5€ 
Kaspar Hauser. 
list of questions implying a total disbelief of Kaspar’s statement; 
respecting his long imprisonment. 
This more open declaration of hostility reacted, of course, to 
Kaspar’s injury. Hickel and Meyer took pains to circulate the 
contents of the Earl's well-calculated epistle, and Kaspar, pet- 
ceiving by the conduct of many of his Ansbach acquaintances 
that he was regarded by them as an impostor, lost his former 
cheerful confidence and withdrew from all social intercourse, 
excepting with a few families whose friendship remained un 
changed. At home his situation became increasingly disagree 
able. He was scolded almost constantly by Meyer for his short 
comings as a pupil, while every statement of his in conversation 
was examined and tested as to its truthfulness, and if falsehood 
was suspected a most exasperating cross-examination was sure to 
follow. 
Frau Meyer and even the servant girl spied upon him daily, 
and made frequent reports of his numerous faults. 
He was accused of vanity, arrogance, hypocrisy, deceit, and 
flattery in his social relations, and also suspected of evil deeds 
concerning which he had not even an idea. He was seen talking 
to a pretty servant girl of rather light character, and even dis- 
covered in the act of throwing an apple to her across the street, 
and although when the story was sifted it was proved that the 
girl had only told him where he could find a certain washer 
woman, while the throwing of an apple could not by any logic be 
construed into a crime, still the Meyer family were inclined to 
suspect the worst and to accept their servant’s opinion, which was 
that she did not believe Kaspar to be as inexperienced as he pre- 
tended to be. 
But this was a gratuitous slander ; whatever other faults might 
justly be laid to his charge, in sexual matters he remained inno- 
cent to the last, unconscious, and therefore untempted. Perhaps 
if he had lived longer his nature might have asserted itself com- 
pletely ; as it was, although a man in years and appearance, he 
was mentally only a child who had “come into the world ” (as he 
expressed it) less than five years before.