Rodeck, the hunting lodge belonging to the possessions of the Prince of
Adelsberg, was about two hours' distance from Furstenstein, in the
midst of deepest forest loneliness. The small building, erected
without much taste, contained at the most about a dozen rooms, whose
old-fashioned and shabby furniture had been put in as good order as the
short notice of the coming of the Prince permitted.
The little castle had not been inhabited for years and looked somewhat
dilapidated, but when one emerged from the deep, dark forest into the
opening, and beheld at the end of the wide green sward the old gray
edifice with its tall, spiked roof and four steeples at the corners, it
had truly something of the forest idyl about it.
The Adelsbergs had once been a reigning family, but a family that had
long since lost its sovereignty. They had retained, however, the
princely title, an enormous fortune, and a very extensive property. The
once numerous family counted at present but few representatives; the
main branch only a single one--the Prince Egon, who, as lord of all the
family estates, besides being closely related to the reigning house
through his late mother, played an important role among the nobility of
the land.
The young Prince had always been considered a rover, who at times
followed very eccentric notions and bothered himself very little about
princely etiquette when he wished to follow some momentary whim. The
old Prince had been very strict with his son, but his death made Egon
von Adelsberg the sole master of his own will very early in life.
He had now returned from a tour in the Orient which had kept him in
foreign lands two years, but instead of occupying the princely palace
in town, or one of his other castles which were furnished with every
conceivable splendor for a summer or fall visit, he took a notion to go
to the old forest nook--the little half-forgotten Rodeck--which was not
prepared for the honor of receiving its master, and could offer but
scant accommodation.
Old Stadinger was right: one must never ask Prince Egon why. Everything
depended entirely upon his momentary caprice.
In the morning of a sunny autumn day, two gentlemen in hunting costume
stood upon the lawn at Rodeck talking with the castle-keeper, while a
light open carriage stood upon the gravel road, ready for departure. At
a casual glance the two young men bore a certain resemblance to each
other. They had tall, slender figures, deeply tanned faces, and eyes in
which glowed the whole fiery gayety and courage of youth, but upon
closer examination the wide difference between them was apparent.
The Southern coloring of the younger one, who might, perhaps, be about
twenty-four years old, was caused, apparently, by a prolonged stay
under a hot sun, for the light, curly hair and blue eyes did not match
it--they betrayed the German. A light beard, curly like the hair,
framed a handsome, open face, which, however, did not follow any strict
line of beauty. The forehead was rather too low, but there was
something like bright sunshine in this face which charmed and won
everybody.
His companion, several years his senior, had nothing of this sunny
quality, although his appearance was more imposing. Slender like the
younger one, he towered above him in height, and his dark complexion
was not caused by the sun alone. It was of that olive tint which allows
a pale face to still look fresh, and the blue-black hair which fell in
thick waves over the high brow made the apparent paleness more
noticeable. The face was beautiful, with its noble, proud lines so
firmly and energetically pronounced, but upon it appeared also deep
shadows lying over brow and eyes; such shadows as one seldom finds on
youthful features.
The large, dark eyes, which had in their depths something gloomy, told
of hot, unruled passions. In their flashing there was something uncanny
but mysteriously attractive. One felt that they could charm with
demoniac power; in fact, the whole personality of the man possessed
this uncanny, entrancing charm.
"But I cannot help you, Stadinger," said the younger of the two
gentlemen. "The newly arrived lot has to be unpacked and a place found
for them. Where? that is your affair."
"But, Your Highness, if that is absolutely impossible?" argued the
castle-keeper, in a tone indicating that he stood in rather familiar
relations to his young master. "Not a nook is free any more in Rodeck.
I have had trouble enough already to house the servants which Your
Highness brought along, and now every day boxes large as houses arrive,
and always it is 'Unpack, Stadinger,' 'Find room, Stadinger,' and in
the meantime the rooms stand empty by the dozen in the other castles."
"Do not grumble, old forest spirit, but find room," interrupted the
Prince. "The arrivals have to be put up here at Rodeck, at least for
the present, and if the worst comes you will have to give up your own
lodgings."
"Yes, certainly; Stadinger has room enough in his lodgings," joined in
the second gentleman. "I shall arrange it myself and measure it all."
"And Lena can help you with it," added the Prince, supporting the
proposal of his friend. "She is at home, is she not?"
Stadinger measured the gentlemen from head to foot, then answered
drily:
"No, Your Highness, Lena is away."
"Where?" cried the Prince, starting up. "Where has she gone?"
"To town," was the laconic reply.
"What! I thought you intended keeping your grandchild at home all
winter."
"That has been changed," replied the castle-keeper with imperturbable
composure. "My old sister Rosa only is at home now. If you wish to
measure my dwelling with her help, Herr Rojanow, she would consider it
a high honor."
Rojanow glanced at the old man in no very friendly way, and the young
prince said reproachfully:
"Now listen, Stadinger, you treat us in quite an unaccountable manner.
You even take Lena away from us, the only one who was worth looking at.
All else here in the female line have the sixties behind them, and
their heads positively shake from old age; and the kitchen women you
got from Furstenstein to help actually offend our sense of beauty."
"Your Highnesses do not need to look at them," suggested Stadinger. "I
look out that the servants do not come into the castle, but if Your
Highness goes into the kitchen like the day before yesterday----"
"Well, must I not inspect my servants at times? But I shall not go into
the kitchen a second time--you have taken care of that. I have my
suspicions that you have gathered here all the very ugliest of the Wald
to celebrate my arrival. You ought to be ashamed, Stadinger."
The old man looked sharply and fixedly into his master's eyes, and his
voice sounded very impressive as he answered:
"I am not ashamed a bit, Your Highness. When the late Prince, Your
Highness' father, gave me this post of rest he said to me, 'Keep order
at Rodeck, Stadinger--I rely upon you.' Well, I have kept order for
twelve years in the castle, and in my house particularly, and I shall
do that in future. Has Your Highness any orders for me?"
"No, you old, rude thing," cried the Prince, half laughing, half angry.
"Make haste and get away. We do not need any curtain lectures."
Stadinger obeyed. He saluted and marched off.
Rojanow looked after him and shrugged his shoulders sarcastically.
"I admire your patience, Egon. You allow your servants very
far-reaching liberty."
"Stadinger is an exception," replied Egon. "He allows himself
everything; but he was not so much in the wrong when he sent Lena away.
I believe I should have done the same in his place."
"But it is not the first time that this old castle-keeper has taken it
upon himself to call you and me to order. If I were his master he would
have his dismissal in the next hour."
"If I tried that it would turn out badly for me," laughed the Prince.
"Such old family heirlooms, who have served for three generations, and
have carried the children in their arms, will be treated with respect.
I cannot gain anything there with orders and prohibitions. Peter
Stadinger does what he will, and occasionally lectures me just as he
sees fit."
"If you suffer it--such a thing is incomprehensible to me."
"Yes, it is a thing you do not comprehend, Hartmut," said Egon more
seriously. "You know only the slavish submission of the servants in
your country and the Orient. They kneel and bow at every opportunity,
yet steal and betray their masters whenever they can and know how.
Stadinger is of an enviable simplicity. My 'Highness' does not
intimidate him in the least. He often tells me the hardest things to my
face; but I could put hundreds of thousands in his hands--he would not
defraud me of one iota of it. If Rodeck were in flames and I in the
midst of it, the old man, with all his sixty years, would stand by me
without a second thought. All this is different with us in Germany."
"Yes; with you in Germany," repeated Hartmut slowly, and his glance was
lost dreamily in the dusk of the forest.
"Are you still so prejudiced against it?" asked Egon. "It cost me
persuasion and prayers enough to get you to accompany me here--you
fought so against entering German territory."
"I wish I had not entered it," said Rojanow, gloomily. "You know----"
"That all sorts of bitter remembrances have their origin here for
you--yes, you have told me that; but you must have been a boy then.
Have you not yet overcome the grudge against it? You have the most
obstinate reticence, anyway, upon this point. I have not yet heard what
it really was that----"
"Egon, I beg of you, leave the subject," interrupted Hartmut, harshly.
"I have told you once for all that I cannot and will not speak of it.
If you mistrust me, let me go. I have not forced myself upon you, you
know that; but I cannot bear these inquiries and questions."
The proud, inconsiderate tone which he used toward his friend did not
seem to be anything new to the Prince. He merely shrugged his shoulders
and said pacifyingly:
"How irritable you are again to-day! I believe you are right when you
insist that German air makes you nervous. You are entirely changed
since you put foot on this soil."
"It is possible. I feel that I torture you and myself with these whims;
therefore let me go, Egon."
"I know better! Have I taken so much pains to catch you, just to let
you fly off again now? No, no, Hartmut, I shall not let you go by any
means."
The words sounded playful, but Rojanow seemed to take them wrongly. His
eyes lighted up almost threateningly as he returned:
"And what if I _will_ leave?"
"Then I shall hold you like this."
With an indescribably charming expression, Egon threw his arm around
his friend's shoulder. "And I shall ask if this bad, obstinate Hartmut
can bring his conscience to desert me. We have lived together almost
two years, and have shared danger and joy like two brothers, and now
you would storm out into the world again without asking about me. Am I,
then, so little to you?"
Such warm, heartfelt beseeching was in the words that Rojanow's
irritation could not live. His eyes lit up with an expression which
showed that he returned just as intensely the passionate, enthusiastic
affection which the young Prince bore him, even if he was, in their
mutual relationship, the domineering one.
"Do you believe that for the sake of any one else I would have come to
Germany?" he asked in a low voice. "Forgive me, Egon. I am an unstable
nature. I have never been able to stay long in any place since--since
my boyhood."
"Then learn it now here at my home," cried Egon. "I came to Rodeck
especially to show you my country in its entire beauty. This old
edifice, which nestles in the midst of the deep forest like a fairy
castle, is a piece of forest poetry such as you could not find in any
of my other possessions. I know your taste--but I must really leave you
now. You will not drive with me over to Furstenstein?"
"No; I will enjoy your much-praised forest poetry, which, it appears,
is already tiresome to you, as you wish to make calls."
"Yes; I am no poet like you, who can dream and be enthused all day,"
said Egon, laughing. "We have led the life of hermits for a full week,
and I cannot live on sunshine and forest perfume and the curtain
lectures of Stadinger alone. I need people, and the Chief Forester is
about the only person in the neighborhood. Besides, this Herr von
Schonan is a splendid, jolly man. You will yet meet and know him, too."
He motioned to the waiting carriage, gave his hand to his friend,
sprang to his seat and rolled away.