Chapter 8

In August, 1909, Daniel’s pupils celebrated the fiftieth birthday of their master. They made him a great number of presents, and gave him a dinner in the inn at the Sign of the Ox.

One of his pupils, an extremely handsome young fellow for whose future Daniel had the highest of hopes, presented him with a huge bouquet of orange lilies, wild natives of the woods around Eschenbach. He had gathered them himself, and arranged them in a costly vase.

The menu at the dinner was quite frugal; the wine was Franconian country wine. During the dinner, Daniel rose, took his glass in his hand, and, with a far-away look in his eyes, said: “I drink to the health and happiness of a creature who is a stranger to all of you. She grew up here in Eschenbach. Many years ago she vanished in a most mysterious way. But I know that she is alive and happy at this hour.”

His pupils all raised their glasses. They looked at him, and were deeply moved by the strength and clarity of his features.

After the dinner he and his pupils went to the old church. He had both of the large doors opened so that the bright light of day might pour in unimpeded. Up in the lofty vaults of the nave, where all had been dark but a moment ago, there was now a milky clearness and cheerfulness.

He went to the organ and began to play. Some men and women who chanced to be passing by came in and sat down on the benches with the boys. Then a group of children entered. They tripped timidly through the open doors, stopped, looked around, and opened their eyes as wide as children can. Other people came in; for the tones of the organ had penetrated the humble homes. They looked up at the organ silently and seriously; for its exalted melodies had, without their being prepared for it, carried them away from their everyday existence, and lifted them up above its abject lowliness.

The tones grew louder and louder, until they sounded like the prayer of a heart overflowing with feeling. As the close of the great hymn drew on, a little girl was heard weeping from among the uninvited auditors.

It was Agnes who wept. Had life been fully awakened in her? Was love calling her out into the unknown? Was the life of her mother being repeated in her?

Children grow up and are seized by their fate.

Toward evening, Daniel took a walk with his nine pupils out over the meadow. They went quite far. The last song of the birds had died out, the glow of the sun had turned pale.

The beautiful youth, then walking by Daniel’s side, said: “And the work, Master?”

Daniel merely smiled; his eye roamed over the landscape.

The landscape shows many shades of green. Around the weirs the grass is higher, so high at times that one can see nothing of the geese but their beaks. Were it not for their cackling, one might take these beaks for strangely mobile flowers.

THE END

set up as a book-seller -> bookseller p. 008: the lovely curves of the birdges -> bridges p. 011: [normalized] he slipt into the Festival Playhouse -> slipped p. 011: [normalized] acquaintance of Andreas Döberlein -> Döderlein p. 011: [normalized] Döberlein seemed not disinclined -> Döderlein p. 014: [normalized] little, eight-year old daughter -> eight-year-old p. 017: [normalized] Theresa said to the working-man -> workingman p. 018: fiercely red pamphets spread out -> pamphlets p. 023: [normalized] a room of the brushmaker Hadebusch -> brush-maker p. 024: Frau Hadesbusch wailed -> Hadebusch p. 024: [normalized] The old brushmaker poked his head -> brush-maker p. 046: status of the artistocracy -> aristocracy p. 047: [normalized] he indulged in eaves-dropping -> eavesdropping p. 048: [normalized] as a fourteen-year old girl -> fourteen-year-old p. 054: no sooner had be seen her -> he p. 057: seemed to be similiarly situated -> similarly p. 065: [normalized] the seventeen-year old boy -> seventeen-year-old p. 067: flatter the leader and politican -> politician p. 067: [normalized] socialist book-keeper -> bookkeeper p. 067: Her shrieks called Herr Franke -> Francke p. 084: [missing period] took the artist’s part. p. 094: [normalized] she was in her nightgown -> night-gown p. 095: clasped Eleanor about the hips -> Eleanore p. 095: stepped back from her, terror stricken -> terror-stricken p. 101: The venemous and eloquent hatred -> venomous p. 105: [normalized] fell head-long to the floor -> headlong p. 107: [added comma] and if you want to, why you can come -> why, you p. 121: meant at the time by “having a child,” -> ‘having a child,’ p. 122: [added comma] Why the arithmetic of it -> Why, the p. 123: [normalized] fixed on a ten-year old girl -> ten-year-old p. 124: [normalized] right under my bed-room -> bedroom p. 125: crystallised by artifical means -> artificial p. 127: [normalized] voice that the passers-by simpered -> passersby p. 130: rather die, they said, then meet -> than meet p. 131: she could play the role of an emissary -> rôle p. 132: [normalized] Eschenbach at mid-day -> midday p. 133: [normalized] unusually large eye-brows -> eyebrows p. 136: their retinue was seedy looking indeed -> seedy-looking p. 136: dozen or so super-numaries -> super-numeraries p. 145: [normalized] pleasing, faraway look in her eyes -> far-away p. 153: [normalized] character of the book-seller -> bookseller p. 154: [normalized] with heartrending dignity -> heart-rending p. 162: [comma missing ink] “Where are you going, my dear friend?” p. 163: he liked to breathe the air that Eberhard dreamed -> breathed p. 169: [normalized] weatherbeaten by the storms -> weather-beaten p. 169: something childlike in his restlessness -> child-like p. 176: from the land of no-where -> nowhere p. 180: [normalized] this over-crowded room -> overcrowded p. 183: the words of the “Herzreise” -> “Harzreise” p. 183: voice of the painter Krapotkin -> Kropotkin p. 186: Gertrude was pealing potatoes -> peeling p. 191: but twenty pfennigs’ worth of sweets -> buy p. 197: [added closing quotes] “I think he is. If not, I will get him.” p. 202: light hearted and light footed -> light-hearted and light-footed p. 212: [normalized] appeared in the Phoenix -> Phœnix p. 215: [normalized] her well-nigh supernatural ability -> wellnigh p. 215: [normalized] a serious, far-a-way warning -> far-away p. 227: threw it at Fraülein Varini -> Fräulein p. 253: [normalized] passersby and onlookers -> on-lookers p. 257: Eleanor’s example was equally great -> Eleanore’s p. 275: the greatest atraction for her -> attraction p. 297: potato pealings -> peelings p. 300: [normalized] just stepped out of a band-box -> bandbox p. 300: That old white bearded man -> white-bearded p. 301: [punctuation] interrupted Philippina with a giggle, -> giggle. p. 304: his nose was as flat as a pan-cake -> pancake p. 313: You probaby think I am an idiotic simpleton -> probably p. 317: [normalized] hiring out as a mid-wife -> midwife p. 320: [normalized] the sound of foot-steps -> footsteps p. 326: at most an inadquate light -> inadequate p. 327: rid himself completely of all entangements -> entanglements p. 331: That is the way our childer are -> children p. 333: Count Ulrich had asked for her hand -> Urlich p. 338: more and more strange and izarre -> bizarre p. 340: his shabby old yellow rain-coat -> raincoat p. 346: a vague, faraway idea of music -> far-away p. 358: passsionately absorbed in himself -> passionately p. 360: [normalized] and a long law-suit -> lawsuit p. 360: establishment in the Plobenhaf Street -> Plobenhof p. 364: with some hesistation -> hesitation p. 378: [normalized] A neighbour, the green grocer -> green-grocer p. 397: unsually attentive expression -> unusually p. 411: [normalized] the next day to a school-mate -> schoolmate p. 424: [punctuation] sleep longer.” Dorothea answered -> longer,” p. 426: [added period] concerned themselves about him in the slightest. p. 441: [normalized] try to brow-beat me -> browbeat p. 444: bent dawn, stretched out her arm -> down p. 461: The Döderlins are born in false ermine -> Döderleins p. 464: [added period] going beyond one’s means. p. 466: Little Gootfried could only prattle -> Gottfried ]