k heartily--I with my
amputated hand, my father with his melancholy forebodings, and the
forester. What with the long journey, the warm room, and the punch, my
father soon got sleepy (I had had a strong bedstead placed in the
forester's room); he kissed my head as he wished me good-night, tapped
the quilt, and said, 'To-morrow, then, my manikin!' He was asleep in a
moment; and how he slept, to be sure! I got out of the forester's bed,
and watched every breath he drew. It was a weary night. The next morning
he woke late. As soon as he began to stir, the forester came in,
clapping his hands at the door, and exclaiming over and over again,
'Why, Mr. Sturm, what have you done?' 'What have I done?' asked my
Goliath, still half asleep, and looking round in amazement. The birds
were screaming very loud, and every thing looked so strange to him he
hardly knew if he was still on earth or not. 'Where am I?' cried he;
'this place is not in the Bible.' However, the forester went on
exclaiming, 'No; such a thing never was heard of before,' till the old
man was quite alarmed, and anxiously asked what it was. 'What you have
done, Mr. Sturm!' cried the forester; 'why, you have slept a night, and
then a day, and then another night!' 'How so?' said my old boy; 'to-day
is Wednesday, the 13th.' 'No such thing,' affirmed the forester; 'to-day
is the 14th: it is Thursday.' So they went on disputing. At last the
forester took out his pocket-book, on which he strikes out each day as
it passes, and there was a great stroke over Wednesday; and on Tuesday
he had put down as a memorandum, 'To-day, at seven o'clock, the
bailiff's father arrived: a very tall man, can drink plenty of punch;'
and on Wednesday, 'The bailiff's father has been asleep the whole day
through.' Having read this, my governor got quite composed, and said,
'It's all correct: here we have it in black and white. Tuesday, I
arrived at seven--a tall man--plenty of punch; all this tallies.
Wednesday is past. This is Thursday--this is the 14th.' After some
musing, he cried, 'Where is my son Karl?' Then I entered, my arm bound
up, and told the same tale as the forester, till he said, 'I am like one
bewitched; I don't know what to think.' 'Why, don't you see,' said I,
'that I am out of bed? Yesterday, when you were asleep, the doctor came,
and gave me leave to get up. Now I am so well that I can lift this chair
with my stiff arm.' 'No more weights,' said the old man. Then I went on:
'I