Page:Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus.djvu/62

50 think of to her, and pressed his love-suit with earnestness and passion. Miss Matilda was as little mistress of her heart; she conquered and was conquered; her first essay in love flattered her with agreeable consequences, and it was impossible to her to conceal her feelings under the veil of womanly reserve, so that the knight might not remark that he was not a hopeless lover. It only remained for him now to know who the beautiful unknown was, and where she dwelt, that he might pursue his fortune. All inquiries were in vain; she evaded every question, and with much trouble he obtained from her the promise to attend the dance on the following evening. He intended to outwit her, lest perchance she should not keep her word; and he despatched all his servants to lie in wait, in order to discover her dwelling when she should go home.

The morning was scarcely dawned ere Matilda found an opportunity to escape from the knight and to leave the dancing-hall. As soon as she was out of the hall, she turned her musk-apple three times in her hand, and repeated the little charm,—“Night behind me, day before me, so that nobody may see me,”—and so she reached her chamber without the Count’s twilight birds, who were fluttering up and down every street, being able to perceive her. With her usual skill, she locked up her silken clothes in her chest, put on again her dirty kitchen-dress; set about her business; was earlier up than the rest of the servants, whom Dame Gertrude roused from their beds by the bunch of keys, and thus Miss Matilda earned a little praise from the housekeeper. Never had a day appeared so long to the knight as that after the ball; every hour seemed to him a year; the earnest desire and longing, the annoying doubts and cares, lest the inscrutable beauty should disappoint him, all disquieted his heart: suspicion is a consequence of love, and this now ran through his head as fast as the greyhounds through the court. In the evening he prepared for the ball, dressed himself more carefully than the previous day, and the three golden rings, the high distinction of nobility, set with diamonds, sparkled now on the edge of his ruff. He was the first at the place of the joyous meeting, examined every comer with the keen glance of his noble eyes, and awaited with impatience the appearance of the queen of the ball. The evening star had risen high above the horizon before the maiden found time to go to her chamber, and to think of what she would do; whether she should ask the second wish of the musk-apple, or reserve it for a more important event in her life. The faithful counsellor Reason advised her to adopt the latter course; but Love demanded the first with such impetuosity, that Dame Reason could not get in a word, and at last was not at all listened to. Matilda wished for another dress of rose-coloured satin, with a set of jewels as beautiful and splendid as a king’s daughter was accustomed to wear. The good-natured musk-apple gave her what was in its