Chapter 7 puppeteer poehler

As a boy I did a decent turner's job, and perhaps a little too much work was put into it to affect my studies; for at least once the vice-principal was sending me back my not-without-erroneous When I was doing homework, I suddenly asked inexplicably: I may have broken another screw on the sewing machine or something, and I am going to give it to my sister as a birthday present.Still, I had more to lose than to lose in this matter; and it was through my apprenticeship as a turner that I made the acquaintance of an extraordinary man.This man is Paul Paulson, turner and mechanic, and representative of the citizens of our city.Whatever my father saw me do, my father demanded that I do it properly; at his request, Master Paul Paulson taught me the trade necessary for my trinkets.

Paulson's vast knowledge, not only in his small practice, but also his vision for the future development of handicrafts, so that now, when announcing some new scientific truth has been discovered, I often suddenly think: Didn't your old Paulson say it forty years ago? I soon won the favor of Master Paulson; besides the prescribed study hours, I sometimes visited him in the evening, and he was very happy.We would then sit either in the workshop, or in the summer—we had known each other for many years—on a bench under the great linden tree in his little garden.From our conversation, or rather from what my great friend said to me, I learned a lot and thought a lot; But can't find any trace.

On origin Paulsen was a Frisian; Influenced by genetics, his accent still has some softness of his native language, which is as melodious as singing. The wife of this man from the north is dark-skinned, petite and delicate, and speaks with a distinct southern accent.My mother used to say about this woman, her dark eyes could have drained the lake, and she was called Mimi when she was young. ——Don't look at her hair has seen some silver threads now, but the charm of the past has not been completely lost; maybe it is because of the beauty-loving nature of young people, I can't help but seize every opportunity soon, in some small in order to win her goodwill.

"Look at this little fellow," she was likely to say to her husband on such occasions, "you're not jealous, are you, Paul?" Paul smiled slightly.However, the wife's jokes and the husband's smile clearly show that they both know how close they are to each other. They had no children except a son who was away at the time; and perhaps it was partly for this reason that the old couple liked me so much, especially Mrs. Paulson, who kept assuring me again and again that I This funny little nose looks so much like her Joseph.I don't want to hide that she also cooks a kind of pasta that is very to my taste but no one in the city knows how to make it except her, and invites me to her house for dinner from time to time. ——In this way, the attraction of Master Paulson's house to me is strong enough.My father, too, was pleased to see me in company with the good citizen. "Be careful not to be annoying!" This is the only thing he sometimes remembers to remind me.Yet I trust that my friends were never bored by my frequent visits.

One day, an old gentleman from the city was a guest at my house, and the family showed him a work that I had recently made, which was indeed quite successful. When the old gentleman expressed his appreciation, my father told him that I had been apprenticed to Master Paulson's for nearly a year. "Oh, oh," replied the old gentleman, "at the puppeteer's house!" I had never heard of such a nickname for a friend of mine, so I asked what it meant, and didn't consider it offensive. But the old man just smiled slyly and refused to give any explanation. The following Sunday, I was invited to dinner by the Paulsons to celebrate their wedding anniversary.It was midsummer, and I started very early, and when I arrived, the hostess was still in the kitchen, so Paulson led me into the garden, and we sat together on a bench under the big linden tree.Then I remembered the nickname "Poller the Puppeteer," which kept flashing through my mind, and made it almost impossible for me to answer my master's questions; So, I had to bite the bullet and ask him what that nickname meant.

He was very angry when he heard it. "Who taught you this stupid thing?" he cried, jumping up from his seat.However, before I could answer, he was already sitting next to me. "Come, come!" he mused. "Actually, life has given me the most precious thing.—Let me tell you. We may have time." I grew up in this house and garden where my hardworking parents once lived and hope my son will live here too! ——It has been a long, long time since I was a child, but some things at that time are still vivid in front of my eyes, just like pictures drawn with colored pens. I remember that there was a small white bench next to the gate of my house, the back and armrests were made of green wooden strips; sitting on the chair, looking along the long street, you can see the chapel just below On the other side, you can see the crop fields outside the city.In the evening of summer, my parents came here to sit and rest after a tiring day; but before that, the bench was mostly occupied by me, so that I could finish my school work in the fresh air outdoors , while looking around, enjoying the refreshing view.

One afternoon, I was also sitting there—I still remember it clearly, it was just after the New Year’s Market of our Michael Festival in September—doing the algebra exercises assigned by the math teacher. But found a strange car climbing up from the bottom along the long street.It was a two-wheeled cart, pulled by a wild colt, and carried two large boxes. In the middle of the box sat a blond-haired woman, who was huge and had a wooden face. Expressionless, there was a nine-year-old girl next to her, with a small head full of black hair, who kept turning around lively; a short man with cheerful eyes was walking beside the car, holding the rein in his hand, Short black hair sticks out from under the green peaked cap like a sharp sword.

The small bells hung under the horse's neck tinkled, and they walked slowly.When we got to the door of our house, the carriage stopped suddenly. "Hey, boy," the woman in the car called out to me, "where is the tailor's inn?" The pen in my hand had been stopped for a long time; at this moment, I jumped up quickly and ran to the side of the car. "Bet, it's right in front of you," I said, pointing to the old house with the square-cut lime tree in front of it; this house, you know, still stands opposite. The petite girl in the middle of the big box stood up, poked her head out from under the hood of her faded cloak, and looked at me standing under the car with her big eyes; but the man just muttered "Sit down!" Hold on, girl!" and "Thank you, boy!" and gave his pony a whip, and drove off in front of the house I pointed out to them; The fat innkeeper in the green apron was already coming to meet him.

I am naturally aware that the visitors are not among the proper guests of the guild's inn; but the fact that there are often other people more to my liking lodging there--which seems to me to-day detract from this reputation. Respect for the decency of the industry.On the third floor opposite, where there are still some wooden round holes facing the street today, without glass windows, there used to be all kinds of street musicians, rope walkers or animal tamers, all of them everywhere. We come to perform in the city. Isn’t that right, the next morning, when I was standing in front of the window in my upstairs room and was about to fasten my schoolbag, a wooden window opposite was pushed open; the girl with short black hair like a sharp sword The little man poked his head out, stretching his arms in the fresh air; then he turned his face to the dark room behind him, and I heard him call "Liesy! Lisey!"—and from his armpit A small red face appeared, surrounded by black hair, as long as a horse's mane.Father raised his hand and pointed to me, smiling and tugging at her black satin-like hair.I couldn't understand what he was saying to her, but it was like, "Look at him, Lisey! Recognize that boy from yesterday?—Poor fool, he's got to pack his bag and go to school soon." !—you are a happy little girl, just to be drawn about the country by our brown horse!"—at least, the little girl looked at me sympathetically; When she gave her a friendly nod, she gave her a nod too, very serious.

Soon my father withdrew his head and disappeared into his attic room.The tall blond woman went to the window instead of him, grabbed the little girl by the head and began to comb her hair.The thing seemed to be done quietly; in fact Lisey evidently dared not make a sound, though her little red mouth pursed several times as the comb slid down her neck.Only once, she raised her arm and threw a long lock of hair over the linden tree outside the window, letting it drift slowly in the morning wind.I could see it gleaming from the window, for the rising sun, through the autumn mist, was shining on the upper half of the inn opposite.

Daylight also shot into the attic that was still dark just now.I can now clearly see the man sitting at a table in a corner of a dimly lit room; something like gold or silver seems to be shining in his hand, but after a while it turns into a big nose. Surprisingly small face; but no matter how hard I look, look, look, I still can't figure out what it is.Suddenly, I heard a bang as if a wooden peg had been thrown into the box, and the man stood up immediately, leaned out from another window opening, and looked into the street. Meanwhile, the woman had already dressed the little black-haired girl in a faded red dress, and coiled her braids on her round head like a wreath. I still kept looking at the other side, thinking: "Maybe she will nod." "Paul, Paul!" I suddenly heard my mother's voice calling from the room below. "Here you go, Mom!" I shivered, and was really taken aback. "Here," she cried, "you're going to be late, and the math teacher will punish you severely! It's already past seven, don't you know?" I ping-pong-pong rushed downstairs. Fortunately for me, the teacher was harvesting pears today, and half the schoolmates gathered in his orchard, helping him with their hands and mouths.It wasn't until nine o'clock that everyone sat down in their seats sweating, and happily took out the slate and algebra books. At eleven o'clock, I was running out of the campus with my pockets bulging with pears, just in time for the fat city caller to pass by.He beat a shiny brass basin with a key, and raised his beer voice and shouted: "Mr. Josef Tendler, mechanic and puppeteer, came to the city yesterday from the capital, Munich, to give his first performance tonight in the shooting range hall. The repertoire of the performance is: Count Siegfried of the Palatinate and St. Female Genoviva, puppet show in four acts, with vocals!" After yelling, he cleared his throat, and walked towards the opposite direction from my home with a high spirit.I followed him from street to street, in order to hear the joyful announcement a few more times; I had never seen a play, let alone a puppet show. ——When I finally turned around and walked home, the cemetery found a little red dress moving towards me; as expected, it was the little girl who performed the puppet show.Although her clothes have faded, she still looks like a character in a fairy tale to me, wrapped in a beautiful radiance. I boldly struck up a conversation with the ground and asked: "Are you going for a walk, Lisey?" She looked at me with dark eyes, doubtful. "A walk?" She repeated my question in a drawn out tone. "Hey, you--you're so clever!" "Then where are you going?" "Go to the cloth seller!" "Would you like to pull yourself a new dress?" I asked again, quite silly. She laughed: "Go! Don't tease me!—no, we just want to buy a few scraps!" "Buy scraps of cloth, Lisey?" "Certainly! Clothes for the puppets will be all you need is scraps of cloth; it won't cost much!" A good idea suddenly flashed in my mind.At that time, an old uncle of mine opened a cloth shop by the market square in the city, and his old clerk was a good friend of mine. "Come with me," I said bravely, "at your expense, Lisey!" "Really?" she asked again; and then we both ran to the market square and entered my uncle's drapery shop.Old Gabriel stood behind the counter in his gray and white robe as usual.After I explained my purpose, he kindly dug out a lot of cloth heads and piled them on the counter. "Look how pretty that bright red is!" said Lisey, nodding her head at a piece of French calico, very much. "Do you need it?" Gabriel asked. of course!For tonight's performance, a new waistcoat has to be cut for Siegfried Knight. "But it's got to be hemmed," said the old man, bringing in various filigree ends, and bits and pieces of green and yellow satin and ribbon, and finishing with a rather large piece of brown velvet. "Go ahead, boy!" said Gabriel. "This can be used as your Genoveva's leather robe, if the old one has faded!" As he said, he bundled the large pile of beautiful things into a bag and stuffed it in the small pocket. Girl's armpits. "Do you really want money?" She asked in confusion. No, not at all.She beamed. "Thank you, thank you, good man! Oh, how glad it is to see Papa!" Lisey, with the little bundle under her arm, we left the drapery hand in hand; she let go of me when we were near my house, and ran across the street to the tailors' guild inn, leaving the black braids on my head. He also flew up and dragged behind his neck. After lunch, I stood in front of the house, heart pounding, wondering if I could be bold enough to ask my father for tickets to go to my first show today; honestly, I'd be content to stand on the porch, Children's tickets are only two shillings there.Just then, before I could make up my mind, Lisey came running across the street toward me. "Papa gave it!" she said; before I could figure out what was going on, she ran off again.But in the palm of my hand, I was already pinching a red theater ticket with a few large characters printed on it: First Class Seat. I looked up and saw the short black-haired man waving his arms at me from the window opening on the top floor opposite.I nodded to him, thinking, these puppeteers, they are such lovely people! "Yes, tonight," I said to myself, "tonight—first class!" You know the shooting range on our South Street; back then, there was a picture of a handsome life-sized shooter on its gate, wearing a feather cap and holding a long-barreled gun; it's just that the old house was more dilapidated then than it is now.There were only three members left in the Shooting Society, and the silver cups, gunpowder horns, and other prizes that old dukes had given to them through the centuries had been sold off bit by bit; The large garden on the sidewalk is also rented out to others, and has become a pasture for sheep and goats.A three-story house, neither inhabited nor useful, was weathered and weathered, and it looked really dilapidated against the surrounding new buildings; In the bleak, whitewashed halls of the town, occasionally a passing Herculean or a magician would perform their feats.At such times, the gate with the archer drawn on it would rattle open. It was getting dark gradually; but the troubles became more and more troublesome later on, because my father didn't allow me to leave until five minutes before the gong kicked off; Just stay there. I finally made it to the shooting range.The gates were wide open, and all sorts of people were pouring in; in those days everyone was still happy to have such small pleasures, because the journey to Hamburg was too far to see the world and look down on the little things at home After all, there are not many people. ——After climbing the oak spiral staircase, I saw Lisey's mother sitting at the door of the hall to collect tickets.I walked up to her affectionately, thinking that she would greet me like an old friend; unexpectedly, I sat there dumbfounded, and took my ticket without saying a word, as if I had nothing to do with their family. like a relationship. ——I walked into the hall with a somewhat wronged mood; the hall was full of noise, the people waiting to see the performance were all chatting in low voices, and the musicians in the city were also leading three guys to play.The first thing my eyes caught was a red curtain hanging over the band seats at the front of the hall.In the center of the curtain was a golden lyre, with two trombones crossed above it; and what was particularly strange to me at the time was that there were masks hanging on the mouths of the trombones. Yes, there is a smiling one over there, but there are only two hollow eyes. ——The first three rows were already full, so I squeezed onto the fourth bench, where I found a classmate of mine sitting next to my parents.Behind us, the seats were gradually raised until the last so-called gallery, where only standing tickets were bought, was almost a person's height from the floor.It also seemed to be full; I could not see very well, for there were only a few grease candles burning in tin cans hanging on the walls on both sides, and the light was dim, and the heavy oak ceiling made the hall dark. .My neighbor is going to tell me an interesting anecdote that happened in school; Majestic curtain.At this moment it vibrated slightly, and the mysterious world behind the scenes had begun to move.After another moment, there was a crisp gong sound from the cemetery, the noise in the auditorium stopped silently, and the curtain quickly rose. ——I just glanced at the stage, and time seemed to go back a thousand years.I saw a medieval castle with watchtowers and drawbridges, and two little one-foot-tall figures stood in the middle of the yard, talking excitedly.A man with a black beard, a silver helmet with feathers on his head, a gold embroidered cloak, and red trousers was Siegfried, Count of the Palatinate.He was going to conquer the pagan Moors, so he told the young steward Golo, who was standing nearby in a blue and gold embroidered jacket, to stay in the castle and protect Countess Genoveva.But the unfaithful Golo put on a show, as if he were desperately against his good master who went into this fierce battle single-handedly.They kept turning their heads and flailing their arms as they argued.At this time, there was a faint and long-drawn trumpet sound from outside the suspension bridge, followed by the beautiful Genoveva, wearing a sky blue dress, running out from behind the watchtower, and hugging her husband's shoulders: "Ah, my dearest My dear Siegfried, may the cruel heretics not kill you!" But she could do nothing; the trumpet sounded again, and the count straightened up, crossed the drawbridge majestically, and left the courtyard; The sound of a team starting a technique can be clearly heard.Now the villainous Golo has become the master of the castle. The play goes on, and the following story is the same as what you read in the book. —I sat motionless on the bench, totally mesmerized.Those rare movements of the puppets, those thin and hoarse voices that seemed to come out of their mouths, all these gave these little people a mysterious life, endowed them with a strong attraction. The magnetism of my eyes. The second act is even more exciting.Among the servants in the castle appeared a man in a yellow jacket named Casper.If the kid wasn't alive and kicking, nothing ever was; And articulated, because when he gave a silly, funny laugh, the nose would wag from side to side, as if he were having fun himself; It rattled like an old owl purring.He often just heard "Come on!" and he was already on the stage; "There's nothing here, there's nothing there; you can't get anything, you have nothing!" In addition to his squinting eyes, he was really too tempting, so that after a while, the whole audience It also turned into a glance.I am even more completely mesmerized by this lovely fellow. When the play finally ended, I was sitting in the living room at home again, quietly eating a barbecue that my good mother had reheated for me.Father sat in an armchair, smoking his evening pipe. "Here, boy," he began, "are they like living people?" "I don't know, Daddy," I continued, scooping from the bowl; my mind was still a complete mess. He smiled knowingly and stared at me for a while. "Look here, Paul," he said afterward, "you can't go to the theater very often; and the puppets will go to school with you at last, too, if you make trouble." What my father said was not without reason.Over the next two days, my algebra practice regressed so badly that the math teacher warned me to drop me from first place.But, when I was thinking of writing a+b=x-c in my mind, I heard the beautiful Genoveva's slender voice like a bird chirping: "Ah, my dearest Siegfried I hope the cruel heretics don't kill you!" Once—fortunately no one saw—I even wrote fifty Gnovevas on the slate.Once in the bedroom in the middle of the night, there was a loud "Come on" in the cold, and the lovely Casper in a yellow cloth coat jumped onto my bed with a stride, and he put his arms on the pillows on the left and right sides of my head. , leaned down and laughed wildly at me: "Haha, my good brother! Haha, my dearest brother!" Smiling and laughing, he pecked my own nose with his long red nose, and I woke up come over.Naturally, I also understood immediately that it was just a dream. I kept all this in my heart, and dared not mention a word about puppet show at home.Unexpectedly, on the following Sunday, the shouter walked through the streets again, knocking on the copper basin and announcing loudly: "Tonight at the shooting range, we will be performing the four-act puppet show "Dr. Faust Goes to Hell"!" ——I can't hold back any longer.Like a cat circling hot porridge, I walked back and forth silently beside my father, and finally, he understood my stupid gaze. "Poehler," he said, "it's strange to see that your heart doesn't bleed; perhaps the best cure for your disease is to let you see enough." Then he reached into his vest pocket and took out two Give me a shilling. I immediately ran out of the house and realized only when I was on the street that there were still eight full hours before the play began, which was enough for me to wait.But I still ran to the sidewalk behind the garden.Standing in front of the pasture with the open door of the shooting range, I seemed to be attracted by something, and I walked in without knowing it; maybe some puppets were looking out from the upstairs window, I thought; you know The stage is right next to the back wall of the house.First, however, I had to cross a raised part of the pasture, thick with linden and chestnut trees.I was a little frightened, and I was standing there with my heels, when suddenly a big ram hanging next to me slammed into my back, and I staggered forward for about twenty steps.Come on, I looked around, and I was already standing under the big tree. It was a gloomy autumn day, yellow leaves were already falling from the trees, and in the air above my head, a flock of waterfowl flying towards the sea was singing; there was no one around, no human voice to be heard.I walked slowly through the trail of weeds, and came to a stone courtyard dam separating the garden and the building; the courtyard dam was not wide. --real!There were indeed two large windows facing the courtyard upstairs; but, behind the small leaded panes, there was nothing but darkness, and not a single puppet could be seen.I stood for a while, feeling terrified in the silence that surrounded me. At this moment, I found that the heavy courtyard door was suddenly pushed open by a palm width, and at the same time, a small black-haired head protruded from the crack of the door. "Liesy!" I yelled. She looked at me with wide, swarthy eyes. "God bless!" she said, "I don't know what that yelling is out there! But how the hell did you get in there?" "Me?—I'm walking around, Lisey!—but tell me, aren't you acting now?" She smiled and shook her head. "But, what are you doing here?" I continued to ask, and at the same time walked across the courtyard dam towards her. "I'll wait for my father," she answered, "he's gone back to the hotel to get his rope and nails; he's getting ready for the show tonight." "Are you alone here, Lisey?" "Ah no; aren't you here too!" "I mean," I said, "is your mother upstairs?" No, the mother sat in the hotel mending the puppet's clothes, and Lisey was alone here. "Listen," I began again, "do me a favor; there's a Casper among your puppets, and I'd love to see him up close." "You mean the clown?" Lisey asked, seeming to think about it for a moment. "Here, all right; just hurry up, or papa will be back!" With that said, we walked into the building and ran up the steep spiral staircase. —The hall was so dark that it was almost impossible to see, and the windows to the courtyard were all covered by the stage, except here and there here and there through cracks in the curtain. "Come!" Lisey beckoned to me, lifting up a sleeping rug that hung as a screen against the side wall; and as soon as we got inside, I was standing in front of the marvelous hall. —But, seen from behind, it looks so shabby in broad daylight; it's just a frame nailed with wooden slats, with patches of mottled cloth hanging from it; and it's St. Geno Viva showed me her life and made me fascinated by the stage. I complained too soon, however; there, on a wire stretched between the set and the wall, hung two handsome puppets; as their backs were turned to me, I did not recognize them. "Where's the other puppets, Lisey?" I asked; I'd love to see the whole team all at once. "In this box," Lisey replied, raising her small fist and tapping a large wooden box in the corner, "the two over there are already dressed, go over and have a good look, he's there too, yours Friend Casper!" That's right, Kasper. "Is he playing again tonight?" I asked. "Of course I have to act, every night I can't do without him!" I stood there with my arms folded, looking at my dear all-powerful clown.I saw him tied by seven threads, dangling on the wire, with his head drooping on his chest, his big eyes staring at the ground, and his red nose sticking out like a wide bird's beak. "Casper, Casper," I said to myself, "look how miserable you are hanging there!" Suddenly, he seemed to answer me; "Just wait and see, good brother, just wait and see tonight!" Is it just something in my head, or has Kasper really told me that?I have no idea. When I turned around, Lisey was no longer with me; she must have run to the gate to see if Father was coming back. —At this moment I heard her cry at the hall door; "Hey, don't touch my puppet!" That's right-how can I not move.I quietly climbed onto a bench next to me, and began to pull the threads one by one; first my chin snapped, then my arms lifted up, and I saw the magical thread. The thumb also began to turn around deftly.It's not difficult at all; I never thought it would be so easy to do a puppet show. — except that the arms can only be moved back and forth; and in recent plays Kasper has evidently stretched his arms out to the sides, and yes, he has even used them to hold his head!I then jerked at all the threads and tried to bend his arm with my hands, but it didn't work.As he was moving, there was a sudden rattling inside the puppet's body. "Wait!" I thought, "stop it! You're going to get into trouble!" I climbed off the stool lightly, and at the same time I heard Lisey walking back into the hall. "Hurry up, hurry up!" she yelled, and dragged me across the dark field to the spiral staircase outside. "I shouldn't have let you in," she went on, "whatever, you should be happy now!" I remembered the slap just now. "Hey, it's okay!" I comforted myself, ran down the spiral staircase, walked through the back door, and went outside. At last it was clear that Casper was only a real puppet; but Lisey—what a beautiful accent she had!And she immediately led me up to see her puppet affectionately!True, she herself told me that she did this without telling her father, which is not entirely true.However, even if it is dishonorable, I have to admit: I don't dislike such secrecy, on the contrary, it makes things more interesting.I imagined that there must have been a smug smile on my face as I strolled slowly back toward the sidewalk through the linden and chestnut trees in the garden. Despite these self-indulgent thoughts, I still heard the click from the puppet's body from time to time. I tried my best all day, but I couldn't make this sound coming from my heart. The voice fell silent. It was seven o'clock.It was Sunday night and the shooting range was even more packed; this time I was standing five yards from the floor at the back, on the porch which cost only two shillings.Fatty candles in tin cups glowed, and the town's musicians and clerks played their fiddles; slowly the curtain rose. A Gothic room with a vaulted roof appeared on the stage.Dr. Faustus, dressed in a black robe, sits before a large open book; he complains bitterly that all his knowledge is of no use; "Who is calling me?" came a terrible voice from the vault on the left. "Faust, Faust, don't listen to him!" came another gentle voice from the right. However, Faust made a vow with the devil. "Sad, sad, poor soul!" sighed the angel as light as a breeze; while at the same moment there was a wild giggle from the left, and the laughter filled the hall. At this moment, someone knocked on the door. "Forgive me, sir!" Faust's disciple Wagner entered the room.He asked permission to hire a helper to do the clumsy chores so that he could concentrate on his studies. "There was a young man named Casper who applied," he said, "and he looked like a nice guy." Faust nodded kindly, and replied: "Very well, dear Wagner, I agree to your request." After finishing speaking, the master and apprentice left the stage together. He only heard "Come on!"——it was him.Kasper jumped onto the platform with one step, the luggage on his back trembling. "Thank God," I thought to myself. "He's still fine, and he's still jumping around like he was in the beautiful Genovie Castle last Sunday!" It's rare to say that in the morning I thought he was just a bad wooden man, but now I say As soon as the lines were spoken, he regained all his magic powers. He was pacing up and down the room. “要是我亲爱的爸爸现在看见我，”他大声说，“他老人家才叫乐哩。他总是告诉我：'卡斯佩尔啊，好好干，要有出息！'——瞧，这会儿我不是有出息了吗？我一扔就会把我的东西扔出老远去！”说着他做出一个要使劲扔背囊的样子；背囊倒确实顺着提线迅速飞到了穹顶上，可卡斯佩尔的两条胳臂却仍然紧紧贴着身子，不管怎么抽风似地抖来科夫，始终还是抬不起一点儿来。 卡斯佩尔不声不响地呆住了。——舞台背后骚动起来，传出来压低的、急促的谈话声；演出显然中断了。 我的心停止了跳动；报应来了不是！我恨不得逃走，可又感到羞耻。要是丽赛因为我受到打骂怎么办！ 突然，卡斯佩尔开始在舞台上哀嚎起来，脑袋和胳臂都软沓沓地耷拉着；瓦格纳学士重新出现在台子上，问他干吗这么大哭大叫。 “哎哟，我的牙齿，我的牙齿！”卡斯佩尔嚷嚷着。 “好朋友，”瓦格纳说，“让我瞧瞧你的嘴巴！” 当他抓住卡斯佩尔的大鼻子，把头凑到他的上下颚之间去的时候，浮士德博士也重新进屋来了。 “对不起，老师，”瓦格纳说，“我不能雇用这个年轻人，必须马上送他进医院去！” “那是家酒馆吗？”卡斯佩尔问。 “不，好朋友，”瓦格纳回答，“那是屠宰场。在那儿人家将替你把智齿从肉里割出来，这样你的痛苦也就解除啦。” “唉，亲爱的上帝，”卡斯佩尔哀叫着，“我这个可怜虫怎么这样倒霉呀！您说'智齿'吗，学士先生？咱们家可还从来没谁有过这玩艺儿啊！如此说来，咱这卡斯佩尔家族算是完喽？” “反正，我的朋友，一个有智齿的用人我绝对不能要，”瓦格纳说。“智齿这东西只有我们学者才配长。可你还有个侄儿，他也到我这儿来谋过差事。也许，”他转过脸去冲着浮士德博士，“请阁下容我……！” 浮士德博士威严地把头一转。 “你爱怎么办就怎么办吧，亲爱的瓦格纳，”他说。“可别用这等鸡毛蒜皮的事情来烦我，我要钻研我的魔术！” “听听，伙计，”一个在我前面趴在栏杆上的小裁缝对旁边的人说，“这可是戏里没有的呀；我熟悉这出戏，前不久在赛弗尔斯村才看过。” 另一个却只是说：“别出声，就你聪明！”说时还戳了他肋巴骨一下。 说话间，卡斯佩尔第二又已经出现在舞台上。他和他生病的叔叔像得简直分不清楚，说起话来腔调也一模一样；只不过他缺少那个灵活的大拇指，大鼻头里边似乎也没有关节。 戏又顺利地演下去，我心上的大石头也落了地；不多会儿，我便忘记了周围的一切。魔鬼麦菲斯托胖勒斯穿着火红的斗篷，额头上长着角，出现在房中；浮士德正用自己的血，在与他签订罪恶的誓约： “你必须替我服二十四年役，然后我就把身体和灵魂都给你。” 接着，他俩便裹在魔鬼的奇异斗篷里，飞到空中去了。为卡斯佩尔从天上掉下来一只长着蝙蝠翅膀的大蟾蜍。“要我骑着这地狱里的麻雀去吗？”他大声问。那畜生颤颤巍巍地点了点脑袋，他于是骑上去，飞到空中追赶先走的两位。 我紧贴后面的墙根儿站着，视线超过前面的所有的脑袋，看得更加清楚。幕布再次升起，戏已演到最后一幕。 限期终于满了。浮土德与卡斯佩尔双双回到了故乡。卡斯佩尔已当上更夫；他在黑暗的街道上进巡着，高声地报着时辰： 远远地传来了子夜的钟声。浮士德踉踉跄跄地走上舞台；他企图祈祷，但喉咙里只能发出阵阵哀嚎，牙齿相互磕打着。忽听空中响起一个雷鸣般的呼声： Fauste，Fauste，illseleTfiUindaffillsrUSea！ 正当三个浑身黑毛的魔鬼在火雨中从天而降，前来捉拿可怜的浮士德的一刹那，我觉得自己脚下的一块木板动了动。我弯下腰去，准备把它挪好，却听见下面的黑窟窿里似乎有点什么响声；侧耳细听，就像是一个孩子在啜泣。 “丽赛！”我脑子里一闪。“有可能是丽赛！”我所干的坏事又整个像块大石头似的压在了我心上；现在哪儿还顾得上浮士德博士和他下不下地狱哟！ 我怀着狂跳的心，从观众中间挤过去，从侧面爬下了看台。我很快钻到看台下的空洞里边，顺着墙报站直身子往前模去；因为几乎毫无光线，我到处都碰着支在里边的木条木柱。 “丽赛！”我呼唤着。 那刚才还听见的啜泣突然一下子没有了，但在最靠里的一个角落上，我发现有点什么在蠕动。我摸索着继续朝前走，果然——她坐在那里，身体蜷成一团，脑袋理在怀中。 “丽赛，”我又问，“你怎么啦？你说句话呀！” 她微微抬起头来。“叫我说什么呀！”她道，“你自个儿清楚，是你把小丑给拧坏了。” “是的，丽赛，”我垂头丧气地回答，“我相信是我弄坏了他。” “嘿，你呀！——我可不是告诉过你吗！” “是的，丽赛，现在我该怎么办？” “喏，啥也别做！” “那结果会怎样呢？” “喏，不怎么样！”说完她开始大声痛哭起来。“可是等回到家……回到家我就会……会挨鞭子！” “你挨鞭子，丽赛！”我觉得这下子完了。“你的父亲真这么凶吗？” “唉，我的爸爸可好啦！”她抽泣着说。 那么是她母亲！啊，我真恨这个板着面孔坐在售票口旁边的女人，恨得简直要发狂！ 这时从戏台那边传来卡斯佩尔第二的喊声：“戏演完啦！玛格丽特，咱俩最后跳个舞吧！”在同一刹那，我们头顶上便响起杂沓凌乱的脚步声，人们乒乒乓乓爬下看台，向着出口涌去。走在最后的是城里的乐师和他的伙计们；我听见他的大提琴撞在墙上发出的嗡嗡声。随后便慢慢安静下来；只有在前边的舞台上，滕德勒夫妇还在谈话和忙碌。一会儿他俩也走进了观众席，像是先吹熄了乐台上的灯，又在吹两边墙壁上的灯；大厅里越来越黑了。 “能知道丽赛在哪儿就好啦！”我听见滕德勒先生大声地冲在对面吹灯的妻子说。 “她还会去哪儿！”妻子嚷嚷着回答他。“这个犟东西，还不是跑回旅馆去了呗！” “老婆，”男人又说，“你对孩子也太粗暴了；她的心还那么嫩弱！” “这叫什么话！”女人叫起来。“她就是该受惩罚嘛；她明明知道，那个奇妙的木偶还是我故去的父亲传下来的！你永远也甭想再修好它；而第二个卡斯佩尔只能勉强代替一下！” 争吵声在空荡荡的大厅里回响着。我也蹲到丽赛旁边；我俩手拉着手，一点声息不出，就像两只小老鼠。 “这是我的报应，”刚好站在我们头顶上的女人又嚷开了，“为什么我要容忍你今晚上又演这出亵渎上帝的戏呢！我天堂里的父亲最后几年再也不演它了啊！” “得，得，费瑟尔！”滕德勒先生从对面喊：“你真是个怪人。这出戏一直很叫座；再说，我看对于世上那许多不信神的人也是一个教训和儆戒！” “但我们就演今天这最后一次。从此别再跟我多说废话！”女人回答。 滕德勒先生不响了。——整个大厅里似乎还只有一盏灯这着。夫妻二人慢慢朝着出口走去。 “丽赛，”我悄声说，“咱们会被关在里面哩。” “随他去！”她回答，“我没有办法，我不想走！” “那我也留下！” “可你的爸爸妈妈……” “我要陪着你！” 大厅的门碰上了；随后是下楼梯的声音，再后我们听见他们在外面街上如何锁死了大门。 我们仍然坐着。我们就那么一句话不讲地呆呆坐了约莫一刻钟。幸好这时我突然想起，我口袋里还有两块夹腊肠的面包，是我在来的路上，用死艺百赖向母亲要来的一个先令买的，后来看戏看得入了迷给完全忘记了。我塞了一块在丽赛的小手里；她一声不响地接着，好像理所当然地该我张罗夜宵似的；我们吃了一会儿。随后就啥也没有了。我站起来说：“让我们到舞台后边去吧，那儿会亮一些；我想，外面一定有月亮！”丽赛温顺地任我牵着，穿过那些横七竖八的板条，走到了大厅里。 我们钻进挡子后边的舞台，就看见了从花园中射进窗户里来的明亮的月光。 在上午只挂着两个木偶的那条铁丝上，我看见今晚登场的整个班子。那儿挂着脸颊瘦削苍白的浮士德博士，额头上长着角的麦菲斯托胖勒斯，三个黑毛小鬼；在生着翅膀的蟾蜍旁边还有两位卡斯佩尔。在惨白的月光中，全都纹丝不动，我觉得简直就像一些死尸。幸亏头号卡斯佩尔的大鼻子又耷拉到了胸脯上；不然，我相信他一定会拿眼睛恶狠狠地瞪着我的。 丽赛和我无所事事地在戏台子上东站站、西爬爬了一阵以后，我俩又肩并肩地趴在窗台上。——变天了；一堆乌云升起来，就要遮住空中的月亮；下面的园子里，看得见无数的叶子从树上纷纷飘落。 “瞧，”丽赛若有所思地说，“乌云飘过来了！我慈爱的老姑妈不能再从天上看下边啦！” “哪个老姑妈，丽赛？”我问。 “在她死以前，我曾住在她家里。” 我们重新凝视着外面的黑夜。风刮向我们的楼房，窜进并不怎么严实的小窗，原本静静挂在后面铁丝上的木偶开始喀里啪啦地碰响起来。我不由掉头一看，只见它们在风中一个个摇头晃脑，但直的小胳膊腿儿乱舞乱挥。冷丁儿里，受了伤的卡斯佩尔一扬脑袋，用两只白眼儿死死地盯着我，我心里于是嘀咕，还是到旁边去吧。 离窗口不远，在布景挡着看不见那些乱跳乱舞的木偶们的地方，立着一口大箱子；箱盖开着，上面胡乱扔着一些毛毯，估计是用来裹木偶的。 当我朝着箱子走去时，听见丽赛在窗口长长地打了一个呵欠。 “困了吗，丽赛？”我问。 “啊不，”她回答，同时把小胳膊紧紧抱在一起，“只是有些冷！” 真的，在这空荡荡的大厅中是冷起来了，我也感到惊飕飕的。“过来！”我说，“咱们把毯子裹在身上。” 丽赛马上站在我旁边，温顺地任我把她裹在一条毛毯里，临了儿看上去就像只大煤蛹，只是上边还露出一个极其可爱的小脸蛋儿。“我想，”她说，一对疲倦的大眼睛直盯着我，“我们可以爬进箱子里去，里边暖和！” 我明白这个道理；与荒凉冷清的大厅比较起来，那儿甚至是个僻静宜人的所在，简直像间小密室。我们两个可怜的小傻瓜很快就用毯子包裹严实，紧紧相偎地坐在大箱子里，背和脚都抵在箱壁上。远远地，我们听见沉重的厅门的门枢在嘎嘎直叫；可在这儿，我们却既安稳，又舒适。 “还冷吗，丽赛？”我问。 “一点儿也不了！” 她把自己的小脑袋靠在我肩膀上，已经闭上眼睛。“我的好爸爸在做什么呢？……”她嘴里还喃喃着；随后，我从她平匀的呼吸听出来，她睡着了。 从我的位置，可以透过一扇窗户的顶上几块玻璃看到楼外。月亮又从刚才遮挡着它的云幕后边浮游出来了；慈祥的老姑妈重新可以从天空俯瞰人间，我想，她准是很喜欢这么做的吧。一道月华照在静静靠在我脸旁的那张小脸上，漆黑的睫毛宛如绣在面颊上的丝制花边，红红的嘴儿轻轻地呼吸着，只是时不时地还从胸中发出一两声短促的抽泣；就连这也很快没有了；天上的老姑妈目光是何等地温柔啊。 我一丝儿不敢动弹。我想：“要是丽赛是你妹妹，能够一直留在你身边，那该多美！”要知道我没有姊妹；如果说，我对哥哥弟弟还不怎么想的话，我可是常常幻想过和一个妹妹在一起生活的情景；真不理解我的那些同学，他们真有了姊妹妹妹，竟然还能和她们吵嘴打架。 我想必就这么胡思乱想着，终于也睡着了；我现在还记得，我做了怎样一些荒诞不经的梦。我仿佛坐在大厅中央，两边墙壁燃着油烛，观众席上却空空如也，除我以外再没有一个人。在我头顶上，木橡顶棚下边，卡斯佩尔骑着地狱里的麻雀飞来飞去，一声接一声地喊叫着：“坏哥哥！坏哥哥！”或者用哭丧的声音呼唤：“我的胳臂哟！我的胳臂哟！” 基地，我头顶上响起的一阵笑声，把我惊醒了；也许，使我醒来的还有那突然射着我眼睛的亮光吧。 “喏，瞧瞧好一个鸟窝！”我听见父亲的嗓音说；随后，他又稍微严厉地吼了一声：“快给我出来吧，孩子！” 一听这样的吼声，平素我总情不自禁地会站起来的。我竭力睁开眼睛，发现父亲和滕德勒夫妇站在箱子眼前；滕德勒先生手上抬着盏明亮的马灯。我挣扎着想站起来，但是不成，仍然酣睡着的丽赛妨碍着我，把她小身躯的整个重量都压在我的胸脯上。然而，当一双骨节粗大的手伸过来准备抱她出去，我一眼看清偏在我们上边的乃是滕德勒太太那生硬的面孔的时候，我又猛地抱住我的小朋友，差点儿没把那女人头上戴的意大利旧草帽给拽下来。 “好小子，好小子！”她连声嚷着，往后退了一步。我呢，则从箱子里爬出来，简单明了地，无所顾忌地，讲了今天上午发生的事情。 “既如此，滕格勒太太，”我父亲等我讲完以后说，同时做了一个很通情达理的手势，“您大概会允许我单独来和我儿子了结这件事了吧。” “好的，好的！”我急不可待地叫起来，仿佛他是答应给我什么最好玩儿的东西似的。 这时候丽赛也醒了，已被她父亲抱在怀中。我看见，她用小胳膊搂住父亲的脖子，一会儿凑近他耳朵急急忙忙地说些什么，一会儿温柔地望着他的眼睛，一会儿又下保证似地点着头儿。紧接着，木偶戏艺人也拉住我父亲的手。 “亲爱的先生，”他说，“孩子们已经相互说情。丽赛她妈，你也并不是那么狠心！这件事咱们就算了吧！” 滕德勒太太藏在大草帽底下的脸仍然无动于衷。 “你自己会瞧见，没有卡斯佩尔你怎么混得下去！”她气势汹汹地瞪了丈夫一眼，说。 我望着父亲的脸，看见他高兴地挤了挤眼睛，于是放下心来，知道风暴即将过去；当他进而答应明天贡献出自己的技艺来修理那个受伤的木偶时，滕德勒太太的意大利草帽甚至也可爱地动起来了，我这就更加有把握，我们两家都已经太平无事。 很快，我们便行进在黑暗的大街上，滕德勒先生拎着灯在前面开道，我们，两个孩子，手拉着手紧跟着大人。 临了儿，“晚安，保罗！啊，我真想睡觉！”说完，丽赛就跑开了；我压根儿没有发现，我们已经走拢家门口。 第二天中午，我放学回来，在我家的作坊里碰见了滕德勒先生和他的小女儿。 “嘿，师兄，”我父亲正在检查木偶的内部结构，说：“要是咱们两个机械师一块儿还修不好这个家伙，那就太糟糕啦。” “对吗，爸爸，”丽赛大声说，“要修好了，妈妈也不会再抱怨。” 滕德勒先生轻轻抚摸着女儿黑色的头发，然后转过脸来望着我父亲，听他解释打算如何修理木偶。 “唉，亲爱的先生，”他说，“我并不是什么机械师；这个称号只是我连同木偶一起承继下来的。论职业，我原本为贝尔希特斯加登的一名木刻匠。可我已故的岳父——您大概听说过他——却是著名的木偶戏艺人盖塞尔布莱希特；我老婆蕾瑟尔至今仍以有这位父亲为荣哩。卡斯佩尔身体里的机关就是他造的；我不过刻了一下面孔而已。” “嘿，嘿，滕德勒先生，”我父亲也说，“这个就已经是艺术。而且——请你讲一讲，当我儿子干的蠢事突然在演出中间暴露出来时，你们怎么可能一下子就想出了补救办法。” 谈话开始令我觉得有些尴尬了；可忽然，膝德勒先生善良的脸上闪烁着木偶戏艺人所有的机智的光辉。 “是的，亲爱的先生，”他说，“为了应付这种情况，我们总是准备着一些噱头儿。就说这家伙，他也有个侄儿，就是卡斯佩尔第二，声音和他一模一样！” 这其间，我已扯了扯丽赛的衣服，领着她顺顺当当地溜进了咱们家的花园里。我和她就坐在眼下也替咱俩遮着前的菩提树下，只是当时那边那些花坛里没开红色的丁香花，不过我清楚地记得是在一个阳光灿烂的九月的午后。我的母亲也从厨房里走了来，开始和木偶戏艺人的小姑娘拉话；要知道妈妈也是有自己的一点儿好奇心的。 她问小姑娘叫什么名字，是不是一直就这么从一个市镇流浪到一个市镇的——嗯，她叫丽赛——这个其实我已对妈妈讲过好多遍啦——这是她的第一次旅行，因此嘛她的标准德语还讲得不怎么好。——她是不是念过书呢？——当然，她去念过书；不过做针线却是跟她的老姑妈学来的；老姑妈也有这么个花园，她们也曾坐在花园中的长凳上；现在呢她只能跟母亲学，母亲可严厉啦！ 我母亲赞许地点着头。——她的父母亲大概打算在此地停多久呢？她又问丽赛。——嗯，这她可不知道，这得由她的母亲来决定；一般嘛，在每个地方多半果四个礼拜。——喔，那么，她是不是也备有继续旅行的暖和的大衣呢？要知道，这么坐在敞篷车上，十月里就已经很冷了呀。——喏，丽赛回答，大衣她已有一件，不过挺薄挺薄的，所以在来的路上她已感到冻得够受的。 我可看出，我母亲早已等着听这句话；她于是道： “听我讲，小丽赛！我在柜子里挂着一件挺好的大衣，还是我当大姑娘那会儿穿过，现在我的身材已没当时苗条啦；再说我也没有女儿，没法改出来给她穿。赶明儿你就来吧，丽赛，它会使你有一件暖和的大衣的。” 丽赛高兴得脸蛋儿通红，转眼间已吻了我母亲的手，搞得我母亲反倒十分不好意思起来；你知道，我们这地方的人不大懂得那一套愚蠢的礼节！——幸好这时两个男人从作坊里走来了。 “这回算是有救了，”我的父亲大声说，“不过……”他举起手指来朝我点了点，表示警告；我受的惩罚也就结束了。 我高高兴兴地跑回屋里，依照母亲的吩咐取来她的大被巾，用它仔仔细细地把刚出院的卡斯佩尔包裹起来，免得街上的孩子们再像他来时那样大呼小叫地跟在旁边跑；他们这样做虽然出于好心，可于木偶的康复不利。随后，丽赛抱着木偶，滕德勒先生奉着丽赛，在千恩万谢之下，父女俩便顺着大街，朝打靶场走去。 接着便开始了一段对孩子们来说是最最幸福的时期。丽赛不只第二天下午，而是一连好多天都上我家里来；她固执地请求，直到终于同意了她参加缝自己的新大衣。虽然交给她做的都是一些无所谓的活儿，可母亲说小孩子就该锻炼锻炼。有几次我也坐到她们旁边，给丽赛读一本父亲在拍卖场上买来的魏森的《儿童之友》；她还从来不知道有这种有趣的书，听得高兴极了。“真有意思！”或者“嘿，世界上竟有这等事！”她一边听一边常常发出惊叹，做针线的手便停在了怀里。有时她也仰起头来，用一双聪明的大眼望着我，说；“是啊，这些故事真不知编得有多好！” 我仿佛今天还听见她的话音。 讲故事的人沉默了；在他那富于男性美的脸上，洋溢着一种宁静而幸福的表情，好似他方才所讲的一切虽已成为往事，却并未丧失。 过了一会儿，他又讲起来： 我的功课在那一段时间是做得再好不过了，因为我感觉到，父亲的眼睛比以往更加严厉地监视着我，我只能以加倍努力为代价，才能换得与这些木偶戏艺人交往的权利。 “是些可敬的人啊，这滕德勒一家！”一次我听见父亲说，“裁缝旅店的老板今天腾给他们一间更像样的房间；他们每天早上都准时清帐；只是，那老头子说，他们要的吃的却少得可怜。——而这个嘛，”我父亲补充说，“却使我比旅店老板更喜欢他们；他们可能在省钱以备急需，其他的流浪艺人可不是这样。” 我多高兴听见人家称赞我的这些朋友们呀！是的，他们都是我的朋友；就连滕德勒太太现在也从她那意大利大草帽底下亲切地向我点头，当我晚上从她的售票口旁边——我已不需要票——溜进大厅里去的时候。——每天中午我放学回来才跑得叫快哩！我知道，在家里一定能碰见小丽赛，她要么在母亲厨房里帮着做些这样那样的小事，要么坐在花园里的长凳上读书或者做针线什么的。不久，我也把她争取来当了我的帮手；在我觉得已经把事情的奥妙了解得差不多以后，便决心一不做二不休，也要建立一个自己的木偶剧团。首先我开始雕刻木偶；滕德勒先生的小眼睛里闪着善良而俏皮的光芒，给我以挑选木料和刻刀方面的指点与帮助；没过多久，从一块木头板子里确确实实也诞生出了一个卡斯佩尔似的大鼻子。然而，那小丑穿的黄布大褂我却很不感兴趣，因此，丽赛必须用又去找老加布列尔要来的碎布头儿，缝制各式滚金镶银的小斗篷小短袄，以备将来让上帝知道的其他那些木偶穿戴。老亨利也时不时地从作坊里来我们这儿看看；他衔着一根短烟袋，是我父亲的伙计，从我记事之日起就在我们家里了。他从我手里夺过刻刀，三下两下就使这儿那儿有了个样子。可是我想入非非，甚至对滕德勒那位项抓队的卡斯佩尔也不感到满足；我还要创造一些崭新的东西；我为我的木偶想出三个从未有过的、灵活之极的关节，使它的下巴能左右摇摆，耳朵能来回移动，下嘴唇能上下开阔；喏，它最后要不是由于关节太多而未出世就早早夭折了的话，准会是个闻所未闻的大好佬哩。而且非常遗憾，不论是普法尔兹伯爵西格弗里特，还是木偶戏中的任何别的英雄，都未能经我之手得到愉快的新生。——对于我来说，比较成功的是建造了一个地下室；天气冷的日子，我和丽赛坐在里边的小板凳上，借着从装在头顶上的一块玻璃透进来的微光，我给她念魏森的《儿童之友》中的故事；这些故事，她真是百听不厌。同学们因此讥讽我，骂我是女孩子的奴隶，怪我老眼木偶戏子的女儿混在一起，不再和他们玩耍。我才不管他们哩；我知道，他们这么讲只是由于嫉妒，可有时把我惹急了，我也会很勇敢地挥起拳头来的。 然而生活里的任何事情都有个期限。滕德勒一家的全部剧目已经演完，打靶场的木偶戏台拆掉了，他们又做好了继续上路的准备。 于是，在十月里一个刮大风的午后，我就站在城外的一处高高的土丘上，目光哀戚地一会儿瞅瞅那向东通往一片荒凉旷野的宽阔的砂石路，一会儿充满期待地回首张望，瞧瞧那在低洼地中烟箱雾罩着的城市。瞧着瞧着，一辆小小的敞篷车就驶过来了，车上放着两口高高的箱子，车辕前套着一匹活泼的棕色小马。这次滕德勒先生坐在前面的一块木板上，他身后是穿着暖和的新大衣的丽赛，丽赛旁边是她母亲。——我在客栈门前已经和他们告过别；可随后我又赶在前面跑到了城外，以便再看看他们所有的人，并且已经得到父亲同意，准备把那本魏森的《儿童之友》送给丽赛作为留念；此外，我还用自己节省下来的零花钱为她买了一包饼干。 “等等，等等！”我高叫着冲下土丘。 滕德勒先生拽住缰绳，那棕色小马便站住了；我把自己小小的礼品给丽赛递到车上去，她把它们放到了旁边的座位上。可是，当我与她一句话也说不出来地把四只手紧紧握在一起的一刹那，我们两个可怜的孩子便哇的一声哭出来了。这当口滕德勒先生却猛一挥鞭。 “别了，孩子！要乖乖儿的，代我感谢你的爸爸妈妈！” “再见！再见！”丽赛大声喊着；小马开始迈步，它脖子底下的铃儿又了当了当响了起来；我感觉到她的小手从我手里滑出去了。就这样，他们又继续漂泊，在那广阔而遥远的世界上。 我重新爬上路旁的高丘，目不转睛地遥望着在滚滚尘土中驶去的小车。铃儿的丁当声越来越弱；有一会儿，我还看见在木箱中间有一块白色的头巾在飘动；最后，一切都渐渐消失在灰色的秋雾中。这当儿，一种像是死的恐怖似的感觉突然压在我心上：你再也见不到她啦，再也见不到！ “丽赛！丽赛！”我大声喊叫起来。 可是毫无用处；也许是由于转弯的缘故吧，那个在雾气中浮动的小黑点完全从我视线中消失了，这时我便疯了似的，顺着大路排命追去。狂风刮掉了我头上的帽子，靴统里也灌满了沙，我跑啊路啊，可是能见到的只有一棵树也不生的荒凉的旷野，以及罩在旷野上的阴冷的灰蒙蒙的天空。 薄暮时分，当我终于回到家里时，我的感觉是城里的人仿佛已全部死绝。这，就是我平生所尝到的第一次离别的滋味儿。 此后的一些年，每当秋天又来到，每当候鸟又飞过我们城市的花园上空，每当对面的裁缝旅店跟前的那些菩提树又开始飘下黄叶，这时节我便会常常坐在我家门外的长凳上，心里想着，那辆由棕色小马拉着的敞篷车终于又会像当初一样，顺着大街，丁零丁零地从下边爬上来了吧。 然而我白白地等待；丽赛她没有回来。 十二年过去了。像当时的许多手艺人的儿子一样，我先在数学专科学校结了业，然后又在正规中学读完三年级，末了就回家跟自己父亲当了徒弟。这段时间，我一边学手艺，一边还读了不少好书。现在，又经过了三年的漫游，我终于落脚在德国中部的一座城市里。城里的人笃信天主教；在信仰这个问题上，他们是一点不懂得开玩笑的；当他们唱着赞美诗、举着圣像在街上游行过来的时候，你要不自动脱下帽子，他们就会给你把帽子打脱；除此而外，他们倒都是些好人。——我帮工的师母是位寡妇，她的儿子也在外地干活儿，为的是取得行会规定的漫游三年的资格，好将来申请当师傅。我在这个家里过得挺不错；她希望人家在外地怎么待她儿子，她就怎么待我；不久，我们相互之间已如此信任，营业几乎全掌管在我的手中。——如今，我们的约瑟夫又在她儿子店中工作；他写信来讲，老太太经常如此娇惯他，就像祖母对自己亲生的孙子一样。 喏，在一个礼拜天的午后，我和师娘坐在起居室里；起居室的窗户正对着前面一所大监狱的正门。那是在一月里，气温表降到了零下二十度；外面街上一个人也没有；不时他还从附近的山里刮来呼呼的寒风，把小冰块卷得在铺着石块的路面上乱滚，发出咔啦咔啦的声音。 “这会儿能坐在暖和的房间里，喝杯热咖啡是够惬意的，”师娘说，同时给我满满地斟了第二