Again all suddenly disappeared. Yes， and whither? It seemed to him just as if one turnedover a leaf in a book. And now stood there an old peasant-woman，who came from Soroe，*where grass grows in the market-place. She had an old GREy linen apron hanging over herhead and back： it was so wet， it certainly must have been raining. “Yes， that it has，” saidshe; and she now related many pretty things out of Holberg's comedies， and aboutWaldemar and Absalon; but all at once she cowered together， and her head began shakingbackwards and forwards， and she looked as she were going to make a spring. “Croak!croak!”said she. “It is wet， it is wet; there is such a pleasant deathlike stillness in Sorbe!”She was now suddenly a frog， “Croak”; and now she was an old woman.“One must dressaccording to the weather，” said she. “It is wet; it is wet. My town is just like a bottle; andone gets in by the neck， and by the neck one must get out again! In former times I had thefinest fish， and now I have fresh rosy-cheeked boys at the bottom of the bottle， who learnwisdom， Hebrew，Greek——Croak!”
* Sorbe， a very quiet little town， beautifully situated， surrounded by woods and lakes.Holberg， Denmark's Moliere， founded here an academy for the sons of the nobles. The poetsHauch and Ingemann were appointed professors here. The latter lives there still.
When she spoke it sounded just like the noise of frogs， or as if one walked with GREatboots over a moor; always the same tone， so uniform and so tiring that little Tuk fell into agood sound sleep， which， by the bye， could not do him any harm.
But even in this sleep there came a dream， or whatever else it was： his little sisterAugusta， she with the blue eyes and the fair curling hair， was suddenly a tall， beautiful girl，and without having wings was yet able to fly; and she now flew over Zealand——over theGREen woods and the blue lakes.
“Do you hear the cock crow， Tukey? Cock-a-doodle-doo! The cocks are flying up fromKjoge! You will have a farm-yard， so large， oh! so very large! You will suffer neitherhunger nor thirst! You will get on in the world! You will be a rich and happy man! Yourhouse will exalt itself like King Waldemar's tower，and will be richly decorated with marblestatues， like that at Prastoe. You understand what I mean. Your name shall circulate withrenown all round the earth， like unto the ship that was to have sailed from Corsor; and inRoeskilde——”
“Do not forget the diet!” said King Hroar.
“then you will speak well and wisely， little Tukey; and when at last you sink into yourgrave， you shall sleep as quietly——”
“As if I lay in Soroe，” said Tuk， awaking. It was bright day， and he was now quite unableto call to mind his dream; that， however， was not at all necessary， for one may not knowwhat the future will bring.
And out of bed he jumped， and read in his book， and now all at once he knew his wholelesson. And the old washerwoman popped her head in at the door，nodded to him friendly，and said， “Thanks， many thanks， my good child， for your help! May the good ever-lovingGod fulfil your loveliest dream!”
Little Tukey did not at all know what he had dreamed， but the loving God knew it.
是的，那就是小杜克。他的名字并不是真的叫杜克;不过当他还不会讲话的时候，就把自己叫做杜克。他的名字应该是“加尔”——明了这一点是有好处的。现在他得照料比他小很多的妹妹古斯塔乌，自己还要温习功课。但是同时要做这两件事情是不太容易的。这个可怜的孩子把小妹妹抱在膝上，对她唱些他所会唱的歌;在这同时，他还要看摊在面前的那本地理书。在明天到来以前，他必须记好西兰①主教区所属的一切城市的名字，知道人们应该知道的一切关于它们的事情。
①西兰(Sjaeland)是丹麦东部的群岛。面积7514平方公里。
现在他的妈妈回来了，因为她到外面去过。她把小小的古斯塔乌抱起来。杜克跑到窗子那儿，拼命看书，几乎把眼睛都看花了，因为天已经慢慢黑下来了;但是他的妈妈没有钱买蜡烛。
“那个洗衣的老太婆在街上走来了，”正在朝窗子外面望的妈妈说。“她连走路也走不动，但还是要从井里取一桶水上来。做个好孩子吧，杜克，快过去帮助这个老太太一下!”
杜克立刻就跑过去帮她的忙。不过当他回到房里来的时候，天已经很黑了。蜡烛他们是买不起的;他只得上床去睡，而他的床却是一张旧板凳。他躺在那上面，想着他的地理功课：西兰的主教区和老师所讲的一切东西。他的确应该先温习好，但是他现在没有法子做到。所以只好把地理课本放在枕头底下，因为他听说这可以帮助人记住课文，不过这个办法却不一定靠得住。
他躺在那上面，想了许多事情。忽然觉得有人吻他的眼睛和嘴。他似乎睡着了，又似乎没有睡着。他好像觉得那个洗衣老太婆的温柔的眼睛在看他，并且对他说：
“如果你明天记不住功课，那真是可惜得很!你帮助过我，我现在应该帮助你。我们的上帝总是帮助人的!”
杜克的那本书马上就在他的头底下窸窸窣窣地动起来了。