ⅠA BEGINNING

It was in Copenhagen， in East Street， and in one of the houses not far from the King' s New Market， that a large company had assembled， for one must occasionally give a party， in order to be invited in return. Half of the company already sat at the card-tables， the other half awaited the result of the hostess's question， \"What shall we do now?\" They had progresssed so far， and the conversation went as best it could. Among other subjects the conversation turned upon the Middle Ages. Some considered that period much more interesting than our own times. \"Yes，\" Councillor Knap defended this view so zealously that the lady of the house went over at once to his side; and both loudly exclaimed against Oersted's treatise in the Almanac on old and modern times， in which the chief advantage is given to our own day. The councillor considered the times of the Danish King Hans as the noblest and happiest age.

While the conversation takes this turn， only interrupted for a moment by the arrival of a newspaper， which contains nothing worth reading， we will betake ourselves to the antechamber， where the cloaks， sticks， and goloshes had found a place. Here sat two maids--an old one and a young one. One would have thought they had come to escort their mistresses home; but， on looking at them more closely， the observer could see that they were not ordinary servants: their hands were too fine for that， their bearing and all their movements too majestic， and the cut of their dresses too uncommon. They were two fairies. The younger was not Fortune， but， lady's-maid to one of her ladies of the bed-chamber， who carry about the more trifling gifts of Fortune. The elder one looked somewhat more gloomy--she was Care， who always goes herself in her own exalted person to perform her business， for then she knows that it is well done.

They were telling each other where they had been that day. The messenger of Fortune had only transacted a few unimportant affair， as， for instance， she had preserved a new bonnet from a shower of rain， had procured an honest man a bow from a titled Nobody， and so on; but what she had still to relate was something quite extraordinary.

\"I can likewise tell，\" said she， \"that today is my birthday; and in honour of it a pair of goloshes has been entrusted to me， which I am to bring to the human race. These goloshes have the property that everyone who puts them on is at once transported to the time and place in which he likes best to be--every wish in reference to time， place， and circumstance is at once fulfilled; and so for once man can be happy here below!\"

\"Believe me，\" said Care， \"he will be very unhappy， and will bless the moment when he can get rid of the goloshes again.\"

\"What are you thinking of?\" retorted the other. \"Now I shall put them at the door. Somebody will take them by mistake， and become the happy one!\"

You see， that was the dialogue they held.

ⅡWHAT HAPPENED TO THE COUNCILLOR

It was late. Councillor Knap， lost in contemplation of the times of King Hans， wished to get home; and fate willed that instead of his own goloshes he should put on those of Fortune， and thus went out into East Street. But by the power of the goloshes he had been put back three hundred years--into the days of King Hans; and therefore he put his foot into mud and mire in the street， because in those days there was not any pavement.

\"Why， this is horrible--how dirty it is here!\" said the councillor. \"The good pavement is gone， and all the lamps are put out.\"

The moon did not yet stand high enough to give much light， and the air was tolerably thick， so that all objects， seemed to melt together in the darkness. At the next corner a lamp hung before a picture of the Madonna， but the light it gave was as good as none; he only noticed it when he stood just under it， and his eyes fell upon the painted figure of the mother and child.

\"That is probably a museum of art，\" he thought， \"where they have forgotten to take down the sign.\"

A couple of men in the costume of those past days went by him.

\"How they look!\" he said. \"They must come from a masquerade.\"

Suddenly there was a sound of drums and fifes， and torches gleamed brightly. The councillor started. And now he saw a strange procession go past. First came a whole troop of drummers，beating their instruments very dexterously; they were followed by men-at-arms， with longbows and crossbows. The chief man in the procession was a clerical lord. The astonished councillor asked what was the meaning of this， and who the man might be.

\"That is the Bishop of Zealand. \"

\"What in the world has come to the bishop.? said the councillor， with a sigh， shaking his head. \"This could not possibly be the bishop!\"

Ruminating on this， and without looking to the right or to the left， the councillor went through the East Street， and over the Highbridge Place. The bridge which led to the Palace Square was not to be found; he perceived the shore of a shallow water， and at length encountered two people， who sat in a boat.

\"Do you wish to be ferried over to the Holm， sir?\" they asked.

\"To the Holm!\" repeated the councillor， who did not know， you see， in what period he was. \"I want to go to Christian's Haven and to Little Turf Street.\"

The men stared at him.

\"Pray tell me where the bridge is?\" said he. \"It is shameful that no lanterns are lighted here; and it is as muddy， too， as if one were walking in a marsh.\" But the longer he talked with the boatmen the less could he understand them. \"I don't understand your Bornholm talk，\" he at last cried， angrily， and turned his back upon them. He could not find the bridge， nor was there any paling.

\"It is quite scandalous how things look here!\" he said--Never had he thought his own times so miserable as this evening.(To be continued)

1起頭

在哥本哈根東大街，一座離國(guó)王的新市場(chǎng)不遠(yuǎn)的房子里，正在舉行盛大的晚會(huì)。一個(gè)人必須偶爾舉辦一次晚會(huì)，這樣別人辦晚會(huì)的時(shí)候才會(huì)邀請(qǐng)他去。有一半的客人已經(jīng)坐到了牌桌旁，另一半客人在聽候女主人的安排?！拔覀?cè)撟鲂┦裁茨?”他們已經(jīng)玩得很久了，現(xiàn)在都很有興致地聊天。在談了很多事情后，大家都轉(zhuǎn)到了“中世紀(jì)”這個(gè)話題上來。有些人認(rèn)為，那個(gè)時(shí)代比我們這個(gè)時(shí)代要更有趣?！耙稽c(diǎn)不錯(cuò)。”議員克納卜熱情地支持這種觀點(diǎn)，女主人也馬上站到了他這一邊。他們兩人都大聲反對(duì)奧爾斯迪德在《年鑒》上發(fā)表的一篇關(guān)于古代和現(xiàn)代的論文。這篇文章的主要觀點(diǎn)是:還是我們所處的這個(gè)時(shí)代好。而議員先生認(rèn)為，丹麥國(guó)王漢斯統(tǒng)治時(shí)期，是最光榮、最幸福的年代。

討論到了這個(gè)地步，只是送報(bào)紙來的時(shí)候，才被打斷了一會(huì)兒。報(bào)紙沒有什么值得一讀的內(nèi)容，我們就想到前廳去看看，那兒放著外套、手杖和套鞋。那兒坐著兩個(gè)女仆——一老一小。你可能以為她們是陪伴女主人回家的。但你再走近仔細(xì)看看，就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)她們并不是普通的仆人:她們的手比仆人的要細(xì)嫩得多，舉止和動(dòng)作很大方，衣服的樣式也非同一般。她們是兩個(gè)仙女。年輕的那位并不是幸運(yùn)女神，而是女神臥室里的一個(gè)仆人，負(fù)責(zé)替幸運(yùn)女神送小禮物。年老的那位看上去很嚴(yán)肅，她是謹(jǐn)慎女神，總是親自處理自己的事務(wù)，只有這樣她才能放心。

她們告訴對(duì)方，當(dāng)天各自都去過什么地方。幸運(yùn)女神的信使只做了幾件無關(guān)緊要的事情，比如，她在一場(chǎng)大雨中護(hù)住了一頂新帽子;讓一個(gè)誠(chéng)實(shí)的人從一個(gè)有地位的傻瓜那里得到了一個(gè)鞠躬，諸如此類的事兒。但她下面要講的一件事卻非同尋常。

“我還要告訴你，”她說，“今天是我的生日。為了慶祝一下，幸運(yùn)女神交給我一雙套鞋，讓我?guī)У饺碎g去。這雙鞋有這種功效:誰穿上它們，馬上就能到他們最喜歡的時(shí)代和地方去?！嘘P(guān)時(shí)間、地點(diǎn)和環(huán)境的一切意愿，馬上就能實(shí)現(xiàn)。這樣，世上的人們就會(huì)十分快樂了。”

“相信我，”謹(jǐn)慎女神說，“他肯定會(huì)很煩惱的。當(dāng)他脫下套鞋后，一定會(huì)感到很慶幸?！?/p>

“你怎么會(huì)這么想呢?”她反駁道，“現(xiàn)在就把這雙鞋放在門口。有人可能會(huì)穿錯(cuò)鞋，這樣他就成為幸運(yùn)兒了。”

你瞧，這就是她們談話的內(nèi)容。

2議員的遭遇

時(shí)間已經(jīng)很晚了。對(duì)漢斯王朝時(shí)期想入非非的議員克納仆，想動(dòng)身回家了。命里注定如此，他沒有穿上自己的套鞋，卻穿上了幸運(yùn)女神的那雙，然后走上了東大街。由于套鞋的魔力，他被帶到了三百年前的漢斯王朝時(shí)期。他的鞋子踩在大街上的淤泥和積水里，因?yàn)槟莻€(gè)時(shí)代還沒有石頭鋪的人行道呢。

“怎么回事?這真是太可怕了——怎么這么臟!”議員說，“好好的人行道沒了，路燈也都滅了?！?/p>

月亮還沒有照到中天，月光不那么亮，空氣很渾濁，所有的東西都消失在黑暗中。在下一個(gè)街角處的圣母像前，掛著一盞燈籠，但光線弱得比沒掛也好不了多少。他只是走到燈下面的時(shí)候才注意到它，他的目光落在了母親和孩子的畫像上。

“這可能是個(gè)美術(shù)館。”他想，“他們忘了把招牌取下來了?！?/p>

有幾個(gè)身著那個(gè)時(shí)代服裝的人從他身邊走過。

“瞧他們那模樣!”他說，“他們肯定是才參加過假面舞會(huì)吧?！?/p>

突然，傳來一陣鼓聲和笛子聲，火把照耀起來了。議員吃了一驚。他看到一個(gè)奇怪的游行隊(duì)伍走了過去。走在前面的是一隊(duì)鼓手，很熟練地敲著自己的樂器;他們的身后是手持武器的士兵，拿著長(zhǎng)弓和彎弓。游行的領(lǐng)隊(duì)是個(gè)教會(huì)首領(lǐng)。驚奇萬分的議員想:這是干什么，這個(gè)人是誰?

“他是西蘭主教。”

“這主教到底要干什么?”議員問。他嘆口氣，搖搖頭?！八豢赡苁侵鹘贪?。”

他一路思考著這個(gè)問題，沒有左顧右盼，就經(jīng)過東大街，走過高橋廣場(chǎng)。通向王宮廣場(chǎng)的橋已經(jīng)不見了，他覺察到自己是走在一條小河的岸邊。最后他遇見了兩個(gè)人，他們坐在船上。

“你想坐船到霍爾姆去嗎，先生?”他們問。

“到霍爾姆去!”議員重復(fù)道。因?yàn)椋缒阒赖?，他不清楚自己處在什么時(shí)代?！拔蚁氲娇死锼沟侔泊a頭的小特夫市場(chǎng)去?！?/p>

那兩個(gè)人吃驚地望著他。

“請(qǐng)告訴我橋在哪兒?”他說，“真討厭，這里竟然沒有燈照明!到處是泥濘，就好像走在沼澤里似的?！钡麑?duì)那兩個(gè)人講得越多，他們?cè)绞呛俊！拔衣牪欢愕牟ǘ骰裟返胤皆?。”他最后生氣地大聲嚷嚷起來，憤然轉(zhuǎn)過身去。他找不到橋，連欄桿也不見了。

“這兒真是太糟糕了!”他說。他怎么也想不到，自己所處的時(shí)代竟有這樣糟糕的夜晚。(未完待續(xù))