JULY 6.

She is still with her dying friend, and is still the same bright, beautiful creature whose presence softens pain, and sheds happiness around whichever way she turns. She went out yesterday with her little sisters: I knew it, and went to meet them; and we walked together. In about an hour and a half we returned to the town. We stopped at the spring I am so fond of, and which is now a thousand times dearer to me than ever. Lotte seated herself upon the low wall, and we gathered about her. I looked around, and recalled the time when my heart was unoccupied and free. “Dear fountain!” I said, “since that time I have no more come to enjoy cool repose by thy fresh stream: I have passed thee with careless steps, and scarcely bestowed a glance upon thee.” I looked down, and observed Lotte’s little sister, Jane, coming up the steps with a glass of water. I turned toward Lotte, and I felt her influence over me. Jane at the moment approached with the glass. Her sister, Marianne, wished to take it from her. “No!” cried the child, with the sweetest expression of face, “Lotte must drink first.”

The affection and simplicity with which this was uttered so charmed me, that I sought to express my feelings by catching up the child and kissing her heartily. She was frightened, and began to cry. “You should not do that,” said Lotte: I felt perplexed. “Come, Jane,” she continued, taking her hand, and leading her down the steps again, “it is no matter: wash yourself quickly in the fresh water.” I stood and watched them; and when I saw the little dear rubbing her cheeks with her wet hands, in full belief that all the impurities contracted from my ugly beard would be washed off by the miraculous water, and how, though Lotte said it would do, she continued still to wash with all her might, as though she thought too much were better than too little, I assure you, Wilhelm, I never attended a baptism with greater reverence; and, when Lotte came up from the well, I could have prostrated myself as before the prophet of an Eastern nation.

In the evening I would not resist telling the story to a person who, I thought, possessed some natural feeling, because he was a man of understanding. But what a mistake I made. He maintained it was very wrong of Lotte, that we should not deceive children, that such things occasioned countless mistakes and superstitions, from which we were bound to protect the young. It occurred to me then, that this very man had been baptised only a week before; so I said nothing further, but maintained the justice of my own convictions. We should deal with children as God deals with us, we are happiest under the influence of innocent delusions.

七月六日

她仍然待在自己病危的女友身边，始终如一地服侍着她，又细心又温柔，单单让她看上一眼，病人就会减少痛苦，变得幸福。昨天傍晚，她领着玛莉安娜和玛尔馨出外散步，我听说后赶去追上了她。在一块儿溜达了一个半小时，我们才转身往城里走，到了那眼对我十分珍贵的井泉边。如今，它对我又增加了一千倍的价值。绿蒂在井垣上坐了下来，我们站在她跟前。我环顾四周，啊，我的心十分孤寂的那段时间的景象，重又活现在我眼前。“亲爱的井泉呀。”我说，“我好久没来你这儿乘凉啦，有时匆匆走过你身旁，竟连看都不曾看你一眼！”我往台阶下望去，却见玛尔馨小心翼翼地端着一杯泉水爬上来。——我凝视着绿蒂，心中感觉到了她对于我的全部价值。这当儿玛尔馨端着水走近了，玛莉安娜伸出手去想接。

“不，不！”小姑娘模样儿甜甜地嚷道，“绿蒂姐姐，你得先喝！”

她说得如此天真、可爱，令我大为感动，以致一时不知如何表达自己的感情，竟从地上抱起小姑娘来死劲儿亲了几下，她马上就又哭又闹起来。

“瞧您闯祸啰。”绿蒂说。

我不知所措。

“过来，玛尔馨，”她拉住小妹妹的手，领她走下台阶，继续说，“快，快！快用清亮的泉水洗一洗。这样就不要紧啦。”

我却站在一旁，看着小姑娘急急忙忙地捧起水来擦洗自己的脸蛋儿，一副深信不疑的神气，以为真的只有用这神奇的泉水一洗，脸上才不会长出丢人而丑陋的胡须。尽管绿蒂说洗够了，小姑娘仍一个劲儿洗呀洗呀，仿佛多洗总比少洗好一些。——告诉你，威廉，我还从来不曾怀着更深的虔敬参加过一次洗礼哩。绿蒂上来以后，我真恨不得扑到她的脚边，就像跪在某个用神力禳解了一个民族的孽债的先知跟前一样。

晚上，我心里太高兴了，便忍不住把这件事讲给一位我认为还算通达人情的男子听，因为他人挺聪明的；谁料却碰了一鼻子灰！他道，绿蒂的做法很欠妥，对小孩子可不能弄什么玄虚；这样一搞会滋长种种错觉和迷信，而孩子却必须从小就不让他们受坏影响才是。——听了他的话我才想起，此人是一个礼拜前才受的洗礼，因此不以为怪，只是在心中仍坚信这个真理：我们对待孩子们，也该像上帝对待我们一样，当上帝让我们沉醉在愉快的幻觉中的时候，他就是给了我们最大的幸福。