Aunt Gredel in her sabots was just sweeping the kitchen, and Catherine
was coming downstairs with her arms bare, and her blue kerchief crossed
over her breast; she had been to the garret for chips, and both of them
on seeing me and hearing me cry, "the permit!" stood stock still. But
I repeated, "the permit!" and Aunt Gredel threw up her hands as I had
done, exclaiming, "Long live the King!"
Catherine, quite pale, was leaning against the side of the staircase; I
was at her side in an instant and embraced her so heartily that she
leaned on my shoulder and cried, and I carried her down, so to speak,
while aunt danced round us, exclaiming, "Long live the King! long live
the Minister!"
There was never anything like it. The old blacksmith, Ruppert, with
his leather apron on and his shirt open at the throat, came in to ask
what had happened.
"What is it, neighbor?" said he, as he held his big tongs in his hands
and opened his little eyes as wide as possible.
This calmed us a little, and I answered, "We have received our permit
to marry."
"Ah, that is it? is it? now I understand, I understand."
He had left the door open and five or six other neighbors came in--Anna
Schmoutz, the spinner, Christopher Wagner, the field-guard, Zapheri
Gross, and several others, till the room was full. I read the permit
aloud; everybody listened, and when it was finished Catherine began to
cry again, and Aunt Gredel said:
"Joseph, that minister is the best of men. If he were here, I would
embrace him and invite him to the wedding; he should have the place of
honor next Mr. Goulden."
Then the women went off to spread the news, and I commenced my
declarations anew to Catherine, as if the old ones went for nothing;
and I made her repeat a thousand times that she had never loved any one
but me, till we cried and laughed, and laughed and cried, one after the
other, till night. We heard Aunt Gredel, as she attended to the
cooking, talking to herself and saying, "That is what I call a good
king;" or, "If my good Franz could come back to the earth he would be
happy to-day, but one cannot have everything." She said, also, that
the procession had done us good; but Catherine and I were too happy to
answer a word. We dined, and lunched, and took supper without seeing
or hearing anything, and it was nine o'clock when I suddenly perceived
it was time to go home. Catherine and Aunt Gredel and I went out
together, the moon was shining brightly, and they went with me to the
"Roulette," and while on the way we agreed that the marriage should
take place in fifteen days. At the farm-house, under the poplars, aunt
kissed me, and I kissed Catherine, and then watched them as they went
back to the village. When they reached home they turned and kissed
their hands to me, and then I came back to town, crossed the great
square, and got home about ten o'clock. Mr. Goulden was awake though
in bed, and he heard me open the door softly. I had lighted my lamp
and was going to my chamber, when he called, "Joseph!"
I went to him, and he took me in his arms and we kissed each other, and
he said:
"It is well, my child; you are happy, and you deserve to be. Now go to
bed, and to-morrow we will talk about it."
I went to bed, but it was long before I could sleep soundly. I wakened
every moment, thinking, "Is it really true that the permit has come?"
Then I would say to myself, "Yes; it is true." But toward morning I
slept. When I wakened it was broad day, and I jumped out of bed to
dress myself, when Father Goulden called out, as happy as possible,
"Come, Joseph, come to breakfast."
"Forgive me, Mr. Goulden," I replied; "I was so happy I could hardly
sleep."
"Yes, yes, I heard you," he answered and we went into the workshop,
where the table was already laid.