Directly northward, by the west coast of the gulf of Bothnia, through
Gestrikland, Helsingland, Medelpat, and Angermannland, Arwed rapidly
pursued his expiatory journey, until he reached the southern boundary
of the province of West Bothnia, in which Nicodemus, count
Gyllenstierna, the counsellor's elder brother, presided as governor. On
arriving at the broad river Umea, which here empties its floods into
the gulf of Bothnia, Arwed reined in his horse, and, while his groom
made a signal for the ferry-boat stationed on the opposite side,
reviewed the scenery which had always remained impressed upon his
memory, and which now called up a thousand reminiscences of his early
childhood. To the right, on the sea-shore, and at the mouth of the
broad stream, lay the capital of the poor, depopulated province, the
little town of Umea, to which only its harbor with its clustering
masts, gave any importance. To the left arose the lofty Gyllensten, the
old ancestral castle of the house of Gyllenstierna throned proudly upon
its massive rocks, and bordered by a forest of dark pines. The broad
plain which intervened between the higher elevations and the river,
exhibited evidence of unusual fruitfulness for these northern regions.
The magnificent, clear, blue arch, which, in the west rested upon
Lapland's distant snow-clad mountains, and in the east upon the dark
mirror of the sea, completed the picture which nature, rich even in her
poverty and gorgeous in her simplicity, offered to the eye of the
observer.
'My fatherland is every where beautiful!' exclaimed he with emotion;
'and this solitary nook, how well suited to my feelings! Yes, I feel
that here I can again be happy!'
The ferry-boat came, and Arwed sprang upon the floating bridge. The
groom carefully led up the spirited horses, which were somewhat
frightened, and made a vigorous resistance when they heard the hollow
sound of their footsteps upon the boards. Arwed seized the bridle of
his gallant steed, caressed him into a state of quietude, and leaning
upon the glossy neck of the animal, extended his view over the waves of
the stream upon which the boat was now moving to Gyllensten, whose old,
gothic walls and towers were every moment more and more distinctly seen
between the lofty pines and rocks in the intermediate distance.
'That is the balcony,' said he to Knut, the faithful old boatman, 'from
which I and my little cousin Christine used formerly to watch the ships
as they entered the port. The child will be much pleased to see me
again. She was always very much attached to me.'
'The _child_!' exclaimed Knut laughing. 'She was at that time eight
years old, as well as yourself, major. Eleven years have passed since
then. Do you think that you alone have increased in stature during that
long period? The child must have become a stately young lady.'
'You are right,' said Arwed with a melancholy smile, 'I have
experienced so many vicissitudes lately, that my computation of time is
a little disturbed.'
Leaning his head upon his arm, and resting the latter upon his horse's
saddle, he sank into a profound reverie. 'I shall find a grown up
daughter in my uncle's house,' said he to himself. 'Possibly a right
beauteous maiden, with whom my near relationship must bring me into
familiar intercourse. Did this really enter into my father's plans? Did
he hope that I should here sever old ties and form new ones? If so, he
has deceived himself! But one Georgina blooms for me in this world!
while she lives, lives also my hope, and the mere remembrance of her is
sufficient to steel my heart against the attractions of all the women
upon earth.'
The sudden shock with which the boat struck the shore aroused the youth
from his contemplations. He threw himself upon his horse and briskly
trotted towards Gyllensten. When he had reached its base, and was
slowly riding up the steep and rocky ascent, a little flag, displaying
the golden star, the escutcheon of Gyllenstierna, suddenly waved from
the pinnacle of the tower. Two falconets then exploded so briskly to
the right and left from the walls, that his horse made three powerful
leaps; and a flourish of trumpets and kettle drums followed.
'Is it possible that this can be intended for me?'--and putting his
horse to a quick gallop, he soon sprang through the high gothic arched
gateway into the court of the castle. Again was heard a merry trumpet
blast, a window of the castle hall was opened, and a massive silver
goblet was extended towards the new comer by the old governor.
'Welcome, brave Swede!' cried he joyously to the guest below; 'welcome
to Gyllensten! Down from your horse and come up and pledge me in the
hall of our forefathers!'
Arwed, obeying, soon entered the long, high-vaulted, echoing knight's
hall, in whose niches on either side of the worthy old Gyllenstierna,
stood colossal statues, in complete armor chased in copper. The shining
metal reflected upon him the last rays of the setting sun so brightly,
that he was compelled to protect his eyes with his hand from their
blinding red brilliancy.
Meanwhile the uncle, who Was afflicted with the gout, had trundled his
movable chair toward his nephew. 'Aha!' exclaimed he, laughing, 'the
old lords shine a brilliant greeting upon thee, as they should upon so
worthy a descendant of their house. So is it also my duty to do; and if
I do not perform it with quite so much grace, the fault must be
attributed to this rascally gout, which rages in my bones as if the
whole Russian army were marauding there.'
Arwed, kissing the old count's hand, protested against all ceremony;
the latter, however, would not be persuaded, but slowly raised himself
from his chair, suppressing the pain it gave him, until he stood
upright before his nephew. His purple velvet cap, from under which his
thin white locks escaped, his sharply delineated, intelligent, good
humored, and withal bold face, which the lines of age and experience
had but ennobled, his tall and powerful frame, set off with an
ermine-lined green hunting dress, altogether gave him the appearance of
one of the old Norman princes of long forgotten times, and Arwed
involuntarily started back before the noble figure.
'My dear nephew!' said the old man with his deep and thrilling voice,
and holding aloft the silver goblet with solemn dignity, 'once again I
welcome thee to the castle of our ancestors, and from this goblet I
drink to thy welfare and to our common lineage.'
He drank, and then handed the goblet to the youth, who, after draining
it, tenderly embraced his worthy uncle. Sinking back into his chair,
the old man pointed to the window, where stood a table replenished with
wine and drinking cups.
Arwed wheeled him to it, and, sitting down, filled his goblet afresh.
'Now, what news do you bring, captain?' asked the uncle with a hearty
shake of the hand; 'or perhaps a yet higher title--hey?'
'I am dismissed, with the rank of major,' answered Arwed, with a slight
shrug of the shoulders.
'I understand,' cried the uncle. 'Punishment and reward, wound and
balsam, all in a breath. One may see by this, that a woman governs in
Sweden. She holds to the doctrine according to the excellent German
proverb, of washing the fur without wetting it. With Charles XII you
would not have escaped so easily! All that has occurred redounds to
your credit, and the 'out of service,' attached to your rank of major,
is as honorable to you as would be the order of the seraphim.'
'Where is cousin Christine?' asked Arwed, to interrupt his uncle's
praises, which covered his cheeks with blushes.
'She rode out to meet you,' answered the old man, 'I should have
accompanied her, but my gouty feet forbade it. The king's death and my
anxiety for its consequences, have so pulled me down that I came this
time very near going, and shall never entirely recover from the shock.
I cannot imagine how the maiden could have missed you.'
'May she not have met with some accident?' cried Arwed apprehensively.
'I will mount my horse again and seek her.'
'Do not trouble yourself,' said his uncle smilingly, and holding him
back. 'She is no timid maiden, who needs protection. She is a virago,
who can take care of herself in every exigence. Beasts of prey and
robbers fear her, not she them. Besides, she is not alone. A military
comrade of your's accompanies her.'
'A military comrade of mine?' asked Arwed with astonishment. 'Who can
it be?'
'That I may the better enjoy your surprise, I shall not name him to
you. He is a good soldier,--so much I will say for him,--and especially
valued by me as a witness of the heroism of our king. We made his
acquaintance when I was at the coronation at Upsala with Christine.
Appearing to feel an interest for the maiden, he has availed himself of
the short truce to obtain a furlough, and will spend some weeks with
us. You will be much pleased to meet him. He speaks of you with great
respect, and has related to us your warlike deeds in so vivid a manner
that we feel as though we had been present during their performance.'
'Singular!' said Arwed,--and at that moment the rapid footsteps of a
horse resounded in the court. He hastened to the window. A slender
maiden, almost as tall as Arwed himself, in a dark green riding-habit,
her face partly concealed by a plumed casque, was just then reining in
her foaming courser.
'Send to the wolf den in the cluster of fir-trees to the left of the
road, and bring the venison which lies there,' said she to the groom
who was running to meet her; then, throwing herself from the saddle
with the grace of a riding-master, and with her hand wafting a greeting
up to the windows of the hall, she hastened into the castle.
'You will hardly recognise the girl,' said the uncle. 'She has much
changed, and not altogether according to my wishes. Men are incapable
of rearing and educating women properly, as I have learned too late.'
The amazon now entered the hall. The removal of her casque, which she
held in her hand, permitted a full view of a blooming face of classic
beauty, which her rich golden locks surrounded like a glory. A bold
spirit flashed from her magnificent blue eyes, and her cheeks glowed
with the heat of violent exercise.
Without noticing Arwed she strode hastily past him, and, precipitating
herself upon her father's bosom, impetuously embraced him.
'Madcap girl!' said the latter with evident pleasure, to his beautiful
and lively daughter; 'do you not see who is with me in the hall?'
She drew up her beautiful form to its full height, and measured the
youth with a searching glance, in which no expression, other than that
of maiden pride, accompanied by a slight appearance of displeasure, was
discoverable, and Arwed looked in vain for that joy with which he had
expected to be received by his little cousin Christine.
'Is not this the guest whom you have been expecting, my father?' she
asked, after a long pause,--and, as her father nodded assent, she
turned to Arwed, saying with great coldness, 'I am happy to see you at
Gyllensten, captain.'
'Shame upon you, Christine!' said the old man, angrily. 'Is that a
reception for so near a kinsman, or for the playmate of your childhood?
Fall directly upon his neck, give him a hearty kiss, and say, welcome
cousin Arwed!'
The beauteous prude started back with a sinister expression, and,
spoiled by indulgence, she suffered it to be plainly seen that she had
no desire to obey the parental command.
'Do not annoy my cousin, uncle,' said Arwed, offended by her
uncourteous manners. 'Christine may already have seen many fops who
have availed themselves of their relationship to intrude upon ladies.
Since I have not the honor to be known to her, I cannot blame her for
thus taking care to insure herself against so disagreeable an
occurrence at the outset.'
Christine tossed her head and bit her lips.
'You have deserved this,' said her father, 'and may congratulate
yourself that your cousin has let you off with so mild a punishment.
Tell us now how it was you failed to encounter him on his way to the
castle.'
'We saw a wolf in a thicket,' answered Christine, 'and I could not deny
myself the pleasure of hunting him.'
'Only two of you--without hounds?' said the father with asperity. 'That
was another of those hazardous undertakings to which you have
accustomed me.'
'He appeared to be hungry and made a stand,' said Christine, by way of
excuse. 'My saddle pistols were ready loaded, and I hit him directly in
the head.'
'You know I do not like these Nimrod tricks,' murmured the old man.
'Why hazard your life in a contest with such an animal?'
'What would life be, father,' cried Christine with thoughtless levity,
'if one never dared gaily and joyfully to hazard it?'
'I would willingly hear such a sentiment from Arwed,' answered her
father, shaking his head; 'but it does not sound well from your lips.
What has become of your companion?'
'On our way back, he offered me a wager,' said Christine, laughing, 'as
to which of us would be first at Gyllensten; I gave my horse a loose
rein, and have not seen the good colonel since.'
'You ought to have been a Cossack,' said the old man chidingly; and at
that moment a Swedish officer entered the now darkening hall.
'Megret!' exclaimed Arwed with amazement.
'You have lost, colonel!' cried Christine, to the new comer.
'A second Thalestris,' answered Megret, gallantly kissing her hand. 'I
yield myself in disgrace to your mercy. Once have I ridden with you
upon a wager, but never will I again! Though, at all events, I know how
to ride, I have never yet learned to fly.'
'I have the pleasure to present my nephew to you, colonel,' said the
governor, interrupting them.
'What a happy encounter!' said Megret, pretending to derive much
pleasure from the meeting, and embracing the youth. 'How delightful it
is to me, to greet my dear brother in arms, in a kinsman of this dear
family!'
A sensation of the deepest disgust oppressed Arwed's bosom at the
embrace of the insincere and suspected man. He could not so far control
himself as to repay the dissembler in the same coin, and only answered
with a silent bow.
'As we shall probably have the pleasure of seeing you here for a long
time, my worthy friend,' said Megret, jestingly, and familiarly
pointing to Christine, 'you will consider it the friendly service of a
true knight when I warn you against this lady.'
'How so?' asked Arwed, and Christine satirically added, 'the colonel
probably wishes to inform you, how inexhaustible is his fund of sweet
phrases, which mean nothing and which he himself does not believe.'
'How beautiful she is,' continued Megret gaily, 'I need not remark to a
blooming youth like you. Her mind, nourished by the manna of the old
classics, is a giant that would find its pleasure in storming heaven,
and yet she does not lack the graces. Whenever she is in the humor to
be amiable, she is irresistible. In short she has every quality
requisite to set a man's heart in a flame, and yet I advise every brave
man to guard against her, watchfully, as against something which is at
the same time the most beautiful and dangerous in all the three
kingdoms of nature,--for one all-important quality she lacks!'
'Now this is enough!' suddenly exclaimed Christine, in a tone of great
irritation.
'She lacks a heart!' continued Megret, laughing and without suffering
himself to be interrupted. 'She can only _wound_, not _heal_. She is a
female Charles the XIIth. She holds the amiable weakness of loving in
utter detestation, and if Hymen does not perform a miracle upon her,
the epitaph must some day be inscribed upon her grave-stone, which
England's Elizabeth desired for herself--Here rests the virgin....'
'Shameful!' exclaimed Christine in anger, and striking a heavy blow
upon Megret's cheek, the amazon disappeared.
'The girl is mad!' exclaimed the governor. 'Excuse the impropriety,
colonel; you shall receive full satisfaction.'
'Never mind, governor,' answered Megret with a courtly smile and
rubbing his cheek. 'A cavalier must be content to receive the like from
a lady's hand. I shall occasionally take opportunities to revenge
myself upon the little savage.'
'The table is served,' announced the steward, and two huntsmen placed
themselves behind the wheeled chair of the lord of the castle. 'Follow
me, dear gentlemen and friends,' cried the old man, and then,
commanding his men to move him forward, he led the way to the dining
room.
Megret, however, remained behind, still rubbing his flaming cheek, and
conceitedly smiling at his own reflections.
'I am glad you take the ill-behaviour of my cousin so lightly,' said
Arwed; 'but I wonder at it, almost as much as at the blow itself,
struck so suddenly, and without sufficient cause.'
'It is even that,' said Megret, interrupting him, 'which makes me so
tolerant. An entirely indifferent person would not have caused so
violent, a passion. A girl like her must be allowed to behave somewhat
rudely when she is angry. That is perfectly as it should be. If she
supposed that my penetration had discovered her feelings, my jest must
have been considered by her as a bitter mockery. Under these
circumstances I take the angry blow as a declaration according to the
custom of the country, and have only to regret that the ladies of the
north have such heavy hands.'
He proceeded towards the dining-room. 'Happy self-conceit!' cried
Arwed, following him; 'to what may not thy genius give a favorable
construction!'