noon
Neither could he nor would he betray the secret of Bertha having sent a messenger to him , should he be unfortunately discovered . He thought of turning back , looking for the man , and begging him to leave the town as soon as possible ; but when he recollected that , he must have long since left the place where they had held their conversation , and that he might in the mean time have arrived at the house , it appeared to him more advisable to hasten home to put Hans on his guard , and warn him against committing an indiscretion . There was , however , something so peculiar in the sharp eye and the bold cunning countenance of the man , which gave him reason to hope , that Bertha , in the hasty choice she had made of the means of communicating with him , would not have confided her message to uncertain hands . Albert had scarcely entered Kraft 's house , when , at noon , a countryman from Franconia was announced ; and the messenger of his love was shewn in . Can this man now before me be the same who left me but a few moments ago , thought Albert , surprised at his appearance , with his back bent nearly double , his arms hanging lifeless by his body , his eyes devoid of all animation ? He could scarcely believe his eyes and ears , when he addressed Kraft , who saluted him in pure Franconian dialect , and answered his many questions with the volubility of a native of that country . Albert with difficulty repressed a smile at the strange metamorphosis of his new acquaintance ; and was tempted to believe in the supernatural stories he had heard in his childhood , which described kind magicians , or gracious fairies , devoting themselves under all sorts of forms to the service of true lovers , and carrying them safely through the wiles of fate .