Hoffmann's Tales
Swanilda & Franz (Love Story)
III
The next day the people gathered in the square. The burgomaster was going to make an announcement. Some people opened their windows, and others stood at their doorways. Nobody wanted to miss the news. The burgomaster appeared on the town-hall steps and the noise died down.
“His Excellency the Count is coming to stay at the castle.” His words rippled across the crowd in the square.
“…With Her Highness the Countess.”
The burgomaster paused while the crowd shouted “Hurrah!”
“…And for the first time we have the honour of welcoming His young Highness, too.”
“To celebrate the birth of their first-born, their Excellencies have decided to present the town with a bell made from the best bell-bronze, fashioned and decorated by master craftsmen in the finest possible manner. Tomorrow morning there will be a Mass, and we shall bless the bell.”
Blessing the bell meant a public holiday. That also meant no one had to go to work tomorrow. There would be singing and dancing, drinking and feasting from morning till night.
Wait, the burgomaster had something more to say.
“Servants are on their way – they are carrying twenty barrels of wine from the castle cellars and twenty sheep. Musicians are tuning their violins. And…”
Shouts of approval and a burst of applause drowned his voice.
“And you, beautiful girls, are you going to iron your best dresses?” continued the burgomaster.
Everyone burst out laughing. Only Swanilda didn’t laugh. She could neither laugh nor smile. She could only think of her sweetheart, her loved one, her dear Franz. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday, and now she was looking for him in the crowd.
“Where can he be now? All the people are in the square except him.” she thought.
Swanilda moved away from the fountain to join the girls and suddenly she saw Franz. She couldn’t explain why but she immediately began to wriggle her way through the crowd and in a moment she got right up close to the burgomaster. She knew that Franz was watching her.
“No need to show my sufferings! I must show him that I’m not interested, not in the least interested! What a fool I was to let him see my cry!” said Swanilda to herself and began laughing gaily, trying to prove to Franz she didn’t care about him. She was laughing and smiling at everyone, smiling more than the rest of the people put together.
The burgomaster was holding up his hand again. There was one more important thing he wanted to tell them.
The countess said she would be very happy if the new bell rang for the first time as a wedding bell. And those who wed tomorrow would get a hundred ducats.
Helena, Jan, Thomas and Mary were waiting eagerly for the announcement. It was the secret that Teresa told them yesterday.
The young people were very glad. They smiled, kissed each other and thanked Her Highness for her generosity. Only Swanilda remained silent. She was staring on the ground and trying to fight her tears.
The crowd laughed. Some of the young people began to dance. A handsome youth invited Swanilda to waltz. She noticed that Franz was still watching her. Though Swanilda was in a bad mood, she accepted the invitation. That time she danced not like a dragonfly or a snowflake, but like a storm at sea. She was spinning around the square like a tornado.
Old Coppelius appeared in the square. His face was deep in an untidy tangle of hair and beard, and he was grey as a misty cloud. Before he realized what was happening, the young people pulled him into their company. As part of the fun the girls, one by one, invited Coppelius to dance.
“What’s your favourite dance, sir?” asked Swanilda.
“Is it a mazurka or a waltz?” continued Marie.
“Is it a minuet?” added Teresa.
The girls danced in a ring closer and closer to the old man. They were laughing and giggling, but Coppelius cursed and threatened them. He tore himself away from the girls with great difficulty and went very quickly down a narrow street. He wasn’t out of sight yet but the girls already forgot about him.
It was getting dark. The old people were going home. The strict mothers called their daughters.
But the girls begged for one more dance, just one more. The fiddlers struck up and the girls spun around the square for the last time. They were tired and breathless but very happy.
Then the young people broke up into small groups and made their way home. Soon there were only few people in the square But Marie, Helena, Swanilda and Teresa stayed at the fountain. They continued chatting, laughing and joking. But there was no joy in Swanilda’s heart. Her heart was broken.
Suddenly Swanilda’s eye caught something shining on the ground. What was it? She came nearer and exclaimed: “Good gracious! It’s a key! What a big key it is! It can open a very heavy door, and I know what door it is!”
There was only one house in the square with a heavy door. It was Coppelius’s house. No one in the town had ever been in Coppelius’s house. It was said that there were a lot of interesting things. Coppelius had traveled a lot in the past and brought those wonderful and valuable things from different countries.
The girls looked at each other without saying a word, but they all were struck by the same idea. The girls were temped to visit the mysterious house, but at the same time it was dangerous to go there. They were torn between fear and curiosity. They knew that Coppelius wasn’t at home. So they decided to break into the house.
“There won’t be another chance! We must grab this one. It’s worth the risk!” said Swanilda. It wasn’t only the house she wanted to see. She was eager to see Coppelia, to meet her face to face.
The girls ran from the fountain to the old man’s house. Swanilda was leading the group.
When the girls reached the house, they looked around in fear. There was nobody there. It was absolutely quiet.
Swanilda turned the key and pushed the door. The door creaked horribly in the silence of the night. It was too late for them to turn back now. The girls stepped inside the house and closed the door quickly.
ACTIVITIES AND EXERCISES
I. Comprehension Task
Match the sentence beginning on the left with the correct ending on the right.
| 1. Some people opened their windows, | a) thanked Her Highness for her generosity. |
| 2. There would be singing and dancing, | b) smiling more than the rest of the people put together. |
| 3. Servants are on their way – they are carrying | c) would get a hundred ducats. |
| 4. She hadn’t seen him since yesterday, | d) twenty barrels of wine from the castle cellars and twenty sheep. |
| 5. Swanilda moved away from the fountain to join the girls | e) and trying to fight her tears. |
| 6. She was laughing and smiling at everyone, | f) and now she was looking for him in the crowd. |
| 7. And those who wed tomorrow | g) and suddenly she saw Franz. |
| 8. They smiled, kissed and | h) those wonderful and valuable things from different countries. |
| 9. She was staring at the ground | i) and made their way home. |
| 10. That time she danced not like a dragonfly or a snowflake, | j) and went very quickly down a narrow street. |
| 11. His face was deep in an untidy tangle of hair and beard, | k) and the girls stepped inside the house and closed the door quickly. |
| 12. He tore himself away from the girls with great difficulty | l) but like a storm at sea. |
| 13. Then the young people broke up into small groups | m) drinking and feasting from morning till night. |
| 14. Coppelius traveled a lot in the past and brought | n) and others stood in their doorways. |
| 15. It was too late for them to turn back now, | o) and he was grey as a misty cloud. |
Answers: 1. n; 2. m; 3. d; 4. f; 5. g; 6. b; 7. c; 8. a; 9. e; 10. l; 11. o;12. j; 13. i; 14. h; 15. k
II. Grammar
Write questions with the words in brackets (Who, What, Whom, Whose). Often Who is used instead of Whom.
1. Nobody wanted to miss the news. (Who, What)
2. The burgomaster was going to make an announcement. (Who, What)
3. The burgomaster’s words rippled across the crowd in the square. (Whose)
4. The musicians were tuning their violins. (Who, What)
5. The young people were very glad. (Who)
6. Swanilda was staring on the ground and trying to fight her tears. (Who)
7. A handsome youth invited Swanilda to waltz. (Who, Whom)
8. Coppelius’s face was deep in an untidy tangle of hair and beard. (Whose)
9. The girls were laughing and giggling. (Who)
10. Coppelius cursed and threatened the girls. (Who, Whom)
11. Swanilda was spinning around the square like a tornado. (Who)
12. The strict mothers called their daughters. (Who, Whom)
13. Swanilda’s heart was broken. (Whose)
14. The girls were temped to visit the mysterious house. (Who, What)
15. Swanilda was eager to see Coppelia, to meet her face to face. (Who, Whom)
Answers:
1. Who wanted to miss the news?
What did nobody want to miss?
2. Who was going to make an announcement?
What was the burgomaster going to make?
3. Whose words rippled across the crowd in the square?
4. Who was tuning their violins?
What were the musicians tuning?
5. Who was very glad?
6. Who was staring on the ground and trying to fight her tears?
7. Who invited Swanilda to waltz?
Who (Whom) did a handsome youth invite to waltz?
8. Whose face was deep in an untidy tangle of hair and beard?
9. Who was laughing and giggling?
10. Who cursed and threatened the girls?
Who (Whom) did Coppelius curse and threaten?
11. Who was spinning around the square like a tornado?
12. Who called their daughters?
Who (Whom) did the strict mothers call?
13. Whose heart was broken?
14. Who were temped to visit the mysterious house?
What was the girls temped to visit?
15. Who was eager to see Coppelia?
Who (Whom) was Swanilda eager to see?
III. Pronunciation Task
The words below have “ow” that sounds 
or 
. Use your dictionary to check the pronunciation. Put the words into the right column. Practice saying these words.
now, drown, crowd, show, town, down, window, tomorrow, narrow
| |
| ____________ | ____________ |
| ____________ | ____________ |
| ____________ | ____________ |
| ____________ | ____________ |
| ____________ | ____________ |
Answers: – now, drown, crowd, town, down; – show, window, tomorrow, narrow
IV. Vocabulary
In English there are many word endings (suffixes) that can be added to a word to change its meaning or its word class. Example: beauty + “ful” = beautiful. There are some words below. Choose the suffix, add to a word, and form a new one. Translate both words and compare their meanings. Find these words in the text to check your answers.
| 1. announce (v) | -y
-less -ment -ent -ess -ful -ous -ian |
|
| 2. music (n) | ||
| 3. high (adj) | ||
| 4. mist (n) | ||
| 5. breath (n) | ||
| 6. danger (n) | ||
| 7. wonder (n) | ||
| 8. difficult (adj) | ||
| 9. differ (v) | ||
| 10. count (v) |
Answers: 1. announcement; 2. musician; 3. Highness; 4. misty; 5. breathless; 6. dangerous; 7. wonderful; 8. difficulty; 9. different; 10. countess