Bertie Plays The Blues by Alexander McCall Smith

Author:Alexander McCall Smith [Smith, Alexander McCall]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General
ISBN: 9781405511230
Google: 5iisAgAYh5EC
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2011-08-04T18:09:24+00:00

41. I Am Come from Copenhagen

Anna, the Danish au pair promised to Matthew and Elspeth by the helpful firm of Domestic Solutions, arrived from Copenhagen rather earlier than expected. Even so, her arrival was not a moment too soon; Elspeth, suffering from chronic sleep-deprivation, was awake to receive her, but only just. Matthew had not slept at all the previous evening and although Elspeth had managed an hour or two, this had been snatched at odd moments and had not come in one sequence. The two of them felt dizzy with fatigue and barely had the energy to answer the door when the bell went; in fact, Matthew nodded off even as the bell rang and it was Elspeth who went, and found herself faced with a fresh-faced young woman with a large rucksack on her back.

“My name is Anna,” said the young woman. “And I am come from Copenhagen to help you.”

It was an extraordinary introduction, and even in her drowsy state Elspeth was struck by its sheer poetry. I am come from Copenhagen to help you – not I have come but I am come. The archaic form was undoubtedly accidental, thought Elspeth, wondering whether Danish used the auxiliary verb to be to achieve the past tense of verbs of motion, as French did. And yet the effect in English was a fine one. I am come from Copenhagen to help you had such a strong ring to it; it was the sort of thing that an angel might say to some helpless mortal as he gazed up at great wings and strong arms. An angel cannot simply say hello, or, worse still, hi; nor can he reveal himself as emergency services; I am come to help you is altogether more appropriate.

Angel, thought Elspeth as she stood at the doorstep and stared at the young Dane before her. You angel!

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