Mr. Hahn had availed himself of the absence of his son to beautify
his grounds. His garden ran in a point to the park, and he had
bethought him much how this corner might be turned to good account;
for the little mound which he had thrown up there, and planted with
roses, seemed unsatisfactory. He determined, therefore, to erect a
weather-proof summerhouse for such visitors as were not inclined in
bad weather to retire to the residence. Everything had been wisely
considered before the departure of his son. The following day he caused
a slender wooden structure to be erected, with small windows toward the
street, and above, instead of a roof, a platform with airy benches, the
laths of which projected boldly over the wooden walls and garden
palings out into the street. Everything seemed favorable. But when Mr.
Hahn, with hearty satisfaction, led his wife up the small side steps on
to the platform, and the plump lady, not anticipating anything wrong,
sat down on the airy bench, and from thence looked with admiration on
the world beneath her, it was soon discovered that the passers-by in
the street had to go directly under her, and the sky above was darkened
to whoever passed along the fence by the plumage of the great bird
that, perched on her high nest, sat with her back turned to the street.
Before a quarter of an hour had passed, accordingly, such sharp remarks
were heard that the inoffensive Mrs. Hahn was on the point of weeping,
and declared to her lord, with unwonted energy, that she would never
again allow herself to be treated as a hen, or ascend the platform any
more. The family frame of mind was not improved either by the part that
Mr. Hummel had taken, for he had stood by the fence of his neighbor's
garden during this exhibition of Mrs. Hahn, and had laughed at the vile
speeches of the passers-by.
Mr. Hahn, however, after a short struggle between pride and discretion,
listened to the voice of his better self, removed the benches and the
platform, and erected over the summer-house a beautiful Chinese roof;
and on the projections of this roof he hung small bells, which sounded
softly when the wind rose. This idea would have been a decided
improvement; but, alas! the wickedness of man gave no rest to this work
of art for the urchins in the street diverted themselves by continually
keeping the bells in movement by means of long switches. On the first
night, therefore, the neighborhood was awakened from its slumbers by a
concert of many bells. That night Mr. Hahn dreamed that winter was
come, and that a merry party of sleighs were passing round his house;
he listened, and indignantly discovered that his own bells had been set
in motion. He hastened into the garden in his nightdress, and called
out, angrily:
"Who is there?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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