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Now tell me, Ottmar, don't you think such subjects of conversation well suited for a man in my then state of health?" "Don't condemn me unheard," cried Lothair. "It is true, and I will maintain it fearlessly, that, for writers of tales, there is an immense amount of splendid material in those ancient Chronicles.
As the evening was fast growing colder, it was thought advisable on account of Theodore's having but half recovered from his late illness that the friends should go to the great summer-house, and indulge in a cup of refreshing tea, in place of anything more exciting. And when the urn was on the table, singing its usual little domestic tune, Ottmar said
"You, Lothair, undertake the fearful and terrible!" said Ottmar, laughing "you, whose bright and fanciful genius would seem expressly adapted to wave the wand of comedy!" "Even so," said Lothair; "such was my idea.
"Then, too," said Ottmar, "there are certain extraordinary people who, when entertaining company, keep up an unceasing stream of talk; not from conceit in themselves, but from a strange, mistaken well-meaningness, for fear that people shouldn't be enjoying themselves; and keep asking if people are not 'finding it dull, and so forth, thereby nipping every description of enjoyment in the bud in a moment."
And I hope, Ottmar, my dear friend, it will lead you to admit that the 'spleen, which Theodore says I am suffering from, is not so very serious as he would make it out to be." He took out a manuscript, and read: On the night of the autumnal equinox, Mr.
This labor of typesetting was at last generally done away with by the invention of two intricate and ingenious machines. The linotype, the invention of Ottmar Mergenthaler of Baltimore, came first; then the monotype of Tolbert Lanston, a native of Ohio.
"With a very slight 'moral application," said Ottmar, "this tale of the old actor belongs to the moral codex of all stage-players, and of those who desire to become players." During this, Cyprian had risen silently, and, after walking once or twice up and down the room, taken his position behind the window curtain.
"Now," began Lothair, when Ottmar had ended, "since our friend has been fair and honourable enough to admit from the outset the lack of vigour the weakness of knee, so to speak, of his production, which it has pleased him to call a 'Novella, this appeal to our considerateness does, certainly, draw the sting out of our criticisms, which were formed up, in complete steel, to attack him.
"But," said Ottmar, "as a single incident is far from being a complete story which ought to spring perfect and complete from its author's brain, like Minerva from the head of Jupiter my tale is of course not worth much as a whole, and it is little to my credit, I suppose, that I took advantage of two or three incidents which really happened, weaving them not without some little success perhaps into a network of the imaginary."
"What diabolical weather!" cried Cyprian, entering the last. "In spite of my cloak I am nearly wet through, and a gust of wind all but carried away my hat." "And it won't be better very soon," said Ottmar; "for our meteorologist, who lives in the same street with me, has prognosticated very fine weather at the end of this autumn." "Right; you are perfectly right, my friend Ottmar," Vincenz said.
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