Page:Hoffmann's Strange Stories - Hoffman - 1855.djvu/127

 and covered his hands with tears. But he took me in his arms, pressed me closely to his heart and added,

"Let us go to rest now; calm is hereafter established near us."

In effect, nothing more troubled my dreams, and the following days I succeeded in making myself merry freely, and more than once, at the expense of the old baronesses, who in spite of their ridiculous appearance were none the less good creatures.

A short time after our installation, the baron Roderick himself arrived at the castle with his wife and equipages, for the hunting season. The invited guests hastened to the castle from every quarter, which took a festive appearance very different from that which it had during the remainder of the year. When the baron came to see us he appeared very much dissatisfied with the change of lodging that lawyer V had been obliged to submit to. On looking at the walled-up door, his look became gloomy, and he passed his hand over his forehead, as if to drive away a painful remembrance. He rudely scolded poor Franz for having chosen for us so dilapidated a domicil, and begged my great uncle to order whatever he wanted without stint, and to use every thing in the castle as if it were his own property. I remarked that the proceedings of the baron with the lawyer were not only very polite, but there was mixed with them a kind of filial respect, which might lead to the supposition that there existed between them more intimate relations than was manifested to the eyes of the world. As for myself, I was in no wise comprehended in the marks of cordiality. The baron affected towards me from day to day haughtier manners, and without the protecting intervention of my great uncle, our antipathy would have led to some bitter scene, or even to violence.

The wife of baron Roderick of R—sitten, had produced on me, at first sight, an impression that contributed not a little towards making me support with patience the rudeness