aying to himself, "I
have assuredly given her a better one than my own;" and now he only
thought of soothing and comforting his weeping wife, and of removing
her even so early as the morrow from a place which, after this cross
accident, could not fail to be distasteful to her. Yet it is certain
that the opinion of the public concerning her was not changed. As
something extraordinary had long before been expected of her, the
mysterious discovery of Bertalda's parentage had occasioned little or no
surprise; and every one who became acquainted with Bertalda's story, and
with the violence of her behaviour on that occasion, was only disgusted
and set against her. Of this state of things, however, the knight and
his lady were as yet ignorant; besides, whether the public condemned
Bertalda or herself, the one view of the affair would have been as
distressing to Undine as the other; and thus they came to the conclusion
that the wisest course they could take, was to leave behind them the
walls of the old city with all the speed in their power.

With the earliest beams of morning, a brilliant carriage for Undine
drove up to the door of the inn; the horses of Huldbrand and his
attendants stood near, stamping the pavement, impatient to proceed. The
knight was leading his beautiful wife from the door, when a fisher-girl
came up and met them in the way.

"We have no need of your fish," said Huldbrand, accosting her; "we are
this moment setting out on a journey."

Upon this the fisher-girl began to weep bitterly; and then it was that
the young couple first perceived it was Bertalda. They immediately
returned with her to their apartment, when she informed them that, owing
to her unfeeling and violent conduct of the preceding day, the duke and
duchess had been so displeased with her, as entirely to withdraw from
her their protection, though not before giving her a generous portion.
The fisherman, too, had received a handsome gift, and had, the evening
before, set out with his wife for his peninsula.

"I would have gone with them," she pursued, "but the old fisherman, who
is said to be my father--"

"He is, in truth, your father, Bertalda," said Undine, interrupting her.
"See, the stranger whom you took for the master of the water-works gave
me all the particulars. He wished to dissuade me from taking you with me
to Castle Ringstetten, and therefore disclosed to me the whole mystery."

"Well then," continued Bertalda, "my father--i