"I have it now!" said the dead woman. "It was your hard words,your despair of mankind, your gloomy belief in God and His creation,which drove me to you. Learn to know mankind! Even in the wicked onelives a part of God- and this extinguishes and conquers the flame ofhell!"
  The pastor felt a kiss on his lips; a gleam of light surroundedhim- God's bright sun shone into the room, and his wife, alive,sweet and full of love, awoke him from a dream which God had sent him!
  THE END.
  1872
  FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
  A STORY FROM THE SAND-HILLS
  by Hans Christian Andersen
  THIS story is from the sand-dunes or sand-hills of Jutland, but itdoes not begin there in the North, but far away in the South, inSpain. The wide sea is the highroad from nation to nation; journeyin thought; then, to sunny Spain. It is warm and beautiful there;the fiery pomegranate flowers peep from among dark laurels; a coolrefreshing breeze from the mountains blows over the orange gardens,over the Moorish halls with their golden cupolas and coloured walls.Children go through the streets in procession with candles andwaving banners, and the sky, lofty and clear with its glitteringstars, rises above them. Sounds of singing and castanets can be heard,and youths and maidens dance upon the flowering acacia trees, whileeven the beggar sits upon a block of marble, refreshing himself with ajuicy melon, and dreamily enjoying life. It all seems like a beautifuldream.
  Here dwelt a newly married couple who completely gave themselvesup to the charm of life; indeed they possessed every good thing theycould desire- health and happiness, riches and honour.
  We are as happy as human beings can be," said the young couplefrom the depths of their hearts. They had indeed only one stephigher to mount on the ladder of happiness- they hoped that Godwould give them a child, a son like them in form and spirit. The happylittle one was to be welcomed with rejoicing, to be cared for withlove and tenderness, and enjoy every advantage of wealth and luxurythat a rich and influential family can give. So the days went bylike a joyous festival.
  "Life is a gracious gift from God, almost too great a gift forus to appreciate!" said the young wife. "Yet they say that fulnessof joy for ever and ever can only be found in the future life. Icannot realise it!"
  "The thought arises, perhaps, from the arrogance of men," said thehusband. "It seems a great pride to believe that we shall live forever, that we shall be as gods! Were not these the words of theserpent, the father of lies?"
  "Surely you do not doubt the existence of a future life?"exclaimed the young wife. It seemed as if one of the first shadowspassed over her sunny thoughts.
  "Faith realises it, and the priests tell us so," replied herhusband; "but amid all my happiness I feel that it is arrogant todemand a continuation of it- another life after this. Has not somuch been given us in this world that we ought to be, we must be,contented with it?"
  "Yes, it has been given to us," said the young wife, "but thislife is nothing more than one long scene of trial and hardship to manythousands. How many have been cast into this world only to endurepoverty, shame, illness, and misfortune? If there were no future life,everything here would be too unequally divided, and God would not bethe personification of justice."
  "The beggar there," said her husband, "has joys of his own whichseem to him great, and cause him as much pleasure as a king would findin the magnificence of his palace. And then do you not think thatthe beast of burden, which suffers blows and hunger, and worksitself to death, suffers just as much from its miserable fate?