quot;Praised be t; said t and placed tick on table. Goldmund murmured taring straight ahead.

    t said noted and said notil Goldmund greless and searco t of him.

    to  only  of t.

    And nos face. It ,   seemed completely formed by mind and eady ick, lifted it and  closer to tranger, to see ick s it back on table.

    quot;Narcissus!quot;  inaudibly. to spin around him.

    quot;Yes, Goldmund, I used to be Narcissus, but I abandoned t name a long time ago; youve probably forgotten. Since took t;

    Goldmund s of  tened to crembled; dizziness made y bladder; omacracted. Beo sink into o dissolve in tears, to faint.

    But a  t of Narcissus   of tiful, strict face, t eyes.  again. Like a g, Narcissus  trangest moment of o save  to break into sobs in front of ? No, no, no. rolled , forced omaco be calm,  of  show any weakness now.

    In an artificially controlled voice, o say: quot;You must permit me to go on calling you Narcissus.quot;

    quot;Do, my friend. And dont you  to s;

    Again Goldmund dominated ubborn, sligone, like taken in udent days,  an answer.

    quot;Forgive me, Narcissus,quot; rifle blasé. quot;I see t you . But Im still a vagrant. And besides, our conversation, as muc,  unfortunately last very long. Because, Narcissus, Ive been sentenced to to clarify tuation for you.quot;

    Narcissuss expression did not cing streak in titude and at time touc ood and keenly appreciated t kept Goldmund from collapsing tearfully against . oo, ly, but ion o ttle comedy. Goldmund could not o  any faster.

    quot;ell yes,quot; ended casualness. quot;But I can reassure you about t to tell you t, and to take you a remain in ty. So ime to c ;

    time, pressing  tayed brittle and playful for a while longer.

    quot;Fine, Narcissus, lets leave treat, and Ill join your retinue. Are you traveling back to Mariabronn? You are. onderful.  ion of getting a ;

    quot;ell get a ;

    quot;Never mind, Narcissus. I did t to my ied me up and I o get free. It  easy. Besides, it o come in  an escort.quot;

    quot;;

    quot;O danger of being murdered by me. Because ts old me a priest would come. Id ;

    quot;You didnt  to die ted to fig;

    quot;Indeed I did. Of course I could  t ;

    quot;Still,quot; Narcissus said antly, quot;t  ;

    quot;Not you, Narcissus, of course, and probably no priest  any ot, yes, I assure you.quot; Suddenly ;It   man Ive murdered.quot;

    t. Bot embarrassed.

    quot;ell, alk about t some otime,quot; Narcissus said in a cool voice. quot;You can confess to me some day, if you feel like it. Or you can tell me about your life. I, too,  to tell you. Im looking foro it. S;

    quot;One moment more, Narcissus! I just remembered somet;

    quot;I dont understand.quot;

    quot;No, of course you dont.  e a number of years ago. I gave you t ime a carver and a sculptor, and I to become one again. t statue I carved in t its name is not Narcissus, it is Jo. Jo;

    o the door.

    quot;So you did t; Narcissus asked softly. Goldmund ans as softly: quot;O of you. Al;

    rong pusook o  c out.

    Mounting, Goldmund said: quot;I . Let us pass by t; I ;

    t every castle o see if Agnes mig see o t; Marie  deal about o o s, times, promised to come back one day, and rode off. Marie stood in til t of sight. Slowly she limped back inside.

    t: Narcissus, Goldmund, the young monk, and an armed groom.

    quot;Do you still remember my little ; Goldmund asked. quot;able at ter.quot;

    quot;Certainly. But you  find  expect to. Its been at least seven or eigo do a;

    quot;And you remember t?quot;

    quot;O;

    Goldmund  sad about Blesss deat Narcissus knew so muc Bless, Narcissus w animals and probably er  made him very glad.

    quot;iter,quot; ;youll laug me for asking first about t poor little   nice of me. Actually I ed to ask about sometirely, about our Abbot Daniel. But I suppose t  intend to speak only of deato begin  o t, because of last nigogetoo muc no , and since  it some time, tell me in are still alive. Im prepared for t. But Im glad t least. I never imagined t you mig  again. But belief can deceive, as I unate enougo learn by experience. I could not imagine t my master Niklaus, ted on seeing  t;

    quot;All is quickly told,quot; said Narcissus. quot;Abbot Daniel died eig illness or pain. I am not  only for a year. Fatin y. And Faten spoke of you. During  years  all, and lying in bed  torture to oo s not speak of it. ions?quot;

    quot;Certainly, many more. Most of all: o be y at t;

    quot;t is a long story, and youd be bored ; it is a matter of politics. t is a favorite of tor in many matters, and at t to be set to riges sent to treat . Our success ;

    and Goldmund asked noto kno last nig life o t.

    t tired and y staying in the saddle.

    After a long  is it true t you ed for t? t said you o tle, ealing.quot;

    Goldmund laug;ell, it really looked as t I ing s mistress; less kne, too. Im surprised t  me go at all.quot;

    quot;ell,  above a little bargaining.quot;

    t cover tance t t day. Goldmund oo exed; ook rooms in a village for t;  to bed running a slig  day, too. But trong enougo ride on. Soon o enjoy riding.  ridden! o life again, greed, rode many a race ion assaulted ient questions. Calmly, yet joyously, Narcissus responded. Again , cions, all asked ed confidence in y to anshem.

    quot;One question, Narcissus: did you also burn Je;

    quot;Burn Jews? ;

    quot;All rig tell me: ;

    quot;No, ic?quot;

    quot;Understand me, Narcissus. I mean: can you imagine t, in certain circumstances, you migo kill Je to ties did give suc;

    quot;I  give an order of t kind. On t is conceivable t I migo ness and tolerate sucy.quot;

    quot;Youd tolerate it t;

    quot;Certainly, if I o prevent it. You probably sa you, Goldmund?quot;

    quot;I did.quot;

    quot;ell, and did you prevent it? You didnt. You see.quot;

    Goldmund told tory of Rebekka in great detail;  and passionate in telling it.

    quot;And so,quot; ly, quot;o live? Is it not  not revolting and disgusting?quot;

    quot;Certainly, ts ;

    quot;A; Goldmund cried ion. quot;And en you told me t t it  or ents midst, t ed old me Aristotle  to radiction.quot;

    Narcissus laughed.

    quot;Your memory is surprising, and yet it ly. I or as perfect, but never ion. I rue t life on eart, or t man is good, my dear friend. On trary. tates t trivings and doings of mans  are evil, and every day ;

    quot;Very good. At last I see rickery—you admit it. But somes and books, justice and perfection exist. t, t only if t to use.quot;

    quot;You ored up a great deal of anger against us t you ill not become a t it all topsy-turvy. You still o learn. But  justice to use? e do t every day, every ance, am an abbot and I govern a cloister. Life in ter is just as imperfect and full of sin as it is in tside. And yet antly set tice against original sin and try to measure our imperfect lives by it and try to correct evil and put ourselves in everlasting relations;

    quot;All rig mean you, nor did I mean t you  a good abbot. But Im t Deatinking corpses, of all ting, tarved to deat and see t ac seems to me t our moto a  it ter if t created t let o t;

    Narcissus gave Goldmund a friendly nod.

    quot;You are quite rig; ;Go a all, get it all out. But in one te  ts. But actually t not forget t te emotions are balanced by completely different ones! ty landscape, or o a castle at nigo court a counts mistress, toget to you, and no plague-stricken  you from fulfilling your desire. Is t not so?quot;

    quot;Certainly t is so. Because try again and again to console my  and to pick t gro of  t t does not mean t it does not exist.quot;

    quot;You expressed t very  into lust. But lust ion; it leaves you again in t.quot;

    quot;Yes, ts true.quot;

    quot;Most people feel t  only a fe o become a tell me: besides te coming and going bet and  for life and sadness of deatried no ot;

    quot;Oried art. Ive already told you t, among otist. One day, ime, I saer c iful, t moved me so deeply, t I asked tor ;

    quot;Youll tell me more about t later. But  to you, ;

    quot;It ransitory. I sa someting: . too ill, tlast many  empire of images and relics beyond ting moment. to  t seems good and comforting to me, because it almost succeeds in making transitory eternal.quot;

    quot;I like t very muciful statues; my confidence in your strengt. I  in Mariabronn for a long time and permit me to set up a ist. But I do not tion quite encompassed t. I believe t art is more tal from deatransforming it into stone,  it lasts a little longer. I , many a saint and many a madonna, o me merely faitist ;

    quot;You are rig,quot; Goldmund cried eagerly. quot;I didnt t art! t is not a real, living figure, alt may inspire it. t fles is mind. It is an image t s ists soul. In me, too, Narcissus, suco express one day and so you.quot;

    quot;rayed unknoo ps secrets.quot;

    quot;Youre mocking me.quot;

    quot;O exist noive mind, but y, it exists as an image in tists soul. tly ;

    quot;Yes, t sounds quite plausible.quot;

    quot;ell, and no you o ideas and to basic images, you are on mind-ground, in t t, at ter of ttlefield of life, at ter of tence, ts tive mind. Look, I o to me as a boy. In you, t t of a t t of an artist. But it is mind, and it is t  of ternal seesa and despair. Ao ed for it—since t your teaco be yourself. No;

    It seemed to Goldmund t  it  from above, clearly seeing its teps: urn, tion, turity and .

    t ting relationso Narcissus. It ions one of equality and reciprocity.  of t ion, since tion to tive poimes he also worried.

    quot;Narcissus,quot; ;Im afraid you dont knoer. Im no monk, nor do I  poverty, but I love neitity nor obedience; tues dont seem very manly to me. And I  all left of piety. I  confessed or prayed or taken communion in years.quot;

    Narcissus remained calm. quot;You seem to   afraid of t. You need not pride yourself any longer on your many sins. You  la Im not inviting you to enter ting you to be our guest and to set up a  forget t, during your adolescent years, it o tever y as  to see o ask you to leave again.quot;

    Goldmund ion every time ed t,  assurance and a  of mockery of people and life in t Narcissus rue, a man of te  a man full of assurance and courage, a leader, one  of old times, no longer tle, devoted St. Joed to carve tly Narcissus. Many statues aed  Daniel, Fater Niklaus, beautiful Rebekka, beautiful Agnes, and still ot  to become a broted to make statues, and t t o be these works made him happy.

    te autumn, and one day, on a morning ed reddisrangely familiar, and ttle stream and an old barn at t of o acs daug day of tle. iticular pain ing room in s Latin and ell of o tyard; it opping places of t not to tell anyone to let  s, as ts

    a feers and servants ill part of tle a very beautiful, proud, and domineering noble ill looked iful, and a little evil. Neits recognized Goldmund. After t of evening  into t tery flo to table door and looked in on t on tra; imes. Scattered and infertile, tretc be images but broken in so many pieces, so poor in value, so poor in love! In to tc as anxiously up to to see if Agnes mig appear. S s, it seemed to ten; finding y .  like t t tting gloomily in t speaking at all. Narcissus let him be.

    But noer a fe. Sly before toer became visible, tony fields in es of Mariabronn and dismounted under talian cnut tree. tenderly Goldmund toucrunk and stooped to pick up one of t  lay on thered.