The builder was aman of low origin, but possessing great pride; his eyes and forehead spoke of large intellect, and Waldemar Daa was fond oflistening to him, and so was Waldemar's daughter Ida, the eldest, now about fifteen years old; and while he was building theship for the father, he was building for himself a castle in the air, in which he and Ida were to live when they weremarried. This might have happened, indeed, if there had been a real castle, with stone walls, ramparts, and a moat. But inspite of his clever head, the builder was still but a poor, inferior bird; and how can a sparrow expect to be admitted intothe society of peacocks?　　"I passed on in my course," said the Wind, "and he passed away also. He was not allowed to remain, and little Ida gotover it, because she was obliged to do so. Proud, black horses, worth looking at, were neighing in the stable. And they werelocked up; for the admiral, who had been sent by the king to inspect the new ship, and make arrangements for its purchase,was loud in admiration of these beautiful horses. I heard it all," said the Wind, "for I accompanied the gentlemen throughthe open door of the stable, and strewed stalks of straw, like bars of gold, at their feet. Waldemar Daa wanted gold, and theadmiral wished for the proud black horses; therefore he praised them so much. But the hint was not taken, and consequentlythe ship was not bought. It remained on the shore covered with boards,-a Noah's ark that never got to the water-Whir-r-r-r-and that was a pity.　　"In the winter, when the fields were covered with snow, and the water filled with large blocks of ice which I had blownup to the coast," continued the Wind, "great flocks of crows and ravens, dark and black as they usually are, came andalighted on the lonely, deserted ship. Then they croaked in harsh accents of the forest that now existed no more, of the manypretty birds' nests destroyed and the little ones left without a home; and all for the sake of that great bit of lumber,that proud ship, that never sailed forth. I made the snowflakes whirl till the snow lay like a great lake round the ship, anddrifted over it. I let it hear my voice, that it might know what the storm has to say. Certainly I did my part towardsteaching it seamanship.　　"That winter passed away, and another winter and summer both passed, as they are still passing away, even as I passaway. The snow drifts onwards, the apple-blossoms are scattered, the leaves fall,-everything passes away, and men arepassing away too. But the great man's daughters are still young, and little Ida is a rose as fair to look upon as on the daywhen the shipbuilder first saw her. I often tumbled her long, brown hair, while she stood in the garden by the apple-tree,musing, and not heeding how I strewed the blossoms on her hair, and dishevelled it; or sometimes, while she stood gazing atthe red sun and the golden sky through the opening branches of the dark, thick foliage of the garden trees. Her sister Joannawas bright and slender as a lily; she had a tall and lofty carriage and figure, though, like her mother, rather stiff inback. She was very fond of walking through the great hall, where hung the portraits of her ancestors. The women wererepresented in dresses of velvet and silk, with tiny little hats, embroidered with pearls, on their braided hair. They wereall handsome women. The gentlemen appeared clad in steel, or in rich cloaks lined with squirrel's fur; they wore littleruffs, and swords at their sides. Where would Joanna's place be on that wall some day? and how would he look,-her noblelord and husband? This is what she thought of, and often spoke of in a low voice to herself. I heard it as I swept into thelong hall, and turned round to come out again. Anna Dorothea, the pale hyacinth, a child of fourteen, was quiet andthoughtful; her large, deep, blue eyes had a dreamy look, but a childlike smile still played round her mouth. I was not ableto blow it away, neither did I wish to do so. We have met in the garden, in the hollow lane, in the field and meadow, whereshe gathered herbs and flowers which she knew would be useful to her father in preparing the drugs and mixtures he was alwaysconcocting. Waldemar Daa was arrogant and proud, but he was also a learned man, and knew a great deal. It was no secret, andmany opinions were expressed on what he did. In his fireplace there was a fire, even in summer time. He would lock himself inhis room, and for days the fire would be kept burning; but he did not talk much of what he was doing. The secret powers ofnature are generally discovered in solitude, and did he not soon expect to find out the art of making the greatest of allgood things-the art of making gold? So he fondly hoped; therefore the chimney smoked and the fire crackled so constantly.Yes, I was there too," said the Wind. "'Leave it alone,' I sang down the chimney; 'leave it alone, it will all end insmoke, air, coals, and ashes, and you will burn your fingers.' But Waldemar Daa did not leave it alone, and all he possessedvanished like smoke blown by me. The splendid black horses, where are they? What became of the cows in the field, the oldgold and silver vessels in cupboards and chests, and even the house and home itself? It was easy to melt all these away inthe gold-making crucible, and yet obtain no gold. And so it was. Empty are the barns and store-rooms, the cellars andcupboards; the servants decreased in number, and the mice multiplied. First one window became broken, and then another, sothat I could get in at other places besides the door. 'Where the chimney smokes, the meal is being cooked,' says theproverb; but here a chimney smoked that devoured all the meals for the sake of gold. I blew round the courtyard," said theWind, "like a watchman blowing his home, but no watchman was there. I twirled the weather-cock round on the summit of thetower, and it creaked like the snoring of a warder, but no warder was there; nothing but mice and rats. Poverty laid thetable-cloth; poverty sat in the wardrobe and in the larder. The door fell off its hinges, cracks and fissures made theirappearance everywhere; so that I could go in and out at pleasure, and that is how I know all about it. Amid smoke and ashes,sorrow, and sleepless nights, the hair and beard of the master of the house turned gray, and deep furrows showed themselvesaround his temples; his skin turned pale and yellow, while his eyes still looked eagerly for gold, the longed-for gold, andthe result of his labor was debt instead of gain. I blew the smoke and ashes into his face and beard; I moaned through thebroken window-panes, and the yawning clefts in the walls; I blew into the chests and drawers belonging to his daughters,wherein lay the clothes that had become faded and threadbare, from being worn over and over again. Such a song had not beensung, at the children's cradle as I sung now. The lordly life had changed to a life of penury. I was the only one whorejoiced aloud in that castle," said the Wind. "At last I snowed them up, and they say snow keeps people warm. It was goodfor them, for they had no wood, and the forest, from which they might have obtained it, had been cut down. The frost was verybitter, and I rushed through loop-holes and passages, over gables and roofs with keen and cutting swiftness. The three high-born daughters were lying in bed because of the cold, and their father crouching beneath his leather coverlet. Nothing toeat, nothing to burn, no fire on the hearth! Here was a life for high-born people! 'Give it up, give it up!' But my LordDaa would not do that.

'After winter, spring will come,' he said, 'after want, good times. We must not lose patience, we must learn towait. Now my horses and lands are all mortgaged, it is indeed high time; but gold will come at last-at Easter.'
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