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