Ludwig Tieck

“ Kronenberg had to laugh, vexed as he was.
— So, it seems I have lost some very most important letters and my passport to boot, which I cannot possibly replace from here.
— I have it! cried Christoph. The stranger, who was so obliging at the final stop as to help you undress, and who very rudely pushed me away out of sheer politeness, and who went to such trouble to brush and carefully fold your overcoat. The scoundrel must have seen your wallet and filched it, because a rogue and a spy can always make great use of such a passport. ”

“ My dear son has read me a few of your letters and has even communicated to me your poetic productions, which have delighted me and which I consider excellent, as far as my feeble insight reaches.
— Such applause, replied Kronenberg, shall inspire me to do better in the future.
— Admittedly, continued the lady, people nowadays wish to create brand new and unheard of things, and we have even reached the point where some people actually want us to forget everything we learned in our youth and recognized as right and proper. ”

“ We have no word for this national virtue of ours, but, of course, we too are quick to notice that such a thing would acknowledge a reproach and call it patriotism, probity, loyalty and, when convenient, German consciousness, or even graciousness.
The old man got up and fetched the book.
— Look, he said, opening the title-page, this magnificent work is one that you, my young Herr von Kronenberg, should surely read and study carefully, if your poetic vein allows you the time and leisure to peruse it. You might learn something and give up your false admiration. ”

“ And when eventually he caught hold of a door handle, the door was opened from the inside and Christoph emerged with a lantern.
— This is ridiculous! he exclaimed. Are you still here? With each passing day, it seems, the saving of energy is being taken to crazier lengths! Here in the dark? This way, quickly. The young lord, of course, does not even know that you have arrived.
He led the stranger down a long corridor to a well-heated room, where Karl von Wildhausen was seated, buried under a pile of books, documents and letters. He jumped up and warmly greeted his friend. ”

“ Tomorrow you will see him, who today tyrannized like a lord, creep more timidly than a suppliant; and it is chiefly from this weak inconsistency, which can put up with anything, that my mother has abstracted her opinion of the German character, however much she might bluster at times. So, you can well imagine how closely she will stand guard over him and make sure that he does nothing for you, and we can count ourselves fortunate if he does not actually hunt you down and provoke a quarrel just to get back in his wife's good graces. ”

“ I hope, continued his wife, that you are not one of those men whose own wretchedness requires that women be even more wretched, so that they need not be ashamed when they look at themselves in the mirror. ”

“ Karl said with great animation. The other man searched his jacket, overcoat and cloak, but in vain.
— The contents of my wallet are missing, he finally stammered, alarmed. No, they must be in the carriage.
They rang for a servant, who was despatched to search the coach; but he returned fifteen minutes later and swore that there was no sign of the missing items in any of the pockets or drawers of the carriage. ”

“ But he is a hard-hearted individual, especially towards those he believes have brought misfortune upon themselves through their own carelessness and poor management of their affairs. I will contact your uncle and your most pressing creditors, lest your good name be vilified in your absence. Now, what are your immediate intentions, assuming that I can give you perhaps a thousand or even twelve hundred thalers for your travels? Because that would probably be the most I could possibly raise.
Moved, Kronenberg embraced his friend and then said:
— Still the same old Karl! ”

“ Kronenberg, in order to punctuate the uneasy silence, asked:
— Might one know what book you have just been reading?
— Indeed, she exclaimed, that maussade [2] author who has ventured into an area the style and subject matter of which are much too sublime for him, and who conceals his lack of insight behind a plethora of German platitudes. Strange! The foreigners have a specific word for something that is really only at home amongst us Germans! ”

“ You too seem to be of the opinion, replied the lady, that it is impossible for women to be rational, and certainly if you consider all the devices men have come up with to prevent us from growing up, it is not particularly surprising if most individuals of my sex remain childish all their lives, especially as it is only through this half-natural, half-affected silliness that they make themselves pleasing to men. ”

“ In old age, of course, this trait looks all the sadder, and then the majority decide rather abruptly to transform themselves into nothing less than harridans or religious bigots, although the worst ones can even become so skilled at such transformations as to incorporate both these species of animal in the one frame.
— Incomparable! exclaimed Kronenberg.
— Just play the hypocrite and flatter yourself! grumbled the old lord, who was bent low over his book. ”

“ When Kronenberg had recounted all that had transpired between himself and this man, his friend thought it not unlikely that the latter could have taken possession of the wallet, mainly on account of the passport; nevertheless, he ordered Christoph to ride back to the neighbouring town as soon as possible and search the tavern once more. Christoph departed with a half-audible grumble, to the effect that yet again it was up to him to make good the negligence of his masters.
A servant summoned the young people to the dining room. ”

“ A slavish grovelling at the heels of the vulgar English, who have never been capable of gaining a clear and serene insight into the world, but rather must substitute hypochondria and world-weariness for profundity. ”