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diff --git a/36483-8.txt b/36483-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 715dbe6..0000000 --- a/36483-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,19209 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, -Vol. I (of 2), by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Translated by Thomas Carlyle - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and Travels, Vol. I (of 2) - - -Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - - - -Release Date: June 20, 2011 [eBook #36483] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WILHELM MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP -AND TRAVELS, VOL. I (OF 2)*** - - -E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Jane Robins, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) - - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italice (=italics=). - - - - - -WILHELM MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAVELS. - -Translated from the German of GOETHE. - -by Thomas Carlyle. - -Complete in Two Volumes. - -VOLUME I. - - - - - - - -New York: -A. L. Burt, Publisher. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - PAGE - - BOOK I. 15 - - BOOK II. 74 - - BOOK III. 134 - - BOOK IV. 185 - - BOOK V. 254 - - BOOK VI. 320 - - BOOK VII. 372 - - - - -TO THE READER. - - -These two translations, "Meister's Apprenticeship" and "Meister's -Travels," have long been out of print, but never altogether out of -demand; nay, it would seem, the originally somewhat moderate demand has -gone on increasing, and continues to increase. They are, therefore, here -republished; and the one being in some sort a sequel to the other, -though in rather unexpected sort, they are now printed together. The -English version of "Meister's Travels" has been extracted, or -extricated, from a compilation of very various quality named "German -Romance," and placed by the side of the "Apprenticeship," its -forerunner, which, in the translated as in the original state, appeared -hitherto as a separate work. - -In the "Apprenticeship," the first of these translations, which was -executed some fifteen years ago, under questionable auspices, I have -made many little changes, but could not, unfortunately, change it into a -right translation; it hung, in many places, stiff and labored, too like -some unfortunate buckram cloak round the light, harmonious movement of -the original,--and, alas! still hangs so, here and there, and may now -hang. In the second translation, "Meister's Travels," two years later in -date, I have changed little or nothing. I might have added much; for the -original, since that time, was, as it were, taken to pieces by the -author himself in his last years, and constructed anew, and, in the -final edition of his works, appears with multifarious intercalations, -giving a great expansion, both of size and of scope. Not pedagogy only, -and husbandry and art and religion and human conduct in the nineteenth -century, but geology, astronomy, cotton-spinning, metallurgy, -anatomical lecturing, and much else, are typically shadowed forth in -this second form of the "Travels," which, however, continues a fragment -like the first, significantly pointing on all hands towards -infinitude,--not more complete than the first was, or indeed perhaps -less so. It will well reward the trustful student of Goethe to read this -new form of the "Travels," and see how in that great mind, beaming in -mildest mellow splendor, beaming if also trembling, like a great sun on -the verge of the horizon, near now to its long farewell, all these -things were illuminated and illustrated: but, for the mere English -reader, there are probably in our prior edition of the "Travels" already -novelties enough; for us, at all events, it seemed unadvisable to meddle -with it further at present. - -Goethe's position towards the English public is greatly altered since -these translations first made their appearance. Criticisms near the -mark, or farther from the mark, or even altogether far and away from any -mark,--of these there have been enough. These pass on their road: the -man and his works remain what they are and were,--more and more -recognizable for what they are. Few English readers can require now to -be apprised that these two books, named novels, come not under the -Minerva-Press category, nor the Ballantyne-Press category, nor any such -category; that the author is one whose secret, by no means worn upon his -sleeve, will never, by any ingenuity, be got at in that way. - -For a translator, in the present case, it is enough to reflect, that he -who imports into his own country any true delineation, a rationally -spoken word on any subject, has done well. Ours is a wide world, -peaceably admitting many different modes of speech. In our wide world, -there is but one altogether fatal personage,--the dunce,--he that speaks -_ir_rationally, that sees not, and yet thinks he sees. A genuine seer -and speaker, under what conditions soever, shall be welcome to us: has -he not _seen_ somewhat of great Nature our common mother's bringing -forth,--seen it, loved it, laid his heart open to it and to the mother -of it, so that he can now rationally speak it for us? He is our brother, -and a good, not a bad, man: his words are like gold, precious, -whether stamped in our mint, or in what mint soever stamped. - T. CARLYLE. - LONDON, November, 1839. - - - - -TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE - -TO THE - -FIRST EDITION OF MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP. - - -Whether it be that the quantity of genius among ourselves and the -French, and the number of works more lasting than brass produced by it, -have of late been so considerable as to make us independent of -additional supplies; or that, in our ancient aristocracy of intellect, -we disdain to be assisted by the Germans, whom, by a species of second -sight, we have discovered, before knowing any thing about them, to be a -tumid, dreaming, extravagant, insane race of mortals,--certain it is, -that hitherto our literary intercourse with that nation has been very -slight and precarious. After a brief period of not too judicious -cordiality, the acquaintance on our part was altogether dropped: nor, in -the few years since we partially resumed it, have our feelings of -affection or esteem been materially increased. Our translators are -unfortunate in their selection or execution, or the public is tasteless -and absurd in its demands; for, with scarcely more than one or two -exceptions, the best works of Germany have lain neglected, or worse than -neglected: and the Germans are yet utterly unknown to us. Kotzebue still -lives in our minds as the representative of a nation that despises him; -Schiller is chiefly known to us by the monstrous production of his -boyhood; and Klopstock by a hacked and mangled image of his "Messiah," -in which a beautiful poem is distorted into a theosophic rhapsody, and -the brother of Virgil and Racine ranks little higher than the author of -"Meditations among the Tombs." - -But of all these people there is none that has been more unjustly dealt -with than Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. For half a century the -admiration--we might almost say the idol--of his countrymen, to us he -is still a stranger. His name, long echoed and re-echoed through reviews -and magazines, has become familiar to our ears; but it is a sound and -nothing more: it excites no definite idea in almost any mind. To such as -know him by the faint and garbled version of his "Werther," Goethe -figures as a sort of poetic Heraclitus; some woe-begone hypochondriac, -whose eyes are overflowing with perpetual tears, whose long life has -been spent in melting into ecstasy at the sight of waterfalls and -clouds, and the moral sublime, or dissolving into hysterical wailings -over hapless love-stories, and the miseries of human life. They are not -aware that Goethe smiles at this performance of his youth, or that the -German Werther, with all his faults, is a very different person from his -English namesake; that his Sorrows are in the original recorded in a -tone of strength and sarcastic emphasis, of which the other offers no -vestige, and intermingled with touches of powerful thought, glimpses of -a philosophy deep as it is bitter, which our sagacious translator has -seen proper wholly to omit. Others, again, who have fallen in with -Retsch's "Outlines" and the extracts from "Faust," consider Goethe as a -wild mystic, a dealer in demonology and osteology, who draws attention -by the aid of skeletons and evil spirits, whose excellence it is to be -extravagant, whose chief aim it is to do what no one but himself has -tried. The tyro in German may tell us that the charm of "Faust" is -altogether unconnected with its preternatural import; that the work -delineates the fate of human enthusiasm struggling against doubts and -errors from within, against scepticism, contempt, and selfishness from -without; and that the witch-craft and magic, intended merely as a -shadowy frame for so complex and mysterious a picture of the moral world -and the human soul, are introduced for the purpose, not so much of being -trembled at as laughed at. The voice of the tyro is not listened to; our -indolence takes part with our ignorance; "Faust" continues to be called -a monster; and Goethe is regarded as a man of "some genius," which he -has perverted to produce all manner of misfashioned prodigies,--things -false, abortive, formless, Gorgons and hydras, and chimeras dire. - -Now, it must no doubt be granted, that, so long as our invaluable -constitution is preserved in its pristine purity, the British nation may -exist in a state of comparative prosperity with very inadequate ideas of -Goethe; but, at the same time, the present arrangement is an evil in -its kind,--slight, it is true, and easy to be borne, yet still more easy -to be remedied, and which, therefore, ought to have been remedied ere -now. Minds like Goethe's are the common property of all nations; and, -for many reasons, all should have correct impressions of them. - -It is partly with the view of doing something to supply this want, that -"Wilhelm Meister's Lehrjahre" is now presented to the English public. -Written in its author's forty-fifth year, embracing hints or -disquisitions on almost every leading point in life and literature, it -affords us a more distinct view of his matured genius, his manner of -thought, and favorite subjects, than any of his other works. Nor is it -Goethe alone whom it portrays: the prevailing taste of Germany is -likewise indicated by it. Since the year 1795, when it first appeared at -Berlin, numerous editions of "Meister" have been printed: critics of all -ranks, and some of them dissenting widely from its doctrines, have -loaded it with encomiums; its songs and poems are familiar to every -German ear; the people read it, and speak of it, with an admiration -approaching in many cases to enthusiasm. - -That it will be equally successful in England, I am far indeed from -anticipating. Apart from the above considerations,--from the curiosity, -intelligent or idle, which it may awaken,--the number of admiring, or -even approving, judges it will find can scarcely fail of being very -limited. To the great mass of readers, who read to drive away the tedium -of mental vacancy, employing the crude phantasmagoria of a modern novel, -as their grandfathers employed tobacco and diluted brandy, "Wilhelm -Meister" will appear beyond endurance weary, flat, stale, and -unprofitable. Those, in particular, who take delight in "King Cambyses' -vein," and open "Meister" with the thought of "Werther" in their minds, -will soon pause in utter dismay; and their paroxysm of dismay will pass -by degrees into unspeakable contempt. Of romance interest there is next -to none in "Meister;" the characters are samples to judge of, rather -than persons to love or hate; the incidents are contrived for other -objects than moving or affrighting us; the hero is a milksop, whom, with -all his gifts, it takes an effort to avoid despising. The author -himself, far from "doing it in a passion," wears a face of the most -still indifference throughout the whole affair; often it is even -wrinkled by a slight sardonic grin. For the friends of the sublime, -then,--for those who cannot do without heroical sentiments, and "moving -accidents by flood and field,"--there is nothing here that can be of any -service. - -Nor among readers of a far higher character, can it be expected that -many will take the praiseworthy pains of Germans, reverential of their -favorite author, and anxious to hunt out his most elusive charms. Few -among us will disturb themselves about the allegories and typical -allusions of the work; will stop to inquire whether it includes a remote -emblem of human culture, or includes no such matter; whether this is a -light, airy sketch of the development of man in all his endowments and -faculties, gradually proceeding from the first rude exhibitions of -puppets and mountebanks, through the perfection of poetic and dramatic -art, up to the unfolding of the principle of religion, and the greatest -of all arts,--the art of life,--or is nothing more than a bungled piece -of patchwork, presenting in the shape of a novel much that should have -been suppressed entirely, or at least given out by way of lecture. -Whether the characters do or do not represent distinct classes of men, -including various stages of human nature, from the gay, material -vivacity of Philina to the severe moral grandeur of the uncle and the -splendid accomplishment of Lothario, will to most of us be of small -importance; and the everlasting disquisitions about plays and players, -and politeness and activity, and art and nature, will weary many a mind -that knows not and heeds not whether they are true or false. Yet every -man's judgment is, in this free country, a lamp to himself: whoever is -displeased will censure; and many, it is to be feared, will insist on -judging "Meister" by the common rule, and, what is worse, condemning it, -let Schlegel bawl as loudly as he pleases. "To judge," says he, "of this -book,--new and peculiar as it is, and only to be understood and learned -from itself, by our common notion of the novel, a notion pieced together -and produced out of custom and belief, out of accidental and arbitrary -requisitions,--is as if a child should grasp at the moon and stars, and -insist on packing them into its toy-box."[1] Unhappily the most of us -have boxes, and some of them are very small. - -Yet, independently of these its more recondite and dubious qualities, -there are beauties in "Meister" which cannot but secure it some degree -of favor at the hands of many. The philosophical discussions it -contains; its keen glances into life and art; the minute and skilful -delineation of men; the lively, genuine exhibition of the scenes they -move in; the occasional touches of eloquence and tenderness, and even of -poetry, the very essence of poetry; the quantity of thought and -knowledge embodied in a style so rich in general felicities, of which, -at least, the new and sometimes exquisitely happy metaphors have been -preserved,--cannot wholly escape an observing reader, even on the most -cursory perusal. To those who have formed for themselves a picture of -the world, who have drawn out, from the thousand variable circumstances -of their being, a philosophy of life, it will be interesting and -instructive to see how man and his concerns are represented in the first -of European minds: to those who have penetrated to the limits of their -own conceptions, and wrestled with thoughts and feelings too high for -them, it will be pleasing and profitable to see the horizon of their -certainties widened, or at least separated with a firmer line from the -impalpable obscure which surrounds it on every side. Such persons I can -fearlessly invite to study "Meister." Across the disfigurement of a -translation, they will not fail to discern indubitable traces of the -greatest genius in our times. And the longer they study, they are likely -to discern them the more distinctly. New charms will successively arise -to view; and of the many apparent blemishes, while a few superficial -ones may be confirmed, the greater and more important part will vanish, -or even change from dark to bright. For, if I mistake not, it is with -"Meister" as with every work of real and abiding excellence,--the first -glance is the least favorable. A picture of Raphael, a Greek statue, a -play of Sophocles or Shakspeare, appears insignificant to the -unpractised eye; and not till after long and patient and intense -examination, do we begin to descry the earnest features of that beauty, -which has its foundation in the deepest nature of man, and will continue -to be pleasing through all ages. - -If this appear excessive praise, as applied in any sense to "Meister," -the curious sceptic is desired to read and weigh the whole performance, -with all its references, relations, purposes, and to pronounce his -verdict after he has clearly seized and appreciated them all. Or, if a -more faint conviction will suffice, let him turn to the picture of -Wilhelm's states of mind in the end of the first book, and the beginning -of the second; the eulogies of commerce and poesy, which follow; the -description of Hamlet; the character of histrionic life in Serlo and -Aurelia; that of sedate and lofty manhood in the uncle and Lothario. -But, above all, let him turn to the history of Mignon. This mysterious -child, at first neglected by the reader, gradually forced on his -attention, at length overpowers him with an emotion more deep and -thrilling than any poet since the days of Shakspeare has succeeded in -producing. The daughter of enthusiasm, rapture, passion, and despair, -she is of the earth, but not earthly. When she glides before us through -the light mazes of her fairy dance, or twangs her cithern to the notes -of her homesick verses, or whirls her tambourine and hurries round us -like an antique Mænad, we could almost fancy her a spirit; so pure is -she, so full of fervor, so disengaged from the clay of this world. And -when all the fearful particulars of her story are at length laid -together, and we behold in connected order the image of her hapless -existence, there is, in those dim recollections,--those feelings so -simple, so impassioned and unspeakable, consuming the closely shrouded, -woe-struck, yet ethereal spirit of the poor creature,--something which -searches into the inmost recesses of the soul. It is not tears which her -fate calls forth, but a feeling far too deep for tears. The very fire of -heaven seems miserably quenched among the obstructions of this earth. -Her little heart, so noble and so helpless, perishes before the smallest -of its many beauties is unfolded; and all its loves and thoughts and -longings do but add another pang to death, and sink to silence utter and -eternal. It is as if the gloomy porch of Dis, and his pale kingdoms, -were realized and set before us, and we heard the ineffectual wail of -infants reverberating from within their prison-walls forever. - - "Continuò auditæ voces, vagitus et ingens, - Infantumque animæ flentes in limine primo: - Quos dulcis vitæ exsortes, et ab ubere raptos, - Abstulit atra dies, et funere mersit acerbo." - -The history of Mignon runs like a thread of gold through the tissue of -the narrative, connecting with the heart much that were else addressed -only to the head. Philosophy and eloquence might have done the rest, but -this is poetry in the highest meaning of the word. It must be for the -power of producing such creations and emotions, that Goethe is by many -of his countrymen ranked at the side of Homer and Shakspeare, as one of -the only three men of genius, that have ever lived. - -But my business here is not to judge of "Meister" or its author, it is -only to prepare others for judging it; and for this purpose the most -that I had room to say is said. All I ask in the name of this -illustrious foreigner is, that the court which tries him be pure, and -the jury instructed in the cause; that the work be not condemned for -wanting what it was not meant to have, and by persons nowise called to -pass sentence on it. - -Respecting my own humble share in the adventure, it is scarcely -necessary to say any thing. Fidelity is all the merit I have aimed at: -to convey the author's sentiments, as he himself expressed them; to -follow the original, in all the variations of its style,--has been my -constant endeavor. In many points, both literary and moral, I could have -wished devoutly that he had not written as he has done; but to alter any -thing was not in my commission. The literary and moral persuasions of a -man like Goethe are objects of a rational curiosity, and the duty of a -translator is simple and distinct. Accordingly, except a few phrases and -sentences, not in all amounting to a page, which I have dropped as -evidently unfit for the English taste, I have studied to present the -work exactly as it stands in German. That my success has been -indifferent, I already know too well. In rendering the ideas of Goethe, -often so subtle, so capriciously expressive, the meaning was not always -easy to seize, or to convey with adequate effect. There were thin tints -of style, shades of ridicule or tenderness or solemnity, resting over -large spaces, and so slight as almost to be evanescent: some of these I -may have failed to see; to many of them I could do no justice. Nor, even -in plainer matters, can I pride myself in having always imitated his -colloquial familiarity without falling into sentences bald and rugged, -into idioms harsh or foreign; or in having copied the flowing oratory of -other passages, without at times exaggerating or defacing the swelling -cadences and phrases of my original. But what work, from the translating -of a German novel to the writing of an epic, was ever as the workman -wished and meant it? This version of "Meister," with whatever faults it -may have, I honestly present to my countrymen: if, while it makes any -portion of them more familiar with the richest, most gifted of living -minds, it increase their knowledge, or even afford them a transient -amusement, they will excuse its errors, and I shall be far more than -paid for all my labor. - -[Footnote 1: Charakteristik des Meister.] - - - - -MEISTER'S APPRENTICESHIP. - - - - -BOOK I. - -CHAPTER I. - - -The play was late in breaking up: old Barbara went more than once to the -window, and listened for the sound of carriages. She was waiting for -Mariana, her pretty mistress, who had that night, in the afterpiece, -been acting the part of a young officer, to the no small delight of the -public. Barbara's impatience was greater than it used to be, when she -had nothing but a frugal supper to present: on this occasion Mariana was -to be surprised with a packet, which Norberg, a young and wealthy -merchant, had sent by the post, to show that in absence he still thought -of his love. - -As an old servant, as confidant, counsellor, manager, and housekeeper, -Barbara assumed the privilege of opening seals; and this evening she had -the less been able to restrain her curiosity, as the favor of the -open-handed gallant was more a matter of anxiety with herself than with -her mistress. On breaking up the packet, she had found, with unfeigned -satisfaction, that it held a piece of fine muslin and some ribbons of -the newest fashion, for Mariana; with a quantity of calico, two or three -neckerchiefs, and a moderate _rouleau_ of money, for herself. Her esteem -for the absent Norberg was of course unbounded: she meditated only how -she might best present him to the mind of Mariana, best bring to her -recollection what she owed him, and what he had a right to expect from -her fidelity and thankfulness. - -The muslin, with the ribbons half unrolled, to set it off by their -colors, lay like a Christmas present on the small table; the position of -the lights increased the glitter of the gilt; all was in order, when the -old woman heard Mariana's step on the stairs, and hastened to meet her. -But what was her disappointment, when the little female officer, without -deigning to regard her caresses, rushed past her with unusual speed and -agitation, threw her hat and sword upon the table, and walked hastily up -and down, bestowing not a look on the lights, or any portion of the -apparatus. - -"What ails thee, my darling?" exclaimed the astonished Barbara. "For -Heaven's sake, what is the matter? Look here, my pretty child! See what -a present! And who could have sent it but thy kindest of friends? -Norberg has given thee the muslin to make a night-gown of; he will soon -be here himself; he seems to be fonder and more generous than ever." - -Barbara went to the table, that she might exhibit the memorials with -which Norberg had likewise honored _her_, when Mariana, turning away -from the presents, exclaimed with vehemence, "Off! off! Not a word of -all this to-night. I have yielded to thee; thou hast willed it; be it -so! When Norberg comes, I am his, am thine, am any one's; make of me -what thou pleasest; but till then I will be my own; and, if thou hadst a -thousand tongues, thou shouldst never talk me from my purpose. All, all -that _is_ my own will I give up to him who loves me, whom I love. No -sour faces! I will abandon myself to this affection, as if it were to -last forever." - -The old damsel had abundance of objections and serious considerations to -allege: in the progress of the dialogue, she was growing bitter and -keen, when Mariana sprang at her, and seized her by the breast. The old -damsel laughed aloud. "I must have a care," she cried, "that you don't -get into pantaloons again, if I mean to be sure of my life. Come, doff -you! The girl will beg my pardon for the foolish things the boy is doing -to me. Off with the frock. Off with them all. The dress beseems you not; -it is dangerous for you, I observe; the epaulets make you too bold." - -Thus speaking, she laid hands upon her mistress: Mariana pushed her off, -exclaiming, "Not so fast! I expect a visit to-night." - -"Visit!" rejoined Barbara: "you surely do not look for Meister, the -young, soft-hearted, callow merchant's son?" - -"Just for him," replied Mariana. - -"Generosity appears to be growing your ruling passion," said the old -woman with a grin: "you connect yourself with minors and moneyless -people, as if they were the chosen of the earth. Doubtless it is -charming to be worshipped as a benefactress." - -"Jeer as thou pleasest. I love him! I love him! With what rapture do I -now, for the first time, speak the word! _This_ is the passion I have -mimicked so often, when I knew not what it meant. Yes! I will throw -myself about his neck: I will clasp him as if I could hold him forever. -I will show him all my love, will enjoy all his in its whole extent." - -"Moderate yourself," said the old dame coolly, "moderate yourself. A -single word will interrupt your rapture: Norberg is coming! Coming in a -fortnight! Here is the letter that arrived with the packet." - -"And, though the morrow were to rob me of my friend, I would conceal it -from myself and him. A fortnight! An age! Within a fortnight, what may -not happen, what may not alter?" - -Here Wilhelm entered. We need not say how fast she flew to meet him, -with what rapture he clasped the red uniform, and pressed the beautiful -wearer of it to his bosom. It is not for us to describe the blessedness -of two lovers. Old Barbara went grumbling away: we shall retire with -her, and leave the happy two alone. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -When Wilhelm saluted his mother next morning, she informed him that his -father was very greatly discontented with him, and meant to forbid him -these daily visits to the playhouse. "Though I myself often go with -pleasure to the theatre," she continued, "I could almost detest it -entirely, when I think that our fireside-peace is broken by your -excessive passion for that amusement. Your father is ever repeating, -'What is the use of it? How can any one waste his time so?'" - -"He has told me this already," said Wilhelm, "and perhaps I answered him -too hastily; but, for Heaven's sake, mother, is nothing, then, of use -but what immediately puts money in our purse? but what procures us some -property that we can lay our hands on? Had we not, for instance, room -enough in the old house? and was it indispensable to build a new one? -Does not my father every year expend a large part of his profit in -ornamenting his chambers? Are these silk carpets, this English -furniture, likewise of no use? Might we not content ourselves with -worse? For my own part, I confess, these striped walls, these hundred -times repeated flowers and knots and baskets and figures, produce a -really disagreeable effect upon me. At best, they but remind me of the -front curtain of our theatre. But what a different thing it is to sit -and look at that! There, if you must wait for a while, you are always -sure that it will rise at last, and disclose to you a thousand curious -objects to entertain, to instruct, and to exalt you." - -"But you go to excess with it," said the mother. "Your father wishes to -be entertained in the evenings as well as you: besides, he thinks it -diverts your attention; and, when he grows ill-humored on the subject, -it is I that must bear the blame. How often have I been upbraided with -that miserable puppet-show, which I was unlucky enough to provide for -you at Christmas, twelve years ago! It was the first thing that put -these plays into your head." - -"Oh, do not blame the poor puppets! do not repent of your love and -motherly care! It was the only happy hour I had enjoyed in the new empty -house. I never can forget that hour; I see it still before me; I -recollect how surprised I was, when, after we had got our customary -presents, you made us seat ourselves before the door that leads to the -other room. The door opened, but not, as formerly, to let us pass and -repass: the entrance was occupied by an unexpected show. Within it rose -a porch, concealed by a mysterious curtain. All of us were standing at a -distance: our eagerness to see what glittering or jingling article lay -hid behind the half-transparent veil was mounting higher and higher, -when you bade us each sit down upon his stool, and wait with patience. - -"At length all of us were seated and silent: a whistle gave the signal; -the curtain rolled aloft, and showed us the interior of the temple, -painted in deep-red colors. The high-priest Samuel appeared with -Jonathan, and their strange alternating voices seemed to me the most -striking thing on earth. Shortly after entered Saul, overwhelmed with -confusion at the impertinence of that heavy-limbed warrior, who had -defied him and all his people. But how glad was I when the little dapper -son of Jesse, with his crook and shepherd's pouch and sling, came -hopping forth, and said, 'Dread king and sovereign lord, let no one's -heart sink down because of this: if your Majesty will grant me leave, I -will go out to battle with this blustering giant!' Here ended the first -act, leaving the spectators more curious than ever to see what further -would happen; each praying that the music might soon be done. At last -the curtain rose again. David devoted the flesh of the monster to the -fowls of the air and the beasts of the field: the Philistine scorned and -bullied him, stamped mightily with both his feet, and at length fell -like a mass of clay, affording a splendid termination to the piece. And -then the virgins sang, 'Saul hath slain his thousands, but David his ten -thousands!' The giant's head was borne before his little victor, who -received the king's beautiful daughter to wife. Yet withal, I remember, -I was vexed at the dwarfish stature of this lucky prince; for the great -Goliath and the small David had both been formed, according to the -common notion, with a due regard to their figures and proportions. I -pray you, mother, tell me what has now become of those puppets? I -promised to show them to a friend, whom I was lately entertaining with a -history of all this child's work." - -"I can easily conceive," said the mother, "how these things should stick -so firmly in your mind: I well remember what an interest you took in -them,--how you stole the little book from me, and learned the whole -piece by heart. I first noticed it one evening when you had made a -Goliath and a David of wax: you set them both to declaim against each -other, and at length gave a deadly stab to the giant, fixing his -shapeless head, stuck upon a large pin with a wax handle, in little -David's hand. I then felt such a motherly contentment at your fine -recitation and good memory, that I resolved to give you up the whole -wooden troop to your own disposal. I did not then foresee that it would -cause me so many heavy hours." - -"Do not repent of it," said Wilhelm: "this little sport has often made -us happy." So saying, he got the keys, made haste to find the puppets, -and, for a moment, was transported back into those times when they -almost seemed to him alive, when he felt as if he himself could give -them life by the cunning of his voice and the movements of his hands. -He took them to his room, and locked them up with care. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -If the first love is indeed, as I hear it everywhere maintained to be, -the most delicious feeling which the heart of man, before it or after, -can experience, then our hero must be reckoned doubly happy, as -permitted to enjoy the pleasure of this chosen period in all its -fulness. Few men are so peculiarly favored: by far the greater part are -led by the feelings of their youth into nothing but a school of -hardship, where, after a stinted and checkered season of enjoyment, they -are at length constrained to renounce their dearest wishes, and to learn -forever to dispense with what once hovered before them as the highest -happiness of existence. - -Wilhelm's passion for that charming girl now soared aloft on the wings -of imagination. After a short acquaintance, he had gained her -affections: he found himself in possession of a being, whom, with all -his heart, he not only loved, but honored; for she had first appeared -before him in the flattering light of theatric pomp, and his passion for -the stage combined itself with his earliest love for woman. His youth -allowed him to enjoy rich pleasures, which the activity of his fancy -exalted and maintained. The situation of his mistress, too, gave a turn -to her conduct which greatly enlivened his emotions. The fear lest her -lover might, before the time, detect the real state in which she stood, -diffused over all her conduct an interesting tinge of anxiety and -bashfulness; her attachment to the youth was deep; her very inquietude -appeared but to augment her tenderness; she was the loveliest of -creatures while beside him. - -When the first tumult of joy had passed, and our friend began to look -back upon his life and its concerns, every thing appeared new to him: -his duties seemed holier, his inclinations keener, his knowledge -clearer, his talents stronger, his purposes more decided. Accordingly, -he soon fell upon a plan to avoid the reproaches of his father, to still -the cares of his mother, and, at the same time, to enjoy Mariana's love -without disturbance. Through the day he punctually transacted his -business, commonly forbore attending the theatre, strove to be -entertaining at table in the evening; and, when all were asleep, he -glided softly out into the garden, and hastened, wrapped up in his -mantle, with all the feelings of Leander in his bosom, to meet his -mistress without delay. - -"What is this you bring?" inquired Mariana, as he entered one evening, -with a bundle, which Barbara, in hopes it might turn out to be some -valuable present, fixed her eyes upon with great attention. "You will -never guess," said Wilhelm. - -Great was the surprise of Mariana, great the scorn of Barbara, when the -napkin, being loosened, gave to view a perplexed multitude of span-long -puppets. Mariana laughed aloud, as Wilhelm set himself to disentangle -the confusion of the wires, and show her each figure by itself. Barbara -glided sulkily out of the room. - -A very little thing will entertain two lovers; and accordingly our -friends, this evening, were as happy as they wished to be. The little -troop was mustered: each figure was minutely examined, and laughed at, -in its turn. King Saul, with his golden crown and his black velvet robe, -Mariana did not like: he looked, she said, too stiff and pedantic. She -was far better pleased with Jonathan, his sleek chin, his turban, his -cloak of red and yellow. She soon got the art of turning him deftly on -his wire: she made him bow, and repeat declarations of love. On the -other hand, she refused to give the least attention to the prophet -Samuel; though Wilhelm commended the pontifical breastplate, and told -her that the taffeta of the cassock had been taken from a gown of his -own grandmother's. David she thought too small; Goliath was too big; she -held by Jonathan. She grew to manage him so featly, and at last to -extend her caresses from the puppet to its owner, that, on this -occasion, as on others, a silly sport became the introduction to happy -hours. - -Their soft, sweet dreams were broken in upon by a noise which arose on -the street. Mariana called for the old dame, who, as usual, was occupied -in furbishing the changeful materials of the playhouse wardrobe for the -service of the play next to be acted. Barbara said the disturbance arose -from a set of jolly companions, who were just then sallying out of the -Italian tavern hard by, where they had been busy discussing fresh -oysters, a cargo of which had just arrived, and by no means sparing -their champagne. - -"Pity," Mariana said, "that we did not think of it in time: we might -have had some entertainment to ourselves." - -"It is not yet too late," said Wilhelm, giving Barbara a _louis-d'or_: -"get us what we want, then come and take a share with us." - -The old dame made speedy work: erelong a trimly covered table, with a -neat collation, stood before the lovers. They made Barbara sit with -them: they ate and drank, and enjoyed themselves. - -On such occasions, there is never want of enough to say. Mariana soon -took up little Jonathan again, and the old dame turned the conversation -upon Wilhelm's favorite topic. "You were once telling us," she said, -"about the first exhibition of a puppet-show on Christmas Eve: I -remember you were interrupted just as the ballet was going to begin. We -have now the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with the honorable -company by whom those wonderful effects were brought about." - -"Oh, yes!" cried Mariana: "do tell us how it all went on, and how you -felt then." - -"It is a fine emotion, Mariana," said the youth, "when we bethink -ourselves of old times, and old, harmless errors, especially if this is -at a period when we have happily gained some elevation, from which we -can look around us, and survey the path we have left behind. It is so -pleasant to think, with composure and satisfaction, of many obstacles, -which often with painful feelings we may have regarded as -invincible,--pleasant to compare what we now are with what we then were -struggling to become. But I am happy above others in this matter, that I -speak to you about the past, at a moment when I can also look forth into -the blooming country, which we are yet to wander through together, hand -in hand." - -"But how was it with the ballet?" said Barbara. "I fear it did not quite -go off as it should have done." - -"I assure you," said Wilhelm, "it went off quite well. And certainly the -strange caperings of these Moors and Mooresses, these shepherds and -shepherdesses, these dwarfs and dwarfesses, will never altogether leave -my recollection while I live. When the curtain dropped, and the door -closed, our little party skipped away, frolicking as if they had been -tipsy, to their beds. For myself, however, I remember that I could not -go to sleep: still wanting to have something told me on the subject, I -continued putting questions to every one, and would hardly let the maid -away who had brought me up to bed. - -"Next morning, alas! the magic apparatus had altogether vanished; the -mysterious veil was carried off; the door permitted us again to go and -come through it without obstruction; the manifold adventures of the -evening had passed away, and left no trace behind. My brothers and -sisters were running up and down with their playthings; I alone kept -gliding to and fro: it seemed to me impossible that two bare door-posts -could be all that now remained, where the night before so much -enchantment had been displayed. Alas! the man that seeks a lost love can -hardly be unhappier than I then thought myself." - -A rapturous look, which he cast on Mariana, convinced her that he was -not afraid of such ever being his case. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -"My sole wish now," continued Wilhelm, "was to witness a second -exhibition of the play. For this purpose I had recourse, by constant -entreaties, to my mother; and she attempted in a favorable hour to -persuade my father. Her labor, however, was in vain. My father's -principle was, that none but enjoyments of rare occurrence were -adequately prized; that neither young nor old could set a proper value -on pleasures which they tasted every day. - -"We might have waited long, perhaps till Christmas returned, had not the -contriver and secret director of the spectacle himself felt a pleasure -in repeating the display of it, partly incited, I suppose, by the wish -to produce a brand-new harlequin expressly prepared for the afterpiece. - -"A young officer of the artillery, a person of great gifts in all sorts -of mechanical contrivance, had served my father in many essential -particulars during the building of the house; for which, having been -handsomely rewarded, he felt desirous of expressing his thankfulness to -the family of his patron, and so made us young ones a present of this -complete theatre, which, in hours of leisure, he had already carved and -painted, and strung together. It was this young man, who, with the help -of a servant, had himself managed the puppets, disguising his voice to -pronounce their various speeches. He had no great difficulty in -persuading my father, who granted, out of complaisance to a friend, -what he had denied from conviction to his children. In short, our -theatre was again set up, some little ones of the neighborhood were -invited, and the play was again represented. - -"If I had formerly experienced the delights of surprise and -astonishment, I enjoyed on this second occasion the pleasure of -examining and scrutinizing. _How_ all this happened was my present -concern. That the puppets themselves did not speak, I had already -decided; that of themselves they did not move, I also conjectured; but, -then, how came it all to be so pretty, and to look just as if they both -spoke and moved of themselves? and where were the lights, and the people -that managed the deception? These enigmas perplexed me the more, as I -wished to be at the same time among the enchanters and the enchanted, at -the same time to have a secret hand in the play, and to enjoy, as a -looker-on, the pleasure of illusion. - -"The play being finished, preparations were making for the farce: the -spectators had risen, and were all busy talking together. I squeezed -myself closer to the door, and heard, by the rattling within, that the -people were packing up some articles. I lifted the lowest screen, and -poked in my head between the posts. As our mother noticed it, she drew -me back: but I had seen well enough that here friends and foes, Saul and -Goliath, and whatever else their names might be, were lying quietly down -together in a drawer; and thus my half-contented curiosity received a -fresh excitement. To my great surprise, moreover, I had noticed the -lieutenant very diligently occupied in the interior of the shrine. -Henceforth, Jack-pudding, however he might clatter with his heels, could -not any longer entertain me. I sank into deep meditation: my discovery -made me both more satisfied, and less so, than before. After a little, -it first struck me that I yet comprehended nothing: and here I was -right; for the connection of the parts with each other was entirely -unknown to me, and every thing depends on that." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -"In well adjusted and regulated houses," continued Wilhelm, "children -have a feeling not unlike what I conceive rats and mice to have: they -keep a sharp eye on all crevices and holes, where they may come at any -forbidden dainty; they enjoy it also with a fearful, stolen -satisfaction, which forms no small part of the happiness of childhood. - -"More than any other of the young ones, I was in the habit of looking -out attentively, to see if I could notice any cupboard left open, or key -standing in its lock. The more reverence I bore in my heart for those -closed doors, on the outside of which I had to pass by for weeks and -months, catching only a furtive glance when our mother now and then -opened the consecrated place to take something from it, the quicker was -I to make use of any opportunities which the forgetfulness of our -housekeepers at times afforded me. - -"Among all the doors, that of the storeroom was, of course, the one I -watched most narrowly. Few of the joyful anticipations in life can equal -the feeling which I used to have when my mother happened to call me, -that I might help her to carry out something, whereupon I might pick up -a few dried plums, either with her kind permission, or by help of my own -dexterity. The accumulated treasures of this chamber took hold of my -imagination by their magnitude: the very fragrance exhaled by so -multifarious a collection of sweet-smelling spices produced such a -craving effect on me, that I never failed, when passing near, to linger -for a little, and regale myself at least on the unbolted atmosphere. At -length, one Sunday morning, my mother, being hurried by the ringing of -the church-bells, forgot to take this precious key with her on shutting -the door, and went away, leaving all the house in a deep Sabbath -stillness. No sooner had I marked this oversight than, gliding softly -once or twice to and from the place, I at last approached very gingerly, -opened the door, and felt myself, after a single step, in immediate -contact with these manifold and long-wished-for means of happiness. I -glanced over glasses, chests, and bags, and drawers and boxes, with a -quick and doubtful eye, considering what I ought to choose and take; -turned finally to my dear withered plums, provided myself also with a -few dried apples, and completed the forage with an orange-chip. I was -quietly retreating with my plunder, when some little chests, lying -piled over one another, caught my attention,--the more so as I noticed a -wire, with hooks at the end of it, sticking through the joint of the lid -in one of them. Full of eager hopes, I opened this singular package; and -judge of my emotions, when I found my glad world of heroes all sleeping -safe within! I meant to pick out the topmost, and, having examined them, -to pull up those below; but in this attempt the wires got very soon -entangled: and I fell into a fright and flutter, more particularly as -the cook just then began making some stir in the kitchen, which was -close by; so that I had nothing for it but to squeeze the whole together -the best way I could, and to shut the chest, having stolen from it -nothing but a little written book, which happened to be lying above, and -contained the whole drama of Goliath and David. With this booty I made -good my retreat into the garret. - -"Henceforth all my stolen hours of solitude were devoted to perusing the -play, to learning it by heart, and picturing in thought how glorious it -would be, could I but get the figures, to make them move along with it. -In idea I myself became David and Goliath by turns. In every corner of -the court-yard, of the stables, of the garden, under all kinds of -circumstances, I labored to stamp the whole piece upon my mind; laid -hold of all the characters, and learned their speeches by heart, most -commonly, however, taking up the parts of the chief personages, and -allowing all the rest to move along with them, but as satellites, across -my memory. Thus day and night the heroic words of David, wherewith he -challenged the braggart giant, Goliath of Gath, kept their place in my -thoughts. I often muttered them to myself; while no one gave heed to me, -except my father, who, frequently observing some such detached -exclamation, would in secret praise the excellent memory of his boy, -that had retained so much from only two recitations. - -"By this means growing bolder and bolder, I one evening repeated almost -the entire piece before my mother, whilst I was busied in fashioning -some bits of wax into players. She observed it, questioned me hard; and -I confessed. - -"By good fortune, this detection happened at a time when the lieutenant -had himself been expressing a wish to initiate me in the mysteries of -the art. My mother forthwith gave him notice of these unexpected -talents; and he now contrived to make my parents offer him a couple of -chambers in the top story, which commonly stood empty, that he might -accommodate the spectators in the one, while the other held his actors, -the proscenium again filling up the opening of the door: my father had -allowed his friend to arrange all this; himself, in the mean time, -seeming only to look at the transaction, as it were, through his -fingers; for his maxim was, that children should not be allowed to see -the kindness which is felt towards them, lest their pretensions come to -extend too far. He was of opinion, that, in the enjoyments of the young, -one should assume a serious air; often interrupting the course of their -festivities, to prevent their satisfaction from degenerating into excess -and presumption." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -"The lieutenant now set up his theatre, and managed all the rest. During -the week I readily observed that he often came into the house at unusual -hours, and I soon guessed the cause. My eagerness increased immensely; -for I well understood, that, till Sunday evening, I could have no share -in what was going on. At last the wished-for day arrived. At five in the -evening my conductor came, and took me up with him. Quivering with joy, -I entered, and descried, on both sides of the framework, the puppets all -hanging in order as they were to advance to view. I considered them -narrowly, and mounted on the steps, which raised them above the scene, -and allowed me to hover aloft over all that little world. Not without -reverence did I look down between the pieces of board, and recollect -what a glorious effect the whole would produce, and feel into what -mighty secrets I was now admitted. We made a trial, which succeeded -well. - -"Next day a party of children were invited: we performed rarely; except -that once, in the fire of action, I let poor Jonathan fall, and was -obliged to reach down with my hand, and pick him up,--an accident which -sadly marred the illusion, produced a peal of laughter, and vexed me -unspeakably. My father, however, seemed to relish this misfortune not a -little. Prudently shrouding up the contentment he felt at the expertness -of his little boy, after the play was finished, he dwelt on the mistakes -we had committed, saying it would all have been very pretty had not -this or that gone wrong with us. - -"I was vexed to the heart at these things, and sad for all the evening. -By next morning, however, I had quite slept off my sorrow, and was -blessed in the persuasion, that, but for this one fault, I had acted -delightfully. The spectators also flattered me with their unanimous -approval: they all maintained, that though the lieutenant, in regard to -the coarse and the fine voices, had done great things, yet his -declamation was in general too stiff and affected; whereas the new -aspirant spoke his Jonathan and David with exquisite grace. My mother in -particular commended the gallant tone in which I had challenged Goliath, -and acted the modest victor before the king. - -"From this time, to my extreme delight, the theatre continued open; and -as the spring advanced, so that fires could be dispensed with, I passed -all my hours of recreation lying in the garret, and making the puppets -caper and play together. Often I invited up my comrades, or my brothers -and sisters; but, when they would not come, I staid by myself not the -less. My imagination brooded over that tiny world, which soon afterwards -acquired another form. - -"Scarcely had I once or twice exhibited the first play, for which my -scenery and actors had been formed and decorated, when it ceased to give -me any pleasure. On the other hand, among some of my grandfather's -books, I had happened to fall in with 'The German Theatre,' and a few -translations of Italian operas; in which works I soon got very deeply -immersed, on each occasion first reckoning up the characters, and then, -without further ceremony, proceeding to exhibit the play. King Saul, -with his black velvet cloak, was therefore now obliged to personate -Darius or Cato, or some other pagan hero; in which cases, it may be -observed, the plays were never wholly represented,--for most part, only -the fifth acts, where the cutting and stabbing lay. - -"It was natural that the operas, with their manifold adventures and -vicissitudes, should attract me more than any thing beside. In these -compositions I found stormy seas, gods descending in chariots of cloud, -and, what most of all delighted me, abundance of thunder and lightning. -I did my best with pasteboard, paint, and paper: I could make night very -prettily; my lightning was fearful to behold; only my thunder did not -always prosper, which, however, was of less importance. In operas, -moreover, I found frequent opportunities of introducing my David and -Goliath,--persons whom the regular drama would hardly admit. Daily I -felt more attachment for the hampered spot where I enjoyed so many -pleasures; and, I must confess, the fragrance which the puppets had -acquired from the storeroom added not a little to my satisfaction. - -"The decorations of my theatre were now in a tolerable state of -completeness. I had always had the knack of drawing with compasses, and -clipping pasteboard, and coloring figures; and here it served me in good -stead. But the more sorry was I, on the other hand, when, as frequently -happened, my stock of actors would not suffice for representing great -affairs. - -"My sisters, dressing and undressing their dolls, awoke in me the -project of furnishing my heroes by and by with garments which might also -be put off and on. Accordingly, I slit the scraps of cloth from off -their bodies, tacked the fragments together as well as possible, saved a -particle of money to buy new ribbons and lace, begged many a rag of -taffeta, and so formed, by degrees, a full theatrical wardrobe, in which -hoop-petticoats for the ladies were especially remembered. - -"My troop was now fairly provided with dresses for the most important -play, and you might have expected that henceforth one exhibition would -follow close upon the heels of another; but it happened with me, as it -often happens with children,--they embrace wide plans, make mighty -preparations, then a few trials, and the whole undertaking is abandoned. -I was guilty of this fault. My greatest pleasure lay in the inventive -part, and the employment of my fancy. This or that piece inspired me -with interest for a few scenes of it, and immediately I set about -providing new apparel suitable for the occasion. In such fluctuating -operations, many parts of the primary dresses of my heroes had fallen -into disorder, or totally gone out of sight; so that now the first great -play could no longer be exhibited. I surrendered myself to my -imagination; I rehearsed and prepared forever; built a thousand castles -in the air, and failed to see that I was at the same time undermining -the foundations of these little edifices." - - * * * * * - -During this recital, Mariana had called up and put in action all her -courtesy for Wilhelm, that she might conceal her sleepiness. Diverting -as the matter seemed on one side, it was too simple for her taste, and -her lover's view of it too serious. She softly pressed her foot on his, -however, and gave him all visible signs of attention and approval. She -drank out of his glass: Wilhelm was convinced that no word of his -history had fallen to the ground. After a short pause, he said, "It is -now your turn, Mariana, to tell me what were your first childish joys. -Till now we have always been too busy with the present to trouble -ourselves, on either side, about our previous way of life. Let me hear, -Mariana, under what circumstances you were reared: what are the first -lively impressions which you still remember?" - -These questions would have very much embarrassed Mariana, had not -Barbara made haste to help her. "Think you," said the cunning old woman, -"we have been so mindful of what happened to us long ago, that we have -merry things like these to talk about, and, though we had, that we could -give them such an air in talking of them?" - -"As if they needed it!" cried Wilhelm. "I love this soft, good, amiable -creature so much, that I regret every instant of my life which has not -been spent beside her. Allow me, at least in fancy, to have a share in -thy by-gone life; tell me every thing; I will tell every thing to thee! -If possible, we will deceive ourselves, and win back those days that -have been lost to love." - -"If you require it so eagerly," replied the old dame, "we can easily -content you. Only, in the first place, let us hear how your taste for -the theatre gradually reached a head; how you practised, how you -improved so happily, that now you can pass for a superior actor. No -doubt you must have met with droll adventures in your progress. It is -not worth while to go to bed now: I have still one flask in reserve; and -who knows whether we shall soon all sit together so quiet and cheery -again?" - -Mariana cast upon her a mournful look, not noticed by Wilhelm, who -proceeded with his narrative. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -"The recreations of youth, as my companions began to increase in number, -interfered with this solitary, still enjoyment. I was by turns a hunter, -a soldier, a knight, as our games required; and constantly I had this -small advantage above the rest, that I was qualified to furnish them -suitably with the necessary equipments. The swords, for example, were -generally of my manufacture; I gilded and decorated the scabbards; and a -secret instinct allowed me not to stop till our militia was accoutred -according to the antique model. Helmets, with plumes of paper, were got -ready; shields, even coats of mail, were provided; undertakings in which -such of the servants as had aught of the tailor in them, and the -seamstresses of the house, broke many a needle. - -"A part of my comrades I had now got well equipped; by degrees, the rest -were likewise furbished up, though on a thriftier plan; and so a very -seemly corps at length was mustered. We marched about the court-yards -and gardens, smote fearfully upon each other's shields and heads: many -flaws of discord rose among us, but none that lasted. - -"This diversion greatly entertained my fellows; but scarcely had it been -twice or thrice repeated, when it ceased to content me. The aspect of so -many harnessed figures naturally stimulated in my mind those ideas of -chivalry, which for some time, since I had commenced the reading of old -romances, were filling my imagination. - -"Koppen's translation of 'Jerusalem Delivered' at length fell into my -hands, and gave these wandering thoughts a settled direction. The whole -poem, it is true, I could not read; but there were passages which I -learned by heart, and the images expressed in these hovered round me. -Particularly was I captivated with Clorinda, and all her deeds and -bearing. The masculine womanhood, the peaceful completeness of her -being, had a greater influence upon my mind, just beginning to unfold -itself, than the factitious charms of Armida; though the garden of that -enchantress was by no means an object of my contempt. - -"But a hundred and a hundred times, while walking in the evenings on the -balcony which stretches along the front of the house, and looking over -the neighborhood, as the quivering splendor streamed up at the horizon -from the departed sun, and the stars came forth, and night pressed -forward from every cleft and hollow, and the small, shrill tone of the -cricket tinkled through the solemn stillness,--a hundred and a hundred -times have I repeated to myself the history of the mournful duel between -Tancred and Clorinda. - -"However strongly I inclined by nature to the party of the Christians, I -could not help declaring for the Paynim heroine with all my heart when -she engaged to set on fire the great tower of the besiegers. And when -Tancred in the darkness met the supposed knight, and the strife began -between them under that veil of gloom, and the two battled fiercely, I -could never pronounce the words,-- - - "'But now the sure and fated hour is nigh: - Clorinda's course is ended,--she must die;'-- - -without tears rushing into my eyes, which flowed plentifully when the -hapless lover, plunging his sword into her breast, opened the departing -warrior's helmet, recognized the lady of his heart, and, shuddering, -brought water to baptize her. - -"How my heart ran over when Tancred struck with his sword that tree in -the enchanted wood; when blood flowed from the gash, and a voice sounded -in his ears, that now again he was wounding Clorinda; that Destiny had -marked him out ever unwittingly to injure what he loved beyond all else. - -"The recital took such hold of my imagination, that what I had read of -the poem began dimly, in my mind, to conglomerate into a whole; -wherewith I was so taken that I could not but propose to have it some -way represented. I meant to have Tancred and Rinaldo acted; and, for -this purpose, two coats of mail, which I had before manufactured, seemed -expressly suitable. The one, formed of dark-gray paper with scales, was -to serve for the solemn Tancred; the other, of silver and gilt paper, -for the magnificent Rinaldo. In the vivacity of my anticipations, I told -the whole project to my comrades, who felt quite charmed with it, except -that they could not well comprehend how so glorious a thing could be -exhibited, and, above all, exhibited by them. - -"Such scruples I easily set aside. Without hesitation, I took upon me, -in idea, the management of two rooms in the house of a neighboring -playmate; not calculating that his venerable aunt would never give them -up, or considering how a theatre could be made of them, whereof I had -no settled notion, except that it was to be fixed on beams, to have -side-scenes made of parted folding-screens, and on the floor a large -piece of cloth. From what quarter these materials and furnishings were -to come, I had not determined. - -"So far as concerned the forest, we fell upon a good expedient. We -betook ourselves to an old servant of one of our families, who had now -become a woodman, with many entreaties that he would get us a few young -firs and birches; which actually arrived more speedily than we had -reason to expect. But, in the next place, great was our embarrassment as -to how the piece should be got up before the trees were withered. Now -was the time for prudent counsel. We had no house, no scenery, no -curtain: the folding-screens were all we had. - -"In this forlorn condition we again applied to the lieutenant, giving -him a copious description of all the glorious things we meant to do. -Little as he understood us, he was very helpful: he piled all the tables -he could get in the house or neighborhood, one above the other, in a -little room: to these he fixed our folding-screens, and made a back-view -with green curtains, sticking up our trees along with it. - -"At length the appointed evening came: the candles were lit, the maids -and children were sitting in their places, the piece was to go forward, -the whole corps of heroes was equipped and dressed,--when each for the -first time discovered that he knew not what he was to say. In the heat -of invention, being quite immersed in present difficulties, I had -forgotten the necessity of each understanding what and where he was to -speak; nor, in the midst of our bustling preparations, had it once -occurred to the rest; each believing he could easily enact a hero, -easily so speak and bear himself, as became the personage into whose -world I had transplanted him. They all stood wonder-struck, asking, What -was to come first? I alone, having previously got ready Tancred's part, -entered _solus_ on the scene, and began reciting some verses of the -epic. But as the passage soon changed into narrative, and I, while -speaking, was at once transformed into a third party, and the bold -Godfredo, when his turn came, would not venture forth, I was at last -obliged to take leave of my spectators under peals of laughter,--a -disaster which cut me to the heart. Thus had our undertaking proved -abortive; but the company still kept their places, still wishing to see -something. All of us were dressed: I screwed my courage up, and -determined, foul or fair, to give them David and Goliath. Some of my -companions had before this helped me to exhibit the puppet-play; all of -them had often seen it; we shared the characters among us; each promised -to do his best; and one small, grinning urchin painted a black beard -upon his chin, and undertook, if any _lacuna_ should occur, to fill it -with drollery as harlequin,--an arrangement to which, as contradicting -the solemnity of the piece, I did not consent without extreme -reluctance; and I vowed within myself, that, if once delivered out of -this perplexity, I would think long and well before risking the -exhibition of another play." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Mariana, overpowered with sleep, leaned upon her lover, who clasped her -close to him, and proceeded in his narrative; while the old damsel -prudently sipped up the remainder of the wine. - -"The embarrassment," he said, "into which, along with my companions, I -had fallen, by attempting to act a play that did not anywhere exist, was -soon forgotten. My passion for representing each romance I read, each -story that was told me, would not yield before the most unmanageable -materials. I felt convinced that whatever gave delight in narrative must -produce a far deeper impression when exhibited: I wanted to have every -thing before my eyes, every thing brought forth upon the stage. At -school, when the elements of general history were related to us, I -carefully marked the passages where any person had been slain or -poisoned in a singular way; and my imagination, glancing rapidly along -the exposition and intrigue, hastened to the interesting fifth act. -Indeed, I actually began to write some plays from the end backwards, -without, however, in any of them reaching the beginning. - -"At the same time, partly by inclination, partly by the counsel of my -good friends, who had caught the fancy of acting plays, I read a whole -wilderness of theatrical productions, as chance put them into my hands. -I was still in those happy years when all things please us, when number -and variety yield us abundant satisfaction. Unfortunately, too, my taste -was corrupted by another circumstance. Any piece delighted me -especially, in which I could hope to give delight; there were few which -I did not peruse in this agreeable delusion: and my lively conceptive -power enabling me to transfer myself into all the characters, seduced me -to believe that I might likewise represent them all. Hence, in the -distribution of the parts, I commonly selected such as did not fit me, -and always more than one part, if I could by any means accomplish more. - -"In their games, children can make all things out of any: a staff -becomes a musket, a splinter of wood a sword, any bunch of cloth a -puppet, any crevice a chamber. Upon this principle was our private -theatre got up. Totally unacquainted with the measure of our strength, -we undertook all: we stuck at no _quid pro quo_, and felt convinced that -every one would take us for what we gave ourselves out to be. Now, -however, our affairs went on so soberly and smoothly, that I have not -even a curious insipidity to tell you of. We first acted all the few -plays in which only males are requisite, next we travestied some of -ourselves, and at last took our sisters into the concern along with us. -In one or two houses, our amusement was looked upon as profitable; and -company was invited to see it. Nor did our lieutenant of artillery now -turn his back upon us. He showed us how we ought to make our exits and -our entrances; how we should declaim, and with what attitudes and -gestures. Yet generally he earned small thanks for his toil, we -conceiving ourselves to be much deeper in the secrets of theatrical art -than he himself was. - -"We very soon began to grow tired of tragedy; for all of us believed, as -we had often heard, that it was easier to write or represent a tragedy -than to attain proficiency in comedy. In our first attempts, -accordingly, we had felt as if exactly in our element: dignity of rank, -elevation of character, we studied to approach by stiffness and -affectation, and imagined that we succeeded rarely; but our happiness -was not complete, except we might rave outright, might stamp with our -feet, and, full of fury and despair, cast ourselves upon the ground. - -"Boys and girls had not long carried on these amusements in concert, -till Nature began to take her course; and our society branched itself -off into sundry little love-associations, as generally more than one -sort of comedy is acted in the playhouse. Behind the scenes, each happy -pair pressed hands in the most tender style; they floated in -blessedness, appearing to one another quite ideal persons, when so -transformed and decorated; whilst, on the other hand, unlucky rivals -consumed themselves with envy, and out of malice and spite worked every -species of mischief. - -"Our amusements, though undertaken without judgment, and carried on -without instruction, were not without their use to us. We trained our -memories and persons, and acquired more dexterity in speech and gesture -than is usually met with at so early an age. But, for me in particular, -this time was in truth an epoch: my mind turned all its faculties -exclusively to the theatre; and my highest happiness was in reading, in -writing, or in acting, plays. - -"Meanwhile the labors of my regular teachers continued: I had been set -apart for the mercantile life, and placed under the guidance of our -neighbor in the counting-house; yet my spirit at this very time recoiled -more forcibly than ever from all that was to bind me to a low -profession. It was to the stage that I aimed at consecrating all my -powers,--on the stage that I meant to seek all my happiness and -satisfaction. - -"I recollect a poem, which must be among my papers, where the Muse of -tragic art and another female form, by which I personified Commerce, -were made to strive very bravely for my most important self. The idea is -common, nor do I recollect that the verses were of any worth; but you -shall see it, for the sake of the fear, the abhorrence, the love and -passion, which are prominent in it. How repulsively did I paint the old -housewife, with the distaff in her girdle, the bunch of keys by her -side, the spectacles on her nose, ever toiling, ever restless, -quarrelsome, and penurious, pitiful and dissatisfied! How feelingly did -I describe the condition of that poor man who has to cringe beneath her -rod, and earn his slavish day's wages by the sweat of his brow! - -"And how differently advanced the other! What an apparition for the -overclouded mind! Formed as a queen, in her thoughts and looks she -announced herself the child of freedom. The feeling of her own worth -gave her dignity without pride: her apparel became her, it veiled her -form without constraining it; and the rich folds repeated, like a -thousand-voiced echo, the graceful movements of the goddess. What a -contrast! How easy for me to decide! Nor had I forgotten the more -peculiar characteristics of my Muse. Crowns and daggers, chains and -masks, as my predecessors had delivered them, were here produced once -more. The contention was keen: the speeches of both were palpably -enough contrasted, for at fourteen years of age one usually paints the -black lines and the white pretty near each other. The old lady spoke as -beseemed a person that would pick up a pin from her path; the other, -like one that could give away kingdoms. The warning threats of the -housewife were disregarded; I turned my back upon her promised riches: -disinherited and naked, I gave myself up to the Muse; she threw her -golden veil over me, and called me hers. - -"Could I have thought, my dearest," he exclaimed, pressing Mariana close -to him, "that another, a more lovely goddess would come to encourage me -in my purpose, to travel with me on my journey, the poem might have had -a finer turn, a far more interesting end. Yet it is no poetry, it is -truth and life that I feel in thy arms: let us prize the sweet -happiness, and consciously enjoy it." - -The pressure of his arms, the emotion of his elevated voice, awoke -Mariana, who hastened by caresses to conceal her embarrassment; for no -word of the last part of his story had reached her. It is to be wished, -that in future, our hero, when recounting his favorite histories, may -find more attentive hearers. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -Thus Wilhelm passed his nights in the enjoyment of confiding love, his -days in the expectation of new happy hours. When desire and hope had -first attracted him to Mariana, he already felt as if inspired with new -life; felt as if he were beginning to be another man: he was now united -to her; the contentment of his wishes had become a delicious habitude. -His heart strove to ennoble the object of his passion; his spirit, to -exalt with it the young creature whom he loved. In the shortest absence, -thoughts of her arose within him. If she had once been necessary to him, -she was now grown indispensable, now that he was bound to her by all the -ties of nature. His pure soul felt that she was the half, more than the -half, of himself. He was grateful and devoted without limit. - -Mariana, too, succeeded in deceiving herself for a season: she shared -with him the feeling of his liveliest blessedness. Alas! if but the -cold hand of self-reproach had not often come across her heart! She was -not secure from it, even in Wilhelm's bosom, even under the wings of his -love. And when she was again left alone, again left to sink from the -clouds, to which passion had exalted her, into the consciousness of her -real condition, then she was indeed to be pitied. So long as she had -lived among degrading perplexities, disguising from herself her real -situation, or rather never thinking of it, frivolity had helped her -through; the incidents she was exposed to had come upon her each by -itself; satisfaction and vexation had cancelled one another; humiliation -had been compensated by vanity; want by frequent, though momentary, -superfluity; she could plead necessity and custom as a law or an excuse; -and hitherto all painful emotions from hour to hour, and from day to -day, had by these means been shaken off. But now, for some instants, the -poor girl had felt herself transported to a better world; aloft, as it -were, in the midst of light and joy, she had looked down upon the abject -desert of her life, had felt what a miserable creature is the woman, -who, inspiring desire, does not also inspire reverence and love: she -regretted and repented, but found herself outwardly or inwardly no -better for regret. She had nothing that she could accomplish or resolve -upon. When she looked into and searched herself, all was waste and void -within her soul: her heart had no place of strength or refuge. But the -more sorrowful her state was, the more vehemently did her feelings cling -to the man she loved: her passion for him even waxed stronger daily, as -the danger of losing him came daily nearer. - -Wilhelm, on the other hand, soared serenely happy in higher regions: to -him also a new world had been disclosed, but a world rich in the most -glorious prospects. Scarcely had the first excess of joy subsided, when -all that had long been gliding dimly through his soul stood up in bright -distinctness before it. She is mine! She has given herself up to me! -She, the loved, the wished for, the adored, has given herself up to me -in trust and faith: she shall not find me ungrateful for the gift. -Standing or walking, he talked to himself; his heart constantly -overflowed; with a copiousness of splendid words, he uttered to himself -the loftiest emotions. He imagined that he understood the visible -beckoning of Fate, reaching out its hand by Mariana to save him from the -stagnant, weary, drudging life, out of which he had so often wished for -deliverance. To leave his father's house and people, now appeared a -light matter. He was young, and had not tried the world: his eagerness -to range over its expanses, seeking fortune and contentment, was -stimulated by his love. His vocation for the theatre was now clear to -him: the high goal, which he saw raised before him, seemed nearer whilst -he was advancing to it with Mariana's hand in his; and, in his -comfortable prudence, he beheld in himself the embryo of a great -actor,--the future founder of that national theatre, for which he heard -so much and various sighing on every side. All that till now had -slumbered in the innermost corners of his soul, at length awoke. He -painted for himself a picture of his manifold ideas, in the colors of -love, upon a canvas of cloud: the figures of it, indeed, ran sadly into -one another; yet the whole had an air but the more brilliant on that -account. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -He was now in his chamber at home, ransacking his papers, making ready -for departure. Whatever savored of his previous employment he threw -aside, meaning at his entrance upon life to be free, even from -recollections that could pain him. Works of taste alone, poets and -critics, were, as acknowledged friends, placed among the chosen few. -Heretofore he had given little heed to the critical authors: his desire -for instruction now revived, when, again looking through his books, he -found the theoretical part of them lying generally still uncut. In the -full persuasion that such works were absolutely necessary, he had bought -a number of them; but, with the best disposition in the world, he had -not reached midway in any. - -The more steadfastly, on the other hand, he had dwelt upon examples, -and, in every kind that was known to him, had made attempts himself. - -Werner entered the room; and, seeing his friend busied with the -well-known sheets, he exclaimed, "Again among your papers? And without -intending, I dare swear, to finish any one of them! You look them -through and through once or twice, then throw them by, and begin -something new." - -"To finish is not the scholar's care: it is enough if he improves -himself by practice." - -"But also completes according to his best ability." - -"And still the question might be asked, 'Is there not good hope of a -youth, who, on commencing some unsuitable affair, soon discovers its -unsuitableness, and discontinues his exertions, not choosing to spend -toil and time on what never can be of any value?'" - -"I know well enough it was never your concern to bring aught to a -conclusion: you have always sickened on it before it came half way. When -you were the director of our puppet-show, for instance, how many times -were fresh clothes got ready for the dwarfish troop, fresh decorations -furbished up? Now this tragedy was to be acted, now that; and at the -very best you gave us some fifth act, where all was going topsy-turvy, -and people cutting one another's throats." - -"If you talk of those times, whose blame really was it that we ripped -off from our puppets the clothes that fitted them, and were fast -stitched to their bodies, and laid out money for a large and useless -wardrobe? Was it not yours, my good friend, who had always some fragment -of ribbon to traffic with; and skill, at the same time, to stimulate my -taste, and turn it to your profit?" - -Werner laughed, and continued, "I still recollect, with pleasure, how I -used to extract gain from your theatrical campaigns, as army contractors -do from war. When you mustered for the 'Deliverance of Jerusalem,' I, -for my part, made a pretty thing of profit, like the Venetians in the -corresponding case. I know of nothing in the world more rational than to -turn the folly of others to our own advantage." - -"Perhaps it were a nobler satisfaction to cure men of their follies." - -"From the little I know of men, this might seem a vain endeavor. But -something towards it is always done, when any individual man grows wise -and rich; and generally this happens at the cost of others." - -"Well, here is 'The Youth at the Parting of the Ways;' it has just come -into my hand," said Wilhelm, drawing out a bunch of papers from the -rest; "this at least is finished, whatever else it may be." - -"Away with it! to the fire with it!" cried Werner. "The invention does -not deserve the smallest praise: that affair has plagued me enough -already, and drawn upon yourself your father's wrath. The verses may -be altogether beautiful, but the meaning of them is fundamentally -false. I still recollect your Commerce personified: a shrivelled, -wretched-looking sibyl she was. I suppose you picked up the image of her -from some miserable huckster's shop. At that time you had no true idea -at all of trade; whilst I could not think of any man whose spirit was, -or needed to be, more enlarged than the spirit of a genuine merchant. -What a thing is it to see the order which prevails throughout his -business! By means of this he can at any time survey the general whole, -without needing to perplex himself in the details. What advantages does -he derive from the system of book-keeping by double entry! It is among -the finest inventions of the human mind: every prudent master of a house -should introduce it into his economy." - -"Pardon me," said Wilhelm, smiling; "you begin by the form, as if it -were the matter: you traders commonly, in your additions and balancings, -forget what is the proper net result of life." - -"My good friend, you do not see how form and matter are in this case -one, how neither can exist without the other. Order and arrangement -increase the desire to save and get. A man embarrassed in his -circumstances, and conducting them imprudently, likes best to continue -in the dark: he will not gladly reckon up the debtor entries he is -charged with. But, on the other hand, there is nothing to a prudent -manager more pleasant than daily to set before himself the sums of his -growing fortune. Even a mischance, if it surprise and vex, will not -affright, him; for he knows at once what gains he has acquired to cast -into the other scale. I am convinced, my friend, that, if you once had a -proper taste for our employments, you would grant that many faculties of -the mind are called into full and vigorous play by them." - -"Possibly this journey I am thinking of may bring me to other thoughts." - -"Oh, certainly! Believe me, you want but to look upon some great scene -of activity to make you ours forever; and, when you come back, you will -joyfully enroll yourself among that class of men whose art it is to draw -towards themselves a portion of the money, and materials of enjoyment, -which circulate in their appointed courses through the world. Cast a -look on the natural and artificial productions of all the regions of the -earth; consider how they have become, one here, another there, articles -of necessity for men. How pleasant and how intellectual a task is it to -calculate, at any moment, what is most required, and yet is wanting, or -hard to find; to procure for each easily and soon what he demands; to -lay in your stock prudently beforehand, and then to enjoy the profit of -every pulse in that mighty circulation. This, it appears to me, is what -no man that has a head can attend to without pleasure." - -Wilhelm seemed to acquiesce, and Werner continued. - -"Do but visit one or two great trading-towns, one or two seaports, and -see if you can withstand the impression. When you observe how many men -are busied, whence so many things have come, and whither they are going, -you will feel as if you, too, could gladly mingle in the business. You -will then see the smallest piece of ware in its connection with the -whole mercantile concern; and for that very reason you will reckon -nothing paltry, because every thing augments the circulation by which -you yourself are supported." - -Werner had formed his solid understanding in constant intercourse with -Wilhelm; he was thus accustomed to think also of _his_ profession, of -_his_ employments, with elevation of soul; and he firmly believed that -he did so with more justice than his otherwise more gifted and valued -friend, who, as it seemed to him, had placed his dearest hopes, and -directed all the force of his mind, upon the most imaginary objects in -the world. Many a time he thought his false enthusiasm would infallibly -be got the better of, and so excellent a soul be brought back to the -right path. So hoping in the present instance, he continued, "The great -ones of the world have taken this earth of ours to themselves; they live -in the midst of splendor and superfluity. The smallest nook of the land -is already a possession which none may touch or meddle with: offices and -civil callings bring in little profit. Where, then, will you find more -honest acquisitions, juster conquests, than those of trade? If the -princes of this world hold the rivers, the highways, the havens, in -their power, and take a heavy tribute from every thing that passes -through them, may not we embrace with joy the opportunity of levying tax -and toll, by _our_ activity, on those commodities which the real or -imaginary wants of men have rendered indispensable? I can promise you, -if you would rightly apply your poetic view, my goddess might be -represented as an invincible, victorious queen, and boldly opposed to -yours. It is true, she bears the olive rather than the sword: dagger or -chain she knows not. But she, too, gives crowns to her favorites; which, -without offence to yours be it said, are of true gold from the furnace -and the mine, and glance with genuine pearls, which she brings up from -the depths of the ocean by the hands of her unwearied servants." - -This sally somewhat nettled Wilhelm; but he concealed his sentiments, -remembering that Werner used to listen with composure to _his_ -apostrophes. Besides, he had fairness enough to be pleased at seeing -each man think the best of his own peculiar craft, provided only _his_, -of which he was so passionately fond, were likewise left in peace. - -"And for you," exclaimed Werner, "who take so warm an interest in human -concerns, what a sight will it be to behold the fortune, which -accompanies bold undertakings, distributed to men before your eyes! What -is more spirit-stirring than the aspect of a ship arriving from a lucky -voyage, or soon returning with a rich capture? Not only the relatives, -the acquaintances, and those that share with the adventurers, but every -unconcerned spectator also, is excited, when he sees the joy with which -the long-imprisoned shipman springs on land before his keel has wholly -reached it, feeling that he is free once more, and now can trust what he -has rescued from the false sea to the firm and faithful earth. It is -not, my friend, in figures of arithmetic alone that gain presents itself -before us. Fortune is the goddess of breathing men: to feel her favors -truly, we must live and be men who toil with their living minds and -bodies, and enjoy with them also." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -It is now time that we should know something more of Wilhelm's father -and of Werner's,--two men of very different modes of thinking, but whose -opinions so far coincided, that both regarded commerce as the noblest -calling; and both were peculiarly attentive to every advantage which any -kind of speculation might produce to them. Old Meister, when his father -died, had turned into money a valuable collection of pictures, drawings, -copper-plates, and antiquities: he had entirely rebuilt and furnished -his house in the newest style, and turned his other property to profit -in all possible ways. A considerable portion of it he had embarked in -trade, under the direction of the elder Werner,--a man noted as an -active merchant, whose speculations were commonly favored by fortune. -But nothing was so much desired by Meister as to confer upon his son -those qualities of which himself was destitute, and to leave his -children advantages which he reckoned it of the highest importance to -possess. Withal, he felt a peculiar inclination for magnificence,--for -whatever catches the eye, and possesses at the same time real worth and -durability. In his house he would have all things solid and massive; his -stores must be copious and rich, all his plate must be heavy, the -furniture of his table must be costly. On the other hand, his guests -were seldom invited; for every dinner was a festival, which, both for -its expense and for its inconvenience, could not often be repeated. The -economy of his house went on at a settled, uniform rate; and every thing -that moved or had place in it was just what yielded no one any real -enjoyment. - -The elder Werner, in his dark and hampered house, led quite another sort -of life. The business of the day, in his narrow counting-house, at his -ancient desk, once done, Werner liked to eat well, and, if possible, to -drink better. Nor could he fully enjoy good things in solitude; with his -family he must always see at table his friends, and any stranger that -had the slightest connection with his house. His chairs were of unknown -age and antic fashion, but he daily invited some to sit on them. The -dainty victuals arrested the attention of his guests, and none remarked -that they were served up in common ware. His cellar held no great stock -of wine, but the emptied niches were usually filled by more of a -superior sort. - -So lived these two fathers, often meeting to take counsel about their -common concerns. On the day we are speaking of, it had been determined -to send Wilhelm out from home, for the despatch of some commercial -affairs. - -"Let him look about him in the world," said old Meister, "and at the -same time carry on our business in distant parts. One cannot do a young -man any greater kindness than initiate him early in the future business -of his life. Your son returned so happily from his first expedition, and -transacted his affairs so cleverly, that I am very curious to see how -mine will do: _his_ experience, I fear, will cost him dearer." - -Old Meister had a high notion of his son's faculties and capabilities: -he said this in the hope that his friend would contradict him, and hold -up to view the admirable gifts of the youth. Here, however, he deceived -himself. Old Werner, who, in practical concerns, would trust no man but -such as he had proved, answered placidly, "One must try all things. We -can send him on the same journey: we shall give him a paper of -directions to conduct him. There are sundry debts to be gathered in, old -connections are to be renewed, new ones to be made. He may likewise help -the speculation I was lately talking of; for, without punctual -intelligence gathered on the spot, there is little to be done in it." - -"He must prepare," said Meister, "and set forth as soon as possible. -Where shall we get a horse for him to suit this business?" - -"We shall not seek far. The shopkeeper in H----, who owes us somewhat, -but is withal a good man, has offered me a horse instead of payment. My -son knows it, and tells me it is a serviceable beast." - -"He may fetch it himself. Let him go with the diligence; the day after -to-morrow he is back again betimes; we have his saddle-bags and letters -made ready in the mean time; he can set out on Monday morning." - -Wilhelm was sent for, and informed of their determination. Who so glad -as he, now seeing the means of executing his purpose put into his hands, -the opportunity made ready for him, without co-operation of his own! So -intense was his love, so full was his conviction of the perfect -rectitude of his intention to escape from the pressure of his actual -mode of life, and follow a new and nobler career, that his conscience -did not in the least rebel; no anxiety arose within him; he even -reckoned the deception he was meditating holy. He felt certain, that, in -the long-run, parents and relations would praise and bless him for this -resolution: he acknowledged in these concurring circumstances the signal -of a guiding fate. - -How slowly the time passed with him till night, till the hour when he -should again see his Mariana! He sat in his chamber, and revolved the -plan of his journey; as a conjurer, or a cunning thief in durance, often -draws out his feet from the fast-locked irons, to cherish in himself the -conviction that his deliverance is possible, nay, nearer than -short-sighted turnkeys believe. - -At last the appointed hour struck: he went out, shook off all anxiety, -and hastened through the silent streets. In the middle of the great -square he raised his hands to the sky, feeling as if all was behind him -and below him: he had freed himself from all. One moment he figured -himself as in the arms of his beloved, the next as glancing with her in -the splendors of the stage: he soared aloft in a world of hopes, only -now and then the call of some watchman brought to his recollection that -he was still wandering on the vulgar earth. - -Mariana came to the stairs to meet him,--and how beautiful, how lovely! -She received him in the new white _negligée_: he thought he had never -seen her so charming. Thus did she handsel the gift of her absent lover -in the arms of a present one; with true passion she lavished on her -darling the whole treasure of those caresses which nature suggested, or -art had taught: need we ask if he was happy, if he was blessed? - -He disclosed to her what had passed, and showed her, in general terms, -his plan and his wishes. He would try, he said, to find a residence, -then come back for her: he hoped she would not refuse him her hand. The -poor girl was silent: she concealed her tears, and pressed her friend -against her bosom. Wilhelm, though interpreting her silence in the most -favorable manner, could have wished for a distinct reply; and still -more, when at last he inquired of her in the tenderest and most delicate -terms, if he might not think himself a father. But to this she answered -only with a sigh, with a kiss. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -Next morning Mariana awoke only to new despondency; she felt herself -very solitary; she wished not to see the light of day, but staid in bed, -and wept. Old Barbara sat down by her, and tried to persuade and console -her; but it was not in her power so soon to heal the wounded heart. The -moment was now at hand to which the poor girl had been looking forward -as to the last of her life. Who could be placed in a more painful -situation? The man she loved was departing; a disagreeable lover was -threatening to come; and the most fearful mischiefs were to be -anticipated, if the two, as might easily happen, should meet together. - -"Calm yourself, my dear," said the old woman: "do not spoil your pretty -eyes with crying. Is it, then, so terrible a thing to have two lovers? -And though you can bestow your love but on the one, yet be thankful to -the other, who, caring for you as he does, certainly deserves to be -named your friend." - -"My poor Wilhelm," said the other, all in tears, "had warning that a -separation was at hand. A dream discovered to him what we strove so much -to hide. He was sleeping calmly at my side; on a sudden I heard him -mutter some unintelligible sounds: I grew frightened, and awoke him. Ah! -with what love and tenderness and warmth did he clasp me! 'O Mariana!' -cried he, 'what a horrid fate have you freed me from! How shall I thank -you for deliverance from such torment? I dreamed that I was far from you -in an unknown country, but your figure hovered before me; I saw you on a -beautiful hill, the sunshine was glancing over it all; how charming you -looked! But it had not lasted long, before I observed your image sinking -down, sinking, sinking: I stretched out my arms towards you; they could -not reach you through the distance. Your image still kept gliding down: -it approached a great sea that lay far extended at the foot of the -hill,--a marsh rather than a sea. All at once a man gave you his hand, -and seemed meaning to conduct you upwards; but he led you sidewards, and -appeared to draw you after him. I cried out: as I could not reach you, I -hoped to warn you. If I tried to walk, the ground seemed to hold me -fast; if I could walk, the water hindered me; and even my cries were -smothered in my breast.' So said the poor youth, while recovering from -his terror, and reckoning himself happy to see a frightful dream thrust -aside by the most delicious reality." - -Barbara made every effort to reduce, by her prose, the poetry of her -friend to the domain of common life; employing, in the present case, the -ingenious craft which so often succeeds with bird-catchers, when they -imitate with a whistle the tones of those luckless creatures they soon -hope to see by dozens safely lodged in their nets. She praised Wilhelm: -she expatiated on his figure, his eyes, his love. The poor girl heard -her with a gratified heart, then arose, let herself be dressed, and -appeared calmer. "My child, my darling," continued the old woman, in a -cozening tone, "I will not trouble you or injure you: I cannot think of -tearing from you your dearest happiness. Could you mistake my -intention? Have you forgotten that on all occasions I have cared for -you more than for myself? Tell me only what you wish: we shall soon see -how it may be brought about." - -"What can I wish?" said Mariana; "I am miserable, miserable for life: I -love him, and he loves me; yet I see that I must part with him, and know -not how I shall survive it. Norberg is coming, to whom we owe our whole -subsistence, whom we cannot live without. Wilhelm is straitened in his -fortune: he can do nothing for me." - -"Yes, unfortunately, he is of those lovers who bring nothing but their -hearts; and these people, too, have the highest pretensions of any." - -"No jesting! The unhappy youth thinks of leaving his home, of going upon -the stage, of offering me his hand." - -"Of empty hands we have already four." - -"I have no choice," continued Mariana; "do you decide for me. Cast me -away to this side or to that: mark only one thing,--I think I carry in -my bosom a pledge that ought to unite me with him still more closely. -Consider and determine: whom shall I forsake? whom shall I follow?" - -After a short silence, Barbara exclaimed. "Strange, that youth should -always be for extremes! To my view, nothing would be easier than for us -to combine both the profit and the enjoyment. Do you love the one, let -the other pay for it: all we have to mind, is being sharp enough to keep -the two from meeting." - -"Do as you please: I can imagine nothing, but I will obey." - -"We have this advantage: we can humor the manager's caprice and pride -about the morals of his troop. Both lovers are accustomed already to go -secretly and cautiously to work. For hours and opportunity I will take -thought: only henceforth you must act the part that I prescribe to you. -Who knows what circumstances may arise to help us? If Norberg would -arrive even now, when Wilhelm is away! Who can hinder you from thinking -of the one in the arms of the other? I wish you a son, and good fortune -with him: he will have a rich father." - -These projects lightened Mariana's despondency only for a very short -time. She could not bring her situation into harmony with her feelings, -with her convictions: she would fain have forgotten the painful -relations in which she stood, and a thousand little circumstances forced -them back every moment to her recollection. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -In the mean time, Wilhelm had completed the short preliminary journey. -His merchant being from home, he delivered the letter of introduction to -the mistress of the house. But neither did this lady give him much -furtherance in his purposes: she was in a violent passion, and her whole -economy was in confusion. - -He had not waited long when she disclosed to him, what in truth could -not be kept a secret, that her step-daughter had run off with a -player,--a person who had parted lately from a small strolling company, -and had staid in the place, and commenced teaching French. The father, -distracted with grief and vexation, had run to the _Amt_ to have the -fugitives pursued. She blamed her daughter bitterly, and vilified the -lover, till she left no tolerable quality with either: she deplored at -great length the shame thus brought upon the family; embarrassing our -hero not a little, who here felt his own private scheme beforehand -judged and punished, in the spirit of prophecy as it were, by this -frenzied sibyl. Still stronger and deeper was the interest he took in -the sorrows of the father, who now returned from the _Amt_, and with -fixed sorrow, in broken sentences, gave his wife an account of the -errand, and strove to hide the embarrassment and distraction of his -mind; while, after looking at the letter, he directed that the horse it -spoke of should be given to Wilhelm. - -Our friend thought it best to mount his steed immediately, and quit a -house where, in its present state, he could not possibly be comfortable; -but the honest man would not allow the son of one to whom he had so many -obligations to depart without tasting of his hospitality, without -remaining at least a night beneath his roof. - -Wilhelm had partaken of a melancholy supper, worn out a restless night, -and hastened, early in the morning, to get rid of these people, who, -without knowing it, had, by their narratives and utterances, been -constantly wounding him to the quick. - -In a musing mood, he was riding slowly along, when all at once he -observed a number of armed men coming through the fields. By their long, -loose coats, with enormous cuffs; by their shapeless hats, clumsy -muskets; by their unpretending gait, and contented bearing of the -body,--he recognized in these people a detachment of provincial -militia. They halted beneath an old oak, set down their fire-arms, and -placed themselves at their ease upon the sward, to smoke a pipe of -tobacco. Wilhelm lingered near them, and entered into conversation with -a young man who came up on horseback. The history of the two runaways, -which he knew but too well, was again detailed to him, and that with -comments not particularly flattering, either to the young pair -themselves, or to the parents. He also learned that the military had -come hither to take into custody the loving couple, who had already been -seized and detained in a neighboring village. After some time, -accordingly, a cart was seen advancing to the place, encircled with a -city guard more ludicrous than appalling. An amorphous town-clerk rode -forth, and made his compliments to the _Actuarius_ (for such was the -young man Wilhelm had been speaking to), on the border of their several -districts, with great conscientiousness and queer grimaces; as perhaps -the ghost and the conjurer do, when they meet, the one within the circle -and the other out of it, in their dismal midnight operations. - -But the chief attention of the lookers-on was directed to the cart: they -could not behold, without compassion, the poor, misguided creatures, who -were sitting upon bundles of straw, looking tenderly at one another, and -scarcely seeming to observe the by-standers. Accident had forced their -conductors to bring them from the last village in that unseemly style; -the old chaise, which had previously transported the lady, having there -broken down. On that occurrence she had begged for permission to sit -beside her friend; whom, in the conviction that his crime was of a -capital sort, the rustic bailiffs had so far brought along in irons. -These irons certainly contributed to give the tender group a more -interesting appearance, particularly as the young man moved and bore -himself with great dignity, while he kissed more than once the hands of -his fair companion. - -"We are unfortunate," she cried to the by-standers, "but not so guilty -as we seem. It is thus that cruel men reward true love; and parents, who -entirely neglect the happiness of their children, tear them with fury -from the arms of joy, when it has found them after many weary days." - -The spectators were expressing their sympathy in various ways, when, the -officers of law having finished their ceremonial, the cart went on; and -Wilhelm, who took a deep interest in the fate of the lovers, hastened -forward by a foot path to get some acquaintance with the _Amtmann_ -before the procession should arrive. But scarcely had he reached the -_Amthaus_, where all was in motion, and ready to receive the fugitives, -when his new friend, the _Actuarius_, laid hold of him; and giving him a -circumstantial detail of the whole proceedings, and then launching out -into a comprehensive eulogy of his own horse, which he had got by barter -the night before, put a stop to every other sort of conversation. - -The luckless pair, in the mean time, had been set down behind, at the -garden, which communicated by a little door with the _Amthaus_, and thus -brought in unobserved. The _Actuarius_, for this mild and handsome -treatment, accepted of a just encomium from Wilhelm; though in truth his -sole object had been to mortify the crowd collected in front of the -_Amthaus_, by denying them the satisfaction of looking at a neighbor in -disgrace. - -The _Amtmann_, who had no particular taste for such extraordinary -occurrences, being wont on these occasions to commit frequent errors, -and, with the best intentions, to be often paid with sour admonitions -from the higher powers, went with heavy steps into his office-room; the -_Actuarius_ with Wilhelm and a few respectable citizens following him. - -The lady was first produced; she advanced without pertness, calm and -self-possessed. The manner of her dress, the way in which she bore -herself, showed that she was a person not without value in her own eyes. -She accordingly began, without any questions being put, to speak, not -unskilfully, about her situation. - -The _Actuarius_ bade her be silent, and held his pen over the folded -sheet. The _Amtmann_ gathered up his resolution, looked at his -assistant, cleared his throat by two or three hems, and asked the poor -girl what was her name, and how old she was. - -"I beg your pardon, sir," said she, "but it seems very strange to me -that you ask my name and age, seeing you know very well what my name is, -and that I am just of the age of your oldest son. What you do want to -know of me, and need to know, I will tell freely without circumlocution. - -"Since my father's second marriage, my situation in his house has not -been of the most enviable sort. Oftener than once I have had it in my -power to make a suitable marriage, had not my step-mother, dreading the -expense of my portion, taken care to thwart all such proposals. At -length I grew acquainted with the young Melina; I felt constrained to -love him; and, as we both foresaw the obstacles that stood in the way of -our regular union, we determined to go forth together, and seek in the -wide world the happiness denied us at home. I took nothing with me that -was not my own: we did not run away like thieves and robbers; and my -lover does not merit to be hauled about in this way, with chains and -handcuffs. The prince is just, and will not sanction such severity. If -we are liable to punishment, it is not punishment of this kind." - -The old _Amtmann_ hereupon fell into double and treble confusion. Sounds -of the most gracious eulogies were already humming through his brain, -and the girl's voluble speech had entirely confounded the plan of his -protocol. The mischief increased, when to repeated official questions -she refused giving any answer, but constantly referred to what she had -already said. - -"I am no criminal," she said. "They have brought me hither on bundles of -straw to put me to shame, but there is a higher court that will bring us -back to honor." - -The _Actuarius_, in the mean time, had kept writing down her words: he -whispered the _Amtmann_, "just to go on,--a formal protocol might be -made out by and by." - -The senior then again took heart, and began, with his heavy words, in -dry prescribed formulas, to seek information about the sweet secrets of -love. - -The red mounted into Wilhelm's cheeks, and those of the pretty criminal -likewise glowed with the charming tinge of modesty. She was silent, she -stammered, till at last her embarrassment itself seemed to exalt her -courage. - -"Be assured," she cried, "that I should have strength enough to confess -the truth, though it made against myself; and shall I now hesitate and -stammer, when it does me honor? Yes: from the moment when I first felt -certain of his love and faith, I looked upon him as my husband; I freely -gave him all that love requires,--that a heart once convinced cannot -long refuse. Now do with me what you please. If I hesitated for a moment -to confess, it was solely owing to fear lest the admission might prove -hurtful to my lover." - -On hearing this confession, Wilhelm formed a high opinion of the young -woman's feelings, while her judges marked her as an impudent strumpet; -and the townsfolk present thanked God that in their families no such -scandal had occurred, or at least been brought to light. - -Wilhelm transported his Mariana into this conjuncture, answering at the -bar: he put still finer words in her mouth, making her uprightness yet -more affecting, her confession still nobler. The most violent desire to -help the two lovers took possession of him. Nor did he conceal this -feeling, but signified in private to the wavering _Amtmann_, that it -were better to end the business; all being clear as possible, and -requiring no further investigation. - -This was so far of service that the young woman was allowed to retire; -though, in her stead, the lover was brought in, his fetters having -previously been taken off him at the door. This person seemed a little -more concerned about his fate. His answers were more careful; and, if he -showed less heroic generosity, he recommended himself by the precision -and distinctness of his expressions. - -When this audience also was finished, and found to agree in all points -with the former, except that, from regard for his mistress, Melina -stubbornly denied what had already been confessed by herself, the young -woman was again brought forward; and a scene took place between the two, -which made the heart of our friend entirely their own. - -What usually occurs nowhere but in romances and plays, he saw here in a -paltry court-room before his eyes,--the contest of reciprocal -magnanimity, the strength of love in misfortune. - -"Is it, then, true," said he internally, "that timorous affection, which -conceals itself from the eye of the sun and of men, not daring to taste -of enjoyment save in remote solitude and deep secrecy, yet, if torn -rudely by some cruel chance into light, will show itself more -courageous, strong, and resolute than any of our loud and ostentatious -passions?" - -To his comfort, the business now soon came to a conclusion. The lovers -were detained in tolerable quarters: had it been possible, he would that -very evening have brought back the young lady to her parents. For he -firmly determined to act as intercessor in this case, and to forward a -happy and lawful union between the lovers. - -He begged permission of the _Amtmann_ to speak in private with Melina, a -request which was granted without difficulty. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -The conversation of these new acquaintances very soon grew confidential -and lively. When Wilhelm told the downcast youth of his connection with -the lady's parents, and offered to mediate in the affair, showing at the -same time the strongest expectation of success, a light was shed across -the dreary and anxious mind of the prisoner: he felt himself already -free, already reconciled with the parents of his bride, and now began to -speak about his future occupation and support. - -"On this point," said our friend, "you cannot long be in difficulty; for -you seem to me directed, not more by your circumstances than by nature, -to make your fortune in the noble profession you have chosen. A pleasing -figure, a sonorous voice, a feeling heart! Could an actor be better -furnished? If I can serve you with a few introductions, it will give me -the greatest pleasure." - -"I thank you with all my heart," replied the other, "but I shall hardly -be able to make use of them; for it is my purpose, if possible, not to -return to the stage." - -"Here you are certainly to blame," said Wilhelm, after a pause, during -which he had partly recovered out of his astonishment; for it had never -once entered his head, but that the player, the moment his young wife -and he were out of durance, would repair to some theatre. It seemed to -him as natural and as necessary as for the frog to seek pools of water. -He had not doubted of it for a moment, and he now heard the contrary -with boundless surprise. - -"Yes," replied Melina, "I have it in view not to re-appear upon the -stage, but rather to take up some civil calling, be it what it will, so -that I can but obtain one." - -"This is a strange resolution, which I cannot give my approbation to. -Without especial reasons, it can never be advisable to change the mode -of life we have begun with; and, besides, I know of no condition that -presents so much allurement, so many charming prospects, as the -condition of an actor." - -"It is easy to see that you have never been one," said the other. - -"Alas, sir," answered Wilhelm, "how seldom is any man contented with the -station where he happens to be placed! He is ever coveting that of his -neighbor, from which the neighbor in his turn is longing to be free." - -"Yet still there is a difference," said Melina, "between bad and worse. -Experience, not impatience, makes me determine as you see. Is there in -the world any creature whose morsel of bread is attended with such -vexation, uncertainty, and toil? It were almost as good to take the -staff and wallet, and beg from door to door. What things to be endured -from the envy of rivals, from the partiality of managers, from the -ever-altering caprices of the public! In truth, one would need to have a -hide like a bear's, that is led about in a chain along with apes, and -dogs of knowledge, and cudgelled into dancing at the sound of a bagpipe -before the populace and children." - -Wilhelm thought a thousand things, which he would not vex the worthy man -by uttering. He merely, therefore, led the conversation round them at a -distance. His friend explained himself the more candidly and -circumstantially on that account. "Is not the manager obliged," said he, -"to fall down at the feet of every little _Stadtrath_, that he may get -permission, for a month between the fairs, to cause another _groschen_ -or two to circulate in the place? Ours, on the whole, a worthy man, I -have often pitied; though at other times he gave me cause enough for -discontentment. A good actor drains him by extortion; of the bad he -cannot rid himself; and, should he try to make his income at all equal -to his outlay, the public immediately takes umbrage, the house stands -empty; and, not to go to wreck entirely, he must continue acting in the -midst of sorrow and vexation. No, no, sir! Since you are so good as to -undertake to help me, have the kindness, I entreat you, to plead with -the parents of my bride: let them get me a little post of clerk or -collector, and I shall think myself well dealt with." - -After exchanging a few words more, Wilhelm went away with the promise to -visit the parents early in the morning, and see what could be done. -Scarcely was he by himself, when he gave utterance to his thoughts in -these exclamations: "Unhappy Melina! not in thy condition, but in -thyself, lies the mean impediment over which thou canst not gain the -mastery. What mortal in the world, if without inward calling he take up -a trade, an art, or any mode of life, will not feel his situation -miserable? But he who is born with capacities for any undertaking, finds -in executing this the fairest portion of his being. Nothing upon earth -without its difficulties! It is the secret impulse within, it is the -love and the delight we feel, that help us to conquer obstacles, to -clear out new paths, and to overleap the bounds of that narrow circle in -which others poorly toil. For _thee_ the stage is but a few boards: the -parts assigned thee are but what a task is to a school-boy. The -spectators thou regardest as on work-days they regard each other. For -thee, then, it may be well to wish thyself behind a desk, over ruled -ledgers, collecting tolls, and picking out reversions. Thou feelest not -the co-operating, co-inspiring whole, which the mind alone can invent, -comprehend, and complete: thou feelest not that in man there lives a -spark of purer fire, which, when it is not fed, when it is not fanned, -gets covered by the ashes of indifference and daily wants, yet not till -late, perhaps never, can be altogether quenched. Thou feelest in thy -soul no strength to fan this spark into a flame, no riches in thy heart -to feed it when aroused. Hunger drives thee on, inconveniences withstand -thee; and it is hidden from thee, that, in every human condition, foes -lie in wait for us, invincible except by cheerfulness and equanimity. -Thou dost well to wish thyself within the limits of a common station, -for what station that required soul and resolution couldst thou rightly -fill? Give a soldier, a statesman, a divine, thy sentiments, and as -justly will he fret himself about the miseries of _his_ condition. Nay, -have there not been men so totally forsaken by all feeling of existence, -that they have held the life and nature of mortals as a nothing, a -painful, short, and tarnished gleam of being? Did the forms of active -men rise up living in thy soul; were thy breast warmed by a sympathetic -fire; did the vocation which proceeds from within diffuse itself over -all thy frame; were the tones of thy voice, the words of thy mouth, -delightful to hear; didst thou feel thy own being sufficient for -thyself,--then wouldst thou doubtless seek place and opportunity -likewise to feel it in others." - -Amid such words and thoughts, our friend undressed himself, and went to -bed, with feelings of the deepest satisfaction. A whole romance of what -he now hoped to do, instead of the worthless occupations which should -have filled the approaching day, arose within his mind: pleasant -fantasies softly conducted him into the kingdom of sleep, and then gave -him up to their sisters, sweet dreams, who received him with open arms, -and encircled his reposing head with the images of heaven. - -Early in the morning he was awake again, and thinking of the business -that lay before him. He revisited the house of the forsaken family, -where his presence caused no small surprise. He introduced his proposal -in the most prudent manner, and soon found both more and fewer -difficulties than he had anticipated. For one thing, the evil was -already _done_: and though people of a singularly strict and harsh -temper are wont to set themselves forcibly against the past, and thus to -increase the evil that cannot now be remedied; yet, on the other hand, -what is actually done exerts an irresistible effect upon most minds: an -event which lately appeared impossible takes its place, so soon as it -has really occurred, with what occurs daily. It was accordingly soon -settled, that Herr Melina was to wed the daughter; who, however, in -return, because of her misconduct, was to take no marriage-portion with -her, and to promise that she would leave her aunt's legacy, for a few -years more, at an easy interest, in her father's hands. But the second -point, touching a civil provision for Melina, was attended with greater -difficulties. They liked not to have the luckless pair continually -living in their sight: they would not have a present object ever calling -to their minds the connection of a mean vagabond with so respectable a -family,--a family which could number even a superintendent among its -relatives; nay, it was not to be looked for, that the government would -trust him with a charge. Both parents were alike inflexible in this -matter; and Wilhelm, who pleaded very hard, unwilling that a man whom he -contemned should return to the stage, and convinced that he deserved not -such a happiness, could not, with all his rhetoric, produce the -slenderest impression. Had he known the secret springs of the business, -he would have spared himself the labor of attempting to persuade. The -father would gladly have kept his daughter near him; but he hated the -young man, because his wife herself had cast an eye upon him: while the -latter could not bear to have, in her step-daughter, a happy rival -constantly before her eyes. So Melina with his young wife, who already -manifested no dislike to go and see the world, and be seen of it, was -obliged, against his will, to set forth in a few days, and seek some -place in any acting company where he could find one. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - -Happy season of youth! Happy times of the first wish of love! A man is -then like a child that can for hours delight itself with an echo, can -support alone the charges of conversation, and be well contented with -its entertainment if the unseen interlocutor will but repeat the -concluding syllables of the words addressed to it. - -So was it with Wilhelm in the earlier and still more in the later period -of his passion for Mariana; he transferred the whole wealth of his own -emotions to her, and looked upon himself as a beggar that lived upon her -alms: and as a landscape is more delightful, nay, is delightful only, -when it is enlightened by the sun; so likewise in his eyes were all -things beautified and glorified which lay round her or related to her. - -Often would he stand in the theatre behind the scenes, to which he had -obtained the freedom of access from the manager. In such cases, it is -true, the perspective magic was away; but the far mightier sorcery of -love then first began to act. For hours he could stand by the sooty -light-frame, inhaling the vapor of tallow lamps, looking out at his -mistress; and when she returned, and cast a kindly glance upon him, he -could feel himself lost in ecstasy: and, though close upon laths and -bare spars, he seemed transported into paradise. The stuffed bunches of -wool denominated lambs, the waterfalls of tin, the paper roses, and the -one-sided huts of straw, awoke in him fair poetic visions of an old -pastoral world. Nay, the very dancing-girls, ugly as they were when seen -at hand, did not always inspire him with disgust: they trod the same -floor with Mariana. So true is it, that love, which alone can give their -full charm to rose-bowers, myrtle-groves, and moonshine, can also -communicate, even to shavings of wood, and paper-clippings, the aspect -of animated nature. It is so strong a spice, that tasteless or even -nauseous soups are by it rendered palatable. - -So potent a spice was certainly required to render tolerable, nay, at -last agreeable, the state in which he usually found her chamber, not to -say herself. - -Brought up in a substantial burgher's house, cleanliness and order were -the elements in which he breathed; and, inheriting as he did a portion -of his father's taste for finery, it had always been his care, in -boyhood, to furbish up his chamber, which he regarded as his little -kingdom, in the stateliest fashion. His bed-curtains were drawn together -in large, massy folds, and fastened with tassels, as they are usually -seen in thrones; he had got himself a carpet for the middle of his -chamber, and a finer one for his table; his books and apparatus he had, -almost instinctively, arranged in such a manner, that a Dutch painter -might have imitated them for groups in his still-life scenes. He had a -white cap, which he wore straight up like a turban; and the sleeves of -his night-gown he had caused to be cut short, in the mode of the -Orientals. By way of reason for this, he pretended that long, wide -sleeves encumbered him in writing. When, at night, the boy was quite -alone, and no longer dreaded any interruption, he usually wore a silk -sash tied round his body; and often, it is said, he would fix in his -girdle a sword, which he had appropriated from an old armory, and thus -repeat and declaim his tragic parts; nay, in the same trim he would -kneel down and say his evening prayer. - -In those times, how happy did he think the players, whom he saw -possessed of so many splendid garments, trappings, and arms; and in the -constant practice of a lofty demeanor, the spirit of which seemed to -hold up a mirror of whatever, in the opinions, relations, and passions -of men, was stateliest and most magnificent. Of a piece with this, -thought Wilhelm, is also the player's domestic life,--a series of -dignified transactions and employments, whereof their appearance on the -stage is but the outmost portion; like as a mass of silver, long -simmering about in the purifying furnace, at length gleams with a bright -and beautiful tinge in the eye of the refiner, and shows him, at the -same time, that the metal now is cleansed of all foreign mixture. - -Great, accordingly, was his surprise at first, when he found himself -beside his mistress, and looked down, through the cloud that environed -him, on tables, stools, and floor. The wrecks of a transient, light, -and false decoration lay, like the glittering coat of a skinned -fish, dispersed in wild disorder. The implements of personal -cleanliness,--combs, soap, towels,--with the traces of their use, were -not concealed. Music, portions of plays and pairs of shoes, washes and -Italian flowers, pin-cushions, hair-skewers, rouge-pots, and ribbons, -books and straw hats,--no article despised the neighborhood of another: -all were united by a common element,--powder and dust. Yet as Wilhelm -scarcely noticed in her presence aught except herself; nay, as all that -had belonged to her, that she had touched, was dear to him,--he came at -last to feel, in this chaotic housekeeping, a charm which the proud pomp -of his own habitation never had communicated. When, on this hand, he -lifted aside her bodice, to get at the harpsichord; on that, threw her -gown upon the bed, that he might find a seat; when she herself, with -careless freedom, did not seek to hide from him many a natural office, -which, out of respect for the presence of a second person, is usually -concealed,--he felt as if by all this he was coming nearer to her every -moment, as if the communion betwixt them was fastening by invisible -ties. - -It was not so easy to reconcile with his previous ideas the behavior of -the other players, whom, on his first visits, he often met with in her -house. Ever busied in being idle, they seemed to think least of all on -their employment and object: the poetic worth of a piece they were never -heard to speak of, or to judge of, right or wrong; their continual -question was simply, How much will it _bring_? Is it a stock-piece? How -long will it run? How often think you it may be played? and other -inquiries and observations of the same description. Then commonly they -broke out against the manager, that he was stinted with his salaries, -and especially unjust to this one or to that; then against the public, -how seldom it recompensed the right man with its approval, how the -German theatre was daily improving, how the player was ever growing more -honored, and never could be honored enough. Then they would descant -largely about wine-gardens and coffee-houses; how much debt one of their -comrades had contracted, and must suffer a deduction from his wages on -account of; about the disproportion of their weekly salaries; about the -cabals of some rival company: on which occasions, they would pass again -to the great and merited attention which the public now bestowed upon -them; not forgetting the importance of the theatre to the improvement of -the nation and the world. - -All this, which had already given Wilhelm many a restless hour, came -again into his memory, as he walked his horse slowly homewards, and -contemplated the various occurrences in which he had so lately been -engaged. The commotion produced by a girl's elopement, not only in a -decent family, but in a whole town, he had seen with his own eyes; the -scenes upon the highway and in the _Amthaus_, the views entertained by -Melina, and whatever else he had witnessed, again arose before him, and -brought his keen, forecasting mind into a sort of anxious disquietude; -which no longer to endure, he struck the spurs into his horse, and -hastened towards home. - -By this expedient, however, he but ran to meet new vexations. Werner, -his friend and future brother-in-law, was waiting for him, to begin a -serious, important, unexpected conversation. - -Werner was one of those tried, sedate persons, with fixed principles and -habits, whom we usually denominate cold characters, because on -emergencies they do not burst forth quickly or very visibly. -Accordingly, his intercourse with Wilhelm was a perpetual contest; -which, however, only served to knit their mutual affection the more -firmly; for, notwithstanding their very opposite modes of thinking, each -found his account in communicating with the other. Werner was very well -contented with himself, that he could now and then lay a bridle on the -exalted but commonly extravagant spirit of his friend; and Wilhelm often -felt a glorious triumph, when the staid and thinking Werner could be -hurried on with him in warm ebullience. Thus each exercised himself upon -the other; they had been accustomed to see each other daily; and you -would have said, their eagerness to meet and talk together had even been -augmented by the inability of each to understand the other. At bottom, -however, being both good-hearted men, they were both travelling together -towards one goal; and they could never understand how it was that -neither of the two could bring the other over to his own persuasion. - -For some time Werner had observed that Wilhelm's visits had been rarer; -that in his favorite discussions he was brief and absent-minded; that he -no longer abandoned himself to the vivid depicting of singular -conceptions,--tokens by which, in truth, a mind getting rest and -contentment in the presence of a friend is most clearly indicated. The -considerate and punctual Werner first sought for the root of the evil in -his own conduct; till some rumors of the neighborhood set him on the -proper trace, and some unguarded proceedings on the part of Wilhelm -brought him nearer to the certainty. He began his investigation, and -erelong discovered, that for some time Wilhelm had been openly visiting -an actress, had often spoken with her at the theatre, and accompanied -her home. On discovering the nightly visits of his friend, Werner's -anxiety increased to a painful extent: for he heard that Mariana was a -most seductive girl, who probably was draining the youth of his money; -while, at the same time, she herself was supported by another and a -very worthless lover. - -Having pushed his suspicions as near certainty as possible, he had -resolved to make a sharp attack on Wilhelm: he was now in full readiness -with all his preparations, when his friend returned, discontented and -unsettled, from his journey. - -That very evening Werner laid the whole of what he knew before him, -first calmly, then with the emphatic earnestness of a well-meaning -friendship. He left no point of the subject undiscussed, and made -Wilhelm taste abundance of those bitter things which men at ease are -accustomed, with virtuous spite, to dispense so liberally to men in -love. Yet, as might have been expected, he accomplished little. Wilhelm -answered with interior commotion, though with great confidence, "You -know not the girl! Appearances, perhaps, are not to her advantage; but I -am certain of her faithfulness and virtue, as of my love." - -Werner maintained his accusations, and offered to bring proofs and -witnesses. Wilhelm waived these offers, and parted with his friend out -of humor and unhinged, like a man in whose jaw some unskilful dentist -has been seizing a diseased, yet fast-rooted, tooth, and tugging at it -harshly to no purpose. - -It exceedingly dissatisfied Wilhelm to see the fair image of Mariana -overclouded and almost deformed in his soul, first by the capricious -fancies of his journey, and then by the unfriendliness of Werner. He -adopted the surest means of restoring it to complete brilliancy and -beauty, by setting out at night, and hastening to his wonted -destination. She received him with extreme joy: on entering the town, he -had ridden past her window; she had been expecting his company; and it -is easy to conceive that all scruples were soon driven from his heart. -Nay, her tenderness again opened up the whole stores of his confidence; -and he told her how deeply the public, how deeply his friend, had sinned -against her. - -Much lively talking led them at length to speak about the earliest -period of their acquaintance, the recollection of which forms always one -of the most delightful topics between two lovers. The first steps that -introduce us to the enchanted garden of love are so full of pleasure, -the first prospects so charming, that every one is willing to recall -them to his memory. Each party seeks a preference above the other; each -has loved sooner, more devotedly; and each, in this contest, would -rather be conquered than conquer. - -Wilhelm repeated to his mistress, what he had so often told her before, -how she soon abstracted his attention from the play, and fixed it on -herself; how her form, her acting, her voice, inspired him; how at last -he went only on the nights when _she_ was to appear; how, in fine, -having ventured behind the scenes, he had often stood by her unheeded; -and he spoke with rapture of the happy evening when he found an -opportunity to do her some civility, and lead her into conversation. - -Mariana, on the other hand, would not allow that she had failed so long -to notice him: she declared that she had seen him in the public walk, -and for proof she described the clothes which he wore on that occasion; -she affirmed that even then he pleased her before all others, and made -her long for his acquaintance. - -How gladly did Wilhelm credit all this! How gladly did he catch at the -persuasion, that, when he used to approach her, she had felt herself -drawn towards him by some resistless influence; that she had gone with -him between the side-scenes on purpose to see him more closely, and get -acquainted with him; and that, in fine, when his backwardness and -modesty were not to be conquered, she had herself afforded him an -opportunity, and, as it were, compelled him to hand her a glass of -lemonade. - -In this affectionate contest, which they pursued through all the little -circumstances of their brief romance, the hours passed rapidly away; and -Wilhelm left his mistress with his heart at peace, and firmly determined -on proceeding forthwith to the execution of his project. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - -The necessary preparations for his journey his father and mother had -attended to: some little matters, that were yet wanting to his equipage, -delayed his departure for a few days. Wilhelm took advantage of this -opportunity to write to Mariana, meaning thus to bring to a decision the -proposal, about which she had hitherto avoided speaking with him. The -letter was as follows:-- - -"Under the kind veil of night, which has often over-shadowed us -together, I sit and think, and write to thee: all that I meditate and do -is solely on thy account. O Mariana! with me, the happiest of men, it is -as with a bridegroom who stands in the festive chamber, dreaming of the -new universe that is to be unfolded to him, and by means of him, and, -while the holy ceremonies are proceeding, transports himself in longing -thought before the mysterious curtains, from which the loveliness of -love whispers out to him. - -"I have constrained myself not to see thee for a few days: the sacrifice -was easy, when united with the hope of such a recompense, of being -always with thee, of remaining ever thine! Need I repeat what I desire? -I must! for it seems as if yet thou hadst never understood me. - -"How often, in the low tones of true love, which, though wishing to gain -all, dares speak but little, have I sought in thy heart for the desire -of a perpetual union. Thou hast understood me, doubtless; for in thy own -heart the same wish must have arisen: thou _didst_ comprehend me, in -that kiss, in the intoxicating peace of that happy evening. Thy silence -testified to me thy modest honor; and how did it increase my love! -Another woman would have had recourse to artifice, that she might ripen -by superfluous sunshine the purpose of her lover's heart, might elicit a -proposal, and secure a firm promise. Mariana, on the contrary, drew -back: she repelled the half-opened confidence of him she loved, and -sought to conceal her approving feelings by apparent indifference. But I -have understood thee! What a miserable creature must I be, if I did not -by these tokens recognize the pure and generous love that cares not for -itself, but for its object! Confide in me, and fear nothing. We belong -to one another; and neither of us leaves aught or forsakes aught, if we -live for one another. - -"Take it, then, this hand! Solemnly I offer this unnecessary pledge! All -the joys of love we have already felt, but there is a new blessedness in -the firm thought of duration. Ask not how,--care not. Fate takes care of -love, and the more certainly as love is easy to provide for. - -"My heart has long ago forsaken my paternal home: it is with thee, as my -spirit hovers on the stage. O my darling! to what other man has it been -given to unite all his wishes, as it is to me? No sleep falls upon my -eyes: like the redness of an everlasting dawn, thy love and thy -happiness still glow around me. - -"Scarcely can I hold myself from springing up, from rushing forth to -thee, and forcing thy consent, and, with the first light of to-morrow, -pressing forward into the world for the mark I aim at. But, no! I will -restrain myself; I will not act like a thoughtless fool, will do nothing -rashly: my plan is laid, and I will execute it calmly. - -"I am acquainted with the manager Serlo: my journey leads me directly to -the place where he is. For above a year he has frequently been wishing -that his people had a touch of my vivacity, and my delight in theatrical -affairs: I shall doubtless be very kindly received. Into your company I -cannot enter, for more than one reason. Serlo's theatre, moreover, is at -such a distance from this, that I may there begin my undertaking without -any apprehension of discovery. With him I shall thus at once find a -tolerable maintenance: I shall look about me in the public, get -acquainted with the company, and then come back for thee. - -"Mariana, thou seest what I can force myself to do, that I may certainly -obtain thee. For such a period not to see thee; for such a period to -know thee in the wide world! I dare not view it closely. But yet if I -recall to memory thy love, which assures me of all; if thou shalt not -disdain my prayer, and give me, ere we part, thy hand, before the -priest,--I may then depart in peace. It is but a form between us, yet a -form so touching,--the blessing of Heaven to the blessing of the earth. -Close by thy house, in the Ritterschaftliche Chapel, the ceremony will -be soon and secretly performed. - -"For the beginning I have gold enough; we will share it between us; it -will suffice for both; and, before that is finished, Heaven will send us -more. - -"No, my darling, I am not downcast about the issue. What is begun with -so much cheerfulness must reach a happy end. I have never doubted that a -man may force his way through the world, if he really is in earnest -about it; and I feel strength enough within me to provide a liberal -support for two, and many more. The world, we are often told, is -unthankful: I have never yet discovered that it was unthankful, if one -knew how, in the proper way, to do it service. My whole soul burns at -the idea, that _I_ shall at length step forth, and speak to the hearts -of men something they have long been yearning to hear. How many thousand -times has a feeling of disgust passed through me, alive as I am to the -nobleness of the stage, when I have seen the poorest creatures fancying -they could speak a word of power to the hearts of the people! The tone -of a man's voice singing treble sounds far pleasanter and purer to my -ear: it is incredible how these blockheads, in their coarse ineptitude, -deform things beautiful and venerable. - -"The theatre has often been at variance with the pulpit: they ought not, -I think, to quarrel. How much is it to be wished, that in both the -celebration of nature and of God were intrusted to none but men of noble -minds! These are no dreams, my darling! As I have felt in thy heart that -thou couldst love, I seize the dazzling thought, and say,--no, I will -not say, but I will hope and trust,--that we two shall yet appear to men -as a pair of chosen spirits, to unlock their hearts, to touch the -recesses of their nature, and prepare for them celestial joys, as surely -as the joys I have tasted with thee deserved to be named celestial, -since they drew us from ourselves, and exalted us above ourselves. - -"I cannot end. I have already said too much, and know not whether I have -yet said all, all that concerns _thy_ interests; for to express the -agitations of the vortex that whirls round within myself, is beyond the -power of words. - -"Yet take this sheet, my love! I have again read it over: I observe it -ought to have begun more cautiously; but it contains in it all that thou -hast need to know,--enough to prepare thee for the hour when I shall -return with the lightness of love to thy bosom. I seem to myself like a -prisoner that is secretly filing his irons asunder. I bid good-night to -my soundly sleeping parents. Farewell, my beloved, farewell! For this -time I conclude; my eyelids have more than once dropped together; it is -now deep in the night." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - -It seemed as if the day would never end, while Wilhelm, with the letter -beautifully folded in his pocket, longed to meet with Mariana. The -darkness had scarcely come on, when, contrary to custom, he glided forth -to her house. His plan was, to announce himself for the night; then to -quit his mistress for a short time, leaving the letter with her ere he -went away; and, returning at a late hour, to obtain her reply, her -consent, or to force it from her by the power of his caresses. He flew -into her arms, and pressed her in rapture to his bosom. The vehemence of -his emotions prevented him at first from noticing, that, on this -occasion, she did not receive him with her wonted heartiness; yet she -could not long conceal her painful situation, but imputed it to slight -indisposition. She complained of a headache, and would not by any means -consent to his proposal of coming back that night. Suspecting nothing -wrong, he ceased to urge her, but felt that this was not the moment for -delivering his letter. He retained it, therefore; and, as several of her -movements and observations courteously compelled him to take his leave, -in the tumult of unsatiable love he snatched up one of her neckerchiefs, -squeezed it into his pocket, and forced himself away from her lips and -her door. He returned home, but could not rest there: he again dressed -himself, and went out into the open air. - -After walking up and down several streets, he was accosted by a stranger -inquiring for a certain inn. Wilhelm offered to conduct him to the -house. In the way, his new acquaintance asked about the names of the -streets, the owners of various extensive edifices, then about some -police regulations of the town; so that, by the time they reached the -door of the inn, they had fallen into quite an interesting conversation. -The stranger politely compelled his guide to enter, and drink a glass of -punch with him. Ere long he had told his name and place of abode, as -well as the business that had brought him hither; and he seemed to -expect a like confidence from Wilhelm. Our friend, without any -hesitation, mentioned his name, and the place where he lived. - -"Are you not a grandson of the old Meister, who possessed that beautiful -collection of pictures and statues?" inquired the stranger. - -"Yes, I am. I was ten years old when my grandfather died, and it grieved -me very much to see these fine things sold." - -"Your father got a fine sum of money for them." - -"You know of it, then?" - -"Yes, indeed: I saw that treasure ere it left your house. Your -grandfather was not merely a collector, he had a thorough knowledge of -art. In his younger happy years he had been in Italy, and had brought -back with him such treasures as could not now be got for any price. He -possessed some exquisite pictures by the best masters. When you looked -through his drawings, you would scarcely have believed your eyes. Among -his marbles were some invaluable fragments; his series of bronzes was -instructive and well chosen; he had also collected medals, in -considerable quantity, relating to history and art; his few gems -deserved the greatest praise. In addition to all which, the whole was -tastefully arranged; although the rooms and hall of the old house had -not been symmetrically built." - -"You may conceive," said Wilhelm, "what we young ones lost, when all -these articles were taken down and sent away. It was the first mournful -period of my life. I cannot tell you how empty the chambers looked when -we saw those objects vanish one by one, which had amused us from our -earliest years, and which we considered as unalterable as the house, or -the town itself." - -"If I mistake not, your father put the capital produced by the sale into -some neighbor's stock, with whom he commenced a sort of partnership in -trade." - -"Quite right; and their joint speculations have prospered in their -hands. Within the last twelve years, they have greatly increased their -fortunes, and are now the more vehemently bent on gaining. Old Werner -also has a son, who suits that sort of occupation much better than I." - -"I am sorry the place should have lost such an ornament as your -grandfather's cabinet was to it. I saw it but a short time prior to the -sale; and I may say, I was myself the cause of its being then disposed -of. A rich nobleman, a great amateur, but one who, in such important -transactions, does not trust to his own solitary judgment, had sent me -hither, and requested my advice. For six days I examined the collection: -on the seventh, I advised my friend to pay down the required sum without -delay. You were then a lively boy, often running about me: you explained -to me the subjects of the pictures, and in general, I recollect, could -give a very good account of the whole cabinet." - -"I remember such a person, but I should not have recognized him in you." - -"It is a good while ago, and we all change more or less. You had, if I -mistake not, a favorite piece among them, to which you were ever calling -my attention." - -"Oh, yes! it represented the history of that king's son dying of a -secret love for his father's bride." - -"It was not, certainly, the best picture,--badly grouped, of no -superiority in coloring, and executed altogether with great mannerism." - -"This I did not understand, and do not yet: it is the subject that -charms me in a picture, not the art." - -"Your grandfather seemed to have thought otherwise. The greater part of -his collection consisted of excellent pieces; in which, represent what -they might, one constantly admired the talent of the master. This -picture of yours had accordingly been hung in the outermost room,--a -proof that he valued it slightly." - -"It was in that room where we young ones used to play, and where the -piece you mention made on me a deep impression; which not even your -criticism, greatly as I honor it, could obliterate, if we stood before -the picture at this moment. What a melancholy object is a youth that -must shut up within himself the sweet impulse, the fairest inheritance -which nature has given us, and conceal in his own bosom the fire which -should warm and animate himself and others, so that his vitals are -wasted away by unutterable pains! I feel a pity for the ill-fated man -that would consecrate himself to another, when the heart of that other -has already found a worthy object of true and pure affection." - -"Such feelings are, however, very foreign to the principles by which a -lover of art examines the works of great painters; and most probably -you, too, had the cabinet continued in your family, would have by and by -acquired a relish for the works themselves, and have learned to see in -the performances of art something more than yourself and your individual -inclinations." - -"In truth, the sale of that cabinet grieved me very much at the time; -and often since I have thought of it with regret: but when I consider -that it was a necessary means of awakening a taste in me, of developing -a talent, which will operate far more powerfully on my history than ever -those lifeless pictures could have done, I easily content myself, and -honor destiny, which knows how to bring about what is best for me, and -what is best for every one." - -"It gives me pain to hear this word destiny in the mouth of a young -person, just at the age when men are commonly accustomed to ascribe -their own violent inclinations to the will of higher natures." - -"You, then, do not believe in destiny? No power that rules over us and -directs all for our ultimate advantage?" - -"The question is not now of my belief, nor is this the place to explain -how I may have attempted to form for myself some not impossible -conception of things which are incomprehensible to all of us: the -question here is, What mode of viewing them will profit us the most? The -fabric of our life is formed of necessity and chance: the reason of man -takes its station between them, and may rule them both; it treats the -necessary as the groundwork of its being; the accidental it can direct -and guide, and employ for its own purposes: and only while this -principle of reason stands firm and inexpugnable, does man deserve to be -named the god of this lower world. But woe to him who, from his youth, -has used himself to search in necessity for something of arbitrary will; -to ascribe to chance a sort of reason, which it is a matter of religion -to obey. Is conduct like this aught else than to renounce one's -understanding, and give unrestricted scope to one's inclinations? We -think it is a kind of piety to move along without consideration; to let -accidents that please us determine our conduct; and, finally, to bestow -on the result of such a vacillating life the name of providential -guidance." - -"Was it never your case that some little circumstance induced you to -strike into a certain path, where some accidental occurrence erelong met -you, and a series of unexpected incidents at length brought you to some -point which you yourself had scarcely once contemplated? Should not -lessons of this kind teach us obedience to destiny, confidence in some -such guide?" - -"With opinions like these, no woman could maintain her virtue, no man -keep the money in his purse; for occasions enough are occurring to get -rid of both. He alone is worthy of respect, who knows what is of use to -himself and others, and who labors to control his self-will. Each man -has his own fortune in his hands; as the artist has a piece of rude -matter, which he is to fashion to a certain shape. But the art of living -rightly is like all arts: the capacity alone is born with us; it must be -learned, and practised with incessant care." - -These discussions our two speculators carried on between them to -considerable length: at last they parted without seeming to have wrought -any special conviction in each other, but engaging to meet at an -appointed place next day. - -Wilhelm walked up and down the streets for a time: he heard a sound of -clarinets, hunting-horns, and bassoons; it swelled his bosom with -delightful feelings. It was some travelling showmen that produced this -pleasant music. He spoke with them: for a piece of coin they followed -him to Mariana's house. The space in front of the door was adorned with -lofty trees; under them he placed his artists; and, himself resting on a -bench at some distance, he surrendered his mind without restraint to the -hovering tones which floated round him in the cool mellow night. -Stretched out beneath the kind stars, he felt his existence like a -golden dream. "She, too, hears these flutes," said he within his heart: -"she feels whose remembrance, whose love of her, it is that makes the -night full of music. In distance, even, we are united by these melodies, -as in every separation, by the ethereal accordance of love. Ah! two -hearts that love each other are as two magnetic needles: whatever moves -the one must move the other with it; for it is one power that works in -both, one principle that pervades them. Can I in her arms conceive the -possibility of parting from her? And yet I am soon to be far from her, -to seek out a sanctuary for our love, and then to have her ever with me. - -"How often, when absent from her, and lost in thoughts about her, -happening to touch a book, a piece of dress or aught else, have I -thought I felt her hand, so entirely was I invested with her presence! -And to recollect those moments which shunned the light of day and the -eye of the cold spectator; which, to enjoy, the gods might determine to -forsake the painless condition of their pure blessedness! To recollect -them! As if by memory we could renew the tumultuous thrilling of that -cup of joy, which encircles our senses with celestial bonds, and lifts -them beyond all earthly hinderances. And her form"--He lost himself in -thoughts of her; his rest passed away into longing; he leaned against a -tree, and cooled his warm cheek on its bark; and the winds of the night -wafted speedily aside the breath, which proceeded in sighs from his pure -and impassioned bosom. He groped for the neckerchief he had taken from -her; but it was forgotten, it lay in his other clothes. His frame -quivered with emotion. - -The music ceased, and he felt as if fallen from the element in which his -thoughts had hitherto been soaring. His restlessness increased, as his -feelings were no longer nourished and assuaged by the melody. He sat -down upon her threshold, and felt more peace. He kissed the brass -knocker of her door: he kissed the threshold over which her feet went -out and in, and warmed it by the fire of his breast. He again sat still -for a moment, and figured her behind her curtains in the white -night-gown, with the red ribbon round her head, in sweet repose: he -almost fancied that he was himself so near her, she must needs be -dreaming of him. His thoughts were beautiful, like the spirits of the -twilight; rest and desire alternated within him; love ran with a -quivering hand, in a thousand moods, over all the chords of his soul; it -was as if the spheres stood mute above him, suspending their eternal -song to watch the low melodies of his heart. - -Had he then had about him the master-key with which he used to open -Mariana's door, he could not have restrained himself from penetrating -into the sanctuary of love. Yet he went away slowly; he slanted, -half-dreaming, in beneath the trees, set himself for home, and -constantly turned round again; at last, with an effort, he constrained -himself, and actually departed. At the corner of the street, looking -back yet once, he imagined that he saw Mariana's door open, and a dark -figure issue from it. He was too distant for seeing clearly; and, before -he could exert himself and look sharply, the appearance was already lost -in the night; yet afar off he thought he saw it again gliding past a -white house. He stood, and strained his eyes; but, ere he could arouse -himself and follow the phantom, it had vanished. Whither should he -pursue it? What street had the man taken, if it were a man? - -A nightly traveller, when at some turn of his path he has seen the -country for an instant illuminated by a flash of lightning, will, with -dazzled eyes, next moment, seek in vain for the preceding forms and the -connection of his road; so was it in the eyes and the heart of Wilhelm. -And as a spirit of midnight, which awakens unutterable terror, is, in -the succeeding moments of composure, regarded as a child of imagination, -and the fearful vision leaves doubts without end behind it in the soul; -so likewise was Wilhelm in extreme disquietude, as, leaning on the -corner-stone of the street, he heeded not the clear gray of the morning, -and the crowing of the cocks; till the early trades began to stir, and -drove him home. - -On his way, he had almost effaced the unexpected delusion from his mind -by the most sufficient reasons; yet the fine harmonious feelings of the -night, on which he now looked back as if they too had been a vision, -were also gone. To soothe his heart, and put the last seal on his -returning belief, he took the neckerchief from the pocket of the dress -he had been last wearing. The rustling of a letter which fell out of it -took the kerchief away from his lips: he lifted and read,-- - -"As I love thee, little fool, what ailed thee last night? This evening I -will come again. I can easily suppose that thou art sick of staying here -so long: but have patience; at the fair I will return for thee. And -observe, never more put me on that abominable black-green-brown jacket: -thou lookest in it like the witch of Endor. Did I not send the white -night-gown, that I might have a snowy little lambkin in my arms? Send -thy letters always by the ancient sibyl: the Devil himself has selected -her as Iris." - - - - -BOOK II. - -CHAPTER I. - - -Whoever strives in our sight with vehement force to reach an object, be -it one that we praise or that we blame, may count on exciting an -interest in our minds; but, when once the matter is decided, we turn our -eyes away from him: whatever once lies finished and done, can no longer -at all fix our attention, especially if we at first prophesied an evil -issue to the undertaking. - -Therefore we shall not try to entertain our readers with any -circumstantial account of the grief and desperation into which our -ill-fated friend was cast, when he saw his hopes so unexpectedly and -instantaneously ruined. On the contrary, we shall even pass over several -years, and again take up our friend, where we hope to find him in some -sort of activity and comfort. First, however, we must shortly set forth -a few matters necessary for maintaining the connection of our narrative. - -The pestilence, or a malignant fever, rages with more fierceness, and -speedier effect, if the frame which it attacks was before healthy and -full of vigor; and in like manner, when a luckless, unlooked-for fate -overtook the wretched Wilhelm, his whole being in a moment was laid -waste. As when by chance, in the preparation of some artificial -firework, any part of the composition kindles before its time; and the -skilfully bored and loaded barrels, which, arranged, and burning after a -settled plan, would have painted in the air a magnificently varying -series of flaming images, now hissing and roaring, promiscuously explode -with a confused and dangerous crash,--so, in our hero's case, did -happiness and hope, pleasure and joys, realities and dreams, clash -together with destructive tumult, all at once in his bosom. In such -desolate moments, the friend that has hastened to deliverance stands -fixed in astonishment; and for him who suffers, it is a benefit that -sense forsakes him. - -Days of pain, unmixed, ever-returning, and purposely renewed, succeeded -next: still, even these are to be regarded as a grace from nature. In -such hours Wilhelm had not yet quite lost his mistress: his pains were -indefatigable struggles, still to hold fast the happiness that was -gliding from his soul; again to luxuriate in thought on the possibility -of it; to procure a brief after-life for his joys that had departed -forever. Thus one may look upon a body as not utterly dead while the -putrefaction lasts; while the forces that in vain seek to work by their -old appointment, still labor in dissevering the particles of that frame -which they once animated; and not till all is disunited and inert, till -we see the whole mouldered down into indifferent dust,--not till then -does there rise in us the mournful, vacant sentiment of death,--death, -not to be recalled, save by the breath of Him that lives forever. - -In a temper so new, so entire, so full of love, there was much to tear -asunder, to desolate, to kill; and even the healing force of youth gave -nourishment and violence to the power of sorrow. The stroke had extended -to the roots of his whole existence. Werner, by necessity his confidant, -attacked the hated passion itself with fire and sword, resolutely -zealous to search into the monster's inmost life. The opportunity was -lucky, the evidence at hand, and many were the histories and narratives -with which he backed it out. With such unrelenting vehemence did he make -his advances, leaving his friend not even the respite of the smallest -momentary self-deception, but treading down every lurking-place in which -he might have saved himself from desperation, that Nature, not inclined -to let her darling perish utterly, visited him with sickness, to make an -outlet for him on the other side. - -A violent fever, with its train of consequences, medicines, -overstraining, and exhaustion, besides the unwearied attentions of his -family, the love of his brothers and sisters, which first becomes truly -sensible in times of distress and want, were so many fresh occupations -to his mind, and thus formed a kind of painful entertainment. It was not -till he grew better, in other words, till his strength was exhausted, -that Wilhelm first looked down with horror into the gloomy abyss of a -barren misery, as one looks down into the hollow crater of an -extinguished volcano. - -He now bitterly reproached himself, that, after so great a loss, he -could yet enjoy one painless, restful, indifferent moment. He despised -his own heart, and longed for the balm of tears and lamentation. - -To awaken these again within him, he would recall to memory the scenes -of his by-gone happiness. He would paint them to his fancy in the -liveliest colors, transport himself again into the days when they were -real; and when standing on the highest elevation he could reach, when -the sunshine of past times again seemed to animate his limbs and heave -his bosom, he would look back into the fearful chasm, would feast his -eye on its dismembering depth, then plunge down into its horrors, and -thus force from nature the bitterest pains. With such repeated cruelty -did he tear himself in pieces; for youth, which is so rich in -undeveloped force, knows not what it squanders when, to the anguish -which a loss occasions, it adds so many sorrows of its own production, -as if it meant then first to give the right value to what is gone -forever. He likewise felt so convinced that his present loss was the -sole, the first, the last, he ever could experience in life, that he -turned away from every consolation which aimed at showing that his -sorrows might be less than endless. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Accustomed in this way to torment himself, he now also attacked what -still remained to him; what next to love, and along with it, had given -him the highest joys and hopes,--his talent as a poet and actor, with -spiteful criticisms on every side. In his labors he could see nothing -but a shallow imitation of prescribed forms, without intrinsic worth: he -looked on them as stiff school-exercises, destitute of any spark of -nature, truth, or inspiration. His poems now appeared nothing more than -a monotonous arrangement of syllables, in which the most trite emotions -and thoughts were dragged along and kept together by a miserable rhyme. -And thus did he also deprive himself of every expectation, every -pleasure, which on this quarter at least might have aided the recovery -of his peace. - -With his theatric talent it fared no better. He blamed himself for not -having sooner detected the vanity on which alone this pretension had -been founded. His figure, his gait, his movements, his mode of -declamation, were severally taxed: he decisively renounced every species -of advantage or merit that might have raised him above the common run of -men, and so doing he increased his mute despair to the highest pitch. -For, if it is hard to give up a woman's love, no less painful is the -task to part from the fellowship of the Muses, to declare ourselves -forever undeserving to be of their community, and to forego the fairest -and most immediate kind of approbation, what is openly bestowed on our -person, our voice, and our demeanor. - -Thus, then, our friend had long ago entirely resigned himself, and set -about devoting his powers with the greatest zeal to the business of -trade. To the surprise of friends, and to the great contentment of his -father, no one was now more diligent than Wilhelm, on the exchange or in -the counting-house, in the sale-room or the warehouses: correspondence -and calculations, all that was intrusted to his charge, he attended to -and managed with the greatest diligence and zeal. Not, in truth, with -that warm diligence which to the busy man is its own reward, when he -follows with constancy and order the employment he was born for, but -with the silent diligence of duty, which has the best principle for its -foundation; which is nourished by conviction, and rewarded by -conscience; yet which oft, even when the clearest testimony of our minds -is crowning it with approbation, can scarcely repress a struggling sigh. - -In this manner he lived for a time, assiduously busied, and at last -persuaded that his former hard trial had been ordained by fate for the -best. He felt glad at having thus been timefully, though somewhat -harshly, warned about the proper path of life; while many are -constrained to expiate more heavily, and at a later age, the -misconceptions into which their youthful inexperience has betrayed them. -For each man commonly defends himself as long as possible from casting -out the idols which he worships in his soul, from acknowledging a master -error, and admitting any truth which brings him to despair. - -Determined as he was to abandon his dearest projects, some time was -still necessary to convince him fully of his misfortune. At last, -however, he had so completely succeeded, by irrefragable reasons, in -annihilating every hope of love, or poetical performance, or stage -representation, that he took courage to obliterate entirely all the -traces of his folly,--all that could in any way remind him of it. For -this purpose he had lit a fire in his chamber, one cool evening, and -brought out a little chest of relics, among which were multitudes of -small articles, that, in memorable moments, he had begged or stolen from -Mariana. Each withered flower brought to his mind the time when it -bloomed fresh among her hair; each little note the happy hour to which -it had invited him; each ribbon-knot the lovely resting-place of his -head,--her beautiful bosom. So occupied, was it not to be expected that -each emotion which he thought long since quite dead, should again begin -to move? Was it not to be expected that the passion over which, when -separated from his mistress, he had gained the victory, should, in the -presence of these memorials, again gather strength? We first observe how -dreary and disagreeable an overclouded day is when a single sunbeam -pierces through, and offers to us the exhilarating splendor of a serene -hour. - -Accordingly, it was not without disturbance that he saw these relics, -long preserved as sacred, fade away from before him in smoke and flame. -Sometimes he shuddered and hesitated in his task: he had still a pearl -necklace and a flowered neckerchief in his hands, when he resolved to -quicken the decaying fire with the poetical attempts of his youth. - -Till now he had carefully laid up whatever had proceeded from his pen, -since the earliest unfolding of his mind. His papers yet lay tied up in -a bundle at the bottom of the chest, where he had packed them; purposing -to take them with him in his elopement. How altogether different were -his feelings now in opening them, and his feelings then in tying them -together! - -If we happen, under certain circumstances, to have written and sealed -and despatched a letter to a friend, which, however, does not find him, -but is brought back to us, and we open it at the distance of some -considerable time, a singular emotion is produced in us, on breaking up -our own seal, and conversing with our altered self as with a third -person. A similar and deep feeling seized our friend, as he now opened -this packet, and threw the scattered leaves into the fire; which was -flaming fiercely with its offerings, when Werner entered, expressed his -wonder at the blaze, and asked what was the matter. - -"I am now giving proof," said Wilhelm, "that I am serious in abandoning -a trade for which I was not born." And, with these words, he cast the -second packet likewise into the fire. Werner made a motion to prevent -him, but the business was already done. - -"I cannot see how thou shouldst bring thyself to such extremities," said -Werner. "Why must these labors, because they are not excellent, be -annihilated?" - -"Because either a poem is excellent, or it should not be allowed to -exist. Because each man who has no gift for producing first-rate works, -should entirely abstain from the pursuit of art, and seriously guard -himself against every deception on that subject. For it must be owned, -that in all men there is a certain vague desire to imitate whatever is -presented to them; and such desires do not prove at all that we possess -within us the force necessary for succeeding in these enterprises. Look -at boys, how, whenever any rope-dancers have been visiting the town, -they go scrambling up and down, and balancing on all the planks and -beams within their reach, till some other charm calls them off to other -sports, for which perhaps they are as little suited. Hast thou never -marked it in the circle of our friends? No sooner does a _dilettante_ -introduce himself to notice, than numbers of them set themselves to -learn playing on his instrument. How many wander back and forward on -this bootless way! Happy they who soon detect the chasm that lies -between their wishes and their powers!" - -Werner contradicted this opinion: their discussion became lively, and -Wilhelm could not without emotion employ against his friend the -arguments with which he had already so frequently tormented himself. -Werner maintained that it was not reasonable wholly to relinquish a -pursuit for which a man had some propensity and talent, merely because -he never could succeed in it to full perfection. There were many vacant -hours, he said, which might be filled up by it; and then by and by some -result might be produced which would yield a certain satisfaction to -himself and others. - -Wilhelm, who in this matter was of quite a different opinion, here -interrupted him, and said with great vivacity,-- - -"How immensely, dear friend, do you err in believing that a work, the -first presentation of which is to fill the whole soul, can be produced -in broken hours scraped together from other extraneous employment. No: -the poet must live wholly for himself, wholly in the objects that -delight him. Heaven has furnished him internally with precious gifts; he -carries in his bosom a treasure that is ever of itself increasing; he -must also live with this treasure, undisturbed from without, in that -still blessedness which the rich seek in vain to purchase with their -accumulated stores. Look at men, how they struggle after happiness and -satisfaction! Their wishes, their toil, their gold, are ever hunting -restlessly,--and after what? After that which the poet has received from -nature,--the right enjoyment of the world, the feeling of himself in -others, the harmonious conjunction of many things that will seldom exist -together. - -"What is it that keeps men in continual discontent and agitation? It is, -that they cannot make realities correspond with their conceptions, that -enjoyment steals away from among their hands, that the wished-for comes -too late, and nothing reached and acquired produces on the heart the -effect which their longing for it at a distance led them to anticipate. -Now, fate has exalted the poet above all this, as if he were a god. He -views the conflicting tumult of the passions; sees families and kingdoms -raging in aimless commotion; sees those inexplicable enigmas of -misunderstanding, which frequently a single monosyllable would suffice -to explain, occasioning convulsions unutterably baleful. He has a -fellow-feeling of the mournful and the joyful in the fate of all human -beings. When the man of the world is devoting his days to wasting -melancholy, for some deep disappointment, or, in the ebullience of joy, -is going out to meet his happy destiny, the lightly moved and -all-conceiving spirit of the poet steps forth, like the sun from night -to day, and with soft transitions tunes his harp to joy or woe. From his -heart, its native soil, springs up the lovely flower of wisdom; and if -others, while waking, dream, and are pained with fantastic delusions -from their every sense, he passes the dream of life like one awake; and -the strangest of incidents is to him a part both of the past and of the -future. And thus the poet is at once a teacher, a prophet, a friend of -gods and men. What! thou wouldst have him descend from his height to -some paltry occupation! He who is fashioned like the bird to hover round -the world, to nestle on the lofty summits, to feed on buds and fruits, -exchanging gayly one bough for another, _he_ ought also to work at the -plough like an ox; like a dog to train himself to the harness and -draught; or perhaps, tied up in a chain, to guard a farmyard by his -barking!" - -Werner, it may well be supposed, had listened with the greatest -surprise. "All true," he rejoined, "if men were but made like birds, -and, though they neither spun nor weaved, could yet spend peaceful days -in perpetual enjoyment; if, at the approach of winter, they could as -easily betake themselves to distant regions, could retire before -scarcity, and fortify themselves against frost." - -"Poets have lived so," exclaimed Wilhelm, "in times when true nobleness -was better reverenced; and so should they ever live! Sufficiently, -provided for within, they had need of little from without: the gift of -communicating lofty emotions and glorious images to men, in melodies and -words that charmed the ear, and fixed themselves inseparably on whatever -objects they referred to, of old enraptured the world, and served the -gifted as a rich inheritance. At the courts of kings, at the tables of -the great, beneath the windows of the fair, the sound of them was heard; -while the ear and the soul were shut for all beside: and men felt as we -do when delight comes over us, and we stop with rapture if, among the -dingles we are crossing, the voice of the nightingale starts out -touching and strong. They found a home in every habitation of the world, -and the lowliness of their condition but exalted them the more. The hero -listened to their songs, and the conqueror of the earth did reverence to -a poet; for he felt, that, without poets, his own wild and vast -existence would pass away like a whirlwind, and be forgotten forever. -The lover wished that he could feel his longings and his joys so -variedly and so harmoniously as the poet's inspired lips had skill to -show them forth; and even the rich man could not of himself discern such -costliness in his idol grandeurs, as when they were presented to him -shining in the splendor of the poet's spirit, sensible to all worth, and -exalting all. Nay, if thou wilt have it, who but the poet was it that -first formed gods for us, that exalted us to them, and brought them down -to us?" - -"My friend," said Werner, after some reflection, "it has often grieved -me that thou shouldst strive by force to banish from thy soul what thou -feelest so vividly. I am greatly mistaken, if it were not better for -thee in some degree to yield to these propensities, than to waste -thyself by the contradictions of so hard a piece of self-denial, and -with the enjoyment of this one guiltless pleasure to renounce the -enjoyment of all others." - -"Shall I confess it," said the other, "and wilt not thou laugh at me if -I acknowledge, that these ideas pursue me constantly; that, let me flee -from them as I will, when I explore my heart, I find all my early wishes -yet rooted there, firmly,--nay, more firmly than ever? Yet what now -remains for me, wretched as I am? Ah! whoever should have told me that -the arms of my spirit, with which I was grasping at infinity, and hoping -with certainty to clasp something great and glorious, would so soon be -crushed and smote in pieces,--whoever should have told me this, would -have brought me to despair. And yet now, when judgment has been passed -against me; now, when _she_, that was to be as my divinity to guide me -to my wishes, is gone forever,--what remains but that I yield up my soul -to the bitterest woes? O my brother! I will not deceive you: in my -secret purposes, she was as the hook on which the ladder of my hopes was -fixed. See! With daring aim the mountain adventurer hovers in the air: -the iron breaks, and he lies broken and dismembered on the earth. No, -there is no hope, no comfort for me more! I will not," he cried out, -springing to his feet, "leave a single fragment of these wretched papers -from the flames." He then seized one or two packets of them, tore them -up, and threw them into the fire. Werner endeavored to restrain him, but -in vain. "Let me alone!" cried Wilhelm: "what should these miserable -leaves do here? To me they give neither pleasant recollections nor -pleasant hopes. Shall they remain behind to vex me to the end of my -life? Shall they perhaps one day serve the world for a jest, instead of -awakening sympathy and horror? Woe to me! my doom is woe! Now I -comprehend the wailings of the poets, of the wretched whom necessity has -rendered wise. How long did I look upon myself as invulnerable and -invincible; and, alas! I am now made to see that a deep and early sorrow -can never heal, can never pass away: I feel that I shall take it with me -to my grave. No! not a day of my life shall escape this anguish, which -at last must crush me down; and _her_ image too shall stay with me, -shall live and die with me, the image of the worthless,--O my friend! if -I must speak the feeling of my heart,--the perhaps not altogether -worthless! Her situation, the crookedness of her destiny, have a -thousand times excused her in my mind. I have been too cruel; you -steeled me in your own cold unrelenting harshness; you held my wavering -senses captive, and hindered me from doing for myself and her what I -owed to both. Who knows to what a state I may have brought her! my -conscience by degrees presents to me, in all its heaviness, in what -helplessness, in what despair, I may have left her. Was it not possible -that she might clear herself? Was it not possible? How many -misconceptions throw the world into perplexity! how many circumstances -may extort forgiveness for the greatest fault! Often do I figure her as -sitting by herself in silence, leaning on her elbows. 'This,' she says, -'is the faith, the love, he swore to me! With this hard stroke to end -the delicious life which made us one!'" He broke out into a stream of -tears; while he threw himself down with his face upon the table, and -wetted the remaining papers with his weeping. - -Werner stood beside him in the deepest perplexity. He had not -anticipated this fierce ebullition of feeling. More than once he had -tried to interrupt his friend, more than once to lead the conversation -elsewhere, but in vain: the current was too strong for him. It remained -that long-suffering friendship should again take up her office. Werner -allowed the first shock of sorrow to pass over, while by his silent -presence he testified a pure and honest sympathy. And thus they both -remained that evening,--Wilhelm sunk in the dull feeling of old sorrows; -and the other terrified at this new outbreaking of a passion which he -thought his prudent councils and keen persuasion had long since mastered -and destroyed. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -After such relapses, Wilhelm usually applied himself to business and -activity with augmented ardor; and he found it the best means to escape -the labyrinth into which he had again been tempted to enter. His -attractive way of treating strangers, the ease with which he carried on -a correspondence in any living language, more and more increased the -hopes of his father and his trading-friends, and comforted them in their -sorrow for his sickness,--the origin of which had not been known,--and -for the pause which had thus interrupted their plan. They determined a -second time on Wilhelm's setting out to travel; and we now find him on -horseback, with his saddle-bags behind him, exhilarated by the motion -and the free air, approaching the mountains, where he had some affairs -to settle. - -He winded slowly on his path, through dales and over hills, with a -feeling of the greatest satisfaction. Overhanging cliffs, roaring -brooks, moss-grown rocky walls, deep precipices, he here saw for the -first time; yet his earliest dreams of youth had wandered among such -regions. In these scenes he felt his age renewed; all the sorrows he had -undergone were obliterated from his soul; with unbroken cheerfulness he -repeated to himself passages of various poems, particularly of the -"Pastor Fido," which, in these solitary places, flocked in crowds into -his mind. He also recollected many pieces of his own songs, and recited -them with a peculiar contentment. He peopled the world which lay before -him with all the forms of the past, and each step into the future was to -him full of augury of important operations and remarkable events. - -Several men, who came behind him in succession, and saluted him as they -passed by to continue their hasty way into the mountains, by steep -footpaths, sometimes interrupted his thoughts without attracting his -attention to themselves. At last a communicative traveller joined him, -and explained the reason of this general pilgrimage. - -"At Hochdorf," he said, "there is a play to be acted to-night; and the -whole neighborhood is gathering to see it." - -"What!" cried Wilhelm. "In these solitary hills, among these -impenetrable forests, has theatric art sought out a place, and built -herself a temple? And I am journeying to her festivities!" - -"You will wonder more," said the other, "when you learn by whom the play -is to be acted. There is in the place a large manufactory, which employs -many people. The proprietor, who lives, so to speak, remote from all -human society, can find no better means of entertaining his workmen -during winter, than allowing them to act plays. He suffers no cards -among them, and wishes also to withdraw them from all coarse rustic -practices. Thus they pass the long evenings; and to-day, being the old -gentleman's birthday, they are giving a particular festival in honor of -him." - -Wilhelm came to Hochdorf, where he was to pass the night, and alighted -at the manufactory, the proprietor of which stood as a debtor in his -list. - -When he gave his name, the old man cried in a glad surprise, "Aye, sir, -are you the son of that worthy man to whom I owe so many thanks,--so -long have owed money? Your good father has had so much patience with me, -I should be a knave if I did not pay you speedily and cheerfully. You -come at the proper time to see that I am fully in earnest about it." - -He then called out his wife, who seemed no less delighted than himself -to see the youth: she declared that he was very like his father, and -lamented, that, having such a multitude of guests already in the house, -she could not lodge him for the night. - -The account was clear, and quickly settled: Wilhelm put the roll of gold -into his pocket, and wished that all his other business might go on so -smoothly. At last the play-hour came: they now waited nothing but the -coming of the head forester, who at length also arrived, entered with a -few hunters, and was received with the greatest reverence. - -The company was then led into the playhouse, formed out of a barn that -lay close upon the garden. Without any extraordinary taste, both seats -and stage were yet decked out in a cheerful and pretty way. One of the -painters employed in the manufactory had formerly worked as an -understrapper at the prince's theatre: he had now represented woods and -streets and chambers, somewhat rudely, it is true, yet so as to be -recognized for such. The play itself they had borrowed from a strolling -company, and shaped it aright, according to their own ideas. As it was, -it did not fail to yield some entertainment. The plot of two lovers -wishing to carry off a girl from her guardian, and mutually from one -another, produced a great variety of interesting situations. Being the -first play our friend had witnessed for so long a time, it suggested -several reflections to him. It was full of action, but without any true -delineation of character. It pleased and delighted. Such are always the -beginnings of the scenic art. The rude man is contented if he see but -something going on; the man of more refinement must be made to feel; the -man entirely refined, desires to reflect. - -The players he would willingly have helped here and there, for a very -little would have made them greatly better. - -His silent meditations were somewhat broken in upon by the -tobacco-smoke, which now began to rise in great and greater copiousness. -Soon after the commencement of the play, the head forester had lit his -pipe: by and by others took the same liberty. The large dogs, too, which -followed these gentlemen, introduced themselves in no pleasant style. At -first they had been bolted out; but, soon finding the back-door passage, -they entered on the stage, ran against the actors, and at last, jumping -over the orchestra, joined their masters, who had taken up the front -seats in the pit. - -For afterpiece an oblation was represented. A portrait of the old -gentleman in his bridegroom dress stood upon an altar, hung with -garlands. All the players paid their reverence to it in the most -submissive postures. The youngest child came forward dressed in white, -and made a speech in verse; by which the whole family, and even the head -forester himself, whom it brought in mind of his own children, were -melted into tears. Thus ended the play; and Wilhelm could not help -stepping on the stage, to have a closer view of the actresses, to praise -them for their good performance, and give them a little counsel for the -future. - -The remaining business, which our friend in the following days had to -transact in various quarters of the hill-country, was not all so -pleasant, or so easy to conclude with satisfaction. Many of his debtors -entreated for delay, many were uncourteous, many lied. In conformity -with his instructions, he had to sue some of them at law; he was thus -obliged to seek out advocates, and give instructions to them, to appear -before judges, and go through many other sorry duties of the same sort. - -His case was hardly bettered when people chanced to incline showing some -attention to him. He found very few that could any way instruct him, few -with whom he could hope to establish a useful commercial correspondence. -Unhappily, moreover, the weather now grew rainy; and travelling on -horseback in this district came to be attended with insufferable -difficulties. He therefore thanked his stars on again getting near the -level country; and at the foot of the mountains, looking out into a -fertile and beautiful plain, intersected by a smooth-flowing river, and -seeing a cheerful little town lying on its banks, all glittering in the -sunshine, he resolved, though without any special business in the place, -to pass a day or two there, that he might refresh both himself and his -horse, which the bad roads had considerably injured. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -On alighting at an inn, upon the market-place, he found matters going on -very joyously,--at least very stirringly. A large company of -rope-dancers, leapers, and jugglers, having a strong man along with -them, had just arrived with their wives and children, and, while -preparing for a grand exhibition, kept up a perpetual racket. They first -quarrelled with the landlord, then with one another; and, if their -contention was intolerable, the expressions of their satisfaction were -infinitely more so. Undetermined whether he should go or stay, he was -standing in the door looking at some workmen, who had just begun to -erect a stage in the middle of the square. - -A girl with roses and other flowers for sale, coming by, held out her -basket to him, and he purchased a beautiful nosegay; which, like one -that had a taste for these things, he tied up in a different fashion, -and was looking at it with a satisfied air, when the window of another -inn on the opposite side of the square flew open, and a handsome woman -looked out from it. Notwithstanding the distance, he observed that her -face was animated by a pleasant cheerfulness; her fair hair fell -carelessly streaming about her neck; she seemed to be looking at the -stranger. In a short time afterwards, a boy with a white jacket, and a -barber's apron on, came out from the door of her house towards Wilhelm, -saluted him, and said, "The lady at the window bids me ask if you will -not favor her with a share of your beautiful flowers."--"They are all at -her service," answered Wilhelm, giving the nosegay to this nimble -messenger, and making a bow to the fair one, who returned it with a -friendly courtesy, and then withdrew from the window. - -Amused with this small adventure, he was going up-stairs to his chamber, -when a young creature sprang against him, and attracted his attention. A -short silk waistcoat with slashed Spanish sleeves, tight trousers with -puffs, looked very pretty on the child. Its long black hair was curled, -and wound in locks and plaits about the head. He looked at the figure -with astonishment, and could not determine whether to take it for a boy -or a girl. However, he decided for the latter: and, as the child ran by, -he took her up in his arms, bade her good-day, and asked her to whom she -belonged; though he easily perceived that she must be a member of the -vaulting and dancing company lately arrived. She viewed him with a dark, -sharp side-look, as she pushed herself out of his arms, and ran into the -kitchen without making any answer. - -On coming up-stairs, he found in the large parlor two men practising the -small sword, or seeming rather to make trial which was the better -fencer. One of them plainly enough belonged to the vaulting company: the -other had a somewhat less savage aspect. Wilhelm looked at them, and had -reason to admire them both; and as the black-bearded, sturdy contender -soon afterwards forsook the place of action, the other with extreme -complaisance offered Wilhelm the rapier. - -"If you want to take a scholar under your inspection," said our friend, -"I am well content to risk a few passes with you." - -Accordingly they fought together; and, although the stranger greatly -overmatched his new competitor, he politely kept declaring that it all -depended upon practice; in fact, Wilhelm, inferior as he was, had made -it evident that he had got his first instructions from a good, solid, -thorough-paced German fencing-master. - -Their entertainment was disturbed by the uproar with which the -party-colored brotherhood issued from the inn, to make proclamation of -the show, and awaken a desire to see their art, throughout the town. -Preceded by a drum, the manager advanced on horseback: he was followed -by a female dancer mounted on a corresponding hack, and holding a child -before her, all bedizened with ribbons and spangles. Next came the -remainder of the troop on foot, some of them carrying children on their -shoulders in dangerous postures, yet smoothly and lightly: among these -the young, dark, black-haired figure again attracted Wilhelm's notice. - -Pickleherring ran gayly up and down the crowded multitude, distributing -his handbills with much practical fun,--here smacking the lips of a -girl, there breeching a boy, and awakening generally among the people an -invincible desire to know more of him. - -On the painted flags, the manifold science of the company was visibly -delineated, particularly of the Monsieur Narciss and the Demoiselle -Landrinette: both of whom, being main characters, had prudently kept -back from the procession, thereby to acquire a more dignified -consideration, and excite a greater curiosity. - -During the procession, Wilhelm's fair neighbor had again appeared at the -window; and he did not fail to inquire about her of his new companion. -This person, whom for the present we shall call Laertes, offered to take -Wilhelm over and introduce him. "I and the lady," said he laughing, "are -two fragments of an acting company that made shipwreck here a short -while ago. The pleasantness of the place has induced us to stay in it, -and consume our little stock of cash in peace; while one of our friends -is out seeking some situation for himself and us." - -Laertes immediately accompanied his new acquaintance to Philina's door; -where he left him for a moment, and ran to a shop hard by for a few -sweetmeats. "I am sure you will thank me," said he, on returning, "for -procuring you so pleasant an acquaintance." - -The lady came out from her room, in a pair of tight little slippers with -high heels, to give them welcome. She had thrown a black mantle over -her, above a white _negligée_, not indeed superstitiously clean; which, -however, for that very reason, gave her a more frank and domestic air. -Her short dress did not hide a pair of the prettiest feet and ankles in -the world. - -"You are welcome," she cried to Wilhelm, "and I thank you for your -charming flowers." She led him into her chamber with the one hand, -pressing the nosegay to her breast with the other. Being all seated, and -got into a pleasant train of general talk, to which she had the art of -giving a delightful turn, Laertes threw a handful of gingerbread-nuts -into her lap; and she immediately began to eat them. - -"Look what a child this young gallant is!" she said: "he wants to -persuade you that I am fond of such confectionery, and it is himself -that cannot live without licking his lips over something of the kind." - -"Let us confess," replied Laertes, "that in this point, as in others, -you and I go hand in hand. For example," he continued, "the weather is -delightful to-day: what if we should take a drive into the country, and -eat our dinner at the Mill?" - -"With all my heart," said Philina: "we must give our new acquaintance -some diversion." - -Laertes sprang out, for he never walked: and Wilhelm motioned to return -for a minute to his lodgings, to have his hair put in order; for at -present it was all dishevelled with riding. "You can do it here," she -said, then called her little servant, and constrained Wilhelm in the -politest manner to lay off his coat, to throw her powder-mantle over -him, and to have his head dressed in her presence. "We must lose no -time," said she: "who knows how short a while we may all be together?" - -The boy, out of sulkiness and ill nature more than want of skill, went -on but indifferently with his task: he pulled the hair with his -implements, and seemed as if he would not soon be done. Philina more -than once reproved him for his blunders, and at last sharply packed him -off, and chased him to the door. She then undertook the business -herself, and frizzled Wilhelm's locks with great dexterity and grace; -though she, too, appeared to be in no exceeding haste, but found always -this and that to improve and put to rights; while at the same time she -could not help touching his knees with hers, and holding her nosegay and -bosom so near his lips, that he was strongly tempted more than once to -imprint a kiss on it. - -When Wilhelm had cleaned his brow with a little powder-knife, she said -to him, "Put it in your pocket, and think of me when you see it." It was -a pretty knife: the haft, of inlaid steel, had these friendly words -wrought on it, "Think of me." Wilhelm put it up, and thanked her, -begging permission at the same time to make her a little present in -return. - -At last they were in readiness. Laertes had brought round the coach, and -they commenced a very gay excursion. To every beggar, Philina threw out -money from the window; giving along with it a merry and friendly word. - -Scarcely had they reached the Mill, and ordered dinner, when a strain of -music struck up before the house. It was some miners singing various -pretty songs, and accompanying their clear and shrill voices with a -cithern and triangle. In a short while the gathering crowd had formed a -ring about them, and our company nodded approbation to them from the -windows. Observing this attention, they expanded their circle, and -seemed making preparation for their grandest piece. After some pause, a -miner stepped forward with a mattock in his hand; and, while the others -played a serious tune, he set himself to represent the action of -digging. - -Ere long a peasant came from among the crowd, and, by pantomimic -threats, let the former know that he must cease and remove. Our company -were greatly surprised at this: they did not discover that the peasant -was a miner in disguise, till he opened his mouth, and, in a sort of -recitative, rebuked the other for daring to meddle with his field. The -latter did not lose his composure of mind, but began to inform the -husbandman about his right to break ground there; giving him withal some -primary conceptions of mineralogy. The peasant, not being master of his -foreign terminology, asked all manner of silly questions; whereat the -spectators, as themselves more knowing, set up many a hearty laugh. The -miner endeavored to instruct him, and showed him the advantage, which, -in the long-run, would reach even him, if the deep-lying treasures of -the land were dug out from their secret beds. The peasant, who at first -had threatened his instructor with blows, was gradually pacified; and -they parted good friends at last, though it was the miner chiefly that -got out of this contention with honor. - -"In this little dialogue," said Wilhelm, when seated at the table, "we -have a lively proof how useful the theatre might be to all ranks; what -advantage even the state might procure from it, if the occupations, -trades, and undertakings of men were brought upon the stage, and -presented on their praiseworthy side, in that point of view in which the -state itself should honor and protect them. As matters stand, we exhibit -only the ridiculous side of men: the comic poet is, as it were, but a -spiteful tax-gatherer, who keeps a watchful eye over the errors of his -fellow-subjects, and seems gratified when he can fix any charge upon -them. Might it not be a worthy and pleasing task for a statesman to -survey the natural and reciprocal influence of all classes on each -other, and to guide some poet, gifted with sufficient humor, in such -labors as these? In this way, I am persuaded, many very entertaining, -both agreeable and useful, pieces, might be executed." - -"So far," said Laertes, "as I, in wandering about the world, have been -able to observe, statesmen are accustomed merely to forbid, to hinder, -to refuse, but very rarely to invite, to further, to reward. They let -all things go along, till some mischief happens: then they get into a -rage, and lay about them." - -"A truce with state and statesmen!" said Philina: "I cannot form a -notion of statesmen except in periwigs; and a periwig, wear it who will, -always gives my fingers a spasmodic motion: I could like to pluck it off -the venerable gentleman, to skip up and down the room with it, and laugh -at the bald head." - -So, with a few lively songs, which she could sing very beautifully, -Philina cut short their conversation, and urged them to a quick return -homewards, that they might arrive in time for seeing the performance of -the rope-dancers in the evening. On the road back she continued her -lavish generosity, in a style of gayety reaching to extravagance; for at -last, every coin belonging to herself or her companions being spent, -she threw her straw hat from the window to a girl, and her neckerchief -to an old woman, who asked her for alms. - -Philina invited both of her attendants to her own apartments, because, -she said, the spectacle could be seen more conveniently from her windows -than from theirs. - -On arriving, they found the stage set up, and the background decked with -suspended carpets. The swing-boards were already fastened, the -slack-rope fixed to posts, the tight-rope bound over trestles. The -square was moderately filled with people, and the windows with -spectators of some quality. - -Pickleherring, with a few insipidities, at which the lookers-on are -generally kind enough to laugh, first prepared the meeting to attention -and good-humor. Some children, whose bodies were made to exhibit the -strangest contortions, awakened astonishment or horror; and Wilhelm -could not, without the deepest sympathy, see the child he had at the -first glance felt an interest in, go through her fantastic positions -with considerable difficulty. But the merry tumblers soon changed the -feeling into that of lively satisfaction, when they first singly, then -in rows, and at last all together, vaulted up into the air, making -somersets backwards and forwards. A loud clapping of hands and a strong -huzza echoed from the whole assembly. - -The general attention was next directed to quite a different object. The -children in succession had to mount the rope,--the learners first, that -by practising they might prolong the spectacle, and show the -difficulties of the art more clearly. Some men and full-grown women -likewise exhibited their skill to moderate advantage; but still there -was no Monsieur Narciss, no Demoiselle Landrinette. - -At last this worthy pair came forth: they issued from a kind of tent -with red spread curtains, and, by their agreeable forms and glittering -decorations, fulfilled the hitherto increasing hopes of the spectators. -He, a hearty knave, of middle stature, with black eyes and a strong head -of hair; she, formed with not inferior symmetry,--exhibited themselves -successively upon the rope, with delicate movements, leaping, and -singular postures. Her airy lightness, his audacity; the exactitude with -which they both performed their feats of art,--raised the universal -satisfaction higher at every step and spring. The stateliness with which -they bore themselves, the seeming attentions of the rest to them, gave -them the appearance of king and queen of the whole troop; and all held -them worthy of the rank. - -The animation of the people spread to the spectators at the windows: the -ladies looked incessantly at Narciss, the gentlemen at Landrinette. The -populace hurrahed, the more cultivated public could not keep from -clapping of the hands: Pickleherring now could scarcely raise a laugh. A -few, however, slunk away when some members of the troop began to press -through the crowd with their tin plates to collect money. - -"They have made their purpose good, I imagine," said Wilhelm to Philina, -who was leaning over the window beside him. "I admire the ingenuity with -which they have turned to advantage even the meanest parts of their -performance: out of the unskilfulness of their children, and -exquisiteness of their chief actors, they have made up a whole which at -first excited our attention, and then gave us very fine entertainment." - -The people by degrees dispersed; and the square was again become empty, -while Philina and Laertes were disputing about the forms and the skill -of Narciss and Landrinette, and rallying each other on the subject at -great length. Wilhelm noticed the wonderful child standing on the street -near some other children at play: he showed her to Philina, who, in her -lively way, immediately called and beckoned to the little one, and, this -not succeeding, tripped singing down stairs, and led her up by the hand. - -"Here is the enigma," said she, as she brought her to the door. The -child stood upon the threshold, as if she meant again to run off; laid -her right hand on her breast, the left on her brow, and bowed deeply. -"Fear nothing, my little dear," said Wilhelm, rising, and going towards -her. She viewed him with a doubting look, and came a few steps nearer. - -"What is thy name?" he asked. "They call me Mignon."--"How old art -thou?"--"No one has counted."--"Who was thy father?"--"The Great Devil -is dead." - -"Well! this is singular enough," said Philina. They asked her a few more -questions: she gave her answers in a kind of broken German, and with a -strangely solemn manner; every time laying her hands on her breast and -brow, and bowing deeply. - -Wilhelm could not satisfy himself with looking at her. His eyes and his -heart were irresistibly attracted by the mysterious condition of this -being. He reckoned her about twelve or thirteen years of age: her body -was well formed, only her limbs gave promise of a stronger growth, or -else announced a stunted one. Her countenance was not regular, but -striking; her brow full of mystery; her nose extremely beautiful; her -mouth, although it seemed too closely shut for one of her age, and -though she often threw it to a side, had yet an air of frankness, and -was very lovely. Her brownish complexion could scarcely be discerned -through the paint. This form stamped itself deeply in Wilhelm's soul: he -kept looking at her earnestly, and forgot the present scene in the -multitude of his reflections. Philina waked him from his half-dream, by -holding out the remainder of her sweetmeats to the child, and giving her -a sign to go away. She made her little bow as formerly, and darted like -lightning through the door. - -As the time drew on when our new friends had to part for the evening, -they planned a fresh excursion for the morrow. They purposed now to have -their dinner at a neighboring _Jägerhaus_. Before taking leave of -Laertes, Wilhelm said many things in Philina's praise, to which the -other made only brief and careless answers. - -Next morning, having once more exercised themselves in fencing for an -hour, they went over to Philina's lodging, towards which they had seen -their expected coach passing by. But how surprised was Wilhelm, when the -coach seemed altogether to have vanished; and how much more so, when -Philina was not to be found at home! She had placed herself in the -carriage, they were told, with a couple of strangers who had come that -morning, and was gone with them. Wilhelm had been promising himself some -pleasant entertainment from her company, and could not hide his -irritation. Laertes, on the other hand, but laughed at it, and cried, "I -love her for this: it looks so like herself! Let us, however, go -directly to the _Jägerhaus_: be Philina where she pleases, we will not -lose our promenade on her account." - -As Wilhelm, while they walked, continued censuring the inconsistency of -such conduct, Laertes said, "I cannot reckon it inconsistent so long as -one keeps faithful to his character. If this Philina plans you any -thing, or promises you any thing, she does it under the tacit condition -that it shall be quite convenient for her to fulfil her plan, to keep -her promise. She gives willingly, but you must ever hold yourself in -readiness to return her gifts." - -"That seems a singular character," said Wilhelm. - -"Any thing but singular: only she is not a hypocrite. I like her on that -account. Yes: I am her friend, because she represents the sex so truly, -which I have so much cause to hate. To me she is another genuine Eve, -the great mother of womankind: so are they all, only they will not all -confess it." - -With abundance of such talk, in which Laertes very vehemently exhibited -his spleen against the fair sex, without, however, giving any cause for -it, they arrived at the forest; into which Wilhelm entered in no joyful -mood, the speeches of Laertes having again revived in him the memory of -his relation to Mariana. Not far from a shady well, among some old and -noble trees, they found Philina sitting by herself at a stone table. -Seeing them, she struck up a merry song; and, when Laertes asked for her -companions, she cried out, "I have already cozened them: I have already -had my laugh at them, and sent them a-travelling, as they deserved. By -the way hither I had put to proof their liberality; and, finding that -they were a couple of your close-fisted gentry, I immediately determined -to have amends of them. On arriving at the inn, they asked the waiter -what was to be had. He, with his customary glibness of tongue, reckoned -over all that could be found in the house, and more than could be found. -I noticed their perplexity: they looked at one another, stammered, and -inquired about the cost. "What is the use of all this studying?" said I. -"The table is the lady's business: allow me to manage it." I immediately -began ordering a most unconscionable dinner, for which many necessary -articles would require to be sent for from the neighborhood. The waiter, -of whom, by a wry mouth or two, I had made a confidant, at last helped -me out; and so, by the image of a sumptuous feast, we tortured them to -such a degree that they fairly determined on having a walk in the -forest, from which I imagine we shall look with clear eyes if we see -them come again. I have laughed a quarter of an hour for my own behoof; -I shall laugh forever when I think of the looks they had." At table, -Laertes told of similar adventures: they got into the track of -recounting ludicrous stories, mistakes, and dexterous cheats. - -A young man of their acquaintance, from the town, came gliding through -the wood with a book in his hand: he sat down by them, and began -praising the beauty of the place. He directed their attention to the -murmuring of the brook, to the waving of the boughs, to the checkered -lights and shadows, and the music of the birds. Philina commenced a -little song of the cuckoo, which did not seem at all to exhilarate the -man of taste: he very soon made his compliments, and went on. - -"Oh that I might never hear more of nature, and scenes of nature!" cried -Philina, so soon as he was gone: "there is nothing in the world more -intolerable than to hear people reckon up the pleasures you enjoy. When -the day is bright you go to walk, as to dance when you hear a tune -played. But who would think a moment on the music or the weather? It is -the dancer that interests us, not the violin; and to look upon a pair of -bright black eyes is the life of a pair of blue ones. But what on earth -have we to do with wells and brooks, and old rotten lindens?" She was -sitting opposite to Wilhelm; and, while speaking so, she looked into his -eyes with a glance which he could not hinder from piercing at least to -the very door of his heart. - -"You are right," replied he, not without embarrassment: "man is ever the -most interesting object to man, and perhaps should be the only one that -interests. Whatever else surrounds us is but the element in which we -live, or else the instrument which we employ. The more we devote -ourselves to such things, the more we attend to and feel concern in -them, the weaker will our sense of our own dignity become, the weaker -our feelings for society. Men who put a great value on gardens, -buildings, clothes, ornaments, or any other sort of property, grow less -social and pleasant: they lose sight of their brethren, whom very few -can succeed in collecting about them and entertaining. Have you not -observed it on the stage? A good actor makes us very soon forget the -awkwardness and meanness of paltry decorations, but a splendid theatre -is the very thing which first makes us truly feel the want of proper -actors." - -After dinner Philina sat down among the long, overshaded grass, and -commanded both her friends to fetch her flowers in great quantities. She -wreathed a complete garland, and put it round her head: it made her look -extremely charming. The flowers were still sufficient for another: this, -too, she plaited, while both the young men sat beside her. When, at -last, amid infinite mirth and sportfulness, it was completed, she -pressed it on Wilhelm's head with the greatest dignity, and shifted the -posture of it more than once, till it seemed to her properly adjusted. -"And I, it appears, must go empty," said Laertes. - -"Not by any means: you shall not have reason to complain," replied -Philina, taking off the garland from her own head, and putting it on -his. - -"If we were rivals," said Laertes, "we might now dispute very warmly -which of us stood higher in thy favor." - -"And the more fools you," said she, while she bent herself towards him, -and offered him her lips to kiss; and then immediately turned round, -threw her arm about Wilhelm, and bestowed a kind salute on him also. -"Which of them tastes best?" said she archly. - -"Surprisingly!" exclaimed Laertes: "it seems as if nothing else had ever -such a tang of wormwood in it." - -"As little wormwood," she replied, "as any gift that a man may enjoy -without envy and without conceit. But now," cried she, "I should like to -have an hour's dancing; and after that we must look to our vaulters." - -Accordingly, they went into the house, and there found music in -readiness. Philina was a beautiful dancer: she animated both her -companions. Nor was Wilhelm without skill; but he wanted careful -practice, a defect which his two friends voluntarily took charge of -remedying. - -In these amusements the time passed on insensibly. It was already late -when they returned. The rope-dancers had commenced their operations. A -multitude of people had again assembled in the square; and our friends, -on alighting, were struck by the appearance of a tumult in the crowd, -occasioned by a throng of men rushing towards the door of the inn, which -Wilhelm had now turned his face to. He sprang forward to see what it -was; and, pressing through the people, he was struck with horror to -observe the master of the rope-dancing company dragging poor Mignon by -the hair out of the house, and unmercifully beating her little body with -the handle of a whip. - -Wilhelm darted on the man like lightning, and seized him by the collar. -"Quit the child!" he cried, in a furious tone, "or one of us shall never -leave this spot!" and, so speaking, he grasped the fellow by the throat -with a force which only rage could have lent him. The showman, on the -point of choking, let go the child, and endeavored to defend himself -against his new assailant. But some people, who had felt compassion for -Mignon, yet had not dared to begin a quarrel for her, now laid hold of -the rope-dancer, wrenched his whip away, and threatened him with great -fierceness and abuse. Being now reduced to the weapons of his mouth, he -began bullying, and cursing horribly. The lazy, worthless urchin, he -said, would not do her duty; refused to perform the egg-dance, which he -had promised to the public; he would beat her to death, and no one -should hinder him. He tried to get loose, and seek the child, who had -crept away among the crowd. Wilhelm held him back, and said sternly, -"You shall neither see nor touch her, till you have explained before a -magistrate where you stole her. I will pursue you to every extremity. -You shall not escape me." These words, which Wilhelm uttered in heat, -without thought or purpose, out of some vague feeling, or, if you will, -out of inspiration, soon brought the raging showman to composure. "What -have I to do with the useless brat?" cried he. "Pay me what her clothes -cost, and make of her what you please. We shall settle it to-night." -And, being liberated, he made haste to resume his interrupted -operations, and to calm the irritation of the public by some striking -displays of his craft. - -As soon as all was still again, Wilhelm commenced a search for Mignon, -whom, however, he could nowhere find. Some said they had seen her on the -street, others on the roofs of the adjoining houses; but, after seeking -unsuccessfully in all quarters, he was forced to content himself, and -wait to see if she would not again turn up of herself. - -In the mean time, Narciss had come into the house; and Wilhelm set to -question him about the birthplace and history of the child. Monsieur -Narciss knew nothing about these things, for he had not long been in the -company; but in return he recited, with much volubility and levity, -various particulars of his own fortune. Upon Wilhelm's wishing him joy -of the great approbation he had gained, Narciss expressed himself as if -exceedingly indifferent on that point. "People laugh at us," he said, -"and admire our feats of skill; but their admiration does nothing for -us. The master has to pay us, and may raise the funds where he pleases." -He then took his leave, and was setting off in great haste. - -At the question, whither he was bent so fast, the dog gave a smile, and -admitted that his figure and talents had acquired for him a more solid -species of favor than the huzzaing of the multitude. He had been invited -by some young ladies, who desired much to become acquainted with him; -and he was afraid it would be midnight before he could get all his -visits over. He proceeded with the greatest candor to detail his -adventures. He would have given the names of his patronesses, their -streets and houses, had not Wilhelm waived such indiscretion, and -politely dismissed him. - -Laertes had meanwhile been entertaining Landrinette: he declared that -she was fully worthy to be and to remain a woman. - -Our friend next proceeded to his bargain with the showman for Mignon. -Thirty crowns was the price set upon her; and for this sum the -black-bearded, hot Italian entirely surrendered all his claims: but of -her history or parentage he would discover nothing, only that she had -fallen into his hands at the death of his brother, who, by reason of his -admirable skill, had usually been named the "Great Devil." - -Next morning was chiefly spent in searching for the child. It was in -vain that they rummaged every hole and corner of the house and -neighborhood: the child had vanished; and Wilhelm was afraid she might -have leaped into some pool of water, or destroyed herself in some other -way. - -Philina's charms could not divert his inquietude. He passed a dreary, -thoughtful day. Nor at evening could the utmost efforts of the tumblers -and dancers, exerting all their powers to gratify the public, divert the -current of his thoughts, or clear away the clouds from his mind. - -By the concourse of people flocking from all places round, the numbers -had greatly increased on this occasion: the general approbation was like -a snowball rolling itself into a monstrous size. The feat of leaping -over swords, and through the cask with paper ends, made a great -sensation. - -The strong man, too, produced a universal feeling of mingled -astonishment and horror, when he laid his head and feet on a couple of -separate stools, and then allowed some sturdy smiths to place a stithy -on the unsupported part of his body, and hammer a horseshoe till it was -completely made by means of it. - -The Hercules' Strength, as they called it, was a no less wonderful -affair. A row of men stood up; then another row, upon their shoulders; -then women and young lads, supported in like manner on the second row; -so that finally a living pyramid was formed; the peak being ornamented -by a child, placed on its head, and dressed out in the shape of a ball -and weather-vane. Such a sight, never witnessed in those parts before, -gave a worthy termination to the whole performance. Narciss and -Landrinette were then borne in litters, on the shoulders of the rest, -along the chief streets of the town, amid the triumphant shouts of the -people. Ribbons, nosegays, silks, were thrown upon them: all pressed to -get a sight of them. Each thought himself happy if he could behold them, -and be honored with a look of theirs. - -"What actor, what author, nay, what man of any class, would not regard -himself as on the summit of his wishes, could he, by a noble saying or a -worthy action, produce so universal an impression? What a precious -emotion would it give, if one could disseminate generous, exalted, manly -feelings with electric force and speed, and rouse assembled thousands -into such rapture, as these people, by their bodily alertness, have -done! If one could communicate to thronging multitudes a fellow-feeling -in all that belongs to man, by the portraying of happiness and misery, -of wisdom and folly, nay, of absurdity and silliness; could kindle and -thrill their inmost souls, and set their stagnant nature into movement, -free, vehement, and pure!" So said our friend; and, as neither Laertes -nor Philina showed any disposition to take part in such a strain, he -entertained himself with these darling speculations, walking up and down -the streets till late at night, and again pursuing, with all the force -and vivacity of a liberated imagination, his old desire to have all that -was good and noble and great embodied and shown forth by the theatric -art. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Next morning, the rope-dancers, not without much parade and bustle, -having gone away, Mignon immediately appeared, and came into the parlor -as Wilhelm and Laertes were busy fencing. "Where hast thou been hid?" -said Wilhelm, in a friendly tone. "Thou hast given us a great deal of -anxiety." The child looked at him, and answered nothing. "Thou art ours -now," cried Laertes: "we have bought thee."--"For how much?" inquired -the child quite coolly. "For a hundred ducats," said the other: "pay -them again, and thou art free."--"Is that very much?" she asked. "Oh, -yes! thou must now be a good child."--"I will try," she said. - -From that moment she observed strictly what services the waiter had to -do for both her friends; and, after next day, she would not any more let -him enter the room. She persisted in doing every thing herself, and -accordingly went through her duties, slowly, indeed, and sometimes -awkwardly, yet completely, and with the greatest care. - -She was frequently observed going to a basin of water, and washing her -face with such diligence and violence, that she almost wore the skin -from her cheeks; till Laertes, by dint of questions and reproofs, -learned that she was striving by all means to get the paint from her -skin, and that, in her zealous endeavors towards this object, she had -mistaken the redness produced by rubbing for the most obdurate dye. They -set her right on this point, and she ceased her efforts; after which, -having come again to her natural state, she exhibited a fine brown -complexion, beautiful, though sparingly intermingled with red. - -The siren charms of Philina, the mysterious presence of the child, -produced more impression on our friend than he liked to confess: -he passed several days in that strange society, endeavoring to -elude self-reproaches by a diligent practice of fencing and -dancing,--accomplishments which he believed might not again be put -within his reach so conveniently. - -It was with great surprise, and not without a certain satisfaction, that -he one day observed Herr Melina and his wife alight at the inn. After -the first glad salutation, they inquired about "the lady-manager and the -other actors," and learned, with astonishment and terror, that the -lady-manager had long since gone away, and her actors, to a very few, -dispersed themselves about the country. - -This couple, subsequently to their marriage, in which, as we know, our -friend did his best to serve them, had been travelling about in various -quarters, seeking an engagement, without finding any, and had at last -been directed to this little town by some persons who met them on their -journey, and said there was a good theatre in the place. - -Melina by no means pleased the lively Laertes, when introduced to him, -any more than his wife did Philina. Both heartily wished to be rid of -these new-comers; and Wilhelm could inspire them with no favorable -feelings on the subject, though he more than once assured them that the -Melinas were very worthy people. - -Indeed, the previous merry life of our three adventurers was interfered -with by this extension of their society, in more ways than one. Melina -had taken up his quarters in the inn where Philina staid, and he very -soon began a system of cheapening and higgling. He would have better -lodging, more sumptuous diet, and readier attendance, for a smaller -charge. In a short while, the landlord and waiter showed very rueful -looks; for whereas the others, to get pleasantly along, had expressed no -discontent with any thing, and paid instantly, that they might avoid -thinking longer of payment, Melina now insisted on regulating every -meal, and investigating its contents beforehand,--a species of service -for which Philina named him, without scruple, a ruminating animal. - -Yet more did the merry girl hate Melina's wife. Frau Melina was a young -woman not without culture, but wofully defective in soul and spirit. She -could declaim not badly, and kept declaiming constantly; but it was easy -to observe that her performances were little more than recitations of -words. She labored a few detached passages, but never could express the -feeling of the whole. Withal, however, she was seldom disagreeable to -any one, especially to men. On the contrary, people who enjoyed her -acquaintance commonly ascribed to her a fine understanding; for she was -what might be called a kind of _spiritual chameleon_, or _taker-on_. Any -friend whose favor she had need of she could flatter with peculiar -adroitness, could give in to his ideas so long as she could understand -them, and, when they went beyond her own horizon, could hail with -ecstasy such new and brilliant visions. She understood well when to -speak and when to keep silence; and, though her disposition was not -spiteful, she could spy out with great expertness where another's weak -side lay. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -Melina, in the mean time, had been making strict inquiry about the -wrecks of the late theatrical establishment. The wardrobe, as well as -decorations, had been pawned with some traders; and a notary had been -empowered, under certain conditions, to dispose of them by sale, should -purchasers occur. Melina wished to see this ware, and he took Wilhelm -with him. No sooner was the room opened, than our friend felt towards -its contents a kind of inclination, which he would not confess to -himself. Sad as was the state of the blotched and tarnished decorations; -little showy as the Turkish and pagan garments, the old farce-coats for -men and women, the cowls for enchanters, priests, and Jews, might -be,--he was not able to exclude the feeling, that the happiest moments -of his life had been spent in a similar magazine of frippery. Could -Melina have seen into his heart, he would have urged him more pressingly -to lay out a sum of money in liberating these scattered fragments, in -furbishing them up, and again combining them into a beautiful whole. -"What a happy man could I be," cried Melina, "had I but two hundred -crowns, to get into my hands, for a beginning, these fundamental -necessaries of a theatre! How soon should I get up a little playhouse, -that would draw contributions from the town and neighborhood, and -maintain us all!" Wilhelm was silent. They left these treasures of the -stage to be again locked up, and both went away in a reflective mood. - -Thenceforth Melina talked of nothing else but projects and plans for -setting up a theatre, and gaining profit by it. He tried to interest -Philina and Laertes in his schemes; and proposals were made to Wilhelm -about advancing money, and taking them as his security. On this -occasion, Wilhelm first clearly perceived that he was lingering too long -here: he excused himself, and set about making preparations for -departure. - -In the mean time, Mignon's form, and manner of existence, were growing -more attractive to him every day. In her whole system of proceedings -there was something very singular. She never walked up or down the -stairs, but jumped. She would spring along by the railing, and before -you were aware would be sitting quietly above upon the landing. Wilhelm -had observed, also, that she had a different sort of salutation for each -individual. For himself, it had of late been with her arms crossed upon -her breast. Often for the whole day she was mute. At times she answered -various questions more freely, yet always strangely: so that you could -not determine whether it was caused by shrewd sense, or ignorance of the -language; for she spoke in broken German interlaced with French and -Italian. In Wilhelm's service she was indefatigable, and up before the -sun. On the other hand, she vanished early in the evening, went to -sleep in a little room upon the bare floor, and could not by any means -be induced to take a bed or even a _paillasse_. He often found her -washing herself. Her clothes, too, were kept scrupulously clean; though -nearly all about her was quilted two or three plies thick. Wilhelm was -moreover told, that she went every morning early to hear mass. He -followed her on one occasion, and saw her kneeling down with a rosary in -a corner of the church, and praying devoutly. She did not observe him; -and he returned home, forming many a conjecture about this appearance, -yet unable to arrive at any probable conclusion. - -A new application from Melina for a sum of money to redeem the -often-mentioned stage apparatus caused Wilhelm to think more seriously -than ever about setting off. He proposed writing to his people, who for -a long time had heard no tidings of him, by the very earliest post. He -accordingly commenced a letter to Werner, and had advanced a -considerable way with the history of his adventures, in recounting which -he had more than once unintentionally swerved a little from the truth, -when, to his vexation and surprise, he observed, upon the back of his -sheet, some verses which he had been copying from his album for Madam -Melina. Out of humor at this mistake, he tore the paper in pieces, and -put off repeating his confession till the next post-day. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -Our party was now again collected; and Philina, who always kept a sharp -lookout on every horse or carriage that passed by, exclaimed with great -eagerness, "Our Pedant! Here comes our dearest Pedant! Who the deuce is -it he has with him?" Speaking thus, she beckoned at the window; and the -vehicle drew up. - -A woful-looking genius, whom by his shabby coat of grayish brown, and -his ill-conditioned lower garments, you must have taken for some -unprosperous preceptor, of the sort that moulder in our universities, -now descended from the carriage, and, taking off his hat to salute -Philina, discovered an ill-powdered, but yet very stiff, periwig; while -Philina threw a hundred kisses of the hand towards him. - -As Philina's chief enjoyment lay in loving one class of men, and being -loved by them; so there was a second and hardly inferior satisfaction, -wherewith she entertained herself as frequently as possible; and this -consisted in hoodwinking and passing jokes upon the other class, whom at -such moments she happened not to love,--all which she could accomplish -in a very sprightly style. - -Amid the flourish which she made in receiving this old friend, no -attention was bestowed upon the rest who followed him. Yet among the -party were an oldish man and two young girls, whom Wilhelm thought he -knew. Accordingly it turned out, that he had often seen them all, some -years ago, in a company then playing in his native town. The daughters -had grown since that period: the old man was a little altered. He -commonly enacted those good-hearted, boisterous old gentlemen, whom the -German theatre is never without, and whom, in common life, one also -frequently enough falls in with. For as it is the character of our -countrymen to do good, and cause it, without pomp or circumstance; so -they seldom consider that there is likewise a mode of doing what is -right with grace and dignity: more frequently, indeed, they yield to the -spirit of contradiction, and fall into the error of deforming their -dearest virtue by a surly mode of putting it in practice. - -Such parts our actor could play very well; and he played them so often -and exclusively, that he had himself taken up the same turn of -proceeding in his ordinary life. - -On recognizing him, Wilhelm was seized with a strong commotion; for he -recollected how often he had seen this man on the stage with his beloved -Mariana: he still heard him scolding, still heard the small, soothing -voice, with which in many characters she had to meet his rugged temper. - -The first anxious question put to the strangers,--Whether they had heard -of any situation in their travels?--was answered, alas, with No! and, to -complete the information, it was further added, that all the companies -they had fallen in with were not only supplied with actors, but many of -them were afraid lest, on account of the approaching war, they should be -forced to separate. Old Boisterous, with his daughters, moved by spleen -and love of change, had given up an advantageous engagement: then, -meeting with the Pedant by the way, they had hired a carriage to come -hither; where, as they found, good counsel was still dear, needful to -have, and difficult to get. - -The time while the rest were talking very keenly of their circumstances, -Wilhelm spent in thought. He longed to speak in private with the old -man: he wished and feared to hear of Mariana, and felt the greatest -disquietude. - -The pretty looks of the stranger damsels could not call him from his -dream; but a war of words, which now arose, awakened his attention. It -was Friedrich, the fair-haired boy who used to attend Philina, -stubbornly refusing, on this occasion, to cover the table and bring up -dinner. "I engaged to serve you," he cried, "but not to wait on -everybody." They fell into a hot contest. Philina insisted that he -should do his duty; and, as he obstinately refused, she told him plainly -he might go about his business. - -"You think, perhaps, I cannot leave you!" cried he sturdily, then went -to pack up his bundle, and soon hastily quitted the house. - -"Go, Mignon," said Philina, "and get us what we want; tell the waiter, -and help him to attend us." - -Mignon came before Wilhelm, and asked in her laconic way, "Shall I? May -I?" To which Wilhelm answered, "Do all the lady bids thee, child." - -She accordingly took charge of every thing, and waited on the guests the -whole evening, with the utmost carefulness. After dinner, Wilhelm -proposed to have a walk with the old man alone. Succeeding in this, -after many questions about his late wanderings, the conversation turned -upon the former company; and Wilhelm hazarded a question touching -Mariana. - -"Do not speak to me of that despicable creature!" cried the old man: "I -have sworn to think of her no more." Terrified at this speech, Wilhelm -felt still more embarrassed, as the old man proceeded to vituperate her -fickleness and wantonness. Most gladly would our friend have broken off -the conversation, but now it was impossible: he was obliged to undergo -the whole tumultuous effusions of this strange old gentleman. - -"I am ashamed," continued he, "that I felt such a friendship for her. -Yet, had you known the girl better, you would excuse me. She was so -pretty, so natural and good, so pleasing, in every sense so tolerable, I -could never have supposed that ingratitude and impudence were to prove -the chief features of her character." - -Wilhelm had nerved himself to hear the worst of her; when all at once he -observed, with astonishment, that the old man's tones grew milder, his -voice faltered, and he took out his handkerchief to dry the tears, which -at last began to trickle down his cheeks. - -"What is the matter with you?" cried Wilhelm. "What is it that suddenly -so changes the current of your feelings? Conceal it not from me. I take -a deeper interest in the fate of this girl than you suppose. Only tell -me all." - -"I have not much to say," replied the old man, again taking up his -earnest, angry tone. "I have suffered more from her than I shall ever -forgive. She had always a kind of trust in me. I loved her as my own -daughter; indeed, while my wife lived, I had formed a resolution to take -the creature to my own house, and save her from the hands of that old -crone, from whose guidance I boded no good. But my wife died, and the -project went to nothing. - -"About the end of our stay in your native town,--it is not quite three -years ago,--I noticed a visible sadness about her. I questioned her, -but she evaded me. At last we set out on our journey. She travelled in -the same coach with me; and I soon observed, what she herself did not -long deny, that she was with child, and suffering the greatest terror -lest our manager might turn her off. In fact, in a short while he did -make the discovery; immediately threw up her contract, which at any rate -was only for six weeks; paid off her arrears; and, in spite of all -entreaties, left her behind, in the miserable inn of a little village. - -"Devil take all wanton jilts!" cried the old man, with a splenetic tone, -"and especially this one, that has spoiled me so many hours of my life! -Why should I keep talking how I myself took charge of her, what I did -for her, what I spent on her, how in absence I provided for her? I would -rather throw my purse into the ditch, and spend my time in nursing mangy -whelps, than ever more bestow the smallest care on such a thing. Pshaw! -At first I got letters of thanks, notice of places she was staying at; -and, finally, no word at all,--not even an acknowledgment for the money -I had sent to pay the expenses of her lying-in. Oh! the treachery and -the fickleness of women are rightly matched, to get a comfortable living -for themselves, and to give an honest fellow many heavy hours." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Wilhelm's feelings, on returning home after this conversation, may be -easily conceived. All his old wounds had been torn up afresh, and the -sentiment that Mariana was not wholly unworthy of his love had again -been brought to life. The interest the old man had shown about her fate, -the praises he gave her against his will, displayed her again in all her -attractiveness. Nay, even the bitter accusations brought against her -contained nothing that could lower her in Wilhelm's estimation; for he, -as well as she, was guilty in all her aberrations. Nor did even her -final silence seem greatly blamable: it rather inspired him with -mournful thoughts. He saw her as a frail, ill-succored mother, wandering -helplessly about the world,--wandering, perhaps, with his own child. -What he knew, and what he knew not, awoke in him the painfullest -emotions. - -Mignon had been waiting for him: she lighted him up stairs. On setting -down the light, she begged he would allow her, that evening, to -compliment him with a piece of her art. He would rather have declined -this, particularly as he knew not what it was; but he had not the heart -to refuse any thing this kind creature wished. After a little while she -again came in. She carried below her arm a little carpet, which she then -spread out upon the floor. Wilhelm said she might proceed. She thereupon -brought four candles, and placed one upon each corner of the carpet. A -little basket of eggs, which she next carried in, made her purpose -clearer. Carefully measuring her steps, she then walked to and fro on -the carpet, spreading out the eggs in certain figures and positions; -which done, she called in a man that was waiting in the house, and could -play on the violin. He retired with his instrument into a corner: she -tied a band about her eyes, gave a signal; and, like a piece of -wheel-work set a-going, she began moving the same instant as the music, -accompanying her beats and the notes of the tune with the strokes of a -pair of castanets. - -Lightly, nimbly, quickly, and with hair's-breadth accuracy, she carried -on the dance. She skipped so sharply and surely along between the eggs, -and trod so closely down beside them, that you would have thought every -instant she must trample one of them in pieces, or kick the rest away in -her rapid turns. By no means! She touched no one of them, though -winding herself through their mazes with all kinds of steps, wide and -narrow, nay, even with leaps, and at last half kneeling. - -Constant as the movement of a clock, she ran her course; and the strange -music, at each repetition of the tune, gave a new impulse to the dance, -recommencing and again rushing off as at first. Wilhelm was quite led -away by this singular spectacle; he forgot his cares; he followed every -movement of the dear little creature, and felt surprised to see how -finely her character unfolded itself as she proceeded in the dance. - -Rigid, sharp, cold, vehement, and in soft postures, stately rather than -attractive,--such was the light in which it showed her. At this moment -he experienced at once all the emotions he had ever felt for Mignon. He -longed to incorporate this forsaken being with his own heart, to take -her in his arms, and with a father's love to awaken in her the joy of -existence. - -The dance being ended, she rolled the eggs together softly with her foot -into a little heap, left none behind, harmed none; then placed herself -beside it, taking the bandage from her eyes, and concluding her -performance with a little bow. - -Wilhelm thanked her for having executed, so prettily and unexpectedly, a -dance he had long wished to see. He patted her; was sorry she had tired -herself so much. He promised her a new suit of clothes; to which she -vehemently replied, "Thy color!" This, too, he promised her, though not -well knowing what she meant by it. She then lifted up the eggs, took the -carpet under her arm, asked if he wanted any thing further, and skipped -out of the room. - -The musician, being questioned, said, that for some time she had taken -much trouble in often singing over the tune of this dance, the -well-known fandango, to him, and training him till he could play it -accurately. For his labor she had likewise offered him some money; -which, however, he would not accept. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -After a restless night, which our friend spent, sometimes waking, -sometimes oppressed with unpleasant dreams, seeing Mariana now in all -her beauty, now in woful case, at one time with a child on her arm, -then soon bereaved of it, the morning had scarcely dawned, when Mignon -entered with a tailor. She brought some gray cloth and blue taffeta; -signifying in her own way that she wished to have a new jacket and -sailor's trousers, such as she had seen the boys of the town wear, with -blue cuffs and tiers. - -Since the loss of Mariana, Wilhelm had laid aside all gay colors. He had -used himself to gray,--the garment of the shades; and only perhaps a -sky-blue lining, or little collar of that dye, in some degree enlivened -his sober garb. Mignon, eager to wear his colors, hurried on the tailor, -who engaged to have his work soon ready. - -The exercise in dancing and fencing, which our friend took this day with -Laertes, did not prosper in their hands. Indeed, it was soon interrupted -by Melina, who came to show them circumstantially how a little company -was now of itself collected, sufficient to exhibit plays in abundance. -He renewed the proposal that Wilhelm should advance a little money for -setting them in motion; which, however, Wilhelm still declined. - -Ere long Philina and the girls came in, racketing and laughing as usual. -They had now devised a fresh excursion, for change of place and objects -was a pleasure after which they always longed. To eat daily in a -different spot was their highest wish. On this occasion they proposed a -sail. - -The boat in which they were to fall down the pleasant windings of the -river had already been engaged by the Pedant. Philina urged them on: the -party did not linger, and were soon on board. - -"What shall we take to now?" said Philina, when all had placed -themselves upon the benches. - -"The readiest thing," replied Laertes, "were for us to extemporize a -play. Let each take a part that suits his character, and we shall see -how we get along." - -"Excellent!" said Wilhelm. "In a society where there is no -dissimulation, but where each without disguise pursues the bent of his -own humor, elegance and satisfaction cannot long continue; and, where -dissimulation always reigns, they do not enter at all. It will not be -amiss, then, that we take up dissimulation to begin with, and then, -behind our masks, be as candid as we please." - -"Yes," said Laertes: "it is on this account that one goes on so -pleasantly with women; they never show themselves in their natural -form." - -"That is to say," replied Madam Melina, "they are not so vain as men, -who conceive themselves to be always amiable enough, just as nature has -produced them." - -In the mean time the river led them between pleasant groves and hills, -between gardens and vineyards; and the young women, especially Madam -Melina, expressed their rapture at the landscape. The latter even began -to recite, in solemn style, a pretty poem of the descriptive sort, upon -a similar scene of nature; but Philina interrupted her with the proposal -of a law, that no one should presume to speak of any inanimate object. -On the other hand, she zealously urged on their project of an extempore -play. Old Boisterous was to be a half-pay officer; Laertes a -fencing-master, taking his vacation; the Pedant, a Jew; she herself -would act a Tyrolese; leaving to the rest to choose characters according -to their several pleasures. They would suppose themselves to be a party -of total strangers to each other, who had just met on board a -merchant-ship. - -She immediately began to play her part with the Jew, and a universal -cheerfulness diffused itself among them. - -They had not sailed far, when the skipper stopped in his course, asking -permission of the company to take in a person standing on the shore, who -had made a sign to him. - -"That is just what we needed," cried Philina: "a chance passenger was -wanting to complete the travelling-party." - -A handsome man came on board; whom, by his dress and his dignified mien, -you might have taken for a clergyman. He saluted the party, who thanked -him in their own way, and soon made known to him the nature of their -game. The stranger immediately engaged to act the part of a country -parson; which, in fact, he accomplished in the adroitest manner, to the -admiration of all,--now admonishing, now telling stories, showing some -weak points, yet never losing their respect. - -In the mean time, every one who had made a false step in his part, or -swerved from his character, had been obliged to forfeit a pledge: -Philina had gathered them with the greatest care, and especially -threatened the reverend gentleman with many kisses; though he himself -had never been at fault. Melina, on the other hand, was completely -fleeced: shirt-buttons, buckles, every movable about his person, was in -Philina's hands. He was trying to enact an English traveller, and could -not by any means get into the spirit of his part. - -Meanwhile the time had passed away very pleasantly. Each had strained -his fancy and his wit to the utmost, and each had garnished his part -with agreeable and entertaining jests. Thus comfortably occupied, they -reached the place where they meant to pass the day; and Wilhelm, going -out to walk with the clergyman, as both from his appearance and late -character he persisted in naming him, soon fell into an interesting -conversation. - -"I think this practice," said the stranger, "very useful among actors, -and even in the company of friends and acquaintances. It is the best -mode of drawing men out of themselves, and leading them, by a circuitous -path, back into themselves again. It should be a custom with every troop -of players to practice in this manner: and the public would assuredly be -no loser if every month an unwritten piece were brought forward; in -which, of course, the players had prepared themselves by several -rehearsals." - -"One should not, then," replied our friend, "consider an extempore piece -as, strictly speaking, composed on the spur of the moment, but as a -piece, of which the plan, action, and division of the scenes were given; -the filling up of all this being left to the player." - -"Quite right," said the stranger; "and, in regard to this very filling -up, such a piece, were the players once trained to these performances, -would profit greatly. Not in regard to the mere words, it is true; for, -by a careful selection of these, the studious writer may certainly adorn -his work; but in regard to the gestures, looks, exclamations, and every -thing of that nature; in short, to the mute and half-mute play of the -dialogue, which seems by degrees fading away among us altogether. There -are indeed some players in Germany whose bodies figure what they think -and feel; who by their silence, their delays, their looks, their slight, -graceful movements, can prepare the audience for a speech, and, by a -pleasant sort of pantomime, combine the pauses of the dialogue with the -general whole; but such a practice as this, co-operating with a happy -natural turn, and training it to compete with the author, is far from -being so habitual as, for the comfort of play-going people, were to be -desired." - -"But will not a happy natural turn," said Wilhelm, "as the first and -last requisite, of itself conduct the player, like every other -artist,--nay, perhaps every other man,--to the lofty mark he aims at?" - -"The first and the last, the beginning and the end, it may well be; but, -in the middle, many things will still be wanting to an artist, if -instruction, and early instruction too, have not previously made that of -him which he was meant to be: and perhaps for the man of genius it is -worse in this respect than for the man possessed of only common -capabilities; the one may much more easily be misinstructed, and be -driven far more violently into false courses, than the other." - -"But," said Wilhelm, "will not genius save itself, not heal the wounds -which itself has inflicted?" - -"Only to a very small extent, and with great difficulty," said the -other, "or perhaps not at all. Let no one think that he can conquer the -first impressions of his youth. If he has grown up in enviable freedom, -surrounded with beautiful and noble objects, in constant intercourse -with worthy men; if his masters have taught him what he needed first to -know, for comprehending more easily what followed; if he has never -learned any thing which he requires to unlearn; if his first operations -have been so guided, that, without altering any of his habits, he can -more easily produce what is excellent in future,--then such a one will -lead a purer, more perfect and happier, life, than another man who has -wasted the force of his youth in opposition and error. A great deal is -said and written about education; yet I meet with very few who can -comprehend, and transfer to practice, this simple yet vast idea, which -includes within itself all others connected with the subject." - -"That may well be true," said Wilhelm; "for the generality of men are -limited enough in their conceptions to suppose that every other should -be fashioned by education, according to the pattern of themselves. -Happy, then, are those whom Fate takes charge of, and educates according -to their several natures!" - -"Fate," said the other, smiling, "is an excellent but most expensive -schoolmaster. In all cases, I would rather trust to the reason of a -human tutor. Fate, for whose wisdom I entertain all imaginable -reverence, often finds in Chance, by which it works, an instrument not -over manageable. At least the latter very seldom seems to execute -precisely and accurately what the former had determined." - -"You seem to express a very singular opinion," said Wilhelm. - -"Not at all," replied the other. "Most of what happens in the world -confirms my opinion. Do not many incidents at their commencement show -some mighty purport, and generally terminate in something paltry?" - -"You mean to jest." - -"And as to what concerns the individual man," pursued the other, "is it -not so with this likewise? Suppose Fate had appointed one to be a good -player; and why should it not provide us with good players as well as -other good things? Chance would perhaps conduct the youth into some -puppet-show, where, at such an early age, he could not help taking -interest in what was tasteless and despicable, reckoning insipidities -endurable or even pleasing, and thus corrupting and misdirecting his -primary impressions,--impressions which can never be effaced, and whose -influence, in spite of all our efforts, cling to us in some degree to -the very last." - -"What makes you think of puppet-shows?" said Wilhelm, not without some -consternation. - -"It was an accidental instance: if it does not please you, we shall take -another. Suppose Fate had appointed any one to be a great painter, and -it pleased Chance that he should pass his youth in sooty huts, in barns -and stables: do you think that such a man would ever be enabled to exalt -himself to purity, to nobleness, to freedom of soul? The more keenly he -may in his youth have seized on the impure, and tried in his own manner -to ennoble it, the more powerfully in the remainder of his life will it -be revenged on him; because, while he was endeavoring to conquer it, his -whole being has become inseparably combined with it. Whoever spends his -early years in mean and pitiful society, though at an after period he -may have the choice of better, will yet constantly look back with -longing towards that which he enjoyed of old, and which has left its -impression blended with the memory of all his young and unreturning -pleasures." - -From conversation of this sort, it is easy to imagine, the rest of the -company had gradually withdrawn. Philina, in particular, had stepped -aside at the very outset. Wilhelm and his comrade now rejoined them by a -cross-path. Philina brought out her forfeits, and they had to be -redeemed in many different ways. During which business, the stranger, by -the most ingenious devices, and by his frank participation in their -sports, recommended himself much to all the party, and particularly to -the ladies; and thus, amid joking, singing, kissing, and railleries of -all sorts, the hours passed away in the most pleasant manner. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -When our friends began to think of going home, they looked about them -for their clergyman; but he had vanished, and was nowhere to be found. - -"It is not polite in the man, who otherwise displayed good breeding," -said Madam Melina, "to desert a company that welcomed him so kindly, -without taking leave." - -"I have all the time been thinking," said Laertes, "where I can have -seen this singular man before. I fully intended to ask him about it at -parting." - -"I, too, had the same feeling," said Wilhelm; "and certainly I should -not have let him go, till he had told us something more about his -circumstances. I am much mistaken if I have not ere now spoken with him -somewhere." - -"And you may in truth," said Philina, "be mistaken there. This person -seems to have the air of an acquaintance, because he looks like a _man_, -and not like Jack or Kit." - -"What is this?" said Laertes. "Do not we, too, look like men?" - -"I know what I am saying," cried Philina; "and, if you cannot understand -me, never mind. In the end my words will be found to require no -commentary." - -Two coaches now drove up. All praised the attention of Laertes, who had -ordered them. Philina, with Madam Melina, took her place opposite to -Wilhelm: the rest bestowed themselves as they best could. Laertes rode -back on Wilhelm's horse, which had likewise been brought out. - -Philina was scarcely seated in the coach, when she began to sing some -pretty songs, and gradually led the conversation to some stories, which -she said might be successfully treated in the form of dramas. By this -cunning turn, she very soon put her young friend into his finest humor: -from the wealth of his living imaginative store, he forthwith -constructed a complete play, with all its acts, scenes, characters, and -plots. It was thought proper to insert a few catches and songs; they -composed them; and Philina, who entered into every part of it, -immediately fitted them with well-known tunes, and sang them on the -spot. - -It was one of her beautiful, most beautiful, days: she had skill to -enliven our friend with all manner of diverting wiles; he felt in -spirits such as he had not for many a month enjoyed. - -Since that shocking discovery had torn him from the side of Mariana, he -had continued true to his vow to be on his guard against the encircling -arms of woman; to avoid the faithless sex; to lock up his inclinations, -his sweet wishes, in his own bosom. The conscientiousness with which he -had observed this vow gave his whole nature a secret nourishment; and, -as his heart could not remain without affection, some loving sympathy -had now become a want with him. He went along once more, as if environed -by the first cloudy glories of youth; his eye fixed joyfully on every -charming object, and never had his judgment of a lovely form been more -favorable. How dangerous, in such a situation, this wild girl must have -been to him, is but too easy to conceive. - -Arrived at home, they found Wilhelm's chamber all ready to receive them; -the chairs set right for a public reading; in midst of them the table, -on which the punch-bowl was in due time to take its place. - -The German chivalry-plays were new at this period, and had just excited -the attention and the inclination of the public. Old Boisterous had -brought one of this sort with him: the reading of it had already been -determined on. They all sat down; Wilhelm took possession of the -pamphlet, and began to read. - -The harnessed knights, the ancient keeps, the true-heartedness, honesty, -and downrightness, but especially the independence of the acting -characters, were received with the greatest approbation. The reader did -his utmost, and the audience gradually mounted into rapture. Between the -third and fourth acts, the punch arrived in an ample bowl; and, there -being much fighting and drinking in the piece itself, nothing was more -natural than that, on every such occurrence, the company should -transport themselves into the situation of the heroes, should flourish -and strike along with them, and drink long life to their favorites among -the _dramatis personæ_. - -Each individual of the party was inflamed with the noblest fire of -national spirit. How it gratified this German company to be poetically -entertained, according to their own character, on stuff of their own -manufacture! In particular, the vaults and caverns, the ruined castles, -the moss and hollow trees, but above all the nocturnal gypsy scenes, and -the Secret Tribunal, produced a quite incredible effect. Every actor now -figured to himself how, erelong, in helm and harness, he; every actress -how, with a monstrous spreading ruff, she,--would present their -Germanship before the public. Each would appropriate to himself without -delay some name taken from the piece or from German history; and Madam -Melina declared that the son or daughter she was then expecting should -not be christened otherwise than by the name of Adelbert or of Mathilde. - -Towards the fifth act, the approbation became more impetuous and louder; -and at last, when the hero actually trampled down his oppressor, and the -tyrant met his doom, the ecstasy increased to such a height, that all -averred they had never passed such happy moments. Melina, whom the -liquor had inspired, was the noisiest: and when the second bowl was -emptied, and midnight near, Laertes swore through thick and thin, that -no living mortal was worthy ever more to put these glasses to his lips; -and, so swearing, he pitched his own right over his head, through a -window-pane, out into the street. The rest followed his example; and -notwithstanding the protestations of the landlord, who came running in -at the noise, the punch-bowl itself, never after this festivity to be -polluted by unholy drink, was dashed into a thousand shreds. Philina, -whose exhilaration was the least noticed,--the other two girls by that -time having laid themselves upon the sofa in no very elegant -positions,--maliciously encouraged her companions in their tumult. Madam -Melina recited some spirit-stirring poems; and her husband, not too -amiable in the uproar, began to cavil at the insufficient preparation of -the punch, declaring that he could arrange an entertainment altogether -in a different style, and at last becoming sulkier and louder as Laertes -commanded silence, till the latter, without much consideration, threw -the fragments of the punch-bowl about his head, and thereby not a little -deepened the confusion. - -Meanwhile the town-guard had arrived, and were demanding admission to -the house. Wilhelm, much heated by his reading, though he had drunk but -little, had enough to do, with the landlord's help, to content these -people by money and good words, and afterwards to get the various -members of his party sent home in that unseemly case. On coming back, -overpowered with sleep and full of chagrin, he threw himself upon his -bed without undressing; and nothing could exceed his disgust, when, -opening his eyes next morning, he looked out with dull sight upon the -devastations of the by-gone day, and saw the uncleanness, and the many -bad effects, of which that ingenious, lively, and well-intentioned -poetical performance had been the cause. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -After a short consideration, he called the landlord, and bade him mark -to his account both the damage and the regular charge. At the same time -he learned, not without vexation, that his horse had been so hard ridden -by Laertes last night, that, in all probability, it was foundered, as -they term it; the farrier having little hope of its recovering. - -A salute from Philina, which she threw him from her window, restored him -in some degree to a more cheerful humor: he went forthwith into the -nearest shop to buy her a little present, which, in return for the -powder-knife, he still owed her; and it must be owned, that, in -selecting his gift, he did not keep himself within the limits of -proportional value. He not only purchased her a pair of earrings, but -added likewise a hat and neckerchief, and some other little articles, -which he had seen her lavishly throw from her on the first day of their -acquaintance. - -Madam Melina, happening to observe him as he was delivering his -presents, took an opportunity before breakfast to rate him very -earnestly about his inclination for this girl; at which he felt the more -astonished, the less he thought it merited. He swore solemnly, that he -had never once entertained the slightest notion of attaching himself to -such a person, whose whole manner of proceeding was well known to him. -He excused himself as well as possible for his friendly and polite -conduct towards her, yet did not by any means content Madam Melina, -whose spite grew ever more determined, as she could not but observe that -the flatteries, by which she had acquired for herself a sort of partial -regard from our friend, were not sufficient to defend this conquest from -the attacks of a livery, younger, and more gifted rival. - -As they sat down to table, her husband joined them, likewise in a very -fretful humor; which he was beginning to display on many little things, -when the landlord entered to announce a player on the harp. "You will -certainly," he said, "find pleasure in the music and the songs of this -man: no one who hears him can forbear to admire him, and bestow -something on him." - -"Let him go about his business," said Melina: "I am any thing but in a -trim for hearing fiddlers, and we have singers constantly among -ourselves disposed to gain a little by their talent." He accompanied -these words with a sarcastic side-look at Philina: she understood his -meaning, and immediately prepared to punish him, by taking up the cause -of the harper. Turning towards Wilhelm, "Shall we not hear the man?" -said she: "shall we do nothing to save ourselves from this miserable -_ennui_?" - -Melina was going to reply, and the strife would have grown keener, had -not the person it related to at that moment entered. Wilhelm saluted -him, and beckoned him to come near. - -The figure of this singular guest set the whole party in astonishment: -he had found a chair before any one took heart to ask him a question, or -make any observation. His bald crown was encircled by a few gray hairs, -and a pair of large blue eyes looked out softly from beneath his long -white eyebrows. To a nose of beautiful proportions was subjoined a -flowing, hoary beard, which did not hide the fine shape and position of -his lips; and a long dark-brown garment wrapped his thin body from the -neck to the feet. He began to prelude on the harp, which he had placed -before him. - -The sweet tones which he drew from his instrument very soon inspirited -the company. - -"You can sing, too, my good old man," said Philina. - -"Give us something that shall entertain the spirit and the heart as well -as the senses," said Wilhelm. "The instrument should but accompany the -voice; for tunes and melodies without words and meaning seem to me like -butterflies or finely variegated birds, which hover round us in the air, -which we could wish to catch and make our own: whereas song is like a -blessed genius that exalts us towards heaven, and allures the better -self in us to attend him." - -The old man looked at Wilhelm, then aloft, then gave some trills -upon his harp, and began his song. It contained a eulogy on -minstrelsy,--described the happiness of minstrels, and reminded men to -honor them. He produced his song with so much life and truth, that it -seemed as if he had composed it at the moment, for this special -occasion. Wilhelm could scarcely refrain from clasping him in his arms: -but the fear of awakening a peal of laughter detained him in his chair; -for the rest were already in half-whispers making sundry very shallow -observations, and debating if the harper was a Papist or a Jew. - -When asked about the author of the song, the man gave no distinct reply; -declaring only that he was rich in songs, and anxious that they should -please. Most of the party were now merry and joyful; even Melina was -grown frank in his way; and, whilst they talked and joked together, the -old man began to sing the praise of social life in the most sprightly -style. He described the loveliness of unity and courtesy, in soft, -soothing tones. Suddenly his music became cold, harsh, and jarring, as -he turned to deplore repulsive selfishness, short-sighted enmity, and -baleful division; and every heart willingly threw off those galling -fetters, while, borne on the wings of a piercing melody, he launched -forth in praise of peacemakers, and sang the happiness of souls, that, -having parted, meet again in love. - -Scarcely had he ended, when Wilhelm cried to him, "Whoever thou art, -that as a helping spirit comest to us with a voice which blesses and -revives, accept my reverence and my thanks! Feel that we all admire -thee, and confide in us if thou wantest any thing." - -The old man spoke not: he threw his fingers softly across the strings, -then struck more sharply, and sang,-- - - "'What notes are those without the wall, - Across the portal sounding? - Let's have the music in our hall, - Back from its roof rebounding.' - So spoke the king, the henchman flies: - His answer heard, the monarch cries, - 'Bring in that ancient minstrel.' - - 'Hail, gracious king! each noble knight, - Each lovely dame, I greet you! - What glittering stars salute my sight! - What heart unmoved may meet you! - Such lordly pomp is not for me, - Far other scenes my eyes must see: - Yet deign to list my harping.' - - The singer turns him to his art, - A thrilling strain he raises: - Each warrior hears with glowing heart, - And on his loved one gazes. - The king, who liked his playing well, - Commands, for such a kindly spell, - A golden chain be given him. - - 'The golden chain give not to me; - Thy boldest knight may wear it, - Who, 'cross the battle's purple sea, - On lion breast may bear it: - Or let it be thy chancellor's prize, - Amid his heaps to feast his eyes; - Its yellow glance will please him.' - - 'I sing but as the linnet sings, - That on the green bough dwelleth; - A rich reward his music brings, - As from his throat it swelleth: - Yet might I ask, I'd ask of thine - One sparkling draught of purest wine, - To drink it here before you.' - - He viewed the wine: he quaffed it up. - 'O draught of sweetest savor! - O happy house, where such a cup - Is thought a little favor! - If well you fare, remember me, - And thank kind Heaven, from envy free, - As now for this I thank you.'" - -When the harper, on finishing his song, took up a glass of wine that -stood poured out for him, and, turning with a friendly mien to his -entertainers, drank it off, a buzz of joyful approbation rose from all -the party. They clapped hands, and wished him health from that glass, -and strength to his aged limbs. He sang a few other ballads, exciting -more and more hilarity among the company. - -"Old man," said Philina, "dost thou know the tune, 'The shepherd decked -him for the dance'?"[2] - -"Oh, yes!" said he: "if you will sing the words, I shall not fail for my -part of it." - -Philina then stood up, and held herself in readiness. The old man -commenced the tune; and she sang a song, which we cannot impart to our -readers, lest they might think it insipid, or perhaps undignified. - -Meanwhile the company were growing merrier and merrier: they had already -emptied several flasks of wine, and were now beginning to get very loud. -But our friend, having fresh in his remembrance the bad consequences of -their late exhilaration, determined to break up the sitting; he slipped -into the old man's hand a liberal remuneration for his trouble, the rest -did something likewise; they gave him leave to go and take repose, -promising themselves another entertainment from his skill in the -evening. - -When he had retired, our friend said to Philina, "In this favorite song -of yours I certainly find no merit, either moral or poetical; yet if you -were to bring forward any proper composition on the stage, with the same -arch simplicity, the same propriety and gracefulness, I should engage -that strong and universal approbation would be the result." - -"Yes," said Philina: "it would be a charming thing indeed to warm one's -self at ice." - -"After all," said Wilhelm, "this old man might put many a player to the -blush. Did you notice how correctly the dramatic part of his ballads was -expressed? I maintain there was more living true representation in his -singing than in many of our starched characters upon the stage. You -would take the acting of many plays for a narrative, and you might -ascribe to these musical narratives a sensible presence." - -"You are hardly just," replied Laertes. "I pretend to no great skill, -either as a player or as a singer; yet I know well enough, that when -music guides the movements of the body, at once affording to them -animation and a scale to measure it; when declamation and expression are -furnished me by the composer,--I feel quite a different man from what I -do when, in prose dramas, I have all this to create for myself,--have -both gesture and declamation to invent, and am, perhaps, disturbed in -it, too, by the awkwardness of some partner in the dialogue." - -"Thus much I know," said Melina: "the man certainly puts us to the blush -in one point, and that a main point. The strength of his talent is shown -by the profit he derives from it. Even us, who perhaps erelong shall be -embarrassed where to get a meal, he persuades to share our pittance with -him. He has skill enough to wile the money from our pockets with an old -song,--the money that we should have used to find ourselves employment. -So pleasant an affair is it to squander the means which might procure -subsistence to one's self and others." - -This remark gave the conversation not the most delightful turn. Wilhelm, -for whom the reproach was peculiarly intended, replied with some heat; -and Melina, at no time over studious of delicacy and politeness, -explained his grievances at last in words more plain than courteous. "It -is now a fortnight," said he, "since we looked at the theatrical -machinery and wardrobe which is lying pawned here: the whole might be -redeemed for a very tolerable sum. You then gave me hopes that you would -lend me so much; and hitherto I do not see that you have thought more of -the matter, or come any nearer a determination. Had you then consented, -we should ere now have been under way. Nor has your intention to leave -the place been executed, nor has your money in the mean time been -spared: at least there are people who have always skill to create -opportunities for scattering it faster and faster away." - -Such upbraidings, not altogether undeserved, touched Wilhelm to the -quick. He replied with keenness, nay, with anger; and, as the company -rose to part, he took hold of the door, and gave them not obscurely to -understand that he would no longer continue with such unfriendly and -ungrateful people. He hastened down, in no kindly humor, and seated -himself upon the stone bench without the door of his inn; not observing, -that, first out of mirth, then out of spleen, he had drunk more wine -than usual. - -[Footnote 2: Der Schafer putzte sich zum Tanz,--a song of -Goethe's.--ED.] - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -After a short time, which he passed sitting looking out before him, -disquieted by many thoughts, Philina came singing and skipping along -through the front door. She sat down by him, nay, we might almost say, -on him, so close did she press herself towards him: she leaned upon his -shoulders, began playing with his hair, patted him, and gave him the -best words in the world. She begged of him to stay with them, and not -leave her alone in that company, or she must die of tedium: she could -not live any longer in the same house with Melina, and had come over to -lodge in the other inn for that reason. - -He tried in vain to satisfy her with denials,--to make her understand -that he neither could nor would remain any longer. She did not cease -with her entreaties; nay, suddenly she threw her arm round his neck, and -kissed him with the liveliest expression of fondness. - -"Are you mad, Philina?" cried Wilhelm, endeavoring to disengage himself; -"to make the open street the scene of such caresses, which I nowise -merit! Let me go! I can not and I will not stay." - -"And I will hold thee fast," said she, "and kiss thee here on the open -street, and kiss thee till thou promise what I want. I shall die of -laughing," she continued: "by this familiarity the good people here must -take me for thy wife of four weeks' standing; and husbands, who witness -this touching scene, will commend me to their wives as a pattern of -childlike, simple tenderness." - -Some persons were just then going by: she caressed him in the most -graceful way; and he, to avoid giving scandal, was constrained to play -the part of the patient husband. Then she made faces at the people, when -their backs were turned, and, in the wildest humor, continued to commit -all sorts of improprieties, till at last he was obliged to promise that -he would not go that day, or the morrow, or the next day. - -"You are a true clod!" said she, quitting him; "and I am but a fool to -spend so much kindness on you." She arose with some vexation, and walked -a few steps, then turned round laughing, and cried, "I believe it is -just that, after all, that makes me so crazy about thee. I will but go -and seek my knitting-needles and my stocking, that I may have something -to do. Stay there, and let me find the stone man still upon the stone -bench when I come back." - -She cast a sparkling glance on him, and went into the house. He had no -call to follow her; on the contrary, her conduct had excited fresh -aversion in him; yet he rose from the bench to go after her, not well -knowing why. - -He was just entering the door, when Melina passed by, and spoke to him -in a respectful tone, asking his pardon for the somewhat too harsh -expressions he had used in their late discussion. "You will not take it -ill of me," continued he, "if I appear perhaps too fretful in my present -circumstances. The charge of providing for a wife, perhaps soon for a -child, forbids me from day to day to live at peace, or spend my time as -you may do, in the enjoyment of pleasant feelings. Consider, I pray you, -and, if possible, do put me in possession of that stage machinery that -is lying here. I shall not be your debtor long, and I shall be obliged -to you while I live." - -Our friend, unwilling to be kept upon the threshold, over which an -irresistible impulse was drawing him at that moment to Philina, -answered, with an absent mind, eager to be gone, and surprised into a -transient feeling of good will, "If I can make you happy and contented -by doing this, I will hesitate no longer. Go you and put every thing to -rights. I shall be prepared this evening, or to-morrow morning, to pay -the money." He then gave his hand to Melina in confirmation of his -promise, and was very glad to see him hastily proceed along the street; -but, alas! his entrance, which he now thought sure, was a second time -prohibited, and more disagreeably than at first. - -A young man, with a bundle on his back, came walking fast along the -street, and advanced to Wilhelm, who at once recognized him for -Friedrich. - -"Here am I again!" cried he, looking with his large blue eyes joyfully -up and down, over all the windows of the house. "Where is Mamsell? Devil -take me, if I can stroll about the world any longer without seeing her!" - -The landlord, joining them at this instant, replied that she was above; -Friedrich, with a few bounds, was up stairs; and Wilhelm continued -standing, as if rooted to the threshold. At the first instant he was -tempted to pluck the younker back, and drag him down by the hair; then -all at once the spasm of a sharp jealousy stopped the current of his -spirits and ideas; and, as he gradually recovered from this -stupefaction, there came over him a splenetic fit of restlessness, a -general discomfort, such as he had never felt in his life before. - -He went up to his room, and found Mignon busy writing. For some time the -creature had been laboring with great diligence in writing every thing -she knew by heart, giving always to her master and friend the papers to -correct. She was indefatigable, and of good comprehension; but still, -her letters were irregular, and her lines crooked. Here, too, the body -seemed to contradict the mind. In his usual moods, Wilhelm took no small -pleasure in the child's attention; but, at the present moment, he -regarded little what she showed him,--a piece of neglect which she felt -the more acutely, as on this occasion she conceived her work had been -accomplished with peculiar success. - -Wilhelm's unrest drove him up and down the passages of the house, and -finally again to the street-door. A rider was just prancing towards -it,--a man of good appearance, of middle age, and a brisk, contented -look. The landlord ran to meet him, holding out his hand as to an old -acquaintance. "Ay, Herr Stallmeister," cried he, "have we the pleasure -to see you again?" - -"I am only just going to bait with you," replied the stranger, "and then -along to the estate, to get matters put in order as soon as possible. -The count is coming over to-morrow with his lady; they mean to stay a -while to entertain the Prince von----in their best style: he intends -to fix his headquarters in this neighborhood for some time." - -"It is pity," said the landlord, "that you cannot stop with us: we have -good company in the house." The hostler came running out, and took the -horse from the _Stallmeister_, who continued talking in the door with -the landlord, and now and then giving a look at Wilhelm. - -Our friend, observing that he formed the topic of their conversation, -went away, and walked up and down the streets. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -In the restless vexation of his present humor, it came into his head to -go and see the old harper; hoping by his music to scare away the evil -spirits that tormented him. On asking for the man, he was directed to a -mean public house, in a remote corner of the little town; and, having -mounted up-stairs there to the very garret, his ear caught the fine -twanging of the harp coming from a little room before him. They were -heart-moving, mournful tones, accompanied by a sad and dreary singing. -Wilhelm glided to the door: and as the good old man was performing a -sort of voluntary, the few stanzas of which, sometimes chanted, -sometimes in recitative, were repeated more than once, our friend -succeeded, after listening for a while, in gathering nearly this:-- - - "Who never ate his bread with tears, - Through nights of grief who, weeping, never - Sat on his bed, midst pangs and fears, - Can, heavenly powers, not know you ever. - - Ye lead us forth into this life, - Where comfort soon by guilt is banished, - Abandon us to tortures, strife; - For on this earth all guilt is punished." - --_Editor's Version._ - -The heart-sick, plaintive sound of this lament pierced deep into the -soul of the hearer. It seemed to him as if the old man were often -stopped from proceeding by his tears: his harp would alone be heard for -a time, till his voice again joined it in low, broken tones. Wilhelm -stood by the door; he was much moved; the mourning of this stranger had -again opened the avenues of his heart; he could not resist the claim of -sympathy, or restrain the tears which this woe-begone complaint at last -called forth. All the pains that pressed upon his soul seemed now at -once to loosen from their hold: he abandoned himself without reserve to -the feelings of the moment. Pushing up the door, he stood before the -harper. The old man was sitting on a mean bed, the only seat, or article -of furniture, which his miserable room afforded. - -"What feelings thou hast awakened in me, good old man!" exclaimed he. -"All that was lying frozen at my heart thou hast melted, and put in -motion. Let me not disturb thee, but continue, in solacing thy own -sorrows, to confer happiness upon a friend." The harper was about to -rise, and say something; but Wilhelm hindered him, for he had noticed in -the morning that the old man did not like to speak. He sat down by him -on the straw bed. - -The old man wiped his eyes, and asked, with a friendly smile, "How came -you hither? I meant to wait upon you in the evening again." - -"We are more quiet here," said Wilhelm. "Sing to me what thou pleasest, -what accords with thy own mood of mind, only proceed as if I were not -by. It seems to me, that to-day thou canst not fail to suit me. I think -thee very happy, that, in solitude, thou canst employ and entertain -thyself so pleasantly; that, being everywhere a stranger, thou findest -in thy own heart the most agreeable society." - -The old man looked upon his strings; and after touching them softly, by -way of prelude, he commenced and sang,-- - - "Who longs in solitude to live, - Ah! soon his wish will gain: - Men hope and love, men get and give, - And leave him to his pain. - Yes, leave me to my moan! - When from my bed - You all are fled, - I still am not alone. - - The lover glides with footstep light: - His love, is she not waiting there? - So glides to meet me, day and night, - In solitude my care, - In solitude my woe: - True solitude I then shall know - When lying in my grave, - When lying in my grave, - And grief has let me go." - -We might describe with great prolixity, and yet fail to express the -charms of, the singular conversation which Wilhelm carried on with this -wayfaring stranger. To every observation our friend addressed to him, -the old man, with the nicest accordance, answered in some melody, which -awakened all the cognate emotions, and opened a wide field to the -imagination. - -Whoever has happened to be present at a meeting of certain devout -people, who conceive, that, in a state of separation from the Church, -they can edify each other in a purer, more affecting, and more spiritual -manner, may form to himself some conception of the present scene. He -will recollect how the leader of the meeting would append to his words -some verse of a song, that raised the soul till, as he wished, she took -wing; how another of the flock would erelong subjoin, in a different -tune, some verse of a different song; and to this again a third would -link some verse of a third song,--by which means the kindred ideas of -the songs to which the verses belonged were indeed suggested, yet each -passage by its new combination became new and individualized, as if it -had been first composed that moment; and thus from a well-known circle -of ideas, from well-known songs and sayings, there was formed for that -particular society, in that particular time, an original whole, by means -of which their minds were animated, strengthened, and refreshed. So, -likewise, did the old man edify his guest: by known and unknown songs -and passages, he brought feelings near and distant, emotions sleeping -and awake, pleasant and painful, into a circulation, from which, in -Wilhelm's actual state, the best effects might be anticipated. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -Accordingly, in walking back, he began to think with greater earnestness -than ever on his present situation: he had reached home with the firm -purpose of altering it, when the landlord disclosed to him, by way of -secret, that Mademoiselle Philina had made a conquest of the count's -_Stallmeister_, who, after executing his commission at his master's -estate, had returned in the greatest haste, and was even now partaking -of a good supper with her up in her chamber. - -At this very moment Melina came in with a notary: they went into -Wilhelm's chamber together, where the latter, though with some -hesitation, made his promise good; gave a draft of three hundred crowns -to Melina, who, handing it to the lawyer, received in return a note -acknowledging the sale of the whole theatrical apparatus, and engaging -to deliver it next morning. - -Scarcely had they parted, when Wilhelm heard a cry of horror rising from -some quarter of the house. He caught the sound of a young voice, -uttering menacing and furious tones, which were ever and anon choked by -immoderate weeping and howling. He observed this frantic noise move -hastily from above, go past his door, and down to the lower part of the -house. - -Curiosity enticing our friend to follow it, he found Friedrich in a -species of delirium. The boy was weeping, grinding his teeth, stamping -with his feet, threatening with clenched fists: he appeared beside -himself from fury and vexation. Mignon was standing opposite him, -looking on with astonishment. The landlord, in some degree, explained -this phenomenon. - -The boy, he said, being well received at his return by Philina, seemed -quite merry and contented: he had kept singing and jumping about, till -the time when Philina grew acquainted with the _Stallmeister_. Then, -however, this half-grown younker had begun to show his indignation, to -slam the doors, and run up and down in the highest dudgeon. Philina had -ordered him to wait at table that evening, upon which he had grown still -sulkier and more indignant; till at last, carrying up a plate with a -ragout, instead of setting it upon the table, he had thrown the whole -between Mademoiselle and her guest, who were sitting moderately close -together at the time: and the _Stallmeister_, after two or three hearty -cuffs, had then kicked him out of the room. He, the landlord, had -himself helped to clean both of them; and certainly their clothes had -suffered much. - -On hearing of the good effect of his revenge, the boy began to laugh -aloud, whilst the tears were still running down his cheeks. He heartily -rejoiced for a time, till the disgrace which he had suffered from the -stronger party once more came into his head, and he began afresh to howl -and threaten. - -Wilhelm stood meditating, and ashamed at this spectacle. It reflected -back to him his own feelings, in coarser and exaggerated features: he, -too, was inflamed with a fierce jealousy; and, had not decency -restrained him, he would willingly have satisfied his wild humor; with -malicious spleen would have abused the object of his passion, and -called out his rival; he could have crushed in pieces all the people -round him; they seemed as if standing there but to vex him. - -Laertes also had come in, and heard the story: he roguishly spurred on -the irritated boy, who was now asserting with oaths that he would make -the _Stallmeister_ give him satisfaction; that he had never yet let any -injury abide with him; that, should the man refuse, there were other -ways of taking vengeance. - -This was the very business for Laertes. He went up stairs, with a solemn -countenance, to call out the _Stallmeister_ in the boy's name. - -"This is a pleasant thing," said the _Stallmeister_: "such a joke as -this I had scarcely promised myself to-night." They went down, and -Philina followed them. "My son," said the _Stallmeister_ to Friedrich, -"thou art a brave lad, and I do not hesitate to fight thee. Only, as our -years and strength are unequal, and the attempt a little dangerous on -that account, I propose a pair of foils in preference to other weapons. -We can rub the buttons of them with a piece of chalk; and whoever marks -upon the other's coat the first or the most thrusts, shall be held the -victor, and be treated by the other with the best wine that can be had -in town." - -Laertes decided that the proposition might be listened to: Friedrich -obeyed him, as his tutor. The foils were produced: Philina took a seat, -went on with her knitting, and looked at the contending parties with the -greatest peace of mind. - -The _Stallmeister_, who could fence very prettily, was complaisant -enough to spare his adversary, and to let a few chalk scores be marked -upon his coat; after which the two embraced, and wine was ordered. The -_Stallmeister_ took the liberty of asking Friedrich's parentage and -history; and Friedrich told him a long story, which had often been -repeated already, and which, at some other opportunity, we purpose -communicating to our readers. - -To Wilhelm, in the mean time, this contest completed the representation -of his own state of mind. He could not but perceive that he would -willingly have taken up a foil against the _Stallmeister_,--a sword -still more willingly, though evidently much his inferior in the science -of defence. Yet he deigned not to cast one look on Philina; he was on -his guard against any word or movement that could possibly betray his -feelings: and, after having once or twice done justice to the health of -the duellists, he hastened to his own room, where a thousand painful -thoughts came pressing round him. - -He called to memory the time when his spirit, rich in hope, and full of -boundless aims, was raised aloft, and encircled with the liveliest -enjoyments of every kind as with its proper element. He now clearly saw, -that of late he had fallen into a broken, wandering path, where, if he -tasted, it was but in drops what he once quaffed in unrestricted -measure. But he could not clearly see what insatiable want it was that -nature had made the law of his being, and how this want had been only -set on edge, half satisfied, and misdirected by the circumstances of his -life. - -It will not surprise us, therefore, that, in considering his situation, -and laboring to extricate himself, he fell into the greatest perplexity. -It was not enough, that by his friendship for Laertes, his attachment to -Philina, his concern for Mignon, he had been detained longer than was -proper in a place and a society where he could cherish his darling -inclination, content his wishes as it were by stealth, and, without -proposing any object, again pursue his early dreams. These ties he -believed himself possessed of force enough to break asunder: had there -been nothing more to hold him, he could have gone at once. But, only a -few moments ago, he had entered into money transactions with Melina: he -had seen that mysterious old man, the enigma of whose history he longed -with unspeakable desire to clear. Yet of this too, after much balancing -of reasons, he at length determined, or thought he had determined, that -it should not keep him back. "I must go." He threw himself into a chair: -he felt greatly moved. Mignon came in, and asked whether she might help -to undress him. Her manner was still and shy: it had grieved her to the -quick to be so abruptly dismissed by him before. - -Nothing is more touching than the first disclosure of a love which has -been nursed in silence, of a faith grown strong in secret, and which at -last comes forth in the hour of need, and reveals itself to him who -formerly has reckoned it of small account. The bud, which had been -closed so long and firmly, was now ripe to burst its swathings; and -Wilhelm's heart could never have been readier to welcome the impressions -of affection. - -She stood before him, and noticed his disquietude. "Master!" she cried, -"if thou art unhappy, what will become of Mignon?"--"Dear little -creature," said he, taking her hands, "thou, too, art part of my -anxieties. I must go hence." She looked at his eyes, glistening with -restrained tears, and knelt down with vehemence before him. He kept her -hands: she laid her head upon his knees, and remained quite still. He -played with her hair, patted her, and spoke kindly to her. She continued -motionless for a considerable time. At last he felt a sort of -palpitating movement in her, which began very softly, and then by -degrees, with increasing violence, diffused itself over all her frame. -"What ails thee, Mignon?" cried he: "What ails thee?" She raised her -little head, looked at him, and all at once laid her hand upon her -heart, with the countenance of one repressing the utterance of pain. He -raised her up, and she fell upon his breast: he pressed her towards him, -and kissed her. She replied not by any pressure of the hand, by any -motion whatever. She held firmly against her heart, and all at once gave -a cry, which was accompanied by spasmodic movements of the body. She -started up, and immediately fell down before him, as if broken in every -joint. It was an excruciating moment. "My child!" cried he, raising her -up, and clasping her fast, "my child, what ails thee?" The palpitations -continued, spreading from the heart over all the lax and powerless -limbs: she was merely hanging in his arms. All at once she again became -quite stiff, like one enduring the sharpest corporeal agony; and soon -with a new vehemence all her frame once more became alive; and she threw -herself about his neck, like a bent spring that is closing; while in her -soul, as it were, a strong rent took place, and at the same moment a -stream of tears flowed from her shut eyes into his bosom. He held her -fast. She wept, and no tongue can express the force of these tears. Her -long hair had loosened, and was hanging down before her: it seemed as if -her whole being was melting incessantly into a brook of tears. Her rigid -limbs were again become relaxed; her inmost soul was pouring itself -forth; in the wild confusion of the moment Wilhelm was afraid she would -dissolve in his arms, and leave nothing there for him to grasp. He held -her faster and faster. "My child!" cried he, "my child! thou art indeed -mine, if that word can comfort thee. Thou art mine! I will keep thee, I -will never forsake thee!" Her tears continued flowing. At last she -raised herself: a faint gladness shone upon her face. "My father!" cried -she, "thou wilt not forsake me? Wilt be my father? I am thy child!" - -Softly, at this moment, the harp began to sound before the door: the old -man brought his most affecting songs as an evening offering to our -friend, who, holding his child ever faster in his arms, enjoyed the most -pure and undescribable felicity. - - - - -BOOK III. - -CHAPTER I. - - - "Dost know the land where citrons, lemons, grow, - Gold oranges 'neath dusky foliage glow, - From azure sky are blowing breezes soft, - The myrtles still, the laurel stands aloft? - 'Tis there! 'tis there! - I would with thee, O my beloved one, go! - - Dost know the house, its roofs do columns bear, - The hall with splendor bright, the chambers glare? - Therein stand marble forms, and look at me: - What is't, poor child, that they have done to thee? - Dost know that house? - 'Tis there! 'tis there! - I would with thee, O my protector, go! - - Dost know the mount, whose path with clouds is fraught, - Where by the mule through mist the way is sought, - Where dwell in caves the dragon's ancient brood, - Where falls the rock, and over it the flood,-- - Dost know that mount? - 'Tis there! 'tis there! - Does lead our road: O father, let us go!" - --_Editor's Version._ - -Next morning, on looking for Mignon about the house, Wilhelm did not -find her, but was informed that she had gone out early with Melina, who -had risen betimes to receive the wardrobe and other apparatus of his -theatre. - -After the space of some hours, Wilhelm heard the sound of music before -his door. At first he thought it was the harper come again to visit him; -but he soon distinguished the tones of a cithern, and the voice which -began to sing was Mignon's. Wilhelm opened the door: the child came in, -and sang him the song we have just given above. - -The music and general expression of it pleased our friend extremely, -though he could not understand all the words. He made her once more -repeat the stanzas, and explain them: he wrote them down, and translated -them into his native language. But the originality of its turns he -could imitate only from afar: its childlike innocence of expression -vanished from it in the process of reducing its broken phraseology to -uniformity, and combining its disjointed parts. The charm of the tune, -moreover, was entirely incomparable. - -She began every verse in a stately and solemn manner, as if she wished -to draw attention towards something wonderful, as if she had something -weighty to communicate. In the third line, her tones became deeper and -gloomier; the words, "_Dost know?_" were uttered with a show of mystery -and eager circumspectness; in "'_Tis there! 'tis there!_" lay an -irresistible longing; and her "_Let us go!_" she modified at each -repetition, so that now it appeared to entreat and implore, now to impel -and persuade. - -On finishing her song for the second time, she stood silent for a -moment, looked keenly at Wilhelm, and asked him, "_Know'st_ thou the -land?"--"It must mean Italy," said Wilhelm: "where didst thou get the -little song?"--"Italy!" said Mignon, with an earnest air. "If thou go to -Italy, take me along with thee; for I am too cold here."--"Hast thou -been there already, little dear?" said Wilhelm. But the child was -silent, and nothing more could be got out of her. - -Melina entered now: he looked at the cithern,--was glad that she had -rigged it up again so prettily. The instrument had been among Melina's -stage-gear: Mignon had begged it of him in the morning, and then gone to -the old harper. On this occasion she had shown a talent she was not -before suspected of possessing. - -Melina had already got possession of his wardrobe, with all that -pertained to it: some members of the town magistracy had promised him -permission to act, for a time, in the place. He was now returning with a -merry heart and a cheerful look. His nature seemed altogether changed: -he was soft, courteous to every one,--nay, fond of obliging, and almost -attractive. He was happy, he said, at now being able to afford -employment to his friends, who had hitherto lain idle and embarrassed; -sorry, however, that at first he could not have it in his power to -remunerate the excellent actors whom fortune had offered him, in a style -corresponding to their talents and capacities; being under the -necessity, before all other things, of discharging his debt to so -generous a friend as Wilhelm had proved himself to be. - -"I cannot describe," said he to Wilhelm, "the friendliness which you -have shown, in helping me forward to the management of a theatre. When I -found you here, I was in a very curious predicament. You recollect how -strongly I displayed to you, on our first acquaintance, my aversion to -the stage; and yet, on being married, I was forced to look about for a -place in some theatre, out of love to my wife, who promised to herself -much joy and great applause if so engaged. I could find none, at least -no constant one; but in return I luckily fell in with some commercial -men, who, in extraordinary cases, were enabled to employ a person that -could handle his pen, that understood French, and was not without a -little skill in ciphering. I managed pretty well in this way for a time; -I was tolerably paid; got about me many things which I had need of, and -did not feel ashamed of my work. But these commissions of my patrons -came to an end; they could afford me no permanent establishment: and, -ever since, my wife has continued urging me still more to go upon the -stage again; though, at present, alas! her own situation is none of the -favorablest for exhibiting herself with honor in the eyes of the public. -But now, I hope, the establishment which by your kind help I have the -means of setting up, will prove a good beginning for me and mine: you I -shall thank for all my future happiness, let matters turn out as they -will." - -Wilhelm listened to him with contentment: the whole fraternity of -players were likewise moderately satisfied with the declarations of the -new manager; they secretly rejoiced that an offer of employment had -occurred so soon, and were disposed to put up at first with a smaller -salary, the rather, that most of them regarded the present one, so -unexpectedly placed within their reach, as a kind of supplement, on -which a short while ago they could not count. Melina made haste to -profit by this favorable temper: he endeavored in a sly way to get a -little talk with each in private, and erelong had, by various methods, -so cockered them all, that they did not hesitate to strike a bargain -with him without loss of time; scarcely thinking of this new engagement, -or reckoning themselves secure at worst of getting free again after -six-weeks' warning. - -The terms were now to be reduced to proper form; and Melina was -considering with what pieces he would first entice the public, when a -courier riding up informed the _Stallmeister_ that his lord and lady -were at hand; on which the latter ordered out his horses. - -In a short time after this, the coach with its masses of luggage rolled -in; two servants sprang down from the coach-box before the inn; and -Philina, according to her custom, foremost in the way of novelties, -placed herself within the door. - -"Who are you?" said the countess, entering the house. - -"An actress, at your Excellency's service," was the answer; while the -cheat, with a most innocent air, and looks of great humility, -courtesied, and kissed the lady's gown. - -The count, on seeing some other persons standing round, who also -signified that they were players, inquired about the strength of their -company, their last place of residence, their manager. "Had they but -been Frenchmen," said he to his lady, "we might have treated the prince -with an unexpected enjoyment, and entertained him with his favorite -pastime at our house." - -"And could we not," said the countess, "get these people, though -unluckily they are but Germans, to exhibit with us at the castle while -the prince stays there? Without doubt they have some degree of skill. A -large party can never be so well amused with any thing as with a -theatre: besides, the baron would assist them." - -So speaking, they went up-stairs; and Melina presented himself above, as -manager. "Call your folk together," said the count, "and place them -before me, that I may see what is in them. I must also have the list of -pieces you profess to act." - -Melina, with a low bow, hastened from the room, and soon returned with -his actors. They advanced in promiscuous succession: some, out of too -great anxiety to please, introduced themselves in a rather sorry style; -the others, not much better, by assuming an air of unconcern. Philina -showed the deepest reverence to the countess, who behaved with extreme -graciousness and condescension: the count, in the mean time, was -mustering the rest. He questioned each about his special province of -acting, and signified to Melina that he must rigorously keep them to -their several provinces,--a precept which the manager received with the -greatest devotion. - -The count then stated to each in particular what he ought especially to -study, what about his figure or his postures ought to be amended; showed -them luminously in what points the Germans always fail; and displayed -such extraordinary knowledge, that all stood in the deepest humility, -scarcely daring to draw their breath before so enlightened a critic and -so right honorable a patron. - -"What fellow is that in the corner?" said the count, looking at a -subject who had not yet been presented to him, and who now -approached,--a lean, shambling figure, with a rusty coat, patched at the -elbows, and a woful periwig covering his submissive head. - -This person, whom, from the last Book, we know already as Philina's -darling, had been want to enact pedants, tutors, and poets,--generally -undertaking parts in which any cudgelling or ducking was to be endured. -He had trained himself to certain crouching, ludicrous, timid bows; and -his faltering, stammering speech befitted the characters he played, and -created laughter in the audience; so that he was always looked on as a -useful member of the company, being moreover very serviceable and -obliging. He approached the count in his own peculiar way, bent himself -before him, and answered every question with the grimaces and gestures -he was used to on the stage. The count looked at him for some time with -an air of attentive satisfaction and studious observation; then, turning -to the countess, "Child," said he, "consider this man well: I will -engage for it he is a great actor, or may become so." The creature here, -in the fulness of his heart, made an idiotic bow: the count burst into -laughing, and exclaimed, "He does it excellently well! I bet this fellow -can act any thing he likes: it is pity that he has not been already used -to something better." - -So singular a prepossession was extremely galling to the rest: Melina -alone felt no vexation, but completely coincided with the count, and -answered, with a prostrate look, "Alas! it is too true: both he and -others of us have long stood in need of such encouragement, and such a -judge, as we now find in your Excellency." - -"Is this the whole company?" inquired the count. - -"Some of them are absent," said the crafty Melina; "and at any rate, if -we should meet with support, we could soon collect abundant numbers from -the neighborhood." - -Philina in the mean while was saying to the countess, "There is a very -pretty young man above, who without doubt would shortly become a -first-rate amateur." - -"Why does he not appear?" said the countess. - -"I will bring him," cried Philina, hastening to the door. - -She found our friend still occupied with Mignon: she persuaded him to -come down. He followed her with some reluctance: yet curiosity impelled -him; for, hearing that the family were people of rank, he longed much to -know more of them. On entering the room, his eyes met those of the -countess, which were directed towards him. Philina led him to the lady, -while the count was busied with the rest. Wilhelm made his bow, and -replied to several questions from the fair dame, not without confusion -of mind. Her beauty and youth, her graceful dignity and refined manner, -made the most delightful impression on him; and the more so, as her -words and looks were accompanied with a certain bashfulness, one might -almost say embarrassment. He was likewise introduced to the count, who, -however, took no special notice of him, but went to the window with his -lady, and seemed to ask her about something. It was easy to observe that -her opinion accorded strongly with his own; that she even tried to -persuade him, and strengthen him in his intentions. - -In a short while he turned round to the company, and said, "I must not -stay at present, but I will send a friend to you; and if you make -reasonable proposals, and will take very great pains, I am not -disinclined to let you play at the castle." - -All testified their joy at this: Philina in particular kissed the hands -of the countess with the greatest vivacity. - -"Look you, little thing," said the lady, patting the cheeks of the -light-minded girl, "look you, child, you shall come to me again: I will -keep my promise; only you must dress better." Philina stated in excuse -that she had little to lay out upon her wardrobe; and the countess -immediately ordered her waiting-maids to bring from the carriage a silk -neckerchief and an English hat, the articles easiest to come at, and -give them to her new favorite. The countess herself then decked Philina, -who continued very neatly to support, by her looks and conduct, that -saintlike, guiltless character she had assumed at first. - -The count took his lady's hand, and led her down. She bowed to the whole -company with a friendly air, in passing by them: she turned round again -towards Wilhelm, and said to him, with the most gracious mien, "We shall -soon meet again." - -These happy prospects enlivened the whole party: every one of them gave -free course to his hopes, his wishes, his imaginations; spoke of the -parts he would play, and the applause he would acquire. Melina was -considering how he might still, by a few speedy exhibitions, gain a -little money from the people of the town before he left it; while others -went into the kitchen, to order a better dinner than of late they had -been used to. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -After a few days the baron came, and it was not without fear that Melina -received him. The count had spoken of him as a critic: and it might be -dreaded, he would speedily detect the weakness of the little party, and -see that it formed no efficient troop; there being scarcely a play which -they could act in a suitable manner. But the manager, as well as all the -members, were soon delivered from their cares, on finding that the baron -was a man who viewed the German stage with a most patriotic enthusiasm, -to whom every player, and every company of players, was welcome and -agreeable. He saluted them all with great solemnity; was happy to come -upon a German theatre so unexpectedly, to get connected with it, and to -introduce their native Muses to the mansion of his relative. He then -pulled out from his pocket a bundle of stitched papers, in which Melina -hoped to find the terms of their contract specified; but it proved -something very different. It was a drama, which the baron himself had -composed, and wished to have played by them: he requested their -attention while he read it. Willingly they formed a circle round him, -charmed at being able with so little trouble to secure the favor of a -man so important; though, judging by the thickness of the manuscript, it -was clear that a very long rehearsal might be dreaded. Their -apprehensions were not groundless: the piece was written in five acts, -and that sort of acts which never have an end. - -The hero was an excellent, virtuous, magnanimous, and at the same time -misunderstood and persecuted, man: this worthy person, after many -trials, gained the victory at last over all his enemies; on whom, in -consequence, the most rigorous poetic justice would have been exercised, -had he not pardoned them on the spot. - -While this piece was rehearsing, each of the auditors had leisure -enough to think of himself, and to mount up quite softly from the humble -prostration of mind, to which, a little while ago, he had felt disposed, -into a comfortable state of contentment with his own gifts and -advantages, and, from this elevation, to discover the most pleasing -prospects in the future. Such of them as found in the play no parts -adapted for their own acting, internally pronounced it bad, and viewed -the baron as a miserable author; while the others, every time they -noticed any passage which they hoped might procure them a little -clapping of the hands, exalted it with the greatest praise, to the -immeasurable satisfaction of the author. - -The commercial part of their affair was soon completed. Melina made an -advantageous bargain with the baron, and contrived to keep it secret -from the rest. - -Of our friend, Melina took occasion to declare in passing, that he -seemed to be successfully qualifying himself for becoming a dramatic -poet, and even to have some capacities for being an actor. The baron -introduced himself to Wilhelm as a colleague; and the latter by and by -produced some short pieces, which, with a few other relics, had escaped -by chance, on the day when he threw the greater part of his works into -the flames. The baron lauded both his pieces and delivery: he spoke of -it as a settled thing, that Wilhelm should come over to the castle with -the rest. For all, at his departure, he engaged to find the best -reception, comfortable quarters, a good table, applauses, and presents; -and Melina further gave the promise of a certain modicum of pocket-money -to each. - -It is easy to conceive how this visit raised the spirits of the party: -instead of a low and harassing situation, they now at once saw honors -and enjoyment before them. On the score of these great hopes they -already made merry, and each thought it needless and stingy to retain a -single _groschen_ of money in his purse. - -Meanwhile our friend was taking counsel with himself about accompanying -the troop to the castle; and he found it, in more than one sense, -advisable to do so. Melina was in hopes of paying off his debt, at least -in part, by this engagement; and Wilhelm, who had come from home to -study men, was unwilling to let slip this opportunity of examining the -great world, where he expected to obtain much insight into life, into -himself, and the dramatic art. With all this, he durst not confess how -greatly he wished again to be near the beautiful countess. He rather -sought to persuade himself in general of the mighty advantages which a -more intimate acquaintance with the world of rank and wealth would -procure for him. He pursued his reflections on the count, the countess, -the baron; on the security, the grace, and propriety of their demeanor: -he exclaimed with rapture when alone,-- - -"Thrice happy are they to be esteemed, whom their birth of itself exalts -above the lower stages of mankind; who do not need to traverse those -perplexities, not even to skirt them, in which many worthy men so -painfully consume the whole period of life. Far-extending and unerring -must their vision be, on that higher station; easy each step of their -progress in the world. From their very birth, they are placed, as it -were, in a ship, which, in this voyage we have all to make, enables them -to profit by the favorable winds, and to ride out the cross ones; while -others, bare of help, must wear their strength away in swimming, can -derive little profit from the favorable breeze, and in the storm must -soon become exhausted, and sink to the bottom. What convenience, what -ease of movement, does a fortune we are born to confer upon us! How -securely does a traffic flourish, which is founded on a solid capital, -where the failure of one or of many enterprises does not of necessity -reduce us to inaction! Who can better know the worth and worthlessness -of earthly things, than he that has had within his choice the enjoyment -of them from youth upwards? and who can earlier guide his mind to the -useful, the necessary, the true, than he that may convince himself of so -many errors in an age when his strength is yet fresh to begin a new -career?" - -Thus did our friend cry joy to all inhabitants of the upper regions, -and, not to them only, but to all that were permitted to approach their -circle, and draw water from their wells. So he thanked his own happy -stars, that seemed preparing to grant this mighty blessing to himself. - -Melina, in the mean time, was torturing his brains to get the company -arranged according to their several provinces, and each of them -appointed to produce his own peculiar effect. In compliance with the -count's injunctions and his own persuasions, he made many efforts; but -at last, when it came to the point of execution, he was forced to be -content, if, in so small a troop, he found his people willing to adjust -themselves to this or that part as they best were able. When matters -would admit of it, Laertes played the lover; Philina the lady's maid; -the two young girls took up between them the characters of the artless -and tender loved ones; the boisterous old gentleman of the piece was -sure to be the best acted. Melina himself thought he might come forth as -chevalier; Madam Melina, to her no small sorrow, was obliged to satisfy -herself with personating young wives, or even affectionate mothers; and -as in the newer plays, a poet or pedant is rarely introduced, and still -more rarely for the purpose of being laughed at, the well-known favorite -of the count was now usually transformed into president or -minister,--these being commonly set forth as knaves, and severely -handled in the fifth act. Melina, too, in the part of chamberlain or the -like, introduced, with great satisfaction, the ineptitudes put into his -hands by various honest Germans, according to use and wont, in many -well-accepted plays: he delighted in these characters, because he had an -opportunity of decking himself out in a fashionable style, and was -called upon to assume the airs of a courtier, which he conceived himself -to possess in great perfection. - -It was not long till they were joined by several actors from different -quarters; who, being received without very strict examination, were also -retained without very burdensome conditions. - -Wilhelm had been more than once assailed with persuasions from Melina to -undertake an amateur part. This he declined; yet he interested and -occupied himself about the general cause with great alacrity, without -our new manager's acknowledging his labors in the smallest. On the -contrary, it seemed to be Melina's opinion, that with his office he had -at the same time picked up all the necessary skill for carrying it on. -In particular, the task of curtailment formed one of his most pleasing -occupations: he would succeed in reducing any given piece down to the -regular measure of time, without the slightest respect to proprieties or -proportions, or any thing whatever, but his watch. He met with great -encouragement; the public was very much delighted; the most knowing -inhabitants of the burgh maintained, that the prince's theatre itself -was not so well conducted as theirs. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -At last the time arrived when the company had to prepare for travelling, -and to expect the coaches and other vehicles that were to carry them to -the count's mansion. Much altercation now took place about the mode of -travelling, and who should sit with whom. The ordering and distribution -of the whole was at length settled and concluded, with great labor, and, -alas! without effect. At the appointed hour, fewer coaches came than -were expected: they had to accommodate themselves as the case would -admit. The baron, who followed shortly afterwards on horseback, -assigned, as the reason, that all was in motion at the castle, not only -because the prince was to arrive a few days earlier than had been looked -for, but also because an unexpected party of visitors were already come: -the place, he said, was in great confusion; on this account perhaps they -would not lodge so comfortably as had been intended,--a change which -grieved him very much. - -Our travellers packed themselves into the carriages the best way they -could; and the weather being tolerable, and the castle but a few leagues -distant, the heartiest of the troop preferred setting out on foot to -waiting the return of the coaches. The caravan got under way with great -jubilee, for the first time without caring how the landlord's bill was -to be paid. The count's mansion rose on their souls like a palace of the -fairies: they were the happiest and merriest mortals in the world. Each -throughout the journey, in his own peculiar mode, kept fastening a -continued chain of fortune, honor, and prosperity to that auspicious -day. - -A heavy rain, which fell unexpectedly, did not banish these delightful -contemplations; though, as it incessantly continued with more and more -violence, many of the party began to show traces of uneasiness. The -night came on; and no sight could be more welcome than the palace of the -count, which shone upon them from a hill at some distance, glancing with -light in all its stories, so that they could reckon every window. - -On approaching nearer, they found all the windows in the wings -illuminated also. Each of the party thought within himself what chamber -would be his; and most of them prudently determined to be satisfied with -a room in the attic, or some of the side buildings. - -They were now proceeding through the village, past the inn. Wilhelm -stopped the coach, in the mind to alight there; but the landlord -protested that it was not in his power to afford the least -accommodation: his lordship the count, he said, being visited by some -unexpected guests, had immediately engaged the whole inn; every chamber -in the house had been marked with chalk last night, specifying who was -to lodge there. Our friend was accordingly obliged, against his will, to -travel forward to the castle with the rest of the company. - -In one of the side buildings, round the kitchen fire, they noticed -several cooks running busily about,--a sight which refreshed them not a -little. Servants came jumping hastily with lights to the staircase of -the main door, and the hearts of the worthy pilgrims overflowed at the -aspect of such honors. But how great was their surprise, when this -cordial reception changed into a storm of curses. The servants scouted -the coachman for driving in hither; they must wheel out again, it was -bawled, and take their loading round to the old castle; there was no -room here for such guests! To this unfriendly and unexpected dismissal, -they joined all manner of jeering, and laughed aloud at each other for -leaping out in the rain on so false an errand. It was still pouring; no -star was visible in the sky; while our company were dragged along a -rough, jolting road, between two walls, into the old mansion, which -stood behind, inhabited by none since the present count's father had -built the new residence in front of it. The carriages drew up, partly in -the court-yard, partly in a long, arched gateway; and the postilions, -people hired from the village, unyoked their horses, and rode off. - -As nobody came forward to receive the travellers, they alighted from -their places, they shouted, and searched. In vain! All continued dark -and still. The wind swept through the lofty gate: the court and the old -towers were lying gray and dreary, and so dim that their forms could -scarcely be distinguished in the gloom. The people were all shuddering -and freezing; the women were becoming frightened; the children began to -cry; the general impatience was increasing every minute; so quick a -revolution of fortune, for which no one of them had been at all -prepared, entirely destroyed their equanimity. - -Expecting every minute that some person would appear and unbolt the -doors, mistaking at one time the pattering of rain, at another the -rocking of the wind, for the much-desired footstep of the castle -bailiff, they continued downcast and inactive: it occurred to none of -them to go into the new mansion, and there solicit help from charitable -souls. They could not understand where their friend the baron was -lingering: they were in the most disconsolate condition. - -At last some people actually arrived: by their voices, they were -recognized as the pedestrians who had fallen behind the others on the -journey. They intimated that the baron had tumbled with his horse, and -hurt his leg severely: and that, on calling at the castle, they, too, -had been roughly directed hither. - -The whole company were in extreme perplexity: they guessed and -speculated as to what should now be done, but they could fix on nothing. -At length they noticed from afar a lantern advancing, and took fresh -breath at sight of it; but their hopes of quick deliverance again -evaporated, when the object approached, and came to be distinctly seen. -A groom was lighting the well-known _Stallmeister_ of the castle towards -them: this gentleman, on coming nearer, very anxiously inquired for -Mademoiselle Philina. No sooner had she stepped forth from the crowd, -than he very pressingly offered to conduct her to the new mansion, where -a little place had been provided for her with the countess's maids. She -did not hesitate long about accepting his proposal; she caught his arm, -and, recommending her trunk to the care of the rest, was going to hasten -off with him directly: but the others intercepted them, asking, -entreating, conjuring the _Stallmeister_; till at last, to get away with -his fair one, he promised every thing, assuring them, that, in a little -while, the castle should be opened, and they lodged in the most -comfortable manner. In a few moments they saw the glimmer of his lantern -vanish: they long looked in vain for another gleam of light. At last, -after much watching, scolding, and reviling, it actually appeared, and -revived them with a touch of hope and consolation. - -An ancient footman opened the door of the old edifice, into which they -rushed with violence. Each of them now strove to have his trunk -unfastened, and brought in beside him. Most of this luggage, like the -persons of its owners, was thoroughly wetted. Having but a single light, -the process of unpacking went on very slowly. In the dark passages they -pushed against each other, they stumbled, they fell. They begged to have -more lights, they begged to have some fuel. The monosyllabic footman, -with much ado, consented to put down his own lantern; then went his -way, and came not again. - -They now began to investigate the edifice. The doors of all the rooms -were open: large stoves, tapestry hangings, inlaid floors, yet bore -witness to its former pomp; but of other house-gear there was none to be -seen,--no table, chair, or mirror, nothing but a few monstrous, empty -bedsteads, stripped of every ornament and every necessary. The wet -trunks and knapsacks were adopted as seats: a part of the tired -wanderers placed themselves upon the floor. Wilhelm had sat down upon -some steps: Mignon lay upon his knees. The child was restless; and, when -he asked what ailed her, she answered, "I am hungry." He himself had -nothing that could still the craving of the child: the rest of the party -had consumed their whole provision, so he was obliged to leave the -little traveller without refreshment. Through the whole adventure he had -been inactive, silently immersed in thought. He was very sullen, and -full of indignant regret that he had not kept by his first -determination, and remained at the inn, though he should have slept in -the garret. - -The rest demeaned themselves in various ways. Some of them had got a -heap of old wood collected within a vast, gaping chimney in the hall: -they set fire to the pile with great huzzaing. Unhappily, however, their -hopes of warming and drying themselves by means of it were mocked in the -most frightful manner. The chimney, it appeared, was there for ornament -alone, and was walled up above; so the smoke rushed quickly back, and at -once filled the whole chamber. The dry wood rose crackling into flames; -the flame was also driven back; the draught sweeping through the broken -windows gave it a wavering direction. Terrified lest the castle should -catch fire, the unhappy guests had to tear the burning sticks asunder, -to smother and trample them under their feet; the smoke increased; their -case was rendered more intolerable than before; they were driven to the -brink of desperation. - -Wilhelm had retreated from the smoke into a distant chamber, to which -Mignon soon followed him, leading in a well-dressed servant, with a -high, clear, double-lighted lantern in his hand. He turned to Wilhelm, -and, holding out to him some fruits and confectionery on a beautiful -porcelain plate, "The young lady up-stairs," said he, "sends you this, -with the request that you would join her party: she bids me tell you," -added the lackey, with a sort of grin, "that she is very well off -yonder, and wishes to divide her enjoyments with her friends." - -Wilhelm had not at all expected such a message; for, ever since the -adventure on the stone bench, he had treated Philina with the most -decided contempt. He was still so resolute to have no more concern with -her that he thought of sending back her dainty gifts untasted, when a -supplicating look of Mignon's induced him to accept them. He returned -his thanks in the name of the child. The invitation he entirely -rejected. He desired the servant to exert himself a little for the -stranger company, and made inquiry for the baron. The latter, he was -told, had gone to bed, but had already, as the lackey understood, given -orders to some other person to take charge of these unfortunate and -ill-lodged gentlemen. - -The servant went away, leaving one of his lights, which Wilhelm, in the -absence of a candlestick, contrived to fix upon the window-casement; and -now, at least in his meditations, he could see the four walls of his -chamber. Nor was it long till preparations were commenced for conducting -our travellers to rest. Candles arrived by degrees, though without -snuffers; then a few chairs; an hour afterwards came bed-clothes; then -pillows, all well steeped in rain. It was far past midnight when straw -beds and mattresses were produced, which, if sent at first, would have -been extremely welcome. - -In the interim, also, somewhat to eat and drink had been brought in: it -was enjoyed without much criticism; though it looked like a most -disorderly collection of remains, and offered no very singular proof of -the esteem in which our guests were held. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -The disorders and mischievous tricks of some frolicsome companions still -further augmented the disquietudes and distresses of the night: these -gay people woke each other; each played a thousand giddy pranks to -plague his fellow. The next morning dawned amid loud complaints against -their friend the baron, for having so deceived them, for having given so -very false a notion of the order and comfort that awaited their -arrival. However, to their great surprise and consolation, at an early -hour the count himself, attended by a few servants, made his entrance, -and inquired about their circumstances. He appeared much vexed on -discovering how badly they had fared; and the baron, who came limping -along, supported on the arm of a servant, bitterly accused the steward -for neglecting his commands on this occasion,--showing great anxiety to -have that person punished for his disobedience. - -The count gave immediate orders that every thing should be arranged, in -his presence, to the utmost possible convenience of the guests. While -this was going on, some officers arrived, who forthwith scraped -acquaintance with the actresses. The count assembled all the company -before him, spoke to each by name, introduced a few jokes among his -observations; so that every one was charmed at the gracious -condescension of his lordship. At last it came to Wilhelm's turn. He -appeared with Mignon holding by his hand. Our friend excused himself, in -the best terms he could, for the freedom he had taken. The count, on the -other hand, spoke as if the visit had been looked for. - -A gentleman, who stood beside the count, and who, although he wore no -uniform, appeared to be an officer, conversed with Wilhelm: he was -evidently not a common man. His large, keen blue eyes, looking out from -beneath a high brow; his light-colored hair, thrown carelessly back; his -middle stature; every thing about him,--showed an active, firm, and -decisive mode of being. His questions were lively. He seemed to be at -home in all that he inquired about. - -Wilhelm asked the baron what this person was, but found that he had -little good to say of him. "He held the rank of major, was the special -favorite of the prince; managed his most secret affairs; was, in short, -regarded as his right arm,--nay, there was reason to believe him the -prince's natural son. He had been on embassies in France, England, -Italy. In all those places he had greatly distinguished himself, by -which means he was grown conceited; imagining, among other pretensions, -that he thoroughly understood the literature of Germany, and allowing -himself to vent all kinds of sorry jests upon it. He, the baron, was in -the habit of avoiding all intercourse with him; and Wilhelm would do -well to imitate that conduct, for it somehow happened that no one could -be near him without being punished for it. He was called Jarno, though -nobody knew rightly what to make of such a name." - -Wilhelm had nothing to urge against all this: he had felt a sort of -inclination for the stranger, though he noticed in him something cold -and repulsive. - -The company being arranged and distributed throughout the castle, Melina -issued the strictest orders that they should behave themselves with -decency, the women live in a separate quarter, and each direct his whole -attention to the study of dramatic art, and of the characters he had to -play. He posted up written ordinances, consisting of many articles, upon -all the doors. He settled the amount of fine which should be levied upon -each transgressor, and put into a common box. - -This edict was but little heeded. Young officers went out and in; they -jested, not in the most modest fashion, with the actresses; made game of -the actors, and annihilated the whole system of police before it had the -smallest time to take root in the community. The people ran chasing one -another through the rooms; they changed clothes; they disguised -themselves. Melina, attempting to be rigorous with a few at first, was -exasperated by every sort of insolence; and, when the count soon after -sent for him to come and view the place where his theatre was to be -erected, matters grew worse and worse. The young gentry devised a -thousand broad jokes: by the help of some actors, they became yet -coarser. It seemed as if the old castle had been altogether given up to -an infuriate host, and the racket did not end till dinner. - -Meanwhile, the count had led Melina over to a large hall, which, though -belonging to the old castle, communicated by a gallery with the new one: -it seemed very well adapted for being changed into a little theatre. -Here the sagacious lord of the mansion pointed out in person how he -wanted every thing to be. - -The labor now commenced in the greatest haste; the stage apparatus was -erected and furbished up; what decorations they had brought along with -them and could employ were set in order, and what was wanting was -prepared by some skilful workmen of the count's. Wilhelm likewise put -his hand to the business; he assisted in settling the perspective, in -laying off the outlines of the scenery: he was very anxious that nothing -should be executed clumsily. The count, who frequently came in to -inspect their progress, was highly satisfied: he showed particularly how -they should proceed in every case, displaying an uncommon knowledge of -all the arts they were concerned with. - -Next began the business of rehearsing, in good earnest; and there would -have been enough of space and leisure for this undertaking, had the -actors not continually been interrupted by the presence of visitors. -Some new guests were daily arriving, and each insisted on viewing the -operations of the company. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -The baron had, for several days, been cheering Wilhelm with the hope of -being formally presented to the countess. "I have told this excellent -lady," said he, "so much about the talent and fine sentiment displayed -in your compositions, that she feels quite impatient to see you, and -hear one or two of them read. Be prepared, therefore, to come over at a -moment's notice; for, the first morning she is at leisure, you will -certainly be called on." He then pointed out to him the afterpiece it -would be proper to produce on that occasion; adding, that doubtless it -would recommend him to no usual degree of favor. The lady, he declared, -was extremely sorry that a guest like him had happened to arrive at a -time of such confusion, when they could not entertain him in a style -more suitable to his merits and their own wishes. - -In consequence of this information, Wilhelm, with the most sedulous -attention, set about preparing the piece, which was to usher him into -the great world. "Hitherto," said he, "thou hast labored in silence for -thyself, applauded only by a small circle of friends. Thou hast for a -time despaired of thy abilities, and are yet full of anxious doubts -whether even thy present path is the right one, and whether thy talent -for the stage at all corresponds with thy inclination for it. In the -hearing of such practised judges, in the closet where no illusion can -take place, the attempt is far more hazardous than elsewhere; and yet I -would not willingly recoil from the experiment: I could wish to add this -pleasure to my former enjoyments, and, if it might be, to give extension -and stability to my hopes from the future." - -He accordingly went through some pieces; read them with the keenest -critical eye; made corrections here and there; recited them aloud, that -he might be perfect in his tones and expression: and finally selected -the work which he was best acquainted with, and hoped to gain most honor -by. He put it in his pocket, one morning, on being summoned to attend -the countess. - -The baron had assured him that there would be no one present but the -lady herself and a worthy female friend of hers. On entering the -chamber, the Baroness von C---- advanced with great friendliness to meet -him, expressed her happiness at gaining his acquaintance, and introduced -him to the countess, who was then under the hands of her hair-dresser. -The countess received him with kind words and looks. But it vexed him to -see Philina kneeling at her chair, and playing a thousand fooleries. -"The poor child," said the baroness, "has just been singing to us. -Finish the song you were in the midst of: we should not like to lose -it." - -Wilhelm listened to her quavering with great patience, being anxious for -the _friseur's_ departure before he should begin to read. They offered -him a cup of chocolate, the baroness herself handing him the biscuit. -Yet, in spite of these civilities, he relished not his breakfast: he was -longing too eagerly to lay before the lovely countess some performance -that might interest and gratify her. Philina, too, stood somewhat in his -way: on former occasions, while listening to him, she had more than once -been troublesome. He looked at the _friseur_ with a painful feeling, -hoping every moment that the tower of curls would be complete. - -Meanwhile the count came in, and began to talk of the fresh visitors he -was expecting, of the day's occupations or amusements, and of various -domestic matters that were started. On his retiring, some officers sent -to ask permission of the countess to pay their respects to her, as they -had to leave the castle before dinner. The footman having come to his -post at the door, she permitted him to usher in the gentlemen. - -The baroness, amid these interruptions, took pains to entertain our -friend, and showed him much consideration; all which he accepted with -becoming reverence, though not without a little absence of mind. He -often felt for the manuscript in his pocket, and hoped for his -deliverance every instant. He was almost losing patience, when a -man-milliner was introduced, and immediately began without mercy to open -his papers, bags, and bandboxes; pressing all his various wares upon -the ladies, with an importunity peculiar to that species of creature. - -The company increased. The baroness cast a look at Wilhelm, and then -whispered with the countess: he noticed this, but did not understand the -purpose of it. The whole, however, became clear enough, when, after an -hour of painful and fruitless endurance, he went away. He then found a -beautiful pocket-book, of English manufacture, in his pocket. The -baroness had dexterously put it there without his notice; and soon -afterwards the countess's little black came out, and handed him an -elegantly flowered waistcoat, without very clearly saying whence it -came. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -This mingled feeling of vexation and gratitude spoiled the remainder of -his day; till, towards evening, he once more found employment. Melina -informed him that the count had been speaking of a little prelude, which -he wished to have produced in honor of the prince, on the day of his -Highness's arrival. He meant to have the great qualities of this noble -hero and philanthropist personified in the piece. These Virtues were to -advance together, to recite his praises, and finally to encircle his -bust with garlands of flowers and laurels; behind which a transparency -might be inserted, representing the princely Hat, and his name -illuminated on it. The count, Melina said, had ordered him to take -charge of getting ready the verses and other arrangements; and Wilhelm, -he hoped, to whom it must be an easy matter, would stand by him on this -occasion. - -"What!" exclaimed our friend, in a splenetic tone, "have we nothing but -portraits, illuminated names, and allegorical figures, to show in honor -of a prince, who, in my opinion, merits quite a different eulogy? How -can it flatter any reasonable man to see himself set up in effigy, and -his name glimmering on oiled paper? I am very much afraid that your -allegories, particularly in the present state of the wardrobe, will -furnish occasion for many ambiguities and jestings. If you mean, -however, to compose the play, or have it composed, I can have nothing to -object; only I desire to have no part or lot in the matter." - -Melina excused himself; alleging this to be only a casual hint of his -lordship the count, who for the rest had left the arrangement of the -piece entirely in their own hands. "With all my heart," replied our -friend, "will I contribute something to the pleasure of this noble -family: my Muse has never had so pleasant an employment as to sing, -though in broken numbers, the praises of a prince who merits so much -veneration. I will think of the matter: perhaps I may be able to -contrive some way of bringing out our little troop, so as at least to -produce some effect." - -From this moment Wilhelm eagerly reflected on his undertaking. Before -going to sleep he had got it all reduced to some degree of order; early -next morning his plan was ready, the scenes laid out; a few of the most -striking passages and songs were even versified and written down. - -As soon as he was dressed, our friend made haste to wait upon the baron, -to submit the plan to his inspection, and take his advice upon certain -points connected with it. The baron testified his approbation of it, but -not without considerable surprise. For, on the previous evening, he had -heard his lordship talk of having ordered some quite different piece to -be prepared and versified. - -"To me it seems improbable," replied our friend, "that it could be his -lordship's wish to have the piece got ready, exactly as he gave it to -Melina. If I am not mistaken, he intended merely to point out to us from -a distance the path we were to follow. The amateur and critic shows the -artist what is wanted, and then leaves to him the care of producing it -by his own means." - -"Not at all," replied the baron: "his lordship understands that the -piece shall be composed according to that and no other plan which he has -himself prescribed. Yours has, indeed, a remote similarity with his -idea; but if we mean to accomplish our purpose, and get the count -diverted from his first thought, we shall need to employ the ladies in -the matter. The baroness especially contrives to execute such operations -in the most masterly manner: the question is now, whether your plan -shall so please her, that she will undertake the business; in that case -it will certainly succeed." - -"We need the assistance of the ladies," said our friend, "at any rate; -for neither our company nor our wardrobe would suffice without them. I -have counted on some pretty children, that are running up and down the -house, and belong to certain of the servants." - -He then desired the baron to communicate his plan to the ladies. The -baron soon returned with intelligence that they wished to speak with -Wilhelm personally. That same evening, when the gentlemen sat down to -play, which, owing to the arrival of a certain general, was expected to -be deeper and keener than usual, the countess and her friend, under -pretext of some indisposition, would retire to their chamber, where -Wilhelm, being introduced by a secret staircase, might submit his -project without interruption. This sort of mystery, the baron said, -would give the adventure a peculiar charm; in particular the baroness -was rejoicing like a child in the prospect of their rendezvous, and the -more so, because it was to be accomplished secretly, and against the -inclination of the count. - -Towards evening, at the appointed time, Wilhelm was sent for, and led in -with caution. As the baroness advanced to meet him in a small cabinet, -the manner of their interview brought former happy scenes for a moment -to his mind. She conducted him along to the countess's chamber, and they -now proceeded earnestly to question and investigate. He exhibited his -plan with the utmost warmth and vivacity, so that his fair audience were -quite decided in its favor. Our readers also will permit us to present a -brief sketch of it here. - -The play was to open with a dance of children in some rural -scene,--their dance representing that particular game wherein each has -to wheel round, and gain the other's place. This was to be followed by -several variations of their play; till at last, in performing a dance of -the repeating kind, they were all to sing a merry song. - -Here the old harper with Mignon was to enter, and, by the curiosity -which they excited, gather several country-people round them; the harper -would sing various songs in praise of peace, repose, and joy; and Mignon -would then dance the egg-dance. - -In these innocent delights, they are disturbed by the sound of martial -music; and the party are surprised by a troop of soldiers. The men stand -on the defensive, and are overcome: the girls flee, and are overtaken. -In the tumult all seems going to destruction, when a person (about whose -form and qualities the poet was not yet determined) enters, and, by -signifying that the general is near, restores composure. Whereupon the -hero's character is painted in the finest colors; security is promised -in the midst of arms; violence and lawless disorder are now to be -restrained. A universal festival is held in honor of the noble-minded -captain. - -The countess and her friend expressed great satisfaction with the plan; -only they maintained that there must of necessity be something of -allegory introduced, to make it palatable to his lordship. The baron -proposed that the leader of the soldiers should be represented as the -Genius of Dissension and Violence; that Minerva should then advance to -bind fetters on him, to give notice of the hero's approach, and -celebrate his praise. The baroness undertook the task of persuading the -count that this plan was the one proposed by himself, with a few -alterations; at the same time expressly stipulating, that without fail, -at the conclusion of the piece, the bust, the illuminated name, and the -princely Hat should be exhibited in due order; since otherwise, her -attempt was vain. - -Wilhelm had already figured in his mind how delicately and how nobly he -would have the praises of his hero celebrated in the mouth of Minerva, -and it was not without a long struggle that he yielded in this point. -Yet he felt himself delightfully constrained to yield. The beautiful -eyes of the countess, and her lovely demeanor, would easily have moved -him to sin against his conscience as a poet; to abandon the finest and -most interesting invention, the keenly wished-for unity of his -composition, and all its most suitable details. His conscience as a -burgher had a trial no less hard to undergo, when the ladies, in -distributing the characters, pointedly insisted that he must undertake -one himself. - -Laertes had received for his allotment the part of that violent war-god; -Wilhelm was to represent the leader of the peasants, who had some very -pretty and tender verses to recite. After long resistance he was forced -to comply: he could find no excuse, when the baroness protested that -their stage was in all respects to be regarded as a private one, and -that she herself would very gladly play on it, if they could find her a -fit occasion. On receiving his consent, they parted with our friend on -the kindest terms. The baroness assured him that he was an incomparable -man: she accompanied him to the little stairs, and wished him good-night -with a squeeze of the hand. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -The interest in his undertakings, which the countess and her friend -expressed and felt so warmly, quickened Wilhelm's faculties and zeal: -the plan of his piece, which the process of describing it had rendered -more distinct, was now present in the most brilliant vividness before -his mind. He spent the greater part of that night, and the whole of next -morning, in the sedulous versification of the dialogue and songs. - -He had proceeded a considerable way, when a message came, requiring his -attendance in the castle: the noble company, who were then at breakfast, -wished to speak with him. As he entered the parlor, the baroness -advanced to meet him, and, under pretext of wishing him good-morning, -whispered cunningly, "Say nothing of your piece but what you shall be -asked." - -"I hear," cried the count to him, "that you are very busy working at my -prelude, which I mean to present in honor of the prince. I consent that -you introduce a Minerva into it; and we are just thinking beforehand how -the goddess shall be dressed, that we may not blunder in costume. For -this purpose I am causing them to fetch from the library all the books -that contain any figures of her." - -At the same instant, one or two servants entered the parlor, with a huge -basket full of books of every shape and appearance. - -Montfaucon, the collections of antique statues, gems, and coins, all -sorts of mythological writings, were turned up, and their plates -compared. But this was not enough. The count's faithful memory recalled -to him all the Minervas to be found in frontispieces, vignettes, or -anywhere else; and book after book was, in consequence, carried from the -library, till finally the count was sitting in a chaos of volumes. -Unable at last to recollect any other figure of Minerva, he observed -with a smile, "I durst bet, that now there is not a single Minerva in -all the library; and perhaps it is the first time that a collection of -books has been so totally deprived of the presence of its patron -goddess." - -The whole company were merry at this thought: Jarno particularly, who -had all along been spurring on the count to call for more and more -books, laughed quite immoderately. - -"Now," said the count, turning to Wilhelm, "one chief point is,--which -goddess do you mean? Minerva, or Pallas? The goddess of war, or of the -arts?" - -"Would it not be best, your Excellency," said Wilhelm, "if we were not -clearly to express ourselves on this head; if, since the goddess plays a -double part in the ancient mythology, we also exhibited her here in a -double quality? She announces a warrior, but only to calm the tumults of -the people; she celebrates a hero by exalting his humanity; she conquers -violence, and restores peace and security." - -The baroness, afraid lest Wilhelm might betray himself, hastily pushed -forward the countess's tailor, to give his opinion how such an antique -robe could best be got ready. This man, being frequently employed in -making masquerade dresses, very easily contrived the business: and as -Madam Melina, notwithstanding her advanced state of pregnancy, had -undertaken to enact the celestial virgin, the tailor was directed to -take her measure; and the countess, though with some reluctance, -selected from the wardrobe the clothes he was to cut up for that -purpose. - -The baroness, in her dexterous way, again contrived to lead Wilhelm -aside, and let him know that she had been providing all the other -necessaries. Shortly afterwards she sent him the musician, who had -charge of the count's private band; and this professor set about -composing what airs were wanted, or choosing from his actual stock such -tunes as appeared suitable. From this time all went on according to the -wishes of our friend: the count made no more inquiries about the piece; -being altogether occupied with the transparent decoration, destined to -surprise the spectators at the conclusion of the play. His inventive -genius, aided by the skill of his confectioner, produced, in fact, a -very pretty article. In the course of his travels, the count had -witnessed the most splendid exhibitions of this sort: he had also -brought home with him a number of copper-plates and drawings, and could -sketch such things with considerable taste. - -Meanwhile Wilhelm finished the play, gave every one his part, and began -the study of his own. The musician also, having great skill in dancing, -prepared the ballet; so that every thing proceeded as it ought. - -Yet one unexpected obstacle occurred, which threatened to occasion an -unpleasant gap in the performance. He had promised to himself a striking -effect from Mignon's egg-dance, and was much surprised when the child, -with her customary dryness of manner, refused to dance; saying she was -now his, and would no more go upon the stage. He sought to move her by -every sort of persuasion, and did not discontinue his attempt till she -began weeping bitterly, fell at his feet, and cried out, "Dearest -father! stay thou from the boards thyself!" Little heeding this caution, -he studied how to give the scene some other turn that might be equally -interesting. - -Philina, whose appointment was to act one of the peasant girls, and in -the concluding dance to give the single-voice part of the song, and lead -the chorus, felt exceedingly delighted that it had been so ordered. In -other respects, too, her present life was altogether to her mind: she -had her separate chamber; was constantly beside the countess, -entertaining her with fooleries, and daily received some present for her -pains. Among other things, a dress had been expressly made for her -wearing in this prelude. And being of a light, imitative nature, she -quickly marked in the procedure of the ladies whatever would befit -herself: she had of late grown all politeness and decorum. The -attentions of the _Stallmeister_ augmented rather than diminished; and -as the officers also paid zealous court to her, living in so genial an -element, it came into her head for once in her life to play the prude, -and, in a quiet, gradual way, to take upon herself a certain dignity of -manner to which she had not before aspired. Cool and sharp-sighted as -she was, eight days had not elapsed till she knew the weak side of every -person in the house; so that, had she possessed the power of acting from -any constant motive, she might very easily have made her fortune. But on -this occasion, as on all others, she employed her advantages merely to -divert herself,--to procure a bright to-day, and be impertinent, -wherever she observed that impertinence was not attended with danger. - -The parts were now committed to memory: a rehearsal of the piece was -ordered; the count purposed to be present at it, and his lady began to -feel anxious how he might receive it. The baroness called Wilhelm to her -privately. The nearer the hour approached, they all displayed the more -perplexity; for the truth was, that, of the count's original idea, -nothing whatever had been introduced. Jarno, who joined them while -consulting together, was admitted to the secret. He felt amused at the -contrivance, and was heartily disposed to offer the ladies his good -services in carrying it through. "It will go hard," said he, "if you -cannot extricate yourselves without help from this affair; but, at all -events, I will wait, as a body of reserve." The baroness then told them -how she had on various occasions recited the whole piece to the count, -but only in fragments and without order; that consequently he was -prepared for each individual passage, yet certainly possessed with the -idea that the whole would coincide with his original conception. "I will -sit by him," said she, "to-night at the rehearsal, and study to divert -his attention. The confectioner I have engaged already to make the -decoration as beautiful as possible, but as yet he has not quite -completed it." - -"I know of a court," said Jarno, "where I wish we had a few such active -and prudent friends as you. If your skill to-night will not suffice, -give me a signal: I will take out the count, and not let him in again -till Minerva enter; and you have speedy aid to expect from the -illumination. For a day or two I have had something to report to him -about his cousin, which for various reasons I have hitherto postponed. -It will give his thoughts another turn, and that none of the -pleasantest." - -Business hindered the count from being present when the play began; the -baroness amused him after his arrival: Jarno's help was not required. -For as the count had abundance of employment in pointing out -improvements, rectifying and arranging the detached parts, he entirely -forgot the purport of the whole; and, as at last Madam Melina advanced, -and spoke according to his heart, and the transparency did well, he -seemed completely satisfied. It was not till the whole was finished, and -his guests were sitting down to cards, that the difference appeared to -strike him; and he began to think whether after all this piece was -actually of his invention. At a signal from the baroness, Jarno then -came forward into action; the evening passed away; the intelligence of -the prince's approach was confirmed; the people rode out more than once -to see his vanguard encamping in the neighborhood; the house was full of -noise and tumult; and our actors, not always served in the handsomest -manner by unwilling servants, had to pass their time in practisings and -expectations at their quarters in the old mansion, without any one -particularly taking thought about them. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -At length the prince arrived, with all his generals, staff-officers, and -suite accompanying him. These, and the multitude of people coming to -visit or do business with him, made the castle like a beehive on the -point of swarming. All pressed forward to behold a man no less -distinguished by his rank than by his great qualities, and all admired -his urbanity and condescension: all were astonished at finding the hero -and the leader of armies also the most accomplished and attractive -courtier. - -By the count's orders, the inmates of the castle were required to be all -at their posts when the prince arrived: not a player was allowed to show -himself, that his Highness might have no anticipation of the spectacle -prepared to welcome him. Accordingly, when at evening he was led into -the lofty hall, glowing with light, and adorned with tapestries of the -previous century, he seemed not at all prepared to expect a play, and -still less a prelude in honor of himself. Every thing went off as it -should have done: at the conclusion of the show, the whole troop were -called and presented individually to the prince, who contrived, with the -most pleasing and friendly air, to put some question, or make some -remark, to every one of them. Wilhelm, as author of the piece, was -particularly noticed, and had his tribute of applause liberally paid -him. - -The prelude being fairly over, no one asked another word about it: in a -few days, it was as if it never had existed; except that occasionally -Jarno spoke of it to Wilhelm, judiciously praised it, adding, however, -"It is pity you should play with hollow nuts, for a stake of hollow -nuts." This expression stuck in Wilhelm's mind for several days: he knew -not how to explain it, or what to infer from it. - -Meanwhile the company kept acting every night, as well as their -capacities permitted; each doing his utmost to attract the attention of -spectators. Undeserved applauses cheered them on: in their old castle -they fully believed, that the great assemblage was crowding thither -solely on their account; that the multitude of strangers was allured by -their exhibitions; that _they_ were the centre round which, and by means -of which, the whole was moving and revolving. - -Wilhelm alone discovered, to his sorrow, that directly the reverse was -true. For although the prince had waited out the first exhibitions, -sitting on his chair, with the greatest conscientiousness, yet by -degrees he grew remiss in his attendance, and seized every plausible -occasion of withdrawing. And those very people whom Wilhelm, in -conversation, had found to be the best informed and most sensible, with -Jarno at their head, were wont to spend but a few transitory moments in -the hall of the theatre; sitting for the rest of their time in the -ante-chamber, gaming, or seeming to employ themselves in business. - -Amid all his persevering efforts, to want the wished and hoped for -approbation grieved Wilhelm very deeply. In the choice of plays, in -transcribing the parts, in numerous rehearsals, and whatever further -could be done, he zealously co-operated with Melina, who, being in -secret conscious of his own insufficiency, at length acknowledged and -pursued these counsels. His own parts, Wilhelm diligently studied, and -executed with vivacity and feeling, and with all the propriety the -little training he had yet received would allow. - -At the same time, the unwearied interest the baron took in their -performances obliterated every doubt from the minds of the rest of the -company: he assured them that their exhibitions were producing the -deepest effect, especially while one of his own pieces had been -representing; only he was grieved to say, the prince showed an exclusive -inclination for the French theatre; while a part of his people, among -whom Jarno was especially distinguished, gave a passionate preference to -the monstrous productions of the English stage. - -If in this way the art of our players was not adequately noticed and -admired, their persons on the other hand grew not entirely indifferent -to all the gentlemen and all the ladies of the audience. We observed -above, that, from the very first, our actresses had drawn upon them the -attention of the young officers: in the sequel they were luckier, and -made more important conquests. But, omitting these, we shall merely -observe, that Wilhelm every day appeared more interesting to the -countess; while in him, too, a silent inclination towards her was -beginning to take root. Whenever he was on the stage, she could not turn -her eyes from him; and, erelong, he seemed to play and to recite with -his face towards her alone. To look upon each other, was to them the -sweetest satisfaction; to which their harmless souls yielded without -reserve, without cherishing a bolder wish, or thinking about any -consequence. - -As two hostile outposts will sometimes peacefully and pleasantly -converse together across the river which divides them, not thinking of -the war in which both their countries are engaged: so did the countess -exchange looks full of meaning with our friend, across the vast chasm of -birth and rank; both believing for themselves that they might safely -cherish their several emotions. - -The baroness, in the mean time, had selected Laertes, who, being a -spirited and lively young man, pleased her very much; and who, -woman-hater as he was, felt unwilling to refuse a passing adventure. He -would actually on this occasion have been fettered, against his will, by -the courteous and attractive nature of the baroness, had not the baron -done him accidentally a piece of good, or, if you will, of bad, service, -by instructing him a little in the habits and temper of this lady. - -Laertes, happening once to celebrate her praises, and give her the -preference to every other of her sex, the baron, with a grin, replied, -"I see how matters stand: our fair friend has got a fresh inmate for her -stalls." This luckless comparison, which pointed too clearly to the -dangerous caresses of the Circe, grieved poor Laertes to the heart: he -could not listen to the baron without spite and anger, as the latter -continued without mercy,-- - -"Every stranger thinks he is the first whom this delightful manner of -proceeding has concerned, but he is grievously mistaken; for we have -all, at one time or another, been trotted round this course. Man, youth, -or boy, be who he like, each must devote himself to her service for a -season, must hang about her, and toil and long to gain her favor." - -To the happy man just entering the garden of an enchantress, and -welcomed by all the pleasures of an artificial spring, nothing can form -a more unpleasant surprise, than if, while his ear is watching and -drinking in the music of the nightingales, some transformed predecessor -on a sudden grunts at his feet. - -After this discovery, Laertes felt heartily ashamed that vanity should -have again misled him to think well, even in the smallest degree, of any -woman whatsoever. He now entirely forsook the baroness; kept by the -_Stallmeister_, with whom he diligently fenced and hunted; conducting -himself at rehearsals and representations as if these were but secondary -matters. - -The count and his lady would often in the mornings send for some of the -company to attend them, and all had continual cause to envy the -undeserved good fortune of Philina. The count kept his favorite, the -Pedant, frequently for hours together, at his toilet. This genius had -been dressed out by degrees: he was now equipped and furnished, even to -watch and snuff-box. - -Many times, too, particularly after dinner, the whole company were -called out before the noble guests,--an honor which the artists regarded -as the most flattering in the world; not observing, that on these very -occasions the servants and huntsmen were ordered to bring in a multitude -of hounds, and to lead strings of horses about the court of the castle. - -Wilhelm had been counselled to praise Racine, the prince's favorite, and -thereby to attract some portion of his Highness's favor to himself. On -one of these afternoons, being summoned with the rest, he found an -opportunity to introduce this topic. The prince asked him if he -diligently read the great French dramatic writers, to which Wilhelm -answered with a very eager "Yes." He did not observe that his Highness, -without waiting for the answer, was already on the point of turning -round to some one else: he fixed upon him, on the contrary, almost -stepping in his way, and proceeded to declare that he valued the French -theatre very highly, and read the works of their great masters with -delight; particularly he had learned with true joy that his Highness did -complete justice to the great talents of Racine. "I can easily -conceive," continued he, "how people of high breeding and exalted rank -must value a poet who has painted so excellently and so truly the -circumstances of their lofty station. Corneille, if I may say so, has -delineated great men; Racine, men of eminent rank. In reading his plays, -I can always figure to myself the poet as living at a splendid court, -with a great king before his eyes, in constant intercourse with the most -distinguished persons, and penetrating into the secrets of human nature, -as it works concealed behind the gorgeous tapestry of palaces. When I -study his "Britannicus," his "Bérénice," it seems as if I were -transported in person to the court, were initiated into the great and -the little, in the habitations of these earthly gods: through the fine -and delicate organs of my author, I see kings whom a nation adores, -courtiers whom thousands envy, in their natural forms, with their -failings and their pains. The anecdote of Racine's dying of a broken -heart, because Louis Fourteenth would no longer attend to him, and had -shown him his dissatisfaction, is to me the key to all his works. It was -impossible that a poet of his talents, whose life and death depended on -the looks of a king, should not write such works as a king and a prince -might applaud." - -Jarno had stepped near, and was listening with astonishment. The prince, -who had made no answer, and had only shown his approbation by an -assenting look, now turned aside; though Wilhelm, who did not know that -it was contrary to etiquette to continue a discussion under such -circumstances, and exhaust a subject, would gladly have spoken more, and -convinced the prince that he had not read his favorite poet without -sensibility and profit. - -"Have you never," said Jarno, taking him aside, "read one of -Shakspeare's plays?" - -"No," replied Wilhelm: "since the time when they became more known in -Germany, I have myself grown unacquainted with the theatre; and I know -not whether I should now rejoice that an old taste, and occupation of my -youth, has been by chance renewed. In the mean time, all I have heard of -these plays has excited no wish to become acquainted with such -extraordinary monsters, which appear to set probability and dignity -alike at defiance." - -"I would advise you," said the other, "to make a trial, notwithstanding: -it can do one no harm to look at what is extraordinary with one's own -eyes. I will lend you a volume or two; and you cannot better spend your -time, than by casting every thing aside, and retiring to the solitude of -your old habitation, to look into the magic-lantern of that unknown -world. It is sinful of you to waste your hours in dressing out these -apes to look more human, and teaching dogs to dance. One thing only I -require,--you must not cavil at the form: the rest I can leave to your -own good sense and feeling." - -The horses were standing at the door; and Jarno mounted with some other -cavaliers, to go and hunt. Wilhelm looked after him with sadness. He -would fain have spoken much with this man, who, though in a harsh, -unfriendly way, gave him new ideas,--ideas he had need of. - -Oftentimes a man, when approaching some development of his powers, -capacities, and conceptions, gets into a perplexity, from which a -prudent friend might easily deliver him. He resembles a traveller who, -at but a short distance from the inn he is to rest at, falls into the -water: were any one to catch him then, and pull him to the bank, with -one good wetting it were over; whereas, though he struggles out himself, -it is often at the side where he tumbled in; and he has to make a wide -and dreary circuit before reaching his appointed object. - -Wilhelm now began to have an inkling that things went forward in the -world differently from what he had supposed. He now viewed close at hand -the solemn and imposing life of the great and distinguished, and -wondered at the easy dignity which they contrived to give it. An army on -its march, a princely hero at the head of it, such a multitude of -co-operating warriors, such a multitude of crowding worshippers, exalted -his imagination. In this mood he received the promised books; and -erelong, as may be easily supposed, the stream of that mighty genius -laid hold of him, and led him down to a shoreless ocean, where he soon -completely forgot and lost himself. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -The connection between the baron and the actors had suffered various -changes since the arrival of the latter. At the commencement it had been -productive of great satisfaction to both parties. As the baron for the -first time in his life now saw one of those plays, with which he had -already graced a private theatre, put into the hands of real actors, and -in the fair way for a decent exhibition, he showed the benignest humor -in the world. He was liberal in gifts: he bought little presents for the -actresses from every millinery hawker, and contrived to send over many -an odd bottle of champagne to the actors. In return for all this, our -company took every sort of trouble with his play; and Wilhelm spared no -diligence in learning, with extreme correctness, the sublime speeches of -that very eminent hero, whose part had fallen to his share. - -But, in spite of all these kind reciprocities, some clouds by degrees -arose between the players and their patron. The baron's preference for -certain actors became daily more observable: this of necessity chagrined -the rest. He exalted his favorites quite exclusively, and thus, of -course, introduced disunion and jealousy among the company. Melina, -without skill to help himself in dubious junctures, felt his situation -very vexing. The persons eulogized accepted of their praise, without -being singularly thankful for it; while the neglected gentlemen showed -traces of their spleen by a thousand methods, and constantly found means -to make it very disagreeable for their once much-honored patron to -appear among them. Their spite received no little nourishment from a -certain poem, by an unknown author, which made a great sensation in the -castle. Previously to this the baron's intercourse with the company had -given rise to many little strokes of merriment; several stories had been -raised about him; certain little incidents, adorned with suitable -additions, and presented in the proper light, had been talked of, and -made the subject of much bantering and laughter. At last it began to be -said that a certain rivalry of trade was arising between him and some of -the actors, who also looked upon themselves as writers. The poem we -spoke of was founded upon this report: it ran as follows:-- - - "Lord Baron, I, poor devil, own - With envy, you your rank and state; - Your station, too, so near the throne; - Of heirs your possessions great; - Your father's seat, with walls and mounds, - His game-preserves, and hunting-grounds. - - While me, poor devil, it appears, - Lord Baron, you with envy view, - Since Nature, from my early years, - Has held me like a mother true, - With heart and head both light, I poor, - But no poor wight _grew_, to be sure. - - My dear Lord Baron, now to me - It seems, we well alone should let, - That you your father's son still be, - And I remain my mother's pet: - Let's free from envy live, and hate; - Nor let's desire each other's title: - No place you on Parnassus great, - No noble rank I in requital." - --_Editor's Version._ - -Upon this poem, which various persons were possessed of, in copies -scarcely legible, opinions were exceedingly divided. But who the author -was, no one could guess; and, as some began to draw a spiteful mirth -from it, our friend expressed himself against it very keenly. - -"We Germans," he exclaimed, "deserve to have our Muses still continue in -the low contempt wherein they have languished so long; since we cannot -value men of rank who take a share in our literature, no matter how! -Birth, rank, and fortune are no wise incompatible with genius and taste; -as foreign nations, reckoning among their best minds a great number of -noblemen, can fully testify. Hitherto, indeed, it has been rare in -Germany for men of high station to devote themselves to science; -hitherto few famous names have become more famous by their love of art -and learning; while many, on the other hand, have mounted out of -darkness to distinction, and risen like unknown stars on the horizon. -Yet such will not always be the case; and I greatly err, if the first -classes of the nation are not even now in the way of also employing -their advantages to earn the fairest laurels of the Muses, at no distant -date. Nothing, therefore, grieves me more than to see the burgher -jeering at the noble who can value literature; nay, even men of rank -themselves, with inconsiderate caprice, maliciously scaring off their -equal from a path where honor and contentment wait on all." - -Apparently this latter observation pointed at the count, of whom Wilhelm -had heard that he liked the poem very much. In truth, this nobleman, -accustomed to rally the baron in his own peculiar way, was extremely -glad of such an opportunity to plague his kinsman more effectually. As -to who the writer of the squib might be, each formed his own hypothesis; -and the count, never willing that another should surpass him in -acuteness, fell upon a thought, which, in a short time, he would have -sworn to the truth of. The verses could be written, he believed, by no -one but his Pedant, who was a very shrewd knave, and in whom, for a long -while, he had noticed some touches of poetic genius. By way of proper -treat, he therefore caused the Pedant one morning to be sent for, and -made him read the poem, in his own manner, in presence of the countess, -the baroness, and Jarno,--a service he was paid for by applauses, -praises, and a present; and, on the count's inquiring if he had not -still some other poems of an earlier time, he cunningly contrived to -evade the question. Thus did the Pedant get invested with the reputation -of a poet and a wit, and, in the eyes of the baron's friends, of a -pasquinader and a bad-hearted man. From that period, play as he might, -the count applauded him with greater zeal than ever; so that the poor -wight grew at last inflated till he nearly lost his senses, and began to -meditate having a chamber in the castle, like Philina. - -Had this project been fulfilled at once, a great mishap might have been -spared him. As he was returning late one evening from the castle, -groping about in the dark, narrow way, he was suddenly laid hold of, and -kept on the spot by some persons, while some others rained a shower of -blows upon him, and battered him so stoutly, that in a few seconds he -was lying almost dead upon the place, and could not without difficulty -crawl in to his companions. These, indignant as they seemed to be at -such an outrage, felt their secret joy in the adventure: they could -hardly keep from laughing, at seeing him so thoroughly curried, and his -new brown coat bedusted through and through, and bedaubed with white, as -if he had had to do with millers. - -The count, who soon got notice of the business, broke into a boundless -rage. He treated this act as the most heinous crime, called it an -infringement of the _Burgfried_, or peace of the castle, and caused his -judge to make the strictest inquisition touching it. The whited coat, it -was imagined, would afford a leading proof. Every creature that possibly -could have the smallest trade with flour or powder in the castle was -submitted to investigation, but in vain. - -The baron solemnly protested on his honor, that although this sort of -jesting had considerably displeased him, and the conduct of his lordship -the count had not been the friendliest, yet he had got over the affair; -and with respect to the misfortune which had come upon the poet, or -pasquinader, or whatsoever his title might be, he knew absolutely -nothing, and had not the most remote concern in it. - -The operations of the strangers, and the general commotion of the house, -soon effaced all recollection of the matter; and so, without redress, -the unlucky favorite had to pay dear for the satisfaction of pluming -himself, a short while, in feathers not his own. - -Our troop, regularly acting every night, and on the whole very decently -treated, now began to make more clamorous demands, the better they were -dealt with. Erelong their victuals, drink, attendance, lodging, grew -inadequate; and they called upon the baron, their protector, to provide -more liberally for them, and at last make good those promises of -comfortable entertainment, which he had been giving them so long. Their -complaints grew louder, and the efforts of our friend to still them more -and more abortive. - -Meanwhile, excepting in rehearsals and hours of acting, Wilhelm scarcely -ever came abroad. Shut up in one of the remotest chambers, to which -Mignon and the harper alone had free access, he lived and moved in the -Shakspearian world, feeling or knowing nothing but the movements of his -own mind. - -We have heard of some enchanter summoning, by magic formulas, a vast -multitude of spiritual shapes into his cell. The conjurations are so -powerful that the whole space of the apartment is quickly full; and the -spirits, crowding on to the verge of the little circle which they must -not pass, around this, and above the master's head, keep increasing in -number, and ever whirling in perpetual transformation. Every corner is -crammed, every crevice is possessed. Embryos expand themselves, and -giant-forms contract into the size of nuts. Unhappily the black-artist -has forgot the counterword, with which he might command this flood of -sprites again to ebb. - -So sat Wilhelm in his privacy: with unknown movements, a thousand -feelings and capacities awoke in him, of which he formerly had neither -notion nor anticipation. Nothing could allure him from this state: he -was vexed and restless if any one presumed to come to him, and talk of -news or what was passing in the world. - -Accordingly, he scarce took notice of the circumstance, when told that a -judicial sentence was about being executed in the castle-yard,--the -flogging of a boy, who had incurred suspicions of nocturnal -housebreaking, and who, as he wore a peruke-maker's coat, had most -probably been one of the assaulters of the Pedant. The boy indeed, it -seemed, denied most obstinately; so that they could not inflict a formal -punishment, but meant to give him a slight memorial as a vagabond, and -send him about his business; he having prowled about the neighborhood -for several days, lain at night in the mills, and at last clapped a -ladder to the garden-wall, and mounted over by it. - -Our friend saw nothing very strange in the transaction, and was -dismissing it altogether, when Mignon came running in, and assured him -that the criminal was Friedrich, who, since the rencounter with the -_Stallmeister_, had vanished from the company, and not again been heard -of. - -Feeling an interest in the boy, Wilhelm hastily arose: he found, in the -court-yard of the castle, the preparations almost finished. The count -loved solemnity on these occasions. The boy being now led out, our -friend stepped forward, and entreated for delay, as he knew the boy, and -had various things to say which might, perhaps, throw light on the -affair. He had difficulty in succeeding, notwithstanding all his -statements: at length, however, he did get permission to speak with the -culprit in private. Friedrich averred, that, concerning the assault in -which the Pedant had been used so harshly, he knew nothing whatever. He -had merely been lurking about, and had come in at night to see Philina, -whose room he had discovered, and would certainly have reached, had he -not been taken by the way. - -For the credit of the company, Wilhelm felt desirous not to have the -truth of his adventure published. He hastened to the _Stallmeister_: he -begged him to show favor, and, with his intimate knowledge of men and -things about the castle, to find some means of quashing the affair, and -dismissing the boy. - -This whimsical gentleman, by Wilhelm's help, invented a little -story,--how the boy had belonged to the troop, had run away from it, but -soon wished to get back, and be received again into his place; how he -had accordingly been trying in the night to come at certain of his -well-wishers, and solicit their assistance. It was testified by others -that his former behavior had been good: the ladies put their hands to -the work, and Friedrich was let go. - -Wilhelm took him in,--a third person in that strange family, which for -some time he had looked on as his own. The old man and little Mignon -received the returning wanderer kindly; and all the three combined to -serve their friend and guardian with attention, and procure him all the -pleasure in their power. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -Philina now succeeded in insinuating farther every day into the favor of -the ladies. Whenever they were by themselves, she was wont to lead the -conversation on the men whom they saw about the castle; and our friend -was not the last or least important that engaged them. The cunning girl -was well aware that he had made a deep impression on the countess: she -therefore talked about him often, telling much that she knew or did not -know, only taking care to speak of nothing that might be interpreted -against him; eulogizing, on the contrary, his nobleness of mind, his -generosity, and, more than all, his modest and respectful conduct to -the fair sex. To all inquiries made about him she replied with equal -prudence; and the baroness, when she observed the growing inclination of -her amiable friend, was likewise very glad at the discovery. Her own -intrigues with several men, especially of late with Jarno, had not -remained hidden from the countess, whose pure soul could not look upon -such levities without disapprobation, and meek, though earnest, -censures. - -In this way both Philina and the baroness were personally interested in -establishing a closer intercourse between the countess and our friend. -Philina hoped, moreover, that there would occur some opportunity when -she might once more labor for herself, and, if possible, get back the -favor of the young man she had lost. - -One day his lordship, with his guests, had ridden out to hunt; and their -return was not expected till the morrow. On this the baroness devised a -frolic, which was altogether in her way, for she loved disguises, and, -in order to surprise her friends, would suddenly appear among them as a -peasant-girl at one time, at another as a page, at another as a hunter's -boy. By which means she almost gave herself the air of a little fairy, -that is present everywhere, and exactly in the place where it is least -expected. Nothing could exceed this lady's joy, if, without being -recognized, she could contrive to wait upon the company for some time as -a servant, or mix among them anyhow, and then at last in some sportful -way disclose herself. - -Towards night she sent for Wilhelm to her chamber, and, happening to -have something else to do just then, left Philina to receive and prepare -him. - -He arrived, and found to his surprise, not the honorable lady, but the -giddy girl, in the room. She received him with a certain dignified -openness of manner, which she had of late been practising, and so -constrained him likewise to be courteous. - -At first she rallied him in general on the good fortune which pursued -him everywhere, and which, as she could not but see, had led him hither -in the present case. Then she delicately set before him the treatment -with which of late he had afflicted her; she blamed and upbraided -herself; confessed that she had but too well deserved such punishment; -described with the greatest candor what she called her _former_ -situation; adding, that she would despise herself, if she were not -capable of altering, and making herself worthy of his friendship. - -Wilhelm was struck with this oration. He had too little knowledge of the -world to understand that persons quite unstable, and incapable of all -improvement, frequently accuse themselves in the bitterest manner, -confessing and deploring their faults with extreme ingenuousness, though -they possess not the smallest power within them to retire from that -course, along which the irresistible tendency of their nature is -dragging them forward. Accordingly, he could not find in his heart to -behave inexorably to the graceful sinner: he entered into conversation, -and learned from her the project of a singular disguisement, wherewith -it was intended to surprise the countess. - -He found some room for hesitation here, nor did he hide his scruples -from Philina: but the baroness, entering at this moment, left him not an -instant for reflection; she hurried him away with her, declaring it was -just the proper hour. - -It was now grown dark. She took him to the count's wardrobe, made him -change his own coat with his lordship's silk night-gown, and put the cap -with red trimmings on his head. She then led him forward to the cabinet; -and bidding him sit down upon the large chair, and take a book, she lit -the Argand lamp which stood before him, and showed him what he was to -do, and what kind of part he had to play. - -They would inform the countess, she said, of her husband's unexpected -arrival, and that he was in very bad humor. The countess would come in, -walk up and down the room once or twice, then place herself beside the -back of his chair, lay her arm upon his shoulder, and speak a few words. -He was to play the cross husband as long and as well as possible; and, -when obliged to disclose himself, he must behave politely, handsomely, -and gallantly. - -Wilhelm was left sitting, restlessly enough, in this singular mask. The -proposal had come upon him by surprise: the execution of it got the -start of the deliberation. The baroness had vanished from the room, -before he saw how dangerous the post was which he had engaged to fill. -He could not deny that the beauty, the youth, the gracefulness, of the -countess had made some impression on him: but his nature was entirely -averse to all empty gallantry, and his principles forbade any thought of -more serious enterprises; so that his perplexity at this moment was in -truth extreme. The fear of displeasing the countess, and that of -pleasing her too well, were equally busy in his mind. - -Every female charm that had ever acted on him, now showed itself again -to his imagination. Mariana rose before him in her white morning-gown, -and entreated his remembrance. Philina's loveliness, her beautiful hair, -her insinuating blandishments, had again become attractive by her late -presence. Yet all this retired as if behind the veil of distance, when -he figured to himself the noble, blooming countess, whose arm in a few -minutes he would feel upon his neck, whose innocent caresses he was -there to answer. - -The strange mode in which he was to be delivered out of this perplexity -he certainly did not anticipate. We may judge of his astonishment, nay, -his terror, when the door opened behind him; and, at the first stolen -look in the mirror, he quite clearly discerned the count coming in with -a light in his hand. His doubt what he should do, whether he should sit -still or rise, should flee, confess, deny, or beg forgiveness, lasted -but a few instants. The count, who had remained motionless standing in -the door, retired, and shut it softly. At the same moment, the baroness -sprang forward by the side-door, extinguished the lamp, tore Wilhelm -from his chair, and hurried him with her into the closet. Instantly he -threw off the night-gown, and put it in its former place. The baroness -took his coat under her arm, and hastened with him through several -rooms, passages, and partitions into her chamber, where Wilhelm, so soon -as she recovered breath, was informed, that on her going to the -countess, and delivering the fictitious intelligence about her husband's -arrival, the countess had answered, "I know it already: what can have -happened? I saw him riding in, at the postern, even now." On which the -baroness, in an excessive panic, had run to the count's chamber to give -warning. - -"Unhappily you came too late!" said Wilhelm. "The count was in the room -before you, and saw me sitting." - -"And recognized you?" - -"That I know not. He was looking at me in the glass, as I at him; and, -before I could well determine whether it was he or a spirit, he drew -back, and closed the door behind him." - -The anxiety of the baroness increased, when a servant came to call her, -signifying that the count was with his lady. She went with no light -heart, and found the count silent and thoughtful, indeed, but milder and -kinder in his words than usual. She knew not what to think of it. They -spoke about the incidents of the chase, and the causes of his quick -return. The conversation soon ran out. The count became taciturn; and it -struck the baroness particularly, when he asked for Wilhelm, and -expressed a wish that he were sent for, to come and read something. - -Wilhelm, who had now dressed himself in the baroness's chamber, and in -some degree recovered his composure, obeyed the order, not without -anxiety. The count gave him a book, out of which he read an adventurous -tale, very little at his ease. His voice had a certain inconstancy and -quivering in it, which fortunately corresponded with the import of the -story. The count more than once gave kindly tokens of approval, and at -last dismissed our friend, with praises of his exquisite manner of -reading. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -Wilhelm had scarcely read one or two of Shakspeare's plays, till their -effect on him became so strong that he could go no farther. His whole -soul was in commotion. He sought an opportunity to speak with Jarno; to -whom, on meeting with him, he expressed his boundless gratitude for such -delicious entertainment. - -"I clearly enough foresaw," said Jarno, "that you would not remain -insensible to the charms of the most extraordinary and most admirable of -all writers." - -"Yes!" exclaimed our friend: "I cannot recollect that any book, any man, -any incident of my life, has produced such important effects on me, as -the precious works to which by your kindness I have been directed. They -seem as if they were performances of some celestial genius, descending -among men, to make them, by the mildest instructions, acquainted with -themselves. They are no fictions! You would think, while reading them, -you stood before the unclosed awful Books of Fate, while the whirlwind -of most impassioned life was howling through the leaves, and tossing -them fiercely to and fro. The strength and tenderness, the power and -peacefulness, of this man, have so astonished and transported me, that I -long vehemently for the time when I shall have it in my power to read -farther." - -"Bravo!" said Jarno, holding out his hand, and squeezing our friend's. -"This is as it should be! And the consequences, which I hope for, will -likewise surely follow." - -"I wish," said Wilhelm, "I could but disclose to you all that is going -on within me even now. All the anticipations I have ever had regarding -man and his destiny, which have accompanied me from youth upwards, often -unobserved by myself, I find developed and fulfilled in Shakspeare's -writings. It seems as if he cleared up every one of our enigmas to us, -though we cannot say, here or there is the word of solution. His men -appear like natural men, and yet they are not. These, the most -mysterious and complex productions of creation, here act before us as if -they were watches, whose dial-plates and cases were of crystal, which -pointed out, according to their use, the course of the hours and -minutes; while, at the same time, you could discern the combination of -wheels and springs that turned them. The few glances I have cast over -Shakspeare's world incite me, more than any thing beside, to quicken my -footsteps forward into the actual world, to mingle in the flood of -destinies that is suspended over it, and at length, if I shall prosper, -to draw a few cups from the great ocean of true nature, and to -distribute them from off the stage among the thirsting people of my -native land." - -"I feel delighted with the temper of mind in which I now behold you," -answered Jarno, laying his hand upon the shoulder of the excited youth: -"renounce not the purpose of embarking in active life. Make haste to -employ with alacrity the years that are granted you. If I can serve you, -I will with all my heart. As yet I have not asked you how you came into -this troop, for which you certainly were neither born nor bred. So much -I hope and see,--you long to be out of it. I know nothing of your -parentage, of your domestic circumstances: consider what you shall -confide to me. Thus much only I can say: the times of war we live in may -produce quick turns of fortune; did you incline devoting your strength -and talents to our service, not fearing labor, and, if need were, -danger, I might even now have an opportunity to put you in a situation, -which you would not afterwards be sorry to have filled for a time." -Wilhelm could not sufficiently express his gratitude: he was ready to -impart to his friend and patron the whole history of his life. - -In the course of this conversation, they had wandered far into the -park, and at last came upon the highway that crossed it. Jarno stood -silent for a moment, and then said, "Deliberate on my proposal, -determine, give me your answer in a few days, and then let me have the -narrative you mean to trust me with. I assure you, it has all along to -me seemed quite incomprehensible how you ever could have any thing to do -with such a class of people. I have often thought with spleen and -disgust, how, in order to gain a paltry living, you must fix your heart -on a wandering ballad-monger, and a silly mongrel, neither male nor -female." - -He had not yet concluded, when an officer on horseback came hastily -along; a groom following him with a led horse. Jarno shouted a warm -salutation to him. The officer sprang from his horse; Jarno and he -embraced and talked together; while Wilhelm, confounded at the last -expressions of his warlike friend, stood thoughtfully at a side. Jarno -turned over some papers which the stranger had delivered to him; while -the latter came to Wilhelm, held out his hand, and said with emphasis, -"I find you in worthy company: follow the counsel of your friend, and, -by doing so, accomplish likewise the desire of an unknown man, who takes -a genuine interest in you." So saying, he embraced Wilhelm, and pressed -him cordially to his breast. At the same instant Jarno advanced, and -said to the stranger, "It is best that I ride on with you: by this means -you may get the necessary orders, and set out again before night." Both -then leaped into their saddles, and left our astonished friend to his -own reflections. - -Jarno's last words were still ringing in his ears. It galled him to see -the two human beings that had most innocently won his affections so -grievously disparaged by a man whom he honored so much. The strange -embracing of the officer, whom he knew not, made but a slight impression -on him; it occupied his curiosity and his imagination for a moment: but -Jarno's speech had cut him to the heart; he was deeply hurt by it: and -now, in his way homewards, he broke out into reproaches against himself, -that he should for a single instant have mistaken or forgotten the -unfeeling coldness of Jarno, which looked out from his very eyes, and -spoke in all his gestures. "No!" exclaimed he, "thou conceivest, -dead-hearted worldling, that thou canst be a friend! All that thou hast -power to offer me is not worth the sentiment which binds me to these -forlorn beings. How fortunate that I have discovered in time what I had -to expect from thee!" - -Mignon came to meet him as he entered: he clasped her in his arms, -exclaiming, "Nothing, nothing, shall part us, thou good little creature! -The seeming prudence of the world shall never cause me to forsake thee, -or forget what I owe thee!" - -The child, whose warm caresses he had been accustomed to avoid, rejoiced -with all her heart at this unlooked-for show of tenderness, and clung so -fast to him that he had some difficulty to get loose from her. - -From this period he kept a stricter eye on Jarno's conduct: many parts -of it he did not think quite praiseworthy; nay, several things came out -which totally displeased him. He had strong suspicions, for example, -that the verses on the baron, which the poor Pedant had so dearly paid -for, were composed by Jarno. And as the latter, in Wilhelm's presence, -had made sport of the adventure, our friend thought here was certainly a -symptom of a most corrupted heart; for what could be more depraved than -to treat a guiltless person, whose griefs one's self had occasioned, -with jeering and mockery, instead of trying to satisfy or to indemnify -him? In this matter Wilhelm would himself willingly have brought about -reparation; and erelong a very curious accident led him to obtain some -traces of the persons concerned in that nocturnal outrage. - -Hitherto his friends had contrived to keep him unacquainted with the -fact, that some of the young officers were in the habit of passing whole -nights in merriment and jollity, with certain actors and actresses, in -the lower hall of the old castle. One morning, having risen early, -according to his custom, he happened to visit this chamber, and found -the gallant gentlemen just in the act of performing rather a singular -operation. They had mixed a bowl of water with a quantity of chalk, and -were plastering this gruel with a brush upon their waistcoats and -pantaloons, without stripping; thus very expeditiously restoring the -spotlessness of their apparel. On witnessing this piece of ingenuity, -our friend was at once struck with the recollection of the poor Pedant's -whited and bedusted coat: his suspicions gathered strength when he -learned that some relations of the baron were among the party. - -To throw some light on his doubts, he engaged the youths to breakfast -with him. They were very lively, and told a multitude of pleasant -stories. One of them especially, who for a time had been on the -recruiting-service, was loud in praising the craft and activity of his -captain; who, it appeared, understood the art of alluring men of all -kinds towards him, and overreaching every one by the deception proper -for him. He circumstantially described how several young people of good -families and careful education had been cozened, by playing off to them -a thousand promises of honor and preferment; and he heartily laughed at -the simpletons, who felt so gratified, when first enlisted, at the -thought of being esteemed and introduced to notice by so reputable, -prudent, bold, and munificent an officer. - -Wilhelm blessed his better genius for having drawn him back in time from -the abyss to whose brink he had approached so near. Jarno he now looked -upon as nothing better than a crimp: the embrace of the stranger officer -was easily explained. He viewed the feelings and opinions of these men -with contempt and disgust; from that moment he carefully avoided coming -into contact with any one that wore a uniform; and, when he heard that -the army was about to move its quarters, the news would have been -extremely welcome to him, if he had not feared, that, immediately on its -departure, he himself must be banished from the neighborhood of his -lovely friend, perhaps forever. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -Meanwhile the baroness had spent several days disquieted by anxious -fears and unsatisfied curiosity. Since the late adventure, the count's -demeanor had been altogether an enigma to her. His manner was changed: -none of his customary jokes were to be heard. His demands on the company -and the servants had very much abated. Little pedantry or imperiousness -was now to be discerned in him; he was silent and thoughtful, yet withal -he seemed composed and placid; in short, he was quite another man. In -choosing the books, which now and then he caused to be read to him, -those of a serious, often a religious, cast, were pitched upon; and the -baroness lived in perpetual fright lest, beneath this apparent serenity, -a secret rancor might be lurking,--a silent purpose to revenge the -offence he had so accidentally discovered. She determined, therefore, to -make Jarno her confidant; and this the more freely, as that gentleman -and she already stood in a relation to each other where it is not usual -to be very cautious in keeping secrets. For some time Jarno had been her -dearest friend, yet they had been dexterous enough to conceal their -attachment and joys from the noisy world in which they moved. To the -countess alone this new romance had not remained unknown; and very -possibly the baroness might wish to get her fair friend occupied with -some similar engagement, and thus to escape the silent reproaches she -had often to endure from that noble-minded woman. - -Scarcely had the baroness related the occurrence to her lover, when he -cried out laughing, "To a certainty the old fool believes that he has -seen his ghost! He dreads that the vision may betoken some misfortune, -perhaps death, to him; and so he is become quite tame, as all half-men -do, in thinking of that consummation which no one has escaped or will -escape. Softly a little! As I hope he will live long enough, we may now -train him at least, so that he shall not again give disturbance to his -wife and household." - -They accordingly, as soon as any opportunity occurred, began talking, in -the presence of the count, about warnings, visions, apparitions, and the -like. Jarno played the sceptic, the baroness likewise; and they carried -it so far, that his lordship at last took Jarno aside, reproved him for -his free-thinking, and produced his own experience to prove the -possibility, nay, actual occurrence, of such preternatural events. Jarno -affected to be struck, to be in doubt, and finally to be convinced; but, -in private with his friend, he made himself so much the merrier at the -credulous weakling, who had thus been cured of his evil habits by a -bugbear, but who, they admitted, still deserved some praise for -expecting dire calamity, or death itself, with such composure. - -"The natural result which the present apparition might have had, would -possibly have ruffled him!" exclaimed the baroness, with her wonted -vivacity; to which, when anxiety was taken from her heart, she had -instantly returned. Jarno was richly rewarded; and the two contrived -fresh projects for frightening the count still further, and still -further exciting and confirming the affection of the countess for -Wilhelm. - -With this intention, the whole story was related to the countess. She, -indeed, expressed her displeasure at such conduct; but from that time -she became more thoughtful, and in peaceful moments seemed to be -considering, pursuing, and painting out that scene which had been -prepared for her. - -The preparations now going forward on every side left no room for doubt -that the armies were soon to move in advance, and the prince at the same -time to change his headquarters. It was even said that the count -intended leaving his castle, and returning to the city. Our players -could therefore, without difficulty, calculate the aspect of their -stars; yet none of them, except Melina, took any measures in -consequence: the rest strove only to catch as much enjoyment as they -could from the moment that was passing over them. - -Wilhelm, in the mean time, was engaged with a peculiar task. The -countess had required from him a copy of his writings, and he looked on -this request as the noblest recompense for his labors. - -A young author, who has not yet seen himself in print, will, in such a -case, apply no ordinary care to provide a clear and beautiful transcript -of his works. It is like the golden age of authorship: he feels -transported into those centuries when the press had not inundated the -world with so many useless writings, when none but excellent -performances were copied, and kept by the noblest men; and he easily -admits the illusion, that his own accurately ruled and measured -manuscript may itself prove an excellent performance, worthy to be kept -and valued by some future critic. - -The prince being shortly to depart, a great entertainment had been -appointed in honor of him. Many ladies of the neighborhood were invited, -and the countess had dressed betimes. On this occasion she had taken a -costlier suit than usual. Her head-dress, and the decorations of her -hair, were more exquisite and studied: she wore all her jewels. The -baroness, too, had done her utmost to appear with becoming taste and -splendor. - -Philina, observing that both ladies, in expectation of their guests, -felt the time rather tedious, proposed to send for Wilhelm, who was -wishing to present his manuscript, now completed, and to read them some -other little pieces. He came, and on his entrance was astonished at the -form and the graces of the countess, which her decorations had but made -more visible and striking. Being ordered by the ladies, he began to -read; but with so much absence of mind, and so badly, that, had not his -audience been excessively indulgent, they would very soon have dismissed -him. - -Every time he looked at the countess, it seemed to him as if a spark of -electric fire were glancing before his eyes. In the end he knew not -where to find the breath he wanted for his reading. The countess had -always pleased him, but now it appeared as if he never had beheld a -being so perfect and so lovely. A thousand thoughts flitted up and down -his soul: what follows might be nearly their substance. - -"How foolish is it in so many poets, and men of sentiment as they are -called, to make war on pomp and decoration; requiring that women of all -ranks should wear no dress but what is simple, and conformable to -nature! They rail at decoration, without once considering, that, when we -see a plain or positively ugly person clothed in a costly and gorgeous -fashion, it is not the poor decoration that displeases us. I would -assemble all the judges in the world, and ask them here if they wished -to see one of these folds, of these ribbons and laces, these braids, -ringlets, and glancing stones, removed? Would they not dread disturbing -the delightful impression that so naturally and spontaneously meets us -here? Yes, naturally I will say! As Minerva sprang in complete armor -from the head of Jove; so does this goddess seem to have stepped forth -with a light foot, in all her ornaments, from the bosom of some flower." - -While reading, he turned his eyes upon her frequently, as if he wished -to stamp this image on his soul forever: he more than once read wrong, -yet without falling into confusion of mind; though, at other times, he -used to feel the mistaking of a word or a letter as a painful deformity, -which spoiled a whole recitation. - -A false alarm of the arrival of the guests put an end to the reading; -the baroness went out; and the countess, while about to shut her -writing-desk, which was standing open, took up her casket, and put some -other rings upon her finger. "We are soon to part," said she, keeping -her eyes upon the casket: "accept a memorial of a true friend, who -wishes nothing more earnestly than that you may always prosper." She -then took out a ring, which, underneath a crystal, bore a little plait -of woven hair beautifully set with diamonds. She held it out to Wilhelm, -who, on taking it, knew neither what to say nor do, but stood as if -rooted to the ground. The countess shut her desk, and sat down upon the -sofa. - -"And I must go empty?" said Philina, kneeling down at the countess's -right hand. "Do but look at the man: he carries such a store of words in -his mouth, when no one wants to hear them; and now he cannot stammer -out the poorest syllable of thanks. Quick, sir! Express your services by -way of pantomime at least; and if to-day you can invent nothing, then, -for Heaven's sake, be my imitator." - -Philina seized the right hand of the countess, and kissed it warmly. -Wilhelm sank upon his knee, laid hold of the left, and pressed it to his -lips. The countess seemed embarrassed, yet without displeasure. - -"Ah!" cried Philina, "so much splendor of attire, I may have seen -before, but never one so fit to wear it. What bracelets, but also what a -hand! What a neckdress, but also what a bosom." - -"Peace, little cozener!" said the countess. - -"Is this his lordship, then?" said Philina, pointing to a rich -medallion, which the countess wore on her left side, by a particular -chain. - -"He is painted in his bridegroom-dress," replied the countess. - -"Was he, then, so young?" inquired Philina: "I know it is but a year or -two since you were married." - -"His youth must be placed to the artist's account," replied the lady. - -"He is a handsome man," observed Philina. "But was there never," she -continued, placing her hand on the countess's heart, "never any other -image that found its way in secret hither?" - -"Thou art very bold, Philina," cried she: "I have spoiled thee. Let me -never hear the like again." - -"If you are angry, then am I unhappy," said Philina, springing up, and -hastening from the room. - -Wilhelm still held that lovely hand in both of his. His eyes were fixed -on the bracelet-clasp: he noticed, with extreme surprise, that his -initials were traced on it, in lines of brilliants. - -"Have I, then," he modestly inquired, "your own hair in this precious -ring?" - -"Yes," replied she in a faint voice; then, suddenly collecting herself, -she said, and pressed his hand, "Arise, and fare you well!" - -"Here is my name," cried he, "by the most curious chance!" He pointed to -the bracelet-clasp. - -"How?" cried the countess: "it is the cipher of a female friend!" - -"They are the initials of my name. Forget me not. Your image is -engraven on my heart, and will never be effaced. Farewell! I must be -gone." - -He kissed her hand, and meant to rise; but, as in dreams, some strange -thing fades and changes into something stranger, and the succeeding -wonder takes us by surprise; so, without knowing how it happened, he -found the countess in his arms: her lips were resting upon his, and -their warm mutual kisses were yielding them that blessedness which -mortals sip from the topmost sparkling foam on the freshly poured cup of -love. - -Her head lay on his shoulder: the disordered ringlets and ruffles were -forgotten. She had thrown her arm round him: he clasped her with -vivacity, and pressed her again and again to his breast. Oh that such a -moment could but last forever! And woe to envious Fate that shortened -even this brief moment to our friends! - -How terrified was Wilhelm, how astounded did he start from his happy -dream, when the countess, with a shriek, on a sudden tore herself away, -and hastily pressed her hand against her heart. - -He stood confounded before her: she held the other hand upon her eyes, -and, after a moment's pause, exclaimed, "Away! leave me! delay not!" - -He continued standing. - -"Leave me!" she cried; and, taking off her hand from her eyes, she -looked at him with an indescribable expression of countenance, and -added, in the most tender and affecting voice, "Flee, if you love me." - -Wilhelm was out of the chamber, and again in his room, before he knew -what he was doing. - -Unhappy creatures! What singular warning of chance or of destiny tore -them asunder? - - - - -BOOK IV. - -CHAPTER I. - - -Laertes was standing at the window in a thoughtful mood, resting on his -arm, and looking out into the fields. Philina came gliding towards him, -across the large hall: she leaned upon him, and began to mock him for -his serious looks. - -"Do not laugh," replied he: "it is frightful to think how time goes on, -how all things change and have an end. See here! A little while ago -there was a stately camp: how pleasantly the tents looked! what restless -life and motion was within them! how carefully they watched the whole -enclosure! And, behold, it is all vanished in a day! For a short while, -that trampled straw, those holes which the cooks have dug, will show a -trace of what was here; and soon the whole will be ploughed and reaped -as formerly, and the presence of so many thousand gallant fellows in -this quarter will but glimmer in the memories of one or two old men." - -Philina began to sing, and dragged forth her friend to dance with her in -the hall. "Since Time is not a person we can overtake when he is past," -cried she, "let us honor him with mirth and cheerfulness of heart while -he is passing." - -They had scarcely made a step or two, when Frau Melina came walking -through the hall. Philina was wicked enough to invite her to join them -in the dance, and thus to bring her in mind of the shape to which her -pregnancy had reduced her. - -"That I might never more see a woman _in an interesting situation_!" -said Philina, when her back was turned. - -"Yet she feels an _interest_ in it," said Laertes. - -"But she manages so shockingly. Didst thou notice that wabbling fold of -her shortened petticoat, which always travels out before her when she -moves? She has not the smallest knack or skill to trim herself a little, -and conceal her state." - -"Let her be," said Laertes. "Time will soon come to her aid." - -"It were prettier, however," cried Philina, "if we could shake children -from the trees." - -The baron entered, and spoke some kind words to them, adding a few -presents, in the name of the count and the countess, who had left the -place very early in the morning. He then went to Wilhelm, who was busy -in the side-chamber with Mignon. She had been extremely affectionate and -taking; had asked minutely about Wilhelm's parents, brothers, sisters, -and relations; and so brought to his mind the duty he owed his people, -to send them some tidings of himself. - -With the farewell compliments of the family, the baron delivered him an -assurance from the count, that his lordship had been exceedingly obliged -by his acting, his poetical labors, and theatrical exertions. For proof -of this statement, the baron then drew forth a purse, through whose -beautiful texture the bright glance of new gold coin was sparkling out. -Wilhelm drew back, refusing to accept of it. - -"Look upon this gift," said the baron, "as a compensation for your time, -as an acknowledgment of your trouble, not as the reward of your talents. -If genius procures us a good name and good will from men, it is fair -likewise, that, by our diligence and efforts, we should earn the means -to satisfy our wants; since, after all, we are not wholly spirit. Had we -been in town, where every thing is to be got, we should have changed -this little sum into a watch, a ring, or something of that sort; but, as -it is, I must place the magic rod in your own hands; procure a trinket -with it, such as may please you best and be of greatest use, and keep it -for our sakes. At the same time, you must not forget to hold the purse -in honor. It was knit by the fingers of our ladies: they meant that the -cover should give to its contents the most pleasing form." - -"Forgive my embarrassment," said Wilhelm, "and my doubts about accepting -this present. It, as it were, annihilates the little I have done, and -hinders the free play of happy recollection. Money is a fine thing, when -any matter is to be completely settled and abolished: I feel unwilling -to be so entirely abolished from the recollection of your house." - -"That is not the case," replied the baron; "but, feeling so tenderly -yourself, you could not wish that the count should be obliged to -consider himself wholly your debtor, especially when I assure you that -his lordship's highest ambition has always consisted in being punctual -and just. He is not uninformed of the labor you have undergone, or of -the zeal with which you have devoted all your time to execute his views; -nay, he is aware, that, to quicken certain operations, you have even -expended money of your own. With what face shall I appear before him, -then, if I cannot say that his acknowledgment has given you -satisfaction?" - -"If I thought only of myself," said Wilhelm, "if I might follow merely -the dictates of my own feelings, I should certainly, in spite of all -these reasons, steadfastly refuse this gift, generous and honorable as -it is; but I will not deny, that, at the very moment when it brings me -into one perplexity, it frees me from another, into which I have lately -fallen with regard to my relations, and which has in secret caused me -much uneasiness. My management, not only of the time, but also of the -money, for which I have to give account, has not been the best; and now, -by the kindness of his lordship, I shall be enabled, with confidence, to -give my people news of the good fortune to which this curious by-path -has led me. I therefore sacrifice those feelings of delicacy, which, -like a tender conscience, admonish us on such occasions, to a higher -duty; and, that I may appear courageously before my father, I must -consent to stand ashamed before you." - -"It is singular," replied the baron, "to see what a world of hesitation -people feel about accepting money from their friends and patrons, though -ready to receive any other gift with joy and thankfulness. Human nature -manifests some other such peculiarities, by which many scruples of a -similar kind are produced and carefully cherished." - -"Is it not the same with all points of honor?" said our friend. - -"It is so," replied the baron, "and with several other prejudices. We -must not root them out, lest in doing so we tear up noble plants along -with them. Yet I am always glad when I meet with men that feel superior -to such objections, when the case requires it; and I recall with -pleasure the story of that ingenious poet who had written several plays -for the court-theatre, which met with the monarch's warmest approbation. -'I must give him a distinguished recompense,' said the generous prince: -'ask him whether he would choose to have some jewel given him, or if he -would disdain to accept a sum of money.' In his humorous way, the poet -answered the inquiring courtier, 'I am thankful, with all my heart, for -these gracious purposes; and, as the emperor is daily taking money from -us, I see not wherefore I should feel ashamed of taking some from him.'" - -Scarcely had the baron left the room, when Wilhelm eagerly began to -count the cash, which had come to him so unexpectedly, and, as he -thought, so undeservedly. It seemed as if the worth and dignity of gold, -not usually felt till later years, had now, by anticipation, twinkled in -his eyes for the first time, as the fine, glancing coins rolled out from -the beautiful purse. He reckoned up, and found, that, particularly as -Melina had engaged immediately to pay the loan, he had now as much or -more on the right side of his account as on that day when Philina first -asked him for the nosegay. With a little secret satisfaction, he looked -upon his talents; with a little pride, upon the fortune which had led -and attended him. He now seized the pen, with an assured mind, to write -a letter which might free his family from their anxieties, and set his -late proceedings in the most favorable light. He abstained from any -special narrative, and only by significant and mysterious hints left -them room for guessing at what had befallen him. The good condition of -his cash-book, the advantage he had earned by his talents, the favor of -the great and of the fair, acquaintance with a wider circle, the -improvement of his bodily and mental gifts, his hopes from the future, -altogether formed such a fair cloud-picture, that Fata Morgana itself -could scarcely have thrown together a stranger or a better. - -In this happy exaltation, the letter being folded up, he went on to -maintain a conversation with himself, recapitulating what he had been -writing, and pointing out for himself an active and glorious future. The -example of so many gallant warriors had fired him; the poetry of -Shakspeare had opened a new world to him; from the lips of the beautiful -countess he had inhaled an inexpressible inspiration. All this could not -and would not be without effect. - -The _Stallmeister_ came to inquire whether they were ready with their -packing. Alas! with the single exception of Melina, no one of them had -thought of it. Now, however, they were speedily to be in motion. The -count had engaged to have the whole party conveyed forward a few days' -journey on their way: the horses were now in readiness, and could not -long be wanted. Wilhelm asked for his trunk: Frau Melina had taken it to -put her own things in. He asked for money: Herr Melina had stowed it -all far down at the bottom of his box. Philina said she had still some -room in hers: she took Wilhelm's clothes, and bade Mignon bring the -rest. Wilhelm, not without reluctance, was obliged to let it be so. - -While they were loading, and getting all things ready, Melina said, "I -am sorry we should travel like mountebanks and rope-dancers. I could -wish that Mignon would put on girl's clothes, and that the harper would -let his beard be shorn." Mignon clung firmly to Wilhelm, and cried, with -great vivacity, "I am a boy--I will be no girl!" The old man held his -peace; and Philina, on this suggestion, made some merry observations on -the singularity of their protector, the count. "If the harper should cut -off his beard," said she, "let him sew it carefully upon a ribbon, and -keep it by him, that he may put it on again whenever his lordship the -count falls in with him in any quarter of the world. It was this beard -alone that procured him the favor of his lordship." - -On being pressed to give an explanation of this singular speech, Philina -said to them, "The count thinks it contributes very much to the -completeness of theatrical illusion if the actor continues to play his -part, and to sustain his character, even in common life. It was for this -reason that he showed such favor to the Pedant: and he judged it, in -like manner, very fitting that the harper not only wore his false beard -at nights on the stage, but also constantly by day; and he used to be -delighted at the natural appearance of the mask." - -While the rest were laughing at this error, and the other strange -opinions of the count, the harper led our friend aside, took leave of -him, and begged, with tears, that he would even now let him go. Wilhelm -spoke to him, declaring that he would protect him against all the world; -that no one should touch a hair of his head, much less send him off -against his will. - -The old man seemed affected deeply: an unwonted fire was glowing in his -eyes. "It is not that," cried he, "which drives me away. I have long -been reproaching myself in secret for staying with you. I ought to -linger nowhere; for misfortune flies to overtake me, and injures all -that are connected with me. Dread every thing, unless you dismiss me; -but ask me no questions. I belong not to myself. I cannot stay." - -"To whom dost thou belong? Who can exert such a power on thee?" - -"Leave me my horrid secret, and let me go! The vengeance which pursues -me is not of the earthly judge. I belong to an inexorable destiny. I -cannot stay, and I dare not." - -"In the situation I see thee in, I shall certainly not let thee go." - -"It were high treason against you, my benefactor, if I should delay. I -am secure while with you, but you are in peril. You know not whom you -keep beside you. I am guilty, but more wretched than guilty. My presence -scares happiness away, and good deeds grow powerless when I become -concerned in them. Fugitive, unresting I should be, that my evil genius -might not seize me, which pursues but at a distance, and only appears -when I have found a place, and am laying down my head to seek repose. -More grateful I cannot show myself than by forsaking you." - -"Strange man! Thou canst neither take away the confidence I place in -thee, nor the hope I feel to see thee happy. I wish not to penetrate the -secrets of thy superstition; but if thou livest in belief of wonderful -forebodings, and entanglements of fate, then, to cheer and hearten thee, -I say, unite thyself to my good fortune, and let us see which genius is -the stronger, thy dark or my bright one." - -Wilhelm seized this opportunity of suggesting to him many other -comfortable things; for of late our friend had begun to imagine that -this singular attendant of his must be a man, who, by chance or destiny, -had been led into some weighty crime, the remembrance of which he was -ever bearing on his conscience. - -A few days ago Wilhelm, listening to his singing, had observed -attentively the following lines:-- - - "For him the light of ruddy morn - But paints the horizon red with flame; - And voices, from the depths of nature borne, - Woe! woe! upon his guilty head proclaim." - -But, let the old man urge what arguments he pleased, our friend had -constantly a stronger argument at hand. He turned every thing on its -fairest side; spoke so bravely, heartily, and cheerily, that even the -old man seemed again to gather spirits, and to throw aside his whims. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Melina was in hopes to get established, with his company, in a small but -thriving town at some distance. They had already reached the place where -the count's horses were to turn, and now they looked about for other -carriages and cattle to transport them onward. Melina had engaged to -provide them a conveyance: he showed himself but niggardly, according to -his custom. Wilhelm, on the contrary, had the shining ducats of the -countess in his pocket, and thought he had the fullest right to spend -them merrily; forgetting very soon how ostentatiously he had produced -them in the stately balance transmitted to his father. - -His friend Shakspeare, whom with the greatest joy he acknowledged as his -godfather, and rejoiced the more that his name was Wilhelm, had -introduced him to a prince, who frolicked for a time among mean, nay, -vicious companions, and who, notwithstanding his nobleness of nature, -found pleasure in the rudeness, indecency, and coarse intemperance of -these altogether sensual knaves. This ideal likeness, which he figured -as the type and the excuse of his own actual condition, was most welcome -to our friend; and the process of self-deception, to which already he -displayed an almost invincible tendency, was thereby very much -facilitated. - -He now began to think about his dress. It struck him that a waistcoat, -over which, in case of need, one could throw a little short mantle, was -a very fit thing for a traveller. Long knit pantaloons, and a pair of -lacing-boots, seemed the true garb of a pedestrian. He next procured a -fine silk sash, which he tied about him, under the pretence at first of -securing warmth for his person. On the other hand, he freed his neck -from the tyranny of stocks, and got a few stripes of muslin sewed upon -his shirt; making the pieces of considerable breadth, so that they -presented the complete appearance of an ancient ruff. The beautiful silk -neckerchief, the memorial of Mariana, which had once been saved from -burning, now lay slackly tied beneath this muslin collar. A round hat, -with a party-colored band, and a large feather, perfected the mask. - -The women all asserted that this garb became him very well. Philina in -particular appeared enchanted with it. She solicited his hair for -herself,--beautiful locks, which, the closer to approach the natural -ideal, he had unmercifully clipped. By so doing she recommended herself -not amiss to his favor; and our friend, who by his open-handedness had -acquired the right of treating his companions somewhat in Prince Harry's -manner, erelong fell into the humor of himself contriving a few wild -tricks, and presiding in the execution of them. The people fenced, they -danced, they devised all kinds of sports, and, in their gayety of heart, -partook of what tolerable wine they could fall in with in copious -proportions; while, amid the disorder of this tumultuous life, Philina -lay in wait for the coy hero,--over whom let his better genius keep -watch! - -One chief diversion, which yielded the company a frequent and very -pleasing entertainment, consisted in producing an extempore play, in -which their late benefactors and patrons were mimicked, and turned into -ridicule. Some of our actors had seized very neatly whatever was -peculiar in the outward manner of several distinguished people in the -count's establishment; their imitation of these was received by the rest -of the party with the greatest approbation: and when Philina produced, -from the secret archives of her experience, certain peculiar -declarations of love that had been made to her, the audience were like -to die with laughing and malicious joy. - -Wilhelm censured their ingratitude; but they told him in reply that -these gentry well deserved what they were getting, their general conduct -toward such deserving people, a sour friends believed themselves, not -having been by any means the best imaginable. The little consideration, -the neglect they had experienced, were now described with many -aggravations. The jesting, bantering, and mimicry proceeded as before: -our party were growing bitterer and more unjust every minute. - -"I wish," observed Wilhelm, "there were no envy or selfishness lurking -under what you say, but that you would regard those persons and their -station in the proper point of view. It is a peculiar thing to be -placed, by one's very birth, in an elevated situation in society. The -man for whom inherited wealth has secured a perfect freedom of -existence; who finds himself from his youth upwards abundantly -encompassed with all the secondary essentials, so to speak, of human -life,--will generally become accustomed to consider these qualifications -as the first and greatest of all; while the worth of that mode of human -life, which nature from her own stores equips and furnishes, will strike -him much more faintly. The behavior of noblemen to their inferiors, and -likewise to each other, is regulated by external preferences. They give -each credit for his title, his rank, his clothes, and equipage; but his -individual merits come not into play." - -This speech was honored with the company's unbounded applause. They -declared it to be shameful, that men of merit should constantly be -pushed into the background; and that, in the great world, there should -not be a trace of natural and hearty intercourse. On this latter point -particularly they overshot all bounds. - -"Blame them not for it," said Wilhelm, "rather pity them! They have -seldom an exalted feeling of that happiness which we admit to be the -highest that can flow from the inward abundance of nature. Only to us -poor creatures is it granted to enjoy the happiness of friendship in its -richest fulness. Those dear to us we cannot elevate by our countenance, -or advance by our favor, or make happy by our presents. We have nothing -but ourselves. This whole self we must give away; and, if it is to be of -any value, we must make our friend secure of it forever. What an -enjoyment, what a happiness, for giver and receiver! With what -blessedness does truth of affection invest our situation! It gives to -the transitory life of man a heavenly certainty: it forms the crown and -capital of all that we possess." - -While he spoke thus, Mignon had come near him: she threw her little arms -round him, and stood with her cheek resting on his breast. He laid his -hand on the child's head, and proceeded, "It is easy for a great man to -win our minds to him, easy to make our hearts his own. A mild and -pleasant manner, a manner only not inhuman, will of itself do -wonders,--and how many means does he possess of holding fast the -affections he has once conquered? To us, all this occurs less -frequently; to us it is all more difficult; and we naturally, therefore, -put a greater value on whatever, in the way of mutual kindness, we -acquire and accomplish. What touching examples of faithful servants -giving themselves up to danger and death for their masters? How finely -has Shakspeare painted out such things to us! Fidelity, in this case, is -the effort of a noble soul, struggling to become equal with one exalted -above it. By steadfast attachment and love, the servant is made equal to -his lord, who, but for this, is justified in looking on him as a hired -slave. Yes, these virtues belong to the lower class of men alone: that -class cannot do without them, and with them it has a beauty of its own. -Whoever is enabled to requite all favors easily will likewise easily be -tempted to raise himself above the habit of acknowledgment. Nay, in this -sense, I am of opinion it might almost be maintained, that a great man -may possess friends, but cannot be one." - -Mignon clung more and more closely to him. - -"It may be so," replied one of the party: "we do not need their -friendship, and do not ask it. But it were well if they understood a -little more about the arts, which they affect to patronize. When we -played in the best style, there was none to mind us: it was all sheer -partiality. Any one they chose to favor, pleased; and they did not -choose to favor those that merited to please. It was intolerable to -observe how often silliness and mere stupidity attracted notice and -applause." - -"When I abate from this," said Wilhelm, "what seemed to spring from -irony and malice, I think we may nearly say, that one fares in art as he -does in love. And, after all, how shall a fashionable man of the world, -with his dissipated habits, attain that intimate presence with a special -object, which an artist must long continue in, if he would produce any -thing approaching to perfection,--a state of feeling without which it is -impossible for any one to take such an interest, as the artist hopes and -wishes, in his work? - -"Believe me, my friends, it is with talents as with virtue; one must -love them for their own sake, or entirely renounce them. And neither of -them is acknowledged and rewarded, except when their possessor can -practise them unseen, like a dangerous secret." - -"Meanwhile, until some proper judge discovers us, we may all die of -hunger," cried a fellow in the corner. - -"Not quite inevitably," answered Wilhelm. "I have observed, that, so -long as one stirs and lives, one always finds food and raiment, though -they be not of the richest sort. And why should we repine? Were we not, -altogether unexpectedly, and when our prospects were the very worst, -taken kindly by the hand, and substantially entertained? And now, when -we are in want of nothing, does it once occur to us to attempt any thing -for our improvement, or to strive, though never so faintly, towards -advancement in our art? We are busied about indifferent matters; and, -like school-boys, we are casting all aside that might bring our lesson -to our thoughts." - -"In sad truth," said Philina, "it is even so! Let us choose a play: we -will go through it on the spot. Each of us must do his best, as if he -stood before the largest audience." - -They did not long deliberate: a play was fixed on. It was one of those -which at that time were meeting great applause in Germany, and have now -passed away. Some of the party whistled a symphony; each speedily -bethought him of his part; they commenced, and acted the entire play -with the greatest attention, and really well beyond expectation. Mutual -applauses circulated: our friends had seldom been so pleasantly -diverted. - -On finishing, they all felt exceedingly contented, partly on account of -their time being spent so well, partly because each of them experienced -some degree of satisfaction with his own performance. Wilhelm expressed -himself copiously in their praise: the conversation grew cheerful and -merry. - -"You would see," cried our friend, "what advances we should make, if we -continued this sort of training, and ceased to confine our attention to -mere learning by heart, rehearsing and playing mechanically, as if it -were a barren duty, or some handicraft employment. How different a -character do our musical professors merit! What interest they take in -their art! how correct are they in the practisings they undertake in -common! What pains they are at in tuning their instruments; how exactly -they observe time; how delicately they express the strength and the -weakness of their tones! No one there thinks of gaining credit to -himself by a loud accompaniment of the solo of another. Each tries to -play in the spirit of the composer, each to express well whatever is -committed to him, be it much or little. - -"Should not we, too, go as strictly and as ingeniously to work, seeing -we practise an art far more delicate than that of music,--seeing we are -called on to express the commonest and the strangest emotions of human -nature, with elegance, and so as to delight? Can any thing be more -shocking than to slur over our rehearsal, and in our acting to depend on -good luck, or the capricious choice of the moment? We ought to place our -highest happiness and satisfaction in mutually desiring to gain each -other's approbation: we should even value the applauses of the public -only in so far as we have previously sanctioned them among ourselves. -Why is the master of the band more secure about his music than the -manager about his play? Because, in the orchestra, each individual would -feel ashamed of his mistakes, which offend the outward ear; but how -seldom have I found an actor disposed to acknowledge or feel ashamed of -mistakes, pardonable or the contrary, by which the inward ear is so -outrageously offended! I could wish, for my part, that our theatre were -as narrow as the wire of a rope-dancer, that so no inept fellow might -dare to venture on it, instead of being, as it is, a place where every -one discovers in himself capacity enough to flourish and parade." - -The company gave this apostrophe a kind reception; each being convinced -that the censure conveyed in it could not apply to him, after acting a -little while ago so excellently with the rest. On the other hand, it was -agreed, that during this journey, and for the future if they remained -together, they would regularly proceed with their training in the manner -just adopted. Only it was thought, that, as this was a thing of good -humor and free will, no formal manager must be allowed to have a hand in -it. Taking it for an established fact, that, among good men, the -republican form of government is the best, they declared that the post -of manager should go round among them: he must be chosen by universal -suffrage, and every time have a sort of little senate joined in -authority along with him. So delighted did they feel with this idea, -that they longed to put it instantly in practice. - -"I have no objection," said Melina, "if you incline making such an -experiment while we are travelling: I shall willingly suspend my own -directorship until we reach some settled place." He was in hopes of -saving cash by this arrangement, and of casting many small expenses on -the shoulders of the little senate or of the interim manager. This -fixed, they went very earnestly to counsel how the form of the new -commonwealth might best be adjusted. - -"'Tis an itinerating kingdom," said Laertes: "we shall at least have no -quarrels about frontiers." - -They directly proceeded to the business, and elected Wilhelm as their -first manager. The senate also was appointed, the women having seat and -vote in it: laws were propounded, were rejected, were agreed to. In such -playing, the time passed on unnoticed; and, as our friends had spent it -pleasantly, they also conceived that they had really been effecting -something useful, and, by their new constitution, had been opening a new -prospect for the stage of their native country. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -Seeing the company so favorably disposed, Wilhelm now hoped he might -further have it in his power to converse with them on the poetic merit -of the plays which might come before them. "It is not enough," said he -next day, when they were all again assembled, "for the actor merely to -glance over a dramatic work, to judge of it by his first impression, and -thus, without investigation, to declare his satisfaction or -dissatisfaction with it. Such things may be allowed in a spectator, -whose purpose it is rather to be entertained and moved than formally to -criticise. But the actor, on the other hand, should be prepared to give -a reason for his praise or censure; and how shall he do this, if he have -not taught himself to penetrate the sense, the views, and feelings of -his author? A common error is, to form a judgment of a drama from a -single part in it, and to look upon this part itself in an isolated -point of view, not in its connection with the whole. I have noticed this -within a few days, so clearly in my own conduct, that I will give you -the account as an example, if you please to hear me patiently. - -"You all know Shakspeare's incomparable 'Hamlet:' our public reading of -it at the castle yielded every one of us the greatest satisfaction. On -that occasion we proposed to act the play; and I, not knowing what I -undertook, engaged to play the prince's part. This I conceived that I -was studying, while I began to get by heart the strongest passages, the -soliloquies, and those scenes in which force of soul, vehemence and -elevation of feeling, have the freest scope; where the agitated heart is -allowed to display itself with touching expressiveness. - -"I further conceived that I was penetrating quite into the spirit of the -character, while I endeavored, as it were, to take upon myself the load -of deep melancholy under which my prototype was laboring, and in this -humor to pursue him through the strange labyrinths of his caprices and -his singularities. Thus learning, thus practising, I doubted not but I -should by and by become one person with my hero. - -"But, the farther I advanced, the more difficult did it become for me to -form any image of the whole, in its general bearings; till at last it -seemed as if impossible. I next went through the entire piece, without -interruption; but here, too, I found much that I could not away with. At -one time the characters, at another time the manner of displaying them, -seemed inconsistent; and I almost despaired of finding any general tint, -in which I might present my whole part with all its shadings and -variations. In such devious paths I toiled, and wandered long in vain; -till at length a hope arose that I might reach my aim in quite a new -way. - -"I set about investigating every trace of Hamlet's character, as it had -shown itself before his father's death: I endeavored to distinguish what -in it was independent of this mournful event, independent of the -terrible events that followed; and what most probably the young man -would have been, had no such thing occurred. - -"Soft, and from a noble stem, this royal flower had sprung up under the -immediate influences of majesty: the idea of moral rectitude with that -of princely elevation, the feeling of the good and dignified with the -consciousness of high birth, had in him been unfolded simultaneously. He -was a prince, by birth a prince; and he wished to reign, only that good -men might be good without obstruction. Pleasing in form, polished by -nature, courteous from the heart, he was meant to be the pattern of -youth and the joy of the world. - -"Without any prominent passion, his love for Ophelia was a still -presentiment of sweet wants. His zeal in knightly accomplishments was -not entirely his own: it needed to be quickened and inflamed by praise -bestowed on others for excelling in them. Pure in sentiment, he knew the -honorable-minded, and could prize the rest which an upright spirit -tastes on the bosom of a friend. To a certain degree, he had learned to -discern and value the good and the beautiful in arts and sciences; the -mean, the vulgar, was offensive to him; and, if hatred could take root -in his tender soul, it was only so far as to make him properly despise -the false and changeful insects of a court, and play with them in easy -scorn. He was calm in his temper, artless in his conduct, neither -pleased with idleness, nor too violently eager for employment. The -routine of a university he seemed to continue when at court. He -possessed more mirth of humor than of heart: he was a good companion, -pliant, courteous, discreet, and able to forget and forgive an injury, -yet never able to unite himself with those who overstepped the limits of -the right, the good, and the becoming. - -"When we read the piece again, you shall judge whether I am yet on the -proper track. I hope at least to bring forward passages that shall -support my opinion in its main points." - -This delineation was received with warm approval; the company imagined -they foresaw that Hamlet's manner of proceeding might now be very -satisfactorily explained; they applauded this method of penetrating into -the spirit of a writer. Each of them proposed to himself to take up some -piece, and study it on these principles, and so unfold the author's -meaning. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -Our friends had to continue in the place for a day or two, and it was -not long ere sundry of them got engaged in adventures of a rather -pleasant kind. Laertes in particular was challenged by a lady of the -neighborhood, a person of some property; but he received her -blandishments with extreme, nay, unhandsome, coldness, and had in -consequence to undergo a multitude of jibes from Philina. She took this -opportunity of detailing to our friend the hapless love-story which had -made the youth so bitter a foe to womankind. "Who can take it ill of -him," she cried, "that he hates a sex which has played him so foul, and -given him to swallow, in one stoutly concentrated potion, all the -miseries that man can fear from woman? Do but conceive it: within four -and twenty hours, he was lover, bridegroom, husband, cuckold, patient, -and widower! I wot not how you could use a man worse." - -Laertes hastened from the room half vexed, half laughing; and Philina in -her sprightliest style began to relate the story: how Laertes, a young -man of eighteen, on joining a company of actors, found in it a girl of -fourteen on the point of departing with her father, who had quarrelled -with the manager. How, on the instant, he had fallen mortally in love; -had conjured the father by all possible considerations to remain, -promising at length to marry the young woman. How, after a few pleasing -hours of groomship, he had accordingly been wedded, and been happy as he -ought; whereupon, next day, while he was occupied at the rehearsal, his -wife, according to professional rule, had honored him with a pair of -horns; and how as he, out of excessive tenderness, hastening home far -too soon, had, alas! found a former lover in his place, he had struck -into the affair with thoughtless indignation, had called out both father -and lover, and sustained a grievous wound in the duel. How father and -daughter had thereupon set off by night, leaving him behind to labor -with a double hurt. How the leech he applied to was unhappily the worst -in nature, and the poor fellow had got out of the adventure with -blackened teeth and watering eyes. That he was greatly to be pitied, -being otherwise the bravest young man on the surface of the earth. -"Especially," said she, "it grieves me that the poor soul now hates -women; for, hating women, how can one keep living?" - -Melina interrupted them with news, that, all things being now ready for -the journey, they would set out to-morrow morning. He handed them a -plan, arranging how they were to travel. - -"If any good friend take me on his lap," said Philina, "I shall be -content, though we sit crammed together never so close and sorrily: 'tis -all one to me." - -"It does not signify," observed Laertes, who now entered. - -"It is pitiful," said Wilhelm, hastening away. By the aid of money, he -secured another very comfortable coach; though Melina had pretended that -there were no more. A new distribution then took place; and our friends -were rejoicing in the thought that they should now travel pleasantly, -when intelligence arrived that a party of military volunteers had been -seen upon the road, from whom little good could be expected. - -In the town these tidings were received with great attention, though -they were but variable and ambiguous. As the contending armies were at -that time placed, it seemed impossible that any hostile corps could have -advanced, or any friendly one hung a-rear, so far. Yet every man was -eager to exhibit to our travellers the danger that awaited them as truly -dangerous: every man was eager to suggest that some other route might be -adopted. - -By these means, most of our friends had been seized with anxiety and -fear; and when, according to the new republican constitution, the whole -members of the state had been called together to take counsel on this -extraordinary case, they were almost unanimously of opinion that it -would be proper either to keep back the mischief by abiding where they -were, or to evade it by choosing another road. - -Wilhelm alone, not participating in the panic, regarded it as mean to -abandon, for the sake of mere rumors, a plan they had not entered on -without much thought. He endeavored to put heart into them: his reasons -were manly and convincing. - -"It is but a rumor," he observed; "and how many such arise in time of -war! Well-informed people say that the occurrence is exceedingly -improbable, nay, almost impossible. Shall we, in so important a matter, -allow a vague report to determine our proceedings? The route pointed out -to us by the count, and to which our passport was adapted, is the -shortest and in the best condition. It leads us to the town, where you -see acquaintances, friends, before you, and may hope for a good -reception. The other way will also bring us thither; but by what a -circuit, and along what miserable roads! Have we any right to hope, -that, in this late season of the year, we shall get on at all? and what -time and money shall we squander in the mean while!" He added many more -considerations, presenting the matter on so many advantageous sides, -that their fear began to dissipate, and their courage to increase. He -talked to them so much about the discipline of regular troops, he -painted the marauders and wandering rabble so contemptuously, and -represented the danger itself as so pleasant and inspiring, that the -spirits of the party were altogether cheered. - -Laertes from the first had been of his opinion: he now declared that he -would not flinch or fail. Old Boisterous found a consenting phrase or -two to utter, in his own vein; Philina laughed at them all; and Madam -Melina, who, notwithstanding her advanced state of pregnancy, had lost -nothing of her natural stout-heartedness, regarded the proposal as -heroic. Herr Melina, moved by this harmonious feeling, hoping also to -save somewhat by travelling the short road which had been first -contemplated, did not withstand the general consent; and the project was -agreed to with universal alacrity. - -They next began to make some preparations for defence at all hazards. -They bought large hangers, and slung them in well-quilted straps over -their shoulders. Wilhelm further stuck a pair of pistols in his girdle. -Laertes, independently of this occurrence, had a good gun. They all took -the road in the highest glee. - -On the second day of their journey, the drivers, who knew the country -well, proposed to take their noon's rest in a certain woody spot of the -hills; since the town was far off, and in good weather the hill-road was -generally preferred. - -The day being beautiful, all easily agreed to the proposal. Wilhelm, on -foot, went on before them through the hills; making every one that met -him stare with astonishment at his singular figure. He hastened with -quick and contented steps across the forest; Laertes walked whistling -after him; none but the women continued to be dragged along in the -carriages. Mignon, too, ran forward by his side, proud of the hanger, -which, when the party were all arming, she would not go without. Around -her hat she had bound the pearl necklace, one of Mariana's relics, which -Wilhelm still possessed. Friedrich, the fair-haired boy, carried -Laertes's gun. The harper had the most pacific look; his long cloak was -tucked up within his girdle, to let him walk more freely; he leaned upon -a knotty staff; his harp had been left behind him in the carriage. - -Immediately on reaching the summit of the height, a task not without its -difficulties, our party recognized the appointed spot, by the fine -beech-trees which encircled and screened it. A spacious green, sloping -softly in the middle of the forest, invited one to tarry; a trimly -bordered well offered the most grateful refreshment; and on the farther -side, through chasms in the mountains, and over the tops of the woods, -appeared a landscape distant, lovely, full of hope. Hamlets and mills -were lying in the bottoms, villages upon the plain: and a new chain of -mountains, visible in the distance, made the prospect still more -significant of hope; for they entered only like a soft limitation. - -The first comers took possession of the place, rested a while in the -shade, lighted a fire, and so awaited, singing as they worked, the -remainder of the party, who by degrees arrived, and with one accord -saluted the place, the lovely weather, and still lovelier scene. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -If our friends had frequently enjoyed a good and merry hour together -while within four walls, they were naturally much gayer here, where the -freedom of the sky and the beauty of the place seemed, as it were, to -purify the feelings of every one. All felt nearer to each other: all -wished that they might pass their whole lives in so pleasant an abode. -They envied hunters, charcoal-men, and wood-cutters,--people whom their -calling constantly retains in such happy places,--but prized, above all, -the delicious economy of a band of gypsies. They envied these wonderful -companions, entitled to enjoy in blissful idleness all the adventurous -charms of nature: they rejoiced at being in some degree like them. - -Meanwhile the women had begun to boil potatoes, and to unwrap and get -ready the victuals brought along with them. Some pots were standing by -the fire. The party had placed themselves in groups, under the trees and -bushes. Their singular apparel, their various weapons, gave them a -foreign aspect. The horses were eating their provender at a side. Could -one have concealed the coaches, the look of this little horde would have -been romantic, even to complete illusion. - -Wilhelm enjoyed a pleasure he had never felt before. He could now -imagine his present company to be a wandering colony, and himself the -leader of it. In this character he talked with those around him, and -figured out the fantasy of the moment as poetically as he could. The -feelings of the party rose in cheerfulness: they ate and drank and made -merry, and repeatedly declared that they had never passed more pleasant -moments. - -Their contentment had not long gone on increasing, till activity awoke -among the younger part of them. Wilhelm and Laertes seized their -rapiers, and began to practise on this occasion with theatrical -intentions. They undertook to represent the duel in which Hamlet and his -adversary find so tragical an end. Both were persuaded, that, in this -powerful scene, it was not enough merely to keep pushing awkwardly -hither and thither, as it is generally exhibited in theatres: they were -in hopes to show by example how, in presenting it, a worthy spectacle -might also be afforded to the critic in the art of fencing. The rest -made a circle round them. Both fought with skill and ardor. The interest -of the spectators rose higher every pass. - -But all at once, in the nearest bush, a shot went off, and immediately -another; and the party flew asunder in terror. Next moment armed men -were to be seen pressing forward to the spot where the horses were -eating their fodder, not far from the coaches that were packed with -luggage. - -A universal scream proceeded from the women: our heroes threw away their -rapiers, seized their pistols, and ran towards the robbers; demanding, -with violent threats, the meaning of such conduct. - -This question being answered laconically, with a couple of musket-shots, -Wilhelm fired his pistol at a crisp-headed knave, who had got upon the -top of the coach, and was cutting the cords of the package. Rightly hit, -this artist instantly came tumbling down; nor had Laertes missed. Both, -encouraged by success, drew their side-arms; when a number of the -plundering party rushed out upon them, with curses and loud bellowing, -fired a few shots at them, and fronted their impetuosity with glittering -sabres. Our young heroes made a bold resistance. They called upon their -other comrades, and endeavored to excite them to a general resistance. -But, erelong, Wilhelm lost the sight of day, and the consciousness of -what was passing. Stupefied by a shot that wounded him between the -breast and the left arm, by a stroke that split his hat in two, and -almost penetrated to his brain, he sank down, and only by the narratives -of others came afterwards to understand the luckless end of this -adventure. - -On again opening his eyes, he found himself in the strangest posture. -The first thing that pierced the dimness, which yet swam before his -vision, was Philina's face bent down over his. He felt weak, and, making -a movement to rise, discovered that he was in Philina's lap; into which, -indeed, he again sank down. She was sitting on the sward. She had softly -pressed towards her the head of the fallen young man, and made for him -an easy couch, as far as in her power. Mignon was kneeling with -dishevelled and bloody hair at his feet, which she embraced with many -tears. - -On noticing his bloody clothes, Wilhelm asked, in a broken voice, where -he was, and what had happened to him and the rest. Philina begged him to -be quiet: the others, she said, were all in safety, and none but he and -Laertes wounded. Further she would tell him nothing, but earnestly -entreated him to keep still, as his wounds had been but slightly and -hastily bound. He stretched out his hand to Mignon, and inquired about -the bloody locks of the child, who he supposed was also wounded. - -For the sake of quietness, Philina let him know that this true-hearted -creature, seeing her friend wounded, and in the hurry of the instant -being able to think of nothing which would stanch the blood, had taken -her own hair, that was flowing round her head, and tried to stop the -wounds with it, but had soon been obliged to give up the vain attempt; -that afterwards they had bound him with moss and dry mushrooms, Philina -giving up her neckerchief for that purpose. - -Wilhelm noticed that Philina was sitting with her back against her own -trunk, which still looked firmly locked and quite uninjured. He inquired -if the rest also had been so lucky as to save their goods. She answered -with a shrug of the shoulders, and a look over the green, where broken -chests, and coffers beaten into fragments, and knapsacks ripped up, and -a multitude of little wares, lay scattered all round. No person was to -be seen in the place, this strange group thus being alone in the -solitude. - -Inquiring further, our friend learned more and more particulars. The -rest of the men, it appeared, who, at all events, might still have made -resistance, were struck with terror, and soon overpowered. Some fled, -some looked with horror at the accident. The drivers, for the sake of -their cattle, had held out more obstinately; but they, too, were at last -thrown down and tied; after which, in a few minutes, every thing was -thoroughly ransacked, and the booty carried off. The hapless travellers, -their fear of death being over, had begun to mourn their loss; had -hastened with the greatest speed to the neighboring village, taking with -them Laertes, whose wounds were slight, and carrying off but a very few -fragments of their property. The harper, having placed his damaged -instrument against a tree, had proceeded in their company to the place, -to seek a surgeon, and return with his utmost rapidity to help his -benefactor, whom he had left apparently upon the brink of death. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -Meanwhile our three adventurers continued yet a space in their strange -position, no one returning to their aid. Evening was advancing: the -darkness threatened to come on. Philina's indifference was changing to -anxiety; Mignon ran to and fro, her impatience increasing every moment; -and at last, when their prayer was granted, and human creatures did -approach, a new alarm fell upon them. They distinctly heard a troop of -horses coming up the road they had lately travelled: they dreaded lest a -second time some company of unbidden guests might be purposing to visit -this scene of battle, and gather up the gleanings. - -The more agreeable was their surprise, when, after a few moments, a lady -issued from the thickets, riding on a gray courser, and accompanied by -an elderly gentleman and some cavaliers, followed by grooms, servants, -and a troop of hussars. - -Philina started at this phenomenon, and was about to call, and entreat -the fair Amazon for help, when the latter turned her astonished eyes on -the group, instantly checked her horse, rode up to them, and halted. She -inquired eagerly about the wounded man, whose posture in the lap of this -light-minded Samaritan seemed to strike her as peculiarly strange. - -"Is he your husband?" she inquired of Philina. "Only a friend," replied -the other, with a tone Wilhelm liked not at all. He had fixed his eyes -upon the soft, elevated, calm, sympathizing features of the stranger: he -thought he had never seen aught nobler or more lovely. Her shape he -could not see: it was hid by a man's white great-coat, which she seemed -to have borrowed from some of her attendants, to screen her from the -chill evening air. - -By this the horsemen also had come near. Some of them dismounted: the -lady did so likewise. She asked, with humane sympathy, concerning every -circumstance of the mishap which had befallen the travellers, but -especially concerning the wounds of the poor youth who lay before her. -Thereupon she turned quickly round, and went aside with the old -gentleman to some carriages, which were slowly coming up the hill, and -which at length stopped upon the scene of action. - -The young lady having stood with her conductor a short time at the door -of one of the coaches, and talked with the people in it, a man of a -squat figure stepped out, and came along with them to our wounded hero. -By the little box which he held in his hand, and the leathern pouch with -instruments in it, you soon recognized him for a surgeon. His manners -were rude rather than attractive; but his hand was light, and his help -welcome. - -Having examined strictly, he declared that none of the wounds were -dangerous. He would dress them, he said, on the spot; after which the -patient might be carried to the nearest village. - -The young lady's anxiety seemed to augment. "Do but look," she said, -after going to and fro once or twice, and again bringing the old -gentleman to the place: "look how they have treated him! And is it not -on our account that he is suffering?" Wilhelm heard these words, but did -not understand them. She went restlessly up and down: it seemed as if -she could not tear herself away from the presence of the wounded man; -while at the same time she feared to violate decorum by remaining, when -they had begun, though not without difficulty, to remove some part of -his apparel. The surgeon was just cutting off the left sleeve of his -patient's coat, when the old gentleman came near, and represented to the -lady, in a serious tone, the necessity of proceeding on their journey. -Wilhelm kept his eyes bent on her, and was so enchanted with her looks, -that he scarcely felt what he was suffering or doing. - -Philina, in the mean time, had risen to kiss the lady's hand. While they -stood beside each other, Wilhelm thought he had never seen such a -contrast. Philina had never till now appeared in so unfavorable a light. -She had no right, as it seemed to him, to come near that noble creature, -still less to touch her. - -The lady asked Philina various things, but in an under-tone. At length -she turned to the old gentleman, and said, "Dear uncle, may I be -generous at your expense?" She took off the great-coat, with the visible -intention to give it to the stripped and wounded youth. - -Wilhelm, whom the healing look of her eyes had hitherto held fixed, was -now, as the surtout fell away, astonished at her lovely figure. She came -near, and softly laid the coat above him. At this moment, as he tried to -open his mouth and stammer out some words of gratitude, the lively -impression of her presence worked so strongly on his senses, already -caught and bewildered, that all at once it appeared to him as if her -head were encircled with rays; and a glancing light seemed by degrees to -spread itself over all her form. At this moment the surgeon, making -preparations to extract the ball from his wound, gave him a sharper -twinge; the angel faded away from the eyes of the fainting patient; he -lost all consciousness; and, on returning to himself, the horsemen and -coaches, the fair one with her attendants, had vanished like a dream. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -Wilhelm's wounds once dressed, and his clothes put on, the surgeon -hastened off, just as the harper with a number of peasants arrived. Out -of some cut boughs, which they speedily wattled with twigs, a kind of -litter was constructed, upon which they placed the wounded youth, and -under the conduct of a mounted huntsman, whom the noble company had left -behind them, carried him softly down the mountain. The harper, silent, -and shrouded in his own thoughts, bore with him his broken instrument. -Some men brought on Philina's box, herself following with a bundle. -Mignon skipped along through copse and thicket, now before the party, -now beside them, and looked up with longing eyes at her hurt protector. - -He, meanwhile, wrapped in his warm surtout, was lying peacefully upon -the litter. An electric warmth seemed to flow from the fine wool into -his body: in short, he felt in the most delightful frame of mind. The -lovely being, whom this garment lately covered, had affected him to the -very heart. He still saw the coat falling down from her shoulders; saw -that noble form, begirt with radiance, stand beside him; and his soul -hied over rocks and forests on the footsteps of his vanished -benefactress. - -It was nightfall when the party reached the village, and halted at the -door of the inn where the rest of the company, in the gloom of -despondency, were bewailing their irreparable loss. The one little -chamber of the house was crammed with people. Some of them were lying -upon straw, some were occupying benches, some had squeezed themselves -behind the stove. Frau Melina, in a neighboring room, was painfully -expecting her delivery. Fright had accelerated this event. With the sole -assistance of the landlady, a young, inexperienced woman, nothing good -could be expected. - -As the party just arrived required admission, there arose a universal -murmur. All now maintained, that by Wilhelm's advice alone, and under -his especial guidance, they had entered on this dangerous road, and -exposed themselves to such misfortunes. They threw the blame of the -disaster wholly on him: they stuck themselves in the door, to oppose his -entrance; declaring that he must go elsewhere and seek quarters. Philina -they received with still greater indignation, nor did Mignon and the -harper escape their share. - -The huntsman, to whom the care of the forsaken party had been earnestly -and strictly recommended by his beautiful mistress, soon grew tired of -this discussion: he rushed upon the company with oaths and menaces; -commanding them to fall to the right and left, and make way for this new -arrival. They now began to pacify themselves. He made a place for -Wilhelm on a table, which he shoved into a corner: Philina had her box -put there, and then sat down upon it. All packed themselves as they best -could, and the huntsman went away to see if he could not find for "the -young couple" a more convenient lodging. - -Scarcely was he gone, when spite again grew noisy, and one reproach -began to follow close upon another. Each described and magnified his -loss, censuring the foolhardiness they had so keenly smarted for. They -did not even hide the malicious satisfaction they felt at Wilhelm's -wounds: they jeered Philina, and imputed to her as a crime the means by -which she had saved her trunk. From a multitude of jibes and bitter -innuendoes, you were required to conclude, that, during the plundering -and discomfiture, she had endeavored to work herself into favor with the -captain of the band, and had persuaded him, Heaven knew by what arts and -complaisance, to give her back the chest unhurt. To all this she -answered nothing, only clanked with the large padlocks of her box, to -impress her censurers completely with its presence, and by her own good -fortune to augment their desperation. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Though our friend was weak from loss of blood, and though, ever since -the appearance of that helpful angel, his feelings had been soft and -mild, yet at last he could not help getting vexed at the harsh and -unjust speeches which, as he continued silent, the discontented company -went on uttering against him. Feeling himself strong enough to sit up, -and expostulate on the annoyance they were causing to their friend and -leader, he raised his bandaged head, and propping himself with some -difficulty, and leaning against the wall, he began to speak as -follows:-- - -"Considering the pain your losses occasion, I forgive you for assailing -me with injuries at a moment when you should condole with me; for -opposing and casting me from you the first time I have needed to look to -you for help. The services I did you, the complaisance I showed you, I -regarded as sufficiently repaid by your thanks, by your friendly -conduct: do not warp my thoughts, do not force my heart to go back and -calculate what I have done for you; the calculation would be painful to -me. Chance brought me near you, circumstances and a secret inclination -kept me with you. I participated in your labors and your pleasures: my -slender abilities were ever at your service. If you now blame me with -bitterness for the mishap that has befallen us, you do not recollect -that the first project of taking this road came to us from stranger -people, was weighed by all of you, and sanctioned by every one as well -as by me. - -"Had our journey ended happily, each would have taken credit to himself -for the happy thought of suggesting this plan, and preferring it to -others; each would joyfully have put us in mind of our deliberations, -and of the vote he gave: but now you make me alone responsible; you -force a piece of blame upon me, which I would willingly submit to, if my -conscience, with a clear voice, did not pronounce me innocent, nay, if I -might not appeal with safety even to yourselves. If you have aught to -say against me, bring it forward in order, and I shall defend myself; if -you have nothing reasonable to allege, then be silent, and do not -torment me now, when I have such pressing need of rest." - -By way of answer, the girls once more began whimpering and whining, and -describing their losses circumstantially. Melina was quite beside -himself; for he had suffered more in purse than any of them,--more, -indeed, than we can rightly estimate. He stamped like a madman up and -down the little room, he knocked his head against the wall, he swore and -scolded in the most unseemly manner; and the landlady entering at this -very time with news that his wife had been delivered of a dead child, he -yielded to the most furious ebullitions; while, in accordance with him, -all howled and shrieked, and bellowed and uproared, with double vigor. - -Wilhelm, touched to the heart at the same time with sympathy for their -sorrows and with vexation at their mean way of thinking, felt all the -vigor of his soul awakened, notwithstanding the weakness of his body. -"Deplorable as your case may be," exclaimed he, "I shall almost be -compelled to despise you! No misfortune gives us right to load an -innocent man with reproaches. If I had share in this false step, am not -I suffering my share? I lie wounded here; and, if the company has come -to loss, I myself have come to most. The wardrobe of which we have been -robbed, the decorations that are gone, were mine; for you, Herr Melina, -have not yet paid me; and I here fully acquit you of all obligation in -that matter." - -"It is well to give what none of us will ever see again," replied -Melina. "Your money was lying in my wife's coffer, and it is your own -blame that you have lost it. But, ah! if that were all!" And thereupon -he began anew to stamp and scold and squeal. Every one recalled to -memory the superb clothes from the count's wardrobe; the buckles, -watches, snuff-boxes, hats, for which Melina had so happily transacted -with the head valet. Each, then, thought also of his own, though far -inferior, treasures. They looked with spleen at Philina's box, and gave -Wilhelm to understand that he had indeed done wisely to connect himself -with that fair personage, and to save his own goods also, under the -shadow of her fortune. - -"Do you think," he exclaimed at last, "that I shall keep any thing apart -while you are starving? And is this the first time I have honestly -shared with you in a season of need? Open the trunk: all that is mine -shall go to supply the common wants." - -"It is _my_ trunk," observed Philina, "and I will not open it till I -please. Your rag or two of clothes, which I have saved for you, could -amount to little, though they were sold to the most conscientious of -Jews. Think of yourself,--what your cure will cost, what may befall you -in a strange country." - -"You, Philina," answered Wilhelm, "will keep back from me nothing that -is mine; and that little will help us out of the first perplexity. But a -man possesses many things besides coined money to assist his friends -with. All that is in me shall be devoted to these hapless persons, who, -doubtless, on returning to their senses, will repent their present -conduct. Yes," continued he, "I feel that you have need of help; and, -what is mine to do, I will perform. Give me your confidence again; -compose yourselves for a moment, and accept of what I promise. Who will -receive the engagement of me in the name of all?" - -Here he stretched out his hand, and cried, "I promise not to flinch from -you, never to forsake you till each shall see his losses doubly and -trebly repaired; till the situation you are fallen into, by whose blame -soever, shall be totally forgotten by all of you, and changed with a -better." - -He kept his hand still stretched out, but no one would take hold of it. -"I promise it again," cried he, sinking back upon his pillow. All -continued silent: they felt ashamed, but nothing comforted: and Philina, -sitting on her chest, kept cracking nuts, a stock of which she had -discovered in her pocket. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -The huntsman now came back with several people, and made preparations -for carrying away the wounded youth. He had persuaded the parson of the -place to receive the "young couple" into his house; Philina's trunk was -taken out; she followed with a natural air of dignity. Mignon ran -before; and, when the patient reached the parsonage, a wide couch, which -had long been standing ready as guest's bed and bed of honor, was -assigned him. Here it was first discovered that his wound had opened, -and bled profusely. A new bandage was required for it. He fell into a -feverish state: Philina waited on him faithfully; and, when fatigue -overpowered her, she was relieved by the harper. Mignon, with the -firmest purpose to watch, had fallen asleep in a corner. - -Next morning Wilhelm, who felt himself in some degree refreshed, -learned, by inquiring of the huntsman, that the honorable persons who -last night assisted him so nobly, had shortly before left their estates, -in order to avoid the movements of the contending armies, and remain, -till the time of peace, in some more quiet district. He named the -elderly nobleman, as well as his niece, mentioned the place they were -first going to, and told how the young lady had charged him to take care -of Wilhelm. - -The entrance of the surgeon interrupted the warm expressions of -gratitude our friend was giving vent to. He made a circumstantial -description of the wounds, and certified that they would soon heal, if -the patient took care of them, and kept himself at peace. - -When the huntsman was gone, Philina signified that he had left with her -a purse of twenty _louis-d'or_; that he had given the parson a -remuneration for their lodging, and left with him money to defray the -surgeon's bill when the cure should be completed. She added, that she -herself passed everywhere for Wilhelm's wife; that she now begged leave -to introduce herself once for all to him in this capacity, and would not -allow him to look out for any other sick-nurse. - -"Philina," said Wilhelm, "in this disaster that has overtaken us, I am -already deeply in your debt, for kindness shown me; and I should not -wish to see my obligations increased. I am uneasy so long as you are -about me, for I know of nothing by which I can repay your labor. Give me -what things of mine you have saved in your trunk; join the rest of the -company; seek another lodging; take my thanks, and the gold watch as a -small acknowledgment: only leave me; your presence disturbs me more than -you can fancy." - -She laughed in his face when he had ended. "Thou art a fool," she said: -"thou wilt not gather wisdom. I know better what is good for thee: I -will stay, I will not budge from the spot. I have never counted on the -gratitude of men, and therefore not on thine; and, if I have a touch of -kindness for thee, what hast thou to do with it?" - -She staid accordingly, and soon wormed herself into favor with the -parson and his household; being always cheerful, having the knack of -giving little presents, and of talking to each in his own vein; at the -same time always contriving to do exactly what she pleased. Wilhelm's -state was not uncomfortable: the surgeon, an ignorant but not unskilful -man, let nature have sway; and the patient was soon on the road to -recovery. For such a consummation he vehemently longed, being eager to -pursue his plans and wishes. - -Incessantly he kept recalling that event, which had made an ineffaceable -impression on his heart. He saw the beautiful Amazon again come riding -out of the thickets: she approached him, dismounted, went to and fro, -and strove to serve him. He saw the garment she was wrapped in fall -down from her shoulders: he saw her countenance, her figure, vanish in -their radiance. All the dreams of his youth now fastened on this image. -Here he conceived he had at length beheld the noble, the heroic, -Clorinda with his own eyes; and again he bethought him of that royal -youth, to whose sick-bed the lovely, sympathizing princess came in her -modest meekness. - -"May it not be," said he often to himself in secret, "that, in youth as -in sleep, the images of coming things hover round us, and mysteriously -become visible to our unobstructed eyes? May not the seeds of what is to -betide us be already scattered by the hand of Fate? may not a foretaste -of the fruits we yet hope to gather possibly be given us?" - -His sick-bed gave him leisure to repeat those scenes in every mood. A -thousand times he called back the tone of that sweet voice: a thousand -times he envied Philina, who had kissed that helpful hand. Often the -whole incident appeared before him as a dream; and he would have -reckoned it a fiction, if the white surtout had not been left behind to -convince him that the vision had a real existence. - -With the greatest care for this piece of apparel, he combined the most -ardent wish to wear it. The first time he arose, he put it on, and was -kept in fear all day lest it might be hurt by some stain or other -injury. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -Laertes visited his friend. He had not been present during that lively -scene at the inn, being then confined to bed in an upper chamber. For -his loss he was already in a great degree consoled: he helped himself -with his customary, "What does it signify?" He detailed various -laughable particulars about the company; particularly charging Frau -Melina with lamenting the loss of her stillborn daughter, solely because -she herself could not on that account enjoy the Old-German satisfaction -of having a Mechthilde christened. As for her husband, it now appeared -that he had been possessed of abundant cash, and even at first had by no -means needed the advances which he had cajoled from Wilhelm. Melina's -present plan was, to set off by the next post-wagon, and he meant to -require of Wilhelm an introductory letter to his friend, Manager Serlo, -in whose company, the present undertaking having gone to wreck, he now -wished to establish himself. - -For some days Mignon had been singularly quiet: when pressed with -questions, she at length admitted that her right arm was out of joint. -"Thou hast thy own folly to thank for that," observed Philina, and then -told how the child had drawn her sword in the battle, and, seeing her -friend in peril, had struck fiercely at the freebooters, one of whom had -at length seized her by the arm, and pitched her to a side. They chid -her for not sooner speaking of her ailment; but they easily saw that she -was apprehensive of the surgeon, who had hitherto looked on her as a -boy. With a view to remove the mischief, she was made to keep her arm in -a sling, which arrangement, too, displeased her; for now she was obliged -to surrender most part of her share in the management and nursing of our -friend to Philina. That pleasing sinner but showed herself the more -active and attentive on this account. - -One morning, on awakening, Wilhelm found himself strangely near to her. -In the movements of sleep, he had hitched himself quite to the back of -the spacious bed. Philina was lying across from the front part of it: -she seemed to have fallen asleep on the bed while sitting there and -reading. A book had dropped from her hand: she had sunk back; and her -head was lying near his breast, over which her fair and now loosened -hair was spread in streams. The disorder of sleep enlivened her charms -more than art or purpose could have done: a childlike smiling rest -hovered on her countenance. He looked at her for a time, and seemed to -blame himself for the pleasure this gave him. He had viewed her -attentively for some moments, when she began to awake. He softly closed -his eyes, but could not help glimmering at her through his eyelashes, as -she trimmed herself again, and went away to see about breakfast. - -All the actors had at length successively announced themselves to -Wilhelm; asking introductory letters, requiring money for their journey -with more or less impatience and ill-breeding, and constantly receiving -it, against Philina's will. It was in vain for her to tell our friend -that the huntsman had already left a handsome sum with these people, and -that accordingly they did but cozen him. To these remonstrances he gave -no heed: on the contrary, the two had a sharp quarrel about it; which -ended by Wilhelm signifying, once for all, that Philina must now join -the rest of the company, and seek her fortune with Serlo. - -For an instant or two she lost temper; but, speedily recovering her -composure, she cried, "If I had but my fair-haired boy again, I should -not care a fig for any of you." She meant Friedrich, who had vanished -from the scene of battle, and never since appeared. - -Next morning Mignon brought news to the bedside, that Philina had gone -off by night; leaving all that belonged to Wilhelm very neatly laid out -in the next room. He felt her absence; he had lost in her a faithful -nurse, a cheerful companion; he was no longer used to be alone. But -Mignon soon filled up the blank. - -Ever since that light-minded beauty had been near the patient with her -friendly cares, the little creature had by degrees drawn back, and -remained silent and secluded in herself; but, the field being clear once -more, she again came forth with her attentions and her love, again was -eager in serving, and lively in entertaining, him. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -Wilhelm was rapidly approaching complete recovery: he now hoped to be -upon his journey in a few days. He proposed no more to lead an aimless -routine of existence: the steps of his career were henceforth to be -calculated for an end. In the first place, he purposed to seek out that -beneficent lady, and express the gratitude he felt to her; then to -proceed without delay to his friend the manager, that he might do his -utmost to assist the luckless company; intending, at the same time, to -visit the commercial friends whom he had letters for, and to transact -the business which had been intrusted to him. He was not without hope -that fortune, as formerly, would favor him, and give him opportunity, by -some lucky speculation, to repair his losses, and fill up the vacuity of -his coffer. - -The desire of again beholding his beautiful deliverer augmented every -day. To settle his route, he took counsel with the clergyman,--a person -well skilled in statistics and geography, and possessing a fine -collection of charts and books. They two searched for the place which -this noble family had chosen as their residence while the war continued: -they searched for information respecting the family itself. But their -place was to be found in no geography or map, and the heraldic manuals -made no mention of their name. - -Wilhelm grew uneasy; and, having mentioned the cause of his anxiety, the -harper told him he had reason to believe that the huntsman, from -whatever motive, had concealed the real designations. - -Conceiving himself now to be in the immediate neighborhood of his lovely -benefactress, Wilhelm hoped he might obtain some tidings of her if he -sent out the harper; but in this, too, he was deceived. Diligently as -the old man kept inquiring, he could find no trace of her. Of late days -a number of quick movements and unforeseen marches had taken place in -that quarter; no one had particularly noticed the travelling party; and -the ancient messenger, to avoid being taken for a Jewish spy, was -obliged to return, and appear without any olive-leaf before his master -and friend. He gave a strict account of his conduct in this commission, -striving to keep far from him all suspicions of remissness. He -endeavored by every means to mitigate the trouble of our friend; -bethought him of every thing that he had learned from the huntsman, and -advanced a number of conjectures; out of all which, one circumstance at -length came to light, whereby Wilhelm could explain some enigmatic words -of his vanished benefactress. - -The freebooters, it appeared, had lain in wait, not for the wandering -troop, but for that noble company, whom they rightly guessed to be -provided with store of gold and valuables, and of whose movements they -must have had precise intelligence. Whether the attack should be imputed -to some free corps, to marauders, or to robbers, was uncertain. It was -clear, however, that, by good fortune for the high and rich company, the -poor and low had first arrived upon the place, and undergone the fate -which was provided for the others. It was to this that the lady's words -referred, which Wilhelm yet well recollected. If he might now be happy -and contented, that a prescient Genius had selected him for the -sacrifice, which saved a perfect mortal, he was, on the other hand, nigh -desperate, when he thought that all hope of finding her and seeing her -again was, at least for the present, completely gone. - -What increased this singular emotion still further, was the likeness -which he thought he had observed between the countess and the beautiful -unknown. They resembled one another as two sisters may, of whom neither -can be called the younger or the elder, for they seem to be twins. - -The recollection of the amiable countess was to Wilhelm infinitely -sweet. He recalled her image but too willingly into his memory. But anon -the figure of the noble Amazon would step between: one vision melted and -changed into the other, and the form of neither would abide with him. - -A new resemblance--the similarity of their handwritings--naturally -struck him with still greater wonder. He had a charming song in the -countess's hand laid up in his portfolio; and in the surtout he had -found a little note, inquiring with much tender care about the health of -an uncle. - -Wilhelm was convinced that his benefactress must have penned this -billet; that it must have been sent from one chamber to another, at some -inn during their journey, and put into the coat-pocket by the uncle. He -held both papers together; and, if the regular and graceful letters of -the countess had already pleased him much, he found in the similar but -freer lines of the stranger a flowing harmony which could not be -described. The note contained nothing; yet the strokes of it seemed to -affect him, as the presence of their fancied writer once had done. - -He fell into a dreamy longing; and well accordant with his feelings was -the song which at that instant Mignon and the harper began to sing, with -a touching expression, in the form of an irregular duet. - - "'Tis but who longing knows, - My grief can measure. - Alone, reft of repose, - All joy, all pleasure, - I thither look to those - Soft lines of azure. - Ah! far is he who knows - Me, and doth treasure. - I faint, my bosom glows - 'Neath pain's sore pressure. - 'Tis but who longing knows, - My grief can measure." - --_Editor's Version._ - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -The soft allurements of his dear presiding angel, far from leading our -friend to any one determined path, did but nourish and increase the -unrest he had previously experienced. A secret fire was gliding through -his veins: objects distinct and indistinct alternated within his soul, -and awoke unspeakable desire. At one time he wished for a horse, at -another for wings; and not till it seemed impossible that he could stay, -did he look round him to discover whither he was wanting to go. - -The threads of his destiny had become so strangely entangled, he wished -to see its curious knots unravelled, or cut in two. Often when he heard -the tramp of a horse, or the rolling of a carriage, he would run to the -window, and look out, in hopes it might be some one seeking him,--some -one, even though it were by chance, bringing him intelligence and -certainty and joy. He told stories to himself, how his friend Werner -might visit these parts, and come upon him; how, perhaps, Mariana might -appear. The sound of every post's horn threw him into agitation. It -would be Melina sending news to him of his adventures: above all, it -would be the huntsman coming back to carry him to the beauty he -worshipped. - -Of all these possibilities, unhappily no one occurred: he was forced at -last to return to the company of himself; and, in again looking through -the past, there was one circumstance which, the more he viewed and -weighed it, grew the more offensive and intolerable to him. It was his -unprosperous generalship, of which he never thought without vexation. -For although, on the evening of that luckless day, he had produced a -pretty fair defence of his conduct when accused by the company, yet he -could not hide from himself that he was guilty. On the contrary, in -hypochondriac moments, he took the blame of the whole misfortune. - -Self-love exaggerates our faults as well as our virtues. Wilhelm though -the had awakened confidence in himself, had guided the will of the rest; -that, led by inexperience and rashness, they had ventured on, till a -danger seized them, for which they were no match. Loud as well as silent -reproaches had then assailed him; and if, in their sorrowful condition, -he had promised the company, misguided by him, never to forsake them -till their loss had been repaid with usury, this was but another folly -for which he had to blame himself,--the folly of presuming to take upon -his single shoulders a misfortune that was spread over many. One instant -he accused himself of uttering this promise, under the excitement and -the pressure of the moment; the next, he again felt that this generous -presentation of his hand, which no one deigned to accept, was but a -light formality compared with the vow his heart had taken. He meditated -means of being kind and useful to them: he found every cause conspire to -quicken his visit to Serlo. Accordingly he packed his things together; -and without waiting his complete recovery, without listening to the -counsel of the parson or of the surgeon, he hastened, in the strange -society of Mignon and the harper, to escape the inactivity in which his -fate had once more too long detained him. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Serlo received him with open arms, crying as he met him, "Is it you? Do -I see you again? You have scarcely changed at all. Is your love for that -noblest of arts still as lively and strong? So glad am I at your -arrival, that I even feel no longer the mistrust your last letters had -excited in me." - -Wilhelm asked with surprise for a clearer explanation. - -"You have treated me," said Serlo, "not like an old friend, but as if I -were a great lord, to whom with a safe conscience you might recommend -useless people. Our destiny depends on the opinion of the public; and I -fear Herr Melina and his suite can hardly be received among us." - -Wilhelm tried to say something in their favor; but Serlo began to draw -so merciless a picture of them, that our friend was happy when a lady -came into the room, and put a stop to the discussion. She was introduced -to him as Aurelia, the sister of his friend; she received him with -extreme kindness; and her conversation was so pleasing, that he did not -even remark a shade of sorrow visible on her expressive countenance, to -which it lent peculiar interest. - -For the first time during many months, Wilhelm felt once more in his -proper element. Of late in talking, he had merely found submissive -listeners, and even these not always; but now he had the happiness to -speak with critics and artists, who not only fully understood him, but -repaid his observations by others equally instructive. With wonderful -vivacity they travelled through the latest plays, with wonderful -correctness judged them. The decisions of the public they could try and -estimate: they speedily threw light on each other's thoughts. - -Loving Shakspeare as our friend did, he failed not to lead round the -conversation to the merits of that dramatist. Expressing, as he -entertained, the liveliest hopes of the new epoch which these exquisite -productions must form in Germany, he erelong introduced his "Hamlet," -which play had busied him so much of late. - -Serlo declared that he would long ago have represented the play, had it -at all been possible, and that he himself would willingly engage to act -Polonius. He added, with a smile, "An Ophelia, too, will certainly turn -up, if we had but a Prince." - -Wilhelm did not notice that Aurelia seemed a little hurt at her -brother's sarcasm. Our friend was in his proper vein, becoming copious -and didactic, expounding how he would have "Hamlet" played. He -circumstantially delivered to his hearers the opinions we before saw him -busied with; taking all the trouble possible to make his notion of the -matter acceptable, sceptical as Serlo showed himself regarding it. -"Well, then," said the latter finally, "suppose we grant you all this, -what will you explain by it?" - -"Much, every thing," said Wilhelm. "Conceive a prince such as I have -painted him, and that his father suddenly dies. Ambition and the love of -rule are not the passions that inspire him. As a king's son, he would -have been contented; but now he is first constrained to consider the -difference which separates a sovereign from a subject. The crown was not -hereditary; yet his father's longer possession of it would have -strengthened the pretensions of an only son, and secured his hopes of -succession. In place of this, he now beholds himself excluded by his -uncle, in spite of specious promises, most probably forever. He is now -poor in goods and favor, and a stranger in the scene which from youth he -had looked upon as his inheritance. His temper here assumes its first -mournful tinge. He feels that now he is not more, that he is less, than -a private nobleman; he offers himself as the servant of every one; he is -not courteous and condescending, he is needy and degraded. - -"His past condition he remembers as a vanished dream. It is in vain that -his uncle strives to cheer him, to present his situation in another -point of view. The feeling of his nothingness will not leave him. - -"The second stroke that came upon him wounded deeper, bowed still more. -It was the marriage of his mother. The faithful, tender son had yet a -mother, when his father passed away. He hoped, in the company of his -surviving noble-minded parent, to reverence the heroic form of the -departed: but his mother, too, he loses; and it is something worse than -death that robs him of her. The trustful image, which a good child loves -to form of its parents, is gone. With the dead there is no help, on the -living no hold. Moreover, she is a woman; and her name is Frailty, like -that of all her sex. - -"Now only does he feel completely bowed down, now only orphaned; and no -happiness of life can repay what he has lost. Not reflective or -sorrowful by nature, reflection and sorrow have become for him a heavy -obligation. It is thus that we see him first enter on the scene. I do -not think that I have mixed aught foreign with the play, or overcharged -a single feature of it." - -Serlo looked at his sister, and said, "Did I give thee a false picture -of our friend? He begins well: he has still many things to tell us, many -to persuade us of." Wilhelm asseverated loudly, that he meant not to -persuade, but to convince: he begged for another moment's patience. - -"Figure to yourselves this youth," cried he, "this son of princes; -conceive him vividly, bring his state before your eyes, and then observe -him when he learns that his father's spirit walks; stand by him in the -terrors of the night, when even the venerable ghost appears before him. -He is seized with boundless horror; he speaks to the mysterious form; he -sees it beckon him; he follows and hears. The fearful accusation of his -uncle rings in his ears, the summons to revenge, and the piercing, -oft-repeated prayer, Remember me! - -"And, when the ghost has vanished, who is it that stands before us? A -young hero panting for vengeance? A prince by birth, rejoicing to be -called to punish the usurper of his crown? No! trouble and astonishment -take hold of the solitary young man: he grows bitter against smiling -villains, swears that he will not forget the spirit, and concludes with -the significant ejaculation,-- - - "'The time is out of joint: O cursed spite, - That ever I was born to set it right!' - -"In these words, I imagine, will be found the key to Hamlet's whole -procedure. To me it is clear that Shakspeare meant, in the present case, -to represent the effects of a great action laid upon a soul unfit for -the performance of it. In this view the whole play seems to me to be -composed. There is an oak-tree planted in a costly jar, which should -have borne only pleasant flowers in its bosom: the roots expand, the jar -is shivered. - -"A lovely, pure, noble, and most moral nature, without the strength of -nerve which forms a hero, sinks beneath a burden it cannot bear and must -not cast away. All duties are holy for him: the present is too hard. -Impossibilities have been required of him,--not in themselves -impossibilities, but such for him. He winds and turns, and torments -himself; he advances and recoils; is ever put in mind, ever puts himself -in mind; at last does all but lose his purpose from his thoughts, yet -still without recovering his peace of mind." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -Several people entering interrupted the discussion. They were musical -_dilettanti_, who commonly assembled at Serlo's once a week, and formed -a little concert. Serlo himself loved music much: he used to maintain, -that a player without taste for it never could attain a distinct -conception and feeling of the scenic art. "As a man performs," he would -observe, "with far more ease and dignity when his gestures are -accompanied and guided by a tune; so the player ought, in idea as it -were, to set to music even his prose parts, that he may not monotonously -slight them over in his individual style, but treat them in suitable -alternation by time and measure." - -Aurelia seemed to give but little heed to what was passing: at last she -conducted Wilhelm to another room; and going to the window, and looking -out at the starry sky, she said to him, "You have more to tell us about -Hamlet: I will not hurry you,--my brother must hear it as well as I; but -let me beg to know your thoughts about Ophelia." - -"Of her there cannot much be said," he answered; "for a few -master-strokes complete her character. The whole being of Ophelia floats -in sweet and ripe sensation. Kindness for the prince, to whose hand she -may aspire, flows so spontaneously, her tender heart obeys its impulses -so unresistingly, that both father and brother are afraid: both give her -warning harshly and directly. Decorum, like the thin lawn upon her -bosom, cannot hide the soft, still movements of her heart: it, on the -contrary, betrays them. Her fancy is smit; her silent modesty breathes -amiable desire; and, if the friendly goddess Opportunity should shake -the tree, its fruit would fall." - -"And then," said Aurelia, "when she beholds herself forsaken, cast away, -despised; when all is inverted in the soul of her crazed lover, and the -highest changes to the lowest, and, instead of the sweet cup of love, he -offers her the bitter cup of woe"-- - -"Her heart breaks," cried Wilhelm; "the whole structure of her being is -loosened from its joinings; her father's death strikes fiercely against -it, and the fair edifice altogether crumbles into fragments." - -Our friend had not observed with what expressiveness Aurelia pronounced -those words. Looking only at this work of art, at its connection and -completeness, he dreamed not that his auditress was feeling quite a -different influence; that a deep sorrow of her own was vividly awakened -in her breast by these dramatic shadows. - -Aurelia's head was still resting on her arms; and her eyes, now full of -tears, were turned to the sky. At last, no longer able to conceal her -secret grief, she seized both hands of her friend, and exclaimed, while -he stood surprised before her, "Forgive, forgive a heavy heart! I am -girt and pressed together by these people; from my hard-hearted brother -I must seek to hide myself; your presence has untied these bonds. My -friend!" continued she, "it is but a few minutes since we saw each other -first, and already you are going to become my confidant." She could -scarcely end the words, and sank upon his shoulder. "Think not worse of -me," she said, with sobs, "that I disclose myself to you so hastily, -that I am so weak before you. Be my friend, remain my friend: I shall -deserve it." He spoke to her in his kindest manner, but in vain: her -tears still flowed, and choked her words. - -At this moment Serlo entered, most unwelcomely, and, most unexpectedly, -Philina, with her hand in his. "Here is your friend," said he to her: -"he will be glad to welcome you." - -"What!" cried Wilhelm in astonishment: "are you here?" With a modest, -settled mien, she went up to him; bade him welcome; praised Serlo's -goodness, who, she said, without merit on her part, but purely in the -hope of her improvement, had agreed to admit her into his accomplished -troop. She behaved, all the while, in a friendly manner towards Wilhelm, -yet with a dignified distance. - -But this dissimulation lasted only till the other two were gone. Aurelia -having left them, that she might conceal her trouble, and Serlo being -called away, Philina first looked very sharply at the doors, to see that -both were really out; then began skipping to and fro about the room, as -if she had been mad; at last dropped down upon the floor, like to die of -giggling and laughing. She then sprang up, patted and flattered our -friend; rejoicing above measure that she had been clever enough to go -before, and spy the land, and get herself nestled in. - -"Pretty things are going on here," she said; "just of the sort I like. -Aurelia has had a hapless love-affair with some nobleman, who seems to -be a very stately person, one whom I myself could like to see some day. -He has left her a memorial, or I much mistake. There is a boy running -about the house, of three years old or so: the papa must be a very -pretty fellow. Commonly I cannot suffer children, but this brat quite -delights me. I have calculated Aurelia's business. The death of her -husband, the new acquaintance, the child's age,--all things agree. - -"But now her spark has gone his ways: for a year she has not seen a -glimpse of him. She is beside herself and inconsolable on this account. -The more fool she! Her brother has a dancing-girl in his troop, with -whom he stands on pretty terms; an actress with whom he is intimate; in -the town, some other women whom he courts; I, too, am on his list. The -more fool he! Of the rest thou shalt hear to-morrow. And now one word -about Philina, whom thou knowest: the arch-fool is fallen in love with -thee." She swore it was true and prime sport. She earnestly requested -Wilhelm to fall in love with Aurelia, for then the chase would be worth -beholding. "She pursues her faithless swain, thou her, I thee, her -brother me. If that will not divert us for a quarter of a year, I engage -to die at the first episode which occurs in this four times complicated -tale." She begged of him not to spoil her trade, and to show her such -respect as her external conduct should deserve. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - -Next morning Wilhelm went to visit Frau Melina, but found her not at -home. On inquiring here for the other members of the wandering -community, he learned that Philina had invited them to breakfast. Out of -curiosity, he hastened thither, and found them all in very good spirits -and of good comfort. The cunning creature had collected them, was -treating them with chocolate, and giving them to understand that some -prospects still remained for them; that, by her influence, she hoped to -convince the manager how advantageous it would be for him to introduce -so many clever hands among his company. They listened to her with -attention; swallowed cup after cup of her chocolate; thought the girl -was not so bad, after all, and went away proposing to themselves to -speak whatever good of her they could. - -"Do you think, then," said our friend, who staid behind, "that Serlo -will determine to retain our comrades?"--"Not at all," replied Philina; -"nor do I care a fig for it. The sooner they are gone, the better! -Laertes alone I could wish to keep: the rest we shall by and by pack -off." - -Next she signified to Wilhelm her firm persuasion that he should no -longer hide his talent, but, under the direction of a Serlo, go upon the -boards. She was lavish in her praises of the order, the taste, the -spirit, which prevailed in this establishment: she spoke so flatteringly -to Wilhelm, with such admiration of his gifts, that his heart and his -imagination were advancing towards this proposal as fast as his -understanding and his reason were retreating from it. He concealed his -inclination from himself and from Philina, and passed a restless day, -unable to resolve on visiting his trading correspondents, to receive the -letters which might there be lying for him. The anxieties of his people -during all this time he easily conceived; yet he shrank from the precise -account of them, particularly at the present time, as he promised to -himself a great and pure enjoyment from the exhibition of a new play -that evening. - -Serlo had refused to let him witness the rehearsal. "You must see us on -the best side," he observed, "before we can allow you to look into our -cards." - -The performance, however, where our friend did not fail to be present, -yielded him a high satisfaction. It was the first time he had ever seen -a theatre in such perfection. The actors were evidently all possessed of -excellent gifts, superior capacities, and a high, clear notion of their -art; they were not equal, but they mutually restrained and supported one -another; each breathed ardor into those around him; throughout all their -acting, they showed themselves decided and correct. You soon felt that -Serlo was the soul of the whole: as an individual, he appeared to much -advantage. A merry humor, a measured vivacity, a settled feeling of -propriety, combined with a great gift of imitation, were to be observed -in him the moment he appeared upon the stage. The inward contentment of -his being seemed to spread itself over all that looked on him; and the -intellectual style in which he could so easily and gracefully express -the finest shadings of his part, excited more delight, as he could -conceal the art which, by long-continued practice, he had made his own. - -Aurelia, his sister, was not inferior: she obtained still greater -approbation; for she touched the souls of the audience, which he had it -in his power to exhilarate and amuse. - -After a few days had passed pleasantly enough, Aurelia sent to inquire -for our friend. He hastened to her: she was lying on a sofa; she seemed -to be suffering from headache; her whole frame had visibly a feverish -movement. Her eye lighted up as she noticed Wilhelm. "Pardon me!" she -cried, as he entered: "the trust you have inspired me with has made me -weak. Till now I have contrived to bear up against my woes in secret; -nay, they gave me strength and consolation: but now, I know not how it -is, you have loosened the bands of silence. You will now, even against -your will, take part in the battle I am fighting with myself!" - -Wilhelm answered her in kind and obliging terms. He declared that her -image and her sorrows had not ceased to hover in his thoughts; that he -longed for her confidence, and devoted himself to be her friend. - -While he spoke, his eyes were attracted to the boy, who sat before her -on the floor, and was busy rattling a multitude of playthings. This -child, as Philina had observed, might be about three years of age; and -Wilhelm now conceived how that giddy creature, seldom elevated in her -phraseology, had likened it to the sun. For its cheerful eyes and full -countenance were shaded by the finest golden locks, which flowed round -in copious curls; dark, slender, softly bending eyebrows showed -themselves upon a brow of dazzling whiteness; and the living tinge of -health was glancing on its cheeks. "Sit by me," said Aurelia: "you are -looking at the happy child with admiration; in truth, I took it into my -arms with joy; I keep it carefully; yet, by it, too, I can measure the -extent of my sufferings; for they seldom let me feel the worth of such a -gift. - -"Allow me," she continued, "to speak to you about myself and my destiny; -for I have it much at heart that you should not misunderstand me. I -thought I should have a few calm instants; and, accordingly, I sent for -you. You are now here, and the thread of my narrative is lost. - -"'One more forsaken woman in the world!' you will say. You are a man. -You are thinking, 'What a noise she makes, the fool, about a necessary -evil; which, certainly as death, awaits a woman, when such is the -fidelity of men!' O my friend! if my fate were common, I would gladly -undergo a common evil; but it is so singular! why cannot I present it to -you in a mirror,--why not command some one to tell it you? Oh! had I, -had I been seduced, surprised, and afterwards forsaken, there would then -still be comfort in despair; but I am far more miserable. I have been my -own deceiver; I have wittingly betrayed myself; and this, this, is what -shall never be forgiven me." - -"With noble feelings, such as yours," said Wilhelm, "you cannot be -entirely unhappy." - -"And do you know to what I am indebted for my feelings?" asked Aurelia. -"To the worst education that ever threatened to contaminate a girl; to -the vilest examples for misleading the senses and inclinations. - -"My mother dying early, the fairest years of my youth were spent with an -aunt, whose principle it was to despise the laws of decency. She -resigned herself headlong to every impulse, careless whether the object -of it proved her tyrant or her slave, so she might forget herself in -wild enjoyment. - -"By children, with the pure, clear vision of innocence, what ideas of -men were necessarily formed in such a scene! How stolid, brutally bold, -importunate, unmannerly, was every one she allured! How sated, empty, -insolent, and insipid, as soon as he had had his wishes gratified! I -have seen this woman live, for years, humbled under the control of the -meanest creatures. What incidents she had to undergo! With what a front -she contrived to accommodate herself to her destiny; nay, with how much -skill, to wear these shameful fetters! - -"It was thus, my friend, that I became acquainted with your sex; and -deeply did I hate it, when, as I imagined, I observed that even -tolerable men, in their conduct to ours, appeared to renounce every -honest feeling, of which nature might otherwise have made them capable. - -"Unhappily, moreover, on such occasions, a multitude of painful -discoveries about my own sex were forced upon me; and, in truth, I was -then wiser, as a girl of sixteen, than I now am, now that I scarcely -understand myself. Why are we so wise when young,--so wise, and ever -growing less so?" - -The boy began to make a noise: Aurelia became impatient, and rang. An -old woman came to take him out. "Hast thou toothache still?" said -Aurelia to the crone, whose face was wrapped in cloth. "Unsufferable," -said the other, with a muffled voice, then lifted the boy, who seemed to -like going with her, and carried him away. - -Scarcely was he gone, when Aurelia began bitterly to weep. "I am good -for nothing," cried she, "but lamenting and complaining; and I feel -ashamed to lie before you like a miserable worm. My recollection is -already fled: I can relate no more." She faltered, and was silent. Her -friend, unwilling to reply with a commonplace, and unable to reply with -any thing particularly applicable, pressed her hand, and looked at her -for some time without speaking. Thus embarrassed, he at length took up a -book, which he noticed lying on the table before him: it was -Shakspeare's works, and open at "Hamlet." - -Serlo, at this moment entering, inquired about his sister, and, looking -in the book which our friend had hold of, cried, "So you are again at -'Hamlet'? Very good! Many doubts have arisen in me, which seem not a -little to impair the canonical aspect of the play as you would have it -viewed. The English themselves have admitted that its chief interest -concludes with the third act; the last two lagging sorrily on, and -scarcely uniting with the rest: and certainly about the end it seems to -stand stock-still." - -"It is very possible," said Wilhelm, "that some individuals of a -nation, which has so many masterpieces to feel proud of, may be led by -prejudice and narrowness of mind to form false judgments; but this -cannot hinder us from looking with our own eyes, and doing justice where -we see it due. I am very far from censuring the plan of 'Hamlet': on the -other hand, I believe there never was a grander one invented; nay, it is -not invented, it is real." - -"How do you demonstrate that?" inquired Serlo. - -"I will not demonstrate any thing," said Wilhelm: "I will merely show -you what my own conceptions of it are." - -Aurelia raised herself from her cushion, leaned upon her hand, and -looked at Wilhelm, who, with the firmest assurance that he was in the -right, went on as follows: "It pleases us, it flatters us, to see a hero -acting on his own strength, loving and hating at the bidding of his -heart, undertaking and completing, casting every obstacle aside, and -attaining some great end. Poets and historians would willingly persuade -us that so proud a lot may fall to man. In 'Hamlet' we are taught -another lesson: the hero is without a plan, but the play is full of -plan. Here we have no villain punished on some self-conceived and -rigidly accomplished scheme of vengeance: a horrid deed is done; it -rolls along with all its consequences, dragging with it even the -guiltless: the guilty perpetrator would, as it seems, evade the abyss -made ready for him; yet he plunges in, at the very point by which he -thinks he shall escape, and happily complete his course. - -"For it is the property of crime to extend its mischief over innocence, -as it is of virtue to extend its blessings over many that deserve them -not; while frequently the author of the one or of the other is not -punished or rewarded at all. Here in this play of ours, how strange! The -Pit of darkness sends its spirit and demands revenge: in vain! All -circumstances tend one way, and hurry to revenge: in vain! Neither -earthly nor infernal thing may bring about what is reserved for Fate -alone. The hour of judgment comes; the wicked falls with the good; one -race is mowed away, that another may spring up." - -After a pause, in which they looked at one another, Serlo said, "You pay -no great compliment to Providence, in thus exalting Shakspeare; and -besides, it appears to me, that for the honor of your poet, as others -for the honor of Providence, you ascribe to him an object and a plan -such as he himself had never thought of." - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - -"Let me also put a question," said Aurelia. "I have looked at Ophelia's -part again: I am contented with it, and confident, that, under certain -circumstances, I could play it. But tell me, should not the poet have -furnished the insane maiden with another sort of songs? Could not some -fragments out of melancholy ballads be selected for this purpose? Why -put double meanings and lascivious insipidities in the mouth of this -noble-minded girl?" - -"Dear friend," said Wilhelm, "even here I cannot yield you one iota. In -these singularities, in this apparent impropriety, a deep sense is hid. -Do we not understand from the very first what the mind of the good, -soft-hearted girl was busied with? Silently she lived within herself, -yet she scarce concealed her wishes, her longing: the tones of desire -were in secret ringing through her soul; and how often may she have -attempted, like an unskilful nurse, to lull her senses to repose with -songs which only kept them more awake? But at last, when her -self-command is altogether gone, when the secrets of her heart are -hovering on her tongue, that tongue betrays her; and in the innocence of -insanity she solaces herself, unmindful of king or queen, with the echo -of her loose and well-beloved songs,--'To-morrow is Saint Valentine's -Day,' and 'By Gis and by Saint Charity.'" - -He had not finished speaking, when all at once an extraordinary scene -took place before him, which he could not in any way explain. - -Serlo had walked once or twice up and down the room, without evincing -any special object. On a sudden, he stepped forward to Aurelia's -dressing-table, caught hastily at something that was lying there, and -hastened to the door with his booty. No sooner did Aurelia notice this, -than, springing up, she threw herself in his way, laid hold of him with -boundless vehemence, and had dexterity enough to clutch an end of the -article he was carrying off. They struggled and wrestled with great -obstinacy, twisted and threw each other sharply round; he laughed; she -exerted all her strength; and as Wilhelm hastened towards them, to -separate and soothe them, Aurelia sprang aside with a naked dagger in -her hand; while Serlo cast the scabbard, which had staid with him, -angrily upon the floor. Wilhelm started back astonished; and his dumb -wonder seemed to ask the cause why so violent a strife, about so -strange an implement, had taken place between them. - -"You shall judge betwixt us," said the brother. "What business she with -sharp steel? Do but look at it. That dagger is unfit for any -actress,--point like a needle's, edge like a razor's! What good's the -farce? Passionate as she is, she will one day chance to do herself a -mischief. I have a heart's hatred at such singularities: a serious -thought of that sort is insane, and so dangerous a plaything is not in -taste." - -"I have it back!" exclaimed Aurelia, and held the polished blade aloft: -"I will now keep my faithful friend more carefully. Pardon me," she -cried, and kissed the steel, "that I have so neglected thee." - -Serlo was like to grow seriously angry. "Take it as thou wilt, brother," -she continued: "how knowest thou but, under this form, a precious -talisman may have been given me, so that, in extreme need, I may find -help and counsel in it? Must all be hurtful that looks dangerous?" - -"Such talk without a meaning might drive one mad," said Serlo, and left -the room with suppressed indignation. Aurelia put the dagger carefully -into its sheath, and placed it in her bosom. "Let us now resume the -conversation which our foolish brother has disturbed," said she, as -Wilhelm was beginning to put questions on the subject of this quarrel. - -"I must admit your picture of Ophelia to be just," continued she; "I -cannot now misunderstand the object of the poet: I must pity; though, as -you paint her, I shall rather pity her than sympathize with her. But -allow me here to offer a remark, which in these few days you have -frequently suggested to me. I observe with admiration the correct, keen, -penetrating glance with which you judge of poetry, especially dramatic -poetry: the deepest abysses of invention are not hidden from you, the -finest touches of representation cannot escape you. Without ever having -viewed the objects in nature, you recognize the truth of their images: -there seems, as it were, a presentiment of all the universe to lie in -you, which by the harmonious touch of poetry is awakened and unfolded. -For in truth," continued she, "from without, you receive not much: I -have scarcely seen a person that so little knew, so totally misknew, the -people he lived with, as you do. Allow me to say it: in hearing you -expound the mysteries of Shakspeare, one would think you had just -descended from a synod of the gods, and had listened there while they -were taking counsel how to form men; in seeing you transact with your -fellows, I could imagine you to be the first large-born child of the -Creation, standing agape, and gazing with strange wonderment and -edifying good nature at lions and apes and sheep and elephants, and -true-heartedly addressing them as your equals, simply because they were -there, and in motion like yourself." - -"The feeling of my ignorance in this respect," said Wilhelm, "often -gives me pain; and I should thank you, worthy friend, if you would help -me to get a little better insight into life. From youth, I have been -accustomed to direct the eyes of my spirit inwards rather than outwards; -and hence it is very natural, that, to a certain extent, I should be -acquainted with man, while of men I have not the smallest knowledge." - -"In truth," said Aurelia, "I at first suspected, that, in giving such -accounts of the people whom you sent to my brother, you meant to make -sport of us: when I compared your letters with the merits of these -persons, it seemed very strange." - -Aurelia's remarks, well founded as they might be, and willing as our -friend was to confess himself deficient in this matter, carried with -them something painful, nay, offensive, to him; so that he grew silent, -and retired within himself, partly to avoid showing any irritated -feeling, partly to search his mind for the truth or error of the charge. - -"Let not this alarm you," said Aurelia: "the light of the understanding -it is always in our power to reach, but this fulness of the heart no one -can give us. If you are destined for an artist, you cannot long enough -retain the dim-sightedness and innocence of which I speak; it is the -beautiful hull upon the young bud; woe to us if we are forced too soon -to burst it! Surely it were well, if we never knew what the people are -for whom we work and study. - -"Oh! I, too, was in that happy case, when I first betrod the stage, with -the loftiest opinion of myself and of my nation. What a people, in my -fancy, were the Germans! what a people might they yet become! I -addressed this people, raised above them by a little joinery, separated -from them by a row of lamps, whose glancing and vapor threw an -indistinctness over every thing before me. How welcome was the tumult of -applause which sounded to me from the crowd! how gratefully did I accept -the present offered me unanimously by so many hands! For a time I rocked -myself in these ideas: I affected the multitude, and was again affected -by them. With my public I was on the fairest footing: I imagined that I -felt a perfect harmony betwixt us, and that on each occasion I beheld -before me the best and noblest of the land. - -"Unhappily it was not the actress alone that inspired these friends of -the stage with interest: they likewise made pretensions to the young and -lively girl. They gave me to understand, in terms distinct enough, that -my duty was, not only to excite emotion in them, but to share it with -them personally. This, unluckily, was not my business: I wished to -elevate their minds; but, to what they called their hearts, I had not -the slightest claim. Yet now men of all ranks, ages, and characters, by -turns afflicted me with their addresses; and it did seem hard that I -could not, like an honest young woman, shut my door, and spare myself -such a quantity of labor. - -"The men appeared, for most part, much the same as I had been accustomed -to about my aunt; and here again I should have felt disgusted with them, -had not their peculiarities and insipidities amused me. As I was -compelled to see them, in the theatre, in open places, in my house, I -formed the project of spying out their follies; and my brother helped me -with alacrity to execute it. And if you reflect, that up from the -whisking shopman and the conceited merchant's son, to the polished, -calculating man of the world, the bold soldier, and the impetuous -prince, all in succession passed in review before me, each in his way -endeavoring to found his small romance, you will pardon me if I -conceived that I had gained some acquaintance with my nation. - -"The fantastically dizened student; the awkward, humbly proud man of -letters; the sleek-fed, gouty canon; the solemn, heedful man of office; -the heavy country-baron; the smirking, vapid courtier; the young, erring -parson; the cool as well as the quick and sharply speculating -merchant,--all these I have seen in motion; and I swear to you, that -there were few among them fitted to inspire me even with a sentiment of -toleration: on the contrary, I felt it altogether irksome to collect, -with tedium and annoyance, the suffrages of fools; to pocket those -applauses in detail, which in their accumulated state had so delighted -me, which in the gross I had appropriated with such pleasure. - -"If I expected a rational compliment upon my acting, if I hoped that -they would praise an author whom I valued, they were sure to make one -empty observation on the back of another, and to name some vapid play in -which they wished to see me act. If I listened in their company, to hear -if some noble, brilliant, witty thought had met with a response among -them, and would re-appear from some of them in proper season, it was -rare that I could catch an echo of it. An error that had happened, a -mispronunciation, a provincialism of some actor, such were the weighty -points by which they held fast, beyond which they could not pass. I knew -not, in the end, to what hand I should turn: themselves they thought too -clever to be entertained; and me they imagined they were well -entertaining, if they romped and made noise enough about me. I began -very cordially to despise them all: I felt as if the whole nation had, -on purpose, deputed these people to debase it in my eyes. They appeared -to me so clownish, so ill-bred, so wretchedly instructed, so void of -pleasing qualities, so tasteless, I frequently exclaimed, "No German can -buckle his shoes, till he has learned to do it of some foreign nation!" - -"You perceive how blind, how unjust and splenetic, I was; and, the -longer it lasted, my spleen increased. I might have killed myself with -these things, but I fell into the contrary extreme: I married, or, -rather, let myself be married. My brother, who had undertaken to conduct -the theatre, wished much to have a helper. His choice lighted on a young -man, who was not offensive to me, who wanted all that my brother -had,--genius, vivacity, spirit, and impetuosity of mind; but who also in -return had all that my brother wanted,--love of order, diligence, and -precious gifts in housekeeping, and the management of money. - -"He became my husband, I know not how: we lived together, I do not well -know why. Suffice it to say, our affairs went prosperously forward. We -drew a large income: of this my brother's activity was the cause. We -lived with a moderate expenditure, and that was the merit of my husband. -I thought no more about world or nation. With the world I had nothing to -participate: my idea of the nation had faded away. When I entered on the -scene, I did so that I might subsist: I opened my lips because I durst -not continue silent, because I had come out to speak. - -"Yet let me do the matter justice. I had altogether given myself up to -the disposal of my brother. His objects were, applause and money; for, -between ourselves, he has no dislike to hear his own praises; and his -outlay is always great. I no longer played according to my own feeling, -to my own conviction, but as he directed me; and, if I did it to his -satisfaction, I was content. He steered entirely by the caprices of the -public. Money flowed upon us: he could live according to his humor, and -so we had good times with him. - -"Thus had I fallen into a dull, handicraft routine. I spun out my days -without joy or sympathy. My marriage was childless, and not of long -continuance. My husband grew sick; his strength was visibly decaying; -anxiety for him interrupted my general indifference. It was at this time -that I formed an acquaintance which opened a new life for me,--a new and -quicker one, for it will soon be done." - -She kept silence for a time, and then continued, "All at once my -prattling humor falters: I have not the courage to go on. Let me rest a -little. You shall not go, till you have learned the whole extent of my -misfortune. Meanwhile, call in Mignon, and ask her what she wants." - -The child had more than once been in the room, while Aurelia and our -friend were talking. As they spoke lower on her entrance, she had glided -out again, and was now sitting quietly in the hall, and waiting. Being -bid return, she brought a book with her, which its form and binding -showed to be a small geographical atlas. She had seen some maps, for the -first time, at the parson's house, with great astonishment; had asked -him many questions, and informed herself so far as possible about them. -Her desire to learn seemed much excited by this new branch of knowledge. -She now earnestly requested Wilhelm to purchase her the book; saying she -had pawned her large silver buckle with the print-seller for it, and -wished to have back the pledge to-morrow morning, as this evening it was -late. Her request was granted; and she then began repeating several -things she had already learned; at the same time, in her own way, making -many very strange inquiries. Here again one might observe, that, with a -mighty effort, she could comprehend but little and laboriously. So -likewise was it with her writing, at which she still kept busied. She -yet spoke very broken German: it was only when she opened her mouth to -sing, when she touched her cithern, that she seemed to be employing an -organ by which, in some degree, the workings of her mind could be -disclosed and communicated. - -Since we are at present on the subject, we may also mention the -perplexity which Wilhelm had of late experienced from certain parts of -her procedure, When she came or went, wished him good-morning or -good-night, she clasped him so firmly in her arms, and kissed him with -such ardor, that often the violence of this expanding nature gave him -serious fears. The spasmodic vivacity of her demeanor seemed daily to -increase: her whole being moved in a restless stillness. She would never -be without some piece of packthread to twist in her hands, some napkin -to tie in knots, some paper or wood to chew. All her sports seemed but -the channels which drained off some inward violent commotion. The only -thing that seemed to cause her any cheerfulness was being near the boy -Felix, with whom she could go on in a very dainty manner. - -Aurelia, after a little rest, being now ready to explain to her friend a -matter which lay very near her heart, grew impatient at the little -girl's delay, and signified that she must go,--a hint, however, which -the latter did not take; and at last, when nothing else would do, they -sent her off expressly and against her will. - -"Now or never," said Aurelia, "must I tell you the remainder of my -story. Were my tenderly beloved and unjust friend but a few miles -distant, I would say to you, 'Mount on horseback, seek by some means to -get acquainted with him: on returning, you will certainly forgive me, -and pity me with all your heart.' As it is, I can only tell you with -words how amiable he was, and how much I loved him. - -"It was at the critical season, when care for the illness of my husband -had depressed my spirits, that I first became acquainted with this -stranger. He had just returned from America, where, in company with some -Frenchmen, he had served with much distinction under the colors of the -United States. - -"He addressed me with an easy dignity, a frank kindliness: he spoke -about myself, my state, my acting, like an old acquaintance, so -affectionately and distinctly, that now for the first time I enjoyed the -pleasure of perceiving my existence reflected in the being of another. -His judgments were just, though not severe; penetrating, yet not void of -love. He showed no harshness: his pleasantry was courteous, with all his -humor. He seemed accustomed to success with women; this excited my -attention: he was never in the least importunate or flattering; this put -me off my guard. - -"In the town, he had intercourse with few: he was often on horseback, -visiting his many friends in the neighborhood, and managing the business -of his house. On returning, he would frequently alight at my -apartments; he treated my ever-ailing husband with warm attention; he -procured him mitigation of his sickness by a good physician. And, taking -part in all that interested me, he allowed me to take part in all that -interested him. He told me the history of his campaigns: he spoke of his -invincible attachment to military life, of his family relations, of his -present business. He kept no secret from me; he displayed to me his -inmost thoughts, allowed me to behold the most secret corners of his -soul: I became acquainted with his passions and his capabilities. It was -the first time in my life that I enjoyed a cordial, intellectual -intercourse with any living creature. I was attracted by him, borne -along by him, before I thought about inquiring how it stood with me. - -"Meanwhile I lost my husband, nearly just as I had taken him. The burden -of theatrical affairs now fell entirely on me. My brother, not to be -surpassed upon the stage, was never good for any thing in economical -concerns: I took the charge of all, at the same time studying my parts -with greater diligence than ever. I again played as of old,--nay, with -new life, with quite another force. It was by reason of my friend, it -was on his account, that I did so; yet my success was not always best -when I knew him to be present. Once or twice he listened to me -unobserved, and how pleasantly his unexpected applauses surprised me you -may conceive. - -"Certainly I am a strange creature. In every part I played, it seemed as -if I had been speaking it in praise of him; for that was the temper of -my heart, the words might be any thing they pleased. Did I understand -him to be present in the audience, I durst not venture to speak out with -all my force; just as I would not press my love or praise on him to his -face: was he absent, I had then free scope; I did my best, with a -certain peacefulness, with a contentment not to be described. Applause -once more delighted me; and, when I charmed the people, I longed to call -down among them, 'This you owe to him!' - -"Yes: my relation to the public, to the nation, had been altered by a -wonder. On a sudden they again appeared to me in the most favorable -light: I felt astonished at my former blindness. - -"'How foolish,' said I often to myself, 'was it to revile a -nation,--foolish, simply because it was a nation. Is it necessary, is it -possible, that individual men should generally interest us much? Not at -all! The only question is, whether in the great mass there exists a -sufficient quantity of talent, force, and capability, which lucky -circumstances may develop, which men of lofty minds may direct upon a -common object.' I now rejoiced in discovering so little prominent -originality among my countrymen; I rejoiced that they disdained not to -accept of guidance from without; I rejoiced that they had found a -leader. - -"Lothario,--allow me to designate my friend by this, his first name, -which I loved,--Lothario had always presented the Germans to my mind on -the side of valor, and shown me, that, when well commanded, there was no -braver nation on the face of the earth; and I felt ashamed that I had -never thought of this, the first quality of a people. History was known -to him: he was in connection and correspondence with the most -distinguished persons of the age. Young as he was, his eye was open to -the budding youthhood of his native country, to the silent labors of -active and busy men in so many provinces of art. He afforded me a -glimpse of Germany,--what it was and what it might be; and I blushed at -having formed my judgment of a nation from the motley crowd that squeeze -into the wardrobe of a theatre. He made me look upon it as a duty that I -too, in my own department, should be true, spirited, enlivening. I now -felt as if inspired every time I stepped upon the boards. Mediocre -passages grew golden in my mouth: had any poet been at hand to support -me adequately, I might have produced the most astonishing effects. - -"So lived the young widow for a series of months. He could not do -without me, and I felt exceedingly unhappy when he staid away. He showed -me the letters he received from his relations, from his amiable sister. -He took an interest in the smallest circumstance that concerned me: more -complete, more intimate, no union ever was than ours. The name of love -was not mentioned. He went and came, came and went. And now, my friend, -it is high time that you, too, should go." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - -Wilhelm could put off no longer the visiting of his commercial friends. -He proceeded to their place with some anxiety, knowing he should there -find letters from his people. He dreaded the reproofs which these would -of course contain: it seemed likely also that notice had been given to -his trading correspondents, concerning the perplexities and fears which -his late silence had occasioned. After such a series of knightly -adventures, he recoiled from the school-boy aspect in which he must -appear: he proposed within his mind to act with an air of sternness and -defiance, and thus hide his embarrassment. - -To his great wonder and contentment, however, all went off very easily -and well. In the vast, stirring, busy counting-room, the men had -scarcely time to seek him out his packet: his delay was but alluded to -in passing. And on opening the letters of his father, and his friend -Werner, he found them all of very innocent contents. His father, in -hopes of an extensive journal, the keeping of which he had strongly -recommended to his son at parting, giving him also a tabulary scheme for -that purpose, seemed pretty well pacified about the silence of the first -period; complaining only of a certain enigmatical obscurity in the last -and only letter despatched, as we have seen, from the castle of the -count. Werner joked in his way; told merry anecdotes, facetious -burgh-news; and requested intelligence of friends and acquaintances, -whom Wilhelm, in the large trading-city, would now meet with in great -numbers. Our friend, extremely pleased at getting off so well, answered -without loss of a moment, in some very cheerful letters; promising his -father a copious journal of his travels, with all the required -geographical, statistical, and mercantile remarks. He had seen much on -his journey, he said, and hoped to make a tolerably large manuscript out -of these materials. He did not observe that he was almost in the same -case as he had once experienced before, when he assembled an audience -and lit his lamps to represent a play which was not written, still less -got by heart. Accordingly, so soon as he commenced the actual work of -composition, he became aware that he had much to say about emotions and -thoughts, and many experiences of the heart and spirit, but not a word -concerning outward objects, on which, as he now discovered, he had not -bestowed the least attention. - -In this embarrassment, the acquisitions of his friend Laertes came very -seasonably to his aid. Custom had united these young people, unlike one -another as they were; and Laertes, with all his failings and -singularities, was actually an interesting man. Endowed with warm and -pleasurable senses, he might have reached old age without reflecting for -a moment on his situation. But his ill-fortune and his sickness had -robbed him of the pure feelings of youth, and opened for him instead of -it a view into the transitoriness, the discontinuity, of man's -existence. Hence had arisen a humorous, flighty, rhapsodical way of -thinking about all things, or, rather, of uttering the immediate -impressions they produced on him. He did not like to be alone; he -strolled about all the coffee-houses and _tables-d'hôte_; and, when he -did stay at home, books of travels were his favorite, nay, his only, -kind of reading. Having lately found a large circulating library, he had -been enabled to content his taste in this respect to the full; and -erelong half the world was figuring in his faithful memory. - -It was easy for him, therefore, to speak comfort to his friend, when the -latter had disclosed his utter lack of matter for the narrative so -solemnly promised by him. "Now is the time for a stroke of art," said -Laertes, "that shall have no fellow! - -"Has not Germany been travelled over, cruised over, walked, crept, and -flown over, repeatedly from end to end? And has not every German -traveller the royal privilege of drawing from the public a repayment of -the great or small expenses he may have incurred while travelling? Give -me your route previous to our meeting: the rest I know already. I will -find you helps and sources of information: of miles that were never -measured, populations that were never counted, we shall give them -plenty. The revenues of provinces we will take from almanacs and tables, -which, as all men know, are the most authentic documents. On these we -will ground our political discussions: we shall not fail in side-glances -at the ruling powers. One or two princes we will paint as true fathers -of their country, that we may gain more ready credence in our -allegations against others. If we do not travel through the residence of -any noted man, we shall take care to meet such persons at the inn, and -make them utter the most foolish stuff to us. Particularly, let us not -forget to insert, with all its graces and sentiments, some love-story -with a pastoral bar-maid. I tell you, it shall be a composition which -will not only fill father and mother with delight, but which booksellers -themselves shall gladly pay you current money for." - -They went accordingly to work, and both of them found pleasure in their -labor. Wilhelm, in the mean time, frequenting the play at night, and -conversing with Serlo and Aurelia by day, experienced the greatest -satisfaction, and was daily more and more expanding his ideas, which had -been too long revolving in the same narrow circle. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - -It was not without deep interest that he became acquainted with the -history of Serlo's career. Piecemeal he learned it; for it was not the -fashion of that extraordinary man to be confidential, or to speak of any -thing connectively. He had been, one may say, born and suckled in the -theatre. While yet literally an infant, he had been produced upon the -stage to move spectators, merely by his presence; for authors even then -were acquainted with this natural and very guiltless mode of doing so. -Thus his first "Father!" or "Mother!" in favorite pieces, procured him -approbation, before he understood what was meant by that clapping of the -hands. In the character of Cupid, he more than once descended, with -terror, in his flying-gear; as harlequin, he used to issue from the egg; -and, as a little chimney-sweep, to play the sharpest tricks. - -Unhappily, the plaudits of these glancing nights were too bitterly -repaid by sufferings in the intervening seasons. His father was -persuaded that the minds of children could be kept awake and steadfast -by no other means than blows: hence, in the studying of any part, he -used to thrash him at stated periods, not because the boy was awkward, -but that he might become more certainly and constantly expert. It was -thus that in former times, while putting down a landmark, people were -accustomed to bestow a hearty drubbing on the children who had followed -them: and these, it was supposed, would recollect the place exactly to -the latest day of their lives. Serlo waxed in stature, and showed the -finest capabilities of spirit and of body,--in particular, an admirable -pliancy at once in his thoughts, looks, movements, and gestures. His -gift of imitation was beyond belief. When still a boy, he could mimic -persons, so that you would think you saw them; though in form, age, and -disposition, they might be entirely unlike him, and unlike each other. -Nor with all this, did he want the knack of suiting himself to his -circumstances, and picking out his way in life. Accordingly, so soon as -he had grown in some degree acquainted with his strength, he very -naturally eloped from his father, who, as the boy's understanding and -dexterity increased, still thought it needful to forward their -perfection by the harshest treatment. - -Happy was the wild boy, now roaming free about the world, where his -feats of waggery never failed to secure him a good reception. His lucky -star first led him in the Christmas season to a cloister, where the -friar, whose business it had been to arrange processions, and to -entertain the Christian community by spiritual masquerades, having just -died, Serlo was welcomed as a helping angel. On the instant he took up -the part of Gabriel in the Annunciation, and did not by any means -displease the pretty girl, who, acting the Virgin, very gracefully -received his most obliging kiss, with external humility and inward -pride. In their Mysteries, he continued to perform the most important -parts, and thought himself no slender personage, when at last, in the -character of Martyr, he was mocked of the world, and beaten, and fixed -upon the cross. - -Some pagan soldiers had, on this occasion, played their parts a little -_too_ naturally. To be avenged on these heathen in the proper style, he -took care at the Day of Judgment to have them decked out in gaudy -clothes as emperors and kings; and at that moment when they, exceedingly -contented with their situation, were about to take precedence of the -rest in heaven, as they had done on earth, he, on a sudden, rushed upon -them in the shape of the Devil; and to the cordial edification of all -the beggars and spectators, having thoroughly curried them with his -oven-fork, he pushed them without mercy back into the chasm, where, in -the midst of waving flame, they met with the sorriest welcome. - -He was acute enough, however, to perceive that these crowned heads might -feel offended at such bold procedure, and perhaps forget the reverence -due to his privileged office of Accuser and Turnkey. So in all silence, -before the Millennium commenced, he withdrew, and betook him to a -neighboring town. Here a society of persons, denominated Children of -Joy, received him with open arms. They were a set of clever, -strong-headed, lively geniuses, who saw well enough that the sum of our -existence, divided by reason, never gives an integer number, but that a -surprising fraction is always left behind. At stated times, to get rid -of this fraction, which impedes, and, if it is diffused over all the -mass of our conduct, endangers us, was the object of the Children of -Joy. For one day a week each of them in succession was a fool on -purpose; and, during this, he in his turn exhibited to ridicule, in -allegorical representations, whatever folly he had noticed in himself, -or the rest, throughout the other six. This practice might be somewhat -ruder than that constant training, in the course of which a man of -ordinary morals is accustomed to observe, to warn, to punish, himself -daily; but it was also merrier and surer. For as no Child of Joy -concealed his bosom-folly, so he and those about him held it for simply -what it was; whereas, on the other plan, by the help of self-deception, -this same bosom-folly often gains the head authority within, and binds -down reason to a secret servitude, at the very time when reason fondly -hopes that she has long since chased it out of doors. The mask of folly -circulated round in this society; and each member was allowed, in his -particular day, to decorate and characterize it with his own attributes -or those of others. At the time of Carnival, they assumed the greatest -freedom, vying with the clergy in attempts to instruct and entertain the -multitude. Their solemn figurative processions of Virtues and Vices, -Arts and Sciences, Quarters of the World, and Seasons of the Year, -bodied forth a number of conceptions, and gave images of many distant -objects to the people, and hence were not without their use; while, on -the other hand, the mummeries of the priesthood tended but to strengthen -a tasteless superstition, already strong enough. - -Here again young Serlo was altogether in his element. Invention in its -strictest sense, it is true, he had not; but, on the other hand, he had -the most consummate skill in employing what he found before him, in -ordering it, and shadowing it forth. His roguish turns, his gift of -mimicry; his biting wit, which at least one day weekly he might use with -entire freedom, even against his benefactors,--made him precious, or -rather indispensable, to the whole society. - -Yet his restless mind soon drove him from this favorable scene to other -quarters of his country, where other means of instruction awaited him. -He came into the polished, but also barren, part of Germany, where, in -worshipping the good and the beautiful, there is indeed no want of -truth, but frequently a grievous want of spirit. His masks would here do -nothing for him: he had now to aim at working on the heart and mind. For -short periods, he attached himself to small or to extensive companies of -actors, and marked, on these occasions, what were the distinctive -properties, both of the pieces and the players. The monotony which then -reigned on the German theatre, the mawkish sound and cadence of their -Alexandrines, the flat and yet distorted dialogue, the shallowness and -commonness of these undisguised preachers of morality, he was not long -in comprehending, or in seizing, at the same time, what little there was -that moved and pleased. - -Not only single parts in the current pieces, but the pieces themselves, -remained easily and wholly in his memory, and, along with them, the -special tone of any player who had represented them with approbation. At -length, in the course of his rambles, his money being altogether done, -the project struck him of acting entire pieces by himself, especially in -villages and noblemen's houses, and thus in all places making sure at -least of entertainment and lodging. In any tavern, any room, or any -garden, he would accordingly at once set up his theatre: with a roguish -seriousness and a show of enthusiasm, he would contrive to gain the -imaginations of his audience, to deceive their senses, and before their -eyes to make an old press into a tower, or a fan into a dagger. His -youthful warmth supplied the place of deep feeling: his vehemence seemed -strength, and his flattery tenderness. Such of the spectators as already -knew a theatre, he put in mind of all that they had seen and heard: in -the rest he awakened a presentiment of something wonderful, and a wish -to be more acquainted with it. What produced an effect in one place he -did not fail to repeat in others; and his mind overflowed with a wicked -pleasure when, by the same means, on the spur of the moment, he could -make gulls of all the world. - -His spirit was lively, brisk, and unimpeded: by frequently repeating -parts and pieces, he improved very fast. Erelong he could recite and -play with more conformity to the sense than the models whom he had at -first imitated. Proceeding thus, he arrived by degrees at playing -naturally; though he did not cease to feign. He seemed transported, yet -he lay in wait for the effect; and his greatest pride was in moving, by -successive touches, the passions of men. The mad trade he drove did -itself soon force him to proceed with a certain moderation; and thus, -partly by constraint, partly by instinct, he learned the art of which so -few players seemed to have a notion,--the art of being frugal in the use -of voice and gestures. - -Thus did he contrive to tame, and to inspire with interest for him, even -rude and unfriendly men. Being always contented with food and shelter; -thankfully accepting presents of any kind as readily as money, which -latter, when he reckoned that he had enough of it, he frequently -declined,--he became a general favorite, was sent about from one to -another with recommendatory letters; and thus he wandered many a day -from castle to castle, exciting much festivity, enjoying much, and -meeting in his travels with the most agreeable and curious adventures. - -With such inward coldness of temper, he could not properly be said to -love any one; with such clearness of vision, he could respect no one; in -fact, he never looked beyond the external peculiarities of men; and he -merely carried their characters in his mimical collection. Yet withal, -his selfishness was keenly wounded if he did not please every one and -call forth universal applause. How this might be attained, he had -studied in the course of time so accurately, and so sharpened his sense -of the matter, that not only on the stage, but also in common life, he -no longer could do otherwise than flatter and deceive. And thus did his -disposition, his talent, and his way of life, work reciprocally on each -other, till by this means he had imperceptibly been formed into a -perfect actor. Nay, by a mode of action and re-action, which is quite -natural, though it seems paradoxical, his recitation, declamation, and -gesture improved, by critical discernment and practice, to a high degree -of truth, ease, and frankness; while, in his life and intercourse with -men, he seemed to grow continually more secret, artful, or even -hypocritical and constrained. - -Of his fortunes and adventures we perhaps shall speak in another place: -it is enough to remark at present, that in later times, when he had -become a man of circumstance, in possession of a distinct reputation, -and of a very good, though not entirely secure, employment and rank, he -was wont, in conversation, partly in the way of irony, partly of -mockery, in a delicate style, to act the sophist, and thus to destroy -almost all serious discussion. This kind of speech he seemed peculiarly -fond of using towards Wilhelm, particularly when the latter took a -fancy, as often happened, for introducing any of his general and -theoretical disquisitions. Yet still they liked well to be together: -with such different modes of thinking, the conversation could not fail -to be lively. Wilhelm always wished to deduce every thing from abstract -ideas which he had arrived at: he wanted to have art viewed in all its -connections as a whole. He wanted to promulgate and fix down universal -laws; to settle what was right, beautiful, and good: in short, he -treated all things in a serious manner. Serlo, on the other hand, took -up the matter very lightly: never answering directly to any question, he -would contrive, by some anecdote or laughable turn, to give the finest -and most satisfactory illustrations, and thus to instruct his audience -while he made them merry. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - -While our friend was in this way living very happily, Melina and the -rest were in quite a different case. Wilhelm they haunted like evil -spirits; and not only by their presence, but frequently by rueful faces -and bitter words, they caused him many a sorry moment. Serlo had not -admitted them to the most trifling part, far less held out to them any -hope of a permanent engagement; and yet he had contrived, by degrees, to -get acquainted with the capabilities of every one of them. Whenever any -actors were assembled in leisure hours about him, he was wont to make -them read, and frequently to read along with them. On such occasions he -took plays which were by and by to be acted, which for a long time had -remained unacted; and generally by portions. In like manner, after any -first representation, he caused such passages to be repeated as he had -any thing to say upon: by which means he sharpened the discernment of -his actors, and strengthened their certainty of hitting the proper -point. And as a person of slender but correct understanding may produce -more agreeable effect on others than a perplexed and unpurified genius, -he would frequently exalt men of mediocre talents, by the clear views -which he imperceptibly afforded them, to a wonderful extent of power. -Nor was it an unimportant item in his scheme, that he likewise had poems -read before him in their meetings; for by these he nourished in his -people the feeling of that charm which a well-pronounced rhythm is -calculated to awaken in the soul: whereas, in other companies, those -prose compositions were already getting introduced for which any tyro -was adequate. - -On occasions such as these, he had contrived to make himself acquainted -with the new-come players: he had decided what they were, and what they -might be, and silently made up his mind to take advantage of their -talents, in a revolution which was now threatening his own company. For -a while he let the matter rest; declined every one of Wilhelm's -intercessions for his comrades, with a shrug of the shoulders; till at -last he saw his time, and altogether unexpectedly made the proposal to -our friend, "that he himself should come upon the stage; that, on this -condition, the others, too, might be admitted." - -"These people must not be so useless as you formerly described them," -answered Wilhelm, "if they can now be all received at once; and I -suppose their talents would remain the same without me as with me." - -Under seal of secrecy, Serlo hereupon explained his situation,--how his -first actor was giving hints about a rise of salary at the renewal of -their contract; how he himself did not incline conceding this, the -rather as the individual in question was no longer in such favor with -the public; how, if he dismissed him, a whole train would follow; -whereby, it was true, his company would lose some good, but likewise -some indifferent, actors. He then showed Wilhelm what he hoped to gain -in him, in Laertes, Old Boisterous, and even Frau Melina. Nay, he -promised to procure for the silly Pedant himself, in the character of -Jew, minister, but chiefly of villain, a decided approbation. - -Wilhelm faltered; the proposal fluttered him; he knew not what to say. -That he might say something, he rejoined, with a deep-drawn breath, "You -speak very graciously about the good you find and hope to find in us; -but how is it with our weak points, which certainly have not escaped -your penetration?" - -"These," said Serlo, "by diligence, practice, and reflection, we shall -soon make strong points. Though you are yet but freshmen and bunglers, -there is not one among you that does not warrant expectation more or -less: for, so far as I can judge, no stick, properly so called, is to -be met with in the company; and your stick is the only person that can -never be improved, never bent or guided, whether it be self-conceit, -stupidity, or hypochondria, that renders him unpliant." - -The manager next stated, in a few words, the terms he meant to offer; -requested Wilhelm to determine soon, and left him in no small -perplexity. - -In the marvellous composition of those travels, which he had at first -engaged with, as it were, in jest, and was now carrying on in -conjunction with Laertes, his mind had by degrees grown more attentive -to the circumstances and the every-day life of the actual world than it -was wont. He now first understood the object of his father in so -earnestly recommending him to keep a journal. He now, for the first -time, felt how pleasant and how useful it might be to become -participator in so many trades and requisitions, and to take a hand in -diffusing activity and life into the deepest nooks of the mountains and -forests of Europe. The busy trading-town in which he was; the unrest of -Laertes, who dragged him about to examine every thing,--afforded him the -most impressive image of a mighty centre, from which every thing was -flowing out, to which every thing was coming back; and it was the first -time that his spirit, in contemplating this species of activity, had -really felt delight. At such a juncture Serlo's offer had been made him; -had again awakened his desires, his tendencies, his faith in a natural -talent, and again brought into mind his solemn obligation to his -helpless comrades. - -"Here standest thou once more," said he within himself, "at the Parting -of the Ways, between the two women who appeared before thee in thy -youth. The one no longer looks so pitiful as then, nor does the other -look so glorious. To obey the one, or to obey the other, thou art not -without a kind of inward calling: outward reasons are on both sides -strong enough, and to decide appears to thee impossible. Thou wishest -some preponderancy from without would fix thy choice; and yet, if thou -consider well, it is external circumstances only that inspire thee with -a wish to trade, to gather, to possess; whilst it is thy inmost want -that has created, that has nourished, the desire still further to unfold -and perfect what endowments soever for the beautiful and good, be they -mental or bodily, may lie within thee. And ought I not to honor Fate, -which, without furtherance of mine, has led me hither to the goal of -all my wishes? Has not all that I, in old times, meditated and forecast, -now happened accidentally, and without my co-operation? Singular enough! -We seem to be so intimate with nothing as we are with our own wishes and -hopes, which have long been kept and cherished in our hearts; yet when -they meet us, when they, as it were, press forward to us, then we know -them not, then we recoil from them. All that, since the hapless night -which severed me from Mariana, I have but allowed myself to dream, now -stands before me, entreating my acceptance. Hither I intended to escape -by flight; hither I am softly guided: with Serlo I meant to seek a -place; he now seeks me, and offers me conditions, which, as a beginner, -I could not have looked for. Was it, then, mere love to Mariana that -bound me to the stage? Or love to art that bound me to her? Was that -prospect, that outlet, which the theatre presented me, nothing but the -project of a restless, disorderly, and disobedient boy, wishing to lead -a life which the customs of the civic world would not admit of? Or was -all this different, worthier, purer? If so, what moved thee to alter the -persuasions of that period? Hast thou not hitherto, even without knowing -it, pursued thy plan? Is not the concluding step still further to be -justified, now that no side-purposes combine with it; now that in making -it thou mayest fulfil a solemn promise, and nobly free thyself from a -heavy debt?" - -All that could affect his heart and his imagination was now moving, and -conflicting in the liveliest strife within him. The thought that he -might retain Mignon, that he should not need to put away the harper, was -not an inconsiderable item in the balance, which, however, had not -ceased to waver to the one and to the other side, when he went, as he -was wont, to see his friend Aurelia. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - -She was lying on the sofa: she seemed quiet. "Do you think you will be -fit to act to-morrow?" he inquired. "Oh, yes!" cried she with vivacity: -"you know there is nothing to prevent me. If I but knew a way," -continued she, "to rid myself of those applauses! The people mean it -well, but they will kill me. Last night I thought my very heart would -break! Once, when I used to please myself, I could endure this gladly: -when I had studied long, and well prepared myself, it gave me joy to -hear the sound, 'It has succeeded!' pealing back to me from every -corner. But now I speak not what I like, nor as I like; I am swept -along, I get confused, I scarce know what I do; and the impression I -make is far deeper. The applause grows louder; and I think, Did you but -know what charms you! These dark, vague, vehement tones of passion move -you, force you to admire; and you feel not that they are the cries of -agony, wrung from the miserable being whom you praise. - -"I learned my part this morning: just now I have been repeating it and -trying it. I am tired, broken down; and to-morrow I must do the same. -To-morrow evening is the play. Thus do I drag myself to and fro: it is -wearisome to rise, it is wearisome to go to bed. All moves within me in -an everlasting circle. Then come their dreary consolations, and present -themselves before me; and I cast them out, and execrate them. I will not -surrender, not surrender to necessity: why should that be necessary -which crushes me to the dust? Might it not be otherwise? I am paying the -penalty of being born a German: it is the nature of the Germans, that -they bear heavily on every thing, that every thing bears heavily on -them." - -"O my friend!" cried Wilhelm, "could you cease to whet the dagger -wherewith you are ever wounding me! Does nothing, then, remain for you? -Are your youth, your form, your health, your talents, nothing? Having -lost one blessing, without blame of yours, must you throw all the others -after it? Is that also necessary?" - -She was silent for a few moments, and then burst forth, "I know well, it -is a waste of time, nothing but a waste of time, this love! What might -not, should not, I have done! And now it is all vanished into air. I am -a poor, wretched, lovelorn creature,--lovelorn, that is all! Oh, have -compassion on me! God knows I am poor and wretched!" - -She sank in thought: then, after a brief pause, she exclaimed with -violence, "You are accustomed to have all things fly into your arms. No: -you cannot feel, no man is qualified to feel, the worth of a woman that -can reverence herself. By all the holy angels, by all the images of -blessedness, which a pure and kindly heart creates, there is not any -thing more heavenly than the soul of a woman giving herself to the man -she loves! - -"We are cold, proud, high, clear-sighted, wise, while we deserve the -name of women; and all these qualities we lay down at your feet, the -instant that we love, that we hope to excite a return of love. Oh, how -have I cast away my whole existence wittingly and willingly! But now -will I despair, purposely despair. There is no drop of blood within me -but shall suffer, no fibre that I will not punish. Smile, I pray you; -laugh at this theatrical display of passion." - -Wilhelm was far enough from any tendency to laugh. This horrible, -half-natural, half-factitious condition of his friend afflicted him but -too deeply. He sympathized in the tortures of that racking misery: his -thoughts were wandering in painful perplexities, his blood was in a -feverish tumult. - -She had risen, and was walking up and down the room. "I see before me," -she exclaimed, "all manner of reasons why I should not love him. I know -he is not worthy of it; I turn my mind aside, this way and that; I seize -upon whatever business I can find. At one time I take up a part, though -I have not to play it; at another, I begin to practise old ones, though -I know them through and through; I practise them more diligently, more -minutely,--I toil and toil at them. My friend, my confidant, what a -horrid task is it to tear away one's thoughts from one's self! My reason -suffers, my brain is racked and strained: to save myself from madness, I -again admit the feeling that I love him. Yes, I love him, I love him!" -cried she, with a shower of tears: "I love him, I shall die loving him!" - -He took her by the hand, and entreated her in the most earnest manner -not to waste herself in such self-torments. "Oh! it seems hard," said -he, "that not only so much that is impossible should be denied us, but -so much also that is possible! It was not your lot to meet with a -faithful heart that would have formed your perfect happiness. It was -mine to fix the welfare of my life upon a hapless creature, whom, by the -weight of my fidelity, I drew to the bottom like a reed, perhaps even -broke in pieces!" - -He had told Aurelia of his intercourse with Mariana, and could therefore -now refer to it. She looked him intently in the face, and asked, "Can -you say that you never yet betrayed a woman, that you never tried with -thoughtless gallantry, with false asseverations, with cajoling oaths, to -wheedle favor from her?" - -"I can," said Wilhelm, "and indeed without much vanity: my life has -been so simple and sequestered, I have had but few enticements to -attempt such things. And what a warning, my beautiful, my noble, friend, -is this melancholy state in which I see you! Accept of me a vow, which -is suited to my heart; which, under the emotion you have caused me, has -settled into words and shape, and will be hallowed by the hour in which -I utter it. Each transitory inclination I will study to withstand, and -even the most earnest I will keep within my bosom: no woman shall -receive an acknowledgment of love from my lips to whom I cannot -consecrate my life!" - -She looked at him with a wild indifference, and drew back some steps as -he offered her his hand. "'Tis of no moment!" cried she: "so many -women's tears, more or fewer; the ocean will not swell by reason of -them. And yet," continued she, "among thousands, one woman saved; that -still is something: among thousands, one honest man discovered; this is -not to be refused. Do you know, then, what you promise?" - -"I know it," answered Wilhelm, with a smile, and holding out his hand. - -"I accept it, then," said she, and made a movement with her right hand, -as if meaning to take hold of his; but instantly she darted it into her -pocket, pulled out her dagger quick as lightning, and scored with the -edge and point of it across his hand. He hastily drew it back, but the -blood was already running down. - -"One must mark you men rather sharply, if one would have you take heed," -cried she, with a wild mirth, which soon passed into a quick assiduity. -She took her handkerchief, and bound his hand with it to stanch the -fast-flowing blood. "Forgive a half-crazed being," cried she, "and -regret not these few drops of blood. I am appeased. I am again myself. -On my knees will I crave your pardon: leave me the comfort of healing -you." - -She ran to her drawer, brought lint, with other apparatus, stanched the -blood, and viewed the wound attentively. It went across the palm, close -under the thumb, dividing the life-line, and running towards the little -finger. She bound it up in silence, with a significant, reflective look. -He asked, once or twice, "Aurelia, how could you hurt your friend?" - -"Hush!" replied she, laying her finger on her mouth: "Hush!" - - - - -BOOK V. - -CHAPTER I. - - -Thus Wilhelm, to his pair of former wounds, which were yet scarcely -healed, had now got the accession of a third, which was fresh and not a -little disagreeable. Aurelia would not suffer him to call a surgeon: she -dressed the hand with all manner of strange speeches, saws, and -ceremonies, and so placed him in a very painful situation. Yet not he -alone, but all persons who came near her, suffered by her restlessness -and singularity, and no one more than little Felix. This stirring child -was exceedingly impatient under such oppression, and showed himself -still naughtier the more she censured and instructed him. - -He delighted in some practices which commonly are thought bad habits, -and in which she would not by any means indulge him. He would drink, for -example, rather from the bottle than the glass; and his food seemed -visibly to have a better relish when eaten from the bowl than from the -plate. Such ill-breeding was not overlooked: if he left the door -standing open, or slammed it to; if, when bid do any thing, he stood -stock-still, or ran off violently,--he was sure to have a long lecture -inflicted on him for the fault. Yet he showed no symptoms of improvement -from this training: on the other hand, his affection for Aurelia seemed -daily to diminish; there was nothing tender in his tone when he called -her mother; whereas he passionately clung to the old nurse, who let him -have his will in every thing. - -But she likewise had of late become so sick, that they had at last been -obliged to take her from the house into a quiet lodging; and Felix would -have been entirely alone if Mignon had not, like a kindly guardian -spirit, come to help him. The two children talked together, and amused -each other in the prettiest style. She taught him little songs; and he, -having an excellent memory, frequently recited them, to the surprise of -those about him. She attempted also to explain her maps to him. With -these she was still very busy, though she did not seem to take the -fittest method. For, in studying countries, she appeared to care little -about any other point than whether they were cold or warm. Of the north -and south poles, of the horrid ice which reigns there, and of the -increasing heat the farther one retires from them, she could give a very -clear account. When any one was travelling, she merely asked whether he -was going northward or southward, and strove to find his route in her -little charts. Especially when Wilhelm spoke of travelling, she was all -attention, and seemed vexed when any thing occurred to change the -subject. Though she could not be prevailed upon to undertake a part, or -even to enter the theatre when any play was acting, yet she willingly -and zealously committed many odes and songs to memory; and by -unexpectedly, and, as it were, on the spur of the moment, reciting some -such poem, generally of the earnest and solemn kind, she would often -cause astonishment in every one. - -Serlo, accustomed to regard with favor every trace of opening talent, -encouraged her in such performances; but what pleased him most in Mignon -was her sprightly, various, and often even mirthful, singing. By means -of a similar gift, the harper likewise had acquired his favor. - -Without himself possessing genius for music, or playing on any -instrument, Serlo could rightly prize the value of the art: he failed -not, as often as he could, to enjoy this pleasure, which cannot be -compared with any other. He held a concert once a week; and now, with -Mignon, the harper, and Laertes, who was not unskilful on the violin, he -had formed a very curious domestic band. - -He was wont to say, "Men are so inclined to content themselves with what -is commonest; the spirit and the senses so easily grow dead to the -impressions of the beautiful and perfect,--that every one should study, -by all methods, to nourish in his mind the faculty of feeling these -things. For no man can bear to be entirely deprived of such enjoyments: -it is only because they are not used to taste of what is excellent that -the generality of people take delight in silly and insipid things, -provided they be new. For this reason," he would add, "one ought, every -day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine -picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." -With such a turn of thought in Serlo, which in some degree was natural -to him, the persons who frequented his society could scarcely be in -want of pleasant conversation. - -It was in the midst of these instructive entertainments, that Wilhelm -one day received a letter sealed in black. Werner's hand betokened -mournful news; and our friend was not a little shocked when, opening the -sheet, he found it to contain the tidings of his father's death, -conveyed in a very few words. After a short and sudden illness, he had -parted from the world, leaving his domestic affairs in the best possible -order. - -This unlooked-for intelligence struck Wilhelm to the heart. He deeply -felt how careless and negligent we often are of friends and relations -while they inhabit with us this terrestrial sojourn; and how we first -repent of our insensibility when the fair union, at least for this side -of time, is finally cut asunder. His grief for the early death of this -honest parent was mitigated only by the feeling that he had loved but -little in the world, and the conviction that he had enjoyed but little. - -Wilhelm's thoughts soon turned to his own predicament, and he felt -himself extremely discomposed. A person can scarcely be put into a more -dangerous position, than when external circumstances have produced some -striking change in his condition, without his manner of feeling and of -thinking having undergone any preparation for it. There is, then, an -epoch without epoch; and the contradiction which arises is the greater -the less the person feels that he is not trained for this new manner of -existence. - -Wilhelm saw himself in freedom, at a moment when he could not yet be at -one with himself. His thoughts were noble, his motives pure, his -purposes were not to be despised. All this he could, with some degree of -confidence, acknowledge to himself: but he had of late been frequently -enough compelled to notice, that experience was sadly wanting to him; -and hence, on the experience of others, and on the results which they -deduced from it, he put a value far beyond its real one, and thus led -himself still deeper into error. What he wanted, he conceived he might -most readily acquire if he undertook to collect and retain whatever -memorable thought he should meet with in reading or in conversation. He -accordingly recorded his own or other men's opinions, nay, wrote whole -dialogues, when they chanced to interest him. But unhappily by this -means he held fast the false no less firmly than the true; he dwelt far -too long on one idea, particularly when it was of an aphoristic shape; -and thus he left his natural mode of thought and action, and frequently -took foreign lights for his loadstars. Aurelia's bitterness, and -Laertes's cold contempt for men, warped his judgment oftener than they -should have done: but no one, in his present case, would have been so -dangerous as Jarno, a man whose clear intellect could form a just and -rigorous decision about present things, but who erred, withal, in -enunciating these particular decisions with a kind of universal -application; whereas, in truth, the judgments of the understanding are -properly of force but once, and that in the strictest cases, and become -inaccurate in some degree when applied to any other. - -Thus Wilhelm, striving to become consistent with himself, was deviating -farther and farther from wholesome consistency; and this confusion made -it easier for his passions to employ their whole artillery against him, -and thus still farther to perplex his views of duty. - -Serlo did not fail to take advantage of the late tidings; and in truth -he daily had more reason to be anxious about some fresh arrangement of -his people. Either he must soon renew his old contracts,--a measure he -was not specially fond of; for several of his actors, who reckoned -themselves indispensable, were growing more and more arrogant,--or else -he must entirely new-model and re-form his company; which plan he looked -upon as preferable. - -Though he did not personally importune our friend, he set Aurelia and -Philina on him; and the other wanderers, longing for some kind of -settlement, on their side, gave Wilhelm not a moment's rest; so that he -stood hesitating in his choice, in no slight embarrassment till he -should decide. Who would have thought that a letter of Werner's, written -with quite different views, should have forced him on resolving? We -shall omit the introduction, and give the rest of it with little -alteration. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -"It was, therefore, and it always must be, right for every one, on any -opportunity, to follow his vocation and exhibit his activity. Scarcely -had the good old man been gone a quarter of an hour, when every thing in -the house began moving by a different plan than his. Friends, -acquaintances, relations, crowded forward, especially all sorts of -people who on such occasions use to gain any thing. They fetched and -carried, they counted, wrote, and reckoned; some brought wine and meat, -others ate and drank; and none seemed busier than the women getting out -the mournings. - -"Such being the case, thou wilt not blame me, that, in this emergency, I -likewise thought of _my_ advantage. I made myself as active, and as -helpful to thy sister, as I could, and, so soon as it was any way -decorous, signified to her that it had now become our business to -accelerate a union which our parents, in their too great circumspection, -had hitherto postponed. - -"Do not suppose, however, that it came into our heads to take possession -of that monstrous empty house. We are more modest and more rational. -Thou shalt hear our plan: thy sister, so soon as we are married, comes -to our house; and thy mother comes along with her. 'How can that be?' -thou wilt say: 'you have scarcely room for yourselves in that hampered -nest.' There lies the art of it, my friend. Good packing renders all -things possible: thou wouldst not believe what space one finds when one -desires to occupy but little. The large house we shall sell,--an -opportunity occurs for this; and the money we shall draw for it will -produce a hundred-fold. - -"I hope this meets thy views: I hope also thou hast not inherited the -smallest particle of those unprofitable tastes for which thy father and -thy grandfather were noted. The latter placed his greatest happiness in -having about him a multitude of dull-looking works of art, which no one, -I may well say no one, could enjoy with him: the former lived in a -stately pomp, which he suffered no one to enjoy with him. We mean to -manage otherwise, and we expect thy approbation. - -"It is true, I myself in all the house have no place whatever but the -stool before my writing-desk; and I see not clearly where they will be -able to put a cradle down: but, in return, the room we shall have out of -doors will be the more abundant. Coffee-houses and clubs for the -husband, walks and drives for the wife, and pleasant country jaunts for -both. But the chief advantage in our plan is, that, the round table -being now completely filled, our father cannot ask his friends to -dinner, who, the more he strove to entertain them, used to laugh at him -the more. - -"Now no superfluity for us! Not too much furniture and apparatus; no -coach, no horses! Nothing but money, and the liberty, day after day, to -do what you like in reason. No wardrobe; still the best and newest on -your back: the man may wear his coat till it is done; the wife may truck -her gown, the moment it is going out of fashion. There is nothing so -unsufferable to me as an old huckster's shop of property. If you would -offer me a jewel, on condition of my wearing it daily on my finger, I -would not accept it; for how can one conceive any pleasure in a dead -capital? This, then, is my confession of faith: To transact your -business, to make money, to be merry with your household; and about the -rest of the earth to trouble yourself no farther than where you can be -of service to it. - -"But ere now thou art saying, 'And, pray, what is to be done with me in -this sage plan of yours? Where shall I find shelter when you have sold -my own house, and not the smallest room remains in yours?' - -"This is, in truth, the main point, brother; and in this, too, I shall -have it in my power to serve thee. But first I must present the just -tribute of my praise for time so spent as thine has been. - -"Tell me, how hast thou within a few weeks become so skilled in every -useful, interesting object? Highly as I thought of thy powers, I did not -reckon such attention and such diligence among the number. Thy journal -shows us with what profit thou art travelling. The description of the -iron and the copper forges is exquisite: it evinces a complete knowledge -of the subject. I myself was once there; but my relation, compared with -this, has but a very bungled look. The whole letter on the linen-trade -is full of information: the remarks on commercial competition are at -once just and striking. In one or two places, there are errors in -addition, which indeed are very pardonable. - -"But what most delights my father and myself, is thy thorough knowledge -of husbandry, and the improvement of landed property. We have thoughts -of purchasing a large estate, at present under sequestration, in a very -fruitful district. For paying it, we mean to use the money realized by -the sale of the house; another portion we shall borrow; a portion may -remain unpaid. And we count on thee for going thither, and -superintending the improvement of it; by which means, before many years -are passed, the land, to speak in moderation, will have risen above a -third in value. We shall then bring it to the market again, seek out a -larger piece, improve and trade as formerly. For all this thou art the -man. Our pens, meanwhile, will not lie idle here; and so by and by we -shall rise to be enviable people. - -"For the present, fare thee well! Enjoy life on thy journey, and turn -thy face wherever thou canst find contentment and advantage. For the -next half-year we shall not need thee; thou canst look about thee in the -world as thou pleasest: a judicious person finds his best instruction in -his travels. Farewell! I rejoice at being connected with thee so closely -by relation, and now united with thee in the spirit of activity." - - * * * * * - -Well as this letter might be penned, and full of economical truths as it -was, Wilhelm felt displeased with it for more than one reason. The -praise bestowed on him for his pretended statistical, technological, and -rural knowledge was a silent reprimand. The ideal of the happiness of -civic life, which his worthy brother sketched, by no means charmed him: -on the contrary, a secret spirit of contradiction dragged him forcibly -the other way. He convinced himself, that, except on the stage, he could -nowhere find that mental culture which he longed to give himself: he -seemed to grow the more decided in his resolution, the more strongly -Werner, without knowing it, opposed him. Thus assailed, he collected all -his arguments together, and buttressed his opinions in his mind the more -carefully, the more desirable he reckoned it to show them in a favorable -light to Werner; and in this manner he produced an answer, which also we -insert. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -"Thy letter is so well written, and so prudently and wisely conceived, -that no objection can be made to it. Only thou must pardon me, when I -declare that one may think, maintain, and do directly the reverse, and -yet be in the right as well as thou. Thy mode of being and imagining -appears to turn on boundless acquisition, and a light, mirthful manner -of enjoyment: I need scarcely tell thee, that in all this I find little -that can charm me. - -"First, however, I am sorry to admit, that my journal is none of mine. -Under the pressure of necessity, and to satisfy my father, it was -patched together by a friend's help, out of many books: and though in -words I know the objects it relates to, and more of the like sort, I by -no means understand them, or can occupy myself about them. What good -were it for me to manufacture perfect iron while my own breast is full -of dross? What would it stead me to put properties of land in order, -while I am at variance with myself? - -"To speak it in a word, the cultivation of my individual self, here as I -am, has from my youth upwards been constantly though dimly my wish and -my purpose. The same intention I still cherish, but the means of -realizing it are now grown somewhat clearer. I have seen more of life -than thou believest, and profited more by it also. Give some attention, -then, to what I say, though it should not altogether tally with thy own -opinions. - -"Had I been a nobleman, our dispute would soon have been decided; but, -being a simple burgher, I must take a path of my own: and I fear it may -be difficult to make thee understand me. I know not how it is in foreign -countries, but in Germany, a universal, and, if I may say so, personal, -cultivation is beyond the reach of any one except a nobleman. A burgher -may acquire merit; by excessive efforts he may even educate his mind; -but his personal qualities are lost, or worse than lost, let him -struggle as he will. Since the nobleman, frequenting the society of the -most polished, is compelled to give himself a polished manner; since -this manner, neither door nor gate being shut against him, grows at last -an unconstrained one; since, in court or camp, his figure, his person, -are a part of his possessions, and, it may be, the most necessary -part,--he has reason enough to put some value on them, and to show that -he puts some. A certain stately grace in common things, a sort of gay -elegance in earnest and important ones, becomes him well; for it shows -him to be everywhere in equilibrium. He is a public person; and the more -cultivated his movements, the more sonorous his voice, the more staid -and measured his whole being is, the more perfect is he. If to high and -low, to friends and relations, he continues still the same, then nothing -can be said against him, none may wish him otherwise. His coldness must -be reckoned clearness of head, his dissimulation prudence. If he can -rule himself externally at every moment of his life, no man has aught -more to demand of him; and, whatever else there may be in him or about -him, capacities, talents, wealth, all seem gifts of supererogation. - -"Now, imagine any burgher offering ever to pretend to these advantages, -he will utterly fail, and the more completely, the greater inclination -and the more endowments nature may have given him for that mode of -being. - -"Since, in common life, the nobleman is hampered by no limits; since -kings, or kinglike figures, do not differ from him,--he can everywhere -advance with a silent consciousness, as if before his equals: everywhere -he is entitled to press forward, whereas nothing more beseems the -burgher than the quiet feeling of the limits that are drawn round him. -The burgher may not ask himself, 'What art thou?' He can only ask, 'What -hast thou? What discernment, knowledge, talent, wealth?' If the -nobleman, merely by his personal carriage, offers all that can be asked -of him, the burgher by his personal carriage offers nothing, and can -offer nothing. The former has a right to _seem_: the latter is compelled -to _be_, and what he aims at seeming becomes ludicrous and tasteless. -The former does and makes, the latter but effects and procures; he must -cultivate some single gifts in order to be useful; and it is beforehand -settled, that, in his manner of existence, there is no harmony, and can -be none, since he is bound to make himself of use in one department, and -so has to relinquish all the others. - -"Perhaps the reason of this difference is not the usurpation of the -nobles, and the submission of the burghers, but the constitution of -society itself. Whether it will ever alter, and how, is to me of small -importance: my present business is to meet my own case, as matters -actually stand; to consider by what means I may save myself, and reach -the object which I cannot live in peace without. - -"Now, this harmonious cultivation of my nature, which has been denied me -by birth, is exactly what I most long for. Since leaving thee, I have -gained much by voluntary practice: I have laid aside much of my wonted -embarrassment, and can bear myself in very tolerable style. My speech -and voice I have likewise been attending to; and I may say, without much -vanity, that in society I do not cause displeasure. But I will not -conceal from thee, that my inclination to become a public person, and to -please and influence in a larger circle, is daily growing more -insuperable. With this, there is combined my love for poetry and all -that is related to it; and the necessity I feel to cultivate my mental -faculties and tastes, that so, in this enjoyment henceforth -indispensable, I may esteem as good the good alone, as beautiful the -beautiful alone. Thou seest well, that for me all this is nowhere to be -met with except upon the stage; that in this element alone can I effect -and cultivate myself according to my wishes. On the boards a polished -man appears in his splendor with personal accomplishments, just as he -does so in the upper classes of society; body and spirit must advance -with equal steps in all his studies; and there I shall have it in my -power at once to be and seem as well as anywhere. If I further long for -solid occupations, we have there mechanical vexations in abundance: I -may give my patience daily exercise. - -"Dispute not with me on this subject; for, ere thou writest, the step is -taken. In compliance with the ruling prejudices, I will change my name; -as, indeed, that of Meister, or Master, does not suit me. Farewell! Our -fortune is in good hands: on that subject I shall not disturb myself. -What I need I will, as occasion calls, require from thee: it will not be -much, for I hope my art will be sufficient to maintain me." - - * * * * * - -Scarcely was the letter sent away, when our friend made good his words. -To the great surprise of Serlo and the rest, he at once declared that he -was ready to become an actor, and bind himself by a contract on -reasonable terms. With regard to these they were soon agreed; for Serlo -had before made offers, with which Wilhelm and his comrades had good -reason to be satisfied. The whole of that unlucky company, wherewith we -have had so long to occupy ourselves, was now at once received; and, -except perhaps Laertes, not a member of it showed the smallest -thankfulness to Wilhelm. As they had entreated without confidence, so -they accepted without gratitude. Most of them preferred ascribing their -appointment to the influence of Philina, and directed their thanks to -her. Meanwhile the contracts had been written out, and were now -a-signing. At the moment when our friend was subscribing his assumed -designation, by some inexplicable concatenation of ideas, there arose -before his mind's eye the image of that green in the forest where he lay -wounded in Philina's lap. The lovely Amazon came riding on her gray -palfrey from the bushes of the wood: she approached him and dismounted. -Her humane anxiety made her come and go: at length she stood before him. -The white surtout fell down from her shoulders: her countenance, her -form, began to glance in radiance: and she vanished from his sight. He -wrote his name mechanically only, not knowing what he did, and felt not, -till after he had signed, that Mignon was standing at his side, was -holding by his arm, and had softly tried to stop him, and pull back his -hand. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -One of the conditions under which our friend had gone upon the stage was -not acceded to by Serlo without some limitations. Wilhelm had required -that "Hamlet" should be played entire and unmutilated: the other had -agreed to this strange stipulation, in so far as it was _possible_. On -this point they had many a contest; for as to what was possible or not -possible, and what parts of the piece could be omitted without -mutilating it, the two were of very different opinions. - -Wilhelm was still in that happy season when one cannot understand how, -in the woman one loves, in the writer one honors, there should be any -thing defective. The feeling they excite in us is so entire, so -accordant with itself, that we cannot help attributing the same perfect -harmony to the objects themselves. Serlo again was willing to -discriminate, perhaps too willing: his acute understanding could usually -discern in any work of art nothing but a more or less imperfect whole. -He thought, that as pieces usually stood, there was little reason to be -chary about meddling with them; that of course Shakspeare, and -particularly "Hamlet," would need to suffer much curtailment. - -But, when Serlo talked of separating the wheat from the chaff, Wilhelm -would not hear of it. "It is not chaff and wheat together," said he: "it -is a trunk with boughs, twigs, leaves, buds, blossoms, and fruit. Is not -the one there with the others, and by means of them?" To which Serlo -would reply, that people did not bring a whole tree upon the table; that -the artist was required to present his guests with silver apples in -platters of silver. They exhausted their invention in similitudes, and -their opinions seemed still farther to diverge. - -Our friend was on the borders of despair, when on one occasion, after -much debating, Serlo counselled him to take the simple plan,--to make a -brief resolution, to grasp his pen, to peruse the tragedy; dashing out -whatever would not answer, compressing several personages into one: and -if he was not skilled in such proceedings, or had not heart enough for -going through with them, he might leave the task to him, the manager, -who would engage to make short work with it. - -"That is not our bargain," answered Wilhelm. "How can you, with all your -taste, show so much levity?" - -"My friend," cried Serlo, "you yourself will erelong feel it and show -it. I know too well how shocking such a mode of treating works is: -perhaps it never was allowed on any theatre till now. But where, indeed, -was ever one so slighted as ours? Authors force us on this wretched -clipping system, and the public tolerates it. How many pieces have we, -pray, which do not overstep the measure of our numbers, of our -decorations and theatrical machinery, of the proper time, of the fit -alternation of dialogue, and the physical strength of the actor? And yet -we are to play, and play, and constantly give novelties. Ought we not to -profit by our privilege, then, since we accomplish just as much by -mutilated works as by entire ones? It is the public itself that grants -the privilege. Few Germans, perhaps few men of any modern nation, have a -proper sense of an æsthetic whole:--they praise and blame by passages; -they are charmed by passages; and who has greater reason to rejoice at -this than actors, since the stage is ever but a patched and piece-work -matter?" - -"Is!" cried Wilhelm; "but _must_ it ever be so? Must every thing that is -continue? Convince me not that you are right, for no power on earth -should force me to abide by any contract which I had concluded with the -grossest misconceptions." - -Serlo gave a merry turn to the business, and persuaded Wilhelm to review -once more the many conversations they had had together about "Hamlet," -and himself to invent some means of properly re-forming the piece. - -After a few days, which he had spent alone, our friend returned with a -cheerful look. "I am much mistaken," cried he, "if I have not now -discovered how the whole is to be managed: nay, I am convinced that -Shakspeare himself would have arranged it so, had not his mind been too -exclusively directed to the ruling interest, and perhaps misled by the -novels which furnished him with his materials." - -"Let us hear," said Serlo, placing himself with an air of solemnity upon -the sofa: "I will listen calmly, but judge with rigor." - -"I am not afraid of you," said Wilhelm: "only hear me. In the -composition of this play, after the most accurate investigation and the -most mature reflection, I distinguish two classes of objects. The first -are the grand internal relations of the persons and events, the powerful -effects which arise from the characters and proceedings of the main -figures: these, I hold, are individually excellent; and the order in -which they are presented cannot be improved. No kind of interference -must be suffered to destroy them, or even essentially to change their -form. These are the things which stamp themselves deep into the soul, -which all men long to see, which no one dares to meddle with. -Accordingly, I understand, they have almost wholly been retained in all -our German theatres. But our countrymen have erred, in my opinion, with -regard to the second class of objects, which may be observed in this -tragedy: I allude to the external relations of the persons, whereby they -are brought from place to place, or combined in various ways, by certain -accidental incidents. These they have looked upon as very unimportant; -have spoken of them only in passing, or left them out altogether. Now, -indeed, it must be owned, these threads are slack and slender; yet they -run through the entire piece, and bind together much that would -otherwise fall asunder, and does actually fall asunder, when you cut -them off, and imagine you have done enough and more, if you have left -the ends hanging. - -"Among these external relations I include the disturbances in Norway, -the war with young Fortinbras, the embassy to his uncle, the settling of -that feud, the march of young Fortinbras to Poland, and his coming back -at the end; of the same sort are Horatio's return from Wittenberg, -Hamlet's wish to go thither, the journey of Laertes to France, his -return, the despatch of Hamlet into England, his capture by pirates, the -death of the two courtiers by the letter which they carried. All these -circumstances and events would be very fit for expanding and lengthening -a novel; but here they injure exceedingly the unity of the piece, -particularly as the hero has no plan, and are, in consequence, entirely -out of place." - -"For once in the right!" cried Serlo. - -"Do not interrupt me," answered Wilhelm: "perhaps you will not always -think me right. These errors are like temporary props of an edifice: -they must not be removed till we have built a firm wall in their stead. -My project, therefore, is, not at all to change those first-mentioned -grand situations, or at least as much as possible to spare them, both -collectively and individually; but with respect to these external, -single, dissipated, and dissipating motives, to cast them all at once -away, and substitute a solitary one instead of them." - -"And this?" inquired Serlo, springing up from his recumbent posture. - -"It lies in the piece itself," answered Wilhelm, "only I employ it -rightly. There are disturbances in Norway. You shall hear my plan, and -try it." - -"After the death of Hamlet the father, the Norwegians, lately conquered, -grow unruly. The viceroy of that country sends his son, Horatio, an old -school-friend of Hamlet's, and distinguished above every other for his -bravery and prudence, to Denmark, to press forward the equipment of the -fleet, which, under the new luxurious king, proceeds but slowly. Horatio -has known the former king, having fought in his battles, having even -stood in favor with him,--a circumstance by which the first ghost-scene -will be nothing injured. The new sovereign gives Horatio audience, and -sends Laertes into Norway with intelligence that the fleet will soon -arrive; whilst Horatio is commissioned to accelerate the preparation of -it: and the Queen, on the other hand, will not consent that Hamlet, as -he wishes, should go to sea along with him." - -"Heaven be praised!" cried Serlo: "we shall now get rid of Wittenberg -and the university, which was always a sorry piece of business. I think -your idea extremely good; for, except these two distant objects, Norway -and the fleet, the spectator will not be required to _fancy_ any thing: -the rest he will _see_; the rest takes place before him; whereas, his -imagination, on the other plan, was hunted over all the world." - -"You easily perceive," said Wilhelm, "how I shall contrive to keep the -other parts together. When Hamlet tells Horatio of his uncle's crime, -Horatio counsels him to go to Norway in his company, to secure the -affections of the army, and return in warlike force. Hamlet also is -becoming dangerous to the King and Queen; they find no readier method of -deliverance, than to send him in the fleet, with Rosencrantz and -Guildenstern to be spies upon him; and, as Laertes in the mean time -comes from France, they determine that this youth, exasperated even to -murder, shall go after him. Unfavorable winds detain the fleet: Hamlet -returns; for his wandering through the churchyard, perhaps some lucky -motive may be thought of; his meeting with Laertes in Ophelia's grave is -a grand moment, which we must not part with. After this, the King -resolves that it is better to get quit of Hamlet on the spot: the -festival of his departure, the pretended reconcilement with Laertes, are -now solemnized; on which occasion knightly sports are held, and Laertes -fights with Hamlet. Without the four corpses, I cannot end the play: no -one must survive. The right of popular election now again comes in -force; and Hamlet, while dying, gives his vote to Horatio." - -"Quick! quick!" said Serlo, "sit down and work the play: your plan has -my entire approbation; only let not your zeal evaporate." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Wilhelm had already been for some time busied with translating "Hamlet;" -making use, as he labored, of Wieland's spirited performance, through -which he had first become acquainted with Shakspeare. What had been -omitted in Wieland's work he replaced, and had secured a complete -version, at the very time when Serlo and he were pretty well agreed -about the way of treating it. He now began, according to his plan, to -cut out and insert, to separate and unite, to alter, and often to -restore; for, satisfied as he was with his own conception, it still -appeared to him as if, in executing it, he were but spoiling the -original. - -When all was finished, he read his work to Serlo and the rest. They -declared themselves exceedingly contented with it: Serlo, in particular, -made many flattering observations. - -"You have felt very justly," said he, among other things, "that some -external circumstances must accompany this play, but that they must be -simpler than those which the great poet has employed. What takes place -without the theatre, what the spectator does not see, but must imagine, -is like a background, in front of which the acting figures move. Your -large and simple prospect of the fleet and Norway will do much to -improve the play; if this were altogether taken from it, we should have -but a family scene remaining; and the great idea, that here a kingly -house, by internal crimes and incongruities, goes down to ruin, would -not be presented with its proper dignity. But if the former background -were left standing, so manifold, so fluctuating and confused, it would -hurt the impression of the figures." - -Wilhelm again took Shakspeare's part; alleging that he wrote for -islanders, for Englishmen, who generally, in the distance, were -accustomed to see little else than ships and voyages, the coast of -France and privateers; and thus what perplexed and distracted others was -to them quite natural. - -Serlo assented; and both were of opinion, that, as the play was now to -be produced upon the German stage, this more serious and simple -background was the best adapted for the German mind. - -The parts had been distributed before: Serlo undertook Polonius; -Aurelia, Ophelia; Laertes was already designated by his name; a young, -thick-set, jolly new-comer was to be Horatio; the King and Ghost alone -occasioned some perplexity, for both of these no one but Old Boisterous -remaining. Serlo proposed to make the Pedant, King; but against this our -friend protested in the strongest terms. They could resolve on nothing. - -Wilhelm had also allowed both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to continue -in his play. "Why not compress them into one?" said Serlo. "This -abbreviation will not cost you much." - -"Heaven keep me from all such curtailments!" answered Wilhelm: "they -destroy at once the sense and the effect. What these two persons are and -do it is impossible to represent by one. In such small matters we -discover Shakspeare's greatness. These soft approaches, this smirking -and bowing, this assenting, wheedling, flattering, this whisking -agility, this wagging of the tail, this allness and emptiness, this -legal knavery, this ineptitude and insipidity,--how can they be -expressed by a single man? There ought to be at least a dozen of these -people, if they could be had; for it is only in society that they are -any thing; they are society itself; and Shakspeare showed no little -wisdom and discernment in bringing in a pair of them. Besides, I need -them as a couple that may be contrasted with the single, noble, -excellent Horatio." - -"I understand you," answered Serlo, "and we can arrange it. One of them -we shall hand over to Elmira, Old Boisterous's eldest daughter: it will -all be right, if they look well enough; and I will deck and trim the -puppets so that it shall be first-rate fun to behold them." - -Philina was rejoicing not a little, that she had to act the Duchess in -the small subordinate play. "I will show it so natural," cried she, "how -you wed a second husband, without loss of time, when you have loved the -first immensely. I mean to win the loudest plaudits, and every man shall -wish to be the third." - -Aurelia gave a frown: her spleen against Philina was increasing every -day. - -"'Tis a pity, I declare," said Serlo, "that we have no ballet; else you -should dance me a _pas de deux_ with your first, and then another with -your second husband,--and the first might dance himself to sleep by the -measure; and your bits of feet and ankles would look so pretty, tripping -to and fro upon the side stage." - -"Of my ankles you do not know much," replied she pertly; "and as to my -bits of feet," cried she, hastily reaching below the table, pulling off -her slippers, and holding them together out to Serlo, "here are the -cases of them; and I challenge you to find me more dainty ones." - -"I was in earnest," said he, looking at the elegant half-shoes. "In -truth, one does not often meet with any thing so dainty." - -They were of Parisian workmanship: Philina had received them as a -present from the countess, a lady whose foot was celebrated for its -beauty. - -"A charming thing!" cried Serlo: "my heart leaps at the sight of them." - -"What gallant throbs!" replied Philina. - -"There is nothing in the world beyond a pair of slippers," said he, "of -such pretty manufacture, in their proper time and place, when"-- - -Philina took her slippers from his hands, crying, "You have squeezed -them all! They are far too wide for me!" She played with them, and -rubbed the soles of them together. "How hot it is!" cried she, clapping -the sole upon her cheek, then again rubbing, and holding it to Serlo. He -was innocent enough to stretch out his hand to feel the warmth. "Clip! -clap!" cried she, giving him a smart rap over the knuckles with the -heel; so that he screamed, and drew back his hand. "That's for indulging -in thoughts of your own at the sight of my slippers." - -"And that's for using old folk like children," cried the other; then -sprang up, seized her, and plundered many a kiss, every one of which she -artfully contested with a show of serious reluctance. In this romping, -her long hair got loose, and floated round the group; the chair overset; -and Aurelia, inwardly indignant at such rioting, arose in great -vexation. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -Though in this remoulding of "Hamlet" many characters had been cut off, -a sufficient number of them still remained,--a number which the company -was scarcely adequate to meet. - -"If this is the way of it," said Serlo, "our prompter himself must issue -from his den, and mount the stage, and become a personage like one of -us." - -"In his own station," answered Wilhelm, "I have frequently admired him." - -"I do not think," said Serlo, "that there is in the world a more perfect -artist of his kind. No spectator ever hears him: we upon the stage catch -every syllable. He has formed in himself, as it were, a peculiar set of -vocal organs for this purpose: he is like a Genius that whispers -intelligibly to us in the hour of need. He feels, as if by instinct, -what portion of his task an actor is completely master of, and -anticipates from afar where his memory will fail him. I have known cases -in which I myself had scarcely read my part: he said it over to me word -for word, and I played happily. Yet he has some peculiarities which -would make another in his place quite useless. For example, he takes -such an interest in the plays, that, in giving any moving passage, he -does not indeed declaim it, but he reads it with all pomp and pathos. -By this ill habit he has nonplussed me on more than one occasion." - -"As with another of his singularities," observed Aurelia, "he once left -me sticking fast in a very dangerous passage." - -"How could this happen, with the man's attentiveness?" said Wilhelm. - -"He is so affected," said Aurelia, "by certain passages, that he weeps -warm tears, and for a few moments loses all reflection; and it is not -properly passages such as we should call affecting that produce this -impression on him; but, if I express myself clearly, the _beautiful_ -passages, those out of which the pure spirit of the poet looks forth, as -it were, through open, sparkling eyes,--passages which others at most -rejoice over, and which many thousands altogether overlook." - -"And with a soul so tender, why does he never venture on the stage?" - -"A hoarse voice," said Serlo, "and a stiff carriage, exclude him from -it; as his melancholic temper excludes him from society. What trouble -have I taken, and in vain, to make him take to me! But he is a charming -reader; such another I have never heard; no one can observe like him the -narrow limit between declamation and graceful recital." - -"The very man!" exclaimed our friend, "the very man! What a fortunate -discovery! We have now the proper hand for delivering the passage of -'The rugged Pyrrhus.'" - -"One requires your eagerness," said Serlo, "before he can employ every -object in the use it was meant for." - -"In truth," said Wilhelm, "I was very much afraid we should be obliged -to leave this passage out: the omission would have lamed the whole -play." - -"Well! That is what I cannot understand," observed Aurelia. - -"I hope you will erelong be of my opinion," answered Wilhelm. -"Shakspeare has introduced these travelling players with a double -purpose. The person who recites the death of Priam with such feeling, in -the _first_ place, makes a deep impression on the prince himself; he -sharpens the conscience of the wavering youth: and, accordingly, this -scene becomes a prelude to that other, where, in the _second_ place, the -little play produces such effect upon the King. Hamlet sees himself -reproved and put to shame by the player, who feels so deep a sympathy in -foreign and fictitious woes; and the thought of making an experiment -upon the conscience of his stepfather is in consequence suggested to -him. What a royal monologue is that, which ends the second act! How -charming it will be to speak it! - - "'Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! - Is it not monstrous that this player here, - But in a fiction, in a dream of passion, - Could force his soul so to his own conceit, - That, from her working, all his visage wann'd; - Tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, - A broken voice, and his whole function suiting - With forms to his conceit? and all for nothing! - For Hecuba! - What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, - That he should weep for her?'" - -"If we can but persuade our man to come upon the stage," observed -Aurelia. - -"We must lead him to it by degrees," said Serlo. "At the rehearsal he -may read the passage: we shall tell him that an actor whom we are -expecting is to play it; and so, by and by, we shall lead him nearer to -the point." - -Having agreed on this affair, the conversation next turned upon the -Ghost. Wilhelm could not bring himself to give the part of the living -King to the Pedant, that so Old Boisterous might play the Ghost: he was -of opinion that they ought to wait a while; because some other actors -had announced themselves, and among these it was probable they would -find a fitter man. - -We can easily conceive, then, how astonished Wilhelm must have been -when, returning home that evening, he found a billet lying on his table, -sealed with singular figures, and containing what follows:-- - -"Strange youth! we know thou art in great perplexity. For thy Hamlet -thou canst hardly find men enough, not to speak of ghosts. Thy zeal -deserves a miracle: miracles we cannot work, but somewhat marvellous -shall happen. If thou have faith, the Ghost shall arise at the proper -hour! Be of courage and keep firm! This needs no answer: thy -determination will be known to us." - -With this curious sheet he hastened back to Serlo, who read and re-read -it, and at last declared, with a thoughtful look, that it seemed a -matter of some moment; that they must consider well and seriously -whether they could risk it. They talked the subject over at some length; -Aurelia was silent, only smiling now and then; and a few days after, -when speaking of the incident again, she gave our friend, not obscurely, -to understand that she held it all a joke of Serlo's. She desired him to -cast away anxiety, and to expect the Ghost with patience. - -Serlo, for most part, was in excellent humor: the actors that were going -to leave him took all possible pains to play well, that their absence -might be much regretted; and this, combined with the new-fangled zeal of -the others, gave promise of the best results. - -His intercourse with Wilhelm had not failed to exert some influence on -him. He began to speak more about art: for, after all, he was a German; -and Germans like to give themselves account of what they do. Wilhelm -wrote down many of their conversations; which, as our narrative must not -be so often interrupted here, we shall communicate to such of our -readers as feel an interest in dramaturgic matters, by some other -opportunity. - -In particular, one evening, the manager was very merry in speaking of -the part of Polonius, and how he meant to take it up. "I engage," said -he, "on this occasion, to present a very meritorious person in his best -aspect. The repose and security of this old gentleman, his emptiness and -his significance, his exterior gracefulness and interior meanness, his -frankness and sycophancy, his sincere roguery and deceitful truth, I -will introduce with all due elegance in their fit proportions. This -respectable, gray-haired, enduring, time-serving half-knave, I will -represent in the most courtly style: the occasional roughness and -coarseness of our author's strokes will further me here. I will speak -like a book when I am prepared beforehand, and like an ass when I utter -the overflowings of my heart. I will be insipid and absurd enough to -chime in with every one, and acute enough never to observe when people -make a mock of me. I have seldom taken up a part with so much zeal and -roguishness." - -"Could I but hope as much from mine!" exclaimed Aurelia. "I have neither -youth nor softness enough to be at home in this character. One thing -alone I am too sure of,--the feeling that turns Ophelia's brain, I shall -not want." - -"We must not take the matter up so strictly," said our friend. "For my -share, I am certain, that the wish to act the character of Hamlet has -led me exceedingly astray, throughout my study of the play. And now, the -more I look into the part, the more clearly do I see, that, in my whole -form and physiognomy, there is not one feature such as Shakspeare meant -for Hamlet. When I consider with what nicety the various circumstances -are adapted to each other, I can scarcely hope to produce even a -tolerable effect." - -"You are entering on your new career with becoming conscientiousness," -said Serlo. "The actor fits himself to his part as he can, and the part -to him as it must. But how has Shakspeare drawn his Hamlet? Is he so -utterly unlike you?" - -"In the first place," answered Wilhelm, "he is fair-haired." - -"That I call far-fetched," observed Aurelia. "How do you infer that?" - -"As a Dane, as a Northman, he is fair-haired and blue-eyed by descent." - -"And you think Shakspeare had this in view?" - -"I do not find it specially expressed; but, by comparison of passages, I -think it incontestable. The fencing tires him; the sweat is running from -his brow; and the Queen remarks, '_He's fat, and scant of breath._' Can -you conceive him to be otherwise than plump and fair-haired? -Brown-complexioned people, in their youth, are seldom plump. And does -not his wavering melancholy, his soft lamenting, his irresolute -activity, accord with such a figure? From a dark-haired young man, you -would look for more decision and impetuosity." - -"You are spoiling my imagination," cried Aurelia: "away with your fat -Hamlets! Do not set your well-fed prince before us! Give us rather any -_succedaneum_ that will move us, will delight us. The intention of the -author is of less importance to us than our own enjoyment, and we need a -charm that is adapted for us." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -One evening a dispute arose among our friends about the novel and the -drama, and which of them deserved the preference. Serlo said it was a -fruitless and misunderstood debate: both might be superior in their -kinds, only each must keep within the limits proper to it. - -"About their limits and their kinds," said Wilhelm, "I confess myself -not altogether clear." - -"Who _is_ so?" said the other; "and yet perhaps it were worth while to -come a little closer to the business." - -They conversed together long upon the matter; and, in fine, the -following was nearly the result of their discussion:-- - -"In the novel as well as in the drama, it is human nature and human -action that we see. The difference between these sorts of fiction lies -not merely in their outward form,--not merely in the circumstance that -the personages of the one are made to speak, while those of the other -have commonly their history narrated. Unfortunately many dramas are but -novels, which proceed by dialogue; and it would not be impossible to -write a drama in the shape of letters. - -"But, in the novel, it is chiefly _sentiments_ and _events_ that are -exhibited; in the drama, it is _characters_ and _deeds_. The novel must go -slowly forward; and the sentiments of the hero, by some means or -another, must restrain the tendency of the whole to unfold itself and to -conclude. The drama, on the other hand, must hasten: and the character -of the hero must press forward to the end: it does not restrain, but is -restrained. The novel-hero must be suffering,--at least he must not in a -high degree be active: in the dramatic one, we look for activity and -deeds. Grandison, Clarissa, Pamela, the Vicar of Wakefield, Tom Jones -himself, are, if not suffering, at least retarding, personages; and the -incidents are all in some sort modelled by their sentiments. In the -drama the hero models nothing by himself; all things withstand him; and -he clears and casts away the hinderances from off his path, or else -sinks under them." - -Our friends were also of opinion, that, in the novel, some degree of -scope may be allowed to Chance, but that it must always be led and -guided by the sentiments of the personages: on the other hand, that -Fate, which, by means of outward, unconnected circumstances, carries -forward men, without their own concurrence, to an unforeseen -catastrophe, can have place only in the drama; that Chance may produce -pathetic situations, but never tragic ones; Fate, on the other hand, -ought always to be terrible,--and is, in the highest sense, tragic, when -it brings into a ruinous concatenation the guilty man, and the guiltless -that was unconcerned with him. - -These considerations led them back to the play of "Hamlet," and the -peculiarities of its composition. The hero in this case, it was -observed, is endowed more properly with sentiments than with a -character: it is events alone that push him on, and accordingly the play -has in some measure the expansion of a novel. But as it is Fate that -draws the plan, as the story issues from a deed of terror, and the hero -is continually driven forward to a deed of terror, the work is tragic in -the highest sense, and admits of no other than a tragic end. - -The book-rehearsal was now to take place, to which Wilhelm had looked -forward as to a festival. Having previously collated all the parts, no -obstacle on this side could oppose him. The whole of the actors were -acquainted with the piece: he endeavored to impress their minds with the -importance of these book-rehearsals. "As you require," said he, "of -every musical performer, that he shall, in some degree, be able to play -from the book: so every actor, every educated man, should train himself -to recite from the book, to catch immediately the character of any -drama, any poem, any tale he may be reading, and exhibit it with grace -and readiness. No committing to memory will be of service, if the actor -have not, in the first place, penetrated into the sense and spirit of -his author: the mere letter will avail him nothing." - -Serlo declared that he would overlook all subsequent rehearsals,--the -last rehearsal itself,--if justice were but done to these rehearsals -from the book. "For, commonly," said he, "there is nothing more amusing -than to hear an actor speak of study: it is as if freemasons were to -talk of building." - -The rehearsal passed according to their wishes; and we may assert, that -the fame and favor which our company acquired afterwards had their -foundation in these few but well-spent hours. - -"You did right, my friend," said Serlo, when they were alone, "in -speaking to our fellow-laborers so earnestly; and yet I am afraid they -will scarcely fulfil your wishes." - -"How so?" asked Wilhelm. - -"I have noticed," answered Serlo, "that, as easily as you may set in -motion the imaginations of men, gladly as they listen to your tales and -fictions, it is yet very seldom that you find among them any touch of an -imagination you can call productive. In actors this remark is strikingly -exemplified. Any one of them is well content to undertake a beautiful, -praiseworthy, brilliant part; and seldom will any one of them do more -than self-complacently transport himself into his hero's place, without -in the smallest troubling his head whether other people view him so or -not. But to seize with vivacity what the author's feeling was in -writing; what portion of your individual qualities you must cast off, in -order to do justice to a part; how, by your own conviction that you are -become another man, you may carry with you the convictions of the -audience; how, by the inward truth of your conceptive power, you can -change these boards into a temple, this pasteboard into woods,--to seize -and execute all this, is given to very few. That internal strength of -soul, by which alone deception can be brought about; that lying truth, -without which nothing will affect us rightly,--have, by most men, never -even been imagined. - -"Let us not, then, press too hard for spirit and feeling in our friends. -The surest way is first coolly to instruct them in the sense and letter -of the play,--if possible, to open their understandings. Whoever has the -talent will then, of his own accord, eagerly adopt the spirited feeling -and manner of expression; and those who have it not will at least be -prevented from acting or reciting altogether falsely. And among actors, -as indeed in all cases, there is no worse arrangement than for any one -to make pretensions to the spirit of a thing, while the sense and letter -of it are not ready and clear to him." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -Coming to the first stage-rehearsal very early, Wilhelm found himself -alone upon the boards. The appearance of the place surprised him, and -awoke the strangest recollections. A forest and village scene stood -exactly represented as he once had seen it in the theatre of his native -town. On that occasion also, a rehearsal was proceeding; and it was the -morning when Mariana first confessed her love to him, and promised him a -happy interview. The peasants' cottages resembled one another on the two -stages, as they did in nature: the true morning sun, beaming through a -half-closed window-shutter, fell upon a part of a bench ill joined to a -cottage door; but unhappily it did not now enlighten Mariana's waist and -bosom. He sat down, reflecting on this strange coincidence: he almost -thought that perhaps on this very spot he would soon see her again. And, -alas! the truth was nothing more, than that an afterpiece, to which this -scene belonged, was at that time very often played upon the German -stage. - -Out of these meditations he was roused by the other actors, along with -whom two amateurs, frequenters of the wardrobe and the stage, came in, -and saluted Wilhelm with a show of great enthusiasm. One of these was in -some degree attached to Frau Melina, but the other was entirely a lover -of the art, and both were of the kind which a good company should always -wish to have about it. It was difficult to say whether their love for -the stage, or their knowledge of it, was the greater. They loved it too -much to know it perfectly: they knew it well enough to prize the good -and to discard the bad. But, their inclination being so powerful, they -could tolerate the mediocre; and the glorious joy which they experienced -from the foretaste and the aftertaste of excellence surpassed -expression. The mechanical department gave them pleasure, the -intellectual charmed them; and so strong was their susceptibility, that -even a discontinuous rehearsal afforded them a species of illusion. -Deficiencies appeared in their eyes to fade away in distance: the -successful touched them like an object near at hand. In a word, they -were judges such as every artist wishes in his own department. Their -favorite movement was from the side-scenes to the pit, and from the pit -to the side-scenes; their happiest place was in the wardrobe; their -busiest employment was in trying to improve the dress, position, -recitation, gesture, of the actor; their liveliest conversation was on -the effect produced by him; their most constant effort was to keep him -accurate, active, and attentive, to do him service or kindness, and, -without squandering, to procure for the company a series of enjoyments. -The two had obtained the exclusive privilege of being present on the -stage at rehearsals as well as exhibitions. In regard to "Hamlet," they -had not in all points agreed with Wilhelm: here and there he had -yielded; but, for most part, he had stood by his opinion: and, upon the -whole, these discussions had been very useful in the forming of his -taste. He showed both gentlemen how much he valued them; and they again -predicted nothing less, from these combined endeavors, than a new epoch -for the German theatre. - -The presence of these persons was of great service during the -rehearsals. In particular they labored to convince our players, that, -throughout the whole of their preparations, the posture and action, as -they were intended ultimately to appear, should always be combined with -the words, and thus the whole be mechanically united by habit. In -rehearsing a tragedy especially, they said, no common movement with the -hands should be allowed: a tragic actor that took snuff in the rehearsal -always frightened them; for, in all probability, on coming to the same -passage in the exhibition, he would miss his pinch. Nay, on the same -principles, they maintained that no one should rehearse in boots, if his -part were to be played in shoes. But nothing, they declared, afflicted -them so much as when the women, in rehearsing, stuck their hands into -the folds of their gowns. - -By the persuasion of our friends, another very good effect was brought -about: the actors all began to learn the use of arms. Since military -parts occur so frequently, said they, can any thing look more absurd -than men, without the smallest particle of discipline, trolling about -the stage in captains' and majors' uniforms? - -Wilhelm and Laertes were the first that took lessons of a subaltern: -they continued their practising of fence with the greatest zeal. - -Such pains did these two men take for perfecting a company which had so -fortunately come together. They were thus providing for the future -satisfaction of the public, while the public was usually laughing at -their taste. People did not know what gratitude they owed our friends, -particularly for performing one service,--the service of frequently -impressing on the actor the fundamental point, that it was his duty to -speak so loud as to be heard. In this simple matter, they experienced -more opposition and repugnance than could have been expected. Most part -maintained that they were heard well enough already; some laid the blame -upon the building; others said, one could not yell and bellow, when one -had to speak naturally, secretly, or tenderly. - -Our two friends, having an immeasurable stock of patience, tried every -means of undoing this delusion, of getting round this obstinate -self-will. They spared neither arguments nor flatteries; and at last -they reached their object, being aided not a little by the good example -of Wilhelm. By him they were requested to sit down in the remotest -corners of the house, and, every time they did not hear him perfectly, -to rap on the bench with a key. He articulated well, spoke out in a -measured manner, raised his tones gradually, and did not overcry -himself in the most vehement passages. The rapping of the key was heard -less and less every new rehearsal: by and by the rest submitted to the -same operation, and at last it seemed rational to hope that the piece -would be heard by every one in all the nooks of the house. - -From this example we may see how desirous people are to reach their -object in their own way; what need there often is of enforcing on them -truths which are self-evident; and how difficult it may be to reduce the -man who aims at effecting something to admit the primary conditions -under which alone his enterprise is possible. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -The necessary preparations for scenery and dresses, and whatever else -was requisite, were now proceeding. In regard to certain scenes and -passages, our friend had whims of his own, which Serlo humored, partly -in consideration of their bargain, partly from conviction, and because -he hoped by these civilities to gain Wilhelm, and to lead him according -to his own purposes the more implicitly in time to come. - -Thus, for example, the King and Queen were, at the first audience, to -appear sitting on the throne, with the courtiers at the sides, and -Hamlet standing undistinguished in the crowd. "Hamlet," said he, "must -keep himself quiet: his sable dress will sufficiently point him out. He -should rather shun remark than seek it. Not till the audience is ended, -and the King speaks with him as with a son, should he advance, and allow -the scene to take its course." - -A formidable obstacle still remained, in regard to the two pictures -which Hamlet so passionately refers to in the scene with his mother. "We -ought," said Wilhelm, "to have both of them visible, at full length, in -the bottom of the chamber, near the main door; and the former king must -be clad in armor, like the Ghost, and hang at the side where it enters. -I could wish that the figure held its right hand in a commanding -attitude, were somewhat turned away, and, as it were, looked over its -shoulder, that so it might perfectly resemble the Ghost at the moment -when he issues from the door. It will produce a great effect, when at -this instant Hamlet looks upon the Ghost, and the Queen upon the -picture. The stepfather may be painted in royal ornaments, but not so -striking." - -There were several other points of this sort, about which we shall, -perhaps, elsewhere have opportunity to speak. - -"Are you, then, inexorably bent on Hamlet's dying at the end?" inquired -Serlo. - -"How can I keep him alive," said Wilhelm, "when the whole play is -pressing him to death? We have already talked at large on that matter." - -"But the public wishes him to live." - -"I will show the public any other complaisance; but, as to this, I -cannot. We often wish that some gallant, useful man, who is dying of a -chronical disease, might yet live longer. The family weep, and conjure -the physician; but he cannot stay him: and no more than this physician -can withstand the necessity of nature, can we give law to an -acknowledged necessity of art. It is a false compliance with the -multitude, to raise in them emotions which they _wish_, when these are -not emotions which they _ought_, to feel." - -"Whoever pays the cash," said Serlo, "may require the ware according to -his liking." - -"Doubtless, in some degree," replied our friend; "but a great public -should be reverenced, not used as children are, when pedlers wish to -hook the money from them. By presenting excellence to the people, you -should gradually excite in them a taste and feeling for the excellent; -and they will pay their money with double satisfaction when reason -itself has nothing to object against this outlay. The public you may -flatter, as you do a well-beloved child, to better, to enlighten, it; -not as you do a pampered child of quality, to perpetuate the error you -profit from." - -In this manner various other topics were discussed relating to the -question, What might still be changed in the play, and what must of -necessity remain untouched? We shall not enter farther on those points -at present; but, perhaps, at some future time we may submit this altered -"Hamlet" itself to such of our readers as feel any interest in the -subject. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - -The main rehearsal was at length concluded: it had lasted very long. -Serlo and Wilhelm still found much to care for: notwithstanding all the -time which had already been consumed in preparation, some highly -necessary matters had been left to the very last moment. - -Thus, the pictures of the kings, for instance, were not ready: and the -scene between Hamlet and his mother, from which so powerful an effect -was looked for, had a very helpless aspect, as the business stood; for -neither Ghost nor painted image of him was at present forthcoming. Serlo -made a jest of this perplexity: "We should be in a pretty scrape," said -he, "if the Ghost were to decline appearing, and the guard had nothing -to fight with but the air, and our prompter were obliged to speak the -spirit's part from the side-scenes." - -"We will not scare away our strange friend by unbelief," said Wilhelm: -"doubtless at the proper season he will come, and astonish us as much as -the spectators." - -"Well, certainly," said Serlo, "I shall be a happy man to-morrow night, -when once the play will have been acted. It costs us more arrangement -than I dreamed of." - -"But none of you," exclaimed Philina, "will be happier than I, little as -my part disturbs me. Really, to hear a single subject talked of forever -and forever, when, after all, there is nothing to come of it beyond an -exhibition, which will be forgotten like so many hundred others, this is -what I have not patience for. In Heaven's name, not so many _pros_ and -_cons_! The guests you entertain have always something to object against -the dinner; nay, if you could hear them talk of it at home, they cannot -understand how it was possible to undergo so sad a business." - -"Let me turn your illustration, pretty one, to my own advantage," -answered Wilhelm. "Consider how much must be done by art and nature, by -traffickers and tradesmen, before an entertainment can be given. How -many years the stag must wander in the forest, the fish in the river or -the sea, before they can deserve to grace our table! And what cares and -consultations with her cooks and servants has the lady of the house -submitted to! Observe with what indifference the people swallow the -production of the distant vintager, the seaman, and the vintner, as if -it were a thing of course. And ought these men to cease from laboring, -providing, and preparing; ought the master of the house to cease from -purchasing and laying up the fruit of their exertions,--because at last -the enjoyment it affords is transitory? But no enjoyment can be -transitory; the impression which it leaves is permanent: and what is -done with diligence and effort communicates to the spectator a hidden -force, of which we cannot say how far its influence may reach." - -"'Tis all one to me," replied Philina: "only here again I must observe, -that you men are constantly at variance with yourselves. With all this -conscientious horror at curtailing Shakspeare, you have missed the -finest thought there was in 'Hamlet'!" - -"The finest?" cried our friend. - -"Certainly the finest," said Philina: "the prince himself takes pleasure -in it." - -"And it is?" inquired Serlo. - -"If you wore a wig," replied Philina, "I would pluck it very coolly off -you; for I think you need to have your understanding opened." - -The rest began to think what she could mean: the conversation paused. -The party arose; it was now grown late; they seemed about to separate. -While they were standing in this undetermined mood, Philina all at once -struck up a song, with a very graceful, pleasing tune:-- - - "Sing me not with such emotion, - How the night so lonesome is: - Pretty maids, I've got a notion - It is the reverse of this. - - For as wife and man are plighted, - And the better half the wife; - So is night to day united: - Night's the better half of life. - - Can you joy in bustling daytime, - Day when none can get his will? - It is good for work, for haytime; - For much other it is ill. - - But when, in the nightly glooming, - Social lamp on table glows, - Face for faces dear illuming, - And such jest and joyance goes; - - When the fiery, pert young fellow, - Wont by day to run or ride, - Whispering now some tale would tell O, - All so gentle by your side; - - When the nightingale to lovers - Lovingly her songlet sings, - Which for exiles and sad rovers - Like mere woe and wailing rings,-- - - With a heart how lightsome feeling, - Do ye count the kindly clock, - Which twelve times deliberate pealing, - Tells you none to-night shall knock! - - Therefore, on all fit occasions, - Mark it, maidens, what I sing: - Every day its own vexations, - And the night its joys, will bring." - -She made a slight courtesy on concluding, and Serlo gave a loud "Bravo!" -She scuttled off, and left the room with a teehee of laughter. They -heard her singing and skipping as she went down-stairs. - -Serlo passed into another room: Wilhelm bade Aurelia good-night; but she -continued looking at him for a few moments, and said,-- - -"How I dislike that woman! Dislike her from my heart, and to her very -slightest qualities! Those brown eyelashes, with her fair hair, which -our brother thinks so charming, I cannot bear to look at; and that scar -upon her brow has something in it so repulsive, so low and base, that I -could recoil ten paces every time I meet her. She was lately telling as -a joke, that her father, when she was a child, threw a plate at her -head, of which this is the mark. It is well that she is marked in the -eyes and brow, that those about her may be on their guard." - -Wilhelm made no answer; and Aurelia went on, apparently with greater -spleen,-- - -"It is next to impossible for me to speak a kind, civil word to her, so -deeply do I hate her, with all her wheedling. Would that we were rid of -her! And you, too, my friend, have a certain complaisance for the -creature, a way of acting towards her, that grieves me to the soul,--an -attention which borders on respect; which, by Heaven! she does not -merit." - -"Whatever she may be," replied our friend, "I owe her thanks. Her -upbringing is to blame: to her natural character I would do justice." - -"Character!" exclaimed Aurelia; "and do you think such a creature has a -character? O you men! It is so like you! These are the women you -deserve!" - -"My friend, can you suspect me?" answered Wilhelm. "I will give account -of every minute I have spent beside her." - -"Come, come," replied Aurelia: "it is late, we will not quarrel. All -like each, and each like all! Good-night, my friend! Good-night, my -sparkling bird-of-paradise!" - -Wilhelm asked how he had earned this title. - -"Another time," cried she; "another time. They say it has no feet, but -hovers in the air, and lives on ether. That, however, is a story, a -poetic fiction. Good-night! Dream sweetly, if you are in luck!" - -She proceeded to her room; and he, being left alone, made haste to his. - -Half angrily he walked along his chamber to and fro. The jesting but -decided tone of Aurelia had hurt him: he felt deeply how unjust she was. -Could he treat Philina with unkindness or ill-nature? She had done no -evil to him; but, for any love to her, he could proudly and confidently -take his conscience to witness that it was not so. - -On the point of beginning to undress, he was going forward to his bed to -draw aside the curtains, when, not without extreme astonishment, he saw -a pair of women's slippers lying on the floor before it. One of them was -resting on its sole, the other on its edge. They were Philina's -slippers: he recognized them but too well. He thought he noticed some -disorder in the curtains; nay, it seemed as if they moved. He stood, and -looked with unaverted eyes. - -A new impulse, which he took for anger, cut his breath: after a short -pause, he recovered, and cried in a firm tone,-- - -"Come out, Philina! What do you mean by this? Where is your sense, your -modesty? Are we to be the speech of the house to-morrow?" - -Nothing stirred. - -"I do not jest," continued he: "these pranks are little to my taste." - -No sound! No motion! - -Irritated and determined, he at last went forward to the bed, and tore -the curtains asunder. "Arise," said he, "if I am not to give you up my -room to-night." - -With great surprise, he found his bed unoccupied; the sheets and pillows -in the sleekest rest. He looked around: he searched and searched, but -found no traces of the rouge. Behind the bed, the stove, the drawers, -there was nothing to be seen: he sought with great and greater -diligence; a spiteful looker-on might have believed that he was seeking -in the hope of finding. - -All thought of sleep was gone. He put the slippers on his table; went -past it, up and down; often paused before it; and a wicked sprite that -watched him has asserted that our friend employed himself for several -hours about these dainty little shoes; that he viewed them with a -certain interest; that he handled them and played with them; and it was -not till towards morning that he threw himself on the bed, without -undressing, where he fell asleep amidst a world of curious fantasies. - -He was still slumbering, when Serlo entered hastily. "Where are you?" -cried he: "still in bed? Impossible! I want you in the theatre: we have -a thousand things to do." - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - -The forenoon and the afternoon fled rapidly away. The playhouse was -already full: our friend hastened to dress. It was not with the joy -which it had given him when he first essayed it, that he now put on the -garb of Hamlet: he only dressed that he might be in readiness. On his -joining the women in the stage-room, they unanimously cried that nothing -sat upon him right; the fine feather stood awry; the buckle of his belt -did not fit: they began to slit, to sew, and piece together. The music -started: Philina still objected somewhat to his ruff; Aurelia had much -to say against his mantle. "Leave me alone, good people," cried he: -"this negligence will make me liker Hamlet." The women would not let him -go, but continued trimming him. The music ceased: the acting was begun. -He looked at himself in the glass, pressed his hat closer down upon his -face, and retouched the painting of his cheeks. - -At this instant somebody came rushing in, and cried, "The Ghost! the -Ghost!" - -Wilhelm had not once had time all day to think of the Ghost, and whether -it would come or not. His anxiety on that head was at length removed, -and now some strange assistant was to be expected. The stage-manager -came in, inquiring after various matters: Wilhelm had not time to ask -about the Ghost; he hastened to present himself before the throne, where -King and Queen, surrounded with their court, were already glancing in -all the splendors of royalty, and waiting till the scene in front of -them should be concluded. He caught the last words of Horatio, who was -speaking of the Ghost, in extreme confusion, and seemed to have almost -forgotten his part. - -The intermediate curtain went aloft, and Hamlet saw the crowded house -before him. Horatio, having spoken his address, and been dismissed by -the King, pressed through to Hamlet; and, as if presenting himself to -the Prince, he said, "The Devil is in harness: he has put us all in -fright." - -In the mean while, two men of large stature, in white cloaks and -capouches, were observed standing in the side-scenes. Our friend, in the -distraction, embarrassment, and hurry of the moment, had failed in the -first soliloquy; at least, such was his own opinion, though loud -plaudits had attended his exit. Accordingly, he made his next entrance -in no pleasant mood, with the dreary wintry feeling of dramatic -condemnation. Yet he girded up his mind, and spoke that appropriate -passage on the "rouse and wassail," the "heavy-headed revel" of the -Danes, with suitable indifference; he had, like the audience, in -thinking of it, quite forgotten the Ghost; and he started, in real -terror, when Horatio cried out, "Look, my lord! it comes!" He whirled -violently round; and the tall, noble figure, the low, inaudible tread, -the light movement in the heavy-looking armor, made such an impression -on him, that he stood as if transformed to stone, and could utter only -in a half-voice his "Angels and ministers of grace defend us!" He glared -at the form, drew a deep breathing once or twice, and pronounced his -address to the Ghost in a manner so confused, so broken, so constrained, -that the highest art could not have hit the mark so well. - -His translation of this passage now stood him in good stead. He had kept -very close to the original, in which the arrangement of the words -appeared to him expressive of a mind confounded, terrified, and seized -with horror:-- - - "'Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damn'd, - Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell, - Be thy intents wicked, or charitable, - Thou com'st in such a questionable shape, - That I will speak to thee: I'll call thee Hamlet, - King, father, royal Dane: oh, answer me!'" - -A deep effect was visible in the audience. The Ghost beckoned, the -Prince followed him amid the loudest plaudits. - -The scene changed: and, when the two had re-appeared, the Ghost, on a -sudden, stopped, and turned round; by which means Hamlet came to be a -little too close upon it. With a longing curiosity, he looked in at the -lowered visor; but except two deep-lying eyes, and a well-formed nose, -he could discern nothing. Gazing timidly, he stood before the Ghost; but -when the first tones issued from the helmet, and a somewhat hoarse, yet -deep and penetrating, voice, pronounced the words, "I am thy father's -spirit," Wilhelm, shuddering, started back some paces; and the audience -shuddered with him. Each imagined that he knew the voice: Wilhelm -thought he noticed in it some resemblance to his father's. These strange -emotions and remembrances, the curiosity he felt about discovering his -secret friend, the anxiety about offending him, even the theatric -impropriety of coming too near him in the present situation, all this -affected Wilhelm with powerful and conflicting impulses. During the long -speech of the Ghost, he changed his place so frequently, he seemed so -unsettled and perplexed, so attentive and so absent-minded, that his -acting caused a universal admiration, as the Spirit caused a universal -horror. The latter spoke with a feeling of melancholy anger, rather than -of sorrow; but of an anger spiritual, slow, and inexhaustible. It was -the mistemper of a noble soul, that is severed from all earthly things, -and yet devoted to unbounded woe. At last he vanished, but in a curious -manner; for a thin, gray, transparent gauze arose from the place of -descent, like a vapor, spread itself over him, and sank along with him. - -Hamlet's friends now entered, and swore upon the sword. Old Truepenny, -in the mean time, was so busy under ground, that, wherever they might -take their station, he was sure to call out right beneath them, "Swear!" -and they started, as if the soil had taken fire below them, and hastened -to another spot. On each of these occasions, too, a little flame pierced -through at the place where they were standing. The whole produced on the -spectators a profound impression. - -After this, the play proceeded calmly on its course: nothing failed; all -prospered; the audience manifested their contentment, and the actors -seemed to rise in heart and spirits every scene. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - -The curtain fell, and rapturous applauses sounded out of every corner of -the house. The four princely corpses sprang aloft, and embraced each -other. Polonius and Ophelia likewise issued from their graves, and -listened with extreme satisfaction, as Horatio, who had stepped before -the curtain to announce the following play, was welcomed with the most -thundering plaudits. The people would not hear of any other play, but -violently required the repetition of the present. - -"We have won," cried Serlo, "and so not another reasonable word this -night! Every thing depends on the first impression: we should never take -it ill of any actor, that, on occasion of his first appearance, he is -provident, and even self-willed." - -The box-keeper came, and delivered him a heavy sum. "We have made a good -beginning," cried the manager, "and prejudice itself will now be on our -side. But where is the supper you promised us? To-night we may be -allowed to relish it a little." - -It had been agreed that all the party were to stay together in their -stage-dresses, and enjoy a little feast among themselves. Wilhelm had -engaged to have the place in readiness, and Frau Melina to provide the -victuals. - -A room, which commonly was occupied by scene-painters, had accordingly -been polished up as well as possible: our friends had hung it round with -little decorations, and so decked and trimmed it, that it looked half -like a garden, half like a colonnade. On entering it, the company were -dazzled with the glitter of a multitude of lights, which, across the -vapors of the sweetest and most copious perfumes, spread a stately -splendor over a well-decorated and well-furnished table. These -preparations were hailed with joyful interjections by the party; all -took their places with a certain genuine dignity; it seemed as if some -royal family had met together in the Kingdom of the Shades. Wilhelm sat -between Aurelia and the Frau Melina; Serlo between Philina and Elmira; -nobody was discontented with himself or with his place. - -Our two theatric amateurs, who had from the first been present, now -increased the pleasure of the meeting. While the exhibition was -proceeding, they had several times stepped round, and come upon the -stage, expressing, in the warmest terms, the delight which they and the -audience felt. They now descended to particulars, and each was richly -rewarded for his efforts. - -With boundless animation, the company extolled man after man, and -passage after passage. To the prompter, who had modestly sat down at the -bottom of the table, they gave a liberal commendation for his "rugged -Pyrrhus;" the fencing of Hamlet and Laertes was beyond all praise; -Ophelia's mourning had been inexpressibly exalted and affecting; of -Polonius they would not trust themselves to speak. - -Every individual present heard himself commended through the rest and by -them, nor was the absent Ghost defrauded of his share of praise and -admiration. He had played the part, it was asserted, with a very happy -voice, and in a lofty style; but what surprised them most, was the -information which he seemed to have about their own affairs. He entirely -resembled the painted figure, as if he had sat to the painter of it; and -the two amateurs described, in glowing language, how awful it had looked -when the spirit entered near the picture, and stepped across before his -own image. Truth and error, they declared, had been commingled in the -strangest manner: they had felt as if the Queen really did not see the -Ghost. And Frau Melina was especially commended, because on this -occasion she had gazed upwards at the picture, while Hamlet was pointing -downwards at the Spectre. - -Inquiry was now made how the apparition could have entered. The -stage-manager reported that a back-door, usually blocked up by -decorations, had that evening, as the Gothic hall was occupied, been -opened; that two large figures in white cloaks and hoods, one of whom -was not to be distinguished from the other, had entered by this passage; -and by the same, it was likely, they had issued when the third act was -over. - -Serlo praised the Ghost for one merit,--that he had not whined and -lamented like a tailor; nay, to animate his son, had even introduced a -passage at the end, which more beseemed such a hero. Wilhelm had kept it -in memory: he promised to insert it in his manuscript. - -Amid the pleasures of the entertainment, it had not been noticed that -the children and the harper were absent. Erelong they made their -entrance, and were blithely welcomed by the company. They came in -together, very strangely decked: Felix was beating a triangle, Mignon a -tambourine; the old man had his large harp hung round his neck, and was -playing on it whilst he carried it before him. They marched round and -round the table, and sang a multitude of songs. Eatables were handed -them; and the guests seemed to think they could not do a greater -kindness to the children, than by giving them as much sweet wine as they -chose to have. For the company themselves had not by any means neglected -a stock of savory flasks, presented by the two amateurs, which had -arrived that evening in baskets. The children tripped about, and sang: -Mignon, in particular, was frolicsome beyond all wont. She beat the -tambourine with the greatest liveliness and grace: now, with her finger -pressed against the parchment, she hummed across it swiftly to and fro; -now rattled on it with her knuckles, now with the back of her hand; nay, -sometimes, with alternating rhythm, she struck it first against her knee -and then against her head; and anon twirling it in her hand, she made -the shells jingle by themselves; and thus, from the simplest instrument, -elicited a great variety of tones. After she and Felix had long rioted -about, they sat down upon an elbow-chair which was standing empty at the -table, exactly opposite to Wilhelm. - -"Keep out of the chair!" cried Serlo: "it is waiting for the Ghost, I -think; and, when he comes, it will be worse for you." - -"I do not fear him," answered Mignon: "if he come, we can rise. He is my -uncle, and will not harm me." To those who did not know that her reputed -father had been named the Great Devil, this speech was unintelligible. - -The party looked at one another: they were more and more confirmed in -their suspicion that the manager was in the secret of the Ghost. They -talked and tippled, and the girls from time to time cast timid glances -towards the door. - -The children, who, sitting in the big chair, looked from over the table -but like puppets in their box, did actually at length start a little -drama in the style of Punch. The screeching tone of these people Mignon -imitated very well; and Felix and she began to knock their heads -together, and against the edges of the table, in such a way as only -wooden puppets could endure. Mignon, in particular, grew frantic with -gayety: the company, much as they had laughed at her at first, were in -fine obliged to curb her. But persuasion was of small avail; for she now -sprang up, and raved, and shook her tambourine, and capered round the -table. With her hair flying out behind her, with her head thrown back, -and her limbs, as it were, cast into the air, she seemed like one of -those antique Mænads, whose wild and all but impossible positions still, -on classic monuments, often strike us with amazement. - -Incited by the talents and the uproar of the children, each endeavored -to contribute something to the entertainment of the night. The girls -sung several canons; Laertes whistled in the manner of a nightingale; -and the Pedant gave a symphony _pianissimo_ upon the Jew's-harp. -Meanwhile the youths and damsels, who sat near each other, had begun a -great variety of games; in which, as the hands often crossed and met, -some pairs were favored with a transient squeeze, the emblem of a -hopeful kindness. Madam Melina in particular seemed scarcely to conceal -a decided tenderness for Wilhelm. It was late; and Aurelia, perhaps the -only one retaining self-possession in the party, now stood up, and -signified that it was time to go. - -By way of termination, Serlo gave a firework, or what resembled one; for -he could imitate the sound of crackers, rockets, and fire wheels, with -his mouth, in a style of nearly inconceivable correctness. You had only -to shut your eyes, and the deception was complete. In the mean time, -they had all risen: the men gave their arms to the women to escort them -home. Wilhelm was walking last with Aurelia. The stage-manager met him -on the stairs, and said to him, "Here is the veil our Ghost vanished in; -it was hanging fixed to the place where he sank; we found it this -moment."--"A curious relic!" said our friend, and took it with him. - -At this instant his left arm was laid hold of, and he felt a smart -twinge of pain in it. Mignon had hid herself in the place: she had -seized him, and bit his arm. She rushed past him, down stairs, and -disappeared. - -On reaching the open air, almost all of them discovered that they had -drunk too liberally. They glided asunder without taking leave. - -The instant Wilhelm gained his room, he stripped, and, extinguishing his -candle, hastened into bed. Sleep was overpowering him without delay, -when a noise, that seemed to issue from behind the stove, aroused him. -In the eye of his heated fancy, the image of the harnessed King was -hovering there: he sat up that he might address the Spectre; but he felt -himself encircled with soft arms, and his mouth was shut with kisses, -which he had not force to push away. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - -Next morning Wilhelm started up with an unpleasant feeling, and found -himself alone. His head was still dim with the tumult, which he had not -yet entirely slept off; and the recollection of his nightly visitant -disquieted his mind. His first suspicion lighted on Philina; but, on -second thoughts, he conceived that it could not have been she. He sprang -out of bed: and, while putting on his clothes, he noticed that the door, -which commonly he used to bolt, was now ajar; though whether he had shut -it on the previous night, or not, he could not recollect. - -But what surprised him most was the Spirit's veil, which he found lying -on his bed. Having brought it up with him, he had most probably thrown -it there himself. It was a gray gauze: on the hem of it he noticed an -inscription broidered in dark letters. He unfolded it, and read the -words, "FOR THE FIRST AND THE LAST TIME! FLEE, YOUTH! FLEE!" He was -struck with it, and knew not what to think or say. - -At this moment Mignon entered with his breakfast. The aspect of the -child astonished Wilhelm, we may almost say frightened him. She appeared -to have grown taller over night: she entered with a stately, noble air, -and looked him in the face so earnestly, that he could not endure her -glances. She did not touch him, as at other times, when, for morning -salutation, she would press his hand, or kiss his cheek, his lips, his -arm, or shoulder; but, having put his things in order, she retired in -silence. - -The appointed time of a first rehearsal now arrived: our friends -assembled, all of them entirely out of tune from yesternight's debauch. -Wilhelm roused himself as much as possible, that he might not at the -very outset violate the principles he had preached so lately with such -emphasis. His practice in the matter helped him through; for practice -and habit must, in every art, fill up the voids which genius and temper -in their fluctuations will so often leave. - -But, in the present case, our friends had especial reason to admit the -truth of the remark, that no one should begin with a festivity any -situation that is meant to last, particularly that is meant to be a -trade, a mode of living. Festivities are fit for what is happily -concluded: at the commencement, they but waste the force and zeal which -should inspire us in the struggle, and support us through a -long-continued labor. Of all festivities, the marriage festival appears -the most unsuitable: calmness, humility, and silent hope befit no -ceremony more than this. - -So passed the day, which to Wilhelm seemed the most insipid he had ever -spent. Instead of their accustomed conversation in the evening, the -company began to yawn: the interest of Hamlet was exhausted; they rather -felt it disagreeable than otherwise that the play was to be repeated -next night. Wilhelm showed the veil which the royal Dane had left: it -was to be inferred from this, that he would not come again. Serlo was of -that opinion; he appeared to be deep in the secrets of the Ghost: but, -on the other hand, the inscription, "Flee, youth! Flee!" seemed -inconsistent with the rest. How could Serlo be in league with any one -whose aim it was to take away the finest actor of his troop? - -It had now become a matter of necessity to confer on Boisterous the -Ghost's part, and on the Pedant that of the King. Both declared that -they had studied these sufficiently: nor was it wonderful; for in such a -number of rehearsals, and so copious a treatment of the subject, all of -them had grown familiar with it: each could have exchanged his part with -any other. Yet they rehearsed a little here and there, and prepared the -new adventurers, as fully as the hurry would admit. When the company was -breaking up at a pretty late hour, Philina softly whispered Wilhelm as -she passed, "I must have my slippers back: thou wilt not bolt the door?" -These words excited some perplexity in Wilhelm, when he reached his -chamber; they strengthened the suspicion that Philina was the secret -visitant: and we ourselves are forced to coincide with this idea; -particularly as the causes, which awakened in our friend another and a -stranger supposition, cannot be disclosed. He kept walking up and down -his chamber in no quiet frame: his door was actually not yet bolted. - -On a sudden Mignon rushed into the room, laid hold of him, and cried, -"Master! save the house! It is on fire!" Wilhelm sprang through the -door, and a strong smoke came rushing down upon him from the upper -story. On the street he heard the cry of fire; and the harper, with his -instrument in his hand, came down-stairs breathless through the smoke. -Aurelia hurried out of her chamber, and threw little Felix into -Wilhelm's arms. - -"Save the child!" cried she, "and we will mind the rest." - -Wilhelm did not look upon the danger as so great: his first thought was, -to penetrate to the source of the fire, and try to stifle it before it -reached a head. He gave Felix to the harper; commanding him to hasten -down the stone stairs, which led across a little garden-vault out into -the garden, and to wait with the children in the open air. Mignon took a -light to show the way. He begged Aurelia to secure her things there -also. He himself pierced upwards through the smoke, but it was in vain -that he exposed himself to such danger. The flame appeared to issue from -a neighboring house; it had already caught the wooden floor and -staircase: some others, who had hastened to his help, were suffering -like himself from fire and vapor. Yet he kept inciting them; he called -for water; he conjured them to dispute every inch with the flame, and -promised to abide by them to the last. At this instant, Mignon came -springing up, and cried. "Master! save thy Felix! The old man is mad! He -is killing him." Scarcely knowing what he did, Wilhelm darted down -stairs; and Mignon followed close behind him. - -On the last steps, which led into the garden-vault, he paused with -horror. Some heaps of fire-wood branches, and large masses of straw, -which had been stowed in the place, were burning with a clear flame; -Felix was lying on the ground, and screaming; the harper stood aside, -holding down his head, and leaned against the wall. "Unhappy creature! -what is this?" said Wilhelm. The old man spoke not; Mignon lifted Felix, -and carried him with difficulty to the garden; while Wilhelm strove to -pull the fire asunder and extinguish it, but only by his efforts made -the flame more violent. At last he, too, was forced to flee into the -garden, with his hair and his eyelashes burned; tearing the harper with -him through the conflagration, who, with singed beard, unwillingly -accompanied him. - -Wilhelm hastened instantly to seek the children. He found them on the -threshold of a summer-house at some distance: Mignon was trying every -effort to pacify her comrade. Wilhelm took him on his knee: he -questioned him, felt him, but could obtain no satisfactory account from -either him or Mignon. - -Meanwhile, the fire had fiercely seized on several houses: it was now -enlightening all the neighborhood. Wilhelm looked at the child in the -red glare of the flames: he could find no wound, no blood, no hurt of -any kind. He groped over all the little creature's body, but the boy -gave no sign of pain: on the contrary, he by degrees grew calm, and -began to wonder at the blazing houses, and express his pleasure at the -spectacle of beams and rafters burning all in order, like a grand -illumination, so beautifully there. - -Wilhelm thought not of the clothes or goods he might have lost: he felt -deeply how inestimable to him was this pair of human beings, who had -just escaped so great a danger. He pressed little Felix to his heart -with a new emotion: Mignon, too, he was about to clasp with joyful -tenderness; but she softly avoided this: she took him by the hand, and -held it fast. - -"Master," said she (till the present evening she had hardly ever named -him master; at first she used to name him sir, and afterwards to call -him father),--"Master! we have escaped an awful danger: thy Felix was on -the point of death." - -By many inquiries, Wilhelm learned from her at last, that, when they -came into the vault, the harper tore the light from her hand, and set on -fire the straw. That he then put Felix down, laid his hands with strange -gestures on the head of the child, and drew a knife as if he meant to -sacrifice him. That she sprang forward, and snatched it from him; that -she screamed; and some one from the house, who was carrying something -down into the garden, came to her help, but must have gone away again in -the confusion, and left the old man and the child alone. - -Two or even three houses were now flaming in a general blaze. Owing to -the conflagration in the vault, no person had been able to take shelter -in the garden. Wilhelm was distressed about his friends, and in a less -degree about his property. Not venturing to quit the children, he was -forced to sit, and see the mischief spreading more and more. - -In this anxious state he passed some hours. Felix had fallen asleep on -his bosom: Mignon was lying at his side, and holding fast his hand. The -efforts of the people finally subdued the fire. The burned houses sank, -with successive crashes, into heaps; the morning was advancing; the -children awoke, and complained of bitter cold; even Wilhelm, in his -light dress, could scarcely brook the chillness of the falling dew. He -took the young ones to the rubbish of the prostrate building, where, -among the ashes and the embers, they found a very grateful warmth. - -The opening day collected, by degrees, the various individuals of the -party. All of them had got away unhurt: no one had lost much. Wilhelm's -trunk was saved among the rest. - -Towards ten o'clock Serlo called them to rehearse their "Hamlet," at -least some scenes, in which fresh players were to act. He had some -debates to manage, on this point, with the municipal authorities. The -clergy required, that, after such a visitation of Providence, the -playhouse should be shut for some time; and Serlo, on the other hand, -maintained, that both for the purpose of repairing the damage he had -suffered, and of exhilarating the depressed and terrified spirits of the -people, nothing could be more in place than the exhibition of some -interesting play. His opinion in the end prevailed, and the house was -full. The actors played with singular fire, with more of a passionate -freedom than at first. The feelings of the audience had been heightened -by the horrors of the previous night, and their appetite for -entertainment had been sharpened by the tedium of a wasted and -dissipated day: every one had more than usual susceptibility for what -was strange and moving. Most of them were new spectators, invited by the -fame of the play: they could not compare the present with the preceding -evening. Boisterous played altogether in the style of the unknown Ghost: -the Pedant, too, had accurately seized the manner of his predecessor; -nor was his own woful aspect without its use to him; for it seemed as -if, in spite of his purple cloak and his ermine collar, Hamlet were -fully justified in calling him a "king of shreds and patches." - -Few have ever reached the throne by a path more singular than his had -been. But although the rest, and especially Philina, made sport of his -preferment, he himself signified that the count, a consummate judge, had -at the first glance predicted this and much more of him. Philina, on the -other hand, recommended lowliness of mind to him; saying, she would now -and then powder the sleeves of his coat, that he might remember that -unhappy night in the castle, and wear his crown with meekness. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - -Our friends had sought out other lodgings, on the spur of the moment, -and were by this means much dispersed. Wilhelm had conceived a liking -for the garden-house, where he had spent the night of the conflagration: -he easily obtained the key, and settled himself there. But Aurelia being -greatly hampered in her new abode, he was obliged to retain little Felix -with him. Mignon, indeed, would not part with the boy. - -He had placed the children in a neat chamber on the upper floor: he -himself was in the lower parlor. The young ones were asleep at this -time: Wilhelm could not sleep. - -Adjoining the lovely garden, which the full moon had just risen to -illuminate, the black ruins of the fire were visible; and here and there -a streak of vapor was still mounting from them. The air was soft, the -night extremely beautiful. Philina, in issuing from the theatre, had -jogged him with her elbow, and whispered something to him, which he did -not understand. He felt perplexed and out of humor: he knew not what he -should expect or do. For a day or two Philina had avoided him: it was -not till to-night that she had given him any second signal. Unhappily -the doors, that he was not to bolt, were now consumed: the slippers had -evaporated into smoke. How the girl would gain admission to the garden, -if her aim was such, he knew not. He wished she might not come, and yet -he longed to have some explanation with her. - -But what lay heavier at his heart than this, was the fate of the harper, -whom, since the fire, no one had seen. Wilhelm was afraid, that, in -clearing off the rubbish, they would find him buried under it. Our -friend had carefully concealed the suspicion which he entertained, that -it was the harper who had fired the house. The old man had been first -seen, as he rushed from the burning and smoking floor, and his -desperation in the vault appeared a natural consequence of such a deed. -Yet, from the inquiry which the magistrates had instituted touching the -affair, it seemed likely that the fire had not originated in the house -where Wilhelm lived, but had accidentally been kindled in the third from -that, and had crept along beneath the roofs before it burst into -activity. - -Seated in a grove, our friend was meditating all these things, when he -heard a low footfall in a neighboring walk. By the melancholy song -which arose along with it, he recognized the harper. He caught the words -of the song without difficulty: it turned on the consolations of a -miserable man, conscious of being on the borders of insanity. Unhappily -our friend forgot the whole of it except the last verse:-- - - "Wheresoe'er my steps may lead me, - Meekly at the door I'll stay: - Pious hands will come to feed me, - And I'll wander on my way. - Each will feel a touch of gladness - When my aged form appears: - Each will shed a tear of sadness, - Though I reck not of his tears." - -So singing, he had reached the garden-door, which led into an -unfrequented street. Finding it bolted, he was making an attempt to -climb the railing, when Wilhelm held him back, and addressed some kindly -words to him. The old man begged to have the door unlocked, declaring -that he would and must escape. Wilhelm represented to him that he might -indeed escape from the garden, but could not from the town; showing, at -the same time, what suspicions he must needs incur by such a step. But -it was in vain: the old man held by his opinion. Our friend, however, -would not yield; and at last he brought him, half by force, into the -garden-house, in which he locked himself along with him. The two carried -on a strange conversation; which, however, not to afflict our readers -with repeating unconnected thoughts and dolorous emotions, we had rather -pass in silence than detail at large. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - -Undetermined what to do with this unhappy man, who displayed such -indubitable symptoms of madness, Wilhelm would have been in great -perplexity, had not Laertes come that very morning, and delivered him -from his uncertainty. Laertes, as usual, rambling everywhere about the -town, had happened, in some coffee-house, to meet with a man, who, a -short time ago, had suffered under violent attacks of melancholy. This -person, it appeared, had been intrusted to the care of some country -clergyman, who made it his peculiar business to attend to people in -such situations. In the present instance, as in many others, his -treatment had succeeded: he was still in town, and the friends of the -patient were showing him the greatest honor. - -Wilhelm hastened to find out this person: he disclosed the case to him, -and agreed with him about the terms. The harper was to be brought over -to him, under certain pretexts. The separation deeply pained our friend; -so used was he to see the man beside him, and to hear his spirited and -touching strains. The hope of soon beholding him recovered, served, in -some degree, to moderate this feeling. The old man's harp had been -destroyed in the burning of the house: they purchased him another, and -gave it him when he departed. - -Mignon's little wardrobe had in like manner been consumed. As Wilhelm -was about providing her with new apparel, Aurelia proposed that now at -last they should dress her as a girl. - -"No! no! not at all!" cried Mignon, and insisted on it with such -earnestness, that they let her have her way. - -The company had not much leisure for reflection: the exhibitions -followed close on one another. - -Wilhelm often mingled with the audience, to ascertain their feelings; -but he seldom heard a criticism of the kind he wished: more frequently -the observations he listened to distressed or angered him. Thus, for -instance, shortly after "Hamlet" had been acted for the first time, a -youth was telling, with considerable animation, how happy he had been -that evening in the playhouse. Wilhelm hearkened, and was scandalized to -learn that his neighbor had, on that occasion, in contempt of those -behind him, kept his hat on, stubbornly refusing to remove it till the -play was done; to which heroical transaction he still looked back with -great contentment. - -Another gentleman declared that Wilhelm played Laertes very well, but -that the actor who had undertaken Hamlet did not seem too happy in _his_ -part. This permutation was not quite unnatural; for Wilhelm and Laertes -did resemble one another, though in a very distant manner. - -A third critic warmly praised his acting, particularly in the scene with -his mother; only he regretted much, that, in this fiery moment, a white -strap had peered out from below the Prince's waistcoat, whereby the -illusion had been greatly marred. - -Meanwhile, in the interior of the company, a multitude of alterations -were occurring. Philina, since the evening subsequent to that of the -fire, had never given our friend the smallest sign of closer intimacy. -She had, as it seemed on purpose, hired a remote lodging: she associated -with Elmira, and came seldomer to Serlo,--an arrangement very gratifying -to Aurelia. Serlo continued still to like her, and often visited her -quarters, particularly when he hoped to find Elmira there. One evening -he took Wilhelm with him. At their entrance, both of them were much -surprised to see Philina, in the inner room, sitting in close contact -with a young officer. He wore a red uniform with white pantaloons; but, -his face being turned away, they could not see it. Philina came into the -outer room to meet her visitors, and shut the door behind her. "You -surprise me in the middle of a very strange adventure," cried she. - -"It does not appear so strange," said Serlo; "but let us see this -handsome, young, enviable gallant. You have us in such training, that we -dare not show any jealousy, however it may be." - -"I must leave you to suspicion for a time," replied Philina in a jesting -tone; "yet I can assure you, the gallant is a lady of my friends, who -wishes to remain a few days undiscovered. You shall know her history in -due season; nay, perhaps you shall even behold the beautiful spinster in -person; and then most probably I shall have need of all my prudence and -discretion, for it seems too likely that your new acquaintance will -drive your old friend out of favor." - -Wilhelm stood as if transformed to stone. At the first glance, the red -uniform had reminded him of Mariana: the figure, too, was hers; the fair -hair was hers; only the present individual seemed to be a little taller. - -"For Heaven's sake," cried he, "let us know something more about your -friend! let us see this lady in disguise! We are now partakers of your -secret: we will promise, we will swear; only let us see the lady!" - -"What a fire he is in!" cried Philina: "but be cool, be calm; for to-day -there will nothing come of it." - -"Let us only know her name!" cried Wilhelm. - -"It were a fine secret, then," replied Philina. - -"At least her first name!" - -"If you can guess it, be it so. Three guesses I will give you,--not a -fourth. You might lead me through the whole calendar." - -"Well!" said Wilhelm: "Cecilia, then?" - -"None of your Cecilias!" - -"Henrietta?" - -"Not at all! Have a care, I pray you: guess better, or your curiosity -will have to sleep unsatisfied." - -Wilhelm paused and shivered: he tried to speak, but the sound died away -within him. "Mariana?" stammered he at last, "Mariana?" - -"Bravo!" cried Philina. "Hit to a hair's-breadth!" said she, whirling -round upon her heel, as she was wont on such occasions. - -Wilhelm could not utter a word; and Serlo, not observing his emotion, -urged Philina more and more to let them in. - -Conceive the astonishment of both, when Wilhelm, suddenly and vehemently -interrupting their raillery, threw himself at Philina's feet, and, with -an air and tone of the deepest passion, begged and conjured her, "Let me -see the stranger," cried he: "she is mine; she is my Mariana! She for -whom I have longed all the days of my life, she who is still more to me -than all the women in this world! Go in to her at least, and tell her -that I am here,--that the man is here who linked to her his earliest -love, and all the happiness of his youth. Say that he will justify -himself, though he left her so unkindly; he will pray for pardon of her; -and will grant her pardon, whatsoever she may have done to him; he will -even make no pretensions further, if he may but see her, if he may but -see that she is living and in happiness." - -Philina shook her head, and said, "Speak low! Do not betray us! If the -lady is indeed your friend, her feelings must be spared; for she does -not in the least suspect that you are here. Quite a different sort of -business brings her hither; and you know well enough, one had rather see -a spectre than a former lover at an inconvenient time. I will ask her, -and prepare her: we will then consider what is further to be done. -To-morrow I shall write you a note, saying when you are to come, or -whether you may come at all. Obey me punctually; for I protest, that, -without her own and my consent, no eye shall see this lovely creature. I -shall keep my doors better bolted; and, with axe and crow, you surely -will not visit me." - -Our friend conjured her, Serlo begged of her; but all in vain: they were -obliged to yield, and leave the chamber and the house. - -With what feelings Wilhelm passed the night is easy to conceive. How -slowly the hours of the day flowed on, while he sat expecting a message -from Philina, may also be imagined. Unhappily he had to play that -evening: such mental pain he had never endured. The moment his part was -done, he hastened to Philina's house, without inquiring whether he had -got her leave or not. He found her doors bolted: and the people of the -house informed him that mademoiselle had set out early in the morning, -in company with a young officer; that she had talked about returning -shortly; but they had not believed her, she having paid her debts, and -taken every thing along with her. - -This intelligence drove Wilhelm almost frantic. He hastened to Laertes, -that he might take measures for pursuing her, and, cost what it would, -for attaining certainty regarding her attendant. Laertes, however, -represented to him the imprudence of such passion and credulity. "I dare -wager, after all," said he, "that it is no one else but Friedrich. The -boy is of a high family, I know; he is madly in love with Philina; it is -likely he has cozened from his friends a fresh supply of money, so that -he can once more live with her in peace for a while." - -These considerations, though they did not quite convince our friend, -sufficed to make him waver. Laertes showed him how improbable the story -was with which Philina had amused them; reminded him how well the -stranger's hair and figure answered Friedrich; that with the start of -him by twelve hours, they could not easily be overtaken; and, what was -more than all, that Serlo could not do without him at the theatre. - -By so many reasons, Wilhelm was at last persuaded to postpone the -execution of his project. That night Laertes got an active man, to whom -they gave the charge of following the runaways. It was a steady person, -who had often officiated as courier and guide to travelling-parties, and -was at present without employment. They gave him money, they informed -him of the whole affair; instructing him to seek and overtake the -fugitives, to keep them in his eye, and instantly to send intelligence -to Wilhelm where and how he found them. That very hour he mounted horse, -pursuing this ambiguous pair; by which exertions, Wilhelm was in some -degree at least, composed. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - -The departure of Philina did not make a deep sensation, either in the -theatre or in the public. She never was in earnest with any thing: the -women universally detested her; the men rather wished to see her -selves-two than on the boards. Thus her fine, and, for the stage, even -happy, talents were of no avail to her. The other members of the company -took greater labor on them to supply her place: the Frau Melina, in -particular, was much distinguished by her diligence and zeal. She noted -down, as formerly, the principles of Wilhelm; she guided herself -according to his theory and his example; there was of late a something -in her nature that rendered her more interesting. She soon acquired an -accurate mode of acting: she attained the natural tone of conversation -altogether, that of keen emotion she attained in some degree. She -contrived, moreover, to adapt herself to Serlo's humors: she took pains -in singing for his pleasure, and succeeded in that matter moderately -well. - -By the accession of some other players, the company was rendered more -complete: and while Wilhelm and Serlo were busied each in his degree, -the former insisting on the general tone and spirit of the whole, the -latter faithfully elaborating the separate passages, a laudable ardor -likewise inspired the actors; and the public took a lively interest in -their concerns. - -"We are on the right path," said Serlo once: "if we can continue thus, -the public, too, will soon be on it. Men are easily astonished and -misled by wild and barbarous exhibitions; yet lay before them any thing -rational and polished, in an interesting manner, and doubt not they will -catch at it." - -"What forms the chief defect of our German theatre, what prevents both -actor and spectator from obtaining proper views, is the vague and -variegated nature of the objects it contains. You nowhere find a barrier -on which to prop your judgment. In my opinion, it is far from an -advantage to us that we have expanded our stage into, as it were, a -boundless arena for the whole of nature; yet neither manager nor actor -need attempt contracting it, until the taste of the nation shall itself -mark out the proper circle. Every good society submits to certain -conditions and restrictions; so also must every good theatre. Certain -manners, certain modes of speech, certain objects, and fashions of -proceeding, must altogether be excluded. You do not grow poorer by -limiting your household expenditure." - -On these points our friends were more or less accordant or at variance. -The majority, with Wilhelm at their head, were for the English theatre; -Serlo and a few others for the French. - -It was also settled, that in vacant hours, of which unhappily an actor -has too many, they should in company peruse the finest plays in both -these languages; examining what parts of them seemed best and worthiest -of imitation. They accordingly commenced with some French pieces. On -these occasions, it was soon observed, Aurelia went away whenever they -began to read. At first they supposed she had been sick: Wilhelm once -questioned her about it. - -"I would not assist at such a reading," said she, "for how could I hear -and judge, when my heart was torn in pieces? I hate the French language -from the bottom of my soul." - -"How can you be hostile to a language," cried our friend, "to which we -Germans are indebted for the greater part of our accomplishments; to -which we must become indebted still more, if our natural qualities are -ever to assume their proper form?" - -"It is no prejudice!" replied Aurelia, "a painful impression, a hated -recollection of my faithless friend, has robbed me of all enjoyment in -that beautiful and cultivated tongue. How I hate it now with my whole -strength and heart! During the period of our kindliest connection, he -wrote in German; and what genuine, powerful, cordial German! It was not -till he wanted to get quit of me that he began seriously to write in -French. I marked, I felt, what he meant. What he would have blushed to -utter in his mother tongue, he could by this means write with a quiet -conscience. It is the language of reservations, equivocations, and lies: -it is a _perfidious_ language. Heaven be praised! I cannot find another -word to express this _perfide_ of theirs in all its compass. Our poor -_treulos_, the _faithless_ of the English, are innocent as babes beside -it. _Perfide_ means faithless with pleasure, with insolence and malice. -How enviable is the culture of a nation that can figure out so many -shades of meaning by a single word! French is exactly the language of -the world,--worthy to become the universal language, that all may have -it in their power to cheat and cozen and betray each other! His French -letters were always smooth and pleasant, while you read them. If you -chose to believe it, they sounded warmly, even passionately; but, if you -examined narrowly, they were but phrases,--accursed phrases! He has -spoiled my feeling to the whole language, to French literature, even to -the beautiful, delicious expressions of noble souls which may be found -in it. I shudder when a French word is spoken in my hearing." - -In such terms she could for hours continue to give utterance to her -chagrin, interrupting or disturbing every other kind of conversation. -Sooner or later, Serlo used to put an end to such peevish lamentations -by some bitter sally; but by this means, commonly, the talk for the -evening was destroyed. - -In all provinces of life, it is unhappily the case, that whatever is to -be accomplished by a number of co-operating men and circumstances cannot -long continue perfect. Of an acting company as well as of a kingdom, of -a circle of friends as well as of an army, you may commonly select the -moment when it may be said that all was standing on the highest pinnacle -of harmony, perfection, contentment, and activity. But alterations will -ere long occur; the individuals that compose the body often change; new -members are added; the persons are no longer suited to the -circumstances, or the circumstances to the persons; what was formerly -united quickly falls asunder. Thus it was with Serlo's company. For a -time you might have called it as complete as any German company could -ever boast of being. Most of the actors were occupying their proper -places: all had enough to do, and all did it willingly. Their private -personal condition was not bad; and each appeared to promise great -things in his art, for each commenced with animation and alacrity. But -it soon became apparent that a part of them were mere automatons, who -could not reach beyond what was attainable without the aid of feeling. -Nor was it long till grudgings and envyings arose among them, such as -commonly obstruct every good arrangement, and easily distort and tear in -pieces every thing that reasonable and thinking men would wish to keep -united. - -The departure of Philina was not quite so insignificant as it had at -first appeared. She had always skilfully contrived to entertain the -manager, and keep the others in good humor. She had endured Aurelia's -violence with amazing patience, and her dearest task had been to flatter -Wilhelm. Thus she was, in some respects, a bond of union for the whole: -the loss of her was quickly felt. - -Serlo could not live without some little passion of the love sort. -Elmira was of late grown up, we might almost say grown beautiful; for -some time she had been attracting his attention: and Philina, with her -usual dexterity, had favored this attachment so soon as she observed it. -"We should train ourselves in time," she would say, "to the business of -procuress: nothing else remains for us when we are old." Serlo and -Elmira had by this means so approximated to each other, that, shortly -after the departure of Philina, both were of a mind: and their small -romance was rendered doubly interesting, as they had to hide it -sedulously from the father; Old Boisterous not understanding jokes of -that description. Elmira's sister had been admitted to the secret; and -Serlo was, in consequence, obliged to overlook a multitude of things in -both of them. One of their worst habits was an excessive love of -junketing,--nay, if you will, an intolerable gluttony. In this respect -they altogether differed from Philina, to whom it gave a new tint of -loveliness, that she seemed, as it were, to live on air, eating very -little; and, for drink, merely skimming off, with all imaginable grace, -the foam from a glass of champagne. - -Now, however, Serlo, if he meant to please his doxies, was obliged to -join breakfast with dinner; and with this, by a substantial bever, to -connect the supper. But, amid gormandizing, Serlo entertained another -plan, which he longed to have fulfilled. He imagined that he saw a kind -of attachment between Wilhelm and Aurelia, and he anxiously wished that -it might assume a serious shape. He hoped to cast the whole mechanical -department of his theatrical economy on Wilhelm's shoulders; to find in -him, as in the former brother, a faithful and industrious tool. Already -he had, by degrees, shifted over to him most of the cares of management; -Aurelia kept the strong-box; and Serlo once more lived as he had done of -old, entirely according to his humor. Yet there was a circumstance which -vexed him in secret, as it did his sister likewise. - -The world has a particular way of acting towards public persons of -acknowledged merit: it gradually begins to be indifferent to them, and -to favor talents which are new, though far inferior; it makes excessive -requisitions of the former, and accepts of any thing with approbation -from the latter. - -Serlo and Aurelia had opportunity enough to meditate on this -peculiarity. The strangers, especially the young and handsome ones, had -drawn the whole attention and applause upon themselves; and Serlo and -his sister, in spite of the most zealous efforts, had in general to make -their exits without the welcome sound of clapping hands. It is true, -some special causes were at work on this occasion. Aurelia's pride was -palpable, and her contempt for the public was known to many. Serlo, -indeed, flattered every individual; but his cutting jibes against the -whole were often circulated and repeated. The new members, again, were -not only strangers, unknown, and wanting help, but some of them were -likewise young and amiable: thus all of them found patrons. - -Erelong, too, there arose internal discontents, and many bickerings, -among the actors. Scarcely had they noticed that our friend was acting -as director, when most of them began to grow the more remiss, the more -he strove to introduce a better order, greater accuracy, and chiefly to -insist that every thing mechanical should be performed in the most -strict and regular manner. - -Thus, by and by, the whole concern, which actually for a time had nearly -looked ideal, grew as vulgar in its attributes as any mere itinerating -theatre. And, unhappily, just as Wilhelm, by his labor, diligence, and -vigorous efforts, had made himself acquainted with the requisitions of -the art, and trained completely both his person and his habits to comply -with them, he began to feel, in melancholy hours, that this craft -deserved the necessary outlay of time and talents less than any other. -The task was burdensome, the recompense was small. He would rather have -engaged with any occupation in which, when the period of exertion is -passed, one can enjoy repose of mind, than with this, wherein, after -undergoing much mechanical drudgery, the aim of one's activity cannot -still be attained but by the strongest effort of thought and emotion. -Besides, he had to listen to Aurelia's complaints about her brother's -wastefulness: he had to misconceive the winks and nods of Serlo, trying -from afar to lead him to a marriage with Aurelia. He had, withal, to -hide his own secret sorrow, which pressed heavy on his heart, because of -that ambiguous officer whom he had sent in quest of. The messenger -returned not, sent no tidings; and Wilhelm feared that his Mariana was -lost to him a second time. - -About this period, there occurred a public mourning, which obliged our -friends to shut their theatre for several weeks. Wilhelm seized this -opportunity to pay a visit to the clergyman with whom the harper had -been placed to board. He found him in a pleasant district; and the first -thing that he noticed in the parsonage was the old man teaching a boy to -play upon his instrument. The harper showed great joy at sight of -Wilhelm: he rose, held out his hand, and said, "You see, I am still good -for something in the world; permit me to continue; for my hours are all -distributed, and full of business." - -The clergyman saluted Wilhelm very kindly, and told him that the harper -promised well, already giving hopes of a complete recovery. - -Their conversation naturally turned upon the various modes of treating -the insane. - -"Except physical derangements," observed the clergyman, "which often -place insuperable difficulties in the way, and in regard to which I -follow the prescriptions of a wise physician, the means of curing -madness seem to me extremely simple. They are the very means by which -you hinder sane persons from becoming mad. Awaken their activity; -accustom them to order; bring them to perceive that they hold their -being and their fate in common with many millions; that extraordinary -talents, the highest happiness, the deepest misery, are but slight -variations from the general lot: in this way, no insanity will enter, -or, if it has entered, will gradually disappear. I have portioned out -the old man's hours: he gives lessons to some children on the harp; he -works in the garden; he is already much more cheerful. He wishes to -enjoy the cabbages he plants: my son, to whom in case of death he has -bequeathed his harp, he is ardent to instruct, that the boy may be able -to make use of his inheritance. I have said but little to him, as a -clergyman, about his wild, mysterious scruples; but a busy life brings -on so many incidents, that erelong he must feel how true it is, that -doubt of any kind can be removed by nothing but activity. I go softly to -work: yet, if I could get his beard and hood removed, I should reckon it -a weighty point; for nothing more exposes us to madness than -distinguishing ourselves from others, and nothing more contributes to -maintain our common sense than living in the universal way with -multitudes of men. Alas! how much there is in education, in our social -institutions, to prepare us and our children for insanity!" - -Wilhelm staid some days with this intelligent divine; heard from him -many curious narratives, not of the insane alone, but of persons such as -commonly are reckoned wise and rational, though they may have -peculiarities which border on insanity. - -The conversation became doubly animated, on the entrance of the doctor, -with whom it was a custom to pay frequent visits to his friend the -clergyman, and to assist him in his labors of humanity. The physician -was an oldish man, who, though in weak health, had spent many years in -the practice of the noblest virtues. He was a strong advocate for -country life, being himself scarcely able to exist except in the open -air. Withal, he was extremely active and companionable. For several -years he had shown a special inclination to make friends with all the -country clergymen within his reach. Such of these as were employed in -any useful occupation he strove by every means to help; into others, who -were still unsettled in their aims, he endeavored to infuse a taste for -some profitable species of exertion. Being at the same time in -connection with a multitude of noblemen, magistrates, judges, he had in -the space of twenty years, in secret, accomplished much towards the -advancement of many branches of husbandry: he had done his best to put -in motion every project that seemed capable of benefiting agriculture, -animals, or men, and had thus forwarded improvement in its truest sense. -"For man," he used to say, "there is but one misfortune,--when some idea -lays hold of him, which exerts no influence upon active life, or, still -more, which withdraws him from it. At the present time," continued he, -on this occasion, "I have such a case before me: it concerns a rich and -noble couple, and hitherto has baffled all my skill. The affair belongs -in part to your department, worthy pastor; and your friend here will -forbear to mention it again. - -"In the absence of a certain nobleman, some persons of the house, in a -frolic not entirely commendable, disguised a young man in the master's -clothes. The lady was to be imposed upon by this deception; and, -although it was described to me as nothing but a joke, I am much afraid -the purpose of it was to lead this noble and most amiable lady from the -path of honor. Her husband, however, unexpectedly returns; enters his -chamber; thinks he sees his spirit; and from that time falls into a -melancholy temper, firmly believing that his death is near. - -"He has now abandoned himself to men who pamper him with religious -ideas; and I see not how he is to be prevented from going among the -Hernhuters with his lady, and, as he has no children, from depriving his -relations of the chief part of his fortune." - -"With his lady?" cried our friend in great agitation; for this story had -frightened him extremely. - -"And, alas!" replied the doctor, who regarded Wilhelm's exclamation only -as the voice of common sympathy, "this lady is herself possessed with a -deeper sorrow, which renders a removal from the world desirable to her -also. The same young man was taking leave of her: she was not -circumspect enough to hide a nascent inclination towards him: the youth -grew bolder, clasped her in his arms, and pressed a large portrait of -her husband, which was set with diamonds, forcibly against her breast. -She felt a sharp pain, which gradually went off, leaving first a little -redness, then no trace at all. As a man, I am convinced that she has -nothing further to reproach herself with, in this affair; as a -physician, I am certain that this pressure could not have the smallest -ill effect. Yet she will not be persuaded that an induration is not -taking place in the part; and, if you try to overcome her notion by the -evidence of feeling, she maintains, that, though the evil is away this -moment, it will return the next. She conceives that the disease will end -in cancer, and thus her youth and loveliness be altogether lost to -others and herself." - -"Wretch that I am!" cried Wilhelm, striking his brow, and rushing from -the company into the fields. He had never felt himself in such a -miserable case. - -The clergyman and the physician were of course exceedingly astonished at -this singular discovery. In the evening all their skill was called for, -when our friend returned, and, with a circumstantial disclosure of the -whole occurrence, uttered the most violent accusations of himself. Both -took interest in him: both felt a real concern about his general -condition, particularly as he painted it in the gloomy colors which -arose from the humor of the moment. - -Next day the physician, without much entreaty, was prevailed upon to -accompany him in his return; both that he might bear him company, and -that he might, if possible, do something for Aurelia, whom our friend -had left in rather dangerous circumstances. - -In fact, they found her worse than they expected. She was afflicted with -a sort of intermittent fever, which could the less be mastered, as she -purposely maintained and aggravated the attacks of it. The stranger was -not introduced as a physician: he behaved with great courteousness and -prudence. They conversed about her situation, bodily and mental: her new -friend related many anecdotes of persons who, in spite of lingering -disorders, had attained a good old age; adding, that, in such cases, -nothing could be more injurious than the intentional recalling of -passionate and disagreeable emotions. In particular he stated, that, for -persons laboring under chronical and partly incurable distempers, he had -always found it a very happy circumstance when they chanced to -entertain, and cherish in their minds, true feelings of religion. This -he signified in the most unobtrusive manner, as it were historically; -promising Aurelia at the same time the reading of a very interesting -manuscript, which he said he had received from the hands of an excellent -lady of his friends, who was now deceased. "To me," he said, "it is of -uncommon value; and I shall trust you even with the original. Nothing -but the title is in my hand-writing: I have called it, 'Confessions of a -Fair Saint.'" - -Touching the medical and dietetic treatment of the racked and hapless -patient, he also left his best advice with Wilhelm. He then departed; -promising to write, and, if possible, to come again in person. - -Meanwhile, in Wilhelm's absence, there had changes been preparing such -as he was not aware of. During his directorship, our friend had managed -all things with a certain liberality and freedom; looking chiefly at the -main result. Whatever was required for dresses, decorations, and the -like, he had usually provided in a plentiful and handsome style; and, -for securing the co-operation of his people, he had flattered their -self-interest, since he could not reach them by nobler motives. In this -he felt his conduct justified the more; as Serlo for his own part never -aimed at being a strict economist, but liked to hear the beauty of his -theatre commended, and was contented if Aurelia, who conducted the -domestic matters, on defraying all expenses, signified that she was free -from debt, and could besides afford the necessary sums for clearing off -such scores as Serlo in the interim, by lavish kindness to his -mistresses or otherwise, might have incurred. - -Melina, who was charged with managing the wardrobe, had all the while -been silently considering these things, with the cold, spiteful temper -peculiar to him. On occasion of our friend's departure, and Aurelia's -increasing sickness, he contrived to signify to Serlo, that more money -might be raised and less expended, and, consequently, something be laid -up, or at least a merrier life be led. Serlo hearkened gladly to such -allegations, and Melina risked the exhibition of his plan. - -"I will not say," continued he, "that any of your actors has at present -too much salary: they are meritorious people, they would find a welcome -anywhere; but, for the income which they bring us in, they have too -much. My project would be, to set up an opera; and, as to what concerns -the playhouse, I may be allowed to say it, you are the person for -maintaining that establishment upon your single strength. Observe how at -present your merits are neglected; and justice is refused you, not -because your fellow-actors are excellent, but merely good. - -"Come out alone, as used to be the case; endeavor to attract around you -middling, I will even say inferior people, for a slender salary; regale -the public with mechanical displays, as you can so cleverly do; apply -your remaining means to the opera, which I am talking of; and you will -quickly see, that, with the same labor and expense, you will give -greater satisfaction, while you draw incomparably more money than at -present." - -These observations were so flattering to Serlo, that they could not fail -of making some impression on him. He readily admitted, that, loving -music as he did, he had long wished for some arrangement such as this; -though he could not but perceive that the public taste would thus be -still more widely led astray, and that with such a mongrel theatre, not -properly an opera, not properly a playhouse, any residue of true feeling -for regular and perfect works of art must shortly disappear. - -Melina ridiculed, in terms more plain than delicate, our friend's -pedantic notions in this matter, and his vain attempts to form the -public mind, instead of being formed by it: Serlo and he at last agreed, -with full conviction, that the sole concern was, how to gather money, -and grow rich, or live a joyous life; and they scarcely concealed their -wish to be delivered from those persons who at present hindered them. -Melina took occasion to lament Aurelia's weak health, and the speedy end -which it threatened; thinking all the while directly the reverse. Serlo -affected to regret that Wilhelm could not sing, thus signifying that his -presence was by no means indispensable. Melina then came forward with a -whole catalogue of savings, which, he said, might be effected; and Serlo -saw in him his brother-in-law replaced threefold. They both felt that -secrecy was necessary in the matter, but this mutual obligation only -joined them closer in their interests. They failed not to converse -together privately on every thing that happened; to blame whatever -Wilhelm or Aurelia undertook; and to elaborate their own project, and -prepare it more and more for execution. - -Silent as they both might be about their plan, little as their words -betrayed them, in their conduct they were not so politic as constantly -to hide their purposes. Melina now opposed our friend in many points -that lay within the province of the latter; and Serlo, who had never -acted smoothly to his sister, seemed to grow more bitter the more her -sickness deepened, the more her passionate and variable humors would -have needed toleration. - -About this period they took up the "Emilie Galotti" of Lessing. The -parts were very happily distributed and filled: within the narrow circle -of this tragedy, the company found room for showing all the complex -riches of their acting. Serlo, in the character of Marinelli, was -altogether in his place; Odoardo was very well exhibited; Madam Melina -played the Mother with considerable skill; Elmira gained distinction as -Emilie; Laertes made a stately Appiani; and Wilhelm had bestowed the -study of some months upon the Prince's part. On this occasion, both -internally and with Aurelia and Serlo, he had often come upon this -question: What is the distinction between a noble and a well-bred -manner? and how far must the former be included in the latter, though -the latter is not in the former? - -Serlo, who himself in Marinelli had to act the courtier accurately, -without caricature, afforded him some valuable thoughts on this. "A -well-bred carriage," he would say, is difficult to imitate; for in -strictness it is negative, and it implies a long-continued previous -training. You are not required to exhibit in your manner any thing that -specially betokens dignity; for, by this means, you are like to run into -formality and haughtiness: you are rather to avoid whatever is -undignified and vulgar. You are never to forget yourself; are to keep a -constant watch upon yourself and others; to forgive nothing that is -faulty in your own conduct, in that of others neither to forgive too -little nor too much. Nothing must appear to touch you, nothing to -agitate: you must never overhaste yourself, must ever keep yourself -composed, retaining still an outward calmness, whatever storms may rage -within. The noble character at certain moments may resign himself to his -emotions; the well-bred never. The latter is like a man dressed out in -fair and spotless clothes: he will not lean on any thing; every person -will beware of rubbing on him. He distinguishes himself from others, yet -he may not stand apart; for as in all arts, so in this, the hardest must -at length be done with ease: the well-bred man of rank, in spite of -every separation, always seems united with the people round him; he is -never to be stiff or uncomplying; he is always to appear the first, and -never to insist on so appearing. - -"It is clear, then, that, to seem well-bred, a man must actually be so. -It is also clear why women generally are more expert at taking up the -air of breeding than the other sex; why courtiers and soldiers catch it -more easily than other men." - -Wilhelm now despaired of doing justice to his part; but Serlo aided and -encouraged him, communicated the acutest observations on detached -points, and furnished him so well, that, on the exhibition of the piece, -the public reckoned him a very proper Prince. - -Serlo had engaged to give him, when the play was over, such remarks as -might occur upon his acting: a disagreeable contention with Aurelia -prevented any conversation of that kind. Aurelia had acted the character -of Orsina, in such a style as few have ever done. She was well -acquainted with the part, and during the rehearsals she had treated it -indifferently: but, in the exhibition of the piece, she had opened, as -it were, all the sluices of her personal sorrow; and the character was -represented so as never poet in the first glow of invention could have -figured it. A boundless applause rewarded her painful efforts; but her -friends, on visiting her when the play was finished, found her half -fainting in her chair. - -Serlo had already signified his anger at her overcharged acting, as he -called it; at this disclosure of her inmost heart before the public, to -many individuals of which the history of her fatal passion was more or -less completely known. He had spoken bitterly and fiercely; grinding -with his teeth and stamping with his feet, as was his custom when -enraged. "Never mind her," cried he, when he saw her in the chair, -surrounded by the rest: "she will go upon the stage stark-naked one of -these days, and then the approbation will be perfect." - -"Ungrateful, inhuman man!" exclaimed she: "soon shall I be carried naked -to the place where approbation or disapprobation can no longer reach our -ears!" With these words she started up, and hastened to the door. The -maid had not yet brought her mantle; the sedan was not in waiting; it -had been raining lately; a cold, raw wind was blowing through the -streets. They endeavored to persuade her to remain, for she was very -warm. But in vain: she purposely walked slow; she praised the coolness, -seemed to inhale it with peculiar eagerness. No sooner was she home, -than she became so hoarse that she could hardly speak a word: she did -not mention that there was a total stiffness in her neck and along her -back. Shortly afterwards a sort of palsy in the tongue came on, so that -she pronounced one word instead of another. They put her to bed: by -numerous and copious remedies, the evil changed its form, but was not -mastered. The fever gathered strength: her case was dangerous. - -Next morning she enjoyed a quiet hour. She sent for Wilhelm, and -delivered him a letter. "This sheet," said she, "has long been waiting -for the present moment. I feel that my end is drawing nigh: promise me -that you yourself will take this paper; that, by a word or two, you will -avenge my sorrows on the faithless man. He is not void of feeling: my -death will pain him for a moment." - -Wilhelm took the letter; still endeavoring to console her, and to drive -away the thought of death. - -"No," said she: "do not deprive me of my nearest hope. I have waited for -him long: I will joyfully clasp him when he comes." - -Shortly after this the manuscript arrived which the physician had -engaged to send her. She called for Wilhelm,--made him read it to her. -The effect which it produced upon her, the reader will be better able to -appreciate after looking at the following Book. The violent and stubborn -temper of our poor Aurelia was mollified by hearing it. She took back -the letter, and wrote another, as it seemed, in a meeker tone; charging -Wilhelm at the same time to console her friend, if he should be -distressed about her death; to assure him that she had forgiven him, and -wished him every kind of happiness. - -From this time she was very quiet, and appeared to occupy herself with -but a few ideas, which she endeavored to extract and appropriate from -the manuscript, out of which she frequently made Wilhelm read to her. -The decay of her strength was not perceptible: nor had Wilhelm been -anticipating the event, when one morning, as he went to visit her, he -found that she was dead. - -Entertaining such respect for her as he had done, and accustomed as he -was to live in her society, the loss of her affected him with no common -sorrow. She was the only person that had truly wished him well: the -coldness of Serlo he had felt of late but too keenly. He hastened, -therefore, to perform the service she had intrusted to him: he wished to -be absent for a time. - -On the other hand, this journey was exceedingly convenient for Melina: -in the course of his extensive correspondence, he had lately entered -upon terms with a male and a female singer, who, it was intended, -should, by their performances in interludes, prepare the public for his -future opera. The loss of Aurelia, and Wilhelm's absence, were to be -supplied in this manner; and our friend was satisfied with any thing -that could facilitate his setting out. - -He had formed, within himself, a singular idea of the importance of his -errand. The death of his unhappy friend had moved him deeply; and, -having seen her pass so early from the scene, he could not but be -hostilely inclined against the man who had abridged her life, and made -that shortened term so full of woe. - -Notwithstanding the last mild words of the dying woman, he resolved, -that, on delivering his letter, he would pass a strict sentence on her -faithless friend; and, not wishing to depend upon the temper of the -moment, he studied an address, which, in the course of preparation, -became more pathetic than just. Having fully convinced himself of the -good composition of his essay, he began committing it to memory, and at -the same time making ready for departure. Mignon was present as he -packed his articles: she asked him whether he intended travelling south -or north; and, learning that it was the latter, she replied, "Then, I -will wait here for thee." She begged of him the pearl necklace which had -once been Mariana's. He could not refuse to gratify the dear little -creature, and he gave it her: the neckerchief she had already. On the -other hand, she put the veil of Hamlet's Ghost into his travelling-bag; -though he told her it could not be of any service to him. - -Melina took upon him the directorship: his wife engaged to keep a -mother's eye upon the children, whom Wilhelm parted with unwillingly. -Felix was very merry at the setting out; and, when asked what pretty -thing he wished to have brought back for him, he said, "Hark you! bring -me a papa!" Mignon seized the traveller's hand; then, standing on her -tiptoes, she pressed a warm and cordial, though not a tender, kiss, upon -his lips, and cried, "Master! forget us not, and come soon back." - -And so we leave our friend, entering on his journey, amid a thousand -different thoughts and feelings; and here subjoin, by way of close, a -little poem, which Mignon had recited once or twice with great -expressiveness, and which the hurry of so many singular occurrences -prevented us from inserting sooner:-- - - "Not speech, bid silence, I implore thee; - For secrecy's my duty still: - My heart entire I'd fain lay bare before thee, - But such is not of fate the will. - - In season due the sun's course backward throws - Dark night; ensue must light; the mountain's - Hard rock, at length, its bosom doth unclose, - Now grudging earth no more the hidden fountains. - - Each seeks repose upon a friend's true breast, - Where by laments he frees his bosom lonely; - Whereas an oath my lips hold closely pressed, - The which to speech a God can open only." - --_Editor's Version._ - - - - -BOOK VI. - - - - -CONFESSIONS OF A FAIR SAINT. - - -Till my eighth year I was always a healthy child, but of that period I -can recollect no more than of the day when I was born. About the -beginning of my eighth year, I was seized with a hemorrhage; and from -that moment my soul became all feeling, all memory. The smallest -circumstances of that accident are yet before my eyes as if they had -occurred but yesterday. - -During the nine months which I then spent patiently upon a sick-bed, it -appears to me the groundwork of my whole turn of thought was laid; as -the first means were then afforded my mind of developing itself in its -own manner. - -I suffered and I loved: this was the peculiar form of my heart. In the -most violent fits of coughing, in the depressing pains of fever, I lay -quiet, like a snail drawn back within its house: the moment I obtained a -respite, I wanted to enjoy something pleasant; and, as every other -pleasure was denied me, I endeavored to amuse myself with the innocent -delights of eye and ear. The people brought me dolls and picture-books, -and whoever would sit by my bed was obliged to tell me something. - -From my mother I rejoiced to hear the Bible histories, and my father -entertained me with natural curiosities. He had a very pretty cabinet, -from which he brought me first one drawer and then another, as occasion -served; showing me the articles, and pointing out their properties. -Dried plants and insects, with many kinds of anatomical preparations, -such as human skin, bones, mummies, and the like, were in succession -laid upon the sick-bed of the little one; the birds and animals he -killed in hunting were shown to me, before they passed into the kitchen; -and, that the Prince of the World might also have a voice in this -assembly, my aunt related to me love-adventures out of fairy-tales. All -was accepted, all took root. There were hours in which I vividly -conversed with the Invisible Power. I can still repeat some verses which -I then dictated, and my mother wrote down. - -Often I would tell my father back again what I had learned from him. -Rarely did I take any physic without asking where the simples it was -made of grew, what look they had, what names they bore. Nor had the -stories of my aunt lighted on stony ground. I figured myself out in -pretty clothes, and met the most delightful princes, who could find no -peace or rest till they discovered who the unknown beauty was. One -adventure of this kind, with a charming little angel dressed in white, -with golden wings, who warmly courted me, I dwelt upon so long, that my -imagination painted out his form almost to visibility. - -After a year I was pretty well restored to health, but nothing of the -giddiness of childhood remained with me. I could not play with dolls: I -longed for beings able to return my love. Dogs, cats, and birds, of -which my father kept a great variety, afforded me delight; but what -would I have given for such a creature as my aunt once told me of! It -was a lamb which a peasant-girl took up and nourished in a wood; but, in -the guise of this pretty beast, an enchanted prince was hid, who at -length appeared in his native shape, a lovely youth, and rewarded his -benefactress by his hand. Such a lamb I would have given the world for. - -But there was none to be had; and, as every thing about me went on in -such a quite natural manner, I by degrees all but abandoned nearly all -hopes of such a treasure. Meanwhile I comforted myself by reading books -in which the strangest incidents were set forth. Among them all, my -favorite was the "Christian German Hercules:" that devout love-history -was altogether in my way. Whenever any thing befell his dear Valiska, -and cruel things befell her, he always prayed before hastening to her -aid; and the prayers stood there _verbatim_. My longing after the -Invisible, which I had always dimly felt, was strengthened by such -means; for, in short, it was ordained that God should also be my -confidant. - -As I grew older I continued reading, Heaven knows what, in chaotic -order. The "Roman Octavia" was the book I liked beyond all others. The -persecutions of the first Christians, decorated with the charms of a -romance, awoke the deepest interest in me. - -But my mother now began to murmur at my constant reading; and, to humor -her, my father took away my books to-day, but gave them back to-morrow. -She was wise enough to see that nothing could be done in this way: she -next insisted merely that my Bible should be read with equal diligence. -To this I was not disinclined, and I accordingly perused the sacred -volume with a lively interest. Withal my mother was extremely careful -that no books of a corruptive tendency should come into my hands: -immodest writings I would, of my own accord, have cast away; for my -princes and my princesses were all extremely virtuous. - -To my mother, and my zeal for knowledge, it was owing, that, with all my -love of books, I also learned to cook; for much was to be seen in -cookery. To cut up a hen, a pig, was quite a feast for me. I used to -bring the entrails to my father, and he talked with me about them as if -I had been a student of anatomy. With suppressed joy he would often call -me his misfashioned son. - -I had passed my twelfth year. I learned French, dancing, and drawing: I -received the usual instructions in religion. In the latter, many -thoughts and feelings were awakened, but nothing properly relating to my -own condition. I liked to hear the people speak of God: I was proud that -I could speak on these points better than my equals. I zealously read -many books which put me in a condition to talk about religion; but it -never once struck me to think how matters stood with _me_, whether _my_ -soul was formed according to these holy precepts, whether it was like a -glass from which the everlasting sun could be reflected in its glancing. -From the first I had presupposed all this. - -My French I learned with eagerness. My teacher was a clever man. He was -not a vain empiric, not a dry grammarian: he had learning, he had seen -the world. Instructing me in language, he satisfied my zeal for -knowledge in a thousand ways. I loved him so much, that I used to wait -his coming with a palpitating heart. Drawing was not hard for me: I -should have made greater progress had my teacher possessed head and -science; he had only hands and practice. - -Dancing was at first one of my smallest amusements; my body was too -sensitive for it; I learned it only in the company of my sisters. But -our dancing-master took a thought of gathering all his scholars, male -and female, and giving them a ball. This event gave dancing quite -another charm for me. - -Amid a throng of boys and girls, the most remarkable were two sons of -the marshal of the court. The youngest was of my age; the other, two -years older: they were children of such beauty, that, according to the -universal voice, no one had seen their like. For my part, scarcely had I -noticed them when I lost sight of all the other crowd. From that moment -I began to dance with care, and to wish that I could dance with grace. -How came it, on the other hand, that these two boys distinguished me -from all the rest? No matter: before an hour had passed we had become -the warmest friends, and our little entertainment did not end till we -had fixed upon the time and place where we were next to meet. What a joy -for me! And how charmed was I next morning when both of them inquired -for my health, each in a gallant note, accompanied with a nosegay! I -have never since felt as I then did. Compliment was met by compliment: -letter answered letter. The church and the public-walks were grown a -rendezvous; our young acquaintances, in all their little parties, now -invited us together; while, at the same time, we were sly enough to veil -the business from our parents, so that they saw no more of it than we -thought good. - -Thus had I at once got a pair of lovers. I had yet decided upon neither: -they both pleased me, and we did extremely well together. All at once -the eldest of the two fell very sick. I myself had often been sick; and -thus I was enabled, by rendering him many little dainties and delicacies -suited for a sick person, to afford some solace to the sufferer. His -parents thankfully acknowledged my attention: in compliance with the -prayer of their beloved son, they invited me, with all my sisters, to -their house so soon as he had arisen from his sick-bed. The tenderness -which he displayed on meeting me was not the feeling of a child: from -that day I gave the preference to him. He warned me to keep our secret -from his brother; but the flame could no longer be concealed, and the -jealousy of the younger completed our romance. He played us a thousand -tricks: eager to annihilate our joys, he but increased the passion he -was seeking to destroy. - -At last I had actually found the wished-for lamb, and this attachment -acted on me like my sickness: it made me calm, and drew me back from -noisy pleasures. I was solitary, I was moved; and thoughts of God again -occurred to me. He was again my confidant; and I well remember with what -tears I often prayed for this poor boy, who still continued sickly. - -The more childishness there was in this adventure, the more did it -contribute to the forming of my heart. Our French teacher had now turned -us from translating into daily writing him some letter of our own -invention. I brought my little history to market, shrouded in the names -of Phyllis and Damon. The old man soon saw through it, and, to render me -communicative, praised my labor very much. I still waxed bolder; came -openly out with the affair, adhering, even in the minute details, to -truth. I do not now remember what the passage was at which he took -occasion to remark, "How pretty, how natural, it is! But the good -Phyllis had better have a care: the thing may soon grow serious." - -I felt vexed that he did not look upon the matter as already serious; -and I asked him, with an air of pique, what he meant by serious. I had -not to repeat the question: he explained himself so clearly, that I -could scarcely hide my terror. Yet as anger came along with it, as I -took it ill that he should entertain such thoughts, I kept myself -composed: I tried to justify my nymph, and said, with glowing cheeks, -"But, sir, Phyllis is an honorable girl." - -He was rogue enough to banter me about my honorable heroine. While we -were speaking French, he played upon the word _honnête_, and hunted the -honorableness of Phyllis over all its meanings. I felt the ridicule of -this, and extremely puzzled. He, not to frighten me, broke off, but -afterwards often led the conversation to such topics. Plays, and little -histories, such as I was reading and translating with him, gave him -frequent opportunity to show how feeble a security against the calls of -inclination our boasted virtue was. I no longer contradicted him, but I -was in secret scandalized; and his remarks became a burden to me. - -With my worthy Damon, too, I by degrees fell out of all connection. The -chicanery of the younger boy destroyed our intercourse. Soon after, both -these blooming creatures died. I lamented sore: however, in a short -time, I forgot. - -But Phyllis rapidly increased in stature, was altogether healthy, and -began to see the world. The hereditary prince now married, and a short -time after, on his father's death, began his rule. Court and town were -in the liveliest motion: my curiosity had copious nourishment. There -were plays and balls, with all their usual accompaniments; and, though -my parents kept retired as much as possible, they were obliged to show -themselves at court, where I was of course introduced. Strangers were -pouring in from every side; high company was in every house; even to us -some cavaliers were recommended, others introduced; and, at my uncle's, -men of every nation might be met with. - -My honest mentor still continued, in a modest and yet striking way, to -warn me, and I in secret to take it ill of him. With regard to his -assertion, that women under every circumstance were weak, I did not feel -at all convinced; and here, perhaps, I was in the right, and my mentor -in the wrong: but he spoke so earnestly that once I grew afraid he might -be right, and said to him, with much vivacity, "Since the danger is so -great, and the human heart so weak, I will pray to God that he may keep -me." - -This simple answer seemed to please him, for he praised my purpose; but, -on my side, it was any thing but seriously meant. It was, in truth, but -an empty word; for my feelings towards the Invisible were almost totally -extinguished. The hurry and the crowd I lived in dissipated my -attention, and carried me along as in a rapid stream. These were the -emptiest years of my life. All day long to speak of nothing, to have no -solid thought, never to do any thing but revel,--such was my employment. -On my beloved books I never once bestowed a thought. The people I lived -among had not the slightest tinge of literature or science: they were -German courtiers, a class of men at that time altogether destitute of -culture. - -Such society, it may be thought, must naturally have led me to the brink -of ruin. I lived away in mere corporeal cheerfulness: I never took -myself to task, I never prayed, I never thought about myself or God. Yet -I look upon it as a providential guidance, that none of these many -handsome, rich, and well-dressed men could take my fancy. They were -rakes, and did not conceal it; this scared me back: they adorned their -speech with double meanings; this offended me, made me act with coldness -towards them. Many times their improprieties exceeded belief, and I did -not restrain myself from being rude. - -Besides, my ancient counsellor had once in confidence contrived to tell -me, that, with the greater part of these lewd fellows, health, as well -as virtue, was in danger. I now shuddered at the sight of them: I was -afraid if one of them in any way approached too near me. I would not -touch their cups or glasses,--even the chairs they had been sitting on. -Thus, morally and physically, I remained apart from them: all the -compliments they paid me I haughtily accepted, as incense that was due. - -Among the strangers then resident among us was one young man peculiarly -distinguished, whom we used in sport to call Narciss. He had gained a -reputation in the diplomatic line; and, among the various changes now -occurring at court, he was in hopes of meeting with some advantageous -place. He soon became acquainted with my father: his acquirements and -manners opened for him the way to a select society of most accomplished -men. My father often spoke in praise of him: his figure, which was very -handsome, would have made a still better impression, had it not been for -something of self-complacency which breathed from the whole carriage of -the man. I had seen him. I thought well of him; but we had never spoken. - -At a great ball, where we chanced to be in company, I danced a minuet -with him; but this, too, passed without results. The more violent -dances, in compliance with my father, who felt anxious about my health, -I was accustomed to avoid: in the present case, when these came on, I -retired to an adjoining room, and began to talk with certain of my -friends, elderly ladies, who had set themselves to cards. - -Narciss, who had jigged it for a while, at last came into the room where -I was; and having got the better of a bleeding at the nose, which had -overtaken him in dancing, he began speaking with me about a multitude of -things. In half an hour the talk had grown so interesting, that neither -of us could think of dancing any more. We were rallied by our friends, -but we did not let their bantering disturb us. Next evening we -recommenced our conversation, and were very careful not to hurt our -health. - -The acquaintance then was made. Narciss was often with my sisters and -myself; and I now once more began to reckon over and consider what I -knew, what I thought of, what I had felt, and what I could express -myself about in conversation. My new friend had mingled in the best -society; besides the department of history and politics, with every part -of which he was familiar, he had gained extensive literary knowledge; -there was nothing new that issued from the press, especially in France, -that he was unacquainted with. He brought or sent me many a pleasant -book, but this we had to keep as secret as forbidden love. Learned -women had been made ridiculous, nor were well-informed women -tolerated,--apparently because it would have been uncivil to put so many -ill-informed men to shame. Even my father, much as he delighted in this -new opportunity of cultivating my mind, expressly stipulated that our -literary commerce should remain secret. - -Thus our intercourse continued for almost year and day; and still I -could not say, that, in any wise, Narciss had ever shown me aught of -love or tenderness. He was always complaisant and kind, but manifested -nothing like attachment: on the contrary, he even seemed to be in some -degree affected by the charms of my youngest sister, who was then -extremely beautiful. In sport, he gave her many little friendly names -out of foreign tongues; for he could speak two or three of these -extremely well, and loved to mix their idiomatic phrases with his -German. Such compliments she did not answer very liberally; she was -entangled in a different noose: and being very sharp, while he was very -sensitive, the two were often quarrelling about trifles. With my mother -and my aunt he kept on very pleasant terms; and thus, by gradual -advances, he was grown to be a member of the family. - -Who knows how long we might have lived in this way, had not a curious -accident altered our relations all at once? My sisters and I were -invited to a certain house, to which we did not like to go. The company -was too mixed; and persons of the stupidest, if not the rudest, stamp -were often to be met there. Narciss, on this occasion, was invited also; -and on his account I felt inclined to go, for I was sure of finding one, -at least, whom I could converse with as I desired. Even at table we had -many things to suffer, for several of the gentlemen had drunk too much: -then, in the drawing-room, they insisted on a game at forfeits. It went -on with great vivacity and tumult. Narciss had lost a forfeit: they -ordered him, by way of penalty, to whisper something pleasant in the ear -of every member of the company. It seems he staid too long beside my -next neighbor, the lady of a captain. The latter on a sudden struck him -such a box with his fist, that the powder flew about me, into my eyes. -When I had got my eyes cleared, and in some degree recovered from my -terror, I saw that both gentlemen had drawn their swords. Narciss was -bleeding; and the other, mad with wine and rage and jealousy, could -scarcely be held back by all the company. I seized Narciss, led him by -the arm up-stairs; and, as I did not think my friend safe even here from -his frantic enemy, I shut the door and bolted it. - -Neither of us considered the wound serious, for a slight cut across the -hand was all we saw. Soon, however, I discovered that there was a stream -of blood running down his back, that there was a deep wound on the -head. I now began to be afraid. I hastened to the lobby, to get help: -but I could see no person; every one had staid below to calm the raving -captain. At last a daughter of the family came skipping up: her mirth -annoyed me; she was like to die with laughing at the bedlam spectacle. I -conjured her, for the sake of Heaven, to get a surgeon; and she, in her -wild way, sprang down-stairs to fetch me one herself. - -Returning to my wounded friend, I bound my handkerchief about his hand, -and a neckerchief, that was hanging on the door, about his head. He was -still bleeding copiously: he now grew pale, and seemed as if he were -about to faint. There was none at hand to aid me: I very freely put my -arm round him, patted his cheek, and tried to cheer him by little -flatteries. It seemed to act on him like a spiritual remedy: he kept his -senses, but sat as pale as death. - -At last the active housewife arrived: it is easy to conceive her terror -when she saw my friend in this predicament, lying in my arms, and both -of us bestreamed with blood. No one had supposed he was wounded: all -imagined I had carried him away in safety. - -Now smelling-bottles, wine, and every thing that could support and -stimulate, were copiously produced. The surgeon also came, and I might -easily have been dispensed with. Narciss, however, held me firmly by the -hand: I would have staid without holding. During the dressing of his -wounds, I continued wetting his lips with wine: I minded not, though all -the company were now about us. The surgeon having finished, his patient -took a mute but tender leave of me, and was conducted home. - -The mistress of the house now led me to her bedroom: she had to strip me -altogether; and I must confess, while they washed the blood from me, I -saw with pleasure, for the first time, in a mirror, that I might be -reckoned beautiful without help of dress. No portion of my clothes could -be put on again; and, as the people of the house were all either less or -larger than myself, I was taken home in a strange disguise. My parents -were, of course, astonished. They felt exceedingly indignant at my -fright, at the wounds of their friend, at the captain's madness, at the -whole occurrence. A very little would have made my father send the -captain a challenge, that he might avenge his friend without delay. He -blamed the gentlemen that had been there, because they had not punished -on the spot such a murderous attempt; for it was but too clear, that -the captain, instantly on striking, had drawn his sword, and wounded the -other from behind. The cut across the hand had been given just when -Narciss himself was grasping at his sword. I felt unspeakably affected, -altered; or how shall I express it? The passion which was sleeping at -the deepest bottom of my heart had at once broken loose, like a flame -getting air. And if joy and pleasure are well suited for the first -producing and the silent nourishing of love, yet this passion, bold by -nature, is most easily impelled by terror to decide and to declare -itself. My mother gave her little flurried daughter some medicine, and -made her go to bed. With the earliest morrow my father hastened to -Narciss, whom he found lying very sick of a wound-fever. - -He told me little of what passed between them, but tried to quiet me -about the probable results of this event. They were now considering -whether an apology should be accepted, whether the affair should go -before a court of justice, and many other points of that description. I -knew my father too well to doubt that he would be averse to see the -matter end without a duel: but I held my peace; for I had learned from -him before, that women should not meddle in such things. For the rest, -it did not strike me as if any thing had passed between the friends, in -which my interests were specially concerned; but my father soon -communicated to my mother the purport of their further conversation. -Narciss, he said, appeared to be exceedingly affected at the help -afforded by me; had embraced him, declared himself my debtor forever, -signified that he desired no happiness except what he could share with -me, and concluded by entreating that he might presume to ask my hand. -All this mamma repeated to me, but subjoined the safe reflection, that, -"as for what was said in the first agitation of mind in such a case, -there was little trust to be placed in it."--"Of course, none," I -answered with affected coldness; though all the while I was feeling, -Heaven knows what. - -Narciss continued sick for two months; owing to the wound in his right -hand, he could not even write. Yet, in the mean time, he showed me his -regard by the most obliging courtesies. All these unusual attentions I -combined with what my mother had disclosed to me, and constantly my head -was full of fancies. The whole city talked of the occurrence. With me -they spoke of it in a peculiar tone: they drew inferences, which, -greatly as I struggled to avoid them, touched me very close. What had -formerly been habitude and trifling, was now grown seriousness and -inclination. The anxiety in which I lived was the more violent, the more -carefully I studied to conceal it from every one. The idea of losing him -frightened me: the possibility of any closer union made me tremble. For -a half-prudent girl, there is really something awful in the thought of -marriage. - -By such incessant agitations I was once more led to recollect myself. -The gaudy imagery of a thoughtless life, which used to hover day and -night before my eyes, was at once blown away. My soul again began to -awaken, but the greatly interrupted intimacy with my invisible friend -was not so easy to renew. We still continued at a frigid distance: it -was again something, but little to the times of old. - -A duel had been fought, and the captain severely wounded, before I ever -heard of it. The public feeling was, in all senses, strong on the side -of my lover, who at length again appeared upon the scene. But, first of -all, he came, with his head tied up and his arm in a sling, to visit us. -How my heart beat while he was there! The whole family was present: -general thanks and compliments were all that passed on either side. -Narciss, however, found an opportunity to show some secret tokens of his -love to me; by which means my inquietude was but increased. After his -recovery he visited us throughout the winter on the former footing; and -in spite of all the soft, private marks of tenderness which he contrived -to give me, the whole affair remained unsettled, undiscussed. - -In this manner was I kept in constant practice. I could trust my -thoughts to no mortal, and from God I was too far removed. Him I had -quite forgotten those four wild years: I now again began to think of him -occasionally, but our acquaintance had grown cool; they were visits of -mere ceremony these; and as, moreover, in waiting on him, I used to -dress in fine apparel, to set before him self-complacently my virtue, -honor, and superiorities to others, he did not seem to notice me, or -know me in that finery. - -A courtier would have been exceedingly distressed, if the prince who -held his fortune in his hands had treated him in this way; but, for me, -I did not sorrow at it. I had what I required,--health and conveniences: -if God should please to think of me, well; if not, I reckoned I had done -my duty. - -This, in truth, I did not think at that period; yet it was the true -figure of my soul. But, to change and purify my feelings, preparations -were already made. - -The spring came on: Narciss once visited me unannounced, and at a time -when I happened to be quite alone. He now appeared in the character of -lover, and asked me if I could bestow on him my heart, and, so soon as -he should obtain some lucrative and honorable place, my hand along with -it. - -He had been received into our service; but at first they kept him back, -and would not rapidly promote him, because they dreaded his ambition. -Having some little fortune of his own, he was left with a slender -salary. - -Notwithstanding my regard for him, I knew that he was not a man to treat -with altogether frankly. I drew up, therefore, and referred him to my -father. About my father he did not seem to doubt, but wished first to be -at one with me, now and here. I at last said, Yes; but stipulated, as an -indispensable condition, that my parents should concur. He then spoke -formally with both of them; they signified their satisfaction: mutual -promises were given, on the faith of his advancement, which it was -expected would be speedy. Sisters and aunts were informed of this -arrangement, and the strictest secrecy enjoined on them. - -Thus had my lover become my bridegroom, and great was the difference -between the two. If one could change the lovers of all honorable maidens -into bridegrooms, it would be a kindness to our sex, even though -marriage should not follow the connection. The love between two persons -does not lessen by the change, but it becomes more reasonable. -Innumerable little follies, all coquetries and caprices, disappear. If -the bridegroom tells us that we please him better in a morning-cap than -in the finest head-dress, no discreet young woman will disturb herself -about her hair-dressing; and nothing is more natural than that he, too, -should think solidly, and rather wish to form a housewife for himself -than a gaudy doll for others. And thus it is in every province of the -business. - -Should a young woman of this kind be fortunate enough to have a -bridegroom who possesses understanding and acquirements, she learns from -him more than universities and foreign lands can teach. She not only -willingly receives instruction when he offers it, but she endeavors to -elicit more and more from him. Love makes much that was impossible -possible. By degrees, too, that subjection, so necessary and so graceful -for the female sex, begins: the bridegroom does not govern like the -husband; he only asks: but his mistress seeks to discover what he -wants, and to offer it before he asks it. - -So did experience teach me what I would not for much have missed. I was -happy, truly happy as woman could be in the world,--that is to say, for -a while. - -Amid these quiet joys, a summer passed away. Narciss gave not the -slightest reason to complain of him: he daily became more dear to me; my -whole soul was his. This he well knew, and knew also how to prize it. -Meanwhile, from seeming trifles, something rose, which by and by grew -hurtful to our union. - -Narciss behaved to me as to a bride, and never dared to ask of me such -favors as were yet forbidden us. But, about the boundaries of virtue and -decorum, we were of very different opinions. I meant to walk securely, -and so never granted him the smallest freedom which the whole world -might not have witnessed. He, used to dainties, thought this diet very -strict. On this point there was continual variance: he praised my -modesty, and sought to undermine my resolution. - -The _serious_ of my old French teacher now occurred to me, as well as -the defence which I had once suggested in regard to it. - -With God I had again become a little more acquainted. He had given me a -bridegroom whom I loved, and for this I felt some thankfulness. Earthly -love itself concentrated my soul, and put its powers in motion: nor did -it contradict my intercourse with God. I naturally complained to him of -what alarmed me, but I did not perceive that I myself was wishing and -desiring it. In my own eyes I was strong: I did not pray, "Lead us not -into temptation!" My thoughts were far beyond temptation. In this flimsy -tinsel-work of virtue I came to God. He did not drive me back. On the -smallest movement towards him, he left a soft impression in my soul; and -this impression caused me always to return. - -Except Narciss, the world was altogether dead to me: excepting him, -there was nothing in it that had any charm. Even my love for dress was -but the wish to please him: if I knew that he was not to see me, I could -spend no care upon it. I liked to dance; but, if he was not beside me, -it seemed as if I could not bear the motion. At a brilliant festival, if -he was not invited, I could neither take the trouble of providing new -things, nor of putting on the old according to the mode. To me they -were alike agreeable, or rather, I might say, alike burdensome. I used -to reckon such an evening very fairly spent when I could join myself to -any ancient card-party, though formerly I had not the smallest taste for -such things; and, if some old acquaintance came and rallied me about it, -I would smile, perhaps for the first time all that night. So, likewise, -it was with promenades, and every social entertainment that can be -imagined:-- - - "Him had I chosen from all others; - His would I be, and not another's: - To me his love was all in all." - -Thus was I often solitary in the midst of company, and real solitude was -generally acceptable to me. But my busy soul could neither sleep nor -dream: I felt and thought, and acquired by degrees some faculty to speak -about my feelings and my thoughts with God. Then were feelings of -another sort unfolded, but these did not contradict the former feelings: -my affection to Narciss accorded with the universal scheme of nature; it -nowhere hindered the performance of a duty. They did not contradict each -other, yet they were immensely different. Narciss was the only living -form which hovered in my mind, and to which my love was all directed; -but the other feeling was not directed towards any form, and yet it was -unspeakably agreeable. I no longer have it: I no longer can impart it. - -My lover, whom I used to trust with all my secrets, did not know of -this. I soon discovered that he thought far otherwise: he often gave me -writings which opposed, with light and heavy weapons, all that can be -called connection with the Invisible. I used to read the books because -they came from him; but, at the end, I knew no word of all that had been -argued in them. - -Nor, in regard to sciences and knowledge, was there want of -contradiction in our conduct. He did as all men do,--he mocked at -learned women; and yet he kept continually instructing me. He used to -speak with me on all subjects, law excepted; and, while constantly -procuring books of every kind for me, he frequently repeated the -uncertain precept, "That a lady ought to keep the knowledge she might -have more secret than the Calvinist his creed in Catholic countries." -And while I, by natural consequence, endeavored not to show myself more -wise or learned than formerly before the world, Narciss himself was -commonly the first who yielded to the vanity of speaking about me and -my superiorities. - -A nobleman of high repute, and at that time valued for his influence, -his talents, and accomplishments, was living at our court with great -applause. He bestowed especial notice on Narciss, whom he kept -continually about him. They once had an argument about the virtue of -women. Narciss repeated to me what had passed between them: I was not -wanting with my observations, and my friend required of me a written -essay on the subject. I could write French fluently enough: I had laid a -good foundation with my teacher. My correspondence with Narciss was -likewise carried on in French: except in French books, there was then no -elegant instruction to be had. My essay pleased the count: I was obliged -to let him have some little songs, which I had lately been composing. In -short, Narciss appeared to revel without stint in the renown of his -beloved: and the story, to his great contentment, ended with a French -epistle in heroic verse, which the count transmitted to him on -departing; in which their argument was mentioned, and my friend reminded -of his happiness in being destined, after all his doubts and errors, to -learn most certainly what virtue was, in the arms of a virtuous and -charming wife. - -He showed this poem first of all to me, and then to almost every one; -each thinking of the matter what he pleased. Thus did he act in several -cases: every stranger, whom he valued, must be made acquainted in our -house. - -A noble family was staying for a season in the place, to profit by the -skill of our physician. In this house, too, Narciss was looked on as a -son; he introduced me there; we found among these worthy persons the -most pleasant entertainment for mind and heart. Even the common pastimes -of society appeared less empty here than elsewhere. All knew how matters -stood with us: they treated us as circumstances would allow, and left -the main relation unalluded to. I mention this one family; because, in -the after-period of my life, it had a powerful influence upon me. - -Almost a year of our connection had elapsed; and, along with it, our -spring was over. The summer came, and all grew drier and more earnest. - -By several unexpected deaths, some offices fell vacant, which Narciss -might make pretensions to. The instant was at hand when my whole destiny -must be decided; and while Narciss, and all our friends, were making -every effort to efface some impressions which obstructed him at court, -and to obtain for him the wished-for situation, I turned with my request -to my Invisible Friend. I was received so kindly, that I gladly came -again. I confessed, without disguise, my wish that Narciss might obtain -the place; but my prayer was not importunate, and I did not require that -it should happen for the sake of my petition. - -The place was obtained by a far inferior competitor. I was dreadfully -troubled at this news: I hastened to my room, the door of which I locked -behind me. The first fit of grief went off in a shower of tears: the -next thought was, "Yet it was not by chance that it happened;" and -instantly I formed the resolution to be well content with it, seeing -even this apparent evil would be for my true advantage. The softest -emotions then pressed in upon me, and divided all the clouds of sorrow. -I felt, that, with help like this, there was nothing one might not -endure. At dinner I appeared quite cheerful, to the great astonishment -of all the house. - -Narciss had less internal force than I, and I was called upon to comfort -him. In his family, too, he had many crosses to encounter, some of which -afflicted him considerably; and, such true confidence subsisting between -us, he intrusted me with all. His negotiations for entering on foreign -service were not more fortunate; all this I felt deeply on his account -and mine; all this, too, I ultimately carried to the place where my -petitions had already been so well received. - -The softer these experiences were, the oftener did I endeavor to renew -them: I hoped continually to meet with comfort where I had so often met -with it. Yet I did not always meet with it: I was as one that goes to -warm him in the sunshine, while there is something standing in the way -that makes a shadow. "What is this?" I asked myself. I traced the matter -zealously, and soon perceived that it all depended on the situation of -my soul: if this was not turned in the straightest direction towards -God, I still continued cold; I did not feel his counter-influence; I -could obtain no answer. The second question was, "What hinders this -direction?" Here I was in a wide field: I perplexed myself in an inquiry -which lasted nearly all the second year of my attachment to Narciss. I -might have ended the investigation sooner, for it was not long till I -had got upon the proper trace; but I would not confess it, and I sought -a thousand outlets. - -I very soon discovered that the straight direction of my soul was marred -by foolish dissipations, and employment with unworthy things. The how -and the where were clear enough to me. Yet by what means could I help -myself, or extricate my mind from the calls of a world where every thing -was either cold indifference or hot insanity? Gladly would I have left -things standing as they were, and lived from day to day, floating down -with the stream, like other people whom I saw quite happy: but I durst -not: my inmost feelings contradicted me too often. Yet if I determined -to renounce society, and alter my relations to others, it was not in my -power. I was hemmed in as by a ring drawn round me; certain connections -I could not dissolve; and, in the matter which lay nearest to my heart, -fatalities accumulated and oppressed me more and more. I often went to -bed with tears, and, after a sleepless night, arose again with tears: I -required some strong support: and God would not vouchsafe it me while I -was running with the cap and bells. - -I proceeded now to estimate my doings, all and each: dancing and play -were first put upon their trial. Never was there any thing spoken, -thought, or written, for or against these practices, which I did not -examine, talk of, read, weigh, reject, aggravate, and plague myself -about. If I gave up these habits, I was certain that Narciss would be -offended; for he dreaded exceedingly the ridicule which any look of -straitlaced conscientiousness gives one in the eyes of the world. And -doing what I now looked upon as folly, noxious folly, out of no taste of -my own, but merely to gratify him, it all grew wofully irksome to me. - -Without disagreeable prolixities and repetitions, it is not in my power -to represent what pains I took, in trying so to counteract those -occupations which distracted my attention and disturbed my peace of -mind, that my heart, in spite of them, might still be open to the -influences of the Invisible Being. But at last, with pain, I was -compelled to admit, that in this way the quarrel could not be composed. -For no sooner had I clothed myself in the garment of folly, than it came -to be something more than a mask, than the foolishness pierced and -penetrated me through and through. - -May I here overstep the province of a mere historical detail, and offer -one or two remarks on what was then taking place within me? What could -it be which so changed my tastes and feelings, that, in my twenty-second -year, nay, earlier, I lost all relish for the recreations with which -people of that age are harmlessly delighted? Why were they not harmless -for me? I may answer, "Just because they were not harmless; because I -was not, like others of my years, unacquainted with my soul." No! I knew, -from experiences which had reached me unsought, that there are loftier -emotions, which afford us a contentment such as it is vain to seek in -the amusements of the world; and that, in these higher joys, there is -also kept a secret treasure for strengthening the spirit in misfortune. - -But the pleasures of society, the dissipations of youth, must needs have -had a powerful charm for me; since it was not in my power to engage in -them without participation, to act among them as if they were not there. -How many things could I now do, if I liked, with entire coldness, which -then dazzled and confounded me, nay, threatened to obtain the mastery -over me! Here there could no medium be observed: either those delicious -amusements, or my nourishing and quickening internal emotions, must be -given up. - -But, in my soul, the strife had, without my own consciousness, already -been decided. Even if there still was any thing within me that longed -for earthly pleasures, I had now become unfitted for enjoying them. Much -as a man might hanker after wine, all desire of drinking would forsake -him, if he should be placed among full barrels in a cellar, where the -foul air was like to suffocate him. Free air is more than wine; this I -felt but too keenly: and, from the first, it would have cost me little -studying to prefer the good to the delightful, if the fear of losing the -affection of Narciss had not restrained me. But at last, when after many -thousand struggles, and thoughts continually renewed, I began to cast a -steady eye upon the bond which held me to him, I discovered that it was -but weak, that it might be torn asunder. I at once perceived it to be -only as a glass bell, which shut me up in the exhausted, airless space: -one bold stroke to break the bell in pieces, and thou art delivered! - -No sooner thought than tried. I drew off the mask, and on all occasions -acted as my heart directed. Narciss I still cordially loved: but the -thermometer, which formerly had stood in hot water, was now hanging in -the natural air; it could rise no higher than the warmth of the -atmosphere directed. - -Unhappily it cooled very much. Narciss drew back, and began to assume a -distant air: this was at his option, but my thermometer descended as he -drew back. Our family observed this, questioned me, and seemed to be -surprised. I explained to them, with stout defiance, that heretofore I -had made abundant sacrifices; that I was ready, still farther and to the -end of my life, to share all crosses that befell him; but that I -required full freedom in my conduct, that my doings and avoidings must -depend upon my own conviction; that, indeed, I would never bigotedly -cleave to my own opinion, but, on the other hand, would willingly be -reasoned with; yet, as it concerned my own happiness, the decision must -proceed from myself, and be liable to no manner of constraint. The -greatest physician could not move me, by his reasonings, to take an -article of food, which perhaps was altogether wholesome and agreeable to -many, so soon as my experience had shown, that on all occasions it was -noxious to me; as I might produce coffee for an instance: and just as -little, nay, still less, would I have any sort of conduct which misled -me, preached up and demonstrated upon me as morally profitable. - -Having so long prepared myself in silence, these debates were rather -pleasant than vexatious to me. I gave vent to my soul: I felt the whole -worth of my determination. I yielded not a hair's-breadth, and those to -whom I owed no filial respect were sharply handled and despatched. In -the family I soon prevailed. My mother from her youth had entertained -these sentiments, though in her they had never reached maturity; for no -necessity had pressed upon her, and exalted her courage to achieve her -purpose. She rejoiced in beholding her silent wishes fulfilled through -me. My younger sisters seemed to join themselves with me: the second was -attentive and quiet. Our aunt had the most to object. The arguments -which she employed appeared to her irrefragable; and they were -irrefragable, being altogether commonplace. At last I was obliged to -show her, that she had no voice in the affair in any sense; and, after -this, she seldom signified that she persisted in her views. She was, -indeed, the only person that observed this transaction close at hand, -without in some degree experiencing its influence. I do not calumniate -her, when I say that she had no character, and the most limited ideas. - -My father had acted altogether in his own way. He spoke not much, but -often, with me on the matter: his arguments were rational; and, being -_his_ arguments, they could not be impugned. It was only the deep -feeling of my right that gave me strength to dispute against him. But -the scenes soon changed: I was forced to make appeal to his heart. -Straitened by his understanding, I came out with the most pathetic -pleadings. I gave free course to my tongue and to my tears. I showed him -how much I loved Narciss; how much constraint I had for two years been -enduring; how certain I was of being in the right; that I was ready to -testify that certainty, by the loss of my beloved bridegroom and -prospective happiness,--nay, if it were necessary, by the loss of all -that I possessed on earth; that I would rather leave my native country, -my parents, and my friends, and beg my bread in foreign lands, than act -against these dictates of my conscience. He concealed his emotion: he -said nothing on the subject for a while, and at last he openly declared -in my favor. - -During all this time Narciss forbore to visit us; and my father now gave -up the weekly club, where he was used to meet him. The business made a -noise at court, and in the town. People talked about it, as is common in -such cases, which the public takes a vehement interest in, because its -sentence has usurped an influence on the resolutions of weak minds. I -knew enough about the world to understand that one's conduct is often -censured by the very persons who would have advised it, had one -consulted them; and independently of this, with my internal composure, I -should have looked on all such transitory speculations just as if they -had not been. - -On the other hand, I hindered not myself from yielding to my inclination -for Narciss. To me he had become invisible, and to him my feelings had -not altered. I loved him tenderly; as it were anew, and much more -steadfastly than before. If he chose to leave my conscience undisturbed, -then I was his: wanting this condition, I would have refused a kingdom -with him. For several months I bore these feelings and these thoughts -about with me; and, finding at last that I was calm and strong enough to -go peacefully and firmly to work, I wrote him a polite but not a tender -note, inquiring why he never came to see me. - -As I knew his manner of avoiding to explain himself in little matters, -but of silently doing what seemed good to him, I purposely urged him in -the present instance. I got a long, and, as it seemed to me, pitiful, -reply, in vague style and unmeaning phrases, stating, that, without a -better place, he could not fix himself, and offer me his hand; that I -best knew how hard it had fared with him hitherto; that as he was -afraid lest a fruitless intercourse, so long continued, might prove -hurtful to my reputation, I would give him leave to continue at his -present distance; so soon as it was in his power to make me happy, he -would look upon the word which he had given me as sacred. - -I answered him on the spot, that, as our intercourse was known to all -the world, it might, perhaps, be rather late to spare my reputation: for -which, at any rate, my conscience and my innocence were the surest -pledges; however, that I hereby freely gave him back his word, and hoped -the change would prove a happy one for him. The same hour I received a -short reply, which was, in all essential particulars, entirely -synonymous with the first. He adhered to his former statement, that, so -soon as he obtained a situation, he would ask me, if I pleased, to share -his fortune with him. - -This I interpreted as meaning simply nothing. I signified to my -relations and acquaintances, that the affair was altogether settled; and -it was so in fact. Having, nine months afterwards, obtained the -much-desired preferment, he offered me his hand, but under the -condition, that, as the wife of a man who must keep house like other -people, I should alter my opinions. I returned him many thanks, and -hastened with my heart and mind away from this transaction, as one -hastens from the playhouse when the curtain falls. And as he, a short -time afterwards, had found a rich and advantageous match, a thing now -easy for him; and as I now knew him to be happy in the way he liked,--my -own tranquillity was quite complete. - -I must not pass in silence the fact, that several times before he got a -place, and after it, there were respectable proposals made to me; which, -however, I declined without the smallest hesitation, much as my father -and my mother could have wished for more compliance on my part. - -At length, after a stormy March and April, the loveliest May weather -seemed to be allotted me. With good health, I enjoyed an indescribable -composure of mind: look around me as I pleased, my loss appeared a gain -to me. Young and full of sensibility, I thought the universe a thousand -times more beautiful than formerly, when I required to have society and -play, that in the fair garden tedium might not overtake me. And now, as -I did not conceal my piety, I likewise took heart to own my love for the -sciences and arts. I drew, painted, read, and found enough of people to -support me: instead of the great world, which I had left, or, rather, -which had left me, a smaller one formed itself about me, which was -infinitely richer and more entertaining. I had a turn for social life; -and I do not deny, that, on giving up my old acquaintances, I trembled -at the thought of solitude. I now found myself abundantly, perhaps -excessively, indemnified. My acquaintances erelong were very numerous, -not at home only, but likewise among people at a distance. My story had -been noised abroad, and many persons felt a curiosity to see the woman -who had valued God above her bridegroom. There was a certain pious tone -to be observed, at that time, generally over Germany. In the families of -several counts and princes, a care for the welfare of the soul had been -awakened. Nor were there wanting noblemen who showed a like attention; -while, in the inferior classes, sentiments of this kind were diffused on -every side. - -The noble family, whom I mentioned above, now drew me nearer to them. -They had, in the mean while, gathered strength; several of their -relations having settled in the town. These estimable persons courted my -familiarity, as I did theirs. They had high connections: I became -acquainted, in their house, with a great part of the princes, counts, -and lords of the empire. My sentiments were not concealed from any one: -they might be honored or be tolerated; I obtained my object,--none -attacked me. - -There was yet another way by which I was again led back into the world. -About this period a step-brother of my father, who till now had never -visited the house except in passing, staid with us for a considerable -time. He had left the service of his court, where he enjoyed great -influence and honor, simply because all matters were not managed quite -according to his mind. His intellect was just, his character was rigid. -In these points he was very like my father: only the latter had withal a -certain touch of softness, which enabled him with greater ease to yield -a little in affairs, and though not to do, yet to permit, some things -against his own conviction; and then to evaporate his anger at them, -either in silence by himself, or in confidence amid his family. My uncle -was a great deal younger, and his independence of spirit had been -favored by his outward circumstances. His mother had been very rich, and -he still had large possessions to expect from her near and distant -relatives; so he needed no foreign increase: whereas my father, with his -moderate fortune, was bound to his place by the consideration of his -salary. - -My uncle had become still more unbending from domestic sufferings. He -had early lost an amiable wife and a hopeful son; and, from that time, -he appeared to wish to push away from him every thing that did not hang -upon his individual will. - -In our family it was whispered now and then with some complacency, that -probably he would not wed again, and so we children might anticipate -inheriting his fortune. I paid small regard to this, but the demeanor of -the rest was not a little modified by their hopes. In his own -imperturbable firmness of character, my uncle had grown into the habit -of never contradicting any one in conversation. On the other hand, he -listened with a friendly air to every one's opinion, and would himself -elucidate and strengthen it by instances and reasons of his own. All who -did not know him fancied that he thought as they did: for he was -possessed of a preponderating intellect, and could transport himself -into the mental state of any man, and imitate his manner of conceiving. -With me he did not prosper quite so well; for here the question was -about emotions, of which he had not any glimpse: and, with whatever -tolerance and sympathy and rationality he spoke about my sentiments, it -was palpable to me, that he had not the slightest notion of what formed -the ground of all my conduct. - -With all his secrecy, we by and by found out the aim of his unusual stay -with us. He had, as we at length discovered, cast his eyes upon our -youngest sister, with the view of giving her in marriage, and rendering -her happy as he pleased; and certainly, considering her personal and -mental attractions, particularly when a handsome fortune was laid into -the scale along with them, she might pretend to the first matches. His -feelings towards me he likewise showed us pantomimically, by procuring -me a post of canoness, the income of which I very soon began to draw. - -My sister was not so contented with his care as I. She now disclosed to -me a tender secret, which hitherto she had very wisely kept back; -fearing, as in truth it happened, that I would by all means counsel her -against connection with a man who was not suited to her. I did my -utmost, and succeeded. The purpose of my uncle was too serious and too -distinct: the prospect for my sister, with her worldly views, was too -delightful to be thwarted by a passion which her own understanding -disapproved; she mustered force to give it up. - -On her ceasing to resist the gentle guidance of my uncle, the foundation -of his plan was quickly laid. She was appointed maid of honor at a -neighboring court, where he could commit her to the oversight and the -instructions of a lady, his friend, who presided there as governess with -great applause. I accompanied her to the place of her new abode. Both of -us had reason to be satisfied with the reception we met with; and -frequently I could not help, in secret, smiling at the character, which -now as canoness, as young and pious canoness, I was enacting in the -world. - -In earlier times a situation such as this would have confused me -dreadfully, perhaps have turned my head; but now, in the midst of all -the splendors that surrounded me, I felt extremely cool. With great -quietness I let them frizzle me, and deck me out for hours, and thought -no more of it than that my place required me to wear that gala livery. -In the thronged saloons I spoke with all and each, though no shape or -character among them made any impression on me. On returning to my -house, nearly all the feeling I brought back with me was that of tired -limbs. Yet my understanding drew advantage from the multitude of persons -whom I saw: and I became acquainted with some ladies, patterns of every -virtue, of a noble and good demeanor; particularly with the governess, -under whom my sister was to have the happiness of being formed. - -At my return, however, the consequences of this journey, in regard to -health, were found to be less favorable. With the greatest temperance, -the strictest diet, I had not been, as I used to be, completely mistress -of my time and strength. Food, motion, rising, and going to sleep, -dressing and visiting, had not depended, as at home, on my own -conveniency and will. In the circle of social life you cannot stop -without a breach of courtesy: all that was needful I had willingly -performed; because I looked upon it as my duty, because I knew that it -would soon be over, and because I felt myself completely healthy. Yet -this unusual, restless life must have had more effect upon me than I was -aware of. Scarcely had I reached home, and cheered my parents with a -comfortable narrative, when I was attacked by a hemorrhage, which, -although it did not prove dangerous or lasting, yet left a weakness -after it, perceptible for many a day. - -Here, then, I had another lesson to repeat. I did it joyfully. Nothing -bound me to the world, and I was convinced that here the true good was -never to be found; so I waited in the cheerfullest and meekest state: -and, after having abdicated life, I was retained in it. - -A new trial was awaiting me: my mother took a painful and oppressive -ailment, which she had to bear five years, before she paid the debt of -nature. All this time we were sharply proved. Often, when her terror -grew too strong, she would have us all summoned, in the night, to her -bed, that so at least she might be busied, if not bettered, by our -presence. The load grew heavier, nay, scarcely to be borne, when my -father, too, became unwell. From his youth he had frequently had violent -headaches, which, however, at longest never used to last beyond six and -thirty hours. But now they were continual; and, when they mounted to a -high degree of pain, his moanings tore my very heart. It was in these -tempestuous seasons that I chiefly felt my bodily weakness; because it -kept me from my holiest and dearest duties, or rendered the performance -of them hard to an extreme degree. - -It was now that I could try whether the path which I had chosen was the -path of fantasy or truth; whether I had merely thought as others showed -me, or the object of my trust had a reality. To my unspeakable support, -I always found the latter. The straight direction of my heart to God, -the fellowship of the "Beloved Ones."[3] I had sought and found; and -this was what made all things light to me. As a traveller in the dark, -my soul, when all was pressing on me from without, hastened to the place -of refuge; and never did it return empty. - -In later times some champions of religion, who seem to be animated more -by zeal than feeling for it, have required of their brethren to produce -examples of prayers actually heard; apparently as wishing to have seal -and signature, that so they might proceed juridically in the matter. How -unknown must the true feeling be to these persons! how few real -experiences can they themselves have made! - -I can say that I never returned empty, when in straits and oppression I -called on God. This is saying infinitely much: more I must not and can -not say. Important as each experience was at the critical moment for -myself, the recital of them would be flat, improbable, and -insignificant, were I to specify the separate cases. Happy was I, that a -thousand little incidents in combination proved, as clearly as the -drawing of my breath proved me to be living, that I was not without God -in the world. He was near to me: I was before him. This is what, with a -diligent avoidance of all theological systematic terms, I can with the -greatest truth declare. - -Much do I wish, that, in those times too, I had been entirely without -system. But which of us arrives early at the happiness of being -conscious of his individual self, in its own pure combination, without -extraneous forms? I was in earnest with religion. I timidly trusted in -the judgments of others: I entirely gave in to the Hallean system of -conversion, but my nature would by no means tally with it. - -According to this scheme of doctrine, the alteration of the heart must -begin with a deep terror on account of sin: the heart in this agony must -recognize, in a less or greater degree, the punishment which it has -merited, must get a foretaste of hell, and so embitter the delight of -sin. At last it feels a very palpable assurance of grace; which, -however, in its progress often fades away, and must again be sought with -earnest prayer. - -Of all this no jot or tittle happened with me. When I sought God -sincerely, he let himself be found of me, and did not reproach me about -by-gone things. On looking back, I saw well enough where I had been -unworthy, where I still was so; but the confession of my faults was -altogether without terror. Not for a moment did the fear of hell occur -to me; nay, the very notion of a wicked spirit, and a place of -punishment and torment after death, could nowise gain admission into the -circle of my thoughts. I considered the men who lived without God, whose -hearts were shut against the trust in and the love of the Invisible, as -already so unhappy, that a hell and external pains appeared to promise -rather an alleviation than an increase of their misery. I had but to -look upon the persons, in this world, who in their breasts gave scope to -hateful feelings; who hardened their hearts against the good of whatever -kind, and strove to force the evil on themselves and others; who shut -their eyes by day, that so they might deny the shining of the sun. How -unutterably wretched did these persons seem to me! Who could have formed -a hell to make their situation worse? - -This mood of mind continued in me, without change, for half a score of -years. It maintained itself through many trials, even at the moving -death-bed of my beloved mother. I was frank enough, on this occasion, -not to hide my comfortable frame of mind from certain pious but -rigorously orthodox people; and I had to suffer many a friendly -admonition on that score. They reckoned they were just in season, for -explaining with what earnestness one should be diligent to lay a right -foundation in the days of health and youth. - -In earnestness I, too, determined not to fail. For the moment I allowed -myself to be convinced; and fain would I have grown, for life, -distressed and full of fears. But what was my surprise on finding that I -absolutely could not. When I thought of God, I was cheerful and -contented: even at the painful end of my dear mother, I did not shudder -at the thought of death. Yet I learned many and far other things than my -uncalled teachers thought of, in these solemn hours. - -By degrees I grew to doubt the dictates of so many famous people, and -retained my own sentiments in silence. A certain lady of my friends, to -whom I had at first disclosed too much, insisted always on interfering -with my business. Of her, too, I was obliged to rid myself: I at last -firmly told her, that she might spare herself this labor, as I did not -need her counsel; that I knew my God, and would have no guide but him. -She was greatly offended: I believe she never quite forgave me. - -Such determination to withdraw from the advices and the influence of my -friends, in spiritual matters, produced the consequence, that also in my -temporal affairs I gained sufficient courage to obey my own persuasions. -But for the assistance of my faithful, invisible Leader, I could not -have prospered here. I am still gratefully astonished at his wise and -happy guidance. No one knew how matters stood with me: even I myself did -not know. - -The thing, the wicked and inexplicable thing, which separates us from -the Being to whom we owe our life, and in whom all that deserves the -name of life must find its nourishment,--the thing which we call sin I -yet knew nothing of. - -In my intercourse with my invisible Friend, I felt the sweetest -enjoyment of all my powers. My desire of constantly enjoying this -felicity was so predominant, that I abandoned without hesitation -whatever marred our intercourse; and here experience was my best -teacher. But it was with me as with sick persons who have no medicine, -and try to help themselves by diet: something is accomplished, but far -from enough. - -I could not always live in solitude, though in it I found the best -preservative against the dissipation of my thoughts. On returning to the -tumult, the impression it produced upon me was the deeper for my -previous loneliness. My most peculiar advantage lay in this, that love -for quiet was my ruling passion, and that in the end I still drew back -to it. I perceived, as in a kind of twilight, my weakness and my misery, -and tried to save myself by avoiding danger and exposure. - -For seven years I had used my dietetic scheme. I held myself not wicked, -and I thought my state desirable. But for some peculiar circumstances -and occurrences I had remained in this position: it was by a curious -path that I got farther. Contrary to the advice of all my friends, I -entered on a new connection. Their objections, at first, made me pause. -I turned to my invisible Leader; and, as he permitted me, I went forward -without fear. - -A man of spirit, heart, and talents had bought a property beside us. -Among the strangers whom I grew acquainted with, were this person and -his family. In our manners, domestic economy, and habits we accorded -well; and thus we soon approximated to each other. - -Philo, as I propose to call him, was already middle-aged: in certain -matters he was highly serviceable to my father, whose strength was now -decaying. He soon became the friend of the family: and finding in me, as -he was pleased to say, a person free alike from the extravagance and -emptiness of the great world, and from the narrowness and aridness of -the still world in the country, he courted intimacy with me; and erelong -we were in one another's confidence. To me he was very pleasing and -useful. - -Though I did not feel the smallest inclination or capacity for mingling -in public business, or seeking any influence on it, yet I liked to hear -about such matters,--liked to know whatever happened far and near. Of -worldly things, I loved to get a clear though unconcerned perception: -feeling, sympathy, affection, I reserved for God, for my people, and my -friends. - -The latter were, if I may say so, jealous of Philo, in my new connection -with him. In more than one sense, they were right in warning me about -it. I suffered much in secret, for even I could not consider their -remonstrances as altogether empty or selfish. I had been accustomed, -from of old, to give a reason for my views and conduct; but in this case -my conviction would not follow. I prayed to God, that here, as -elsewhere, he would warn, restrain, and guide me; and, as my heart on -this did not dissuade me, I went forward on my way with comfort. - -Philo, on the whole, had a remote resemblance to Narciss: only a pious -education had more enlivened and concentrated his feelings. He had less -vanity, more character; and in business, if Narciss was delicate, exact, -persevering, indefatigable, the other was clear, sharp, quick, and -capable of working with incredible ease. By means of him I learned the -secret history of almost every noble personage with whose exterior I had -got acquainted in society. It was pleasant for me to behold the tumult, -off my watch-tower from afar. Philo could now hide nothing from me: he -confided to me, by degrees, his own concerns, both inward and outward. I -was in fear because of him, for I foresaw certain circumstances and -entanglements; and the mischief came more speedily than I had looked -for. There were some confessions he had still kept back, and even at -last he told me only what enabled me to guess the worst. - -What an effect had this upon my heart! I attained experiences which to -me were altogether new. With infinite sorrow I beheld an Agathon, who, -educated in the groves of Delphi, still owed his school-fees, which he -was now obliged to pay with their accumulated interest; and this Agathon -was my especial friend. My sympathy was lively and complete; I suffered -with him; both of us were in the strangest state. - -After having long occupied myself with the temper of his mind, I at last -turned round to contemplate my own. The thought, "Thou art no better -than he," rose like a little cloud before me, and gradually expanded -till it darkened all my soul. - -I now not only thought myself no better than he: I felt this, and felt -it as I should not wish to do again. Nor was it any transitory mood. For -more than a year, I was compelled to feel, that, had not an unseen hand -restrained me, I might have become a Girard, a Cartouche, a Damiens, or -any wretch you can imagine. The tendencies to this I traced too clearly -in my heart. Heavens, what a discovery! - -If hitherto I had never been able, in the faintest degree, to recognize -in myself the reality of sin by experience, its possibility was now -become apparent to me by anticipation, in the frightfullest manner. And -yet I knew not evil; I but feared it: I felt that I might be guilty, and -could not accuse myself of being so. - -Deeply as I was convinced that such a temperament of soul, as I now saw -mine to be, could never be adapted for that union with the invisible -Being which I hoped for after death, I did not, in the smallest, fear -that I should finally be separated from him. With all the wickedness -which I discovered in my heart, I still loved _Him_: I hated what I -felt, nay, wished to hate it still more earnestly; my whole desire was, -to be delivered from this sickness, and this tendency to sickness; and I -was persuaded that the great Physician would at length vouchsafe his -help. - -The sole question was, What medicine will cure this malady? The practice -of virtue? This I could not for a moment think. For ten years I had -already practised more than mere virtue; and the horrors now first -discovered had, all the while, lain hidden at the bottom of my soul. -Might they not have broken out with me, as they did with David when he -looked on Bathsheba? Yet was not he a friend of God! and was not I -assured, in my inmost heart, that God was my friend? - -Was it, then, an unavoidable infirmity of human nature? Must we just -content ourselves in feeling and acknowledging the sovereignty of -inclination? And, with the best will, is there nothing left for us but -to abhor the fault we have committed, and on the like occasion to commit -it again? - -From systems of morality I could obtain no comfort. Neither their -severity, by which they try to bend our inclinations, nor their -attractiveness, by which they try to place our inclinations on the side -of virtue, gave me any satisfaction. The fundamental notions, which I -had imbibed from intercourse with my invisible Friend, were of far -higher value to me. - -Once, while I was studying the songs composed by David after that -tremendous fall, it struck me very much that he traced his indwelling -corruption even in the substance out of which he had been shaped; yet -that he wished to be freed from sin, and that he earnestly entreated for -a pure heart. - -But how was this to be attained? The answer from Scripture I was well -aware of: "that the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin," was a -Bible truth which I had long known. But now, for the first time, I -observed that as yet I had never understood this oft-repeated saying. -The questions, What does it mean? How is it to be? were day and night -working out their answers in me. At last I thought I saw, as by a gleam -of light, that what I sought was to be found in the incarnation of the -everlasting Word, by whom all things, even we ourselves, were made. That -the Eternal descended as an inhabitant to the depths in which we dwell, -which he surveys and comprehends; that he passed through our lot from -stage to stage, from conception and birth to the grave; that by this -marvellous circuit he again mounted to those shining heights, whither we -too must rise in order to be happy: all this was revealed to me, as in a -dawning remoteness. - -Oh! why must we, in speaking of such things, make use of figures which -can only indicate external situations? Where is there in his eyes aught -high or deep, aught dark or clear? It is we only that have an Under and -Upper, a night and day. And even for this did he become like us, since -otherwise we could have had no part in him. - -But how shall we obtain a share in this priceless benefit? "By faith," -the Scripture says. And what is faith? To consider the account of an -event as true, what help can this afford me? I must be enabled to -appropriate its effects, its consequences. This appropriating faith must -be a state of mind peculiar, and, to the natural man, unknown. - -"Now, gracious Father, grant me faith!" so prayed I once, in the deepest -heaviness of heart. I was leaning on a little table, where I sat: my -tear-stained countenance was hidden in my hands. I was now in the -condition in which we seldom are, but in which we are required to be, if -God is to regard our prayers. - -Oh, that I could but paint what I felt then! A sudden force drew my soul -to the cross where Jesus once expired: it was a sudden force, a pull, I -cannot name it otherwise, such as leads our soul to an absent loved one; -an approximation, which, perhaps, is far more real and true than we -imagine. So did my soul approach the Son of man, who died upon the -cross; and that instant did I know what faith was. - -"This is faith!" said I, and started up as if half frightened. I now -endeavored to get certain of my feeling, of my view; and shortly I -became convinced that my soul had acquired a power of soaring upwards -which was altogether new to it. - -Words fail us in describing such emotions. I could most distinctly -separate them from all fantasy: they were entirely without fantasy, -without image; yet they gave us just such certainty of their referring -to some object as our imagination gives us when it paints the features -of an absent lover. - -When the first rapture was over, I observed that my present condition -of mind had formerly been known to me; only I had never felt it in such -strength; I had never held it fast, never made it mine. I believe, -indeed, every human soul at intervals feels something of it. Doubtless -it is this which teaches every mortal that there is a God. - -With such faculty, wont from of old to visit me now and then, I had -hitherto been well content: and had not, by a singular arrangement of -events, that unexpected sorrow weighed upon me for a twelvemonth; had -not my own ability and strength, on that occasion, altogether lost -credit with me,--I perhaps might have remained content with such a state -of matters all my days. - -But now, since that great moment, I had, as it were, got wings. I could -mount aloft above what used to threaten me; as the bird can fly singing -and with ease across the fiercest stream, while the little dog stands -anxiously baying on the bank. - -My joy was indescribable; and, though I did not mention it to any one, -my people soon observed an unaccustomed cheerfulness in me, and could -not understand the reason of my joy. Had I but forever held my peace, -and tried to nourish this serene temper in my soul; had I not allowed -myself to be misled by circumstances, so as to reveal my secret,--I -might then have been saved once more a long and tedious circuit. - -As in the previous ten years of my Christian course, this necessary -force had not existed in my soul, I had just been in the case of other -worthy people,--had helped myself by keeping my fancy always full of -images, which had some reference to God,--a practice so far truly -useful; for noxious images and their baneful consequences are by that -means kept away. Often, too, our spirit seizes one or other of these -spiritual images, and mounts with it a little way upwards, like a young -bird fluttering from twig to twig. - -Images and impressions pointing towards God are presented to us by the -institutions of the Church, by organs, bells, singing, and particularly -by the preaching of our pastors. Of these I used to be unspeakably -desirous; no weather, no bodily weakness, could keep me from church; the -sound of the Sunday bells was the only thing that rendered me impatient -on a sick-bed. Our head court-chaplain, a gifted man, I heard with great -pleasure; his colleagues, too, I liked: and I could pick the golden -apple of the Word from the common fruit, with which on earthen platters -it was mingled. With public ordinances, all sorts of private exercises -were combined; and these, too, only nourished fancy and a finer kind of -sense. I was so accustomed to this track, I reverenced it so much, that -even now no higher one occurred to me. For my soul has only feelers, and -not eyes: it gropes, but does not see. Ah! that it could get eyes, and -look! - -Now again, therefore, I went with a longing mind to sermon; but, alas! -what happened? I no longer found what I was wont to find. These -preachers were blunting their teeth on the shell, while I enjoyed the -kernel. I soon grew weary of them; and I had already been so spoiled, -that I could not be content with the little they afforded me. I required -images, I wanted impressions from without, and reckoned it a pure -spiritual desire that I felt. - -Philo's parents had been in connection with the Herrnhuter Community: in -his library were many writings of Count Zinzendorf's. He had spoken with -me, more than once, very candidly and clearly on the subject; inviting -me to turn over one or two of these treatises, if it were but for the -sake of studying a psychological phenomenon. I looked upon the count, -and those that followed him, as very heterodox; and so the Ebersdorf -Hymn-book, which my friend had pressed upon me, lay unread. - -However, in this total destitution of external excitements for my soul, -I opened the hymn-book, as it were, by chance, and found in it, to my -astonishment, some songs which actually, though under a fantastic form, -appeared to shadow what I felt. The originality and simplicity of their -expression drew me on. It seemed to be peculiar emotions expressed in a -peculiar way: no school technology suggested any notion of formality or -commonplace. I was persuaded that these people felt as I did: I was very -happy to lay hold of here and there a stanza in their songs, to fix it -in my memory, and carry it about with me for days. - -Since the moment when the truth had been revealed to me, some three -months had in this way passed on. At last I came to the resolution of -disclosing every thing to Philo, and asking him to let me have those -writings, about which I had now become immoderately curious. Accordingly -I did so, notwithstanding there was something in my heart which -earnestly dissuaded me. - -I circumstantially related to him all the story; and as he was himself a -leading person in it, and my narrative conveyed the sharpest reprimand -on him, he felt surprised and moved to an extreme degree. He melted into -tears. I rejoiced; believing that, in his mind also, a full and -fundamental change had taken place. - -He provided me with all the writings I could require, and now I had -excess of nourishment for my imagination. I made rapid progress in the -Zinzendorfic mode of thought and speech. And be it not supposed that I -am yet incapable of prizing the peculiar turn and manner of the count. I -willingly do him justice: he is no empty fantast; he speaks of mighty -truths, and mostly in a bold, figurative style; the people who despise -him know not either how to value or discriminate his qualities. - -At that time I became exceedingly attached to him. Had I been mistress -of myself, I would certainly have left my friends and country, and gone -to join him. We should infallibly have understood each other, and should -hardly have agreed together long. - -Thanks to my better genius, that now kept me so confined by my domestic -duties! I reckoned it a distant journey if I visited the garden. The -charge of my aged, weakly father afforded me employment enough; and in -hours of recreation, I had Fancy to procure me pastime. The only mortal -whom I saw was Philo; he was highly valued by my father; but, with me, -his intimacy had been cooled a little by the late explanation. Its -influence on him had not penetrated deep: and, as some attempts to talk -in my dialect had not succeeded with him, he avoided touching on this -subject; and the rather, as his extensive knowledge put it always in his -power to introduce new topics in his conversation. - -I was thus a Herrnhut sister on my own footing. I had especially to hide -this new turn of my temper and my inclinations from the head -court-chaplain, whom, as my father confessor, I had much cause to honor, -and whose high merits his extreme aversion to the Herrnhut Community did -not diminish, in my eyes, even then. Unhappily this worthy person had to -suffer many troubles on account of me and others. - -Several years ago he had become acquainted with an upright, pious -gentleman, residing in a distant quarter, and had long continued in -unbroken correspondence with him, as with one who truly sought God. How -painful was it to the spiritual leader, when this gentleman subsequently -joined himself to the Community of Herrnhut, where he lived for a long -while! How delightful, on the other hand, when at length he quarrelled -with the brethren, determined to settle in our neighborhood, and seemed -once more to yield himself completely to the guidance of his ancient -friend! - -The stranger was presented, as in triumph, by the upper pastor, to all -the chosen lambs of his fold. To our house alone he was not introduced, -because my father did not now see company. The gentleman obtained no -little approbation: he combined the polish of the court with the winning -manner of the brethren; and, having also many fine qualities by nature, -he soon became the favorite saint with all who knew him,--a result at -which the chaplain was exceedingly contented. But, alas! it was merely -in externals that the gentleman had split with the Community: in his -heart he was yet entirely a Herrnhuter. He was, in truth, concerned for -the reality of the matter; but yet the gimcracks, which the count had -stuck round it, were, at the same time, quite adapted to his taste. -Besides, he had now become accustomed to this mode of speaking and -conceiving: and, if he had to hide it carefully from his old friend, the -gladder was he, in any knot of trusty persons, to come forth with his -couplets, litanies, and little figures; in which, as might have been -supposed, he met with great applause. - -I knew nothing of the whole affair, and wandered quietly along in my -separate path. For a good while we continued mutually unknown. - -Once, in a leisure hour, I happened to visit a lady who was sick. I -found several acquaintances with her, and soon perceived that my -appearance had cut short their conversation. I affected not to notice -any thing, but saw erelong, with great surprise, some Herrnhut figures -stuck upon the wall in elegant frames. Quickly comprehending what had -passed before my entrance, I expressed my pleasure at the sight, in a -few suitable verses. - -Conceive the wonder of my friends! We explained ourselves: instantly we -were agreed, and in each other's confidence. - -I often henceforth sought opportunities of going out. Unhappily I found -such only once in the three or four weeks; yet I grew acquainted with -our gentleman apostle, and by degrees with all the body. I visited their -meetings when I could: with my social disposition, it was quite -delightful for me to communicate to others, and to hear from them, the -feelings which, till now, I had conceived and harbored by myself. - -But I was not so completely taken with my friends, as not to see that -few of them could really feel the sense of those affecting words and -emblems; and that from these they drew as little benefit as formerly -they did from the symbolic language of the Church. Yet, notwithstanding, -I went on with them, not letting this disturb me. I thought I was not -called to search and try the hearts of others. Had not I, too, by -long-continued innocent exercisings of that sort, been prepared for -something better? I had my share of profit from our meetings: in -speaking, I insisted on attending to the sense and spirit, which, in -things so delicate, is rather apt to be disguised by words than -indicated by them; and for the rest, I left, with silent tolerance, each -to act according to his own conviction. - -These quiet times of secret social joy were shortly followed by storms -of open bickering and contradiction,--contentions which excited great -commotion, I might almost say occasioned not a little scandal, in court -and town. The period was now arrived when our chaplain, that stout -gain-sayer of the Herrnhut Brethren, must discover to his deep, but, I -trust, sanctified humiliation, that his best and once most zealous -hearers were now all leaning to the side of that community. He was -excessively provoked: in the first moments he forgot all moderation, and -could not, even if he had inclined it, retract afterwards. Violent -debates took place, in which happily I was not mentioned, both as being -an accidental member of those hated meetings, and then because, in -respect of certain civic matters, our zealous preacher could not safely -disoblige either my father or my friend. With silent satisfaction I -continued neutral. It was irksome to me to converse about such feelings -and objects, even with well-affected people, when they could not -penetrate the deepest sense, and lingered merely on the surface. But to -strive with adversaries, about things on which even friends could -scarcely understand each other, seemed to me unprofitable, nay, -pernicious. For I soon perceived, that many amiable noblemen, who on -this occurrence could not shut their hearts to enmity and hatred, had -rapidly passed over to injustice, and, in order to defend an outward -form, had almost sacrificed their most substantial duties. - -Far as the worthy clergyman might, in the present case, be wrong; much -as others tried to irritate me at him,--I could never hesitate to give -him my sincere respect. I knew him well: I could candidly transport -myself into his way of looking at these matters. I have never seen a -man without his weaknesses: only in distinguished men they strike us -more. We wish, and will at all rates have it, that persons privileged as -they are should at the same time pay no tribute, no tax whatever. I -honored him as a superior man, and hoped to use the influence of my calm -neutrality to bring about, if not a peace, at least a truce. I know not -what my efforts might have done; but God concluded the affair more -briefly, and took the chaplain to himself. On his coffin all wept, who -had lately been striving with him about words. His uprightness, his fear -of God, no one had ever doubted. - -I, too, was erelong forced to lay aside this Herrnhut doll-work, which, -by means of these contentions, now appeared before me in a rather -different light. Our uncle had, in silence, executed his intentions with -my sister. He offered her a young man of rank and fortune as a -bridegroom, and showed, by a rich dowry, what might be expected of -himself. My father joyfully consented: my sister was free and -forewarned; she did not hesitate to change her state. The bridal was -appointed at my uncle's castle: family and friends were all invited, and -we came together in the cheerfullest mood. - -For the first time in my life, the aspect of a house excited admiration -in me. I had often heard of my uncle's taste, of his Italian architect, -of his collections and his library; but, comparing this with what I had -already seen, I had formed a very vague and fluctuating picture of it in -my thoughts. Great, accordingly, was my surprise at the earnest and -harmonious impression which I felt on entering the house, and which -every hall and chamber deepened. If elsewhere pomp and decoration had -but dissipated my attention, I felt here concentrated and drawn back -upon myself. In like manner the preparatives for these solemnities and -festivals produced a silent pleasure, by their air of dignity and -splendor; and to me it seemed as inconceivable that one man could have -invented and arranged all this, as that more than one could have worked -together in so high a spirit. Yet, withal, the landlord and his people -were entirely natural: not a trace of stiffness or of empty form was to -be seen. - -The wedding itself was managed in a striking way: an exquisite strain of -vocal music came upon us by surprise, and the clergyman went through the -ceremony with a singular solemnity. I was standing by Philo at the time; -and, instead of a congratulation, he whispered in my ear, "When I saw -your sister give away her hand, I felt as if a stream of boiling water -had been poured over me."--"Why so?" I inquired. "It is always the way -with me," said he, "when I see two people joined." I laughed at him, but -I have often since had cause to recollect his words. - -The revel of the party, among whom were many young people, looked -particularly glittering and airy; as every thing around us was dignified -and serious. The furniture, plate, table-ware, and table-ornaments -accorded with the general whole; and if in other houses you would say -the architect was of the school of the confectioner, it here appeared as -if even our confectioner and butler had taken lessons from the -architect. - -We staid together several days, and our intelligent and gifted landlord -had variedly provided for the entertainment of his guests. I did not in -the present case repeat the melancholy proof, which has so often in my -life been forced upon me, how unhappily a large mixed company are -situated, when, altogether left to themselves, they have to select the -most general and vapid pastimes, that the fools of the party may not -want amusement, however it may fare with those that are not such. - -My uncle had arranged it altogether differently. Two or three marshals, -if I may call them so, had been appointed by him: one of them had charge -of providing entertainment for the young. Dances, excursions, little -games, were of his invention and under his direction: and as young -people take delight in being out-of-doors, and do not fear the -influences of the air, the garden and garden-hall had been assigned to -them; while some additional pavilions and galleries had been erected and -appended to the latter, formed of boards and canvas merely, but in such -proportions, so elegant and noble, they reminded one of nothing but -stone and marble. - -How rare is a festivity in which the person who invites the guests feels -also that it is his duty to provide for their conveniences and wants of -every kind! - -Hunting and card parties, short promenades, opportunities for trustful -private conversations, were afforded the elder persons; and whoever -wished to go earliest to bed was sure to be lodged the farthest from -noise. - -By this happy order, the space we lived in appeared to be a little -world: and yet, considered narrowly, the castle was not large; without -an accurate knowledge of it, and without the spirit of its owner, it -would have been impossible to entertain so many people here, and quarter -each according to his humor. - -As the aspect of a well-formed person pleases us, so also does a fair -establishment, by means of which the presence of a rational, intelligent -mind is manifested. We feel a joy in entering even a cleanly house, -though it may be tasteless in its structure and its decorations, because -it shows us the presence of a person cultivated in at least one sense. -Doubly pleasing is it, therefore, when, from a human dwelling, the -spirit of a higher though merely sensual culture speaks to us. - -All this was vividly impressed on my observation at my uncle's castle. I -had heard and read much of art; Philo, too, was a lover of pictures, and -had a fine collection: I myself had often practised drawing; but I had -been too deeply occupied with my emotions, striving exclusively after -the one thing needful, which alone I was bent on carrying to perfection; -and then, such objects of art as I had hitherto seen, appeared, like all -other worldly objects, to distract my thoughts. But now, for the first -time, outward things had led me back upon myself: I now first perceived -the difference between the natural charm of the nightingale's song, and -that of a four-voiced anthem pealed from the expressive organs of men. - -My joy over this discovery I did not hide from my uncle, who, when all -the rest were settled at their posts, was wont to come and talk with me -in private. He spoke with great modesty of what he possessed and had -produced here, with great decision of the views in which it had been -gathered and arranged: and I could easily observe that he spoke with a -forbearance towards me; seeming, in his usual way, to rate the -excellence, which he himself possessed below that other excellence, -which, in my way of thinking, was the best and properest. - -"If we can conceive it possible," he once observed, "that the Creator of -the world himself assumed the form of his creature, and lived in that -manner for a time upon earth, this creature must appear to us of -infinite perfection, because susceptible of such a combination with its -Maker. Hence, in our idea of man, there can be no inconsistency with our -idea of God; and if we often feel a certain disagreement with him and -remoteness from him, it is but the more on that account our duty, not -like advocates of the wicked Spirit, to keep our eyes continually upon -the nakedness and weakness of our nature, but rather to seek out every -property and beauty by which our pretension to a similarity with the -Divinity may be made good." - -I smiled, and answered, "Do not make me blush, dear uncle, by your -complaisance in talking in my language! What you have to say is of such -importance to me, that I wish to hear it in your own most peculiar -style; and then what parts of it I cannot quite appropriate I will -endeavor to translate." - -"I may continue," he replied, "in my own most peculiar way, without any -alteration of my tone. Man's highest merit always is, as much as -possible to rule external circumstances, and as little as possible to -let himself be ruled by them. Life lies before us, as a huge quarry lies -before the architect: he deserves not the name of architect, except -when, out of this fortuitous mass, he can combine, with the greatest -economy and fitness and durability, some form, the pattern of which -originated in his spirit. All things without us, nay, I may add, all -things on us, are mere elements; but deep within us lies the creative -force, which out of these can produce what they were meant to be, and -which leaves us neither sleep nor rest, till, in one way or another, -without us or on us, that same have been produced. You, my dear niece, -have, it may be, chosen the better part; you have striven to bring your -moral being, your earnest, lovely nature, into accordance with itself -and with the Highest: but neither ought we to be blamed, when we strive -to get acquainted with the sentient man in all his comprehensiveness, -and to bring about an active harmony among his powers." - -By such discoursing, we in time grew more familiar; and I begged of him -to speak with me as with himself, omitting every sort of condescension. -"Do not think," replied my uncle, "that I flatter you when I commend -your mode of thinking and acting. I reverence the individual who -understands distinctly what it is he wishes; who unweariedly advances, -who knows the means conducive to his object, and can seize and use them. -How far his object may be great or little, may merit praise or censure, -is the next consideration with me. Believe me, love, most part of all -the misery and mischief, of all that is denominated evil in the world, -arises from the fact, that men are too remiss to get a proper knowledge -of their aims, and, when they do know them, to work intensely in -attaining them. They seem to me like people who have taken up a notion -that they must and will erect a tower, and who yet expend on the -foundation not more stones and labor than would be sufficient for a hut. -If you, my friend, whose highest want it was to perfect and unfold your -moral nature, had, instead of those bold and noble sacrifices, merely -trimmed between your duties to yourself and to your family, your -bridegroom, or perhaps your husband, you must have lived in constant -contradiction with your feelings, and never could have had a peaceful -moment." - -"You employ the word sacrifice," I answered here: "and I have often -thought, that to a higher purpose, as to a divinity, we offer up by way -of sacrifice a thing of smaller value; feeling like persons who should -willingly and gladly bring a favorite lamb to the altar for the health -of a beloved father." - -"Whatever it may be," said he, "reason or feeling, that commands us to -give up the one thing for the other, to choose the one before the other, -decision and perseverance are, in my opinion, the noblest qualities of -man. You cannot have the ware and the money both at the same time; and -he who always hankers for the ware without having heart to give the -money for it, is no better off than he who repents him of the purchase -when the ware is in his hands. But I am far from blaming men on this -account: it is not they that are to blame; it is the difficult, -entangled situation they are in: they know not how to guide themselves -in its perplexities. Thus, for instance, you will on the average find -fewer bad economists in the country than in towns, and fewer again in -small towns than in great; and why? Man is intended for a limited -condition; objects that are simple, near, determinate, he comprehends, -and he becomes accustomed to employ such means as are at hand; but, on -entering a wider field, he now knows neither what he would nor what he -should; and it amounts to quite the same, whether his attention is -distracted by the multitude of objects, or is overpowered by their -magnitude and dignity. It is always a misfortune for him when he is -induced to struggle after any thing with which he cannot connect himself -by some regular exertion of his powers. - -"Certainly," pursued he, "without earnestness there is nothing to be -done in life; yet, among the people whom we name cultivated men, little -earnestness is to be found: in labors and employments, in arts, nay, -even in recreations, they proceed, if I may say so, with a sort of -self-defence; they live, as they read a heap of newspapers, only to have -done with it; they remind one of that young Englishman at Rome, who -said, with a contented air one evening in some company, that to-day he -had despatched six churches and two galleries. They wish to know and -learn a multitude of things, and precisely those they have the least -concern with; and they never see that hunger is not stilled by snapping -at the air. When I become acquainted with a man, my first inquiry is, -With what does he employ himself, and how, and with what degree of -perseverance? The answer regulates the interest I shall take in him for -life." - -"My dear uncle," I replied, "you are, perhaps, too rigorous: you perhaps -withdraw your helping hand from here and there a worthy man to whom you -might be useful." - -"Can it be imputed as a fault," said he, "to one who has so long and -vainly labored on them and about them? How much we have to suffer in our -youth from men who think they are inviting us to a delightful -pleasure-party, when they undertake to introduce us to the Danaides or -Sisyphus! Heaven be praised! I have rid myself of these people: if one -of them unfortunately comes within my sphere, I forthwith, in the -politest manner, compliment him out again. It is from such persons that -you hear the bitterest complaints about the miserable course of things, -the aridity of science, the levity of artists, the emptiness of poets, -and much more of that sort. They do not recollect that they, and the -many like them, are the very persons who would never read a book which -had been written just as they require it; that true poetry is alien to -them; that even an excellent work of art can never gain their -approbation except by means of prejudice. But let us now break off, for -this is not the time to rail or to complain." - -He directed my attention to the different pictures hanging on the wall: -my eye dwelt on those whose look was beautiful or subject striking. This -he permitted for a while: at last he said, "Bestow a little notice on -the spirit manifested in these other works. Good minds delight to trace -the finger of the Deity in nature: why not likewise pay some small -regard to the hand of his imitator?" He then led my observation to some -unobtrusive figures; endeavoring to make me understand that it was the -history of art alone which could give us an idea of the worth and -dignity of any work of art; that we should know the weary steps of mere -handicraft and mechanism, over which the man of talents has struggled in -the course of centuries, before we can conceive how it is possible for -the man of genius to move with airy freedom on the pinnacle whose very -aspect makes us giddy. - -With this view he had formed a beautiful series of works; and, whilst he -explained it, I could not help conceiving that I saw before me a -similitude of moral culture. When I expressed my thought to him, he -answered, "You are altogether right; and we see from this, that those do -not act well, who, in a solitary, exclusive manner, follow moral -cultivation by itself. On the contrary, it will be found, that he whose -spirit strives for a development of that kind, has likewise every -reason, at the same time, to improve his finer sentient powers; that so -he may not run the risk of sinking from his moral height by giving way -to the enticements of a lawless fancy, and degrading his moral nature by -allowing it to take delight in tasteless baubles, if not in something -worse." - -I did not suspect him of levelling at me; but I felt myself struck, when -I reflected how many insipidities there might be in the songs that used -to edify me, and how little favor the figures which had joined -themselves to my religious ideas would have found in the eyes of my -uncle. - -Philo, in the mean time, had frequently been busied in the library: he -now took me along with him. We admired the selection, as well as the -multitude, of books. They had been collected on my uncle's general -principle: there were none to be found among them but such as either -lead to correct knowledge, or teach right arrangement; such as either -give us fit materials, or further the concordance of our spirit. - -In the course of my life I had read very largely; in certain branches, -there was almost no work unknown to me: the more pleasant was it here to -speak about the general survey of the whole; to mark deficiencies, and -not, as elsewhere, see nothing but a hampered confusion or a boundless -expansion. - -Here, too, we became acquainted with a very interesting, quiet man. He -was a physician and a naturalist: he seemed rather one of the _Penates_ -than of the inmates. He showed us the museum, which, like the library, -was fixed in glass cases to the walls of the chambers, adorning and -ennobling the space, which it did not crowd. On this occasion I recalled -with joy the days of my youth, and showed my father many of the things -he had been wont to lay upon the sick-bed of his little child, just -opening its little eyes to look into the world then. At the same time -the physician, in our present and following conversations, did not -scruple to avow how near he approximated to me in respect of my -religious sentiments: he warmly praised my uncle for his tolerance, and -his esteem of all that testified or forwarded the worth and unity of -human nature; admitting, also, that he called for a similar return from -others, and would shun and condemn nothing else so heartily as -individual pretension and narrow exclusiveness. - -Since the nuptials of my sister, joy had sparkled in the eyes of our -uncle: he often spoke with me of what he meant to do for her and for her -children. He had several fine estates: he managed them himself, and -hoped to leave them in the best condition to his nephews. Regarding the -small estate where we at present were, he appeared to entertain peculiar -thoughts. "I will leave it to none," said he, "but to a person who can -understand and value and enjoy what it contains, and who feels how -loudly every man of wealth and rank, especially in Germany, is called on -to exhibit something like a model to others." - -Most of his guests were now gone: we, too, were making ready for -departure, thinking we had seen the final scene of this solemnity, when -his attention in affording us some dignified enjoyment produced a new -surprise. We had mentioned to him the delight which the chorus of -voices, suddenly commencing without accompaniment of any instrument, had -given us, at my sister's marriage. We hinted, at the same time, how -pleasant it would be were such a thing repeated; but he seemed to pay no -heed to us. The livelier was our surprise, when he said, one evening, -"The music of the dance has died away; our transitory, youthful friends -have left us; the happy pair themselves have a more serious look than -they had some days ago. To part at such a time, when, perhaps, we shall -never meet again, certainly never without changes, exalts us to a solemn -mood, which I know not how to entertain more nobly than by the music you -were lately signifying a desire to have repeated." - -The chorus, which had in the mean while gathered strength, and by secret -practice more expertness, was accordingly made to sing to us a series of -four and of eight voiced melodies, which, if I may say so, gave a real -foretaste of bliss. Till then I had only known the pious mode of -singing, as good souls practise it, frequently with hoarse pipes, -imagining, like wild birds, that they are praising God, while they -procure a pleasant feeling to themselves. Or, perhaps, I had listened to -the vain music of concerts, in which you are at best invited to admire -the talent of the singer, and very seldom have even a transient -enjoyment. Now, however, I was listening to music, which, as it -originated in the deepest feeling of the most accomplished human beings, -was, by suitable and practised organs in harmonious unity, made again to -address the deepest and best feelings of man, and to impress him at that -moment with a lively sense of his likeness to the Deity. They were all -devotional songs, in the Latin language: they sat like jewels in the -golden ring of a polished intellectual conversation; and, without -pretending to edify, they elevated me and made me happy in the most -spiritual manner. - -At our departure he presented all of us with handsome gifts. To me he -gave the cross of my order, more beautifully and artfully worked and -enamelled than I had ever seen it before. It was hung upon a large -brilliant, by which also it was fastened to the chain: this he gave me, -he said, "as the noblest stone in the cabinet of a collector." - -My sister, with her husband, went to their estates, the rest of us to -our abodes; appearing to ourselves, so far as outward circumstances were -concerned, to have returned to quite an every-day existence. We had -been, as it were, dropped from a palace of the fairies down upon the -common earth, and were again obliged to help ourselves as we best could. - -The singular experiences which this new circle had afforded left a fine -impression on my mind. This, however, did not long continue in its first -vivacity: though my uncle tried to nourish and renew it by sending me -certain of his best and most pleasing works of art; changing them, from -time to time, with others which I had not seen. - -I had been so much accustomed to be busied with myself, in regulating -the concerns of my heart and temper, and conversing on these matters -with persons of a like mind, that I could not long study any work of art -attentively without being turned by it back upon myself. I was used to -look at a picture or copper-plate merely as at the letters of a book. -Fine printing pleases well, but who would read a book for the beauty of -the printing? In like manner I required of each pictorial form that it -should tell me something, should instruct, affect, improve me; and, -after all my uncle's letters to expound his works of art, say what he -would, I continued in my former humor. - -Yet not only my peculiar disposition, but external incidents and changes -in our family, still farther drew me back from contemplations of that -nature; nay, for some time even from myself. I had to suffer and to do -more than my slender strength seemed fit for. - -My maiden sister had, till now, been as a right arm to me. Healthy, -strong, unspeakably good-natured, she had managed all the housekeeping; -I myself being busied with the personal nursing of our aged father. She -was seized with a catarrh, which changed to a disorder of the lungs: in -three weeks she was lying in her coffin. Her death inflicted wounds on -me, the scars of which I am not yet willing to examine. - -I was lying sick before they buried her: the old ailment in my breast -appeared to be awakening; I coughed with violence, and was so hoarse I -could not speak beyond a whisper. - -My married sister, out of fright and grief, was brought to bed before -her time. Our old father thought he was about to lose at once his -children and the hope of their posterity; his natural tears increased my -sorrow: I prayed to God that he would give me back a sufferable state of -health. I asked him but to spare my life till my father should die. I -recovered: I was what I reckoned well, being able to discharge my -duties, though with pain. - -My sister was again with child. Many cares, which in such cases are -committed to the mother, in the present instance fell to me. She was not -altogether happy with her husband; this was to be hidden from our -father: I was often made judge of their disputes, in which I could -decide with the greater safety, as my brother trusted in me; and the two -were really worthy persons, only each of them, instead of humoring, -endeavored to convince, the other, and, out of eagerness to live in -constant harmony, never could agree. I now learned to mingle seriously -in worldly matters, and to practise what of old I had but sung. - -My sister bore a son: the frailty of my father did not hinder him from -travelling to her. The sight of the child exceedingly enlivened and -cheered him: at the christening, contrary to his custom, he seemed as if -inspired; nay, I might say like a Genius with two faces. With the one, -he looked joyfully forward to those regions which he soon hoped to -enter; with the other, to the new, hopeful, earthly life which had -arisen in the boy descended from him. On our journey home he never -wearied talking to me of the child, its form, its health, and his wish -that the gifts of this new denizen of earth might be rightly cultivated. -His reflections on the subject lasted when we had arrived at home: it -was not till some days afterwards that I observed a kind of fever in -him, which displayed itself, without shivering, in a sort of languid -heat commencing after dinner. He did not yield, however: he went out as -usual in the mornings, faithfully attending to the duties of his office, -till at last continuous serious symptoms kept him within doors. - -I never shall forget with what distinctness, clearness, and repose of -mind he settled in the greatest order the concerns of his house, nay, -the arrangements of his funeral, as he would have done a business of -some other person. - -With a cheerfulness which he never used to show, and which now mounted -to a lively joy, he said to me, "Where is the fear of death which I once -felt? Shall I shrink at departing? I have a gracious God; the grave -awakens no terror in me; I have an eternal life." - -To recall the circumstances of his death, which shortly followed, forms -one of the most pleasing entertainments of my solitude: the visible -workings of a higher Power in that solemn time, no one shall ever argue -from me. - -The death of my beloved father altogether changed my mode of life. From -the strictest obedience, the narrowest confinement, I passed at once -into the greatest freedom: I enjoyed it like a sort of food from which -one has long abstained. Formerly I very seldom spent two hours from -home: now I very seldom lived a day there. My friends, whom I had been -allowed to visit only by hurried snatches, wished now to have my company -without interruption, as I did to have theirs. I was often asked to -dinner: at walks and pleasure-jaunts I never failed. But, when once the -circle had been fairly run, I saw that the invaluable happiness of -liberty consisted, not in doing what one pleases and what circumstances -may invite to, but in being able, without hinderance or restraint, to do -in the direct way what one regards as right and proper; and, in this -instance, I was old enough to reach a valuable truth, without smarting -for my ignorance. - -One pleasure I could not deny myself: it was, as soon as might be, to -renew and strengthen my connection with the Herrnhut Brethren. I -hastened, accordingly, to visit one of their establishments at no great -distance; but here I by no means found what I had been anticipating. I -was frank enough to signify my disappointment, which they tried to -soften by alleging that the present settlement was nothing to a full and -fitly organized community. This I did not take upon me to deny; yet, in -my thought, the genuine spirit of the matter might have displayed itself -in a small body as well as in a great one. - -One of their bishops, who was present, a personal disciple of the count, -took considerable pains with me. He spoke English perfectly; and as I, -too, understood a little of it, he reckoned this a token that we both -belonged to one class. I, however, reckoned nothing of the kind: his -conversation did not in the least satisfy me. He had been a cutler; was -a native of Moravia; his mode of thought still savored of the artisan. -With Herr Von L----, who had been a major in the French service, I got -upon a better footing: yet I could never bring myself to the -submissiveness he showed to his superiors; nay, I felt as if you had -given me a box on the ear, when I saw the major's wife, and other women -more or less like ladies, take the bishop's hand and kiss it. Meanwhile -a journey into Holland was proposed; which, however, doubtless for my -good, did not take place. - -My sister had been delivered of a daughter; and now it was the turn of -us women to exult, and consider how the little creature should be bred -like one of us. The husband, on the other hand, was not so satisfied, -when in the following year another daughter saw the light: with his -large estates, he wanted to have boys about him, who in future might -assist him in his management. - -My health was feeble: I kept myself in peace, and, by a quiet mode of -life, in tolerable equilibrium. I was not afraid of death; nay, I wished -to die: yet I secretly perceived that God was granting time for me to -prove my soul, and to advance still nearer to himself. In my many -sleepless nights, especially, I have at times felt something which I -cannot undertake to describe. - -It was as if my soul were thinking separately from the body: she looked -upon the body as a foreign substance, as we look upon a garment. She -pictured with extreme vivacity events and times long past, and felt, by -means of this, events that were to follow. Those times are all gone by; -what follows likewise will go by; the body, too, will fall to pieces -like a vesture; but I, the well-known I, I am. - -The thought is great, exalted, and consoling; yet an excellent friend, -with whom I every day became more intimate, instructed me to dwell on it -as little as I could. This was the physician whom I met in my uncle's -house, and who had since accurately informed himself about the temper of -my body and my spirit. He showed me how much these feelings, when we -cherish them within us independently of outward objects, tend, as it -were, to excavate us, and to undermine the whole foundation of our -being. "To be active," he would say, "is the primary vocation of man: -all the intervals in which he is obliged to rest, he should employ in -gaining clearer knowledge of external things; for this will in its turn -facilitate activity." - -This friend was acquainted with my custom of looking on my body as an -outward object: he knew also that I pretty well understood my -constitution, my disorder, and the medicines of use for it; nay, that, -by continual sufferings of my own or other people's, I had really grown -a kind of half-doctor: he now carried forward my attention from the -human body, and the drugs which act upon it, to the kindred objects of -creation; he led me up and down as in the paradise of the first man; -only, if I may continue my comparison, allowing me to trace, in dim -remoteness, the Creator walking in the garden in the cool of the -evening. - -How gladly did I now see God in nature, when I bore him with such -certainty within my heart! How interesting to me was his handiwork! how -thankful did I feel that he had pleased to quicken me with the breath of -his mouth! - -We again had hopes that my sister would present us with a boy: her -husband waited anxiously for that event, but did not live to see it. He -died in consequence of an unlucky fall from horseback; and my sister -followed him, soon after she had brought into the world a lovely boy. -The four orphans they had left I could not look at but with sadness. So -many healthy people had been called away before poor, sickly me; might I -not also have blights to witness among these fair and hopeful blossoms? -I knew the world sufficiently to understand what dangers threaten the -precarious breeding of a child, especially a child of quality; and it -seemed as if, since the period of my youth, these dangers had increased. -I felt that, weakly as I was, I could not be of much, perhaps of any, -service to the little ones; and I rejoiced the more on finding that my -uncle, as indeed might have been looked for, had determined to devote -his whole attention to the education of these amiable creatures. And -this they doubtless merited in every sense: they were handsome; and, -with great diversities, all promised to be well-conditioned, reasonable -persons. - -Since my worthy doctor had suggested it, I loved to trace out family -likenesses among our relatives and children. My father had carefully -preserved the portraits of his ancestors, and got his own and those of -his descendants drawn by tolerable masters; nor had my mother and her -people been forgotten. We accurately knew the characters of all the -family; and, as we had frequently compared them with each other, we now -endeavored to discover in the children the same peculiarities outward or -inward. My sister's eldest son, we thought, resembled his paternal -grandfather, of whom there was a fine youthful picture in my uncle's -collection: he had been a brave soldier; and in this point, too, the boy -took after him, liking arms above all things, and busying himself with -them whenever he paid me a visit. For my father had left a very pretty -armory; and the boy got no rest till I had given him a pair of pistols -and a fowling-piece, and he had learned the proper way of using them. At -the same time, in his conduct or bearing, there was nothing like -rudeness: far from that, he was always meek and sensible. - -The eldest daughter had attracted my especial love; of which, perhaps, -the reason was, that she resembled me, and of all the four seemed to -like me best. But I may well admit, that, the more closely I observed -her as she grew, the more she shamed me: I could not look on her without -a sentiment of admiration, nay, I may almost say, of reverence. You -would scarcely have seen a nobler form, a more peaceful spirit, an -activity so equable and universal. No moment of her life was she -unoccupied, and every occupation in her hands became dignified. All -seemed indifferent to her, so that she could but accomplish what was -proper in the place and time; and, in the same manner, she could -patiently continue unemployed, when there was nothing to be done. This -activity without need of occupation I have never elsewhere met with. In -particular, her conduct to the suffering and destitute was, from her -earliest youth, inimitable. For my part, I freely confess I never had -the gift to make a business of beneficence: I was not niggardly to the -poor; nay, I often gave too largely for my means; yet this was little -more than buying myself off: and a person needed to be made for me, if I -was to bestow attention on him. Directly the reverse was the conduct of -my niece. I never saw her give a poor man money: whatever she obtained -from me for this purpose, she failed not in the first place to change -for some necessary article. Never did she seem more lovely in my eyes, -than when rummaging my clothes-presses: she was always sure to light on -something which I did not wear and did not need; to sew these old -cast-off articles together, and put them on some ragged child, she -thought her highest happiness. - -Her sister's turn of mind appeared already different: she had much of -her mother; she promised to become very elegant and beautiful, and she -now bids fair to keep her promise. She is greatly taken up with her -exterior: from her earliest years she could decorate and carry herself -in a way that struck you. I still remember with what ecstasy, when quite -a little creature, she saw herself in a mirror, decked in certain -precious pearls, once my mother's, which she had by chance discovered, -and made me try upon her. - -Reflecting on these diverse inclinations, it was pleasant for me to -consider how my property would, after my decease, be shared among them, -and again called into use. I saw the fowling-pieces of my father once -more travelling round the fields on my nephew's shoulder, and birds once -more falling from his hunting-pouch: I saw my whole wardrobe issuing -from the church, at Easter Confirmation, on the persons of tidy little -girls; while the best pieces of it were employed to decorate some -virtuous burgher maiden on her marriage-day. In furnishing such children -and poor little girls, Natalia had a singular delight; though, as I must -here remark, she showed not the smallest love, or, if I may say it, -smallest need, of a dependence upon any visible or invisible Being, such -as I had in my youth so strongly manifested. - -When I also thought that the younger sister, on that same day, would -wear my jewels and pearls at court, I could see with peace my -possessions, like my body, given back to the elements. - -The children waxed apace: to my comfort, they are healthy, handsome, -clever creatures. That my uncle keeps them from me, I endure without -repining: when staying in the neighborhood, or even in town, they seldom -see me. - -A singular personage, regarded as a French clergyman, though no one -rightly knows his history, has been intrusted with the oversight of all -these children. He has them taught in various places: they are put to -board now here, now there. - -At first I could perceive no plan whatever in this mode of education; -till at last our doctor told me the abbé had convinced my uncle, that, -in order to accomplish any thing by education, we must first become -acquainted with the pupil's tendencies and wishes; that, these once -ascertained, he ought to be transported to a situation where he may, as -speedily as possible, content the former and attain the latter, and so, -if he have been mistaken, may still in time perceive his error, and at -last, having found what suits him, may hold the faster by it, may the -more diligently fashion himself according to it. I wish this strange -experiment may prosper: with such excellent natures it is, perhaps, -possible. - -But there is one peculiarity in these instructors, which I never shall -approve of: they study to seclude the children from whatever might -awaken them to an acquaintance with themselves and with the invisible, -sole, faithful Friend. I often take it ill of my uncle, that, on this -account, he considers me dangerous for the little ones. Thus in practice -there is no man tolerant! Many assure us that they willingly leave each -to take his own way, yet all endeavor to exclude from action every one -that does not think as they do. - -This removal of the children troubles me the more, the more I am -convinced of the reality of my belief. How can it fail to have a -heavenly origin, an actual object, when in practice it is so effectual? -Is it not by practice alone that we prove our own existence? Why, then, -may we not, by a like mode, prove to ourselves the influence of that -Power who gives us all good things? - -That I am still advancing, never retrograding; that my conduct is -approximating more and more to the image I have formed of perfection; -that I every day feel more facility in doing what I reckon proper, even -while the weakness of my body so obstructs me,--can all this be -accounted for upon the principles of human nature, whose corruption I -have so clearly seen into? For me, at least, it cannot. - -I scarcely remember a commandment: to me there is nothing that assumes -the aspect of law; it is an impulse that leads me, and guides me always -aright. I freely follow my emotions, and know as little of constraint as -of repentance. God be praised that I know to whom I am indebted for such -happiness, and that I cannot think of it without humility! There is no -danger I should ever become proud of what I myself can do or can forbear -to do: I have seen too well what a monster might be formed and nursed in -every human bosom, did not higher Influence restrain us. - -[Footnote 3: So in the original.--ED.] - - - - -BOOK VII. - -CHAPTER I. - - -Spring had come in all its brilliancy; a storm that had been lowering -all day went fiercely down upon the hills; the rain drew back into the -country; the sun came forth in all its splendor, and upon the dark vapor -rose the lordly rainbow. Wilhelm was riding towards it: the sight made -him sad. "Ah!" said he within himself, "must it be that the fairest hues -of life appear to us only on a ground of black? And must drops fall, if -we are to be enraptured? A bright day is like a dull day, if we look at -it unmoved; and what can move us but some silent hope that the inborn -inclination of our soul shall not always be without an object? The -recital of a noble action moves us; the sight of every thing harmonious -moves us: we feel then as if we were not altogether in a foreign land; -we fancy we are nearer the home towards which our best and inmost wishes -impatiently strive." - -Meanwhile a pedestrian overtook him, and, walking with a stout step by -the side of the horse, began to keep him company. After a few common -words, he looked at the rider, and said, "If I am not mistaken, I must -have already seen you somewhere." - -"I, too, remember you," said Wilhelm: "had we not some time ago a -pleasant sail together?"--"Right!" replied the other. - -Wilhelm looked at him more narrowly, then, after a pause, observed, "I -do not know what alteration has occurred in you. Last time we met, I -took you for a Lutheran country clergyman: you now seem to me more like -a Catholic priest." - -"To-day, at least, you are not wrong," replied the other, taking off his -hat, and showing him the tonsure. "Where is your company gone? Did you -stay long with them?" - -"Longer than was good: on looking back upon the period which I passed -in their society, it seems as if I looked into an endless void; nothing -of it has remained with me." - -"Here you are mistaken," said the stranger: "every thing that happens to -us leaves some trace behind it; every thing contributes imperceptibly to -form us. Yet often it is dangerous to take a strict account of that. For -either we grow proud and negligent, or downcast and dispirited; and both -are equally injurious in their consequences. The safe plan is, always -simply to do the task that lies nearest us; and this in the present -case," added he, with a smile, "is to hasten to our quarters." - -Wilhelm asked how far Lothario's house was distant: the stranger -answered that it lay behind the hill. "Perhaps I shall meet you there," -continued he: "I have merely a small affair to manage in the -neighborhood. Farewell till then!" And, with this, he struck into a -steep path that seemed to lead more speedily across the hill. - -"Yes, the man is right!" said Wilhelm to himself, as he proceeded: "we -should think of what is nearest; and for me, at present, there is -nothing nearer than the mournful errand I have come to do. Let me see -whether I can still repeat the speech, which is to put that cruel man to -shame." - -He then began reciting to himself this piece of oratory: not a syllable -was wanting; and the more his recollection served him, the higher grew -his passion and his courage. Aurelia's sorrows and her death were -vividly present to his soul. - -"Spirit of my friend!" exclaimed he, "hover round me, and, if thou -canst, give some sign to me that thou art softened, art appeased!" - -Amid such words and meditations, he had reached the summit of the hill; -and, near the foot of its declivity, he now beheld a curious building, -which he at once took to be Lothario's dwelling. An old, irregular -castle, with several turrets and peaked roofs, appeared to have been the -primitive erection; but the new additions to it, placed near the main -structure, looked still more irregular. A part of them stood close upon -the main edifice: others, at some distance, were combined with it by -galleries and covered passages. All external symmetry, every shade of -architectural beauty, appeared to have been sacrificed to the -convenience of the interior. No trace of wall or trench was to be seen; -none of avenues or artificial gardens. A fruit and pot-herb garden -reached to the very buildings, and little patches of a like sort showed -themselves even in the intermediate spaces. A cheerful village lay at no -great distance: the fields and gardens everywhere appeared in the -highest state of cultivation. - -Sunk in his own impassioned feelings, Wilhelm rode along, not thinking -much of what he saw: he put up his horse at an inn, and, not without -emotion, hastened to the castle. - -An old serving-man received him at the door, and signified, with much -good-nature, that to-day it would be difficult to get admission to his -lordship, who was occupied in writing letters, and had already refused -some people that had business with him. Our friend became more -importunate: the old man was at last obliged to yield, and announce him. -He returned, and conducted Wilhelm to a spacious, ancient hall; desiring -him to be so good as wait, since perhaps it might be some time before -his lordship could appear. Our friend walked up and down unrestfully, -casting now and then a look at the knights and dames whose ancient -figures hung round him on the walls. He repeated the beginning of his -speech: it seemed, in presence of these ruffs and coats of mail, to -answer even better. Every time there rose any stir, he put himself in -posture to receive his man with dignity; meaning first to hand him the -letter, then assail him with the weapons of reproach. - -More than once mistaken, he was now beginning to be really vexed and out -of tune, when at last a handsome man, in boots and light surtout, -stepped in from a side-door. "What good news have you for me?" said he -to Wilhelm, with a friendly voice: "pardon me, that I have made you -wait." - -So speaking, he kept folding a letter which he held in his hand. -Wilhelm, not without embarrassment, delivered him Aurelia's paper, and -replied, "I bring you the last words of a friend, which you will not -read without emotion." - -Lothario took it, and returned to his chamber with it; where, as Wilhelm -through the open door could very easily observe, he addressed and sealed -some letters before opening Aurelia's. He appeared to have perused it -once or twice; and Wilhelm, though his feelings signified that the -pathetic speech would sort but ill with such a cool reception, girded up -his mind, went forward to the threshold, and was just about beginning -his address, when a tapestry-door of the cabinet opened, and the -clergyman came in. - -"I have got the strangest message you can think of," cried Lothario to -him. "Pardon me," continued he, addressing Wilhelm, "if I am not in a -mood for speaking further with you at this moment. You remain with us -to-night: you, abbé, see the stranger properly attended to." - -With these words, he made his guest a bow: the clergyman took Wilhelm by -the hand, who followed, not without reluctance. - -They walked along some curious passages in silence, and at last reached -a very pretty chamber. The abbé led him in, then left him, making no -excuses. Erelong an active boy appeared: he introduced himself as -Wilhelm's valet, and brought up his supper. In waiting, he had much to -say about the order of the house, about their breakfasting and dining, -labors and amusements; interspersing many things in commendation of -Lothario. - -Pleasant as the boy was, Wilhelm endeavored to get rid of him as soon as -possible. He wished to be alone, for he felt exceedingly oppressed and -straitened in his new position. He reproached himself with having -executed his intention so ill, with having done his errand only half. -One moment, he proposed to undertake next morning what he had neglected -to-night; the next, he saw, that, by Lothario's presence, he would be -attuned to quite a different set of feelings. The house, too, where he -was, seemed very strange to him: he could not be at home in his -position. Intending to undress, he opened his travelling-bag: with his -night-clothes, he took out the Spirit's veil, which Mignon had packed in -along with them. The sight of it increased the sadness of his humor. -"Flee, youth! flee!" cried he. "What means this mystic word? What am I -to flee, or whither? It were better had the Spirit called to me, Return -to thyself!" He cast his eyes on some English copper-plates hung round -the room in frames; most of them he looked at with indifference: at last -he met with one, in which a ship was represented sinking in a tempest; a -father, with his lovely daughters, was awaiting death from the intrusive -billows. One of the maidens had a kind of likeness to the Amazon: an -indescribable compassion seized our friend; he felt an irresistible -necessity to vent his feelings; tears filled his eyes, he wept, and did -not recover his composure till slumber overpowered him. - -Strange dreams arose upon him towards morning. He was in a garden, which -in boyhood he had often visited: he looked with pleasure at the -well-known alleys, hedges, flower-beds. Mariana met him: he spoke to -her with love and tenderness, recollecting nothing of any by-gone -grievance. Erelong his father joined them, in his week-day dress; with a -look of frankness that was rare in him, he bade his son fetch two seats -from the garden-house; then took Mariana by the hand, and led her into a -grove. - -Wilhelm hastened to the garden-house, but found it altogether empty: -only at a window in the farther side he saw Aurelia standing. He went -forward, and addressed her, but she turned not round; and, though he -placed himself beside her, he could never see her face. He looked out -from the window: in an unknown garden, there were several people, some -of whom he recognized. Frau Melina, seated under a tree, was playing -with a rose which she had in her hand: Laertes stood beside her, -counting money from the one hand to the other. Mignon and Felix were -lying on the grass, the former on her back, the latter on his face. -Philina came, and clapped her hands above the children: Mignon lay -unmoved; Felix started up and fled. At first he laughed while running, -as Philina followed; but he screamed in terror when he saw the harper -coming after him with large, slow steps. Felix ran directly to a pond. -Wilhelm hastened after him: too late; the child was lying in the water! -Wilhelm stood as if rooted to the spot. The fair Amazon appeared on the -other side of the pond: she stretched her right hand towards the child, -and walked along the shore. The child came through the water, by the -course her finger pointed to; he followed her as she went round; at last -she reached her hand to him, and pulled him out. Wilhelm had come -nearer: the child was all in flames; fiery drops were falling from his -body. Wilhelm's agony was greater than ever; but instantly the Amazon -took a white veil from her head, and covered up the child with it. The -fire was at once quenched. But, when she lifted up the veil, two boys -sprang out from under it, and frolicsomely sported to and fro; while -Wilhelm and the Amazon proceeded hand in hand across the garden, and -noticed in the distance Mariana and his father walking in an alley, -which was formed of lofty trees, and seemed to go quite round the -garden. He turned his steps to them, and, with his beautiful attendant, -was moving through the garden, when suddenly the fair-haired Friedrich -came across their path, and kept them back with loud laughter and a -thousand tricks. Still, however, they insisted on proceeding; and -Friedrich hastened off, running towards Mariana and the father. These -seemed to flee before him; he pursued the faster, till Wilhelm saw them -hovering down the alley almost as on wings. Nature and inclination -called on him to go and help them, but the hand of the Amazon detained -him. How gladly did he let himself be held! With this mingled feeling he -awoke, and found his chamber shining with the morning beams. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Our friend was called to breakfast by the boy: he found the abbé waiting -in the hall; Lothario, it appeared, had ridden out. The abbé was not -very talkative, but rather wore a thoughtful look: he inquired about -Aurelia's death, and listened to our friend's recital of it with -apparent sympathy. "Ah!" cried he, "the man that discerns, with lively -clearness, what infinite operations art and nature must have joined in -before a cultivated human being can be formed; the man that himself as -much as possible takes interest in the culture of his fellow-men,--is -ready to despair when he sees how lightly mortals will destroy -themselves, will blamelessly or blamably expose themselves to be -destroyed. When I think of these things, life itself appears to me so -uncertain a gift, that I could praise the man who does not value it -beyond its worth." - -Scarcely had he spoken, when the door flew violently up: a young lady -came rushing in; she pushed away the old servant, who attempted to -restrain her. She made right to the abbé, and seized him by the arm: her -tears and sobs would hardly let her speak these words: "Where is he? -Where have you put him? 'Tis a frightful treachery! Confess it now! I -know what you are doing: I will after him,--will know where you have -sent him!" - -"Be calm, my child," replied the abbé, with assumed composure; "come -with me to your room: you shall know it all; only you must have the -strength to listen, if you ask me to relate." He offered her his hand, -as if he meant to lead her out. "I will not return to my room," cried -she: "I hate the walls where you have kept me prisoner so long. I know -it already: the colonel has challenged him; he is gone to meet his -enemy: perhaps this very moment he--once or twice I thought I heard the -sound of shots! I tell you, order out a coach, and come along with me, -or I will fill the house and all the village with my screaming." - -Weeping bitterly, she hastened to the window: the abbé held her back, -and sought in vain to soothe her. - -They heard a sound of wheels: she threw up the window, exclaiming, "He -is dead! They are bringing home his body."--"He is coming out," replied -the abbé: "you perceive he lives."--"He is wounded," said she wildly, -"else he would have come on horseback. They are holding him! The wound -is dangerous!" She ran to the door, and down the stairs: the abbé -hastened after her; and Wilhelm, following, observed the fair one meet -her lover, who had now dismounted. - -Lothario leaned on his attendant, whom Wilhelm at once knew as his -ancient patron, Jarno. The wounded man spoke very tenderly and kindly to -the tearful damsel: he rested on her shoulder, and came slowly up the -steps, saluted Wilhelm as he passed, and was conducted to his cabinet. - -Jarno soon returned, and, going up to Wilhelm, "It appears," said he, -"you are predestined everywhere to find a theatre and actors. We have -here commenced a play which is not altogether pleasant." - -"I rejoice to find you," answered Wilhelm, "in so strange an hour: I am -astonished, frightened; and your presence already quiets my mind. Tell -me, is there danger? Is the baron badly wounded?" - -"I imagine not," said Jarno. - -It was not long till the young surgeon entered from the cabinet. "Now, -what say you?" cried Jarno to him. "That it is a dangerous piece of -work," replied the other, putting several instruments into his leathern -pouch. Wilhelm looked at the band, which was hanging from the pouch: he -fancied he knew it. Bright, contrary colors, a curious pattern, gold and -silver wrought in singular figures, marked this band from all the bands -in the world. Wilhelm was convinced he beheld the very pouch of the -ancient surgeon who had dressed his wounds in the green of the forest; -and the hope, so long deferred, of again finding traces of the lovely -Amazon, struck like a flame through all his soul. - -"Where did you get that pouch?" cried he. "To whom did it belong before -you? I beg of you, tell me."--"I bought it at an auction," said the -other: "what is it to me whom it belonged to?" So speaking, he went out; -and Jarno said, "If there would come but one word of truth from our -young doctor's mouth!"--"Then, he did not buy the pouch?" said Wilhelm. -"Just as little as Lothario is in danger," said the other. - -Wilhelm stood, immersed in many reflections: Jarno asked how he had -fared of late. Wilhelm sketched an outline of his history; and when he -at last came to speak of Aurelia's death, and his message to the place, -his auditor exclaimed, "Well! it is strange! most strange!" - -The abbé entered from Lothario's chamber, beckoned Jarno to go in -instead of him, and said to Wilhelm, "The baron bids me ask you to -remain with us a day or two, to share his hospitality, and, in the -present circumstances, contribute to his solacement. If you need to give -any notice to your people, your letter shall be instantly despatched. -Meanwhile, to make you understand this curious incident, of which you -have been witness, I must tell you something, which, indeed, is no -secret. The baron had a small adventure with a lady, which excited more -than usual attention; the lady having taken him from a rival, and -wishing to enjoy her victory too ostentatiously. After a time he no -longer found the same delight in her society; which he, of course, -forsook: but, being of a violent temper, she could not bear her fate -with patience. Meeting at a ball, they had an open quarrel: she thought -herself irreparably injured, and would be revenged. No knight stepped -forth to do battle for her; till her husband, whom for years she had not -lived with, heard of the affair and took it up. He challenged the baron, -and to-day he has wounded him; yet, as I hear, the gallant colonel has -himself come still worse off." - -From this hour our friend was treated in the house as if he had belonged -to it. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -At times they had read a little to the patient: Wilhelm joyfully -performed this service. Lydia stirred not from Lothario's bed: her care -for him absorbed her whole attention. But to-day the patient himself -seemed occupied with thought: he bade them lay aside their book. -"To-day," said he, "I feel through my whole heart how foolishly we let -our time pass on. How many things have I proposed to do, how many have I -planned; yet how we loiter in our noblest purposes! I have just read -over the scheme of the changes which I mean to make in my estates; and -it is chiefly, I may say, on their account that I rejoice at the -bullet's not having gone a deadlier road." - -Lydia looked at him with tenderness, with tears in her eyes; as if to -ask if _she_, if his friends, could not pretend to any interest in his -wish to live. Jarno answered, "Changes such as you project require to be -considered well on every side before they are resolved on." - -"Long considerations," said Lothario, "are commonly a proof that we have -not the point to be determined clearly in our eye; precipitate -proceedings, that we do not know it. I see distinctly, that, in managing -my property, there are several particulars in which the services of my -dependants cannot be remitted; certain rights which I must rigidly -insist on: but I also see that there are other articles, advantageous to -me, but by no means indispensable, which might admit of relaxation. Do I -not profit by my lands far better than my father did? Is not my income -still increasing? And shall I alone enjoy this growing benefit? Shall -not those who labor with and for me partake, in their degree, of the -advantages which expanding knowledge, which a period of improvement, are -procuring for us?" - -"'Tis human nature!" cried Jarno: "I do not blame myself when I detect -this selfish quality among the rest. Every man desires to gather all -things round him, to shape and manage them according to his own -pleasure: the money which he himself does not expend, he seldom reckons -well expended." - -"Certainly," observed Lothario, "much of the capital might be abated if -we consumed the interest less capriciously." - -"The only thing I shall mention," said the other, "the only reason I can -urge against your now proceeding with those alterations, which, for a -time at least, must cause you loss, is, that you yourself are still in -debt, and that the payment presses hard on you. My advice is, therefore, -to postpone your plan till you are altogether free." - -"And in the mean while leave it at the mercy of a bullet, or the fall -of a tile, to annihilate the whole result of my existence and activity! -O my friend! it is ever thus: it is ever the besetting fault of -cultivated men, that they wish to spend their whole resources on some -idea, scarcely any part of them on tangible, existing objects. Why was -it that I contracted debts, that I quarrelled with my uncle, that I left -my sisters to themselves so long? Purely for the sake of an idea. In -America I fancied I might accomplish something; over seas, I hoped to -become useful and essential: if any task was not begirt with a thousand -dangers, I considered it trivial, unworthy of me. How differently do -matters now appear! How precious, how important, seems the duty which is -nearest me, whatever it may be!" - -"I recollect the letter which you sent me from the Western world," said -Jarno: "it contains the words, 'I will return; and in my house, amid my -fields, among my people, I will say, _Here or nowhere is America!_'" - -"Yes, my friend; and I am still repeating it, and still repining at -myself that I am not so busy here as I was there. For certain equable, -continuous modes of life, there is nothing more than judgment necessary, -and we study to attain nothing more: so that we become unable to discern -what extraordinary services each vulgar day requires of us; or, if we do -discern them, we find abundance of excuses for not doing them. A -judicious man is valuable to himself, but of little value for the -general whole." - -"We will not," said Jarno, "bear too hard upon judgment: let us grant, -that, whenever extraordinary things are done, they are generally -foolish." - -"Yes! and just because they are not done according to the proper plan. -My brother-in-law, you see, is giving up his fortune, so far as in his -power, to the Community of Herrnhut: he reckons, that, by doing so, he -is advancing the salvation of his soul. Had he sacrificed a small -portion of his revenue, he might have rendered many people happy, might -have made for them and for himself a heaven upon earth. Our sacrifices -are rarely of an active kind: we, as it were, abandon what we give away. -It is not from resolution, but despair, that we renounce our property. -In these days, I confess it, the image of the count is hovering -constantly before me: I have firmly resolved on doing from conviction -what a crazy fear is forcing upon him. I will not wait for being cured. -Here are the papers: they require only to be properly drawn out. Take -the lawyer with you; our guest will help: what I want, you know as well -as I; recovering or dying. I will stand by it, and say, _Here or nowhere -is Herrnhut!_" - -When he mentioned dying, Lydia sank before his bed: she hung upon his -arm, and wept bitterly. The surgeon entered: Jarno gave our friend the -papers, and made Lydia leave the room. - -"For Heaven's sake! what is this about the count?" cried Wilhelm, when -they reached the hall and were alone. "What count is it that means to -join the Herrnhuters?" - -"One whom you know very well," said Jarno. "You yourself are the ghost -who have frightened the unhappy wiseacre into piety: you are the villain -who have brought his pretty wife to such a state that she inclines -accompanying him." - -"And she is Lothario's sister?" cried our friend. - -"No other!"--"And Lothario knows"-- - -"The whole!" - -"Oh, let me fly!" cried Wilhelm. "How shall I appear before him? What -can he say to me?" - -"That no man should cast a stone at his brother; that when one composes -long speeches, with a view to shame his neighbors, he should speak them -to a looking-glass." - -"Do you know that too?" - -"And many things beside," said Jarno, with a smile. "But in the present -case," continued he, "you shall not get away from me so easily as you -did last time. You need not now be apprehensive of my bounty-money: I -have ceased to be a soldier; when I was one, you might have thought more -charitably of me. Since you saw me, many things have altered. My prince, -my only friend and benefactor, being dead, I have now withdrawn from -busy life and its concerns. I used to have a pleasure in advancing what -was reasonable; when I met with any despicable thing, I hesitated not to -call it so; and men had never done with talking of my restless head and -wicked tongue. The herd of people dread sound understanding more than -any thing: they ought to dread stupidity, if they had any notion what -was really dreadful. Understanding is unpleasant, they must have it -pushed aside; stupidity is but pernicious, they can let it stay. Well, -be it so! I need to live: I will by and by communicate my plans to you; -if you incline, you shall partake in them. But tell me first how things -have gone with you. I see, I feel, that you are changed. How is it with -your ancient maggot of producing something beautiful and good in the -society of gypsies?" - -"Do not speak of it!" cried Wilhelm: "I have been already punished for -it. People talk about the stage, but none that has not been upon it can -form the smallest notion of it. How utterly these men are unacquainted -with themselves, how thoughtlessly they carry on their trade, how -boundless their pretensions are, no mortal can conceive. Each would be -not only first, but sole; each wishes to exclude the rest, and does not -see that even with them he can scarcely accomplish any thing. Each -thinks himself a man of marvellous originality; yet, with a ravening -appetite for novelty, he cannot walk a footstep from the beaten track. -How vehemently they counterwork each other! It is only the pitifullest -self-love, the narrowest views of interest, that unite them. Of -reciprocal accommodation they have no idea: backbiting and hidden -spitefulness maintain a constant jealousy among them. In their lives -they are either rakes or simpletons. Each claims the loftiest respect, -each writhes under the slightest blame. 'All this he knew already,' he -will tell you! Why, then, did he not do it? Ever needy, ever -unconfiding, they seem as if their greatest fear were reason and good -taste; their highest care, to secure the majesty of their self-will." - -Wilhelm drew breath, intending to proceed with his eulogium, when an -immoderate laugh from Jarno interrupted him. "Poor actors!" cried he; -threw himself into a chair, and laughed away. "Poor, dear actors! Do you -know, my friend," continued he, recovering from his fit, "that you have -been describing, not the playhouse, but the world; that, out of all -ranks, I could find you characters and doings in abundance to suit your -cruel pencil? Pardon me: it makes me laugh again, that you should think -these amiable qualities existed on the boards alone." - -Wilhelm checked his feelings. Jarno's extravagant, untimely laughter had -in truth offended him. "It is scarcely hiding your misanthropy," said -he, "when you maintain that faults like these are universal." - -"And it shows your unacquaintance with the world, when you impute them -to the theatre in such a heinous light. I pardon, in the player, every -fault that springs from self-deception and the desire to please. If he -seem not something to himself and others, he is nothing. To seem is his -vocation; he must prize his moment of applause, for he gets no other -recompense; he must try to glitter,--he is there to do so." - -"You will give me leave at least to smile, in my turn," answered -Wilhelm. "I should never have believed that you could be so merciful, so -tolerant." - -"I swear to you I am serious, fully and deliberately serious. All faults -of the man I can pardon in the player: no fault of the player can I -pardon in the man. Do not set me upon chanting my lament about the -latter: it might have a sharper sound than yours." - -The surgeon entered from the cabinet; and, to the question how his -patient was, he answered, with a lively air of complaisance, "Extremely -well, indeed: I hope soon to see him quite recovered." He hastened -through the hall, not waiting Wilhelm's speech, who was preparing to -inquire again with greater importunity about the leathern case. His -anxiety to gain some tidings of his Amazon inspired him with confidence -in Jarno: he disclosed his case to him, and begged his help. "You that -know so many things," said he, "can you not discover this?" - -Jarno reflected for a moment; then, turning to his friend, "Be calm," -said he, "give no one any hint of it: we shall come upon the fair one's -footsteps, never fear. At present I am anxious only for Lothario: the -case is dangerous; the kindliness and comfortable talking of the doctor -tells me so. We should be quit of Lydia, for here she does no good; but -how to set about the task I know not. To-night I am looking for our old -physician: we shall then take further counsel." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -The physician came: it was the good, old, little doctor whom we know -already, and to whom we were obliged for the communication of the pious -manuscript. First of all, he visited the wounded man, with whose -condition he appeared to be by no means satisfied. He had next a long -interview with Jarno, but they made no allusion to the subject of it -when they came to supper. - -Wilhelm saluted him in the kindest manner, and inquired about the -harper. "We have still hopes of bringing round the hapless creature," -answered the physician. "He formed a dreary item in your limited and -singular way of life," said Jarno. "How has it fared with him? Tell me." - -Having satisfied Jarno's curiosity, the physician thus proceeded: "I -have never seen another man so strangely circumstanced. For many years -he has not felt the smallest interest in any thing without him, scarcely -paid the smallest notice to it: wrapped up in himself, he has looked at -nothing but his own hollow, empty Me, which seemed to him like an -immeasurable abyss. It was really touching when he spoke to us of this -mournful state. 'Before me,' cried he, 'I see nothing; behind me nothing -but an endless night, in which I live in the most horrid solitude. There -is no feeling in me but the feeling of my guilt; and this appears but -like a dim, formless spirit, far before me. Yet here there is no height, -no depth, no forwards, no backwards: no words can express this -never-changing state. Often in the agony of this sameness I exclaim with -violence, Forever! Forever! and this dark, incomprehensible word is -clear and plain to the gloom of my condition. No ray of Divinity -illuminates this night: I shed all my tears by myself and for myself. -Nothing is more horrible to me than friendship and love, for they alone -excite in me the wish that the apparitions which surround me might be -real. But these two spectres also have arisen from the abyss to plague -me, and at length to tear from me the precious consciousness of my -existence, unearthly though it be.' - -"You should hear him speak," continued the physician, "when in hours of -confidence he thus alleviates his heart. I have listened to him often -with the deepest feelings. When pressed by any thing, and, as it were, -compelled for an instant to confess that a space of time has passed, he -looks astounded, then again refers the alteration to the things about -him, considering it as an appearance of appearances, and so rejecting -the idea of progress in duration. One night he sung a song about his -gray hairs: we all sat round him weeping." - -"Oh, get it for me!" cried Wilhelm. - -"But have you not discovered any trace of what he calls his crime?" -inquired Jarno: "nor found out the reason of his wearing such a singular -garb; of his conduct at the burning of the house; of his rage against -the child?" - -"It is only by conjectures that we can approximate to any knowledge of -his fate: to question him directly contradicts our principle. Observing -easily that he was of the Catholic religion, we thought perhaps -confession might afford him some assuagement; but he shrinks away with -the strangest gestures every time we try to introduce the priest to him. -However, not to leave your curiosity respecting him entirely -unsatisfied, I may communicate our suppositions on the subject. In his -youth, we think, he must have been a clergyman: hence probably his wish -to keep his beard and long cloak. The joys of love appear to have -remained for many years unknown to him. Late in life, as we conceive, -some aberration with a lady very nearly related to him; then her death, -the consequence of an unlucky creature's birth,--have altogether crazed -his brain. - -"His chief delusion is a fancy that he brings misfortune everywhere -along with him; and that death, to be unwittingly occasioned by a boy, -is constantly impending over him. At first he was afraid of Mignon, not -knowing that she was a girl; then Felix frightened him; and as, with all -his misery, he has a boundless love of life, this may, perhaps, have -been the origin of his aversion to the child." - -"What hopes have you of his recovery?" inquired our friend. - -"It advances slowly," answered the physician, "yet it does advance. He -continues his appointed occupations: we have now accustomed him to read -the newspapers; he always looks for them with eagerness." - -"I am curious about his songs," said Jarno. - -"Of these I can engage to get you several," replied the doctor. "Our -parson's eldest son, who frequently writes down his father's sermons, -has, unnoticed by the harper, marked on paper many stanzas of his -singing; out of which some songs have gradually been pieced together." - -Next morning Jarno met our friend, and said to him, "We have to ask a -kindness of you. Lydia must, for some time, be removed: her violent, -unreasonable love and passionateness hinder the baron's recovery. His -wound requires rest and calmness, though with his healthy temperament it -is not dangerous. You see how Lydia tortures him with her tempestuous -anxieties, her ungovernable terrors, her never-drying tears; -and--Enough!" he added with a smile, after pausing for a moment, "our -doctor expressly requires that she must quit us for a while. We have got -her to believe that a lady, one of her most intimate friends, is at -present in the neighborhood, wishing and expecting instantly to see her. -She has been prevailed upon to undertake a journey to our lawyer's, -which is but two leagues off. This man is in the secret: he will wofully -lament that Fräulein Theresa should just have left him again; he will -seem to think she may still be overtaken. Lydia will hasten after her, -and, if you prosper, will be led from place to place. At last, if she -insist on turning back, you must not contradict her; but the night will -help you: the coachman is a cunning knave, and we shall speak with him -before he goes. You are to travel with her in the coach, to talk to her, -and manage the adventure." - -"It is a strange and dubious commission that you give me," answered -Wilhelm. "How painful is the sight of true love injured! And am I to be -the instrument of injuring it? I have never cheated any person so; for -it has always seemed to me, that if we once begin deceiving, with a view -to good and useful purposes, we run the risk of carrying it to excess." - -"Yet you cannot manage children otherwise," said Jarno. - -"With children it may do," said Wilhelm; "for we love them tenderly, and -take an open charge of them. But with our equals, in behalf of whom our -heart is not so sure to call upon us for forbearance, it might -frequently be dangerous. Yet do not think," he added, after pausing for -a moment, "that I purpose to decline the task on this account. Honoring -your judgment as I do, feeling such attachment to your noble friend, -such eagerness to forward his recovery by whatever means, I willingly -forget myself and my opinions. It is not enough that we can risk our -life to serve a friend: in the hour of need, we should also yield him -our convictions. Our dearest passions, our best wishes, we are bound to -sacrifice in helping him. I undertake the charge; though it is easy to -foresee the pain I shall have to suffer, from the tears, from the -despair, of Lydia." - -"And, for this, no small reward awaits you," answered Jarno: "Fräulein -Theresa, whom you get acquainted with, is a lady such as you will rarely -see. She puts many a man to shame; I may say, she is a genuine Amazon: -while others are but pretty counterfeits, that wander up and down the -world in that ambiguous dress." - -Wilhelm was struck: he almost fancied that in Theresa he would find his -Amazon again; especially as Jarno, whom he importuned to tell him more, -broke off abruptly, and went away. - -The new, near hope of once more seeing that beloved and honored being -awoke a thousand feelings in his heart. He now looked upon the task -which had been given him as the intervention of a special Providence: -the thought that he was minded treacherously to carry off a helpless -girl from the object of her sincerest, warmest love dwelt but a moment -in his mind, as the shadow of a bird flits over the sunshiny earth. - -The coach was at the door: Lydia lingered for a moment, as she was about -to mount. "Salute your lord again for me," said she to the old servant: -"tell him that I shall be home before night." Tears were standing in her -eyes as she again looked back when the carriage started. She then turned -round to Wilhelm, made an effort to compose herself, and said, "In -Fräulein Theresa you will find a very interesting person. I wonder what -it is that brings her hither; for, you must know, Lothario and she once -passionately loved each other. In spite of the distance, he often used -to visit her: I was staying with her then; I thought they would have -lived and died for one another. But all at once it went to wreck, no -creature could discover why. He had seen me, and I must confess that I -was envious of Theresa's fortune; that I scarcely hid my love from him; -that, when he suddenly appeared to choose me in her stead, I could not -but accept of him. She behaved to me beyond my wishes, though it almost -seemed as if I had robbed her of this precious lover. But, ah! how many -thousand tears and pains that love of his has cost me! At first we met -only now and then, and by stealth, at some appointed place: but I could -not long endure that kind of life; in his presence only was I happy, -wholly happy! Far from him, my eyes were never dry, my pulse was never -calm. Once he staid away for several days: I was altogether in despair; -I ordered out my carriage, and surprised him here. He received me -tenderly; and, had not this unlucky quarrel happened, I should have led -a heavenly life with him. But, since the time he began to be in danger -and in pain, I shall not say what I have suffered: at this moment I am -bitterly reproaching myself that I could leave him for a single day." - -Wilhelm was proceeding to inquire about Theresa, when they reached the -lawyer's house. This gentleman came forward to the coach, lamenting -wofully that Fräulein Theresa was already gone. He invited them to -breakfast; signifying, however, that the lady might be overtaken in the -nearest village. They determined upon following her: the coachman did -not loiter; they had soon passed several villages, and yet come up with -nobody. Lydia now gave orders for returning: the coachman drove along, -as if he did not understand her. As she insisted with redoubled -vehemence, Wilhelm called to him, and gave the promised token. The -coachman answered that it was not necessary to go back by the same road: -he knew a shorter, and, at the same time, greatly easier one. He turned -aside across a wood, and over large commons. At last, no object they -could recognize appearing, he confessed that unfortunately he had lost -his way; declaring, at the same time, that he would soon get right -again, as he saw a little town before him. Night came on: the coachman -managed so discreetly, that he asked everywhere, and nowhere waited for -an answer. He drove along all night: Lydia never closed an eye; in the -moonshine she was constantly detecting similarities, which as constantly -turned out to be dissimilar. In the morning things around seemed known -to her, and but more strange on that account. The coach drew up before a -neat little country-house: a young lady stepped out, and opened the -carriage-door. Lydia looked at her with a stare of wonder, looked round, -looked at her again, and fainted in the arms of Wilhelm. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -Wilhelm was conducted to a little upper room: the house was new, as -small nearly as it could be, and extremely orderly and clean. In -Theresa, who had welcomed him and Lydia at the coach, he had not found -his Amazon: she was another and an altogether different woman. Handsome, -and but of middle stature, she moved about with great alertness; and it -seemed as if her clear, blue, open eyes let nothing that occurred escape -them. - -She entered Wilhelm's room, inquiring if he wanted any thing. "Pardon -me," said she, "for having lodged you in a chamber which the smell of -paint still renders disagreeable: my little dwelling is but just made -ready; you are handselling this room, which is appointed for my guests. -Would that you had come on some more pleasant errand! Poor Lydia is like -to be a dull companion: in other points, also, you will have much to -pardon. My cook has run away from me, at this unseasonable time; and a -serving-man has bruised his hand. The case might happen I had to manage -every thing myself; and if it were so, why, then we should just put up -with it. One is plagued so with nobody as with one's servants: none of -them will serve you, scarcely even serve himself." - -She said a good deal more on different matters: in general she seemed to -like speaking. Wilhelm inquired for Lydia,--if he might not see her, and -endeavor to excuse himself. - -"It will have no effect at present," said Theresa: "time excuses, as it -comforts. Words, in both cases, are of little effect. Lydia will not see -you. 'Keep him from my sight,' she cried, when I was leaving her: 'I -could almost despair of human nature. Such an honorable countenance, so -frank a manner, and this secret guile!' Lothario she has quite forgiven: -in a letter to the poor girl, he declares, 'My friends persuaded me, my -friends compelled me!' Among these she reckons you, and she condemns you -with the rest." - -"She does me too much honor in so blaming me," said Wilhelm: "I have no -pretension to the friendship of that noble gentleman; on this occasion, -I am but a guiltless instrument. I will not praise what I have done: it -is enough that I could do it. It concerned the health, it concerned the -life, of a man whom I value more than any one I ever knew before. Oh, -what a man is he, Fräulein! and what men are they that live about him! -In their society, I for the first time, I may well say, carried on a -conversation; for the first time, was the inmost sense of my words -returned to me, more rich, more full, more comprehensive, from another's -mouth; what I had been groping for was rendered clear to me; what I had -been thinking I was taught to see. Unfortunately this enjoyment was -disturbed, at first by numerous anxieties and whims, and then by this -unpleasant task. I undertook it with submission; for I reckoned it my -duty, even though I sacrificed my feelings, to comply with the request -of this gifted company of men." - -While he spoke, Theresa had been looking at him with a very friendly -air. "Oh, how sweet is it to hear one's own opinion uttered by a -stranger tongue! We are never properly ourselves until another thinks -entirely as we do. My own opinion of Lothario is perfectly the same as -yours: it is not every one that does him justice, and therefore all that -know him better are enthusiastic in esteem of him. The painful sentiment -that mingles with the memory of him in my heart cannot hinder me from -thinking of him daily." A sigh heaved her bosom as she spoke thus, and a -lovely tear glittered in her right eye. "Think not," continued she, -"that I am so weak, so easy to be moved. It is but the eye that weeps. -There was a little wart upon the under eyelid; they have happily removed -it, but the eye has been weak ever since; the smallest cause brings a -tear into it. Here sat the little wart: you cannot see a vestige of it -now." - -He saw no vestige, but he saw into her eye; it was clear as crystal: he -almost imagined he could see to the very bottom of her soul. - -"We have now," said she, "pronounced the watchword of our friendship: -let us get entirely acquainted as fast as possible. The history of every -person paints his character. I will tell you what my life has been: do -you, too, place a little trust in me, and let us be united even when -distance parts us. The world is so waste and empty, when we figure only -towns and hills and rivers in it; but to know of some one here and there -whom we accord with, who is living on with us, even in silence,--this -makes our earthly ball a peopled garden." - -She hastened off, engaging soon to take him out to walk. Her presence -had affected him agreeably: he wished to be informed of her relation to -Lothario. He was called: she came to meet him from her room. While they -descended, necessarily one by one, the straight and even steepish -stairs, she said, "All this might have been larger and grander, had I -chosen to accept the offers of your generous friend; but, to continue -worthy of him, I must study to retain the qualities which gave me merit -in his eyes. Where is the steward?" asked she, stepping from the bottom -of the stairs. "You must not think," continued she, "that I am rich -enough to need a steward: the few acres of my own little property I -myself can manage well enough. The steward is my new neighbor's, who has -bought a fine estate beside us, every point of which I am acquainted -with. The good old gentleman is lying ill of gout: his men are strangers -here; I willingly assist in settling them." - -They took a walk through fields, meadows, and some orchards. Everywhere -Theresa kept instructing the steward; nothing so minute but she could -give account of it: and Wilhelm had reason to wonder at her knowledge, -her precision, the prompt dexterity with which she suggested means for -ends. She loitered nowhere, always hastened to the leading-points; and -thus her task was quickly over. "Salute your master," said she, as she -sent away the man: "I mean to visit him as soon as possible, and wish -him a complete recovery. There, now," she added with a smile, as soon as -he was gone, "I might soon be rich: my good neighbor, I believe, would -not be disinclined to offer me his hand." - -"The old man with the gout?" cried Wilhelm: "I know not how, -at your years, you could bring yourself to make so desperate a -determination."--"Nor am I tempted to it!" said Theresa. "Whoever can -administer what he possesses has enough; and to be wealthy is a -burdensome affair, unless you understand it." - -Wilhelm testified his admiration at her skill in husbandry concerns. -"Decided inclination, early opportunity, external impulse, and continued -occupation in a useful business," said she, "make many things, which -were at first far harder, possible in life. When you have learned what -causes stimulated me in this pursuit, you will cease to wonder at the -talent you now think strange." - -On returning home, she sent him to her little garden. Here he could -scarcely turn himself, so narrow were the walks, so thickly was it sown -and planted. On looking over to the court, he could not help smiling: -the fire-wood was lying there, as accurately sawed, split, and piled, as -if it had been part of the building, and had been intended to continue -permanently there. The tubs and implements, all clean, were standing in -their places: the house was painted white and red; it was really -pleasant to behold. Whatever can be done by handicraft, which knows not -beautiful proportions, but labors for convenience, cheerfulness, and -durability, appeared united in this spot. They served him up dinner in -his own room: he had time enough for meditating. Especially it struck -him, that he should have got acquainted with another person of so -interesting a character, who had been so closely related to Lothario. -"It is just," said he to himself, "that a man so gifted should attract -round him gifted women. How far the influence of manliness and dignity -extends! Would that others did not come so wofully short, compared with -him! Yes, confess thy fear. When thou meetest with thy Amazon, this -woman of women, in spite of all thy hopes and dreaming, thou wilt find -her, in the end, to thy humiliation and thy shame,--his bride." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -Wilhelm had passed a restless afternoon, not altogether without tedium, -when towards evening his door opened, and a handsome hunter-boy stepped -forward with a bow. "Shall we have a walk?" said the youth; and in the -instant Wilhelm recognized Theresa by her lovely eyes. - -"Pardon me this masquerade," said she; "for now, alas! it is nothing -more. But, as I am going to tell you of the time when I so enjoyed the -world, I will recall those days by every method to my fancy. Come along! -Even the place where we have rested so often from our hunts and -promenades shall help me." - -They went accordingly. On their way Theresa said to her attendant, "It -is not fair that I alone should speak: you already know enough of me, I -nothing about you. Tell me, in the mean while, something of yourself, -that I may gather courage to submit to you my history and -situation."--"Alas!" said Wilhelm, "I have nothing to relate but error -on the back of error, deviation following deviation; and I know none -from whom I would more gladly hide my present and my past embarrassments -than from yourself. Your look, the scene you move in, your whole -temperament and manner, prove to me that you have reason to rejoice in -your by-gone life; that you have travelled by a fair, clear path in -constant progress; that you have lost no time; that you have nothing to -reproach yourself withal." - -Theresa answered with a smile, "Let us see if you will think so after -you have heard my history." They walked along: among some general -remarks, Theresa asked him, "Are you free?"--"I think I am," said he, -"and yet I do not wish it."--"Good!" said she: "that indicates a -complicated story: you also will have something to relate." - -Conversing thus, they ascended the hill, and placed themselves beside a -lofty oak, which spread its shade far out on every side. "Here," said -she, "beneath this German tree, will I disclose to you the history of a -German maiden: listen to me patiently. - -"My father was a wealthy nobleman of this province,--a cheerful, -clear-sighted, active, able man; a tender father, an upright friend, an -excellent economist. I knew but one fault in him: he was too compliant -to a wife who did not know his worth. Alas that I should have to say so -of my mother! Her nature was the opposite of his. She was quick and -changeful; without affection either for her home or for me, her only -child; extravagant, but beautiful, sprightly, full of talent, the -delight of a circle she had gathered round her. Her society, in truth, -was never large; nor did it long continue the same. It consisted -principally of men, for no woman could like to be near her; still less -could _she_ endure the merit or the praise of any woman. I resembled my -father, both in form and disposition. As the duckling, with its first -footsteps, seeks the water; so, from my earliest youth, the kitchen, the -storeroom, the granaries, the fields, were my selected element. -Cleanliness and order in the house seemed, even while I was playing in -it, to be my peculiar instinct, my peculiar object. This tendency gave -my father pleasure; and he directed, step by step, my childish endeavor -into the suitablest employments. On the contrary, my mother did not like -me; and she never for a moment hid it. - -"I waxed in stature: with my years increased my turn for occupation, and -my father's love to me. When we were by ourselves, when walking through -the fields, when I was helping to examine his accounts, it was then I -could see how glad he was. While gazing on his eyes, I felt as if I had -been looking in upon myself; for it was in the eyes that I completely -resembled him. But, in the presence of my mother, he lost this energy, -this aspect: he excused me mildly when she blamed me unjustly and -violently; he took my part, not as if he would protect me, but as if he -would extenuate the demerit of my good qualities. To none of her -caprices did he set himself in opposition. She began to be immensely -taken with a passion for the stage: a theatre was soon got up; of men of -all shapes and ages, crowding to display themselves along with her upon -her boards, she had abundance; of women, on the other hand, there was -often a scarcity. Lydia, a pretty girl who had been brought up with me, -and who promised from the first to be extremely beautiful, had to -undertake the secondary parts; the mothers and the aunts were -represented by an ancient chamber-maid; while the leading heroines, -lovers, and shepherdesses of every kind were seized on by my mother. I -cannot tell you how ridiculous it seemed to me to see the people, every -one of whom I knew full well, standing on their scaffold, and -pretending, after they had dressed themselves in other clothes, to pass -for something else than what they were. In my eyes they were never any -thing but Lydia and my mother, this baron and that secretary, whether -they appeared as counts and princes, or as peasants; and I could not -understand how they meant to make me think that they were sad or happy, -that they were indifferent or in love, liberal or avaricious, when I -well knew the contrary to be the case. Accordingly I very seldom staid -among the audience: I always snuffed their candles, that I might not be -entirely without employment; I prepared the supper; and next morning, -before they rose, I used to have their wardrobe all sorted, which -commonly, the night before, they had left in a chaotic state. - -"To my mother this activity appeared quite proper, but her love I could -not gain. She despised me; and I know for certain that she more than -once exclaimed with bitterness, 'If the mother could be as uncertain as -the father, you would scarcely take this housemaid for my daughter!' -Such treatment, I confess, at length entirely estranged me from her: I -viewed her conduct as the conduct of a person unconnected with me; and, -being used to watch our servants like a falcon (for this, be it said in -passing, is the ground of all true housekeeping), the proceedings of my -mother and her friends at the same time naturally forced themselves upon -my observation. It was easy to perceive that she did not look on all men -alike: I gave sharper heed, and soon found out that Lydia was her -confidant, and had herself, by this opportunity, become acquainted with -a passion, which, from her earliest youth, she had so often represented. -I was aware of all their meetings; but I held my tongue, hinting nothing -to my father, whom I was afraid of troubling. At last, however, I was -obliged to speak. Many of their enterprises could not be accomplished -without corrupting the servants. These now began to grow refractory: -they despised my father's regulations, disregarded my commands. The -disorders which arose from this I could not tolerate: I discovered all, -complained of all to my father. - -"He listened to me calmly. 'Good girl!' replied he with a smile; 'I know -it all: be quiet, bear it patiently; for it is on thy account alone that -I endure it.' - -"I was not quiet: I had not patience. I in secret blamed my father, for -I did not think that any reason should induce him to endure such things. -I called for regularity from all the servants: I was bent on driving -matters to extremity. - -"My mother had been rich before her marriage, yet she squandered more -than she had a right to; and this, as I observed, occasioned many -conferences between my parents. For a long time the evil was not helped, -till at last the passions of my mother brought it to a head. - -"Her first gallant became unfaithful in a glaring manner: the house, the -neighborhood, her whole condition, grew offensive to her. She insisted -on removing to a different estate; there she was too solitary: she -insisted on removing to the town; there she felt herself eclipsed among -the crowd. Of much that passed between my father and her I know nothing: -however, he at last determined, under stipulations which I did not -learn, to consent that she should take a journey, which she had been -meditating, to the south of France. - -"We were now free; we lived as if in heaven: I do believe my father -could not be a loser, had he purchased her absence by a considerable -sum. All our useless domestics were dismissed, and fortune seemed to -smile on our undertakings: we had some extremely prosperous years; all -things succeeded to our wish. But, alas! this pleasing state was not of -long continuance: altogether unexpectedly my father had a shock of -palsy; it lamed his right side, and deprived him of the proper use of -speech. We had to guess at every thing that he required, for he never -could pronounce the word that he intended. There were times when this -was dreadfully afflicting to us: he would require expressly to be left -alone with me; with earnest gestures, he would signify that every one -should go away; and, when we saw ourselves alone, he could not speak the -word he meant. His impatience mounted to the highest pitch: his -situation touched me to the inmost heart. Thus much seemed certain: he -had something which he wished to tell me, which especially concerned my -interest. What longing did I feel to know it! At other times I could -discover all things in his eyes, but now it was in vain. Even his eyes -no longer spoke. Only this was clear: he wanted nothing, he desired -nothing; he was striving to discover something to me, which unhappily I -did not learn. His malady revisited him: he grew entirely inactive, -incapable of motion; and a short time afterwards he died. - -"I know not how it had got rooted in my thoughts, that somewhere he had -hid a treasure which he wished at death to leave me rather than my -mother; I searched about for traces of it while he lived, but I could -meet with none: at his death a seal was put on every thing. I wrote to -my mother, offering to continue in the house, and manage for her: she -refused, and I was obliged to leave the place. A mutual testament was -now produced: it gave my mother the possession and the use of all; and I -was left, at least throughout her life, dependent on her. It was now -that I conceived I rightly understood my father's beckonings: I pitied -him for having been so weak; he had let himself be forced to do unjustly -to me even after he was dead. Certain of my friends maintained that it -was little better than if he had disinherited me: they called upon me to -attack the will by law, but this I never could resolve on doing. I -reverenced my father's memory too much: I trusted in destiny; I trusted -in myself. - -"There was a lady in the neighborhood possessed of large property, with -whom I had always been on good terms: she gladly received me; I engaged -to superintend her household, and erelong the task grew very easy to me. -She lived regularly, she loved order in every thing; and I faithfully -assisted her in struggling with her steward and domestics. I am neither -of a niggardly nor grudging temper; but we women are disposed to insist, -more earnestly than men, that nothing shall be wasted. Embezzlement of -all sorts is intolerable to us: we require that each enjoy exactly in so -far as right entitles him. - -"Here I was in my element once more: I mourned my father's death in -silence. My protectress was content with me: one small circumstance -alone disturbed my peace. Lydia returned: my mother had been harsh -enough to cast the poor girl off, after having altogether spoiled her. -Lydia had learned with her mistress to consider passions as her -occupation: she was wont to curb herself in nothing. On her unexpected -re-appearance, the lady whom I lived with took her in: she wished to -help me, but could train herself to nothing. - -"About this time the relatives and future heirs of my protectress often -visited the house, to recreate themselves with hunting. Lothario was -frequently among them: it was not long till I had noticed, though -without the smallest reference to myself, how far he was superior to the -rest. He was courteous towards all, and Lydia seemed erelong to have -attracted his attention to her. Constantly engaged in something, I was -seldom with the company: while he was there I did not talk so much as -usual; for, I will confess it, lively conversation, from of old, had -been to me the finest seasoning of existence. With my father I was wont -to talk of every thing that happened. What you do not speak of, you -will seldom accurately think of. No man had I ever heard with greater -pleasure than I did Lothario, when he told us of his travels and -campaigns. The world appeared to lie before him clear and open, as to me -the district was in which I lived and managed. We were not entertained -with marvellous personal adventures, the extravagant half-truths of a -shallow traveller, who is always painting out himself, and not the -country he has undertaken to describe. Lothario did not tell us his -adventures: he led us to the place itself. I have seldom felt so pure a -satisfaction. - -"But still higher was my pleasure when I heard him talk, one evening, -about women. The subject happened to be introduced: some ladies of the -neighborhood had come to see us, and were speaking, in the common style, -about the cultivation of the female mind. Our sex, they said, was -treated unjustly: every sort of higher education men insisted on -retaining for themselves; they admitted us to no science, they required -us either to be dolls or family drudges. To all this Lothario said not -much; but, when the party was a little thinned, he gave us his opinion -more explicitly. 'It is very strange,' cried he, 'that men are blamed -for their proceeding here: they have placed woman on the highest station -she is capable of occupying. And where is there any station higher than -the ordering of the house? While the husband has to vex himself with -outward matters, while he has wealth to gather and secure, while perhaps -he takes part in the administration of the state, and everywhere depends -on circumstances; ruling nothing, I may say, while he conceives that he -is ruling much; compelled to be but politic where he would willingly be -reasonable, to dissemble where he would be open, to be false where he -would be upright; while thus, for the sake of an object which he never -reaches, he must every moment sacrifice the first of objects, harmony -with himself,--a reasonable housewife is actually governing in the -interior of her family; has the comfort and activity of every person in -it to provide for, and make possible. What is the highest happiness of -mortals, if not to execute what we consider right and good,--to be -really masters of the means conducive to our aims? And where should or -can our nearest aims be, but in the interior of our home? All those -indispensable and still to be renewed supplies, where do we expect, do -we require, to find them, if not in the place where we rise and where we -go to sleep, where kitchen and cellar, and every species of -accommodation for ourselves and ours, is to be always ready? What -unvarying activity is needed to conduct this constantly recurring series -in unbroken living order! How few are the men to whom it is given to -return regularly like a star, to command their day as they command their -night; to form for themselves their household instruments, to sow and to -reap, to gain and to expand, and to travel round their circle with -perpetual success and peace and love! It is when a woman has attained -this inward mastery, that she truly makes the husband whom she loves, a -master: her attention will acquire all sorts of knowledge; her activity -will turn them all to profit. Thus is she dependent upon no one; and she -procures her husband genuine independence, that which is interior and -domestic: whatever he possesses, he beholds secured; what he earns, well -employed: and thus he can direct his mind to lofty objects; and, if -fortune favors, he may act in the state the same character which so well -becomes his wife at home.' - -"He then described to us the kind of wife he wished. I reddened; for he -was describing me, as I looked and lived. I silently enjoyed my triumph; -and the more, as I perceived, from all the circumstances, that he had -not meant me individually, that, indeed, he did not know me. I cannot -recollect a more delightful feeling in my life than this, when a man -whom I so highly valued gave the preference, not to my person, but to my -inmost nature. What a recompense did I consider it! What encouragement -did it afford me! - -"So soon as they were gone, my worthy benefactress with a smile observed -to me, 'Pity that men often think and speak of what they will never -execute, else here were a special match, the exact thing for my dear -Theresa!' I made sport of her remark, and added, that indeed men's -understanding gave its vote for household wives, but that their heart -and imagination longed for other qualities; and that we household people -could not stand a rivalry with beautiful and lovely women. This was -spoken for the ear of Lydia; she did not hide from us that Lothario had -made a deep impression on her heart: and, in reality, he seemed at each -new visit to grow more and more attentive to her. She was poor, and not -of rank; she could not think of marriage; but she was unable to resist -the dear delight of charming and of being charmed. I had never loved, -nor did I love at present; but though it was unspeakably agreeable to -see in what light my turn of mind was viewed, how high it was ranked by -such a man, I will confess I still was not altogether satisfied. I now -wished that he should be acquainted with me, and should take a personal -interest in me. This wish arose, without the smallest settled thought of -any thing that could result from it. - -"The greatest service I did my benefactress was in bringing into order -the extensive forests which belonged to her. In this precious property, -whose value time and circumstances were continually increasing, matters -still went on according to the old routine,--without regularity, without -plan, no end to theft and fraud. Many hills were standing bare: an equal -growth was nowhere to be found but in the oldest cuttings. I personally -visited the whole of them, with an experienced forester. I got the woods -correctly measured: I set men to hew, to sow, to plant; in a short time, -all things were in progress. That I might mount more readily on -horseback, and also walk on foot with less obstruction, I had a suit of -men's clothes made for me: I was present in many places, I was feared in -all. - -"Hearing that our young friends, with Lothario, were purposing to have -another hunt, it came into my head, for the first time in my life, to -make a figure, or, that I may not do myself injustice, to pass in the -eyes of this noble gentleman for what I was. I put on my men's clothes, -took my gun upon my shoulder, and went forward with our hunters, to -await the party on our marches. They came: Lothario did not know me; a -nephew of the lady introduced me to him as a clever forester, joked -about my youth, and carried on his jesting in my praise, till at last -Lothario recognized me. The nephew seconded my project, as if we had -concocted it together. He circumstantially and gratefully described what -I had done for the estates of his aunt, and consequently for himself. - -"Lothario listened with attention: he talked with me, inquired -concerning all particulars of the estates and district. I, of course, -was glad to have such an opportunity of showing him my knowledge: I -stood my ordeal very well; I submitted certain projects of improvement -to him, which he sanctioned, telling me of similar examples, and -strengthening my arguments by the connection which he gave them. My -satisfaction grew more perfect every moment. Happily, however, I merely -wished that he should be acquainted with me, not that he should love me. -We came home; and I observed, more clearly than before, that the -attention he showed Lydia seemed expressive of a secret attachment. I -had reached my object, yet I was not at rest: from that day he showed a -true respect for me, a fine trust in me; in company he usually spoke to -me, asked my opinion, and appeared to be persuaded, that, in household -matters, nothing was unknown to me. His sympathy excited me extremely: -even when the conversation was of general finance and political economy, -he used to lead me to take part in it; and, in his absence, I endeavored -to acquire more knowledge of our province, nay, of all the empire. The -task was easy for me: it was but repeating on the great scale what I -knew so accurately on the small. - -"From this period he visited our house oftener. We talked, I may say, of -every thing; yet in some degree our conversation always in the end grew -economical, if even but in a secondary sense. What immense effects a -man, by the continuous application of his powers, his time, his money, -even by means which seem but small, may bring about, was frequently and -largely spoken of. - -"I did not withstand the tendency which drew me towards him; and, alas! -I felt too soon how deep, how cordial, how pure and genuine, was my -love, as I believed it more and more apparent that Lydia, and not -myself, was the occasion of these visits. She, at least, was most -vividly persuaded so: she made me her confidant; and this, again, in -some degree, consoled me. For, in truth, what she explained so much to -her advantage, I reckoned nowise of importance: there was not a trace of -any serious lasting union being meditated, but the more distinctly did I -see the wish of the impassioned girl to be his at any price. - -"Thus did matters stand, when the lady of the house surprised me with an -unexpected message. 'Lothario,' said she, 'offers you his hand, and -desires through life to have you ever at his side.' She enlarged upon my -qualities, and told me, what I liked sufficiently to hear, that in me -Lothario was persuaded he had found the person whom he had so long been -seeking for. - -"The height of happiness was now attained for me: my hand was asked by a -man for whom I had the greatest value, beside whom, and along with whom, -I might expect a full, expanded, free, and profitable employment of my -inborn tendency, of my talent perfected by practice. The sum of my -existence seemed to have enlarged itself into infinitude. I gave my -consent: he himself came, and spoke with me in private; he held out his -hand to me; he looked into my eyes, he clasped me in his arms, and -pressed a kiss upon my lips. It was the first and the last. He confided -to me all his circumstances; told me how much his American campaign had -cost him, what debts he had accumulated on his property: that, on this -score, he had in some measure quarrelled with his grand-uncle; that the -worthy gentleman intended to relieve him, though truly in his own -peculiar way, being minded to provide him with a rich wife, whereas, a -man of sense would choose a household wife, at all events; that, -however, by his sister's influence, he hoped his noble relative would be -persuaded. He set before me the condition of his fortune, his plans, his -prospects, and requested my co-operation. Till his uncle should consent, -our promise was to be a secret. - -"Scarcely was he gone when Lydia asked me whether he had spoken of her. -I answered no, and tired her with a long detail of economical affairs. -She was restless, out of humor; and his conduct, when he came again, did -not improve her situation. - -"But the sun, I see, is bending to the place of rest. Well for you, my -friend! You would otherwise have had to hear this story, which I often -enough go over by myself, in all its most minute particulars. Let me -hasten: we are coming to an epoch on which it is not good to linger. - -"By Lothario I was made acquainted with his noble sister; and she, at a -convenient time, contrived to introduce me to the uncle. I gained the -old man: he consented to our wishes, and I returned with happy tidings -to my benefactress. The affair was now no secret in the house: Lydia -heard of it; she thought the thing impossible. When she could no longer -doubt of it, she vanished all at once: we knew not whither she had gone. - -"Our marriage-day was coming near: I had often asked him for his -portrait; just as he was going off, I reminded him that he had promised -it. He said, 'You have never given me the case you want to have it -fitted into.' This was true: I had got a present from a female friend, -on which I set no ordinary value. Her name, worked from her own hair, -was fastened on the outer glass: within, there was a vacant piece of -ivory, on which her portrait was to have been painted, when a sudden -death snatched her from me. Lothario's love had cheered me at the time -her death lay heavy on my spirits, and I wished to have the void which -she had left me in her present filled by the picture of my friend. - -"I ran to my chamber, fetched my jewel-box, and opened it in his -presence. Scarcely had he looked into it, when he noticed a medallion -with the portrait of a lady. He took it in his hand, considered it -attentively, and asked me hastily whose face it was. 'My mother's,' -answered I. 'I could have sworn,' said he, 'that it was the portrait of -a Madame Saint Alban, whom I met some years ago in Switzerland.'--'It is -the same,' replied I, smiling, 'and so you have unwittingly become -acquainted with your step-mother. Saint Alban is the name my mother has -assumed for travelling with: she passes under it in France at present.' - -"'I am the miserablest man alive!' exclaimed he, as he threw the -portrait back into the box, covered his eyes with his hand, and hurried -from the room. He sprang on horseback: I ran to the balcony, and called -out after him; he turned, waved his hand to me, went speedily away,--and -I have never seen him more." - -The sun went down: Theresa gazed with unaverted looks upon the splendor, -and both her fine eyes filled with tears. - -Theresa spoke not: she laid her hand upon her new friend's hands; he -kissed it with emotion: she dried her tears, and rose. "Let us return, -and see that all is right," said she. - -The conversation was not lively by the way. They entered the -garden-door, and noticed Lydia sitting on a bench: she rose, withdrew -before them, and walked in. She had a paper in her hand: two little -girls were by her. "I see," observed Theresa, "she is still carrying her -only comfort, Lothario's letter, with her. He promises that she shall -live with him again so soon as he is well: he begs of her till then to -stay in peace with me. On these words she hangs, with these lines she -solaces herself; but with his friends she is extremely angry." - -Meanwhile the two children had approached. They courtesied to Theresa, -and gave her an account of all that had occurred while she was absent. -"You see here another part of my employment," said Theresa. "Lothario's -sister and I have made a league: we educate some little ones in common; -such as promise to be lively, serviceable housewives I take charge of, -she of such as show a finer and more quiet talent: it is right to -provide for the happiness of future husbands, both in household and in -intellectual matters. When you become acquainted with my noble friend, a -new era in your life will open. Her beauty, her goodness, make her -worthy of the reverence of the world." Wilhelm did not venture to -confess, that unhappily the lovely countess was already known to him; -that his transient connection with her would occasion him perpetual -sorrow. He was well pleased that Theresa let the conversation drop, that -some business called for her within. He was now alone: the intelligence -which he had just received of the young and lovely countess being driven -to replace, by deeds of benevolence, her own lost comfort, made him very -sad; he felt, that, with her, it was but a need of self-oblivion, an -attempt to supply, by the hopes of happiness to others, the want of a -cheerful enjoyment of existence in herself. He thought Theresa happy, -since, even in that unexpected melancholy alteration which had taken -place in her prospects, there was no alteration needed in herself. "How -fortunate beyond all others," cried he, "is the man, who, in order to -adjust himself to fate, is not required to cast away his whole preceding -life!" - -Theresa came into his room, and begged pardon for disturbing him. "My -whole library," said she, "is in the wall-press here: they are rather -books which I do not throw aside, than which I have taken up. Lydia -wants a pious book: there are one or two of that sort among them. -Persons who throughout the whole twelve months are worldly, think it -necessary to be godly at a time of straits: all moral and religious -matters they regard as physic, which is to be taken with aversion when -they are unwell; in a clergyman, a moralist, they see nothing but a -doctor, whom they cannot soon enough get rid of. Now, I confess, I look -upon religion as a kind of diet, which can only be so when I make a -constant practice of it, when throughout the whole twelve months I never -lose it out of sight." - -She searched among the books: she found some edifying works, as they are -called. "It was of my mother," said Theresa, "that poor Lydia learned to -have recourse to books like these. While her gallant continued faithful, -plays and novels were her life: his departure brought religious writings -once more into credit. I, for my share, cannot understand," continued -she, "how men have made themselves believe that God speaks to us through -books and histories. The man to whom the universe does not reveal -directly what relation it has to him, whose heart does not tell him what -he owes to himself and others, that man will scarcely learn it out of -books, which generally do little more than give our errors names." - -She left our friend alone: he passed his evening in examining the little -library; it had, in truth, been gathered quite at random. - -Theresa, for the few days Wilhelm spent with her, continued still the -same: she related to him at different times the consequences of that -singular incident with great minuteness. Day and hour, place and name, -were present to her memory: we shall here compress into a word or two so -much of it as will be necessary for the information of our readers. - -The reason of Lothario's quick departure was, unhappily, too easy to -explain. He had met Theresa's mother on her journey: her charms -attracted him; she was no niggard of them; and this luckless transitory -aberration came at length to shut him out from being united to a lady -whom nature seemed to have expressly made for him. As for Theresa, she -continued in the pure circle of her duties. They learned that Lydia had -been living in the neighborhood in secret. She was happy that the -marriage, though for unknown causes, had not been completed. She -endeavored to renew her intimacy with Lothario; and more, as it seemed, -out of desperation than affection, by surprise than with consideration, -from tedium than of purpose, he had met her wishes. - -Theresa was not uneasy on this account; she waived all further claims; -and, if he had even been her husband, she would probably have had -sufficient spirit to endure a matter of this kind, if it had not -troubled her domestic order: at least, she often used to say, that a -wife who properly conducted her economy should take no umbrage at such -little fancies of her husband, but be always certain that he would -return. - -Erelong Theresa's mother had deranged her fortune: the losses fell upon -the daughter, whose share of the effects, in consequence, was small. The -old lady, who had been Theresa's benefactress, died, leaving her a -little property in land, and a handsome sum by way of legacy. Theresa -soon contrived to make herself at home in this new, narrow circle. -Lothario offered her a better property, Jarno endeavoring to negotiate -the business; but she refused it. "I will show," said she, "in this -little, that I deserved to share the great with him; but I keep this -before me, that, should accident embarrass me, on my own account or that -of others, I will betake myself without the smallest hesitation to my -generous friend." - -There is nothing less liable to be concealed and unemployed than -well-directed practical activity. Scarcely had she settled in her little -property, when her acquaintance and advice began to be desired by many -of her neighbors; and the proprietor of the adjacent lands gave her -plainly enough to understand that it depended on herself alone whether -she would take his hand, and be heiress of the greater part of his -estates. She had already mentioned the matter to our friend: she often -jested with him about marriages, suitable and unsuitable. - -"Nothing," said she once, "gives a greater loose to people's tongues -than when a marriage happens which they can denominate unsuitable: and -yet the unsuitable are far more common than the suitable; for, alas! -with most marriages, it is not long till things assume a very piteous -look. The confusion of ranks by marriage can be called unsuitable only -when the one party is unable to participate in the manner of existence -which is native, habitual, and which at length grows absolutely -necessary, to the other. The different classes have different ways of -living, which they cannot change or communicate to one another; and this -is the reason why connections such as these, in general, were better not -be formed. Yet exceptions, and exceptions of the happiest kind, are -possible. Thus, too, the marriage of a young woman with a man advanced -in life is generally unsuitable; yet I have seen some such turn out -extremely well. For me, I know but of one kind of marriage that would be -entirely unsuitable,--that in which I should be called upon to make a -show, and manage ceremonies: I would rather give my hand to the son of -any honest farmer in the neighborhood." - -Wilhelm at length made ready for returning. He requested of Theresa to -obtain for him a parting word with Lydia. The impassioned girl at last -consented: he said some kindly things to her, to which she answered, -"The first burst of anguish I have conquered. Lothario will be ever dear -to me: but for those friends of his, I know them; and it grieves me that -they are about him. The abbé, for a whim's sake, could leave a person in -extreme need, or even plunge one into it; the doctor would have all -things go on like clock-work; Jarno has no heart; and you--at least no -force of character! Just go on: let these three people use you as their -tool; they will have many an execution to commit to you. For a long -time, as I know well, my presence has been hateful to them. I had not -found out their secret, but I had observed that they had one. Why these -bolted rooms, these strange passages? Why can no one ever reach the -central tower? Why did they banish me, whenever they could, to my own -chamber? I will confess, jealousy at first incited me to these -discoveries: I feared some lucky rival might be hid there. I have now -laid aside that suspicion: I am well convinced that Lothario loves me, -that he means honorably by me; but I am quite as well convinced that his -false and artful friends betray him. If you would really do him service, -if you would ever be forgiven for the injury which I have suffered from -you, free him from the hands of these men. But what am I expecting! Give -this letter to him; repeat what it contains,--that I will love him -forever, that I depend upon his word. Ah!" cried she, rising, and -throwing herself with tears upon Theresa's neck: "he is surrounded by my -foes; they will endeavor to persuade him that I have sacrificed nothing -for his sake. Oh! Lothario may well believe that he is worthy of any -sacrifice, without needing to be grateful for it." - -Wilhelm's parting with Theresa was more cheerful: she wished they might -soon meet again. "Me you wholly know," said she: "I alone have talked -while we have been together. It will be your duty, next time, to repay -my candor." - -During his return he kept contemplating this new and bright phenomenon -with the liveliest recollection. What confidence had she inspired him -with. He thought of Mignon and Felix, and how happy they might be if -under her direction; then he thought of himself, and felt what pleasure -it would be to live beside a being so entirely serene and clear. As he -approached Lothario's castle, he observed, with more than usual -interest, the central tower and the many passages and side-buildings: he -resolved to question Jarno or the abbé on the subject, by the earliest -opportunity. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - -On arriving at the castle, Wilhelm found its noble owner in the way of -full recovery: the doctor and the abbé had gone off; Jarno alone was -there. It was not long till the patient now and then could ride, -sometimes by himself, sometimes with his friends. His conversation was -at once courteous and earnest, instructive and enlivening: you could -often notice in it traces of a tender sensibility; although he strove to -hide it, and almost seemed to blame it, when, in spite of him, it came -to view. - -One evening while at table he was silent, though his look was very -cheerful. - -"To-day," said Jarno, "you have met with an adventure; and, no doubt, -you relished it." - -"I give you credit for your penetration," said Lothario. "Yes, I have -met with a very pleasing adventure. At another time, perhaps, I should -not have considered it so charming as to-day, when it came upon me so -attractively. Towards night I rode out beyond the river, through the -hamlets, by a path which I had often visited in former years. My bodily -ailings must have reduced me more than I supposed: I felt weak; but, as -my strength was re-awakening, I was, as it were, new-born. All objects -seemed to wear the hues they had in earlier times: all looked graceful, -lovely, charming, as they have not looked to me for many years. I easily -observed that it was mere debility, yet I continued to enjoy it: I rode -softly onwards, and could now conceive how men may grow to like diseases -which attune us to those sweet emotions. You know, perhaps, what used of -old so frequently to lead me that way?" - -"If I mistake not," answered Jarno, "it was a little love-concern you -were engaged in with a farmer's daughter." - -"It might be called a great one," said Lothario; "for we loved each -other deeply, seriously, and for a long time. To-day, it happened, every -thing combined to represent before me in its liveliest color the -earliest season of our love. The boys were again shaking may-bugs from -the trees: the ashen grove had not grown larger since the day I saw her -first. It was now long since I had met with Margaret. She is married at -a distance; and I had heard by chance that she was come with her -children, some weeks ago, to pay a visit to her father." - -"This ride, then, was not altogether accidental?" - -"I will not deny," replied Lothario, "that I wished to meet her. On -coming near the house, I saw her father sitting at the door: a child of -probably a year old was standing by him. As I approached, a female gave -a hasty look from an upper window; and a minute afterwards I heard some -person tripping down-stairs. I thought surely it was she; and, I will -confess, I was flattering myself that she had recognized me, and was -hastening to meet me. But what was my surprise and disappointment, when -she bounded from the door, seized the child, to whom the horses had come -pretty close, and took it in! It gave me a painful twinge: my vanity, -however, was a little solaced when I thought I saw a tint of redness on -her neck and on the ear, which were uncovered. - -"I drew up, and, while speaking with the father, glanced sideways over -all the windows, to observe if she would not appear at some of them; but -no trace of her was visible. Ask I would not, so I rode away. My -displeasure was a little mollified by wonder; though I had not seen the -face, it appeared to me that she was scarcely changed; and ten years are -a pretty space! Nay, she looked even younger, quite as slim, as light of -foot; her neck, if possible, was lovelier than before; her cheeks as -quick at blushing; yet she was the mother of six children, perhaps of -more. This apparition suited the enchantment which surrounded me so -well, that I rode along with feelings grown still younger; and I did not -turn till I was at the forest, when the sun was going down. Strongly as -the falling dew and the prescription of our doctor called upon me to -proceed direct homewards, I could not help again going round by the -farmhouse. I observed a woman walking up and down the garden, which is -fenced by a light hedge. I rode along the footpath to it, and found -myself at no great distance from the person whom I wanted. - -"Though the evening sun was glancing in my eyes, I saw that she was busy -with the hedge, which only slightly covered her. I thought I recognized -my mistress. On coming up, I halted, not without a palpitation at the -heart. Some high twigs of wild roses, which a soft air was blowing to -and fro, made her figure indistinct to me. I spoke to her, asked her how -she was. She answered, in an under-tone, 'Quite well.' In the mean time -I perceived a child behind the hedge, engaged in plucking roses; and I -took the opportunity of asking where her other children were. 'It is not -my child,' said she: 'that were rather early!' And at this moment it -happened that the twigs were blown aside, and her face could be -distinctly seen. I knew not what to make of the affair. It was my -mistress, and it was not. Almost younger, almost lovelier, than she -used to be ten years before. 'Are not you the farmer's daughter?' -inquired I, half confused. 'No,' said she: 'I am her cousin.' - -"'You resemble one another wonderfully,' added I. - -"'Yes, so says every one that knew her half a score of years ago.' - -"I continued putting various questions to her: my mistake was pleasant -to me, even after I had found it out. I could not leave this living -image of by-gone blessedness that stood before me. The child, meanwhile, -had gone away: it had wandered to the pond in search of flowers. She -took her leave, and hastened after it. - -"I had now, however, learned that my former love was really in her -father's house. While riding forward, I employed myself in guessing -whether it had been her cousin or she that had secured the child from -harm. I more than once, in thought, repeated all the circumstances of -the incident: I can remember few things that have affected me more -gratefully. But I feel that I am still unwell: we must ask the doctor to -deliver us from the remains of this pathetic humor." - -With confidential narratives of pretty love adventures, it often happens -as with ghost stories: when the first is told, the others follow of -themselves. - -Our little party, in recalling other times, found numerous passages of -this description. Lothario had the most to tell. Jarno's histories were -all of one peculiar character: what Wilhelm could disclose we already -know. He was apprehensive they might mention his adventure with the -countess; but it was not hinted at, not even in the remotest manner. - -"It is true," observed Lothario, "there can scarcely any feeling in the -world be more agreeable than when the heart, after a pause of -indifference, again opens to love for some new object; yet I would -forever have renounced that happiness, had fate been pleased to unite me -with Theresa. We are not always youths: we ought not always to be -children. To the man who knows the world, who understands what he should -do in it, what he should hope from it, nothing can be more desirable -than meeting with a wife who will everywhere co-operate with him, who -will everywhere prepare his way for him; whose diligence takes up what -his must leave; whose occupation spreads itself on every side, while his -must travel forward on its single path. What a heaven had I figured for -myself beside Theresa! Not the heaven of an enthusiastic bliss, but of a -sure life on earth; order in prosperity, courage in adversity, care for -the smallest, and a spirit capable of comprehending and managing the -greatest. Oh! I saw in her the qualities which, when developed, make -such women as we find in history, whose excellence appears to us far -preferable to that of men,--this clearness of view, this expertness in -all emergencies, this sureness in details, which brings the whole so -accurately out, although they never seem to think of it. You may well -forgive me," added he, and turning to Wilhelm, with a smile, "that I -forsook Aurelia for Theresa: with the one I could expect a calm and -cheerful life, with the other not a happy hour." - -"I will confess," said Wilhelm, "that, in coming hither, I had no small -anger in my heart against you; that I proposed to censure with severity -your conduct to Aurelia." - -"It was really censurable," said Lothario: "I should not have exchanged -my friendship for her with the sentiment of love; I should not, in place -of the respect which she deserved, have intruded an attachment she was -neither calculated to excite nor to maintain. Alas! she was not lovely -when she loved,--the greatest misery that can befall a woman." - -"Well, it is past!" said Wilhelm. "We cannot always shun the things we -blame; in spite of us, our feelings and our actions sometimes strangely -swerve from their natural and right direction; yet there are certain -duties which we never should lose sight of. Peace be to the ashes of our -friend! Without censuring ourselves or her, let us with sympathizing -hearts strew flowers upon her grave. But, at the grave in which the -hapless mother sleeps, let me ask why you acknowledge not the child,--a -son whom any father might rejoice in, and whom you appear entirely to -overlook? With your pure and tender nature, how can you altogether cast -away the instinct of a parent? All this while you have not spent one -syllable upon that precious creature, of whose attractions I could say -so much." - -"Whom do you speak of?" asked Lothario: "I do not understand you." - -"Of whom but of your son, Aurelia's son, the lovely child, to whose good -fortune there is nothing wanting, but that a tender father should -acknowledge and receive him." - -"You mistake, my friend!" exclaimed Lothario; "Aurelia never had a son, -at least by me: I know of no child, or I would with joy acknowledge it; -and, even in the present case, I will gladly look upon the little -creature as a relic of her, and take charge of educating it. But did -she ever give you to believe that the boy was hers, was mine?" - -"I cannot recollect that I ever heard a word from her expressly on the -subject; but we took it up so, and I never for a moment doubted it." - -"I can give you something like a clew to this perplexity," said Jarno. -"An old woman, whom you must have noticed often, gave Aurelia the child: -she accepted it with passion, hoping to alleviate her sorrows by its -presence; and, in truth, it gave her many a comfortable hour." - -This discovery awoke anxieties in Wilhelm: he thought of his dear Mignon -and his beautiful Felix with the liveliest distinctness. He expressed -his wish to remove them both from the state in which they were. - -"We shall soon arrange it," said Lothario. "The little girl may be -committed to Theresa: she cannot be in better hands. As for the boy, I -think you should yourself take charge of him: what in us the women leave -uncultivated, children cultivate when we retain them near us." - -"But first, I think," said Jarno, "you will once for all renounce the -stage, as you have no talent for it." - -Our friend was struck: he had to curb himself, for Jarno's harsh -sentence had not a little wounded his self-love. "If you convince me of -that," replied he, forcing a smile, "you will do me a service, though it -is but a mournful service to rouse one from a pleasing dream." - -"Without enlarging on the subject," answered Jarno, "I could merely wish -you would go and fetch the children. The rest will come in course." - -"I am ready," answered Wilhelm: "I am restless, and curious to see if I -can get no further knowledge of the boy: I long to see the little girl -who has attached herself so strangely to me." - -It was agreed that he should lose no time in setting out. Next day he -had prepared himself: his horse was saddled; he only waited for Lothario -to take leave of him. At the dinner-hour they went as usual to table, -not waiting for the master of the house. He did not come till late, and -then sat down by them. - -"I could bet," said Jarno, "that to-day you have again been making trial -of your tenderness of heart: you have not been able to withstand the -curiosity to see your quondam love." - -"Guessed!" replied Lothario. - -"Let us hear," said Jarno, "how it went: I long to know." - -"I confess," replied Lothario, "the affair lay nearer my heart than it -reasonably ought: so I formed the resolution of again riding out, and -actually seeing the person whose renewed young image had affected me -with such a pleasing illusion. I alighted at some distance from the -house, and sent the horses to a side, that the children, who were -playing at the door, might not be disturbed. I entered the house: by -chance she met me just within the threshold; it was herself; and I -recognized her, notwithstanding the striking change. She had grown -stouter, and seemed to be larger; her gracefulness was shaded by a look -of staidness; her vivacity had passed into a calm reflectiveness. Her -head, which she once bore so airily and freely, drooped a little: slight -furrows had been traced upon her brow. - -"She cast down her eyes on seeing me, but no blush announced any inward -movement of the heart. I held out my hand to her, she gave me hers; I -inquired about her husband, he was absent; about her children, she -stepped out and called them; all came in and gathered round her. Nothing -is more charming than to see a mother with a child upon her arm; nothing -is more reverend than a mother among many children. That I might say -something, I asked the name of the youngest. She desired me to walk in -and see her father; I agreed; she introduced me to the room, where every -thing was standing almost just as I had left it; and, what seemed -stranger still, the fair cousin, her living image, was sitting on the -very seat behind the spinning-wheel, where I had found my love so often -in the self-same form. A little girl, the very figure of her mother, had -come after us; and thus I stood in the most curious scene, between the -future and the past, as in a grove of oranges, where within a little -circle flowers and fruits are living, in successive stages of their -growth, beside each other. The cousin went away to fetch us some -refreshment: I gave the woman I had loved so much my hand, and said to -her, 'I feel a true joy in seeing you again.'--'You are very good to say -so,' answered she; 'but I also can assure you I feel the highest joy. -How often have I wished to see you once more in my life! I have wished -it in moments which I regarded as my last.' She said this with a settled -voice, without appearance of emotion, with that natural air which of old -delighted me so much. The cousin returned, the father with her; and I -leave you to conceive with what feelings I remained, and with what I -came away." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - -In his journey to the town, our friend was thinking of the lovely women -whom he knew or had heard of: their curious fortunes, which contained so -little happiness, were present to him with a sad distinctness. "Ah!" -cried he, "poor Mariana! What shall I yet learn of thee? And thou, noble -Amazon, glorious, protecting spirit, to whom I owe so much, whom I -everywhere expect to meet, and nowhere see, in what mournful -circumstances may I find thee, shouldst thou again appear before me!" - -On his arrival in the town, there was not one of his acquaintances at -home: he hastened to the theatre; he supposed they would be rehearsing. -Here, however, all was still; the house seemed empty: one little door -alone was open. Passing through it to the stage, he found Aurelia's -ancient serving-maid, employed in sewing linen for a new decoration: -there was barely light enough to let her work. Felix and Mignon were -sitting by her on the floor: they had a book between them; and, while -Mignon read aloud, Felix was repeating all the words, as if he, too, -knew his letters,--as if he, too, could read. - -The children started up, and ran to him: he embraced them with the -tenderest feelings, and brought them closer to the woman. "Art thou the -person," said he to her with an earnest voice, "from whom Aurelia -received this child?" She looked up from her work, and turned her face -to him: he saw her in full light; he started back in terror,--it was old -Barbara. - -"Where is Mariana?" cried he. "Far from here," replied the crone. - -"And Felix"-- - -"Is the son of that unhappy and too true and tender-hearted girl. May -you never feel what you have made us suffer! May the treasure which I -now deliver you make you as happy as he made us wretched!" - -She arose to go away: Wilhelm held her fast. "I mean not to escape -you," said she: "let me fetch a paper that will make you glad and -sorrowful." - -She retired, and Wilhelm gazed upon the child with a painful joy: he -durst not reckon him his own. "He is thine!" cried Mignon, "he is -thine!" and passed the child to Wilhelm's knee. - -Barbara came back, and handed him a letter. "Here are Mariana's last -words," said she. - -"She is dead!" cried he. - -"Dead," said the old woman. "I wish to spare you all reproaches." - -Astonished and confounded, Wilhelm broke up the letter; but scarcely had -he read the first words of it when a bitter grief took hold of him: he -let the letter fall, and sank upon a seat. Mignon hurried to him, trying -to console him. In the mean time Felix had picked up the letter: he -teased his playmate till she yielded, till she knelt beside him and read -it over. Felix repeated the words, and Wilhelm was compelled to hear -them twice. "If this sheet should ever reach thee, then lament thy -ill-starred friend. Thy love has caused her death. The boy, whose birth -I survive but a few days, is thine: I die faithful to thee, much as -appearances may be against me; with thee I lost every thing that bound -me to life. I die content, for they have assured me that the child is -healthy and will live. Listen to old Barbara; forgive her: farewell, and -forget me not." - -What a painful, and yet, to his comfort, half enigmatic letter! Its -contents pierced through his heart, as the children, stuttering and -stammering, pronounced and repeated them. - -"That's what has come of it!" said the crone, not waiting till he had -recovered. "Thank Heaven, that, having lost so true a love, you have -still left you so fine a child. Your grief will be unequalled when you -learn how the poor, good girl stood faithful to you to the end, how -miserable she became, and what she sacrificed for your sake." - -"Let me drain the cup of sorrow and of joy at once!" cried Wilhelm. -"Convince me, even persuade me, that she was a good girl, that she -deserved respect as well as love: then leave me to my grief for her -irreparable loss." - -"It is not yet time," said Barbara: "I have work to do, and I would not -we were seen together. Let it be a secret that Felix is your son: I -should have too much abuse to suffer from the company, for having -formerly deceived them. Mignon will not betray us: she is good and -close." - -"I have known it long, and I said nothing," answered Mignon. "How is it -possible?" cried Barbara. "Whence?" cried Wilhelm. - -"The spirit told it me." - -"Where? Where?" - -"In the vault, when the old man drew his knife, it called to me, 'Bring -his father;' and I thought it must be thou." - -"_Who_ called to thee?" - -"I know not: in my heart, in my head, I was terrified; I trembled, I -prayed; then it called, and I understood it." - -Wilhelm pressed her to his heart, recommended Felix to her, and retired. -He had not observed till then that she was grown much paler and thinner -than when he left her. Madam Melina was the first acquaintance he met: -she received him in the friendliest manner. "Oh that you might find -every thing among us as you wished!" exclaimed she. - -"I doubt it," answered Wilhelm: "I do not expect it. Confess that they -have taken all their measures to dispense with me." - -"Why would you go away?" replied his friend. - -"We cannot soon enough convince ourselves," said he, "how very simply we -may be dispensed with in the world. What important personages we -conceive ourselves to be! We think that it is we alone who animate the -circle we move in; that, in our absence, life, nourishment, and breath -will make a general pause: and, alas! the void which occurs is scarcely -remarked, so soon is it filled up again; nay, it is often but the place, -if not for something better, at least for something more agreeable." - -"And the sorrows of our friends we are not to take into account?" - -"For our friends, too, it is well, when they soon recover their -composure, when they say each to himself, there where thou art, there -where thou remainest, accomplish what thou canst; be busy, be courteous, -and let the present scene delight thee." - -On a narrower inquiry, he found what he had looked for: the opera had -been set up, and was exclusively attracting the attention of the public. -His parts had in the mean while been distributed between Horatio and -Laertes, and both of them were in the habit of eliciting from the -spectators far more liberal applause than he had ever been enabled to -obtain. - -Laertes entered: and Madam Melina cried, "Look you here at this lucky -fellow; he is soon to be a capitalist, or Heaven knows what!" Wilhelm, -in embracing him, discovered that his coat was superfine: the rest of -his apparel was simple, but of the very best materials. - -"Solve me the riddle!" cried our friend. - -"You are still in time to learn," replied Laertes, "that my running to -and fro is now about to be repaid; that a partner in a large commercial -house is turning to advantage my acquirements from books or observation, -and allowing me a share with him. I would give something, could I -purchase back my confidence in women: there is a pretty niece in the -house; and I see well enough, that, if I pleased, I might soon be a made -man." - -"You have not heard," said Frau Melina, "that a marriage has already -taken place among ourselves? Serlo is actually wedded to the fair -Elmira: her father would not tolerate their secret correspondence." - -They talked in this manner about many things that had occurred while he -was absent: nor was it difficult for him to observe, that, according to -the present temper and constitution of the company, his dismissal had -already taken place. - -He impatiently expected Barbara, who had appointed him to wait for her -far in the night. She was to come when all were sleeping: she required -as many preparations as if she had been the youngest maiden gliding in -to her beloved. Meanwhile he read a hundred times the letter she had -given him,--read with unspeakable delight the word _faithful_ in the -hand of his darling, with horror the announcement of her death, whose -approaches she appeared to view unmoved. - -Midnight was past, when something rustled at the half-open door, and -Barbara came in with a little basket. "I am to tell you the story of our -woes," said she: "and I must believe that you will sit unmoved at the -recital; that you are waiting for me but to satisfy your curiosity; that -you will now, as you did formerly, retire within your cold selfishness, -while our hearts are breaking. But look you here! Thus, on that happy -evening, did I bring you the bottle of champagne; thus did I place the -three glasses on the table: and as you then began, with soft nursery -tales, to cozen us and lull us asleep; so will I now with stern truths -instruct you and keep you waking." - -Wilhelm knew not what to say, when the old woman, in fact, let go the -cork, and filled the three glasses to the brim. - -"Drink!" cried she, having emptied at a draught her foaming glass. -"Drink, ere the spirit of it pass! This third glass shall froth away -untasted to the memory of my unhappy Mariana. How red were her lips when -she then drank your health! Ah, and now forever pale and cold!" - -"Sibyl! Fury!" cried Wilhelm, springing up, and striking the table with -his fist, "what evil spirit possesses thee and drives thee? For what -dost thou take me, that thou thinkest the simplest narrative of -Mariana's death and sorrows will not harrow me enough, but usest these -hellish arts to sharpen my torment? If thy insatiable greediness is -such, that thou must revel at the funeral-table, drink and speak! I have -loathed thee from of old; and I cannot reckon Mariana guiltless while I -even look upon thee, her companion." - -"Softly, mein Herr!" replied the crone: "you shall not ruffle me. Your -debts to us are deep and dark: the railing of a debtor does not anger -one. But you are right: the simplest narrative will punish you -sufficiently. Hear, then, the struggle and the victory of Mariana -striving to continue yours." - -"Continue mine?" cried Wilhelm: "what fable dost thou mean to tell me?" - -"Interrupt me not," said she; "hear me, and then give what belief you -list: to me it is all one. Did you not, the last night you were with us, -find a letter in the room, and take it with you?" - -"I found the letter _after_ I had taken it with me: it was lying in the -neckerchief, which, in the warmth of my love, I had seized and carried -off." - -"What did the sheet contain?" - -"The expectation of an angry lover to be better treated on the next than -he had been on the preceding evening. And that you kept your word to -him, I need not be told; for I saw him with my own eyes gliding from -your house before daybreak." - -"You may have seen him; but what occurred within, how sadly Mariana -passed that night, how fretfully I passed it, you are yet to learn. I -will be altogether candid: I will neither hide nor palliate the fact, -that I persuaded Mariana to yield to the solicitations of a certain -Norberg; it was with repugnance that she followed my advice, nay, that -she even heard it. He was rich; he seemed attached: I hoped he would be -constant. Soon after, he was forced to go upon his journey; and Mariana -became acquainted with you. What had I then to abide! What to hinder, -what to undergo! 'Oh!' cried she often, 'hadst thou spared my youth, my -innocence, but four short weeks, I might have found a worthy object of -my love; I had then been worthy of him; and love might have given, with -a quiet conscience, what now I have sold against my will.' She entirely -abandoned herself to her affection for you: I need not ask if you were -happy. Over her understanding I had an unbounded power, for I knew the -means of satisfying all her little inclinations: but over her heart I -had no control; for she never sanctioned what I did for her, what I -counselled her to do, when her heart said nay. It was only to -irresistible necessity that she would yield, but erelong the necessity -appeared to her extremely pressing. In the first period of her youth, -she had never known want; by a complication of misfortunes, her people -lost their fortune; the poor girl had been used to have a number of -conveniences; and upon her young spirit certain principles of honor had -been stamped, which made her restless, without much helping her. She had -not the smallest skill in worldly matters: she was innocent in the -strictest meaning of the word. She had no idea that one could buy -without paying; nothing frightened her more than being in debt: she -always rather liked to give than take. This, and this alone, was what -made it possible that she could be constrained to give herself away, in -order to get rid of various little debts which weighed upon her." - -"And couldst not thou," cried Wilhelm, in an angry tone, "have saved -her?" - -"Oh, yes!" replied the beldame, "with hunger and need, with sorrow and -privation; but for this I was not disposed." - -"Abominable, base procuress! So thou hast sacrificed the hapless -creature! Offered her up to thy throat, to thy insatiable maw!" - -"It were better to compose yourself, and cease your reviling," said the -dame. "If you will revile, go to your high, noble houses: there you will -meet with many a mother, full of anxious cares to find out for some -lovely, heavenly maiden the most odious of men, provided he be the -richest. See the poor creature shivering and faltering before her fate, -and nowhere finding consolation, till some more experienced female lets -her understand, that, by marriage, she acquires the right, in future, to -dispose of her heart and person as she pleases." - -"Peace!" cried Wilhelm. "Dost thou think that one crime can be the -excuse of another? To thy story, without further observations!" - -"Do you listen, then, without blaming! Mariana became yours against my -will. In this adventure, at least, I have nothing to reproach myself -with. Norberg returned; he made haste to visit Mariana: she received him -coldly and angrily,--would not even admit him to a kiss. I employed all -my art in apologizing for her conduct,--gave him to understand that her -confessor had awakened her conscience: that, so long as conscientious -scruples lasted, one was bound to respect them. I at last so far -succeeded that he went away, I promising to do my utmost for him. He was -rich and rude; but there was a touch of goodness in him, and he loved -Mariana without limit. He promised to be patient, and I labored with the -greatest ardor not to try him too far. With Mariana I had a stubborn -contest: I persuaded her, nay, I may call it forced her, by the threat -of leaving her, to write to Norberg, and invite him for the night. You -came, and by chance picked up his answer in the neckerchief. Your -presence broke my game. For scarcely were you gone, when she anew began -her lamentation: she swore she would not be unfaithful to you; she was -so passionate, so frantic, that I could not help sincerely pitying her. -In the end, I promised, that for this night also I would pacify her -lover, and send him off, under some pretence or other. I entreated her -to go to bed, but she did not seem to trust me: she kept on her clothes, -and at last fell asleep, without undressing, agitated and exhausted with -weeping as she was. - -"Norberg came; representing in the blackest hues her conscientious -agonies and her repentance, I endeavored to retain him: he wished to see -her, and I went into the room to prepare her; he followed me, and both -of us at once came forward to her bed. She awoke, sprang wildly up, and -tore herself from our arms: she conjured and begged, she entreated, -threatened, and declared she would not yield. She was improvident enough -to let fall some words about the true state of her affections, which -poor Norberg had to understand in a spiritual sense. At length he left -her, and she locked her door. I kept him long with me, and talked with -him about her situation. I told him that she was with child; that, poor -girl, she should be humored. He was so delighted with his fatherhood, -with his prospect of a boy, that he granted every thing she wished: he -promised rather to set out and travel for a time, than vex his dear, -and injure her by these internal troubles. With such intentions, at an -early hour he glided out; and if you, mein Herr, stood sentry by our -house, there was nothing wanting to your happiness, but to have looked -into the bosom of your rival, whom you thought so favored and so -fortunate, and whose appearance drove you to despair." - -"Art thou speaking truth?" said Wilhelm. - -"True," said the crone, "as I still hope to drive you to despair." - -"Yes: certainly you would despair, if I could rightly paint to you the -following morning. How cheerfully did she awake! how kindly did she call -me in, how warmly thank me, how cordially press me to her bosom! 'Now,' -said she, stepping up to her mirror with a smile, 'can I again take -pleasure in myself, and in my looks, since once more I am my own, am -his, my one beloved friend's. How sweet is it to conquer! How I thank -thee for taking charge of me; for having turned thy prudence and thy -understanding, once, at least, to my advantage! Stand by me, and devise -the means of making me entirely happy!' - -"I assented, would not irritate her: I flattered her hopes, and she -caressed me tenderly. If she retired but a moment from the window, I was -made to stand and watch: for you, of course, would pass; for she at -least would see you. Thus did we spend the restless day. At night, at -the accustomed hour, we looked for you with certainty. I was already out -waiting at the staircase: I grew weary, and came in to her again. With -surprise I found her in her military dress: she looked cheerful and -charming beyond what I had ever seen her. 'Do I not deserve,' said she, -'to appear to-night in man's apparel? Have I not struggled bravely? My -dearest shall see me as he saw me for the first time: I will press him -as tenderly and with greater freedom to my heart than then; for am I not -his much more than I was then, when a noble resolution had not freed me? -But,' added she, after pausing for a little, 'I have not yet entirely -won him; I must still risk the uttermost, in order to be worthy, to be -certain of possessing him; I must disclose the whole to him, discover to -him all my state, then leave it to himself to keep or to reject me. This -scene I am preparing for my friend, preparing for myself; and, were his -feelings capable of casting me away, I should then belong again entirely -to myself; my punishment would bring me consolation, I would suffer all -that fate could lay upon me.' - -"With such purposes and hopes, mein Herr, this lovely girl expected you: -you came not. Oh! how shall I describe the state of watching and of -hope? I see thee still before me,--with what love, what heartfelt love, -thou spokest of the man whose cruelty thou hadst not yet experienced." - -"Good, dear Barbara!" cried Wilhelm, springing up, and seizing the old -woman by the hand, "we have had enough of mummery and preparation! Thy -indifferent, thy calm, contented tone betrays thee. Give me back my -Mariana! She is living, she is near at hand. Not in vain didst thou -choose this late, lonely hour to visit me; not in vain hast thou -prepared me by thy most delicious narrative. Where is she? Where hast -thou hidden her? I believe all, I will promise to believe all, so thou -but show her to me, so thou give her to my arms. The shadow of her I -have seen already: let me clasp her once more to my bosom. I will kneel -before her, I will entreat forgiveness; I will congratulate her upon her -victory over herself and thee; I will bring my Felix to her. Come! Where -hast thou concealed her? Leave _her_, leave me no longer in uncertainty! -Thy object is attained. Where hast thou hidden her? Let me light thee -with this candle, let me once more see her fair and kindly face!" - -He had pulled old Barbara from her chair: she stared at him; tears -started into her eyes, wild pangs of grief took hold of her. "What -luckless error," cried she, "leaves you still a moment's hope? Yes, I -have hidden her, but beneath the ground: neither the light of the sun -nor any social taper shall again illuminate her kindly face. Take the -boy Felix to her grave, and say to him, 'There lies thy mother, whom thy -father doomed unheard.' The heart of Mariana beats no longer with -impatience to behold you: not in a neighboring chamber is she waiting -the conclusion of my narrative or fable; the dark chamber has received -her, to which no bridegroom follows, from which none comes to meet a -lover." - -She cast herself upon the floor beside a chair, and wept bitterly. -Wilhelm now, for the first time, felt entirely convinced that Mariana -was no more: his emotions it is easy to conceive. The old woman rose: "I -have nothing more to tell you," cried she, and threw a packet on the -table. "Here are some writings that will put your cruelty to shame: -peruse these sheets with unwet eyes, if you can." She glided softly out. -Our friend had not the heart to open the pocket-book that night: he had -himself presented it to Mariana; he knew that she had carefully -preserved in it every letter he had sent her. Next morning he prevailed -upon himself: he untied the ribbon; little notes came forward written -with pencil in his own hand, and recalled to him every situation, from -the first day of their graceful acquaintance to the last of their stern -separation. In particular, it was not without acute anguish that he read -a small series of billets which had been addressed to himself, and to -which, as he saw from their tenor, Werner had refused admittance. - -"No one of my letters has yet penetrated to thee; my entreaties, my -prayers, have not reached thee; was it thyself that gave these cruel -orders? Shall I never see thee more? Yet again I attempt it: I entreat -thee, come, oh come! I ask not to retain thee, if I might but once more -press thee to my heart." - -"When I used to sit beside thee, holding thy hands, looking in thy eyes, -and with the full heart of love and trust to call thee 'Dear, dear good -Wilhelm!' it would please thee so, that I had to repeat it over and -over. I repeat it once again: 'Dear, dear good Wilhelm! Be good as thou -wert: come, and leave me not to perish in my wretchedness.'" - -"Thou regardest me as guilty: I am so, but not as thou thinkest. Come, -let me have this single comfort, to be altogether known to thee, let -what will befall me afterwards." - -"Not for my sake alone, for thy own too, I beg of thee to come. I feel -the intolerable pains thou art suffering, whilst thou fleest from me. -Come, that our separation may be less cruel! Perhaps I was never worthy -of thee till this moment, when thou art repelling me to boundless woe." - -"By all that is holy, by all that can touch a human heart, I call upon -thee! It involves the safety of a soul, it involves a life, two lives, -one of which must ever be dear to thee. This, too, thy suspicion will -discredit: yet I will speak it in the hour of death; the child which I -carry under my heart is thine. Since I began to love thee, no other man -has even pressed my hand. Oh that thy love, that thy uprightness, had -been the companions of my youth!" - -"Thou wilt not hear me? I must even be silent. But these letters will -not die: perhaps they will speak to thee, when the shroud is covering my -lips, and the voice of thy repentance cannot reach my ear. Through my -weary life, to the last moment, this will be my only comfort, that, -though I cannot call myself blameless, towards thee I am free from -blame." - - * * * * * - -Wilhelm could proceed no farther: he resigned himself entirely to his -sorrow, which became still more afflicting; when, Laertes entering, he -was obliged to hide his feelings. Laertes showed a purse of ducats, and -began to count and reckon them, assuring Wilhelm that there could be -nothing finer in the world than for a man to feel himself on the way to -wealth; that nothing then could trouble or detain him. Wilhelm bethought -him of his dream, and smiled; but at the same time, he remembered with a -shudder, that in his vision Mariana had forsaken him, to follow his -departed father, and that both of them at last had moved about the -garden, hovering in the air like spirits. - -Laertes forced him from his meditations: he brought him to a -coffee-house, where, immediately on Wilhelm's entrance, several persons -gathered round him. They were men who had applauded his performance on -the stage: they expressed their joy at meeting him; lamenting that, as -they had heard, he meant to leave the theatre. They spoke so reasonably -and kindly of himself and his acting, of his talent, and their hopes -from it, that Wilhelm, not without emotion, cried at last, "Oh, how -infinitely precious would such sympathy have been to me some months ago! -How instructive, how encouraging! Never had I turned my mind so totally -from the concerns of the stage, never had I gone so far as to despair of -the public." - -"So far as this," said an elderly man who now stepped forward, "we -should never go. The public is large: true judgment, true feeling, are -not quite so rare as one believes; only the artist ought not to demand -an unconditional approval of his work. Unconditional approval is always -the least valuable: conditional you gentlemen are not content with. In -life, as in art, I know well, a person must take counsel with himself -when he purposes to do or to produce any thing: but, when it is produced -or done, he must listen with attention to the voices of a number; and, -with a little practice, out of these many votes he will be able to -collect a perfect judgment. The few who could well have saved us this -trouble for the most part hold their peace." - -"This they should not do," said Wilhelm. "I have often heard people, who -themselves kept silence in regard to works of merit, complain and lament -that silence was kept." - -"To-day, then, we will speak aloud," cried a young man. "You must dine -with us; and we will try to pay off a little of the debt which we have -owed to you, and sometimes also to our good Aurelia." - -This invitation Wilhelm courteously declined: he went to Frau Melina, -whom he wished to speak with on the subject of the children, as he meant -to take them from her. - -Old Barbara's secret was not too religiously observed by him. He -betrayed himself so soon as he again beheld the lovely Felix. "Oh my -child!" cried he: "my dear child!" He lifted him, and pressed him to his -heart. - -"Father! what hast thou brought for me?" cried the child. Mignon looked -at both, as if she meant to warn them not to blab. - -"What new phenomenon is this?" said Frau Melina. They got the children -sent away; and Wilhelm, thinking that he did not owe old Barbara the -strictest secrecy, disclosed the whole affair to Frau Melina. She viewed -him with a smile. "Oh, these credulous men!" exclaimed she. "If any -thing is lying in their path, it is so easy to impose it on them; while -in other cases they will neither look to the right nor left, and can -value nothing which they have not previously impressed with the stamp of -an arbitrary passion!" She sighed, against her will: if our friend had -not been altogether blind, he must have noticed in her conduct an -affection for him which had never been entirely subdued. - -He now spoke with her about the children,--how he purposed to keep Felix -with him, and to place Mignon in the country. Madam Melina, though sorry -at the thought of parting with them, said the plan was good, nay, -absolutely necessary. Felix was becoming wild with her, and Mignon -seemed to need fresh air and other occupation: she was sickly, and was -not yet recovering. - -"Let it not mislead you," added Frau Melina, "that I have lightly hinted -doubts about the boy's being really yours. The old woman, it is true, -deserves but little confidence; yet a person who invents untruths for -her advantage, may likewise speak the truth when truths are profitable -to her. Aurelia she had hoodwinked to believe that Felix was Lothario's -son; and it is a property of us women, that we cordially like the -children of our lovers, though we do not know the mothers, or even hate -them from the heart." Felix came jumping in: she pressed him to her with -a tenderness which was not usual to her. - -Wilhelm hastened home, and sent for Barbara, who, however, would not -undertake to meet him till the twilight. He received her angrily. "There -is nothing in the world more shameful," said he, "than establishing -one's self on lies and fables. Already thou hast done much mischief with -them; and now, when thy word could decide the fortune of my life, now -must I stand dubious, not venturing to call the child my own, though to -possess him without scruple would form my highest happiness. I cannot -look upon thee, scandalous creature, without hatred and contempt." - -"Your conduct, if I speak with candor," said the old woman, "appears to -me intolerable. Even if Felix were not yours, he is the fairest and the -loveliest child in nature: one might purchase him at any price, to have -him always near one. Is he not worthy your acceptance? Do not I deserve -for my care, for the labor I have had with him, a little pension for the -small remainder of my life? Oh, you gentlemen who know no want! It is -well for you to talk of truth and honor; but how the miserable being -whose smallest necessity is unprovided for, who sees in her perplexities -no friend, no help, no counsel, how she is to press through the crowd of -selfish men, and to starve in silence, you are seldom at the trouble to -consider. Did you read Mariana's letters? They are the letters she wrote -to you at that unhappy season. It was in vain that I attempted to -approach you to deliver you these sheets: your savage brother-in-law had -so begirt you, that craft and cunning were of no avail; and at last, -when he began to threaten me and Mariana with imprisonment, I had then -to cease my efforts and renounce all hope. Does not every thing agree -with what I told you? And does not Norberg's letter put the story -altogether out of doubt?" - -"What letter?" asked he. - -"Did you not find it in the pocket-book?" said Barbara. - -"I have not yet read all of them." - -"Give me the pocket-book: on that paper every thing depends. Norberg's -luckless billet caused this sorrowful perplexity: another from his hand -may loose the knots, so far as aught may still depend upon unravelling -them." She took a letter from the book: Wilhelm recognized that odious -writing; he constrained himself, and read,-- - -"Tell me, girl, how hast thou got such power over me? I would not have -believed that a goddess herself could make a sighing lover of me. -Instead of hastening towards me with open arms, thou shrankest back from -me: one might have taken it for aversion. Is it fair that I should spend -the night with old Barbara, sitting on a trunk, and but two doors -between me and my pretty Mariana? It is too bad, I tell thee! I have -promised to allow thee time to think, not to press thee unrelentingly: I -could run mad at every wasted quarter of an hour. Have not I given thee -gifts according to my power? Dost thou still doubt of my love? What wilt -thou have? Do but tell me: thou shalt want for nothing. Would the Devil -had the priest that put such stuff into thy head! Why didst thou go to -such a churl? There are plenty of them that allow young people somewhat. -In short, I tell thee, things must alter: in two days I must have an -answer, for I am to leave the town; and, if thou become not kind and -friendly to me, thou shalt never see me more."... - -In this style the letter spun itself to great length; turning, to -Wilhelm's painful satisfaction, still about the same point, and -testifying for the truth of the account which he had got from Barbara. A -second letter clearly proved that Mariana, in the sequel, also had -maintained her purpose; and it was not without heartfelt grief, that, -out of these and other papers, Wilhelm learned the history of the -unlucky girl to the very hour of her death. - -Barbara had gradually tamed rude, regardless Norberg, by announcing to -him Mariana's death, and leaving him in the belief that Felix was his -son. Once or twice he had sent her money, which, however, she retained -for herself; having talked Aurelia into taking charge of the child. But, -unhappily, this secret source of riches did not long endure. Norberg, by -a life of riot, had impaired his fortune; and, by repeated love-affairs, -his heart was rendered callous to his supposed first-born. - -Probable as all this seemed, beautifully as it all agreed, Wilhelm did -not venture to give way to joy. He still appeared to dread a present -coming from his evil Genius. - -"Your jealous fears," said Barbara, who guessed his mood of mind, "time -alone can cure. Look upon the child as a stranger one; take stricter -heed of him on that account; observe his gifts, his temper, his -capacities; and if you do not, by and by, discover in him the exact -resemblance of yourself, your eyes must certainly be bad. Of this I can -assure you,--were I a man, no one should foist a child on me; but it is -a happiness for women, that, in these cases, men are not so quick of -sight." - -These things over, Wilhelm and Barbara parted: he was to take Felix with -him; she, to carry Mignon to Theresa, and afterwards to live in any -place she pleased, upon a small annuity which he engaged to settle on -her. - -He sent for Mignon, to prepare her for the new arrangement. "Master," -said she, "keep me with thee: it will do me good, and do me ill." - -He told her, that, as she was now grown up, there should be something -further done for her instruction. "I am sufficiently instructed," -answered she, "to love and grieve." - -He directed her attention to her health, and showed that she required -continuous care, and the direction of a good physician. "Why care for -me," said she, "when there are so many things to care for?" - -After he had labored greatly to persuade her that he could not take her -with him, that he would conduct her to a place where he might often see -her, she appeared as if she had not heard a word of it. "Thou wishest -not to have me with thee," said she. "Perhaps it is better: send me to -the old harper; the poor man is lonely where he is." - -Wilhelm tried to show her that the old man was in comfortable -circumstances. "Every hour I long for him," replied the child. - -"I did not see," said Wilhelm, "that thou wert so fond of him when he -was living with us." - -"I was frightened for him when he was awake; I could not bear his eyes: -but, when he was asleep, I liked so well to sit by him! I used to chase -the flies from him: I could not look at him enough. Oh! he has stood by -me in fearful moments: none knows how much I owe him. Had I known the -road, I should have run away to him already." - -Wilhelm set the circumstances in detail before her: he said that she had -always been a reasonable child, and that, on this occasion also, she -might do as she desired. "Reason is cruel," said she; "the heart is -better: I will go as thou requirest, only leave me Felix." - -After much discussion her opinion was not altered; and Wilhelm at last -resolved on giving Barbara both the children, and sending them together -to Theresa. This was the easier for him, as he still feared to look -upon the lovely Felix as his son. He would take him on his arm, and -carry him about: the child delighted to be held before the glass; -Wilhelm also liked, though unavowedly, to hold him there, and seek -resemblances between their faces. If for a moment any striking -similarity appeared between them, he would press the boy in his arms; -and then, at once affrighted by the thought that he might be mistaken, -he would set him down, and let him run away. "Oh," cried he, "if I were -to appropriate this priceless treasure, and it were then to be snatched -from me, I should be the most unhappy man on earth!" - -The children had been sent away; and Wilhelm was about to take a formal -leave of the theatre, when he felt that in reality he had already taken -leave, and needed but to go. Mariana was no more: his two guardian -spirits had departed, and his thoughts hied after them. The fair boy -hovered like a beautiful uncertain vision in the eyes of his -imagination: he saw him, at Theresa's hand, running through the fields -and woods, forming his mind and person in the free air, beside a free -and cheerful foster-mother. Theresa had become far dearer to him since -he figured her in company with Felix. Even while sitting in the theatre, -he thought of her with smiles; he was almost in her own case: the stage -could now produce no more illusion in him. - -Serlo and Melina were excessively polite to him, when they observed that -he was making no pretensions to his former place. A portion of the -public wished to see him act again: this he could not accede to; nor in -the company did any one desire it, saving Frau Melina. - -Of this friend he now took leave; he was moved at parting with her: he -exclaimed, "Why do we presume to promise any thing depending on an -unknown future? The most slight engagement we have not power to keep, -far less a purpose of importance. I feel ashamed in recollecting what I -promised to you all, in that unhappy night, when we were lying -plundered, sick, and wounded, crammed into a miserable tavern. How did -misfortune elevate my courage! what a treasure did I think I had found -in my good wishes! And of all this not a jot has taken effect! I leave -you as your debtor; and my comfort is, that our people prized my promise -at its actual worth, and never more took notice of it." - -"Be not unjust to yourself," said Frau Melina: "if no one acknowledges -what you have done for us, I at least will not forget it. Our whole -condition had been different, if you had not been with us. But it is -with our purposes as with our wishes. They seem no longer what they -were, when they have been accomplished, been fulfilled; and we think we -have done, have wished for, nothing." - -"You shall not, by your friendly statement," answered Wilhelm, "put my -conscience to peace. I shall always look upon myself as in your debt." - -"Nay, perhaps you are so," said Madam Melina, "but not in the manner you -suppose. We reckon it a shame to fail in the fulfilment of a promise we -have uttered with the voice. O my friend! a worthy person by his very -presence promises us much. The confidence he elicits, the inclination he -inspires, the hopes he awakens, are unbounded: he is and continues in -our debt, although he does not know it. Fare you well! If our external -circumstances have been happily repaired by your direction, in my mind -there is, by your departure, produced a void which will not be filled up -again so easily." - -Before leaving the city, Wilhelm wrote a copious sheet to Werner. He had -before exchanged some letters; but, not being able to agree, they had at -length ceased to write. Now, however, Wilhelm had again approximated to -his brother: he was just about to do what Werner had so earnestly -desired. He could say, "I am abandoning the stage: I mean to join myself -with men whose intercourse, in every sense, must lead me to a sure and -suitable activity." He inquired about his property; and it now seemed -strange to him, that he had never, for so long a time, disturbed himself -about it. He knew not that it is the manner of all persons who attach -importance to their inward cultivation altogether to neglect their -outward circumstances. This had been Wilhelm's case: he now for the -first time seemed to notice, that, to work effectively, he stood in need -of outward means. He entered on his journey, this time, in a temper -altogether different from that of last; the prospects he had in view -were charming; he hoped to meet with something cheerful by the way. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - -On returning to Lothario's castle, Wilhelm found that changes had -occurred. Jarno met him with the tidings, that, Lothario's uncle being -dead, the baron had himself set out to take possession of the heritage. -"You come in time," said he, "to help the abbé and me. Lothario has -commissioned us to purchase some extensive properties of land in this -quarter: he has long contemplated the bargain, and we have now got cash -and credit just in season. The only point which made us hesitate was, -that a distant trading-house had also views upon the same estates: at -length we have determined to make common cause with it, as otherwise we -might outbid each other without need or reason. The trader seems to be a -prudent man. At present we are making estimates and calculations: we -must also settle economically how the lands are to be shared, so that -each of us may have a fine estate." The papers were submitted to our -friend: the fields, meadows, houses, were inspected; and, though Jarno -and the abbé seemed to understand the matter fully, Wilhelm could not -help desiring that Theresa had been with them. - -In these labors several days were spent, and Wilhelm had scarcely time -to tell his friends of his adventures and his dubious fatherhood. This -incident, to him so interesting, they treated with indifference and -levity. - -He had noticed, that they frequently in confidential conversation, while -at table or in walks, would suddenly stop short, and give their words -another application; thereby showing, at least, that they had on the -anvil many things which were concealed from him. He bethought him of -what Lydia had said; and he put the greater faith in it, as one entire -division of the castle had always been inaccessible to him. The way to -certain galleries, particularly to the ancient tower, with which -externally he was so well acquainted, he had often sought, and hitherto -in vain. - -One evening Jarno said to him, "We can now consider you as ours, with -such security, that it were unjust if we did not introduce you deeper -into our mysteries. It is right that a man, when he first enters upon -life, should think highly of himself, should determine to attain many -eminent distinctions, should endeavor to make all things possible; but, -when his education has proceeded to a certain pitch, it is advantageous -for him, that he learn to lose himself among a mass of men, that he -learn to live for the sake of others, and to forget himself in an -activity prescribed by duty. It is then that he first becomes acquainted -with himself, for it is conduct alone that compares us with others. You -shall soon see what a curious little world is at your very hand, and how -well you are known in it. To-morrow morning before sunrise be dressed -and ready." - -Jarno came at the appointed hour: he led our friend through certain -known and unknown chambers of the castle, then through several -galleries; till at last they reached a large old door, strongly framed -with iron. Jarno knocked: the door went up a little, so as to admit one -person. Jarno shoved in our friend, but did not follow him. Wilhelm -found himself in an obscure and narrow stand: all was dark around him; -and, when he tried to go a step forward, he found himself hemmed in. A -voice not altogether strange to him cried, "Enter!" and he now -discovered that the sides of the place where he was were merely hung -with tapestry, through which a feeble light glimmered in to him. -"Enter!" cried the voice again: he raised the tapestry, and entered. - -The hall in which he now stood appeared to have at one time been a -chapel: instead of the altar, he observed a large table raised some -steps above the floor, and covered with a green cloth hanging over it. -On the top of this, a drawn curtain seemed as if it hid a picture; on -the sides were spaces beautifully worked, and covered in with fine -wire-netting, like the shelves of a library; only here, instead of -books, a multitude of rolls had been inserted. Nobody was in the hall: -the rising sun shone through the window, right on Wilhelm, and kindly -saluted him as he came in. - -"Be seated!" cried a voice, which seemed to issue from the altar. -Wilhelm placed himself in a small arm-chair, which stood against the -tapestry where he had entered. There was no seat but this in the room: -Wilhelm had to be content with it, though the morning radiance dazzled -him; the chair stood fast, he could only keep his hand before his eyes. - -But now the curtain, which hung down above the altar, went asunder with -a gentle rustling, and showed, within a picture-frame, a dark, empty -aperture. A man stepped forward at it, in a common dress, saluted the -astonished looker-on, and said to him, "Do you not recognize me? Among -the many things which you would like to know, do you feel no curiosity -to learn where your grandfather's collection of pictures and statues -are at present? Have you forgot the painting which you once so much -delighted in? Where, think you, is the sick king's son now languishing?" -Wilhelm, without difficulty, recognized the stranger, whom, in that -important night, he had conversed with at the inn. "Perhaps," continued -his interrogator, "we should now be less at variance in regard to -destiny and character." - -Wilhelm was about to answer, when the curtain quickly flew together. -"Strange!" said Wilhelm to himself: "can chance occurrences have a -connection? Is what we call Destiny but Chance? Where _is_ my -grandfather's collection? and why am I reminded of it in these solemn -moments?" - -He had not leisure to pursue his thoughts: the curtain once more parted; -and a person stood before him, whom he instantly perceived to be the -country clergyman that had attended him and his companions on that -pleasure-sail of theirs. He had a resemblance to the abbé, though he -seemed to be a different person. With a cheerful countenance, in a tone -of dignity, he said, "To guard from error is not the instructor's duty, -but to lead the erring pupil; nay, to let him quaff his error in deep, -satiating draughts, this is the instructor's wisdom. He who only tastes -his error, will long dwell with it, will take delight in it as in a -singular felicity; while he who drains it to the dregs will, if he be -not crazy, find it out." The curtain closed again, and Wilhelm had a -little time to think. "What error can he mean," said he within himself, -"but the error which has clung to me through my whole life,--that I -sought for cultivation where it was not to be found; that I fancied I -could form a talent in me, while without the smallest gift for it?" - -The curtain dashed asunder faster than before: an officer advanced, and -said in passing, "Learn to know the men who may be trusted!" The curtain -closed; and Wilhelm did not long consider, till he found this officer to -be the one who had embraced him in the count's park, and had caused his -taking Jarno for a crimp. How that stranger had come hither, who he was, -were riddles to our friend. "If so many men," cried he, "took interest -in thee, know thy way of life, and how it should be carried on, why did -they not conduct thee with greater strictness, with greater seriousness? -Why did they favor thy silly sports, instead of drawing thee away from -them?" - -"Dispute not with us!" cried a voice. "Thou art saved, thou art on the -way to the goal. None of thy follies wilt thou repent; none wilt thou -wish to repeat; no luckier destiny can be allotted to a man." The -curtain went asunder, and in full armor stood the old king of Denmark in -the space. "I am thy father's spirit," said the figure; "and I depart in -comfort since my wishes for thee are accomplished, in a higher sense -than I myself contemplated. Steep regions cannot be surmounted save by -winding paths: on the plain, straight roads conduct from place to place. -Farewell, and think of me when thou enjoyest what I have provided for -thee." - -Wilhelm was exceedingly amazed and struck: he thought it was his -father's voice; and yet in truth it was not: the present and the past -alike confounded and perplexed him. - -He had not meditated long when the abbé came to view, and placed himself -behind the green table. "Come hither!" cried he to his marvelling -friend. He went, and mounted up the steps. On the green cloth lay a -little roll. "Here is your indenture," said the abbé: "take it to heart; -it is of weighty import." Wilhelm lifted, opened it, and read:-- - -INDENTURE. - -Art is long, life short, judgment difficult, opportunity transient. To -act is easy, to think is hard; to act according to our thought is -troublesome. Every beginning is cheerful: the threshold is the place of -expectation. The boy stands astonished, his impressions guide him: he -learns sportfully, seriousness comes on him by surprise. Imitation is -born with us: what should be imitated is not easy to discover. The -excellent is rarely found, more rarely valued. The height charms us, the -steps to it do not: with the summit in our eye, we love to walk along -the plain. It is but a part of art that can be taught: the artist needs -it all. Who knows it half, speaks much, and is always wrong: who knows -it wholly, inclines to act, and speaks seldom or late. The former have -no secrets and no force: the instruction they can give is like baked -bread, savory and satisfying for a single day; but flour cannot be sown, -and seed-corn ought not to be ground. Words are good, but they are not -the best. The best is not to be explained by words. The spirit in which -we act is the highest matter. Action can be understood and again -represented by the spirit alone. No one knows what he is doing while he -acts aright, but of what is wrong we are always conscious. Whoever -works with symbols only is a pedant, a hypocrite, or a bungler. There -are many such, and they like to be together. Their babbling detains the -scholar: their obstinate mediocrity vexes even the best. The instruction -which the true artist gives us opens the mind; for, where words fail -him, deeds speak. The true scholar learns from the known to unfold the -unknown, and approaches more and more to being a master. - -"Enough!" cried the abbé: "the rest in due time. Now look round you -among these cases." - -Wilhelm went, and read the titles of the rolls. With astonishment he -found, "Lothario's Apprenticeship," "Jarno's Apprenticeship," and his -own Apprenticeship placed there, with many others whose names he did not -know. - -"May I hope to cast a look into these rolls?" - -"In this chamber there is now nothing hid from you." - -"May I put a question?" - -"Without scruple; and you may expect a positive reply, if it concerns a -matter which is nearest your heart, and ought to be so." - -"Good, then! Ye marvellous sages, whose sight has pierced so many -secrets, can you tell me whether Felix is in truth my son?" - -"Hail to you for this question!" cried the abbé, clapping hands for joy. -"Felix is your son! By the holiest that lies hid among us, I swear to -you Felix is your son; nor, in our opinion, was the mother that is gone -unworthy of you. Receive the lovely child from our hands: turn round, -and venture to be happy." - -Wilhelm heard a noise behind him: he turned round, and saw a child's -face peeping archly through the tapestry at the end of the room; it was -Felix. The boy playfully hid himself so soon as he was noticed. "Come -forward!" cried the abbé: he came running; his father rushed towards -him, took him in his arms, and pressed him to his heart. "Yes! I feel -it," cried he, "thou art mine! What a gift of Heaven have I to thank my -friends for! Whence or how comest thou, my child, at this important -moment?" - -"Ask not," said the abbé. "Hail to thee, young man! Thy Apprenticeship -is done: Nature has pronounced thee free." - - - - -BURT'S HOME LIBRARY. - - -Comprising two hundred and fifty titles of standard works, embracing -fiction, essays, poetry, history, travel, etc., selected from the -world's best literature, written by authors of world-wide reputation. -Printed from large type, on good paper, and bound in handsome cloth -binding, uniform with this volume, Price, 75 cents per copy. - -[Illustration] - - -=Adam Bede.= By George Eliot. - -=Æsop's Fables.= - -=Alhambra, The.= By Washington Irving. - -=Alice Lorraine.= By R. D. Blackmore. - -=All Sorts and Conditions of Men.= By Besant and Rice. - -=Andersen's Fairy Tales.= - -=Arabian Nights Entertainments.= - -=Armadale.= By Wilkie Collins. - -=Armorel of Lyonesse.= By Walter Besant. - -=Auld Licht Idylls.= By James M. Barrie. - -=Aunt Diana.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.= - -=Averil.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Bacon's Essays.= By Francis Bacon. - -=Barbara Heathcote's Trial.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Barnaby Rudge.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Berber, The.= By W. S. Mayo. - -=Betrothed, The.= By Allessandro Manzoni. - -=Bleak House.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Bondman, The.= By Hall Caine. - -=Bride of the Nile, The.= By George Ebers. - -=Burgomaster's Wife, The.= By George Ebers. - -=Cast up by the Sea.= By Sir Samuel Baker. - -=Caxtons, The.= By Bulwer-Lytton. - -=Charles Auchester.= By E. Berger. - -=Charles O'Malley.= By Charles Lever. - -=Children of the Abbey.= By Regina Maria Roche. - -=Children of Gibeon.= By Walter Besant. - -=Child's History of England.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Christmas Stories.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Cloister and the Hearth.= By Charles Reade. - -=Confessions of an Opium-Eater.= By Thomas De Quincey. - -=Consuelo.= By George Sand. - -=Corinne.= By Madame De Stael. - -=Countess of Rudolstadt.= By George Sand. - -=Cousin Pons.= By Honore de Balzac. - -=Cranford.= By Mrs. Gaskell. - -=Crown of Wild Olive, The.= By John Ruskin. - -=Daniel Deronda.= By George Eliot. - -=Daughter of an Empress, The.= By Louisa Muhlbach. - -=Daughter of Heth, A.= By Wm. Black. - -=David Copperfield.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Deemster, The.= By Hall Caine. - -=Deerslayer, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Dombey & Son.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Donal Grant.= By George Macdonald. - -=Donald Ross of Heimra.= By William Black. - -=Donovan.= By Edna Lyall. - -=Dream Life.= By Ik. Marvel. - -=East Lynne.= By Mrs. Henry Wood. - -=Egoist, The.= By George Meredith. - -=Egyptian Princess, An.= By George Ebers. - -=Eight Years Wandering in Ceylon.= By Sir Samuel Baker. - -=Emerson's Essays.= By Ralph Waldo Emerson. - -=Emperor, The.= By George Ebers. - -=Essays of Elia.= By Charles Lamb. - -=Esther.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Far from the Madding Crowd.= By Thos. Hardy. - -=Felix Holt.= By George Eliot. - -=Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World.= By E. S. Creasy. - -=File No. 113.= By Emile Gaboriau. - -=First Violin.= By Jessie Fothergill. - -=For Faith and Freedom.= By Walter Besant. - -=Frederick the Great, and His Court.= By Louisa Muhlbach. - -=French Revolution.= By Thomas Carlyle. - -=From the Earth to the Moon.= By Jules Verne. - -=Goethe and Schiller.= By Louisa Muhlbach. - -=Gold Bug, The, and Other Tales.= By Edgar A. Poe. - -=Gold Elsie.= By E. Marlitt. - -=Great Expectations.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Great Taboo, The.= By Grant Allen. - -=Great Treason, A.= By Mary Hoppus. - -=Green Mountain Boys, The.= By D. P. Thompson. - -=Grimm's Household Tales.= By the Brothers Grimm. - -=Grimm's Popular Tales.= By the Brothers Grimm. - -=Gulliver's Travels.= By Dean Swift. - -=Handy Andy.= By Samuel Lover. - -=Hardy Norseman, A.= By Edna Lyall. - -=Harold.= By Bulwer-Lytton. - -=Harry Lorrequer.= By Charles Lever. - -=Heir of Redclyffe.= By Charlotte M. Yonge. - -=Henry Esmond.= By William M. Thackeray. - -=Her Dearest Foe.= By Mrs. Alexander. - -=Heriot's Choice.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Heroes and Hero Worship.= By Thomas Carlyle. - -=History of Pendennis.= By William M. Thackeray. - -=House of the Seven Gables.= By Nathaniel Hawthorne. - -=How to be Happy Though Married.= - -=Hunchback of Notre Dame.= By Victor Hugo. - -=Hypatia.= By Charles Kingsley. - -=Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow.= By Jerome K. Jerome. - -=In Far Lochaber.= By William Black. - -=In the Golden Days.= By Edna Lyall. - -=In the Heart of the Storm.= By Maxwell Grey. - -=It is Never Too Late to Mend.= By Charles Reade. - -=Ivanhoe.= By Sir Walter Scott. - -=Jack's Courtship.= By W. Clark Russell. - -=Jane Eyre.= By Charlotte Bronte. - -=John Halifax, Gentleman.= By Miss Muloch. - -=Kenilworth.= By Sir Walter Scott. - -=Kit and Kitty.= By R. D. Blackmore. - -=Kith and Kin.= By Jessie Fothergill. - -=Knickerbocker's History of New York.= By Washington Irving. - -=Knight Errant.= By Edna Lyall. - -=L'Abbe Constantin.= By Ludovic-Halevy. - -=Lamplighter, The.= By Maria S. Cummins. - -=Last Days of Pompeii.= By Bulwer-Lytton. - -=Last of the Barons.= By Bulwer-Lytton. - -=Last of the Mohicans.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Light of Asia, The.= By Sir Edwin Arnold. - -=Little Dorrit.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Lorna Doone.= By R. D. Blackmore. - -=Louise de la Valliere.= By Alexandre Dumas. - -=Lover or Friend?= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Lucile.= By Owen Meredith. - -=Maid of Sker.= By R. D. Blackmore. - -=Man and Wife.= By Wilkie Collins. - -=Man in the Iron Mask.= By Alexandre Dumas. - -=Martin Chuzzlewit.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Mary St. John.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Master of Ballantrae, The.= By R. L. Stevenson. - -=Master of the Ceremonies, The.= By G. M. Fenn. - -=Masterman Ready.= By Captain Marryat. - -=Merle's Crusade.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Micah Clarke.= By A. Conan Doyle. - -=Michael Strogoff.= By Jules Verne. - -=Middlemarch.= By George Eliot. - -=Midshipman Easy.= By Captain Marryat. - -=Mill on the Floss.= By George Eliot. - -=Molly Bawn.= By The Duchess. - -=Moonstone, The.= By Wilkie Collins. - -=Mosses from an Old Manse.= By Nathaniel Hawthorne. - -=Mysterious Island, The.= By Jules Verne. - -=Natural Law in the Spiritual World.= By Henry Drummond. - -=Nellie's Memories.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Newcomes, The.= By William M. Thackeray. - -=Nicholas Nickleby.= By Charles Dickens. - -=No Name.= By Wilkie Collins. - -=Not Like Other Girls.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Old Curiosity Shop.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Old Ma'm'selle's Secret.= By E. Marlitt. - -=Old Myddelton's Money.= By Mary Cecil Hay. - -=Oliver Twist.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Only the Governess.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=On the Heights.= By Berthold Auerbach. - -=Our Bessie.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Our Mutual Friend.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Pair of Blue Eyes, A.= By Thomas Hardy. - -=Past and Present.= By Thomas Carlyle. - -=Pathfinder, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Pere Goriot.= By Honore de Balzac. - -=Phantom Rickshaw, The.= By Rudyard Kipling. - -=Phra, the Phoenician.= By Edwin L. Arnold. - -=Picciola.= By X. B. Saintine. - -=Pickwick Papers.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Pilgrim's Progress.= By John Bunyan. - -=Pilot, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Pioneers, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Prairie, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Pride and Prejudice.= By Jane Austen. - -=Prime Minister, The.= By Anthony Trollope. - -=Princess of Thule, A.= By Wm. Black. - -=Professor, The.= By Charlotte Bronte. - -=Put Yourself in His Place.= By Charles Reade. - -=Queen Hortense.= By Louisa Muhlbach. - -=Queenie's Whim.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Ralph the Heir.= By Anthony Trollope. - -=Red Rover.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Reproach of Annesley.= By Maxwell Grey. - -=Reveries of a Bachelor.= By Ik. Marvel. - -=Rhoda Fleming.= By George Meredith. - -=Ride to Khiva, A.= By Captain Fred Burnaby. - -=Rienzi.= By Bulwer-Lytton. - -=Robinson Crusoe.= By Daniel Defoe. - -=Rob Roy.= By Sir Walter Scott. - -=Romance of a Poor Young Man.= By Octave Feuillet. - -=Romance of Two Worlds.= By Marie Corelli. - -=Romola.= By George Eliot. - -=Rory O'More.= By Samuel Lover. - -=Sartor Resartus.= By Thomas Carlyle. - -=Scarlet Letter, The.= By Nathaniel Hawthorne. - -=Scottish Chiefs.= By Jane Porter. - -=Search for Basil Lyndhurst.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Second Wife, The.= By E. Marlitt. - -=Self-Help.= By Samuel Smiles. - -=Sense and Sensibility.= By Jane Austen. - -=Sesame and Lilies.= By John Ruskin. - -=Shadow of the Sword.= By Robert Buchanan. - -=Shirley.= By Charlotte Bronte. - -=Silas Marner.= By George Eliot. - -=Silence of Dean Maitland.= By Maxwell Grey. - -=Sketch-Book, The.= By Washington Irving. - -=Social Departure, A.= By Sara Jeannette Duncan. - -=Soldiers Three, etc.= By Rudyard Kipling. - -=Springhaven.= By R. D. Blackmore. - -=Spy, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=St. Katharine's by the Tower.= By Walter Besant. - -=Story of an African Farm.= By Olive Schreiner. - -=Swiss Family Robinson.= By Jean Rudolph Wyss. - -=Tale of Two Cities.= By Charles Dickens. - -=Talisman, The.= By Sir Walter Scott. - -=Tartarin of Tarascon.= By Alphonse Daudet. - -=Tempest Tossed.= By Theodore Tilton. - -=Ten Years Later.= By Alexandre Dumas. - -=Terrible Temptation, A.= By Charles Reade. - -=Thaddeus of Warsaw.= By Jane Porter. - -=Thelma.= By Marie Corelli. - -=Three Guardsmen.= By Alexandre Dumas. - -=Three Men in a Boat.= By Jerome K. Jerome. - -=Tom Brown at Oxford.= By Thomas Hughes. - -=Tom Brown's School Days.= By Thomas Hughes. - -=Tom Burke of "Ours."= By Charles Lever. - -=Tour of the World in Eighty Days, A.= By Jules Verne. - -=Treasure Island.= By Robert Louis Stevenson. - -=Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.= By Jules Verne. - -=Twenty Years After.= By Alexandre Dumas. - -=Twice Told Tales.= By Nathaniel Hawthorne. - -=Two Admirals.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Two Chiefs of Dunboy.= By James A. Froude. - -=Two on a Tower.= By Thomas Hardy. - -=Two Years Before the Mast. By R. H. Dana, Jr. - -=Uarda.= By George Ebers. - -=Uncle Max.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Uncle Tom's Cabin.= By Harriet Beecher Stowe. - -=Undine and Other Tales.= By De la Motte Fouque. - -=Vanity Fair.= By William M. Thackeray. - -=Vicar of Wakefield.= By Oliver Goldsmith. - -=Villette.= By Charlotte Bronte. - -=Virginians, The.= By William M. Thackeray. - -=Vicomte de Bragelonne.= By Alexandre Dumas. - -=Vivian Grey.= By Benjamin Disraeli. - -=Water Witch, The.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Waverly.= By Sir Walter Scott. - -=Wee Wifie.= By Rosa N. Carey. - -=Westward Ho!= By Charles Kingsley. - -=We Two.= By Edna Lyall. - -=What's Mine's Mine.= By George Macdonald. - -=When a Man's Single.= By J. M. Barrie. - -=White Company, The.= By A. Conan Doyle. - -=Wide, Wide World.= By Susan Warner. - -=Widow Lerouge, The.= By Emile Gaborlau. - -=Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.= By Goethe (Carlyle). - -=Wing-and-Wing.= By James Fenimore Cooper. - -=Woman in White, The.= By Wilkie Collins. - -=Won by Waiting.= By Edna Lyall. - -=Wooing O't.= By Mrs. Alexander. - -=World Went Very Well Then, The.= By Walter Besant. - -=Wormwood.= By Marie Corelli. - -=Wreck of the Grosvenor, The.= By W. Clark Russell. - -=Zenobia.= By William Ware. - -_For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent post-paid on receipt of -price bythe publisher, =A. L. BURT, New York.=_ - - - - -THE ALGER SERIES for BOYS - -Uniform with This Volume. - - -This series affords wholesome reading for boys and girls, and all the -volumes are extremely interesting.--_Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette._ - -=JOE'S LUCK; or, A Brave Boy's Adventures in California.= By HORATIO -ALGER, JR. - -=JULIAN MORTIMER; or, A Brave Boy's Struggles for Home and Fortune.= By -HARRY CASTLEMON. - -=ADRIFT IN THE WILDS; or, The Adventures of Two Shiwrecked Boys.= By -EDWARD S. ELLIS. - -=FRANK FOWLER, THE CASH BOY.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -=GUY HARRIS, THE RUNAWAY.= By HARRY CASTLEMON. - -=THE SLATE-PICKER; A Story of a Boy's Life in the Coal Mines.= By HARRY -PRENTICE. - -=TOM TEMPLE'S CAREER.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -=TOM, THE READY; or, Up from the Lowest.= By RANDOLPH HILL. - -=THE CASTAWAYS; or, On the Florida Reefs.= By JAMES OTIS. - -=CAPTAIN KIDD'S GOLD. The True Story of an Adventurous Sailor Boy.= By -JAMES FRANKLIN FITTS. - -=TOM THATCHER'S FORTUNE.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -=LOST IN THE CANON. The Story of Sam Willett's Adventures on the Great -Colorado of the West.= By ALFRED R. CALHOUN. - -=A YOUNG HERO; or, Fighting to Win.= By EDWARD S. ELLIS. - -=THE ERRAND BOY; or, How Phil Brent Won Success.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -THE ISLAND TREASURE; OR, HARRY DARREL'S FORTUNE. By =Frank H. Converse=. - -=A RUNAWAY BRIG; or, An Accidental Cruise.= By JAMES OTIS. - -=A JAUNT THROUGH JAVA. The Story of a Journey to the Sacred Mountain by -Two American Boys.= By E. S. ELLIS. - -=CAPTURED BY APES; or, How Philip Garland Became King of Apeland.= By -HARRY PRENTICE. - -=TOM THE BOOT-BLACK; or, The Road to Success.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -=ROY GILBERT'S SEARCH. A Tale of the Great Lakes.= By WILLIAM P. -CHIPMAN. - -=THE TREASURE-FINDERS. A Boy's Adventures in Nicarauga.= By JAMES OTIS. - -=BUDD BOYD'S TRIUMPH; or, The Boy Firm of Fox Island.= By WILLIAM P. -CHIPMAN. - -=TONY, THE HERO; or, A Brave Boy's Adventures with a Tramp.= By HORATIO -ALGER, JR. - -=CAPTURED BY ZULUS. A Story of Trapping in Africa.= By HARRY PRENTICE. - -=THE TRAIN BOY.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -=DAN THE NEWSBOY.= By HORATIO ALGER, JR. - -=SEARCH FOR THE SILVER CITY. A Story of Adventure in Yucatan.= By JAMES -OTIS. - -=THE BOY CRUISERS; or, Paddling in Florida.= By ST. GEORGE RATHBORNE. - - -=_The above stories are printed on extra paper, and bound in Handsome -Cloth Binding, in all respects uniform with this volume, at $1.00 per -copy._= - - -_For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent post-paid on receipt of -price, by the publisher, =A. L. 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Price, $1.00. - -=The Dove in the Eagle's Nest.= By CHARLOTTE M. YONGE. Illustrated. -Price, $1.00. - -=Giannetta: A Girl's Story of Herself.= By ROSA MULHOLLAND. Illustrated. -Price, $1.00. - -=Jan of the Windmill: A Story of the Plains.= By JULIANA HORATIO EWING. -Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=Averil.= By ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY. Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through a Looking Glass.= Two volumes in -one. By LEWIS CARROLL. Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=Merle's Crusade.= By ROSA NOUCHETTE CAREY. Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=Girl Neighbors; or, The Old Fashion and the New.= By SARAH TYTLER. -Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=Polly: A New Fashioned Girl.= By L. T. MEADE. Illustrated. Price, -$1.00. - -=Aunt Diana.= By ROSA N. CAREY. Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby.= By CHARLES KINGSLEY. -Illustrated. Price, $1.00. - -=At the Back of the North Wind.= By GEORGE MACDONALD. 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The - information is clearly, fully and yet concisely - given."--_Springfield Republican._ - - -=A Cyclopedia of Natural History.= Comprising descriptions of Animal -Life: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Batrachians and Fishes. Their Structure, -Habits and Distribution. For popular use. By CHARLES C. ABBOTT, M. D. -620 pages. 500 illustrations. Cloth, 12mo, price $1.00. - - "The author has shown great skill in condensing his abundant - material, while the illustrations are useful in illustrating - the information furnished in the text."--_Times, Troy._ - - -=The National Standard Encyclopedia.= A Dictionary of Literature, the -Arts and the Sciences, for popular use; containing over 20,000 articles -pertaining to questions of Agriculture, Anatomy, Architecture, -Biography, Botany, Chemistry, Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, -Horticulture, Literature, Mechanics, Medicine, Physiology, Natural -History, Mythology and the various Arts and Sciences. 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BURT, 66 Reade Street, New York.=_ - - -=A Dictionary of American Politics.= Comprising accounts of Political -Parties, Measures and Men; Explanations of the Constitution; Divisions -and Practical Workings of the Government, together with Political -Phrases, Familiar Names of Persons and Places, Note-worthy Sayings, -etc., etc. By EVERIT BROWN and ALBERT STRAUSS. 565 pages. Cloth, 12mo, -price $1.00. Paper, 50 cents. - - SENATOR JOHN SHERMAN says: "I have to acknowledge the receipt - of a copy of your 'Dictionary of American Politics.' I have - looked over it, and find it a very excellent book of reference, - which every American family ought to have." - - -BOYS' USEFUL PASTIMES. Pleasant and profitable amusement for spare hours -in the use of tools. By PROF. ROBERT GRIFFITH, A. M. 300 illustrations. -Cloth, 12mo, price $1.00. - - "The author has devised a happy plan for diverting the surplus - energy of the boy from frivolous or mischievous channels into - activities that interest him, while at the same time they train - him to mechanical and artistic skill and better adapt him for - success in life."--_Boston Journal._ - - -=What Every One Should Know.= A cyclopedia of Practical Information, -containing complete directions for making and doing over 5,000 things -necessary in business, the trades, the shop, the home, the farm, and the -kitchen, giving in plain language recipes, prescriptions, medicines, -manufacturing processes, trade secrets, chemical preparations, -mechanical appliances, aid to injured, business information, law, home -decorations, art work, fancy work, agriculture, fruit culture, -stock-raising, and hundreds of other useful hints and helps needed in -our daily wants. By S. H. BURT. 516 pages. Cloth, 12mo, price $1.00. - - "A mass of information in a handy form, easy of access whenever - occasion demands."--_Inter-Ocean, Chicago._ - - -=Readers' Reference Hand-Book.= Comprising "A HANDY CLASSICAL AND -MYTHOLOGICAL DICTIONARY" of brief and concise explanations of ancient -mythological, historical and geographical allusions commonly met with in -literature and art, also "FAMOUS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES," a manual of -condensed biographies of the most notable men and women who ever lived. -By H. C. FAULKNER and W. H. VAN ORDEN. Cloth, 12mo, price $1.00. - - "This book will serve a useful purpose to many readers, and - will save time lost in consulting dictionaries of larger - scope."--_The Churchman._ - - -=Writers' Reference Hand-Book.= Comprising a manual of the "ART OF -CORRESPONDENCE," with correct forms for letters of a commercial, social -and ceremonial nature, and with copious explanatory matter. 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Cloth, -12mo, price $1.00. - - "It is a handy volume to be lying on the table for - reference."--_Zion's Herald, Boston._ - - -=The National Standard Dictionary.= A pronouncing lexicon of the English -Language, containing 40,000 words, and illustrated with 700 wood-cuts, -to which is added an appendix of useful and valuable information. 600 -pages. Cloth, 12mo, price $1.00. - - "A convenient and useful book. Clear in typography, convenient - in size. It contains copious definitions, syllabic divisions, - the accentuation and pronunciation of each word, and an - appendix of reference matter of nearly 100 pages is added, - making it the best cheap dictionary we have ever - seen."--_Courier-Journal, Louisville._ - - -=The Usages of the Best Society.= A manual of social etiquette. By -FRANCES STEVENS. Cloth, 16mo, price 50 cents. - - "Will be found useful by all who wish to obtain instruction on - matters relating to social usage and society."--_Demorest's - Magazine._ - - -=A Handy Dictionary of Synonyms=, with which are combined the words -opposite in meaning. For the use of those who would speak or write the -English language fluently and correctly. By H. C. FAULKNER. Cloth, 16mo, -price 50 cents. - - "Will be found of great value to those who are not experienced - in speech or with pen."--_Brooklyn Eagle._ - - -=Talks With Homely Girls on Health and Beauty.= Their Preservation and -Cultivation. By FRANCES M. SMITH. Cloth, 16mo, price 50 cents. - - "She recommends no practices which are not in accord with - hygienic laws, so that her book is really a valuable little - guide."--_Peterson's Magazine._ - - -=A Handy Classical and Mythological Dictionary.= For popular use, with -70 illustrations. By H. C. FAULKNER. Cloth, 16mo, price 50 cents. - - "It is often convenient to have a small book at hand in order - to find out the meaning of the classical allusions of the day, - when it is troublesome and cumbersome to consult a larger work. - This tasteful volume fills the desired purpose. It explains the - allusions, pronounces the hard names, and pictures many of the - mythological heroes."--_Providence Journal._ - - -=Famous People of All Ages.= Who they were, when they lived, and why -they are famous. By W. H. VAN ORDEN. Cloth, 16mo, price 50 cents. - - "An excellent hand-book, giving in a compact form biographies - of the persons in whom the student and writer would naturally - take most interest."--_New York Tribune._ - - -_For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent post-paid on receipt of -price, by the publisher, =A. L. BURT, 66 Reade Street, New York.=_ - - -=Friendly Chats With Girls.= A series of talks on manners, duty, -behavior and social customs. Containing sensible advice and counsel on a -great variety of important matters which girls should know. By MRS. M. -A. KIDDER. Illustrated. Cloth, 16mo, price 50 cents. - - "Every girl that reads and understands this little book will be - all the wiser and prettier for it, and she will learn that - excellent secret that true beauty comes from within, and is not - for sale at the dressmaker's or the apothecary's."--_Boston - Beacon._ - - -=The Art of Letter Writing.= A manual of polite correspondence, -containing the correct forms for all letters of a commercial, social, or -ceremonial nature, with copious explanatory chapters on arrangement, -grammatical forms, punctuation, etc., etc. By JENNIE TAYLOR WANDLE. -Cloth, 16mo, price 50 cents. - - "These little works on letter-writing are not to be despised. - They often stimulate ambition, and it is a much better sign for - a person who has had few school advantages to be seen - consulting an authoritative volume of this kind, than to see - him plunging heedlessly into letter-writing with all his - ignorance clinging around him."--_N. Y. Telegram._ - - -=Ladies' Fancy Work.= New Revised Edition, giving designs and plain -directions for all kinds of Fancy Needle-Work. Edited by JENNY JUNE. 700 -illustrations. Paper cover, price 50 cents. - - "I have examined carefully the beautifully printed manuals - edited by Mrs. Croly [Jenny June], whose work here, as - elsewhere, is as careful and thorough as she has taught us to - expect. They will be invaluable to all needle-workers, and - deserve the success they will most undoubtedly obtain."--_Mrs. - Helen Campbell._ - - -=Knitting and Crochet.= A guide to the use of the Needle and the Hook. -Edited by JENNY JUNE. 200 illustrations. Paper cover, price 50 cents. - - "... I cannot think of a more useful present for young - housekeepers and mothers, who can gain much important - information from these books to aid in decorating their homes - and to trim their clothing tastefully."--_Mrs. Henry Ward - Beecher._ - - -=Needle-Work.= A manual of stitches and studies in embroidery and drawn -work. Edited by JENNY JUNE. 200 illustrations. Paper cover, price 50 -cents. - - "I do not hesitate to pronounce Mrs. Croly's works on - Needle-Work and Knitting and Crochet the best manuals on those - subjects that I have ever seen. They are charming reading, as - well as useful guides to housewife and needle-woman."--_Marion - Harland._ - - -=Letters and Monograms.= For marking on Silk, Linen and other fabrics, -for individuals and household use. Edited by JENNY JUNE. 1,000 -illustrations. Paper cover, price 50 cents. - - "I am greatly pleased with the Manuals of Art Needle-Work so - charmingly edited by Mrs. Croly [Jenny June]. Mrs. Croly's - manuals will reveal treasures to many a woman who distrusts - herself, but soon the worker will take courage as her - perceptions are cultivated, and with patience and holding fast - to the truths in nature, 'patterns' will come of themselves to - fit the uses intended. Embroidery, however, is a real enjoyment - to me, and I am glad to aid all efforts to popularize such - work."--_Mrs. Gen. Fremont._ - - -_For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent post-paid on receipt of -price, by the publisher, =A. L. BURT, 66 Reade Street, New York.=_ - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -P. 243. The 4th paragraph of Book IV, Chapter XVIII. Changed -'Annunication' to 'Annunciation' as found in the bible reference. - -P. 406. Added missing closing quotation mark. - -P.413. The last paragraph of Book VII, Chapter VII. 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