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."

Naturally the good woman was very much surprised, and could not
refrain from exclaiming repeatedly, "What will Rico do with it? What
will Rico say to this?" Presently she noticed, however, that the
schoolmaster seemed a little restless, as if he were in a hurry to
have the thing done.

So she left him, and hastened as quickly as possible across the fields
with the gift under her arm; for she was also impatient to know how Rico
would take this rare piece of good fortune.