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Page 17
"You cloud, you cloud, have a care! beware how you wet us; we are
some way from shelter yet."
The old man reproved her for this sally, as a sinful presumption; but
she laughed to herself softly, and no mischief came from her wild
behaviour. Nay more, what was beyond their expectation, they reached
their comfortable hearth unwet, with their prize secured; but the
cask had hardly been broached, and proved to contain wine of a
remarkably fine flavour, when the rain first poured down unrestrained
from the black cloud, the tempest raved through the tops of the
trees, and swept far over the billows of the deep.
Having immediately filled several bottles from the cask, which
promised them a supply for a long time, they drew round the glowing
hearth; and, comfortably secured from the tempest, they sat tasting
the flavour of their wine and bandying jests.
But the old fisherman suddenly became extremely grave, and said: "Ah,
great God! here we sit, rejoicing over this rich gift, while he to
whom it first belonged, and from whom it was wrested by the fury of
the stream, must there also, it is more than probable, have lost his
life."
"No such thing," said Undine, smiling, as she filled the knight's cup
to the brim.
But he exclaimed: "By my unsullied honour, old father, if I knew
where to find and rescue him, no fear of exposure to the night, nor
any peril, should deter me from making the attempt. At least, I can
promise you that if I again reach an inhabited country, I will find
out the owner of this wine or his heirs, and make double and triple
reimbursement."
The old man was gratified with this assurance; he gave the knight a
nod of approbation, and now drained his cup with an easier conscience
and more relish.
Undine, however, said to Huldbrand: "As to the repayment and your
gold, you may do whatever you like. But what you said about your
venturing out, and searching, and exposing yourself to danger,
appears to me far from wise. I should cry my very eyes out, should
you perish in such a wild attempt; and is it not true that you would
prefer staying here with me and the good wine?"
"Most assuredly," answered Huldbrand, smiling.
"Then, you see," replied Undine, "you spoke unwisely. For charity
begins at home; and why need we trouble ourselves about our
neighbours?"
The mistress of the house turned away from her, sighing and shaking
her head; while the fisherman forgot his wonted indulgence toward the
graceful maiden, and thus rebuked her:
"That sounds exactly as if you had been brought up by heathens and
Turks;" and he finished his reproof by adding, "May God forgive both
me and you--unfeeling child!"
"Well, say what you will, that is what I think and feel," replied
Undine, "whoever brought me up; and all your talking cannot help it."
"Silence!" exclaimed the fisherman, in a voice of stern rebuke; and
she, who with all her wild spirit was extremely alive to fear, shrank
from him, moved close up to Huldbrand, trembling, and said very
softly:
"Are you also angry, dear friend?"
The knight pressed her soft hand, and tenderly stroked her locks.
He was unable to utter a word, for his vexation, arising from the old
man's severity towards Undine, closed his lips; and thus the two
couples sat opposite to each other, at once heated with anger and in
embarrassed silence.
In the midst of this stillness a low knocking at the door startled
them all; for there are times when a slight circumstance, coming
unexpectedly upon us, startles us like something supernatural.
But there was the further source of alarm, that the enchanted forest
lay so near them, and that their place of abode seemed at present
inaccessible to any human being. While they were looking upon one
another in doubt, the knocking was again heard, accompanied with a
deep groan. The knight sprang to seize his sword. But the old man
said, in a low whisper:
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