or, apg
A yi
Ply
ad stg
* rey
0S Brey
How by
Wer by
elt the
oat
or Mn
7, Where
vithout
um, and
0 read
“fon of
a
Neen
sserted
ntl he
if this
e de
ot wih
visited
| of his
oi, an
anded
3 Dre
dnder
18s,
dom
sadly
Kaspar Houser.
49
improved ; he studied regularly under Professor Daumer’s direc-
tion, rode horseback, visited the friends of the family, and led an
agreeable and improving life. He became very skilful in his
pasteboard work, and took pleasure in presenting the best speci-
mens to persons who had shown him kindness. Soon there was
a great demand for Kaspar Hauser’s boxes and other trifles ; for
he was a pet in Nuremberg society, and many people were dis-
posed to show him injudicious attention.
His conduct towards women was very peculiar. His sexual
nstincts were as yet entirely dormant, and whereas he at first
distinguished females from males only by their clothing, he now
seemed to judge between them by their respective capacity for
ntellectual achievement and general usefulness, to the great ad-
vantage of the masculine portion of the race. Instead of being
lattered by the notice paid him by women in society, their atten-
tons served only to increase his unreasonable contempt for the
air sex. He respected elderly ladies, and also industrious women
of the working-classes ; he even declared that he would like to
marry Barbara, Mayor Binder’s faithful and efficient cook, his idea
of marriage being the engaging of a servant who could be dis-
missed if her work proved to be unsatisfactory.
On the other hand, he criticised without mercy the faults and
ailings of young girls : they were good for nothing, he said, but
‘0 sit still, and knit and sew a little ; they ate and drank continu-
ally, mixing up all sorts of food, so that it was no wonder they
were always ill ; they spoke against each other when separate, and
were full of flattery when together. Sometimes one would say to
another : “I will tell you a secret; but you must not repeat it ; ”
and the listener would promise never to say a word ; but as soon
as she met a friend she would say: “I know something; but you
nust not tell anybody,” and so the secret would be passed around
antil it was known to the whole town.
On one occasion a lady undertook to teach him something
which she wanted him to know ; but he did not take the effort in
good part, and told the family at home that he thought she would
do better to keep her room : e, when he was holding
” cri othe) "
AS orharg