arbor, and seemed to be thinking over his
sermon. On the Sunday morning, Joseph drove the two young clergymen and
us to Rahnstaedt. We went into the parsonage pew, and I can assure you I
was in a great fright about Rudolph, but the rogue stood there as calmly
as if he were quite sure of himself, and when the time came for him to
preach, he went up into the pulpit and began his sermon. He got on so
well that every one listened attentively, and I was so pleased with the
boy that I turned to whisper to Godfrey, who sat next to me, how
relieved and overjoyed I was, when I saw that he was moving about
restlessly in his seat, and looking as if he would like to jump up and
pull Rudolph out of the pulpit: 'Aunt,' he said, 'that is my sermon.'
And so it was, Braesig. The little wretch had got it by heart from
hearing his cousin learning it aloud in the arbor." "Ha, ha, ha!"
laughed Braesig. "What a joke! What a capital joke!" "Do you call it a
_joke_?" said Mrs. Nuessler angrily. "Do you call playing a trick like
that in God's house a joke?" "Ha, ha, ha!" roared Braesig. "I know that
it's wicked to laugh, and I know that only the devil could have prompted
the lad to play such a trick, but I can't help it, I must laugh at it
all the same." "Oh, of course," said Mrs. Nuessler crossly, "of course
_you_ do nothing but laugh while we are like to break our hearts with
grief and anger." "Never mind me," said Braesig soothingly, "tell me,
what did the Methodist do? Ha, ha, ha! I'd have given a good deal for a
sight of his face!" "You would, would you? Of course he couldn't preach
the same sermon in the afternoon, so the parson had to give his people
one of his old sermons over again; but he was very angry, and said that
if he chose to make the circumstance public, Rudolph might go and hang
himself on the first willow he came across." "But the Methodist?" "The
poor fellow was miserable, but he didn't say a word. However his mother
said enough for two, and she spoke so harshly to her sister Mrs. Kurz
about what had happened, that they're no longer on speaking terms. There
was a frightful quarrel. I was both ashamed and angry at the way they
went on, for both Baldrian and Kurz joined in the squabble, and even
Joseph began to mix himself up in it, but fortunately our carriage drove
up, and I got him away as quickly as I could." "What did the duelist
say?" "Oh, the wretch was wise enough to run away here as soon as he had
concluded his stolen