The Captain made his appearance, and put an end to our conversation,
without for a moment being aware how unwelcome his presence was to
me. I could scarcely give a civil answer to his question--
"Slept well, Jonker?"
He went on, however, in his jovial tone--
"The General will be here directly."
And, indeed, the General's entrance followed like an echo to the words,
and the breakfast began.
Francis was silent and preoccupied--yet she gave me a look as if
she regretted her want of confidence in me--making all sorts of
mistakes. The General's tea was sweetened twice over, and the Captain
found he had no sugar in his, a defect which he remedied as furtively
as possible, whispering to me--
"Our Major's got out on the wrong side of the bed this morning. We
must take care, or the orders of the day will be severe. She----"
"But Francis! What's the matter with you today; the eggs are too hard,"
growled the General.
"What a pity, just when we have a visitor," sighed the Captain;
"otherwise they are boiled to perfection."
"By the way, Leopold, what hour is your carriage ordered
for?" interposed the General.
"Well, uncle, I left it to the Captain," was my reply.
As we spoke a carriage drove up, and Francis rose from the table to
look out of the window.
"It is indeed too early," said the General, reproachfully, to Rolf.
"Wait a moment, Excellency," replied Rolf, with a roguish twinkle of
the eye; and he walked over to the window where Francis stood. Then
with a loud laugh he said, "The Jonker left the matter in my hands,
and perceiving he would like to stay a little longer with us, I simply
sent off to Zutphen for his luggage."
It was now my turn to speak, and I asked Francis if she would keep
me there a few days longer. Her answer, however, was in the negative.
"Leave at once; it is better for both of us."
In the meantime the Captain, like a worthy major-domo, had not only
assisted in bringing in my box, but also a number of packages, bottles,
tins, &c., which he spread over the table, and clapping the General
on the shoulder, as he said--
"Now, what says your Excellency; have I not made a splendid foraging
party?"
"No more of your 'Excellency' and insolent nonsense," burst out
Francis, her eyes striking fire and her cheeks burning with rage. "You
clearly forget, you d----d rascal, that you are an inferior; otherwise
you would not dare to act like this. Bless my soul, what a foolish
throwing away of money is this--perdrix rouges, pate-de-foie-gras,
all kinds of fish in jelly, all kinds of preserved fruit. Why, it
looks as if you were going to start a business here. Why have you
brought all these useless dainties again?" And she struck the table
with her clenched fist till the pots and bottles danced again. "The
General ought to turn you out of doors; and he would if his tongue
and sense of honour had not grown dull."
"Francis, Francis!" murmured Von Zwenken in a pitiful tone.
"No, grandfather," she continued, more loudly and rudely, "it is a
shame, and if you had the least fortitude left you would put a stop
to such extravagance."
"Major, Major!" interposed Rolf, deprecatingly.
"Silence, you miserable epicure--I am no longer your major; I have
had enough of your quasi-pleasantry. If I had my will all this should
be changed. But I have lost my authority; you let me talk----"
"Scream, you mean," corrected Von Zwenken, with a quivering voice.
"And you go on just the same," resumed Francis, pitching her voice
still higher. "But I will not suffer you to take such liberties any
longer; and if grandfather does not call you to order, I will myself
put you out of doors, and all your delicacies with you."
"For heaven's sake, Francis, calm yourself," said Von Zwenken;
"remember that Jonker van Zonshoven is a witness of your unseemly
conduct."
"All the better. The Jonker chooses to become our guest, and he
shall see and know into what a mean and miserable a household he has
entered. I will put no blind before his eyes."
"There is, however, a difference between trying to blind people, and
tearing off the bandages from the sores in this way, Miss Mordaunt,"
I replied, with emphasis.
"Possibly, Jonker; but I cannot hide my meaning in fine words. I
must speak plainly. I would rather live on bread and water than be
beholden to another for these luxuries."
With this she left the room, giving me a defiant look, which I
returned by a shake of the head, to signify how much I disapproved
of her conduct and the intemperance of her language.
Whilst we stood staring at each other, we three gentlemen, in a state
of stupefaction, she just put her head in at the door and said--
"Captain, you will attend to the housekeeping duties to-day; I am
going for a ride."
"At your service, Commandant," answered Rolf, bringing his hand to
his cap in military fashion.
I could not help expressing my amazement at the coolness with which
he treated the whole affair.
"What could I say, Jonker; such outbursts are not new to me. I saw
this morning that the weather-glass stood at storm. The quicker and
more violent the storm, the sooner it is over; and you know an old
soldier is proof against weather."
"I am glad I warned you beforehand, nephew, of my granddaughter's
temper," said the General, with a deep sigh, without raising his
head to look at me. "Once she's got an idea into her head, there is
no opposing her; she'll drive through anything, like a man on his
hobby-horse; she never reasons."
I thought to myself, she reasons only too logically for you; and he
evidently felt it, for throughout the whole scene he had sat with
his head down, nervously playing with his ring.
"Come, General, don't be cast down," said Rolf, cheerily: "we'll
maintain our alliance against the common foe, and the wind will
change again."
As he spoke he unfolded a long, small parcel; it contained a
riding-whip. "I am afraid the moment is inopportune," he said;
"and yet she will need it. Who knows but she'll accept my present?"
"I hope not," I said to myself; "that would lower her in my esteem."
"She deserves to be chastised with it," interposed the General,
now giving vent to his pent-up rage.
"Yes, Excellency, that we ought to have done twenty years ago. It
was a mistake to promote her to the command before we had taught her
the discipline."
"A great mistake," sighed the General.
Rolf now set to work to attend to his housekeeping duties, and I
excused myself under the pretext of having letters to write; for I
had a great wish to be alone and reflect on all I had seen and heard
this morning.