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024 - The Gardener and the Manor · Fairytales and Short Stories by Hans Christian Andersen

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty four of Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales and
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  Speaker 1: Short Stories, Volume six. This is a LibriVox recording. All
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
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  Speaker 1: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
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  Speaker 1: Brad Philippone. Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales and Short Stories,
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  Speaker 1: Volume six, eighteen sixty six to eighteen seventy three by
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  Speaker 1: Hans Christian Andersen, translated by H. P. Paul, Chapter twenty four,
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  Speaker 1: The Gardener and the Manor by Hans Christian Andersen. About
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  Speaker 1: one Danish mile from the capitol stood an old manor
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  Speaker 1: house with thick walls, towers, and pointed gable ends. Here lived,
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  Speaker 1: but only in the summer season, are rich and courtly family.
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  Speaker 1: The manor house was the best and the most beautiful
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  Speaker 1: of all the houses they owned. It looked outside as
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  Speaker 1: if it had just been cast in a foundry, and
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  Speaker 1: within it was comfort itself. The family arms were carved
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  Speaker 1: in stone over the door. Beautiful roses twined about the
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  Speaker 1: arms and the balcony. A grass plot extended before the
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  Speaker 1: house with red thorn and white thorn, and many rare
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  Speaker 1: flowers grew even outside the conservatory. The manor kept also
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  Speaker 1: a very skillful gardener. It was a real pleasure to
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  Speaker 1: see the flower garden, the orchard, and the kitchen garden.
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  Speaker 1: There was still to be seen a portion of the
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  Speaker 1: manor's original garden, a few box tree hedges cut in
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  Speaker 1: shape of crowns and pyramids. And behind these two mighty
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  Speaker 1: old trees, almost always without leaves. One might almost think
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  Speaker 1: that a storm or waterspout had scattered great lumps of
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  Speaker 1: manure on their branches. But each lump was a bird's nest.
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  Speaker 1: A swarm of rooks and crows from time immemorial had
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  Speaker 1: built their nests there. It was a town full of birds,
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  Speaker 1: and the birds were the memorial lords here. They did
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  Speaker 1: not care for the proprietors the manner's oldest family branch,
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  Speaker 1: nor for the present owner of the manor. These were
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  Speaker 1: nothing to them, but they bore the wandering creatures below them,
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  Speaker 1: notwithstanding that once in a while they shot with guns
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  Speaker 1: in a way that made the bird's backbone shiver and
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  Speaker 1: made every bird fly up crying rock rock. The gardener
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  Speaker 1: very often explained to the master the necessity of felling
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  Speaker 1: the old trees, as they did not look well, and
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  Speaker 1: by taking them away they would probably get rid of
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  Speaker 1: the screaming birds, which would seek another place. But he
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  Speaker 1: never could be induced either to give up the trees
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  Speaker 1: or the swarm of birds. The manner could not spare them,
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  Speaker 1: as they were relics of the good old times that
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  Speaker 1: ought to be kept in remembrance. The trees are the
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  Speaker 1: bird's heritage by this time, said the master, So let
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  Speaker 1: them keep them, my good larson. Larson was the gardner's name,
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  Speaker 1: but that is a very little consequence in this story.
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  Speaker 1: Haven't you room enough to work in, little Larson? Have
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  Speaker 1: you not? The flower garden, the green houses, the orchard,
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  Speaker 1: and the kitchen garden. He cared for them. He kept
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  Speaker 1: them in order and cultivated them with zeal and ability.
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  Speaker 1: And the family knew it, but they did not conceal
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  Speaker 1: from him that they often tasted fruits and saw flowers
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  Speaker 1: in other houses that surpassed what he had in his garden.
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  Speaker 1: And that was a sore trial for the gardener, who
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  Speaker 1: always wished to do the best, and really did the
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  Speaker 1: best he could. He was a good hearted and faithful servant.
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  Speaker 1: The owners sent one day for him and told him
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  Speaker 1: kindly that the day before at a party given by
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  Speaker 1: some friends of rank, they had eaten apples and pears
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  Speaker 1: which were so juicy and well flavored that all the
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  Speaker 1: guests had loudly expressed their admiration. To be sure, they
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  Speaker 1: were not native fruits, but they ought by all means
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  Speaker 1: to be introduced here and to be acclimatized if possible.
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  Speaker 1: They learned that the fruit was bought of one of
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  Speaker 1: the first fruit dealers in the city, and the gardener
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  Speaker 1: was to ride the town and find out about where
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  Speaker 1: they came from, and then order some slips for grafting.
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  Speaker 1: The gardener was very well acquainted with the deer, because
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  Speaker 1: he was the very person to whom he sold the
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  Speaker 1: fruit that grew in the manor garden beyond what was
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  Speaker 1: needed by the family. So the gardener went to town
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  Speaker 1: and asked the fruit dealer where he had found those
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  Speaker 1: apples and pears that were praised so highly. They are
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  Speaker 1: from your own garden, said the fruit deaterer, and he
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  Speaker 1: showed him both the apples and peers, which he recognized. Now.
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  Speaker 1: How happy the gardener felt, he hastened back to his
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  Speaker 1: master and told him that the apples and peers were
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  Speaker 1: all from his own garden, but he would not believe it.
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  Speaker 1: It cannot be possible, Larson, can you get a written
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  Speaker 1: certificate of that from the fruit dealer? And he could
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  Speaker 1: and brought him a written certificate. And now every day
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  Speaker 1: were set on the table great dishes filled with beautiful
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  Speaker 1: apples and pears from their own garden. Bushels and barrels
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  Speaker 1: of these fruits were sent to friends in the city
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  Speaker 1: and country. They were even sent abroad. It was exceedingly
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  Speaker 1: plas pleasant. But when they talked with the gardener, they
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  Speaker 1: said that the last two seasons had been remarkably favorable
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  Speaker 1: for fruits, and that fruits had done well all over
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  Speaker 1: the country. Some time passed, the family were at dinner
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  Speaker 1: at court. The next day the gardener was sent for.
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  Speaker 1: They had eaten melons at the royal table, which they
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  Speaker 1: found very juicy and well flavored. They came from His
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  Speaker 1: Majesty's greenhouse. You must go and see the court gardener
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  Speaker 1: and let him give you some seeds of those melons.
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  Speaker 1: But the gardener at the court got his melon seeds
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  Speaker 1: from us, said the gardener, highly delighted. But then that
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  Speaker 1: man understands how to bring the fruit to a higher perfection.
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  Speaker 1: Was the answer. Each particular melon was delicious. Well, then
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  Speaker 1: I really may feel proud, said the gardener. I must
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  Speaker 1: tell your lordship that the gardener at the court did
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  Speaker 1: not succeed very well with his melons this year, and
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  Speaker 1: so seeing how beautiful our's look, he tasted them and
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  Speaker 1: ordered for me three of them for the castle. Larsen,
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  Speaker 1: do not pretend to say that those were melons from
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  Speaker 1: our garden. Really, I dare say as much, said the gardener,
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  Speaker 1: who went to the court gardener and got from him
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  Speaker 1: a written certificate to the effect that the melons on
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  Speaker 1: the royal table were from the manner. That was certainly
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  Speaker 1: a great surprise to the family, and they did not
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  Speaker 1: keep the story to themselves. Melon seeds were sent far
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  Speaker 1: and wide in the same way as had been done
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  Speaker 1: with the slips, which they were now hearing, had begun
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  Speaker 1: to take and to bear fruit of an excellent kind.
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  Speaker 1: The fruit was named after the manner, and the name
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  Speaker 1: was written in English, German and French. This was something
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  Speaker 1: they never had dreamed of. We are afraid that the
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  Speaker 1: gardener will come to think too much of himself, said they.
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  Speaker 1: But he looked on it in another way. What he
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  Speaker 1: wished was to get the reputation of being one of
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  Speaker 1: the best gardeners in the country, and to produce every
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  Speaker 1: year something exquisite out of all sorts of garden stuff.
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  Speaker 1: And that he did. But he often had to hear
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  Speaker 1: that the fruits which he first bought, the apples and pears,
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  Speaker 1: were after all the best. All other kinds of fruit
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  Speaker 1: were inferior to these. The melons, too, were very good,
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  Speaker 1: but they belonged to quite another species. His strawberries were
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  Speaker 1: very excellent, but by no means better than many others.
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  Speaker 1: And when it happened one year that his radishes did
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  Speaker 1: not succeed, they only spoke of them, and not of
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  Speaker 1: other good things he had made succeed. It really seemed
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  Speaker 1: as if the family felt some relief in saying it
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  Speaker 1: won't turn out well this year, little Larson. They seemed
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  Speaker 1: quite glad when they could say it won't turn out well.
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  Speaker 1: The gardener used always twice a week to bring them
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  Speaker 1: fresh flowers, tastefully arranged, and the colors by his arrangements
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  Speaker 1: were brought out in stronger light. You have good taste, larson,
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  Speaker 1: said the owner. But that is a gift from our Lord,
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  Speaker 1: not from yourself. One day the gardener brought a great
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  Speaker 1: crystal vase with a floating leaf of white water lily,
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  Speaker 1: upon which was laid, with its long thick stalk descending
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  Speaker 1: into the water, a sparkling blue flower as large as
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  Speaker 1: a sunflower. The sacred Lotos of Hindustan, exclaimed the family.
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  Speaker 1: They had never seen such a flower. It was placed
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  Speaker 1: every day in the sunshine and in the evening under
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  Speaker 1: artificial light. Every One who sought found it wonderfully beautiful
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  Speaker 1: and rare. And that said the most noble young lady
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  Speaker 1: in the country, the wise and kind hearted Princess. The
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  Speaker 1: lord of the manner deemed it an honor to present
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  Speaker 1: her with the flower, and the princess took it with
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  Speaker 1: her to the castle. Now, the master of the house
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  Speaker 1: went down to the garden to pluck another flower of
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  Speaker 1: the same sort, but he could not find any. So
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  Speaker 1: he sent for the gardener and asked him where he
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  Speaker 1: kept the blue Lotos. I have been looking for it
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  Speaker 1: in vain, said he. I went into the conservatory and
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  Speaker 1: round about the flower garden. No it is not there,
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  Speaker 1: said the gardener. It is nothing else than a common
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  Speaker 1: flower from the kitchen garden. But do you not find
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  Speaker 1: it beautiful? It looks as if it was the blue cactus,
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  Speaker 1: and yet it is only a kitchen herb. It is
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  Speaker 1: the flower of the arta choke. You shall and have
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  Speaker 1: told us that at the time, said the Master. We supposed,
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  Speaker 1: of course, that it was a strange and rare flower.
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  Speaker 1: You have made us ridiculous in the eyes of the
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  Speaker 1: young princess. She saw the flower in our house and
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  Speaker 1: thought it beautiful. She did not know the flower, and
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  Speaker 1: she is versed in botany too, But then that has
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  Speaker 1: nothing to do with kitchen herbs. How could you take
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  Speaker 1: it into your head, my good lasson, to put such
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  Speaker 1: a flower up at our drawing room. It makes us ridiculous.
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  Speaker 1: And the magnificent blue flower from the kitchen garden was
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  Speaker 1: turned out of the drawing room, which was not at
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  Speaker 1: all the place for it. The Master made his apology
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  Speaker 1: to the princess, telling her that it was only a
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  Speaker 1: kitchen herb which the gardener had taken into his head
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  Speaker 1: to exhibit, but that he had been well reprimanded for it.
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  Speaker 1: That was a pity, said the princess, for he has
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  Speaker 1: really opened our eyes to see the beauty of a
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  Speaker 1: flower in a place where we should not have thought
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  Speaker 1: of looking. For it. Our gardener shall, every day, as
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  Speaker 1: long as the artichoke is in bloom, bring one of
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  Speaker 1: them up into the drawing room. Then the master told
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  Speaker 1: his gardener that he might again bring a fresh artichoke flower.
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  Speaker 1: It is, after all, a very nice flower, said he,
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  Speaker 1: and a truly remarkable one. And so the gardener was
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  Speaker 1: praised again. Larson likes that, said the master. He is
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  Speaker 1: a spoiled child. In the autumn, there came up a
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  Speaker 1: great gale, which increased so violently in the night that
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  Speaker 1: several large trees in the outskirts of the wood were
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  Speaker 1: torn up by the roots, and to the great grief
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  Speaker 1: of the household, but to the gardener's to light, the
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  Speaker 1: two big trees blew down, with all their bird nests
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  Speaker 1: on them. In the manor host they heard during the
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  Speaker 1: storm the screaming of rooks and crows beating their wings
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  Speaker 1: against the windows. Now I suppose you are happy, larson,
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  Speaker 1: said the master. The storm has fell the trees and
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  Speaker 1: the birds have gone off to the woods. There is
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  Speaker 1: nothing left from the good old days. It is all gone,
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  Speaker 1: and we are very sorry for it. The gardener said nothing,
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  Speaker 1: but he thought of what he long had turned over
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  Speaker 1: in his mind, How could he make that pretty sunny
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  Speaker 1: spot very useful, so that it could become an ornament
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  Speaker 1: to the garden and a pride to the family. The
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  Speaker 1: great trees which had been blown down, had shattered the
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  Speaker 1: venerable hedge of box that was cut into fanciful shapes.
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  Speaker 1: Here he set out a multitude of plants that were
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  Speaker 1: not to be seen in other gardens. He made an
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  Speaker 1: earthen wall on which he planted all sorts of native
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  Speaker 1: flowers from the fields and woods. What no other gardener
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  Speaker 1: had ever thought of planting in the manor garden he planted,
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  Speaker 1: giving each its appropriate soil, and the plants were in
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  Speaker 1: sunlight or shadow, according as each species required. He cared
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  Speaker 1: tenderly for them, and they grew up finely. The juniper
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  Speaker 1: tree from the heaths of Jutland rose in shape and
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  Speaker 1: color like the Italian cypress. The shining thorny Christ's thorn,
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  Speaker 1: as green in the winter's cold as in the summer sun,
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  Speaker 1: was splendid to see. In the foreground grew ferns of
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  Speaker 1: various species. Some of them looked as if they were
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  Speaker 1: children of the palm tree, others as if they were
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  Speaker 1: parents of the pretty plants called Venus's golden locks or
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  Speaker 1: maiden's hair. There stood the despised burdock, which is so
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  Speaker 1: beautiful in its freshness that it looks well even in
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  Speaker 1: a bouquet. The burdock stood in a dry place, but below,
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  Speaker 1: in the moist soil, grew the colt's foot, also a
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  Speaker 1: despised plant, but yet most picturesque, with its tall stem
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  Speaker 1: and large leaf like a candelabrum, with a multitude of
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  Speaker 1: branches six feet high, and with flower over against flower
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  Speaker 1: rose the mullion, a mere field plant. Here stood the
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  Speaker 1: wood roof, and the lily of the valley, the wild cola,
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  Speaker 1: and the fine three leaved wood sorrel. It was a
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  Speaker 1: wonder to see all this beauty. In the front grew
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  Speaker 1: in rows very small pier trees from French soil. Trained
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  Speaker 1: on wires by plenty of sun and good care, they
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  Speaker 1: soon bore as juicy fruits as in their own country.
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  Speaker 1: Instead of the two old leafless trees, was placed a
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  Speaker 1: tall flagstaff where the flag of Dannabrog was displayed, And
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  Speaker 1: nearby stood another pole with the hob tendril, in summer
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  Speaker 1: or harvest time wound its fragrant flowers but in winter
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  Speaker 1: time time, after ancient custom, oaked sheaves were fastened to it,
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  Speaker 1: that the birds of the air might find here a
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  Speaker 1: good meal in the happy Christmas time. Our good larson
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  Speaker 1: is growing sentimental as he grows old, said the family.
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  Speaker 1: But he is faithful and quite attached to us. In
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  Speaker 1: one of the illustrated papers, there was a picture at
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  Speaker 1: New Year's of the old manner with the flag staff
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  Speaker 1: and the oat sheaves for the birds of the air,
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  Speaker 1: and the paper said that the old Manner had preserved
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  Speaker 1: that beautiful old custom and deserved great credit for it.
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  Speaker 1: They beat the drum for all Larsons doing, said the family.
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  Speaker 1: He is a lucky fellow, and we may almost be
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  Speaker 1: proud of having such a man at our service. But
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  Speaker 1: they were not a bit proud of it. They were
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  Speaker 1: very well aware that they were the lords of the Manor.
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  Speaker 1: They could give Larson warning, in fact, but they did not.
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  Speaker 1: They were good people and fortunate. It is for every
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  Speaker 1: mister Larson that there are so many good people like them. Yes,
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  Speaker 1: that is the story of the Gardener and the Manor.
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  Speaker 1: Now you may think a little about it. End of
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  Speaker 1: chapter twenty four. The Gardener and the Manor