HOW THEY LIVED IN THE CITY.
The sudden disappearance of the young knight, Huldbrand von
Ringstetten, from the imperial city, had caused great sensation and
solicitude among those who had admired him, both for his skill in
the tournament and the dance, and no less so for his gentle and
agreeable manners. His servants would not quit the place without
their master, although not one of them would have had the courage to
go in quest of him into the shadowy recesses of the forest. They
therefore remained in their quarters, inactively hoping, as men are
wont to do, and keeping alive the remembrance of their lost lord by
their lamentations. When, soon after, the violent storms and floods
were observed, the less doubt was entertained as to the certain
destruction of the handsome stranger; and Bertalda openly mourned
for him and blamed herself for having allured the unfortunate knight
into the forest. Her foster-parents, the duke and duchess, had come
to fetch her away, but Bertalda entreated them to remain with her
until certain intelligence had been obtained of Huldbrand's fate.
She endeavored to prevail upon several young knights, who were
eagerly courting her, to follow the noble adventurer to the forest.
But she would not pledge her hand as a reward of the enterprise,
because she always cherished the hope of belonging to the returning
knight, and no glove, nor riband, nor even kiss, would tempt any one
to expose his life for the sake of bringing back such a dangerous
rival.
When Huldbrand now suddenly and unexpectedly appeared, his servants.
and the inhabitants of the city, and almost every one, rejoiced.
Bertalda alone refused to do so; for agreeable as it was to the
others that he should bring with him such a beautiful bride, and
Father Heilmann as a witness of the marriage, Bertalda could feel
nothing but grief and vexation. In the first place, she had really
loved the young knight with all her heart, and in the next, her
sorrow at his absence had proclaimed this far more before the eyes
of all, than was now befitting. She still, however, conducted
herself as a wise maiden, reconciled herself to circumstances, and
lived on the most friendly terms with Undine, who was looked upon
throughout the city as a princess whom Huldbrand had rescued in the
forest from some evil enchantment. When she or her husband were
questioned on the matter, they were wise enough to be silent or
skilfully to evade the inquiries. Father Heilmann's lips were sealed
to idle gossip of any kind, and moreover, immediately after
Huldbrand's arrival, he had returned to his monastery; so that
people were obliged to be satisfied with their own strange
conjectures, and even Bertalda herself knew no more of the truth
than others.
Day by day, Undine felt her affection increase for the fair maiden.
"We must have known each other before," she often used to say to
her, "or else, there must be some mysterious connection between us,
for one does not love another as dearly as I have loved you from the
first moment of our meeting without some cause--some deep and secret
cause." And Bertalda also could not deny the fact that she felt
drawn to Undine with a tender feeling of confidence, however much
she might consider that she had cause for the bitterest lamentation
at this successful rival. Biassed by this mutual affection, they
both persuaded--the one her foster-parents, the other her husband--to
postpone the day of departure from time to time; indeed, it was
even proposed that Bertalda should accompany Undine for a time to
castle Ringstetten, near the source of the Danube.
They were talking over this plan one beautiful evening, as they were
walking by starlight in the large square of the Imperial city, under
the tall trees that enclose it. The young married pair had incited
Bertalda to join them in their evening walk, and all three were
strolling up and down under the dark-blue sky, often interrupting
their familiar talk to admire the magnificent fountain in the middle
of the square, as its waters rushed and bubbled forth with wonderful
beauty. It had a soothing happy influence upon them; between the
shadows of the trees there stole glimmerings of light from the
adjacent houses; a low murmur of children at play, and of others
enjoying their walk, floated around them; they were so alone, and
yet in the midst of the bright and living world; whatever had
appeared difficult by day, now became smooth as of itself; and the
three friends could no longer understand why the slightest
hesitation had existed with regard to Bertalda's visit to
Ringstetten. Presently, just as they were on the point of fixing the
day for their common departure, a tall man approached them from the
middle of the square, bowed respectfully to the company, and said
something in the ear of the young wife. Displeased as she was at the
interruption and its cause, she stepped a little aside with the
stranger, and both began to whisper together, as it seemed, in a
foreign tongue. Huldbrand fancied he knew the strange man, and he
stared so fixedly at him that he neither heard nor answered
Bertalda's astonished inquiries.
All at once Undine, clapping her hands joyfully, and laughing,
quitted the stranger's side, who, shaking his head, retired hastily
and discontentedly, and vanished in the fountain. Huldbrand now felt
certain on the point, but Bertalda asked: "And what did the master
of the fountain want with you, dear Undine?"
The young wife laughed within herself, and replied: "The day after
to-morrow, my dear child, on the anniversary of your name-day, you
shall know it." And nothing more would she disclose. She invited
Bertalda and sent an invitation to her foster-parents, to dine with
them on the appointed day, and soon after they parted.
"Kuhleborn? was it Kuhleborn?" said Huldbrand, with a secret
shudder, to his beautiful bride, when they had taken leave of
Bertalda, and were now going home through the darkening streets.
"Yes, it was he," replied Undine, "and he was going to say all sorts
of nonsensical things to me. But, in the midst, quite contrary to
his intention, he delighted me with a most welcome piece of news. If
you wish to hear it at once, my dear lord and husband, you have but
to command, and I will tell it you without reserve. But if you would
confer a real pleasure on your Undine, you will wait till the day
after to-morrow, and you will then have your share too in the
surprise."
The knight gladly complied with his wife's desire, which had been
urged so sweetly, and as she fell asleep, she murmured smilingly to
herself: "Dear, dear Bertalda! How she will rejoice and be
astonished at what her master of the fountain told me!"