
A modest household gathers around a modest table, where a weary mother slowly regains her strength under the tender care of her husband and the quiet devotion of their daughter, Hulda. The father’s gentle kisses and the family’s simple prayers create a warm, if fragile, atmosphere, while the lingering scent of illness reminds listeners that recovery is far from certain. Their daily routines are punctuated by moments of levity, as the father tries to lift spirits with light conversation and modest jokes.
Beyond the kitchen, a young stranger repeatedly appears near the city’s main guardhouse, catching the father’s eye each afternoon. Their brief, amused exchanges hint at a budding friendship that feels oddly significant, as if the newcomer carries a secret that could reshape the family’s future. This early encounter sets the stage for a story where ordinary duties intertwine with hidden motives, inviting listeners to wonder what unseen forces lie beneath the surface of everyday life.
Language
de
Duration
~3 hours (217K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2017-03-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1771–1854
A hugely popular German storyteller in his own time, he wrote sentimental and entertaining novels and tales that reached a wide 19th-century audience. He is best remembered today as the author behind the story that inspired the ballet La Sylphide.
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