And
it remained so for over a year. Then suddenly it was rumored that
Thomsen's grand-daughter, who, I believe, was called Nina, was to be
married to a captain, in accordance with the old man's wish. And so
indeed it came about. There was a grand wedding at the house, the
Berlin pastor married them. The miller Utpatel, a Scottish Covenanter,
and Gieshuebler, a feeble light in church matters, were invited, but
the more prominent guests were a number of captains with their wives
and daughters. And, as you can imagine, there was a lively time. In
the evening there was dancing, and the bride danced with every man and
finally with the Chinaman. Then all of a sudden the report spread that
she had vanished. And she was really gone, somewhere, but nobody knew
just what had happened. A fortnight later the Chinaman died. Thomsen
bought the plot I have shown you and had him buried in it. The Berlin
Pastor is said to have remarked: 'The Chinaman might just as well have
been buried in the Christian churchyard, for he was a very good man
and exactly as good as the rest.' Whom he really meant by the rest,
Gieshuebler says nobody quite knew."
"Well, in this matter I am absolutely against the pastor. Nobody ought
to say such things, for they are dangerous and unbecoming. Even
Niemeyer would not have said that."
"The poor pastor, whose name, by the way, was Trippel, was very
seriously criticised for it, and it was truly a blessing that he soon
afterward died, for he would have lost his position otherwise.
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