THE EVENING BEFORE THE WEDDING.
"God bless the little ones! But when one considers how little of a
rarity children are in this world, one has only to open one's mouth to
say so, and people are all up in arms and make such a stir and such an
ado about their little ones! Heart's-dearest! People may call them
angels as much as ever they will, but I would willingly have my knees
free from them! But worst of all is it with the first child in a family!
Oh, it is a happiness and a miracle, and cannot be enough overloaded
with caresses and presents from father and mother, and aunts and
cousins, and all the world. Does it scream and roar--then it is a
budding genius; is it silent--then it is a philosopher in its cradle;
and scarcely is it eight days old but it understands Swedish and almost
German also! And--it bites, the sweet angel!--it has got a tooth! It
bites properly. Ah, it is divine! Then comes the second child:--it is by
far less wonderful already; its cry and its teeth are not half so
extraordinary. The third comes;--it is all over with miracles now! the
aunts begin to shake their heads, and say, 'no lack of heirs in the
house! Nay, nay, may there be only enough to feed them all.' After this
comes a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth--yes, then people's wits are
set in full play! The parents resign themselves, but the friends defend
themselves! Heart's-dearest, what is to become of it? The house full of
children, there's soon a dozen of them! Poor Mrs. This and This--it
makes one quite weak both in body and mind only to think of it! Yes,
yes, my friends, people don't put these things down in romances, but it
goes on in this way in real life! Yes!"
It was the Chamberlain's lady who preached this little sermon, in the
zeal of her spirit, to the young couple who the next day were to be man
and wife. She ate on this evening Whitsuntide-porridge[19] with the
Franks, and all the while gave sundry lessons for the future. Jacobi
laughed heartily over the history of the children, and endeavoured to
catch Louise's eye; but this was fixed upon the Postillion, which she
was arranging with a very important and grave aspect. The Judge and
Elise looked smilingly on each other, and extended to each other their
hands.
The state of feeling in the family, for the rest of the evening, was
quite rose-coloured. Letters had been received from Petrea which gave
contentment to all her friends, and Eva sate in the family circle with
returning, although as yet pale roses on her cheeks. The Judge sate
between Eva and Leonore, laying out on the map the plan of the summer
tour. They would visit Thistedal, Ringerig, and Tellemark, and would go
through Trondhiem to Norland, where people go to salute the midnight
sun.
Gabriele looked after her flowers, and watered the myrtle tree from
which next morning she would break off sprays wherewith to weave a crown
and garland for Louise. Jacobi sate near the mother, and seemed to have
much to say to her; what it was, however, nobody heard, but he often
conveyed her hand to his lips, and seemed as if he were thanking her for
his life's happiness. He looked gentle and happy. Every thing was
prepared for the morrow, so that this evening would be spent in quiet.
According to Jacobi's wish the marriage was to take place in the church,
and after this they were all to dine _en famille_. In the evening,
however, a large company was to be assembled in the S. saloon, which
with its adjoining garden had been hired for the purpose. This was
according to the wish of the father, who desired that for the last time,
perhaps for many years, his daughter should collect around her all her
acquaintance and friends, and thus should show to them, at the same
time, welcome politeness. He himself, with the help of Jacobi and
Leonore, who was everybody's assistant, had taken upon himself the
arrangement of this evening's festival, that his wife might not be
fatigued and disturbed by it.
At supper the betrothed sat side by side, and Jacobi behaved sometimes
as if he would purposely seize upon his bride's plate as well as his
own, which gave rise to many dignified looks, to settings-to-rights
again, and a deal of merriment besides.
Later in the evening, when they all went to rest, Louise found her
toilet-table covered with presents from bridegroom, parents, sisters,
and friends. A great deal of work was from Petrea. These gifts awakened
in Louise mingled feelings of joy and pain, and as she hastened yet once
again to embrace the beloved ones from whom she was about so soon to
separate, many mutual tears were shed. But evening dew is prophetic of a
bright morrow--that was the case here.
FOOTNOTES:
[19] There is some new kind of porridge for almost every week in the
year in Sweden, with which the table is most religiously served.--M. H.