The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 11: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated Into English
General
The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 11: Masterpieces of German Literature Translated Into English
German literature -- 19th century -- Translations into English; German literature -- 20th century -- Translations into English
"_Dunque--andiamo!_" cried Justus; "_a rivederci!_"
[Ferdinande says Antonio is the only one, after all, who understands
her. She then reads a letter which she has received from Ottomar over
the garden wall. Ottomar speaks only of meeting her, but says nothing
of seeing her father, or of more serious purposes. Reinhold knocks on
her studio door, enters, and sees how the artists live in a world of
their own. Ferdinande says her father does not care what she does so
long as she can have her own way. Reinhold inspects her work and the
studio.]
"But now I am afraid you will spoil me so thoroughly that I shall find
it difficult to get back into my simple life," said Reinhold, as he
sped on at the side of Ferdinande in his uncle's equipage through the
Thiergartenstrasse to the Brandenburgerthor.
"Why do we have horses and a carriage if we are not to use them?"
inquired Ferdinande.
She had leaned back against the cushions, just touching the front seat
with the point of one of her shoes. Reinhold's glance glided almost
shyly along the beautiful figure, whose splendid lines were brought out
advantageously by an elegant autumn costume. He thought he had just
discovered for the first time how beautiful his cousin was, and he
considered it very natural that she should attract the attention of the
motley throng with which the promenade teemed, and that many a cavalier
who dashed by them turned in his saddle to look back at her. Ferdinande
seemed not to take any notice of it; her large eyes looked down, or
straight ahead, or glanced up with a dreamy, languid expression to the
tops of the trees, which, likewise dreamy and languid, appeared to
drink in the mild warmth of the autumn sun without stirring. Perhaps
it was this association of ideas that caused Reinhold to ask himself
how old the beautiful girl was; and he was a little astonished when
he calculated that she could not be far from twenty-four. In his
recollection she had always appeared as a tall, somewhat lank young
thing, that was just about to unfold into a flower--but, to be sure,
ten years had gone since that. Cousin Philip--at that time likewise
a tall, thin young fellow--must already be in the beginning of his
thirties.
A two-wheeled cabriolet came up behind them and passed them. On the
high front seat sat a tall, stately, broad-shouldered gentleman, clad
with most precise and somewhat studied elegance, as it appeared to
Reinhold, who, with hands encased in light kid gloves, drove a fine
high-stepping black steed, while the small groom with folded arms sat
in the low rear seat. The gentleman had just been obliged to turn out
for a carriage coming from the opposite direction, and his attention
had been directed to the other side; now--at the distance of some
carriage lengths--he turned upon his seat and waved a cordial greeting
with his hand and whip, while Ferdinande, in her careless way, answered
with a nod of her head.
"Who was that gentleman?" asked Reinhold.
"My brother Philip."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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