Romantic Fairy Tales by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2010-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

A Wedding

The silence was broken by a soft knocking at the door, which startled them all. Such insignificant but unexpected events are sometimes the cause of great excitement, but in this case even more so for the cursed forest lay near by and the strip of land was inaccessible to human visitors. As they looked at each other nervously, the knocking sound could be heard once more, this time accompanied by a deep groaning. The knight went for his sword, to which the old man responded quietly, ‘If it is that which I fear, then no weapon can help us.’

Meanwhile, Undine had gone towards the door and begun to shout angrily and impudently, ‘If you are here to cause trouble, spirits of the earth, then Kühleborn shall find you something better to do.’ These strange words served only to frighten the others even more and they looked at the girl with increased apprehension. Huldbrand was about to ask her a question when a voice came from outside:

‘I am no spirit of the earth, merely a spirit who still resides in an earthly body. If you want to help me and live in fear of God, you there in the hut, then open the door.’ On hearing these words, Undine opened the door and shone a lantern out into the stormy night. There stood an old priest, who was quite taken aback at the unexpected sight of the beautiful girl. He must have thought there were spirits and magic at work for him to behold such a lovely vision in the doorway of such a miserable hut.

He began to pray: ‘Heavenly spirits, praise the lord God!’

‘I am not a ghost,’ said Undine smiling, ‘or am I really so ugly? Anyway, surely you can see that such pious words do not frighten me. I know all about God and how to praise him – each in their own way, of course; that is why he made us. Come inside, honourable father, you are among good people.’

The clergyman entered, bowing as he looked around him. He seemed most amiable and worthy. Water was dripping from every fold of his dark robes, from his long white beard and from the white hair on his head. The fisherman and the knight led him into a room and gave him some other clothes while they handed the priest’s robes to the women in the main room to dry. The strange old man thanked them most humbly and kindly but firmly refused to put on the knight’s shining cloak, which they first handed him to wear; he chose instead an old grey smock belonging to the fisherman. As they came back into the room, the housewife immediately offered her great chair to the priest and would not rest until he had settled in it, ‘For,’ she said, ‘you are old and exhausted and a clergyman to boot.’ Undine pushed the little stool, upon which she usually sat beside Huldbrand, under the feet of the stranger and proved to be quite polite and charming in taking care of the old man.

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