AT HOME.
The old administrator, Sieveking, at Plagnitz, had at last actually
taken to his bed, and the whole responsibility of the management of the
estate devolved upon Storting. He was quite equal to it, but just at
present he was rather anxious; a few days previously a magnificent
grand piano, with several large cases of books, had arrived from
Berlin, addressed to Herr Egon von Ernau, Plagnitz, and it was evident
that the proprietor of the estate was shortly to arrive and establish
himself in his home.
There were many matters not yet ordered as Storting could have wished.
Herr Sieveking belonged to the old school of agriculture; he was an old
man, and had been ailing for some time; abuses had crept into his
management which Storting had not been able to reform in the short time
that had elapsed since his installation as inspector.
Thus the honest fellow was anticipating the arrival of the unknown
proprietor with a degree of trepidation of which he was quite
conscious, when, upon returning at noon from some distant fields, he
became aware of a light carriage rolling along the road that led to the
manor-house.
The gentleman leaning back in it must, of course, be Herr von Ernau;
but no, it was not he. Storting's keen gaze recognized an old
acquaintance, in spite of the distance and of the bandage beneath his
hat. The pale face in the rapidly-approaching wagon was that of the
Candidate Pigglewitch!
The inspector overtook the vehicle as it was turning into the
court-yard. "Welcome, Herr Pigglewitch!" he cried, jumping on the step
of the light conveyance, and extending his hand to its occupant. "How
odd! Yesterday I met Wangen, and to-day you arrive at Plagnitz. This is
an unexpected pleasure; you are cordially welcome."
Egon grasped the hand extended to him. "Your hearty greeting shows me
that you at least bear me no grudge, Storting," he said, with some
emotion. "I trust you will think none the worse of me when I tell you
that I have no claim to the name by which you knew me. I am called Egon
von Ernau."
Storting's surprise was so unfeigned, and his stare one of such blank
amazement, that Egon burst into a laugh. "Why, what's the matter,
Storting? Were you so attached to the Candidate with the charming name
that his sudden disappearance fills you with dismay? I assure you that
Egon von Ernau is excessively like him, except that just at present he
is rather shaky from a fall over the Dombrowker Pass, and will thank
you to lend him an arm, that he may enter his home with becoming
dignity."
The carriage stopped before the principal entrance. Storting opened the
door, silently offered his arm to Egon, and conducted him up the steps
and into a luxuriously-furnished room.
In truth the lord of Plagnitz had, in his impatience to be really at
home, rather overrated his strength. He begged to be left to himself
for a while, and throwing himself upon a lounge, fell almost
immediately into the profound sleep of exhaustion, from which he did
not awake until after several hours. The housekeeper answered his bell,
and upon his declaring himself positively famished hurried away to see
that dinner was instantly served for the master so anxiously expected.
To this Egon did ample justice, and when Storting again made his
appearance, just as dessert was placed upon the table, he was eagerly
welcomed. Egon told him of the accident of the previous evening, which
made it unwise for him to attempt as yet any inspection of his fields
and meadows. He regretted this all the more as he was anxious to show
Herr Storting that he was now really capable of appreciating his
valuable services. "And we should have grown very confidential,
Storting, tramping around together. You know, I owe you an explanation
of the sudden transformation of your old acquaintance Pigglewitch into
Egon von Ernau, and this you shall have, even if I am tied to the house
for a day or two. Sit down, take a glass of wine, make yourself
comfortable, and we will each unfold the tale of the years that have
passed since we last saw each other."
Storting readily complied, and eagerly awaited the solution of the
riddle that had frequently occupied him during the past four years. He
had, of course, suspected that there was a story attached to the tutor
who rode so wonderfully, played billiards with such skill, was so
admirable a musician, spoke French, English, and Italian fluently, and
was rich enough, although he had as yet received no salary from Herr
von Osternau, to remit, after his departure from the castle, the amount
of a debt which he had contracted, but it had never entered the
inspector's head that the Herr von Ernau, who had been so often and so
severely criticised at Osternau, and the Candidate tutor were one and
the same.
Egon leaned back in his arm-chair, and after a few moments' pause began
his story, and, just as he had done long ago to the wretched Candidate
on the shore of the little lake, told of his unhappy childhood and
youth, and of his weariness of life. From this he went on to his sudden
resolve to purchase the name and papers of the unfortunate Candidate.
He condemned in sharp terms his useless, misspent existence before
going to Castle Osternau, and spoke with reverential admiration of Herr
von Osternau and his family, gratefully acknowledging the influence
which the life at the castle had exercised upon his entire manner of
thought. He told of his determination to turn his energies to some
account, and of his pursuit of the study of agriculture during the past
four years. He frankly confessed his faults and failings, and
extenuated none of his follies. Upon one point alone he was silent: to
no human being could he accord a glimpse of the inner sanctuary of his
heart.
"And here you have me," he said, at the end of his story, "with a
broken head, to be sure, but perfectly sound in limb, having escaped
the death which befell my ill-fated driver, and all ready to begin my
life as a country gentleman, in which I rely, Storting, upon your
advice and assistance. I have been thus frank with you, because it
seemed to me an absolute necessity that you, who once befriended
me so unselfishly, should know me as I am. In fact, I should now
like, if possible, to obliterate your memory of that aimless, idle,
good-for-nothing fellow who came as tutor to Castle Osternau. He had
but one good quality: he was not vain, and when he got among really
capable, intelligent people he recognized his own worthlessness. He did
not deserve such friends, but the ambition to be worthy of them arose
within him, giving a new interest to existence. Yes, I learned from
you, Storting, and especially from that admirable old Herr von
Osternau, how there could be no weariness in a life of constant
occupation directed towards worthy aims. I had to begin at the
beginning; I attempted no royal road to the knowledge which was to
shape my future career. I obtained a subordinate position on an estate
in Saxony, and worked my way up. Now I am ready to reap the benefit of
these years of hard work,--work that has been a positive blessing to
me. And now, enough of myself and my doings, tell me of yourself, and
of those among whom I was so happy for a while that I could scarcely
carry out my plan of not returning to them. Tell me of Herr von
Osternau, Storting, and why you resigned your position with him."
Storting looked in amazement at Egon as he thus calmly asked for news
of the Osternau family. "Is it possible, Herr von Ernau," said he,
"that you know nothing, positively nothing, of what happened at Castle
Osternau scarcely three months after you left it?"
"Such is the case," Egon replied. "When I resolved to begin a new life
I rigorously broke with all old associations, and although I could not
drive Castle Osternau from my memory, I strictly refrained from
informing myself with regard to its inmates. But my finding Wangen and
his wife yesterday and seeing you to-day have called up old
associations so vividly that I beg you to tell me minutely of every one
of the Osternau circle,--of Herr and Frau von Osternau, of Fraeulein
Lieschen, of my pupil Fritz, even of Lieutenant Albrecht, if you will.
I am eager for it all."
Storting gazed sadly at his companion. "Your eagerness to hear, Herr
von Ernau, makes it even harder to tell you of the terrible misfortunes
that have befallen Castle Osternau and its inmates."
"You amaze and distress me. Is Herr von Osternau not living then?"
"He has been at rest in the graveyard at Osternau for almost four
years. I have a sad story to tell you, Herr von Ernau. It all happened
in the night of the 18th of November. I had been to Breslau on that day
to draw the money to be paid for the Wernewitz and Rudersdorf farms,
which Herr von Osternau had bought. I was tired out with travelling in
the cold November weather, and of course slept more soundly than usual.
In the middle of the night I was wakened by a bright light shining into
my face, and I sprang out of bed to find the flames leaping up to my
window from the story below. You remember my room was directly above
that of Herr and Frau von Osternau. I threw on my clothes and opened my
door; the passages were filled with stifling smoke. The fire must have
broken out in Herr von Osternau's study adjoining his bedroom, and the
lives of himself and his wife were in danger. The staircase was already
in flames. My only course was to climb from one of my windows down into
the court-yard, which I accomplished successfully, shouting the while
at the top of my voice to arouse the servants and labourers from the
various farm-buildings. Two grooms, who had rooms in one of the barns,
were the first to appear, when suddenly Lieutenant Albrecht stood
beside me; whence he had come I could not tell, but he must have been
aware of the fire for some time, for he was entirely dressed. The
instant I looked at him a terrible suspicion occurred to me. 'Good
heavens! what a misfortune!' he said. His face was ghastly pale, and
his eyes avoided mine. I made no reply, the urgency was too pressing.
Every minute the flames were gaining ground. They had caught the
curtains of the open window of my room, and as yet Herr and Frau
von Osternau gave no sign of being awakened by them. Had the fire
reached their room, or were they already smothered? I rushed to the
side-entrance, forgetting that it was always locked at night from
within. I found it, however, unfastened, and as I flung it wide open a
huge tongue of flame burst from the open door of the study. There was
no reaching Herr von Osternau's bedroom by this way, neither could
either of its occupants have penetrated through the smoke and flames of
the study to gain safety. The only possible way to reach them was from
the garden, upon which their bedroom windows opened. Meanwhile all the
farm-people were thronging the court-yard; the fire-engine had been
dragged from its shed, but there was no one to take the lead there, for
Lieutenant Albrecht seemed paralyzed, and I was intent upon saving my
good old employers. In the garden I found one window of their bedroom
open, and the smoke pouring from it in volumes. I called Herr von
Osternau loudly, but there was no reply. Two stout labourers lifted me
upon their shoulders, and I leaped thence into the room. Near the
window on the floor I found both of those whom I sought, unconscious
from the effect of the stifling smoke. I can hardly tell you how we
contrived with the help of the gardener's ladder, luckily left leaning
against the wall of the house, to lift the unconscious master and
mistress of the house through the window into the open air. We carried
them immediately to the parsonage in the village, and left them in the
care of the pastor and his good wife, while I returned to the burning
castle. Here I found the wildest confusion; the peasantry from the
neighbouring hamlets had flocked to the scene, women were shrieking,
children crying, and through it all the crackling and roaring of the
flames made night terrible indeed. The engine had been found useless,
and when the men turned to the Lieutenant for counsel he had none to
give. He was as one dazed. When I appeared among the terrified people
they rushed to me for orders. What could I do? The fire had made
terrible headway during my brief absence, there could be no hope of
extinguishing it. The wing in which Fraeulein Lieschen and Fritz slept
was the only part which was as yet untouched by the flames, but they
were already stretching hungry tongues towards it.
"'Where are Fraeulein Lieschen and Herr Fritzchen?'
"No one answered my question; the men looked at one another in mute
horror. All the servants who lodged in the castle had contrived to
escape from their rooms unhurt. Some had leaped from the windows, and
even old Hildebrandt was in safety, and had gone to the village to do
what he could for his beloved master and mistress. Fraeulein Lieschen
and Fritz were alone missing. 'They are still sleeping, they are lost!'
one of the servants wailed. The Lieutenant did not speak, but watched
with horror the creeping flames that had already reached the roof of
the wing.
"It was high time indeed to try some means of rescue. To enter the
castle was impossible, but at my command a dozen willing hands brought
two of the long ladders from the engine-house, and just as they were
placed against the wall of the house, beneath Fraeulein Lieschen's
window, the young girl herself, with Fritz by her side, opened it and
stood for an instant looking out upon the dreadful scene. The shout
that went up from the crowd at sight of her I never shall forget. Two
stout men had mounted the ladders in an instant; the young girl opened
wide the window, lifted her little brother in her strong young arms,
and delivered him to one of her rescuers, then easily climbing on the
window-sill she stepped out upon the topmost round of the other ladder,
and descended to the ground as lightly as she had been used to do when
as a child she had climbed about the barns and granaries.
"All were saved then, but the dear old castle was gone beyond hope of
rescue. In the early morning, when I left it again to go to the
parsonage, it was a heap of smoking ruins, and but for the direction of
the wind, which blew the flames towards the garden, the barns and
storehouses would have shared its fate.
"At the parsonage sorrowful tidings awaited me. Frau von Osternau had
indeed quickly recovered consciousness; she was now sitting with
Lieschen at the bedside of her husband, who was in a most critical
condition. The physician gave no hopes of his recovery. He was
perfectly conscious, but an inflammation of the lungs had set in,
which, in the precarious state of his usual health, could not but be
fatal.
"When I entered the darkened room Fraeulein Lieschen arose, and coming
towards me spoke two or three kind words in acknowledgment of what she
called my devotion; she was quite calm and collected, but her eyes were
brimming with tears, and she was evidently controlling herself by an
effort marvellous in one so young.
"Herr von Osternau was no sooner aware of my presence than he begged to
be left alone with me for a few minutes. His poor wife burst into tears
as she tried to speak to me, and Fraeulein Lieschen gently led her from
the room.
"I sat down beside the bed where lay the man who had been so true a
friend to me, and pressed the hand which he feebly extended.
"'It will soon be all over,' he whispered, 'I have but a few hours to
live, but I cannot go without confiding to you, my faithful friend, the
terrible suspicion which makes these few hours miserable for me. To you
alone, Storting, can I tell this: the fire last night was the work of a
robber, who used this means to prevent the discovery of his theft, and
this wretched incendiary is my cousin Albrecht.'
"I was horrified to have my own vague suspicion of the past night thus
confirmed, and by a dying man. Herr von Osternau signed to me to bend
down over him that he need use no unnecessary exertion, saying,--
"'I must have strength enough to deliver over to your special
protection my little Fritz. A man who is a thief and an incendiary
would scarcely hesitate to commit any crime; therefore I do solemnly
commit my boy to your care, asking you to be as faithful a friend to
him as you have always been to me.'
"I was naturally greatly moved, and willingly gave him the promise he
asked for. Then, after a short pause, he went on in his failing voice
to tell me how he had suspected, some weeks before, that a sum of money
which had been taken from his secretary had been stolen by the
Lieutenant, and that he had the lock replaced by one of most intricate
construction to guard against any further loss. On the previous evening
he had, before going to bed, arranged the notes I had brought him from
Breslau, and had carefully put them into his strong-box and locked it
up in his secretary, placing the keys on a little table beside his bed.
When roused from his first deep sleep by the stifling smoke he had
first called his wife, and then, remembering the money in the next
room, which represented his daughter's portion, he looked for his keys
to possess himself of it. They were gone from the table! In an instant
it was all clear to him: his keys had been stolen! He rushed to the
door which separated his room from the study, it was locked on the
other side. Through the crack of it he could see the flames. He called
to his wife to come and help him, and received no reply. He succeeded
in opening the window, but knew no more until he recovered
consciousness at the pastor's. He went on to say that no one save
myself and Albrecht knew of the sum brought that day from Breslau, no
one else could have taken the keys from his table while he slept. Then,
when the theft was committed, he had locked the door leading into the
next room, and set fire to the scene of his crime, that all chance of
discovery might be destroyed in the flames. His end had been answered,
the secretary was destroyed; how baseless must be any charge of theft
or of incendiarism brought forward now! It would be worse than useless
to stain with such an accusation an ancient and noble name, which he
had taken pride in keeping untainted. The thief must be left to enjoy
the result of his crime, but again he adjured me to watch over his boy.
Then, utterly exhausted, he bade me farewell, and asked for his wife
and daughter.
"They came again to his bedside, and I left the room and the house,
encountering Lieutenant von Osternau as I did so. 'I hope my cousin is
doing well,' he said, but he did not look me in the face as he spoke. I
longed to strike him to the earth, but I controlled myself. Of course I
shared Herr von Osternau's conviction, but all proof in the matter was
wanting. I managed to tell him with tolerable composure that Herr von
Osternau was so ill that there were fears for his life. I fancied I saw
a gleam of triumph in his eye that belied his hypocritical words of
regret, as he declared that under such sad circumstances he would not
disturb his cousin's wife and daughter. As superintendent, it was his
duty instantly to communicate with the insurance companies,--he must
start immediately for Breslau.
"Convinced as I was of his guilt, I then committed an act of
unwarrantable rashness. As he talked on so smoothly of going to Breslau
in his cousin's interests, I made up my mind that it was to deposit his
booty in a place of security that he was departing so soon, and the
wild idea seized me that Fraeulein Lieschen's portion might be recovered
by a bold stroke. He most probably--nay, certainly--had it about him. I
lost my head, and seeing two of my farm-hands who I knew were devoted
to me coming down the street, I shouted to them, 'Seize Lieutenant von
Osternau! he is the incendiary!' It was all wrong. I had no right to
resort to such means, but, as I tell you, Herr von Ernau, I lost my
head. The two men hesitated but for an instant, and then, with an 'Ah!
we thought so!' fell upon the Lieutenant. He defended himself against
them, and struck out wildly both at them and at me when I approached
him, but of course he was quickly overpowered and bound. The noise of
the struggle brought various labourers and villagers from their houses.
No one took part with the Lieutenant, who had evidently aroused their
suspicions by his strange conduct during the fire. For fear of
disturbing Herr von Osternau, we did not carry the fellow into the
parsonage, but into a cottage near at hand, where I searched him
thoroughly, but found no trace of the money. If he had taken it, he had
already made it secure elsewhere. I saw how rash I had been, what a
terrible error I had committed, and I stood before him overwhelmed with
shame. I ordered the men, who had stood by curiously while the search
was going on, to release him, declaring myself in the wrong and my
suspicions unfounded. They obeyed me with reluctance, and left me with
the Lieutenant, who up to this moment had not uttered a single word,
either during the search or while he was being unbound. When we were at
last alone he confronted me with folded arms and an evil look.
"'You are only the servile tool of my cousin, or of his wife, who
always hated me, and in whose brain was conceived the infamous
suspicion of which I have been the victim.'
"I would have interrupted him to tell him that he was mistaken, but he
exclaimed, 'Hush! I will listen to no excuse from you. If you were my
equal in rank I should require from you the satisfaction of a
gentleman; as it is, you cannot insult me. Tell Frau von Osternau that
every tie of kindred is broken between us forever.'
"'Frau von Osternau knows nothing----' I began.
"'Spare me all falsehood,' he interrupted me. 'I do not believe you. I
know that Frau von Osternau and Lieschen are my mortal enemies, and I
shall not forget that they are so.'
"He turned on his heel and went out of the house, leaving me in a state
of mortification and depression quite indescribable. I gathered myself
together, however, and went again to the parsonage, feeling it my duty
to confess what I had done to Herr von Osternau. This, however, I could
not do: Herr von Osternau had died a few minutes after our interview
had ended.
"I cannot describe to you, Herr von Ernau, the utter wretchedness of
his poor wife. She had loved her husband with her whole heart; in her
eyes he was the wisest and best of men, and at first she could find no
consolation even in her children.
"Indeed, she was an object of compassion in every respect, for after
Herr von Osternau's death his affairs were found to be in by no means
so prosperous a condition as had been supposed. In former years he had
devoted all his surplus income to the improvement of his estate, and
when he began to save, in order to leave his wife and daughter
independent, his own generous, kindly nature, which led him to pay
Lieutenant Albrecht's debts repeatedly, and into other similar acts,
was a bar to the fulfilment of his purpose. Only very lately had he
succeeded in accumulating the sixty thousand thalers which was to
purchase Wernewitz and Rudersdorf for Fraeulein Lieschen, and this
money--the only independent fortune which he had to bequeath--was
either destroyed in the fire, or the prey of a scoundrel. There was no
solution of this last question, for nothing came to light to confirm
the suspicion which Herr von Osternau had confided to me.
"The Lieutenant had gone to Berlin immediately after being treated in
the disgraceful way of which I told you, and did not return to
Osternau, for, as he explained in a letter to Frau von Osternau, not
even his cousin's death could obliterate from his mind the insult
offered him, which must henceforth estrange him from his kindred. He
lived in Berlin, as he had done formerly,--not more expensively, but on
a scale of such luxury as to make a certain income indispensable. I was
quite sure that I knew its source, but my conviction was useless in the
matter. Popular opinion in the country round regarded the Lieutenant as
the incendiary, but no proof of his guilt was forthcoming. Since,
however, it was the common talk of the country, the courts took the
matter up, and there was an investigation of the cause of the fire. It
was without result, however; the only suspicious circumstance with
regard to it being the state in which the fire-engine was found, after
having been thoroughly examined and pronounced in good order a few days
previously by the Lieutenant at Herr von Osternau's request.
"I thought it my duty to acquaint Herr von Sastrow, Fritzchen's
guardian, with what the boy's father had confided to me, but I could
not gainsay the good old man when he advised me to dismiss from my mind
such apparently groundless suspicions.
"Frau von Osternau, after her husband's death, could not bring herself
to leave the place which she so dearly loved. Herr von Sastrow tried to
persuade her to remove to Berlin, where it would be much easier to
educate Fritzchen; but she preferred to remain, for a while at least,
in a modest little cottage which she rented in the village of Osternau.
The allowance made her from the estate for the education of its heir
sufficed amply for her wants. Herr von Sastrow confided the management
of Osternau to me, and this rendered it possible for me to fulfil the
promise made to his father to keep watch over Fritzchen.
"Three sad months passed after Herr von Osternau's death, and then the
widow was called upon to sustain another terrible blow, in the loss of
her prop and stay, her darling Fritz."
Egon had listened hitherto without a word to Storting's sad tale; he
had been profoundly moved by the account of the burning of the castle,
and of the death of its master, but at Storting's last words he started
forward, exclaiming, "Fritzchen dead! What a terrible trial! Was his
father's dying foreboding----"
"No, no, Herr von Ernau," Storting interrupted him. "Whatever crimes
Lieutenant von Osternau may have committed, he is guiltless of Fritz's
death: the boy died of scarlet fever. Fraeulein Lieschen tended him
night and day with a devotion which I have never seen equalled. She
would not leave his bedside for an hour, although the physician tried
to induce her to resign the care of him to some one else, since she had
never had the fever herself. She was his only nurse, for her mother was
ill in another room,--too ill even to see her darling, who breathed his
last in his sister's arms.
"After Fritz's death the Lieutenant was the heir of Osternau; his
cousin's wife and daughter could lay no claim to anything save the late
proprietor's private property, and this had been destroyed on the night
of the fire.
"A week after the boy's death the new master came to Osternau. He had
told the pastor of his coming, and had asked him to rent a couple of
rooms for him in some farm-house, which he could occupy until the
rebuilding of the castle was complete.
"Immediately after his arrival he sent for me. I could not but obey his
summons, for he was the lord of Osternau, and I was obliged to hand in
to him my accounts for the management of the estate since Herr von
Osternau's death.
"I went to him with a heavy heart, fully expecting that he would make
use of the power now in his hands to revenge himself for the insult I
had once offered him, and as fully resolved to requite scorn with
scorn.
"He was sitting in a bare little room, the best the pastor could
procure for him, at a table covered with papers. As I entered he rose
and came towards me. He was greatly changed. The last few months had
made him many years older. His eyes had an uncertain, flickering
brilliancy; his face was haggard and very pale. The erect military
carriage that had formerly characterized him was gone: he had grown
old.
"He offered me his hand, and addressed me in a tone of hypocritical
friendliness that disgusted me, as after one fleeting glance of keen
scrutiny his eyes fell before mine.
"'We were hardly friends when we parted, Storting,' he said. 'You
offended me, and I used harsh words towards you. We were both in a
state of unnatural agitation, induced by the events of the night and my
cousin's danger. You meant to act for the best, as the friend and
servant of my dear departed relative. When I was cooler I perceived
this, and therefore, I assure you, I bear you not the faintest grudge.
Here is my hand. I trust you will take it in the spirit in which it is
offered.'
"I could not refuse to take his hand, although my whole nature rose in
revolt against any fellowship with the man. I had to sit down and take
a cigar, while he talked to me as one would to some dear old friend,
without a trace of the arrogance which had formerly made him so
disliked by me. He asked, with every appearance of sympathy, after Frau
von Osternau and Fraeulein Lieschen. I had to inform him of the
particulars of Fritz's death, and of Fraeulein Lieschen's devotion; he
showed the keenest interest in the welfare of his relatives, and
postponed all business details, remarking that the management of the
estate could not be in better hands than mine, and that he would
discuss business with me when his relations with Frau von Osternau and
Lieschen should be arranged. That they might become so, he begged me to
assist him.
"'I assure you, Storting,' he said, 'that I am profoundly distressed by
the terrible trials that have fallen to the lot of my dear relatives.
For Frau von Osternau I entertain a greater regard than words can
express, and Lieschen, whom I have known from her early childhood, has
always been my ideal of feminine loveliness. My cousin Fritz formerly
frequently expressed the wish that a nearer tie might some time exist
between his daughter and myself,--the dear child was in a measure
brought up for me. This thought has often solaced me in hours of
depression. I always regarded her as my future wife, even in the midst
of our trifling disputes. Unfortunately, by my own fault, the relations
between my relatives and myself have not of late years been so
harmonious as they once were, and I fear that Lieschen may not think
favourably of her father's former promises, the fulfilment of which
forms the chief--I may say, the only--hope of my existence. My heart
would lead me to declare this myself to Frau von Osternau and her
daughter, but my head tells me to entreat your mediation, Storting; no
rash word uttered by Lieschen in the excitement of the moment must be
allowed to place a barrier between us. I ask of you a favour, Storting,
which will make me your debtor for life: tell Frau von Osternau what I
have just told you. She is a woman of practical sense and discernment,
she will not be led astray by the mood of the moment, but will perceive
that a union between Lieschen and myself is the most natural and
harmonious solution of the present unhappy state of affairs, for which
the law of entail is to blame. As my wife, Lieschen will be mistress of
the Osternau estate. Surely Frau von Osternau will use her influence
with her daughter to induce her to encourage my hopes.',
"My blood ran cold at the idea of Fraeulein Lieschen's becoming this
man's wife, but I could not refuse to carry his proposal to Frau von
Osternau. What had the future in store for them save a life of poverty
and care? By the terms of the Osternau entail, the widow of a former
proprietor was entitled to but three hundred thalers yearly from the
revenues of the estate; the daughters were entirely unprovided for.
Under these circumstances was not a marriage with the Lieutenant to all
appearances Fraeulein von Osternau's only resource? Was there not a
degree of generosity in the offer just made? I could not but make it
known to the mother and daughter.
"It was a hard task. When I presented myself in their lodgings, I found
them already informed of the Lieutenant's arrival. I reported to them
the conversation I had just had with him, and strove, to the best of my
ability, to do so in an entirely impartial manner. I must have
succeeded in this, for my words evidently produced an impression upon
Frau von Osternau.
"'We have done Cousin Albrecht injustice,' she said, gently. 'He may be
thoughtless and imprudent, but he cannot be bad, or he would not so
soon forget the insult lately offered him in Osternau. His offer is
magnanimous at least. You never treated him well, Lieschen, you often
offended him, and yet he loves you, and would make you mistress of
Osternau.'
"Fraulein Lieschen gazed at her mother with an expression of positive
horror. 'You cannot think for an instant that I could accept his
terrible proposal?' she asked, and her voice trembled.
"'Do not judge your cousin so harshly, my child,' said Frau von
Osternau. 'He hopes, as you have heard, that you will not decide
hastily; he knows your impetuous temperament, and dreads your saying to
him in a personal interview words which could neither be forgiven nor
forgotten. What you have just said proves him right. Therefore he has
asked our good Herr Storting to be his messenger, conscious also that
you are my dear, unselfish child, and that you may be brought to
overcome your momentary impulse of aversion to this marriage when you
consider that your 'no' would drive us both away from our dear
Osternau,--from the graves of your father and Fritz,--out into the
world, to struggle with poverty and want, while your 'yes' would make
you mistress of Osternau, and allow me to live here, where I have been
so happy, and where, in the midst of memorials of the past, I never can
be quite unhappy. I feel sure that, after due reflection, you will
decide for the best, and, therefore, I beg you not to decide at once.'
"Fraeulein Lieschen wept bitterly while her mother was speaking, but
when she paused, and, taking her daughter's hand, drew her towards her,
the young girl embraced her tenderly, and, controlling herself, said,
calmly and firmly, 'It would be wicked to postpone my decision for an
hour. I will sacrifice everything for you, mother dear, except my
soul's salvation, and that would be imperilled by false vows. How can I
promise to revere and love a man whom I despise? I cannot sell myself
to him, mother, even for your sake. To require this of me would be to
doom your only child to death.'
"'Lieschen!' cried her mother, 'do not blaspheme.'
"'No,' she rejoined, 'I do not blaspheme. I should not lay hands upon
my own life, mother, but the sense of my degradation would kill me. But
you will not compel me to such a fate? you will not be faithless to the
memory of my father, who never would have permitted it? I will gladly
share poverty with you, gladly work for you, dearest mother, but marry
that thief----"
"'Hush, Lieschen, hush!' her mother interrupted her.
"'It was my father's word, whispered in my ear in his last moments,"
the girl went on. "'Watch over Fritz,' he said; 'protect him from the
thief and incendiary.' Go back to Herr von Osternau, Herr Storting, and
tell him what you have heard; tell him the mere thought of him inspires
me with aversion, and that I would rather die in misery than sell
myself to him. You have carried his message faithfully, do the same by
mine.'
"You know, Herr von Ernau, that I was never at any time able to resist
Fraeulein Lieschen's requests, and I did not fail her in this the
darkest hour of her life. I promised to report her decision to the
Lieutenant. She thanked me with a look, and Frau von Osternau said,
with a sigh, 'I must submit. Lieschen has inherited her father's
strength of will in matters of conscience. The foolish child is
destroying her future; it is sad, but I cannot prevent it. I must yield
to her resolve. Since it must be so, it is, perhaps, better not to
postpone acquainting Albrecht with her decision.'
"I left them with a far lighter heart than I brought to them. The
commission with which I was charged could hardly be considered an
agreeable one, especially as Fraeulein Lieschen begged me to repeat to
the Lieutenant everything that she had said concerning him; but the
sense of relief in knowing that she was in no wise to belong to that
villain outweighed every other consideration in my mind.
"The Lieutenant had probably foreseen the answer he should receive. He
calmly listened while I repeated, as far as I could recall it, all that
Frau von Osternau and her daughter had said, only omitting to mention
that Fraeulein Lieschen had called him thief and incendiary. An evil
smile played about his lips, but he only glanced at my face from time
to time, seeming unwilling to meet my eye.
"'I meant well,' he declared, when I had finished, and then he went on
to explain his regret that his relatives should be so limited as to
means, that he would gladly have shared his wealth with them, and that,
in view of Lieschen's youth and inexperience, he should continue to
hope that with time she might be brought to regard his suit favourably.
Meanwhile, he offered Frau von Osternau and her daughter a home in the
castle so soon as it should be rebuilt. If they refused to avail
themselves of this offer, he should, of course, confine himself to the
payment to the widow of the yearly sum allowed her by law. It would
weary you, Herr von Ernau, to recount to you all the details of our
conversation. I thanked God when it was ended.
"Of course Frau von Osternau refused to live beneath his roof,
dependent upon his bounty. There was no need of Fraeulein Lieschen's
indignant rejection of any such idea to influence her mother's
decision. The two went to Berlin, where it was easier than in any
country town to find some employment wherewith to eke out their scanty
income. They left the village of Osternau two weeks after the
Lieutenant's arrival, without having seen him, and on the day of their
departure I too bade farewell to the place where I had spent such happy
years.
"Herr von Osternau offered me a large salary if I would continue to
occupy my position as superintendent of the estate, but I could not
bring myself to serve the man who could never be to me anything save a
thief and an incendiary. I procured another situation not nearly so
profitable in a pecuniary point of view.
"I corresponded at first very frequently with Frau von Osternau, and
although of late our letters have been fewer, I have never lost sight
of her. She has had a weary, anxious time of it. Too proud to ask help
from her wealthy relatives, she had no resources save her paltry yearly
pittance of three hundred thalers and the untiring industry of Fraeulein
Lieschen, who furnished embroidery for one of the large Berlin firms.
Frau von Osternau wrote with positive enthusiasm of her daughter, who,
in spite of her constant labour at her embroidery, found time to study
and to complete her defective education, so that last spring she passed
a brilliant examination as governess. My last letter was received from
Frau von Osternau between three and four months ago, when this
examination was just passed; and while the mother spoke of it with
pardonable pride, she mourned over the probability of a coming
separation from her daughter, who was about to accept a situation as
governess, thereby greatly increasing her mother's means of support. Of
Cousin Albrecht she had heard only through Herr von Sastrow. He lived
for a short time the life of a hermit in his gorgeous new-built castle,
avoided by all families of his own rank in the neighbourhood; for the
report that he had set fire to the castle was rife in the country
around, and he was virtually sent to Coventry. He therefore spent most
of the year in Berlin, where he associated with needy members of the
aristocracy and doubtful characters whose good will he could purchase
with his money. The doors of the first people in society were closed
against him. His large income he wasted in all sorts of extravagant
dissipation, and it was reported in Berlin that he had contracted
enormous debts.
"For herself Frau von Osternau wrote that, if her daughter accepted a
situation as governess away from Berlin, she too should leave the city
and go to some Silesian village, where her small income would suffice
for her modest wants."