第2章

Thelittleladybeganherintroductionsinabreathlessvoice。

"Good！"HerrPaulsaid，puffingouthislips:"Nowweknoweachother！"and，brushinguptheendsofhismoustaches，hecarriedoffHarzintoanotherroom，decoratedwithpipe—racks，printsofdancing—

girls，spittoons，easy—chairswell—seasonedbycigarsmoke，Frenchnovels，andnewspapers。

ThehouseholdatVillaRubeinwasindeedofamixedandcuriousnature。Cutonbothfloorsbycorridors，theVillawasdividedintofourdivisions;eachofwhichhaditsseparateinhabitants，anarrangementwhichhadcomeaboutinthefollowingway:

WhenoldNicholasTreffrydied，hisestate，ontheboundaryofCornwall，hadbeensoldanddividedupamonghisthreesurvivingchildren——Nicholas，whowasmuchtheeldest，apartnerinthewell—

knownfirmofForsyteandTreffry，teamen，oftheStrand;Constance，marriedtoamancalledDecie;andMargaret，atherfather’sdeathengagedtothecurateoftheparish，JohnDevorell，whoshortlyafterwardsbecameitsrector。ByhismarriagewithMargaretTreffrytherectorhadonechildcalledChristian。Soonafterthishecameintosomeproperty，anddied，leavingitunfetteredtohiswidow。

Threeyearswentby，andwhenthechildwassixyearsold，Mrs。

Devorell，stillyoungandpretty，cametoliveinLondonwithherbrotherNicholas。ItwastherethatshemetPaulvonMorawitz——thelastofanoldCzechfamily，whohadlivedformanyhundredyearsontheirestatesnearBudweiss。Paulhadbeenleftanorphanattheageoften，andwithoutasolitaryancestralacre。Insteadofacres，heinheritedthefaiththatnothingwastoogoodforavonMorawitz。Inlateryearshissavoirfaireenabledhimtolaughatfaith，butitstayedquietlywithhimallthesame。Theabsenceofacreswasofnogreatconsequence，forthroughhismother，thedaughterofabankerinVienna，hecameintoawell—nursedfortune。ItbefittedavonMorawitzthatheshouldgointotheCavalry，but，unshapedforsoldiering，hesoonlefttheService;somesaidhehadadifferencewithhisColoneloverthequalityoffoodprovidedduringsomemanoeuvres;othersthathehadretiredbecausehischargersdidnotfithislegs，whichwere，indeed，ratherround。

Hehadanadmirableappetiteforpleasure;aman—about—town’slifesuitedhim。Hewenthisgenial，unreflecting，costlywayinVienna，Paris，London。Helovedexclusivelythosetowns，andboastedthathewasasmuchathomeinoneasinanother。Hecombinedexuberantvitalitywithfastidiousnessofpalate，anddevotedbothtotheacquisitionofaspecialtasteinwomen，weeds，andwines;aboveallhewasblessedwitharemarkabledigestion。HewasthirtywhenhemetMrs。Devorell;andshemarriedhimbecausehewassoverydifferentfromanybodyshehadeverseen。Peoplemoredissimilarwerenevermated。ToPaul——accustomedtostagedoors——freshness，serenetranquillity，andobviouspuritywerethebaits;hehadrunthroughmorethanhalfhisfortune，too，andthefactthatshehadmoneywaspossiblynotoverlooked。Bethatasitmay，hewasfondofher;hisheartwassoft，hedevelopedadomesticside。

Gretawasborntothemafterayearofmarriage。Theinstinctofthe"freeman"was，however，notdeadinPaul;hebecameagambler。Helosttheremainderofhisfortunewithoutbeinggreatlydisturbed。

Whenhebegantolosehiswife’sfortunetoothingsnaturallybecamemoredifficult。NottoomuchremainedwhenNicholasTreffrysteppedin，andcausedhissistertosettlewhatwasleftonherdaughters，afterprovidingalife—interestforherselfandPaul。Losinghissupplies，thegoodmanhadgivenuphiscards。Buttheinstinctofthe"freeman"wasstilllivinginhisbreast;hetooktodrink。Hewasnevergrosslydrunk，andrarelyverysober。Hiswifesorrowedoverthisnewpassion;herhealth，alreadymuchenfeebled，soonbrokedown。ThedoctorssenthertotheTyrol。Sheseemedtobenefitbythis，andsettleddownatBotzen。Thefollowingyear，whenGretawasjustten，shedied。ItwasashocktoPaul。Hegaveupexcessivedrinking;becameaconstantsmoker，andlentfullreintohisnaturaldomesticity。Hewasfondofboththegirls，butdidnotatallunderstandthem;Greta，hisowndaughter，washisfavourite。VillaRubeinremainedtheirhome;itwascheapandroomy。Money，sincePaulbecamehousekeepertohimself，wasscarce。

AboutthistimeMrs。Decie，hiswife’ssister，whosehusbandhaddiedintheEast，returnedtoEngland;Paulinvitedhertocomeandlivewiththem。Shehadherownrooms，herownservant;thearrangementsuitedPaul——itwaseconomicallysound，andtherewassomeonealwaystheretotakecareofthegirls。Intruthhebegantofeeltheinstinctofthe"freeman"risingagainwithinhim;itwaspleasanttorunovertoViennanowandthen;toplaypiquetataClubinGries，ofwhichhewastheshininglight;inaword，togo"onthetiles"alittle。Onecouldnotalwaysmourn——evenifawomanwereanangel;

moreover，hisdigestionwasasgoodasever。

ThefourthquarterofthisVillawasoccupiedbyNicholasTreffry，whoseannualsojournoutofEnglandperpetuallysurprisedhimself。

Betweenhimandhisyoungniece，Christian，thereexisted，however，araresympathy;oneofthoseaffectionsbetweentheyoungandold，which，mysteriouslybornlikeeverythinginlife，seemstheonlyendandaimtoboth，tillanotherfeelingcomesintotheyoungerheart。

Sincealonganddangerousillness，hehadbeenorderedtoavoidtheEnglishwinter，andatthecommencementofeachspringhewouldappearatBotzen，drivinghisownhorsesbyeasystagesfromtheItalianRiviera，wherehespentthecoldestmonths。HealwaysstayedtillJunebeforegoingbacktohisLondonClub，andduringallthattimeheletnodaypasswithoutgrowlingatforeigners，theirhabits，food，drink，andraiment，withakindofbigdog’sgrowlingthatdidnobodyanyharm。Theillnesshadbrokenhimverymuch;hewasseventy，butlookedmore。Hehadaservant，aLuganese，namedDominique，devotedtohim。NicholasTreffryhadfoundhimoverworkedinanhotel，andhadengagedhimwiththecaution:"Look——here，Dominique！Iswear！"TowhichDominique，darkoffeature，saturnineandironical，hadonlyreplied:"Tresbiens，M’sieur！"

III

Harzandhishostsatinleatherchairs;HerrPaul’ssquarebackwaswedgedintoacushion，hisroundlegscrossed。Bothweresmoking，andtheyeyedeachotherfurtively，asmenofdifferentstampdowhenfirstthrowntogether。Theyoungartistfoundhishostextremelynewanddisconcerting;inhispresencehefeltbothshyandawkward。

HerrPaul，ontheotherhand，verymuchatease，wasthinkingindolently:

’Good—lookingyoungfellow——comesofthepeople，Iexpect，notatallthemanneroftheworld;wonderwhathetalksabout。’

PresentlynoticingthatHarzwaslookingataphotograph，hesaid:

"Ah！yes！thatwasawoman！Theyarenottobefoundinthesedays。

Shecoulddance，thelittleCoralie！Didyoueverseesucharms？

Confessthatsheisbeautiful，hein？"

"Shehasindividuality，"saidHarz。"Afinetype！"

HerrPaulblewoutacloudofsmoke。

"Yes，"hemurmured，"shewasfineallover！"Hehaddroppedhiseyeglasses，andhisfullbrowneyes，withlittlecrow’s—feetatthecorners，wanderedfromhisvisitortohiscigar。

’He’dbelikeaSatyrifhewasn’ttooclean，’thoughtHarz。’Putvineleavesinhishair，painthimasleep，withhishandscrossed，so！’

"WhenIamtoldapersonhasindividuality，"HerrPaulwassayinginarichandhuskyvoice，"Igenerallyexpectbootsthatbulge，anumbrellaofimpropercolour;Iexpectacreatureof’badform’astheysayinEngland;whowillshavesomedaysandsomedayswillnotshave;whosometimessmellsofIndia—rubber，andsometimesdoesnotsmell，whichisdiscouraging！"

"Youdonotapproveofindividuality？"saidHarzshortly。

"Notifitmeansdoing，andthinking，asthosewhoknowbetterdonotdo，orthink。"

"Andwhoarethosewhoknowbetter？"

"Ah！mydear，youareaskingmeariddle？Well，then——Society，menofbirth，menofrecognisedposition，menaboveeccentricity，inaword，ofreputation。"

Harzlookedathimfixedly。"Menwhohaven’tthecourageoftheirownideas，noteventhecouragetosmellofIndia—rubber;menwhohavenodesires，andsocanspendalltheirtimemakingthemselvesflat！"

HerrPauldrewoutaredsilkhandkerchiefandwipedhisbeard。"I

assureyou，mydear，"hesaid，"itiseasiertobeflat;itismorerespectabletobeflat。Himmel！whynot，then，beflat？"

"Likeanycommonfellow？"

"Certes;likeanycommonfellow——likeme，parexemple！"HerrPaulwavedhishand。Whenheexercisedunusualtact，healwaysmadeuseofaFrenchexpression。

Harzflushed。HerrPaulfolloweduphisvictory。"Come，come！"hesaid。"Passmemymenofrepute！quediable！wearenotanarchists。"

"Areyousure？"saidHarz。

HerrPaultwistedhismoustache。"Ibegyourpardon，"hesaidslowly。Butatthismomentthedoorwasopened;arumblingvoiceremarked:"Morning，Paul。Who’syourvisitor？"Harzsawatall，bulkyfigureinthedoorway。

"Comein，"’calledoutHerrPaul。"Letmepresenttoyouanewacquaintance，anartist:HerrHarz——Mr。NicholasTreffry。Psummbumm！Allthisintroducingisdrywork。"Andgoingtothesideboardhepouredoutthreeglassesofalight，foamingbeer。

Mr。Treffrywaveditfromhim:"Notforme，"hesaid:"WishIcould！

Theywon’tletmelookatit。"Andwalkingover，tothewindowwithaheavytread，whichtrembledlikehisvoice，hesatdown。Therewassomethinginhisgaitlikethemovementsofanelephant’shindlegs。

Hewasverytall（itwassaid，withthecustomaryexaggerationoffamilytradition，thatthereneverhadbeenamaleTreffryundersixfeetinheight），butnowhestooped，andhadgrownstout。Therewassomethingatoncevastandunobtrusiveabouthispersonality。

Heworealoosebrownvelvetjacket，andwaistcoat，cuttoshowasoftfrilledshirtandnarrowblackribbontie;athingoldchainwasloopedroundhisneckandfastenedtohisfob。Hisheavycheekshadfoldsinthemlikethoseinabloodhound’sface。Heworebig，drooping，yellow—greymoustaches，whichhehadahabitofsucking，andagoateebeard。Hehadlonglooseearsthatmightalmosthavebeensaidtogap。Onhisheadtherewasasoftblackhat，largeinthebrimandlowinthecrown。Hisgreyeyes，heavy—lidded，twinkledundertheirbushybrowswithaqueer，kindcynicism。Asayoungmanhehadsownmanyawildoat;buthehadalsoworkedandmademoneyinbusiness;hehad，infact，burnedthecandleatbothends;buthehadneverbeenunreadytodohisfellowsagoodturn。Hehadapassionfordriving，andhisrecklessmethodofpursuingthisarthadcausedhimtobenicknamed:"ThenotoriousTreffry。"

Once，whenhewasdrivingtandemdownahillwithalooserein，thefriendbesidehimhadsaid:"Forallthegoodyou’redoingwiththosereins，Treffry，youmightaswellthrowthemonthehorses’necks。"

"Justso，"Treffryhadanswered。Atthebottomofthehilltheyhadgoneoverawallintoapotatopatch。Treffryhadbrokenseveralribs;hisfriendhadgoneunharmed。

Hewasagreatsufferernow，but，constitutionallyaversetobeingpitied，hehadadisconcertingwayofhumming，andthis，togetherwiththeshakeinhisvoice，andhisfrequentuseofpeculiarphrases，madetheunderstandingofhisspeechdependattimesonintuitionratherthanintelligence。

Theclockbegantostrikeeleven。Harzmutteredanexcuse，shookhandswithhishost，andbowingtohisnewacquaintance，wentaway。

HecaughtaglimpseofGreta’sfaceagainstthewindow，andwavedhishandtoher。IntheroadhecameonDawney，whowasturninginbetweenthepoplars，withthumbsasusualhookedinthearmholesofhiswaistcoat。

"Hallo！"thelattersaid。

"Doctor！"Harzansweredslyly;"theFatesoutwittedme，itseems。"

"Serveyouright，"saidDawney，"foryourconfoundedegoism！WaitheretillIcomeout，Ishan’tbemanyminutes。"

ButHarzwentonhisway。Acartdrawnbycream—colouredoxenwaspassingslowlytowardsthebridge。Infrontofthebrushwoodpiledonittwopeasantgirlsweresittingwiththeirfeetonamatofgrass——thepictureofcontentment。

"I’mwastingmytime！"hethought。"I’vedonenexttonothingintwomonths。BettergetbacktoLondon！Thatgirlwillnevermakeapainter！"Shewouldnevermakeapainter，buttherewassomethinginherthathecouldnotdismisssorapidly。Shewasnotexactlybeautiful，butshewassympathetic。Thebrowwaspleasing，withdark—brownhairsoftlyturnedback，andeyessostraightandshining。

Thetwosisterswereverydifferent！Thelittleonewasinnocent，yetmysterious;theelderseemedasclearascrystal！

Hehadenteredthetown，wherethearcadedstreetsexudedtheirpeculiarpungentsmellofcowsandleather，wood—smoke，wine—casks，anddrains。Thesoundofrapidwheelsoverthestonesmadehimturnhishead。Acarriagedrawnbyred—roanhorseswaspassingatagreatpace。Peoplestaredatit，standingstill，andlookingalarmed。Itswungfromsidetosideandvanishedroundacorner。HarzsawMr。

NicholasTreffryinalong，whitishdust—coat;hisItalianservant，perchedbehind，washoldingtotheseat—rail，withanervousgrinonhisdarkface。

’Certainly，’Harzthought，’there’snogettingawayfromthesepeoplethismorning——theyareeverywhere。’

Inhisstudiohebegantosorthissketches，washhisbrushes，anddragoutthingshehadaccumulatedduringhistwomonths’stay。Heevenbegantofoldhisblanketdoor。Butsuddenlyhestopped。Thosetwogirls！Whynottry？Whatapicture！Thetwoheads，thesky，andleaves！Beginto—morrow！Againstthatwindow——no，betterattheVilla！Callthepicture——Spring……！

IV

Thewind，stirringamongtreesandbushes，flungtheyoungleavesskywards。Thetremblingoftheirsilverliningswaslikethejoyfulflutterofaheartatgoodnews。ItwasoneofthoseSpringmorningswheneverythingseemsfullofasweetrestlessness——softcloudschasingfastacrossthesky;softscentsfloatingforthanddying;

thenotesofbirds，nowshrillandsweet，nowhushedinsilences;allnaturestrivingforsomething，nothingatpeace。

VillaRubeinwithstoodtheinfluenceoftheday，andworeitsusuallookofrestandisolation。Harzsentinhiscard，andaskedtosee"derHerr。"Theservant，agrey—eyed，clever—lookingSwisswithnohaironhisface，camebacksaying:

"DerHerr，meinHerr，isintheGardengone。"Harzfollowedhim。

HerrPaul，asmallwhiteflannelcaponhishead，glovesonhishands，andglassesonhisnose，waswateringarosebush，andhummingtheserenadefromFaust。

Thisaspectofthehousewasverydifferentfromtheother。Thesunfellonit，andoveraverandacreepersclungandscrambledinlongscrolls。Therewasalawn，withfreshlymowngrass;flower—bedswerelaidout，andattheendofanavenueofyoungacaciasstoodanarbourcoveredwithwisteria。

Intheeast，mountainpeaks——fingersofsnow——glitteredabovethemist。Agravesimplicitylayonthatscene，ontheroofsandspires，thevalleysandthedreamyhillsides，withtheiryellowscarsandpurplebloom，andwhitecascades，liketailsofgreyhorsesswishinginthewind。

HerrPaulheldouthishand:"Whatcanwedoforyou？"hesaid。

"Ihavetobegafavour，"repliedHarz。"Iwishtopaintyourdaughters。Iwillbringthecanvashere——theyshallhavenotrouble。

Iwouldpainttheminthegardenwhentheyhavenothingelsetodo。"

HerrPaullookedathimdubiously——eversincethepreviousdayhehadbeenthinking:’Queerbird，thatpainter——thinkshimselfthedevilofaswell！Looksadeterminedfellowtoo！’Now——staringinthepainter’sface——itseemedtohim，onthewhole，bestifsomeoneelserefusedthispermission。

"Withallthepleasure，mydearsir，"hesaid。"Come，letusaskthesetwoyoungladies！"andputtingdownhishose，heledthewaytowardsthearbour，thinking:’You’llbedisappointed，myyoungconqueror，orI’mmistaken。’

MissNaylorandthegirlsweresittingintheshade，readingLaFontaine’sfables。Greta，withoneeyeonhergoverness，wasstealthilycuttingapigoutoforangepeel。

"Ah！mydeardears！"beganHerrPaul，whointhepresenceofMissNayloralwaysparadedhisEnglish。"Hereisourfriend，whohasaveryflatteringrequesttomake;hewouldpaintyou，yes——bothtogether，alfresco，intheair，inthesunshine，withthebirds，thelittlebirds！"

Greta，gazingatHarz，gusheddeeppink，andfurtivelyshowedhimherpig。

Christiansaid:"Paintus？Ohno！"

ShesawHarzlookingather，andadded，slowly:"Ifyoureallywishit，Isupposewecould！"thendroppedhereyes。

"Ah！"saidHerrPaulraisinghisbrowstillhisglassesfellfromhisnose:"AndwhatsaysGretchen？Doesshewanttobehandeduptoposteritiesalittlepeacockalongwiththeotherlittlebirds？"

Greta，whohadcontinuedstaringatthepainter，said:"Of——course——

I——want——to——be。"

"Prrt！"saidHerrPaul，lookingatMissNaylor。Thelittleladyindeedopenedhermouthwide，butallthatcameforthwasatinysqueak，assometimeshappenswhenoneisanxioustosaysomething，andhasnotarrangedbeforehandwhatitshallbe。

Theaffairseemedended;Harzheavedasighofsatisfaction。ButHerrPaulhadstillacardtoplay。

"ThereisyourAunt，"hesaid;"therearethingstobeconsidered——

onemustcertainlyinquire——so，weshallsee。"KissingGretaloudlyonbothcheeks，hewenttowardsthehouse。

"Whatmakesyouwanttopaintus？"Christianasked，assoonashewasgone。

"Ithinkitverywrong，"MissNaylorblurtedout。

"Why？"saidHarz，frowning。

"Gretaissoyoung——therearelessons——itissuchawasteoftime！"

Hiseyebrowstwitched:"Ah！Youthinkso！"

"Idon’tseewhyitisawasteoftime，"saidChristianquietly;

"therearelotsofhourswhenwesithereanddonothing。"

"Anditisverydull，"putinGreta，withapout。

"Youarerude，Greta，"saidMissNaylorinalittlerage，pursingherlips，andtakingupherknitting。

"Ithinkitseemsalwaysrudetospeakthetruth，"saidGreta。MissNaylorlookedatherinthatconcentratedmannerwithwhichshewasinthehabitofexpressingdispleasure。

Butatthismomentaservantcame，andsaidthatMrs。DeciewouldbegladtoseeHerrHarz。Thepaintermadethemastiffbow，andfollowedtheservanttothehouse。MissNaylorandthetwogirlswatchedhisprogresswithapprehensiveeyes;itwasclearthathehadbeenoffended。

Crossingtheveranda，andpassingthroughanopenwindowhungwithsilkcurtains，Hartenteredacooldarkroom。ThiswasMrs。Decie’ssanctum，wheresheconductedcorrespondence，receivedhervisitors，readthelatestliterature，andsometimes，whenshehadbadheadaches，layforhoursonthesofa，withafan，andhereyesclosed。Therewasascentofsandalwood，asuggestionoftheEast，akindofmystery，inhere，asifthingslikechairsandtableswerenotreallywhattheyseemed，butsomethingmuchlesscommonplace。

Thevisitorlookedtwice，tobequitesureofanything;thereweremanyplants，beadcurtains，andadealofsilverworkandchina。

Mrs。Deciecameforwardintheslightlyrustlingsilkwhich——whetherinoroutoffashion——alwaysaccompaniedher。Atallwoman，overfifty，shemovedasifshehadbeentiedtogetherattheknees。Herfacewaslong，withbroadbrows，fromwhichhersandy—greyhairwasseverelywavedback;shehadpaleeyes，andaperpetual，pale，enigmaticsmile。HercomplexionhadbeenruinedbylongresidenceinIndia，andmightunkindlyhavebeencalledfawn—coloured。ShecameclosetoHarz，keepinghereyesonhis，withherheadbentslightlyforward。

"Wearesopleasedtoknowyou，"shesaid，speakinginavoicewhichhadlostallring。"ItischarmingtofindsomeoneinthesepartswhocanhelpustorememberthatthereissuchathingasArt。WehadMr。C———herelastautumn，suchacharmingfellow。Hewassointerestedinthenativecustomsanddresses。Youareasubjectpainter，too，Ithink？Won’tyousitdown？"

Shewentonforsometime，introducingpainters’names，askingquestions，skatingroundtheedgeofwhatwaspersonal。Andtheyoungmanstoodbeforeherwithacuriouslittlesmilefixedonhislips。’ShewantstoknowwhetherI’mworthpowderandshot，’hethought。

"Youwishtopaintmynieces？"Mrs。Deciesaidatlast，leaningbackonhersettee。

"Iwishtohavethathonour，"Harzansweredwithabow。

"Andwhatsortofpicturedidyouthinkof？"

"That，"saidHarz，"isinthefuture。Icouldn’ttellyou。"Andhethought:’WillsheaskmeifIgetmytintsinParis，likethewomanTrampertoldmeof？’

TheperpetualpalesmileonMrs。Decie’sfaceseemedtoinvitehisconfidence，yettowarnhimthathiswordswouldbesuckedinsomewherebehindthosebroadfinebrows，andcarefullysorted。Mrs。

Decie，indeed，wasthinking:’Interestingyoungman，regularBohemian——noharminthatathisage;somethingNapoleonicinhisface;probablyhasnodressclothes。Yes，shouldliketoseemoreofhim！’Shehadafineeyeforpointsofcelebrity;hisnamewasunfamiliar，wouldprobablyhavebeenscoutedbythatfamousartistMr。C———，butshefeltherinstincturgingherontoknowhim。Shewas，todoherjustice，oneofthose"lion"finderswhoseektheanimalforpleasure，notforthegloryitbringsthem;shehadthecourageofherinstincts——lion—entitieswereindispensabletoher，butshetrustedtodivinationtosecurethem;nobodycouldfoista"lion"onher。

"Itwillbeverynice。Youwillstayandhavesomelunch？Thearrangementshereareratherodd。Suchamixedhousehold——butthereisalwayslunchattwoo’clockforanyonewholikes，andwealldineatseven。Youwouldhaveyoursittingsintheafternoons，perhaps？

Ishouldsoliketoseeyoursketches。Youareusingtheoldhouseonthewallforstudio;thatissooriginalofyou！"

Harzwouldnotstaytolunch，butaskedifhemightbeginworkthatafternoon;heleftalittlesuffocatedbythesandalwoodandsympathyofthissphinx—likewoman。

Walkinghomealongtheriverwall，withthesingingofthelarksandthrushes，therushofwaters，thehummingofthechafersinhisears，hefeltthathewouldmakesomethingfineofthissubject。Beforehiseyesthefacesofthetwogirlscontinuallystartedup，framedbythesky，withyoungleavesgutteringagainsttheircheeks。

V

ThreedayshadpassedsinceHarzbeganhispicture，whenearlyinthemorning，GretacamefromVillaRubeinalongtheriverdykeandsatdownonabenchfromwhichtheoldhouseonthewallwasvisible。

ShehadnotbeentherelongbeforeHarzcameout。

"Ididnotknock，"saidGreta，"becauseyouwouldnothaveheard，anditissoearly，soIhavebeenwaitingforyouaquarterofanhour。"

Selectingarosebud，fromsomeflowersinherhand，shehandedittohim。"Thatismyfirstrosebudthisyear，"shesaid;"itisforyoubecauseyouarepaintingme。To—dayIamthirteen，HerrHarz;thereisnottobeasitting，becauseitismybirthday;but，instead，weareallgoingtoMerantoseetheplayofAndreasHofer。Youaretocometoo，please;Iamheretotellyou，andtheothersshallbeheredirectly。"

Harzbowed:"Andwhoaretheothers？"

"Christian，andDr。Edmund，MissNaylor，andCousinTeresa。Herhusbandisill，sosheissad，butto—daysheisgoingtoforgetthat。Itisnotgoodtobealwayssad，isit，HerrHarz？"

Helaughed:"Youcouldnotbe。"

Gretaansweredgravely:"Ohyes，Icould。Itooamoftensad。Youaremakingfun。Youarenottomakefunto—day，becauseitismybirthday。Doyouthinkgrowingupisnice，HerrHarz？"

"No，FrauleinGreta，itisbettertohaveallthetimebeforeyou。"

Theywalkedonsidebyside。

"Ithink，"saidGreta，"youareverymuchafraidoflosingtime。

Chrissaysthattimeisnothing。"

"Timeiseverything，"respondedHarz。

"Shesaysthattimeisnothing，andthoughtiseverything，"Gretamurmured，rubbingaroseagainsthercheek，"butIthinkyoucannothaveathoughtunlessyouhavethetimetothinkitin。Therearetheothers！Look！"

Aclusterofsunshadesonthebridgeglowedforamomentandwaslostinshadow。

"Come，"saidHarz，"let’sjointhem！"

AtMeran，underSchlossTirol，peoplewerestreamingacrossthemeadowsintotheopentheatre。Hereweretallfellowsinmountaindress，withleatherbreeches，bareknees，andhatswitheagles’

feathers;herewerefruit—sellers，burghersandtheirwives，mountebanks，actors，andeverykindofvisitor。Theaudience，packedintoanenclosureofhighboards，swelteredundertheburningsun。

CousinTeresa，tallandthin，withhard，redcheeks，shadedherpleasanteyeswithherhand。

Theplaybegan。ItdepictedtherisingintheTyrolof1809:thevillagelife，dancesandyodelling;murmuringsandexhortations，thewarningbeatofdrums;thenthegathering，withflintlocks，pitchforks，knives;thebattleandvictory;thehomecoming，andfestival。Thenthesecondgathering，theroarofcannon;betrayal，capture，death。TheimpassivefigureofthepatriotAndreasHoferalwaysinfront，black—bearded，leathern—girdled，underthebluesky，againstascreenofmountains。

HarzandChristiansatbehindtheothers。Heseemedsointentontheplaythatshedidnotspeak，butwatchedhisface，rigidwithakindofcoldexcitement;heseemedtobetransportedbythelifepassingbeforethem。Somethingofhisfeelingseizedonher;whentheplaywasovershetoowastrembling。Inpushingtheirwayouttheybecameseparatedfromtheothers。

"There’sashortcuttothestationhere，"saidChristian;"let’sgothisway。"

Thepathrosealittle;anarrowstreamcreptalongsidethemeadow，andthehedgewasspangledwithwildroses。Christiankeptglancingshylyatthepainter。Sincetheirmeetingontheriverwallherthoughtshadneverbeenatrest。Thisstranger，withhiskeenface，insistenteyes，andceaselessenergy，hadrousedastrangefeelinginher;hiswordshadputshapetosomethinginhernotyetexpressed。

Shestoodasideatastiletomakewayforsomepeasantboys，dustyandrough—haired，whosangandwhistledastheywentby。