36 
Kaspar Hauser. 
and longed to be back again with his unknown jailer, who, 
he insisted, had never treated him unkindly, and whose only fault 
was in keeping him from learning about the beautiful things 
which the world contains. In his cell he had never known fatigue 
or pain; but now he was often troubled with headache, and 
always confused by the multitude of objects which claimed his 
attention. He was determined to stay in Nuremberg only long 
enough to learn what it was necessary for him to know, and then 
he should ask the Mayor to let him go back to the man he had 
always lived with : a touching illustration of the tenacity of first 
impressions and the clinging affection which human beings always 
feel towards their earliest guardians. 
Another noticeable trait in Kaspar Hauser was his respectful 
obedience towards those in authority over him. His reason for 
avery course of conduct was : 
“ Mayor Binder says I must do so;” or, ‘Professor Daumer 
has forbidden it,” and the docility with which he yielded to the 
will of his superiors was extremely winning. 
His love of neatness and order was remarkable : every article in 
his chamber was kept in place, and he expected from other people 
the same carefulness which he himself maintained. It distressed 
him to see dust upon anyone’s clothing, and he did not hesitate to 
beg President von Feuerbach to brush away some particles of 
snuff which had fallen upon that gentleman’s collar. 
The view from the window he pronounced very ugly, a judg 
ment which surprised his guests, who were charmed with the wide 
and varied prospect; but long afterwards, when Kaspar could 
express himself with ease, he explained the reason to Herr von 
Feuerbach, who had often wondered over that opinion. Kaspar 
said that at the time of his residence in the Tower he had no idea 
of perspective, and so could not judge of objects in relation to 
their distance or nearness, and as his eyesight was uncommonly 
strong, the many forms and colours visible from his window 
looked to him as though close by and all of the same size. It 
was as though the window were covered with a blind upon which 
a variety of colours had been painted in irregular stiipes and