And he thought that, if it were to go very cheap, perhaps
Rico could buy it. Presently he bethought himself that if he could not
use the violin, neither would he have any use for money. For all that,
he could not bring himself to let the instrument, for which he had paid
down six hard gulden, go for nothing.
So he pondered and pondered how he could manage to obtain something in
exchange; but at last it was quite clear to him that there, where he was
fast going, he could not take his violin with him, neither could he take
any thing that he might get for it, for all must remain behind.
While he was lying there the fever became greater and greater, and he
lay, towards evening and all night long, fighting with all sorts of
strange thoughts, and old, long-forgotten events rose before his mind
and perplexed him; so that at last, towards morning, he lay on his bed
utterly exhausted, and with only one thought or wish,--viz., to be able
to do one kind deed, one good action, and that quickly, before it was
too late. He knocked against the wall with his stick until the old
maid-servant heard him and came in to him; and then he sent her over to
the grandmother, to ask her to come to him as quickly as possible.
She did come almost immediately; and before she had fairly time to ask
him how he found himself, he said,--
"Will you be so good as to take down the fiddle that hangs there on the
wall, and give it to the little orphan boy? I wish to make him a present
of it, and he must be very careful of it.
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