“Here,” she said, “I once kept the geese, and here I gave your father water from the spring. God bless thee, thou wild pear-tree, and you fields and forests! It seems to me all a dream, and forgive me, dear John, that I do not rejoice. I cannot yet, and dare not, when I think that my friend is lying there dead. It is a sin to rejoice, and a sin not to rejoice. Do you know, John, what I say to myself? when a year is past I shall be so happy—when the year is over, oh! how beautiful it will be! But no! to-day is beautiful, I will be happy to-day—it is just. Now, we will ride into Heaven! Ah, what dreams I have had there upon the Holder Common; that the cuckoo was perhaps an enchanted prince, and now I sit upon your horse, and have become the salt duchess. I know they joke about it in Holdenbrunn, but I am glad you called me salt duchess. Do you know the history of the saying, ‘As dear as salt’?”
“No, what then is it?”
“There was once a king who asked his daughter one day, ‘How much do you love me?’ and she answered, ‘I love thee as dear—as dear as salt.’
“The king said, ‘That is a stupid answer,’ and was angry at it. Not a long time after the king gave a great feast, and the daughter contrived that all the dishes should come upon the table unsalted. Of course, nothing tasted well, and the king asked his daughter, ‘How the dinner came to be so badly cooked?’
“She said, ‘Because the salt failed; there was no salt. You see now that I was right when I said I loved you as dear as salt!’ The king was satisfied, and to this day we say as dear as salt.
“This story Mariann told me. Alas! she can never tell me any more. There she lies dead! Hark! there sings the nightingale. Oh! so happy! I will think no more of sorrow. I will be thy salt duchess, John. Yes, I am happy! Mariann said, ‘God rejoices when people are happy, as parents are happy to see their children dance and sing.’ We have danced already; come now, we will sing. Turn a little to the left in the forest; we will ride to my brother. Sing, nightingale, we will sing with you.”
“Sweet bird of night! I hear thee sing
Till soul from life to part, will spring.
Come nearer, bird! and teach me well
How love and life together dwell!”