however,
been permitted to be present at the funeral with all the little boys and
girls of the factory school. But Hans was not buried in the chapel
where grandfather and grandmother lie; he was buried in the churchyard.
Oh, what beautiful singing they had had! The school-master had sung bass
with them, and the old brown horse had drawn Hans, who was in a white
painted coffin that papa had bought in town, and there were garlands of
flowers on it. Mamma and Stina had arranged them. All the children got
cakes before they started and currant wine. And the song was the one the
boys had just been singing; Stina had taught it to them. Hans had been
very poor; but now he had all he wanted; he was with God; it was only
the coffin that was put in the ground. What was in the coffin? Why, it
was not the real Hans that was there, for Hans was quite new now. Angels
had come down to the pond with everything that the new Hans was to wear,
so that he did not feel cold in the pond; he was not there. All children
who died went to God, and that together with a hundred thousand million
very small angels. The angels were all round about us here too; but we
could not see them because they were invisible, and Hans was now with
them. The angels could see us, and they were so kind to us, especially
to children, and they always wanted to have very unhappy little
children with them; that was the reason why they took them. It is ever
and ever and ever so much nicer to be with the angels than to be here.
Yes, indeed, it is, for Stina said so. Stina too would rather be with
the angels than here; it was only for mamma's sake that Stina did not go
to them, for mamma would be so lonely without her. All angels had wings,
and now Hans's father was lying ill, and he would soon be with Hans. He
also would have wings and be a little angel and fly about here and
wherever he himself chose--right up to the stars. For the stars were not
only stars, they were as large, as large, when we got up to them, as
large as the whole earth, and that was enormously large, larger than the
largest mountain. And there were people on the stars, and there were
many things that were not here. And that same afternoon Hans's father
was to go right to God, for God was up in heaven. They would like so
much to see Hans's father get his wings; but mamma would not let them go
with her. And Hans's father had already become so beautiful, as he lay
in his bed, that he almost looked like an