30 
Kaspar Hauser. 
forth against women, Mrs. Daumer said, “Now, you are abusing 
me ; for I am a woman.” 
But he hastened to explain : 
“ No, you are not a woman ; you are a mother.” 
Her daughter also, whom he liked and respected because she 
was always usefully employed, he considered as something superior 
to a woman. His idea of a woman appeared to be a vain, lazy, 
iseless creature, dressed up in feminine apparel. 
The first snowfall of 1828 was an epoch in Kaspar’s existence. 
[t pleased him greatly to see that all nature was painted white, 
and he ran down into the garden to collect a portion of the pre- 
cious material ; but soon came back rubbing his cold fingers, and 
complaining that the “white paint” had bitten him. Herr von 
Feuerbach had told him in the Tower that by and by the leaves 
would fall from the trees and the ground would be white, and 
Kaspar said in reply that such a change must be very beautiful ; 
but his tone and look showed plainly that he did not believe the 
statement at the time. 
Meantime the outside world kept watch of the foundling’s pro- 
gress, and the newspapers often contained accounts of his doings, 
with speculations concerning his origin. 
These reports aroused anew the suspicions which had long 
troubled the peace of the widowed Grand-Duchess Stephanie. 
Every effort was made by Ludwig and his party to prevent the 
discussion of the subject among the members of Stephanie’s house- 
hold in Mannheim, and to this end she was surrounded as far as 
possible by persons devoted to the ruler’s interests; but they 
could not keep her entirely ignorant of what was agitating the 
public mind all over the world, and she felt more and more that 
she must make the unravelling of this great mystery the work of 
her remaining days. 
In November, 1828, an incident occurred which created much 
excitement among the courtiers at Karlsruhe, and spread its in- 
fluence through all classes of the inhabitants of Baden.