hear of thy good fortune: sit down, old friend, and tell me a
little how it has gone with thee, and what thou hast seen at our
opposite neighbor's there--in the warm lands."

"Yes, I will tell you all about it," said the shadow, and sat down:
"but then you must also promise me, that, wherever you may meet me,
you will never say to any one here in the town that I have been your
shadow. I intend to get betrothed, for I can provide for more than one
family."

"Be quite at thy ease about that," said the learned man; "I shall not
say to any one who thou actually art: here is my hand--I promise it,
and a man's bond is his word."

"A word is a shadow," said the shadow, "and as such it must speak."

It was really quite astonishing how much of a man it was. It was
dressed entirely in black, and of the very finest cloth; it had patent
leather boots, and a hat that could be folded together, so that it was
bare crown and brim; not to speak of what we already know it
had--seals, gold neck-chain, and diamond rings; yes, the shadow was
well-dressed, and it was just that which made it quite a man.

"Now I shall tell you my adventures," said the shadow; and then he
sat, with the polished boots, as heavily as he could, on the arm of
the learned man's new shadow, which lay like a poodle-dog at his feet.
Now this was perhaps from arrogance; and the shadow on the ground kept
itself so still and quiet, that it might hear all that passed: it
wished to know how it could get free, and work its way up, so as to
become its own master.

"Do you know who lived in our opposite neighbor's house?" said the
shadow; "it was the most charming of all beings, it was Poesy! I was
there for three weeks, and that has as much effect as if one had lived
three thousand years, and read all that was composed and written; that
is what I say, and it is right. I have seen everything and I know
everything!"

"Poesy!" cried the learned man; "yes, yes, she often dwells a recluse
in large cities! Poesy! yes, I have seen her,--a single short moment,
but sleep came into my eyes! She stood on the balcony and shone as the
aurora borealis shines. Go on, go on!--thou wert on the balcony, and
went through the doorway, and then------"

"Then I was in the antechamber," said the shadow. "You always sat and
looked over to the antechamber. There was no light; there was a sort
of twilight, but the one door stood open directly opposite the other
through a long row of rooms a