However,inthemeantimeithadtranspiredthatthemenemployedtocalktherafthadfoundthattheleakwasnotaleakatall,butonlyacrackbetweenthelogs——acrackthatbelongedthere,andwasnotdangerous,buthadbeenmagnifiedintoaleakbythedisorderedimaginationofthemate。Thereforewewentaboardagainwithagooddegreeofconfidence,andpresentlygottoseawithoutaccident。
Asweswamsmoothlyalongbetweentheenchantingshores,wefelltoswappingnotesaboutmannersandcustomsinGermanyandelsewhere。
AsIwrite,now,manymonthslater,Iperceivethateachofus,byobservingandnotingandinquiring,diligentlyanddaybyday,hadmanagedtolayinamostvariedandopulentstockofmisinformation。Butthisisnotsurprising;
itisverydifficulttogetaccuratedetailsinanycountry。
Forexample,Ihadtheideaonce,inHeidelberg,tofindoutallaboutthosefivestudent-corps。IstartedwiththeWhiteCapcorps。Ibegantoinquireofthisandthatandtheothercitizen,andhereiswhatIfoundout:
1。ItiscalledthePrussianCorps,becausenonebutPrussiansareadmittedtoit。
2。ItiscalledthePrussianCorpsfornoparticularreason。
IthassimplypleasedeachcorpstonameitselfaftersomeGermanstate。
3。ItisnotnamedthePrussianCorpsatall,butonlytheWhiteCapCorps。
4。AnystudentcanbelongtoitwhoisaGermanbybirth。
5。AnystudentcanbelongtoitwhoisEuropeanbybirth。
6。AnyEuropean-bornstudentcanbelongtoit,excepthebeaFrenchman。
7。Anystudentcanbelongtoit,nomatterwherehewasborn。
8。Nostudentcanbelongtoitwhoisnotofnobleblood。
9。Nostudentcanbelongtoitwhocannotshowthreefullgenerationsofnobledescent。
10。Nobilityisnotanecessaryqualification。
11。Nomoneylessstudentcanbelongtoit。
12。Moneyqualificationisnonsense——suchathinghasneverbeenthoughtof。
Igotsomeofthisinformationfromstudentsthemselves——
studentswhodidnotbelongtothecorps。
Ifinallywenttoheadquarters——totheWhiteCaps——whereI
wouldhavegoneinthefirstplaceifIhadbeenacquainted。
ButevenatheadquartersIfounddifficulties;IperceivedthattherewerethingsabouttheWhiteCapCorpswhichonememberknewandanotheronedidn\'t。Itwasnatural;
forveryfewmembersofanyorganizationknowALLthatcanbeknownaboutit。IdoubtthereisamanorawomaninHeidelbergwhowouldnotanswerpromptlyandconfidentlythreeoutofeveryfivequestionsabouttheWhiteCapCorpswhichastrangermightask;yetitisaverysafebetthattwoofthethreeanswerswouldbeincorrecteverytime。
ThereisoneGermancustomwhichisuniversal——thebowingcourteouslytostrangerswhensittingdownattableorrisingupfromit。Thisbowstartlesastrangeroutofhisself-possession,thefirsttimeitoccurs,andheislikelytofalloverachairorsomething,inhisembarrassment,butitpleaseshim,nevertheless。Onesoonlearnstoexpectthisbowandbeonthelookoutandreadytoreturnit;
buttolearntoleadoffandmaketheinitialbowone\'sselfisadifficultmatterforadiffidentman。
Onethinks,\"IfIrisetogo,andtendermybox,andtheseladiesandgentlementakeitintotheirheadstoignorethecustomoftheirnation,andnotreturnit,howshallIfeel,incaseIsurvivetofeelanything。\"
Thereforeheisafraidtoventure。Hesitsoutthedinner,andmakesthestrangersrisefirstandoriginatethebowing。
Atabled\'ho^tedinnerisatediousaffairforamanwhoseldomtouchesanythingafterthethreefirstcourses;
thereforeIusedtodosomeprettydrearywaitingbecauseofmyfears。Ittookmemonthstoassuremyselfthatthosefearsweregroundless,butIdidassuremyselfatlastbyexperimentingdiligentlythroughmyagent。
ImadeHarrisgetupandbowandleave;invariablyhisbowwasreturned,thenIgotupandbowedmyselfandretired。
Thusmyeducationproceededeasilyandcomfortablyforme,butnotforHarris。Threecoursesofatabled\'ho^tedinnerwereenoughforme,butHarrispreferredthirteen。
EvenafterIhadacquiredfullconfidence,andnolongerneededtheagent\'shelp,Isometimesencountereddifficulties。
OnceatBaden-BadenInearlylostatrainbecauseIcouldnotbesurethatthreeyoungladiesoppositemeattablewereGermans,sinceIhadnotheardthemspeak;theymightbeAmerican,theymightbeEnglish,itwasnotsafetoventureabow;butjustasIhadgotthatfarwithmythought,oneofthembeganaGermanremark,tomygreatreliefandgratitude;andbeforeshegotoutherthirdword,ourbowshadbeendeliveredandgraciouslyreturned,andwewereoff。
ThereisafriendlysomethingabouttheGermancharacterwhichisverywinning。WhenHarrisandIweremakingapedestriantourthroughtheBlackForest,westoppedatalittlecountryinnfordinneroneday;twoyoungladiesandayounggentlemanenteredandsatdownoppositeus。
Theywerepedestrians,too。Ourknapsackswerestrappeduponourbacks,buttheyhadasturdyyouthalongtocarrytheirsforthem。Allpartieswerehungry,sotherewasnotalking。Byandbytheusualbowswereexchanged,andweseparated。
AswesatatalatebreakfastinthehotelatAllerheiligen,nextmorning,theseyoungpeopleandtookplacesnearuswithoutobservingus;butpresentlytheysawusandatoncebowedandsmiled;notceremoniously,butwiththegratifiedlookofpeoplewhohavefoundacquaintanceswheretheywereexpectingstrangers。
Thentheyspokeoftheweatherandtheroads。Wealsospokeoftheweatherandtheroads。Next,theysaidtheyhadhadanenjoyablewalk,notwithstandingtheweather。
Wesaidthatthathadbeenourcase,too。ThentheysaidtheyhadwalkedthirtyEnglishmilesthedaybefore,andaskedhowmanywehadwalked。Icouldnotlie,soI
toldHarristodoit。HarristoldthemwehadmadethirtyEnglishmiles,too。Thatwastrue;wehad\"made\"them,thoughwehadhadalittleassistancehereandthere。
Afterbreakfasttheyfoundustryingtoblastsomeinformationoutofthedumbhotelclerkaboutroutes,andobservingthatwewerenotsucceedingprettywell,theywentandgottheirmapsandthings,andpointedoutandexplainedourcoursesoclearlythatevenaNewYorkdetectivecouldhavefollowedit。Andwhenwestartedtheyspokeoutaheartygood-byandwishedusapleasantjourney。Perhapstheyweremoregenerouswithusthantheymighthavebeenwithnativewayfarersbecausewewereaforlornlotandinastrangeland;
Idon\'tknow;Ionlyknowitwaslovelytobetreatedso。
Verywell,ItookanAmericanyoungladytooneofthefineballsinBaden-Baden,onenight,andattheentrance-doorupstairswewerehaltedbyanofficial——somethingaboutMissJones\'sdresswasnotaccordingtorule;Idon\'trememberwhatitwas,now;somethingwaswanting——herbackhair,orashawl,orafan,orashovel,orsomething。
Theofficialwaseversopolite,andeverysosorry,buttherulewasstrict,andhecouldnotletusin。
Itwasveryembarrassing,formanyeyeswereonus。
Butnowarichlydressedgirlsteppedoutoftheballroom,inquiredintothetrouble,andsaidshecouldfixitinamoment。ShetookMissJonestotherobing-room,andsoonbroughtherbackinregulationtrim,andthenweenteredtheballroomwiththisbenefactressunchallenged。
Beingsafe,now,Ibegantopuzzlethroughmysincerebutungrammaticalthanks,whentherewasasuddenmutualrecognition——thebenefactressandIhadmetatAllerheiligen。
Twoweekshadnotalteredhergoodface,andplainlyherheartwasintherightplaceyet,buttherewassuchadifferencebetweentheseclothesandtheclothesI
hadseenherinbefore,whenshewaswalkingthirtymilesadayintheBlackForest,thatitwasquitenaturalthatIhadfailedtorecognizehersooner。IhadonMY
othersuit,too,butmyGermanwouldbetraymetoapersonwhohadhearditonce,anyway。Shebroughtherbrotherandsister,andtheymadeourwaysmoothforthatevening。
Well——monthsafterward,IwasdrivingthroughthestreetsofMunichinacabwithaGermanlady,oneday,whenshesaid:
\"There,thatisPrinceLudwigandhiswife,walkingalongthere。\"
Everybodywasbowingtothem——cabmen,littlechildren,andeverybodyelse——andtheywerereturningallthebowsandoverlookingnobody,whenayoungladymetthemandmadeadeepcourtesy。
\"Thatisprobablyoneoftheladiesofthecourt,\"
saidmyGermanfriend。
Isaid:
\"Sheisanhonortoit,then。Iknowher。Idon\'tknowhername,butIknowHER。IhaveknownheratAllerheiligenandBaden-Baden。SheoughttobeanEmpress,butshemaybeonlyaDuchess;itisthewaythingsgointhisway。\"
IfoneasksaGermanacivilquestion,hewillbequitesuretogetacivilanswer。IfyoustopaGermaninthestreetandaskhimtodirectyoutoacertainplace,heshowsnosignoffeelingoffended。Iftheplacebedifficulttofind,tentoonethemanwilldrophisownmattersandgowithyouandshowyou。
InLondon,too,manyatime,strangershavewalkedseveralblockswithmetoshowmemyway。
Thereissomethingveryrealaboutthissortofpoliteness。
Quiteoften,inGermany,shopkeeperswhocouldnotfurnishmethearticleIwantedhavesentoneoftheiremployeeswithmetoshowmeaplacewhereitcouldbehad。
CHAPTERXIX
[TheDeadlyJestofDilsberg]
However,Iwanderfromtheraft。WemadetheportofNecharsteinachingoodseason,andwenttothehotelandorderedatroutdinner,thesametobereadyagainstourreturnfromatwo-hourpedestrianexcursiontothevillageandcastleofDilsberg,amiledistant,ontheothersideoftheriver。Idonotmeanthatweproposedtobetwohoursmakingtwomiles——no,wemeanttoemploymostofthetimeininspectingDilsberg。
ForDilsbergisaquaintplace。Itismostquaintlyandpicturesquelysituated,too。Imaginethebeautifulriverbeforeyou;thenafewrodsofbrilliantgreenswardonitsoppositeshore;thenasuddenhill——nopreparatorygentlyrisingslopes,butasortofinstantaneoushill——
ahilltwohundredandfiftyorthreehundredfeethigh,asroundasabowl,withthesametaperupwardthataninvertedbowlhas,andwithaboutthesamerelationofheighttodiameterthatdistinguishesabowlofgoodhonestdepth——ahillwhichisthicklyclothedwithgreenbushes——acomely,shapelyhill,risingabruptlyoutofthedeadlevelofthesurroundinggreenplains,visiblefromagreatdistancedownthebendsoftheriver,andwithjustexactlyroomonthetopofitsheadforitssteepledandturretedandroof-clusteredcapofarchitecture,whichsameistightlyjammedandcompactedwithintheperfectlyroundhoopoftheancientvillagewall。
Thereisnohouseoutsidethewallonthewholehill,oranyvestigeofaformerhouse;allthehousesareinsidethewall,butthereisn\'troomforanotherone。
Itisreallyafinishedtown,andhasbeenfinishedaverylongtime。Thereisnospacebetweenthewallandthefirstcircleofbuildings;no,thevillagewallisitselftherearwallofthefirstcircleofbuildings,andtheroofsjutalittleoverthewallandthusfurnishitwitheaves。Thegenerallevelofthemassedroofsisgracefullybrokenandrelievedbythedominatingtowersoftheruinedcastleandthetallspiresofacoupleofchurches;so,fromadistanceDilsberghasrathermorethelookofaking\'scrownthanacap。
Thatloftygreeneminenceanditsquaintcoronetformquiteastrikingpicture,youmaybesure,intheflushoftheeveningsun。
Wecrossedoverinaboatandbegantheascentbyanarrow,steeppathwhichplungedusatonceintotheleafydeepsofthebushes。Buttheywerenotcooldeepsbyanymeans,forthesun\'srayswerewelteringhotandtherewaslittleornobreezetotemperthem。Aswepantedupthesharpascent,wemetbrown,bareheadedandbarefootedboysandgirls,occasionally,andsometimesmen;
theycameuponuswithoutwarning,theygaveusgoodday,flashedoutofsightinthebushes,andweregoneassuddenlyandmysteriouslyastheyhadcome。Theywereboundfortheothersideoftherivertowork。Thispathhadbeentraveledbymanygenerationsofthesepeople。
Theyhavealwaysgonedowntothevalleytoearntheirbread,buttheyhavealwaysclimbedtheirhillagaintoeatit,andtosleepintheirsnugtown。
ItissaidthetheDilsbergersdonotemigratemuch;
theyfindthatlivingupthereabovetheworld,intheirpeacefulnest,ispleasanterthanlivingdowninthetroublousworld。Thesevenhundredinhabitantsareallblood-kintoeachother,too;theyhavealwaysbeenblood-kintoeachotherforfifteenhundredyears;theyaresimplyonelargefamily,andtheylikethehomefolksbetterthantheylikestrangers,hencetheypersistentlystayathome。
IthasbeensaidthatforagesDilsberghasbeenmerelyathrivinganddiligentidiot-factory。Isawnoidiotsthere,butthecaptainsaid,\"Becauseoflateyearsthegovernmenthastakentoluggingthemofftoasylumsandotherwheres;
andgovernmentwantstocripplethefactory,too,andistryingtogettheseDilsbergerstomarryoutofthefamily,buttheydon\'tliketo。\"
Thecaptainprobablyimaginedallthis,asmodernsciencedeniesthattheintermarryingofrelativesdeterioratesthestock。
Arrivedwithinthewall,wefoundtheusualvillagesightsandlife。Wemovedalonganarrow,crookedlanewhichhadbeenpavedintheMiddleAges。Astrapping,ruddygirlwasbeatingflaxorsomesuchstuffinalittlebitofagood-boxofabarn,andsheswungherflailwithawill——ifitwasaflail;Iwasnotfarmerenoughtoknowwhatshewasat;afrowsy,bareleggedgirlwasherdinghalfadozengeesewithastick——drivingthemalongthelaneandkeepingthemoutofthedwellings;
acooperwasatworkinashopwhichIknowhedidnotmakesolargeathingasahogsheadin,fortherewasnotroom。
Inthefrontroomsofdwellingsgirlsandwomenwerecookingorspinning,andducksandchickenswerewaddlinginandout,overthethreshold,pickingupchancecrumbsandholdingpleasantconverse;averyoldandwrinkledmansatasleepbeforehisdoor,withhischinuponhisbreastandhisextinguishedpipeinhislap;soiledchildrenwereplayinginthedirteverywherealongthelane,unmindfulofthesun。
Exceptthesleepingoldman,everybodywasatwork,buttheplacewasverystillandpeaceful,nevertheless;
sostillthatthedistantcackleofthesuccessfulhensmoteupontheearbutlittledulledbyinterveningsounds。
Thatcommonestofvillagesightswaslackinghere——thepublicpump,withitsgreatstonetankortroughoflimpidwater,anditsgroupofgossipingpitcher-bearers;
forthereisnowellorfountainorspringonthistallhill;
cisternsofrain-waterareused。
Ouralpenstocksandmuslintailscompelledattention,andaswemovedthroughthevillagewegatheredaconsiderableprocessionoflittleboysandgirls,andsowentinsomestatetothecastle。Itprovedtobeanextensivepileofcrumblingwalls,arches,andtowers,massive,properlygroupedforpicturesqueeffect,weedy,grass-grown,andsatisfactory。
Thechildrenactedasguides;theywalkedusalongthetopofthehighestwalls,thentookusupintoahightowerandshowedusawideandbeautifullandscape,madeupofwavydistancesofwoodyhills,andanearerprospectofundulatingexpansesofgreenlowlands,ontheonehand,andcastle-gracedcragsandridgesontheother,withtheshiningcurvesoftheNeckarflowingbetween。
Buttheprincipalshow,thechiefprideofthechildren,wastheancientandemptywellinthegrass-growncourtofthecastle。Itsmassivestonecurbstandsupthreeorfourfeetabove-ground,andiswholeanduninjured。
ThechildrensaidthatintheMiddleAgesthiswellwasfourhundredfeetdeep,andfurnishedallthevillagewithanabundantsupplyofwater,inwarandpeace。
TheysaidthatintheolddayitsbottomwasbelowtheleveloftheNeckar,hencethewater-supplywasinexhaustible。
Butthereweresomewhobelievedithadneverbeenawellatall,andwasneverdeeperthanitisnow——eightyfeet;
thatatthatdepthasubterraneanpassagebranchedfromitanddescendedgraduallytoaremoteplaceinthevalley,whereitopenedintosomebody\'scellarorotherhiddenrecess,andthatthesecretofthislocalityisnowlost。
ThosewhoholdthisbeliefsaythathereinliestheexplanationthatDilsberg,besiegedbyTillyandmanyasoldierbeforehim,wasnevertaken:afterthelongestandclosestsiegesthebesiegerswereastonishedtoperceivethatthebesiegedwereasfatandheartyasever,andwerewellfurnishedwithmunitionsofwar——thereforeitmustbethattheDilsbergershadbeenbringingthesethingsinthroughthesubterraneanpassageallthetime。
Thechildrensaidthattherewasintruthasubterraneanoutletdownthere,andtheywouldproveit。Sotheysetagreattrussofstrawonfireandthrewitdownthewell,whileweleanedonthecurbandwatchedtheglowingmassdescend。Itstruckbottomandgraduallyburnedout。
Nosmokecameup。Thechildrenclappedtheirhandsandsaid:
\"Yousee!Nothingmakessomuchsmokeasburningstraw——nowwheredidthesmokegoto,ifthereisnosubterraneanoutlet?\"
Soitseemedquiteevidentthatthesubterraneanoutletindeedexisted。Butthefinestthingwithintheruin\'slimitswasanoblelinden,whichthechildrensaidwasfourhundredyearsold,andnodoubtitwas。Ithadamightytrunkandamightyspreadoflimbandfoliage。
Thelimbsnearthegroundwerenearlythethicknessofabarrel。
Thattreehadwitnessedtheassaultsofmeninmail——
howremotesuchatimeseems,andhowungraspableisthefactthatrealmeneverdidfightinrealarmor!——andithadseenthetimewhenthesebrokenarchesandcrumblingbattlementswereatrimandstrongandstatelyfortress,flutteringitsgaybannersinthesun,andpeopledwithvigoroushumanity——howimpossiblylongagothatseems!——andhereitstandsyet,andpossiblymaystillbestandinghere,sunningitselfanddreamingitshistoricaldreams,whentodayshallhavebeenjoinedtothedayscalled\"ancient。\"
Well,wesatdownunderthetreetosmoke,andthecaptaindeliveredhimselfofhislegend:
THELEGENDOFDILSBERGCASTLE
Itwastothiseffect。Intheoldtimestherewasonceagreatcompanyassembledatthecastle,andfestivityranhigh。Ofcoursetherewasahauntedchamberinthecastle,andonedaythetalkfelluponthat。
Itwassaidthatwhoeversleptinitwouldnotwakeagainforfiftyyears。NowwhenayoungknightnamedConradvonGeisbergheardthis,hesaidthatifthecastlewerehishewoulddestroythatchamber,sothatnofoolishpersonmighthavethechancetobringsodreadfulamisfortuneuponhimselfandafflictsuchaslovedhimwiththememoryofit。Straightway,thecompanyprivatelylaidtheirheadstogethertocontrivesomewaytogetthissuperstitiousyoungmantosleepinthatchamber。
Andtheysucceeded——inthisway。Theypersuadedhisbetrothed,alovelymischievousyoungcreature,nieceofthelordofthecastle,tohelpthemintheirplot。
Shepresentlytookhimasideandhadspeechwithhim。
Sheusedallherpersuasions,butcouldnotshakehim;
hesaidhisbeliefwasfirm,thatifheshouldsleeptherehewouldwakenomoreforfiftyyears,anditmadehimshuddertothinkofit。Catharinabegantoweep。
Thiswasabetterargument;Conradcouldnotoutagainstit。
Heyieldedandsaidsheshouldhaveherwishifshewouldonlysmileandbehappyagain。Sheflungherarmsabouthisneck,andthekissesshegavehimshowedthatherthankfulnessandherpleasurewereveryreal。Thensheflewtotellthecompanyhersuccess,andtheapplauseshereceivedmadehergladandproudshehadundertakenhermission,sinceallaloneshehadaccomplishedwhatthemultitudehadfailedin。
Atmidnight,thatnight,aftertheusualfeasting,Conradwastakentothehauntedchamberandleftthere。
Hefellasleep,byandby。
Whenheawokeagainandlookedabouthim,hisheartstoodstillwithhorror!Thewholeaspectofthechamberwaschanged。Thewallsweremoldyandhungwithancientcobwebs;thecurtainsandbeddingswererotten;
thefurniturewasricketyandreadytofalltopieces。
Hesprangoutofbed,buthisquakingkneessunkunderhimandhefelltothefloor。
\"Thisistheweaknessofage,\"hesaid。
Heroseandsoughthisclothing。Itwasclothingnolonger。
Thecolorsweregone,thegarmentsgavewayinmanyplaceswhilehewasputtingthemon。Hefled,shuddering,intothecorridor,andalongittothegreathall。Herehewasmetbyamiddle-agedstrangerofakindcountenance,whostoppedandgazedathimwithsurprise。Conradsaid:
\"Goodsir,willyousendhitherthelordUlrich?\"
Thestrangerlookedpuzzledamoment,thensaid:
\"ThelordUlrich?\"
\"Yes——ifyouwillbesogood。\"
Thestrangercalled——\"Wilhelm!\"Ayoungserving-mancame,andthestrangersaidtohim:
\"IstherealordUlrichamongtheguests?\"
\"Iknownoneofthename,sopleaseyourhonor。\"
Conradsaid,hesitatingly:
\"Ididnotmeanaguest,butthelordofthecastle,sir。\"
Thestrangerandtheservantexchangedwonderingglances。
Thentheformersaid:
\"Iamthelordofthecastle。\"
\"Sincewhen,sir?\"
\"Sincethedeathofmyfather,thegoodlordUlrichmorethanfortyyearsago。\"
Conradsankuponabenchandcoveredhisfacewithhishandswhileherockedhisbodytoandfroandmoaned。
Thestrangersaidinalowvoicetotheservant:
\"Ifearmethispooroldcreatureismad。Callsomeone。\"
Inamomentseveralpeoplecame,andgroupedthemselvesabout,talkinginwhispers。Conradlookedupandscannedthefacesabouthimwistfully。
Thenheshookhisheadandsaid,inagrievedvoice:
\"No,thereisnoneamongyethatIknow。Iamoldandaloneintheworld。Theyaredeadandgonethesemanyyearsthatcaredforme。Butsure,someoftheseagedonesIseeaboutmecantellmesomelittlewordortwoconcerningthem。\"
Severalbentandtotteringmenandwomencamenearerandansweredhisquestionsabouteachformerfriendashementionedthenames。Thisonetheysaidhadbeendeadtenyears,thatonetwenty,anotherthirty。
Eachsucceedingblowstruckheavierandheavier。
Atlastthesufferersaid:
\"Thereisonemore,butIhavenotthecourageto——O
mylostCatharina!\"
Oneoftheolddamessaid:
\"Ah,Iknewherwell,poorsoul。Amisfortuneovertookherlover,andshediedofsorrownearlyfiftyyearsago。
Sheliethunderthelindentreewithoutthecourt。\"
Conradbowedhisheadandsaid:
\"Ah,whydidIeverwake!Andsoshediedofgriefforme,poorchild。Soyoung,sosweet,sogood!Sheneverwittinglydidahurtfulthinginallthelittlesummerofherlife。
Herlovingdebtshallberepaid——forIwilldieofgriefforher。\"
Hisheaddroopeduponhisbreast。Inthemomenttherewasawildburstofjoyouslaughter,apairofroundyoungarmswereflungaboutConrad\'sneckandasweetvoicecried:
\"There,Conradmine,thykindwordskillme——thefarceshallgonofurther!Lookup,andlaughwithus——\'twasallajest!\"
Andhedidlookup,andgazed,inadazedwonderment——
forthedisguiseswerestrippedaway,andtheagedmenandwomenwerebrightandyoungandgayagain。
Catharina\'shappytongueranon:
\"\'Twasamarvelousjest,andbravelycarriedout。
Theygaveyouaheavysleeping-draughtbeforeyouwenttobed,andinthenighttheyboreyoutoaruinedchamberwhereallhadfallentodecay,andplacedtheseragsofclothingbyyou。Andwhenyoursleepwasspentandyoucameforth,twostrangers,wellinstructedintheirparts,wereheretomeetyou;andallwe,yourfriends,inourdisguises,werecloseathand,toseeandhear,youmaybesure。Ah,\'twasagallantjest!Come,now,andmaketheereadyforthepleasuresoftheday。
Howrealwasthymiseryforthemoment,thoupoorlad!
Lookupandhavethylaugh,now!\"
Helookedup,searchedthemerryfacesabouthiminadreamyway,thensighedandsaid:
\"Iamaweary,goodstrangers,Iprayyouleadmetohergrave。\"
Allthesmilevanishedaway,everycheekblanched,Catharinasunktothegroundinaswoon。
Alldaythepeoplewentaboutthecastlewithtroubledfaces,andcommunedtogetherinundertones。Apainfulhushpervadedtheplacewhichhadlatelybeensofullofcheerylife。EachinhisturntriedtoarouseConradoutofhishallucinationandbringhimtohimself;
butalltheansweranygotwasameek,bewilderedstare,andthenthewords:
\"Goodstranger,Ihavenofriends,allareatrestthesemanyyears;yespeakmefair,yemeanmewell,butIknowyenot;Iamaloneandforlornintheworld——pritheeleadmetohergrave。\"
DuringtwoyearsConradspenthisdays,fromtheearlymorningtillthenight,underthelindentree,mourningovertheimaginarygraveofhisCatharina。
Catharinawastheonlycompanyoftheharmlessmadman。
Hewasveryfriendlytowardherbecause,ashesaid,insomewayssheremindedhimofhisCatharinawhomhehadlost\"fiftyyearsago。\"Heoftensaid:
\"Shewassogay,sohappy-hearted——butyouneversmile;
andalwayswhenyouthinkIamnotlooking,youcry。\"
WhenConraddied,theyburiedhimunderthelinden,accordingtohisdirections,sothathemightrest\"nearhispoorCatharina。\"ThenCatharinasatunderthelindenalone,everydayandalldaylong,agreatmanyyears,speakingtonoone,andneversmiling;
andatlastherlongrepentancewasrewardedwithdeath,andshewasburiedbyConrad\'sside。
Harrispleasedthecaptainbysayingitwasgoodlegend;
andpleasedhimfurtherbyadding:
\"NowthatIhaveseenthismightytree,vigorouswithitsfourhundredyears,IfeeladesiretobelievethelegendforITSsake;soIwillhumorthedesire,andconsiderthatthetreereallywatchesoverthosepoorheartsandfeelsasortofhumantendernessforthem。\"
WereturnedtoNecharsteinach,plungedourhotheadsintothetroughatthetownpump,andthenwenttothehotelandateourtroutdinnerinleisurelycomfort,inthegarden,withthebeautifulNeckarflowingatourfeet,thequaintDilsbergloomingbeyond,andthegracefultowersandbattlementsofacoupleofmedievalcastlescalledthe\"Swallow\'sNest\"[1]and\"TheBrothers。\"
assistingtheruggedsceneryofabendoftheriverdowntoourright。Wegottoseainseasontomaketheeight-mileruntoHeidelbergbeforethenightshutdown。
Wesailedbythehotelinthemellowglowofsunset,andcameslashingdownwiththemadcurrentintothenarrowpassagebetweenthedikes。IbelievedIcouldshootthebridgemyself,andIwenttotheforwardtripletoflogsandrelievedthepilotofhispoleandhisresponsibility。
1。TheseekerafterinformationisreferredtoAppendixEforourcaptain\'slegendofthe\"Swallow\'sNest\"
and\"TheBrothers。\"
Wewenttearingalonginamostexhilaratingway,andI
performedthedelicatedutiesofmyofficeverywellindeedforafirstattempt;butperceiving,presently,thatI
reallywasgoingtoshootthebridgeitselfinsteadofthearchwayunderit,Ijudiciouslysteppedashore。
ThenextmomentIhadmylong-coveteddesire:Isawaraftwrecked。Ithitthepierinthecenterandwentalltosmashandscatterationlikeaboxofmatchesstruckbylightning。
Iwastheonlyoneofourpartywhosawthisgrandsight;
theotherswereattitudinizing,forthebenefitofthelongrankofyoungladieswhowerepromenadingonthebank,andsotheylostit。ButIhelpedtofishthemoutoftheriver,downbelowthebridge,andthendescribedittothemaswellasIcould。
Theywerenotinterested,though。Theysaidtheywerewetandfeltridiculousanddidnotcareanythingfordescriptionsofscenery。Theyoungladies,andotherpeople,crowdedaroundandshowedagreatdealofsympathy,butthatdidnothelpmatters;formyfriendssaidtheydidnotwantsympathy,theywantedabackalleyandsolitude。
CHAPTERXX
[MyPrecious,PricelessTear-Jug]
Nextmorningbroughtgoodnews——ourtrunkshadarrivedfromHamburgatlast。Letthisbeawarningtothereader。
TheGermansareveryconscientious,andthistraitmakesthemveryparticular。ThereforeifyoutellaGermanyouwantathingdoneimmediately,hetakesyouatyourword;
hethinksyoumeanwhatyousay;sohedoesthatthingimmediately——accordingtohisideaofimmediately——
whichisaboutaweek;thatis,itisaweekifitreferstothebuildingofagarment,oritisanhourandahalfifitreferstothecookingofatrout。Verywell;ifyoutellaGermantosendyourtrunktoyouby\"slowfreight,\"
hetakesyouatyourword;hesendsitby\"slowfreight,\"
andyoucannotimaginehowlongyouwillgoonenlargingyouradmirationoftheexpressivenessofthatphraseintheGermantongue,beforeyougetthattrunk。
Thehaironmytrunkwassoftandthickandyouthful,whenIgotitreadyforshipmentinHamburg;itwasbaldheadedwhenitreachedHeidelberg。However,itwasstillsound,thatwasacomfort,itwasnotbatteredintheleast;
thebaggagemenseemedtobeconscientiouslycareful,inGermany,ofthebaggageentrustedtotheirhands。
Therewasnothingnowinthewayofourdeparture,thereforewesetaboutourpreparations。
NaturallymychiefsolicitudewasaboutmycollectionofCeramics。OfcourseIcouldnottakeitwithme,thatwouldbeinconvenient,anddangerousbesides。
Itookadvice,butthebestbrick-a-brackersweredividedastothewisestcoursetopursue;somesaidpackthecollectionandwarehouseit;otherssaidtrytogetitintotheGrandDucalMuseumatMannheimforsafekeeping。
SoIdividedthecollection,andfollowedtheadviceofbothparties。Isetaside,fortheMuseum,thosearticleswhichwerethemostfrailandprecious。
AmongthesewasmyEtruscantear-jug。Ihavemadealittlesketchofithere;[Figure6]thatthingcreepingupthesideisnotabug,itisahole。Iboughtthistear-jugofadealerinantiquitiesforfourhundredandfiftydollars。Itisveryrare。ThemansaidtheEtruscansusedtokeeptearsorsomethinginthesethings,andthatitwasveryhardtogetholdofabrokenone,now。
IalsosetasidemyHenriII。plate。Seesketchfrommypencil;[Figure7]itisinthemaincorrect,thoughIthinkIhaveforeshortenedoneendofitalittletoomuch,perhaps。Thisisveryfineandrare;theshapeisexceedinglybeautifulandunusual。Ithaswonderfuldecorationsonit,butIamnotabletoreproducethem。
Itcostmorethanthetear-jug,asthedealersaidtherewasnotanotherplatejustlikeitintheworld。
HesaidtherewasmuchfalseHenriIIwarearound,butthatthegenuinenessofthispiecewasunquestionable。