Friedrich August Schulze

“ I had been out making some visits, and on my return, found Seraphina standing at the window of my father’s study, seemingly absorbed in deep reverie, and with her eyes fixed like those of a marble statue. I had been so accustomed to those moods of silent abstraction, that though I wished her to speak, I did not like to disturb her,—but looked from the window into the garden, where, to my utter astonishment, I saw my father walking, and with him—the identical Seraphina, who now stood motionless beside me. ‘Heaven have mercy! ”

“ Motionless with anxiety and terror, Amelia and Maria gazed on the clock, which now began to strike. The last glimmering flame of the wood-fire died away—and the room was for a moment dark. “Welcome—Oh welcome!” cried Florentine in a tone of rapture, and rose with her arms extended, advancing to the door which then opened. Amidst a radiance like that of the full moon in the midnight sky,—the apparition of Seraphina appeared. Florentine flew into her embrace. “Thine for ever!” ”

“ Already, at an early hour in the morning, the gondoliers, in their gayest apparel, were in waiting, and a brilliant party, with bands of music, all rejoicing in confident expectations, set out on their voyage to the bride’s country house. At the dinner banquet, which was protracted till late in the evening, rings were, as usual, interchanged between the lovers; but no sooner had that ceremony taken place, than a most horrible piercing shriek was heard by the whole party with astonishment—by the bridegroom with a cold shuddering through every limb. ”

“ The bride, however, excelled every one in this display, and her father delighted himself with the conviction, that no one could compete with his beloved and only daughter. As if to be more thoroughly convinced on this point, he went through the room looking at the ornaments worn by the other masks, till, all at once, he was struck with the utmost astonishment, on discovering that jewels of the very identical fashion and lustre were worn by two ladies, his daughter and a stranger, at the same time! ”

“ I started when the door opened, drew nearer to my father, and asked him whether he did not perceive a kind of effulgence coming from the door? It was not the gleam of the moon—nor of a candle, nor lamp—but I thought of what Seraphina had described of the figure seen by its own light, and believed that the spectre was again there. My father answered me with a calmness which I thought was affected—for his voice faltered, ‘Well, Florentine, if I did see the light of which you speak, might not this too be the delusion of our own disordered senses? ”

“ Or, did you think that I had lost all regard for truth, when, about a month ago, I gave you such a brilliant description of his character? “Nay, how can we know what to believe?” said Maria. “Is it not an obvious and unaccountable contradiction, that a betrothed bride, as you are, possessed too of beauty, fortune, and talents; moreover, who has not to encounter the pain of leaving a beloved domestic circle, should, in spite of all this, look forward with visible apprehension and melancholy to her marriage day!”
Florentine gave a hand to each of her friends. ”

“ A change, every day for the worse, became obvious—he was confined to bed, and one evening desired to speak with me alone. ‘Experience,’ said he, in a feeble struggling voice, ‘has at length put an end to my disbelief. The ninth hour of this night is, according to Seraphina’s divination, to be the hour of my death; and, therefore, my dear child, I have a few words of admonishment to address to you. Remain, if it be possible, even as you now are, unmarried, and with your affections disengaged. It seems that Fate has determined on the final extinction of our family. ”

“ On the contrary, I take the liberty of informing you, that the Count shall, to-morrow morning, be made fully acquainted with your former engagements, and of your expressions to me this night.’—‘My lord Marquis,’ replied he, ‘if you ventured this.’—‘Ha—ha!—I shall venture it however,’ answered I; ‘it is a duty that I owe to an old friend. The liar who has thought proper to accuse me of a falsehood shall no longer be permitted to wear his mask in this house.’ Contrary to my own wishes, anger had carried me so far, that it was impossible to avoid a challenge. ”

“ I understood, after some time, that they had never been able to forget the twin sister of this your lady, whose earthly remains had been deposited about a year preceding in the castle chapel. Libussa and her sister Hildegarde had been so exactly like one another, that they were not to be distinguished, except by a small red mark on the neck of the latter, whose apartments, with their furniture, were preserved just as she had left them, and were occasionally visited by her friends in their hours devoted to melancholy recollection. Libussa and she had only one heart, and one mind. ”

“ Their attachment seemed mutual, and their parting was even frightfully solemn. After they had exhausted the power of words in reciprocal protestations and vows, Felippo invoked the avenging powers of darkness to bring destruction on his own head if he should be unfaithful, and wished that his intended bride should not even find rest in the grave if he deserted her, but follow him still to claim his love, and extort it from him in another world. ”

“ Before a single word had been said as to the purpose of this unexpected visit, Marino begged that I would allow him the favour of a private conversation, and then entrusted me with the secret, that he had come thither on account of the beautiful Libussa. If he were so fortunate as to obtain her affections, he would immediately request her hand in marriage from the Count. ‘Good Heaven,’ said I, ‘have you then had the misfortune to lose your bride whom I saw at Venice—the Countess Apollonia?’—‘Of this I shall speak at another time,’ was his answer. ”

“ One evening, after the Count had for a long time spoken with me confidentially of his plans for the future, among other things, of his wish to see Libussa fortunately married, as, although only in her sixteenth year, she had already attracted many suitors, and rejected every one, the gardener rushed breathless into our room, with the intelligence, that a ghost had been seen below, which must certainly be that of the old castle chaplain, who, according to tradition, had appeared, for the first time, as a revenant, about an hundred years ago. ”

“ Consequently, Seraphina took an opportunity of requesting, that she might be allowed to take instructions in a science, which, probably, no one would ever have thought of recommending to her, namely, that of astronomy. It is impossible to, conceive with what impassioned eagerness she seized upon, and studied every work that treated of the stars, or with what rapture she received the telescopes of which my father made her a present at Christmas, when she was in her thirteenth year. But, in a short time, astronomy was not sufficient to satisfy her imagination. ”

“ Even the ball in the evening did not seem to rouse their spirits; only Marino danced incessantly, and he alone seemed extravagant in his mirth. ‘By good luck,’ said he, as he passed me during a quadrille, and laughed aloud; ‘by good luck, no ghost has come to interrupt our festival, as in your Venetian story!’—‘Nay, nay,’ said I, ‘don’t rejoice too soon my Lord Duke; misfortune comes on with cautious, noiseless steps. Often we know nothing of our danger, till it is already close upon us.’ Contrary to my expectations, he did not venture to answer one word ”

“ But his disquietude constantly increased, and when the day of their marriage at last arrived, became almost quite overpowering. When, according to the old fashion of the Venetians, he went in the twilight before daybreak to the residence of his bride, he could not help believing, all the way, that Clara’s ghost was walking by his side. Indeed no loving couple were ever accompanied to the altar by such fearful omens as those which now took place. At the request of Camilla’s parents, I was there in attendance as a witness, and have never since forgotten the horrors of that morning. ”

“ They concluded, indeed, that Seraphina’s abstraction was owing merely to a bluntness of perception and feelings, which would always prove a formidable obstacle against her acquisition of those accomplishments suited to her rank. It was proposed, therefore, to send her to a convent, where the sisters devoted their leisure hours to the instruction of young ladies; when, unexpectedly, an old clergyman, who had long been employed to give lessons in our family, assured Seraphina’s friends that he had never, in all his life, met with any child whose mind was more susceptible and powerful than hers. ”

“ Florentine, “but how many hopes of this life are, unawares, blighted in the bud!” “Dearest Florentine!” said Maria, again embracing her, “for a long time already, my sister and I have been perplexing ourselves in vain, to find out what could have thus destroyed the wonted high spirits of our beloved friend? To say the truth, we have tormented ourselves with the thought, that perhaps some family considerations might have constrained you to this marriage with the Count, and that it is quite against your own wishes.” “Family considerations!” answered Florentine; alas! ”

“ Afterwards, when we rose from table, the Count drew Marino into a window recess, and though I was at a considerable distance from them, and seemed inattentive, I could yet hear all that they said. ‘My Lord Duke,’ said Globoda, very gravely, ‘what in all the world can have led you to that invention of the scene in the picture gallery, which, as far as I can understand it, will serve no purpose whatever? ”

“ The bride, however, would not suffer him to follow,—for she had long observed the attention with which the incognita had regarded him. Nor had it escaped Camilla’s notice, that he had been frightfully agitated when he was offered the glass of wine, and she began to fear that some mad attachment to Felippo had been the cause of this extraordinary scene. In spite of all her objections, however, she could not prevent her father from following the unknown,—and when she had got beyond the door, he redoubled his pace in order to keep up with her. ”

“ We had only one unanimous feeling—that of curiosity, which completely triumphed over every other. I was placed near the lady who wore jewels exactly resembling those of the bride, and observed that, besides never touching food or wine, she did not vouchsafe to return a single word when spoken to by the other guests, but, meanwhile, kept her looks constantly fixed on Felippo and his bride, who sat together. ”

“ But it was not long before Marino contrived to profit so far by Libussa’s unabated attachment, that the Count became once more influenced in his favour. In the evening he said to me, ‘You are perfectly in the right—I should now play the part of a strict judge, and order the Duke to leave my house. But how should we console his forsaken bride, if she is never to see him again. Besides, he is the first and only individual in whose favour my daughter has evinced any prepossession; let us leave them, therefore, to take their own way. ”

“ You already know, Florentine, how fervently I prayed after our mother’s death,—but in vain,—that she would once more appear, and speak with me. Now I thought her ghost was moving behind me, and had come to punish and reprove me for my presumption in those prayers; yet it was a strange and foolish fancy, that she who was ever so good and kind, could thus have been offended by an affectionate daughter’s wish to see her again, especially, too, when many years were elapsed since that wish had been framed ”

“ With such impressions on my mind, it was impossible that I could expect happiness for Libussa in her approaching marriage, and I resolved to take the very first opportunity of tearing off his mask, so that he might repent of his cruelty, and return ere it was too late to the forsaken bride.
“Sooner than I could have anticipated, I was enabled to fulfil this plan. We were seated one evening at table after supper, and the conversation happened to turn on the question, whether injustice and wickedness are always punished in the world. ”

“ I hope the spectre bride also, as she is called, will not fail to make her entrée!’ The house steward here winked to the gardener, in order that he might not provoke his master any farther; but I interposed. ‘At least, one may hear quietly what the good people suppose that they have seen. Friend,’ added I to the gardener, ‘what then is the story of the spectre bride?’ The man shrugged his shoulders as if he wished to speak, but dared not. ‘Did I not tell you,’ said the Count, ‘that we might hear about this also? ”

“ Before setting out, however, I did not neglect to make all possible inquiries into the real history of the spectre bride. It must be confessed, however, that my evidence, depending on mere oral tradition, is not very full nor satisfactory. She is said to have been a young lady of rank in the fifteenth century, and to have been a native of the district in which stands the castle of my friend Count Globoda. It is alleged that she had been guilty of such cruel infidelity towards a young man, with whom she was once in love, that he died of grief. ”

“ Sometimes we used to make excursions in the fine summer weather through the country; and often explored the oldest apartments of the castle, many of which had been long untenanted, admiring the rude but warlike manners of the Count’s ancestors, of whom there was also a noble range of portraits in the picture gallery. ”