What Happened to the Counsellor · page 21 2101They stared at each other, and when it became worse the bachelor spoke in Latin, in the hope of being better understood; but it was all useless.102"How are you now?" asked the landlady, pulling the counsellor's sleeve.103Then his recollection returned to him.104In the course of conversation he had forgotten all that had happened previously.105"Goodness me! where am I?" said he.106It bewildered him as he thought of it.107"We will have some claret, or mead, or Bremen beer," said one of the guests; "will you drink with us?"108Two maids came in.109One of them had a cap on her head of two colors.110They poured out the wine, bowed their heads, and withdrew.111The counsellor felt a cold shiver run all over him. "112What is this? what does it mean?" said he; but he was obliged to drink with them, for they overpowered the good man with their politeness.113He became at last desperate; and when one of them said he was tipsy, he did not doubt the man's word in the least--only begged them to get a droschky; and then they thought he was speaking the Muscovite language.114Never before had he been in such rough and vulgar company. "115One might believe that the country was going back to heathenism," he observed. "116This is the most terrible moment of my life."117Just then it came into his mind that he would stoop under the table, and so creep to the door.118He tried it; but before he reached the entry, the rest discovered what he was about, and seized him by the feet, when, luckily for him, off came the goloshes, and with them vanished the whole enchantment.119The counsellor now saw quite plainly a lamp, and a large building behind it; everything looked familiar and beautiful.120He was in East Street, as it now appears; he lay with his legs turned towards a porch, and just by him sat the watchman asleep.121"Is it possible that I have been lying here in the street dreaming?" said he. "122Yes, this is East Street; how beautifully bright and gay it looks!123It is quite shocking that one glass of punch should have upset me like this."124Two minutes afterwards he sat in a droschky, which was to drive him to Christian's Haven.125He thought of all the terror and anxiety which he had undergone, and felt thankful from his heart for the reality and comfort of modern times, which, with all their errors, were far better than those in which he so lately found himself.1 2← previousA Beginningnext →The Watchman's Adventures↑ back to Fairy Tales of Hans Christian AndersenThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg27200/41/page/2/