She had hung a cloak over her shoulders so that none should see who she
was; but as ill-luck would have it, she had forgotten to cover her tail.
It dragged along the paving stones.
Kevenhüller saw the tail; he was sorry that a noble lady should make
herself the laughing-stock of the town; so he bowed and said courteously:—
“Would it not please your Grace to lift your train?”
The wood-nymph was touched, not only by his kindness, but by his
politeness. She stopped before him and looked at him, so that he thought
that shining sparks passed from her eyes into his brain. “Kevenhüller,”
she said, “hereafter you shall be able with your two hands to execute
whatever work you will, but only one of each kind.”
She said it and she could keep her word. For who does not know that the
wood-nymph has the power to give genius and wonderful powers to those who
win her favor?
Kevenhüller remained in Karlstad and hired a workshop there. He hammered
and worked night and day. In a week he had made a wonder. It was a
carriage, which went by itself. It went up hill and down hill, went fast
or slow, could be steered and turned, be stopped and started, as one
wished.
Kevenhüller became famous. He was so proud of his carriage that he
journeyed up to Stockholm to show it to the king. He did not need to wait
for post-horses nor to scold ostlers. He proudly rode in his own carriage
and was there in a few hours.
He rode right up to the palace, and the king came out with his court
ladies and gentlemen and looked at him. They could not praise him enough.
The king then said: “You might give me that carriage, Kevenhüller.” And
although he answered no, the king persisted and wished to have the
carriage.
Then Kevenhüller saw that in the king’s train stood a court lady with
light hair and a green dress. He recognized her, and he understood that
it was she who had advised the king to ask him for his carriage. He was
in despair. He could not bear that another should have his carriage, nor
did he dare to say no to the king. Therefore he drove it with such speed
against the palace wall that it was broken into a thousand pieces.
When he came home to Karlstad he tried to make another carriage. But he
could not. Then he was dismayed at the gift the wood-nymph had given him.
He had left the life of ease at his father’s castle to be a benefactor to
many, not to make wonders which only one could use. What good was it to
him to be a great master, yes, the greatest of all masters, if he could
not duplicate his marvels so that they were of use to thousands.
And he so longed for quiet, sensible work that he became a stone-cutter
and mason. It was then he built the great stone tower down by the west
bridge, and he meant to build walls and portals and courtyards, ramparts
and turrets, so that a veritable castle should stand by the Klar River.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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