Page:Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus.djvu/51

Rh of the spring, and this appearance seemed to her to foretel some important event in the family. What thought could now be nearer to her than that of her husband? She tore her black locks, and raised a loud cry. “Oh unhappy day! Wackerman! Wackerman! thou art fallen, cold and dead! Thou hast made me a widow, and thy children orphans.” Whilst she thus lamented and wrung her hands, a soft voice proceeded from the grotto: “Matilda, fear not, I announce no misfortune to thee. Approach nearer, I am thy friend and desire to converse with thee.” The noble lady saw so little cause of alarm in the figure and speech of Nixa, that she took courage to accept the invitation. She entered the grotto; the inhabitant took her hand friendlily, kissed her forehead, sat down cordially beside her, and began;—“Welcome to my dwelling, beloved mortal; thy heart is pure and clear as the water of my spring, therefore are the invisible powers favourable to thee. I will disclose to thee the fate of thy life, the only token of favour which I can grant thee. Thy husband lives, and before morning dawns he will again be in thy arms. Do not fear nor mourn for him; the spring of thy life will earlier fade than his; but before that, thou shalt kiss another daughter, who, born in an eventful hour, shall derive thereby, in a changeful uncertain manner, both good and bad fate. The stars are not unpropitious to her; but a hateful counter influence shall rob the orphan of the happiness of a mother’s care.” It grieved the noble lady very much, when she heard that her little daughter should be deprived of a mother’s care, and she burst into loud weeping. The Nymph was much moved: “Weep not,” said she, “I will take the place of a mother to thy child, when thou canst not guide her; but with this condition, that thou choose me as godmother to the tender child, that I may have an interest in her. Then remember, that if thou wilt intrust this child to my care she must bring back to me the sponsor’s gift that I will give her at her christening.” The lady Matilda acquiesced in this desire; thereupon the Nixa picked up a smooth pebble, and gave it her, saying, further, that she was to send it by a trusty maiden to throw it into the spring as a mark of invitation to the sponsorship. The lady Matilda promised faithfully to perform all, kept these words in her heart, and returned to the castle; but the nymph went back again into the spring and disappeared.

Not long after, the dwarf blew the trumpet joyfully from the tower, and Wackerman, with his followers, rode into the court laden with rich booty. After the course of a year, the lady perceived that the prophecy was about to be fulfilled; but it gave her great anxiety how she should manage about the sponsorship; her thoughts were all taken up how she should disclose to her husband her adventure at Nixa’s spring. It came to pass that Wackerman received a challenge from a knight whom he had offended, and they resolved upon a combat for life or death. He