But something unexpected happened now. Willibald, who still stood upon
the threshold, advanced into the room and exclaimed, half entreatingly,
half reproachfully: "But, mamma!"
"Is it you, Willy? What do you want here?" demanded Frau von
Eschenhagen, noticing him for the first time, and to whom the
interruption was very unwelcome.
Willibald saw very well that his mother was very ungraciously inclined,
and was accustomed always to retreat when he found her in that mood,
but today, with unusual courage, he remained. He drew nearer and
repeated, "But, mamma, I beg of you--Toni has never thought of Fraulein
Volkmar's----"
"How dare you! do you wish to accuse me of an untruth?" the angered
mother flamed. "What is it to you that I speak with Fraulein Volkmar?
Your fiancee is not here--you see that--therefore leave us!"
The young lord grew darkly red at this tone, to which he was
accustomed; he seemed to feel shame at the treatment because of the
young girl, and looked as if he would offer some resistance, but at a
threatening, "Well, did you not hear?" the old habit conquered. He
turned hesitatingly and actually left the room, but the door remained
slightly ajar.
Marietta looked after him with scornfully curled lips, then turned to
her opponent.
"You may rest assured, gracious lady, that I have come to Furstenstein
for the last time. As the Chief Forester received me with his usual
cordiality, and Antonie with the old affection, I did not comprehend
that I now bear a stain in their eyes. I certainly would not have made
myself troublesome otherwise. It shall not happen again--no, never!"
Her voice faltered; with effort she suppressed the tears, but they
trembled bitterly and plaintively around the little mouth, and Frau von
Eschenhagen felt that she had gone too far in her management of the
case.
"I did not wish to offend you," she said soothingly. "I only intended
to make clear to you----"
"You did not wish to offend me and yet tell me such things,"
interrupted the young girl in an outburst of anger. "You treat me like
an outcast, who should not dare to approach decent circles, because I
earn my living, and give pleasure to mankind with a gift which God has
given me. You abuse my good, dear old grandfather, who has made such
painful sacrifices for my education, who has let me go into the world
with such a heavy heart. Bitter tears stood in his eyes when he drew
me once more into his arms at parting and said: 'Remain good, my
Marietta--one can be good in every position. I can leave you nothing.
If I should close my eyes in death to-day or to-morrow you would have
to struggle for yourself.' And I have remained good, and I will remain
good, even if it is not made easy for me as it is for Toni, who is the
daughter of a rich father, and only leaves her paternal home to go to
the home of her husband. But I do not envy her the good fortune of
calling you mother."
"Fraulein Volkmar, you forget yourself," cried Regine, highly offended,
rising to her fullest height; but Marietta was not intimidated, she
only grew more excited.
"Oh, no; it is not I who forget myself. You are the one--you who
insult me without cause, and I know that the Chief Forester and Antonie
are under your influence if they turn from me. Nevertheless, I do not
want any kindness nor friendship which cannot stand more firmly,
and I am done with a friend who gives me up at the request of her
mother-in-law--done with her once for all. Tell her so, Frau von
Eschenhagen."
She turned and left the room with a stormy gesture, but in the
ante-room the carefully preserved composure gave way; pain overcame
anger, and the bravely suppressed tears burst forth hotly. The young
girl leaned her head against the wall in passionate, bitter sobbing
over the insult.
Hearing her name called in a low, timid voice, she looked up and saw
Willibald von Eschenhagen standing before her, holding out the paper
which he had dropped so hastily into his pocket. It was folded back
now, and disclosed a rose branch, bearing a wonderfully beautiful and
fragrant blossom with two half-open buds.
"Fraulein Volkmar," he repeated, stammering, "you wished a rose--please
accept----"
Mute apology for his mother's rudeness could be plainly seen in his
eyes and his whole bearing. Marietta suppressed her sobs, but the tears
still glistened in the dark eyes, which looked at him with an
inexpressibly contemptuous expression.
"No, I thank you, Herr von Eschenhagen," she replied sharply. "You have
probably heard what has been said in there and have also probably
received a command to shun me. Why do you not obey?"
"My mother has done you wrong," Willibald said half aloud, "and she
also spoke without the knowledge of the others. Toni does not know
anything about it, believe me----"
"So you knew that and did not offer a word of contradiction!" the girl
interrupted, scarlet with anger. "You listened to your mother insulting
and offending a defenseless girl and did not have chivalry enough to
oppose it! Oh, yes, you tried it, but were scolded and sent off like a
schoolboy and--bore it meekly!"
Willibald stood there as if thunderstruck. He had, indeed, felt the
injustice of his mother deeply, and wished to make it good to the best
of his ability, and now he was treated like this! He stared at Marietta
in deep perplexity, while she only grew angrier at his silence.
"And now you come and bring me flowers," she continued, with increasing
passion, "secretly--behind your mother's back, and think that I will
accept such an apology! You would better learn first how a _man_
deports himself when he is witness to such injustice. But now--now I
will show you what I think of your present and of you!"
She tore the paper with its contents out of his hand, threw it on the
ground, and in the next second her little foot stamped upon the
fragrant blossoms.
"My, Fraulein----" Willibald wavered between shame and indignation, but
a stern glance from the hitherto saucy eyes silenced him, and the poor
roses were finished by a push from the small foot.
"So--now we are at the end. If Toni really knows nothing of this affair
I shall be sorry, but in spite of it I must remain away in the future,
for I will not expose myself to fresh insults. May she be happy. I
could not be in her place. I am a poor girl, but I would not accept a
man who is still afraid of his mother's switch--no, not if he were ten
times lord of Burgsdorf!"
With which she disappeared, and left the poor lord standing alone.
"Willy, what does this mean?" demanded the voice of Frau von
Eschenhagen, who appeared in the door. As no reply came, she approached
her son with threatening mien.
"It was certainly a strange scene which I had to look upon. Will you be
so good as to explain what it really meant? That little thing actually
glared with anger and said the most impertinent things to your face,
and you stood there like a sheep, without defending yourself."
"Because she was right," murmured Willibald, still looking at the
roses.
"She was what?" demanded the mother, who could not believe that she had
heard aright.
The young lord raised his head and looked at her. He had a peculiar
expression on his face.
"She was right, I say, mamma. It is true, you have treated me like a
schoolboy. I ought not to have submitted to it."
"Boy, I believe you are not in your senses," said Frau Regine, but
Willibald started in irritation:
"I am no boy. I am lord of Burgsdorf and twenty-seven years old. You
forget that always, mamma, and I have forgotten it always--but now I
recall it."
Frau von Eschenhagen looked with boundless astonishment at her hitherto
obedient son, who was now suddenly making resistance.
"I actually believe you would like to be rebellious, my boy. Do not
try; you know I will not permit it. What possesses you suddenly to be
so arbitrary? While I try to end a highly improper intercourse and put
aside this Marietta, you go and, behind my back, actually offer an
apology for it--even offer her the roses which you had intended for
your betrothed. Although I do not know how you came to do it, it is the
first time in your life--but Toni will not thank you for it. It served
you right that the little witch crushed them. You will leave such
foolishness alone in the future."
She scolded him in the usual tone without taking any notice of his
rebellion, but Willibald took it wrongly this time. He who had but ten
minutes before hidden the flowers in his pocket with fear now had a
touch of heroism. Instead of leaving his mother in her belief and
hushing the dangerous storm, he positively challenged it.
"The roses were not destined for Toni at all, but for Fraulein
Volkmar," he explained defiantly.
"For----" the word choked the terror-stricken woman.
"For Marietta Volkmar! She wanted to wear a rose in her hair to-night,
and since there were none to be had in Waldhofen, I went to the castle
gardener and got those flowers. Now you know it all, mamma."
Frau von Eschenhagen stood there like a pillar of salt. She had turned
ashy pale, for suddenly a light had dawned upon her, but it showed her
something so awful that she lost both speech and motion for a while.
But her old fire returned. She grasped her son's arm as if she meant to
have him in any case and said curtly:
"Willy--we leave to-morrow."
"Leave!" he repeated. "For where?"
"Home. We depart to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock, so that we can catch
the fast train and arrive at Burgsdorf the day after to-morrow. Go
immediately to your room and pack."
But the commanding tone made no impression whatever on Willy this time.
"I shall not pack," he declared sullenly.
"You shall pack. I command you."
"No," defied the young lord. "If you want to leave so badly, mamma, you
can leave--I remain here."
This was unheard of, but it dispelled the last doubt and the energetic
woman, who still held her son in her grasp, now shook him fiercely.
"Boy, wake up! Come to your senses! I believe you do not know what is
the matter with you. I will tell you then. You are in love--in love
with this Marietta Volkmar."
She threw the last words at him with annihilating emphasis, but
Willibald was not in the least annihilated. He stood quite still from
surprise for a moment. He had not thought of that, but now it began to
dawn upon him.
"Oh," he said with a deep sigh, and something like a smile flitted over
his features.
"'Oh!' is that your whole answer?" burst forth the enraged mother, who
had hoped for a denial. "You do not even deny it? And I have to live to
see that in my own son whom I have raised--who has never been allowed
to leave my side! While I put you there as a guard during those
previous visits to your fiancee she bewitches you--that is plain--and
even plays the virtuous, deeply offended one before you--this----"
"Mamma, stop; I cannot allow it," interrupted Willibald, irritated
beyond silence.
"You cannot allow it? What does it mean----" Frau von Eschenhagen
suddenly paused and looked toward the door, listening. "Toni is
returning, there--your betrothed, to whom you have pledged your word,
who wears your ring. How will you account to her?"
She had finally struck the right chord. The young lord started at this
thought and bowed his head mutely when Antonie entered, quite
unconcerned.
"You have returned already, Willy?" she asked. "I thought--but what is
it? Has anything happened?"
"Yes," answered Frau Regine, grasping the reins, as usual, decisively.
"We have just received a communication from Burgsdorf which forces us
to depart to-morrow morning. You need not be frightened, my child, it
is nothing dangerous--only a foolishness"--she laid sharp emphasis on
the word--"a foolishness which has been committed, but which will be
removed just as speedily by quick interference. I will tell you all
about it later, but for the present nothing can be done but by our
departure."
Curiosity was not one of Antonie's faults, and even this quite
unexpected news was not able to ruffle her composure. The statement
that nothing serious was concerned satisfied her entirely.
"Must Willy leave also?" she asked without particular enthusiasm.
"Cannot he at least remain?"
"Answer your fiancee yourself, Willy," said Frau von Eschenhagen,
fixing her sharp, gray eyes upon her son. "You know best what the
circumstances are. Can you really consent to stay here?"
A short pause. Willibald's glance met his mother's; then he turned away
and said in a suppressed voice, "No, Toni, I must go home--nothing else
is possible."
Toni accepted the decision, which would have pained another girl
deeply, with moderate regret, and began to inquire directly where the
travelers would dine to-morrow, since the fast train had no stoppage
anywhere. This seemed to grieve her as much as the separation, but she
finally concluded that it would be best for them to take a lunch along
to eat on the train.
Frau von Eschenhagen felt triumphant when she went to her
brother-in-law to notify him of their departure, for which she had
already found a pretext.
Many a thing could happen on the large estates to afford an
explanation.
Naturally, the Chief Forester must not learn the truth any more than
his daughter, although he had caused the whole trouble in his
blindness.
Regine did not doubt in the least that as soon as she removed her Willy
from the fascinating circle of this "witch" he would return to reason.
Had he not shown it just now?
She would not see that honor toward his betrothed alone had conquered,
and that it had been a terrible mistake to expose his feelings to
another.
"Wait, my boy," she muttered grimly. "I will teach you to commence such
things, and to rebel against your mother. When once I have you at
Burgsdorf, may God have mercy on you!"