I return again to the narrative of the development of my inner and outer
life.
A new existence now began for me, entirely opposed to that which I had
hitherto led. An uncle on my mother's side came to visit us in this
year; he was a gentle, affectionate man.[12] His appearance among us
made a most agreeable impression upon me. This uncle, being a man of
experience, may have noticed the adverse influences which surrounded me;
for soon after his departure he begged my father by letter to turn me
over to him entirely. My father readily consented, and towards the end
of the year 1792 I went to him. He had early lost both wife and child,
and only his aged mother-in-law lived in his house with him. In my
father's house severity reigned supreme; here, on the contrary, mildness
and kindness held sway. There I encountered mistrust; here I was
trusted. There I was under restraint; here I had liberty. Hitherto I had
hardly ever been with boys of my own age; here I found forty
schoolfellows, for I joined the upper class of the town school.[13]
The little town of Stadt-Ilm is situated in a somewhat wide valley, and
on the banks of a small limpid stream.
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