DOCTOR FABIAN'S DIPLOMATIC MISSION.
The diplomatic mission about to be intrusted to Doctor Fabian did not
seem half so difficult to Herr Witold in its execution as in its
preliminary arrangements. In order to gain reliable information of what
was going on at C----, the doctor must have access to the house of the
Princess Zulieski, and this could be obtained only through Waldemar.
But how could the old man broach this matter to his foster-son without
receiving a decided refusal? Chance came very unexpectedly to his aid.
At Waldemar's last visit the princess had expressed a desire to become
personally acquainted with her son's tutor. Herr Witold admitted, for
the first time in his life, that the princess had expressed a very
proper and reasonable wish. The doctor had indulged a secret hope that
the proposed mission would be thwarted by the obstinacy of his pupil,
but he found himself held inexorably to his promise, and was obliged to
accompany Waldemar to C----.
Waldemar went on horseback; riding was a passion with him, and he
disliked slow driving over the stony road, when he could ride at full
gallop. It did not occur to him that he ought to take a seat in the
carriage with his tutor; but Doctor Fabian was accustomed to such
slights, and being naturally timid and yielding, he neither had the
courage to resent uncourteous treatment, nor to resign his position.
Besides, he possessed no fortune, and a situation was a vital question
with him. Life at Altenhof did not please him, and he took little part
in it: he appeared in the family circle only at meals and when he
passed an occasional hour with Herr Witold. His pupil engrossed none
too much of his attention; Waldemar was always glad when study hours
were over, and his tutor was still more so. The rest of the time was
at the tutor's disposal, and he could freely devote himself to his
hobby--ancient German history. Thanks to this favorite study, Doctor
Fabian had not followed the example of his six predecessors, and run
away. Knowing that Altenhof offered him ample opportunities and
abundant leisure for historical research, he patiently endured all the
discomforts of his lot. He did not think of complaining to-day when
Waldemar galloped on ahead of him, promising to await him at the
entrance of the town, where he would arrive toward noon.
Upon their arrival they found Wanda alone in the drawing-room. Doctor
Fabian, although very much embarrassed, went through the introduction
passably well; but, unfortunately, his evident and somewhat comical
anxiety to please provoked the young girl to set about teasing him at
once.
"And so you are my cousin Waldemar's tutor?" she said; "I offer you my
sincere condolence, and pity you with all my heart."
Fabian was alarmed and astonished. He gazed, now at the ceiling, and
now at his pupil, who seemed not to have heard the mocking words, for
his manner did not betray the slightest indication of anger.
"I--I do not quite understand you, countess," stammered the doctor.
"I mean that, in educating Waldemar Nordeck, you have no enviable
task," replied Wanda, saucily, and evidently very much amused at the
tutor's embarrassment.
Doctor Fabian, knowing the extreme sensitiveness of his pupil, gazed at
him in alarm. Often enough far less offensive words from Herr Witold
had roused him to fury; but now, for some unaccountable reason, there
was not the slightest token of a storm. The young man leaned calmly
against Wanda's chair, and even smiled as, bending over her, he
asked,--
"Do you really think me so bad?"
"Of course I do. Didn't I see you in a rage day before yesterday about
a rudder?"
"But I was not angry with you," said Waldemar.
The doctor dropped the hat which he had thus far held in both hands.
What sort of a tone was this, and what meant the glance that
accompanied it? The conversation went on in the same strain. Wanda,
inclined to mischief as usual, teased Waldemar most unmercifully; but
he submitted with inexhaustible patience. It seemed that nothing from
this source could irritate or offend him. He smiled at all the young
girl's sallies; he seemed completely transformed when in her presence.
"Doctor Fabian is listening to us with the greatest interest," she
said, laughing. "He is, no doubt, delighted with our good-humor."
Poor Doctor Fabian! He was not at all delighted, he was only
bewildered. Small as was his experience in love affairs, the truth,
little by little, dawned upon him; he began to see what was going on.
This explained Waldemar's sudden reconciliation, his eagerness to ride
to C---- in sun and storm, his complete transformation. It would be a
terrible blow to Herr Witold, who cherished such a deeply-rooted hatred
of the whole "Polish party." The diplomatic mission was even at the
outset an entire success, but its result so surprised the ambassador
that he would have very likely forgotten his instructions and betrayed
his amazement, if the princess had not appeared at that moment.
The princess had more than one reason for desiring a personal
acquaintance with her son's tutor, who would also accompany his pupil
to the university. Now that she and Waldemar had become reconciled, his
immediate surroundings could not be a matter of indifference to her. A
ten minutes' acquaintance with Fabian convinced her that no opposition
need be feared from him; that, on the contrary, he would be a passive
instrument in her hands. From this constant companion much could be
learned in the future which could not be obtained from the inaccessible
Waldemar. She did Fabian the honor to regard him as a suitable
instrument for her plans; she lavished the most condescending
attentions upon him, and the humility with which he received her
condescensions pleased her greatly. She forgave his timidity and
embarrassment; or rather, she thought them quite proper in her
presence, and she was graciously pleased to enter into a prolonged
conversation with him.
Upon his mother's entrance into the room Waldemar became reserved as
usual. He took little part in the conversation, but he finally said a
few words to the princess in an undertone. She rose and walked with him
to the balcony.
"Do you wish to speak with me alone?" she asked.
"Only a moment. I merely wished to say that it will be impossible for
me to accompany you and Leo to Villica, as we had proposed."
"Why?" asked the mother, anxiously. "Have difficulties been placed in
your way?"
"Yes; there are certain formalities to be complied with on my arriving
at my majority,--certain legal transactions at which I must be present.
My father's will has specifications in this respect of which neither I
nor my uncle Witold dreamed; and just now, when I wish to go away, the
notice comes. For the present I must remain at Altenhof."
"Well, then, we too shall postpone our departure, and I must send Wanda
alone to her father."
"By no means," returned Waldemar, vehemently. "I have written to
Villica that you will arrive there in a few days, and have ordered the
preparations necessary for your reception. I shall follow you as soon
as I am at liberty to do so; in any event, I shall pass a few weeks
with you before I leave for the university."
"Does your guardian know of this, Waldemar?"
"No; I have only spoken to him of my intention to visit Villica."
"Then you will have to explain our sojourn there to him?"
"I shall do so; for the rest, I have directed the superintendent of the
estate to place himself at your disposal until I come myself. You have
only to give your orders; they will be obeyed."
The princess would fain have expressed her thanks, but the words died
on her lips. She well knew that this generosity was not for her sake,
and the peculiarly cold manner in which it was tendered compelled her
to accept it just as coldly, if she would not humiliate herself.
"We shall certainly expect you. As for Leo--"
"Leo is still sulking over our quarrel of day before yesterday. On my
arrival, he went down to the strand to avoid meeting me."
The mother frowned. Leo had received an especial command to meet his
brother kindly, and this defiance came at a most inopportune moment.
"Leo is often hasty and indiscreet; I will see that he asks your
pardon."
"O, no; don't give yourself that trouble," said Waldemar,
indifferently; "we will arrange matters ourselves."
They re-entered the drawing-room, where Wanda had been amusing herself
by throwing Doctor Fabian from one embarrassment into another. The
princess now came to his relief: she wished to speak with him privately
about her son's course of study, and begged him to accompany her into
the next room.
"Poor doctor," remarked Wanda, gazing after him. "It seems to me,
Waldemar, that you and your tutor have changed roles; you have not the
least respect for him, but he is mortally afraid of you."
Waldemar did not contradict this assertion, which was only too true. He
merely replied, "Do you consider Doctor Fabian a person calculated to
inspire respect?"
"O, no, not at all; but he seems very good-tempered and forbearing."
"That maybe; but these are qualities I do not at all appreciate,"
replied Waldemar, contemptuously.
"Must one tyrannize over you in order to gain your respect?" asked
Wanda, archly.
Waldemar drew up his chair, and sat down near her. "That depends upon
who the tyrant is," he said. "I should not advise any one at Altenhof
to try this game, and here I allow it to only one individual."
"_I_ should not dare attempt such a thing," said Wanda, in a low tone.
He made no reply; his thoughts seemed to flow in another channel.
"Did you not think it very beautiful at the beech-holm day before
yesterday?" he asked, abruptly.
The young countess blushed, but assuming a contradictory tone, she
answered, "The place seemed dismal in spite of its beauty, and as for
those sea legends of yours, I shall not listen to them at sunset again.
Ere long I might come to believe in the old traditions."
"Yes, that is true. You reproached me for not being able to comprehend
the poetry of the legend; what should _I_ know about poetry?"
Wanda was silent; that strange embarrassment she every now and then
felt in the presence of this young man, again came over her. She had
attempted to banish it by laughing and jesting, and in the presence of
others she succeeded; but as soon as they were alone, the feeling
returned with new power, and she could not assume her usual
unconstrained manner. That eventful sojourn at the beech-holm had given
a peculiar gravity to an affair which ought to be a jest and nothing
more.
Waldemar waited in vain for an answer, and felt hurt at not receiving
it. "I have informed my mother that I cannot go to Villica just now,"
he said; "I shall come in three or four weeks."
"Well, that is a very short time," Wanda observed.
"A short time! It is an eternity! You have no idea of what it costs me
to remain here and allow you to depart alone."
"Say no more, I entreat you," interrupted Wanda, with perceptible
emotion. But Waldemar went on in the same impassioned strain:--
"I promised you to wait until we were in Villica, but then I hoped to
accompany you. Now a month perhaps will pass ere we meet again, and I
cannot remain silent all this time. I cannot endure the thought of your
being with Leo so long, and not knowing that you are mine, and mine
only."
The declaration came so suddenly, so impetuously, that Wanda had no
time to avert it; and if time had been given her, the effort would have
been fruitless. He had again seized her hand, and held it firmly as at
the beech-holm.
"Do not shrink from me, Wanda; you must long have known what chains me
here. I could not conceal it; you have allowed me to come; you have not
repelled me, and so I have been encouraged to speak. I know that I am
not like others, that I am deficient in much, perhaps in everything
that would please you; but I can and will learn. It is solely for your
sake that I impose upon myself these years of study at the university.
What do I care for learning or for society? They have no charm for me;
but because I lack these advantages, I have seen you shrink from me and
make sport of me. The time will come when you cannot do this. Let me
only know that you will one day be mine, that I may come back to claim
you, and I will shrink from no effort that would make me worthy of you.
Wanda, I have been lonely and forsaken from my infancy. If I appear,
rough and uncultivated, you must remember that I have had no mother's
care, no mother's love. Do not wonder that I am not like Leo, who has
enjoyed all of which I have been deprived. But my nature is more
intense than his; I can love more warmly and deeply than he. You are
the only being I have ever loved, and a single word from you will atone
for all the past. Speak this word to me, Wanda; or at least give me the
hope that I may one day hear it from you. But do not say _No_, for I
will not bear it."
He had literally fallen on his knees before her; but Wanda had no
thought of exultation in the triumph she in her girlish arrogance had
sought. A dim premonition had now and then come over her that the sport
might have a more serious ending than she had anticipated, that its
_finale_ would not be a mere joke: but she had banished the
apprehension with all the levity of her sixteen years. Now the decisive
moment had come, and she must speak. She must face an ardent proposal,
which inexorably demanded acceptance or refusal. True, this was no
chivalrous, attractive wooing; it had nothing of that romance and
tenderness a young girl craves. Even in the declaration of his love,
Waldemar's rude, impetuous nature was apparent, but every word
expressed violent and long pent-up emotion, and was full of the ardor
of intense passion. For the first time Wanda comprehended the deep
earnestness of Waldemar's love for her, and her conscience uttered this
burning reproach: "What hast thou done?" Her voice trembled with
anguish as she said,--
"Rise, Waldemar, I entreat you!"
"When I hear Yes from your lips, and not until then."
"I cannot answer you--not now; rise, I beg you!"
He would not listen. He still remained on his knees, when the door
unexpectedly opened, and Leo entered. For a moment he stood in the
middle of the room like one petrified. Then an exclamation of anger
passed his lips,--
"_You have won, after all!_"
Waldemar sprang to his feet, his eyes flashing with rage.
"What do you want here?" he cried.
Leo had been white with passion, but the tone of his brother's question
sent the blood mounting to his forehead. In an instant he stood before
Waldemar.
"You think my presence superfluous and intrusive, and yet I could give
you the best possible explanation of the scene that just met my eyes."
"Silence, Leo!" exclaimed Wanda, half entreatingly, half imperiously;
but jealousy made Leo forget all discretion and forbearance.
"I will not be silent; my promise extended only to the decision of the
wager, and I have now seen with my own eyes how it is decided. I have
often entreated you to stop this sport. You knew that it vexed me--that
it drove me to despair; and yet you pushed it to the last extremity.
And shall I now humbly submit to be shown the door as an intruder by
Waldemar, who exults in his supposed triumph? Shall I bear all this in
silence,--I, who have heard you boast that you would bring him as
suitor to your feet? You have accomplished your purpose, but he shall
at least know the truth."
Waldemar, thunderstruck at that word _wager_, stood motionless, his
right hand clutching the back of his chair, while his eyes were fixed
upon Wanda with a bewildered, inquiring expression.
"What does this mean?" he asked, in a scarce audible voice.
Wanda hung her head in conscious guilt. Anger against Leo struggled in
her breast with her own sense of shame. Leo did not reply to his
brother's question; the sudden change in Waldemar's face silenced him.
Moreover, he began to realize the critical position in which he had
placed Wanda, and he dared not seek to rescue her.
"What does this mean?" Waldemar repeated, starting from his momentary
stupor, and confronting Wanda. "Leo speaks of a wager, of a game of
which I am the victim. Answer me, Wanda; I can believe you, and you
only. Tell me that it is false--"
"And so you think me a liar!" broke out Leo. But his brother did not
hear him. Wanda's silence told him enough; he required no further
confirmation. As the truth was laid bare to him, the whole ferocity of
his nature broke forth; the spell that had held him so long was broken,
and passion carried him beyond all bounds.
"I _will_ have an answer," he said. "Have I been a mere plaything for
you, nothing but an object of ridicule? Have you been laughing at me
and deriding me, while I-- Wanda, you shall answer me on the spot,
or--"
He did not end the menace, but his look and tone were so threatening
that Leo stepped before Wanda to protect her. She, too, stood erect and
defiant; the half-uttered threat had exasperated her and restored her
self-control.
"I will not be called to account in this way!" she began, excitedly;
then her eye met Waldemar's, and she stopped short. Although his
features were livid with rage, his eyes betrayed the unspeakable
torture of the man who sees his love betrayed and mocked, and his
adored idol ruthlessly torn from him. Wanda's voice seemed to have
brought him back to his senses; the clenched hands relaxed, but the
lips closed firmly as if no sound must escape them. The chest rose and
fell in a violent struggle to repress its pent-up fury; but the effort
was too great, the young man staggered and sank into a chair.
"What is the matter, Waldemar?" Leo asked, becoming alarmed, and
repenting of his inconsiderate action. "If I had known that you would
take the affair so seriously, I should have remained silent."
Waldemar rose with blanched face and trembling limbs, and, with a
defiant gesture at his brother, turned to go without uttering a word.
At this juncture the princess appeared, accompanied by Doctor Fabian.
The loud talking had penetrated her apartment, and she knew that
something unusual was going on in the drawing-room. She entered softly,
and remained for a moment unobserved. Wanda still stood in her place,
oscillating between fear and defiance; but fear at length gained the
mastery, and in the tone of an offending child begging pardon, she
called the young man back.
"_Waldemar!_"
He paused. "Do you wish to speak with me, Countess Morynski?"
The young girl trembled. It was the first time such an icy, cutting,
contemptuous tone had met her ear, and the deep glow that suddenly
overspread her face showed how intensely she felt it. The princess now
confronted her son.
"What has happened? Where are you going, Waldemar?"
"Away from _here_!" he replied, morosely, without meeting her gaze.
"But tell me the reason--"
"I can not-- Let me go. I will not remain;" and pressing past her, he
hurried away.
"Explain this strange scene to me," said the princess, imperiously,
turning to Wanda and Leo. "Remain, doctor," she added, as Doctor
Fabian, who had stood nervously in the doorway, made a movement to
follow his pupil. "In any event here is some misunderstanding, and I
wish you to bear an explanation of it to my son Waldemar. I cannot do
this, his abrupt departure has rendered it impossible. What has
happened? I must and will know."
Wanda, instead of answering, threw herself upon the sofa, and began to
sob violently; but Leo followed his mother to a remote part of the
room, and told her the whole affair. At every word the lady's brow
grew darker; it evidently cost her an effort to maintain her composure,
but she at length turned to the doctor, and said, with apparent
calmness,--
"It is just as I supposed; a misunderstanding--nothing more. A foolish
wager between my niece and younger son has given Waldemar cause for
offence; I beg of you to tell him that I sincerely regret this
occurrence, but I hope he will attach as little importance to the folly
of these presumptuous children as it deserves."
"I had perhaps best seek my pupil immediately."
"Yes, certainly," replied the lady, glad to have the innocent yet
unwelcome witness of this family quarrel take his departure. "_Au
revoir_, doctor. I depend upon your speedy return in Waldemar's
company."
She spoke these words very graciously, and answered the tutor's
farewell greeting with a smile.
But as soon as the door closed behind him, she turned to Wanda and Leo
with a face and gestures that indicated, before she had spoken a word,
the violent storm that was raging in her breast.
Meanwhile Doctor Fabian learned from Paul that Waldemar had ridden
away. No alternative was left him but to follow immediately to
Altenhof, and he started at once. Upon his arrival he learned that
Waldemar had not been there, and he could not help feeling alarmed at
an absence which ordinarily he would not have noticed. The conclusion
of the excited scene he had witnessed allowed him to divine the truth;
he felt sure that something more weighty than a mere jest or a slight
misunderstanding had caused Waldemar's fit of passion and abrupt
departure. The young man who had just before borne so patiently Wanda's
whims and caprices, would not have allowed a slight matter to move him
so deeply. That whole afternoon the doctor awaited Waldemar's return to
Altenhof, but he did not appear. Herr Witold had gone to the city and
was not expected home until evening, and so the doctor was not harassed
by questions from the guardian, which he could not have answered.
Hour after hour glided away; the evening shadows began to fall, but
Waldemar was neither seen nor heard of by any one connected with the
household. Anxiety drove the doctor out of doors. He walked along the
carriage road leading to the estate, over which every visitor must
pass. A short distance from the highway lay a very wide and deep ditch,
usually full of water, but now the summer's heat rendered it perfectly
dry, and the huge stones at its bottom were exposed to view. The bridge
crossing it afforded a splendid view of the surrounding landscape. It
was still broad day in the open fields, but twilight already enveloped
the forest. As the doctor stood on the bridge considering whether he
had better go on or turn back, the figure of a horseman advancing on
the gallop appeared in the distance. The doctor heaved a sigh of
relief. He had not really known what to fear, but he now felt that his
anxiety had been groundless, and full of delight he hastened along the
edge of the ditch to meet the rider.
"Thank God, you have come, Waldemar! I have been so anxious on your
account."
Upon seeing his tutor, Waldemar reined up his horse. "Why have you been
anxious?" he asked. "Am I a child who cannot be trusted out of your
sight?"
In spite of this forced composure there was a strange ring in the young
man's voice, which again aroused the doctor's misgivings. He now for
the first time noticed that the horse was panting with fatigue, that
his nostrils were covered with foam and his breast heaved violently.
The animal had no doubt been mercilessly ridden, but the rider showed
no signs of fatigue. He sat erect in the saddle, holding the reins with
an iron grip, and instead of turning aside in the direction of the
fields, it was his evident intention to leap the ditch.
"For heaven's sake, stop!" cried Fabian. "You will not be guilty of
such rashness! You know that Norman has never leaped this ditch."
"But he will now!" replied Waldemar, plunging his spurs into the
horse's flanks. Norman sprang forward, but bolted at the margin and
refused to take the leap.
"Listen to me!" cried the doctor, imploringly, as he approached the
frantic beast. "You require an impossibility; the leap cannot be made,
and you will be dashed in pieces on the rocks below."
Without deigning a reply, Waldemar again urged Norman on. "Get out of
my way," he cried; "I shall make the leap. Get out of the way, I tell
you!"
That wild, anguished tone showed the tutor the mental condition of his
pupil, who really would as soon have been dashed in pieces as to make
the leap in safety. In his intense fear of impending calamity, the
doctor conquered his usual timidity and seized the bridle, determined
to dissuade the young man from his foolhardy attempt. But Waldemar gave
a terrific stroke of the whip to the refractory animal, which reared
and beat wildly with his fore-feet in the air, but refused to take the
leap. At this moment a faint cry of distress reached the rider's ear.
He was startled, paused, and, quick as lightning, reined back his
horse; but it was too late! As Waldemar, the next instant, sprang to
the ground, he saw his tutor lying before him motionless and bleeding.