had leisure-at least when
we were not swimming or boating or fishing, or playing on the ice
or sliding down hill.
And we had the run of the castle park, and very few had that. It
was because we were pets of the oldest serving-man in the castleFelix Brandt; and often we went there, nights, to hear him talk
about old times and strange things, and smoke with him (he taught
us that), and drink coffee; for he had served in the wars, and was at
the siege of Vienna; and there, when the Turks were defeated and
driven away, among the captured things were bags of coffee, and
the Turkish prisoners explained the character of it and how to
make a pleasant drink out of it, and now he always kept coffee by him, to drink himself, and also to astonish the ignorant with. When
it stormed he kept us all night; and while it thundered and lightened outside he told about ghosts and horrors of every kind, and of
battles and murders and mutilations, and such things, and made it
pleasant and cosy inside; and he told these things from his own
experience largely. He had seen many ghosts in his time, and
witches and enchanters, and once he was lost in a fierce storm at
midnight in the mountains, and by the glare of the lightning had
seen the Wild Huntsman rage by on the blast with his spectre dogs
chasing after him through the driving cloud-rack. Also he had seen
an incubus once, and several times he had seen the great bat that
sucks the blood from the necks of people while they are asleep,
fanning them softly with its wings and so keeping them drowsy till
they die. He encouraged us not to fear supernatural things, such as
ghosts, and said they did no harm, but only wandered about because they were lonely and distressed and wanted kindly notice and
compassion; and in time we learned to not be afraid, and even went
down with him in the night to the haunted chamber in the dungeons of the castle. The ghost appeared only once, and it went by
very dim to the sight and floating noiseless through the air, and
then disappeared; and we scarcely trembled, he had taught us so
well. He said it came up sometimes in the night and woke him up
by passing its clammy hand over his face, but it did him no hurt, it
only wanted sympathy and notice. But the strangest thing was, that
he had seen angels; actual angels out of heaven, and had talked
with them. They had no wings, and wore clothes, and talked and
looked and acted just like any natural person, and you would never
know them for angels, except for the wonderful things they did
which a mortal could not do, and the way they suddenly disappeared while you were talking with them, which was also a thing
which no mortal could do. And he said they were pleasant and
cheerful, not gloomy and melancholy, like ghosts.
It was after that kind of a talk, one May night, that we got up
next morning and had a good breakfast with him and then went
down and crossed the bridge and went away up into the hills on the
left to a woody hill-top which was a favorite place of ours, and there we stretched out on the grass in the shade to rest and smoke and
talk over those strange things, for they were in our minds yet, and
impressing us. But we couldn't smoke, because we had been heedless and left our flint and steel behind.
Soon there came a youth strolling towards us through the trees,
and lie sat down and began to talk in a friendly way, just as if he
knew us. But we did not answer him, for he was a stranger and we
were not used to strangers and were shy of them. He had new and
good clothes on, and was handsome and had a winning face and a
pleasant voice, and was easy and graceful and unembarrassed, not
slouchy and awkward and diffident like other boys. We wanted to
be friendly with him, but didn't know how to begin. Then I
thought of the pipe, and wondered if it would be taken as kindly
meant if I offered it to him. But I remembered that we had no fire;
so I was sorry and disappointed.
we were not swimming or boating or fishing, or playing on the ice
or sliding down hill.
And we had the run of the castle park, and very few had that. It
was because we were pets of the oldest serving-man in the castleFelix Brandt; and often we went there, nights, to hear him talk
about old times and strange things, and smoke with him (he taught
us that), and drink coffee; for he had served in the wars, and was at
the siege of Vienna; and there, when the Turks were defeated and
driven away, among the captured things were bags of coffee, and
the Turkish prisoners explained the character of it and how to
make a pleasant drink out of it, and now he always kept coffee by him, to drink himself, and also to astonish the ignorant with. When
it stormed he kept us all night; and while it thundered and lightened outside he told about ghosts and horrors of every kind, and of
battles and murders and mutilations, and such things, and made it
pleasant and cosy inside; and he told these things from his own
experience largely. He had seen many ghosts in his time, and
witches and enchanters, and once he was lost in a fierce storm at
midnight in the mountains, and by the glare of the lightning had
seen the Wild Huntsman rage by on the blast with his spectre dogs
chasing after him through the driving cloud-rack. Also he had seen
an incubus once, and several times he had seen the great bat that
sucks the blood from the necks of people while they are asleep,
fanning them softly with its wings and so keeping them drowsy till
they die. He encouraged us not to fear supernatural things, such as
ghosts, and said they did no harm, but only wandered about because they were lonely and distressed and wanted kindly notice and
compassion; and in time we learned to not be afraid, and even went
down with him in the night to the haunted chamber in the dungeons of the castle. The ghost appeared only once, and it went by
very dim to the sight and floating noiseless through the air, and
then disappeared; and we scarcely trembled, he had taught us so
well. He said it came up sometimes in the night and woke him up
by passing its clammy hand over his face, but it did him no hurt, it
only wanted sympathy and notice. But the strangest thing was, that
he had seen angels; actual angels out of heaven, and had talked
with them. They had no wings, and wore clothes, and talked and
looked and acted just like any natural person, and you would never
know them for angels, except for the wonderful things they did
which a mortal could not do, and the way they suddenly disappeared while you were talking with them, which was also a thing
which no mortal could do. And he said they were pleasant and
cheerful, not gloomy and melancholy, like ghosts.
It was after that kind of a talk, one May night, that we got up
next morning and had a good breakfast with him and then went
down and crossed the bridge and went away up into the hills on the
left to a woody hill-top which was a favorite place of ours, and there we stretched out on the grass in the shade to rest and smoke and
talk over those strange things, for they were in our minds yet, and
impressing us. But we couldn't smoke, because we had been heedless and left our flint and steel behind.
Soon there came a youth strolling towards us through the trees,
and lie sat down and began to talk in a friendly way, just as if he
knew us. But we did not answer him, for he was a stranger and we
were not used to strangers and were shy of them. He had new and
good clothes on, and was handsome and had a winning face and a
pleasant voice, and was easy and graceful and unembarrassed, not
slouchy and awkward and diffident like other boys. We wanted to
be friendly with him, but didn't know how to begin. Then I
thought of the pipe, and wondered if it would be taken as kindly
meant if I offered it to him. But I remembered that we had no fire;
so I was sorry and disappointed.
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