Transcriber's Notes: The source of this document is found inthe Web Archive at http://www.archive.org/details/weirdtales00unkngoog
WEIRD TALES
BY
E. T. W. HOFFMANN
A NEW TRANSLATION FROM THE GERMAN
WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIR
By J. T. BEALBY, B.A.
FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
IN TWO VOLUMES
VOL. I.
NEW YORK
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
1885
TROW'S
PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING COMPANY,
NEW YORK.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.
| PAGE | |
| The Cremona Violin, | |
| The Fermata, | |
| Signor Formica, | |
| The Sand-man, | |
| The Entail, | |
| Arthur's Hall, | |
THE CREMONA VIOLIN.
Councillor Krespel was one of the strangest, oddest men I ever met within my life. When I went to live in H—— for a time the whole town wasfull of talk about him, as he happened to be just then in the midst ofone of the very craziest of his schemes. Krespel had the reputationof being both a clever, learn lawyer and a skilful diplomatist. One ofthe reigning princes of Germany—not, however, one of the mostpowerful—had appealed to him for assistance in drawing up a memorial,which he was desirous of presenting at the Imperial Court with the viewof furthering his legitimate claims upon a certain strip of territory.The project was crowned with the happiest success; and as Krespel hadonce complained that he could never find a dwelling sufficientlycomfortable to suit him, the prince, to reward him for the memorial,undertook to defray the cost of building a house which Krespel mighterect just as he pleased. Moreover, the prince was willing to purchaseany site that he should fancy. This offer, however, the Councillorwould not accept; he insisted that the house should be built in hisgarden, situated in a very beautiful neighbourhood outside thetown-walls. So he bought all kinds of materials and had them cartedout. Then he might have been seen day after day, attired in his curiousgarments (which he had made himself according to