第33章

That was a mournful journey on which the youth and his aged foster-father went towards the Rocks of the Moon, through the wild tangled paths of the snow-clad valleys.Rolf from time to time sang some verses of hymns, in which comfort and peace were promised to the penitent sinner, and Sintram thanked him for them with looks of grateful sadness.Neither of them spoke a word else.

At length, when the dawn of day was approaching, Sintram broke silence by saying, "Who are those two sitting yonder by the frozen stream--a tall man and a little one? Their own wild hearts must have driven them also forth into the wilderness.Rolf, dost thou know them? The sight of them makes me shudder.""Sir," answered the old man, "your disturbed mind deceives you.

There stands a lofty fir-tree, and the old weather-beaten stump of an oak, half-covered with snow, which gives them a somewhat strange appearance.There are no men sitting yonder.""But, Rolf, look there! look again carefully! Now they move, they whisper together.""Sir, the morning breeze moves the branches, and whistles in the sharp pine-leaves and in the yellow oak-leaves, and rustles the crisp snow.""Rolf, now they are both coming towards us.Now they are standing before us, quite close.""Sir, it is we who get nearer to them as we walk on, and the setting moon throws such long giant-like shadows over the plain.""Good-evening!" said a hollow voice; and Sintram knew it was the crazy pilgrim, near to whom stood the malignant little Master, looking more hideous than ever.

"You are right, sir knight," whispered Rolf, as he drew back behind Sintram, and made the Sign of the Cross on his breast and his forehead.

The bewildered youth, however, advanced towards the two figures, and said, "You have always taken wonderful pleasure in being my companions.What do you expect will come of it? And do you choose to go now with me to the stone fortress? There I will tend thee, poor pale pilgrim; and as to thee, frightful Master, most evil dwarf, I will make thee shorter by the head, to reward thee for thy deeds yesterday.""That would be a fine thing," sneered the little Master; "and perhaps thou imaginest that thou wouldst be doing a great service to the whole world? And, indeed, who knows? Something might be gained by it! Only, poor wretch, thou canst not do it."The pilgrim meantime was waving his pale head to and fro thoughtfully, saying, "I believe truly that thou wouldst willingly have me, and I would go to thee willingly, but I may not yet.Have patience awhile; thou wilt yet surely see me come, but at a distant time; and first we must again visit thy father together, and then also thou wilt learn to call me by my right name, my poor friend.""Beware of disappointing me again!" said the little Master to the pilgrim in a threatening voice; but he, pointing with his long, shrivelled hand towards the sun, which was just now rising, said, "Stop either that sun or me, if thou canst!"Then the first rays fell on the snow, and the little Master ran, muttering, down a precipice; but the pilgrim walked on in the bright beams, calmly and with great solemnity, towards a neighbouring castle on the mountain.It was not long before its chapel-bell was heard tolling for the dead.

"For Heaven's sake," whispered the good Rolf to his knight--"for Heaven's sake, Sir Sintram, what kind of companions have you here?

One of them cannot bear the light of God's blessed sun, and the other has no sooner set foot in a dwelling than tidings of death wail after his track.Could he have been a murderer?""I do not think that," said Sintram."He seemed to me the best of the two.But it is a strange wilfulness of his not to come with me.

Did I not invite him kindly? I believe that he can sing well, and he should have sung to me some gentle lullaby.Since my mother has lived in a cloister, no one sings lullabies to me any more."At this tender recollection his eyes were bedewed with tears.But he did not himself know what he had said besides, for there was wildness and confusion in his spirit.They arrived at the Rocks of the Moon, and mounted up to the stone fortress.The castellan, an old, gloomy man, the more devoted to the young knight from his dark melancholy and wild deeds, hastened to lower the drawbridge.Greetings were exchanged in silence, and in silence did Sintram enter, and those joyless gates closed with a crash behind the future recluse.