The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf (i can read book club TXT) 📕

saw that he was frightened and began to laugh; but Clement took the matter seriously. “Tell me, Ashbjörn, where you came across him?” he asked.

“You may be sure that I wasn’t lying in wait for him!” said Ashbjörn. “He came to me. I started out early this morning and took my rifle along into the boat. I had just poled away from the shore when I sighted some wild geese coming from the east, shrieking like mad. I sent them a shot, but hit none of them. Instead this creature came tumbling down into the water⁠—so close to the boat that I only had to put my hand out and pick him up.”

“I hope you didn’t shoot him, Ashbjörn?”

“Oh, no! He is well and sound; but when he came down, he was a little dazed at first, so I took advantage of that fact to wind the ends of two sail threads around his ankles and wrists, so that he couldn’t run away. ‘Ha! Here’s something for Skansen,’ I thought instantly.”

Clement grew strangely troubled as the fisherman talked. All that he had heard about the tiny folk in his childhood⁠—of their vindictiveness toward enemies and their benevolence toward friends⁠—came back to him. It had never gone well with those who had attempted to hold one of them captive.

“You should have let him go at once, Ashbjörn,” said Clement.

“I came precious near being forced to set him free,” returned the fisherman. “You may as well know, Clement, that the wild geese followed me all the way home, and they crisscrossed over the island the whole morning, honk-honking as if they wanted him back. Not only they, but the entire population⁠—sea gulls, sea swallows, and many others who are not worth a shot of powder, alighted on the island and made an awful racket. When I came out they fluttered about me until I had to turn back. My wife begged me to let him go, but I had made up my mind that he should come here to Skansen, so I placed one of the children’s dolls in the window, hid the midget in the bottom of my bag, and started away. The birds must have fancied that it was he who stood in the window, for they permitted me to leave without pursuing me.”

“Does it say anything?” asked Clement.

“Yes. At first he tried to call to the birds, but I wouldn’t have it and put a gag in his mouth.”

“Oh, Ashbjörn!” protested Clement. “How can you treat him so! Don’t you see that he is something supernatural!”

“I don’t know what he is,” said Ashbjörn calmly. “Let others consider that. I’m satisfied if only I can get a good sum for him. Now tell me, Clement, what you think the doctor at Skansen would give me.”

There was a long pause before Clement replied. He felt very sorry for the poor little chap. He actually imagined that his mother was standing beside him telling him that he must always be kind to the tiny folk.

“I have no idea what the doctor up there would care to give you, Ashbjörn,” he said finally. “But if you will leave him with me, I’ll pay you twenty kroner for him.”

Ashbjörn stared at the fiddler in amazement when he heard him name so large a sum. He thought that Clement believed the midget had some mysterious power and might be of service for him. He was by no means certain that the doctor would think him such a great find or would offer to pay so high a sum for him; so he accepted Clement’s proffer.

The fiddler poked his purchase into one of his wide pockets, turned back to Skansen, and went into a moss-covered hut, where there were neither visitors nor guards. He closed the door after him, took out the midget, who was still bound hand and foot and gagged, and laid him down gently on a bench.

“Now listen to what I say!” said Clement. “I know of course that such as you do not like to be seen of men, but prefer to go about and busy yourselves in your own way. Therefore I have decided to give you your liberty⁠—but only on condition that you will remain in this park until I permit you to leave. If you agree to this, nod your head three times.”

Clement gazed at the midget with confident expectation, but the latter did not move a muscle.

“You shall not fare badly,” continued Clement. “I’ll see to it that you are fed every day, and you will have so much to do there that the time will not seem long to you. But you mustn’t go elsewhere till I give you leave. Now we’ll agree as to a signal. So long as I set your food out in a white bowl you are to stay. When I set it out in a blue one you may go.”

Clement paused again, expecting the midget to give the sign of approval, but he did not stir.

“Very well,” said Clement, “then there’s no choice but to show you to the master of this place. Then you’ll be put in a glass case, and all the people in the big city of Stockholm will come and stare at you.”

This scared the midget, and he promptly gave the signal.

“That was right,” said Clement as he cut the cord that bound the midget’s hands. Then he hurried toward the door.

The boy unloosed the bands around his ankles and tore away the gag before thinking of anything else. When he turned to Clement to thank him, he had gone.

Just outside the door Clement met a handsome, noble-looking gentleman, who was on his way to a place close by from which there was a beautiful outlook. Clement could not recall having seen the stately old man before, but the latter must surely have noticed Clement sometime when he was playing the fiddle, because he stopped and spoke to him.

“Good day, Clement!” he said. “How do you do? You