A DEED THAT WIPES OUT OLD SCORES.
"There is no help for it, we must call in the master," said the
director. "He was determined, whether or no, to interfere in case of
necessity--I am at my wits' end now."
"For Heaven's sake no!" objected Winning. "He ought not to show
himself. He will hardly be in the mood to speak kindly to the people,
and if he meets them with asperity, then the worst is to be feared."
"What are those men out there after, anyhow?" cried Dr. Hagenbach, who
was likewise present, because he feared that his medical services might
be needed. "Whom are they threatening? Herr Dernburg? Us? Or are they
quarreling among themselves?"
"I presume they themselves know least of all," replied the
upper-engineer. "You may depend, their leader Landsfeld is at the
bottom of it. He is to be in Odensburg to-day, when we may certainly
expect matters to take a grave aspect."
"So much the less can I assume any longer the responsibility all by
myself," declared the director. "I shall tell our chief that we are no
longer masters of the situation. He can then do what he chooses."
He started for the telephone, when all of a sudden the noise ceased. He
hushed quite suddenly, only a few individual voices being heard; then
these too were silent and a deathlike silence prevailed. The officers
hurried to the window, in order to see what was going on.
"There is the master!" exclaimed Winning. "I thought that he would
appear without summons, if he heard that tumult."
"But how he does look!" added Hagenbach, in a whisper. "I fear that
nature will give way."
"Let us open the doors, so that he can retreat here in case of
necessity," said the director, who had likewise come up. "He is quite
alone, not even Wildenrod is with him. We must go to him! Quick,
gentlemen!"
The doors were opened that had been locked from the inside, but the
officers could neither reach their chief, nor he them--a dense mass of
men stood between, and held the square before the house. The attempt of
the director and his colleagues, to break through this living wall, was
vain--the workmen standing nearest assumed so threatening an attitude,
the gentlemen desisted, so as not to tempt to a deed of violence that
would have immediately reacted against Dernburg.
He had made use of the little by-path that led from the Manor to the
superintendent's building, without going near the works. Nobody had
seen his approach, and now he suddenly stood among his workmen as if he
had sprung from the ground. The whole force of his personal presence
was shown at this moment--his bare appearance had the most subduing
effect upon the just now fiercely excited multitude, who suddenly
stood, as it were, spellbound. All eyes were directed toward that tall
form, with darkly knitted eyebrows; all waited for the first word from
his mouth. His glance slowly swept over the crowd that he had once
swayed by a single nod, and who now withstood him thus. Still he spoke
not, for it seemed as though utterance had failed him.
Unfortunately it happened that Landsfeld, with Fallner, was in
immediate proximity to him. There, in front of the superintendent's
building, where they had cooped in the officers, the rashest of his
followers had found themselves together, the Socialist leader had taken
his stand. Dernburg's appearance seemed to him to be neither surprising
nor undesired; on the contrary, there flashed into his eyes a look as
of satisfaction, as he whispered to Fallner, who was constantly at his
side, as a sort of adjutant:
"There is the old man! I knew that he would not stay quietly at home
while the devil was to pay over at his works. Now the ball begins to
roll!"
Finally Dernburg began to speak: his voice was loud and firm, and the
deep silence round about caused every word to be distinctly heard.
"What means this noise here at the works? There is no reason for it.
You gave warning, and I have had the workshops closed and shall keep
them closed. You have been paid your wages, so now go home!"
The workmen were startled; they had been accustomed to their chiefs
speaking shortly and dictatorially, but this cold, contemptuous tone
they heard from his lips now for the first time. They felt it at once,
without being able exactly to account for it.
Now Landsfeld deemed that the hour had come for his personal
interference. "You and the rest follow me," was his brief command to
Fallner, and then, without further ceremony, he turned to Dernburg.
"The question here is not one of pay," he began, with insolent mien.
"What the workmen want of you, Herr Dernburg, they have already
communicated to you. Those unjust dismissals are to----"
"Who are you? Who gives you the right to put in a word here?"
interrupted Dernburg, although he knew the speaker by sight as well as
that person knew him.
"My name is Landsfeld," was the haughty reply. "I think that suffices
for my justification."
"Intermeddling from without I do not brook. Leave Odensburg on the
spot!"
This order sounded proud and contemptuous. Landsfeld retired a step and
measured from head to foot the man who stood before him, unsupported,
and yet dared to speak thus.
"Such an order I shall not heed," answered he, scornfully. "I stand
here in the name of my party, which Odensburg matters very nearly
concern. Comrades! do you recognize me as your proxy? Am I to speak for
you?"
Fallner and his men, who had followed their leader and encircled him on
all sides, answered with stormy approval, while the others remained
silent. Landsfeld triumphantly raised his head.
"You hear it! I tell you, then, that the conditions imposed by you
before the resumption of work are shameful and degrading. I declare the
man that submits to them to be a coward and traitor."
"And I declare that I have nothing to do with you or the like of you,"
cried Dernburg, extremely provoked by this challenge. "I made
conditions for my workmen, to whom alone I shall re-open the
works--with men of your stamp I have nothing at all to do."
Landsfeld started up, enraged. "With men of my stamp? We are indeed
only worms in the eyes of this high and mighty lord? Comrades! do you
put up with this?"
He did not appeal in vain to his comrades. Abusive words and threats
were hurled at Dernburg, who was ever more closely wedged in by the
mob. Cut off from any assistance, at any instant he might look for the
worst.
Then were heard in the distance loud clamor and shouts, not of a fierce
and menacing kind, though, but as if some one was being joyfully
received, Now they could even distinguish an enthusiastic "huzza" that
was loud and long-drawn-out, and continually came nearer. "Long live
Runeck! Long live Egbert Runeck!" sounded from all quarters, and,
through the midst of the densely-packed masses, a way was opened for
the engineer, who rapidly drew near.
Breathless from his impetuous walk, he placed himself by Dernburg's
side with an air that showed plainly enough that he was determined to
stand by him and fall with him. He looked defiance at Landsfeld, who
returned his glance with a scornful shrug of the shoulders.
"Are you actually here, my dear fellow?" he murmured. "If you _will_
break your own neck, then I need not do it for you."
Runeck, meanwhile, had taken a rapid survey of the situation; he
recognized its peril, and seized the sole means that had promise of
safety.
"Back from the house!" was his order to the workmen who held the
superintendent's office beleaguered. "Do you not see that Herr Dernburg
wants to get to his officers? I'll escort him; make room!"
The people were surprised, shocked at the part taken; they obeyed,
however, and began to retire. The square in front of the house was
gradually emptied, and if Dernburg were once there in the midst of his
officers, he would be also in safety. If Runeck, then, remained at his
side, the whole affair would wind up peacefully. But this did not at
all fit into Landsfeld's plan, and again he struck in.
"What means this?" he cried in a sharp stentorian voice. "Our delegate
takes part against us, and ranges himself on the enemy's side, does he?
Herr Runeck! your place is with us. You have to represent us--or do you
mean to turn traitor?"
That evil word "traitor" immediately took effect, and a low threatening
murmur became audible. Now Runeck lost the moderation that he had
hitherto found it hard enough to preserve in face of Landsfeld's
effrontery.
"You yourselves are traitors and villains if you assault the man who
has helped you in every way that he could," he thundered. "Back from
him! whoever touches him, I shall strike to the ground!"
His bearing was wild and threatening, so that all shrank back save
Landsfeld only.
"Suppose you try that on me, then?" he yelled, rushing forward to
attack Dernburg, but in the same minute, felled by a powerful blow of
Egbert's fist, he sank to the ground with a loud outcry, where he lay
with blood streaming over him.
The sudden lightning-like deed unchained all the passions of the raging
mob.
With a fierce shout, Fallner and his fellows rushed upon Runeck, who
threw himself in front of Dernburg and covered him with his body. For a
few minutes his gigantic strength held out against the assailants, but
the end of this unequal contest was to be foreseen. Then suddenly a
knife flashed in Fallner's uplifted hand, a mighty thrust--and Egbert
fell down, bleeding.
But this time the deed had a different effect from what it had had
before, the multitude standing paralyzed, as it were, by horror.
Suddenly the monstrous character of the whole proceeding seemed to
strike them. Fallner himself stood there motionless, as though shocked
by his own deed. The tumult was hushed; nobody hindered Dernburg, who,
with pale face and compressed lips, slowly stooped down and took the
unconscious Egbert in his arms.
Meanwhile, seeing that the square in front of the house was clear, the
officers made a renewed attempt to force their way to the chief; it had
only succeeded in a measure, but they already found themselves quite
near to him, when that bloody incident supervened. Doctor Hagenbach,
with quick presence of mind, profited by it to accomplish their end.
"Room for the surgeon!" cried he, pressing forward. "Let me through!"
This word availed; a narrow path was opened for him in the
densely-packed throng, and the officers crowded after; in a few minutes
Dernburg was surrounded by them. But he did not concern himself on that
score; he knelt by Egbert, whose head he supported, and when the doctor
now stooped down and examined the wound, he asked softly, in a tone of
deep distress:
"Is he--mortally wounded?"
"Very severely!" said Hagenbach, loudly and earnestly. "He must be
conveyed somewhere instantly."
"To the Manor-house!" suggested Dernburg.
"Yes, indeed, that is best." He quickly put on a bandage, and then
turned, in passing, to the bleeding Landsfeld, in order to examine him
as well.
"There is no danger here!" he called aloud to the bystanders. "The blow
has only stunned the man. Carry him into the house--he will soon again
come to his senses--there is no cause for uneasiness about him. But
Runeck--he is badly hurt!"
His manner showed that he feared the worst, and this decided the mood
of the multitude. There arose an agitated murmur, that was transmitted
from mouth to mouth, until it reached the ranks of those who had stood
too far off to see what had been going on. And now, when Egbert was
picked up and borne away, a movement of horror passed through the
throng of human beings. They saw their deputy, whom they had elected in
defiance of their chief, and lifted upon the shield with loud
rejoicings lying lifeless and covered with blood, in the arms of the
officers, who bore him away, and their chief walked by his side and
held in his the hand of the unconscious young man. No request was
needed to induce them to make way: all moved silently aside, when the
melancholy procession came past--not a word, not a sound was to be
heard. A silence as of death fell upon all those thousands.