Chapter 10 beautiful garden

The next day, the geese flew north over Somland province.The boy rode on the back of the goose and looked down at the scenery below. As he thought about it, he felt that the scenery here was different from the place he had seen earlier.In this province, there is no vast wilderness like Scone and East Yattland, nor a continuous forest area like Småland, but a patchwork and disorder. "This place seems to be a place where a big lake, a big river, a big forest, and a big mountain are all chopped into pieces, and then mixed up, and just spread out on the ground in such a mess." The boy thought this way, because all he saw was Little canyons, little lakes, little hills and little jungles.Nothing is laid out in a decent way.As long as any plain is a little more open, there will be a hill blocking its way.If a hill were to meander and extend into a mountain range, it would be truncated and smoothed by the plain.As soon as a lake spreads out, it becomes a narrow river, and as soon as the river flows not too far, it opens up again and becomes a small lake.The geese flew so close to the shore that the boy could see the sea at a glance.He saw that even the sea was not able to spread out the vast sea, but was divided into a mess by many islands, each of which was surrounded by the sea without any growth.The scenery on the ground is confusing and unpredictable, with coniferous forests and broad-leaved forests; swamps next to cultivated land; noble manors next to farmhouses.

There was no one in front of the house, no one was working in the fields, but the roads and paths were full of people.They came out of the farmhouse in Colmorton Bush, dressed in black, carrying books and handkerchiefs. "Well, today is probably Sunday." Thinking the boy, he rode on the back of the goose and watched the churchgoers with interest.In two or three places he saw newlyweds driving to the church to get married, surrounded by a large crowd; walk.He saw the magnificent carriages of the nobles, the carts of the peasants, and the boats on the lake, all heading towards the church.

The boy flew on the back of the goose over Birke's Bay church, over Bethnai, Braxtad, and Wadsbridge, and on to Schedinger and Floda.Along the way, the bells of churches rang continuously, and the bells rang through the sky. "Well, it seems that there is one thing that I can be sure of," thought the boy, "and that is that I can hear the ringing bell wherever I go in this land." Once he was lifted up, his heart became more at ease, because although he was living a life in another world now, as long as the church bell called him back with its sonorous voice, he would not lose his way.

They had flown a long way into Thomland when suddenly the boy saw a black spot on the ground chasing their shadows.At first he thought it was a dog, and if it wasn't for the black spot that kept following him closely, he wouldn't have paid attention to him.The speck hurried across the open, through the woods, over the ditches, over the farm walls, with every intention of letting anything stand in his way. "It looks like Fox Smeal is coming after me again," said the boy, "but anyway, we're flying fast, and we'll soon be leaving him behind." After hearing these words, the wild geese flew at top speed with all their strength, and did not slow down as long as the fox was within sight.When the foxes could no longer see them, the geese turned abruptly and made a sharp turn toward the southwest, almost as if they were going back to East Yattland. "Anyway, it must be Smeer the Fox," thought the boy, "because even Akka changed direction by detour and took another route."

Towards evening that day, geese flew over an old estate called Great Yule in the province of Thomland.Surrounded by lush trees and surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, this majestic tall residence is surrounded by lush greenery.In front of the house is Big Yule Lake, with many headlands and rolling hills on the shore.The appearance of this manor is simple and solemn, which is fascinating.The boy sighed as he flew over the estate, and wondered what it was like to spend the night in such a place, after the fatigue of a day's flight, instead of perching on wet swamps or ice floes. .

But this is just an unattainable idea.The wild geese did not land on that manor, but landed on a forest meadow to the north of the manor.The ground there is full of stagnant water, and only two or three grass mounds are exposed on the water.It was almost the worst place for a boy to spend the night on this long journey. He sat on the gander's back for a while, not knowing what to do.Then he hopped and skipped from one grass mound to another until he reached firm ground, and ran in the direction of the old manor house. A few people happened to be sitting around the fire talking that night at a sharecropper's cottage on the Big Yule Isle estate.They talked about everything, about the sermons in the church, the work in the fields in the spring, the weather, and so on.At the end when there was silence for nothing more to talk about, the sharecropper's old mother began to tell ghost stories.

You know, there is nowhere in this country where there are so many great estates and ghost stories as Thomland.The old woman had worked as a maid in many big families when she was young, and she had seen many strange things, so she could talk endlessly from night to dawn.She spoke so vividly and vividly that everyone listened so engrossed that they almost thought that what she was telling were true stories.As she was talking, she stopped talking suddenly and asked everyone if they heard the rustling sound, so everyone shivered in fright. "Didn't you really hear anything? Something was turning around in the room." She said strangely.However, everyone heard nothing.

Granny told tales of Eriksberg, Vibholm, Urieta and Lagman and many other places in one breath.Someone asked if they had heard of such strange things happening on Big Yule. "Oh, yes, not at all," said the old woman.Everyone immediately wanted to hear what strange things had happened on their own estate. So the old lady spoke up.She said there used to be a mansion on a hillside on the north side of Big Yule.The hillside is covered with towering old trees, and in front of the mansion is a very beautiful garden.At that time there was a man named Mr. Karl who was in charge of the province of Thomland. He came here once and lived in the mansion.When he had eaten and drank well, he went into the garden, and stood there a long time, looking at the lake and mountains around Great Yule Isle and its beautiful shores.He was so relaxed and happy, thinking how could such a beautiful scenery be seen in other places except Semland. At this moment, he heard a deep sigh from someone behind him. Looking back, it was a superior An elderly day laborer is standing with his hands leaning on a shovel. "It's you who sigh here?" asked Mr. Carl. "Why are you sighing?"

"How can I not sigh when I work so hard here day and night?" replied the hireling. Mr. Carl has a bad temper and doesn't like to hear the complaints from his subordinates. "Well, if I could just come to Thomland and dig the land as long as I live, I'd be content." "Then I hope your lord will have your wish," replied the hireling. However, it was later said that it was because of this wish that Mr. Carr died and was buried in the earth without peace, and that he would appear every night as a ghost, go to Big Yule, and wave a shovel in his garden. Digging.Yes, the mansion is long gone now, and neither is the garden.Where there used to be the garden of the mansion, it is now a hillside covered with forests, and it is usually the same as anywhere else.But if someone walks through the forest in the dark of night, if he happens to be able to see the garden.

The old grandma stopped talking at this point, and aimed her eyes at a dark corner of the house. "Isn't there something moving over there?" she asked, fussing. "Oh, that's not right, mother, just go ahead!" said the daughter-in-law. "I saw yesterday that a mouse had made a big hole in that corner. I had so much to do that I forgot to plug it up." Come on. Tell me if anyone has seen that garden." "Well, I'll tell you," said the old woman, "my own father saw it once. Walking through the woods one summer night, he saw a high garden wall beside him, and Looking from the wall, you can still vaguely see many of the most precious trees. The flowers and fruits on those trees hang down the branches to the outside of the wall. My father walked over slowly, wanting to see where the garden came from. Just then, suddenly a gate in the fence was thrown open, and a gardener came out and asked him if he would like to see his garden. The man was like the other gardeners, wearing a big apron and holding a large A shovel. Father was just about to follow him in when he glanced at the gardener's face. Father recognized the lock of curly hair fluffing on his forehead and the goatee. It was none other than Mr. Karl, Because my father used to see his portrait hanging in every house in the big estates where he was employed..."

At this point the conversation stopped again.It was because a log crackled in the fire, and the flames shot up high, and sparks flew to the floor.In an instant, all the corners of the room were illuminated.The old woman seemed to think that she saw the shadow of a little man beside the mouse hole. He was sitting there absorbed in listening to the story, and then dodged away in panic for a moment. The daughter-in-law picked up the broom and shovel, cleaned up the charcoal fragments on the ground, and sat down again. "Go on, mother," she begged.But the old lady didn't want to. "That's all for tonight," she said, her voice changing a little.Others wanted to hear it, but the daughter-in-law could tell that the old woman's face was pale and her hands were trembling. "Forget it, mom is too tired and must go to bed." She made a relief. After a while the boy went back into the forest to look for the geese.As he walked, he gnawed at a carrot he found outside the cellar.It seemed to him that he had just had a good supper, and was content to sit for hours in the warmth of the cabin. "It would be nice to have a nice place to spend the night," he thought desperately. He suddenly had an idea, thinking that the spruce tree with luxuriant branches beside the road would not be a very good place to sleep.So he climbed up and made a bed out of tiny branches, so that he could sleep. As he lay there he thought of the story he had heard in the cabin, and especially of Mr. Carl, the ghost that roamed the woods of Great Yule, but he soon fell asleep.He could have slept through the night if not for a large iron door that creaked open and close beneath him. The boy woke up immediately. He rubbed his eyes to make the drowsiness go away, then looked around.Beside him, there is a wall that is one person high, and the fruit trees that have been bent by the heavy fruits are faintly exposed on the wall. At first, he was only surprised, only inconceivable, just before he went to sleep, there were no fruit trees here.But after a while, he remembered, and realized what kind of garden it was. The strangest thing, perhaps, was that he felt no fear at all, but an indescribably strong interest prompted him to walk in the garden.It was dark and cold on the side of the fir tree where he lay, but it was bright in the garden, and he saw the fruit on the tree and the roses on the ground burn like flames in the hot sun.He has weathered the wind and rain, wandered in the severe cold and thunderstorms for so long, and it would be nice to be able to enjoy a little bit of summer warmth. Getting into this garden doesn't look difficult at all.There was a gate in the high wall next to the cedar tree where the boy slept.A very old gardener had just opened the two iron gates, stood at the gate and looked towards the forest, as if waiting for someone to come. The boy climbed down from the tree in one go.He took his pointed hat in his hand, went forward to the gardener, bowed, and asked if he could walk in the garden. "Well, you can go in," said the gardener in a rough tone, "you just go in!" He closed the iron gate tightly, locked it with a heavy key, and hung the key on his belt.All this time the boy stood watching him carefully.He had a dull, expressionless face, a bushy mustache, a pointed goatee, and a pointed nose. If he hadn't been wearing a big blue apron and holding a shovel, a boy would surely Think of him as a very old guard. The gardener strode into the garden, and the boy had to run to keep up with him.They walked up a narrow path, and the boy was so crowded that he stepped on the edge of the lawn, so the gardener immediately reprimanded him, ordering that the grass not be trampled down, and the boy had to run behind the gardener. The boy sensed that the gardener seemed to be thinking that it would be too condescending and demeaning to show a little guy like himself to see the garden.So the boy didn't even dare to ask a question, but just kept running behind the gardener.Sometimes the gardener said a word or two to him without looking back.When they had just entered a row of dense hedgerows not far from the wall, the gardener said he called this row of hedgerows the Great Colmorton Forest, as they passed. "Yes, the bush is so big that it deserves its name," answered the boy, but the gardener paid no attention to what he was saying. After they walked through the bushes, the boy could see most of the garden as far as he could see.He saw at once that the garden was not very large, only a few acres, surrounded by the high wall on the south and west, and facing the water and lake on the north and east, so that no wall was necessary. The gardener stopped to tie up a stalk, and the boy had time to look around.He hasn't seen many gardens since he was a child, but he thinks this garden is unique and different.Its layout is old-fashioned, because in such a tight and narrow place, there are always many low mounds, small and exquisite flower beds, short hedgerows, small lawns and small gazebos piled up all over the place. Uncommon.In addition, the small ponds and small meandering ditches that can be seen everywhere here are not seen elsewhere. There are lush and famous trees and beautiful flowers everywhere.The green water in the small ditch is full of sparkling water.The boy felt as if he had entered heaven.He couldn't help clapping his hands, and shouted: "I have never seen such a beautiful place! What kind of garden is this!" He shouted loudly, and the gardener turned around immediately and said in a frosty tone: "It's called Thomland Garden. What's the matter with you, you are so ignorant? This garden has always been called the most beautiful garden in the country." Beautiful garden." The boy thought for a moment after hearing the answer, but he had too many things to look at, and it was too late to figure out the meaning of this sentence.All kinds of exotic flowers and plants, and the clear and clear streams that turn back and forth make this place so beautiful.There were, however, a number of other things that kept the boys more entertained.That is, the garden is dotted with many small and exquisite gazebos and toy huts.They abound, especially near small ponds and ditches.They are not really houses for people to rest, but are so small that they seem to be specially built for people of his size, but they are unimaginably exquisite and beautiful, and the architectural styles are also ingenious and magnificent.Some have towering spires and side houses like palaces, others look like churches, and others are mills and farmhouses. The little houses were so beautiful that the boy really wanted to stop and look at them carefully, but he didn't have the guts to do so, so he followed the gardener closely without stopping.After walking for a short time, they came to a mansion, that mansion was majestic, majestic and magnificent, far better than any one they had just seen.The mansion is three stories high, with a gable barrier in front of the house, surrounded by partial houses on both sides.It is condescending, located in the middle of a mound, surrounded by large grasslands with verdant flowers and trees.On the road leading to this mansion, the stream twists and turns seven times and eight times, and beautiful bridges cross the flowing water, forming an interesting contrast. The boy didn't dare to do other things, so he had to follow the gardener's heels. He walked through so many beautiful places, but he couldn't stop to browse and watch, so he couldn't help but sighed heavily.The stern gardener stopped when he heard it. "I call this house Alex's Hill," he said, "and if you want to see it, you may go in. But be careful not to annoy Mrs. Pintoba!" As soon as the words fell, the boy ran straight over there like a runaway horse.He walked through the tree-lined passage, walked over those lovely little bridges, stepped on the flower-studded meadow, and entered the gate of the house.Everything there is perfect for a man of his size.The steps are neither too high nor too low.The height of the door locks is also very moderate, and he can reach and open each door lock.If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that he could see so many magnificent and precious things.The waxed oak floors are shiny and striped.The whitewashed plaster ceiling is carved with colorful patterns.There are paintings on all four walls.The tables and chairs in the house are all gilded legs and silk lining.He saw in some rooms shelves and cabinets full of books, in another room full of shining jewels on tables and in cabinets. No matter how hard he ran, he still didn't even have time to see half of the house.When he came out, the gardener was already impatiently biting the tip of his beard. "Well, how is it?" asked the gardener. "Have you seen Mrs. Pintoba?" But the boy never saw a living person.When he answered this, the gardener's face was contorted with anger. "Oh, even Mrs. Pintoba can rest, but I can't!" he roared.The boy had never imagined that a man's voice could make such a trembling cry of despair. Then the gardener strode ahead again, and the boy ran after, trying to see as much of the wonder as possible.They walked along a pond that was slightly larger than the others.Among the bushes and flowers, white pavilions and pavilions like the abode of the noble manor appeared everywhere. The gardener did not stop, but occasionally said a word to the boy without turning his head. "I call this pond Ing Allen Lake, and that's Danbyholm, that's Hagbebe, that's Hoofstadt, that's Ogle Isle." The gardener took several strides and came to a small pond, which he called Bowen Lake. The boy couldn't help but let out an admiration, and the gardener stopped in his tracks.The boy stood dazed in front of a small bridge that led to a mansion on an island in the middle of the pond. "If you're interested, you can go to Danbyholm's mansion for a visit," he said, "but be careful of the white goddess!" The boy immediately walked in as he was told.There were so many portraits on the walls that it seemed to him like a big picture book.He lingered there, wishing he could look at the pictures all night long.But not long after, he heard the gardener calling him. "Come out! Come out!" he cried. "I can't just wait here for you. I have other things to do! You poor wretch." As soon as the boy ran to the bridge, the gardener called to him, "Well, how are you? Have you seen the goddess in white?" The boy didn't even see a living person, so he told the truth.Unexpectedly, the old gardener thrust the shovel into a rock hard, and the rock was split in two. He also roared in a deep and desperate voice: "Even the goddess in white can rest, but I can't sleep." cannot!" Up until now they had been roaming on the south side of the garden, and the gardener was now heading west.The layout here is unique, the land is well-trimmed, and large lawns are connected, interspersed with strawberry and cabbage fields and gooseberry bushes.There were little gazebos and dollhouses, too, but they were painted an ocher red, so they looked more like farmhouses, and had hops and cherry trees in front and back. The gardener stood there for a moment, and said to the boy, "I call this place the Grape Field." Then he pointed to a house that was much simpler than the others and looked like a blacksmith's shop. "It's a big workshop for farm implements," he said. "I call it Esgostona. If you're interested, go in and have a look." The boy went in and took a look, but saw many wheels rolling, many hammers hammering and forging, and many lathes cutting rapidly.There are also many things worth seeing.He could have stayed there all night if the gardener hadn't kept urging him. Then they walked along a lake towards the north of the garden.The lake shore is winding and winding, with promontories and bays interspersed with each other. The whole garden side of the lake is full of promontories and bays. Outside the promontories are many small islands separated from the land by a narrow water gap.Those islands belonged to gardens too, and were as carefully planted with exotic flowers and plants as elsewhere. The boy walked through many scenic spots, but he couldn't stop and look at them carefully. He didn't stop until he reached the door of a very imposing ocher red church.The church is situated on a promontory, surrounded by shade and fruitful.The gardener still wanted to go ahead, but the boy boldly begged to go in and have a look. "Well, yes, go in," he answered, "but watch out for Bishop Roger! He's still wandering about the Strohners." The boy ran into the church and looked at the ancient tombstones and the fine altar and shrine.In particular, he admired a gilded statue of a knight in armor and armor in the side room of the vestibule.There was so much to see here, too, that he might have stayed all night, but he had to hurry and leave before the gardener had to wait too long. When he came out, he saw the gardener watching an owl in the sky.The owl was chasing a redstart.The old gardener whistled to the redstart a few times, and the redstart sat on his shoulder obediently. When the owl came after him, the gardener drove it away with a shovel. "He's not as dangerous and frightening as he looks," thought the boy, as he watched the gardener lovingly guard the poor bird. As soon as the gardener saw the boy, he asked him if he had seen Bishop Roger.The boy replied no, and the gardener bellowed with grief, "Even Bishop Roger rests, but I can't." Soon afterward they came to the most striking of the playhouses.It was a brick castle, with three dignified and stable round towers towering above the castle, and they were connected by a row of long houses. "If you are interested, you might as well go in and have a look!" The gardener ordered, "This is the palace of Gripsholm. Be careful when you meet King Eric." The boy walked through the deep arched doorway and came to a triangular courtyard surrounded by bungalows.The bungalows were not very luxurious, and the boy didn't care to look closely. He just jumped over the long cannons placed there like a pommel horse, and then ran forward.He passed again through a deep arched doorway, and came into an inner courtyard of the castle surrounded by fine and splendid houses, and entered.He came to a large antique room with cross-carved beams on the ceiling, tall and large oil paintings that were already dull and dark in color were hung on the surrounding walls. . On the second floor, he saw a room that was brighter and more colorful.Only then did he realize that he had indeed entered a royal palace, and the walls were covered with portraits of kings and queens.One floor up is a spacious penthouse surrounded by rooms of various uses.Some rooms have light colors and fine white furniture.There is also a small theatre, but adjoining is a veritable cell: nothing but bare walls, a door with a thick iron grate, and a floor worn uneven by the heavy footsteps of the prisoners. uneven. There are so many treasures worth seeing there that one can't finish them for days and nights, but the gardener has been urging him repeatedly, so the boy had no choice but to come out disgruntled. "Have you ever seen King Erik?" asked the gardener, as the boy came out.The boy said that no one saw it, and the old gardener yelled in despair just like before: "Even King Eric has gone to rest, but I can't." They came again to the east of the garden, and passed a bath, which the gardener called Seidtelieu, and an ancient royal palace which he named Horningholm.There is not much to see there, there are rocks, strange rocks and coral islands everywhere, and the more remote the place, the more desolate it seems. They turned and walked south again, and the boy recognized the row of hedgerows called Colmerton Great Forest, and knew they were almost at the door. He was elated by what he saw.As he approached the gate he was tempted to thank the gardener.But the old gardener didn't listen to him at all, but just walked towards the gate.At the door, he turned and handed the shovel to the boy. "Well," he ordered, "here, I'll go and unlock the gate." But the boy felt that he had caused so much trouble to the stern old man, and he felt really sorry, so he wanted to stop making him work harder. "There's no need to open this heavy iron gate for me," he said, slipping sideways through the cracks in the iron bars, which was effortless for a little man like himself. He did this out of the best of intentions, but the gardener roared furiously behind him, stamped his feet on the ground, and shook the iron gate violently with both hands. "What's the matter, what's the matter?" asked the boy inexplicably, "I just want to save you some effort, Mr. Gardener, why are you so annoyed?" "Of course I'm going to be annoyed," said the old man. "You have nothing to do but take my shovel, and then you'll have to stay here and tend the garden, and I'll be free. Now I don't know How long are you going to stay here?" He stood there shaking the iron gate desperately, apparently already extremely furious.The boy couldn't help feeling compassionate and wanted to comfort him. "You needn't be sorry for that, Mr. Karl of Thomland," said the boy, "no one can take care of this garden more carefully than you!" After the boy said this, the old gardener suddenly calmed down and remained silent.The boy also saw that his livid and dull face suddenly brightened, but the boy couldn't see it clearly, because the whole figure of the gardener suddenly became blurred, and gradually turned into a puff of smoke and drifted away.Not only that, but the entire garden also faded away, turning into smoke and disappearing.Flowers, vegetation, fruits and sunlight have all disappeared, leaving only a desolate and barren forest land.