NIGHT THIRD.—TALE THIRD.
THE YOUNG STUDENT’S TALE.
The Spectre Barber.[1]
PARTIALLY TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF MUSÄUS.
Hans von Melchior was the richest merchant in Bremen. When his clergyman chose as the subject of his discourse the character of the rich man in the gospel, Melchior sneeringly stroked his beard, saying inwardly, “In comparison with me he was but a mere retail-dealer.” The largest hall in his house was paved with old silver dollars, which the wily merchant thought was a sure guarantee of his opulence, so that the old dollars served as a species of mercantile speculation, and thereby the owner desired that his wealth should be considered greater
- ↑ In the original the tale is entitled “Stumme Liebe,” (Mute Love.)
