Page:Hoffmann's Strange Stories - Hoffman - 1855.djvu/73

Rh "More than my life!" said the poor girl in a broken voice.

"Well, then, my boy, I pardon thee; embrace thy betrothed; yes, yes, thy betrothed."

Paumgartner and the old man Holzschuer looked at each other in astonishment, and master Martin continued aloud, but speaking to himself:

"Good Heaven! it is thus, then, that this prophecy of the grandmother is to be accomplished! Is this not, in effect, the pretty house, the little angels with enamelled wings? Besides, the goblet is nothing but an infinitely little tun, and truly everything is for the best, for I can thus consent without changing my mind; I ought to have thought of that sooner."

Frederick, overcome with joy, had hardly strength to press the pretttypretty [sic] Rosa more closely to his heart.—"Oh, my dear master," exclaimed he, when he had recovered himself a little, "what! can it be true that you consent to accept me as son-in-law, and allow me to practise my art?"

"Yes, yes," replied master Martin: "thou has fulfilled the prediction of the old grandmother, thy trial-work no longer remains to be done."

"No, dear master," replied Frederick, "do not let me give it up yet; I will, on the contrary, finish my mammoth tun; I will leave it to you as a mark of my respect for the profession you have rendered illustrious, and I will afterwards return to my crucibles."

"Honor to thee for that good thought," said master Martin, rising with enthusiasm; "finish, then, thy masterpiece. The day thou shalt give the last blow of the mallet, shall be thy wedding day."

Frederick went to work with great zeal, and the immense tun that grew up under his hands was the admiration of all the leading coopers. Master Martin was at the height of joy. The wedding day was fixed, and the trial-work, filled with generous wine and ornamented with flowery garlands, was placed at the entrance of the house. The master coopers with their families, conducted by the worthy counsellor Jacobus