The Shoes of Fortune, part 1 · page 21 2101“I've felt so queer all of a sudden; would you have the goodness to send for a hackney-coach to take me to Christianshafen?”102The woman examined him with eyes of astonishment, and shook her head; she then addressed him in German.103The Councillor thought she did not understand Danish, and therefore repeated his wish in German.104This, in connection with his costume, strengthened the good woman in the belief that he was a foreigner.105That he was ill, she comprehended directly; so she brought him a pitcher of water, which tasted certainly pretty strong of the sea, although it had been fetched from the well.106The Councillor supported his head on his hand, drew a long breath, and thought over all the wondrous things he saw around him.107“Is this the Daily News of this evening?” he asked mechanically, as he saw the Hostess push aside a large sheet of paper.checked by a teacher108The meaning of this councillorship query remained, of course, a riddle to her, yet she handed him the paper without replying.109It was a coarse wood-cut, representing a splendid meteor “as seen in the town of Cologne,” which was to be read below in bright letters.110“That is very old!” said the Councillor, whom this piece of antiquity began to make considerably more cheerful.111“Pray how did you come into possession of this rare print?112It is extremely interesting, although the whole is a mere fable.113Such meteorous appearances are to be explained in this way--that they are the reflections of the Aurora Borealis, and it is highly probable they are caused principally by electricity.”114Those persons who were sitting nearest him and heard his speech, stared at him in wonderment; and one of them rose, took off his hat respectfully, and said with a serious countenance, “You are no doubt a very learned man, Monsieur.”115“Oh no,” answered the Councillor, “I can only join in conversation on this topic and on that, as indeed one must do according to the demands of the world at present.”116“Modestia is a fine virtue,” continued the gentleman; “however, as to your speech, I must say mihi secus videtur: yet I am willing to suspend my judicium.”117“May I ask with whom I have the pleasure of speaking?” asked the Councillor.118“I am a Bachelor in Theologia,” answered the gentleman with a stiff reverence.119This reply fully satisfied the Councillor; the title suited the dress.120“He is certainly,” thought he, “some village schoolmaster--some queer old fellow, such as one still often meets with in Jutland.”121“This is no locus docendi, it is true,” began the clerical gentleman; “yet I beg you earnestly to let us profit by your learning.122Your reading in the ancients is, sine dubio, of vast extent?”123“Oh yes, I've read something, to be sure,” replied the Councillor.124“I like reading all useful works; but I do not on that account despise the modern ones; 'tis only the unfortunate 'Tales of Every-day Life' that I cannot bear--we have enough and more than enough such in reality.”125“'Tales of Every-day Life?'” said our Bachelor inquiringly.126“I mean those new fangled novels, twisting and writhing themselves in the dust of commonplace, which also expect to find a reading public.”127“Oh,” exclaimed the clerical gentleman smiling, “there is much wit in them; besides they are read at court.128The King likes the history of Sir Iffven and Sir Gaudian particularly, which treats of King Arthur, and his Knights of the Round Table; he has more than once joked about it with his high vassals.”129“I have not read that novel,” said the Councillor; “it must be quite a new one, that Heiberg has published lately.”130“No,” answered the theologian of the time of King Hans: “that book is not written by a Heiberg, but was imprinted by Godfrey von Gehmen.”131“Oh, is that the author's name?” said the Councillor.132“It is a very old name, and, as well as I recollect, he was the first printer that appeared in Denmark.”133“Yes, he is our first printer,” replied the clerical gentleman hastily.134So far all went on well.135Some one of the worthy burghers now spoke of the dreadful pestilence that had raged in the country a few years back, meaning that of 1484.136The Councillor imagined it was the cholera that was meant, which people made so much fuss about; and the discourse passed off satisfactorily enough.137The war of the buccaneers of 1490 was so recent that it could not fail being alluded to; the English pirates had, they said, most shamefully taken their ships while in the roadstead; and the Councillor, before whose eyes the Herostratic [*] event of 1801 still floated vividly, agreed entirely with the others in abusing the rascally English.138With other topics he was not so fortunate; every moment brought about some new confusion, and threatened to become a perfect Babel; for the worthy Bachelor was really too ignorant, and the simplest observations of the Councillor sounded to him too daring and phantastical.139They looked at one another from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet; and when matters grew to too high a pitch, then the Bachelor talked Latin, in the hope of being better understood--but it was of no use after all.1 2← previousThe Real Princessnext →The Shoes of Fortune, part 2↑ back to Andersen's Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg1597/5/page/2/