again, and brought the dish of jam and the great lump of butter, he liked the
huckster best of all.
Soon after, in the middle of the night, the goblin was awoke by a terrible
noise and knocking against the window shutters and the house doors, and
by the sound of the watchman’s horn; for a great fire had broken out, and
the whole street appeared full of flames. Was it in their house, or a
neighbor’s? No one could tell, for terror had seized upon all. The huckster’s
wife was so bewildered that she took her gold ear-rings out of her ears and
put them in her pocket, that she might save something at least. The huckster
ran to get his business papers, and the servant resolved to save her blue silk
mantle, which she had managed to buy. Each wished to keep the best things
they had. The goblin had the same wish; for, with one spring, he was up
stairs and in the student’s room, whom he found standing by the open
window, and looking quite calmly at the fire, which was raging at the house
of a neighbor opposite. The goblin caught up the wonderful book which lay
on the table, and popped it into his red cap, which he held tightly with both
hands. The greatest treasure in the house was saved; and he ran away with it
to the roof, and seated himself on the chimney. The flames of the burning
house opposite illuminated him as he sat, both hands pressed tightly over
his cap, in which the treasure lay; and then he found out what feelings really
reigned in his heart, and knew exactly which way they tended. And yet,
when the fire was extinguished, and the goblin again began to reflect, he
hesitated, and said at last, “I must divide myself between the two; I cannot
quite give up the huckster, because of the jam.”
And this is a representation of human nature. We are like the goblin; we
all go to visit the huckster “because of the jam.”
