DOI Artikel:
Sharp, Evelyn: The Restless River
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.25498#0178
The Restless River
*74
suddenly, the Sluggish Brook became a swift, rushing torrent,
that tossed the tiny bundle from side to side, and carried it swiftly
out of sight; and the water sighed and trembled, and grew into a
wide and passionate river that swirled along, in the wake of the
woodcutter’s daughter. The woodcutter himself was no longer
to be seen, but no one had noticed his departure, for the crowd of
Nonamiacs were all stupefied at the change that had come over
the Sluggish Brook. They had never seen anything like it before,
and that in itself was quite enough to stupefy a Nonamiac.
The Queen, as usual, was the first to recover.
“ That is done,” she said, cheerfully. “ And my son shall marry
a princess.”
But she knew, as well as every one present, that the Sluggish
Brook had become the Restless River.
For sixteen years, the Prince of Nonamia was never allowed to
go beyond the palace garden. And, as the whole court was for-
bidden, under pain of instant extermination, to mention the cir-
cumstances of his christening, there seemed very little probability
of his ever discovering the fate that had been predicted for him.
To make this still more certain, he was not even taught to read
or write, and he grew up in a state of ignorance that would have
shamed the poorest person in Nonamia. But the Prince of
Nonamia did not know the meaning of shame, for he had never
had any companions ; and the courtiers tolerated him, as ordinary
people tolerate something that is strange and incomprehensible.
For, to the Nonamiacs, there was something extremely weird in
the grave and silent youth, who knew nothing of life and the
world, and only cared for being in the open air. He would sit
for hours, in the most secluded part of the garden, and dream the
daylight away ; he never asked why the garden walls were so
high, nor how the world contained so few people, nor whether
there
*74
suddenly, the Sluggish Brook became a swift, rushing torrent,
that tossed the tiny bundle from side to side, and carried it swiftly
out of sight; and the water sighed and trembled, and grew into a
wide and passionate river that swirled along, in the wake of the
woodcutter’s daughter. The woodcutter himself was no longer
to be seen, but no one had noticed his departure, for the crowd of
Nonamiacs were all stupefied at the change that had come over
the Sluggish Brook. They had never seen anything like it before,
and that in itself was quite enough to stupefy a Nonamiac.
The Queen, as usual, was the first to recover.
“ That is done,” she said, cheerfully. “ And my son shall marry
a princess.”
But she knew, as well as every one present, that the Sluggish
Brook had become the Restless River.
For sixteen years, the Prince of Nonamia was never allowed to
go beyond the palace garden. And, as the whole court was for-
bidden, under pain of instant extermination, to mention the cir-
cumstances of his christening, there seemed very little probability
of his ever discovering the fate that had been predicted for him.
To make this still more certain, he was not even taught to read
or write, and he grew up in a state of ignorance that would have
shamed the poorest person in Nonamia. But the Prince of
Nonamia did not know the meaning of shame, for he had never
had any companions ; and the courtiers tolerated him, as ordinary
people tolerate something that is strange and incomprehensible.
For, to the Nonamiacs, there was something extremely weird in
the grave and silent youth, who knew nothing of life and the
world, and only cared for being in the open air. He would sit
for hours, in the most secluded part of the garden, and dream the
daylight away ; he never asked why the garden walls were so
high, nor how the world contained so few people, nor whether
there