Free Moominland Midwinter by Tove Jansson Page A

hill.
    'Sitting here, are you, little doggie?' said the Hemulen. 'Have you waited long for me?'
    'No,' said Sorry-oo truthfully.
    'There'll be a fine crust on the snow tonight,' said the Hemulen happily. 'And when we're up on the Lonely Mountains we'll share the nice warm milk I have in my thermos.'
    The Hemulen shuffled on, without looking over his shoulder.
    Sorry-oo padded after him. It seemed much the best thing he could do.

CHAPTER 6
The first of spring
    T HE first spring blizzard had brought change and unrest to the valley. The guests became more homesick than ever. One after the other they started back, usually in the night when the snow-crust made walking easy. A few of them had made themselves a pair of skis, and everyone carried at least one little jam-jar with him. The last ones to go shared the cranberry-jar.
    As the last of the guests walked off over the bridge, the jam-cellar was completely empty.
    'Now it's only we again,' said Too-ticky. 'You and me and Little My. All the mysterious ones have hidden away until next winter.'
    'I never saw him with the silver horns a second time,' said Moomintroll. 'Nor those spindle-shanked little ones that came skidding over the ice. Nor the black one who flew over the bonfire and had such large eyes.'
    'They were all winter people,' said Too-ticky. 'Can't you feel that spring's coming?'
    Moomintroll shook his head. 'It's too early still. I don't recognize it,' he said.
    But Too-ticky turned her red cap inside out, and the inside turned out to be a pale blue. 'I always do this when I feel spring in my nose,' she said. Then she seated herself on the lid of the well and sang:
    I am Too-ticky
    And my cap's turned inside out!
    I am Too-ticky
    Catching warm winds in my nose!
    Great blizzards are drawing near!
    Great avalanches roar!
    The great earth revolves
    And everything is changed these days
    Including people's winter woollens.
    One evening when Moomintroll was on his way home from the bathing-house he stopped on the path and pricked his ears.
    It was a cloudy, warm night, full of movement. The trees had long since shaken off their snow, and he could hear them tossing their branches in the dark.
    Far away from the south came a strong gust of wind. He could hear it soughing along through the wood and passing him on its way across the valley.
    A little shower of water drops fell from the trees into the darkening snow, and Moomintroll lifted his snout to sniff.
    That could have been a faint whiff of bare earth, indeed. He continued on his way and knew that Too-ticky had been right. Spring was really on its way.
    For the first time in many weeks Moomintroll went and looked carefully at his sleeping Pappa and Mamma. He also held the lamp over the Snork Maiden and regarded her musingly. Her fringe fluff had a nice gleam in the lamplight. She was very sweet. As soon as she awoke she would rush to the cupboard and look for her green spring hat.

    Moomintroll set the lamp on the mantelpiece and looked around him at the drawing-room. It was a horrid sight indeed. Most of the things had been given away, borrowed or simply taken by some thoughtless guest.
    The remaining things were in an indescribable jumble. Unwashed dishes were piled high on the kitchen sink. The central-heating fire in the cellar would soon go out, as there was no more peat. The jam-cellar was empty. And a window-pane was broken.
    Moomintroll pondered. He could hear the wet snow starting to slide down along the roof above him. It landed with a big thump, and suddenly he could see a piece of the clouded night sky through the upper part of the south window.
    Moomintroll went to the main door and felt it. Didn't it give, ever so little? He dug his hind paws in the carpet and applied all his muscle.
    Slowly, very slowly the door opened, pushing a large mass of snow outwards before it.
    Moomintroll didn't give up until the door stood wide open against the night.
    Now the strong wind blew straight into the drawing-room. It