said thecounsellor; and the whole pavement has vanished, and the lamps are allout."
  The moon had not yet risen high enough to penetrate the thickfoggy air, and all the objects around him were confused together inthe darkness. At the nearest corner, a lamp hung before a picture ofthe Madonna; but the light it gave was almost useless, for he onlyperceived it when he came quite close and his eyes fell on the paintedfigures of the Mother and Child.
  "That is most likely a museum of art," thought he, "and theyhave forgotten to take down the sign."
  Two men, in the dress of olden times, passed by him.
  "What odd figures!" thought he; "they must be returning fromsome masquerade."
  Suddenly he heard the sound of a drum and fifes, and then ablazing light from torches shone upon him. The counsellor staredwith astonishment as he beheld a most strange procession pass beforehim. First came a whole troop of drummers, beating their drums verycleverly; they were followed by life-guards, with longbows andcrossbows. The principal person in the procession was aclerical-looking gentleman. The astonished counsellor asked what itall meant, and who the gentleman might be.
  "That is the bishop of Zealand."
  "Good gracious!" he exclaimed; "what in the world has happenedto the bishop? what can he be thinking about?" Then he shook hishead and said, "It cannot possibly be the bishop himself."
  While musing on this strange affair, and without looking to theright or left, he walked on through East Street and over HighbridgePlace. The bridge, which he supposed led to Palace Square, was nowhereto be found; but instead, he saw a bank and some shallow water, andtwo people, who sat in a boat.
  "Does the gentleman wish to be ferried over the Holm?" asked one.
  "To the Holm!" exclaimed the counsellor, not knowing in what agehe was now existing; "I want to go to Christian's Haven, in LittleTurf Street." The men stared at him. "Pray tell me where the bridgeis!" said he. "It is shameful that the lamps are not lighted here, andit is as muddy as if one were walking in a marsh." But the more hetalked with the boatmen the less they could understand each other.
  "I don't understand your outlandish talk," he cried at last,angrily turning his back upon them. He could not, however, find thebridge nor any railings.
  "What a scandalous condition this place is in," said he; never,certainly, had he found his own times so miserable as on this evening."I think it will be better for me to take a coach; but where arethey?" There was not one to be seen! "I shall be obliged to go back tothe king's new market," said he, "where there are plenty ofcarriages standing, or I shall never reach Christian's Haven." Then hewent towards East Street, and had nearly passed through it, when themoon burst forth from a cloud.
  "Dear me, what have they been erecting here?" he cried, as hecaught sight of the East gate, which in olden times used to stand atthe end of East Street. However, he found an opening through whichhe passed, and came out upon where he expected to find the new market.Nothing was to be seen but an open meadow, surrounded by a few bushes,through which ran a broad canal or stream. A few miserable-lookingwooden booths, for the accommodation of Dutch watermen, stood on theopposite shore.
  "Either I behold a fata morgana, or I must be tipsy," groanedthe counsellor. "What can it be? What is the matter with me?" Heturned back in the full conviction that he must be ill. In walkingthrough the street this time, he examined the houses more closely;he found that most of them were built of lath and plaster, and manyhad only a thatched roof.
  "I am certainly all wrong," said he, with a sigh; and yet I onlydrank one glass of punch. But I cannot bear even that, and it was veryfoolish to give us punch and hot salmon; I shall speak about it to ourhostess, the agent's lady. Suppose I were to go back now and say howill I feel, I fear it would look so ridiculous, and it is not verylikely that I should find any one up." Then he looked for the house,but it was not in existence.
  "This is really frightful; I cannot even recognize East Street.Not a shop to be seen; nothing but old, wretched, tumble-downhouses, just as if I were at Roeskilde or Ringstedt. Oh, I really mustbe ill!