AMONG FRIENDS
The stout lady, asking Hans question after question, led the way to a
large, roomy house surrounded by a garden, now bare and wintry, the
limbs of fruit trees, birches, and shrubs crackling with ice.
"This is, naturally, not our own house, Johannes," explained the lady,
who had just finished telling him how she and her family had fled from
Berlin upon the approach of Napoleon. "This is my husband's brother's
home," she continued, leading the way to the door. "In the spring we
shall move to Koenigsberg, where my husband will become professor in the
University. Come in, Hans, come in. Ja, ja, you are right. It is a
comfortable house, but the cold here in Memel is awful. Carl," she
turned quickly to the small boy who was teasing his sister, "behave
yourself, or I'll send you to Napoleon!"
It was funny to see him straighten up and become quickly as good as his
sisters.
"Come in, come in," she closed the door quickly. "Husband! Richard!" she
called very loudly.
A door at the end of the hall opened in response, and out came a grave,
learned-looking man, who smiled kindly from face to face.
"Richard! Richard!" the lady's voice screamed with excitement, "who do
you think is here?"
She drew forward Hans and Bettina.
"An old soldier of my dear father's regiment," her voice vibrated with
pride, "and one, dear Richard, who was with the great Frederick, and,
oh, such a favourite with father, was it not so, Hans?"
The old soldier shrugged his shoulders as much as to say, "It is not for
me to agree."
"Ja, ja, Richard, he was, and a favourite of our dear lost little Erna.
It was such a surprise to see him," and she motioned the group to the
warmth of the sitting room. Then, all crowding around the tall, green
stove, Hans told his story.
"Heavens, dear Richard!" the stout lady pulled out an embroidered pocket
handkerchief, "but seeing him brings back the past."
Then she turned to the pretty young girl.
"Mariechen, take the twins upstairs and see that they are quite dry as
to stockings; go, also, dear child," she smiled at Bettina, who, feeling
shy and strange, followed across the hall and upstairs to the room into
which the young lady entered.
"The child is tired," she heard the lady saying, "and Hans must see our
King. He has brought messages. They must stay here. Ja, ja, Hans. The
house is big, and our brother Joachim gives me my will."
Then the door closed and Bettina heard no more.
In the great room where she found herself sat a dark-haired young lady
embroidering.
"Pauline, Pauline!" called the children, "Hans has come, and here is
Bettina."
Then, before the pretty young girl could explain, in came the stout lady
and told the one called Pauline how once this Hans had saved her little
sister's life, and how the family never could forget it, and that
Bettina must be dressed drily in one of the children's bed-gowns and
given warm milk and at once sent to bed and left there.
"I'll tell you the story presently. The child must not hear it again. It
is dreadful."
When Bettina was safely in bed, up came Hans and the gentleman.
"My oldest son, Franz, was at Jena," she heard the latter saying--and
then to her surprise her grandfather called him "Herr Professor."
Bettina, her eyes sparkling, sat up in bed.
"Grandfather, dear grandfather!" she called, and when he came close, she
drew down his head and whispered most eagerly.
"Nein, nein, child," they all heard him reply, and then Bettina insist:
"But, yes, dear grandfather. Please, please ask him, I know it, dear
grandfather, I know it."
"What is it, Hans?" and the Herr Professor came close to Bettina,
smiling in his kind, fatherly way.
"She will have it, sir," answered the old soldier, "that your name must
be 'Von Stork,' and that you are the father of the young Prussian
soldier whom we nursed in the Forest House!"
"I know it, dear grandfather, I know it," burst out Bettina in high
excitement. "The Herr Lieutenant told me of Carl and Ilse and Elsa and
Mademoiselle Pauline and his big sister, Marianne, and of how our Queen
kissed Carl--and----"
Bettina could say no more.
Screaming and crying out, they all crowded round exclaiming that it was
their Franz, their own dear Franz and no other.
And then they would know everything and all he did and said and just
where he was wounded and how they took him prisoner, and Madame von
Stork fell to weeping, and all the others cried, "Ja, ja," and "Nein,
nein," so loud and so much that poor, tired little Bettina was almost
deafened.
And then Hans must go all over the whole story for them again, and it
set Bettina to weeping, and the old man to vowing vengeance against
Napoleon.
Madame von Stork first rejoiced because her boy was alive, and then wept
because he was a prisoner, and she thanked Hans over and over, and told
him that she would care for Bettina so long as they remained in Memel.
And then they all went from the room and Bettina fell sound asleep, and
did not move until the next morning.
But, no, she moved once, for her grandfather, coming into the room,
waked her and asked her if she had taken the letter from her dress
lining.
"Nein, grandfather," she had answered and then had gone off to sleep.
When next morning she opened her blue eyes, her grandfather was packing
his bundle.
Her little heart sank and her eyes filled. Was she to go forth in the
ice and the wet and the snow and that awful wind again?
"Nein, nein, little one," said the old man, patting her cheek very
kindly. "You shall stay here with my good Mademoiselle Clara," for so he
called Madame von Stork, as he had known her when she was as small as
Bettina, and he explained that he was going alone, but would return in a
day or two to Memel.
Then, sitting on her bed, he asked her question after question.
Had she told anyone of the letter, had a person touched her dress?
"Nein, grandfather, nein," she said.
At first she was quite certain.
But, presently, she remembered the woman they had lodged with, and how
she must have cleaned her dress and dried it.
The old man clapped his knee with his hand.
"Ach Himmel, child!" he cried. "It is she who has stolen it."
Then he shouldered his bundle, declaring he must fetch it.
"Auf wiedersehen, my Bettina," he said, and departed from Memel.
It was only a day's journey to the village, but a week passed and no
Hans. Then another.
Madame von Stork shook her head.
"His trouble has crazed him," she said. "We will keep the child, yes?"
and she looked at her husband.
The Professor nodded.
"Our Franz loved her," he answered. "She is not noble, it is true, but
she is sweet and good, and our children love her. The Stork's nest, dear
wife," and he smiled at her lovingly, "is always big enough for one
more, it is not, my dear Clara?"
Madame von Stork nodded.
Pauline was not their child, but a French refugee whose parents were
nobles who had perished in the Revolution. The Stork's nest had received
her; so why not another?
"Let her remain," concluded the Professor, "until the old man returns,
or we can make some provision for her."
So Bettina became one of the "Nest", as the von Storks always called
their home, and with so much love and kindness about her, the little
girl soon forgot much that she had suffered.
"But I should like to see Willy Schmidt and my little brothers," once
she said to Marianne, who was her favourite.
The little round-faced, tow-headed twins flew to her sides, each taking
a hand and pressing it against her chubby cheek.
"When Barbarossa, that you told us of, Bettina, comes out of the cave,
our father will take us all to Thuringia," promised Ilse.
"What nonsense, you geese," and Carl laughed scornfully. "There isn't a
Barbarossa. Otto says so, and he's fifteen and knows everything.
Anyway," he looked very proud of his knowledge, "nobody can conqueror
the Emperor!"
But when he heard that Bettina had really seen the awful Napoleon, he
listened with wideopen blue eyes and was not so important.
Perhaps, after all, Bettina did know something.
"And you saw him," he asked, "saw Napoleon?"
"Ja wohl," answered Bettina, glad to have the young hero listen
respectfully.
"And he didn't run away with you?" Carl looked eager.
Bettina shook her golden head.
"Nein, nein, or I should not be here." The twins roared. As for Carl, he
laughed very rudely and snapped his fingers at Marianne.
"You just hear, Mariechen," he said, "Bettina's seen Napoleon and he
didn't do a thing to her."
At that was the whole Stork's Nest most sorrowful, for now they knew
that Carl would never behave, since Napoleon was the only thing he was
afraid of.
While they were talking, Elsa and Ilse cried out to come quickly and see
who was passing, and they all crowded to the windows, breathing on the
frost that they might see out more clearly.
What they saw was a tall, handsome gentleman with a kind, but very sad
face, a lovely lady leaning on his arm, and two little boys, one tall
and handsome, the other, delicate-faced with soft curly hair, clinging
to the hand of the lady.
It was the King and Queen of Prussia, with the Crown Prince and little
Prince William.
"God be praised," said Madame von Stork. "Our dear, dear Queen has
recovered." She stood behind the group and watched, having entered the
room while they were talking.
As for little Bettina, a great happiness filled her.
Her lovely Queen lived here in Memel and she walked out like other
people.
"Perhaps," she said to Ilse, "one day we shall meet her."
But Ilse did not answer.
"Look, Bettina," she cried, "our King is talking to father."
Sure enough there was the Professor standing with their Majesties, first
looking cheerful, then becoming grave and attentive.
As soon as he entered the house he called to his wife. They talked for a
long time in private, and after that day everybody in the house was
very, very kind to Bettina. Sometimes Madame von Stork's eyes would fill
when they gazed at her, and once, when the little girl told her that she
was making a nice pair of stockings for her grandfather, the lady began
to weep.
Bettina thought her tears were for the Herr Lieutenant, and sat very
quiet. Only she could not help wondering why no one ever said a word
about her grandfather.