Johann August Apel

“ The atmosphere was not oppressive as I had expected to find it; a strong current of air caused me to direct my attention towards the roof, when I perceived that the only light of the hall came through a cupola, the windows of which were broken, and accounted for the fresh stream of air which flowed into the closed vault. The veil of darkness had gradually dissolved before my eyes, and I remarked that the walls were ornamented with gloomy images and emblems of death. Fronting the door stood, upon a high pedestal in a niche, a statue representing a veiled female figure. ”

“ The Queen was greatly agitated; the assembly dispersed; but the fame of Master Lucas increased prodigiously.
Now, my dear Mother, before I close this long epistle, I must make a confession to you. I really do not know where to find words to do it; but it is something which I must not conceal, and is the true cause for the agitation in which I began this letter. Dear Mother, I really believe I am in love; or rather I feel it with the utmost certainty; for if what I feel is not love, then I do not know, and hope never to know, what love is. ”

“ But when a fourth king had ascended the throne, Master Lucas again caused the apparition to disappear, and absolutely refused to show any thing more of the future. The Queen solicited in vain, and at length threatened him with her own and the King’s displeasure. Master Lucas now grew wroth, and exclaimed—“Since you will not remain in peace, gaze on—gaze on! till horror freezes your heart,—terror palsies your limbs; and may you not rest till all is fulfilled that you have seen!” ”

“ At this critical moment, Wido went to Master Wilibald, and said to him, “Now, my old friend, is the time when you may help me with your art, as you frequently have offered to do. If your music be really so powerful as you say it is, go then and deliver the Mayor, by softening the enraged mob. As a reward he certainly will grant you any thing you may request. Speak then a word for me and my love, and demand my beloved Emma as the price of your assistance. The bag-piper laughed at this speech, and replied, “we must satisfy the follies of children, in order to prevent them crying.” ”

“ The sudden death of my dear Rosa, has extinguished the last lingering spark of life. I shall not see you again, although you will return in a few weeks. Your unexpected presence at this very juncture, and your extraordinary visit to the secret vault, seem an admonition of Providence, which I shall obey. I promised you an explanation of this mystery: you shall have it. It is contained in a packet of papers, which I will place in your hands, and which you are at liberty to copy. I found these papers in the family archives of the chateau, in the third year of my residence here. ”

“ The grass had grown to such a height as to impede the step, and at every advance I made, the birds flew fluttering from out their quiet nests; here and there were recesses in the hedges, and occasionally a broken statue was seen lying on the ground; and in other places, a fragment was observed still standing on its pedestal. All this bespoke a deserted garden in the old French style, and, indeed, I perceived the chateau at a small distance. The hedges I walked between formed narrow alleys, open spaces, and serpentine walks. ”

“ The gallant beaux of the place, who had near his door first beheld those lovely creatures, for whose sake they had written so much bad poetry, and lost so much more valuable time, were his constant customers for melting songs, while they drowned the softer passages with the depth of their sighs. The old citizens invited him at their solemn dinner-parties; and no bride would have deemed her wedding-feast to be completely celebrated, had not Master Wilibald played the bridal dance of his own composition. ”

“ There are seen philosophers, poets, artists, and even magicians and astrologers. The latter are quite in the fashion. The Queen keeps one in her service, who is called Roger. When I first saw him, he pretended to read on my brow, that I should live through many centuries. Can there be a better proof, my dear Mother, what a foolish science this is? They will never bring me to believe a word of all they say. But this Roger did not enjoy so high a reputation as another magician, of whom I shall speak immediately; and Roger’s fate was decided in the very assembly which I am now describing. ”

“ Mongomery is quite in raptures with you, and says, had it not been for the daughter, he should most assuredly have fallen in love with the mother. He is entirely of the opinion of the good Queen Mary. In a few days, the festivity to celebrate the nuptials of the unhappy Princess Elizabeth will begin. We have fixed our marriage for the same period. I hope, in the midst of the bustle, that we shall better escape observation. Heaven grant, that the gloomy clouds which gather over the fatal nuptials of this amiable and devoted princess may bode nothing sinister to thy poor Clara. ”

“ I have lost one child, and heaven blesses me with the sight of another before I close these eyes for ever.”—This brought me, of course, upon the mysterious manner of the death of the young girl, and upon my visit to the vault.—“How strange!” replied he, “you have then been at the vault! For many years not a human being has been there except myself. The peasants avoid that part of the gardens—and the spring in the wall is a secret.—Indeed,” added he, after a pause, “there is a mystery about the death of my poor Rosa! ”

“ Master Lucas consented, and the throne appeared anew. A young handsome man, having likewise a crown on his head, approached with hasty steps to the throne; but he stopped for some time upon the ascent, before he took his seat. The Queen imagined she recognized in him young Henry of Navarre, whom she mortally hates, on account of his mother, for she exclaimed—“What! little Bearn on my throne?” Master Lucas instantly flew towards her, and conjured her, as she valued her life, not to utter a syllable. ”

“ But Wido always had objections; he never would allow the parent of his fair one to be harmed by the slightest offence, and hoped to win him by perseverance and complacency.
Wilibald told him, “Thou art an idiot, if thou hopest to win, by an open and honourable sentiment, like thy love, the approbation of a rich and proud old fool. He will not surrender without some of the plagues of Egypt are put in force against him. When once Emma is thine, and he no more can change what has happened, then thou wilt find him friendly and kind. ”

“ He is a venerable looking old man; small in his figure, but remarkable for the power of his eye, which forms a singular contrast with the general mildness of his manner. I am very fond of him, perhaps from his partiality to me, for it has been remarked, that I am the only young lady at the court, whom he chooses to honour by his conversation. Roger, evidently jealous of this introduction of a rival, talked a great deal of magic, while Master Lucas maintained a respectful silence. The Queen paid no attention to Roger, but desired Master Lucas to cast the nativity of the young Queen Mary. ”

“ The bag-piper was not behind his time. At the first sound of the bell announcing the eleventh hour, he rose slowly, leaned against the tombstone, and began his tune. The ball-guests seemed to have been waiting for the music; for at the very first notes they rushed forth out of the graves and vaults, through grass-hills and heavy stones. Corpses and skeletons, shrouded and bare, tall and small, men and women, all running to and fro, dancing and turning, wheeling and whirling round the player, quicker or more slow according to the measure he played, till the clock tolled the hour of midnight. ”

“ Among the crowd of admirers who gather round the royal flower of Scotland, is a certain nobleman of the name of Chastelard; an infatuated, foppish creature, who on all occasions pursues and annoys her with the expressions of his ridiculous passion. The fair Dauphiness, affable to all, speaks now and then to him, and occasionally condescends to accept his poetical homage, although in her heart she despises and detests him. ”

“ In the midst of the tournament the King challenged Mongomery, and on passing me, he whispered: “You are the reward, fair Clara!” Before my agitation permitted a reply, he was near Mongomery. The latter refused repeatedly to enter the list. The Queen sent the Duke of Savoy, supplicating the King to desist; but he remained obstinate, and Mongomery was compelled to comply. At the first shock, the King’s lance passed close to Mongomery’s helmet, at the second, a part of the crest was carried away. ”

“ He promised the youth to assist him in his love-suit, and he kept his word, although after his own jesting fashion.
Wido remained all his life-time a favourite with the Spirit of the Mountains. He grew rich, and became celebrated. His dear Emma brought him every year a handsome child, his pictures were sought after even in Italy and England; and the Dance of the Dead, of which Basil, Antwerp, Dresden, Lubeck, and many other places boast, are only copies or imitations of Wido’s original painting, which he had executed in memory of the real Dance of the Dead at Neisse! ”

“ The Dauphin, her husband, a tender and delicate youth, still manifests all the fervour of a lover: it would seem as if possession did but augment the charm that attracted him. The back-ground of this splendid picture, and which certainly heightens its lustre, is formed by the wits and the learned, who shine in these assemblies. ”

“ Since I had passed the Rhine, my eyes had continually met with scenes of destruction, which spoke loudly of the days of terror, for the all-softening hand of time had only then begun to heal the wounds of this unhappy country, and to draw a veil over the desolation of these scenes. ”

“ I heard something of that kind from the peasants, but I treated it as a mere superstition; and now I hear you gravely repeating the very same thing!” He smiled and said, “God is a mystery, and his works are not less so. Let this suffice you. Philosophy kindles her torch only to show us that we are really in darkness. The White Lady does appear. However, I strictly forbade the peasantry to talk about it, as it is a subject not fit for them.—Do you recollect the letter I wrote you ten years ago, in which I wished you joy on your quitting France?” ”

“ The best course for you to pursue, in order to escape the dangers that threaten you, will be to marry Mongomery secretly the moment he returns, and then to rejoin your mother, as you have so often expressed a wish to do. ”

“ The fair Queen Mary, who treats me with all the friendship of a relative, and even calls me her little sister, frequently comes to pay me a visit, and is accustomed, whenever she has occasion to appear in some new or foreign costume, to come and dress in my apartment, in order to have my opinion upon it. ”

“ This speech made a very deep impression upon the minds of the magistrates; they instantly ordered the body of Master Wilibald to be taken out of his tomb, and laid in a more respectable place. The sexton, to show his penetration on the occasion, took the bag-pipe out of the coffin, and hung it over his bed. For he reasoned thus: if the enchanting or enchanted musician could not help following his profession even in the tomb, he at least would not be able to play to the dancers without his instrument. ”

“ The dancing skeletons turned before the houses, and wherever they had been, there was, next morning, a dead bride lying on the bier.
The citizens were determined no longer to expose their daughters and mistresses to such an imminent danger. They threatened the Mayor to carry Emma away by force and to lead her to Wido, unless the Mayor would permit their union to be celebrated before the beginning of the night. ”

“ Where Nature reigns alone in her native majesty, she is ever smiling, grand, or soothing; but where she triumphs over the works of men, her aspect is fearful and appalling; the genius of humanity veils her face and flies, while men are lost in awful contemplation of their own transient condition.—I approached the ruined edifice ”

“ The existence of these records, as well as that of the vault, were unknown, even to the lords of the manor, till within this century. The Marquis of Mongomery is dead; and, before I die, I think it my duty to send these papers to the present Count of Limeuil.—I request a favour at your hands. I have some time since prepared a letter to the Count, and only waited for an opportunity to send it, together with the papers. He lives at a short distance from Paris; take these papers with you, and send them to him immediately after your arrival in the capital. ”

“ I will order paper to be placed in your room; and a family seal of the Mongomerys, which is in my possession, will serve you to seal the packet.” “But why,” inquired I, “is this wonderful being represented veiled? Were her features not deemed worthy of being known to posterity? and if deemed unworthy, why represent her at all?” “You will not find an answer to your question in the papers,” replied he; “but a tradition prevails, that it was known during her lifetime, that she would wander the earth after her death ”

“ You look astonished and doubtful: but so it is. Did you not remark the dates of the inscriptions at the foot of the veiled figure in the vault?” “I recollect the first two and the last,” said I, “and reflecting upon them, I was not a little struck to find that they marked the days of the death of Henry III., Henry IV., and Louis XVI. But what of this? The veiled figure”——“Is the white Lady!” ”