During t days of  greedy o live timeless life of traveler. Obedient to no man, dependent only on  a goal before to every ence. t of Paradise; t of   to moment: sun, rain, fog, sno, and ime does not exist for tory, or ambition, or t bizarre idol called progress and evolution, in e or crude, artful or a day of creation, before tory of tincts and needs. elligent or stupid; ing fragility of all living ttily and fearfully eacure carries its bit of omac, tablisor,  all existence is transitory, t life is constantly ing, t merciless icy deathe cosmos all around.

    ts mots turning as openness and constant secret intimacy ed and molded Goldmunds soul. But mind and ist, and t. Any life expands and floradiction.  are reason and sobriety  toxication?  is sensuality  deatanding be?  is love  ternal mortal enmity of the sexes?

    Summer sank aumn; painfully Goldmund struggled tter mont-smelling spring. ily to ten t t, eerie onrusely droinctive basic  in -filled moments of rest, overlooking a floing valley, ist. ely to  ting nonsense of life ransform it into sense.

    One day er ure or raveled any  by  titiously attaco  get rid of e some time. t like Viktor. o Rome, a still young man,  isan. For a time tended t. Gallus monks, and o Rome. It ion and  opportunity to carry it out. tunity presented itself maker. t announced to er t notop ting out on o Rome, to satisfy one for ubborn, and instead of taking care of t out on  er. o travel, and to ty, an inclination to linger in ty of cuals, a deligisms, burials, incense, and burning candles. tle Latin, but  striving for learning but ratemplation and quiet adoration in ts. ely zealous altar boy. Goldmund did not take   a sliginctive surrender to  time of  entedly set out and ed tality of cloisters and parsonages, looked at tains and at t very  all famous s, and breatayed aered tle er ime taken over ties and privileges of trious cabinetmakers assistant, and ruled over  turned pilgrim soon realized  needed. ioned setting out on neravels, no one asked o stay.  take it too muco .  on pilgrims clot out  a goal, straigly vagrant. Copper souvenir coins from well-known pilgrim sinkled around his body.

    Goldmund,  small toraveling companion. Goldmund pleased ly. y, rengt used to eaco get along  tolerate:  and ignored t exist. During t nor ask questions nor console Goldmund; one o let . Robert  long in learning ticed t Goldmund kne of Latin verses and songs by . one figures outside tals of a caty rokes, and  e of God and practically a magician. Robert also sa Goldmund e of ain till o admire .

    One day terrupted in an unexpected manner. ts armed ed to t turn around at once and never come back, t ten to deatopped and ; tone against . urned to Robert, but Robert arted running. ts advanced teningly, and Goldmund  to follo ed for he middle of a field.

    quot;You ran like a ; laug;But o place armed sentinels outside tten little too let people in—I  all means.quot;

    Robert didnt kno certain experiences in an isolated farm morning made t. ted of a , a stable, and a barn surrounded by a green crop  trees, lay strangely still and asleep: tfalls, no c a sound. In tyard, a coood in t ime to milk epped up to to table; it  to ts stra t find a soul to tonised ead. Several times t ts; no ansried to open it. to  unlocked, and ered tc;God bless you,quot; ;Nobody ; t remained silent. Robert stayed outside. Impelled by curiosity, Goldmund advanced furt, a strange, disgusting smell. to it: sparks still gleamed at ttom under ciced someone sitting in t beside tting t looked like an old o be under a spell. itap ouced  s stir and  sting in a cobo ;S;   so make sure, ried to revive tcil a flame s up and o lig up to till open, staring empty and leaden. tting in the chair. ell, she was beyond help.

    itick in o a back room,  or nine, . tle fists. t Goldmund. As to tters  pouring in. Carefully inguisorc on the floor.

    ty, and tra from under coarse gray ss. In tiffly on  back t ly in unfamiliar colors of deato ter jug er  and  yet been completely absorbed by t o a ely entangled in ss and blanket, lay a big, o tra lig and ttled in tousled linen, lay a raw-blond as sains in her dead face.

    Goldmunds eyes traveled from corpse to corpse. terribly disfigured, but o te desire to flee, especially in t resign itself to dying. tubbornness and  eeply, rigidly into t of a tlefield. , taut, stubbornly controlled posture iful; it  been a petty, coouctle corpse of ts belly across told not ture across ts told a great deal: incompreruggle against un o ttentively. ts in t encill, it all traction for ness, of fate. It  it stirred  and penetrated his soul.

    Robert side, ience and fear. Goldmund , but at t  ty and cy, compared to ty of t anss calls; ely to t of t strange mixture of -felt compassion and cold observation of tist. ook in all tails: t figures, tterns in  , and range, terrible smell! like ill gloely filled rated by deat faces; rats  t ot and poorest performance, t and decaying, udied it.

    Finally Roberts yelling outside to disturb  out.  .

    quot; ; rangled voice. quot;Isnt t eyes you ;

    Goldmund measured him coolly.

    quot;Go in and take a look. trange farm. Afteriful co;

    antly Robert entered t, discovered tting at t out a loud scream w s, .

    quot;For ting t be?  anyone  to smell.quot;

    Goldmund smiled.

    quot;Youre a great ; but you came back out too fast. A dead old ting in a c is indeed a strange sig if youd eps fartranger still. t. tire family. ts w;

    stared at ;Noand   to let us into terday. Os all clear to me. ts tayed in time, maybe you even touc a come near me, Im sure youre infected. Im sorry, Goldmund, but I must go, I cant stay ;

    urned to run but  reprimand, and mercilessly o tugged.

    quot;My dear little boy,quot; one, quot;youre more intelligent t t. ell,  in t farm or village. Yes, its probably t safe and sound. But, little Robert, I cant let you run a, and ed yourself in t let you run off to lie do of eart oo sad to bear. Listen ttention to  going to say it t can  you or it can  me. taying togetogetogets a promise. And if I die, t care. But until t! e need eac your trap; I dont  to  some ;

    t moment on Goldmund commanded and Robert obeyed, and bot. Robert made no more attempts to flee. ;You frig. I didnt like your face   you  t isnt tely. as it so terrible, ;

    quot;It  terrible,quot; Goldmund said slo;I sa does not a you and me and everybody, even if  catc;

    As t, reigning over t let strangers in; ot treet. Many farms stood deserted; many unburied corpses lay rotting in tarved in stables; otock ran ; ted many a goatlet or piglet at t and drank erless cellar. t it tasted only o t lived in constant fear of t sick at t of ten ely beside  t  time, for to be a preventative, and felt o see if bumps were forming on s.

    Goldmund often scolded and made fun of  s. Fascinated and depressed, ricken country, attracted by t of t deatumn,  imes to ic face h.

    One day to a small to side tes defensive ramparts ran ire city  tinel standing up t tes. Robert refused to enter too go in eit tolled. A priest came out of ty gates, a cross in s, ts, the animals on.

    Robert disappeared, s at a s distance. teps fartery: a ed  vast as a ood and looked on as ts affs and boat ossed to t  sly creep back into ty. No one ried to t. Goldmund looked in: fifty or more persons lay top of tiff and accusing, an arm or a leg rose in t fluttered timidly in the wind.

    begged  on o flee to beg, for  look tion in and concentration on  dreadful curiosity t oo familiar.  able to o town.

    es, and at teps many toes rose up in al sound of ttling of carts and many ote and coarse, all braided togeto a  bore ness to many forms of le, and communication. e, in ty street, not by t noisy cter of a running o a roll; t out to ed for Goldmund to place money into t  cursing, closed tle  into t paying. Before tty ood a roed leaves tery. From anot street Goldmund saty girl standing becil s  smile spread over her blushing face.

    quot;Soon t;  face out of the window.

    quot;Not sick yet?quot; ;ty of deato t;

    ions.

    quot;Dont t over too long. I mean it,quot; Goldmund called up to ;Are you rangers? Strangers, I see. Come along t t to  of fun ime. Come along, little bro;

    Sant and surprised. Sloed street and till at to see urn. So er  up es, a small bundle in ied around her head.

    quot;s your name?quot; he asked.

    quot;Lene. Ill go s so y; everybody is dying. Lets leave. Lets leave.quot;

    Not far from tes Robert ared  once.  cursed plague   only crazy, it empting God. ,  going to stay ience o an end.

    Goldmund let  until o say.

    quot;t; ;no y company. ays  I  to do you a favor too, Robert. Listen: for a y , or ress, and youll be our friend and live o be a little pleasant and friendly now. All rig;

    O was deligo souches …

    No, said Goldmund, no one , it rictly forbidden to touc;Dont you dare!quot;

    All t in silence, to talk. o see sky and trees and meado ricken city, more ell. And so clear  of all told so many aories: ttle to ors er tting, because nobody came to take ters stole, pillaged, and o ts o t of tale so tell, and no one interrupted  listened uous terror, Goldmund silent and unruffled, letting t and making no comment.  o say? Finally Lene greired, tream dried up, s of words.

    Goldmund began to ly o sing, a song s, and  o smile; Robert listened, deligrange man!  ts rose up far over tains, weps.

    quot;Youre in sucoday,quot; said Robert.

    quot;Of course Im in a good mood today, I found sucty love. O t you beomorrotle o ill toget musumn, t t;

    quot;O; s;Ive seen lots of t;

    quot;Your  same mus smells just as good. Sill c;

    t day t t. Perters  it. It stood empty, and t agreed t t and a  stray goats and aken a fine one along hem.

    quot;ell, Robert,quot; said Goldmund, quot;alter, you maker. ere going to live  build us a partition for our castle, to make t. e dont  to eat; today  be satisfied s milk, no matter tle tomorro to look for food.quot;

    Immediately everybody set to  to find stra s and cut small bircs to make a   finis in one day and t evening  outside to sleep in t playmate in Lene, s deeply loving. Gently ook o ime, listening to , long after sired and satiated. led close to  flat pit into iful, beautiful and fleeting as iful and ed fast.

    tition of t ty. All t it finally. Robert ed to s alked about all ted to build, if only ools, a straig o be satisfied ting a dozen small bircs and building a coarse sturdy fence in t. But, o be filled in ed juniper. t took time, but it became gay and pretty; everybody  to gater t, and Goldmund scoured ttle ted. Robert  t: tamination as  it age: ttle to eat. t  not far a corpses time, and Goldmund proposed to move to t ratay in t Robert s like to see Goldmund enter ty  over  to be smoked and ouc. Goldmund didnt find mucs, a milk pail, a fe one day  tray c a little prettier eac took anot into service and also found a small field full of turnips. t a  far and  er. ten sang as they worked.

    One day, as t togettled life, Lene said suddenly in a dreamy tone: quot;But ;

    No one ans laugared strangely aually Lene noticed t neit of er, t neit of remaining sucime in t t she was among wayfarers. She hung her head.

    to a c;Youre a peasants daugs al be afraid. Youll find your  last forever. to your parents, or to urn to ty and earn your bread as a maid. But nos still summer. Deat t t  is pretty, and s ime as ;

    quot;And after; Lene asked violently. quot;After is all over? And you go a me?quot;

    Goldmund caug it softly.

    quot;Silly little girl,quot; ;ten tside tes o be lying in t tle nig. t you escaped, be glad t your dear life is still in your veins, t you can still laug;

    Sill not satisfied.

    quot;But I dont  to go a; s;Nor do I  to let you go.  soon all will be finis;

    Once more Goldmund ans  in his voice.

    quot;About t, little Lene, ts ing  if  fire to t te and eac talked enoug;

    Ss , but a shadow had fallen over her joy.