Delphi Collected Works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe \(Illustrated\) pdfdrive com

CHAPTER VII.

The interest in his undertakings, which the countess and her friend expressed

and  felt  so  warmly,  quickened  Wilhelm’s  faculties  and  zeal:  the  plan  of  his

piece,  which  the  process  of  describing  it  had  rendered  more  distinct,  was  now

present in the most brilliant vividness before his mind. He spent the greater part

of that night, and the whole of next morning, in the sedulous versification of the

dialogue and songs.

He  had  proceeded  a  considerable  way,  when  a  message  came,  requiring  his

attendance in the castle: the noble company, who were then at breakfast, wished

to speak with him. As he entered the parlor, the baroness advanced to meet him,

and,  under  pretext  of  wishing  him  good-morning,  whispered  cunningly,  “Say

nothing of your piece but what you shall be asked.”

“I  hear,”  cried  the  count  to  him,  “that  you  are  very  busy  working  at  my

prelude,  which  I  mean  to  present  in  honor  of  the  prince.  I  consent  that  you

introduce  a  Minerva  into  it;  and  we  are  just  thinking  beforehand  how  the

goddess shall be dressed, that we may not blunder in costume. For this purpose I

am causing them to fetch from the library all the books that contain any figures

of her.”

At the same instant, one or two servants entered the parlor, with a huge basket

full of books of every shape and appearance.

Montfaucon,  the  collections  of  antique  statues,  gems,  and  coins,  all  sorts  of

mythological writings, were turned up, and their plates compared. But this was

not enough. The count’s faithful memory recalled to him all the Minervas to be

found in frontispieces, vignettes, or anywhere else; and book after book was, in

consequence, carried from the library, till finally the count was sitting in a chaos

of volumes. Unable at last to recollect any other figure of Minerva, he observed

with a smile, “I durst bet, that now there is not a single Minerva in all the library;

and  perhaps  it  is  the  first  time  that  a  collection  of  books  has  been  so  totally

deprived of the presence of its patron goddess.”

The  whole  company  were  merry  at  this  thought:  Jarno  particularly,  who  had

all  along  been  spurring  on  the  count  to  call  for  more  and  more  books,  laughed

quite immoderately.

“Now,”  said  the  count,  turning  to  Wilhelm,  “one  chief  point  is,    —    which

goddess do you mean? Minerva, or Pallas? The goddess of war, or of the arts?”

“Would  it  not  be  best,  your  Excellency,”  said  Wilhelm,  “if  we  were  not

clearly  to  express  ourselves  on  this  head;  if,  since  the  goddess  plays  a  double

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part  in  the  ancient  mythology,  we  also  exhibited  her  here  in  a  double  quality?

She  announces  a  warrior,  but  only  to  calm  the  tumults  of  the  people;  she

celebrates a hero by exalting his humanity; she conquers violence, and restores

peace and security.”

The  baroness,  afraid  lest  Wilhelm  might  betray  himself,  hastily  pushed

forward the countess’s tailor, to give his opinion how such an antique robe could

best be got ready. This man, being frequently employed in making masquerade

dresses,  very  easily  contrived  the  business:  and  as  Madam  Melina,

notwithstanding  her  advanced  state  of  pregnancy,  had  undertaken  to  enact  the

celestial  virgin,  the  tailor  was  directed  to  take  her  measure;  and  the  countess,

though with some reluctance, selected from the wardrobe the clothes he was to

cut up for that purpose.

The  baroness,  in  her  dexterous  way,  again  contrived  to  lead  Wilhelm  aside,

and let him know that she had been providing all the other necessaries. Shortly

afterwards  she  sent  him  the  musician,  who  had  charge  of  the  count’s  private

band; and this professor set about composing what airs were wanted, or choosing

from his actual stock such tunes as appeared suitable. From this time all went on

according  to  the  wishes  of  our  friend:  the  count  made  no  more  inquiries  about

the piece; being altogether occupied with the transparent decoration, destined to

surprise the spectators at the conclusion of the play. His inventive genius, aided

by  the  skill  of  his  confectioner,  produced,  in  fact,  a  very  pretty  article.  In  the

course  of  his  travels,  the  count  had  witnessed  the  most  splendid  exhibitions  of

this  sort:  he  had  also  brought  home  with  him  a  number  of  copper-plates  and

drawings, and could sketch such things with considerable taste.

Meanwhile Wilhelm finished the play, gave every one his part, and began the

study of his own. The musician also, having great skill in dancing, prepared the

ballet; so that every thing proceeded as it ought.

Yet  one  unexpected  obstacle  occurred,  which  threatened  to  occasion  an

unpleasant gap in the performance. He had promised to himself a striking effect

from  Mignon’s  egg-dance,  and  was  much  surprised  when  the  child,  with  her

customary  dryness  of  manner,  refused  to  dance;  saying  she  was  now  his,  and

would  no  more  go  upon  the  stage.  He  sought  to  move  her  by  every  sort  of

persuasion,  and  did  not  discontinue  his  attempt  till  she  began  weeping  bitterly,

fell at his feet, and cried out, “Dearest father! stay thou from the boards thyself!”

Little heeding this caution, he studied how to give the scene some other turn that

might be equally interesting.

Philina,  whose  appointment  was  to  act  one  of  the  peasant  girls,  and  in  the

concluding dance to give the single-voice part of the song, and lead the chorus,

felt exceedingly delighted that it had been so ordered. In other respects, too, her

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present  life  was  altogether  to  her  mind:  she  had  her  separate  chamber;  was

constantly beside the countess, entertaining her with fooleries, and daily received

some  present  for  her  pains.  Among  other  things,  a  dress  had  been  expressly

made for her wearing in this prelude. And being of a light, imitative nature, she

quickly marked in the procedure of the ladies whatever would befit herself: she

had of late grown all politeness and decorum. The attentions of the Stallmeister

augmented rather than diminished; and as the officers also paid zealous court to

her, living in so genial an element, it came into her head for once in her life to

play the prude, and, in a quiet, gradual way, to take upon herself a certain dignity

of  manner  to  which  she  had  not  before  aspired.  Cool  and  sharp-sighted  as  she

was, eight days had not elapsed till she knew the weak side of every person in

the  house;  so  that,  had  she  possessed  the  power  of  acting  from  any  constant

motive, she might very easily have made her fortune. But on this occasion, as on

all others, she employed her advantages merely to divert herself, — to procure

a  bright  to-day,  and  be  impertinent,  wherever  she  observed  that  impertinence

was not attended with danger.

The  parts  were  now  committed  to  memory:  a  rehearsal  of  the  piece  was

ordered; the count purposed to be present at it, and his lady began to feel anxious

how  he  might  receive  it.  The  baroness  called  Wilhelm  to  her  privately.  The

nearer the hour approached, they all displayed the more perplexity; for the truth

was,  that,  of  the  count’s  original  idea,  nothing  whatever  had  been  introduced.

Jarno, who joined them while consulting together, was admitted to the secret. He

felt amused at the contrivance, and was heartily disposed to offer the ladies his

good  services  in  carrying  it  through.  “It  will  go  hard,”  said  he,  “if  you  cannot

extricate yourselves without help from this affair; but, at all events, I will wait,

as  a  body  of  reserve.”  The  baroness  then  told  them  how  she  had  on  various

occasions recited the whole piece to the count, but only in fragments and without

order;  that  consequently  he  was  prepared  for  each  individual  passage,  yet

certainly possessed with the idea that the whole would coincide with his original

conception. “I will sit by him,” said she, “to-night at the rehearsal, and study to

divert  his  attention.  The  confectioner  I  have  engaged  already  to  make  the

decoration as beautiful as possible, but as yet he has not quite completed it.”

“I know of a court,” said Jarno, “where I wish we had a few such active and

prudent friends as you. If your skill to-night will not suffice, give me a signal: I

will take out the count, and not let him in again till Minerva enter; and you have

speedy  aid  to  expect  from  the  illumination.  For  a  day  or  two  I  have  had

something  to  report  to  him  about  his  cousin,  which  for  various  reasons  I  have

hitherto  postponed.  It  will  give  his  thoughts  another  turn,  and  that  none  of  the

pleasantest.”

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Business  hindered  the  count  from  being  present  when  the  play  began;  the

baroness amused him after his arrival: Jarno’s help was not required. For as the

count  had  abundance  of  employment  in  pointing  out  improvements,  rectifying

and  arranging  the  detached  parts,  he  entirely  forgot  the  purport  of  the  whole;

and,  as  at  last  Madam  Melina  advanced,  and  spoke  according  to  his  heart,  and

the  transparency  did  well,  he  seemed  completely  satisfied.  It  was  not  till  the

whole was finished, and his guests were sitting down to cards, that the difference

appeared  to  strike  him;  and  he  began  to  think  whether  after  all  this  piece  was

actually of his invention. At a signal from the baroness, Jarno then came forward

into  action;  the  evening  passed  away;  the  intelligence  of  the  prince’s  approach

was  confirmed;  the  people  rode  out  more  than  once  to  see  his  vanguard

encamping in the neighborhood; the house was full of noise and tumult; and our

actors, not always served in the handsomest manner by unwilling servants, had

to  pass  their  time  in  practisings  and  expectations  at  their  quarters  in  the  old

mansion, without any one particularly taking thought about them.

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