The next morning early, Anna went over to the farm to ask Dellwig to
lend her any newspapers he might have. She was anxious to advertise as
soon as possible for a companion, and now that she knew of the existence
of sister Helena, thought it better to write this advertisement without
the parson's aid, copying any other one of the sort that she might see
in the papers. Until she had secured the services of a German lady who
would tell her how to set about the reforms she intended making in her
house, she was perfectly helpless. She wanted to put her home in order
quickly, so that the twelve unhappy ones should not be kept waiting; and
there were many things to be done. Servants, furniture, everything, was
necessary, and she did not know where such things were to be had. She
did not even know where washerwomen were obtainable, and Frau Dellwig
never seemed to be at home when she sent for her, or went to her seeking
information. On Good Friday, after Susie's departure, she had sent a
message to the farm desiring the attendance of the inspector's wife,
whom she wished to consult about the dinner to be prepared for the
Manskes, all provisions apparently passing through Frau Dellwig's hands;
and she had been told that the lady was at church. On Saturday morning,
disturbed by the emptiness of her larder and the imminence of her
guests, she had gone herself to the farm, but was told that the lady was
in the cow-sheds--in which cow-shed nobody exactly knew. Anna had been
forced to ask Dellwig about the food. On Sunday she took Letty with her,
abashed by the whisperings and starings she had had to endure when she
went alone. Nor on this occasion did she see the inspector's wife, and
she began to wonder what had become of her.
The Dellwigs' wrath and amazement when they found that the parson and
his wife had been invited to dinner and they themselves left out was
indescribable. Never had such an insult been offered them. They had
always been the first people of their class in the place, always held
their heads up and condescended to the clergy, always been helped first
at table, gone first through doors, sat in the right-hand corners of
sofas. If he was furious, she was still more so, filled with venom and
hatred unutterable for the innocent, but it must be added overjoyed,
Frau Manske; and though her own interest demanded it, she was altogether
unable to bring herself to meet Anna for the purpose, as she knew, of
being consulted about the menu to be offered to the wretched upstart.
Indeed, Frau Dellwig's position was similar to that painful one in which
Susie found herself when her influential London acquaintance left her
out of the invitations to the wedding; on which occasion, as we know,
Susie had been constrained to flee to Germany in order to escape the
comments of her friends. Frau Dellwig could not flee anywhere. She was
obliged to stay where she was and bear it as best she might, humiliated
in the eyes of the whole neighbourhood, an object of derision to her
very milkmaids. Philosophers smile at such trials; but to persons who
are not philosophers, and at Kleinwalde these were in the majority, they
are more difficult to endure than any family bereavement. There is no
dignity about them, and friends, instead of sympathising, rejoice more
or less openly according to the degree of their civilisation. The degree
of civilisation among Frau Dellwig's friends was not great, and the
rejoicings on the next Sunday when they all met would be but
ill-concealed; there was no escape from them, they had to be faced, and
the malicious condolences accepted with what countenance she could.
Instead of making sausages, therefore, she shut herself in her bedroom
and wept.
And so it came about that the unconscious Anna, whose one desire was to
live at peace with her neighbours, made two enemies within two days.
"All women," said Dellwig to his wife, "high and low, are alike. Unless
they have a husband to keep them in their right places, they become
religious and run after pastors. Manske has wormed himself in very
cleverly, truly very cleverly. But we will worm him out again with equal
cleverness. As for his wife, what canst thou expect from so great a
fool?"
"No, indeed, from her I expect nothing," replied his wife, tossing her
head, "but from the niece of our late master I expected the behaviour of
a lady." And at that moment, the niece of her late master being
announced, she fled into her bedroom.
Anna, friendly as ever, specially kind to Dellwig since his tears on the
night of her arrival, came with Letty into the gloomy little office
where he was working, with all the morning sunshine in her face. Though
she was perplexed by many things, she was intensely happy. The perfect
freedom, after her years of servitude, was like heaven. Here she was in
her own home, from which nobody could take her, free to arrange her life
as she chose. Oh, it was a beautiful world, and this the most beautiful
corner of it! She was sure the sky was bluer at Kleinwalde than in other
places, and that the larks sang louder. And then was she not on the very
verge of realising her dreams of bringing the light of happiness into
dark and hopeless lives? Oh, the beautiful, beautiful world! She came
into Dellwig's room with the love of it shining in her eyes.
He was as obsequious as ever, for unfortunately his bread and butter
depended on this perverse young woman; but he was also graver and less
talkative, considering within himself that he could not be expected to
pass over such a slight without some alteration in his manner. He ought,
he felt, to show that he was pained, and he ought to show it so
unmistakably that she would perhaps be led to offer some explanation of
her conduct. Accordingly he assumed the subdued behaviour of one whose
feelings have been hurt, and Anna thought how greatly he improved on
acquaintance.
He would have given much to know why she wanted the papers, for surely
it was unusual for women to read newspapers? When there was a murder, or
anything of that sort, his wife liked to see them, but not at other
times. "Is the gracious Miss interested in politics?" he inquired, as he
put several together.
"No, not particularly," said Anna; "at least, not yet in German
politics. I must live here a little while first."
"In--in literature, perhaps?"
"No, not particularly. I know so little about German books."
"There are some well-written articles occasionally on the modes in
ladies' dresses."
"Really?"
"My wife tells me she often gets hints from them as to what is being
worn. Ladies, we know," he added with a superior smile, checked,
however, on his remembering that he was pained, "are interested in these
matters."
"Yes, they are," agreed Anna, smiling, and holding out her hand for the
papers.
"Ah, then, it is that that the gracious Miss wishes to read?" he said
quickly.
"No, not particularly," said Anna, who began to see that he too suffered
from the prevailing inquisitiveness. Besides, she was too much afraid of
his having sisters, or of his wife's having sisters, eager to come and
be a blessing to her, to tell him about her advertisement.
On the steps of his house, to which Dellwig accompanied the two girls,
stood a man who had just got off his horse. He was pulling off his
gloves as he watched it being led away by a boy. He had his back to
Anna, and she looked at it interested, for it was unlike any back she
had yet seen in Kleinwalde, in that it was the back of a gentleman.
"It is Herr von Lohm," said Dellwig, "who has business here this
morning. Some of our people unfortunately drink too much on holidays
like Good Friday, and there are quarrels. I explained to the gracious
one that he is our Amtsvorsteher."
Herr von Lohm turned at the sound of Dellwig's voice, and took off his
hat. "Pray present me to these ladies," he said to Dellwig, and bowed as
gravely to Letty as to Anna, to her great satisfaction.
"So this is my neighbour?" thought Anna, looking down at him from the
higher step on which she stood with her papers under her arm.
"So this is old Joachim's niece, of whom he was always talking?" thought
Lohm, looking up at her. "Wise old man to leave the place to her instead
of to those unpleasant sons." And he proceeded to make a few
conventional remarks, hoping that she liked her new home and would soon
be quite used to the country life. "It is very quiet and lonely for a
lady not used to our kind of country, with its big estates and few
neighbours," he said in English. "May I talk English to you? It gives me
pleasure to do so."
"Please do," said Anna. Here was a person who might be very helpful to
her if ever she reached her wits' end; and how nice he looked, how
clean, and what a pleasant voice he had, falling so gratefully on ears
already aching with Dellwig's shouts and the parson's emphatic oratory.
He was somewhere between thirty and forty, not young at all, she
thought, having herself never got out of the habit of feeling very
young; and beyond being long and wiry, with not even a tendency to fat,
as she noticed with pleasure, there was nothing striking about him. His
top boots and his green Norfolk jacket and green felt hat with a little
feather stuck in it gave him an air of being a sportsman. It was
refreshing to come across him, if only because he did not bow. Also,
considering him from the top of the steps, she became suddenly conscious
that Dellwig and the parson neglected their persons more than was
seemly. They were both no doubt very excellent; but she did like nicely
washed men.
Herr von Lohm began to talk about Uncle Joachim, with whom he had been
very intimate. Anna came down the steps and he went a few yards with
her, leaving Dellwig standing at the door, and followed by the eyes of
Dellwig's wife, concealed behind her bedroom curtain.
"I shall be with you in one moment," called Lohm over his shoulder.
"_Gut_," said Dellwig; and he went in to tell his wife that these
English ladies were very free with gentlemen, and to bid her mark his
words that Lohm and Kleinwalde would before long be one estate.
"And us? What will become of us?" she asked, eying him anxiously.
"I too would like to know that," replied her husband. "This all comes of
leaving land away from the natural heirs." And with great energy he
proceeded to curse the memory of his late master.
Lohm's English was so good that it astonished Anna. It was stiff and
slow, but he made no mistakes at all. His manner was grave, and looking
at him more attentively she saw traces on his face of much hard work and
anxiety. He told her that his mother had been a cousin of Uncle
Joachim's wife. "So that there is a slight relationship by marriage
existing between us," he said.
"Very slight," said Anna, smiling, "faint almost beyond recognition."
"Does your niece stay with you for an indefinite period?" he asked. "I
cannot avoid knowing that this young lady is your niece," he added with
a smile, "and that she is here with her governess, and that Lady
Estcourt left suddenly on Good Friday, because all that concerns you is
of the greatest interest to the inhabitants of this quiet place, and
they talk of little else."
"How long will it take them to get used to me? I don't like being an
object of interest. No, Letty is going home as soon as I have found a
companion. That is why I am taking the inspector's newspapers home with
me. I can't construct an advertisement out of my stores of German, and
am going to see if I can find something that will serve as model."
"Oh, may I help you? What difficulties you must meet with every hour of
the day!"
"I do," agreed Anna, thinking of all there was to be done before she
could open her doors and her arms to the twelve.
"Any service that I can render to my oldest friend's niece will give me
the greatest pleasure. Will you allow me to send the advertisement for
you? You can hardly know how or where to send it."
"I don't," said Anna. "It would be very kind--I really would be
grateful. It is so important that I should find somebody soon."
"It is of the first importance," said Lohm.
"Has the parson told him of my plans already?" thought Anna. But Lohm
had not seen Manske that morning, and was only picturing this little
thing to himself, this dainty little lady, used to such a different
life, alone in the empty house, struggling with her small supply of
German to make the two raw servants understand her ways. Anna was not a
little thing at all, and she would have been half-amused and
half-indignant if she had known that that was the impression she had
made on him.
"My sister, Gräfin Hasdorf," he began--"Heavens," she thought, "has _he_
got an unattached sister?"--"sometimes stays with me with her children,
and when she is here will be able to help you in many ways if you will
allow her to. She too knew your uncle from her childhood. She will be
greatly interested to know that you have had the courage to settle
here."
"Courage?" echoed Anna. "Why, I love it. It's the most beautiful place
in the world."
Lohm looked doubtfully at her for a moment; but there was no mistaking
the sincerity of those eyes. "It is pleasant to hear you say so," he
said. "My sister Trudi would scarcely credit her ears if she were
present. To her it is a terrible place, and she pities me with all her
heart because my lot is cast in it."
Anna laughed. She thought she knew very well what sister Trudis were
like. "I do not pity you," she said; "I couldn't pity any being who
lived in this air, and under this sky. Look how blue it is--and the
geese--did you ever see such white geese?"
A flock of geese were being driven across the sunny yard, dazzling in
their whiteness. Anna lifted up her face to the sun and drew in a long
breath of the sharp air. She forgot Lohm for a moment--it was such a
glorious Easter Sunday, and the world was so full of the abundant gifts
of God.
Dellwig, who had been watching them from his wife's window, thought that
the brawlers who were going to be fined had been kept waiting long
enough, and came out again on to the steps.
Lohm saw him, and felt that he must go. "I must do my business," he
said, "but as you have given me permission I will send an advertisement
to the papers to-night. Of course you desire to have an elderly lady of
good family?"
"Yes, but not too elderly--not so elderly that she won't be able to
work. There will be so much to do, so very much to do."
Lohm went away wondering what work there could possibly be, except the
agreeable and easy work of seeing that this young lady was properly fed,
and properly petted, and in every way taken care of.