The writer of this story, both because it moves his own heart, and because he wishes it to move that of others, begs you, dear reader, to pardon him, if he now briefy passes over a considerable space of time, only cursorily mentioning the events that marked it. He knows well that he might portray skilfully, step by step, how Huldbrand's heart began to turn from Undine to Bertalda；how Bertalda more and more responded with ardent affection to the young knight, and how they both looked upon the poor wife as a mysterious being rather to be feared than pitied；how Undine wept, and how her tears stung the knight's heart with remorse without awakening his former love, so that though he at times was kind and endearing to her, a cold shudder would soon draw him from her, and he would turn to his fellow-mortal, Bertalda.All this the writer knows might be fully detailed, and perhaps ought to have been so；but such a task would have been too painful, for similar things have been known to him by sad experience, and he shrinks from their shadow even in remembrance.You know probably a like feeling, dear reader, for such is the lot of mortal man.Happy are you if you have received rather than inficted the pain, for in such things it ismore blessed to receive than to give.If it be so, such recollections will only bring a feeling of sorrow to your mind, and perhaps a tear will trickle down your cheek over the faded fowers that once caused you such delight.But let that be enough.We will not pierce our hearts with a thousand separate things, but only briefy state, as I have just said, how matters were.
Poor Undine was very sad, and the other two were not to be called happy. Bertalda especially thought that she could trace the effect of jealousy on the part of the injured wife whenever her wishes were in any way thwarted by her.She had therefore habituated herself to an imperious demeanor, to which Undine yielded in sorrowful submission, and the now blinded Huldbrand usually encouraged this arrogant behavior in the strongest manner.But the circumstance that most of all disturbed the inmates of the castle, was a variety of wonderful apparitions which met Huldbrand and Bertalda in the vaulted galleries of the castle, and which had never been heard of before as haunting the locality.The tall white man, in whom Huldbrand recognized only too plainly Uncle Kuhleborn, and Bertalda the spectral master of the fountain, often passed before them with a threatening aspect, and especially before Bertalda；so much so, that she had already several times been made ill with terror, and had frequently thought of quitting the castle.But still she stayed there, partly because Huldbrand was so dear to her, and she relied on her innocence, no words of love having ever passed between them, and partly also because she knew not whither to direct her steps.The old fsherman, on receiving the message from the lord of Ringstetten that Bertalda was his guest, had written a fewlines in an almost illegible hand, but as good as his advanced age and long dis-would admit of.
“I have now become,”he wrote,“a poor old widower, for my dear and faithful wife is dead. However lonely I now sit in my cottage, Bertalda is better with you than with me.Only let her do nothing to harm my beloved Undine!She will have my curse if it be so.”
The last words of this letter, Bertalda fung to the winds, but she carefully retained the part respecting her absence from her father—just as we are all wont to do in similar circumstances.
One day, when Huldbrand had just ridden out, Undine summoned together the domestics of the family, and ordered them to bring a large stone, and carefully to cover with it the magnifcent fountain which stood in the middle of the castle-yard. The servants objected that it would oblige them to bring water from the valley below.Undine smiled sadly.“I am sorry, my people,”she replied,“to increase your work.I would rather myself fetch up the pitchers, but this fountain must be closed.Believe me that it cannot be otherwise, and that it is only by so doing that we can avoid a greater evil.”
The whole household were glad to be able to please their gentle mistress；they made no further inquiry, but seized the enormous stone. They were just raising it in their hands, and were already poising it over the fountain, when Bertalda came running up, and called out to them to stop, as it was from this fountain that the water was brought which was so good for her complexion, and she would never consent to its being closed.Undine, however, although gentle as usual, was more than usually frm.She told Bertalda that it washer due, as mistress of the house, to arrange her household as she thought best, and that, in this, she was accountable to no one but her lord and husband.
“See, oh, pray see,”exclaimed Bertalda, in an angry, yet uneasy tone,“how the poor beautiful water is curling and writhing at being shut out from the bright sunshine and from the cheerful sight of the human face, for whose mirror it was created!”The water in the fountain was indeed wonderfully agitated and hissing；it seemed as if something within were struggling to free itself, but Undine only the more earnestly urged the fulflment of her orders. The earnestness was scarcely needed.The servants of the castle were as happy in obeying their gentle mistress as in opposing Bertalda's haughty defance；and in spite of all the rude scolding and threatening of the latter the stone was soon firmly lying over the opening of the fountain.Undine leaned thoughtfully over it, and wrote with her beautiful fngers on its surface.She must, however, have had something very sharp and cutting in her hand, for when she turned away, and the servants drew near to examine the stone, they perceived various strange characters upon it, which none of them had seen there before.
Bertalda received the knight, on his return home in the evening, with tears and complaints of Undine's conduct. He cast a serious look at his poor wife, and she looked down as if distressed.Yet she said with great composure：“My lord and husband does not reprove even a bondslave without a hearing, how much less then, his wedded wife?”
“Speak,”said the knight with a gloomy countenance,“what induced you to act so strangely?”
“I should like to tell you when we are quite alone,”sighed Undine.
“You can tell me just as well in Bertalda's presence,”was the rejoinder.
“Yes, if you command me,”said Undine；“but command it not. Oh pray, pray command it not!”
She looked so humble, so sweet, and obedient, that the knight's heart felt a passing gleam from better times. He kindly placed her arm within his own, and led her to his apartment, when she began to speak as follows：—
“You already know, my beloved lord, something of my evil uncle, Kuhleborn, and you have frequently been displeased at meeting him in the galleries of this castle. He has several times frightened Bertalda into illness.This is because he is devoid of soul, a mere elemental mirror of the outward world, without the power of reflecting the world within.He sees, too, sometimes, that you are dissatisfed with me；that I, in my childishness, am weeping at this, and that Bertalda perhaps is at the very same moment laughing.Hence he imagines various discrepancies in our home life, and in many ways mixes unbidden with our circle.What is the good of reproving him?What is the use of sending him angrily away?He does not believe a word I say.His poor nature has no idea that the joys and sorrows of love have so sweet a resemblance, and are so closely linked that no power can separate them.Amid tears a smile shines forth, and a smile allures tears from their secret chambers.”
She looked up at Huldbrand, smiling and weeping；and he again experienced within his heart all the charm of his old love. She feltthis, and pressing him more tenderly to her, she continued amid tears of joy：—
“As the disturber of our peace was not to be dismissed with words, I have been obliged to shut the door upon him. And the only door by which he obtains access to us is that fountain.He is cut off by the adjacent valleys from the other water-spirits in the neighborhood, and his kingdom only commences further off on the Danube, into which some of his good friends direct their course.For this reason I had the stone placed over the opening of the fountain, and I inscribed characters upon it which cripple all my uncle's power, so that he can now neither intrude upon you, nor upon me, nor upon Bertalda.Human beings, it is true, can raise the stone again with ordinary effort, in spite of the characters inscribed on it.The inscription does not hinder them.If you wish, therefore, follow Bertalda's desire, but, truly!she knows not what she asks.The rude Kuhleborn has set his mark especially upon her；and if much came to pass which he has predicted to me, and which might, indeed, happen without your meaning any evil, ah!dear one, even you would then be exposed to danger!”
Huldbrand felt deeply the generosity of his sweet wife, in her eagerness to shut up her formidable protector, while she had even been chided for it by Bertalda. He pressed her in his arms with the utmost affection, and said with emotion：“The stone shall remain, and all shall remain, now and ever, as you wish to have it, my sweet Undine.”
She caressed him with humble delight, as she heard the expressions of love so long withheld, and then at length she said：“My dearest husband, you are so gentle and kind to-day, may I venture to ask a favor of you?See now, it is just the same with you as it is with summer. In the height of its glory, summer puts on the flaming and thundering crown of mighty storms, and assumes the air of a king over the earth.You, too, sometimes, let your fury rise, and your eyes fash and your voice is angry, and this becomes you well, though I, in my folly, may sometimes weep at it.But never, I pray you, behave thus toward me on the water, or even when we are near it.You see, my relatives would then acquire a right over me.They would unrelentingly tear me from you in their rage；because they would imagine that one of their race was injured, and I should be compelled all my life to dwell below in the crystal palaces, and should never dare to ascend to you again；or they would send me up to you—and that, oh God, would be infnitely worse.No, no, my beloved husband, do not let it come to that, if your poor Undine is dear to you.”
He promised solemnly to do as she desired, and they both returned from the apartment, full of happiness and affection. At that moment Bertalda appeared with some workmen, to whom she had already given orders, and said in a sullen tone, which she had assumed of late：“I suppose the secret conference is at an end, and now the stone may be removed.Go out, workmen, and attend to it.”
But the knight, angry at her impertinence, desired in short and very decisive words that the stone should be left：he reproved Bertalda, too, for her violence toward his wife. Whereupon the workmen withdrew, smiling with secret satisfaction：while Bertalda, pale with rage, hurried away to her room.
The hour for the evening repast arrived, and Bertalda they waited for in vain. They sent after her, but the domestic found her apartments empty, and only brought back with him a sealed letter addressed to the knight.He opened it with alarm, and read：“I feel with shame that I am only a poor fsher-girl.I will expiate my fault in having forgotten this for a moment by going to the miserable cottage of my parents.Farewell to you and your beautiful wife.”
Undine was heartily distressed. She earnestly entreated Huldbrand to hasten after their friend and bring her back again.Alas!she had no need to urge him.His affection for Bertalda burst forth again with vehemence.He hurried round the castle, inquiring if any one had seen which way the fugitive had gone.He could learn nothing of her, and he was already on his horse in the castle-yard, resolved at a venture to take the road by which he had brought Bertalda hither.Just then a page appeared, who assured him that he had met the lady on the path to the Black Valley.Like an arrow the knight sprang through the gateway in the direction indicated, without hearing Undine's voice of agony, as she called to him from the window：—
“To the Black Valley!Oh, not there!Huldbrand, don't go there!or, for heaven's sake, take me with you!”
But when she perceived that all her calling was in vain, she ordered her white palfrey to be immediately saddled, and rode after the knight, without allowing any servant to accompany her.