登陆注册
15492700000005

第5章 CHAPTER II. IN WHAT WAY UNDINE HAD COME TO THE FIS

"My wife had been sitting with the child on the edge of the lake, and as she was playing with it, free of all fear and full of happiness, the little one suddenly bent forward, as if attracted by something very beautiful in the water. My wife saw her laugh, the dear angel, and stretch out her little hands; but in a moment she had sprung out of her mother's arms, and had sunk beneath the watery mirror. I sought long for our little lost one; but it was all in vain; there was no trace of her to be found."

"The same evening we, childless parents, were sitting silently together in the cottage; neither of us had any desire to talk, even had our tears allowed us. We sat gazing into the fire on the hearth.

Presently, we heard something rustling outside the door: it flew open, and a beautiful little girl three or four years old, richly dressed, stood on the threshold smiling at us. We were quite dumb with astonishment, and I knew not at first whether it were a vision or a reality. But I saw the water dripping from her golden hair and rich garments, and I perceived that the pretty child had been lying in the water, and needed help. 'Wife,' said I, 'no one has been able to save our dear child; yet let us at any rate do for others what would have made us so blessed.' We undressed the little one, put her to bed, and gave her something warm; at all this she spoke not a word, and only fixed her eyes, that reflected the blue of the lake and of the sky, smilingly upon us. Next morning we quickly perceived that she had taken no harm from her wetting, and I now inquired about her parents, and how she had come here. But she gave a confused and strange account. She must have been born far from here, not only because for these fifteen years I have not been able to find out anything of her parentage, but because she then spoke, and at times still speaks, of such singular things that such as we are cannot tell but that she may have dropped upon us from the moon. She talks of golden castles, of crystal domes, and heaven knows what besides. The story that she told with most distinctness was, that she was out in a boat with her mother on the great lake, and fell into the water, and that she only recovered her senses here under the trees where she felt herself quite happy on the merry shore. We had still a great misgiving and perplexity weighing on our heart. We had, indeed, soon decided to keep the child we had found and to bring her up in the place of our lost darling; but who could tell us whether she had been baptized or not? She herself could give us no information on the matter. She generally answered our questions by saying that she well knew she was created for Gods praise and glory, and that she was ready to let us do with her whatever would tend to His honor and glory."

"My wife and I thought that if she were not baptized, there was no time for delay, and that if she were, a good thing could not be repeated too often. And in pursuance of this idea, we reflected upon a good name for the child, for we now were often at a loss to know what to call her. We agreed at last that Dorothea would be the most suitable for her, for I once heard that it meant a gift of God, and she had surely been sent to us by God as a gift and comfort in our misery. She, on the other hand, would not hear of this, and told us that she thought she had been called Undine by her parents, and that Undine she wished still to be called. Now this appeared to me a heathenish name, not to be found in any calendar, and I took counsel therefore of a priest in the city. He also would not hear of the name of Undine, but at my earnest request he came with me through the mysterious forest in order to perform the rite of baptism here in my cottage. The little one stood before us so prettily arrayed and looked so charming that the priest's heart was at once moved within him, and she flattered him so prettily, and braved him so merrily, that at last he could no longer remember the objections he had had ready against the name of Undine. She was therefore baptized 'Undine,' and during the sacred ceremony she behaved with great propriety and sweetness, wild and restless as she invariably was at other times. For my wife was quite right when she said that it has been hard to put up with her. If I were to tell you"--

The knight interrupted the fisherman to draw his attention to a noise, as of a rushing flood of waters, which had caught his ear during the old man's talk, and which now burst against the cottage-window with redoubled fury. Both sprang to the door. There they saw, by the light of the now risen moon, the brook which issued from the wood, widely overflowing its banks, and whirling away stones and branches of trees in its sweeping course. The storm, as if awakened by the tumult, burst forth from the mighty clouds which passed rapidly across the moon; the lake roared under the furious lashing of the wind; the trees of the little peninsula groaned from root to topmost bough, and bent, as if reeling, over the surging waters.

"Undine! for Heaven's sake, Undine." cried the two men in alarm. No answer was returned, and regardless of every other consideration, they ran out of the cottage, one in this direction, and the other in that, searching and calling.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 反出轨者联盟

    反出轨者联盟

    她表象是一名家庭主妇,私下却是反抗击第三者联合会的理事,某一日,却发现她老公出轨了!分居、挽救、斗争、离婚,净身出户,她的人生输得只剩了几条内裤。恼怒之下,她成立反出轨者联盟,踏上全身心抗击小三、斗争小三的道路!(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 我带神仙刷副本

    我带神仙刷副本

    【最强游戏系统】神仙玩游戏却被终极Boss变成了npc,小农民穿越二十二后,过着搬砖的生活,却肩负起了拯救神仙的使命。人生如戏,我们都沉浸在梦里。这一次我不为荣耀而战,我只为爱我的人和我爱的人而战。孙悟空我们结拜兄弟吧,灰太狼,我帮你抓喜羊羊吧、、、如蝇随行粉丝群:515929239
  • 重生之华丽转身

    重生之华丽转身

    她:胆小而又懦弱,慕容家族的废物;她:21世纪慕容集团的总裁,集高傲美丽于一身;同名同姓的两人,生死之间的较量;当21世纪的冷傲总裁重生至慕容家族的废物身上时,又会发生怎样的故事?且看华丽转身,看21世纪的冷傲总裁如何风靡天下,浴火重生。
  • 血冢

    血冢

    一个被冷血父亲抛弃在杀手堆里得少年,无意中他上了修仙之路,成为了一个人人厌恶得邪仙,他不受世俗得约束,公道自在己心,仙界之大,任我行。他有一个又一个得好兄弟追随,还有红颜相伴,血泪情仇,万劫成仙.....
  • 王牌杀手的我是女仆

    王牌杀手的我是女仆

    居然有和我长得一模一样的人?而且还是个女的!又还是一个女仆,不料,我却又被跟我长得一模一样的人的大小姐给救了,无奈之下,只能代替那个人继续为大小姐做女仆,但是,这一切怎么那么熟悉啊?
  • 最强装傻充楞系统

    最强装傻充楞系统

    自从王永奇有了系统,他就无敌了!没错,就是这么简单。你若不信,点开看看呗!
  • 鸾凤还巢之嫡女重生

    鸾凤还巢之嫡女重生

    被人陷害自己害死了夫君的孩子!原以为夫君会相信自己,却没想到自己一心一意,甚至付出性命对待的夫君,宁可相信一个丫鬟的话,也不肯相信自己!说自己是毒妇,还踢死了从小照顾自己的贴身侍女!将自己关进柴房!却不料又遭人陷害与人私通,被当场捉奸在床,无论自己如何解释,他始终不肯相信,一纸休书将自己休弃。然而她却不知,其实这一切都是他与自己的庶妹联手策划的!可怜她直到最后才知道这一切!原来自己豁出性命对待的夫君竟是豺狼虎豹,自己拼了命保护的庶妹竟是蛇蝎妇人,她绝望到了极点。“甘杰,慕清梦,你们这对狗男女,若能重生,我慕清颜绝对不会放过你们!我要将你们加注在我身上的痛苦,百倍千倍地还给你们!”
  • 史上最牛手表

    史上最牛手表

    你没看错,绝对没看错!一块只需699元的魔力苹果手表不但能让你成功逆袭高富帅,还有……还有……自从拥有了它,泡妹成功了,乘风破浪了,还有……还有就是……你懂的……一连串匪夷所思的事情接踵而来……
  • 幽然登顶

    幽然登顶

    被鲲鹏抚养长大的少年,走出那片渺无人烟的森林,去寻找身世之谜。爱情、友情在学院中经历一次次考验,变得牢不可破。当叛乱席卷大陆,学院被毁,少年该何去何从?雏鹰展翅,一步步揭开身上的谜团……
  • 腹黑总裁别捣蛋

    腹黑总裁别捣蛋

    四年前,许浅浅对韩默说:“山河岁月我终将等你”四年后,韩默对许浅浅说:“愿半夏的流年清浅,许你一世安然。”许浅浅笑道:“四年了,我什么都给了你,你是怎么对我的,践踏我的自尊,蹂躏我的身体,我凭什么再相信你?”