The pilgrim suddenly rose and went to the door.
“What is the matter with thee?” said the astonished vine-labourer; “has this affected thee too much?”
The boy sprang after the aged man, and held him by the hand. “Thou wilt not depart, pilgrim?” said he.
At this minute the Haus-frau entered with a light. At one glance into the countenance of the vine-labourer, the aged Count exclaimed, “My Son!” and fell motionless into his arms. As his senses returned, the father and son recognized each other. Adelaide, the noble, faithful wife, weeping, held the hands of the aged man, while the children knelt before him.
“Pardon, father!” said the son.
“Grant it to me!” replied the pilgrim, “and grant to your father a spot in your quiet harbour of peace, where he may end his days. Son! thou art of a noble nature, and thy lovely wife is worthy of thee—thy children will resemble thee—no ignoble blood runs in their veins. Henceforth bear my arms; but, as an honourable remembrance for posterity, add to them a pilgrim and the pickaxe, that henceforth no man of high birth may conceive that labour degrades man—or despise the peasant who in fact nourishes and protects the nobleman.”
On leaving Frauenstein, which lies low in the range of the Taunus hills, I found that every trot my pony took introduced me to a more genial climate and to more luxuriant crops. But vegetation did not seem alone to rejoice in the change. The human face became softer and softer as I proceeded, and the stringy, weather-beaten features of the mountain peasant were changed for countenances pulpy, fleshy, and evidently better fed. As I continued to descend, the cows became larger and fatter, the horses higher as well as stouter, and a few pigs I met had more lard in their composition than could have been extracted from the whole Langen-Schwalbach drove, with their old driver, the Schwein-General, to boot. Jogging onwards, I began at last to fancy that my own mind was becoming enervated; for several times, after passing well-dressed people, did I catch myself smoothing with my long staff the rough, shaggy mane of my pony, or else brushing from my sleeve some rusty hairs, which a short half-hour ago I should have felt were just as well sticking upon my coat as on his.
Instead of keen, light mountain air, I now felt myself overpowered by a burning sun; but, in compensation, Nature displayed crops which were very luxuriant of their sorts. The following is a list of those I passed, in merely riding from Frauenstein to Mainz; it will give some idea of the produce of that highly-favoured belt, or district, of Nassau (known by the name of the Rhein-gau) which lies between the bottom of the Taunus hills and the Rhine:—
| Vineyards | ||
| Hop-gardens | ||
| Fields of Kidney-beans | ||
| Tobacco | ||
| Hemp | ||
| Flax | ||
| Buck Wheat | ||
| Kohl-rabi | ||
| Mangel Wurzel | ||
| Fields of Beans and Peas | ||
| Indian Corn | ||
| Wheat of various sorts | ||
| Barley | ||
| Oats | ||
| Rye | ||
| Rape | ||
| Potatoes | ||
| Carrots | ||
| Turnips | ||
| Clover of various sorts | ||
| Grass | ||
| Lucerne | ||
| Tares | ||
| Plum Trees of several sorts | ||
| Standard Apricots | ||
| Peaches | ||
| Nectarines | ||
| Walnuts | ||
| Pears | } | of various sorts |
| Apples | ||
| Spanish Chestnuts | ||
| Horse Chestnuts | ||
| Almonds | ||
| Quinces | ||
| Medlars | ||
| Figs | ||
| Wild Raspberries | ||
| Wild Gooseberries | ||
| Wild Strawberries | ||
| Currants | ||
| Gooseberries | ||
| Whortleberries | ||
| Rhubarb | ||
| Cabbages of all sorts | ||
| Garlick | ||
| Tomatos | ||