It  pleased only a fe times it seemed to displease even two friends.

    At first it ime of it. All o o give in to an attraction  t it first.  of time s destiny, its depts significance. For a long time  o er o lead oion. ito ted te.

    For Goldmund it  first, a convalescence.  time imidated, by tty girl. Deep inside  to noion, tened at t by t o lead ted t youtoic  t furtive encounter, at lifes first appeal to  t beckoning of femininity  t te e need toed to love, to abandon  sinning, to give  to an admired older friend, more intelligent to spiritualize to transform to nobler fires of sacrifice.

    But during t spring of t unfamiliar obstacles, unexpected, incompreening demands. It never occurred to o see radiction, t opposite of  t only love, only sincere devotion o fuse to one, to  differences and bridge contrasts. But ive t abandonment, grateful ogeto  seem to understand, to tolerate dreamy strolls on pat led in no particular direction. ters of sc passages in books, opened neo approve of e often o be smiling, seemed not to take  t t mere pedantry, not just telligent, but t t, sometant. But o recognize ten made .

    Actually Narcissus recognized ies only too o ty, tal force of nature in  bent on feeding Greek to a fervent young soul, on repaying an innocent love rary,  altogetoo muco  a natural condition but a miracle. to fall in love  permitted  be content emplation of t. Not even for a second could  t ined for monkisicism and a lifelong striving for saintliness, Narcissus ruly destined for t life. to ted only in its  form. Narcissus did not believe in Goldmunds calling to be an ascetic. o read people more clearly t, and y. ure and understood it deeply, in spite of trasts, because it   ture s of upbringing and paternal  of t  do: reveal t to its bearer, free rue nature. It  per would make him lose his friend.

    ite caution o  by before a serious approace of t, tring aut betion only to  breaktried to discover  o. It turned out to be less difficult ted. Goldmund  to confess t nig tside t, ed enoug   a moment ly ed at t, Goldmund immediately said, quot;If only you  and able to confess me; I  matter in confession and I  I couldnt tell my confessor.quot;

    Carefully, s;You remember to be ill,quot; ured. quot;You cant ten, since t en. Per notice, but I  morning.quot;

    quot;You ; cried ;But I  o utter a  moment; I t I could never face you again. You ;

    Narcissus groped ahead.

    quot;I understand,quot; ;It must  for you. Suco tears in front of a stranger, and a teac t, it e out of cer. ell, t morning I merely t you otle may berangely. But you  ill. You  is o somet overpo;

    Goldmund ated a second, t;Yes, somets pretend youre my confessor; sooner or later t be told.quot;

    itold ory of t night.

    Smilingly, Narcissus replied: quot;ell yes, going to t one can do all kinds of forbidden t is t; t you commit ttle foolisudents?  is so terrible about t?quot;

    Angrily,   out: quot;You do talk like a scer! You kno is all about! Of course I dont see a great sin in breaking to play a student prank, alts not exactly part of tory training for cloister life.quot;

    quot;Just a moment, my friend,quot; Narcissus called s;Dont you kno many pious fat t kind of preparatory training? Dont you kno a rels life may be one of test roads to saint;

    quot;O lecture!quot; protested Goldmund. quot;It  a trifling disobedience t   girl. I cant describe tion to you. It  if I gave in to ticement, if I merely reac to touco turn back, t sin  give me up ever. t it iful dream, of all virtue, of all love of God and good.quot;

    Narcissus nodded, deep in t.

    quot;Love of God,quot; ;is not al  simple. e kno is ten in ts. But God is not contained only in ts, you knoesimal part of s and be far from God.quot;

    quot;But dont you understand?quot; Goldmund complained.

    quot;Certainly I understand. You feel t  t crus you could confess t;

    quot;Yes, t is exactly ;

    quot;You see, I do understand. Youre not so terribly er all; tory of Eve and t is certainly no idle tale. And yet you are not rig t if you  Daniel, or your baptismal saint, tom, or a bis, even a simple monk. But you arent. You are a student, and alto remain in ter for life, or your fat for you, still you  taken any voed. If some pretty girl o tempt you one of to give in to temptation, you  ;

    quot;No ten vo; Goldmund cried edly. quot;But an unten one, t sacred, somet you see t to many ot not to me? You  been consecrated eitaken any vo, but you  yourself to toucaken? Isnt t  you t you  you long ago, in your , make t  yet been made  you feel bound by it forever? Arent you exactly like me?quot;

    quot;No, Goldmund, I am not like you, not in too, am keeping an unspoken vo respect you are rig I am in no  I am going to say to you noerly unlike me you are.quot;

    Goldmund unned; Narcissuss expression and tone permitted no contradiction. .  ake  all seriously? Did  a crange friendship were beginning all over again.

    Narcissus no longer  about ture of Goldmunds secret. It   possible t t ter antagonism in suciful, ? t be a secret enemy  t urn  ural urges. to be discovered, o be conjured up and made visible; only t be defeated.

    Mean neglected by rayed.  nature. Even tain t no vice could be suspected ed to see toget seemed t tting t from tly, as tocrats for  in keeping er spirit, not Cian.

    Many t tions, slander—reac Daniel. y years of cloister life; to cloister life and  tradition, sometimes amusing, sometimes a danger. ed, c intervene. Suc, exclusive friends undangerous, but since  for an instant doubt its purity, o let it take its course. If it  been for Narcissuss exceptional position among students and teac  ated to place a feing rules bet  good for Goldmund to es and to be in close association only eac  permissible to disturb traordinary, ed Narcissus, eacion?  proved eaco partiality and neglectfulness, t  to be   knes, of rating, perly presumptuous, insigo people.  overestimate ts, o s; but  doubt t Narcissus iced sometudent Goldmund, t ter ter. ,  noticed anyt Goldmund, apart from ure, and perain eagerness, a some made  ill a student and a boarder, as to ter and o fear t Narcissus ure touc  on.   infect ain spiritual pride and erudite arrogance; but ticular pupil; it  and see.   o rule over average ratrong or exceptional cers, o sig going to let ed by suspicions;  eful for tional rusted to his care.

    Narcissus pondered a great deal about  of spotting and emotionally recognizing ture and destiny of otold  Goldmund. All t  in too clearly: rong ually, perist, but at any rate a person  potential for love, o give ive senses so set on leading tic life of t at great lengt it.  Goldmunds fatermination. Could t?  spell  over o make  tiny, y?  sort of a person en intentionally touc of tly spoken of   imagine  see  not strange and suspicious? old a story about a trout  as a boy, ated ted a vivid picture. ant, po figure in Goldmunds life, o describe ly, to conjure up vivid images of  t like imes  w gave o his soul?

    Goldmund also brooded a great deal.  en  sensation of not being taken seriously, of being treated a little like a c did it mean   like him?

    Yet t fill all of Goldmunds days.  able to too long at a time. to be done in ten  to see ter,  terms. unity to ride tenants, especially en stalk otters es flour,  by t. Alt time ill remained a number of s and pleasures. And usually to o sing in tudent co say a rosary in front of a favorite altar, to listen to tiful Latin of to see tacles and ornaments glitter t venerable saints figures standing on columns, ts s, St. Jacob  and pilgrims satchel.

    draoone figures; o t tood in secret relationso al, omniscient godfatected and guided  t bond and love for tals of tar ornaments, for tifully profiled staves and s of sprouting leaves t burst from tone of tly and intensely. It seemed a valuable, intimate secret to , outside of nature s plants and creatures, ted a second, silent, man-made nature: ts, and plants of stone and imes ried to draw real flowers, horses, human faces.

    And antly recurring r meaning adoringly, or  t  notes, t oo, y. urgy.

    And every so often, for brief moments, rangement t  in bet annoyed and bored o find ion and coolness. Every so often art a taciturn bed neigting;  it for an iating   ention, an invitation to quot;go to t; tened and quickly drao to forget t never—to think of her any more.