ROSA
I remember a little commonplace incident in Hyde Park one bank holiday
which made me smile at the time. Three children were scuffling and
squabbling over the division of some sweets when the mother, a
kindly-looking soul, came promptly and settled the matter in a somewhat
Spartan fashion. She scolded the kids, smacked them impartially, and
then snatched the sweets and shied them away. Loud yells followed, of
course, and repenting her haste, she kissed and hugged her little
brood, immediately produced a bigger bag of sweets and in this way
pacified them all.
This has nothing to do with my experience in Berlin, except to serve as
a crude illustration of how the fates dealt with me. Just when
Hoffnung's story had thoroughly shaken me up and prepared me to face
the worst possible, the pendulum swung right over to my side and the
fates handed out the bigger bag of sweets.
In other words I was at once recognized as Johann Lassen by the
Countess von Rebling.
There were several circumstances to account for her mistake. For one,
my bride that was to be was not present: I learnt the reason
afterwards; and only her son Hans was with her, a lad who had never
seen me. The old lady was, of course, prepared to meet me; she saw me
in Hoffnung's company; then just as I reached the barrier the big arc
lamps in the station almost went out for a few seconds, leaving the
place in comparative gloom; and lastly, being a tender-hearted little
woman, her eyes were full of tears and no doubt blurred her sight.
"My poor dear Johann!" she cried, throwing her arms round my neck and
giving way to her mingled sympathy for my sufferings and joy at seeing
me safe and sound. Then she called to her son, and after I had been
kissed by him, she clung to me and could not make enough of me, so that
even Hoffnung had to be satisfied.
"You are quite sure that this is your nephew, Countess?" he asked.
"Sure? Of course I am. Whatever do you mean, Heinrich?" she cried in
amazement.
He explained my loss of memory; but the only effect was to increase her
concern on my account and to make her hug me closer to her side, with
many endearing expressions of affection and compassion.
I felt an abominable hypocrite at having to allow her to mislead
herself, but the thought of Nessa's plight made it impossible for me to
undeceive her; and we all went to the carriage which was in waiting,
the Countess clinging to my arm and pressing close to me.
Hoffnung was very decent about it. As I was stepping into the carriage,
he held out his hand. "I hope you will believe that I am sincere in
saying how glad I am to find I was wrong, Herr Lassen," he said with
what seemed like genuine cordiality; and of course I wrung his hand and
said something appropriate.
Why my arrival should have affected the dear little lady so deeply I
did not know; but during the drive to her house she could do nothing
but press my hand in both of hers and murmur words of delight at seeing
me again, mingled with sympathy with my misfortunes. Again the very dim
light in the carriage stood my friend; and by the time she reached home
she was thoroughly convinced that I was her nephew.
I had still to meet the daughter; but to my relief she was not at home.
A meal was in readiness for me, and as I eat it, the Countess sat and
feasted her eyes on me, noting the differences which, as she thought,
time had effected in my looks. But these did not shake her conviction.
"You are very much changed, Johann; but of course, you would be in all
these years. It must be ten quite since you were here. But you are just
what I expected you would be, although not so much like your father as
I looked for," she said, and then drew attention in some detail to the
points of difference. I learnt then that the upper part of my face,
shape of head, forehead and eyebrows, and nose had "changed less" than
the lower part.
Then the son gave me a rather nasty jar. "You're not a bit like that
photograph you sent over to Rosa, cousin, is he, mother? She'll jump a
bit when she sees you."
"Photograph? Did I send one?" I asked.
"Don't worry Johann, Hans," said his mother, frowning at him, and he
coloured and collapsed with a muttered "I forgot."
"You did send one, dear," she said to me. "It was when you had a beard
and moustache, and of course that hid the lower part of your face." I
breathed a little more freely. "I think Rosa will be surprised when she
sees you; you're so much better looking than you promised to be. I
suppose you don't remember sending the photograph?" she asked with
nervous wistfulness.
I could truthfully say I did not; and in this way the talk proceeded
until I obtained a really good description of myself as well as many
details about my past. Lassen's engagement to the daughter was, as
Hoffnung had said, the result of a family arrangement; one of those
silly wills which left a fortune to the two on condition that they
married. They had not seen him since he left Goettingen ten years
before; during the whole of that time he had been out of the country;
and was now coming back to marry his bride-elect.
The kind-hearted old soul hadn't a word to say against him; but Hans
let drop one or two remarks which led me to think I was not likely to
receive a very cordial welcome from his sister. Anxious to know all I
could, I pleaded great fatigue as soon as I had finished eating and
asked to be allowed to go to bed. They both went up with me and I
managed to keep the son while I undressed.
He was rather an awkward youth, about seventeen, totally unlike his
mother who might have sat as model for a delicate Dresden china figure.
On the other hand he was fleshy, dark, and rather pudgy-featured; but I
praised his figure, belauded his apparent strength, and generally
played on his obvious vanity and wish to be considered a grown man.
"We must be the best of friends, Hans," I declared heartily.
He blushed with pleasure. "I should like it. You look awfully strong,
cousin," he replied, looking at my biceps.
"You'll make a far stronger man than I am." It was as welcome as jam on
a trench crust ten days old; and I kept at it until I felt I could
safely lead round to the subject of his sister and learn how the wind
blew in that quarter.
"Of course Rosa's a good sort in lots of ways, but she's getting so
bossy," he declared boyishly. "She's the eldest for one thing, and
then, you know, she's come in for old Aunt Margarita's fortune,
and--well, she likes to run things, and I don't like it."
"A man can't be expected to," I agreed with an encouraging smile.
"That's just it. She thinks a fellow's never grown up. I can stand it
from mother; but Rosa won't understand that six years' difference is
one thing when a fellow's a kid of ten and another when he's nearly
eighteen. I shall get my commission in another month or two, you know."
I made a note of the fact that my "betrothed" was about four and twenty
and inclined to be "bossy," and let him rattle on about the army, a
subject of which he was very full.
"Are you going to join your regiment, cousin?" he asked presently.
I looked appropriately blank and gestured.
"Oh, I forgot," he exclaimed, blushing again. "But can't you remember
anything?" he asked, gathering courage for the question.
I shook my head and looked worried and perplexed.
"You don't mind my asking that question?"
"Not a bit. Of course I want to hit on something that will wake up my
memory."
"Herr Hoffnung said something about your not wanting to go to the war
and that you were joining the Secret Service; and Rosa was just mad
about it. She loathes the idea; but there, I don't suppose she'll care
so much if----" He stopped short in some confusion.
"If what? Out with it, my dear fellow."
"I don't think I'd better tell you. For one reason because you're----"
and he pulled up again.
"Because I've lost my memory, do you mean?"
"I don't know. She's awfully funny sometimes, but I did mean that. I
was going to say--you won't give me away to her if I tell you?"
"Of course not. Aren't we two going to be the best of chums?"
"Well, it's a rotten arrangement to tie up two kids to marry, like you
two, just because of some money."
I laughed. "I'm not exactly a kid now, Hans, at any rate."
"Rather not; and what she'll think when she sees you I don't know."
This let in a glimmer of the truth and I made a shot. "You mean she
doesn't much fancy the family arrangement?" His face told me it was a
bull's-eye, but he hesitated to own it. "When a man's in my state it's
only decent for his real friends to tell him the hang of things, Hans,"
I said as a little touch of the spur.
"I daresay it's a lot of lies now that I've seen you."
I tumbled to that, of course. "You mean that your sister has heard
things which have set her against me?"
He nodded. "That you have only pretended to be out of the country all
the time and then had to run away--oh, I don't know exactly what it
was, but it was enough for Rosa. She always takes a different view of
everything from the rest of us."
Rather good hearing. It seemed to offer a way of breaking off the
engagement. "She wants to end things between us, you mean?"
"I don't know for certain, but I know what I think. She wouldn't come
to the station to-night for one thing, and then, well, if I was engaged
to a girl I wouldn't have her so thick with a fellow as she is with
Oscar Feldmann. He's always here. But don't you breathe a word that
I've told you about this."
"Not I, my dear fellow; I'm only too grateful to you. Is he in the army
then?"
"Not he, but he ought to be;" and as this turned him on to the army
again, I listened for a minute or two and yawned, and he took the hint
and went away, promising to see me the first thing in the morning.
Things were going all right so far, and as I was really very tired, I
put off my thinking until the next day, and went to sleep. In the
morning I turned over the whole position in my mind and came to the
conclusion that, for the present at any rate, there was only one
difficulty to negotiate--that the daughter might not recognize me.
Hans' description of her was anything but alluring. She was "bossy";
inclined to oppose the others and run things on her own; she was
already prejudiced against me as Lassen, and was probably ready to
grasp at any excuse to break off the engagement.
That suggested a very disquieting thought. If she had heard that Lassen
and I were the only cabin passengers on the _Burgen_, that I was
the only survivor, that there was some question about my identity and
that I had lost my memory, it was clear that she had only to refuse to
recognize me, to free herself from the matrimonial entanglement.
Obviously that must be postponed if possible.
In view of what her mother had said about the upper part of my face
being most like Lassen's, it seemed a good moment to invent a bad
face-ache, so that I could swathe my mouth and chin at our first
meeting; and the remembrance of Lassen's rather pinched shoulders and
stooping figure suggested the advisability of being in bed when she had
her first inspection.
Thus when Hans came to me in the morning, he found me suffering from a
severe attack of toothache with a bandage wrapped round my face, and
the windows carefully curtained. He was a good-natured fellow, was
genuinely sorry and, after saying Rosa was really anxious to see me,
although she pretended she wasn't, went off to report.
Hans' report brought up the mother, full of solicitous sympathy and
inquiries about breakfast and a suggestion that I had better stop in
bed. I agreed, and she said that probably Rosa would come and see me
during the morning. About an hour later all three came up together, and
I augured well from the fact that Rosa was carrying a cup of tea.
She was more like Hans than her mother; fleshy, dark, and round-faced,
better-looking and sharper, with fine, almost black eyes, and a certain
air of masterfulness, which showed in her brisk manner and carriage.
She was evidently very curious to see me.
She bustled up to the bedside, her eyes fixed on me searchingly, and
her dark brows, which were rather heavy, pent and drawn together.
"So you've come at last, Johann--if you are Johann, that is," she said,
as she drew up a small table and put the tea on it.
I met her look with a wan smile, turned so that she should have a good
view of so much of my face as was visible, and held out my hand.
"Rosa," I murmured, and waited to observe the result of her scrutiny.
"Mother said you were too ill to have any breakfast, but I knew better,
so I've brought you a cup of tea," she said, managing to suggest that
she had brought it less because I might like it, than because the
others had declared I shouldn't.
"Thank you, Rosa, I shall relish it."
"There. You see I was right, mother," she said, and I saw I had scored.
"Are you really so bad, Johann? You always were a coward in bearing
pain, you know."
"Rosa!" protested the mother.
"It's true, mother. If he knocked his little toe he always thought he'd
have to have his whole foot cut off. And whoever heard of a man wanting
to stay in bed for a toothache?"
Better and better, this. Unintentionally I had evidently forged an
important link in the identification; and then came something better
still, in response to another protest from the mother.
"Nonsense, mother, it's exactly what he would do," she exclaimed
sharply, and then turned again to me. "Mother thinks you're awfully
altered, but I don't see it. Of course I haven't seen much of your face
yet; but she always does take these queer fancies. Can't you take that
thing off your face?"
"I think I'll drink the cup of tea," I replied, and drew the bandage
down a little and put the cup to my lips.
To my astonishment she burst out laughing and clapped her hands. "How
silly you are, mother. Why the thing's as plain as plain. He's had his
teeth taken out, and that accounts for the difference you made such a
fuss about. They used to stick out like this;" and she put her fingers
in front of her own mouth to illustrate. "Don't you remember how we
noticed the same thing when Mrs. Hopping had it done? It's made you
quite passable, Johann," she declared.
"Is that it, Johann?" asked the mother, smiling.
"Is it very noticeable?" I asked, just escaping the pitfall of
admitting that I remembered something about it. Rosa laughed and
nodded. The ordeal was over, and the danger point passed; and soon
afterwards she said she wanted to speak to me alone, and asked me to
make an effort to get up.
I made the effort, laughed to myself as I cleaned my teeth that they
should have been mistaken for false ones, and went downstairs to find
Rosa waiting impatiently for me.
"I should have thought you could put those awful clothes on in half the
time you've taken, Johann, but you were always slow in dressing," she
bantered; and I was quite content to be chipped for a time until she
was ready to come to the discussion of our own affairs.
"Is it true you've quite lost your memory?" she asked as Hans had done.
"The Rotterdam doctors said I should recover it. But I'm afraid I
shouldn't have known even you."
"Don't you remember anything about my letters?" I shook my head. "Nor
your own either?" Another wag of the head. "Well, do you still want to
make me marry you?"
"I don't know. You're very pretty, Rosa."
"For Heaven's sake don't begin to pay me stupid compliments. I hate
them. Hans takes good care I shan't forget my face isn't my fortune;
and the moment a man begins to talk about my looks, I know he's
thinking about my money. At least most of them," she qualified after a
pause.
I understood the qualification. "Then there's an exception?"
She flushed slightly and was a little confused. "Yes, there is," she
replied after a pause. "You'll have to know it some time, so you may as
well know it now;" and she tossed her head defiantly. "I believe in
coming straight to the point, Johann; and the question is whether you
are still in the same mind as when you sent me that idiotic photograph,
three months ago--the silly thing isn't a bit like you--and if you are,
we had better face things at once."
"What did I say?" I asked, frowning.
"That you meant to hold me to the stupid engagement. But you can't do
that, however much you wish. It's true that under the silly will the
engagement can't be broken off till I'm five and twenty, unless you do
it, but don't forget that I get half the money even if I don't marry
you."
"Is that the will? It does seem silly, as you say."
"Oh, I know you believe you have the whiphand."
"Indeed, I don't know anything about it." It was really delicious to be
able to tell the simple truth.
She frowned impatiently. "It's what you're thinking then," she declared
rather snappily. I shook my head. What I really was considering was
whether, since Lassen was at the bottom of the North Sea, I should make
a friend of her by doing what she wished. "Well, anyhow, I want you to
make haste and think about it all and let me know the result as soon as
possible. I hate suspense, and things can't go on as they are," she
continued vehemently.
I had no answer ready, and with a shrug of the shoulders she turned to
another subject. "Is it true that you've turned spy?"
"Hoffnung seemed to suggest something of the sort yesterday."
She tossed her head and her lip curled. "If I were a man I'd rather be
a street sweeper; but I'm not surprised at _your_ liking it. It's
these things in you that are so natural. Your new teeth may have
altered your looks, but of course they haven't changed your nature."
I couldn't restrain a smile; things were panning out so well: and
before I replied the door was opened gently and the loveliest child I
had ever seen came in. She was a delicate-featured, golden-haired
youngster of about eleven--the replica in miniature of the
Countess--with big sea-blue eyes which fastened on me shyly as she
stood hesitating at the door.
"What is it, Lottchen?" cried Rosa sharply. "Come in and don't stand
fiddling with the door handle in that stupid fashion. This is Cousin
Johann, and you needn't stand staring at him as if he would eat you."
My heart went out to the kid instantly. "How do you do, Lottchen?" I
said; and she came up, put her little hand into mine and left it there,
as she held up her lovely face to be kissed, and then nestled close to
me trustfully.
Rosa laughed. "That's a new thing for Lottchen, I can tell you; she
hates men as a rule."
"You won't hate me, Lottchen, will you?" I said, smoothing her wondrous
hair. She shook her head and smiled up at me and then laid her face
against my shoulder.
"Don't worry Johann. He's got a bad face-ache."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I hurting you?" and the great blue eyes were full of
sympathy, just as her mother's had been the previous night.
"Not a bit, my dear."
"Well, you must run away now, child, you'll see plenty of Johann. What
is it you want?"
"Miss Caldicott sent me to see if you're coming out with us as usual."
The name seemed to strike me in the face, and a sharp cry of amazement
was out before I could check it. It was lucky that Rosa had reminded me
of my forgotten face-ache, and I invented a violent paroxysm of pain,
whipped out my handkerchief and hid my face in it, to cover up my
confusion.
Was it possible that Nessa and I were in the same house, or had I gone
clean out of my senses?