Page:The grandmother; a story of country life in Bohemia.pdf/292

286 when my mother died. Each time I started from the house, went without any purpose, looking neither to the right nor to the left, and unconsciously my feet carried me into that wild dale; and when I found myself over the precipice by that gloomy fir tree; when I saw before me the summits of the mountains, one above the other, my burdens seemed to fall from me, and I was not ashamed of my tears. When I embraced its rough trunk, it seemed to me that it had life, that it understood my sorrows, and the rustling foliage seemed to sigh as if it wanted to tell me of similar griefs."

Mr. Beyer made a long pause, his large eyes were turned to the light burning upon the table, and instead of words little clouds of smoke passed from his mouth and went up to the ceiling like visible thoughts.

"Yes indeed, it often seems that those trees have life and consciousness within them," said the Riesenburg gamekeeper. "I know this from experience. Once,—it happened several years ago,—I selected some trees for felling. The forester could not go, so I was obliged to see to it myself. The woodcutters came and were preparing to fell a beautiful birch; there wasn't a flaw in her, she stood there like a maid. I fixed my eyes upon her and it seemed to me,—it is laughable, but it was so,—as if she were bending to my feet, as if her branches embraced me, and something sounded in my ear: 'Why do you wish to destroy my young life? what have I done to you?' Just then the sharp teeth of the saw creaked over her bark and entered her body. I don't remember whether I cried out, but I know that I wanted to stop the men from cutting further;