"A man only gains importance by a poet's fancy, when his geniusvividly represents to our imagination a clearer, but not anennobled image of men and objects which have an existence; thenalone he understands how to idealize."--H. HERTZ.
We pass on several weeks. It was toward the end of September, theexamen philosophicum was near. Preparations for this had beenOtto's excuse for not yet having visited the family circle of hisguardian, the merchant Berger. This was, however, brought about byOtto's finding one day, when he went to speak with his guardian,the mistress of the house in the same room. We know that there arefive daughters in the house, and that only one is engaged, yet theyare all well-educated girls--domestic girls, as their motherassured her friend upon more than one occasion.
"So, then, I have at length the honor of making your acquaintance,"said Mrs. Berger. "this visit, truly, is not intended either for meor the children, but still you must now drink a cup of coffee withus. Within it certainly looks rather disorderly; the girls aremaking cloaks for the winter. We will not put ourselves out of theway for you: you shall be regarded as a member of the family: butthen you must come to us in a friendly way. Every Thursday ourson-in-law dines with us, will you then be contented with our dinner?Now you shall become acquainted with my daughters."
"And I must to my office," said the husband; "therefore let usconsider Thursday as an appointment. We dine at three o'clock, andafter coffee Laide gives us music."
The lady now conducted Otto into the sitting-room, where he foundthe four daughters in full activity with a workwoman. The fifthdaughter, Julle, was, as they had told him, gone to the shops forpatterns: yesterday she had run all over the town, but the patternsshe received were not good.
The lady told him the name of each daughter; their characteristicshe naturally learnt later.
All the five sisters had the idea that they were so extremelydifferent, and yet they resembled each other to a hair. Adelaide,or Laide, as she was also called, was certainly the prettiest; thatshe well knew also, therefore she would have a fur cape, and nocloak; her figure should be seen. Christiane was what one mightcall a practical girl; she knew how to make use of everything.Alvilde had always a little attack of the tooth-ache; Julle wentshopping, and Miss Grethe was the bride. She was also musical, andwas considered witty. Thus she said one evening when the house-doorwas closed, and groaned dreadfully on its hinges, "See now, we haveport wine after dinner." [Translator's Note: A pun which it isimpossible to translate. The Danish word Portviin according tosound, may mean either port wine or the creaking of a door.] Thebrother, the only son of the house, with whom we shall becomebetter acquainted, had written down this conceit; "but that wasonly to be rude toward her," said Miss Grethe. "Such good ideas asthis I have every hour of the day!"
We ought really to accuse these excellent girls of nothing foolish;they were very good and wise. The lover, Mr. Svane, was also azealous wit; he was so lively, they said. Every one with whom hebecame a little familiar he called immediately Mr. Petersen, andthat was so droll!
"Now the father has invited Mr. Thostrup to come on Thursday!" saidthe lady. "I also think, if we were to squeeze ourselves a littletogether, he might find a place with us in the box; the room is,truly, very confined."
Otto besought them not to incommode themselves.
"O, it is a large box!" said the lady, but she did not say how manyof them were already in it. Only eleven ladies went from the familyitself. They were obliged to go to the theatre in three parties, sothat people might not think; if they all went together, there was amob. One evening, when the box had been occupied by eighteenpersons, beside several twelve-year old children, who had sat inpeople's laps, or stood before them, and the whole party hadreturned home in one procession, and were standing before the housedoor to go in, people streamed together, imagining there was somealarm, or that some one had fallen into convulsions. "What is thematter?" they asked, and Miss Grethe immediately replied, "It is aselect company!" [Translator's Note: A select or shut-out company.We regret that this pun, like the foregoing one, is untransferableinto English.] Since that evening they returned home in separatedivisions.
"It is really a good box!" said Alvilde; "if we had only otherneighbors! The doors are opening and shutting eternally, and make adraught which is not bearable for the teeth. And then they speak soloud! the other night I did not hear a single word of the prettysong about Denmark."
"But did you lose much through that?" asked Otto, smiling, and soonthey found themselves very much at variance, just as if they hadbeen old acquaintances. "I do not think much of these patrioticscraps, where the poet, in his weakness, supports himself by thisbeautiful sentiment of patriotism in the people. You will certainlygrant that here the multitude always applauds when it only hearsthe word 'Father-land,' or the name of 'Christian IV.' The poetmust give something more; this is a left-handed kind of patriotism.One would really believe that Denmark were the only country in theworld!"
"Fie, Mr. Thostrup!" said the lady: "do you not then love yourfather-land?"
"I believe I love it properly!" returned he: "and because it reallypossesses so much that is excellent do I desire that only what isgenuine should be esteemed, only what is genuine be prized."
"I agree in the main with Mr. Thostrup," said Miss Grethe, who wasbusied in unpicking and turning her cloak, in order, as she herselfsaid, to spoil it on the other side. "I think he is right! If apoem is well spoken on the stage, it has always a kind of effect.It is just the same as with stuffs--they may be of a middlingquality and may have an unfavorable pattern, but if they are wornby a pretty figure they look well after all!"
"I am often vexed with the public!" said Otto. "It applauds atimproper places, and sometimes exhibits an extraordinaryinnocence."
"Those are 'the lords of the kingdom of mind,'" said Miss Grethe, smiling.
[Note: "We are the lords of the kingdom of mind! We are the stem which can never decay!" --Students' Song, by CHRISTIAN WINTHER.]
"No, the neighbors!" replied Otto quickly.
At this moment Miss Julle entered. She had been wandering from shopto shop, she said, until she could bear it no longer! She had hadthe stuffs down from all the shelves, and at length had succeededso far as to become possessed of eight small pieces--beautifulpatterns, she maintained. And now she knew very well where thedifferent stuffs were to be had, how wide they were, and how muchthe yard. "And whom did I meet?" said she; "only think! down themiddle of East Street came the actor--you know well! Our littlepassion! He is really charming off the stage."
"Did you meet him?" said Laide. "That girl is always lucky!"
"Mr. Thostrup," said the mother, presenting him, for the young ladyseemed to forget him entirely, so much was she occupied with thisencounter and her patterns.
Julle bowed, and said she had seen him before: he had heardMynster, and had stood near the chair where she sat; he was dressedin an olive-green coat.
"Then you are acquainted with each other!" said the lady. "She isthe most pious of all the children. When the others rave aboutSpindler and Johanne Schoppenhauer, she raves about the clergymanwho confirmed her. You know my son? He became a student a yearbefore you. He sees you in the club sometimes."
"There you will have seen him more amiable than you will find himat home," said Adelaide. "Heaven knows he is not gallant toward hissisters!"
"Sweet Laide, how can you say so!" cried the mother. "You arealways so unjust toward Hans Peter! When you become betteracquainted with him, Mr. Thostrup, you will like him; he is areally serious young man, of uncorrupted manners. Do you remember,Laide, how he hissed that evening in the theatre when they gavethat immoral piece? And how angry he is with that 'Red RidingHood?' O, the good youth! Besides, in our family, you will soonmeet with an old acquaintance--in a fortnight a lady out of Jutlandwill come here. She remains the winter here. Do you not guess whoit is? A little lady from Lemvig!"
"Maren!" exclaimed Otto.
"Yes, truly!" said the lady. "She is said to have such a beautifulvoice!"
"Yes, in Lemvig," remarked Adelaide. "And what a horrible name shehas! We must christen her again, when she comes. She must be calledMara, or Massa."
"We could call her Massa Carara!" said Grethe.
"No; she shall be called Maja, as in the 'Every-day Tales,'" saidChristiane.
"I am of Jane's opinion!" said the mother. "We will christen heragain, and call her Maja."