hboring country seat. The
first sight of her beautiful and lovely form decided the fate of his
whole life; or rather the passion, which penetrated and inspired his
soul, became the contents of his whole life. Often even in the face of
childhood, there is an expression so sweet and spiritual, that we call
it supernatural and heavenly; and the fear impresses itself on our
hearts, that faces, so transfigured and transparent, are too tender and
too finely woven for this life; that it is death or immortality that
gazes through the glancing eye; and too often are our forebodings
realized by the rapid withering of such blossoms. Still more beautiful
are such forms, when, childhood left behind, they have advanced to the
full bloom of youth. All who knew the betrothed of our author are
agreed, that no description could do justice to her beauty, grace, and
heavenly simplicity. She was in her fourteenth year when Novalis became
acquainted with her; and the spring and summer of 1795 were indeed the
blooming season of his life. Every hour he could spare from his
business was spent at Grueningen; and late in the fall of 1796, he was
betrothed to Sophia with the consent of her parents. Shortly after she
was taken severely sick with a fever, which, though it lasted but a few
weeks, yet left her with a pain in the side, which by its intensity
rendered unhappy many of her hours. Novalis was much alarmed, but was
quieted by her physician, who pronounced this pain of no consequence.

Shortly after her recovery he departed for Weissenfels, where he was
appointed auditor in the department of which his father was director.
He passed the winter of 1795-96 in business, hearing news from
Grueningen of a quieting character. He journeyed thither in the spring,
and found his betrothed to all appearance recovered. At this time his
brother Erasmus was taken sick, so that he left off his studies, and
devoted himself in a distant place to the chase and a forest life. His
brother Charles joined the army, and in the spring entered upon active
service. Thus Novalis lived quietly at home, his parents and sisters
forming his chief society, the other children being yet quite young. In
the summer, while he was rejoicing in the prospect of being soon united
to Sophia, he received information, that she was at Jena, and there on
account of ulceration of the liver, had undergone a severe operation.
It had been her wish, that he should not be informed of her sickne