“I beg your pardon，” said the learned man; “it is an old habit with me. YOU are perfectlyright， and I shall remember it; but now you must tell me all YOU saw!”
“Everything!” said the shadow. “For I saw everything， and I know everything!”
“How did it look in the furthest saloon?” asked the learned man. “Was it there as in thefresh woods? Was it there as in a holy church? Were the saloons like the starlit firmamentwhen we stand on the high mountains?”
“Everything was there!” said the shadow. “I did not go quite in， I remained in theforemost room， in the twilight， but I stood there quite well; I saw everything， and I knoweverything! I have been in the antechamber at the court of Poesy.”
“But WHAT DID you see? Did all the gods of the olden times pass through the largesaloons? Did the old heroes combat there? Did sweet children play there，and relate theirdreams?”
“I tell you I was there， and you can conceive that I saw everything there was to be seen.Had you come over there， you would not have been a man; but I became so! And besides，I learned to know my inward nature， my innate qualities， the relationship I had with Poesy. Atthe time I was with you， I thought not of that， but always——you know it well——when thesun rose， and when the sun went down， I became so strangely GREat; in the moonlight Iwas very near being more distinct than yourself; at that time I did not understand mynature; it was revealed to me in the antechamber! I became a man! I came out matured;but you were no longer in the warm lands; as a man I was ashamed to go as I did. I was inwant of boots， of clothes， of the whole human varnish that makes a man perceptible. Itook my way——I tell it to you， but you will not put it in any book——I took my way to thecake woman——I hid myself behind her; the woman didn't think how much she concealed. Iwent out first in the evening; I ran about the streets in the moonlight; I made myself long upthe walls——it tickles the back so delightfully! I ran up， and ran down， peeped into thehighest windows， into the saloons， and on the roofs， I peeped in where no one could peep，and I saw what no one else saw， what no one else should see! This is， in fact， a baseworld! I would not be a man if it were not now once accepted and regarded as something to beso! I saw the most unimaginable things with the women， with the men， with parents， andwith the sweet， matchless children; I saw，” said the shadow， “what no human being mustknow， but what they would all so willingly know——what is bad in their neighbor. Had Iwritten a newspaper， it would have been read! But I wrote direct to the persons themselves，and there was consternation in all the towns where I came. They were so afraid of me， andyet they were so excessively fond of me. The professors made a professor of me; the tailorsgave me new clothes——I am well furnished; the master of the mint struck new coin for me，and the women said I was so handsome! And so I became the man I am. And I now bid youfarewell. Here is my card——I live on the sunny side of the street， and am always at home inrainy weather!” And so away went the shadow. “That was most extraordinary!” said thelearned man. Years and days passed away， then the shadow came again. “How goes it?” saidthe shadow.
“Alas!” said the learned man. “I write about the true， and the good， and the beautiful，but no one cares to hear such things; I am quite desperate， for I take it so much to heart!”
“But I don't!” said the shadow. “I become fat， and it is that one wants to become! Youdo not understand the world. You will become ill by it. You must travel! I shall make a tourthis summer; will you go with me? I should like to have a travelling companion! Will you gowith me， as shadow? It will be a GREat pleasure for me to have you with me; I shall pay thetravelling expenses!”
“Nay， this is too much!” said the learned man.
“It is just as one takes it!” said the shadow. “It will do you much good to travel! Will yoube my shadow? You shall have everything free on the journey!”
“Nay， that is too bad!” said the learned man.
“But it is just so with the world!” said the shadow， “and so it will be!” and away it wentagain.
the learned man was not at all in the most enviable state; grief and torment followedhim， and what he said about the true， and the good， and the beautiful， was， to mostpersons， like roses for a cow! He was quite ill at last.
“You really look like a shadow!” said his friends to him; and the learned man trembled，for he thought of it.
“You must go to a watering-place!” said the shadow， who came and visited him.“There isnothing else for it! I will take you with me for old acquaintance' sake; I will pay the travellingexpenses， and you write the descriptions——and if they are a little amusing for me on theway! I will go to a watering-place——my beard does not grow out as it ought——that is also asickness——and one must have a beard! Now you be wise and accept the offer; we shalltravel as comrades!”
And so they travelled; the shadow was master， and the master was the shadow;they drove with each other， they rode and walked together， side by side，before and behind， just as the sun was; the shadow always took care to keep itself in the master's place. Now the learned man didn't think much about that; he was a very kind-hearted man， and particularly mild and friendly， and so he said one day to the shadow： “As we have now become companions， and in this way have grown up together from childhood， shall we not drink 'thou' together， it is more familiar?”