Seite:Marsh Hallig 1856.djvu/52

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delight. She was now a maiden of the hallig. The
hair in smooth bands partially covered by the little cap,
the green bodice with its short sleeves, the gay silk
handkerchief tied in a careless knot, the striped skirt
which was not long enough to conceal the blue stock-
ings, all these had transferred the city belle to a modest
lass of his own race. But that high white brow, those
brown sparkling, speaking eyes, those fine features,
those rosy lips and cheeks, those lovely rounded arms
with the small delicate hands ! — no ! she was the
heavenly counterpart of a mortal child of the hallig.
He was still lost in contemplating her when Idalia,
freeing herself from her brother, impelled by strong
emotion, and forgetting every thing around her, hast-
ened toward Godber, and with passionate impetuosity
threw herself upon his breast, and covered him with her
tears and kisses. It was he who by his bold and skill-
ful conduct had saved the life of her father and
brother ! How could she pause to consider whether
her gratitude was overstepping its proper bounds?
How could she who had never been accustomed to con-
trol her feelings from regard to others, how could she
repress the impulses of her heart ? Her mind had
been excited by these hours of terror to the most fear-
ful pitch of anguish, and now her joy at her escape
was equally uncontrollable. In the gentlest tones,
which scarcely amounted to words, and which were
constantly interrupted by floods of tears, she thanked
Godber for her life. As often as the thought of the
dreadful death from which she had escaped presented
itself to her, she shuddered at the terrible image, and
clung still closer to the neck of her deliverer, as if he