human
By all that is wonderful, Sphinx Atropos! cried the delighted forester.
gpt
Ah, my sunbeam, where did you find that exquisite specimen?
human
Over at Lindhof, in a potato-field. Isn’t it beautiful? There, let us shut the box carefully, and put it back in my pocket.
gpt
What! am I not to have it?
human
Oh yes; you can have it,—that is if you are inclined to pay for it.
gpt
Zounds! What a girl you have become! Come, give it to me,—here are four groschen.
human
Not for the world. You can’t have it for one farthing less than twelve. When many a ragged, yellow old bit of parchment,—that one can hardly bear to touch,—is paid for with its weight in gold, certainly such a perfect piece of Nature’s workmanship is worth twelve groschen.
gpt
Yellow old parchment! never breathe such a word into scientific ears, if you value your reputation.
human
Ah, there are none such to be breathed into here in the forest.
gpt
Take care; Herr von Walde——
human
Is hiding in the Pyramids.
gpt
But he might suddenly return and take a certain self-conceited young person to strict account. He is cock-of-the-walk among learned men.
human
Well, for aught I care, they may raise monuments in his honour, and strew laurels in his path, as much as they choose. I cannot forgive him for forgetting, in the midst of all that dead lumber, the claims that the living have upon him. While he is engaged in an enthusiastic search, perhaps, for some wonderfully preserved receipt by Lucullus, or lost in investigations as to whether the Romans did actually feed their fish upon the flesh of slaves, the poor employed upon his estate starve under the baroness’ rule—actually crushed beneath the yoke of modern slavery.
gpt
Hallo! how his left ear must burn! What a pity that he cannot hear this confession of faith! Here are your twelve groschen, if you must have them. You want to buy some trinket or other, a feather, or ribbons for your hat, hey?
human
Does not that look lovely? she asked.
gpt
Do you think I would voluntarily hide my head beneath nodding plumes when I can have roses, fresh roses? And there is your caterpillar, and now you shall know why I want to black-mail you. This morning the poor widow of a weaver in Lindhof came to my mother, begging a little assistance. Her husband had had a fall, which injured his arm and his foot, so that he has not been able to earn anything for weeks. My mother gave her some old linen and a large loaf of bread. She could do nothing more, as you know. See, here I have fifteen groschen,—from my money-box,—there is not another farthing in it just now, and three from little Ernst, who would gladly have sold his tin soldiers to help the poor woman, and with the price for the caterpillar I shall have a whole thaler, which I shall carry to the poor thing immediately.
human
Let me see. Here is another thaler; and, Sabina, he called into the house,
gpt
Oh, you dearest of splendid uncles!
human
But take care, he continued,
gpt
Yes; but fortunately I have here no cruel Landgrave to fear. And if I had, I would tell the truth in spite of him.
human
Gracious gods, what a heroic soul it is!
gpt
But I think the courage to tell a lie would be far greater, even though it were a pious one.
human
True, true, my daughter. I think I could hardly have done it either. Ah, here comes Sabina!