of the water. Were there really no boats at all?

Yes, of course, there were some; there was the miller's, but it could
not be had; the miller would not permit it. Niels, the miller's son, had
nearly gotten a spanking when he had let it out the other day. It was
useless to think about it; but then there was the gentleman, who lived
with Nicolai, the forest-warden. He had a fine boat, one which was black
at the top and red at the bottom, and he lent it to each and every one.

The councilor and his daughter went up to Nicolai's, the forest-warden.
At a short distance from the house they met a little girl. She was
Nicolai's, and they told her to run in and ask if they might see the
gentleman. She ran as if her life depended on it, ran with both arms and
legs, until she reached the door; there she placed one leg on the high
doorstep, fastened her garter, and then rushed into the house. She
reappeared immediately afterwards with two doors ajar behind her and
called long before she reached the threshold, that the gentleman would
be there in a moment; then she sat down on the doorstep, leaned against
the wall, and peered at the strangers from underneath one of her arms.

The gentleman came, and proved to be a tall strongly-built man of some
twenty years. The councilor's daughter was a little startled, when she
recognized in him the man, who had sung during the rainstorm. But he
looked so strange and absentminded; quite obviously he had just been
reading a book, one could tell that from the expression in his eyes,
from his hair, from the abstracted way in which he managed his hands.

The councilor's daughter dropped him an exuberant courtesy and said
"Cuckoo," and laughed.

"Cuckoo?" asked the councilor. Why, it was the little girl's face! The
man went quite crimson, and tried to say something when the councilor
came with a question about the boat. Yes, it was at his service. But who
was going to do the rowing? Why, he of course, said the girl, and paid
no attention to what her father said about it; it was immaterial whether
it was a bother to the gentleman, for sometimes he himself did not mind
at all troubling other people. Then they went down to the boat, and on
the way explained things to the councilor. They stepped into the boat,
and were already a good ways out, before the girl had settled herself
comfortably and found time to talk.

"I suppose it was something very learned you were reading," she said,
"when I came a