To Be Or Not to Be Author:Hans Christian Andersen Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE MANSE ON THE HEATH—THE MUSICIAN GRETHE. Over Silkeborg, where then no one thought that a town would soon arise, passed the deep, heavy, sa... more »ndy western road towards the clergyman's home—the old manse at Hvindingedalsbanker, which is separated by Lake Lange from the neighbouring forests, and bounded by a wide rambling heath. It was late in the evening — dark and gloomy—the travellers were weary, and so were the horses, they jogged on slowly amidst profound stillness. At length the baying of a dog was heard. " That is our watch-dog," said the Rev. Mr. Mollerup; " sounds are heard at a great distance here." The dog's welcome was the first in that new home. What did he see around him ? For two hours' past nothing was visible on account of the darkness. A carriage had been sent to Aarhuus on the preceding evening, that the horses might be fresh for their return journey—but they seemed jaded for all that—the sand became deeper—the night darker. They heard at a distance the rushing of the water through the locks at Gudenaa; then the scream of some bird surprised Niels, but he soon became accustomed to these strange sounds, and his wearied eyes gradually closed in sleep. They had arrived ,at their destination before he awoke. Everything was in commotion, everybody moving about. The lights themselves seemed to be flitting here and there in the house, and proclaiming, " Here they are! here they are !" The watch-dog barked, the cocks and hens in the poultry-yard crowed and cackled; the servant girl's wooden shoes clattered upon the stones of the courtyard, and her mistress stood with a smiling countenance and a ready kiss; close beside her stood a girl, apparently not very young, with a mild, thoughtful expression of face— she looked about eight-and-twenty years...« less