Wacht's house by Rettel's
betrothal; and even the disconsolate lovers had more freedom, since
they were less observed. But something of a quite special character was
to happen to put an abrupt end to this quiet and comfortable condition
in which they were all living. The young lawyer seemed particularly
preoccupied, and his thoughts busy with some affair or another that
absorbed all his energies; his visits at Wacht's house even began to be
less frequent, and he often stayed away in the evening--a thing he had
never been wont to do previously. "What can be the matter with our
Jonathan? He is completely preoccupied; he's quite another fellow from
what he used to be," said Master Wacht, although he knew very well what
was the cause, or rather the event, which was exercising such a visible
influence upon the young lawyer, at least to all outward appearance. To
tell the truth, he looked upon this event as the dispensation of
Providence through which he should perhaps escape the great misfortune
by which he believed himself threatened, and which he felt would
completely upset all the happiness of his life.

Some few months previously a young and unknown lady had arrived in
Bamberg, and under circumstances which could only be called singular
and mysterious. She was staying at the "White Lamb." All the servants
she had with her were an old grey-haired manservant and an old
lady's-maid. Very various were the opinions current about her. Many
maintained she was a distinguished and immensely rich Hungarian
countess, who, owing to matrimonial dissensions, was compelled to take
up her residence in solitary retirement in Bamberg for a time. Others,
on the contrary, set her down as an ordinary forsaken Dido, and yet
others as an itinerant singer, who would soon throw off her veil of
nobility and announce herself as about to give a concert,--possibly she
had no recommendations to the Prince-bishop. At any rate the majority
were unanimous in making up their minds to regard the stranger, who,
according to the statements of the few persons who had seen her, was of
exceptional beauty, as an extremely ambiguous person.

It had been noticed that the stranger lady's old man-servant had
followed the young lawyer about a long time, until one day he caught
him at the spring in the market-place, which is ornamented with an
image of Neptune (whom the honest folk of Bamberg are generally in the
habit of calling the Fork-man); and there the old man