DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.62134#0048
40
AN ART-STUDENT IN MUNICH.
women busy washing in their wards,—a long row of very
tidy-looking woinen. in the whitest of borderless caps, with
white handkerchiefs pinned over their grey dresses. Their
countenances, as a whole, were much more cheerful than
those of the men: we actually saw smiles !
Here and there, however, was a heavy, uncouth
countenance. At one particular washing-tub stood four
women. Our conductor spoke to one of them, this being
a sign to us to notice them. Two looked up, and fairly
beamed with smiles ; one, a tall and very handsome young
girl, continued to wash away with downcast eyes. I felt a
sort of delicacy in staring at her, her looks were so con-
scious and modest. A fourth, a fat ill-looking old woman,
also never looked at the visitors. The two who smiled had
remarkably agreeable faces; one, with good features, and
a very mild expression •> the other, a small woman, and
though with bloom on her cheeks, a certain sad, anxious
expression about her eyes and mouth. Of which of these
four women were we to hear a fearful history related ?
The only one who looked evil was the fat old woman.
As soon as we were in the court, our conductor said,
“ Now, what do you say about those women ?”
“ Three out of the four,” we remarked, “ are the only
agreeable faces we have seen m the prison; and, judging
from this momentary glance at their countenances, we
should say could not be guilty of much crime; perhaps the
fat old woman may be so; that tall young girl, however, is
not only handsome, but gentle-looking.”
“ That tall young girl,” replied our guide, “ was the one
who, a year or two ago, murdered her fellow-servant, and
cutting up the body, buried it in the garden; the little
woman next to her, some two years since, murdered her
husband; and the handsome, kind, motherly-looking
woman who stood next, destroyed her child of seven years
AN ART-STUDENT IN MUNICH.
women busy washing in their wards,—a long row of very
tidy-looking woinen. in the whitest of borderless caps, with
white handkerchiefs pinned over their grey dresses. Their
countenances, as a whole, were much more cheerful than
those of the men: we actually saw smiles !
Here and there, however, was a heavy, uncouth
countenance. At one particular washing-tub stood four
women. Our conductor spoke to one of them, this being
a sign to us to notice them. Two looked up, and fairly
beamed with smiles ; one, a tall and very handsome young
girl, continued to wash away with downcast eyes. I felt a
sort of delicacy in staring at her, her looks were so con-
scious and modest. A fourth, a fat ill-looking old woman,
also never looked at the visitors. The two who smiled had
remarkably agreeable faces; one, with good features, and
a very mild expression •> the other, a small woman, and
though with bloom on her cheeks, a certain sad, anxious
expression about her eyes and mouth. Of which of these
four women were we to hear a fearful history related ?
The only one who looked evil was the fat old woman.
As soon as we were in the court, our conductor said,
“ Now, what do you say about those women ?”
“ Three out of the four,” we remarked, “ are the only
agreeable faces we have seen m the prison; and, judging
from this momentary glance at their countenances, we
should say could not be guilty of much crime; perhaps the
fat old woman may be so; that tall young girl, however, is
not only handsome, but gentle-looking.”
“ That tall young girl,” replied our guide, “ was the one
who, a year or two ago, murdered her fellow-servant, and
cutting up the body, buried it in the garden; the little
woman next to her, some two years since, murdered her
husband; and the handsome, kind, motherly-looking
woman who stood next, destroyed her child of seven years