Fromthe book shot forth a ray of light which grew broad and full, like thestem of a tree, from which bright rays spread upward and over thestudent's head. Each leaf was fresh, and each flower was like abeautiful female head; some with dark and sparkling eyes, and otherswith eyes that were wonderfully blue and clear. The fruit gleamed likestars, and the room was filled with sounds of beautiful music. Thelittle goblin had never imagined, much less seen or heard of, anysight so glorious as this. He stood still on tiptoe, peeping in,till the light went out in the garret. The student no doubt hadblown out his candle and gone to bed; but the little goblin remainedstanding there nevertheless, and listening to the music which stillsounded on, soft and beautiful, a sweet cradle-song for the student,who had lain down to rest."
  "This is a wonderful place," said the goblin; "I never expectedsuch a thing. I should like to stay here with the student;" and thelittle man thought it over, for he was a sensible little spirit. Atlast he sighed, "but the student has no jam!" So he went down stairsagain into the huckster's shop, and it was a good thing he got backwhen he did, for the cask had almost worn out the lady's tongue; hehad given a description of all that he contained on one side, andwas just about to turn himself over to the other side to describe whatwas there, when the goblin entered and restored the tongue to thelady. But from that time forward, the whole shop, from the cash boxdown to the pinewood logs, formed their opinions from that of thecask; and they all had such confidence in him, and treated him with somuch respect, that when the huckster read the criticisms ontheatricals and art of an evening, they fancied it must all comefrom the cask.
  But after what he had seen, the goblin could no longer sit andlisten quietly to the wisdom and understanding down stairs; so, assoon as the evening light glimmered in the garret, he took courage,for it seemed to him as if the rays of light were strong cables,drawing him up, and obliging him to go and peep through the keyhole;and, while there, a feeling of vastness came over him such as weexperience by the ever-moving sea, when the storm breaks forth; and itbrought tears into his eyes. He did not himself know why he wept,yet a kind of pleasant feeling mingled with his tears. "Howwonderfully glorious it would be to sit with the student under sucha tree;" but that was out of the question, he must be content tolook through the keyhole, and be thankful for even that.
  There he stood on the old landing, with the autumn wind blowingdown upon him through the trap-door. It was very cold; but thelittle creature did not really feel it, till the light in the garretwent out, and the tones of music died away. Then how he shivered,and crept down stairs again to his warm corner, where it felthome-like and comfortable. And when Christmas came again, andbrought the dish of jam and the great lump of butter, he liked thehuckster best of all.
  Soon after, in the middle of the night, the goblin was awoke bya terrible noise and knocking against the window shutters and thehouse doors, and by the sound of the watchman's horn; for a great firehad broken out, and the whole street appeared full of flames. Was itin their house, or a neighbor's? No one could tell, for terror hadseized upon all. The huckster's wife was so bewildered that she tookher gold ear-rings out of her ears and put them in her pocket, thatshe might save something at least. The huckster ran to get hisbusiness papers, and the servant resolved to save her blue silkmantle, which she had managed to buy. Each wished to keep the bestthings they had. The goblin had the same wish; for, with one spring,he was up stairs and in the student's room, whom he found standingby the open window, and looking quite calmly at the fire, which wasraging at the house of a neighbor opposite. The goblin caught up thewonderful book which lay on the table, and popped it into his red cap,which he held tightly with both hands. The greatest treasure in thehouse was saved; and he ran away with it to the roof, and seatedhimself on the chimney. The flames of the burning house oppositeilluminated him as he sat, both hands pressed tightly over his cap, inwhich the treasure lay; and then he found out what feelings reallyreigned in his heart, and knew exactly which way they tended. And yet,when the fire was extinguished, and the goblin again began to reflect,he hesitated, and said at last, "I must divide myself between the two;I cannot quite give up the huckster, because of the jam."
  And this is a representation of human nature. We are like thegoblin; we all go to visit the huckster "because of the jam."
  THE END.
  1872
  FAIRY TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
  THE GOLDEN TREASURE
  by Hans Christian Andersen
  THE drummer's wife went into the church. She saw the new altarwith the painted pictures and the carved angels. Those upon the canvasand in the glory over the altar were just as beautiful as the carvedones; and they were painted and gilt into the bargain. Their hairgleamed golden in the sunshine, lovely to behold; but the realsunshine was more beautiful still. It shone redder, clearer throughthe dark trees, when the sun went down. It was lovely thus to lookat the sunshine of heaven. And she looked at the red sun, and shethought about it so deeply, and thought of the little one whom thestork was to bring, and the wife of the drummer was very cheerful, andlooked and looked, and wished that the child might have a gleam ofsunshine given to it, so that it might at least become like one of theshining angels over the altar.
  And when she really had the little child in her arms, and heldit up to its father, then it was like one of the angels in thechurch to behold, with hair like gold- the gleam of the setting sunwas upon it.
  "My golden treasure, my riches, my sunshine!"