And she has noticed that you have particularly pretty
flowers in your garden." "That's strange," I thought to myself; "there
is hardly a flower to be seen there for the weeds!" But she continued:
"And since my lady needs perfectly fresh flowers for her costume, you
are to bring her some this evening, and wait under the big pear-tree
in the castle garden when it is dark until she comes for the flowers
herself."
I was completely dazed with joy at this intelligence, and in my
rapture I leaped out of the window and ran after the maid.
"Ugh, what an ugly dressing-gown!" she exclaimed, when she saw me
with my fluttering robe in the open air. This vexed me, but, not to be
behindhand in gallantry, I capered gaily after her to give her a kiss.
Unluckily, my feet became entangled in my dressing-gown, which was
much too long for me, and I fell flat on the ground. When I had picked
myself up the maid was gone, and I heard her in the distance laughing
fit to kill herself.
Now I had delightful food for my reflections. After all, she still
remembered me and my flowers! I went into my garden and hastily tore
up all the weeds from the beds, throwing them high above my head into
the sunlit air, as if with the roots I were eradicating all melancholy
and annoyance from my life. Once more the roses were like _her_ lips,
the sky-blue convolvulus was like _her_ eyes, the snowy lily with its
pensive, drooping head was _her_ very image.
Pages:
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322