The miller's relations at Interlachen, with whom the miller and Babette were staying, invited Rudy to visit them, when they found he came from the same canton as the miller. It was a most pleasant visit. Good fortune seemed to follow him, as it does those who think and act for themselves, and who remember the proverb, "Nuts are given to us, but they are not cracked for us." And Rudy was treated by the miller's relations almost like one of the family, and glasses of wine were poured out to drink to the welfare of the best shooter. Babette clinked glasses with Rudy, and he returned thanks for the toast. In the evening they all took a delightful walk under the walnut-trees, in front of the stately hotels; there were so many people, and such crowding, that Rudy was obliged to offer his arm to Babette. Then he told her how happy it made him to meet people from the canton Vaud,- for Vaud and Valais were neighboring cantons. He spoke of this pleasure so heartily that Babette could not resist giving his arm a slight squeeze; and so they walked on together, and talked and chatted like old acquaintances. Rudy felt inclined to laugh sometimes at the absurd dress and walk of the foreign ladies; but Babette did not wish to make fun of them, for she knew there must be some good, excellent people amongst them; she, herself, had a godmother, who was a high-born English lady. Eighteen years before, when Babette was christened, this lady was staying at Bex, and she stood godmother for her, and gave her the valuable brooch she now wore in her bosom.
Her godmother had twice written to her, and this year she was expected to visit Interlachen with her two daughters; "but they are old-maids," added Babette, who was only eighteen: "they are nearly thirty." Her sweet little mouth was never still a moment, and all that she said sounded in Rudy's ears as matters of the greatest importance, and at last he told her what he was longing to tell. How often he had been at Bex, how well he knew the mill, and how often he had seen Babette, when most likely she had not noticed him; and lastly, that full of many thoughts which he could not tell her, he had been to the mill on the evening when she and her father has started on their long journey, but not too far for him to find a way to overtake them. He told her all this, and a great deal more; he told her how much he could endure for her; and that it was to see her, and not the shooting-match, which had brought him to Interlachen. Babette became quite silent after hearing all this; it was almost too much, and it troubled her.
And while they thus wandered on, the sun sunk behind the lofty mountains. The Jungfrau stood out in brightness and splendor, as a back-ground to the green woods of the surrounding hills. Every one stood still to look at the beautiful sight, Rudy and Babette among them.
"Nothing can be more beautiful than this," said Babette.
"Nothing!" replied Rudy, looking at Babette.
"To-morrow I must return home," remarked Rudy a few minutes afterwards.
"Come and visit us at Bex," whispered Babette; "my father will be pleased to see you."
4.巴贝德
瓦利斯州的头等射手是谁呢?的确，只有羚羊知道得最清楚。“当心洛狄这人啊!”谁是最漂亮的射手呢?“当然是洛狄啊!”女孩子们说;不过她们却不提什么“当心洛狄这人啊!”
就是她们的母亲也不愿提出这样一个警告，因为洛狄对待这些太太跟对待年轻姑娘们是一样地有礼貌。他非常勇敢，也非常快乐，他的双颊是棕色的，他的牙齿是雪白的，他的眼睛黑得发亮。他是一个漂亮的年轻人，还只有20岁。
他游泳的时候，冰水不能伤害他。他可以在水里像鱼似的翻来覆去;他爬起山来比任何人都能干;他能像蜗牛似的贴在石壁上。他有非常结实的肌肉。这点从他的跳跃中就可以看出来——这种本领是猫先教给他，后来羚羊又继续教给他的。
洛狄是一个最可靠的向导，他可以凭这种职业赚许多钱。他的叔父还教给他箍桶的手艺，但是他却不愿意干这个行业。他唯一的愿望是做一个羚羊猎人——这也能赚钱。人们都说洛狄是一个很好的恋爱对象，只可惜他的眼光太高了一点。他是被许多女子梦想着的跳舞能手;的确，她们有许多人从梦中醒来还在想念着他。
“他在跳舞的时候吻过我一次!”村塾教师的女儿安妮特对一个最好的女朋友说。但是她不应该说这句话——即使对她最亲密的女朋友也不应该。这类的秘密是很难保守的——它简直像筛子里的沙，一定会漏出去。不久大家都知道心地好、行为好的洛狄，居然在跳舞时候吻了他的舞伴。然而他真正喜欢的那个人他却没有吻。
“要注意他!”一个老猎人说。“他吻了安妮特。他已经从A开始了①，他将会依照字母的次序一一吻下去。”
直到现在为止，爱管闲事的人只能宣传洛狄在跳舞的时候吻过舞伴。他的确吻过安妮特，但她并不是他心上的那朵花。
在贝克斯附近的一个山谷里，在一个潺潺的溪涧旁的大胡桃树林中，住着一个富有的磨坊主。他的住屋是一幢很大的房子，有三层高楼，顶上还有望楼。它的屋顶铺了一层木板，上面又盖了一层铁皮，所以在阳光和月光下，屋顶经常放出光来。最大的望楼上有一个风信标——一个插着闪亮的箭的苹果：这代表退尔所射出的那一支箭②。磨坊显得兴旺舒服，随便什么人都可以把它画出来或描写出来。但是磨坊主的女儿却不容易画或描写出来——至少洛狄有这样的看法。