CHAPTER VIII.
THE DAY AFTER THE WEDDING.
The fresh light of the morning awoke the young married pair.Wonderful and horrible dreams had disturbed Huldbrand's rest; he hadbeen haunted by spectres, who, grinning at him by stealth, had triedto disguise themselves as beautiful women, and from beautiful womenthey all at once assumed the faces of dragons, and when he startedup from these hideous visions, the moonlight shone pale and coldinto the room; terrified he looked at Undine, who still lay inunaltered beauty and grace. Then he would press a light kiss uponher rosy lips, and would fall asleep again only to be awakened bynew terrors. After he had reflected on all this, now that he wasfully awake, he reproached himself for any doubt that could have ledhim into error with regard to his beautiful wife. He begged her toforgive him for the injustice he had done her, but she only held outto him her fair hand, sighed deeply, and remained silent. But aglance of exquisite fervor beamed from her eyes such as he had neverseen before, carrying with it the full assurance that Undine borehim no ill-will. He then rose cheerfully and left her, to join hisfriends in the common apartment.
He found the three sitting round the hearth, with an air of anxietyabout them, as if they dared not venture to speak aloud. The priestseemed to be praying in his inmost spirit that all evil might beaverted. When, however, they saw the young husband come forth socheerfully the careworn expression of their faces vanished.
The old fisherman even began to jest with the knight, so pleasantly,that the aged wife smiled good-humoredly as she listened to them.Undine at length made her appearance. All rose to meet her and allstood still with surprise, for the young wife seemed so strange tothem and yet the same. The priest was the first to advance towardher with paternal arms affection beaming in his face, and, as heraised his hand to bless her, the beautiful woman sank reverently onher knees before him. With a few humble and gracious words shebegged him to forgive her for any foolish things she might have saidthe evening before, and entreated him in an agitated tone to prayfor the welfare of her soul. She then rose, kissed her foster-parents,and thanking them for all the goodness they had shown her,she exclaimed: "Oh! I now feel in my innermost heart, how much, howinfinitely much, you have done for me, dear, kind people!" She couldnot at first desist from her caresses, but scarcely had sheperceived that the old woman was busy in preparing breakfast, thanshe went to the hearth, cooked and arranged the meal, and would notsuffer the good old mother to take the least trouble.
She continued thus throughout the whole day, quiet, kind, andattentive--at once a little matron and a tender, bashful girl. Thethree who had known her longest expected every moment to see somewhimsical vagary of her capricious spirit burst forth. But theywaited in vain for it. Undine remained as mild and gentle as anangel. The holy father could not take his eyes from her, and he saidrepeatedly to the bridegroom: "The goodness of heaven, sir, hasintrusted a treasure to you yesterday through me, unworthy as I am;cherish it as you ought, and it will promote your temporal andeternal welfare."
Toward evening Undine was hanging on the knight's arm with humbletenderness, and drew him gently out of the door, where the decliningsun was shining pleasantly on the fresh grass, and upon the tall,slender stems of the trees. The eyes of the young wife were moist,as with the dew of sadness and love, and a tender and fearful secretseemed hovering on her lips, which, however, was only disclosed byscarcely audible sighs. She led her husband onward and onward insilence; when he spoke, she only answered him with looks, in which,it is true, there lay no direct reply to his inquiries, but wholeheaven of love and timid devotion. Thus they reached the edge of theswollen forest stream, and the knight was astonished to see itrippling along in gentle waves, without a trace of its formerwildness and swell. "By the morning it will be quite dry," said thebeautiful wife, in a regretful tone, "and you can then travel awaywherever you will, without anything to hinder you."
"Not without you, my little Undine," replied the knight, laughing:"remember, even if I wished to desert you, the church, and thespiritual powers, and the emperor, and the empire would interposeand bring the fugitive back again."
"All depends upon you, all depends upon you," whispered his wife,half-weeping and half-smiling. "I think, however, nevertheless, thatyou will keep me with you: I love you so heartily. Now carry meacross to that little island that lies before us. The matter shallbe decided there. I could easily indeed glide through the ripplingwaves, but it is so restful in your arms, and if you were to cast meoff, I shall have sweetly rested in them once more for the lasttime." Huldbrand, full as he was of strange fear and emotion, knewnot what to reply. He took her in his arms and carried her across,remembering now for the first time that this was the same littleisland from which he had borne her back to the old fisherman on thatfirst night. On the further side he put her down on the soft grass,and was on the point of placing himself lovingly near his beautifulburden, when she said: "No, there opposite to me! I will read mysentence in your eyes, before your lips speak; now, listenattentively to what I will relate to you." And she began:--
"You must know, my loved one, that there are beings in the elementswhich almost appear like mortals, and which rarely allow themselvesto become visible to your race. Wonderful salamanders glitter andsport in the flames; lean and malicious gnomes dwell deep within theearth; spirits, belonging to the air, wander through the forests,and a vast family of water-spirits live in the lakes, and streams,and brooks. In resounding domes of crystal, through which the skylooks in with its sun and stars, these latter spirits find theirbeautiful abode; lofty trees of coral with blue and crimson fruitsgleam in their gardens; they wander over the pure sand of the sea,and among lovely variegated shells, and amid all exquisite treasuresof the old world, which the present is no longer worthy to enjoy;all these the floods have covered with their secret veils of silver,and the noble monuments sparkle below, stately and solemn, andbedewed by the loving waters which allure from them many a beautifulmoss-flower and entwining cluster of sea-grass. Those, however, whodwell there are very fair and lovely to behold, and for the mostpart are more beautiful than human beings. Many a fisherman has beenso fortunate as to surprise some tender mermaid as she rose abovethe waters and sang. He would tell afar of her beauty, and suchwonderful beings have been given the name of Undines. You, however,are now actually beholding an Undine."
The knight tried to persuade himself that his beautiful wife wasunder the spell of one of her strange humors, and that she wastaking pleasure in teasing him with one of her extravagantinventions. But repeatedly as he said this to himself, he could notbelieve it for a moment; a strange shudder passed through him;unable to utter a word, he stared at the beautiful narrator with animmovable gaze. Undine shook her head sorrowfully, drew a deep sigh,and then proceeded as follows:--
"Our condition would be far superior to that of other humanbeings--for human beings we call ourselves, being similar to them in formand culture--but there is one evil peculiar to us. We and our likein the other elements, vanish into dust and pass away, body andspirit, so that not a vestige of us remains behind; and when youmortals hereafter awake to a purer life, we remain with the sand andthe sparks and the wind and the waves. Hence we have also no souls;the element moves us, and is often obedient to us while we live,though it scatters us to dust when we die; and we are merry, withouthaving aught to grieve us--merry as the nightingales and the littlegold-fishes and other pretty children of nature. But all thingsaspire to be higher than they are. Thus, my father, who is apowerful water-prince in the Mediterranean Sea, desired that hisonly daughter should become possessed of a soul, even though shemust then endure many of the sufferings of those thus endowed. Suchas we are, however, can only obtain a soul by the closest union ofaffection with one of your human race. I am now possessed of a soul,and my soul thanks you, my inexpressibly beloved one, and it willever thank you, if you do not make my whole life miserable. For whatis to become of me, if you avoid and reject me? Still, I would notretain you by deceit. And if you mean to reject
me, do so now, andreturn alone to the shore. I will dive into this brook, which is myuncle; and here in the forest, far removed from other friends, hepasses his strange and solitary life. He is, however, powerful, andis esteemed and beloved by many great streams; and as he brought mehither to the fisherman, a light-hearted, laughing child, he willtake me back again to my parents, a loving, suffering, andsoul-endowed woman."
She was about to say still more, but Huldbrand embraced her with themost heartfelt emotion and love, and bore her back again to theshore. It was not till he reached it, that he swore amid tears andkisses, never to forsake his sweet wife, calling himself more happythan the Greek Pygmalion, whose beautiful statue received life fromVenus and became his loved one. In endearing confidence, Undinewalked back to the cottage, leaning on his arm; feeling now for thefirst time, with all her heart, how little she ought to regret theforsaken crystal palaces of her mysterious father.