Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte Fouqué

“ Master Rhenfried meanwhile bent over the dying man, and with gentle firmness said, “You will soon appear in the presence of the great God, my dear sir, and now you see before you the face of that man whom you have the most deeply betrayed and injured, even deprived of his last sweetest hopes on earth. But God be praised—I know, I confess, Him who purchased us with his blood; bore all our sins, and has paid the price even for yours. ”

“ At first this nimble-footed magician chose such merry and pleasant songs, that the poor fellow at the foot of the tree stood and listened as if to a nightingale; but all at once he changed both time and tune and song, and began to bawl out such scurvy rhymes that his companion at the foot of the tree called out to him, in great wrath, to descend and restore his guitar, which was never intended for such a blockhead’s hands. ”

“ One evening in autumn, as the shade of night began to set in, and Constantine was still busied with his spade, a tall robust man, of unusual size of limb, black and sooty as a charcoal-burner, and holding a furnace poker in his hand, appeared suddenly before him, and said: “Are there no cattle to be had in this part of the country, that you thus labour away with your two hands? ”

“ Nordenholm here pressed the old man’s hand; and leaning down his head, wept bitterly. After a long sad pause he then said: “Alas, my good master, I see how much you suffer, but your sufferings are not barbed with the stings of guilt; therefore do you bear them freely and boldly. But woe alas! I feel no sweet confidence in the same freedom. I have my misgivings, though I have nothing dreadful to reproach myself with. There is something weighs at my heart, which seems to grow heavier and heavier as the night proceeds. ”

“ Well, a student is just such a bird, and a very merry bird he is too, I assure ye, and there is no occasion for any great change amongst us. To be sure our situation is a little altered; just a trifle of a few hundred miles have we, my worthies, sunk down into the ground. But this should be a matter of no uneasiness to you, for I am Number Nip, and this is one of my palace halls. Don’t you see the roof above you is solid gold, and the rafters are entire diamonds! Come set to work and enrich yourselves for life! ”

“ Sabina used every means in her power, to dissuade her husband from his resolution; but he only replied, by saying; that so long as he could move an arm or a leg, the field should not lie idle. “If we cannot plough it, we will dig it: and I am no timid beast of labour, but a tried and dauntless soldier, over whom a goblin can have no power.” ”

“ And so saying, he forced the money into his servant’s pocket.
“And what is to be done with the Field of Terror?” enquired Forester, in a solemn but almost ireful tone.
“That which it may please God:” rejoined Constantine. “Twenty fields of terror are of no importance to me in comparison with the safety of a single hair of my poor children’s heads. Take yourself away, or I shall give you that, you will long have cause to remember!”
“Gently!” cried the mountain-spirit, “gently! my friend. When any of my family condescend to assume a human form, they chuse one of rather stern materials. ”

“ Their seconds have made their escape: and we, though less guilty, are come forward willingly to deliver ourselves up to whatever punishment may be thought due. No, we did not leave him helpless upon the ground.”
The Professor and Rhenfried, not without evident reluctance and shuddering, drew nigh the bier; pale and bloody, Marcellin raised himself up; he knew Nordenholm; moaned, and then exclaimed in rage, “Thou black sorcerer—abandoned sorcerer—I swore to do it—I saw thy hateful visage when you conjured up the image of my sweet wife’s father, all sorrowful and bathed in tears. ”

“ A young spark, whom he took for a student like himself, comes up to him, and, after talking all sorts of learned stuff, takes his guitar, pretending that he was going to teach him a very pretty song. But no sooner has he got hold of the instrument than up he jumps with it, faster than any squirrel, into a very high tree, and there he sits among the green branches, and sings and plays away quite at his ease! ”

“ And now, God be praised, our good city is pleased to give full credit to any assertion from the lips of head-master Philibert Rhenfried: so far my good name helped me, and I troubled myself no farther with any needless inquiries. So at all events, my poor Agnes has not been the occasion of adding the sin of lying to the account of her aged father’s soul. I have brought up her little girl to the best of my knowledge of what is good and right, and so by Heaven’s mercy she has gone on improving, doubtless under its wise dispensations, to the fulfilment of God’s purposes here below. ”

“ Professor always looks so kind and pleasant, and not so old as the other professors; then he can tell so many fine stories of by-gone times, which though they almost make one’s hair stand on end, are very pretty to hear. And as to the strange lodger, he is, perhaps, much better in his heart, than he sometimes appears to me. ”

“ Once upon a time a certain man took his way up the Giant Mountain with the special design of meeting with Number Nip, and begging from the Spirit the gift of a little magical book which should teach him how to rule the weather according as it pleased him, how to transform himself into any shape, how to bewitch his neighbour’s cattle, and, in short, how to perform a great many very strange and surprising tricks. ”

“ It sometimes happens that, when I have fairly exhausted myself in wild and fantastic tricks, through wood, and field, and mountain, I begin to fancy I should like to attach myself to some quiet family, that I may live for half a year or so, a peaceful orderly life. ”

“ The money brought from the wars was chiefly expended in the purchase of a fine yoke of oxen; part of the remainder was invested in seed and necessary articles of household furniture; and the rest reserved for daily expenditure to be doled out in the most economical manner, till the harvest of the succeeding year should replenish their stores. But, as Constantine drove his cattle and plough to the field of labour, he looked back upon Sabina with a smiling countenance, and assured her, he was now going to sow the real seed of gold, which another year would restore with two-fold bounty. ”

“ With the humility of a repentant offender, the Professor cast his eyes upon the ground, and in a lower tone said, “It was, indeed, Agnes! she was splendidly attired, and was again seen walking by moonlight leaning on Ludibert’s arm. I concealed my features cautiously, at a distance, to prevent them from falling upon the mirror. Next, you yourself, Sir, suddenly appeared in the garden; and on the mirror’s surface the pale and sorrowful cast of your features was plainly visible. ”

“ The brilliance of the heavenly gems gap only excited their cupidity to a higher pitch,—one loaded himself with a huge rafter,—another groaned under the load of rushes and straw he had piled upon his own back,—and jealousy and anger had their full play amongst them, each one striving to appropriate to himself the largest portion of what appeared inestimable treasures. ”

“ The students again raised the bier, and in perfect silence bore the deceased slowly along towards an ancient half-dilapidated church at a short distance; while Nordenholm not a little consoled after seeing Ludibert’s happy departure, with his usual promptness and decision pointed out to them, in few words, when they had laid down the bier at the church door, all that was necessary to be observed on such an occasion, and how they might best clear up their conduct by shunning not, and by disguising nothing from the civil power. ”

“ It is true, the girl is very distantly related to us; and there can be no doubt that portionless as she is, she will yet procure a warm man for her husband, for she is a clever, frugal lass, and the people call her the pretty Sabina. Suppose, we give up this “Field of Terror” to her; we shall at once get rid of the testator’s injunction; and to say the truth, it is no inconsiderable gift, provided she gets a husband who knows how to go the right way to work with it.” ”

“ Who has the boldness to disturb a free citizen in his own house? Let the wanton young blade give his name from the outside, and we shall soon see if he be as valiant as he would make us believe. As to this house, let him know it is the residence of Head Master Rhenfried—Philibert Rhenfried, President of the Honourable Joiners’ Company, belonging to this town and country. ”

“ It is true, Constantine, when alone, often reflected that all this could be but of short duration, “and Heaven knows” he exclaimed, “how I shall manage with the harvest; for Forester’s time will then be out, and the goblin of the field may chuse to appear with replenished spirits.” But he considered that the gathering in of the crop was a labour which, of itself, gave additional vigour to the workman’s arm and heart; and it was possible that Forester, for old acquaintance sake, might keep the land free from guests ”

“ The peasants laughed aloud at so modest a speech, but promised to listen to all that he might say without taking offence, and to pay his reckoning for him besides, if he should be able to deduce some profitable moral from every story that they might tell him of Number Nip. ”

“ Farewell, then, and take comfort; for I feel quite assured we shall soon meet again, when you will congratulate me a thousand, thousand times on the happiness which will soon be mine.”
“That,” said the old master, “was indeed a poor prophecy,” and he drew his hand across his eyes, as if in pain: “she was far too confident, and that ever brings failure and disappointment along with it, for wretched mortals such as we are. There is only one thing certain, but that is quite certain; wherefore the Lord be praised.” ”

“ He gave an undisguised recital of his first distress, a faithful representation of his just and honest indignation against the goblin who haunted his property, and detailed the difficulty he found under such continual interruption and provocation, of supporting his family by the mere application of his hoe and spade. ”

“ Morning is already glimmering through the window-shutters; I think we will awaken little Margaret, and take her along with us, for the child is always eager, and even quite fond of walking that way; none so pleasant, she thinks, when I go along with her.”
Very soon, then, the Professor and master Rhenfried were proceeding on their route, conducting the pretty Margery carefully between them, along the beautiful avenue of lime trees which leads with gentle ascent to the front of the Hospital. ”

“ He now slaughtered the wounded ox; cut it in pieces; and, on the following morning, while Sabina was busied in preparing it for pickle, pursued his road of the previous day, scarcely less alert and cheerful than then, though now obliged to handle the hoe and spade, instead of guiding his oxen, and well mounted plough.
This time, he returned rather late in the evening, rather pale and exhausted; but full of spirits, and soon capable of tranquilizing his agitated wife.
This kind of labour makes one weary,” said he, with a smile; “for there is a sort of goblin fellow stands constantly beside me ”

“ Receiving our unanimous consent, he began;—‘It is a question of honor and of duty;—whether a lover have a right to carry off his beloved when he is persuaded that he can maintain her in all due and lawful honor and worthiness; and is equally persuaded that her happiness and his own can be accomplished by no other means.’ He paused; and the voices on both sides rose loud on the ear; though most were perceptibly in favor of a mad assent to such a proposition; many of the students being pretty well heated with wine, and full of adventurous spirit, eager for exploits. ”

“ They met one of the women of the establishment, and clasping her little hands, Margery addressed her in the most friendly voice:—“Ah, lady Sibyl! ah, lady Sibyl! thou that art wont to bring me always such sweet fruit, and get’st nothing but a pat on the cheek in return. Good morning, a very good morning, lady Sibyl.”
Just at that moment was heard a confused uproar on the opposite side to where they stood, and a group of students made their appearance carrying a bier, apparently with some wounded person, to seek assistance at the hospital. ”

“ Besides, these kind of creatures have no power over an honest man, who is labouring in his vocation.”
This continued for many days together. The persevering Constantine, pursued, without interruption, his daily labour of digging, sowing, and eradicating the weeds and useless plants which had overspread the field. It is true, the slow process of the spade, only enabled him to cultivate a small portion of the estate; but this served to make him the more zealous and industrious in his occupation ”