One day Fato ty ry full of ly preserved bet accurately, t looked outside in t s ceristics. tisfied and gave s during ternoon, in ts favorite spots, o Goldmund.

    quot;In excernoon off from your classes, my boy. Youll ion to t, and you  lose anyt. Because knoure is a science, too—not only your silly grammar.quot;

    Goldmund t  to pick floo make e, ablemaster to let ake ter luncable. It greeted ically; ent, into t for an  of all tself, ts to , tetalked to it, fed it some bread, and started looking for ts. trips of fallo feals and many ripe seed pods stood among cones betoo, stood t, yelloalks of Jo; Goldmund began to pick ter  doone to rest. It ant forest, but   to go t far from ts and from ill see from ill to see t again;  t, s small leaves to t to study tiny pin pricks in it.

    Strange, , eactle leaves s oure firmament pricked into it, like a delicate embroidery. range and incompres, even tones, everyto pick  ain days  move at all, and  cure ry inue to give out t t perime still, for anoten or ty years perill e  y years?

    Oually sad, alt iful. One kne ts, and certain talgic: a star in times it seemed t somet long desired  to  a veil  all; but t passed, not spell unbroken, and in t Daniel, and still one kneill ing and listening.

    y snail  made a faint tinkling sound among tones and cs little croy gullet s s t and a game urned tracing its contours, caressingly,  pressure, deligment of tangible. One of tages of sc dreamily,  to endency to see and represent all t and o render all matters of tellect s o o t; t tired and droronger as ted, s ed on ed and greient.

    From tant forest someone came , ied around black anned summer face. tting man, crustful, sa iptoed closer on naked bro, stood in front of Goldmund and looked at  look dangerous; ly— ed.

    Goldmund opened urning from a forest of dreams. ly; it rangely close, to onis no fear; no danger sars; t onis, a very friendly smile, and sloo smile. ed eacle kiss, and Goldmund remembered ttle girl  t over yet. to play, teased and tempted, and finally seized  fire to  tient play to teacly, letting ting illing ted, brief joy of love vaulted above  t. Not a ly sroked ime to come to himself. Finally he opened his eyes.

    quot;You!quot; ;You! But w;

    quot;Im Lise,quot; she said.

    quot;Lise,quot; ed after asting ;Lise, you are s.quot;

    S o o it: quot;tell me,  time? Did you never love anyone before me?

    ly  up and looked across to the sky.

    quot;O; ;t do get back.quot;

    quot;o?quot;

    quot;to ter, to Fat;

    quot;to Mariabronn? Is t  to stay tle longer?quot;

    quot;Id like to.quot;

    quot;ell, stay t;

    quot;No, t  be rig pick more of t;

    quot;Do you live in ter?quot;

    quot;Yes, Im a student. But Ill not stay to you, Lise? ;

    quot;I live no  you tell me your name? —A ttle Goldmout;

    quot;You live now w;

    quot;If you like, in t onig;

    quot;O w;

    quot;Can you screec;

    quot;Ive never tried.quot;

    quot;try.quot;

    ried. Sisfied.

    quot;All rig of ter tonigtle Goldmout;

    quot;O ;

    It o ter on eaming o find Fat in t himself on a shard of crockery.

    No ant to find Narcissus. ed at table in tory. No, old, Narcissus  be doing day; . Goldmund  in one of tents cells in ter. Goldmund ran t tened at t a sound. ered softly. t it rictly forbidden made no difference now.

    Narcissus . In t ed face, .  asleep.  Goldmund  speaking,  reproac  stirring, so obviously elseime and  y recognizing anding his words.

    quot;Narcissus! Forgive me, dear friend, forgive me for disturbing you. Im not doing it lig you oug to speak to me, but do speak to me, I beg you .quot;

    Narcissus reflected, ly for a moment as truggling to come awake.

    quot;Is it necessary?quot;  voice.

    quot;Yes, it is necessary. Ive come to say fare;

    quot;t is necessary. You s  een minutes before t vigil.quot;

    on t down beside him.

    quot;Please forgive me!quot; ily. t, Narcissuss strained face, dra eyes—all turbed his friend.

    quot;to forgive. Dont  me; to take leave, you say? Youre going a;

    quot;Im going t knoell you! Suddenly everyt;

    quot;;

    quot;No, notself o me. Im leaving  fat permission. Im bringing s;

    Narcissus looked do e fingers. tlike, truded from t. ted face, but it could be felt in ;e tle time, dear friend. tell me only tials, tell me clearly and briefly. Or must I tell you ;

    quot;You tell me,quot; Goldmund begged.

    quot;Youve fallen in love, little boy, youve met a ;

    quot;;

    quot;Youre making it easy for me. Your condition, amicus meus, s drunkenness called being in love. But speak no;

    timidly Goldmund touched his friends shoulder.

    quot;You  said it. Altime you didnt say it  accurately. It is altoget. I  in t, and iful ely felt t my moto take me  t t look in t like  it  iful  and  to me. At  kiss I felt somet inside me t  in an exquisite  anguiss t slept ransformed and enced, everytaug a s s I could no longer remain in t for anot falls.quot;

    Narcissus listened and nodded.

    quot;It ; ;but it is more or less ed. I sen. Ill miss you, amicus. Is t;

    quot;Yes, if you can, please say a o our Abbot, so t  condemn me completely. s about me are not indifferent to me. ;

    quot;I kno;

    quot;Yes, one ter, o time? And—t;

    quot;For ;

    quot;For your friendsience, for everytening to me today, rying to ;

    quot; to  it. —But  ;

    quot;Yes, Im going ranger— seems; per;

    quot;ell, all rig do you kno your road remely s? I dont t on oo mucives, a  kind of reception as you t;

    Goldmund leaned against his friend.

    quot;I kno; ;alt t of it yet. As I told you, I  to me is not my goal, Im going to  Im not going because of , because I ;

    . t so s ructible friendsinued: quot;Do not t Im completely blind and naive. No. Im o go, because I feel t it o be, and because someto me today. But Im not imagining t Ill meet  joy and mirt it iful, I  is extremely beautiful to belong to a o give yourself. Dont laug to love a o abandon yourself to o absorb ely and feel absorbed by  is not le. For me it is to life, to leave you! I love you, Narcissus, and t of sleep to me today. I find it o leave you. You  forget me?quot;

    quot;Dont make us bot you. You  of you, I expect it. If you are in need some day, come to me, or call to me. Fare;

    kiss roked his hands.

    Nigo tones. Goldmund folloil it vanis ties, and virtues. raordinary, ely puzzling and confusing everytoo—range and frigo o  overflo t ation, devoured by fasting and vigils, crucifying ,  t ing o t rigorous obedience, pledging to serve only to become not a minister verbi divini! tired unto deatenuated,  ened to ic,  o till on s of rest bet range and divinely beautiful t tely spiritualized kind.  it odays love in toxicated play of t boter s t moment, terly different and dissimilar ther.

    No do of tar on tired knees, prepared and purified for a nigemplation t permitted  animal games  t. But  Narcissus. It  for o go to ttom of tiful, terrifying enigmas and mazes and to say important t t-dark ciful warm young woman wing for him.

    As iptoed arees in tyard and out t beating ing emotions, o smile at t evening  ter once before by t pat;going to t; ed and secretly afraid ting out on t little forbidden escapade, and today aking far more forbidden, dangerous roads and  afraid, not t ter, t, teachers.

    time to cross  a bridge. ossed to te bank, tream, up to  in ter.

    s returned to Narcissus. it lucidity t made  ing nooly elligent, sligening to  a crucial moment, painfully opened o  t time: quot;You sleep at your mot; I . Your dreams are of girls; mine of boys.quot;

    For an instant  froze. ood tterly alone in t. Beer, a  a o womed.

    But at time  Narcissus o be ioning, superior guide and aoday  ered a country in . It o kno— o say fareo kno  be able to give o be of no o be noto ed from ime, pero his noble eyes no longer.

    ore ony little road. A feer ill, took a deep breattered t ance doream.

    quot;Like animals o eac;  t came to ernoon. Only no occurred to  no  ter t.  long conversations  no seemed, ered a . oday, or for ts; only for Lise, only for te groping and searcing.

    Lise  of t to meet  to feel ender, groping , ,   speaking,  asking . rouble keeping up en, so see  eyes,  stumbling,  tripping.  o t, into t, into t less country.  of ter  be of Narcissus.

    Like tes t, sometimes on soft moss upery, sometimes on  ribs. Sometimes t treetops; at otimes te. Brancopped, seldom ated. After a long time tary pines t stood far apart. t sky opened  o an end; a meado smell of  ill greater t: no rustling busartled nig, no crackling twigs.

    Lise stopped in front of a big ack.

    quot;ell stay ; she said.

    t doaking deep breat first and enjoying t; ttle tired. tening to tly tired. Playfully  retcraigook deep breat air and t neit iced by t and o  joy  ant and beautiful, trengty of t it gro its desire;  clearly t, time, so be loved differently from t time, t s  to guide and teacime, but ed to  for tack, for ly  treams flo t it alive in boturning ttle lair into tal, breater of all t night.

    over Lises face and began to kiss le ligcer, more intense. turned retc. ce gentle lige . Softly, delig;iful you are!quot;

    S  up; gently  of it, peeled il s s of tely enraptured, e sill as t doo y  time.