"
"Ah! most honored Registrator," answered Conrector Paulmann, "you
have always had a tendency to the _Poetica_; and thus one falls into
fantasies and romantic humors."
The student Anselmus, however, was particularly gratified that in this
most troublous situation, while in danger of being considered drunk or
crazy, any one should take his part; and though it was already fairly
dark, he thought he noticed, for the first time, that Veronica had
really very fine dark-blue eyes, and this too without remembering the
strange pair which he had looked at in the elder-bush. On the whole,
the adventure under the elder-bush had once more entirely vanished
from the thoughts of the student Anselmus; he felt himself at ease and
light of heart; nay, in the capriciousness of joy, he carried it so
far that he offered a helping hand to his fair advocate, Veronica, as
she was stepping from the gondola; and without more ado, as she put
her arm in his, escorted her home with so much dexterity and good luck
that he missed his footing only once, and this being the only wet spot
in the whole road, spattered Veronica's white gown only a very little
by the incident.
Conrector Paulmann failed not to observe this happy change in
the student Anselmus; he resumed his liking for him, and begged
forgiveness for the hard words which he had let fall before. "Yes,"
added he, "we have many examples to show that certain phantasms may
rise before a man and pester and plague him not a little; but this is
bodily disease, and leeches are good for it, if applied to the right
part, as a certain learned physician, now deceased, has directed.
Pages:
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521