the water was real water, brought from the well in Christiansborg.
Astounding and full of effect was the multitude of sweet young girls
who showed themselves. Many of the youngest students who had feminine
features were dressed as ladies; some of them might even be called
pretty. Who that then saw the fair one with the tambourine can have
forgotten her? The company crowded round the ladies. The professors paid
court to them with all propriety, and, what was best of all, some ladies
who were less successful became jealous of the others. Otto was much
excited; the noise, the bustle, the variety of people, were almost
strikingly given. Then came the master of the fire-engines, with his
wife and little granddaughter; then three pretty peasant girls; then the
whole Botanical Society, with their real professor at their head. Otto
seated himself in a swing; an itinerant flute-player and a drummer
deafened him with dissonances. A young lady, one of the beauties, in a
white dress, and with a thin handkerchief over her shoulders, approached
and threw herself into his arms. It was Wilhelm! but Otto found his
likeness to Sophie stronger than he had ever before noticed it to be;
and therefore the blood rushed to his cheeks when the fair one threw
her arms around him, and laid her cheek upon his: he perceived more of
Sophie than of Wilhelm in this form. Certainly Wilhelm's features were
coarser--his whole figure larger than Sophie's; but still Otto fancied
he saw Sophie, and therefore these marked gestures, this reeling about
with the other students, offended his eyes. When Wilhelm seated himself
on his knee, and pressed his cheek to his, Otto felt his heart beat
as in fever; it sent a stream of fire through his blood: he thrust him
away, but the fair one continued to overwhelm him with caresses.

There now commenced, in a so-called Kraehwinkel theatre, the comedy, in
which were given the then popular witticisms of Kellerman.

The lady clung fast to Otto, and flew dancing with him through the
crowd. The heat, the noise, and, above all, the exaggerated lacing,
affected Wilhelm; he felt unwell. Otto led him to a bench and would
have unfastened his dress, but all the young ladies, true to their part,
sprang forward, pushed Otto aside, surrounded their sick companion and
concealed her, whilst they tore up the dress behind so that she might
have air: but, God forbid! no gentleman might see it.

Toward evening a song was commenced, a shot