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Page 21
"Nay, I entreat you first listen to me, before you are angry with me;
for your anger is painful to me, and you ought not to give pain to a
creature that has not hurt you. Only have patience with me, and I
will explain to you every word of what I meant."
It was evident that she had come to say something important; when she
suddenly faltered as if seized with inward shuddering, and burst into
a passion of tears. They were none of them able to understand the
intenseness of her feelings; and, with mingled emotions of fear and
anxiety, they gazed on her in silence. Then, wiping away her tears,
and looking earnestly at the priest, she at last said:
"There must be something lovely, but at the same time something most
awful, about a soul. In the name of God, holy man, were it not
better that we never shared a gift so mysterious?"
Again she paused, and restrained her tears, as if waiting for an
answer. All in the cottage had risen from their seats, and stepped
back from her with horror. She, however, seemed to have eyes for no
one but the holy man; an awful curiosity was painted on her features,
which appeared terrible to the others.
"Heavily must the soul weigh down its possessor," she pursued, when
no one returned her any answer--"very heavily! for already its
approaching image overshadows me with anguish and mourning. And,
alas, I have till now been so merry and light-hearted!" and she
burst into another flood of tears, and covered her face with her
veil.
The priest, going up to her with a solemn look, now addressed himself
to her, and conjured her, by the name of God most holy, if any spirit
of evil possessed her, to remove the light covering from her face.
But she sank before him on her knees, and repeated after him every
sacred expression he uttered, giving praise to God, and protesting
"that she wished well to the whole world."
The priest then spoke to the knight: "Sir bridegroom, I leave you
alone with her whom I have united to you in marriage. So far as I
can discover, there is nothing of evil in her, but assuredly much
that is wonderful. What I recommend to you is--prudence, love, and
fidelity."
Thus speaking, he left the apartment; and the fisherman, with his
wife, followed him, crossing themselves.
Undine had sunk upon her knees. She uncovered her face, and
exclaimed, while she looked fearfully round upon Huldbrand, "Alas!
you will now refuse to look upon me as your own; and still I have
done nothing evil, poor unhappy child that I am!" She spoke these
words with a look so infinitely sweet and touching, that her
bridegroom forgot both the confession that had shocked, and the
mystery that had perplexed him; and hastening to her, he raised her
in his arms. She smiled through her tears; and that smile was like
the morning light playing upon a small stream. "You cannot desert
me!" she whispered confidingly, and stroked the knight's cheeks with
her little soft hands. He turned away from the frightful thoughts
that still lurked in the recesses of his soul, and were persuading
him that he had been married to a fairy, or some spiteful and
mischievous being of the spirit-world. Only the single question, and
that almost unawares, escaped from his lips.
"Dearest Undine, tell me this one thing: what was it you meant by
'spirits of earth' and 'Kuhleborn,' when the priest stood knocking at
the door?"
"Tales! mere tales of children!" answered Undine, laughing, now quite
restored to her wonted gaiety. "I first frightened you with them,
and you frightened me. This is the end of the story, and of our
nuptial evening."
"Nay, not so," replied the enamoured knight, extinguishing the
tapers, and a thousand times kissing his beautiful and beloved bride;
while, lighted by the moon that shone brightly through the windows,
he bore her into their bridal apartment.
The fresh light of morning woke the young married pair: but Huldbrand
lay lost in silent reflection. Whenever, during the night, he had
fallen asleep, strange and horrible dreams of spectres had disturbed
him; and these shapes, grinning at him by stealth, strove to disguise
themselves as beautiful females; and from beautiful females they all
at once assumed the appearance of dragons. And when he started up,
aroused by the intrusion of these hideous forms, the moonlight shone
pale and cold before the windows without. He looked affrighted at
Undine, in whose arms he had fallen asleep: and she was reposing in
unaltered beauty and sweetness beside him. Then pressing her rosy
lips with a light kiss, he again fell into a slumber, only to be
awakened by new terrors.
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