The evening before St. John's day, 1843, David Daesel's oldest boy was
sitting with Johann Degel's youngest girl, in the pleasure-garden at
Pumpelhagen, enjoying the moonlight, and Fika Degel said to Krischan
Daesel, "Say, did you see her, that time, when you took the horses to
the young Herr?"
"To be sure I saw her; he took me into the parlor, and shewed her to
me, and said, 'See, this is your gracious lady!' and she filled me a
glass, that I should drink there."
"What does she look like?"
"Well," said Krischan, "it is hard to describe her; let me see, she is
about your size, and has such light hair as yours, and just such a pink
and white face, and she has grey eyes also, as you have, and just such
a little, old, sweet, pouting mouth," and with that, he pressed a
hearty kiss on the red lips.
"Gracious, Krischan!" cried Fika, freeing herself from his arm, "then
does she look just like me?"
"Child, have you no more sense than that?" said Krischan. "No, don't
flatter yourself to that extent! You see, that sort of people have
always a something about them, quite different from our sort. The
gracious lady might sit here with me, till she were frozen to death in
midsummer, it would never come into my head to give her a kiss."
"So?" said Fika Degel, standing up, and tossing her pretty head, "then
you think I am good enough for you?"
"Fika," said Krischan, throwing his arm round her again, though she
made a show of resistance, "that sort are too slender-waisted, and have
too weak bones for us, if I should hug her as I do you, I should always
be afraid of dislocating her spine, or knocking her down. No," said he,
stroking her soft hair, "like must mate with like." And as they
separated, Fika was quite gracious again towards her Krischan, and
looked as friendly as if she were his gracious lady.
"Well, I shall see you to-morrow," said she, "I am going to help the
girls tie wreaths, in the morning."
And so she did. Yes, they were tying wreaths in Pumpelhagen, and a
great gate of honor was constructed, and while Habermann was overseeing
the preparations, and Marie Moeller was running hither and thither, with
greens and flowers, and Fritz Triddelsitz, as a volunteer of the first
class, in his green hunting-jacket, and white leather breeches, and
yellow top-boots, and a blood-red neck-handkerchief, strutted about
among the farm-boys and day-laborers, there arrived upon the scene
Uncle Braesig also, neat as wax, in light-blue, tight summer trousers,
and a brown dress-coat, of unknown antiquity, which covered his back
very well, down to the calves, but in front he looked as if the
lightning had struck him, and torn off his brown bark, leaving exposed
a long strip of yellow wood, for he wore under it a fine, yellow pique
vest. On his head he had, of course, a silk hat, three-quarters of an
ell high.
"Good morning, Karl! How are you getting on? Ha, ha! There stands
already the whole concern. Fine, Karl! The arch should be a little
higher, though, and right and left you should have a couple of towers;
I have seen them so in old Friedrich Franz's time, at Gustrow, when he
came home in triumph. But where is your flag?"
"Flag?" said Habermann, "we have none."
"Karl, bethink yourself! How can you celebrate without a flag? The Herr
Lieutenant is a military character, of course he must have a flag.
Moeller!" he went on, without hesitation, "go into the house, and bring
me out two sheets, and sew them together lengthways; Krischan Paesel,
bring me a nice, smooth, straight beanpole; and you, Triddelsitz, get
me the brush that you mark bags with, and an inkstand!"
"What under heaven are you going to do, Zachary," said Habermann,
shaking his head.
"Karl," said Braesig, "it is a mercy he was in the Prussian army, if he
had been in the Mecklenburg, we couldn't have got the colors; but the
Prussian--black ink, white linen, and there are your colors!"
Habermann would have entered a protest, but he thought: "Well, let him
work, the young Herr will understand that it is all meant well."
So Braesig worked away, and painted a great "Vivat!!!" with the brush.
"Hold it tight!" he cried to Marie Moeller, and Fritz Triddelsitz, whom
he had pressed into the service as assistants, "so that the 'Herr
Lieutenant' and 'Frau Lieutenant' may come out nice and clear on the
flag!" for he had decided upon these words to put under the "Vivat,"
instead of "A. von Rambow" and "F. von Satrup" which had been his first
thought: for these were merely a couple of names of the nobility, and
having lived among noblemen all his life he held them for nothing
remarkable; but he had not had so much to do with lieutenants, and
considered the title a very high one.
When he had finished his flag, he ran up to fasten it on the highest
point of the manor-house, then puffed down stairs again, to see the
effect from outside, and placed himself at the door of the granary, and
then at the sheep-barn, but nowhere did it seem to satisfy him.
"It don't look right, Karl," said he, much annoyed; but, after a little
reflection, he placed himself before the green archway, and called out,
"Karl, what am I thinking of? _This_ is the right spot, from which they
will perceive it!"
"But, Braesig," remonstrated Habermann, "it would cover our triumphal
arch entirely, and under the tall poplars there wouldn't be a breath of
air for the flag, and the two heavy old sheets would hang down on the
bean-pole like a great icicle."
"I'll make it all right, Karl," and Braesig pulled out from his pocket a
long string, which he proceeded to fasten to the upper, outer end of
his flag. "Gust Kegel," he called to one of the swineherds, "are you a
good climber?"
"Yes, Herr Inspector," said Gust.
"Well, my dear swine-marquis," said Braesig, laughing at his own joke,
and all the men and boys and girls laughed with him, "just take this
end of the string, and climb into that poplar, and draw it tight." And
Gust did the business very skilfully, and drew the string tight and
hauled up the sail, as if all Pumpelhagen were making ready to sail off
and Braesig stood by the bean-pole, as if he were standing by the mast
of his ship, an admiral commanding a whole fleet: "They may come now,
Karl, whenever they like; I am ready."
But Fritz Triddelsitz was not ready yet, for he had appointed himself
commander of the land-forces, and wished to draw them up in military
array, by the sheep-barn, on one side the old day-laborers, and
the servants, and farm-boys, and on the other, the house-wives,
servant-maids and little girls. After much instruction, he had got his
breeches-company about half-drilled, but with the petticoat-company he
could do nothing at all. The house-wives' carried, instead of a weapon,
a baby each, upon the left arm, that little Jochen and Hinning might be
able to see too, and man[oe]uvred with them in a highly irregular
manner; the maid-servants declined to recognize Fritz as their
commander, and Fika Degel called out to him that Mamselle Moeller was
their corporal, and the light-troops of young girls skirmished behind
poplars and stonewalls, as if the enemy were in sight, and they in
danger of being taken prisoners. Fritz Triddelsitz struck fiercely at
his troops with his cane, which he carried as a staff of command, and
told them they were not worth their salt, and, going up to Habermann,
vowed he would have nothing more to do with the concern; but if
Habermann had no objections he would take his gray pony, and ride off
to see how soon the Herr lieutenant and his lady would arrive.
Habermann hesitated, mainly out of consideration for the old Gray; but
Braesig whispered quite audibly, "Let him go, Karl, then we shall be rid
of the greyhound, and it will be much nicer."
So Fritz rode off on the Gray, towards Gurlitz; but a new annoyance
intruded itself in Braesig's plan, that was schoolmaster Strull, who
came marching up with the school-children, descendants of Asel and
Lgel, with open psalm-books in their hands. The order which Fritz had
not been able to accomplish with an hour's training, Master Strull had
held for a whole year; he advanced his troops in two divisions, in the
first stood the Asels, whose singing could always be relied upon, in
the second, were the Egels, of whom he was--alas! but too well aware,
that each one had his own idea of time and melody.
"Preserve us, Karl, what is all this?" asked Braesig, as he saw the
schoolmaster approaching.
"Now, Zachary, Master Strull wishes to show honor to the young Herr, as
well as the rest of us, and why shouldn't the children have a chance to
show what they have learned?"
"Too ecclesiastical, Karl; altogether too ecclesiastical for a
lieutenant? Haven't you got a drum or a trumpet?"
"No," laughed Habermann, "we don't keep that sort of agricultural
implement."
"Very unfortunate," said Braesig, "but hold! Krischan Daesel, come and
hold the flag a moment! It is all right, Karl," said he, as he went
off. But if Habermann had known what he had in his mind, he would have
called it all wrong. Braesig beckoned the night-watchman, David Daesel,
to step aside, and asked him where his instrument was. David bethought
himself a little, and finally answered, "Here!" holding up his staff,
for Fritz Triddelsitz had ordered all the day-laborers to bring them
along, "that they might do the honors to the Herr Lieutenant," as he
said.
"Blockhead!" cried Braesig, "I mean your musical instrument."
"You mean my horn? That is at home."
"Can you play pieces on it?"
"Yes," said David Daesel, he could play one.
"Well," said Braesig, "bring your instrument, and come out behind the
cattle-stall, and I will hear you play."
And when they were alone, David put the horn to his mouth, and blew, as
if the whole cattle-stall were in flames: "The Prussians have taken
Paris. Good times are coming now,--toot! toot!" for he was very
musical. "Hold!" said Braesig, "you must blow quietly now, for I want to
give Habermann a pleasant surprise; by and by, when the lieutenant
comes, you can blow louder. And when the schoolmaster is through with
his ecclesiastical business, then keep watch of me; I will give you a
sign, when I wave the flag three times, then begin."
"Yes, Herr Inspector; but the old watch-dog ought to be tied fast in
his kennel, for we are not on good terms of late, and whenever he sees
me with my horn, he flies at me."
"It shall be attended to," said Braesig, and he went back with Daesel, to
the celebration, and grasped his flag-staff again, just at the right
moment, for Fritz Triddelsitz came riding over the hill, as fast as old
Gray could gallop: "They are coming! They're coming! They are in
Gurlitz already!"
They were coming. Axel von Rambow and his lovely young wife rode slowly
on, in the lovely morning; the chaise-top was down, and Axel pointed
over the wide green fields, full of sunshine, to the cool shadows of
the Pumpelhagen park: "See, dearest Frida, this is our home." The words
were few, but much happiness lay in them, and much pride, that he was
in circumstances to spread a soft couch for the dearest one he had on
earth; if he had said it in a thousand words, she could not have
understood him more clearly. She felt the happiness and pride in his
heart, and a great wave of love and thankfulness broke over her own.
Everything about her was cool, and fresh, and clear; she was like a
cool brook, which, until now, had flowed under green, silent shadows,
aside from the highway, through hills and forests, and now springs
forth suddenly into golden sunshine, and sees in its own depths bright
pebbles and close-shut mussels, treasures of which it had never
dreamed, and bright little fish darting hither and yon, like wishes and
longings for working and waking, and green banks and flowers mirrored
in the clear water, like her joyous future life.
And outwardly, she was cool, and fresh, and clear, and agreed in all
respects with Krischan Daesel's description; but if one had seen her at
this moment, as she looked over toward the Pumpelhagen garden, and back
again into her young husband's face, he would have seen the fresh
cheeks take on a deeper glow, and the clear light that shone from her
gray eyes, a softer, warmer radiance, as when the summer evening bends
over the bright world, and hushes it to sweet sleep with a cradle-song.
"Ah," she cried, pressing his hand, "how beautiful it is here, at your
home! What rich fields! Only see, how stately the wheat stands! I have
never seen it so before."
"Yes," said Axel, happy in her pleasure, "we have a rich country, much
richer than your region."
He might have kept silence, now, and it would have been quite as well;
but she had touched unwittingly upon his favorite province, that of
agriculture, and he must needs show her that he knew something of it,
so he added: "But that must all be altered. We are lacking in
intelligence, we don't know how to make the most of our soil. See!
yonder there, over the hill, where the wheat is growing, that belongs
to Pumpelhagen, wait a couple of years, and we will have all sorts of
commercial products growing here, and bringing us three times the
profit." And he began to harvest his hemp and hops and oil-seeds, and
anise and cummin, and sprinkled among them, like an intelligent farmer,
lucerne and esparcet also, "to keep his cattle in good condition," and
while he was among the dyer's weeds, and selling his red madder, and
blue woad, and yellow weld for a good price, and well in the saddle on
his high horse, up shot a living example of all these bright colors,
close by the turn, on this side of Gurlitz, who was also on a high
horse, that is the gray pony. This was Fritz Triddelsitz, who went up
like a complete rainbow, and disappeared like a shooting star.
"What was that?" cried Frida, and Axel called "Hallo! hallo!"
But Fritz never looked round, he must carry tidings to the
gate-of-honor, and he had barely time, as he galloped through Gurlitz,
to call out to Pomuchelskopp, who stood in his door, "They are coming!
They will be in Gurlitz in five minutes!" and Pomuchelskopp called over
the garden fence, toward the arbor: "Come, Malchen and Salchen! It is
time now!"
And Malchen and Salchen threw down the landscape paintings they were
embroidering, among the nettles by the arbor, and tied on their straw
hats, and fastened themselves one on each side, to Father
Pomuchelskopp's elbows, and Father Pomuchelskopp said, "Now don't look
round, for pity's sake, for it must appear as if we had just gone out
walking, for all I care, to see the beauties of nature."
But misfortune was impending. As Muchel and his young ladies stepped
out of the door, and Axel rode slowly through the village, while his
young wife asked him "who was that lovely girl, who just greeted us?"
and he replied that it was Louise Habermann, his inspector's daughter,
and the house where she stood was the parsonage, the devil of
housekeeping possessed old Haeuning to come out, in her white kerchief
and old black merino sacque,--for it still held together, and was
plenty good enough,--to feed the little turkeys with malt grains. When
she saw Pomuchelskopp walking off with his two daughters, she thought
it a great piece of impertinence for her Muchel to go off without her;
she wiped her hands on the old black merino, and hastened after, black
and white, stiff and straight, as if one of the old, mouldering
tombstones, in the church-yard near by, had taken a fancy to go walking
for pleasure.
"Muchel!" she called after her husband.
"Don't look round!" said Muchel, "it must all appear quite natural."
"Kopp," she cried, "will you stop? shall I run myself out of breath for
you?"
"For all I care," said Pomuchelskopp angrily. "Don't look round,
children, I hear the carriage, it must seem quite off-hand."
"But, father," said Salchen, "it is mother."
"Ah, mother here, and mother there!" cried Pomuchelskopp, downright
angry, "she will spoil the whole business! But, my dear children," he
added, upon a little reflection, "you need not tell mother I said so."
And Kluecking came puffing up: "Kopp!" but she had not time for fuller
expression of her feelings, for the carriage came opposite, and
Pomuchelskopp stood, bowing: "A-a-ah! Congratulations--best wishes, God
bless them!" and Malchen and Salchen courtesied, and Axel bade the
coachman stop, and said he was very happy to see his Herr Neighbor and
his family looking so well, and Muchel tugged secretly at the old black
sacque, to make Haeuning courtesy also, but she stood stiff and
straight, puffing away, as if the reception was too warm to suit her,
and Frida sat there, very cool, as if the thing was not much to her
taste. And Muchel began to speak of the wonderful coincidence, that he
should have just started out walking with his two daughters, but he got
a poke from his Haenning's elbow, and heard a venomous whisper, "So your
wife is of no account, is she?" so that he lost the thread of his
discourse, and went rambling about in a distressed manner, until Axel
bade the coachmen drive on, saying he hoped to see Herr Pomuchelskopp
again soon.
Pomuchelskopp stood in anguish, by the roadside, hanging his head, and
Malchen and Salchen took hold of his arms again, and instead of going
on naturally with their walk they went back to the house. Blind behind
him marched Haenning, and led him, with gentle reproaches, back to his
duty again; but he remembered this hour for a year and a day, and her
reproofs he never forgot while his life lasted.
"Those seem very disagreeable people," said Frida, as they drove on.
"They are, indeed," replied Axel, "but they are very rich."
"Mere riches are a small recommendation," said Frida.
"True, dear Frida, but the man is a large proprietor, and since they
are such near neighbors, we must keep up some intercourse with these
people."
"Do you really mean it, Axel?"
"Certainly," he replied.
She sat a little while, reflecting, and then inquired, suddenly;--
"What sort of man is the Pastor?"
"I know very little of him, myself, but my father thought very highly
of him, and my inspector reveres him wonderfully. But," he added, after
a moment, "that is natural enough, the Pastor has brought up his only
daughter, since she was a little child."
"Oh, yes, that charming girl, at the door of the parsonage; but the
Pastor's wife must have had the most to do with that. Do you know her?"
"Why yes,--that is to say, I have seen her,--she is a lively old lady."
"They are certainly good people," said Frida, with decision.
"Dear Frida," said Axel, drawing himself up a little, "how you women
jump at conclusions! Because these people have brought up a strange
child, and--we will take it for granted that they have brought her up
well--you--" and he was going on, in his shallow wisdom, which he
called "knowledge of human nature,"--for it is an old story that those
who have come into the world as blind as young puppies, and have only
nine days' experience, are the very ones to pride themselves on their
"knowledge of human nature; "--but, unfortunately for the world, he had
no opportunity, for his Frida sprang up suddenly, crying,--
"See, Axel, see! A flag, and a triumphal arch! The people mean to give
us a grand reception."
And Degel, the coachman, looked round over his shoulder, with a grin of
delight: "Yes, gracious lady. I was not to speak of it; but now you can
see it for yourself, and it is a great pleasure. But I must drive
slowly, or else the horses will be frightened."