Page:Fairy tales and stories (Andersen, Tegner).djvu/173

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THE BROWNIE AT THE BUTTERMAN'S
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Such splendor the little brownie had never dreamed of, much less seen or experienced. And so he remained standing on tip-toe, peeping and peering through the keyhole till the light was put out. The student had, no doubt, blown out his candle and gone to bed; but the little brownie stood there nevertheless, for he could still hear the beautiful soft melody, a delightful cradle-song for the student, who had lain down to rest.

THERE THE LITTLE BROWNIE SAT, ILLUMINATED BY THE BURNING HOUSE OPPOSITE, HOLDING IN HIS HANDS HIS RED CAP IN WHICH THE TREASURE LAY

THERE THE LITTLE BROWNIE SAT, ILLUMINATED BY THE BURNING HOUSE OPPOSITE, HOLDING IN HIS HANDS HIS RED CAP IN WHICH THE TREASURE LAY.

"It is really wonderful here!" said the little brownie. "I never should have thought it—I think I will stop with the student!" And he began to think it over, and reasoned quite sensibly with himself, and then he sighed: "But the student has no porridge!" and so he went away. He went down to the butterman's shop again, and it was a good thing he did, for the tub had quite exhausted the mistress's tongue, by discussing all it contained from one point of view and was just about to turn round to repeat it from another, when the brownie came to take back the tongue to its owner. But the whole of the shop, from the money-drawer to the firewood, had from that time the same opinion as the tub, and they respected it to such an extent and had such confidence in it, that when the