Goldmund kne oo rest and spend t in one of to  until tomorroac took omed to it. It did not  taste on ter day; it smelled strongly of , and yet tness of it, its great expanse, its merciless  comforting and sooto .

    il  tired. My riding days are over, . Otle snoance t fused e silence stretco t  poor, anguis?  bitterly sorry for  of enderly as ed under a bare, lonely ased marsiff-legged, ood up, forced o a brisk pace; t of to be drot across t an end to   a question of tions, no matter e and beautiful; it ion of keeping alive, of reac for t in time, of getting table en or a fox, and not giving out too soon, in tant.

    ant ing knife in  and slipped off ts stable; stubbornly it ed,  actual fear, but very tense and curious,  beating faster. For a second a t s t;If I killed t; But ery eyes and to laugo murder to  of stone. ed enderly patted s  neck; it recognized ely.

    quot;; he asked.

    quot;to you,quot; laugeet;Youve run a good distance. I cant stay; Im only o give you regards and t;

    quot;Regards from w;

    quot;From Lady Lydia. ell, you certainly gave us a nasty day, Master Goldmund, I o get a not kno Ive been gone, and  could cost me my neck. ;

    ook it.

    quot;I say,  o s t you mig;

    quot;Bread? I mig.quot; s and pulled out a piece of black bread. ted to ride off again.

    quot;; asked Goldmund. quot;Didnt stle letter?quot;

    quot;Not. torm at told me to give you t to get back no;

    quot;All rig, just a moment more! Say,  let me ing knife? Ive only a small one. —it ter if I ;

    But  . o Master Goldmund. But  part  for money, nor a s even if Saint Genevieve in person asked . to get a move on, and  everything.

    ter range pain in . to rong calfs-leat ogetted undervest of tly Lydia   into tuck into t. tten message. ood in ts in ook off  and slipped into tted vest; it felt pleasantly , , and continued  ime o rest; ired. But  feel like going to t ing and being asked questions.  t in tinued on  morning, in frost and so long marcs  ers; for many days loneliness and melanc.

    t in a village, ures aed , t o come and o do finally, except

    time nessed a birtonis t any rate t remarkable to  of torcared  curiosity into truck by someted: torted face tle different from t of loves ecstasy. true, t pain  and disfiguring timate passion—but essentially it  different, it ly grinning contraction, tinction. Miraculously,  understanding  pain and joy could resemble eacher so closely.

    And yet anoted  village. ter to to tioning of ayed a second nig  time in many ation and disappointment t illed. to a neor, w and half like a highway robber.

    Viktor greeted in, claiming to be a traveling student, alt udent years. ed beard and treated Goldmund ain iness and  quickly he younger man.

    to Goldmunds questions, ;By my destitute soul, I ed enougo Cologne and to Paris, and feap tation at Leyden. Since tard t I am, ions, my dear soul tortured by immeasurable . Viktor, t terror, teacin to young ricking sausages out of co my belly. My goal is t co avoid tion of dedicating myself to tiresome profession of arc is better, my dear young colleague, to live from o mouter all, a roasted  better tomacs t I lend erday ted as fatried to misuse me in order to save tarved , you, my dear colleague,  ing acquaintance. In saecula saeculorum, amen.quot;

    Goldmund ill unfamiliar in of t a bit scared of tly rascal and ter  t t t did please  o continue ting or trutably stronger to fear. But before continuing tor ed to speak a bit of Latin to t, and installed s.  folloice Goldmund  of a farmor  from  to , cted uck o every stable and kitc seem o leave before eacoll and a tribute. old ts about taly and sang, beside ttle of Pavia. is and loose teeto to knoo uffed  above t full to bursting s, and dried pears ts cened to en, noter t and ion, speak broken Latin and play t moment impress tale or learned talk cable dra urer ter struggle for a meager, dangerous existence. So t became of people  one day?

    t morning, as t time Goldmund aste of oget to learn from Viktor. Applying everyto ting deat, and a source of food—inct or. o recognize ty of ation by almost invisible signs, even in er; at nigo inspect every nook and cranny in forest or field as a potential resting or sleeping place; to sense instantly, upon entering a room, ty or misery of tedness, or y, or fear—tricks ive t  like to approac of vie, altricks, ality upon . Lanky Viktor laug;ell sure, little Goldmund, you may not o, youre so young and pretty, you look so innocent, your face is a good recommendation. t  a fly. But look tle brots older, ts  and before you kno you are an ugly, un, and instead of yout aring out of your eyes. At t point youve got to be  to  t I dont t youll be running around for too long anyoo delicate and your curls too pretty, youll crao  cloister or some beautifully ed ing room. And your clotaken for a squire.quot;

    Still laug;  of old of ay at ts  ing Latin. Viktor ed to knoer, and Goldmund, omed to lying, told tle about ts t quarrel. Viktor t Goldmund an incomparable fool for  tle and to t situation o be remedied, o t. t tle; of course Goldmund could not be seen t  to o e a little letter to Lydia, saying t, and or, ake it to tle and, by t come back  a little somet, money and loot. And so on. Goldmund refused and finally became violent;   to  tter, nor did ell Viktor t or to tle.

    or sa; ;dont bite your teet! Im merely telling you t youre letting a good catcs not very nice and brot you dont  to, youre a nobleman, youll return to your castle on a ing s all rigs oes off.quot;

    Goldmund remained grumpy and silent until evening, but since t day, efully let Viktor pick a place for t, let rees at t and make a bed e bread and cors full pockets. Goldmund felt asried to be polite and  for t. to take turns keeping c took over t vigil ime Goldmund stood quietly  a fir trunk in order not to keep t cold and began to pace.  greater and greater distances, saips of firs jut so t tly aer nig beat lonely in tly back and listened to t a le, or cloister ile ars, among tcient, steady trees.

    No, , or, even if  of o learn Viktors . Per of ected, terious beauty and eeriness; again and again o listen to tbeat sounded anguising. Fears  way up o be moving.

    After a long time Viktor a like ; ;your turn to catcomorro;

    Goldmund obeyed; retc on tremely tired but did not fall asleep. s kept s, a feeling  admit to rust t o do  o  old ter and brazen beggar, about Lydia. unity to get rid of him.

    After an or bent over s and seams; Goldmund froze  move, ;Go a;

    and squeezed. Goldmund fougried to get up, but Viktor pressed . Goldmund could ly  free  to slip one , pull out ing knife, and rangling  times into t , Viktors  go; t deeply, o sit up; limp and soft, o a op of ly sigo sit up. In t  to ouced t fell back,  like a bag. Blood spilled from  and neck; from  in delirious, weakening sighs.

    quot;No Goldmund. Again and again  it, as  over t;Dear Mot; he heard himself say.

    Suddenly  bear to stay a moment longer.  across t s  as he could.

    t  for anot, aimless and anguis of ance.

    Lost in ted, sno ser,  a pat food and almost  sleep, o a bottomless despair. ; several times exion overcame  t o fall asleep, to die in t again and again somet. Desperately, greedily ed and intoxicated in t of bitter  by trengt to die, by trous force of to live. it-blue iny, dried-up berries off ttle, bitter stuff, togetaste ingly s . Breato iff  on top of t. Avidly : not , no trace of a  t going to feed on  as long as trengt in  up and resumed ion and ultimate effort. Strange ts took ions , noor, o deato ;ell, my s e , or tear off ail, or ed to steal my gold piece, you old guzzler! But little Goldmout ickled you in till uffed pig!quot; ed triump  ered, tupid braggart!

    But after a urned aor. iful little Julie, as s  nigless endearments to ried to seduce o make o o make goo ride up to   moment before tle breasts, he blond kinky hair under her arms.

    trotting tiff, stumbling legs, drunk riump o live, o o ions, insights, and ironies.

    quot;Are you scared, Narcissus,quot; o ;are you sice someted friend, ts on every fence, stands beree. Building ories and c keep deat; deat you er under your y candles at tar, say your evening prayers and your morning prayers, gatory, collect books in your libraries. Are you fasting, dear friend? Are you depriving yourself of sleep? rip you to t as you can, deaty in t your bones stay togetrying to escape, t  to stay  and belly, our poor little scraps of brains under our skulls! It all s to become free, it all s to go to tting in trees, ts.quot;

    all sense of direction;  knorees; falling,  trong in  pulled .  time, it tle village in an a feood about alked, yet  ook pity. Let o table.

    It  long before . table, sleep, and ts milk to drink revived  rengt all recent events ime or, ter nigruggle on ts lost and cold and  .  forgotten it; alt  , it  also precious, somet unforgettable, an experience, a taste on tongue, a ring around t. In less ts, ter deat. For days  of t, of t days in fear of deato deating deatrongest emotion of all, trangest, kno feeling tiful, terrifying force, tenacity of life inside one during t desperate struggle. It ec remained etc, as did tures and expressions of ecstasy t so mucures and expressions of birt nigorting or ly and quickly ! O deat, ruck deat mortal fear, asy o be lived t seemed to alk about it  h no one else.

    came to raable, .  it during terrible, umbling marc about it for a long time.   to t lost. Money meant little to s value. But tant to   from Lydia t

    or, soaked in Viktors blood. And t Viktor; or because of it. If t, t gly niger muc it,  woman.

    quot;Cine,quot; o ;I , and nos no longer t;

    quot;Oiced?quot; s  delig  e of his weakness.

    quot; a strange boy you are,quot; senderly. quot;So intelligent and refined, and yet so stupid. Does one run around t? Ora;

    quot;You did? ?quot;

    quot;Find it,quot; s e a

    face, and ried o situde. Soon o o move on, but s day turning milder t. And so it ime , tness. he spring winds groan.