The sudden disappearance of the young knight, Huldbrand von Ringstetten, from the imperial city, had caused great sensation and solicitude among those who had admired him, both for his skill in the tournament and the dance, and no less so for his gentle and agreeable manners. His servants would not quit the place without their master, although not one of them would have had the courage to go in quest of him into the shadowy recesses of the forest.They therefore remained in their quarters, inactively hoping, as men are wont to do, and keeping alive the remembrance of their lost lord by their lamentations.When, soon after, the violent storms and foods were observed, the less doubt was entertained as to the certain destruction of the handsome stranger；and Bertalda openly mourned for him and blamed herself for having allured the unfortunate knight into the forest.Her foster-parents, the duke and duchess, had come to fetch her away, but Bertalda entreated them to remain with her until certain intelligence had been obtained of Huldbrand's fate.She endeavored to prevail upon several young knights, who were eagerly courting her, to follow the noble adventurer to the forest.But she would not pledge her hand as a reward of the enterprise, because she always cherished the hope of belonging tothe returning knight, and no glove, nor riband, nor even kiss, would tempt any one to expose his life for the sake of bringing back such a dangerous rival.
When Huldbrand now suddenly and unexpectedly appeared, his servants. and the inhabitants of the city, and almost every one, rejoiced.Bertalda alone refused to do so；for agreeable as it was to the others that he should bring with him such a beautiful bride, and Father Heilmann as a witness of the marriage, Bertalda could feel nothing but grief and vexation.In the first place, she had really loved the young knight with all her heart, and in the next, her sorrow at his absence had proclaimed this far more before the eyes of all, than was now beftting.She still, however, conducted herself as a wise maiden, reconciled herself to circumstances, and lived on the most friendly terms with Undine, who was looked upon throughout the city as a princess whom Huldbrand had rescued in the forest from some evil enchantment.When she or her husband were questioned on the matter, they were wise enough to be silent or skilfully to evade the inquiries.Father Heilmann's lips were sealed to idle gossip of any kind, and moreover, immediately after Huldbrand's arrival, he had returned to his monastery；so that people were obliged to be satisfied with their own strange conjectures, and even Bertalda herself knew no more of the truth than others.
Day by day, Undine felt her affection increase for the fair maiden.“We must have known each other before,”she often used to say to her,“or else, there must be some mysterious connection between us, for one does not love another as dearly as I haveloved you from the first moment of our meeting without some cause—some deep and secret cause.”And Bertalda also could not deny the fact that she felt drawn to Undine with a tender feeling of confidence, however much she might consider that she had cause for the bitterest lamentation at this successful rival. Biassed by this mutual affection, they both persuaded—the one her foster-parents, the other her husband—to postpone the day of departure from time to time；indeed, it was even proposed that Bertalda should accompany Undine for a time to castle Ringstetten, near the source of the Danube.
They were talking over this plan one beautiful evening, as they were walking by starlight in the large square of the Imperial city, under the tall trees that enclose it. The young married pair had incited Bertalda to join them in their evening walk, and all three were strolling up and down under the dark-blue sky, often interrupting their familiar talk to admire the magnificent fountain in the middle of the square, as its waters rushed and bubbled forth with wonderful beauty.It had a soothing happy influence upon them；between the shadows of the trees there stole glimmerings of light from the adjacent houses；a low murmur of children at play, and of others enjoying their walk, foated around them；they were so alone, and yet in the midst of the bright and living world；whatever had appeared diffcult by day, now became smooth as of itself；and the three friends could no longer understand why the slightest hesitation had existed with regard to Bertalda's visit to Ringstetten.Presently, just as they were on the point of fxing the day for their common departure, a tall man approached them fromthe middle of the square, bowed respectfully to the company, and said something in the ear of the young wife.Displeased as she was at the interruption and its cause, she stepped a little aside with the stranger, and both began to whisper together, as it seemed, in a foreign tongue.Huldbrand fancied he knew the strange man, and he stared so fxedly at him that he neither heard nor answered Bertalda's astonished inquiries.All at once Undine, clapping her hands joyfully, and laughing, quitted the stranger's side, who, shaking his head, retired hastily and discontentedly, and vanished in the fountain.Huldbrand now felt certain on the point, but Bertalda asked：“And what did the master of the fountain want with you, dear Undine?”
The young wife laughed within herself, and replied：“The day after to-morrow, my dear child, on the anniversary of your name-day, you shall know it.”And nothing more would she disclose. She invited Bertalda and sent an invitation to her foster-parents, to dine with them on the appointed day, and soon after they parted.
“Kuhleborn?was it Kuhleborn?”said Huldbrand, with a secret shudder, to his beautiful bride, when they had taken leave of Bertalda, and were now going home through the darkening streets.
“Yes, it was he,”replied Undine,“and he was going to say all sorts of nonsensical things to me. But, in the midst, quite contrary to his intention, he delighted me with a most welcome piece of news.If you wish to hear it at once, my dear lord and husband, you have but to command, and I will tell it you without reserve.But if you would confer a real pleasure on your Undine, you will wait till the day after to-morrow, and you will then have your share too in the surprise.”
The knight gladly complied with his wife's desire, which had been urged so sweetly, and as she fell asleep, she murmured smilingly to herself：“Dear, dear Bertalda!How she will rejoice and be astonished at what her master of the fountain told me!”