WE at length took our departure from Vienna, and I was enabled to reach
Bruck. There my asthma returned with redoubled violence. A physician
was called—Herr Jüdmann, a man of pleasing manners. He bled me, ordered
me to keep my bed, and to continue the digitalis. At the end of two days
I renewed my solicitations to continue our journey.
We proceeded through Austria and Stiria, and entered Carinthia without
any accident; but on our arrival at the village of Feldkirchen, a little
way from Klagenfurt, we were overtaken by a counter order from Vienna.
We were to stop till we received farther directions. I leave the reader
to imagine what our feelings must have been on this occasion. I had,
moreover, the pain to reflect, that it would be owing to my illness if my
two friends should now be prevented from reaching their native land. We
remained five days at Feldkirchen, where the commissary did all in his
power to keep up our spirits. He took us to the theatre to see a comedy,
and permitted us one day to enjoy the chase. Our host and several young
men of the country, along with the proprietor of a fine forest, were the
hunters, and we were brought into a station favourable for commanding a
view of the sports.
At length there arrived a courier from Vienna, with a fresh order for the
commissary to resume his journey with us to the place first appointed.
We congratulated each other, but my anxiety was still great, as I
approached the hour when my hopes or fears respecting my family would be
verified. How many of my relatives and friends might have disappeared
during my ten years’ absence!
The entrance into Italy on that side is not pleasing to the eye; you
descend from the noble mountains of Germany into the Italian plains,
through a long and sterile district, insomuch that travellers who have
formed a magnificent idea of our country, begin to laugh, and imagine
they have been purposely deluded with previous accounts of _La Bella
Italia_.
The dismal view of that rude district served to make me more sorrowful.
To see my native sky, to meet human features no more belonging to the
north, to hear my native tongue from every lip affected me exceedingly;
and I felt more inclined to tears than to exultation. I threw myself
back in the carriage, pretending to sleep; but covered my face and wept.
That night I scarcely closed my eyes; my fever was high, my whole soul
seemed absorbed in offering up vows for my sweet Italy, and grateful
prayers to Providence for having restored to her her captive son. Then I
thought of my speedy separation from a companion with whom I had so long
suffered, and who had given me so many proofs of more than fraternal
affection, and I tortured my imagination with the idea of a thousand
disasters which might have befallen my family. Not even so many years of
captivity had deadened the energy and susceptibility of my feelings! but
it was a susceptibility only to pain and sorrow.
I felt, too, on my return, a strange desire to visit Udine, and the
lodging-house, where our two generous friends had assumed the character
of waiters, and secretly stretched out to us the hand of friendship. But
we passed that town to our left, and passed on our way.