As soon as Kuno was established upon the balcony and commended to the
kind attention of the ladies, Delmar rapidly ascended the narrow,
precipitous path by which he had reached the castle on the previous
day. He did not heed the heat which had begun to be intense; he
accorded not a look to the magnificent landscape, nor had he any care
for the dangers of the way. What he desired was to reach the castle as
quickly as possible.
His brain was in a chaos of confusion; he was in a labyrinth of
puzzles, out of which he could find no clue. Nevertheless he passed on
his perilous way in perfect security, and soon reached the garden of
the castle.
Here he looked around him, hoping to encounter his friend, but Leo was
nowhere to be seen. In the midst of a thick growth of shrubbery,
however, he saw the flutter of a light dress, and in a moment Hilda
appeared. She must have seen him coming, for she advanced directly
towards him, holding out her hand in greeting, and speaking before he
had time to address her. "You have done wrong, Herr Delmar," she said
reproachfully. "You come from the rocks by the rock-path; I am really
angry with you for not keeping your promise."
Was she really angry? Why then should she have received Paul with so
enchanting a smile? Her words betokened a care for his safety that
delighted him. He thought her far lovelier than upon the previous day,
and far more like an angel, with her wealth of hair framing in so
girlish and beautiful a face. When he had seen her before her straw hat
had concealed its masses; now her head shone in the sunshine like pure
gold.
When he took her hand he felt an intense longing to press it to his
lips, but he remembered her reproof of the day previous and forbore,
contenting himself with a slight pressure, which he rejoiced to fancy
was in some measure returned. "You must not come to the castle by that
path up the rocks," Hilda continued, when Paul did not reply to her
first remonstrance. "You must give me your word not to take it again,
or I shall always be anxious if you come at all late when you have
promised a visit to Leo."
"Would you really be anxious on my account?" Paul asked, never thinking
how low and gentle was the voice in which he put the question, or how
Kuno would have laughed at him if he had heard it.
But Hilda did not laugh; she answered gravely and frankly, "Yes, Herr
Delmar; I have deeply repented my thoughtlessness in showing you that
path, and I should never forgive myself if you were to meet with any
accident there. I have already been anxious about you this morning; you
were so long in coming, when Leo thought you would be here directly
after breakfast. Will you not make me the promise I ask?"
"Any promise that you ask is already made, lovely fairy. Delightful as
is that scramble up the rocks, the path will not exist for me in
future. You have forbidden me to use it, and I, as your obedient slave,
venture no opposition to your command, but obey!"
"Then as a reward I will instantly conduct you to Leo, who is anxiously
expecting you. He would have gone to Tausens himself this morning to
see after his friend Herr von Herwarth, but he was kept here by the
intelligence that a wealthy and well-known family from K---- had
arrived at the Post."
"Then Leo already knows who they are?"
"Yes; the maid from the Post came up to the castle last evening to beg
for some fowls. She reported that a very grand family from K---- had
arrived in two four-horse carriages and were to spend some time in
Tausens. She mentioned their names too as my housekeeper told me. The
name of Schommer was familiar to me,--I met a charming girl, a Fraeulein
Schommer, in Vienna,--and so I asked Leo this morning if he knew these
people."
"And he said?----"
"He said yes. But he seemed to me not very well pleased that they
should have come to stay at Tausens. When he told me that he should not
go to the Post this morning because he wished if possible to avoid any
personal encounter with these strangers, I said nothing further,
although I should like to know more of them."
"Perhaps I can gratify this desire, Fraeulein von Heydeck. I have the
honour of knowing Fraeulein Schommer."
"Ah, how glad I am! I should so like to know whether she is the lovely
Eva Schommer whom I saw nearly two years ago in Vienna, and who so
charmed me that I never left her side for an entire evening.
Unfortunately I could not pursue the acquaintance, for she left
Vienna the next day, and we never met again. Yes, she said her home was
in K----. What a pleasure it would be to see her again here in
Tausens!"
"That pleasure you can easily enjoy. Fraeulein Schommer spoke to me last
evening of her pleasant remembrance of you in Vienna."
"Oh, delightful!" Hilda exclaimed. "I have thought of that lovely Eva
so often! I will go this very day to Tausens to see her. We must be
together constantly!" She spoke impulsively, but suddenly she paused.
"I forgot," she said sadly, "that Leo wishes to avoid meeting these
people. Does he know this lovely girl? He cannot wish not to see her.
But no, do not answer my question, Herr Delmar. I had no right to ask
it. If Leo had wished me to know his reasons for not wishing to meet
these people he would have told me them himself. I would rather have
you say nothing to me about it."
"I thank you, Fraeulein von Heydeck. It would have been hard to refuse
any request of yours, and yet I have no right to speak of Leo's
position with regard to Fraeulein Schommer's family without his express
permission. Of one thing however I can assure you: Leo can make, and
can have, no possible objection to your renewing your acquaintance with
Fraeulein Schommer."
"Are you sure of this?"
"Perfectly sure; promise me that you will pay Fraeulein Schommer a visit
this afternoon, and I will answer for it that Leo shall accompany you."
"You will greatly oblige me by doing so, for I could not of course seek
out the lady if our guest wished to avoid her."
As they talked, Hilda had conducted Paul into the castle and through
the rooms to the corridor, at the end of which were Leo's apartments.
"You cannot go astray now," she said. "Leo's room lies just before you.
You will find him at his easel. He would not go out for fear of missing
you. When I called him to breakfast he had begun a sketch, and was so
absorbed in his work that he never left it. I did not see it, but I am
hoping to enjoy it when it is finished."
Here Hilda left him, and Delmar went along the corridor to the last
door; he knocked twice without receiving any answer, and then opened it
and entered the room.
Leo had heard neither the knocking, the opening and shutting of the
door, nor his friend's footstep. He was standing lost in thought before
his easel, gazing at a sketch of a head, the result of his last few
hours' labour.
When he had entered his sitting-room in the early morning, refreshed by
his night's rest, and had seen the easel by the window with the canvas
upon it ready stretched, he had been irresistibly tempted to take up
his crayon and enjoy the delight of which he had been deprived for a
week. Yielding to this irrepressible desire, he had made a sketch of
the fair face that filled his dreams both sleeping and waking. It was
so like that he stood now lost in contemplation of it, quite dead to
the outer world, not hearing when Paul entered the room, not noticing
the approach of his friend, who stood behind him for some minutes in
silent admiration of the sketch upon the easel.
"Bravo, Leo! You have outdone yourself! 'Tis the most artistic sketch
you've ever made!"
Leo started like one awakening from a dream that has held him
spell-bound. His first impulse was to snatch the picture from the
easel, and from the eyes of his friend, but Delmar stayed his hand.
"Come, come, Leo! let the picture stay! No artist is justified
in hiding from sight the fruits of his genius. The picture is
wonderful,--a masterpiece. Her eyes had just that deep, dreamy look in
them yesterday when she so bitterly lamented your injustice in accusing
her of pride of purse. You must know that I have concluded a peace with
the fair Eva. I solemnly retract everything derogatory that I ever said
or thought about her; indeed, I frankly confess to you that I never in
my life fell into so pitiable an error as when I pronounced such hasty,
crude, and unjustifiable judgment upon this charming girl. If she would
but allow me, I would beg her pardon on my knees."
Leo regarded Paul with amazement, looking in vain for the sneer that
was wont to play about his lips when he wanted to tease his friend.
Delmar had been steadily contemplating the picture as he spoke in a
tone of honest conviction. Now he turned to Leo, and remarking his
amazement, he continued, with a smile: "You look at me as if you hardly
believed me, and, remembering my folly with regard to Fraeulein
Schommer, I cannot blame you. The age of miracles however is not yet
over; the most hardened of sinners may be converted by the logic of
lovely lips, and I am a convert. With a few simple, frank words she has
reversed my ridiculous judgment of her. I wish you could have heard her
yesterday when she so sadly bewailed her misfortune in being 'too
rich.' You, too, would have changed your opinion of her, and no longer
have hated her, as you apparently do at present. Only intense hatred or
intense--affection could have stamped her features so deeply upon your
memory as to enable you to reproduce them in this wondrous way. And as
you assuredly do not love Eva, you of course hate her. And yet how
admirably you have managed to show no trace of this dislike in your
drawing!"
"Paul, do not torture me!"
This simple sentence disarmed Delmar; he grew grave instantly. "I will
not tease you," he said, "although you deserve it for never giving the
confidence you owe a friend to one so devoted to you as I am. Have I
not a right to be angry with you that accident alone--the sight of this
picture--has told me your secret? You love Fraeulein Schommer, although
to me you denied that you did so. It was not true friendship, Leo."
"What else could I do? I hardly knew myself at first whether I loved or
hated her; and when I did know, I was ashamed of my hopeless passion."
"Hopeless? It is folly to use such a word. How can a man like yourself,
endowed with physical and mental superiority and distinguished both by
birth and by position, condescend to utter such a word? You never tried
to gain Fraeulein Schommer's affection."
"She has repulsed me with proud reserve upon the only occasions when I
have been in her society. And even if she had not done so, I should not
have paid court to her,--she is too rich!"
"Too rich! There it is! That is the root of the matter!" Paul exclaimed
with irritation. "Too rich! It is Fraeulein Schommer's misfortune and my
own. While the wretches who envy us for our wealth crowd about us to
gather up servilely the golden crumbs we may throw them, while they
flatter and cringe and worship us as their golden calf, those whom we
esteem and love withdraw from our society. We are too rich for those
disinterested souls who would love us for our own sakes,--they will not
expose themselves to the degrading suspicion of seeking us for the sake
of our wealth! How often I have been devoured with rage when you, Leo,
my dearest friend, have refused to share with me the enjoyments that
wealth can procure! I was 'too rich' for you, and therefore you
bestowed but a few meagre hours of your society upon me when I so
coveted your companionship; therefore you withdrew from me more and
more, and would, I verily believe, have forsaken me utterly if I had
not clutched you and refused to let you go. Poor Eva Schommer!
She, too, is 'too rich,' and therefore throws herself away upon a
heartless vagabond. For the man who would love her disinterestedly
for her own sake she is 'too rich'! The devil take wealth! if it robs
us of all that is best and noblest in this world,--the love of our
friends,--giving us instead only the flattery of fools, ennui, satiety,
and disgust of life!"
Leo had never seen his friend thus agitated. His cheeks were flushed
and his voice trembled with emotion as he spoke. To Heydeck's friendly
remonstrance be made no reply, but, walking to the window, stood gazing
for some minutes at the magnificent view. Then, having recovered his
self-possession, he turned to Leo, and with a gentleness of manner rare
in him, said, "I was cross to you, Leo; forgive me. A sense of the
misfortune that dogs my life overcame me for a moment,--it shall not be
so again. I know that you, in spite of my millions, are my true, my
only friend. Enough of this! we have other matters to discuss. First,
let me tell you that Herwarth's sprained ankle will keep him tied to
his arm-chair on the balcony at the Post for two weeks; therefore if
you wish to see him you must go to him, he cannot come to you."
Leo was annoyed by this intelligence, much as he wished to see his
friend. He would have liked to avoid the meeting with Fraeulein Schommer
and Bertram, that would doubtless take place if he visited Herwarth. He
expressed this annoyance to Delmar.
But Delmar would not heed it. "Bertram will hardly dare to put himself
in your way; and as for Fraeulein Schommer, it is your duty as a man of
honour to ask her pardon. It is not enough to see that one has been
wrong,--the wrong should be confessed to whomsoever it has injured. But
I will not press you. I am sure that you will do what is right, and I
hope you will come to Tausens this afternoon with your cousin, who
wishes to renew an acquaintance with Fraeulein Schommer. And now let us
speak of another matter, of the greatest interest and importance to me.
You must help me to solve a mystery in which I suddenly find myself
involved, and to this end I must tell you in detail all that happened
yesterday."
And Paul began his story, first recalling to Leo's remembrance the
extraordinary reception accorded him by Herr von Heydeck,--dwelling
upon the fact that the old man had mentioned his Christian name,
'Paul,' without hearing it. He then told of his visit to Dr. Putzer and
of the doctor's amazement at seeing him; of his first taking him for a
Count Menotti,--a name which Paul had certainly heard somewhere lately,
he could not remember where; and last he gave an account of the
incomprehensible phrases which had escaped the tipsy doctor during his
evening visit.
Leo listened with eager attention. As Paul went on he thought
involuntarily of the postmaster's information with regard to his
uncle's earlier life, connecting with it the strange interest which
Herr von Heydeck took in Paul Delmar, the deserted room in the tower,
and the old cradle. All this, combined with the tipsy talk of Dr.
Putzer, suddenly aroused in Leo a suspicion, which he at first rejected
as too wild and incredible, but to which every word of Paul's, as he
continued, gave greater probability.
When Delmar ended his recital with, "Now tell me, Leo, what do you
think of this strange tale?" Heydeck had no doubt that he had
discovered its meaning,--a meaning that brought disgrace to his uncle.
"I will tell you, Paul," he said, "but first answer me one question.
Look back to the days of your boyhood, think of your relations with
your father, of his last days, and of his will. Did it never occur to
you that he must have had a particular reason for the terms in which it
was couched? You were his natural heir; why should he have made the
express statement that he left you his property, not because you were
his son, but because of your love for him, and because you were the
founder and preserver of his wealth? What reason could your father have
for such a will?"
"I cannot tell. I have often wondered, but never have arrived at any
conclusion."
"Did you never think haw your father, during all your early childhood,
held himself aloof from you, only according you his parental affection
in later years; and that he may have had some reason for this conduct?
Would not all these apparent contradictions be explained if you were
not his own child, but an adopted son, whose dutiful and filial conduct
at last aroused his genuine affection?"
Paul, who had been leaning back in an arm-chair, here started to his
feet. "What do you mean?" he exclaimed, in great agitation. "Such an
idea never entered my mind; my brain whirls at the thought. But go on;
to what does all this lead?"
Leo obeyed, reminding Paul of the postmaster's narrative, of the
suspicion awakened years before with regard to Herr von Heydeck,--a
suspicion that he had, in connection with Dr. Putzer and his wife,
caused the death of his son, to whose estate he had thus become heir.
Formerly it had been whispered that Herr von Heydeck was not the
child's father, but that the boy was the offspring of Frau von Heydeck
and of Count Menotti.
"There is where I heard the name!" Paul exclaimed; "but go on, go on! I
am upon the rack of expectation!"
Leo went on to speak of the cries which had been so often heard from
the round tower after the child's death, and that no one save Herr von
Heydeck himself and his half-idiotic servants had ventured to go near
this part of the castle. He then told of his losing his way upon the
previous afternoon, of his visit to the deserted room, of the cradle,
and of his struggle with Melcher. From all this, taken in connection
with his uncle's expressions and the doctor's talk, he drew the
conclusion that possibly many years previously his uncle and Dr. Putzer
had combined to remove from the world the unfortunate child which his
uncle was convinced was not his own, but the son of Count Menotti. This
was not effected by murder, of which vulgar gossip had accused them,
but by the removal of the child whose little corpse no one but the
doctor was allowed to see.
For this purpose the haunted tower had been put to use; there they had
kept the boy whose cries, heard in the silent night, had stricken with
terror the superstitious villagers. Afterwards, for his perfect
security, Herr von Heydeck must himself have removed the child. If this
were so, and if the deceased Herr Delmar had been induced to adopt the
forsaken boy, the strange provisions of his will were clearly
explained, as were also the expressions of Herr von Heydeck and the
doctor, who had both instantly recognized the resemblance of Delmar to
Count Menotti, and were doubtless convinced that he had come to Tausens
to lay claim to his inheritance and to the name and title of a Herr von
Heydeck.
"If my suspicion be correct," Leo concluded, "and the more I reflect
upon the matter the more convinced I am that it is so, you are the
boy, the lawful possessor of this castle, whom my uncle has deprived
of his estate and of his name. According to law you are my uncle's
son,--Hilda's brother."
"Hilda's brother!" Paul almost shouted. "Would you drive me mad? Is
it not enough to take from me everything to which I have hitherto
clung,--even the father whom I loved and in whom I had full faith? I,
Hilda's brother! Never I never! I cannot believe it! And yet can I help
believing it?" he continued, after a short pause. "Have you not
succeeded in discovering an explanation for all which I thought
inexplicable? Heydeck, who stole from me my estate and thrust me forth
into the world because he knew that I was not his son, recognizes me by
my likeness to the man who dishonoured him. There is not in my veins
one drop of your worthless uncle's blood, and yet the law makes me
Hilda's brother,--and the worst of criminals, should I ever dare to
entertain for her in my heart one sentiment save that of a brother for
a sister!"
As he spoke, Paul was pacing the room to and fro in the greatest
agitation; his olive cheek was deeply flushed; and such unmistakable
despair was painted in his face, that Leo, who had had no idea of the
depth and strength of the 'love at first sight' that had taken
possession of Paul for Hilda, could have no doubt as to the sentiments
that filled his soul. He was utterly amazed. Paul, with his critical
sneer, his ridicule of all sentimentality, his constant insistance that
the intellect should always maintain its dominion over the affections,
had suddenly lost his heart,--lost it irretrievably to a young girl
whom he had known only for a few hours, and who, in Leo's opinion, was
to be sure very charming and amiable, but not at all the one to inspire
such a man as Delmar with this sudden overmastering passion.
Yet although this love was a riddle to Leo, none the less did his
friend's despair excite his compassion, and he repented having so
pitilessly pronounced the sentence 'according to law you are Hilda's
brother,' without dreaming of the effect it might produce upon his
friend.
"Calm yourself, Paul," he said gently; "do not forget that all I have
said is only hypothetical. I have no facts to substantiate my
supposition, no way of proving even the possibility of its
correctness."
"Who want proof?" Delmar angrily exclaimed. "Did I come here to lay any
claim to the wretched inheritance which that woman, whom I will not
call mother, left her son? You know well enough that I am too rich now.
Or can you suppose that I aspire to the honour of the name of von
Heydeck? I love the name for your sake, Leo; you have ennobled it, and
it is that borne by your cousin, else I should hate it. Proofs! If I
possessed proofs clear as sunlight that this castle belonged to me, and
that I had a legal right to the name of Heydeck, I would consign them
to the flames, that no one upon earth might know that I had a right to
be considered your uncle's son."
"Why then, Paul, should the thought of Hilda bring you such misery? If
you never lay claim to the right which the law would perhaps accord
you, she is not your sister. As you yourself said, no drop of her
father's blood flows in your veins."
"Are you so sure of that,--sure that I am not your uncle's son, whom a
freak of nature stamped with a resemblance to his mother's friend.
Count Menotti? In that case Hilda would really be my sister. I grow
giddy at the horrid thought, and yet I must learn to grasp it. I should
despise myself if, in view of such a possibility, I ever dared approach
Hilda with other than a brother's love. Shall I poison her young life?
If she should love me and become my wife, as I, fool that I was,
ventured to dream a few hours ago, and should then, by any chance,
learn that the law makes her father, mine, how horrible would be her
fate! No, Leo; I will never sacrifice her happiness to my insane
passion! She shall never suspect it. I will be all to her--faithful
friend, true counsellor--that a brother may; but she never shall hear
from my lips one syllable betokening a warmer feeling than the love of
a brother."
"I know you will remain steadfast in this resolution, Paul. I shall not
gainsay it by a single word. Only let me pray you to act calmly and
without passion. You have no right to take my conjecture for reality
without further confirmation; the facts upon which it is founded may
perhaps bear a different interpretation. You must not allow the
happiness of your life to be destroyed by an ill-founded suspicion."
"What would you have me do?"
"Investigate the truth concerning your birth. First spare no pains to
discover, here in Tausens, whether my uncle's son did not really die
here years ago; your wealth will help you to do this. I will do all
that I can to assist you, not only here, but also in Germany, where you
must search out the former home of Herr Delmar, and succeed, if
possible, in establishing proof that you really are his son, and that a
chance resemblance has thus befooled us all. You must not lose courage,
Paul; you have a sacred duty to fulfil, both to yourself and to Hilda."
"Be it so!" Paul replied, with a firm grasp of his friend's hand. "I
will do what you ask; I will investigate this wretched mystery; I will
search for proof that I am the son of this scoundrelly Herr von
Heydeck, as if in this certainty lay my every hope of happiness instead
of my doom to misery; but I am inwardly convinced that your suspicion
is only too well grounded. The task I propose will not be a difficult
one. I know the hand wherein lies the clue to the secret. That wretch,
Dr. Putzer, is your uncle's accomplice. He will do anything for money,
as he clearly made known to me yesterday. _In vino veritas_. If I give
him what he asks, and insure him from all risk, he can easily be
brought to betray his principal and give me the proof I want. I will
not chaffer with him; he may have as much as he asks. I will tell you
more, Leo, if you will come to Tausens with your cousin this afternoon.
Now I leave you to go to Dr. Putzer. Farewell."
The friends separated with a cordial grasp of hands that told better
than in words of their determination to pursue earnestly the task they
had undertaken; and then, when Leo had conducted Paul to the head of
the grand staircase, he returned sadly to his studio.
As Paul passed through the portal of the castle and saw upon the right
the old round tower, a bitter sense of injury possessed him. There was
the place where he had been imprisoned as a helpless infant, while the
avaricious man who was legally his father annihilated all trace of the
existence of the child whom he dared not kill, but would not allow to
live.
"If he had only killed me!" Paul sighed; and the thought suddenly
occurred to him whether it would not be best to end his misery by a
leap from the castle rock. "No! no!" he reflected; "they must not
despise me as a coward."
And yet the thought had a positive fascination for him. Could he not
contrive that a misstep upon the perilous path up the rocks should
cause his death to be considered by his friends the result of chance?
They would--Leo would--mourn him truly, and the will by which he had
made his friend his heir would smooth Heydeck's future career for him.
He would not hesitate then to approach Eva as a lover. The miserable
millions would at last bring happiness to their possessor.
But as he was walking through the garden towards the narrow rock-path,
oblivious of his promise to Hilda, a prey to dire temptation, a voice
was suddenly heard that caused him to pause, startled.
"Where are you going, Herr Delmar?"
He looked up, and Hilda stood before him, with pain and reproach in her
eyes.
Her simple question covered Paul with confusion. He now first
remembered the promise so frankly given a short time before; a promise
he was on his way to break. He might have given an evasive reply.
Indeed, Hilda helped him to do so by adding, "Perhaps you hoped to meet
me here in the garden. Did you speak with Leo about my visit to
Fraeulein Schommer?"
But such an evasion seemed unmanly and unworthy of him. "Forgive me,
Fraeulein Hilda," was his only reply.
Hilda understood him. "Were you really about to return to Tausens by
the rock-path in spite of your promise?"
"I had forgotten it. Indeed, you have a right to be angry, but if you
knew----"
He hesitated; he could not make Hilda the confidante of his misery.
"What has happened, Herr Delmar? Why do you pause? You are evidently
agitated. What can you have learned in the short time since I saw you?
Tell me, I pray."
As she spoke she kindly offered him her hand, but he did not take it.
He shuddered as he thought of how happy he had been but a few short
moments before when he took that little hand, and of the hopes that had
then dawned in his soul, hopes that must be crushed forever. Should he
press his lips upon it in one farewell kiss? No! not even that. She
must not dream how hard it was to part from her; she must think of him
as of a stranger, and he looked away, that Hilda might suppose he did
not see the hand she held out to him.
But Hilda was not deceived. The interest which she felt in Delmar was
too deep and vivid to allow her to remain ignorant of the change he had
suddenly undergone. She saw that he intentionally avoided taking her
hand, and she was afraid that she had in some manner offended him. Was
he vexed at her suspicion that he had meant to break his word? She had
not meant to call him to so strict an account. "Are you vexed with me,
Herr Delmar?" she said gently; "I did not mean to offend you."
"I know that, Fraeulein Hilda," Delmar replied, recovering his
composure. "How could you offend me? I confess that I am agitated by
the conversation that I have just had with Leo about family matters, of
which I am not at liberty to speak. I had forgotten my promise with
regard to the Reifenstein rocks, but be assured I will keep faith with
you now. Farewell, Fraeulein Hilda!"
He bowed formally and walked away through the garden towards the
court-yard. In the dim gateway leading into it he turned to look at
Hilda once more. She was standing on the spot where he had left her,
with amazement and sorrow expressed in her whole air and bearing. His
strange manner, his formal farewell, had filled her with vague
misgivings.
He waved his hand in token of adieu, and hurried from the castle across
the bridge to the well-worn foot-path down the mountain. Again, as he
walked on, did that grim temptation to self-destruction assault his
soul. He turned aside among the shrubbery that bordered the pathway,
and penetrating it, reached the brink of the abyss and gazed down into
its misty depths. As he looked his foot slipped upon a loose stone; in
an instant the instinct of self-preservation was on the alert.
Involuntarily he seized the stout branch of a tree growing beside him
and swung himself up to the level ground. As he did so a scornful smile
curled his lip at the thought of the exertion he was making to save a
life now so worthless in his eyes. But dreary as the future seemed to
him, he shrank from the cowardice that would flee from trials and
agonies that might be bravely met. He remembered how often he had heard
Leo denounce the pusillanimity of those who lacked courage to meet the
inevitable shocks of life. And Hilda,--could she ever have even a
kindly thought for the memory of a suicide?
One more look he gave to the abyss at his feet, and then turned back
into the secure foot-path and walked on slowly, lost in thought, to the
village. He was no longer occupied solely with self; his mind reacted
healthily and he thought of his friend. What change might not the next
few weeks bring about in the life of the man who had been to him more
than a brother? Eva and Leo must have opportunities for knowing and
understanding each other. With closer knowledge of his friend, Fraeulein
Schommer could not but return his affection. To this end Paul would
exert himself: he would give his life a new purpose; and this
resolution exalted and refreshed him. He had almost forgotten the dark
shadow brooding over his own existence when he was reminded of it by a
sudden glimpse among the trees of the village in the midst of which Dr.
Putzer's house was conspicuous.
He remembered that he had promised Leo to attempt to learn from Dr.
Putzer more concerning Herr von Heydeck. The result of such an attempt
had lost all interest for him, it is true, so convinced was he of the
truth of Leo's surmises, but nevertheless he would, as he had promised,
do all that he could to drag every fact connected with this mystery to
the full light of day.