Let us go to Liana, with whom the riddles dwell! On the morning after
the illuminated night she felt, upon reflection, for the first time,
the horrible effort with which she had kept the promise of silence made
to her parents; she sank down with unstrung energies, but also with
renewed and ardent fidelity. "What," she kept continually saying to
herself,--"what then had this noble man done to deserve that I should
cause him a whole evening full of pangs? How often he looked at me
imploringly and judgingly! O that I might have been permitted to hold
up thy beautiful head, when thou leanedst it heavily against the rough
pine-bark!" What had made her most melancholy in the heavy midnight had
been his silent disappearance; how often had she looked up at his
thunder-house outwardly illuminated with lamps, while within only
darkness lay at the window! Now she felt how near he dwelt to her soul;
and she wept the whole morning over the night, and the ray of love
stung her more and more hotly, just as burning-glasses bring the sun
before us more potently when it looks down just after rain. The mother
showed her gratitude to her to-day for her yesterday's sacrifice in
keeping her word by returning love and confidence; though the father
did not by any means, since with him one was as little saved by good
works as with the elder Lutherans, but only damned for the want of
them; even now, however, when the parents had drawn from the previous
night the newest hopes of renunciation, the daughter could not humor a
single one of them.
How often she thought of Gaspard's letter! Is it a shot-off arrow,
which, with a wound on its poisonous point, is on its slow way from
Spain to Germany, or the friendly light of a never yet seen fixed star,
just entered upon its distant track towards our lower world?
Augusti had, however, received the letter even before the night of the
illumination, only he had not found good reasons for delivering it.
Here it is:--
"I must needs value your anxiety very much, without, however, adopting
it. Albano's love for Mademoiselle von Fr., in whom I have already
formerly remarked, with great pleasure, a certain _virtuosity_[17] in
virtue, so to speak, secures us and him against the influence of the
ghostly machinery, and against connections of other kinds which might
well be more dangerous for his studies and his warm blood. Only one
must leave this kind of youthful plays to their own course. If he
becomes too closely attached to her, then he may see to the
_dénouement_ of the affair. Why shall we cut this pleasure still
shorter for him, when you, too, already complain to me of the
sickliness of the fair one? In the latter part of autumn I shall see
him. His brave, vigorous nature will know well how to bear privation.
Assure the Froulay house of my best sentiments.