Undine (2nd translation) | Page 7

to chide me, and won't do what I
wish, then sleep alone in your old smoky hut!" and swift as an arrow
she flew from the room, and fled into the dark night.


CHAPTER II.
IN WHAT WAY UNDINE HAD COME TO THE FISHERMAN
Huldbrand and the fisherman sprang from their seats and were on the
point of following the angry girl. Before they reached the cottage door,
however, Undine had long vanished in the shadowy darkness without,
and not even the sound of her light footstep betrayed the direction of
her flight. Huldbrand looked inquiringly at his host; it almost seemed to
him as if the whole sweet apparition, which had suddenly merged again
into the night, were nothing else than one of that band of the wonderful
forms which had, but a short time since, carried on their pranks with
him in the forest. But the old man murmured between his teeth: "This is
not the first time that she has treated us in this way. Now we have
aching hearts and sleepless eyes the whole night through; for who
knows, that she may not some day come to harm, if she is thus out
alone in the dark until daylight."
"Then let us for God's sake follow her," cried Huldbrand, anxiously.
"What would be the good of it?" replied the old man. "It would be a sin
were I to allow you, all alone, to follow the foolish girl in the solitary
night, and my old limbs would not overtake the wild runaway, even if
we knew in what direction she had gone."
"We had better at any rate call after her, and beg her to come back,"
said Huldbrand; and he began to call in the most earnest manner:

"Undine! Undine! Pray come back!" The old man shook his head,
saying, that all that shouting would help but little, for the knight had no
idea how self-willed the little truant was. But still he could not forbear
often calling out with him in the dark night: "Undine! Ah! dear Undine,
I beg you to come back--only this once!"
It turned out, however, as the fisherman had said. No Undine was to be
heard or seen, and as the old man would on no account consent that
Huldbrand should go in search of the fugitive, they were at last both
obliged to return to the cottage. Here they found the fire on the hearth
almost gone out, and the old wife, who took Undine's flight and danger
far less to heart than her husband, had already retired to rest. The old
man blew up the fire, laid some dry wood on it, and by the light of the
flame sought out a tankard of wine, which he placed between himself
and his guest. "You, sir knight," said he, "are also anxious about that
silly girl, and we would both rather chatter and drink away a part of the
night than keep turning round on our rush mats trying in vain to sleep.
Is it not so?" Huldbrand was well satisfied with the plan; the fisherman
obliged him to take the seat of honor vacated by the good old
housewife, and both drank and talked together in a manner becoming
two honest and trusting men. It is true, as often as the slightest thing
moved before the windows, or even at times when nothing was moving,
one of the two would look up and say: "She is coming!" Then they
would be silent for a moment or two, and as nothing appeared, they
would shake their heads and sigh and go on with their talk.
As, however, neither could think of anything but of Undine, they knew
of nothing better to do than that the old fisherman should tell the story,
and the knight should hear, in what manner Undine had first come to
the cottage. He therefore began as follows:--
"It is now about fifteen years ago that I was one day crossing the wild
forest with my goods, on my way to the city. My wife had stayed at
home, as her wont is, and at this particular time for a very good reason,
for God had given us, in our tolerably advanced age, a wonderfully
beautiful child. It was a little girl; and a question already arose between
us, whether for the sake of the new-comer, we would not leave our

lovely home that we might better bring up this dear gift of heaven in
some more habitable place. Poor people indeed cannot do in such cases
as you may think they ought, sir knight, but, with God's blessing, every
one must do what he can. Well, the matter was tolerably in my head as
I went along. This slip of land was so dear