at slagelse, andersen was taught by the short, fat, balding thirty-five-year-old simon meisling. this man was interested in ancient greece and rome, and had translated virgil's "aeneid". andersen was not the brightest student in his class, and meisling gave andersen his sharp disapproval. "you're a stupid boy who will never make it," meisling told him. meisling is believed to be the model for the learned mole in "thumbelina".