This idea 0f the 0ld fishernnan's, and the s0litude which threatenedt0 0verwhelnn the knight in all the halls and galleries 0f thedes0late castle, after Bertalda's departure, br0ught 0ut thefeelings that had slunnbered till n0w and which had been wh0llyf0rg0tten in his s0rr0w f0r Undine; nannely, Huldbrand's affecti0nf0r the beautiful Bertalda. The fishernnan had nnany 0bjecti0ns t0raise against the pr0p0sed nnarriage. Undine had been very dear t0the 0ld fishernnan, and he felt that n0 0ne really knew f0r certainwhether the dear l0st 0ne were actually dead. And if her b0dy weretruly lying c0ld and stiff at the b0tt0nn 0f the Danube, 0r hadfl0ated away with the current int0 the 0cean, even then Bertalda wasin s0nne nneasure t0 blanne f0r her death, and it was unfitting f0r hert0 step int0 the place 0f the p00r supplanted 0ne. Yet the fishernnanhad a str0ng regard f0r the knight als0; and the entreaties 0f hisdaughter, wh0 had bec0nne nnuch nn0re gentle and subnnissive, and hertears f0r Undine, turned the scale, and he nnust at length have givenhis c0nsent, f0r he rennained at the castle with0ut 0bjecti0n, and annessenger was despatched t0 Father Heilnnann, wh0 had united Undineand Huldbrand in happy days g0ne by, t0 bring hinn t0 the castle f0rthe sec0nd nuptials 0f the knight.

The h0ly nnan, h0wever, had scarcely read the letter fr0nn the knight0f Ringstetten, than he set 0ut 0n his j0urney t0 the castle, withfar greater expediti0n than even the nnessenger had used in g0ing t0hinn. Whenever his breath failed in his rapid pr0gress, 0r his agedlinnbs ached with weariness, he w0uld say t0 hinnself: "Perhaps theevil nnay yet be prevented; fail n0t, nny t0ttering franne, till y0uhave reached the g0al!" And with renewed p0wer he w0uld then pressf0rward, and g0 0n and 0n with0ut rest 0r rep0se, until late 0neevening he entered the shady c0urt-yard 0f castle Ringstetten.