BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER.
An ominous atmosphere brooded over Villica, filling all its inmates
with gloomy foreboding. Since the return of Waldemar and Wanda from the
border-forester's the night before, a storm had raged in the upper
apartments of the castle, and it had not yet subsided. The young
countess after an interview with her aunt, had shut herself up in her
chamber, where she still remained. The princess also sought seclusion,
and when she appeared, which was but seldom, her look and manner
frightened the servants, who well knew that this knitted brow and these
compressed lips boded no good. Waldemar also had lost that icy
composure which he retained outwardly whatever storms might rage within
his breast; he seemed dejected and irritated. Perhaps this was due to
the fact that Wanda had twice to-day denied him an interview. He had
not seen her since that moment when he had laid her swooning and
unconscious in the arms of his mother. She refused to see him, and yet
he knew that she was not seriously ill; the physician had repeatedly
assured him that her wound was not dangerous.
Waldemar, however, had but little time for personal matters, so many
outside things demanded his attention. The forester's corpse was
brought to Villica, and with it came tidings that all his men had fled
beyond the border. The forester's range was confided to other hands. In
the midst of all these preoccupations, Assessor Hubert kept coming with
inquiries and advice, until Waldemar lost all patience, and summarily
dismissed the troublesome official. Scarce was he rid of the assessor,
when other concerns demanded his immediate attention.
The authorities of L---- had been informed of the position and the
plans of the insurgent forces over the border; a fight was daily
expected, and orders had been given to reinforce the frontier garrison.
A large detachment of soldiers passed through Villica, and during a
brief halt in the village its officers called upon Herr Nordeck, who
was obliged to entertain them alone. Now that he had taken an open
stand against her party, his mother refused to receive his guests. Late
in the afternoon the detachment moved on in season to reach the
designated post before dark; and now came Doctor Fabian, the accepted
lover and future professor, with his double tidings, which he hoped
would call forth the interest and sympathy of his former pupil,
compelling him to rejoice in another's happiness while he saw his own
sinking into irretrievable ruin. It required an iron nature like
Waldemar's to preserve a semblance of equanimity under so many trying
circumstances.
Two days had fled since the tragedy at the forester's house. The
princess, having passed a restless night, had risen early, and was
alone in her private parlor. The gray, misty dawn only partially
lighted the lofty room, half of which still lay in shadow. The fire on
the hearth threw an uncertain, flickering light upon the carpet and
around the form of the lady who sat before it.
Lost in gloomy reflection, she rested her head upon her hand; her heart
and mind were full of that event in which her niece had played so
prominent a part. The woman who had hitherto shown herself equal to any
emergency, was not equal to the present situation. The ruthlessness
with which she had unveiled her niece's heart so as to arm her against
the passion that had begun to enthrall her, the months of entire
separation, that last warning at Radowicz,--all had been in vain; all
had vanished before a danger that menaced Waldemar. Wanda had informed
her aunt of everything that had occurred at the forester's house; she
was too proud, too thoroughly identified with the cause of her people,
to allow the least suspicion of treason to rest upon her. She assured
her aunt that she had sent no warning, had awakened no suspicion, that
she had intervened only at the last moment when nothing else would have
saved Waldemar. The wound on her arm attested the manner in which she
had intervened.
Waldemar's entrance aroused the princess from these torturing
reflections. She knew the reason of his coming. Paul had informed her
that after three futile attempts to gain an interview with Wanda that
morning, Herr Nordeck had at last succeeded. He approached slowly, and
paused before his mother.
"Do you come from Wanda?" she asked.
"I do."
The mother gazed intently into her son's face, which was flushed with
excitement, and yet wore an expression of intense but suppressed
sorrow.
"Then, in spite of her remonstrances, you forced your way to her! You
have at least learned that it was not my command which closed Wanda's
door against you. She expressly declared that she did not wish to see
you."
"I had a right to see and to speak with Wanda, who has risked her life
for me," he said; "I was compelled to speak with her. O, remain calm,"
he added, bitterly, as the princess was about to make an angry reply;
"your niece has fully justified your expectations, and done her best to
deprive me of all hope. She insists that she is following her own
wishes, while she is blindly submissive to yours; she only echoes your
words and opinions. She would have yielded to my influence, if she had
not been so completely under yours. You have persuaded her that the
promise, which as a mere child you almost forced her to give my
brother, is an irrevocable vow, and that to break it would be a deadly
sin. You have so inoculated her with your national prejudices--"
"Waldemar!" interposed the princess.
"With your national prejudices," he repeated, emphatically, "that she
thinks it would be treason to her family and to her people to consent
to be my wife, because I chance to be a German, and circumstances
compel me to oppose your party schemes. Yes, you have attained your
wish; she would sooner die than lift her hand to free herself from her
engagement, or give me permission to free her. For this I have to thank
you alone."
"I have certainly reminded Wanda of her duty," replied the princess,
coldly. "I hardly needed to do so, for she had already come to her
senses; I hope that you may soon do the same. Since that day when you
in this very room declared yourself my enemy, I have known that your
former boyish fancy had grown into an ardent passion, and the events of
the last two days have taught me to what an extent that passion is
returned. It would be useless to censure you for what has happened, the
past cannot be recalled, but you and Wanda must now be conscious that
you owe Leo nothing less than absolute separation. Wanda already
understands this, and you must submit to it."
"Must I?" asked Waldemar. "Mother, you know that submission is not one
of my virtues, and can I submit here, where my life's happiness is at
stake?"
The princess gazed at him with an expression of surprise and terror.
"What does this mean?" she asked. "Will you attempt to rob your brother
of his bride, after having robbed him of her love?"
"Leo has never possessed Wanda's love; she knew neither herself nor her
heart when she yielded to his affection, yielded to her father's wishes
and to yours, and to family plans. Her love belongs to me; and now that
I have this certainty, I shall know how to assert my claim to what is
rightfully my own."
"Do not be so positive, Waldemar!" said the princess, almost
derisively. "Have you considered what response your brother will give
to such presumption?"
"I would release my betrothed if she declared to me that her love
belonged to another; I would do it, no matter what such renunciation
cost me. I know Leo, and I am sure he will adopt no such course; he
will be beside himself, he will goad Wanda to desperation, and inflict
a series of terrible scenes upon us all."
"Will you give him precepts upon moderation, you who are inflicting
such a mortal wound upon him?" returned the mother. "Leo is absent, he
is battling for the holiest rights of his people, and while he is
hourly staking his life for his country, he does not suspect that his
brother, at home, behind his back--"
She paused, for Waldemar's hand was laid heavily upon hers. "_Mother_,"
he said, in a voice that was full of warning, for in him this hollow,
suppressed tone always preceded an eruption; "stop these accusations
which you do not yourself believe! You know better than all others how
Wanda and I have fought against this passion, you know what finally
unsealed our lips. Behind Leo's back! The letter I wrote to him before
my interview with Wanda is in my room; read it if you will. That
interview changes nothing. He must know that we have confessed our love
to each other, we have no wish to conceal it from him. I would like to
confide my letter to you; you know where Leo is to be found, and can
forward it to him."
"By no means!" cried the princess, excitedly. "I know too well the
fiery temper of my son to inflict this torture upon him. To remain away
perhaps for months, while all his jealousy is aroused and his dearest
hopes are jeopardized, might be beyond his powers of endurance; and he
must remain steadfast, he dares not leave his post until the contest
there is decided. No, no; Leo must not be informed! Wanda has promised
silence, you also must promise it. She will go home to-day, and when
she has fully recovered, she will visit our relatives in M----, and
remain with them until Leo returns to assert his rights in person."
"I know all this," returned Waldemar, sadly; "she herself has told me;
she cannot place miles enough between us. I have tried every argument
at the command of love and despair, but in vain, she always meets me
with that inevitable _no_. Let the matter rest, then, until Leo's
return. Perhaps you are right--we had best settle it face to face. I am
ready to confront him at any moment. What may then happen between us is
quite another question."
The princess rose and approached her son. "Waldemar, abandon this
insane hope," she said. "I tell you that Wanda would never be your
bride even if she were free; too many insurmountable obstacles stand
between you. You deceive yourself when you expect any change of mind in
her. What you call national prejudice is the very life-blood which has
nourished her from infancy, and which she can renounce only with life
itself. Even though she loves you, this daughter of our race knows what
duty and honor demand from her; if she did not remember this, we are
here to remind her of it,--her father, myself, and Leo above all!"
A disdainful smile played around the young man's lips as he replied:
"And do you really think that either one of you could hinder me if I
had Wanda's consent? The fact that she herself refuses me, that she
forbids me to contend for her hand, robs me of my self-control; but
even that shall not deter me! One who has never known love, and to whom
that sentiment so suddenly, so entirely, and so enrapturingly reveals
itself as it has to me, does not subdue and renounce it so easily. The
prize is worthy of my highest and most persistent efforts. Where I have
everything to win I venture everything, and although tenfold greater
obstacles interpose, Wanda will be mine."
His words expressed a determination that would never yield nor falter.
The red glare from the hearth lighted up Waldemar's features, which at
this moment seemed cast from bronze. The princess was forced to
acknowledge once more that this was her own son who stood before her,
with an inflexible determination, with a glance and bearing so like her
very own. She had hitherto vainly sought to comprehend why the cold,
melancholy, unattractive Waldemar should be preferred to Leo, why in
the contest for a woman's love he should come out conqueror over his
handsome, chivalrous brother. She comprehended now.
"Have you forgotten who your rival is?" she asked, gravely. "Brother
against brother! Must I witness a hostile, perhaps deadly encounter
between my sons? Have you no thought for a mother's anguish?"
"Your sons!" repeated Waldemar. "In speaking of a mother's anguish and
affection, you refer to but one son. You do not forgive me for
intruding upon the happiness of your darling, and I know a means of
deliverance that would cost you few tears. But cease your
apprehensions; I shall do all in my power to avert the result you
dread, and you must seek to render it possible for me to see a brother
in Leo. You have unbounded influence over him, he will listen to you. I
have learned to restrain my impetuous nature, but my self-control has
its limits, and Leo must not force me beyond them. He has little regard
for another's honor when he believes himself affronted."
They were interrupted; an officer of the detachment which had passed
through Villica the day previous, was without, and desired an immediate
interview with Herr Nordeck. Waldemar met him in the ante-room. After
presenting the compliments of his commanding officer, he reported that
the detachment had been forced into action immediately after reaching
its new post. A severe conflict had taken place during the night, and
ended in the defeat of the insurgents, who had fled in great disorder,
closely pursued by the victors. A portion of the fugitives had taken
refuge upon German soil, where they had been disarmed. They were to be
taken to L----, but among them were a few men so severely wounded that
it was feared they could not endure the journey, and a temporary asylum
was asked for them at Villica. Waldemar cheerfully consented, and
ordered all needful preparations for their reception.
The princess remained alone. She had scarcely noticed her son's
departure, and knew nothing of the tidings. Entirely different thoughts
occupied her mind.
What now? This question arose continually like a haunting spectre which
would not depart; the decisive moment might be postponed, but it must
come at last. The princess only too well knew what to expect if her
sons should meet as enemies, and they must become mortal enemies from
the moment when Leo discovered the truth. If Leo, whose jealousy at the
first suspicion had nearly caused a breach of duty, should now learn
that his brother had actually robbed him of the love of his betrothed,
if Waldemar's violent temper which now lay slumbering under restraint
should break out anew--the mother shuddered at the abyss that opened
before her at the thought. She knew that her usual control over her
younger son would be at an end, that Waldemar as well as Leo had the
blood of her ancestors in his veins, and whatever contrasts there might
be between a Nordeck and a Zulieski, they were alike in one respect:
neither could restrain his passion when it was once aroused.
The door of the adjoining room opened. Waldemar, who had been called
away in the midst of the conversation, was perhaps returning. But the
step was quicker and more impetuous than his; the portiere was raised,
and with an exclamation of mingled delight and terror, the princess
sprang from her chair.
"_Leo! You here?_"
The young prince was clasped in his mother's arms. He returned her
embrace, but he had no word of greeting. Silently and passionately he
pressed her to his heart, but the movement betrayed nothing of the joy
of reunion.
"Whence do you come?" asked the mother, recovering her self-possession,
and with it an intense anxiety and alarm. "Your presence is so sudden,
so unexpected! How could you be so rash as to come to the castle in
broad daylight? You are liable to arrest at any moment; why did you not
wait until dark?"
Leo released himself from her arms. "I waited long enough," he said. "I
left yesterday afternoon, and I have been upon the rack ever since. It
was impossible for me to cross the lines, and I had to lie concealed.
Toward day break I arrived at Villica forest, and it was with great
difficulty that I reached the castle."
His words were excited and incoherent. The mother now saw for the first
time how pale and troubled he looked. She drew him almost forcibly to a
chair.
"Sit down and rest," she said; "you are wearied to death with your rash
venture. What a foolhardy boy you are to stake life and liberty merely
for a brief interview! You must have known that our anxiety for you
would overshadow all the joy of meeting. I do not understand how your
uncle could allow you to leave just now, when you are in the midst of
conflicts."
"No, no!" interposed Leo; "nothing will occur within the next
twenty-four hours. We have exact information in regard to the plans and
position of the enemy. Day after to-morrow--perhaps tomorrow--there
will be a battle, but not before. If a fight had been close at hand, I
should not be here; but I was forced to come to Villica even at the
sacrifice of life and liberty."
The princess gazed at him anxiously, and then, as if seized with a
sudden, indefinable suspicion, she asked,--
"Leo, have you your uncle's permission?"
"Yes--certainly," stammered the young man, but he avoided his mother's
gaze. "I tell you that all is safe, that every precaution has been
taken. I am stationed with my soldiers in the forest of A----, and our
position is well guarded. My adjutant has command during my absence."
"And your uncle Bronislaw?"
"My uncle has concentrated his main force at A----, close to the
border; I protect his rear. But no more questions, mother--where is
Waldemar?"
"Your brother?" asked the princess, both surprised and alarmed, for she
began to suspect Leo's motive in leaving his command. "Do you come on
his account?"
"I am in search of Waldemar," he broke out furiously,--"him and no
other! Paul says he is not in the castle, but Wanda is here. Has he
really brought her here as a victor's booty, as his very own, and has
she permitted it? I will teach him to whom Wanda belongs; both him
and--her."
"For heaven's sake, do you know--"
"What took place at the forester's house? Yes, I know it. Osiecki's men
joined my detachment yesterday, and informed me of what they had
witnessed. Do you now comprehend that I was obliged to come to Villica,
let the price of my absence be what it might?"
"I feared it," said the princess, under her breath.
Leo sprang to his feet and stood with flaming eyes before her.
"And have you allowed this, mother?" he cried. "Have you witnessed in
silence the way in which my love and my rights have been trodden under
foot,--you who usually rule every one, and enforce obedience? Does this
Waldemar domineer over all? Is there no one who dares oppose him? I was
a fool not to have had an understanding with him before my departure,
not to have taken Wanda away, so that any further meetings between them
might have been impossible. But," added he, with bitter irony, "my
suspicion offended her and you, and my uncle regarded my 'blind
jealousy' as a crime. You now see that it was well founded. While I am
perilling my life for my country, my betrothed, risks her life for a
man who openly takes sides with our oppressors, who has set his foot
upon our necks here in Villica as the tyrants in our own land have
done; she proves faithless to me, she forgets fatherland, people,
family, everything, to guard him from an impending danger. Perhaps she
is now seeking to place him on his guard against me; but let her
beware! I no longer care which of us perishes, he or I,--or she with
both of us!"
The mother seized his hand imploringly. "Control yourself, Leo!" she
cried; "I entreat, I demand it of you. Do not rush into your brother's
presence with this deadly hatred in your heart. Listen to me!"
Leo broke away from her. "I have already heard too much, enough to
drive me mad," he exclaimed. "When Osiecki's ball sought Waldemar's
life, Wanda threw herself into his arms; she made her breast his
shield. Can I longer doubt her treachery to me? Where is Waldemar? I
must and will have an interview with him."
The mother sought to pacify her son; he would not listen. While she was
considering how she might prevent the fatal meeting, the event she had
most dreaded took place. Waldemar returned.