He who has always trodden life's macadamized ways, hedged in by law,
moulded by order, custom, form, handed down from generation to
generation habits a thousand years old, and who finds himself suddenly
thrown among strangers, where law can but imperfectly protect him, and
where he must assert by daily struggles his right to exist--such a one
realizes for the first time the full blessing of the holy circle woven
round each individual by his fellow-men, his family, his companions in
labor, his race, his country. Whether he lose or gain in foreign parts,
he must needs change. If he is a weakling, he will sacrifice his own
_manière d'être_ to the external influences around him; if he has the
making of a man in him, he will become one now. The possessions, perhaps
the prejudices, that he has grown up with, will wax dearer to him than
ever; and much that once he looked upon as things of course, like air
and sunshine, will become his most prized treasures. It is in foreign
countries that we first enjoy the dialect of home, and in absence that
we learn how dear to us is our fatherland.
Our Anton had now to find out what he possessed and what he wanted.
The following morning they proceeded to view the entire property. It
consisted of the mansion-house, with the lands and buildings adjacent,
and of three farms. About half the land was arable, a small part laid
down in meadow; about half was wood, bordered with barren sand. The
castle and the village lay about the middle of the great clearing; two
of the farms were at opposite points of the compass, east and west, and
both were hid by projections of the forest. The third farm lay toward
the south, and was entirely divided by a wood from the rest of the
estate. It joined on to another Polish village, had its own
farm-buildings, and had always been separately cultivated. It occupied
about a quarter of the plain, had a distillery on it, and had been
rented for many years by a brandy-merchant, well to do. His lease had
been extended by Ehrenthal, but the sum he paid was low. However, his
occupancy was at present a good thing for the property, as it insured
some return for one portion of it, at least. The devastated wood was
under the care of a forester.
The first walk through the portion adjacent to the castle was as little
cheering as possible: the fields were, generally speaking, not prepared
for winter-sowing; and wherever the marks of the plow appeared, the land
had been taken possession of by the villagers, who regarded the
neglected property as their perquisite, and looked morosely at the
foreign settlers.
For years they had done none of the work that their feudal tenure
required of them, and the village bailiff plainly told Anton that the
community would resent any return to old customs. He pretended he did
not understand a word of German, and even Karl's eloquence failed to
conciliate him. The soil itself, neglected and weedy as it was, turned
out generally better than Anton had expected, and the landlord boasted
of his crops; but in the vicinity of the wood it was very poor, and in
many places quite unfit for culture.
"This is a serious sort of day," said Anton, putting up his pocket-book.
"Harness the britzska; we will drive to see the cattle."
The farm where the cattle were quartered lay to the west, about a mile
and a half from the castle. A miserable stable and the cottage of a
farm-servant was all they found there. The cows and a pair of draught
oxen were under his charge, and he lived there with his wife and a
half-witted herdsman. None of these people understood much German, or
inspired any confidence: the wife was a dirty woman, without shoes and
stockings, whose milk-pails looked as if long unwashed. The
farm-servant, and sometimes the herdsman, plowed with the yoke of oxen
wherever they chose; the cattle fed on the meadow land.
"Here is work for you," said Anton; "examine the cattle, and see what
you can find of winter provender. I will make an inventory of the
building and implements."
Karl soon came to report. "Four-and-twenty milch cows, twelve heifers,
and an old bull; about a dozen cows, at most, are in profit, the rest
mere grass-devourers: the whole of them are a poor set. Some foreign
cows, probably Swiss ones, have been brought over and crossed with a
much larger breed, and the result is ugly enough. The best cows have
evidently been exchanged; for some wretched creatures are running about,
the rest keeping aloof from them: they can't have been here long. As to
fodder, there is hay enough for winter, and a few bundles of oat straw;
no wheat straw at all."
"The buildings are out of order too," cried Anton, in return. "Drive now
to the distillery. I have carefully examined the conditions of the
lease, and am better up in it than in most things."
The carriage rolled over a shaky bridge that spanned the brook, then
through fields and an expanse of sand scantily covered with arenaceous
plants, in whose roots a pine-seed had nestled here and there,
stretching dwarf branches over the waste; then came the woods, with many
a gap, where lay nothing but yellow sand, and on all sides stumps
overgrown with heath and brambles. Slowly the horses waded on. Neither
of the strangers spoke, as both were engaged in observing every tree
that a fortunate chance had allowed to grow and spread better than the
rest.
At length the prospect widened, and another plain lay before them,
monotonous and forest-bounded like the rest. Before them rose a church.
They drove past a wooden crucifix, and stopped at the court-yard of the
farm. The tenant had already heard of their arrival; and perhaps he was
better acquainted with the baron's circumstances than Anton could have
wished, for he received them in a patronizing and self-sufficient
manner, hardly taking the trouble to lead them into an unoccupied room.
His first question, was, "Do you really believe that Rothsattel will be
able to take possession of the estate? There is much to be done on it,
and, from all I hear, the poor man has not got the capital required."
This cool demeanor exasperated Anton not a little; but he answered, with
the composure that habits of business give, "If you wish to ask me
whether the Baron Rothsattel will undertake the management of the
estate, I have to say in reply that he will be all the better able to do
so the more conscientiously his tenants and dependents perform their
duties. I am here at present to ascertain how far you have done this. I
have authority given me, by the terms of your lease, to examine your
inventory. And if you value the baron's good-will, I recommend you to
treat his representative more civilly."
"The baron's good-will is perfectly immaterial to me," said the inflated
tenant. "But, since you speak of authority, perhaps you will show me
your credentials."
"Here they are," said Anton, quietly drawing the document in question
from his pocket.
The tenant read it carefully through, or at least pretended to do so,
and rudely replied, "I am not very sure, after all, whether you have a
right to look over my premises, but I have no objection to it; so go and
inspect as much as you like." And, putting on his cap, he turned to
leave the room, but Anton at once barred the way, and said, in his
quiet, business voice, "I give you the choice of conducting me over your
premises at once, or having an inventory drawn out by a lawyer. This
last measure will occasion you unnecessary expense. I would besides
remind you that the good-will of the proprietor is necessary to every
tenant who wishes for an extension of his lease, and that yours will be
out in two years' time. It is no pleasure to me to spend two hours in
your society; but if you do not fulfill your contract, the baron will of
course take advantage of it to break your lease. I give you your
choice."
The tenant looked for a few minutes with a stupefied expression at
Anton's resolute countenance, and at last said, "If you insist upon it,
of course. I did not mean to offend." He then reluctantly touched his
hat, and led the way into the court-yard.
Anton took out his tablets once more, and the survey began. 1.
Dwelling-house: the roof out of order. 2. Cow-house: one side of the
lower wall fallen; and so on. The survey was, on the whole,
unsatisfactory; but Anton's business-like demeanor and Karl's martial
aspect were not without their influence over the tenant, who gradually
relaxed, and muttered out a few excuses.
When Anton got into the carriage again, he said to him, "I give you four
weeks to rectify what we have found amiss, and at the end of that time I
shall call again."
To which Karl added, "Will you have the kindness to raise your hat as
you now see me do? This is the right moment for the ceremony. That's it!
You will learn the proper thing in time. Drive on, coachman."
"When you return," continued Karl to Anton, "this man will be as
obsequious as possible. He has grown bumptious on the farm."
"And the estate has grown the poorer because of him," said Anton. "Now,
then, for the new farm!"
A poor dwelling-house on one side, a long row of sheep-pens on the
other, a stable, and a barn.
"It is remarkable," said Karl, looking at the buildings from a distance,
"the thatch has no holes, and in the corner there is a stack of new
straw. By Jove! they have mended the roof."
"Here is our last hope," replied Anton.
As the carriage drew up, the heads of a young woman and a flaxen-haired
child appeared for a moment at the window, then rapidly retreated.
"This farm is the jewel of the estate," cried Karl, jumping over the
side of the carriage. "There are actually signs of a dunghill here; and
there go a cock and hens--something like a cock too, with a tail like a
sickle! And there is a myrtle in the window. Hurra! here is a housewife!
here is the fatherland! here are Germans!"
The woman came out--a neat figure--followed by the curly pate, who, at
the sight of strangers, put his fingers in his mouth, and crept behind
his mother's apron.
Anton inquired for her husband.
"He can see your carriage from the field; he will be here immediately,"
said the wife, blushing. She invited them in, and hastily rubbed two
chairs bright with her apron.
The room was small, but whitewashed; the furniture painted red, but kept
very clean; the coffee-pot was simmering on the stove; a Black-forest
clock ticked in the corner; on some hanging shelves stood two painted
China figures, a few cups, and about a dozen books; and behind the
little looking-glass on the wall there was a fly-flap, and a birch rod
carefully bound round with red ribbon. It was the first comfortable room
that they had seen on the estate.
"A song-book and a rod," said Anton, good-naturedly. "I do believe you
are a good woman. Come here, flaxen-hair." He took the scared, stolid
child on his knee, and made him ride there--walk--trot--gallop--till the
little fellow at last got courage to take his fingers out of his mouth.
"He is used to that," said his mother, much pleased. "It is just what
his father does when he is a good boy."
"You have had a hard time of it here," suggested Anton.
"Ah! sir," cried she, "when we heard that a German family had bought the
estate, and that we had to keep things together for them, and thought
they would soon come and perhaps drive over here, we were as glad as
children. My husband was all day just like one who has been in the
public house, and I wept for joy. We thought that at last there would be
some order, and we should know what we were working for. My husband
spoke seriously to the shepherd--he is from our part of the country--and
they both resolved that they would not allow the steward to sell any
more away. And so my husband told him. But weeks passed, and no one
came. We sent every day to the village to inquire, and my husband went
to Rosmin and saw the lawyer. But it seemed they were not coming after
all, and that the estate would be sold again. Then, a fortnight ago, the
steward came over with a strange butcher, and wanted my husband to give
him the wethers; but he refused. At that they threatened him, and wanted
to force their way into the sheep-pens; but the shepherd and my husband
were too much for them; so off they went cursing, and declaring they
would have the sheep yet. Since then a man has watched every night;
there hangs a loaded gun which we have borrowed; and when the shepherd's
dog barks, I get up, and am dreadfully frightened about my husband and
child. There are dangerous men about here, sir, and that you will find."
"I hope things will improve," said Anton; "you lead a solitary life
here."
"It is solitary indeed," said the woman, "for we hardly ever go to the
village, and only sometimes on Sunday to the German village, where we go
to church. But there is always something to be done about the house;
and," continued she, somewhat embarrassed, "I will just tell you all,
and if you don't approve, we can give it up. I have dug a little space
behind the barn, we have hedged it in, and made a garden of it, where I
grow what I want for cooking; and then," with increased embarrassment,
"there are the poultry and a dozen ducks; and if you won't be angry, the
geese on the stubble-fields, and," wiping her eyes with her apron,
"there is the cow and the calf."
"Our calf!" cried the child, in ecstasy, slapping Anton's knees with his
fat hands.
"If you do not approve of my having kept the cow for myself," continued
the weeping woman, "we will give it up. My husband and the shepherd have
had no wages since the last wool-shearing, and we have been obliged to
buy necessaries; but my husband has kept an account of every thing, and
he will show it you, that you may see that we are not dishonest people."
"I hope it will so appear," replied Anton, soothingly; "and now let us
have a look at your garden; you shall keep it, if possible."
"There is not much in it," said the woman, leading them to the inclosed
space where the beds were all prepared for their winter's rest. She
stooped down, and gathered the few flowers remaining, some asters, and
her especial pride, some autumn violets. Tying them together, she gave
the nosegay to Anton, "because," said she with a pleasant smile, "you
are a German."
A quick step was now heard in the yard, and in came the tenant with
reddened cheeks, and made his bow to them.
He was a fine young man, with a sensible countenance and a trustworthy
manner. Anton spoke encouragingly, and he readily produced his accounts.
"We will look over the stock now," replied Anton; "the books I will take
with me. Come to me to-morrow at the castle, and we can arrange the
rest."
"The horses are in the fields," said the tenant; "I drive one plow
myself, and the shepherd's lad helps with the other. We have only four
horses here; once there were twelve in the stable. We have of late
cultivated little more than was necessary for ourselves and the cattle.
There is a want of every thing."
However, the survey turned out cheering on the whole; the buildings
were in tolerable repair, and the crops lately got in promised to keep
the flocks through the winter. Last of all, the farmer, with a pleased
smile, opened a door in his dwelling-house, and pointed out a heap of
pease. "You have seen the straw and hay already," he said, "but here are
the pease which I hid from the steward, thinking they belonged to you.
Indeed, there was some selfishness in it," continued he, candidly, "for
we were so placed that we got nothing, and I was obliged to think of
some way of keeping the farm going in case the winter brought no help."
"Very good," said Anton, smiling; "I hope we shall understand each other
well. And now to the sheep. Come with us, farmer."
The carriage rolled slowly along the fields, the tenant eagerly pointing
out their condition. Not the fourth part of the land belonging to the
farm was plowed; the rest had been in pasture for many years past.
As they approached the flocks, the only living creatures of any worth on
the estate, Karl impatiently jumped out.
The shepherd slowly came to meet the strangers, accompanied by his two
dogs, one an old experienced character, who walked at the same pace as
his master, and looked with as much intelligence and discrimination at
the new authorities; the other a young fellow, a pupil, who vainly
attempted to maintain the aspect of calm dignity becoming his
responsible calling, but kept running with youthful eagerness ahead of
his master, and barking at the strangers, till a growl of rebuke from
his wiser companion brought him back to propriety. The shepherd took off
his broad-brimmed hat with all civility, and waited to be addressed. As
a man of intuition and reflection, he perfectly knew who he saw before
him, but it would have ill become one whose whole life had been spent in
restraining precipitation on the part of sheep and dogs to have evinced
undue curiosity.
The farmer introduced the strangers to him with a circular movement of
his hand, and the shepherd made several bows in succession, to show that
he perfectly understood who they were. "A fine flock, shepherd," said
Anton.
"Five hundred and five-and-twenty head," replied the shepherd.
"Eighty-six of them lambs, forty fat wethers." He looked round the flock
for a sheep, who deserved to be presented as a specimen, and suddenly
stooping, caught up one by the hind legs, and exhibited the wool. Karl
was intent in the examination. They were great strong sheep, well
fitted for the country, and far exceeded, both in condition and wool,
what might have been looked for. "If they get plenty of food, they give
wool," said the shepherd, proudly. "It is first-rate wool."
A yearling was at that moment thoughtless enough to cough. The shepherd
looked disapprovingly at it, and said, "The whole flock is perfectly
healthy."
"How long have you been in service here?" inquired Anton.
"Nine years," was the reply. "When I came, the creatures were like the
poodles in town, all bare behind. It has taken trouble to bring them
round. No one else has ever seen after them, but they have not fared the
worse for that. If I could only always have had pea-straw for them, and
this winter, common pease for the mothers."
"We must see what can be done," said Anton; "but we shall have to be
sparing in our management this winter."
"True," said the shepherd; "but, however, this is good pasture."
"I can well believe," said Anton, smiling, "that your sheep have nothing
to complain of. There are few fields here which your dog has not barked
over for years. I have been delighted to hear how bravely you have
defended the property of your new master. Have the people about often
behaved ill to you?"
"I can hardly say, sir," replied the shepherd; "men are every where
alike--they are not to be depended on. I would rather bring up a colly
than a man." He leaned upon his staff, and looked with satisfaction upon
his dog, who, true to his post, had been barking round the flock, and
now came back to give his master's legs a confidential flap with his
tail. "Look at this dog! When I have had a dog in training for two
years, he is either good or not. If not, I send him away, and have done
with him; if good, I can trust him as I do myself, so long as he lives.
That boy yonder with the wethers I have had three years with me, and I
can never tell the hour that some confounded freak or other may not come
into his head, or that, instead of driving my sheep to the right, he may
not run off to the left. That's why I say there's not much reliance to
be placed upon men."
"And on whom do you rely in this world?" asked Anton.
"First of all on myself, for I know myself; then on my dog Crambo, for I
know him too, and, besides, I trust as I ought." He looked up for a
moment, then gave a low whistle, and Crambo again set out on his rounds.
"And you, sir," continued the shepherd, "shall you remain with the
baron?"
"I think so."
"May I ask as what? You are neither steward nor bailiff, for you have
not yet looked at the wethers. The wethers should be sold; it's high
time for it. So may I ask what you are to the new landlord?"
"If you want a name, you may call me his accountant."
"Accountant," said the shepherd, thoughtfully; "then I am to discuss my
allowance with you."
"You shall do so the next time we meet."
"There is no hurry," said the shepherd; "but one likes to know how one
stands. There is a pane broken in my room; the glazier will be coming to
the castle, and I hope, Mr. Accountant, you will remember me."
Karl and the farmer now joined them. "To the forester's!" cried Anton to
the driver.
"You mean to go to the forester's?" inquired the farmer.
"To the forester's!" repeated the shepherd, drawing nearer.
"Why does that surprise you?" inquired Anton from the carriage.
"Only," stammered out the farmer, "because the forester is a strange
man. If the baron himself were to come, he would not surrender."
"Does he live in a fortress, then?" inquired Anton, laughing.
"He locks himself up," said the tenant, "and lets no one enter; he has a
way of his own."
"He is a wild man of the woods," said the shepherd, shaking his head.
"The Poles say that he is a magician," continued the farmer.
"He can make himself invisible," cried the shepherd.
"Do you believe that?" asked Karl, much amazed.
"Not I, but there are plenty in the village who do."
"He is a good sort of man at the bottom, but he has his oddities,"
affirmed the farmer.
"I hope he will respect my position," rejoined Anton; "it will be worse
for him if he does not."
"It would be better that I should speak to the forester first,"
suggested the tenant. "Will you allow me to drive thither with you? He
is on friendly terms with me."
"With all my heart; take the reins, and we will leave the servant to
manage the plow till we set you down again on our way-back. And now then
for this dangerous character."
The carriage turned into a road bordered with young firs, and leading
into the wood. The ground was again sandy, and the trees poor. They went
on over stories and stumps till at length the wood stopped altogether at
a plantation apparently about fifteen years old: here the tenant
fastened the reins round the trunk of a tree, and begged the gentlemen
to dismount. They walked on through a thicket of young trees, whose long
spikes brushed their clothes as they passed, and filled the air with a
strong resinous perfume. Beyond this the ground sank, green moss spread
a soft carpet round, and a group of giant pines reared their dark crowns
high in the air: there stood the forester's house, a low wooden building
surrounded by a strong wooden fence, and further guarded by a triple
hedge of young fir-trees. A little spring trickled under the fence, and
gurgled among a few large stones, overshadowed by giant ferns.
Altogether it was a picture that could not fail to please in this
district of sand and heath. No one was to be seen about, and there was
not a trace of a footstep on the moss: it was only the barking of a dog
from within that announced the dwelling to be inhabited. They went round
the hedge till they came to a narrow door, which was firmly bolted.
"His bull-finch sits above the window," said the tenant; "he is at
home."
"Call him, then," desired Anton.
"He knows already that we are here," replied the man, pointing to a row
of small openings in the hedge; "look at his peep-holes. He is watching
us; but this is always his way. I must give him a signal, or he will
never open." Accordingly, he put two fingers in his mouth, and whistled
three times, but there was no reply. "He is a cunning fellow," said the
tenant, perplexed, whistling again so shrilly that the dog's bark
changed into a howl, and the bull-finch began to flap his wings.
At last a rough voice sounded on the other side of the fence. "Who the
deuce are you bringing with you?"
"Open, forester," cried the tenant; "the new gentry are come."
"Go to the devil with your gentry; I am sick of the whole race."
The tenant looked in perplexity toward Anton. "Open the door," said the
latter, authoritatively; "it will be better for you to do of your own
accord what I can force you to do."
"Force!" said the voice. "How will you manage that, pray?" The double
barrel of a gun now made its appearance through a hole in the door,
turning conveniently to one side, then the other.
"Your gun will not help you," was the reply; "we have that on our side
which will henceforth be stronger in this forest than brute force, and
that is law and our right."
"Indeed!" asked the voice. "And who, then, are you?"
"I am the agent of the new proprietor, and command you to open the
door."
"Is your name Moses or Levi?" inquired the voice. "I will have nothing
to do with an agent. Whoever comes to me as an agent, I set down for a
rogue."
"A plague upon your hard head," cried Karl, in a towering passion. "How
dare you speak so disrespectfully of my master, you crazy Jackboots
you!"
"Jackboots!" said the voice. "I like that; that sounds more like fair
dealing than any thing I have heard for a long time." The bolts were
shot back, and the forester appeared at the door, which he shut behind
him. He was a short, broad-set man, with grizzled hair, and a long gray
beard, which hung down on his breast; a pair of keen eyes shone out of
his furrowed face; he wore a thick shaggy coat, out of which sun and
rain had expelled every trace of color, carried his double-barreled gun
in his hand, and looked defiance at the strangers. "Who is bullying
here?" said he.
"I am," answered Karl, stepping forward; "and you shall get something
besides hard words if you continue in your insubordination."
"What sort of a cap is that you wear?" asked the old man, looking hard
at him.
"Have you grown into a mere fungus here in your wood that you do not
know it?" replied Karl, settling his soldier's cap more firmly on his
head.
"Hussar?" asked the forester.
"Invalid," was the reply.
The old man pointed to a small strip of ribbon on his coat. "Militia,"
said he; "1813 and 1814."
Karl made a military salute. "All honor to you, old boy; but you are a
rough one, notwithstanding."
"Well, you are not much like an invalid," said the forester; "you look
wild enough, and know how to rap out an oath. So you are neither
tradesman nor steward?" said he, turning to Anton.
"Now do behave like a sensible man," said the farmer. "This gentleman
has been empowered to take possession of the estate, and to manage every
thing till the family come. You will get yourself into sad trouble with
your obstinate ways."
"Indeed!" said the forester. "Don't be anxious about me; I shall manage
well enough. So you are an agent, are you?" said he, turning to Anton.
"Of late years I have had enough of agents; and I'll tell you what," he
went on, coming a few steps nearer, "you'll find neither books nor
accounts with me. This is the state of things: For five years I, as the
forester in charge of this wood, have been quarreling with agents. Each
agent has put ever so much timber into his pocket, and at last the
villagers have come from all the country round and carried off whatever
they liked, and when I held my gun under their nose, they thrust a
rascally bit of paper under mine, in which, forsooth, they had got leave
from the agent. I had nothing more to say, and so I have just taken care
of myself. There is but little game, but what I have shot I have eaten,
and have sold the skins--for one must live. It's five years since I have
touched a farthing of salary--I have paid myself. Every year I have
taken fifteen of these trees. As far as to the clearing yonder, the wood
is ninety years old. I reckon that they will last me about three winters
longer. When the last is felled, I will shoot my dog, and choose out a
quiet spot in the forest for myself." He looked down darkly at his gun.
"I have lived here thirty years; I have buried my wife and my children
in the German church-yard, and I don't trouble myself about what is to
befall me now. So far as my dog's bark can be heard and my gun reach,
the wood is in order; the rest belonged to the agent. That is my
reckoning, and now you may do what you like with me;" and, much excited,
he stamped the butt-end of his gun on the ground.
"I shall reply to what I have just heard," said Anton, "in the house and
room which henceforth belongs to your master, the Baron Rothsattel." He
stepped up to the door and laid his hands on its wooden bolt. "I take
possession of this in the name of the new proprietor." Then opening it,
he beckoned to the forester: "Keep back your dogs, and lead us in as you
ought."
The old man made no opposition, but slowly preceded them, called down
his dogs, and opened the house door.
Anton entered with his companions. "And now, forester, that you have
opened the house," said he, "we will proceed to an arrangement at once.
What has hitherto been done here by you can not be altered, and shall
not be discussed; but from this day forth you will receive your regular
allowance, and matters must be put on a different footing. I now place
the forest, and all that belongs to the forest department, under your
charge. Your duty now is to stand up for your master's rights, and from
this time forward I make you responsible for them. I shall protect you
as far as I can, and shall claim for you the protection of the law. We
shall be severe in prosecuting all who damage this wood any further.
This estate shall be better managed henceforth, and your new master
expects that you will help him to do so, as a faithful and obedient man
should. And there must be an end of this wild life of yours in the bush;
we are fellow-countrymen, you know. You will come regularly to the
castle and report the state of things, and we will take care that you
shall not feel desolate in your old days. If you purpose honestly to
fulfill the requirements I have just been making, give me your hand on
it."
The forester had stood abashed, listening, cap off, to Anton's address,
and he now took the hand offered to him, and said, "I do."
"With this shake of the hand, then," continued Anton, "I take you into
the service of the present proprietor."
The forester held Anton's hand in both his, and at length exclaimed, "If
I live to see things improve on the estate, I shall rejoice. I will do
all I can, but I tell you beforehand we shall have a hard fight for it.
Owing to the agents and the rascally management, the people on the
estate are become a pack of robbers, and I am afraid that my old gun
will often be obliged to have the last word of the argument."
"We will neither do wrong nor suffer wrong, and we must take the
consequences," was the earnest reply. "And now, forester, show us your
house, and then accompany us into the wood."
Anton then went over the little building: it was entirely of rough wood.
The light fell dimly through the small windows, and the brown walls and
blackened beams increased the darkness, and gave the room a mysterious
aspect. It was difficult at first to distinguish the objects on the
walls: antlers, dogs' collars, huntsmen's horns, whips, and stuffed
birds. On the stove stood a small press with cooking apparatus.
"I cook for myself," said the forester, "and get what I want from the
public house."
There were several birdcages in the windows, and a constant trilling and
chirping going on within them. Near the stove sat a raven, whose rough
plumage, and the white feathers about his beak and wings, proved his
great age. He had drawn his head in between his shoulders, and seemed
self-absorbed, but in reality his bright eye was observing every
movement of the strangers.
Next came the bed-room, where several guns were hanging. A grating
before the window proved that this was the citadel of the house.
"Where does that door lead to?" asked Anton, pointing to a trap-door in
the floor.
"To a cellar," replied the forester, with some embarrassment.
"Is it arched?"
"I will take you down, if you will come alone."
"Wait for us," cried Anton to his companions in the room.
The forester lit a lantern, carefully bolted the door, and went first
with the light.
"I had not thought," said he, "that any eyes but mine would see my
secret in my lifetime."
A few steps led them into a narrow vault, one side of which had been
broken through, and a low subterranean passage made, supported by stems
of trees triangularly placed.
"That is my run," said the forester, holding the candle down, "and it
leads into the young wood. It is more than forty yards long, and I was a
great while excavating it. This is the way I creep in and out
unobserved; and I may thank it that I am here still, for this is why the
stupid villagers believe me a sorcerer. When they have watched me go
into the house, and think they may steal in safely, I suddenly appear
among them. Two years ago a band of them broke into my house, and it
would have been all up with me but that I slunk out here like a badger.
Do not betray to any one what I have just shown you."
Anton promised that he would not, and they went back into the little
inclosure, where they found Karl occupied in fastening, between four
blocks that he had driven into the ground, the wooden trough of a young
fox. The fox, insensible to this delicate attention on the part of the
hussar, snarled at him, rattled his chain, and tried all it could, under
the board that Karl had placed across its kennel, to get at his hands.
"Do you want to kiss my hands, little red-head?" cried Karl, hammering
away. "You are a pretty fellow! What a pair of soft truthful eyes you
have, to be sure! Now, there, it's done; jump backward and forward as
much as you like. He does what's told him, forester; a good-natured
beast--something of your own character, comrade."
The forester laughed. "Do you know how to set about trapping a fox?"
"I should think so," said Karl.
"There are plenty more such fellows here," continued the old man; "if
you like, we will go after them next Sunday."
And so they went together through the wood, all on the best terms
possible. Anton called the forester to his side, and got much
information from him. Certainly, he had nothing very cheering to tell.
Of wood fit for cutting there was hardly enough for the use of the
family and tenants. The old system of plunder had done its worst here.
As they reached the carriage, the forester respectfully touched his hat,
and asked at what hour in the morning he should come to the castle.
Anton rejoiced to have succeeded so well in concealing the feeling of
insecurity which made his present position an irksome one to him.
"You see," said he to his faithful ally, as they both sat over the green
tile stove at evening, "what disturbs me most is that I feel more
ignorant and helpless than any of the servants about, and yet I have got
to maintain their respect. These two last days have taught me how little
mere good-will can do. Now, then, give me some sensible advice. What
shall be our next step?"
"First sell off all the cattle that are out of profit, and instantly
dismiss the good for nothing people who have them in charge. Bring
cattle and horses to the farm-yard, that we may have them under our own
eyes. What can be done in farming with our small means shall be done
regularly, not hurried over. We must buy straw and oats for the present.
Till next year, when a regular bailiff will be wanted, give me the
charge of things; I shall not do much, to be sure, but more than any of
your other people."
It was already late, when a quick step was heard on the stairs. With a
great stable-lantern in his hand, and a face full of bad news, the
landlord made his appearance in Anton's room. "I wished to tell you,
sir, what I have heard. A German from Kunau, who has just passed
through, has brought word that Bratzky never got to Rosmin yesterday."
"Never got there!" cried Anton, springing up.
"About two miles from Rosmin, in the wood, four riders fell upon the
carriage. It was dark; the riders overpowered the gendarme and bound
him, took off Bratzky and all his things, mounted him on one of the
horses, and off with him into the bush. Two of them remained with the
carriage, and obliged the driver to turn out of the road into a thicket,
and there they staid two whole hours, holding their loaded pistols at
the gendarme and the driver all the time. The driver said the horses
were gentlemen's horses, and that the riders spoke like gentry. The
gendarme was bruised, but otherwise unhurt, and they took your paper
away from him."
Anton and Karl looked at each other significantly, and thought of the
party of the day before.
"Where is the man who has brought the news?" asked Anton, snatching up
his hat.
"He was in a hurry to get on before dark. To-morrow we shall hear more.
Such a thing has not happened for years as mounted men falling upon a
carriage with a gendarme in it. When a robbery has been committed, it
has always been on foot."
"Did you know the riders who were in the village yesterday afternoon,
and who were calling for the steward?" inquired Anton.
The host cast a sly glance at him, and seemed reluctant to answer.
"Nay," continued Anton, "you must have known them all; they belonged to
this part of the country."
"Why should not I know them?" replied the landlord, in some
perturbation. "It was the rich Herr von Tarow himself with his guests. A
powerful man, Mr. Wohlfart, who has the command of the police on your
property too. And as to what he wanted with Bratzky? Bratzky, as
inspector, has had to do with the police, and has often been employed by
the gentry in buying and selling horses, and in other ways too. If the
head of the police wanted to speak to the inspector, why should not he?
The Von Tarows are a clever set, who know what they are about in
speaking and acting." So far the landlord, with much fluency, but his
eyes and the expression of his countenance told a very different tale.
"You have a suspicion," cried Anton, looking fixedly at him.
"God preserve me from all suspicion!" continued the landlord, horrified
at the idea. "And Mr. Wohlfart, if you will allow me to tell you my
opinion, why should you go and suspect any one either? You will have
enough to do on the property here, and will need the gentry round in
many ways. Why should you make enemies for no purpose? This is a country
where the gentlemen ride in parties, and then divide, put their heads
together, and then start off in different directions. He is wisest who
does not trouble himself about them."
When the landlord was gone, Anton said gloomily to Karl, "I am afraid
that, besides our trouble with the property, much of a different nature
is going on around us, which all our skill will not be able to set
right."
This singular circumstance set the whole country in a ferment. Anton was
often summoned to Rosmin in the course of the next few weeks, but his
depositions led to no result, the authorities not succeeding in
discovering the offenders, or in getting hold of the abducted steward.