O. T. 

A Danish Romance

by Hans Christian Andersen

Author of the "Improvisatore" and the "Two Baronesses"

CHAPTER I

 "Quod felix faustumque sit!"

There is a happiness which no poet has yet properly sung, which nolady-reader, let her be ever so amiable, has experienced or ever willexperience in this world. This is a condition of happiness which alonebelongs to the male sex, and even then alone to the elect. It is amoment of life which seizes upon our feelings, our minds, our wholebeing. Tears have been shed by the innocent, sleepless nights beenpassed, during which the pious mother, the loving sister, have put upprayers to God for this critical moment in the life of the son or thebrother. 

Happy moment, which no woman, let her be ever so good, so beautiful, or intellectual, can experience--that of becoming a student, or, todescribe it by a more usual term, the passing of the first examination!

The cadet who becomes an officer, the scholar who becomes an academicalburgher, the apprentice who becomes a journeyman, all know, in a greateror less degree, this loosening of the wings, this bounding over thelimits of maturity into the lists of philosophy. We all strive aftera wider field, and rush thither like the stream which at length losesitself in the ocean. 

Then for the first time does the youthful soul rightly feel her freedom, and, therefore, feels it doubly; the soul struggles for activity, shecomprehends her individuality; it has been proved and not found toolight; she is still in possession of the dreams of childhood, which havenot yet proved delusive. Not even the joy of love, not the enthusiasmfor art and science, so thrills through all the nerves as the words, "Now am I a student!"

This spring-day of life, on which the ice-covering of the school isbroken, when the tree of Hope puts forth its buds and the sun of Freedomshines, falls with us, as is well known, in the month of October, justwhen Nature loses her foliage, when the evenings begin to grow darker, and when heavy winter-clouds draw together, as though they would sayto youth, --"Your spring, the birth of the examination, is only a dream!even now does your life become earnest!" But our happy youths think notof these things, neither will we be joyous with the gay, and pay a visitto their circle. In such a one our story takes its commencement. 

CHAPTER II

 "At last we separate: To Jutland one, to Fünen others go; And still the quick thought comes, --A day so bright, so full of fun, Never again on us shall rise. "--CARL BAGGER. 

It was in October of the year 1829. Examen artium had been passedthrough. Several young students were assembled in the evening at theabode of one of their comrades, a young Copenhagener of eighteen, whoseparents were giving him and his new friends a banquet in honor of theexamination. The mother and sister had arranged everything in the nicestmanner, the father had given excellent wine out of the cellar, and thestudent himself, here the rex convivii, had provided tobacco, genuineOronoko-canaster. With regard to Latin, the invitation--which was, ofcourse, composed in Latin--informed the guests that each should bringhis own. 

The company, consisting of one and twenty persons--and these were onlythe most intimate friends--was already assembled. About one third of thefriends were from the provinces, the remainder out of Copenhagen. 

"Old Father Homer shall stand in the middle of the table!" said one ofthe liveliest guests, whilst he took down from the stove a plaster bustand placed it upon the covered table. 

"Yes, certainly, he will have drunk as much as the other poets!" saidan older one. "Give me one of thy exercise-books, Ludwig! I will cut himout a wreath of vine-leaves, since we have no roses and since I cannotcut out any. "

"I have no libation!" cried a third, --"Favete linguis. " And he sprinkleda small quantity of salt, from the point of a knife, upon the bust, atthe same time raising his glass to moisten it with a few drops of wine. 

"Do not use my Homer as you would an ox!" cried the host. "Homer shallhave the place of honor, between the bowl and the garland-cake! He isespecially my poet! It was he who in Greek assisted me to laudabiliset quidem egregie. Now we will mutually drink healths! Jörgen shall bemagister bibendi, and then we will sing 'Gaudeamus igitur, ' and 'Integervitae. '"

"The Sexton with the cardinal's hat shall be the precentor!" criedone of the youths from the provinces, pointing toward a rosy-cheekedcompanion. 

"O, now I am no longer sexton!" returned the other laughing. "If thoubringest old histories up again, thou wilt receive thy old school-name, 'the Smoke-squirter. '"

"But that is a very nice little history!" said the other. "We called him'Sexton, ' from the office his father held; but that, after all, is notparticularly witty. It was better with the hat, for it did, indeed, resemble a cardinal's hat. I, in the mean time, got my name in a moreamusing manner. "

"He lived near the school, " pursued the other; "he could always sliphome when we had out free quarters of an hour: and then one day hehad filled his mouth with tobacco smoke, intending to blow it intoour faces; but when he entered the passage with his filled cheeks thequarter of an hour was over, and we were again in class: the rector wasstill standing in the doorway; he could not, therefore, blow the smokeout of his mouth, and so wished to slip in as he was. 'What have youthere in your mouth?' asked the rector; but Philip could answer nothing, without at the same time losing the smoke. 'Now, cannot you speak?'cried the rector, and gave him a box on the ear, so that the smoke burstthrough nose and mouth. This looked quite exquisite; the affair causedthe rector such pleasure, that he presented the poor sinner with thenota bene. "

"Integer vitae!" broke in the Precentor, and harmoniously followed theother voices. After this, a young Copenhagener exhibited his dramatictalent by mimicking most illusively the professors of the Academy, andgiving their peculiarities, yet in such a good-natured manner that itmust have amused even the offended parties themselves. Now followed thehealths--"Vivant omnes hi et hae!"

"A health to the prettiest girl!" boldly cried one of the merriestbrothers. "The prettiest girl!" repeated a pair of the younger ones, andpushed their glasses toward each other, whilst the blood rushed to theircheeks at this their boldness, for they had never thought of a belovedbeing, which, nevertheless, belonged to their new life. The roundelaynow commenced, in which each one must give the Christian name of hislady-love, and assuredly every second youth caught a name out of theair; some, however, repeated a name with a certain palpitation of theheart. The discourse became more animated; the approaching militaryexercises, the handsome uniform, the reception in the students' club, and its pleasures, were all matters of the highest interest. But therewas the future philologicum and philosophicum--yes, that also wasdiscussed; there they must exhibit their knowledge of Latin. 

"What do you think, " said one of the party, "if once a week wealternately met at each other's rooms, and held disputations? No Danishword must be spoken. This might be an excellent scheme. "

"I agree to that!" cried several. 

"Regular laws must be drawn up. "

"Yes, and we must have our best Latin scholar, the Jutlander, OttoThostrup, with us! He wrote his themes in hexameters. "

"He is not invited here this evening, " remarked the neighbor, the youngBaron Wilhelm of Funen, the only nobleman in the company. 

"Otto Thostrup!" answered the host. "Yes, truly he's a clever fellow, but he seems to me so haughty. There is something about him that doesnot please me at all. We are still no dunces, although he did receivenine prae caeteris!"

"Yet it was very provoking, " cried another, "that he received the onlyNon in mathematics. Otherwise he would have been called in. Now he willonly have to vex himself about his many brilliant characters. "

"Yes, and he is well versed in mathematics!" added Wilhelm "There wassomething incorrect in the writing; the inspector was to blame forthat, but how I know not. Thostrup is terribly vehement, and can setall respect at defiance; he became angry, and went out. There was onlya piece of unwritten paper presented from him, and this brought him acipher, which the verbal examination could not bring higher than non. Thostrup is certainly a glorious fellow. We have made a tour togetherin the steamboat from Helsingöer to Copenhagen, and in the writtenexamination we sat beside each other until the day when we hadmathematics, and then I sat below him. I like him very much, his prideexcepted; and of that we must break him. "

"Herr Baron, " said his neighbor, "I am of your opinion. Shall not wedrink the Thou-brotherhood?"

"To-night we will all of us drink the Thou!" said the host; "it isnothing if comrades and good friends call each other _you_. "

"Evoe Bacchus!" they joyously shouted. The glasses were filled, one armwas thrown round that of the neighbor, and the glasses were emptied, whilst several commenced singing "dulce cum sodalibus!"

"Tell me what thou art called?" demanded one of the younger guests ofhis new Thou-brother. 

"What am I called?" replied he. "With the exception of one letter, thesame as the Baron. "

"The Baron!" cried a third; "yes, where is he?"

"There he stands talking at the door; take your glasses! now have all ofus drank the Thou-brotherhood?"

The glasses were again raised; the young Baron laughed, clinked hisglass, and shouted in the circle, "Thou, Thou!" But in his whole bearingthere lay something constrained, which, however, none of the youngmen remarked, far less allowed themselves to imagine that his suddenretreat, during the first drinking, perhaps occurred from thesole object of avoiding it. But soon was he again one of the mostextravagant; promised each youth who would study theology a living onhis estate when he should once get it into his own hands; and proposedthat the Latin disputations should commence with him, and on thefollowing Friday. Otto Thostrup, however, should be of the party--if hechose, of course being understood; for he was a capital student, and hisfriend they had made a journey together and had been neighbors at thegreen table. 

Among those who were the earliest to make their valete amici was theBaron. Several were not yet inclined to quit this joyous circle. Thedeepest silence reigned in the streets; it was the most beautifulmoonlight. In most houses all had retired to rest--only here and therewas a light still seen, most persons slept, even those whose senseof duty should leave banished the god of sleep: thus sat a poorhackney-coachman, aloft upon his coach-box, before the house where heawaited his party, and enjoyed, the reins wound about his hand, themuch-desired rest. Wilhelm (henceforth we will only call the young Baronby his Christian name) walked alone through the street. The wine hadheated his northern blood--besides which it never flowed slowly; hisyouthful spirits, his jovial mood, and the gayety occasioned by themerry company he had just quitted did not permit him quietly to passby this sleeping Endymion. Suddenly it occurred to him to open thecoach-door and leap in; which having done, he let the glass fall andcalled out with a loud voice, "Drive on!" The coachman started up outof his blessed sleep and asked, quite confused, "Where to?" Withoutreflecting about the matter, Wilhelm cried, "To the Ship in WestStreet. " The coachman drove on; about half-way, Wilhelm again opened thecoach-door, a bold spring helped him out, and the coach rolled on. It stopped at the public-house of the Ship. The coachman got downand opened the door; there was no one within; he thrust his headin thoroughly to convince himself; but no, the carriage was empty!"Extraordinary!" said the fellow; "can I have dreamed it? But stillI heard, quite distinctly, how I was told to drive to the Ship! Lordpreserve us! now they are waiting for me!" He leaped upon the box anddrove rapidly back again. 

In the mean time Wilhelm had reached his abode in Vineyard Street; heopened a window to enjoy the beautiful night, and gazed out upon thedesolate church-yard which is shut in by shops. He had no inclinationfor sleep, although everything in the street, even the watchmen notexcepted, appeared to rejoice the gift of God. Wilhelm thought upon themerry evening party, upon his adventure with the poor hackney-coachman, then took down his violin from the wall and began to play certainvariations. 

The last remaining guests from the honorable carousal, merrier than whenWilhelm left them, now came wandering up the street. One of them jodeledsweetly, and no watchman showed himself as a disturbing principle. Theyheard Wilhelm violin and recognized the musician. 

"Play us a Française, thou up there!" cried they. 

"But the watchman?" whispered one of the less courageous. 

"Zounds, there he sits!" cried a third, and pointed toward a sleepingobject which leaned its head upon a large wooden chest before a closedbooth. 

"He is happy!" said the first speaker. "If we had only the strongIcelander here, he would soon hang him up by his bandelier upon one ofthe iron hooks. He has done that before now; he has the strength of abear. He seized such a lazy fellow as this right daintily by his girdleon one of the hooks at the weighing-booth. There hung the watchmanand whistled to the others; the first who hastened to the spot wasimmediately hung up beside him, and away ran the Icelander whilst thetwo blew a duet. "

"Here, take hold!" cried one of the merry brothers, quickly opening thechest, the lid of which was fastened by a peg. "Let us put the watchmaninto the chest; he sleeps indeed like a horse!" In a moment, the fourhad seized the sleeper, who certainly awoke during the operation, buthe already lay in the chest. The lid flew down, and two or three of thefriends sprang upon it whilst the peg was stuck in again. The watchmanimmediately seized his whistle and drew the most heart-rending tonesfrom it. Quickly the tormenting spirits withdrew themselves; yet not sofar but that they could still hear the whistle and observe what wouldtake place. 

The watchmen now came up. 

"The deuce! where art thou?" cried they, and then discovered the place. 

"Ah, God help me!" cried the prisoner. "Let me out, let me out! I mustcall!"

"Thou hast drunk more than thy thirst required, comrade!" said theothers. "If thou hast fallen into the chest, remain lying there, thouswine!" And laughing they left him. 

"O, the rascals!" sighed he, and worked in vain at opening the lid. Through all his powerful exertions the box fell over. The young men nowstepped forth, and, as though they were highly astonished at the wholehistory which he related to them, they let themselves be prevailed uponto open the box, but only upon condition that he should keep streetfree from the interference of the other watchmen whilst they danced aFrançaise to Wilhelm's violin. 

The poor man was delivered from his captivity, and must obligingly playthe sentinel whilst they arranged them for the dance. Wilhelm was calledupon to play, and the dance commenced; a partner, however, was wanting. Just then a quiet citizen passed by. The gentleman who had no partnerapproached the citizen with comic respect, and besought him to take partin the amusement. 

"I never dance!" said the man, laughing, and wished to pursue his way. 

"Yes, " replied the cavalier, "yet you must still do me this pleasure, or else I shall have no dance. " Saying this he took hold of him by thewaist and the dance commenced, whether the good man would or no. 

"The watchman should receive a present from every one!" said they, whenthe Française was at an end. "He is an excellent man who thus keepsorder in the street, so that one can enjoy a little dance. "

"These are honest people's children!" said the watchman to himself, whilst he with much pleasure thrust the money into his leathern purse. 

All was again quiet in the street; the violin was also silent. 

CHAPTER III

 "Who looks into the shadowy realm of my heart?" A. V. CHAMISSO. 

In the former chapter we heard mention made of a young student, OttoThostrup, a clever fellow, with nine prae caeteris, as his comradessaid, but also of a proud spirit, of which he must be broken. Not atthe disputations, which have been already mentioned, will we make hisacquaintance, although there we must be filled with respect for the goodLatin scholar; not in large companies, where his handsome exterior andhis speaking, melancholy glance must make him interesting; as little inthe pit of the Opera although his few yet striking observations therewould show him to be a very intellectual young man; but we will seekhim out for the first time at the house of his friend, the young BaronWilhelm. It is the beginning of November: we find them both with theirpipes in their mouths; upon the table lie Tibullus and Anacreon, whichthey are reading together for the approaching philologicum. 

In the room stands a piano-forte, with a number of music-books; upon thewalls hang the portraits of Weyse and Beethoven, for our young Baron ismusical, nay a composer himself. 

"See, here we have again this lovely, clinging mist!" said Wilhelm. "Outof doors one can fairly taste it; at home it would be a real plague tome, here it only Londonizes the city. "

"I like it!" said Otto. "To me it is like an old acquaintance fromVestervovov. It is as though the mist brought me greetings from the seaand sand-hills. "

"I should like to see the North Sea, but the devil might live there!What town lies nearest to your grandfather's estate?"

"Lernvig, " answered Otto. "If any one wish to see the North Seaproperly, they ought to go up as far as Thisted and Hjörring. I havetravelled there, have visited the family in Börglum-Kloster; and, besides this, have made other small journeys. Never shall I forget oneevening; yes, it was a storm of which people in the interior of thecountry can form no conception. I rode--I was then a mere boy, and avery wild lad--with one of our men. When the storm commenced we foundourselves among the sand-hills. Ah! that you should have seen! The sandforms along the strand high banks, which serve as dikes against the sea;these are overgrown with sea-grass, but, if the storm bursts a singlehole, the whole is carried away. This spectacle we chanced to witness. It is a true Arabian sand-storm, and the North Sea bellowed so thatit might be heard at the distance of many miles. The salt foam flewtogether with the sand into our faces. "

"That must have been splendid!" exclaimed Wilhelm, and his eyessparkled. "Jutland is certainly the most romantic part of Denmark. Since I read Steen-Blicher's novels I have felt a real interest for thatcountry. It seems to me that it must greatly resemble the Lowlands ofScotland. And gypsies are also found there, are they not?"

"Vagabonds, we call them, " said Otto, with an involuntary motion of themouth. "They correspond to the name!"

"The fishermen, also, on the coast are not much better! Do theystill from the pulpit pray for wrecks? Do they still slay shipwreckedmariners?"

"I have heard our preacher, who is an old man, relate how, in the firstyears after he had obtained his office and dignity, he was obliged topray in the church that, if ships stranded, they might strand in hisdistrict; but this I have never heard myself. But with regard to whatis related of murdering, why, the fishermen--sea-geese, as they arecalled--are by no means a tender-hearted people; but it is not as badas that in our days. A peasant died in the neighborhood, of whom it wascertainly related that in bad weather he had bound a lantern underhis horse's belly and let it wander up and down the beach, so that thestrange mariner who was sailing in those seas might imagine it somecruising ship, and thus fancy himself still a considerable way fromland. By this means many a ship is said to have been destroyed. Butobserve, these are stories out of the district of Thisted, and of anelder age, before my power of observation had developed itself; this wasthat golden age when in tumble-down fishers' huts, after one of thesegood shipwrecks, valuable shawls, but little damaged by the sea, mightbe found employed as bed-hangings. Boots and shoes were smeared with thefinest pomatum. If such things now reach their hands, they know betterhow to turn them into money. The Strand-commissioners are now on thewatch; now it is said to be a real age of copper. "

"Have you seen a vessel stranded?" inquired Wilhelm, with increasinginterest. 

"Our estate lies only half a mile from the sea. Every year about thistime, when the mist spreads itself out as it does to-day and the stormsbegin to rage, then was it most animated. In my wild spirits, when Iwas a boy, and especially in the midst of our monotonous life, I trulyyearned after it. Once, upon a journey to Börglum-Kloster, I experienceda storm. In the early morning; it was quite calm, but gray, and wewitnessed a kind of Fata Morgana. A ship, which had not yet risen abovethe horizon, showed itself in the distance, but the rigging was turnedupside down; the masts were below, the hull above. This is called theship of death, and when it is seen people are sure of bad weather andshipwreck. Later, about midday, it began to blow, and in an hour's timewe had a regular tempest. The sea growled quite charmingly; we travelledon between sand-hills--they resemble hills and dales in winter time, buthere it is not snow which melts away; here never grows a single greenblade; a black stake stands up here and there, and these are ruddersfrom wrecks, the histories of which are unknown. In the afternoon arosea storm such as I had experienced when riding with the man betweenthe sand-hills. We could not proceed farther, and were obliged on thisaccount to seek shelter in one of the huts which the fishermen hailerected among the white sand-hills. There we remained, and I saw thestranding of a vessel: I shall never forget it! An American ship lay nota musket-shot from land. They cut the mast; six or seven men clung fastto it in the waters. O, how they rocked backward and forward in thedashing spray! The mast took a direction toward the shore; at lengthonly three men were left clinging to the mast; it was dashed upon land, but the returning waves again bore it away; it had crushed the arms andlegs of the clinging wretches--ground them like worms! I dreamed of thisfor many nights. The waves flung the hull of the vessel up high on theshore, and drove it into the sand, where it was afterward found. Later, as we retraced our steps, were the stem and sternpost gone: you saw twostrong wooden walls, between which the road took its course. You evenstill travel through the wreck!"

"Up in your country every poetical mind must become a Byron, " saidWilhelm. "On my parents' estate we have only idyls; the whole of Funenis a garden. We mutually visit each other upon our different estates, where we lead most merry lives, dance with the peasant-girls at thebrewing-feast, hunt in the woods, and fish in the lakes. The onlymelancholy object which presents itself with us is a funeral, and theonly romantic characters we possess are a little hump-backed musician, a wise woman, and an honest schoolmaster, who still firmly believes, asJeronimus did, that the earth is flat, and that, were it to turn round, we should fall, the devil knows where!"

"I love nature in Jutland!" exclaimed Otto. "The open sea, thebrown heath, and the bushy moorland. You should see the wild moor inVendsyssel--that is an extent! Almost always wet mists float over itsunapproachable interior, which is known to no one. It is not yet fiftyyears since it served as an abode for wolves. Often it bursts intoflames, for it is impregnated with sulphuric gas, --one can see the firefor miles. "

"My sister Sophie ought to hear all this!" said Wilhelm. "You would makeyour fortune with her! The dear girl! she has the best head at home, butshe loves effect. Hoffman and Victor Hugo are her favorites. Byron restsevery night under her pillow. If you related such things of the westcoast of Jutland, and of heaths and moors, you might persuade her tomake a journey thither. One really would not believe that we possessedin our own country such romantic situations!"

"Is she your only sister?" inquired Otto. 

"No, " returned Wilhelm, "I have two--the other is named Louise; sheis of quite an opposite character: I do not know of which one ought tothink most. Have you no brothers or sisters?" he asked of Otto. 

"No!" returned the latter, with his former involuntary, half-melancholyexpression. "I am an only child. In my house it is solitary and silent. My grandfather alone is left alive. He is an active, strong man, but very grave. He instructed me in mathematics, which he thoroughlyunderstands. The preacher taught me Latin, Greek, and history: twopersons, however, occupied themselves with my religious education--thepreacher and my old Rosalie. She is a good soul. How often have I teasedher, been petulant, and almost angry with her! She thought so much ofme, she was both mother and sister to me, and instructed me in religionas well as the preacher, although she is a Catholic. Since my father'schildhood she has been a sort of governante in the house. You shouldhave seen her melancholy smile when she heard my geography lesson, andwe read of her dear Switzerland, where she was born, and of the southof France, where she had travelled as a child. The west coast of Jutlandmay also appear very barren in comparison with these countries!"

"She might have made you a Catholic! But surely nothing of this stillclings to you?"

"Rosalie was a prudent old creature; Luther himself need not have beenashamed of her doctrine. Whatever is holy to the heart of man, remainsalso holy in every religion!"

"But then, to erect altars to the Madonna!" exclaimed Wilhelm; "to prayto a being; whom the Bible does not make a saint!--that is rather toomuch. And their tricks with burning of incense and ringing of bells!Yes, indeed, it would give me no little pleasure to cut off the heads ofthe Pope and of the whole clerical body! To purchase indulgence!--Thosemust, indeed, be curious people who can place thorough faith in suchthings! I will never once take off my hat before the Madonna!"

"But that will I do, and in my heart bow myself before her!" answeredOtto, gravely. 

"Did I not think so? she has made you a Catholic!"

"No such thing! I am as good a Protestant as you yourself: butwherefore should we not respect the mother of Christ? With regard to theceremonials of Catholicism, indulgence, and all these additions of thepriesthood, I agree with you in wishing to strike off the heads of allwho, in such a manner, degrade God and the human understanding. But inmany respects we are unjust: we so easily forget the first and greatestcommandment, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself!' We are not tolerant. Among our festivals we have still one for the Three Kings--it is yetcelebrated by the common people; but what have these three kings done?They knelt before the manger in which Christ lay, and on this account wehonor them. On the contrary, the mother of God has no festival-day; nay, the multitude even smile at her name! If you will only quietly listen tomy simple argument, we shall soon agree. You will take off your hat andbow before the Madonna. Only two things are to be considered--eitherChrist was entirely human, or He was, as the Bible teaches us, a divinebeing. I will now admit the latter. He is God Himself, who in someinexplicable manner, is born to us of the Virgin Mary. She musttherefore be the purest, the most perfect feminine being, since Godfound her worthy to bring into the world the Son, the only one; throughthis she becomes as holy as any human being can, and low we must bowourselves before the pure, the exalted one. Take it for granted thatChrist was human, like ourselves, otherwise He cannot, according to mybelief, call upon us to imitate Him; neither would it be great, as God, to meet a corporeal death, from which He could remove each pain. Were Heonly a man, born of Mary, we must doubly admire Him; we must bow in thedust before His mighty spirit, His enlightening and consoling doctrine. But can we then forget how much the mother has must have influenced thechild, how sublime and profound the soul must have been which spoke toHis heart? We must reverence and honor her! Everywhere in the Scriptureswhere she appears we see an example of care and love; with her wholesoul she adheres to her Son. Think how uneasy she became, and sought forHim in the temple--think of her gentle reproaches! The words of the Sonalways sounded harsh in my ears. 'Those are the powerful expressions ofthe East!' said my old preacher. The Saviour was severe, severe asHe must be! Already there seemed to me severity in His words! Shewas completely the mother; she was it then, even as when she wept atGolgotha. Honor and reverence she deserves from us!"

"These she also receives!" returned Wilhelm; and striking him uponthe shoulder he added, with a smile, "you are, according to the RomanCatholic manner, near exalting the mother above the Son! Old Rosalie hasmade a proselyte; after all, you are half a Catholic!"

"That am I not!" answered Otto, "and that will I not be!"

 "See! the thunder-cloud advances!"

resounded below in the court: the sweet Neapolitan song reached theears of the friends. They stepped into the adjoining room and opened thewindow. Three poor boys stood below in the wind and rain, and commencedthe song. The tallest was, perhaps, fourteen or fifteen years old, hisdeep, rough voice seemed to have attained its strength and depth morethrough rain and bad weather than through age. The dirty wet clotheshung in rags about his body; the shoes upon the wet feet, and the hatheld together with white threads, were articles of luxury. The other twoboys had neither hat nor shoes, but their clothes were whole and clean. The youngest appeared six or seven years old; his silvery white hairformed a contrast with his brown face, his dark eyes and long browneyelashes. His voice sounded like the voice of a little girl, as fineand soft, beside the voices of the others, as the breeze of an autumnalevening beside that of rude November weather. 

"That is a handsome boy!" exclaimed the two friends at the same time. 

"And a lovely melody!" added Otto. 

"Yes, but they sing falsely!" answered Wilhelm: "one sings half a tonetoo low, the other half a tone too high!"

"Now, thank God that I cannot hear that!" said Otto. "It sounds sweetly, and the little one might become a singer. Poor child!" added he gravely:"bare feet, wet to the very skin; and then the elder one will certainlylead him to brandy drinking! Within a month, perhaps, the voice willbe gone! Then is the nightingale dead!" He quickly threw down someskillings, wrapped in paper. 

"Come up!" cried Wilhelm, and beckoned. The eldest of the boys flew uplike an arrow; Wilhelm, however, said it was the youngest who was meant. The others remained standing before the door; the youngest stepped in. 

"Whose son art thou?" asked Wilhelm. The boy was silent, and cast downhis eyes in an embarrassed manner. "Now, don't be bashful! Thou art ofa good family--that one can see from thy appearance! Art not thou thymother's son? I will give thee stockings and--the deuce! here is a pairof boots which are too small for me; if thou dost not get drowned inthem they shall be thy property: but now thou must sing. " And he seatedhimself at the piano-forte and struck the keys. "Now, where art thou?"he cried, rather displeased. The little one gazed upon the ground. 

"How! dost thou weep; or is it the rain which hangs in thy blackeyelashes?" said Otto, and raised his head: "we only wish to do thee akindness. There--thou hast another skilling from me. "

The little one still remained somewhat laconic. All that they learnedwas that he was named Jonas, and that his grandmother thought so much ofhim. 

"Here thou hast the stockings!" said Wilhelm; "and see here! a coat witha velvet collar, a much-to-be-prized keepsake! The boots! Thou canstcertainly stick both legs into one boot! See! that is as good as havingtwo pairs to change about with! Let us see!"

The boy's eyes sparkled with joy; the boots he drew on, the stockingswent into his pocket, and the bundle he took under his arm. 

"But thou must sing us a little song!" said Wilhelm, and the little onecommenced the old song out of the "Woman-hater, " "Cupid never can betrusted!"

The lively expression in the dark eyes, the boy himself in his wet, wretched clothes and big boots, with the bundle under his arm; nay, thewhole had something so characteristic in it, that had it been painted, and had the painter called the picture "Cupid on his Wanderings, " everyone would have found the little god strikingly excellent, although hewere not blind. 

"Something might be made of the boy and of his voice!" said Wilhelm, when little Jonas, in a joyous mood, had left the house with the otherlads. 

"The poor child!" sighed Otto. "I have fairly lost my good spiritsthrough all this. It seizes upon me so strangely when I see misery andgenius mated. Once there came to our estate in Jutland a man who playedthe Pandean-pipes, and at the same time beat the drum and cymbals: nearhim stood a little girl, and struck the triangle. I was forced to weepover this spectacle; without understanding how it was, I felt the miseryof the poor child. I was myself yet a mere boy. "

"He looked so comic in the big boots that I became quite merry, and notgrave, " said Wilhelm. "Nevertheless what a pity it is that such gentleblood, which at the first glance one perceives he is, that such a prettychild should become a rude fellow, and his beautiful voice change intoa howl, like that with which the other tall Laban saluted us. Who knowswhether little Jonas might not become the first singer on the Danishstage? Yes, if he received education of mind and voice, who knows? Icould really have, pleasure in attempting it, and help every one on inthe world, before I myself am rightly in the way!"

"If he is born to a beggar's estate, " said Otto, "let him as beggar liveand die, and learn nothing higher. That is better, that is more to bedesired!"

Wilhelm seated himself at the piano-forte, and played some of his owncompositions. "That is difficult, " said he; "every one cannot playthat. "

"The simpler the sweeter!" replied Otto. 

"You must not speak about music!" returned the friend "upon that youknow not how to pass judgment. Light Italian operas are not difficult towrite. "

In the evening the friends separated. Whilst Otto took his hat, therewas a low knock at the door. Wilhelm opened it. Without stood a poor oldwoman, with pale sharp features; by the hand she led a little boy--itwas Jonas: thus then it was a visit from him and his grandmother. 

The other boys had sold the boots and shoes which had been given him. They ought to have a share, they maintained. This atrocious injusticehad induced the old grandmother to go immediately with little Jonas tothe two good gentlemen, and relate how little the poor lad had receivedof flint which they had assigned to him alone. 

Wilhelm spoke of the boy's sweet voice, and thought that by might makehis fortune at the theatre; but then he ought not now to be left runningabout with bare feet in the wind and rain. 

"But by this means he brings a skilling home, " said the old woman. "That's what his father and mother look to, and the skilling they canalways employ. Nevertheless she had herself already thought of bringinghim out at the theatre, --but that was to have been in dancing, for theygot shoes and stockings to dance in, and with these they might also runhome; and that would be an advantage. "

"I will teach the boy music!" said Wilhelm; "he can come to mesometimes. "

"And then he will, perhaps, get a little cast-off clothing, good sir, "said the grandmother; "a shirt, or a waistcoat, just as it happens?"

"Become a tailor, or shoemaker, " said Otto, gravely, and laid his handupon the boy's head. 

"He shall be a genius!" said Wilhelm. 

CHAPTER IV

 "Christmas-tide, When in the wood the snow shines bright. " OEHLENSCHLÄGER'S Helge

We again let several weeks pass by; it was Christmas Eve, which bringsus the beautiful Christmas festival. We find the two friends taking awalk. 

Describe to an inhabitant of the south a country where the earth appearscovered with the purest Carrara marble, where the tree twigs resemblewhite branches of coral sprinkled with diamonds, and above a sky as blueas that belonging to the south, and he will say that is a fairy land. Couldst thou suddenly remove him from his dark cypresses and olive-treesto the north, where the fresh snow lies upon the earth, where the whitehoar-frost has powdered the trees over, and the sun shines down from theblue heaven, then would he recognize the description and call the northa fairy land. 

This was the splendor which the friends admired. The large trees uponthe fortification-walls appeared crystallized when seen against the bluesky. The Sound was not yet frozen over; vessels, illuminated by the redevening sun, glided past with spread sails. The Swedish coast seemed tohave approached nearer; one might see individual houses in Landskrona. It was lovely, and on this account there were many promenaders upon thewalls and the Langelinie. 

"Sweden seems so near that one might swim over to it!" said Wilhelm. 

"The distance would be too far, " answered Otto; "but I should love toplunge among the deep blue waters yonder. "

"How refreshing it is, " said Wilhelm, "when the water plays about one'scheeks! Whilst I was at home, I always swam in the Great Belt. Yes, youare certainly half a fish when you come into the water. "

"I!" repeated Otto, and was silent; but immediately added, with a kindof embarrassment which was at other times quite foreign to him, and fromwhich one might infer how unpleasant confessing any imperfection was tohim, "I do not swim. "

"That must be learned in summer!" said Wilhelm. 

"There is so much to learn, " answered Otto; "swimming will certainly bethe last thing. " He now suddenly turned toward the fortress, andstood still. "Only see how melancholy and quiet!" said he, and led theconversation again to the surrounding scenery. "The sentinel before theprison paces so quietly up and down, the sun shines upon his bayonet!How this reminds me of a sweet little poem of Heine's; it is just asthough he described this fortress and this soldier, but in the warmthof summer: one sees the picture livingly before one, as here; the weaponglances in the sun, and the part ends so touchingly, --'Ich wollt', erschösse mich todt!' It is here so romantically beautiful! on the rightthe animated promenade, and the view over the Sund; on the left, thedesolate square, where the military criminals are shot, and close uponit the prison with its beam-fence. The sun scarcely shines through thosewindows. Yet, without doubt, the prisoner can see us walking here uponthe wall. "

"And envy our golden freedom!" said Wilhelm. 

"Perhaps he derides it, " answered Otto. "He is confined to his chamberand the small courts behind the beam-lattice; we are confined to thecoast; we cannot fly forth with the ships into the mighty, gloriousworld. We are also fastened with a chain, only ours is somewhat longerthan that of the prisoner. But we will not think of this; let us go downto where the beautiful ladies are walking. "

"To see and to be seen, " cried Wilhelm. "'Spectatum veniunt; veniuntspectentur ut ipsae, ' as Ovid says. "

The friends quitted the wall. 

"There comes my scholar, little Jonas!" cried Wilhelm. "The boy wasbetter dressed than at his last appearance; quickly he pulled his littlecap off and stood still: a young girl in a wretched garb held him by thehand. 

"Good day, my clever lad!" said Wilhelm, and his glance rested on thegirl: she was of a singularly elegant form; had she only carried herselfbetter she would have been a perfect beauty. It was Psyche herself whostood beside Cupid. She smiled in a friendly manner; the little lad hadcertainly told her who the gentlemen were; but she became crimson, andcast down her eyes when Wilhelm looked back after her: he beckoned toJonas, who immediately came to him. The girl was his sister, he said, and was called Eva. Wilhelm nodded to her, and the friends went on. 

"That was a beautiful girl!" said Wilhelm, and looked back once more. "Arosebud that one could kiss until it became a full blown rose!"

"During the experiment the rosebud might easily be broken!" answeredOtto; "at least such is the case with the real flower. But do not lookback again, that is a sin!"

"Sin?" repeated Wilhelm; "no, then it is a very innocent sin! Believeme, it flatters the little creature that we should admire her beauty. I can well imagine how enchanting a loving look from a rich younggentleman may be for a weak, feminine mind. The sweet words which onecan say are as poison which enters the blood. I have still a clearconscience. Not ONE innocent soul have I poisoned!"

"And yet you are rich and young enough to do so, " returned Otto, notwithout bitterness. "Our friends precede us with a good example: herecome some of our own age; they are acquainted with the roses!"

"Good evening, thou good fellow!" was the greeting Wilhelm received fromthree or four of the young men. 

"Are you on Thou-terms with all these?" inquired Otto. 

"Yes, " answered Wilhelm; "we became so at a carouse. There all drank theThou-brotherhood. I could not draw myself back. At other times I donot willingly give my 'thou' to any but my nearest friends. _Thou_ hassomething to my mind affectionate and holy. Many people fling it to thefirst person with whom they drink a glass. At the carouse I could notsay no. "

"And wherefore not?" returned Otto; "that would never have troubled me. "

The friends now wandered on, arm-in-arm. Later in the evening we againmeet with them together, and that at the house of a noble family, whosename and rank are to be found in the "Danish Court Calendar;" on whichaccount it would be wanting in delicacy to mention the same, even in astory the events of which lie so near our hearts. 

Large companies are most wearisome. In these there are two kinds ofrank. Either you are riveted to a card-table, or placed against thewall where you must stand with your hat in your hand, or, later in theevening, with it at your feet, nay, even must stand during supper. Butthis house was one of the most intellectual. Thou who dost recognize thehouse wilt also recognize that it is not to be reckoned with those, --

 "Where each day's gossiping stale fish Is served up daily for thy dish. "

This evening we do not become acquainted with the family, but only withtheir beautiful Christmas festival. 

The company was assembled in a large apartment; the shaded lamp burneddimly, but this was with the intention of increasing the effect whenthe drawing-room doors should open and the children joyfully press intogether. 

Wilhelm now stepped to the piano-forte; a few chords produced stillnessand attention. To the sounds of low music there stepped forth fromthe side-doors three maidens arrayed in white; each wore a long veildepending from the back of her head, --one blue, the other red, and thethird white. Each carried in her arms an urn, and thus they representedfortune-tellers from the East. They brought good or ill luck, which eachrelated in a little verse. People were to draw a number, and accordingto this would he receive his gift from the Christmas-tree. One of themaidens brought blanks--but which of them? now it was proved whether youwere a child of fortune. All, even the children, drew their uncertainnumbers: exception was only made with the family physician and a fewelderly ladies of the family; these had a particular number stuck intotheir hands--their presents had been settled beforehand. 

"Who brings me good luck?" inquired Otto, as the three pretty younggirls approached him. The one with a white veil was Wilhelm's eldestsister, Miss Sophie, who was this winter paying a visit to the family. She resembled her brother. The white drapery about her head increasedthe expression of her countenance. She rested her gaze firmly upon Otto, and, perhaps, because he was the friend of her brother, she raised herfinger. Did she wish to warn or to challenge him? Otto regarded it asa challenge, thrust his hand into the urn, and drew out number 33. Allwere now provided. The girls disappeared, and the folding-doors of thedrawing-room were opened. 

A dazzling light streamed toward the guests. A splendid fir-tree, covered with burning tapers, and hung over with tinsel-gold, gilt eggsand apples, almonds and grapes, dazzled the eye. On either side of thetree were grottoes of fir-trees and moss, hung with red and blue paperlamps. In each grotto was an altar; upon one stood John of Bologna'sfloating Mercury; upon the other, a reduced cast in plaster ofThorwaldsen's Shepherd-boy. The steps were covered with presents, towhich were attached the different numbers. 

"Superbe! lovely!" resounded from all sides; and the happy childrenshouted for joy. People arranged themselves in a half-circle, one rowbehind the other. One of the cousins of the family now stepped forth, a young poet, who, if we mistake not, has since then appeared among theAnonymouses in "The New Year's Gift of Danish Poets. " He was appareledthis evening as one of the Magi, and recited a little poem whichdeclared that, as each one had himself drawn out of the urn of Fate, no one could be angry, let him have procured for himself honor orderision--Fate, and not Merit, being here the ruler. Two little boys, with huge butterfly wings and in flowing garments, bore the presents tothe guests. A number, which had been purposely given to one of the elderladies, was now called out, and the boys brought forward a large, heavy, brown earthen jug. To the same hung a direction the length of two sheetsof paper, upon which was written, "A remedy against frost. " The jug wasopened, and a very nice boa taken out and presented to the lady. 

"What number have you?" inquired Otto of Wilhelm's sister, who, freedfrom her long veil, now entered the room and took her place near him. 

"Number 34, " she answered. "I was to keep the number which remained overwhen the others had drawn. "

"We are, then, neighbors in the chain of Fate, " returned Otto; "I havenumber 33. "

"Then one of us will receive something very bad!" said Sophie. "For, asmuch as I know, only every other number is good. " At this moment theirnumbers were called out. The accompanying poem declared that only apoetical, noble mind deserved this gift. It consisted of an illuminatedFrench print, the subject a simple but touching idea. You saw a frozenlake, nothing but one expanse of ice as far as the horizon. The ice wasbroken, and near to the opening lay a hat with a red lining, and besideit sat a dog with grave eyes, still and expectant. Around the brokenopening in the ice were seen traces of the dog having scratched into thehard crust of ice. "Il attend toujours" was the simple motto. 

"That is glorious!" exclaimed Otto. "An affecting thought! His masterhas sunk in the depth, and the faithful log yet awaits him. Had thatpicture only fallen to my lot!"

"It is lovely!" said Sophie, and a melancholy glance made the young girlstill more beautiful. 

Soon after Wilhelm's turn came. 

 "Open the packet, thou shalt see The very fairest gaze on thee!"

ran the verse. He opened the packet, and found within a small mirror. "Yes, that was intended for a lady, " said he; "in that case it wouldhave spoken the truth! in my hands it makes a fool of me. 

"For me nothing certainly remains but my number!" said Otto to hisneighbor, as all the gifts appeared to be distributed. 

"The last is number 33, " said the cousin, and drew forth a roll ofpaper, which had been hidden among the moss. It was unrolled. It was anold pedigree of an extinct race. Quite at the bottom lay the knight withshield and armor, and out of his breast grew the many-branched tree withits shields and names. Probably it had been bought, with other rubbish, at some auction, and now at Christmas, when every hole and corner wasrummaged for whatever could be converted into fun or earnest, it hadbeen brought out for the Christmas tree. The cousin read the followingverse:--

 "Art thou not noble?--then it in far better; This tree unto thy father is not debtor; Thyself alone is thy ancestral crown. From thee shall spring forth branches of renown, And if thou come where blood gives honor's place, This tree shall prove thee first of all thy race! From this hour forth thy soul high rank hath won her, Not will forget thy knighthood and thy honor. "

"I congratulate you, " said Wilhelm, laughing. "Now you will have to paythe nobility-tax!"

Several of the ladies who stood near him, smiling, also offered akind of congratulation. Sophie alone remained silent, and examinedthe present of another lady--a pretty pincushion in the form of a gaybutterfly. 

The first row now rose to examine more nearly how beautifully theChristmas tree was adorned. Sophie drew one of the ladies away with her. 

"Let us look at the beautiful statues, " said she; "the Shepherd-boy andthe Mercury. "

"That is not proper, " whispered the lady; "but look there at thesplendid large raisins on the tree!"

Sophie stepped before Thorwaldsen's Shepherd-boy. The lady whispered toa friend, "It looks so odd that she should examine the figures!"

"Ah!" replied the other, "she is a lover of the fine arts, as you wellknow. Only think! at the last exhibition she went with her brotherinto the great hall where all the plaster-casts stand, and looked atthem!--the Hercules, as well as the other indecent figures! they wereexcellent, she said. That is being so natural; otherwise she is a nicegirl. "

"It is a pity she is a little awry. "

Sophie approached them; both ladies made room for her, and invitedher most lovingly to sit clown beside them. "Thou sweet girl!" theyflatteringly exclaimed. 

CHAPTER V

 "Hark to trumpets and beaten gongs, Squeaking fiddles, shouts and songs. Hurra! hurra! The Doctor is here; And here the hills where fun belongs. " J. L. HEIBERG. 

We will not follow the principal characters of our story step for step, but merely present the prominent moments of their lives to our readers, be these great or small; we seize on them, if they in any way contributeto make the whole picture more worthy of contemplation. 

The winter was over, the birds of passage had long since returned; thewoods and fields shone in the freshest green, and, what to the friendswas equally interesting, they had happily passed through their examenphilologicum. Wilhelm, who, immediately after its termination, hadaccompanied his sister home, was again returned, sang with little Jonas, reflected upon the philosophicum, and also how he would thoroughlyenjoy the summer, --the summer which in the north is so beautiful, butso short. It was St. John's Day. Families had removed from Copenhagen totheir pretty country-seats on the coast, where people on horsebackand in carriages rushed past, and where the highway was crowded withfoot-passengers. The whole road presented a picture of life upon theParis Boulevard. The sun was burning, the dust flew up high into theair; on which account many persons preferred the pleasanter excursionwith the steamboat along the coast, from whence could be seen thetraffic on the high-road without enduring the annoyance of dust andheat. Boats skimmed past; brisk sailors, by the help of vigorous strokesof the oar, strove to compete with the steam-packet, the dark smoke fromwhich, like some demon, partly rested upon the vessel, partly floatedaway in the air. 

Various young students, among whom were also Wilhelm and Otto, landedat Charlottenlund, the most frequented place of resort near Copenhagen. Otto was here for the first time; for the first time he should see thepark. 

A summer's afternoon in Linken's Bad, near Dresden, bears a certainresemblance to Charlottenlund, only that the Danish wood is larger; thatinstead of the Elbe we have the Sound, which is here three miles broad, and where often more than a hundred vessels, bearing flags of all theEuropean nations, glide past. A band of musicians played airs out of"Preciosa;" the white tents glanced like snow or swans through the greenbeech-trees. Here and there was a fire-place raised of turf, over whichpeople boiled and cooked, so that the smoke rose up among the trees. Outside the wood, waiting in long rows, were the peasants' vehicles, called "coffee-mills, " completely answering ho the couricolo of theNeapolitan and the coucou of the Parisian, equally cheap, and overladenin the same manner with passengers, therefore forming highly picturesquegroups. This scene has been humorously treated in a picture byMarstrand. Between fields and meadows, the road leads pleasantly towardthe park; the friends pursued the foot-path. 

"Shall I brush the gentlemen?" cried five or six boys, at the same timepressing upon the friends as they approached the entrance to the park. Without waiting for an answer, the boys commenced at once brushing thedust from their clothes and boots. 

"These are Kirsten Piil's pages, " said Wilhelm, laughing; "they takecare that people show themselves tolerably smart. But now we are brushedenough!" A six-skilling-piece rejoiced these little Savoyards. 

The Champs Elysées of the Parisians on a great festival day, whenthe theatres are opened, the swings are flying, trumpets and drumsoverpowering the softer music, and when the whole mass of people, likeone body, moves itself between the booths and tents, present a companionpiece to the spectacle which the so-called Park-hill affords. Itis Naples' "Largo dei Castello, " with its dancing apes, shriekingBajazzoes, the whole deafening jubilee which has been transported to anorthern wood. Here also, in the wooden booths, large, tawdry picturesshow what delicious plays you may enjoy within. The beautiful femalehorse-rider stands upon the wooden balcony and cracks with her whip, whilst Harlequin blows the trumpet. Fastened to a perch, large, gayparrots nod over the heads of the multitude. Here stands a miner in hisblack costume, and exhibits the interior of a mine. He turns hisbox, and during the music dolls ascend and descend. Another shows thesplendid fortress of Frederiksteen: "The whole cavalry and infantry whohave endured an unspeakable deal; here a man without a weapon, there aweapon without a man; here a fellow without a bayonet, here a bayonetwithout a fellow; and yet they are merry and contented, for they haveconquered the victory. " [Note: Literal translation of the real words ofa showman. ] Dutch wafer-cake booths, where the handsome Dutch women, in their national costume, wait on the customers, entice old and young. Here a telescope, there a rare Danish ox, and so forth. High up, betweenthe fresh tree boughs, the swings fly. Are those two lovers floating upthere? A current of air seizes the girl's dress and shawl, the youngman flings his arm round her waist; it is for safety: there is then lessdanger. At the foot of the hill there is cooking and roasting going on;it seems a complete gypsy-camp. Under the tree sits the old Jew--this isprecisely his fiftieth jubilee; through a whole half-century has he sunghere his comical Doctor's song. Now that we are reading this he is dead;that characteristic countenance is dust, those speaking eyes are closed, his song forgotten tones. Oehlenschläger, in his "St. John's Eve, " haspreserved his portrait for us, and it will continue to live, as MasterJakel (Punch), our Danish Thespis, will continue to live. The play andthe puppets were transferred from father to son, and every quarter of anhour in the day the piece is repeated. Free nature is the place for thespectators, and after every representation the director himself goesround with the plate. 

This was the first spectacle which exhibited itself to the friends. Not far off stood a juggler in peasant's clothes, somewhat advanced inyears, with a common ugly countenance. His short sleeves were rolledup, and exhibited a pair of hairy, muscular arms. The crowd, withdrawingfrom Master Jakel when the plate commenced its wanderings, pushed Ottoand Wilhelm forward toward the low fence before the juggler's table. 

"Step nearer, my gracious gentlemen, my noble masters!" said thejuggler, with an accentuation which betrayed his German birth. He openedthe fence; both friends were fairly pushed in and took their places uponthe bench, where they, at all events, found themselves out of the crowd. 

"Will the noble gentleman hold this goblet?" said the juggler, andhanded Otto one from his apparatus. Otto glanced at the man: he wasoccupied with his art; but Otto's cheek and forehead were colored with asudden crimson, which was immediately afterward supplanted by a deathlypaleness: his hand trembled, but this lasted only a moment; he gatheredall his strength of mind together and appeared the same as before. 

"That was a very good trick!" said Wilhelm. 

"Yes, certainly!" answered Otto; but he had seen nothing whatsoever. Hissoul was strangely affected. The man exhibited several other tricks, andthen approached with the plate. Otto laid down a mark, and then rose todepart. The juggler remarked the piece of money: a smile played abouthis mouth; he glanced at Otto, and a strange malicious expression lay inthe spiteful look which accompanied his loudly spoken thanks: "Mr. OttoThostrup is always so gracious and good!"

"Does he know you?" asked Wilhelm. 

"He has the honor!" grinned the juggler, and proceeded. 

"He has exhibited his tricks in the Jutland villages, and upon myfather's estate, " whispered Otto. 

"Therefore an acquaintance of your childhood?" said Wilhelm. 

"Of my childhood, " repeated Otto, and they made themselves a way throughthe tumult. 

They met with several young noblemen, relatives of Wilhelm, with thecousin who had written the verses for the Christmas tree; also severalfriends from the carouse, and the company increased. They intended, likemany others, to pass the night in the wood, and at midnight drink out ofKirsten Piil's well. "Only with the increasing darkness will it becomethoroughly merry here, " thought they: but Otto had appointed to be inthe city again toward evening. "Nothing will come out of that!" said thepoet; "if you wish to escape, we shall bind you fast to one of us. "

"Then I carry him away with me on my back, " replied Otto; "and still runtoward the city. What shall I do here at night in the wood?"

"Be merry!" answered Wilhelm. "Come, give us no follies, or I shall growrestive. "

Hand-organs, drums, and trumpets, roared against each other; Bajazzogrowled; a couple of hoarse girls sang and twanged upon the guitar:it was comic or affecting, just as one was disposed. The eveningapproached, and now the crowd became greater, the joy more noisy. 

"But where is Otto?" inquired Wilhelm. Otto had vanished in the crowd. Search after him would help nothing, chance must bring them togetheragain. Had he designedly withdrawn himself? no one knew wherefore, noone could dream what had passed within his soul. It became evening. The highway and the foot-path before the park resembled two moving gayribbons. 

In the park itself the crowd perceptibly diminished. It was now thehigh-road which was become the Park-hill. The carriages dashed by eachother as at a race; the people shouted and sung, if not as melodiouslyas the barcarole of the fisher men below Lido, still with the thoroughcarnival joy of the south. The steamboat moved along the coasts. Fromthe gardens surrounding the pretty country-houses arose rockets into theblue sky, the Moccoli of the north above the Carnival of the Park. 

Wilhelm remained with his young friends in the wood, and there theyintended, with the stroke of twelve, to drink out of Kirsten's well. Men and women, girls and boys of the lower class, and jovial young men, meet, after this manner, to enjoy St. John's Eve. Still sounded themusic, the swings were in motion, lamps hung out, whilst the new moonshone through the thick tree boughs. Toward midnight the noise diedaway; only a blind peasant still scratched upon the three strings whichwere left on his violin; some servant-girls wandered, arm-in-arm, withtheir sweethearts, and sang. At twelve o'clock all assembled aboutthe well, and drank the clear, ice-cold water. From no great distanceresounded, through the still night, a chorus of four manly voices. Itwas as if the wood gods sang in praise of the nymph of the well. 

Upon the hill all was now deserted and quiet. Bajazzo and il Padroneslept behind the thin linen partition, under a coverlid. The moon set, but the night was clear; no clear, frosty winter night has a snorebeautiful starry heaven to exhibit. Wilhelm's party was merry, quicklyflew the hours away; singing in chorus, the party wandered through thewood, and down toward the strand. The day already dawned; a red streakalong the horizon announced its approach. 

Nature sang to them the mythos of the creation of the world, even as shehad sung it to Moses, who wrote down this voice from God, interpretedby Nature. Light banished the darkness, heaven and earth were parted; atfirst birds showed themselves in the clear air; later rose the beasts ofthe field; and, last of all, appeared man. 

"The morning is fairly sultry, " said Wilhelm; "the sea resembles amirror: shall we not bathe?"

The proposal was accepted. 

"There we have the Naiades already!" said one of the party, as aswarm of fishermen's wives and daughters, with naked feet, their greenpetticoats tucked up, and baskets upon their backs, in which theycarried fish to Copenhagen, came along the road. The gay young fellowscast toward the prettiest glances as warm and glowing as that cast bythe sun himself, who, at this moment, came forth and shone over theSound, where a splendid three-masted vessel had spread all her sails tocatch each breeze. The company reached the strand. 

"There is some one already swimming out yonder, " said Wilhelm. "Hestands it bravely. That is an excellent swimmer!"

"Here lie his clothes, " remarked another. 

"How!" exclaimed Wilhelm: "this is Otto Thostrup's coat! But Otto cannotswim; I have never been able to persuade him to bathe. Now, we will outand make a nearer acquaintance. "

"Yes, certainly it is he, " said another; "he is now showing his skill. "

"Then he must have been all night in the wood, " exclaimed Wilhelm. "Yes, indeed, he's a fine bird. Does he fly us? He shall pay for this. Goodnight in the water, or in any other improper place? To quit friendswithout saying a word does not appertain to the customs of civilizedpeople. Since you, therefore, show yourself such a man of nature, wewill carry away your garments; it cannot annoy you in puris naturalibusto seek us out in the wood. "

Otto raised his head, but was silent. 

"Now, will you not come forth?" cried Wilhelm. "Only kneeling beforeeach of us can you receive the separate articles of your dress, sothat you may again appear as a civilized European. " And saying this hedivided the clothes among the others; each one held an article in hishand. 

"Leave such jokes!" cried Otto with singular earnestness. "Lay down theclothes, and retire!"

"Aye, that we will, presently, " returned Wilhelm. "You are a finefellow! You cannot swim, you say. Now, if you should not kneel"--

"Retire!" cried Otto, "or I will swim out into the stream, and notreturn again!"

"That might be original enough, " answered Wilhelm. "Swim forth, or comeand kneel here!"

"Wilhelm!" cried Otto, with an affecting sigh, and in a moment swamforth with quick strokes. 

"There he shoots away, " said one of the party. "How he cuts the waves!He is a splendid swimmer!"

Smiling they gazed over the expanse; Otto swam even farther out. 

"But where will he swim to?" exclaimed, somewhat gravely, one of thespectators. "He will certainly lose his strength before he returns thesame distance. "

They unmoored the boat. Otto swam far out at sea; with quick strokes ofthe oars they rowed after him. 

"Where is he now?" cried Wilhelm shortly afterwards; "I see him nolonger. "

"Yes, there he comes up again, " said another; "but his strength isleaving him. "

"On! on!" cried Wilhelm; "he will be drowned if we do not come to hishelp. Only see--he sinks!"

Otto had lost all power; his head disappeared beneath the water. Thefriends had nearly reached him; Wilhelm and several of the best swimmersflung from themselves boots and coats, sprang into the sea, and divedunder the water. A short and noiseless moment passed. One of theswimmers appeared above water. "He is dead!" were the first words heard. Wilhelm and the three others now appeared with Otto; the boat was nearoversetting as they brought him into it. Deathly pale lay he there, a beautifully formed marble statue, the picture of a young gladiatorfallen in the arena. 

The friends busied themselves about him, rubbing his breast and hands, whilst two others rowel toward the land. 

"He breathes!" said Wilhelm. 

Otto opened his eyes; his lips moved; his gaze became firmer; a deepcrimson spread itself over his breast and countenance; he raised himselfand Wilhelm supported him. Suddenly a deep sigh burst from his breast;he thrust Wilhelm from him, and, like a madman, seized an article ofdress to cover himself with; then, with a convulsive trembling of thelips, he said to Wilhelm, who held his hand, "I HATE YOU!"

CHAPTER VI

 --"Art thou Prometheus, pierced with wounds? The Vulture thou that tugs at his heart?" J. CHR. V. ZEDLITZ'S Todtenkränze. 

Not half an hour after this adventure a carriage rolled toward thecity--a large carriage, containing three seats, but, beside thecoachman, there was only one person within. This was Otto; his lips werepale; death, it is true, had touched them. Alone he dashed forward; hislast words to Wilhelm had been his only ones. 

"He has lost his wits, " said one of the friends. 

"It is a fit of madness, " answered another, "such as he was seized withat the examination, when he only sent in a scrap of white paper forthe mathematical examination, because he felt himself offended by theinspector. "

"I could quite vex myself about my stupid joke, " said Wilhelm. "I oughtto have known him better; he is of a strange, unhappy character. Give meyour hands! We will mention to no one what has occurred; it would onlygive occasion to a deal of gossip, and wound him deeply, and he is anexcellent, glorious fellow. "

They gave their hands upon it, and drove toward the city. 

The same day, toward evening, we again seek Otto. We find him in hischamber. Silent, with crossed arms, he stands before a print, a copy ofHorace Vernet's representation of Mazeppa, who, naked and bound upon awild horse, rushes through the forest. Wolves thrust forth their headsand exhibit their sharp teeth. 

"My own life!" sighed Otto. "I also am bound to this careering wildhorse. And no friend, not a single one! Wilhelm, I could kill thee! Icould see you all lying in your blood! O, Almighty God!" He pressed hishands before his face and threw himself into a seat; his eyes, however, again directed themselves toward the picture; it exhibited a momentsimilar to the condition of his own mind. 

The door now opened, and Wilhelm stood before him. 

"How do you find yourself, Thostrup?" he inquired. "We are still friendsas before?" and he wished to give his hand. Otto drew back his. "I havedone nothing which could so much offend you, " said Wilhelm; "the wholewas merely a joke! Give me your hand, and we will speak no more of theaffair!"

"To the man whom I hate, I never reach my hand, " replied Otto and hislips were white like his cheeks. 

"A second time to-day you speak these words to me, " said Wilhelm, andthe blood rushed to his face. "We were friends, wherefore cannot we beso still? Have people slandered me to you? Have they told lies about me?Only tell me faithfully, and I shall be able to defend myself. "

"You must fight with me!" said Otto; and his glance became more gloomy. Wilhelm was silent; there reigned a momentary stillness. Otto suppresseda deep sigh. At length Wilhelm broke silence, and said, with a graveand agitated voice, --"I am so thoughtless, I joke so often, and regardeverything from the ridiculous side. But for all that I have both heartand feeling. You must have known how much dearer you were to me thanmost other people. You are so still, although you offend me. At thismoment your blood is in a fever; not now, but after a few days, youyourself will best see which of us is the offended party. You demandthat I fight with you; I will if your honor requires this satisfaction:but you must lay before me an acceptable reason. I will know whereforewe risk our lives. Let some days pass by; weigh all with yourunderstanding and your heart! It will still depend upon yourself whetherwe remain friends as before. Farewell!" And Wilhelm went. 

Each of his words had penetrated to Otto's heart. A moment he stoodsilent and undecided, then his limbs trembled involuntarily, tearsstreamed from his eyes--it was a convulsive fit of weeping; he pressedhis head back. "God, how unfortunate I am!" were his only words. 

So passed some minutes; he had ceased to weep, and was calm; suddenly hesprang up, shot the bolt in the door, drew down the blinds, lighted hiscandle, and once more looked searchingly around: the key-hole was alsostopped up. He then flung his coat away from him and uncovered the upperpart of his body. 

CHAPTER VII

 "The towers pass by, even before we perceive them. " OEHLENSCHLÄER'S Journey to Fünen. 

Early the following morning, whilst Wilhelm still slept and dreamed ofhis beloved sisters, well-known footsteps sounded on the stairs, thedoor opened, and Otto stepped into the sleeping-room. Wilhelm opened hiseyes. Otto was pale; a sleepless night and sorrow of heart had breathedupon his brow and eyes. 

"Thostrup!" cried Wilhelm, with joyous surprise, and stretched forthhis hand toward him, but it again sank; Otto seized it, and pressed itfirmly in his own, adding at the same time, with gravity, --"You havehumbled me! Is that sufficient satisfaction for you?"

"We are then friends!" said Wilhelm. "Friends must be very indulgenttoward each other. Yesterday you were a little strange, to-morrow I maybe so; that is the way in which one retaliates. "

Otto pressed his hand. "We will never speak again of the occurrence ofyesterday!"

"Never!" repeated Wilhelm, affected by the strange gravity of hisfriend. 

"You are a noble, a good creature!" said Otto, and bent over him; hislips touched Wilhelm's forehead. 

Wilhelm seized his hand, and gazed frankly into his eye. "You are nothappy!" exclaimed he. "If I cannot assist you, I can, at least, dearOtto, honestly share the grief of a friend!"

"Even on that very point we may never speak!" replied Otto. "Farewell!I have determined on travelling home; we have only vacation for a fewweeks, and I have not been in Jutland since I became a student. Even amonth's sojourn there cannot throw me back; I am well prepared for thephilosophicum. "

"And when will you set out?" asked Wilhelm. 

"To-morrow, with the steamboat. It is hot and sultry here in the city:my blood becomes heated: it will, also, soon be a year since I saw myfamily. "

"Thostrup!" exclaimed Wilhelm, through whom a thought suddenly flashed, "I should also like to see my family; they have written to me to come. Listen: make your journey through Funen, and only remain three or fourdays with us. My mother's carriage shall convey you then to Middelfart. Say 'Yes, ' and we will set out this evening. "

"That cannot be done!" replied Otto; but half an hour later, as bothsat together over the tea-table, and Wilhelm repeated his wish, Ottoconsented, but certainly more through a feeling of obligation thanthrough any pleasure of his own. Toward evening, therefore, they set outin the beautiful summer night to travel through Zealand. 

Smartly dressed families wandered pleasantly through the city gatetoward the summer theatre and Fredericksberg. The evening sun shoneupon the column of Liberty; the beautiful obelisk, around which standWiedewelt's statues, one of which still weeps, "In white marble clothing, Hand upon the breast, Ever grief-oppressed, Looking down upon the gloomy sea, "

where were closed the eyes of the artist. Was it the remembrance whichhere clouded Otto's glance, as his eye rested upon the statues as theydrove past, or did his own soul, perhaps, mirror itself in his eyes?

"Here it is gay and animated!" said Wilhelm, wishing to commence aconversation. "Vesterbro is certainly your most brilliant suburb. Itforms a city by itself, --a little state! There upon the hill lies theKing's Castle, and there on the left, between the willows, the poet'sdwelling, where old Rahbek lived with his Kamma!"

"Castle and poet's dwelling!" repeated Otto; "the time will be when theywill inspire equal interest!"

"That old place will soon be pulled down!" said Wilhelm; "in such abeautiful situation, so near the city, a splendid villa will be raised, and nothing more remind one of Philemon and Baucis!"

"The old trees in the park will be spared!" said Otto; "in the gardenthe flowers will scent the air, and remind one of Kamma's flowers. Rahbek was no great poet, but he possessed a true poet's soul, laboredfaithfully in the great vineyard, and loved flowers as Kamma lovedthem. "

The friends hail left Fredericksberg behind them. The white walls of thecastle glanced through the green boughs; behind Söndermark, the large, wealthy village stretched itself out. The sun had set before theyreached the Dam-house, where the wild swans, coming from the ocean, build in the fresh water fake. This is the last point of beauty; nothingbut lonely fields, with here and there a cairn, extend to the horizon. 

The clear summer's night attracted their gaze upward; the postilion blewhis horn, and the carriage rolled toward the town of Roeskilde, the St. Denis of Denmark, where kings turn to dust; where Hroar's spring stillflows, and its waters mingle with those of Issefjords. 

They drove to a public-house to change horses. A young girl conductedthe friends into the public room; she lighted the way for them. Herslender figure and her floating gait drew Wilhelm's attention towardher; his hand touched her shoulder, she sprang aside and fixed herbeautiful grave eyes upon him; but their expression became milder, shesmiled and colored at the same time. 

"You are the sister of little Jonas!" cried Wilhelm, recognizing theyoung girl he had seen with him at Christmas. 

"I must also thank you, " said she, "for your kindness toward the poorboy!" She quickly placed the lights on the table, and left the room witha gentle glance. 

"She is beautiful, very beautiful!" exclaimed Wilhelm. "That was reallyquite a pleasant meeting. "

"Is it then you, Herr Baron, who honor me thus?" cried the host, stepping in--an elderly man with a jovial countenance. "Yes, the Baronwill doubtless visit his dear relations in hunch? It is now some littletime since you were there. "

"This is our host!" said Wilhelm to Otto. "He and his wife were bornupon my parent's estate. "

"Yes, " said the host, "in my youth I have shot many a snipe and wildduck with the Herr Baron's father. But Eva should spread the table; thegentlemen will certainly take supper, and a glass of good punch the HerrBaron will certainly not despise, if he is like his blessed father. "

The young girl spread the cloth in an adjoining room. 

"She is pretty!" Wilhelm whispered to the old man. 

"And just as pious and innocent as she is pretty!" returned he; "andthat is saying much, as she is a poor girl, and from Copenhagen. She isof good service to us, and my wife says Eva shall not leave us until sheis well married. "

Wilhelm invited the host to join them at a glass. The old man becamemore animated, and now confided to him, half mysteriously, what made Evaso honorable in the eyes of his wife, and what was, indeed, really verynice of her. "My old woman, " said he, "was in Copenhagen, in search of awaiting-girl. Yes, there are enough to be had, and they are fine girls;but mother has her own thoughts and opinions: she has good eyes--thatshe has! Now, there came many, and among others Eva; but, good Lord! shewas very poorly clad, and she looked feeble and weak, and what servicecould one get out of her! But she had a good countenance, and the poorgirl wept and besought mother to take her, for she was not comfortableat home, and would not remain at Copenhagen. Now, mother knows howto make use of her words: it is unfortunate that she is not at hometo-night; how pleased she would have been to see the Herr Baron! Yes, what I would say is, she so twisted her words about, that Eva confessedto her why she wished to leave home. You see the girl is petty; and theyoung gallant gentlemen of Copenhagen had remarked her smooth face, --andnot alone the young, but the old ones also! So an old gentleman--I couldeasily name him, but that has nothing to do with the affair--a verydistinguished man in the city, who has, besides, a wife and children, had said all sorts of things to her parents; and, as eight hundreddollars is a deal of money to poor people, one can excuse them: butEva wept, and said she would rather spring into the castle-ditch. Theyrepresented all sorts of things to the poor girl; she heard of theservice out here with us. She wept, kissed my old woman's hand, and thuscame to us; and since then we have had a deal of service from Eva, andjoy also!"

Some minutes after Eva stepped in, Otto's eye rested with a melancholyexpression upon the beautiful form: never had he before so gazed upon awoman. Her countenance was extraordinarily fine, her nose and foreheadnobly formed, the eyebrows dark, and in the dark-blue eyes lay somethingpensive, yet happy: one might employ the Homeric expression, "smilingthrough tears, " to describe this look. She announced that the carriagewas ready. 

A keen observer would soon have remarked what a change the host'srelation had worked in the two friends. Wilhelm was no longer so freetoward poor Eva. Otto, on the contrary, approached her more, --and attheir leave-taking they offered her a greater present than they wouldotherwise have given. 

She stood with Otto at the door, and assisted him on with his travellingcloak. 

"Preserve your heart pure!" said he, gravely; "that is more thanbeauty!"

The young girl blushed, and gazed at him with astonishment; in such amanner had no one of his age ever before spoken to her. 

"The poor girl!" said Otto; "but I think she is come to good people. "

"She has a strange glance!" said Wilhelm. "Do you know that thereis really a certain affinity between you and her? It was to me quitestriking. "

"That is a compliment which I cannot accept, " returned Otto, smiling. "Yet, perhaps, I might resemble her. "

It was not yet three o'clock when the friends reached Ringsted. 

"I have never before been so far in Zealand, " said Otto. 

"Shall I be your guide?" returned Wilhelm. "Ringsted has a street and aninn, and one is very badly served there, as you will soon both see andexperience yourself. Meanwhile, one can think of Hagbarth and Signe;not far from here, at Sigersted, he hung his mantle on the oak, andSignelil's abode stood in flames. Now only remain fields and meadows, acairn, and the old popular song. Then we rush past the friendly Soroe, that mirrors itself with the wood in the lake, which forms itselfinto so many bays; but we do not see much of it. We have here anotherromantic spot, an old castle converted into a church, high up on thehill near the lake, and close to it the dismal place of execution. We then reach Slagelse, an animated little town; with the Antvorskovconvent, the poet Frankenau's grave, and a Latin school, celebrated onaccount of its poets. It was there Baggesen and Ingemann learned theirLatin. When I once questioned the hostess regarding the lions of thetown, she would only acknowledge two, --Bastholm's library, and theEnglish fire-engine. The curtain in the theatre represents an alleywith a fountain, the jets of which are painted as if spouting out ofthe prompter's box; or is this, perhaps, the English fire-engine? Iknow not. The scene-decoration for towns represents the market-place ofSlagelse itself, so that the pieces thus acquire a home-feeling. This isthe modern history of the little town; and, with regard to its olderand romantic history, learn that the holy Anders was preacher here! Yes, indeed, that was a man! He has been also sung of by our first poets. Weend with Korsöer, where Baggesen was born and Birckner lies buried. Inthe more modern history of this town, King Solomon and Jörgen the hatterplay a considerable rôle. Besides this, I know that the town is saidonce to have possessed a private theatre; but this soon was done for, and the decorations were sold; a miller bought them, and patched hiswindmill sails with them. Upon one sail was a piece of a wood, uponanother a shred of a room, or a street; and so they rushed round oneafter the other. Perhaps this is mere slander, for I have my informationfrom Slagelse; and neighboring towns never speak well of each other. "

In this manner Wilhelm gossiped on, and the friends travelled over theway he had described. Slagelse, and the peasant village of Landsgrav, they had already behind them, when Wilhelm ordered the coachman todiverge from the high-road toward the right. 

"Where will you take us to?" asked Otto. 

"I will give you a pleasure!" returned Wilhelm. "We shall reach theweariful Korsöer early enough: the steamboat leaves at ten, and it isnot yet seven. You shall be surprised--I know well that you are half aCatholic; I will conduct you where you may believe yourself carried backseveral centuries, and may imagine yourself in a Catholic country. Thatis right pleasant, is it not?"

Otto smiled. The friends alighted from the coach and walked over acorn-field. They found themselves upon a hill, the whole landscapespread itself out before them--they saw the Belt, with Sprogöe andFunen. The surrounding country was certainly flat, but the variety ofgreens, the near meadow, the dark stretch of wood in the neighborhoodof Korsöer, the bay itself, and all this seen in a warm morning light, produced effect. The friends diverged to the right; and before them, upon a hill, stood a large wooden cross, with the figure of theCrucified One. Above the cross was built a small roof to carry off therain, --such as one may yet find in Bavaria. The figure of the Redeemerwas of wood, painted with strong, tawdry colors; a withered garland ofcorn-flowers still hung around his bowed head. 

"It is extraordinary, " said Otto, "to find in our time, in the year1830, such a Catholic symbol in Lutheran Denmark! And yet--yes, you willlaugh at me, but I find it lovely: it affects me, moves me to worship. "

"That tawdry, tasteless figure!" cried Wilhelm. "Only see how coarse!the hair is covered with tar to keep off the rain! The peasants herehave their peculiar superstition. If they allow the cross to fall theyhave no luck with their lands. It was upon this hill that the holyAnders, the celebrated preacher of Slagelse, awoke. He visited thesepulchre of Christ, but through praying there too long the ship sailedwithout him, and he was forced to stay behind. Then came a man and tookhim upon his horse, and they would ride to Joppa: the holy Anders fellasleep; but when he awoke he lay here, and heard the bells ringing inSlagelse. Upon a foal, only one night old, he rode round the extensivecity lands, whilst King Waldemar lay in his bath. He could hang hisglove upon the beams of the sun. This hill, where he awoke, was calledRest-hill; and the cross, with the figure of the Redeemer erectedupon it, which still stands here, reminds us of the legend of the holyAnders. "

A little peasant girl at this moment mounted the hill, but paused whenshe perceived the strangers. 

"Don't be afraid, my child!" said Wilhelm. "What hast thou there? agarland! shall it hang here upon the cross? Only come, we will helpthee. "

"It should hang over our Lord, " said the little one, holding, in anembarrassed manner, the garland of pretty blue cornflowers in her hand. Otto took the garland, and hung it up in place of the faded one. 

"That was our morning adventure!" said Wilhelm, and soon they wererolling in the deep sand toward Korsöer, toward the hill where the poetwatched the sun and moon sink into the sea, and wished that he had wingsthat he might catch them. 

Melancholy and silent lies the town on the flat coast, the old castleturned into a farm-house--high grass grows upon the walls. In a storm, when the wind blows against the city, the surf beats against theoutermost houses. High upon the church stands a telegraph; the blackwooden plates resemble mourning-flags hung above the sinking town. Hereis nothing for the stranger to see, nothing except a grave--that of thethinker Birckner. The friends drove to the public-house on thestrand. No human being met them in the street except a boy, who rung ahand-bell. 

"That calls to church, " said Wilhelm. "Because there are no bells in thetower, they have here such a wandering bell-ringer as this. Holla! therelies the inn!"

"Baron Wilhelm!" cried a strong voice, and a man in a green jacket withpockets in the breast, the mighty riding-boots splashed above the tops, and with whip in hand, approached them, pulled his horse-hair cap, andextended his hand to Wilhelm. 

"The Kammerjunker from Funen!" said Wilhelm; "my mother's neighbor, oneof the most industrious and rich noblemen in all Funen. "

"You will come one of the first days to me!" said the Kammerjunker; "youshall try my Russian steam-bath: I have erected one upon my estate. Allwho visit me, ladies and gentlemen without any exception, must try it!"

"And do the cherry-trees bear well this year?" asked Wilhelm. 

"No, no, " answered the Kammerjunker, "they are good for nothing; butthe apples are good! All the old trees in the hill-garden stand in fullsplendor: I've brought them into condition! Two years ago there was not, on all the trees together, a bushel of fruit. But I had all the horseswhich had to be bled led under the trees, and had the warm bloodsprinkled upon the roots; this happened several times, and it has been areal inoculation for life. "

"The wind is certainly favorable, " said Otto, whom this conversationbegan to weary. 

"No, just the contrary!" said the Kammerjunker. "The vane upon thelittle house yonder lies; it points always to Nyborg, always shows agood wind for us when we want to leave. In Nyborg is also a vane, whichstands even as firmly as this, and prates to the folk there of goodwind. I regard both vanes as a kind of guide-post, which merely says, There goes the way! No, if we had had a wind I should have gone with theboat, and not with the little splashing thing, as the seamen call thesteamboat. The carriage is doubtless awaiting the young gentleman inNyborg?" pursued he. "I will join company with you--my brown horsewaits for me at Schalburg. You should see him! He has sinews like steelsprings, and legs like a dancing-master! He is my own brown. "

"No one knows that we are coming, " answered Wilhelm. "We shall, therefore, take a carriage from Nyborg. "

"We will join company, " said the Kammerjunker, "and then you will pay mea visit with the young gentleman. You shall sleep in the black chamber!Yes, you will give me the pleasure?" said he to Otto. "If you are alover of the antique, my estate will afford you pleasure; you find theremoats, towers, guard-rooms, ghosts, and hobgoblins, such as belong to anold estate. The black chamber! after all, it is not quite secure there;is it, Herr Baron?"

"No, the deuce remain a night with you!" said Wilhelm; "one gets to bedlate, and even then it is not permitted one to close one's eyes. You, your sister, and the Mamsell, --yes, you are a pretty clover-leaf!Yes, Thostrup, you cannot believe what pranks are hatched upon theKammerjunker's estate! One must be prepared for it! It is said to behaunted, but if the dead will not take that trouble the living do. TheKammerjunker is in the plot with his women-folk. They sewed me latelylive cockchafers into my pillow, and they crawled and scrambled abouttill I did not know what the deuce it could be! A live cock they hadalso placed under my bed, and just in the morning, when I would go tosleep, the creature began to crow!"

"The women-folk had done that, " said the Kammerjunker. "Did they notthe very same night fasten a door-bell to the head of my bed? I neverthought of it; fat Laender slept in the same room, and had fastenedalong the wall a string to the bell. I awoke with the ringing. 'What thedevil is that bell?' said I, and glanced about the room, for I could notconceive what it was. 'Bell?' asked Laender--'there is no bell here!'The ringing also ceased. I thought I must have dreamed, or that ourmerry evening must have left some buzzing in my ears. Again it began toring. Laender looked so innocent all the time, I could not comprehendmyself; I thought it must be my imagination. I became quitefainthearted, I denied my own hearing, and said, 'No, I have onlydreamed!' and commenced reckoning and counting to employ my mind; butthat did no good, and it nearly drove me mad! I sprang out of bed, andthen I found out the trick: but how Laender grinned! he was swollen andred in the face with his mirth. "

"Do you play such jokes on your estate?" inquired Otto, addressinghimself to Wilhelm. 

"No, not such refined ones!" returned the Kammerjunker; "perhaps a pieceof wood, or a silly mask, is laid in your bed. Miss Sophie gives usother clever things for amusement--tableaux and the magic-lantern. I wasonce of the party. Yes, what was it I represented? Ah, I played, Heavenhelp me! King Cyrus: had a paper crown on my head, and Miss Sophie'scloak about me, the wrong side turned outward, for it is lined withsable. I looked like Satan!"

The steamboat passengers were summoned on board, the company went downto the vessel, and soon it was cutting through the waves of the Belt. 

CHAPTER VIII

 "See now, Fünen signifieth _fine_, And much in that word lies; For Fünen is the garden fine, Where Denmark glads its eyes. "

The nakedness which the last aspect of Zealand presents occasions oneto be doubly struck by the affluent abundance and luxuriance with whichFunen steps forth. Green woods, rich corn-fields, and, wherever the eyerests, noblemen's seats and churches. Nyborg itself appears a livelycapital in comparison with the still melancholy Korsöer. One nowperceives people upon the great bridge of boats, on the ramparts, andin the broad streets with their high houses; one sees soldiers, hearsmusic, and, what is especially animating upon a journey, one comes toan excellent inn. The drive out through the arched gateway is anastonishment; it is the same length and breadth as one of the gates ofCopenhagen. Villages and peasants' houses here assume a more well-to-doaspect than in Zealand, where one often on the way-side imagines onesees a manure-heap heaped upon four poles, which upon nearer examinationone finds is the abode of a family. On the highroads in Funen oneperceives only clean houses; the window-frames are painted; before thedoors are little flower-gardens, and wherever flowers are grown, as Bulwer strikingly remarks, the peasant is in a higher state ofcivilization; he thinks of the beautiful. In the ditches along thehighway one sees lilac with their white and lilac flowers. Natureherself has here adorned the country with a multitude of wild poppies, which for splendor of color might vie with the most admired andbeautiful in a botanic garden. Especially in the neighborhood of Nyborgdo they grow in exceeding abundance. 

"What a dazzling color!" exclaimed Otto, as the friends rolled pastthese beautiful red flowers. 

"That is a proud color!" said the Kammerjunker, who rode near them uponhis brown steed, "a proud color! but they are manured with the bloodof Andalusian horses. It was just here where the battle between thesebeasts took place. You know that sit the year 1808 the Spaniards layin Funen; the English ships were cruising about in the Belt, and Romanafled with his whole army on board, but they could net take their horseswith them. These were the most splendid Andalusian creatures that eyesever saw. The Spaniards took off their bridles, and left them here toscamper about the fields like wild horses. The horses of Nyborg chancedalso to graze here, and as soon as the Andalusian steeds became aware ofours they arranged themselves in a row, and fell upon the Danish horses:that was a combat! At length they fell upon each other, and fought untilthey fell bleeding to earth. Whilst still a boy I saw little skull ofone of these beasts. This is the last adventure left us from the visitof the Spaniards to Denmark. In the village through which we shallnow pass are some outer remembrances. Remark the young lads andlasses, --they are of a darker complexion than the inhabitants of otherFunen valleys; that is Spanish blood, it is said. It was in this villagethat the story took its rise of the preacher's servant-girl, who weptand was so inconsolable at the departure of the Spaniards. But not onaccount of her bridegroom did she weep, --not over her own condition. Thepreacher consoled her, and then she said she only wept to think thatif the innocent child resembled its father it certainly would speakSpanish, and then not a soul would understand it! Yes, such histories asthis have we in Funen!" said he laughingly to Otto. 

With similar relations, and some agricultural observations, according asthey were called forth by surrounding objects, did our excellent landedproprietor amuse our young gentlemen. They were already distant severalmiles from Nyborg, when he suddenly broke off in the midst of a veryinteresting discourse upon a characteristic of a true inhabitant ofFunen, which is, that whenever he passes a field of buckwheat he moveshis mouth as if chewing, and made Wilhelm observe a Viennese carriage, which approached them by a neighboring road. To judge from the coachmanand the horses, it must be the family from the hall. 

This was the case--they returned from paying a visit. Where the roadscrossed they met each other. Otto immediately recognized Miss Sophie, and near to her sat an elderly lady, with a gentle, good-humoredcountenance; this was the mother. Now there was surprise and joy. Sophieblushed--this blush could not have reference to the brother; was itthen the Kammerjunker? No: that appeared impossible! therefore, it mustconcern Otto. The mother extended her hand to him with a welcome, whilstat the same time she invited the Kammerjunker to spend the afternoonwith them. There lay, in the manner with which she proposed this, somuch attention and consideration, that Otto felt the man was here heldin greater esteem, and was otherwise regarded than he, during theirshort acquaintance, had imagined possible. 

Sophie added, smiling, "You must stay!" To which the Kammerjunkerreplied with an apology for his travelling-dress. 

"We are not strangers!" said the mother; "it is only a family meal!You see the usual circle. You, Mr. Thostrup, " added she, with a mostobliging manner, "I know so well from Wilhelm's letters, that we are nostrangers. The gentlemen are acquainted with each other!"

"I accept the invitation, " said the Kammerjunker, "and I will nowshow you into what a gallop I can put my steed! It is Carl Rise, [Translator's Note: Name of one of the heroes in Waldemar the Conqueror, a romance by Ingemann. ] as you see, young lady--you called him soyourself!"

"Yes, ride forward, " said Sophie, smiling. "By that means you willoblige my sister. She might otherwise be quite frightened, did shesee such a mighty caravan approach the house, did she had not properlyprepared the dinner-table. "

"As my gracious young lady commands!" said the rider, and sprangforward. 

The country became more woody; the road passed various small lakes, almost overgrown with water-lilies and shaded by old trees; theold-fashioned, indented gable-ends of the hall now peeped forth. Theydrove through an avenue of wild chestnut-trees; the stone pavement herethreatened to smash the carriage axles. On the right lay the forge, through the open door of which flew the sparks. A little girl, with barefeet, opened a gate, and they now found themselves in a large open spacebefore the red-painted out-buildings. The ground was covered with straw, and all the cows of the farm were collected here for milking. Here theywere obliged to drive, step by step, until by the gateway they reachedthe larger courtyard, which was inclosed by the barns and the principalbuilding itself. This was surrounded by broad ditches, almost grown overwith reeds. Over a solid bridge, resting upon pillars of masonry, andthrough a principal wing which bore the armorial bearings and initialsof the old possessor, they arrived in the innermost court, which wasshut in by three wings, the antique one already mentioned, and twoothers: the fourth side was inclosed by a low trellis-work whichadjoined the garden, where the canals lost themselves in a small lake. 

"That is an interesting old court!" exclaimed Otto. 

"O, that is not to be compared with the Kammerjunker's!" returnedWilhelm: "you should first see his!"

"Yes, you must come over some of these days, " said the Kammerjunker. "Silence, Fingal! Silence, Valdine!" cried he to the barking dogs. Acouple of turkey-cocks spread their feathers out, and gobbled with alltheir might. Men and women servants stood at the door: that was theirreception!

"Thostrup will have the red room, will he not?" said Wilhelm, and thefriends ascended the stairs together. 

A pale young girl, not free from freckles, but with eyes full of soul, hastened toward them; this was Wilhelm's youngest sister. She pressedher brother to her breast, and took Otto's hand with kindness. She isnot beautiful! was the first impression she made upon him. His chamberwas vaulted, and the walls painted in the style of Gobelin tapestry;they represented the whole of Olympus. On the left was an oldfire-place, with decorations and a gilt inscription; on the rightstood an antiquated canopy-bed, with red damask hangings. The view wasconfined to the moat and the interior court. But a few minutes and Ottoand Wilhelm were summoned to table. A long gallery through two wings ofthe hall, on one side windows, on the other entrances to the rooms, led to the dining-room. The whole long passage was a picture-gallery. Portraits the size of life, representing noble knights and ladiesshining forth in red powdered periwigs, children adorned like theirelders, with tulips in their hands, and great hounds by their sides, together with some historical pieces, decorated the walls. 

"Have we no garland on the table?" asked Sophie, as she entered thedining-room with the others. 

"Only a weak attempt to imitate my sister!" said Louise, smiling. 

"But there is not a single flower in the garland! What economy! And yetit is sweet!"

"How tasteful!" exclaimed Otto, examining the garland which Louise hadlaid. 

All kinds of green leaves, with their innumerable shades, a few yellowlinden-leaves, and some from the copper-beech, formed, through theirvaried forms and colors, a tasteful garland upon the white table-cloth. 

"You receive a thistle and a withered leaf!" whispered Wilhelm, as Ottoseated himself. 

"But yet the most beautiful!" answered he. "The copper beech contrastsso sweetly with the whitish-green thistle and the yellow leaf. "

"My sister Sophie, " said Louise, "lays us each day a differentgarland;--it is such a pretty decoration! If she is not here we getnone; that would have been the case to-day, but when I learned thatWilhelm was coming, and that we, " she added, with a friendly glance, "should have two other guests, I in great haste, made an attempt, and"--

"And wished to show how nicely it could be made without robbing yourflowers!" interrupted Sophie, laughing. "In reality, I am very cruel! Icut all the heads of her favorites off. To-morrow, as a parody upon hergarland of to-day, will I make one of green cabbage and pea-shells!"

"Madeira or port wine?" asked the Kammerjunker, and led the conversationfrom flowers to articles of food and drink. 

"One feels one's self comfortable here at the hall! Miss Louise caresfor the body, and Miss Sophie for the soul!"

"And mamma bestows a good cup of coffee, " said the mother; "you mustalso praise me a little!"

"I give music after dinner!" cried Wilhelm; "and thus the whole familywill have shown their activity!"

"But no voluntaries!" said the Kammerjunker; "no voluntaries, dearfriend! No, a brisk song, so that one can hear what it is! but noneof your artificial things!" A right proper blow on the shoulders wasintended to soften his expression. 

CHAPTER IX

 "She sees if the cloth is clean and white --If the bed has pillows and sheets; If the candle fits in the candlestick. . . . 

 "Modest she is, although you know She makes the whole of the place; And in she slips in the evening glow, To light the room with her merry face "--OEHLENSCHLÄGER

A quiet, busy house-fairy was Louise; the beautiful, fragrant flowerswere her favorites. Good-humoredly she smiled at the raillery of hersister, quietly listened to each thoughtless jest; but if any one, injoke, touched upon what was holy to her soul, she was aroused from hercalmness and attained a certain eloquence. 

We will now become more nearly acquainted with the sisters, and on thisaccount pass over to one of the following days. 

An abode together of a week, at a country-seat, will often bring abouta greater intimacy than if, throughout a whole winter, people had metin large companies in cities. Otto soon felt himself at home; he wastreated as a near relative. Wilhelm related all he knew of the beautifulEva, and Sophie discovered that she was a romantic character. Mammapitied the poor child, and Louise wished she had her on the estate: aninn was, after all, no proper place for a respectable girl. They thenspoke of the winter enjoyments in Copenhagen, of art, and the theatre. Louise could not speak much with them upon these subjects, althoughshe had seen one play, "Dyveke:" the amiable nature of the actress hadspoken deeply to her heart. 

Several days had passed; the sky was gray; the young people assembledround the table; they were at no loss for a subject of conversation. Allthose who have brothers or sons who study well, have remarked how muchthey are especially fascinated by the lectures on natural philosophy andastronomy; the world, as it were, expands itself before the intellectualeye. We know that the friends, during the past summer, had participatedin these lectures, and, like the greater number, were full ofthese subjects, from the contemplation of a drop of water, with itsinnumerable animalculae, to the distance and magnitude of stars andplanets. 

To most of us these are well-known doctrines; to the ladies, also, thiswas nothing entirely new: nevertheless, it interested them; perhapspartly owing to Otto's beautiful eloquence. The gray, rainy weather ledthe conversation to the physical explanation of the origin of our globe, as the friends, from Orsted's lectures, conceived it to have been. 

"The Northern and Grecian myths agree also with it!" sail Otto. "We mustimagine, that in infinite space there floated an eternal, unending mist, in which lay a power of attraction. The mist condensed itself now toone drop--our globe was one enormous egg-shaped drop; light and warmthoperated upon this huge world egg, and hatched, not alone ONE creature, but millions. These must die and give way to new ones, but their corpsesfell as dust to the centre: this grew; the water itself condensed, andsoon arose a point above the expanse of ocean. The warmth of the sundeveloped moss and plants; fresh islands presented themselves;for centuries did a more powerful development and improvement showthemselves, until the perfection was attained which we now perceive!"

"But the Bible does not teach us thus!" said Louise. 

"Moses invented his account of the creation, " answered Otto; "we keep toNature, who has greater revelations than man. "

"But the Bible is to you a holy book?" asked Louise, and colored. 

"A venerable book!" returned Otto. "It contains the profoundestdoctrines, the most interesting histories, but also much which belongsnot at all to a holy book. "

"How can you say such things?" exclaimed Louise. 

"Do not touch upon religion in her presence, " said Sophie; "she is apious soul, and believes, without desiring to know wherefore. "

"Yes, " said Wilhelm, "this winter she became quite angry, and, as Ibelieve, for the first time angry with me, because I maintained thatChrist was a man. "

"Wilhelm!" interrupted the young girl, "do not speak of that; I feelmyself unhappy at this thought; I can and will not see the Holy broughtdown to my level, and to that of every-day life. It lies in my naturethat I commit a sin if I think otherwise than I have learned and than myheart allows me. It is profane, and if you speak longer of religion inthis strain I shall leave the room. "

At this moment the mother entered. "The festival has commenced, " saidshe; "I have been forced to give my brightest silver skilling. Does Mr. Thostrup know the old custom which is observed here in the country, whenbeer is brewed for the mowing-feast?"

A piercing cry, as from a horde of savages, at this moment reached theears of the party. 

The friends descended. 

In the middle of the brew-house stood a tub, around which danced all thefemale servants of the estate, from the dairymaids down to the girlwho tended the swine; their iron-bound wooden shoes dashed against theuneven flag-stones. The greater number of the dancers were without theirjackets, but with their long chemise-sleeves and narrow bodices. Somescreamed, others laughed, the whole was blended together in a howl, whilst they danced hand in hand around the tub in which the beer shouldbe brewed. The brewing-maid now flung into it the silver skilling, uponwhich the girls, like wild Maenades, tore off each other's caps, andwith bacchanalian wildness whirled round the tub. By this meansshould the beer become stronger, and work more intoxicatingly at theapproaching mowing-feast. 

Among the girls, one especially distinguished herself by her Strongframe of body, and her long black hair, which, now that her cap was tornoff, hung in disorder over her red face. The dark eyebrows were growntogether. All seemed to rage most violently within her, and in truth sheassumed something wild, nay almost brutal. Both arms she raised high inthe air, and with outstretched fingers she whirled around. 

"That is disgusting!" whispered Otto: "they all look like crazy people. "

Wilhelm laughed at it. The wild merriment was lost in a joyous burst oflaughter. The girl with the grown-together eyebrows let fall her arms;but still there lay in her glance that wild expression, which the loosehair and uncovered shoulders made still more striking. Either one of theothers had had the misfortune to scratch her lip, or else she herselfhad bitten it in bacchanalian wildness until it bled: she accidentallyglanced toward the open door where stood the friends. Otto's countenancebecame clouded, as was ever the case when anything unpleasant affectedhim. She seemed to guess his thoughts, and laughed aloud. Otto steppedaside; it was as though he in anticipation felt the shadow which thisform would one day cast across his life. 

When he and Wilhelm immediately afterward returned to Sophie and Louise, he related the unpleasant impression which the girl had made upon him. 

"O, that is my Meg Merrilies!" exclaimed Sophie. "Yes, spite of heryouth, do you not find that she has something of Sir Walter Scott'switch about her? When she grows older, she will be excellent. She hasthe appearance of being thirty, whereas she is said not to be more thantwenty years old: she is a true giantess. "

"The poor thing!" said Louise; "every one judges from the exterior. Allwho are around her hate her, I believe, because her eyebrows are growntogether, and that is said to be a sign that she is a nightmare:

 [Note: This superstition of the people is mentioned in Thieles's Danish traditions: "When a girl at midnight stretches between four sticks the membrane in which the foal lies when it is born, and then creeps naked through it, she will bear her child without pains; but all the boys she conceives will become were-wolves, and all the girls nightmares. You will know them in the daytime by their eyebrows grown together over the nose. In the night she creeps in through the key-hole, and places herself upon the sleeper's bosom. The same superstition is also found in German Grimm speaks thus about it: If you say to the nightmare, --

 Old hag, come to-morrow, And I from you will borrow, it retreats directly, and comes the next morning in the shape of a man to borrow something. "]

they are angry with her, and how could one expect, from the class towhich she belongs, that she should return scorn with kindness? She isbecome savage, that she may not feel their neglect. In a few days, whenwe have the mowing-feast, you yourself will see how every girl gets apartner; but poor Sidsel may adorn herself as much as she likes, shestill stands alone. It is truly hard to be born such a being!"

"The unfortunate girl!" sighed Otto. 

"O, she does not feel it!" said Wilhelm: "she cannot feel it; for thatshe is too rude, too much of an animal. "

CHAPTER X

 "Were the pease not tender, and the vegetables fresh and sweet as sugar What was the matter with the hams, the smoked goose-breasts, and the herrings? What with the roasted lamb, and the refreshing red-sprinkled head-lettuce? Was not the vinegar sharp, and the nut-oil balmy? Was not the butter as sweet as a nut, the red radishes tender? What?"--VOSS'S Louise. 

"Mr. Thostrup shall see the Kammerjunker's old country-seat; to-morrowwe must go over. "

Louise could not go with them, a hundred small duties chained her to thehouse. The most important of them all was ironing. 

"But that the house-maid can do, " said Sophie. "Do come with us. "

"When thou seest thy linen nice and neat in thy drawers, " returnedLouise, "thou wilt certainly pardon me for remaining at home. "

"Yes, thou art a glorious girl!" said Sophie; "thou dost deserve to havebeen known by Jean Paul, and made immortal in one of his books. Thoudost deserve the good fortune of being sung of by such a poet. "

"Dost thou call it good fortune, " answered the sister, "when the wholeworld directs its attention to one person?--that must be painful!unhappy! No, it is much better not to be remarked at all. Take mygreetings with you, and ask for my Claudius back; they have had it now awhole half year. "

"There, they have kept half my sister's library, " said Sophie, smilingto Otto. "You must know she has only two books: Mynster's Sermons, andthe 'Wandsbecker Boten. '"

The carriage rolled away through the chestnut avenue. "There upon thehill, close by the wood, did I act the elf-maiden, " said Sophie. "I wasnot yet confirmed; there were strangers staying with us at the hall, and we wandered in the beautiful moonlight through the wood. Two of myfriends and I hastened toward the hill, took hold of each other's handsand danced in a ring. The day after, two persons of the congregationtold the preacher about three elfin-maidens, clad in white, who haddanced upon the hill in the moonlight. The elfin-maidens were we; butthat our backs were hollow as baking-troughs, and that the hill glancedlike silver, was their own invention. "

"And in this oak, " exclaimed Wilhelm, "when a boy, I killed the firstbird which fell from my shot. It was a crow, and was very honorablyinterred. "

"Yes, beneath my sister's weeping-willow, " said Sophie. "We buried itin an old chapeaubras, adorned with white bows; the grave was decoratedwith peony-leaves and yellow lilies. Wilhelm, who was then a big boy, made an oration, and Louise strewed flowers. "

"You were little fools!" said the mother. "But see, who comes here?"

"O, my little Dickie, my dwarf of Kenilworth!" exclaimed Sophie, as alittle hump-backed man, with thin legs and an old face, approached. Hewas dressed as a peasant, and bore upon his back a little knapsack ofred calfskin, the hairy side turned outward: in this he carried hisviolin. 

"Is he called Dickie?" asked Otto. 

"No, that is only a joke of Sophie's, " pursued Wilhelm; "she must alwaysmake suitable people romantic. He is called commonly 'Musikanti. ' Theinhabitant of Funen Italianizes most names; otherwise he is called PeterCripple. "

"You will hear his tones, " said Sophie. "The day after to-morrow, whenwe have the mowing-feast, he will he number one. He understandsmusic with which you are scarcely acquainted; he will play you the'Shoemaker's Dance' as well as 'Cherry-soup:' such dances as these havepeople here in the country. "

"We are now beyond my lands, and upon our neighbor's, " said the oldlady. "You will see a thorough old mansion. "

"Now, I should like to know how the inhabitants will please Mr. Thostrup, " said Sophie. "The Kammerjunker you know; he is an excellentcountry gentleman. His sister, on the contrary, is a little peculiar:she belongs to that class of people who always, even wily the bestintentions, say unpleasant things. She has for this quite a raretalent--you will soon experience this; but she does not intend anythingso bad. She can also joke! Thank God that you will not remain thereover night, otherwise you would experience what she and the Mamsell caninvent!"

"Yes, the Mamsell is my friend!" said Wilhelm. "You will see herwork-box with all the curiosities. That little box plays a great part:it is always taken out with her when she pays a visit--for the sake ofconversation it is brought out; all is then looked through, and everyarticle goes the round of the company. Yes, there are beautiful thingsto be seen: a little wheelbarrow with a pincushion, a silver fish, andthe little yard-measure of silk ribbon. "

"Yes, and the amber heart!" said Sophie; "the little Napoleon of castiron, and the officer who is pasted fast to the bottom of the box: thatis a good friend in Odense, she lately told to me in confidence. "

"See what beautiful stone fences the Kammerjunker has made!" said themother. "And how beautifully the cherry-trees grow! He is an industriousman!"

They approached the garden. It was laid out in the old French style, with straight walks, pyramids of box, and white painted stone figures:satyrs and goddesses peeped through the green foliage. You now caughtsight of a high tower with a spire; and soon the whole of the oldmansion presented itself to view. The water was conveyed away from thebroad moats, where the weeping willows with bowed heads and uncoveredroots stood in the warm sunshine. A number of work-people were busilyemployed in clearing the moats of mud, which was wheeled in barrows onboth sides. 

They soon reached the principal court-yard. The barns and theout-buildings lay on the opposite side. A crowd of dogs rushed forthbarking toward the carriage--all possible races, from the large Danishhound, which is known to the Parisian, down to the steward's littlepug-dog, which had mixed with this company. Here stood the greyhound, with his long legs, beside the turnspit. You saw all varieties, and eachhad its peculiar and melodious bark. A couple of peacocks, with brightoutspread tails, raised at the same time a cry, which must have made animpression. The whole court-yard had a striking air of cleanliness. Thegrass was weeded from between the stones; all was swept and arrangedin its appointed order. Before the principal flight of steps grew fourlarge lime-trees; their tops, from youth bent together and then clippedshort, formed in spring and summer two large green triumphal arches. Onthe right stood upon an upright beam, which was carved and formed intoa pillar, a prettily painted dove-cot; and its gay inhabitants flutteredand cooed around. The peacock-pigeon emulated the peacock in spreadingits tail; and the cropper-pigeon elevated itself upon its long legs, anddrew itself up, as though it would welcome the strangers with the air ofa grand gentleman. The reddish-brown tiles and the bright window-paneswere the only things which had a modern air. The building itself, fromthe stone window-seats to the old-fashioned tower through which youentered, proclaimed its antiquity. In the vaulted entrance-hall stoodtwo immense presses: the quantity of wood which formed them, and theartistical carving, testified to their great age. Above the door werefastened a couple of antlers. 

The Kammerjunker's sister, Miss Jakoba, a young lady of about thirty, neither stout nor thin, but with a strange mixture of joviality andindolence, approached them. She appeared to rejoice very much in thevisit. 

"Well, you are come over, then!" said she to Wilhelm. "I thought you hadenough to do with your examination. "

Wilhelm smiled, and assured her that after so much study people requiredrelaxation. 

"Yes, you doubtless study in handsome boots!" said the young lady, andin a friendly manner turned toward Sophie. "Good heavens, miss!" sheexclaimed, "how the sun has burnt your nose! That looks horrible! Don'tyou ever wear a veil? you, who otherwise look so well!"

Otto was a stranger to her. He escaped such unpleasant remarks. "Theyshould spend the whole day there, " insisted Miss Jakoba; but mamma spokeof being at home by noon. 

"Nothing will come of that!" said Jakoba. "I have expected you; and wehave cooked a dinner, and made preparations, and I will not have hadall this trouble in vain. There are some especial dishes for you, and ofthese you shall eat. " This was all said in such a good-humored tone thateven a stranger could not have felt himself offended. The Kammerjunkerwas in the fields looking after his flax; he would soon be back. SquireWilhelm could in the mean time conduct Mr. Thostrup about the premises:"he would otherwise have nothing to do, " said she. 

No one must remain in the sitting-room; it was so gloomy there! Thewalls were still, as in by-gone days, covered with black leather, uponwhich were impressed gold flowers. No, they should go to the hall--thathad been modernized since the Baroness was last there. The oldchimney-piece with carved ornaments was removed, and a pretty porcelainstove had taken its place. The walls were covered with new paper fromParis. You could there contemplate all the public buildings of thatcity, --Notre Dame, Saint Sulpice, and the Tuileries. Long red curtains, thrown over gilt rods, hung above the high windows. All this splendorwas admired. 

"I prefer the antique sitting-room, after all, " said Sophie; "the oldchimney-piece and the leather hangings. One fairly lives again in thedays of chivalry!"

"Yes, you have always been a little foolish!" said Jakoba, but softenedher words by a smile and a pressure of the hand. "No, the hall is morelively. Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed; "Tine has placed her work-box inthe window! That is disorder!"

"O, is that the celebrated work-box, with its many fool's tricks?"inquired Wilhelm, as he laughingly took it up. 

"There are neither fools nor tricks in the box, " said Jakoba. "But onlylook in the mirror in the lid, and then you will perhaps see one of thetwo. "

"No rude speeches, my young lady!" said Wilhelm; "I am an academicalburgher!"

The Kammerjunker now entered, attired in the same riding dress in whichwe made his acquaintance. He had visited his hay and oats, had seenafter the people who were working at the fences, and had been also inthe plantation. It had been a warm forenoon. 

"Now, Miss Sophie, " said he, "do you see how I am clearing out thecourt? It costs me above five hundred dollars; and still they arethe peasants of the estate who clear away the mud. But I shall get adelicate manure-heap, so fit and rich that it's quite a pleasure. But, Jakoba, where is the coffee?"

"Only let it come in through the door, " said Jakoba, somewhat angrily. "You certainly ate something before you went from home. Let me attend tothe affairs of the ladies, and do thou attend to the gentlemen, so thatthey may not stand and get weary. "

The Kammerjunker conducted the friends up the winding stone stairs intothe old tower. 

"All solid and good!" said he. "We no longer build in this manner. Theloop-holes here, close under the roof, were walled up already in myfather's time. But only notice this timber!"

The whole loft appeared a gigantic skeleton composed of beams, onecrossing the other. On either side of the loft was a small vaultedchamber, with a brick fire-place. Probably these chambers had been usedas guard-rooms; a kind of warder's walk led from these, between thebeam-palisade and the broad wall. 

"Yes, here, " said the Kammerjunker, "they could have had a good lookouttoward the enemy. Look through my telescope. You have here the wholecountry from Vissenberg to Munkebobanke, the Belt, and the heightsof Svendborg. Only see! The air is clear. We see both Langeland andZealand. Here one could, in 1807, have well observed the English fleet. "

The three climbed up the narrow ladder and came past the great clock, the leaden weights of which, had they fallen, would have dashed throughthe stone steps, and soon the gentlemen sat on the highest point. TheKammerjunker requested the telescope, placed it and exclaimed:--

"Did I not think so? If one has not them always under one's eyes theybegin playing pranks! Yes, I see it very well! There, now, the fellowswho are working at the fences have begun to romp with the girls! they donothing! Yes, they don't believe that I am sitting here in the tower andlooking at them!"

"Then a telescope is, after all, a dangerous weapon!" exclaimed Wilhelm. "You can look at people when they least expect it. Fortunately, our seatlies hidden behind the wood: we are, at all events, safe. "

"Yes, that it is, my friend, " returned the other; "the outer sides ofthe garden are still bare. Did I not, last autumn, see Miss Sophie quitedistinctly, when she was gathering service-berries in her little basket?And then, what tricks did she not play? She certainly did not think thatI sat here and watched tier pretty gambols!"

They quitted the tower, and passed through the so-called Knight's Hall, where immense beams, laid one on the other, supported the roof. Ateither end of the hall was a huge fireplace, with armorial bearingspainted above: the hall was now used as a granary; they were obliged tostep over a heap of corn before reaching the family pew in the littlechapel, which was no longer used for divine service. 

"This might become a pretty little room, " said the Kammerjunker, "but wehave enough, and therefore we let this, for curiosity's sake, remain inits old state. The moon is worth its money!" and he pointed toward thevaulted ceiling, where the moon was represented as a white disk, inwhich the painter, with much naïveté, had introduced a man bearing aload of coals upon his back; in faithful representation of the popularbelief regarding the black spot in the moon, which supposes this to bea man whom the Lord has sent up there because he stole his neighbor'scoal. "That great picture on the right, there, " pursued he, "is Mrs. Ellen Marsviin; I purchased it at an auction. One of the peasants putup for it; I asked him what he would do with this big piece offurniture--he could never get it in through his door. But do you knowwhat a speculation he had? It was not such a bad one, after all. See!the rain runs so beautifully off the painted canvas, he would have apair of breeches made out of it, to wear in rainy weather behind theplough; they would keep the rain off! I thought, however, I ought toprevent the portrait of the highly honorable Mrs. Ellen Marsviin beingso profaned. I bought it: now she hangs there, and looks tolerablywell pleased. The peasant got a knight instead--perhaps one of my ownancestors, who was now cut up into breeches. See, that is what one getsby being painted!"

"But the cupboard in the pillar there?" inquired Otto. 

"There, certainly, were Bibles and Prayer-books kept. Now I have in itwhat I call sweetmeats for the Chancery-counselor Thomsen: old knives ofsacrifice, coins and rings, which I have found in the horse-pond and upyonder in the cairns: not a quarter of a yard below the turf we foundone pot upon another; round each a little inclosure of stones--a flatstone as covering, and underneath stood the pot, with burnt giants'bones, and a little button or the blade of a knife. The best things arealready gone away to Copenhagen, and should the Counselor come, he will, God help me! carry away the rest. That may be, then, willingly, for Icannot use the stuff, after all. "

After coffee, the guests wandered through the old garden: the clearingaway of the mud was more closely observed, the dairy and pig-styvisited, the new threshing-machine inspected. But now the Russian bathshould be also essayed; "it was heated!" But the end of the affair was, that only the Kammerjunker himself made use of it. The dinner-tablewas prepared, and then he returned. "But here something is wanting!"exclaimed he; left the room, and returned immediately with two largebouquets, which he stuck into an ale-glass which he placed upon thetable. "Where Miss Sophie dines, the table must be ornamented withflowers: certainly we cannot lay garlands, as you do!" He seated himselfat the end of the table, and wished, as he himself said, to representthe President Lars: they had had the "Wandsbecker Boten" half a year inthe house, and it would certainly please Miss Sophie if they betrayedsome acquaintance with books. This Lars and the flowers, here, meantquite as much as in the south a serenade under the windows of the fairone. 

When, toward evening, the carriage for their return drew up before thedoor, Otto still stood contemplating some old inscriptions which werebuilt into the tower-wall. 

"That you can look at another time, " said Jakoba; "now you must be ofuse a little!" And she reached him the ladies' cloaks. 

Amidst promises of a return visit and the parting yelping of the dogsthe carriage rolled away. 

"I have fairly fallen in love with the old place!" said Sophie. 

"The Kaminerjunker gains much upon nearer acquaintance, " said Otto. 

They bad now reached the furthest extremity of the garden. A flower-rainshowered itself over them and the carriage. The Kammerjunker, Jakoba, and the Mamsell, had taken a shorter way, and now waved an adieu to thetravellers, whilst at the same time they scattered hyacinths and stocksover them. With a practiced hand Jakoba threw, as a mark of friendship, a great pink straight into Otto's face. "Farewell, farewell!" soundedfrom both sides, and, accompanied by the sound of the evening-bell fromthe near village, for it was sunset, the carriage rolled away. 

CHAPTER XI

 "Dance and stamp Till the shoe-soles drop!" --Danish Popular Song. 

On the following day should the much-talked-of mowing-festival takeplace. It was the hay-harvest which occasioned all this merriment. [Author's Note: It is true that serfdom is abolished, but the peasantis still not quite free; neither can he be so. For his house and land hemust pay a tribute, and this consists in labor. His own work must giveway to that of his lord. His wagon, which he has had prepared to bringhome his own harvest, must, if such be commanded, go to the nobleman'sland, and there render service. This is, therefore, a kind of tax whichhe pays, and for the faithful payment of which he is rewarded by aharvest and mowing-feast; at the latter he receives a certain quantityof brandy, and as much ale as he can drink. The dance generally takesplace in the middle of the court-yard, and the dancers themselves mustpay their musicians. ]

During three afternoons in succession, in the inner court and under freeheaven, should a ball be held. Along the walls, rough planks, laid uponlogs of wood, formed a row of benches. At both ends of the court laytwo barrels of the newly brewed ale, which had received more malt thanusual, and which, besides, through the silver skilling, and the magicdance of the maidens round the tub, had acquired extraordinary strength. A large wooden tankard, containing several measures of brandy, stoodupon a table; the man who watched the bleaching-ground was placed asa kind of butler to preside at this sideboard. A bread-woman, with newwhite bread from Nyborg upon her barrow, wheeled into the court, andthere established her stall for every one; for it was only liquors theguests received gratis. 

The guests now entered the court by pairs; the men, part in jackets, part in long coats which hung down to their ankles. Out of thewaistcoat-pocket protruded a little nosegay of sweet-williams and musk. The girls carried their "posies, " as they called them, in their neatlyfolded pocket-handkerchiefs. Two musicians--one quite a young blade, in a laced coat with a stiff cravat, mid the other the well-known PeterCripple, "Musikanti" as he was called--led the procession. They bothplayed one and the same piece, but each according to his own manner. Itwas both good and old. 

They now began to draw lots, who should dance before the door of thefamily and who before that of the steward; after which the two partiesdrew lots for the musicians. The girls seated themselves in a row uponthe bench, from whence they were chosen. The gallantry accorded with theball-room, --the hard stone pavement. Not even had the grass been pulledup, but that would be all right after dancing there the first day. "Nay, why art thou sitting there?" spoken with a kind of morose friendliness, was the invitation to dance; and this served for seven dances. "Onlydon't be melancholy!" resounded from the company, and now the greaterportion moved phlegmatically along, as if in sleep or in a forced dance:the girl with her eyes staring at her own feet, her partner with hishead bent toward one side, and his eyes in a direct line with the girl'shead-dress. A few of the most active exhibited, it is true, a kind ofanimation, by stamping so lustily upon the stone pavement that the dustwhirled up around them. That was a joy! a joy which had occupied themmany weeks, but as yet the joy had not reached its height; "but thatwill soon come!" said Wilhelm, who, with his sister and Otto, had takenhis place at an open window. 

The old people meanwhile kept to the ale-barrels, and the brandy. Thelatter was offered to the girls, and they were obliged, at least, tosip. Wilhelm soon discovered the prettiest, and threw them roses. Thegirls immediately sprang to the spot to collect the flowers: but thecavaliers also wished to have them, and they were the stronger;they, therefore, boldly pushed the ladies aside, so that some seatedthemselves on the stone pavement and got no roses: that was a merry bitof fun! "Thou art a foolish thing! It fell upon thy shoulder and thoucouldst not catch it!" said the first lover to his lady, and stuck therose into his waistcoat-pocket. 

All got partners--all the girls; even the children, they leaped about totheir own singing out upon the bridge. Only ONE stood forlorn, --Sidsel, with the grown-together eyebrows; she smiled, laughed aloud; no onewould become her partner. Peter Cripple handed his violin to one of theyoung men and asked him to play, for he himself wished to stretch hislegs a little. The girls drew back and talked with each other; but PeterCripple stepped quietly forward toward Sidsel, flung his arms aroundher, and they danced a whirling dance. Sophie laughed aloud at it, butSidsel directed her extraordinary glance maliciously and piercinglytoward her. Otto saw it, and the girl was doubly revolting and frightfulin his eyes. With the increasing darkness the assembly became moreanimated; the two parties of dancers were resolved into one. At length, when it was grown quite dark, the ale barrels become empty, the tankardagain filled and once more emptied, the company withdrew in pairs, singing. Now commenced the first joy, the powerful operation of the ale. They now wandered through the wood, accompanying each other home, asthey termed it; but this was a wandering until the bright morning. 

Otto and Wilhelm were gone out into the avenue, and the peasants shoutedto them a grateful "Good night!" for the merry afternoon. 

"Now works the witchcraft!" said Wilhelm; "the magical power of the ale!Now begins the bacchand! Give your hand to the prettiest girl, and shewill immediately give you her heart!"

"Pity, " answered Otto, "that the Maenades of the north possess only thatwhich is brutal in common with those of the south!"

"See, there goes the smith's pretty daughter, to whom I threw the bestrose!" cried Wilhelm. "She has got two lovers, one under either arm!"

"Yes, there she goes!" simpered a female voice close to them. It wasSidsel, who sat upon the steps of a stile almost concealed in thedarkness, which the trees and the hedge increased still more. 

"Has Sidsel no lover?" asked Wilhelm. 

"Hi, hi, hi, " simpered she; "the Herr Baron and the other gentlemanseek, doubtless, for a little bride. Am I beautiful enough? At night allcats are gray!"

"Come!" whispered Otto, and drew Wilhelm away from her. "She sits likesome bird of ill omen there in the hedge. "

"What a difference!" exclaimed Wilhelm, as he followed; "yes, what adifference between this monster, nay, between the other girls and Eva!She was, doubtless, born in the same poverty, in similar circumstances, and yet they are like day and night. What a soul has been given to Eva!what inborn nobility! It must be, really, more than a mere freak ofNature!"

"Only do not let Nature play her freaks with you!" said Otto, smiling, and raised his hand. "You speak often of Eva. "

"Here it was association of ideas, " answered Wilhelm. "The contrastawoke remembrance. "

Otto entered his chamber--he opened the window; it was a moonlightnight. From the near wood resounded laughter and song. They came fromthe young men and girls, who, on their wandering, gave themselves upto merriment. Otto stood silent and full of thought in the open window. Perhaps it was the moon which lent her paleness to his countenance. On what did he reflect? Upon his departure, perhaps? Only one more daywould he remain here, where he felt himself so much at home; but thenthe journey was toward his own house, to his grandfather, to Rosalie, and the old preacher, who all thought so much of him. Otto stoodlistening and silent. The wind bore the song more distinctly over fromthe wood. 

"That is their joy, their happiness!" said he. "It might have been myjoy also, my happiness!" lay in the sigh which he heaved. His lips didnot move, his thoughts alone spoke their silent language. "I might havestood on a level with these; my soul might have been chained to thedust, and yet it would have been the same which I now possess, withwhich I long to compass all worlds! the same, endowed with thissentiment of pride, which drives me on to active exertion. My fatewavered whether I should become one such as these or whether I shouldrise into that circle which the world calls the higher. The mist-formdid not sink down into the mire, but rose above into the high refreshingair. And am I become happy through this?" His eye stared upon the brightdisk of the moon. Two large tears rolled over his pale cheeks. "InfiniteOmnipotence! I acknowledge Thy existence! Thou dost direct all; uponThee will I depend!"

A melancholy smile passed over his lips; he stepped back into thechamber, folded his hands, prayed, and felt rest and peace. 

CHAPTER XII

 "The travellers roll through the world of men, Like rose leaves in a stream. The past will ne'er come back again, But fade into a dream. "--B. S. INGEMANN. 

The following day, the last before Otto's departure, whilst he andWilhelm were walking in the garden, Sophie approached them with agarland made of oak-leaves: this was intended for Otto; they were nowreally to lose him. 

"Sophie will scarcely be up so early to-morrow morning, " said Louise;"she is, therefore, obliged to present her garland to-day. I am nevermissing at the breakfast-table, as you well know; and I shall then bringmy bouquet. "

"I shall preserve both until we meet again, " returned Otto; "they arevignettes to my beautiful summer-dream. When I again sit in Copenhagen, when the rain patters and the winter approaches with cold and a joylesssky, I shall still see before me Funen with its green woods, flowers, and sunshine; it will appear to me that it must still be so there, andthat the garland and bouquet are only withered because they are with mein the winter cold. "

"In Copenhagen we shall meet again!" said Sophie. 

"And I shall see you again with the swallows!" said Louise, "when myflowers spring up again, when we have again warm summer days! As faras I am concerned, you belong to the summer, and not to the cold, calmwinter. "

Early on the following morning was Sophie, after all, at the breakfasttable. That was to honor Otto. Mamma showed herself as the carriagewas at the door. Wilhelm would accompany him as far as Odense. It was, therefore, a double leave taking, here and there. 

"We will always remain friends, faithful friends!" said Wilhelm, whenthey parted. 

"Faithful friends!" repeated Otto, and they rolled away towardMiddelfart; thus far should mamma's own carriage convey the excellentOtto. Wilhelm remained behind in Odense; his coachman drove Otto, andthey discoursed upon the way. They passed Vissenberg: the high, woodedhills there have received the name of the Funen Alps. The legend relatesof robbers who had here deep passages underneath the high-road, wherethey hung bells which rang when any one passed above. The inhabitantsare still looked upon with suspicion. Vissenberg appears a kind of Itri, between Copenhagen and Hamburg. [Author's Note: "Itri, " Fra Diavolo'sbirthplace, lies in the Neapolitan States, on the highway betweenRome and Naples. The inhabitants are not, without reason, suspected ofcarrying on the robber's trade. ] Near the church there formerly lay astone, on which Knud, the saint, is said to have rested himself whenflying from the rebellious Jutlanders. In the stone remained theimpression of where he had sat; the hard stone had been softer than thehearts of the rebellious people. 

This, and similar legends, the coachman knew how to relate; he was bornin this neighborhood, but not in Vissenberg itself, where they make thefalse notes. [Author's Note: A number of years ago a band of men wereseized in Vissenberg who had forged bank-notes. ] Every legend gainsin interest when one hears it in the place with which it is connected. Funen is especially rich in such relations. 

"That cairn elevates itself at Christmas upon four red posts, and onecan then see the dance and merriment of the goblins within. Through thatpeasant's farm there drives every night a glowing coach, drawn by fourcoal-black horses. Where we now see a pond overgrown with reeds androots there once stood a church, but it sank as the godless desecratedit; at midnight we still hear their sighs, and hymns of repentance. "

It is true that the narrator mixed up together certain leg-ends whichrelated to other places in the country--that he took little springs, andmingled his own thoughts with his relations; but Otto listened to himwith great interest. The discourse turned also upon the family at thehall. 

"Yes, they are very much liked!" said the coachman; "the gentleman maybelieve we know how to value them. "

"And now, which of the young ladies is the best?" asked Otto. 

"Yes, every one is best served by Miss Louise, " returned the fellow. 

"Miss Sophie is the prettiest, " said Otto. 

"Yes, she is also very good, --she belongs to the learned ones! She knowsGerman, that she does! she can act comedy very excellently! I oncegot permission with the rest of the people to be up-stairs in thesitting-room--we stood behind the family; she did not manage her affairsat all badly. "

However much the old legends interested Otto, it seemed as though helistened with more pleasure to the simple reasonings of the coachmanupon the family who were become so dear to him. Words and thoughts werebusied about the objects there. Wilhelm, however, was and still remainedthe dearest; he recollected with what mildness Wilhelm had stretchedforth his hand in reconciliation, when he himself had thrust himfrom him. Already the happy summer days which he had spent at thecountry-seat, the whole visit, appeared a beautiful but short dream. 

Otto felt an inward impulse to express his gratitude; his pride even, which was a fundamental feature of his character, commanded him to dothis. Wilhelm's affection, his desire for a continued friendship, Ottothought he must reward; and on this account he added the following wordsto the few lines which he gave the coachman before his passage over theLittle Belt:--

"Wilhelm, in future we will say thou to each other; that is moreconfidential!" "He is the first to whom I have given my thou, " saidOtto, when the letter was dispatched. "This will rejoice him: now, however, I myself have for once made an advance, but he deserves it. "

A few moments later it troubled him. "I am a fool like the rest!" saidhe, and wished he could annihilate the paper. He was summoned on board. The Little Belt is only a river between the two countries; he soon foundhimself upon Jutland ground; the whip cracked, the wheels turned round, like the wheels of fortune, up and down, yet ever onward. 

Late in the evening he arrived at an inn. From his solitary chamberhis thoughts flew in opposite directions; now toward the solitarycountry-seat of his grandfather, among the sand-hills; now toward theanimated mansion in Funen, where the new friends resided. He hadopened his box and taken out what lay quite at the top, the garland ofoak-leaves and the beautiful bouquet of flowers of this morning. 

Most people maintain that one dreams at night of that which one hasthought much about. According to this, Otto must have thought a dealabout the North Sea, for of it he dreamed the whole night, --not of theyoung ladies. 

CHAPTER XIII

 "The heat-lark warbles forth his sepulchral melodies. " S. S. BLICHER. 

The peninsula of Jutland possesses nothing of the natural beautywhich Zealand and Funen present--splendid beeches and odoriferousclover-fields in the neighborhood of the salt sea; it possesses atonce a wild and desolate nature, in the heath-covered expanses and thefar-stretching moors. East and west are different; like the green, sappyleaf, and grayish white sea-weed on the sea shore. From the Woods ofMarselisborg to the woods south of Coldinger Fjord, is the land richand blooming; it is the Danish Nature in her greatness. Here rises theHeaven Mountain, with its wilderness of coppice and heather; from hereyou gaze over the rich landscape, with its woods and lakes, as far downas the roaring Cattegat. 

The western coast, on the contrary, lies without a tree, without bushes, with nothing but white sand-hills stretching along the roaring ocean, which scourges the melancholy coast with sand-storms and sharp winds. Between these contrasts, which the east and west coasts present, theHesperides and Siberia, lies the vast heath which stretches itself fromthe Lyneborg sand to the Skagen's reef. No hedge shows here the limitsof possession. Among the crossing tracks of carriage wheels must thouseek thy way. Crippled oaks, with whitish-green moss overgrown to theoutermost branches, twist themselves along the ground, as if fearingstorms and the sea-mist. Here, like a nomadic people, but withoutflocks, do the so-called Tartar bands wander up and down, with theirpeculiar language and peculiar ceremonies. Suddenly there shows itselfin the interior of the heathy wilderness a colony--another, a strangepeople, German emigrants, who through industry compel the meagre countryto fruitfulness. 

From Veile, Otto wished to take the road through Viborg, as the mostdirect and the shortest to his grandfather's estate, which lay betweenNisumfjord and Lemvig. 

The first heath-bushes accosted him as dear friends of his childhood. The beautiful beech-woods lay behind him, the expanse of heath began;but the heath was dear to him: it was this landscape which formed thebasis of many dear recollections. 

The country became ever higher with brown heights, beyond which nothingwas visible; houses and farms became more rare, the cherry orchardstransformed themselves into cabbage-gardens. Only single spots were freefrom heather, and here grew grass, but short, and like moss or duckweedwhich grows upon ponds: here birds congregated by hundreds, andfluttered twittering into the air as the carriage drove past. 

"You know where to find the green spot in the heath, and how to becomehappy through it, " sighed Otto. "Could I only follow your example!"

At a greater distance rose bare hills, without ling or ploughed land;the prickly heath looked brown and yellow on the sharp declivities. Alittle boy and girl herded sheep by the way-side; the boy played thePandean pipe, the little girl sang a psalm, --it was the best song whichshe knew how to sing to the traveller, in order to win a little presentfrom him. 

The day was warm and beautiful, but the evening brought the cold mistfrom the sea, which, however, in the interior of the country losessomething of its power. 

"That is a kiss of welcome from my home, " said Otto; "the death-kiss ofthe mermaid! In Funen they call it the elf maiden. "

Within the last few years a number of children have been sent from theOrphan Asylum to the heath, in order that, instead of Copenhagenrogues, they may become honest Jutland peasants. Otto had a boy of thisdescription for his coachman. The lad was very contented, and yet Ottobecame low-spirited from his relation. Recollections from his own lifestirred within his breast. "Return thanks to God, " said he, and gave thelad a considerable present; "on the heath thou hast shelter and a home;in Copenhagen, perhaps, the sandy beach would have been thy nightlyresting-place, hunger and cold the gifts which the day would bringthee. "

The nearer he approached the west, the more serious became his frame ofmind; it was as if the desolate scenery and cold sea-mist entered hissoul. The pictures of the gay country-seat at Funen were supplanted byrecollections of his home with his grandfather. He became more and morelow-spirited. It was only when a single mile separated him from hishome that the thought of surprising his dear friends conquered hismelancholy. 

He caught sight of the red roof of the house, saw the willowplantations, and heard the bark of the yard-dog. Upon the hillock beforethe gate stood a group of children. Otto could no longer endure the slowdriving through the deep ruts. He sprang out of the carriage, and ranmore than he walked. The children on the hillock became aware of him, and all looked toward the side from whence he came. 

The slow driving, and his being absorbed in melancholy fancies, hadrelaxed his powerful frame; but now in one moment all his elasticityreturned: his cheeks glowed, and his heart beat loudly. 

From the court resounded singing--it was the singing of a psalm. Hestepped through the gateway. A crowd of peasants stood with bared heads:before the door stood a carriage, some peasants were just raising acoffin into it. In the doorway stood the old preacher, and spoke with aman clad in black. 

"Lord Jesus! who is dead?" were Otto's first words, and his countenancebecame pale like that of a corpse. 

"Otto!" all exclaimed. 

"Otto!" exclaimed also the old preacher, astonished; then seized hishand, and said gravely, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;blessed be the name of the Lord!"

"Let me see the face of the dead!" said Otto. Not a tear came to hiseye; surprise and sorrow were too great. 

"Shall I take out the screws?" inquired the man who had just screwed upthe coffin. 

"Let him sleep the eternal rest!" said the preacher. 

Otto stared at the black coffin in which his grandfather lay. Thecarriage drove away with it. Otto followed after with the preacher, heard him throw earth upon it, heard words which he did not comprehend, saw the last corner of the coffin, and it was then removed from hissight. All was as a dream to him. 

They returned back to the preacher's abode; a pale figure approachedhim: it was Rosalie--old Rosalie. 

"We have here no abiding-place, we all hasten toward futurity!" saidthe old preacher. "Strengthen yourself now with meat and drink! The bodycannot suffer like the soul. We have accompanied him to His sleepingchamber; his bed was well prepared! I have prayed the evening prayer; hesleeps in God, and will awaken to behold His glory. Amen!"

"Otto! thou dear Otto!" said Rosalie. "The bitterest day brings me thisjoy! How have I thought of thee! Amongst strangers shouldst thou receivethe tidings of his death! with no one who could feel for thy sorrow!where thou shouldst see no eye weep for what thou hast lost! Now thouart here! now, when I believed thee so far distant--it is a miracle!Thou couldst only have received the letter to-day which carried theintelligence of thy grandfather's death to thee!"

"I wished to surprise you, " said Otto. "A melancholy surprise awaitedme!"

"Sit down, my child!" said the preacher, and drew him toward the coveredtable. "When the tree falls which gave us shade and fruit, from whichwe, in our own little garden, have planted shoots and sown seeds, we maywell look on with sadness and feel our loss: but we must not forget ourown garden, must not forget to cherish that which we have won from thefallen tree: we must not cease to live for the living! I miss, like you, the proud tree, which rejoiced my soul and my heart, but I know that itis planted in a better garden, where Christ is the gardener. "

The preacher's invitation to remain with him, during his stay, in hishouse, Otto declined. Already this first night he wished to establishhimself in his own little chamber in the house of mourning. Rosalie alsowould return. 

"We have a deal to say to each other, " said the old preacher, and laidhis hand upon Otto's shoulder. "Next summer you will hardly press myhand, it will be pressed by the turf. "

"To-morrow I will come to you, " said Otto, and drove back with the oldRosalie to the house. 

The domestics kissed the hand and coat of the young master--he wished toprevent this; the old woman wept. Otto stepped into the room; here hadstood the corpse, on account of which the furniture had been removed, and the void was all the more affecting. The long white mourningcurtains fluttered in tire wind before the open window. Rosalie ledhim by the hand into the little sleeping-room where the grandfather haddied. Here everything yet stood as formerly--the large book case, withthe glass doors, behind which the intellectual treasure was preserved:Wieland and Fielding, Millot's "History of the World, " and Von derHagen's "Narrenbuch, " occupied the principal place: these books hadbeen those most read by the old gentleman. Here was also Otto's earliestintellectual food, Albertus Julius, the English "Spectator, " and Evald'swritings. Upon the wall hung pikes and pistols, and a large old sabre, which the grandfather had once worn. Upon the table beneath the mirrorstood an hour-glass; the sand had run out. Rosalie pointed toward thebed. "There he died, " said she, "between six and seven o'clock in theevening. He was only ill three days; the two last he passed in delirium:he raised himself in bed, and shook the bed posts; I was obliged to lettwo strong men watch beside him. 'To horse! to horse!' said he; 'thecannons forward!' His brain dreamed of war and battles. He also spoke ofyour blessed father severely and bitterly! Every word was like the stabof a knife; he was as severe toward him as ever!"

"And did the people understand his words?" asked Otto with a wrinkledbrow. 

"No, for the uninitiated they were dark words; and even had theypossessed any meaning, the men would have believed it was the sicknesswhich spoke out of him. 'There stands the mother with the two children!The one shall fall upon the flank of the enemy and bring me honor andjoy. The mother and daughter I know not!' That was all which I heard himsay about you and your mother and sister. By noon on the third day thefever had spent itself; the strong, gloomy man was become as weak andgentle as a child; I sat beside his bed. 'If I had only Otto here!' saidhe. 'I have been severely attacked, Rosalie, but I am now much better:I will go to sleep; that strengthens one. ' Smilingly he closed his eyesand lay quite still: I read my prayers, withdrew gently so as not towake him; he lay there unchanged when I returned. I sat a little whilebeside his bed; his hands lay upon the coverlid; I touched them, theywere ice-cold. I was frightened, touched his brow, his face--he wasdead! he had died without a death-struggle!"

For a long time did they converse about the dead man; it was nearmidnight when Otto ascended the narrow stairs which led to the littlechamber in the roof, where as child and boy he had slept. All stood hereas it had done the year before, only in nicer order. Upon the wall hungthe black painted target, near to the centre of which he had once shot. His skates lay upon the chest of drawers, near to the nodding plasterfigure. The long journey, and the overpowering surprise which awaitedhim on his return, had strongly affected him: he opened the window;a large white sand-hill rose like a wall straight up before it, anddeprived him of all view. How often, when a child, had the furrowsmade by rain in the sand, and the detached pieces, presented to himpictures, --towns, towers, and whole marching armies. Now it was only awhite wall, which reminded him of a winding-sheet. A small streak of theblue sky was visible between the house and the steep slope of the hill. Never before had Otto felt, never before reflected, what it was to standalone in the world, to be lovingly bound to no one with the band ofconsanguinity. 

"Solitary, as in this silent night do I stand in the world! solitary inthe mighty crowd of human beings! Only ONE being can I call mine! onlyONE being press as kindred to my heart! And I shudder at the thought ofmeeting with this being--I should bless the thought that she was dead!Father! thou didst ruin one being and make three miserable. I havenever loved thee; bitterness germinated within my breast when Ibecame acquainted with thee! Mother! thy features have died out of myrecollection; I revere thee! Thou wast all love; to love didst thouoffer up thy life--more than life! Pray for me with thy God! Pray forme, ye dead! if there is immortality; if the flesh is not alone bornagain in grass and the worm; if the soul is not lost in floods of air!We shall be unconscious of it: eternally shall we sleep! eternally!"Otto supported his forehead upon the window-frame, his arm sanklanguidly, "Mother! poor mother! thou didst gain by death, even if itbe merely an eternal sleep, --asleep without dreams! We have only a shorttime to live, and yet we divide our days of life with sleep! My bodyyearns after this short death! I will sleep--sleep like all my belovedones! They do not awaken!" He threw himself upon the bed. The cold airfrom the sea blew through the open window. The wearied body conquered;he sank into the death-like sleep, whilst his doubting soul, everactive, presented him with living dreams. 

CHAPTER XIV

 "Man seems to me a foolish being; he drives along over the waves of time, endlessly thrown up and down, and descrying a little verdant spot, formed of mud and stagnant moor and of putrid green mouldiness, he cries out, Land! He rows thither, ascends--and sinks and sinks--and is no more to be seen. "--The Golden Fleece of GRILLPARZER. 

Old Rosalie was pouring out coffee when Otto came down the next morning. Peace and resignation to the will of God lay in her soft countenance. Otto was pale, paler than usual, but handsomer than Rosalie had seen himbefore: a year had rendered him older and more manly; a handsome, crispbeard curled over his chin; manly gravity lay in his eyes, in which, at his departure, she had only remarked their inborn melancholy glance. With a kind of satisfaction she looked upon this beautiful, melancholycountenance, and with cordial affection she stretched forth her handtoward him. 

"Here stands thy chair, Otto; and here thy cup. I will drink to thywelcome. It seems to me long since I saw thee, and yet it is, now I havethee again, only a short time. Were that place only not empty!" andshe pointed to the place at the table which the grandfather had used tooccupy. 

"If I had only seen him!" said Otto. 

"His countenance was so gentle in death, " said Rosalie. "The severityand gravity which had settled in his eyes were softened away. I wasmyself present when he was dressed. He had his uniform on, which healways wore upon occasions of ceremony, the sabre by his side and thegreat hat upon his head. I knew that this was his wish!" Quietly shemade the sign of the cross. 

"Are all my grandfather's papers sealed?" inquired Otto. 

"The most important--those which have the greatest interest for thee, "said Rosalie, "are in the hands of the preacher. Last year, the dayafter thy departure, he gave them to the preacher; thy father's lastletter I know is amongst them. "

"My father!" said Otto, and glanced toward the ground. "Yes, " continuedhe, "there is truth in the words of Scripture, --the sins of the fathersare visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation!"

"Otto!" said Rosalie, with a beseeching and reproachful look, "thygrandfather was a severe man. Thou last known him, hast seen his darkestmoments, and yet then age and cares had softened him: his love to theecalmed every outbreak. Had he only loved thy father as he loved thee, things would, perhaps, have ended better: but we may not judge!"

"And what have I done?" said Otto. "Thou, Rosalie, knowest thehistory of my life. Is it not as if a curse rested upon me? I was ahigh-spirited boy, I often occasioned thee tears; yet didst thou alwaysplace thyself between me and punishment. It was my evil blood, the bloodof my birth in which the curse lay, that drove me on!"

"But thou didst become good and full of love, as thou art now!" saidRosalie. 

"Only when I became acquainted with myself and my destiny. In thethoughtlessness of childhood, unacquainted with myself and the world, did I myself have that sign of my misery, which now presses down mysoul, cut into my flesh. Yes, Rosalie! I remember this very well, and have clearly preserved this, my earliest recollection beforemy grandfather took me, and I came here a boy. I remember the greatbuilding from whence I was brought, the number of people who thereworked, sang, and laughed, and who told me extraordinary stories of howbadly people were treated in the beautiful world. This was my parents'home, thought I, when I began to ponder upon parents and theirconnection with children. It was a large manufactory which theypossessed, thought I; I remembered the number of work-people. All playedand romped with me. I was wild and full of boisterous spirits a boy ofonly six years old, but with the perseverance and will of one of ten. Rosalie, thou sawest many proofs of the evil which lay in my blood; itbordered upon insolence. I remembered well the strong, merry Heinrich, who always sang at his loom; he showed me and the others his tattooedbreast, upon which he had his whole mournful history imprinted. Uponhis arm were his own and his bride's names. That pleased me; I wished tohave my name also on my arm. 'It is painful!' said he; 'then thou wiltpipe, my lad!' That was spur enough to make me desire it. I allowed himto puncture my skin, to puncture an O and a T upon my shoulder, anddid not cry, --no, not once whilst the powder burnt into it; but I waspraised, and was proud to bear the initials--proud of them until threeyears ago, when I met Heinrich here. I recognized him, but he did notrecognize me. I showed him my shoulder, and besought him to read thename, this O and T: but he did not say Otto Thostrup; he named a namewhich destroyed the happiness of my childhood, and has made me miserableforever!"

"It was a fearful day!" said Rosalie. "Thou didst demand from me anexplanation, thy grandfather gave it thee, and thou wast no longer theOtto thou hadst formerly been. Yet wherefore speak of it? Thou art goodand wise, noble and innocent. Do not fill thy heart with sorrow from atime which is past, and which, for thy sake, shall be forgotten. "

"But Heinrich still lives!" said Otto; "I have met with him, have spokenwith him: it was as if all presence of mind forsook me. "

"When and where?" asked Rosalie. 

Otto related of his walk with Wilhelm in the park, and of the juggler, in whom he had recognized Heinrich. "I tore myself from my friends, I wandered the whole night alone in the wood. O Rosalie, I thoughtof death! I thought of death as no Christian ought to do. A beautifulmorning followed, I wandered beside the sea which I love, and in whichI have so often dived. Since that explanation of the initials on myshoulder was suggested, that explanation which reminded me of my unhappybirth, I have never uncovered them before any one. O, I have rubbedthorn with a stone, until they were bloody! The letters are gone, butstill I imagine I can read them in the deep scar--that in it I see aCain's mark! That morning the desire to bathe came upon me. The freshcurrent infused life once more into my soul. Just then Wilhelm andseveral acquaintance came down; they called to me and carried off myclothes; my blood boiled; all my unhappiness, which this night hadstirred within my soul, again overwhelmed me: it was as though theobliterated initials on my shoulder would reveal themselves in the scarand betray the secret of my grief. Disgust of life seized upon me. Ino longer knew what I shouted to them, but it seemed to me as if I mustswim out into the stream and never return. I swam until it became nightbefore my eyes. I sank, and Wilhelm rescued me! Never since then havewe spoken of this hour! O Rosalie! long is it since I have been able toopen my heart as before thee at this moment. What use is it to have afriend if one cannot lay before him one's whole thoughts? To no onehave I been able to unfold them but to thee, who already knowest them. Isuffer, as a criminal and yet am I innocent, --just as the misshapen, thedeformed man, is innocent of his ugliness!"

"I do not possess thy knowledge, Otto, " said Rosalie, and pressed hishand; "have never rejoiced in such a clear head as thine; but I havethat which thou canst not as yet possess--experience. In trouble, as well as in joy, youth transforms the light cobweb into the cable. Self-deception has changed the blood in thy veins, the thoughts in thysoul; but do not forever cling to this one black spot! Neither wiltthou! it will spur thee on to activity, will enervate thy soul, notdepress thee! The melancholy surprise of thy grandfather's death, whomthou didst believe active and well, has now made thee dejected, and thythoughts so desponding. But there will come better days! happy days!Thou art young, and youth brings health for the soul and body!"

She led Otto into the garden, where the willow plantations protected theother trees from the sharp west wind. The gooseberry-bushes bore fruit, but it was not yet ripe: one bush Otto had planted when a cutting; itwas now large. Rosalie had tied the twigs to a palisade, so that, as anespalier, it could thoroughly drink in the sun's rays. Otto regarded thefetters more than the good intention. 

"Let it grow free!" said he; "if that brittle palisade should tumbledown, the twigs would be broken. " And he cut the bands. 

"Thou art still the old Otto, " said Rosalie. 

They went into her little room, where the crucifix, and before it asmall vase of flowers, adorned the table. Above the cross hung a garlandof withered heather. 

"Two years ago didst thou give me that, Otto!" said Rosalie. "Therewere no more flowers, there was nothing green but the heath, and thoutwinedst a garland of it for me. Afterward I would not take it down fromthe crucifix. "

They were interrupted by a visit. It was from the old preacher. 

CHAPTER XV

 "His coal was coarse, its fashion old; He asked no dress of greater worth Than that which kept from storm and cold The Baptist when he preached on earth. " C. J. BORE. 

Not alone of Otto's affairs, but also of "the city yonder, " as thepreacher called Copenhagen, would he speak. Only once a week came the"Viborg Collector" to hint, and the Copenhagen papers were a whole monthgoing their round. "One would willingly advance with the time, " said he. Yesterday, at the interment, he had not found it seemly to gratify hisdesire of hearing dear Otto talk about the city, but to-day he thoughtit might well be done, and therefore he would not await Otto's visit butcome over to pay one himself. 

"Thou hast certainly seen our good king?" was his first question. "Lordhelp the anointed one! he is then as vigorous and active as ever--mygood King Frederik!" And now he must relate a trait which had touchedhis heart, and which, in his opinion, deserved a place in the annals ofhistory. This event occurred the last time that the king was in Jutland;he had visited the interior of the country and the western coast also. When he was leaving a public-house the old hostess ran after him, andbesought that the Father would, as a remembrance, write his name withchalk upon a beam. The grand gentlemen wished to deter her, but shepulled at the king's coat; and when he had learned her wish he nodded ina friendly manner, and said, "Very willingly!" and then turned back andwrote his name on the beam. Tears came into the old man's eyes; he wept, and prayed for his king. He now inquired whether the old tree was stillstanding in the Regent's Court, and then spoke of Nyerup and Abrahamson, whom he had known in his student days. 

In fact, after all, he was himself the narrator; each of his questionsrelated to this or that event in his own life, and he always returnedto this source--his student-days. There was then another life, anotheractivity, he maintained. His royal idea of beauty had been QueenMatilda. [Translator's Note: The unhappy wife of Christian VII. Anddaughter of our George III. ] "I saw her often on horseback, " said he. "It was not then the custom in our country for ladies to ride. In hercountry it was the fashion; here it gave rise to scandal. God gaveher beauty, a king's crown, and a heart full of love; the world gaveher--what it can give--a grave near to the bare heath!"

Whilst he so perpetually returned to his own recollections, his share ofnews was truly not new, but he was satisfied. Copenhagen appeared to hima whole world--a royal city; but Sodom and Gomorrah had more than onestreet there. 

Otto smiled at the earnestness with which he said this. 

"Yes, that I know better than thou, my young friend!" continued the oldpreacher. "True, the devil does not go about like a roaring lion, butthere he has his greatest works! He is well-dressed, and conceals hisclaws and his tail! Do not rely upon thy strength! He goes about, likethe cat in the fable, 'pede suspenso, ' sneakingly and cautiously! It is, after all, with the devil as it is with a Jutland peasant. This fellowcomes to the city, has nothing, runs about, and cleans shoes and bootsfor the young gentlemen, and by this means he wins a small sum of money. He knows how to spare. He can now hire the cellar of the house inwhich thou livest, and there commence some small trade. The trade issuccessful, very successful. It goes on so well that he can hire thelower story; then he gains more profit, and before thou canst look aboutthee he buys the whole house. See, that is the way with the Jutlandpeasant, and just the same with the devil. At first he gets the cellar, then the lower story, and at last the whole house!"

CHAPTER XVI

 "Sure 'tis fair in foreign land, But not so fair as home;

 Let me but see thy mountains grand Glaciers and snowy dome!

 Let me but hear the sound that tells Of climbing cattle, dressed with bells. " The Switzer's Homesickness. 

Not until after breakfast did the preacher pass over to Otto's affairs. His grandfather's will made him the sole heir to the large property; aman in Copenhagen, the merchant Berger, should be his guardian, sincethe preacher did not wish to undertake the office. Rosalie was notforgotten: her devotion and fidelity had won for her a relative's right. Her last days should be free from care: she had truly striven to removeall care from the dead whilst yet he lived. An old age free from careawaited her; but Otto wished that she should also have a happy old age. He imparted his plan to the preacher; but the latter shook his head, thought it was not practicable, and regarded it as a mere fancy--a whim. But such it was not. 

Some days passed by. One afternoon Rosalie sat upon a small wooden benchunder the cherry-trees, and was making mourning for the winter. 

"This is the last summer that we shall sit here, " said she; "the lastsummer that this is our home. Now I am become equally rooted to thisspot; it grieves me that I must leave it. "

"Thou wast forced to leave thy dear Switzerland, " said Otto; "that wasstill harder!"

"I was then young, " answered she. "The young tree may be easilytransplanted, but the old one has shot forth deeper roots. Denmark is agood land--a beautiful land!"

"But not the west coast of Jutland!" exclaimed Otto. "For thy greenpasture hast thou here heath; for thy mountains, low sand-hills. "

"Upon the Jura Mountains there is also heath, " said Rosalie. "The heathhere often reminds me of my home on the Jura. There also is it cold, andsnow can fall already in August. The fir-trees then stand as if powderedover. "

"I love Switzerland, which I have never seen, " pursued Otto. "Thyrelation has given me a conception of the picturesque magnificence ofthis mountain-land. I have a plan, Rosalie. I know that in the heartof a mountaineer homesickness never dies. I remember well how thy eyessparkled when thou toldest of the walk toward Le Locle and Neufchâtel;even as a boy I felt at thy words the light mountain air. I rode withthee upon the dizzy height, where the woods lay below us like potatofields. What below arose, like the smoke from a charcoal-burner's kiln, was a cloud in the air. I saw the Alpine chain, like floating cloudmountains; below mist, above dark shapes with glancing glaciers. "

"Yes, Otto, " said Rosalie, and her eyes sparkled with youthful fire; "solooks the Alpine chain when one goes from Le Locle to Neulfchâtel: sodid I see it when I descended the Jura for the list time. It was inAugust. The trees, with their autumnal foliage, stood yellow and redbetween the dark firs; barberries and hips grew among the tall fern. The Alps lay in such a beautiful light, their feet blue as heaven, theirpeaks snow-white in the clear sunshine. I was in a sorrowful mood; Iwas leaving my mountains! Then I wrote in my book--O, I remember it sowell!--The high Alps appear to me the folded wings of the earth: howif she should raise them! how if the immense wings should unfold, withtheir gay images of dark woods, glaciers, and clouds! What a picture! Atthe Last Judgment will the earth doubtless unfold these pinions, soarup to God, and in the rays of His sunlight disappear! I also have beenyoung, Otto, " pursued she, with a melancholy smile. "Thou wouldst havefelt still more deeply at the sight of this splendor of nature. The lakeat the foot of the mountains was smooth as a mirror; a little boat withwhite sails swam, like a swan, upon its expanse. On the road along whichwe drove were the peasants beating down chestnuts; the grapes hung inlarge black bunches. How an impression such as this can root itself inthe memory! It is five and thirty years since, and yet I still see thatboat with the white sail, the high Alps, and the black grapes. "

"Thou shalt see thy Switzerland again, Rosalie, " exclaimed Otto; "againhear the bells of the cows upon the green pastures! Thou shalt go oncemore to the chapel in Franche Compté, shalt visit thy friends at LeLocle, see the subterranean mill, and the Doub fall. "

"The mill wheel yet goes round, the water dashes down as in my youth;but the friends are gone, my relatives dispersed! I should appeara stranger there; and when one has reached my age, nature cannotsatisfy--one must have people!"

"Thou knowest, Rosalie, my grandfather has settled a sum upon thee solong as thou livest. Now I have thought thou couldst spend thy latterdays with thy beloved ones at home, in the glorious Switzerland. InOctober I take my philosophicum; the following summer I would thenaccompany thee. I must also see that splendid mountain-land, --knowsomething more of the world than I have yet known. I know how thythoughts always dwell upon Switzerland. Thither will I reconduct thee;thou wilt feel thyself less lonely there than here in Denmark. "

"Thou art carried away by the thoughts of youth, as thou shouldst andmust be, thou dear, sweet soul!" said Rosalie, smiling. "At my age it isnot so easy. "

"We will make short days' journeys, " said Otto, "go with the steamboatup the Rhine--that is not fatiguing; and from Basel one is soon inFranche Compté on the Jura. "

"No, upon the heath, near Vestervovov, as it is called here, will oldRosalie die; here I have felt myself at home, here I have two or threefriends. The family at Lemvig have invited me, have for me a place attable, a little room, and friendly faces. Switzerland would be nolonger that Switzerland which I quitted. Nature would greet me as an oldacquaintance; it would be to me music, once more to hear the ringing ofthe cows' bells; it would affect me deeply, once again to kneel in thelittle chapel on the mountain: but I should soon feel myself a greaterstranger there than here. Had it been fifteen years ago, my sister wouldstill have been living, the dear, pious Adèle! She dwelt with my uncleclose on the confines of Neufchâtel, as thou knowest, scarcely a quarterof a mile from Le Locle--_the town_, as we called it, because it was thelargest place in the neighborhood. Now there are only distant relationsof mine living, who have forgotten me. I am a stranger there. Denmarkgave me bread, it will also give me a grave!"

"I thought of giving thee a pleasure!" said Otto. 

"That thou dost by thy love to me!" returned she. 

"I thought thou wouldst have shown me thy mountains, thy home, of whichthou hast so often spoken!"

"That can I still do. I remember every spot, every tree--all remains soclear in my recollection. Then we ascend together the Jura higher andhigher; here are no more vineyards to be found, no maize, no chestnutsonly dark pines, huge cliffs, here and there a beech, as green and largeas in Denmark. Now we have the wood behind us, we are many feetabove the sea; thou canst perceive this by the freshness of the air. Everywhere are green meadows; uninterruptedly reaches our ear theringing of the cow-bells. Thou as yet seest no town, and yet we areclose upon Le Locle. Suddenly the road turns; in the midst of themountain-level we perceive a small valley, and in this lies the town, with its red roofs, its churches, and large gardens. Close beneath thewindows rises the mountain-side, with its grass and flowers; it looksas though the cattle must be precipitated upon the houses. We go throughthe long street, past the church; the inhabitants are Protestants--itis a complete town of watchmakers. My uncle and Adèle also sat the wholeday, and worked at wheels and chains. That was for Monsieur Houriet, in Le Locle. His daughters I know; one is called Rosalie, like myself. Rosalie and Lydia, they will certainly have forgotten me! But it is truethat we are upon our own journey! Now, thou seest, at the end of thetown we do not follow the broad road--that leads to Besançon; we remainin the lesser one, here in the valley where the town lies. The beautifulvalley! The green mountain-sides we keep to our right; on it arescattered houses, with large stones upon their steep wooden roofs, andwith little gardens tilled with plum-trees. Steep cliff-walls shut inthe valley; there stands up a crag; if thou climbest it thou canst lookstraight into France: one sees a plain, flat like the Danish plains. Inthe valley where we are, close under the rock, lies a little house; O, Isee it distinctly! white-washed and with blue painted window-frames: atthe gate a great chained dog. I hear him bark! We step into that quiet, friendly little house! The children are playing about on the ground. O, my little Henry-Numa-Robert! Ah, it is true that now he is older andtaller than thou! We descend the steps toward the cellar. Here standsacks and chests of flour; under the floor one hears a strange roaring;still a few steps lower, and we must light the lamp, for here it isdark. We find ourselves in a great water-mill, a subterranean mill. Deepbelow in the earth rushes a river--above no one dreams of it; the waterdashes down several fathoms over the rushing wheel, which threatens toseize our clothes and whirl us away into the circle. The steps on whichwe stand are slippery: the stone walls drip with water, and only a stepbeyond the depth appears bottomless! O, thou wilt love this mill as Ilove it! Again having reached the light of day, and under free heaven, one only perceives the quiet, friendly little house. Dost thou know, Otto, often as thou hast sat quiet and dreaming, silent as a statue, have I thought of my mill, and the repose which it presented? and yethow wildly the stream roared in its bosom, how the wheels rushed round, and how gloomy it was in the depth!"

"We will leave the mill!" said Otto, and sought to lead her from herreflections back to her own relation. "We find ourselves in the wood, where the ringing of the evening-bell reaches our ear from the littlechapel in Franche Compté. "

"There stands my father's house!" said Rosalie. "From the corner-windowone looks over the wood toward Aubernez, [Author's Note: A village inthe canton Neufchâtel, lying close upon the river Doub, where it formsthe boundary between Switzerland and France. ] where the ridge leads overthe Doub. The sun shines upon the river, which, far below, winds along, gleaming like the clearest silver. "

"And the whole of France spreads itself out before us!" said Otto. 

"How beautiful! O, how beautiful!" exclaimed Rosalie, and her eyessparkled as she gazed before her; but soon her glance became sad, andshe pressed Otto's hand. "No one will welcome me to my home! I knowneither their joys nor their sorrows--they are not my own family! InDenmark--I am at home. When the cold sea-mist spreads itself over theheath I often fancy I am living among my mountains, where the heathergrows. The mist seems to me then to be a snow-cloud which rests overthe mountains, and thus, when other people are complaining of the badweather, I am up among my mountains!"

"Thou wilt then remove to the family at Lemvig?" asked Otto. 

"There I am welcome!" returned she. 

CHAPTER XVII

 "Look at the calming sea. The waves still tremble in the depths, and stem to fear the gale. --Over my head is hovering the shadowy mist. --My curls are wet with the filling dew. " --OSSIAN. 

Otto had not as yet visited the sand-hills on the strand, the fishermen, or the peasants, among whom formerly he had spent all his spare time. 

The beautiful summer's day drove him forth, his heart yearned to drinkin the summer warmth. 

Only the roads between the larger towns are here tolerable, or ratheras tolerable as the country will allow. The by-ways were only to bediscerned by the traces of cart-wheels, which ran on beside each other;at certain places, to prevent the wheels sinking into the deep sand, ling had been spread; where this is not the case, and the tracks crosseach other, a stranger would scarcely find the way. Here the landmarkplaces its unseen boundary between neighboring possessions. 

Every farm, every cottage, every hill, was an old acquaintance to Otto. He directed his steps toward Harbooere, a parish which, one may say, consists of sand and water, but which, nevertheless, is not to becalled unfruitful. A few of the inhabitants pursue agriculture, but themajority consists of fishermen, who dwell in small houses and have noland. 

His first encounter upon his wandering was with one of those largecovered wagons with which the so-called eelmen, between the days of St. John and St. Bartholomew, go with eels toward the small towns lyingto the south and east, and then, laden with apples and garden produce, return home--articles which are rapidly consumed by the common people. The eelman stopped when he saw and recognized Otto. 

"Welcome, Mr. Otto!" said he. "Yes, you are come over abut a sad affair!That Major Thostrup should have gone off so! But there was nothing elseto be expected from him he was old enough. "

"Death demands his right!" replied Otto, and pressed the man's hand. "Things go, doubtless, well with you, Morten Chraenseu?"

"The whole cart full of eels, and some smoked carp! It is also good tomeet with you, Mr. Otto. Upon the land a preacher is very good, butnot upon the sea, as they say at home. Yes, you are certainly now apreacher, or will become one?"

"No, I am not studying to become a preacher!" answered Otto. 

"No! will you then become a lawyer? It strikes me you are cleverenough--you have no need to study any more! You will just go and saya few words to them at home? The grandmother sits and spins yarn foreel-nets. She has now the cataract on the other eye, but her mouth is aswell as ever; she does not let herself grow dumb, although she does sitin the dark. Mother provides the baits; she has also enough to do withthe hooks. "

"But Maria, the lively little Maria?" said Otto. 

"The girl? She has gone this year with the other fishergirls toRingkjoebing, to be hired for the hay and corn harvest; we thought wecould do without her at home. But now, God willing! I must travel on. "Cordially he shook Otto's hand, and pursued his slow journey. 

The brothers of the eelman were active fishermen, as their fatherhad been before them; and although they were all married they livedtogether. The swarm of children was not insignificant; young and oldformed one family, in which the old grandmother had the first voice. 

Otto approached the dwelling; before it lay a little plot of land, planted with potatoes and carrots, and also beds of onions and thyme. Two large bull-dogs, with sharp teeth and wicked eyes, rushed towardOtto. "Tyv! Grumsling!" shrieked a voice, and the dogs let fall theirtails and drew back, with a low growl, toward the house. Here at thethreshold sat an old woman in a red woolen jacket, with a handkerchiefof the same material and same color about her neck, and upon her heada man's black felt hat. She spun. Otto immediately recognized the oldblind grandmother. 

"God's peace be in the house!" said he. 

"That voice I have not heard for a year and a day!" replied the oldwoman, and raised her head, as if she would see him with her dead eyes. "Are not you Major Thostrup's Otto? You resemble him in the voice. Ithought, truly, that if you came here you would pay us a visit. Ideshall leave the baits and put on the kettle, that you may have a cup ofcoffee. Formerly you did not use to despise our entertainment. You havenot grown proud with your journey, have you? The coffee-vetch [Author'sNote: Astragalus baeticus is used as a substitute for coffee, and isprincipally grown upon the sand-hills west of Holmsland. It is firstfreed from the husk, and then dried and roasted a little. ] is good; itis from Holmsland, and tastes better than the merchant's beans. " Thedogs still growled at Otto. "Cannot you stupid beasts, who have stilleyes in your heads to see with, recognize that this is the Major'sOtto?" cried she wrathfully, and gave them several good blows with herhand. 

Otto's arrival created a great stir in the little household that he waswelcome, you might see by every countenance. 

"Yes, " said the grandmother, "now you are grown much wiser in the town, could, very likely, were it needful, write an almanac! You will verylikely have found for yourself a little bride there, or will you fetchone out of Lemvig? for no doubt she must be from a town! Yes, I haveknown him ever since he was a little fellow; yonder, on the wall, hemade, out of herrings' heads, the living devil, just as he lives andbreathes. He thrust our sucking-pig into the eel-cart, between thecasks. We sought a whole day after the sucking-pig without finding him, and he was forced to make the journey with them to Holstebro. Yes, he was a wild fellow! Later, when he was obliged to learn so much, hebecame sad. Yes, yes, within the last years his books have overdonehim!"

"Yes, many a time has he put out to sea with my husband!" pursued one ofthe daughters-in-law. "One night he remained out with him. How anxiousthe French Mamsell at the hall was about him!"

"He was never haughtty, " said the grandmother. "He nibbled his driedfish with the fresh fish, and drank a little cup of water, although hewas used to better things at home. But to-day we have white bread, freshand good; it came yesterday from Lemvig. "

The brandy-glass, with its wooden, red-painted foot, was placed beforeOtto. Under the bed there was an anker of brandy, --"a little stock, " asall stranded goods are here called. 

Otto inquired after the married sons. They were with their men on theshore, ready to embark on their fishing expedition, The grandmotherwould accompany him thither; they were not yet departed: she shouldfirst take them provisions. 

The old woman took her stick, the dog sprang forward, and now commencedtheir wandering among the sand-hills, where their huts or booths, builtwith rafters and smeared with earth, stood. Around lay the refuse offish, --heads and entrails, thrown about. The men were just then busiedin carrying the trough and fishing-tackle [Author's Note: A "Bakke"consists of three lines, each of 200 Danish ells, or about 135 yards, and of 200 fishing-hooks; the stretched "Bakke" is thus about 200 yards, with 600 hooks; these are attached to the line with strings half anell long and as thick as fine twine. To each "Bakke" belongs a squaretrough, on which it is carried on board. To a larger fishing-boat arereckoned six lots of hooks; each lot has eight to nine "Bakkes. "] onboard. 

The open sea lay before them, almost as bright as a mirror, for the windwas easterly. Near to them paused a horseman; he was partly dressedlike a peasant, with riding-breeches on, which were buttoned down at thesides. 

"Have you heard the news?" he cried to Otto. "I come from Ringkjoebing. At Merchant Cohen's I have read the German paper; there is a revolutionin France! Charles X. Is fled with the whole royal family. Yes, inParis, there is fine work!"

"The French are a wild people!" said the grandmother. "A king and aqueen they have beheaded in my time; now they will do the same withthese. Will our dear Lord suffer that such things be done to Hisanointed?"

"There will be war again!" said one of the fishermen. 

"Then more horses will go out of the country, " said the stranger, pressed Otto's hand, and vanished behind the sandhills. 

"Was not that the horse-dealer from Varde?" inquired Otto. 

"Yes, he understands languages, " said the fisherman; "and thus heis acquainted with foreign affairs sooner than we. Then they are nowfighting in France! Blood flows in the streets; it will not be so inDenmark before the Turk binds his horse to the bush in the Viborg Lake. And then, according to the prophecy of the sibyl, it will be near theend of the world. "

Meanwhile, everything was prepared for their embarkation. If Mr. Ottowould take the further oar, and was inclined to pass the night on thesea, there was a place for him in the boat. But he had promised Rosalieto be back before evening. The grandmother now prayed, kneeling with theothers, and immediately after quick strokes of the oars the flat boatrowed away from the shore. The fate of France was forgotten; theircalling occupied the fishermen. 

The old woman seemed to listen to the strokes of the oars; her deadeyes rested immovably on the sea. A sea-mew passed close to her inits flight. "That was a bird!" said she. "Is there no one here besideourselves?"

"No; no one at all, " answered Otto, carelessly. 

"Is no one in the hut, no one behind the sand-hills?" again askedthe grandmother. "It was not on account of the dried meat that I camehere--it was not to wet my face on the shore; I speak with you alone, which I could not do in the house. Give me your hand! Now that the oldman rests in the grave, you yourself will guide the rudder; the estatewill be sold, and you will not come again to the west coast. Our Lordhas made it dark before my eyes before He has closed my ears and givenme leave to go. I can no longer see you, but I have you in my thoughtas you looked before you left our land. That you are handsomer now Ican easily imagine; but gayer you are not! Talk you certainly can, and Ihave heard you laugh; but that was little better than the two last yearsyou were here. Once it was different with you--no fairy could be wilderthan you!"

"With years one becomes more quiet, " said Otto, and gazed withastonishment at the blind woman, who did not leave go his hand. "As aboy I was far too merry--that could not continue; and that I should nowbe grave, I have, as you will see, sufficient reason--I have lost mylast support. "

"Yes, truly, truly!" repeated she slowly, and as if pondering; thenshook her head. "That is not the reason. Do you not believe in the powerof the devil? our Lord Christ forgive me! do not you believe in thepower of wicked men? There is no greater difference between the humanchild and the changeling brat which the underground spirits lay in hisstead in the cradle, than there is between you when you were a boy andyou as you became during the last year of your stay here. 'That comesfrom books, from so much learning, ' said I to other people. Could I onlyhave said so to myself! But you shall become gay; the trouble of yourheart shall wither like a poisonous weed. I know whence it sprung, andwill, with God's help, heal it. Will you solemnly promise, that no soulin the world shall learn what we speak of in this hour?"

"What have you to say to me?" asked Otto, affected by the extraordinaryearnestness of the old woman. 

"The German Heinrich, the player! You remember him well? He is to blamefor your grief! Yes, his name drives the blood more quickly through yourpulse. I feel it, even if I cannot see your face. "

"The German Heinrich!" repeated Otto, and his hand really trembled. Had Heinrich, then, when he was here three years ago, told her and thefishermen that which no human being must know, --that which had destroyedthe gayety of his youth? "What have I to do with the German Heinrich?"

"Nothing more than a pious Christian has to do with the devil!" repliedshe, and made the sign of the cross. "But Heinrich has whispered an evilword in your ear; he has banished your joyous humor, as one banishes aserpent. "

"Has he told you this?" exclaimed Otto, and breathed more quickly. "Tellme all that he has said!"

"You will not make me suffer for it!" said she. "I am innocent, and yetI have cooperated in it: it was only a word but a very unseemly word, and for it one must account at the day of judgment!"

"I do not understand you!" said Otto, and his eyes glanced around to seewhether any one heard. They were quite alone. In the far distance theboat with the fishermen showed itself like a dark speck. 

"Do you remember how wild you were as a boy? How you fastened bladdersto the cat's legs and tail, and flung her out of the loft-window thatshe might fly? I do not say this in anger, for I thought a deal of you;but when you became too insolent one might wall say, 'Can no one, then, curb this lad?' See, these words I said!--that is my whole fault, butsince then have lain heavy on my heart. Three years ago came the GermanHeinrich, and stayed two nights in our house; God forgive it us! Trickshe could play, and he understood more than the Lord's Prayer--more thanis useful to a man. With one trick you were to assist him, but whenhe gave you the goblet you played your own tricks, and he could makenothing succeed. You would also be clever. Then he cast an evil eye uponyou, although he was still so friendly and submissive, because youwere a gentleman's child. Do you remember--no, you will certainly haveforgotten--how you once took the baits of the hooks off and hung mywooden shoes on instead? Then I said in anger, and the anger of manis never good, 'Can no one, then, tame this boy for me? He was makingdownright fun of you to your own face, ' said I to the player. 'Do younot know some art by which you can tame this wild-cat?' Then he laughedmaliciously, but I thought no more of the matter. The following day, however, he said, 'Now I have curbed the lad! You should only see howtame he is become; and should he ever again turn unruly, only ask himwhat word the German Heinrich whispered in his ear, and you shall. Thensee how quiet he will become. He shall not mock this trick!' My heartwas filled with horror, but I thought afterward it really meantnothing. Ei! ei! from the hour he was here you are no longer the same asformerly; that springs from the magical word he whispered in your ear. You cannot pronounce the word, he told me; but by it you have beenenchanted: this, and not book-learning, has worked the change. But youshall be delivered! If you have faith, and that you must have, you shallagain become gay, and I, spite of the evil words which I spoke, be ableto sleep peacefully in my grave. If you will only lay this upon yourheart, now that the moon is in its wane, the trouble will vanish out ofyour heart as the disk of the moon decreases!" And saying this she drewout of her pocket a little leather purse, opened it and took out apiece of folded paper. "In this is a bit of the wood out of which ourSaviour's cross was made. This will draw forth the sorrow from yourheart, and bear it, as it bore Him who took upon Himself the sorrow ofthe whole world!" She kissed it with pious devotion, and then handed itto Otto. 

The whole became clear to him. He recollected how in his boyishwantonness he had caused Heinrich's tricks to miscarry, which occasionedmuch pleasure to the spectators, but in Heinrich displeasure: they soonagain became friends, and Otto recognized in him the merry weaver of themanufactory, as he called his former abode. They were alone, Otto askedwhether he did not remember his name: Heinrich shook his head. Then Ottouncovered his shoulder, bade him read the branded letters, and heard theunhappy interpretation which gave the death-blow to his gayety. Heinrichmust have seen what an impression his words made upon the boy: he gainedthrough them an opportunity of avenging himself, and at the same timeof bringing himself again into repute: as a sorcerer. He had tamed him, whispered he to the old woman, --he had tamed the boy with a single word. At any future wantonness of Otto's, gravity and terror would immediatelyreturn should any one ask him, What word did the German Heinrich whisperinto thy ear? "Only ask him, " had Heinrich said. 

In a perfectly natural manner there lay, truly, enchantment inHeinrich's words, even although it were not that enchantment which thesuperstition of the old woman would have signified. A revelation ofthe connection of affairs would have removed her doubts, but here anexplanation was impossible to Otto. He pressed her hand, besought her tobe calm; no sorrow lay heavy on his heart, except the loss of his deargrandfather. 

"Every evening have I named your name it my prayers, " said the oldgrandmother. "Each time when the harbingers of bad weather showedthemselves, and my sons were on the sea, so that we hung out flags orlighted beacons as signals, did I think of the words which had escapedmy lips, and which the wicked Heinrich had caught up; I feared lest ourLord might cause my children to suffer for my injustice. "

"Be calm, my dear old woman!" said Otto. "Keep for yourself the holycross, on the virtue of which you rely; may it remove each sorrow fromyour own heart!"

"No, I am guilty of my own sorrow! yours has a stranger laid upon yourheart! Only the sorrow of the guiltless will the cross bear. "

The beautiful sentiment which, unconsciously to her, lay in these words, affected Otto. He accepted the present, preserved it, sought to calmthe old woman, and once more at parting glanced toward the splendid seaexpanse which formed its own boundary. 

It was almost evening before he reached the house where Rosalie awaitedhim. His last scene with the blind fisher-woman had again thrown himinto his gloomy mood. "After all, she really knows nothing!" said he tohimself. "This Heinrich is my evil angel! might he only die soon!" Itwas in Otto's soul as if he could shoot a ball through Heinrich's heart. "Did he only lie buried under the heather, and with him my secret! Iwill have blood! yes, there is something devilish in man! Were Heinrichonly dead! But others live who know my birth, --my sister! my poor, neglected sister, she who had the same right to intellectual developmentas myself! How I fear this meeting! it will be bitter! I must away. Iwill hence--here will my life-germ be stifled! I have indeed fortune--Iwill travel! This animated France will drive away these whims, and--Iam away, far removed from my home. In the coming spring I shall bea stranger among strangers!" And his thoughts melted into a quietmelancholy. In this manner he reached the hall. 

CHAPTER XVIII

 "L'Angleterre jalouse et la Grèce homérique, Toute l'Europe admire, et la jeune Amérique Se lève et bat des mains du bord des océans. Trois jours vous ont suffi pour briser vos entraves. Vous êtes les aînés d'une race de braves, Vous êtes les fits des géans!" V. HUGO, Chants du Crépuscule. 

 "Politiken, mine Herrer!" MORTONS' Lystspil: den Hjemkomne Nabob

"In France there is revolution!" was the first piece of informationwhich Otto related. "Charles X. Has flown with his family. This, theysay, is in the German papers. "

"Revolution?" repeated Rosalie, and folded her hands. "Unhappy France!Blood has flowed there, and it again flows. There I lost my father andmy brother. I became a refugee--must seek for myself a new father-land. "She wiped away a tear from her cheek, and sunk into deep meditation. She knew the horrors of a revolution, and only saw in this new one arepetition of those scenes of terror which she had experienced, andwhich had driven her out into the world, up into the north, whereshe struggled on, until at length she found a home with Otto'sgrandfather--a resting abode. 

Everything great and beautiful powerfully affected Otto's soul; only inone direction had he shown no interest--in the political direction, andit was precisely politics which had most occupied the grandfather inhis seclusion. But Otto's soul was too vivacious, too easily moved, tooeasily carried away by what lay nearest him. "One must first thoroughlyenter into life, before the affairs of the world can seize upon us!"said he. "With the greater number of those who in their early youthoccupy themselves with politics, it is merely affectation. It is withthem like the boy who forces himself to smoke tobacco so as to appearolder than he really is. " Beyond his own country, France was theonly land which really interested Otto. Here Napoleon had ruled, andNapoleon's name had reached his heart--he had grown up whilst this namepassed from mouth to mouth; the name and the deeds of the hero soundedto him, yet a boy, like a great world adventure. How often had he heardhis grandfather, shaking his head, say, "Yes, now newspaper writers havelittle to tell since Napoleon is quiet. " And then he had related tohim of the hero at Arcole and among the Pyramids, of the great campaignagainst Europe, of the conflagration at Moscow, and the return fromElba. 

Who has not written a play in his childhood? Otto's sole subject wasNapoleon; the whole history of the hero, from the snow-batteries atBrienne to the rocky island in the ocean. True, this poem was a wildshoot; but it had sprung from an enthusiastic heart. At that time hepreserved it as a treasure. A little incident which is connected withit, and is characteristic of Otto's wild outbreaks of temper when a boy, we will here introduce. 

A child of one of the domestics, a little merry boy with whom Ottoassociated a good deal, was playing with him in his garret. Otto wasthen writing his play. The boy bantered him, pulling the paper at thesame time. Otto forbade him with the threat, --"If thou dost that again Iwill throw thee out of the window!" The boy again immediately pulled atthe paper. In a moment Otto seized him by the waist, swung him towardthe open window, and would certainly have thrown him out, had notRosalie fortunately entered the room, and, with an exclamation ofhorror, seized Otto's arm, who now stood pale as death and trembling inevery limb. 

In this manner had Napoleon awoke Otto's interest for France. Rosaliealso spoke, next to her Switzerland, with most pleasure of this country. The Revolution had livingly affected her, and therefore her discourseregarding it was living. It even seemed to the old preacher as thoughthe Revolution were an event which he had witnessed. The Revolution andNapoleon had often fed his thoughts and his discourse toward this land. Otto had thus, without troubling himself the least about politics, grownup with a kind of interest about France. The mere intelligence of thisstruggle of the July days was therefore not indifferent to him. Hestill only knew what the horse-dealer had related; nothing of thecongregation, or of Polignac's ministry: but France was to him themighty world-crater, which glowed with its splendid eruptions, and whichhe admired from a distance. 

The old preacher shook his head when Otto imparted this politicalintelligence to him. A king, so long as he lived, was in his eyes holy, let him be whatever sort of a man he might. The actions of a king, according to his opinion, resembled the words of the Bible, which manought not to weigh; they should be taken as they were. "All authority isfrom God!" said he. "The anointed one is holy; God gives to him wisdom;he is a light to whom we must all look up!"

"He is a man like ourselves!" answered Otto. "He is the first magistrateof the land, and as such we owe him the highest reverence and obedience. Birth, and not worth, gives him the high post which he fills. He oughtonly to will that which is good; to exercise justice. His duties areequally great with those of his subjects. "

"But more difficult, my son!" said the old man. "It is nothing, as aflower, to adorn the garland; more difficult is it to be the hand whichweaves the garland. The ribbon must be tight as well as gently tied; itmust not cut into the stems, and yet it must not be too loose. Yes, youyoung men talk according to your wisdom! Yes, you are wise! quite aswise as the woman who kept a roasted chicken for supper. She placed itupon a pewter plate upon the glowing coals, and went out to attend toher affairs. When she returned the plate was melted, and the chicken layamong the ashes. 'What a wise cat I have!' said she; 'she has eatenI the plate and left the chicken!' See, you talk just so, and regardthings from the same foolish point of view. Do not speak like the restof them in the city! 'Fear God, and honor the king!' We have nothingto argue with these two; they transact their business between them! TheFrench resemble young students; when these have made their examen artiumthey imagine they are equal to the whole world: they grow restive, andgive student-feasts! The French must have a Napoleon, who can givetheir something to do! If they be left to themselves they will play madpranks!"

"Let us first see what the papers really say, " replied Otto. 

The following day a large letter arrived; it was from Wilhelm:--

"My excellent Otto, --We have all drunk to Otto Thostrup's health. Iraised the glass, and drank the health. The friendship's dissonance YOUhas dissolved itself into a harmonious THOU, and thou thyself hast giventhe accord. All at home speak of thee; even the Kammerjunker's Mamsellchose lately thee, and not her work-box, as a subject of conversation. The evening as thou drovest over the Jutland heaths I seated myself atthe piano, and played thy whole journey to my sisters. The journey overthe heath I gave them in a monotonous piece, composed of three tones, quite dissimilar to that composed by Rousseau. My sisters were neardespair; but I told them it was not more uninteresting than the heath. Sometimes I made a little flight, a quaver; that was the heath-larkswhich flew up into the air. The introduction to the gypsy-chorus in'Preciosa' signified the German gypsy-flock. Then came the thema out of'Jeannot and Collin'--'O, joyous days of childhood!'--and then thou wastat home. I thundered powerfully down in the bass; that was the NorthSea, the chorus in thy present grand' opéra. Thou canst well imaginethat it was quite original. 

"For the rest, everything at home remains in its old state. I have beenin Svendborg, and have set to music that sweet poem, 'The Wishes, ' byCarl Bagger. His verses seem to me a little rough; but something willcertainly come out of the fellow! Thy own wishes are they which he hasexpressed. Besides this, the astonishing tidings out of France havegiven us, and all good people here, an electrical shock. Yes, thou inthy solitude hast certainly heard nothing of the brilliant July days. The Parisians have deposed Charles X. If the former Revolution wasa blood-fruit, this one is a true passionflower, suddenly sprung up, exciting astonishment through its beauty, and as soon as the workis ended rolling together its leaves. My cousin Joachim, who as thouknowest is just now at Paris, has lived through these extraordinarydays. The day before yesterday we received a long, interesting letterfrom him, which gave us--of the particulars as well as of the whole--amore complete idea than the papers can give us. People assemble ingroups round the post-houses to receive the papers as they arrive. Ihave extracted from my cousin's letter what has struck me most, and sendthee these extracts in a supplement. Thou canst thus in thy retirementstill live in the world. A thousand greetings from all here. Thou hast aplace in mamma's heart, but not less so in mine. 

 "Thy friend and brother, "WILHELM. 

"P. S. --It is true! My sister Sophie begs thee to bring her a stone fromthe North Sea. Perhaps thou wilt bring for me a bucket of water; but itmust not incommode thee!"

This hearty letter transported Otto into the midst of the friendlycircle in Funen. The corner of the paper where Wilhelm's name stood hepressed to his lips. His heart was full of noble friendship. 

The extract which Wilhelm had made from his cousin's letter was shortand descriptive. It might be compared with a beautiful poem translatedinto good prose. 

In the theatre we interest ourselves for struggling innocence; but weare still more affected when the destiny of a whole nation is to bedecided. It is on this account that "Wilhelm Tell" possesses so muchinterest. Not of the single individual is here the question, but of all. Here is flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone. Greater than the playcreated by the poet was the effect which this description of the Julydays produced upon Otto. This was the reality itself in which he lived. His heart was filled with admiration for France, who fought for Libertythe holy fight, and who, with the language of the sword, had pronouncedthe anathema of the age on the enemies of enlightenment and improvement. 

The old preacher folded his hands as he heard it; his eyes sparkled: butsoon he shook his head. "May men so judge the anointed ones of God? 'Hewho taketh the sword shall perish by the sword!'"

"The king is for the people, " said Otto; "not the people for the king!"

"Louis XVIth's unhappy daughter!" sighed Rosalie; "for the third timeis she driven from her father-land. Her parents and brothers killed! herhusband dishonored! She herself has a mind and heart. 'She is the onlyman among the Bourbons, '" said Napoleon. 

The preacher, with his old-fashioned honesty, and a royalist from hiswhole heart, regarded the affair with wavering opinion, and with fearfor the future. Rosalie thought most of those who were made unhappy ofthe royal ladies and the poor children. Each followed the impulse oftheir own nature, and the instinctive feeling of their age; thus didOtto also, and therefore was his soul filled with enthusiasm. Enthusiasmbelongs to youth. His thoughts were busied with dreams of Paris; thitherflew his wishes. "Yes, I will travel!" exclaimed he; "that will givemy whole character a more decided bias: I will and must, " added hein thought. "My sorrow will be extinguished, the recollections of mychildhood be forgotten. Abroad, no terrific figures, as here, willpresent themselves to me. My father is dead, foreign earth lies upon hiscoffin!"

"But the office--examination!" said the old preacher, "pass that first. It is always good to have this in reserve, even if thou dost make no useof it. Only make this year thy philosophicum. "

"And in the spring I shall travel, " said Otto. 

"That depends upon thy guardian, my son!" said the preacher. 

Several days passed, and Otto began to feel it solitary in his home--allmoved here in such a confined circle. His mind was accustomed to a widersphere of action. He began to grow weary, and then the hours travel withthe snail's pace. 

 ". . . Minutterna ligesom räcka og strärka sig. Man känner behof at göre sa med. " [Note: Sketches of Every-day Life. ]

He thought of his departure. 

"Thou must take the road through Lemvig, " said Rosalie. "I will thenvisit the family there for a few days; it will make them quite happy tosee thee, and I shall then be so much longer with thee. That thou wiltdo, wilt thou not?"

The day was fixed when they should travel. 

The evening previous, Otto paid his last visit to the preacher. Theyspoke together a long time about the deceased grandfather. The preachergave up several papers to Otto; among them also his father's lastletter. 

In honor of Otto, a bottle of wine was placed upon the table. 

"To thy health, my son!" said the preacher, raising his glass. "We shallhardly spend another evening together. Thou wilt have much to learnbefore thou comest as far as I. The world has more thorn-bushes thangold-mountains. The times look unsettled. France commences a newdescription of campaign in Europe, and certainly will draw along withit all young men: formerly it was the conquerer Napoleon who led to thefield; now it is the idea of liberty! May the Lord preserve our goodking, and then it will remain well with us! Thou, Otto, wilt fly outinto the wide world--hadst thou only first passed thy examinationfor office! But when and where-ever thou mayest fly, remember on alloccasions the words of Scripture. 

"We all desire to rule. Phaeton wished to drive the chariot of thesun, but not understanding how to guide the reins, he set fire to thecountries, precipitated himself from the chariot, and broke his neck. Ihave no one in the city of Copenhagen whom I can ask thee to greet forme. All the friends of my youth are scattered to the east and to thewest. If any of them still be in the city, they will certainly haveforgotten me. But shouldst thou ever go to the Regent's Court, and smokewith the others a pipe under the tree, think of me. I have also satthere when I was young like thee; when the French Revolution drove alsothe blood quicker through my veins, and thoughts of freedom caused me tocarry my head more high. The dear old tree! [Author's Note: At the endof the last century it was felled, and two younger ones, which are nowin full growth, planted in its stead. ] Yes, but one does not perceive init, as in me, how many years have passed since then!"

He pressed a kiss on Otto's forehead, gave him his blessing, and theyparted. 

Otto was in a melancholy mood; he felt that he had certainly seen theold man for the last time. When he arrived at home he found Rosalie busyhacking. The following morning, by earliest dawn, they were to traveltoward Lemvig. Otto had not been there within these two last years. Inold times the journey thither had always been to him a festival, now itwas almost indifferent to him. 

He entered his little chamber; for the last time in his life he shouldnow sleep there. From the next morning commenced, so it seemed to him, anew chapter in his life. Byron's "Farewell" sounded in his ears like anold melody:--

 "Fare thee well, and if forever, Still for ever fare thee well. "

At break of day the carriage rolled away with him and old Rosalie. Bothwere silent; the carriage moved slowly along the deep ruts. Otto lookedback once more. A lark rose, singing above him. 

"It will be a beautiful day!" said the coachman; his words and the songof the lark Rosalie regarded as a good omen for Otto's whole journey. 

CHAPTER XIX

 "Geske. --Have you put syrup in the coffee? Henrich. --Yes, I have. Geske. --Be so good, dear madams, be so kind as to be contented. " HOLBERG'S Political Pewterer. 

Lemvig lies, as is well known, on an arm of the Limfjord. The legendrelates, that in the Swedish war a troop of the enemy's cavalrycompelled a peasant here to mount his horse and serve as a guide. Darkness came on; they found themselves already upon the highsand-banks. The peasant guided his horse toward a steep precipice; in afarm-house on the other side of the fjord they perceived a light. "Thatis Lemvig, " said the peasant; "let us hasten!" He set spurs to hishorse, the Swedes followed his example, and they were precipitated intothe depth: the following morning their corpses were found. The monumentof this bold Lemvig peasant consists of this legend and in the songs ofthe poets; and these are the monuments which endure the longest. Throughthis legend the bare precipice receives an intellectual beauty, whichmay truly compare itself with the naturally beautiful view over the cityand the bay. 

Rosalie and Otto drove into the town. It was two years since he hadbeen here; everything seemed to him, during this time, to have shrunktogether: wherever he looked everything was narrow and small. In hisrecollection, Lemvig was very much larger. 

They now drew up before the merchant's house. The entrance was throughthe shop, which was decorated with wooden shoes, woolen gloves, andiron ware. Close within the door stood two large casks of tea. Over thecounter hung an extraordinary stuffed fish, and a whole bunch of felthats, for the use of both sexes. It was a business en gros and endétail, which the son of the house managed. The father himself wasnumber one in Lemvig; he had ships at sea, and kept open house, as theycall it, in the neighborhood. 

The sitting-room door opened, and the wife herself, a stout, squarewoman, with an honest, contented countenance, stepped out andreceived the guests with kisses and embraces. Alas! her good Jutlandpronunciation cannot be given in writing. 

"O, how glorious that the Mamsell comes and brings Mr. Thostrup withher! How handsome he is become! and how grown! Yes, we have his markstill on the door. " She drew Otto along with her. "He has shot up morethan a quarter of a yard!"

He looked at the objects which surrounded him. 

"Yes, " said she, "that instrument we have had since you were lasthere; it is a present to Maren from her brother. She will now sing; yousomething. It is astonishing what a voice she has! Last Whitsuntide shesang in the church with the musical people; she sang louder than theorgan!"

Otto approached the sofa, over which a large piece of needlework hung, in a splendid gold frame. "That is Maren's name-sampler, " said themistress of the house. "It is very pretty. See! there stand all ournames! Can Mr. Thostrup guess who this is? Here are all the figuresworked in open stitch. That ship, there, is the Mariane, which wascalled after me. There you see the Lemvig Arms--a tower which stands onthe waves; and here in the corner, in regular and irregular stitches, is her name, 'Maren, October the 24th, 1828. ' Yes, that is now two yearssince. She has now worked a cushion for the sofa, with a Turk uponit. It went the round of the city--every one wished to see it; it isastonishing how Maren can use her hands!"

Rosalie inquired after the excellent girl. 

"She is preparing the table, " said the lady. "Some good friends arecoming to us this evening. The secretary will also come; he will thenplay with Maren. You will doubtless, in Copenhagen, have heard much morebeautiful music; ours is quite simple, but they sing from notes: and Ithink, most likely the secretary will bring his musical-box with him. That is splendid! Only lately he sang a little song to the box, that wasmuch better than to the larger instrument; for I must say he has not thestrong chest which Maren has. "

The whole family assembled themselves for the first time at thedinner-table. The two persons who took the lowest places at tableappeared the most original; these were the shopman and the aunt. Bothof them had only at dinner the honor of being with the family; they werequite shut out from the evening parties. 

The shopman, who in the shop was the first person, and who could therespeak a few words, sat here like a quiet, constrained creature; his haircombed toward one side, and exhibiting two red, swollen hands: no soundescaped his lips; kissing the hand of the lady of the house, at comingand going, was all he did beside eat. 

The aunt, who was not alone called so by the family, but by the wholeof Lemvig, was equally sparing of her words, but her face was constantlylaughing. A flowered, red cotton cap fitted close to the thin face, giving something characteristic to the high cheek-bones and hanginglip. "She assisted in the household, but could take no part in genteelcompany, " as the lady expressed herself. She could never forget how, atthe Reformation Festival, when only the singers sang in the church, auntbegan singing with them out of her book, so that the churchwarden wasforced to beg her to be silent; but this she took very ill, and declaredshe had as notch right as the others to praise God, and then sang indefiance. Had she not been "aunt, " and not belonged to the family towhich she did, she would certainly have been turned out. 

She was now the last person who entered and took her place at table. Half an hour had she been sought after before she was found. She hadstood at the end of the garden, before the wooden trellis. Grass hadbeen mown in the field behind the garden, and made into a rick; to seethis she had gone to the trellis, the odor had agreeably affectedher; she had pressed her face against the trellis-work, and fromcontemplation of it had fallen into thought, or rather out of thought. There she was found, and the dreamer was shaken into motion. She wasagain right lively, and laughed each time that Otto looked at her. Hehad his seat between Maren and the lady of the house, at the upper endof the table. Maren was a very pretty girl--little, somewhat round, white and red, and well-dressed. A vast number of bows, and a greatvariety of colors, were her weak side. She was reading at this time"Cabal and Love. "

"Thou art reading it in German!" said the mother. 

"Yes, it must be a beautiful piece. I speak German very well, but when Iwish to read it I get on too slowly with it: I like to get to the end ofa book!"

The husband had his place at the head of the table. A little black capsat smoothly on his gray hair, and a pair of clever eyes sparkled in hiscountenance. With folded hands he prayed a silent prayer, and then bowedhis head, before he allowed the dinner to be served. Rosalie sat besidehim. Her neighbor on the right seemed very talkative. He was an oldsoldier, who in his fortieth year had gone as lieutenant with the land'stroops, and had permission to wear the uniform, and therefore sat therein a kind of military coat, and with a stiff cravat. He was already deepin Polignac's ministry and the triumph of the July days; but he had themisfortune to confound Lafitte and Lafayette together. The son of thehouse only spoke of bull-calves. The lady at the table was a littlemamsell from Holstebro, who sat beside him, dressed like a girl forConfirmation, in a black silk dress and long red shawl. She was in grandarray, for she was on a visit. This young lady understood dress-making, and could play upon the flute; which, however, she never did withouta certain bashfulness: besides this, she spoke well, especially uponmelancholy events. The bottle of wine only circulated at the upperend of the table; the shopman and aunt only drank ale, but it foamedgloriously: it had been made upon raisin-stalks. 

"He is an excellent man, the merchant, whom you have received asguardian, Mr. Thostrup, " said the master of the house. "I am inconnection with him. "

"But it is strange, " interrupted the lady, "that only one out of hisfive daughters is engaged. If the young ladies in Copenhagen do not gooff better than that, what shall we say here?"

"Now Mr. Thostrup can take one of them, " said the husband. "There ismoney, and you have fortune also; if you get an office, you can live infloribus!"

Maren colored, although there was no occasion for coloring; she evencast down her eyes. 

"What should Mr. Thostrup do with one of them?" pursued the wife. "Heshall have a Jutland maiden! There are pretty young ladies enough herein the country-seats, " added she, and laid the best piece of meat uponhis plate. 

"Do the royal company give pretty operas?" asked Maren, and gave anotherdirection to the conversation. 

Otto named several, among others Der Freischütz. 

"That must be horrible!" said the lieutenant. "They say the wolf-glenis so natural, with a waterfall, and an owl which flutters its wings. Burgomaster Mimi has had a letter from a young lady in Aarhuus, who hasbeen in Copenhagen, and has seen this piece. It was so horrible that sheheld her hand before her face, and almost fainted. They have a splendidtheatre!"

"Yes, but our little theatre was very pretty!" said the lady of thehouse. "It was quite stupid that the dramatic company should have beenunlucky. The last piece we gave is still clear in my recollection; itwas the 'Sandseslöse. ' I was then ill; but because I wished so much tosee it, the whole company was so obliging as to act it once more, andthat, too, in our sitting-room, where I lay on the sofa and couldlook on. That was an extraordinary mark of attention from them! Onlythink--the burgomaster himself acted with them!"

In honor of the strangers, coffee was taken after dinner in the garden, where, under the plum-trees, a swing was fixed. Somewhat later a sailingparty was arranged. A small yacht belonging to the merchant lay, justunladen, near the bridge of boats. 

Otto found Maren and the young lady from Holstebro sitting in the arbor. Somewhat startled, they concealed something at his entrance. 

"The ladies have secrets! May one not be initiated?"

"No, not at all!" replied Maren. 

"You have manuscript poems in the little book!" said Otto, and boldlyapproached. "Perhaps of your own composition?"

"O, it is only a memorandum-book, " said Maren, blushing. "When I readanything pretty I copy it, for we cannot keep the books. "

"Then I may see it!" said Otto. His eye fell upon the written sheet:--

 "So fliessen nun zwei Wasser Wohl zwischen mir und Dir Das eine sind die Thränen, Das andre ist der See!" [Note: Des Knaben Wunderhorn. ]

he read. "That is very pretty! 'Der verlorne Schwimmer, ' the poem iscalled, is it not?"

"Yes, I have copied it out of the secretary's memorandum-book; he has somany pretty pieces. "

"The secretary has many splendid things!" said Otto, smiling. "Memorandum-book, musical snuff-box"--

"And a collection of seals!" added the young lady from Holstebro. 

"I must read more!" said Otto; but the ladies fled with glowing cheeks. 

"Are you already at your tricks, Mr. Thostrup?" said the mother, whonow entered the garden. "Yes, you do not know how Maren has thought ofyou--how much she has spoken of you. You never wrote to us; we neverheard anything of you, except when Miss Rosalie related us somethingout of your letters. That was not nice of you! You and Maren were alwayscalled bride and bridegroom. You were a pair of pretty children, andyour growth has not been disadvantageous to either of you. "

At four o'clock the evening party assembled--a whole swarm of youngladies, a few old ones, and the secretary, who distinguished himself bya collection of seals hanging to a long watch-chain, and everlastinglyknocking against his body; a white shirt-frill, stiff collar, and acock's comb, in which each hair seemed to take an affected position. They all walked down to the bay. Otto had some business and camesomewhat later. Whilst he was crossing, alone, the court-yard, he heard, proceeding from the back of the house, a fearful, wild cry, which endedin violent sobbing. Terrified, he went nearer, and perceived the auntsitting in the middle of a large heap of turf. The priestess at Delphicould not have looked more agitated! Her close cap she had torn from herhead; her long, gray hair floated over her shoulders; and with her feetshe stamped upon the turf, like a willful child, until the pieces flewin various directions. When she perceived Otto she became calm in amoment, but soon she pressed her thin hands before her face and sobbedaloud. To learn from her what was the matter was not to be thought of. 

"O, she is only quarrelsome!" said the girl, to whom Otto had turned foran explanation. "Aunt is angry because she was not invited to sail withthe company. She always does so, --she can be quite wicked! Just lately, when she should have helped me to wring out the sheets, she alwaystwisted them the same way that I did, so that we could never get done, and my hands hurt me very much!"

Otto walked down to the bay. The sail was unfurled, the secretarybrought out his musical-box, and, accompanied by its tones, they glidedin the burning sunshine over the water. 

On the other side tea was to be drunk, and then Maren was to sing. Hermother asked her to sing the song with the strong tones, so that Ottomight hear what a voice she had. 

She sang "Dannevang. " Her voice had uncommon power, but no style, nograce. 

"Such a voice, I fancy, you have not heard in the theatre atCopenhagen?" said the secretary, with dogmatical gravity. 

"You might wish yourself such a chest!" said the lieutenant. 

The secretary should now sing; but he had a little cold, which he hadalways. 

"You must sing to the musical-box!" said the lady, and her wish wasfulfilled. If Maren had only commenced, one might have believed it atrial of skill between Boreas and Zephyr. 

They now walked about, drank tea, and after this they were to returnto the house, there to partake of fish and roast meat, a piece of boxedham, and other good things. 

Otto could by no means be permitted to think of leaving them thefollowing morning; he must remain a few days, and gather strength, sothat in Copenhagen he might apply himself well to work. But only oneday would he enjoy all the good things which they heaped upon him. Heyearned for other people, for a more intellectual circle. Twoyears before he had agreed splendidly with them all, had found theminteresting and intellectual; now he felt that Lemvig was a little town, and that the people were good, excellent people. 

The following play again brought capital cookery, good foul, and goodwine--that was to honor Mr. Thostrup. His health was drunk, Maren wasmore confidential, the aunt had forgotten her trouble, and again satwith a laughing face beside the constrained shopman. They must, it istrue, make a little haste over their dinner, for the fire-engine was tobe tried; and this splendor, they maintained, Otto must see, since he sofortunately chanced to lie there. 

"How can my mother think that this will give Mr. Thostrup pleasure?"said Maren. "There is nothing to see in it. "

"That has given him pleasure formerly!" answered the mother. "It is, also, laughable when the boys run underneath the engine-rain, and thestream comes just in their necks. "

She spoke of the former Otto and of the present one--he was become soCopenhagenish, so refined and nice, as well in the cut of his clothesas in his manners; yet she still found an opportunity of giving him alittle hint to further refinement. Only think! he took the sugar for hiscoffee with his fingers!

"But where are the sugar-tongs, the massive silver sugar-tongs?" askedshe. "Maren, dost thou allow him to take the sugar with his fingers?"

"That is more convenient!" answered Otto. "I do that always. "

"Yes, but if strangers had been here, " said the hostess, in a friendlybut teaching tone, "we must, like that grand lady you know of, havethrown the sugar out of the window. "

"In the higher circles, where people have clean fingers, they make useof them!" said Otto. "There would be no end of it if one were to take itwith the sugar-tongs. "

"They are of massive silver!" said the lady, and weighed them in herhand. 

Toward evening Rosalie went into the garden under the plum trees. 

"These, also, remind me of my mountains, " said she; "this is the onlyfruit which will properly flourish there. Lemvig lies, like La Locle, ina valley, " and she pointed, smiling, to the surrounding sand-hills. "How entirely different it is here from what it is at home on thygrandfather's estate! There I have been so accustomed to solitude, thatit is almost too lively for me here. One diversion follows another. "

It was precisely this which Otto did not like. These amusements of thesmall towns wearied him, and he could not delight himself with them, nolonger mingle in this life. 

He wished to set out early the following morning. It would be tooexhausting to drive along the dry road in the sun's heat, they alldeclared; he must wait until the afternoon, then it would be cooler;it was, also, far pleasanter to travel in the night. Rosalie's prayersdecided him. Thus, after dinner and coffee, the horses should be putinto the carriage. 

It was the last day. Maren was somewhat in a grave mood. Otto mustwrite in her album. "He would never come to Lemvig again, " said she. Aschildren they had played with each other. Since he went to Copenhagenshe had, many an evening, seated herself in the swing near thesummer-house and thought of him. Who knows whether she must not havedone so when she copied out of the secretary's memorandum-book, theverses, --

 "So fliessen nun zwei Wasser Wohl zwischen mir and Dir?"

The sea certainly flows between Aarhuus and Copenhagen. 

"Maren will perhaps go over for the winter, " said the mother; "but wedare not speak too much about it, for it is not yet quite settled. Itwill really make her gayer! lately she has been very much inclined tomelancholy, although God knows that we have denied her no pleasure!"

There now arrived a quantity of letters from different acquaintance, andfrom their acquaintance: if Mr. Thostrup would have the goodness totake care of this to Viborg, these to Aarhuus, and the others as far asCopenhagen. It was a complete freight, such as one gets in little towns, just as though no post went through the country. 

The carriage stopped before the door. 

Rosalie melted into tears. "Write to me!" said she. "Thee I shall neversee again! Greet my Switzerland when thou comest there!"

The others were merry. The lady sang, --

 "O could I, like a cloud, but fly!"

The young lady from Holstebro bowed herself before him with anAlbum-leaf its her hand, upon which she must beg Mr. Thostrup to writeher something. Maren gave him her hand, blushed and drew back: but asthe carriage rolled away she waved her while handkerchief through theopen window: "Farewell! Farewell!"

CHAPTER XX

 "Stop! cried Patroclus, with mighty, thundering voice. " --WILSTER'S Iliad. 

The parting with Rosalie, the hospitality of the family, and theirsincere sympathy, touched Otto; he thought upon the last days, upon hiswhole sojourn in his home. The death of his grandfather made this animportant era in his life. The quiet evening and the solitary roadinclined him still more to meditation. 

How cheering and interesting had been a visit to Lemvig in former times!Then it furnished matter for conversation with Rosalie for many weeks;it now lay before him a subject of indifference. The people werecertainly the same, therefore the change must have taken place inhimself. He thought of Copenhagen, which stood so high, and of thepeople there. 

"After all, the difference is not so great!" said he. "In Copenhagenthe social foci are more numerous, the interests more varied; each daybrings a fresh topic of conversation, and one can choose one's society. The multitude, on the contrary, has something citizenish; it obtrudesitself even from beneath the ball-dress which shows itself at court; itis seen in the rich saloon of the wholesale merchant, as well as in thehouse of the brandy distiller, whose possessions give to him and his twobrewers the right of election. It is the same food which is presentedto us; in the small towns one has it on earthenware, in Copenhagen onchina. If one had only the courage, in the so-called higher classes, to break through the gloss which life in a greater circle, whichparticipation in the customs of the world, has called forth, one shouldsoon find in many a lady of rank, in many a nobleman who sits notalone in the theatre, on the first bench, merely that empty commonearthenware; and that, as with the merchant's wife in Lemvig, a déjeuneror a soirée, like some public event, will occupy the mind before andafter its occurrence. A court-ball, at which either the son or daughterhas figured, resembles the most brilliant success in an examination foroffice. We laugh at the authorities of Lemvig, and yet with us the crowdruns after nothing but authorities and newspapers. This is a certainstate of innocence. How many a poor officer or student must play thesubordinate part of the shopman at the table of the rich, and gratefullykiss the hand of the lady of the house because she has the right ofdemanding gratitude? And in the theatre, with the multitude, what doesnot 'an astonishing chest' do? A strength of voice which can penetrateright through the leather of the mind gains stormy applause, whilsttaste and execution can only be appreciated by the few. The actor canbe certain of applause if he only thunder forth his parting reply. Thecomedian is sure of a shout of bravo if he puts forth an insipidity, andrubs his legs together as if replying with spirit and humor. The massiveplate in the house gives many a lady the boldness to teach that in whichshe herself might perhaps have been instructed. Many a lady, like theMamsell from Holstebro, dresses always in silk and a long shawl, andif one asks after her profession one finds it consists at most indress-making; perhaps she does not even possess the little accompanyingtalent of playing the flute. How many people do not copy, like Maren, out of other people's memorandum-books, and do not excel musical-boxes!still one hears a deal of musical snuff-box music, and is waited upon byvoices which are equally as insignificant as the secretary's. "

These were pretty much Otto's reflections, and certainly it was a goodfeeling which lay at the bottom of them. Let us remember in our judgmentthat he was so young, and that he had only known Copenhagen _one_ year;otherwise he would most certainly have thought _quite differently_. 

Night spread itself over the heath, the heavens were clear. Slowly thecarriage wound along through the deep sand. The monotonous sound, theunchanging motion, all rendered Otto sleepy. A falling star shot likea fire column across the sky--this woke him for a moment; he soon againbowed his head and slept, fast and deep. It was an hour past midnight, when he was awoke by a loud cry. He started up--the fire burnt beforethem; and between it and the horse stood two figures, who had takenhold of the leather reins. Close beside them was a cart, under which wasplaced a sort of bed, on which slept a woman and some children. 

"Will you drive into the soup-kettle?" asked a rough voice, whilstanother scolded in a gibberish which was unintelligible to Otto. 

It had happened to the coachman as to him, only that the coachman hadfallen asleep somewhat later; the horses had lost their track, and uncertain, as they had long been, they were now traversing theimpassable heath. A troop of the so-called Scavengers, who wanderthrough these districts a nomadic race, had here taken up their quartersfor the night, had made a fire and hung the kettle over it, to cook somepieces of a lamb they had stolen on their journey. 

"They were about half a mile from the highway, " said an elderly womanwho was laying some bushes of heath under the kettle. 

"Half a mile?" replied a voice from the other side of the cart, and Ottoremarked a man who, wrapped in a large gray riding-cloak, had stretchedhimself out among the heather. "It is not a quarter of a mile to thehighway if people know how to direct their course properly!"

The pronunciation of the man was somewhat foreign, but pure, and freefrom the gibberish which the others employed in their speech. The voiceseemed familiar to Otto, his ear weighed each syllable, and his bloodran quicker through his veins: "It is the German Heinrich, the evilangel of my life!" he felt, and wrapt himself closer in his mantle, sothat his countenance was concealed. 

A half-grown lad came forward and offered himself as a guide. 

"But the lad must have two marks!" said the woman. 

Otto nodded assent, and glanced once more toward the man in whom hebelieved he recognized the German Heinrich; the man had again carelesslystretched himself among the heath, and did not seem inclined to enterinto farther discourse. 

The woman desired the payment in advance, and received it. The boy ledthe horses toward one side; at the moment the fire flare up between theturf-sods, a great dog, with a loose cord about his neck, sprang forwardand ran barking after the carriage, which now travelled on over theheath in the gloomy night. 

CHAPTER XXI

 "Poetry does not always express sorrow; the rainbow can also arch across a cloudless blue firmament. "--JEAN PAUL. 

We again find ourselves in Copenhagen, where we meet with Otto, and mayevery day expect Wilhelm, Miss Sophie, and the excellent mamma; theywould only stay a few weeks. To learn tidings of their arrival, Ottodetermined to pay a visit where they were expected; we know the house, we were present at the Christmas festival: it was here that Ottoreceived his noble pedigree. 

We will now become somewhat better acquainted with the family. Thehusband had a good head, as people sat, had an excellent wine-cellar, and was, as one of the friends maintained, a good l'hombre player. Butthe soul of the house, the animating genius, which drew into this circleall that possessed life and youth, was the wife. Beautiful one could byno means call her, but, enchanted by her natural loveliness, hermind, and her unaffectedness, you forgot this in a few moments. A rarefacility in appreciating the comic of every-day life, and a good-humoredoriginality in its representation, always afforded her rich material forconversation. It was as if Nature, in a moment of thoughtlessness, hadformed an insipid countenance, but immediately afterward strove to makegood her fault by breathing into it a soul, which, even through paleblue eyes, pale cheeks, and ordinary features, could make her beautyfelt. 

When Otto entered the room he heard music. He listened: it must beeither Weyse or Gerson. 

"It is the Professor Weyse, " said the servant, and Otto opened the doorsoftly, without knocking. 

The astral-lamp burnt upon the table; upon the sofa sat two youngladies. The mistress of the house nodded Otto a friendly welcome, butthen smiling laid her finger on her lips, as a sign of silence, andpointed to a chair, on which he seated himself, and listened to the softtones, which, like spirits, floated from the piano at which the musiciansat. It was as if the slumbering thoughts and feelings of the soul, which in every breast find a response, even among the most oppositenations, had found a voice and language. The fantasies died away in asoft, spiritual piano. Thus lightly has Raphael breathed the Madonnadi Foligno upon the clouds; she rests there as a soap-bubble rests uponvelvet. That dying away of the tomes resembled the thoughts of the loverwhen his eye closes, and the living dream of his heart imperceptiblymerges and vanishes in sleep. Reality is over. 

Here also the tones ceased. 

 "Der Bettelvogt von Ninive Zog hinab zum Genfersee, Hm, hm!" [Author's Note: An old popular German song. ]

commenced the musician once more, with an originality and spirit whichinfluenced the whole company. Far too soon did he again break off, after he had enchanted all ears by his own treasures, as well as by thecuriosities of the people's life in the world of sound. Only when hewas gone did admiration find words; the fantasies still echoed in everyheart. 

"His name deserves to be known throughout Europe!" said the graciouslady; "how few people in the world know Weyse and Kuhlau!"

"That is the misfortune of a musician being born in a small country, "said Otto. "His works become only manuscript for friends; his auditoryextends only from Skagen to Kiel: there the door is closed. "

"One must console one's self that everything great and good becomes atlength known, " said the cousin of the family, who is known to us by hisverses for the Christmas-tree. "The nations will become acquainted witheverything splendid in the kingdom of mind, let it bloom in a small orin a large country. Certainly during this time the artist may have died, but then he must receive compensation in another world. "

"I truly believe, " returned the gracious lady, "that he would wish alittle in advance here below, where it is so ordered that the immortalmust bow himself before the mortal. "

"Certainly, " replied Otto; "the great men of the age are like mountains;they it is which cause the land to be seen from afar, and give itimportance, but in themselves they are bare and cold; their heights arenever properly known. "

"Very beautiful, " said the lady; "you speak like a Jean Paul. "

At this moment the door opened, and all were surprised by the entranceof Miss Sophie, Wilhelm, and the dear mamma. They were not expectedbefore the following evening. They had travelled the whole day throughZealand. 

"We should have been here to dinner, " said Sophie, "but my brother couldnot get his business finished in Roeskelde; then he had forgotten toorder horses, and other little misadventures occurred: six whole hourswe remained there. Mamma contracted quite a passion there--she fellfairly in love with a young girl, the pretty Eva. "

"Yes, she is a nice creature!" said the old lady. "Had I not reason, Mr. Thostrup? You and my Wilhelm had already made her interesting to me. Shehas something so noble, so refined, which one so rarely meets with inthe lower class; she deserves to come among educated people. "

"Otto, what shall our hearts say, " exclaimed Wilhelm, "when my goodmother is thus affected?"

They assembled round the tea-table. Wilhelm addressed Otto with theconfidential "thou" which Otto himself had requested. 

"We will drink together in tea and renew our brotherhood. "

Otto smiled, but with such a strangely melancholy air, and spoke not aword. 

"He's thinking about the old grandfather, " thought Wilhelm, and laid hishand upon his friend's shoulder. "The Kammerjunker and his ladies greetthee!" said he. "I believe the Mamsell would willingly lay thee in herown work-box, were that to be done. "

Otto remained quiet, but in his soul there was a strange commotion. Itwould be a difficult thing to explain this motive, which belonged tohis peculiarity of mind; it entered among the mysteries of the soul. Themultitude call it in individuals singularity, the psychologist finds adeeper meaning in it, which the understanding is unable to fathom. Wehave examples of men, whose strength of mind and body were well known, feeling faint at the scent of a rose; others have been thrown into aconvulsive state by touching gray paper. This cannot be explained; itis one of the riddles of Nature. A similar relaxing sensation Ottoexperienced when he, for the first time, heard himself addressed as"thou" by Wilhelm. It seemed to him as though the spiritual band whichencircled them loosened itself, and Wilhelm became a stranger. It wasimpossible for Otto to return the "thou, " yet, at the same time, hefelt the injustice of his behavior and the singularity, and wished tostruggle against it; he mastered himself, attained a kind of eloquence, but no "thou" would pass his lips. 

"To thy health, Otto, " said Wilhelm, and pushed his cup against Otto's. 

"Health!" said Otto, with a smile. 

"It is true, " began the cousin, "I promised you the other day to bringmy advertisements with me; the first volume is closed. " And he drewfrom his pocket a book in which a collection of the most originalAddress-Gazette advertisements, such as one sees daily, was pasted. 

"I have one for you, " said the lady; "I found it a little time since. 'Awoman wishes for a little child to bottle. ' Is not that capital?"

"Here is also a good one, " said Wilhelm, who had turned over the leavesof the book: "'A boy of the Mosaic belief may be apprenticed to acabinet-maker, but he need not apply unless he will eat everything thathappens to be in the house. ' That is truly a hard condition for the poorlad. "

"Almost every day, " said the cousin, "one may read, 'For the play ofto-day or to-morrow is a good place to be had in the third story in theChristenbernikov Street. ' The place is a considerable distance from thetheatre. "

"Theatre!" exclaimed the master of the house, who now entered to takehis place at the tea-table, "one can soon hear who has that word inhis mouth; now is he again at the theatre! The man can speak of nothingelse. There ought, ready, to be a fine imposed, which he should pay eachtime he pronounces the word theatre. I would only make it a fine of twoskillings, and yet I dare promise that before a month was over he wouldbe found to pay in fines his whole pocket-money, and his coat and bootsbesides. It is a real mania with the man! I know no one among my youngfriends, " added he, with an ironical smile at Wilhelm, --"no, not one, who has such a hobby-horse as our good cousin. "

"Here thou art unjust to him!" interrupted his wife; "do not place afine upon him, else I will place thee in a vaudeville! Thy life is inpolitics; our cousin's in theatrical life; Wilhelm's in thorough-bass;and Mr. Thostrup's in learned subjects. Each of you is thus a littlenail in the different world-wheels; whoever despises others showsthat he considers his wheel the first, or imagines that the world isa wheelbarrow, which goes upon one wheel! No, it is a more complicatedmachine. "

Later in the evening, when the company broke up, Otto and Wilhelm wenttogether. 

"I do not think, " said Wilhelm, "that thou hast yet said thou to me. Isit not agreeable to thee?"

"It was my own wish, my own request, " replied Otto. "I have not remarkedwhat expressions I have employed. " He remained silent. Wilhelm himselfseemed occupied with unusual thoughts, when he suddenly exclaimed: "Lifeis, after all, a gift of blessings! One should never make one's selfsorrows which do not really exist! 'Carpe diem, ' said old Horace. "

"That will we!" replied Otto; "but now we must first think of ourexamination. "

They pressed each other's hands and parted. 

"But I have heard no thou!" said Wilhelm to himself "He is an oddity, and yet I love him! In this consists, perhaps, my own originality. "

He entered his room, where the hostess had been cleaning, and hadarranged the books and papers in the nicest order. Wilhelm truly calledit disorder; the papers in confusion and the books in a row. The lampeven had a new place; and this was called order!

Smiling, he seated himself at the piano; it was so long since they hadsaid "Good day" to each other! He ran over the keys several times, thenlost himself in fantasies. "That is lovely!" he exclaimed. "But it isnot my property! What does it belong to? It melts into my own feelings!"He played it again. It was a thema out of "Tancredi, " therefore fromRossini, even the very composer whom our musical friends most lookeddown upon; how could he then guess who had created those tones which nowspoke to his heart? His whole being he felt penetrated by a happiness, alove of life, the cause of which he knew not. He thought of Otto with awarmth which the latter's strange behavior did not deserve. All belovedbeings floated so sweetly before his mind. This was one of those momentswhich all good people know; one feels one's self a member of the greatchain of love which binds creation together. 

So long as the rose-bud remains folded together it seems to be withoutfragrance; yet only one morning is required, and the fine breath streamsfrom the crimson mouth. It is only one moment; it is the commencement ofa new existence, which already has lain long concealed in the bud: butone does not see the magic wand which works the change. This spiritualcontrast, perhaps, took place in the past hour; perhaps the last eveningrays which fell upon the leaves concealed this power! The roses of thegarden must open; those of the heart follow the same laws. Was thislove? Love is, as poets say, a pain; it resembles the disease of themussel, through which pearls are formed. But Wilhelm was not sick; hefelt himself particularly full of strength and enjoyment of life. Thepoet's simile of the mussel and the pearl sounds well, but it is false. Most poets are not very learned in natural history; and, therefore, theyare guilty of many errors with regard to it. The pearl is formed on themussel not through disease; when an enemy attacks her she sends forthdrops in her defense, and these change into pearls. It is thus strength, and not weakness, which creates the beautiful. It would be unjust tocall love a pain, a sickness; it is an energy of life which God hasplanted in the human breast; it fills our whole being like the fragrancewhich fills each leaf of the rose, and then reveals itself among thestruggles of life as a pearl of worth. 

These were Wilhelm's thoughts; and yet it was not perfectly clear to himthat he loved with his whole soul, as one can only love once. 

The following forenoon he paid a visit to Professor Weyse. 

"You are going to Roeskelde, are you not?" asked Wilhelm. "I have heardyou so often play the organ here in Our Lady's church, I should verymuch like to hear you there, in the cathedral. If I were to make thejourney, would you then play a voluntary for me?"

"You will not come!" said the musician. 

"I shall come!" answered Wilhelm, and kept his word. Two days after thisconversation he rolled through the streets of Roeskelde. 

"I am come for a wager! I shall hear Weyse play the organ!" said he tothe host, although there was no need for an apology. 

Bulwer in his romance, "The Pilgrims of the Rhine, " has with endlessgrace and tenderness called forth a fairy world. The little spiritsfloat there as the breath of air floats around the material reality; oneis forced to believe in their existence. With a genius powerful as thatwhich inspired Bulwer, glorious as that which infused into Shakespearethe fragrance we find breathed over the "Midsummer-night's Dream, " didWeyse's tones fill Wilhelm; the deep melodies of the organ in theold cathedral had indeed attracted him to the quiet little town! Thepowerful tones of the heart summoned him! Through them even every daythings assumed a coloring, an expression of beauty, such as Byron showsus in words, Thorwaldsen in the hard stone, Correggio in colors. 

We have by Goethe a glorious poem, "Love a Landscape-painter. " The poetsits upon a peak and gazes before him into the mist, which, like canvasspread upon the easel, conceals all heights and expanses; then comesthe God of Love and teaches him how to paint a picture on the mist. Thelittle one now sketches with his rosy fingers a picture such as onlyNature and Goethe give us. Were the poet here, we could offer him norock on which he might seat himself, but something, through legends andsongs, equally beautiful. He would then sing, --I seated myself upon themossy stone above the cairn; the mist resembled outstretched canvas. TheGod of Love commenced on this his sketch. High up he painted a gloriousstill, whose rays were dazzling! The edges of the clouds he made as ofgold, and let the rays penetrate through them; then painted he the finelight boughs of fresh, fragrant trees; brought forth one hill after theother. Behind these, half-concealed, lay a little town, above which rosea mighty church; two tall towers with high spires rose into the air; andbelow the church, far out, where woods formed the horizon, drew he abay so naturally! it seemed to play with the sunbeams as if the wavessplashed up against the coast. Now appeared flowers; to the fields andmeadows he gave the coloring of velvet and precious stones; and on theother side of the bay the dark woods melted away into a bluish mist. "Ican paint!" said the little one; "but the most difficult still remainsto do. " And he drew with his delicate finger, just where the rays of thesun fell most glowingly, a maiden so gentle, so sweet, with darkblue eyes and cheeks as blooming as the rosy fingers which formed thepicture. And see! a breeze arose; the leaves of the trees quivered;the expanse of water ruffled itself; the dress of the maiden wasgently stirred; the maiden herself approached: the picture itself was areality! And thus did the old royal city present itself before Wilhelm'seyes, the towers of the cathedral, she tay, the far woods, and--Eva!

The first love of a pure heart is holy! This holiness may be indicated, but not described! We return to Otto. 

CHAPTER XXII

 "A man only gains importance by a poet's fancy, when his genius vividly represents to our imagination a clearer, but not an ennobled image of men and objects which have an existence; then alone he understands how to idealize. "--H. HERTZ. 

We pass on several weeks. It was toward the end of September, the examenphilosophicum was near. Preparations for this had been Otto's excuse fornot yet having visited the family circle of his guardian, the merchantBerger. This was, however, brought about by Otto's finding one day, whenhe went to speak with his guardian, the mistress of the house in thesame room. We know that there are five daughters in the house, and thatonly one is engaged, yet they are all well-educated girls--domesticgirls, as their mother assured her friend upon more than one occasion. 

"So, then, I have at length the honor of making your acquaintance, " saidMrs. Berger, "this visit, truly, is not intended either for me or thechildren, but still you must now drink a cup of coffee with us. Withinit certainly looks rather disorderly; the girls are making cloaks forthe winter. We will not put ourselves out of the way for you: you shallbe regarded as a member of the family: but then you must come to us in afriendly way. Every Thursday our son-in-law dines with us, will you thenbe contented with our dinner? Now you shall become acquainted with mydaughters. "

"And I must to my office, " said the husband; "therefore let us considerThursday as an appointment. We dine at three o'clock, and after coffeeLaide gives us music. "

The lady now conducted Otto into the sitting-room, where he found thefour daughters in full activity with a workwoman. The fifth daughter, Julle, was, as they had told him, gone to the shops for patterns:yesterday she had run all over the town, but the patterns she receivedwere not good. 

The lady told him the name of each daughter; their characteristics henaturally learnt later. 

All the five sisters had the idea that they were so extremely different, and yet they resembled each other to a hair. Adelaide, or Laide, as shewas also called, was certainly the prettiest; that she well knew also, therefore she would have a fur cape, and no cloak; her figure should beseen. Christiane was what one might call a practical girl; she knew howto make use of everything. Alvilde had always a little attack of thetooth-ache; Julle went shopping, and Miss Grethe was the bride. She wasalso musical, and was considered witty. Thus she said one evening whenthe house-door was closed, and groaned dreadfully on its hinges, "Seenow, we have port wine after dinner. " [Translator's Note: A pun which itis impossible to translate. The Danish word Portviin according to sound, may mean either port wine or the creaking of a door. ] The brother, theonly son of the house, with whom we shall become better acquainted, hadwritten down this conceit; "but that was only to be rude toward her, "said Miss Grethe. "Such good ideas as this I have every hour of theday!"

We ought really to accuse these excellent girls of nothing foolish; theywere very good and wise. The lover, Mr. Svane, was also a zealous wit;he was so lively, they said. Every one with whom he became a littlefamiliar he called immediately Mr. Petersen, and that was so droll!

"Now the father has invited Mr. Thostrup to come on Thursday!" said thelady. "I also think, if we were to squeeze ourselves a little together, he might find a place with us in the box; the room is, truly, veryconfined. "

Otto besought them not to incommode themselves. 

"O, it is a large box!" said the lady, but she did not say how many ofthem were already in it. Only eleven ladies went from the family itself. They were obliged to go to the theatre in three parties, so thatpeople might not think; if they all went together, there was a mob. One evening, when the box had been occupied by eighteen persons, besideseveral twelve-year old children, who had sat in people's laps, or stoodbefore them, and the whole party had returned home in one procession, and were standing before the house door to go in, people streamedtogether, imagining there was some alarm, or that some one had falleninto convulsions. "What is the matter?" they asked, and Miss Gretheimmediately replied, "It is a select company!" [Translator's Note: Aselect or shut-out company. We regret that this pun, like the foregoingone, is untransferable into English. ] Since that evening they returnedhome in separate divisions. 

"It is really a good box!" said Alvilde; "if we had only otherneighbors! The doors are opening and shutting eternally, and make adraught which is not bearable for the teeth. And then they speak soloud! the other night I did not hear a single word of the pretty songabout Denmark. "

"But did you lose much through that?" asked Otto, smiling, and soon theyfound themselves very much at variance, just as if they had been oldacquaintances. "I do not think much of these patriotic scraps, where thepoet, in his weakness, supports himself by this beautiful sentimentof patriotism in the people. You will certainly grant that here themultitude always applauds when it only hears the word 'Father-land, ' orthe name of 'Christian IV. ' The poet must give something more; this isa left-handed kind of patriotism. One would really believe that Denmarkwere the only country in the world!"

"Fie, Mr. Thostrup!" said the lady: "do you not then love yourfather-land?"

"I believe I love it properly!" returned he: "and because it reallypossesses so much that is excellent do I desire that only what isgenuine should be esteemed, only what is genuine be prized. "

"I agree in the main with Mr. Thostrup, " said Miss Grethe, who wasbusied in unpicking and turning her cloak, in order, as she herselfsaid, to spoil it on the other side. "I think he is right! If a poem iswell spoken on the stage, it has always a kind of effect. It is just thesame as with stuffs--they may be of a middling quality and may have anunfavorable pattern, but if they are worn by a pretty figure they lookwell after all!"

"I am often vexed with the public!" said Otto. "It applauds at improperplaces, and sometimes exhibits an extraordinary innocence. "

"Those are 'the lords of the kingdom of mind, '" said Miss Grethe, smiling. 

 [Note: "We are the lords of the kingdom of mind! We are the stem which can never decay!" --Students' Song, by CHRISTIAN WINTHER. ]

"No, the _neighbors_!" replied Otto quickly. 

At this moment Miss Julle entered. She had been wandering from shopto shop, she said, until she could bear it no longer! She had had thestuffs down from all the shelves, and at length had succeeded so faras to become possessed of eight small pieces--beautiful patterns, shemaintained. And now she knew very well where the different stuffs wereto be had, how wide they were, and how much the yard. "And whom did Imeet?" said she; "only think! down the middle of East Street came theactor--you know well! Our little passion! He is really charming off thestage. "

"Did you meet him?" said Laide. "That girl is always lucky!"

"Mr. Thostrup, " said the mother, presenting him, for the young ladyseemed to forget him entirely, so much was she occupied with thisencounter and her patterns. 

Julle bowed, and said she had seen him before: he had heard Mynster, andhad stood near the chair where she sat; he was dressed in an olive-greencoat. 

"Then you are acquainted with each other!" said the lady. "She is themost pious of all the children. When the others rave about Spindler andJohanne Schoppenhauer, she raves about the clergyman who confirmed her. You know my son? He became a student a year before you. He sees you inthe club sometimes. "

"There you will have seen him more amiable than you will find himat home, " said Adelaide. "Heaven knows he is not gallant toward hissisters!"

"Sweet Laide, how can you say so!" cried the mother. "You are always sounjust toward Hans Peter! When you become better acquainted with him, Mr. Thostrup, you will like him; he is a really serious young man, ofuncorrupted manners. Do you remember, Laide, how he hissed that eveningin the theatre when they gave that immoral piece? And how angry he iswith that 'Red Riding Hood?' O, the good youth! Besides, in our family, you will soon meet with an old acquaintance--in a fortnight a lady outof Jutland will come here. She remains the winter here. Do you not guesswho it is? A little lady from Lemvig!"

"Maren!" exclaimed Otto. 

"Yes, truly!" said the lady. "She is said to have such a beautifulvoice!"

"Yes, in Lemvig, " remarked Adelaide. "And what a horrible name she has!We must christen her again, when she comes. She must be called Mara, orMassa. "

"We could call her Massa Carara!" said Grethe. 

"No; she shall be called Maja, as in the 'Every-day Tales, '" saidChristiane. 

"I am of Jane's opinion!" said the mother. "We will christen her again, and call her Maja. "

CHAPTER XXIII

 Men are not always what they seem. --LESSING. 

Our tale is no creation of fancy; it is the reality in which we live;bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. Our own time and the men ofour own age we shall see. But not alone will we occupy ourselves withevery-day life, with the moss on the surface; the whole tree, from theroots to the fragrant leaves, will we observe. The heavy earth shallpress the roots, the moss and bark of every-day life adhere to thestern, the strong boughs with flowers and leaves spread themselves out, whilst the sun of poetry shall shine among them, and show the colors, odor, and singing-birds. But the tree of reality cannot shoot up so soonas that of fancy, like the enchantment in Tieck's "Elves. " We must seekour type in nature. Often may there be an appearance of cessation;but that is not the case. It is even so with our story; whilstour characters, by mutual discourse, make themselves worthy ofcontemplation, there arises, as with the individual branches of thetree, an unseen connection. The branch which shoots high up in the air, as though it would separate itself from the mother-stem, only pressesforward to form the crown, to lend uniformity to the whole tree. Thelines which diverge from the general centre are precisely those whichproduce the harmony. 

We shall, therefore, soon see, though these scenes out of every-day lifeare no digression from the principal events, nothing episodical whichone may pass over. In order still sooner to arrive at a clear perceptionof this assertion, we will yet tarry a few moments in the house of Mr. Berger, the merchant; but in the mean time we have advanced three weeks. Wilhelm and Otto had happily passed their examen philosophicum. Thelatter had paid several visits, and was already regarded as an oldfriend of the family. The lover already addressed him with his droll"Good day, Mr. Petersen;" and Grethe was witty about his melancholyglance, which he was not always able to conquer. She called it "makingfaces, " and besought him to appear so on the day of her funeral. 

The object of the five sisters' first Platonic love had been theirbrother. They had overwhelmed him with caresses and tenderness, hadadmired and worshipped him. "The dear little man!" they called him; theyhad no other. But Hans Peter was so impolite and teasing toward the dearsisters, that they were found to resign him so soon as one of them hada lover. Upon this lover they all clung. Each one seemed to have a pieceof him. He was Grethe's bridegroom, would be their brother-in-law. Theymight address him with the confidential thou, and even give him a littlekiss. 

Otto's appearance in the family caused these rays to change theirdirection. Otto was handsome, and possessed of fortune; either of whichoften suffices to bow a female heart. Beauty bribes the thoughtless;riches, the prudent. 

Maren, or as she was here called, Maja, had arrived. The young ladieshad already pulled off some of her bows, arranged her hair differently, and made one of her silk handkerchiefs into an apron; but, spite of allthis finesse, she still remained the lady from Lemvig. They could removeno bows from her pronunciation. She had been the first at home; here shecould not take that rank. This evening she was to see in the theatre, for the first time, the ballet of the "Somnambule. "

"It is French!" said Hans Peter; "and frivolous, like everything that wehave from them. "

"Yes, the scene in the second act, where she steps out of the window, "said the merchant; "that is very instructive for youth!"

"But the last act is sweet!" cried the lady. "The second act iscertainly, as Hans Peter very justly observed, somewhat French. Goodheavens! he gets quite red, the sweet lad!" She extended her hand tohim, and nodded, smiling, whereupon Hans Peter spoke very prettilyabout the immorality on the stage. The father also made some strikingobservation. 

"Yes, " said the lady, "were all husbands like thee, and all young menlike Hans Peter, they would speak in another tone on the stage, anddress in another manner. In dancing it is abominable; the dresses are soshort and indecent, just as though they had nothing on! Yet, after all, we must say that the 'Somnambule' is beautiful. And, really, it is quiteinnocent!"

They now entered still deeper into the moral: the conversation lastedtill coffee came. 

Maren's heart beat even quicker, partly in expectation of the play, through hearing of the corruptions of this Copenhagen Sodom. She heardOtto defend this French piece; heard him speak of affectation. Washe then corrupted? How gladly would she have heard him discourse uponpropriety, as Hans Peter had done. "Poor Otto!" thought she; "thisis having no relations, but being forced to struggle on in the worldalone. "

The merchant now rose. He could not go to the theatre. First, he hadbusiness to attend to; and then he must go to his club, where he hadyesterday changed his hat. 

"Nay, then, it has happened to thee as to Hans Peter!" said the lady. "Yesterday, in the lecture-room, he also got a strange hat. But, there, thou hast his hat!" she suddenly exclaimed, as her eye fell upon the hatwhich her husband held in his hand. "That is Hans Peter's hat! Now, weshall certainly find that he has thine! You have exchanged them here athome. You do not know each other's hats, and therefore you fancy thisoccurred from home. "

One of the sisters now brought the hat which Hans Peter had got inmistake. Yes, it was certainly the father's. Thus an exchange in thehouse, a little intermezzo, which naturally, from its insignificance, was momentarily forgotten by all except the parties concerned, for tothem it was an important moment in their lives; and to us also, as weshall see, an event of importance, which has occasioned us to lingerthus long in this circle. In an adjoining room will we, unseen spirits, watch the father and son. They are alone; the family is already in thetheatre. We may, indeed, watch them--they are true moralists. It is onlya moral drawn from a hat. 

But the father's eyes rolled, his cheeks glowed, his words weresword-strokes, and must make an impression on any disposition as gentleas his son's; but the son stood quiet, with a firm look and with asmile on his lips, such as the moral bestows. "You were in the adjoiningroom!" said he. "Where it is proper for you to be there may I alsocome. "

"Boy!" cried the father, and named the place, but we know it not;neither know we its inhabitants. Victor Hugo includes them in his"Children's Prayer, " in his beautiful poem, "La Prière pour Tous. " Thechild prays for all, even "for those who sell the sweet name of love. "

 [Note: "Prie!. . . Pour les femmes échevelées Qui vendent le doux nom d'amour!"]

"Let us be silent with each other!" said the son. "I am acquainted withmany histories. I know another of the pretty Eva!"--

"Eva!" repeated the father. 

We will hear no more! It is not proper to listen. We see the fatherand son extend their hands. It appeared a scene of reconciliation. Theyparted: the father goes to his business, and Hans Peter to thetheatre, to anger himself over the immorality in the second act of the"Somnambule. "

CHAPTER XXIV

 "L'amour est pour les coeurs, Ce que l'aurore est pour les fleurs, Et le printemps pour la nature. "--VIGUE. 

 "Love is a childish disease and like the small-pox. Some die, some become deformed, others are more or less scarred, while upon others the disease does not leave any visible trace. "--The Alchemist, by C. HAUCH. 

"Be candid, Otto!" said Wilhelm, as he one day visited his friend. "Youcannot make up your mind to say thou to me; therefore let it be. We are, after all, good friends. It is only a form; although you must grant thatin this respect you are really a great fool. "

Otto now explained what an extraordinary aversion he had felt, what apainful feeling had seized upon him, and made it impossible to him. 

"There you were playing the martyr!" said Wilhelm, laughing. "Could younot immediately tell me how you were constituted? So are most men. Whenthey have no trouble, they generally hatch one themselves; they willrather stand in the cold shadow than in the warm sunshine, and yet thechoice stands open to us. Dear friend, reflect; now we are both of us onthe stream: we shall soon be put into the great business-bottles, wherewe shall, like little devils, stretch and strain ourselves withoutever getting out, until life withdraws from us!" He laid his armconfidentially upon Otto's shoulder. "Often have I wished to speak withyou upon one point! Yes, I do not desire that you should confess everyword, every thought to me. I already know that I shall be able to proveto you that the thing lies in a region where it cannot have the powerwhich you ascribe to it. In the cold zones a venomous bite does notoperate as dangerously as in warmer ones; a sorrow in childhood cannotoverpower us as it does in riper age. Whatever misfortune may havehappened to you when a child, if in your wildness--you yourself say thatyou were wild--whatsoever you may have then done, it cannot, it oughtnot to influence your whole life: your understanding could tell you thisbetter than I. At our age we find ourselves in the land of joy, or wenever enter it!"

"You are a happy man!" exclaimed Otto, and gazed sorrowfully beforehim. "Your childhood afforded you only joy and hope! Only think of thesolitude in which mine was passed. Among the sand-hills of the westcoast my days glided away: my grandfather was gloomy and passionate;our old preacher lived only in a past time which I knew not, and Rosalieregarded the world through the spectacles of sorrow. Such an environmentmight well cast a shadow upon my life-joy. Even in dress, one isstrangely remarkable when one comes from afar province to the capital;first this receives another cut, and one gradually becomes like thosearound one. The same thing happens in a spiritual relation, but one'sbeing and ideas one does not change so quickly as one's clothes. I haveonly been a short time among strangers, and who knows?" added he, witha melancholy smile, "perhaps I shall come into equilibrium when somereally great misfortune happens to me and very much overpowers me, and then I may show the same carelessness, the same phlegm as themultitude. "

"A really great misfortune!" repeated Wilhelm. "You do, indeed, saysomething. That would be a very original means of cure, but you are anoriginal being. Perhaps lay this means you might really be healed. 'Makeno cable out of cobweb!' said a celebrated poet whose name does notoccur to me at this moment. But the thought is good, you should have itembroidered upon your waistcoat, so that you might have it before youreyes when you droop your head. Do not look so grave; we are friends, are we not? Among all my young acquaintance you are the dearest to me, although there are moments when I know not how it stands with us. Icould confide every secret to you, but I am not sure that you would beequally open with me. Do not be angry, my dear friend! There are secretsof so delicate a nature, that one may not confide them even to thedearest friend. So long as we preserve _our_ secret it is our prisoner;it is quite the contrary, however, so soon as we have let it escape us. And yet, Otto, you are so dear to me, that I believe in you as in my ownheart. This, even now, bears a secret which penetrates me with joy andlove of life! I must speak cut. But you must enter into my joy, partakein it, or say nothing about it; you have then heard nothing--nothing!Otto, I love! therefore am I happy, therefore is there sunshine in myheart, life joy in my veins! I love Eva, the beautiful lovely Eva!"

Otto pressed his hand, but preserved silence. 

"No, not so!" cried Wilhelm. "Only speak a word! Do you I'm in aconception of the world which has opened before me?"

"Eva is beautiful! very beautiful!" said Otto, slowly. "She is innocentand good. What can one wish for more? I can imagine how she fills yourwhole heart! But will she do so always? She will not always remainyoung, always lovely! Has she, then, mind sufficient to be everythingto you? Will this momentary happiness which you prepare for her andyourself be great enough to outweigh--I will not say the sorrow, but thediscontent which this union will bring forth in your family? For God'ssake, think of everything!"

"My dear fellow!" said Wilhelm, "your old preacher now really speaksout of you! But enough: I can bear the confession. I answer, 'Yes, yes!'with all my heart, 'yes!' Wherefore will you now bring me out of mysunshine into shade? Wherefore, in my joy over the beauty of the roseshould I be reminded that the perfume and color will vanish, that theleaves will fall? It is the course of life! but must one, therefore, think of the grave, of the finale, when the act begins?"

"Love is a kind of monomania, " said Otto; "it may be combated: itdepends merely upon our own will. "

"Ah, you know this not at all!" said Wilhelm. "But it will come in duetime, and then you will be far more violent than others! Who knows?perhaps this is the sorrow of which you spoke, the misfortune whichshould bring your whole being into equipoise! That was also a kind ofsearch after the sorrowful. I will sincerely wish that your heart may befilled with love as mine is; then will the influence of the sand-hillsvanish, and you will speak with me as you ought to do, and as myconfidence deserves!"

"That will I!" replied Otto. "You make the poor girl miserable! Now youlove Eva, but then you will no longer be able. The distance betweenyou and her is too great, and I cannot conceive how the beauty of hercountenance can thus fill your whole being. A waiting-girl! yes, Irepeat the name which offends your ear: a waiting-girl! Everywherewill it be repeated. And you? No one can respect nobility less than Ido--that nobility which is only conferred by birth; it is nothing, and atime will come when this will not be prized at all, when the nobility ofthe soul will be the only nobility. I openly say this to you, who are anobleman yourself. The more development of mind, the more ancestors!But Eva has nothing, can have nothing, except a pretty face, and thisis what has enchained you; you are become the servant of a servant, andthat is degrading yourself and your nobility of mind!"

"Mr. Thostrup!" exclaimed Wilhelm, "you wound me! This is truly not thefirst time, but now I am weary of it. I have shown too much good nature, and that is the most unfortunate failing a man can be cursed with!"

He seated himself at the piano, and hammered away. 

Otto was silent a moment, his checks glowed, but he was soon again calm, and in a joking tone said: "Do not expend your anger upon that poorinstrument because we disagree in our views. You are playing onlydissonances, which offend my ear more than your anger!"

"Dissonances!" repeated Wilhelm. "Cannot you hear that they areharmonies? There are many things for which you have a bad ear!"

Otto knew how to lead his anger to different points regarding whichthey had formerly been at variance, but he spoke with such mildness thatWilhelm's anger rather abated than increased. 

They were again friends, but regarding Eva not one word more was said. 

"I should not be an honest and true friend to him, were I to let himbe swallowed up by this whirlpool!" said Otto to himself, when he wasalone. "At present he is innocent and good but at his age, with his gaydisposition!--I must warn Eva! soon! soon! The snow which has oncebeen trodden is no longer pure! Wilhelm will scarcely forgive me! But Imust!"

On the morrow it was impossible for him to travel to Roeskelde, but thefollowing day he really would and must hasten thither. 

Still, in the early morning hour, Eva occupied his thoughts; she busiedWilhelm's also, but in a different way: but they agreed in the purity oftheir intentions. There was still a third, whose blood was put in motionat the mention of her name, who said: "The pretty Eva is a servantthere! One must speak with her. The family can make an excursion there!"

"You sweet children!" said the merchant's wife, "the autumn is charming, far pleasanter than the whole summer! The father, should the weatherremain good, will make an excursion with us to Lethraborg the day afterto-morrow. We will then walk in the beautiful valley of the Hertha, andpass the night at Roeskelde. Those will be two delightful days! What anexcellent father you have! But shall we not invite Mr. Thostrup to gowith us? We are so many ladies, and it looks well to have a few younggentlemen with us. Grethe, thou must write an invitation; thou canstwrite thy father's name underneath. "

CHAPTER XXV

 "These poetical letters are so similar to those of Baggesen, that we could be almost tempted to consider the news of his death as false, although so well affirmed that we must acknowledge it. "--Monthly Journal of Literature. 

 "She is as slender as the poplar-willow, as fleet as the hastening waters. A Mayflower odorous and sweet. "--H. P. HOLST. 

 "Ah, where is the rose?"--Lulu, by GUNTELBURG. 

The evening before Otto was to travel with the merchant's family toRoeskelde he called upon the family where Miss Sophie was staying. Herdear mamma had left three days before. Wilhelm had wished to accompanyhim to Roeskelde, but the mother did not desire it. 

"We have had a pleasure to-day, " said Sophie, "a pleasure from which weshall long have enjoyment. Have you seen the new book, the 'Letters ofa Wandering Ghost?' It is Baggesen himself in his most perfect beauty, a music which I never believed could have been given in words. This isa poet! He has made July days in the poetry of Denmark. Natural thoughtsare so strikingly, and yet so simply expressed; one has the idea thatone could write such verses one's self, they fall so lightly. "

"They are like prose, " said the lady, "and yet the most beautifullyperfect verse I know. You must read the book, Mr. Thostrup!"

"Perhaps you will read to us this evening?" said Sophie. "I should verymuch like to hear it again. "

"In a second reading one shall enter better into the individualbeauties, " said the lady of the house. 

"I will remain and listen, " said the host. 

"This must be a masterpiece!" exclaimed Otto, "--a true masterpiece, since all are so delighted with it. "

"It is Baggesen himself; and truly as he must sing in that world whereeverything mortal is ennobled. "

 "'Meadows all fragrance, the strongholds of pleasure, Heaven blue streamlets, That speed through the green woods in musical measure, '" began Otto, andthe spiritual battle-piece with beauty and tone developed itself moreand more; they found themselves in the midst of the winter camp of theMuses, where the poet with

 . . . "lyre on his shoulder and sword at. . . . 

Hastened to fight with the foes of the Muses. " Otto's gloomy look wonduring the perusal a more animated expression. "Excellent!" exclaimedhe; "this is what I myself have thought and felt, but, alas! have beenunable to express. "

"I am a strange girl, " said Sophie; "whenever I read a new poet ofdistinguished talent, I consider that he is the greatest. It was so withByron and Victor Hugo. 'Cain' overwhelmed me, 'Notre Dame' carried meaway with it. Once I could imagine no greater poet than Walter Scott, and yet I forget him over Oehlenschläger; yes, I remember a time whenHeiberg's vaudevilles took almost the first place among my chosenfavorites. Thus I know myself and my changeable disposition, and yetI firmly believe that I shall make an exception with this work. Otherpoets showed me the objects of the outer world, this one shows me my ownmind: my own thoughts, my own being he presents before me, and thereforeI shall always take the same interest in the Ghost's Letters. "

"They are true food for the mind, " said Otto; "they are as words inseason; there must be movement in the lake, otherwise it will become abog. "

"The author is severe toward those whom he has introduced, " said thelady; "but he carries, so to say, a sweet knife. A wound from a sharpsword-blade is not so painful as that from a rusty, notched knife. "

"But who may the author be?" said Sophie. 

"May we never learn!" replied Otto. "Uncertainty gives the booksomething piquant. In such a small country as ours it is good for theauthor to be unknown. Here we almost tread upon each other, and lookinto each other's garments. Here the personal conditions of the authorhave much to do with success; and then there are the newspapers, whereeither friend or enemy has an assistant, whereas the being anonymousgives it the patent of nobility. It is well never to know an author. What does his person matter to us, if his book is only good?

"'Crush and confound the rabble dissolute That desecrate thy poet'sgrave?'" read Otto, and the musical poem was at an end. All wereenchanted with it. Otto alone made some small objections: "The Musesought not to come with 'trumpets and drums, ' and so many expressionssimilar to 'give a blow on the chaps, ' etc. , ought not to appear. "

"But if the poet will attack what is coarse, " said Sophie, "he mustcall things by their proper names. He presents us with a specimen of theprosaic filth, but in a soap-bubble. We may see it, but not seize uponit. I consider that you are wrong!"

"The conception of idea and form, " said Otto, "does not seem to besufficiently presented to one; both dissolve into one. Even prose is aform. "

"But the form itself is the most important, " said the lady of the house;"with poetry as with sculpture, it is the form which gives the meaning. "

"No, pardon me!" said Otto; "poetry is like the tree which God allowsto grow. The inward power expresses itself in the form; both are equallyimportant, but I consider the internal as the most holy. This is herethe poet's thought. The opinion which he expresses affects us as much asthe beautiful dress in which he has presented it. "

Now commenced a contest upon form and material, such as was afterwardmaintained throughout the whole of Copenhagen. 

"I shall always admire the 'Letters of a Wandering Ghost, '" saidSophie, --"always rave about these poems. To-night I shall dream ofnothing but this work of art. "

How little men can do that which they desire, did this very momentteach. 

When we regard the fixed star through a telescope and lose ourselvesin contemplation, a little hair can conceal the mighty body, a grain ofdust lead us from these sublime thoughts. A letter came for Miss Sophie;a traveller brought it from her mother: she was already in Funen, andannounced her safe arrival. 

"And the news?" said the hostess. 

"Mamma has hired a new maid, or, rather, she has taken to be with heran amiable young girl--the pretty Eva in Roeskelde. Mr. Thostrup andWilhelm related to us this summer several things about her which makeher interesting. We saw her on our journey hither, when mamma wasprepossessed by her well-bred appearance. Upon her return, the younggirl has quite won her heart. It really were a pity if such a pretty, respectable girl remained in a public-house. She is very pretty; is shenot, Mr. Thostrup?"

"Very pretty!" answered Otto, becoming crimson, for Sophie said thiswith an emphasis which was not without meaning. 

The following day, at an early hour, Otto found himself at themerchant's. 

Spite of the changeable weather of our climate, all the ladies were intheir best dresses. Three persons must sit upon each seat. Hans Peterand the lover had their place beside the coachman. It was a long timebefore the cold meat, the provision for several days, was packed up, andthe whole company were seated. At length, when they had got out of thecity, Christiane recollected that they had forgotten the umbrellas, andthat, after all, it would be good to have them. The coachman must goback for them, and meantime the carriage drew up before the Column ofLiberty. The poor sentinel must now become an object of Miss Grethe'sinterest. Several times the soldier glanced down upon his regimentals. He was a Krähwinkler, who had an eye to his own advantage. A man whorode past upon a load of straw occupied a high position. That was veryinteresting. 

Otto endeavored to give the conversation another direction. "Havenot you seen the new poem which has just appeared, the 'Letters of aWandering Ghost?'" asked he, and sketched out their beauty and tendency. 

"Doubtless, very heavy blows are dealt!" said Mr. Berger, "the man mustbe witty--Baggesen to the very letter. "

"The 'Copenhagen Post' is called the pump!" said Hans Peter. 

"That is superb!" cried Grethe. "Who does it attack besides?"

"Folks in Soroe, and this 'Holy Andersen, ' as they call him. "

"Does he get something?" said Laide. "That I will grant him for his milkand water. He was so impolite toward the ladies!"

"I like them to quarrel in this way!" said the merchant's lady. "Heibergwill doubtless get his share also, and then he will reply in somethingmerry. "

"Yes, " said Mr. Berger, "he always knows how to twist things in such amanner that one must laugh, and then it is all one to us whether he isright or not. "

"This book is entirely for Heiberg, " said Otto. "The author isanonymous, and a clever man. "

"Good Heavens! you are not the author, Mr. Thostrup?" cried Julle, andlooked at him with a penetrating gaze. "You can manage such thingsso secretly! You think so highly of Heiberg: I remember well all thebeautiful things you said of his 'Walter the Potter' and his 'Psyche. '"

Otto assured her that he could not confess to this honor. 

They reached Roeskelde in the forenoon, but Eva did not receive them. The excursion to Lethraborg was arranged; toward evening they shouldagain return to the inn, and then Eva would certainly appear. 

The company walked in the garden at Lethraborg: the prospect from theterrace was beautiful; they looked through the windows of the castle, and at length came to the conclusion that it would be best to go in. 

"There are such beautiful paintings, people say!" remarked the lover. 

"We must see them, " cried all the ladies. 

"Do you often visit the picture-gallery of the Christiansborg?" inquiredOtto. 

"I cannot say that we do!" returned Mrs. Berger. "You well know thatwhat is near one seldom sees, unless one makes a downright earnestattempt, and that we have not yet done. Besides, not many people go up:that wandering about the great halls is so wearying. "

"There are splendid pieces by Ruysdal!" said Otto. 

"Salvator Rosa's glorious 'Jonas' is well worth looking at!"

"Yes, we really must go at once, whilst our little Maja is here. It doesnot cost more than the Exhibition, and we were there three times lastyear. The view from the castle windows toward the canal, as well astoward the ramparts, is so beautiful, they say. "

The company now viewed the interior of Lethraborg, and then wanderedthrough the garden and in the wood. The trees had their autumnalcoloring, but the whole presented a variety of tints far richer than onefinds in summer. The dark fir-trees, the yellow beeches and oaks, whoseoutermost branches had sent forth light green shoots, presented a mostpicturesque effect, and formed a splendid foreground to the view overold Leire, the royal city, now a small village, and across the bay tothe splendid cathedral. 

"That resembles a scene in a theatre!" cried Mrs. Berger, andimmediately the company were deep in dramatic affairs. 

"Such a decoration they should have in the royal theatre!" said HansPeter. 

"Yes, they should have many such!" said Grethe. "They should have someother pieces than those they have. I know not how it is with our poets;they have no inventive power. Relate the droll idea which thou hadstthe other day for a new piece!" said she to her lover, and stroked hischeeks. 

"O, " said he, and affected a kind of indifference, "that was only anidea such as one has very often. But it might become a very nice piece. When the curtain is drawn up, one should see close upon the lamps thegable-ends of two houses. The steep roofs must go down to the stage, sothat it is only half a yard wide, and this is to represent a watercoursebetween the two houses. In each garret a poor but interesting familyshould dwell, and these should step forth into the watercourse, andthere the whole piece should be played. "

"But what should then happen?" asked Otto. 

"Yes, " said the lover, "I have not thought about that; but see, there isthe idea! I am no poet, and have too much to do at the counting-house, otherwise one might write a little piece. "

"Heavens! Heiberg ought to have the idea!" said Grethe. 

"No, then it would be a vaudeville, " said the lover, "and I cannot bearthem. "

"O, it might be made charming!" cried Grethe. "I see the whole piece!how they clamber about the roofs! The idea is original, thou sweetfriend!"

By evening the family were again in Roeskelde. 

The merchant sought for Eva. Otto inquired after her, so did Hans Peteralso, and all three received the same answer. 

"She is no longer here. "

CHAPTER XXVI

 "I wish I was air, that I could beat my wings, could chase the clouds, and try to fly over the mountain summits: that would be life. "--F. RÜCKERT. 

The first evening after Otto's return to Copenhagen he spent withSophie, and the conversation turned upon his little journey. "The prettyEva has vanished!" said he. 

"You had rejoiced in the prospect of this meeting, had you not?" askedSophie. 

"No, not in the least!" answered Otto. 

"And you wish to make me believe that? She is really pretty, and hassomething so unspeakably refined, that a young gentleman might wellbe attracted by her. With my brother it is not all quite right in thisrespect; but, candidly speaking, I am in great fear on your account, Mr. Thostrup. Still waters--you know the proverb? I might have spared youthe trouble. The letter which I received a few evenings ago informed meof her departure. Mamma has taken her with her. It seemed to her asin to leave that sweet, innocent girl in a public-house. The host andhostess were born upon our estate, and look very much up to my mother;and as Eva will certainly gain by the change, the whole affair was soonsettled. It is well that she is come under mamma's oversight. "

"The girl is almost indifferent to me!" said Otto. 

"Almost!" repeated Sophie. "But this almost, how many degrees of warmthdoes it contain? 'O Vérité! Où sont les autels et tes prêtres?'" addedshe, and smiling raised her finger. 

"Time will show how much you are in error!" answered Otto with muchcalmness. 

The lady of the house now entered, she had made various calls;everywhere the Ghost's Letters were the subject of conversation, and nowthe conversation took the same direction. 

It was often renewed. Otto was a very frequent guest at the house. Theladies sat at their embroidery frames and embroidered splendid piecesof work, and Otto must again read the "Letters of the Wandering Ghost;"after this they began "Calderon, " in whom Sophie found somethingresembling the anonymous author. The world of poetry afforded subjectsfor discourse, and every-day life intermingled its light, gay scenes; ifWilhelm joined them, he must give them music, and all remarked that hisfantasies were become far richer, far softer. He had gained his touchfrom Weyse, said they. No one thought how much one may learn from one'sown heart. With this exception he was the same joyous youth as ever. Noone thought of him and Eva together. Since that evening when the friendshad almost quarreled, he had never mentioned her name; but Otto hadremarked how when any female figure met them, Wilhelm's eyes flashed, and how, in society, he singled out the most beautiful. Otto saidjokingly to him, that he was getting oriental thoughts. Oehlenschläger's"Helge, " and Goethe's Italian sonnets were now Wilhelm's favoritereading. The voluptuous spirit of these poems agreed with the dreamswhich his warm feelings engendered. It was Eva's beauty--her beautyalone which had awoke this feeling in him; the modesty and poverty ofthe poor girl had captivated him still more, and caused him to forgetrank and condition. At the moment when he would approach her, she wasgone. The poison was now in his blood. If is gay and happy spirit didnot meanwhile let him sink into melancholy and meditation; his feelingfor beauty was excited, as he himself expressed it. In thought hepressed beauty to his heart, but only in thought--but even this is sin, says the Gospel. 

Otto, on the contrary, moved in the lists of philosophy and poetry. Herehis soul conceived beauty--inspired, he expressed it; and Sophie'seyes flashed, and rested with pleasure on him. This flattered him andincreased his inspirations. For many years no winter had been to him sopleasant, had passed away so rich in change as this; he caught at thefluttering joy and yet there were moments when the though pressed uponhim--"Life is hastening away, and I do not enjoy it. " In the midstof his greatest happiness he experienced a strange yearning after thechanging life of travel. Paris glanced before his eyes like a star offortune. 

"Out into the bustling world!" said he so often to Wilhelm, that thesame thought was excited in him. "In the spring we will travel!" Nowwere plans formed; circumstances were favorable. Thus in the comingspring, in April, the still happier days should begin. 

"We will fly to Paris!" said Wilhelm; "to joy and pleasure!"

Joy and pleasure were to be found at home, and were found: we willintroduce the evening which brought them; perhaps we shall also findsomething more than joy and pleasure. 

CHAPTER XXVII

 "A midsummer day's entertainment--but how? In February? Yea, some here and behold it!"--DR. BALFUNGO. 

With us the students form no Burschenschafts, have no colors. Theprofessors do not alone in the chair come into connection with them;the only difference is that which exists between young and old scholars. Thus they come in contact with each other, thus they participate intheir mutual pleasures. We will spend an evening of this kind in theStudents' Club, and then see for ourselves whether Miss Sophie wereright when she wished she were a man, merely that she might be a studentand member of this club. We choose one evening in particular, not onlythat we may seek a brilliant moment, but because this evening can affordus more than a description. 

An excursion to the park had often been discussed in the club. Theywished to hire the Caledonia steam-packet. But during the summer monthsthe number of members is less; the majority are gone to the provinces tovisit their relations. Winter, on the contrary, assembles them all. This time, also, is the best for great undertakings. The long talked ofexcursion to the park was therefore fixed for Carnival Monday, the 14thof February, 1831. Thus ran the invitations to the professors and oldermembers. "It will be too cold for me, " replied one. "Must one take acarriage for one's self?" asked mother. No, the park was removed toCopenhagen. In the Students' Club itself, in the Boldhuus Street, No. 225, was the park-hill with its green trees, its swings, and amusements. See, only the scholars of the Black School could have such ideas!

The evening of the 114th of February drew near. The guests assembled inthe rooms on the first floor. Meanwhile all was arranged in the secondstory. Those who represented jugglers were in their places. A thunderingcracker was the steamboat signal, and now people hastened to the park, rushing up-stairs, where two large rooms had, with great taste andhumor, been converted into the park-hill. Large fir-trees concealed thewalls--you found yourself in a complete wood. The doors which connectedthe two rooms were decorated with sheets, so that it looked as ifyou were going through a tent. Hand-organs played, drums and trumpetsroared, and from tents and stages the hawkers shouted one against theother. It was a noise such as is heard in the real park when the hubbubhas reached its height. The most brilliant requisites of the realpark were found here, and they were not imitated; they were the thingsthemselves. Master Jakel's own puppets had been hired; a student, distinguished by his complete imitation of the first actors, representedthem by the puppets. The fortress of Frederiksteen was the same which wehave already seen in the park. "The whole cavalry and infantry, --here afellow without a bayonet, there a bayonet without a fellow!" The old Jewsat under his tree where he announced his fiftieth park jubilee: herea student ate flax, there another exhibited a bear; Polignac stood as awax figure outside a cabinet. The Magdalene convent exhibited its littleboxes, the drum-major beat most lustily, and from a near booth came thereal odor of warm wafer-cakes. The spring even, which presented itselfin the outer room, was full of significance. Certainly it was onlyrepresented by a tea-urn concealed between moss and stones, butthe water was real water, brought from the well in Christiansborg. Astounding and full of effect was the multitude of sweet young girlswho showed themselves. Many of the youngest students who had femininefeatures were dressed as ladies; some of them might even be calledpretty. Who that then saw the fair one with the tambourine can haveforgotten her? The company crowded round the ladies. The professors paidcourt to them with all propriety, and, what was best of all, some ladieswho were less successful became jealous of the others. Otto was muchexcited; the noise, the bustle, the variety of people, were almoststrikingly given. Then came the master of the fire-engines, with hiswife and little granddaughter; then three pretty peasant girls; then thewhole Botanical Society, with their real professor at their head. Ottoseated himself in a swing; an itinerant flute-player and a drummerdeafened him with dissonances. A young lady, one of the beauties, in awhite dress, and with a thin handkerchief over her shoulders, approachedand threw herself into his arms. It was Wilhelm! but Otto found hislikeness to Sophie stronger than he had ever before noticed it to be;and therefore the blood rushed to his cheeks when the fair one threwher arms around him, and laid her cheek upon his: he perceived more ofSophie than of Wilhelm in this form. Certainly Wilhelm's features werecoarser--his whole figure larger than Sophie's; but still Otto fanciedhe saw Sophie, and therefore these marked gestures, this reeling aboutwith the other students, offended his eyes. When Wilhelm seated himselfon his knee, and pressed his cheek to his, Otto felt his heart beatas in fever; it sent a stream of fire through his blood: he thrust himaway, but the fair one continued to overwhelm him with caresses. 

There now commenced, in a so-called Krähwinkel theatre, the comedy, inwhich were given the then popular witticisms of Kellerman. 

The lady clung fast to Otto, and flew dancing with him through thecrowd. The heat, the noise, and, above all, the exaggerated lacing, affected Wilhelm; he felt unwell. Otto led him to a bench and wouldhave unfastened his dress, but all the young ladies, true to their part, sprang forward, pushed Otto aside, surrounded their sick companion andconcealed her, whilst they tore up the dress behind so that she mighthave air: but, God forbid! no gentleman might see it. 

Toward evening a song was commenced, a shot was heard, and the lastverse announced:--

 "The gun has been fired, the vessel must fly To the town from the green wood shady. Come, friends, now we to the table will hie, A gentleman and a fair lady. "

And now all rushed with the speed of a steamboat downstairs, and soonsat in gay rows around the covered tables. 

Wilhelm was Otto's lady--the Baron was called the Baroness; the glassesresounded, and the song commenced:--

 "These will drink our good king's health, Will drink it here, his loyal students. "

And that patriotic song:--

 "I know a land up in the North Where it is good to be. "

It concluded with--

 "An hurrah For the king and the rescript!"

In joy one must embrace everything joyful, and that they did. Here wasthe joy of youth in youthful hearts. 

 "No condition's like the student's; He has chosen the better way!"

so ran the concluding verse of the following song, which ended with thetoast, --

 "For her of whom the heart dreams ever, But whom the lips must never name!"

It was then that Wilhelm seemed to glow with inward fire; he struck hisglass so violently against Otto's that it broke, and the wine was spilt. 

"A health to the ladies!" cried one of the signors. 

"A health to the ladies!" resounded from the different rooms, which wereall converted into the banquet-hall. 

The ladies rose, stood upon their chairs, some even upon the table, bowed, and returned thanks for the toast. 

"No, no, " whispered Otto to Wilhelm, at the same time pulling himdown. "In this dress you resemble your sister so much, that it is quitehorrible to me to see you act a part so opposed to her character!"

"And your eyes, " Said Wilhelm, smiling, "resemble two eyes which havetouched my heart. A health to first love!" cried he, and struck hisglass against Otto's so that the half of his wine was again lost. 

The champagne foamed, and amidst noise and laughter, as during thecarnival joy, a new song refreshed the image of the nark which they hadjust left:-- "Here if green trees were not growing Fresh as on yon little hill, Heard we not the fountains flowing, We in sooth should see them still! Tents were filled below, above, Filled with everything but love!

 ***

 Here went gratis brushing-boys-- Graduated have they all! Here stood, who would think it, sir? A student as a trumpeter!"

"A health to the one whose eyes mine resemble!" whispered Otto, carriedalong with the merriment. 

"That health we have already drunk!" answered Wilhelm, "but we cannot doa good thing too often. "

"Then you still think of Eva?"

"She was beautiful! sweet! who knows what might have happened had sheremained here? Her fate has fallen into mamma's hands, and she and theother exalted Nemesis must now conduct the affair: I wash my hands ofit. "

"Are you recovered?" asked Otto. "But when you see Eva again in thesummer?"

"I hope that I shall not fall sick, " replied Wilhelm; "I have a strongconstitution. But we must now hasten up to the dance. "

All rushed from the tables, and up-stairs, where the park was arranged. There was now only the green wood to be seen. Theatres and booths hadbeen removed. Gay paper-lamps hung among the branches, a large orchestraplayed, and a half-bacchanalian wood-ball commenced. Wilhelm was Otto'spartner, but after the first dance the lady sought out for herself amore lively cavalier. 

Otto drew back toward the wall where the windows were concealed by theboughs of Fir-tree. His eye followed Wilhelm, whose great resemblanceto Sophie made him melancholy; his hand accidentally glided through thebranches and touched the window-seat; there lay a little bird--it wasdead!

To increase the illusion they had bought a number of birds, which shouldfly about during the park-scene, but the poor little creatures had diedfrom fright at the wild uproar. In the windows and corners they laydead. It was one of these birds that Otto found. 

"It is dead!" said he to Wilhelm, who approached him. 

"Now, that is capital!" returned the friend; "here you have somethingover which you may be sentimental!"

Otto would not reply. 

"Shall we dance a Scotch waltz?" asked Wilhelm laughing, and the wineand his youthful blood glowed in his cheeks. 

"I wish you would put on your own dress!" said Otto. "You resemble, as Isaid before, your sister"--

"And I am my sister, " interrupted Wilhelm, in his wantonness. "And asa reward for your charming readings aloud, for your excellentconversation, and the whole of your piquant amiability, you shall now bepaid with a little kiss!" He pressed his lips to Otto's forehead; Ottothrust him back and left the company. 

Several hours passed before he could sleep; at length he was forced tolaugh over his anger: what mattered it if Wilhelm resembled his sister?

The following morning Otto paid her a visit. All listened with livelyinterest to his description of the merry St. John's day in February. He also related how much Wilhelm had resembled his sister, and howunpleasant this had been to him; and they laughed. During the relation, however, Otto could not forbear drawing a comparison. How great adifference did he now find! Sophie's beauty was of quite another kind!Never before had he regarded her in this light. Of the kisses whichWilhelm had given him, of course, they did not speak; but Otto thoughtof them, thought of them quite differently to what he had done before, and--the ways of Cupid are strange! We will now see how affairs standafter advancing fourteen days. 

CHAPTER XXVIII

 "Huzza for Copenhagen and for Paris! may they both flourish!" The Danes in Paris by HEIBERG. 

Wilhelm's cousin, Joachim, had arrived from Paris. We remember the youngofficer, out of whose letters Wilhelm had sent Otto a description ofthe struggle of the July days. As an inspired hero of liberty had hereturned; struggling Poland had excited his lively interest, and hewould willingly have combated in Warsaw's ranks. His mind and hiseloquence made him doubly interesting. The combat of the July days, of which he had been an eye-witness, he described to them. Joachim washandsome; he had an elegant countenance with sharp features, and wascertainly rather pale--one might perhaps have called him worn withdissipation, had it not been for the brightness of his eyes, whichincreased in conversation. The fine dark eyebrow, and even the littlemustache, gave the countenance all expression which reminded one of fineEnglish steel-engravings. His figure was small, almost slender, but theproportions were beautiful. The animation of the Frenchman expresseditself in every motion, but at the same time there was in him a certaindetermination which seemed to say: "I am aware of my own intellectualsuperiority!"

He interested every one: Otto also listened with pleasure when CousinJoachim related his experiences, but when all eyes were turned towardthe narrator, Otto fixed his suddenly upon Sophie, and found that shecould moderate his attentions. Joachim addressed his discourse to all, but at the points of interest his glance rested alone on the prettycousin! "She interests him!" said Otto to himself. "And Cousin Joachim?"Yes, he relates well; but had we only traveled we should not be inferiorto him!"

"Charles X. Was a Jesuit!" said Joachim; "he strove after anunrestrained despotism, and laid violent hands on the Charter. Theexpedition against Algiers was only a glittering fire-work arranged toflatter the national pride--all glitter and falseness! Like Peirronnet, through an embrace he would annihilate the Charter. "

The conversation now turned from the Jesuits to the Charter andPolignac. The minute particulars, which only an eyewitness can relate, brought the struggle livingly before their eyes. They saw the lastnight, the extraordinary activity in the squares where the ballswere showered, and in the streets where the barricades were erected. Overturned wagons and carts, barrels and stones, were heaped upon eachother--even the hundred year-old trees of the Boulevards were cutdown to form barricades: the struggle began, Frenchman fought againstFrenchman--for liberty and country they sacrificed their life. 

 [Note: "Ceux qui pieusement sont morts pour la patrie Ont droit qu'à leur cerceuil la foule vienne et prie: Entre le plus beaux noms, leur nom est le plus beau. Toute gloire, près d'eux, passe et tombe éphèmere Et, comme ferait une mère, La voix d'un peuple entier les berce en leur tombeau!" --VICTOR HUGO. ]

And he described the victory and Louis Philippe, whom he admired andloved. 

"That was a world event, " said the man of business. "It electrifiedboth king and people. They still feel the movement. Last year was anextraordinary year!"

"For the Copenhageners also, " said Otto, "there were three colors. Thesethings occupied the multitude with equal interest: the July Revolution, the 'Letters of a Wandering Ghost, ' and Kellermann's 'Berlin Wit. '"

"Now you are bitter, Mr. Thostrup, " said the lady of the house. "The really educated did not occupy themselves with these Berlin'Eckensteher' which the multitude have rendered national!"

"But they hit the right mark!" said Otto; "they met with a receptionfrom the citizens and people in office. "

"That I can easily believe, " remarked Joachim; "that is like the peoplehere!"

"That is like the people abroad!" said the hostess. "In Paris they passover still more easily from a revolution, in which they themselves havetaken part, to a review by Jules Janin, or to a new step of Taglioni's, and from that to 'une histoire scandaleuse!'"

"No, my gracious lady, of the last no one takes any notice--it belongsto the order of the day!"

"That I can easily believe!" said Miss Sophie. 

The man of business now inquired after the Chamber. The cousin's answerwas quite satisfactory. The lady of the house wished to hear of theflower-markets, and of the sweet little inclosed gardens in the Places. Sophie wished to hear of Victor Hugo. She received a description of him, of his abode in the Place Royale, and of the whole Europe littérairebeside. Cousin Joachim was extremely interesting. 

Otto did not pay another visit for two days. 

"Where have you been for so long?" asked Sophie, when he came again. 

"With my books!" replied he: there lay a gloomy expression in his eyes. 

"O, you should have come half an hour earlier--our cousin was here!He was describing to me the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. O, quiteexcellently!"

"He is an interesting young man!" said Otto. 

"The glorious garden!" pursued Sophie, without remarking the emphasiswith which Otto had replied. "Do you not remember, Mr. Thostrup, howBarthélemi has spoken of it? 'Où tout homme, qui rêve à son pays absent, Retrouve ses parfums et son air caressant. ' In it there is a wholeavenue with cages, in which are wild beasts, --lions and tigers! In smallcourt-yards, elephants and buffaloes wander about at liberty! Giraffesnibble the branches of high trees! In the middle of the garden are thecourts for bears, only there is a sort of well in which the bearswalk about; it is surrounded by no palisades, and you stand upon theprecipitous edge! There our cousin stood!"

"But he did not precipitate himself down!" said Otto, with indifference. 

"What is the matter?" asked Sophie. "Are you in your elegiac mood? Youlook as I imagine Victor Hugo when he has not made up his mind about themanagement of his tragic catastrophe!"

"That is my innate singularity!" replied Otto. "I should have pleasurein springing down among the bears of which you relate!"

"And in dying?" asked Sophie. "No, you must live. 'C'est le bonheur devivre Qui fait la gloire de mourir. '"

"You speak a deal of French to-day, " said Otto, with a friendlinessof manner intended to soften the bitterness of the tone. "Perhaps yourconversation with the lieutenant was in that language?"

"French interests me the most!" replied she. "I will ask our cousin tospeak it often with me. His accent is excellent, and he is himself avery interesting man!"

"No doubt of it!" answered Otto. 

"You will remain and dine with us?" said the lady of the house, who nowentered. 

Otto did not feel well. 

"These are only whims, " said Sophie. 

The ladies made merry, and Otto remained. Cousin Joachim came and wasinteresting--very interesting, said all. He related of Paris, spoke alsoof Copenhagen, and drew comparisons. The quietness of home had made anespecial impression on him. 

"People here, " said he, "go about as if they bore some heavy grief, orsome joy, which they might not express. If one goes into a coffee-house, it is just as if one entered a house of mourning. Each one seatshimself, a newspaper in his hand, in a corner. That strikes one when onecomes from Paris! One naturally has the thought, --Can these few degreesfurther north bring so much cold into the blood? There is the samequiet in our theatre. Now I love this active life. The only boldness thepublic permits itself is hissing a poor author; but a wretched singer, who has neither tone nor manner, a miserable actress, will be endured, nay, applauded by good friends--an act of compassion. She is so fearful!she is so good! In Paris people hiss. The decoration master, themanager, every one there receives his share of applause or blame. Eventhe directors are there hissed, if they manage badly. "

"You are preaching a complete revolution in our theatrical kingdom!"said the lady of the house. "The Copenhageners cannot ever becomeParisians, and neither should they. "

"The theatre is here, as well as there, the most powerful organ of thepeople's life. It has the greatest influence, and ours stands high, veryhigh, when one reflects in what different directions it must extend itsinfluence. Our only theatre must accommodate itself, and represent, atthe same time, the Theatre Français, the grand Opera, the Vaudeville, and Saint-Martin; it must comprehend all kinds of theatricalentertainments. The same actors who to-day appear in tragedy, mustto-morrow show themselves in a comedy or vaudeville. We have actors whomight compare themselves with the best in Paris--only _one_ is above allours, but, also, above all whom I have seen in Europe, and this oneis Mademoiselle Mars. You will, doubtless, consider the reasonextraordinary which gives this one, in my opinion, the first place. Thisis her age, which she so completely compels you to forget. She is stillpretty; round, without being called fat. It is not through rouge, falsehair, or false teeth, that she procures herself youth; it lies in hersoul, and from thence it flows into every limb--every motion becomescharming! She fills you with astonishment! her eyes are full ofexpression, and her voice is the most sonorous which I know! It isindeed music! How can one think of age when one is affected by animmortal soul? I rave about Léontine Fay, but the old Mars has my heart. There is also a third who stands high with the Parisians--Jenny Vertprè, at the Gymnase Dramatique, but she would be soon eclipsed were theParisians to see our Demoiselle Pätges. She possesses talent which willshine in every scene. Vertprè has her loveliness, her whims, but nother Proteus-genius, her nobility. I saw Vertprè in 'La Reine de SeizeAns, '--a piece which we have not yet; but she was only a saucy soubrettein royal splendor--a Pernille of Holberg's, as represented by aParisian. We have Madame Wexschall, and we have Frydendal! Were Denmarkonly a larger country, these names would sound throughout Europe!"

He now described the decorations in the "Sylphide, " in "Natalia, " and invarious other ballets, the whole splendor, the whole magnificence. 

"But our orchestra is excellent!" said Miss Sophie. 

"It certainly contains several distinguished men, " answered Joachim;"but must one speak of the whole? Yes, you know I am not musical, andcannot therefore express myself in an artistical manner about music, but certain it is that something lay in my ear, in my feeling, which, inParis, whispered to me, 'That is excellent!' Here, on the contrary, itcries, 'With moderation! with moderation!' The voice is the first; sheis the lady; the instruments, on the contrary, are the cavaliers whoshall conduct the former before the public. Gently they should take herby the hand; she must stand quite foremost; but here the instrumentsthrust her aside, and it is to me as if each instrument would have thefirst place, and constantly shouted, 'Here am I! here am I!"

"That sounds very well!" said Sophie; "but one may not believe you!You have fallen in love with foreign countries, and, therefore, at homeeverything must be slighted. "

"By no means! The Danish ladies, for instance, appear the prettiest, themost modest whom I have known. "

"Appear?" repeated Otto. 

"Joachim possesses eloquence, " said the lady of the house. 

"That has developed itself abroad!" answered he: "here at home there areonly two ways in which it can publicly develop itself--in the pulpit, and at a meeting in the shooting-house. Yet it is true that now weare going to have a Diet and a more political life. I feel already, in anticipation, the effect; we shall only live for this life, thenewspapers will become merely political, the poets sing politics thepainters choose scenes from political life. 'C'est un Uebergang!'as Madame La Flèche says. [Author's Note: Holberg's Jean de France. ]Copenhagen is too small to be a great, and too great to be a small city. See, there lies the fault!"

Otto felt an irresistible desire to contradict him in most things whichhe said about home. But the cousin parried every bold blow with a joke. 

"Copenhagen must be the Paris of the North, " said he, "and that itcertainly would become in fifty, or twice that number of years. Thesituation was far more beautiful than that of the city of the Seine. Themarble church must be elevated, and become a Pantheon, adorned with theworks of Thorwaldsen and other artists; Christiansborg, a Louvre, whosegallery you visit; Öster Street and Pedermadsen's passage, arcades suchas are in Paris, covered with glass roofs and flagged, shops on bothsides, and in the evening, when thousands of gas-lamps burnt, hereshould be the promenade; the esplanades would be the Champs Elysées, with swings and slides, music, and mâts de cocagne. [Author's Note:High smooth poles, to the top of which victuals, clothes, or money areattached. People of the lower classes then try to climb up and seize theprizes. The best things are placed at the very top of the pole. ] Onthe Peblinger Lake, as on the Seine, there should be festive waterexcursions made. Voilà!" exclaimed he, "that would be splendid!"

"That might be divine!" said Sophie. 

Animation and thought lay in the cousin's countenance; his fine featuresbecame striking from their expression. Thus did his image stamp itselfin Otto's soul, thus did it place itself beside Sophie's image as shestood there, with her large brown eyes, round which played thought andsmiles, whilst they rested on the cousin. The beautifully formed whitehand, with its taper fingers, played with the curls which fell over hercheeks. Otto would not think of it. 

CHAPTER XXIX

 "And if I have wept alone, it is my own sorrow. "--GOETHE

Latterly Otto had been but seldom at Mr. Berger's. He had no interestabout the merchant's home. The family showed him every politeness andmark of confidence; but his visits became every week more rare. Businessmatters, however, led him one day there. 

Chance or fate, as we call it, if the shadow of a consequence showsitself, caused Maren to pass through the anteroom when Otto was abouttaking his departure. She was the only one of the ladies at home. Inthree weeks she would return to Lemvig. She said that she could notboast of having enjoyed Mr. Thostrup's society too often. 

"Your old friends interest you no longer!" added she, somewhat gravely. With this exception she had amused herself very well in the city, had seen everything but the stuffed birds, and these she should seeto-morrow. She had been seven times in the theatre, and had seen the"Somnambule" twice. However, she had not seen "Der Frieschütz, " andshe had an especial desire to see this on account of the wolf-glen. AtAarhuus there was a place in the wood, said she, called the wolf-glen;this she knew, and now wished to see whether it resembled the one on thestage. 

"May I then greet Rosalie from you?" she asked at length. 

"You will still remain three weeks here, " said Otto: "it is too soon tospeak of leave-taking. "

"But you scarcely ever come here, " returned she. "You have better placesto go to! The Baron's sister certainly sees you oftener; she is saidto be a pretty and very clever girl: perhaps one may soon offer one'scongratulations?"

Otto became crimson. 

"In spring you will travel abroad, " pursued she; "we shall not then seeyou in Jutland: yes, perhaps you will never go there again! That willmake old Rosalie sad: she thinks so incredibly much of you. In all theletters which I have received here there were greetings to Mr. Thostrup. Yes, I have quite a multitude of them for you; but you do not come toreceive them, and I dare not pay a visit to such a young gentleman. Forthe sake of old friendship let me, at least, be the first who can relateat home of the betrothal!"

"How can you have got such a thought?" replied Otto. "I go to so manyhouses where there are young ladies; if my heart had anything to do withit, I should have a bad prospect. I have great esteem for Miss Sophie;I speak with her as with you, that is all. I perceive that the air ofCopenhagen has affected you; here in the city they are always betrothingpeople. This comes from the ladies in the house here. How could youbelieve such stories?"

Maren also joked about it, but after they had parted she seated herselfin a corner, drew her little apron over her head and wept; perhapsbecause she should soon leave the lively city, where she had been seventimes to the theatre, and yet had not seen the wolf-glen. 

"Betrothed!" repeated Otto to himself, and thought of Sophie, of thecousin, and of his own childhood, which hung like a storm-cloud inhis heaven. Many thoughts passed through his mind: he recollected theChristmas Eve on which he had seen Sophie for the first time, when she, as one of the Fates, gave him the number. He had 33, she 34; they wereunited by the numbers following each other. He received the pedigree, and was raised to her nobility. The whole joke had for him asignification. He read the verse again which had accompanied it. Theconclusion sounded again and again in his ears:--"From this hour forththy soul high rank hath won her, Nor will forget thy knighthood and thyhonor!"

"O Sophie!" he exclaimed aloud, and the fire which had long smoulderedin his blood now burst forth in flames. "Sophie! thee must I press to myheart!" He lost himself in dreams. Dark shapes disturbed them. "Can shethen be happy? Can I? The picture which she received where the coveringof ice was broken and the faithful dog watched in vain, is alsosignificant. That is the fulfillment of hopes. I sink, and shall neverreturn!"

The image of the cousin mingled in his dreams. That refined countenancewith the little mustache looked forth saucily and loquaciously; andSophie's eyes he saw rest upon the cousin, whilst her white hand playedwith the brown curls which fell over her cheek. 

"O Sophie!" sighed Otto, and fell asleep. 

CHAPTER XXX

 . . . "We live through others, We think we are others; we seem Others to be. . . And so think others of us. " SCHEFER. 

When the buds burst forth we will burst forth also! had Otto and Wilhelmoften said. Their plan was, in the spring to travel immediately toParis, but on their way to visit the Rhine, and to sail from Cologne toStrasburg. 

"Yes, one must see the Rhine first!" said Cousin Joachim; "when one hasseen Switzerland and Italy, it does not strike one nearly as much. That must be your first sight; but you should not see it in spring, buttoward autumn. When the vines have their full variety of tint, and theheavy grapes hang from the stems, see, it is then the old ruins standforth. These are the gardens of the Rhine! Another advantage which youhave in going there in autumn is that you then enter Paris in winter, and that one must do; then one does not come post festum; then is theheyday of gayety--the theatre, the soirées, and everything which caninterest the beau monde. "

Although Otto did not generally consider the cousin's words of muchweight, he this time entered wonderfully into his views. "It wouldcertainly be the most prudent to commence their journey toward autumn, "he thought: "there could be no harm in preparing themselves a littlemore for it!"

"That is always good!" said Joachim; "but, what is far more advantageousabroad than all the preparations you can make at home, is said in a fewwords--give up all intercourse with your own country-people! Nowadaysevery one travels! Paris is not now further from us than Hamburg wassome thirty years ago. When I was in Paris I found there sixteen orseventeen of my countrymen. O, how they kept together! Eleven ofthem dwelt in the same hôtel: they drank coffee together, walked outtogether, went to the restaurateur's together, and took together half abench in the theatre. That is the most foolish thing a person can do!I consider travelling useful for every one, from the prince to thetravelling journeyman. But we allow too many people to travel! We arenot rich, therefore restrictions should be made. The creative artist, the poet, the engineer, and the physician must travel; but God knows whytheologians should go forth. They can become mad enough at home!They come into Catholic countries, and then there is an end of them!Wherefore should book-worms go forth? They shut themselves up in thediligence and in their chambers, rummage a little in the libraries, butnot so much as a pinch of snuff do they do us any good when they return!Those who cost the most generally are of the least use, and bring thecountry the least honor! I, thank God! paid for my journey myself, andam therefore free to speak my opinion!"

We will now hear what Miss Sophie said, and therefore advance a fewdays. 

"We keep you then with us till August!" said she, once when she wasalone with Otto. "That is wise! You can spend some time with us inFunen, and gather strength for your journey. Yes, the journey will doyou good!"

"I hope so!" answered Otto. "I am perhaps able to become as interestingas your cousin, as amiable!"

"That would be requiring too much from you!" said Sophie, bantering him. "You will never have his humor, his facility in catching up character. You will only preach against the depravity of the Parisians; you willonly be able to appreciate the melancholy grandeur of Switzerland andthe solitude of the Hungarian forests. "

"You would make a misanthrope of me, which I by no means am. "

"But you have an innate talent for this character!" answered Sophie. "Something will certainly be polished away by this journey, and it is onaccount of this change that I rejoice. "

"Must one, then, have a light, fickle mood to please you?" asked Otto. 

"Yes, certainly!" answered Sophie, ironically. 

"Then it is true what your cousin told me!" said Otto. "If one will befortunate with the ladies, one must at least be somewhat frivolous, fondof pleasure, and fickle, --that makes one interesting. Yes, he has madehimself acquainted with the world, he has experience in everything!"

"Yes, perfectly!" said Sophie, and laughed aloud. 

Otto was silent, with contracted brow. 

"I wish you sunshine!" said Sophie, and smiling raised her finger. Ottoremained unchanged--he wrinkled his brow. 

"You must change very much!" said she, half gravely; and danced out ofthe room. 

Three weeks passed by, rich in great events in the kingdom of theheart; it was still a diplomatic secret: the eyes betrayed it by theirpantomimic language, the mouth alone was silent, and it is after all thedeciding power. 

Otto visited the merchant's family. Maren had departed just the daybefore. In vain had she awaited his visit throughout the three weeks. 

"You quite forget your true friends!" said the ladies. "Believe us, Maja was a little angry with you, and yet we have messages. Now she issailing over the salt sea. "

This was not precisely the case; she was already on land, and just atthis moment was driving over the brown heath, thinking of Copenhagenand the pleasures there, and of the sorrow also--it is so sad to beforgotten by a friend of childhood! Otto was so handsome, so clever--shedid not dream at all how handsome and clever she herself would appear athome. Beauty and cleverness they had discovered in her before she left;now she had been in the capital, and that gives relief. 

The little birds fluttered round the carriage; perhaps they sang to herwhat should happen in two years: "Thou wilt be a bride, the secretary'slovely little bride; thou shalt have both him and the musical-box!Thou wilt be the grandest lady in the town, and yet the most excellentmother. Thy first daughter shall be called Maja--that is a pretty name, and reminds thee of past days!"

CHAPTER XXXI

 "The monastery is still called 'Andersskov' (the wood of Anders) in memory of its being the habitation of the pious Anders. 

 "The hill on which he awoke, comforted by sleep, is still called 'Hvile höi' (the hill of rest). A cross having a Latin inscription, half-effaced, marks the spot. "--J. L. HEIBERG. 

It was spring, fresh, life-bearing spring! Only one day and one night, and the birds of passage were back again; the woods made themselves oncemore young with green, odorous leaves; the Sound had its swimming Veniceof richly laden vessels; only one day and one night, and Sophie wasremoved from Otto--they were divided by the salt sea; but it was springin his heart; from it flew his thoughts, like birds of passage, to theisland of Funen, and there sang of summer. Hope gave him more "gold andgreen woods" than the ships bear through the Sound, more than Zealand'sbays can show. Sophie at parting pressed his hand. In her eyes lay whathis heart might hope and dream. 

He forgot that hope and dreams were the opposites of reality. 

Cousin Joachim had gone to Stockholm, and would not return either in thespring or summer to Funen. On the contrary, Otto intended to spend afew weeks at the country-seat; not before August would he and Wilhelmtravel. There would at least be one happy moment, and many perhapsalmost as happy. In his room stood a rose-bush, the first buds formedthemselves, and opened their red lips--as pure and tender as theseleaves was Sophie's cheek: he bent over the flower, smiled and readthere sweet thoughts which were related to his love. A rose-bud is asweet mystery. 

 "The myriad leaves enmaze Small labyrinthine ways Where spicy odor flows, Thou lovelv bud o' the rose!"

The day came on which Otto, after he had comfortably terminated hisvisits of leave-taking, at midday, in the company of three youngstudents travelled away through Zealand. They had taken a carriagetogether as far as Slagelse, where, like Abraham's and Lot's shepherds, they should separate to the right and left. Otto remained alone, inorder to travel post that night to Nyborg. It was only four o'clock inthe afternoon, Otto had no acquaintance here, therefore it was but totake a walk. 

"There still exist remains of the old Antvorskov convent, [Author'sNote: The convent was founded by Waldemar I. , 1177. ] do there not?"asked he. 

"Yes, but very little!" answered the host. "The convent became a castle, the castle a private house, and now within the last few years, onaccount of the stones, it has been still more pulled down. You will findnothing old remaining, except here and there in the garden a piece of ared wall standing out. But the situation is beautiful! If you will onlytake the road toward the large village called Landsgrav, you are on theway to Korsöer, and close to the cross of the holy Anders. It is a rightpleasant excursion!"

"Convent ruins and the holy cross!" said Otto; "that sounds quiteromantic!" And he commenced his wanderings. 

A few scholars from the Latin school, with their books held together bya strait, and then a square built lancer, who greeted in military stylean elderly-young lady, who was seated behind a barricade of geraniumsand wall flowers, were the only individuals he met with on his way. YetOtto remarked that the windows were opened as he passed; people wantedto see who the stranger might be who was going up the street. 

A long avenue led from the town to the castle. On either side the waylay detached houses, with little gardens. Otto soon reached the remainsof old Antvorskov. The way was red from the stones which were flungabout, and were now ground to dust. Huge pieces of wall, where themortar and stone were united in one piece, lay almost concealed amongthe high nettles. Rather more distant stood a solitary house of twostories. It was narrow, and whitewashed. A thick pilaster, such as onesees in churches, supported the strong wall. This was half of the lastwing of the castle, --a mingling of the ancient and incident, of ruin anddwelling-house. 

Otto went into the garden, which was laid out upon the hill itself, andits terraces. Here were only young trees; but the walks were everywhereovergrown. The view stretched itself far over the plain, toward the Beltand Funen. He descended from the terrace down to the lowest wall. Inthis there yet remained a piece of an old tombstone, of the age of theconvent, on which you perceived the trace of a female form; and nearto this the figure of a skeleton, round which was twined a snake. Ottostood sunk in contemplation, when an old man, with two water-bucketssuspended from a yoke on his shoulders, approached a near well. 

The old man was very ready to commence a conversation. He toldof excavations, and of an underground passage which had not beendiscovered, but which, according to his opinion, was certainly inexistence. So far they had only found a few walled-round spaces, whichhad most probably been prisons. In one of these was an iron chainfastened into the wall. But with regard to the underground passage, theyhad only not yet discovered the right place, for it must exist. It ledfrom here, deep under the lake and forest, toward Soröe. There werelarge iron gates below. At Christmas one could hear how they were swungto and fro. "Whoever should have that which is concealed there, " saidthe old man, "would be a made man, and need not neither slip nor slide. "

Otto looked at the solitary wing which rose up over the terrace. Howsplendid it had been here in former times!

Close to the large wood, several miles in extent, which stretches itselfon the other side of Soröe, down to the shore of the King's Brook, laythe rich convent where Hans Tausen spoke what the Spirit inspired himwith. Times changed; the convent vanished;

 "Halls of state Tower upon that spot elate; Where the narrow cell once stood;" [Author's Note: Anders-skov, by Oehlenschläger. ]

where the monks sang psalms, knights and ladies danced to the sound ofbeating drums: but these tone's ceased; the blooming cheeks became dust. It was again quiet. Many a pleasant time did Holberg ride over fromSoröe, through the green wood, to visit the steward of Antvorskov. Ottorecollected what one of his daughters, when an old woman, had relatedto a friend of his. She was a child, and lay in the cradle, when oldHolberg came riding there, with a little wheaten loaf and a small pot ofpreserve in his pocket--his usual provision on such little excursions. The steward's young wife sat at her spinning-wheel. Holberg paced upand down the room with the husband; they were discussing politics. Thisinterested the wife, and she joined in the conversation. Holberg turnedround to her, --"I fancy the distaff speaks!" said he. This the wifecould never forget. [Translator's Note: Rokkehoved, distaff, means alsodunce in Danish. ]

Otto smiled at this recollection of the witty but ungallant poet, quitted the garden, and went through a winding hollow way, where theluxuriant briers hung in rich masses over the stone fence. Slagelse, with its high hills in the background, looked picturesque. He soonreached Landsgrav. The sun went down as he walked over the field wherethe wooden cross stands, with its figure of the Redeemer, in memory ofthe holy Anders. Near it he perceived a man, who appeared to kneel. Onehand held fast by the cross; in the other was a sharp knife, with whichhe was probably cutting out his name. He did not observe Otto. Nearthe man lay a box covered with green oil-cloth; and in the grass lay aknapsack, a pair of boots, and a knotty stick. It must be a wanderingjourneyman, or else a pedlar. 

Otto was about to return, when the stranger rose and perceived him. Ottostood as if nailed to the earth. It was the German Heinrich whom he sawbefore him. 

"Is not that Mr. Thostrup?" said the man and that horrible grinningsmile played around his mouth. "No, that I did not expect!"

"Does it go well with you, Heinrich?" asked Otto. 

"There's room for things to mend!" replied Heinrich "It goes better withyou! Good Lord, that you should become such a grand gentleman! Who wouldhave thought it, when you rode on my knee, and I pricked you in the arm?Things go on strangely in this world! Have you heard of your sister? Shewas not so much spoiled as you! But she was a beautiful child!"

"I have neither seen her nor my parents!" replied he, with a tremblingwhich he strove to conquer. "Do you know where she is?"

"I am always travelling!" said Heinrich; "but thus much I know, thatshe is still in Funen. Yes, she must take one of us, an unpretendinghusband! You can choose a genteel young lady for yourself. That's theway when people are lucky. You will become a landed proprietor. OldHeinrich will then no doubt obtain permission to exhibit his tricks onyour estate? But none of its will speak of former times!--of the redhouse on the Odense water!" This last he whispered quite low. "I shallreceive a few shillings from you?" he asked. 

"You shall have more!" said Otto, and gave to him. "But I wish us toremain strangers to each other, as we are!"

"Yes, certainly, certainly!" said Heinrich, and nodded affirmativelywith his head, whilst his eyes rested on the gift Otto had presented himwith. "Then you are no longer angry with my joke in Jutland?" asked hewith a simpering smile, and kissed Otto's hand. "I should not have knownyou then. Had you not shown me your shoulder, on which I saw the lettersO and T which I myself had etched, it would never have occurred tome that we knew each other! But a light suddenly flashed across me. Ishould have said Otto Thostrup; but I said 'Odense Tugt-huus. ' [Note:Odense house of correction. ] That was not handsome of me, seeing you aresuch a good gentleman!"

"Yes, now adieu!" said Otto, and extended to him unwillingly his hand. 

"There, our Saviour looks down upon us!" said the German Heinrich, andfixed his eyes upon the figure on the cross. "As certainly as He livesmay you rely upon the silence of my mouth. He is my Redeemer, who hangsthere on the cross, just as he is etched upon my skin, and as he standsalong the high-roads in my father-land. Here is the only place in thewhole country where the sign of the cross stands under the free heaven;here I worship: for you must know, Mr. Thostrup, I am not of your faith, but of the faith of the Virgin Mary. Here I have cut into the wood theholy sign, such as is placed over every door in my father-land, --an I, an H, and this S. In this is contained my own name; for H stands forHeinrich; I, for I myself; and S means Sinner; that is, I, Heinrich, Sinner. Now I have completed my worship, and you have given me ahandsome skilling, I shall now go to my bed at the public-house; and ifthe girl is pretty, and lets one flatter her, I am still young enough, and shall fancy that I am Mr. Thostrup, and have won that most glorious, elegant young lady! Hurrah! it is a player's life which we lead!"

Otto left him, but heard how Heinrich sang:

 "Tri, ri, ro, The summer comes once mo! To beer, boys! to beer The winter lies in bands, O! And he who won't come here, We'll trounce him with our wands, O! Yo, yo, yo, The summer comes once mo!"

As, suddenly on a clear sunny day, a cloud can appear, extinguish thewarm sunshine, conceal the green coast, and change everything intogray mist forms, so was it now with Otto, who had but just before felthimself so happy and full of youthful joy. 

"You can sleep quietly!" said the host, when Otto returned to Slagelse;"you shall be wakened early enough to leave with the mail. "

But his rest was like a delirium. 

The post-horn sounded in the empty street; they rolled away--it was atdaybreak. 

"Is that a gallows?" inquired one of the travellers, and pointed towardthe hill, where at this distance the cross looked like a stake. 

"That is the cross of the holy Anders!" replied Otto; and livingly stoodbefore him the recollections of the evening before. 

"Does that really exist?" said the stranger. "I have read of it in the'Letters of a Wandering Ghost. '"

This was a beautiful morning, the sun shone warmly, the sea was smoothas a mirror, and so much the faster did the steamboat glide away. Thevessel with the mail, which had set sail two hours earlier, still laynot far from land. The sails hung down loosely; not a breeze stirredthem. 

The steamboat glided close past her; the passengers in the mail-vessel, the greater portion coachmen, travelling journeymen, and peasants, stoodon the deck to see it. They waved greetings. One of the foremost leanedon his knotty stick, pulled off his hat, and shouted, "Good morning, my noble gentlefolk!" It was the German Heinrich; he then was going toFunen. Otto's heart beat faster, he gazed down among the rushing waveswhich foamed round the paddle, where the sunbeams painted a gloriousrainbow. 

"That is lovely!" said one of the strangers, close to him. 

"Very lovely!" returned Otto, and stilled the sigh which would burstforth from his breast. 

Scarcely two hours were fled--the cables were flung upon the Nyborgbridge of boats, and the steamboat made fast to the island of Funen. 

CHAPTER XXXII

 "It is so sweet when friendly hands bid you a hearty welcome, so dear to behold well-known features, wherever you turn your eyes. Everything seems so home-like and quiet about you and in your own breast. " HENRIETTE HAUCK. 

Otto immediately hired a carriage, and reached the hall just aboutdinner-time. In the interior court-yard stood two calashes and anHolstein carriage; two strange coachmen, with lace round their hats, stood in animated discourse when Otto drove in through the gate. Thepostilion blew his horn. 

"Be quiet there!" cried Otto. 

"There are strangers at the hall!" said the postilion; "I will only letthem know that another is coming. "

Otto gazed at the garden, glanced up toward the windows, where mine ofthe ladies showed themselves only out of a side building a femalehead was stretched out, whose hair was put back underneath a cap. Ottorecognized the grown-together eyebrows. "Is she the first person I am tosee here?" sighed he; and the carriage rolled into the inner court. Thedogs barked, the turkey-cocks gobbled, but not Wilhelm showed himself. The Kammerjunker came--the excellent neighbor! and immediately afterwardSophie; both exclaimed with smiles, "Welcome!"

"See, here we have our man!" said the Kammerjunker; "we can make use ofhim in the play!"

"It is glorious you are come!" cried Sophie. "We shall immediately putyou under arrest. " She extended her hand to him--he pressed it to hislips. "We will have tableaux vivants this evening!" said she: "thepastor has never seen any. We have no service from Wilhelm; he is inSvendborg, and will not return for two days. You must be the officer;the Kammerjunker will represent the Somnambulist, who comes with herlight through the window. Will you?"

"Everything you desire!" said Otto. 

"Do not speak of it!" returned Sophie, and laid her finger on her lips. The mother descended the steps. 

"Dear Thostrup!" said she, and pressed, with warm cordiality, both hishands. "I have really quite yearned after you. Now Wilhelm is away, youmust for two whole days put up with us alone. "

Otto went through the long passage where hung the old portraits; it wasas if these also wished welcome. It only seemed a night full of manydreams which had passed since he was here; a year in the lapse of timeis also not so long as a winter's night in the life of man. 

Here it was so agreeable, so home-like; no one could have seen by thetrees that since then they had stood stripped of leaves and covered withsnow; luxuriantly green they waved themselves in the sun's warmth, justas when Otto last gazed out of this window. 

He had the red room as before. The dinner-bell rang. 

Louise met him in the passage. 

"Thostrup!" exclaimed she, with delight, and seized his hand. "Now, itis almost a year and a day since I saw you!"

"Yes much has happened in this year!" said the Kammerjunker. "Comesoon to me, and you shall see what I have had made for pastime--abowling-green! Miss Sophie has tried her skill upon it. "

The Kammerjunker took the mother to dinner. Otto approached Sophie. 

"Will you not take the Kammerjunker's sister?" whispered she. 

Mechanically, Otto made his bow before Miss Jakoba. 

"Take one of the young ladies!" said she; "you would rather do that?"

Otto bowed, cast a glance toward Sophie; she had the old pastor. Ottosmiled, and conducted Jakoba to table. 

The Mamsell, renowned through her work-box, sat on his left hand. He observed the company who, beside those we have already mentioned, consisted of several ladies and gentlemen whom he did not know. Onechair was empty, but it was soon occupied; a young girl, quiet in herattire, and dressed like Louise, entered. 

"Why do you come so late?" asked Sophie, smiling. 

"That is only known to Eva and me!" said Louise, and smiled at the younggirl. 

Eva seated herself. It was, perhaps, the complete resemblance of theirdress which induced Otto to observe both her and Louise so closely, andeven against his own will to draw comparisons. Both wore a simple darkbrown dress, a small sea-green handkerchief round the neck. Louiseseemed to him enchanting--pretty one could not call her: Eva, on thecontrary, was ideal; there lay something in her appearance which madehim think of the pale pink hyacinth. Every human being has his invisibleangel, says the mythos; both are different and yet resemble each other. Eva was the angel; Louise, on the contrary, the human being in all itspurity. Otto's eyes encountered those of Sophie--they were both directedto the same point. "What power! what beauty!" thought he. Her mind isfar above that of Louise, and in beauty she is a gorgeous flower, andnot, like Eva, a fine, delicate hyacinth. He drew eloquence from theseeyes, and became interesting like the cousin, although he had not beenin Paris. 

The Kammerjunker spoke of sucking-pigs, but that also was interesting;perhaps be drew his inspiration out of the same source as Otto. He spokeof the power of green buckwheat, and how the swine which eat it becomemad. From this doubtless originated the legend of the devil enteringinto the swine. It is only coal-black pigs which can digest greenbuckwheat; if they have a single white speck upon them, they become illat eating. "This is extraordinary, " exclaimed he. 

In his enthusiasm his discourse became almost a cry, which caused MissJakoba to say that one might almost think that he himself had eatengreen buckwheat. 

Otto meantime cut out of the green melon-peel a man, and made him rideon the edge of his glass; that withdrew Sophie's attention from theKammerjunker. The whole company found that this little cut-out figurewas very pretty; and the Mamsell begged that she might have it--itshould lie in her work-box. 

Toward evening all were in preparation for the approaching tableaux. 

Eva must represent Hero. With a torch in her hand she must kneel on atable, which was to be draped so as to represent a balcony. The poorgirl felt quite unhappy at having to appear in this manner. Sophielaughed at her fear, and assured her that she would be admired, and thattherefore she must and should. 

"Give way to my sister, " said Louise, in a beseeching voice; and Eva wasready, let down her long brown hair, and allowed Sophie to arrange thedrapery. 

Otto must put on an officer's uniform. He presented himself to thesisters. 

"That gold is not sewn fast on the collar, " said Sophie, and undertookto rectify it. He could easily keep the uniform on whilst she did this, said she. Her soft hand touched Otto's cheek, it was like an electricshock to him; his blood burned; how much he longed to press the hand tohis lips!

They all burst out laughing when the Kammerjunker appeared in a whitepetticoat which only reached a little below the knee, and in a largewhite lady's dressing-jacket. Miss Sophie must arrange his hair. She didit charmingly; her hand stroked the hair away from his brow, and glidedover his cheeks: he kissed it; she struck him in the face, and beggedhim not to forget himself! "We are ladies, " said he, and rose in hisfull splendor. They all laughed except Otto; he could not--he felt adesire to beat him. The spectators arranged themselves in a dark room, the folding doors were opened. 

Eva as Hero, in a white linen robe, her hair hanging down on hershoulders, and a torch in her hand, gazed out over the sea. No paintercould have imagined anything more beautiful; the large dark-blue eyesexpressed tenderness and melancholy; it was Eva's natural glance, but here you saw her quiet. The fine black eyebrows increased theexpression, the whole figure was as if breathed into the picture. 

Now followed a new picture--Faust and Margaret in the arbor; behindstood Mephistophiles, with his devilish smile. The Kammerjunker'sMamsell was Margaret. When the doors were opened she sent forth aloudcry, and ran away; she would not stay, she was so afraid. The group wasdisarranged, people laughed and found it amusing, but the Kammerjunkerscolded aloud, and swore that she should come in again; at that thelaughter of the spectators increased, and was not lessened when theKammerjunker, forgetting his costume as the Somnambule, half steppedinto the frame in which the pictures were represented, and seated theMamsell on the bench. This group was only seen for one moment: thedorors were again closed; the spectators applauded, but a whistle washeard. Laughter, and the hum of conversation, resounded through theroom; and it was impossible to obtain perfect quiet, although a newpicture already shone in the frame. It was Sophie as Correggio's"Magdalene": her rich hair fell in waves over her shoulders and roundarms; before her lay the skull and the holy book. 

Otto's blood flowed faster; never had he seen Sophie more beautiful. Theaudience, however, could not entirely forget the comic scene which theyhad just witnessed; there was heard a faint suppressed laughter. 

This at length was able to take its free course when the followingpicture presented itself, where the Kammerjunker, as the Somnambule, hishand half-concealing the extinguished light, showed himself at the openwindow. 

A most stormy burst of applause was awarded to the actors. 

"Miss Sophie has arranged the whole!" cried the Kammerjunker, and nowher name sounded from the lips of all the audience. 

Not before two days did Wilhelm return. He and Otto slept in the sameapartment. Otto told of the tableaux, and said how lovely Eva had beenas Hero. 

"That I can well believe, " replied Wilhelm, but did not enter furtherinto the subject; he laughed about the Kammerjunker and the disarrangedgroup. 

Otto again named Eva, but Wilhelm lightly passed over this subject inhis replies. Otto could not fathom their connection. 

"Shall we not go to sleep?" said Wilhelm; they wished each othergood-night, and it was quiet. 

The old man Sleep, as Tieck has described him, with the box out ofwhich he brings his dream-puppets, now commenced his nightly dramaticadventures, which lasted until the sun shone in through the window. 

CHAPTER XXXIII

 "He draws nearer and nearer to her. 'O, give my hope an answer by this pink-flower. ' She sighs: 'O, I will--no--I will not. '" The Dancer, by PALUDAN-MÜLLER

"I shall get to know!" thought Otto. "This violent love cannot beevaporated. " He paid attention to every little occurrence. Eva was thesame quiet, modest creature as formerly--a house-fairy who exerciseda friendly influence over all. Wilhelm spoke with her, but not withpassion, neither with affected indifference. However, we cannot entirelyrely upon Otto's power of observation: his glance was directed too oftentoward a dearer object--his attention was really directed to Sophie. 

They walked in the garden. 

"Once as you certainly know, " said Otto, "your brother had a fancy forthe pretty Eva. Is it not, therefore, somewhat dangerous her livinghere? Has your mother been prudent?"

"For Wilhelm I am quite unconcerned!" answered Sophie. "Only take careof yourself! Eva is very amiable, and has very much changed for thebetter since she came here. My sister Louise quite raves about her, andmy mother regards her almost as an adopted daughter. You have certainlyremarked that she is not kept in the background. Yet she is weak; sheresembles the tender mountain-flowers which grow in ice and snow, butwhich bow their heads in the soft mountain air, when it is warmed bythe sun. It really seems to me that she is become weaker since she hasenjoyed our care and happy days. When I saw her at Roeskelde she was farmore blooming. "

"Perhaps she thinks of your brother--thinks of him with quiet sorrow?"

"That I do not think is the case, " replied Sophie; "otherwise Louisewould have heard something of it. She possesses Eva's entire confidence. You may make yourself easy, if you are jealous!"

"What make you conjecture this? My thoughts are directed above, and notbeneath me!" said he, with a kind of pride, "I feel that I could neverfall in love with Eva. Feel love toward her? no! Even when I think ofit, I feel almost as though I had some prejudice against her. But youjoke; you will rally me, as you have so often done. We shall soon part!Only two months longer shall I remain in Denmark! Two long years abroad!How much may occur in that time! Will you think of me--really think ofme, Miss Sophie?" He bent, and kissed her hand. 

Sophie became crimson. Both were silent. 

"Are you here!" said the mother, who came out of a side walk. 

Otto stooped lower, and broke one of the beautiful stocks which hungover the border. 

"Are you taking Louise's favorite flowers?" said she, smiling. "This bedis declared to be inviolable. "

"I was so unfortunate as to break it!" said Otto, confused. 

"He wished to gather the dark-red pink for my table-garland!" saidSophie. "If he took it, my conscience would be clear!"

And they all three walked along speaking of cherries, gooseberries, ofthe linen on the bleaching-ground, and of the warm summer's day. 

In the evening Eva and the two sisters sat at their work, Otto andWilhelm had taken their seats beside them. They spoke of Copenhagen. 

Sophie knew how to introduce a number of little anecdotes, which she hadgathered among the young ladies there. Otto entered into her ideas, andknew cleverly how to support what she said. What in reality interestedyoung ladies was discussed. 

"When a girl is confirmed, all manner of fancies awake!" said Otto. "Sheexperiences a kind of inclination for the heart of man; but this maynot be acknowledged, except for two friends to the clergyman and thephysician. For these she has quite a passion, especially for theformer; she stands in a kind of spiritual rapport with him. His physicalamiability melts into the spiritual. Thus her first love one maydesignate clergyman-love. "

"That is well said!" exclaimed Sophie. 

"He preaches himself so deeply into her heart!" pursued Otto. "She meltsinto tears, kisses his hand, and goes to church; but not for the sake ofGod, but on account of the sweet clergyman!"

"O, I know that so well!" said Sophie, and laughed. 

"Fie! you do not mean so!" said Louise; "and I do not know how you cansay such a thing Mr. Thostrup! That is frightful! You do not in theleast know a young girl's soul! do not know the pure feeling with whichshe inclines herself to the man who has laid open before her the holythings of religion! Do not make sport of the innocent, the pure, whichis so far removed from every earthly impression!"

"I assure you, " said Otto, smiling, "were I a poet, I would make theclergyman-love ridiculous in a hundred witty epigrams; and were I ateacher, I would protest against it from the chair. "

"That would be scattering poison into a well!" said Louise. "You, as aman, do not know the pure, the holy sentiment which exists in a younggirl's bosom. Eva, thou art certainly of my opinion?"

"Neither is this Mr. Thostrup's opinion?" answered she, and looked athim with a mild gravity. 

Wilhelm laughed aloud. 

CHAPTER XXXIV

 "Alas, I am no sturdy oak! Alas, I'm but the flower That wakes the kiss of May! And when has fled its little hour, Will voice of Death obey. "--RUCKERT. 

The following afternoon came visitors--two young ladies from Nyborg, friends of Sophie and Louise. Before dinner they would take a walkthrough the wood to an inclosure where the flax was in bloom. Otto wasto accompany them. 

"I am also of the party!" said the Kammerjunker, who just galloped intothe court-yard as the ladies, with Otto, were about setting out ontheir excursion. Thus the whole company consisted of five ladies and twogentlemen. 

"The cows are not in the field over which we must go, are they?" askedEva. 

"No, my good girl!" returned Sophie; "you may be quite easy! Besides, wehave two gentlemen with us. "

"Yes; but they would not be able to protect us from the unrulybullocks!" said Louise. "But we have nothing to fear. Where we aregoing the cows do not go until after they are milked. I am no heroine!Besides, it is not long since one bullock nearly gored the cowherd todeath. He also gored Sidsel a great hole in her arm just lately: youremember the girl with her eyebrows grown together?"

"There is also in the wood a wild sow, with eleven sucking pigs!" saidSophie, in ironical gravity; "it would not be agree able to meet withher!"

"She is almost as dangerous as the bullocks!" said the Kammerjunker, andlaughed at Eva. 

The conversation took another turn. 

"Shall we not visit Peter Cripple?" asked Sophie. "The gentlemen canthen see the smith's pretty daughter; she is really too beautiful to behis wife!"

"Is Peter Cripple married?" inquired Otto. 

"No, the wedding will be held on Sunday!" replied the Kammerjunker; "butthe bride is already in the house. The bans were published last Sunday, and they immediately commenced housekeeping together. This often takesplace even earlier, when a man cannot do without a wife. She has takenhim on account of his full money-bags!"

"Yes, with the peasant it is seldom love which brings about the affair!"said Louise. "Last year there was quite a young girl who married aman who might have been her grandfather. She took him only, she said, because he had such a good set of earthenware. "

"These were very brittle things to marry upon!" remarked Otto. 

Meantime they were nearly come to the edge of the wood. Here stood alittle house; hops hung luxuriantly over the hedge, the cat stood withbent back upon the crumbling edge of the well. 

Sophie, at the head of the whole company, stepped into the room, wherePeter Cripple sat on the table sewing; but, light and active as anelf, he sprang down from the table to kiss her hand. The smith's prettydaughter was stirring something in an iron pot in the hearth. St. John'swort, stuck between the beams and the ceiling, shot forth in luxuriantgrowth, prophesying long life to the inhabitants of the house. On thesooty ceiling glittered herrings' souls, as a certain portion of theherring's entrails is called, and which Peter Cripple, following thepopular belief, had flung up to the ceiling, convinced that so long asthey hung there he should be freed from the ague. 

Otto took no part in the conversation, but turned over a quantity ofsongs which he found; they were stitched together in a piece of bluetobacco-paper. The principal contents were, "New, Melancholy Songs, ""Of the Horrible Murder, " "The Audacious Criminal, " "The Devil in SalmonLane, " "Boat's Fall, " and such things; which have now supplanted, amongthe peasants, the better old popular songs. 

With Louise, Eva, and one of the ladies from Nyborg, Otto slowlypreceded the others, who had still some pleasantries to say beforeleaving Peter Cripple and his bride. 

"Shall we not go over the inclosure to the cairn?" said Louise. "It isclear to-day; we shall see Zealand. The others will follow us; here, from the foot-path, they will immediately discover us. "

Otto opened the gate and they went through the inclosure. They hadalready advanced a considerable way, when the Kammerjunker and hisladies reached the foot-path from which they could see the others. 

"They are going to the cairn, " said he. 

"Then they will have a little fright!" said Sophie. "Down in the cornerof the inclosure lie the young cattle. They may easily mistake them forcows, and the wild bullocks!"

"Had we not better call them back?" asked the other lady. 

"But we must frighten them a little, " said Sophie. "Shout to them thatthere are the cows!"

"Yes, that I can do with a clear conscience!" said the Kammerjunker;and he shouted as loud as he could, "There are the cows! Turn back! turnback!"

Eva heard it the first. "O God!" said she, "hear what they are callingto us!"

Otto glanced around, but saw no cows. 

"They are standing still!" said Sophie; "call once again!"

The Kammerjunker shouted as before, and Sophie imitated the lowing ofthe cows. At this noise the young cattle arose. 

Louise now became aware of them. "O heavens!" exclaimed she; "there, down in the corner of the inclosure, are all the cows!"

"Let us run!" cried Eva, and took to flight. 

"For God's sake, do not run!" cried Otto; "walk slowly and quietly, otherwise they may come!"

"Come away, away!" resounded from the wood. 

"O Lord!" shrieked Eva, when she saw the creatures raise their tails inthe air as soon as they perceived the fugitives. 

"Now they are coming!" cried the lady who accompanied them, and sentforth a loud scream. 

Eva fled first, as if borne by the wind; the lady followed her, andLouise ran on after them. 

Otto now really saw all the cattle, which, upon the ladies flight, hadinstinctively followed, chasing over the field after them in the samedirection. 

Nothing now remained for him but, like the others, to reach the gate. This he opened, and had just closed again, when the cattle were closeupon them, but no one had eyes to see whether the cattle were little orbig. 

"Now there is no more danger!" cried Otto, as soon as he had well closedthe gate; but the ladies still fled on, passing among the trees untilthey reached the spot where the Kammerjunker and his two ladies awaitedthem with ringing laughter. 

Sophie was obliged to support herself against a tree through all theamusement. It had been a most remarkable spectacle, this flight; Eva atthe head, and Mr. Thostrup rushing past them to open the gate. Louisewas pale as death, and her whole body trembled; the friend supported herarm and forehead on a tree, and drew a long breath. 

"Bah!" again cried Sophie, and laughed. 

"But where is Eva?" asked Otto, and shouted her name. 

"She ran here before me!" said Louise; "she is doubtless leaning againsta tree, and recovering her strength. "

"Eva!" cried Sophie. "Where is my hero: 'I want a hero!'" [Author'sNote: Byron's Don Juan. ]

Otto returned to seek her. At this moment Wilhelm arrived. 

The Kammerjunker regretted that he had not seen the race with them, andrelated the whole history to him. 

"O come! come!" they heard Otto shout. They found him kneeling in thehigh grass. Eva lay stretched out on the ground; she was as pale asdeath; her head rested in Otto's lap. 

"God in heaven!" cried Wilhelm, and flung himself down before her. "Eva!Eva! O, she is dead! and thou art to blame for it, Sophie! Thou hastkilled her!" Reproachfully he fixed his eyes on his sister. She burstinto tears, and concealed her face in her hands. 

Otto ran to the peasant's cottage and brought water. Peter Cripplehimself hopped like a mountain-elf behind him through the high nettlesand burdocks, which closed above and behind him again. 

The Kammerjunker took Eva in his strong arms and carried her to thecottage. Wilhelm did not leave hold of her hand. The others followed insilence. 

"Try and get her home, " said Wilhelm; "I myself will fetch thephysician!" He rushed forth, and hastened through the wood to the ball, where he ordered the men to bring out a sedan-chair for the invalid;then had horses put into one of the lightest carriages, seated himselfin it as coachman, and drove away to Nyborg, the nearest town, which, however, was distant almost twenty miles. 

Sophie was inconsolable. "It is my fault!" she said, and wept. 

Otto found her sitting before the house, under an elder-tree. She couldnot endure to see Eva's paleness. 

"You are innocent, " said Otto. "Believe me, to-morrow Eva will becompletely restored! She herself, " added he, in an assuaging tone, "behaved in an imprudent manner. I warned her not to run. Her own terroris to blame for all. "

"No, no, " returned Sophie; "my folly, my extravagance, has caused thewhole misfortune!"

"Now it is much better, " said the Kammerjunker, coming out of the house. "She must be devilish tender to fly before a few calves! I really mustlaugh when I think of it, although it did come to such an end!"

The men now arrived whom Wilhelm had sent with the sedan-chair. 

Eva thought she could walk, if she might lean upon some one; but itwould be better, her friends thought, if she were carried. 

"Dost thou feel any pain?" asked Louise, and gave her a sisterly kiss onthe brow. 

"No, none at all, " replied Eva. "Do not scold me for having frightenedyou so. I am so fearful, and the bullock were close behind us. "

"They were, God help me, only calves!" answered the Kammerjunker; "theywished to play, and only ran because you ran!"

"It was a foolish joke of mine!" said Sophie, and seized Eva's hand. "Iam very unhappy about it!"

"O no!" said Eva, and smiled so pensively, yet happily. "To-morrow Ishall be quite well again!" Her eye seemed to seek some one. 

Otto understood the glance. "The physician is sent for. Wilhelm hashimself driven over for him. "

Toward the middle of the wood the mother herself approached them; shewas almost as pale as Eva. 

All sought to calm her; Eva bowed her head to kiss the good lady's hand. The Kammerjunker told the story to her, and she shook her head. "What animprudent, foolish joke!" said she; "here you see the consequences!"

Not before late in the afternoon did Wilhelm return with the physician;he found his patient out of all danger, but prescribed what should stillbe done. Quiet and the warm summer air would do the most for her. 

"See, " said Otto, when, toward evening he met Sophie in the garden, "to-day Wilhelm did not conceal his feelings!"

"I fear that you are right!" returned Sophie. "He loves Eva, and that isvery unfortunate. Tell me what you know about it. "

"I know almost nothing!" said Otto, and told about little Jonas and thefirst meeting with Eva. 

"Yes, that he has told us already himself! But do you know nothingmore?" Her voice became soft, and her eyes gazed full of confidence intoOtto's. 

He related to her the short conversation which he had had last autumnwith Wilhelm, how angry he had been with his candid warning, and howsince then they had never spoken about Eva. 

"I must confide my fear to our mother!" said Sophie. "I almost now amglad that he will travel in two months, although we shall then lose youalso!"

And Otto's heart beat; the secret of his heart pressed to his lips;every moment he would speak it. But Sophie had always still anotherquestion about her brother; they were already out of the garden, alreadyin the court-yard, and yet Otto had said nothing. 

Therefore was he so quiet when, late in the evening, he and Wilhelmentered their chamber. Wilhelm also spoke no word, but his eyerepeatedly rested expectantly on Otto, as if waiting for him to breakthe silence. Wilhelm stepped to the open window and drank in the freshair, suddenly he turned round, flung his arms round Otto, and exclaimed, "I can no longer endure it! I must say it to some one! I love her, andwill never give her up, let every one be opposed! I have now silentlyconcealed my feelings for some months; I can do so no longer, or I shallbecome ill, and for that I am not made!"

"Does she know this?" asked Otto. 

"No, and yes! I do not know what I should answer! Here at home I havenever spoken alone with her. The last time when Weyse played on theorgan at Roeskelde I had bought a pretty silk handkerchief, and thisI took with me for her; I know not, but I wished to give her pleasure. There came a woman past with lovely stocks; I stood at the open window;she offered me a bouquet, and I bought it. 'Those are lovely flowers!'said Eva, when she entered. 'They will fade with me!' said I; 'put themin water and keep there for yourself!' She wished only to have a few, but I obliged her to take them all: she blushed, and her eyes gazedstrangely down into my soul. I know not what sort of a creature Ibecame, but it was impossible for me to give her the handkerchief; itseemed to me that this would almost be an offense. Eva went away withthe flowers, but the next morning it seemed to me that she was uneasy; Ifancied I saw her color come and go when I bade her adieu! She must haveread the thoughts in my soul!"

"And the handkerchief?" interrupted Otto. 

"I gave it to my sister Sophie, " said Wilhelm. 

CHAPTER XXXV

 "Tell me What would my heart? My heart's with thee, With thee would have a part. " GOETHE'S West-östlicher Divan. 

 "There stands the man again-- The man with gloomy mien. " Memories of Travel, by B. C. INGEMANN. 

Several days passed; the fine crimson again returned to Eva's cheeks. The first occasion of her going out with the others was to see therape-stalks burned. These were piled together in two immense stacks. Inthe morning, at the appointed hour, which had been announced throughthe neighborhood that no one might mistake it for a conflagration, thestalks were set fire to. This took place in the nearest field, closebeside the hall, where the rape-seed was threshed upon an out-spreadsail. 

The landscape-painter, Dahl, has given us a picture of the burningVesuvius, where the red lava pours down the side of the mountain; in thebackground one sees across the bay as far as Naples and Ischia: it is apiece full of great effect. Such a splendid landscape is not to be foundin flat Denmark, where there are no great natural scenes, and yet thismorning presented even there a picture with the same brilliant coloring. We will study it. In the foreground there is a hedge of hazels, the nutshang in great clusters, and contrast strongly with their bright greenagainst the dark leaves; the blue chicory-flower and the blood-red poppygrew on the side of the ditch, upon which are some tall rails, overwhich the ladies have to climb: the delicate sylph-like figure is Eva. In the field, where nothing remains but the yellow stubble, stand Ottoand Wilhelm; two magnificent hounds wag their tails beside them. To theleft is a little lake, thickly overgrown with reeds and water-lilies, with the yellow trollius for its border. In the front, where the woodretreats, lie, like a great stack, the piled-together rape-stalks: theman has struck fire, has kindled the outer side of them, and with arapidity like that of the descending lava the red fire flashes up thegigantic pile. It crackles and roars within it. In a moment it is all aburning mound; the red flames flash aloft into the blue air, high abovethe wood which is now no longer visible. A thick black smoke ascends upinto the clear air, where it rests like a cloud. Out of the flames, and even out of the smoke, the wind carries away large masses of fire, which, crackling and cracking, are borne on to the wood, and which fillthe spectator with apprehension of their falling upon the nearest treesand burning up leaf and branch. 

"Let us go further off, " said Sophie; "the heat is too great here. "

They withdrew to the ditch. 

"O, how many nuts!" exclaimed Wilhelm; "and I do not get one of them! Ishall go after them if they be ripe. "

"But you have grapes and other beautiful fruit!" said Eva smiling. "Wehave our beautiful things at home!"

"Yes, it is beautiful, very beautiful at home!" exclaimed Wilhelm;"glorious flowers, wild nuts; and there we have Vesuvius before us!" Hepointed to the burning pile. 

"No, " said Sophie; "it seems to me much more like the pile uponwhich the Hindoo widow lays herself alive to be burned! That must behorrible!"

"One should certainly be very quickly dead!" said Eva. 

"Would you actually allow yourself to be burned to death, if you were aHindoo widow--after, for instance, Mr. Thostrup, or after Wilhelm, " saidshe, with a slight embarrassment, "if he lay dead in the fire?"

"If it were the custom of the country, and I really had lost the onlysupport which I had in the world--yes, so I would!"

"O, no, no!" said Louise. 

"In fact it is brilliant!" exclaimed Sophie. 

"Burning is not, perhaps, the most painful of deaths!" said Otto, andplucked in an absent manner the nuts from the hedge. "I know a storyabout a true conflagration. "

"What is it like?" asked Wilhelm. 

"Yet it is not a story to tell in a large company; it can only be heardwhen two and two are together. When I have an opportunity, I shall tellit!"

"O, I know it!" said Wilhelm. "You can relate it to one of my sistersthere, whichever you like best! Then I shall--yes, I must relate it toEva!"

"It is too early in the day to hear stories told!" said Louise; "let usrather sing a song!"

"No, then we shall have to weep in the evening, " replied Wilhelm. Andthey had neither the song nor the story. 

Mamma came wandering with Vasserine, the old, faithful hound: theytwo also wished to see how beautiful the burning looked. It succeededexcellently with the rape-stalks; but the other burning, of which thestory was to be told, it did not yet arrive at an outbreak! It might beexpected, however, any hour in the day. 

In the evening Otto walked alone through the great chestnut avenue. The moon shone brightly between the tree-branches. When he entered theinterior court Wilhelm and Sophie skipped toward him, but softly, verysoftly. They lifted their hands as if to impress silence. 

"Come and see!" said Sophie; "it is a scene which might be painted! itgoes on merrily in the servants' hall; one can see charmingly throughthe window!"

"Yes, come!" said Wilhelm. 

Otto stole softly forward. The lights shone forth. 

Within there was laughter and loud talking; one struck upon the table, another sung, --

 "And I will away to Prussia land, Hurrah! And when I am come to Prussia land, Hurrah!" [Note: People's song. ]

Otto looked in through the window. 

Several men and maids sat within at the long wooden table at the endof this stood Sidsel in a bent attitude, her countenance was of a deepcrimson; she spoke a loud oath and laughed--no one imagined that theywere observed. All eyes were riveted upon a great fellow who, with hisshirt-sleeves rolled up, and a pewter tankard in his hand, was standingthere. It was the German Heinrich, who was exhibiting to them hisconjuring tricks. Otto turned pale; had the dead arisen from the bierbefore him it could not have shocked him more. 

"Hocus-pocus Larifari!" cried Heinrich within, and gave the tankard to ahalf-grown fellow, of the age between boy and man. 

"If thou hast already a sweetheart, " said he; "then the corn which iswithin it will be turned to flour; but if thou art still only a youngcuckoo, then it will remain only groats. "

"Nay, Anders Peersen!" said all the girls laughing, "now we shall seewhether thou art a regular fellow!"

Sophie stole away. 

The echoing laughter and clapping of hands announced the result. 

"Is it not the same person who was playing conjuring tricks in thepark?" inquired Wilhelm. 

"Yes, certainly, " replied Otto; "he is to me quite repulsive!" And sosaying, he followed Sophie. 

Late in the evening, when all had betaken themselves to rest, Wilhelmproposed to Otto that they should make a little tour, as he called it. 

"I fancy Meg Merrilies, as my sister calls Sidsel, " said he, "has madea conquest of the conjuror, although he might be her father. They havebeen walking together down the avenue; they have been whispering a dealtogether; probably he will to-night sleep in one of the barns. I must goand look after him; he will be lying there and smoking his pipe, andmay set our whole place on fire. Shall we go down together? We can takeVasserine and Fingel with us. "

"Let him sleep!" said Otto; "he will not be so mad as to smoke tobaccoin the straw! To speak candidly, I do not wish to be seen by him. He wasseveral times at my grandfather's house. I have spoken with him, and nowthat I dislike him I do not wish to see him!"

"Then I will go alone!" said Wilhelm. 

Otto's heart beat violently; he stood at the open window and looked outover the dark wood, which was lit up by the moon. Below in the court heheard Wilhelm enticing the dogs out. He heard yet another voice, it wasthat of the steward, and then all was again silent. Otto thought uponthe German Heinrich and upon Sophie, his life's good and bad angels;and he pictured to himself how it would be if she extended to himher hand--was his bride! and Heinrich called forth before her therecollections which made his blood curdle. 

It seemed to him as if something evil impended over him this night. "Ifeel a forewarning of it!" said he aloud. 

Wilhelm came not yet back. 

Almost an hour passed thus. Wilhelm entered, both dogs were with him;they were miry to their very sides. 

"Did you meet any one?" inquired Otto. 

"Yes, there was some one, " said Wilhelm, "but not in the barn. Thestupid dogs seemed to lose their nature; it was as if there was asomebody stealing along the wall, and through the reeds in the moat. Thehounds followed in there; you can see how they look!--but they came thenext moment back again, whined, and hung down their ears and tails. Icould not make them go in again. Then the steward was superstitious!But, however, it could only be either the juggler, or one of theservant-men who had stilts. How otherwise any one could go in among thereeds without getting up to their necks, I cannot conceive!"

All was again perfectly still without. The two friends went to the openwindow, threw their arms over each other's shoulders, and looked outinto the silent night. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

 "Bring' häusliche Hülfe Incubus! incubus. Tritt herhor und mache den Schluss. " GOETHE's Faust. 

 "Es giebt so bange Zeiten, Es giebt so trüben Muth!"--NOVALIS. 

The next morning Wilhelm related his evening adventure at thebreakfast-table; the sisters laughed at it. The mother, on the contrary, was silent, left the room, and after some time returned. 

"There have been thieves here!" said she, "and one might almost imaginethat they were persons in the household itself. They have been at thepress where the table-linen is kept, and have not been sparing in theirlevies. The beautiful old silver tankard, which I inherited from mygrandmother, is also missing. I would much sooner have given the valueof the silver than have lost that piece!"

"Will not the lady let it be tried by the sieve?" asked the old servant:"that is a pretty sure way!"

"That is nothing but superstition, " answered she; "in that way theinnocent may so easily be suspected. "

"As the lady pleases!" said the servant, and shook his head. 

In the mean time a search through the house was instituted. The boxes ofthe domestics were examined, but nothing was discovered. 

"If you would only let the sieve be tried!" said the old servant. 

In the afternoon Otto went into the garden; he fell into discourse withthe gardener, and they spoke of the theft which had occurred. 

"It vexes every one of us, " said he, "because we think much of the lady, and of the whole family. And some one must, nevertheless, be suspected. We believe that it was Sidsel, for she was a good-for-nothing person! Wefolks tried among ourselves with the sieve, but however, at the mentionof her name, if it did not move out of its place. We had set it uponthe point of a knife, and mentioned the name of every person aboutthe place, but it stood as if it were nailed quite fast. But there wasreally something to see, which not one of us would have believed. I'llsay no more about it, although we had every one of us our own thoughts. I would have taken my oath of it. "

Otto pressed him to mention the person who was suspected. 

"Yes, to you perhaps, I may mention it, " replied he; "but you will notsay anything about it? As we were standing today, at noon, around thesieve, and it did not move at Sidsel's name, she became angry, becausea word bad been let fall which could not be agreeable to her if she wereinnocent. She drew herself up as if in a passion, and said to us, 'Butthere are also in the hall a many people besides us, who may slip andslide! There are strangers here, and the fine Mamsell, and the farmers. Yes, I suspect no one, but every one ought to be named!'

"And so we did it. Yes, we mentioned even your name, Mr. Thostrup, although we knew very well that you were guiltless of the charge; but wewould not excuse any one. The sieve stood quite entirely still until wementioned Eva's name, and then it moved. Not one of us actually couldbelieve it, and the servant Peter said also that it was because of thedraught from the chimney. We mentioned yet once more all the names, andthe sieve stood still until we came to Eva's, and then we perceived veryplainly a movement. The servant Peter at the same moment gave a greatblow to the sieve, so that it fell to the ground, and he swore that itwas a lie, and that he would answer for Eva. I would have done so too;but yet it was very extraordinary with the sieve! Most of the folks, however, have their own thoughts, but no one venture to express themto the gentry who think so much of her. I cannot, however, rightlyreconcile it to myself!"

"She is innocent!" said Otto; and it amazed him that any one shouldcast the slightest suspicion on Eva. He thought of German Heinrich andSidsel, who alone appeared to him suspicious. There then occurred to himan experiment of which he had heard from Rosalie. It now seemed to himavailable, and, physiologically considered, much more certain than thatwith the sieve. 

"Probably it may lead to a discovery, " said he, after he hadcommunicated his whole plan to Sophie and the steward. 

"Yes, we mast try it!" said she; "it is excellent! I also will be put tothe proof, although I am initiated into the mystery. "

"Yes, you, your sister, Wilhelm, Eva, we all of us must, " said Otto. "Only I will not do the speaking: that the steward must do. "

"That is proper, very proper!" replied she: "it shall be tried thisevening when it is dark. "

The time came; the steward assembled the people. 

"Now I know, " said he, "how we shall find the thief!"

All were to remain in the first room: within a side-room, which wasquite dark, there stood in a corner on the right hand a copper kettle;to this every person as they came in, one by one, were to go and laytheir hand down on the flat bottom of the kettle. The hand of every onewho was innocent would be brought out again white and pure, but the handof the criminal would be severely burned, and would become black as acoal. 

"He who now, " said the steward, addressing them, "has a good conscience, may go with this and our Lord into the innermost room, lay his hand uponthe bottom of the kettle, and show it to me. Now I go to receive youall!"

The daughters went, the friends, Eva, and all the household. The stewardquestioned them as they came in: "Answer me, upon thy conscience, didthy hand touch the flat bottom of the kettle?"

All replied, "Yes!"

"Then show me your hand!" said he; and they showed them, and all wereblack: Sidsel's alone was white. 

"Thou art the thief!" said the steward. "Thy evil conscience hascondemned thee. Thou hast not touched the kettle; hast not laid thy handupon it, or it would have become as black as that of the others. Thekettle was blackened inside with turpentine smoke; they who came with agood conscience, knowing that their hands would remain pure like theirconsciences, touched the kettle fearlessly and their hands became black!Thou hast condemned thyself! Confess, or it will go worse with thee!"

Sidsel, uttered a horrible cry and fell down upon her knees. 

"O God, help me!" said she, and confessed that she was the thief. 

A chamber high up in the roof was prepared as a prison; here thedelinquent was secured until the affair, on the following day, should beannounced to the magistrate. 

"Thou shalt be sent to Odense, and work upon the treadmill!" saidWilhelm: "to that thou belongest!"

The family assembled at the tea-table. Sophie joked about the day'sadventure. 

"Poor Sidsel!" said Eva. 

"In England she would be hanged, " said Wilhelm; "that would be a finething to see!"

"Horrible!" replied Louise; "they must die of terror in going to thegallows. "

"Nay, it is very merry, " said Wilhelm. "Now you shall hear what gloriousmusic has been set to it by Rossini!" And he played the march from"Gazza Ladra, " where a young girl is led to the gallows. 

"Is it not merry?" asked he. "Yes, he is a composer!"

"To me it seems precisely characteristic, " answered Otto. "They are notthe feelings of the girl which the composer wished to express; it is thejoy of the rude rabble in witnessing an execution--to them a charmingspectacle, which is expressed in these joyous tones: it is a tragicopera, and therefore he chose exactly this character of expression!"

"It is difficult to say anything against that, " replied Wilhelm; "yetwhat you assert I have not heard from any other person. "

"When a soldier is executed they play some lively air, " said Otto; "thecontrast in this case brings forth the strongest effect!"

The servant now entered, and said with a smile that Peter Cripple, the"new-married man, " as he called him, was without and wished to speak tothe Baron Wilhelm. 

"It is about a waltz, " said he, "which the Baron had promised to him!"

"It is late for him to come into the court!" said Sophie "the peasantsgenerally go to bed with the sun. "

In the lobby stood the announced Peter in his stocking-feet, with hishat in one hand and a great stick in the other. He knew, he said, thatit was still daytime with the gentlefolks; he was just coming past thehall and thought that he could, perhaps, have that Copenhagen Waltzwhich the Baron had promised him: he should want it to-morrow nightto play at a wedding, and, therefore, he wished to have it now that hemight practice it first of all. 

Sophie inquired after his young wife, and said something merry. Louisegave him a cup of tea, which he drank in the lobby. Otto looked at himthrough the open door; he made comical grimaces, and looked almost asif he wished to speak with him. Otto approached him, and Peter thrusta piece of paper into his hand, making at the same time a significantgesture indicative of silence. 

Otto stepped aside and examined the dirty piece of paper, which wasfolded together like a powder and sealed with a lump of wax. On theoutside stood, in scarcely legible characters, "TotH' WeL-borne, Mr. Odto Tustraab. "

He endeavored, in the first place, to read it in the moonlight; but thatwas scarcely possible. 

After considerable labor he made out the meaning of this letter, written, as it was in a half-German, half-Danish gibberish, of theorthography of which we have given a specimen in the direction. Theletter was from the German Heinrich. He besought Otto to meet him thisevening in the wood near Peter Cripple's house, and he would give to himan explanation which should be worth the trouble of the walk. It wouldoccasion, he said, much trouble and much misery to Mr Thostrup if he didnot go. 

A strange anxiety penetrated Otto. How could he steal away without beingmissed? and yet go he both must and should. An extraordinary anxietydrove him forth. 

"Yes, the sooner the better!" said he, hastening down the steps andleaping in haste over the low garden-fence lest the gate should, perhaps, make a noise. He was very soon in the wood: he heard thebeating of his own heart. 

"Eternal Father!" said he, "strengthen my soul! Release me from thisanxiety which overpowers me! Let all be for the best!"

He had now reached Peter Cripple's house. A figure leaned against thewall; Otto paused, measured it with his eye to ascertain who it was, andrecognized German Heinrich. 

"What do you want with me?" inquired Otto. 

Heinrich raised his hand in token of silence, beckoned him forward, and opened a little gate which led to the back of the house. Ottomechanically followed him. 

"It goes on badly at the hall, " said Heinrich. "Sidsel is really put inprison, and will be taken to-morrow to Odense, to the red house by theriver. "

"It is what she has deserved!" said Otto. "I did not bring it about. "

"O no!" answered Heinrich; "in a certain way we bring nothing about; butyou can put in a good word for her. You must see that this punishmentdoes not befall her. "

"But the punishment is merited!" replied Otto; "and how can I mix myselfup in the affair? What is it that you have to say to me?"

"Yet, the good gentleman must not get angry!" began Heinrich again; "butI am grieved about the girl. I can very well believe that he does notknow her, and therefore it gives him no trouble; but if I were now towhisper a little word in his ear? She is your own sister, Mr. Thostrup!"

All grew dark before Otto's eyes; a chill as of death went through hisblood; his hands held firmly by the cold wall, or he must have sunk tothe earth; not a sound escaped his lips. 

German Heinrich laid his hand in a confidential manner upon hisshoulder, and continued in a jeering, agitated tone, "Yes, it is hardfor you to hear! I also struggled a long time with myself before I couldmake up my mind to tell you. But a little trouble is preferable to agreat one. I had some talk with her yesterday, but I did not mentionyou, although it seemed queer to me at my heart that the brother shouldsit at the first table with the young ladies, and the sister be farmswine-maiden. Now they have put her in prison! I am very sorry for herand you too, Mr. Thostrup, for it is disagreeable! If the magistratecome to-morrow morning, and she fall into the claws of the red angel, it will not be so easy to set her at liberty again! But yet youcould, perhaps, help her; as, for instance, to-night! I could make anopportunity--I would be in the great avenue beyond the hall. If shecould get thus far she would be safe; I would then conduct her out ofthis part of the country. I may as well tell you that we were yesterdayhalf-betrothed! She goes with me; and you can persuade the gracious ladyat the hall to let the bird fly!"

"But how can I? how can I?" exclaimed Otto. 

"She is, however, always your sister!" said Heinrich, and they bothremained silent for a moment. "Then I will, " said Heinrich, "if all bestill at the hall, wait in the avenue as the bell goes twelve. "

"I must!" exclaimed Otto; "I must! God help me!"

"Jesu, Maria, help!" said Heinrich, and Otto left him. 

"She is my sister! she, the most horrible of all!" sighed he; his kneestrembled, and he leaned against a tree for support: his countenance waslike that of the dead; cold sweat-drops stood upon his brow. All aroundhim lay the dark night-like wood; only to the left glimmered, betweenthe bushes, the moonlight reflected from the lake. 

"Within its depths, " sighed he, "all would be forgotten--my grief wouldbe over! Yet, what is my sin? Had I an existence before I was born uponthis globe? Must I here be punished for sins which I then committed?"

His dark eye stared lifelessly out of his pale countenance. Thus sit thedead upon their graves in the silent night; thus gazes the somnambulistupon the living world around him. 

"I have felt this moment before--this moment which now is here; it wasthe well-spring whence poison was poured over my youthful days! She ismy sister! She? unhappy one that I am!"

Tears streamed from his eyes, it was a convulsive weeping; he criedaloud, it was impossible to him to suppress his voice; he sank half downby the tree and wept, for it was night in his soul: silent, bitter tearsflowed, as the blood flows when the heart is transpierced. Who couldbreathe to him consolation? There lay no balsam in the gentle airsof the clear summer night, in the fragrance of the wood, in the holy, silent spirit of nature. Poor Otto!

 "Weep, only weep! it gives repose, A world is every tear that flows, -- A world of anguish and unrest, That rolleth from the troubled breast. 

 "And hast thou wept whilst tears can flow, A tranquil peace thy heart will know; For sorrow, trivial or severe, Hath had its seat in every tear. 

 "Think'st thou that He, whose love beholds The worm the smallest leaf enfolds, -- That He, whose power sustains the whole Forgets a world--thy human soul?"

CHAPTER XXXVII

 "Mourir! c'est un instant de supplice: mais vivre?" --FRÉDÉRIC SOULIE. 

The physician from Nyborg, who had been on a visit to a sick person inthe neighborhood, took this opportunity of calling on the family andinquiring after Eva's health. They had prayed him to stay over the nightthere, and rather to drive hone in the early morning than so late in theevening. He allowed himself to be persuaded. Otto, on his return, found him and the family in deep conversation. They were talking of the"Letters of a Wandering Ghost. "

"Where have you been?" asked Sophie, as Otto entered. 

"You look so pale!" said Louise; "are you ill?"

"I do not feel well!" replied Otto; "I went therefore down into thegarden a little. Now I am perfectly recovered. " And he took part in theconversation. 

The overwhelming sorrow had dissolved itself in tears. His mind hadraised itself up again from its stupefaction, and sought for a point oflight on which to attach itself. They were talking of the immense cavesof Maastricht, how they stretch themselves out into deep passages andvast squares, in which sound is lost, and where the light, which cannotreach the nearest object, only glimmers like a point of fire. In orderto comprehend this vacuity and this darkness, the travellers let theguide extinguish his torch, and all is night; they are penetrated, as itwere, with darkness; the hand feels after a wall, in order to have somerestraint, some thought on which to repose itself: the eye sees nothing;the ear hears nothing. Horror seizes on the strongest mind: the samedarkness, the same desolate emotion, had Heinrich's words breathed intoOtto's soul; therefore he sank like the traveller to the earth: but asthe traveller's whole soul rivets itself by the eye upon the first sparkwhich glimmers, to kindle again the torch which is to lead him forthfrom this grave, so did Otto attach himself to the first awakeningthought of help. "Wilhelm? his soul is noble and good, him will Iinitiate into my painful secret, which chance had once almost revealedto him. "

But this was again extinguished, as the first spark is extinguishedwhich the steel gives birth to. He could not confide himself to Wilhelm;the understanding which this very confidence would give birth to betweenthem, must separate them from each other. It was humiliating, it wasannihilating. But for Sophie? No, how could he, after that, declare thelove of his heart? how far below her should he be placed, as the childof poverty and shame! But the mother of the family? Yes, she was gentleand kind; with a maternal sentiment she extended to him her hand, andlooked upon him as on a near relation. His thoughts raised themselves onhigh, his hands folded themselves to prayer; "The will of the Lordalone be done!" trembled involuntarily from his lips. Courage returnedrefreshingly to his heart. The help of man was like the spark whichwas soon extinguished; God was an eternal torch, which illumined thedarkness and could guide him through it. 

"Almighty God! thou alone canst and willest!" said he; "to thou whoknowest the heart, do thou alone help and lead me!"

This determination was firmly taken; to no human being would he confidehimself; alone would he release the prisoner, and give her up toHeinrich. He thought upon the future, and yet darker and heavier thanhitherto it stood before him. But he who confides in God can neverdespair the only thing that was now to be done was to obtain the key ofthe chamber where Sidsel was confined, and then when all in the housewere asleep he would dare that which must be done. 

Courage and tranquillity return into every powerful soul when it oncesees the possibility of accomplishing its work. With a constrainedvivacity Otto mingled in the conversation, no one imagining what astruggle his soul had passed through. 

The disputation continued. Wilhelm was in one of his eloquent moods. Thedoctor regarded the "Letters of the Wandering Ghost" as one of the mostperfect books in the Danish literature. Once Sophie had been of the sameopinion, now she preferred Cooper's novels to this and all other books. 

"People so easily forget the good for the new, " said Wilhelm; "if thenew is only somewhat astonishing, the many regard the author as thefirst of writers. The nation is, aesthetically considered, now in itsperiod of development. Every really cultivated person, who stands amongthe best spirits of his age, obtains, whilst he observes his own advancein the intellectual kingdom, clearness with regard to the developmentof his nation. This has, like himself, its distinct periods; in himsome important event in life, in it some agitating world convulsion, may advance them suddenly a great leap forward. The public favor isunsteady; to-day it strews palm-branches, to-morrow it cries, 'Crucifyhim!' But I regard that as a moment of development. You will permitme to make use of an image to elucidate my idea. The botanist goeswandering through field and wood, he collects flowers and plants; everyone of these had, while he gathered it, his entire interest, his wholethought--but the impression which it made faded before that of itssuccessor: nor is it till after a longer time that he is able to enjoythe whole of his treasures, and arrange them according to their worthand their rareness. The public seizes alike upon flowers and herbs; wehear its assiduous occupation with the object of the moment, but it isnot yet come into possession of the whole. At one time, that which wassentimental was the foremost in favor, and that poet was called thegreatest who best knew how to touch this string; then it passed overto the peppered style of writing, and nothing pleased but historiesof knights and robbers. Now people find pleasure in prosaic life, andSchröder and Iffland are the acknowledged idols. For us the strengthof the North opened heroes and gods, a new and significant scene. Thentragedy stood uppermost with us. Latterly we have begun to feelthat this is not the flesh and blood of the present times. Then thefluttering little bird, the vaudeville, came out to us from the darkwood, and enticed us into our own chambers, where all is warm andcomfortable, where one has leave to laugh, and to laugh is now anecessity for the Danes. One must not, like the crowd, inconsideratelyplace that as foremost which swims upon the waters, but treasure thegood of every time, and arrange them side by side, as the botanistarranges his plants. Every people must, under the poetical sunshine, have their sentimental period, their berserker rage, their enjoyment ofdomestic life, and their giddy flights beyond it; it must merge itselfin individuality before it can embrace the beauty of the whole. It isunfortunate for the poet who believes himself to be the wheel of hisage; and yet he, with his whole crowd of admirers, is, as Menzel says, only a single wheel in the great machine--a little link in the infinitechain of beauty. "

"You speak like a Plato!" said Sophie. 

"If we could accord as well in music as we do in poetry, " said Otto, "then we should be entirely united in our estimation of the arts. I lovethat music best which goes through the ear to the heart, and carriesme away with it; on the contrary, if it is to be admired by theunderstanding, it is foreign to me. "

"Yes, that is your false estimation of the subject, dear friend!" saidWilhelm: "in aesthetics you come at once to the pure and true; but inmusic you are far away in the outer court, where the crowd is dancing, with cymbals and trumpets, around the musical golden calf!"

And now the aesthetic unity brought them into a musical disunity. Onsuch occasions, Otto was not one to be driven back from his position; hevery well knew how to bear down his assailant by striking and originalobservations: but Otto, this evening, although he was animatedenough--excited, one might almost say--did not exhibit the calmness, thedecision in his thoughts and words, which otherwise would have given himthe victory. 

It was a long hour, and one yet longer and more full of anxiety, whichcommenced with supper. The conversation turned to the events of the day. Otto mingled in it, and endeavored therefrom to derive advantage; it wasa martyrdom of the soul. Sophie praised highly his discovery. 

"If Mr. Thostrup had not been here, " said she, "then we should hardlyhave discovered the thief. We must thank Mr. Thostrup for it, and reallyfor a merry, amusing spectacle. "

They joked about it alai laughed, and Otto was obliged to laugh also. 

"And now she sits up there, like a captive, in the roof!" said he; "itmust be an uncomfortable night to her!"

"Oh, she sleeps, perhaps, better than some of us others!" said Wilhelm:"that will not annoy her!"

"She is confined in the gable chamber, out in the court, is she not?"inquired Otto: "there she has not any moonlight. "

"Yes, surely she has!" answered Sophie; "it is in the gable to theright, hooking toward the wood, that she is confined. We have placed heras near to the moon as we could. The gable on the uppermost floor is ourkeep. "

"But is it securely locked?" inquired Otto. 

"There is a padlock and a great bar outside the door; those she cannotforce, and no one about the place will do such a piece of service forher. They dislike her, every one of them. "

They rose up from the table; the bell was just on the stroke of eleven. 

"But the Baron must play us a little piece!" said the physician. 

"Then Mr. Thostrup will sing us the pretty Jutlandish song bySteen-Blicher!" exclaimed Louise. 

"O yes!" said the mother, and clapped Otto on the shoulder. 

Wilhelm played. 

"Do sing!" said Wilhelm; all besought him to do so, and Otto sang theJutlandish song for them. 

"See, you sang that with the proper humor, " said Sophie, and clapped herhands in applause. With that all arose, offered to him their hands, and Wilhelm whispered to him, yet so that the sisters heard it, "Thisevening you have been right amiable!"

Otto and Wilhelm went to their sleeping-room. 

"But, my good friend, " said Wilhelm, "what did you really go into thegarden for? Be so good as to confess to me: you were not unwell! You didnot go only into the garden! you went into the wood, and you remained along time there! I saw it! You made a little visit to the handsomewoman while the fiddler was here, did you not? I do not trust you soentirely!"

"You are joking!" answered Otto. 

"Yes, yes, " continued Wilhelm, "she is a pretty little woman. Do you notremember how, last year at the mowing-feast, I threw roses at her? Nowshe is Peter Cripple's wife. When she comes with her husband then wehave, bodily, 'Beauty and the Beast. '"

That which Otto desired was, that Wilhelm should now soon go to sleep, and, therefore, he would not contradict him; he confessed even that theyoung wife was handsome, but added that she, as Peter Cripple's wife, was to him like a beautiful flower upon which a toad had set itself, --itwould be disgusting to him to press the flower to his lips. 

The friends were soon in bed. They bade each other good night, andseemed both of them to sleep; and with Wilhelm this was the case. 

Otto lay awake; his pulse throbbed violently. 

Now the great hall clock struck twelve. All was still, quite still; butOtto did not yet dare to raise himself. It struck a quarter past thehour. He raised himself slowly, and glanced toward the bed where Wilhelmlay. Otto arose and dressed himself, suppressing the while his verybreathing. A hunting-knife which hung upon the wall, and which belongedto Wilhelm, he put in his pocket; and lifted up, to take with him, thefire-tongs, with which he intended to break the iron staple that heldthe padlock. Yet once more he looked toward Wilhelm, who slept soundly. He opened the door, and went out without his shoes. 

He looked out from the passage-windows to see if lights were visiblefrom any part of the building. All was still; all was in repose. Thatwhich he now feared most was, that one of the dogs might be lying in thelobby, and should begin to bark. But there was not one. He mounted upthe steps, and went into the upper story. 

Only once before had he been there; now all was in darkness. He feltwith his hands before him as he went. 

At length he found a narrow flight of stairs which led into a yet higherstory. The opening at the top was closed, and he was obliged to use hiswhole strength to open it. At length it gave way with a loud noise. Thiswas not the proper entrance; that lay on the opposite side of the story, and had he gone there he would have found it open, whereas this one hadnot been opened for a long time. 

The violent efforts which he had made caused him great pain, both inhis neck and shoulders; but he was now at the very top of the building, close before the door he sought, and the moonlight shone in through theopening in the roof. 

By the help of the hunting-knife and the fire-tongs he succeeded inforcing the door, and that without any very considerable noise. Helooked into a small, low room, upon the floor of which some dirtycoverlets were thrown. 

Sidsel slept deeply and soundly with open mouth. A thick mass of hairescaped from beneath her cap, upon her brow; the moonlight fell, throughthe window-pane in the roof, upon her face. Otto bowed himself over herand examined the coarse, unpleasing features. The thick, black eyebrowsappeared only like one irregular streak. 

"She is my sister!" was the thought which penetrated him. "She lay uponthe same bosom that I did! The blood in these limbs has kinship withthat in mine! She was the repelled one, the rejected one!"

He trembled with pain and anguish; but it was only for a short time. 

"Stand up!" cried he, and touched the sleeper. 

"Ih, jane dou! [Author's Note: An exclamation among the common peopleof Funen, expressive of terror. ] what is it?" cried she, half terrified, and fixed her unpleasant eyes wildly upon him. 

"Come with me!" said Otto, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "GermanHeinrich waits in the avenue! I will help you out! Hence; to-morrow itwill be too late!"

"What do you say?" asked she, and still looked at him with a bewilderedmien. 

Otto repeated his words. 

"Do you think that I can get away?" asked she, and seized him by thearm, as she hastily sprang up. 

"Only silently and circumspectly!" said Otto. 

"I should not have expected theft from you!" said she. "But tell me whyyou do it?"

Otto trembled; it was impossible for him to tell her his reasons, or toexpress the word, --"Thou art my sister!"

His lips were silent. 

"To many a fellow, " said she, "have I been kinder than I ought to havebeen, but see whether any of them think about Sidsel! And you do it! Youwho are so fine and so genteel!"

Otto pressed together his eyelids; he heard her speak; an animalcoarseness mingled itself with a sort of confidential manner which wasannihilating to him. 

"She is my sister!" resounded in his soul. 

"Come now! come now!" and, descending the steps, she followed after him. 

"I know a better way!" said she, as they came to the lowest story. Sheseized his arm and they again descended a flight of steps. 

Suddenly a door opened itself, and Louise, still dressed, stepped forthwith a light. She uttered a faint cry, and her eye riveted itself uponthe two forms before her. 

But still more terribly and more powerfully did this encounter operateupon Otto. His feet seemed to fail him, and, for a moment, everyobject moved before his eyes in bright colors. It was the moment of hisseverest suffering. He sprang forth toward Louise, seized her hand, and, pale as death, with lifeless, staring eyes, half kneeling, besought ofher, with an agitated voice:--

"For God's sake, tell no one of that which you have seen! I am compelledto serve her--she is my sister! If you betray my secret I am lost tothis world--I must die! It was not until this evening that I knew thisto be the case! I will tell you all, but do not betray me! And do youprevent tomorrow any pursuit after her! O Louise! by the happiness ofyour own soul feel for the misery of mine! I shall destroy myself if youbetray me!"

"O God!" stammered Louise. "I will do all--all! I will be silent!Conduct her hence, quick, that you may meet with no one!"

She seized Otto's hand; he sank upon his knee before her, and lookedlike a marble image which expressed manly beauty and sorrow. 

Louise bent herself with sisterly affection over him; tears flowed downher cheeks; her voice trembled, but it was tranquillizing, like theconsolation of a good angel. With a glance full of confidence in her, Otto tore himself away. Sidsel followed him and said not a word. 

He led her to the lowest story and opened for her, silently, a window, through which she could descend to the garden, and thence easily reachthe avenue where German Heinrich waited for her. To have accompaniedher any further was unnecessary; it would have been venturing too muchwithout any adequate cause. She stood now upon the window-sill--Otto puta little money into her hand. 

"The Lord is above us!" said he, in a solemn voice. "Never forget Himand endeavor to amend your life! All may yet be well!" He involuntarilypressed her hand in his. "Have God always in your thoughts!" said he. 

"I shall get safely away, however, " said she, and descended into thegarden; she nodded, and vanished behind the hedge. 

Otto stood for a while and listened whether any noise was heard, orwhether any dog barked. He feared for her safety. All was still. 

Just as sometimes an old melody will suddenly awake in our remembranceand sound in our ear, so awoke now a holy text to his thoughts. "Lord, if I should take the wings of the morning, and should fly to theuttermost parts of the sea, thither thou wouldst lead me, and thy righthand would hold me fast! Thou art near to us! Thou canst accomplish andthou willest our well-being! Thou alone canst help us!"

In silence he breathed his prayer. 

He returned to his chamber more composed in mind. Wilhelm seemed tosleep; but as Otto approached his bed he suddenly raised himself, andlooked, inquiringly, around him. 

"Who is there?" exclaimed he; "you are dressed! where have you been?" Hewas urgent in his inquiry. 

Otto gave a joking reason. 

"Let me have your hand!" said he. Otto gave it to him, he felt his pulse. 

"Yes, quite correct!" said he; "the blood is yet in commotion. One seesplain enough that there is no concealing things! Here was I sleeping inall innocence, and you were running after adventures. You wicked bird!"

The thoughts worked rapidly in Otto's soul. If Louise would only besilent, no one would dream of the possibility of his having part inSidsel's flight. He must allow Wilhelm quietly to have his joke. 

"Was not I right?" asked Wilhelm. 

"And if now you were so, " replied Otto, "will you tell it to any one?"

"Do you think that I could do such a thing?" replied Wilhelm; "we areall of us only mortal creatures!"

Otto gave him his hand. "Be silent!" he said. 

"Yes, certainly, " said Wilhelm; and, according to his custom, strengthened it with an oath. "Now I have sworn it, " said he; "but whenthere is an opportunity you must tell me more about it!"

"Yes, certainly, " said Otto, with a deep sigh. Before his friend he nolonger stood pure and guiltless. 

They slept. Otto's sleep was only a hateful dream. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII

 ". . . Wie entzückend Und süss es ist, in einer schönen Seele, Verherrlicht uns zu fühlen, es zu wissen, Das uns're Fruede fremde Wangen röthet, Und uns're Angst in fremdem Busen zittert, Das uns're Leiden fremde Augen nässen. " SCHILLER. 

"How pale!" said Wilhelm the next morning to Otto. "Do you see, that iswhat people get by night-wandering?"

"How so?" inquired Otto. 

Wilhelm made a jest of it. 

"You have been dreaming that!" said Otto. 

"How do you mean?" replied Wilhelm; "will you make me fancy that I haveimagined it? I was really quite awake! we really talked about it; Iwas initiated in it. Actually I have a good mind to give you a morallecture. If it had been me, how you would have preached!"

They were summoned to breakfast. Otto's heart was ready to burst. Whatmight he not have to hear? What must he say?

Sophie was much excited. 

"Did you, gentlemen, hear anything last night?" she inquired. "Have youboth slept?"

"Yes, certainly, " replied Wilhelm, and looked involuntarily at Otto. 

"The bird is flown, however!" said she; "it has made its escape out ofthe dove-cote. "

"What bird?" asked Wilhelm. 

"Sidsel!" replied she; "and, what is oddest in the whole affair is, thatLouise has loosed her wings. Louise is quite up to the romantic. Thinkonly! she went up in the night to the topmost story, unlocked theprison-tower, gave a moral lecture to Sidsel, and after that let her go!Then in the morning comes Louise to mamma, relates the whole affair, andsays a many affecting things!"

"Yes, I do not understand it, " said the mother, addressing Louise. "Howyou could have had the courage to go up so late at night, and go up to_her_! But it was very beautiful of you! Let her escape! it is, as yousay, best that she should. We should all of us have thought of that lastevening!"

"I was so sorry for her!" said Louise; "and by chance it happened that Ihad a great many things to arrange after you were all in bed. Everythingwas so still in the house, it seemed to me as if I could hear Sidselsigh; certainly it was only my own imagination, but I could do no otherthan pity her! she was so unfortunate! Thus I let her escape!"

"Are you gone mad?" inquired Wilhelm; "what a history is this? Did yougo in the night up to the top of the house? That is an unseasonablecompassion!"

"It was beautiful!" said Otto, bending himself involuntarily, andkissing Louise's hand. 

"Yes, that is water to his mill!" exclaimed Wilhelm. "I think nothing ofsuch things!"

"We will not talk about it to anyone, " said the mother. "The stewardshall not proceed any further in it. We have recovered the old silvertankard, and the losing that was my greatest trouble. We will thank Godthat we are well rid of her! Poor thing! she will come to an unfortunateend!"

"Are you still unwell, Mr. Thostrup?" said Sophie, and looked at him. 

"I am a little feverish, " replied he. "I will take a very long walk, andthen I shall be better. "

"You should take a few drops, " said the lady. 

"O, he will come to himself yet!" said Wilhelm; "he must take exercise!His is not a dangerous illness. "

Otto went into the wood. It was to him a temple of God; his heart pouredforth a hymn of thanksgiving. Louise had been his good angel. He feltof a truth that she would never betray his secret. His thoughts clung toher with confidence. "Are you still unwell?" Sophie had said. The tonesof her voice alone had been like the fragrance of healing herbs; in hereye he had felt sympathy and--love. "O Sophie!" sighed he. Both sisterswere so dear to him. 

He entered the garden and went along the great avenue; here he metLouise. One might almost have imagined that she had sought for him:there was no one but her to be seen in the whole avenue. 

Otto pressed her hand to his lips. "You have saved my life!" said he. 

"Dear Thostrup!" answered she, "do not betray yourself. Yon have comehappily out of the affair! Thank God! my little part in it has concealedthe whole. For the rest I have a suspicion. Yes, I cannot avoid it. Maynot the whole be an error? It is possible that she is that which yousaid! Tell me all that you can let me know. From this seat we can seeeverybody who comes into the avenue. No one can hear us!"

"Yes, to you alone I can confide it!" said Otto; "to you will I tellit. "

He now related that which we know about the manufactory, which he calledthe house, in which German Heinrich had first seen him, and had tattooedhis initials upon his shoulder; their later meeting in the park, andafterwards by St. Ander's Cross. 

Louise trembled; her glance rested sympathizingly upon Otto's pale andhandsome countenance. He showed her the letter which had been brought tohim the last evening, and related to her what Heinrich had told him. 

"It may be so, " said Louise; "but yet I have not been able to losethe idea all the morning that you have been deceived. Not one of herfeatures resembles yours. Can brother and sister be so different as youand she? Yet, be the truth as it may, promise me not to think too muchabout it. There is a good Ruler above who can turn all things for thebest. "

"These horrible circumstances, " said Otto, "have robbed me of thecheerfulness of my youth. They thrust themselves disturbingly into mywhole future. Not to Wilhelm--no, not to any one have I been able toconfide them. You know all! God knows that you were compelled to learnthem. I leave myself entirely in your hands!"

He pressed her hand silently, and with the earnest glance of confidenceand truth they looked at each other. 

"I shall speedily leave my native country, " said Otto. "It may beforever. I should return with sorrow to a home where no happinessawaited me. I stand so entirely alone in the world!"

"But you have friends, " said Louise; "sincere friends. You must thinkwith pleasure of returning home to Denmark. My mother loves you as ifshe were your own mother. Wilhelm and Sophie--yes, we will consider youas a brother. "

"And Sophie?" exclaimed Otto. 

"Yes, can you doubt it?" inquired Louise. 

"She knows me not as you know me; and if she did?"--He pressed his handsbefore his eyes and burst into tears. "You know all: you know morethan I could tell her, " sighed he. "I am more unfortunate than you canbelieve. Never can I forget her--never!"

"For Heaven's sake compose yourself!" said Louise rising. "Some onemight come, and you would not be able to conceal your emotion. All mayyet be well! Confide only in God in heaven!"

"Do not tell your sister that which I have told you. Do not tell anyone. I have revealed to you every secret which my soul contains. "

"I will be to you a good sister, " said Louise, and pressed his hand. 

They silently walked down the avenue. 

The sisters slept in the same room. 

At night, after Sophie had been an hour in bed, Louise entered thechamber. 

"Thou art become a spirit of the night, " said Sophie. "Where hast thoubeen? Thou art not going up into the loft again to-night, thou strangegirl? Had it been Wilhelm, Thostrup, or myself who had undertaken such athing, it would have been quite natural; but thou"--

"Am I, then, so very different to you all?" inquired Louise. "I shouldresemble my sister less than even Mr. Thostrup resembles her. You twoare so very different!"

"In our views, in our impulses, we very much resemble each other!" saidSophie. 

"He is certainly not happy, " exclaimed Louise. "We can read it in hiseyes. "

"Yes, but it is precisely that which makes him interesting!" saidSophie; "he is thus a handsome shadow-piece in everyday life. "

"Thou speakest about it so calmly, " said Louise, and bent over hersister, "I would almost believe that it was love. "

"Love!" exclaimed Sophie, raising herself up in bed, for now Louise'swords had become interesting to her; "whom dost thou think that heloves?"

"Thyself, " replied Louise, and seized her sister's hand. 

"Perhaps?" returned Sophie. "I also made fun of him! It certainly wenton better when our cousin was here. Poor Thostrup!"

"And thou, Sophie, " inquired Louise, "dost thou return his love?"

"It is a regular confession that thou desirest, " replied she. "He isin love--that all young men are. Our cousin, I can tell thee, said manypretty things to me. Even the Kammerjunker flatters as well as he can, the good soul! I have now resolved with myself to be a reasonable girl. Believe me, however, Thostrup is in an ill humor!"

"If the Kammerjunker were to pay his addresses to you, would you accepthim?" asked Louise, and seated herself upon her sister's bed. 

"What can make you think of such a thing?" inquired she. "Hast thouheard anything?--Thou makest me anxious! O Louise! I joke, I talk adeal; but for all that, believe me, I am not happy!"

They talked about the Kammerjunker, about Otto, and about the Frenchcousin. It was late in the night. Large tears stood in Sophie's eyes, but she laughed for all that, and ended with a quotation from Jean Paul. 

Half an hour afterward she slept and dreamed; her round white arm layupon the coverlet, and her lips moved with these words:

 "With a smile as if an angel Had just then kissed her mouth. " [Note: Christian Winther. ]

Louise pressed her countenance on the soft pillow, and wept. 

CHAPTER XXXIX

 "A swarm of colors, noise and screaming, Music and sights, past any dreaming, The rattle of wheels going late and early, -- All draw the looker-on into the hurly-burly. " TH. OVERSKOU. 

A few days passed on. Otto heard nothing of German Heinrich or of hissister. Peter Cripple seemed not to be in their confidence. All thathe knew was, that the letter which he had conveyed to Otto was to beunknown to any one beside. As regarded German Heinrich, he believed thathe was now in another part of tire country; but that at St. Knud's fair, in Odense, he would certainly find him. 

In Otto's soul there was an extraordinary combating. Louise's words, that he had been deceived, gave birth to hopes, which, insignificant asthe grain of mustard-seed, shot forth green leaves. 

"May not, " thought he, "German Heinrich, to further his own plans, havemade use of my fear? I must speak with him; he shall swear to me thetruth. "

He compared in thought the unpleasing, coarse features of Sidsel, withthe image which his memory faintly retained of his little sister. She seemed to him as a delicate creature with large eyes. He had notforgotten that the people about them had spoken of her as of "a kittenthat they could hardly keep alive. " How then could she now be thissquare-built, singularly plain being, with the eyebrows growingtogether? "I must speak with Heinrich, " resolved he; "she cannot be mysister! so heavily as that God will not try me. "

By such thoughts as these his mind became much calmer. There weremoments when the star of love mirrored itself in his life's sea. 

His love for Sophie was no longer a caged bird within his breast; itswings were at liberty; Louise saw its release; it was about to fly toits goal. 

St. Knud's fair was at hand, and on that account the family was about toset out for Odense. Eva was the only one who was to remain at home. Itwas her wish to do so. 

"Odense is not worth the trouble of thy going to see, " said Sophie; "butin this way thou wilt never increase thy geographical knowledge. In themean time, however, I shall bring thee a fairing--a husband of honeycake, ornamented with almonds. "

Wilhelm thought that she should enjoy the passing pleasure, and go withthem; but Eva prayed to stay, and she had her will. 

"There is a deal of pleasure in the world, " said Wilhelm, "if peoplewill only enjoy it. If one day in Paris is a brilliant flower, a day atOdense fair is also a flower. It is a merry, charming world that welive in! I am almost ready to say with King Valdemar, that if I mightkeep--yes, I will say, the earth, then our Lord might willingly forme keep heaven: there it is much better than we deserve; and God knowswhether we may not, in the other world, have longings after the oldworld down here!"

"After Odense fair?" asked Sophie ironically. 

Otto stood wrapped in his own thoughts. This day, he felt, would be oneof the most remarkable in his life. German Heinrich must give himan explanation. Sophie must do so likewise Could he indeed meet withsuccess from them both? Would not sorrow and pain be his fairings?

The carriage rolled away. 

From the various cross-roads came driving up the carriages of the gentryand the peasants; the one drove past the other; and as the French andEnglish Channel collects ships from the Atlantic Ocean, so did theKing's Road those who drove in carriages, those who rode on horseback, and those who went on foot. 

Behind most of the peasant-vehicles were tied a few horses, that wenttrotting on with them. Mamsells from the farms sat with large gloves ontheir red arms and hands. They held their umbrellas before their faceson account of the dust and the sun. 

"The Kammerjunker's people must have set off earlier than we, " saidSophie, "otherwise they would have called for us. "

Otto looked inquiringly at her. She thought on the Kammerjunker!

"We shall draw up by Faugde church, " said Sophie. "Mr. Thostrup cansee Kingo's [Author's Note: The Bishop of Funen, who died in 1703. ]grave--can see where the sacred poet lies. Some true trumpeting angels, in whom one can rightly see how heavy the marble is, fly with theBishop's staff and hat within the chapel. "

Otto smiled, and she thought also about giving him pleasure. 

The church was seen, the grave visited, and they rapidly rolled alongthe King's Road toward Odense, the lofty tower of whose cathedral hadhailed them at some miles' distance. 

We do not require alone from the portrait-painter that he shouldrepresent the person, but that he should represent him in his happiestmoment. To the plain as well as to the inexpressive countenance mustthe painter give every beauty which it possesses. Every human beinghas moments in which something intellectual or characteristic presentsitself. Nature, too, when we are presented only with the most barrenlandscape, has the same moments; light and shadow produce these effects. The poet must be like the painter; he must seize upon these moments inhuman life as the other in nature. 

If the reader were a child who lived in Odense, it would require nothingmore from him than that he should say the words, "St. Knud's fair;"and this, illumined by the beams of the imagination of childhood, wouldstand before him in the most brilliant colors. Our description will beonly a shadow; it will be that, perhaps, which the many will find it tobe. 

Already in the suburbs the crowd of people, and the outspreadearthenware of the potters, which entirely covered the trottoir, announced that the fair was in full operation. 

The carriage drove down from the bridge across the Odense River. 

"See, how beautiful it is here!" exclaimed Wilhelm. 

Between the gardens of the city and a space occupied as a bleachingground lay the river. The magnificent church of St. Knud, with its loftytower, terminated the view. 

"What red house was that?" inquired Otto, when they had lost sight ofit. 

"That is the nunnery!" replied Louise, knowing what thought it was whichhad arisen in his mind. 

"There stood in the ancient times the old bishop's palace, whereBeldenak lived!" said Sophie. "Just opposite to the river is thebell-well, where a bell flew out of St. Albani's tower. The well isunfathomable. Whenever rich people in Odense die, it rings down belowthe water!"

"It is not a pleasant thought, " said Otto, "that it rings in the wellwhen they must die. "

"One must not take it in that way now!" said Sophie, laughing, andturned the subject. "Odense has many lions, " continued she, "from aking's garden with swans in it to a great theatre, which has this incommon with La Scala and many Italian ones, that it is built upon theruins of a convent. [Note: That of the Black Brothers. ]

"In Odense, aristocracy and democracy held out the longest, " saidWilhelm, smiling; "yet I remember, in my childhood, that when the noblesand the citizens met on the king's birthday at the town-house ball, thatwe danced by ourselves. "

"Were not, then, the citizens strong enough to throw the giddy noblesout of the window?" inquired Otto. 

"You forget, Mr. Thostrup, that you yourself are noble!" said Sophie. "Iwas really the goddess of fate who gave to you your genealogical tree. "

"You still remember that evening?" said Otto, with a gentle voice, andthe thoughts floated as gayly in his mind as the crowd of people floatedup and down in the streets through which they drove. 

Somewhere about the middle of the city five streets met; and thispoint, which widens itself out into a little square, is called the CrossStreet: here lay the hotel to which the family drove. 

"Two hours and a quarter too late!" said the Kammerjunker, who came outto meet them on the steps. "Good weather for the fair, and goodhorses! I have already been out at the West-gate, and have bought twomagnificent mares. One of them kicked out behind, and had nearly givenme a blow on the breast, so that I might have said I had had my fairing!Jakoba is paying visits, drinking chocolate, and eating biscuits. Mamsell is out taking a view of things. Now you know our story. "

The ladies went to their chamber, the gentlemen remained in the saloon. 

"Yes, here you shall see a city and a fair, Mr. Thostrup!" said theKammerjunker, and slapped Otto on the shoulder. 

"Odense was at one time my principal chief-city, " said Wilhelm; "andstill St. Knud's Church is the most magnificent I know. God knowswhether St. Peter's in Rome would make upon me, now that I am older, theimpression which this made upon me as a child!"

"In St. Knud's Church lies the Mamsell with the cats, " said theKammerjunker. 

"The bishop's lady, you should say, " returned Wilhelm. "The legendrelates, that there was a lady of a Bishop Mus who loved her cats tothat degree that she left orders that they should be laid with herin the grave. [Author's Note: The remains of the body, as well as theskeletons of the cats, are still to be seen in a chapel on the westernaisle of the church. ] We will afterward go and see them. "

"Yes, both the bishop's lady and the cats, " said the Kammerjunker, "looklike dried fish! Then you must also see the nunnery and the militarylibrary. "

"The Hospital and the House of Correction!" added Wilhelm. 

The beating of a drum in the street drew them to the window. The citycrier, in striped linsey-woolsey jacket and breeches, and with ayellow band across his shoulders, stood there, beat upon his drum, andproclaimed aloud from a written paper many wonderful things which wereto be seen in the city. 

"He beats a good drum, " said the Kammerjunker. 

"It would certainly delight Rossini and Spontini to hear the fellow!"said Wilhelm. "In fact Odense would be, at New Year's time, a city forthese two composers. You must know that at that season drums and fifesare in their glory. They drum the New Year in. Seven or eight littledrummers and fifers go from door to door, attended by children and oldwomen; at that time they beat both the tattoo and the reveille. For thisthey get a few pence. When the New Year is drummed-in in the city theywander out into the country, and drum there for bacon and groats. TheNew Year's drumming in lasts until about Easter. "

"And then we have new pastimes, " said the Kammerjunker. 

"Then come the fishers from Stige, [Author's Note: A fishing villagein Odense Fjord. ] with a complete band, and carrying a boat upon theirshoulders ornamented with a variety of flags. After that they lay aboard between two boats, and upon this two of the youngest and thestrongest have a wrestling-match, until one of them falls into thewater. The last years they both have allowed themselves to tumble in. And this has been done in consequence of one young man who fell in beingso stung by the jeers which his fall had occasioned that he left, thatsame day, the fishing village, after which no one saw him. But all thefun is gone now! In my boyhood the merriment was quite another thing. It was a fine sight when the corporation paraded with their ensignand harlequin on the top! And at Easter, when the butchers led about abullock ornamented with ribbons and Easter-twigs, on the back of whichwas seated a little winged boy in a shirt. They had Turkish music, andcarried flagons with them! See! all that have I outlived, and yet I amnot so old. Baron Wilhelm must have seen the ornamented ox. Now all thatis past and gone; people are got so refined! Neither is St. Knud's fairthat which it used to be. "

"For all that, I rejoice that it is not so!" said Wilhelm. "But we willgo into the market and visit the Jutlanders, who are sitting there amongthe heath with their earthenware. You will stand a chance there, Mr. Thostrup, of meeting with an old acquaintance; only you must not havehome-sickness when you smell the heather and hear the ringing of theclattering pots!"

The ladies now entered. Before paying any visits they determined uponmaking the round of the market. The Kammerjunker offered his arm to themother. Otto saw this with secret gladness, and approached Sophie. Sheaccepted him willingly as an attendant; they must indeed get into thethrong. 

As in the Middle Ages the various professions had their distinct streetsand quarters, so had they also here. The street which led to the marketplace, and which in every-day life was called the "Shoemaker Street, "answered perfectly to its name. The shoemakers had ranged their tablesside by side. These, and the rails which had been erected for thepurpose, were hung over with all kinds of articles for the feet; thetables themselves were laden with heavy shoes and thick-soled boots. Behind these stood the skillful workman in his long Sunday coat, andwith his well-brushed felt-hat upon his head. 

Where the shoemakers' quarter ended that of the hatters' began, and withthis one was in the middle of the great market-place, where tents andbooths formed many parallel streets. The booth of galanterie wares, thegoldsmith's, and the confectioner's, most of them constructed of canvas, some few of them of wood, were points of great attraction. Round aboutfluttered ribbons and handkerchiefs; round about were noise and bustle. Peasant-girls out of the same village went always in a row, seven oreight inseparables, with their hands fast locked in each other; it wasimpossible to break the chain; and if people tried to press throughthem, the whole flock rolled together in a heap. 

Behind the booths there lay a great space filled with wooden shoes, coarse earthenware, turners' and saddlers' work. Upon tables were spreadout toys, generally rudely made and coarsely painted. All aroundthe children assayed their little trumpets, and turned about theirplaythings. The peasant-girls twirled and twisted both the work-boxesand themselves many a time before the bargain was completed. The airwas heavy with all kinds of odors, and was spiced with the fragrance ofhoney-cake. 

Here acquaintances met each other-some peasant-maidens, perhaps, who hadbeen born in the same village, but since then had been separated. 

"Good day!" exclaimed they, took each other by the hand, gave their armsa swing, and laughed. 

"Farewell!"

That was the whole conversation: such a one went on in many places. 

"That is the heather!" exclaimed Otto, as he approached the quarterwhere the Jutland potters had their station; "how refreshing is theodor!" said he, and stooping down seized a twig fresh and green, as ifit had been plucked only yesterday. 

"Aye, my Jesus though! is not that Mr. Otto!" exclaimed a female voicejust beside him, and a young Jutland peasantwoman skipped across thepottery toward him. Otto knew her. It was the little Maria, the eelman'sdaughter, who, as we may remember at Otto's visit to the fisher's, had removed to Ringkjoebing, and had hired herself for the hay andcornharvest--the brisk Maria, "the girl, " as her father called her. Shehad been betrothed in Ringkjoebing, and married to the rich earthenwaredealer, and now had come across the salt-water to Odense fair, where sheshould meet with Mr. Otto. 

"Her parents lived on my grandfather's estate, " said Otto to Sophie, who observed with a smile the young wife's delight in meeting withan acquaintance of her childhood. The husband was busily employed inselling his wares; he heard nothing of it. 

"Nay, but how elegant and handsome you are become!" said the young wife:"but see, I knew you again for all that! Grandmother, you may believeme, thinks a deal about you! The old body, she is so brisk and lively;it does not trouble her a bit that she cannot see! You are the secondacquaintance that I have met with in the fair. It's wonderful how peoplecome here from all parts of the world! The players are here too! Youstill remember the German Heinrich? Over there in the gray house, at thecorner of the market, he is acting his comedy in the gateway. "

"I am glad that I have seen you!" said Otto, and nodded kindly. "Greetthem at home, and the grandmother, for me!"

"Greet them also from me!" said Sophie smiling. "You, Mr. Thostrup, mustfor old acquaintance sake buy something. You ought also to give me afairing: I wish for that great jug there!"

"Where are you staying!" cried Wilhelm, and came back, whilst the restwent forward. 

"We would buy some earthenware, " said Sophie. "Souvenir de Jutland. Theone there has a splendid picture on it!"

"You shall have it!" said Otto. "But if I requested a fairing from you, I beseech of you, might I say"--

"That it possibly might obtain its worth from my hand, " said Sophie, smiling. "I understand you very well--a sprig of heather? I shallsteal!" said she to the young wife, as she took a little sprig of heathand stuck it into his buttonhole. "Greet the grandmother for me!"

Otto and Sophie went. 

"That's a very laughing body!" said the woman half aloud, as she lookedafter them; her glance followed Otto, she folded her hands--she wasthinking, perhaps, on the days of her childhood. 

At St. Knud's church-yard Otto and Sophie overtook the others. They weregoing into the church. On the fair days this and all the tombs within itwere open to the public. 

From whichever side this church is contemplated from without, themagnificent old building has, especially from its lofty tower andspire, something imposing about it; the interior produces the same, nay, perhaps a greater effect. But as the principal entrance is through thearmory, and the lesser one is from the side of the church, its fullimpression is not felt on entering it; nor is it until you arrive at theend of the great aisle that you are aware rightly of its grandeur. Allthere is great, beautiful, and light. The whole interior is white withgilding. Aloft on the high-vaulted roof there shine, and that from theold time, many golden stars. On both sides, high up, higher than theside-aisles of the church, are large Gothic windows, from which thelight streams down. The side-aisles are adorned with old paintings, which represent whole families, women and children, all clad incanonicals, in long robes and large ruffs. In an ordinary way, thefigures are all ranged according to age, the oldest first, and then downto the very least child, and stand with folded hands, and look piouslywith downcast eyes and faces all in one direction, until by length oftime the colors have all faded away. 

Just opposite to the entrance of the church may be seen, built into thewall, a stone, on which is a bas-relief, and before it a grave. Thisattracted Otto's attention. 

"It is the grave of King John and of Queen Christina, of PrinceFrancesco and of Christian the Second, " said Wilhelm; "they lie togetherin a small vault!" [Author's Note: On the removal of the church ofthe Grey Brothers, the remains of these royal parents and two of theirchildren were collected in a coffin and placed here in St. Knud'sChurch. The memorial stone, of which we have spoken, was erectedafterwards. ]

"Christian the Second!" exclaimed Otto. "Denmark's wisest and dearestking!"

"Christian the Bad!" said the Kammerjunker, amazed at the tone ofenthusiasm in which Otto had spoken. 

"Christian the Bad!" repeated Otto; "yes, it is now the mode to speak ofhim thus, but we should not do so. We ought to remember how the Swedishand Danish nobles behaved themselves, what cruelties they perpetrated, and that we have the history of Christian the Second from one of theoffended party. Writers flatter the reigning powers. A prince musthave committed crimes, or have lost his power, if his errors are to berightly presented to future generations. People forget that which wasgood in Christian, and have painted the dark side of his character, tothe formation of which the age lent its part. "

The Kammerjunker could not forget the Swedish bloodbath, the executionof Torben Oxe, and all that can be said against the unfortunate king. 

Otto drove him completely out of the field, in part from his enthusiasmfor Christian the Second, but still more because it was the Kammerjunkerwith whom he was contending. Sophie took Otto's side, her eye sparkledapplause, and the victory could not be other than his. 

"What is it that the poet said of the fate of a king?" said Sophie. 

 "Woe's me for him Who to the world shows more of ill than good! The good each man ascribes unto himself, Whilst on him only rest the crimes o' th' age. "

"Had Christian been so fortunate as to have subdued the rebelliousnobles, " continued Otto, "could he have carried out his bold plans, thenthey would have called him Christian the Great: it is not the activemind, but the failure in any design, which the world condemns. "

Louise nevertheless took the side of the Kammerjunker, and thereforethese two went together up the aisle toward the tomb of the Glorupfamily. Wilhelm and his mother were already gone out of the church. 

"I envy you your eloquence!" said Sophie, and looked with an expressionof love into Otto's face; she bent herself over the railing around thetomb, and looked thoughtfully upon the stone. Thoughts of love wereanimated in Otto's soul. 

"Intellect and heart!" exclaimed he, "must admire that which is great:you possess both these!" He seized her hand. 

A faint crimson passed over Sophie's cheeks. "The others are gone out!"she said; "come, let us go up to the chancel. "

"Up to the altar!" said Otto; "that is a bold course for one's wholelife!"

Sophie looked jestingly at him. "Do you see the monument there withinthe pillars?" asked she after a short pause; "the lady with the crossedarms and the colored countenance? In one night she danced twelve knightsto death, the thirteenth, whom she had invited for her partner, cut hergirdle in two in the dance and she fell dead to the earth!" [Author'sNote: In Thiele's Danish Popular Tradition it is related that she wasone Margrethe Skofgaard of Sanderumgaard, and that she died at a ball, where she had danced to death twelve knights. The people relate it witha variation as above; it is probable that it is mingled with a secondtradition, for example, that of the blood-spots at Koldinghuus, whichrelates that an old king was so angry with his daughter that he resolvedto kill her, and ordered that his knights should dance with her oneafter another until the breath was out of her. Nine had danced with her, and then came up the king himself as the tenth, and when he became wearyhe cut her girdle in two, on which the blood streamed from her mouth andshe died. ]

"She was a northern Turandot!" said Otto; "the stony heart itself wasforced to break and bleed. There is really a jest in having the marblepainted. She stands before future ages as if she lived--a stone image, white and red, only a mask of beauty. She is a warning to young ladies!"

"Yes, against dancing!" said Sophie, smiling at Otto's extraordinarygravity. 

"And yet it must be a blessed thing, " exclaimed he, "a very blessedthing, amid pealing music, arm-in-arm with one's beloved, to be able todance life away, and to sink bleeding before her feet!"

"And yet only to see that she would dance with a new one!" said Sophie. 

"No, no!" exclaimed Otto, "that you could not do! that you will not do!O Sophie, if you knew!"--He approached her still nearer, bent his headtoward her, and his eye had twofold fire and expression in it. 

"You must come with us and see the cats!" said the Kammerjunker, andsprang in between them. 

"Yes, it is charming!" said Sophie. "You will have an opportunity, Mr. Thostrup, of moralizing over the perishableness of female beauty!"

"In the evening, when we drive home together, " thought Otto to himselfconsolingly, "in the mild summer-evening no Kammerjunker will disturbme. It must, it shall be decided! Misfortune might subject thewildness of childhood, but it gave me confidence, it never destroyed myindependence; Love has made me timid, --has made me weak. May I therebywin a bride?"

Gravely and with a dark glance he followed after Sophie and her guide. 

CHAPTER XL

 "In vain his beet endeavors were; Dull was the evening, and duller grew. "--LUDOLF SCHLEF. 

 "Seest thou how its little life The bird hides in the wood? Wilt thou be my little wife-- Then do it soon. Good! --A bridegroom am I. "--Arion. 

Close beside St. Knud's Church, where once the convent stood, is now thedwelling of a private man. [Author's Note: See Oehlenschläger's Jorneyto Funen. ] The excellent hostess here, who once charmed the public onthe Danish stage as Ida Munster, awaited the family to dinner. 

After dinner they wandered up and down the garden, which extended to theOdense River. 

In the dusk of evening Otto went to visit the German Heinrich; he hadmentioned it to Louise, and she promised to divert attention from himwhilst he was away. 

The company took coffee in the garden-house; Otto walked in deep thoughtin the avenue by the side of the river. The beautiful scene beforehim riveted his eye. Close beside lay a water-mill, over the two greatwheels of which poured the river white as milk. Behind this was thrown abridge, over which people walked and drove. The journeyman-millerstood upon the balcony, and whistled an air. It was such a picture asChristian Winther and Uhland give in their picturesque poems. On theother side of the mill arose tall poplars half-buried in the greenmeadow, in which stood the nunnery; a nun had once drowned herself wherenow the red daisies grow. 

A strong sunlight lit up the whole scene. All was repose and summerwarmth. Suddenly Otto's ear caught the deep and powerful tones of anorgan; he turned himself round. The tones, which went to his heart, camefrom St. Knud's Church, which lay close beside the garden. The sunshineof the landscape, and the strength of the music, gave, as it were, tohim light and strength for the darkness toward which he was so soon togo. 

The sun set; and Otto went alone across the market-place toward the oldcorner house, where German Heinrich practiced his arts. Upon this placestood St. Albani's Church, where St. Knud, betrayed by his servantBlake, [Author's Note: Whence has arisen the popular expression of"being a false Blake. "] was killed by the tumultuous rebels. The commonpeople believe that from one of the deep cellars under this houseproceeds a subterranean passage to the so-called "Nun's Hill. " Atmidnight the neighboring inhabitants still hear a roaring under themarketplace, as if of the sudden falling of a cascade. The betterinformed explain it as being a concealed natural water-course, which hasa connection with the neighboring river. In our time the old house isbecome a manufactory; the broken windows, the gaps of which are repairedeither with slips of wood or with paper, the quantity of human boneswhich are found in the garden, and which remain from the time when thiswas a church-yard, give to the whole place a peculiar interest to thecommon people of Odense. 

Entering the house at the front, it is on the same level as themarket-place; the back of the house, on the contrary, descendsprecipitously into the garden, where there are thick old walls andfoundations. The situation is thus quite romantic; just beside it isthe old nunnery, with its dentated gables, and not far off the ruins, inwhose depths the common people believe that there resides an evil being, "the river-man, " who annually demands his human sacrifice, which heannounces the night before. Behind this lie meadows, villas, and greenwoods. 

On the other side of the court, in a back gate-way, German Heinrichhad set up his theatre. The entrance cost eight skillings; people ofcondition paid according to their own will. 

Otto entered during the representation. A cloth constituted the wholescenic arrangement. In the middle of the floor sat a horrible goblin, with a coal-black Moorish countenance and crispy hair upon its head. Anold bed-cover concealed the figure, yet one saw that it was that of awoman. 

The audience consisted of peasants and street boys. Otto kept himself inthe background, and remained unobserved by Heinrich. 

The representation was soon at an end, and the crowd dispersed. It wasthen that Otto first came forward. 

"We must speak a few words together!" said he. "Heinrich, you have notacted honestly by me! The girl is not that which you represented her tobe; you have deceived me: I demand an explanation!"

German Heinrich stood silent, but every feature eloquently expressedfirst amazement, and then slyness and cunning; his knavish, maliciouseye, measured Otto from top to toe. 

"Nay; so then, Mr. Thostrup, you are convinced, are you, that I havebeen cheating you?" said he. "If so, why do you come to me? In that casethere needs no explanation. Ask herself there!" And so saying he pointedto the black-painted figure. 

"Do not be too proud, Otto!" said she, smiling; "thou couldst yetrecognize thy sister, although she has a little black paint on herface!"

Otto riveted a dark, indignant glance upon her, pressed his lipstogether, and tried to collect himself. "It is my firm determinationto have the whole affair searched into, " said he, with constrainedcalmness. 

"Yes, but it will bring you some disagreeables!" said Heinrich, andlaughed scornfully. 

"Do not laugh in that manner when I speak to you!" said Otto, withflushing cheeks. 

Heinrich leaned himself calmly against the door which led into thegarden. 

"I am acquainted with the head of the police, " said Otto, "and I mightleave the whole business in his hands. But I have chosen a milder way; Iam come myself. I shall very soon leave Denmark; I shall go manyhundred miles hence shall, probably, never return; and thus you see theprincipal ground for my coming to you is a whim: I will know whereforeyou have deceived me; I will know what is the connection between you andher. "

"Nay; so, then, it is _that_ that you want to know?" said Heinrich, witha malicious glance. "Yes, see you, she is my best beloved; she shall bemy wife: but your sister she is for all that, and that remains so!"

"Thou couldst easily give me a little before thou settest off on thyjourney!" said Sidsel, who seemed excited by Heinrich's words, and putforth her painted face. 

Otto glanced at her with contracted eyebrows. 

"Yes, " said she, "I say 'thou' to thee: thou must accustom thyself tothat! A sister may have, however, that little bit of pleasure!"

"Yes, you should give her your hand!" said Heinrich, and laughed. 

"Wretch!" exclaimed Otto, "she is not that which you say! I will findout my real sister! I will have proof in hand of the truth! I willshow myself as a brother; I will care for her future! Bring to me herbaptismal register; bring to me one only attestation of its reality--andthat before eight days are past! Here is my address, it is the envelopeof a letter; inclose in it the testimonial which I require, and send itto me without delay. But prove it, or you are a greater villain than Itook you for. "

"Let us say a few rational words!" said Heinrich, with a constrained, fawning voice. "If you will give to me fifty rix-dollars, then you shallnever have any more annoyance with us! See, that would be a great dealmore convenient. "

"I abide by that which I have said!" answered Otto; "we will not haveany more conversation together!" And so saying, he turned him round togo out. 

Heinrich seized him by the coat. 

"What do you want?" inquired Otto. 

"I mean, " said Heinrich, "whether you are not going to think about thefifty rix-dollars?"

"Villain!" cried Otto, and, with the veins swelling in his forehead, hethrust Heinrich from him with such force, that he fell against the wormeaten door which led into the garden; the panel of the door fell out, and had not Heinrich seized fast hold on some firm object with both hishands, he must have gone the same way. Otto stood for a moment silent, with flashing eyes, and threw the envelope, on which his address was, atHeinrich's feet, and went out. 

When Otto returned to the hotel, he found the horses ready to be put tothe carriage. 

"Have you had good intelligence?" whispered Louise. 

"I have in reality obtained no more than I had before!" replied he;"only my own feelings more strongly convince me than ever that I havebeen deceived by him. "

He related to her the short conversation which had taken place. 

The Kammerjunker's carriage was now also brought out; in this was morethan sufficient room for two, whereas in the other carriage they hadbeen crowded. The Kammerjunker, therefore, besought that they wouldavail themselves of the more convenient seat which he could offer; andOtto saw Sophie and her mother enter the Kammerjunker's carriage. Thisarrangement would shortly before have confounded Otto, now it had muchless effect upon him. His mind was so much occupied by his visit toGerman Heinrich, his soul was filled with a bitterness, which for themoment repelled the impulse which he had felt to express his great lovefor Sophie. 

"I have been made Heinrich's plaything--his tool!" thought he. "Now heridicules me, and I am compelled to bear it! That horrible being is notmy sister!--she cannot be so!"

The street was now quiet. They mounted into the carriage. In the cornerhouse just opposite there was a great company; light streamed throughthe long curtains, a low tenor voice and a high ringing soprano mingledtogether in Mozart's "Audiam, audiam, mio bene. "

"The bird may not flutter from my heart!" sighed Otto, and seatedhimself by the side of Louise. The carriage rolled away. 

The full moon shone; the wild spiraea sent forth its odor from the roadside; steam ascended from the moor-lands; and the white mist floatedover the meadows like the daughters of the elfin king. 

Louise sat silent and embarrassed; trouble weighed down her heart. Ottowas also silent. 

The Kammerjunker drove in first, cracked his whip, and struck up a wildhalloo. 

Wilhelm began to sing, "Charming the summer night, " and the Kammerjunkerjoined in with him. 

"Sing with us man, " cried Wilhelm to the silent Otto, and quickly thetwo companies were one singing caravan. 

It was late when they reached the hall. 

CHAPTER XLI

 "Destiny often pulls off leaves, as we treat the vine, that its fruits may be earlier brought to maturity. "--JEAN PAUL. 

It was not until toward morning that Otto fell into sleep. Wilhelm andhe were allowed to take their own time in rising, and thus it was latein the day before these two gentlemen made their appearance at thebreakfast-table; the Kammerjunker was already come over to the hall, andnow was more adorned than common. 

"Mr. Thostrup shall be one of the initiated!" said the mother. "Itwill be time enough this evening for strangers to know of it. TheKammerjunker and my Sophie are betrothed. "

"See, it was in the bright moonlight, Mr. Thostrup, that I became sucha happy man!" said the Kammerjunker, and kissed the tips of Sophie'sfingers. He offered his other hand to Otto. 

Otto's countenance remained unchanged, a smile played upon his lips. "I congratulate you!" said he; "it is indeed a joyful day! If I were apoet, I would give you an ode!"

Louise looked at him with an extraordinary expression of pain in hercountenance. 

Wilhelm called the Kammerjunker brother-in-law, and smiling shook bothhis hands. 

Otto was unusually gay, jested, and laughed. The ladies went to theirtoilet, Otto into the garden. 

He had been so convinced in his own mind that Sophie returned hispassion. With what pleasure had she listened to him! with what anexpression had her eye rested upon him! Her little jests had been tohim such convincing proofs that the hope which he nourished was noself-delusion. She was the light around which his thoughts had circled. Love to her was to him a good angel, which sung to him consolation andlife's gladness in his dark moments. 

Now, all was suddenly over. It was as if the angel had left him; theflame of love which had so entirely filled his soul, was in a momentextinguished to its last spark. Sophie was become a stranger to him; herintellectual eye, which smiled in love on the Kammerjunker, seemed tohim the soulless eye of the automaton. A stupefying indifference wentthrough him, deadly as poison that is infused into the human blood. 

"The vain girl! she thought to make herself more important by repellingfrom her a faithful heart! She should only see how changed her image isin my soul. All the weaknesses which my love for her made me pass over, now step forth with repulsive features! Not a word which she spoke fellto the ground. The diamond has lost its lustre; I feel only its sharpcorners!"

Sophie had given the preference to a man who, in respect of intellect, stood far below Otto! Sophie, who seemed to be enthusiastic for art andbeauty, for everything glorious in the kingdom of mind, could thus havedeceived him!

We will now see the sisters in their chamber. 

Louise seemed pensive, she sat silently looking before her. 

Sophie stood thoughtfully with a smile upon her lips. 

"The Kammerjunker is very handsome, however!" exclaimed she: "he looksso manly!"

"You ought to find him love-worthy!" said Louise. 

"Yes, " replied her sister, "I have always admired these strongcountenances! He is an Axel--a northern blackbearded savage. Faces suchas Wilhelm's look like ladies'! And he is so good! He has said, thatimmediately after our marriage we shall make a tour to Hamburg. Whatdress do you think I should wear?"

"When you make the journey to Hamburg?" inquired Louise. 

"O no, child! to-day I mean. Thostrup was indeed very polite! hecongratulated me! I felt, however, rather curious when it was told tohim. I had quite expected a scene! I was almost ready to beg of youto tell him first of all. He ought to have been prepared. But he was, however, very rational! I should not have expected it from him. I reallywish him all good, but he is an extraordinary character! so melancholy!Do you think that he will take my betrothal to heart? I noticed thatwhen I was kissed he turned himself suddenly round to the window andplayed with the flowers. I wish that he would soon go! The journeyinto foreign countries will do him good--there he will soon forget hisheart's troubles. To-morrow I will write to Cousin Joachim; he will alsobe surprised!"

Late in the afternoon came Jakoba, the Mamsell, the preacher, and yet afew other guests. 

In the evening the table was arranged festively. The betrothed sattogether, and Otto had the place of honor--he sat on the other sideof Sophie. The preacher had written a song to the tune of "Be thouour social guardian-goddess;" this was sung. Otto's voice soundedbeautifully and strong; he rang his glass with the betrothed pair, andthe Kammerjunker said that now Mr. Thostrup must speedily seek out abride for himself. 

"She is found, " answered Otto; "but now that is yet a secret. "

"Health to the bride!" said Sophie, and rung her glass; but soon againher intellectual eye rested upon the Kammerjunker, who was talking aboutasparagus and stall-feeding with clover, yet her glance brought him backagain to the happiness of his love. 

It was a very lively evening. Late in the night the party broke up. Thefriends went to their chamber. 

"My dear, faithful Otto!" said Wilhelm, and laid his hand on hisshoulder; "you were very lively and good-humored this evening. Continuealways thus!"

"I hope to do so, " answered Otto: "may we only always have as happy anevening as this!"

"Extraordinary man!" said Wilhelm, and shook his head. "Now we will soonset out on our journey, and catch for ourselves the happiness of theglorious gold bird!"

"And not let it escape again!" exclaimed Otto. "Formerly I used to say, To-morrow! to-morrow! now I say, To-day, and all day long! Away withfancies and complainings. I now comprehend that which you once said tome, that is. Man _can_ be happy if he only _will_ be so. "

Wilhelm took his hand, and looked into his face with a half-melancholyexpression. 

"Are you sentimental?" inquired Otto. 

"I only affect that which I am not!" answered Wilhelm; and with that, suddenly throwing off the natural gravity of the moment, returned to hiscustomary gayety. 

The following days were spent in visiting and in receiving visitors. Onevery post-day Otto sought through the leathern bag of the postman, buthe found no letter from German Heinrich, and heard nothing from him. "Ihave been deceived, " said he, "and I feel myself glad about it! She, thehorrible one, is not my sister!"

There was a necessity for him to go away, far from home, and yet he feltno longing after the mountains of Switzerland or the luxuriant beauty ofthe south. 

"Nature will only weaken me! I will not seek after it. Man it is that Irequire: these egotistical, false beings--these lords of everything!How we flatter our weaknesses and admire our virtues! Whatever serves toadvance our own wishes we find to be excellent. To those who love us, we give our love in return. At the bottom, whom do I love except myself?Wilhelm? My friendship for him is built upon the foundation, --I cannotdo without thee! Friendship is to me a necessity. Was I not onceconvinced that I adored Sophie, and that I never could bear it if shewere lost to me? and yet there needed the conviction 'She loves theenot, ' and my strong feeling was dead. Sophie even seems to meless beautiful; I see faults where I formerly could only discoveramiabilities! Now, she is to me almost wholly a stranger. As I am, soare all. Who is there that feels right lovingly, right faithfully forme, without his own interest leading him to do so? Rosalie? My old, honest Rosalie? I grew up before her eyes like a plant which she loved. I am dear to her as it! When her canary-bird one morning lay dead in itscage, she wept bitterly and long; she should never more hear it sing, she should never more look after its cage and its food. It was the lossof it which made her weep. She missed that which had been interestingto her. I also interested her. Interest is the name for that whichthe world calls love. Louise?" He almost spoke the name aloud, and histhoughts dwelt, from a strong combination of circumstances, upon it. "She appears to me true, and capable of making sacrifices! but is notshe also very different from all the others? How often have I not heardSophie laugh at her for it--look down upon her!" And Otto's betterfeeling sought in vain for a shadow of self-love in Louise, a singleselfish motive for her noble conduct. 

"Away from Denmark! to new people! Happy he who can always be on thewing, making new friendships, and speedily breaking them off! At thefirst meeting people wear their intellectual Sunday apparel; every pointof light is brought forth; but soon and the festival-day is over, andthe bright points have vanished. "

"We will set off next week!" said Wilhelm, "and then it shall be--

 'Over the rushing blue waters away! We will speed along shores that are verdant and gay!'

Away over the moors, up the Rhine, through the land of champagne to thecity of cities, the life-animating Paris!"

CHAPTER XLII

 "A maiden stood musing, gentle and mild. I grasped the hand of the friendly child, but the lovely fawn shyly disappeared. . . . From the Rhine to the Danish Belt, beautiful and lovely maidens are found in palaces and tents; yet nobody pleases me. "--SCHMIDT VON LÜBECK. 

The last day at home was Sophie's birthday. In the afternoon the wholefamily was invited to the Kammerjunker's, where Jakoba and the Mamsellwere to be quite brilliant in their cookery. 

A table filled with presents, all from the Kammerjunker, awaited MissSophie; it was the first time that he had ever presented to her abirthday gift, and he had now, either out of his own head or somebody'selse, fallen on the very good idea of making her a present for everyyear which she had lived. Every present was suited to the age for whichit was intended, and thus he began with a paper of sugar-plums and endedwith silk and magnificent fur; but between beginning and end therewere things, of which more than the half could be called solid: goldear-rings, a boa, French gloves, and a riding-horse. This last, ofcourse, could not stand upon the table. It was a joy and a happiness;people walked about, and separated themselves by degrees into groups. 

The only one who was not there was Eva. She always preferred remainingat home; and yet, perhaps, to-day she might have allowed herself to havebeen overpersuaded, had she not found herself so extremely weak. 

Silently and alone she now sat at home in the great empty parlor. Itwas in the twilight; she had laid down her work, and her beautiful, thoughtful eyes looked straight before her: thoughts which we may notunveil were agitating her breast. 

Suddenly the door opened, and Wilhelm stood before her. Whilst theothers were walking he had stolen away. He knew that Eva was alone athome; nobody would know that he visited her, nobody would dream of theirconversation. 

"You here!" exclaimed Eva, when she saw him. 

"I was compelled to come, " answered he. "I have slipped away fromthe others; no one knows that I am here. I must speak with you, Eva. To-morrow I set off; but I cannot leave home calmly and happily withoutknowing--what this moment must decide. "

Eva rose, her checks crimsoned, she cast down her eyes. 

"Baron Wilhelm!" stammered she, "it is not proper that I should remainhere!" She was about to leave the room. 

"Eva!" said Wilhelm, and seized her hand, "you know that I love you! Myfeelings are honorable! Say Yes, and it shall be holy to me as an oath. Then I shall begin my journey glad at heart, as one should do. Yourassent shall stand in my breast, shall sound in my ear, whenever sin andtemptation assail me! It will preserve me in an upright course, it willbring me back good and unspoiled. My wife must you be! You havesoul, and with it nobility! Eva! in God's name, do not make a feeble, life-weary, disheartened being of me!"

"O Heavens!" exclaimed she, and burst into tears, "I cannot, and--willnot! You forget that I am only a poor girl, who am indebted foreverything to your mother! My assent would displease her, and some timeor other you would repent of it! I cannot!--I do not love you!" addedshe, in a tremulous voice. 

Wilhelm stood speechless. 

Eva suddenly rang the bell. 

"What are you doing?" exclaimed he. 

The servant entered. 

"Bring in lights!" said she; "but first of all you must assist me withthese flowers down into the garden. It will do them good to stand in thedew. "

The servant did as she bade; she herself carried down one of the pots, and left the room. 

"I do not love you!" repeated Wilhelm to himself, and returned to thecompany which he had left, and where he found all gayety and happiness. 

The supper-table was spread in the garden; lights burned in the open airwith a steady flame; it was a summer-evening beautiful as the October ofthe South; the reseda sent forth its fragrance; and when Sophie's healthwas drunk cannon were fired among the lofty fir-trees, the pines of theNorth. 

The next morning those countenances were dejected which the eveningbefore had been so gay. The carriage drew up to the door. The dearmother and sisters wept; they kissed Wilhelm, and extended their handsto Otto. 

"Farewell!" said Louise; "do not forget us!" and her tearful glancerested upon Otto. Eva stood silent and pale. 

"You will not forget me!" whispered Otto, as he seized Louise's hand. "Iwill forget your sister!"

The carriage rolled away; Wilhelm threw himself back into a corner. Ottolooked back once more; they all stood at the door, and waved their whitehandkerchiefs. 

CHAPTER XLIII

 "In one short speaking silence all conveys-- And looks a sigh, and weeps without a tear. " MRS. BROWNING. 

 "Forgive us our debts as we The debts of others forgive; And lead us not in tempting ways; Apart from evil let us live. " A. VON CHAMISSO. 

We will not accompany the friends, but will remain behind in Funen, where we will make a bolder journey than they, namely, we will go backone-and-twenty years. We will allow the circumstances of Otto's birthagain to come before us. It is a leap backward that we take from 1830 to1810. We are in Odense, that old city, which takes its name from Odin. 

The common people there have still a legend about the origin of the nameof the city. Upon Naesbyhoved's Hill [Author's Note: Not far from thecity, by the Odense Channel; it is described in Wedel Simonsen's CityRuins. ] there once stood a castle; here lived King Odin and his wife:Odense city was not then in existence, but the first building of it wasthen begun. [Author's Note: The place is given as being that of the nowso-called Cross Street. ] The court was undecided as to the name whichshould be given to the city. After long indecision it was at last agreedthat the first word which either King or Queen should speak the nextmorning should be the name given to it. In the early morning the Queenawoke and looked out from her window over the wood. The first house inthe city was erected to the roof, and the builders had hung up agreat garland, glittering with tinsel, upon the rooftree. "Odin, see!"exclaimed the Queen; and thenceforward the city was called Odensee, which name, since then, has been changed by daily speech to Odense. 

When people ask the children in Copenhagen whence they have come, theyreply, out of the Peblingsöe. The little children of Odense, whoknow nothing about the Peblingsöe, say that they are fetched out ofRosenbaek, a little brook which has only been ennobled within the fewlast years, just as in Copenhagen is the case with Krystal Street, whichformerly had an unpleasant name. This brook runs through Odense, andmust, in former times, when united with the Odense River, have formed anisland where the city at that time stood; hence some people derive thename of Odense from Odins Ei, or Odins Ö, that is, Odin's Island. Be itthen as it might, the brook flows now, and in 1810, when the so-calledWillow-dam, by the West Gate, was not filled up, it stood, especially inspring, low and watery. It often overflowed its banks, and in so doingoverflowed the little gardens which lay on either side. It thus ranconcealed through the city until near the North Gate, where it made itsappearance for a moment and then dived again in the same street, and, like a little river, flowed through the cellars of the old justice-room, which was built by the renowned Oluf Bagger. [Author's Note: He was sorich that once, when Frederick the Second visited him, he had the roomheated with cinnamon chips. Much may be found about this remarkableman in the second collection of Thiele's Popular Danish Legends. Hisdescendants still live in Odense, namely, the family of the printer Ch. Iversen, who has preserved many curiosities which belonged to him. ]

It was an afternoon in the summer of 1810; the water was high in thebrook, yet two washerwomen were busily employed in it; reed-mattingwas fast bound round their bodies, and they beat with wooden staves theclothes upon their washing-stools. They were in deep conversation, andyet their labor went on uninterruptedly. 

"Yes, " said one of them, "better a little with honor, than much withdishonor. She is sentenced; to-morrow she is to go about in the pillory. That is sure and certain! I know it from the trumpeter's Karen, and fromthe beggar-king's [Author's Note: Overseer of the poor. ] wife: neitherof them go about with lies. "

"Ih, my Jesus!" exclaimed the other, and let her wooden beater fall, "isJohanne Marie to go in the pillory, the handsome girl? she that lookedso clever and dressed herself so well?"

"Yes, it is a misfortune!" said the first; "a great misfortune it mustbe! No, let every one keep his own! say I every day to my children. After the sweet claw comes the bitter smart. One had much better worktill the blood starts from the finger-ends. "

"Ih, see though!" said the other; "there goes the old fellow, JohanneMarie's father. He is an honest man; he was so pleased with hisdaughter, and to-morrow he must himself bind her to the pillory! But canshe really have stolen?"

"She has herself confessed, " returned she; "and the Colonel is severe. Ifancy the Gevaldiger is going there. "

"The Colonel should put the bridle on his own son. He is a bad fellow!Not long ago, when I was washing yarn there, and was merry, as I alwaysam, he called me 'wench. ' If he had said 'woman, ' I should not havetroubled myself about it, for it has another meaning; but 'wench, ' thatis rude! Ei, there sails the whole affair!" screamed she suddenly, asthe sheet which she had wound round the washing-stool got loose andfloated down the stream: she ran after it, and the conversation wasbroken off. 

The old man whom they had seen and compassionated, went into a greathouse close by, where the Colonel lived. His eyes were cast upon theground; a deep, silent suffering lay in his wrinkled face; he gentlypulled at the bell, and bowed himself deeply before the black-appareledlady who opened to him the door. 

We know her--it was the old Rosalie, then twenty years younger than whenwe saw her upon the western coast of Jutland. 

"Good old man!" said she, and laid her hand kindly on his shoulder. "Colonel Thostrup is severe, but he is not, however, inhuman; and thathe would be if he let you tomorrow do your office. The Colonel has saidthat the Gevaldiger should stay at home. "

"No!" said the old man, "our Lord will give me strength. God be thankedthat Johanne Marie's mother has closed her eyes: she will not see themisery! We are not guilty of it!"

"Honest man!" said Rosalie. "Johanne was always so good and clever;and now"--she shook her head--"I would have sworn for her, but she hasconfessed it herself!"

"The law must have its course!" said the old man, and tears streameddown his cheeks. 

At that moment the door opened, and Colonel Thostrup, a tall, thin man, with a keen eye, stood before them. Rosalie left the room. 

"Gevaldiger, " said the Colonel, "to-morrow you will not be required toact in your office. "

"Colonel, " returned the old man, "it is my duty to be there, and, if Imay say a few words, people would speak ill of me if I kept away. "

On the following forenoon, from the early morning, the square where laythe council-house and head-watch, was filled with people; they were cometo see the handsome girl led forth in the pillory. The time beganto appear long to them, and yet no sign was seen of that which theyexpected. The sentinel, who went with measured step backward and forwardbefore the sentry-box, could give no intelligence. The door of thecouncil-house was closed, and everything gave occasion to the reportwhich suddenly was put into circulation, that the handsome Johanne Mariehad been for a whole hour in the pillory within the council-house, andthus they should have nothing at all to see. Although it is entirelyopposed to sound reason that punishment should be inflicted publicly, itmet with much support, and great dissatisfaction was excited. 

"That is shabby!" said a simple woman, in whom we may recognize one ofthe washerwomen; "it is shabby thus to treat the folks as if they werefools! Yesterday I slaved like a horse, and here one has stood two wholehours by the clock, till I am stiff in the legs, without seeing anythingat all!"

"That is what I expected, " said another woman; "a fair face has manyfriends! She has known how to win the great people to her side!"

"Do not you believe, " inquired a third, "that she has been good friendswith the Colonels son?"

"Yes; formerly I would have said No, because she always looked sosteady, and against her parents there is not a word to be said; but asshe has stolen, as we know she has, she may also have been unsteady. The Colonel's son is a wild bird; riots and drinks does he in secret! Weothers know more than his father does: he had held too tight a hand overhim. Too great severity causes bad blood!"

"God help me, now it begins!" interrupted another woman, as a detachmentof soldiers marched out of the guard-house, and at some little distanceone from the other inclosed an open space. The door of the council-housenow opened, and two officers of police, together with some of the guard, conducted out the condemned, who was placed in the pillory. This was asort of wooden yoke laid across the shoulders of the delinquent; a pieceof wood came forward from this into which her hands were secured: aboveall stood two iron bars, to the first of which was fastened a littlebell; to the other a long fox's tail, which hung down the lack of thecondemned. 

The girl seemed hardly more than nineteen, and was of an unusuallybeautiful figure; her countenance was nobly and delicately formed, but pale as death: yet there was no expression either of suffering orshame, --she seemed like the image of a penitent, who meekly accomplishesthe imposed penance. 

Her aged father, the Gevaldiger, followed her slowly; his eye wasdetermined; no feature expressed that which went forward in his soul:he silently took his place beside one of the pillars before the guardhouse. 

A loud murmur arose among the crowd when they saw the beautiful girl andthe poor old father, who must himself see his daughter's disgrace. 

A spotted dog sprang into the open space; the girl's monotonous tread, as she advanced into the middle of the square, the ringing of the littlebell, and the fox-tail which moved in the wind, excited the dog, whichbegan to bark, and wanted to bite the fox's tail. The guards drove thedog away, but it soon came back again, although it did not venture againinto the circle, but thrust itself forward, and never ceased barking. 

Many of those who already had been moved to compassion by the beautyof the girl and the sight of the old father, were thrown again by thisincident into a merry humor; they laughed and found the whole thing veryamusing. 

The hour was past, and the girl was now to be released. The Gevaldigerapproached her, but whilst he raised his hand to the yoke the oldman tottered, and sank, in the same moment, back upon the hard stonepavement. 

A shriek arose from those who stood around; the young girl alone stoodsilent and immovable; her thoughts seemed to be far away. Yet somepeople fancied they saw how she closed her eyes, but that was only fora moment. A policeman released her from the pillory, her old fatherwas carried into the guard-house, and two policemen led her into thecouncil-house. 

"See, now it is over!" said an old glover, who was among the spectators;"the next time she'll get into the House of Correction. "

"O, it is not so bad there, " answered another; "they sing and are merrythere the whole day long, and have no need to trouble themselves aboutvictuals. "

"Yes, but that is prison fare. "

"It is not so bad--many a poor body would thank God for it; and JohanneMarie would get the best of it. Her aunt is the head-cook, and the cookand the inspector they hang together. It's my opinion, however, thatthis affair will take the life out of the old man. He got a rightgood bump as he fell on the stone-pavement; one could hear how it rungagain. "

The crowd separated. 

The last malicious voice had prophesied truth. 

Three weeks afterward six soldiers bore a woven, yellow straw coffinfrom a poor house in East Street. The old Gevaldiger lay, with closedeyes and folded hands, in the coffin. Within the chamber, upon thebedstead, sat Johanne Marie, with a countenance pale as that of the deadwhich had been carried away. A compassionate neighbor took her hand, andmentioned her name several times before she heard her. 

"Johanne, come in with me; eat a mouthful of pease and keep life inyou; if not for your own sake, at least for that of the child which liesunder your heart. "

The girl heaved a wonderfully deep sigh. "No, no!" said she, and closedher eyes. 

Full of pity, the good neighbor took her home with her. 

A few days passed on, and then one morning two policemen entered thepoor room in which the Gevaldiger had died. Johanne Marie was againsummoned before the judge. 

A fresh robbery had taken place at the Colonel's. Rosalie said that itwas a long time since she had first missed that which was gone, but thatshe thought it best to try to forget it. The Colonel's violent temperand his exasperation against Johanne Marie, who, as he asserted, byher bad conduct, had brought her old, excellent father to the grave, insisted on summoning her before the tribunal, that the affair might bemore narrowly inquired into. 

Rosalie, who had been captivated by the beauty of the girl and by hermodest demeanor, and who was very fond of her, was this time quite calm, feeling quite sure that she would deny everything, because, in fact, the theft had only occurred within the last few days. The public becameaware of this before long, and the opinion was that Johanne Marie couldnot possibly have been an actor in it; but, to the astonishment of thegreater number, she confessed that she was the guilty person, and thatwith such calmness as amazed every one. Her noble, beautifullyformed countenance seemed bloodless; her dark-blue eyes beamed with abrilliancy which seemed like that of delirium; her beauty, her calmness, and yet this obduracy in crime, produced an extraordinary impressionupon the spectators. 

She was sentenced to the House of Correction in Odense. Despised andrepulsed by the better class of her fellow-beings, she went to herpunishment. No one had dreamed that under so fair a form so corrupt asoul could have been found. She was set to the spinning-wheel; silentand introverted, she accomplished the tasks that were assigned her. Inthe coarse merriment of the other prisoners she took no part. 

"Don't let your heart sink within you, Johanne Marie, " said GermanHeinrich, who sat at the loom; "sing with us till the iron bars rattle!"

"Johanne, you brought your old father to the grave, " said her relation, the head-cook; "how could you have taken such bad courses?"

Johanne Marie was silent; the large, dark eyes looked straight beforeher, whilst she kept turning the wheel. 

Five months went on, and then she became ill--ill to death, andgave birth to twins, a boy and a girl--two beautiful and well-formedchildren, excepting that the girl was as small and delicate as if itslife hung on a thread. 

The dying mother kissed the little ones and wept; it was the first timethat the people within the prison had seen her weep. Her relation thecook sat alone with her upon the bed. 

"Withdraw not your hand from the innocent children, " said Johanne Marie;"if they live to grow up, tell them some time that their mother wasinnocent. My eternal Saviour knows that I have never stolen! Innocentam I, and innocent was I when I went out a spectacle of public derision, and now when I sit here!"

"Ih, Jesus though! What do you say?" exclaimed the woman. 

"The truth!" answered the dying one. "God be gracious to me!--mychildren!"

She sank back upon the couch, and was dead. 

CHAPTER XLIV

 "Ah! wonderfully beautiful is God's earth, and worthy it is to live contented. "--HÖLTY. 

We now return to the hall in Funen, to the family which we left there;but autumn and winter are gone whilst we have been lingering on thepast. Otto and Wilhelm have been two months away. It is the autumn of1832. 

The marriage of the Kammerjunker and Sophie was deferred, according toher wish, until the second of April, because this day is immortal in theannals of Denmark. In the house, where there now were only the mother, Louise, and Eva, all was quiet. Through the whole winter Eva had becomeweaker; yet she did not resemble the flowers which wither; there was noexpression of illness about her--it was much more as if the spiritualnature overpowered the bodily; she resembled an astral lamp which, filled with light, seems almost resembled be an ethereal existence. Thedark-blue eyes had an expression of soul and feeling which attractedeven the simple domestics at the hall. The physician assured them thather chest was sound, and that her malady was to him a riddle. Abeautiful summer, he thought, would work beneficially upon her. 

Wilhelm and Otto wrote alternately. It was a festival-day whenever aletter came; then were maps and plans of the great cities fetched out, and Louise and Eva made the journey with them. 

"To-day they are here, to-morrow they will be there, " cried they. 

"How I envy them both, to see all these glorious things!" said Louise. 

"The charming Switzerland!" sighed Eva. "How refreshing the air must beto breathe! How well one must feel one's self there!"

"If you could only go there, Eva, " said Louise, "then you wouldcertainly get better. "

"Here all are so kind to me; here I am so happy!" answered she. "I amright thankful to God for it. How could I have hoped for such a home asthis? God reward you and your good mother for your kindness to me. Once I was so unhappy; but now I have had a double repayment for allmy sorrow, and all the neglect I have suffered. I am so happy, andtherefore I would so willingly live!"

"Yes, and you shall live!" said Louise. "How came you now to think aboutdying? In the summer you will perfectly recover, the physician says. Canyou hide from me any sorrow? Eva, I know that my brother loves you!"

"He will forget that abroad!" said Eva. "He must forget it! Could Ibe ungrateful? But we are not suited for each other!" She spoke of herchildhood, of long-passed, sorrowful days. Louise laid her arm uponher shoulder: they talked till late in the evening, and tears stood inLouise's eyes. 

"Only to you could I tell it!" said Eva. "It is to me like a sin, andyet I am innocent. My mother was so too--my poor mother! Her sin waslove. She sacrificed all; more than a woman should sacrifice. The oldColonel was stern and violent. His wrath often became a sort of frenzy, in which he knew not what he did. The son was young and dissipated; mymother a poor girl, but very handsome, I have heard. He seduced her. She had become an unfortunate being, and that she herself felt. TheColonel's son robbed his father and an old woman who lived in thefamily: that which had been taken was missed. The father would havemurdered the son, had he discovered the truth; the son, therefore, sought in his need help from my poor mother. He persuaded her to savehim by taking the guilt on herself. The whole affair as regarded herwas, he intended, only to come from the domestics. She thought that withher honor all was lost. She, indeed, had already given him the best ofwhich she was possessed. In anguish of heart, and overpowered by hisprayers, she said, 'Yes; my father has been angry and undone already. '"

Eva burst into tears. 

"Thou dear, good girl!" said Louise, and kissed her forehead. 

"My poor mother, " continued Eva, "was condemned to an undeservedpunishment. I cannot mention it. For that reason I have never had adesire to go to Odense. The old lady in the Colonel's family concealed, out of kindness, her loss; but by accident it was discovered. TheColonel was greatly embittered. My mother was overwhelmed by shame andmisfortune: the first error had plunged her into all this. She wastaken to the House of Correction in Odense. The Colonel's son shortlyafterward went away in a vessel. My unhappy mother was dispirited:nobody knew that she had endured, out of despair and love, a disgracewhich she had not deserved. It was not until she lay upon her death-bed, when I and my brother were born, that she told a relation that she wasinnocent. Like a criminal, in the early morning she was carried tothe grave in a coffin of plaited straw. A great and a noble heart wascarried unacknowledged to the dead!"

"You had a brother?" inquired Louise, and her heart beat violently. "Didhe die? and where did you, poor children, remain?"

"The cook in the house kept us with her. I was small and weak; mybrother, on the contrary, was strong, and full of life. He lived mostlyamong the prisoners. I sat in a little room with my doll. When we werein our seventh year, we were sent for to the old Colonel. His son diedabroad; but before his death he had written to the old man, confessingto him his crime, my mother's innocence, and that we were his children!I resembled my father greatly. The old gentleman, as soon as he sawme, was very angry, and said, 'I will not have her!' I remained with myfoster-mother. I never saw my brother after that time. The Colonel leftthe city, and took him with him. "

"O God!" cried Louise; "you have still some papers on this subject? Doyou not know your brother? It is impossible that it should be otherwise!You are Otto's sister!"

"O Heavens!" exclaimed Eva; her hands trembled, and she became as paleas a corpse. 

"You are fainting!" cried Louise, throwing her arm around her waist andkissing her eyes and her cheeks. "Eva! he is your brother! the dear, good Otto! O, he will be so happy with you! Yes, your eyes are like his!Eva, you beloved girl!"

Louise related to her all that Otto had confided to her. She told herabout German Heinrich, and how Otto had assisted Sidsel away, and howthey had met. 

Eva burst into tears. "My brother! O Father in heaven, that I may butlive! live and see him! Life is so beautiful! I must not die!"

"Happiness will make you strong! There is no doubt but that he is yourbrother! We must tell it to mamma. O Heavens! how delighted she will be!and Otto will no longer suffer and be unhappy! He may be proud of you, and happy in you! O, come, come!"

She led Eva out with her to her mother, who was already in bed; but howcould Louise wait till next morning?

"May the Lord bless thee, my good child!" said the lady, and pressed akiss upon her forehead. 

Eva related now how the Colonel had, given a considerable sum toher foster-mother; but that was all she was to receive, he had said. Afterward, when the foster-mother died, Eva had still two hundredrix-dollars; and on consideration of this the sister of the deceasedhad taken Eva to live with her. With her she came to Copenhagen and toNyboder, and at that time she was ten years old. There she had to nursea little child--her brother she called it--and that was the littleJonas. As she grew older, people told her that she was handsome. It wasnow four years since she was followed one evening by two young men, oneof whom we know--our moral Hans Peter. One morning her foster-mothercame to her with a proposal which drove her to despair. The merchanthad seen her, and wished to purchase the beautiful flower. Upon this Evaleft her home, and came to the excellent people at Roeskelde; and fromthat day God had been very good to her. 

She sank down upon her knees before the elderly lady's bed. She was notamong strangers: a mother and a sister wept with the happy one. 

"O that I might live!" besought Eva, in the depths of her heart. As aglorified one she stood before them. Her joy beamed through tears. 

The next morning she felt herself singularly unwell. Her feet trembled;her cheeks were like marble. She seated herself in the warm sunshinewhich came in through the window. Outside stood the trees with large, half-bursting buds. A few mild nights would make the wood green. Butsummer was already in Eva's heart; there was life's joy and gladness. Her large, thoughtful eyes raised themselves thankfully to heaven. 

"Let me not die yet, good God!" prayed she; and her lips moved to a lowmelody, soft as if breezes passed over the outstretched chords:--

 "The sunshine warm, the odorous flowers, Of these do not bereave me! I breathe with joy the morning hours, Let not the grave receive me! There can no pleasant sunbeams fall, No human voice come near me; There should I miss the flow'rets small, There have no friends to cheer me. 

 Now, how to value life I know-- I hold it as a treasure; There is no love i' th' grave below, No music, warmth, or pleasure. On it the heavy earth is flung, The coffin-lid shuts tightly! My blood is warm, my soul is young! Life smiles--life shines so brightly!"

She folded her hands: all became like flowers and gold before her eyes. Afar off was the sound of music: she reeled and sank down upon the sofawhich was near her. Life flowed forth from her heart, but the sensationwas one of bliss; a repose, as when the weary bow down their heads forsleep. 

"Here is a letter!" cried Louise, full of joy, and found her white andcold. Terrified, she called for help, and bent over her. 

Eva was dead. 

CHAPTER XLV

 "Knowest thou the mountain and its cloudy paths? where the mule is seeking its misty way. "--GOETHE. 

The letter was from Wilhelm; every line breathed life's joy andgladness. 

"MIA CARA SORELLA!

"Does it not sound beautifully? It is Italian! Now then, I am in thatso-often-sung-of Paradise, but of the so much-talked-about blue air, I have as yet seen nothing of consequence. Here it is gray, gray as inDenmark. To be sure Otto says that it is beautiful, that we have theheaven of home above us, but I am not so poetical. The eating isgood, and the filth of the people strikes one horribly after being inSwitzerland, the enchanting Switzerland! Yes, there is nature! We havemade a crusade through it, you may think. But now you shall hear aboutthe journey, and the entrance into 'la bella Italia, ' which is yet belowall my expectations. I cannot at all bear these feeble people; I cannotendure this monk-odor and untruthfulness. We are come direct from thescenery of Switzerland, from clouds and glaciers, from greatness andpower. We travelled somewhat hastily through the valley of the Rhone;the weather was gray, but the whole obtained therefrom a peculiarcharacter. The woods in the lofty ridges looked like heather; the valleyitself seemed like a garden filled with vegetables, vineyards, and greenmeadows. The clouds over and under one another, but the snow-coveredmountains peeped forth gloriously from among them, It was a rivencloud-world which drove past, --the wild chase with which the daylighthad disguised itself. It kissed in its flight Pissevache, a waterfallby no means to be despised. In Brieg we rested some time, but at twoo'clock in the morning began again our journey over the Simplon. This isthe journey which I will describe to you. Otto and I sat in the coupée. Fancy us in white blouses, shawl-caps, and with green morocco slippers, for the devil may travel in slippers--they are painful to the feet. 

"We both of us have mustaches! I have seduced Otto. They become usuncommonly well, and give us a very imposing air; and that is very goodnow that we are come into the land of banditti, where we must endeavorto awe the robbers. Thus travelled we. It was a dark night, and stillas death, as in the moment when the overture begins to an opera. Soon, indeed, was the great Simplon curtain to be rolled up, and we to beholdthe land of music. Immediately on leaving the city, the road began toascend; we could not see a hand before us; around us tumbled and roaredthe water-courses, --it was as if we heard the pulse of Nature beat. Close above the carriage passed the white clouds; they seemed liketransparent marble slabs which were slid over us. We had the gray dawnwith us, whilst deep in the valley lay yet the darkness of night; inan hour's time it began to show itself there among the little woodenhouses. 

"It is a road hewn out of the rocks. The giant Napoleon carried itthrough the backbone of the earth. The eagle, Napoleon's bird, flew likea living armorial crest over the gigantic work of the master. There itwas cold and gray; the clouds above us, the clouds below us, and in themiddle space steep rocky walls. 

"At regular distances houses (relais) are erected for the travellers;in one of these we drank our coffee. The passengers sat on benches andtables around the great fire-place, where the pine logs crackled. Morethan a thousand names were written on the walls. I amused myself bywriting mamma's, yours, Sophie's, and Eva's; now they stand there, andpeople will fancy that you have been on the Simplon. In the lobby Iscratched in that of Mamsell, and added 'Without her workbox. ' Ottowas thinking about you. We talked in our, what the rest would call'outlandish speech, ' when I all at once exclaimed, 'It is really Eva'sbirthday!' I remembered it first. In Simplon town we determined to drinkher health. 

"We set off again. Wherever the glaciers might fall and destroy the roadthe rocks have been sprung, and formed into great galleries, throughwhich one drives without any danger. One waterfall succeeds another. There is no balustrade along the road, only the dark, deep abyss wherethe pine-trees raise themselves to an immense height, and yet only looklike rafters on the mighty wall of rock. Before we had advanced muchfurther, we came to where trees no longer grew. The great hospice lay insnow and cloud. We came into a valley. What solitude! what desolation!only naked crags! They seemed metallic, and all had a green hue. Theutmost variety of mosses grew there; before us towered up an immenseglacier, which looked like green bottle-glass ornamented with snow. It was bitterly cold here, and in Simplon the stoves were lighted; thechampagne foamed, Eva's health was drunk, and, only think! at that verymoment an avalanche was so gallant as to fall. That was a cannonade; apealing among the mountains! It must have rung in Eva's ears. Ask herabout it. I can see how she smiles. 

"We now advanced toward Italy, but cold was it, and cold it remained. The landscape became savage; we drove between steep crags. Only fancy, on both sides a block of granite several miles long, and almost as high, and the road not wider than for two carriages to pass, and there youhave a picture of it. If one wanted to see the sky, one was obliged toput one's head out of the carriage and look up, and then it was as ifone looked up from the bottom of the deepest well, dark and narrow. Every moment I kept thinking, 'Nay, if these two walls should cometogether!' We with carriage and horses were only like ants on a pebble. We drove through the ribs of the earth! The water roared; the cloudshung like fleeces on the gray, craggy walls. In a valley we saw boysand girls dressed in sheep-skins, who looked as wild as if they had beenbrought up among beasts. 

"Suddenly the air became wondrously mild. We saw the first fig-tree bythe road-side. Chestnuts hung over our heads; we were in Isella, theboundary town of Italy. Otto sang, and was wild with delight; I studiedthe first public-house sign, 'Tabacca e vino. '

"How luxuriant became the landscape! Fields of maize and vineyards! Thevine was not trained on frames as in Germany!--no, it hung in luxuriantgarlands, in great huts of leaves! Beautiful children bounded along theroad, but the heavens were gray, and that I had not expected in Italy. From Domo d'Ossola, I looked back to my beloved Switzerland! Yes, sheturns truly the most beautiful side toward Italy. But there was notany time for me to gaze; on we must. In the carriage there sat an oldSignorina; she recited poetry, and made: with her eyes 'che bella cosa!'

"About ten o'clock at night we were in Baveno, drank tea, and slept, whilst Lago Maggiore splashed under our window. The lake and theBorromaen island we were to see by daylight. 

"'Lord God!' thought I, 'is this all?' A scene as quiet and riant asthis we--have at home! Funen after this should be called Isola bella, and the East Sea is quite large enough to be called Lago Maggiore. Wewent by the steamboat past the holy Borromeus [Author's Note: A colossalstatue on the shore of Lago Maggiore. ] to Sesto de Calende; we had apriest on board, who was very much astonished at our having come from sofar. I showed him a large travelling map which we had with us, wherethe Lago Maggiore was the most southern, and Hamburg the most northernpoint. 'Yet still further off, ' said I; 'more to the north!' and hestruck his hands together when he perceived that we were from beyond thegreat map. He inquired whether we were Calvinists. 

"We sped through glorious scenes. The Alps looked like glass mountainsin a fairy tale. They lay behind us. The air was warm as summer, butlight as on the high mountains. The women wafted kisses to us; but theywere not handsome, the good ladies!

"Tell the Kammerjunker that the Italian pigs have no bristles, but havea coal-black shining skin like a Moor. 

"Toward night we arrived at Milan, where we located ourselves withReichmann, made a good supper, and had excellent beds; but I foreseethat this bliss will not last very long. On the other side of theApennines we shall be up to the ears in dirt, and must eat olivespreserved in oil; but let it pass. Otto adapts himself charmingly toall things; he begins to be merry--that is, at times! I, too, have hada sort of vertigo--I am taken with Italian music; but then there is adifference in hearing it on the spot. It has more than melody; it hascharacter. The luxuriance in nature and in the female form; the light, fluttering movement of the people, where even pain is melody, has won myheart and my understanding. Travelling changes people!

"Kiss mamma for me! Tell Eva about the health-drinking on the Simplon, and about the falling avalanche: do not forget that; that is preciselythe point in my letter! Tell me too how Eva blushed, and smiled, andsaid, 'He thought of me!' Yes, in fact it is very noble of me. My sweetSophie and her Kammerjunker, Jakoba and Mamsell, must have a bouquet ofgreetings, which you must arrange properly. If you could but see Ottoand me with our mustaches! We make an impression, and that is verypleasant. If the days only did not go on so quickly--if life did notpass so rapidly!

 "'Questa vita mortale Che par si bella, a quasi piuma al vento Che la porta a la perde in un momento, ' [Note: Guarini]

as we Italians say. Cannot you understand that?

"Thy affectionate brother, "WILHELM. "

Otto wrote in the margin of the letter, "Italy is a paradise! Here theheavens are three times as lofty as at home. I love the proud pine-treesand the dark-blue mountains. Would hat everybody could see the gloriousobjects!"

Wilhelm added to this, "What he writes about the Italian heavens isstupid stuff. Ours at home is just as good. He is an odd person, as youvery well know!

"'Addic! A rivederci!'"

CHAPTER XLVI

 "Thou art master in thy world. Hast thou thyself, then thou hast all!" --WAHLMANN. 

In the summer of 1834 the friends had been absent for two years. In thelast year, violet-colored gillyflowers had adorned a grave in the littlecountry church-yard. 

 "A heart which overflowed with love, Was gone from earth to love and God, " were the words which might be read upon the grave-stone. 

A withered bouquet of stocks had been found by Louise, with thecertificate of Eva's birth and her hymn-book. These were the flowerswhich Wilhelm had given her that evening at Roeskelde. Among the dryleaves there lay a piece of paper, on which she had written, --"Even likethese flowers let the feelings die away in my soul which these flowersinspire it with!"

And now above her grave the flowers which she had loved sent forth theirfragrance. 

It was Sunday; the sun shone warm; the church-goers, old and young, assembled under the great lime-tree near Eva's grave. They expectedtheir young preacher, who to-day was to preach for the third time. 

The gentlefolks would also certainly be there, they thought, because theyoung Baron was come back out of foreign parts, and with him the othergentleman, who certainly was to have Miss Louise. 

"Our new preacher is worth hearing, " said one of the peasant women;"such a young man, who actually preaches the old faith! as gentle and asmeek in conversation as if he were one of ourselves! And in the pulpit, God help us! it went quite down into my legs the last time about the Dayof Judgment!"

"There is Father!" [Note: The general term applied to the preacher bythe Danish peasants. ] exclaimed the crowd, and the heads of old andyoung were uncovered. The women courtesied deeply as a young man inpriest-robes went into the church-door. His eyes and lips moved to apious smile, the hair was smooth upon his pale forehead. 

"Good day, children!" said he. 

It was Hans Peter. He had, indeed, had "the best characters, " and thushad received a good living, and now preached effectively about the deviland all his works. 

The singing of the community sounded above the grave where the sunshone, where the stocks sent forth their fragrance, and where Eva slept:she whose last wish was to live. 

 "There is no love i' th' grave below, No music, warmth, or pleasure. "

The earth lay firm and heavy upon her coffin-lid. 

During the singing of the second hymn a handsome carriage drove upbefore the church-yard. The two friends, who were only just returned totheir home in Denmark, entered the church, together with the mother andLouise. 

Travelling and two years had made Wilhelm appear somewhat older;there was a shadow of sadness in his otherwise open and life-rejoicingcountenance. Otto looked handsomer than formerly; the gloomy expressionin his face was softened, he looked around cheerfully, yet thoughtfully, and a smile was on his lips when he spoke with Louise. 

There was in the sermon some allusion made to those who had returnedhome; for the rest, it was a flowery discourse interlarded with manytexts from the Bible. The community shed tears; the good, wise people, they understood it to mean that their young lord was returned homeuninjured from all the perils which abound in foreign lands. 

The preacher was invited to dinner at the hall. The Kammerjunker andSophie came also, but it lasted "seven long and seven wide, " asMiss Jakoba expressed herself, before they could get through all theunwrapping and were ready to enter the parlor, for they had with themthe little son Fergus, as he was called, after the handsome Scotchman inSir Walter Scott's "Waverley. " That was Sophie's wish. The Kammerjunkerturned the name of Fergus to Gusseman, and Jacoba asserted that it was adog's name. 

"Now you shall see my little bumpkin!" said he, and brought in asquare-built child, who with fat, red cheeks, and round arms, staredaround him. "That is a strong fellow! Here is something to take hold of!Tralla-ralla-ralla!" And he danced him round the room. 

Sophie laughed and offered her hand to Otto. 

Wilhelm turned to Mamsell. "I have brought something for you, " said he, "something which I hope may find a place in the work-box--a man made ofvery small mussel-shells; it is from Venice. "

"Heavens! from all that way off!" said she and courtesied. 

After dinner they walked in the garden. 

Wilhelm spoke already of going the following year again to Paris. 

"Satan!" said the Kammerjunker. "Nay, I can do better with Mr. Thostrup. He is patriotic. He lays out his money in an estate. It is a goodbargain which you have made, and in a while will be beautiful; there ishill and dale. "

"There my old Rosalie shall live with me, " said Otto; "there she willfind her Switzerland. The cows shall have bells on their necks. "

"Lord God! shall they also be made fools of?" exclaimed Jakoba: "that isjust exactly as if it were Sophie. "

They went through the avenue where Otto two years before had wept, andhad related all his troubles to Louise. He recollected it, and a gentlesigh passed his lips whilst his eyes rested on Louise. 

"Now, do you feel yourself happy at home?" asked she; "a loveliersummer's day than this you certainly have not abroad. "

"Every country has its own beauties, " replied Otto. "Our Denmark is nota step child of Nature. The people here are dearest to me, for I ambest acquainted with them. They, and not Nature, it is that makes aland charming. Denmark is a good land; and here also will I look for myhappiness. " He seized Louise's hand; she blushed, and was silent. Happyhours succeeded. 

This circle assembled every Sunday; on the third, their delight wasgreater, was more festal than on any former occasion. 

Nature herself had the same expression. The evening was most beautiful;the full moon shone, magnificent dark-blue clouds raised themselves likemountains on the other side the Belt. Afar off sailed the ships, withevery sail set to catch the breeze. 

Below the moon floated a coal-black cloud, which foretold a squall. 

A little yacht went calmly over the water. At the helm sat a boy--halfa child he seemed: it was Jonas, the little singing-bird, as Wilhelm hadonce called him. Last Whitsuntide he had been confirmed, and with hisConfirmation all his singer-dreams were at an end: but that did nottrouble him; on the contrary, it had lain very heavy upon his heart thathe was not to be a fifer. His highest wish had been to see himself asa regimental fifer, and then he should have gone to his Confirmation inhis red uniform, with a sabre at his side, and a feather in his hat halfas tall as himself. Thus adorned, he might have gone with the girlsinto the King's Garden and upon the Round Tower, the usual walk for poorchildren in Copenhagen. On Confirmation-day they ascend the high tower, just as if it were to gain from it a free view over the world. LittleJonas, however, was confirmed as a sailor, and he now sat at the helm onthis quiet night. 

Upon the deck lay two persons and slept; a third went tranquilly upand down. Suddenly he shook one of the sleepers, and caught hold onthe sail. A squall had arisen with such rapidity and strength, that thevessel in a moment was thrown on her side. Mast and sail were below thewater. Little Jonas uttered a shriek. Not a vessel was within sight. The two sleepers had woke in time to cling to the mast. With greatforce they seized the ropes, but in vain; the sail hung like lead in thewater. The ship did not right herself. 

"Joseph, Maria!" exclaimed one of them, a man with gray hairs andunpleasing features. "We sink! the water is in the hold!"

All three clambered now toward the hinder part of the vessel, where alittle boat floated after. One of them sprang into it. 

"My daughter!" cried the elder, and bent himself toward the narrowentrance into the cabin. "Sidsel, save thy life!" and so saying, hesprang into the boat. 

"We must have my daughter out, " cried he. One of the ship's cabinwindows was under water; he burst in the other window. 

"We are sinking!" cried he, and a horrible scream was heard within. 

The old man was German Heinrich, who was about to come with this vesselfrom Copenhagen to Jutland: Sidsel was his daughter, and therefore hewished now to save her life a second time. 

The water rushed more and more into the ship. Heinrich thrust his armthrough the cabin-window, he grasped about in the water within; suddenlyhe caught hold on a garment, he drew it toward him; but it was only thecaptain's coat, and not his daughter, as he had hoped. 

"The ship sinks!" shrieked the other, and grasped wildly on the ropewhich held the boat fast: in vain he attempted to divide it with hispocket-knife. The ship whirled round with the boat and all. Air andwater boiled within it, and, as if in a whirlpool, the whole sunk intothe deep. The sea agitated itself into strong surges over the place, andthen was again still. The moon shone tranquilly over the surface of thewater as before. No wreck remained to tell any one of the struggle whichthere had been with death. 

The bell tolled a quarter past twelve; and at that moment the last lightat the hall was extinguished. 

"I will go to Paris, " said Wilhelm, "to my glorious Switzerland; hereat home one is heavy-hearted; the gillyflowers on the grave have an odorfull of melancholy recollections. I must breathe the mountain air;I must mingle in the tumult of men, and it is quite the best in theworld. "

Otto closed his eyes; he folded his hands. 

"Louise loves me, " said he. "I am so happy that I fear some greatmisfortune may soon meet me; thus it used always to be. Whilst GermanHeinrich lives I cannot assure myself of good! If he were away, I shouldbe perfectly tranquil, perfectly happy!"