheydidnotdressasweareaccustomedtoseeoldmenrepresented,wearingwigs,nightcaps,andknee-breeches,andwithcoatandwaistcoatbuttoneduptothechin.wehaveseentheportraitsofourgreat-grandfathersdressedinthisway;butthe"peppergentlemen"hadnomoneytosparetohavetheirportraitstaken,thoughoneofthemwouldhavemadeaveryinterestingpictureforusnow,iftakenasheappearedstandingbehindhiscounter,orgoingtochurch,oronholidays.ontheseoccasions,theyworehigh-crowned,broad-brimmedhats,andsometimesayoungerclerkwouldstickafeatherinwoollenshirtwasconcealedbyabroad,linencollar;theclosejacketwasbuttoneduptothechin,andthecloakhunglooselyoverit;thetrousersweretuckedintothebroad,tippedshoes,fortheclerksworenostockings.theygenerallystuckatable-knifeandspoonintheirgirdles,aswellasalargerknife,asaprotectiontothemselves;andsuchaweaponwasoftenverynecessary.

afterthisfashionwasanthonydressedonholidaysandfestivals,exceptingthat,insteadofahigh-crownedhat,heworeakindofbonnet,andunderitaknittedcap,aregularnightcap,towhichhewassoaccustomedthatitwasalwaysonhishead;hehadtwo,nightcapsimean,notheads.anthonywasoneoftheoldestoftheclerks,andjustthesubjectforapainter.hewasasthinasalath,wrinkledroundthemouthandeyes,hadlong,bonyfingers,bushy,grayeyebrows,andoverhislefteyehungathicktuftofhair,whichdidnotlookhandsome,butmadehisappearanceveryremarkable.peopleknewthathecamefrombremen;itwasnotexactlyhishome,althoughhismasterresidedthere.hisancestorswerefromthuringia,andhadlivedinthetownofeisenach,closebydanthonyseldomspokeofthisplace,buthethoughtofitallthemore.

theoldclerksofhauschenstreetveryseldommettogether;eachoneremainedinhisownbooth,whichwasclosedearlyenoughintheevening,andthenitlookeddarkanddismaloutinthestreet.onlyafaintglimmeroflightstruggledthroughthehornpanesinthelittlewindowontheroof,whilewithinsattheoldclerk,generallyonhisbed,singinghiseveninghymninalowvoice;orhewouldbemovingaboutinhisboothtilllateinthenight,busilyemployedinmanythings.itcertainlywasnotaverylivelyexistence.tobeastrangerinastrangelandisabitterlot;noonenoticesyouunlessyouhappentostandintheirway.often,whenitwasdarknightoutside,withrainorsnowfalling,theplacelookedquitedesertedandgloomy.therewerenolampsinthestreet,exceptingaverysmallone,whichhungatoneendofthestreet,beforeapictureofthevirgin,whichhadbeenpaintedonthewall.thedashingofthewateragainstthebulwarksofaneighboringcastlecouldplainlybeheard.sucheveningsarelonganddreary,unlesspeoplecanfindsomethingtodo;andsoanthonyfoundit.therewerenotalwaysthingstobepackedorunpacked,norpaperbagstobemade,northescalestobepolished.soanthonyinventedemployment;hemendedhisclothesandpatchedhisboots,andwhenheatlastwenttobed,-hisnightcap,whichhehadwornfromhabit,stillremainedonhishead;hehadonlytopullitdownalittlefartheroverhisforehead.verysoon,however,itwouldbepushedupagaintoseeifthelightwasproperlyputout;hewouldtouchit,pressthewicktogether,andatlastpullhisnightcapoverhiseyesandliedownagainontheotherside.butoftentherewouldariseinhismindadoubtastowhethereverycoalhadbeenquiteputoutinthelittlefire-panintheshopbelow.ifevenatinysparkhadremaineditmightsetfiretosomething,andcausegreatdamage.thenhewouldrisefromhisbed,creepdowntheladder-foritcouldscarcelybecalledaflightofstairs-andwhenhereachedthefire-pannotasparkcouldbeseen;sohehadjusttogobackagaintobed.butoften,whenhehadgothalfwayback,hewouldfancytheironshuttersofthedoorwerenotproperlyfastened,andhisthinlegswouldcarryhimdownagain.andwhenatlasthecreptintobed,hewouldbesocoldthathisteethchatteredinhishead.hewoulddrawthecoverletcloserroundhim,pullhisnightcapoverhiseyes,andtrytoturnhisthoughtsfromtrade,andfromthelaborsoftheday,tooldentimes.butthiswasscarcelyanagreeableentertainment;forthoughtsofoldenmemoriesraisethecurtainsfromthepast,andsometimespiercetheheartwithpainfulrecollectionstilltheagonybringstearstothewakingeyes.andsoitwaswithanthony;oftenthescaldingtears,likepearlydrops,wouldfallfromhiseyestothecoverletandrollonthefloorwithasoundasifoneofhisheartstringshadbroken.sometimes,withaluridflame,memorywouldlightupapictureoflifewhichhadneverfadedfromhisheart.ifhedriedhiseyeswithhisnightcap,thenthetearandthepicturewouldbecrushed;butthesourceofthetearsremainedandwelledupagaininhisheart.thepicturesdidnotfollowoneanotherinorder,asthecircumstancestheyrepresentedhadoccurred;veryoftenthemostpainfulwouldcometogether,andwhenthosecamewhichweremostfullofjoy,theyhadalwaysthedeepestshadowthrownuponthem.

thebeechwoodsofdenmarkareacknowledgedbyeveryonetobeverybeautiful,butmorebeautifulstillintheeyesofoldanthonywerethebeechwoodsintheneighborhoodofwartburg.moregrandandvenerabletohimseemedtheoldoaksaroundtheproudbaronialcastle,wherethecreepingplantshungoverthestonysummitsoftherocks;sweeterwastheperfumethereoftheapple-blossomthaninallthelandofdenmark.howvividlywererepresentedtohim,inaglitteringtearthatrolleddownhischeek,twochildrenatplay-aboyandagirl.theboyhadrosycheeks,goldenringlets,andclear,blueeyes;hewasthesonofanthony,arichmerchant;itwaslittlegirlhadbrowneyesandblackhair,andwascleverandcourageous;shewasthemayor'sdaughter,molly.thechildrenwereplayingwithanapple;theyshooktheapple,andheardthepipsrattlinginit.thentheycutitintwo,andeachofthemtookyalsodividedthepipsandateallbutone,whichthelittlegirlproposedshouldbeplacedintheground.

"youwillseewhatwillcomeout,"shesaid;"somethingyoudon'texpect.awholeapple-treewillcomeout,butnotdirectly."thentheygotaflower-pot,filleditwithearth,andweresoonbothverybusyandeageraboutit.theboymadeaholeintheearthwithhisfinger,andthelittlegirlplacedthepipinthehole,andthentheybothcovereditoverwithearth.

"nowyoumustnottakeitoutto-morrowtoseeifithastakenroot,"saidmolly;"nooneevershoulddothat.ididsowithmyflowers,butonlytwice;iwantedtoseeiftheyweregrowing.ididn'tknowanybetterthen,andtheflowersalldied."

littleanthonykepttheflower-pot,andeverymorningduringthewholewinterhelookedatit,buttherewasnothingtobeseenbutblackearth.atlast,however,thespringcame,andthesunshonewarmagain,andthentwolittlegreenleavessproutedforthinthepot.

"theyaremollyandme,"saidtheboy."howwonderfultheyare,andsobeautiful!"