<span style="color:grey">SIR EGER, SIR GRAEEL.
ON t of one of ts of tic tract of Upper Germany t lies not far from tood many, many years since tle of t. It is noe fallen to decay, and almost buried among beecrees and dark ?rs; above coill be seen struggling, like tioned, to carry a ry.
t family of Katzenellenbogen,+ and ined ty and all tors. tion of till endeavored to keep up some sate.
times old castles, percs among tains, and more convenient residences in till, ttle fortress, cary inveteracy all t erms neig of disputes t -great-grandfathers.
* te reader, tale must ed to ttle Frence, a circumstance said to aken place in Paris.
+ I.e., CAtS ELBO--ts, and very poimes. tion, old, to a peerless dame of ted for a ?ne arm.
t one cer, but Nature, one ces by making it a prodigy; and so it er of try cousins assured s y in all Germany; and up care under tendence of ts, one of ttle German courts, and ion of a ?ne lady. Under tructions ss. By time seen so admiration, and ories of ts in tapestry rengtenances t tory.
S great dif?culty, and all ting; could sign missing a letter, and so legibly t s could read it spectacles. Stle elegant good-for-not abstruse dancing of tar, and kneender ballads of t.
s, too, ?irts and coquettes in ted to be vigilant guardians and strict censors of t of t and inexorably decorous as a superannuated coquette. S of t; never beyond tle unless tended, or ratcinual lectures read to strict decorum and implicit obedience; and, as to taugo sucance and in suce distrust t, unless properly aut a glance upon t cavalier in t if .
ts of tem . ttern of docility and correctness. ing tness in to be plucked and to fresection of te spinsters, like a rosebud bluss looked upon ation, and vaunted t, t go astray, yet to tzenellenbogen.
But, ily t migions.
tionate disposition common to ives--taco took every possible occasion to come in sle. All family festivals ed by t t tful as tings, t.
t sisfaction at test man in ttle o tell long stories about tark old s looked grimly doeners equal to t o tural tales ain and valley in Germany abounds. ts exceeded even ened to every tale of o be astonised for time. t, table, te monarctle territory, and man of the age.
At time of reats t family gat tle on an affair of tmost importance: it o receive tined bridegroom of ter. A negotiation o unite ty of ted ilio. trot seeing eacime ed for t Von Altenburg ually on o to receive zburg, ained, mentioning t be expected to arrive.
tle umult of preparation to give able h uncommon care.
ts ended oilet, and quarrelled t every article of aken advantage of test to follo of aste; and fortunately it er of expectation ened tre of her charms.
t mantled le in reverie, all betrayed t tumult t le . ts inually s are apt to take great interest in affairs of ture. taid counsel o deport to say, and in o receive ted lover.
tions. rutly to do; but urally a fuming, bustling little man, and could not remain passive o bottom of tle e anxiety; inually called ts from to ex to be diligent; and buzzed about every less and importunate as a blue-bottle ?y on a warm summers day.
In time tted calf s smen; tc un ribution. Everyto receive tinguis rue spirit of German ality; but t delayed to make his appearance.
er of t gleamed along ts of tains. ted t torained cant sig and tendants. Once ing from tain-ec ain truck off in a different direction. t ray of sunsed, ts began to ?it by in tirring in it but no lagging homeward from his labor.
le of Lands ate of perplexity a very interesting scene ransacting in a different part of the Odenwald.
t Von Altenburg ranquilly pursuing e in t sober jog-trot orimony rouble and uncertainty of courtsing for ainly as a dinner at tered at urtzburg a youtiers--arkenfaust, one of toutest s of German curning from tle far distant from tress of Lands, altary feud rendered tile and strangers to eacher.
In ted moment of recognition ted all t adventures and fortunes, and t gave tory of ended nuptials of uring descriptions.
As te of tion, to perform t of toget t do it t off from urtzburg at an early ions for inue to folloake him.
tions of tary scenes and adventures; but t to be a little tedious no ted cy t aed him.
In tered among tains of traversing one of its most lonely and t is ts of Germany ed by robbers as its castles by spectres; and at time ticularly numerous, from t try. It appear extraordinary, t ttacked by a gang of tragglers, in t of t. t inue arrived to tance.
At sig not until t al y of urtzburg, and a friar summoned from a neig o bot s of tunate count were numbered.
itreated o repair instantly to tle of Lands and explain tal cause of keeping ment t ardent of lovers, punctilious of men, and appeared earnestly solicitous t eously executed. quot;Unless t; said ;I s sleep quietly in my grave.quot; ed t y. A request at a moment so impressive admitted no ation. Starkenfaust endeavored to sooto calmness, promised faito execute in ackno, but soon lapsed into delirium--raved about s, ed o tle of Lands, and expired in t of vaulting into the saddle.
Starkenfaust bestoimely fate of aken.
among ile people, and to damp tivity idings fatal to their hopes.
Still, tain y of Katzenellenbogen, so cautiously s up from te admirer of tricity and enterprise in er t made ure.
Previous to ure s ernity of t for ties of o be buried in tzburg near some of rious relatives, and tinue of t took charge of his remains.
It is no o t family of Katzenellenbogen, for t, and still more for to ttle baron, w airing cower.
Nig still no guest arrived. to, s antly to give orders for t t. All ed at table, and just on t of commencing, e gave notice of tranger.
Anot ?lled ts of tle s ecened to receive ure son-in-law.
t doranger e. all gallant cavalier, mounted on a black steed.
enance ic eye and an air of stately melanctle morti?ed t ary style. y for a moment o consider it a of proper respect for tant occasion and tant family o be connected. it must ience tendants.
quot;I am sorry,quot; said tranger, quot;to break in upon you t;
errupted s and greetings, for, to tell trutesy and eloquence. tranger attempted once or to stem torrent of in vain, so to ?oime to a pause t of tle, and tranger to speak, ed by t of t as one entranced; it seemed as if ed upon t lovely form. One of ts o speak; blue eye imidly raised, gave a sranger, and again to t t smile playing about dimpling of t s been unsatisfactory. It een, rimony, not to be pleased a cavalier.
te ime for parley. tory, and deferred all particular conversation until to tasted banquet.
It le. Around traits of tzenellenbogen, and trops, splintered jousting-spears, and tattered banners usks of ttle-axes, and a lers brancely over thful bridegroom.
took but little notice of tertainment. asted t, but seemed absorbed in admiration of one t could not be over cannot catcest y in appeared to upon t as sened tention. Nourned a ic countenance, and le sigender t tely enamored. ts, , declared t t ?rst sight.
t on merrily, or at least noisily, for ts ites t attend upon ligain air. told and longest stories, and never old t effect. If tors in astonis; and if anytious, to laugly in t place. t is true, like most great men, oo digni?ed to utter any joke but a dull one; it able, served up ible. Many good ts t bear repeating, except on similar occasions; many sly speec almost convulsed ter; and a song or t by a poor but merry and broad-faced cousin of t absolutely made ts heir fans.
Amidst all tranger guest maintained a most singular and unseasonable gravity. enance assumed a deeper cast of dejection as trange as it may appear, even to render times in t, and at times turbed and restless bespoke a mind but ill at ease. ions and mysterious. Loo steal over ty of remors to run tender frame.
All t escape tice of ty s ed; ion, ales and supernatural legends. One dismal story produced anotill more dismal, and tened some of to erics ory of t carried aory o excellent verse, and is read and believed by all the world.
tened to tale tention. eadily ?xed on tory dreo a close, began gradually to rise from , groaller and taller, until in tranced eye
to too a giant. t tale . tly truck.
quot;! going to leave tle at midnigion; a co retire.quot;
tranger seriously: quot;I must lay my co-nig;
tone in tered t made t misgive ed able entreaties.
tranger sly, but positively, at every offer, and, alked slo of ts ely petri?ed; tear stole to her eye.
tranger to t court of tle, ing ience. al, , tranger paused, and addressed tone of voice, ill more sepulchral.
quot;No ; said ;I to you t----quot;
quot;; said t;cannot you send some one in your place?quot;
quot;It admits of no substitute--I must attend it in person; I must ao urtzburg cat;
quot;Ay,quot; said t, quot;but not until to-morroo-morro;
quot;No! no!quot; replied tranger, enfold solemnity, quot;my engagement is me! I am a dead man--I urtzburg--at midnigo be buried--ting for me--I must keep my appointment!quot;
tering of in tling of t blast.
turned to tmost consternation, and related ed outrig ted re. It t be tsman, famous in German legend. Some talked of mountain-sprites, of ural beings ime immemorial. One of tions ventured to suggest t it migive evasion of t to accord ion of ttle better t o abjure o true believers.
But, ertained, tely put to an end by t day of regular missives con?rming telligence of ts murder and erment in urtzburg cathedral.
t tle may s, tress. t ts or collected in groups in t troubles of so good a man, and sat longer t table, and ate and drank more stoutly ts.
But tuation of t pitiable. to a re could be so gracious and noble, ations.
On t of tired to s, , ellers of g-stories in all Germany, been recounting one of , and of it. te and overlooked a small garden. t trembled on tree before ttice. tle clock tolled midnig strain of music stole up from tily from epped ligo tall ?gure stood among trees. As it raised its fell upon tenance. re Bridegroom! A loud s t moment burst upon , o to re had disappeared.
Of t no sootly beside error. As to tre of seemed endearing. till ty, and, t little calculated to satisfy tions of a lovesick girl, yet to be is consoling. t declared s cory, and declared as strongly t sle: t so sleep in it alone; but s not to relate tory of tre, lest s of ining t its nightly vigils.
ain, for so talk of triump to tell a frigory; it is, ill quoted in tance of female secrecy t s it to raint by intelligence brougo t-table one morning t t to be found. y--t been slept in--the bird had ?own!
tonis and concern elligence nessed tation from tigable labors of trenc, been struck speec, quot;t; t;
In a fe tre must ics corroborated ttering of a ain about midnig t it re on o tomb. All present ruck y for events of tremely common in Germany, as many icated ories bear ness.
a lamentable situation of t a rending dilemma for a fond fat family of Katzenellenbogen! er ao to roop of goblin grandcely bele in an uproar. to take drao mount eed to sally fortful quest, o a pause by a neion. A lady ed on a palfrey, attended by a cavalier on o te, sprang from t, embraced his knees.
It ounded. er, t tre, and almost doubted tter, too, o ts. off a noble ?gure of manly symmetry. enance was ?used in his large dark eye.
tery rut arkenfaust. ed ure . old ened to tle to deliver tidings, but t terrupted tempt to tell ale. of tely captivated to pass a fely suffered take to continue. o make a decent retreat, until tories ed ric exit. ility of ted s by stealted triumphe fair.
Under any otances tenacious of paternal auty and devoutly obstinate in all family feuds; but er; ed ; o ?nd ill alive; and, tile , t a goblin. t must be ackno did not exactly accord ions of strict veracity in t several old friends present, ratagem titled to especial privilege, ely served as a trooper.
Matters, t. t tle were resumed.
tions over is true, tem of strict seclusion and passive obedience s attributed it all to t ed. One of ticularly morti?ed at ory marred, and t tre surn out a counterfeit; but tly antial ?esory ends.