OSTERNAU.
Castle Osternau is situated in the midst of a country distinguished not
for any conspicuous or unique beauty of natural scenery, but for
luxuriance of cultivation. The undulating landscape forbids an extended
view, it is only from the summit of some of the larger hills that the
long range of the Riesengebirge can be discerned in the distance. All
sight of this range is shut off from Castle Osternau itself by low
hills.
Nevertheless, the country about the castle is by no means wanting in
charm. The richly-cultured fields waving with golden grain, the
luxuriant, flowery meadows, which lie like broad green ribbons among
them, the dark forests which bound the horizon do not it is true
combine to form a scene of majestic magnificence, but the landscape is
full of a tender, benignant beauty, and in the eyes of Herr von
Osternau, who was agriculturist to his very heart's core, there was in
all Silesia no more beautiful spot than his dear Osternau. A field of
wheat was far more lovely in his eyes than the most picturesque bare
rocks. The steep mountains, available only for the cultivation of
timber and inaccessible for the plough, where the peasant toiled
laboriously to earn a scanty subsistence, were odious to him. An
extensive, level, cultured plain was his ideal of beauty. It was hardly
attained in the gently-undulating fields of Osternau, but, so far as
luxuriance of cultivation was concerned, they left nothing to be
desired.
All the lords of Osternau had been capable, practical agriculturists.
The love of agriculture had descended for centuries from father to son
with the entailed estate. Its proprietors had successively, from time
immemorial, resided at Castle Osternau and personally superintended the
management of its extensive lands, the younger sons only had devoted
themselves to a diplomatic career, and, for the most part, not for
long. So soon as they could lay claim to a pension from the government
they had followed their natural bent, resigned their positions, and
retired to Castle Osternau, where they had loyally assisted the elder
brother in the management of his estates. But few of these younger
brothers had ever married, most of them had died bachelors. Thus the
male descendants of the Osternau line had never been numerous. At
present there were but three of them. The head of the house, Friedrich
von Osternau, had but one son, a boy six years of age, and only one
male relative, a cousin, Albrecht von Osternau by name, who had for a
long time considered himself the heir-at-law, since the marriage of
Friedrich von Osternau had been blessed for some years with a daughter
only. When this daughter, however, had reached the age of eleven, the
birth of a son had blasted the young man's hopes of succeeding to the
estates.
Albrecht von Osternau was a young, pleasure-loving officer. As the
future possessor of Osternau, he had cared very little for the fact
that he had gambled away and squandered his patrimony in a few years.
His credit was good, for it was supposed by the Berlin money-lenders
that the present owner of Osternau was consumptive and could live but a
few months longer at the furthest. But the victim of consumption lived
not only months, but years, and just when his death was predicted with
great certainty, he astonished the world with the news that a son and
heir was born to him.
It was a fearful blow for Lieutenant Albrecht von Osternau when he
suddenly learned, in a very kind letter from his cousin, that his
expectations in life had crumbled to ruins. With his prospects of
inheritance his credit also vanished. His creditors, hitherto most
patient, besieged him, and in one case, where he had imprudently given
his note of hand, he was threatened with a complaint to be lodged with
his commanding officer. Until now the lieutenant had never found any
difficulty in covering one debt with another; this was no longer
possible. The money-lenders, who had formerly considered it an honour
to accommodate the Herr Lieutenant, rudely refused compliance with his
wishes.
In his great need, Albrecht von Osternau decided to apply to his only
relative, the head of the house, although until now he had had but
little intercourse with him. He paid a visit to Castle Osternau, where
he was received with open arms. The good-natured Friedrich considered
it a duty to indemnify his only relative, in some measure at least, for
his shattered hopes. He recognized the severity of the law of entail
which cuts off all the younger branches of a family from a share in the
wealth which is lavished upon the heir, and he thought it quite natural
that Albrecht should have heretofore ordered his life upon a scale
commensurate with his expectations.
Since the state of his own health had prevented him from leading any
but the simple life of a country gentleman, he was in the habit of
yearly laying aside considerable sums, which were usually, however,
expended in the improvement of the estates, wherefore his private
property was not very large. Nevertheless, he gladly sacrificed a
considerable amount of money in paying his cousin's debts.
Amply provided with means, Albrecht returned from Osternau to Berlin.
He arrived there a day too late. His merciless creditor had already
sent to the colonel of the regiment a notice of the note that was due.
Upon the payment of his claim he would gladly have recalled it, but,
since the colonel had received it, the latter was obliged to advise the
young officer to send in his resignation from the service.
Albrecht's military career was ended. It must shortly have terminated
at all events, for with his expensive tastes and habits he could not
possibly have maintained his position as cavalry officer of the guards
without loading himself with debt. What was he to do? At the age of
twenty-four, in the very flower of his youth, he found himself without
a future.
Once more he found a kind and ready friend in his cousin, to whom he
confided his misfortune. Baron Friedrich invited him to come to
Osternau, there to follow the traditions of the family in devoting
himself to agriculture.
The luxurious young officer, accustomed to the delights of the
capital, unused to work of any description, after living a careless
life of pleasure among his wealthy comrades, was to bury himself in a
lonely castle, where, in the society of an invalid cousin and his
simple-hearted wife, he must spend his weary days in a pursuit that was
odious to him. He who had been free as a bird of the air after the easy
duties of his daily service were over, must now be his cousin's slave,
condemned to constant occupation, obedient to command, assuming the
part of an upper superintendent upon the very estates which he had been
wont to consider as his own in the future. Could the munificent
compensation offered him by his cousin atone to him for what he
relinquished, for the delights he must resign? He felt no gratitude
towards his generous relative; he hated him as he had always envied
him. For years he had set all his hopes upon the death of the man whom
he had believed a prey to consumption. These hopes were now
annihilated, and he felt almost inclined to reproach his cousin for
still living, and for being blessed with a direct heir. How could he be
grateful to the hated relative whose subordinate, whose slave he was
doomed to be? The thought was intolerable; and yet, hard as this lot
was, no choice was left for the ruined officer. Again and again he
destroyed the letter in which he had tried to accept his cousin's offer
with thanks. He ground his teeth as he wrote out the hollow expressions
of his gratitude, but there was no help for it, he had to write them,
and when the letter was finally finished he paced the floor of his room
in a frenzy of envy and disgust.
In a few days he followed his letter to Castle Osternau, and from that
time all the male members of the ancient family were united beneath its
roof. Albrecht occupied some elegantly-furnished rooms in the third
story of the castle; the windows of his sleeping-room looked out upon
the court-yard, those of his other rooms upon the garden.
The head of the family himself occupied the second floor of the castle.
He was so enthusiastic a farmer that he quite despised the lovely view
of the castle gardens. His delight was in overlooking from the windows
of his sitting-room the spacious court-yard, with its busy throng of
servants and labourers. If the state of his health confined him to the
house, he thus contrived still to maintain a supervision of his people.
He would sit at these windows from early morning when the weather was
bad, only leaving his post to repair to the dining-hall at dinner-time.
From half-past two until half-past four was his only time for
recreation or repose. If the weather were propitious he spent the
entire remainder of the day out of doors, in the fields, on foot or on
horseback, in the court-yard and stables. He took an interest in the
smallest details of his extensive agricultural operations without
relaxing in his strict general superintendence. The Osternau estates
were regarded all through the country as a model of good management.
The castle court-yard was a huge quadrangle, one side of which was
formed by the extensive structure of the castle itself. Its spacious
barns were on the opposite side; to the right were long rows of stables
for horses and cows, and to the left were those devoted to various
breeds of sheep. In the midst of the large space thus enclosed was a
pond for watering the cattle, and beside it stood a shed, beneath which
was a fire-engine.
Perfect neatness and order reigned in the court-yard; the keen eye of
the master of Osternau saw to it that these were always strictly
maintained. He certainly was the gentlest and kindest of masters, but
he could not endure the slightest disorder. Even the huge muck-heap
before the cow-stables, the pride of its possessor and the ornament of
the court-yard of an agricultural estate, was well kept, and gave no
impression of uncleanliness; indeed, the neighboring landed proprietors
regarded it with admiration when they drove past the court-yard on
their way to pay a friendly visit to Herr von Osternau. They preferred
to go round the narrower country road, past the court-yard, to gain the
front entrance to the castle, rather than to approach it by the broader
road leading directly from the highway.