--- title: A Historical Tale., part 3 — Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains · full text with trees · page 2 description: A Historical Tale., part 3, «Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains» by Toofie Lauder: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Accordingly Alice made her way to the Staufenburg, and after watching from the thick woods three whole days she saw her mother --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/20/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/) / A Historical Tale., part 3 # A Historical Tale., part 3 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/20/) **2** Three years passed away after this interview, and Eva remained securely hidden; but Henry's absences from Court grew longer and more frequent, and at last one of the courtiers resolved to penetrate the mystery.[116](../../116/ "tree and pragmatics") He followed Henry to the Staufenburg, watched four whole days in the thick woods, and the evening of the fourth day, to his utter amazement, recognised Eva von Trotta in the stone balcony by Henry's side.[117](../../117/ "tree and pragmatics") The secret was out\![118](../../118/ "tree and pragmatics") He hastened to the Duchess and told her what he had seen.[119](../../119/ "tree and pragmatics") Maria sent authorised messengers to the convent of Gandersheim, the coffin bearing Eva's name was broken open, and lo! a wooden figure with wax mask and hands\![120](../../120/ "tree and pragmatics") The Duchess communicates this discovery to the King of Wurtemburg, her father, letters of reproof are sent to Henry from him and the Kaiser, and the Pope threatens him with excommunication.[121](../../121/ "tree and pragmatics") Henry hastens to Eva with the dreadful news; but Alice has been before her, and Eva is prepared with another plan.[122](../../122/ "tree and pragmatics") "Tell them to search the Staufenburg, and they will discover their mistake.[123](../../123/ "tree and pragmatics") Tell them I am dead--it is true.[124](../../124/ "tree and pragmatics") Magda shall conduct the children to Kirchberg, and with Alice's aid they and every trace of my having been here will vanish.[125](../../125/ "tree and pragmatics") I have a secure hiding-place."[126](../../126/ "tree and pragmatics") "Where, Eva?"[127](../../127/ "tree and pragmatics") "You shall know to-morrow on your return from Gandersheim, Henry."[128](../../128/ "tree and pragmatics") She took an affectionate and reluctant leave of him, calling him back two or three times before she could let him go.[129](../../129/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she sent for her children, wept over them, and gave her directions to Magda and Alice, and cut off Eitel's long curls that he might not be recognised, his resemblance to her with his long hair being so striking.[130](../../130/ "tree and pragmatics") After she had dismissed them, Eva returned to her boudoir and wrote a note to Henry.[131](../../131/ "tree and pragmatics") Then she took a small flask from her writing-table, poured its contents in a glass of water, and reclining in her fauteuil, drank it.[132](../../132/ "tree and pragmatics") Henry, on his return the following morning, hastened to Eva's boudoir.[133](../../133/ "tree and pragmatics") Seeing Eva seated, and not springing up as usual to welcome him, he supposed she had fallen asleep--and so she had; but a sight of her face revealed the dreadful truth.[134](../../134/ "tree and pragmatics") She had taken poison.[135](../../135/ "tree and pragmatics") The empty flask lay on the writing-table beside her; near it a note addressed to himself.[136](../../136/ "tree and pragmatics") He tore it open.[137](../../137/ "tree and pragmatics") It only contained a few words.[138](../../138/ "tree and pragmatics") "I told you, my beloved Henry, I had a secure hiding-place.[139](../../139/ "tree and pragmatics") I meant the grave.[140](../../140/ "tree and pragmatics") Tell them I am dead.[141](../../141/ "tree and pragmatics") They cannot follow where I am going.[142](../../142/ "tree and pragmatics") I would not bring ruin on you and your dominions.[143](../../143/ "tree and pragmatics") Oh, Henry! be good to my children, and never attempt to make Eitel your heir.[144](../../144/ "tree and pragmatics") My sin was loving you.[145](../../145/ "tree and pragmatics") Farewell.[146](../../146/ "tree and pragmatics") "Yours in death, EVA."[147](../../147/ "tree and pragmatics") Duke Henry had the broken-hearted girl--only twenty-three--buried in the garden of the Staufenburg, returned to Court and insisted on a search of the castle.[148](../../148/ "tree and pragmatics") They did search, of course discovering nothing, and the mystery was still impenetrable.[149](../../149/ "tree and pragmatics") The Duchess Maria died a few months after her rival, and nothing was ever known of the well-guarded secret, until Henry himself betrayed it in his partiality for his favourite son Eitel Henry--Eva's only son and eldest child.[150](../../150/ "tree and pragmatics") The Duke besought the Pope to recognise him as the heir to the ducal throne, offering a heavy bribe.[151](../../151/ "tree and pragmatics") His Holiness consented, the more readily since the Duke's lawful heir, Henry Julius, had become a Protestant.[152](../../152/ "tree and pragmatics") But Eitel proved himself, as his mother had said, noble in character as in name.[153](../../153/ "tree and pragmatics") He absolutely refused his consent to this injustice, and lived in retirement on the estate Kirchberg, which the Duke had given him, the name of which Eva's children bore.[154](../../154/ "tree and pragmatics") The Kirchbergs, however, soon became extinct.[155](../../155/ "tree and pragmatics") The learned Duke Henry Julius, founder of a university, never forgot the refusal of his noble illegitimate brother to deprive him of his birthright, and ever remained his warm friend.[156](../../156/ "tree and pragmatics") There were two castles in the Harz mountains, both of which bore the name of Staufenburg; that near Zorge, an hour and a half from the beautiful ruins of Convent Walkenried.[157](../../157/ "tree and pragmatics") It is said to have been occupied during the Thirty Years' War.[158](../../158/ "tree and pragmatics") When built or by whom destroyed are matters of conjecture.[159](../../159/ "tree and pragmatics") The Staufenburg of our tale is near Gittelde.[160](../../160/ "tree and pragmatics") Some derive the name from the idol \_Stuvo\_, or \_Stuffo\_, once set up on the mountain.[161](../../161/ "tree and pragmatics") The mountain was so steep that \_Staufen\_, or \_Stufen\_--steps--were used in climbing it, hence probably the name.[162](../../162/ "tree and pragmatics") The Weingarten Höhle and the Three Men.[163](../../163/ "tree and pragmatics") There is perhaps no cave in all Germany concerning which so many legends and traditions are in the mouth of the people as this Weingartenloch.[164](../../164/ "tree and pragmatics") A plank crosses over a black piece of water from the outer portion of the cave further into the darkness, far from human help and human voices.[165](../../165/ "tree and pragmatics") The tradition is, that whoever crosses that beam will be given over to the Evil One, who governs there, and sits, between heaps of gold and silver, by a table, with a great book before him, in which he writes the name of every person who approaches him.[166](../../166/ "tree and pragmatics") But when three enter together and draw lots with one another, two of them may depart laden with treasures, and only the third, upon whom the lot has fallen, must remain behind, and is torn in a thousand pieces by the demon.[167](../../167/ "tree and pragmatics") Two men from some distant country had often entered the cave, and had always succeeded in enticing a third to accompany them, who always fell into the hands of the \_Gott-sei-bei-uns\_, since they so arranged it that the lot fell to him.[168](../../168/ "tree and pragmatics") Finally, it struck the inhabitants as something very remarkable that those who had entered the cave with the two strangers never returned, and henceforth they failed to find a follower.[169](../../169/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they entered the hut of a poor man in Dorf Osterhagen, who had a wife and eight children, and challenged him, with brilliant promises, to follow them into the cave.[170](../../170/ "tree and pragmatics") The man, whose name was Schlosser, felt little inclination for the expedition, and absolutely refused, even if they offered him eighty Thaler.[171](../../171/ "tree and pragmatics") But the wife called her husband into another room, and said to him: "Thou knowest that I love thee dearly, and would sink from sorrow and anguish if thou shouldst be torn from me; but we have eight children, and no bread in the cupboard, and no money, and with the money the strangers offer thee we should have enough for our whole lives; so go with them, and be sure no evil will befall thee."[172](../../172/ "tree and pragmatics") And she opened a cupboard, took out a plant, sewed it in his shirt in three different places, made a sign of the cross above each place, and said, "That which I have sewed in thy shirt is \_origanum\_, a sure defence against all enchantment, and even the devil; so go in peace, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost.[173](../../173/ "tree and pragmatics") Amen."[174](../../174/ "tree and pragmatics") And Schlosser embraced his wife and children, and went with the two men, who looked, scornfully laughing, at each other, after having laid eighty glittering new Thaler on the table.[175](../../175/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/20/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/20/) - next →: [A Historical Tale., part 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/21/) - ↑ back to [Legends and tales of the Harz Mountains](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74323/)