Undine..................................................................................................................................................................1

Friedrich de la Motte Fouque ...................................................................................................................1

Four tales are, it is said, intended by the Author to be appropriate to the Four Seasons: the stern, grave

"Sintram", to winter; the tearful, smiling, fresh "Undine", to Spring; the torrid deserts of the "Two Captains",

to summer; and the sunset gold of "Aslauga's Knight", to autumn. Of these two are before us.

The author of these tales, as well as of many more, was Friedrich, Baron de la Motte Fouque, one of the

foremost of the minstrels or taletellers of the realm of spiritual chivalrythe realm whither Arthur's knights

departed when they "took the Sancgreal's holy quest,"whence Spenser's Red Cross knight and his fellows

came forth on their adventures, and in which the Knight of la Mancha believed, and endeavoured to exist.

La Motte Fouque derived his name and his title from the French Huguenot ancestry, who had fled on the

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His Christian name was taken from his godfather, Frederick the Great, of

whom his father was a faithful friend, without compromising his religious principles and practice. Friedrich

was born at Brandenburg on February 12, 1777, was educated by good parents at home, served in the

Prussian army through disaster and success, took an enthusiastic part in the rising of his country against

Napoleon, inditing as many battlesongs as Korner. When victory was achieved, he dedicated his sword in

the church of Neunhausen where his estate lay. He lived there, with his beloved wife and his imagination, till

And all the time life was to him a poet's dream. He lived in a continual glamour of spiritual romance, bathing

everything, from the old deities of the Valhalla down to the champions of German liberation, in an ideal glow

of purity and nobleness, earnestly Christian throughout, even in his dealings with Northern mythology, for he

Thus he lived, felt, and believed what he wrote, and though his dramas and poems do not rise above fair

mediocrity, and the great number of his prose stories are injured by a certain monotony, the charm of them is

in their elevation of sentiment and the earnest faith pervading all. His knights might be Sir Galahad

Evil comes to them as something to be conquered, generally as a form of magic enchantment, and his

"wondrous fair maidens" are worthy of them. Yet there is adventure enough to afford much pleasure, and

often we have a touch of true genius, which has given actual ideas to the world, and precious ones.

This genius is especially traceable in his two masterpieces, Sintram and Undine. Sintram was inspired by

Albert Durer's engraving of the "Knight of Death," of which we give a presentation. It was sent to Fouque by

his friend Edward Hitzig, with a request that he would compose a ballad on it. The date of the engraving is

1513, and we quote the description given by the late Rev. R. St. John Tyrwhitt, showing how differently it

"Some say it is the end of the strong wicked man, just overtaken by Death and Sin, whom he has served on

earth. It is said that the tuft on the lance indicates his murderous character, being of such unusual size. You

know the use of that appendage was to prevent blood running down from the spearhead to the hands. They

also think that the object under the horse's off hind foot is a snare, into which the old oppressor is to fall

instantly. The expression of the faces may be taken either way: both good men and bad may have hard,

regular features; and both good men and bad would set their teeth grimly on seeing Death, with the sands of

their life nearly run out. Some say they think the expression of Death gentle, or only admonitory (as the

author of "Sintram"); and I have to thank the authoress of the "Heir of Redclyffe" for showing me a fine

impression of the plate, where Death certainly had a not ungentle countenancesnakes and all. I think the

shouldered lance, and quiet, firm seat on horseback, with gentle bearing on the curbbit, indicate grave

resolution in the rider, and that a robber knight would have his lance in rest; then there is the leafy crown on

the horse's head; and the horse and dog move on so quietly, that I am inclined to hope the best for the Ritter."

Musing on the mysterious engraving, Fouque saw in it the lifelong companions of man, Death and Sin,

whom he must defy in order to reach salvation; and out of that contemplation rose his wonderful romance,

not exactly an allegory, where every circumstance can be fitted with an appropriate meaning, but with the

sense of the struggle of life, with external temptation and hereditary inclination pervading all, while Grace

and Prayer aid the effort. Folko and Gabrielle are revived from the Magic Ring, that Folko may by example

and influence enhance all higher resolutions; while Gabrielle, in all unconscious innocence, awakes the

It is within the bounds of possibility that the similarities of folk lore may have brought to Fouque's

knowledge the outline of the story which Scott tells us was the germ of "Guy Mannering"; where a boy,

whose horoscope had been drawn by an astrologer, as likely to encounter peculiar trials at certain intervals,

actually had, in his twentyfirst year, a sort of visible encounter with the Tempter, and came off conqueror by

his strong faith in the Bible. Sir Walter, between reverence and realism, only took the earlier part of the story,

but Fouque gives us the positive struggle, and carries us along with the final victory and subsequent peace.

His tale has had a remarkable power over the readers. We cannot but mention two remarkable instances at

either end of the scale. Cardinal Newman, in his younger days, was so much overcome by it that he hurried

out into the garden to read it alone, and returned with traces of emotion in his face. And when Charles

Lowder read it to his East End boys, their whole minds seemed engrossed by it, and they even called certain

spots after the places mentioned. Imagine the Rocks of the Moon in Ratcliff Highway!

May we mention that Miss Christabel Coleridge's "Waynflete" brings something of the spirit and idea of

"Undine" is a story of much lighter fancy, and full of a peculiar grace, though with a depth of melancholy that

endears it. No doubt it was founded on the universal idea in folklore of the nixies or waterspirits, one of

whom, in Norwegian legend, was seen weeping bitterly because of the want of a soul. Sometimes the nymph

is a wicked siren like the Lorelei; but in many of these tales she weds an earthly lover, and deserts him after a

time, sometimes on finding her diving cap, or her sealskin garment, which restores her to her ocean kindred,

sometimes on his intruding on her while she is under a periodical transformation, as with the fairy Melusine,

There is a remarkable Cornish tale of a nymph or mermaiden, who thus vanished, leaving a daughter who

loved to linger on the beach rather than sport with other children. By and by she had a lover, but no sooner

did he show tokens of inconstancy, than the mother came up from the sea and put him to death, when the

daughter pined away and died. Her name was Selina, which gives the tale a modern aspect, and makes us

wonder if the old tradition can have been modified by some report of Undine's story.

There was an idea set forth by the Rosicrucians of spirits abiding in the elements, and as Undine represented

the water influences, Fouque's wife, the Baroness Caroline, wrote a fairly pretty story on the sylphs of fire.

But Undine's freakish playfulness and mischief as an elemental being, and her sweet patience when her soul

is won, are quite original, and indeed we cannot help sharing, or at least understanding, Huldbrand's

beginning to shrink from the unearthly creature to something of his own flesh and blood. He is altogether

unworthy, and though in this tale there is far less of spiritual meaning than in Sintram, we cannot but see that

Fouque's thought was that the grosser human nature is unable to appreciate what is absolutely pure and

On a beautiful evening, many hundred years ago, a worthy old fisherman sat mending his nets. The spot

where he dwelt was exceedingly picturesque. The green turf on which he had built his cottage ran far out into

a great lake; and this slip of verdure appeared to stretch into it as much through love of its clear waters as the

lake, moved by a like impulse, strove to fold the meadow, with its waving grass and flowers, and the cooling

shade of the trees, in its embrace of love. They seemed to be drawn toward each other, and the one to be

With respect to human beings, indeed, in this pleasant spot, excepting the fisherman and his family, there

were few, or rather none, to be met with. For as in the background of the scene, toward the west and

northwest, lay a forest of extraordinary wildness, which, owing to its sunless gloom and almost impassable

recesses, as well as to fear of the strange creatures and visionary illusions to be encountered in it, most people

avoided entering, unless in cases of extreme necessity. The pious old fisherman, however, many times passed

through it without harm, when he carried the fine fish which he caught by his beautiful strip of land to a great

Now the reason he was able to go through this wood with so much ease may have been chiefly this, because

he entertained scarcely any thoughts but such as were of a religious nature; and besides, every time he

crossed the evilreported shades, he used to sing some holy song with a clear voice and from a sincere heart.

Well, while he sat by his nets this evening, neither fearing nor devising evil, a sudden terror seized him, as he

heard a rushing in the darkness of the wood, that resembled the tramping of a mounted steed, and the noise

What he had fancied, when abroad in many a stormy night, respecting the mysteries of the forest, now flashed

through his mind in a moment, especially the figure of a man of gigantic stature and snow white appearance,

who kept nodding his head in a portentous manner. And when he raised his eyes towards the wood, the form

came before him in perfect distinctness, as he saw the nodding man burst forth from the mazy webwork of

leaves and branches. But he immediately felt emboldened, when he reflected that nothing to give him alarm

had ever befallen him even in the forest; and moreover, that on this open neck of land the evil spirit, it was

likely, would be still less daring in the exercise of his power. At the same time he prayed aloud with the most

earnest sincerity of devotion, repeating a passage of the Bible. This inspired him with fresh courage, and soon

perceiving the illusion, and the strange mistake into which his imagination had betrayed him, he could with

difficulty refrain from laughing. The white nodding figure he had seen became transformed, in the twinkling

of an eye, to what in reality it was, a small brook, long and familiarly known to him, which ran foaming from

But what had caused the startling sound was a knight arrayed in sumptuous apparel, who from under the

shadows of the trees came riding toward the cottage. His doublet was violet embroidered with gold, and his

scarlet cloak hung gracefully over it; on his cap of burnished gold waved red and violetcoloured plumes;

and in his golden shoulderbelt flashed a sword, richly ornamented, and extremely beautiful. The white barb

that bore the knight was more slenderly built than warhorses usually are, and he touched the turf with a step

so light and elastic that the green and flowery carpet seemed hardly to receive the slightest injury from his

tread. The old fisherman, notwithstanding, did not feel perfectly secure in his mind, although he was forced to

believe that no evil could be feared from an appearance so pleasing, and therefore, as good manners dictated,

he took off his hat on the knight's coming near, and quietly remained by the side of his nets.

When the stranger stopped, and asked whether he, with his horse, could have shelter and entertainment there

for the night, the fisherman returned answer: "As to your horse, fair sir, I have no better stable for him than

this shady meadow, and no better provender than the grass that is growing here. But with respect to yourself,

you shall be welcome to our humble cottage, and to the best supper and lodging we are able to give you."

The knight was well contented with this reception; and alighting from his horse, which his host assisted him

to relieve from saddle and bridle, he let him hasten away to the fresh pasture, and thus spoke: "Even had I

found you less hospitable and kindly disposed, my worthy old friend, you would still, I suspect, hardly have

got rid of me today; for here, I perceive, a broad lake lies before us, and as to riding back into that wood of

wonders, with the shades of evening deepening around me, may Heaven in its grace preserve me from the

"Pray, not a word of the wood, or of returning into it!" said the fisherman, and took his guest into the cottage.

There beside the hearth, from which a frugal fire was diffusing its light through the clean twilight room, sat

the fisherman's aged wife in a great chair. At the entrance of their noble guest, she rose and gave him a

courteous welcome, but sat down again in her seat of honour, not making the slightest offer of it to the

"You must not be offended with her, young gentleman, because she has not given up to you the best chair in

the house; it is a custom among poor people to look upon this as the privilege of the aged."

"Why, husband!" cried the old lady, with a quiet smile, "where can your wits be wandering? Our guest, to say

the least of him, must belong to a Christian country; and how is it possible, then, that so wellbred a young

man as he appears to be could dream of driving old people from their chairs? Take a seat, my young master,"

continued she, turning to the knight; "there is still quite a snug little chair on the other side of the room there,

only be careful not to shove it about too roughly, for one of its legs, I fear, is none of the firmest."

The knight brought up the seat as carefully as she could desire, sat down upon it goodhumouredly, and it

seemed to him almost as if he must be somehow related to this little household, and have just returned home

These three worthy people now began to converse in the most friendly and familiar manner. In relation to the

forest, indeed, concerning which the knight occasionally made some inquiries, the old man chose to know

and say but little; he was of opinion that slightly touching upon it at this hour of twilight was most suitable

and safe; but of the cares and comforts of their home, and their business abroad, the aged couple spoke more

freely, and listened also with eager curiosity as the knight recounted to them his travels, and how he had a

castle near one of the sources of the Danube, and that his name was Sir Huldbrand of Ringstetten.

Already had the stranger, while they were in the midst of their talk, heard at times a splash against the little

low window, as if some one were dashing water against it. The old man, every time he heard the noise, knit

his brows with vexation; but at last, when the whole sweep of a shower came pouring like a torrent against

the panes, and bubbling through the decayed frame into the room, he started up indignant, rushed to the

"Undine! will you never leave off these fooleries?not even today, when we have a stranger knight with us

All without now became still, only a low laugh was just audible, and the fisherman said, as he came back to

his seat, "You will have the goodness, my honoured guest, to pardon this freak, and it may be a multitude

more; but she has no thought of evil or of any harm. This mischievous Undine, to confess the truth, is our

adopted daughter, and she stoutly refuses to give over this frolicsome childishness of hers, although she has

already entered her eighteenth year. But in spite of this, as I said before, she is at heart one of the very best

"YOU may say so," broke in the old lady, shaking her head; "you can give a better account of her than I can.

When you return home from fishing, or from selling your fish in the city, you may think her frolics very

delightful, but to have her dancing about you the whole day long, and never from morning to night to hear her

speak one word of sense; and then as she grows older, instead of having any help from her in the family, to

find her a continual cause of anxiety, lest her wild humours should completely ruin us, that is quite another

"Well, well," replied the master of the house with a smile, "you have your trials with Undine, and I have mine

with the lake. The lake often beats down my dams, and breaks the meshes of my nets, but for all that I have a

strong affection for it, and so have you, in spite of your mighty crosses and vexations, for our graceful little

"One cannot be very angry with her," answered the old lady, as she gave her husband an approving smile.

That instant the door flew open, and a fair girl, of wondrous beauty, sprang laughing in, and said, "You have

only been making a mock of me, father; for where now is the guest you mentioned?"

The same moment, however, she perceived the knight also, and continued standing before the young man in

fixed astonishment. Huldbrand was charmed with her graceful figure, and viewed her lovely features with the

more intense interest, as he imagined it was only her surprise that allowed him the opportunity, and that she

would soon turn away from his gaze with increased bashfulness. But the event was the very reverse of what

he expected; for, after looking at him for a long while, she became more confident, moved nearer, knelt down

before him, and while she played with a gold medal which he wore attached to a rich chain on his breast,

"Why, you beautiful, you kind guest! how have you reached our poor cottage at last? Have you been obliged

for years and years to wander about the world before you could catch one glimpse of our nook? Do you come

The old woman was so prompt in her reproof as to allow him no time to answer. She commanded the maiden

to rise, show better manners, and go to her work. But Undine, without making any reply, drew a little

footstool near Huldbrand's chair, sat down upon it with her netting, and said in a gentle tone

The old man did as parents are apt to do with children to whom they have been overindulgent. He affected

to observe nothing of Undine's strange behaviour, and was beginning to talk about something else. But this

the maiden did not permit him to do. She broke in upon him, "I have asked our kind guest from whence he

"I come out of the forest, you lovely little vision," Huldbrand returned; and she spoke again:

"You must also tell me how you came to enter that forest, so feared and shunned, and the marvellous

adventures you met with in it; for there is no escaping without something of this kind."

Huldbrand felt a slight shudder on remembering what he had witnessed, and looked involuntarily toward the

window, for it seemed to him that one of the strange shapes which had come upon him in the forest must be

there grinning in through the glass; but he discerned nothing except the deep darkness of night, which had

now enveloped the whole prospect. Upon this he became more collected, and was just on the point of

But Undine, in a state of high excitement, sprang up from her little stool and cried, placing herself directly

before the fisherman: "He shall NOT tell his story, father? he shall not? But it is my will: he shall!stop

Thus speaking, she stamped her little foot vehemently on the floor, but all with an air of such comic and

goodhumoured simplicity, that Huldbrand now found it quite as hard to withdraw his gaze from her wild

emotion as he had before from her gentleness and beauty. The old man, on the contrary, burst out in

unrestrained displeasure. He severely reproved Undine for her disobedience and her unbecoming carriage

towards the stranger, and his good old wife joined him in harping on the same string.

By these rebukes Undine was only excited the more. "If you want to quarrel with me," she cried, "and will

not let me hear what I so much desire, then sleep alone in your smoky old hut!" And swift as an arrow she

Huldbrand and the fisherman sprang from their seats, and were rushing to stop the angry girl; but before they

could reach the cottagedoor, she had disappeared in the stormy darkness without, and no sound, not so much

even as that of her light footstep, betrayed the course she had taken. Huldbrand threw a glance of inquiry

towards his host; it almost seemed to him as if the whole of the sweet apparition, which had so suddenly

plunged again amid the night, were no other than a continuation of the wonderful forms that had just played

their mad pranks with him in the forest. But the old man muttered between his teeth,

"This is not the first time she has treated us in this manner. Now must our hearts be filled with anxiety, and

our eyes find no sleep for the whole night; for who can assure us, in spite of her past escapes, that she will not

some time or other come to harm, if she thus continue out in the dark and alone until daylight?"

"Then pray, for God's sake, father, let us follow her," cried Huldbrand anxiously.

"Wherefore should we?" replied the old man. "It would be a sin were I to suffer you, all alone, to search after

the foolish girl amid the lonesomeness of night; and my old limbs would fail to carry me to this wild rover,

"Still we ought at least to call after her, and beg her to return," said Huldbrand; and he began to call in tones

The old man shook his head, and said, "All your shouting, however loud and long, will be of no avail; you

know not as yet, sir knight, how selfwilled the little thing is." But still, even hoping against hope, he could

not himself cease calling out every minute, amid the gloom of night, "Undine! ah, dear Undine! I beseech

It turned out, however, exactly as the fisherman had said. No Undine could they hear or see; and as the old

man would on no account consent that Huldbrand should go in quest of the fugitive, they were both obliged

at last to return into the cottage. There they found the fire on the hearth almost gone out, and the mistress of

the house, who took Undine's flight and danger far less to heart than her husband, had already gone to rest.

The old man blew up the coals, put on dry wood, and by the firelight hunted for a flask of wine, which he

"You, sir knight, as well as I," said he, "are anxious on the silly girl's account; and it would be better, I think,

to spend part of the night in chatting and drinking, than keep turning and turning on our rushmats, and

Huldbrand was well pleased with the plan; the fisherman pressed him to take the empty seat of honour, its

late occupant having now left it for her couch; and they relished their beverage and enjoyed their chat as two

such good men and true ever ought to do. To be sure, whenever the slightest thing moved before the

windows, or at times when even nothing was moving, one of them would look up and exclaim, "Here she

comes!" Then would they continue silent a few moments, and afterward, when nothing appeared, would

But, as neither could think of anything but Undine, the best plan they could devise was, that the old fisherman

should relate, and the knight should hear, in what manner Undine had come to the cottage. So the fisherman

"It is now about fifteen years since I one day crossed the wild forest with fish for the city market. My wife

had remained at home as she was wont to do; and at this time for a reason of more than common interest, for

although we were beginning to feel the advances of age, God had bestowed upon us an infant of wonderful

beauty. It was a little girl; and we already began to ask ourselves the question, whether we ought not, for the

advantage of the newcomer, to quit our solitude, and, the better to bring up this precious gift of Heaven, to

remove to some more inhabited place. Poor people, to be sure, cannot in these cases do all you may think

"Well, I went on my way, and this affair would keep running in my head. This slip of land was most dear to

me, and I trembled when, amidst the bustle and broils of the city, I thought to myself, 'In a scene of tumult

like this, or at least in one not much more quiet, I must soon take up my abode.' But I did not for this murmur

against our good God; on the contrary, I praised Him in silence for the new born babe. I should also speak

an untruth, were I to say that anything befell me, either on my passage through the forest to the city, or on my

returning homeward, that gave me more alarm than usual, as at that time I had never seen any appearance

there which could terrify or annoy me. The Lord was ever with me in those awful shades."

Thus speaking he took his cap reverently from his bald head, and continued to sit for a considerable time in

"On this side the forest, alas! it was on this side, that woe burst upon me. My wife came wildly to meet me,

clad in mourning apparel, and her eyes streaming with tears. 'Gracious God!' I cried, 'where's our child?

"'With Him on whom you have called, dear husband,' she answered, and we now entered the cottage together,

weeping in silence. I looked for the little corpse, almost fearing to find what I was seeking; and then it was I

"My wife had taken the little one in her arms, and walked out to the shore of the lake. She there sat down by

its very brink; and while she was playing with the infant, as free from all fear as she was full of delight, it

bent forward on a sudden, as if seeing something very beautiful in the water. My wife saw her laugh, the dear

angel, and try to catch the image in her tiny hands; but in a momentwith a motion swifter than sightshe

sprang from her mother's arms, and sank in the lake, the watery glass into which she had been gazing. I

searched for our lost darling again and again; but it was all in vain; I could nowhere find the least trace of her.

"The same evening we childless parents were sitting together by our cottage hearth. We had no desire to talk,

even if our tears would have permitted us. As we thus sat in mournful stillness, gazing into the fire, all at

once we heard something without,a slight rustling at the door. The door flew open, and we saw a little girl,

three or four years old, and more beautiful than I can say, standing on the threshold, richly dressed, and

smiling upon us. We were struck dumb with astonishment, and I knew not for a time whether the tiny form

were a real human being, or a mere mockery of enchantment. But I soon perceived water dripping from her

golden hair and rich garments, and that the pretty child had been lying in the water, and stood in immediate

"'Wife,' said I, 'no one has been able to save our child for us; but let us do for others what would have made

"We undressed the little thing, put her to bed, and gave her something to drink; at all this she spoke not a

word, but only turned her eyes upon useyes blue and bright as sea or skyand continued looking at us

"Next morning we had no reason to fear that she had received any other harm than her wetting, and I now

asked her about her parents, and how she could have come to us. But the account she gave was both confused

and incredible. She must surely have been born far from here, not only because I have been unable for these

fifteen years to learn anything of her birth, but because she then said, and at times continues to say, many

things of so very singular a nature, that we neither of us know, after all, whether she may not have dropped

among us from the moon; for her talk runs upon golden castles, crystal domes, and Heaven knows what

extravagances beside. What, however, she related with most distinctness was this: that while she was once

taking a sail with her mother on the great lake, she fell out of the boat into the water; and that when she first

recovered her senses, she was here under our trees, where the gay scenes of the shore filled her with delight.

"We now had another care weighing upon our minds, and one that caused us no small perplexity and

uneasiness. We of course very soon determined to keep and bring up the child we had found, in place of our

own darling that had been drowned; but who could tell us whether she had been baptized or not? She herself

could give us no light on the subject. When we asked her the question, she commonly made answer, that she

well knew she was created for God's praise and glory, and that she was willing to let us do with her all that

"My wife and I reasoned in this way: 'If she has not been baptized, there can be no use in putting off the

ceremony; and if she has been, it still is better to have too much of a good thing than too little.'

"Taking this view of our difficulty, we now endeavoured to hit upon a good name for the child, since, while

she remained without one, we were often at a loss, in our familiar talk, to know what to call her. We at length

agreed that Dorothea would be most suitable for her, as I had somewhere heard it said that this name signified

a gift of God, and surely she had been sent to us by Providence as a gift, to comfort us in our misery. She, on

the contrary, would not so much as hear Dorothea mentioned; she insisted, that as she had been named

Undine by her parents, Undine she ought still to be called. It now occurred to me that this was a heathenish

name, to be found in no calendar, and I resolved to ask the advice of a priest in the city. He would not listen

to the name of Undine; and yielding to my urgent request, he came with me through the enchanted forest in

"The little maid stood before us so prettily adorned, and with such an air of gracefulness, that the heart of the

priest softened at once in her presence; and she coaxed him so sweetly, and jested with him so merrily, that

"Thus, then, was she baptized Undine; and during the holy ceremony she behaved with great propriety and

gentleness, wild and wayward as at other times she invariably was; for in this my wife was quite right, when

she mentioned the anxiety the child has occasioned us. If I should relate to you"

At this moment the knight interrupted the fisherman, to direct his attention to a deep sound as of a rushing

flood, which had caught his ear during the talk of the old man. And now the waters came pouring on with

redoubled fury before the cottagewindows. Both sprang to the door. There they saw, by the light of the now

risen moon, the brook which issued from the wood rushing wildly over its banks, and whirling onward with it

both stones and branches of trees in its rapid course. The storm, as if awakened by the uproar, burst forth

from the clouds, whose immense masses of vapour coursed over the moon with the swiftness of thought; the

lake roared beneath the wind that swept the foam from its waves; while the trees of this narrow peninsula

"Undine! in God's name, Undine!" cried the two men in an agony. No answer was returned. And now,

regardless of everything else, they hurried from the cottage, one in this direction, the other in that, searching

The longer Huldbrand sought Undine beneath the shades of night, and failed to find her, the more anxious

and confused he became. The impression that she was a mere phantom of the forest gained a new ascendency

over him; indeed, amid the howling of the waves and the tempest, the crashing of the trees, and the entire

change of the once so peaceful and beautiful scene, he was tempted to view the whole peninsula, together

with the cottage and its inhabitants, as little more than some mockery of his senses. But still he heard afar off

the fisherman's anxious and incessant shouting, "Undine!" and also his aged wife, who was praying and

At length, when he drew near to the brook, which had overflowed its banks, he perceived by the moonlight,

that it had taken its wild course directly in front of the haunted forest, so as to change the peninsula into an

"Merciful God!" he breathed to himself, "if Undine has ventured a step within that fearful wood, what will

become of her? Perhaps it was all owing to her sportive and wayward spirit, because I would give her no

account of my adventures there. And now the stream is rolling between us, she may be weeping alone on the

A shuddering groan escaped him; and clambering over some stones and trunks of overthrown pines, in order

to step into the impetuous current, he resolved, either by wading or swimming, to seek the wanderer on the

further shore. He felt, it is true, all the dread and shrinking awe creeping over him which he had already

suffered by daylight among the now tossing and roaring branches of the forest. More than all, a tall man in

white, whom he knew but too well, met his view, as he stood grinning and nodding on the grass beyond the

water. But even monstrous forms like this only impelled him to cross over toward them, when the thought

He had already grasped a strong branch of a pine, and stood supporting himself upon it in the whirling

current, against which he could with difficulty keep himself erect; but he advanced deeper in with a

courageous spirit. That instant a gentle voice of warning cried near him, "Do not venture, do not

venture!that OLD MAN, the STREAM, is too full of tricks to be trusted!" He knew the soft tones of the

voice; and while he stood as it were entranced beneath the shadows which had now duskily veiled the moon,

his head swam with the swelling and rolling of the waves as he saw them momentarily rising above his knee.

"If you are not really there, if you are merely gambolling round me like a mist, may I, too, bid farewell to life,

and become a shadow like you, dear, dear Undine!" Thus calling aloud, he again moved deeper into the

stream. "Look round youah, pray look round you, beautiful young stranger! why rush on death so madly?"

cried the voice a second time close by him; and looking on one side he perceived, by the light of the moon,

again cloudless, a little island formed by the flood; and crouching upon its flowery turf, beneath the branches

0 how much more gladly than before the young man now plied his sturdy staff! A few steps, and he had

crossed the flood that was rushing between himself and the maiden; and he stood near her on the little spot of

greensward in security, protected by the old trees. Undine half rose, and she threw her arms around his neck

"Here you shall tell me your story, my beautiful friend," she breathed in a low whisper; "here the cross old

people cannot disturb us; and, besides, our roof of leaves here will make quite as good a shelter as their poor

"It is heaven itself," cried Huldbrand; and folding her in his arms, he kissed the lovely girl with fervour.

The old fisherman, meantime, had come to the margin of the stream, and he shouted across, "Why, how is

this, sir knight! I received you with the welcome which one truehearted man gives to another; and now you

sit there caressing my fosterchild in secret, while you suffer me in my anxiety to wander through the night

"Not till this moment did I find her myself, old father," cried the knight across the water.

"So much the better," said the fisherman, "but now make haste, and bring her over to me upon firm ground."

To this, however, Undine would by no means consent. She declared that she would rather enter the wild

forest itself with the beautiful stranger, than return to the cottage where she was so thwarted in her wishes,

and from which the knight would soon or late go away. Then, throwing her arms round Huldbrand, she sang

"A rill would leave its misty vale, And fortunes wild explore, Weary at length it reached the main, And

The old fisherman wept bitterly at her song, but his emotion seemed to awaken little or no sympathy in her.

She kissed and caressed her new friend, who at last said to her: "Undine, if the distress of the old man does

She opened her large blue eyes upon him in amazement, and spoke at last with a slow and doubtful accent, "If

you think so, it is well, all is right to me which you think right. But the old man over there must first give me

his promise that he will allow you, without objection, to relate what you saw in the wood, andwell, other

"Comeonly come!" cried the fisherman to her, unable to utter another word. At the same time he stretched

his arms wide over the current towards her, and to give her assurance that he would do what she required,

nodded his head. This motion caused his white hair to fall strangely over his face, and Huldbrand could not

but remember the nodding white man of the forest. Without allowing anything, however, to produce in him

the least confusion, the young knight took the beautiful girl in his arms, and bore her across the narrow

channel which the stream had torn away between her little island and the solid shore. The old man fell upon

Undine's neck, and found it impossible either to express his joy or to kiss her enough; even the ancient dame

came up and embraced the recovered girl most cordially. Every word of censure was carefully avoided; the

more so, indeed, as even Undine, forgetting her waywardness, almost overwhelmed her fosterparents with

When at length the excess of their joy at recovering their child had subsided, morning had already dawned,

shining upon the waters of the lake; the tempest had become hushed, the small birds sung merrily on the

As Undine now insisted upon hearing the recital of the knight's promised adventures, the aged couple readily

agreed to her wish. Breakfast was brought out beneath the trees which stood behind the cottage toward the

lake on the north, and they sat down to it with contented hearts; Undine at the knight's feet on the grass.

These arrangements being made, Huldbrand began his story in the following manner:

"It is now about eight days since I rode into the free imperial city which lies yonder on the farther side of the

forest. Soon after my arrival a splendid tournament and running at the ring took place there, and I spared

"Once while I was pausing at the lists to rest from the brisk exercise, and was handing back my helmet to one

of my attendants, a female figure of extraordinary beauty caught my attention, as, most magnificently attired,

she stood looking on at one of the balconies. I learned, on making inquiry of a person near me, that the name

of the young lady was Bertalda, and that she was a fosterdaughter of one of the powerful dukes of this

country. She too, I observed, was gazing at me, and the consequences were such as we young knights are

wont to experience; whatever success in riding I might have had before, I was now favoured with still better

fortune. That evening I was Bertalda's partner in the dance, and I enjoyed the same distinction during the

A sharp pain in his left hand, as it hung carelessly beside him, here interrupted Huldbrand's relation, and drew

his eye to the part affected. Undine had fastened her pearly teeth, and not without some keenness too, upon

one of his fingers, appearing at the same time very gloomy and displeased. On a sudden, however, she looked

up in his eyes with an expression of tender melancholy, and whispered almost inaudibly,

She then covered her face; and the knight, strangely embarrassed and thoughtful, went on with his story.

"This lady, Bertalda, of whom I spoke, is of a proud and wayward spirit. The second day I saw her she

pleased me by no means so much as she had the first, and the third day still less. But I continued about her

because she showed me more favour than she did any other knight, and it so happened that I playfully asked

her to give me one of her gloves. 'When you have entered the haunted forest all alone,' said she; 'when you

have explored its wonders, and brought me a full account of them, the glove is yours.' As to getting her glove,

it was of no importance to me whatever, but the word had been spoken, and no honourable knight would

"Well!" exclaimed the maiden, laughing, "this is beyond belief; she must be very stupid. To drive from her

one who was dear to her! And worse than all, into that illomened wood! The wood and its mysteries, for all

"Yesterday morning, then," pursued the knight, smiling kindly upon Undine, "I set out from the city, my

enterprise before me. The early light lay rich upon the verdant turf. It shone so rosy on the slender boles of

the trees, and there was so merry a whispering among the leaves, that in my heart I could not but laugh at

people who feared meeting anything to terrify them in a spot so delicious. 'I shall soon pass through the

forest, and as speedily return,' I said to myself, in the overflow of joyous feeling, and ere I was well aware, I

had entered deep among the green shades, while of the plain that lay behind me I was no longer able to catch

"Then the conviction for the first time impressed me, that in a forest of so great extent I might very easily

become bewildered, and that this, perhaps, might be the only danger which was likely to threaten those who

explored its recesses. So I made a halt, and turned myself in the direction of the sun, which had meantime

risen somewhat higher, and while I was looking up to observe it, I saw something black among the boughs of

a lofty oak. My first thought was, 'It is a bear!' and I grasped my weapon. The object then accosted me from

above in a human voice, but in a tone most harsh and hideous: 'If I, overhead here, do not gnaw off these dry

branches, Sir Noodle, what shall we have to roast you with when midnight comes?' And with that it grinned,

and made such a rattling with the branches that my courser became mad with affright, and rushed furiously

forward with me before I had time to see distinctly what sort of a devil's beast it was."

"You must not speak so," said the old fisherman, crossing himself. His wife did the same, without saying a

word, and Undine, while her eye sparkled with delight, looked at the knight and said, "The best of the story

is, however, that as yet they have not roasted you! Go on, now, you beautiful knight."

The knight then went on with his adventures. "My horse was so wild, that he wellnigh rushed with me

against limbs and trunks of trees. He was dripping with sweat through terror, heat, and the violent straining of

his muscles. Still he refused to slacken his career. At last, altogether beyond my control, he took his course

directly up a stony steep, when suddenly a tall white man flashed before me, and threw himself athwart the

way my mad steed was taking. At this apparition he shuddered with new affright, and stopped trembling. I

took this chance of recovering my command of him, and now for the first time perceived that my deliverer, so

far from being a white man, was only a brook of silver brightness, foaming near me in its descent from the

"Thanks, thanks, dear brook!" cried Undine, clapping her little hands. But the old man shook his head, and

"Hardly had I well settled myself in my saddle, and got the reins in my grasp again," Huldbrand pursued,

"when a wizardlike dwarf of a man was already standing at my side, diminutive and ugly beyond

conception, his complexion of a brownishyellow, and his nose scarcely smaller than the rest of him

together. The fellow's mouth was slit almost from ear to ear, and he showed his teeth with a grinning smile of

idiot courtesy, while he overwhelmed me with bows and scrapes innumerable. The farce now becoming

excessively irksome, I thanked him in the fewest words I could well use, turned about my still trembling

charger, and purposed either to seek another adventure, or, should I meet with none, to take my way back to

the city; for the sun, during my wild chase, had passed the meridian, and was now hastening toward the west.

But this villain of a dwarf sprang at the same instant, and, with a turn as rapid as lightning, stood before my

horse again. 'Clear the way there!' I cried fiercely; 'the beast is wild, and will make nothing of running over

"'Ay, ay,' cried the imp with a snarl, and snorting out a laugh still more frightfully idiotic; 'pay me, first pay

what you owe me. I stopped your fine little nag for you; without my help, both you and he would be now

sprawling below there in that stony ravine. Hu! from what a horrible plunge I've saved you!'

"'Well, don't make any more faces,' said I, 'but take your money and be off, though every word you say is

false. It was the brook there, you miserable thing, and not you, that saved me,' and at the same time I dropped

a piece of gold into his wizard cap, which he had taken from his head while he was begging before me.

"I then trotted off and left him, but he screamed after me; and on a sudden, with inconceivable quickness, he

was close by my side. I started my horse into a gallop. He galloped on with me, though it seemed with great

difficulty, and with a strange movement, half ludicrous and half horrible, forcing at the same time every limb

and feature into distortion, he held up the gold piece and screamed at every leap, 'Counterfeit! false! false

coin! counterfeit!' and such was the strange sound that issued from his hollow breast, you would have

supposed that at every scream he must have tumbled upon the ground dead. All this while his disgusting red

"I stopped bewildered, and asked, 'What do you mean by this screaming? Take another piece of gold, take

"He then began again his hideous salutations of courtesy, and snarled out as before, 'Not gold, it shall not be

gold, my young gentleman. I have too much of that trash already, as I will show you in no time.'

"At that moment, and thought itself could not have been more instantaneous, I seemed to have acquired new

powers of sight. I could see through the solid green plain, as if it were green glass, and the smooth surface of

the earth were round as a globe, and within it I saw crowds of goblins, who were pursuing their pastime and

making themselves merry with silver and gold. They were tumbling and rolling about, heads up and heads

down; they pelted one another in sport with the precious metals, and with irritating malice blew gold dust in

one another's eyes. My odious companion ordered the others to reach him up a vast quantity of gold; this he

showed to me with a laugh, and then flung it again ringing and chinking down the measureless abyss.

"After this contemptuous disregard of gold, he held up the piece I had given him, showing it to his brother

goblins below, and they laughed immoderately at a coin so worthless, and hissed me. At last, raising their

fingers all smutched with ore, they pointed them at me in scorn; and wilder and wilder, and thicker and

thicker, and madder and madder, the crowd were clambering up to where I sat gazing at these wonders. Then

terror seized me, as it had before seized my horse. I drove my spurs into his sides, and how far he rushed with

me through the forest, during this second of my wild heats, it is impossible to say.

"At last, when I had now come to a dead halt again, the cool of evening was around me. I caught the gleam of

a white footpath through the branches of the trees; and presuming it would lead me out of the forest toward

the city, I was desirous of working my way into it. But a face, perfectly white and indistinct, with features

ever changing, kept thrusting itself out and peering at me between the leaves. I tried to avoid it, but wherever

I went, there too appeared the unearthly face. I was maddened with rage at this interruption, and determined

to drive my steed at the appearance full tilt, when such a cloud of white foam came rushing upon me and my

horse, that we were almost blinded and glad to turn about and escape. Thus from step to step it forced us on,

and ever aside from the footpath, leaving us for the most part only one direction open. When we advanced in

this, it kept following close behind us, yet did not occasion the smallest harm or inconvenience.

"When at times I looked about me at the form, I perceived that the white face, which had splashed upon us its

shower of foam, was resting on a body equally white, and of more than gigantic size. Many a time, too, I

received the impression that the whole appearance was nothing more than a wandering stream or torrent; but

respecting this I could never attain to any certainty. We both of us, horse and rider, became weary as we

shaped our course according to the movements of the white man, who continued nodding his head at us, as if

he would say, 'Quite right!' And thus, at length, we came out here, at the edge of the wood, where I saw the

fresh turf, the waters of the lake, and your little cottage, and where the tall white man disappeared."

"Well, Heaven be praised that he is gone!" cried the old fisherman; and he now began to talk of how his guest

could most conveniently return to his friends in the city. Upon this, Undine began laughing to herself, but so

very low that the sound was hardly perceivable. Huldbrand observing it, said, "I thought you were glad to see

me here; why, then, do you now appear so happy when our talk turns upon my going away?"

"Because you cannot go away," answered Undine. "Pray make a single attempt; try with a boat, with your

horse, or alone, as you please, to cross that forest stream which has burst its bounds; or rather, make no trial

at all, for you would be dashed to pieces by the stones and trunks of trees which you see driven on with such

violence. And as to the lake, I know that well; even my father dares not venture out with his boat far enough

Huldbrand rose, smiling, in order to look about and observe whether the state of things were such as Undine

had represented it to be. The old man accompanied him, and the maiden went merrily dancing beside them.

They found all, in fact, just as Undine had said, and that the knight, whether willing or not willing, must

submit to remaining on the island, so lately a peninsula, until the flood should subside.

When the three were now returning to the cottage after their ramble, the knight whispered in the ear of the

"Ah," she pettishly replied, "do not speak to me! If I had not bitten you, who knows what fine things you

It may have happened to thee, my dear reader, after being much driven to and fro in the world, to reach at

length a spot where all was well with thee. The love of home and of its peaceful joys, innate to all, again

sprang up in thy heart; thou thoughtest that thy home was decked with all the flowers of childhood, and of

that purest, deepest love which had grown upon the graves of thy beloved, and that here it was good to live

and to build houses. Even if thou didst err, and hast had bitterly to mourn thy error, it is nothing to my

purpose, and thou thyself wilt not like to dwell on the sad recollection. But recall those unspeakably sweet

feelings, that angelic greeting of peace, and thou wilt be able to understand what was the happiness of the

He frequently observed, with heartfelt satisfaction, that the forest stream continued every day to swell and

roll on with a more impetuous sweep; and this forced him to prolong his stay on the island. Part of the day he

wandered about with an old crossbow, which he found in a corner of the cottage, and had repaired in order

to shoot the waterfowl that flew over; and all that he was lucky enough to hit he brought home for a good

roast in the kitchen. When he came in with his booty, Undine seldom failed to greet him with a scolding,

because he had cruelly deprived the happy joyous little creatures of life as they were sporting above in the

blue ocean of the air; nay more, she often wept bitterly when she viewed the waterfowl dead in his hand.

But at other times, when he returned without having shot any, she gave him a scolding equally serious, since,

owing to his carelessness and want of skill, they must now put up with a dinner of fish. Her playful taunts

ever touched his heart with delight; the more so, as she generally strove to make up for her pretended

The old people saw with pleasure this familiarity of Undine and Huldbrand; they looked upon them as

betrothed, or even as married, and living with them in their old age on their island, now torn off from the

mainland. The loneliness of his situation strongly impressed also the young Huldbrand with the feeling that

he was already Undine's bridegroom. It seemed to him as if, beyond those encompassing floods, there were

no other world in existence, or at any rate as if he could never cross them, and again associate with the world

of other men; and when at times his grazing steed raised his head and neighed to him, seemingly inquiring

after his knightly achievements and reminding him of them, or when his coatofarms sternly shone upon

him from the embroidery of his saddle and the caparisons of his horse, or when his sword happened to fall

from the nail on which it was hanging in the cottage, and flashed on his eye as it slipped from the scabbard in

its fall, he quieted the doubts of his mind by saying to himself, "Undine cannot be a fisherman's daughter. She

is, in all probability, a native of some remote region, and a member of some illustrious family."

There was one thing, indeed, to which he had a strong aversion: this was to hear the old dame reproving

Undine. The wild girl, it is true, commonly laughed at the reproof, making no attempt to conceal the

extravagance of her mirth; but it appeared to him like touching his own honour; and still he found it

impossible to blame the aged wife of the fisherman, since Undine always deserved at least ten times as many

reproofs as she received; so he continued to feel in his heart an affectionate tenderness for the ancient

mistress of the house, and his whole life flowed on in the calm stream of contentment.

There came, however, an interruption at last. The fisherman and the knight had been accustomed at dinner,

and also in the evening when the wind roared without, as it rarely failed to do towards night, to enjoy together

a flask of wine. But now their whole stock, which the fisherman had from time to time brought with him from

the city, was at last exhausted, and they were both quite out of humour at the circumstance. That day Undine

laughed at them excessively, but they were not disposed to join in her jests with the same gaiety as usual.

Toward evening she went out of the cottage, to escape, as she said, the sight of two such long and tiresome

While it was yet twilight, some appearances of a tempest seemed to be again mustering in the sky, and the

waves already heaved and roared around them: the knight and the fisherman sprang to the door in terror, to

bring home the maiden, remembering the anguish of that night when Huldbrand had first entered the cottage.

"What will you give me," she cried, "to provide you with wine? or rather, you need not give me anything,"

she continued; "for I am already satisfied, if you look more cheerful, and are in better spirits, than throughout

this last most wearisome day. Only come with me; the forest stream has driven ashore a cask; and I will be

The men followed her, and actually found, in a bushy cove of the shore, a cask, which inspired them with as

much joy as if they were sure it contained the generous old wine for which they were thirsting. They first of

all, and with as much expedition as possible, rolled it toward the cottage; for heavy clouds were again rising

in the west, and they could discern the waves of the lake in the fading light lifting their white foaming heads,

as if looking out for the rain, which threatened every instant to pour upon them. Undine helped the men as

much as she was able; and as the shower, with a roar of wind, came suddenly sweeping on in rapid pursuit,

she raised her finger with a merry menace toward the dark mass of clouds, and cried:

"You cloud, you cloud, have a care! beware how you wet us; we are some way from shelter yet."

The old man reproved her for this sally, as a sinful presumption; but she laughed to herself softly, and no

mischief came from her wild behaviour. Nay more, what was beyond their expectation, they reached their

comfortable hearth unwet, with their prize secured; but the cask had hardly been broached, and proved to

contain wine of a remarkably fine flavour, when the rain first poured down unrestrained from the black cloud,

the tempest raved through the tops of the trees, and swept far over the billows of the deep.

Having immediately filled several bottles from the cask, which promised them a supply for a long time, they

drew round the glowing hearth; and, comfortably secured from the tempest, they sat tasting the flavour of

But the old fisherman suddenly became extremely grave, and said: "Ah, great God! here we sit, rejoicing over

this rich gift, while he to whom it first belonged, and from whom it was wrested by the fury of the stream,

"No such thing," said Undine, smiling, as she filled the knight's cup to the brim.

But he exclaimed: "By my unsullied honour, old father, if I knew where to find and rescue him, no fear of

exposure to the night, nor any peril, should deter me from making the attempt. At least, I can promise you

that if I again reach an inhabited country, I will find out the owner of this wine or his heirs, and make double

The old man was gratified with this assurance; he gave the knight a nod of approbation, and now drained his

Undine, however, said to Huldbrand: "As to the repayment and your gold, you may do whatever you like. But

what you said about your venturing out, and searching, and exposing yourself to danger, appears to me far

from wise. I should cry my very eyes out, should you perish in such a wild attempt; and is it not true that you

"Then, you see," replied Undine, "you spoke unwisely. For charity begins at home; and why need we trouble

The mistress of the house turned away from her, sighing and shaking her head; while the fisherman forgot his

"That sounds exactly as if you had been brought up by heathens and Turks;" and he finished his reproof by

"Well, say what you will, that is what I think and feel," replied Undine, "whoever brought me up; and all your

"Silence!" exclaimed the fisherman, in a voice of stern rebuke; and she, who with all her wild spirit was

extremely alive to fear, shrank from him, moved close up to Huldbrand, trembling, and said very softly:

The knight pressed her soft hand, and tenderly stroked her locks. He was unable to utter a word, for his

vexation, arising from the old man's severity towards Undine, closed his lips; and thus the two couples sat

In the midst of this stillness a low knocking at the door startled them all; for there are times when a slight

circumstance, coming unexpectedly upon us, startles us like something supernatural. But there was the further

source of alarm, that the enchanted forest lay so near them, and that their place of abode seemed at present

inaccessible to any human being. While they were looking upon one another in doubt, the knocking was

again heard, accompanied with a deep groan. The knight sprang to seize his sword. But the old man said, in a

Undine in the meanwhile went to the door, and cried with the firm voice of fearless displeasure: "Spirits of

The terror of the rest was increased by this wild speech; they looked fearfully upon the girl, and Huldbrand

was just recovering presence of mind enough to ask what she meant, when a voice reached them from

"I am no spirit of the earth, though a spirit still in its earthly body. You that are within the cottage there, if

By the time these words were spoken, Undine had already opened it; and the lamp throwing a strong light

upon the stormy night, they perceived an aged priest without, who stepped back in terror, when his eye fell on

the unexpected sight of a little damsel of such exquisite beauty. Well might he think there must be magic in

the wind and witchcraft at work, when a form of such surpassing loveliness appeared at the door of so

"I am no spectre," said Undine, with a smile. "Do I look so very frightful? And you see that I do not shrink

from holy words. I too have knowledge of God, and understand the duty of praising Him; every one, to be

sure, has his own way of doing this, for so He has created us. Come in, father; you will find none but worthy

The holy man came bowing in, and cast round a glance of scrutiny, wearing at the same time a very placid

and venerable air. But water was dropping from every fold of his dark garments, from his long white beard

and the white locks of his hair. The fisherman and the knight took him to another apartment, and furnished

him with a change of raiment, while they gave his own clothes to the women to dry. The aged stranger

thanked them in a manner the most humble and courteous; but on the knight's offering him his splendid cloak

to wrap round him, he could not be persuaded to take it, but chose instead an old grey coat that belonged to

They then returned to the common apartment. The mistress of the house immediately offered her great chair

to the priest, and continued urging it upon him till she saw him fairly in possession of it. "You are old and

Undine shoved under the stranger's feet her little stool, on which at all other times she used to sit near to

Huldbrand, and showed herself most gentle and amiable towards the old man. Huldbrand whispered some

"He is a minister of that Being who created us all; and holy things are not to be treated with lightness."

The knight and the fisherman now refreshed the priest with food and wine; and when he had somewhat

recovered his strength and spirits, he began to relate how he had the day before set out from his cloister,

which was situated far off beyond the great lake, in order to visit the bishop, and acquaint him with the

distress into which the cloister and its tributary villages had fallen, owing to the extraordinary floods. After a

long and wearisome wandering, on account of the rise of the waters, he had been this day compelled toward

evening to procure the aid of a couple of boatmen, and cross over an arm of the lake which had burst its usual

"But hardly," continued he, "had our small ferryboat touched the waves, when that furious tempest burst

forth which is still raging over our heads. It seemed as if the billows had been waiting our approach only to

rush on us with a madness the more wild. The oars were wrested from the grasp of my men in an instant; and

shivered by the resistless force, they drove farther and farther out before us upon the waves. Unable to direct

our course, we yielded to the blind power of nature, and seemed to fly over the surges toward your distant

shore, which we already saw looming through the mist and foam of the deep. Then it was at last that our boat

turned short from its course, and rocked with a motion that became more wild and dizzy: I know not whether

it was overset, or the violence of the motion threw me overboard. In my agony and struggle at the thought of

a near and terrible death, the waves bore me onward, till I was cast ashore here beneath the trees of your

"Yes, an island!" cried the fisherman; "a short time ago it was only a point of land. But now, since the forest

"I observed something of it," replied the priest, "as I stole along the shore in the obscurity; and hearing

nothing around me but a sort of wild uproar, I perceived at last that the noise came from a point exactly

where a beaten footpath disappeared. I now caught the light in your cottage, and ventured hither, where I

cannot sufficiently thank my Heavenly Father that, after preserving me from the waters, He has also

conducted me to such pious people as you are; and the more so, as it is difficult to say whether I shall ever

"Can you tell me, then, how long this commotion of the elements will last?" replied the priest. "I am old; the

stream of my life may easily sink into the ground and vanish before the overflowing of that forest stream

shall subside. And, indeed, it is not impossible that more and more of the foaming waters may rush in

between you and yonder forest, until you are so far removed from the rest of the world, that your small

fishingcanoe may be incapable of passing over, and the inhabitants of the continent entirely forget you in

At this melancholy foreboding the old lady shrank back with a feeling of alarm, crossed herself, and cried,

But the fisherman looked upon her with a smile and said, "What a strange being is man! Suppose the worst to

happen; our state would not be different; at any rate, your own would not, dear wife, from what it is at

present. For have you, these many years, been farther from home than the border of the forest? And have you

seen a single human being beside Undine and myself? It is now only a short time since the coming of the

knight and the priest. They will remain with us, even if we do become a forgotten island; so after all you will

"I know not," replied the ancient dame; "it is a dismal thought, when brought fairly home to the mind, that we

are for ever separated from mankind, even though in fact we never do know nor see them."

"Then YOU will remain with usthen you will remain with us!" whispered Undine, in a voice scarcely

audible and half singing, while she nestled closer to Huldbrand's side. But he was immersed in the deep and

strange musings of his own mind. The region, on the farther side of the forest river, seemed, since the last

words of the priest, to have been withdrawing farther and farther, in dim perspective, from his view; and the

blooming island on which he lived grew green and smiled more freshly in his fancy. His bride glowed like

the fairest rose, not of this obscure nook only, but even of the whole wide world; and the priest was now

Added to which, the mistress of the family was directing an angry glance at Undine, because, even in the

presence of the priest, she leant so fondly on the knight; and it seemed as if she was on the point of breaking

out in harsh reproof. Then burst forth from the mouth of Huldbrand, as he turned to the priest, "Father, you

here see before you an affianced pair; and if this maiden and these good old people have no objection, you

The aged couple were both exceedingly surprised. They had often, it is true, thought of this, but as yet they

had never mentioned it; and now, when the knight spoke, it came upon them like something wholly new and

unexpected. Undine became suddenly grave, and looked down thoughtfully, while the priest made inquiries

respecting the circumstances of their acquaintance, and asked the old people whether they gave their consent

to the union. After a great number of questions and answers, the affair was arranged to the satisfaction of all;

and the mistress of the house went to prepare the bridal apartment of the young couple, and also, with a view

to grace the nuptial solemnity, to seek for two consecrated tapers, which she had for a long time kept by her,

The knight in the meanwhile busied himself about his golden chain, for the purpose of disengaging two of its

links, that he might make an exchange of rings with his bride. But when she saw his object, she started from

"Not so! my parents by no means sent me into the world so perfectly destitute; on the contrary, they foresaw,

Thus speaking she went out of the room, and a moment after returned with two costly rings, of which she

gave one to her bridegroom, and kept the other for herself. The old fisherman was beyond measure astonished

at this; and his wife, who was just reentering the room, was even more surprised than he, that neither of

"My parents," said Undine, "sewed these trinkets to that beautiful raiment which I wore the very day I came

to you. They also charged me on no account whatever to mention them to any one before my wedding

evening. At the time of my coming, therefore, I took them off in secret, and have kept them concealed to the

The priest now cut short all further questioning and wondering, while he lighted the consecrated tapers,

placed them on a table, and ordered the bridal pair to stand opposite to him. He then pronounced the few

solemn words of the ceremony, and made them one. The elder couple gave the younger their blessing; and

The priest then spoke out: "You are strange people, after all; for why did you tell me that you were the only

inhabitants of the island? So far is this from being true, I have seen, the whole time I was performing the

ceremony, a tall, stately man, in a white mantle, standing opposite to me, looking in at the window. He must

be still waiting before the door, if peradventure you would invite him to come in."

"God forbid!" cried the old lady, shrinking back; the fisherman shook his head, without opening his lips; and

Huldbrand sprang to the window. It seemed to him that he could still discern a white streak, which soon

disappeared in the gloom. He convinced the priest that he must have been mistaken in his impression; and

Before the nuptial ceremony, and during its performance, Undine had shown a modest gentleness and

maidenly reserve; but it now seemed as if all the wayward freaks that effervesced within her burst forth with

an extravagance only the more bold and unrestrained. She teased her bridegroom, her fosterparents, and

even the priest, whom she had just now revered so highly, with all sorts of childish tricks; but when the

ancient dame was about to reprove her too frolicsome spirit, the knight, in a few words, imposed silence upon

The knight was himself, indeed, just as little pleased with Undine's childish behaviour as the rest; but all his

looks and half reproachful words were to no purpose. It is true, whenever the bride observed the

dissatisfaction of her husbandand this occasionally happenedshe became more quiet, placed herself

beside him, stroked his face with caressing fondness, whispered something smilingly in his ear, and in this

manner smoothed the wrinkles that were gathering on his brow. But the moment after, some wild whim

The priest then spoke in a kind although serious tone: "My fair young maiden, surely no one can look on you

without pleasure; but remember betimes so to attune your soul that it may produce a harmony ever in

"SOUL!" cried Undine with a laugh. "What you say has a remarkably pretty sound; and for most people, too,

it may be a very instructive and profitable caution. But when a person has no soul at all, how, I pray you, can

The priest was much hurt, but continued silent in holy displeasure, and turned away his face from the maiden

in sorrow. She, however, went up to him with the most winning sweetness, and said:

"Nay, I entreat you first listen to me, before you are angry with me; for your anger is painful to me, and you

ought not to give pain to a creature that has not hurt you. Only have patience with me, and I will explain to

It was evident that she had come to say something important; when she suddenly faltered as if seized with

inward shuddering, and burst into a passion of tears. They were none of them able to understand the

intenseness of her feelings; and, with mingled emotions of fear and anxiety, they gazed on her in silence.

Then, wiping away her tears, and looking earnestly at the priest, she at last said:

"There must be something lovely, but at the same time something most awful, about a soul. In the name of

Again she paused, and restrained her tears, as if waiting for an answer. All in the cottage had risen from their

seats, and stepped back from her with horror. She, however, seemed to have eyes for no one but the holy

man; an awful curiosity was painted on her features, which appeared terrible to the others.

"Heavily must the soul weigh down its possessor," she pursued, when no one returned her any

answer"very heavily! for already its approaching image overshadows me with anguish and mourning. And,

alas, I have till now been so merry and lighthearted!" and she burst into another flood of tears, and covered

The priest, going up to her with a solemn look, now addressed himself to her, and conjured her, by the name

of God most holy, if any spirit of evil possessed her, to remove the light covering from her face. But she sank

before him on her knees, and repeated after him every sacred expression he uttered, giving praise to God, and

The priest then spoke to the knight: "Sir bridegroom, I leave you alone with her whom I have united to you in

marriage. So far as I can discover, there is nothing of evil in her, but assuredly much that is wonderful. What

Thus speaking, he left the apartment; and the fisherman, with his wife, followed him, crossing themselves.

Undine had sunk upon her knees. She uncovered her face, and exclaimed, while she looked fearfully round

upon Huldbrand, "Alas! you will now refuse to look upon me as your own; and still I have done nothing evil,

poor unhappy child that I am!" She spoke these words with a look so infinitely sweet and touching, that her

bridegroom forgot both the confession that had shocked, and the mystery that had perplexed him; and

hastening to her, he raised her in his arms. She smiled through her tears; and that smile was like the morning

light playing upon a small stream. "You cannot desert me!" she whispered confidingly, and stroked the

knight's cheeks with her little soft hands. He turned away from the frightful thoughts that still lurked in the

recesses of his soul, and were persuading him that he had been married to a fairy, or some spiteful and

mischievous being of the spiritworld. Only the single question, and that almost unawares, escaped from his

"Dearest Undine, tell me this one thing: what was it you meant by 'spirits of earth' and 'Kuhleborn,' when the

"Tales! mere tales of children!" answered Undine, laughing, now quite restored to her wonted gaiety. "I first

frightened you with them, and you frightened me. This is the end of the story, and of our nuptial evening."

"Nay, not so," replied the enamoured knight, extinguishing the tapers, and a thousand times kissing his

beautiful and beloved bride; while, lighted by the moon that shone brightly through the windows, he bore her

The fresh light of morning woke the young married pair: but Huldbrand lay lost in silent reflection.

Whenever, during the night, he had fallen asleep, strange and horrible dreams of spectres had disturbed him;

and these shapes, grinning at him by stealth, strove to disguise themselves as beautiful females; and from

beautiful females they all at once assumed the appearance of dragons. And when he started up, aroused by the

intrusion of these hideous forms, the moonlight shone pale and cold before the windows without. He looked

affrighted at Undine, in whose arms he had fallen asleep: and she was reposing in unaltered beauty and

sweetness beside him. Then pressing her rosy lips with a light kiss, he again fell into a slumber, only to be

When fully awake, he had thought over this connection. He reproached himself for any doubt that could lead

him into error in regard to his lovely wife. He also confessed to her his injustice; but she only gave him her

fair hand, sighed deeply, and remained silent. Yet a glance of fervent tenderness, an expression of the soul

beaming in her eyes, such as he had never witnessed there before, left him in undoubted assurance that

He then rose joyfully, and leaving her, went to the common apartment, where the inmates of the house had

already met. The three were sitting round the hearth with an air of anxiety about them, as if they feared

trusting themselves to raise their voice above a low, apprehensive undertone. The priest appeared to be

praying in his inmost spirit, with a view to avert some fatal calamity. But when they observed the young

husband come forth so cheerful, they dispelled the cloud that remained upon their brows: the old fisherman

even began to laugh with the knight till his aged wife herself could not help smiling with great goodhumour.

Undine had in the meantime got ready, and now entered the room; all rose to meet her, but remained fixed in

perfect admirationshe was so changed, and yet the same. The priest, with paternal affection beaming from

his countenance, first went up to her; and as he raised his hand to pronounce a blessing, the beautiful bride

sank on her knees before him with religious awe; she begged his pardon in terms both respectful and

submissive for any foolish things she might have uttered the evening before, and entreated him with emotion

to pray for the welfare of her soul. She then rose, kissed her foster parents, and, after thanking them for all

"Oh, I now feel in my inmost heart how much, how infinitely much, you have done for me, you dear, dear

At first she was wholly unable to tear herself away from their affectionate caresses; but the moment she saw

the good old mother busy in getting breakfast, she went to the hearth, applied herself to cooking the food and

putting it on the table, and would not suffer her to take the least share in the work.

She continued in this frame of spirit the whole day: calm, kind attentivehalf matronly, and half girlish. The

three who had been longest acquainted with her expected every instant to see her capricious spirit break out

in some whimsical change or sportive vagary. But their fears were quite unnecessary. Undine continued as

mild and gentle as an angel. The priest found it all but impossible to remove his eyes from her; and he often

"The bounty of Heaven, sir, through me its unworthy instrument, entrusted to you yesterday an invaluable

treasure; cherish it as you ought, and it will promote your temporal and eternal welfare."

Toward evening Undine was hanging upon the knight's arm with lowly tenderness, while she drew him

gently out before the door, where the setting sun shone richly over the fresh grass, and upon the high, slender

boles of the trees. Her emotion was visible: the dew of sadness and love swam in her eyes, while a tender and

fearful secret seemed to hover upon her lips, but was only made known by hardly breathed sighs. She led

her husband farther and farther onward without speaking. When he asked her questions, she replied only with

looks, in which, it is true, there appeared to be no immediate answer to his inquiries, but a whole heaven of

love and timid devotion. Thus they reached the margin of the swollen forest stream, and the knight was

astonished to see it gliding away with so gentle a murmuring of its waves, that no vestige of its former swell

"By morning it will be wholly drained off," said the beautiful wife, almost weeping, "and you will then be

"Not without you, dear Undine," replied the knight, laughing; "think, only, were I disposed to leave you, both

the Church and the spiritual powers, the Emperor and the laws of the realm, would require the fugitive to be

"All this depends on youall depends on you," whispered his little companion, half weeping and half

smiling. "But I still feel sure that you will not leave me; I love you too deeply to fear that misery. Now bear

me over to that little island which lies before us. There shall the decision be made. I could easily, indeed,

glide through that mere rippling of the water without your aid, but it is so sweet to lie in your arms; and

should you determine to put me away, I shall have rested in them once more,....for the last time."

Huldbrand was so full of strange anxiety and emotion, that he knew not what answer to make her. He took

her in his arms and carried her over, now first realizing the fact that this was the same little island from which

he had borne her back to the old fisherman, the first night of his arrival. On the farther side, he placed her

upon the soft grass, and was throwing himself lovingly near his beautiful burden; but she said to him, "Not

here, but opposite me. I shall read my doom in your eyes, even before your lips pronounce it: now listen

"You must know, my own love, that there are beings in the elements which bear the strongest resemblance to

the human race, and which, at the same time, but seldom become visible to you. The wonderful salamanders

sparkle and sport amid the flames; deep in the earth the meagre and malicious gnomes pursue their revels; the

forestspirits belong to the air, and wander in the woods; while in the seas, rivers, and streams live the

widespread race of waterspirits. These last, beneath resounding domes of crystal, through which the sky can

shine with its sun and stars, inhabit a region of light and beauty; lofty coraltrees glow with blue and crimson

fruits in their gardens; they walk over the pure sand of the sea, among exquisitely variegated shells, and amid

whatever of beauty the old world possessed, such as the present is no more worthy to enjoycreations which

the floods covered with their secret veils of silver; and now these noble monuments sparkle below, stately

and solemn, and bedewed by the water, which loves them, and calls forth from their crevices delicate

"Now the nation that dwell there are very fair and lovely to behold, for the most part more beautiful than

human beings. Many a fisherman has been so fortunate as to catch a view of a delicate maiden of the waters,

while she was floating and singing upon the deep. He would then spread far the fame of her beauty; and to

such wonderful females men are wont to give the name of Undines. But what need of saying more?You,

The knight would have persuaded himself that his lovely wife was under the influence of one of her odd

whims, and that she was only amusing herself and him with her extravagant inventions. He wished it might

be so. But with whatever emphasis he said this to himself, he still could not credit the hope for a moment: a

strange shivering shot through his soul; unable to utter a word, he gazed upon the sweet speaker with a fixed

eye. She shook her head in distress, sighed from her full heart, and then proceeded in the following manner:

"We should be far superior to you, who are another race of the human family,for we also call ourselves

human beings, as we resemble them in form and featureshad we not one evil peculiar to ourselves. Both

we and the beings I have mentioned as inhabiting the other elements vanish into air at death and go out of

existence, spirit and body, so that no vestige of us remains; and when you hereafter awake to a purer state of

being, we shall remain where sand, and sparks, and wind, and waves remain. Thus we have no souls; the

element moves us, and, again, is obedient to our will, while we live, though it scatters us like dust when we

die; and as we have nothing to trouble us, we are as merry as nightingales, little goldfishes, and other pretty

"But all beings aspire to rise in the scale of existence higher than they are. It was therefore the wish of my

father, who is a powerful waterprince in the Mediterranean Sea, that his only daughter should become

possessed of a soul, although she should have to endure many of the sufferings of those who share that gift.

"Now the race to which I belong have no other means of obtaining a soul than by forming with an individual

of your own the most intimate union of love. I am now possessed of a soul, and my soul thanks you, my best

beloved, and never shall cease to thank you, if you do not render my whole future life miserable. For what

will become of me, if you avoid and reject me? Still, I would not keep you as my own by artifice. And should

you decide to cast me off, then do it now, and return alone to the shore. I will plunge into this brook, where

my uncle will receive me; my uncle, who here in the forest, far removed from his other friends, passes his

strange and solitary existence. But he is powerful, as well as revered and beloved by many great rivers; and as

he brought me hither to the fisherman a lighthearted and laughing child, he will take me home to my parents

She was about to add something more, when Huldbrand, with the most heartfelt tenderness and love, clasped

her in his arms, and again bore her back to the shore. There, amid tears and kisses, he first swore never to

forsake his affectionate wife, and esteemed himself even more happy than Pygmalion, for whom Venus gave

life to his beautiful statue, and thus changed it into a beloved wife. Supported by his arm, and in the

confidence of affection, Undine returned to the cottage; and now she first realized with her whole heart how

little cause she had for regretting what she had leftthe crystal palace of her mysterious father.

Next morning, when Huldbrand awoke from slumber, and perceived that his beautiful wife was not by his

side, he began to give way again to his wild imaginationsthat his marriage, and even the lovely Undine

herself, were only shadows without substanceonly mere illusions of enchantment. But she entered the door

at the same moment, kissed him, seated herself on the bed by his side, and said:

"I have been out somewhat early this morning, to see whether my uncle keeps his word. He has already

restored the waters of the flood to his own calm channel, and he now flows through the forest a rivulet as

before, in a lonely and dreamlike current. His friends, too, both of the water and the air, have resumed their

usual peaceful tenor; all will again proceed with order and tranquillity; and you can travel homeward, without

It seemed to the mind of Huldbrand that he must be in some waking dream, so little was he able to understand

the nature of his wife's strange relative. Notwithstanding this he made no remark upon what she had told him,

and her surpassing loveliness soon lulled every misgiving and discomfort to rest.

Some time afterwards, while he was standing with her before the door, and surveying the verdant point of

land, with its boundary of bright waters, such a feeling of bliss came over him in this cradle of his love, that

"Shall we, then, so early as today, begin our journey? Why should we? It is probable that abroad in the

world we shall find no days more delightful than those we have spent in this green isle so secret and so

"Just as my lord wills," replied Undine meekly. "Only we must remember, that my fosterparents will, at all

events, see me depart with pain; and should they now, for the first time, discover the true soul in me, and how

fervently I can now love and honour them, their feeble eyes would surely become blind with weeping. As yet

they consider my present quietness and gentleness as of no better promise than they were formerlylike the

calm of the lake just while the air remains tranquiland they will learn soon to cherish a little tree or flower

as they have cherished me. Let me not, then, make known to them this newly bestowed, this loving heart, at

the very moment they must lose it for this world; and how could I conceal what I have gained, if we

Huldbrand yielded to her representation, and went to the aged couple to confer with them respecting his

journey, on which he proposed to set out that very hour. The priest offered himself as a companion to the

young married pair; and, after taking a short farewell, he held the bridle, while the knight lifted his beautiful

wife upon his horse; and with rapid steps they crossed the dry channel with her toward the forest. Undine

wept in silent but intense emotion; the old people, as she moved away, were more clamorous in the

expression of their grief. They appeared to feel, at the moment of separation, all that they were losing in their

The three travellers had reached the thickest shades of the forest without interchanging a word. It must have

been a fair sight, in that hall of leafy verdure, to see this lovely woman's form sitting on the noble and

richlyornamented steed, on her left hand the venerable priest in the white garb of his order, on her right the

blooming young knight, clad in splendid raiment of scarlet, gold, and violet, girt with a sword that flashed in

the sun, and attentively walking beside her. Huldbrand had no eyes but for his wife; Undine, who had dried

her tears of tenderness, had no eyes but for him; and they soon entered into the still and voiceless converse of

looks and gestures, from which, after some time, they were awakened by the low discourse which the priest

He wore a white gown, resembling in form the dress of the priest's order, except that his hood hung very low

over his face, and that the whole drapery floated in such wide folds around him as obliged him every moment

to gather it up and throw it over his arm, or by some management of this sort to get it out of his way, and still

it did not seem in the least to impede his movements. When the young couple became aware of his presence,

"And so, venerable sir, many as have been the years I have dwelt here in this forest, I have never received the

name of hermit in your sense of the word. For, as I said before, I know nothing of penance, and I think, too,

that I have no particular need of it. Do you ask me why I am so attached to the forest? It is because its scenery

is so peculiarly picturesque, and affords me so much pastime when, in my floating white garments, I pass

through its world of leaves and dusky shadows;and when a sweet sunbeam glances down upon me at times

"You are a very singular man," replied the priest, "and I should like to have a more intimate acquaintance

"And who, then, may you be yourself, to pass from one thing to another?" inquired the stranger.

"I am called Father Heilmann," answered the holy man; "and I am from the cloister of Our Lady of the

"Well, well," replied the stranger, "my name is Kuhleborn; and were I a stickler for the nice distinctions of

rank, I might, with equal propriety, require you to give me the title of noble lord of Kuhleborn, or free lord of

Kuhleborn; for I am as free as the birds in the forest, and, it may be, a trifle more so. For example, I now have

something to tell that young lady there." And before they were aware of his purpose, he was on the other side

of the priest, close to Undine, and stretching himself high into the air, in order to whisper something in her

"Ho, ho," cried the stranger with a laugh, "you have made a grand marriage indeed, since you no longer know

your own relations! Have you no recollection, then, of your uncle Kuhleborn, who so faithfully bore you on

"However that may be," replied Undine, "I entreat you never to appear in my presence again. I am now afraid

of you; and will not my husband fear and forsake me, if he sees me associate with such strange company and

"You must not forget, my little niece," said Kuhleborn, "that I am with you here as a guide; otherwise those

madcap spirits of the earth, the gnomes that haunt this forest, would play you some of their mischievous

pranks. Let me therefore still accompany you in peace. Even the old priest there had a better recollection of

me than you have; for he just now assured me that I seemed to be very familiar to him, and that I must have

been with him in the ferry boat, out of which he tumbled into the waves. He certainly did see me there; for I

was no other than the waterspout that tore him out of it, and kept him from sinking, while I safely wafted

Undine and the knight turned their eyes upon Father Heilmann; but he appeared to be moving forward, just as

if he were dreaming or walking in his sleep, and no longer to be conscious of a word that was spoken. Undine

then said to Kuhleborn: "I already see yonder the end of the forest. We have no further need of your

assistance, and nothing now gives us alarm but yourself. I therefore beseech you, by our mutual love and

Kuhleborn seemed to become angry at this: he darted a frightful look at Undine, and grinned fiercely upon

her. She shrieked aloud, and called her husband to protect her. The knight sprang round the horse as quick as

lightning, and, brandishing his sword, struck at Kuhleborn's head. But instead of severing it from his body,

the sword merely flashed through a torrent, which rushed foaming near them from a lofty cliff; and with a

splash, which much resembled in sound a burst of laughter, the stream all at once poured upon them and gave

them a thorough wetting. The priest, as if suddenly awakening from a trance, coolly observed: "This is what I

have been some time expecting, because the brook has descended from the steep so close beside usthough

at first sight, indeed, it appeared to resemble a man, and to possess the power of speech."

As the waterfall came rushing from its crag, it distinctly uttered these words in Huldbrand's ear: "Rash

knight! valiant knight! I am not angry with you; I have no quarrel with you; only continue to defend your

lovely little wife with the same spirit, you bold knight! you valiant champion!"

After advancing a few steps farther, the travellers came out upon open ground. The imperial city lay bright

before them; and the evening sun, which gilded its towers with gold, kindly dried their garments that had

The sudden disappearance of the young knight, Huldbrand of Ringstetten, had occasioned much remark in the

imperial city, and no small concern amongst those who, as well on account of his expertness in tourney and

dance, as of his mild and amiable manners, had become attached to him. His attendants were unwilling to quit

the place without their master, although not a soul of them had been courageous enough to follow him into

the fearful recesses of the forest. They remained, therefore, at the hostelry, idly hoping, as men are wont to

do, and keeping the fate of their lost lord fresh in remembrance by their lamentations.

Now when the violent storms and floods had been observed immediately after his departure, the destruction

of the handsome stranger became all but certain; even Bertalda had openly discovered her sorrow, and

detested herself for having been the cause of his taking that fatal excursion into the forest. Her fosterparents,

the duke and duchess, had meanwhile come to take her away; but Bertalda persuaded them to remain with her

until some certain news of Huldbrand should be obtained, whether he were living or dead. She endeavoured

also to prevail upon several young knights, who were assiduous in courting her favour, to go in quest of the

noble adventurer in the forest. But she refused to pledge her hand as the reward of the enterprise, because she

still cherished, it might be, a hope of its being claimed by the returning knight; and no one would consent, for

a glove, a riband, or even a kiss, to expose his life to bring back so very dangerous a rival.

When Huldbrand now made his sudden and unexpected appearance, his attendants, the inhabitants of the city,

and almost every one rejoiced. This was not the case with Bertalda; for although it might be quite a welcome

event to others that he brought with him a wife of such exquisite loveliness, and Father Heilmann as a witness

of their marriage, Bertalda could not but view the affair with grief and vexation. She had, in truth, become

attached to the young knight with her whole soul; and her mourning for his absence, or supposed death, had

But notwithstanding all this, she conducted herself like a wise maiden in circumstances of such delicacy, and

lived on the most friendly terms with Undine, whom the whole city looked upon as a princess that Huldbrand

had rescued in the forest from some evil enchantment. Whenever any one questioned either herself or her

husband relative to surmises of this nature, they had wisdom enough to remain silent, or wit enough to evade

the inquiries. The lips of Father Heilmann had been sealed in regard to idle gossip of every kind; and besides,

on Huldbrand's arrival, he had immediately returned to his cloister: so that people were obliged to rest

contented with their own wild conjectures; and even Bertalda herself ascertained nothing more of the truth

For the rest, Undine daily felt more love for the fair maiden. "We must have been before acquainted with

each other," she often used to say to her, "or else there must be some mysterious connection between us, for it

is incredible that any one so perfectly without cause I mean, without some deep and secret causeshould

be so fondly attached to another as I have been to you from the first moment of our meeting."

And even Bertalda could not deny that she felt a confiding impulse, an attraction of tenderness toward

Undine, much as she deemed this fortunate rival the cause of her bitterest disappointment. Under the

influence of this mutual regard, they found means to persuade, the one her fosterparents, and the other her

husband, to defer the day of separation to a period more and more remote; nay, more, they had already begun

to talk of a plan for Bertalda's accompanying Undine to Castle Ringstetten, near one of the sources of the

Once on a fine evening they happened to be talking over their scheme just as they passed the high trees that

bordered the public walk. The young married pair, though it was somewhat late, had called upon Bertalda to

invite her to share their enjoyment; and all three proceeded familiarly up and down beneath the dark blue

heaven, not seldom interrupted in their converse by the admiration which they could not but bestow upon the

magnificent fountain in the middle of the square, and upon the wonderful rush and shooting upward of its

waters. All was sweet and soothing to their minds. Among the shadows of the trees stole in glimmerings of

light from the adjacent houses (sic). A low murmur as of children at play, and of other persons who were

enjoying their walk, floated around themthey were so alone, and yet sharing so much of social happiness

in the bright and stirring world, that whatever had appeared rough by day now became smooth of its own

accord. All the three friends could no longer see the slightest cause for hesitation in regard to Bertalda's

At that instant, while they were just fixing the day of their departure, a tall man approached them from the

middle of the square, bowed respectfully to the company, and spoke something in the young bride's ear.

Though displeased with the interruption and its cause, she walked aside a few steps with the stranger; and

both began to whisper, as it seemed, in a foreign tongue. Huldbrand thought he recognized the strange man of

the forest, and he gazed upon him so fixedly, that he neither heard nor answered the astonished inquiries of

Bertalda. All at once Undine clapped her hands with delight, and turned back from the stranger, laughing: he,

frequently shaking his head, retired with a hasty step and discontented air, and descended into the fountain.

Huldbrand now felt perfectly certain that his conjecture was correct. But Bertalda asked:

Undine laughed within herself, and made answer: "The day after to morrow, my dear child, when the

anniversary of your nameday returns, you shall be informed." And this was all she could be prevailed upon

to disclose. She merely asked Bertalda to dinner on the appointed day, and requested her to invite her

"Kuhleborn?" said Huldbrand to his lovely wife, with an inward shudder when they had taken leave of

"Yes, it was he," answered Undine; "and he would have wearied me with his foolish warnings. But, in the

midst, quite contrary to his intentions, he delighted me with a most welcome piece of news. If you, my dear

lord and husband, wish me to acquaint you with it now, you need only command me, and I will freely and

from my heart tell you all without reserve. But would you confer upon your Undine a very, very great

pleasure, wait till the day after tomorrow, and then you too shall have your share of the surprise."

The knight was quite willing to gratify his wife in what she had asked so sweetly. And even as she was

falling asleep, she murmured to herself, with a smile: "How she will rejoice and be astonished at what her

The company were sitting at dinner. Bertalda, adorned with jewels and flowers without number, the presents

of her fosterparents and friends, and looking like some goddess of spring, sat beside Undine and Huldbrand

at the head of the table. When the sumptuous repast was ended, and the dessert was placed before them,

permission was given that the doors should be left open: this was in accordance with the good old custom in

Germany, that the common people might see and rejoice in the festivity of their superiors. Among these

Huldbrand and Bertalda waited with secret impatience for the promised explanation, and hardly moved their

eyes from Undine. But she still continued silent, and merely smiled to herself with secret and heartfelt

satisfaction. All who were made acquainted with the promise she had given could perceive that she was every

moment on the point of revealing a happy secret; and yet, as children sometimes delay tasting their choicest

dainties, she still withheld the communication. Bertalda and Huldbrand shared the same delightful feeling,

while in anxious hope they were expecting the unknown disclosure which they were to receive from the lips

At this moment several of the company pressed Undine to sing. This she seemed pleased at; and ordering her

"Morning so bright, Wildflowers so gay, Where high grass so dewy Crowns the wavy lake's border.

On the meadow's verdant bosom What glimmers there so white? Have wreaths of snowy blossoms,

Ah, see! a tender infant! It plays with flowers, unwittingly; It strives to grasp morn's golden beams. 0

where, sweet stranger, where's your home? Afar from unknown shores The waves have wafted hither This

Nay, clasp not, tender darling, With tiny hand the flowers! No hand returns the pressure, The flowers are

They clothe themselves in beauty, They breathe a rich perfume: But cannot fold around you A mother's

Life's early dawn just opening faint, Your eye yet beaming heaven's own smile, So soon your tenderest

A noble duke has crossed the mead, And near you checked his steed's career: Wonder and pity touch his

heart; With knowledge high, and manners pure, He rears you,makes his castle home your own.

How great, how infinite your gain! Of all the land you bloom the loveliest; Yet, ah! the priceless blessing,

Undine let fall her lute with a melancholy smile. The eyes of Bertalda's noble fosterparents were filled with

"Ah yes, it was sosuch was the morning on which I found you, poor orphan!" cried the duke, with deep

"But we must hear, also, what happened to the poor parents," said Undine, as she struck the chords, and

"Through her chambers roams the mother Searching, searching everywhere; Seeks, and knows not what, with

Childless house!0 sound of anguish! She alone the anguish knows, There by day who led her dear one,

Beechen buds again are swelling, Sunshine warms again the shore; Ah, fond mother, cease your searching!

Then when airs of eve are fresh'ning, Home the father wends his way, While with smiles his woe he's veiling,

Well he knows, within his dwelling, Still as death he'll find the gloom, Only hear the mother moaning, No

"0, tell me, in the name of Heaven tell me, Undine, where are my parents?" cried the weeping Bertalda. "You

certainly know; you must have discovered them, you wonderful being; for, otherwise you would never have

thus torn my heart. Can they be already here? May I believe it possible?" Her eye glanced rapidly over the

brilliant company, and rested upon a lady of high rank who was sitting next to her fosterfather.

Then, bending her head, Undine beckoned toward the door, while her eyes overflowed with the sweetest

emotion. "Where, then, are the poor parents waiting?" she asked; and the old fisherman, hesitating, advanced

with his wife from the crowd of spectators. They looked inquiringly, now at Undine, and now at the beautiful

"It is she! it is she there before you!" exclaimed the restorer of their child, her voice half choked with rapture.

And both the aged parents embraced their recovered daughter, weeping aloud and praising God.

But, terrified and indignant, Bertalda tore herself from their arms. Such a discovery was too much for her

proud spirit to bear, especially at the moment when she had doubtless expected to see her former splendour

increased, and when hope was picturing to her nothing less brilliant than a royal canopy and a crown. It

seemed to her as if her rival had contrived all this on purpose to humble her before Huldbrand and the whole

world. She reproached Undine; she reviled the old people; and even such offensive words as "deceiver,

The aged wife of the fisherman then said to herself, in a low voice: "Ah, my God, she has become wicked!

The old fisherman had meanwhile folded his hands, and offered up a silent prayer that she might NOT be his

Undine, faint and pale as death, turned from the parents to Bertalda, from Bertalda to the parents. She was

suddenly cast dawn from all that heaven of happiness in which she had been dreaming, and plunged into an

"Have you, then, a soul? Have you indeed a soul, Bertalda?" she cried again and again to her angry friend, as

if with vehement effort she would arouse her from a sudden delirium or some distracting dream of night, and

But when Bertalda became every moment only more and more enraged when the disappointed parents

began to weep aloudand the company, with much warmth of dispute, were espousing opposite sidesshe

begged, with such earnestness and dignity, for the liberty of speaking in this her husband's hall, that all

around her were in an instant hushed to silence. She then advanced to the upper end of the table, where, both

humbled and haughty, Bertalda had seated herself, and, while every eye was fastened upon her, spoke in the

"My friends, you appear dissatisfied and disturbed; and you are interrupting, with your strife, a festivity I had

hoped would bring joy to you and to me. Ah! I knew nothing of your heartless ways of thinking; and never

shall understand them: I am not to blame for the mischief this disclosure has done. Believe me, little as you

may imagine this to be the case, it is wholly owing to yourselves. One word more, therefore, is all I have to

add; but this is one that must be spoken:I have uttered nothing but truth. Of the certainty of the fact, I give

you the strongest assurance. No other proof can I or will I produce, but this I will affirm in the presence of

God. The person who gave me this information was the very same who decoyed the infant Bertalda into the

water, and who, after thus taking her from her parents, placed her on the green grass of the meadow, where he

"She is an enchantress!" cried Bertalda; "a witch, that has intercourse with evil spirits. She acknowledges it

"Never! I deny it!" replied Undine, while a whole heaven of innocence and truth beamed from her eyes. "I am

"Then she utters both falsehood and folly," cried Bertalda; "and she is unable to prove that I am the child of

these low people. My noble parents, I entreat you to take me from this company, and out of this city, where

But the aged duke, a man of honourable feeling, remained unmoved; and his wife remarked:

"We must thoroughly examine into this matter. God forbid that we should move a step from this hall before

Then the aged wife of the fisherman drew near, made a low obeisance to the duchess and said: "Noble and

pious lady, you have opened my heart. Permit me to tell you, that if this evildisposed maiden is my

daughter, she has a mark like a violet between her shoulders, and another of the same kind on the instep of

"I will not consent to uncover myself before the peasant woman," interrupted Bertalda, haughtily turning her

"But before me you certainly will," replied the duchess gravely. "You will follow me into that room, maiden;

The three disappeared, and the rest continued where they were, in breathless expectation. In a few minutes

the females returned Bertalda pale as death; and the duchess said: "Justice must be done; I therefore

declare that our lady hostess has spoken exact truth. Bertalda is the fisherman's daughter; no further proof is

required; and this is all of which, on the present occasion, you need to be informed."

The princely pair went out with their adopted daughter; the fisherman, at a sign from the duke, followed them

with his wife. The other guests retired in silence, or suppressing their murmurs; while Undine sank weeping

The lord of Ringstetten would certainly have been more gratified, had the events of this day been different;

but even such as they now were, he could by no means look upon them as unwelcome, since his lovely wife

"If I have given her a soul," he could not help saying to himself, "I have assuredly given her a better one than

my own;" and now he only thought of soothing and comforting his weeping wife, and of removing her even

so early as the morrow from a place which, after this cross accident, could not fail to be distasteful to her. Yet

it is certain that the opinion of the public concerning her was not changed. As something extraordinary had

long before been expected of her, the mysterious discovery of Bertalda's parentage had occasioned little or no

surprise; and every one who became acquainted with Bertalda's story, and with the violence of her behaviour

on that occasion, was only disgusted and set against her. Of this state of things, however, the knight and his

lady were as yet ignorant; besides, whether the public condemned Bertalda or herself, the one view of the

affair would have been as distressing to Undine as the other; and thus they came to the conclusion that the

wisest course they could take, was to leave behind them the walls of the old city with all the speed in their

With the earliest beams of morning, a brilliant carriage for Undine drove up to the door of the inn; the horses

of Huldbrand and his attendants stood near, stamping the pavement, impatient to proceed. The knight was

leading his beautiful wife from the door, when a fishergirl came up and met them in the way.

"We have no need of your fish," said Huldbrand, accosting her; "we are this moment setting out on a

Upon this the fishergirl began to weep bitterly; and then it was that the young couple first perceived it was

Bertalda. They immediately returned with her to their apartment, when she informed them that, owing to her

unfeeling and violent conduct of the preceding day, the duke and duchess had been so displeased with her, as

entirely to withdraw from her their protection, though not before giving her a generous portion. The

fisherman, too, had received a handsome gift, and had, the evening before, set out with his wife for his

"I would have gone with them," she pursued, "but the old fisherman, who is said to be my father"

"He is, in truth, your father, Bertalda," said Undine, interrupting her. "See, the stranger whom you took for

the master of the water works gave me all the particulars. He wished to dissuade me from taking you with

"Well then," continued Bertalda, "my fatherif it must needs be so my father said: 'I will not take you

with me until you are changed. If you will venture to come to us alone through the illomened forest, that

shall be a proof of your having some regard for us. But come not to me as a lady; come merely as a

fishergirl.' I do as he bade me, for since I am abandoned by all the world, I will live and die in solitude, a

poor fishergirl, with parents equally poor. The forest, indeed, appears very terrible to me. Horrible spectres

make it their haunt, and I am so fearful. But how can I help it? I have only come here at this early hour to beg

the noble lady of Ringstetten to pardon my unbecoming behaviour of yesterday. Sweet lady, I have the fullest

persuasion that you meant to do me a kindness, but you were not aware how severely you would wound me;

and then, in my agony and surprise, so many rash and frantic expressions burst from my lips. Forgive me, ah,

forgive me! I am in truth so unhappy, already. Only consider what I was but yesterday morning, what I was

Her words now became inarticulate, lost in a passionate flow of tears, while Undine, bitterly weeping with

her, fell upon her neck. So powerful was her emotion, that it was a long time before she could utter a word.

"You shall still go with us to Ringstetten; all shall remain just as we lately arranged it; but say 'thou' to me

again, and do not call me 'noble lady' any more. Consider, we were changed for each other when we were

children; even then we were united by a like fate, and we will strengthen this union with such close affection

as no human power shall dissolve. Only first of all you must go with us to Ringstetten. How we shall share all

Bertalda looked up to Huldbrand with timid inquiry. He pitied her in her affliction, took her hand, and begged

"We will send a message to your parents," continued he, "giving them the reason why you have not

come;"and he would have added more about his worthy friends of the peninsula, when, perceiving that

Bertalda shrank in distress at the mention of them, he refrained. He took her under the arm, lifted her first into

the carriage, then Undine, and was soon riding blithely beside them; so persevering was he, too, in urging

forward their driver, that in a short time they had left behind them the limits of the city, and a crowd of

painful recollections; and now the ladies could take delight in the beautiful country which their progress was

After a journey of some days, they arrived, on a fine evening, at Castle Ringstetten. The young knight being

much engaged with the overseers and menials of his establishment, Undine and Bertalda were left alone.

They took a walk upon the high rampart of the fortress, and were charmed with the delightful landscape

which the fertile Suabia spread around them. While they were viewing the scene, a tall man drew near, who

greeted them with respectful civility, and who seemed to Bertalda much to resemble the director of the city

fountain. Still less was the resemblance to be mistaken, when Undine, indignant at his intrusion, waved him

off with an air of menace; while he, shaking his head, retreated with rapid strides, as he had formerly done,

"Do not be terrified, Bertalda," said Undine; "the hateful master of the fountain shall do you no harm this

time." And then she related to her the particulars of her history, and who she was herselfhow Bertalda had

been taken away from the people of the peninsula, and Undine left in her place. This relation at first filled the

young maiden with amazement and alarm; she imagined her friend must be seized with a sudden madness.

But from the consistency of her story, she became more and more convinced that all was true, it so well

agreed with former occurrences, and still more convinced from that inward feeling with which truth never

fails to make itself known to us. She could not but view it as an extraordinary circumstance that she was

herself now living, as it were, in the midst of one of those wild tales which she had formerly heard related.

She gazed upon Undine with reverence, but could not keep from a shuddering feeling which seemed to come

between her and her friend; and she could not but wonder when the knight, at their evening repast, showed

himself so kind and full of love towards a being who appeared to her, after the discoveries just made, more to

The writer of this tale, both because it moves his own heart and he wishes it to move that of others, asks a

favour of you, dear reader. Forgive him if he passes over a considerable space of time in a few words, and

only tells you generally what therein happened. He knows well that it might be unfolded skilfully, and step by

step, how Huldbrand's heart began to turn from Undine and towards Bertaldahow Bertalda met the young

knight with ardent love, and how they both looked upon the poor wife as a mysterious being, more to be

dreaded than pitiedhow Undine wept, and her tears stung the conscience of her husband, without recalling

his former love; so that though at times he showed kindness to her, a cold shudder soon forced him to turn

from her to his fellowmortal Bertalda;all this, the writer knows, might have been drawn out fully, and

perhaps it ought to have been. But it would have made him too sad; for he has witnessed such things, and

shrinks from recalling even their shadow. Thou knowest, probably, the like feeling, dear reader; for it is the

lot of mortal man. Happy art thou if thou hast received the injury, not inflicted it; for in this case it is more

blessed to receive than to give. Then only a soft sorrow at such a recollection passes through thy heart, and

perhaps a quiet tear trickles down thy cheek over the faded flowers in which thou once so heartily rejoiced.

This is enough: we will not pierce our hearts with a thousand separate stings, but only bear in mind that all

Poor Undine was greatly troubled; and the other two were very far from being happy. Bertalda in particular,

whenever she was in the slightest degree opposed in her wishes, attributed the cause to the jealousy and

oppression of the injured wife. She was therefore daily in the habit of showing a haughty and imperious

demeanour, to which Undine yielded with a sad submission; and which was generally encouraged strongly by

What disturbed the inmates of the castle still more, was the endless variety of wonderful apparitions which

assailed Huldbrand and Bertalda in the vaulted passages of the building, and of which nothing had ever been

heard before within the memory of man. The tall white man, in whom Huldbrand but too plainly recognized

Undine's uncle Kuhleborn, and Bertalda the spectral master of the waterworks, often passed before them with

threatening aspect and gestures; more especially, however, before Bertalda, so that, through terror, she had

several times already fallen sick, and had, in consequence, frequently thought of quitting the castle. Yet partly

because Huldbrand was but too dear to her, and she trusted to her innocence, since no words of love had

passed between them, and partly also because she knew not whither to direct her steps, she lingered where

The old fisherman, on receiving the message from the lord of Ringstetten that Bertalda was his guest,

returned answer in some lines almost too illegible to be deciphered, but still the best his advanced life and

"I have now become," he wrote, "a poor old widower, for my beloved and faithful wife is dead. But lonely as

I now sit in my cottage, I prefer Bertalda's remaining where she is, to her living with me. Only let her do

The last words of this letter Bertalda flung to the winds; but the permission to remain from home, which her

father had granted her, she remembered and clung tojust as we are all of us wont to do in similar

One day, a few moments after Huldbrand had ridden out, Undine called together the domestics of the family,

and ordered them to bring a large stone, and carefully to cover with it a magnificent fountain, that was

situated in the middle of the castle court. The servants objected that it would oblige them to bring water from

"I am sorry, my friends," replied she, "to increase your labour; I would rather bring up the watervessels

myself: but this fountain must indeed be closed. Believe me when I say that it must be done, and that only by

The domestics were all rejoiced to gratify their gentle mistress; and making no further inquiry, they seized the

enormous stone. While they were raising it in their hands, and were now on the point of adjusting it over the

fountain, Bertalda came running to the place, and cried, with an air of command, that they must stop; that the

water she used, so improving to her complexion, was brought from this fountain, and that she would by no

This time, however, Undine, while she showed her usual gentleness, showed more than her usual resolution:

she said it belonged to her, as mistress of the house, to direct the household according to her best judgment;

"See, 0 pray see," exclaimed the dissatisfied and indignant Bertalda, "how the beautiful water is curling and

curving, winding and waving there, as if disturbed at being shut out from the bright sunshine, and from the

In truth the water of the fountain was agitated, and foaming and hissing in a surprising manner; it seemed as

if there were something within possessing life and will, that was struggling to free itself from confinement.

But Undine only the more earnestly urged the accomplishment of her commands. This earnestness was

scarcely required. The servants of the castle were as happy in obeying their gentle lady, as in opposing the

haughty spirit of Bertalda; and however the latter might scold and threaten, still the stone was in a few

minutes lying firm over the opening of the fountain. Undine leaned thoughtfully over it, and wrote with her

beautiful fingers on the flat surface. She must, however, have had something very sharp and corrosive in her

hand, for when she retired, and the domestics went up to examine the stone, they discovered various strange

When the knight returned home, toward evening, Bertalda received him with tears, and complaints of

Undine's conduct. He cast a severe glance of reproach at his poor wife, and she looked down in distress; yet

"My lord and husband, you never reprove even a bondslave before you hear his defence; how much less,

"Speak! what moved you to this singular conduct?" said the knight with a gloomy countenance.

"I could wish to tell you when we are entirely alone," said Undine, with a sigh.

"Yes, if you command me," said Undine; "but do not command mepray, pray do not!"

She looked so humble, affectionate, and obedient, that the heart of the knight was touched and softened, as if

it felt the influence of a ray from better times. He kindly took her arm within his, and led her to his apartment,

"You already know something, my beloved lord, of Kuhleborn, my evil disposed uncle, and have often felt

displeasure at meeting him in the passages of this castle. Several times has he terrified Bertalda even to

swooning. He does this because he possesses no soul, being a mere elemental mirror of the outward world,

while of the world within he can give no reflection. Then, too, he sometimes observes that you are displeased

with me, that in my childish weakness I weep at this, and that Bertalda, it may be, laughs at the same

moment. Hence it is that he imagines all is wrong with us, and in various ways mixes with our circle

unbidden. What do I gain by reproving him, by showing displeasure, and sending him away? He does not

believe a word I say. His poor nature has no idea that the joys and sorrows of love have so sweet a

resemblance, and are so intimately connected that no power on earth is able to separate them. A smile shines

She looked up at Huldbrand, smiling and weeping, and he again felt within his heart all the magic of his

former love. She perceived it, and pressed him more tenderly to her, while with tears of joy she went on thus:

"When the disturber of our peace would not be dismissed with words, I was obliged to shut the door upon

him; and the only entrance by which he has access to us is that fountain. His connection with the other

waterspirits here in this region is cut off by the valleys that border upon us; and his kingdom first

commences farther off on the Danube, in whose tributary streams some of his good friends have their abode.

For this reason I caused the stone to be placed over the opening of the fountain, and inscribed characters upon

it, which baffle all the efforts of my suspicious uncle; so that he now has no power of intruding either upon

you or me, or Bertalda. Human beings, it is true, notwithstanding the characters I have inscribed there, are

able to raise the stone without any extraordinary trouble; there is nothing to prevent them. If you choose,

therefore, remove it, according to Bertalda's desire; but she assuredly knows not what she asks. The rude

Kuhleborn looks with peculiar illwill upon her; and should those things come to pass that he has predicted

to me, and which may happen without your meaning any evil, ah! dearest, even you yourself would be

Huldbrand felt the generosity of his gentle wife in the depth of his heart, since she had been so active in

confining her formidable defender, and even at the very moment she was reproached for it by Bertalda. He

"The stone shall remain unmoved; all remains, and ever shall remain, just as you choose to have it, my

At these longwithheld expressions of tenderness, she returned his caresses with lowly delight, and at length

"My dearest husband, since you are so kind and indulgent today, may I venture to ask a favour of you? See

now, it is with you as with summer. Even amid its highest splendour, summer puts on the flaming and

thundering crown of glorious tempests, in which it strongly resembles a king and god on earth. You, too, are

sometimes terrible in your rebukes; your eyes flash lightning, while thunder resounds in your voice; and

although this may be quite becoming to you, I in my folly cannot but sometimes weep at it. But never, I

entreat you, behave thus toward me on a river, or even when we are near any water. For if you should, my

relations would acquire a right over me. They would inexorably tear me from you in their fury, because they

would conceive that one of their race was injured; and I should be compelled, as long as I lived, to dwell

below in the crystal palaces, and never dare to ascend to you again; or should THEY SEND me up to

you!0 God! that would be far worse still. No, no, my beloved husband; let it not come to that, if your poor

He solemnly promised to do as she desired, and, inexpressibly happy and full of affection, the married pair

returned from the apartment. At this very moment Bertalda came with some workpeople whom she had

meanwhile ordered to attend her, and said with a fretful air, which she had assumed of late:

"Well, now the secret consultation is at an end, the stone may be removed. Go out, workmen, and see to it."

The knight, however, highly resenting her impertinence, said, in brief and very decisive terms: "The stone

remains where it is!" He reproved Bertalda also for the vehemence that she had shown towards his wife.

Whereupon the workmen, smiling with secret satisfaction, withdrew; while Bertalda, pale with rage, hurried

When the hour of supper came, Bertalda was waited for in vain. They sent for her; but the domestic found her

apartments empty, and brought back with him only a sealed letter, addressed to the knight. He opened it in

"I feel with shame that I am only the daughter of a poor fisherman. That I for one moment forgot this, I will

make expiation in the miserable hut of my parents. Farewell to you and your beautiful wife!"

Undine was troubled at heart. With eagerness she entreated Huldbrand to hasten after their friend, who had

flown, and bring her back with him. Alas! she had no occasion to urge him. His passion for Bertalda again

burst forth with vehemence. He hurried round the castle, inquiring whether any one had seen which way the

fair fugitive had gone. He could gain no information; and was already in the court on his horse, determining

to take at a venture the road by which he had conducted Bertalda to the castle, when there appeared a page,

who assured him that he had met the lady on the path to the Black Valley. Swift as an arrow, the knight

sprang through the gate in the direction pointed out, without hearing Undine's voice of agony, as she cried

"To the Black Valley? Oh, not there! Huldbrand, not there! Or if you will go, for Heaven's sake take me with

But when she perceived that all her calling was of no avail, she ordered her white palfrey to be instantly

saddled, and followed the knight, without permitting a single servant to accompany her.

The Black Valley lies secluded far among the mountains. What its present name may be I am unable to say.

At the time of which I am speaking, the countrypeople gave it this appellation from the deep obscurity

produced by the shadows of lofty trees, more especially by a crowded growth of firs that covered this region

of moorland. Even the brook, which bubbled between the rocks, assumed the same dark hue, and showed

nothing of that cheerful aspect which streams are wont to wear that have the blue sky immediately over them.

It was now the dusk of evening; and between the heights it had become extremely wild and gloomy. The

knight, in great anxiety, skirted the border of the brook. He was at one time fearful that, by delay, he should

allow the fugitive to advance too far before him; and then again, in his too eager rapidity, he was afraid he

might somewhere overlook and pass by her, should she be desirous of concealing herself from his search. He

had in the meantime penetrated pretty far into the valley, and might hope soon to overtake the maiden,

provided he were pursuing the right track. The fear, indeed, that he might not as yet have gained it, made his

heart beat with more and more of anxiety. In the stormy night which was now approaching, and which always

fell more fearfully over this valley, where would the delicate Bertalda shelter herself, should he fail to find

her? At last, while these thoughts were darting across his mind, he saw something white glimmer through the

branches on the ascent of the mountain. He thought he recognized Bertalda's robe; and he directed his course

towards it. But his horse refused to go forward; he reared with a fury so uncontrollable, and his master was so

unwilling to lose a moment, that (especially as he saw the thickets were altogether impassable on horseback)

he dismounted, and, having fastened his snorting steed to an elm, worked his way with caution through the

matted underwood. The branches, moistened by the cold drops of the evening dew, struck against his

forehead and cheeks; distant thunder muttered from the further side of the mountains; and everything put on

so strange an appearance, that he began to feel a dread of the white figure, which now lay at a short distance

from him upon the ground. Still, he could see distinctly that it was a female, either asleep or in a swoon, and

dressed in long white garments such as Bertalda had worn the past day. Approaching quite near to her, he

made a rustling with the branches and a ringing with his sword; but she did not move.

"Bertalda!" he cried, at first low, then louder and louder; yet she heard him not. At last, when he uttered the

dear name with an energy yet more powerful, a hollow echo from the mountainsummits around the valley

returned the deadened sound, "Bertalda!" Still the sleeper continued insensible. He stooped down; but the

duskiness of the valley, and the obscurity of twilight would not allow him to distinguish her features. While,

with painful uncertainty, he was bending over her, a flash of lightning suddenly shot across the valley. By

this stream of light he saw a frightfully distorted visage close to his own, and a hoarse voice reached his ear:

"You enamoured swain, give me a kiss!" Huldbrand sprang upon his feet with a cry of horror, and the

"Go home!" it cried, with a deep murmur: "the fiends are abroad. Go home! or I have you!" And it stretched

"Malicious Kuhleborn!" exclaimed the knight, with restored energy; "if Kuhleborn you are, what business

have you here?what's your will, you goblin? There, take your kiss!" And in fury he struck his sword at the

form. But it vanished like vapour; and a rush of water, which wetted him through and through, left him in no

"He wishes to frighten me back from my pursuit of Bertalda," said he to himself. "He imagines that I shall be

terrified at his senseless tricks, and resign the poor distressed maiden to his power, so that he can wreak his

vengeance upon her at will. But that he shall not, weak spirit of the flood! What the heart of man can do,

when it exerts the full force of its will and of its noblest powers, the poor goblin cannot fathom."

He felt the truth of his words, and that they had inspired his heart with fresh courage. Fortune, too, appeared

to favour him; for, before reaching his fastened steed, he distinctly heard the voice of Bertalda, weeping not

far before him, amid the roar of the thunder and the tempest, which every moment increased. He flew swiftly

towards the sound, and found the trembling maiden, just as she was attempting to climb the steep, hoping to

escape from the dreadful darkness of this valley. He drew near her with expressions of love; and bold and

proud as her resolution had so lately been, she now felt nothing but joy that the man whom she so

passionately loved should rescue her from this frightful solitude, and thus call her back to the joyful life in the

castle. She followed almost unresisting, but so spent with fatigue, that the knight was glad to bring her to his

horse, which he now hastily unfastened from the elm, in order to lift the fair wanderer upon him, and then to

But, owing to the wild apparition of Kuhleborn, the horse had become wholly unmanageable. Rearing and

wildly snorting as he was, the knight must have used uncommon effort to mount the beast himself; to place

the trembling Bertalda upon him was impossible. They were compelled, therefore, to return home on foot.

While with one hand the knight drew the steed after him by the bridle, he supported the tottering Bertalda

with the other. She exerted all the strengths in her power in order to escape speedily from this vale of terrors.

But weariness weighed her down like lead; and all her limbs trembled, partly in consequence of what she had

suffered from the extreme terror which Kuhleborn had already caused her, and partly from her present fear at

At last she slid from the arm of the knight; and sinking upon the moss, she said: "Only let me lie here, my

noble lord. I suffer the punishment due to my folly; and I must perish here through faintness and dismay."

"Never, gentle lady, will I leave you," cried Huldbrand, vainly trying to restrain the furious animal he was

leading, for the horse was all in a foam, and began to chafe more ungovernably than before, till the knight

was glad to keep him at such a distance from the exhausted maiden as to save her from a new alarm. But

hardly had he withdrawn five steps with the frantic steed when she began to call after him in the most

sorrowful accents, fearful that he would actually leave her in this horrible wilderness. He was at a loss what

course to take. He would gladly have given the enraged beast his liberty; he would have let him rush away

amid the night and exhaust his fury, had he not feared that in this narrow defile his ironshod hoofs might

In this extreme peril and embarrassment he heard with delight the rumbling wheels of a waggon as it came

slowly descending the stony way behind them. He called out for help; answer was returned in the deep voice

of a man, bidding them have patience, but promising assistance; and two grey horses soon after shone

through the bushes, and near them their driver in the white frock of a carter; and next appeared a great sheet

of white linen, with which the goods he seemed to be conveying were covered. The greys, in obedience to a

shout from their master, stood still. He came up to the knight, and aided him in checking the fury of the

"I know well enough," said he, "what is the matter with the brute. The first time I travelled this way my

horses were just as wilful and headstrong as yours. The reason is, there is a waterspirit haunts this

valleyand a wicked wight they say he iswho takes delight in mischief and witcheries of this sort. But I

have learned a charm; and if you will let me whisper it in your horse's ear, he will stand just as quiet as my

"Try your luck, then, and help us as quickly as possible!" said the impatient knight.

Upon this the waggoner drew down the head of the rearing courser close to his own, and spoke some words

in his ear. The animal instantly stood still and subdued; only his quick panting and smoking sweat showed his

Huldbrand had little time to inquire by what means this had been effected. He agreed with the man that he

should take Bertalda in his waggon, where, as he said, a quantity of soft cotton was stowed, and he might in

this way convey her to Castle Ringstetten. The knight could accompany them on horseback. But the horse

appeared to be too much exhausted to carry his master so far. Seeing this, the man advised him to mount the

The knight accepted his offer, and entered the waggon with Bertalda. The horse followed patiently after,

Amid the silence and deepening obscurity of the night, the tempest sounding more and more remote, in the

comfortable feeling of their security, a confidential conversation arose between Huldbrand and Bertalda. He

reproached her in the most flattering words for her resentful flight. She excused herself with humility and

feeling; and from every tone of her voice it shone out, like a lamp guiding to the beloved through night and

darkness, that Huldbrand was still dear to her. The knight felt the sense of her words rather than heard the

Then the waggoner suddenly shouted, with a startling voice: "Up, my greys, up with your feet! Hey, now

The knight bent over the side of the waggon, and saw that the horses had stepped into the midst of a foaming

stream, and were, indeed, almost swimming, while the wheels of the waggon were rushing round and flashing

like millwheels; and the waggoner had got on before, to avoid the swell of the flood.

"What sort of a road is this? It leads into the middle of the stream!" cried Huldbrand to his guide.

"Not at all, sir," returned he, with a laugh; "it is just the contrary. The stream is running in the middle of our

The whole valley, in fact, was in commotion, as the waters, suddenly raised and visibly rising, swept over it.

"It is Kuhleborn, that evil waterspirit, who wishes to drown us!" exclaimed the knight. "Have you no charm

"I have one," answered the waggoner; "but I cannot and must not make use of it before you know who I am."

"Is this a time for riddles?" cried the knight. "The flood is every moment rising higher; and what does it

Thus speaking he thrust his head into the waggon, and laughed with a distorted visage. But the waggon

remained a waggon no longer; the grey horses were horses no longer; all was transformed to foamall sank

into the waters that rushed and hissed around them; while the waggoner himself, rising in the form of a

gigantic wave, dragged the vainlystruggling courser under the waters, then rose again huge as a liquid

tower, swept over the heads of the floating pair, and was on the point of burying them irrecoverably beneath

it. Then the soft voice of Undine was heard through the uproar; the moon emerged from the clouds; and by its

light Undine was seen on the heights above the valley. She rebuked, she threatened the floods below her. The

menacing and towerlike billow vanished, muttering and murmuring; the waters gently flowed away under

the beams of the moon; while Undine, like a hovering white dove, flew down from the hill, raised the knight

and Bertalda, and bore them to a green spot, where, by her earnest efforts, she soon restored them and

dispelled their terrors. She then assisted Bertalda to mount the white palfrey on which she had herself been

borne to the valley; and thus all three returned homeward to Castle Ringstetten.

After this last adventure they lived at the castle undisturbed and in peaceful enjoyment. The knight was more

and more impressed with the heavenly goodness of his wife, which she had so nobly shown by her instant

pursuit and by the rescue she had effected in the Black Valley, where the power of Kuhleborn again

commenced. Undine herself enjoyed that peace and security which never fails the soul as long as it knows

distinctly that it is on the right path; and besides, in the newlyawakened love and regard of her husband, a

Bertalda, on the other hand, showed herself grateful, humble, and timid, without taking to herself any merit

for so doing. Whenever Huldbrand or Undine began to explain to her their reasons for covering the fountain,

or their adventures in the Black Valley, she would earnestly entreat them to spare her the recital, for the

recollection of the fountain occasioned her too much shame, and that of the Black Valley too much terror.

She learnt nothing more about either of them; and what would she have gained from more knowledge? Peace

and joy had visibly taken up their abode at Castle Ringstetten. They enjoyed their present blessings in perfect

security, and now imagined that life could produce nothing but pleasant flowers and fruits.

In this happiness winter came and passed away; and spring, with its foliage of tender green, and its heaven of

softest blue, succeeded to gladden the hearts of the three inmates of the castle. The season was in harmony

with their minds, and their minds imparted their own hues to the season. What wonder, then, that its storks

and swallows inspired them also with a disposition to travel? On a bright morning, while they were

wandering down to one of the sources of the Danube, Huldbrand spoke of the magnificence of this noble

stream, how it continued swelling as it flowed through countries enriched by its waters, with what splendour

Vienna rose and sparkled on its banks, and how it grew lovelier and more imposing throughout its progress.

"It must be glorious to trace its course down to Vienna!" Bertalda exclaimed, with warmth; but immediately

resuming the humble and modest demeanour she had recently shown, she paused and blushed in silence.

This much moved Undine; and with the liveliest wish to gratify her friend, she said, "What hinders our taking

Bertalda leapt up with delight, and the two friends at the same moment began painting this enchanting voyage

on the Danube in the most brilliant colours. Huldbrand, too, agreed to the project with pleasure; only he once

"Let him come, let him come," she answered with a laugh; "I shall be there, and he dares do none of his

Thus was the last impediment removed. They prepared for the expedition, and soon set out upon it with lively

But be not surprised, 0 man, if events almost always happen very differently from what you expect. That

malicious power which lies in ambush for our destruction delights to lull its chosen victim asleep with sweet

songs and golden delusions; while, on the other hand, the messenger of heaven often strikes sharply at our

During the first days of their passage down the Danube they were unusually happy. The further they

advanced upon the waters of this proud river, the views became more and more fair. But amid scenes

otherwise most delicious, and from which they had promised themselves the purest delight, the stubborn

Kuhleborn, dropping all disguise, began to show his power of annoying them. He had no other means of

doing this, indeed, than by tricksfor Undine often rebuked the swelling waves or the contrary winds, and

then the insolence of the enemy was instantly humbled and subdued; but his attacks were renewed, and

Undine's reproofs again became necessary, so that the pleasure of the fellowtravellers was completely

destroyed. The boatmen, too, were continually whispering to one another in dismay, and eying their three

superiors with distrust, while even the servants began more and more to form dismal surmises, and to watch

Huldbrand often said in his own mind, "This comes when like marries not likewhen a man forms an

unnatural union with a seamaiden." Excusing himself, as we all love to do, he would add: "I did not, in fact,

know that she was a maid of the sea. It is my misfortune that my steps are haunted and disturbed by the wild

By reflections like these, he felt himself in some measure strengthened; but, on the other hand, he felt the

more illhumour, almost dislike, towards Undine. He would look angrily at her, and the unhappy wife but too

well understood his meaning. One day, grieved by this unkindness, as well as exhausted by her unremitted

exertions to frustrate the artifices of Kuhleborn, she toward evening fell into a deep slumber, rocked and

soothed by the gentle motion of the bark. But hardly had she closed her eyes, when every person in the boat,

in whatever direction he might look, saw the head of a man, frightful beyond imagination: each head rose out

of the waves, not like that of a person swimming, but quite perpendicular, as if firmly fastened to the watery

mirror, and yet moving on with the bark. Every one wished to show to his companion what terrified himself,

and each perceived the same expression of horror on the face of the other, only hands and eyes were directed

to a different quarter, as if to a point where the monster, half laughing and half threatening, rose opposite to

When, however, they wished to make one another understand the site, and all cried out, "Look, there!" "No,

there!" the frightful heads all became visible to each, and the whole river around the boat swarmed with the

most horrible faces. All raised a scream of terror at the sight, and Undine started from sleep. As she opened

her eyes, the deformed visages disappeared. But Huldbrand was made furious by so many hideous visions.

He would have burst out in wild imprecations, had not Undine with the meekest looks and gentlest tone of

"For God's sake, my husband, do not express displeasure against me herewe are on the water."

The knight was silent, and sat down absorbed in deep thought. Undine whispered in his ear, "Would it not be

better, my love, to give up this foolish voyage, and return to Castle Ringstetten in peace?"

But Huldbrand murmured wrathfully: "So I must become a prisoner in my own castle, and not be allowed to

breathe a moment but while the fountain is covered? Would to Heaven that your cursed kindred"

Then Undine pressed her fair hand on his lips caressingly. He said no more; but in silence pondered on all

Bertalda, meanwhile, had given herself up to a crowd of thronging thoughts. Of Undine's origin she knew a

good deal, but not the whole; and the terrible Kuhleborn especially remained to her an awful, an impenetrable

mysterynever, indeed, had she once heard his name. Musing upon these wondrous things, she unclasped,

without being fully conscious of what she was doing, a golden necklace, which Huldbrand, on one of the

preceding days of their passage, had bought for her of a travelling trader; and she was now letting it float in

sport just over the surface of the stream, while in her dreamy mood she enjoyed the bright reflection it threw

on the water, so clear beneath the glow of evening. That instant a huge hand flashed suddenly up from the

Danube, seized the necklace in its grasp, and vanished with it beneath the flood. Bertalda shrieked aloud, and

The knight could now restrain his wrath no longer. He started up, poured forth a torrent of reproaches, heaped

curses upon all who interfered with his friends and troubled his life, and dared them all, waterspirits or

Bertalda, meantime, wept for the loss of the ornament so very dear to her heart, and her tears were to

Huldbrand as oil poured upon the flame of his fury; while Undine held her hand over the side of the boat,

dipping it in the waves, softly murmuring to herself, and only at times interrupting her strange mysterious

"Do not reprove me here, beloved; blame all others as you will, but not me. You know why!" And in truth,

though he was trembling with excess of passion, he kept himself from any word directly against her.

She then brought up in her wet hand, which she had been holding under the waves, a coral necklace, of such

exquisite beauty, such sparkling brilliancy, as dazzled the eyes of all who beheld it. "Take this," said she,

holding it out kindly to Bertalda, "I have ordered it to be brought to make some amends for your loss; so do

But the knight rushed between then, and snatching the beautiful ornament out of Undine's hand, hurled it

back into the flood; and, mad with rage, exclaimed: "So, then, you have still a connection with them! In the

name of all witches go and remain among them with your presents, you sorceress, and leave us human beings

With fixed but streaming eyes, poor Undine gazed on him, her hand still stretched out, just as when she had

so lovingly offered her brilliant gift to Bertalda. She then began to weep more and more, as if her heart would

break, like an innocent tender child, cruelly aggrieved. At last, wearied out, she said: "Farewell, dearest,

farewell. They shall do you no harm; only remain true, that I may have power to keep them from you. But I

must go hence! go hence even in this early youth! Oh, woe, woe! what have you done! Oh, woe, woe!"

And she vanished over the side of the boat. Whether she plunged into the stream, or whether, like water

melting into water, she flowed away with it, they knew nother disappearance was like both and neither.

But she was lost in the Danube, instantly and completely; only little waves were yet whispering and sobbing

around the boat, and they could almost be heard to say, "Oh, woe, woe! Ah, remain true! Oh, woe!"

But Huldbrand, in a passion of burning tears, threw himself upon the deck of the bark; and a deep swoon

Shall we call it a good or an evil thing, that our mourning has no long duration? I mean that deep mourning

which comes from the very wellsprings of our being, which so becomes one with the lost objects of our love

that we hardly realize their loss, while our grief devotes itself religiously to the honouring of their image until

Truly all good men observe in a degree this religious devotion; but yet it soon ceases to be that first deep

grief. Other and new images throng in, until, to our sorrow, we experience the vanity of all earthly things.

The lord of Ringstetten experienced this; but whether for his good, we shall discover in the sequel of this

history. At first he could do nothing but weepweep as bitterly as the poor gentle Undine had wept when he

snatched out of her hand that brilliant ornament, with which she so kindly wished to make amends for

Bertalda's loss. And then he stretched his hand out, as she had done, and wept again like her, with renewed

violence. He cherished a secret hope, that even the springs of life would at last become exhausted by

weeping. And has not the like thought passed through the minds of many of us with a painful pleasure in

times of sore affliction? Bertalda wept with him; and they lived together a long while at the castle of

Ringstetten in undisturbed quiet, honouring the memory of Undine, and having almost wholly forgotten their

former attachment. And therefore the good Undine, about this time, often visited Huldbrand's dreams: she

soothed him with soft and affectionate caresses, and then went away again, weeping in silence; so that when

he awoke, he sometimes knew not how his cheeks came to be so wetwhether it was caused by her tears, or

But as time advanced, these visions became less frequent, and the sorrow of the knight less keen; still he

might never, perhaps, have entertained any other wish than thus quietly to think of Undine, and to speak of

her, had not the old fisherman arrived unexpectedly at the castle, and earnestly insisted on Bertalda's

returning with him as his child. He had received information of Undine's disappearance; and he was not

willing to allow Bertalda to continue longer at the castle with the widowed knight. "For," said he, "whether

my daughter loves me or not is at present what I care not to know; but her good name is at stake: and where

This resolution of the old fisherman, and the fearful solitude that, on Bertalda's departure, threatened to

oppress the knight in every hall and passage of the deserted castle, brought to light what had disappeared in

his sorrow for Undine,I mean, his attachment to the fair Bertalda; and this he made known to her father.

The fisherman had many objections to make to the proposed marriage. The old man had loved Undine with

exceeding tenderness, and it was doubtful to his mind that the mere disappearance of his beloved child could

be properly viewed as her death. But were it even granted that her corpse were lying stiff and cold at the

bottom of the Danube, or swept away by the current to the ocean, still Bertalda had had some share in her

death; and it was unfitting for her to step into the place of the poor injured wife. The fisherman, however, had

felt a strong regard also for the knight: this and the entreaties of his daughter, who had become much more

gentle and respectful, as well as her tears for Undine, all exerted their influence, and he must at last have been

forced to give up his opposition, for he remained at the castle without objection, and a messenger was sent off

express to Father Heilmann, who in former and happier days had united Undine and Huldbrand, requesting

Hardly had the holy man read through the letter from the lord of Ringstetten, ere he set out upon the journey

and made much greater dispatch on his way to the castle than the messenger from it had made in reaching

him. Whenever his breath failed him in his rapid progress, or his old limbs ached with fatigue, he would say

"Perhaps I shall be able to prevent a sin; then sink not, withered body, before I arrive at the end of my

journey!" And with renewed vigour he pressed forward, hurrying on without rest or repose, until, late one

The betrothed were sitting side by side under the trees, and the aged fisherman in a thoughtful mood sat near

them. The moment they saw Father Heilmann, they rose with a spring of joy, and pressed round him with

eager welcome. But he, in a few words, asked the bridegroom to return with him into the castle; and when

Huldbrand stood mute with surprise, and delayed complying with his earnest request, the pious preacher said

"I do not know why I should want to speak to you in private; what I have to say as much concerns Bertalda

and the fisherman as yourself; and what we must at some time hear, it is best to hear as soon as possible. Are

you, then, so very certain, Knight Huldbrand, that your first wife is actually dead? I can hardly think it. I will

say nothing, indeed, of the mysterious state in which she may be now existing; I know nothing of it with

certainty. But that she was a most devoted and faithful wife is beyond all dispute. And for fourteen nights

past, she has appeared to me in a dream, standing at my bedside wringing her tender hands in anguish, and

sighing out, 'Ah, prevent him, dear father! I am still living! Ah, save his life! Ah, save his soul!'

"I did not understand what this vision of the night could mean, then came your messenger; and I have now

hastened hither, not to unite, but, as I hope, to separate what ought not to be joined together. Leave her,

Huldbrand! leave him, Bertalda! He still belongs to another; and do you not see on his pale cheek his grief for

his lost wife? That is not the look of a bridegroom; and the spirit says to me, that 'if you do not leave him you

The three felt in their inmost hearts that Father Heilmann spoke the truth; but they would not believe it. Even

the old fisherman was so infatuated, that he thought it could not be otherwise than as they had latterly settled

amongst themselves. They all, therefore, with a determined and gloomy eagerness, struggled against the

representations and warnings of the priest, until, shaking his head and oppressed with sorrow, he finally

quitted the castle, not choosing to accept their offered shelter even for a single night, or indeed so much as to

taste a morsel of the refreshment they brought him. Huldbrand persuaded himself, however, that the priest

was a mere visionary; and sent at daybreak to a monk of the nearest monastery, who, without scruple,

It was between night and dawn of day that Huldbrand was lying on his couch, half waking and half sleeping.

Whenever he attempted to compose himself to sleep, a terror came upon him and scared him, as if his

slumbers were haunted with spectres. But he made an effort to rouse himself fully. He felt fanned as by the

wings of a swan, and lulled as by the murmuring of waters, till in sweet confusion of the senses he sank back

At last, however, he must have fallen perfectly asleep; for he seemed to be lifted up by wings of the swans,

and to be wafted far away over land and sea, while their music swelled on his ear most sweetly. "The music

of the swan! the song of the swan!" he could not but repeat to himself every moment; "is it not a sure

foreboding of death?" Probably, however, it had yet another meaning. All at once he seemed to be hovering

over the Mediterranean Sea. A swan sang melodiously in his ear, that this was the Mediterranean Sea. And

while he was looking down upon the waves, they became transparent as crystal, so that he could see through

At this a thrill of delight shot through him, for he could see Undine where she was sitting beneath the clear

crystal dome. It is true she was weeping very bitterly, and looked much sadder than in those happy days when

they lived together at the castle of Ringstetten, both on their arrival and afterward, just before they set out

upon their fatal passage down the Danube. The knight could not help thinking upon all this with deep

Kuhleborn had meanwhile approached her, and was about to reprove her for weeping, when she drew herself

up, and looked upon him with an air so majestic and commanding, that he almost shrank back.

"Although I now dwell here beneath the waters," said she, "yet I have brought my soul with me. And

therefore I may weep, little as you can know what such tears are. They are blessed, as everything is blessed to

He shook his head incredulously; and after some thought, replied, "And yet, niece, you are subject to our

laws, as a being of the same nature with ourselves; and should HE prove unfaithful to you and marry again,

"He remains a widower to this very hour," replied Undine, "and I am still dear to his sorrowful heart."

"He is, however, betrothed," said Kuhleborn, with a laugh of scorn; "and let only a few days wear away, and

then comes the priest with his nuptial blessing; and then you must go up to the death of the husband with two

"I have not the power," returned Undine, with a smile. "I have sealed up the fountain securely against myself

"Still, should he leave his castle," said Kuhleborn, "or should he once allow the fountain to be uncovered,

"For that very reason," said Undine, still smiling amid her tears, "for that very reason he is at this moment

hovering in spirit over the Mediterranean Sea, and dreaming of the warning which our discourse gives him. I

That instant, Kuhleborn, inflamed with rage, looked up at the knight, wrathfully threatened him, stamped on

the ground, and then shot like an arrow beneath the waves. He seemed to swell in his fury to the size of a

whale. Again the swans began to sing, to wave their wings and fly; the knight seemed to soar away over

mountains and streams, and at last to alight at Castle Ringstetten, and to awake on his couch.

Upon his couch he actually did awake; and his attendant entering at the same moment, informed him that

Father Heilmann was still lingering in the neighbourhood; that he had the evening before met with him in the

forest, where he was sheltering himself under a hut, which he had formed by interweaving the branches of

trees, and covering them with moss and fine brushwood; and that to the question "What he was doing there,

"There are many other blessings than those given at marriages; and though I did not come to officiate at the

wedding, I may still officiate at a very different solemnity. All things have their seasons; we must be ready

for them all. Besides, marrying and mourning are by no means so very unlike; as every one not wilfully

The knight made many bewildered reflections on these words and on his dream. But it is very difficult to give

up a thing which we have once looked upon as certain; so all continued as had been arranged previously.

Should I relate to you how passed the marriagefeast at Castle Ringstetten, it would be as if you saw a heap

of bright and pleasant things, but all overspread with a black mourning crape, through whose darkening veil

their brilliancy would appear but a mockery of the nothingness of all earthly joys.

It was not that any spectral delusion disturbed the scene of festivity; for the castle, as we well know, had been

secured against the mischief of waterspirits. But the knight, the fisherman, and all the guests were unable to

banish the feeling that the chief personage of the feast was still wanting, and that this chief personage could

Whenever a door was heard to open, all eyes were involuntarily turned in that direction; and if it was nothing

but the steward with new dishes, or the cupbearer with a supply of wine of higher flavour than the last, they

again looked down in sadness and disappointment, while the flashes of wit and merriment which had been

passing at times from one to another, were extinguished by tears of mournful remembrance.

The bride was the least thoughtful of the company, and therefore the most happy; but even to her it

sometimes seemed strange that she should be sitting at the head of the table, wearing a green wreath and

goldembroidered robe, while Undine was lying a corpse, stiff and cold, at the bottom of the Danube, or

carried out by the current into the ocean. For ever since her father had suggested something of this sort, his

words were continually sounding in her ear; and this day, in particular, they would neither fade from her

Evening had scarcely arrived, when the company returned to their homes; not dismissed by the impatience of

the bridegroom, as wedding parties are sometimes broken up, but constrained solely by heavy sadness and

forebodings of evil. Bertalda retired with her maidens, and the knight with his attendants, to undress, but

there was no gay laughing company of bridesmaids and bridesmen at this mournful festival.

Bertalda wished to awaken more cheerful thoughts; she ordered her maidens to spread before her a brilliant

set of jewels, a present from Huldbrand, together with rich apparel and veils, that she might select from

among them the brightest and most beautiful for her dress in the morning. The attendants rejoiced at this

opportunity of pouring forth good wishes and promises of happiness to their young mistress, and failed not to

extol the beauty of the bride with the most glowing eloquence. This went on for a long time, until Bertalda at

"Ah, but do you not see plainly how freckled I am growing? Look here on the side of my neck."

They looked at the place, and found the freckles, indeed, as their fair mistress had said; but they called them

mere beauty spots, the faintest touches of the sun, such as would only heighten the whiteness of her delicate

complexion. Bertalda shook her head, and still viewed them as a blemish. "And I could remove them," she

said at last, sighing. "But the castle fountain is covered, from which I formerly used to have that precious

water, so purifying to the skin. Oh, had I this evening only a single flask of it!"

"Is that all?" cried an alert waitingmaid, laughing as she glided out of the apartment.

"She will not be so foolish," said Bertalda, wellpleased and surprised, "as to cause the stone cover of the

fountain to be taken off this very evening?" That instant they heard the tread of men passing along the

courtyard, and could see from the window where the officious maiden was leading them directly up to the

fountain, and that they carried levers and other instruments on their shoulders.

"It is certainly my will," said Bertalda with a smile, "if it does not take them too long." And pleased with the

thought, that a word from her was now sufficient to accomplish what had formerly been refused with a

painful reproof, she looked down upon their operations in the bright moonlit castlecourt.

The men raised the enormous stone with an effort; some one of the number indeed would occasionally sigh,

when he recollected they were destroying the work of their former beloved mistress. Their labour, however,

was much lighter than they had expected. It seemed as if some power from within the fountain itself aided

"It appears," said the workmen to one another in astonishment, "as if the confined water had become a

springing fountain." And the stone rose more and more, and, almost without the assistance of the work

people, rolled slowly down upon the pavement with a hollow sound. But an appearance from the opening of

the fountain filled them with awe, as it rose like a white column of water; at first they imagined it really to be

a fountain, until they perceived the rising form to be a pale female, veiled in white. She wept bitterly, raised

her hands above her head, wringing them sadly as with slow and solemn step she moved toward the castle.

The servants shrank back, and fled from the spring, while the bride, pale and motionless with horror, stood

with her maidens at the window. When the figure had now come close beneath their room, it looked up to

them sobbing, and Bertalda thought she recognized through the veil the pale features of Undine. But the

mourning form passed on, sad, reluctant, and lingering, as if going to the place of execution. Bertalda

screamed to her maids to call the knight; not one of them dared to stir from her place; and even the bride

While they continued standing at the window, motionless as statues, the mysterious wanderer had entered the

castle, ascended the well known stairs, and traversed the wellknown halls in silent tears. Alas, how

The knight had in the meantime dismissed his attendants. Half undressed and in deep dejection, he was

standing before a large mirror, a wax taper burned dimly beside him. At this moment some one tapped at his

door very, very softly. Undine had formerly tapped in this way, when she was playing some of her endearing

"You must indeed, but to a cold one!" he heard a voice, choked with sobs, repeat from without; and then he

saw in the mirror, that the door of his room was slowly, slowly opened, and the white figure entered, and

"They have opened the spring," said she in a low tone; "and now I am here, and you must die."

He felt, in his failing breath, that this must indeed be; but covering his eyes with his hands, he cried: "Do not

in my deathhour, do not make me mad with terror. If that veil conceals hideous features, do not lift it! Take

"Alas!" replied the pale figure, "will you not then look upon me once more? I am as fair now as when you

"Oh, if it indeed were so," sighed Huldbrand, "and that I might die by a kiss from you!"

"Most willingly, my own love," said she. She threw back her veil; heavenly fair shone forth her pure

countenance. Trembling with love and the awe of approaching death, the knight leant towards her. She kissed

him with a holy kiss; but she relaxed not her hold, pressing him more closely in her arms, and weeping as if

she would weep away her soul. Tears rushed into the knight's eyes, while a thrill both of bliss and agony shot

through his heart, until he at last expired, sinking softly back from her fair arms upon the pillow of his couch

"I have wept him to death!" said she to some domestics, who met her in the antechamber; and passing

through the terrified group, she went slowly out, and disappeared in the fountain.

Father Heilmann had returned to the castle as soon as the death of the lord of Ringstetten was made known in

the neighbourhood; and he arrived at the very hour when the monk who had married the unfortunate couple

When Father Heilmann was informed of this, he replied, "It is all well; and now come the duties of my office,

He then began to console the bride, now a widow though with little benefit to her worldly and thoughtless

The old fisherman, on the other hand, though severely afflicted, was far more resigned to the fate of his

soninlaw and daughter; and while Bertalda could not refrain from accusing Undine as a murderess and

sorceress, the old man calmly said, "After all, it could not happen otherwise. I see nothing in it but the

judgment of God; and no one's heart was more pierced by the death of Huldbrand than she who was obliged

He then assisted in arranging the funeral solemnities as suited the rank of the deceased. The knight was to be

interred in the village churchyard, in whose consecrated ground were the graves of his ancestors; a place

which they, as well as himself, had endowed with rich privileges and gifts. His shield and helmet lay upon his

coffin, ready to be lowered with it into the grave, for Lord Huldbrand of Ringstetten had died the last of his

race. The mourners began their sorrowful march, chanting their melancholy songs beneath the calm

unclouded heaven; Father Heilmann preceded the procession, bearing a high crucifix, while the inconsolable

Then they suddenly saw in the midst of the mourning females in the widow's train, a snowwhite figure

closely veiled, and wringing its hands in the wild vehemence of sorrow. Those next to whom it moved, seized

with a secret dread, started back or on one side; and owing to their movements, the others, next to whom the

white stranger now came, were terrified still more, so as to produce confusion in the funeral train. Some of

the military escort ventured to address the figure, and attempt to remove it from the procession, but it seemed

to vanish from under their hands, and yet was immediately seen advancing again, with slow and solemn step,

among the followers of the body. At last, in consequence of the shrinking away of the attendants, it came

close behind Bertalda. It now moved so slowly, that the widow was not aware of its presence, and it walked

This continued until they came to the churchyard, where the procession formed a circle round the open

grave. Then it was that Bertalda perceived her unbidden companion, and, half in anger and half in terror, she

commanded her to depart from the knight's place of final rest. But the veiled female, shaking her head with a

gentle denial, raised her hands towards Bertalda in lowly supplication, by which she was greatly moved, and

could not but remember with tears how Undine had shown such sweetness of spirit on the Danube when she

Father Heilmann now motioned with his hand, and gave order for all to observe perfect stillness, that they

might breathe a prayer of silent devotion over the body, upon which earth had already been thrown. Bertalda

knelt without speaking; and all knelt, even the grave diggers, who had now finished their work. But when

they arose, the white stranger had disappeared. On the spot where she had knelt, a little spring, of silver

brightness, was gushing out from the green turf, and it kept swelling and flowing onward with a low murmur,

till it almost encircled the mound of the knight's grave; it then continued its course, and emptied itself into a

calm lake, which lay by the side of the consecrated ground. Even to this day, the inhabitants of the village

point out the spring; and hold fast the belief that it is the poor deserted Undine, who in this manner still