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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II
+(of 3), by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II (of 3)
+       A Series of Popular Stories by the Best Danish Authors
+
+Author: Various
+
+Translator: Mrs. (Anna S.) Bushby
+
+Release Date: October 23, 2011 [EBook #37832]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANES SKETCHED BY THEMSELVES, VOL II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+   1. Page scan source:
+      http://www.archive.org/details/danessketchedbyt02bush
+
+   2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                               THE DANES
+
+                        Sketched by Themselves.
+
+                A SERIES OF POPULAR STORIES BY THE BEST
+                            DANISH AUTHORS,
+
+
+
+                       TRANSLATED BY MRS. BUSHBY.
+
+
+
+                     _IN THREE VOLUMES.--VOL. II_.
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
+                                 1864.
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+               [_The right of Translation is reserved_.]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+        LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
+                           AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+
+                          CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
+
+
+
+   Too Old.--By Carit Etlar.
+   Aunt Francisca.--By Carl Bernhard.
+   The Shipwrecked Mariner's Treasure.--By Carit Etlar.
+   Damon and Pythias.--By Carl Bernhard.
+   The Fatal Chain.--From the Swedish of Uncle Adam.
+
+
+
+
+                               THE DANES
+
+                        Sketched by Themselves.
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+                              TOO OLD.[1]
+
+                    FROM THE DANISH OF CARIT ETLAR.
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+Between Fredericia and Snoghöi the sandy and stony shore forms a
+tolerably broad tongue of land, which is called Lyngspoint. The coast
+stretches out long and flat, without any defence against the sea except
+a stone wall, and the fishermen who dwell here seem to have thought of
+nothing but the safe little bays that, on either side of the
+promontory, afford shelter to their small skiffs and protect them from
+the wild waves, and the blocks of ice which during winter the
+north-west winds drive in from the Kattegat.
+
+Farther up on the land, the bare, desolate-looking plain of sand
+disappears by degrees under high banks which are overgrown by a thick,
+low copse of brushwood, with some stunted oak and beech-trees showing
+themselves as sad mementoes of an extensive wood, that formerly joined
+the forest of Erizö, and in the midst of which the village of Hannerup
+was situated. The village and the wood have both disappeared long
+since.
+
+Far in among the bushes people sometimes stumble upon pieces of broken
+stones with their mouldering cement of lime, the last fragments of the
+work and walls of ages gone by: in a few years the copse itself will
+have vanished, and the blackbird and the thrush, whose blithe carols on
+the summer evenings were heard even by those sailing near in the Belt,
+will seek other leafy homes.
+
+At a little distance from the sea-shore at Lyngspoint stand ten or
+twelve small cottages, built in the irregular style which is always
+observable in the houses of the peasantry of ancient days, and composed
+of hard clay framework and thatched roofs. To each cottage there
+belongs a small garden enclosed by a low earthen dyke, or a hedge of
+elderberries and the blackthorn. Behind several of them are to be seen
+boats turned upside down, lying in the sand with their keels exposed,
+and each furnished with a little gate in the stern. These boats serve
+as a shelter for sheep, or geese, after having become too frail any
+longer to carry their owners out to sea. The inhabitants of Lyngspoint
+are fishermen, a reserved and silent race, rough and stern like the
+element on which they pass so much of their time. Among them the
+struggles of life have no cessation--labour has no reward--time affords
+no day of rest, except when storms forbid them to launch their boats,
+or the sea is covered with ice; but such dreaded and unwelcome repose
+is always associated with distress and want. The women employ
+themselves in their household affairs, and not unfrequently share the
+labour of the men, as they always share their privations. Even the
+ocean's tempests are felt in common here, since every squall in which
+the boats are exposed to danger on the water, causes gloom and anxiety
+to those in the huts, who dread to lose their relatives and their means
+of support.
+
+In one of these fishermen's cottages one evening there were two
+persons--an old man, tall and athletic, his grey hair thin and
+sunburnt, his countenance decided and daring, and a woman, very
+youthful-looking, pale, and apparently unhappy, but nevertheless of
+rare beauty. He sat at a table, which was lighted by a lamp suspended
+by a chain from a beam in the roof, and the glare from which fell upon
+two long Spanish cavalry pistols which he was busy loading. She was
+standing at the window gazing through the dark window-panes.
+
+It was a gloomy November evening. The storm from the seaward swept
+wildly along, howling dismally, while the rain beat heavily against the
+windows, and the flame in the lamp fluttered and flickered in the gusts
+of wind that rushed into the room through the open chimney. There had
+been a long and unbroken silence between the two occupants of the
+apartment; the man, while continuing his work, cast several glances
+towards the young woman, but always looked quickly away when she turned
+towards him.
+
+At length he asked, 'At what are you looking?'
+
+'At the weather,' she replied. 'It will be a bad night to go to sea
+in.'
+
+'The weather is good enough,' he muttered, gruffly. 'It is all the
+better for being dark; the darkness will be of use to us.'
+
+So saying, he started up, buckled on a cutlass, and stuck the pistols
+in his belt.
+
+'Give me something to eat.'
+
+The woman spread the table for supper, and taking a pot off the fire,
+poured its contents into a dish, which she placed before the man.
+
+There was again complete silence; he ate his supper without saying a
+word, while the young woman sat leaning back in her chair near the
+table, and fixed her eye on him with a sad, yet scrutinizing look.
+
+'I am done,' he exclaimed, after a little while, 'and now, good-by.'
+
+'Are you going already?' she asked, sorrowfully.
+
+'To be sure I am--it is the time agreed on, and they will be waiting
+for me on the shore down yonder.'
+
+He drew on a thick sailor's jacket over his other clothes, and went
+towards the door.
+
+'Farewell, Christine!' he said, without even turning to look at her.
+
+Christine stretched both her hands towards him, and her trembling lips
+moved, but the words she would have spoken died away in a deep sigh.
+The man turned round and walked back a step or two. For a few moments
+he stood in silent surprise, and then exclaimed, 'What are you weeping
+for?'
+
+'Oh, Jan Steffens!' she whispered, half aloud, as she again stretched
+her hands towards him, 'I am so afraid lest any evil should happen to
+you.'
+
+The man did not take her proffered hand, and his thick eyebrows were
+knitted together, as he said, 'How childish you are, Christine! What is
+there for you to be afraid of? I am going on a lawful errand, and
+things must take their course. Take care to put the fire out, and don't
+forget to feed the watch-dog in the morning. I have locked him up in
+the wash-house, that he might not make a noise to-night.'
+
+So saying he turned to go, but when he had reached the door he came
+back once again, and exclaimed, with solemnity, 'May the Lord's
+protecting hand be over you, Christine!' In another moment he was gone.
+
+The young woman laid her head on the table, covered her face with her
+hands, and wept bitterly. She had sat there for some time absorbed in
+grief, when suddenly she raised her head, for she had heard steps on
+the outside of the cottage. She got up and went to the window.
+Presently she saw a figure in the doorway. It was that of a young man
+in a sailor's dress, and armed in the same manner as Jan was.
+
+'Good evening, dear Christine!' he exclaimed. 'Has Jan gone?'
+
+'Yes,' she answered; 'you will find him down yonder with the other
+boatmen.'
+
+The fisherman seemed to be reflecting on something, while he fixed his
+eyes intently upon the young woman's face. He observed that there were
+tears in her eyes, and approaching her, he seized her hand.
+
+'Christine!' he exclaimed, in a soft and sympathizing voice, 'you have
+been weeping? Has there been any quarrel between you and your husband?'
+
+'No,' she replied, 'there never has been any.' And as she spoke she
+tried to draw her hand away, but he grasped it more firmly.
+
+'Would to Heaven you had never seen that old Jan Steffens,' he
+whispered; 'you would have been much happier--oh, what misery we would
+both have escaped!'
+
+'Would to Heaven I had never seen you, Kjeld,' she answered; 'then,
+perhaps, Jan and I might have been comfortable together.'
+
+The young fisherman's eyes sparkled at this imprudent confession, which
+admitted so much more than Christine had any intention of doing.
+
+'But what harm have I done?' he asked, gently. 'We loved each other
+from our childish days, when we used to go to school together. Ah!
+_then_ we looked forward to living together, to working together,
+to trying our luck together--and--being so happy! Then came Jan
+Steffens--and now--'
+
+'And now I am Jan Steffens's wife,' cried Christine, interrupting him
+impetuously. 'Never speak to me more of the past, therefore, Kjeld--it
+is gone! It is forgotten,' she added, in a lower and sadder tone.
+
+At that moment the light from the lamp fell upon a face, which, on the
+outside of the house, was intently looking in through the window. Those
+in the room did not observe it, and had no suspicion that prying eyes
+were upon them. Kjeld asked, with warmth, 'Why should we not speak of
+the past? We have always been only like brother and sister to each
+other.'
+
+'Brother and sister!' said Christine, trying to smile, 'what else could
+we have been? But I am a married woman, Kjeld, and you, like every one
+else, are only a stranger to me. Therefore you must not come here so
+often--people remark the frequency of your visits, and talk of them.'
+
+'But Jan himself has allowed them,' said the fisherman. 'Only
+yesterday, when we were coming from church, he asked me where I had
+been all last week, and why I had never once entered his house. He said
+that you had been speaking of me.' Christine raised her head, and cast
+a surprised and inquiring look at Kjeld. He went on: 'Jan said that you
+were longing to see me again.'
+
+'I cannot understand his conduct,' murmured Christine, musingly.
+
+'When your husband spoke thus,' said Kjeld, tenderly, 'why will you be
+harsher than he? Answer me, Christine--why may I not come here as
+hitherto? I ask for nothing more.'
+
+The young woman's lips quivered, and her whole frame trembled with
+emotion, which she seemed struggling to overcome, as she replied, in a
+broken voice, 'Oh, Kjeld, leave off such questions. It is a sin on your
+part to speak in this manner to me. Go--go, I beseech you. Jan will
+expect to meet you down yonder with the other boatmen.'
+
+Kjeld seemed lost in thought for a few moments; he then came close to
+Christine, laid his hand on her head, and tried to speak--but words
+failed him, and turning suddenly away, he rushed from the cottage. At
+the same moment the face vanished, which, from the outside of the
+window, had been watching the scene within.
+
+The storm appeared to be increasing. The lamp swung, and its light
+fluttered in the draughts of air from the ill-secured window-frames.
+When Christine found that she was alone, she crouched down close to the
+door, as if she wished to catch the last expiring echo of the footsteps
+of him who had just gone. She listened, but nothing was to be heard
+save the roaring of the tempest, and the sound of the rain pattering
+against the windows.
+
+This is a tale of the year 1808, at the commencement of that
+unfortunate period when Denmark, without a fleet, without an army, and
+almost without finances, entered into war both with Sweden and England.
+
+Down at the shore, in one of the little bays before mentioned, the
+water from which was conveyed a good way inland by a broad channel that
+had been dug for the purpose, there lay that evening two gunboats,
+which a number of men were getting out into the open sea. They worked
+hurriedly and silently, and the little noise that they unavoidably made
+was drowned in the roaring of the waves, which were dashing furiously
+on the beach of the narrow tongue of land. The men were all armed in
+the same way as Jan Steffens, and seemed to obey his orders.
+
+Jan was the principal pilot of the place, and well known as an
+excellent seaman. The two gunboats had been built and rigged at
+Fredericia, and afterwards placed under his command. They were the
+masters of the whole Belt, so to speak, and the previous summer they
+had taken several valuable prizes from the English.
+
+At the moment in question the pilot was standing on a rock on the
+beach, and dividing his attention between the men's work and the black
+clouds above, from which the rain was pouring down in torrents. All the
+preparations, so energetically carried on that evening, were made for
+the purpose of taking by surprise an English corvette, which, for want
+of a pilot, had anchored in a bay near Fyen shortly before the darkness
+and the storm had commenced.
+
+Just about the time that the gunboats had been hauled out to the
+extremity of the point, two persons approached the shore, both coming
+from the direction of the cottages. One was a half-grown lad, the other
+was Kjeld. The boy looked about for the pilot, and when he perceived
+him standing on the rock he hastened towards him.
+
+Jan stooped and whispered in the boy's ear,
+
+'Was he in yonder?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'You are sure you saw him--you have not made any mistake?'
+
+'I saw him as plainly as I now see you, Jan Steffens.'
+
+'Very well, Jens; you can go home. Let the sails alone!' he cried,
+shortly after, turning towards the group of men near; 'the storm is
+increasing, the wind is right against us, and we must row the boats
+out. How late may it be, I wonder?'
+
+'It is not yet midnight,' replied Kjeld, who had just approached the
+pilot. 'As I was coming along I heard the clock at Erizö church strike
+eleven.'
+
+'Mongens Dal, at Fyensland, promised to place a light in his window at
+twelve o'clock,' observed another. 'His farm lies close by the bay
+where the English ship has anchored; we have only, then, to look out
+for that light, and there will be no mistake.'
+
+'Ay, ay--all right,' replied Jan, gruffly. 'Mind your own business,
+Vextel, and leave me to determine how we shall steer.'
+
+A few minutes afterwards he announced that it was time for them to put
+to sea.
+
+'Take your places,' cried Jan, 'and see that you make as little noise
+with the oars as possible. Ebbe, take the helm of the other boat, and
+follow close to the one I steer. We shall be a tolerable number this
+time, I think.'
+
+'You promised to take the porpoise-hunters from Middlefart with us.'
+
+'To be sure I did, and we shall find room for them; they are fine brave
+fellows, these porpoise-hunters. Has Kjeld come on board?'
+
+'Yes, pilot,' answered the young man from the first gunboat.
+
+'A word with you, Kjeld. Come a little way on shore.'
+
+Kjeld sprang out of the boat, the pilot went up to him, and they walked
+together from the beach towards the sandhills.
+
+'You will see that Kjeld will be half-mad this evening,' said one of
+the seamen in the first boat. 'Jan Steffens looks as sulky and savage
+as can be; very likely he has found out the love affair at home in his
+house up yonder.'
+
+'Poor man!' said another, 'why did he take so young a wife. He is much
+too old for her.'
+
+In the meantime, after Jan and Kjeld had walked to some distance in
+silence side by side, Jan asked suddenly,--
+
+'Where were you this evening, Kjeld? It was very late before you joined
+us.'
+
+Kjeld stammered some almost unintelligible words, while he seemed to be
+framing an answer.
+
+'You are thinking what you can say,' exclaimed the old pilot, in a
+voice unsteady with suppressed anger, 'for you dare not speak it out.
+You were with Christine. You ought not to conceal this from me. You
+were there also yesterday, and on Sunday, and last Friday; and, in
+short, whenever I am absent, at sea in my boat, or elsewhere, you find
+some pretext to visit her.'
+
+'I admit it is true,' replied Kjeld, who was startled by the stern
+coldness of Jan's looks and words.
+
+'But did it never occur to you that you were wrong in visiting her so
+often? Christine is a married woman, and you will bring discredit upon
+her with your frequent visits.'
+
+'I am a man of honour, Jan Steffens,' replied Kjeld, in a voice that
+trembled somewhat with anxiety at what might be the result of this
+conversation, 'and I have never behaved in your house in any way that
+you or the whole world might not have witnessed.'
+
+'That is, perhaps, a misfortune, sir.'
+
+'A misfortune!' exclaimed Kjeld, in amazement; 'what can you mean?'
+
+'If it had been otherwise,' replied Jan, quietly, 'I should have put a
+pistol to your head, and shot you--that's all. It would have been
+better both for you and her, maybe.'
+
+'But you yourself gave me permission to visit at your house; you said
+that Christine longed to have some news of me.'
+
+'Well, if I said that, of course you knew on whose account I asked you
+to come. You need not take the matter so much to heart, my lad; let us
+speak reasonably now. I know that you are a well-principled young man,
+Kjeld; I have watched you narrowly ever since Christine and I were
+married. I am aware how things stand between you two; I know all,
+Kjeld!'
+
+'You?'
+
+'Ah, yes! I know that she loves you, and that she has never in her life
+cared for anyone else.'
+
+'Then you know, also, that I am the most unfortunate man on earth,'
+replied Kjeld.
+
+'You!' exclaimed Jan, shrugging up his shoulders mockingly--'you! No,
+my lad, there is one who beats you in misfortune.'
+
+'Who?'
+
+'_I_. If you had acted towards me as you ought to have done, you would
+have come to me when I was courting Christine, and have told me how
+things were between you and her.'
+
+'We thought of doing that, Jan Steffens, but we did not dare to risk
+it.'
+
+'Nonsense--nonsense! one should dare everything to fulfil one's duty.
+But you kept silence at that time, so did she, and matters were allowed
+to take their course.'
+
+'Oh, Jan Steffens!' replied the young fisherman, in a voice trembling
+with emotion, 'what could I have said to you? I was a poor fellow,
+working hard to obtain food enough for my own support. You were well
+off, and had been kind to Christine's father, therefore they were glad
+to let you have the girl.'
+
+'A very good reason, truly. What! because I had been kind to the old
+people, had I a claim to make their daughter unhappy? No; the blame was
+your own. You both kept silence, and yourselves are answerable for the
+evil that followed. Hearken, Kjeld! from this evening forward we must
+understand each other. I loved Christine from the first moment I beheld
+her; she was so amiable, so dutiful, and so full of affectionate
+feeling for the old people, her parents, and so attentive to them, that
+I thought she would make an excellent wife. I knew that she would have
+many more comforts in my house than she had at home. I reflected on
+everything, except upon the difference between our ages. She was
+silent--she wept; but she married me. Since that time, Kjeld, I have
+done all that a man could do to make myself liked. I was kind and
+indulgent to her. I allowed her to rule in all things, and to do
+whatever she pleased. I brought her home the most beautiful dresses and
+presents when I went on voyages. But all was of no avail. I was _too
+old_.
+
+'I bought a new boat for her father, I took her mother into our house,
+I clothed her little sisters and sent them to school, I prayed to the
+Lord every morning and evening of my life in mercy to inspire her with
+kindly feelings towards me--but in vain, in vain! She went through her
+duties, and was civil and good-tempered; but love me she never could.
+When I was young, like you, Kjeld, I dared not attach myself to any
+woman, because I was _too poor_; now that I have become rich, none will
+attach herself to me, because I am _too old_. You look sad. Ah, so goes
+the world, my boy! It was not long before I found out that you loved
+Christine; and, alas! still worse--I too soon perceived how much she
+cared for you. While you both thought the secret was buried in your own
+hearts, I read it as if in an open book. Then I was seized with the
+most furious jealousy. I resolved to murder you, and more than once, at
+that period, there was but a hair-breadth between you and death. I
+watched you closely--my eyes were often on you, and never were you out
+of my thoughts.'
+
+Jan stopped; he seemed to be nerving himself to go on with his
+narration. Kjeld observed that he was shaking, as if in an ague fit.
+
+'You were an honourable man, Kjeld, as you declared a little while
+ago,' continued Jan, 'yet that which ought to have made my unhappiness
+less, absolutely added to it. I have nothing to complain of--nothing to
+reproach you with--all falls back upon myself--upon that disastrous,
+that wretched union of hands, in which the soul took no part; and when
+one has come to the full knowledge that such was the case, the painful
+truth fastens itself upon the mind, and impels one to seek some remedy
+to the misfortune.'
+
+'You are right, Jan Steffens,' replied Kjeld, earnestly. 'I, too, have
+been reflecting upon a remedy since I left Christine a little while
+ago, when she wished to Heaven she had never known me--never even
+beheld me.'
+
+'Did Christine really say that?' exclaimed the pilot with surprise,
+but, it must be owned, not without feeling somewhat pleased and
+flattered. 'Well, that was rather a cruel wish to bestow on you this
+evening, when she thought that you were going on an expedition from
+whence many of us will, perhaps, never return.'
+
+'Christine is a better wife than you fancy; she discards every thought
+that is not in accordance with her duty; I shall not be wanting in mine
+either, and I have hit upon a plan to set all to rights.'
+
+'So have I,' said the pilot.
+
+'I shall go away and engage myself on board some ship trading with a
+foreign country, and neither she nor you shall see me often again, if
+it shall please God to spare my life in our enterprise to-night.'
+
+'That he certainly will do, my lad, for a good reason--that you shall
+not go with us.'
+
+'Not go with you! What do you mean by that?' asked Kjeld, in the utmost
+amazement.
+
+'Listen!' replied Jan, with cold, quiet decision of manner. 'I have not
+much time to spare, and my resolution is taken. Because you have
+behaved honourably, and because you have both felt so kindly disposed
+towards an old man who, without knowing or intending it, brought upon
+you the greatest disappointment that can befall anyone, I will ensure
+you both a reward. Go back to Christine, and tell her, that from this
+evening henceforth I will bestow on her all the liberty she can desire;
+she shall no longer have cause to grieve and to weep, as she has so
+often done when she supposed no one saw her, or at night, when she
+thought I was asleep: you can say that since it was impossible for me
+to win her affection, and be happy myself, I will not hinder her from
+being so. On this account, it is not _you_, young man, but _I_, who
+must go away to a distant land, never more to return.'
+
+It would be difficult to describe the young seaman's amazement as he
+listened to these words.
+
+'I do not at all understand you, Jan Steffens,' he said. 'What do you
+mean by speaking in this manner?'
+
+'They are calling to me from the boats!' cried Jan. 'Do you not hear
+their shouts? I must away. What do I mean?' he added, in a lower tone.
+'It is easily understood; if I die to-night, I cannot stand in your way
+to-morrow.'
+
+'Die!' cried Kjeld. 'Are you going to kill yourself?'
+
+'No,' replied the pilot, calmly. 'But I feel pretty sure that the
+Englishmen will take the trouble of despatching me upon themselves.'
+
+'No, no! that shall not be! You must let me go with you, Jan Steffens,
+and share your danger; you promised that you would. Besides, according
+to the lots that we drew in the dark, I have a right to accompany you.
+And if you were to die--if you were to put yourself forward to be
+killed--I should be still more miserable than I am now. Christine
+would never be mine, if that happiness were purchased by your death
+to-night.'
+
+'Oh, as to that, you will change your tune when the time comes,'
+replied the pilot, turning to go; but Kjeld stopped him, and placing
+himself before him, while he seized his arms, exclaimed,
+
+'Oh, Jan Steffens! take me with you; I entreat you, as the greatest
+favour, to do so. You shall not forsake Christine; you are a far better
+husband to her than I should be. Let me go with the boats!'
+
+Jan shook himself free from the young man's grasp, and in answer to his
+earnest appeal, he said,
+
+'It shall be as I have determined, Kjeld, so there is no use for
+another word on the subject. But you must not go to Christine till
+to-morrow, for you may well believe that I must have ceased to live
+before I cease to love her. Farewell, Kjeld--be kind to her, and make
+her as happy as you can. She is very mild, and is easily intimidated.
+When she is yours, and you speak of me in future years, remember that I
+wished to do good to you both--that I atoned for my fault as well as I
+could--and that my greatest misfortune was--that she was so young, or
+rather, that I was _too old_.'
+
+The pilot wrung Kjeld's hand as he said these words, and before the
+young fisherman had time to conquer his emotion so as to be able to
+make any reply, the old man had left him, and was crossing the sand
+with rapid strides towards the shore where the boats' crews were
+assembled. Kjeld followed him, crying, 'Jan Steffens, let me go with
+you only this once; do not thus turn a deaf ear to me. You will rob me
+of my honour, my share in your glory, if I alone am to be left behind.'
+
+'Push off!' shouted the pilot, as he jumped into the leading gunboat,
+and took his place at the helm.
+
+The oars sank, and both the boats began to move towards the sea. Kjeld
+uttered a despairing cry, and sprang after them, but he could not reach
+them, and the waves cast him back on the shore.
+
+'Things shall be as I have said,' he heard in the pilot's deep voice
+from the foremost boat. 'But do not go up yonder before to-morrow, and
+may the Lord be with you both!'
+
+The men in the boats had been astonished witnesses of this scene. Those
+who sat nearest to him cast looks of inquiry towards the pilot; but his
+eye gave no responsive glance, his sunburnt face only expressed
+inflexible resolution, and his countenance was, perhaps, a little
+sterner even than usual.
+
+From the beach Kjeld saw the boats rising and sinking amidst the
+foaming waves, while his passionate entreaties and his wild shouts were
+lost in the roaring of the wind and the thunder of the sea. The rain
+was pouring in torrents, and the skies were obscured by heavy black
+clouds. Soon after the two boats appeared only as dark specks upon the
+water, and presently even these vanished amidst the thick fog which
+rested over the sea at a little distance.
+
+Fortunately the current was running northwards that night--that is to
+say, in a direction which favoured the progress of the gunboats, so
+that their crews were not obliged to fatigue themselves with rowing
+hard. The raging sea broke repeatedly over the boats, but no one seemed
+to mind this; they placed complete confidence in the pilot, whose tall
+figure, apparently immovable, stood upright at the helm: and perhaps
+the thoughts of all were directed to the object of their expedition,
+which they were rapidly approaching. The rain had somewhat abated in
+that particular place, and when a gust of wind partially dispelled the
+fog for a moment, they saw on the opposite high coast of Fyen the
+signal-light, which, though it was but faint and flickering, pointed
+out to them where they should seek the enemy. Amidst the profound
+silence that reigned in the boats, the pilot addressed the men in low
+but distinct tones.
+
+'Row more quietly still, Gutter! Make no noise with your oars; you may
+be certain that they have their eyes and ears open yonder. They know
+right well where they are. Have the guns clear in front there, Nikolai;
+you must show us to-night that you understand your work like an old
+artilleryman. The wind will fall off the nearer we come under the
+shelter of the hilly land. If I see aright, we have our man there in
+the lee of the boats.'
+
+All eyes were instantly turned in the direction he had named; a dark
+object became soon after perceptible amidst the thick gloom around, it
+gradually grew in size and developed its outline, until the hull of a
+ship was to be discerned, sharp and black, reposing on the waters like
+a swan.
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+
+In pursuance of the plan which Jan Steffens had arranged, the boats
+shaped their course so as to come between the land and the corvette.
+They could hear the wind whistling amidst the cordage, could see the
+light in the captain's cabin, and the heads of the officers of the
+watch as they paced up and down the quarter-deck. The silence which had
+reigned on board was broken the moment the pilot's boat was perceived
+from the ship. Immediately afterwards Jan's sonorous voice was heard
+commanding his men to fire. Both the gunboats fired at the same moment,
+and with terrible effect.
+
+It would be in vain to try to describe the commotion which now took
+place on board the enemy's ship. The attack had been made as suddenly
+as it had been planned; it was also favoured in the highest degree by
+the darkness and the tempest, which embarrassed many of the movements
+of the ship at anchor, whilst the gunboats, on the contrary, were able
+to move easily towards the places where their fire would operate most
+effectively, and be most destructive. Under these fortunate
+circumstances the fishermen continued to load and to discharge their
+guns. Splinters and pieces of broken planks evinced the accuracy of
+their gunners. On board the corvette they were not able to point their
+cannon so low that they could sweep the boats, whose flat hulls,
+besides, were only visible during the flashes of fire from the guns,
+and in an instant after seemed to have been swallowed up by the lofty
+billows.
+
+Meanwhile the drums beat on board the ship; the boatswain's whistle
+mingled with the officer's words of command--disorder was at an end.
+Everything was done that circumstances permitted to oppose the enemy,
+and their fire was returned whenever their position could be
+ascertained. Soon after the rain ceased, and faint rays of pale
+moonlight struggled through the dark masses of clouds that were driving
+across the skies. The gunboats came close under the man-of-war, and
+after another discharge of their guns, the crews boarded the ship,
+climbing in by every possible opening, amidst cries of joyous triumph;
+and then commenced a scene in which were mingled the sounds of oaths,
+shouts, and pistol-shots, while everything was shrouded in the thick
+veil of mist and dark clouds of smoke.
+
+At Lyngspoint every shot was heard, and caused the deepest anxiety for
+the absent. As usual upon similar occasions, lights appeared in all the
+fishermen's huts. None of the females thought of sleep while their
+husbands and their brothers were fighting upon the stormy sea. The
+tempest roared around the cottages, the watch-dogs howled as if
+lamenting their masters' danger, and the crowing of the cocks announced
+the approach of morning. Pale countenances, expressive of fear and
+anxiety, appeared one after the other at the half-open doors; presently
+the women began to go over to each other's houses to communicate their
+forebodings, or to seek for the comfort so much needed. In the little
+porch of one of the houses nearest to the shore stood a group of three
+females muffled up in woollen shawls and gazing upon the sea. Every
+shot was noticed by them with a sigh or a speaking glance.
+
+'There is warm work going on over yonder,' groaned one woman.
+
+'Ah, yes!' replied another; 'I was just thinking that every one of
+these shots may cost a man's life--the lives of _our_ men, perhaps.'
+
+'Nonsense! there is nothing to make such a fuss about,' exclaimed a
+rough voice. 'Our people's lives are in God's hands, even though they
+may stand before the barrel of a gun, or ride on a plank over the
+ocean. I have put up a prayer to the Lord for my boy. "Do your duty," I
+said to him when he went away, "and our Almighty Father will order the
+rest as seems good to Him!"'
+
+She who spoke thus was an extraordinary-looking woman. Her face was
+entirely covered with wrinkles and marks of the small-pox, which made
+her harsh features look still coarser than they really were. Some years
+before the date of the night in question, her husband had been lost at
+sea, and she and her little son had been left in the utmost poverty.
+From that time Ellen went out with the men to fish: she worked as hard
+as the best of them, managed her boat like an experienced seaman, and
+never seemed to feel fatigue. Equipped in a short dress, a pair of
+large fisherman's boots, and a dark, low hat, which in nautical
+language is called 'a sou'-wester,' she was to be seen in the worst
+weather carrying her fish about to the neighbouring farms for sale; in
+the autumn months she hired the old right of ferryman at Snoghöi, and
+carried fruit over from Æro to Zealand--she took travellers across to
+Strib--mended her own boat when it needed repairs; in short, she worked
+hard, for she worked to maintain her son.
+
+Doubtless some local readers of this slight sketch will recognize in
+Ellen an old acquaintance, who was always welcome wherever she showed
+herself; an honest, upright, self-sacrificing character, whose whole
+life was one scene of unflinching devotion to her duties, until she
+suddenly disappeared from her home, and was never seen again.
+
+Ellen was standing with a short clay-pipe in her mouth, her rough grey
+locks confined by a handkerchief tied under her chin.
+
+'I'll tell you what, Ellen,' said one of the other women, 'let us run
+over to Stine Steffens, as none of us have any mind to go to sleep
+to-night. She has a warm, comfortable room, and can give us a good cup
+of coffee.'
+
+Her proposition was readily agreed to by the group of women who had now
+assembled, and, tying handkerchiefs over their heads like hoods, they
+all repaired to Jan Steffens's house, with the exception of 'Skipper
+Ellen,' as she was generally called, who remained behind.
+
+Christine was still sitting in the same corner of the room where she
+had placed herself after Kjeld had left her. Her beautiful, expressive
+eyes were swimming in tears.
+
+'Good evening, little Stine!' cried one of the fisherwomen. 'How goes
+it with you?'
+
+'Oh, as with the rest of you,' she replied. 'I am full of anxiety and
+terror. It was kind of you to come here. Pray sit down.'
+
+'You had better come to one of our houses, and we shall make some good
+strong coffee; that will help to kill the time.'
+
+'We can make the coffee as well here,' said Christine.
+
+'Oh, certainly,' said the other, joyfully, 'and I will help to blow up
+the fire.'
+
+The fire was rekindled, the coffee made, and the conversation was then
+resumed.
+
+'Would to Heaven our people were safe at home again!' exclaimed
+Christine. 'I am so terrified at the risk they are running to-night.'
+
+'And with good reason too,' said one of the women. 'There is sure to be
+sorrow among some of us to-morrow, for the firing has been going on at
+least half-an-hour. But we must comfort ourselves by remembering that
+storm and sunshine come from the same hand; and if some are sufferers
+others will be gainers, for no doubt there will be a good deal of
+prize-money from so large a ship. You, at any rate, can take things
+easily, my good Stine, for if anything should happen to your old man,
+your fate won't be very hard--you will soon have another and a younger
+husband. Besides, Jan Steffens always gets a double portion of any
+prize-money, or any treasure that is found, though all the other men
+risk their lives as much as he does his.'
+
+'Oh, come now,' cried another, 'Christine has twice as much cause of
+anxiety as we have. We have only _one_ to think of--she has _two_.'
+
+'Two!' exclaimed Christine. 'What do you mean?'
+
+'Why, have you not first your old husband, and then a young sweetheart
+in the background? I mean Kjeld Olsen.'
+
+While Christine was reflecting what answer to make to this sudden
+attack, another woman said,
+
+'There is no fear of anything happening to Kjeld Olsen to-night; he was
+wiser than to put himself into jeopardy, so he remained at home, and
+let them go without him. Of course he had good reasons for determining
+to spare his own life--old Jan Steffens may lose his.'
+
+Up to this moment Christine had not made any reply to their rude jests,
+hut her patience was now exhausted, her pale cheeks turned crimson, and
+rising up she said firmly,
+
+'You have not been speaking the truth. Kjeld is to-night where he
+always delights to be, in the midst of danger, the boldest among the
+bold.'
+
+'Who is speaking of Kjeld?' asked Skipper Ellen, who had entered the
+room at that moment. 'He is standing down yonder on the shore, and
+trying hard to persuade Poul Mikkelsen, at any price, to take him over
+in his boat to the English ship.'
+
+'There now, you hear he is at home,' cried the woman, who had first
+mentioned the fact. 'It is well you came, Ellen, for Christine would
+not believe our word.'
+
+'Will you come down to the shore?' asked Ellen; 'the rain is over, the
+wind has lulled, and the moon is shining clearly.'
+
+'Yes, let us go,' said Christine, laying aside the empty coffee-cups.
+
+'Ah! now we shall see what is the matter with poor Kjeld.'
+
+'Of course old Jan Steffens did not care to have his company,' said the
+most ill-natured woman. 'No doubt he knew pretty well where Kjeld's
+thoughts would be wandering to.'
+
+'And _I_ say you are quite mistaken,' replied Ellen, casting a look of
+angry scorn on the woman. 'It would be a happy thing for you, Birthe,
+if you had a son, or anyone belonging to you, that resembled Kjeld.'
+
+So saying, she took Christine by the arm and went towards the shore,
+followed by the rest of the women. It had ceased raining, and the wind
+had abated, but the sea was still much agitated, and the noise of
+firing was yet to be heard. Kjeld was standing in earnest conversation
+with an old man, who was leaning on a staff, and who shook his head
+occasionally as if refusing something.
+
+'What is the matter, Kjeld?' asked Skipper Ellen. 'And why have you not
+gone with the rest of them?'
+
+'Jan Steffens said there were too many in the boats,' he answered
+evasively.
+
+'Ay--and now he insists upon following them,' said the old man, 'and
+offers me everything he has to help him to row over yonder. But the
+weather is too bad. I won't trust my boat out in such a wild sea.'
+
+'What nonsense!' cried Ellen, jeeringly. 'Are you afraid of risking
+your life, Poul?'
+
+'You know better, Ellen,' replied the old man. 'I have no fear for my
+life, but if I lose my boat my children will starve.'
+
+'That is a serious consideration, to be sure,' said Ellen, 'but the
+young man shall go, notwithstanding, and if you won't accompany him,
+_I_ will. Come here, Kjeld--when you and I put our strength together I
+think we shall manage to reach the other side.'
+
+Kjeld uttered a cry of joy, shook Ellen's hand warmly, and exclaimed,
+'May God bless and reward you, dear good Ellen; I shall never forget
+your kindness.'
+
+'As to your boat, Poul, you must not be alarmed if we borrow it,' said
+Ellen. 'If we are unlucky, and the sea takes us, my boat lies drawn up
+on the land, newly painted and just put to rights; and in the village
+yonder I have a small house--you can take both as payment if your boat
+be lost. But Kjeld _shall_ go as he wishes.'
+
+'Don't attempt to go, Ellen,' cried one of the women, 'you will only
+get into trouble.'
+
+'With God's help I have no fear of that. The lad shall go, if we should
+cross in one of my fishing-boats.'
+
+She forced herself through the circle of women who had gathered around
+her, and hastened to the shore, where Kjeld had already placed himself
+in the frail boat. Ellen got into it, and, standing up, seized an oar.
+Soon after the boat glided out to sea, and the somewhat hazardous
+voyage was begun.
+
+'She is a wonderful woman, that Ellen!' exclaimed one of those who were
+looking on. 'A lucky fellow he was who got her for a wife; there's
+nothing she can't turn her hand to; and she can work as well as the
+best man among them.'
+
+As long as it was possible to perceive the boat, it was observed to be
+making straight for its destination; rowed by vigorous arms, and
+managed by experienced persons, it seemed sometimes to be swallowed up
+by the waves, and then it would be seen as if riding over them, and
+defying them, while it never swerved from its appointed course.
+
+'Come now, Kjeld,' cried Ellen, after they had got some distance from
+the land, 'let us two have a little rational conversation. It was
+partly to find an opportunity for this that I was so willing to go to
+sea with you to-night. What really is the matter with you, my lad? Why
+have you been going about latterly with your head drooping in such a
+melancholy way, and loitering about in idleness, instead of following
+your occupations cheerfully and diligently?'
+
+'The matter with me!' exclaimed Kjeld, in well-feigned astonishment;
+'why, nothing, Ellen--you are quite mistaken in supposing that anything
+is the matter with me.'
+
+'Oh, there is no use in your denying that something ails you; I am too
+old to be easily humbugged. You must speak the honest truth to me,
+Kjeld; you must be as frank with me as I am with you. You need not
+fear to speak freely, for no one can overhear you out thus far on the
+sea--no one, my boy--except myself and He who rules the ocean. You are
+still silent, Kjeld--then _I_ will speak out. You are sighing and
+grieving because you love Christine Steffens, and because you think
+that she loves you; that's the short and the long of the matter. But
+have you forgotten that Christine is a married woman? and are you aware
+that your conduct is bringing her name into people's mouths--that every
+creature in the village is talking of you and her, and that the walls
+of her own house cannot protect her against jeering and insult? I have
+myself been a witness of this to-night.'
+
+'What was said to her, Ellen?' asked Kjeld, in consternation. 'Who
+could speak a syllable in disparagement of Christine?'
+
+'Say, rather, who can prevent it, Kjeld, since you yourself afford such
+ample room for tittle-tattle.'
+
+'Ah, Ellen! if you only knew how much I love Christine! She has been my
+thought by day, and my dream by night; and when I have been away on
+long voyages, I denied myself everything to save all I got for her. I
+always expected that she would certainly one day be mine--but when I
+came home this autumn, she was married!'
+
+'It was a pity. There is nothing left for you, therefore, now, but to
+forget her.'
+
+'Forget her! I shall never, never forget her.'
+
+'Oh, I have heard such vows before; young folks have always these
+ideas, but they smile at them when they become older. An honourable man
+loves a girl when he marries her, or when he intends to marry her.'
+
+'And when he cannot marry her?'
+
+'Then he lets her alone, my good lad, and turns his attention to some
+one else.'
+
+'More easily said than done, Ellen.'
+
+'You think I do not know what I am speaking about because I am old, and
+grey, and wrinkled. Is it not so, Kjeld? But remember that old people
+have been young themselves once, and let me tell you that the misery
+which you find it so impossible to bear, I have borne, though I am only
+a woman. Long ago, when I was a little better-looking than I am now,
+there was one who was always uppermost in my thoughts--one whom I
+cherished in my secret soul; in short, to whom I was as much attached
+as you are to Christine. He wooed me, too; he begged me to be his wife,
+and swore by Him who made yon heavens above that he loved only me.'
+
+'And what answer did you give him?'
+
+'I told him that we could not be so imprudent as to marry, for he had
+little, and I had still less; that I would marry the man who was the
+landlord of the house in which we resided, to provide a comfortable
+home for my mother as long as she lived. And I did marry that man. He
+whom I had refused never knew how much I cared for him; he did not
+think that I had been really attached to him. But I grieved when he
+went away. There never was a squall at sea that I did not think with
+anxiety about him; and many a night have I soaked my pillow with my
+tears, when I could not go to sleep because the tempest raged so
+without.'
+
+'Do I know the person of whom you are speaking, Ellen?'
+
+'Yes, you do, Kjeld: he is your own father.'
+
+'My father!'
+
+'Can you now comprehend why I have always taken such an interest in
+you, and why I have some right to advise you to let Christine alone? I
+do not say that you must forget her.'
+
+'No, because you are convinced it is impossible for me to do so.'
+
+'Not at all--because I know forgetfulness will come of itself. I only
+desire to impress on you the necessity of leaving this place, and no
+longer loitering about the sea-shore here. To-morrow I am going to sail
+to Æro, or Æbler, and if you will come with me, Kjeld, we will go on to
+Copenhagen. You had better engage yourself on board some ship going to
+the south, and stay away a few years. When you come back again, if our
+Lord has spared my life till then, you will thank me for the advice I
+have given you this night. But see! here are our boats. For God's sake,
+Kjeld, do your duty! I will fasten our little skiff to one of the
+gunboats.'
+
+Christine in the meantime remained standing on the beach at a little
+distance from the other women. She had been a silent but much
+interested spectator of all that had occurred previous to Kjeld's and
+Ellen's departure, and she stood watching the frail little boat as long
+as it was visible. At length the fisherwomen rejoined her, and were
+loud in the expression of their fears and forebodings. Christine said
+scarcely anything.
+
+'Of course you have no reason to be afraid, Christine,' said the same
+woman who had before commenced jeering at her in Jan Steffens's house.
+
+'Kjeld cannot arrive yonder until all the dangerous work is over, but
+he can always boast of being one of the party, and perhaps he may get a
+share of the prize-money. And if any accident should happen to old Jan
+Steffens, you will have a new protector ready at hand.'
+
+'What do you mean by all the insinuations you have been throwing out
+to-night?' asked Christine.
+
+'Well, this is too good!' cried the woman, laughing, and turning
+towards the other females. 'She pretends to be so ignorant, the little
+lamb!'
+
+'But speak out--explain yourself! I do not understand a word you have
+been saying, and cannot imagine what you have been all driving at
+to-night.'
+
+'I mean that you and Kjeld will marry as soon as Jan's eyes are closed
+for ever, and that it is no fault of yours or Kjeld's that this has
+been so long of taking place.'
+
+'And will you listen to my answer?' said Christine, in a peremptory
+tone, and speaking with such pointed distinctness that her words were
+perfectly heard by every one near. 'If such a misfortune should befall
+me that any accident shall occur to Jan Steffens to-night, I swear that
+I will never marry either Kjeld Olsen, or any other man upon this
+earth.'
+
+'Oh, you would think better of it--you would change your mind,' cried
+the other, laughing scornfully.
+
+'No!' said Christine. 'By my hopes of salvation and eternal happiness
+in the world to come, I speak the truth. And I beseech you to believe
+me, and leave me in peace.'
+
+Shortly after the firing ceased, and many eyes were turned anxiously
+towards the place where it was known the ship lay.
+
+'It is over now,' said a solemn voice. 'They will be coming back
+presently. God have mercy on us all, but especially on those who have
+lost any near and dear to them!'
+
+There was a deep and unbroken silence among the crowd. Terror and
+anxiety had closed all their lips, and every eye was strained looking
+out for the boats. Old Poul Mikkelsen, who had clambered up to the top
+of a pile of rocks, was sitting without his hat, and singing the first
+verses of a psalm in a weak and tremulous voice. Suddenly there burst
+forth a bright light in the direction of the ship; it increased in
+width until by degrees it became a broad sheet of dark flame, the
+glowing reflection of which streamed over the waves and tinged the
+hills that skirted the adjacent coast. Such was the glare of light that
+the shore at Fyensland could be seen crowded with people, and several
+boats were discerned apparently rowing in great haste to and from the
+corvette.
+
+'The ship is on fire!' cried Poul. 'Our people have been victorious.'
+
+The fire seemed to increase until at length it appeared to become
+concentrated, when it shot up in one high pillar of flame, from which
+jets of sparks were thrown up into the air around. While the group
+on the shore at Lyngspoint were standing in breathless silence, the
+church clock at Erizö was heard to strike three, and the grey dawn of
+morning began to give place to the clear light of day. In the glare
+from the fire the corvette--with its slender masts, its yards, and
+cordage--became distinctly and fearfully visible, and people could be
+perceived hurrying up and down the deck. Shortly after, the guns went
+off, the fire having then reached them, and one cannon-ball struck the
+bank at no great distance from where the wives and families of the
+fishermen were assembled. No one seemed to notice it, for the thoughts
+of all were earnestly bent upon the terrible drama which was being
+enacted out upon the sea; each person present had a deep interest in
+it, and not one of them but waited for its _dénoûment_ with dread and
+apprehension.
+
+'Here come our boats!' cried Poul, pointing with his staff towards two
+dark specks which were to be seen tossing on the waves at a little
+distance from the corvette. Soon after a third boat was observed, towed
+by one of the gun-boats. Christine had been the first to perceive it;
+she folded her hands, and cast a grateful look of thanksgiving up
+towards heaven.
+
+At length the gunboats reached the shore. In the deeply-affecting
+scene that followed were mingled joyous exclamations and groans of
+despair--smiles and tears--as those so dear and so anxiously looked for
+were found to be safe, or, alas! to be among the wounded and the dead.
+Christine's eyes sought Jan everywhere--but in vain--she did not see
+him. She covered her face, and burst into tears.
+
+In a few minutes Kjeld approached her, and laid his hand gently on her
+arm.
+
+'Where is my husband?' she asked, impatiently.
+
+'He is dead,' replied Kjeld.
+
+'Dead! dead!' exclaimed Christine, in a voice faint and trembling from
+agitation.
+
+'Yes! He fell at the very moment that he ordered us to return to our
+boats, when the Englishmen had set fire to the corvette. I did all I
+could to save him, dear Christine; I posted myself at his side, and
+defended him to the last. But it was all in vain; it was impossible to
+rescue him from death.'
+
+'Why did you not go with him at first?' asked Christine abruptly.
+
+'Because he insisted that I should not. He knew all that we, too, have
+felt and thought; he desired me to remain behind, and carry a message
+to you, but I was not to deliver it until to-morrow.'
+
+'It will be needless,' said Christine. 'To-morrow I shall be gone to my
+aunt at Kjærup.'
+
+She stretched out both her hands to him, and struggling with her tears,
+she added, in a tone of deep emotion.
+
+'God be with you, Kjeld! my dear, my only friend!'
+
+'You are not going away, Christine?' exclaimed Kjeld.
+
+'Yes,' she replied. 'I made a vow to the Almighty that I would do so
+when I offered up my prayers to Him to bring you back unhurt.'
+
+'But still why must you go away?' he asked, in a voice of alarm and
+anxiety.
+
+'Because we two must forget our hopes and our dreams; because we must
+separate from each other, never more to meet again!'
+
+
+
+
+                            AUNT FRANCISCA.
+
+                   FROM THE DANISH OF CARL BERNHARD.
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+On a lovely summer evening, in the month of July, an old lady was to be
+seen walking alone by the row of small houses which forms one side of
+St. Anne's Place, and stretches down towards the harbour. This part of
+Copenhagen contains the domiciles of the fashionable world; it is what
+the Faubourg Saint-Germain used to be to the Parisians; palace succeeds
+to palace, the Court is situated in this neighbourhood, and the foreign
+diplomatists--a class more important in Copenhagen than perhaps in any
+other place on earth--honour this portion of the city by making it
+their abode. But, as it were, to remind the world that great people
+cannot do without the poorer sort, certain small houses have here and
+there thrust themselves into good society, and the many signboards
+hanging out plainly evince that their inhabitants do not wear laurels
+so easily won, or enjoy such luxurious repose as their neighbours do.
+At any rate, such certainly is the case with the dwellers in the row of
+houses above mentioned, which, from one end to the other, is occupied
+by mechanics, seafaring men, and other common people.
+
+The old lady walked so slowly that you could easily perceive she was
+already on the shady side of life; her carriage was stiff, and her
+steps measured, as if she moved with some difficulty; yet it was
+evident that she had some determined object earnestly in view. Her
+features were sharp, and denoted firmness; indeed, they might have been
+thought harsh and forbidding, had not her mild blue eyes imparted an
+expression of tenderness and goodness to her otherwise stern
+countenance. I know not if my description is clear enough to convey to
+my readers any idea of the face that now stands before my mind's eye,
+but Aunt Francisca's countenance was always somewhat of a difficult
+problem, and this must be my excuse if I have failed in the delineation
+of it. Her dress was in keeping with her general appearance; it was in
+the fashion of a bygone period, at least twenty years old in make and
+materials, and yet one might in vain have sought for a single spot or
+crease in it. There were such fastidious cleanliness, and such a degree
+of scrupulous neatness visible over her whole person, that the beholder
+at once felt assured an old maid was before him. Be this said without
+any disrespect to other ladies, whose _nicety_ I am far from calling in
+question.
+
+With an extensive parasol in her hand, and a large and apparently heavy
+silken bag over her arm, the old lady advanced towards a house whose
+exterior denoted that it was occupied by people belonging to the lower
+classes. She did not scan the number of the houses, and her feet seemed
+mechanically to have found its threshold, as if she had often passed
+over it. And so she had, in truth. A young woman, with a child in her
+arms, opened the door to her, and exclaimed,
+
+'Is it really you, my dear lady? Our Lord himself must send you here to
+us, poor miserable creatures!'
+
+The speaker and the infant she held in her arms were both clad in
+absolute tatters. The child looked like a monster in a magic glass,
+shrivelled up, yellow skinned, with sunken but staring eyes, and
+wrinkled, though scarcely yet two years of age. It would have been
+difficult to have determined which bore the palm for dirt and disorder,
+the room or its inhabitants.
+
+The elderly lady looked about in vain for a place where she might seat
+herself.
+
+'You do not deserve that I should come more frequently to visit you,'
+the lady said; 'all hope of assisting you is at an end when you
+yourself will do nothing to improve your condition. In what state is
+this that I find you? You promised me that when next I came I should
+see everything tidy about you.'
+
+The woman cast down her eyes at this reproachful greeting, and remained
+silent. She placed the child on the floor while she dusted with the
+shreds of an old garment a wooden stool, the only seat in the room. The
+lady looked compassionately at the child, and said, in a less stern
+voice,
+
+'What you will not do for your own comfort's sake, you will surely not
+refuse to do for the sake of your poor children. The unfortunate little
+creatures will perish amidst all this dirt; it _must_ engender disease.
+Where are the other children? Has the eldest gone to school yet?'
+
+The poor woman looked much embarrassed, and stammered a few words which
+it was impossible to comprehend. The lady continued her interrogations:
+
+'And your husband--has he got any work? Why did he never go to the
+place where I told him he could obtain employment? Because he prefers
+remaining in idleness to attempting any useful occupation--he would
+rather spend in rioting the few pence he can scrape together, than work
+to place himself beyond want and wretchedness. What will be the end of
+these courses?'
+
+'Ah, my good lady, you are quite right,' replied the woman; 'my
+husband, the good-for-nothing that he is, is the cause of all our
+misery. He will not let spirits alone, and every penny we have goes
+down his throat in strong drink. I beg pardon for mentioning this to
+you, madam, who no doubt have a fine, good gentleman for a husband, but
+men-folks in _our_ rank are dreadful creatures; I often wish I had
+never married.'
+
+'Very likely your husband has the same improper feeling towards you,
+and upon as good grounds,' replied the old lady. 'Married people should
+bear with each other, and share their burdens between them as well as
+their pleasures. A disorderly wife has no right to complain of a
+disorderly husband. It is a woman's duty to make home comfortable;
+_that_ can be done at little cost, but it cannot be done without order
+and cleanliness. All that I have seen here proves that you are quite as
+much in fault as your husband. Where is the yarn for which I gave you
+money? Have you bought the flax?'
+
+The poor woman burst into tears, and began to protest that she was not
+to blame. Had she known the lady's name, or where she resided, she
+would have come to her in her trouble. But she was ignorant of both;
+the landlord had threatened to turn them out into the street if they
+did not pay their rent; and she had nothing to give him, no means of
+keeping a roof over their heads except by handing him the money
+entrusted to her, which she was assured by her husband there was no sin
+in disposing of in this way, as it had been a gift. The old lady
+inquired more minutely into the state of their affairs, remonstrated
+with the young woman, scolded her, and threatened to withdraw the
+assistance she gave them if they would not make some exertion for the
+future to help themselves, and finished by drawing forth from the large
+silk bag sundry articles of food and clothing, which she laid on the
+table before the unfortunate mother. She then took the infant up from
+the floor, kissed it, and gave it some nice wheaten bread and a new
+dress, and promised the mother that she would give the child an entire
+suit of new clothes if, on her next visit, she found everything clean
+and in order. Bestowing upon her once more some earnest injunctions,
+the lady left the house without waiting to listen to the poor woman's
+thanks and blessings.
+
+When she went up the street it was with the same measured steps, and
+the same prim air as before; the large silk bag hung from her left arm,
+but it was empty now, while she held daintily with two fingers of her
+right hand the old-fashioned parasol. Thus she walked on until she
+reached a house in Bredegade, where resided a relation of hers named
+Werner, the widow of a councillor of state,[2] who had two daughters,
+of whom the elder was called Louise, the younger Flora. Louise was a
+very quiet girl and of a retiring disposition; she was betrothed and
+soon to be married to Rudolph Horn, a young lawyer, who had a great
+deal of business, and was possessed of a good private fortune besides.
+Flora was secretly engaged to Lieutenant Arnold--secretly, that is to
+say, the engagement had not been declared, though everybody was aware
+of it. It might be a tolerable match when he became a captain, but it
+would probably be a dozen years or more before he obtained his company.
+They were both young, however, and time flies rapidly, as everybody
+knows, so they consoled themselves with hope.
+
+The family were sitting in an arbour in the garden, as they often did
+in summer; Arnold had brought a new novel which he had just commenced
+reading aloud to them. The ladies--their number increased by the
+addition of two cousins, who frequently visited them--sat round the
+table with their work, exceedingly interested in the novel, which began
+'so charmingly,' and promised to be 'so interesting,' when Arnold
+happened to look up, and glancing along the garden-walk, exclaimed,
+
+'May I be shot, if stalking towards us yonder is not--yes, it is
+herself! I have the honour to announce Aunt Francisca's august
+arrival.'
+
+The girls all cast looks of annoyance at the old lady, who was slowly
+approaching the arbour where they were assembled. 'How very tiresome!'
+exclaimed the little party as with one voice, while Arnold threw his
+book angrily on the table, and said,
+
+'Now we must give up knowing the rest of this new story, for I have to
+return the volume to its owner early to-morrow morning. What unlucky
+chance can have brought that wearisome old spectre here this evening, I
+wonder?'
+
+Louise rose and went to meet the old lady. Aunt Francisca curtseyed,
+and then kissed her on both cheeks. Mrs. Werner and Flora underwent the
+same species of greeting. A heavy, forced conversation was then carried
+on about the weather and the pleasure of having a garden in Copenhagen.
+Arnold took no part in it, although Aunt Francisca frequently addressed
+herself to him; Mrs. Werner was the only one who maintained it with
+decent civility, for people advanced in years can bear disappointments
+better than young persons.
+
+'Will Rudolph soon return from Holstein?' asked the old lady of Louise;
+'it is surprising that he has not written to me. You can tell him, my
+dear, that I have been expecting a letter from him on both the last
+post-days.'
+
+'That is devilish cool! A nice piece of pretension on the part of such
+an antiquated virago,' observed Arnold, in a half-whisper.
+
+Cousin Ida could not refrain from giggling.
+
+'You seem to be quite in a laughing humour, my child,' said Miss
+Francisca.
+
+'Have you been to the German plays yet?' asked Flora of the old lady,
+with a furtive smile to the rest of the party.
+
+'No, my head can't stand theatres now,' replied Aunt Francisca. 'They
+do not suit my age, and, indeed, I see so badly that I could not enjoy
+acting. Have you been there?'
+
+Mrs. Werner answered her, and plunged into a disquisition on some of
+the plays, and on the parts of the performers, but Aunt Francisca heard
+them without any apparent interest. She afterwards entered on the
+subject of the Bible Society and its great usefulness, but was listened
+to in return with apathy and suppressed yawns; nobody _there_ cared
+about Bible societies. Flora proposed that they should drink tea a
+little earlier than usual, and Louise went to order it. The
+conversation came to a dead stand; at length Aunt Francisca said, 'I am
+afraid my visit is inconvenient to you this evening; you might have
+been going out--perhaps to the German play?'
+
+'We were only going to have read aloud a book which I brought with me,'
+said Arnold. 'There is no German play to-night; but they are performing
+at Price's, and if the ladies are inclined to go, we shall be quite in
+time.'
+
+'So speaks youth--distances are nothing for them,' said the old lady,
+with a smile, under which she attempted to hide the unpleasant feeling
+she experienced at finding herself unwelcome. 'You must not mind me, my
+dear cousins; I should be sorry to put you to any inconvenience, and am
+going presently.'
+
+But Mrs. Werner begged her to stay, assuring her that the tale could be
+read some other time, and that nobody had dreamed of going to Price's;
+Arnold was only joking.
+
+'That other time must be during the night, then.' said Arnold, in no
+very dulcet tone, 'for I have promised to return the book to-morrow
+morning, without fail.'
+
+Aunt Francisca did not hear his civil speech, for she was talking to
+Mrs. Werner. The young people put their heads together, and whispered
+to each other. Judging by their glances, it was evident that the old
+maiden visitor was the subject of their remarks. One criticised her
+arms, another her bonnet, a third her parasol.
+
+'But what do you say to that huge foraging-sack hanging from her arm?
+Can any one inform me for what she carries it?' said Arnold. 'It would
+hold at least half a bushel of corn. Perhaps the stingy old animal goes
+to the market to buy all her own provisions, for fear that her
+servant-girl should make a penny or two out of them now and then.'
+
+'Nonsense; she is too prim to venture among the market folks,' said
+Ida. 'But she fancies it is fashionable. Dare you attack her about it,
+Flora?'
+
+Flora wished to show her courage, but could scarcely speak for
+laughing, as she took up Aunt Francisca's bag, and said,
+
+'This is a very pretty bag; the embroidery is à la Grecque, is it not?'
+
+Miss Francisca replied gravely, '_Pretty?_ You cannot possibly mean
+that, my child; it is as ugly as a bag can be, but it holds a good
+deal, and therefore I use it sometimes. Living so much alone as I do, I
+must occasionally go my own errands.'
+
+Flora looked foolish, and stammered a few words in defence of the bag,
+while she coloured deeply; but the old lady pretended not to observe
+her embarrassment, and she continued: 'I think it _really_ very pretty,
+but it should not be seen near this lovely shawl, which certainly puts
+it to shame.' So saying, she took up a little muslin shawl, beautifully
+embroidered in gold and coloured flowers, which was lying on the table.
+
+'I am glad you admire it, my dear,' said the old lady, 'for I have
+often intended to beg your acceptance of it. I have another at home
+exactly like it, which I intend for Louise; they are too gay for my
+time of life.'
+
+Flora was much pleased with the gift, and had just thanked her
+cousin--for the old lady, though generally called among her young
+connections 'Aunt Francisca,' was by no means so nearly related to
+them--when Ida whispered, 'Why, it is real East Indian! Well, it was
+lucky for you that I persuaded you to go into raptures about the
+hideous bag--set to now and praise her high-heeled shoes. Who knows
+what they may yield?'
+
+'Shame on you, Ida. Do you think I am going to be rude to her again?'
+said Flora.
+
+Aunt Francisca found the evening air rather chilly, and hinted that it
+would be as well to repair to the more comfortable drawing-room within
+doors. Many were the glances of anger and annoyance which passed among
+the young people when Mrs. Werner thereupon desired the servant to
+carry the tea-things back to the house, and they had all to rise in
+order to leave the garden. Arnold, of course, gallantly assisted the
+young ladies in putting up their work and carrying their work-boxes,
+while he exercised his witty propensities at the expense of Miss
+Francisca. Flora meanwhile offered her arm to the old lady, who,
+however, did not proceed immediately to the house, but expressed a wish
+to look first at some of the flower-beds.
+
+When they were alone, she turned suddenly towards Flora, and said,
+
+'Tell me, my dear girl, are you engaged to Lieutenant Arnold? Perhaps
+you will think that it is no business of mine whether you are or not;
+but whatever is of consequence to you is interesting to me, and it is
+not from mere curiosity that I ask you. Ah! I saw how he pressed your
+hand.... Come, you must not deny it, for I saw it distinctly. Though I
+am old, I have sharper eyes and ears than people may fancy. But you
+know, my dear, girls should not allow gentlemen to squeeze their hands
+unless they are actually engaged to them. It would be quite improper
+otherwise.'
+
+Flora cast down her eyes, but made no reply.
+
+'I know that you are a very good, sensible girl, and that is why I like
+you so much; but truth must be told and listened to, although it is not
+always palatable. What are the prospects now-a-days of a lieutenant in
+the army? Poor indeed, my child; it would be almost an eternity before
+you could marry. In the meantime there might be a hundred flirtations,
+and the first love might be left in the lurch. Arnold is very flighty,
+and I fear also very imprudent. I know that he is in debt, and that
+leads to beggary.'
+
+'But all young men get into debt. Aunt Francisca,' replied Flora, in a
+low, subdued voice.
+
+'Bless you, child! how can you say so? Correct and respectable persons
+do not _run_ into debt. Rudolph does not owe a shilling to anyone--I
+could take my oath to that.'
+
+'But there is no necessity for Rudolph to fall into debt. Seeing that
+he has a good private fortune, he has no great merit in keeping out of
+it. But what can a poor young officer do who has nothing but his pay to
+live on?'
+
+'He has no business by his flattery and fair words to entice a girl
+into an engagement which he cannot carry out,' said Miss Francisca;
+'that is altogether indefensible. The age of miracles is past; no bird
+will come flying into your window with gold on its bill, and in our
+days people don't live on air. Do you really imagine that love is so
+durable a feeling that it can withstand adversity, privations, and
+time itself, which conquers all things? Love and inconstancy are
+half-sisters, dear Flora. Ten years hence you will be called an old
+maid, though, if married, you would be still considered at that age a
+young woman. In twenty years from this time it would be positively
+ridiculous on your part to think of marrying, yet Arnold could scarcely
+venture to take a wife before then.'
+
+Flora played with her sash, and her eyes filled with tears, whilst the
+gloom that overspread her countenance showed how disagreeable the
+conversation was to her. Aunt Francisca looked earnestly at her, and
+putting her arm gently round her waist, asked, in a low voice,
+
+'Are you betrothed to Arnold, my child? Answer me truly, Flora--are you
+or are you not?'
+
+The girl tried to speak, but her lips closed again. She looked at the
+pretty East India handkerchief, and in her embarrassment crushed it
+between her fingers. The old lady withdrew her arm, and stooped to pick
+a flower.
+
+'Come, my dear,' she said, 'let us go in; it is getting quite chill,
+and the evening air is not for old people like me. Your roses are
+beautiful; permit me to take one or two home for my flower-vase.'
+
+Flora hastened to gather a bouquet of flowers, and then accompanied
+Miss Francisca to the house, the latter talking on indifferent
+subjects.
+
+'What did she want with you?' asked one of the cousins. 'Did she give
+you anything besides the little shawl?'
+
+'Oh, I wish she had kept her shawl,' said Flora, sharply. 'When
+presents have to be paid for by listening to stupid prosy lectures, I,
+for one, would rather dispense with the gifts. She is a tiresome old
+maid as ever lived.'
+
+Louise was presiding at the tea-table, so Aunt Francisca sat down near
+her, and did not again approach Flora, who seemed out of spirits, and
+spoke neither to the old lady nor to Arnold. When the latter attempted
+to whisper something to her, she drew back pointedly without listening
+to him, and with a toss of her head which plainly showed Arnold that
+she was out of humour. Arnold looked at Miss Francisca as if he could
+have murdered her, and muttered: 'This is that old wretch's fault, I'll
+be bound. A starched old maid like her would infect a whole regiment of
+young girls with her prudery. I suppose I shall be expected to see that
+ancient piece of goods home--and if I am compelled to undertake this
+pleasing office, she shall come to grief, for I swear I will contrive
+to make her fall and break one of her old legs.'
+
+If Louise had not spoken from time to time, not a word would have been
+uttered the whole evening; she was the only one who took any trouble to
+keep up a little conversation. Arnold placed himself by the window, and
+drummed listlessly with his fingers on the panes of glass: Flora sewed
+diligently, as if her daily bread depended on her getting through a
+certain quantity of work. Madame Werner knitted with equal
+perseverance, and only occasionally contributed a 'yes' or a 'no' to
+the conversation; the cousins cast sidelong glances towards Arnold, and
+tittered. At length nine o'clock struck, and it was announced that Miss
+Francisca's servant had come for her. Everybody seemed relieved--and
+the old lady rose instantly, as if she felt that her company was
+unwelcome, and that the sooner she took her departure the better.
+Madame Werner squeezed out an invitation for her to stay a little
+longer, but it was not accepted.
+
+When Arnold found that she was really going, he strode up to her, and
+asked if he might have the pleasure of escorting her home; at which
+request the cousins could not restrain their laughter, and Flora had to
+bite her lips to prevent herself from following their example, while
+Louise did her utmost to prevent the old lady from observing the
+rudeness of her relations. Her back was scarcely turned before every
+tongue in the drawing-room she had just quitted became loosened, and
+the sounds of mirth and laughter could be distinctly heard by her
+before she had even left the house. When Louise, who had quitted the
+room with Aunt Francisca, to see her well wrapped up, returned to it,
+she attacked them for their rudeness in laughing, and talking so loud
+as soon as she had left the room, when they had been sitting in solemn
+silence the whole evening previously. Madame Werner sided with Louise,
+but Arnold was not to be checked in his rejoicings at having got rid of
+the stupid, tiresome old maid.
+
+Poor Miss Francisca, meanwhile, heard the shouts of laughter as she
+walked up the street, and looking up sadly at the windows she thought:
+'They are rejoicing at my departure; even there I am _de trop_.' But on
+her servant remarking how uncommonly gay they were at Madame Werner's,
+she only replied, 'They are a very lively, happy family, and long may
+they remain so.'
+
+When the 'happy family' were relieved of her presence, the novel
+reading was resumed--and it was late before the tale was finished, and
+the party separated. After the young ladies had retired to the room
+which they shared together, Flora exclaimed, as she put away the pretty
+Indian shawl, 'Aunt Francisca is a very good soul, but she is
+abominably tiresome--it is hardly possible to put up with her.'
+
+'I should think that where there is much real worth, a little
+peculiarity of manner might easily be borne with,' replied Louise; but
+Flora laughed as she said,
+
+'Nothing is so bad as to be wearisome dear Louise; I can't endure
+anyone who bores me.'
+
+Six weeks had elapsed since Miss Francisca's visit above recorded;
+autumn was approaching, the evenings were becoming longer, and the
+leaves of the trees assuming a yellow tint. It was on a grey afternoon
+in September that a young man passed slowly along Halmtorv, in
+Copenhagen, and stopped before a small house which looked as if it were
+the abode of death, for the blinds were all down, although there were
+no lights inside. The street-door was locked, and it was not till long
+after he had rung that it was opened by an elderly woman, who had on a
+black dress and black ribbons in her cap. They recognized each other
+gravely and then the young man, who seemed familiar with the house,
+ascended the stairs, and entered a room on the first floor, whilst the
+servant carefully locked the outer door. The apartment which he entered
+was empty, not an article of furniture relieved the bareness of the
+walls, and before the windows hung long white curtains, closely drawn;
+in the centre of the room there was a square space, where the uncovered
+boards looked white and shining, but the rest of the floor was thickly
+strewed with fine sand, and on that again lay flowers and green leaves
+taken from trees, which in the four corners of the room were formed
+into elaborate patterns.
+
+The young man stopped on the threshold of the floor, and gazed sadly at
+the empty desolation before him. He was speedily joined by the old
+servant, who placed herself by his side, and also contemplated
+sorrowfully the square space, as if she recalled in thought what had so
+lately occupied it. Then, turning her eyes towards the young man, and
+perceiving by the expression of his countenance what was passing in his
+mind, she held out her hand to him in silence, which he took and
+pressed warmly. She was a trustworthy, affectionate creature, a servant
+of the olden time, such as are scarcely ever to be met with now in
+families of our modern days.
+
+Presently the young man crossed the room, stepping lightly, as if he
+were afraid to crush the already fading flowers, and opened the door to
+another apartment, where, as in the first, long white curtains, drawn
+across the half-closed windows, gave a dim sad tone to the tasteful
+furniture and gay-coloured carpet. He was followed by the old servant,
+who told him that he would find the keys belonging to her late mistress
+in her own little daily sitting-room, and that all her keeping places
+were in perfect order. 'Alas! sir,' she added, 'how miserable it is for
+me to be left behind. I had always hoped and prayed that our Lord would
+graciously call me first.'
+
+'It is the course of nature in this world, Inger,' he replied, 'that
+the eldest should go first. Your mistress was almost ten years older
+than you.'
+
+'Very true, sir. Had my dear mistress lived till next Candlemas, she
+would have completed her sixty-seventh year, and I shall be fifty-seven
+come next March. Three-and-twenty years have I lived with her, and I
+can testify to her goodness in every respect; she was such a
+benefactress to the poor. Oh! how many of them will miss her!'
+
+And Inger began to weep bitterly; her tears were of genuine sorrow for
+the loss of her kind mistress, for Rodolph, who was the nearest of kin
+to the deceased lady, had already told the faithful servant that a
+comfortable provision should be made for her, so as to secure to her
+independence for the rest of her life.
+
+Rudolph Horn was the legal heir of Miss Francisca Garlov, who had that
+day been buried. She had been his mother's first cousin and dearest
+friend, they had been almost brought up together, and their intimacy
+had subsisted without any diminution, until death had separated them,
+thirteen years before, by removing Rudolph's mother from this world.
+The old maid had transferred the friendship for the mother to the son;
+when he came to Copenhagen, as a student, her house had always been
+open to him, and she gave him to understand that he should inherit
+whatever she might leave. She had died after a very few days' illness,
+and Rudolph, who was at the time in the country, though he hastened to
+Copenhagen the moment he heard of her mere indisposition, had not
+arrived in time to see his old friend alive.
+
+As he sat in her now deserted parlour, his memory retraced the days of
+his childhood, when he used to visit her along with his mother, and
+when he used to admire the Chinese pagodas and mandarins which
+ornamented her sitting-room, her old china teacups, her pretty inlaid
+tea-table, her large well-stuffed easy-chair, her chiffoniers with
+mirrors and gilding in the doors, and, above all, a certain japanned
+cabinet, that had always to be opened to let 'the dear boy' see the
+pretty things in it, and some one or other of which was generally
+bestowed on him, for 'Aunt Francisca' never let him go empty-handed
+from her house. Ah! how different were the desires which filled his
+soul _then_ and _now_; a whole lifetime almost seemed to lie between
+these two periods of his existence; he was then only eight years old,
+and now he was thirty!
+
+Old Inger brought in candles, and offered to go through an inventory of
+the furniture and effects with him, but Rudolph told her that was quite
+unnecessary, as he had entire confidence in her; however, he took the
+key of Miss Francisca's bureau, as Inger informed him that it was the
+last injunction of her beloved mistress that he should be requested to
+open that depository of her papers immediately after her funeral.
+
+Rudolph looked at his watch, as if he would fain have found that it was
+too late that evening to examine the papers of the deceased; but it was
+only six o'clock, and he had no excuse for putting off his painful
+task. It was some little time, however, after he had opened the bureau,
+before he could bring himself to disturb the neat packets of letters,
+and other little articles, arranged with so much order in this
+depository of the good old lady's treasures. He felt that it was almost
+a sin to touch these relics of the past, and merely half-opened the
+various drawers, more to obey the wishes of the dead than to search
+into their contents; but when he came to a hidden compartment, and
+unlocked its little door, he beheld what riveted his attention, for in
+it were two miniatures, a few papers, and two or three manuscript
+books. One of the miniatures was the likeness of a very handsome young
+man, dressed according to the fashion of a bygone period. The
+complexion was florid, rather than pale; the dark blue eyes expressed
+at once thoughtfulness and mirth, and round the mouth played a gay
+smile, while the smooth forehead gave no evidence of care or sorrow;
+the cravat was carelessly tied, imparting an idea of negligence in
+attire, which contrasted rather oddly with the elaborate ruffles that
+appeared below the brown coat sleeves, and coquettishly shaded a hand
+of delicate whiteness.
+
+Close to this miniature lay another, which evidently portrayed 'Aunt
+Francisca' in her earlier years. She was pale, but with pretty
+features, finely-arched eyebrows, and a face altogether pleasing, from
+its expression of goodness and cheerfulness. Her hair, which fell in
+rich curls over her slender throat, was confined by a light-blue
+ribbon, and her dress had the peaked stomacher worn in those days.
+
+Here, then, was a clue to the history of Aunt Francisca's youth; after
+so many silent years, these portraits, hidden away together, told a
+tale of the past--a tale, doubtless, of sorrow and disappointment. How
+little do the friends and acquaintances, made in after-life, know of
+the feelings, the hopes, the dreams, and the incidents of earlier
+years, many of which are hushed into deep mystery until the grave has
+received its prey, when some cherished token, some treasured
+reminiscence may unfold the secrets of days gone by.
+
+When Rudolph had gazed for a time on these interesting faces, he
+replaced the miniatures where he had found them, and proceeded to
+examine the papers. Among them were memoranda and account-books, which
+showed how well regulated the affairs of the deceased had been, and how
+her economy had afforded her ample means to do good to those around
+her. He continued to read the documents before him until he became
+quite absorbed in them; and he was sitting at the old bureau, forgetful
+of the flight of time, until the clock struck nine. Its unwearied
+tongue, which amidst life and death ceased not to give forth its
+warning tones, aroused him from his dreamy mood, and, snatching one
+more glance at Aunt Francisca's likeness, he closed the bureau, and
+calling Inger, he prepared to depart. The old woman lighted him to the
+door, and attempted to draw him into conversation, but he shook his
+head and hurried out, with tears in his eyes.
+
+'Ah!' said Inger, to herself, as she returned to her solitary chamber,
+'how kind-hearted Herr Rudolph is--so different from most young men
+now-a-days, who are ashamed to let people see that they have any
+feelings at all!'
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+
+On leaving the abode so recently visited by death, Rudolph repaired to
+a house in Bredgade, where, as he was ringing at the door, he heard,
+even in the street, the sound of laughter in the drawing-room above.
+Annoyed at this, he drew back a few steps, and, observing lights
+blazing through the windows, he shrank from encountering the gaiety
+within, and was about to go away, but when the door was opened, he
+changed his mind, and slowly ascended the stairs.
+
+Whilst he had been sitting in Aunt Francisca's deserted parlour, a gay
+little party had been gathering around Mrs. Werner's tea-table. They
+were all young, with the exception of the lady of the house. Flora was
+making tea, and Lieutenant Arnold was by her side, rendering her what
+assistance he could. Mrs. Werner sat near them, more to sanction the
+attention Arnold was paying the pretty Flora, than to check it. Louise
+was at the opposite side of the table, with some fancy-work in her
+hand, taking little or no part in the gossiping that was going on, but
+glancing from time to time anxiously at the timepiece in the room, as
+its hands pointed to half-past eight, a quarter to nine, nine o'clock,
+a quarter past nine, and Rudolph had not made his appearance.
+
+The two cousins, who were mentioned on a former occasion--young
+ladies--and two or three young men, relations also of the family, made
+up the party. Mrs. Werner and her daughters were in slight mourning, in
+consequence of the death of Miss Francisca, but the gaiety which was
+going on gave no evidence of sorrow for her loss. The smiling
+countenances, the well-lighted room, the open pianoforte, with some
+fashionable waltzes on the stand, all formed a strong contrast to the
+scene Rudolph had just quitted, and he almost frowned as he entered the
+room.
+
+Louise arose and went forward to meet him, while Flora laughingly
+scolded him for being so late.
+
+'I beg a thousand pardons,' said Rudolph, 'but it was impossible for me
+to come earlier.'
+
+'Mercy on us, what a tragical face! You look as if you were bound to
+follow Aunt Francisca into the very grave itself. There, console
+yourself with a cup of cold tea; it is your own fault that it is not
+better. Don't pet him so, Louise. Do you not see how melancholy he is?'
+
+'Melancholy people are just those who need to be petted,' said Louise,
+moving her chair so as to make room for him by her; 'others don't
+require it.'
+
+'It is really quite touching to see the deeply-distressed heir of Aunt
+Francisca's china pagodas, putting on the solemn look of an undertaker,
+on account of her, alas! too early departure from this world,' said
+Flora. 'Most faithful of swains, where will you find such another
+interesting shepherdess of sixty-seven years of age?'
+
+'What, is it possible,' cried one of the young men, 'that Rudolph is
+grieving for old Miss Garlov? It seems to me that the best thing the
+ancient skin-flint could do was to lay herself down and die. Heaven
+knows there are plenty of old maids left in the world!'
+
+'She was a worthy creature--a good soul,' said Mrs. Werner, with
+perfect indifference, 'and, doubtless, is now happy in the other world.
+There is no need to lament those who go to a better life; they are well
+off.'
+
+'She will be wafted, like an airy being, up to the highest heaven, on
+account of her unimpeachable virtue,' said Arnold, laughing at his own
+wit. Rudolph looked angrily at him, and was about to say something,
+when Louise laid her hand on his arm to stop him. There was an awkward
+silence for a few minutes, until one of the cousins exclaimed:
+
+'I wonder if Miss Francisca ever had a lover.'
+
+'I should think not,' replied Mrs. Werner, with a half smile. 'She did
+not look like a person who would have admirers.'
+
+'Admirers!' cried one of the young men. 'Fancy anybody making love to
+such a prude. I don't suppose she ever had the most distant idea of
+love.'
+
+'One can have very good fun with old maids, sometimes,' said Arnold;
+'one can quiz them about their youthful conquests, or persuade them
+that Peter or Paul is casting, even now, sheeps' eyes at them; but it
+would have been impossible to have brought Miss Garlov into this state
+of happy delusion; there was no tampering with _her_.'
+
+'What a tiresome person she was!' exclaimed cousin Ida. 'A terrible
+bore!'
+
+'Heavens! yes! Such an old maid as she was is positively a horror,
+enough to scare one,' said Arnold, 'though I don't call myself
+faint-hearted, and am certainly not apt to flee from the fair sex. But
+these wrinkled, pinched-up pieces of propriety, who are always
+denouncing the immorality and folly of youth, don't deserve to be
+included under the head of "fair." Well, had I known that Aunt
+Francisca was to be buried to-day, I certainly should have followed her
+to the grave, out of gratitude to her for taking this last journey,
+never more to return.'
+
+'My cousin did not trouble you much, I think,' said Rudolph, angrily.
+'She came here but seldom, and was never fond of annoying people.'
+
+Arnold made some ill-natured answer, continuing to quiz poor Miss
+Francisca. Everyone laughed except Louise, who was anxiously watching
+Rudolph's countenance, and much afraid lest he should make some severe
+remark.
+
+Flora, enjoying the scene, said: 'See how Louise is labouring to keep
+Rudolph quiet, for he is quite ready to do battle with us all. Ever
+since I have known him, he has been the faithful knight of all forlorn
+old maids.'
+
+'And all young ladies should, therefore, feel gratitude to me,' said
+Rudolph, 'for not one of them--I make no exceptions--can declare, with
+certainty, that she may not one day or other become an old maid.'
+
+Flora cast a glance towards Arnold, which plainly said that she, at
+least, had nothing to do with the threatened calamity.
+
+Rudolph continued: 'I have often observed with surprise how youth,
+especially early youth, hates and despises old maids. Why is it that
+age, which demands respect for all others, should, in civilized
+society, exclude unmarried ladies from it? I do not allude to my
+deceased relative in particular, nor will I dwell on all her kindness
+to me--I will only speak of her as one of a class, one among the many
+who share her fate. We were all acquainted with her, and therefore I
+ask you, who have just been casting ridicule on her memory, if you have
+_really_ felt the bitter contempt you have expressed for her? I think I
+can answer for you, No. Not one of you is, in point of fact, so
+bad-hearted as you would make yourselves appear by your thoughtless
+chattering.' Rudolph looked earnestly round, but not one present
+attempted to reply.
+
+He went on: 'Is an old maid's lot so delightful, that people must try
+to annoy her by scorn? _I_ should say not. Should we not rather be
+sorry to see anyone excluded from what many of us value most? A life
+without interest, or close domestic ties, is not to be envied; nor is
+it the fault of the woman if she is not destined to become a wife and a
+mother. Many single women have but to look back in their advancing
+years on a wasted life; to remember names that no more must be uttered
+by them; to feel the void in their hearts to which no amount of
+resignation can make them insensible; and to all this must be added an
+endless struggle against those who have been more fortunate than
+themselves, and enforced patience with the jeers and scoffs launched so
+pitilessly against them. How few girls look forward to this position
+for their after-years! And yet circumstances not calculated upon, the
+factitious wants entailed on us by society, the poverty which forbids
+many a union, the fickle fancies of men, or an evil destiny, which
+seems sometimes to delight in thwarting the dearest hopes, and
+sundering those who might have been happy together, may doom them to
+it. And is all this only a subject for ridicule? For my part, I
+cannot laugh at an old maid, even if she loves only her cat or her
+canary-bird. God has implanted affections in her heart; mankind have
+rejected these, therefore she loves animals of a lower species, who
+seem grateful for her kindness. Ludwig said, a few minutes ago, that
+Aunt Francisca looked as if she had never had a lover. Could that be
+possible, with her mild eyes, her sweet face, her amiable disposition?
+She had more goodness in her little finger than most people have in
+their whole person; but none of you knew her well!'
+
+'Nonsense, Rudolph!' exclaimed Mrs. Werner. 'How can you pretend to say
+we did not know her? I am sure _I_ have been acquainted with her for at
+least a score of years; she was a second cousin of my lamented
+husband.'
+
+'Nevertheless, I maintain that none of you _did_ know her well. If not
+disagreeable to you, I should like to tell you Aunt Francisca's history
+as I have heard it from my mother, who was her most intimate friend,
+and partly from herself. I have also found out much from her private
+papers, which, by her own wish, I looked over this very evening. Now
+that she is gone, the story of her life need no longer be a secret.'
+
+'Hark ye, Rudolph,' said Mrs. Werner, stretching across, and whispering
+to him. 'In regard to _that_ secret, I would rather you did not touch
+upon it; her imprudence in early life, which caused so much annoyance
+to her family, had better not be related in the presence of young girls
+like my daughters and their cousins. It was fortunate the child died.
+Her friends would have been awkwardly placed had he lived, for they
+could scarcely have received her. It was surprising that she made so
+light of it herself.'
+
+But Arnold had overheard what Mrs. Werner had whispered to Rudolph, and
+exclaimed exultingly,
+
+'So! Is that how matters stood? The old lady deserves our thanks, even
+though she is in her grave, for the sins of her youth; without them we
+should have been forced to listen to some most insipid story, but we
+may now hope to hear something interesting.'
+
+'Give over interrupting him,' said Flora, 'or we shall not hear a word.
+Now, Rudolph, do begin!'
+
+'I am obedience itself, and shall be mute as a fish,' said Arnold,
+bowing gallantly to his fair enslaver. The male and female cousins all
+placed themselves in attitudes of attention, perhaps because they
+shared in the young officer's expectation of hearing some scandal, and
+Rudolph commenced his narration:--
+
+There is little to be told of Aunt Francisca's childhood. Her father
+held a situation in one of the colleges, and the first eight years of
+her life were passed principally in close rooms, away from green fields
+and fresh air. Her father was much occupied, therefore her education
+was conducted entirely by her mother, a clever and amiable woman, but
+with one peculiarity, that she had the greatest horror of sick people,
+and was morbidly afraid of infection. Francisca, perceiving this
+weakness, determined to avoid it, but fell into the opposite extreme,
+and would scarcely believe that any complaint could be infectious, or
+if the fact were proved, she had not the slightest fear of it. When the
+family removed to an estate her father had purchased near a town where
+he had received a good appointment, the little girl took much pleasure
+in visiting the poor in the neighbourhood when they were ill, and
+administering to their comforts, which, of course, caused her to be
+greatly beloved among them.
+
+It was at this period of her life that my mother and she became
+intimate. The cousins were much together, for my mother used to spend
+almost every summer at the Garlovs', and their mutual affection ripened
+with their years. At sixteen Francisca could not have been called
+beautiful, but she was pretty, with an animated countenance, a sweet
+smile, a light, graceful figure, and pleasing manners. It was about
+this time that a dreadful fever broke out in the part of the country
+where the Garlovs lived; it raged more particularly among the
+peasantry, but persons of all classes were attacked; the servants in
+almost every house were ill, and, to crown the evil, the doctors in the
+provincial town were seized with the fever. In this state of things,
+Francisca's father wrote to Copenhagen to request that some young
+physician might be sent to their assistance in the existing time of
+need. Little did he imagine that this letter was to be the first cast
+of the die which was to determine his daughter's fate!
+
+Two young doctors accordingly soon arrived, one of whom was settled for
+the time being in the little town, the other taking up his abode at Mr.
+Garlov's country house. This latter was a handsome young man, about
+three-and-twenty years of age, who had just passed a brilliant
+examination, and was glad to obtain some employment. I will show you
+his likeness some day, which will prove to you that he was handsome and
+prepossessing in appearance, and that the impression he made on Aunt
+Francisca was not to be wondered at.
+
+He was successful in his practice, and saved so many lives that Mrs.
+Garlov looked upon him absolutely as their good genius, while his
+lively conversation amused her husband. He had been a favourite with
+the belles of his own circle in Copenhagen, among whom he had been
+considered quite an Adonis, therefore he had no lack of confidence in
+his powers of pleasing, and he thought it his duty to pay marked
+attention to the young lady of the family by whom he had been so
+hospitably received.
+
+But Francisca soon interested him. He found her very different from his
+fair Copenhagen friends, and then she was the only damsel with whom he
+associated; and in the country, as everybody knows, people become
+better acquainted in three days than in three years in town. It cannot
+be denied that as time wore on Theodore Ancker made rapid advances in
+the good graces of the youthful and unsophisticated Francisca, and by
+the time nature had put on its richest summer garb her heart was fairly
+in the keeping of the young doctor. Ah! what a summer that was for her.
+Never before had the sun shone so brightly--never had the skies looked
+so blue, or the trees wore so brilliant a green! And yet, had Mr.
+Garlov's guest taken his departure then, as he thought of doing,
+Francisca might have missed him terribly for a time, passed a
+melancholy autumn, and a lonely winter; but when spring came round, and
+the storks had returned to their nests on the roofs, she would have
+recovered her spirits, and remembered her intimacy with him only as a
+pleasant episode in her life. It was otherwise ordained.
+
+It had been deemed that the fever had entirely disappeared, but a
+peasant was attacked by it, and in visiting him, Theodore, who had
+escaped as if by magic before, was seized with the dreaded symptoms,
+and soon became dangerously ill. The family--indeed the whole
+neighbourhood--were thrown into the greatest consternation, for
+Theodore was a general favourite; but no one seemed sufficiently
+collected to pay the invalid the attention he required except
+Francisca, who, calm in the midst of her distress, and heedless of
+infection, took upon herself to be his chief nurse, and waited on him
+day and night with untiring assiduity. Her father was often her
+companion in the sick-room, but Mrs. Garlov's uncontrollable fears
+prevented her from assisting personally in her daughter's benevolent
+labours, though she was not remiss in praying for the patient's
+recovery.
+
+He _did_ recover, and when the autumnal tints were stealing over the
+woods, he was able to stroll in the garden, or saunter to the verge of
+the adjacent forest. How happy Francisca was! And when Theodore turned
+to her, and said, in a voice still languid from weakness,
+
+'How delicious the air is to-day! I owe it to you, Miss Francisca, that
+I breathe it again. Without your kind care I never more should have
+beheld these beautiful woods.'
+
+A thrill of delight passed through Francisca's frame at these words,
+and she trembled so that Theodore exclaimed:
+
+'I fear I am leaning too heavily on you; you are fatigued, I see. Let
+us sit down here to rest awhile--here, where the sun shines so brightly
+through the leaves that they seem to be all of gold. Ah! how good, how
+kind you have been to me! It seems to me as if my own character had
+improved since I became acquainted with you.'
+
+The harvest was gathered in--the harvest-home was to be held--and there
+was more than usual merriment, for the dreaded epidemic had passed
+away, and the very last who had suffered from it, Theodore, was now
+only somewhat feeble. The peasantry were enjoying their games, and the
+Garlov family, with a few friends, were looking on at a little distance
+beyond the gates of the château, when a succession of fearful shrieks
+were heard, and a number of peasants, some armed with sticks, others
+with stones, were to be seen running along, though no one could tell
+what was the cause of the uproar. But presently a large dog, with a
+broken chain around his neck, rushed from behind some bushes, and ran
+across the field towards the Garlov party, who at the same moment
+distinctly heard the warning cry, 'A mad dog! a mad dog!'
+
+Seized with a sudden panic, every one of the little group endeavoured
+to escape, and Francisca caught hold of Theodore's hand and hurried him
+towards the gate; but he could not run fast enough, the large stick on
+which he had been leaning impeded his movements, and, stumbling, he
+fell to the ground. Francisca was in despair when she found he had
+struck his head against a stone, and lay motionless; in vain her father
+called to her to quicken her pace, she would not leave Theodore.
+Meanwhile the dog came nearer and nearer--she could hear the rattling
+of his chain, as with open mouth and protruding tongue he ran towards
+them. She sprang before Theodore, and with outstretched arms stood as
+if guarding him. The dog rushed on her--she felt his damp paw upon her
+throat, his warm breath upon her cheek, his glaring eyes close to her
+own, and she sank senseless by the side of him she had endeavoured to
+save.
+
+
+'Oh, fie! Rudolph,' cried cousin Ida; 'your description is too
+horrible--his wet paw upon her throat--shocking! How could she be so
+foolish! I think she must have been as mad as the dog.'
+
+'I should have fainted at the first cry of the peasants,' said
+Charlotte, Ida's sister.
+
+'Master Theodore must have been a miserable creature,' exclaimed
+Arnold. 'I would have defended the ladies to the last drop of my blood.
+But, to be sure, he was only a doctor, and dealt in potions and
+plasters instead of valorous deeds--that is some excuse for the
+fellow.'
+
+'I thought the bite of a mad dog was always fatal,' said Mrs. Werner,
+quietly. 'Yet Francisca must have outlived it--how was that?'
+
+
+It was a false alarm (replied Rudolph). The dog was not mad. With
+that instinct which led all distressed creatures to her, it had
+run to Francisca for protection from the crowd of peasants who were
+ill-treating it. She soon got over her fainting fit, and Theodore also
+recovered consciousness, but the contusion in his head brought on
+fever, and he raved incessantly about the mad dog which had destroyed
+Francisca. The old doctor, who had resumed his practice, happening
+fortunately to call, ordered leeches to be applied to Theodore's head,
+and a certain medicine to be administered to him. Both had to be
+obtained from the apothecary in the nearest little town, and the only
+man-servant who had remained at home--the others having been permitted
+to join the merry-making among the villagers--was sent for them. After
+a long absence he returned with the leeches, but did not bring the
+so-much-needed draught. It would have been a useless attempt to send
+him back, for he had been drinking freely in the town, and could not be
+roused from the heavy sleep into which he had fallen after tumbling
+down in a state of intoxication on the floor of the servants' hall.
+
+Should the poor patient be deprived of the prescribed draught? No;
+Francisca determined to go for it herself, even though it was getting
+dark, and she would have to pass through the dreary wood. Leaving her
+mother and an old woman busy putting on the leeches on Theodore's brow,
+she slipped out of the room and out of the house; she almost ran until
+she reached the gate which opened upon the road that led to the wood;
+there for a moment she stopped, and hesitated to proceed; yet the
+doctor had said that the medicine was of great importance, and though
+she had never been alone in the wood after dark, she conquered her
+fears and went forwards. But her heart beat wildly, her knees trembled
+under her, and she often started at the rustling of the leaves, and the
+pale gleams of uncertain light that penetrated here and there through
+the thick foliage from the rising moon; the scudding of the deer, whom
+even her light tread awoke, increased her alarm; and the hoarse cry of
+the owl seemed terrible to her.
+
+
+'Young ladies,' said Rudolph, interrupting his narrative, 'is there one
+among you who will now doubt that Aunt Francisca could feel love?'
+
+'Oh, Heaven defend me from such love!' cried Ida. 'I would die of
+fright if I were to go alone through a dark wood at night.'
+
+
+She reached the town safely (continued Rudolph), procured the
+medicine at the apothecary's, and bravely returned alone through the
+wood, though her excited imagination conjured up all manner of
+phantasies--such as dim figures gliding amidst the trees, footsteps
+pursuing her, and goblin laughter greeting her ear. Still she struggled
+against the terror that had almost overcome her, until, having gained
+her home and the invalid's chamber, she sank down, nearly fainting, by
+her mother's side, and murmured, 'The wood--the wood!'
+
+The dampness of her dress, wet with the heavy dew--her exhaustion, and
+the medicine which she could just hold up--told the history of her
+exploit more quickly than her words would have done. Her mother threw
+her arms round her, and Theodore, who was somewhat better, and who was
+amazed at what she had done for his sake, exclaimed, 'Francisca, and
+you ventured all this for _me!_' During the long, sleepless night which
+followed, she heard again and again, as it were like the tones of an
+Æolian harp, these, to her, thrilling words; 'Francisca, and you
+ventured all this for _me!_'
+
+In the course of a few weeks after this event, Theodore being again
+quite well, found that it was necessary for him to return to
+Copenhagen. But he felt reluctant to leave Francisca, and put off the
+dreaded parting to the latest day possible. He knew how much he was
+indebted to her; twice she had saved his life, or striven to do so,
+with a devoted abnegation of self which only affection could have
+prompted. His vanity whispered to him that she surely loved him, and
+flattered by this idea, and also feeling grateful to her, he fancied
+that he entertained the same sentiments towards her. Francisca was so
+retiring in her manners, however, that Theodore had had no opportunity
+of communicating to her what he thought or felt, except by his looks;
+and even these seemed to alarm her, for she feared that she had
+permitted him to read too deeply in her heart.
+
+At length he could no longer defer his departure, and with a
+countenance full of woe he informed the family at dinner that he would
+have to leave them the following day. Francisca turned deadly pale, and
+as soon as she could make her escape from table she rushed into the
+garden to vent her grief in solitude. Theodore had followed her,
+unperceived by her. He found her leaning against a tree, holding a
+handkerchief to her eyes, while her whole frame was agitated by her
+emotion. In another moment his arm was round her waist, while he
+exclaimed:
+
+'What! weeping, Francisca? Are you ill? What can affect you thus? Is
+there any secret grief pressing upon your mind? I had hoped to carry
+away with me the image of the happy Francisca I have known here. Ah!
+you cannot guess how dear your happiness is to me. To you I owe my life
+twice over. I owe you more than ten lives could repay. Dearest
+Francisca! say, will you think kindly of me when I am far away? Oh,
+every golden cloud, every waving tree, every lovely flower I behold
+will lead my thoughts to you--or rather, you will be my only thought.'
+
+Francisca's tears flowed more freely even than before. She was silent;
+but there is a silence more eloquent than words. However, young ladies,
+you all know, or have dreamed, of what might pass during such a scene,
+and I shall not, with my prosy words, attempt to describe what your
+poetical imaginations can so much better conceive.
+
+It was under that linden-tree that the happy Theodore received the
+assurance of Francisca's love, and heard her, for the first time, call
+him 'Dear Theodore!' They strolled on towards the wood, and Theodore
+there took up a small quantity of the earth, which he said he would
+keep as an amulet--a preservative against all manner of witchcraft.
+
+'Do so,' said Francisca, with a sad smile, 'for you will assuredly need
+that amulet. You are leaving me now; you will forget me soon among the
+many beautiful and fascinating you will see in the gay world. But,
+after all, you had better throw back the earth whence it came,
+Theodore. I would not be remembered as an evil genius.'
+
+'Can you fancy that I could possibly forget you, or cease to remember
+all you have been to me? May Heaven forget me if I ever change towards
+you!'
+
+The earnestness of his manner convinced Francisca of his sincerity. We
+are always prone to believe what we wish, and this is why a heart that
+loves is so easily deceived.
+
+When he was going away, Theodore whispered with his farewell a request
+that he might be allowed to write to her, and that she would answer his
+letters.
+
+'No, do not write,' she said; 'our faith in each other does not require
+to be kept alive by letter. We shall meet again.'
+
+'In spring, I trust. Oh, how long it will be till then!'
+
+Love and gratitude! What a wide difference there is between these two
+feelings. Love is the offspring of our own heart--its darling, its
+heir; gratitude is but an adopted child--a poor orphan, admitted but
+not tenderly cherished. What Francisca felt was _love_. Theodore had
+always _gratitude_ starting up in the background to recall his
+wandering feelings; yet he believed, when he left the Garlovs' house
+for Copenhagen, that he was really in love with Francisca.
+
+It is a pity that no natural philosopher has ever invented an
+instrument by which to measure love--its depth and solidity. Had such a
+test been available, Theodore would soon have found out his own state.
+But still there are proofs without philosophical instruments; for he
+who does not find the image of his beloved in every corner of his
+heart, has never loved; he who does not clearly remember every, even
+the most minute turnings, in the winding-path by which the little blind
+deity may have led him, has never loved; he whose beloved is not his
+all in the future, the object of his dreams, his hopes, his thoughts in
+the present, he has never loved. Ye gentlemen lovers! I advise you to
+examine your own hearts by these tests, and see how your affections
+really stand.
+
+
+Rudolph paused for a moment--Louise glanced at him as if she felt sure
+he had passed the proof--Arnold indulged in a sneering smile, and the
+other gentlemen looked innocently apathetic.
+
+
+There is an old French saying (continued Rudolph), which signifies
+that absence has the same effect upon love that a high wind has upon
+fire--it extinguishes the weak, but makes the strong burn more
+intensely. Thus, while Francisca's ardent love gained strength in
+absence, and in her sleeping and waking dreams she invested Theodore
+with every possible good quality and charm, his feeble love became more
+and more languid, and the image of Francisca lost by degrees all the
+attractions he had fancied it possessed.
+
+Francisca had communicated all her feelings by letter to her friend, my
+mother, and the correspondence between them, on a subject so
+interesting, helped to while away the tedium of the winter months.
+Theodore, on the contrary, concealed his little love affair in the
+country from his friends in town. At first, it seemed a topic
+too sacred to enter upon, and afterwards he thought it would be
+ridiculous--he would only expose himself to be laughed at by his
+companions. Balls, and all sorts of amusements occupied his leisure
+hours. He was one of the best dancers in Copenhagen, and could have as
+many pretty partners as he liked. Time flew fast with him; he sometimes
+forgot that such a being as Francisca existed, and in a fit of
+vexation, as it reminded him of his duty, he hid away the amulet that
+was to have been so potent a talisman. Early in spring, however, he had
+an illness, which confined him to his room for a few days; during that
+short period of seclusion Francisca assumed a more prominent part in
+his recollection. Which of all the girls he had been flirting with
+during the winter would have risked so much, done so much for him as
+she had done? Not one among them. The country and Francisca were again
+in the ascendant for a time, and it was at this period that he had his
+likeness taken. He would give it to her. How much _she_ would value it!
+That was a pleasant idea, for even in love men seldom forget vanity.
+Indeed, what love is to be compared, in general, to self-love?
+
+Armed with the miniature of himself, and a small plain gold ring on his
+little finger, Theodore set off for Mr. Garlov's. The wood was already
+clothed in its mantle of green. How anxiously had not Francisca watched
+the budding leaves, and longed for the arrival of spring, which would
+bring back to her him she loved so much! She had gone out to meet him,
+and when he caught a glimpse of her, springing from the carriage he
+threw himself at her feet. She was happy, for she had never doubted his
+constancy. Mr. Garlov welcomed him as an old friend, but he did not
+look upon him in any other light, as Mrs. Garlov, who knew of her
+daughter's attachment, had never yet found a suitable opportunity
+to communicate the matter to her husband, though she was aware
+that he intended Francisca to marry a wealthy proprietor in their
+neighbourhood, who, although somewhat advanced in years, was a very
+worthy man, and would be a good match.
+
+The evenings were still cold, and were consequently passed within
+doors, but were enlivened by conversation, music, and reading aloud,
+for Theodore excelled in the latter accomplishment, and also sang well.
+A happy time it was to Francisca, and even Theodore felt the pleasing
+influence of these quiet evenings; but when summer came, with its long
+days and warm nights, and the lovers could stroll out arm-in-arm,
+Francisca was still happier, and would sometimes exclaim, 'I could not
+have thought it possible for this world to afford so much felicity as I
+experience at this moment!' With her the days flew like hours, and the
+hours like minutes! At length Theodore spoke of returning to his home.
+But he was assailed by father, mother, and daughter, with entreaties to
+remain a little longer, as guests were expected, and his society would
+enliven the party very much.
+
+'If you will only stay,' said Francisca, 'you shall be rewarded by
+seeing a most beautiful girl.'
+
+'Is your cousin Kitty so beautiful?' asked Theodore.
+
+'No, she is only amiable; but a Miss Angel is to accompany her, who is
+over from Holstein on a visit to my cousin. She is called Aurora
+Angel--two ominous names, are they not? But they are not misapplied.'
+
+'Do you think I would stay for anybody's sake if not for yours, dear
+Francisca?' said Theodore. 'No; the goddess of the dawn of day shall
+have no such triumph. Since you wish it, I will remain longer; but I
+should only be too happy if this blooming damsel would stay away.'
+
+She came, however, along with my mother and my grandmother, and very
+beautiful she was both in face and figure, with remarkably fine arms,
+and the prettiest feet in the world. She looked lovely as she played
+the harp, and her voice was one of that peculiar sweetness that, once
+heard, could never be forgotten. Her slight foreign accent gave a
+piquancy to her simplest words--in short, she was altogether a most
+attractive little creature.
+
+Mrs. Garlov and Theodore Ancker were the only persons who did not
+seem quite captivated by the fascinations of the fair Aurora; every
+one else was enchanted with her, Francisca most of all. Theodore
+insisted that the glances of her bright eyes had, when she thought she
+was not observed, something sinister in them that caused involuntary
+mistrust; he accused her of being coquettish, cold, and heartless,
+notwithstanding her affection of feeling. In fact, he evinced a strange
+repugnance to her society, and much annoyance that the arrival of other
+guests had thrown a sort of barrier between himself and Francisca, with
+whom he could no longer be frequently alone, and more than once he
+expressed a wish that he had gone when first he proposed doing so. He
+was at all times a little given to variations of temper, but now he
+appeared to be always out of humour, and when he was compelled to show
+any attention to Aurora, he did it with a very bad grace, and looked as
+awkward as a dancing bear.
+
+Aurora herself never appeared to observe anything odd in his manners,
+but the rest of the party could not fail to be surprised at him.
+
+One evening, after Theodore had been all day looking quite cross
+because he had not been able to have some private chat with Francisca,
+though his own bad humour had made him neglect more than one
+opportunity that had presented itself, the little party were assembled
+in the music-room which opened on the garden. Aurora was singing and
+accompanying herself on the harp. Theodore seemed annoyed at the praise
+bestowed upon her, and she had scarcely finished her song when he began
+vehemently to press Francisca to sing. She declined, though she really
+sang very nicely, and her admirer was so vexed that he was leaving the
+room, when she called him back, that he might hear Aurora sing
+Clärchen's Lied from Goethe's 'Egmont,' which was then quite new. After
+preluding for a moment or two, with a sweet smile Aurora commenced the
+romance, and the expression of her countenance changed suddenly to
+sadness as she sang,
+
+
+                        Freudvoll
+                        Und leidvoll
+                        Gedankenvoll seyn;
+
+
+while she seemed powerfully affected by the two last lines:
+
+
+                        Glücklich allein
+                        Ist die Seele, die liebt;
+
+
+for her voice sank almost to a whisper, and her eyes filled with tears.
+At that moment her glance met that of Theodore, and she coloured
+deeply, while he in vain strove to look indifferent. Mrs. Garlov
+entered on a disquisition touching the tragedy of 'Egmont' and the
+character of Clärchen, while Aurora sought to conceal her annoyance by
+speaking of the song.
+
+'I do not know any song that has prettier words than these. Do you not
+agree with me, Mr. Ancker?'
+
+'I think,' replied Theodore, 'that Clärchen's mother pronounced a very
+proper judgment on the words when she said, "Ah, it is the same eternal
+nonsense."'
+
+'And I will answer you in Clärchen's own words', said Aurora,
+good-humouredly: '"Nay, do not abuse it; 'tis a song of marvellous
+virtue. Many a time I have lulled a grown child to sleep with it."'
+
+This reply in her own language--the German--came so prettily from
+Aurora's coral lips, that Theodore did violence to his own feelings
+when he answered:
+
+'Yes, "schlafen wiegen," that was perhaps Clärchen's art. Probably you
+admire Clärchen's character. I would swear that you did.'
+
+'Yes, I admire it; it is a faithful and pleasing sketch of the female
+character.'
+
+'Of _one_ female character, say rather. God be praised, not of all,'
+replied Theodore. 'Clärchen is capricious, coquettish, inconsiderate,
+heartless. She makes a mere tool of the man who wishes to marry her--a
+mere hack and errand boy--and she repays the poor fellow's services by
+the coquetry which holds him in her chains. Does she not say herself,
+"Often, without a thought, I return the gentle loving pressure of his
+hand? I reproach myself that I am deceiving him--that I am nourishing
+in his heart a vain hope."'
+
+Aurora listened to him with a smile, complimented him on his admirable
+pronunciation of German (a compliment which evidently pleased him), and
+then went on to defend Clärchen, quoting sentences from the drama
+itself, and wound up by assuring him that men could not understand
+love--at least not such deep, all-absorbing love as a Clärchen could
+feel.
+
+Mr. Garlov remarked that the fair damsel was very severe upon their
+sex, and Theodore shrugged his shoulders in silence.
+
+Again Aurora spoke. 'Clärchen,' she said, 'was placed, as it were,
+between Life's cold prose and Eternity's warm poetry. It was the battle
+between these that consumed her, as it had consumed many another heart.
+_You_ have no conception of that struggle: and may you never feel it.
+May you never have to say, like Clärchen, "I am in a strange
+position."'
+
+Aurora rose, put away her harp, and hurried into the garden. The other
+ladies followed her, and Theodore was left alone with Mr. Garlov, who
+said,
+
+'You have got into a scrape, my good friend. One must be very guarded
+in speaking to these German ladies, they are so deucedly sensitive. I
+can't conceive, though, what made you fall upon her as you did; it was
+really an unwarrantable attack.'
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+
+For some days after the little scene in the music-room, Theodore took
+great pains to dispel the gloom his ill-humour had occasioned, and he
+tried, by unusual courtesy, to do away with any disagreeable impression
+he might have made upon Aurora; but she appeared to notice as little
+his efforts to please as she had previously noticed his indifference,
+which had bordered on rudeness. He was annoyed, and said to Francisca,
+'I can't imagine what that girl wants; I have never in my life beheld a
+person with so much pretension. If she expects that _I_ shall approach
+her upon my knees, according to the homage she is perhaps accustomed to
+in Holstein, she will find herself much mistaken. One does not worship
+a pretty face so much in this part of the world; thank Heaven, here
+beauty is not so rare.'
+
+'A face like Aurora's, however, is seldom to be seen anywhere,' said
+Francisca. 'But you quite misunderstand her--she has no pretensions,
+and hardly knows how beautiful she is. She is sorry that she is not on
+better terms with you, and, as Kitty tells me, cannot imagine why you
+dislike her so much.'
+
+Such conversations frequently took place between Theodore and
+Francisca, but they had no apparent result, for Theodore, though he
+agreed with all that she said, and was polite to her young guest, did
+not seem to feel any interest in her; and Aurora, on her part, remained
+cold and distant to him. Six weeks had now elapsed since the arrival of
+the ladies, and the time had passed slowly to Theodore, who had never
+felt himself fully at ease; these weeks had also imperceptibly made a
+change in his and Francisca's manners towards each other--a colder and
+more distant tone had sprung up between them, they seldom met alone,
+and when they did, Theodore's thoughts always seemed preoccupied, or he
+was out of humour. Francisca observed this with regret, and one Sunday
+morning she contrived to follow him alone into the garden, determined
+to clear up anything that might have annoyed him. She had a book in her
+hand, probably snatched up by chance to lead the rest of the party to
+fancy that she was going to read in the garden. Theodore came up to
+her, and said:
+
+'What interesting work have I to thank for this unexpected meeting? To
+see you alone is now a rare event; the claims of love, methinks, are no
+longer of the importance they used to be.'
+
+He seized the book with some impetuosity--it was Goethe's 'Egmont.'
+'Clärchen!' he exclaimed. 'Is Clärchen to be always thus thrust upon
+me? I wish I could as easily get rid of all Clärchens as I can of this
+book.' And he was about to fling the book away.
+
+'For Heaven's sake, Theodore, don't throw Aurora's book into the pond!
+How can you be so childish as to be angry with a poor book? It was not
+Clärchen that brought me here; I took it up in the breakfast-room to
+have something in my hand; I did not even know what book it was. I came
+out here,' she added, timidly, and colouring deeply, 'to seek you.'
+
+'Me, Francisca? Really to seek me? So these visitors of yours have not
+made you quite forget me? But I am unreasonable, detestable; forgive
+me, sweet Francisca! I hardly know myself what I want. It is very
+foolish, but I confess I am as jealous of Aurora as if she had been a
+man. The way in which she engrosses you quite separates us; when a
+woman chooses to pay court, it is much worse than attention from a
+man--she scarcely ever leaves you for a moment.'
+
+'Unreasonable that you are!' cried Francisca, smiling. 'Do you think
+you are to be the only 'person who is to be allowed to love me? Come,
+let us make the most of these uninterrupted minutes, and speak
+confidentially together. Let us go into the forest, I feel as if I
+should be more at my ease there.'
+
+Theodore drew her arm within his, and they went into the wood. It was a
+lovely morning, the thick foliage of the trees formed a cool shade from
+the warm rays of the blazing sun. The birds were carolling among the
+branches, the chime of the distant church bells was answered by the
+tinkling of the sheep bells as the animals fed amidst the grassy glades
+of the forest, and a few peasants passed now and then on their way to
+church, in all their Sunday finery, and with their prayer-books in
+their hands. They respectfully and kindly saluted the lovers as they
+sat together under the large tree, beneath whose spreading boughs
+Francisca had prayed for strength on the memorable night when she had
+traversed the forest alone in order to obtain the means required for
+saving Theodore's life.
+
+'This is our chapel,' said Theodore. 'This mossy seat the altar at
+which I have vowed to devote my life to you. Do you remember that it
+was here you hinted at the possibility of my forgetting you? Ah! Did I
+not then say that Heaven must forget me first? I feel now, even more
+than I did then, the truth of my words.' But at that moment a
+recollection shot across Theodore's mind which caused him a painful
+sensation: had he not all but forgotten Francisca? He passed his hand
+over his eyes for a moment, but Francisca took it gently away, while
+she replied:
+
+'My doubts were unholy. I was but a child then, and I did not think
+that I could be loved as I felt I loved you. Forgive me for these
+sinful thoughts. I know now how true you are.'
+
+Theodore embraced her, and played with the ring he had given her,
+which, not daring to wear on her finger, as the engagement was yet
+unknown to her father, she had hung round her neck, and generally
+placed near her heart, but which on this occasion had escaped from
+within her dress. Francisca had taken her own likeness before her
+glass, and, although it had many faults, it resembled her. She
+intended it for Theodore, but had never been able to gather courage
+until this day to present it to him. She had brought it down into the
+breakfast-room with her, and when she saw him stroll into the garden
+she thrust it hurriedly between the leaves of a book which was lying on
+a side-table, and took it with her when she went to join him. The ring
+reminded her of the little portrait, and, turning to Theodore, she
+said:
+
+'You have been very kind to give me both this ring and that dear
+miniature--that likeness of yourself, to which I confide all my
+thoughts when I am alone with it. I have no ring to offer you in
+return, Theodore; but will you excuse its many faults, and accept this
+little sketch which I have done for you? When you look at this pale
+face, I beseech you not to forget that the soul which animates it is
+capable of the most devoted love, and is grateful for its undeserved
+happiness.'
+
+Frightened at the warmth with which she had ventured to express her
+feelings, the poor girl became quite embarrassed, her eyes were blinded
+with tears, and her fingers nervously felt through the leaves of the
+book for the drawing she had mentioned. She found it, and with averted
+head, she handed it to Theodore. He kissed it as he received it, but no
+sooner had he looked at it than he exclaimed in great agitation,
+
+'Francisca, this is a bitter mockery! I did not deserve this from you.'
+
+Francisca looked at him with astonishment. He was holding the drawing
+in his hand, and gazing on it. One glance was enough to show her that
+it was not her likeness; the book had contained at least one other
+drawing besides her portrait. A young lady was leaning over a harp,
+amidst the strings of which one hand was lingering, while the other
+hand held a pocket-handkerchief towards her face, as if to dry the
+tears that were swimming in the soft eyes; beside her stood an elegant
+young man, in an attitude of utter indifference, cleverly depicted by
+his having placed his foot on a chair near, and being engaged in
+adjusting his shoe. It was only a sketch, but very spirited, and very
+well done. In a corner of the paper was written the German line--
+
+
+              Das Herz allein schafft Holl' und Paradies.
+
+
+'Aurora!' cried Francisca, in dismay.
+
+'Clärchen,' said Theodore, fretfully. 'Am I then doomed to find that
+image everywhere--is it not impossible to escape it! Nay, Francisca,
+this is an unfair punishment. I have acknowledged my rudeness,
+regretted it in my own heart, and endeavoured to make up for it--what
+more would you have?'
+
+'It is no punishment; it is only a mistake. I did not know that there
+was any such drawing in the book; the sketch is not by me--it is by
+Aurora,' stammered Francisca.
+
+'Aurora! Did Aurora do this?' exclaimed Theodore, looking at it again,
+and eagerly.
+
+Francisca did not answer, but she seemed as if she was going to cry.
+
+Little heeding her looks, however, he remained with his eyes riveted on
+the picture; at length he said,
+
+'Clärchen is true to herself. Only see what coquetry there is in
+this little sketch; and the verse, and the tears--it is really
+charming!--But what is the matter, Francisca? You look so pale--so
+overcome. Are you not well?'
+
+Francisca tried to laugh at herself. 'It is nothing; I felt a little
+giddy, but the sensation has passed off. Let us go home, for we may be
+missed, and it is rather damp here.'
+
+Theodore rose and accompanied her through the wood, while he carefully
+carried the book with the two drawings within its leaves. On reaching
+the house Francisca took it from him, and hurried up to her room. She
+put away her own likeness with very different feelings to those with
+which she had taken it from its accustomed place. It seemed so strange
+that fate should have made her own hand the means of substituting
+Aurora's likeness for hers! This incident, trifling as it was, awoke a
+degree of uneasiness in her mind; but she endeavoured to conquer the
+feeling, and, going downstairs, she replaced Aurora's book on the table
+where she had found it. Seeing, however, Theodore approaching from the
+garden, and not being yet quite composed enough to meet him, she
+hastily left the room; but, angry at herself for her folly, she
+returned after a little time, and with the intention of begging him to
+say nothing about Aurora's sketch, which had been seen by him without
+her knowledge. Why did she a second time so suddenly and silently leave
+the apartment she had just entered? It was because she beheld Theodore
+bending with the deepest attention over 'Egmont,' which was open on the
+table before him. Was it the play or the drawing which so fascinated
+him?
+
+The old doctor and some neighbouring gentlemen dined at the Garlovs'
+that day, and in the course of the evening the whole party repaired to
+the garden; Francisca had quite recovered her spirits, and Theodore was
+in an unusually gay mood. Swinging was proposed, and Francisca and
+Aurora got together into the swing, which had a capacious seat. The old
+doctor insisted upon swinging the girls, but after trying it for some
+time, puffing and panting, he called to Theodore and gave up his post
+to him with, 'It is your turn, now; I am too old to go on long.' But
+Aurora vehemently opposed his doing it--she would not on any account
+give him so much trouble.
+
+'Oh, I shall dispense with all gratitude from you,' said Theodore.
+'Don't distress yourself about giving me trouble, that can all be
+placed to Miss Francisca's account; she will return so many thanks,
+that I am sure they will suffice for both of you.'
+
+Francisca laughed, and so did the old doctor and Kitty. As if in fun,
+Theodore set the swing into more violent motion, and it flew higher and
+higher, with a disagreeable jerking movement. Aurora screamed, and then
+called out that she was frightened; but Theodore continued his
+exertions, while he exclaimed, 'Angels are at home in the higher
+regions, therefore it is impossible for Miss Angel to be afraid of
+reaching the tops of the trees.'
+
+'I don't choose to swing any more; I command you to stop!' cried
+Aurora, with a look that made it doubtful whether she was in jest or
+earnest.
+
+Theodore laughed, and then replied, 'Entreaties would have more weight
+than commands; you had better say _I pray you_, Miss Aurora. Now you
+can truly exclaim, "Ich bin ubel dran."'
+
+Aurora would not condescend to entreat, but when next the swing came to
+near the ground, she prepared to spring out; in a moment, however, it
+was off again, and the spring, which she was then not able to check,
+was made from a considerable height. Francisca tried to catch her, and
+losing her own balance, she, too, with a wild shriek, fell forward. At
+the same moment both the young ladies lay stunned upon the ground.
+
+Theodore was in an agony of terror; the old doctor clasped his hands in
+consternation, and Kitty almost fainted away. The rest of the party,
+hearing the shriek, rushed to the place where the swing was erected,
+and only added to the confusion. Theodore raised Francisca gently in
+his arms; he took no notice of Aurora, who still lay insensible after
+Francisca had recovered her consciousness. The latter was carefully
+carried into the house and laid on her couch by her mother and Kitty,
+and Theodore stood at the outside of her chamber door until he heard
+her voice speaking in its natural tones. He then suddenly remembered
+Aurora, and returned to the garden to see how she was. In the meantime
+she had come to herself, and had found herself surrounded by the old
+doctor, Mr. Garlov, and the gentlemen who were spending the day with
+them--the ladies had all disappeared. She tried to rise, but could not
+stand, her ankle was either broken or dislocated. Some of the servants
+were called; Aurora was placed in an arm-chair, and carried by them
+towards the house, while the old doctor walked on one side of her and
+Mr. Garlov on the other, the strangers bringing up the rear. Theodore
+flew to meet her, and exclaimed, with the utmost anxiety, 'For God's
+sake, tell me, are you much hurt? How do you feel?'
+
+Aurora looked somewhat reproachfully at him, but she answered, 'It was
+my own fault.'
+
+'It was the fault of that abominable swing--a most dangerous pastime!'
+exclaimed the old doctor, who forgot, in his wrath, that he had been
+among those who encouraged it. Aurora was carefully laid on a sofa in a
+small chamber leading into the music-room, where Mrs. Garlov and Kitty
+came to her after they had made Francisca as comfortable as possible;
+she had struck her chest against the projecting root of a tree, and the
+spot looked blue, but there was no other apparent injury. The doctor
+found Aurora's foot much swollen; the joint was dislocated, and he
+tried to put it in its place, but not being able to manage it, he
+called Theodore to perform the operation, which, though painful, Aurora
+bore with great fortitude.
+
+The strangers, of course, took their departure, and the old doctor,
+after having visited Francisca, declared that he also was obliged to
+go. Aurora said she hoped to see him again soon; but he told her that
+he must put her under Theodore's care, as he would be unavoidably
+compelled to absent himself for some days. She seemed much annoyed at
+this, and anxiously requested to be removed to Copenhagen, for she
+would suffer any amount of pain on the journey, she said, rather than
+be attended by Theodore. She was assured, however, that it was
+absolutely necessary for her to remain where she was. Theodore cursed
+in his heart his past rudeness to Aurora, which had caused the poor
+girl to dislike him so much.
+
+Meantime, every arrangement was made for Aurora's comfort, and her host
+and hostess were most assiduous in their attention to her. She
+happened, however, to be alone when Theodore paid her his first visit
+next morning. She lay on the sofa, which had been converted into a bed,
+in a white dressing-gown, with her beautiful hair falling negligently
+about her shoulders, and her rounded cheek resting on one hand. So
+beautiful did she look, that Theodore started on entering the room, and
+stood as if turned into a statue of stone; it was some moments before
+he could recover himself sufficiently to ask her how she was.
+
+Aurora gave him one of her sweetest smiles, and held out her hand to
+him, while she said, 'Like the frightened one in the German tale, let
+me ask, "Daniel, Daniel, why do you persecute me?"'
+
+This mild rebuke quite overcame Theodore; he stooped and kissed her
+hand, while he whispered, 'O Aurora, be merciful!'
+
+From this moment their former seeming dislike to each other vanished
+entirely. Theodore devoted much of his time to the interesting invalid;
+he talked to her, read to her, and before long had quite adopted her
+opinion of her favourite Clärchen in the drama of 'Egmont.' Francisca
+made no fuss about herself, but she had come off the worst,
+nevertheless, for the blow on her chest had brought on a spitting
+of blood, which, however, she concealed from everyone except my
+mother--her cousin Kitty. Aurora's foot had had ample time to get well;
+but she complained constantly of it, and could not be induced to try to
+walk. Thus, at the end of three weeks, she was still confined to her
+sofa. During all this time Theodore had not had any opportunity of
+conversing alone with Francisca, for either the one or the other was in
+attendance on Aurora, or they were both with her. Francisca looked pale
+and ill, and ought by rights to have changed places with Aurora, who
+reclined like an invalid on the sofa, though her blooming face was the
+picture of health. But as she still complained of her sufferings,
+Francisca innocently charged Theodore to be very attentive to her--an
+injunction he was only too willing to obey.
+
+It never occurred to Francisca that Theodore might fall in love with
+Aurora; and yet that was already the case. On her first arrival he had
+been dazzled by her extraordinary beauty; but looking upon her as a
+cold-blooded coquette, he had endeavoured to steel his heart against
+her. It was mistrust of himself which made him pretend to dislike her;
+her indifference piqued him, and was the cause of his ill-humour and
+caprice, but Francisca's mistake about the sketches awoke a new feeling
+in him, and he determined to win Aurora's love. _She_ marked well all
+the fluctuations in his feelings and his manners, but, sure of her
+game, she went calmly on. Theodore had judged rightly when he had
+denounced the sketch as an artful piece of coquetry; nevertheless, it
+had its effect on him in spite of his sober reason. The particular
+attention which he always showed Francisca provoked Aurora, who could
+not endure anyone to interfere with the monopoly of all homage which
+she claimed for herself, and she worked hard to separate them. The
+scene at the swing and its consequences, though caused only by her
+jealousy, had aided her designs, and now she had not a doubt of her
+conquest. Both Theodore and Aurora were vain--both were coquettes--for
+gentlemen can be coquettes as well as ladies; the difference between
+them was, that she was a profound coquette, he a thoughtless one; she
+had improved her talents in that way by deep study, he was guided only
+by his natural tendencies. Surely much were those to be pitied who had
+founded their hopes on such characters, for they had built their house
+upon quicksand!
+
+Theodore soon found that he could no longer gloss over his feelings for
+Aurora, and shelter them under the well-sounding names of regret, duty,
+Christian charity, or friendship, with which he had hitherto tried to
+silence his awaking conscience. He was forced to confess to himself
+that he loved Aurora as he never before had loved--what had bound him
+to Francisca was only friendship and gratitude; yet he could not but
+admit that she had bestowed her whole heart on him. When Aurora began
+to limp about a little, first with a crutch, then with a stick, and,
+lastly, with the aid of his arm, he found himself so happy with her,
+that he could scarcely sober his feelings before Francisca, who, still
+unsuspicious of any evil, rejoiced to see them such good friends.
+
+But all were not so blind as Francisca: her mother and cousin saw more
+clearly what was going on, and they trembled for the moment when she
+should find out the unwelcome truth, if truth it really were. That
+moment came sooner than they had expected. It so happened that Kitty
+was confined to her room for a few days by a bad cold, and at that very
+period Francisca was obliged to be a good deal with the daughters of
+the clergyman of the parish, in whose family a death had taken place.
+Theodore was, therefore, almost entirely alone with Aurora.
+
+One evening, about dusk, Francisca returned from a visit to the
+clergyman's family, and on the stairs she met a servant-girl, who was
+carrying a glass of lemonade to Aurora. She took it from the girl to
+carry it in herself; the door was half open between the anteroom and
+the music-room, and, hearing Aurora playing on the harp, she stopped,
+not to disturb her. It was Clärchen's song, and Theodore was singing a
+second to it in a low tone. It was so long since she had heard him
+sing, that she sat down near the door to listen to his voice. He
+stopped before the end of the song, and Aurora finished it alone. As
+she sang the last two lines, Francisca heard Theodore sigh deeply. 'He
+is thinking of _me!_' whispered Francisca to herself, 'as I am thinking
+of him.' Poor Francisca!
+
+'Grieved unto death!' repeated Theodore. 'You are singing my requiem,
+Aurora.'
+
+'And my own,' said Aurora. 'Would to Heavens I had never come here!
+What have I done that I should be so punished?'
+
+'Speak not thus, Aurora; I alone am guilty. Why did I not tell you of
+my engagement to Francisca? Why did I not fly and leave you both?'
+
+'Francisca is of an affectionate but tranquil character; she will
+forgive a temporary inconstancy, if she has observed it; but it is not
+probable that she has. It is not yet too late. I must go, and you will
+soon forget me. Francisca may yet be happy--but, oh! what a blank is
+before me! Yet I must away.'
+
+'For Heaven's sake, forbear, Aurora! Leave me! No, no, I cannot tear
+myself from you, come what may. My life is doomed--alas! there is no
+happiness more for me in this world. But these vows--these dreadful
+vows--must they be fulfilled?'
+
+'They may crush our hearts,' said Aurora, 'but they must be fulfilled.
+Let my hand go, Theodore--you are engaged to Francisca; leave me--leave
+me to weep alone.'
+
+'Dearest--adored--most precious Aurora!--how wretched I am! How could I
+fancy that I loved Francisca? And yet, shall I repay all her goodness
+to me by treachery?'
+
+'Hush, Ancker, hush! You will kill me. Go, marry Francisca, and be
+happy!'
+
+'Happy!' cried Theodore, vehemently; 'happy without you? How can you
+mock me thus, Aurora?'
+
+'Perhaps time may do something for us,' said Aurora, with a smile as
+beautiful as the sun breaking through the dark clouds in a stormy sky.
+
+'I dare hope nothing from time,' replied Theodore.
+
+'Ah! do you not now feel the force of these words, "I am in a strange
+position?"' murmured Aurora.
+
+'You are revenged, Aurora,' said Theodore, not without some bitterness.
+'The loss of a lifetime's happiness is surely enough to atone for a
+moment's thoughtlessness.'
+
+A deathlike weakness, which she could not shake off, had compelled
+Francisca to overhear this conversation. The first words had been
+enough almost to kill her; as soon as she was capable of moving, she
+rose and fled like a hunted deer to her own apartment: there, throwing
+her arms round my mother's neck, she could only exclaim, 'Kitty, Kitty,
+what have I not heard!' My mother too well guessed whence the blow had
+come, and she was not surprised at what was told her. The cousins spent
+the evening alone together, and when the family had retired to rest, my
+mother sought the wing of the house in which Theodore's rooms were
+situated. He was not there. She was rather glad to escape an interview
+with a young man, at night, in his own apartment, and in returning she
+observed that the door of the music-room was half-open; on going
+forward to shut it, she perceived that a window was also open, and she
+went to close it first. But what was her surprise on reaching it, and
+looking out for a moment, to see, in the clear moonlight, Theodore
+standing below Aurora's window, talking earnestly to her, while she was
+leaning out, with a little shawl thrown over her head. Kitty drew back
+hurriedly, but Theodore had seen her, and immediately joined her. He
+forthwith began to account for his being found there; but it was
+evident that he was telling a falsehood got up at the moment. My mother
+interrupted him by briefly informing him what Francisca had overheard;
+she laid the ring and the miniature on the table before him, simply
+adding a request that he would leave the house as soon as possible.
+
+The next day Francisca was confined to her room by illness, which was
+given out to be a cold, and Theodore set off for Copenhagen without
+having seen either of the cousins. Aurora soon followed him, and then
+Kitty communicated to Mrs. Garlov the fact of Francisca's engagement
+being broken off. Mr. Garlov had never heard of it, and often, to
+Francisca's great distress, wished Theodore back again. A hard battle
+she had to fight with herself, but she bore up wonderfully under her
+deep disappointment. And this is the history of Aunt Francisca's youth.
+
+
+Rudolph paused, and Arnold seized the opportunity of exclaiming,
+
+'Why, we have only had a mere tissue of sentimentality as yet. What has
+become of the child, Rudolph, that Mrs. Werner was whispering to you
+about? You smile--come, out with the child, don't withhold the best
+part of the story from us--the child--the child.'
+
+'Oh!' said one of the other young men, shaking his finger at Arnold,
+'what have you to do with the child? Leave it in peace, poor thing!
+there is no use in recalling these forgotten affairs.'
+
+'No; we _must_ have the little affair of the child,' insisted Arnold,
+as Rudolph was about to continue his narrative.
+
+
+Francisca spent some years quietly in the country, not mixing at all
+with the world, and only cared for by those who were immediately around
+her. My mother was her sole friend and correspondent, and she used to
+pass two months every summer at the Garlovs'. These were Francisca's
+pleasantest days, for she could talk freely to _her_ of her own short
+and too bitterly lost period of happiness. Her sorrow and mortification
+had not made her either sour or melancholy, as you will perhaps believe
+when I tell you that she had two or three offers at this time which she
+refused. She was about two-and-twenty years of age when her father
+died, and as he had lived up to his income, there was but little left
+for the widow and her daughter. They removed to Copenhagen, where they
+lived on a slender income, but slightly increased by what Francisca
+received from the Tontine in which she held some shares. Often did Mrs.
+Garlov lament, for her daughter's sake, their altered circumstances;
+but Theodore's name was never mentioned between them. Only once Mrs.
+Garlov had spoken of him, and then she had wondered how it was possible
+for her dear child to forgive him.
+
+But Francisca answered, 'It is so easy to forgive, dear mother. Let us
+not, however, again allude to him; it only pains you.'
+
+Theodore, in the meantime, had married Aurora. When my mother
+communicated this event to Francisca, she determined to burn every
+little memento of him which she had treasured with the pardonable folly
+of affection! and 'Oh!' she exclaimed, as with bitter tears she made an
+auto-da-fé of these souvenirs, 'may he be as happy as my most earnest
+wishes would make him, and may every remembrance of me be obliterated
+from his thoughts as entirely as this last withered leaf is now
+consumed!'
+
+About two years after his marriage Theodore removed to Russia, where
+physicians, at that period, were in great request, and made large
+fortunes. Kitty had heard that his principal reason, however, for
+leaving Denmark, was to withdraw Aurora from the connections she had
+formed in Copenhagen, where her conduct often gave him occasion to
+repent the choice he had made. They lived unhappily together; her
+coquetry annoyed him extremely, and the number of admirers whom she
+encouraged to be constantly around her was a source of daily torment to
+him. A jealous husband generally makes a fool of himself; when he has
+an arrant coquette for his wife, his doing so is inevitable, therefore
+the names of Theodore and Aurora were soon in everybody's mouth, and
+_she_ found it as desirable as _he_ did to escape from all the gossip
+and scandal to which her own behaviour had given rise. Kitty, however,
+did not relate these unpleasant details to Francisca, who only knew
+that her good wishes must follow Theodore to St. Petersburg.
+
+Shortly after this Mrs. Garlov died, and Francisca was left almost
+alone in the world; but she sought happiness in constant occupation,
+and in doing as much good as her slender means would permit. When my
+mother married she wished her cousin to come and reside with her, but
+Francisca preferred to be independent, and continued to live alone,
+with her servant-of-all-work.
+
+Theodore had not found the happiness in Russia he had anticipated. His
+fortune had indeed increased, but his domestic peace had diminished.
+Aurora cared little either for his advice or his anger, and had soon
+formed intimacies which quite consoled her for his fits of crossness.
+He also found amusements away from his home; thus they often did not
+see each other for days, and when they did meet it was only to quarrel.
+One evening, on returning home at a late hour, he found his wife was
+absent; she had left the house early in the forenoon, and had not been
+seen since. Next day the servant of a Russian officer called with a
+message to Theodore, to say that he need not expect his wife, as she
+had gone to Moscow with his master, and did not intend to come back.
+This was a dreadful blow to him, notwithstanding the levity of her
+former conduct, and with a sudden feeling of hatred to St. Petersburg,
+to which he had no longer any ties, he converted all his effects into
+cash, and embarked with it on board a ship bound to Copenhagen.
+
+But he had a most disastrous voyage, the ship was totally lost off
+Rügen, and the passengers saved only their lives. Theodore found
+himself all at once a beggar, and this calamity, following so closely
+on his other misfortunes, brought on a dreadful illness. He passed six
+months in an hospital, and at the end of that time was discharged--a
+wretched lunatic! The Danish consul took charge of him, and had him
+safely conveyed to Copenhagen. But no one recognized him there; his
+passport and his papers had all been lost in the ship which had also
+contained his money and effects. There was, therefore, no refuge for
+him but the common bedlam, where he was accordingly placed. It
+happened, however, that after a short time he had lucid intervals,
+during which periods he occasionally mentioned names that were known,
+and this led to the discovery of who he was, and to his being removed
+from the bedlam and boarded with a private family, who received a few
+gentlemen labouring under mental disease.
+
+Tidings of his unfortunate situation soon reached Francisca's ears, for
+it was the theme in every family where he had been formerly known. She
+had deemed him far away, but happy and prosperous, loving and beloved;
+she found him near her, but unhappy, deserted, and an object of that
+cold charity which counts every shilling and every farthing that it
+expends. She determined to see him, and to administer as much as she
+could to his comforts. He did not know her; she stood before him as a
+stranger, and as if from the hands of a kind stranger he received the
+various little gifts with which she sought to please him. For a whole
+year she continued to visit him daily, and it was with deep sorrow she
+observed that his mind was becoming more and more clouded, no thought
+of the past, no dream of the future, seeming ever to enter it.
+
+At this time the landed proprietor, who was formerly mentioned, and who
+had been attached to Francisca since she was sixteen years of age,
+again made her an offer of marriage. He was rich, high-principled,
+kind-hearted, and well-educated. She knew also that her parents had
+much wished her to marry him. But Theodore required her care, and she
+determined never to forsake him. She had just finished the letter
+declining the offer so handsomely made, and saying that she had
+resolved never to marry, when the lady with whom Theodore boarded, and
+who supposed her to be a relation of his, sent a pressing message to
+her begging her to come immediately. She hurried to the house, hoping
+that some favourable change had suddenly taken place, and that Theodore
+would be restored to reason. But there was no such joy in store for
+her.
+
+She found him sitting in a corner of his room playing at cat's-cradle
+with some twine and his long, wasted fingers; so eagerly engaged was he
+on his infantine diversion, that he scarcely raised his vacant eyes as
+she entered. His gait was slouching, and his clothes hung loose about
+him. Oh, how different from the Theodore of former days!
+
+His hostess was sitting at work in the same room, and looking extremely
+cross. A letter and a parcel lay on the table, beside which stood a
+little boy, whose inquisitive and half-frightened glances wandered
+round first to the strange man, then to the unknown ladies, and lastly,
+to an elderly woman in a foreign dress, who was sitting near the stove,
+and who said a few words to him in a foreign language, apparently
+bidding him do something he was not inclined to do, as he shook his
+little head; he seemed bewildered by the scene around him. Francisca
+also stood as one bewildered, but the lady of the house proceeded at
+once to explain things to her as far as she could. She told her that
+the foreign woman had informed her, in bad German, that she was the
+wife of the captain of a small trading vessel from Revel, who had been
+requested to take charge of the little boy and deliver him to his
+relations, the address given being only that of Dr. Theodore Ancker,
+Copenhagen. All the child's expenses had been paid. The woman had
+conscientiously tried to find out Theodore, and the lady in whose house
+he lived had detained her until she could send for Francisca.
+
+The letter contained but a very few words; it was signed 'Aurora.' The
+child's name was Alexander, and he was three years of age. His mother
+sent him to take his chance in the world, as _she_ could no longer
+maintain him, and she entreated Theodore to take care of him, as she
+was now no longer a burden upon his means or a sharer in his wealth.
+Not a syllable was mentioned of her own fate--not an address or
+reference to her own place of abode given. In a postscript it was
+stated that the child understood Danish.
+
+Francisca's determination was soon taken. Although the child was
+certainly not Theodore's son--although he was the image of his
+mother--of that Aurora who had blasted her happiness--she resolved to
+give a home to the deserted and helpless little stranger, and that very
+night the little Alexander slept comfortably in a cot prepared for him,
+and placed close to her own couch. The same night she opened the small
+box which held all that had been bestowed upon the poor child by his
+parents. In addition to his scanty wardrobe, there was a little parcel
+containing some papers in the Russian language--certificates of the
+child's baptism and vaccination--and below these lay a miniature. It
+was Theodore's likeness, the same that had formerly belonged to
+Francisca, which she had afterwards returned to him, and which had now
+passed from Aurora's possession once more into hers, and rendered its
+unconscious little bearer dear to her. She gazed at it long, as if
+comparing the likeness of what he once had been with the ruin he now
+was. Days long gone by arose vividly before her; she pressed the
+miniature to her lips, and then put it away along with her own--with
+the likeness of herself which Theodore had never seen. It seemed to her
+as if the meeting of the two portraits after so long a separation were
+the type of a future meeting between Theodore and herself in that
+bright spirit-world which shall haply be disclosed when this mortal
+scene has vanished for ever. She knelt by Alexander's bed, kissed the
+innocent child who had brought the treasure to her, and who had himself
+been thrown on her compassion, and at the same time she vowed she would
+be a mother to him.
+
+But her adoption of him gave rise to many reports. Some said he was a
+poor person's child, to whom she had taken a fancy; others, that he was
+her own son, whom she had till then kept concealed in the country. Her
+relations, with the exception of my mother, were the most ill-natured.
+They took great pains to find out who could have been the boy's father,
+and finally had the folly to confer his paternity upon her old lover,
+the poor deranged doctor, whom she visited so often.
+
+
+'Well, there was not such folly in that belief, after all,' said
+Arnold. 'For want of a better, I think we must accept this parentage
+for the youngster; for the story of a boy three years old travelling
+over from Russia, as if he had fallen from the moon, is not at all
+credible.'
+
+'But I can swear to the truth of it,' said Rudolph. 'Do you doubt my
+word?'
+
+'I do _not_ doubt your word in the slightest degree,' replied Arnold;
+'that is to say, I do not doubt that you believe what you have been
+telling us. But I think it likely that your mother kindly got up this
+pretty story, and impressed it on your mind to hide your cousin's _faux
+pas_.'
+
+'You judge of other people's principles by the rectitude of your own, I
+presume,' said Rudolph, laughing. 'But to continue:'
+
+Aunt Francisca's prayers were not unanswered, for Theodore recovered
+his senses before he died. He recognized Francisca, blessed her for all
+her goodness to him, and passed into eternity with her name on his
+lips.
+
+Alexander was a great source of happiness to Francisca, but severe
+trials still awaited her. He was carried off by a fever exactly one
+month after the death of her dearest and most faithful friend, my poor
+mother, and she was left alone in the world. The rest of her life was
+devoted to works of charity, for no day passed over her head without
+her being engaged in some act of benevolence. Love was an absolute
+necessity to her, therefore she transferred to me much of the affection
+she had felt for my mother. It was her delight to make people happy,
+and her last deed was to give what she knew would confer happiness.
+
+
+'Good soul!' cried Arnold, laughing. 'That deed was to bestow on Mr.
+Horn all her lands and tenements--her goods and chattels--her Chinese
+pagodas and mandarins. I wish you joy of the inheritance.'
+
+Flora turned angrily upon him, and exclaimed, 'For shame, Arnold!' But
+Rudolph went on quietly.
+
+'I repeat, her last deed was an act of benevolence. None of us knew
+that Aunt Francisca had money to leave. She never spoke of this, for
+she wished to be valued for herself, not for what she possessed.'
+
+'Aunt Francisca rich! You really must be quizzing us,' exclaimed Mrs.
+Werner.
+
+'No; I only knew it myself this evening. It seems that she was the last
+surviving member of the Tontine, which I mentioned before, and she
+became, by its rules, the possessor of the whole sum. I hold her will
+here, in my hand, and I find that she has left not less than twenty
+thousand dollars.'
+
+The whole party gathered round Rudolph and Louise, and poured forth
+congratulations.
+
+'My dear Louise,' said Mrs. Werner, 'what a nice addition this will be
+to your income, and what a mercy it was that Aunt Francisca never
+married. Had she done so, Rudolph and you would not have got a
+shilling, though you were both so fond of her.'
+
+'I loved Aunt Francisca for her own sake,' replied Louise; 'and I
+almost wish that she had left nothing to Rudolph but the little matters
+she valued herself.'
+
+Rudolph took Louise's hand in silence and kissed it.
+
+'Good Heavens!' exclaimed Arnold. 'She has left twenty thousand
+dollars, do you say? No wonder you were her faithful knight, Rudolph!
+It was a sort of instinct that led you to take up that position; you
+scented the cash. For twenty thousand dollars I would pledge myself to
+sing the blessed creature's praises all the days of my life, and for
+half that sum I would swear to draw a merciful veil over the affair of
+the child?'
+
+'Would you?' said Rudolph. 'Then I will take you at your word. Listen
+now to _the Will_. "As my dear cousin Rudolph Horn is so well provided
+for that he does not stand in need of what I can give, and as his
+marriage is not delayed by any pecuniary difficulties, I shall leave
+him only five thousand dollars from my Tontine capital; the other
+fifteen thousand I hereby bequeath to my dear Flora Werner and to
+Lieutenant Arnold, upon the condition that their wedding takes place
+within one year from the day of my death." You see that this bequest is
+a passport from Aunt Francisca to that happiness in the future for you
+two which fate had denied to herself. Perhaps you were so polite as to
+walk home with her some evening, Arnold, and that you entrusted to her
+the secret of your engagement,' added Rudolph, with a slight sneer.
+
+Arnold coloured and bit his lips. Flora would not believe what she had
+heard until she saw the words on paper; and Cousin Ida, who looked over
+her shoulder, to convince herself also, exclaimed, 'Fifteen thousand
+dollars! There it stands, true enough. Who would have thought that the
+old lady could leave so large a legacy? It is quite a godsend to you
+and Arnold, Flora.'
+
+Flora burst into tears, and threw herself into her sister's arms.
+
+'Well, recommend me to old maids, however absurd they may be,' said one
+of the gentlemen; 'who could have guessed that such a windfall would
+have come through one of the sisterhood? I solemnly vow hereafter to
+pay court to all old maids, for no one can know what they may leave
+behind when they are screwed down in their coffins. And if I fail with
+ten of them, the eleventh may prove a benefactress.'
+
+'You have drawn another moral from Rudolph's tale to what I expected,'
+said Mrs. Werner; 'but your ideas are perhaps those which would
+generally suggest themselves in this selfish world. Take care, in
+future, to show decent civility to old maids. You will not, of course,
+do so from kindness of heart, but bear in mind that there is always a
+hope of being remembered in the last will and testament.'
+
+Arnold sat for a few minutes quite abashed, with his hands over his
+eyes; at length he looked up and exclaimed:
+
+'Aunt Francisca has heaped coals of fire on my head. She has humbled me
+thoroughly, and taught me a painful lesson; but I had well deserved it.
+You cannot conceive how much I am ashamed of myself: I feel quite
+guilty before you all.'
+
+'Aunt Francisca knew how to distinguish thoughtlessness from
+malignity,' said Rudolph, as he joined Flora's and Arnold's hands. 'The
+slight annoyance you might have occasioned her was soon forgiven and
+forgotten. Be as happy together as she prayed you might be. I can add
+no higher wish for you both. But when you meet by chance an old maid,
+do not forget that you were--Aunt Francisca's heirs.'
+
+
+
+
+                       THE SHIPWRECKED MARINER'S
+                              TREASURE.[3]
+
+                    FROM THE DANISH OF CARIT ETLAR.
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+One summer afternoon, two young fishermen were together before the door
+of one of the last cottages which are situated between the sandhills
+near Stadil Fiord, in the district of Ringkjöhing. The one was painting
+a pair of oars, the other had stretched himself at full length along
+the bench near the well, and was resting his head idly on both his
+hands, while he watched his comrade's work. In this attitude his
+countenance expressed a sort of quiet contentment, which seemed never
+to have been disturbed by the storms of passion. He had a low forehead,
+prominent eyes, a round face, smooth hair, combed straight down, and
+colossal limbs. His companion was of more slender proportions, and
+evidently possessed less bodily strength; but he seemed active, and
+there was an expression of benevolence and honesty in his features that
+could not fail to inspire confidence in him.
+
+The sun was shining that afternoon from a cloudless sky; the larks were
+singing, gulls and other sea-birds were flying about in circles in the
+air; and the monotonous sound of the waves of the German Ocean, rolling
+lazily on the Jutland coast, as, borne across the sandhills, was like
+the audible breathing of a sleeping giant. The church bell at Vædersö
+was ringing for the afternoon service. All was quiet and repose in that
+sandy desert, where the eye in vain sought a tree, a bush, a single
+blade of fresh green. Only the lymegrass amidst the hillocks, and here
+and there a little yellow patch of rough, half-withered grass in the
+hollows, varied the dismally uniform colour of the sand.
+
+'Come, now,' said the young man who was doing nothing, after he had
+remained a long time silently contemplating the other, 'put away that
+paint-pot, and give up work for to-day. Wash your hands, Jörgen, and
+come with me to Vædersö; we will have a game at skittles. This is a
+holiday, and one can't be always labouring.'
+
+The young man thus addressed looked up and smiled, and after having for
+a minute glanced at his handiwork with apparent pleasure, he exclaimed:
+
+'I am ready now, Ebbe. But only look! I have painted two hearts, with a
+wreath round them, inside of our names, which are to signify that you
+and I will hold together in friendship and good companionship all our
+days.'
+
+'Yes, that we will, Jörgen.'
+
+'I don't see why one should be idle all Sunday, any more than on other
+days,' said Jörgen. 'In spring, you know, we two bought a boat
+together; it was a very ugly one, and in a sadly dilapidated state, you
+may remember; but in consequence of devoting our spare time to
+repairing and beautifying it, we have now got as smart a little craft
+as there is on the whole coast. I am never so happy as when I am at
+work.'
+
+'And I am never so happy as when I can lie quietly and comfortably on
+my back in the sunshine, and look up at the heavens, as I am doing now.
+I don't see the least use in a man's working harder than he absolutely
+need do. You and I, Jörgen, have been obliged to work since we were
+quite little fellows. Our parents sent us away among strangers, because
+they had no longer the means of maintaining us; we toiled and slaved
+for the benefit of others, and for the same reward that they gave their
+beasts--for mere food. From those days to this, we have never been
+able, with our united efforts, to make more than the fifteen dollars we
+paid for the boat. And now we must begin to labour afresh; and so we
+shall be forced to go on through the whole of our lives, until we are
+too old to work any more, and then we shall be thrust into the
+poor-house, as our parents before us were, and get leave to hobble
+about with a stick and a clay pot, to beg for food from those whom we
+helped to enrich when we were young. You may laugh, Jörgen, but what I
+am saying is the plain truth nevertheless. If a poor lad such as I am
+could only earn enough in his youth to enable him to take it easy in
+his old age, he would be labouring to some purpose; if our gains could
+amount to so much as the gains of the person who owns that large ship
+out yonder; or if we could make as much as the lord of the manor at
+Aabjerg possesses, who has nothing to do but to drive in summer round
+his fields, with his hands behind his back, and his German pipe in his
+mouth, and in winter to sit at home in his warm chimney-corner, and
+play at cards with all the strangers that visit him, it would be
+another thing. Ah, Jörgen, Jörgen! if one could only get so far as to
+be able to take the reins in one's own hands, instead of carrying the
+bit in one's mouth.'
+
+Jörgen shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Shortly afterwards, the two
+young fishermen were to be seen strolling arm in arm to the village of
+Vædersö.
+
+Towards evening the weather changed; the skies became cloudy, and
+before the sun had set the whole coast wore an aspect very different
+from the peaceful calm that had reigned around in the earlier part of
+the afternoon. A cold north-west wind blew in sharply from the sea,
+whose waves, rising higher and higher every moment, sent a thick rain
+of spray and foam over the adjacent sandhills, whilst the breakers
+dashed loudly on the reefs along the shore. The sand began to whirl
+about among the hills, and flocks of sea-gulls and other birds flew in
+towards the beach, their hoarse and mournful cries predicting bad
+weather.
+
+The peasants at Vædersö had finished their games of skittles, and were
+about to return to their homes, when a fisherman brought to the little
+town the tidings that a foreign ship was in distress at sea, outside of
+Husby Sandhills. This intelligence, which seemed to interest all who
+heard it, drew particular attention from those who were standing in
+groups. A number of men and women set off immediately on the way to the
+sandhills, without heeding the rain and the coming storm.
+
+Amidst the crowd who sought as speedily as possible to witness the
+calamitous spectacle might be observed a person of a very peculiar
+appearance. He was a tall, heavy-limbed man, with a blood-red
+complexion, the natural hue of which became deeper and deeper every
+moment, in consequence of the haste with which he was making his way
+through the heavy sandy road. His face was encircled by a forest of
+coal-black hair and beard, and shaded by a dark calf-skin cap. The
+deep-set eyes were nearly hidden beneath a pair of dark eyebrows that
+almost met over a nose which looked unnaturally broad, as chance had
+not bestowed much length upon it. This was the village blacksmith. He
+was by birth a Pole, and had served for some time in the army, under
+the reign of Frederick VI.
+
+The road from Vædersö to the sandhills, as has been said, was entirely
+through sand. On both sides might be seen fields of rye, whose slender
+pale blades were beaten down by the tempest. The smith had taken as a
+companion along this fatiguing path a favourite and faithful friend,
+who lived at free quarters in his house, and carried on in this
+comfortable abode his trade, which was that of the village tailor.
+These two persons were almost always to be seen together--the lesser
+man, indeed, seemed to be quite a necessary appendage to the taller
+one, who looked as if nature had appointed him the tailor's protector.
+The merits of the latter, however, were not to be questioned; he was an
+untiring listener, and so submissive and dependent that, if the smith
+had pushed him out by the door, he would have crept back through a
+window; so complaisant, that if the smith had chosen to tell a
+falsehood, the tailor would have sworn to its truth.
+
+These two individuals formed, for the moment, the centre of a group of
+peasants who had gathered on the sandhills. Below, upon the sea-shore,
+were to be seen several fishermen hard at work, drawing up their boats
+farther on the beach, and when that was done, standing in silence,
+anxiously contemplating the sea, on which a large ship was struggling
+with the furious wind, and heavy waves that were every moment driving
+it nearer to the land, notwithstanding all the efforts those on board
+seemed making to escape the threatened danger.
+
+The groups among the sandhills were less silent. The smith had just
+declared, in decisive tones, to what nation the unfortunate ship
+belonged.
+
+'Yes, as I have this moment told you,' he continued, in the sort of
+barbarous Danish in which he usually spoke. 'It is an English vessel,
+and I thank God it is not Swedish.'
+
+'Why?' asked the tailor.
+
+'Because they build their ships with such bad timber--only fir and
+pine--not an inch of good strong oak among it. I wish no evil to
+anyone, or anything; but if it be our Lord's will that a ship is to be
+run aground to-night, I am glad it should be an Englishman: those
+English know how to build ships.'
+
+'You are right, there, Master Harfiz!' said the tailor. 'What capital
+iron bolts we got from the last wreck, and what excellent oak timber to
+boot! When the wreck that is going to be is brought to auction, I shall
+look out for a share of it.'
+
+'And I also,' said the smith. 'I dare say, now, that craft out there
+will furnish me with some good strong posts for my new smithy; it does
+not look to be built of tinder or matches.'
+
+'We can discern the goodness of the Almighty towards all mankind,'
+remarked the tailor. 'No cotton grows here--no silk, no iron is to be
+found; nothing, so to speak, but salt fish can be got on these bare
+coasts, and He is good enough every year to let one or two vessels be
+lost here that we may obtain what we require at a reasonable rate.'
+
+'Yes, and He mercifully ordains this to happen generally in the fall of
+the year,' added an old woman, 'because he knows that the winter is
+approaching, and that poor folks want a little wood for firing to warm
+themselves.'
+
+'There is no dishonesty in taking what is cast in to us by the sea,'
+said the tailor. 'They did much worse in old times down yonder at
+Nymindegab.'
+
+'At Nymindegab?' echoed the smith. 'I know nothing about it. What did
+they do down there?'
+
+'Don't you remember that true tale we heard last Candlemas at Thimgaard
+about the rich nobleman Espen? He lived at a castle which was called
+Ahner, and he used every stormy evening, and during the dark nights of
+winter, to ride over the sandhills with a lighted lantern bound
+underneath his horse, in order that the seafaring people who were
+driven out of their course should fancy that the light came from a ship
+sailing in deep water, and thus get stranded on the reefs while they
+steered for the light. This went on well for a long time, and Espen of
+Ahner became a very rich man, for all the wrecks on that part of the
+coast belonged to him. But at length, just when he was celebrating his
+daughter's wedding, a poor half-witted creature found his way into the
+castle, and disclosed their lord's evil deeds to all his vassals.'[4]
+
+During this conversation the ship, which had excited the attention of
+so many, had tried several times to tack about, so as to get away from
+the shore, but the attempt had always failed. In the terrible storm,
+which seemed to be increasing every moment, it was no longer possible
+to carry such a press of sail as was required to take the ship out. Its
+fate could not, therefore, long be doubtful, as every swell of the sea
+brought it nearer and nearer to the dangerous reefs which stretched
+along the coast.
+
+It is about half a century since the events here related took place. At
+that period the German Ocean had dashed many a wreck over the outer
+reef, and many a cry for help or death-groan had been wafted away by
+the stormy wind, or smothered by the sea, before anyone thought of
+taking effective measures to give help to the drowning mariners. On the
+occasion of the shipwreck in question, however, the unfortunate crew
+were often so close to the land that their despairing cries and earnest
+prayers were distinctly heard on shore, and the tempest had driven them
+within the outer reef, their vessel almost smashed to pieces indeed,
+but so near that, but for the fury of the waves, the fishermen could
+have got out to them even in their frail boats, and have saved them.
+
+In the meantime daylight had gone, but in the summer evening even
+distant objects were still visible; and when the moon struggled forth
+from the heavy clouds, in the pale and tremulous light it cast over the
+sea, the ill-fated ship could be seen driving, with two or three small
+sails up, nearer to the coast. Presently one of the masts went
+overboard, was caught in the cordage, and hung on one side of the hull.
+From time to time, between the more furious gusts of wind, the gale
+bore heartrending cries of distress to the land. All exercise of
+authority on board seemed to have been long given up, everyone
+apparently thinking only of saving himself. A boat was with difficulty
+lowered, but it filled the moment it reached the water.
+
+The crowd on the beach was now increased by two persons--the lord of
+the manor from Aabjerg and his son. The first-named was a very stout
+man, muffled up in a thick great-coat and a fur-cap, with wings that
+came close down over his ears, and were tied under his chin. He had a
+tobacco-pouch well fastened to a button-hole in his overcoat, and was
+smoking a large German pipe. His son was a lieutenant in the Lancers at
+Kolding, on a visit for a few days at his father's country-house. He
+wore that evening a blue uniform, and carried an umbrella, which was
+every minute almost turned inside out by the wind.
+
+'Hark ye, good people!' cried the great man, stretching his chin over
+the enormous handkerchief that enveloped his throat; 'we must try and
+do something for them out yonder. It would be a sin to let all these
+poor fellows perish, would it not--eh? What say you?'
+
+'God have mercy on them!' muttered an old fisherman. 'It is too heavy a
+sea for any boat to live in; we can do nothing for them, Herr
+Krigsraad.'[5]
+
+'Not if I promise a ten-dollar note to anyone who will take a rope out
+to them? What! Is there not one of you who will try it?'
+
+The fishermen looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders; but
+no one spoke.
+
+'I shall add five dollars to my father's ten,' cried the lieutenant.
+
+'Well, I think this is a very good offer,' said the Krigsraad.
+
+'But you must not take too long to consider about it,' added his son.
+'Courage, my lads! It only wants hearty good will and a pair of strong
+arms, and you will soon reach them out yonder.'
+
+'Since the noble Herr lieutenant thinks so, he had better make the
+attempt himself,' said one of the fishermen. 'Your honour seems to have
+a pair of strong enough arms; I will lend you my boat for this
+venturesome deed, but I won't sell my life for any money.'
+
+'The impertinent scoundrel!' muttered the young officer, turning
+towards his father. 'I wish I had him on the drill-ground at Kolding.'
+
+'For Heaven's sake be quiet, lieutenant,' whispered his father, 'and
+don't draw me into a quarrel with my fishermen. That man is no coward;
+I have myself seen him and another rescue sailors from a wreck in the
+most frightful weather, when there seemed no more chance of his getting
+safely back than there would be for me were I to try to wade out yonder
+in my great-coat.'
+
+While this short colloquy was going on, a piercing cry was heard from
+the wreck--a gigantic billow had raised the ship aloft and cast it in
+over the reef; when the waves rolled back the vessel lay on its side,
+having been raised and dashed down again several times in the raging
+surf, and left lying partially buried in the sand. After this, every
+wave washed over it with a force that must have been seen to have been
+believed possible, and which, in the course of a few minutes, swept the
+deck clean of every object that had hitherto been securely fastened on
+it.
+
+In the confusion which followed, another cry of distress arose, and
+those of the fishermen who stood nearest to the water, thought in the
+dusk that they perceived many of the sailors carried away by the sea,
+which, unchecked, was rolling over the deck. As the swelling waves
+dashed forward, these unfortunate victims stretched out their arms.
+When they retired, nothing more was to be seen: the men were gone.
+
+Three sailors had crept up the shrouds, and had lashed themselves to
+the only remaining mast, and every now and then the wind carried to the
+land their agonized appeals to the people on shore to save them.
+Shortly after a boat was seen to be shoved off from the beach with four
+men in it; they bowed their heads, took off their hats, and held them
+for a few moments before their faces, while they seemed to be offering
+up a short prayer, then they let the boat glide out into deep water.
+The four men stood up, and appeared to be working hard to get over the
+inner reefs. For a short time the boat went bravely on, the oars were
+plied by experienced hands, and every effort was made to reach the
+stranded ship, but the raging sea cast them back, and filled the boat,
+and the fishermen were obliged to return without having effected their
+object.
+
+At length, the next morning, about dawn of day, the storm seemed to be
+abating. In the interim those who still remained on the wreck had made
+another effort to reach the land in one of the boats which had not been
+carried away from the ship, but had continued fastened to its side. But
+this attempt also failed; the waves broke over the unfortunate boat,
+and relentlessly swept it out to sea. When the sun came forth only one
+man was to be seen, and he was lashed to the mast.
+
+The Krigsraad returned to the beach at an early hour, and renewed his
+appeals to the fishermen. Ebbe and Jörgen were both there; they had not
+left the sea-shore the whole night.
+
+'The weather is not so wild as it was,' whispered Jörgen to Ebbe, 'and
+the sea is not so terribly rough. What do you say to our making the
+attempt? Our boat floats lightly, and will stand the waves better than
+any of the others.'
+
+'It can't be done,' replied Ebbe; 'we should be risking too much--our
+beautiful newly-painted boat, that we spent everything we had to buy!
+You don't remember all that.'
+
+'I remember that once when my father was shipwrecked up near Skagen, he
+was fastened to a mast like that poor man out yonder; let us do as the
+natives of Skagen did, and save him.'
+
+'Let us wait a little longer, at least,' whispered Ebbe, eagerly.
+'Perhaps the Krigsraad may offer a larger reward presently.'
+
+Jörgen cast a reproachful look at his comrade, and said,
+
+'God forgive you for the sin of thinking of money and reward at such a
+moment as this. I won't wait; and if you do not choose to go, I will
+get some one else to accompany me; for, happen what may, I am resolved
+to attempt the rescue of that poor man.'
+
+'Have a little patience,' cried Ebbe, holding Jörgen back by his arm.
+'Just wait till I take off my new waistcoat and my nice cravat; it
+would be a shame to spoil them with salt water.'
+
+'What are you two consulting about?' asked the Krigsraad, going up to
+them. 'Have you determined to go out yonder, my lad?'
+
+'We shall attempt to do so,' replied the young fisherman.
+
+'That's right, Jörgen! you are a brave fellow, and have more courage
+than all your comrades put together. Well done.'
+
+'I am younger than any of them,' replied Jörgen, blushing at the great
+man's praise, 'and I have neither wife nor child to grieve for me if
+any accident happens to me.'
+
+'I also am going,' said Ebbe, in a doleful voice. 'I also will risk my
+health and my life to save a suffering fellow-creature. And though your
+honour was so good as to promise a reward, I must beg you not to think
+that I am going for the sake of the money. Nevertheless, I shall accept
+it, for I am betrothed to a little girl here in the neighbourhood, and
+the money might be useful to her if I am lost.'
+
+'Go, then, in Heaven's name!' cried the Krigsraad. 'What! Do you think
+I am the man to withhold the ten dollars I promised?'
+
+'It was fifteen, sir,' observed Ebbe.
+
+'Well, well, fifteen then! Make yourself easy, I shall be as good as my
+word; but be off now!'
+
+'I shall trust to your word, sir--and there are witnesses,' mumbled
+Ebbe.
+
+Ebbe then divested himself of his new green-and-red-striped vest and
+gay-coloured necktie, which he put away carefully together under one of
+the boats that were drawn up on the beach. He then went down to Jörgen,
+who was busy launching a small, newly-painted boat into the sea.
+
+'The weather is moderating,' cried the Krigsraad, filling his pipe
+comfortably. 'I think the sun is going to shine briskly.'
+
+'Our Lord is pleased that we are so humane as to risk our all in order
+to save a human being who is a stranger to us,' whined Ebbe, as he took
+his place in the boat with Jörgen.
+
+It was a moment full of anxiety and sympathy when the frail little boat
+was caught in the first heavy sea, was thrown up aloft, and then hidden
+among the engulphing waves! The crowd on the beach stood silent and
+breathless, and even the Krigsraad forgot his newly-lighted pipe. He
+mounted on a fragment of rock, holding his hand over his eyes, and
+standing with his head bowed forward, intently watching the treacherous
+sea; and he was the first to break the silence with a loud oath, when
+Jörgen's boat glided safely over the reef, and up to the side of the
+shipwrecked vessel. A thrilling shout burst forth at that moment from
+the spectators on shore--a shout full of triumph and joy; it rang over
+the waters as far off as the wreck, and Jörgen was seen to turn towards
+the land and wave his hat in the air, after which he made his boat fast
+to the shattered ship by the end of a rope that was hanging loosely
+from the fallen mast, and crept up by the side of the wreck.
+
+The one man still clinging to it had fastened himself on the bowl of
+the mast. At the extreme end of the ship stood a black, shaggy-haired
+dog, who, with a weak, suppressed whine, was gazing out on the open
+sea, without taking the slightest notice of the strangers. When Jörgen
+reached the deck the man turned his head towards him, made a sign with
+his hand, and murmured repeatedly one word--'Water!'
+
+'I am sorry you will have to wait till we reach the land,' said Jörgen,
+'but, with God's help, that shall not be long.'
+
+'I am afraid I have got my chest very much injured,' said the man, in
+the mixture of low German and Danish which he spoke. 'The same accursed
+wave which carried off our captain with it during the night dashed me
+down from the bowl of the mast, where I had lashed myself with the end
+of a rope, to prevent my being washed overboard. Whilst I was hanging
+there a heavy sea came rolling over the wreck, and it drove me with
+such force against the mast, that I lost all sense and consciousness.
+Since then it has been almost impossible for me to hold out against the
+weather, and I was on the point of loosening the rope, and letting
+myself go down to Davy's locker with the rest, when I saw your boat put
+off from the shore. In the name of Heaven, why were you so long of
+coming to our assistance?'
+
+'We dared not venture out sooner,' replied Jörgen, 'on account of the
+awful storm.'
+
+'Do you call this bit of a puff of wind a storm?' cried the man,
+scornfully. 'It is more likely that you were afraid of a wet jacket, or
+of catching cold. Ah well! I must not complain; you have done what you
+could, and I'm thinking that you yourself will profit the most by
+having saved me.'
+
+'I don't know what you mean by _profit_.'
+
+'Oh, that's not the question just now. Help me to get free of this
+rope; my hands are so cramped that I can scarcely use them, and let us
+be off.'
+
+Whilst Jörgen was assisting the man, who at every movement that he made
+uttered a sigh or groan of pain, a voice was heard from the boat.
+
+'Make haste to come, Jörgen, or Ebbe will lose the boat.'
+
+'What do you say?' cried Jörgen, much surprised. 'I say that our boat
+will be thumped to pieces--to splinters--lying here and knocking
+against the wreck. Already the edge of the gunwale has started, and we
+have sprung a leak on one side; so come down, Jörgen--it is too
+unreasonable for anyone to expect that we should risk ourselves and our
+all to save other people.'
+
+'A brave comrade you have got!' muttered the stranger, as Jörgen
+carried rather than helped him down out of the shrouds. 'Call out to
+him, and tell him that I have with me that which would make him cry his
+eyes out to lose if he does not take me safely from this wreck.'
+
+Jörgen full well knew what effect this intelligence would have upon
+Ebbe, and instantly repeated to him the stranger's words. The object
+was attained, for Ebbe immediately came creeping up the side of the
+wreck, to assist in bringing the shipwrecked man down to the boat. The
+suffering seaman groaned repeatedly, and the exertion of moving seemed
+almost too much for him; bloody froth issued from his lips, and when he
+reached the boat he sank down exhausted at the bottom of it. The poor
+dog, meanwhile, had never stirred from its place, although Jörgen had
+done his best to coax it to come to him; the animal had turned his head
+for once towards him, and then sprang to a higher part of the wreck,
+with a dismal and heart-rending howl.
+
+'There is no use in your calling that beast,' murmured the stranger.
+'He has stood in one place and done nothing but howl since his master,
+the captain, was washed overboard. He will not quit the ship as long as
+a plank of it is left. Cast loose the rope, and push out with the oars,
+you there in the flannel waistcoat, who were afraid of scratching your
+smart little craft.'
+
+After this petulant speech, the stranger laid himself back in the boat,
+and closed his eyes. Jörgen loosened the rope; as he did so, a wave
+carried the boat at once far away from the wreck. The dog was the only
+living creature left on board of it, and he did not seem to perceive
+that the boat was speeding fast away.
+
+As they were rowing towards the land, Jörgen and Ebbe had a good
+opportunity of observing the stranger. He was a man apparently about
+fifty, partially bald, with a round forehead, high nose, pointed chin,
+and a shrewd and cunning expression of countenance, which was strongly
+marked, even though the eyes were closed. Ebbe surveyed his prostrate
+figure with a degree of veneration, and much would he have given to
+have known where the treasure could be deposited in safety, to which
+the unknown had so recently referred, and with the possession of which
+his humble attire so ill accorded.
+
+The passage from the wreck back to the land was made speedily, and in
+silence, until they had got over the innermost reef, which the receding
+tide had left almost bare of water; then suddenly arose a cry of
+exultation from the fishermen on shore. At that sound the stranger
+opened his eyes, raised his head, and exclaimed:
+
+'What are they shouting for in there? Oh! I suppose it is in honour of
+the great feat you have accomplished. Nonsense! How far is it from this
+place to Hjerting?'
+
+'About nine miles,' replied Jörgen.
+
+'North or south?'
+
+'South.'
+
+'Ah, I thought sure enough that we had made a mistake in our reckoning;
+but it must be forgiven, since it was the last piece of stupidity our
+blessed captain has been allowed to commit. Are you quite sure that it
+is not more than nine miles to Hjerting?' he asked again a little
+after, as if the matter were of great consequence to him.
+
+The two fishermen repeated the assertion.
+
+'Are you going on to Hjerting?' asked Ebbe.
+
+'Certainly; my sympathizing friend, it is easy to travel nine miles[6]
+with a severe wound in one's chest. Find me a hut to lie down in and a
+doctor to put plaster on me, and I shall want nothing more just at
+present. I have the means to pay you for everything you do for me. And
+now not another question or another word, for I feel the greatest pain
+whenever I open my mouth to speak.'
+
+In the course of another hour the stranger was lying comfortably in
+Jörgen and Ebbe's hut. He had reported himself to the Krigsraad as the
+first mate, Fourness, from Amrom. Jörgen had gone to Vædersö to ask
+assistance from the smith, who, in addition to his other
+accomplishments, also carried on secretly the profession of a medical
+man among the peasantry in the neighbourhood. Jörgen found the learned
+gentleman sitting in his smithy, surrounded by some countrymen, to whom
+he was reading aloud the political intelligence from a soiled
+provincial newspaper that was lying, spread open, upon his knees. In
+the furthest corner of the workshop an apprentice was busy shoeing two
+horses.
+
+When Jörgen mentioned his errand, the smith put away his newspaper with
+alacrity, and instantly gave all his attention to the report of the
+case.
+
+'Do you think you will be able to cure him, master,' added the young
+fisherman, 'or shall I go on to Ringkjöbing, though it is so much
+farther off, for the doctor of the district?'
+
+'I'll tell you what, Jörgen,' replied the smith, in a raised voice, and
+with a look that betokened the utmost self-confidence, 'I will
+undertake to cure any creature who is not already dead, and even then
+sometimes they may be called back, as the worthy priest can testify,
+who knows that about Easter, last year, I brought back to life his
+brown filly, after it had been dead for nearly half-an-hour. If that
+can be done with a filly, I should think it can be done with a human
+being. Why not? But where is he wounded? In the head?'
+
+'No; in the breast.'
+
+'So much the better. We must give him something. I shall take my pills
+with me; if they don't set him to rights, you can order his grave to be
+dug. Come over the way, Jörgen, and let us have a dram together before
+we set off to cure the man.'
+
+The smith then left his workshop accompanied by Jörgen. His secret--the
+preparation of these wonderful pills--it may be mentioned here, was
+found out some years later, during an investigation which took place
+before the magistrates of Ringkjöbing, on the occasion of the worthy
+smith being charged with culpable quackery. They were only made of rye
+bread and the juice of walnut leaves!
+
+While Jörgen had gone to summon the smith, Ebbe had remained with the
+sufferer, who seemed to have become worse since he had landed, for he
+moaned repeatedly, and tossed about as if in pain on his bed. Ebbe sat
+by the window in silence, reflecting deeply upon the words of promise
+the stranger had let fall before he had left the wreck.
+
+'What are you sitting there and waiting for?' asked the seaman, when he
+observed Ebbe.
+
+'I am sitting here to see if you want any help before the doctor
+comes.'
+
+'Yes, I want something. Get me another glass of grog, and let it be
+warm and strong. Do you hear?'
+
+'It is not good for you, mate. When Jörgen went away he said you were
+not to have more than one glass of grog, and you have already drunk
+three.'
+
+'You blackguard! mix me a glass directly. Don't you think I am the best
+judge of what is good for me?'
+
+Ebbe arose and went towards the fireplace, where a kettle of water was
+boiling. A bottle, half full, stood upon the table.
+
+'It is too bad, when rum is so dear with us in these parts,' muttered
+the fisherman, while he mixed the grog. The stranger took no notice of
+him. 'I had to give three marks for the pint I bought for you.'
+
+The mate still remained silent.
+
+'Please to remember, mate, that the money spent for your rum was mine,'
+said Ebbe, in a surly tone.
+
+'Oh yes, I shall remember it. Make yourself easy; you shall have your
+money back. What are three marks to me? I could cover you with gold, if
+it were not a useless expense.'
+
+Ebbe's eyes sparkled, and he looked with reverence at the unknown, as
+he approached the bed with the desired grog. The mate raised himself,
+seized the glass, and emptied it at one draught.
+
+'Ah!' he exclaimed, while his face was distorted with pain, 'that _was_
+warm! It burned me more than the confounded wound, but it will do me
+good for all that.'
+
+'No doubt you have made many long voyages, sir?' said the fisherman,
+after a short silence.
+
+'Yes, I have,' replied the stranger; 'you may swear to that.'
+
+'And is that how you have gathered so much money?'
+
+'What money?' asked the mate.
+
+'That which might cover me with gold, if you liked.'
+
+'Oh, to be sure--no, indeed! That would have been impossible. The money
+I own I could not have made myself if I had been as old as the German
+Ocean.'
+
+'Mercy on us! How can you carry so much money about with you?'
+
+'Who said that I carried it about with me? Blockhead! I have disposed
+of it better than that. The earth keeps it safely for me; I can take it
+when I want it; and I intend to take it up as soon as I am well. Then
+we shall have a jolly life. It has been long enough of commencing. But
+don't talk any more to me now; the pain is increasing.'
+
+Shortly after Jörgen, accompanied by the smith, entered the hut. The
+shipwrecked guest turned his face towards the wall as they approached,
+but on Jörgen's informing him that the doctor had come, he muttered a
+few unintelligible words, and then stretched forth his hand, without
+altering his position. The smith evidently misunderstood the meaning of
+the action, for he laid hold of the outstretched hand and shook it
+heartily, while he said in a cheerful tone, 'Good morning.'
+
+'The mischief take you!' cried the sailor, as he raised himself
+quickly. 'What sort of a doctor is that you have brought me, young man?
+I put out my hand that he might feel my pulse, as they always used to
+do at the hospitals, and he wrings it so furiously that I feel the
+shock through my whole body. Confound it!'
+
+When the smith heard these words, which were spoken in the Low-German
+dialect, his scarlet face assumed a very benignant expression.
+
+'So you are a German!' he exclaimed, in the same dialect; 'then we are
+almost countrymen. So much the better. I have nothing to do with your
+pulse, my good friend, and I should like to ask any sensible man, what
+use there would be in feeling the arm when the wound is in the breast.
+Turn over a little bit towards the window, and let us see what the
+injury is. If you are not able to move yourself, let me get hold of
+you, and I will turn you in the twinkling of an eye.'
+
+There was something in the smith's sharp and determined way of speaking
+that seemed to please the stranger; he turned towards the light, and
+opened his vest and his under-garment. However rough and unsusceptible
+the three spectators might have been, they all started back at the
+sight of the frightful wound which they beheld before them.
+
+'Well, what do you say to this?' asked the sufferer.
+
+'Heavens and earth!' cried the smith, grasping his own hair tightly in
+his dismay. 'This really does look dangerous! I would rather have to
+deal with a horse in the worst case of staggers, than to cure such an
+awful hurt. The person who expects to set you to rights must indeed
+look sharp.'
+
+'Of course you must look sharp; but only standing staring at me won't
+be of any use,' said Fourness. 'What do you think of doing with it?'
+
+'You must have a good large plaster on it; and you must take some
+medicine. I have brought my pills with me.'
+
+'The plaster with all my heart; get it ready at once; but I'll have
+none of your pills. I once swallowed a whole boxful of pills, and they
+did not do me the least good.'
+
+'But you _must_ take the pills,' replied the smith, decidedly. 'There
+is no use in jabbering about your past experience, my good man; you
+have got a nasty wound in your chest, as you see yourself, but you also
+feel ill internally, don't you?'
+
+'To be sure I do.'
+
+'Now listen. I know what I am about. A breast like yours resembles a
+watch that has been smashed almost to pieces. What would be the use of
+putting in a new glass if the works inside were not repaired also? So
+you must take the pills; and if you make any fuss about it, we shall
+have to hold you fast, stick the handle of a hammer in your mouth to
+keep it open, and so pop them down your throat. _I_ know how to manage
+you.'
+
+The mate felt himself too weak to struggle with his powerful medical
+attendant, and he made no further objections. The smith cast a
+significant glance towards the two young fishermen as he betook himself
+to the table, where he set about spreading an enormous pitch plaster.
+
+'Come, this will do you good!' he said, when he returned to the bed to
+put the plaster on the wound. 'And see, here is a packet of pills. I
+shall give you some of these at once; and if you should be worse before
+I come back, you must take half-a-dozen more; they will certainly
+relieve you. I shall call again early in the evening.'
+
+The wound was bandaged; and, after giving a few directions, the smith
+left the hut. Towards the afternoon the invalid became much worse, in
+spite of the remedies which had been applied. The wound burned under
+the pitch plaster; he tore it off; and, cursing and swearing, he
+refused to take any more of the prescribed pills. In this state the
+smith found him in the evening.
+
+'How do you _really_ think that he is?' asked Ebbe, who had called the
+learned man aside.
+
+'Well, I think it is a very doubtful case,' replied the smith. 'Since
+my pills have done him no good, not to speak of the plaster, I am
+inclined to believe he is pretty near his last gasp.'
+
+'Do you mean that he is actually in danger?' inquired Ebbe, with a
+degree of interest which was inspired by the thoughts of the mate's
+gold and the unpaid rum.
+
+'When a person is ill there is always danger,' said the smith; 'and as
+he will not use the means for his recovery which I advise, I think the
+best thing either you or Jörgen could do would be to go and call the
+parish doctor.'
+
+'You are right,' said Ebbe; 'I will go for him.'
+
+'When you see him, you need not say anything about my having been here.
+These folks with diplomas are so very jealous. And I think you had
+better lose no time before you set off. And--by-the-by, Ebbe, you can
+keep the rest of my pills, lest you should be ill yourself some day.
+They won't spoil by keeping.'
+
+The smith took his departure, and Ebbe soon after also left the hut,
+and set off for Ringkjöbing to call the doctor. Jörgen remained alone
+with the patient.
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+
+'How long will it probably be before he brings the doctor?' asked the
+stranger, after a considerable silence.
+
+'He will be here soon. There is a man who lives down at Vædersö, to
+whom we have sometimes been of service, he will lend Ebbe his gig, and
+if the doctor be at home they may be here before nightfall.'
+
+'I hardly think I shall hold out so long; the wound in my chest burns
+like a glowing coal, Jörgen, and my breath is failing me. Lord help me!
+Must I lie down and die now--now that I am just close upon the
+realization of all my wishes? For eleven long years I have been
+speculating on coming to this coast. I wanted to set up my rest here. I
+have plenty of means--plenty of means, and could live like a king; but
+first came that accursed shipwreck, and then, after I was so fortunate
+as to reach the land, to be obliged to creep into a dog-hole like this!
+There is no luck with the money--it is mixed up with blood and
+injustice!'
+
+'What money?' asked Jörgen, in amazement.
+
+'What, the devil! why that of which I am speaking, to be sure. But I
+will do some good with it. Do you need an hospital here, among these
+sandhills? If so, I shall have one built, so large that a man-of-war
+might tack about in it. I will build a tower, too, with a lighthouse at
+the top of it, to warn my comrades not to approach too near the coast.
+And I will go to church every Sunday, and listen to the preacher, who
+tells us that we are never too old to repent.'
+
+'How will you find the means to build these places?' asked Jörgen,
+simply. 'Bricks and timber are so expensive up hereabouts.'
+
+'But do you not hear that I know where a large treasure is buried, that
+it belongs to me--_me_ alone, and that I have only to dig it up in
+order to make use of it? I believe I am able to pay for anything I
+please.'
+
+Jörgen shook his head incredulously. 'He is delirious, and does not
+know what he is saying,' he thought. 'I wish Ebbe would come with the
+doctor.' Then, turning to the invalid, he said,
+
+'So you have been on this coast before, mate?'
+
+'Yes, lad, that I have. Eleven years ago I landed down yonder, near
+Hjerting, pretty much in the same way as I did here this morning. I am
+only afraid I shan't come off so well here as I did there.'
+
+The sick man was interrupted by the opening of the cottage door, and
+the entrance of the smith, who said,
+
+'I have come to tell you that Ebbe might have saved himself the journey
+to town, for the doctor drove a little while ago into Aabjerg. I went
+up there, and he has promised to call here as soon as he leaves the
+Krigsraad's.'
+
+'Coming at last!' exclaimed the sufferer. 'Then I shall soon be well
+again. Tell him, from me, that he will be the cause of a great calamity
+if he does not come soon.'
+
+'That I will,' replied the smith, shrugging his shoulders, and glancing
+towards Jörgen. 'Do me a favour, Jörgen, my boy. Just put my pills out
+of sight, and say nothing about my having been here.'
+
+Shortly after a carriage was heard making its way through the sandy
+road, and the physician entered the hut. He only needed a quick glance
+at his patient to perceive how hopeless was his condition.
+
+'Poor man!' he exclaimed, as he prepared to bleed him, 'you have been
+sadly hurt.'
+
+'Oh, not so badly, after all,' replied the mate. 'Last year, about this
+time, the whole of the upper part of my arm was torn to pieces by the
+chain of the anchor--that was worse. You will be able to cure me. It is
+very strange that I feel such difficulty in speaking; my voice seems to
+be so husky, too! How long do you think it will be till I get on my
+legs again?'
+
+'Why it is hardly possible to name a time.'
+
+'The doctors here are good for nothing. In England they charge higher,
+but they know their business better.'
+
+'Have you taken anything since you came ashore?'
+
+'Nothing whatsoever. I have only wet my lips with three or four small
+glasses of grog; but it is very odd, I don't feel the least inclination
+for any more.'
+
+After the doctor had done all that he possibly could to alleviate the
+sufferings of the poor stranger, he was turning to go, but the sick man
+grasped his hand, endeavoured to raise himself in his bed, and
+exclaimed, with impetuosity,
+
+'You won't leave me, doctor? Are you angry at what I said about
+physicians? Pray think nothing of that; it is a habit I have got of
+amusing myself by teazing people. You must stay with me to-night--all
+night. Do you hear, sir? You need not be afraid that you will be giving
+your time for nothing.'
+
+'I have not asked, and I do not expect, any fee,' said the doctor; 'but
+I have other patients who require my help as well as you. I shall see
+you again early to-morrow morning. God be with you till we meet again,
+mate!
+
+He left the room, and Jörgen followed him out.
+
+'And will you really be so kind as to return early to-morrow morning,
+Herr Doctor?'
+
+'Yes, my friend, I shall most certainly come; but, to say the truth, I
+fear that my visit will be of no use, for to-morrow your guest will no
+longer need my assistance.
+
+'What do you mean, sir?'
+
+'I mean that he will be dead before to-morrow, and that no human skill
+can save him. If you should find an opportunity, you had better prepare
+him for this. Good night.'
+
+The physician drove away; Jörgen returned to the invalid. He found him
+sitting on the side of the bed, the light of the lamp falling full upon
+his face, which, during the last hour, had become of a pale bluish hue.
+He was pressing his hand on his chest, as if to lessen the pain, while
+with a thick and trembling voice he whispered,
+
+'Hark ye, Jörgen! Yonder, in the breast-pocket of my pea-jacket there
+is a small leather purse with nine Prussian thalers in it. Will you
+earn one of them?'
+
+'I don't understand you, mate,' said Jörgen, much surprised.
+
+'What did the doctor say of me outside of the door there?'
+
+Jörgen considered for a moment or two what he should answer. 'Oh!' he
+came out with at length, 'he said--'
+
+'In the devil's name, let me have no evasive answer,' cried the mate,
+raising his voice. 'I will know what he said, word for word; and if I
+give you a Prussian thaler to speak the truth, I think you are pretty
+well paid to open your mouth. So, out with it!'
+
+'Do you wish to know the whole truth?' asked Jörgen, seizing his hand.
+
+'Certainly.'
+
+'All that he said?'
+
+'Ah! it was nothing very cheering, I perceive,' remarked the sufferer,
+in a low tone, and with trembling lips. 'But speak out, my lad--speak
+out! Whatever that withered old stick could say, I can bear to hear.'
+
+'Well, then,' stammered Jörgen, in considerable agitation, 'he said--he
+said--that you had not long to live.'
+
+'Did he, indeed! Well, well, one must put up with that. A few years of
+comfort and pleasure are probably worth a long life of care and want.'
+
+'Ah! God help you, and send you better thoughts, mate: you cannot look
+forward to _years_.'
+
+'May I not? How long can I count upon, Jörgen? Speak, my son. Why do
+you hang your head so? I have seen death too often close under my eyes
+to be afraid of it. When did he hint that I might be called away?'
+
+'He said that you would die to-night, and that no human skill could
+save you.'
+
+There was a deep and prolonged silence in the room after these words
+had been uttered.
+
+'To-night!' at length exclaimed the mate, in thick and trembling
+accents. 'I am to die _to-night!_' And as he repeated this dreadful
+sentence he burst into tears, and into loud, convulsive sobs.
+
+Jörgen was much affected; he wrung the sick man's hand, but did not
+venture to speak for fear of betraying his emotion. At length he said,
+in a subdued and sad voice,
+
+'Take comfort, mate! If you will allow me, I will read a hymn to you.'
+
+'A hymn!' exclaimed the stranger, starting. 'Ah, well--read it.
+
+The young fisherman took a hymn-book from a shelf, and began to read in
+a low and trembling voice,
+
+
+           'Teach me, like autumn leaves, to fade
+            With joy, oh yellow forest glade!
+              A brighter spring is nigh.
+            The summer of eternity
+            Reigns where, an ever-verdant tree,
+              My roots shall never die.
+
+           'Teach me--oh, wandering bird! like thee
+            To wing my way, undaunted, free,
+              To distant unknown lands;
+            When here, 'tis winter, storm and ice,
+            Yonder, an endless paradise,
+              Open, before me stands!'
+
+
+The dying man had apparently been listening to the hymn with earnest
+attention, even devotion, while his clasped hands lay on the coverlet;
+suddenly he turned towards the light, and exclaimed:
+
+'Hark ye, Jörgen! If you will swear to me not to reveal what I am now
+going to tell you, I will confide a secret to you.'
+
+'Certainly,' replied Jörgen, who, shocked at this sudden interruption
+of the hymn, laid the book aside.
+
+'Come closer to my bed--my voice is growing weaker, and pay particular
+attention to what I say:
+
+'Eleven years ago I went as a sailor in a Neustader merchantman; we
+came from England, where we had sold a cargo of dye-woods, silk, and
+spices from Canton, and on which the firm, in whose employment I was,
+had made a considerable sum of money. Well, we were driven ashore near
+Hjerting, and forced to try and save ourselves in boats. It happened
+then like last night---the long boat was overcrowded; it capsized and
+sank! The captain had brought up his papers and a little box from the
+cabin, and was standing ready to go in the second boat, when an
+enormous wave washed him overboard. There were then but two men left;
+the one was myself, the other was the cook. We took the box, which
+contained all the cash for which the cargo had been sold, got into the
+boat, and reached the land in safety. This was at night, pitch dark,
+and in a pouring rain. Our first care was to bury the box--after
+that--'
+
+'Go on, mate. I am listening to you, and I have promised secresy; you
+may depend upon me.'
+
+'Well, then,' continued the man, apparently with a strong effort
+overcoming his repugnance to say more, and in a lower and more unsteady
+tone of voice, 'after that something happened--which I have regretted
+and repented deeply--something which I can never forget: after that I
+killed the cook, that I might be the sole possessor of the contents of
+the case.'
+
+'You murdered him!' whispered Jörgen. 'God forgive you!'
+
+'I did! But it was not such a sin after all. He was a bad, malicious
+fellow; he cooked shockingly, and was always making mischief between us
+and the mates. The next morning I was sent to my native home, and I
+left the case, well knowing that it was safe enough where it was
+deposited. Time passed on, and I went to sea again. First I went to
+Brazil, and then I went to the South Sea for the whale fishery,
+and so on, until full eleven years had elapsed before I had a chance
+of returning to the place where my treasure was. At length, luck
+favoured me, and I had determined to begin a new life, and to enjoy my
+money--and now, I am lying here in the agonies of death! But no, no--it
+is a fabrication of the cursed doctor's! I will not die! I once lay ill
+for fourteen months in the hospital at Boston, and became quite well
+again. Remember, you have sworn never to disclose a syllable of what I
+have told you. May God punish you if you betray me! Come closer to my
+bed. How cold it is this evening! Below the wall of Oxby church, at the
+corner facing the north, lies the buried case, among three hard stones.
+If I should not recover, you can dig up the box, and keep what you
+find. Have you understood me?'
+
+'Yes, I have, perfectly well; but it is not worth talking more about,
+mate. I shall not meddle with your money--there could be no luck with
+it. Will you listen if I read another hymn to you?'
+
+'Yes, read a psalm, Jörgen; it is long since I have heard of our Lord.'
+
+Jörgen began to read slowly, and with much feeling; he was often
+stopped by his own agitation, and at these times he heard the dying
+man's breathing becoming thicker, and a rattling occasionally in his
+throat. He also heard now and then a sigh and a low murmur, which he
+supposed to be the invalid repeating what he had read. Suddenly, the
+mate laid his hand upon his arm, and exclaimed,
+
+'I am counting about how much money there may be in that case, my lad.
+You will find much more than you can possibly make use of. When I was
+last at home, my brother lived at Amrom; you must send him fifty
+guineas. I know that they won't be particularly well spent, for he has
+taken to the bottle, poor creature! But that cannot be helped, it is
+his only gratification now.'
+
+Jörgen nodded his head, and began to read aloud again.
+
+'Oh, put away that book,' said the mate; 'what is the use of your
+sitting there, and reading that I shall go to heaven, and that I am
+tired of being in this world, when it is not true? I will live, and
+live merrily with all my money.'
+
+A long and uncomfortable silence prevailed for some time in the room,
+which was only broken by the monotonous and uniform ticking of an old
+clock that hung against the wall. The moonbeams were streaming in
+brightly at the window, the storm had ceased, and the sky was clear and
+cloudless.
+
+'If it should go hard with me, see that you have a large three-masted
+ship made with full rigging. It must be painted black and green, with a
+red water-line, and my name, in large gold letters, must be put on the
+stern. I make a present of this to Vædersö church, and it shall hang
+there from the roof.'
+
+One hour later, and the stranger was dead!
+
+Whilst this scene was taking place in Jörgen's hut, Ebbe was on his way
+back from Ringkjöbing, deeply buried in reflecting on the unusual gains
+the last day or two had brought him.
+
+'It is too bad that I am obliged to share all this money with Jörgen,'
+he said to himself; 'this stupid partnership won't do. I will see about
+getting rid of it, and carrying on the business on my own account. The
+foreign mate shall help me to manage this; he must have money, for he
+has several times alluded to it; he is too ill to leave our house for
+some time to come, and before he is able to go I shall have made
+something out of him. Besides, he owes me some recompense, for I helped
+to bring him off from the wreck.'
+
+Thus far he had proceeded in his cogitations, when the conveyance
+stopped at the door of his cottage. The light was extinguished in the
+room; Jörgen was lying, fast asleep, upon a mattress stuffed with
+sea-weed, on the floor. He awoke as Ebbe opened the door.
+
+'I have had bad luck,' said Ebbe, in a whisper, 'and have gone my
+errand for nothing. The doctor had driven out of the town an hour
+before my arrival.'
+
+'I know that very well,' replied Jörgen. 'He has been here.'
+
+'How is the sick man?' asked Ebbe, striking a light.
+
+'He is dead!' said Jörgen.
+
+'Dead!' cried Ebbe, in a tone that sufficiently evinced how many hopes
+and expectations that one word had overthrown. 'Dead! Good Lord! Poor
+man! Did he pay you the three marks I laid out for him in rum?'
+
+'No!'
+
+'Then it was a disgraceful imposition on his part, setting forth to me
+that he was able to repay us tenfold for all our trouble. Did you look
+to see how much money he had with him? I am quite convinced that he
+possessed nothing, and that he only wanted to make fools of us.'
+
+'Now, be done with all this, Ebbe,' said Jörgen, almost out of
+patience. 'He did not intend to deceive you; and he was in the right
+when he said that he had the means of repaying us tenfold for what we
+did for him.'
+
+'Really!' exclaimed Ebbe, with a smile, and a glance strangely
+expressive of covetousness. 'Then he _had_ a good deal of money?'
+
+'No; but he knew where to find a good deal of money. He had been
+shipwrecked once before on this coast, and then he buried a box, which,
+according to his representation, contains much more than we two could
+ever dream of possessing. He described to me the place where it is
+concealed.'
+
+'To you!' exclaimed Ebbe. 'Indeed! Did he not say that you and I were
+to divide the treasure between us?'
+
+'No!'
+
+Ebbe seemed lost in thought; he remained silent for some minutes, while
+his countenance underwent an unpleasant change.
+
+'Then it is you who have become rich--you alone; and I have helped to
+bring this about. Well, well, it was to be so. What quantity of money
+is hidden away in the box?'
+
+'Oh! how should I know? Judging by what he said, there may be several
+thousand dollars. But do not let us talk any more about it now. The
+cocks are crowing, it will soon be morning, and I am so sleepy. Come,
+lie down near me, and put out the light.'
+
+'Several thousand dollars!' continued Ebbe. 'Good Lord! And all this
+money is yours! If I had not gone to fetch a doctor for him he would
+surely have said that we were to divide it. Are you quite certain that
+he absolutely said nothing about that, Jörgen?'
+
+'No, he did not; but that is no reason why we should not divide it.'
+
+'Oh, of course! You would be a fool if you did that. Dear me! Several
+thousand dollars! You will be able to buy a new boat, with an English
+compass in it. Oh, yes! you will be able to buy a house for yourself,
+and, moreover, to put some of the money out at a good interest. It is
+enough to make one mad. Will you spare me five dollars for a watch, eh,
+Jörgen? Jörgen! Are you asleep? Good Heavens! he can sleep! Several
+thousands!--and _I_ have got nothing!'
+
+Ebbe burst into a passionate fit of tears. The morning, which was then
+dawning, found him awake and ruminating on his disappointment, on the
+bed by the side of Jörgen.
+
+The next day the body of the mate, Fourness, was removed to the
+hospital at Vædersö, to be buried from thence in the village
+churchyard. Jörgen and Ebbe pursued their accustomed occupations. The
+hull of the foreign vessel was carried out to sea at night, and
+apparently knocked to pieces by the waves, for many portions of the
+wreck were cast ashore along the adjacent coast.
+
+Ebbe did not leave Jörgen's side that day; all his thoughts were
+devoted to the mysterious casket, and to the painful reflection that
+Jörgen alone was aware of the spot where it was concealed, consequently
+was master of its valuable contents. He had no inclination to work, but
+was continually recurring to the one vexatious fancy, which represented
+Jörgen surrounded with wealth and all the prosperity which he had so
+often wished for himself.
+
+Thus passed the week. It had been settled between the two friends that
+on Saturday they would set off to Oxby church, so early that they might
+reach the place that evening, before it began to get dark. Ebbe had two
+or three days beforehand arranged everything for this journey, secretly
+and eagerly. Jörgen could not help observing the striking change which
+in a few days had come over him. He saw how his energies were quite
+paralyzed beneath the dreamy state into which he had fallen. Ebbe had
+become silent and irritable; he avoided his comrade's society, and
+sought solitude, where it was not necessary for him to conceal his
+feelings.
+
+When he was alone, his mind always dwelt upon the hidden treasure, and
+picture after picture arose from the depths of his imagination of
+wealth, prosperity, and triumph over those who now looked down upon
+him. At other times he was tormented by a bitter, gnawing doubt if the
+mate had spoken the truth, and there existed any treasure at all. Then,
+again, he would make himself miserable about the portion of it that he
+might obtain. He would sometimes fancy himself set aside by Jörgen;
+then he would work himself up to believe that it was no freewill offer
+to share with him, but a right which belonged to himself; and to this
+oft-recurring thought succeeded, little by little, another, dark and
+dreadful, which, nourished by envy and covetousness, assumed by degrees
+a more distinct and decided form.
+
+When Saturday arrived, Ebbe rose in the grey of the morning, and was
+ready for the journey long before Jörgen; his whole bearing betrayed a
+degree of feverish impatience, an eagerness and impetuosity which he
+had never evinced before. Jörgen carried a saddle-bag with provisions,
+Ebbe a spade, and furnished with these necessaries, they left their
+hut, and passed through the village even before the peasants had left
+their beds.
+
+The road from Aale parsonage down to Oxby traverses a long and wide
+tract of boggy land, which, at that time, was overgrown with a sort of
+close rough glass and a layer of moss, that in summer concealed many a
+cavity and break in the ground, and which was the resort of frogs and
+of various moor fowls, that took wing in large flocks when anyone
+approached their places of shelter.
+
+The two fishermen trudged on with unwearying patience towards their
+goal, which already they could perceive far in the distance. It was
+late in the day; the sun had sunk behind the line of sandhills which
+hid the German Ocean, and a deep stillness reigned around. The church
+stood in a naked, sandy plain, surrounded by a stone wall that was
+partially sunk in the sand. One side of the edifice was, at that
+moment, illuminated by a bright reflexion from the red evening sky.
+Swallows were flying about under its roof. As far as the eye could
+reach, there was no sign or appearance of the inhabitants of the
+neighbourhood.
+
+'At last we have reached our destination!' exclaimed Ebbe, as, tired
+and gasping for breath, he threw himself down on a heap of gravel at a
+little distance from the wall of the churchyard.
+
+'Yes, at last,' replied Jogen, with a smile; 'and it will soon be seen
+if we have not had our trouble for nothing.'
+
+'Oh, don't say so, Jörgen,' cried Ebbe. 'How could such an idea enter
+your head? You have surely not forgotten the place where we were to
+dig?'
+
+'Oh, no!' replied Jörgen. 'The direction was not so difficult to
+remember. It was towards the north, he said, and among three stones
+which had fallen there from the wall. If you will remain here to rest
+yourself, I will go at once and try and find the place.'
+
+'No!' said Ebbe, rising quickly from his recumbent position. 'I will go
+with you. Why should I stay behind, and not help you to look for it?'
+
+Jörgen then led the way, proceeding along the wall of the churchyard,
+while Ebbe followed him with the spade over his shoulder; but it was
+some time before they found the place indicated. The grass grew so high
+near the churchyard wall, that, in the increasing dusk of the evening,
+it would have been impossible to have discovered the stones described
+until close upon them. In the time, too, which had elapsed since the
+treasure was buried, the stones might have sunk into the ground, or
+become hidden by moss. At length, however, Jörgen found the spot. The
+three stones lay exactly in the position the mate had described; a
+young elder-tree had shot up its straight branches just before them.
+
+'It must be here,' said Ebbe; 'you have good luck with you in
+everything. Let us begin to dig at once. But, hush! be still! I'll be
+sworn I heard a horse panting on the other side of the churchyard wall.
+We will wait a little before we begin.'
+
+'Let us rather go round, and see if anyone is there,' said Jörgen,
+about to go.
+
+'No, by no means; stay with me, I don't fancy being alone in such a
+place as this. They say the Evil One goes riding about at night on a
+white horse. Have you never heard that?'
+
+'Yes; but what have we to do with him? We are here on a lawful errand,
+and have no reason to be afraid of anything.'
+
+So saying, Jörgen walked on by the churchyard wall until he came to the
+next corner. 'There is nothing to be seen,' he said, when he returned.
+'Let us commence the digging. Lend me the spade.'
+
+'No; let us dig by turns, and I will go to work first,' replied Ebbe,
+as he took off his jacket, and put the spade into the ground.
+
+The uppermost layer of earth among the stones was hard and stiff, and
+moreover, the roots of the elder-tree formed a sort of tough piece of
+network among the stones, so that it was not possible to proceed
+otherwise than slowly with the work. Ebbe groaned; his impatience was
+increased by the strong spirit of covetousness which had taken
+possession of him. Jörgen sat down quietly on a stone near him. In the
+deep stillness which reigned around the spot, the bats might be heard
+flapping their wings as they fluttered about the walls of the church,
+and in the distance a hollow, rushing sound, which came from the German
+Ocean, away behind the sandhills. Ebbe continued to dig, and had made a
+tolerably deep hole, when he suddenly stopped, pushed the spade well
+into the ground, and bowed his head down as if he were listening to
+something.
+
+'Do you think you have come to anything?' asked Jörgen.
+
+'No, it is only a stone which lies in the way; but I am tired now.'
+
+'Then let me take my turn of digging,' said Jörgen.
+
+'Let us rather rest a little while, and take a mouthful of our
+provisions and a drop from our flask. What have you done with the
+wallet?'
+
+'I left it at the gravel pit yonder, where we rested first.'
+
+'Then let us go there, Jörgen. After we have had something to eat we
+shall set to work again. It will be long before it is daylight; we have
+time enough.'
+
+Jörgen made no opposition to this arrangement; he was accustomed to
+give way to Ebbe's wishes, and he went back to where they had left
+their provender.
+
+Ebbe cast a longing look back at the hole; then took the spade under
+his arm and followed Jörgen.
+
+At a little distance from the walls of the churchyard the path lay near
+the edge of a pit, from which the peasants dug up gravel for the
+repairs that were annually made in the high road. The pit was tolerably
+deep, and sloped from the brink, along which the two fishermen directed
+their steps until they came to a kind of gap, or narrow defile, from
+whence the gravel was carted away.
+
+When Ebbe reached this place, he took up the flask, drank off its
+contents, and let it drop quietly into the grass. Jörgen, in the
+meantime, had sat down, and began to eat. Ebbe remained standing, and
+leaned upon the spade.
+
+'Why don't you sit down?' asked Jörgen.
+
+'Because the grass is wet.'
+
+'Where is the flask? I don't see it.'
+
+'You will find it on the grass.'
+
+Jörgen stooped down to look for it, and at that moment Ebbe lifted the
+spade, and, exerting all his strength, struck Jörgen with it on his
+head!
+
+The attack was made so unexpectedly and so hurriedly, that it was not
+possible for Jörgen to avoid the blow or to defend himself. He uttered
+a low cry, stretched out his arms, and sank backwards to the ground.
+Ebbe bent over him, and listened. The blow must have been a very severe
+one, for he did not hear the faintest breathing from Jörgen.
+
+'You have got this because you tried to cheat me, and packed me off to
+the town, that you alone might benefit by the stranger's treasure.'
+And, as if his bitter feelings were increased by this remembrance, he
+added, triumphantly, 'You asserted that it was to you alone the
+stranger had bequeathed his money. You would only have given me a small
+portion of it; I shall take it all now. And you did not know that I
+have already got it. I heard the ground reverberate under the spade--I
+heard the sound of the gold--it is mine--all--all mine!'
+
+As he said this, he took up his comrade's body in his arms, and flung
+it over the edge into the pit.
+
+'And now to go back to the churchyard!' he exclaimed. 'I must have the
+money up, and be off before the dawn of day.'
+
+He threw the spade across his shoulders, took up the wallet, and turned
+to leave the place.
+
+At that moment he fancied that he heard footsteps near: he looked
+round, and perceived in the twilight a tall figure in a flowing mantle,
+which stopped at a little distance from the place where he was
+standing. In the extreme terror which seized him, it seemed to him that
+this figure gradually grew taller and larger, and that it gazed at him
+with a dark and threatening aspect; it seemed to approach nearer. It
+was no longer a phantom of the imagination; he heard the heavy steps
+ringing on the ground--he beheld a hand stretched out towards him--and
+then fell, in accusing accents on his ear, the dreadful word
+'Murderer!'
+
+Ebbe uttered a loud cry, he dropped the spade, sprang to one side, and
+fled in a direction quite opposite to that where he had so recently
+sought for the unlucky treasure. He constantly thought that his unknown
+pursuer was still following him, that he was gaining upon him, and even
+that he felt his breath close behind him; but he dared not turn his
+head, he only continued to run swiftly, and without stopping, until at
+length he stumbled, and fell into one of the many hollows that were to
+be met with in that neighbourhood. There he lay for several hours
+exhausted and insensible, unwitting of the storm from the German Ocean
+that was raging among the sandhills near its shores. When at last he
+re-recovered to consciousness, the morning sun was shining on the
+sandhills, and he heard the bells of Oxby church ringing for the early
+service.
+
+Eight days later, the inhabitants of Vædersö were thronging round a
+carriage which was passing through the little town. The front seat was
+occupied by a tall man, under whose overcoat was to be seen the stiff
+embroidered collar of a uniform. His self-important air, also the
+condescending nod with which he acknowledged the respectful obeisances
+of the peasantry, betokened a person of no small consequence. Nor was
+there any mistake in this, for he was the judge of the district, who
+was proceeding on official duty to the sandhills.
+
+In the back seat of the carriage sat two men, one of whom was the smith
+of the village, the other a pale, emaciated, shrunken figure, in whose
+features it would have been difficult to have recognized Ebbe, so great
+was the change that the last eight days had wrought in him.
+
+The smith's plump round face evinced, on the contrary, a great degree
+of self-complacency; he smiled to everyone he knew, and stretched out
+by turns his hand or his head from the carriage, either for a friendly
+salutation, or to explain the reason of his appearance in the carriage
+on that particular occasion.
+
+The carriage passed through the village, and did not stop until it
+reached the cottage which Jörgen and Ebbe had occupied conjointly. Here
+the judge got out, and after saying a few words to the smith, he
+entered the house.
+
+'Now, Ebbe,' said the smith, 'you must get out too; you are at home
+here. We shall have a legal examination, as his honour has just very
+properly declared.'
+
+Ebbe made no reply; he seemed to have fallen into a state of speechless
+apathy. He descended from the carriage, and followed the smith into the
+first of the two rooms into which the hut was divided.
+
+On entering the cottage, they found the judge, and two fishermen who
+had been summoned as witnesses, already seated near the table. Ebbe
+cast a rapid and reconnoitring look around him; he perceived that
+everything was in its usual place; it was not the room that had changed
+in these eight days.
+
+'Place yourself at the end of the table,' said the judge. 'Listen to
+what will be said, and answer minutely and truthfully the questions we
+shall put to you. Speak first, smith. Let us hear what you have to
+say.'
+
+Not to fatigue the reader with the smith's long-winded story, we shall
+as briefly as possible relate the substance of his communication.
+
+However important it was to Ebbe to maintain inviolable secresy
+relative to the mate's hidden treasure, he had let fall some words
+which had been caught up by the smith, and which, giving rise to some
+conjectures and suspicions, caused the clear-sighted man to watch
+narrowly the movements of the two young fishermen. On the same day that
+Jörgen and Ebbe had left their home at such an early hour, the smith
+had borrowed a horse from one of his neighbours, and set out in pursuit
+of them, although he took all possible pains to avoid being seen by
+them. Jörgen had previously given out that he was going to take a
+holiday to visit his aunt at Oxby.
+
+When the smith had followed the two wayfarers as far as Aale church,
+and assured himself that they were really going to the place mentioned,
+he quitted the footpath, which, leading through the open heath, would
+have made him run the risk of being observed, and rode another way
+until he reached the cross road near Oxby church, and the shades of
+evening began to fall. The fishermen had evidently taken a considerable
+time to cross the wide heath. The smith had waited long, and had ridden
+around the church before he saw Ebbe and Jörgen looking for the spot
+with the three stones.
+
+It was his horse that Ebbe had heard neigh, but, as we have seen, he
+had not sufficiently followed up the circumstance. In consequence of
+this neglect on his part, the smith became acquainted with all that was
+going on; for when it grew darker he ventured nearer, got over the
+wall, and crept on his hands and knees close to the place where Ebbe
+was digging. Arrived there, he could hear every word that was spoken
+while the work proceeded. When they left the wall of the churchyard,
+he followed them at some distance along the path that led to the
+gravel-pits, and he had seen Jörgen fall. Ebbe had not recognized the
+voice of the smith in that which called after him, nor had he observed
+that Harfiz was carrying Jörgen in his arms to the nearest dwelling.
+
+'Thus it all happened,' said the plaintiff, in the corrupt language in
+which he spoke. 'Ebbe cannot deny a word that I have said. I know all
+that passed; I saw and heard all. I took up the spade with which he had
+struck Jörgen, and, to wind up, your honour has only to make inquiry
+here to be convinced of the truth of what I assert. Here you behold the
+man who can corroborate my statement.'
+
+As he said these words he drew aside a curtain that had concealed an
+alcove, and Jörgen, with his head bound up, pale and suffering, was
+seen raising himself with difficulty on one arm, and gazing at those
+assembled in the hut. This last action of the smith, so sudden and
+unexpected, caused a great sensation and much surprise among those
+present.
+
+Ebbe, who up to this moment had stood silent and immovable, with his
+hands folded and his eyes cast down, raised his head quickly, and when
+his glance fell on Jörgen, he stretched out his arms towards him, and,
+bursting into tears, exclaimed:
+
+'Oh, my God! Jörgen--dear Jörgen!'
+
+'Yes, there you see a competent witness. I have cured him--I may safely
+declare--and now he will confirm what I have said.'
+
+'Well, what have you to say to what the smith has just been telling
+us?'
+
+'I say that he is quite mistaken,' replied Jörgen. 'Ebbe had no wish to
+kill me; he had no evil intention against me; I absolve him of anything
+of the kind.'
+
+Everyone was taken by surprise, and exclamations of astonishment
+followed these words, which were uttered in a mild, quiet, but at the
+same time decisive tone. Ebbe's eyes sparkled. The smith jumped up.
+
+'Jörgen,' he cried, 'are you out of your mind? You cannot be in your
+right senses if you speak in this way. Did he not attempt to murder
+you? Did I not see and hear it all myself? Did I not take you up in my
+strong arms, when he cast you down into the gravel-pit?'
+
+'You did, indeed, behave most kindly and humanely to me,' replied
+Jörgen, with a grateful smile. 'Without your help, I should most
+probably have been dead now; but, I repeat that it was not Ebbe who
+threw me into the pit. I fell in, sir, and in my fall I hurt myself
+with the spade. I have now told all I have to tell--I entirely acquit
+my old comrade, and I must beg you to withdraw the accusation against
+him.'
+
+After having thus spoken, Jörgen laid himself down in his bed, closed
+his eyes, and seemed to take no further notice of what was going on
+around him. Neither did he seem to notice Ebbe, who stole softly
+towards his bed, seized his hand, and carried it to his lips.
+
+The smith was very angry, and repeated and maintained his version of
+the affair, with gesticulations, oaths, and asseverations, in his
+strange lingo. He could not understand why Jörgen exercised such
+generous forbearance: the judge, on the contrary, comprehended it all;
+he called Ebbe into the other room, and had a long communication with
+him; after which he broke up the meeting, dismissed the witnesses, and
+left the cottage himself. Jörgen and Ebbe were the only persons who
+remained in it.
+
+Some time elapsed, during which both remained perfectly silent. At
+length Jörgen raised himself in his bed, and asked,
+
+'Are they gone?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Every one of them?'
+
+'Yes, we are alone.'
+
+'Sit down by my bed, Ebbe; I have something to say to you.'
+
+Ebbe obeyed. At that moment his whole appearance evinced the utmost
+humility; he did not dare to raise his eyes before Jörgen, who
+contemplated him calmly, but with a penetrating look.
+
+'What I said a little while ago,' began Jörgen, 'was to save you, and
+because I could not live under the idea that I had another man's
+misfortune on my conscience. You are now free--acquitted--and no one
+can do anything to you. With God's blessing, I may also become well
+again, and recover my strength so as to be able to work as formerly;
+but you must yourself perceive, Ebbe, that we two can never more live
+and labour together. That Saturday night has rendered it necessary for
+us to separate for ever. I can never banish it from my memory. You shed
+tears now, indeed, and are deeply afflicted. I also have shed many
+tears when I reflected that it was you, my only companion and comrade,
+that had the heart to deal with me as you did. In Heaven's name, then,
+let each of us go his own way. The world is surely large enough for us
+both. When I am stronger, and able to work, I will pay you for the part
+you own in this cottage and in the boat; for I hardly think you will
+like to remain longer here. In fact, I think it would be better for you
+to seek some other place to settle yourself, where people could not say
+anything against you. You cannot fail to perceive that the smith does
+not believe the declaration I made to the judge. He will tell the story
+his way in the town yonder, and that won't be in your favour. As I have
+said, when I am better you shall receive the share that belongs to you
+of what we have hitherto held in partnership, and we must separate.'
+
+'Then you have found the treasure?' asked Ebbe, hurriedly.
+
+'No,' said Jörgen, gravely. 'But the smith has promised to let me marry
+his daughter, and he will advance me the money to pay you.'
+
+'I do not care about the money,' replied Ebbe; 'you are welcome to keep
+it all.'
+
+'Oh yes--so you say _now_,' answered Jörgen; 'but you would repent that
+offer to-morrow. No, let the arrangement I have proposed stand. And you
+had better go, Ebbe, before the smith returns. You know that he is very
+passionate, and you might get into a quarrel with him. Besides, I am
+weak and weary, and must get some sleep. Farewell, and may the Almighty
+bestow on you kinder feelings towards those among whom you may
+henceforth seek to win your bread, than you have shown to me. Shake
+hands with me, Ebbe, and then go.'
+
+Jörgen sank back on his bed, and Ebbe left the cottage.
+
+
+The following five years brought about a striking difference between
+the fates of the two fishermen. Jörgen had married the smith's
+daughter. He gave up fishing, sold his boat and established himself in
+the little town of Vædersö. There he betook himself to husbandry: he
+tilled the ground, ploughed, sowed, planted; in short he laboured with
+all the indefatigable activity, energy, and diligence, for which the
+inhabitants of the west country are so celebrated. At the end of two
+years he sold his house to buy a larger one on a thriving farm; field
+after field was added, and all prospered with him. Success seemed to
+smile on everything he undertook from the period that he relinquished
+his partnership with Ebbe.
+
+'You have got an excellent son-in-law, smith,' said the peasants to
+Harfiz, often when they came to his smithy.
+
+'He gets on very well,' the learned smith would reply, with a cheerful
+nod, indicative of content. 'But let me tell you, and you may believe
+what I say, that it was my medicine which has made him what he is. He
+has been quite another sort of man since I cured him, and restored him,
+I may say, to life, after Ebbe had killed him. He will be a greater man
+still.'
+
+The prophecy was fulfilled as time passed on; for every year that went
+over his head brought some addition to Jörgen's prosperity. He was a
+happy man in his own family, and in all his transactions he was clever,
+prudent, and far-seeing.
+
+The same space of time that seemed to have had wings for Jörgen, had
+crawled on slowly, unprofitably, and wearily for Ebbe. A portion of the
+sum he had received for his share of the cottage and the boat was
+appropriated to the purchase of the little plot of ground near Oxby
+church, where the mate had said his treasure was buried. The
+acquisition was not an expensive one certainly, for at that period a
+large quantity of waste land could be bought for about two dollars; so
+that after Ebbe had become the proprietor of the place, he had
+sufficient money left to build a house for himself on a corner of the
+ground he had bought.
+
+Then commenced a course of labour which, in exertion, perseverance, and
+endurance, was far beyond anything Jörgen ever attempted, and yet was
+productive of no good results. The three stones were taken up and
+thrown aside, in order not to obstruct the work; then the elder-tree
+was removed; and after every obstacle had disappeared, Ebbe dug down,
+and down, until he came to the stratum of iron-hard, solid rock, which
+is to be found in that part of the country.
+
+His labours were carried on by night, and with the utmost secresy, not
+to attract attention. During the day he rested, and either spent the
+hours lounging by the sea-side, or he slept. But, whether waking or
+sleeping, he was haunted by the thoughts of the hidden treasure, and of
+the wealth he would acquire, and the consequence he would attain, when
+he discovered and enjoyed it. It was shocking to see that pale and
+meagre creature, when the moon shone upon the scene of his labours,
+working away eagerly, bending over the spade, and listening anxiously
+when every fresh heap of earth was cast up: by turns cheating himself
+with hopes of success, then groaning at his disappointment, yet still
+persevering in the search for a prize which continued to evade his
+grasp.
+
+In winter the ground was frozen, and as Ebbe was obliged to cease his
+digging, he left his hut, and went to Hjerting, where he hired himself
+out among the peasantry as a day-labourer. His history soon oozed out,
+and his very shy, reserved manners prevented him from making
+acquaintances, while his fellow-labourers jeered him. 'There goes the
+gold-digger!' the children would cry after him when he showed himself
+in the streets. These scoffers, who beheld him now in so humble a
+position, by-and-by, when he had found the treasure, should witness his
+triumph. 'Wait a little!' he thought; 'success will come at last, and
+the day cannot be very far distant!'
+
+When spring succeeded to winter, Ebbe left the service he had taken,
+and returned to his hut, where he recommenced his labours with as much
+assiduity as before, and with the same result. The small space in which
+his operations were carried on soon resembled a deep pit, wherein
+gravel and sand, stone and clay, were gathered together in large heaps.
+But the treasure was nowhere visible.
+
+When at length the ground had been entirely turned up, every inch
+examined, and he could dig no lower down, Ebbe fell into the deepest
+despair; his last hope had vanished, and with it all the strength and
+energy which hope alone had sustained. He was found one day sitting on
+the outside of the door of his hut, gazing on vacancy straight before
+him, lost in a reverie from which nothing seemed to have the power of
+rousing him.
+
+At this very time a report was spread in the neighbourhood that
+Jörgen and his father-in-law had found _the shipwrecked mariner's
+treasure_--for this appeared the easiest mode of accounting for the
+increasing prosperity of the heretofore young fisherman. Ebbe heard
+this rumour; he believed it, and this belief added greatly to the
+bitterness of his disappointment, and was as poison to his mind.
+
+Three years afterwards, a wan, wasted, spectral-looking figure might be
+seen wandering about in the vicinity of Hjerting; it was the
+unfortunate Ebbe, who had become deranged. The harmless lunatic was
+received into the poor-house at Hjerting, but spent most of his days in
+a remote and secluded valley, away among the sand hills. There he might
+be heard singing and talking to himself, whilst he occupied himself
+diligently in digging deep holes in the sand. One winter evening he did
+not return, as usual, to the poor-house. The next morning he was found,
+frozen to death, in a grave--it might be called--which he had dug in
+the sand the day before.
+
+
+
+
+                           DAMON AND PYTHIAS.
+
+                   FROM THE DANISH OF CARL BERNHARD.
+
+
+In the so-called good old times, when grown-up people could sometimes
+be childish--now-a-days even children themselves are above such
+infirmities--in these good old times one often heard a ballad, a
+favourite song, which was as common as the lively popular airs that are
+now repeated nightly at the casinos; but these old songs were by no
+means lively, for lively music was not then in vogue; the songs were
+almost all sentimental. There was one ditty about 'Friendship, Hope,
+and Love,' in which Love was depicted as 'light red,' and of which I
+can now remember but two lines. It was very generally sung:
+
+
+           'Friendship rarely doth abound.
+            Tell me where it can be found!'
+
+
+Yes, where can it be found? All mankind seek for it; everyone wishes to
+have a friend. Most people believe, for a time, that they have found
+one; but when the friendship comes to be tested, it disappears, and
+they discover their mistake. Why does it disappear? Who knows why? But
+that it does most frequently disappear is quite certain.
+
+Formerly, even in the grey olden times, long before anybody thought
+about friendship being violated, they must have had hard work enough to
+find the genuine article, else there would not surely have been such a
+fuss made about the three classical pairs of friends whose names we
+have all learned by heart--Damon and Pythias, Orestes and Pylades,
+Euryalus and Nisus--all of whom were never distinguished for anything,
+as far as I have been able to discover, except that they lived as
+friends, and ultimately died as friends.
+
+It is surprising enough that, whilst everyone understands the words _a
+friend_ in a good sense, there should be some little hesitation about
+the exact meaning of _a good friend_, and that the more eulogizing and
+confirmatory adjectives are added to it, the less respect it should
+inspire, until _a real good old friend_ has become almost synonymous
+with a stupid old blockhead, or a cunning old rogue. If one were only
+to hear the following disjointed words of a conversation, 'Oh, yes, he
+is a good friend enough,' nine out of ten would indubitably fancy that
+the speakers were alluding to some matter in which one party had been
+taken in, and would think that what had happened manifested the
+credulity of that saying, in which all the ten firmly believe, 'Save me
+from my friends, and I will save myself from my enemies!' Undeniably,
+there is some truth in this sentence, and however little there may be,
+it is sad that one must admit there is any at all.
+
+One of my--but I may be misconstrued myself if I say one of my good
+friends; I shall therefore, for the present, confine myself to calling
+him a worthy acquaintance of mine--had, from his earliest childhood,
+been an enthusiastic worshipper of friendship. Nothing more natural,
+for friendship is so inherent a feeling in the breast of every human
+being, of either sex, that it is a desire of the soul, which it strives
+to realize even before it thinks of love. His predilection for
+friendship was, it may be said, born with him, as people may be born
+with a propensity for stealing or drunkenness; and when he was not more
+than four years of age, and his grown-up relatives would have it that
+his little cousin should be his 'little wife'--for big people are
+always too ready to begin putting nonsense into the heads of children,
+he used to get angry, and declare that she should not be his wife, but
+his friend.
+
+And when he had grown older, and had commenced his classical studies,
+he raved about being a Damon to some Pythias. He was an excellent lad,
+cheerful, good-natured, good-looking, and by no means deficient in
+talent; in short, he was in all respects a steady schoolboy, but
+perhaps he carried a little too far his ideas about friendship. He had
+not, however, then attached himself to any one individual among his
+companions; he was on good terms with them all, while he thirsted after
+one, only one true friend, as a celebrated author is known to have
+wished but one reader, but that one to be capable of understanding him
+thoroughly.
+
+I withhold his name, for he is now in so conspicuous a station that
+many of my readers must know him, and it would, perhaps, annoy him to
+see his name in print, for he is one of those folks who have an
+old-fashioned dislike to what they call 'appearing in print;' that is
+to say, being named publicly. I shall designate him by one of his first
+names, which he used in his boyish years--_viz_. Mikkel; it is an ugly
+name, but he is not to blame for that, since his opinion about it was
+not asked. When he was christened, his parents had called him after a
+rich old uncle, who, the good people thought, might, on that account,
+at a future day, leave him a large legacy. It is a bad custom to make
+innocent children suffer for their parents' bad taste in choosing
+names, and to inflict on them ill-sounding family names, either because
+these had been chosen by a generation who had queer notions, or from
+selfishness and from speculation, as in the case in question. Mikkel
+was grown up, and had undergone much jeering on account of his
+frightful name, but his uncle did not leave him a stiver! It was a
+shameful trick--a positive fraud, the parents naturally thought. No one
+can blame Mikkel because he would no longer put up with the
+disagreeable appellation, especially as it had come to his ears that a
+young girl had given her suitor a basket solely on account of his name.
+She said, 'he had such a shockingly ugly name, that she never could
+bring herself to say, my sweet Morten. Dear no! the sound made her
+shudder, and one really must be able to say _sweet_ to one's lover.'
+Morten and Mikkel are much on a par. He renounced, therefore, the
+name of the ungrateful uncle, and selected for the future one of the
+high-sounding names which had also been bestowed on him at his baptism,
+like that shoemaker's son who was christened Jens Napoleon Petersen.
+Nevertheless, I should prefer to call him Damon, that savouring more of
+the anonymous, and this I will do with the permission of my kind
+readers. When he and I went to school together, we got on very well,
+and were on good terms; but no sworn and patented friendship took place
+between us. It happened one day, as we were walking together outside of
+one of the gates of the town, on a Friday, and he was lost in his
+Damon-Pythias dreams, which went in at one of my ears and out at the
+other, we met a school companion, who was crying as he came out of a
+house. The good-hearted Damon stopped him, and asked what was the cause
+of his distress, and we were informed that our comrade had been
+visiting _a good friend_. Damon could not see that there was any cause
+for howling about this; he would have been glad enough to have been in
+his place. Yes, but our unlucky school companion had received a sound
+drubbing from his good friend, and from some of the latter's good
+friends, because he would not be always their horse, and drag them in
+the little carriage; he wished to take his turn to go inside of it, at
+least for once, but they abused him like a pickpocket, and beat him;
+this was always the way he was served, and it was a great shame, for he
+had liked his friend so much; but now he would have nothing more to do
+with him. And when he had told him that he was going to break with him,
+the fellow had thumped him well, and turned him out of doors, and it
+was almost dinner-time, and now he had no friend--and he would get no
+dinner!
+
+The soft-hearted Damon offered him forthwith his friendship and a
+dinner; the boy went home with him to his parents' house, where he
+dined, and immediately afterwards staunch brotherhood was sworn, and
+the empty place in Damon's heart was filled up! Fate had granted his
+wish, and he had providentially found a friend!
+
+Mikkel was a happy boy; he had now truly become Damon, and the other
+was Pythias. It was a strong friendship, whose not few thorns seemed to
+Damon like so many roses. He had to thrash his companion's former
+friend, and fight all that friend's chums, in order to revenge his
+Pythias, and prove their misconduct to him; and he got many a bruise,
+and many a torn jacket in these battles, which merged into a long,
+lasting war--a war he had to sustain alone, for Pythias stood aloof. He
+had to write all his friend's exercises, and prompt him every day in
+his lessons, which Pythias, trusting to Damon's friendship, had
+neglected to learn, and this cost the latter many a scold from the
+master, who had observed it. But if ever he happened to require the
+least help himself, he got none, for Pythias was incapable of giving
+it. Damon not only shared all the nice things he had with his friend,
+but he often gave him the largest portion, and, indeed, sometimes the
+whole; but he never got anything in return. Pythias took care to eat
+all his good things by himself; but Damon never dreamed of finding
+fault with this; he was pleased and proud of being able to make various
+useful presents to his friend, and loved him the better for it. Thus
+passed the whole of his school-days; and in consequence of this sworn
+friendship the two were called by all the boys Damon and Pythias.
+
+They were at length to separate, and each to go his own way. 'I am
+sorry I am obliged to part with you, I shall miss you very much,' said
+Pythias, when the farewell moment came.
+
+'I don't know how I shall exist without you,' said Damon. 'I am truly
+wretched!'
+
+They agreed to write to each other often. Damon did write letter after
+letter, but never received an answer; that grieved him extremely. He
+was taken ill about six months afterwards, but I will not say that it
+was disappointed friendship that made him ill; he had caught an
+epidemic which was raging then, and had a long illness. Though Pythias
+knew this, he had never once inquired for his school friend. As soon as
+he could hold a pen, Damon wrote to him over and over again--no reply!
+Then he buried his friendship in his silent, faithful breast, until at
+last it died, long after it had been buried.
+
+His student-days arrived, and found him full of the enthusiasm of
+youth. Damon longed for all that was beautiful and noble, but
+especially for friendship. Love had not yet touched him. I believe that
+he looked upon it as a sickly, unmanly feeling, which could not be
+indulged in without relinquishing the energy and the strength of mind
+that ought to characterize a man! Poor Damon! I verily believe such was
+his opinion.
+
+Well, Damon found at length his Pythias; but not the old Pythias, for
+whom he had toiled and fought, and who had repaid him with such
+ingratitude. No; a bran new Pythias had he stumbled upon, one who, like
+himself, was 'a master in the kingdom of mind;' one who like himself,
+was devoted to the true and the beautiful; one who, he thought, could
+sympathize with him in everything, and to whom he attached himself with
+the strongest ties of friendship--a really good friend.
+
+And this friendship lasted for some years--during the whole time they
+were at the university--and they were nicknamed Damon and Pythias, to
+the great satisfaction of one of the friends at least. Damon was
+certainly a kind and trustworthy friend. He wrote with untiring
+patience all the tedious college manuscripts; Pythias used them almost
+always, and, moreover, lent them to strangers, so that Damon never
+could get them when he wanted them himself. Damon bought all the books
+they both required, for Pythias needed his own money for other
+purposes; and when Pythias wanted them no longer he sold them. Damon
+remained at home from balls, that Pythias might borrow his dress-coat,
+as he did not think his own good enough; and Damon rejoiced that he had
+a good coat which fitted Pythias so well. Not a week passed that
+Pythias did not borrow money from Damon, of which he never made any
+memorandum. Pythias was fond of going to the theatre, and he always
+went to the boxes. One day, when Damon suggested that it would be
+better for him to go to the pit with him, for the money which one box
+ticket cost would pay two pit tickets, and they might go there and
+amuse themselves together, as he really could not afford the more
+expensive places, Pythias replied that he by no means wished his friend
+to spend his money in going to the theatre on his account, that he only
+wanted _to borrow_ the money for his own ticket, as he was out of cash
+at the moment, but he could not think of going to such a place as the
+pit. And the good-natured Damon gave him the last shilling he had, and
+remained at home, rejoicing that his dear friend was amusing himself in
+the boxes.
+
+At length they were both to graduate, and Pythias held his ground only
+because Damon had been an unwearied grinder for him, and had devoted
+himself, early and late, to cramming him in order to pull him through.
+His success delighted Damon much more than his own.
+
+There was some talk of a foreign tour--and they were both candidates
+for the stipend accorded for that purpose--what a pleasure if they
+could travel together! But this year there was only _one_ stipend to be
+given away; Damon was sure of getting it, having been the cleverest
+student. Pythias adjured him, of course in the name of friendship, to
+resign his claim, because, for many important reasons, it was necessary
+for him--Pythias--to get away for a time; in fact, he could hold out no
+longer, while Damon had many other resources. Damon pondered on the
+subject, but could not find out what these resources were;
+nevertheless, he withdrew his petition, and left the field open to
+Pythias, but he endeavoured in vain, also in friendship's name, to
+induce him to confide to him the important reasons which had influenced
+his dear Pythias to demand the sacrifice he had made for him. He was
+enlightened as to the truth, however, afterwards. When Pythias had
+obtained the stipend, and was off, it came out that he had been, for a
+long time, in the habit of gambling, and that he had lost a great deal
+at play. The debts he had left he transferred to his friend in an
+affected, high-flown, bombastic epistle to his 'dear, faithful Damon,'
+and in order that the latter, to whom he bade farewell for ever, might
+still more highly honour friendship, he had drawn without asking leave
+a few little bills of exchange in his name, wherein his writing was so
+cleverly imitated, that Damon himself had the utmost difficulty in
+distinguishing it from his own!
+
+To one who had for so many years put entire confidence in the
+reciprocity of the ardent and sincere friendship he himself had felt,
+it was a severe blow to meet such scandalous treachery. Damon took
+measures to have the bills of exchange paid, and, with a bleeding
+heart, he buried Pythias the Second!
+
+Damon now forswore friendship, and withdrew himself from society; it
+was easy to do this, for his circle had been principally composed of
+Pythias's acquaintances, and he did not much relish seeing them now--he
+did not like to hear them pulling Pythias to pieces, and recounting the
+many dirty tricks he had played them, to whom he had also pretended to
+have been a good friend. Damon commenced his professional career, and
+found comfort in his occupations; but his heart was lonely.
+
+One evening he read in the work of a celebrated philosopher the
+following sentence:
+
+'The dog is man's best friend--it alone is faithful.'
+
+These words made a deep impression on him. Within eight days he had
+purchased a dog, a large handsome Newfoundlander, of a good breed. It
+was then only in its puppy years, and had to be brought up to obedience
+and cleanliness; this cost him the trouble of bestowing sundry good
+thrashings on the animal, but Damon knew that he who loves the child
+spares not the rod, and he loved his dog as if it had been his child,
+until it should be educated to become his friend. Hector would receive
+his caning, steal up to his master's feet, lick his hand, sigh deeply,
+and at the slightest glance of encouragement would spring up joyfully
+and wag his tail. When Damon looked up from his employment, he always
+encountered Hector's friendly gaze. When he took his hat and stick, the
+dog would start up from his place near the stove, if he were even in
+the soundest sleep, to follow him through thick and thin, by day or by
+night. Truly, the philosopher was right; the dog is man's faithful
+friend, and Hector was not troublesome, and he obeyed no other being in
+this world but his master--they were friends.
+
+This friendship lasted for a couple of years, and it filled up in a
+certain degree the vacancy in Damon's heart, and cheered his lonely
+hours.
+
+But gradually this friendship took the same turn as love often
+does--the one loves, and the other allows himself or herself to be
+loved. The parts they played changed gradually; Damon assumed the dog's
+part, and became humble, obedient, and faithful, whilst Hector took the
+master's part, and turned capricious, tyrannical, and ungrateful. The
+four-footed creature had become almost like a man, from being the
+constant companion of his two-legged friend. Damon put up with all
+this, and the dog imposed upon him in his canine fashion, exactly as
+the schoolboy and the student had imposed on him formerly in their
+human fashion.
+
+Damon had had many disagreeables to encounter latterly. One day he came
+home very much fretted, with his head full of some tiresome business
+papers, which absolutely required his immediate attention. He patted
+his favourite, spoke to him as to a friend who could understand him,
+complained to Hector of the provoking chief of the department who had
+annoyed him, and Hector fixed on him a thoughtful look; it was as if
+the dog comprehended how hard it is to be annoyed. This did his heart
+good; he recovered his spirits, and began to work away vigorously at
+the papers he had brought home with him. But Hector got angry at
+finding himself neglected, and also he wanted to go out to walk. 'No,
+my friend, it is impossible--don't disturb me--down, down--there is
+no time for walking just now!' The dog became importunate, and was
+patted, and dismissed; he then became obstinate, and laid his clumsy
+paw upon the table, so that the inkstand was upset over the numerous
+half-finished papers. For that he got a slap; he became enraged, and
+tried to drag his master off of his chair; Damon kicked him away,
+expecting that he would then be quiet, but it made him worse, and he
+rushed upon him. Damon also got angry; he seized the ruler, and struck
+Hector with it, who, however, dragged the chair from under him with his
+teeth and paws. The one swore, the other growled; it was, certes,
+anything but friendship that was displayed in this scene, which
+collected all the inhabitants of the house on the outside of Damon's
+door, in terror at this unusual dog-fight.
+
+I arrived at that moment, having come to speak to Damon on some
+business. It was an awful plight in which I found him: excited, bitten,
+and with his clothes torn; whilst the dog stood snarling over the
+broken chair, with a brutal, triumphant look, flashing eyes, and teeth
+set. It was evident that he knew he was the master there, and he looked
+with anything but a friendly expression at the subdued Damon.
+
+'And this illusion has fled also!' he said to me, when we had taken
+up the overturned chair, and gathered together the scattered and
+ink-stained papers.
+
+'And thou also, Brutus!' he exclaimed with a comical degree of gravity,
+and a melancholy glance at the sullen-looking dog.
+
+'The bestia bruta!' said I. 'This comes of choosing four-footed
+friends.' And I seized, the opportunity of bestowing upon him a lecture
+about his animal mania, which had made him quite an oddity, and had
+withdrawn him from the society of rational beings. Shame, suffering,
+and anger brought him over to my way of thinking; he made a threatening
+gesture towards Hector, who instantly rose up and showed his teeth; he
+was evidently ready to renew the battle at any moment. It was really
+too absurd.
+
+After a great deal of persuasion, I prevailed on Damon to go home with
+me, and conclude that uncomfortable evening among my family circle.
+Before we left his lodgings, I privately requested the landlord to have
+Hector removed to an inn, where he could be tied up till the next day,
+when I should come to say what was to be done with him.
+
+The evening passed off tolerably well; it succeeded in dissipating his
+chagrin. I accompanied him home towards midnight, and before I left him
+I had obtained his permission to send Hector into the country, to a
+relation of mine, where he would be well treated and be useful as a
+chained dog, for Damon himself perceived that he could not be made a
+friend of, and that he was too ill-tempered and dangerous to be allowed
+to go about loose. And thus was Pythias the Third, the four-footed,
+deposed.
+
+It was very strange that though he wanted sadly to have his Pythias's
+place refilled, he never made the slightest overture to me to occupy
+it. Nevertheless, we were very intimate. He often visited me, and found
+pleasure in the society of my family, and more especially in that of a
+young girl, who was a frequent guest at my house, and who was both
+pretty and good, though, perhaps, being a country girl, she wanted a
+little of that finer polish which can only be acquired in the capital.
+
+I have no doubt it was her being so open, straightforward,
+unsophisticated, and natural, that charmed him with her; oddly enough,
+love was never mentioned by either of them; they always spoke of
+friendship alone, up to the very day of their betrothal. And, indeed,
+after they were betrothed there was no change in their manners to each
+other. I never saw him show her any of the usual little attentions, or
+bestow on her any of the little endearments so common during this
+period; he always spoke to her as if she had been a male friend; it
+seemed as if he could not perceive that she belonged to womankind.
+
+This engagement delighted us all, especially my sensible wife, who
+augured a peaceful future for them, a life devoid of passion's storms,
+calm and even, and rendered comfortable by a competence sufficient for
+all their wants, though it could not be called a fortune, according to
+the common acceptation of the word.
+
+The damsel's parents gladly gave their consent, and as Damon very
+justly considered a long engagement a wearisome affair, before six
+months had passed they were man and wife.
+
+The young girl was certainly a sweet pretty bride, and I really cannot
+imagine how Damon could be satisfied with calling her 'my friend,' as
+he led her from the altar; and I was still more surprised next day to
+find that she had already begun to look after her household matters.
+There was nothing to be found fault with in this, to be sure, and
+neither of them seemed to think this out of the usual way. The young
+couple appeared to be quite happy, and it was to be supposed that
+Damon's heart had at last found its haven of rest. He had his young
+wife, all went as she wished, and his house was, therefore, a pleasant
+one; it was evident that it was under the care of a good and kind
+spirit.
+
+I have observed that there is one thing which is a stumbling-block in
+almost all young _ménages_--that is, the continued intimacy, after
+marriage, of the husband's young men friends. Most young wives seem to
+think that they must keep a watchful eye upon these friends, and
+quietly strive to put an end to their baneful influence over the
+husband! for they suppose that these former companions will withdraw
+his thoughts from the sanctity of domestic life and lead him into
+naughty ways. These suspicions seem to be deeply rooted in the minds of
+newly-married women. I sincerely believe they are suggested by young
+wives, who ought to know better by experience, and might have perceived
+that their husbands' earlier associates would, in general, be glad to
+be received as members of the family circle. The wives imagine that
+their dominion is insecure so long as these suspicious persons are on
+board; they think that when such is the case the ship of matrimony may
+be at any moment upset, or stranded on unknown shores, that they must
+steer with a skilful hand, and that they cannot be safe until they have
+had the husbands' early friends cast overboard. I can assert this from
+experience, for I have myself been cast overboard more than once on
+account of such groundless suspicions.
+
+But a house can hardly be without visitors, and what is more natural
+than that these should consist of the young wife's friends and
+connections? She believes she can depend upon them; she is accustomed
+to them; she likes to display to them her notable housekeeping; it is
+so very natural, and therefore one generally sees the husband's friends
+and relations by degrees supplanted by those of the wife.
+
+Damon's wife, however, was not obliged to man[oe]uvre at all to get rid
+of his especial friends, for, with the exception of myself, who had my
+own house, and was already a sedate and discreet person, he never
+invited a single old associate. It was not necessary for her to throw
+anyone overboard to make room for her friends and relations; these were
+self-elected intimates at Mikkel's house, and all went on well there.
+
+There was one of her cousins in particular to whom Damon soon attached
+himself. He was a young man who had exactly the qualities which were
+wanting in Damon. He was, among other things, witty, lively, amusing;
+he was at all times ready for anything, and knew how to make the best
+of everything. Damon soon found that he could not do without him, and
+he became a daily guest at his house, which there was nothing in the
+way of business to prevent his being, as he lived in a state of _il
+dolce far niente_, waiting until some good appointment might offer
+itself, which might suit a person of his talents and pretensions.
+
+Before the expiration of a year, I observed that by degrees a change
+had taken place in their relative positions. Damon had by this time
+nearly undermined his own happiness. His old Pythias folly had awoke
+again in him, almost without his being conscious of it. His interest in
+his young wife was actually cast into the shade by his friendship for
+her cousin, who had become Pythias the Fourth. She discovered at length
+that she was quite set aside, and was jealous of this neglect; at the
+same time she grew more and more intimate with her cousin, whose lively
+conversation pleased her. That he had fallen in love with his young
+cousin I will not assert, but he paid her at times such marked
+attention, that I often thought this was the only reasonable inference
+to be drawn from his conduct; at other times there was so much levity
+and carelessness in his manners, so much flightiness in his way of
+talking, that I felt myself compelled to discard the supposition.
+Certain it is, however, that he was always hovering around her; that
+her reputation might run the risk of being injured by his demeanour
+towards her, and that dangerous consequences really might arise from
+their being so much together in the intimacy of daily life, yet--who
+was to blame except Damon?
+
+With his accustomed blindness, the husband could not see anything of
+this; he made quite sure that it was entirely for _his_ sake that the
+young man played chess, talked politics, smoked tobacco, and went out
+to walk or to fish whenever Damon wished to go. In order that they
+might manage to be still more together, he had prevailed upon the
+cousin to come out and stay with him at a country-house he had hired at
+a few miles from town, where they had plenty of room. This invitation
+was given much against the wishes of his wife, who had tried to prevent
+it, but she had consented to it when she found that Damon had set his
+heart on it. He said, jestingly, that he could not do without some male
+society, and a trio would be pleasant in their pastoral life. In this
+trio he himself voluntarily assigned the second part to the cousin,
+while he took the third to himself.
+
+Damon, however, was a little changed; he felt no longer inclined to be
+_quite_ so subservient in his friendship as he had formerly been with
+his two-and his four-footed friends. By degrees, a desire had crept
+into his mind to take his revenge, and for once become himself the
+domineering party. He began to be somewhat importunate in his claims on
+the time and companionship of the cousin, who, on his side, showed
+decided symptoms of wishing to emancipate himself, especially from the
+tiresome and frequent fishing expeditions to the neighbouring lake; but
+fishing was perhaps Damon's greatest pleasure, especially when he had
+the company of a good friend. Damon was annoyed that the cousin had
+several times latterly excused himself from accompanying him, and, not
+caring to go alone, he had been obliged to relinquish his favourite
+amusement. One day--it was too bad--on a beautiful evening in the very
+height of summer, he refused to go fishing, when there could be no
+earthly reason for his doing so--none that Damon could discover, except
+that he preferred to parade up and down the alley of linden-trees at
+the other end of the garden with his wife--while he himself sat at the
+top of the stone stairs, and fretted until he was quite out of humour.
+He could see that they spoke eagerly to each other, and laughed, and
+amused themselves, while he was wearying himself; and neither of them
+seemed to be thinking of him or his _ennui_. What were they going to do
+now? So! They were actually setting off to walk in the very direction
+of the lake, where he would so gladly have gone to fish; but _then_, it
+was too far to go, forsooth!--now, they could go notwithstanding the
+distance. It was almost like defying him; that was probably the
+cousin's intention.
+
+A disagreeable light seemed to dawn on his mind. And when this
+operation first begins to take place, a man is apt to fancy more than
+he has valid grounds for supposing. And this was the case with Damon.
+
+In an exceedingly unpleasant state of mind, he returned to the usual
+sitting-room in search of some employment to make time pass less
+heavily. The comfortable room spoke volumes to his excited mind, with
+its quiet and peace. It was arranged by his wife's taste, everything
+bore witness in her favour. There stood her work-table, there lay her
+work, the half-finished embroidery which she was preparing for his
+birthday, and at which he therefore avoided looking. Upon a table close
+by hers lay the cousin's portfolios and drawing materials. There was no
+necessity for the tables being so near each other, and he pushed the
+table with the drawings a little way from the work-table. The young man
+certainly had talent--there were comical sketches and little
+landscapes, thrown off as illustrations of poems, not without genius;
+he thought he would just look into the portfolios, when, in opening one
+of them, a sheet of paper, with pencil drawings, slipped out of it.
+What were these? He must see. They were a whole row of caricatures,
+in doing which the cousin excelled. There was a man with his nightcap
+on, evidently asleep and snoring; a man with a pipe in his mouth,
+half-asleep over a fishing-rod; a man half-asleep over a chessboard; a
+man half-asleep over a Berlin newspaper; and lastly, a man half asleep
+over his tobacco-pipe, while his pretty young wife seemed dreaming over
+the work she had in her hand. Of what was _she_ dreaming while _he_ was
+dozing? This question forced itself upon him. The sleepy-headed man was
+no other than himself, caricatured in the most laughable manner; the
+young wife might have been taken from nature: it was a charming
+likeness. Damon sat as if he had fallen from the skies, with the sheet
+of paper in his hand; he could scarcely conceive the ingratitude which
+had suggested these sketches, or the barefaced impudence of leaving
+them in an open portfolio, in his own daily sitting-room, where anyone
+might see them--not only himself and his wife, but his guests and his
+servants also.
+
+Fate brought me to him for a second time at a critical moment. I came
+accidentally to pay him a visit, and found him somewhat in the same
+state as on the evening Hector had been doing battle with him. I
+entered into his angry feelings, but nevertheless could hardly refrain
+from bursting into a fit of laughter at the exceedingly impertinent,
+but very droll drawings. We had a serious conversation on the position
+in which he was placed; with great difficulty I brought him, at length,
+to perceive that much of the blame rested with himself, and that his
+young wife had nothing to reproach herself with. I combated his
+assertion that she must have been cognizant of the existence of these
+caricatures, and must have sat for the likeness of herself; and I even
+went so far as to promise to prove to him her ignorance of the
+drawings, though I did not know how that was to be effected without
+occasioning a _scene_--and I had the greatest horror of scenes.
+
+We had a long conversation, we two, for the wife and the cousin
+remained a good while absent--longer than I thought was exactly right,
+especially as it was getting late; but Damon did not seem to think
+about it; he was engaged in speculating on the theme I had suggested
+for his consideration--namely, that a husband who never makes the
+slightest effort to find amusement for his young wife, but, without the
+least compunction, leaves her to solitude or weariness, has himself to
+blame if another succeeds in interesting and amusing her. It is this
+unfortunate transition from the devoted assiduity of the days of
+courtship, to the sleepy security of married life, that so often
+undermines love, and renders the heart empty; and nature has decreed
+that a woman's heart can never remain long perfectly vacant.
+
+At last the truants returned. It was evident that the lady, at least,
+felt it was not quite right to have stayed out till so long after the
+usual hour for tea; she bustled about to get the tea ready, and was
+very attentive in helping us to it. Damon maintained a grave silence,
+and I felt somewhat embarrassed; the cousin alone seemed quite at his
+ease, and not at all _gêné_; I could not make out whether this was
+nature or art. Perhaps it was politic to appear as if he had no idea
+that there could be any cause for animadversion on account of their
+unusually long walk. My confidence in her began to waver a little,
+whilst my anger at him increased.
+
+After tea the conversation fell, by mere accident, on portrait
+painting. It was the lady who brought the subject forward, by speaking
+of a picture of a female which she had observed in passing, hanging
+like a sign, over the open door of a garden. Nothing could have been
+more _à propos_. I hastened to ask the young wife if she had ever had
+her likeness taken. No, she never had, and she never intended to have
+it taken, for she could not bear the idea that anyone should sit down
+and stare at her. The cousin declared this was a silly objection, and
+appealed to me if he were not right.
+
+'Oh! that is because he wants to make a sketch of me himself,' she
+said, in rather a hurried manner; 'he has often begged me to permit it,
+but I won't do so.'
+
+The cousin remarked that there was no question of permission, only of
+complaisance; if he chose to make a portrait of her, he could do it
+without asking her leave; he could take her likeness without her
+knowing anything about it; he could do it from memory. His cousin
+laughed at these assertions, and laughed so naturally, that I felt
+quite convinced I was right about her. Damon, on the contrary, looked
+more and more distressed as this conversation proceeded; it was quite
+apparent to me that he was miserable, and in a painful state of doubt,
+and I had promised him a proof of his wife's innocence. Without
+uttering a word, I laid hold of a corner of the paper on which were the
+treacherous drawings, drew it out of the portfolio, and handed it to
+her. I admit that this was very hard on the cousin, but why should I
+spare the young jackanapes, from whom no mercy for others was to be
+expected, as his caricatures showed plainly enough?
+
+She evidently did not know what I meant by showing the drawings to her,
+or what she was to do with them. On the first glance at the paper, she
+seemed about to burst into a fit of laughter, and no one who had seen
+these capital caricatures of Damon could have blamed the child of
+nature for doing so. But on the second look, her eye had had time to
+run over the whole sheet, and she had beheld her own likeness; the
+contrast was too glaring, and there now did not linger the slightest
+trace of a smile on her countenance. She blushed crimson, threw the
+sketches far away from her, as if they had burned her hand, which for a
+short time she placed over her eyes, as one does when suddenly coming
+to the brink of a precipice. And her womanly tact had assuredly told
+her that such had been her position. It was a moment for a painter of
+scenes from domestic life to have taken a sketch. In the background
+were the open doors leading from the pretty sitting-room to the garden,
+whose trees seemed drawn on the clear evening skies in their full
+beauty. On the sofa sat a man, apparently very unhappy, with his cheek
+resting on his hand, and a look expressive of the deepest anxiety fixed
+upon a young woman, whose guiltless countenance rivalled the glow of
+the evening sky; whose whole bearing evinced mingled anger and
+humility, innocence and embarrassment, while her eyes were riveted
+on the paper she had cast from her, which had revealed to her one
+of the dark shades of life. At a little distance from her stood a
+grave-looking man, whose face expressed perfect confidence in, and
+esteem for, the young wife; he stood as if he wished to inspire her
+with courage to follow the dictates of her own heart. And nearest the
+door leading to the entrance-hall sat a young gentleman, whose assured,
+careless deportment formed a strong contrast to his perplexed and
+irresolute glances; no one could have doubted that he was the cause of
+the dismal mood which had seized upon all the rest of the party, and
+that he was aware of this himself.
+
+But it was only for a few short moments that the young wife stood as
+described. Presently she looked up fearlessly, although tears were
+streaming down her cheeks; without vouchsafing a single glance to the
+young gentleman, she swept past him, threw her arms round her husband's
+neck, and sank, weeping, by his side on the sofa. And this charming,
+natural act found a response in his heart; he flung his arm round her
+waist, and pressed her to his breast. It was a dumb and yet an eloquent
+scene!
+
+The friend and the cousin were now _de trop_. I made a sign to him, and
+he left the room with me, without the others appearing to notice our
+departure.
+
+It was rather an embarrassing situation in which we two found ourselves
+placed as we walked along the high road together. But as I have always
+considered that 'honesty is the best policy,' I did not, on this
+occasion, depart from my general rule. I began by telling him frankly
+that the ingratitude which he had displayed towards my friend, who
+was also his friend, and his cousin's husband, by caricaturing him so
+ill-naturedly, and his hardihood in leaving the drawings in an open
+portfolio in a sitting-room common to all the family, as if he wished
+them to be seen by at least _one_ member of it, had convinced me that
+his remaining in that house would be productive of unhappiness to his
+host, and would be disagreeable to all parties. It was Damon himself
+who by accident had found the caricatures. It was impossible, of
+course, that he could pass them over in silence, and their discovery
+might have caused an extremely unpleasant scene. I had sought to avoid
+this, as I knew that no explanation or apology could have been
+accepted; in fact, none satisfactorily could have been offered. I
+pointed out to the young man that it was not likely his intercourse
+with the family could be renewed; that it would be necessary for him to
+determine what he was to do with himself for the future, as he could no
+longer reckon on their kindness.
+
+'Soft and fair goes far,' says the proverb, and its truth was shown
+here. My words were taken in good part; the cousin and I continued to
+walk back and forwards on the high road half the night. He accompanied
+me at length to town, and then there was nothing for it--if he were to
+have a roof over his head at all--but to give him a bed at my house. We
+laid our heads together to think of what could be done to procure a
+situation for him, which might give him some profitable employment for
+the present, and some prospect of advantage for the future; and at last
+we both agreed that he had better look after an appointment in one of
+the provincial towns, which had just become vacant, and in the disposal
+of which I had some influence. Security, however, to a certain small
+extent, would be required, but I would help him to obtain this. I was
+quite certain, I said, that if I asked Damon, he would be his security,
+for he had a most amiable and forgiving temper. I wished Damon to have
+this satisfaction, and the cousin this humiliation; _that_ should be
+his only punishment. I am now inclined to believe, however, that he
+found the punishment tolerably light, and bore it with great
+equanimity, notwithstanding that he vapoured a great deal about
+obligation, mortification, contrition, &c. &c.
+
+To cut a long story short, the plan we had hit upon that night was
+carried out. The cousin went to the country town and obtained the
+situation, Damon became his security, and was not sorry to have this
+little revenge upon him. And his young wife, who, through my
+indiscretion, found out afterwards what Damon had done, was quite
+overcome by her husband's generosity, and thought more of him than
+ever. A man is never sorry that his wife should entertain the belief
+that he is generous and noble-minded; that raises him much more in her
+estimation than if he gave her occasion for the vain satisfaction of
+admiring his wit. That, certainly, Damon's wife had no opportunity of
+doing, for he possessed neither wit nor genius, but he was a good,
+kind-hearted person. Their married life, which had been so nearly
+rendered unhappy, after the cloud above referred to had cleared off,
+glided on in a calm and even tenour, and nothing occurred to disturb
+their serenity.
+
+But man is his own worst enemy, an old philosopher has said, and not
+without truth. Before twelve months had expired Damon's old whim had
+revived: he longed again for a friend, and began to lament that he had
+no one to whom he might speak on many subjects on which he could not
+converse with his wife.
+
+'To speak the honest truth,' he said to me one day, 'I miss my wife's
+cousin exceedingly. He was a pleasant, sociable young man as could be,
+and I really do believe that we did him injustice--at least as far as
+my wife was concerned--and that she never would have troubled herself
+about him if he had remained in our house till doomsday. I really do
+miss him often.'
+
+I opened my eyes in amazement at hearing this speech. But he was in
+earnest. Notwithstanding his domestic comforts, and all his previous
+unfortunate' experience, he longed for--his phantom, his patented
+friend, his Pythias the Fifth! The old fixed idea was again in the
+ascendant! His folly almost made me ill, but it also made me very
+angry, and this time I did not let him off easily. I remonstrated with
+him on the injustice with which he had during his whole life treated
+me, who had always been his true friend, a fact which no one could
+deny, though he had scarcely considered me as such, while he had run up
+friendship after friendship with a set of worthless creatures. His
+Pythias-fancy was a positive frenzy with him, approaching to insanity.
+But he had never had the least idea of what friendship _really was_.
+And as he was ignorant of it, I would tell him that friendship is the
+reward of affection, and it is not to be found in the street, like
+acquaintances, the mere result of chance. But what had he gained by his
+various friendships? Had they not been for a long time a wretched
+slavery, and in the last instance an equally wretched attempt at
+governing? The absurdity had merged at length into a perfect monomania,
+which deserved no mercy, for it had nearly made his poor wife
+thoroughly unhappy. If he could not give up the indulgence of this
+caprice, I advised him to engage a Pythias by the month for certain
+stipulated wages; some poor devil whom he could order to go with him to
+fish, or sit down to a chessboard whenever he pleased, for he required
+no other companion. Such an arrangement would be very convenient,
+because he could dismiss the hired Pythias when he pleased without
+further ado. As to myself, I said, I should continue to visit at his
+house only on his wife's account, for, as she was to be so neglected by
+him, she might require in her isolation the occasional society of a
+sincere friend. I should not come any longer for his sake, as he had
+shown me plainly enough how little he cared, or had ever cared, for me.
+
+Damon was quite dumbfounded at the warmth with which I spoke, and at
+the unvarnished truths with which I overwhelmed him; his conscience
+must have told him that my accusations were not without foundation. He
+gave in, and concord was restored between us upon the condition that,
+for the future, he should renounce all search after his Pythias
+puppets. It was further resolved that the pacification should be 'firm
+and lasting,' as it is called in all treaties of peace.
+
+I had been two or three months travelling abroad, when I received a
+letter from Damon, giving me to understand that an event was expected
+in his house which was looked forward to with much pleasure. I was
+delighted to hear it, hoping that it would add so much to the happiness
+of my friends in the future. At length, to my joy, came another letter,
+announcing the birth of a son, his exact image, and he was so expansive
+in his descriptions of the little stranger, whom he seemed to look upon
+as a prodigy, that he scarcely left himself room to mention his wife.
+
+As soon as I returned home, I went to see him, and found him, like a
+fond papa, in the nursery' where he was pacing up and down, holding a
+monologue about the boy's education and future prospects. The young
+mother was sitting on the sofa with that languid, touching expression
+of heartfelt joy, which is so becoming to young mothers, and with a
+dreamy look, as if she, too, were beholding in her mind's eye the
+future for her child, and in thought were bestowing on him the cherub
+form more meet for an angel than a child of mortality. I congratulated
+them both with all my heart. Damon lifted his 'exact image' from the
+cradle, raised the infant high in the air, and exclaimed with pleasure
+and pride:
+
+'See here! here is my new born friend--my rightful Pythias!'
+
+I could not help smiling at this truly unexpected outburst. What
+obstinacy!
+
+The young mother held out her arms, and cried: 'Oh, give him to
+me--give me my child, my own little man, my darling!'
+
+And when the infant was placed in her arms she caressed him with that
+tenderness which only a mother can show.
+
+'My Pythias!--My darling!' They had both spoken from their hearts, and
+found the word which made them happiest.
+
+When the boy was to be christened, the mother proposed that he should
+be named Charles, and the father that he should also be called Pythias.
+Charles was after me; Pythias was after him, the other--the phantom. I
+could not refrain from whispering to Damon, if it would not be well to
+have the child also christened 'the Fifth.' He laughed, and pushed me
+so, that I had nearly gone head-foremost into the cradle, to 'the
+new-born Pythias.'
+
+And Charles Pythias united in his own person that which makes the
+happiness of marriage--love and friendship. I do not believe that
+either of the parents bethought them how long these feelings had been
+shared among various individuals, so entirely were they now united and
+concentrated in this one little child.
+
+But I pleaded earnestly that the boy should on no account be called
+Pythias, and insisted that it was quite enough for him to bear my name,
+as his father's friend. I was determined to free myself from hearing
+anything more of Pythias. Happily I carried my point, and I _did_ hear
+no more of him. The new-born Pythias, however, took, in due time, his
+rightful place, though he had escaped bearing the ridiculous name.
+
+
+
+
+                            THE FATAL CHAIN.
+
+                    FROM THE SWEDISH OF UNCLE ADAM.
+
+
+One dreary autumn evening, shortly after I had taken possession
+of my living (thus my friend, the Rev. Mr. Z., began his narrative),
+I was sitting alone in my study, the same which I occupy to this day,
+and from which I overlook the church and the churchyard, when a
+servant-girl entered, and announced that a strange gentleman was
+waiting in the drawing-room, who wished to speak to me. I hastened
+downstairs, and found a good-looking young man, although he appeared to
+be unusually pale, with an expression of wild grief in his eyes, which
+led me to conclude that he was the bearer of some unpleasant
+intelligence.
+
+'I come to beg you for the key of the Lejonswärd'schen family vault,'
+said he; 'I believe you have it.'
+
+'What!' I demanded in astonishment, 'do you wish it now, at this late
+hour?'
+
+'Yes; I must have it,' said the stranger, impatiently, 'for a corpse.
+Alas! a corpse is to be interred immediately.'
+
+The stranger's manners seemed to me to be so very peculiar that I still
+hesitated. On perceiving this he cried,
+
+'You appear to be unwilling to give it, sir. You need not hesitate; my
+name is Lejonswärd, and the corpse which is to be laid in the narrow
+tomb is that of my wife. I have one key, but require the other from
+you. Will you still refuse it to me?'
+
+I gave him the key, and with scarcely a word of thanks he hastened
+away. I returned to my chamber, and gazed forth into the darkness which
+shrouded the churchyard. I soon perceived lights moving over the graves
+towards the vaults; the vault lies here, on this side, and the wall at
+the entrance is ornamented by a lion holding in its paw a pierced
+heart. The tomb was opened, and I saw the torchlight through the
+grating. It was a gloomy sight, which I shall never forget.
+
+The simple burial was over, and immediately afterwards a servant
+brought me back the key.
+
+Several years had passed, when the same gentleman entered my room one
+morning.
+
+'Do you recollect me?' he asked. I answered in the affirmative. 'It is
+well,' continued he; 'I am going to become your parishioner, yonder at
+Lejonsnäs.'
+
+'Are you going to live at Lejonsnäs? Surely you are not in earnest,
+Herr Count! No one has resided there for nearly a hundred years.'
+
+'So much the better! I will turn it once more into a human dwelling;
+but I shall lead a very secluded life; my servant is to be my
+major-domo, my coachman, and my valet; that will be a quiet household!
+Will you accompany me?' continued he. 'Though the proprietor of the
+estate, I am perfectly ignorant of its situation. Will you accompany
+me, and instal me among my dear forefathers who are there in effigy?'
+
+Having acquainted my wife with my intended journey, I seated myself
+along with the count in his carriage, and set off, driven by the much
+experienced domestic, who, besides his knowledge of the mysteries of
+the kitchen and the bed-chamber, was also skilled in managing a pair of
+horses.
+
+We soon arrived at the estate. A large, heavy building, to which, wings
+had been added, stood, with its dingy windows, in gloomy grandeur; a
+double row of ancient trees skirted the spacious court-yard, in the
+centre of which, surrounded by a wild and partly withered hedge of box,
+arose a dried-up fountain. This is a slight description of the place.
+
+The count smiled and looked at me. 'How does the house please you?'
+said he. 'To me it looks like the abode of spectres. It is strange,'
+continued he, 'that people are always anxious to attach a more intimate
+connection with the world of spirits to places such as this, as if
+spirits could not reveal their presence anywhere. You doubt my words.
+You shake your head. Why? If there be no communication with the world
+of spirits, why have we an inward voice which tells us that there is?'
+
+'All have not such a voice,' I answered, smiling.
+
+'There you are mistaken, dear sir,' replied the count, eagerly. 'You
+cannot deny that there are things which pass our comprehension, which
+therefore originate from a higher power; and there scarcely exists a
+man who, once in his life at least, has not been placed in a situation
+which has forced him to believe in the influence of a world of spirits.
+Tell me, what is it that consoles him who has lost all that he held
+dear? For instance, a--'--he was silent a moment, as if struggling with
+inward emotion--'a wife,' continued he, 'and child. What is that--when,
+crushed by the cruel hand of Fate, one kneels before a coffin--which
+illumines the soul like a clear stream of light from a better world, or
+whispers sweet comfort to the half-paralyzed heart?'
+
+'Religion,' I replied; 'the consolation of religion, Herr Count.'
+
+'No, no, Herr Pastor; religion has nothing to do with _this_. Religion
+is a sentiment embracing duty and devotion, which is founded on faith,
+and directed by reason. The sensation to which I allude is something
+outward, something which affects the soul as suddenly as a flash of
+lightning, without the thoughts having had time to dwell on the
+possibility of consolation. It is as if a stream of light broke
+unexpectedly upon the mind, Herr Pastor. It is not religion, but the
+spirit of the beloved departed which bestows on the mourner a portion
+of its own bliss.'
+
+Just then the inspector arrived with the keys of the castle, and
+interrupted our conversation. He also was of the same opinion as
+myself, that the castle was not fit to be inhabited; but the count
+remained firm to his intention of taking up his abode there.
+
+'Give me the keys, inspector. You need not accompany us; my friend and
+I will be able to find our way, I do not doubt. You need only tell us
+to which doors the keys belong.'
+
+The inspector bowed, and began as he was requested to sort the keys.
+
+'This one belongs to the large house-door; this, to the suite of rooms
+occupied by the councillor of blessed memory; and this, to the
+apartments which the councillor's wife inhabited. This key belongs to
+the young count's rooms; or,' continued he, rather embarrassed, 'to the
+rooms in the western wing, which belonged to your grandfather, Herr
+Count, when he was a young man.'
+
+'Enough, good sir. We shall find our way,' said the count, as he
+smilingly interrupted him.
+
+We approached the castle. 'Did you hear,' said the count, '_the young
+count's rooms?_' The young count was my grandfather. This shows that
+traditions never grow old. He is still called THE YOUNG COUNT here,
+although it is about fifty years since he died, old and infirm.'
+
+As we entered the lofty arched entrance-hall, a chill, dank air met us.
+Here and there a portion of the ornamental gilding from the walls had
+fallen away, and several large oil-paintings, representing bear-hunts,
+had become spotted with mould and dust.
+
+'The entrance-hall is not particularly inviting,' said the count; 'but
+let us proceed farther.'
+
+The key was placed into the heavy, elaborately ornamented door, leading
+to the apartments of the councillor above mentioned. We entered an
+antechamber, hung with several portraits and landscapes of the Dutch
+school; here, in a richly-gilt frame, which the hand of time had
+partially robbed of its brilliancy, was a lady dressed as a
+shepherdess, with a broad-brimmed straw hat upon her powdered head, and
+a shepherd's crook in her hand; a lovely smile played round the rosy
+lips, and the bright and speaking eyes sparkled with gaiety.
+
+'That,' said the count, 'is my grandmother. She is smiling to us. She
+was painted as a bride, and there she still sits in her youthful
+beauty. It is the same with portraits as with the soul--they never grow
+old.'
+
+We went on, and entered a room with a polished oaken floor, and the
+walls hung with gilded leather in richly-gilt partitions; there was a
+stiff grandeur about the room, which was rendered more formal by the
+old-fashioned furniture. The mouldings of the ceilings were decorated
+by groups of clumsy figures, a remnant of the grotesque taste, and
+accumulation of ornaments so prevalent in the seventeenth century. This
+had formerly been the chamber in which the councillor had studied, and
+it had been left untouched, just as it was during his lifetime. A
+clock, in a large stand of Chinese painting, in black and gold, stood
+silent and covered with dust in a corner, and a thick bell-rope with
+ponderous silk tassels still hung in another corner near the heavy
+writing-table, before which was placed, as if the student had only a
+moment before arisen from it, a narrow, high-backed chair, with legs
+curved outwards. Beyond this room came a bed-chamber, decorated in the
+style as the one we had just left.
+
+'By Heavens,' said the count, 'it almost seems as if you were
+right. I cannot reconcile myself to these rooms, and to this furniture.
+Rooms and furniture--if I may so express myself--are our nearest
+acquaintances--a chair, a table, a sofa, are often our most intimate
+companions.'
+
+At length we arrived at two small rooms, the windows of which looked
+out upon the garden; they seemed to have been more recently occupied,
+and were more simply furnished.
+
+'I shall pitch my tent here!' said the count. 'The arrangements cannot
+be said to be of the newest fashion, but, at any rate, there is a more
+cheerful aspect about this place than in any other part of the castle.'
+
+Before the table stood an arm-chair, which formerly had been gilded,
+but now the white grounding was visible in many places; the red velvet
+with which it was covered was not faded; indeed, upon the whole, the
+colours were better preserved in this room than in the others. I was
+surprised at it, but the count, who regarded everything in his own
+peculiar way, merely remarked that the chamber lay on the northern side
+of the house.
+
+'You see, Herr Pastor, where the full glare of the sun cannot
+penetrate, anything old is better preserved. It is a well-known fact,
+that what is ancient is best preserved in darkness; this holds good as
+well in the material as in the moral world, for light is only required
+by that which is growing. Objects that decay are more easily destroyed
+in light than in twilight. Hence,' he added, with a satirical curl of
+his lip, 'darkness is so necessary for the preservation of what is
+old.'
+
+These apartments having been brought into some sort of order, the count
+established himself in them; from the time he had taken possession of
+his paternal property, his temper appeared to have become more equable.
+The castle harmonized with his restless soul, which cared not for the
+present, but loved rather to live amidst the memory of the past, which
+was crowded with familiar acquaintances; or, to endeavour to seek a
+dark and mysterious intercourse with another and to us unknown, world.
+
+He was a visionary, but a noble visionary, with a deep sense of
+everything that is good and grand. I frequently visited him, and found
+him often engaged in reading, but he always hid his book when I
+entered. Once, however, I happened to catch a glimpse of it; it was
+Jung Stilling's works.
+
+'I see, count,' said I, 'that you are reading about ghosts and
+apparitions. You surely do not believe in them?'
+
+'Why should I not? Is there anything absurd in that belief, or do you
+suppose that man is the only being in the creation intellectually
+endowed? That he stands next to God? Do you not believe in the
+possibility that the human soul, when freed from its vile earthly
+garment, can receive a more perfect, an ethereal body, suited to its
+new state? _I_ believe in it, and find comfort in the thought. What
+were man if he did not, even here below, penetrate, however dimly, into
+a future existence, and acquire a slight knowledge of its mysteries?
+What were we did we not all believe in this, to a greater or lesser
+extent? I maintain that there does not exist a man who has not some
+belief in spirits, even though he may ridicule the idea to others. When
+Death steals away the best beloved of a man's heart, seizes her in his
+bony arms, and draws her down into the gloom of the grave--when the
+hand of Providence lies heavily upon him--rest assured, my friend,
+_that_ man will believe in a spiritual world.'
+
+'Assuredly; and he ought to do so. No one should dare to doubt the
+future existence of the soul.'
+
+'I speak of the atmosphere as being peopled with spirits; to that
+belief the soul of man clings when sorrowing for the dead.'
+
+'Sorrow often leads to wild ideas,' I remarked.
+
+'Sorrow!' repeated the count. 'You are partly right; sorrow constitutes
+the night in the fate of mankind. When we are prosperous we heed not
+the noiseless, measured movement of the wheel of fate; the earthy
+element asserts its right over us, and cheats us into the belief that
+we are happy. True happiness and sorrow are more in unison than we are
+apt to fancy. If we sit on a peaceful evening with a beloved wife and
+her children, and thank the Lord for all the blessings we enjoy, it is
+their presence which constitutes our happiness; or, if we fall upon our
+knees by the side of their inanimate corpses, though we are bowed down
+with grief for their loss at first, after a time we cease to feel that
+we are alone. There is a something invisible, inaudible, and yet
+intelligible to our inmost soul that tells us restoration succeeds to
+dissolution, and life succeeds to death; and this something I call a
+mysterious intercourse with the spirit world.'
+
+'But, count,' I suggested, 'reason points out to us--'
+
+'Reason!' repeated he, impetuously interrupting me. 'Speak not of cold
+reason! What is that power which some possess of divining every
+feeling, every thought of those near them? What is feeling in
+comparison with foreboding--judgment in comparison with faith? He who
+acknowledges the existence of a higher world--who sincerely and
+earnestly believes in a connection between his feelings and their
+author--God--is a person of elevated mind; the man, on the contrary,
+who in his pride of intellect detracts from the Holy One, and divides
+the indivisible, is grovelling and limited in his ideas. I never could
+endure that over-wise reason, which would force itself into everything,
+fancying that it could take part in everything, without doing so in
+reality. Do not say, therefore, Herr Pastor, what reason points out to
+us. I contend that reason knows nothing about the matter.'
+
+I found it was not worth while to dispute with the count, for as he
+would not admit the right of reason, I had nothing to advance against
+his vague and undefinable notions.
+
+'It is a comfort,' said the count, one day, 'to believe in spiritual
+visits. I live alone here; my servants inhabit the second story, and
+you may possibly fancy that my time often hangs heavily on my hands.
+Far from it; when my candles begin to burn dimly in the evening, and
+the thick foliage is rustling gently--when the old furniture creaks,
+and a distant sound is heard, which may either be taken for the
+ringing of bells or the chanting of low murmuring voices, then my true
+life begins. I saunter up and down the room, and at times stand still
+and listen. Ah, then, often do I feel as if a flood of joy were rushing
+on my wounded heart--there is a flitting sound in the adjoining
+chamber--"Julia, Julia! thou hast not forgotten me!" I exclaim; and,
+calm and happy, I retire to rest and fall asleep dreaming of her.'
+
+The count sank into deep thought, but he soon raised his dark eyes
+again, and gazing into my face, he said,
+
+'You are my friend, are you not, even though you do not approve of my
+chimeras, as you reasonable people call them? I speak of my Julia; you
+do not know her, although she has for year belonged to your parish. She
+it was who, on the evening that I saw you for the first time, was
+conveyed to her last resting-place--she, my wife. I will tell you about
+my Julia, and you must not endeavour to dissuade me, by reasoning, from
+a belief which has become so necessary to me.'
+
+The count seated himself in a large arm-chair, and began his narrative
+as follows:
+
+The house of Baron Lindesparre, in Stockholm, was, at the period from
+which my story dates, the rendezvous of all the talent and beauty of
+the capital. His soirées were noted for the distinguished tone which
+pervaded them, for their unconstrained mirth, and their elegance
+without ostentation. His splendid apartments were tastefully arranged,
+without a single article being placed so as to appear more prominent
+than the rest; where all was luxury the profusion was not observable.
+It was only when one analyzed the magnificence of the house that one
+found it _was_ magnificent.
+
+The baron had been many years a widower: his wife, a Spaniard by birth,
+I never saw, but she had left a daughter, beautiful and gentle, a being
+formed partly of the glowing roses of the South, and partly of the snow
+of the North. She was the fairy of the place, and hundreds vied for a
+smile from her lips. This was Julia. She became my wife.
+
+We had been married half a year, and had a separate residence, but on
+every soirée Julia went to her father's to do the honours of the house.
+On one of these evenings the company was more numerous than usual, and
+I observed a gentleman among the crowd whom I did not know, and who
+kept his eyes continually fixed upon my wife. He was tall and thin,
+with a countenance pale and attenuated, the features were almost stiff
+and inanimate, and the flashing eyes alone, which he fixed with a sort
+of scornful look upon my Julia, betrayed life. He was dressed in black,
+but a small star of brilliants sparkled from his button-hole, showing
+that he was in the service of some government. The man appeared to be
+about fifty years of ago, and a few grey hairs peeped out here and
+there among his otherwise black locks. I know not why I took such a
+strong interest in him; I fancied him disagreeable, and yet I was
+attracted to him. His was a sort of spell such as certain snakes are
+said to exercise over their victims.
+
+My father-in-law came towards me. 'Who is that gentleman dressed in
+black?' I asked.
+
+'Ah,' answered the old man, 'I had almost forgotten to introduce you;
+he is a Spaniard, a countryman of my beloved wife. Come.'
+
+I followed him, and soon stood before the strange-looking guest.
+
+'Don Caldero,' began my father-in-law; 'allow me to have the honour of
+introducing to you my son-in-law, Count Lejonswärd--Don Caldero,
+attaché to the Spanish Embassy.'
+
+The stranger in the black dress said a few polite words to my
+father-in-law, who then moved on.
+
+'As far as I can judge from observation, count, you are the happiest
+husband in all cold Sweden. I am glad to have made your acquaintance,'
+said the Spaniard; 'I have long remarked you, and intended to have
+inquired your name. You, like myself, appear to pay attention not only
+to the outward but also to the inward properties of mankind. I rejoice
+to have met a kindred spirit.'
+
+Thus began my acquaintance with a man who, notwithstanding his cold,
+severe, repulsive manners, possessed a fiery soul, and a mind capable
+of conceiving grand ideas. From this evening Don Caldero became
+intimate with me, and his clear understanding, the captivating warmth
+which he too well knew how to mingle with his elegant conversation,
+guided my ideas and feelings into a direction for which I was already
+predisposed by character, but in which, without Don Caldero, I probably
+never would have gone so far. He often visited at our house, and I
+became more and more attached to the highly-talented and well-informed
+Spaniard, and he, too, seemed disposed to like me. It was he who, with
+a clearness which I am not capable of imitating, pointed out to me the
+connection between God and man, between the visible and the invisible
+world, who proved to me the existence of a communication between a
+spiritual world and ours, manifested in dreams, forebodings, and in
+mysterious intimations of the influence of a higher power, which we
+experience in moments of grave importance. It was he who placed before
+me the truth of apparitions, purified from all superstition--that is to
+say, denying them to be gross, material manifestations, but receiving
+them as produced through the interposition of beings endowed with
+greater powers of intellect than ourselves. You should have heard him,
+sir, and though you are so great a sceptic, you would have believed him
+as I did.
+
+We often amused ourselves with playing at chess, game that has always
+interested me greatly. Don Caldero shared my taste, and we sometimes
+fought a whole evening over one game.
+
+'Chess pleases me,' he used to say, 'because it depends less than
+anything else upon the chance of fate. Fate makes itself visible
+everywhere, hence one must seek a pastime which excludes it as much as
+possible; our pastimes ought to be such, that spirits cannot interfere
+and amuse themselves at our expense.'
+
+Don Caldero frequented my father-in-law's soirées, and my house, but
+hitherto he had never invited me to visit him. He resided in a large
+mansion quite by himself, and never received any strangers. His
+character did not attract people, it rather caused him to be avoided;
+for few knew, or could understand, his great worth, and fewer still
+were inclined to follow him in his bold flights through the vast
+regions of fancy.
+
+
+After praising his friend at some length, the count concluded his
+eulogy by saying:
+
+
+In a word, Herr Pastor, there is but one such man in the world, and
+that man is called Caldero.
+
+At length, one evening, Caldero _did_ invite me. He lived at the
+farther end of the northern suburb, in a house which he had furnished
+according to his own taste. On entering the saloon I found no one, the
+apartment was empty, and merely lighted by a single handsome lamp,
+which hung from the ceiling, and which cast a subdued light around. I
+went farther: everywhere I encountered the same silence, the same
+twilight, the same heavy grandeur, which was to be traced in every
+object. I stood still, a strange feeling creeping over me, the nursery
+legends about enchanted castles flashed across my mind, and I fancied
+myself transported into one whose owner, with all his retainers, lay in
+one of the inner chambers, buried for many centuries in a profound
+magical slumber. These thoughts were soon, however, chafed away by soft
+steps upon the rich carpet, and Caldero's gloomy figure stood before
+me.
+
+'Welcome, count!' he said, courteously. 'I thank you for coming to my
+hermitage, where, you must know, I have never invited anyone but
+yourself. I longed for one evening to take entire possession of you;
+pardon my selfishness.'
+
+He led me into the inner cabinet. This was a small chamber, but lofty,
+and fitted up in a still more gloomy style than the others. The walls,
+hung with dark-red velvet, contrasted strangely with the white and gold
+pilasters which stood at the four corners. In the middle of the room
+was a table, upon which was placed a chessboard between a pair of tall
+wax candles. We seated ourselves upon the sofa, and my host appeared to
+be reflecting upon something; at length he exclaimed:
+
+'Count! perhaps you may think it extraordinary that the Spaniard
+Caldero has formed such an affection for you. He considers it his duty
+to explain why; but in order to do so, I must give you a slight sketch
+of my history.'
+
+I listened with great attention to what this strange introduction might
+lead, and Don Caldero continued:
+
+'I was born and educated in Madrid; my father was a poor but excellent
+man, belonging to the ancient nobility, and I imbibed from my earliest
+infancy high notions of the value of rank. Latterly it has fallen in my
+estimation, although I cannot even now entirely free myself from a
+prejudice in favour of the advantages of good birth. I was, as I said
+before, poor, but proud, as every Spaniard should be, and an ardent
+longing to obtain honour and distinction dwelt in my youthful breast.
+This longing was increased tenfold by my passion for a lovely girl as
+poor as myself, but even more richly endowed with ancestors. The slight
+difference which existed in the ancientness of our lineage, combined
+with my poverty, prevented our love from becoming anything more than a
+hopeless passion; for her parents, proud of their pure Christian blood,
+which for centuries had remained unmixed, could not endure the idea of
+their daughter uniting herself to me, whose early ancestor was a Moor,
+a scion of that noble race who once occupied a portion of Spain. Still
+youth and love easily forget these small differences, and Maria, so the
+young lady was called, loved me most fervently. Often when she left
+mass she bestowed upon me a few minutes undisturbed by witnesses. Ah!
+how happy I then was! I fancied my own individual merit would, in time,
+convince Maria's parents that I was worthy of her hand; I therefore
+sought to be appointed to the diplomatic corps, a path which, under our
+weak government, was a sure road to distinction; nor was it long before
+I was named attaché to the mission to Vienna.
+
+'I met my beloved; it was for the last time; and never shall that
+moment pass from my memory.
+
+'"Do not forget your faithful Alphonso," I whispered, as I pressed her
+in my arms. I felt how her tears rolled down her blooming cheeks.
+
+'"See, beloved Maria," I said, at length, giving her a small golden
+chain, which I had received from my mother--"see, here is something as
+a remembrance of me; keep it faithfully. If, however, you should
+forsake me, then return it to me, and I will wear it, and die thinking
+of, and praying for, you."'
+
+'"Never, never!" murmured Maria, as she took the chain.
+
+'"Never, never!" I repeated, pressing her to my heart. "But, Maria!" I
+continued after I had become more composed, "you might perhaps, forget
+me; will you, as a proof of our eternal union, share a consecrated
+wafer with your lover?" I had one, which I broke in two. "God is our
+witness!" we both said. The clock in the adjoining cloister struck
+eleven.
+
+'"I must go," cried Maria. "For ever yours; for ever and for ever!"
+
+'Long after she had disappeared I stood rooted to the spot, striving to
+catch a glimpse of her in the moonlight. "For ever--for ever!" sounded
+in my ears, and, midst golden dreams of a future full of bliss and
+honour, I wended my way home.
+
+'I had been about a year in Vienna, when one evening a stranger brought
+me a packet. It contained the chain. I was horrified.
+
+'"Deceived!--forsaken!--forgotten!" I cried. "But no, it is
+impossible!" A slip of paper which was enclosed, contained, to my
+comfort, the following words: "I remember my oath, but am _forced_ to
+break it. Do not despise Maria."'
+
+Don Caldero showed me a locket, which he wore near his heart. 'Do you
+know this face?' said he. I started; they were the features of my wife.
+
+'My wife!' I cried, in an agitated voice.
+
+'No, my friend,' replied Caldero, with a bitter smile; 'it was her
+mother. On this account I attached myself to you, for I still love the
+mother in her child. I have suffered, I have become resigned, but I
+have never _forgotten_: and I willingly cling to the belief, that
+necessity and compulsion alone robbed me of my Maria. Let us play,
+count.'
+
+I silently seated myself at the chess-table, on which was ranged a
+splendid set of chessmen; the board was of black-and-white stone,
+and the men of one party were of silver, with tops of clear
+crystal, diamond cut, while those of the other side were of a dark
+steel-coloured metal, with dark red-tops.
+
+'It is not usual,' began Don Caldero, 'to play chess for money; yet why
+should we not at least venture something? I should like--I have often
+very strange ideas--I should like to give your Julia the chain which
+her mother possessed for a time; it is neither valuable nor modern, but
+perhaps if she hears its history, she may kindly wear it in remembrance
+of Don Caldero. I will stake the necklace, and you, count, will you
+stake a lock of the dark hair of your Julia? She will doubtless give
+it, if you ask for it. You must forgive an old, despised lover, for
+fancying he sees the mother when he gazes on your wife.'
+
+'I consent willingly to this arrangement,' I replied, smiling.
+
+We played; but it seemed as though Don Caldero took pains to lose, and
+he speedily succeeded in his endeavours.
+
+'I am vanquished,' he said quietly, as he went towards a casket, which
+I had not hitherto observed. 'Here, count, is the chain; I shall be
+more calm when it is no longer in my hands.'
+
+The chain was more costly than I had imagined, and I was pleased at the
+idea of Julia wearing it when Caldero visited us. I instantly wrote a
+note to Julia, in which, without mentioning anything about her mother,
+I told her of Caldero's and my bet, and begged her for a lock of her
+hair, in case, against my expectation, I should lose the next game. I
+sent a servant to my house with this note and the chain to my wife,
+after which we again returned to the chess-table. Now Caldero became
+more cautious; I, on the contrary, was seized by a secret anxiety, an
+uneasiness which I could not explain. I did not perceive the false
+moves I was too evidently making. Don Caldero drew my attention to my
+carelessness and more than once, made me take back my move; all was in
+vain, I was as though bewitched, and could no longer calculate my
+position. At length the servant returned, bringing a small note from
+Julia. She jested at the taste of our Spanish friend, yet sent the lock
+of hair, at the same time entreating me not again, not even for more
+costly ornaments than the chain, to stake the ringlets of my wife. I
+showed Caldero the note; he read it, and seemed to turn pale.
+
+'Her handwriting resembles her mother's,' he said, and laid the note
+upon the table. 'Let us continue.'
+
+We played on, but I soon found myself completely surrounded by his men;
+my strange uneasiness increased at each moment; I felt as though a
+drawn sword were suspended by a hair over my head; the candles seemed
+to burn blue; the white tops of my kings appeared to assume a pale
+milk-white colour, whereas the dark-red of Calderos men glowed like
+fiery coals, radiant with some inward light.
+
+'Checkmated,' he said, in a low tone. 'Checkmated, count,' he repeated,
+louder; but I sat immovable, staring fixedly at the chessmen. I
+experienced a horrible sensation, as though an evil spirit were
+standing behind me, with his burning hot hand upon my head;
+nevertheless I was shivering--a death-like coldness had crept over my
+whole body, and yet--At length I ventured to glance at Don Caldero; his
+gloomy countenance was more pale than usual, he looked like a corpse,
+and his dark hollow eyes were intently fixed upon me. 'This is the 12th
+of August,' he murmured, as if to himself. 'Reconciliation with the
+dead. Count, give me the lock of hair.'
+
+I handed it to him, and then, rising from my seat as one intoxicated, I
+staggered out of the house. I was conscious of nothing that was going
+on; but Caldero followed me.
+
+'Forgive me, count, my strange behaviour; but it is exactly twenty
+years this day since Maria and I shared the consecrated wafer. I have
+kept my oath. Good night, count. Do not forget your friend.'
+
+I hastened home. Never in my life have I so distinctly beard a voice of
+warning in the inmost depths of my soul. 'Hasten! hasten! hasten!'
+cried the voice; and I flew rather than walked.
+
+'Is Julia up still?' I asked of the servant who let me in.
+
+'The countess?' he inquired. 'Yes, yes; the countess!'
+
+'The countess must be still up; she dismissed her maid only a few
+minutes ago.'
+
+I ran to my wife's room. Julia was sitting in an arm-chair before her
+toilet-table, and quite calmly, as though she had not heard my hasty
+steps.
+
+'God be praised that my foreboding of evil has not proved true!' I
+exclaimed.
+
+No answer.
+
+'Julia!' I cried, in an agony of anxiety--'Julia, do you not hear me?'
+
+Still the same silence. She sat immovable before the mirror, and her
+lovely features were reflected in the glass; the trinket which I had
+won was round her neck, and a gentle expression was in her tender black
+eyes.
+
+'Julia! Julia!' I cried, seizing her hand. It was cold, but not rigid.
+God! my God! She was dead! I know not what further happened, but a
+fortnight later I was with you, Herr Pastor, to place the remains of my
+Julia in my family vault.'
+
+
+The count had risen, and strode up and down the room in great
+agitation. The clock struck eleven.
+
+'Art thou there, Julia?' he cried, while his eyes roved wildly round.
+'Come in! come in!' He opened the door leading to the adjoining room,
+and called out into the darkness, 'Julia, I am here! here is thy
+husband!' A cold draught of air alone was wafted into the room, and a
+slight rustling noise was discernible. 'She passes on,' said the count.
+He slammed the door, and sank into an arm-chair. 'She will not come to
+me! My God! my God! let me go to her!'
+
+The count sat for awhile lost in deep thought; at length he sprang up,
+gazed at me with eyes beaming with joy, and exclaimed,
+
+'Pastor Z., it is glorious to hope!'
+
+When I left him I actually found myself trembling, and I was right glad
+that the servant lighted me along the deserted apartments, so powerful
+is the effect of the imagination when excited.
+
+I continued to visit the count from time to time. His grief had, I
+fancied, calmed down, but his health was beginning to suffer,
+imperceptibly to himself perhaps, but not so to those who saw him now
+and then. I remarked that he was gradually becoming more strange; he
+often laughed at things which were not at all ludicrous; nevertheless,
+he was always the same amiable man I had ever known him, and his
+judgment was clear on every subject except when the mystic world was
+touched upon, then his thoughts used to wander, and Julia, his beloved
+Julia, was always the pivot round which his ideas turned.
+
+In the middle of winter I suddenly received a message, to the effect
+that I was wanted immediately at the castle. The messenger could not
+tell the reason why I had been summoned, but said that the count's
+valet had ordered him to saddle a horse and to ride as fast as he could
+to me. I suspected some misfortune, so set off instantly.
+
+When I entered the count's room he was seated at a table.
+
+'Ah, is it you, Pastor Z.?' he said, when he perceived me. 'Have you
+come to preach peace to my soul? Begin, sir; it will be amusing to
+listen--ha, ha, ha!--to hope in God? God? what is that? No, pastor, now
+I am wise--I believe in nothing, not even in myself, nor in you,
+priest, you black-skinned slug! You are one of those who wind
+themselves round mankind, and lie with a double tongue! Speak on, sir!'
+
+His flashing eyes and uplifted arm, which threatened to strike, caused
+me to start back: he was evidently deranged. His pale lips trembled
+with rage, and his black hair hung in disorder about his brow, from
+which drops of perspiration rolled down his cheeks. I perceived that
+here I could be of no use; I therefore went to the bell to summon the
+servant. He made his appearance, pale, and with eyes red from weeping.
+
+'Look!' cried the count, wildly laughing--'only look, Pastor Z.! The
+livelong night he has been borrowing from the fountain of tears, and
+talking no end of nonsense, merely because I told the fool the simple
+fact that neither he nor I possessed a soul, and that there is no such
+thing as right or wrong. Well? How comical you look--ha, ha, ha! You,
+and my man yonder, look like a couple of frightened sheep. You may rely
+on what I say, he would have come if it had been in his power; but all
+is over, he cannot come. Yes, look yonder, stare at your heaven: it is
+air, mere air, nothing but empty air. Do you understand? The earth is a
+solid lump, upon which cabbages, long-tailed monkeys, men, and other
+plants grow; and above is heaven, that is to say, sensibly speaking,
+air, atmosphere. Well? Are you not capable of comprehending this? it is
+as clear as the day. Just listen,' he continued; 'mankind is a sort of
+animal of prey, which, even when tamed, do not lose their natural
+propensities; they are worse than beasts of prey, for even the tiger
+loves its mate and its young, but look, man murders them--murders, do
+you hear?'
+
+He hid his face in his hands, and wept aloud.
+
+'I do not know what the letter could have contained,' whispered the
+servant. 'The count received it yesterday evening; he seemed overjoyed
+when he beheld the handwriting, and before I left the room; when I
+returned, however, he was just as you now see him. The poor count!' he
+continued; 'he was such an excellent master!'
+
+The count sprang to his feet as if he had been terrified by something.
+'Ho!' he cried, and his wild eyes wandered round the room. 'So much
+blood, so much poison were flowing over the earth; then a serpent
+stretched out its scaly head from the bottomless pit and seized the
+white dove. She fluttered her wings, the poor little thing, but first
+one part of her and then the other was crushed in the serpent's throat.
+It was her dead mother who devoured her: it was horrible! Look
+yonder--look, Herr Pastor! A thick darkness overspread the earth; not a
+single ray of hope could penetrate through the bloody vapour to her!
+Nay, good pastor, it was merely a freak of fancy, but at the same time
+a picture of the truth. Her mother and her husband murdered her. Do you
+now understand?'
+
+In this strain the unhappy man continued to rave for several days. I
+remained in the castle, for I hoped he might rally. A doctor was called
+in: he applied many remedies, none of which, however, seemed to afford
+the sufferer any relief. The count continued to be insane, and never
+for an instant did he close his eyes in sleep. At length, however, he
+became exhausted, and was obliged to be carried to his bed. I was then
+called to him. How much he had changed! his dark eyes had sunken
+greatly? and looked like flames half extinguished; his cheeks had
+fallen in, and his brow was full of wrinkles. He lay apparently in a
+state of complete exhaustion, and when I addressed him he did not
+answer.
+
+His servant privately handed me the fatal letter. It was from Don
+Caldero, and ran as follows:
+
+
+'DEAR COUNT,--When this letter reaches you, I shall be no more. It
+shall be laid in my desk, ready to be sent to you after my death. I owe
+you an explanation to divest you of your erroneous ideas respecting
+another world. For a long time past I have not believed in a future
+life, but it has been one of my favourite amusements to observe the
+faith of enthusiasts. It gave me pleasure when I perceived a man misled
+by his faith, and I laughed in my sleeve at such folly. I influenced
+your opinions, as I found you to be a fit subject for my experiments.
+
+'I am a Catholic; from my youth upwards my eye has been accustomed to
+weeping Madonnas; I have heard the miracles respecting the saints
+narrated, and was expected to believe all I heard. The consequence is,
+that I have ended by believing nothing, The whole of religion rests
+upon the conviction of the present and eternal existence of the
+immortal soul; but there is no proof that man possesses a soul, any
+more than there is proof of the truth of the above-mentioned miracles.
+Man is an animal like the other inhabitants of the globe, with this
+exception only, that he has a more perfectly-developed brain, and a
+greater number of intellectual organs. Life is quite independent of
+soul. I have studied these subjects, and have become convinced that the
+theory about the soul is a fabrication of the priesthood, invented to
+enable them the more easily to govern the body. There can be no Divine
+disposer of human events, else wickedness would not prosper in this
+world as it does, whilst uprightness suffers. There is a governing law
+in nature which dooms mankind to death, just as the trees are compelled
+annually to shed their leaves. I saw how oaths were broken with
+impunity; I shared with a maiden, whom I loved more than my life, a
+consecrated wafer, the most sacred thing I then knew: _she_ broke the
+oath and became happy, while _I_, who kept it, became miserable. Hence
+I began to believe in fate, and not in Providence, and learned to
+despise mankind to prevent myself from hating them.
+
+'I met you and your Julia; she was _her_ daughter. She was beautiful,
+and as yet nothing had occurred to try her character. For awhile my old
+dreams of faithful love revived, and for the daughter's sake I forgave
+the mother, who had so deeply wounded the most sacred of all feelings,
+if anything can be termed sacred. To be brief, count, I fancied myself
+once more in my enthusiastic youthful days; I forgot the sentiments
+experience had induced me to adopt, and faith in Maria's love blossomed
+anew in my heart, like the flowers which take root in the loose ashes
+of a volcano. I fancied my innocent Maria would meet me in another
+world with a kind welcome, and joyfully traverse with me the regions of
+space. You see, count, that the notion of eternity and God proceeds
+from our conceptions of love, and that, where there is no love, faith
+is also wanting.
+
+'Your wife died suddenly on the anniversary of the day on which Maria
+and I had taken the oath. I considered this event as a sign from
+Heaven, from her who, yonder above the skies, still loved me. I thought
+the mother had called her daughter to herself, for she was the only
+being on earth who testified to her broken oath. I deceived myself.
+
+'I had scarcely returned to Spain, when I received a visit from a monk.
+
+'"Pardon me, senor," said he, "if I take the liberty of putting a
+question to you. Have you a chain, which you once received from a
+distinguished lady whom you loved?"
+
+'I gazed at the man in astonishment, and answered, "Yes; what can you
+know about it?"
+
+'"Señor, I prepared an old woman for death who had been engaged in some
+cases of poisoning, and she confessed the following, which she gave me
+permission to repeat, if by so doing any advantage might be gained:
+'One evening,' these were her words, 'I was summoned to a young and
+beautiful lady, she was called Maria Viso'--was that the name of your
+beloved?--'and she begged me to insert a powerful poison in the clasp
+of a chain.'
+
+'"Although the wretched woman was accustomed to such commissions, she
+nevertheless asked who was to wear the chain? The lady answered that it
+had been given to her by an importunate suitor who was called Caldero,
+and she now wished to send back the chain to him. She also said that
+her feelings towards him were changed, and she now preferred another,
+but that her parents, who formerly opposed her marriage with him, had
+become anxious for it, and wished to force it on her, and she was
+determined to get rid of him.
+
+'"The woman thereupon inserted the poison into the clasp. The lady had
+afterwards married a heretic, and this act of hers it was which had
+roused the poisoner's conscience, for notwithstanding her being so
+great a criminal, she was an orthodox Catholic. She sought to find you
+out, in the hope that the scheme had not succeeded according to the
+lady's intentions. The Lord be praised and thanked that you did not
+wear that chain, you would undoubtedly have died if you had; the best
+thing you can do with it will be to present it to our poor monastery,
+for with the pure everything is pure, and the poison might be expunged
+by melting the gold."
+
+'I stood like one turned into a statue of stone. It was, then, the
+decree of fate that the mother should be accessary to the daughter's
+death, and the latter be sacrificed for the crime of the former!
+
+'Picture to yourself now, if you can, count, blessed spirits: imagine
+to yourself, now, a heaven on earth with a woman you love; cling to a
+belief in another world; if you can do all this, then you are indeed a
+perfect fool. I have relapsed into my old views: the earth remains
+earth, and nothing more. When you are reading this I shall be dead,
+cold, and buried. If, however, I have an immortal soul, you will know
+the contents of this letter before it arrives, otherwise you must
+believe that nothing remains of him who once was your friend.
+
+                                         'CALDERO.'
+
+
+The much-to-be-pitied victim of Caldero's cold atheism and contempt of
+mankind still sat in the same position, staring gloomily before him,
+without uttering a syllable, but now and then heaving a deep-drawn
+sigh. It was evident that he would soon be at rest, for every day he
+became weaker and weaker.
+
+I scarcely ever left the bedside of the unfortunate young man, in the
+hope that he might, if only for a few minutes, regain his senses, when
+I could speak peace to his soul.
+
+One evening, after this sad state of affairs had continued without
+interruption for a fortnight, I was sitting at a table reading, with my
+back turned to the count, when I heard a low whispering behind me; it
+was his voice. I listened--it was a fervent, humble prayer for peace in
+death, and pardon for all his sins. I let him finish his prayer
+undisturbed.
+
+'Who is there?' asked the count, in a feeble tone.
+
+I drew near to the bed.
+
+'Is it you, Pastor Z.?' he said mildly. 'Still up? It is late. I am
+happy now, my friend, for it will soon be day; I have had a long night.
+I am dying, but I bear within me a strong voice crying, 'Love is
+faith,' and I pray, bowing myself in humility before the God of Love. I
+have wandered from the right path, I was misled, misfortune pursued me,
+and I became, through my thoughtlessness, Julia's murderer. The
+crushing intelligence contained in Caldero's letter shook my trust in
+everything, for it is a relief to a guilty soul not to believe in a
+Judge. But my presumptuous folly was punished, my understanding became
+obscured. A light has burst upon me now, and since I have prayed I feel
+at peace. I prayed--for many years I neglected to do so--yes, I prayed
+with clasped hands, as my mother used to teach me when I was an
+innocent child. Alas, I ought always to have prayed thus.'
+
+He ceased speaking, and leaning his head against his pillow, he looked
+steadfastly at me with a mild, glorified expression of countenance. I
+had sunk upon my knees at the side of his bed, and poured forth thanks
+to my God for the ray of light and hope which he had permitted to
+penetrate the darkened mind of the poor sufferer.
+
+'Lord!' I entreated, 'grant him light!'
+
+'Light,' he repeated, in a low whisper, 'Lord! more light. God be
+praised! there _is_ light!'
+
+He closed his eyes, heaved a long sigh, and in another world he
+received an explanation of that secret, the solution of which he had
+only grasped in his last hour.
+
+He now reposes in the family vault by the side of his beloved Julia;
+the receptacle of the dead is full. The pieces of his shattered
+escutcheon lie scattered upon the floor around his coffin,[7] and the
+key of the vault will be needed no more!
+
+
+
+                               FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 1: "_Too Old_"--"For gammel"--is from a Danish work entitled
+"Haablös"--"_Hopeless_"--by Carit Etlar. The volume, which contains
+three tales, was published in Copenhagen in 1857.]
+
+[Footnote 2: Councillor of state. Etatsraad is a Danish title, and an
+etatsraad's wife is styled Etatsraadinde.]
+
+[Footnote 3: From a collection of Tales, in one volume, entitled
+'Haablos'--'Hopeless.']
+
+[Footnote 4: See 'Eventyr og Folkesagn.'--_Espen til Ahner_.]
+
+[Footnote 5: Krigsraad--a Danish title.]
+
+[Footnote 6: One mile Danish is equal to more than four English miles.]
+
+[Footnote 7: At the death of the last representative of a noble family
+in Sweden, the escutcheon is usually broken over his coffin.]
+
+
+
+
+                            END OF VOL. II.
+
+        LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
+                           AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol.
+II (of 3), by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANES SKETCHED BY THEMSELVES, VOL II ***
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+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
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+<title>The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II.</title>
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II
+(of 3), by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II (of 3)
+       A Series of Popular Stories by the Best Danish Authors
+
+Author: Various
+
+Translator: Mrs. (Anna S.) Bushby
+
+Release Date: October 23, 2011 [EBook #37832]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANES SKETCHED BY THEMSELVES, VOL II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<p class="hang1">Transcriber's Notes:<br>
+1. Page scan source:<br>
+http://www.archive.org/details/danessketchedbyt02bush</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h1>THE DANES</h1>
+<br>
+<h2>Sketched by Themselves.</h2>
+<br>
+<h3>A SERIES OF POPULAR STORIES BY THE BEST<br>
+DANISH AUTHORS,</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>TRANSLATED BY MRS. BUSHBY.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h4><i>IN THREE VOLUMES.--VOL. II</i>.</h4>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>LONDON:<br>
+<span class="sc">RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.<br>
+1864</span>.</h3>
+
+<hr class="W10" style="margin-top:0px; margin-bottom:0px">
+
+<h5>[<i>The right of Translation is reserved</i>.]</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h5>LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,<br>
+AND CHARING CROSS.</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2>CONTENTS OF VOL. II.</h2>
+<hr class="W10">
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div1Ref_old" href="#div1_old"><span class="sc">Too Old</span></a>.--By
+Carit Etlar.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div1Ref_aunt" href="#div1_aunt"><span class="sc">Aunt
+Francisca</span></a>.--By Carl Bernhard.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div1Ref_shipwrecked" href="#div1_shipwrecked"><span class="sc">
+The Shipwrecked Mariner's Treasure</span></a>.--By Carit Etlar.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div1Ref_damon" href="#div1_damon"><span class="sc">
+Damon and Pythias</span></a>.--By Carl Bernhard.</p>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div1Ref_fatal" href="#div1_fatal"><span class="sc">The
+Fatal Chain</span></a>.--From the Swedish of Uncle Adam.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h1>THE DANES</h1>
+
+<h2>Sketched by Themselves.</h2>
+
+<hr class="W20">
+
+<h2><a name="div1_old" href="#div1Ref_old">TOO OLD.</a><a name="div2Ref_01" href="#div2_01"><sup>[1]</sup></a></h2>
+
+<h3>FROM THE DANISH OF CARIT ETLAR.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">Between Fredericia and Snoghöi the sandy and stony shore forms a
+tolerably broad tongue of land, which is called Lyngspoint. The coast
+stretches out long and flat, without any defence against the sea except
+a stone wall, and the fishermen who dwell here seem to have thought of
+nothing but the safe little bays that, on either side of the
+promontory, afford shelter to their small skiffs and protect them from
+the wild waves, and the blocks of ice which during winter the
+north-west winds drive in from the Kattegat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Farther up on the land, the bare, desolate-looking plain of sand
+disappears by degrees under high banks which are overgrown by a thick,
+low copse of brushwood, with some stunted oak and beech-trees showing
+themselves as sad mementoes of an extensive wood, that formerly joined
+the forest of Erizö, and in the midst of which the village of Hannerup
+was situated. The village and the wood have both disappeared long
+since.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Far in among the bushes people sometimes stumble upon pieces of broken
+stones with their mouldering cement of lime, the last fragments of the
+work and walls of ages gone by: in a few years the copse itself will
+have vanished, and the blackbird and the thrush, whose blithe carols on
+the summer evenings were heard even by those sailing near in the Belt,
+will seek other leafy homes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At a little distance from the sea-shore at Lyngspoint stand ten or
+twelve small cottages, built in the irregular style which is always
+observable in the houses of the peasantry of ancient days, and composed
+of hard clay framework and thatched roofs. To each cottage there
+belongs a small garden enclosed by a low earthen dyke, or a hedge of
+elderberries and the blackthorn. Behind several of them are to be seen
+boats turned upside down, lying in the sand with their keels exposed,
+and each furnished with a little gate in the stern. These boats serve
+as a shelter for sheep, or geese, after having become too frail any
+longer to carry their owners out to sea. The inhabitants of Lyngspoint
+are fishermen, a reserved and silent race, rough and stern like the
+element on which they pass so much of their time. Among them the
+struggles of life have no cessation--labour has no reward--time affords
+no day of rest, except when storms forbid them to launch their boats,
+or the sea is covered with ice; but such dreaded and unwelcome repose
+is always associated with distress and want. The women employ
+themselves in their household affairs, and not unfrequently share the
+labour of the men, as they always share their privations. Even the
+ocean's tempests are felt in common here, since every squall in which
+the boats are exposed to danger on the water, causes gloom and anxiety
+to those in the huts, who dread to lose their relatives and their means
+of support.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In one of these fishermen's cottages one evening there were two
+persons--an old man, tall and athletic, his grey hair thin and
+sunburnt, his countenance decided and daring, and a woman, very
+youthful-looking, pale, and apparently unhappy, but nevertheless of
+rare beauty. He sat at a table, which was lighted by a lamp suspended
+by a chain from a beam in the roof, and the glare from which fell upon
+two long Spanish cavalry pistols which he was busy loading. She was
+standing at the window gazing through the dark window-panes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was a gloomy November evening. The storm from the seaward swept
+wildly along, howling dismally, while the rain beat heavily against the
+windows, and the flame in the lamp fluttered and flickered in the gusts
+of wind that rushed into the room through the open chimney. There had
+been a long and unbroken silence between the two occupants of the
+apartment; the man, while continuing his work, cast several glances
+towards the young woman, but always looked quickly away when she turned
+towards him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length he asked, 'At what are you looking?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'At the weather,' she replied. 'It will be a bad night to go to sea
+in.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The weather is good enough,' he muttered, gruffly. 'It is all the
+better for being dark; the darkness will be of use to us.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, he started up, buckled on a cutlass, and stuck the pistols
+in his belt.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Give me something to eat.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The woman spread the table for supper, and taking a pot off the fire,
+poured its contents into a dish, which she placed before the man.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was again complete silence; he ate his supper without saying a
+word, while the young woman sat leaning back in her chair near the
+table, and fixed her eye on him with a sad, yet scrutinizing look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am done,' he exclaimed, after a little while, 'and now, good-by.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Are you going already?' she asked, sorrowfully.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'To be sure I am--it is the time agreed on, and they will be waiting
+for me on the shore down yonder.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He drew on a thick sailor's jacket over his other clothes, and went
+towards the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Farewell, Christine!' he said, without even turning to look at her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Christine stretched both her hands towards him, and her trembling lips
+moved, but the words she would have spoken died away in a deep sigh.
+The man turned round and walked back a step or two. For a few moments
+he stood in silent surprise, and then exclaimed, 'What are you weeping
+for?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, Jan Steffens!' she whispered, half aloud, as she again stretched
+her hands towards him, 'I am so afraid lest any evil should happen to
+you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The man did not take her proffered hand, and his thick eyebrows were
+knitted together, as he said, 'How childish you are, Christine! What is
+there for you to be afraid of? I am going on a lawful errand, and
+things must take their course. Take care to put the fire out, and don't
+forget to feed the watch-dog in the morning. I have locked him up in
+the wash-house, that he might not make a noise to-night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying he turned to go, but when he had reached the door he came
+back once again, and exclaimed, with solemnity, 'May the Lord's
+protecting hand be over you, Christine!' In another moment he was gone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young woman laid her head on the table, covered her face with her
+hands, and wept bitterly. She had sat there for some time absorbed in
+grief, when suddenly she raised her head, for she had heard steps on
+the outside of the cottage. She got up and went to the window.
+Presently she saw a figure in the doorway. It was that of a young man
+in a sailor's dress, and armed in the same manner as Jan was.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Good evening, dear Christine!' he exclaimed. 'Has Jan gone?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes,' she answered; 'you will find him down yonder with the other
+boatmen.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fisherman seemed to be reflecting on something, while he fixed his
+eyes intently upon the young woman's face. He observed that there were
+tears in her eyes, and approaching her, he seized her hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Christine!' he exclaimed, in a soft and sympathizing voice, 'you have
+been weeping? Has there been any quarrel between you and your husband?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No,' she replied, 'there never has been any.' And as she spoke she
+tried to draw her hand away, but he grasped it more firmly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Would to Heaven you had never seen that old Jan Steffens,' he
+whispered; 'you would have been much happier--oh, what misery we would
+both have escaped!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Would to Heaven I had never seen you, Kjeld,' she answered; 'then,
+perhaps, Jan and I might have been comfortable together.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young fisherman's eyes sparkled at this imprudent confession, which
+admitted so much more than Christine had any intention of doing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But what harm have I done?' he asked, gently. 'We loved each other
+from our childish days, when we used to go to school together. Ah!
+<i>then</i> we looked forward to living together, to working together,
+to trying our luck together--and--being so happy! Then came Jan
+Steffens--and now--'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And now I am Jan Steffens's wife,' cried Christine, interrupting him
+impetuously. 'Never speak to me more of the past, therefore, Kjeld--it
+is gone! It is forgotten,' she added, in a lower and sadder tone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that moment the light from the lamp fell upon a face, which, on the
+outside of the house, was intently looking in through the window. Those
+in the room did not observe it, and had no suspicion that prying eyes
+were upon them. Kjeld asked, with warmth, 'Why should we not speak of
+the past? We have always been only like brother and sister to each
+other.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Brother and sister!' said Christine, trying to smile, 'what else could
+we have been? But I am a married woman, Kjeld, and you, like every one
+else, are only a stranger to me. Therefore you must not come here so
+often--people remark the frequency of your visits, and talk of them.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But Jan himself has allowed them,' said the fisherman. 'Only
+yesterday, when we were coming from church, he asked me where I had
+been all last week, and why I had never once entered his house. He said
+that you had been speaking of me.' Christine raised her head, and cast
+a surprised and inquiring look at Kjeld. He went on: 'Jan said that you
+were longing to see me again.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I cannot understand his conduct,' murmured Christine, musingly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'When your husband spoke thus,' said Kjeld, tenderly, 'why will you be
+harsher than he? Answer me, Christine--why may I not come here as
+hitherto? I ask for nothing more.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young woman's lips quivered, and her whole frame trembled with
+emotion, which she seemed struggling to overcome, as she replied, in a
+broken voice, 'Oh, Kjeld, leave off such questions. It is a sin on your
+part to speak in this manner to me. Go--go, I beseech you. Jan will
+expect to meet you down yonder with the other boatmen.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Kjeld seemed lost in thought for a few moments; he then came close to
+Christine, laid his hand on her head, and tried to speak--but words
+failed him, and turning suddenly away, he rushed from the cottage. At
+the same moment the face vanished, which, from the outside of the
+window, had been watching the scene within.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The storm appeared to be increasing. The lamp swung, and its light
+fluttered in the draughts of air from the ill-secured window-frames.
+When Christine found that she was alone, she crouched down close to the
+door, as if she wished to catch the last expiring echo of the footsteps
+of him who had just gone. She listened, but nothing was to be heard
+save the roaring of the tempest, and the sound of the rain pattering
+against the windows.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This is a tale of the year 1808, at the commencement of that
+unfortunate period when Denmark, without a fleet, without an army, and
+almost without finances, entered into war both with Sweden and England.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Down at the shore, in one of the little bays before mentioned, the
+water from which was conveyed a good way inland by a broad channel that
+had been dug for the purpose, there lay that evening two gunboats,
+which a number of men were getting out into the open sea. They worked
+hurriedly and silently, and the little noise that they unavoidably made
+was drowned in the roaring of the waves, which were dashing furiously
+on the beach of the narrow tongue of land. The men were all armed in
+the same way as Jan Steffens, and seemed to obey his orders.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jan was the principal pilot of the place, and well known as an
+excellent seaman. The two gunboats had been built and rigged at
+Fredericia, and afterwards placed under his command. They were the
+masters of the whole Belt, so to speak, and the previous summer they
+had taken several valuable prizes from the English.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At the moment in question the pilot was standing on a rock on the
+beach, and dividing his attention between the men's work and the black
+clouds above, from which the rain was pouring down in torrents. All the
+preparations, so energetically carried on that evening, were made for
+the purpose of taking by surprise an English corvette, which, for want
+of a pilot, had anchored in a bay near Fyen shortly before the darkness
+and the storm had commenced.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Just about the time that the gunboats had been hauled out to the
+extremity of the point, two persons approached the shore, both coming
+from the direction of the cottages. One was a half-grown lad, the other
+was Kjeld. The boy looked about for the pilot, and when he perceived
+him standing on the rock he hastened towards him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jan stooped and whispered in the boy's ear,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Was he in yonder?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are sure you saw him--you have not made any mistake?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I saw him as plainly as I now see you, Jan Steffens.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Very well, Jens; you can go home. Let the sails alone!' he cried,
+shortly after, turning towards the group of men near; 'the storm is
+increasing, the wind is right against us, and we must row the boats
+out. How late may it be, I wonder?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is not yet midnight,' replied Kjeld, who had just approached the
+pilot. 'As I was coming along I heard the clock at Erizö church strike
+eleven.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Mongens Dal, at Fyensland, promised to place a light in his window at
+twelve o'clock,' observed another. 'His farm lies close by the bay
+where the English ship has anchored; we have only, then, to look out
+for that light, and there will be no mistake.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ay, ay--all right,' replied Jan, gruffly. 'Mind your own business,
+Vextel, and leave me to determine how we shall steer.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A few minutes afterwards he announced that it was time for them to put
+to sea.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Take your places,' cried Jan, 'and see that you make as little noise
+with the oars as possible. Ebbe, take the helm of the other boat, and
+follow close to the one I steer. We shall be a tolerable number this
+time, I think.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You promised to take the porpoise-hunters from Middlefart with us.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'To be sure I did, and we shall find room for them; they are fine brave
+fellows, these porpoise-hunters. Has Kjeld come on board?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, pilot,' answered the young man from the first gunboat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'A word with you, Kjeld. Come a little way on shore.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Kjeld sprang out of the boat, the pilot went up to him, and they walked
+together from the beach towards the sandhills.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You will see that Kjeld will be half-mad this evening,' said one of
+the seamen in the first boat. 'Jan Steffens looks as sulky and savage
+as can be; very likely he has found out the love affair at home in his
+house up yonder.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Poor man!' said another, 'why did he take so young a wife. He is much
+too old for her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meantime, after Jan and Kjeld had walked to some distance in
+silence side by side, Jan asked suddenly,--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Where were you this evening, Kjeld? It was very late before you joined
+us.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Kjeld stammered some almost unintelligible words, while he seemed to be
+framing an answer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are thinking what you can say,' exclaimed the old pilot, in a
+voice unsteady with suppressed anger, 'for you dare not speak it out.
+You were with Christine. You ought not to conceal this from me. You
+were there also yesterday, and on Sunday, and last Friday; and, in
+short, whenever I am absent, at sea in my boat, or elsewhere, you find
+some pretext to visit her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I admit it is true,' replied Kjeld, who was startled by the stern
+coldness of Jan's looks and words.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But did it never occur to you that you were wrong in visiting her so
+often? Christine is a married woman, and you will bring discredit upon
+her with your frequent visits.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am a man of honour, Jan Steffens,' replied Kjeld, in a voice that
+trembled somewhat with anxiety at what might be the result of this
+conversation, 'and I have never behaved in your house in any way that
+you or the whole world might not have witnessed.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That is, perhaps, a misfortune, sir.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'A misfortune!' exclaimed Kjeld, in amazement; 'what can you mean?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'If it had been otherwise,' replied Jan, quietly, 'I should have put a
+pistol to your head, and shot you--that's all. It would have been
+better both for you and her, maybe.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But you yourself gave me permission to visit at your house; you said
+that Christine longed to have some news of me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, if I said that, of course you knew on whose account I asked you
+to come. You need not take the matter so much to heart, my lad; let us
+speak reasonably now. I know that you are a well-principled young man,
+Kjeld; I have watched you narrowly ever since Christine and I were
+married. I am aware how things stand between you two; I know all,
+Kjeld!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah, yes! I know that she loves you, and that she has never in her life
+cared for anyone else.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then you know, also, that I am the most unfortunate man on earth,'
+replied Kjeld.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You!' exclaimed Jan, shrugging up his shoulders mockingly--'you! No,
+my lad, there is one who beats you in misfortune.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Who?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'<i>I</i>. If you had acted towards me as you ought to have done, you would
+have come to me when I was courting Christine, and have told me how
+things were between you and her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'We thought of doing that, Jan Steffens, but we did not dare to risk
+it.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nonsense--nonsense! one should dare everything to fulfil one's duty.
+But you kept silence at that time, so did she, and matters were allowed
+to take their course.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, Jan Steffens!' replied the young fisherman, in a voice trembling
+with emotion, 'what could I have said to you? I was a poor fellow,
+working hard to obtain food enough for my own support. You were well
+off, and had been kind to Christine's father, therefore they were glad
+to let you have the girl.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'A very good reason, truly. What! because I had been kind to the old
+people, had I a claim to make their daughter unhappy? No; the blame was
+your own. You both kept silence, and yourselves are answerable for the
+evil that followed. Hearken, Kjeld! from this evening forward we must
+understand each other. I loved Christine from the first moment I beheld
+her; she was so amiable, so dutiful, and so full of affectionate
+feeling for the old people, her parents, and so attentive to them, that
+I thought she would make an excellent wife. I knew that she would have
+many more comforts in my house than she had at home. I reflected on
+everything, except upon the difference between our ages. She was
+silent--she wept; but she married me. Since that time, Kjeld, I have
+done all that a man could do to make myself liked. I was kind and
+indulgent to her. I allowed her to rule in all things, and to do
+whatever she pleased. I brought her home the most beautiful dresses and
+presents when I went on voyages. But all was of no avail. I was <i>too
+old</i>.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I bought a new boat for her father, I took her mother into our house,
+I clothed her little sisters and sent them to school, I prayed to the
+Lord every morning and evening of my life in mercy to inspire her with
+kindly feelings towards me--but in vain, in vain! She went through her
+duties, and was civil and good-tempered; but love me she never could.
+When I was young, like you, Kjeld, I dared not attach myself to any
+woman, because I was <i>too poor</i>; now that I have become rich, none will
+attach herself to me, because I am <i>too old</i>. You look sad. Ah, so goes
+the world, my boy! It was not long before I found out that you loved
+Christine; and, alas! still worse--I too soon perceived how much she
+cared for you. While you both thought the secret was buried in your own
+hearts, I read it as if in an open book. Then I was seized with the
+most furious jealousy. I resolved to murder you, and more than once, at
+that period, there was but a hair-breadth between you and death. I
+watched you closely--my eyes were often on you, and never were you out
+of my thoughts.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jan stopped; he seemed to be nerving himself to go on with his
+narration. Kjeld observed that he was shaking, as if in an ague fit.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You were an honourable man, Kjeld, as you declared a little while
+ago,' continued Jan, 'yet that which ought to have made my unhappiness
+less, absolutely added to it. I have nothing to complain of--nothing to
+reproach you with--all falls back upon myself--upon that disastrous,
+that wretched union of hands, in which the soul took no part; and when
+one has come to the full knowledge that such was the case, the painful
+truth fastens itself upon the mind, and impels one to seek some remedy
+to the misfortune.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are right, Jan Steffens,' replied Kjeld, earnestly. 'I, too, have
+been reflecting upon a remedy since I left Christine a little while
+ago, when she wished to Heaven she had never known me--never even
+beheld me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Did Christine really say that?' exclaimed the pilot with surprise,
+but, it must be owned, not without feeling somewhat pleased and
+flattered. 'Well, that was rather a cruel wish to bestow on you this
+evening, when she thought that you were going on an expedition from
+whence many of us will, perhaps, never return.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Christine is a better wife than you fancy; she discards every thought
+that is not in accordance with her duty; I shall not be wanting in mine
+either, and I have hit upon a plan to set all to rights.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So have I,' said the pilot.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I shall go away and engage myself on board some ship trading with a
+foreign country, and neither she nor you shall see me often again, if
+it shall please God to spare my life in our enterprise to-night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That he certainly will do, my lad, for a good reason--that you shall
+not go with us.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Not go with you! What do you mean by that?' asked Kjeld, in the utmost
+amazement.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Listen!' replied Jan, with cold, quiet decision of manner. 'I have not
+much time to spare, and my resolution is taken. Because you have
+behaved honourably, and because you have both felt so kindly disposed
+towards an old man who, without knowing or intending it, brought upon
+you the greatest disappointment that can befall anyone, I will ensure
+you both a reward. Go back to Christine, and tell her, that from this
+evening henceforth I will bestow on her all the liberty she can desire;
+she shall no longer have cause to grieve and to weep, as she has so
+often done when she supposed no one saw her, or at night, when she
+thought I was asleep: you can say that since it was impossible for me
+to win her affection, and be happy myself, I will not hinder her from
+being so. On this account, it is not <i>you</i>, young man, but <i>I</i>, who
+must go away to a distant land, never more to return.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It would be difficult to describe the young seaman's amazement as he
+listened to these words.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I do not at all understand you, Jan Steffens,' he said. 'What do you
+mean by speaking in this manner?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'They are calling to me from the boats!' cried Jan. 'Do you not hear
+their shouts? I must away. What do I mean?' he added, in a lower tone.
+'It is easily understood; if I die to-night, I cannot stand in your way
+to-morrow.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Die!' cried Kjeld. 'Are you going to kill yourself?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No,' replied the pilot, calmly. 'But I feel pretty sure that the
+Englishmen will take the trouble of despatching me upon themselves.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, no! that shall not be! You must let me go with you, Jan Steffens,
+and share your danger; you promised that you would. Besides, according
+to the lots that we drew in the dark, I have a right to accompany you.
+And if you were to die--if you were to put yourself forward to be
+killed--I should be still more miserable than I am now. Christine
+would never be mine, if that happiness were purchased by your death
+to-night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, as to that, you will change your tune when the time comes,'
+replied the pilot, turning to go; but Kjeld stopped him, and placing
+himself before him, while he seized his arms, exclaimed,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, Jan Steffens! take me with you; I entreat you, as the greatest
+favour, to do so. You shall not forsake Christine; you are a far better
+husband to her than I should be. Let me go with the boats!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jan shook himself free from the young man's grasp, and in answer to his
+earnest appeal, he said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It shall be as I have determined, Kjeld, so there is no use for
+another word on the subject. But you must not go to Christine till
+to-morrow, for you may well believe that I must have ceased to live
+before I cease to love her. Farewell, Kjeld--be kind to her, and make
+her as happy as you can. She is very mild, and is easily intimidated.
+When she is yours, and you speak of me in future years, remember that I
+wished to do good to you both--that I atoned for my fault as well as I
+could--and that my greatest misfortune was--that she was so young, or
+rather, that I was <i>too old</i>.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The pilot wrung Kjeld's hand as he said these words, and before the
+young fisherman had time to conquer his emotion so as to be able to
+make any reply, the old man had left him, and was crossing the sand
+with rapid strides towards the shore where the boats' crews were
+assembled. Kjeld followed him, crying, 'Jan Steffens, let me go with
+you only this once; do not thus turn a deaf ear to me. You will rob me
+of my honour, my share in your glory, if I alone am to be left behind.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Push off!' shouted the pilot, as he jumped into the leading gunboat,
+and took his place at the helm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The oars sank, and both the boats began to move towards the sea. Kjeld
+uttered a despairing cry, and sprang after them, but he could not reach
+them, and the waves cast him back on the shore.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Things shall be as I have said,' he heard in the pilot's deep voice
+from the foremost boat. 'But do not go up yonder before to-morrow, and
+may the Lord be with you both!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The men in the boats had been astonished witnesses of this scene. Those
+who sat nearest to him cast looks of inquiry towards the pilot; but his
+eye gave no responsive glance, his sunburnt face only expressed
+inflexible resolution, and his countenance was, perhaps, a little
+sterner even than usual.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">From the beach Kjeld saw the boats rising and sinking amidst the
+foaming waves, while his passionate entreaties and his wild shouts were
+lost in the roaring of the wind and the thunder of the sea. The rain
+was pouring in torrents, and the skies were obscured by heavy black
+clouds. Soon after the two boats appeared only as dark specks upon the
+water, and presently even these vanished amidst the thick fog which
+rested over the sea at a little distance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Fortunately the current was running northwards that night--that is to
+say, in a direction which favoured the progress of the gunboats, so
+that their crews were not obliged to fatigue themselves with rowing
+hard. The raging sea broke repeatedly over the boats, but no one seemed
+to mind this; they placed complete confidence in the pilot, whose tall
+figure, apparently immovable, stood upright at the helm: and perhaps
+the thoughts of all were directed to the object of their expedition,
+which they were rapidly approaching. The rain had somewhat abated in
+that particular place, and when a gust of wind partially dispelled the
+fog for a moment, they saw on the opposite high coast of Fyen the
+signal-light, which, though it was but faint and flickering, pointed
+out to them where they should seek the enemy. Amidst the profound
+silence that reigned in the boats, the pilot addressed the men in low
+but distinct tones.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Row more quietly still, Gutter! Make no noise with your oars; you may
+be certain that they have their eyes and ears open yonder. They know
+right well where they are. Have the guns clear in front there, Nikolai;
+you must show us to-night that you understand your work like an old
+artilleryman. The wind will fall off the nearer we come under the
+shelter of the hilly land. If I see aright, we have our man there in
+the lee of the boats.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">All eyes were instantly turned in the direction he had named; a dark
+object became soon after perceptible amidst the thick gloom around, it
+gradually grew in size and developed its outline, until the hull of a
+ship was to be discerned, sharp and black, reposing on the waters like
+a swan.</p>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">In pursuance of the plan which Jan Steffens had arranged, the
+boats
+shaped their course so as to come between the land and the corvette.
+They could hear the wind whistling amidst the cordage, could see the
+light in the captain's cabin, and the heads of the officers of the
+watch as they paced up and down the quarter-deck. The silence which had
+reigned on board was broken the moment the pilot's boat was perceived
+from the ship. Immediately afterwards Jan's sonorous voice was heard
+commanding his men to fire. Both the gunboats fired at the same moment,
+and with terrible effect.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It would be in vain to try to describe the commotion which now took
+place on board the enemy's ship. The attack had been made as suddenly
+as it had been planned; it was also favoured in the highest degree by
+the darkness and the tempest, which embarrassed many of the movements
+of the ship at anchor, whilst the gunboats, on the contrary, were able
+to move easily towards the places where their fire would operate most
+effectively, and be most destructive. Under these fortunate
+circumstances the fishermen continued to load and to discharge their
+guns. Splinters and pieces of broken planks evinced the accuracy of
+their gunners. On board the corvette they were not able to point their
+cannon so low that they could sweep the boats, whose flat hulls,
+besides, were only visible during the flashes of fire from the guns,
+and in an instant after seemed to have been swallowed up by the lofty
+billows.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Meanwhile the drums beat on board the ship; the boatswain's whistle
+mingled with the officer's words of command--disorder was at an end.
+Everything was done that circumstances permitted to oppose the enemy,
+and their fire was returned whenever their position could be
+ascertained. Soon after the rain ceased, and faint rays of pale
+moonlight struggled through the dark masses of clouds that were driving
+across the skies. The gunboats came close under the man-of-war, and
+after another discharge of their guns, the crews boarded the ship,
+climbing in by every possible opening, amidst cries of joyous triumph;
+and then commenced a scene in which were mingled the sounds of oaths,
+shouts, and pistol-shots, while everything was shrouded in the thick
+veil of mist and dark clouds of smoke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At Lyngspoint every shot was heard, and caused the deepest anxiety for
+the absent. As usual upon similar occasions, lights appeared in all the
+fishermen's huts. None of the females thought of sleep while their
+husbands and their brothers were fighting upon the stormy sea. The
+tempest roared around the cottages, the watch-dogs howled as if
+lamenting their masters' danger, and the crowing of the cocks announced
+the approach of morning. Pale countenances, expressive of fear and
+anxiety, appeared one after the other at the half-open doors; presently
+the women began to go over to each other's houses to communicate their
+forebodings, or to seek for the comfort so much needed. In the little
+porch of one of the houses nearest to the shore stood a group of three
+females muffled up in woollen shawls and gazing upon the sea. Every
+shot was noticed by them with a sigh or a speaking glance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'There is warm work going on over yonder,' groaned one woman.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah, yes!' replied another; 'I was just thinking that every one of
+these shots may cost a man's life--the lives of <i>our</i> men, perhaps.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nonsense! there is nothing to make such a fuss about,' exclaimed a
+rough voice. 'Our people's lives are in God's hands, even though they
+may stand before the barrel of a gun, or ride on a plank over the
+ocean. I have put up a prayer to the Lord for my boy. &quot;Do your duty,&quot; I
+said to him when he went away, &quot;and our Almighty Father will order the
+rest as seems good to Him!&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She who spoke thus was an extraordinary-looking woman. Her face was
+entirely covered with wrinkles and marks of the small-pox, which made
+her harsh features look still coarser than they really were. Some years
+before the date of the night in question, her husband had been lost at
+sea, and she and her little son had been left in the utmost poverty.
+From that time Ellen went out with the men to fish: she worked as hard
+as the best of them, managed her boat like an experienced seaman, and
+never seemed to feel fatigue. Equipped in a short dress, a pair of
+large fisherman's boots, and a dark, low hat, which in nautical
+language is called 'a sou'-wester,' she was to be seen in the worst
+weather carrying her fish about to the neighbouring farms for sale; in
+the autumn months she hired the old right of ferryman at Snoghöi, and
+carried fruit over from Æro to Zealand--she took travellers across to
+Strib--mended her own boat when it needed repairs; in short, she worked
+hard, for she worked to maintain her son.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Doubtless some local readers of this slight sketch will recognize in
+Ellen an old acquaintance, who was always welcome wherever she showed
+herself; an honest, upright, self-sacrificing character, whose whole
+life was one scene of unflinching devotion to her duties, until she
+suddenly disappeared from her home, and was never seen again.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ellen was standing with a short clay-pipe in her mouth, her rough grey
+locks confined by a handkerchief tied under her chin.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I'll tell you what, Ellen,' said one of the other women, 'let us run
+over to Stine Steffens, as none of us have any mind to go to sleep
+to-night. She has a warm, comfortable room, and can give us a good cup
+of coffee.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Her proposition was readily agreed to by the group of women who had now
+assembled, and, tying handkerchiefs over their heads like hoods, they
+all repaired to Jan Steffens's house, with the exception of 'Skipper
+Ellen,' as she was generally called, who remained behind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Christine was still sitting in the same corner of the room where she
+had placed herself after Kjeld had left her. Her beautiful, expressive
+eyes were swimming in tears.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Good evening, little Stine!' cried one of the fisherwomen. 'How goes
+it with you?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, as with the rest of you,' she replied. 'I am full of anxiety and
+terror. It was kind of you to come here. Pray sit down.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You had better come to one of our houses, and we shall make some good
+strong coffee; that will help to kill the time.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'We can make the coffee as well here,' said Christine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, certainly,' said the other, joyfully, 'and I will help to blow up
+the fire.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fire was rekindled, the coffee made, and the conversation was then
+resumed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Would to Heaven our people were safe at home again!' exclaimed
+Christine. 'I am so terrified at the risk they are running to-night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And with good reason too,' said one of the women. 'There is sure to be
+sorrow among some of us to-morrow, for the firing has been going on at
+least half-an-hour. But we must comfort ourselves by remembering that
+storm and sunshine come from the same hand; and if some are sufferers
+others will be gainers, for no doubt there will be a good deal of
+prize-money from so large a ship. You, at any rate, can take things
+easily, my good Stine, for if anything should happen to your old man,
+your fate won't be very hard--you will soon have another and a younger
+husband. Besides, Jan Steffens always gets a double portion of any
+prize-money, or any treasure that is found, though all the other men
+risk their lives as much as he does his.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, come now,' cried another, 'Christine has twice as much cause of
+anxiety as we have. We have only <i>one</i> to think of--she has <i>two</i>.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Two!' exclaimed Christine. 'What do you mean?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why, have you not first your old husband, and then a young sweetheart
+in the background? I mean Kjeld Olsen.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While Christine was reflecting what answer to make to this sudden
+attack, another woman said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'There is no fear of anything happening to Kjeld Olsen to-night; he was
+wiser than to put himself into jeopardy, so he remained at home, and
+let them go without him. Of course he had good reasons for determining
+to spare his own life--old Jan Steffens may lose his.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Up to this moment Christine had not made any reply to their rude jests,
+hut her patience was now exhausted, her pale cheeks turned crimson, and
+rising up she said firmly,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You have not been speaking the truth. Kjeld is to-night where he
+always delights to be, in the midst of danger, the boldest among the
+bold.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Who is speaking of Kjeld?' asked Skipper Ellen, who had entered the
+room at that moment. 'He is standing down yonder on the shore, and
+trying hard to persuade Poul Mikkelsen, at any price, to take him over
+in his boat to the English ship.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'There now, you hear he is at home,' cried the woman, who had first
+mentioned the fact. 'It is well you came, Ellen, for Christine would
+not believe our word.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Will you come down to the shore?' asked Ellen; 'the rain is over, the
+wind has lulled, and the moon is shining clearly.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, let us go,' said Christine, laying aside the empty coffee-cups.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah! now we shall see what is the matter with poor Kjeld.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Of course old Jan Steffens did not care to have his company,' said the
+most ill-natured woman. 'No doubt he knew pretty well where Kjeld's
+thoughts would be wandering to.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And <i>I</i> say you are quite mistaken,' replied Ellen, casting a look of
+angry scorn on the woman. 'It would be a happy thing for you, Birthe,
+if you had a son, or anyone belonging to you, that resembled Kjeld.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, she took Christine by the arm and went towards the shore,
+followed by the rest of the women. It had ceased raining, and the wind
+had abated, but the sea was still much agitated, and the noise of
+firing was yet to be heard. Kjeld was standing in earnest conversation
+with an old man, who was leaning on a staff, and who shook his head
+occasionally as if refusing something.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What is the matter, Kjeld?' asked Skipper Ellen. 'And why have you not
+gone with the rest of them?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Jan Steffens said there were too many in the boats,' he answered
+evasively.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ay--and now he insists upon following them,' said the old man, 'and
+offers me everything he has to help him to row over yonder. But the
+weather is too bad. I won't trust my boat out in such a wild sea.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What nonsense!' cried Ellen, jeeringly. 'Are you afraid of risking
+your life, Poul?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You know better, Ellen,' replied the old man. 'I have no fear for my
+life, but if I lose my boat my children will starve.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That is a serious consideration, to be sure,' said Ellen, 'but the
+young man shall go, notwithstanding, and if you won't accompany him,
+<i>I</i> will. Come here, Kjeld--when you and I put our strength together I
+think we shall manage to reach the other side.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Kjeld uttered a cry of joy, shook Ellen's hand warmly, and exclaimed,
+'May God bless and reward you, dear good Ellen; I shall never forget
+your kindness.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'As to your boat, Poul, you must not be alarmed if we borrow it,' said
+Ellen. 'If we are unlucky, and the sea takes us, my boat lies drawn up
+on the land, newly painted and just put to rights; and in the village
+yonder I have a small house--you can take both as payment if your boat
+be lost. But Kjeld <i>shall</i> go as he wishes.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Don't attempt to go, Ellen,' cried one of the women, 'you will only
+get into trouble.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'With God's help I have no fear of that. The lad shall go, if we should
+cross in one of my fishing-boats.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She forced herself through the circle of women who had gathered around
+her, and hastened to the shore, where Kjeld had already placed himself
+in the frail boat. Ellen got into it, and, standing up, seized an oar.
+Soon after the boat glided out to sea, and the somewhat hazardous
+voyage was begun.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'She is a wonderful woman, that Ellen!' exclaimed one of those who were
+looking on. 'A lucky fellow he was who got her for a wife; there's
+nothing she can't turn her hand to; and she can work as well as the
+best man among them.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As long as it was possible to perceive the boat, it was observed to be
+making straight for its destination; rowed by vigorous arms, and
+managed by experienced persons, it seemed sometimes to be swallowed up
+by the waves, and then it would be seen as if riding over them, and
+defying them, while it never swerved from its appointed course.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Come now, Kjeld,' cried Ellen, after they had got some distance from
+the land, 'let us two have a little rational conversation. It was
+partly to find an opportunity for this that I was so willing to go to
+sea with you to-night. What really is the matter with you, my lad? Why
+have you been going about latterly with your head drooping in such a
+melancholy way, and loitering about in idleness, instead of following
+your occupations cheerfully and diligently?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The matter with me!' exclaimed Kjeld, in well-feigned astonishment;
+'why, nothing, Ellen--you are quite mistaken in supposing that anything
+is the matter with me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, there is no use in your denying that something ails you; I am too
+old to be easily humbugged. You must speak the honest truth to me,
+Kjeld; you must be as frank with me as I am with you. You need not
+fear to speak freely, for no one can overhear you out thus far on the
+sea--no one, my boy--except myself and He who rules the ocean. You are
+still silent, Kjeld--then <i>I</i> will speak out. You are sighing and
+grieving because you love Christine Steffens, and because you think
+that she loves you; that's the short and the long of the matter. But
+have you forgotten that Christine is a married woman? and are you aware
+that your conduct is bringing her name into people's mouths--that every
+creature in the village is talking of you and her, and that the walls
+of her own house cannot protect her against jeering and insult? I have
+myself been a witness of this to-night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What was said to her, Ellen?' asked Kjeld, in consternation. 'Who
+could speak a syllable in disparagement of Christine?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Say, rather, who can prevent it, Kjeld, since you yourself afford such
+ample room for tittle-tattle.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah, Ellen! if you only knew how much I love Christine! She has been my
+thought by day, and my dream by night; and when I have been away on
+long voyages, I denied myself everything to save all I got for her. I
+always expected that she would certainly one day be mine--but when I
+came home this autumn, she was married!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It was a pity. There is nothing left for you, therefore, now, but to
+forget her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Forget her! I shall never, never forget her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, I have heard such vows before; young folks have always these
+ideas, but they smile at them when they become older. An honourable man
+loves a girl when he marries her, or when he intends to marry her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And when he cannot marry her?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then he lets her alone, my good lad, and turns his attention to some
+one else.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'More easily said than done, Ellen.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You think I do not know what I am speaking about because I am old, and
+grey, and wrinkled. Is it not so, Kjeld? But remember that old people
+have been young themselves once, and let me tell you that the misery
+which you find it so impossible to bear, I have borne, though I am only
+a woman. Long ago, when I was a little better-looking than I am now,
+there was one who was always uppermost in my thoughts--one whom I
+cherished in my secret soul; in short, to whom I was as much attached
+as you are to Christine. He wooed me, too; he begged me to be his wife,
+and swore by Him who made yon heavens above that he loved only me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And what answer did you give him?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I told him that we could not be so imprudent as to marry, for he had
+little, and I had still less; that I would marry the man who was the
+landlord of the house in which we resided, to provide a comfortable
+home for my mother as long as she lived. And I did marry that man. He
+whom I had refused never knew how much I cared for him; he did not
+think that I had been really attached to him. But I grieved when he
+went away. There never was a squall at sea that I did not think with
+anxiety about him; and many a night have I soaked my pillow with my
+tears, when I could not go to sleep because the tempest raged so
+without.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do I know the person of whom you are speaking, Ellen?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, you do, Kjeld: he is your own father.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'My father!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Can you now comprehend why I have always taken such an interest in
+you, and why I have some right to advise you to let Christine alone? I
+do not say that you must forget her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, because you are convinced it is impossible for me to do so.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Not at all--because I know forgetfulness will come of itself. I only
+desire to impress on you the necessity of leaving this place, and no
+longer loitering about the sea-shore here. To-morrow I am going to sail
+to Æro, or Æbler, and if you will come with me, Kjeld, we will go on to
+Copenhagen. You had better engage yourself on board some ship going to
+the south, and stay away a few years. When you come back again, if our
+Lord has spared my life till then, you will thank me for the advice I
+have given you this night. But see! here are our boats. For God's sake,
+Kjeld, do your duty! I will fasten our little skiff to one of the
+gunboats.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Christine in the meantime remained standing on the beach at a little
+distance from the other women. She had been a silent but much
+interested spectator of all that had occurred previous to Kjeld's and
+Ellen's departure, and she stood watching the frail little boat as long
+as it was visible. At length the fisherwomen rejoined her, and were
+loud in the expression of their fears and forebodings. Christine said
+scarcely anything.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Of course you have no reason to be afraid, Christine,' said the same
+woman who had before commenced jeering at her in Jan Steffens's house.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Kjeld cannot arrive yonder until all the dangerous work is over, but
+he can always boast of being one of the party, and perhaps he may get a
+share of the prize-money. And if any accident should happen to old Jan
+Steffens, you will have a new protector ready at hand.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What do you mean by all the insinuations you have been throwing out
+to-night?' asked Christine.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, this is too good!' cried the woman, laughing, and turning
+towards the other females. 'She pretends to be so ignorant, the little
+lamb!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But speak out--explain yourself! I do not understand a word you have
+been saying, and cannot imagine what you have been all driving at
+to-night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I mean that you and Kjeld will marry as soon as Jan's eyes are closed
+for ever, and that it is no fault of yours or Kjeld's that this has
+been so long of taking place.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And will you listen to my answer?' said Christine, in a peremptory
+tone, and speaking with such pointed distinctness that her words were
+perfectly heard by every one near. 'If such a misfortune should befall
+me that any accident shall occur to Jan Steffens to-night, I swear that
+I will never marry either Kjeld Olsen, or any other man upon this
+earth.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, you would think better of it--you would change your mind,' cried
+the other, laughing scornfully.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No!' said Christine. 'By my hopes of salvation and eternal happiness
+in the world to come, I speak the truth. And I beseech you to believe
+me, and leave me in peace.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after the firing ceased, and many eyes were turned anxiously
+towards the place where it was known the ship lay.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is over now,' said a solemn voice. 'They will be coming back
+presently. God have mercy on us all, but especially on those who have
+lost any near and dear to them!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was a deep and unbroken silence among the crowd. Terror and
+anxiety had closed all their lips, and every eye was strained looking
+out for the boats. Old Poul Mikkelsen, who had clambered up to the top
+of a pile of rocks, was sitting without his hat, and singing the first
+verses of a psalm in a weak and tremulous voice. Suddenly there burst
+forth a bright light in the direction of the ship; it increased in
+width until by degrees it became a broad sheet of dark flame, the
+glowing reflection of which streamed over the waves and tinged the
+hills that skirted the adjacent coast. Such was the glare of light that
+the shore at Fyensland could be seen crowded with people, and several
+boats were discerned apparently rowing in great haste to and from the
+corvette.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The ship is on fire!' cried Poul. 'Our people have been victorious.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fire seemed to increase until at length it appeared to become
+concentrated, when it shot up in one high pillar of flame, from which
+jets of sparks were thrown up into the air around. While the group
+on the shore at Lyngspoint were standing in breathless silence, the
+church clock at Erizö was heard to strike three, and the grey dawn of
+morning began to give place to the clear light of day. In the glare
+from the fire the corvette--with its slender masts, its yards, and
+cordage--became distinctly and fearfully visible, and people could be
+perceived hurrying up and down the deck. Shortly after, the guns went
+off, the fire having then reached them, and one cannon-ball struck the
+bank at no great distance from where the wives and families of the
+fishermen were assembled. No one seemed to notice it, for the thoughts
+of all were earnestly bent upon the terrible drama which was being
+enacted out upon the sea; each person present had a deep interest in
+it, and not one of them but waited for its <i>dénoûment</i> with dread and
+apprehension.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Here come our boats!' cried Poul, pointing with his staff towards two
+dark specks which were to be seen tossing on the waves at a little
+distance from the corvette. Soon after a third boat was observed, towed
+by one of the gun-boats. Christine had been the first to perceive it;
+she folded her hands, and cast a grateful look of thanksgiving up
+towards heaven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length the gunboats reached the shore. In the deeply-affecting
+scene that followed were mingled joyous exclamations and groans of
+despair--smiles and tears--as those so dear and so anxiously looked for
+were found to be safe, or, alas! to be among the wounded and the dead.
+Christine's eyes sought Jan everywhere--but in vain--she did not see
+him. She covered her face, and burst into tears.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In a few minutes Kjeld approached her, and laid his hand gently on her
+arm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Where is my husband?' she asked, impatiently.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'He is dead,' replied Kjeld.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Dead! dead!' exclaimed Christine, in a voice faint and trembling from
+agitation.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes! He fell at the very moment that he ordered us to return to our
+boats, when the Englishmen had set fire to the corvette. I did all I
+could to save him, dear Christine; I posted myself at his side, and
+defended him to the last. But it was all in vain; it was impossible to
+rescue him from death.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why did you not go with him at first?' asked Christine abruptly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Because he insisted that I should not. He knew all that we, too, have
+felt and thought; he desired me to remain behind, and carry a message
+to you, but I was not to deliver it until to-morrow.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It will be needless,' said Christine. 'To-morrow I shall be gone to my
+aunt at Kjærup.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She stretched out both her hands to him, and struggling with her tears,
+she added, in a tone of deep emotion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'God be with you, Kjeld! my dear, my only friend!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are not going away, Christine?' exclaimed Kjeld.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes,' she replied. 'I made a vow to the Almighty that I would do so
+when I offered up my prayers to Him to bring you back unhurt.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But still why must you go away?' he asked, in a voice of alarm and
+anxiety.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Because we two must forget our hopes and our dreams; because we must
+separate from each other, never more to meet again!'</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="div1_aunt" href="#div1Ref_aunt">AUNT FRANCISCA.</a></h2>
+
+<h3>FROM THE DANISH OF CARL BERNHARD.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">On a lovely summer evening, in the month of July, an old lady
+was to be
+seen walking alone by the row of small houses which forms one side of
+St. Anne's Place, and stretches down towards the harbour. This part of
+Copenhagen contains the domiciles of the fashionable world; it is what
+the Faubourg Saint-Germain used to be to the Parisians; palace succeeds
+to palace, the Court is situated in this neighbourhood, and the foreign
+diplomatists--a class more important in Copenhagen than perhaps in any
+other place on earth--honour this portion of the city by making it
+their abode. But, as it were, to remind the world that great people
+cannot do without the poorer sort, certain small houses have here and
+there thrust themselves into good society, and the many signboards
+hanging out plainly evince that their inhabitants do not wear laurels
+so easily won, or enjoy such luxurious repose as their neighbours do.
+At any rate, such certainly is the case with the dwellers in the row of
+houses above mentioned, which, from one end to the other, is occupied
+by mechanics, seafaring men, and other common people.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old lady walked so slowly that you could easily perceive she was
+already on the shady side of life; her carriage was stiff, and her
+steps measured, as if she moved with some difficulty; yet it was
+evident that she had some determined object earnestly in view. Her
+features were sharp, and denoted firmness; indeed, they might have been
+thought harsh and forbidding, had not her mild blue eyes imparted an
+expression of tenderness and goodness to her otherwise stern
+countenance. I know not if my description is clear enough to convey to
+my readers any idea of the face that now stands before my mind's eye,
+but Aunt Francisca's countenance was always somewhat of a difficult
+problem, and this must be my excuse if I have failed in the delineation
+of it. Her dress was in keeping with her general appearance; it was in
+the fashion of a bygone period, at least twenty years old in make and
+materials, and yet one might in vain have sought for a single spot or
+crease in it. There were such fastidious cleanliness, and such a degree
+of scrupulous neatness visible over her whole person, that the beholder
+at once felt assured an old maid was before him. Be this said without
+any disrespect to other ladies, whose <i>nicety</i> I am far from calling in
+question.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With an extensive parasol in her hand, and a large and apparently heavy
+silken bag over her arm, the old lady advanced towards a house whose
+exterior denoted that it was occupied by people belonging to the lower
+classes. She did not scan the number of the houses, and her feet seemed
+mechanically to have found its threshold, as if she had often passed
+over it. And so she had, in truth. A young woman, with a child in her
+arms, opened the door to her, and exclaimed,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Is it really you, my dear lady? Our Lord himself must send you here to
+us, poor miserable creatures!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The speaker and the infant she held in her arms were both clad in
+absolute tatters. The child looked like a monster in a magic glass,
+shrivelled up, yellow skinned, with sunken but staring eyes, and
+wrinkled, though scarcely yet two years of age. It would have been
+difficult to have determined which bore the palm for dirt and disorder,
+the room or its inhabitants.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The elderly lady looked about in vain for a place where she might seat
+herself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You do not deserve that I should come more frequently to visit you,'
+the lady said; 'all hope of assisting you is at an end when you
+yourself will do nothing to improve your condition. In what state is
+this that I find you? You promised me that when next I came I should
+see everything tidy about you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The woman cast down her eyes at this reproachful greeting, and remained
+silent. She placed the child on the floor while she dusted with the
+shreds of an old garment a wooden stool, the only seat in the room. The
+lady looked compassionately at the child, and said, in a less stern
+voice,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What you will not do for your own comfort's sake, you will surely not
+refuse to do for the sake of your poor children. The unfortunate little
+creatures will perish amidst all this dirt; it <i>must</i> engender disease.
+Where are the other children? Has the eldest gone to school yet?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The poor woman looked much embarrassed, and stammered a few words which
+it was impossible to comprehend. The lady continued her interrogations:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And your husband--has he got any work? Why did he never go to the
+place where I told him he could obtain employment? Because he prefers
+remaining in idleness to attempting any useful occupation--he would
+rather spend in rioting the few pence he can scrape together, than work
+to place himself beyond want and wretchedness. What will be the end of
+these courses?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah, my good lady, you are quite right,' replied the woman; 'my
+husband, the good-for-nothing that he is, is the cause of all our
+misery. He will not let spirits alone, and every penny we have goes
+down his throat in strong drink. I beg pardon for mentioning this to
+you, madam, who no doubt have a fine, good gentleman for a husband, but
+men-folks in <i>our</i> rank are dreadful creatures; I often wish I had
+never married.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Very likely your husband has the same improper feeling towards you,
+and upon as good grounds,' replied the old lady. 'Married people should
+bear with each other, and share their burdens between them as well as
+their pleasures. A disorderly wife has no right to complain of a
+disorderly husband. It is a woman's duty to make home comfortable;
+<i>that</i> can be done at little cost, but it cannot be done without order
+and cleanliness. All that I have seen here proves that you are quite as
+much in fault as your husband. Where is the yarn for which I gave you
+money? Have you bought the flax?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The poor woman burst into tears, and began to protest that she was not
+to blame. Had she known the lady's name, or where she resided, she
+would have come to her in her trouble. But she was ignorant of both;
+the landlord had threatened to turn them out into the street if they
+did not pay their rent; and she had nothing to give him, no means of
+keeping a roof over their heads except by handing him the money
+entrusted to her, which she was assured by her husband there was no sin
+in disposing of in this way, as it had been a gift. The old lady
+inquired more minutely into the state of their affairs, remonstrated
+with the young woman, scolded her, and threatened to withdraw the
+assistance she gave them if they would not make some exertion for the
+future to help themselves, and finished by drawing forth from the large
+silk bag sundry articles of food and clothing, which she laid on the
+table before the unfortunate mother. She then took the infant up from
+the floor, kissed it, and gave it some nice wheaten bread and a new
+dress, and promised the mother that she would give the child an entire
+suit of new clothes if, on her next visit, she found everything clean
+and in order. Bestowing upon her once more some earnest injunctions,
+the lady left the house without waiting to listen to the poor woman's
+thanks and blessings.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When she went up the street it was with the same measured steps, and
+the same prim air as before; the large silk bag hung from her left arm,
+but it was empty now, while she held daintily with two fingers of her
+right hand the old-fashioned parasol. Thus she walked on until she
+reached a house in Bredegade, where resided a relation of hers named
+Werner, the widow of a councillor of state,<a name="div2Ref_02" href="#div2_02"><sup>[2]</sup></a>
+who had two daughters,
+of whom the elder was called Louise, the younger Flora. Louise was a
+very quiet girl and of a retiring disposition; she was betrothed and
+soon to be married to Rudolph Horn, a young lawyer, who had a great
+deal of business, and was possessed of a good private fortune besides.
+Flora was secretly engaged to Lieutenant Arnold--secretly, that is to
+say, the engagement had not been declared, though everybody was aware
+of it. It might be a tolerable match when he became a captain, but it
+would probably be a dozen years or more before he obtained his company.
+They were both young, however, and time flies rapidly, as everybody
+knows, so they consoled themselves with hope.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The family were sitting in an arbour in the garden, as they often did
+in summer; Arnold had brought a new novel which he had just commenced
+reading aloud to them. The ladies--their number increased by the
+addition of two cousins, who frequently visited them--sat round the
+table with their work, exceedingly interested in the novel, which began
+'so charmingly,' and promised to be 'so interesting,' when Arnold
+happened to look up, and glancing along the garden-walk, exclaimed,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'May I be shot, if stalking towards us yonder is not--yes, it is
+herself! I have the honour to announce Aunt Francisca's august
+arrival.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The girls all cast looks of annoyance at the old lady, who was slowly
+approaching the arbour where they were assembled. 'How very tiresome!'
+exclaimed the little party as with one voice, while Arnold threw his
+book angrily on the table, and said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Now we must give up knowing the rest of this new story, for I have to
+return the volume to its owner early to-morrow morning. What unlucky
+chance can have brought that wearisome old spectre here this evening, I
+wonder?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Louise rose and went to meet the old lady. Aunt Francisca curtseyed,
+and then kissed her on both cheeks. Mrs. Werner and Flora underwent the
+same species of greeting. A heavy, forced conversation was then carried
+on about the weather and the pleasure of having a garden in Copenhagen.
+Arnold took no part in it, although Aunt Francisca frequently addressed
+herself to him; Mrs. Werner was the only one who maintained it with
+decent civility, for people advanced in years can bear disappointments
+better than young persons.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Will Rudolph soon return from Holstein?' asked the old lady of Louise;
+'it is surprising that he has not written to me. You can tell him, my
+dear, that I have been expecting a letter from him on both the last
+post-days.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That is devilish cool! A nice piece of pretension on the part of such
+an antiquated virago,' observed Arnold, in a half-whisper.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Cousin Ida could not refrain from giggling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You seem to be quite in a laughing humour, my child,' said Miss
+Francisca.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Have you been to the German plays yet?' asked Flora of the old lady,
+with a furtive smile to the rest of the party.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, my head can't stand theatres now,' replied Aunt Francisca. 'They
+do not suit my age, and, indeed, I see so badly that I could not enjoy
+acting. Have you been there?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mrs. Werner answered her, and plunged into a disquisition on some of
+the plays, and on the parts of the performers, but Aunt Francisca heard
+them without any apparent interest. She afterwards entered on the
+subject of the Bible Society and its great usefulness, but was listened
+to in return with apathy and suppressed yawns; nobody <i>there</i> cared
+about Bible societies. Flora proposed that they should drink tea a
+little earlier than usual, and Louise went to order it. The
+conversation came to a dead stand; at length Aunt Francisca said, 'I am
+afraid my visit is inconvenient to you this evening; you might have
+been going out--perhaps to the German play?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'We were only going to have read aloud a book which I brought with me,'
+said Arnold. 'There is no German play to-night; but they are performing
+at Price's, and if the ladies are inclined to go, we shall be quite in
+time.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So speaks youth--distances are nothing for them,' said the old lady,
+with a smile, under which she attempted to hide the unpleasant feeling
+she experienced at finding herself unwelcome. 'You must not mind me, my
+dear cousins; I should be sorry to put you to any inconvenience, and am
+going presently.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But Mrs. Werner begged her to stay, assuring her that the tale could be
+read some other time, and that nobody had dreamed of going to Price's;
+Arnold was only joking.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That other time must be during the night, then.' said Arnold, in no
+very dulcet tone, 'for I have promised to return the book to-morrow
+morning, without fail.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aunt Francisca did not hear his civil speech, for she was talking to
+Mrs. Werner. The young people put their heads together, and whispered
+to each other. Judging by their glances, it was evident that the old
+maiden visitor was the subject of their remarks. One criticised her
+arms, another her bonnet, a third her parasol.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But what do you say to that huge foraging-sack hanging from her arm?
+Can any one inform me for what she carries it?' said Arnold. 'It would
+hold at least half a bushel of corn. Perhaps the stingy old animal goes
+to the market to buy all her own provisions, for fear that her
+servant-girl should make a penny or two out of them now and then.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nonsense; she is too prim to venture among the market folks,' said
+Ida. 'But she fancies it is fashionable. Dare you attack her about it,
+Flora?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora wished to show her courage, but could scarcely speak for
+laughing, as she took up Aunt Francisca's bag, and said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'This is a very pretty bag; the embroidery is à la Grecque, is it not?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Miss Francisca replied gravely, '<i>Pretty?</i> You cannot possibly mean
+that, my child; it is as ugly as a bag can be, but it holds a good
+deal, and therefore I use it sometimes. Living so much alone as I do, I
+must occasionally go my own errands.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora looked foolish, and stammered a few words in defence of the bag,
+while she coloured deeply; but the old lady pretended not to observe
+her embarrassment, and she continued: 'I think it <i>really</i> very pretty,
+but it should not be seen near this lovely shawl, which certainly puts
+it to shame.' So saying, she took up a little muslin shawl, beautifully
+embroidered in gold and coloured flowers, which was lying on the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am glad you admire it, my dear,' said the old lady, 'for I have
+often intended to beg your acceptance of it. I have another at home
+exactly like it, which I intend for Louise; they are too gay for my
+time of life.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora was much pleased with the gift, and had just thanked her
+cousin--for the old lady, though generally called among her young
+connections 'Aunt Francisca,' was by no means so nearly related to
+them--when Ida whispered, 'Why, it is real East Indian! Well, it was
+lucky for you that I persuaded you to go into raptures about the
+hideous bag--set to now and praise her high-heeled shoes. Who knows
+what they may yield?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Shame on you, Ida. Do you think I am going to be rude to her again?'
+said Flora.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aunt Francisca found the evening air rather chilly, and hinted that it
+would be as well to repair to the more comfortable drawing-room within
+doors. Many were the glances of anger and annoyance which passed among
+the young people when Mrs. Werner thereupon desired the servant to
+carry the tea-things back to the house, and they had all to rise in
+order to leave the garden. Arnold, of course, gallantly assisted the
+young ladies in putting up their work and carrying their work-boxes,
+while he exercised his witty propensities at the expense of Miss
+Francisca. Flora meanwhile offered her arm to the old lady, who,
+however, did not proceed immediately to the house, but expressed a wish
+to look first at some of the flower-beds.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When they were alone, she turned suddenly towards Flora, and said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Tell me, my dear girl, are you engaged to Lieutenant Arnold? Perhaps
+you will think that it is no business of mine whether you are or not;
+but whatever is of consequence to you is interesting to me, and it is
+not from mere curiosity that I ask you. Ah! I saw how he pressed your
+hand.... Come, you must not deny it, for I saw it distinctly. Though I
+am old, I have sharper eyes and ears than people may fancy. But you
+know, my dear, girls should not allow gentlemen to squeeze their hands
+unless they are actually engaged to them. It would be quite improper
+otherwise.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora cast down her eyes, but made no reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I know that you are a very good, sensible girl, and that is why I like
+you so much; but truth must be told and listened to, although it is not
+always palatable. What are the prospects now-a-days of a lieutenant in
+the army? Poor indeed, my child; it would be almost an eternity before
+you could marry. In the meantime there might be a hundred flirtations,
+and the first love might be left in the lurch. Arnold is very flighty,
+and I fear also very imprudent. I know that he is in debt, and that
+leads to beggary.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But all young men get into debt. Aunt Francisca,' replied Flora, in a
+low, subdued voice.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Bless you, child! how can you say so? Correct and respectable persons
+do not <i>run</i> into debt. Rudolph does not owe a shilling to anyone--I
+could take my oath to that.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But there is no necessity for Rudolph to fall into debt. Seeing that
+he has a good private fortune, he has no great merit in keeping out of
+it. But what can a poor young officer do who has nothing but his pay to
+live on?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'He has no business by his flattery and fair words to entice a girl
+into an engagement which he cannot carry out,' said Miss Francisca;
+'that is altogether indefensible. The age of miracles is past; no bird
+will come flying into your window with gold on its bill, and in our
+days people don't live on air. Do you really imagine that love is so
+durable a feeling that it can withstand adversity, privations, and
+time itself, which conquers all things? Love and inconstancy are
+half-sisters, dear Flora. Ten years hence you will be called an old
+maid, though, if married, you would be still considered at that age a
+young woman. In twenty years from this time it would be positively
+ridiculous on your part to think of marrying, yet Arnold could scarcely
+venture to take a wife before then.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora played with her sash, and her eyes filled with tears, whilst the
+gloom that overspread her countenance showed how disagreeable the
+conversation was to her. Aunt Francisca looked earnestly at her, and
+putting her arm gently round her waist, asked, in a low voice,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Are you betrothed to Arnold, my child? Answer me truly, Flora--are you
+or are you not?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The girl tried to speak, but her lips closed again. She looked at the
+pretty East India handkerchief, and in her embarrassment crushed it
+between her fingers. The old lady withdrew her arm, and stooped to pick
+a flower.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Come, my dear,' she said, 'let us go in; it is getting quite chill,
+and the evening air is not for old people like me. Your roses are
+beautiful; permit me to take one or two home for my flower-vase.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora hastened to gather a bouquet of flowers, and then accompanied
+Miss Francisca to the house, the latter talking on indifferent
+subjects.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What did she want with you?' asked one of the cousins. 'Did she give
+you anything besides the little shawl?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, I wish she had kept her shawl,' said Flora, sharply. 'When
+presents have to be paid for by listening to stupid prosy lectures, I,
+for one, would rather dispense with the gifts. She is a tiresome old
+maid as ever lived.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Louise was presiding at the tea-table, so Aunt Francisca sat down near
+her, and did not again approach Flora, who seemed out of spirits, and
+spoke neither to the old lady nor to Arnold. When the latter attempted
+to whisper something to her, she drew back pointedly without listening
+to him, and with a toss of her head which plainly showed Arnold that
+she was out of humour. Arnold looked at Miss Francisca as if he could
+have murdered her, and muttered: 'This is that old wretch's fault, I'll
+be bound. A starched old maid like her would infect a whole regiment of
+young girls with her prudery. I suppose I shall be expected to see that
+ancient piece of goods home--and if I am compelled to undertake this
+pleasing office, she shall come to grief, for I swear I will contrive
+to make her fall and break one of her old legs.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">If Louise had not spoken from time to time, not a word would have been
+uttered the whole evening; she was the only one who took any trouble to
+keep up a little conversation. Arnold placed himself by the window, and
+drummed listlessly with his fingers on the panes of glass: Flora sewed
+diligently, as if her daily bread depended on her getting through a
+certain quantity of work. Madame Werner knitted with equal
+perseverance, and only occasionally contributed a 'yes' or a 'no' to
+the conversation; the cousins cast sidelong glances towards Arnold, and
+tittered. At length nine o'clock struck, and it was announced that Miss
+Francisca's servant had come for her. Everybody seemed relieved--and
+the old lady rose instantly, as if she felt that her company was
+unwelcome, and that the sooner she took her departure the better.
+Madame Werner squeezed out an invitation for her to stay a little
+longer, but it was not accepted.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Arnold found that she was really going, he strode up to her, and
+asked if he might have the pleasure of escorting her home; at which
+request the cousins could not restrain their laughter, and Flora had to
+bite her lips to prevent herself from following their example, while
+Louise did her utmost to prevent the old lady from observing the
+rudeness of her relations. Her back was scarcely turned before every
+tongue in the drawing-room she had just quitted became loosened, and
+the sounds of mirth and laughter could be distinctly heard by her
+before she had even left the house. When Louise, who had quitted the
+room with Aunt Francisca, to see her well wrapped up, returned to it,
+she attacked them for their rudeness in laughing, and talking so loud
+as soon as she had left the room, when they had been sitting in solemn
+silence the whole evening previously. Madame Werner sided with Louise,
+but Arnold was not to be checked in his rejoicings at having got rid of
+the stupid, tiresome old maid.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Poor Miss Francisca, meanwhile, heard the shouts of laughter as she
+walked up the street, and looking up sadly at the windows she thought:
+'They are rejoicing at my departure; even there I am <i>de trop</i>.' But on
+her servant remarking how uncommonly gay they were at Madame Werner's,
+she only replied, 'They are a very lively, happy family, and long may
+they remain so.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the 'happy family' were relieved of her presence, the novel
+reading was resumed--and it was late before the tale was finished, and
+the party separated. After the young ladies had retired to the room
+which they shared together, Flora exclaimed, as she put away the pretty
+Indian shawl, 'Aunt Francisca is a very good soul, but she is
+abominably tiresome--it is hardly possible to put up with her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I should think that where there is much real worth, a little
+peculiarity of manner might easily be borne with,' replied Louise; but
+Flora laughed as she said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nothing is so bad as to be wearisome dear Louise; I can't endure
+anyone who bores me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Six weeks had elapsed since Miss Francisca's visit above recorded;
+autumn was approaching, the evenings were becoming longer, and the
+leaves of the trees assuming a yellow tint. It was on a grey afternoon
+in September that a young man passed slowly along Halmtorv, in
+Copenhagen, and stopped before a small house which looked as if it were
+the abode of death, for the blinds were all down, although there were
+no lights inside. The street-door was locked, and it was not till long
+after he had rung that it was opened by an elderly woman, who had on a
+black dress and black ribbons in her cap. They recognized each other
+gravely and then the young man, who seemed familiar with the house,
+ascended the stairs, and entered a room on the first floor, whilst the
+servant carefully locked the outer door. The apartment which he entered
+was empty, not an article of furniture relieved the bareness of the
+walls, and before the windows hung long white curtains, closely drawn;
+in the centre of the room there was a square space, where the uncovered
+boards looked white and shining, but the rest of the floor was thickly
+strewed with fine sand, and on that again lay flowers and green leaves
+taken from trees, which in the four corners of the room were formed
+into elaborate patterns.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young man stopped on the threshold of the floor, and gazed sadly at
+the empty desolation before him. He was speedily joined by the old
+servant, who placed herself by his side, and also contemplated
+sorrowfully the square space, as if she recalled in thought what had so
+lately occupied it. Then, turning her eyes towards the young man, and
+perceiving by the expression of his countenance what was passing in his
+mind, she held out her hand to him in silence, which he took and
+pressed warmly. She was a trustworthy, affectionate creature, a servant
+of the olden time, such as are scarcely ever to be met with now in
+families of our modern days.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Presently the young man crossed the room, stepping lightly, as if he
+were afraid to crush the already fading flowers, and opened the door to
+another apartment, where, as in the first, long white curtains, drawn
+across the half-closed windows, gave a dim sad tone to the tasteful
+furniture and gay-coloured carpet. He was followed by the old servant,
+who told him that he would find the keys belonging to her late mistress
+in her own little daily sitting-room, and that all her keeping places
+were in perfect order. 'Alas! sir,' she added, 'how miserable it is for
+me to be left behind. I had always hoped and prayed that our Lord would
+graciously call me first.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is the course of nature in this world, Inger,' he replied, 'that
+the eldest should go first. Your mistress was almost ten years older
+than you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Very true, sir. Had my dear mistress lived till next Candlemas, she
+would have completed her sixty-seventh year, and I shall be fifty-seven
+come next March. Three-and-twenty years have I lived with her, and I
+can testify to her goodness in every respect; she was such a
+benefactress to the poor. Oh! how many of them will miss her!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And Inger began to weep bitterly; her tears were of genuine sorrow for
+the loss of her kind mistress, for Rodolph, who was the nearest of kin
+to the deceased lady, had already told the faithful servant that a
+comfortable provision should be made for her, so as to secure to her
+independence for the rest of her life.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rudolph Horn was the legal heir of Miss Francisca Garlov, who had that
+day been buried. She had been his mother's first cousin and dearest
+friend, they had been almost brought up together, and their intimacy
+had subsisted without any diminution, until death had separated them,
+thirteen years before, by removing Rudolph's mother from this world.
+The old maid had transferred the friendship for the mother to the son;
+when he came to Copenhagen, as a student, her house had always been
+open to him, and she gave him to understand that he should inherit
+whatever she might leave. She had died after a very few days' illness,
+and Rudolph, who was at the time in the country, though he hastened to
+Copenhagen the moment he heard of her mere indisposition, had not
+arrived in time to see his old friend alive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he sat in her now deserted parlour, his memory retraced the days of
+his childhood, when he used to visit her along with his mother, and
+when he used to admire the Chinese pagodas and mandarins which
+ornamented her sitting-room, her old china teacups, her pretty inlaid
+tea-table, her large well-stuffed easy-chair, her chiffoniers with
+mirrors and gilding in the doors, and, above all, a certain japanned
+cabinet, that had always to be opened to let 'the dear boy' see the
+pretty things in it, and some one or other of which was generally
+bestowed on him, for 'Aunt Francisca' never let him go empty-handed
+from her house. Ah! how different were the desires which filled his
+soul <i>then</i> and <i>now</i>; a whole lifetime almost seemed to lie between
+these two periods of his existence; he was then only eight years old,
+and now he was thirty!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Old Inger brought in candles, and offered to go through an inventory of
+the furniture and effects with him, but Rudolph told her that was quite
+unnecessary, as he had entire confidence in her; however, he took the
+key of Miss Francisca's bureau, as Inger informed him that it was the
+last injunction of her beloved mistress that he should be requested to
+open that depository of her papers immediately after her funeral.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rudolph looked at his watch, as if he would fain have found that it was
+too late that evening to examine the papers of the deceased; but it was
+only six o'clock, and he had no excuse for putting off his painful
+task. It was some little time, however, after he had opened the bureau,
+before he could bring himself to disturb the neat packets of letters,
+and other little articles, arranged with so much order in this
+depository of the good old lady's treasures. He felt that it was almost
+a sin to touch these relics of the past, and merely half-opened the
+various drawers, more to obey the wishes of the dead than to search
+into their contents; but when he came to a hidden compartment, and
+unlocked its little door, he beheld what riveted his attention, for in
+it were two miniatures, a few papers, and two or three manuscript
+books. One of the miniatures was the likeness of a very handsome young
+man, dressed according to the fashion of a bygone period. The
+complexion was florid, rather than pale; the dark blue eyes expressed
+at once thoughtfulness and mirth, and round the mouth played a gay
+smile, while the smooth forehead gave no evidence of care or sorrow;
+the cravat was carelessly tied, imparting an idea of negligence in
+attire, which contrasted rather oddly with the elaborate ruffles that
+appeared below the brown coat sleeves, and coquettishly shaded a hand
+of delicate whiteness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Close to this miniature lay another, which evidently portrayed 'Aunt
+Francisca' in her earlier years. She was pale, but with pretty
+features, finely-arched eyebrows, and a face altogether pleasing, from
+its expression of goodness and cheerfulness. Her hair, which fell in
+rich curls over her slender throat, was confined by a light-blue
+ribbon, and her dress had the peaked stomacher worn in those days.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Here, then, was a clue to the history of Aunt Francisca's youth; after
+so many silent years, these portraits, hidden away together, told a
+tale of the past--a tale, doubtless, of sorrow and disappointment. How
+little do the friends and acquaintances, made in after-life, know of
+the feelings, the hopes, the dreams, and the incidents of earlier
+years, many of which are hushed into deep mystery until the grave has
+received its prey, when some cherished token, some treasured
+reminiscence may unfold the secrets of days gone by.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Rudolph had gazed for a time on these interesting faces, he
+replaced the miniatures where he had found them, and proceeded to
+examine the papers. Among them were memoranda and account-books, which
+showed how well regulated the affairs of the deceased had been, and how
+her economy had afforded her ample means to do good to those around
+her. He continued to read the documents before him until he became
+quite absorbed in them; and he was sitting at the old bureau, forgetful
+of the flight of time, until the clock struck nine. Its unwearied
+tongue, which amidst life and death ceased not to give forth its
+warning tones, aroused him from his dreamy mood, and, snatching one
+more glance at Aunt Francisca's likeness, he closed the bureau, and
+calling Inger, he prepared to depart. The old woman lighted him to the
+door, and attempted to draw him into conversation, but he shook his
+head and hurried out, with tears in his eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah!' said Inger, to herself, as she returned to her solitary chamber,
+'how kind-hearted Herr Rudolph is--so different from most young men
+now-a-days, who are ashamed to let people see that they have any
+feelings at all!'</p>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">On leaving the abode so recently visited by death, Rudolph
+repaired to
+a house in Bredgade, where, as he was ringing at the door, he heard,
+even in the street, the sound of laughter in the drawing-room above.
+Annoyed at this, he drew back a few steps, and, observing lights
+blazing through the windows, he shrank from encountering the gaiety
+within, and was about to go away, but when the door was opened, he
+changed his mind, and slowly ascended the stairs.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst he had been sitting in Aunt Francisca's deserted parlour, a gay
+little party had been gathering around Mrs. Werner's tea-table. They
+were all young, with the exception of the lady of the house. Flora was
+making tea, and Lieutenant Arnold was by her side, rendering her what
+assistance he could. Mrs. Werner sat near them, more to sanction the
+attention Arnold was paying the pretty Flora, than to check it. Louise
+was at the opposite side of the table, with some fancy-work in her
+hand, taking little or no part in the gossiping that was going on, but
+glancing from time to time anxiously at the timepiece in the room, as
+its hands pointed to half-past eight, a quarter to nine, nine o'clock,
+a quarter past nine, and Rudolph had not made his appearance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The two cousins, who were mentioned on a former occasion--young
+ladies--and two or three young men, relations also of the family, made
+up the party. Mrs. Werner and her daughters were in slight mourning, in
+consequence of the death of Miss Francisca, but the gaiety which was
+going on gave no evidence of sorrow for her loss. The smiling
+countenances, the well-lighted room, the open pianoforte, with some
+fashionable waltzes on the stand, all formed a strong contrast to the
+scene Rudolph had just quitted, and he almost frowned as he entered the
+room.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Louise arose and went forward to meet him, while Flora laughingly
+scolded him for being so late.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I beg a thousand pardons,' said Rudolph, 'but it was impossible for me
+to come earlier.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Mercy on us, what a tragical face! You look as if you were bound to
+follow Aunt Francisca into the very grave itself. There, console
+yourself with a cup of cold tea; it is your own fault that it is not
+better. Don't pet him so, Louise. Do you not see how melancholy he is?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Melancholy people are just those who need to be petted,' said Louise,
+moving her chair so as to make room for him by her; 'others don't
+require it.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is really quite touching to see the deeply-distressed heir of Aunt
+Francisca's china pagodas, putting on the solemn look of an undertaker,
+on account of her, alas! too early departure from this world,' said
+Flora. 'Most faithful of swains, where will you find such another
+interesting shepherdess of sixty-seven years of age?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What, is it possible,' cried one of the young men, 'that Rudolph is
+grieving for old Miss Garlov? It seems to me that the best thing the
+ancient skin-flint could do was to lay herself down and die. Heaven
+knows there are plenty of old maids left in the world!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'She was a worthy creature--a good soul,' said Mrs. Werner, with
+perfect indifference, 'and, doubtless, is now happy in the other world.
+There is no need to lament those who go to a better life; they are well
+off.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'She will be wafted, like an airy being, up to the highest heaven, on
+account of her unimpeachable virtue,' said Arnold, laughing at his own
+wit. Rudolph looked angrily at him, and was about to say something,
+when Louise laid her hand on his arm to stop him. There was an awkward
+silence for a few minutes, until one of the cousins exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I wonder if Miss Francisca ever had a lover.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I should think not,' replied Mrs. Werner, with a half smile. 'She did
+not look like a person who would have admirers.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Admirers!' cried one of the young men. 'Fancy anybody making love to
+such a prude. I don't suppose she ever had the most distant idea of
+love.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'One can have very good fun with old maids, sometimes,' said Arnold;
+'one can quiz them about their youthful conquests, or persuade them
+that Peter or Paul is casting, even now, sheeps' eyes at them; but it
+would have been impossible to have brought Miss Garlov into this state
+of happy delusion; there was no tampering with <i>her</i>.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What a tiresome person she was!' exclaimed cousin Ida. 'A terrible
+bore!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Heavens! yes! Such an old maid as she was is positively a horror,
+enough to scare one,' said Arnold, 'though I don't call myself
+faint-hearted, and am certainly not apt to flee from the fair sex. But
+these wrinkled, pinched-up pieces of propriety, who are always
+denouncing the immorality and folly of youth, don't deserve to be
+included under the head of &quot;fair.&quot; Well, had I known that Aunt
+Francisca was to be buried to-day, I certainly should have followed her
+to the grave, out of gratitude to her for taking this last journey,
+never more to return.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'My cousin did not trouble you much, I think,' said Rudolph, angrily.
+'She came here but seldom, and was never fond of annoying people.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Arnold made some ill-natured answer, continuing to quiz poor Miss
+Francisca. Everyone laughed except Louise, who was anxiously watching
+Rudolph's countenance, and much afraid lest he should make some severe
+remark.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora, enjoying the scene, said: 'See how Louise is labouring to keep
+Rudolph quiet, for he is quite ready to do battle with us all. Ever
+since I have known him, he has been the faithful knight of all forlorn
+old maids.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And all young ladies should, therefore, feel gratitude to me,' said
+Rudolph, 'for not one of them--I make no exceptions--can declare, with
+certainty, that she may not one day or other become an old maid.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora cast a glance towards Arnold, which plainly said that she, at
+least, had nothing to do with the threatened calamity.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rudolph continued: 'I have often observed with surprise how youth,
+especially early youth, hates and despises old maids. Why is it that
+age, which demands respect for all others, should, in civilized
+society, exclude unmarried ladies from it? I do not allude to my
+deceased relative in particular, nor will I dwell on all her kindness
+to me--I will only speak of her as one of a class, one among the many
+who share her fate. We were all acquainted with her, and therefore I
+ask you, who have just been casting ridicule on her memory, if you have
+<i>really</i> felt the bitter contempt you have expressed for her? I think I
+can answer for you, No. Not one of you is, in point of fact, so
+bad-hearted as you would make yourselves appear by your thoughtless
+chattering.' Rudolph looked earnestly round, but not one present
+attempted to reply.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He went on: 'Is an old maid's lot so delightful, that people must try
+to annoy her by scorn? <i>I</i> should say not. Should we not rather be
+sorry to see anyone excluded from what many of us value most? A life
+without interest, or close domestic ties, is not to be envied; nor is
+it the fault of the woman if she is not destined to become a wife and a
+mother. Many single women have but to look back in their advancing
+years on a wasted life; to remember names that no more must be uttered
+by them; to feel the void in their hearts to which no amount of
+resignation can make them insensible; and to all this must be added an
+endless struggle against those who have been more fortunate than
+themselves, and enforced patience with the jeers and scoffs launched so
+pitilessly against them. How few girls look forward to this position
+for their after-years! And yet circumstances not calculated upon, the
+factitious wants entailed on us by society, the poverty which forbids
+many a union, the fickle fancies of men, or an evil destiny, which
+seems sometimes to delight in thwarting the dearest hopes, and
+sundering those who might have been happy together, may doom them to
+it. And is all this only a subject for ridicule? For my part, I
+cannot laugh at an old maid, even if she loves only her cat or her
+canary-bird. God has implanted affections in her heart; mankind have
+rejected these, therefore she loves animals of a lower species, who
+seem grateful for her kindness. Ludwig said, a few minutes ago, that
+Aunt Francisca looked as if she had never had a lover. Could that be
+possible, with her mild eyes, her sweet face, her amiable disposition?
+She had more goodness in her little finger than most people have in
+their whole person; but none of you knew her well!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nonsense, Rudolph!' exclaimed Mrs. Werner. 'How can you pretend to say
+we did not know her? I am sure <i>I</i> have been acquainted with her for at
+least a score of years; she was a second cousin of my lamented
+husband.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nevertheless, I maintain that none of you <i>did</i> know her well. If not
+disagreeable to you, I should like to tell you Aunt Francisca's history
+as I have heard it from my mother, who was her most intimate friend,
+and partly from herself. I have also found out much from her private
+papers, which, by her own wish, I looked over this very evening. Now
+that she is gone, the story of her life need no longer be a secret.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Hark ye, Rudolph,' said Mrs. Werner, stretching across, and whispering
+to him. 'In regard to <i>that</i> secret, I would rather you did not touch
+upon it; her imprudence in early life, which caused so much annoyance
+to her family, had better not be related in the presence of young girls
+like my daughters and their cousins. It was fortunate the child died.
+Her friends would have been awkwardly placed had he lived, for they
+could scarcely have received her. It was surprising that she made so
+light of it herself.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But Arnold had overheard what Mrs. Werner had whispered to Rudolph, and
+exclaimed exultingly,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So! Is that how matters stood? The old lady deserves our thanks, even
+though she is in her grave, for the sins of her youth; without them we
+should have been forced to listen to some most insipid story, but we
+may now hope to hear something interesting.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Give over interrupting him,' said Flora, 'or we shall not hear a word.
+Now, Rudolph, do begin!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am obedience itself, and shall be mute as a fish,' said Arnold,
+bowing gallantly to his fair enslaver. The male and female cousins all
+placed themselves in attitudes of attention, perhaps because they
+shared in the young officer's expectation of hearing some scandal, and
+Rudolph commenced his narration:--</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There is little to be told of Aunt Francisca's childhood. Her father
+held a situation in one of the colleges, and the first eight years of
+her life were passed principally in close rooms, away from green fields
+and fresh air. Her father was much occupied, therefore her education
+was conducted entirely by her mother, a clever and amiable woman, but
+with one peculiarity, that she had the greatest horror of sick people,
+and was morbidly afraid of infection. Francisca, perceiving this
+weakness, determined to avoid it, but fell into the opposite extreme,
+and would scarcely believe that any complaint could be infectious, or
+if the fact were proved, she had not the slightest fear of it. When the
+family removed to an estate her father had purchased near a town where
+he had received a good appointment, the little girl took much pleasure
+in visiting the poor in the neighbourhood when they were ill, and
+administering to their comforts, which, of course, caused her to be
+greatly beloved among them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was at this period of her life that my mother and she became
+intimate. The cousins were much together, for my mother used to spend
+almost every summer at the Garlovs', and their mutual affection ripened
+with their years. At sixteen Francisca could not have been called
+beautiful, but she was pretty, with an animated countenance, a sweet
+smile, a light, graceful figure, and pleasing manners. It was about
+this time that a dreadful fever broke out in the part of the country
+where the Garlovs lived; it raged more particularly among the
+peasantry, but persons of all classes were attacked; the servants in
+almost every house were ill, and, to crown the evil, the doctors in the
+provincial town were seized with the fever. In this state of things,
+Francisca's father wrote to Copenhagen to request that some young
+physician might be sent to their assistance in the existing time of
+need. Little did he imagine that this letter was to be the first cast
+of the die which was to determine his daughter's fate!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Two young doctors accordingly soon arrived, one of whom was settled for
+the time being in the little town, the other taking up his abode at Mr.
+Garlov's country house. This latter was a handsome young man, about
+three-and-twenty years of age, who had just passed a brilliant
+examination, and was glad to obtain some employment. I will show you
+his likeness some day, which will prove to you that he was handsome and
+prepossessing in appearance, and that the impression he made on Aunt
+Francisca was not to be wondered at.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was successful in his practice, and saved so many lives that Mrs.
+Garlov looked upon him absolutely as their good genius, while his
+lively conversation amused her husband. He had been a favourite with
+the belles of his own circle in Copenhagen, among whom he had been
+considered quite an Adonis, therefore he had no lack of confidence in
+his powers of pleasing, and he thought it his duty to pay marked
+attention to the young lady of the family by whom he had been so
+hospitably received.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But Francisca soon interested him. He found her very different from his
+fair Copenhagen friends, and then she was the only damsel with whom he
+associated; and in the country, as everybody knows, people become
+better acquainted in three days than in three years in town. It cannot
+be denied that as time wore on Theodore Ancker made rapid advances in
+the good graces of the youthful and unsophisticated Francisca, and by
+the time nature had put on its richest summer garb her heart was fairly
+in the keeping of the young doctor. Ah! what a summer that was for her.
+Never before had the sun shone so brightly--never had the skies looked
+so blue, or the trees wore so brilliant a green! And yet, had Mr.
+Garlov's guest taken his departure then, as he thought of doing,
+Francisca might have missed him terribly for a time, passed a
+melancholy autumn, and a lonely winter; but when spring came round, and
+the storks had returned to their nests on the roofs, she would have
+recovered her spirits, and remembered her intimacy with him only as a
+pleasant episode in her life. It was otherwise ordained.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It had been deemed that the fever had entirely disappeared, but a
+peasant was attacked by it, and in visiting him, Theodore, who had
+escaped as if by magic before, was seized with the dreaded symptoms,
+and soon became dangerously ill. The family--indeed the whole
+neighbourhood--were thrown into the greatest consternation, for
+Theodore was a general favourite; but no one seemed sufficiently
+collected to pay the invalid the attention he required except
+Francisca, who, calm in the midst of her distress, and heedless of
+infection, took upon herself to be his chief nurse, and waited on him
+day and night with untiring assiduity. Her father was often her
+companion in the sick-room, but Mrs. Garlov's uncontrollable fears
+prevented her from assisting personally in her daughter's benevolent
+labours, though she was not remiss in praying for the patient's
+recovery.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He <i>did</i> recover, and when the autumnal tints were stealing over the
+woods, he was able to stroll in the garden, or saunter to the verge of
+the adjacent forest. How happy Francisca was! And when Theodore turned
+to her, and said, in a voice still languid from weakness,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'How delicious the air is to-day! I owe it to you, Miss Francisca, that
+I breathe it again. Without your kind care I never more should have
+beheld these beautiful woods.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A thrill of delight passed through Francisca's frame at these words,
+and she trembled so that Theodore exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I fear I am leaning too heavily on you; you are fatigued, I see. Let
+us sit down here to rest awhile--here, where the sun shines so brightly
+through the leaves that they seem to be all of gold. Ah! how good, how
+kind you have been to me! It seems to me as if my own character had
+improved since I became acquainted with you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The harvest was gathered in--the harvest-home was to be held--and there
+was more than usual merriment, for the dreaded epidemic had passed
+away, and the very last who had suffered from it, Theodore, was now
+only somewhat feeble. The peasantry were enjoying their games, and the
+Garlov family, with a few friends, were looking on at a little distance
+beyond the gates of the château, when a succession of fearful shrieks
+were heard, and a number of peasants, some armed with sticks, others
+with stones, were to be seen running along, though no one could tell
+what was the cause of the uproar. But presently a large dog, with a
+broken chain around his neck, rushed from behind some bushes, and ran
+across the field towards the Garlov party, who at the same moment
+distinctly heard the warning cry, 'A mad dog! a mad dog!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Seized with a sudden panic, every one of the little group endeavoured
+to escape, and Francisca caught hold of Theodore's hand and hurried him
+towards the gate; but he could not run fast enough, the large stick on
+which he had been leaning impeded his movements, and, stumbling, he
+fell to the ground. Francisca was in despair when she found he had
+struck his head against a stone, and lay motionless; in vain her father
+called to her to quicken her pace, she would not leave Theodore.
+Meanwhile the dog came nearer and nearer--she could hear the rattling
+of his chain, as with open mouth and protruding tongue he ran towards
+them. She sprang before Theodore, and with outstretched arms stood as
+if guarding him. The dog rushed on her--she felt his damp paw upon her
+throat, his warm breath upon her cheek, his glaring eyes close to her
+own, and she sank senseless by the side of him she had endeavoured to
+save.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, fie! Rudolph,' cried cousin Ida; 'your description is too
+horrible--his wet paw upon her throat--shocking! How could she be so
+foolish! I think she must have been as mad as the dog.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I should have fainted at the first cry of the peasants,' said
+Charlotte, Ida's sister.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Master Theodore must have been a miserable creature,' exclaimed
+Arnold. 'I would have defended the ladies to the last drop of my blood.
+But, to be sure, he was only a doctor, and dealt in potions and
+plasters instead of valorous deeds--that is some excuse for the
+fellow.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I thought the bite of a mad dog was always fatal,' said Mrs. Werner,
+quietly. 'Yet Francisca must have outlived it--how was that?'</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">It was a false alarm (replied Rudolph). The dog was not mad. With
+that instinct which led all distressed creatures to her, it had
+run to Francisca for protection from the crowd of peasants who were
+ill-treating it. She soon got over her fainting fit, and Theodore also
+recovered consciousness, but the contusion in his head brought on
+fever, and he raved incessantly about the mad dog which had destroyed
+Francisca. The old doctor, who had resumed his practice, happening
+fortunately to call, ordered leeches to be applied to Theodore's head,
+and a certain medicine to be administered to him. Both had to be
+obtained from the apothecary in the nearest little town, and the only
+man-servant who had remained at home--the others having been permitted
+to join the merry-making among the villagers--was sent for them. After
+a long absence he returned with the leeches, but did not bring the
+so-much-needed draught. It would have been a useless attempt to send
+him back, for he had been drinking freely in the town, and could not be
+roused from the heavy sleep into which he had fallen after tumbling
+down in a state of intoxication on the floor of the servants' hall.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Should the poor patient be deprived of the prescribed draught? No;
+Francisca determined to go for it herself, even though it was getting
+dark, and she would have to pass through the dreary wood. Leaving her
+mother and an old woman busy putting on the leeches on Theodore's brow,
+she slipped out of the room and out of the house; she almost ran until
+she reached the gate which opened upon the road that led to the wood;
+there for a moment she stopped, and hesitated to proceed; yet the
+doctor had said that the medicine was of great importance, and though
+she had never been alone in the wood after dark, she conquered her
+fears and went forwards. But her heart beat wildly, her knees trembled
+under her, and she often started at the rustling of the leaves, and the
+pale gleams of uncertain light that penetrated here and there through
+the thick foliage from the rising moon; the scudding of the deer, whom
+even her light tread awoke, increased her alarm; and the hoarse cry of
+the owl seemed terrible to her.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">'Young ladies,' said Rudolph, interrupting his narrative, 'is there one
+among you who will now doubt that Aunt Francisca could feel love?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, Heaven defend me from such love!' cried Ida. 'I would die of
+fright if I were to go alone through a dark wood at night.'</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">She reached the town safely (continued Rudolph), procured the
+medicine at the apothecary's, and bravely returned alone through the
+wood, though her excited imagination conjured up all manner of
+phantasies--such as dim figures gliding amidst the trees, footsteps
+pursuing her, and goblin laughter greeting her ear. Still she struggled
+against the terror that had almost overcome her, until, having gained
+her home and the invalid's chamber, she sank down, nearly fainting, by
+her mother's side, and murmured, 'The wood--the wood!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The dampness of her dress, wet with the heavy dew--her exhaustion, and
+the medicine which she could just hold up--told the history of her
+exploit more quickly than her words would have done. Her mother threw
+her arms round her, and Theodore, who was somewhat better, and who was
+amazed at what she had done for his sake, exclaimed, 'Francisca, and
+you ventured all this for <i>me!</i>' During the long, sleepless night which
+followed, she heard again and again, as it were like the tones of an
+Æolian harp, these, to her, thrilling words; 'Francisca, and you
+ventured all this for <i>me!</i>'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the course of a few weeks after this event, Theodore being again
+quite well, found that it was necessary for him to return to
+Copenhagen. But he felt reluctant to leave Francisca, and put off the
+dreaded parting to the latest day possible. He knew how much he was
+indebted to her; twice she had saved his life, or striven to do so,
+with a devoted abnegation of self which only affection could have
+prompted. His vanity whispered to him that she surely loved him, and
+flattered by this idea, and also feeling grateful to her, he fancied
+that he entertained the same sentiments towards her. Francisca was so
+retiring in her manners, however, that Theodore had had no opportunity
+of communicating to her what he thought or felt, except by his looks;
+and even these seemed to alarm her, for she feared that she had
+permitted him to read too deeply in her heart.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length he could no longer defer his departure, and with a
+countenance full of woe he informed the family at dinner that he would
+have to leave them the following day. Francisca turned deadly pale, and
+as soon as she could make her escape from table she rushed into the
+garden to vent her grief in solitude. Theodore had followed her,
+unperceived by her. He found her leaning against a tree, holding a
+handkerchief to her eyes, while her whole frame was agitated by her
+emotion. In another moment his arm was round her waist, while he
+exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What! weeping, Francisca? Are you ill? What can affect you thus? Is
+there any secret grief pressing upon your mind? I had hoped to carry
+away with me the image of the happy Francisca I have known here. Ah!
+you cannot guess how dear your happiness is to me. To you I owe my life
+twice over. I owe you more than ten lives could repay. Dearest
+Francisca! say, will you think kindly of me when I am far away? Oh,
+every golden cloud, every waving tree, every lovely flower I behold
+will lead my thoughts to you--or rather, you will be my only thought.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca's tears flowed more freely even than before. She was silent;
+but there is a silence more eloquent than words. However, young ladies,
+you all know, or have dreamed, of what might pass during such a scene,
+and I shall not, with my prosy words, attempt to describe what your
+poetical imaginations can so much better conceive.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was under that linden-tree that the happy Theodore received the
+assurance of Francisca's love, and heard her, for the first time, call
+him 'Dear Theodore!' They strolled on towards the wood, and Theodore
+there took up a small quantity of the earth, which he said he would
+keep as an amulet--a preservative against all manner of witchcraft.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do so,' said Francisca, with a sad smile, 'for you will assuredly need
+that amulet. You are leaving me now; you will forget me soon among the
+many beautiful and fascinating you will see in the gay world. But,
+after all, you had better throw back the earth whence it came,
+Theodore. I would not be remembered as an evil genius.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Can you fancy that I could possibly forget you, or cease to remember
+all you have been to me? May Heaven forget me if I ever change towards
+you!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The earnestness of his manner convinced Francisca of his sincerity. We
+are always prone to believe what we wish, and this is why a heart that
+loves is so easily deceived.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When he was going away, Theodore whispered with his farewell a request
+that he might be allowed to write to her, and that she would answer his
+letters.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, do not write,' she said; 'our faith in each other does not require
+to be kept alive by letter. We shall meet again.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'In spring, I trust. Oh, how long it will be till then!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Love and gratitude! What a wide difference there is between these two
+feelings. Love is the offspring of our own heart--its darling, its
+heir; gratitude is but an adopted child--a poor orphan, admitted but
+not tenderly cherished. What Francisca felt was <i>love</i>. Theodore had
+always <i>gratitude</i> starting up in the background to recall his
+wandering feelings; yet he believed, when he left the Garlovs' house
+for Copenhagen, that he was really in love with Francisca.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It is a pity that no natural philosopher has ever invented an
+instrument by which to measure love--its depth and solidity. Had such a
+test been available, Theodore would soon have found out his own state.
+But still there are proofs without philosophical instruments; for he
+who does not find the image of his beloved in every corner of his
+heart, has never loved; he who does not clearly remember every, even
+the most minute turnings, in the winding-path by which the little blind
+deity may have led him, has never loved; he whose beloved is not his
+all in the future, the object of his dreams, his hopes, his thoughts in
+the present, he has never loved. Ye gentlemen lovers! I advise you to
+examine your own hearts by these tests, and see how your affections
+really stand.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Rudolph paused for a moment--Louise glanced at him as if she felt sure
+he had passed the proof--Arnold indulged in a sneering smile, and the
+other gentlemen looked innocently apathetic.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">There is an old French saying (continued Rudolph), which signifies
+that absence has the same effect upon love that a high wind has upon
+fire--it extinguishes the weak, but makes the strong burn more
+intensely. Thus, while Francisca's ardent love gained strength in
+absence, and in her sleeping and waking dreams she invested Theodore
+with every possible good quality and charm, his feeble love became more
+and more languid, and the image of Francisca lost by degrees all the
+attractions he had fancied it possessed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca had communicated all her feelings by letter to her friend, my
+mother, and the correspondence between them, on a subject so
+interesting, helped to while away the tedium of the winter months.
+Theodore, on the contrary, concealed his little love affair in the
+country from his friends in town. At first, it seemed a topic
+too sacred to enter upon, and afterwards he thought it would be
+ridiculous--he would only expose himself to be laughed at by his
+companions. Balls, and all sorts of amusements occupied his leisure
+hours. He was one of the best dancers in Copenhagen, and could have as
+many pretty partners as he liked. Time flew fast with him; he sometimes
+forgot that such a being as Francisca existed, and in a fit of
+vexation, as it reminded him of his duty, he hid away the amulet that
+was to have been so potent a talisman. Early in spring, however, he had
+an illness, which confined him to his room for a few days; during that
+short period of seclusion Francisca assumed a more prominent part in
+his recollection. Which of all the girls he had been flirting with
+during the winter would have risked so much, done so much for him as
+she had done? Not one among them. The country and Francisca were again
+in the ascendant for a time, and it was at this period that he had his
+likeness taken. He would give it to her. How much <i>she</i> would value it!
+That was a pleasant idea, for even in love men seldom forget vanity.
+Indeed, what love is to be compared, in general, to self-love?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Armed with the miniature of himself, and a small plain gold ring on his
+little finger, Theodore set off for Mr. Garlov's. The wood was already
+clothed in its mantle of green. How anxiously had not Francisca watched
+the budding leaves, and longed for the arrival of spring, which would
+bring back to her him she loved so much! She had gone out to meet him,
+and when he caught a glimpse of her, springing from the carriage he
+threw himself at her feet. She was happy, for she had never doubted his
+constancy. Mr. Garlov welcomed him as an old friend, but he did not
+look upon him in any other light, as Mrs. Garlov, who knew of her
+daughter's attachment, had never yet found a suitable opportunity
+to communicate the matter to her husband, though she was aware
+that he intended Francisca to marry a wealthy proprietor in their
+neighbourhood, who, although somewhat advanced in years, was a very
+worthy man, and would be a good match.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The evenings were still cold, and were consequently passed within
+doors, but were enlivened by conversation, music, and reading aloud,
+for Theodore excelled in the latter accomplishment, and also sang well.
+A happy time it was to Francisca, and even Theodore felt the pleasing
+influence of these quiet evenings; but when summer came, with its long
+days and warm nights, and the lovers could stroll out arm-in-arm,
+Francisca was still happier, and would sometimes exclaim, 'I could not
+have thought it possible for this world to afford so much felicity as I
+experience at this moment!' With her the days flew like hours, and the
+hours like minutes! At length Theodore spoke of returning to his home.
+But he was assailed by father, mother, and daughter, with entreaties to
+remain a little longer, as guests were expected, and his society would
+enliven the party very much.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'If you will only stay,' said Francisca, 'you shall be rewarded by
+seeing a most beautiful girl.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Is your cousin Kitty so beautiful?' asked Theodore.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, she is only amiable; but a Miss Angel is to accompany her, who is
+over from Holstein on a visit to my cousin. She is called Aurora
+Angel--two ominous names, are they not? But they are not misapplied.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you think I would stay for anybody's sake if not for yours, dear
+Francisca?' said Theodore. 'No; the goddess of the dawn of day shall
+have no such triumph. Since you wish it, I will remain longer; but I
+should only be too happy if this blooming damsel would stay away.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She came, however, along with my mother and my grandmother, and very
+beautiful she was both in face and figure, with remarkably fine arms,
+and the prettiest feet in the world. She looked lovely as she played
+the harp, and her voice was one of that peculiar sweetness that, once
+heard, could never be forgotten. Her slight foreign accent gave a
+piquancy to her simplest words--in short, she was altogether a most
+attractive little creature.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mrs. Garlov and Theodore Ancker were the only persons who did not
+seem quite captivated by the fascinations of the fair Aurora; every
+one else was enchanted with her, Francisca most of all. Theodore
+insisted that the glances of her bright eyes had, when she thought she
+was not observed, something sinister in them that caused involuntary
+mistrust; he accused her of being coquettish, cold, and heartless,
+notwithstanding her affection of feeling. In fact, he evinced a strange
+repugnance to her society, and much annoyance that the arrival of other
+guests had thrown a sort of barrier between himself and Francisca, with
+whom he could no longer be frequently alone, and more than once he
+expressed a wish that he had gone when first he proposed doing so. He
+was at all times a little given to variations of temper, but now he
+appeared to be always out of humour, and when he was compelled to show
+any attention to Aurora, he did it with a very bad grace, and looked as
+awkward as a dancing bear.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aurora herself never appeared to observe anything odd in his manners,
+but the rest of the party could not fail to be surprised at him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One evening, after Theodore had been all day looking quite cross
+because he had not been able to have some private chat with Francisca,
+though his own bad humour had made him neglect more than one
+opportunity that had presented itself, the little party were assembled
+in the music-room which opened on the garden. Aurora was singing and
+accompanying herself on the harp. Theodore seemed annoyed at the praise
+bestowed upon her, and she had scarcely finished her song when he began
+vehemently to press Francisca to sing. She declined, though she really
+sang very nicely, and her admirer was so vexed that he was leaving the
+room, when she called him back, that he might hear Aurora sing
+Clärchen's Lied from Goethe's 'Egmont,' which was then quite new. After
+preluding for a moment or two, with a sweet smile Aurora commenced the
+romance, and the expression of her countenance changed suddenly to
+sadness as she sang,</p>
+<div class="poem2">
+<p class="t8">
+Freudvoll<br>
+Und leidvoll<br>
+Gedankenvoll seyn;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">while she seemed powerfully affected by the two last lines:</p>
+<div class="poem2">
+<p class="t8">
+Glücklich allein<br>
+Ist die Seele, die liebt;</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">for her voice sank almost to a whisper, and her eyes filled with tears.
+At that moment her glance met that of Theodore, and she coloured
+deeply, while he in vain strove to look indifferent. Mrs. Garlov
+entered on a disquisition touching the tragedy of 'Egmont' and the
+character of Clärchen, while Aurora sought to conceal her annoyance by
+speaking of the song.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I do not know any song that has prettier words than these. Do you not
+agree with me, Mr. Ancker?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I think,' replied Theodore, 'that Clärchen's mother pronounced a very
+proper judgment on the words when she said, &quot;Ah, it is the same eternal
+nonsense.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And I will answer you in Clärchen's own words', said Aurora,
+good-humouredly: '&quot;Nay, do not abuse it; 'tis a song of marvellous
+virtue. Many a time I have lulled a grown child to sleep with it.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This reply in her own language--the German--came so prettily from
+Aurora's coral lips, that Theodore did violence to his own feelings
+when he answered:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, &quot;schlafen wiegen,&quot; that was perhaps Clärchen's art. Probably you
+admire Clärchen's character. I would swear that you did.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, I admire it; it is a faithful and pleasing sketch of the female
+character.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Of <i>one</i> female character, say rather. God be praised, not of all,'
+replied Theodore. 'Clärchen is capricious, coquettish, inconsiderate,
+heartless. She makes a mere tool of the man who wishes to marry her--a
+mere hack and errand boy--and she repays the poor fellow's services by
+the coquetry which holds him in her chains. Does she not say herself,
+&quot;Often, without a thought, I return the gentle loving pressure of his
+hand? I reproach myself that I am deceiving him--that I am nourishing
+in his heart a vain hope.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aurora listened to him with a smile, complimented him on his admirable
+pronunciation of German (a compliment which evidently pleased him), and
+then went on to defend Clärchen, quoting sentences from the drama
+itself, and wound up by assuring him that men could not understand
+love--at least not such deep, all-absorbing love as a Clärchen could
+feel.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mr. Garlov remarked that the fair damsel was very severe upon their
+sex, and Theodore shrugged his shoulders in silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Again Aurora spoke. 'Clärchen,' she said, 'was placed, as it were,
+between Life's cold prose and Eternity's warm poetry. It was the battle
+between these that consumed her, as it had consumed many another heart.
+<i>You</i> have no conception of that struggle: and may you never feel it.
+May you never have to say, like Clärchen, &quot;I am in a strange
+position.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aurora rose, put away her harp, and hurried into the garden. The other
+ladies followed her, and Theodore was left alone with Mr. Garlov, who
+said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You have got into a scrape, my good friend. One must be very guarded
+in speaking to these German ladies, they are so deucedly sensitive. I
+can't conceive, though, what made you fall upon her as you did; it was
+really an unwarrantable attack.'</p>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER III.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">For some days after the little scene in the music-room,
+Theodore took
+great pains to dispel the gloom his ill-humour had occasioned, and he
+tried, by unusual courtesy, to do away with any disagreeable impression
+he might have made upon Aurora; but she appeared to notice as little
+his efforts to please as she had previously noticed his indifference,
+which had bordered on rudeness. He was annoyed, and said to Francisca,
+'I can't imagine what that girl wants; I have never in my life beheld a
+person with so much pretension. If she expects that <i>I</i> shall approach
+her upon my knees, according to the homage she is perhaps accustomed to
+in Holstein, she will find herself much mistaken. One does not worship
+a pretty face so much in this part of the world; thank Heaven, here
+beauty is not so rare.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'A face like Aurora's, however, is seldom to be seen anywhere,' said
+Francisca. 'But you quite misunderstand her--she has no pretensions,
+and hardly knows how beautiful she is. She is sorry that she is not on
+better terms with you, and, as Kitty tells me, cannot imagine why you
+dislike her so much.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Such conversations frequently took place between Theodore and
+Francisca, but they had no apparent result, for Theodore, though he
+agreed with all that she said, and was polite to her young guest, did
+not seem to feel any interest in her; and Aurora, on her part, remained
+cold and distant to him. Six weeks had now elapsed since the arrival of
+the ladies, and the time had passed slowly to Theodore, who had never
+felt himself fully at ease; these weeks had also imperceptibly made a
+change in his and Francisca's manners towards each other--a colder and
+more distant tone had sprung up between them, they seldom met alone,
+and when they did, Theodore's thoughts always seemed preoccupied, or he
+was out of humour. Francisca observed this with regret, and one Sunday
+morning she contrived to follow him alone into the garden, determined
+to clear up anything that might have annoyed him. She had a book in her
+hand, probably snatched up by chance to lead the rest of the party to
+fancy that she was going to read in the garden. Theodore came up to
+her, and said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What interesting work have I to thank for this unexpected meeting? To
+see you alone is now a rare event; the claims of love, methinks, are no
+longer of the importance they used to be.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He seized the book with some impetuosity--it was Goethe's 'Egmont.'
+'Clärchen!' he exclaimed. 'Is Clärchen to be always thus thrust upon
+me? I wish I could as easily get rid of all Clärchens as I can of this
+book.' And he was about to fling the book away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'For Heaven's sake, Theodore, don't throw Aurora's book into the pond!
+How can you be so childish as to be angry with a poor book? It was not
+Clärchen that brought me here; I took it up in the breakfast-room to
+have something in my hand; I did not even know what book it was. I came
+out here,' she added, timidly, and colouring deeply, 'to seek you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Me, Francisca? Really to seek me? So these visitors of yours have not
+made you quite forget me? But I am unreasonable, detestable; forgive
+me, sweet Francisca! I hardly know myself what I want. It is very
+foolish, but I confess I am as jealous of Aurora as if she had been a
+man. The way in which she engrosses you quite separates us; when a
+woman chooses to pay court, it is much worse than attention from a
+man--she scarcely ever leaves you for a moment.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Unreasonable that you are!' cried Francisca, smiling. 'Do you think
+you are to be the only 'person who is to be allowed to love me? Come,
+let us make the most of these uninterrupted minutes, and speak
+confidentially together. Let us go into the forest, I feel as if I
+should be more at my ease there.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore drew her arm within his, and they went into the wood. It was a
+lovely morning, the thick foliage of the trees formed a cool shade from
+the warm rays of the blazing sun. The birds were carolling among the
+branches, the chime of the distant church bells was answered by the
+tinkling of the sheep bells as the animals fed amidst the grassy glades
+of the forest, and a few peasants passed now and then on their way to
+church, in all their Sunday finery, and with their prayer-books in
+their hands. They respectfully and kindly saluted the lovers as they
+sat together under the large tree, beneath whose spreading boughs
+Francisca had prayed for strength on the memorable night when she had
+traversed the forest alone in order to obtain the means required for
+saving Theodore's life.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'This is our chapel,' said Theodore. 'This mossy seat the altar at
+which I have vowed to devote my life to you. Do you remember that it
+was here you hinted at the possibility of my forgetting you? Ah! Did I
+not then say that Heaven must forget me first? I feel now, even more
+than I did then, the truth of my words.' But at that moment a
+recollection shot across Theodore's mind which caused him a painful
+sensation: had he not all but forgotten Francisca? He passed his hand
+over his eyes for a moment, but Francisca took it gently away, while
+she replied:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'My doubts were unholy. I was but a child then, and I did not think
+that I could be loved as I felt I loved you. Forgive me for these
+sinful thoughts. I know now how true you are.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore embraced her, and played with the ring he had given her,
+which, not daring to wear on her finger, as the engagement was yet
+unknown to her father, she had hung round her neck, and generally
+placed near her heart, but which on this occasion had escaped from
+within her dress. Francisca had taken her own likeness before her
+glass, and, although it had many faults, it resembled her. She
+intended it for Theodore, but had never been able to gather courage
+until this day to present it to him. She had brought it down into the
+breakfast-room with her, and when she saw him stroll into the garden
+she thrust it hurriedly between the leaves of a book which was lying on
+a side-table, and took it with her when she went to join him. The ring
+reminded her of the little portrait, and, turning to Theodore, she
+said:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You have been very kind to give me both this ring and that dear
+miniature--that likeness of yourself, to which I confide all my
+thoughts when I am alone with it. I have no ring to offer you in
+return, Theodore; but will you excuse its many faults, and accept this
+little sketch which I have done for you? When you look at this pale
+face, I beseech you not to forget that the soul which animates it is
+capable of the most devoted love, and is grateful for its undeserved
+happiness.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Frightened at the warmth with which she had ventured to express her
+feelings, the poor girl became quite embarrassed, her eyes were blinded
+with tears, and her fingers nervously felt through the leaves of the
+book for the drawing she had mentioned. She found it, and with averted
+head, she handed it to Theodore. He kissed it as he received it, but no
+sooner had he looked at it than he exclaimed in great agitation,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Francisca, this is a bitter mockery! I did not deserve this from you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca looked at him with astonishment. He was holding the drawing
+in his hand, and gazing on it. One glance was enough to show her that
+it was not her likeness; the book had contained at least one other
+drawing besides her portrait. A young lady was leaning over a harp,
+amidst the strings of which one hand was lingering, while the other
+hand held a pocket-handkerchief towards her face, as if to dry the
+tears that were swimming in the soft eyes; beside her stood an elegant
+young man, in an attitude of utter indifference, cleverly depicted by
+his having placed his foot on a chair near, and being engaged in
+adjusting his shoe. It was only a sketch, but very spirited, and very
+well done. In a corner of the paper was written the German line--</p>
+
+
+<p class="center" style="font-size:90%">Das Herz allein schafft Holl' und Paradies.</p>
+
+
+<p class="normal">'Aurora!' cried Francisca, in dismay.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Clärchen,' said Theodore, fretfully. 'Am I then doomed to find that
+image everywhere--is it not impossible to escape it! Nay, Francisca,
+this is an unfair punishment. I have acknowledged my rudeness,
+regretted it in my own heart, and endeavoured to make up for it--what
+more would you have?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is no punishment; it is only a mistake. I did not know that there
+was any such drawing in the book; the sketch is not by me--it is by
+Aurora,' stammered Francisca.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Aurora! Did Aurora do this?' exclaimed Theodore, looking at it again,
+and eagerly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca did not answer, but she seemed as if she was going to cry.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Little heeding her looks, however, he remained with his eyes riveted on
+the picture; at length he said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Clärchen is true to herself. Only see what coquetry there is in
+this little sketch; and the verse, and the tears--it is really
+charming!--But what is the matter, Francisca? You look so pale--so
+overcome. Are you not well?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca tried to laugh at herself. 'It is nothing; I felt a little
+giddy, but the sensation has passed off. Let us go home, for we may be
+missed, and it is rather damp here.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore rose and accompanied her through the wood, while he carefully
+carried the book with the two drawings within its leaves. On reaching
+the house Francisca took it from him, and hurried up to her room. She
+put away her own likeness with very different feelings to those with
+which she had taken it from its accustomed place. It seemed so strange
+that fate should have made her own hand the means of substituting
+Aurora's likeness for hers! This incident, trifling as it was, awoke a
+degree of uneasiness in her mind; but she endeavoured to conquer the
+feeling, and, going downstairs, she replaced Aurora's book on the table
+where she had found it. Seeing, however, Theodore approaching from the
+garden, and not being yet quite composed enough to meet him, she
+hastily left the room; but, angry at herself for her folly, she
+returned after a little time, and with the intention of begging him to
+say nothing about Aurora's sketch, which had been seen by him without
+her knowledge. Why did she a second time so suddenly and silently leave
+the apartment she had just entered? It was because she beheld Theodore
+bending with the deepest attention over 'Egmont,' which was open on the
+table before him. Was it the play or the drawing which so fascinated
+him?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The old doctor and some neighbouring gentlemen dined at the Garlovs'
+that day, and in the course of the evening the whole party repaired to
+the garden; Francisca had quite recovered her spirits, and Theodore was
+in an unusually gay mood. Swinging was proposed, and Francisca and
+Aurora got together into the swing, which had a capacious seat. The old
+doctor insisted upon swinging the girls, but after trying it for some
+time, puffing and panting, he called to Theodore and gave up his post
+to him with, 'It is your turn, now; I am too old to go on long.' But
+Aurora vehemently opposed his doing it--she would not on any account
+give him so much trouble.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, I shall dispense with all gratitude from you,' said Theodore.
+'Don't distress yourself about giving me trouble, that can all be
+placed to Miss Francisca's account; she will return so many thanks,
+that I am sure they will suffice for both of you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca laughed, and so did the old doctor and Kitty. As if in fun,
+Theodore set the swing into more violent motion, and it flew higher and
+higher, with a disagreeable jerking movement. Aurora screamed, and then
+called out that she was frightened; but Theodore continued his
+exertions, while he exclaimed, 'Angels are at home in the higher
+regions, therefore it is impossible for Miss Angel to be afraid of
+reaching the tops of the trees.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I don't choose to swing any more; I command you to stop!' cried
+Aurora, with a look that made it doubtful whether she was in jest or
+earnest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore laughed, and then replied, 'Entreaties would have more weight
+than commands; you had better say <i>I pray you</i>, Miss Aurora. Now you
+can truly exclaim, &quot;Ich bin ubel dran.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aurora would not condescend to entreat, but when next the swing came to
+near the ground, she prepared to spring out; in a moment, however, it
+was off again, and the spring, which she was then not able to check,
+was made from a considerable height. Francisca tried to catch her, and
+losing her own balance, she, too, with a wild shriek, fell forward. At
+the same moment both the young ladies lay stunned upon the ground.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore was in an agony of terror; the old doctor clasped his hands in
+consternation, and Kitty almost fainted away. The rest of the party,
+hearing the shriek, rushed to the place where the swing was erected,
+and only added to the confusion. Theodore raised Francisca gently in
+his arms; he took no notice of Aurora, who still lay insensible after
+Francisca had recovered her consciousness. The latter was carefully
+carried into the house and laid on her couch by her mother and Kitty,
+and Theodore stood at the outside of her chamber door until he heard
+her voice speaking in its natural tones. He then suddenly remembered
+Aurora, and returned to the garden to see how she was. In the meantime
+she had come to herself, and had found herself surrounded by the old
+doctor, Mr. Garlov, and the gentlemen who were spending the day with
+them--the ladies had all disappeared. She tried to rise, but could not
+stand, her ankle was either broken or dislocated. Some of the servants
+were called; Aurora was placed in an arm-chair, and carried by them
+towards the house, while the old doctor walked on one side of her and
+Mr. Garlov on the other, the strangers bringing up the rear. Theodore
+flew to meet her, and exclaimed, with the utmost anxiety, 'For God's
+sake, tell me, are you much hurt? How do you feel?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aurora looked somewhat reproachfully at him, but she answered, 'It was
+my own fault.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It was the fault of that abominable swing--a most dangerous pastime!'
+exclaimed the old doctor, who forgot, in his wrath, that he had been
+among those who encouraged it. Aurora was carefully laid on a sofa in a
+small chamber leading into the music-room, where Mrs. Garlov and Kitty
+came to her after they had made Francisca as comfortable as possible;
+she had struck her chest against the projecting root of a tree, and the
+spot looked blue, but there was no other apparent injury. The doctor
+found Aurora's foot much swollen; the joint was dislocated, and he
+tried to put it in its place, but not being able to manage it, he
+called Theodore to perform the operation, which, though painful, Aurora
+bore with great fortitude.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The strangers, of course, took their departure, and the old doctor,
+after having visited Francisca, declared that he also was obliged to
+go. Aurora said she hoped to see him again soon; but he told her that
+he must put her under Theodore's care, as he would be unavoidably
+compelled to absent himself for some days. She seemed much annoyed at
+this, and anxiously requested to be removed to Copenhagen, for she
+would suffer any amount of pain on the journey, she said, rather than
+be attended by Theodore. She was assured, however, that it was
+absolutely necessary for her to remain where she was. Theodore cursed
+in his heart his past rudeness to Aurora, which had caused the poor
+girl to dislike him so much.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Meantime, every arrangement was made for Aurora's comfort, and her host
+and hostess were most assiduous in their attention to her. She
+happened, however, to be alone when Theodore paid her his first visit
+next morning. She lay on the sofa, which had been converted into a bed,
+in a white dressing-gown, with her beautiful hair falling negligently
+about her shoulders, and her rounded cheek resting on one hand. So
+beautiful did she look, that Theodore started on entering the room, and
+stood as if turned into a statue of stone; it was some moments before
+he could recover himself sufficiently to ask her how she was.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aurora gave him one of her sweetest smiles, and held out her hand to
+him, while she said, 'Like the frightened one in the German tale, let
+me ask, &quot;Daniel, Daniel, why do you persecute me?&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This mild rebuke quite overcame Theodore; he stooped and kissed her
+hand, while he whispered, 'O Aurora, be merciful!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">From this moment their former seeming dislike to each other vanished
+entirely. Theodore devoted much of his time to the interesting invalid;
+he talked to her, read to her, and before long had quite adopted her
+opinion of her favourite Clärchen in the drama of 'Egmont.' Francisca
+made no fuss about herself, but she had come off the worst,
+nevertheless, for the blow on her chest had brought on a spitting
+of blood, which, however, she concealed from everyone except my
+mother--her cousin Kitty. Aurora's foot had had ample time to get well;
+but she complained constantly of it, and could not be induced to try to
+walk. Thus, at the end of three weeks, she was still confined to her
+sofa. During all this time Theodore had not had any opportunity of
+conversing alone with Francisca, for either the one or the other was in
+attendance on Aurora, or they were both with her. Francisca looked pale
+and ill, and ought by rights to have changed places with Aurora, who
+reclined like an invalid on the sofa, though her blooming face was the
+picture of health. But as she still complained of her sufferings,
+Francisca innocently charged Theodore to be very attentive to her--an
+injunction he was only too willing to obey.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It never occurred to Francisca that Theodore might fall in love with
+Aurora; and yet that was already the case. On her first arrival he had
+been dazzled by her extraordinary beauty; but looking upon her as a
+cold-blooded coquette, he had endeavoured to steel his heart against
+her. It was mistrust of himself which made him pretend to dislike her;
+her indifference piqued him, and was the cause of his ill-humour and
+caprice, but Francisca's mistake about the sketches awoke a new feeling
+in him, and he determined to win Aurora's love. <i>She</i> marked well all
+the fluctuations in his feelings and his manners, but, sure of her
+game, she went calmly on. Theodore had judged rightly when he had
+denounced the sketch as an artful piece of coquetry; nevertheless, it
+had its effect on him in spite of his sober reason. The particular
+attention which he always showed Francisca provoked Aurora, who could
+not endure anyone to interfere with the monopoly of all homage which
+she claimed for herself, and she worked hard to separate them. The
+scene at the swing and its consequences, though caused only by her
+jealousy, had aided her designs, and now she had not a doubt of her
+conquest. Both Theodore and Aurora were vain--both were coquettes--for
+gentlemen can be coquettes as well as ladies; the difference between
+them was, that she was a profound coquette, he a thoughtless one; she
+had improved her talents in that way by deep study, he was guided only
+by his natural tendencies. Surely much were those to be pitied who had
+founded their hopes on such characters, for they had built their house
+upon quicksand!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore soon found that he could no longer gloss over his feelings for
+Aurora, and shelter them under the well-sounding names of regret, duty,
+Christian charity, or friendship, with which he had hitherto tried to
+silence his awaking conscience. He was forced to confess to himself
+that he loved Aurora as he never before had loved--what had bound him
+to Francisca was only friendship and gratitude; yet he could not but
+admit that she had bestowed her whole heart on him. When Aurora began
+to limp about a little, first with a crutch, then with a stick, and,
+lastly, with the aid of his arm, he found himself so happy with her,
+that he could scarcely sober his feelings before Francisca, who, still
+unsuspicious of any evil, rejoiced to see them such good friends.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But all were not so blind as Francisca: her mother and cousin saw more
+clearly what was going on, and they trembled for the moment when she
+should find out the unwelcome truth, if truth it really were. That
+moment came sooner than they had expected. It so happened that Kitty
+was confined to her room for a few days by a bad cold, and at that very
+period Francisca was obliged to be a good deal with the daughters of
+the clergyman of the parish, in whose family a death had taken place.
+Theodore was, therefore, almost entirely alone with Aurora.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One evening, about dusk, Francisca returned from a visit to the
+clergyman's family, and on the stairs she met a servant-girl, who was
+carrying a glass of lemonade to Aurora. She took it from the girl to
+carry it in herself; the door was half open between the anteroom and
+the music-room, and, hearing Aurora playing on the harp, she stopped,
+not to disturb her. It was Clärchen's song, and Theodore was singing a
+second to it in a low tone. It was so long since she had heard him
+sing, that she sat down near the door to listen to his voice. He
+stopped before the end of the song, and Aurora finished it alone. As
+she sang the last two lines, Francisca heard Theodore sigh deeply. 'He
+is thinking of <i>me!</i>' whispered Francisca to herself, 'as I am thinking
+of him.' Poor Francisca!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Grieved unto death!' repeated Theodore. 'You are singing my requiem,
+Aurora.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And my own,' said Aurora. 'Would to Heavens I had never come here!
+What have I done that I should be so punished?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Speak not thus, Aurora; I alone am guilty. Why did I not tell you of
+my engagement to Francisca? Why did I not fly and leave you both?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Francisca is of an affectionate but tranquil character; she will
+forgive a temporary inconstancy, if she has observed it; but it is not
+probable that she has. It is not yet too late. I must go, and you will
+soon forget me. Francisca may yet be happy--but, oh! what a blank is
+before me! Yet I must away.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'For Heaven's sake, forbear, Aurora! Leave me! No, no, I cannot tear
+myself from you, come what may. My life is doomed--alas! there is no
+happiness more for me in this world. But these vows--these dreadful
+vows--must they be fulfilled?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'They may crush our hearts,' said Aurora, 'but they must be fulfilled.
+Let my hand go, Theodore--you are engaged to Francisca; leave me--leave
+me to weep alone.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Dearest--adored--most precious Aurora!--how wretched I am! How could I
+fancy that I loved Francisca? And yet, shall I repay all her goodness
+to me by treachery?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Hush, Ancker, hush! You will kill me. Go, marry Francisca, and be
+happy!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Happy!' cried Theodore, vehemently; 'happy without you? How can you
+mock me thus, Aurora?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Perhaps time may do something for us,' said Aurora, with a smile as
+beautiful as the sun breaking through the dark clouds in a stormy sky.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I dare hope nothing from time,' replied Theodore.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah! do you not now feel the force of these words, &quot;I am in a strange
+position?&quot;' murmured Aurora.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are revenged, Aurora,' said Theodore, not without some bitterness.
+'The loss of a lifetime's happiness is surely enough to atone for a
+moment's thoughtlessness.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A deathlike weakness, which she could not shake off, had compelled
+Francisca to overhear this conversation. The first words had been
+enough almost to kill her; as soon as she was capable of moving, she
+rose and fled like a hunted deer to her own apartment: there, throwing
+her arms round my mother's neck, she could only exclaim, 'Kitty, Kitty,
+what have I not heard!' My mother too well guessed whence the blow had
+come, and she was not surprised at what was told her. The cousins spent
+the evening alone together, and when the family had retired to rest, my
+mother sought the wing of the house in which Theodore's rooms were
+situated. He was not there. She was rather glad to escape an interview
+with a young man, at night, in his own apartment, and in returning she
+observed that the door of the music-room was half-open; on going
+forward to shut it, she perceived that a window was also open, and she
+went to close it first. But what was her surprise on reaching it, and
+looking out for a moment, to see, in the clear moonlight, Theodore
+standing below Aurora's window, talking earnestly to her, while she was
+leaning out, with a little shawl thrown over her head. Kitty drew back
+hurriedly, but Theodore had seen her, and immediately joined her. He
+forthwith began to account for his being found there; but it was
+evident that he was telling a falsehood got up at the moment. My mother
+interrupted him by briefly informing him what Francisca had overheard;
+she laid the ring and the miniature on the table before him, simply
+adding a request that he would leave the house as soon as possible.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The next day Francisca was confined to her room by illness, which was
+given out to be a cold, and Theodore set off for Copenhagen without
+having seen either of the cousins. Aurora soon followed him, and then
+Kitty communicated to Mrs. Garlov the fact of Francisca's engagement
+being broken off. Mr. Garlov had never heard of it, and often, to
+Francisca's great distress, wished Theodore back again. A hard battle
+she had to fight with herself, but she bore up wonderfully under her
+deep disappointment. And this is the history of Aunt Francisca's youth.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Rudolph paused, and Arnold seized the opportunity of exclaiming,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why, we have only had a mere tissue of sentimentality as yet. What has
+become of the child, Rudolph, that Mrs. Werner was whispering to you
+about? You smile--come, out with the child, don't withhold the best
+part of the story from us--the child--the child.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh!' said one of the other young men, shaking his finger at Arnold,
+'what have you to do with the child? Leave it in peace, poor thing!
+there is no use in recalling these forgotten affairs.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No; we <i>must</i> have the little affair of the child,' insisted Arnold,
+as Rudolph was about to continue his narrative.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca spent some years quietly in the country, not mixing at all
+with the world, and only cared for by those who were immediately around
+her. My mother was her sole friend and correspondent, and she used to
+pass two months every summer at the Garlovs'. These were Francisca's
+pleasantest days, for she could talk freely to <i>her</i> of her own short
+and too bitterly lost period of happiness. Her sorrow and mortification
+had not made her either sour or melancholy, as you will perhaps believe
+when I tell you that she had two or three offers at this time which she
+refused. She was about two-and-twenty years of age when her father
+died, and as he had lived up to his income, there was but little left
+for the widow and her daughter. They removed to Copenhagen, where they
+lived on a slender income, but slightly increased by what Francisca
+received from the Tontine in which she held some shares. Often did Mrs.
+Garlov lament, for her daughter's sake, their altered circumstances;
+but Theodore's name was never mentioned between them. Only once Mrs.
+Garlov had spoken of him, and then she had wondered how it was possible
+for her dear child to forgive him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But Francisca answered, 'It is so easy to forgive, dear mother. Let us
+not, however, again allude to him; it only pains you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore, in the meantime, had married Aurora. When my mother
+communicated this event to Francisca, she determined to burn every
+little memento of him which she had treasured with the pardonable folly
+of affection! and 'Oh!' she exclaimed, as with bitter tears she made an
+auto-da-fé of these souvenirs, 'may he be as happy as my most earnest
+wishes would make him, and may every remembrance of me be obliterated
+from his thoughts as entirely as this last withered leaf is now
+consumed!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">About two years after his marriage Theodore removed to Russia, where
+physicians, at that period, were in great request, and made large
+fortunes. Kitty had heard that his principal reason, however, for
+leaving Denmark, was to withdraw Aurora from the connections she had
+formed in Copenhagen, where her conduct often gave him occasion to
+repent the choice he had made. They lived unhappily together; her
+coquetry annoyed him extremely, and the number of admirers whom she
+encouraged to be constantly around her was a source of daily torment to
+him. A jealous husband generally makes a fool of himself; when he has
+an arrant coquette for his wife, his doing so is inevitable, therefore
+the names of Theodore and Aurora were soon in everybody's mouth, and
+<i>she</i> found it as desirable as <i>he</i> did to escape from all the gossip
+and scandal to which her own behaviour had given rise. Kitty, however,
+did not relate these unpleasant details to Francisca, who only knew
+that her good wishes must follow Theodore to St. Petersburg.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after this Mrs. Garlov died, and Francisca was left almost
+alone in the world; but she sought happiness in constant occupation,
+and in doing as much good as her slender means would permit. When my
+mother married she wished her cousin to come and reside with her, but
+Francisca preferred to be independent, and continued to live alone,
+with her servant-of-all-work.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Theodore had not found the happiness in Russia he had anticipated. His
+fortune had indeed increased, but his domestic peace had diminished.
+Aurora cared little either for his advice or his anger, and had soon
+formed intimacies which quite consoled her for his fits of crossness.
+He also found amusements away from his home; thus they often did not
+see each other for days, and when they did meet it was only to quarrel.
+One evening, on returning home at a late hour, he found his wife was
+absent; she had left the house early in the forenoon, and had not been
+seen since. Next day the servant of a Russian officer called with a
+message to Theodore, to say that he need not expect his wife, as she
+had gone to Moscow with his master, and did not intend to come back.
+This was a dreadful blow to him, notwithstanding the levity of her
+former conduct, and with a sudden feeling of hatred to St. Petersburg,
+to which he had no longer any ties, he converted all his effects into
+cash, and embarked with it on board a ship bound to Copenhagen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But he had a most disastrous voyage, the ship was totally lost off
+Rügen, and the passengers saved only their lives. Theodore found
+himself all at once a beggar, and this calamity, following so closely
+on his other misfortunes, brought on a dreadful illness. He passed six
+months in an hospital, and at the end of that time was discharged--a
+wretched lunatic! The Danish consul took charge of him, and had him
+safely conveyed to Copenhagen. But no one recognized him there; his
+passport and his papers had all been lost in the ship which had also
+contained his money and effects. There was, therefore, no refuge for
+him but the common bedlam, where he was accordingly placed. It
+happened, however, that after a short time he had lucid intervals,
+during which periods he occasionally mentioned names that were known,
+and this led to the discovery of who he was, and to his being removed
+from the bedlam and boarded with a private family, who received a few
+gentlemen labouring under mental disease.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Tidings of his unfortunate situation soon reached Francisca's ears, for
+it was the theme in every family where he had been formerly known. She
+had deemed him far away, but happy and prosperous, loving and beloved;
+she found him near her, but unhappy, deserted, and an object of that
+cold charity which counts every shilling and every farthing that it
+expends. She determined to see him, and to administer as much as she
+could to his comforts. He did not know her; she stood before him as a
+stranger, and as if from the hands of a kind stranger he received the
+various little gifts with which she sought to please him. For a whole
+year she continued to visit him daily, and it was with deep sorrow she
+observed that his mind was becoming more and more clouded, no thought
+of the past, no dream of the future, seeming ever to enter it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this time the landed proprietor, who was formerly mentioned, and who
+had been attached to Francisca since she was sixteen years of age,
+again made her an offer of marriage. He was rich, high-principled,
+kind-hearted, and well-educated. She knew also that her parents had
+much wished her to marry him. But Theodore required her care, and she
+determined never to forsake him. She had just finished the letter
+declining the offer so handsomely made, and saying that she had
+resolved never to marry, when the lady with whom Theodore boarded, and
+who supposed her to be a relation of his, sent a pressing message to
+her begging her to come immediately. She hurried to the house, hoping
+that some favourable change had suddenly taken place, and that Theodore
+would be restored to reason. But there was no such joy in store for
+her.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She found him sitting in a corner of his room playing at cat's-cradle
+with some twine and his long, wasted fingers; so eagerly engaged was he
+on his infantine diversion, that he scarcely raised his vacant eyes as
+she entered. His gait was slouching, and his clothes hung loose about
+him. Oh, how different from the Theodore of former days!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His hostess was sitting at work in the same room, and looking extremely
+cross. A letter and a parcel lay on the table, beside which stood a
+little boy, whose inquisitive and half-frightened glances wandered
+round first to the strange man, then to the unknown ladies, and lastly,
+to an elderly woman in a foreign dress, who was sitting near the stove,
+and who said a few words to him in a foreign language, apparently
+bidding him do something he was not inclined to do, as he shook his
+little head; he seemed bewildered by the scene around him. Francisca
+also stood as one bewildered, but the lady of the house proceeded at
+once to explain things to her as far as she could. She told her that
+the foreign woman had informed her, in bad German, that she was the
+wife of the captain of a small trading vessel from Revel, who had been
+requested to take charge of the little boy and deliver him to his
+relations, the address given being only that of Dr. Theodore Ancker,
+Copenhagen. All the child's expenses had been paid. The woman had
+conscientiously tried to find out Theodore, and the lady in whose house
+he lived had detained her until she could send for Francisca.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The letter contained but a very few words; it was signed 'Aurora.' The
+child's name was Alexander, and he was three years of age. His mother
+sent him to take his chance in the world, as <i>she</i> could no longer
+maintain him, and she entreated Theodore to take care of him, as she
+was now no longer a burden upon his means or a sharer in his wealth.
+Not a syllable was mentioned of her own fate--not an address or
+reference to her own place of abode given. In a postscript it was
+stated that the child understood Danish.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Francisca's determination was soon taken. Although the child was
+certainly not Theodore's son--although he was the image of his
+mother--of that Aurora who had blasted her happiness--she resolved to
+give a home to the deserted and helpless little stranger, and that very
+night the little Alexander slept comfortably in a cot prepared for him,
+and placed close to her own couch. The same night she opened the small
+box which held all that had been bestowed upon the poor child by his
+parents. In addition to his scanty wardrobe, there was a little parcel
+containing some papers in the Russian language--certificates of the
+child's baptism and vaccination--and below these lay a miniature. It
+was Theodore's likeness, the same that had formerly belonged to
+Francisca, which she had afterwards returned to him, and which had now
+passed from Aurora's possession once more into hers, and rendered its
+unconscious little bearer dear to her. She gazed at it long, as if
+comparing the likeness of what he once had been with the ruin he now
+was. Days long gone by arose vividly before her; she pressed the
+miniature to her lips, and then put it away along with her own--with
+the likeness of herself which Theodore had never seen. It seemed to her
+as if the meeting of the two portraits after so long a separation were
+the type of a future meeting between Theodore and herself in that
+bright spirit-world which shall haply be disclosed when this mortal
+scene has vanished for ever. She knelt by Alexander's bed, kissed the
+innocent child who had brought the treasure to her, and who had himself
+been thrown on her compassion, and at the same time she vowed she would
+be a mother to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But her adoption of him gave rise to many reports. Some said he was a
+poor person's child, to whom she had taken a fancy; others, that he was
+her own son, whom she had till then kept concealed in the country. Her
+relations, with the exception of my mother, were the most ill-natured.
+They took great pains to find out who could have been the boy's father,
+and finally had the folly to confer his paternity upon her old lover,
+the poor deranged doctor, whom she visited so often.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, there was not such folly in that belief, after all,' said
+Arnold. 'For want of a better, I think we must accept this parentage
+for the youngster; for the story of a boy three years old travelling
+over from Russia, as if he had fallen from the moon, is not at all
+credible.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But I can swear to the truth of it,' said Rudolph. 'Do you doubt my
+word?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I do <i>not</i> doubt your word in the slightest degree,' replied Arnold;
+'that is to say, I do not doubt that you believe what you have been
+telling us. But I think it likely that your mother kindly got up this
+pretty story, and impressed it on your mind to hide your cousin's <i>faux
+pas</i>.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You judge of other people's principles by the rectitude of your own, I
+presume,' said Rudolph, laughing. 'But to continue:'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Aunt Francisca's prayers were not unanswered, for Theodore recovered
+his senses before he died. He recognized Francisca, blessed her for all
+her goodness to him, and passed into eternity with her name on his
+lips.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Alexander was a great source of happiness to Francisca, but severe
+trials still awaited her. He was carried off by a fever exactly one
+month after the death of her dearest and most faithful friend, my poor
+mother, and she was left alone in the world. The rest of her life was
+devoted to works of charity, for no day passed over her head without
+her being engaged in some act of benevolence. Love was an absolute
+necessity to her, therefore she transferred to me much of the affection
+she had felt for my mother. It was her delight to make people happy,
+and her last deed was to give what she knew would confer happiness.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">'Good soul!' cried Arnold, laughing. 'That deed was to bestow on Mr.
+Horn all her lands and tenements--her goods and chattels--her Chinese
+pagodas and mandarins. I wish you joy of the inheritance.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora turned angrily upon him, and exclaimed, 'For shame, Arnold!' But
+Rudolph went on quietly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I repeat, her last deed was an act of benevolence. None of us knew
+that Aunt Francisca had money to leave. She never spoke of this, for
+she wished to be valued for herself, not for what she possessed.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Aunt Francisca rich! You really must be quizzing us,' exclaimed Mrs.
+Werner.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No; I only knew it myself this evening. It seems that she was the last
+surviving member of the Tontine, which I mentioned before, and she
+became, by its rules, the possessor of the whole sum. I hold her will
+here, in my hand, and I find that she has left not less than twenty
+thousand dollars.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The whole party gathered round Rudolph and Louise, and poured forth
+congratulations.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'My dear Louise,' said Mrs. Werner, 'what a nice addition this will be
+to your income, and what a mercy it was that Aunt Francisca never
+married. Had she done so, Rudolph and you would not have got a
+shilling, though you were both so fond of her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I loved Aunt Francisca for her own sake,' replied Louise; 'and I
+almost wish that she had left nothing to Rudolph but the little matters
+she valued herself.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Rudolph took Louise's hand in silence and kissed it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Good Heavens!' exclaimed Arnold. 'She has left twenty thousand
+dollars, do you say? No wonder you were her faithful knight, Rudolph!
+It was a sort of instinct that led you to take up that position; you
+scented the cash. For twenty thousand dollars I would pledge myself to
+sing the blessed creature's praises all the days of my life, and for
+half that sum I would swear to draw a merciful veil over the affair of
+the child?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Would you?' said Rudolph. 'Then I will take you at your word. Listen
+now to <i>the Will</i>. &quot;As my dear cousin Rudolph Horn is so well provided
+for that he does not stand in need of what I can give, and as his
+marriage is not delayed by any pecuniary difficulties, I shall leave
+him only five thousand dollars from my Tontine capital; the other
+fifteen thousand I hereby bequeath to my dear Flora Werner and to
+Lieutenant Arnold, upon the condition that their wedding takes place
+within one year from the day of my death.&quot; You see that this bequest is
+a passport from Aunt Francisca to that happiness in the future for you
+two which fate had denied to herself. Perhaps you were so polite as to
+walk home with her some evening, Arnold, and that you entrusted to her
+the secret of your engagement,' added Rudolph, with a slight sneer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Arnold coloured and bit his lips. Flora would not believe what she had
+heard until she saw the words on paper; and Cousin Ida, who looked over
+her shoulder, to convince herself also, exclaimed, 'Fifteen thousand
+dollars! There it stands, true enough. Who would have thought that the
+old lady could leave so large a legacy? It is quite a godsend to you
+and Arnold, Flora.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Flora burst into tears, and threw herself into her sister's arms.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, recommend me to old maids, however absurd they may be,' said one
+of the gentlemen; 'who could have guessed that such a windfall would
+have come through one of the sisterhood? I solemnly vow hereafter to
+pay court to all old maids, for no one can know what they may leave
+behind when they are screwed down in their coffins. And if I fail with
+ten of them, the eleventh may prove a benefactress.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You have drawn another moral from Rudolph's tale to what I expected,'
+said Mrs. Werner; 'but your ideas are perhaps those which would
+generally suggest themselves in this selfish world. Take care, in
+future, to show decent civility to old maids. You will not, of course,
+do so from kindness of heart, but bear in mind that there is always a
+hope of being remembered in the last will and testament.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Arnold sat for a few minutes quite abashed, with his hands over his
+eyes; at length he looked up and exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Aunt Francisca has heaped coals of fire on my head. She has humbled me
+thoroughly, and taught me a painful lesson; but I had well deserved it.
+You cannot conceive how much I am ashamed of myself: I feel quite
+guilty before you all.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Aunt Francisca knew how to distinguish thoughtlessness from
+malignity,' said Rudolph, as he joined Flora's and Arnold's hands. 'The
+slight annoyance you might have occasioned her was soon forgiven and
+forgotten. Be as happy together as she prayed you might be. I can add
+no higher wish for you both. But when you meet by chance an old maid,
+do not forget that you were--Aunt Francisca's heirs.'</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="div1_shipwrecked" href="#div1Ref_shipwrecked">THE SHIPWRECKED
+MARINER'S<br>
+TREASURE.</a><a name="div2Ref_03" href="#div2_03"><sup>[3]</sup></a></h2>
+
+<h3>FROM THE DANISH OF CARIT ETLAR.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER I.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">One summer afternoon, two young fishermen were together before
+the door
+of one of the last cottages which are situated between the sandhills
+near Stadil Fiord, in the district of Ringkjöhing. The one was painting
+a pair of oars, the other had stretched himself at full length along
+the bench near the well, and was resting his head idly on both his
+hands, while he watched his comrade's work. In this attitude his
+countenance expressed a sort of quiet contentment, which seemed never
+to have been disturbed by the storms of passion. He had a low forehead,
+prominent eyes, a round face, smooth hair, combed straight down, and
+colossal limbs. His companion was of more slender proportions, and
+evidently possessed less bodily strength; but he seemed active, and
+there was an expression of benevolence and honesty in his features that
+could not fail to inspire confidence in him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sun was shining that afternoon from a cloudless sky; the larks were
+singing, gulls and other sea-birds were flying about in circles in the
+air; and the monotonous sound of the waves of the German Ocean, rolling
+lazily on the Jutland coast, as, borne across the sandhills, was like
+the audible breathing of a sleeping giant. The church bell at Vædersö
+was ringing for the afternoon service. All was quiet and repose in that
+sandy desert, where the eye in vain sought a tree, a bush, a single
+blade of fresh green. Only the lymegrass amidst the hillocks, and here
+and there a little yellow patch of rough, half-withered grass in the
+hollows, varied the dismally uniform colour of the sand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Come, now,' said the young man who was doing nothing, after he had
+remained a long time silently contemplating the other, 'put away that
+paint-pot, and give up work for to-day. Wash your hands, Jörgen, and
+come with me to Vædersö; we will have a game at skittles. This is a
+holiday, and one can't be always labouring.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young man thus addressed looked up and smiled, and after having for
+a minute glanced at his handiwork with apparent pleasure, he exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am ready now, Ebbe. But only look! I have painted two hearts, with a
+wreath round them, inside of our names, which are to signify that you
+and I will hold together in friendship and good companionship all our
+days.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, that we will, Jörgen.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I don't see why one should be idle all Sunday, any more than on other
+days,' said Jörgen. 'In spring, you know, we two bought a boat
+together; it was a very ugly one, and in a sadly dilapidated state, you
+may remember; but in consequence of devoting our spare time to
+repairing and beautifying it, we have now got as smart a little craft
+as there is on the whole coast. I am never so happy as when I am at
+work.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And I am never so happy as when I can lie quietly and comfortably on
+my back in the sunshine, and look up at the heavens, as I am doing now.
+I don't see the least use in a man's working harder than he absolutely
+need do. You and I, Jörgen, have been obliged to work since we were
+quite little fellows. Our parents sent us away among strangers, because
+they had no longer the means of maintaining us; we toiled and slaved
+for the benefit of others, and for the same reward that they gave their
+beasts--for mere food. From those days to this, we have never been
+able, with our united efforts, to make more than the fifteen dollars we
+paid for the boat. And now we must begin to labour afresh; and so we
+shall be forced to go on through the whole of our lives, until we are
+too old to work any more, and then we shall be thrust into the
+poor-house, as our parents before us were, and get leave to hobble
+about with a stick and a clay pot, to beg for food from those whom we
+helped to enrich when we were young. You may laugh, Jörgen, but what I
+am saying is the plain truth nevertheless. If a poor lad such as I am
+could only earn enough in his youth to enable him to take it easy in
+his old age, he would be labouring to some purpose; if our gains could
+amount to so much as the gains of the person who owns that large ship
+out yonder; or if we could make as much as the lord of the manor at
+Aabjerg possesses, who has nothing to do but to drive in summer round
+his fields, with his hands behind his back, and his German pipe in his
+mouth, and in winter to sit at home in his warm chimney-corner, and
+play at cards with all the strangers that visit him, it would be
+another thing. Ah, Jörgen, Jörgen! if one could only get so far as to
+be able to take the reins in one's own hands, instead of carrying the
+bit in one's mouth.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Shortly afterwards, the two
+young fishermen were to be seen strolling arm in arm to the village of
+Vædersö.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Towards evening the weather changed; the skies became cloudy, and
+before the sun had set the whole coast wore an aspect very different
+from the peaceful calm that had reigned around in the earlier part of
+the afternoon. A cold north-west wind blew in sharply from the sea,
+whose waves, rising higher and higher every moment, sent a thick rain
+of spray and foam over the adjacent sandhills, whilst the breakers
+dashed loudly on the reefs along the shore. The sand began to whirl
+about among the hills, and flocks of sea-gulls and other birds flew in
+towards the beach, their hoarse and mournful cries predicting bad
+weather.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The peasants at Vædersö had finished their games of skittles, and were
+about to return to their homes, when a fisherman brought to the little
+town the tidings that a foreign ship was in distress at sea, outside of
+Husby Sandhills. This intelligence, which seemed to interest all who
+heard it, drew particular attention from those who were standing in
+groups. A number of men and women set off immediately on the way to the
+sandhills, without heeding the rain and the coming storm.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Amidst the crowd who sought as speedily as possible to witness the
+calamitous spectacle might be observed a person of a very peculiar
+appearance. He was a tall, heavy-limbed man, with a blood-red
+complexion, the natural hue of which became deeper and deeper every
+moment, in consequence of the haste with which he was making his way
+through the heavy sandy road. His face was encircled by a forest of
+coal-black hair and beard, and shaded by a dark calf-skin cap. The
+deep-set eyes were nearly hidden beneath a pair of dark eyebrows that
+almost met over a nose which looked unnaturally broad, as chance had
+not bestowed much length upon it. This was the village blacksmith. He
+was by birth a Pole, and had served for some time in the army, under
+the reign of Frederick VI.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The road from Vædersö to the sandhills, as has been said, was entirely
+through sand. On both sides might be seen fields of rye, whose slender
+pale blades were beaten down by the tempest. The smith had taken as a
+companion along this fatiguing path a favourite and faithful friend,
+who lived at free quarters in his house, and carried on in this
+comfortable abode his trade, which was that of the village tailor.
+These two persons were almost always to be seen together--the lesser
+man, indeed, seemed to be quite a necessary appendage to the taller
+one, who looked as if nature had appointed him the tailor's protector.
+The merits of the latter, however, were not to be questioned; he was an
+untiring listener, and so submissive and dependent that, if the smith
+had pushed him out by the door, he would have crept back through a
+window; so complaisant, that if the smith had chosen to tell a
+falsehood, the tailor would have sworn to its truth.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">These two individuals formed, for the moment, the centre of a group of
+peasants who had gathered on the sandhills. Below, upon the sea-shore,
+were to be seen several fishermen hard at work, drawing up their boats
+farther on the beach, and when that was done, standing in silence,
+anxiously contemplating the sea, on which a large ship was struggling
+with the furious wind, and heavy waves that were every moment driving
+it nearer to the land, notwithstanding all the efforts those on board
+seemed making to escape the threatened danger.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The groups among the sandhills were less silent. The smith had just
+declared, in decisive tones, to what nation the unfortunate ship
+belonged.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, as I have this moment told you,' he continued, in the sort of
+barbarous Danish in which he usually spoke. 'It is an English vessel,
+and I thank God it is not Swedish.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why?' asked the tailor.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Because they build their ships with such bad timber--only fir and
+pine--not an inch of good strong oak among it. I wish no evil to
+anyone, or anything; but if it be our Lord's will that a ship is to be
+run aground to-night, I am glad it should be an Englishman: those
+English know how to build ships.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are right, there, Master Harfiz!' said the tailor. 'What capital
+iron bolts we got from the last wreck, and what excellent oak timber to
+boot! When the wreck that is going to be is brought to auction, I shall
+look out for a share of it.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And I also,' said the smith. 'I dare say, now, that craft out there
+will furnish me with some good strong posts for my new smithy; it does
+not look to be built of tinder or matches.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'We can discern the goodness of the Almighty towards all mankind,'
+remarked the tailor. 'No cotton grows here--no silk, no iron is to be
+found; nothing, so to speak, but salt fish can be got on these bare
+coasts, and He is good enough every year to let one or two vessels be
+lost here that we may obtain what we require at a reasonable rate.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, and He mercifully ordains this to happen generally in the fall of
+the year,' added an old woman, 'because he knows that the winter is
+approaching, and that poor folks want a little wood for firing to warm
+themselves.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'There is no dishonesty in taking what is cast in to us by the sea,'
+said the tailor. 'They did much worse in old times down yonder at
+Nymindegab.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'At Nymindegab?' echoed the smith. 'I know nothing about it. What did
+they do down there?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Don't you remember that true tale we heard last Candlemas at Thimgaard
+about the rich nobleman Espen? He lived at a castle which was called
+Ahner, and he used every stormy evening, and during the dark nights of
+winter, to ride over the sandhills with a lighted lantern bound
+underneath his horse, in order that the seafaring people who were
+driven out of their course should fancy that the light came from a ship
+sailing in deep water, and thus get stranded on the reefs while they
+steered for the light. This went on well for a long time, and Espen of
+Ahner became a very rich man, for all the wrecks on that part of the
+coast belonged to him. But at length, just when he was celebrating his
+daughter's wedding, a poor half-witted creature found his way into the
+castle, and disclosed their lord's evil deeds to all his vassals.'<a name="div2Ref_04" href="#div2_04"><sup>[4]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">During this conversation the ship, which had excited the attention of
+so many, had tried several times to tack about, so as to get away from
+the shore, but the attempt had always failed. In the terrible storm,
+which seemed to be increasing every moment, it was no longer possible
+to carry such a press of sail as was required to take the ship out. Its
+fate could not, therefore, long be doubtful, as every swell of the sea
+brought it nearer and nearer to the dangerous reefs which stretched
+along the coast.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It is about half a century since the events here related took place. At
+that period the German Ocean had dashed many a wreck over the outer
+reef, and many a cry for help or death-groan had been wafted away by
+the stormy wind, or smothered by the sea, before anyone thought of
+taking effective measures to give help to the drowning mariners. On the
+occasion of the shipwreck in question, however, the unfortunate crew
+were often so close to the land that their despairing cries and earnest
+prayers were distinctly heard on shore, and the tempest had driven them
+within the outer reef, their vessel almost smashed to pieces indeed,
+but so near that, but for the fury of the waves, the fishermen could
+have got out to them even in their frail boats, and have saved them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the meantime daylight had gone, but in the summer evening even
+distant objects were still visible; and when the moon struggled forth
+from the heavy clouds, in the pale and tremulous light it cast over the
+sea, the ill-fated ship could be seen driving, with two or three small
+sails up, nearer to the coast. Presently one of the masts went
+overboard, was caught in the cordage, and hung on one side of the hull.
+From time to time, between the more furious gusts of wind, the gale
+bore heartrending cries of distress to the land. All exercise of
+authority on board seemed to have been long given up, everyone
+apparently thinking only of saving himself. A boat was with difficulty
+lowered, but it filled the moment it reached the water.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The crowd on the beach was now increased by two persons--the lord of
+the manor from Aabjerg and his son. The first-named was a very stout
+man, muffled up in a thick great-coat and a fur-cap, with wings that
+came close down over his ears, and were tied under his chin. He had a
+tobacco-pouch well fastened to a button-hole in his overcoat, and was
+smoking a large German pipe. His son was a lieutenant in the Lancers at
+Kolding, on a visit for a few days at his father's country-house. He
+wore that evening a blue uniform, and carried an umbrella, which was
+every minute almost turned inside out by the wind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Hark ye, good people!' cried the great man, stretching his chin over
+the enormous handkerchief that enveloped his throat; 'we must try and
+do something for them out yonder. It would be a sin to let all these
+poor fellows perish, would it not--eh? What say you?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'God have mercy on them!' muttered an old fisherman. 'It is too heavy a
+sea for any boat to live in; we can do nothing for them, Herr
+Krigsraad.'<a name="div2Ref_05" href="#div2_05"><sup>[5]</sup></a></p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Not if I promise a ten-dollar note to anyone who will take a rope out
+to them? What! Is there not one of you who will try it?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The fishermen looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders; but
+no one spoke.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I shall add five dollars to my father's ten,' cried the lieutenant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, I think this is a very good offer,' said the Krigsraad.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But you must not take too long to consider about it,' added his son.
+'Courage, my lads! It only wants hearty good will and a pair of strong
+arms, and you will soon reach them out yonder.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Since the noble Herr lieutenant thinks so, he had better make the
+attempt himself,' said one of the fishermen. 'Your honour seems to have
+a pair of strong enough arms; I will lend you my boat for this
+venturesome deed, but I won't sell my life for any money.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The impertinent scoundrel!' muttered the young officer, turning
+towards his father. 'I wish I had him on the drill-ground at Kolding.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'For Heaven's sake be quiet, lieutenant,' whispered his father, 'and
+don't draw me into a quarrel with my fishermen. That man is no coward;
+I have myself seen him and another rescue sailors from a wreck in the
+most frightful weather, when there seemed no more chance of his getting
+safely back than there would be for me were I to try to wade out yonder
+in my great-coat.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While this short colloquy was going on, a piercing cry was heard from
+the wreck--a gigantic billow had raised the ship aloft and cast it in
+over the reef; when the waves rolled back the vessel lay on its side,
+having been raised and dashed down again several times in the raging
+surf, and left lying partially buried in the sand. After this, every
+wave washed over it with a force that must have been seen to have been
+believed possible, and which, in the course of a few minutes, swept the
+deck clean of every object that had hitherto been securely fastened on
+it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the confusion which followed, another cry of distress arose, and
+those of the fishermen who stood nearest to the water, thought in the
+dusk that they perceived many of the sailors carried away by the sea,
+which, unchecked, was rolling over the deck. As the swelling waves
+dashed forward, these unfortunate victims stretched out their arms.
+When they retired, nothing more was to be seen: the men were gone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Three sailors had crept up the shrouds, and had lashed themselves to
+the only remaining mast, and every now and then the wind carried to the
+land their agonized appeals to the people on shore to save them.
+Shortly after a boat was seen to be shoved off from the beach with four
+men in it; they bowed their heads, took off their hats, and held them
+for a few moments before their faces, while they seemed to be offering
+up a short prayer, then they let the boat glide out into deep water.
+The four men stood up, and appeared to be working hard to get over the
+inner reefs. For a short time the boat went bravely on, the oars were
+plied by experienced hands, and every effort was made to reach the
+stranded ship, but the raging sea cast them back, and filled the boat,
+and the fishermen were obliged to return without having effected their
+object.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length, the next morning, about dawn of day, the storm seemed to be
+abating. In the interim those who still remained on the wreck had made
+another effort to reach the land in one of the boats which had not been
+carried away from the ship, but had continued fastened to its side. But
+this attempt also failed; the waves broke over the unfortunate boat,
+and relentlessly swept it out to sea. When the sun came forth only one
+man was to be seen, and he was lashed to the mast.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The Krigsraad returned to the beach at an early hour, and renewed his
+appeals to the fishermen. Ebbe and Jörgen were both there; they had not
+left the sea-shore the whole night.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The weather is not so wild as it was,' whispered Jörgen to Ebbe, 'and
+the sea is not so terribly rough. What do you say to our making the
+attempt? Our boat floats lightly, and will stand the waves better than
+any of the others.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It can't be done,' replied Ebbe; 'we should be risking too much--our
+beautiful newly-painted boat, that we spent everything we had to buy!
+You don't remember all that.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I remember that once when my father was shipwrecked up near Skagen, he
+was fastened to a mast like that poor man out yonder; let us do as the
+natives of Skagen did, and save him.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Let us wait a little longer, at least,' whispered Ebbe, eagerly.
+'Perhaps the Krigsraad may offer a larger reward presently.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen cast a reproachful look at his comrade, and said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'God forgive you for the sin of thinking of money and reward at such a
+moment as this. I won't wait; and if you do not choose to go, I will
+get some one else to accompany me; for, happen what may, I am resolved
+to attempt the rescue of that poor man.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Have a little patience,' cried Ebbe, holding Jörgen back by his arm.
+'Just wait till I take off my new waistcoat and my nice cravat; it
+would be a shame to spoil them with salt water.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What are you two consulting about?' asked the Krigsraad, going up to
+them. 'Have you determined to go out yonder, my lad?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'We shall attempt to do so,' replied the young fisherman.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That's right, Jörgen! you are a brave fellow, and have more courage
+than all your comrades put together. Well done.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am younger than any of them,' replied Jörgen, blushing at the great
+man's praise, 'and I have neither wife nor child to grieve for me if
+any accident happens to me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I also am going,' said Ebbe, in a doleful voice. 'I also will risk my
+health and my life to save a suffering fellow-creature. And though your
+honour was so good as to promise a reward, I must beg you not to think
+that I am going for the sake of the money. Nevertheless, I shall accept
+it, for I am betrothed to a little girl here in the neighbourhood, and
+the money might be useful to her if I am lost.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Go, then, in Heaven's name!' cried the Krigsraad. 'What! Do you think
+I am the man to withhold the ten dollars I promised?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It was fifteen, sir,' observed Ebbe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, well, fifteen then! Make yourself easy, I shall be as good as my
+word; but be off now!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I shall trust to your word, sir--and there are witnesses,' mumbled
+Ebbe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe then divested himself of his new green-and-red-striped vest and
+gay-coloured necktie, which he put away carefully together under one of
+the boats that were drawn up on the beach. He then went down to Jörgen,
+who was busy launching a small, newly-painted boat into the sea.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The weather is moderating,' cried the Krigsraad, filling his pipe
+comfortably. 'I think the sun is going to shine briskly.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Our Lord is pleased that we are so humane as to risk our all in order
+to save a human being who is a stranger to us,' whined Ebbe, as he took
+his place in the boat with Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was a moment full of anxiety and sympathy when the frail little boat
+was caught in the first heavy sea, was thrown up aloft, and then hidden
+among the engulphing waves! The crowd on the beach stood silent and
+breathless, and even the Krigsraad forgot his newly-lighted pipe. He
+mounted on a fragment of rock, holding his hand over his eyes, and
+standing with his head bowed forward, intently watching the treacherous
+sea; and he was the first to break the silence with a loud oath, when
+Jörgen's boat glided safely over the reef, and up to the side of the
+shipwrecked vessel. A thrilling shout burst forth at that moment from
+the spectators on shore--a shout full of triumph and joy; it rang over
+the waters as far off as the wreck, and Jörgen was seen to turn towards
+the land and wave his hat in the air, after which he made his boat fast
+to the shattered ship by the end of a rope that was hanging loosely
+from the fallen mast, and crept up by the side of the wreck.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The one man still clinging to it had fastened himself on the bowl of
+the mast. At the extreme end of the ship stood a black, shaggy-haired
+dog, who, with a weak, suppressed whine, was gazing out on the open
+sea, without taking the slightest notice of the strangers. When Jörgen
+reached the deck the man turned his head towards him, made a sign with
+his hand, and murmured repeatedly one word--'Water!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am sorry you will have to wait till we reach the land,' said Jörgen,
+'but, with God's help, that shall not be long.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am afraid I have got my chest very much injured,' said the man, in
+the mixture of low German and Danish which he spoke. 'The same accursed
+wave which carried off our captain with it during the night dashed me
+down from the bowl of the mast, where I had lashed myself with the end
+of a rope, to prevent my being washed overboard. Whilst I was hanging
+there a heavy sea came rolling over the wreck, and it drove me with
+such force against the mast, that I lost all sense and consciousness.
+Since then it has been almost impossible for me to hold out against the
+weather, and I was on the point of loosening the rope, and letting
+myself go down to Davy's locker with the rest, when I saw your boat put
+off from the shore. In the name of Heaven, why were you so long of
+coming to our assistance?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'We dared not venture out sooner,' replied Jörgen, 'on account of the
+awful storm.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you call this bit of a puff of wind a storm?' cried the man,
+scornfully. 'It is more likely that you were afraid of a wet jacket, or
+of catching cold. Ah well! I must not complain; you have done what you
+could, and I'm thinking that you yourself will profit the most by
+having saved me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I don't know what you mean by <i>profit</i>.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, that's not the question just now. Help me to get free of this
+rope; my hands are so cramped that I can scarcely use them, and let us
+be off.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst Jörgen was assisting the man, who at every movement that he made
+uttered a sigh or groan of pain, a voice was heard from the boat.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Make haste to come, Jörgen, or Ebbe will lose the boat.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What do you say?' cried Jörgen, much surprised. 'I say that our boat
+will be thumped to pieces--to splinters--lying here and knocking
+against the wreck. Already the edge of the gunwale has started, and we
+have sprung a leak on one side; so come down, Jörgen--it is too
+unreasonable for anyone to expect that we should risk ourselves and our
+all to save other people.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'A brave comrade you have got!' muttered the stranger, as Jörgen
+carried rather than helped him down out of the shrouds. 'Call out to
+him, and tell him that I have with me that which would make him cry his
+eyes out to lose if he does not take me safely from this wreck.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen full well knew what effect this intelligence would have upon
+Ebbe, and instantly repeated to him the stranger's words. The object
+was attained, for Ebbe immediately came creeping up the side of the
+wreck, to assist in bringing the shipwrecked man down to the boat. The
+suffering seaman groaned repeatedly, and the exertion of moving seemed
+almost too much for him; bloody froth issued from his lips, and when he
+reached the boat he sank down exhausted at the bottom of it. The poor
+dog, meanwhile, had never stirred from its place, although Jörgen had
+done his best to coax it to come to him; the animal had turned his head
+for once towards him, and then sprang to a higher part of the wreck,
+with a dismal and heart-rending howl.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'There is no use in your calling that beast,' murmured the stranger.
+'He has stood in one place and done nothing but howl since his master,
+the captain, was washed overboard. He will not quit the ship as long as
+a plank of it is left. Cast loose the rope, and push out with the oars,
+you there in the flannel waistcoat, who were afraid of scratching your
+smart little craft.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After this petulant speech, the stranger laid himself back in the boat,
+and closed his eyes. Jörgen loosened the rope; as he did so, a wave
+carried the boat at once far away from the wreck. The dog was the only
+living creature left on board of it, and he did not seem to perceive
+that the boat was speeding fast away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As they were rowing towards the land, Jörgen and Ebbe had a good
+opportunity of observing the stranger. He was a man apparently about
+fifty, partially bald, with a round forehead, high nose, pointed chin,
+and a shrewd and cunning expression of countenance, which was strongly
+marked, even though the eyes were closed. Ebbe surveyed his prostrate
+figure with a degree of veneration, and much would he have given to
+have known where the treasure could be deposited in safety, to which
+the unknown had so recently referred, and with the possession of which
+his humble attire so ill accorded.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The passage from the wreck back to the land was made speedily, and in
+silence, until they had got over the innermost reef, which the receding
+tide had left almost bare of water; then suddenly arose a cry of
+exultation from the fishermen on shore. At that sound the stranger
+opened his eyes, raised his head, and exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What are they shouting for in there? Oh! I suppose it is in honour of
+the great feat you have accomplished. Nonsense! How far is it from this
+place to Hjerting?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'About nine miles,' replied Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'North or south?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'South.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah, I thought sure enough that we had made a mistake in our reckoning;
+but it must be forgiven, since it was the last piece of stupidity our
+blessed captain has been allowed to commit. Are you quite sure that it
+is not more than nine miles to Hjerting?' he asked again a little
+after, as if the matter were of great consequence to him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The two fishermen repeated the assertion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Are you going on to Hjerting?' asked Ebbe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Certainly; my sympathizing friend, it is easy to travel nine miles<a name="div2Ref_06" href="#div2_06"><sup>[6]</sup></a>
+with a severe wound in one's chest. Find me a hut to lie down in and a
+doctor to put plaster on me, and I shall want nothing more just at
+present. I have the means to pay you for everything you do for me. And
+now not another question or another word, for I feel the greatest pain
+whenever I open my mouth to speak.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the course of another hour the stranger was lying comfortably in
+Jörgen and Ebbe's hut. He had reported himself to the Krigsraad as the
+first mate, Fourness, from Amrom. Jörgen had gone to Vædersö to ask
+assistance from the smith, who, in addition to his other
+accomplishments, also carried on secretly the profession of a medical
+man among the peasantry in the neighbourhood. Jörgen found the learned
+gentleman sitting in his smithy, surrounded by some countrymen, to whom
+he was reading aloud the political intelligence from a soiled
+provincial newspaper that was lying, spread open, upon his knees. In
+the furthest corner of the workshop an apprentice was busy shoeing two
+horses.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Jörgen mentioned his errand, the smith put away his newspaper with
+alacrity, and instantly gave all his attention to the report of the
+case.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you think you will be able to cure him, master,' added the young
+fisherman, 'or shall I go on to Ringkjöbing, though it is so much
+farther off, for the doctor of the district?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I'll tell you what, Jörgen,' replied the smith, in a raised voice, and
+with a look that betokened the utmost self-confidence, 'I will
+undertake to cure any creature who is not already dead, and even then
+sometimes they may be called back, as the worthy priest can testify,
+who knows that about Easter, last year, I brought back to life his
+brown filly, after it had been dead for nearly half-an-hour. If that
+can be done with a filly, I should think it can be done with a human
+being. Why not? But where is he wounded? In the head?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No; in the breast.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So much the better. We must give him something. I shall take my pills
+with me; if they don't set him to rights, you can order his grave to be
+dug. Come over the way, Jörgen, and let us have a dram together before
+we set off to cure the man.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The smith then left his workshop accompanied by Jörgen. His secret--the
+preparation of these wonderful pills--it may be mentioned here, was
+found out some years later, during an investigation which took place
+before the magistrates of Ringkjöbing, on the occasion of the worthy
+smith being charged with culpable quackery. They were only made of rye
+bread and the juice of walnut leaves!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">While Jörgen had gone to summon the smith, Ebbe had remained with the
+sufferer, who seemed to have become worse since he had landed, for he
+moaned repeatedly, and tossed about as if in pain on his bed. Ebbe sat
+by the window in silence, reflecting deeply upon the words of promise
+the stranger had let fall before he had left the wreck.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What are you sitting there and waiting for?' asked the seaman, when he
+observed Ebbe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am sitting here to see if you want any help before the doctor
+comes.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, I want something. Get me another glass of grog, and let it be
+warm and strong. Do you hear?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is not good for you, mate. When Jörgen went away he said you were
+not to have more than one glass of grog, and you have already drunk
+three.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You blackguard! mix me a glass directly. Don't you think I am the best
+judge of what is good for me?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe arose and went towards the fireplace, where a kettle of water was
+boiling. A bottle, half full, stood upon the table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is too bad, when rum is so dear with us in these parts,' muttered
+the fisherman, while he mixed the grog. The stranger took no notice of
+him. 'I had to give three marks for the pint I bought for you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The mate still remained silent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Please to remember, mate, that the money spent for your rum was mine,'
+said Ebbe, in a surly tone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh yes, I shall remember it. Make yourself easy; you shall have your
+money back. What are three marks to me? I could cover you with gold, if
+it were not a useless expense.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe's eyes sparkled, and he looked with reverence at the unknown, as
+he approached the bed with the desired grog. The mate raised himself,
+seized the glass, and emptied it at one draught.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah!' he exclaimed, while his face was distorted with pain, 'that <i>was</i>
+warm! It burned me more than the confounded wound, but it will do me
+good for all that.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No doubt you have made many long voyages, sir?' said the fisherman,
+after a short silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, I have,' replied the stranger; 'you may swear to that.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And is that how you have gathered so much money?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What money?' asked the mate.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That which might cover me with gold, if you liked.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, to be sure--no, indeed! That would have been impossible. The money
+I own I could not have made myself if I had been as old as the German
+Ocean.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Mercy on us! How can you carry so much money about with you?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Who said that I carried it about with me? Blockhead! I have disposed
+of it better than that. The earth keeps it safely for me; I can take it
+when I want it; and I intend to take it up as soon as I am well. Then
+we shall have a jolly life. It has been long enough of commencing. But
+don't talk any more to me now; the pain is increasing.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after Jörgen, accompanied by the smith, entered the hut. The
+shipwrecked guest turned his face towards the wall as they approached,
+but on Jörgen's informing him that the doctor had come, he muttered a
+few unintelligible words, and then stretched forth his hand, without
+altering his position. The smith evidently misunderstood the meaning of
+the action, for he laid hold of the outstretched hand and shook it
+heartily, while he said in a cheerful tone, 'Good morning.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The mischief take you!' cried the sailor, as he raised himself
+quickly. 'What sort of a doctor is that you have brought me, young man?
+I put out my hand that he might feel my pulse, as they always used to
+do at the hospitals, and he wrings it so furiously that I feel the
+shock through my whole body. Confound it!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the smith heard these words, which were spoken in the Low-German
+dialect, his scarlet face assumed a very benignant expression.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So you are a German!' he exclaimed, in the same dialect; 'then we are
+almost countrymen. So much the better. I have nothing to do with your
+pulse, my good friend, and I should like to ask any sensible man, what
+use there would be in feeling the arm when the wound is in the breast.
+Turn over a little bit towards the window, and let us see what the
+injury is. If you are not able to move yourself, let me get hold of
+you, and I will turn you in the twinkling of an eye.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was something in the smith's sharp and determined way of speaking
+that seemed to please the stranger; he turned towards the light, and
+opened his vest and his under-garment. However rough and unsusceptible
+the three spectators might have been, they all started back at the
+sight of the frightful wound which they beheld before them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, what do you say to this?' asked the sufferer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Heavens and earth!' cried the smith, grasping his own hair tightly in
+his dismay. 'This really does look dangerous! I would rather have to
+deal with a horse in the worst case of staggers, than to cure such an
+awful hurt. The person who expects to set you to rights must indeed
+look sharp.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Of course you must look sharp; but only standing staring at me won't
+be of any use,' said Fourness. 'What do you think of doing with it?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You must have a good large plaster on it; and you must take some
+medicine. I have brought my pills with me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The plaster with all my heart; get it ready at once; but I'll have
+none of your pills. I once swallowed a whole boxful of pills, and they
+did not do me the least good.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But you <i>must</i> take the pills,' replied the smith, decidedly. 'There
+is no use in jabbering about your past experience, my good man; you
+have got a nasty wound in your chest, as you see yourself, but you also
+feel ill internally, don't you?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'To be sure I do.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Now listen. I know what I am about. A breast like yours resembles a
+watch that has been smashed almost to pieces. What would be the use of
+putting in a new glass if the works inside were not repaired also? So
+you must take the pills; and if you make any fuss about it, we shall
+have to hold you fast, stick the handle of a hammer in your mouth to
+keep it open, and so pop them down your throat. <i>I</i> know how to manage
+you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The mate felt himself too weak to struggle with his powerful medical
+attendant, and he made no further objections. The smith cast a
+significant glance towards the two young fishermen as he betook himself
+to the table, where he set about spreading an enormous pitch plaster.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Come, this will do you good!' he said, when he returned to the bed to
+put the plaster on the wound. 'And see, here is a packet of pills. I
+shall give you some of these at once; and if you should be worse before
+I come back, you must take half-a-dozen more; they will certainly
+relieve you. I shall call again early in the evening.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The wound was bandaged; and, after giving a few directions, the smith
+left the hut. Towards the afternoon the invalid became much worse, in
+spite of the remedies which had been applied. The wound burned under
+the pitch plaster; he tore it off; and, cursing and swearing, he
+refused to take any more of the prescribed pills. In this state the
+smith found him in the evening.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'How do you <i>really</i> think that he is?' asked Ebbe, who had called the
+learned man aside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, I think it is a very doubtful case,' replied the smith. 'Since
+my pills have done him no good, not to speak of the plaster, I am
+inclined to believe he is pretty near his last gasp.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you mean that he is actually in danger?' inquired Ebbe, with a
+degree of interest which was inspired by the thoughts of the mate's
+gold and the unpaid rum.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'When a person is ill there is always danger,' said the smith; 'and as
+he will not use the means for his recovery which I advise, I think the
+best thing either you or Jörgen could do would be to go and call the
+parish doctor.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are right,' said Ebbe; 'I will go for him.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'When you see him, you need not say anything about my having been here.
+These folks with diplomas are so very jealous. And I think you had
+better lose no time before you set off. And--by-the-by, Ebbe, you can
+keep the rest of my pills, lest you should be ill yourself some day.
+They won't spoil by keeping.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The smith took his departure, and Ebbe soon after also left the hut,
+and set off for Ringkjöbing to call the doctor. Jörgen remained alone
+with the patient.</p>
+<br>
+
+<h3>CHAPTER II.</h3>
+
+<p class="normal">'How long will it probably be before he brings the doctor?'
+asked the
+stranger, after a considerable silence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'He will be here soon. There is a man who lives down at Vædersö, to
+whom we have sometimes been of service, he will lend Ebbe his gig, and
+if the doctor be at home they may be here before nightfall.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I hardly think I shall hold out so long; the wound in my chest burns
+like a glowing coal, Jörgen, and my breath is failing me. Lord help me!
+Must I lie down and die now--now that I am just close upon the
+realization of all my wishes? For eleven long years I have been
+speculating on coming to this coast. I wanted to set up my rest here. I
+have plenty of means--plenty of means, and could live like a king; but
+first came that accursed shipwreck, and then, after I was so fortunate
+as to reach the land, to be obliged to creep into a dog-hole like this!
+There is no luck with the money--it is mixed up with blood and
+injustice!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What money?' asked Jörgen, in amazement.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What, the devil! why that of which I am speaking, to be sure. But I
+will do some good with it. Do you need an hospital here, among these
+sandhills? If so, I shall have one built, so large that a man-of-war
+might tack about in it. I will build a tower, too, with a lighthouse at
+the top of it, to warn my comrades not to approach too near the coast.
+And I will go to church every Sunday, and listen to the preacher, who
+tells us that we are never too old to repent.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'How will you find the means to build these places?' asked Jörgen,
+simply. 'Bricks and timber are so expensive up hereabouts.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But do you not hear that I know where a large treasure is buried, that
+it belongs to me--<i>me</i> alone, and that I have only to dig it up in
+order to make use of it? I believe I am able to pay for anything I
+please.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen shook his head incredulously. 'He is delirious, and does not
+know what he is saying,' he thought. 'I wish Ebbe would come with the
+doctor.' Then, turning to the invalid, he said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So you have been on this coast before, mate?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, lad, that I have. Eleven years ago I landed down yonder, near
+Hjerting, pretty much in the same way as I did here this morning. I am
+only afraid I shan't come off so well here as I did there.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The sick man was interrupted by the opening of the cottage door, and
+the entrance of the smith, who said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I have come to tell you that Ebbe might have saved himself the journey
+to town, for the doctor drove a little while ago into Aabjerg. I went
+up there, and he has promised to call here as soon as he leaves the
+Krigsraad's.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Coming at last!' exclaimed the sufferer. 'Then I shall soon be well
+again. Tell him, from me, that he will be the cause of a great calamity
+if he does not come soon.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That I will,' replied the smith, shrugging his shoulders, and glancing
+towards Jörgen. 'Do me a favour, Jörgen, my boy. Just put my pills out
+of sight, and say nothing about my having been here.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Shortly after a carriage was heard making its way through the sandy
+road, and the physician entered the hut. He only needed a quick glance
+at his patient to perceive how hopeless was his condition.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Poor man!' he exclaimed, as he prepared to bleed him, 'you have been
+sadly hurt.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, not so badly, after all,' replied the mate. 'Last year, about this
+time, the whole of the upper part of my arm was torn to pieces by the
+chain of the anchor--that was worse. You will be able to cure me. It is
+very strange that I feel such difficulty in speaking; my voice seems to
+be so husky, too! How long do you think it will be till I get on my
+legs again?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why it is hardly possible to name a time.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The doctors here are good for nothing. In England they charge higher,
+but they know their business better.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Have you taken anything since you came ashore?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Nothing whatsoever. I have only wet my lips with three or four small
+glasses of grog; but it is very odd, I don't feel the least inclination
+for any more.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After the doctor had done all that he possibly could to alleviate the
+sufferings of the poor stranger, he was turning to go, but the sick man
+grasped his hand, endeavoured to raise himself in his bed, and
+exclaimed, with impetuosity,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You won't leave me, doctor? Are you angry at what I said about
+physicians? Pray think nothing of that; it is a habit I have got of
+amusing myself by teazing people. You must stay with me to-night--all
+night. Do you hear, sir? You need not be afraid that you will be giving
+your time for nothing.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I have not asked, and I do not expect, any fee,' said the doctor; 'but
+I have other patients who require my help as well as you. I shall see
+you again early to-morrow morning. God be with you till we meet again,
+mate!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He left the room, and Jörgen followed him out.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And will you really be so kind as to return early to-morrow morning,
+Herr Doctor?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, my friend, I shall most certainly come; but, to say the truth, I
+fear that my visit will be of no use, for to-morrow your guest will no
+longer need my assistance.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What do you mean, sir?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I mean that he will be dead before to-morrow, and that no human skill
+can save him. If you should find an opportunity, you had better prepare
+him for this. Good night.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The physician drove away; Jörgen returned to the invalid. He found him
+sitting on the side of the bed, the light of the lamp falling full upon
+his face, which, during the last hour, had become of a pale bluish hue.
+He was pressing his hand on his chest, as if to lessen the pain, while
+with a thick and trembling voice he whispered,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Hark ye, Jörgen! Yonder, in the breast-pocket of my pea-jacket there
+is a small leather purse with nine Prussian thalers in it. Will you
+earn one of them?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I don't understand you, mate,' said Jörgen, much surprised.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What did the doctor say of me outside of the door there?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen considered for a moment or two what he should answer. 'Oh!' he
+came out with at length, 'he said--'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'In the devil's name, let me have no evasive answer,' cried the mate,
+raising his voice. 'I will know what he said, word for word; and if I
+give you a Prussian thaler to speak the truth, I think you are pretty
+well paid to open your mouth. So, out with it!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you wish to know the whole truth?' asked Jörgen, seizing his hand.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Certainly.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'All that he said?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah! it was nothing very cheering, I perceive,' remarked the sufferer,
+in a low tone, and with trembling lips. 'But speak out, my lad--speak
+out! Whatever that withered old stick could say, I can bear to hear.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, then,' stammered Jörgen, in considerable agitation, 'he said--he
+said--that you had not long to live.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Did he, indeed! Well, well, one must put up with that. A few years of
+comfort and pleasure are probably worth a long life of care and want.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah! God help you, and send you better thoughts, mate: you cannot look
+forward to <i>years</i>.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'May I not? How long can I count upon, Jörgen? Speak, my son. Why do
+you hang your head so? I have seen death too often close under my eyes
+to be afraid of it. When did he hint that I might be called away?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'He said that you would die to-night, and that no human skill could
+save you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was a deep and prolonged silence in the room after these words
+had been uttered.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'To-night!' at length exclaimed the mate, in thick and trembling
+accents. 'I am to die <i>to-night!</i>' And as he repeated this dreadful
+sentence he burst into tears, and into loud, convulsive sobs.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen was much affected; he wrung the sick man's hand, but did not
+venture to speak for fear of betraying his emotion. At length he said,
+in a subdued and sad voice,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Take comfort, mate! If you will allow me, I will read a hymn to you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'A hymn!' exclaimed the stranger, starting. 'Ah, well--read it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young fisherman took a hymn-book from a shelf, and began to read in
+a low and trembling voice,</p>
+<div class="poem2">
+<p class="t0" style="text-indent:-4px">
+'Teach me, like autumn leaves, to fade</p>
+<p class="t0">With joy, oh yellow forest glade!</p>
+<p class="t1">A brighter spring is nigh.</p>
+<p class="t0">The summer of eternity</p>
+<p class="t0">Reigns where, an ever-verdant tree,</p>
+<p class="t1">My roots shall never die.</p>
+<p class="t0">&nbsp;</p>
+<p class="t0" style="text-indent:-4px">'Teach me--oh, wandering bird! like thee</p>
+<p class="t0">To wing my way, undaunted, free,</p>
+<p class="t1">To distant unknown lands;</p>
+<p class="t0">When here, 'tis winter, storm and ice,</p>
+<p class="t0">Yonder, an endless paradise,</p>
+<p class="t1">Open, before me stands!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">The dying man had apparently been listening to the hymn with earnest
+attention, even devotion, while his clasped hands lay on the coverlet;
+suddenly he turned towards the light, and exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Hark ye, Jörgen! If you will swear to me not to reveal what I am now
+going to tell you, I will confide a secret to you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Certainly,' replied Jörgen, who, shocked at this sudden interruption
+of the hymn, laid the book aside.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Come closer to my bed--my voice is growing weaker, and pay particular
+attention to what I say:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Eleven years ago I went as a sailor in a Neustader merchantman; we
+came from England, where we had sold a cargo of dye-woods, silk, and
+spices from Canton, and on which the firm, in whose employment I was,
+had made a considerable sum of money. Well, we were driven ashore near
+Hjerting, and forced to try and save ourselves in boats. It happened
+then like last night---the long boat was overcrowded; it capsized and
+sank! The captain had brought up his papers and a little box from the
+cabin, and was standing ready to go in the second boat, when an
+enormous wave washed him overboard. There were then but two men left;
+the one was myself, the other was the cook. We took the box, which
+contained all the cash for which the cargo had been sold, got into the
+boat, and reached the land in safety. This was at night, pitch dark,
+and in a pouring rain. Our first care was to bury the box--after
+that--'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Go on, mate. I am listening to you, and I have promised secresy; you
+may depend upon me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, then,' continued the man, apparently with a strong effort
+overcoming his repugnance to say more, and in a lower and more unsteady
+tone of voice, 'after that something happened--which I have regretted
+and repented deeply--something which I can never forget: after that I
+killed the cook, that I might be the sole possessor of the contents of
+the case.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You murdered him!' whispered Jörgen. 'God forgive you!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I did! But it was not such a sin after all. He was a bad, malicious
+fellow; he cooked shockingly, and was always making mischief between us
+and the mates. The next morning I was sent to my native home, and I
+left the case, well knowing that it was safe enough where it was
+deposited. Time passed on, and I went to sea again. First I went to
+Brazil, and then I went to the South Sea for the whale fishery,
+and so on, until full eleven years had elapsed before I had a chance
+of returning to the place where my treasure was. At length, luck
+favoured me, and I had determined to begin a new life, and to enjoy my
+money--and now, I am lying here in the agonies of death! But no, no--it
+is a fabrication of the cursed doctor's! I will not die! I once lay ill
+for fourteen months in the hospital at Boston, and became quite well
+again. Remember, you have sworn never to disclose a syllable of what I
+have told you. May God punish you if you betray me! Come closer to my
+bed. How cold it is this evening! Below the wall of Oxby church, at the
+corner facing the north, lies the buried case, among three hard stones.
+If I should not recover, you can dig up the box, and keep what you
+find. Have you understood me?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, I have, perfectly well; but it is not worth talking more about,
+mate. I shall not meddle with your money--there could be no luck with
+it. Will you listen if I read another hymn to you?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, read a psalm, Jörgen; it is long since I have heard of our Lord.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen began to read slowly, and with much feeling; he was often
+stopped by his own agitation, and at these times he heard the dying
+man's breathing becoming thicker, and a rattling occasionally in his
+throat. He also heard now and then a sigh and a low murmur, which he
+supposed to be the invalid repeating what he had read. Suddenly, the
+mate laid his hand upon his arm, and exclaimed,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am counting about how much money there may be in that case, my lad.
+You will find much more than you can possibly make use of. When I was
+last at home, my brother lived at Amrom; you must send him fifty
+guineas. I know that they won't be particularly well spent, for he has
+taken to the bottle, poor creature! But that cannot be helped, it is
+his only gratification now.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen nodded his head, and began to read aloud again.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, put away that book,' said the mate; 'what is the use of your
+sitting there, and reading that I shall go to heaven, and that I am
+tired of being in this world, when it is not true? I will live, and
+live merrily with all my money.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A long and uncomfortable silence prevailed for some time in the room,
+which was only broken by the monotonous and uniform ticking of an old
+clock that hung against the wall. The moonbeams were streaming in
+brightly at the window, the storm had ceased, and the sky was clear and
+cloudless.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'If it should go hard with me, see that you have a large three-masted
+ship made with full rigging. It must be painted black and green, with a
+red water-line, and my name, in large gold letters, must be put on the
+stern. I make a present of this to Vædersö church, and it shall hang
+there from the roof.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One hour later, and the stranger was dead!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Whilst this scene was taking place in Jörgen's hut, Ebbe was on his way
+back from Ringkjöbing, deeply buried in reflecting on the unusual gains
+the last day or two had brought him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is too bad that I am obliged to share all this money with Jörgen,'
+he said to himself; 'this stupid partnership won't do. I will see about
+getting rid of it, and carrying on the business on my own account. The
+foreign mate shall help me to manage this; he must have money, for he
+has several times alluded to it; he is too ill to leave our house for
+some time to come, and before he is able to go I shall have made
+something out of him. Besides, he owes me some recompense, for I helped
+to bring him off from the wreck.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thus far he had proceeded in his cogitations, when the conveyance
+stopped at the door of his cottage. The light was extinguished in the
+room; Jörgen was lying, fast asleep, upon a mattress stuffed with
+sea-weed, on the floor. He awoke as Ebbe opened the door.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I have had bad luck,' said Ebbe, in a whisper, 'and have gone my
+errand for nothing. The doctor had driven out of the town an hour
+before my arrival.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I know that very well,' replied Jörgen. 'He has been here.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'How is the sick man?' asked Ebbe, striking a light.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'He is dead!' said Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Dead!' cried Ebbe, in a tone that sufficiently evinced how many hopes
+and expectations that one word had overthrown. 'Dead! Good Lord! Poor
+man! Did he pay you the three marks I laid out for him in rum?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then it was a disgraceful imposition on his part, setting forth to me
+that he was able to repay us tenfold for all our trouble. Did you look
+to see how much money he had with him? I am quite convinced that he
+possessed nothing, and that he only wanted to make fools of us.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Now, be done with all this, Ebbe,' said Jörgen, almost out of
+patience. 'He did not intend to deceive you; and he was in the right
+when he said that he had the means of repaying us tenfold for what we
+did for him.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Really!' exclaimed Ebbe, with a smile, and a glance strangely
+expressive of covetousness. 'Then he <i>had</i> a good deal of money?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No; but he knew where to find a good deal of money. He had been
+shipwrecked once before on this coast, and then he buried a box, which,
+according to his representation, contains much more than we two could
+ever dream of possessing. He described to me the place where it is
+concealed.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'To you!' exclaimed Ebbe. 'Indeed! Did he not say that you and I were
+to divide the treasure between us?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe seemed lost in thought; he remained silent for some minutes, while
+his countenance underwent an unpleasant change.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then it is you who have become rich--you alone; and I have helped to
+bring this about. Well, well, it was to be so. What quantity of money
+is hidden away in the box?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh! how should I know? Judging by what he said, there may be several
+thousand dollars. But do not let us talk any more about it now. The
+cocks are crowing, it will soon be morning, and I am so sleepy. Come,
+lie down near me, and put out the light.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Several thousand dollars!' continued Ebbe. 'Good Lord! And all this
+money is yours! If I had not gone to fetch a doctor for him he would
+surely have said that we were to divide it. Are you quite certain that
+he absolutely said nothing about that, Jörgen?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, he did not; but that is no reason why we should not divide it.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, of course! You would be a fool if you did that. Dear me! Several
+thousand dollars! You will be able to buy a new boat, with an English
+compass in it. Oh, yes! you will be able to buy a house for yourself,
+and, moreover, to put some of the money out at a good interest. It is
+enough to make one mad. Will you spare me five dollars for a watch, eh,
+Jörgen? Jörgen! Are you asleep? Good Heavens! he can sleep! Several
+thousands!--and <i>I</i> have got nothing!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe burst into a passionate fit of tears. The morning, which was then
+dawning, found him awake and ruminating on his disappointment, on the
+bed by the side of Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The next day the body of the mate, Fourness, was removed to the
+hospital at Vædersö, to be buried from thence in the village
+churchyard. Jörgen and Ebbe pursued their accustomed occupations. The
+hull of the foreign vessel was carried out to sea at night, and
+apparently knocked to pieces by the waves, for many portions of the
+wreck were cast ashore along the adjacent coast.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe did not leave Jörgen's side that day; all his thoughts were
+devoted to the mysterious casket, and to the painful reflection that
+Jörgen alone was aware of the spot where it was concealed, consequently
+was master of its valuable contents. He had no inclination to work, but
+was continually recurring to the one vexatious fancy, which represented
+Jörgen surrounded with wealth and all the prosperity which he had so
+often wished for himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thus passed the week. It had been settled between the two friends that
+on Saturday they would set off to Oxby church, so early that they might
+reach the place that evening, before it began to get dark. Ebbe had two
+or three days beforehand arranged everything for this journey, secretly
+and eagerly. Jörgen could not help observing the striking change which
+in a few days had come over him. He saw how his energies were quite
+paralyzed beneath the dreamy state into which he had fallen. Ebbe had
+become silent and irritable; he avoided his comrade's society, and
+sought solitude, where it was not necessary for him to conceal his
+feelings.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When he was alone, his mind always dwelt upon the hidden treasure, and
+picture after picture arose from the depths of his imagination of
+wealth, prosperity, and triumph over those who now looked down upon
+him. At other times he was tormented by a bitter, gnawing doubt if the
+mate had spoken the truth, and there existed any treasure at all. Then,
+again, he would make himself miserable about the portion of it that he
+might obtain. He would sometimes fancy himself set aside by Jörgen;
+then he would work himself up to believe that it was no freewill offer
+to share with him, but a right which belonged to himself; and to this
+oft-recurring thought succeeded, little by little, another, dark and
+dreadful, which, nourished by envy and covetousness, assumed by degrees
+a more distinct and decided form.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Saturday arrived, Ebbe rose in the grey of the morning, and was
+ready for the journey long before Jörgen; his whole bearing betrayed a
+degree of feverish impatience, an eagerness and impetuosity which he
+had never evinced before. Jörgen carried a saddle-bag with provisions,
+Ebbe a spade, and furnished with these necessaries, they left their
+hut, and passed through the village even before the peasants had left
+their beds.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The road from Aale parsonage down to Oxby traverses a long and wide
+tract of boggy land, which, at that time, was overgrown with a sort of
+close rough glass and a layer of moss, that in summer concealed many a
+cavity and break in the ground, and which was the resort of frogs and
+of various moor fowls, that took wing in large flocks when anyone
+approached their places of shelter.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The two fishermen trudged on with unwearying patience towards their
+goal, which already they could perceive far in the distance. It was
+late in the day; the sun had sunk behind the line of sandhills which
+hid the German Ocean, and a deep stillness reigned around. The church
+stood in a naked, sandy plain, surrounded by a stone wall that was
+partially sunk in the sand. One side of the edifice was, at that
+moment, illuminated by a bright reflexion from the red evening sky.
+Swallows were flying about under its roof. As far as the eye could
+reach, there was no sign or appearance of the inhabitants of the
+neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'At last we have reached our destination!' exclaimed Ebbe, as, tired
+and gasping for breath, he threw himself down on a heap of gravel at a
+little distance from the wall of the churchyard.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, at last,' replied Jogen, with a smile; 'and it will soon be seen
+if we have not had our trouble for nothing.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, don't say so, Jörgen,' cried Ebbe. 'How could such an idea enter
+your head? You have surely not forgotten the place where we were to
+dig?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, no!' replied Jörgen. 'The direction was not so difficult to
+remember. It was towards the north, he said, and among three stones
+which had fallen there from the wall. If you will remain here to rest
+yourself, I will go at once and try and find the place.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No!' said Ebbe, rising quickly from his recumbent position. 'I will go
+with you. Why should I stay behind, and not help you to look for it?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen then led the way, proceeding along the wall of the churchyard,
+while Ebbe followed him with the spade over his shoulder; but it was
+some time before they found the place indicated. The grass grew so high
+near the churchyard wall, that, in the increasing dusk of the evening,
+it would have been impossible to have discovered the stones described
+until close upon them. In the time, too, which had elapsed since the
+treasure was buried, the stones might have sunk into the ground, or
+become hidden by moss. At length, however, Jörgen found the spot. The
+three stones lay exactly in the position the mate had described; a
+young elder-tree had shot up its straight branches just before them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It must be here,' said Ebbe; 'you have good luck with you in
+everything. Let us begin to dig at once. But, hush! be still! I'll be
+sworn I heard a horse panting on the other side of the churchyard wall.
+We will wait a little before we begin.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Let us rather go round, and see if anyone is there,' said Jörgen,
+about to go.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, by no means; stay with me, I don't fancy being alone in such a
+place as this. They say the Evil One goes riding about at night on a
+white horse. Have you never heard that?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes; but what have we to do with him? We are here on a lawful errand,
+and have no reason to be afraid of anything.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">So saying, Jörgen walked on by the churchyard wall until he came to the
+next corner. 'There is nothing to be seen,' he said, when he returned.
+'Let us commence the digging. Lend me the spade.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No; let us dig by turns, and I will go to work first,' replied Ebbe,
+as he took off his jacket, and put the spade into the ground.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The uppermost layer of earth among the stones was hard and stiff, and
+moreover, the roots of the elder-tree formed a sort of tough piece of
+network among the stones, so that it was not possible to proceed
+otherwise than slowly with the work. Ebbe groaned; his impatience was
+increased by the strong spirit of covetousness which had taken
+possession of him. Jörgen sat down quietly on a stone near him. In the
+deep stillness which reigned around the spot, the bats might be heard
+flapping their wings as they fluttered about the walls of the church,
+and in the distance a hollow, rushing sound, which came from the German
+Ocean, away behind the sandhills. Ebbe continued to dig, and had made a
+tolerably deep hole, when he suddenly stopped, pushed the spade well
+into the ground, and bowed his head down as if he were listening to
+something.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you think you have come to anything?' asked Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, it is only a stone which lies in the way; but I am tired now.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then let me take my turn of digging,' said Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Let us rather rest a little while, and take a mouthful of our
+provisions and a drop from our flask. What have you done with the
+wallet?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I left it at the gravel pit yonder, where we rested first.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then let us go there, Jörgen. After we have had something to eat we
+shall set to work again. It will be long before it is daylight; we have
+time enough.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen made no opposition to this arrangement; he was accustomed to
+give way to Ebbe's wishes, and he went back to where they had left
+their provender.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe cast a longing look back at the hole; then took the spade under
+his arm and followed Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At a little distance from the walls of the churchyard the path lay near
+the edge of a pit, from which the peasants dug up gravel for the
+repairs that were annually made in the high road. The pit was tolerably
+deep, and sloped from the brink, along which the two fishermen directed
+their steps until they came to a kind of gap, or narrow defile, from
+whence the gravel was carted away.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When Ebbe reached this place, he took up the flask, drank off its
+contents, and let it drop quietly into the grass. Jörgen, in the
+meantime, had sat down, and began to eat. Ebbe remained standing, and
+leaned upon the spade.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why don't you sit down?' asked Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Because the grass is wet.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Where is the flask? I don't see it.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You will find it on the grass.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen stooped down to look for it, and at that moment Ebbe lifted the
+spade, and, exerting all his strength, struck Jörgen with it on his
+head!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The attack was made so unexpectedly and so hurriedly, that it was not
+possible for Jörgen to avoid the blow or to defend himself. He uttered
+a low cry, stretched out his arms, and sank backwards to the ground.
+Ebbe bent over him, and listened. The blow must have been a very severe
+one, for he did not hear the faintest breathing from Jörgen.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You have got this because you tried to cheat me, and packed me off to
+the town, that you alone might benefit by the stranger's treasure.'
+And, as if his bitter feelings were increased by this remembrance, he
+added, triumphantly, 'You asserted that it was to you alone the
+stranger had bequeathed his money. You would only have given me a small
+portion of it; I shall take it all now. And you did not know that I
+have already got it. I heard the ground reverberate under the spade--I
+heard the sound of the gold--it is mine--all--all mine!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he said this, he took up his comrade's body in his arms, and flung
+it over the edge into the pit.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And now to go back to the churchyard!' he exclaimed. 'I must have the
+money up, and be off before the dawn of day.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He threw the spade across his shoulders, took up the wallet, and turned
+to leave the place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At that moment he fancied that he heard footsteps near: he looked
+round, and perceived in the twilight a tall figure in a flowing mantle,
+which stopped at a little distance from the place where he was
+standing. In the extreme terror which seized him, it seemed to him that
+this figure gradually grew taller and larger, and that it gazed at him
+with a dark and threatening aspect; it seemed to approach nearer. It
+was no longer a phantom of the imagination; he heard the heavy steps
+ringing on the ground--he beheld a hand stretched out towards him--and
+then fell, in accusing accents on his ear, the dreadful word
+'Murderer!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe uttered a loud cry, he dropped the spade, sprang to one side, and
+fled in a direction quite opposite to that where he had so recently
+sought for the unlucky treasure. He constantly thought that his unknown
+pursuer was still following him, that he was gaining upon him, and even
+that he felt his breath close behind him; but he dared not turn his
+head, he only continued to run swiftly, and without stopping, until at
+length he stumbled, and fell into one of the many hollows that were to
+be met with in that neighbourhood. There he lay for several hours
+exhausted and insensible, unwitting of the storm from the German Ocean
+that was raging among the sandhills near its shores. When at last he
+re-recovered to consciousness, the morning sun was shining on the
+sandhills, and he heard the bells of Oxby church ringing for the early
+service.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Eight days later, the inhabitants of Vædersö were thronging round a
+carriage which was passing through the little town. The front seat was
+occupied by a tall man, under whose overcoat was to be seen the stiff
+embroidered collar of a uniform. His self-important air, also the
+condescending nod with which he acknowledged the respectful obeisances
+of the peasantry, betokened a person of no small consequence. Nor was
+there any mistake in this, for he was the judge of the district, who
+was proceeding on official duty to the sandhills.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the back seat of the carriage sat two men, one of whom was the smith
+of the village, the other a pale, emaciated, shrunken figure, in whose
+features it would have been difficult to have recognized Ebbe, so great
+was the change that the last eight days had wrought in him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The smith's plump round face evinced, on the contrary, a great degree
+of self-complacency; he smiled to everyone he knew, and stretched out
+by turns his hand or his head from the carriage, either for a friendly
+salutation, or to explain the reason of his appearance in the carriage
+on that particular occasion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The carriage passed through the village, and did not stop until it
+reached the cottage which Jörgen and Ebbe had occupied conjointly. Here
+the judge got out, and after saying a few words to the smith, he
+entered the house.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Now, Ebbe,' said the smith, 'you must get out too; you are at home
+here. We shall have a legal examination, as his honour has just very
+properly declared.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe made no reply; he seemed to have fallen into a state of speechless
+apathy. He descended from the carriage, and followed the smith into the
+first of the two rooms into which the hut was divided.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">On entering the cottage, they found the judge, and two fishermen who
+had been summoned as witnesses, already seated near the table. Ebbe
+cast a rapid and reconnoitring look around him; he perceived that
+everything was in its usual place; it was not the room that had changed
+in these eight days.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Place yourself at the end of the table,' said the judge. 'Listen to
+what will be said, and answer minutely and truthfully the questions we
+shall put to you. Speak first, smith. Let us hear what you have to
+say.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Not to fatigue the reader with the smith's long-winded story, we shall
+as briefly as possible relate the substance of his communication.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">However important it was to Ebbe to maintain inviolable secresy
+relative to the mate's hidden treasure, he had let fall some words
+which had been caught up by the smith, and which, giving rise to some
+conjectures and suspicions, caused the clear-sighted man to watch
+narrowly the movements of the two young fishermen. On the same day that
+Jörgen and Ebbe had left their home at such an early hour, the smith
+had borrowed a horse from one of his neighbours, and set out in pursuit
+of them, although he took all possible pains to avoid being seen by
+them. Jörgen had previously given out that he was going to take a
+holiday to visit his aunt at Oxby.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the smith had followed the two wayfarers as far as Aale church,
+and assured himself that they were really going to the place mentioned,
+he quitted the footpath, which, leading through the open heath, would
+have made him run the risk of being observed, and rode another way
+until he reached the cross road near Oxby church, and the shades of
+evening began to fall. The fishermen had evidently taken a considerable
+time to cross the wide heath. The smith had waited long, and had ridden
+around the church before he saw Ebbe and Jörgen looking for the spot
+with the three stones.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was his horse that Ebbe had heard neigh, but, as we have seen, he
+had not sufficiently followed up the circumstance. In consequence of
+this neglect on his part, the smith became acquainted with all that was
+going on; for when it grew darker he ventured nearer, got over the
+wall, and crept on his hands and knees close to the place where Ebbe
+was digging. Arrived there, he could hear every word that was spoken
+while the work proceeded. When they left the wall of the churchyard,
+he followed them at some distance along the path that led to the
+gravel-pits, and he had seen Jörgen fall. Ebbe had not recognized the
+voice of the smith in that which called after him, nor had he observed
+that Harfiz was carrying Jörgen in his arms to the nearest dwelling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Thus it all happened,' said the plaintiff, in the corrupt language in
+which he spoke. 'Ebbe cannot deny a word that I have said. I know all
+that passed; I saw and heard all. I took up the spade with which he had
+struck Jörgen, and, to wind up, your honour has only to make inquiry
+here to be convinced of the truth of what I assert. Here you behold the
+man who can corroborate my statement.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As he said these words he drew aside a curtain that had concealed an
+alcove, and Jörgen, with his head bound up, pale and suffering, was
+seen raising himself with difficulty on one arm, and gazing at those
+assembled in the hut. This last action of the smith, so sudden and
+unexpected, caused a great sensation and much surprise among those
+present.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe, who up to this moment had stood silent and immovable, with his
+hands folded and his eyes cast down, raised his head quickly, and when
+his glance fell on Jörgen, he stretched out his arms towards him, and,
+bursting into tears, exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh, my God! Jörgen--dear Jörgen!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, there you see a competent witness. I have cured him--I may safely
+declare--and now he will confirm what I have said.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Well, what have you to say to what the smith has just been telling
+us?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I say that he is quite mistaken,' replied Jörgen. 'Ebbe had no wish to
+kill me; he had no evil intention against me; I absolve him of anything
+of the kind.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Everyone was taken by surprise, and exclamations of astonishment
+followed these words, which were uttered in a mild, quiet, but at the
+same time decisive tone. Ebbe's eyes sparkled. The smith jumped up.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Jörgen,' he cried, 'are you out of your mind? You cannot be in your
+right senses if you speak in this way. Did he not attempt to murder
+you? Did I not see and hear it all myself? Did I not take you up in my
+strong arms, when he cast you down into the gravel-pit?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You did, indeed, behave most kindly and humanely to me,' replied
+Jörgen, with a grateful smile. 'Without your help, I should most
+probably have been dead now; but, I repeat that it was not Ebbe who
+threw me into the pit. I fell in, sir, and in my fall I hurt myself
+with the spade. I have now told all I have to tell--I entirely acquit
+my old comrade, and I must beg you to withdraw the accusation against
+him.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After having thus spoken, Jörgen laid himself down in his bed, closed
+his eyes, and seemed to take no further notice of what was going on
+around him. Neither did he seem to notice Ebbe, who stole softly
+towards his bed, seized his hand, and carried it to his lips.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The smith was very angry, and repeated and maintained his version of
+the affair, with gesticulations, oaths, and asseverations, in his
+strange lingo. He could not understand why Jörgen exercised such
+generous forbearance: the judge, on the contrary, comprehended it all;
+he called Ebbe into the other room, and had a long communication with
+him; after which he broke up the meeting, dismissed the witnesses, and
+left the cottage himself. Jörgen and Ebbe were the only persons who
+remained in it.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Some time elapsed, during which both remained perfectly silent. At
+length Jörgen raised himself in his bed, and asked,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Are they gone?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Every one of them?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes, we are alone.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Sit down by my bed, Ebbe; I have something to say to you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Ebbe obeyed. At that moment his whole appearance evinced the utmost
+humility; he did not dare to raise his eyes before Jörgen, who
+contemplated him calmly, but with a penetrating look.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What I said a little while ago,' began Jörgen, 'was to save you, and
+because I could not live under the idea that I had another man's
+misfortune on my conscience. You are now free--acquitted--and no one
+can do anything to you. With God's blessing, I may also become well
+again, and recover my strength so as to be able to work as formerly;
+but you must yourself perceive, Ebbe, that we two can never more live
+and labour together. That Saturday night has rendered it necessary for
+us to separate for ever. I can never banish it from my memory. You shed
+tears now, indeed, and are deeply afflicted. I also have shed many
+tears when I reflected that it was you, my only companion and comrade,
+that had the heart to deal with me as you did. In Heaven's name, then,
+let each of us go his own way. The world is surely large enough for us
+both. When I am stronger, and able to work, I will pay you for the part
+you own in this cottage and in the boat; for I hardly think you will
+like to remain longer here. In fact, I think it would be better for you
+to seek some other place to settle yourself, where people could not say
+anything against you. You cannot fail to perceive that the smith does
+not believe the declaration I made to the judge. He will tell the story
+his way in the town yonder, and that won't be in your favour. As I have
+said, when I am better you shall receive the share that belongs to you
+of what we have hitherto held in partnership, and we must separate.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Then you have found the treasure?' asked Ebbe, hurriedly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No,' said Jörgen, gravely. 'But the smith has promised to let me marry
+his daughter, and he will advance me the money to pay you.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I do not care about the money,' replied Ebbe; 'you are welcome to keep
+it all.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh yes--so you say <i>now</i>,' answered Jörgen; 'but you would repent that
+offer to-morrow. No, let the arrangement I have proposed stand. And you
+had better go, Ebbe, before the smith returns. You know that he is very
+passionate, and you might get into a quarrel with him. Besides, I am
+weak and weary, and must get some sleep. Farewell, and may the Almighty
+bestow on you kinder feelings towards those among whom you may
+henceforth seek to win your bread, than you have shown to me. Shake
+hands with me, Ebbe, and then go.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Jörgen sank back on his bed, and Ebbe left the cottage.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">
+The following five years brought about a striking difference between
+the fates of the two fishermen. Jörgen had married the smith's
+daughter. He gave up fishing, sold his boat and established himself in
+the little town of Vædersö. There he betook himself to husbandry: he
+tilled the ground, ploughed, sowed, planted; in short he laboured with
+all the indefatigable activity, energy, and diligence, for which the
+inhabitants of the west country are so celebrated. At the end of two
+years he sold his house to buy a larger one on a thriving farm; field
+after field was added, and all prospered with him. Success seemed to
+smile on everything he undertook from the period that he relinquished
+his partnership with Ebbe.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You have got an excellent son-in-law, smith,' said the peasants to
+Harfiz, often when they came to his smithy.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'He gets on very well,' the learned smith would reply, with a cheerful
+nod, indicative of content. 'But let me tell you, and you may believe
+what I say, that it was my medicine which has made him what he is. He
+has been quite another sort of man since I cured him, and restored him,
+I may say, to life, after Ebbe had killed him. He will be a greater man
+still.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The prophecy was fulfilled as time passed on; for every year that went
+over his head brought some addition to Jörgen's prosperity. He was a
+happy man in his own family, and in all his transactions he was clever,
+prudent, and far-seeing.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The same space of time that seemed to have had wings for Jörgen, had
+crawled on slowly, unprofitably, and wearily for Ebbe. A portion of the
+sum he had received for his share of the cottage and the boat was
+appropriated to the purchase of the little plot of ground near Oxby
+church, where the mate had said his treasure was buried. The
+acquisition was not an expensive one certainly, for at that period a
+large quantity of waste land could be bought for about two dollars; so
+that after Ebbe had become the proprietor of the place, he had
+sufficient money left to build a house for himself on a corner of the
+ground he had bought.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Then commenced a course of labour which, in exertion, perseverance, and
+endurance, was far beyond anything Jörgen ever attempted, and yet was
+productive of no good results. The three stones were taken up and
+thrown aside, in order not to obstruct the work; then the elder-tree
+was removed; and after every obstacle had disappeared, Ebbe dug down,
+and down, until he came to the stratum of iron-hard, solid rock, which
+is to be found in that part of the country.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His labours were carried on by night, and with the utmost secresy, not
+to attract attention. During the day he rested, and either spent the
+hours lounging by the sea-side, or he slept. But, whether waking or
+sleeping, he was haunted by the thoughts of the hidden treasure, and of
+the wealth he would acquire, and the consequence he would attain, when
+he discovered and enjoyed it. It was shocking to see that pale and
+meagre creature, when the moon shone upon the scene of his labours,
+working away eagerly, bending over the spade, and listening anxiously
+when every fresh heap of earth was cast up: by turns cheating himself
+with hopes of success, then groaning at his disappointment, yet still
+persevering in the search for a prize which continued to evade his
+grasp.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In winter the ground was frozen, and as Ebbe was obliged to cease his
+digging, he left his hut, and went to Hjerting, where he hired himself
+out among the peasantry as a day-labourer. His history soon oozed out,
+and his very shy, reserved manners prevented him from making
+acquaintances, while his fellow-labourers jeered him. 'There goes the
+gold-digger!' the children would cry after him when he showed himself
+in the streets. These scoffers, who beheld him now in so humble a
+position, by-and-by, when he had found the treasure, should witness his
+triumph. 'Wait a little!' he thought; 'success will come at last, and
+the day cannot be very far distant!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When spring succeeded to winter, Ebbe left the service he had taken,
+and returned to his hut, where he recommenced his labours with as much
+assiduity as before, and with the same result. The small space in which
+his operations were carried on soon resembled a deep pit, wherein
+gravel and sand, stone and clay, were gathered together in large heaps.
+But the treasure was nowhere visible.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When at length the ground had been entirely turned up, every inch
+examined, and he could dig no lower down, Ebbe fell into the deepest
+despair; his last hope had vanished, and with it all the strength and
+energy which hope alone had sustained. He was found one day sitting on
+the outside of the door of his hut, gazing on vacancy straight before
+him, lost in a reverie from which nothing seemed to have the power of
+rousing him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At this very time a report was spread in the neighbourhood that
+Jörgen and his father-in-law had found <i>the shipwrecked mariner's
+treasure</i>--for this appeared the easiest mode of accounting for the
+increasing prosperity of the heretofore young fisherman. Ebbe heard
+this rumour; he believed it, and this belief added greatly to the
+bitterness of his disappointment, and was as poison to his mind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Three years afterwards, a wan, wasted, spectral-looking figure might be
+seen wandering about in the vicinity of Hjerting; it was the
+unfortunate Ebbe, who had become deranged. The harmless lunatic was
+received into the poor-house at Hjerting, but spent most of his days in
+a remote and secluded valley, away among the sand hills. There he might
+be heard singing and talking to himself, whilst he occupied himself
+diligently in digging deep holes in the sand. One winter evening he did
+not return, as usual, to the poor-house. The next morning he was found,
+frozen to death, in a grave--it might be called--which he had dug in
+the sand the day before.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="div1_damon" href="#div1Ref_damon">DAMON AND PYTHIAS.</a></h2>
+
+<h3>FROM THE DANISH OF CARL BERNHARD.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">In the so-called good old times, when grown-up people could
+sometimes
+be childish--now-a-days even children themselves are above such
+infirmities--in these good old times one often heard a ballad, a
+favourite song, which was as common as the lively popular airs that are
+now repeated nightly at the casinos; but these old songs were by no
+means lively, for lively music was not then in vogue; the songs were
+almost all sentimental. There was one ditty about 'Friendship, Hope,
+and Love,' in which Love was depicted as 'light red,' and of which I
+can now remember but two lines. It was very generally sung:</p>
+<div class="poem2">
+<p class="t4" style="text-indent:-3px">
+'Friendship rarely doth abound.<br>
+Tell me where it can be found!'</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="continue">Yes, where can it be found? All mankind seek for it; everyone wishes to
+have a friend. Most people believe, for a time, that they have found
+one; but when the friendship comes to be tested, it disappears, and
+they discover their mistake. Why does it disappear? Who knows why? But
+that it does most frequently disappear is quite certain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Formerly, even in the grey olden times, long before anybody thought
+about friendship being violated, they must have had hard work enough to
+find the genuine article, else there would not surely have been such a
+fuss made about the three classical pairs of friends whose names we
+have all learned by heart--Damon and Pythias, Orestes and Pylades,
+Euryalus and Nisus--all of whom were never distinguished for anything,
+as far as I have been able to discover, except that they lived as
+friends, and ultimately died as friends.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It is surprising enough that, whilst everyone understands the words <i>a
+friend</i> in a good sense, there should be some little hesitation about
+the exact meaning of <i>a good friend</i>, and that the more eulogizing and
+confirmatory adjectives are added to it, the less respect it should
+inspire, until <i>a real good old friend</i> has become almost synonymous
+with a stupid old blockhead, or a cunning old rogue. If one were only
+to hear the following disjointed words of a conversation, 'Oh, yes, he
+is a good friend enough,' nine out of ten would indubitably fancy that
+the speakers were alluding to some matter in which one party had been
+taken in, and would think that what had happened manifested the
+credulity of that saying, in which all the ten firmly believe, 'Save me
+from my friends, and I will save myself from my enemies!' Undeniably,
+there is some truth in this sentence, and however little there may be,
+it is sad that one must admit there is any at all.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One of my--but I may be misconstrued myself if I say one of my good
+friends; I shall therefore, for the present, confine myself to calling
+him a worthy acquaintance of mine--had, from his earliest childhood,
+been an enthusiastic worshipper of friendship. Nothing more natural,
+for friendship is so inherent a feeling in the breast of every human
+being, of either sex, that it is a desire of the soul, which it strives
+to realize even before it thinks of love. His predilection for
+friendship was, it may be said, born with him, as people may be born
+with a propensity for stealing or drunkenness; and when he was not more
+than four years of age, and his grown-up relatives would have it that
+his little cousin should be his 'little wife'--for big people are
+always too ready to begin putting nonsense into the heads of children,
+he used to get angry, and declare that she should not be his wife, but
+his friend.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And when he had grown older, and had commenced his classical studies,
+he raved about being a Damon to some Pythias. He was an excellent lad,
+cheerful, good-natured, good-looking, and by no means deficient in
+talent; in short, he was in all respects a steady schoolboy, but
+perhaps he carried a little too far his ideas about friendship. He had
+not, however, then attached himself to any one individual among his
+companions; he was on good terms with them all, while he thirsted after
+one, only one true friend, as a celebrated author is known to have
+wished but one reader, but that one to be capable of understanding him
+thoroughly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I withhold his name, for he is now in so conspicuous a station that
+many of my readers must know him, and it would, perhaps, annoy him to
+see his name in print, for he is one of those folks who have an
+old-fashioned dislike to what they call 'appearing in print;' that is
+to say, being named publicly. I shall designate him by one of his first
+names, which he used in his boyish years--<i>viz</i>. Mikkel; it is an ugly
+name, but he is not to blame for that, since his opinion about it was
+not asked. When he was christened, his parents had called him after a
+rich old uncle, who, the good people thought, might, on that account,
+at a future day, leave him a large legacy. It is a bad custom to make
+innocent children suffer for their parents' bad taste in choosing
+names, and to inflict on them ill-sounding family names, either because
+these had been chosen by a generation who had queer notions, or from
+selfishness and from speculation, as in the case in question. Mikkel
+was grown up, and had undergone much jeering on account of his
+frightful name, but his uncle did not leave him a stiver! It was a
+shameful trick--a positive fraud, the parents naturally thought. No one
+can blame Mikkel because he would no longer put up with the
+disagreeable appellation, especially as it had come to his ears that a
+young girl had given her suitor a basket solely on account of his name.
+She said, 'he had such a shockingly ugly name, that she never could
+bring herself to say, my sweet Morten. Dear no! the sound made her
+shudder, and one really must be able to say <i>sweet</i> to one's lover.'
+Morten and Mikkel are much on a par. He renounced, therefore, the
+name of the ungrateful uncle, and selected for the future one of the
+high-sounding names which had also been bestowed on him at his baptism,
+like that shoemaker's son who was christened Jens Napoleon Petersen.
+Nevertheless, I should prefer to call him Damon, that savouring more of
+the anonymous, and this I will do with the permission of my kind
+readers. When he and I went to school together, we got on very well,
+and were on good terms; but no sworn and patented friendship took place
+between us. It happened one day, as we were walking together outside of
+one of the gates of the town, on a Friday, and he was lost in his
+Damon-Pythias dreams, which went in at one of my ears and out at the
+other, we met a school companion, who was crying as he came out of a
+house. The good-hearted Damon stopped him, and asked what was the cause
+of his distress, and we were informed that our comrade had been
+visiting <i>a good friend</i>. Damon could not see that there was any cause
+for howling about this; he would have been glad enough to have been in
+his place. Yes, but our unlucky school companion had received a sound
+drubbing from his good friend, and from some of the latter's good
+friends, because he would not be always their horse, and drag them in
+the little carriage; he wished to take his turn to go inside of it, at
+least for once, but they abused him like a pickpocket, and beat him;
+this was always the way he was served, and it was a great shame, for he
+had liked his friend so much; but now he would have nothing more to do
+with him. And when he had told him that he was going to break with him,
+the fellow had thumped him well, and turned him out of doors, and it
+was almost dinner-time, and now he had no friend--and he would get no
+dinner!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The soft-hearted Damon offered him forthwith his friendship and a
+dinner; the boy went home with him to his parents' house, where he
+dined, and immediately afterwards staunch brotherhood was sworn, and
+the empty place in Damon's heart was filled up! Fate had granted his
+wish, and he had providentially found a friend!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Mikkel was a happy boy; he had now truly become Damon, and the other
+was Pythias. It was a strong friendship, whose not few thorns seemed to
+Damon like so many roses. He had to thrash his companion's former
+friend, and fight all that friend's chums, in order to revenge his
+Pythias, and prove their misconduct to him; and he got many a bruise,
+and many a torn jacket in these battles, which merged into a long,
+lasting war--a war he had to sustain alone, for Pythias stood aloof. He
+had to write all his friend's exercises, and prompt him every day in
+his lessons, which Pythias, trusting to Damon's friendship, had
+neglected to learn, and this cost the latter many a scold from the
+master, who had observed it. But if ever he happened to require the
+least help himself, he got none, for Pythias was incapable of giving
+it. Damon not only shared all the nice things he had with his friend,
+but he often gave him the largest portion, and, indeed, sometimes the
+whole; but he never got anything in return. Pythias took care to eat
+all his good things by himself; but Damon never dreamed of finding
+fault with this; he was pleased and proud of being able to make various
+useful presents to his friend, and loved him the better for it. Thus
+passed the whole of his school-days; and in consequence of this sworn
+friendship the two were called by all the boys Damon and Pythias.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They were at length to separate, and each to go his own way. 'I am
+sorry I am obliged to part with you, I shall miss you very much,' said
+Pythias, when the farewell moment came.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I don't know how I shall exist without you,' said Damon. 'I am truly
+wretched!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">They agreed to write to each other often. Damon did write letter after
+letter, but never received an answer; that grieved him extremely. He
+was taken ill about six months afterwards, but I will not say that it
+was disappointed friendship that made him ill; he had caught an
+epidemic which was raging then, and had a long illness. Though Pythias
+knew this, he had never once inquired for his school friend. As soon as
+he could hold a pen, Damon wrote to him over and over again--no reply!
+Then he buried his friendship in his silent, faithful breast, until at
+last it died, long after it had been buried.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His student-days arrived, and found him full of the enthusiasm of
+youth. Damon longed for all that was beautiful and noble, but
+especially for friendship. Love had not yet touched him. I believe that
+he looked upon it as a sickly, unmanly feeling, which could not be
+indulged in without relinquishing the energy and the strength of mind
+that ought to characterize a man! Poor Damon! I verily believe such was
+his opinion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Well, Damon found at length his Pythias; but not the old Pythias, for
+whom he had toiled and fought, and who had repaid him with such
+ingratitude. No; a bran new Pythias had he stumbled upon, one who, like
+himself, was 'a master in the kingdom of mind;' one who like himself,
+was devoted to the true and the beautiful; one who, he thought, could
+sympathize with him in everything, and to whom he attached himself with
+the strongest ties of friendship--a really good friend.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And this friendship lasted for some years--during the whole time they
+were at the university--and they were nicknamed Damon and Pythias, to
+the great satisfaction of one of the friends at least. Damon was
+certainly a kind and trustworthy friend. He wrote with untiring
+patience all the tedious college manuscripts; Pythias used them almost
+always, and, moreover, lent them to strangers, so that Damon never
+could get them when he wanted them himself. Damon bought all the books
+they both required, for Pythias needed his own money for other
+purposes; and when Pythias wanted them no longer he sold them. Damon
+remained at home from balls, that Pythias might borrow his dress-coat,
+as he did not think his own good enough; and Damon rejoiced that he had
+a good coat which fitted Pythias so well. Not a week passed that
+Pythias did not borrow money from Damon, of which he never made any
+memorandum. Pythias was fond of going to the theatre, and he always
+went to the boxes. One day, when Damon suggested that it would be
+better for him to go to the pit with him, for the money which one box
+ticket cost would pay two pit tickets, and they might go there and
+amuse themselves together, as he really could not afford the more
+expensive places, Pythias replied that he by no means wished his friend
+to spend his money in going to the theatre on his account, that he only
+wanted <i>to borrow</i> the money for his own ticket, as he was out of cash
+at the moment, but he could not think of going to such a place as the
+pit. And the good-natured Damon gave him the last shilling he had, and
+remained at home, rejoicing that his dear friend was amusing himself in
+the boxes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length they were both to graduate, and Pythias held his ground only
+because Damon had been an unwearied grinder for him, and had devoted
+himself, early and late, to cramming him in order to pull him through.
+His success delighted Damon much more than his own.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was some talk of a foreign tour--and they were both candidates
+for the stipend accorded for that purpose--what a pleasure if they
+could travel together! But this year there was only <i>one</i> stipend to be
+given away; Damon was sure of getting it, having been the cleverest
+student. Pythias adjured him, of course in the name of friendship, to
+resign his claim, because, for many important reasons, it was necessary
+for him--Pythias--to get away for a time; in fact, he could hold out no
+longer, while Damon had many other resources. Damon pondered on the
+subject, but could not find out what these resources were;
+nevertheless, he withdrew his petition, and left the field open to
+Pythias, but he endeavoured in vain, also in friendship's name, to
+induce him to confide to him the important reasons which had influenced
+his dear Pythias to demand the sacrifice he had made for him. He was
+enlightened as to the truth, however, afterwards. When Pythias had
+obtained the stipend, and was off, it came out that he had been, for a
+long time, in the habit of gambling, and that he had lost a great deal
+at play. The debts he had left he transferred to his friend in an
+affected, high-flown, bombastic epistle to his 'dear, faithful Damon,'
+and in order that the latter, to whom he bade farewell for ever, might
+still more highly honour friendship, he had drawn without asking leave
+a few little bills of exchange in his name, wherein his writing was so
+cleverly imitated, that Damon himself had the utmost difficulty in
+distinguishing it from his own!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To one who had for so many years put entire confidence in the
+reciprocity of the ardent and sincere friendship he himself had felt,
+it was a severe blow to meet such scandalous treachery. Damon took
+measures to have the bills of exchange paid, and, with a bleeding
+heart, he buried Pythias the Second!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Damon now forswore friendship, and withdrew himself from society; it
+was easy to do this, for his circle had been principally composed of
+Pythias's acquaintances, and he did not much relish seeing them now--he
+did not like to hear them pulling Pythias to pieces, and recounting the
+many dirty tricks he had played them, to whom he had also pretended to
+have been a good friend. Damon commenced his professional career, and
+found comfort in his occupations; but his heart was lonely.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One evening he read in the work of a celebrated philosopher the
+following sentence:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The dog is man's best friend--it alone is faithful.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">These words made a deep impression on him. Within eight days he had
+purchased a dog, a large handsome Newfoundlander, of a good breed. It
+was then only in its puppy years, and had to be brought up to obedience
+and cleanliness; this cost him the trouble of bestowing sundry good
+thrashings on the animal, but Damon knew that he who loves the child
+spares not the rod, and he loved his dog as if it had been his child,
+until it should be educated to become his friend. Hector would receive
+his caning, steal up to his master's feet, lick his hand, sigh deeply,
+and at the slightest glance of encouragement would spring up joyfully
+and wag his tail. When Damon looked up from his employment, he always
+encountered Hector's friendly gaze. When he took his hat and stick, the
+dog would start up from his place near the stove, if he were even in
+the soundest sleep, to follow him through thick and thin, by day or by
+night. Truly, the philosopher was right; the dog is man's faithful
+friend, and Hector was not troublesome, and he obeyed no other being in
+this world but his master--they were friends.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This friendship lasted for a couple of years, and it filled up in a
+certain degree the vacancy in Damon's heart, and cheered his lonely
+hours.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But gradually this friendship took the same turn as love often
+does--the one loves, and the other allows himself or herself to be
+loved. The parts they played changed gradually; Damon assumed the dog's
+part, and became humble, obedient, and faithful, whilst Hector took the
+master's part, and turned capricious, tyrannical, and ungrateful. The
+four-footed creature had become almost like a man, from being the
+constant companion of his two-legged friend. Damon put up with all
+this, and the dog imposed upon him in his canine fashion, exactly as
+the schoolboy and the student had imposed on him formerly in their
+human fashion.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Damon had had many disagreeables to encounter latterly. One day he came
+home very much fretted, with his head full of some tiresome business
+papers, which absolutely required his immediate attention. He patted
+his favourite, spoke to him as to a friend who could understand him,
+complained to Hector of the provoking chief of the department who had
+annoyed him, and Hector fixed on him a thoughtful look; it was as if
+the dog comprehended how hard it is to be annoyed. This did his heart
+good; he recovered his spirits, and began to work away vigorously at
+the papers he had brought home with him. But Hector got angry at
+finding himself neglected, and also he wanted to go out to walk. 'No,
+my friend, it is impossible--don't disturb me--down, down--there is
+no time for walking just now!' The dog became importunate, and was
+patted, and dismissed; he then became obstinate, and laid his clumsy
+paw upon the table, so that the inkstand was upset over the numerous
+half-finished papers. For that he got a slap; he became enraged, and
+tried to drag his master off of his chair; Damon kicked him away,
+expecting that he would then be quiet, but it made him worse, and he
+rushed upon him. Damon also got angry; he seized the ruler, and struck
+Hector with it, who, however, dragged the chair from under him with his
+teeth and paws. The one swore, the other growled; it was, certes,
+anything but friendship that was displayed in this scene, which
+collected all the inhabitants of the house on the outside of Damon's
+door, in terror at this unusual dog-fight.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I arrived at that moment, having come to speak to Damon on some
+business. It was an awful plight in which I found him: excited, bitten,
+and with his clothes torn; whilst the dog stood snarling over the
+broken chair, with a brutal, triumphant look, flashing eyes, and teeth
+set. It was evident that he knew he was the master there, and he looked
+with anything but a friendly expression at the subdued Damon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And this illusion has fled also!' he said to me, when we had taken
+up the overturned chair, and gathered together the scattered and
+ink-stained papers.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'And thou also, Brutus!' he exclaimed with a comical degree of gravity,
+and a melancholy glance at the sullen-looking dog.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The bestia bruta!' said I. 'This comes of choosing four-footed
+friends.' And I seized, the opportunity of bestowing upon him a lecture
+about his animal mania, which had made him quite an oddity, and had
+withdrawn him from the society of rational beings. Shame, suffering,
+and anger brought him over to my way of thinking; he made a threatening
+gesture towards Hector, who instantly rose up and showed his teeth; he
+was evidently ready to renew the battle at any moment. It was really
+too absurd.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After a great deal of persuasion, I prevailed on Damon to go home with
+me, and conclude that uncomfortable evening among my family circle.
+Before we left his lodgings, I privately requested the landlord to have
+Hector removed to an inn, where he could be tied up till the next day,
+when I should come to say what was to be done with him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The evening passed off tolerably well; it succeeded in dissipating his
+chagrin. I accompanied him home towards midnight, and before I left him
+I had obtained his permission to send Hector into the country, to a
+relation of mine, where he would be well treated and be useful as a
+chained dog, for Damon himself perceived that he could not be made a
+friend of, and that he was too ill-tempered and dangerous to be allowed
+to go about loose. And thus was Pythias the Third, the four-footed,
+deposed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was very strange that though he wanted sadly to have his Pythias's
+place refilled, he never made the slightest overture to me to occupy
+it. Nevertheless, we were very intimate. He often visited me, and found
+pleasure in the society of my family, and more especially in that of a
+young girl, who was a frequent guest at my house, and who was both
+pretty and good, though, perhaps, being a country girl, she wanted a
+little of that finer polish which can only be acquired in the capital.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I have no doubt it was her being so open, straightforward,
+unsophisticated, and natural, that charmed him with her; oddly enough,
+love was never mentioned by either of them; they always spoke of
+friendship alone, up to the very day of their betrothal. And, indeed,
+after they were betrothed there was no change in their manners to each
+other. I never saw him show her any of the usual little attentions, or
+bestow on her any of the little endearments so common during this
+period; he always spoke to her as if she had been a male friend; it
+seemed as if he could not perceive that she belonged to womankind.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">This engagement delighted us all, especially my sensible wife, who
+augured a peaceful future for them, a life devoid of passion's storms,
+calm and even, and rendered comfortable by a competence sufficient for
+all their wants, though it could not be called a fortune, according to
+the common acceptation of the word.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The damsel's parents gladly gave their consent, and as Damon very
+justly considered a long engagement a wearisome affair, before six
+months had passed they were man and wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young girl was certainly a sweet pretty bride, and I really cannot
+imagine how Damon could be satisfied with calling her 'my friend,' as
+he led her from the altar; and I was still more surprised next day to
+find that she had already begun to look after her household matters.
+There was nothing to be found fault with in this, to be sure, and
+neither of them seemed to think this out of the usual way. The young
+couple appeared to be quite happy, and it was to be supposed that
+Damon's heart had at last found its haven of rest. He had his young
+wife, all went as she wished, and his house was, therefore, a pleasant
+one; it was evident that it was under the care of a good and kind
+spirit.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I have observed that there is one thing which is a stumbling-block in
+almost all young <i>ménages</i>--that is, the continued intimacy, after
+marriage, of the husband's young men friends. Most young wives seem to
+think that they must keep a watchful eye upon these friends, and
+quietly strive to put an end to their baneful influence over the
+husband! for they suppose that these former companions will withdraw
+his thoughts from the sanctity of domestic life and lead him into
+naughty ways. These suspicions seem to be deeply rooted in the minds of
+newly-married women. I sincerely believe they are suggested by young
+wives, who ought to know better by experience, and might have perceived
+that their husbands' earlier associates would, in general, be glad to
+be received as members of the family circle. The wives imagine that
+their dominion is insecure so long as these suspicious persons are on
+board; they think that when such is the case the ship of matrimony may
+be at any moment upset, or stranded on unknown shores, that they must
+steer with a skilful hand, and that they cannot be safe until they have
+had the husbands' early friends cast overboard. I can assert this from
+experience, for I have myself been cast overboard more than once on
+account of such groundless suspicions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But a house can hardly be without visitors, and what is more natural
+than that these should consist of the young wife's friends and
+connections? She believes she can depend upon them; she is accustomed
+to them; she likes to display to them her notable housekeeping; it is
+so very natural, and therefore one generally sees the husband's friends
+and relations by degrees supplanted by those of the wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Damon's wife, however, was not obliged to man&#339;uvre at all to get rid
+of his especial friends, for, with the exception of myself, who had my
+own house, and was already a sedate and discreet person, he never
+invited a single old associate. It was not necessary for her to throw
+anyone overboard to make room for her friends and relations; these were
+self-elected intimates at Mikkel's house, and all went on well there.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">There was one of her cousins in particular to whom Damon soon attached
+himself. He was a young man who had exactly the qualities which were
+wanting in Damon. He was, among other things, witty, lively, amusing;
+he was at all times ready for anything, and knew how to make the best
+of everything. Damon soon found that he could not do without him, and
+he became a daily guest at his house, which there was nothing in the
+way of business to prevent his being, as he lived in a state of <i>il
+dolce far niente</i>, waiting until some good appointment might offer
+itself, which might suit a person of his talents and pretensions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before the expiration of a year, I observed that by degrees a change
+had taken place in their relative positions. Damon had by this time
+nearly undermined his own happiness. His old Pythias folly had awoke
+again in him, almost without his being conscious of it. His interest in
+his young wife was actually cast into the shade by his friendship for
+her cousin, who had become Pythias the Fourth. She discovered at length
+that she was quite set aside, and was jealous of this neglect; at the
+same time she grew more and more intimate with her cousin, whose lively
+conversation pleased her. That he had fallen in love with his young
+cousin I will not assert, but he paid her at times such marked
+attention, that I often thought this was the only reasonable inference
+to be drawn from his conduct; at other times there was so much levity
+and carelessness in his manners, so much flightiness in his way of
+talking, that I felt myself compelled to discard the supposition.
+Certain it is, however, that he was always hovering around her; that
+her reputation might run the risk of being injured by his demeanour
+towards her, and that dangerous consequences really might arise from
+their being so much together in the intimacy of daily life, yet--who
+was to blame except Damon?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">With his accustomed blindness, the husband could not see anything of
+this; he made quite sure that it was entirely for <i>his</i> sake that the
+young man played chess, talked politics, smoked tobacco, and went out
+to walk or to fish whenever Damon wished to go. In order that they
+might manage to be still more together, he had prevailed upon the
+cousin to come out and stay with him at a country-house he had hired at
+a few miles from town, where they had plenty of room. This invitation
+was given much against the wishes of his wife, who had tried to prevent
+it, but she had consented to it when she found that Damon had set his
+heart on it. He said, jestingly, that he could not do without some male
+society, and a trio would be pleasant in their pastoral life. In this
+trio he himself voluntarily assigned the second part to the cousin,
+while he took the third to himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Damon, however, was a little changed; he felt no longer inclined to be
+<i>quite</i> so subservient in his friendship as he had formerly been with
+his two-and his four-footed friends. By degrees, a desire had crept
+into his mind to take his revenge, and for once become himself the
+domineering party. He began to be somewhat importunate in his claims on
+the time and companionship of the cousin, who, on his side, showed
+decided symptoms of wishing to emancipate himself, especially from the
+tiresome and frequent fishing expeditions to the neighbouring lake; but
+fishing was perhaps Damon's greatest pleasure, especially when he had
+the company of a good friend. Damon was annoyed that the cousin had
+several times latterly excused himself from accompanying him, and, not
+caring to go alone, he had been obliged to relinquish his favourite
+amusement. One day--it was too bad--on a beautiful evening in the very
+height of summer, he refused to go fishing, when there could be no
+earthly reason for his doing so--none that Damon could discover, except
+that he preferred to parade up and down the alley of linden-trees at
+the other end of the garden with his wife--while he himself sat at the
+top of the stone stairs, and fretted until he was quite out of humour.
+He could see that they spoke eagerly to each other, and laughed, and
+amused themselves, while he was wearying himself; and neither of them
+seemed to be thinking of him or his <i>ennui</i>. What were they going to do
+now? So! They were actually setting off to walk in the very direction
+of the lake, where he would so gladly have gone to fish; but <i>then</i>, it
+was too far to go, forsooth!--now, they could go notwithstanding the
+distance. It was almost like defying him; that was probably the
+cousin's intention.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">A disagreeable light seemed to dawn on his mind. And when this
+operation first begins to take place, a man is apt to fancy more than
+he has valid grounds for supposing. And this was the case with Damon.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In an exceedingly unpleasant state of mind, he returned to the usual
+sitting-room in search of some employment to make time pass less
+heavily. The comfortable room spoke volumes to his excited mind, with
+its quiet and peace. It was arranged by his wife's taste, everything
+bore witness in her favour. There stood her work-table, there lay her
+work, the half-finished embroidery which she was preparing for his
+birthday, and at which he therefore avoided looking. Upon a table close
+by hers lay the cousin's portfolios and drawing materials. There was no
+necessity for the tables being so near each other, and he pushed the
+table with the drawings a little way from the work-table. The young man
+certainly had talent--there were comical sketches and little
+landscapes, thrown off as illustrations of poems, not without genius;
+he thought he would just look into the portfolios, when, in opening one
+of them, a sheet of paper, with pencil drawings, slipped out of it.
+What were these? He must see. They were a whole row of caricatures,
+in doing which the cousin excelled. There was a man with his nightcap
+on, evidently asleep and snoring; a man with a pipe in his mouth,
+half-asleep over a fishing-rod; a man half-asleep over a chessboard; a
+man half-asleep over a Berlin newspaper; and lastly, a man half asleep
+over his tobacco-pipe, while his pretty young wife seemed dreaming over
+the work she had in her hand. Of what was <i>she</i> dreaming while <i>he</i>
+was
+dozing? This question forced itself upon him. The sleepy-headed man was
+no other than himself, caricatured in the most laughable manner; the
+young wife might have been taken from nature: it was a charming
+likeness. Damon sat as if he had fallen from the skies, with the sheet
+of paper in his hand; he could scarcely conceive the ingratitude which
+had suggested these sketches, or the barefaced impudence of leaving
+them in an open portfolio, in his own daily sitting-room, where anyone
+might see them--not only himself and his wife, but his guests and his
+servants also.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Fate brought me to him for a second time at a critical moment. I came
+accidentally to pay him a visit, and found him somewhat in the same
+state as on the evening Hector had been doing battle with him. I
+entered into his angry feelings, but nevertheless could hardly refrain
+from bursting into a fit of laughter at the exceedingly impertinent,
+but very droll drawings. We had a serious conversation on the position
+in which he was placed; with great difficulty I brought him, at length,
+to perceive that much of the blame rested with himself, and that his
+young wife had nothing to reproach herself with. I combated his
+assertion that she must have been cognizant of the existence of these
+caricatures, and must have sat for the likeness of herself; and I even
+went so far as to promise to prove to him her ignorance of the
+drawings, though I did not know how that was to be effected without
+occasioning a <i>scene</i>--and I had the greatest horror of scenes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We had a long conversation, we two, for the wife and the cousin
+remained a good while absent--longer than I thought was exactly right,
+especially as it was getting late; but Damon did not seem to think
+about it; he was engaged in speculating on the theme I had suggested
+for his consideration--namely, that a husband who never makes the
+slightest effort to find amusement for his young wife, but, without the
+least compunction, leaves her to solitude or weariness, has himself to
+blame if another succeeds in interesting and amusing her. It is this
+unfortunate transition from the devoted assiduity of the days of
+courtship, to the sleepy security of married life, that so often
+undermines love, and renders the heart empty; and nature has decreed
+that a woman's heart can never remain long perfectly vacant.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At last the truants returned. It was evident that the lady, at least,
+felt it was not quite right to have stayed out till so long after the
+usual hour for tea; she bustled about to get the tea ready, and was
+very attentive in helping us to it. Damon maintained a grave silence,
+and I felt somewhat embarrassed; the cousin alone seemed quite at his
+ease, and not at all <i>gêné</i>; I could not make out whether this was
+nature or art. Perhaps it was politic to appear as if he had no idea
+that there could be any cause for animadversion on account of their
+unusually long walk. My confidence in her began to waver a little,
+whilst my anger at him increased.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">After tea the conversation fell, by mere accident, on portrait
+painting. It was the lady who brought the subject forward, by speaking
+of a picture of a female which she had observed in passing, hanging
+like a sign, over the open door of a garden. Nothing could have been
+more <i>à propos</i>. I hastened to ask the young wife if she had ever had
+her likeness taken. No, she never had, and she never intended to have
+it taken, for she could not bear the idea that anyone should sit down
+and stare at her. The cousin declared this was a silly objection, and
+appealed to me if he were not right.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Oh! that is because he wants to make a sketch of me himself,' she
+said, in rather a hurried manner; 'he has often begged me to permit it,
+but I won't do so.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The cousin remarked that there was no question of permission, only of
+complaisance; if he chose to make a portrait of her, he could do it
+without asking her leave; he could take her likeness without her
+knowing anything about it; he could do it from memory. His cousin
+laughed at these assertions, and laughed so naturally, that I felt
+quite convinced I was right about her. Damon, on the contrary, looked
+more and more distressed as this conversation proceeded; it was quite
+apparent to me that he was miserable, and in a painful state of doubt,
+and I had promised him a proof of his wife's innocence. Without
+uttering a word, I laid hold of a corner of the paper on which were the
+treacherous drawings, drew it out of the portfolio, and handed it to
+her. I admit that this was very hard on the cousin, but why should I
+spare the young jackanapes, from whom no mercy for others was to be
+expected, as his caricatures showed plainly enough?</p>
+
+<p class="normal">She evidently did not know what I meant by showing the drawings to her,
+or what she was to do with them. On the first glance at the paper, she
+seemed about to burst into a fit of laughter, and no one who had seen
+these capital caricatures of Damon could have blamed the child of
+nature for doing so. But on the second look, her eye had had time to
+run over the whole sheet, and she had beheld her own likeness; the
+contrast was too glaring, and there now did not linger the slightest
+trace of a smile on her countenance. She blushed crimson, threw the
+sketches far away from her, as if they had burned her hand, which for a
+short time she placed over her eyes, as one does when suddenly coming
+to the brink of a precipice. And her womanly tact had assuredly told
+her that such had been her position. It was a moment for a painter of
+scenes from domestic life to have taken a sketch. In the background
+were the open doors leading from the pretty sitting-room to the garden,
+whose trees seemed drawn on the clear evening skies in their full
+beauty. On the sofa sat a man, apparently very unhappy, with his cheek
+resting on his hand, and a look expressive of the deepest anxiety fixed
+upon a young woman, whose guiltless countenance rivalled the glow of
+the evening sky; whose whole bearing evinced mingled anger and
+humility, innocence and embarrassment, while her eyes were riveted
+on the paper she had cast from her, which had revealed to her one
+of the dark shades of life. At a little distance from her stood a
+grave-looking man, whose face expressed perfect confidence in, and
+esteem for, the young wife; he stood as if he wished to inspire her
+with courage to follow the dictates of her own heart. And nearest the
+door leading to the entrance-hall sat a young gentleman, whose assured,
+careless deportment formed a strong contrast to his perplexed and
+irresolute glances; no one could have doubted that he was the cause of
+the dismal mood which had seized upon all the rest of the party, and
+that he was aware of this himself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But it was only for a few short moments that the young wife stood as
+described. Presently she looked up fearlessly, although tears were
+streaming down her cheeks; without vouchsafing a single glance to the
+young gentleman, she swept past him, threw her arms round her husband's
+neck, and sank, weeping, by his side on the sofa. And this charming,
+natural act found a response in his heart; he flung his arm round her
+waist, and pressed her to his breast. It was a dumb and yet an eloquent
+scene!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The friend and the cousin were now <i>de trop</i>. I made a sign to him, and
+he left the room with me, without the others appearing to notice our
+departure.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">It was rather an embarrassing situation in which we two found ourselves
+placed as we walked along the high road together. But as I have always
+considered that 'honesty is the best policy,' I did not, on this
+occasion, depart from my general rule. I began by telling him frankly
+that the ingratitude which he had displayed towards my friend, who
+was also his friend, and his cousin's husband, by caricaturing him so
+ill-naturedly, and his hardihood in leaving the drawings in an open
+portfolio in a sitting-room common to all the family, as if he wished
+them to be seen by at least <i>one</i> member of it, had convinced me that
+his remaining in that house would be productive of unhappiness to his
+host, and would be disagreeable to all parties. It was Damon himself
+who by accident had found the caricatures. It was impossible, of
+course, that he could pass them over in silence, and their discovery
+might have caused an extremely unpleasant scene. I had sought to avoid
+this, as I knew that no explanation or apology could have been
+accepted; in fact, none satisfactorily could have been offered. I
+pointed out to the young man that it was not likely his intercourse
+with the family could be renewed; that it would be necessary for him to
+determine what he was to do with himself for the future, as he could no
+longer reckon on their kindness.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Soft and fair goes far,' says the proverb, and its truth was shown
+here. My words were taken in good part; the cousin and I continued to
+walk back and forwards on the high road half the night. He accompanied
+me at length to town, and then there was nothing for it--if he were to
+have a roof over his head at all--but to give him a bed at my house. We
+laid our heads together to think of what could be done to procure a
+situation for him, which might give him some profitable employment for
+the present, and some prospect of advantage for the future; and at last
+we both agreed that he had better look after an appointment in one of
+the provincial towns, which had just become vacant, and in the disposal
+of which I had some influence. Security, however, to a certain small
+extent, would be required, but I would help him to obtain this. I was
+quite certain, I said, that if I asked Damon, he would be his security,
+for he had a most amiable and forgiving temper. I wished Damon to have
+this satisfaction, and the cousin this humiliation; <i>that</i> should be
+his only punishment. I am now inclined to believe, however, that he
+found the punishment tolerably light, and bore it with great
+equanimity, notwithstanding that he vapoured a great deal about
+obligation, mortification, contrition, &amp;c. &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">To cut a long story short, the plan we had hit upon that night was
+carried out. The cousin went to the country town and obtained the
+situation, Damon became his security, and was not sorry to have this
+little revenge upon him. And his young wife, who, through my
+indiscretion, found out afterwards what Damon had done, was quite
+overcome by her husband's generosity, and thought more of him than
+ever. A man is never sorry that his wife should entertain the belief
+that he is generous and noble-minded; that raises him much more in her
+estimation than if he gave her occasion for the vain satisfaction of
+admiring his wit. That, certainly, Damon's wife had no opportunity of
+doing, for he possessed neither wit nor genius, but he was a good,
+kind-hearted person. Their married life, which had been so nearly
+rendered unhappy, after the cloud above referred to had cleared off,
+glided on in a calm and even tenour, and nothing occurred to disturb
+their serenity.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But man is his own worst enemy, an old philosopher has said, and not
+without truth. Before twelve months had expired Damon's old whim had
+revived: he longed again for a friend, and began to lament that he had
+no one to whom he might speak on many subjects on which he could not
+converse with his wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'To speak the honest truth,' he said to me one day, 'I miss my wife's
+cousin exceedingly. He was a pleasant, sociable young man as could be,
+and I really do believe that we did him injustice--at least as far as
+my wife was concerned--and that she never would have troubled herself
+about him if he had remained in our house till doomsday. I really do
+miss him often.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I opened my eyes in amazement at hearing this speech. But he was in
+earnest. Notwithstanding his domestic comforts, and all his previous
+unfortunate' experience, he longed for--his phantom, his patented
+friend, his Pythias the Fifth! The old fixed idea was again in the
+ascendant! His folly almost made me ill, but it also made me very
+angry, and this time I did not let him off easily. I remonstrated with
+him on the injustice with which he had during his whole life treated
+me, who had always been his true friend, a fact which no one could
+deny, though he had scarcely considered me as such, while he had run up
+friendship after friendship with a set of worthless creatures. His
+Pythias-fancy was a positive frenzy with him, approaching to insanity.
+But he had never had the least idea of what friendship <i>really was</i>.
+And as he was ignorant of it, I would tell him that friendship is the
+reward of affection, and it is not to be found in the street, like
+acquaintances, the mere result of chance. But what had he gained by his
+various friendships? Had they not been for a long time a wretched
+slavery, and in the last instance an equally wretched attempt at
+governing? The absurdity had merged at length into a perfect monomania,
+which deserved no mercy, for it had nearly made his poor wife
+thoroughly unhappy. If he could not give up the indulgence of this
+caprice, I advised him to engage a Pythias by the month for certain
+stipulated wages; some poor devil whom he could order to go with him to
+fish, or sit down to a chessboard whenever he pleased, for he required
+no other companion. Such an arrangement would be very convenient,
+because he could dismiss the hired Pythias when he pleased without
+further ado. As to myself, I said, I should continue to visit at his
+house only on his wife's account, for, as she was to be so neglected by
+him, she might require in her isolation the occasional society of a
+sincere friend. I should not come any longer for his sake, as he had
+shown me plainly enough how little he cared, or had ever cared, for me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Damon was quite dumbfounded at the warmth with which I spoke, and at
+the unvarnished truths with which I overwhelmed him; his conscience
+must have told him that my accusations were not without foundation. He
+gave in, and concord was restored between us upon the condition that,
+for the future, he should renounce all search after his Pythias
+puppets. It was further resolved that the pacification should be 'firm
+and lasting,' as it is called in all treaties of peace.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I had been two or three months travelling abroad, when I received a
+letter from Damon, giving me to understand that an event was expected
+in his house which was looked forward to with much pleasure. I was
+delighted to hear it, hoping that it would add so much to the happiness
+of my friends in the future. At length, to my joy, came another letter,
+announcing the birth of a son, his exact image, and he was so expansive
+in his descriptions of the little stranger, whom he seemed to look upon
+as a prodigy, that he scarcely left himself room to mention his wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As soon as I returned home, I went to see him, and found him, like a
+fond papa, in the nursery' where he was pacing up and down, holding a
+monologue about the boy's education and future prospects. The young
+mother was sitting on the sofa with that languid, touching expression
+of heartfelt joy, which is so becoming to young mothers, and with a
+dreamy look, as if she, too, were beholding in her mind's eye the
+future for her child, and in thought were bestowing on him the cherub
+form more meet for an angel than a child of mortality. I congratulated
+them both with all my heart. Damon lifted his 'exact image' from the
+cradle, raised the infant high in the air, and exclaimed with pleasure
+and pride:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'See here! here is my new born friend--my rightful Pythias!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I could not help smiling at this truly unexpected outburst. What
+obstinacy!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The young mother held out her arms, and cried: 'Oh, give him to
+me--give me my child, my own little man, my darling!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And when the infant was placed in her arms she caressed him with that
+tenderness which only a mother can show.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'My Pythias!--My darling!' They had both spoken from their hearts, and
+found the word which made them happiest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When the boy was to be christened, the mother proposed that he should
+be named Charles, and the father that he should also be called Pythias.
+Charles was after me; Pythias was after him, the other--the phantom. I
+could not refrain from whispering to Damon, if it would not be well to
+have the child also christened 'the Fifth.' He laughed, and pushed me
+so, that I had nearly gone head-foremost into the cradle, to 'the
+new-born Pythias.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">And Charles Pythias united in his own person that which makes the
+happiness of marriage--love and friendship. I do not believe that
+either of the parents bethought them how long these feelings had been
+shared among various individuals, so entirely were they now united and
+concentrated in this one little child.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">But I pleaded earnestly that the boy should on no account be called
+Pythias, and insisted that it was quite enough for him to bear my name,
+as his father's friend. I was determined to free myself from hearing
+anything more of Pythias. Happily I carried my point, and I <i>did</i> hear
+no more of him. The new-born Pythias, however, took, in due time, his
+rightful place, though he had escaped bearing the ridiculous name.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h2><a name="div1_fatal" href="#div1Ref_fatal">THE FATAL CHAIN.</a></h2>
+
+<h3>FROM THE SWEDISH OF UNCLE ADAM.</h3>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">One dreary autumn evening, shortly after I had taken
+possession
+of my living (thus my friend, the Rev. Mr. Z., began his narrative),
+I was sitting alone in my study, the same which I occupy to this day,
+and from which I overlook the church and the churchyard, when a
+servant-girl entered, and announced that a strange gentleman was
+waiting in the drawing-room, who wished to speak to me. I hastened
+downstairs, and found a good-looking young man, although he appeared to
+be unusually pale, with an expression of wild grief in his eyes, which
+led me to conclude that he was the bearer of some unpleasant
+intelligence.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I come to beg you for the key of the Lejonswärd'schen family vault,'
+said he; 'I believe you have it.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'What!' I demanded in astonishment, 'do you wish it now, at this late
+hour?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Yes; I must have it,' said the stranger, impatiently, 'for a corpse.
+Alas! a corpse is to be interred immediately.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The stranger's manners seemed to me to be so very peculiar that I still
+hesitated. On perceiving this he cried,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You appear to be unwilling to give it, sir. You need not hesitate; my
+name is Lejonswärd, and the corpse which is to be laid in the narrow
+tomb is that of my wife. I have one key, but require the other from
+you. Will you still refuse it to me?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I gave him the key, and with scarcely a word of thanks he hastened
+away. I returned to my chamber, and gazed forth into the darkness which
+shrouded the churchyard. I soon perceived lights moving over the graves
+towards the vaults; the vault lies here, on this side, and the wall at
+the entrance is ornamented by a lion holding in its paw a pierced
+heart. The tomb was opened, and I saw the torchlight through the
+grating. It was a gloomy sight, which I shall never forget.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The simple burial was over, and immediately afterwards a servant
+brought me back the key.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Several years had passed, when the same gentleman entered my room one
+morning.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Do you recollect me?' he asked. I answered in the affirmative. 'It is
+well,' continued he; 'I am going to become your parishioner, yonder at
+Lejonsnäs.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Are you going to live at Lejonsnäs? Surely you are not in earnest,
+Herr Count! No one has resided there for nearly a hundred years.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'So much the better! I will turn it once more into a human dwelling;
+but I shall lead a very secluded life; my servant is to be my
+major-domo, my coachman, and my valet; that will be a quiet household!
+Will you accompany me?' continued he. 'Though the proprietor of the
+estate, I am perfectly ignorant of its situation. Will you accompany
+me, and instal me among my dear forefathers who are there in effigy?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Having acquainted my wife with my intended journey, I seated myself
+along with the count in his carriage, and set off, driven by the much
+experienced domestic, who, besides his knowledge of the mysteries of
+the kitchen and the bed-chamber, was also skilled in managing a pair of
+horses.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We soon arrived at the estate. A large, heavy building, to which, wings
+had been added, stood, with its dingy windows, in gloomy grandeur; a
+double row of ancient trees skirted the spacious court-yard, in the
+centre of which, surrounded by a wild and partly withered hedge of box,
+arose a dried-up fountain. This is a slight description of the place.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The count smiled and looked at me. 'How does the house please you?'
+said he. 'To me it looks like the abode of spectres. It is strange,'
+continued he, 'that people are always anxious to attach a more intimate
+connection with the world of spirits to places such as this, as if
+spirits could not reveal their presence anywhere. You doubt my words.
+You shake your head. Why? If there be no communication with the world
+of spirits, why have we an inward voice which tells us that there is?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'All have not such a voice,' I answered, smiling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'There you are mistaken, dear sir,' replied the count, eagerly. 'You
+cannot deny that there are things which pass our comprehension, which
+therefore originate from a higher power; and there scarcely exists a
+man who, once in his life at least, has not been placed in a situation
+which has forced him to believe in the influence of a world of spirits.
+Tell me, what is it that consoles him who has lost all that he held
+dear? For instance, a--'--he was silent a moment, as if struggling with
+inward emotion--'a wife,' continued he, 'and child. What is that--when,
+crushed by the cruel hand of Fate, one kneels before a coffin--which
+illumines the soul like a clear stream of light from a better world, or
+whispers sweet comfort to the half-paralyzed heart?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Religion,' I replied; 'the consolation of religion, Herr Count.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, no, Herr Pastor; religion has nothing to do with <i>this</i>. Religion
+is a sentiment embracing duty and devotion, which is founded on faith,
+and directed by reason. The sensation to which I allude is something
+outward, something which affects the soul as suddenly as a flash of
+lightning, without the thoughts having had time to dwell on the
+possibility of consolation. It is as if a stream of light broke
+unexpectedly upon the mind, Herr Pastor. It is not religion, but the
+spirit of the beloved departed which bestows on the mourner a portion
+of its own bliss.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Just then the inspector arrived with the keys of the castle, and
+interrupted our conversation. He also was of the same opinion as
+myself, that the castle was not fit to be inhabited; but the count
+remained firm to his intention of taking up his abode there.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Give me the keys, inspector. You need not accompany us; my friend and
+I will be able to find our way, I do not doubt. You need only tell us
+to which doors the keys belong.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The inspector bowed, and began as he was requested to sort the keys.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'This one belongs to the large house-door; this, to the suite of rooms
+occupied by the councillor of blessed memory; and this, to the
+apartments which the councillor's wife inhabited. This key belongs to
+the young count's rooms; or,' continued he, rather embarrassed, 'to the
+rooms in the western wing, which belonged to your grandfather, Herr
+Count, when he was a young man.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Enough, good sir. We shall find our way,' said the count, as he
+smilingly interrupted him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We approached the castle. 'Did you hear,' said the count, '<i>the young
+count's rooms?</i>' The young count was my grandfather. This shows that
+traditions never grow old. He is still called THE YOUNG COUNT here,
+although it is about fifty years since he died, old and infirm.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">As we entered the lofty arched entrance-hall, a chill, dank air met us.
+Here and there a portion of the ornamental gilding from the walls had
+fallen away, and several large oil-paintings, representing bear-hunts,
+had become spotted with mould and dust.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The entrance-hall is not particularly inviting,' said the count; 'but
+let us proceed farther.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The key was placed into the heavy, elaborately ornamented door, leading
+to the apartments of the councillor above mentioned. We entered an
+antechamber, hung with several portraits and landscapes of the Dutch
+school; here, in a richly-gilt frame, which the hand of time had
+partially robbed of its brilliancy, was a lady dressed as a
+shepherdess, with a broad-brimmed straw hat upon her powdered head, and
+a shepherd's crook in her hand; a lovely smile played round the rosy
+lips, and the bright and speaking eyes sparkled with gaiety.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'That,' said the count, 'is my grandmother. She is smiling to us. She
+was painted as a bride, and there she still sits in her youthful
+beauty. It is the same with portraits as with the soul--they never grow
+old.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We went on, and entered a room with a polished oaken floor, and the
+walls hung with gilded leather in richly-gilt partitions; there was a
+stiff grandeur about the room, which was rendered more formal by the
+old-fashioned furniture. The mouldings of the ceilings were decorated
+by groups of clumsy figures, a remnant of the grotesque taste, and
+accumulation of ornaments so prevalent in the seventeenth century. This
+had formerly been the chamber in which the councillor had studied, and
+it had been left untouched, just as it was during his lifetime. A
+clock, in a large stand of Chinese painting, in black and gold, stood
+silent and covered with dust in a corner, and a thick bell-rope with
+ponderous silk tassels still hung in another corner near the heavy
+writing-table, before which was placed, as if the student had only a
+moment before arisen from it, a narrow, high-backed chair, with legs
+curved outwards. Beyond this room came a bed-chamber, decorated in the
+style as the one we had just left.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'By Heavens,' said the count, 'it almost seems as if you were
+right. I cannot reconcile myself to these rooms, and to this furniture.
+Rooms and furniture--if I may so express myself--are our nearest
+acquaintances--a chair, a table, a sofa, are often our most intimate
+companions.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length we arrived at two small rooms, the windows of which looked
+out upon the garden; they seemed to have been more recently occupied,
+and were more simply furnished.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I shall pitch my tent here!' said the count. 'The arrangements cannot
+be said to be of the newest fashion, but, at any rate, there is a more
+cheerful aspect about this place than in any other part of the castle.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Before the table stood an arm-chair, which formerly had been gilded,
+but now the white grounding was visible in many places; the red velvet
+with which it was covered was not faded; indeed, upon the whole, the
+colours were better preserved in this room than in the others. I was
+surprised at it, but the count, who regarded everything in his own
+peculiar way, merely remarked that the chamber lay on the northern side
+of the house.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You see, Herr Pastor, where the full glare of the sun cannot
+penetrate, anything old is better preserved. It is a well-known fact,
+that what is ancient is best preserved in darkness; this holds good as
+well in the material as in the moral world, for light is only required
+by that which is growing. Objects that decay are more easily destroyed
+in light than in twilight. Hence,' he added, with a satirical curl of
+his lip, 'darkness is so necessary for the preservation of what is
+old.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">These apartments having been brought into some sort of order, the count
+established himself in them; from the time he had taken possession of
+his paternal property, his temper appeared to have become more equable.
+The castle harmonized with his restless soul, which cared not for the
+present, but loved rather to live amidst the memory of the past, which
+was crowded with familiar acquaintances; or, to endeavour to seek a
+dark and mysterious intercourse with another and to us unknown, world.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He was a visionary, but a noble visionary, with a deep sense of
+everything that is good and grand. I frequently visited him, and found
+him often engaged in reading, but he always hid his book when I
+entered. Once, however, I happened to catch a glimpse of it; it was
+Jung Stilling's works.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I see, count,' said I, 'that you are reading about ghosts and
+apparitions. You surely do not believe in them?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Why should I not? Is there anything absurd in that belief, or do you
+suppose that man is the only being in the creation intellectually
+endowed? That he stands next to God? Do you not believe in the
+possibility that the human soul, when freed from its vile earthly
+garment, can receive a more perfect, an ethereal body, suited to its
+new state? <i>I</i> believe in it, and find comfort in the thought. What
+were man if he did not, even here below, penetrate, however dimly, into
+a future existence, and acquire a slight knowledge of its mysteries?
+What were we did we not all believe in this, to a greater or lesser
+extent? I maintain that there does not exist a man who has not some
+belief in spirits, even though he may ridicule the idea to others. When
+Death steals away the best beloved of a man's heart, seizes her in his
+bony arms, and draws her down into the gloom of the grave--when the
+hand of Providence lies heavily upon him--rest assured, my friend,
+<i>that</i> man will believe in a spiritual world.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Assuredly; and he ought to do so. No one should dare to doubt the
+future existence of the soul.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I speak of the atmosphere as being peopled with spirits; to that
+belief the soul of man clings when sorrowing for the dead.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Sorrow often leads to wild ideas,' I remarked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Sorrow!' repeated the count. 'You are partly right; sorrow constitutes
+the night in the fate of mankind. When we are prosperous we heed not
+the noiseless, measured movement of the wheel of fate; the earthy
+element asserts its right over us, and cheats us into the belief that
+we are happy. True happiness and sorrow are more in unison than we are
+apt to fancy. If we sit on a peaceful evening with a beloved wife and
+her children, and thank the Lord for all the blessings we enjoy, it is
+their presence which constitutes our happiness; or, if we fall upon our
+knees by the side of their inanimate corpses, though we are bowed down
+with grief for their loss at first, after a time we cease to feel that
+we are alone. There is a something invisible, inaudible, and yet
+intelligible to our inmost soul that tells us restoration succeeds to
+dissolution, and life succeeds to death; and this something I call a
+mysterious intercourse with the spirit world.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'But, count,' I suggested, 'reason points out to us--'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Reason!' repeated he, impetuously interrupting me. 'Speak not of cold
+reason! What is that power which some possess of divining every
+feeling, every thought of those near them? What is feeling in
+comparison with foreboding--judgment in comparison with faith? He who
+acknowledges the existence of a higher world--who sincerely and
+earnestly believes in a connection between his feelings and their
+author--God--is a person of elevated mind; the man, on the contrary,
+who in his pride of intellect detracts from the Holy One, and divides
+the indivisible, is grovelling and limited in his ideas. I never could
+endure that over-wise reason, which would force itself into everything,
+fancying that it could take part in everything, without doing so in
+reality. Do not say, therefore, Herr Pastor, what reason points out to
+us. I contend that reason knows nothing about the matter.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I found it was not worth while to dispute with the count, for as he
+would not admit the right of reason, I had nothing to advance against
+his vague and undefinable notions.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is a comfort,' said the count, one day, 'to believe in spiritual
+visits. I live alone here; my servants inhabit the second story, and
+you may possibly fancy that my time often hangs heavily on my hands.
+Far from it; when my candles begin to burn dimly in the evening, and
+the thick foliage is rustling gently--when the old furniture creaks,
+and a distant sound is heard, which may either be taken for the
+ringing of bells or the chanting of low murmuring voices, then my true
+life begins. I saunter up and down the room, and at times stand still
+and listen. Ah, then, often do I feel as if a flood of joy were rushing
+on my wounded heart--there is a flitting sound in the adjoining
+chamber--&quot;Julia, Julia! thou hast not forgotten me!&quot; I exclaim; and,
+calm and happy, I retire to rest and fall asleep dreaming of her.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The count sank into deep thought, but he soon raised his dark eyes
+again, and gazing into my face, he said,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'You are my friend, are you not, even though you do not approve of my
+chimeras, as you reasonable people call them? I speak of my Julia; you
+do not know her, although she has for year belonged to your parish. She
+it was who, on the evening that I saw you for the first time, was
+conveyed to her last resting-place--she, my wife. I will tell you about
+my Julia, and you must not endeavour to dissuade me, by reasoning, from
+a belief which has become so necessary to me.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The count seated himself in a large arm-chair, and began his narrative
+as follows:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The house of Baron Lindesparre, in Stockholm, was, at the period from
+which my story dates, the rendezvous of all the talent and beauty of
+the capital. His soirées were noted for the distinguished tone which
+pervaded them, for their unconstrained mirth, and their elegance
+without ostentation. His splendid apartments were tastefully arranged,
+without a single article being placed so as to appear more prominent
+than the rest; where all was luxury the profusion was not observable.
+It was only when one analyzed the magnificence of the house that one
+found it <i>was</i> magnificent.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The baron had been many years a widower: his wife, a Spaniard by birth,
+I never saw, but she had left a daughter, beautiful and gentle, a being
+formed partly of the glowing roses of the South, and partly of the snow
+of the North. She was the fairy of the place, and hundreds vied for a
+smile from her lips. This was Julia. She became my wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We had been married half a year, and had a separate residence, but on
+every soirée Julia went to her father's to do the honours of the house.
+On one of these evenings the company was more numerous than usual, and
+I observed a gentleman among the crowd whom I did not know, and who
+kept his eyes continually fixed upon my wife. He was tall and thin,
+with a countenance pale and attenuated, the features were almost stiff
+and inanimate, and the flashing eyes alone, which he fixed with a sort
+of scornful look upon my Julia, betrayed life. He was dressed in black,
+but a small star of brilliants sparkled from his button-hole, showing
+that he was in the service of some government. The man appeared to be
+about fifty years of ago, and a few grey hairs peeped out here and
+there among his otherwise black locks. I know not why I took such a
+strong interest in him; I fancied him disagreeable, and yet I was
+attracted to him. His was a sort of spell such as certain snakes are
+said to exercise over their victims.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">My father-in-law came towards me. 'Who is that gentleman dressed in
+black?' I asked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah,' answered the old man, 'I had almost forgotten to introduce you;
+he is a Spaniard, a countryman of my beloved wife. Come.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I followed him, and soon stood before the strange-looking guest.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Don Caldero,' began my father-in-law; 'allow me to have the honour of
+introducing to you my son-in-law, Count Lejonswärd--Don Caldero,
+attaché to the Spanish Embassy.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The stranger in the black dress said a few polite words to my
+father-in-law, who then moved on.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'As far as I can judge from observation, count, you are the happiest
+husband in all cold Sweden. I am glad to have made your acquaintance,'
+said the Spaniard; 'I have long remarked you, and intended to have
+inquired your name. You, like myself, appear to pay attention not only
+to the outward but also to the inward properties of mankind. I rejoice
+to have met a kindred spirit.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Thus began my acquaintance with a man who, notwithstanding his cold,
+severe, repulsive manners, possessed a fiery soul, and a mind capable
+of conceiving grand ideas. From this evening Don Caldero became
+intimate with me, and his clear understanding, the captivating warmth
+which he too well knew how to mingle with his elegant conversation,
+guided my ideas and feelings into a direction for which I was already
+predisposed by character, but in which, without Don Caldero, I probably
+never would have gone so far. He often visited at our house, and I
+became more and more attached to the highly-talented and well-informed
+Spaniard, and he, too, seemed disposed to like me. It was he who, with
+a clearness which I am not capable of imitating, pointed out to me the
+connection between God and man, between the visible and the invisible
+world, who proved to me the existence of a communication between a
+spiritual world and ours, manifested in dreams, forebodings, and in
+mysterious intimations of the influence of a higher power, which we
+experience in moments of grave importance. It was he who placed before
+me the truth of apparitions, purified from all superstition--that is to
+say, denying them to be gross, material manifestations, but receiving
+them as produced through the interposition of beings endowed with
+greater powers of intellect than ourselves. You should have heard him,
+sir, and though you are so great a sceptic, you would have believed him
+as I did.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We often amused ourselves with playing at chess, game that has always
+interested me greatly. Don Caldero shared my taste, and we sometimes
+fought a whole evening over one game.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Chess pleases me,' he used to say, 'because it depends less than
+anything else upon the chance of fate. Fate makes itself visible
+everywhere, hence one must seek a pastime which excludes it as much as
+possible; our pastimes ought to be such, that spirits cannot interfere
+and amuse themselves at our expense.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Don Caldero frequented my father-in-law's soirées, and my house, but
+hitherto he had never invited me to visit him. He resided in a large
+mansion quite by himself, and never received any strangers. His
+character did not attract people, it rather caused him to be avoided;
+for few knew, or could understand, his great worth, and fewer still
+were inclined to follow him in his bold flights through the vast
+regions of fancy.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">After praising his friend at some length, the count concluded his
+eulogy by saying:</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">In a word, Herr Pastor, there is but one such man in the world, and
+that man is called Caldero.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">At length, one evening, Caldero <i>did</i> invite me. He lived at the
+farther end of the northern suburb, in a house which he had furnished
+according to his own taste. On entering the saloon I found no one, the
+apartment was empty, and merely lighted by a single handsome lamp,
+which hung from the ceiling, and which cast a subdued light around. I
+went farther: everywhere I encountered the same silence, the same
+twilight, the same heavy grandeur, which was to be traced in every
+object. I stood still, a strange feeling creeping over me, the nursery
+legends about enchanted castles flashed across my mind, and I fancied
+myself transported into one whose owner, with all his retainers, lay in
+one of the inner chambers, buried for many centuries in a profound
+magical slumber. These thoughts were soon, however, chafed away by soft
+steps upon the rich carpet, and Caldero's gloomy figure stood before
+me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Welcome, count!' he said, courteously. 'I thank you for coming to my
+hermitage, where, you must know, I have never invited anyone but
+yourself. I longed for one evening to take entire possession of you;
+pardon my selfishness.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He led me into the inner cabinet. This was a small chamber, but lofty,
+and fitted up in a still more gloomy style than the others. The walls,
+hung with dark-red velvet, contrasted strangely with the white and gold
+pilasters which stood at the four corners. In the middle of the room
+was a table, upon which was placed a chessboard between a pair of tall
+wax candles. We seated ourselves upon the sofa, and my host appeared to
+be reflecting upon something; at length he exclaimed:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Count! perhaps you may think it extraordinary that the Spaniard
+Caldero has formed such an affection for you. He considers it his duty
+to explain why; but in order to do so, I must give you a slight sketch
+of my history.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I listened with great attention to what this strange introduction might
+lead, and Don Caldero continued:</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I was born and educated in Madrid; my father was a poor but excellent
+man, belonging to the ancient nobility, and I imbibed from my earliest
+infancy high notions of the value of rank. Latterly it has fallen in my
+estimation, although I cannot even now entirely free myself from a
+prejudice in favour of the advantages of good birth. I was, as I said
+before, poor, but proud, as every Spaniard should be, and an ardent
+longing to obtain honour and distinction dwelt in my youthful breast.
+This longing was increased tenfold by my passion for a lovely girl as
+poor as myself, but even more richly endowed with ancestors. The slight
+difference which existed in the ancientness of our lineage, combined
+with my poverty, prevented our love from becoming anything more than a
+hopeless passion; for her parents, proud of their pure Christian blood,
+which for centuries had remained unmixed, could not endure the idea of
+their daughter uniting herself to me, whose early ancestor was a Moor,
+a scion of that noble race who once occupied a portion of Spain. Still
+youth and love easily forget these small differences, and Maria, so the
+young lady was called, loved me most fervently. Often when she left
+mass she bestowed upon me a few minutes undisturbed by witnesses. Ah!
+how happy I then was! I fancied my own individual merit would, in time,
+convince Maria's parents that I was worthy of her hand; I therefore
+sought to be appointed to the diplomatic corps, a path which, under our
+weak government, was a sure road to distinction; nor was it long before
+I was named attaché to the mission to Vienna.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I met my beloved; it was for the last time; and never shall that
+moment pass from my memory.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Do not forget your faithful Alphonso,&quot; I whispered, as I pressed her
+in my arms. I felt how her tears rolled down her blooming cheeks.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;See, beloved Maria,&quot; I said, at length, giving her a small golden
+chain, which I had received from my mother--&quot;see, here is something as
+a remembrance of me; keep it faithfully. If, however, you should
+forsake me, then return it to me, and I will wear it, and die thinking
+of, and praying for, you.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Never, never!&quot; murmured Maria, as she took the chain.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Never, never!&quot; I repeated, pressing her to my heart. &quot;But, Maria!&quot; I
+continued after I had become more composed, &quot;you might perhaps, forget
+me; will you, as a proof of our eternal union, share a consecrated
+wafer with your lover?&quot; I had one, which I broke in two. &quot;God is our
+witness!&quot; we both said. The clock in the adjoining cloister struck
+eleven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;I must go,&quot; cried Maria. &quot;For ever yours; for ever and for ever!&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Long after she had disappeared I stood rooted to the spot, striving to
+catch a glimpse of her in the moonlight. &quot;For ever--for ever!&quot; sounded
+in my ears, and, midst golden dreams of a future full of bliss and
+honour, I wended my way home.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I had been about a year in Vienna, when one evening a stranger brought
+me a packet. It contained the chain. I was horrified.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Deceived!--forsaken!--forgotten!&quot; I cried. &quot;But no, it is
+impossible!&quot; A slip of paper which was enclosed, contained, to my
+comfort, the following words: &quot;I remember my oath, but am <i>forced</i> to
+break it. Do not despise Maria.&quot;'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Don Caldero showed me a locket, which he wore near his heart. 'Do you
+know this face?' said he. I started; they were the features of my wife.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'My wife!' I cried, in an agitated voice.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'No, my friend,' replied Caldero, with a bitter smile; 'it was her
+mother. On this account I attached myself to you, for I still love the
+mother in her child. I have suffered, I have become resigned, but I
+have never <i>forgotten</i>: and I willingly cling to the belief, that
+necessity and compulsion alone robbed me of my Maria. Let us play,
+count.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I silently seated myself at the chess-table, on which was ranged a
+splendid set of chessmen; the board was of black-and-white stone,
+and the men of one party were of silver, with tops of clear
+crystal, diamond cut, while those of the other side were of a dark
+steel-coloured metal, with dark red-tops.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'It is not usual,' began Don Caldero, 'to play chess for money; yet why
+should we not at least venture something? I should like--I have often
+very strange ideas--I should like to give your Julia the chain which
+her mother possessed for a time; it is neither valuable nor modern, but
+perhaps if she hears its history, she may kindly wear it in remembrance
+of Don Caldero. I will stake the necklace, and you, count, will you
+stake a lock of the dark hair of your Julia? She will doubtless give
+it, if you ask for it. You must forgive an old, despised lover, for
+fancying he sees the mother when he gazes on your wife.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I consent willingly to this arrangement,' I replied, smiling.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We played; but it seemed as though Don Caldero took pains to lose, and
+he speedily succeeded in his endeavours.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am vanquished,' he said quietly, as he went towards a casket, which
+I had not hitherto observed. 'Here, count, is the chain; I shall be
+more calm when it is no longer in my hands.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The chain was more costly than I had imagined, and I was pleased at the
+idea of Julia wearing it when Caldero visited us. I instantly wrote a
+note to Julia, in which, without mentioning anything about her mother,
+I told her of Caldero's and my bet, and begged her for a lock of her
+hair, in case, against my expectation, I should lose the next game. I
+sent a servant to my house with this note and the chain to my wife,
+after which we again returned to the chess-table. Now Caldero became
+more cautious; I, on the contrary, was seized by a secret anxiety, an
+uneasiness which I could not explain. I did not perceive the false
+moves I was too evidently making. Don Caldero drew my attention to my
+carelessness and more than once, made me take back my move; all was in
+vain, I was as though bewitched, and could no longer calculate my
+position. At length the servant returned, bringing a small note from
+Julia. She jested at the taste of our Spanish friend, yet sent the lock
+of hair, at the same time entreating me not again, not even for more
+costly ornaments than the chain, to stake the ringlets of my wife. I
+showed Caldero the note; he read it, and seemed to turn pale.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Her handwriting resembles her mother's,' he said, and laid the note
+upon the table. 'Let us continue.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">We played on, but I soon found myself completely surrounded by his men;
+my strange uneasiness increased at each moment; I felt as though a
+drawn sword were suspended by a hair over my head; the candles seemed
+to burn blue; the white tops of my kings appeared to assume a pale
+milk-white colour, whereas the dark-red of Calderos men glowed like
+fiery coals, radiant with some inward light.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Checkmated,' he said, in a low tone. 'Checkmated, count,' he repeated,
+louder; but I sat immovable, staring fixedly at the chessmen. I
+experienced a horrible sensation, as though an evil spirit were
+standing behind me, with his burning hot hand upon my head;
+nevertheless I was shivering--a death-like coldness had crept over my
+whole body, and yet--At length I ventured to glance at Don Caldero; his
+gloomy countenance was more pale than usual, he looked like a corpse,
+and his dark hollow eyes were intently fixed upon me. 'This is the 12th
+of August,' he murmured, as if to himself. 'Reconciliation with the
+dead. Count, give me the lock of hair.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I handed it to him, and then, rising from my seat as one intoxicated, I
+staggered out of the house. I was conscious of nothing that was going
+on; but Caldero followed me.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Forgive me, count, my strange behaviour; but it is exactly twenty
+years this day since Maria and I shared the consecrated wafer. I have
+kept my oath. Good night, count. Do not forget your friend.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I hastened home. Never in my life have I so distinctly beard a voice of
+warning in the inmost depths of my soul. 'Hasten! hasten! hasten!'
+cried the voice; and I flew rather than walked.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Is Julia up still?' I asked of the servant who let me in.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The countess?' he inquired. 'Yes, yes; the countess!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'The countess must be still up; she dismissed her maid only a few
+minutes ago.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I ran to my wife's room. Julia was sitting in an arm-chair before her
+toilet-table, and quite calmly, as though she had not heard my hasty
+steps.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'God be praised that my foreboding of evil has not proved true!' I
+exclaimed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">No answer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Julia!' I cried, in an agony of anxiety--'Julia, do you not hear me?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">Still the same silence. She sat immovable before the mirror, and her
+lovely features were reflected in the glass; the trinket which I had
+won was round her neck, and a gentle expression was in her tender black
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Julia! Julia!' I cried, seizing her hand. It was cold, but not rigid.
+God! my God! She was dead! I know not what further happened, but a
+fortnight later I was with you, Herr Pastor, to place the remains of my
+Julia in my family vault.'</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The count had risen, and strode up and down the room in great
+agitation. The clock struck eleven.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Art thou there, Julia?' he cried, while his eyes roved wildly round.
+'Come in! come in!' He opened the door leading to the adjoining room,
+and called out into the darkness, 'Julia, I am here! here is thy
+husband!' A cold draught of air alone was wafted into the room, and a
+slight rustling noise was discernible. 'She passes on,' said the count.
+He slammed the door, and sank into an arm-chair. 'She will not come to
+me! My God! my God! let me go to her!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The count sat for awhile lost in deep thought; at length he sprang up,
+gazed at me with eyes beaming with joy, and exclaimed,</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Pastor Z., it is glorious to hope!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When I left him I actually found myself trembling, and I was right glad
+that the servant lighted me along the deserted apartments, so powerful
+is the effect of the imagination when excited.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I continued to visit the count from time to time. His grief had, I
+fancied, calmed down, but his health was beginning to suffer,
+imperceptibly to himself perhaps, but not so to those who saw him now
+and then. I remarked that he was gradually becoming more strange; he
+often laughed at things which were not at all ludicrous; nevertheless,
+he was always the same amiable man I had ever known him, and his
+judgment was clear on every subject except when the mystic world was
+touched upon, then his thoughts used to wander, and Julia, his beloved
+Julia, was always the pivot round which his ideas turned.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In the middle of winter I suddenly received a message, to the effect
+that I was wanted immediately at the castle. The messenger could not
+tell the reason why I had been summoned, but said that the count's
+valet had ordered him to saddle a horse and to ride as fast as he could
+to me. I suspected some misfortune, so set off instantly.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">When I entered the count's room he was seated at a table.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Ah, is it you, Pastor Z.?' he said, when he perceived me. 'Have you
+come to preach peace to my soul? Begin, sir; it will be amusing to
+listen--ha, ha, ha!--to hope in God? God? what is that? No, pastor, now
+I am wise--I believe in nothing, not even in myself, nor in you,
+priest, you black-skinned slug! You are one of those who wind
+themselves round mankind, and lie with a double tongue! Speak on, sir!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His flashing eyes and uplifted arm, which threatened to strike, caused
+me to start back: he was evidently deranged. His pale lips trembled
+with rage, and his black hair hung in disorder about his brow, from
+which drops of perspiration rolled down his cheeks. I perceived that
+here I could be of no use; I therefore went to the bell to summon the
+servant. He made his appearance, pale, and with eyes red from weeping.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Look!' cried the count, wildly laughing--'only look, Pastor Z.! The
+livelong night he has been borrowing from the fountain of tears, and
+talking no end of nonsense, merely because I told the fool the simple
+fact that neither he nor I possessed a soul, and that there is no such
+thing as right or wrong. Well? How comical you look--ha, ha, ha! You,
+and my man yonder, look like a couple of frightened sheep. You may rely
+on what I say, he would have come if it had been in his power; but all
+is over, he cannot come. Yes, look yonder, stare at your heaven: it is
+air, mere air, nothing but empty air. Do you understand? The earth is a
+solid lump, upon which cabbages, long-tailed monkeys, men, and other
+plants grow; and above is heaven, that is to say, sensibly speaking,
+air, atmosphere. Well? Are you not capable of comprehending this? it is
+as clear as the day. Just listen,' he continued; 'mankind is a sort of
+animal of prey, which, even when tamed, do not lose their natural
+propensities; they are worse than beasts of prey, for even the tiger
+loves its mate and its young, but look, man murders them--murders, do
+you hear?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He hid his face in his hands, and wept aloud.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I do not know what the letter could have contained,' whispered the
+servant. 'The count received it yesterday evening; he seemed overjoyed
+when he beheld the handwriting, and before I left the room; when I
+returned, however, he was just as you now see him. The poor count!' he
+continued; 'he was such an excellent master!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">The count sprang to his feet as if he had been terrified by something.
+'Ho!' he cried, and his wild eyes wandered round the room. 'So much
+blood, so much poison were flowing over the earth; then a serpent
+stretched out its scaly head from the bottomless pit and seized the
+white dove. She fluttered her wings, the poor little thing, but first
+one part of her and then the other was crushed in the serpent's throat.
+It was her dead mother who devoured her: it was horrible! Look
+yonder--look, Herr Pastor! A thick darkness overspread the earth; not a
+single ray of hope could penetrate through the bloody vapour to her!
+Nay, good pastor, it was merely a freak of fancy, but at the same time
+a picture of the truth. Her mother and her husband murdered her. Do you
+now understand?'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">In this strain the unhappy man continued to rave for several days. I
+remained in the castle, for I hoped he might rally. A doctor was called
+in: he applied many remedies, none of which, however, seemed to afford
+the sufferer any relief. The count continued to be insane, and never
+for an instant did he close his eyes in sleep. At length, however, he
+became exhausted, and was obliged to be carried to his bed. I was then
+called to him. How much he had changed! his dark eyes had sunken
+greatly? and looked like flames half extinguished; his cheeks had
+fallen in, and his brow was full of wrinkles. He lay apparently in a
+state of complete exhaustion, and when I addressed him he did not
+answer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">His servant privately handed me the fatal letter. It was from Don
+Caldero, and ran as follows:</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">'<span class="sc">Dear Count</span>,--When this letter reaches you, I shall be no more. It
+shall be laid in my desk, ready to be sent to you after my death. I owe
+you an explanation to divest you of your erroneous ideas respecting
+another world. For a long time past I have not believed in a future
+life, but it has been one of my favourite amusements to observe the
+faith of enthusiasts. It gave me pleasure when I perceived a man misled
+by his faith, and I laughed in my sleeve at such folly. I influenced
+your opinions, as I found you to be a fit subject for my experiments.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I am a Catholic; from my youth upwards my eye has been accustomed to
+weeping Madonnas; I have heard the miracles respecting the saints
+narrated, and was expected to believe all I heard. The consequence is,
+that I have ended by believing nothing, The whole of religion rests
+upon the conviction of the present and eternal existence of the
+immortal soul; but there is no proof that man possesses a soul, any
+more than there is proof of the truth of the above-mentioned miracles.
+Man is an animal like the other inhabitants of the globe, with this
+exception only, that he has a more perfectly-developed brain, and a
+greater number of intellectual organs. Life is quite independent of
+soul. I have studied these subjects, and have become convinced that the
+theory about the soul is a fabrication of the priesthood, invented to
+enable them the more easily to govern the body. There can be no Divine
+disposer of human events, else wickedness would not prosper in this
+world as it does, whilst uprightness suffers. There is a governing law
+in nature which dooms mankind to death, just as the trees are compelled
+annually to shed their leaves. I saw how oaths were broken with
+impunity; I shared with a maiden, whom I loved more than my life, a
+consecrated wafer, the most sacred thing I then knew: <i>she</i> broke the
+oath and became happy, while <i>I</i>, who kept it, became miserable. Hence
+I began to believe in fate, and not in Providence, and learned to
+despise mankind to prevent myself from hating them.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I met you and your Julia; she was <i>her</i> daughter. She was beautiful,
+and as yet nothing had occurred to try her character. For awhile my old
+dreams of faithful love revived, and for the daughter's sake I forgave
+the mother, who had so deeply wounded the most sacred of all feelings,
+if anything can be termed sacred. To be brief, count, I fancied myself
+once more in my enthusiastic youthful days; I forgot the sentiments
+experience had induced me to adopt, and faith in Maria's love blossomed
+anew in my heart, like the flowers which take root in the loose ashes
+of a volcano. I fancied my innocent Maria would meet me in another
+world with a kind welcome, and joyfully traverse with me the regions of
+space. You see, count, that the notion of eternity and God proceeds
+from our conceptions of love, and that, where there is no love, faith
+is also wanting.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Your wife died suddenly on the anniversary of the day on which Maria
+and I had taken the oath. I considered this event as a sign from
+Heaven, from her who, yonder above the skies, still loved me. I thought
+the mother had called her daughter to herself, for she was the only
+being on earth who testified to her broken oath. I deceived myself.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I had scarcely returned to Spain, when I received a visit from a monk.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Pardon me, senor,&quot; said he, &quot;if I take the liberty of putting a
+question to you. Have you a chain, which you once received from a
+distinguished lady whom you loved?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I gazed at the man in astonishment, and answered, &quot;Yes; what can you
+know about it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Señor, I prepared an old woman for death who had been engaged in some
+cases of poisoning, and she confessed the following, which she gave me
+permission to repeat, if by so doing any advantage might be gained:
+'One evening,' these were her words, 'I was summoned to a young and
+beautiful lady, she was called Maria Viso'--was that the name of your
+beloved?--'and she begged me to insert a powerful poison in the clasp
+of a chain.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;Although the wretched woman was accustomed to such commissions, she
+nevertheless asked who was to wear the chain? The lady answered that it
+had been given to her by an importunate suitor who was called Caldero,
+and she now wished to send back the chain to him. She also said that
+her feelings towards him were changed, and she now preferred another,
+but that her parents, who formerly opposed her marriage with him, had
+become anxious for it, and wished to force it on her, and she was
+determined to get rid of him.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'&quot;The woman thereupon inserted the poison into the clasp. The lady had
+afterwards married a heretic, and this act of hers it was which had
+roused the poisoner's conscience, for notwithstanding her being so
+great a criminal, she was an orthodox Catholic. She sought to find you
+out, in the hope that the scheme had not succeeded according to the
+lady's intentions. The Lord be praised and thanked that you did not
+wear that chain, you would undoubtedly have died if you had; the best
+thing you can do with it will be to present it to our poor monastery,
+for with the pure everything is pure, and the poison might be expunged
+by melting the gold.&quot;</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'I stood like one turned into a statue of stone. It was, then, the
+decree of fate that the mother should be accessary to the daughter's
+death, and the latter be sacrificed for the crime of the former!</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Picture to yourself now, if you can, count, blessed spirits: imagine
+to yourself, now, a heaven on earth with a woman you love; cling to a
+belief in another world; if you can do all this, then you are indeed a
+perfect fool. I have relapsed into my old views: the earth remains
+earth, and nothing more. When you are reading this I shall be dead,
+cold, and buried. If, however, I have an immortal soul, you will know
+the contents of this letter before it arrives, otherwise you must
+believe that nothing remains of him who once was your friend.</p>
+
+<p class="right">'<span class="sc">Caldero</span>.'</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="normal">The much-to-be-pitied victim of Caldero's cold atheism and contempt of
+mankind still sat in the same position, staring gloomily before him,
+without uttering a syllable, but now and then heaving a deep-drawn
+sigh. It was evident that he would soon be at rest, for every day he
+became weaker and weaker.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I scarcely ever left the bedside of the unfortunate young man, in the
+hope that he might, if only for a few minutes, regain his senses, when
+I could speak peace to his soul.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">One evening, after this sad state of affairs had continued without
+interruption for a fortnight, I was sitting at a table reading, with my
+back turned to the count, when I heard a low whispering behind me; it
+was his voice. I listened--it was a fervent, humble prayer for peace in
+death, and pardon for all his sins. I let him finish his prayer
+undisturbed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Who is there?' asked the count, in a feeble tone.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">I drew near to the bed.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Is it you, Pastor Z.?' he said mildly. 'Still up? It is late. I am
+happy now, my friend, for it will soon be day; I have had a long night.
+I am dying, but I bear within me a strong voice crying, 'Love is
+faith,' and I pray, bowing myself in humility before the God of Love. I
+have wandered from the right path, I was misled, misfortune pursued me,
+and I became, through my thoughtlessness, Julia's murderer. The
+crushing intelligence contained in Caldero's letter shook my trust in
+everything, for it is a relief to a guilty soul not to believe in a
+Judge. But my presumptuous folly was punished, my understanding became
+obscured. A light has burst upon me now, and since I have prayed I feel
+at peace. I prayed--for many years I neglected to do so--yes, I prayed
+with clasped hands, as my mother used to teach me when I was an
+innocent child. Alas, I ought always to have prayed thus.'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He ceased speaking, and leaning his head against his pillow, he looked
+steadfastly at me with a mild, glorified expression of countenance. I
+had sunk upon my knees at the side of his bed, and poured forth thanks
+to my God for the ray of light and hope which he had permitted to
+penetrate the darkened mind of the poor sufferer.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Lord!' I entreated, 'grant him light!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">'Light,' he repeated, in a low whisper, 'Lord! more light. God be
+praised! there <i>is</i> light!'</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He closed his eyes, heaved a long sigh, and in another world he
+received an explanation of that secret, the solution of which he had
+only grasped in his last hour.</p>
+
+<p class="normal">He now reposes in the family vault by the side of his beloved Julia;
+the receptacle of the dead is full. The pieces of his shattered
+escutcheon lie scattered upon the floor around his coffin,<a name="div2Ref_07" href="#div2_07"><sup>[7]</sup></a>
+and the
+key of the vault will be needed no more!</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+<br>
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_01" href="#div2Ref_01">Footnote 1</a>: &quot;<i>Too
+Old</i>&quot;--&quot;For gammel&quot;--is from a Danish work entitled
+&quot;Haablös&quot;--&quot;<i>Hopeless</i>&quot;--by Carit Etlar. The volume, which contains
+three tales, was published in Copenhagen in 1857.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_02" href="#div2Ref_02">Footnote 2</a>: Councillor
+of state. Etatsraad is a Danish title, and an
+etatsraad's wife is styled Etatsraadinde.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_03" href="#div2Ref_03">Footnote 3</a>: From a
+collection of Tales, in one volume, entitled
+'Haablos'--'Hopeless.'</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_04" href="#div2Ref_04">Footnote 4</a>: See
+'Eventyr og Folkesagn.'--<i>Espen til Ahner</i>.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_05" href="#div2Ref_05">Footnote 5</a>:
+Krigsraad--a Danish title.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_06" href="#div2Ref_06">Footnote 6</a>: One mile
+Danish is equal to more than four English miles.</p>
+<br>
+
+<p class="hang1"><a name="div2_07" href="#div2Ref_07">Footnote 7</a>: At the
+death of the last representative of a noble family
+in Sweden, the escutcheon is usually broken over his coffin.</p>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<h3>END OF VOL. II.</h3>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+<h5>LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,<br>
+AND CHARING CROSS.</h5>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+<br>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol.
+II (of 3), by Various
+
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+
diff --git a/37832.txt b/37832.txt
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+++ b/37832.txt
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II
+(of 3), by Various
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol. II (of 3)
+       A Series of Popular Stories by the Best Danish Authors
+
+Author: Various
+
+Translator: Mrs. (Anna S.) Bushby
+
+Release Date: October 23, 2011 [EBook #37832]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANES SKETCHED BY THEMSELVES, VOL II ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by the Web Archive
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+   1. Page scan source:
+      http://www.archive.org/details/danessketchedbyt02bush
+
+   2. The diphthong oe is represented by [oe].
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                               THE DANES
+
+                        Sketched by Themselves.
+
+                A SERIES OF POPULAR STORIES BY THE BEST
+                            DANISH AUTHORS,
+
+
+
+                       TRANSLATED BY MRS. BUSHBY.
+
+
+
+                     _IN THREE VOLUMES.--VOL. II_.
+
+
+
+                                LONDON:
+                RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
+                                 1864.
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+               [_The right of Translation is reserved_.]
+
+
+
+
+
+
+        LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
+                           AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+
+                          CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
+
+
+
+   Too Old.--By Carit Etlar.
+   Aunt Francisca.--By Carl Bernhard.
+   The Shipwrecked Mariner's Treasure.--By Carit Etlar.
+   Damon and Pythias.--By Carl Bernhard.
+   The Fatal Chain.--From the Swedish of Uncle Adam.
+
+
+
+
+                               THE DANES
+
+                        Sketched by Themselves.
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+                              TOO OLD.[1]
+
+                    FROM THE DANISH OF CARIT ETLAR.
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+Between Fredericia and Snoghoei the sandy and stony shore forms a
+tolerably broad tongue of land, which is called Lyngspoint. The coast
+stretches out long and flat, without any defence against the sea except
+a stone wall, and the fishermen who dwell here seem to have thought of
+nothing but the safe little bays that, on either side of the
+promontory, afford shelter to their small skiffs and protect them from
+the wild waves, and the blocks of ice which during winter the
+north-west winds drive in from the Kattegat.
+
+Farther up on the land, the bare, desolate-looking plain of sand
+disappears by degrees under high banks which are overgrown by a thick,
+low copse of brushwood, with some stunted oak and beech-trees showing
+themselves as sad mementoes of an extensive wood, that formerly joined
+the forest of Erizoe, and in the midst of which the village of Hannerup
+was situated. The village and the wood have both disappeared long
+since.
+
+Far in among the bushes people sometimes stumble upon pieces of broken
+stones with their mouldering cement of lime, the last fragments of the
+work and walls of ages gone by: in a few years the copse itself will
+have vanished, and the blackbird and the thrush, whose blithe carols on
+the summer evenings were heard even by those sailing near in the Belt,
+will seek other leafy homes.
+
+At a little distance from the sea-shore at Lyngspoint stand ten or
+twelve small cottages, built in the irregular style which is always
+observable in the houses of the peasantry of ancient days, and composed
+of hard clay framework and thatched roofs. To each cottage there
+belongs a small garden enclosed by a low earthen dyke, or a hedge of
+elderberries and the blackthorn. Behind several of them are to be seen
+boats turned upside down, lying in the sand with their keels exposed,
+and each furnished with a little gate in the stern. These boats serve
+as a shelter for sheep, or geese, after having become too frail any
+longer to carry their owners out to sea. The inhabitants of Lyngspoint
+are fishermen, a reserved and silent race, rough and stern like the
+element on which they pass so much of their time. Among them the
+struggles of life have no cessation--labour has no reward--time affords
+no day of rest, except when storms forbid them to launch their boats,
+or the sea is covered with ice; but such dreaded and unwelcome repose
+is always associated with distress and want. The women employ
+themselves in their household affairs, and not unfrequently share the
+labour of the men, as they always share their privations. Even the
+ocean's tempests are felt in common here, since every squall in which
+the boats are exposed to danger on the water, causes gloom and anxiety
+to those in the huts, who dread to lose their relatives and their means
+of support.
+
+In one of these fishermen's cottages one evening there were two
+persons--an old man, tall and athletic, his grey hair thin and
+sunburnt, his countenance decided and daring, and a woman, very
+youthful-looking, pale, and apparently unhappy, but nevertheless of
+rare beauty. He sat at a table, which was lighted by a lamp suspended
+by a chain from a beam in the roof, and the glare from which fell upon
+two long Spanish cavalry pistols which he was busy loading. She was
+standing at the window gazing through the dark window-panes.
+
+It was a gloomy November evening. The storm from the seaward swept
+wildly along, howling dismally, while the rain beat heavily against the
+windows, and the flame in the lamp fluttered and flickered in the gusts
+of wind that rushed into the room through the open chimney. There had
+been a long and unbroken silence between the two occupants of the
+apartment; the man, while continuing his work, cast several glances
+towards the young woman, but always looked quickly away when she turned
+towards him.
+
+At length he asked, 'At what are you looking?'
+
+'At the weather,' she replied. 'It will be a bad night to go to sea
+in.'
+
+'The weather is good enough,' he muttered, gruffly. 'It is all the
+better for being dark; the darkness will be of use to us.'
+
+So saying, he started up, buckled on a cutlass, and stuck the pistols
+in his belt.
+
+'Give me something to eat.'
+
+The woman spread the table for supper, and taking a pot off the fire,
+poured its contents into a dish, which she placed before the man.
+
+There was again complete silence; he ate his supper without saying a
+word, while the young woman sat leaning back in her chair near the
+table, and fixed her eye on him with a sad, yet scrutinizing look.
+
+'I am done,' he exclaimed, after a little while, 'and now, good-by.'
+
+'Are you going already?' she asked, sorrowfully.
+
+'To be sure I am--it is the time agreed on, and they will be waiting
+for me on the shore down yonder.'
+
+He drew on a thick sailor's jacket over his other clothes, and went
+towards the door.
+
+'Farewell, Christine!' he said, without even turning to look at her.
+
+Christine stretched both her hands towards him, and her trembling lips
+moved, but the words she would have spoken died away in a deep sigh.
+The man turned round and walked back a step or two. For a few moments
+he stood in silent surprise, and then exclaimed, 'What are you weeping
+for?'
+
+'Oh, Jan Steffens!' she whispered, half aloud, as she again stretched
+her hands towards him, 'I am so afraid lest any evil should happen to
+you.'
+
+The man did not take her proffered hand, and his thick eyebrows were
+knitted together, as he said, 'How childish you are, Christine! What is
+there for you to be afraid of? I am going on a lawful errand, and
+things must take their course. Take care to put the fire out, and don't
+forget to feed the watch-dog in the morning. I have locked him up in
+the wash-house, that he might not make a noise to-night.'
+
+So saying he turned to go, but when he had reached the door he came
+back once again, and exclaimed, with solemnity, 'May the Lord's
+protecting hand be over you, Christine!' In another moment he was gone.
+
+The young woman laid her head on the table, covered her face with her
+hands, and wept bitterly. She had sat there for some time absorbed in
+grief, when suddenly she raised her head, for she had heard steps on
+the outside of the cottage. She got up and went to the window.
+Presently she saw a figure in the doorway. It was that of a young man
+in a sailor's dress, and armed in the same manner as Jan was.
+
+'Good evening, dear Christine!' he exclaimed. 'Has Jan gone?'
+
+'Yes,' she answered; 'you will find him down yonder with the other
+boatmen.'
+
+The fisherman seemed to be reflecting on something, while he fixed his
+eyes intently upon the young woman's face. He observed that there were
+tears in her eyes, and approaching her, he seized her hand.
+
+'Christine!' he exclaimed, in a soft and sympathizing voice, 'you have
+been weeping? Has there been any quarrel between you and your husband?'
+
+'No,' she replied, 'there never has been any.' And as she spoke she
+tried to draw her hand away, but he grasped it more firmly.
+
+'Would to Heaven you had never seen that old Jan Steffens,' he
+whispered; 'you would have been much happier--oh, what misery we would
+both have escaped!'
+
+'Would to Heaven I had never seen you, Kjeld,' she answered; 'then,
+perhaps, Jan and I might have been comfortable together.'
+
+The young fisherman's eyes sparkled at this imprudent confession, which
+admitted so much more than Christine had any intention of doing.
+
+'But what harm have I done?' he asked, gently. 'We loved each other
+from our childish days, when we used to go to school together. Ah!
+_then_ we looked forward to living together, to working together,
+to trying our luck together--and--being so happy! Then came Jan
+Steffens--and now--'
+
+'And now I am Jan Steffens's wife,' cried Christine, interrupting him
+impetuously. 'Never speak to me more of the past, therefore, Kjeld--it
+is gone! It is forgotten,' she added, in a lower and sadder tone.
+
+At that moment the light from the lamp fell upon a face, which, on the
+outside of the house, was intently looking in through the window. Those
+in the room did not observe it, and had no suspicion that prying eyes
+were upon them. Kjeld asked, with warmth, 'Why should we not speak of
+the past? We have always been only like brother and sister to each
+other.'
+
+'Brother and sister!' said Christine, trying to smile, 'what else could
+we have been? But I am a married woman, Kjeld, and you, like every one
+else, are only a stranger to me. Therefore you must not come here so
+often--people remark the frequency of your visits, and talk of them.'
+
+'But Jan himself has allowed them,' said the fisherman. 'Only
+yesterday, when we were coming from church, he asked me where I had
+been all last week, and why I had never once entered his house. He said
+that you had been speaking of me.' Christine raised her head, and cast
+a surprised and inquiring look at Kjeld. He went on: 'Jan said that you
+were longing to see me again.'
+
+'I cannot understand his conduct,' murmured Christine, musingly.
+
+'When your husband spoke thus,' said Kjeld, tenderly, 'why will you be
+harsher than he? Answer me, Christine--why may I not come here as
+hitherto? I ask for nothing more.'
+
+The young woman's lips quivered, and her whole frame trembled with
+emotion, which she seemed struggling to overcome, as she replied, in a
+broken voice, 'Oh, Kjeld, leave off such questions. It is a sin on your
+part to speak in this manner to me. Go--go, I beseech you. Jan will
+expect to meet you down yonder with the other boatmen.'
+
+Kjeld seemed lost in thought for a few moments; he then came close to
+Christine, laid his hand on her head, and tried to speak--but words
+failed him, and turning suddenly away, he rushed from the cottage. At
+the same moment the face vanished, which, from the outside of the
+window, had been watching the scene within.
+
+The storm appeared to be increasing. The lamp swung, and its light
+fluttered in the draughts of air from the ill-secured window-frames.
+When Christine found that she was alone, she crouched down close to the
+door, as if she wished to catch the last expiring echo of the footsteps
+of him who had just gone. She listened, but nothing was to be heard
+save the roaring of the tempest, and the sound of the rain pattering
+against the windows.
+
+This is a tale of the year 1808, at the commencement of that
+unfortunate period when Denmark, without a fleet, without an army, and
+almost without finances, entered into war both with Sweden and England.
+
+Down at the shore, in one of the little bays before mentioned, the
+water from which was conveyed a good way inland by a broad channel that
+had been dug for the purpose, there lay that evening two gunboats,
+which a number of men were getting out into the open sea. They worked
+hurriedly and silently, and the little noise that they unavoidably made
+was drowned in the roaring of the waves, which were dashing furiously
+on the beach of the narrow tongue of land. The men were all armed in
+the same way as Jan Steffens, and seemed to obey his orders.
+
+Jan was the principal pilot of the place, and well known as an
+excellent seaman. The two gunboats had been built and rigged at
+Fredericia, and afterwards placed under his command. They were the
+masters of the whole Belt, so to speak, and the previous summer they
+had taken several valuable prizes from the English.
+
+At the moment in question the pilot was standing on a rock on the
+beach, and dividing his attention between the men's work and the black
+clouds above, from which the rain was pouring down in torrents. All the
+preparations, so energetically carried on that evening, were made for
+the purpose of taking by surprise an English corvette, which, for want
+of a pilot, had anchored in a bay near Fyen shortly before the darkness
+and the storm had commenced.
+
+Just about the time that the gunboats had been hauled out to the
+extremity of the point, two persons approached the shore, both coming
+from the direction of the cottages. One was a half-grown lad, the other
+was Kjeld. The boy looked about for the pilot, and when he perceived
+him standing on the rock he hastened towards him.
+
+Jan stooped and whispered in the boy's ear,
+
+'Was he in yonder?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'You are sure you saw him--you have not made any mistake?'
+
+'I saw him as plainly as I now see you, Jan Steffens.'
+
+'Very well, Jens; you can go home. Let the sails alone!' he cried,
+shortly after, turning towards the group of men near; 'the storm is
+increasing, the wind is right against us, and we must row the boats
+out. How late may it be, I wonder?'
+
+'It is not yet midnight,' replied Kjeld, who had just approached the
+pilot. 'As I was coming along I heard the clock at Erizoe church strike
+eleven.'
+
+'Mongens Dal, at Fyensland, promised to place a light in his window at
+twelve o'clock,' observed another. 'His farm lies close by the bay
+where the English ship has anchored; we have only, then, to look out
+for that light, and there will be no mistake.'
+
+'Ay, ay--all right,' replied Jan, gruffly. 'Mind your own business,
+Vextel, and leave me to determine how we shall steer.'
+
+A few minutes afterwards he announced that it was time for them to put
+to sea.
+
+'Take your places,' cried Jan, 'and see that you make as little noise
+with the oars as possible. Ebbe, take the helm of the other boat, and
+follow close to the one I steer. We shall be a tolerable number this
+time, I think.'
+
+'You promised to take the porpoise-hunters from Middlefart with us.'
+
+'To be sure I did, and we shall find room for them; they are fine brave
+fellows, these porpoise-hunters. Has Kjeld come on board?'
+
+'Yes, pilot,' answered the young man from the first gunboat.
+
+'A word with you, Kjeld. Come a little way on shore.'
+
+Kjeld sprang out of the boat, the pilot went up to him, and they walked
+together from the beach towards the sandhills.
+
+'You will see that Kjeld will be half-mad this evening,' said one of
+the seamen in the first boat. 'Jan Steffens looks as sulky and savage
+as can be; very likely he has found out the love affair at home in his
+house up yonder.'
+
+'Poor man!' said another, 'why did he take so young a wife. He is much
+too old for her.'
+
+In the meantime, after Jan and Kjeld had walked to some distance in
+silence side by side, Jan asked suddenly,--
+
+'Where were you this evening, Kjeld? It was very late before you joined
+us.'
+
+Kjeld stammered some almost unintelligible words, while he seemed to be
+framing an answer.
+
+'You are thinking what you can say,' exclaimed the old pilot, in a
+voice unsteady with suppressed anger, 'for you dare not speak it out.
+You were with Christine. You ought not to conceal this from me. You
+were there also yesterday, and on Sunday, and last Friday; and, in
+short, whenever I am absent, at sea in my boat, or elsewhere, you find
+some pretext to visit her.'
+
+'I admit it is true,' replied Kjeld, who was startled by the stern
+coldness of Jan's looks and words.
+
+'But did it never occur to you that you were wrong in visiting her so
+often? Christine is a married woman, and you will bring discredit upon
+her with your frequent visits.'
+
+'I am a man of honour, Jan Steffens,' replied Kjeld, in a voice that
+trembled somewhat with anxiety at what might be the result of this
+conversation, 'and I have never behaved in your house in any way that
+you or the whole world might not have witnessed.'
+
+'That is, perhaps, a misfortune, sir.'
+
+'A misfortune!' exclaimed Kjeld, in amazement; 'what can you mean?'
+
+'If it had been otherwise,' replied Jan, quietly, 'I should have put a
+pistol to your head, and shot you--that's all. It would have been
+better both for you and her, maybe.'
+
+'But you yourself gave me permission to visit at your house; you said
+that Christine longed to have some news of me.'
+
+'Well, if I said that, of course you knew on whose account I asked you
+to come. You need not take the matter so much to heart, my lad; let us
+speak reasonably now. I know that you are a well-principled young man,
+Kjeld; I have watched you narrowly ever since Christine and I were
+married. I am aware how things stand between you two; I know all,
+Kjeld!'
+
+'You?'
+
+'Ah, yes! I know that she loves you, and that she has never in her life
+cared for anyone else.'
+
+'Then you know, also, that I am the most unfortunate man on earth,'
+replied Kjeld.
+
+'You!' exclaimed Jan, shrugging up his shoulders mockingly--'you! No,
+my lad, there is one who beats you in misfortune.'
+
+'Who?'
+
+'_I_. If you had acted towards me as you ought to have done, you would
+have come to me when I was courting Christine, and have told me how
+things were between you and her.'
+
+'We thought of doing that, Jan Steffens, but we did not dare to risk
+it.'
+
+'Nonsense--nonsense! one should dare everything to fulfil one's duty.
+But you kept silence at that time, so did she, and matters were allowed
+to take their course.'
+
+'Oh, Jan Steffens!' replied the young fisherman, in a voice trembling
+with emotion, 'what could I have said to you? I was a poor fellow,
+working hard to obtain food enough for my own support. You were well
+off, and had been kind to Christine's father, therefore they were glad
+to let you have the girl.'
+
+'A very good reason, truly. What! because I had been kind to the old
+people, had I a claim to make their daughter unhappy? No; the blame was
+your own. You both kept silence, and yourselves are answerable for the
+evil that followed. Hearken, Kjeld! from this evening forward we must
+understand each other. I loved Christine from the first moment I beheld
+her; she was so amiable, so dutiful, and so full of affectionate
+feeling for the old people, her parents, and so attentive to them, that
+I thought she would make an excellent wife. I knew that she would have
+many more comforts in my house than she had at home. I reflected on
+everything, except upon the difference between our ages. She was
+silent--she wept; but she married me. Since that time, Kjeld, I have
+done all that a man could do to make myself liked. I was kind and
+indulgent to her. I allowed her to rule in all things, and to do
+whatever she pleased. I brought her home the most beautiful dresses and
+presents when I went on voyages. But all was of no avail. I was _too
+old_.
+
+'I bought a new boat for her father, I took her mother into our house,
+I clothed her little sisters and sent them to school, I prayed to the
+Lord every morning and evening of my life in mercy to inspire her with
+kindly feelings towards me--but in vain, in vain! She went through her
+duties, and was civil and good-tempered; but love me she never could.
+When I was young, like you, Kjeld, I dared not attach myself to any
+woman, because I was _too poor_; now that I have become rich, none will
+attach herself to me, because I am _too old_. You look sad. Ah, so goes
+the world, my boy! It was not long before I found out that you loved
+Christine; and, alas! still worse--I too soon perceived how much she
+cared for you. While you both thought the secret was buried in your own
+hearts, I read it as if in an open book. Then I was seized with the
+most furious jealousy. I resolved to murder you, and more than once, at
+that period, there was but a hair-breadth between you and death. I
+watched you closely--my eyes were often on you, and never were you out
+of my thoughts.'
+
+Jan stopped; he seemed to be nerving himself to go on with his
+narration. Kjeld observed that he was shaking, as if in an ague fit.
+
+'You were an honourable man, Kjeld, as you declared a little while
+ago,' continued Jan, 'yet that which ought to have made my unhappiness
+less, absolutely added to it. I have nothing to complain of--nothing to
+reproach you with--all falls back upon myself--upon that disastrous,
+that wretched union of hands, in which the soul took no part; and when
+one has come to the full knowledge that such was the case, the painful
+truth fastens itself upon the mind, and impels one to seek some remedy
+to the misfortune.'
+
+'You are right, Jan Steffens,' replied Kjeld, earnestly. 'I, too, have
+been reflecting upon a remedy since I left Christine a little while
+ago, when she wished to Heaven she had never known me--never even
+beheld me.'
+
+'Did Christine really say that?' exclaimed the pilot with surprise,
+but, it must be owned, not without feeling somewhat pleased and
+flattered. 'Well, that was rather a cruel wish to bestow on you this
+evening, when she thought that you were going on an expedition from
+whence many of us will, perhaps, never return.'
+
+'Christine is a better wife than you fancy; she discards every thought
+that is not in accordance with her duty; I shall not be wanting in mine
+either, and I have hit upon a plan to set all to rights.'
+
+'So have I,' said the pilot.
+
+'I shall go away and engage myself on board some ship trading with a
+foreign country, and neither she nor you shall see me often again, if
+it shall please God to spare my life in our enterprise to-night.'
+
+'That he certainly will do, my lad, for a good reason--that you shall
+not go with us.'
+
+'Not go with you! What do you mean by that?' asked Kjeld, in the utmost
+amazement.
+
+'Listen!' replied Jan, with cold, quiet decision of manner. 'I have not
+much time to spare, and my resolution is taken. Because you have
+behaved honourably, and because you have both felt so kindly disposed
+towards an old man who, without knowing or intending it, brought upon
+you the greatest disappointment that can befall anyone, I will ensure
+you both a reward. Go back to Christine, and tell her, that from this
+evening henceforth I will bestow on her all the liberty she can desire;
+she shall no longer have cause to grieve and to weep, as she has so
+often done when she supposed no one saw her, or at night, when she
+thought I was asleep: you can say that since it was impossible for me
+to win her affection, and be happy myself, I will not hinder her from
+being so. On this account, it is not _you_, young man, but _I_, who
+must go away to a distant land, never more to return.'
+
+It would be difficult to describe the young seaman's amazement as he
+listened to these words.
+
+'I do not at all understand you, Jan Steffens,' he said. 'What do you
+mean by speaking in this manner?'
+
+'They are calling to me from the boats!' cried Jan. 'Do you not hear
+their shouts? I must away. What do I mean?' he added, in a lower tone.
+'It is easily understood; if I die to-night, I cannot stand in your way
+to-morrow.'
+
+'Die!' cried Kjeld. 'Are you going to kill yourself?'
+
+'No,' replied the pilot, calmly. 'But I feel pretty sure that the
+Englishmen will take the trouble of despatching me upon themselves.'
+
+'No, no! that shall not be! You must let me go with you, Jan Steffens,
+and share your danger; you promised that you would. Besides, according
+to the lots that we drew in the dark, I have a right to accompany you.
+And if you were to die--if you were to put yourself forward to be
+killed--I should be still more miserable than I am now. Christine
+would never be mine, if that happiness were purchased by your death
+to-night.'
+
+'Oh, as to that, you will change your tune when the time comes,'
+replied the pilot, turning to go; but Kjeld stopped him, and placing
+himself before him, while he seized his arms, exclaimed,
+
+'Oh, Jan Steffens! take me with you; I entreat you, as the greatest
+favour, to do so. You shall not forsake Christine; you are a far better
+husband to her than I should be. Let me go with the boats!'
+
+Jan shook himself free from the young man's grasp, and in answer to his
+earnest appeal, he said,
+
+'It shall be as I have determined, Kjeld, so there is no use for
+another word on the subject. But you must not go to Christine till
+to-morrow, for you may well believe that I must have ceased to live
+before I cease to love her. Farewell, Kjeld--be kind to her, and make
+her as happy as you can. She is very mild, and is easily intimidated.
+When she is yours, and you speak of me in future years, remember that I
+wished to do good to you both--that I atoned for my fault as well as I
+could--and that my greatest misfortune was--that she was so young, or
+rather, that I was _too old_.'
+
+The pilot wrung Kjeld's hand as he said these words, and before the
+young fisherman had time to conquer his emotion so as to be able to
+make any reply, the old man had left him, and was crossing the sand
+with rapid strides towards the shore where the boats' crews were
+assembled. Kjeld followed him, crying, 'Jan Steffens, let me go with
+you only this once; do not thus turn a deaf ear to me. You will rob me
+of my honour, my share in your glory, if I alone am to be left behind.'
+
+'Push off!' shouted the pilot, as he jumped into the leading gunboat,
+and took his place at the helm.
+
+The oars sank, and both the boats began to move towards the sea. Kjeld
+uttered a despairing cry, and sprang after them, but he could not reach
+them, and the waves cast him back on the shore.
+
+'Things shall be as I have said,' he heard in the pilot's deep voice
+from the foremost boat. 'But do not go up yonder before to-morrow, and
+may the Lord be with you both!'
+
+The men in the boats had been astonished witnesses of this scene. Those
+who sat nearest to him cast looks of inquiry towards the pilot; but his
+eye gave no responsive glance, his sunburnt face only expressed
+inflexible resolution, and his countenance was, perhaps, a little
+sterner even than usual.
+
+From the beach Kjeld saw the boats rising and sinking amidst the
+foaming waves, while his passionate entreaties and his wild shouts were
+lost in the roaring of the wind and the thunder of the sea. The rain
+was pouring in torrents, and the skies were obscured by heavy black
+clouds. Soon after the two boats appeared only as dark specks upon the
+water, and presently even these vanished amidst the thick fog which
+rested over the sea at a little distance.
+
+Fortunately the current was running northwards that night--that is to
+say, in a direction which favoured the progress of the gunboats, so
+that their crews were not obliged to fatigue themselves with rowing
+hard. The raging sea broke repeatedly over the boats, but no one seemed
+to mind this; they placed complete confidence in the pilot, whose tall
+figure, apparently immovable, stood upright at the helm: and perhaps
+the thoughts of all were directed to the object of their expedition,
+which they were rapidly approaching. The rain had somewhat abated in
+that particular place, and when a gust of wind partially dispelled the
+fog for a moment, they saw on the opposite high coast of Fyen the
+signal-light, which, though it was but faint and flickering, pointed
+out to them where they should seek the enemy. Amidst the profound
+silence that reigned in the boats, the pilot addressed the men in low
+but distinct tones.
+
+'Row more quietly still, Gutter! Make no noise with your oars; you may
+be certain that they have their eyes and ears open yonder. They know
+right well where they are. Have the guns clear in front there, Nikolai;
+you must show us to-night that you understand your work like an old
+artilleryman. The wind will fall off the nearer we come under the
+shelter of the hilly land. If I see aright, we have our man there in
+the lee of the boats.'
+
+All eyes were instantly turned in the direction he had named; a dark
+object became soon after perceptible amidst the thick gloom around, it
+gradually grew in size and developed its outline, until the hull of a
+ship was to be discerned, sharp and black, reposing on the waters like
+a swan.
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+
+In pursuance of the plan which Jan Steffens had arranged, the boats
+shaped their course so as to come between the land and the corvette.
+They could hear the wind whistling amidst the cordage, could see the
+light in the captain's cabin, and the heads of the officers of the
+watch as they paced up and down the quarter-deck. The silence which had
+reigned on board was broken the moment the pilot's boat was perceived
+from the ship. Immediately afterwards Jan's sonorous voice was heard
+commanding his men to fire. Both the gunboats fired at the same moment,
+and with terrible effect.
+
+It would be in vain to try to describe the commotion which now took
+place on board the enemy's ship. The attack had been made as suddenly
+as it had been planned; it was also favoured in the highest degree by
+the darkness and the tempest, which embarrassed many of the movements
+of the ship at anchor, whilst the gunboats, on the contrary, were able
+to move easily towards the places where their fire would operate most
+effectively, and be most destructive. Under these fortunate
+circumstances the fishermen continued to load and to discharge their
+guns. Splinters and pieces of broken planks evinced the accuracy of
+their gunners. On board the corvette they were not able to point their
+cannon so low that they could sweep the boats, whose flat hulls,
+besides, were only visible during the flashes of fire from the guns,
+and in an instant after seemed to have been swallowed up by the lofty
+billows.
+
+Meanwhile the drums beat on board the ship; the boatswain's whistle
+mingled with the officer's words of command--disorder was at an end.
+Everything was done that circumstances permitted to oppose the enemy,
+and their fire was returned whenever their position could be
+ascertained. Soon after the rain ceased, and faint rays of pale
+moonlight struggled through the dark masses of clouds that were driving
+across the skies. The gunboats came close under the man-of-war, and
+after another discharge of their guns, the crews boarded the ship,
+climbing in by every possible opening, amidst cries of joyous triumph;
+and then commenced a scene in which were mingled the sounds of oaths,
+shouts, and pistol-shots, while everything was shrouded in the thick
+veil of mist and dark clouds of smoke.
+
+At Lyngspoint every shot was heard, and caused the deepest anxiety for
+the absent. As usual upon similar occasions, lights appeared in all the
+fishermen's huts. None of the females thought of sleep while their
+husbands and their brothers were fighting upon the stormy sea. The
+tempest roared around the cottages, the watch-dogs howled as if
+lamenting their masters' danger, and the crowing of the cocks announced
+the approach of morning. Pale countenances, expressive of fear and
+anxiety, appeared one after the other at the half-open doors; presently
+the women began to go over to each other's houses to communicate their
+forebodings, or to seek for the comfort so much needed. In the little
+porch of one of the houses nearest to the shore stood a group of three
+females muffled up in woollen shawls and gazing upon the sea. Every
+shot was noticed by them with a sigh or a speaking glance.
+
+'There is warm work going on over yonder,' groaned one woman.
+
+'Ah, yes!' replied another; 'I was just thinking that every one of
+these shots may cost a man's life--the lives of _our_ men, perhaps.'
+
+'Nonsense! there is nothing to make such a fuss about,' exclaimed a
+rough voice. 'Our people's lives are in God's hands, even though they
+may stand before the barrel of a gun, or ride on a plank over the
+ocean. I have put up a prayer to the Lord for my boy. "Do your duty," I
+said to him when he went away, "and our Almighty Father will order the
+rest as seems good to Him!"'
+
+She who spoke thus was an extraordinary-looking woman. Her face was
+entirely covered with wrinkles and marks of the small-pox, which made
+her harsh features look still coarser than they really were. Some years
+before the date of the night in question, her husband had been lost at
+sea, and she and her little son had been left in the utmost poverty.
+From that time Ellen went out with the men to fish: she worked as hard
+as the best of them, managed her boat like an experienced seaman, and
+never seemed to feel fatigue. Equipped in a short dress, a pair of
+large fisherman's boots, and a dark, low hat, which in nautical
+language is called 'a sou'-wester,' she was to be seen in the worst
+weather carrying her fish about to the neighbouring farms for sale; in
+the autumn months she hired the old right of ferryman at Snoghoei, and
+carried fruit over from AEro to Zealand--she took travellers across to
+Strib--mended her own boat when it needed repairs; in short, she worked
+hard, for she worked to maintain her son.
+
+Doubtless some local readers of this slight sketch will recognize in
+Ellen an old acquaintance, who was always welcome wherever she showed
+herself; an honest, upright, self-sacrificing character, whose whole
+life was one scene of unflinching devotion to her duties, until she
+suddenly disappeared from her home, and was never seen again.
+
+Ellen was standing with a short clay-pipe in her mouth, her rough grey
+locks confined by a handkerchief tied under her chin.
+
+'I'll tell you what, Ellen,' said one of the other women, 'let us run
+over to Stine Steffens, as none of us have any mind to go to sleep
+to-night. She has a warm, comfortable room, and can give us a good cup
+of coffee.'
+
+Her proposition was readily agreed to by the group of women who had now
+assembled, and, tying handkerchiefs over their heads like hoods, they
+all repaired to Jan Steffens's house, with the exception of 'Skipper
+Ellen,' as she was generally called, who remained behind.
+
+Christine was still sitting in the same corner of the room where she
+had placed herself after Kjeld had left her. Her beautiful, expressive
+eyes were swimming in tears.
+
+'Good evening, little Stine!' cried one of the fisherwomen. 'How goes
+it with you?'
+
+'Oh, as with the rest of you,' she replied. 'I am full of anxiety and
+terror. It was kind of you to come here. Pray sit down.'
+
+'You had better come to one of our houses, and we shall make some good
+strong coffee; that will help to kill the time.'
+
+'We can make the coffee as well here,' said Christine.
+
+'Oh, certainly,' said the other, joyfully, 'and I will help to blow up
+the fire.'
+
+The fire was rekindled, the coffee made, and the conversation was then
+resumed.
+
+'Would to Heaven our people were safe at home again!' exclaimed
+Christine. 'I am so terrified at the risk they are running to-night.'
+
+'And with good reason too,' said one of the women. 'There is sure to be
+sorrow among some of us to-morrow, for the firing has been going on at
+least half-an-hour. But we must comfort ourselves by remembering that
+storm and sunshine come from the same hand; and if some are sufferers
+others will be gainers, for no doubt there will be a good deal of
+prize-money from so large a ship. You, at any rate, can take things
+easily, my good Stine, for if anything should happen to your old man,
+your fate won't be very hard--you will soon have another and a younger
+husband. Besides, Jan Steffens always gets a double portion of any
+prize-money, or any treasure that is found, though all the other men
+risk their lives as much as he does his.'
+
+'Oh, come now,' cried another, 'Christine has twice as much cause of
+anxiety as we have. We have only _one_ to think of--she has _two_.'
+
+'Two!' exclaimed Christine. 'What do you mean?'
+
+'Why, have you not first your old husband, and then a young sweetheart
+in the background? I mean Kjeld Olsen.'
+
+While Christine was reflecting what answer to make to this sudden
+attack, another woman said,
+
+'There is no fear of anything happening to Kjeld Olsen to-night; he was
+wiser than to put himself into jeopardy, so he remained at home, and
+let them go without him. Of course he had good reasons for determining
+to spare his own life--old Jan Steffens may lose his.'
+
+Up to this moment Christine had not made any reply to their rude jests,
+hut her patience was now exhausted, her pale cheeks turned crimson, and
+rising up she said firmly,
+
+'You have not been speaking the truth. Kjeld is to-night where he
+always delights to be, in the midst of danger, the boldest among the
+bold.'
+
+'Who is speaking of Kjeld?' asked Skipper Ellen, who had entered the
+room at that moment. 'He is standing down yonder on the shore, and
+trying hard to persuade Poul Mikkelsen, at any price, to take him over
+in his boat to the English ship.'
+
+'There now, you hear he is at home,' cried the woman, who had first
+mentioned the fact. 'It is well you came, Ellen, for Christine would
+not believe our word.'
+
+'Will you come down to the shore?' asked Ellen; 'the rain is over, the
+wind has lulled, and the moon is shining clearly.'
+
+'Yes, let us go,' said Christine, laying aside the empty coffee-cups.
+
+'Ah! now we shall see what is the matter with poor Kjeld.'
+
+'Of course old Jan Steffens did not care to have his company,' said the
+most ill-natured woman. 'No doubt he knew pretty well where Kjeld's
+thoughts would be wandering to.'
+
+'And _I_ say you are quite mistaken,' replied Ellen, casting a look of
+angry scorn on the woman. 'It would be a happy thing for you, Birthe,
+if you had a son, or anyone belonging to you, that resembled Kjeld.'
+
+So saying, she took Christine by the arm and went towards the shore,
+followed by the rest of the women. It had ceased raining, and the wind
+had abated, but the sea was still much agitated, and the noise of
+firing was yet to be heard. Kjeld was standing in earnest conversation
+with an old man, who was leaning on a staff, and who shook his head
+occasionally as if refusing something.
+
+'What is the matter, Kjeld?' asked Skipper Ellen. 'And why have you not
+gone with the rest of them?'
+
+'Jan Steffens said there were too many in the boats,' he answered
+evasively.
+
+'Ay--and now he insists upon following them,' said the old man, 'and
+offers me everything he has to help him to row over yonder. But the
+weather is too bad. I won't trust my boat out in such a wild sea.'
+
+'What nonsense!' cried Ellen, jeeringly. 'Are you afraid of risking
+your life, Poul?'
+
+'You know better, Ellen,' replied the old man. 'I have no fear for my
+life, but if I lose my boat my children will starve.'
+
+'That is a serious consideration, to be sure,' said Ellen, 'but the
+young man shall go, notwithstanding, and if you won't accompany him,
+_I_ will. Come here, Kjeld--when you and I put our strength together I
+think we shall manage to reach the other side.'
+
+Kjeld uttered a cry of joy, shook Ellen's hand warmly, and exclaimed,
+'May God bless and reward you, dear good Ellen; I shall never forget
+your kindness.'
+
+'As to your boat, Poul, you must not be alarmed if we borrow it,' said
+Ellen. 'If we are unlucky, and the sea takes us, my boat lies drawn up
+on the land, newly painted and just put to rights; and in the village
+yonder I have a small house--you can take both as payment if your boat
+be lost. But Kjeld _shall_ go as he wishes.'
+
+'Don't attempt to go, Ellen,' cried one of the women, 'you will only
+get into trouble.'
+
+'With God's help I have no fear of that. The lad shall go, if we should
+cross in one of my fishing-boats.'
+
+She forced herself through the circle of women who had gathered around
+her, and hastened to the shore, where Kjeld had already placed himself
+in the frail boat. Ellen got into it, and, standing up, seized an oar.
+Soon after the boat glided out to sea, and the somewhat hazardous
+voyage was begun.
+
+'She is a wonderful woman, that Ellen!' exclaimed one of those who were
+looking on. 'A lucky fellow he was who got her for a wife; there's
+nothing she can't turn her hand to; and she can work as well as the
+best man among them.'
+
+As long as it was possible to perceive the boat, it was observed to be
+making straight for its destination; rowed by vigorous arms, and
+managed by experienced persons, it seemed sometimes to be swallowed up
+by the waves, and then it would be seen as if riding over them, and
+defying them, while it never swerved from its appointed course.
+
+'Come now, Kjeld,' cried Ellen, after they had got some distance from
+the land, 'let us two have a little rational conversation. It was
+partly to find an opportunity for this that I was so willing to go to
+sea with you to-night. What really is the matter with you, my lad? Why
+have you been going about latterly with your head drooping in such a
+melancholy way, and loitering about in idleness, instead of following
+your occupations cheerfully and diligently?'
+
+'The matter with me!' exclaimed Kjeld, in well-feigned astonishment;
+'why, nothing, Ellen--you are quite mistaken in supposing that anything
+is the matter with me.'
+
+'Oh, there is no use in your denying that something ails you; I am too
+old to be easily humbugged. You must speak the honest truth to me,
+Kjeld; you must be as frank with me as I am with you. You need not
+fear to speak freely, for no one can overhear you out thus far on the
+sea--no one, my boy--except myself and He who rules the ocean. You are
+still silent, Kjeld--then _I_ will speak out. You are sighing and
+grieving because you love Christine Steffens, and because you think
+that she loves you; that's the short and the long of the matter. But
+have you forgotten that Christine is a married woman? and are you aware
+that your conduct is bringing her name into people's mouths--that every
+creature in the village is talking of you and her, and that the walls
+of her own house cannot protect her against jeering and insult? I have
+myself been a witness of this to-night.'
+
+'What was said to her, Ellen?' asked Kjeld, in consternation. 'Who
+could speak a syllable in disparagement of Christine?'
+
+'Say, rather, who can prevent it, Kjeld, since you yourself afford such
+ample room for tittle-tattle.'
+
+'Ah, Ellen! if you only knew how much I love Christine! She has been my
+thought by day, and my dream by night; and when I have been away on
+long voyages, I denied myself everything to save all I got for her. I
+always expected that she would certainly one day be mine--but when I
+came home this autumn, she was married!'
+
+'It was a pity. There is nothing left for you, therefore, now, but to
+forget her.'
+
+'Forget her! I shall never, never forget her.'
+
+'Oh, I have heard such vows before; young folks have always these
+ideas, but they smile at them when they become older. An honourable man
+loves a girl when he marries her, or when he intends to marry her.'
+
+'And when he cannot marry her?'
+
+'Then he lets her alone, my good lad, and turns his attention to some
+one else.'
+
+'More easily said than done, Ellen.'
+
+'You think I do not know what I am speaking about because I am old, and
+grey, and wrinkled. Is it not so, Kjeld? But remember that old people
+have been young themselves once, and let me tell you that the misery
+which you find it so impossible to bear, I have borne, though I am only
+a woman. Long ago, when I was a little better-looking than I am now,
+there was one who was always uppermost in my thoughts--one whom I
+cherished in my secret soul; in short, to whom I was as much attached
+as you are to Christine. He wooed me, too; he begged me to be his wife,
+and swore by Him who made yon heavens above that he loved only me.'
+
+'And what answer did you give him?'
+
+'I told him that we could not be so imprudent as to marry, for he had
+little, and I had still less; that I would marry the man who was the
+landlord of the house in which we resided, to provide a comfortable
+home for my mother as long as she lived. And I did marry that man. He
+whom I had refused never knew how much I cared for him; he did not
+think that I had been really attached to him. But I grieved when he
+went away. There never was a squall at sea that I did not think with
+anxiety about him; and many a night have I soaked my pillow with my
+tears, when I could not go to sleep because the tempest raged so
+without.'
+
+'Do I know the person of whom you are speaking, Ellen?'
+
+'Yes, you do, Kjeld: he is your own father.'
+
+'My father!'
+
+'Can you now comprehend why I have always taken such an interest in
+you, and why I have some right to advise you to let Christine alone? I
+do not say that you must forget her.'
+
+'No, because you are convinced it is impossible for me to do so.'
+
+'Not at all--because I know forgetfulness will come of itself. I only
+desire to impress on you the necessity of leaving this place, and no
+longer loitering about the sea-shore here. To-morrow I am going to sail
+to AEro, or AEbler, and if you will come with me, Kjeld, we will go on to
+Copenhagen. You had better engage yourself on board some ship going to
+the south, and stay away a few years. When you come back again, if our
+Lord has spared my life till then, you will thank me for the advice I
+have given you this night. But see! here are our boats. For God's sake,
+Kjeld, do your duty! I will fasten our little skiff to one of the
+gunboats.'
+
+Christine in the meantime remained standing on the beach at a little
+distance from the other women. She had been a silent but much
+interested spectator of all that had occurred previous to Kjeld's and
+Ellen's departure, and she stood watching the frail little boat as long
+as it was visible. At length the fisherwomen rejoined her, and were
+loud in the expression of their fears and forebodings. Christine said
+scarcely anything.
+
+'Of course you have no reason to be afraid, Christine,' said the same
+woman who had before commenced jeering at her in Jan Steffens's house.
+
+'Kjeld cannot arrive yonder until all the dangerous work is over, but
+he can always boast of being one of the party, and perhaps he may get a
+share of the prize-money. And if any accident should happen to old Jan
+Steffens, you will have a new protector ready at hand.'
+
+'What do you mean by all the insinuations you have been throwing out
+to-night?' asked Christine.
+
+'Well, this is too good!' cried the woman, laughing, and turning
+towards the other females. 'She pretends to be so ignorant, the little
+lamb!'
+
+'But speak out--explain yourself! I do not understand a word you have
+been saying, and cannot imagine what you have been all driving at
+to-night.'
+
+'I mean that you and Kjeld will marry as soon as Jan's eyes are closed
+for ever, and that it is no fault of yours or Kjeld's that this has
+been so long of taking place.'
+
+'And will you listen to my answer?' said Christine, in a peremptory
+tone, and speaking with such pointed distinctness that her words were
+perfectly heard by every one near. 'If such a misfortune should befall
+me that any accident shall occur to Jan Steffens to-night, I swear that
+I will never marry either Kjeld Olsen, or any other man upon this
+earth.'
+
+'Oh, you would think better of it--you would change your mind,' cried
+the other, laughing scornfully.
+
+'No!' said Christine. 'By my hopes of salvation and eternal happiness
+in the world to come, I speak the truth. And I beseech you to believe
+me, and leave me in peace.'
+
+Shortly after the firing ceased, and many eyes were turned anxiously
+towards the place where it was known the ship lay.
+
+'It is over now,' said a solemn voice. 'They will be coming back
+presently. God have mercy on us all, but especially on those who have
+lost any near and dear to them!'
+
+There was a deep and unbroken silence among the crowd. Terror and
+anxiety had closed all their lips, and every eye was strained looking
+out for the boats. Old Poul Mikkelsen, who had clambered up to the top
+of a pile of rocks, was sitting without his hat, and singing the first
+verses of a psalm in a weak and tremulous voice. Suddenly there burst
+forth a bright light in the direction of the ship; it increased in
+width until by degrees it became a broad sheet of dark flame, the
+glowing reflection of which streamed over the waves and tinged the
+hills that skirted the adjacent coast. Such was the glare of light that
+the shore at Fyensland could be seen crowded with people, and several
+boats were discerned apparently rowing in great haste to and from the
+corvette.
+
+'The ship is on fire!' cried Poul. 'Our people have been victorious.'
+
+The fire seemed to increase until at length it appeared to become
+concentrated, when it shot up in one high pillar of flame, from which
+jets of sparks were thrown up into the air around. While the group
+on the shore at Lyngspoint were standing in breathless silence, the
+church clock at Erizoe was heard to strike three, and the grey dawn of
+morning began to give place to the clear light of day. In the glare
+from the fire the corvette--with its slender masts, its yards, and
+cordage--became distinctly and fearfully visible, and people could be
+perceived hurrying up and down the deck. Shortly after, the guns went
+off, the fire having then reached them, and one cannon-ball struck the
+bank at no great distance from where the wives and families of the
+fishermen were assembled. No one seemed to notice it, for the thoughts
+of all were earnestly bent upon the terrible drama which was being
+enacted out upon the sea; each person present had a deep interest in
+it, and not one of them but waited for its _denoument_ with dread and
+apprehension.
+
+'Here come our boats!' cried Poul, pointing with his staff towards two
+dark specks which were to be seen tossing on the waves at a little
+distance from the corvette. Soon after a third boat was observed, towed
+by one of the gun-boats. Christine had been the first to perceive it;
+she folded her hands, and cast a grateful look of thanksgiving up
+towards heaven.
+
+At length the gunboats reached the shore. In the deeply-affecting
+scene that followed were mingled joyous exclamations and groans of
+despair--smiles and tears--as those so dear and so anxiously looked for
+were found to be safe, or, alas! to be among the wounded and the dead.
+Christine's eyes sought Jan everywhere--but in vain--she did not see
+him. She covered her face, and burst into tears.
+
+In a few minutes Kjeld approached her, and laid his hand gently on her
+arm.
+
+'Where is my husband?' she asked, impatiently.
+
+'He is dead,' replied Kjeld.
+
+'Dead! dead!' exclaimed Christine, in a voice faint and trembling from
+agitation.
+
+'Yes! He fell at the very moment that he ordered us to return to our
+boats, when the Englishmen had set fire to the corvette. I did all I
+could to save him, dear Christine; I posted myself at his side, and
+defended him to the last. But it was all in vain; it was impossible to
+rescue him from death.'
+
+'Why did you not go with him at first?' asked Christine abruptly.
+
+'Because he insisted that I should not. He knew all that we, too, have
+felt and thought; he desired me to remain behind, and carry a message
+to you, but I was not to deliver it until to-morrow.'
+
+'It will be needless,' said Christine. 'To-morrow I shall be gone to my
+aunt at Kjaerup.'
+
+She stretched out both her hands to him, and struggling with her tears,
+she added, in a tone of deep emotion.
+
+'God be with you, Kjeld! my dear, my only friend!'
+
+'You are not going away, Christine?' exclaimed Kjeld.
+
+'Yes,' she replied. 'I made a vow to the Almighty that I would do so
+when I offered up my prayers to Him to bring you back unhurt.'
+
+'But still why must you go away?' he asked, in a voice of alarm and
+anxiety.
+
+'Because we two must forget our hopes and our dreams; because we must
+separate from each other, never more to meet again!'
+
+
+
+
+                            AUNT FRANCISCA.
+
+                   FROM THE DANISH OF CARL BERNHARD.
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+On a lovely summer evening, in the month of July, an old lady was to be
+seen walking alone by the row of small houses which forms one side of
+St. Anne's Place, and stretches down towards the harbour. This part of
+Copenhagen contains the domiciles of the fashionable world; it is what
+the Faubourg Saint-Germain used to be to the Parisians; palace succeeds
+to palace, the Court is situated in this neighbourhood, and the foreign
+diplomatists--a class more important in Copenhagen than perhaps in any
+other place on earth--honour this portion of the city by making it
+their abode. But, as it were, to remind the world that great people
+cannot do without the poorer sort, certain small houses have here and
+there thrust themselves into good society, and the many signboards
+hanging out plainly evince that their inhabitants do not wear laurels
+so easily won, or enjoy such luxurious repose as their neighbours do.
+At any rate, such certainly is the case with the dwellers in the row of
+houses above mentioned, which, from one end to the other, is occupied
+by mechanics, seafaring men, and other common people.
+
+The old lady walked so slowly that you could easily perceive she was
+already on the shady side of life; her carriage was stiff, and her
+steps measured, as if she moved with some difficulty; yet it was
+evident that she had some determined object earnestly in view. Her
+features were sharp, and denoted firmness; indeed, they might have been
+thought harsh and forbidding, had not her mild blue eyes imparted an
+expression of tenderness and goodness to her otherwise stern
+countenance. I know not if my description is clear enough to convey to
+my readers any idea of the face that now stands before my mind's eye,
+but Aunt Francisca's countenance was always somewhat of a difficult
+problem, and this must be my excuse if I have failed in the delineation
+of it. Her dress was in keeping with her general appearance; it was in
+the fashion of a bygone period, at least twenty years old in make and
+materials, and yet one might in vain have sought for a single spot or
+crease in it. There were such fastidious cleanliness, and such a degree
+of scrupulous neatness visible over her whole person, that the beholder
+at once felt assured an old maid was before him. Be this said without
+any disrespect to other ladies, whose _nicety_ I am far from calling in
+question.
+
+With an extensive parasol in her hand, and a large and apparently heavy
+silken bag over her arm, the old lady advanced towards a house whose
+exterior denoted that it was occupied by people belonging to the lower
+classes. She did not scan the number of the houses, and her feet seemed
+mechanically to have found its threshold, as if she had often passed
+over it. And so she had, in truth. A young woman, with a child in her
+arms, opened the door to her, and exclaimed,
+
+'Is it really you, my dear lady? Our Lord himself must send you here to
+us, poor miserable creatures!'
+
+The speaker and the infant she held in her arms were both clad in
+absolute tatters. The child looked like a monster in a magic glass,
+shrivelled up, yellow skinned, with sunken but staring eyes, and
+wrinkled, though scarcely yet two years of age. It would have been
+difficult to have determined which bore the palm for dirt and disorder,
+the room or its inhabitants.
+
+The elderly lady looked about in vain for a place where she might seat
+herself.
+
+'You do not deserve that I should come more frequently to visit you,'
+the lady said; 'all hope of assisting you is at an end when you
+yourself will do nothing to improve your condition. In what state is
+this that I find you? You promised me that when next I came I should
+see everything tidy about you.'
+
+The woman cast down her eyes at this reproachful greeting, and remained
+silent. She placed the child on the floor while she dusted with the
+shreds of an old garment a wooden stool, the only seat in the room. The
+lady looked compassionately at the child, and said, in a less stern
+voice,
+
+'What you will not do for your own comfort's sake, you will surely not
+refuse to do for the sake of your poor children. The unfortunate little
+creatures will perish amidst all this dirt; it _must_ engender disease.
+Where are the other children? Has the eldest gone to school yet?'
+
+The poor woman looked much embarrassed, and stammered a few words which
+it was impossible to comprehend. The lady continued her interrogations:
+
+'And your husband--has he got any work? Why did he never go to the
+place where I told him he could obtain employment? Because he prefers
+remaining in idleness to attempting any useful occupation--he would
+rather spend in rioting the few pence he can scrape together, than work
+to place himself beyond want and wretchedness. What will be the end of
+these courses?'
+
+'Ah, my good lady, you are quite right,' replied the woman; 'my
+husband, the good-for-nothing that he is, is the cause of all our
+misery. He will not let spirits alone, and every penny we have goes
+down his throat in strong drink. I beg pardon for mentioning this to
+you, madam, who no doubt have a fine, good gentleman for a husband, but
+men-folks in _our_ rank are dreadful creatures; I often wish I had
+never married.'
+
+'Very likely your husband has the same improper feeling towards you,
+and upon as good grounds,' replied the old lady. 'Married people should
+bear with each other, and share their burdens between them as well as
+their pleasures. A disorderly wife has no right to complain of a
+disorderly husband. It is a woman's duty to make home comfortable;
+_that_ can be done at little cost, but it cannot be done without order
+and cleanliness. All that I have seen here proves that you are quite as
+much in fault as your husband. Where is the yarn for which I gave you
+money? Have you bought the flax?'
+
+The poor woman burst into tears, and began to protest that she was not
+to blame. Had she known the lady's name, or where she resided, she
+would have come to her in her trouble. But she was ignorant of both;
+the landlord had threatened to turn them out into the street if they
+did not pay their rent; and she had nothing to give him, no means of
+keeping a roof over their heads except by handing him the money
+entrusted to her, which she was assured by her husband there was no sin
+in disposing of in this way, as it had been a gift. The old lady
+inquired more minutely into the state of their affairs, remonstrated
+with the young woman, scolded her, and threatened to withdraw the
+assistance she gave them if they would not make some exertion for the
+future to help themselves, and finished by drawing forth from the large
+silk bag sundry articles of food and clothing, which she laid on the
+table before the unfortunate mother. She then took the infant up from
+the floor, kissed it, and gave it some nice wheaten bread and a new
+dress, and promised the mother that she would give the child an entire
+suit of new clothes if, on her next visit, she found everything clean
+and in order. Bestowing upon her once more some earnest injunctions,
+the lady left the house without waiting to listen to the poor woman's
+thanks and blessings.
+
+When she went up the street it was with the same measured steps, and
+the same prim air as before; the large silk bag hung from her left arm,
+but it was empty now, while she held daintily with two fingers of her
+right hand the old-fashioned parasol. Thus she walked on until she
+reached a house in Bredegade, where resided a relation of hers named
+Werner, the widow of a councillor of state,[2] who had two daughters,
+of whom the elder was called Louise, the younger Flora. Louise was a
+very quiet girl and of a retiring disposition; she was betrothed and
+soon to be married to Rudolph Horn, a young lawyer, who had a great
+deal of business, and was possessed of a good private fortune besides.
+Flora was secretly engaged to Lieutenant Arnold--secretly, that is to
+say, the engagement had not been declared, though everybody was aware
+of it. It might be a tolerable match when he became a captain, but it
+would probably be a dozen years or more before he obtained his company.
+They were both young, however, and time flies rapidly, as everybody
+knows, so they consoled themselves with hope.
+
+The family were sitting in an arbour in the garden, as they often did
+in summer; Arnold had brought a new novel which he had just commenced
+reading aloud to them. The ladies--their number increased by the
+addition of two cousins, who frequently visited them--sat round the
+table with their work, exceedingly interested in the novel, which began
+'so charmingly,' and promised to be 'so interesting,' when Arnold
+happened to look up, and glancing along the garden-walk, exclaimed,
+
+'May I be shot, if stalking towards us yonder is not--yes, it is
+herself! I have the honour to announce Aunt Francisca's august
+arrival.'
+
+The girls all cast looks of annoyance at the old lady, who was slowly
+approaching the arbour where they were assembled. 'How very tiresome!'
+exclaimed the little party as with one voice, while Arnold threw his
+book angrily on the table, and said,
+
+'Now we must give up knowing the rest of this new story, for I have to
+return the volume to its owner early to-morrow morning. What unlucky
+chance can have brought that wearisome old spectre here this evening, I
+wonder?'
+
+Louise rose and went to meet the old lady. Aunt Francisca curtseyed,
+and then kissed her on both cheeks. Mrs. Werner and Flora underwent the
+same species of greeting. A heavy, forced conversation was then carried
+on about the weather and the pleasure of having a garden in Copenhagen.
+Arnold took no part in it, although Aunt Francisca frequently addressed
+herself to him; Mrs. Werner was the only one who maintained it with
+decent civility, for people advanced in years can bear disappointments
+better than young persons.
+
+'Will Rudolph soon return from Holstein?' asked the old lady of Louise;
+'it is surprising that he has not written to me. You can tell him, my
+dear, that I have been expecting a letter from him on both the last
+post-days.'
+
+'That is devilish cool! A nice piece of pretension on the part of such
+an antiquated virago,' observed Arnold, in a half-whisper.
+
+Cousin Ida could not refrain from giggling.
+
+'You seem to be quite in a laughing humour, my child,' said Miss
+Francisca.
+
+'Have you been to the German plays yet?' asked Flora of the old lady,
+with a furtive smile to the rest of the party.
+
+'No, my head can't stand theatres now,' replied Aunt Francisca. 'They
+do not suit my age, and, indeed, I see so badly that I could not enjoy
+acting. Have you been there?'
+
+Mrs. Werner answered her, and plunged into a disquisition on some of
+the plays, and on the parts of the performers, but Aunt Francisca heard
+them without any apparent interest. She afterwards entered on the
+subject of the Bible Society and its great usefulness, but was listened
+to in return with apathy and suppressed yawns; nobody _there_ cared
+about Bible societies. Flora proposed that they should drink tea a
+little earlier than usual, and Louise went to order it. The
+conversation came to a dead stand; at length Aunt Francisca said, 'I am
+afraid my visit is inconvenient to you this evening; you might have
+been going out--perhaps to the German play?'
+
+'We were only going to have read aloud a book which I brought with me,'
+said Arnold. 'There is no German play to-night; but they are performing
+at Price's, and if the ladies are inclined to go, we shall be quite in
+time.'
+
+'So speaks youth--distances are nothing for them,' said the old lady,
+with a smile, under which she attempted to hide the unpleasant feeling
+she experienced at finding herself unwelcome. 'You must not mind me, my
+dear cousins; I should be sorry to put you to any inconvenience, and am
+going presently.'
+
+But Mrs. Werner begged her to stay, assuring her that the tale could be
+read some other time, and that nobody had dreamed of going to Price's;
+Arnold was only joking.
+
+'That other time must be during the night, then.' said Arnold, in no
+very dulcet tone, 'for I have promised to return the book to-morrow
+morning, without fail.'
+
+Aunt Francisca did not hear his civil speech, for she was talking to
+Mrs. Werner. The young people put their heads together, and whispered
+to each other. Judging by their glances, it was evident that the old
+maiden visitor was the subject of their remarks. One criticised her
+arms, another her bonnet, a third her parasol.
+
+'But what do you say to that huge foraging-sack hanging from her arm?
+Can any one inform me for what she carries it?' said Arnold. 'It would
+hold at least half a bushel of corn. Perhaps the stingy old animal goes
+to the market to buy all her own provisions, for fear that her
+servant-girl should make a penny or two out of them now and then.'
+
+'Nonsense; she is too prim to venture among the market folks,' said
+Ida. 'But she fancies it is fashionable. Dare you attack her about it,
+Flora?'
+
+Flora wished to show her courage, but could scarcely speak for
+laughing, as she took up Aunt Francisca's bag, and said,
+
+'This is a very pretty bag; the embroidery is a la Grecque, is it not?'
+
+Miss Francisca replied gravely, '_Pretty?_ You cannot possibly mean
+that, my child; it is as ugly as a bag can be, but it holds a good
+deal, and therefore I use it sometimes. Living so much alone as I do, I
+must occasionally go my own errands.'
+
+Flora looked foolish, and stammered a few words in defence of the bag,
+while she coloured deeply; but the old lady pretended not to observe
+her embarrassment, and she continued: 'I think it _really_ very pretty,
+but it should not be seen near this lovely shawl, which certainly puts
+it to shame.' So saying, she took up a little muslin shawl, beautifully
+embroidered in gold and coloured flowers, which was lying on the table.
+
+'I am glad you admire it, my dear,' said the old lady, 'for I have
+often intended to beg your acceptance of it. I have another at home
+exactly like it, which I intend for Louise; they are too gay for my
+time of life.'
+
+Flora was much pleased with the gift, and had just thanked her
+cousin--for the old lady, though generally called among her young
+connections 'Aunt Francisca,' was by no means so nearly related to
+them--when Ida whispered, 'Why, it is real East Indian! Well, it was
+lucky for you that I persuaded you to go into raptures about the
+hideous bag--set to now and praise her high-heeled shoes. Who knows
+what they may yield?'
+
+'Shame on you, Ida. Do you think I am going to be rude to her again?'
+said Flora.
+
+Aunt Francisca found the evening air rather chilly, and hinted that it
+would be as well to repair to the more comfortable drawing-room within
+doors. Many were the glances of anger and annoyance which passed among
+the young people when Mrs. Werner thereupon desired the servant to
+carry the tea-things back to the house, and they had all to rise in
+order to leave the garden. Arnold, of course, gallantly assisted the
+young ladies in putting up their work and carrying their work-boxes,
+while he exercised his witty propensities at the expense of Miss
+Francisca. Flora meanwhile offered her arm to the old lady, who,
+however, did not proceed immediately to the house, but expressed a wish
+to look first at some of the flower-beds.
+
+When they were alone, she turned suddenly towards Flora, and said,
+
+'Tell me, my dear girl, are you engaged to Lieutenant Arnold? Perhaps
+you will think that it is no business of mine whether you are or not;
+but whatever is of consequence to you is interesting to me, and it is
+not from mere curiosity that I ask you. Ah! I saw how he pressed your
+hand.... Come, you must not deny it, for I saw it distinctly. Though I
+am old, I have sharper eyes and ears than people may fancy. But you
+know, my dear, girls should not allow gentlemen to squeeze their hands
+unless they are actually engaged to them. It would be quite improper
+otherwise.'
+
+Flora cast down her eyes, but made no reply.
+
+'I know that you are a very good, sensible girl, and that is why I like
+you so much; but truth must be told and listened to, although it is not
+always palatable. What are the prospects now-a-days of a lieutenant in
+the army? Poor indeed, my child; it would be almost an eternity before
+you could marry. In the meantime there might be a hundred flirtations,
+and the first love might be left in the lurch. Arnold is very flighty,
+and I fear also very imprudent. I know that he is in debt, and that
+leads to beggary.'
+
+'But all young men get into debt. Aunt Francisca,' replied Flora, in a
+low, subdued voice.
+
+'Bless you, child! how can you say so? Correct and respectable persons
+do not _run_ into debt. Rudolph does not owe a shilling to anyone--I
+could take my oath to that.'
+
+'But there is no necessity for Rudolph to fall into debt. Seeing that
+he has a good private fortune, he has no great merit in keeping out of
+it. But what can a poor young officer do who has nothing but his pay to
+live on?'
+
+'He has no business by his flattery and fair words to entice a girl
+into an engagement which he cannot carry out,' said Miss Francisca;
+'that is altogether indefensible. The age of miracles is past; no bird
+will come flying into your window with gold on its bill, and in our
+days people don't live on air. Do you really imagine that love is so
+durable a feeling that it can withstand adversity, privations, and
+time itself, which conquers all things? Love and inconstancy are
+half-sisters, dear Flora. Ten years hence you will be called an old
+maid, though, if married, you would be still considered at that age a
+young woman. In twenty years from this time it would be positively
+ridiculous on your part to think of marrying, yet Arnold could scarcely
+venture to take a wife before then.'
+
+Flora played with her sash, and her eyes filled with tears, whilst the
+gloom that overspread her countenance showed how disagreeable the
+conversation was to her. Aunt Francisca looked earnestly at her, and
+putting her arm gently round her waist, asked, in a low voice,
+
+'Are you betrothed to Arnold, my child? Answer me truly, Flora--are you
+or are you not?'
+
+The girl tried to speak, but her lips closed again. She looked at the
+pretty East India handkerchief, and in her embarrassment crushed it
+between her fingers. The old lady withdrew her arm, and stooped to pick
+a flower.
+
+'Come, my dear,' she said, 'let us go in; it is getting quite chill,
+and the evening air is not for old people like me. Your roses are
+beautiful; permit me to take one or two home for my flower-vase.'
+
+Flora hastened to gather a bouquet of flowers, and then accompanied
+Miss Francisca to the house, the latter talking on indifferent
+subjects.
+
+'What did she want with you?' asked one of the cousins. 'Did she give
+you anything besides the little shawl?'
+
+'Oh, I wish she had kept her shawl,' said Flora, sharply. 'When
+presents have to be paid for by listening to stupid prosy lectures, I,
+for one, would rather dispense with the gifts. She is a tiresome old
+maid as ever lived.'
+
+Louise was presiding at the tea-table, so Aunt Francisca sat down near
+her, and did not again approach Flora, who seemed out of spirits, and
+spoke neither to the old lady nor to Arnold. When the latter attempted
+to whisper something to her, she drew back pointedly without listening
+to him, and with a toss of her head which plainly showed Arnold that
+she was out of humour. Arnold looked at Miss Francisca as if he could
+have murdered her, and muttered: 'This is that old wretch's fault, I'll
+be bound. A starched old maid like her would infect a whole regiment of
+young girls with her prudery. I suppose I shall be expected to see that
+ancient piece of goods home--and if I am compelled to undertake this
+pleasing office, she shall come to grief, for I swear I will contrive
+to make her fall and break one of her old legs.'
+
+If Louise had not spoken from time to time, not a word would have been
+uttered the whole evening; she was the only one who took any trouble to
+keep up a little conversation. Arnold placed himself by the window, and
+drummed listlessly with his fingers on the panes of glass: Flora sewed
+diligently, as if her daily bread depended on her getting through a
+certain quantity of work. Madame Werner knitted with equal
+perseverance, and only occasionally contributed a 'yes' or a 'no' to
+the conversation; the cousins cast sidelong glances towards Arnold, and
+tittered. At length nine o'clock struck, and it was announced that Miss
+Francisca's servant had come for her. Everybody seemed relieved--and
+the old lady rose instantly, as if she felt that her company was
+unwelcome, and that the sooner she took her departure the better.
+Madame Werner squeezed out an invitation for her to stay a little
+longer, but it was not accepted.
+
+When Arnold found that she was really going, he strode up to her, and
+asked if he might have the pleasure of escorting her home; at which
+request the cousins could not restrain their laughter, and Flora had to
+bite her lips to prevent herself from following their example, while
+Louise did her utmost to prevent the old lady from observing the
+rudeness of her relations. Her back was scarcely turned before every
+tongue in the drawing-room she had just quitted became loosened, and
+the sounds of mirth and laughter could be distinctly heard by her
+before she had even left the house. When Louise, who had quitted the
+room with Aunt Francisca, to see her well wrapped up, returned to it,
+she attacked them for their rudeness in laughing, and talking so loud
+as soon as she had left the room, when they had been sitting in solemn
+silence the whole evening previously. Madame Werner sided with Louise,
+but Arnold was not to be checked in his rejoicings at having got rid of
+the stupid, tiresome old maid.
+
+Poor Miss Francisca, meanwhile, heard the shouts of laughter as she
+walked up the street, and looking up sadly at the windows she thought:
+'They are rejoicing at my departure; even there I am _de trop_.' But on
+her servant remarking how uncommonly gay they were at Madame Werner's,
+she only replied, 'They are a very lively, happy family, and long may
+they remain so.'
+
+When the 'happy family' were relieved of her presence, the novel
+reading was resumed--and it was late before the tale was finished, and
+the party separated. After the young ladies had retired to the room
+which they shared together, Flora exclaimed, as she put away the pretty
+Indian shawl, 'Aunt Francisca is a very good soul, but she is
+abominably tiresome--it is hardly possible to put up with her.'
+
+'I should think that where there is much real worth, a little
+peculiarity of manner might easily be borne with,' replied Louise; but
+Flora laughed as she said,
+
+'Nothing is so bad as to be wearisome dear Louise; I can't endure
+anyone who bores me.'
+
+Six weeks had elapsed since Miss Francisca's visit above recorded;
+autumn was approaching, the evenings were becoming longer, and the
+leaves of the trees assuming a yellow tint. It was on a grey afternoon
+in September that a young man passed slowly along Halmtorv, in
+Copenhagen, and stopped before a small house which looked as if it were
+the abode of death, for the blinds were all down, although there were
+no lights inside. The street-door was locked, and it was not till long
+after he had rung that it was opened by an elderly woman, who had on a
+black dress and black ribbons in her cap. They recognized each other
+gravely and then the young man, who seemed familiar with the house,
+ascended the stairs, and entered a room on the first floor, whilst the
+servant carefully locked the outer door. The apartment which he entered
+was empty, not an article of furniture relieved the bareness of the
+walls, and before the windows hung long white curtains, closely drawn;
+in the centre of the room there was a square space, where the uncovered
+boards looked white and shining, but the rest of the floor was thickly
+strewed with fine sand, and on that again lay flowers and green leaves
+taken from trees, which in the four corners of the room were formed
+into elaborate patterns.
+
+The young man stopped on the threshold of the floor, and gazed sadly at
+the empty desolation before him. He was speedily joined by the old
+servant, who placed herself by his side, and also contemplated
+sorrowfully the square space, as if she recalled in thought what had so
+lately occupied it. Then, turning her eyes towards the young man, and
+perceiving by the expression of his countenance what was passing in his
+mind, she held out her hand to him in silence, which he took and
+pressed warmly. She was a trustworthy, affectionate creature, a servant
+of the olden time, such as are scarcely ever to be met with now in
+families of our modern days.
+
+Presently the young man crossed the room, stepping lightly, as if he
+were afraid to crush the already fading flowers, and opened the door to
+another apartment, where, as in the first, long white curtains, drawn
+across the half-closed windows, gave a dim sad tone to the tasteful
+furniture and gay-coloured carpet. He was followed by the old servant,
+who told him that he would find the keys belonging to her late mistress
+in her own little daily sitting-room, and that all her keeping places
+were in perfect order. 'Alas! sir,' she added, 'how miserable it is for
+me to be left behind. I had always hoped and prayed that our Lord would
+graciously call me first.'
+
+'It is the course of nature in this world, Inger,' he replied, 'that
+the eldest should go first. Your mistress was almost ten years older
+than you.'
+
+'Very true, sir. Had my dear mistress lived till next Candlemas, she
+would have completed her sixty-seventh year, and I shall be fifty-seven
+come next March. Three-and-twenty years have I lived with her, and I
+can testify to her goodness in every respect; she was such a
+benefactress to the poor. Oh! how many of them will miss her!'
+
+And Inger began to weep bitterly; her tears were of genuine sorrow for
+the loss of her kind mistress, for Rodolph, who was the nearest of kin
+to the deceased lady, had already told the faithful servant that a
+comfortable provision should be made for her, so as to secure to her
+independence for the rest of her life.
+
+Rudolph Horn was the legal heir of Miss Francisca Garlov, who had that
+day been buried. She had been his mother's first cousin and dearest
+friend, they had been almost brought up together, and their intimacy
+had subsisted without any diminution, until death had separated them,
+thirteen years before, by removing Rudolph's mother from this world.
+The old maid had transferred the friendship for the mother to the son;
+when he came to Copenhagen, as a student, her house had always been
+open to him, and she gave him to understand that he should inherit
+whatever she might leave. She had died after a very few days' illness,
+and Rudolph, who was at the time in the country, though he hastened to
+Copenhagen the moment he heard of her mere indisposition, had not
+arrived in time to see his old friend alive.
+
+As he sat in her now deserted parlour, his memory retraced the days of
+his childhood, when he used to visit her along with his mother, and
+when he used to admire the Chinese pagodas and mandarins which
+ornamented her sitting-room, her old china teacups, her pretty inlaid
+tea-table, her large well-stuffed easy-chair, her chiffoniers with
+mirrors and gilding in the doors, and, above all, a certain japanned
+cabinet, that had always to be opened to let 'the dear boy' see the
+pretty things in it, and some one or other of which was generally
+bestowed on him, for 'Aunt Francisca' never let him go empty-handed
+from her house. Ah! how different were the desires which filled his
+soul _then_ and _now_; a whole lifetime almost seemed to lie between
+these two periods of his existence; he was then only eight years old,
+and now he was thirty!
+
+Old Inger brought in candles, and offered to go through an inventory of
+the furniture and effects with him, but Rudolph told her that was quite
+unnecessary, as he had entire confidence in her; however, he took the
+key of Miss Francisca's bureau, as Inger informed him that it was the
+last injunction of her beloved mistress that he should be requested to
+open that depository of her papers immediately after her funeral.
+
+Rudolph looked at his watch, as if he would fain have found that it was
+too late that evening to examine the papers of the deceased; but it was
+only six o'clock, and he had no excuse for putting off his painful
+task. It was some little time, however, after he had opened the bureau,
+before he could bring himself to disturb the neat packets of letters,
+and other little articles, arranged with so much order in this
+depository of the good old lady's treasures. He felt that it was almost
+a sin to touch these relics of the past, and merely half-opened the
+various drawers, more to obey the wishes of the dead than to search
+into their contents; but when he came to a hidden compartment, and
+unlocked its little door, he beheld what riveted his attention, for in
+it were two miniatures, a few papers, and two or three manuscript
+books. One of the miniatures was the likeness of a very handsome young
+man, dressed according to the fashion of a bygone period. The
+complexion was florid, rather than pale; the dark blue eyes expressed
+at once thoughtfulness and mirth, and round the mouth played a gay
+smile, while the smooth forehead gave no evidence of care or sorrow;
+the cravat was carelessly tied, imparting an idea of negligence in
+attire, which contrasted rather oddly with the elaborate ruffles that
+appeared below the brown coat sleeves, and coquettishly shaded a hand
+of delicate whiteness.
+
+Close to this miniature lay another, which evidently portrayed 'Aunt
+Francisca' in her earlier years. She was pale, but with pretty
+features, finely-arched eyebrows, and a face altogether pleasing, from
+its expression of goodness and cheerfulness. Her hair, which fell in
+rich curls over her slender throat, was confined by a light-blue
+ribbon, and her dress had the peaked stomacher worn in those days.
+
+Here, then, was a clue to the history of Aunt Francisca's youth; after
+so many silent years, these portraits, hidden away together, told a
+tale of the past--a tale, doubtless, of sorrow and disappointment. How
+little do the friends and acquaintances, made in after-life, know of
+the feelings, the hopes, the dreams, and the incidents of earlier
+years, many of which are hushed into deep mystery until the grave has
+received its prey, when some cherished token, some treasured
+reminiscence may unfold the secrets of days gone by.
+
+When Rudolph had gazed for a time on these interesting faces, he
+replaced the miniatures where he had found them, and proceeded to
+examine the papers. Among them were memoranda and account-books, which
+showed how well regulated the affairs of the deceased had been, and how
+her economy had afforded her ample means to do good to those around
+her. He continued to read the documents before him until he became
+quite absorbed in them; and he was sitting at the old bureau, forgetful
+of the flight of time, until the clock struck nine. Its unwearied
+tongue, which amidst life and death ceased not to give forth its
+warning tones, aroused him from his dreamy mood, and, snatching one
+more glance at Aunt Francisca's likeness, he closed the bureau, and
+calling Inger, he prepared to depart. The old woman lighted him to the
+door, and attempted to draw him into conversation, but he shook his
+head and hurried out, with tears in his eyes.
+
+'Ah!' said Inger, to herself, as she returned to her solitary chamber,
+'how kind-hearted Herr Rudolph is--so different from most young men
+now-a-days, who are ashamed to let people see that they have any
+feelings at all!'
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+
+On leaving the abode so recently visited by death, Rudolph repaired to
+a house in Bredgade, where, as he was ringing at the door, he heard,
+even in the street, the sound of laughter in the drawing-room above.
+Annoyed at this, he drew back a few steps, and, observing lights
+blazing through the windows, he shrank from encountering the gaiety
+within, and was about to go away, but when the door was opened, he
+changed his mind, and slowly ascended the stairs.
+
+Whilst he had been sitting in Aunt Francisca's deserted parlour, a gay
+little party had been gathering around Mrs. Werner's tea-table. They
+were all young, with the exception of the lady of the house. Flora was
+making tea, and Lieutenant Arnold was by her side, rendering her what
+assistance he could. Mrs. Werner sat near them, more to sanction the
+attention Arnold was paying the pretty Flora, than to check it. Louise
+was at the opposite side of the table, with some fancy-work in her
+hand, taking little or no part in the gossiping that was going on, but
+glancing from time to time anxiously at the timepiece in the room, as
+its hands pointed to half-past eight, a quarter to nine, nine o'clock,
+a quarter past nine, and Rudolph had not made his appearance.
+
+The two cousins, who were mentioned on a former occasion--young
+ladies--and two or three young men, relations also of the family, made
+up the party. Mrs. Werner and her daughters were in slight mourning, in
+consequence of the death of Miss Francisca, but the gaiety which was
+going on gave no evidence of sorrow for her loss. The smiling
+countenances, the well-lighted room, the open pianoforte, with some
+fashionable waltzes on the stand, all formed a strong contrast to the
+scene Rudolph had just quitted, and he almost frowned as he entered the
+room.
+
+Louise arose and went forward to meet him, while Flora laughingly
+scolded him for being so late.
+
+'I beg a thousand pardons,' said Rudolph, 'but it was impossible for me
+to come earlier.'
+
+'Mercy on us, what a tragical face! You look as if you were bound to
+follow Aunt Francisca into the very grave itself. There, console
+yourself with a cup of cold tea; it is your own fault that it is not
+better. Don't pet him so, Louise. Do you not see how melancholy he is?'
+
+'Melancholy people are just those who need to be petted,' said Louise,
+moving her chair so as to make room for him by her; 'others don't
+require it.'
+
+'It is really quite touching to see the deeply-distressed heir of Aunt
+Francisca's china pagodas, putting on the solemn look of an undertaker,
+on account of her, alas! too early departure from this world,' said
+Flora. 'Most faithful of swains, where will you find such another
+interesting shepherdess of sixty-seven years of age?'
+
+'What, is it possible,' cried one of the young men, 'that Rudolph is
+grieving for old Miss Garlov? It seems to me that the best thing the
+ancient skin-flint could do was to lay herself down and die. Heaven
+knows there are plenty of old maids left in the world!'
+
+'She was a worthy creature--a good soul,' said Mrs. Werner, with
+perfect indifference, 'and, doubtless, is now happy in the other world.
+There is no need to lament those who go to a better life; they are well
+off.'
+
+'She will be wafted, like an airy being, up to the highest heaven, on
+account of her unimpeachable virtue,' said Arnold, laughing at his own
+wit. Rudolph looked angrily at him, and was about to say something,
+when Louise laid her hand on his arm to stop him. There was an awkward
+silence for a few minutes, until one of the cousins exclaimed:
+
+'I wonder if Miss Francisca ever had a lover.'
+
+'I should think not,' replied Mrs. Werner, with a half smile. 'She did
+not look like a person who would have admirers.'
+
+'Admirers!' cried one of the young men. 'Fancy anybody making love to
+such a prude. I don't suppose she ever had the most distant idea of
+love.'
+
+'One can have very good fun with old maids, sometimes,' said Arnold;
+'one can quiz them about their youthful conquests, or persuade them
+that Peter or Paul is casting, even now, sheeps' eyes at them; but it
+would have been impossible to have brought Miss Garlov into this state
+of happy delusion; there was no tampering with _her_.'
+
+'What a tiresome person she was!' exclaimed cousin Ida. 'A terrible
+bore!'
+
+'Heavens! yes! Such an old maid as she was is positively a horror,
+enough to scare one,' said Arnold, 'though I don't call myself
+faint-hearted, and am certainly not apt to flee from the fair sex. But
+these wrinkled, pinched-up pieces of propriety, who are always
+denouncing the immorality and folly of youth, don't deserve to be
+included under the head of "fair." Well, had I known that Aunt
+Francisca was to be buried to-day, I certainly should have followed her
+to the grave, out of gratitude to her for taking this last journey,
+never more to return.'
+
+'My cousin did not trouble you much, I think,' said Rudolph, angrily.
+'She came here but seldom, and was never fond of annoying people.'
+
+Arnold made some ill-natured answer, continuing to quiz poor Miss
+Francisca. Everyone laughed except Louise, who was anxiously watching
+Rudolph's countenance, and much afraid lest he should make some severe
+remark.
+
+Flora, enjoying the scene, said: 'See how Louise is labouring to keep
+Rudolph quiet, for he is quite ready to do battle with us all. Ever
+since I have known him, he has been the faithful knight of all forlorn
+old maids.'
+
+'And all young ladies should, therefore, feel gratitude to me,' said
+Rudolph, 'for not one of them--I make no exceptions--can declare, with
+certainty, that she may not one day or other become an old maid.'
+
+Flora cast a glance towards Arnold, which plainly said that she, at
+least, had nothing to do with the threatened calamity.
+
+Rudolph continued: 'I have often observed with surprise how youth,
+especially early youth, hates and despises old maids. Why is it that
+age, which demands respect for all others, should, in civilized
+society, exclude unmarried ladies from it? I do not allude to my
+deceased relative in particular, nor will I dwell on all her kindness
+to me--I will only speak of her as one of a class, one among the many
+who share her fate. We were all acquainted with her, and therefore I
+ask you, who have just been casting ridicule on her memory, if you have
+_really_ felt the bitter contempt you have expressed for her? I think I
+can answer for you, No. Not one of you is, in point of fact, so
+bad-hearted as you would make yourselves appear by your thoughtless
+chattering.' Rudolph looked earnestly round, but not one present
+attempted to reply.
+
+He went on: 'Is an old maid's lot so delightful, that people must try
+to annoy her by scorn? _I_ should say not. Should we not rather be
+sorry to see anyone excluded from what many of us value most? A life
+without interest, or close domestic ties, is not to be envied; nor is
+it the fault of the woman if she is not destined to become a wife and a
+mother. Many single women have but to look back in their advancing
+years on a wasted life; to remember names that no more must be uttered
+by them; to feel the void in their hearts to which no amount of
+resignation can make them insensible; and to all this must be added an
+endless struggle against those who have been more fortunate than
+themselves, and enforced patience with the jeers and scoffs launched so
+pitilessly against them. How few girls look forward to this position
+for their after-years! And yet circumstances not calculated upon, the
+factitious wants entailed on us by society, the poverty which forbids
+many a union, the fickle fancies of men, or an evil destiny, which
+seems sometimes to delight in thwarting the dearest hopes, and
+sundering those who might have been happy together, may doom them to
+it. And is all this only a subject for ridicule? For my part, I
+cannot laugh at an old maid, even if she loves only her cat or her
+canary-bird. God has implanted affections in her heart; mankind have
+rejected these, therefore she loves animals of a lower species, who
+seem grateful for her kindness. Ludwig said, a few minutes ago, that
+Aunt Francisca looked as if she had never had a lover. Could that be
+possible, with her mild eyes, her sweet face, her amiable disposition?
+She had more goodness in her little finger than most people have in
+their whole person; but none of you knew her well!'
+
+'Nonsense, Rudolph!' exclaimed Mrs. Werner. 'How can you pretend to say
+we did not know her? I am sure _I_ have been acquainted with her for at
+least a score of years; she was a second cousin of my lamented
+husband.'
+
+'Nevertheless, I maintain that none of you _did_ know her well. If not
+disagreeable to you, I should like to tell you Aunt Francisca's history
+as I have heard it from my mother, who was her most intimate friend,
+and partly from herself. I have also found out much from her private
+papers, which, by her own wish, I looked over this very evening. Now
+that she is gone, the story of her life need no longer be a secret.'
+
+'Hark ye, Rudolph,' said Mrs. Werner, stretching across, and whispering
+to him. 'In regard to _that_ secret, I would rather you did not touch
+upon it; her imprudence in early life, which caused so much annoyance
+to her family, had better not be related in the presence of young girls
+like my daughters and their cousins. It was fortunate the child died.
+Her friends would have been awkwardly placed had he lived, for they
+could scarcely have received her. It was surprising that she made so
+light of it herself.'
+
+But Arnold had overheard what Mrs. Werner had whispered to Rudolph, and
+exclaimed exultingly,
+
+'So! Is that how matters stood? The old lady deserves our thanks, even
+though she is in her grave, for the sins of her youth; without them we
+should have been forced to listen to some most insipid story, but we
+may now hope to hear something interesting.'
+
+'Give over interrupting him,' said Flora, 'or we shall not hear a word.
+Now, Rudolph, do begin!'
+
+'I am obedience itself, and shall be mute as a fish,' said Arnold,
+bowing gallantly to his fair enslaver. The male and female cousins all
+placed themselves in attitudes of attention, perhaps because they
+shared in the young officer's expectation of hearing some scandal, and
+Rudolph commenced his narration:--
+
+There is little to be told of Aunt Francisca's childhood. Her father
+held a situation in one of the colleges, and the first eight years of
+her life were passed principally in close rooms, away from green fields
+and fresh air. Her father was much occupied, therefore her education
+was conducted entirely by her mother, a clever and amiable woman, but
+with one peculiarity, that she had the greatest horror of sick people,
+and was morbidly afraid of infection. Francisca, perceiving this
+weakness, determined to avoid it, but fell into the opposite extreme,
+and would scarcely believe that any complaint could be infectious, or
+if the fact were proved, she had not the slightest fear of it. When the
+family removed to an estate her father had purchased near a town where
+he had received a good appointment, the little girl took much pleasure
+in visiting the poor in the neighbourhood when they were ill, and
+administering to their comforts, which, of course, caused her to be
+greatly beloved among them.
+
+It was at this period of her life that my mother and she became
+intimate. The cousins were much together, for my mother used to spend
+almost every summer at the Garlovs', and their mutual affection ripened
+with their years. At sixteen Francisca could not have been called
+beautiful, but she was pretty, with an animated countenance, a sweet
+smile, a light, graceful figure, and pleasing manners. It was about
+this time that a dreadful fever broke out in the part of the country
+where the Garlovs lived; it raged more particularly among the
+peasantry, but persons of all classes were attacked; the servants in
+almost every house were ill, and, to crown the evil, the doctors in the
+provincial town were seized with the fever. In this state of things,
+Francisca's father wrote to Copenhagen to request that some young
+physician might be sent to their assistance in the existing time of
+need. Little did he imagine that this letter was to be the first cast
+of the die which was to determine his daughter's fate!
+
+Two young doctors accordingly soon arrived, one of whom was settled for
+the time being in the little town, the other taking up his abode at Mr.
+Garlov's country house. This latter was a handsome young man, about
+three-and-twenty years of age, who had just passed a brilliant
+examination, and was glad to obtain some employment. I will show you
+his likeness some day, which will prove to you that he was handsome and
+prepossessing in appearance, and that the impression he made on Aunt
+Francisca was not to be wondered at.
+
+He was successful in his practice, and saved so many lives that Mrs.
+Garlov looked upon him absolutely as their good genius, while his
+lively conversation amused her husband. He had been a favourite with
+the belles of his own circle in Copenhagen, among whom he had been
+considered quite an Adonis, therefore he had no lack of confidence in
+his powers of pleasing, and he thought it his duty to pay marked
+attention to the young lady of the family by whom he had been so
+hospitably received.
+
+But Francisca soon interested him. He found her very different from his
+fair Copenhagen friends, and then she was the only damsel with whom he
+associated; and in the country, as everybody knows, people become
+better acquainted in three days than in three years in town. It cannot
+be denied that as time wore on Theodore Ancker made rapid advances in
+the good graces of the youthful and unsophisticated Francisca, and by
+the time nature had put on its richest summer garb her heart was fairly
+in the keeping of the young doctor. Ah! what a summer that was for her.
+Never before had the sun shone so brightly--never had the skies looked
+so blue, or the trees wore so brilliant a green! And yet, had Mr.
+Garlov's guest taken his departure then, as he thought of doing,
+Francisca might have missed him terribly for a time, passed a
+melancholy autumn, and a lonely winter; but when spring came round, and
+the storks had returned to their nests on the roofs, she would have
+recovered her spirits, and remembered her intimacy with him only as a
+pleasant episode in her life. It was otherwise ordained.
+
+It had been deemed that the fever had entirely disappeared, but a
+peasant was attacked by it, and in visiting him, Theodore, who had
+escaped as if by magic before, was seized with the dreaded symptoms,
+and soon became dangerously ill. The family--indeed the whole
+neighbourhood--were thrown into the greatest consternation, for
+Theodore was a general favourite; but no one seemed sufficiently
+collected to pay the invalid the attention he required except
+Francisca, who, calm in the midst of her distress, and heedless of
+infection, took upon herself to be his chief nurse, and waited on him
+day and night with untiring assiduity. Her father was often her
+companion in the sick-room, but Mrs. Garlov's uncontrollable fears
+prevented her from assisting personally in her daughter's benevolent
+labours, though she was not remiss in praying for the patient's
+recovery.
+
+He _did_ recover, and when the autumnal tints were stealing over the
+woods, he was able to stroll in the garden, or saunter to the verge of
+the adjacent forest. How happy Francisca was! And when Theodore turned
+to her, and said, in a voice still languid from weakness,
+
+'How delicious the air is to-day! I owe it to you, Miss Francisca, that
+I breathe it again. Without your kind care I never more should have
+beheld these beautiful woods.'
+
+A thrill of delight passed through Francisca's frame at these words,
+and she trembled so that Theodore exclaimed:
+
+'I fear I am leaning too heavily on you; you are fatigued, I see. Let
+us sit down here to rest awhile--here, where the sun shines so brightly
+through the leaves that they seem to be all of gold. Ah! how good, how
+kind you have been to me! It seems to me as if my own character had
+improved since I became acquainted with you.'
+
+The harvest was gathered in--the harvest-home was to be held--and there
+was more than usual merriment, for the dreaded epidemic had passed
+away, and the very last who had suffered from it, Theodore, was now
+only somewhat feeble. The peasantry were enjoying their games, and the
+Garlov family, with a few friends, were looking on at a little distance
+beyond the gates of the chateau, when a succession of fearful shrieks
+were heard, and a number of peasants, some armed with sticks, others
+with stones, were to be seen running along, though no one could tell
+what was the cause of the uproar. But presently a large dog, with a
+broken chain around his neck, rushed from behind some bushes, and ran
+across the field towards the Garlov party, who at the same moment
+distinctly heard the warning cry, 'A mad dog! a mad dog!'
+
+Seized with a sudden panic, every one of the little group endeavoured
+to escape, and Francisca caught hold of Theodore's hand and hurried him
+towards the gate; but he could not run fast enough, the large stick on
+which he had been leaning impeded his movements, and, stumbling, he
+fell to the ground. Francisca was in despair when she found he had
+struck his head against a stone, and lay motionless; in vain her father
+called to her to quicken her pace, she would not leave Theodore.
+Meanwhile the dog came nearer and nearer--she could hear the rattling
+of his chain, as with open mouth and protruding tongue he ran towards
+them. She sprang before Theodore, and with outstretched arms stood as
+if guarding him. The dog rushed on her--she felt his damp paw upon her
+throat, his warm breath upon her cheek, his glaring eyes close to her
+own, and she sank senseless by the side of him she had endeavoured to
+save.
+
+
+'Oh, fie! Rudolph,' cried cousin Ida; 'your description is too
+horrible--his wet paw upon her throat--shocking! How could she be so
+foolish! I think she must have been as mad as the dog.'
+
+'I should have fainted at the first cry of the peasants,' said
+Charlotte, Ida's sister.
+
+'Master Theodore must have been a miserable creature,' exclaimed
+Arnold. 'I would have defended the ladies to the last drop of my blood.
+But, to be sure, he was only a doctor, and dealt in potions and
+plasters instead of valorous deeds--that is some excuse for the
+fellow.'
+
+'I thought the bite of a mad dog was always fatal,' said Mrs. Werner,
+quietly. 'Yet Francisca must have outlived it--how was that?'
+
+
+It was a false alarm (replied Rudolph). The dog was not mad. With
+that instinct which led all distressed creatures to her, it had
+run to Francisca for protection from the crowd of peasants who were
+ill-treating it. She soon got over her fainting fit, and Theodore also
+recovered consciousness, but the contusion in his head brought on
+fever, and he raved incessantly about the mad dog which had destroyed
+Francisca. The old doctor, who had resumed his practice, happening
+fortunately to call, ordered leeches to be applied to Theodore's head,
+and a certain medicine to be administered to him. Both had to be
+obtained from the apothecary in the nearest little town, and the only
+man-servant who had remained at home--the others having been permitted
+to join the merry-making among the villagers--was sent for them. After
+a long absence he returned with the leeches, but did not bring the
+so-much-needed draught. It would have been a useless attempt to send
+him back, for he had been drinking freely in the town, and could not be
+roused from the heavy sleep into which he had fallen after tumbling
+down in a state of intoxication on the floor of the servants' hall.
+
+Should the poor patient be deprived of the prescribed draught? No;
+Francisca determined to go for it herself, even though it was getting
+dark, and she would have to pass through the dreary wood. Leaving her
+mother and an old woman busy putting on the leeches on Theodore's brow,
+she slipped out of the room and out of the house; she almost ran until
+she reached the gate which opened upon the road that led to the wood;
+there for a moment she stopped, and hesitated to proceed; yet the
+doctor had said that the medicine was of great importance, and though
+she had never been alone in the wood after dark, she conquered her
+fears and went forwards. But her heart beat wildly, her knees trembled
+under her, and she often started at the rustling of the leaves, and the
+pale gleams of uncertain light that penetrated here and there through
+the thick foliage from the rising moon; the scudding of the deer, whom
+even her light tread awoke, increased her alarm; and the hoarse cry of
+the owl seemed terrible to her.
+
+
+'Young ladies,' said Rudolph, interrupting his narrative, 'is there one
+among you who will now doubt that Aunt Francisca could feel love?'
+
+'Oh, Heaven defend me from such love!' cried Ida. 'I would die of
+fright if I were to go alone through a dark wood at night.'
+
+
+She reached the town safely (continued Rudolph), procured the
+medicine at the apothecary's, and bravely returned alone through the
+wood, though her excited imagination conjured up all manner of
+phantasies--such as dim figures gliding amidst the trees, footsteps
+pursuing her, and goblin laughter greeting her ear. Still she struggled
+against the terror that had almost overcome her, until, having gained
+her home and the invalid's chamber, she sank down, nearly fainting, by
+her mother's side, and murmured, 'The wood--the wood!'
+
+The dampness of her dress, wet with the heavy dew--her exhaustion, and
+the medicine which she could just hold up--told the history of her
+exploit more quickly than her words would have done. Her mother threw
+her arms round her, and Theodore, who was somewhat better, and who was
+amazed at what she had done for his sake, exclaimed, 'Francisca, and
+you ventured all this for _me!_' During the long, sleepless night which
+followed, she heard again and again, as it were like the tones of an
+AEolian harp, these, to her, thrilling words; 'Francisca, and you
+ventured all this for _me!_'
+
+In the course of a few weeks after this event, Theodore being again
+quite well, found that it was necessary for him to return to
+Copenhagen. But he felt reluctant to leave Francisca, and put off the
+dreaded parting to the latest day possible. He knew how much he was
+indebted to her; twice she had saved his life, or striven to do so,
+with a devoted abnegation of self which only affection could have
+prompted. His vanity whispered to him that she surely loved him, and
+flattered by this idea, and also feeling grateful to her, he fancied
+that he entertained the same sentiments towards her. Francisca was so
+retiring in her manners, however, that Theodore had had no opportunity
+of communicating to her what he thought or felt, except by his looks;
+and even these seemed to alarm her, for she feared that she had
+permitted him to read too deeply in her heart.
+
+At length he could no longer defer his departure, and with a
+countenance full of woe he informed the family at dinner that he would
+have to leave them the following day. Francisca turned deadly pale, and
+as soon as she could make her escape from table she rushed into the
+garden to vent her grief in solitude. Theodore had followed her,
+unperceived by her. He found her leaning against a tree, holding a
+handkerchief to her eyes, while her whole frame was agitated by her
+emotion. In another moment his arm was round her waist, while he
+exclaimed:
+
+'What! weeping, Francisca? Are you ill? What can affect you thus? Is
+there any secret grief pressing upon your mind? I had hoped to carry
+away with me the image of the happy Francisca I have known here. Ah!
+you cannot guess how dear your happiness is to me. To you I owe my life
+twice over. I owe you more than ten lives could repay. Dearest
+Francisca! say, will you think kindly of me when I am far away? Oh,
+every golden cloud, every waving tree, every lovely flower I behold
+will lead my thoughts to you--or rather, you will be my only thought.'
+
+Francisca's tears flowed more freely even than before. She was silent;
+but there is a silence more eloquent than words. However, young ladies,
+you all know, or have dreamed, of what might pass during such a scene,
+and I shall not, with my prosy words, attempt to describe what your
+poetical imaginations can so much better conceive.
+
+It was under that linden-tree that the happy Theodore received the
+assurance of Francisca's love, and heard her, for the first time, call
+him 'Dear Theodore!' They strolled on towards the wood, and Theodore
+there took up a small quantity of the earth, which he said he would
+keep as an amulet--a preservative against all manner of witchcraft.
+
+'Do so,' said Francisca, with a sad smile, 'for you will assuredly need
+that amulet. You are leaving me now; you will forget me soon among the
+many beautiful and fascinating you will see in the gay world. But,
+after all, you had better throw back the earth whence it came,
+Theodore. I would not be remembered as an evil genius.'
+
+'Can you fancy that I could possibly forget you, or cease to remember
+all you have been to me? May Heaven forget me if I ever change towards
+you!'
+
+The earnestness of his manner convinced Francisca of his sincerity. We
+are always prone to believe what we wish, and this is why a heart that
+loves is so easily deceived.
+
+When he was going away, Theodore whispered with his farewell a request
+that he might be allowed to write to her, and that she would answer his
+letters.
+
+'No, do not write,' she said; 'our faith in each other does not require
+to be kept alive by letter. We shall meet again.'
+
+'In spring, I trust. Oh, how long it will be till then!'
+
+Love and gratitude! What a wide difference there is between these two
+feelings. Love is the offspring of our own heart--its darling, its
+heir; gratitude is but an adopted child--a poor orphan, admitted but
+not tenderly cherished. What Francisca felt was _love_. Theodore had
+always _gratitude_ starting up in the background to recall his
+wandering feelings; yet he believed, when he left the Garlovs' house
+for Copenhagen, that he was really in love with Francisca.
+
+It is a pity that no natural philosopher has ever invented an
+instrument by which to measure love--its depth and solidity. Had such a
+test been available, Theodore would soon have found out his own state.
+But still there are proofs without philosophical instruments; for he
+who does not find the image of his beloved in every corner of his
+heart, has never loved; he who does not clearly remember every, even
+the most minute turnings, in the winding-path by which the little blind
+deity may have led him, has never loved; he whose beloved is not his
+all in the future, the object of his dreams, his hopes, his thoughts in
+the present, he has never loved. Ye gentlemen lovers! I advise you to
+examine your own hearts by these tests, and see how your affections
+really stand.
+
+
+Rudolph paused for a moment--Louise glanced at him as if she felt sure
+he had passed the proof--Arnold indulged in a sneering smile, and the
+other gentlemen looked innocently apathetic.
+
+
+There is an old French saying (continued Rudolph), which signifies
+that absence has the same effect upon love that a high wind has upon
+fire--it extinguishes the weak, but makes the strong burn more
+intensely. Thus, while Francisca's ardent love gained strength in
+absence, and in her sleeping and waking dreams she invested Theodore
+with every possible good quality and charm, his feeble love became more
+and more languid, and the image of Francisca lost by degrees all the
+attractions he had fancied it possessed.
+
+Francisca had communicated all her feelings by letter to her friend, my
+mother, and the correspondence between them, on a subject so
+interesting, helped to while away the tedium of the winter months.
+Theodore, on the contrary, concealed his little love affair in the
+country from his friends in town. At first, it seemed a topic
+too sacred to enter upon, and afterwards he thought it would be
+ridiculous--he would only expose himself to be laughed at by his
+companions. Balls, and all sorts of amusements occupied his leisure
+hours. He was one of the best dancers in Copenhagen, and could have as
+many pretty partners as he liked. Time flew fast with him; he sometimes
+forgot that such a being as Francisca existed, and in a fit of
+vexation, as it reminded him of his duty, he hid away the amulet that
+was to have been so potent a talisman. Early in spring, however, he had
+an illness, which confined him to his room for a few days; during that
+short period of seclusion Francisca assumed a more prominent part in
+his recollection. Which of all the girls he had been flirting with
+during the winter would have risked so much, done so much for him as
+she had done? Not one among them. The country and Francisca were again
+in the ascendant for a time, and it was at this period that he had his
+likeness taken. He would give it to her. How much _she_ would value it!
+That was a pleasant idea, for even in love men seldom forget vanity.
+Indeed, what love is to be compared, in general, to self-love?
+
+Armed with the miniature of himself, and a small plain gold ring on his
+little finger, Theodore set off for Mr. Garlov's. The wood was already
+clothed in its mantle of green. How anxiously had not Francisca watched
+the budding leaves, and longed for the arrival of spring, which would
+bring back to her him she loved so much! She had gone out to meet him,
+and when he caught a glimpse of her, springing from the carriage he
+threw himself at her feet. She was happy, for she had never doubted his
+constancy. Mr. Garlov welcomed him as an old friend, but he did not
+look upon him in any other light, as Mrs. Garlov, who knew of her
+daughter's attachment, had never yet found a suitable opportunity
+to communicate the matter to her husband, though she was aware
+that he intended Francisca to marry a wealthy proprietor in their
+neighbourhood, who, although somewhat advanced in years, was a very
+worthy man, and would be a good match.
+
+The evenings were still cold, and were consequently passed within
+doors, but were enlivened by conversation, music, and reading aloud,
+for Theodore excelled in the latter accomplishment, and also sang well.
+A happy time it was to Francisca, and even Theodore felt the pleasing
+influence of these quiet evenings; but when summer came, with its long
+days and warm nights, and the lovers could stroll out arm-in-arm,
+Francisca was still happier, and would sometimes exclaim, 'I could not
+have thought it possible for this world to afford so much felicity as I
+experience at this moment!' With her the days flew like hours, and the
+hours like minutes! At length Theodore spoke of returning to his home.
+But he was assailed by father, mother, and daughter, with entreaties to
+remain a little longer, as guests were expected, and his society would
+enliven the party very much.
+
+'If you will only stay,' said Francisca, 'you shall be rewarded by
+seeing a most beautiful girl.'
+
+'Is your cousin Kitty so beautiful?' asked Theodore.
+
+'No, she is only amiable; but a Miss Angel is to accompany her, who is
+over from Holstein on a visit to my cousin. She is called Aurora
+Angel--two ominous names, are they not? But they are not misapplied.'
+
+'Do you think I would stay for anybody's sake if not for yours, dear
+Francisca?' said Theodore. 'No; the goddess of the dawn of day shall
+have no such triumph. Since you wish it, I will remain longer; but I
+should only be too happy if this blooming damsel would stay away.'
+
+She came, however, along with my mother and my grandmother, and very
+beautiful she was both in face and figure, with remarkably fine arms,
+and the prettiest feet in the world. She looked lovely as she played
+the harp, and her voice was one of that peculiar sweetness that, once
+heard, could never be forgotten. Her slight foreign accent gave a
+piquancy to her simplest words--in short, she was altogether a most
+attractive little creature.
+
+Mrs. Garlov and Theodore Ancker were the only persons who did not
+seem quite captivated by the fascinations of the fair Aurora; every
+one else was enchanted with her, Francisca most of all. Theodore
+insisted that the glances of her bright eyes had, when she thought she
+was not observed, something sinister in them that caused involuntary
+mistrust; he accused her of being coquettish, cold, and heartless,
+notwithstanding her affection of feeling. In fact, he evinced a strange
+repugnance to her society, and much annoyance that the arrival of other
+guests had thrown a sort of barrier between himself and Francisca, with
+whom he could no longer be frequently alone, and more than once he
+expressed a wish that he had gone when first he proposed doing so. He
+was at all times a little given to variations of temper, but now he
+appeared to be always out of humour, and when he was compelled to show
+any attention to Aurora, he did it with a very bad grace, and looked as
+awkward as a dancing bear.
+
+Aurora herself never appeared to observe anything odd in his manners,
+but the rest of the party could not fail to be surprised at him.
+
+One evening, after Theodore had been all day looking quite cross
+because he had not been able to have some private chat with Francisca,
+though his own bad humour had made him neglect more than one
+opportunity that had presented itself, the little party were assembled
+in the music-room which opened on the garden. Aurora was singing and
+accompanying herself on the harp. Theodore seemed annoyed at the praise
+bestowed upon her, and she had scarcely finished her song when he began
+vehemently to press Francisca to sing. She declined, though she really
+sang very nicely, and her admirer was so vexed that he was leaving the
+room, when she called him back, that he might hear Aurora sing
+Claerchen's Lied from Goethe's 'Egmont,' which was then quite new. After
+preluding for a moment or two, with a sweet smile Aurora commenced the
+romance, and the expression of her countenance changed suddenly to
+sadness as she sang,
+
+
+                        Freudvoll
+                        Und leidvoll
+                        Gedankenvoll seyn;
+
+
+while she seemed powerfully affected by the two last lines:
+
+
+                        Gluecklich allein
+                        Ist die Seele, die liebt;
+
+
+for her voice sank almost to a whisper, and her eyes filled with tears.
+At that moment her glance met that of Theodore, and she coloured
+deeply, while he in vain strove to look indifferent. Mrs. Garlov
+entered on a disquisition touching the tragedy of 'Egmont' and the
+character of Claerchen, while Aurora sought to conceal her annoyance by
+speaking of the song.
+
+'I do not know any song that has prettier words than these. Do you not
+agree with me, Mr. Ancker?'
+
+'I think,' replied Theodore, 'that Claerchen's mother pronounced a very
+proper judgment on the words when she said, "Ah, it is the same eternal
+nonsense."'
+
+'And I will answer you in Claerchen's own words', said Aurora,
+good-humouredly: '"Nay, do not abuse it; 'tis a song of marvellous
+virtue. Many a time I have lulled a grown child to sleep with it."'
+
+This reply in her own language--the German--came so prettily from
+Aurora's coral lips, that Theodore did violence to his own feelings
+when he answered:
+
+'Yes, "schlafen wiegen," that was perhaps Claerchen's art. Probably you
+admire Claerchen's character. I would swear that you did.'
+
+'Yes, I admire it; it is a faithful and pleasing sketch of the female
+character.'
+
+'Of _one_ female character, say rather. God be praised, not of all,'
+replied Theodore. 'Claerchen is capricious, coquettish, inconsiderate,
+heartless. She makes a mere tool of the man who wishes to marry her--a
+mere hack and errand boy--and she repays the poor fellow's services by
+the coquetry which holds him in her chains. Does she not say herself,
+"Often, without a thought, I return the gentle loving pressure of his
+hand? I reproach myself that I am deceiving him--that I am nourishing
+in his heart a vain hope."'
+
+Aurora listened to him with a smile, complimented him on his admirable
+pronunciation of German (a compliment which evidently pleased him), and
+then went on to defend Claerchen, quoting sentences from the drama
+itself, and wound up by assuring him that men could not understand
+love--at least not such deep, all-absorbing love as a Claerchen could
+feel.
+
+Mr. Garlov remarked that the fair damsel was very severe upon their
+sex, and Theodore shrugged his shoulders in silence.
+
+Again Aurora spoke. 'Claerchen,' she said, 'was placed, as it were,
+between Life's cold prose and Eternity's warm poetry. It was the battle
+between these that consumed her, as it had consumed many another heart.
+_You_ have no conception of that struggle: and may you never feel it.
+May you never have to say, like Claerchen, "I am in a strange
+position."'
+
+Aurora rose, put away her harp, and hurried into the garden. The other
+ladies followed her, and Theodore was left alone with Mr. Garlov, who
+said,
+
+'You have got into a scrape, my good friend. One must be very guarded
+in speaking to these German ladies, they are so deucedly sensitive. I
+can't conceive, though, what made you fall upon her as you did; it was
+really an unwarrantable attack.'
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+
+For some days after the little scene in the music-room, Theodore took
+great pains to dispel the gloom his ill-humour had occasioned, and he
+tried, by unusual courtesy, to do away with any disagreeable impression
+he might have made upon Aurora; but she appeared to notice as little
+his efforts to please as she had previously noticed his indifference,
+which had bordered on rudeness. He was annoyed, and said to Francisca,
+'I can't imagine what that girl wants; I have never in my life beheld a
+person with so much pretension. If she expects that _I_ shall approach
+her upon my knees, according to the homage she is perhaps accustomed to
+in Holstein, she will find herself much mistaken. One does not worship
+a pretty face so much in this part of the world; thank Heaven, here
+beauty is not so rare.'
+
+'A face like Aurora's, however, is seldom to be seen anywhere,' said
+Francisca. 'But you quite misunderstand her--she has no pretensions,
+and hardly knows how beautiful she is. She is sorry that she is not on
+better terms with you, and, as Kitty tells me, cannot imagine why you
+dislike her so much.'
+
+Such conversations frequently took place between Theodore and
+Francisca, but they had no apparent result, for Theodore, though he
+agreed with all that she said, and was polite to her young guest, did
+not seem to feel any interest in her; and Aurora, on her part, remained
+cold and distant to him. Six weeks had now elapsed since the arrival of
+the ladies, and the time had passed slowly to Theodore, who had never
+felt himself fully at ease; these weeks had also imperceptibly made a
+change in his and Francisca's manners towards each other--a colder and
+more distant tone had sprung up between them, they seldom met alone,
+and when they did, Theodore's thoughts always seemed preoccupied, or he
+was out of humour. Francisca observed this with regret, and one Sunday
+morning she contrived to follow him alone into the garden, determined
+to clear up anything that might have annoyed him. She had a book in her
+hand, probably snatched up by chance to lead the rest of the party to
+fancy that she was going to read in the garden. Theodore came up to
+her, and said:
+
+'What interesting work have I to thank for this unexpected meeting? To
+see you alone is now a rare event; the claims of love, methinks, are no
+longer of the importance they used to be.'
+
+He seized the book with some impetuosity--it was Goethe's 'Egmont.'
+'Claerchen!' he exclaimed. 'Is Claerchen to be always thus thrust upon
+me? I wish I could as easily get rid of all Claerchens as I can of this
+book.' And he was about to fling the book away.
+
+'For Heaven's sake, Theodore, don't throw Aurora's book into the pond!
+How can you be so childish as to be angry with a poor book? It was not
+Claerchen that brought me here; I took it up in the breakfast-room to
+have something in my hand; I did not even know what book it was. I came
+out here,' she added, timidly, and colouring deeply, 'to seek you.'
+
+'Me, Francisca? Really to seek me? So these visitors of yours have not
+made you quite forget me? But I am unreasonable, detestable; forgive
+me, sweet Francisca! I hardly know myself what I want. It is very
+foolish, but I confess I am as jealous of Aurora as if she had been a
+man. The way in which she engrosses you quite separates us; when a
+woman chooses to pay court, it is much worse than attention from a
+man--she scarcely ever leaves you for a moment.'
+
+'Unreasonable that you are!' cried Francisca, smiling. 'Do you think
+you are to be the only 'person who is to be allowed to love me? Come,
+let us make the most of these uninterrupted minutes, and speak
+confidentially together. Let us go into the forest, I feel as if I
+should be more at my ease there.'
+
+Theodore drew her arm within his, and they went into the wood. It was a
+lovely morning, the thick foliage of the trees formed a cool shade from
+the warm rays of the blazing sun. The birds were carolling among the
+branches, the chime of the distant church bells was answered by the
+tinkling of the sheep bells as the animals fed amidst the grassy glades
+of the forest, and a few peasants passed now and then on their way to
+church, in all their Sunday finery, and with their prayer-books in
+their hands. They respectfully and kindly saluted the lovers as they
+sat together under the large tree, beneath whose spreading boughs
+Francisca had prayed for strength on the memorable night when she had
+traversed the forest alone in order to obtain the means required for
+saving Theodore's life.
+
+'This is our chapel,' said Theodore. 'This mossy seat the altar at
+which I have vowed to devote my life to you. Do you remember that it
+was here you hinted at the possibility of my forgetting you? Ah! Did I
+not then say that Heaven must forget me first? I feel now, even more
+than I did then, the truth of my words.' But at that moment a
+recollection shot across Theodore's mind which caused him a painful
+sensation: had he not all but forgotten Francisca? He passed his hand
+over his eyes for a moment, but Francisca took it gently away, while
+she replied:
+
+'My doubts were unholy. I was but a child then, and I did not think
+that I could be loved as I felt I loved you. Forgive me for these
+sinful thoughts. I know now how true you are.'
+
+Theodore embraced her, and played with the ring he had given her,
+which, not daring to wear on her finger, as the engagement was yet
+unknown to her father, she had hung round her neck, and generally
+placed near her heart, but which on this occasion had escaped from
+within her dress. Francisca had taken her own likeness before her
+glass, and, although it had many faults, it resembled her. She
+intended it for Theodore, but had never been able to gather courage
+until this day to present it to him. She had brought it down into the
+breakfast-room with her, and when she saw him stroll into the garden
+she thrust it hurriedly between the leaves of a book which was lying on
+a side-table, and took it with her when she went to join him. The ring
+reminded her of the little portrait, and, turning to Theodore, she
+said:
+
+'You have been very kind to give me both this ring and that dear
+miniature--that likeness of yourself, to which I confide all my
+thoughts when I am alone with it. I have no ring to offer you in
+return, Theodore; but will you excuse its many faults, and accept this
+little sketch which I have done for you? When you look at this pale
+face, I beseech you not to forget that the soul which animates it is
+capable of the most devoted love, and is grateful for its undeserved
+happiness.'
+
+Frightened at the warmth with which she had ventured to express her
+feelings, the poor girl became quite embarrassed, her eyes were blinded
+with tears, and her fingers nervously felt through the leaves of the
+book for the drawing she had mentioned. She found it, and with averted
+head, she handed it to Theodore. He kissed it as he received it, but no
+sooner had he looked at it than he exclaimed in great agitation,
+
+'Francisca, this is a bitter mockery! I did not deserve this from you.'
+
+Francisca looked at him with astonishment. He was holding the drawing
+in his hand, and gazing on it. One glance was enough to show her that
+it was not her likeness; the book had contained at least one other
+drawing besides her portrait. A young lady was leaning over a harp,
+amidst the strings of which one hand was lingering, while the other
+hand held a pocket-handkerchief towards her face, as if to dry the
+tears that were swimming in the soft eyes; beside her stood an elegant
+young man, in an attitude of utter indifference, cleverly depicted by
+his having placed his foot on a chair near, and being engaged in
+adjusting his shoe. It was only a sketch, but very spirited, and very
+well done. In a corner of the paper was written the German line--
+
+
+              Das Herz allein schafft Holl' und Paradies.
+
+
+'Aurora!' cried Francisca, in dismay.
+
+'Claerchen,' said Theodore, fretfully. 'Am I then doomed to find that
+image everywhere--is it not impossible to escape it! Nay, Francisca,
+this is an unfair punishment. I have acknowledged my rudeness,
+regretted it in my own heart, and endeavoured to make up for it--what
+more would you have?'
+
+'It is no punishment; it is only a mistake. I did not know that there
+was any such drawing in the book; the sketch is not by me--it is by
+Aurora,' stammered Francisca.
+
+'Aurora! Did Aurora do this?' exclaimed Theodore, looking at it again,
+and eagerly.
+
+Francisca did not answer, but she seemed as if she was going to cry.
+
+Little heeding her looks, however, he remained with his eyes riveted on
+the picture; at length he said,
+
+'Claerchen is true to herself. Only see what coquetry there is in
+this little sketch; and the verse, and the tears--it is really
+charming!--But what is the matter, Francisca? You look so pale--so
+overcome. Are you not well?'
+
+Francisca tried to laugh at herself. 'It is nothing; I felt a little
+giddy, but the sensation has passed off. Let us go home, for we may be
+missed, and it is rather damp here.'
+
+Theodore rose and accompanied her through the wood, while he carefully
+carried the book with the two drawings within its leaves. On reaching
+the house Francisca took it from him, and hurried up to her room. She
+put away her own likeness with very different feelings to those with
+which she had taken it from its accustomed place. It seemed so strange
+that fate should have made her own hand the means of substituting
+Aurora's likeness for hers! This incident, trifling as it was, awoke a
+degree of uneasiness in her mind; but she endeavoured to conquer the
+feeling, and, going downstairs, she replaced Aurora's book on the table
+where she had found it. Seeing, however, Theodore approaching from the
+garden, and not being yet quite composed enough to meet him, she
+hastily left the room; but, angry at herself for her folly, she
+returned after a little time, and with the intention of begging him to
+say nothing about Aurora's sketch, which had been seen by him without
+her knowledge. Why did she a second time so suddenly and silently leave
+the apartment she had just entered? It was because she beheld Theodore
+bending with the deepest attention over 'Egmont,' which was open on the
+table before him. Was it the play or the drawing which so fascinated
+him?
+
+The old doctor and some neighbouring gentlemen dined at the Garlovs'
+that day, and in the course of the evening the whole party repaired to
+the garden; Francisca had quite recovered her spirits, and Theodore was
+in an unusually gay mood. Swinging was proposed, and Francisca and
+Aurora got together into the swing, which had a capacious seat. The old
+doctor insisted upon swinging the girls, but after trying it for some
+time, puffing and panting, he called to Theodore and gave up his post
+to him with, 'It is your turn, now; I am too old to go on long.' But
+Aurora vehemently opposed his doing it--she would not on any account
+give him so much trouble.
+
+'Oh, I shall dispense with all gratitude from you,' said Theodore.
+'Don't distress yourself about giving me trouble, that can all be
+placed to Miss Francisca's account; she will return so many thanks,
+that I am sure they will suffice for both of you.'
+
+Francisca laughed, and so did the old doctor and Kitty. As if in fun,
+Theodore set the swing into more violent motion, and it flew higher and
+higher, with a disagreeable jerking movement. Aurora screamed, and then
+called out that she was frightened; but Theodore continued his
+exertions, while he exclaimed, 'Angels are at home in the higher
+regions, therefore it is impossible for Miss Angel to be afraid of
+reaching the tops of the trees.'
+
+'I don't choose to swing any more; I command you to stop!' cried
+Aurora, with a look that made it doubtful whether she was in jest or
+earnest.
+
+Theodore laughed, and then replied, 'Entreaties would have more weight
+than commands; you had better say _I pray you_, Miss Aurora. Now you
+can truly exclaim, "Ich bin ubel dran."'
+
+Aurora would not condescend to entreat, but when next the swing came to
+near the ground, she prepared to spring out; in a moment, however, it
+was off again, and the spring, which she was then not able to check,
+was made from a considerable height. Francisca tried to catch her, and
+losing her own balance, she, too, with a wild shriek, fell forward. At
+the same moment both the young ladies lay stunned upon the ground.
+
+Theodore was in an agony of terror; the old doctor clasped his hands in
+consternation, and Kitty almost fainted away. The rest of the party,
+hearing the shriek, rushed to the place where the swing was erected,
+and only added to the confusion. Theodore raised Francisca gently in
+his arms; he took no notice of Aurora, who still lay insensible after
+Francisca had recovered her consciousness. The latter was carefully
+carried into the house and laid on her couch by her mother and Kitty,
+and Theodore stood at the outside of her chamber door until he heard
+her voice speaking in its natural tones. He then suddenly remembered
+Aurora, and returned to the garden to see how she was. In the meantime
+she had come to herself, and had found herself surrounded by the old
+doctor, Mr. Garlov, and the gentlemen who were spending the day with
+them--the ladies had all disappeared. She tried to rise, but could not
+stand, her ankle was either broken or dislocated. Some of the servants
+were called; Aurora was placed in an arm-chair, and carried by them
+towards the house, while the old doctor walked on one side of her and
+Mr. Garlov on the other, the strangers bringing up the rear. Theodore
+flew to meet her, and exclaimed, with the utmost anxiety, 'For God's
+sake, tell me, are you much hurt? How do you feel?'
+
+Aurora looked somewhat reproachfully at him, but she answered, 'It was
+my own fault.'
+
+'It was the fault of that abominable swing--a most dangerous pastime!'
+exclaimed the old doctor, who forgot, in his wrath, that he had been
+among those who encouraged it. Aurora was carefully laid on a sofa in a
+small chamber leading into the music-room, where Mrs. Garlov and Kitty
+came to her after they had made Francisca as comfortable as possible;
+she had struck her chest against the projecting root of a tree, and the
+spot looked blue, but there was no other apparent injury. The doctor
+found Aurora's foot much swollen; the joint was dislocated, and he
+tried to put it in its place, but not being able to manage it, he
+called Theodore to perform the operation, which, though painful, Aurora
+bore with great fortitude.
+
+The strangers, of course, took their departure, and the old doctor,
+after having visited Francisca, declared that he also was obliged to
+go. Aurora said she hoped to see him again soon; but he told her that
+he must put her under Theodore's care, as he would be unavoidably
+compelled to absent himself for some days. She seemed much annoyed at
+this, and anxiously requested to be removed to Copenhagen, for she
+would suffer any amount of pain on the journey, she said, rather than
+be attended by Theodore. She was assured, however, that it was
+absolutely necessary for her to remain where she was. Theodore cursed
+in his heart his past rudeness to Aurora, which had caused the poor
+girl to dislike him so much.
+
+Meantime, every arrangement was made for Aurora's comfort, and her host
+and hostess were most assiduous in their attention to her. She
+happened, however, to be alone when Theodore paid her his first visit
+next morning. She lay on the sofa, which had been converted into a bed,
+in a white dressing-gown, with her beautiful hair falling negligently
+about her shoulders, and her rounded cheek resting on one hand. So
+beautiful did she look, that Theodore started on entering the room, and
+stood as if turned into a statue of stone; it was some moments before
+he could recover himself sufficiently to ask her how she was.
+
+Aurora gave him one of her sweetest smiles, and held out her hand to
+him, while she said, 'Like the frightened one in the German tale, let
+me ask, "Daniel, Daniel, why do you persecute me?"'
+
+This mild rebuke quite overcame Theodore; he stooped and kissed her
+hand, while he whispered, 'O Aurora, be merciful!'
+
+From this moment their former seeming dislike to each other vanished
+entirely. Theodore devoted much of his time to the interesting invalid;
+he talked to her, read to her, and before long had quite adopted her
+opinion of her favourite Claerchen in the drama of 'Egmont.' Francisca
+made no fuss about herself, but she had come off the worst,
+nevertheless, for the blow on her chest had brought on a spitting
+of blood, which, however, she concealed from everyone except my
+mother--her cousin Kitty. Aurora's foot had had ample time to get well;
+but she complained constantly of it, and could not be induced to try to
+walk. Thus, at the end of three weeks, she was still confined to her
+sofa. During all this time Theodore had not had any opportunity of
+conversing alone with Francisca, for either the one or the other was in
+attendance on Aurora, or they were both with her. Francisca looked pale
+and ill, and ought by rights to have changed places with Aurora, who
+reclined like an invalid on the sofa, though her blooming face was the
+picture of health. But as she still complained of her sufferings,
+Francisca innocently charged Theodore to be very attentive to her--an
+injunction he was only too willing to obey.
+
+It never occurred to Francisca that Theodore might fall in love with
+Aurora; and yet that was already the case. On her first arrival he had
+been dazzled by her extraordinary beauty; but looking upon her as a
+cold-blooded coquette, he had endeavoured to steel his heart against
+her. It was mistrust of himself which made him pretend to dislike her;
+her indifference piqued him, and was the cause of his ill-humour and
+caprice, but Francisca's mistake about the sketches awoke a new feeling
+in him, and he determined to win Aurora's love. _She_ marked well all
+the fluctuations in his feelings and his manners, but, sure of her
+game, she went calmly on. Theodore had judged rightly when he had
+denounced the sketch as an artful piece of coquetry; nevertheless, it
+had its effect on him in spite of his sober reason. The particular
+attention which he always showed Francisca provoked Aurora, who could
+not endure anyone to interfere with the monopoly of all homage which
+she claimed for herself, and she worked hard to separate them. The
+scene at the swing and its consequences, though caused only by her
+jealousy, had aided her designs, and now she had not a doubt of her
+conquest. Both Theodore and Aurora were vain--both were coquettes--for
+gentlemen can be coquettes as well as ladies; the difference between
+them was, that she was a profound coquette, he a thoughtless one; she
+had improved her talents in that way by deep study, he was guided only
+by his natural tendencies. Surely much were those to be pitied who had
+founded their hopes on such characters, for they had built their house
+upon quicksand!
+
+Theodore soon found that he could no longer gloss over his feelings for
+Aurora, and shelter them under the well-sounding names of regret, duty,
+Christian charity, or friendship, with which he had hitherto tried to
+silence his awaking conscience. He was forced to confess to himself
+that he loved Aurora as he never before had loved--what had bound him
+to Francisca was only friendship and gratitude; yet he could not but
+admit that she had bestowed her whole heart on him. When Aurora began
+to limp about a little, first with a crutch, then with a stick, and,
+lastly, with the aid of his arm, he found himself so happy with her,
+that he could scarcely sober his feelings before Francisca, who, still
+unsuspicious of any evil, rejoiced to see them such good friends.
+
+But all were not so blind as Francisca: her mother and cousin saw more
+clearly what was going on, and they trembled for the moment when she
+should find out the unwelcome truth, if truth it really were. That
+moment came sooner than they had expected. It so happened that Kitty
+was confined to her room for a few days by a bad cold, and at that very
+period Francisca was obliged to be a good deal with the daughters of
+the clergyman of the parish, in whose family a death had taken place.
+Theodore was, therefore, almost entirely alone with Aurora.
+
+One evening, about dusk, Francisca returned from a visit to the
+clergyman's family, and on the stairs she met a servant-girl, who was
+carrying a glass of lemonade to Aurora. She took it from the girl to
+carry it in herself; the door was half open between the anteroom and
+the music-room, and, hearing Aurora playing on the harp, she stopped,
+not to disturb her. It was Claerchen's song, and Theodore was singing a
+second to it in a low tone. It was so long since she had heard him
+sing, that she sat down near the door to listen to his voice. He
+stopped before the end of the song, and Aurora finished it alone. As
+she sang the last two lines, Francisca heard Theodore sigh deeply. 'He
+is thinking of _me!_' whispered Francisca to herself, 'as I am thinking
+of him.' Poor Francisca!
+
+'Grieved unto death!' repeated Theodore. 'You are singing my requiem,
+Aurora.'
+
+'And my own,' said Aurora. 'Would to Heavens I had never come here!
+What have I done that I should be so punished?'
+
+'Speak not thus, Aurora; I alone am guilty. Why did I not tell you of
+my engagement to Francisca? Why did I not fly and leave you both?'
+
+'Francisca is of an affectionate but tranquil character; she will
+forgive a temporary inconstancy, if she has observed it; but it is not
+probable that she has. It is not yet too late. I must go, and you will
+soon forget me. Francisca may yet be happy--but, oh! what a blank is
+before me! Yet I must away.'
+
+'For Heaven's sake, forbear, Aurora! Leave me! No, no, I cannot tear
+myself from you, come what may. My life is doomed--alas! there is no
+happiness more for me in this world. But these vows--these dreadful
+vows--must they be fulfilled?'
+
+'They may crush our hearts,' said Aurora, 'but they must be fulfilled.
+Let my hand go, Theodore--you are engaged to Francisca; leave me--leave
+me to weep alone.'
+
+'Dearest--adored--most precious Aurora!--how wretched I am! How could I
+fancy that I loved Francisca? And yet, shall I repay all her goodness
+to me by treachery?'
+
+'Hush, Ancker, hush! You will kill me. Go, marry Francisca, and be
+happy!'
+
+'Happy!' cried Theodore, vehemently; 'happy without you? How can you
+mock me thus, Aurora?'
+
+'Perhaps time may do something for us,' said Aurora, with a smile as
+beautiful as the sun breaking through the dark clouds in a stormy sky.
+
+'I dare hope nothing from time,' replied Theodore.
+
+'Ah! do you not now feel the force of these words, "I am in a strange
+position?"' murmured Aurora.
+
+'You are revenged, Aurora,' said Theodore, not without some bitterness.
+'The loss of a lifetime's happiness is surely enough to atone for a
+moment's thoughtlessness.'
+
+A deathlike weakness, which she could not shake off, had compelled
+Francisca to overhear this conversation. The first words had been
+enough almost to kill her; as soon as she was capable of moving, she
+rose and fled like a hunted deer to her own apartment: there, throwing
+her arms round my mother's neck, she could only exclaim, 'Kitty, Kitty,
+what have I not heard!' My mother too well guessed whence the blow had
+come, and she was not surprised at what was told her. The cousins spent
+the evening alone together, and when the family had retired to rest, my
+mother sought the wing of the house in which Theodore's rooms were
+situated. He was not there. She was rather glad to escape an interview
+with a young man, at night, in his own apartment, and in returning she
+observed that the door of the music-room was half-open; on going
+forward to shut it, she perceived that a window was also open, and she
+went to close it first. But what was her surprise on reaching it, and
+looking out for a moment, to see, in the clear moonlight, Theodore
+standing below Aurora's window, talking earnestly to her, while she was
+leaning out, with a little shawl thrown over her head. Kitty drew back
+hurriedly, but Theodore had seen her, and immediately joined her. He
+forthwith began to account for his being found there; but it was
+evident that he was telling a falsehood got up at the moment. My mother
+interrupted him by briefly informing him what Francisca had overheard;
+she laid the ring and the miniature on the table before him, simply
+adding a request that he would leave the house as soon as possible.
+
+The next day Francisca was confined to her room by illness, which was
+given out to be a cold, and Theodore set off for Copenhagen without
+having seen either of the cousins. Aurora soon followed him, and then
+Kitty communicated to Mrs. Garlov the fact of Francisca's engagement
+being broken off. Mr. Garlov had never heard of it, and often, to
+Francisca's great distress, wished Theodore back again. A hard battle
+she had to fight with herself, but she bore up wonderfully under her
+deep disappointment. And this is the history of Aunt Francisca's youth.
+
+
+Rudolph paused, and Arnold seized the opportunity of exclaiming,
+
+'Why, we have only had a mere tissue of sentimentality as yet. What has
+become of the child, Rudolph, that Mrs. Werner was whispering to you
+about? You smile--come, out with the child, don't withhold the best
+part of the story from us--the child--the child.'
+
+'Oh!' said one of the other young men, shaking his finger at Arnold,
+'what have you to do with the child? Leave it in peace, poor thing!
+there is no use in recalling these forgotten affairs.'
+
+'No; we _must_ have the little affair of the child,' insisted Arnold,
+as Rudolph was about to continue his narrative.
+
+
+Francisca spent some years quietly in the country, not mixing at all
+with the world, and only cared for by those who were immediately around
+her. My mother was her sole friend and correspondent, and she used to
+pass two months every summer at the Garlovs'. These were Francisca's
+pleasantest days, for she could talk freely to _her_ of her own short
+and too bitterly lost period of happiness. Her sorrow and mortification
+had not made her either sour or melancholy, as you will perhaps believe
+when I tell you that she had two or three offers at this time which she
+refused. She was about two-and-twenty years of age when her father
+died, and as he had lived up to his income, there was but little left
+for the widow and her daughter. They removed to Copenhagen, where they
+lived on a slender income, but slightly increased by what Francisca
+received from the Tontine in which she held some shares. Often did Mrs.
+Garlov lament, for her daughter's sake, their altered circumstances;
+but Theodore's name was never mentioned between them. Only once Mrs.
+Garlov had spoken of him, and then she had wondered how it was possible
+for her dear child to forgive him.
+
+But Francisca answered, 'It is so easy to forgive, dear mother. Let us
+not, however, again allude to him; it only pains you.'
+
+Theodore, in the meantime, had married Aurora. When my mother
+communicated this event to Francisca, she determined to burn every
+little memento of him which she had treasured with the pardonable folly
+of affection! and 'Oh!' she exclaimed, as with bitter tears she made an
+auto-da-fe of these souvenirs, 'may he be as happy as my most earnest
+wishes would make him, and may every remembrance of me be obliterated
+from his thoughts as entirely as this last withered leaf is now
+consumed!'
+
+About two years after his marriage Theodore removed to Russia, where
+physicians, at that period, were in great request, and made large
+fortunes. Kitty had heard that his principal reason, however, for
+leaving Denmark, was to withdraw Aurora from the connections she had
+formed in Copenhagen, where her conduct often gave him occasion to
+repent the choice he had made. They lived unhappily together; her
+coquetry annoyed him extremely, and the number of admirers whom she
+encouraged to be constantly around her was a source of daily torment to
+him. A jealous husband generally makes a fool of himself; when he has
+an arrant coquette for his wife, his doing so is inevitable, therefore
+the names of Theodore and Aurora were soon in everybody's mouth, and
+_she_ found it as desirable as _he_ did to escape from all the gossip
+and scandal to which her own behaviour had given rise. Kitty, however,
+did not relate these unpleasant details to Francisca, who only knew
+that her good wishes must follow Theodore to St. Petersburg.
+
+Shortly after this Mrs. Garlov died, and Francisca was left almost
+alone in the world; but she sought happiness in constant occupation,
+and in doing as much good as her slender means would permit. When my
+mother married she wished her cousin to come and reside with her, but
+Francisca preferred to be independent, and continued to live alone,
+with her servant-of-all-work.
+
+Theodore had not found the happiness in Russia he had anticipated. His
+fortune had indeed increased, but his domestic peace had diminished.
+Aurora cared little either for his advice or his anger, and had soon
+formed intimacies which quite consoled her for his fits of crossness.
+He also found amusements away from his home; thus they often did not
+see each other for days, and when they did meet it was only to quarrel.
+One evening, on returning home at a late hour, he found his wife was
+absent; she had left the house early in the forenoon, and had not been
+seen since. Next day the servant of a Russian officer called with a
+message to Theodore, to say that he need not expect his wife, as she
+had gone to Moscow with his master, and did not intend to come back.
+This was a dreadful blow to him, notwithstanding the levity of her
+former conduct, and with a sudden feeling of hatred to St. Petersburg,
+to which he had no longer any ties, he converted all his effects into
+cash, and embarked with it on board a ship bound to Copenhagen.
+
+But he had a most disastrous voyage, the ship was totally lost off
+Ruegen, and the passengers saved only their lives. Theodore found
+himself all at once a beggar, and this calamity, following so closely
+on his other misfortunes, brought on a dreadful illness. He passed six
+months in an hospital, and at the end of that time was discharged--a
+wretched lunatic! The Danish consul took charge of him, and had him
+safely conveyed to Copenhagen. But no one recognized him there; his
+passport and his papers had all been lost in the ship which had also
+contained his money and effects. There was, therefore, no refuge for
+him but the common bedlam, where he was accordingly placed. It
+happened, however, that after a short time he had lucid intervals,
+during which periods he occasionally mentioned names that were known,
+and this led to the discovery of who he was, and to his being removed
+from the bedlam and boarded with a private family, who received a few
+gentlemen labouring under mental disease.
+
+Tidings of his unfortunate situation soon reached Francisca's ears, for
+it was the theme in every family where he had been formerly known. She
+had deemed him far away, but happy and prosperous, loving and beloved;
+she found him near her, but unhappy, deserted, and an object of that
+cold charity which counts every shilling and every farthing that it
+expends. She determined to see him, and to administer as much as she
+could to his comforts. He did not know her; she stood before him as a
+stranger, and as if from the hands of a kind stranger he received the
+various little gifts with which she sought to please him. For a whole
+year she continued to visit him daily, and it was with deep sorrow she
+observed that his mind was becoming more and more clouded, no thought
+of the past, no dream of the future, seeming ever to enter it.
+
+At this time the landed proprietor, who was formerly mentioned, and who
+had been attached to Francisca since she was sixteen years of age,
+again made her an offer of marriage. He was rich, high-principled,
+kind-hearted, and well-educated. She knew also that her parents had
+much wished her to marry him. But Theodore required her care, and she
+determined never to forsake him. She had just finished the letter
+declining the offer so handsomely made, and saying that she had
+resolved never to marry, when the lady with whom Theodore boarded, and
+who supposed her to be a relation of his, sent a pressing message to
+her begging her to come immediately. She hurried to the house, hoping
+that some favourable change had suddenly taken place, and that Theodore
+would be restored to reason. But there was no such joy in store for
+her.
+
+She found him sitting in a corner of his room playing at cat's-cradle
+with some twine and his long, wasted fingers; so eagerly engaged was he
+on his infantine diversion, that he scarcely raised his vacant eyes as
+she entered. His gait was slouching, and his clothes hung loose about
+him. Oh, how different from the Theodore of former days!
+
+His hostess was sitting at work in the same room, and looking extremely
+cross. A letter and a parcel lay on the table, beside which stood a
+little boy, whose inquisitive and half-frightened glances wandered
+round first to the strange man, then to the unknown ladies, and lastly,
+to an elderly woman in a foreign dress, who was sitting near the stove,
+and who said a few words to him in a foreign language, apparently
+bidding him do something he was not inclined to do, as he shook his
+little head; he seemed bewildered by the scene around him. Francisca
+also stood as one bewildered, but the lady of the house proceeded at
+once to explain things to her as far as she could. She told her that
+the foreign woman had informed her, in bad German, that she was the
+wife of the captain of a small trading vessel from Revel, who had been
+requested to take charge of the little boy and deliver him to his
+relations, the address given being only that of Dr. Theodore Ancker,
+Copenhagen. All the child's expenses had been paid. The woman had
+conscientiously tried to find out Theodore, and the lady in whose house
+he lived had detained her until she could send for Francisca.
+
+The letter contained but a very few words; it was signed 'Aurora.' The
+child's name was Alexander, and he was three years of age. His mother
+sent him to take his chance in the world, as _she_ could no longer
+maintain him, and she entreated Theodore to take care of him, as she
+was now no longer a burden upon his means or a sharer in his wealth.
+Not a syllable was mentioned of her own fate--not an address or
+reference to her own place of abode given. In a postscript it was
+stated that the child understood Danish.
+
+Francisca's determination was soon taken. Although the child was
+certainly not Theodore's son--although he was the image of his
+mother--of that Aurora who had blasted her happiness--she resolved to
+give a home to the deserted and helpless little stranger, and that very
+night the little Alexander slept comfortably in a cot prepared for him,
+and placed close to her own couch. The same night she opened the small
+box which held all that had been bestowed upon the poor child by his
+parents. In addition to his scanty wardrobe, there was a little parcel
+containing some papers in the Russian language--certificates of the
+child's baptism and vaccination--and below these lay a miniature. It
+was Theodore's likeness, the same that had formerly belonged to
+Francisca, which she had afterwards returned to him, and which had now
+passed from Aurora's possession once more into hers, and rendered its
+unconscious little bearer dear to her. She gazed at it long, as if
+comparing the likeness of what he once had been with the ruin he now
+was. Days long gone by arose vividly before her; she pressed the
+miniature to her lips, and then put it away along with her own--with
+the likeness of herself which Theodore had never seen. It seemed to her
+as if the meeting of the two portraits after so long a separation were
+the type of a future meeting between Theodore and herself in that
+bright spirit-world which shall haply be disclosed when this mortal
+scene has vanished for ever. She knelt by Alexander's bed, kissed the
+innocent child who had brought the treasure to her, and who had himself
+been thrown on her compassion, and at the same time she vowed she would
+be a mother to him.
+
+But her adoption of him gave rise to many reports. Some said he was a
+poor person's child, to whom she had taken a fancy; others, that he was
+her own son, whom she had till then kept concealed in the country. Her
+relations, with the exception of my mother, were the most ill-natured.
+They took great pains to find out who could have been the boy's father,
+and finally had the folly to confer his paternity upon her old lover,
+the poor deranged doctor, whom she visited so often.
+
+
+'Well, there was not such folly in that belief, after all,' said
+Arnold. 'For want of a better, I think we must accept this parentage
+for the youngster; for the story of a boy three years old travelling
+over from Russia, as if he had fallen from the moon, is not at all
+credible.'
+
+'But I can swear to the truth of it,' said Rudolph. 'Do you doubt my
+word?'
+
+'I do _not_ doubt your word in the slightest degree,' replied Arnold;
+'that is to say, I do not doubt that you believe what you have been
+telling us. But I think it likely that your mother kindly got up this
+pretty story, and impressed it on your mind to hide your cousin's _faux
+pas_.'
+
+'You judge of other people's principles by the rectitude of your own, I
+presume,' said Rudolph, laughing. 'But to continue:'
+
+Aunt Francisca's prayers were not unanswered, for Theodore recovered
+his senses before he died. He recognized Francisca, blessed her for all
+her goodness to him, and passed into eternity with her name on his
+lips.
+
+Alexander was a great source of happiness to Francisca, but severe
+trials still awaited her. He was carried off by a fever exactly one
+month after the death of her dearest and most faithful friend, my poor
+mother, and she was left alone in the world. The rest of her life was
+devoted to works of charity, for no day passed over her head without
+her being engaged in some act of benevolence. Love was an absolute
+necessity to her, therefore she transferred to me much of the affection
+she had felt for my mother. It was her delight to make people happy,
+and her last deed was to give what she knew would confer happiness.
+
+
+'Good soul!' cried Arnold, laughing. 'That deed was to bestow on Mr.
+Horn all her lands and tenements--her goods and chattels--her Chinese
+pagodas and mandarins. I wish you joy of the inheritance.'
+
+Flora turned angrily upon him, and exclaimed, 'For shame, Arnold!' But
+Rudolph went on quietly.
+
+'I repeat, her last deed was an act of benevolence. None of us knew
+that Aunt Francisca had money to leave. She never spoke of this, for
+she wished to be valued for herself, not for what she possessed.'
+
+'Aunt Francisca rich! You really must be quizzing us,' exclaimed Mrs.
+Werner.
+
+'No; I only knew it myself this evening. It seems that she was the last
+surviving member of the Tontine, which I mentioned before, and she
+became, by its rules, the possessor of the whole sum. I hold her will
+here, in my hand, and I find that she has left not less than twenty
+thousand dollars.'
+
+The whole party gathered round Rudolph and Louise, and poured forth
+congratulations.
+
+'My dear Louise,' said Mrs. Werner, 'what a nice addition this will be
+to your income, and what a mercy it was that Aunt Francisca never
+married. Had she done so, Rudolph and you would not have got a
+shilling, though you were both so fond of her.'
+
+'I loved Aunt Francisca for her own sake,' replied Louise; 'and I
+almost wish that she had left nothing to Rudolph but the little matters
+she valued herself.'
+
+Rudolph took Louise's hand in silence and kissed it.
+
+'Good Heavens!' exclaimed Arnold. 'She has left twenty thousand
+dollars, do you say? No wonder you were her faithful knight, Rudolph!
+It was a sort of instinct that led you to take up that position; you
+scented the cash. For twenty thousand dollars I would pledge myself to
+sing the blessed creature's praises all the days of my life, and for
+half that sum I would swear to draw a merciful veil over the affair of
+the child?'
+
+'Would you?' said Rudolph. 'Then I will take you at your word. Listen
+now to _the Will_. "As my dear cousin Rudolph Horn is so well provided
+for that he does not stand in need of what I can give, and as his
+marriage is not delayed by any pecuniary difficulties, I shall leave
+him only five thousand dollars from my Tontine capital; the other
+fifteen thousand I hereby bequeath to my dear Flora Werner and to
+Lieutenant Arnold, upon the condition that their wedding takes place
+within one year from the day of my death." You see that this bequest is
+a passport from Aunt Francisca to that happiness in the future for you
+two which fate had denied to herself. Perhaps you were so polite as to
+walk home with her some evening, Arnold, and that you entrusted to her
+the secret of your engagement,' added Rudolph, with a slight sneer.
+
+Arnold coloured and bit his lips. Flora would not believe what she had
+heard until she saw the words on paper; and Cousin Ida, who looked over
+her shoulder, to convince herself also, exclaimed, 'Fifteen thousand
+dollars! There it stands, true enough. Who would have thought that the
+old lady could leave so large a legacy? It is quite a godsend to you
+and Arnold, Flora.'
+
+Flora burst into tears, and threw herself into her sister's arms.
+
+'Well, recommend me to old maids, however absurd they may be,' said one
+of the gentlemen; 'who could have guessed that such a windfall would
+have come through one of the sisterhood? I solemnly vow hereafter to
+pay court to all old maids, for no one can know what they may leave
+behind when they are screwed down in their coffins. And if I fail with
+ten of them, the eleventh may prove a benefactress.'
+
+'You have drawn another moral from Rudolph's tale to what I expected,'
+said Mrs. Werner; 'but your ideas are perhaps those which would
+generally suggest themselves in this selfish world. Take care, in
+future, to show decent civility to old maids. You will not, of course,
+do so from kindness of heart, but bear in mind that there is always a
+hope of being remembered in the last will and testament.'
+
+Arnold sat for a few minutes quite abashed, with his hands over his
+eyes; at length he looked up and exclaimed:
+
+'Aunt Francisca has heaped coals of fire on my head. She has humbled me
+thoroughly, and taught me a painful lesson; but I had well deserved it.
+You cannot conceive how much I am ashamed of myself: I feel quite
+guilty before you all.'
+
+'Aunt Francisca knew how to distinguish thoughtlessness from
+malignity,' said Rudolph, as he joined Flora's and Arnold's hands. 'The
+slight annoyance you might have occasioned her was soon forgiven and
+forgotten. Be as happy together as she prayed you might be. I can add
+no higher wish for you both. But when you meet by chance an old maid,
+do not forget that you were--Aunt Francisca's heirs.'
+
+
+
+
+                       THE SHIPWRECKED MARINER'S
+                              TREASURE.[3]
+
+                    FROM THE DANISH OF CARIT ETLAR.
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+
+One summer afternoon, two young fishermen were together before the door
+of one of the last cottages which are situated between the sandhills
+near Stadil Fiord, in the district of Ringkjoehing. The one was painting
+a pair of oars, the other had stretched himself at full length along
+the bench near the well, and was resting his head idly on both his
+hands, while he watched his comrade's work. In this attitude his
+countenance expressed a sort of quiet contentment, which seemed never
+to have been disturbed by the storms of passion. He had a low forehead,
+prominent eyes, a round face, smooth hair, combed straight down, and
+colossal limbs. His companion was of more slender proportions, and
+evidently possessed less bodily strength; but he seemed active, and
+there was an expression of benevolence and honesty in his features that
+could not fail to inspire confidence in him.
+
+The sun was shining that afternoon from a cloudless sky; the larks were
+singing, gulls and other sea-birds were flying about in circles in the
+air; and the monotonous sound of the waves of the German Ocean, rolling
+lazily on the Jutland coast, as, borne across the sandhills, was like
+the audible breathing of a sleeping giant. The church bell at Vaedersoe
+was ringing for the afternoon service. All was quiet and repose in that
+sandy desert, where the eye in vain sought a tree, a bush, a single
+blade of fresh green. Only the lymegrass amidst the hillocks, and here
+and there a little yellow patch of rough, half-withered grass in the
+hollows, varied the dismally uniform colour of the sand.
+
+'Come, now,' said the young man who was doing nothing, after he had
+remained a long time silently contemplating the other, 'put away that
+paint-pot, and give up work for to-day. Wash your hands, Joergen, and
+come with me to Vaedersoe; we will have a game at skittles. This is a
+holiday, and one can't be always labouring.'
+
+The young man thus addressed looked up and smiled, and after having for
+a minute glanced at his handiwork with apparent pleasure, he exclaimed:
+
+'I am ready now, Ebbe. But only look! I have painted two hearts, with a
+wreath round them, inside of our names, which are to signify that you
+and I will hold together in friendship and good companionship all our
+days.'
+
+'Yes, that we will, Joergen.'
+
+'I don't see why one should be idle all Sunday, any more than on other
+days,' said Joergen. 'In spring, you know, we two bought a boat
+together; it was a very ugly one, and in a sadly dilapidated state, you
+may remember; but in consequence of devoting our spare time to
+repairing and beautifying it, we have now got as smart a little craft
+as there is on the whole coast. I am never so happy as when I am at
+work.'
+
+'And I am never so happy as when I can lie quietly and comfortably on
+my back in the sunshine, and look up at the heavens, as I am doing now.
+I don't see the least use in a man's working harder than he absolutely
+need do. You and I, Joergen, have been obliged to work since we were
+quite little fellows. Our parents sent us away among strangers, because
+they had no longer the means of maintaining us; we toiled and slaved
+for the benefit of others, and for the same reward that they gave their
+beasts--for mere food. From those days to this, we have never been
+able, with our united efforts, to make more than the fifteen dollars we
+paid for the boat. And now we must begin to labour afresh; and so we
+shall be forced to go on through the whole of our lives, until we are
+too old to work any more, and then we shall be thrust into the
+poor-house, as our parents before us were, and get leave to hobble
+about with a stick and a clay pot, to beg for food from those whom we
+helped to enrich when we were young. You may laugh, Joergen, but what I
+am saying is the plain truth nevertheless. If a poor lad such as I am
+could only earn enough in his youth to enable him to take it easy in
+his old age, he would be labouring to some purpose; if our gains could
+amount to so much as the gains of the person who owns that large ship
+out yonder; or if we could make as much as the lord of the manor at
+Aabjerg possesses, who has nothing to do but to drive in summer round
+his fields, with his hands behind his back, and his German pipe in his
+mouth, and in winter to sit at home in his warm chimney-corner, and
+play at cards with all the strangers that visit him, it would be
+another thing. Ah, Joergen, Joergen! if one could only get so far as to
+be able to take the reins in one's own hands, instead of carrying the
+bit in one's mouth.'
+
+Joergen shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Shortly afterwards, the two
+young fishermen were to be seen strolling arm in arm to the village of
+Vaedersoe.
+
+Towards evening the weather changed; the skies became cloudy, and
+before the sun had set the whole coast wore an aspect very different
+from the peaceful calm that had reigned around in the earlier part of
+the afternoon. A cold north-west wind blew in sharply from the sea,
+whose waves, rising higher and higher every moment, sent a thick rain
+of spray and foam over the adjacent sandhills, whilst the breakers
+dashed loudly on the reefs along the shore. The sand began to whirl
+about among the hills, and flocks of sea-gulls and other birds flew in
+towards the beach, their hoarse and mournful cries predicting bad
+weather.
+
+The peasants at Vaedersoe had finished their games of skittles, and were
+about to return to their homes, when a fisherman brought to the little
+town the tidings that a foreign ship was in distress at sea, outside of
+Husby Sandhills. This intelligence, which seemed to interest all who
+heard it, drew particular attention from those who were standing in
+groups. A number of men and women set off immediately on the way to the
+sandhills, without heeding the rain and the coming storm.
+
+Amidst the crowd who sought as speedily as possible to witness the
+calamitous spectacle might be observed a person of a very peculiar
+appearance. He was a tall, heavy-limbed man, with a blood-red
+complexion, the natural hue of which became deeper and deeper every
+moment, in consequence of the haste with which he was making his way
+through the heavy sandy road. His face was encircled by a forest of
+coal-black hair and beard, and shaded by a dark calf-skin cap. The
+deep-set eyes were nearly hidden beneath a pair of dark eyebrows that
+almost met over a nose which looked unnaturally broad, as chance had
+not bestowed much length upon it. This was the village blacksmith. He
+was by birth a Pole, and had served for some time in the army, under
+the reign of Frederick VI.
+
+The road from Vaedersoe to the sandhills, as has been said, was entirely
+through sand. On both sides might be seen fields of rye, whose slender
+pale blades were beaten down by the tempest. The smith had taken as a
+companion along this fatiguing path a favourite and faithful friend,
+who lived at free quarters in his house, and carried on in this
+comfortable abode his trade, which was that of the village tailor.
+These two persons were almost always to be seen together--the lesser
+man, indeed, seemed to be quite a necessary appendage to the taller
+one, who looked as if nature had appointed him the tailor's protector.
+The merits of the latter, however, were not to be questioned; he was an
+untiring listener, and so submissive and dependent that, if the smith
+had pushed him out by the door, he would have crept back through a
+window; so complaisant, that if the smith had chosen to tell a
+falsehood, the tailor would have sworn to its truth.
+
+These two individuals formed, for the moment, the centre of a group of
+peasants who had gathered on the sandhills. Below, upon the sea-shore,
+were to be seen several fishermen hard at work, drawing up their boats
+farther on the beach, and when that was done, standing in silence,
+anxiously contemplating the sea, on which a large ship was struggling
+with the furious wind, and heavy waves that were every moment driving
+it nearer to the land, notwithstanding all the efforts those on board
+seemed making to escape the threatened danger.
+
+The groups among the sandhills were less silent. The smith had just
+declared, in decisive tones, to what nation the unfortunate ship
+belonged.
+
+'Yes, as I have this moment told you,' he continued, in the sort of
+barbarous Danish in which he usually spoke. 'It is an English vessel,
+and I thank God it is not Swedish.'
+
+'Why?' asked the tailor.
+
+'Because they build their ships with such bad timber--only fir and
+pine--not an inch of good strong oak among it. I wish no evil to
+anyone, or anything; but if it be our Lord's will that a ship is to be
+run aground to-night, I am glad it should be an Englishman: those
+English know how to build ships.'
+
+'You are right, there, Master Harfiz!' said the tailor. 'What capital
+iron bolts we got from the last wreck, and what excellent oak timber to
+boot! When the wreck that is going to be is brought to auction, I shall
+look out for a share of it.'
+
+'And I also,' said the smith. 'I dare say, now, that craft out there
+will furnish me with some good strong posts for my new smithy; it does
+not look to be built of tinder or matches.'
+
+'We can discern the goodness of the Almighty towards all mankind,'
+remarked the tailor. 'No cotton grows here--no silk, no iron is to be
+found; nothing, so to speak, but salt fish can be got on these bare
+coasts, and He is good enough every year to let one or two vessels be
+lost here that we may obtain what we require at a reasonable rate.'
+
+'Yes, and He mercifully ordains this to happen generally in the fall of
+the year,' added an old woman, 'because he knows that the winter is
+approaching, and that poor folks want a little wood for firing to warm
+themselves.'
+
+'There is no dishonesty in taking what is cast in to us by the sea,'
+said the tailor. 'They did much worse in old times down yonder at
+Nymindegab.'
+
+'At Nymindegab?' echoed the smith. 'I know nothing about it. What did
+they do down there?'
+
+'Don't you remember that true tale we heard last Candlemas at Thimgaard
+about the rich nobleman Espen? He lived at a castle which was called
+Ahner, and he used every stormy evening, and during the dark nights of
+winter, to ride over the sandhills with a lighted lantern bound
+underneath his horse, in order that the seafaring people who were
+driven out of their course should fancy that the light came from a ship
+sailing in deep water, and thus get stranded on the reefs while they
+steered for the light. This went on well for a long time, and Espen of
+Ahner became a very rich man, for all the wrecks on that part of the
+coast belonged to him. But at length, just when he was celebrating his
+daughter's wedding, a poor half-witted creature found his way into the
+castle, and disclosed their lord's evil deeds to all his vassals.'[4]
+
+During this conversation the ship, which had excited the attention of
+so many, had tried several times to tack about, so as to get away from
+the shore, but the attempt had always failed. In the terrible storm,
+which seemed to be increasing every moment, it was no longer possible
+to carry such a press of sail as was required to take the ship out. Its
+fate could not, therefore, long be doubtful, as every swell of the sea
+brought it nearer and nearer to the dangerous reefs which stretched
+along the coast.
+
+It is about half a century since the events here related took place. At
+that period the German Ocean had dashed many a wreck over the outer
+reef, and many a cry for help or death-groan had been wafted away by
+the stormy wind, or smothered by the sea, before anyone thought of
+taking effective measures to give help to the drowning mariners. On the
+occasion of the shipwreck in question, however, the unfortunate crew
+were often so close to the land that their despairing cries and earnest
+prayers were distinctly heard on shore, and the tempest had driven them
+within the outer reef, their vessel almost smashed to pieces indeed,
+but so near that, but for the fury of the waves, the fishermen could
+have got out to them even in their frail boats, and have saved them.
+
+In the meantime daylight had gone, but in the summer evening even
+distant objects were still visible; and when the moon struggled forth
+from the heavy clouds, in the pale and tremulous light it cast over the
+sea, the ill-fated ship could be seen driving, with two or three small
+sails up, nearer to the coast. Presently one of the masts went
+overboard, was caught in the cordage, and hung on one side of the hull.
+From time to time, between the more furious gusts of wind, the gale
+bore heartrending cries of distress to the land. All exercise of
+authority on board seemed to have been long given up, everyone
+apparently thinking only of saving himself. A boat was with difficulty
+lowered, but it filled the moment it reached the water.
+
+The crowd on the beach was now increased by two persons--the lord of
+the manor from Aabjerg and his son. The first-named was a very stout
+man, muffled up in a thick great-coat and a fur-cap, with wings that
+came close down over his ears, and were tied under his chin. He had a
+tobacco-pouch well fastened to a button-hole in his overcoat, and was
+smoking a large German pipe. His son was a lieutenant in the Lancers at
+Kolding, on a visit for a few days at his father's country-house. He
+wore that evening a blue uniform, and carried an umbrella, which was
+every minute almost turned inside out by the wind.
+
+'Hark ye, good people!' cried the great man, stretching his chin over
+the enormous handkerchief that enveloped his throat; 'we must try and
+do something for them out yonder. It would be a sin to let all these
+poor fellows perish, would it not--eh? What say you?'
+
+'God have mercy on them!' muttered an old fisherman. 'It is too heavy a
+sea for any boat to live in; we can do nothing for them, Herr
+Krigsraad.'[5]
+
+'Not if I promise a ten-dollar note to anyone who will take a rope out
+to them? What! Is there not one of you who will try it?'
+
+The fishermen looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders; but
+no one spoke.
+
+'I shall add five dollars to my father's ten,' cried the lieutenant.
+
+'Well, I think this is a very good offer,' said the Krigsraad.
+
+'But you must not take too long to consider about it,' added his son.
+'Courage, my lads! It only wants hearty good will and a pair of strong
+arms, and you will soon reach them out yonder.'
+
+'Since the noble Herr lieutenant thinks so, he had better make the
+attempt himself,' said one of the fishermen. 'Your honour seems to have
+a pair of strong enough arms; I will lend you my boat for this
+venturesome deed, but I won't sell my life for any money.'
+
+'The impertinent scoundrel!' muttered the young officer, turning
+towards his father. 'I wish I had him on the drill-ground at Kolding.'
+
+'For Heaven's sake be quiet, lieutenant,' whispered his father, 'and
+don't draw me into a quarrel with my fishermen. That man is no coward;
+I have myself seen him and another rescue sailors from a wreck in the
+most frightful weather, when there seemed no more chance of his getting
+safely back than there would be for me were I to try to wade out yonder
+in my great-coat.'
+
+While this short colloquy was going on, a piercing cry was heard from
+the wreck--a gigantic billow had raised the ship aloft and cast it in
+over the reef; when the waves rolled back the vessel lay on its side,
+having been raised and dashed down again several times in the raging
+surf, and left lying partially buried in the sand. After this, every
+wave washed over it with a force that must have been seen to have been
+believed possible, and which, in the course of a few minutes, swept the
+deck clean of every object that had hitherto been securely fastened on
+it.
+
+In the confusion which followed, another cry of distress arose, and
+those of the fishermen who stood nearest to the water, thought in the
+dusk that they perceived many of the sailors carried away by the sea,
+which, unchecked, was rolling over the deck. As the swelling waves
+dashed forward, these unfortunate victims stretched out their arms.
+When they retired, nothing more was to be seen: the men were gone.
+
+Three sailors had crept up the shrouds, and had lashed themselves to
+the only remaining mast, and every now and then the wind carried to the
+land their agonized appeals to the people on shore to save them.
+Shortly after a boat was seen to be shoved off from the beach with four
+men in it; they bowed their heads, took off their hats, and held them
+for a few moments before their faces, while they seemed to be offering
+up a short prayer, then they let the boat glide out into deep water.
+The four men stood up, and appeared to be working hard to get over the
+inner reefs. For a short time the boat went bravely on, the oars were
+plied by experienced hands, and every effort was made to reach the
+stranded ship, but the raging sea cast them back, and filled the boat,
+and the fishermen were obliged to return without having effected their
+object.
+
+At length, the next morning, about dawn of day, the storm seemed to be
+abating. In the interim those who still remained on the wreck had made
+another effort to reach the land in one of the boats which had not been
+carried away from the ship, but had continued fastened to its side. But
+this attempt also failed; the waves broke over the unfortunate boat,
+and relentlessly swept it out to sea. When the sun came forth only one
+man was to be seen, and he was lashed to the mast.
+
+The Krigsraad returned to the beach at an early hour, and renewed his
+appeals to the fishermen. Ebbe and Joergen were both there; they had not
+left the sea-shore the whole night.
+
+'The weather is not so wild as it was,' whispered Joergen to Ebbe, 'and
+the sea is not so terribly rough. What do you say to our making the
+attempt? Our boat floats lightly, and will stand the waves better than
+any of the others.'
+
+'It can't be done,' replied Ebbe; 'we should be risking too much--our
+beautiful newly-painted boat, that we spent everything we had to buy!
+You don't remember all that.'
+
+'I remember that once when my father was shipwrecked up near Skagen, he
+was fastened to a mast like that poor man out yonder; let us do as the
+natives of Skagen did, and save him.'
+
+'Let us wait a little longer, at least,' whispered Ebbe, eagerly.
+'Perhaps the Krigsraad may offer a larger reward presently.'
+
+Joergen cast a reproachful look at his comrade, and said,
+
+'God forgive you for the sin of thinking of money and reward at such a
+moment as this. I won't wait; and if you do not choose to go, I will
+get some one else to accompany me; for, happen what may, I am resolved
+to attempt the rescue of that poor man.'
+
+'Have a little patience,' cried Ebbe, holding Joergen back by his arm.
+'Just wait till I take off my new waistcoat and my nice cravat; it
+would be a shame to spoil them with salt water.'
+
+'What are you two consulting about?' asked the Krigsraad, going up to
+them. 'Have you determined to go out yonder, my lad?'
+
+'We shall attempt to do so,' replied the young fisherman.
+
+'That's right, Joergen! you are a brave fellow, and have more courage
+than all your comrades put together. Well done.'
+
+'I am younger than any of them,' replied Joergen, blushing at the great
+man's praise, 'and I have neither wife nor child to grieve for me if
+any accident happens to me.'
+
+'I also am going,' said Ebbe, in a doleful voice. 'I also will risk my
+health and my life to save a suffering fellow-creature. And though your
+honour was so good as to promise a reward, I must beg you not to think
+that I am going for the sake of the money. Nevertheless, I shall accept
+it, for I am betrothed to a little girl here in the neighbourhood, and
+the money might be useful to her if I am lost.'
+
+'Go, then, in Heaven's name!' cried the Krigsraad. 'What! Do you think
+I am the man to withhold the ten dollars I promised?'
+
+'It was fifteen, sir,' observed Ebbe.
+
+'Well, well, fifteen then! Make yourself easy, I shall be as good as my
+word; but be off now!'
+
+'I shall trust to your word, sir--and there are witnesses,' mumbled
+Ebbe.
+
+Ebbe then divested himself of his new green-and-red-striped vest and
+gay-coloured necktie, which he put away carefully together under one of
+the boats that were drawn up on the beach. He then went down to Joergen,
+who was busy launching a small, newly-painted boat into the sea.
+
+'The weather is moderating,' cried the Krigsraad, filling his pipe
+comfortably. 'I think the sun is going to shine briskly.'
+
+'Our Lord is pleased that we are so humane as to risk our all in order
+to save a human being who is a stranger to us,' whined Ebbe, as he took
+his place in the boat with Joergen.
+
+It was a moment full of anxiety and sympathy when the frail little boat
+was caught in the first heavy sea, was thrown up aloft, and then hidden
+among the engulphing waves! The crowd on the beach stood silent and
+breathless, and even the Krigsraad forgot his newly-lighted pipe. He
+mounted on a fragment of rock, holding his hand over his eyes, and
+standing with his head bowed forward, intently watching the treacherous
+sea; and he was the first to break the silence with a loud oath, when
+Joergen's boat glided safely over the reef, and up to the side of the
+shipwrecked vessel. A thrilling shout burst forth at that moment from
+the spectators on shore--a shout full of triumph and joy; it rang over
+the waters as far off as the wreck, and Joergen was seen to turn towards
+the land and wave his hat in the air, after which he made his boat fast
+to the shattered ship by the end of a rope that was hanging loosely
+from the fallen mast, and crept up by the side of the wreck.
+
+The one man still clinging to it had fastened himself on the bowl of
+the mast. At the extreme end of the ship stood a black, shaggy-haired
+dog, who, with a weak, suppressed whine, was gazing out on the open
+sea, without taking the slightest notice of the strangers. When Joergen
+reached the deck the man turned his head towards him, made a sign with
+his hand, and murmured repeatedly one word--'Water!'
+
+'I am sorry you will have to wait till we reach the land,' said Joergen,
+'but, with God's help, that shall not be long.'
+
+'I am afraid I have got my chest very much injured,' said the man, in
+the mixture of low German and Danish which he spoke. 'The same accursed
+wave which carried off our captain with it during the night dashed me
+down from the bowl of the mast, where I had lashed myself with the end
+of a rope, to prevent my being washed overboard. Whilst I was hanging
+there a heavy sea came rolling over the wreck, and it drove me with
+such force against the mast, that I lost all sense and consciousness.
+Since then it has been almost impossible for me to hold out against the
+weather, and I was on the point of loosening the rope, and letting
+myself go down to Davy's locker with the rest, when I saw your boat put
+off from the shore. In the name of Heaven, why were you so long of
+coming to our assistance?'
+
+'We dared not venture out sooner,' replied Joergen, 'on account of the
+awful storm.'
+
+'Do you call this bit of a puff of wind a storm?' cried the man,
+scornfully. 'It is more likely that you were afraid of a wet jacket, or
+of catching cold. Ah well! I must not complain; you have done what you
+could, and I'm thinking that you yourself will profit the most by
+having saved me.'
+
+'I don't know what you mean by _profit_.'
+
+'Oh, that's not the question just now. Help me to get free of this
+rope; my hands are so cramped that I can scarcely use them, and let us
+be off.'
+
+Whilst Joergen was assisting the man, who at every movement that he made
+uttered a sigh or groan of pain, a voice was heard from the boat.
+
+'Make haste to come, Joergen, or Ebbe will lose the boat.'
+
+'What do you say?' cried Joergen, much surprised. 'I say that our boat
+will be thumped to pieces--to splinters--lying here and knocking
+against the wreck. Already the edge of the gunwale has started, and we
+have sprung a leak on one side; so come down, Joergen--it is too
+unreasonable for anyone to expect that we should risk ourselves and our
+all to save other people.'
+
+'A brave comrade you have got!' muttered the stranger, as Joergen
+carried rather than helped him down out of the shrouds. 'Call out to
+him, and tell him that I have with me that which would make him cry his
+eyes out to lose if he does not take me safely from this wreck.'
+
+Joergen full well knew what effect this intelligence would have upon
+Ebbe, and instantly repeated to him the stranger's words. The object
+was attained, for Ebbe immediately came creeping up the side of the
+wreck, to assist in bringing the shipwrecked man down to the boat. The
+suffering seaman groaned repeatedly, and the exertion of moving seemed
+almost too much for him; bloody froth issued from his lips, and when he
+reached the boat he sank down exhausted at the bottom of it. The poor
+dog, meanwhile, had never stirred from its place, although Joergen had
+done his best to coax it to come to him; the animal had turned his head
+for once towards him, and then sprang to a higher part of the wreck,
+with a dismal and heart-rending howl.
+
+'There is no use in your calling that beast,' murmured the stranger.
+'He has stood in one place and done nothing but howl since his master,
+the captain, was washed overboard. He will not quit the ship as long as
+a plank of it is left. Cast loose the rope, and push out with the oars,
+you there in the flannel waistcoat, who were afraid of scratching your
+smart little craft.'
+
+After this petulant speech, the stranger laid himself back in the boat,
+and closed his eyes. Joergen loosened the rope; as he did so, a wave
+carried the boat at once far away from the wreck. The dog was the only
+living creature left on board of it, and he did not seem to perceive
+that the boat was speeding fast away.
+
+As they were rowing towards the land, Joergen and Ebbe had a good
+opportunity of observing the stranger. He was a man apparently about
+fifty, partially bald, with a round forehead, high nose, pointed chin,
+and a shrewd and cunning expression of countenance, which was strongly
+marked, even though the eyes were closed. Ebbe surveyed his prostrate
+figure with a degree of veneration, and much would he have given to
+have known where the treasure could be deposited in safety, to which
+the unknown had so recently referred, and with the possession of which
+his humble attire so ill accorded.
+
+The passage from the wreck back to the land was made speedily, and in
+silence, until they had got over the innermost reef, which the receding
+tide had left almost bare of water; then suddenly arose a cry of
+exultation from the fishermen on shore. At that sound the stranger
+opened his eyes, raised his head, and exclaimed:
+
+'What are they shouting for in there? Oh! I suppose it is in honour of
+the great feat you have accomplished. Nonsense! How far is it from this
+place to Hjerting?'
+
+'About nine miles,' replied Joergen.
+
+'North or south?'
+
+'South.'
+
+'Ah, I thought sure enough that we had made a mistake in our reckoning;
+but it must be forgiven, since it was the last piece of stupidity our
+blessed captain has been allowed to commit. Are you quite sure that it
+is not more than nine miles to Hjerting?' he asked again a little
+after, as if the matter were of great consequence to him.
+
+The two fishermen repeated the assertion.
+
+'Are you going on to Hjerting?' asked Ebbe.
+
+'Certainly; my sympathizing friend, it is easy to travel nine miles[6]
+with a severe wound in one's chest. Find me a hut to lie down in and a
+doctor to put plaster on me, and I shall want nothing more just at
+present. I have the means to pay you for everything you do for me. And
+now not another question or another word, for I feel the greatest pain
+whenever I open my mouth to speak.'
+
+In the course of another hour the stranger was lying comfortably in
+Joergen and Ebbe's hut. He had reported himself to the Krigsraad as the
+first mate, Fourness, from Amrom. Joergen had gone to Vaedersoe to ask
+assistance from the smith, who, in addition to his other
+accomplishments, also carried on secretly the profession of a medical
+man among the peasantry in the neighbourhood. Joergen found the learned
+gentleman sitting in his smithy, surrounded by some countrymen, to whom
+he was reading aloud the political intelligence from a soiled
+provincial newspaper that was lying, spread open, upon his knees. In
+the furthest corner of the workshop an apprentice was busy shoeing two
+horses.
+
+When Joergen mentioned his errand, the smith put away his newspaper with
+alacrity, and instantly gave all his attention to the report of the
+case.
+
+'Do you think you will be able to cure him, master,' added the young
+fisherman, 'or shall I go on to Ringkjoebing, though it is so much
+farther off, for the doctor of the district?'
+
+'I'll tell you what, Joergen,' replied the smith, in a raised voice, and
+with a look that betokened the utmost self-confidence, 'I will
+undertake to cure any creature who is not already dead, and even then
+sometimes they may be called back, as the worthy priest can testify,
+who knows that about Easter, last year, I brought back to life his
+brown filly, after it had been dead for nearly half-an-hour. If that
+can be done with a filly, I should think it can be done with a human
+being. Why not? But where is he wounded? In the head?'
+
+'No; in the breast.'
+
+'So much the better. We must give him something. I shall take my pills
+with me; if they don't set him to rights, you can order his grave to be
+dug. Come over the way, Joergen, and let us have a dram together before
+we set off to cure the man.'
+
+The smith then left his workshop accompanied by Joergen. His secret--the
+preparation of these wonderful pills--it may be mentioned here, was
+found out some years later, during an investigation which took place
+before the magistrates of Ringkjoebing, on the occasion of the worthy
+smith being charged with culpable quackery. They were only made of rye
+bread and the juice of walnut leaves!
+
+While Joergen had gone to summon the smith, Ebbe had remained with the
+sufferer, who seemed to have become worse since he had landed, for he
+moaned repeatedly, and tossed about as if in pain on his bed. Ebbe sat
+by the window in silence, reflecting deeply upon the words of promise
+the stranger had let fall before he had left the wreck.
+
+'What are you sitting there and waiting for?' asked the seaman, when he
+observed Ebbe.
+
+'I am sitting here to see if you want any help before the doctor
+comes.'
+
+'Yes, I want something. Get me another glass of grog, and let it be
+warm and strong. Do you hear?'
+
+'It is not good for you, mate. When Joergen went away he said you were
+not to have more than one glass of grog, and you have already drunk
+three.'
+
+'You blackguard! mix me a glass directly. Don't you think I am the best
+judge of what is good for me?'
+
+Ebbe arose and went towards the fireplace, where a kettle of water was
+boiling. A bottle, half full, stood upon the table.
+
+'It is too bad, when rum is so dear with us in these parts,' muttered
+the fisherman, while he mixed the grog. The stranger took no notice of
+him. 'I had to give three marks for the pint I bought for you.'
+
+The mate still remained silent.
+
+'Please to remember, mate, that the money spent for your rum was mine,'
+said Ebbe, in a surly tone.
+
+'Oh yes, I shall remember it. Make yourself easy; you shall have your
+money back. What are three marks to me? I could cover you with gold, if
+it were not a useless expense.'
+
+Ebbe's eyes sparkled, and he looked with reverence at the unknown, as
+he approached the bed with the desired grog. The mate raised himself,
+seized the glass, and emptied it at one draught.
+
+'Ah!' he exclaimed, while his face was distorted with pain, 'that _was_
+warm! It burned me more than the confounded wound, but it will do me
+good for all that.'
+
+'No doubt you have made many long voyages, sir?' said the fisherman,
+after a short silence.
+
+'Yes, I have,' replied the stranger; 'you may swear to that.'
+
+'And is that how you have gathered so much money?'
+
+'What money?' asked the mate.
+
+'That which might cover me with gold, if you liked.'
+
+'Oh, to be sure--no, indeed! That would have been impossible. The money
+I own I could not have made myself if I had been as old as the German
+Ocean.'
+
+'Mercy on us! How can you carry so much money about with you?'
+
+'Who said that I carried it about with me? Blockhead! I have disposed
+of it better than that. The earth keeps it safely for me; I can take it
+when I want it; and I intend to take it up as soon as I am well. Then
+we shall have a jolly life. It has been long enough of commencing. But
+don't talk any more to me now; the pain is increasing.'
+
+Shortly after Joergen, accompanied by the smith, entered the hut. The
+shipwrecked guest turned his face towards the wall as they approached,
+but on Joergen's informing him that the doctor had come, he muttered a
+few unintelligible words, and then stretched forth his hand, without
+altering his position. The smith evidently misunderstood the meaning of
+the action, for he laid hold of the outstretched hand and shook it
+heartily, while he said in a cheerful tone, 'Good morning.'
+
+'The mischief take you!' cried the sailor, as he raised himself
+quickly. 'What sort of a doctor is that you have brought me, young man?
+I put out my hand that he might feel my pulse, as they always used to
+do at the hospitals, and he wrings it so furiously that I feel the
+shock through my whole body. Confound it!'
+
+When the smith heard these words, which were spoken in the Low-German
+dialect, his scarlet face assumed a very benignant expression.
+
+'So you are a German!' he exclaimed, in the same dialect; 'then we are
+almost countrymen. So much the better. I have nothing to do with your
+pulse, my good friend, and I should like to ask any sensible man, what
+use there would be in feeling the arm when the wound is in the breast.
+Turn over a little bit towards the window, and let us see what the
+injury is. If you are not able to move yourself, let me get hold of
+you, and I will turn you in the twinkling of an eye.'
+
+There was something in the smith's sharp and determined way of speaking
+that seemed to please the stranger; he turned towards the light, and
+opened his vest and his under-garment. However rough and unsusceptible
+the three spectators might have been, they all started back at the
+sight of the frightful wound which they beheld before them.
+
+'Well, what do you say to this?' asked the sufferer.
+
+'Heavens and earth!' cried the smith, grasping his own hair tightly in
+his dismay. 'This really does look dangerous! I would rather have to
+deal with a horse in the worst case of staggers, than to cure such an
+awful hurt. The person who expects to set you to rights must indeed
+look sharp.'
+
+'Of course you must look sharp; but only standing staring at me won't
+be of any use,' said Fourness. 'What do you think of doing with it?'
+
+'You must have a good large plaster on it; and you must take some
+medicine. I have brought my pills with me.'
+
+'The plaster with all my heart; get it ready at once; but I'll have
+none of your pills. I once swallowed a whole boxful of pills, and they
+did not do me the least good.'
+
+'But you _must_ take the pills,' replied the smith, decidedly. 'There
+is no use in jabbering about your past experience, my good man; you
+have got a nasty wound in your chest, as you see yourself, but you also
+feel ill internally, don't you?'
+
+'To be sure I do.'
+
+'Now listen. I know what I am about. A breast like yours resembles a
+watch that has been smashed almost to pieces. What would be the use of
+putting in a new glass if the works inside were not repaired also? So
+you must take the pills; and if you make any fuss about it, we shall
+have to hold you fast, stick the handle of a hammer in your mouth to
+keep it open, and so pop them down your throat. _I_ know how to manage
+you.'
+
+The mate felt himself too weak to struggle with his powerful medical
+attendant, and he made no further objections. The smith cast a
+significant glance towards the two young fishermen as he betook himself
+to the table, where he set about spreading an enormous pitch plaster.
+
+'Come, this will do you good!' he said, when he returned to the bed to
+put the plaster on the wound. 'And see, here is a packet of pills. I
+shall give you some of these at once; and if you should be worse before
+I come back, you must take half-a-dozen more; they will certainly
+relieve you. I shall call again early in the evening.'
+
+The wound was bandaged; and, after giving a few directions, the smith
+left the hut. Towards the afternoon the invalid became much worse, in
+spite of the remedies which had been applied. The wound burned under
+the pitch plaster; he tore it off; and, cursing and swearing, he
+refused to take any more of the prescribed pills. In this state the
+smith found him in the evening.
+
+'How do you _really_ think that he is?' asked Ebbe, who had called the
+learned man aside.
+
+'Well, I think it is a very doubtful case,' replied the smith. 'Since
+my pills have done him no good, not to speak of the plaster, I am
+inclined to believe he is pretty near his last gasp.'
+
+'Do you mean that he is actually in danger?' inquired Ebbe, with a
+degree of interest which was inspired by the thoughts of the mate's
+gold and the unpaid rum.
+
+'When a person is ill there is always danger,' said the smith; 'and as
+he will not use the means for his recovery which I advise, I think the
+best thing either you or Joergen could do would be to go and call the
+parish doctor.'
+
+'You are right,' said Ebbe; 'I will go for him.'
+
+'When you see him, you need not say anything about my having been here.
+These folks with diplomas are so very jealous. And I think you had
+better lose no time before you set off. And--by-the-by, Ebbe, you can
+keep the rest of my pills, lest you should be ill yourself some day.
+They won't spoil by keeping.'
+
+The smith took his departure, and Ebbe soon after also left the hut,
+and set off for Ringkjoebing to call the doctor. Joergen remained alone
+with the patient.
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+
+'How long will it probably be before he brings the doctor?' asked the
+stranger, after a considerable silence.
+
+'He will be here soon. There is a man who lives down at Vaedersoe, to
+whom we have sometimes been of service, he will lend Ebbe his gig, and
+if the doctor be at home they may be here before nightfall.'
+
+'I hardly think I shall hold out so long; the wound in my chest burns
+like a glowing coal, Joergen, and my breath is failing me. Lord help me!
+Must I lie down and die now--now that I am just close upon the
+realization of all my wishes? For eleven long years I have been
+speculating on coming to this coast. I wanted to set up my rest here. I
+have plenty of means--plenty of means, and could live like a king; but
+first came that accursed shipwreck, and then, after I was so fortunate
+as to reach the land, to be obliged to creep into a dog-hole like this!
+There is no luck with the money--it is mixed up with blood and
+injustice!'
+
+'What money?' asked Joergen, in amazement.
+
+'What, the devil! why that of which I am speaking, to be sure. But I
+will do some good with it. Do you need an hospital here, among these
+sandhills? If so, I shall have one built, so large that a man-of-war
+might tack about in it. I will build a tower, too, with a lighthouse at
+the top of it, to warn my comrades not to approach too near the coast.
+And I will go to church every Sunday, and listen to the preacher, who
+tells us that we are never too old to repent.'
+
+'How will you find the means to build these places?' asked Joergen,
+simply. 'Bricks and timber are so expensive up hereabouts.'
+
+'But do you not hear that I know where a large treasure is buried, that
+it belongs to me--_me_ alone, and that I have only to dig it up in
+order to make use of it? I believe I am able to pay for anything I
+please.'
+
+Joergen shook his head incredulously. 'He is delirious, and does not
+know what he is saying,' he thought. 'I wish Ebbe would come with the
+doctor.' Then, turning to the invalid, he said,
+
+'So you have been on this coast before, mate?'
+
+'Yes, lad, that I have. Eleven years ago I landed down yonder, near
+Hjerting, pretty much in the same way as I did here this morning. I am
+only afraid I shan't come off so well here as I did there.'
+
+The sick man was interrupted by the opening of the cottage door, and
+the entrance of the smith, who said,
+
+'I have come to tell you that Ebbe might have saved himself the journey
+to town, for the doctor drove a little while ago into Aabjerg. I went
+up there, and he has promised to call here as soon as he leaves the
+Krigsraad's.'
+
+'Coming at last!' exclaimed the sufferer. 'Then I shall soon be well
+again. Tell him, from me, that he will be the cause of a great calamity
+if he does not come soon.'
+
+'That I will,' replied the smith, shrugging his shoulders, and glancing
+towards Joergen. 'Do me a favour, Joergen, my boy. Just put my pills out
+of sight, and say nothing about my having been here.'
+
+Shortly after a carriage was heard making its way through the sandy
+road, and the physician entered the hut. He only needed a quick glance
+at his patient to perceive how hopeless was his condition.
+
+'Poor man!' he exclaimed, as he prepared to bleed him, 'you have been
+sadly hurt.'
+
+'Oh, not so badly, after all,' replied the mate. 'Last year, about this
+time, the whole of the upper part of my arm was torn to pieces by the
+chain of the anchor--that was worse. You will be able to cure me. It is
+very strange that I feel such difficulty in speaking; my voice seems to
+be so husky, too! How long do you think it will be till I get on my
+legs again?'
+
+'Why it is hardly possible to name a time.'
+
+'The doctors here are good for nothing. In England they charge higher,
+but they know their business better.'
+
+'Have you taken anything since you came ashore?'
+
+'Nothing whatsoever. I have only wet my lips with three or four small
+glasses of grog; but it is very odd, I don't feel the least inclination
+for any more.'
+
+After the doctor had done all that he possibly could to alleviate the
+sufferings of the poor stranger, he was turning to go, but the sick man
+grasped his hand, endeavoured to raise himself in his bed, and
+exclaimed, with impetuosity,
+
+'You won't leave me, doctor? Are you angry at what I said about
+physicians? Pray think nothing of that; it is a habit I have got of
+amusing myself by teazing people. You must stay with me to-night--all
+night. Do you hear, sir? You need not be afraid that you will be giving
+your time for nothing.'
+
+'I have not asked, and I do not expect, any fee,' said the doctor; 'but
+I have other patients who require my help as well as you. I shall see
+you again early to-morrow morning. God be with you till we meet again,
+mate!
+
+He left the room, and Joergen followed him out.
+
+'And will you really be so kind as to return early to-morrow morning,
+Herr Doctor?'
+
+'Yes, my friend, I shall most certainly come; but, to say the truth, I
+fear that my visit will be of no use, for to-morrow your guest will no
+longer need my assistance.
+
+'What do you mean, sir?'
+
+'I mean that he will be dead before to-morrow, and that no human skill
+can save him. If you should find an opportunity, you had better prepare
+him for this. Good night.'
+
+The physician drove away; Joergen returned to the invalid. He found him
+sitting on the side of the bed, the light of the lamp falling full upon
+his face, which, during the last hour, had become of a pale bluish hue.
+He was pressing his hand on his chest, as if to lessen the pain, while
+with a thick and trembling voice he whispered,
+
+'Hark ye, Joergen! Yonder, in the breast-pocket of my pea-jacket there
+is a small leather purse with nine Prussian thalers in it. Will you
+earn one of them?'
+
+'I don't understand you, mate,' said Joergen, much surprised.
+
+'What did the doctor say of me outside of the door there?'
+
+Joergen considered for a moment or two what he should answer. 'Oh!' he
+came out with at length, 'he said--'
+
+'In the devil's name, let me have no evasive answer,' cried the mate,
+raising his voice. 'I will know what he said, word for word; and if I
+give you a Prussian thaler to speak the truth, I think you are pretty
+well paid to open your mouth. So, out with it!'
+
+'Do you wish to know the whole truth?' asked Joergen, seizing his hand.
+
+'Certainly.'
+
+'All that he said?'
+
+'Ah! it was nothing very cheering, I perceive,' remarked the sufferer,
+in a low tone, and with trembling lips. 'But speak out, my lad--speak
+out! Whatever that withered old stick could say, I can bear to hear.'
+
+'Well, then,' stammered Joergen, in considerable agitation, 'he said--he
+said--that you had not long to live.'
+
+'Did he, indeed! Well, well, one must put up with that. A few years of
+comfort and pleasure are probably worth a long life of care and want.'
+
+'Ah! God help you, and send you better thoughts, mate: you cannot look
+forward to _years_.'
+
+'May I not? How long can I count upon, Joergen? Speak, my son. Why do
+you hang your head so? I have seen death too often close under my eyes
+to be afraid of it. When did he hint that I might be called away?'
+
+'He said that you would die to-night, and that no human skill could
+save you.'
+
+There was a deep and prolonged silence in the room after these words
+had been uttered.
+
+'To-night!' at length exclaimed the mate, in thick and trembling
+accents. 'I am to die _to-night!_' And as he repeated this dreadful
+sentence he burst into tears, and into loud, convulsive sobs.
+
+Joergen was much affected; he wrung the sick man's hand, but did not
+venture to speak for fear of betraying his emotion. At length he said,
+in a subdued and sad voice,
+
+'Take comfort, mate! If you will allow me, I will read a hymn to you.'
+
+'A hymn!' exclaimed the stranger, starting. 'Ah, well--read it.
+
+The young fisherman took a hymn-book from a shelf, and began to read in
+a low and trembling voice,
+
+
+           'Teach me, like autumn leaves, to fade
+            With joy, oh yellow forest glade!
+              A brighter spring is nigh.
+            The summer of eternity
+            Reigns where, an ever-verdant tree,
+              My roots shall never die.
+
+           'Teach me--oh, wandering bird! like thee
+            To wing my way, undaunted, free,
+              To distant unknown lands;
+            When here, 'tis winter, storm and ice,
+            Yonder, an endless paradise,
+              Open, before me stands!'
+
+
+The dying man had apparently been listening to the hymn with earnest
+attention, even devotion, while his clasped hands lay on the coverlet;
+suddenly he turned towards the light, and exclaimed:
+
+'Hark ye, Joergen! If you will swear to me not to reveal what I am now
+going to tell you, I will confide a secret to you.'
+
+'Certainly,' replied Joergen, who, shocked at this sudden interruption
+of the hymn, laid the book aside.
+
+'Come closer to my bed--my voice is growing weaker, and pay particular
+attention to what I say:
+
+'Eleven years ago I went as a sailor in a Neustader merchantman; we
+came from England, where we had sold a cargo of dye-woods, silk, and
+spices from Canton, and on which the firm, in whose employment I was,
+had made a considerable sum of money. Well, we were driven ashore near
+Hjerting, and forced to try and save ourselves in boats. It happened
+then like last night---the long boat was overcrowded; it capsized and
+sank! The captain had brought up his papers and a little box from the
+cabin, and was standing ready to go in the second boat, when an
+enormous wave washed him overboard. There were then but two men left;
+the one was myself, the other was the cook. We took the box, which
+contained all the cash for which the cargo had been sold, got into the
+boat, and reached the land in safety. This was at night, pitch dark,
+and in a pouring rain. Our first care was to bury the box--after
+that--'
+
+'Go on, mate. I am listening to you, and I have promised secresy; you
+may depend upon me.'
+
+'Well, then,' continued the man, apparently with a strong effort
+overcoming his repugnance to say more, and in a lower and more unsteady
+tone of voice, 'after that something happened--which I have regretted
+and repented deeply--something which I can never forget: after that I
+killed the cook, that I might be the sole possessor of the contents of
+the case.'
+
+'You murdered him!' whispered Joergen. 'God forgive you!'
+
+'I did! But it was not such a sin after all. He was a bad, malicious
+fellow; he cooked shockingly, and was always making mischief between us
+and the mates. The next morning I was sent to my native home, and I
+left the case, well knowing that it was safe enough where it was
+deposited. Time passed on, and I went to sea again. First I went to
+Brazil, and then I went to the South Sea for the whale fishery,
+and so on, until full eleven years had elapsed before I had a chance
+of returning to the place where my treasure was. At length, luck
+favoured me, and I had determined to begin a new life, and to enjoy my
+money--and now, I am lying here in the agonies of death! But no, no--it
+is a fabrication of the cursed doctor's! I will not die! I once lay ill
+for fourteen months in the hospital at Boston, and became quite well
+again. Remember, you have sworn never to disclose a syllable of what I
+have told you. May God punish you if you betray me! Come closer to my
+bed. How cold it is this evening! Below the wall of Oxby church, at the
+corner facing the north, lies the buried case, among three hard stones.
+If I should not recover, you can dig up the box, and keep what you
+find. Have you understood me?'
+
+'Yes, I have, perfectly well; but it is not worth talking more about,
+mate. I shall not meddle with your money--there could be no luck with
+it. Will you listen if I read another hymn to you?'
+
+'Yes, read a psalm, Joergen; it is long since I have heard of our Lord.'
+
+Joergen began to read slowly, and with much feeling; he was often
+stopped by his own agitation, and at these times he heard the dying
+man's breathing becoming thicker, and a rattling occasionally in his
+throat. He also heard now and then a sigh and a low murmur, which he
+supposed to be the invalid repeating what he had read. Suddenly, the
+mate laid his hand upon his arm, and exclaimed,
+
+'I am counting about how much money there may be in that case, my lad.
+You will find much more than you can possibly make use of. When I was
+last at home, my brother lived at Amrom; you must send him fifty
+guineas. I know that they won't be particularly well spent, for he has
+taken to the bottle, poor creature! But that cannot be helped, it is
+his only gratification now.'
+
+Joergen nodded his head, and began to read aloud again.
+
+'Oh, put away that book,' said the mate; 'what is the use of your
+sitting there, and reading that I shall go to heaven, and that I am
+tired of being in this world, when it is not true? I will live, and
+live merrily with all my money.'
+
+A long and uncomfortable silence prevailed for some time in the room,
+which was only broken by the monotonous and uniform ticking of an old
+clock that hung against the wall. The moonbeams were streaming in
+brightly at the window, the storm had ceased, and the sky was clear and
+cloudless.
+
+'If it should go hard with me, see that you have a large three-masted
+ship made with full rigging. It must be painted black and green, with a
+red water-line, and my name, in large gold letters, must be put on the
+stern. I make a present of this to Vaedersoe church, and it shall hang
+there from the roof.'
+
+One hour later, and the stranger was dead!
+
+Whilst this scene was taking place in Joergen's hut, Ebbe was on his way
+back from Ringkjoebing, deeply buried in reflecting on the unusual gains
+the last day or two had brought him.
+
+'It is too bad that I am obliged to share all this money with Joergen,'
+he said to himself; 'this stupid partnership won't do. I will see about
+getting rid of it, and carrying on the business on my own account. The
+foreign mate shall help me to manage this; he must have money, for he
+has several times alluded to it; he is too ill to leave our house for
+some time to come, and before he is able to go I shall have made
+something out of him. Besides, he owes me some recompense, for I helped
+to bring him off from the wreck.'
+
+Thus far he had proceeded in his cogitations, when the conveyance
+stopped at the door of his cottage. The light was extinguished in the
+room; Joergen was lying, fast asleep, upon a mattress stuffed with
+sea-weed, on the floor. He awoke as Ebbe opened the door.
+
+'I have had bad luck,' said Ebbe, in a whisper, 'and have gone my
+errand for nothing. The doctor had driven out of the town an hour
+before my arrival.'
+
+'I know that very well,' replied Joergen. 'He has been here.'
+
+'How is the sick man?' asked Ebbe, striking a light.
+
+'He is dead!' said Joergen.
+
+'Dead!' cried Ebbe, in a tone that sufficiently evinced how many hopes
+and expectations that one word had overthrown. 'Dead! Good Lord! Poor
+man! Did he pay you the three marks I laid out for him in rum?'
+
+'No!'
+
+'Then it was a disgraceful imposition on his part, setting forth to me
+that he was able to repay us tenfold for all our trouble. Did you look
+to see how much money he had with him? I am quite convinced that he
+possessed nothing, and that he only wanted to make fools of us.'
+
+'Now, be done with all this, Ebbe,' said Joergen, almost out of
+patience. 'He did not intend to deceive you; and he was in the right
+when he said that he had the means of repaying us tenfold for what we
+did for him.'
+
+'Really!' exclaimed Ebbe, with a smile, and a glance strangely
+expressive of covetousness. 'Then he _had_ a good deal of money?'
+
+'No; but he knew where to find a good deal of money. He had been
+shipwrecked once before on this coast, and then he buried a box, which,
+according to his representation, contains much more than we two could
+ever dream of possessing. He described to me the place where it is
+concealed.'
+
+'To you!' exclaimed Ebbe. 'Indeed! Did he not say that you and I were
+to divide the treasure between us?'
+
+'No!'
+
+Ebbe seemed lost in thought; he remained silent for some minutes, while
+his countenance underwent an unpleasant change.
+
+'Then it is you who have become rich--you alone; and I have helped to
+bring this about. Well, well, it was to be so. What quantity of money
+is hidden away in the box?'
+
+'Oh! how should I know? Judging by what he said, there may be several
+thousand dollars. But do not let us talk any more about it now. The
+cocks are crowing, it will soon be morning, and I am so sleepy. Come,
+lie down near me, and put out the light.'
+
+'Several thousand dollars!' continued Ebbe. 'Good Lord! And all this
+money is yours! If I had not gone to fetch a doctor for him he would
+surely have said that we were to divide it. Are you quite certain that
+he absolutely said nothing about that, Joergen?'
+
+'No, he did not; but that is no reason why we should not divide it.'
+
+'Oh, of course! You would be a fool if you did that. Dear me! Several
+thousand dollars! You will be able to buy a new boat, with an English
+compass in it. Oh, yes! you will be able to buy a house for yourself,
+and, moreover, to put some of the money out at a good interest. It is
+enough to make one mad. Will you spare me five dollars for a watch, eh,
+Joergen? Joergen! Are you asleep? Good Heavens! he can sleep! Several
+thousands!--and _I_ have got nothing!'
+
+Ebbe burst into a passionate fit of tears. The morning, which was then
+dawning, found him awake and ruminating on his disappointment, on the
+bed by the side of Joergen.
+
+The next day the body of the mate, Fourness, was removed to the
+hospital at Vaedersoe, to be buried from thence in the village
+churchyard. Joergen and Ebbe pursued their accustomed occupations. The
+hull of the foreign vessel was carried out to sea at night, and
+apparently knocked to pieces by the waves, for many portions of the
+wreck were cast ashore along the adjacent coast.
+
+Ebbe did not leave Joergen's side that day; all his thoughts were
+devoted to the mysterious casket, and to the painful reflection that
+Joergen alone was aware of the spot where it was concealed, consequently
+was master of its valuable contents. He had no inclination to work, but
+was continually recurring to the one vexatious fancy, which represented
+Joergen surrounded with wealth and all the prosperity which he had so
+often wished for himself.
+
+Thus passed the week. It had been settled between the two friends that
+on Saturday they would set off to Oxby church, so early that they might
+reach the place that evening, before it began to get dark. Ebbe had two
+or three days beforehand arranged everything for this journey, secretly
+and eagerly. Joergen could not help observing the striking change which
+in a few days had come over him. He saw how his energies were quite
+paralyzed beneath the dreamy state into which he had fallen. Ebbe had
+become silent and irritable; he avoided his comrade's society, and
+sought solitude, where it was not necessary for him to conceal his
+feelings.
+
+When he was alone, his mind always dwelt upon the hidden treasure, and
+picture after picture arose from the depths of his imagination of
+wealth, prosperity, and triumph over those who now looked down upon
+him. At other times he was tormented by a bitter, gnawing doubt if the
+mate had spoken the truth, and there existed any treasure at all. Then,
+again, he would make himself miserable about the portion of it that he
+might obtain. He would sometimes fancy himself set aside by Joergen;
+then he would work himself up to believe that it was no freewill offer
+to share with him, but a right which belonged to himself; and to this
+oft-recurring thought succeeded, little by little, another, dark and
+dreadful, which, nourished by envy and covetousness, assumed by degrees
+a more distinct and decided form.
+
+When Saturday arrived, Ebbe rose in the grey of the morning, and was
+ready for the journey long before Joergen; his whole bearing betrayed a
+degree of feverish impatience, an eagerness and impetuosity which he
+had never evinced before. Joergen carried a saddle-bag with provisions,
+Ebbe a spade, and furnished with these necessaries, they left their
+hut, and passed through the village even before the peasants had left
+their beds.
+
+The road from Aale parsonage down to Oxby traverses a long and wide
+tract of boggy land, which, at that time, was overgrown with a sort of
+close rough glass and a layer of moss, that in summer concealed many a
+cavity and break in the ground, and which was the resort of frogs and
+of various moor fowls, that took wing in large flocks when anyone
+approached their places of shelter.
+
+The two fishermen trudged on with unwearying patience towards their
+goal, which already they could perceive far in the distance. It was
+late in the day; the sun had sunk behind the line of sandhills which
+hid the German Ocean, and a deep stillness reigned around. The church
+stood in a naked, sandy plain, surrounded by a stone wall that was
+partially sunk in the sand. One side of the edifice was, at that
+moment, illuminated by a bright reflexion from the red evening sky.
+Swallows were flying about under its roof. As far as the eye could
+reach, there was no sign or appearance of the inhabitants of the
+neighbourhood.
+
+'At last we have reached our destination!' exclaimed Ebbe, as, tired
+and gasping for breath, he threw himself down on a heap of gravel at a
+little distance from the wall of the churchyard.
+
+'Yes, at last,' replied Jogen, with a smile; 'and it will soon be seen
+if we have not had our trouble for nothing.'
+
+'Oh, don't say so, Joergen,' cried Ebbe. 'How could such an idea enter
+your head? You have surely not forgotten the place where we were to
+dig?'
+
+'Oh, no!' replied Joergen. 'The direction was not so difficult to
+remember. It was towards the north, he said, and among three stones
+which had fallen there from the wall. If you will remain here to rest
+yourself, I will go at once and try and find the place.'
+
+'No!' said Ebbe, rising quickly from his recumbent position. 'I will go
+with you. Why should I stay behind, and not help you to look for it?'
+
+Joergen then led the way, proceeding along the wall of the churchyard,
+while Ebbe followed him with the spade over his shoulder; but it was
+some time before they found the place indicated. The grass grew so high
+near the churchyard wall, that, in the increasing dusk of the evening,
+it would have been impossible to have discovered the stones described
+until close upon them. In the time, too, which had elapsed since the
+treasure was buried, the stones might have sunk into the ground, or
+become hidden by moss. At length, however, Joergen found the spot. The
+three stones lay exactly in the position the mate had described; a
+young elder-tree had shot up its straight branches just before them.
+
+'It must be here,' said Ebbe; 'you have good luck with you in
+everything. Let us begin to dig at once. But, hush! be still! I'll be
+sworn I heard a horse panting on the other side of the churchyard wall.
+We will wait a little before we begin.'
+
+'Let us rather go round, and see if anyone is there,' said Joergen,
+about to go.
+
+'No, by no means; stay with me, I don't fancy being alone in such a
+place as this. They say the Evil One goes riding about at night on a
+white horse. Have you never heard that?'
+
+'Yes; but what have we to do with him? We are here on a lawful errand,
+and have no reason to be afraid of anything.'
+
+So saying, Joergen walked on by the churchyard wall until he came to the
+next corner. 'There is nothing to be seen,' he said, when he returned.
+'Let us commence the digging. Lend me the spade.'
+
+'No; let us dig by turns, and I will go to work first,' replied Ebbe,
+as he took off his jacket, and put the spade into the ground.
+
+The uppermost layer of earth among the stones was hard and stiff, and
+moreover, the roots of the elder-tree formed a sort of tough piece of
+network among the stones, so that it was not possible to proceed
+otherwise than slowly with the work. Ebbe groaned; his impatience was
+increased by the strong spirit of covetousness which had taken
+possession of him. Joergen sat down quietly on a stone near him. In the
+deep stillness which reigned around the spot, the bats might be heard
+flapping their wings as they fluttered about the walls of the church,
+and in the distance a hollow, rushing sound, which came from the German
+Ocean, away behind the sandhills. Ebbe continued to dig, and had made a
+tolerably deep hole, when he suddenly stopped, pushed the spade well
+into the ground, and bowed his head down as if he were listening to
+something.
+
+'Do you think you have come to anything?' asked Joergen.
+
+'No, it is only a stone which lies in the way; but I am tired now.'
+
+'Then let me take my turn of digging,' said Joergen.
+
+'Let us rather rest a little while, and take a mouthful of our
+provisions and a drop from our flask. What have you done with the
+wallet?'
+
+'I left it at the gravel pit yonder, where we rested first.'
+
+'Then let us go there, Joergen. After we have had something to eat we
+shall set to work again. It will be long before it is daylight; we have
+time enough.'
+
+Joergen made no opposition to this arrangement; he was accustomed to
+give way to Ebbe's wishes, and he went back to where they had left
+their provender.
+
+Ebbe cast a longing look back at the hole; then took the spade under
+his arm and followed Joergen.
+
+At a little distance from the walls of the churchyard the path lay near
+the edge of a pit, from which the peasants dug up gravel for the
+repairs that were annually made in the high road. The pit was tolerably
+deep, and sloped from the brink, along which the two fishermen directed
+their steps until they came to a kind of gap, or narrow defile, from
+whence the gravel was carted away.
+
+When Ebbe reached this place, he took up the flask, drank off its
+contents, and let it drop quietly into the grass. Joergen, in the
+meantime, had sat down, and began to eat. Ebbe remained standing, and
+leaned upon the spade.
+
+'Why don't you sit down?' asked Joergen.
+
+'Because the grass is wet.'
+
+'Where is the flask? I don't see it.'
+
+'You will find it on the grass.'
+
+Joergen stooped down to look for it, and at that moment Ebbe lifted the
+spade, and, exerting all his strength, struck Joergen with it on his
+head!
+
+The attack was made so unexpectedly and so hurriedly, that it was not
+possible for Joergen to avoid the blow or to defend himself. He uttered
+a low cry, stretched out his arms, and sank backwards to the ground.
+Ebbe bent over him, and listened. The blow must have been a very severe
+one, for he did not hear the faintest breathing from Joergen.
+
+'You have got this because you tried to cheat me, and packed me off to
+the town, that you alone might benefit by the stranger's treasure.'
+And, as if his bitter feelings were increased by this remembrance, he
+added, triumphantly, 'You asserted that it was to you alone the
+stranger had bequeathed his money. You would only have given me a small
+portion of it; I shall take it all now. And you did not know that I
+have already got it. I heard the ground reverberate under the spade--I
+heard the sound of the gold--it is mine--all--all mine!'
+
+As he said this, he took up his comrade's body in his arms, and flung
+it over the edge into the pit.
+
+'And now to go back to the churchyard!' he exclaimed. 'I must have the
+money up, and be off before the dawn of day.'
+
+He threw the spade across his shoulders, took up the wallet, and turned
+to leave the place.
+
+At that moment he fancied that he heard footsteps near: he looked
+round, and perceived in the twilight a tall figure in a flowing mantle,
+which stopped at a little distance from the place where he was
+standing. In the extreme terror which seized him, it seemed to him that
+this figure gradually grew taller and larger, and that it gazed at him
+with a dark and threatening aspect; it seemed to approach nearer. It
+was no longer a phantom of the imagination; he heard the heavy steps
+ringing on the ground--he beheld a hand stretched out towards him--and
+then fell, in accusing accents on his ear, the dreadful word
+'Murderer!'
+
+Ebbe uttered a loud cry, he dropped the spade, sprang to one side, and
+fled in a direction quite opposite to that where he had so recently
+sought for the unlucky treasure. He constantly thought that his unknown
+pursuer was still following him, that he was gaining upon him, and even
+that he felt his breath close behind him; but he dared not turn his
+head, he only continued to run swiftly, and without stopping, until at
+length he stumbled, and fell into one of the many hollows that were to
+be met with in that neighbourhood. There he lay for several hours
+exhausted and insensible, unwitting of the storm from the German Ocean
+that was raging among the sandhills near its shores. When at last he
+re-recovered to consciousness, the morning sun was shining on the
+sandhills, and he heard the bells of Oxby church ringing for the early
+service.
+
+Eight days later, the inhabitants of Vaedersoe were thronging round a
+carriage which was passing through the little town. The front seat was
+occupied by a tall man, under whose overcoat was to be seen the stiff
+embroidered collar of a uniform. His self-important air, also the
+condescending nod with which he acknowledged the respectful obeisances
+of the peasantry, betokened a person of no small consequence. Nor was
+there any mistake in this, for he was the judge of the district, who
+was proceeding on official duty to the sandhills.
+
+In the back seat of the carriage sat two men, one of whom was the smith
+of the village, the other a pale, emaciated, shrunken figure, in whose
+features it would have been difficult to have recognized Ebbe, so great
+was the change that the last eight days had wrought in him.
+
+The smith's plump round face evinced, on the contrary, a great degree
+of self-complacency; he smiled to everyone he knew, and stretched out
+by turns his hand or his head from the carriage, either for a friendly
+salutation, or to explain the reason of his appearance in the carriage
+on that particular occasion.
+
+The carriage passed through the village, and did not stop until it
+reached the cottage which Joergen and Ebbe had occupied conjointly. Here
+the judge got out, and after saying a few words to the smith, he
+entered the house.
+
+'Now, Ebbe,' said the smith, 'you must get out too; you are at home
+here. We shall have a legal examination, as his honour has just very
+properly declared.'
+
+Ebbe made no reply; he seemed to have fallen into a state of speechless
+apathy. He descended from the carriage, and followed the smith into the
+first of the two rooms into which the hut was divided.
+
+On entering the cottage, they found the judge, and two fishermen who
+had been summoned as witnesses, already seated near the table. Ebbe
+cast a rapid and reconnoitring look around him; he perceived that
+everything was in its usual place; it was not the room that had changed
+in these eight days.
+
+'Place yourself at the end of the table,' said the judge. 'Listen to
+what will be said, and answer minutely and truthfully the questions we
+shall put to you. Speak first, smith. Let us hear what you have to
+say.'
+
+Not to fatigue the reader with the smith's long-winded story, we shall
+as briefly as possible relate the substance of his communication.
+
+However important it was to Ebbe to maintain inviolable secresy
+relative to the mate's hidden treasure, he had let fall some words
+which had been caught up by the smith, and which, giving rise to some
+conjectures and suspicions, caused the clear-sighted man to watch
+narrowly the movements of the two young fishermen. On the same day that
+Joergen and Ebbe had left their home at such an early hour, the smith
+had borrowed a horse from one of his neighbours, and set out in pursuit
+of them, although he took all possible pains to avoid being seen by
+them. Joergen had previously given out that he was going to take a
+holiday to visit his aunt at Oxby.
+
+When the smith had followed the two wayfarers as far as Aale church,
+and assured himself that they were really going to the place mentioned,
+he quitted the footpath, which, leading through the open heath, would
+have made him run the risk of being observed, and rode another way
+until he reached the cross road near Oxby church, and the shades of
+evening began to fall. The fishermen had evidently taken a considerable
+time to cross the wide heath. The smith had waited long, and had ridden
+around the church before he saw Ebbe and Joergen looking for the spot
+with the three stones.
+
+It was his horse that Ebbe had heard neigh, but, as we have seen, he
+had not sufficiently followed up the circumstance. In consequence of
+this neglect on his part, the smith became acquainted with all that was
+going on; for when it grew darker he ventured nearer, got over the
+wall, and crept on his hands and knees close to the place where Ebbe
+was digging. Arrived there, he could hear every word that was spoken
+while the work proceeded. When they left the wall of the churchyard,
+he followed them at some distance along the path that led to the
+gravel-pits, and he had seen Joergen fall. Ebbe had not recognized the
+voice of the smith in that which called after him, nor had he observed
+that Harfiz was carrying Joergen in his arms to the nearest dwelling.
+
+'Thus it all happened,' said the plaintiff, in the corrupt language in
+which he spoke. 'Ebbe cannot deny a word that I have said. I know all
+that passed; I saw and heard all. I took up the spade with which he had
+struck Joergen, and, to wind up, your honour has only to make inquiry
+here to be convinced of the truth of what I assert. Here you behold the
+man who can corroborate my statement.'
+
+As he said these words he drew aside a curtain that had concealed an
+alcove, and Joergen, with his head bound up, pale and suffering, was
+seen raising himself with difficulty on one arm, and gazing at those
+assembled in the hut. This last action of the smith, so sudden and
+unexpected, caused a great sensation and much surprise among those
+present.
+
+Ebbe, who up to this moment had stood silent and immovable, with his
+hands folded and his eyes cast down, raised his head quickly, and when
+his glance fell on Joergen, he stretched out his arms towards him, and,
+bursting into tears, exclaimed:
+
+'Oh, my God! Joergen--dear Joergen!'
+
+'Yes, there you see a competent witness. I have cured him--I may safely
+declare--and now he will confirm what I have said.'
+
+'Well, what have you to say to what the smith has just been telling
+us?'
+
+'I say that he is quite mistaken,' replied Joergen. 'Ebbe had no wish to
+kill me; he had no evil intention against me; I absolve him of anything
+of the kind.'
+
+Everyone was taken by surprise, and exclamations of astonishment
+followed these words, which were uttered in a mild, quiet, but at the
+same time decisive tone. Ebbe's eyes sparkled. The smith jumped up.
+
+'Joergen,' he cried, 'are you out of your mind? You cannot be in your
+right senses if you speak in this way. Did he not attempt to murder
+you? Did I not see and hear it all myself? Did I not take you up in my
+strong arms, when he cast you down into the gravel-pit?'
+
+'You did, indeed, behave most kindly and humanely to me,' replied
+Joergen, with a grateful smile. 'Without your help, I should most
+probably have been dead now; but, I repeat that it was not Ebbe who
+threw me into the pit. I fell in, sir, and in my fall I hurt myself
+with the spade. I have now told all I have to tell--I entirely acquit
+my old comrade, and I must beg you to withdraw the accusation against
+him.'
+
+After having thus spoken, Joergen laid himself down in his bed, closed
+his eyes, and seemed to take no further notice of what was going on
+around him. Neither did he seem to notice Ebbe, who stole softly
+towards his bed, seized his hand, and carried it to his lips.
+
+The smith was very angry, and repeated and maintained his version of
+the affair, with gesticulations, oaths, and asseverations, in his
+strange lingo. He could not understand why Joergen exercised such
+generous forbearance: the judge, on the contrary, comprehended it all;
+he called Ebbe into the other room, and had a long communication with
+him; after which he broke up the meeting, dismissed the witnesses, and
+left the cottage himself. Joergen and Ebbe were the only persons who
+remained in it.
+
+Some time elapsed, during which both remained perfectly silent. At
+length Joergen raised himself in his bed, and asked,
+
+'Are they gone?'
+
+'Yes.'
+
+'Every one of them?'
+
+'Yes, we are alone.'
+
+'Sit down by my bed, Ebbe; I have something to say to you.'
+
+Ebbe obeyed. At that moment his whole appearance evinced the utmost
+humility; he did not dare to raise his eyes before Joergen, who
+contemplated him calmly, but with a penetrating look.
+
+'What I said a little while ago,' began Joergen, 'was to save you, and
+because I could not live under the idea that I had another man's
+misfortune on my conscience. You are now free--acquitted--and no one
+can do anything to you. With God's blessing, I may also become well
+again, and recover my strength so as to be able to work as formerly;
+but you must yourself perceive, Ebbe, that we two can never more live
+and labour together. That Saturday night has rendered it necessary for
+us to separate for ever. I can never banish it from my memory. You shed
+tears now, indeed, and are deeply afflicted. I also have shed many
+tears when I reflected that it was you, my only companion and comrade,
+that had the heart to deal with me as you did. In Heaven's name, then,
+let each of us go his own way. The world is surely large enough for us
+both. When I am stronger, and able to work, I will pay you for the part
+you own in this cottage and in the boat; for I hardly think you will
+like to remain longer here. In fact, I think it would be better for you
+to seek some other place to settle yourself, where people could not say
+anything against you. You cannot fail to perceive that the smith does
+not believe the declaration I made to the judge. He will tell the story
+his way in the town yonder, and that won't be in your favour. As I have
+said, when I am better you shall receive the share that belongs to you
+of what we have hitherto held in partnership, and we must separate.'
+
+'Then you have found the treasure?' asked Ebbe, hurriedly.
+
+'No,' said Joergen, gravely. 'But the smith has promised to let me marry
+his daughter, and he will advance me the money to pay you.'
+
+'I do not care about the money,' replied Ebbe; 'you are welcome to keep
+it all.'
+
+'Oh yes--so you say _now_,' answered Joergen; 'but you would repent that
+offer to-morrow. No, let the arrangement I have proposed stand. And you
+had better go, Ebbe, before the smith returns. You know that he is very
+passionate, and you might get into a quarrel with him. Besides, I am
+weak and weary, and must get some sleep. Farewell, and may the Almighty
+bestow on you kinder feelings towards those among whom you may
+henceforth seek to win your bread, than you have shown to me. Shake
+hands with me, Ebbe, and then go.'
+
+Joergen sank back on his bed, and Ebbe left the cottage.
+
+
+The following five years brought about a striking difference between
+the fates of the two fishermen. Joergen had married the smith's
+daughter. He gave up fishing, sold his boat and established himself in
+the little town of Vaedersoe. There he betook himself to husbandry: he
+tilled the ground, ploughed, sowed, planted; in short he laboured with
+all the indefatigable activity, energy, and diligence, for which the
+inhabitants of the west country are so celebrated. At the end of two
+years he sold his house to buy a larger one on a thriving farm; field
+after field was added, and all prospered with him. Success seemed to
+smile on everything he undertook from the period that he relinquished
+his partnership with Ebbe.
+
+'You have got an excellent son-in-law, smith,' said the peasants to
+Harfiz, often when they came to his smithy.
+
+'He gets on very well,' the learned smith would reply, with a cheerful
+nod, indicative of content. 'But let me tell you, and you may believe
+what I say, that it was my medicine which has made him what he is. He
+has been quite another sort of man since I cured him, and restored him,
+I may say, to life, after Ebbe had killed him. He will be a greater man
+still.'
+
+The prophecy was fulfilled as time passed on; for every year that went
+over his head brought some addition to Joergen's prosperity. He was a
+happy man in his own family, and in all his transactions he was clever,
+prudent, and far-seeing.
+
+The same space of time that seemed to have had wings for Joergen, had
+crawled on slowly, unprofitably, and wearily for Ebbe. A portion of the
+sum he had received for his share of the cottage and the boat was
+appropriated to the purchase of the little plot of ground near Oxby
+church, where the mate had said his treasure was buried. The
+acquisition was not an expensive one certainly, for at that period a
+large quantity of waste land could be bought for about two dollars; so
+that after Ebbe had become the proprietor of the place, he had
+sufficient money left to build a house for himself on a corner of the
+ground he had bought.
+
+Then commenced a course of labour which, in exertion, perseverance, and
+endurance, was far beyond anything Joergen ever attempted, and yet was
+productive of no good results. The three stones were taken up and
+thrown aside, in order not to obstruct the work; then the elder-tree
+was removed; and after every obstacle had disappeared, Ebbe dug down,
+and down, until he came to the stratum of iron-hard, solid rock, which
+is to be found in that part of the country.
+
+His labours were carried on by night, and with the utmost secresy, not
+to attract attention. During the day he rested, and either spent the
+hours lounging by the sea-side, or he slept. But, whether waking or
+sleeping, he was haunted by the thoughts of the hidden treasure, and of
+the wealth he would acquire, and the consequence he would attain, when
+he discovered and enjoyed it. It was shocking to see that pale and
+meagre creature, when the moon shone upon the scene of his labours,
+working away eagerly, bending over the spade, and listening anxiously
+when every fresh heap of earth was cast up: by turns cheating himself
+with hopes of success, then groaning at his disappointment, yet still
+persevering in the search for a prize which continued to evade his
+grasp.
+
+In winter the ground was frozen, and as Ebbe was obliged to cease his
+digging, he left his hut, and went to Hjerting, where he hired himself
+out among the peasantry as a day-labourer. His history soon oozed out,
+and his very shy, reserved manners prevented him from making
+acquaintances, while his fellow-labourers jeered him. 'There goes the
+gold-digger!' the children would cry after him when he showed himself
+in the streets. These scoffers, who beheld him now in so humble a
+position, by-and-by, when he had found the treasure, should witness his
+triumph. 'Wait a little!' he thought; 'success will come at last, and
+the day cannot be very far distant!'
+
+When spring succeeded to winter, Ebbe left the service he had taken,
+and returned to his hut, where he recommenced his labours with as much
+assiduity as before, and with the same result. The small space in which
+his operations were carried on soon resembled a deep pit, wherein
+gravel and sand, stone and clay, were gathered together in large heaps.
+But the treasure was nowhere visible.
+
+When at length the ground had been entirely turned up, every inch
+examined, and he could dig no lower down, Ebbe fell into the deepest
+despair; his last hope had vanished, and with it all the strength and
+energy which hope alone had sustained. He was found one day sitting on
+the outside of the door of his hut, gazing on vacancy straight before
+him, lost in a reverie from which nothing seemed to have the power of
+rousing him.
+
+At this very time a report was spread in the neighbourhood that
+Joergen and his father-in-law had found _the shipwrecked mariner's
+treasure_--for this appeared the easiest mode of accounting for the
+increasing prosperity of the heretofore young fisherman. Ebbe heard
+this rumour; he believed it, and this belief added greatly to the
+bitterness of his disappointment, and was as poison to his mind.
+
+Three years afterwards, a wan, wasted, spectral-looking figure might be
+seen wandering about in the vicinity of Hjerting; it was the
+unfortunate Ebbe, who had become deranged. The harmless lunatic was
+received into the poor-house at Hjerting, but spent most of his days in
+a remote and secluded valley, away among the sand hills. There he might
+be heard singing and talking to himself, whilst he occupied himself
+diligently in digging deep holes in the sand. One winter evening he did
+not return, as usual, to the poor-house. The next morning he was found,
+frozen to death, in a grave--it might be called--which he had dug in
+the sand the day before.
+
+
+
+
+                           DAMON AND PYTHIAS.
+
+                   FROM THE DANISH OF CARL BERNHARD.
+
+
+In the so-called good old times, when grown-up people could sometimes
+be childish--now-a-days even children themselves are above such
+infirmities--in these good old times one often heard a ballad, a
+favourite song, which was as common as the lively popular airs that are
+now repeated nightly at the casinos; but these old songs were by no
+means lively, for lively music was not then in vogue; the songs were
+almost all sentimental. There was one ditty about 'Friendship, Hope,
+and Love,' in which Love was depicted as 'light red,' and of which I
+can now remember but two lines. It was very generally sung:
+
+
+           'Friendship rarely doth abound.
+            Tell me where it can be found!'
+
+
+Yes, where can it be found? All mankind seek for it; everyone wishes to
+have a friend. Most people believe, for a time, that they have found
+one; but when the friendship comes to be tested, it disappears, and
+they discover their mistake. Why does it disappear? Who knows why? But
+that it does most frequently disappear is quite certain.
+
+Formerly, even in the grey olden times, long before anybody thought
+about friendship being violated, they must have had hard work enough to
+find the genuine article, else there would not surely have been such a
+fuss made about the three classical pairs of friends whose names we
+have all learned by heart--Damon and Pythias, Orestes and Pylades,
+Euryalus and Nisus--all of whom were never distinguished for anything,
+as far as I have been able to discover, except that they lived as
+friends, and ultimately died as friends.
+
+It is surprising enough that, whilst everyone understands the words _a
+friend_ in a good sense, there should be some little hesitation about
+the exact meaning of _a good friend_, and that the more eulogizing and
+confirmatory adjectives are added to it, the less respect it should
+inspire, until _a real good old friend_ has become almost synonymous
+with a stupid old blockhead, or a cunning old rogue. If one were only
+to hear the following disjointed words of a conversation, 'Oh, yes, he
+is a good friend enough,' nine out of ten would indubitably fancy that
+the speakers were alluding to some matter in which one party had been
+taken in, and would think that what had happened manifested the
+credulity of that saying, in which all the ten firmly believe, 'Save me
+from my friends, and I will save myself from my enemies!' Undeniably,
+there is some truth in this sentence, and however little there may be,
+it is sad that one must admit there is any at all.
+
+One of my--but I may be misconstrued myself if I say one of my good
+friends; I shall therefore, for the present, confine myself to calling
+him a worthy acquaintance of mine--had, from his earliest childhood,
+been an enthusiastic worshipper of friendship. Nothing more natural,
+for friendship is so inherent a feeling in the breast of every human
+being, of either sex, that it is a desire of the soul, which it strives
+to realize even before it thinks of love. His predilection for
+friendship was, it may be said, born with him, as people may be born
+with a propensity for stealing or drunkenness; and when he was not more
+than four years of age, and his grown-up relatives would have it that
+his little cousin should be his 'little wife'--for big people are
+always too ready to begin putting nonsense into the heads of children,
+he used to get angry, and declare that she should not be his wife, but
+his friend.
+
+And when he had grown older, and had commenced his classical studies,
+he raved about being a Damon to some Pythias. He was an excellent lad,
+cheerful, good-natured, good-looking, and by no means deficient in
+talent; in short, he was in all respects a steady schoolboy, but
+perhaps he carried a little too far his ideas about friendship. He had
+not, however, then attached himself to any one individual among his
+companions; he was on good terms with them all, while he thirsted after
+one, only one true friend, as a celebrated author is known to have
+wished but one reader, but that one to be capable of understanding him
+thoroughly.
+
+I withhold his name, for he is now in so conspicuous a station that
+many of my readers must know him, and it would, perhaps, annoy him to
+see his name in print, for he is one of those folks who have an
+old-fashioned dislike to what they call 'appearing in print;' that is
+to say, being named publicly. I shall designate him by one of his first
+names, which he used in his boyish years--_viz_. Mikkel; it is an ugly
+name, but he is not to blame for that, since his opinion about it was
+not asked. When he was christened, his parents had called him after a
+rich old uncle, who, the good people thought, might, on that account,
+at a future day, leave him a large legacy. It is a bad custom to make
+innocent children suffer for their parents' bad taste in choosing
+names, and to inflict on them ill-sounding family names, either because
+these had been chosen by a generation who had queer notions, or from
+selfishness and from speculation, as in the case in question. Mikkel
+was grown up, and had undergone much jeering on account of his
+frightful name, but his uncle did not leave him a stiver! It was a
+shameful trick--a positive fraud, the parents naturally thought. No one
+can blame Mikkel because he would no longer put up with the
+disagreeable appellation, especially as it had come to his ears that a
+young girl had given her suitor a basket solely on account of his name.
+She said, 'he had such a shockingly ugly name, that she never could
+bring herself to say, my sweet Morten. Dear no! the sound made her
+shudder, and one really must be able to say _sweet_ to one's lover.'
+Morten and Mikkel are much on a par. He renounced, therefore, the
+name of the ungrateful uncle, and selected for the future one of the
+high-sounding names which had also been bestowed on him at his baptism,
+like that shoemaker's son who was christened Jens Napoleon Petersen.
+Nevertheless, I should prefer to call him Damon, that savouring more of
+the anonymous, and this I will do with the permission of my kind
+readers. When he and I went to school together, we got on very well,
+and were on good terms; but no sworn and patented friendship took place
+between us. It happened one day, as we were walking together outside of
+one of the gates of the town, on a Friday, and he was lost in his
+Damon-Pythias dreams, which went in at one of my ears and out at the
+other, we met a school companion, who was crying as he came out of a
+house. The good-hearted Damon stopped him, and asked what was the cause
+of his distress, and we were informed that our comrade had been
+visiting _a good friend_. Damon could not see that there was any cause
+for howling about this; he would have been glad enough to have been in
+his place. Yes, but our unlucky school companion had received a sound
+drubbing from his good friend, and from some of the latter's good
+friends, because he would not be always their horse, and drag them in
+the little carriage; he wished to take his turn to go inside of it, at
+least for once, but they abused him like a pickpocket, and beat him;
+this was always the way he was served, and it was a great shame, for he
+had liked his friend so much; but now he would have nothing more to do
+with him. And when he had told him that he was going to break with him,
+the fellow had thumped him well, and turned him out of doors, and it
+was almost dinner-time, and now he had no friend--and he would get no
+dinner!
+
+The soft-hearted Damon offered him forthwith his friendship and a
+dinner; the boy went home with him to his parents' house, where he
+dined, and immediately afterwards staunch brotherhood was sworn, and
+the empty place in Damon's heart was filled up! Fate had granted his
+wish, and he had providentially found a friend!
+
+Mikkel was a happy boy; he had now truly become Damon, and the other
+was Pythias. It was a strong friendship, whose not few thorns seemed to
+Damon like so many roses. He had to thrash his companion's former
+friend, and fight all that friend's chums, in order to revenge his
+Pythias, and prove their misconduct to him; and he got many a bruise,
+and many a torn jacket in these battles, which merged into a long,
+lasting war--a war he had to sustain alone, for Pythias stood aloof. He
+had to write all his friend's exercises, and prompt him every day in
+his lessons, which Pythias, trusting to Damon's friendship, had
+neglected to learn, and this cost the latter many a scold from the
+master, who had observed it. But if ever he happened to require the
+least help himself, he got none, for Pythias was incapable of giving
+it. Damon not only shared all the nice things he had with his friend,
+but he often gave him the largest portion, and, indeed, sometimes the
+whole; but he never got anything in return. Pythias took care to eat
+all his good things by himself; but Damon never dreamed of finding
+fault with this; he was pleased and proud of being able to make various
+useful presents to his friend, and loved him the better for it. Thus
+passed the whole of his school-days; and in consequence of this sworn
+friendship the two were called by all the boys Damon and Pythias.
+
+They were at length to separate, and each to go his own way. 'I am
+sorry I am obliged to part with you, I shall miss you very much,' said
+Pythias, when the farewell moment came.
+
+'I don't know how I shall exist without you,' said Damon. 'I am truly
+wretched!'
+
+They agreed to write to each other often. Damon did write letter after
+letter, but never received an answer; that grieved him extremely. He
+was taken ill about six months afterwards, but I will not say that it
+was disappointed friendship that made him ill; he had caught an
+epidemic which was raging then, and had a long illness. Though Pythias
+knew this, he had never once inquired for his school friend. As soon as
+he could hold a pen, Damon wrote to him over and over again--no reply!
+Then he buried his friendship in his silent, faithful breast, until at
+last it died, long after it had been buried.
+
+His student-days arrived, and found him full of the enthusiasm of
+youth. Damon longed for all that was beautiful and noble, but
+especially for friendship. Love had not yet touched him. I believe that
+he looked upon it as a sickly, unmanly feeling, which could not be
+indulged in without relinquishing the energy and the strength of mind
+that ought to characterize a man! Poor Damon! I verily believe such was
+his opinion.
+
+Well, Damon found at length his Pythias; but not the old Pythias, for
+whom he had toiled and fought, and who had repaid him with such
+ingratitude. No; a bran new Pythias had he stumbled upon, one who, like
+himself, was 'a master in the kingdom of mind;' one who like himself,
+was devoted to the true and the beautiful; one who, he thought, could
+sympathize with him in everything, and to whom he attached himself with
+the strongest ties of friendship--a really good friend.
+
+And this friendship lasted for some years--during the whole time they
+were at the university--and they were nicknamed Damon and Pythias, to
+the great satisfaction of one of the friends at least. Damon was
+certainly a kind and trustworthy friend. He wrote with untiring
+patience all the tedious college manuscripts; Pythias used them almost
+always, and, moreover, lent them to strangers, so that Damon never
+could get them when he wanted them himself. Damon bought all the books
+they both required, for Pythias needed his own money for other
+purposes; and when Pythias wanted them no longer he sold them. Damon
+remained at home from balls, that Pythias might borrow his dress-coat,
+as he did not think his own good enough; and Damon rejoiced that he had
+a good coat which fitted Pythias so well. Not a week passed that
+Pythias did not borrow money from Damon, of which he never made any
+memorandum. Pythias was fond of going to the theatre, and he always
+went to the boxes. One day, when Damon suggested that it would be
+better for him to go to the pit with him, for the money which one box
+ticket cost would pay two pit tickets, and they might go there and
+amuse themselves together, as he really could not afford the more
+expensive places, Pythias replied that he by no means wished his friend
+to spend his money in going to the theatre on his account, that he only
+wanted _to borrow_ the money for his own ticket, as he was out of cash
+at the moment, but he could not think of going to such a place as the
+pit. And the good-natured Damon gave him the last shilling he had, and
+remained at home, rejoicing that his dear friend was amusing himself in
+the boxes.
+
+At length they were both to graduate, and Pythias held his ground only
+because Damon had been an unwearied grinder for him, and had devoted
+himself, early and late, to cramming him in order to pull him through.
+His success delighted Damon much more than his own.
+
+There was some talk of a foreign tour--and they were both candidates
+for the stipend accorded for that purpose--what a pleasure if they
+could travel together! But this year there was only _one_ stipend to be
+given away; Damon was sure of getting it, having been the cleverest
+student. Pythias adjured him, of course in the name of friendship, to
+resign his claim, because, for many important reasons, it was necessary
+for him--Pythias--to get away for a time; in fact, he could hold out no
+longer, while Damon had many other resources. Damon pondered on the
+subject, but could not find out what these resources were;
+nevertheless, he withdrew his petition, and left the field open to
+Pythias, but he endeavoured in vain, also in friendship's name, to
+induce him to confide to him the important reasons which had influenced
+his dear Pythias to demand the sacrifice he had made for him. He was
+enlightened as to the truth, however, afterwards. When Pythias had
+obtained the stipend, and was off, it came out that he had been, for a
+long time, in the habit of gambling, and that he had lost a great deal
+at play. The debts he had left he transferred to his friend in an
+affected, high-flown, bombastic epistle to his 'dear, faithful Damon,'
+and in order that the latter, to whom he bade farewell for ever, might
+still more highly honour friendship, he had drawn without asking leave
+a few little bills of exchange in his name, wherein his writing was so
+cleverly imitated, that Damon himself had the utmost difficulty in
+distinguishing it from his own!
+
+To one who had for so many years put entire confidence in the
+reciprocity of the ardent and sincere friendship he himself had felt,
+it was a severe blow to meet such scandalous treachery. Damon took
+measures to have the bills of exchange paid, and, with a bleeding
+heart, he buried Pythias the Second!
+
+Damon now forswore friendship, and withdrew himself from society; it
+was easy to do this, for his circle had been principally composed of
+Pythias's acquaintances, and he did not much relish seeing them now--he
+did not like to hear them pulling Pythias to pieces, and recounting the
+many dirty tricks he had played them, to whom he had also pretended to
+have been a good friend. Damon commenced his professional career, and
+found comfort in his occupations; but his heart was lonely.
+
+One evening he read in the work of a celebrated philosopher the
+following sentence:
+
+'The dog is man's best friend--it alone is faithful.'
+
+These words made a deep impression on him. Within eight days he had
+purchased a dog, a large handsome Newfoundlander, of a good breed. It
+was then only in its puppy years, and had to be brought up to obedience
+and cleanliness; this cost him the trouble of bestowing sundry good
+thrashings on the animal, but Damon knew that he who loves the child
+spares not the rod, and he loved his dog as if it had been his child,
+until it should be educated to become his friend. Hector would receive
+his caning, steal up to his master's feet, lick his hand, sigh deeply,
+and at the slightest glance of encouragement would spring up joyfully
+and wag his tail. When Damon looked up from his employment, he always
+encountered Hector's friendly gaze. When he took his hat and stick, the
+dog would start up from his place near the stove, if he were even in
+the soundest sleep, to follow him through thick and thin, by day or by
+night. Truly, the philosopher was right; the dog is man's faithful
+friend, and Hector was not troublesome, and he obeyed no other being in
+this world but his master--they were friends.
+
+This friendship lasted for a couple of years, and it filled up in a
+certain degree the vacancy in Damon's heart, and cheered his lonely
+hours.
+
+But gradually this friendship took the same turn as love often
+does--the one loves, and the other allows himself or herself to be
+loved. The parts they played changed gradually; Damon assumed the dog's
+part, and became humble, obedient, and faithful, whilst Hector took the
+master's part, and turned capricious, tyrannical, and ungrateful. The
+four-footed creature had become almost like a man, from being the
+constant companion of his two-legged friend. Damon put up with all
+this, and the dog imposed upon him in his canine fashion, exactly as
+the schoolboy and the student had imposed on him formerly in their
+human fashion.
+
+Damon had had many disagreeables to encounter latterly. One day he came
+home very much fretted, with his head full of some tiresome business
+papers, which absolutely required his immediate attention. He patted
+his favourite, spoke to him as to a friend who could understand him,
+complained to Hector of the provoking chief of the department who had
+annoyed him, and Hector fixed on him a thoughtful look; it was as if
+the dog comprehended how hard it is to be annoyed. This did his heart
+good; he recovered his spirits, and began to work away vigorously at
+the papers he had brought home with him. But Hector got angry at
+finding himself neglected, and also he wanted to go out to walk. 'No,
+my friend, it is impossible--don't disturb me--down, down--there is
+no time for walking just now!' The dog became importunate, and was
+patted, and dismissed; he then became obstinate, and laid his clumsy
+paw upon the table, so that the inkstand was upset over the numerous
+half-finished papers. For that he got a slap; he became enraged, and
+tried to drag his master off of his chair; Damon kicked him away,
+expecting that he would then be quiet, but it made him worse, and he
+rushed upon him. Damon also got angry; he seized the ruler, and struck
+Hector with it, who, however, dragged the chair from under him with his
+teeth and paws. The one swore, the other growled; it was, certes,
+anything but friendship that was displayed in this scene, which
+collected all the inhabitants of the house on the outside of Damon's
+door, in terror at this unusual dog-fight.
+
+I arrived at that moment, having come to speak to Damon on some
+business. It was an awful plight in which I found him: excited, bitten,
+and with his clothes torn; whilst the dog stood snarling over the
+broken chair, with a brutal, triumphant look, flashing eyes, and teeth
+set. It was evident that he knew he was the master there, and he looked
+with anything but a friendly expression at the subdued Damon.
+
+'And this illusion has fled also!' he said to me, when we had taken
+up the overturned chair, and gathered together the scattered and
+ink-stained papers.
+
+'And thou also, Brutus!' he exclaimed with a comical degree of gravity,
+and a melancholy glance at the sullen-looking dog.
+
+'The bestia bruta!' said I. 'This comes of choosing four-footed
+friends.' And I seized, the opportunity of bestowing upon him a lecture
+about his animal mania, which had made him quite an oddity, and had
+withdrawn him from the society of rational beings. Shame, suffering,
+and anger brought him over to my way of thinking; he made a threatening
+gesture towards Hector, who instantly rose up and showed his teeth; he
+was evidently ready to renew the battle at any moment. It was really
+too absurd.
+
+After a great deal of persuasion, I prevailed on Damon to go home with
+me, and conclude that uncomfortable evening among my family circle.
+Before we left his lodgings, I privately requested the landlord to have
+Hector removed to an inn, where he could be tied up till the next day,
+when I should come to say what was to be done with him.
+
+The evening passed off tolerably well; it succeeded in dissipating his
+chagrin. I accompanied him home towards midnight, and before I left him
+I had obtained his permission to send Hector into the country, to a
+relation of mine, where he would be well treated and be useful as a
+chained dog, for Damon himself perceived that he could not be made a
+friend of, and that he was too ill-tempered and dangerous to be allowed
+to go about loose. And thus was Pythias the Third, the four-footed,
+deposed.
+
+It was very strange that though he wanted sadly to have his Pythias's
+place refilled, he never made the slightest overture to me to occupy
+it. Nevertheless, we were very intimate. He often visited me, and found
+pleasure in the society of my family, and more especially in that of a
+young girl, who was a frequent guest at my house, and who was both
+pretty and good, though, perhaps, being a country girl, she wanted a
+little of that finer polish which can only be acquired in the capital.
+
+I have no doubt it was her being so open, straightforward,
+unsophisticated, and natural, that charmed him with her; oddly enough,
+love was never mentioned by either of them; they always spoke of
+friendship alone, up to the very day of their betrothal. And, indeed,
+after they were betrothed there was no change in their manners to each
+other. I never saw him show her any of the usual little attentions, or
+bestow on her any of the little endearments so common during this
+period; he always spoke to her as if she had been a male friend; it
+seemed as if he could not perceive that she belonged to womankind.
+
+This engagement delighted us all, especially my sensible wife, who
+augured a peaceful future for them, a life devoid of passion's storms,
+calm and even, and rendered comfortable by a competence sufficient for
+all their wants, though it could not be called a fortune, according to
+the common acceptation of the word.
+
+The damsel's parents gladly gave their consent, and as Damon very
+justly considered a long engagement a wearisome affair, before six
+months had passed they were man and wife.
+
+The young girl was certainly a sweet pretty bride, and I really cannot
+imagine how Damon could be satisfied with calling her 'my friend,' as
+he led her from the altar; and I was still more surprised next day to
+find that she had already begun to look after her household matters.
+There was nothing to be found fault with in this, to be sure, and
+neither of them seemed to think this out of the usual way. The young
+couple appeared to be quite happy, and it was to be supposed that
+Damon's heart had at last found its haven of rest. He had his young
+wife, all went as she wished, and his house was, therefore, a pleasant
+one; it was evident that it was under the care of a good and kind
+spirit.
+
+I have observed that there is one thing which is a stumbling-block in
+almost all young _menages_--that is, the continued intimacy, after
+marriage, of the husband's young men friends. Most young wives seem to
+think that they must keep a watchful eye upon these friends, and
+quietly strive to put an end to their baneful influence over the
+husband! for they suppose that these former companions will withdraw
+his thoughts from the sanctity of domestic life and lead him into
+naughty ways. These suspicions seem to be deeply rooted in the minds of
+newly-married women. I sincerely believe they are suggested by young
+wives, who ought to know better by experience, and might have perceived
+that their husbands' earlier associates would, in general, be glad to
+be received as members of the family circle. The wives imagine that
+their dominion is insecure so long as these suspicious persons are on
+board; they think that when such is the case the ship of matrimony may
+be at any moment upset, or stranded on unknown shores, that they must
+steer with a skilful hand, and that they cannot be safe until they have
+had the husbands' early friends cast overboard. I can assert this from
+experience, for I have myself been cast overboard more than once on
+account of such groundless suspicions.
+
+But a house can hardly be without visitors, and what is more natural
+than that these should consist of the young wife's friends and
+connections? She believes she can depend upon them; she is accustomed
+to them; she likes to display to them her notable housekeeping; it is
+so very natural, and therefore one generally sees the husband's friends
+and relations by degrees supplanted by those of the wife.
+
+Damon's wife, however, was not obliged to man[oe]uvre at all to get rid
+of his especial friends, for, with the exception of myself, who had my
+own house, and was already a sedate and discreet person, he never
+invited a single old associate. It was not necessary for her to throw
+anyone overboard to make room for her friends and relations; these were
+self-elected intimates at Mikkel's house, and all went on well there.
+
+There was one of her cousins in particular to whom Damon soon attached
+himself. He was a young man who had exactly the qualities which were
+wanting in Damon. He was, among other things, witty, lively, amusing;
+he was at all times ready for anything, and knew how to make the best
+of everything. Damon soon found that he could not do without him, and
+he became a daily guest at his house, which there was nothing in the
+way of business to prevent his being, as he lived in a state of _il
+dolce far niente_, waiting until some good appointment might offer
+itself, which might suit a person of his talents and pretensions.
+
+Before the expiration of a year, I observed that by degrees a change
+had taken place in their relative positions. Damon had by this time
+nearly undermined his own happiness. His old Pythias folly had awoke
+again in him, almost without his being conscious of it. His interest in
+his young wife was actually cast into the shade by his friendship for
+her cousin, who had become Pythias the Fourth. She discovered at length
+that she was quite set aside, and was jealous of this neglect; at the
+same time she grew more and more intimate with her cousin, whose lively
+conversation pleased her. That he had fallen in love with his young
+cousin I will not assert, but he paid her at times such marked
+attention, that I often thought this was the only reasonable inference
+to be drawn from his conduct; at other times there was so much levity
+and carelessness in his manners, so much flightiness in his way of
+talking, that I felt myself compelled to discard the supposition.
+Certain it is, however, that he was always hovering around her; that
+her reputation might run the risk of being injured by his demeanour
+towards her, and that dangerous consequences really might arise from
+their being so much together in the intimacy of daily life, yet--who
+was to blame except Damon?
+
+With his accustomed blindness, the husband could not see anything of
+this; he made quite sure that it was entirely for _his_ sake that the
+young man played chess, talked politics, smoked tobacco, and went out
+to walk or to fish whenever Damon wished to go. In order that they
+might manage to be still more together, he had prevailed upon the
+cousin to come out and stay with him at a country-house he had hired at
+a few miles from town, where they had plenty of room. This invitation
+was given much against the wishes of his wife, who had tried to prevent
+it, but she had consented to it when she found that Damon had set his
+heart on it. He said, jestingly, that he could not do without some male
+society, and a trio would be pleasant in their pastoral life. In this
+trio he himself voluntarily assigned the second part to the cousin,
+while he took the third to himself.
+
+Damon, however, was a little changed; he felt no longer inclined to be
+_quite_ so subservient in his friendship as he had formerly been with
+his two-and his four-footed friends. By degrees, a desire had crept
+into his mind to take his revenge, and for once become himself the
+domineering party. He began to be somewhat importunate in his claims on
+the time and companionship of the cousin, who, on his side, showed
+decided symptoms of wishing to emancipate himself, especially from the
+tiresome and frequent fishing expeditions to the neighbouring lake; but
+fishing was perhaps Damon's greatest pleasure, especially when he had
+the company of a good friend. Damon was annoyed that the cousin had
+several times latterly excused himself from accompanying him, and, not
+caring to go alone, he had been obliged to relinquish his favourite
+amusement. One day--it was too bad--on a beautiful evening in the very
+height of summer, he refused to go fishing, when there could be no
+earthly reason for his doing so--none that Damon could discover, except
+that he preferred to parade up and down the alley of linden-trees at
+the other end of the garden with his wife--while he himself sat at the
+top of the stone stairs, and fretted until he was quite out of humour.
+He could see that they spoke eagerly to each other, and laughed, and
+amused themselves, while he was wearying himself; and neither of them
+seemed to be thinking of him or his _ennui_. What were they going to do
+now? So! They were actually setting off to walk in the very direction
+of the lake, where he would so gladly have gone to fish; but _then_, it
+was too far to go, forsooth!--now, they could go notwithstanding the
+distance. It was almost like defying him; that was probably the
+cousin's intention.
+
+A disagreeable light seemed to dawn on his mind. And when this
+operation first begins to take place, a man is apt to fancy more than
+he has valid grounds for supposing. And this was the case with Damon.
+
+In an exceedingly unpleasant state of mind, he returned to the usual
+sitting-room in search of some employment to make time pass less
+heavily. The comfortable room spoke volumes to his excited mind, with
+its quiet and peace. It was arranged by his wife's taste, everything
+bore witness in her favour. There stood her work-table, there lay her
+work, the half-finished embroidery which she was preparing for his
+birthday, and at which he therefore avoided looking. Upon a table close
+by hers lay the cousin's portfolios and drawing materials. There was no
+necessity for the tables being so near each other, and he pushed the
+table with the drawings a little way from the work-table. The young man
+certainly had talent--there were comical sketches and little
+landscapes, thrown off as illustrations of poems, not without genius;
+he thought he would just look into the portfolios, when, in opening one
+of them, a sheet of paper, with pencil drawings, slipped out of it.
+What were these? He must see. They were a whole row of caricatures,
+in doing which the cousin excelled. There was a man with his nightcap
+on, evidently asleep and snoring; a man with a pipe in his mouth,
+half-asleep over a fishing-rod; a man half-asleep over a chessboard; a
+man half-asleep over a Berlin newspaper; and lastly, a man half asleep
+over his tobacco-pipe, while his pretty young wife seemed dreaming over
+the work she had in her hand. Of what was _she_ dreaming while _he_ was
+dozing? This question forced itself upon him. The sleepy-headed man was
+no other than himself, caricatured in the most laughable manner; the
+young wife might have been taken from nature: it was a charming
+likeness. Damon sat as if he had fallen from the skies, with the sheet
+of paper in his hand; he could scarcely conceive the ingratitude which
+had suggested these sketches, or the barefaced impudence of leaving
+them in an open portfolio, in his own daily sitting-room, where anyone
+might see them--not only himself and his wife, but his guests and his
+servants also.
+
+Fate brought me to him for a second time at a critical moment. I came
+accidentally to pay him a visit, and found him somewhat in the same
+state as on the evening Hector had been doing battle with him. I
+entered into his angry feelings, but nevertheless could hardly refrain
+from bursting into a fit of laughter at the exceedingly impertinent,
+but very droll drawings. We had a serious conversation on the position
+in which he was placed; with great difficulty I brought him, at length,
+to perceive that much of the blame rested with himself, and that his
+young wife had nothing to reproach herself with. I combated his
+assertion that she must have been cognizant of the existence of these
+caricatures, and must have sat for the likeness of herself; and I even
+went so far as to promise to prove to him her ignorance of the
+drawings, though I did not know how that was to be effected without
+occasioning a _scene_--and I had the greatest horror of scenes.
+
+We had a long conversation, we two, for the wife and the cousin
+remained a good while absent--longer than I thought was exactly right,
+especially as it was getting late; but Damon did not seem to think
+about it; he was engaged in speculating on the theme I had suggested
+for his consideration--namely, that a husband who never makes the
+slightest effort to find amusement for his young wife, but, without the
+least compunction, leaves her to solitude or weariness, has himself to
+blame if another succeeds in interesting and amusing her. It is this
+unfortunate transition from the devoted assiduity of the days of
+courtship, to the sleepy security of married life, that so often
+undermines love, and renders the heart empty; and nature has decreed
+that a woman's heart can never remain long perfectly vacant.
+
+At last the truants returned. It was evident that the lady, at least,
+felt it was not quite right to have stayed out till so long after the
+usual hour for tea; she bustled about to get the tea ready, and was
+very attentive in helping us to it. Damon maintained a grave silence,
+and I felt somewhat embarrassed; the cousin alone seemed quite at his
+ease, and not at all _gene_; I could not make out whether this was
+nature or art. Perhaps it was politic to appear as if he had no idea
+that there could be any cause for animadversion on account of their
+unusually long walk. My confidence in her began to waver a little,
+whilst my anger at him increased.
+
+After tea the conversation fell, by mere accident, on portrait
+painting. It was the lady who brought the subject forward, by speaking
+of a picture of a female which she had observed in passing, hanging
+like a sign, over the open door of a garden. Nothing could have been
+more _a propos_. I hastened to ask the young wife if she had ever had
+her likeness taken. No, she never had, and she never intended to have
+it taken, for she could not bear the idea that anyone should sit down
+and stare at her. The cousin declared this was a silly objection, and
+appealed to me if he were not right.
+
+'Oh! that is because he wants to make a sketch of me himself,' she
+said, in rather a hurried manner; 'he has often begged me to permit it,
+but I won't do so.'
+
+The cousin remarked that there was no question of permission, only of
+complaisance; if he chose to make a portrait of her, he could do it
+without asking her leave; he could take her likeness without her
+knowing anything about it; he could do it from memory. His cousin
+laughed at these assertions, and laughed so naturally, that I felt
+quite convinced I was right about her. Damon, on the contrary, looked
+more and more distressed as this conversation proceeded; it was quite
+apparent to me that he was miserable, and in a painful state of doubt,
+and I had promised him a proof of his wife's innocence. Without
+uttering a word, I laid hold of a corner of the paper on which were the
+treacherous drawings, drew it out of the portfolio, and handed it to
+her. I admit that this was very hard on the cousin, but why should I
+spare the young jackanapes, from whom no mercy for others was to be
+expected, as his caricatures showed plainly enough?
+
+She evidently did not know what I meant by showing the drawings to her,
+or what she was to do with them. On the first glance at the paper, she
+seemed about to burst into a fit of laughter, and no one who had seen
+these capital caricatures of Damon could have blamed the child of
+nature for doing so. But on the second look, her eye had had time to
+run over the whole sheet, and she had beheld her own likeness; the
+contrast was too glaring, and there now did not linger the slightest
+trace of a smile on her countenance. She blushed crimson, threw the
+sketches far away from her, as if they had burned her hand, which for a
+short time she placed over her eyes, as one does when suddenly coming
+to the brink of a precipice. And her womanly tact had assuredly told
+her that such had been her position. It was a moment for a painter of
+scenes from domestic life to have taken a sketch. In the background
+were the open doors leading from the pretty sitting-room to the garden,
+whose trees seemed drawn on the clear evening skies in their full
+beauty. On the sofa sat a man, apparently very unhappy, with his cheek
+resting on his hand, and a look expressive of the deepest anxiety fixed
+upon a young woman, whose guiltless countenance rivalled the glow of
+the evening sky; whose whole bearing evinced mingled anger and
+humility, innocence and embarrassment, while her eyes were riveted
+on the paper she had cast from her, which had revealed to her one
+of the dark shades of life. At a little distance from her stood a
+grave-looking man, whose face expressed perfect confidence in, and
+esteem for, the young wife; he stood as if he wished to inspire her
+with courage to follow the dictates of her own heart. And nearest the
+door leading to the entrance-hall sat a young gentleman, whose assured,
+careless deportment formed a strong contrast to his perplexed and
+irresolute glances; no one could have doubted that he was the cause of
+the dismal mood which had seized upon all the rest of the party, and
+that he was aware of this himself.
+
+But it was only for a few short moments that the young wife stood as
+described. Presently she looked up fearlessly, although tears were
+streaming down her cheeks; without vouchsafing a single glance to the
+young gentleman, she swept past him, threw her arms round her husband's
+neck, and sank, weeping, by his side on the sofa. And this charming,
+natural act found a response in his heart; he flung his arm round her
+waist, and pressed her to his breast. It was a dumb and yet an eloquent
+scene!
+
+The friend and the cousin were now _de trop_. I made a sign to him, and
+he left the room with me, without the others appearing to notice our
+departure.
+
+It was rather an embarrassing situation in which we two found ourselves
+placed as we walked along the high road together. But as I have always
+considered that 'honesty is the best policy,' I did not, on this
+occasion, depart from my general rule. I began by telling him frankly
+that the ingratitude which he had displayed towards my friend, who
+was also his friend, and his cousin's husband, by caricaturing him so
+ill-naturedly, and his hardihood in leaving the drawings in an open
+portfolio in a sitting-room common to all the family, as if he wished
+them to be seen by at least _one_ member of it, had convinced me that
+his remaining in that house would be productive of unhappiness to his
+host, and would be disagreeable to all parties. It was Damon himself
+who by accident had found the caricatures. It was impossible, of
+course, that he could pass them over in silence, and their discovery
+might have caused an extremely unpleasant scene. I had sought to avoid
+this, as I knew that no explanation or apology could have been
+accepted; in fact, none satisfactorily could have been offered. I
+pointed out to the young man that it was not likely his intercourse
+with the family could be renewed; that it would be necessary for him to
+determine what he was to do with himself for the future, as he could no
+longer reckon on their kindness.
+
+'Soft and fair goes far,' says the proverb, and its truth was shown
+here. My words were taken in good part; the cousin and I continued to
+walk back and forwards on the high road half the night. He accompanied
+me at length to town, and then there was nothing for it--if he were to
+have a roof over his head at all--but to give him a bed at my house. We
+laid our heads together to think of what could be done to procure a
+situation for him, which might give him some profitable employment for
+the present, and some prospect of advantage for the future; and at last
+we both agreed that he had better look after an appointment in one of
+the provincial towns, which had just become vacant, and in the disposal
+of which I had some influence. Security, however, to a certain small
+extent, would be required, but I would help him to obtain this. I was
+quite certain, I said, that if I asked Damon, he would be his security,
+for he had a most amiable and forgiving temper. I wished Damon to have
+this satisfaction, and the cousin this humiliation; _that_ should be
+his only punishment. I am now inclined to believe, however, that he
+found the punishment tolerably light, and bore it with great
+equanimity, notwithstanding that he vapoured a great deal about
+obligation, mortification, contrition, &c. &c.
+
+To cut a long story short, the plan we had hit upon that night was
+carried out. The cousin went to the country town and obtained the
+situation, Damon became his security, and was not sorry to have this
+little revenge upon him. And his young wife, who, through my
+indiscretion, found out afterwards what Damon had done, was quite
+overcome by her husband's generosity, and thought more of him than
+ever. A man is never sorry that his wife should entertain the belief
+that he is generous and noble-minded; that raises him much more in her
+estimation than if he gave her occasion for the vain satisfaction of
+admiring his wit. That, certainly, Damon's wife had no opportunity of
+doing, for he possessed neither wit nor genius, but he was a good,
+kind-hearted person. Their married life, which had been so nearly
+rendered unhappy, after the cloud above referred to had cleared off,
+glided on in a calm and even tenour, and nothing occurred to disturb
+their serenity.
+
+But man is his own worst enemy, an old philosopher has said, and not
+without truth. Before twelve months had expired Damon's old whim had
+revived: he longed again for a friend, and began to lament that he had
+no one to whom he might speak on many subjects on which he could not
+converse with his wife.
+
+'To speak the honest truth,' he said to me one day, 'I miss my wife's
+cousin exceedingly. He was a pleasant, sociable young man as could be,
+and I really do believe that we did him injustice--at least as far as
+my wife was concerned--and that she never would have troubled herself
+about him if he had remained in our house till doomsday. I really do
+miss him often.'
+
+I opened my eyes in amazement at hearing this speech. But he was in
+earnest. Notwithstanding his domestic comforts, and all his previous
+unfortunate' experience, he longed for--his phantom, his patented
+friend, his Pythias the Fifth! The old fixed idea was again in the
+ascendant! His folly almost made me ill, but it also made me very
+angry, and this time I did not let him off easily. I remonstrated with
+him on the injustice with which he had during his whole life treated
+me, who had always been his true friend, a fact which no one could
+deny, though he had scarcely considered me as such, while he had run up
+friendship after friendship with a set of worthless creatures. His
+Pythias-fancy was a positive frenzy with him, approaching to insanity.
+But he had never had the least idea of what friendship _really was_.
+And as he was ignorant of it, I would tell him that friendship is the
+reward of affection, and it is not to be found in the street, like
+acquaintances, the mere result of chance. But what had he gained by his
+various friendships? Had they not been for a long time a wretched
+slavery, and in the last instance an equally wretched attempt at
+governing? The absurdity had merged at length into a perfect monomania,
+which deserved no mercy, for it had nearly made his poor wife
+thoroughly unhappy. If he could not give up the indulgence of this
+caprice, I advised him to engage a Pythias by the month for certain
+stipulated wages; some poor devil whom he could order to go with him to
+fish, or sit down to a chessboard whenever he pleased, for he required
+no other companion. Such an arrangement would be very convenient,
+because he could dismiss the hired Pythias when he pleased without
+further ado. As to myself, I said, I should continue to visit at his
+house only on his wife's account, for, as she was to be so neglected by
+him, she might require in her isolation the occasional society of a
+sincere friend. I should not come any longer for his sake, as he had
+shown me plainly enough how little he cared, or had ever cared, for me.
+
+Damon was quite dumbfounded at the warmth with which I spoke, and at
+the unvarnished truths with which I overwhelmed him; his conscience
+must have told him that my accusations were not without foundation. He
+gave in, and concord was restored between us upon the condition that,
+for the future, he should renounce all search after his Pythias
+puppets. It was further resolved that the pacification should be 'firm
+and lasting,' as it is called in all treaties of peace.
+
+I had been two or three months travelling abroad, when I received a
+letter from Damon, giving me to understand that an event was expected
+in his house which was looked forward to with much pleasure. I was
+delighted to hear it, hoping that it would add so much to the happiness
+of my friends in the future. At length, to my joy, came another letter,
+announcing the birth of a son, his exact image, and he was so expansive
+in his descriptions of the little stranger, whom he seemed to look upon
+as a prodigy, that he scarcely left himself room to mention his wife.
+
+As soon as I returned home, I went to see him, and found him, like a
+fond papa, in the nursery' where he was pacing up and down, holding a
+monologue about the boy's education and future prospects. The young
+mother was sitting on the sofa with that languid, touching expression
+of heartfelt joy, which is so becoming to young mothers, and with a
+dreamy look, as if she, too, were beholding in her mind's eye the
+future for her child, and in thought were bestowing on him the cherub
+form more meet for an angel than a child of mortality. I congratulated
+them both with all my heart. Damon lifted his 'exact image' from the
+cradle, raised the infant high in the air, and exclaimed with pleasure
+and pride:
+
+'See here! here is my new born friend--my rightful Pythias!'
+
+I could not help smiling at this truly unexpected outburst. What
+obstinacy!
+
+The young mother held out her arms, and cried: 'Oh, give him to
+me--give me my child, my own little man, my darling!'
+
+And when the infant was placed in her arms she caressed him with that
+tenderness which only a mother can show.
+
+'My Pythias!--My darling!' They had both spoken from their hearts, and
+found the word which made them happiest.
+
+When the boy was to be christened, the mother proposed that he should
+be named Charles, and the father that he should also be called Pythias.
+Charles was after me; Pythias was after him, the other--the phantom. I
+could not refrain from whispering to Damon, if it would not be well to
+have the child also christened 'the Fifth.' He laughed, and pushed me
+so, that I had nearly gone head-foremost into the cradle, to 'the
+new-born Pythias.'
+
+And Charles Pythias united in his own person that which makes the
+happiness of marriage--love and friendship. I do not believe that
+either of the parents bethought them how long these feelings had been
+shared among various individuals, so entirely were they now united and
+concentrated in this one little child.
+
+But I pleaded earnestly that the boy should on no account be called
+Pythias, and insisted that it was quite enough for him to bear my name,
+as his father's friend. I was determined to free myself from hearing
+anything more of Pythias. Happily I carried my point, and I _did_ hear
+no more of him. The new-born Pythias, however, took, in due time, his
+rightful place, though he had escaped bearing the ridiculous name.
+
+
+
+
+                            THE FATAL CHAIN.
+
+                    FROM THE SWEDISH OF UNCLE ADAM.
+
+
+One dreary autumn evening, shortly after I had taken possession
+of my living (thus my friend, the Rev. Mr. Z., began his narrative),
+I was sitting alone in my study, the same which I occupy to this day,
+and from which I overlook the church and the churchyard, when a
+servant-girl entered, and announced that a strange gentleman was
+waiting in the drawing-room, who wished to speak to me. I hastened
+downstairs, and found a good-looking young man, although he appeared to
+be unusually pale, with an expression of wild grief in his eyes, which
+led me to conclude that he was the bearer of some unpleasant
+intelligence.
+
+'I come to beg you for the key of the Lejonswaerd'schen family vault,'
+said he; 'I believe you have it.'
+
+'What!' I demanded in astonishment, 'do you wish it now, at this late
+hour?'
+
+'Yes; I must have it,' said the stranger, impatiently, 'for a corpse.
+Alas! a corpse is to be interred immediately.'
+
+The stranger's manners seemed to me to be so very peculiar that I still
+hesitated. On perceiving this he cried,
+
+'You appear to be unwilling to give it, sir. You need not hesitate; my
+name is Lejonswaerd, and the corpse which is to be laid in the narrow
+tomb is that of my wife. I have one key, but require the other from
+you. Will you still refuse it to me?'
+
+I gave him the key, and with scarcely a word of thanks he hastened
+away. I returned to my chamber, and gazed forth into the darkness which
+shrouded the churchyard. I soon perceived lights moving over the graves
+towards the vaults; the vault lies here, on this side, and the wall at
+the entrance is ornamented by a lion holding in its paw a pierced
+heart. The tomb was opened, and I saw the torchlight through the
+grating. It was a gloomy sight, which I shall never forget.
+
+The simple burial was over, and immediately afterwards a servant
+brought me back the key.
+
+Several years had passed, when the same gentleman entered my room one
+morning.
+
+'Do you recollect me?' he asked. I answered in the affirmative. 'It is
+well,' continued he; 'I am going to become your parishioner, yonder at
+Lejonsnaes.'
+
+'Are you going to live at Lejonsnaes? Surely you are not in earnest,
+Herr Count! No one has resided there for nearly a hundred years.'
+
+'So much the better! I will turn it once more into a human dwelling;
+but I shall lead a very secluded life; my servant is to be my
+major-domo, my coachman, and my valet; that will be a quiet household!
+Will you accompany me?' continued he. 'Though the proprietor of the
+estate, I am perfectly ignorant of its situation. Will you accompany
+me, and instal me among my dear forefathers who are there in effigy?'
+
+Having acquainted my wife with my intended journey, I seated myself
+along with the count in his carriage, and set off, driven by the much
+experienced domestic, who, besides his knowledge of the mysteries of
+the kitchen and the bed-chamber, was also skilled in managing a pair of
+horses.
+
+We soon arrived at the estate. A large, heavy building, to which, wings
+had been added, stood, with its dingy windows, in gloomy grandeur; a
+double row of ancient trees skirted the spacious court-yard, in the
+centre of which, surrounded by a wild and partly withered hedge of box,
+arose a dried-up fountain. This is a slight description of the place.
+
+The count smiled and looked at me. 'How does the house please you?'
+said he. 'To me it looks like the abode of spectres. It is strange,'
+continued he, 'that people are always anxious to attach a more intimate
+connection with the world of spirits to places such as this, as if
+spirits could not reveal their presence anywhere. You doubt my words.
+You shake your head. Why? If there be no communication with the world
+of spirits, why have we an inward voice which tells us that there is?'
+
+'All have not such a voice,' I answered, smiling.
+
+'There you are mistaken, dear sir,' replied the count, eagerly. 'You
+cannot deny that there are things which pass our comprehension, which
+therefore originate from a higher power; and there scarcely exists a
+man who, once in his life at least, has not been placed in a situation
+which has forced him to believe in the influence of a world of spirits.
+Tell me, what is it that consoles him who has lost all that he held
+dear? For instance, a--'--he was silent a moment, as if struggling with
+inward emotion--'a wife,' continued he, 'and child. What is that--when,
+crushed by the cruel hand of Fate, one kneels before a coffin--which
+illumines the soul like a clear stream of light from a better world, or
+whispers sweet comfort to the half-paralyzed heart?'
+
+'Religion,' I replied; 'the consolation of religion, Herr Count.'
+
+'No, no, Herr Pastor; religion has nothing to do with _this_. Religion
+is a sentiment embracing duty and devotion, which is founded on faith,
+and directed by reason. The sensation to which I allude is something
+outward, something which affects the soul as suddenly as a flash of
+lightning, without the thoughts having had time to dwell on the
+possibility of consolation. It is as if a stream of light broke
+unexpectedly upon the mind, Herr Pastor. It is not religion, but the
+spirit of the beloved departed which bestows on the mourner a portion
+of its own bliss.'
+
+Just then the inspector arrived with the keys of the castle, and
+interrupted our conversation. He also was of the same opinion as
+myself, that the castle was not fit to be inhabited; but the count
+remained firm to his intention of taking up his abode there.
+
+'Give me the keys, inspector. You need not accompany us; my friend and
+I will be able to find our way, I do not doubt. You need only tell us
+to which doors the keys belong.'
+
+The inspector bowed, and began as he was requested to sort the keys.
+
+'This one belongs to the large house-door; this, to the suite of rooms
+occupied by the councillor of blessed memory; and this, to the
+apartments which the councillor's wife inhabited. This key belongs to
+the young count's rooms; or,' continued he, rather embarrassed, 'to the
+rooms in the western wing, which belonged to your grandfather, Herr
+Count, when he was a young man.'
+
+'Enough, good sir. We shall find our way,' said the count, as he
+smilingly interrupted him.
+
+We approached the castle. 'Did you hear,' said the count, '_the young
+count's rooms?_' The young count was my grandfather. This shows that
+traditions never grow old. He is still called THE YOUNG COUNT here,
+although it is about fifty years since he died, old and infirm.'
+
+As we entered the lofty arched entrance-hall, a chill, dank air met us.
+Here and there a portion of the ornamental gilding from the walls had
+fallen away, and several large oil-paintings, representing bear-hunts,
+had become spotted with mould and dust.
+
+'The entrance-hall is not particularly inviting,' said the count; 'but
+let us proceed farther.'
+
+The key was placed into the heavy, elaborately ornamented door, leading
+to the apartments of the councillor above mentioned. We entered an
+antechamber, hung with several portraits and landscapes of the Dutch
+school; here, in a richly-gilt frame, which the hand of time had
+partially robbed of its brilliancy, was a lady dressed as a
+shepherdess, with a broad-brimmed straw hat upon her powdered head, and
+a shepherd's crook in her hand; a lovely smile played round the rosy
+lips, and the bright and speaking eyes sparkled with gaiety.
+
+'That,' said the count, 'is my grandmother. She is smiling to us. She
+was painted as a bride, and there she still sits in her youthful
+beauty. It is the same with portraits as with the soul--they never grow
+old.'
+
+We went on, and entered a room with a polished oaken floor, and the
+walls hung with gilded leather in richly-gilt partitions; there was a
+stiff grandeur about the room, which was rendered more formal by the
+old-fashioned furniture. The mouldings of the ceilings were decorated
+by groups of clumsy figures, a remnant of the grotesque taste, and
+accumulation of ornaments so prevalent in the seventeenth century. This
+had formerly been the chamber in which the councillor had studied, and
+it had been left untouched, just as it was during his lifetime. A
+clock, in a large stand of Chinese painting, in black and gold, stood
+silent and covered with dust in a corner, and a thick bell-rope with
+ponderous silk tassels still hung in another corner near the heavy
+writing-table, before which was placed, as if the student had only a
+moment before arisen from it, a narrow, high-backed chair, with legs
+curved outwards. Beyond this room came a bed-chamber, decorated in the
+style as the one we had just left.
+
+'By Heavens,' said the count, 'it almost seems as if you were
+right. I cannot reconcile myself to these rooms, and to this furniture.
+Rooms and furniture--if I may so express myself--are our nearest
+acquaintances--a chair, a table, a sofa, are often our most intimate
+companions.'
+
+At length we arrived at two small rooms, the windows of which looked
+out upon the garden; they seemed to have been more recently occupied,
+and were more simply furnished.
+
+'I shall pitch my tent here!' said the count. 'The arrangements cannot
+be said to be of the newest fashion, but, at any rate, there is a more
+cheerful aspect about this place than in any other part of the castle.'
+
+Before the table stood an arm-chair, which formerly had been gilded,
+but now the white grounding was visible in many places; the red velvet
+with which it was covered was not faded; indeed, upon the whole, the
+colours were better preserved in this room than in the others. I was
+surprised at it, but the count, who regarded everything in his own
+peculiar way, merely remarked that the chamber lay on the northern side
+of the house.
+
+'You see, Herr Pastor, where the full glare of the sun cannot
+penetrate, anything old is better preserved. It is a well-known fact,
+that what is ancient is best preserved in darkness; this holds good as
+well in the material as in the moral world, for light is only required
+by that which is growing. Objects that decay are more easily destroyed
+in light than in twilight. Hence,' he added, with a satirical curl of
+his lip, 'darkness is so necessary for the preservation of what is
+old.'
+
+These apartments having been brought into some sort of order, the count
+established himself in them; from the time he had taken possession of
+his paternal property, his temper appeared to have become more equable.
+The castle harmonized with his restless soul, which cared not for the
+present, but loved rather to live amidst the memory of the past, which
+was crowded with familiar acquaintances; or, to endeavour to seek a
+dark and mysterious intercourse with another and to us unknown, world.
+
+He was a visionary, but a noble visionary, with a deep sense of
+everything that is good and grand. I frequently visited him, and found
+him often engaged in reading, but he always hid his book when I
+entered. Once, however, I happened to catch a glimpse of it; it was
+Jung Stilling's works.
+
+'I see, count,' said I, 'that you are reading about ghosts and
+apparitions. You surely do not believe in them?'
+
+'Why should I not? Is there anything absurd in that belief, or do you
+suppose that man is the only being in the creation intellectually
+endowed? That he stands next to God? Do you not believe in the
+possibility that the human soul, when freed from its vile earthly
+garment, can receive a more perfect, an ethereal body, suited to its
+new state? _I_ believe in it, and find comfort in the thought. What
+were man if he did not, even here below, penetrate, however dimly, into
+a future existence, and acquire a slight knowledge of its mysteries?
+What were we did we not all believe in this, to a greater or lesser
+extent? I maintain that there does not exist a man who has not some
+belief in spirits, even though he may ridicule the idea to others. When
+Death steals away the best beloved of a man's heart, seizes her in his
+bony arms, and draws her down into the gloom of the grave--when the
+hand of Providence lies heavily upon him--rest assured, my friend,
+_that_ man will believe in a spiritual world.'
+
+'Assuredly; and he ought to do so. No one should dare to doubt the
+future existence of the soul.'
+
+'I speak of the atmosphere as being peopled with spirits; to that
+belief the soul of man clings when sorrowing for the dead.'
+
+'Sorrow often leads to wild ideas,' I remarked.
+
+'Sorrow!' repeated the count. 'You are partly right; sorrow constitutes
+the night in the fate of mankind. When we are prosperous we heed not
+the noiseless, measured movement of the wheel of fate; the earthy
+element asserts its right over us, and cheats us into the belief that
+we are happy. True happiness and sorrow are more in unison than we are
+apt to fancy. If we sit on a peaceful evening with a beloved wife and
+her children, and thank the Lord for all the blessings we enjoy, it is
+their presence which constitutes our happiness; or, if we fall upon our
+knees by the side of their inanimate corpses, though we are bowed down
+with grief for their loss at first, after a time we cease to feel that
+we are alone. There is a something invisible, inaudible, and yet
+intelligible to our inmost soul that tells us restoration succeeds to
+dissolution, and life succeeds to death; and this something I call a
+mysterious intercourse with the spirit world.'
+
+'But, count,' I suggested, 'reason points out to us--'
+
+'Reason!' repeated he, impetuously interrupting me. 'Speak not of cold
+reason! What is that power which some possess of divining every
+feeling, every thought of those near them? What is feeling in
+comparison with foreboding--judgment in comparison with faith? He who
+acknowledges the existence of a higher world--who sincerely and
+earnestly believes in a connection between his feelings and their
+author--God--is a person of elevated mind; the man, on the contrary,
+who in his pride of intellect detracts from the Holy One, and divides
+the indivisible, is grovelling and limited in his ideas. I never could
+endure that over-wise reason, which would force itself into everything,
+fancying that it could take part in everything, without doing so in
+reality. Do not say, therefore, Herr Pastor, what reason points out to
+us. I contend that reason knows nothing about the matter.'
+
+I found it was not worth while to dispute with the count, for as he
+would not admit the right of reason, I had nothing to advance against
+his vague and undefinable notions.
+
+'It is a comfort,' said the count, one day, 'to believe in spiritual
+visits. I live alone here; my servants inhabit the second story, and
+you may possibly fancy that my time often hangs heavily on my hands.
+Far from it; when my candles begin to burn dimly in the evening, and
+the thick foliage is rustling gently--when the old furniture creaks,
+and a distant sound is heard, which may either be taken for the
+ringing of bells or the chanting of low murmuring voices, then my true
+life begins. I saunter up and down the room, and at times stand still
+and listen. Ah, then, often do I feel as if a flood of joy were rushing
+on my wounded heart--there is a flitting sound in the adjoining
+chamber--"Julia, Julia! thou hast not forgotten me!" I exclaim; and,
+calm and happy, I retire to rest and fall asleep dreaming of her.'
+
+The count sank into deep thought, but he soon raised his dark eyes
+again, and gazing into my face, he said,
+
+'You are my friend, are you not, even though you do not approve of my
+chimeras, as you reasonable people call them? I speak of my Julia; you
+do not know her, although she has for year belonged to your parish. She
+it was who, on the evening that I saw you for the first time, was
+conveyed to her last resting-place--she, my wife. I will tell you about
+my Julia, and you must not endeavour to dissuade me, by reasoning, from
+a belief which has become so necessary to me.'
+
+The count seated himself in a large arm-chair, and began his narrative
+as follows:
+
+The house of Baron Lindesparre, in Stockholm, was, at the period from
+which my story dates, the rendezvous of all the talent and beauty of
+the capital. His soirees were noted for the distinguished tone which
+pervaded them, for their unconstrained mirth, and their elegance
+without ostentation. His splendid apartments were tastefully arranged,
+without a single article being placed so as to appear more prominent
+than the rest; where all was luxury the profusion was not observable.
+It was only when one analyzed the magnificence of the house that one
+found it _was_ magnificent.
+
+The baron had been many years a widower: his wife, a Spaniard by birth,
+I never saw, but she had left a daughter, beautiful and gentle, a being
+formed partly of the glowing roses of the South, and partly of the snow
+of the North. She was the fairy of the place, and hundreds vied for a
+smile from her lips. This was Julia. She became my wife.
+
+We had been married half a year, and had a separate residence, but on
+every soiree Julia went to her father's to do the honours of the house.
+On one of these evenings the company was more numerous than usual, and
+I observed a gentleman among the crowd whom I did not know, and who
+kept his eyes continually fixed upon my wife. He was tall and thin,
+with a countenance pale and attenuated, the features were almost stiff
+and inanimate, and the flashing eyes alone, which he fixed with a sort
+of scornful look upon my Julia, betrayed life. He was dressed in black,
+but a small star of brilliants sparkled from his button-hole, showing
+that he was in the service of some government. The man appeared to be
+about fifty years of ago, and a few grey hairs peeped out here and
+there among his otherwise black locks. I know not why I took such a
+strong interest in him; I fancied him disagreeable, and yet I was
+attracted to him. His was a sort of spell such as certain snakes are
+said to exercise over their victims.
+
+My father-in-law came towards me. 'Who is that gentleman dressed in
+black?' I asked.
+
+'Ah,' answered the old man, 'I had almost forgotten to introduce you;
+he is a Spaniard, a countryman of my beloved wife. Come.'
+
+I followed him, and soon stood before the strange-looking guest.
+
+'Don Caldero,' began my father-in-law; 'allow me to have the honour of
+introducing to you my son-in-law, Count Lejonswaerd--Don Caldero,
+attache to the Spanish Embassy.'
+
+The stranger in the black dress said a few polite words to my
+father-in-law, who then moved on.
+
+'As far as I can judge from observation, count, you are the happiest
+husband in all cold Sweden. I am glad to have made your acquaintance,'
+said the Spaniard; 'I have long remarked you, and intended to have
+inquired your name. You, like myself, appear to pay attention not only
+to the outward but also to the inward properties of mankind. I rejoice
+to have met a kindred spirit.'
+
+Thus began my acquaintance with a man who, notwithstanding his cold,
+severe, repulsive manners, possessed a fiery soul, and a mind capable
+of conceiving grand ideas. From this evening Don Caldero became
+intimate with me, and his clear understanding, the captivating warmth
+which he too well knew how to mingle with his elegant conversation,
+guided my ideas and feelings into a direction for which I was already
+predisposed by character, but in which, without Don Caldero, I probably
+never would have gone so far. He often visited at our house, and I
+became more and more attached to the highly-talented and well-informed
+Spaniard, and he, too, seemed disposed to like me. It was he who, with
+a clearness which I am not capable of imitating, pointed out to me the
+connection between God and man, between the visible and the invisible
+world, who proved to me the existence of a communication between a
+spiritual world and ours, manifested in dreams, forebodings, and in
+mysterious intimations of the influence of a higher power, which we
+experience in moments of grave importance. It was he who placed before
+me the truth of apparitions, purified from all superstition--that is to
+say, denying them to be gross, material manifestations, but receiving
+them as produced through the interposition of beings endowed with
+greater powers of intellect than ourselves. You should have heard him,
+sir, and though you are so great a sceptic, you would have believed him
+as I did.
+
+We often amused ourselves with playing at chess, game that has always
+interested me greatly. Don Caldero shared my taste, and we sometimes
+fought a whole evening over one game.
+
+'Chess pleases me,' he used to say, 'because it depends less than
+anything else upon the chance of fate. Fate makes itself visible
+everywhere, hence one must seek a pastime which excludes it as much as
+possible; our pastimes ought to be such, that spirits cannot interfere
+and amuse themselves at our expense.'
+
+Don Caldero frequented my father-in-law's soirees, and my house, but
+hitherto he had never invited me to visit him. He resided in a large
+mansion quite by himself, and never received any strangers. His
+character did not attract people, it rather caused him to be avoided;
+for few knew, or could understand, his great worth, and fewer still
+were inclined to follow him in his bold flights through the vast
+regions of fancy.
+
+
+After praising his friend at some length, the count concluded his
+eulogy by saying:
+
+
+In a word, Herr Pastor, there is but one such man in the world, and
+that man is called Caldero.
+
+At length, one evening, Caldero _did_ invite me. He lived at the
+farther end of the northern suburb, in a house which he had furnished
+according to his own taste. On entering the saloon I found no one, the
+apartment was empty, and merely lighted by a single handsome lamp,
+which hung from the ceiling, and which cast a subdued light around. I
+went farther: everywhere I encountered the same silence, the same
+twilight, the same heavy grandeur, which was to be traced in every
+object. I stood still, a strange feeling creeping over me, the nursery
+legends about enchanted castles flashed across my mind, and I fancied
+myself transported into one whose owner, with all his retainers, lay in
+one of the inner chambers, buried for many centuries in a profound
+magical slumber. These thoughts were soon, however, chafed away by soft
+steps upon the rich carpet, and Caldero's gloomy figure stood before
+me.
+
+'Welcome, count!' he said, courteously. 'I thank you for coming to my
+hermitage, where, you must know, I have never invited anyone but
+yourself. I longed for one evening to take entire possession of you;
+pardon my selfishness.'
+
+He led me into the inner cabinet. This was a small chamber, but lofty,
+and fitted up in a still more gloomy style than the others. The walls,
+hung with dark-red velvet, contrasted strangely with the white and gold
+pilasters which stood at the four corners. In the middle of the room
+was a table, upon which was placed a chessboard between a pair of tall
+wax candles. We seated ourselves upon the sofa, and my host appeared to
+be reflecting upon something; at length he exclaimed:
+
+'Count! perhaps you may think it extraordinary that the Spaniard
+Caldero has formed such an affection for you. He considers it his duty
+to explain why; but in order to do so, I must give you a slight sketch
+of my history.'
+
+I listened with great attention to what this strange introduction might
+lead, and Don Caldero continued:
+
+'I was born and educated in Madrid; my father was a poor but excellent
+man, belonging to the ancient nobility, and I imbibed from my earliest
+infancy high notions of the value of rank. Latterly it has fallen in my
+estimation, although I cannot even now entirely free myself from a
+prejudice in favour of the advantages of good birth. I was, as I said
+before, poor, but proud, as every Spaniard should be, and an ardent
+longing to obtain honour and distinction dwelt in my youthful breast.
+This longing was increased tenfold by my passion for a lovely girl as
+poor as myself, but even more richly endowed with ancestors. The slight
+difference which existed in the ancientness of our lineage, combined
+with my poverty, prevented our love from becoming anything more than a
+hopeless passion; for her parents, proud of their pure Christian blood,
+which for centuries had remained unmixed, could not endure the idea of
+their daughter uniting herself to me, whose early ancestor was a Moor,
+a scion of that noble race who once occupied a portion of Spain. Still
+youth and love easily forget these small differences, and Maria, so the
+young lady was called, loved me most fervently. Often when she left
+mass she bestowed upon me a few minutes undisturbed by witnesses. Ah!
+how happy I then was! I fancied my own individual merit would, in time,
+convince Maria's parents that I was worthy of her hand; I therefore
+sought to be appointed to the diplomatic corps, a path which, under our
+weak government, was a sure road to distinction; nor was it long before
+I was named attache to the mission to Vienna.
+
+'I met my beloved; it was for the last time; and never shall that
+moment pass from my memory.
+
+'"Do not forget your faithful Alphonso," I whispered, as I pressed her
+in my arms. I felt how her tears rolled down her blooming cheeks.
+
+'"See, beloved Maria," I said, at length, giving her a small golden
+chain, which I had received from my mother--"see, here is something as
+a remembrance of me; keep it faithfully. If, however, you should
+forsake me, then return it to me, and I will wear it, and die thinking
+of, and praying for, you."'
+
+'"Never, never!" murmured Maria, as she took the chain.
+
+'"Never, never!" I repeated, pressing her to my heart. "But, Maria!" I
+continued after I had become more composed, "you might perhaps, forget
+me; will you, as a proof of our eternal union, share a consecrated
+wafer with your lover?" I had one, which I broke in two. "God is our
+witness!" we both said. The clock in the adjoining cloister struck
+eleven.
+
+'"I must go," cried Maria. "For ever yours; for ever and for ever!"
+
+'Long after she had disappeared I stood rooted to the spot, striving to
+catch a glimpse of her in the moonlight. "For ever--for ever!" sounded
+in my ears, and, midst golden dreams of a future full of bliss and
+honour, I wended my way home.
+
+'I had been about a year in Vienna, when one evening a stranger brought
+me a packet. It contained the chain. I was horrified.
+
+'"Deceived!--forsaken!--forgotten!" I cried. "But no, it is
+impossible!" A slip of paper which was enclosed, contained, to my
+comfort, the following words: "I remember my oath, but am _forced_ to
+break it. Do not despise Maria."'
+
+Don Caldero showed me a locket, which he wore near his heart. 'Do you
+know this face?' said he. I started; they were the features of my wife.
+
+'My wife!' I cried, in an agitated voice.
+
+'No, my friend,' replied Caldero, with a bitter smile; 'it was her
+mother. On this account I attached myself to you, for I still love the
+mother in her child. I have suffered, I have become resigned, but I
+have never _forgotten_: and I willingly cling to the belief, that
+necessity and compulsion alone robbed me of my Maria. Let us play,
+count.'
+
+I silently seated myself at the chess-table, on which was ranged a
+splendid set of chessmen; the board was of black-and-white stone,
+and the men of one party were of silver, with tops of clear
+crystal, diamond cut, while those of the other side were of a dark
+steel-coloured metal, with dark red-tops.
+
+'It is not usual,' began Don Caldero, 'to play chess for money; yet why
+should we not at least venture something? I should like--I have often
+very strange ideas--I should like to give your Julia the chain which
+her mother possessed for a time; it is neither valuable nor modern, but
+perhaps if she hears its history, she may kindly wear it in remembrance
+of Don Caldero. I will stake the necklace, and you, count, will you
+stake a lock of the dark hair of your Julia? She will doubtless give
+it, if you ask for it. You must forgive an old, despised lover, for
+fancying he sees the mother when he gazes on your wife.'
+
+'I consent willingly to this arrangement,' I replied, smiling.
+
+We played; but it seemed as though Don Caldero took pains to lose, and
+he speedily succeeded in his endeavours.
+
+'I am vanquished,' he said quietly, as he went towards a casket, which
+I had not hitherto observed. 'Here, count, is the chain; I shall be
+more calm when it is no longer in my hands.'
+
+The chain was more costly than I had imagined, and I was pleased at the
+idea of Julia wearing it when Caldero visited us. I instantly wrote a
+note to Julia, in which, without mentioning anything about her mother,
+I told her of Caldero's and my bet, and begged her for a lock of her
+hair, in case, against my expectation, I should lose the next game. I
+sent a servant to my house with this note and the chain to my wife,
+after which we again returned to the chess-table. Now Caldero became
+more cautious; I, on the contrary, was seized by a secret anxiety, an
+uneasiness which I could not explain. I did not perceive the false
+moves I was too evidently making. Don Caldero drew my attention to my
+carelessness and more than once, made me take back my move; all was in
+vain, I was as though bewitched, and could no longer calculate my
+position. At length the servant returned, bringing a small note from
+Julia. She jested at the taste of our Spanish friend, yet sent the lock
+of hair, at the same time entreating me not again, not even for more
+costly ornaments than the chain, to stake the ringlets of my wife. I
+showed Caldero the note; he read it, and seemed to turn pale.
+
+'Her handwriting resembles her mother's,' he said, and laid the note
+upon the table. 'Let us continue.'
+
+We played on, but I soon found myself completely surrounded by his men;
+my strange uneasiness increased at each moment; I felt as though a
+drawn sword were suspended by a hair over my head; the candles seemed
+to burn blue; the white tops of my kings appeared to assume a pale
+milk-white colour, whereas the dark-red of Calderos men glowed like
+fiery coals, radiant with some inward light.
+
+'Checkmated,' he said, in a low tone. 'Checkmated, count,' he repeated,
+louder; but I sat immovable, staring fixedly at the chessmen. I
+experienced a horrible sensation, as though an evil spirit were
+standing behind me, with his burning hot hand upon my head;
+nevertheless I was shivering--a death-like coldness had crept over my
+whole body, and yet--At length I ventured to glance at Don Caldero; his
+gloomy countenance was more pale than usual, he looked like a corpse,
+and his dark hollow eyes were intently fixed upon me. 'This is the 12th
+of August,' he murmured, as if to himself. 'Reconciliation with the
+dead. Count, give me the lock of hair.'
+
+I handed it to him, and then, rising from my seat as one intoxicated, I
+staggered out of the house. I was conscious of nothing that was going
+on; but Caldero followed me.
+
+'Forgive me, count, my strange behaviour; but it is exactly twenty
+years this day since Maria and I shared the consecrated wafer. I have
+kept my oath. Good night, count. Do not forget your friend.'
+
+I hastened home. Never in my life have I so distinctly beard a voice of
+warning in the inmost depths of my soul. 'Hasten! hasten! hasten!'
+cried the voice; and I flew rather than walked.
+
+'Is Julia up still?' I asked of the servant who let me in.
+
+'The countess?' he inquired. 'Yes, yes; the countess!'
+
+'The countess must be still up; she dismissed her maid only a few
+minutes ago.'
+
+I ran to my wife's room. Julia was sitting in an arm-chair before her
+toilet-table, and quite calmly, as though she had not heard my hasty
+steps.
+
+'God be praised that my foreboding of evil has not proved true!' I
+exclaimed.
+
+No answer.
+
+'Julia!' I cried, in an agony of anxiety--'Julia, do you not hear me?'
+
+Still the same silence. She sat immovable before the mirror, and her
+lovely features were reflected in the glass; the trinket which I had
+won was round her neck, and a gentle expression was in her tender black
+eyes.
+
+'Julia! Julia!' I cried, seizing her hand. It was cold, but not rigid.
+God! my God! She was dead! I know not what further happened, but a
+fortnight later I was with you, Herr Pastor, to place the remains of my
+Julia in my family vault.'
+
+
+The count had risen, and strode up and down the room in great
+agitation. The clock struck eleven.
+
+'Art thou there, Julia?' he cried, while his eyes roved wildly round.
+'Come in! come in!' He opened the door leading to the adjoining room,
+and called out into the darkness, 'Julia, I am here! here is thy
+husband!' A cold draught of air alone was wafted into the room, and a
+slight rustling noise was discernible. 'She passes on,' said the count.
+He slammed the door, and sank into an arm-chair. 'She will not come to
+me! My God! my God! let me go to her!'
+
+The count sat for awhile lost in deep thought; at length he sprang up,
+gazed at me with eyes beaming with joy, and exclaimed,
+
+'Pastor Z., it is glorious to hope!'
+
+When I left him I actually found myself trembling, and I was right glad
+that the servant lighted me along the deserted apartments, so powerful
+is the effect of the imagination when excited.
+
+I continued to visit the count from time to time. His grief had, I
+fancied, calmed down, but his health was beginning to suffer,
+imperceptibly to himself perhaps, but not so to those who saw him now
+and then. I remarked that he was gradually becoming more strange; he
+often laughed at things which were not at all ludicrous; nevertheless,
+he was always the same amiable man I had ever known him, and his
+judgment was clear on every subject except when the mystic world was
+touched upon, then his thoughts used to wander, and Julia, his beloved
+Julia, was always the pivot round which his ideas turned.
+
+In the middle of winter I suddenly received a message, to the effect
+that I was wanted immediately at the castle. The messenger could not
+tell the reason why I had been summoned, but said that the count's
+valet had ordered him to saddle a horse and to ride as fast as he could
+to me. I suspected some misfortune, so set off instantly.
+
+When I entered the count's room he was seated at a table.
+
+'Ah, is it you, Pastor Z.?' he said, when he perceived me. 'Have you
+come to preach peace to my soul? Begin, sir; it will be amusing to
+listen--ha, ha, ha!--to hope in God? God? what is that? No, pastor, now
+I am wise--I believe in nothing, not even in myself, nor in you,
+priest, you black-skinned slug! You are one of those who wind
+themselves round mankind, and lie with a double tongue! Speak on, sir!'
+
+His flashing eyes and uplifted arm, which threatened to strike, caused
+me to start back: he was evidently deranged. His pale lips trembled
+with rage, and his black hair hung in disorder about his brow, from
+which drops of perspiration rolled down his cheeks. I perceived that
+here I could be of no use; I therefore went to the bell to summon the
+servant. He made his appearance, pale, and with eyes red from weeping.
+
+'Look!' cried the count, wildly laughing--'only look, Pastor Z.! The
+livelong night he has been borrowing from the fountain of tears, and
+talking no end of nonsense, merely because I told the fool the simple
+fact that neither he nor I possessed a soul, and that there is no such
+thing as right or wrong. Well? How comical you look--ha, ha, ha! You,
+and my man yonder, look like a couple of frightened sheep. You may rely
+on what I say, he would have come if it had been in his power; but all
+is over, he cannot come. Yes, look yonder, stare at your heaven: it is
+air, mere air, nothing but empty air. Do you understand? The earth is a
+solid lump, upon which cabbages, long-tailed monkeys, men, and other
+plants grow; and above is heaven, that is to say, sensibly speaking,
+air, atmosphere. Well? Are you not capable of comprehending this? it is
+as clear as the day. Just listen,' he continued; 'mankind is a sort of
+animal of prey, which, even when tamed, do not lose their natural
+propensities; they are worse than beasts of prey, for even the tiger
+loves its mate and its young, but look, man murders them--murders, do
+you hear?'
+
+He hid his face in his hands, and wept aloud.
+
+'I do not know what the letter could have contained,' whispered the
+servant. 'The count received it yesterday evening; he seemed overjoyed
+when he beheld the handwriting, and before I left the room; when I
+returned, however, he was just as you now see him. The poor count!' he
+continued; 'he was such an excellent master!'
+
+The count sprang to his feet as if he had been terrified by something.
+'Ho!' he cried, and his wild eyes wandered round the room. 'So much
+blood, so much poison were flowing over the earth; then a serpent
+stretched out its scaly head from the bottomless pit and seized the
+white dove. She fluttered her wings, the poor little thing, but first
+one part of her and then the other was crushed in the serpent's throat.
+It was her dead mother who devoured her: it was horrible! Look
+yonder--look, Herr Pastor! A thick darkness overspread the earth; not a
+single ray of hope could penetrate through the bloody vapour to her!
+Nay, good pastor, it was merely a freak of fancy, but at the same time
+a picture of the truth. Her mother and her husband murdered her. Do you
+now understand?'
+
+In this strain the unhappy man continued to rave for several days. I
+remained in the castle, for I hoped he might rally. A doctor was called
+in: he applied many remedies, none of which, however, seemed to afford
+the sufferer any relief. The count continued to be insane, and never
+for an instant did he close his eyes in sleep. At length, however, he
+became exhausted, and was obliged to be carried to his bed. I was then
+called to him. How much he had changed! his dark eyes had sunken
+greatly? and looked like flames half extinguished; his cheeks had
+fallen in, and his brow was full of wrinkles. He lay apparently in a
+state of complete exhaustion, and when I addressed him he did not
+answer.
+
+His servant privately handed me the fatal letter. It was from Don
+Caldero, and ran as follows:
+
+
+'DEAR COUNT,--When this letter reaches you, I shall be no more. It
+shall be laid in my desk, ready to be sent to you after my death. I owe
+you an explanation to divest you of your erroneous ideas respecting
+another world. For a long time past I have not believed in a future
+life, but it has been one of my favourite amusements to observe the
+faith of enthusiasts. It gave me pleasure when I perceived a man misled
+by his faith, and I laughed in my sleeve at such folly. I influenced
+your opinions, as I found you to be a fit subject for my experiments.
+
+'I am a Catholic; from my youth upwards my eye has been accustomed to
+weeping Madonnas; I have heard the miracles respecting the saints
+narrated, and was expected to believe all I heard. The consequence is,
+that I have ended by believing nothing, The whole of religion rests
+upon the conviction of the present and eternal existence of the
+immortal soul; but there is no proof that man possesses a soul, any
+more than there is proof of the truth of the above-mentioned miracles.
+Man is an animal like the other inhabitants of the globe, with this
+exception only, that he has a more perfectly-developed brain, and a
+greater number of intellectual organs. Life is quite independent of
+soul. I have studied these subjects, and have become convinced that the
+theory about the soul is a fabrication of the priesthood, invented to
+enable them the more easily to govern the body. There can be no Divine
+disposer of human events, else wickedness would not prosper in this
+world as it does, whilst uprightness suffers. There is a governing law
+in nature which dooms mankind to death, just as the trees are compelled
+annually to shed their leaves. I saw how oaths were broken with
+impunity; I shared with a maiden, whom I loved more than my life, a
+consecrated wafer, the most sacred thing I then knew: _she_ broke the
+oath and became happy, while _I_, who kept it, became miserable. Hence
+I began to believe in fate, and not in Providence, and learned to
+despise mankind to prevent myself from hating them.
+
+'I met you and your Julia; she was _her_ daughter. She was beautiful,
+and as yet nothing had occurred to try her character. For awhile my old
+dreams of faithful love revived, and for the daughter's sake I forgave
+the mother, who had so deeply wounded the most sacred of all feelings,
+if anything can be termed sacred. To be brief, count, I fancied myself
+once more in my enthusiastic youthful days; I forgot the sentiments
+experience had induced me to adopt, and faith in Maria's love blossomed
+anew in my heart, like the flowers which take root in the loose ashes
+of a volcano. I fancied my innocent Maria would meet me in another
+world with a kind welcome, and joyfully traverse with me the regions of
+space. You see, count, that the notion of eternity and God proceeds
+from our conceptions of love, and that, where there is no love, faith
+is also wanting.
+
+'Your wife died suddenly on the anniversary of the day on which Maria
+and I had taken the oath. I considered this event as a sign from
+Heaven, from her who, yonder above the skies, still loved me. I thought
+the mother had called her daughter to herself, for she was the only
+being on earth who testified to her broken oath. I deceived myself.
+
+'I had scarcely returned to Spain, when I received a visit from a monk.
+
+'"Pardon me, senor," said he, "if I take the liberty of putting a
+question to you. Have you a chain, which you once received from a
+distinguished lady whom you loved?"
+
+'I gazed at the man in astonishment, and answered, "Yes; what can you
+know about it?"
+
+'"Senor, I prepared an old woman for death who had been engaged in some
+cases of poisoning, and she confessed the following, which she gave me
+permission to repeat, if by so doing any advantage might be gained:
+'One evening,' these were her words, 'I was summoned to a young and
+beautiful lady, she was called Maria Viso'--was that the name of your
+beloved?--'and she begged me to insert a powerful poison in the clasp
+of a chain.'
+
+'"Although the wretched woman was accustomed to such commissions, she
+nevertheless asked who was to wear the chain? The lady answered that it
+had been given to her by an importunate suitor who was called Caldero,
+and she now wished to send back the chain to him. She also said that
+her feelings towards him were changed, and she now preferred another,
+but that her parents, who formerly opposed her marriage with him, had
+become anxious for it, and wished to force it on her, and she was
+determined to get rid of him.
+
+'"The woman thereupon inserted the poison into the clasp. The lady had
+afterwards married a heretic, and this act of hers it was which had
+roused the poisoner's conscience, for notwithstanding her being so
+great a criminal, she was an orthodox Catholic. She sought to find you
+out, in the hope that the scheme had not succeeded according to the
+lady's intentions. The Lord be praised and thanked that you did not
+wear that chain, you would undoubtedly have died if you had; the best
+thing you can do with it will be to present it to our poor monastery,
+for with the pure everything is pure, and the poison might be expunged
+by melting the gold."
+
+'I stood like one turned into a statue of stone. It was, then, the
+decree of fate that the mother should be accessary to the daughter's
+death, and the latter be sacrificed for the crime of the former!
+
+'Picture to yourself now, if you can, count, blessed spirits: imagine
+to yourself, now, a heaven on earth with a woman you love; cling to a
+belief in another world; if you can do all this, then you are indeed a
+perfect fool. I have relapsed into my old views: the earth remains
+earth, and nothing more. When you are reading this I shall be dead,
+cold, and buried. If, however, I have an immortal soul, you will know
+the contents of this letter before it arrives, otherwise you must
+believe that nothing remains of him who once was your friend.
+
+                                         'CALDERO.'
+
+
+The much-to-be-pitied victim of Caldero's cold atheism and contempt of
+mankind still sat in the same position, staring gloomily before him,
+without uttering a syllable, but now and then heaving a deep-drawn
+sigh. It was evident that he would soon be at rest, for every day he
+became weaker and weaker.
+
+I scarcely ever left the bedside of the unfortunate young man, in the
+hope that he might, if only for a few minutes, regain his senses, when
+I could speak peace to his soul.
+
+One evening, after this sad state of affairs had continued without
+interruption for a fortnight, I was sitting at a table reading, with my
+back turned to the count, when I heard a low whispering behind me; it
+was his voice. I listened--it was a fervent, humble prayer for peace in
+death, and pardon for all his sins. I let him finish his prayer
+undisturbed.
+
+'Who is there?' asked the count, in a feeble tone.
+
+I drew near to the bed.
+
+'Is it you, Pastor Z.?' he said mildly. 'Still up? It is late. I am
+happy now, my friend, for it will soon be day; I have had a long night.
+I am dying, but I bear within me a strong voice crying, 'Love is
+faith,' and I pray, bowing myself in humility before the God of Love. I
+have wandered from the right path, I was misled, misfortune pursued me,
+and I became, through my thoughtlessness, Julia's murderer. The
+crushing intelligence contained in Caldero's letter shook my trust in
+everything, for it is a relief to a guilty soul not to believe in a
+Judge. But my presumptuous folly was punished, my understanding became
+obscured. A light has burst upon me now, and since I have prayed I feel
+at peace. I prayed--for many years I neglected to do so--yes, I prayed
+with clasped hands, as my mother used to teach me when I was an
+innocent child. Alas, I ought always to have prayed thus.'
+
+He ceased speaking, and leaning his head against his pillow, he looked
+steadfastly at me with a mild, glorified expression of countenance. I
+had sunk upon my knees at the side of his bed, and poured forth thanks
+to my God for the ray of light and hope which he had permitted to
+penetrate the darkened mind of the poor sufferer.
+
+'Lord!' I entreated, 'grant him light!'
+
+'Light,' he repeated, in a low whisper, 'Lord! more light. God be
+praised! there _is_ light!'
+
+He closed his eyes, heaved a long sigh, and in another world he
+received an explanation of that secret, the solution of which he had
+only grasped in his last hour.
+
+He now reposes in the family vault by the side of his beloved Julia;
+the receptacle of the dead is full. The pieces of his shattered
+escutcheon lie scattered upon the floor around his coffin,[7] and the
+key of the vault will be needed no more!
+
+
+
+                               FOOTNOTES:
+
+[Footnote 1: "_Too Old_"--"For gammel"--is from a Danish work entitled
+"Haabloes"--"_Hopeless_"--by Carit Etlar. The volume, which contains
+three tales, was published in Copenhagen in 1857.]
+
+[Footnote 2: Councillor of state. Etatsraad is a Danish title, and an
+etatsraad's wife is styled Etatsraadinde.]
+
+[Footnote 3: From a collection of Tales, in one volume, entitled
+'Haablos'--'Hopeless.']
+
+[Footnote 4: See 'Eventyr og Folkesagn.'--_Espen til Ahner_.]
+
+[Footnote 5: Krigsraad--a Danish title.]
+
+[Footnote 6: One mile Danish is equal to more than four English miles.]
+
+[Footnote 7: At the death of the last representative of a noble family
+in Sweden, the escutcheon is usually broken over his coffin.]
+
+
+
+
+                            END OF VOL. II.
+
+        LONDON: PRINTED BY W. CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET,
+                           AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Danes Sketched by Themselves. Vol.
+II (of 3), by Various
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DANES SKETCHED BY THEMSELVES, VOL II ***
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