THE VICE-PRINCIPAL.
[Illustration: A RELIGIOUS PROCESSION IN BRUSSELS.--Page 230.]
A crowd of people preceded the procession, as it came out of the Rue de
Laeken into the Boulevard d'Anvers. At the head of it marched the
military band, and the _cortege_ was flanked by soldiers of the Belgian
army, indicating that the government felt an interest in the display.
The students were on the tiptoe of excitement at the novel spectacle;
and Paul asked his friend, the doctor, a great many questions which he
could not answer. The composition and order of the procession were very
nearly as follows:--
A man bearing a cross on a pole.
Banner.
Little girls dressed in white, with flowers in their hands.
Little boys.
Banner.
Image of the Virgin borne by four men.
A lamb, very white and clean, led by a string, and
decorated with red ribbons, with boys on each
side, carrying various emblems.
Young ladies in white.
Another image of the Virgin.
About twenty priests, in white muslin robes, and in
satin robes trimmed with gold.
Two boys with censers.
Silken canopy, borne by four men, under which walked
two ecclesiastics, in full costume one
bearing the Host.
The canopy was surrounded by men carrying lanterns with silver
framework, and of peculiar construction. The censers, as they were swung
backward and forward by the bearers, emitted a dense smoke, which rose
far above the procession, and marked its progress.
As the _cortege_ approached the spot where the boys stood, the band
ceased playing, and the priests began to chant the mass to the
accompaniment of a single base horn. The procession moved very slowly,
and the rich voices of the priests, mingling with the heavy notes of the
horn, produced an effect solemn and impressive even on the minds of
those whose religious education did not prepare them to appreciate such
a display.
As the host approached, hundreds of the crowd in the street knelt
reverently upon the pavement, and bowed their heads before the sacred
emblems. Women and children strewed the path of the procession with
flowers, green branches, or, in the absence of these, with handfuls of
colored paper cut into minute pieces. Indeed, the street, in places, was
literally covered with these votive offerings of the people, who had no
other means of testifying their reverence for the ceremonial.
The line filed into the Rue Longue Neuve, which was extensively
decorated with flags, streamers, and other national and religious
emblems. In many windows burned a line of candles, in some cases before
a crucifix. In this street the procession halted, and several of the
priests moved up an arch forming the entrance to one of the better
residences. In this recess an altar had been erected, and was covered
with all the emblems of the Catholic faith. The priests knelt before it,
and chanted a portion of the service, and then returned to the
procession, which continued its march up the street; the flowers and
bits of colored paper filling the air before it, and the people still
reverently bowing down to the host. The solemn and impressive chanting
of the priests kindled the pious enthusiasm of the multitude, and as the
line passed the _cafes_ and _estaminets_, or smoking houses, the pipe,
the drink, and the gay jest were abandoned, to pay homage to the faith
of the nation.
The faces of the little children and the white-robed maidens in the
procession presented an aspect of religious enthusiasm, solemn but not
sad, which young people seldom wear. Everybody seemed to be carried away
by the excitement of the scene; all hats were removed, and the utmost
respect was paid to the representatives and to the emblems of the church
in the line.
As Paul and his friend followed the spectacle up the street, they saw a
Beguine nun kneeling at the altar in the arch, wringing her hands in an
ecstasy of devotion, while several women were regarding her with an
admiring reverence, which seemed to indicate that they envied her the
enjoyment of the heavenly raptures which thrilled her.
"It is very solemn--isn't it?" said Paul, when they had passed out of
hearing of the procession.
"It is really moving, even while you have no sympathy with the church
which makes these displays."
"I think I was never more moved in my life than I was by the chanting of
those priests. But what is the occasion of all this?"
"I don't know; except that this is some saint's day--St. James, I
believe; but there is something of this kind in Brussels nearly every
Sunday; and I have seen several minor displays in the streets in the
evening."
"I am surprised to see how much respect the people pay to their
religion. If they have these displays often, I should think they would
become stale."
"It appears they do not. I have a great deal more consideration and
respect for these exhibitions in Belgium than in some other parts of
Europe, for the reason that all religions enjoy the utmost toleration
here. The people are almost exclusively Catholic, and yet they permit
Protestants and Jews entire freedom in the exercise of their religion,
and pay them their fair share of the government money."
At two o'clock dinner was ready at the Hotel Royal; and it need not be
added that the boys also were ready. Half an hour later the whole party
had been loaded into stage-coaches, which, in an hour and a half, set
them down on the battle-field of Waterloo. For two hours they wandered
about the field, or rather up and down the two principal roads which
pass through it. On the highest ground of the field, where there is a
mound two hundred feet high, surmounted by the Belgic Lion, Mr. Mapps
gave a brief account of the great battle, pointing out the spots of the
greatest interest, including the road by which Blucher arrived. The
subject is too vast for these pages; but it will be alluded to in the
summary of French history in a subsequent volume.
There are several monuments, and columns, and obelisks on the
battle-field, which mark the fall of distinguished men or their
burial-places. Beneath the great mound are buried thousands of all the
armies represented in this historical conflict, which settled, for a
time, the fate of Europe. The field is the harvest-ground of a multitude
of beggars, relic-hunters, and guides, who bore visitors almost to death
with old buttons, musty rags, flattened bullets, bones, and other
articles, which they produce as keepsakes of the battle. The stock of
these things probably failed long ago, and the traveller may well be
suspicious of the genuineness of anything which may be offered to him by
these leeches.
At six the stages conveyed the tourists to the Groenendael Station, on
the railway to Namur, where they arrived after a ride of an hour,
express time. This place is the "Belgian Sheffield," being largely
engaged in the manufacturing of arms, cutlery, and hardware. Its
vicinity contains rich mines of iron, coal, and marble. Many battles and
sieges have occurred in this place; and Don John of Austria, sent by
Philip II. to subdue the country, was buried here. The city contains a
population of twenty-six thousand, and is beautifully located at the
junction of the Meuse and Sambre Rivers. The train stopped here but an
hour; and the students roamed through some of the principal streets,
which, however, were too much like those of places they had visited
before to excite any especial interest.
Two hours later, they arrived at Liege, which was to be the eastern
limit of the excursion. As before, Mr. Fluxion had preceded them, and
engaged accommodations at the hotels. The students were very tired, and
not disposed to explore the city of the bishops that night. Before
breakfast on the following morning, Mr. Mapps gave them the history and
other interesting particulars relating to the city, when they had
assembled in the old citadel of St. Walburg, which overlooks the town.
"Liege, whose Flemish name is _Luik_, contains one hundred and nine
thousand inhabitants, who are principally concerned in the various
manufactures of iron, and especially in the making of cannon and arms,"
said the professor. "I observed to you before, that this part of the
country bears some resemblance to New England. As you have an
opportunity to observe for yourselves, the scenery is very fine, but
rather of the pleasant and quiet description.
"The province of Liege, of which this city is the capital, was formerly
governed by a line of bishops; and those of you who have read Scott's
Quentin Durward will remember William de la Marck, the Wild Boar of
Ardennes, whose adventures are located in this vicinity. In the tenth
century, the bishops of Liege were made sovereigns by the German
emperor, and received the name of Prince-Bishops. But the burghers of
Liege, like those of Ghent, had a will and a way of their own, and
frequently rebelled against the bishops, in support of their rights; and
Charles the Bold took the rulers under his protection. Still they
persisted in revolting, and Charles destroyed the city, as a punishment,
in 1468. Fifteen years later, William de la Marck murdered the
prince-bishop, in order to obtain the mitre-crown for his son. This was
the beginning of the insurrection, in which, as I have related to you
before, Charles the Bold compelled the king of France to march against
the rebels.
"The place was subsequently captured by the French; the bishops were
expelled at the commencement of the French Revolution, but were restored
by the Austrians two years later. In 1794 it was annexed to France; but
after the battle of Waterloo it was incorporated into the new kingdom of
the Netherlands. In 1830 the old spirit of the burghers of Liege
revived, and they were among the foremost promoters of the Belgian
Revolution."
The students descended from the heights, whose fortresses command the
city, took an outside view of the Hotel de Ville, several churches, and
other public buildings, and breakfasted at nine. Though they had by no
means exhausted the city, the time would not permit a further
examination. The train was ready for them; and their next stop was at
Louvain, which, like Ghent and Bruges, had dwindled down from a
population of two hundred thousand to thirty-three thousand. It contains
a magnificent town hall, decorated in the most elaborate style.
From Louvain the party hurried on to Mechlin, or Malines, a picturesque
old city, still famous for its fine lace. It is about the size of
Louvain, and, like that, presents a deserted appearance, being only the
shadow of its former greatness. Its principal object of interest to the
tourist is the Cathedral of St. Romuald, a structure of the fifteenth
century, and, like the great churches at Cologne and Antwerp, still
unfinished. It was built with money obtained by the sale of the pope's
indulgences, which, happily, "gave out" at last. Its spire, which was to
have been six hundred and forty feet high, remains incomplete, at little
more than half this height, which, however, is only eighteen feet less
than the cross on St. Paul's, in London. The church is an immense
structure, said to cover nearly two acres of ground. It is the cathedral
of the Belgian archbishop, or primate.
"There, Paul, we have finished Belgium," said Dr. Winstock, as the train
started for Antwerp.
"I am glad of it; for I am tired of sight-seeing. It seems to me now
that I have no desire to see another Cathedral, Hotel de Ville, or
Grande Place," replied Paul, languidly, as he settled himself back in
his seat.
"A new country will wake you up," laughed the doctor. "I suppose we
shall be in Rotterdam to-morrow."
"I hope so, though I don't know but I should like blue water better than
being shut up in these rivers and canals."
"You will get blue water enough before the season is ended."
In half an hour from Malines, the train reached Antwerp. Mr. Fluxion had
arrived before; and there were two tugs at the Quai Vandyck, which had
been employed to tow the vessels down the river. They conveyed the
students on board, and the orders for sailing were given immediately.
Mr. Hamblin, who had not yet recovered from his disappointment, hastened
to the cabin. He commenced a diligent search for papers written by the
captain, in order to compare their penmanship with that of the forged
note. As Mr. Stoute had been compelled to acknowledge, there was a
general resemblance between the handwriting of Paul and that of the
unknown scribbler of the note. Though a minute comparison failed to
establish any closer connection between them, the professor wanted to
make out his point; and it was not difficult for him to find a
particular similarity.
Paul was busy on deck, getting the Josephine under weigh, and Mr.
Hamblin had the cabin to himself for his investigation. The stamp on the
paper of the fictitious note had already excited his attention, and he
took the liberty to enter Paul's state-room, in search of some like it.
He opened the upper drawer of the bureau, which formed a writing-table
when the front was dropped. The first object that attracted his
attention was a package of paper of the size, and apparently of the
quality, he sought. He picked up a quire of it, and a smile of
vindictive satisfaction played upon his wrinkled face, as he discovered
upon it the identical stamp of the forged note.
His case was made out, and great was his joy. Paul would certainly be
disgraced and removed for such an outrage as a practical joke upon one
of the most dignified instructors in the squadron. We must do Mr.
Hamblin the justice to say, that he did not wish to prove any more than
he believed to be true; but it is very easy for a prejudiced person to
believe a great deal against one who has offended him. A student who was
not fond of Greek could not be a very noble, or even a very upright one;
and he was confident that, when Paul's true character became known, when
he was no longer stimulated to great deeds by his high office, he would
prove to be a very different person from what he now appeared to be.
Mr. Hamblin confiscated a half quire of the paper, and secured several
French exercises written by Captain Kendall, to be used as evidence
against him. He then searched the vessel for similar paper in the
possession of other students, but found none. He went on deck, to
ascertain what was to be done; for Mr. Lowington had assured him he
would not be any longer obliged to sail in the same vessel with the
obnoxious student. A boat from the ship was alongside, and Mr. Fluxion
had just stepped on board. The boatswain was hoisting his baggage out of
the boat, which indicated that he was to remain.
Paul was reading an order just handed to him by Mr. Fluxion, which
appeared to settle the difficulty between him and the learned professor.
The order was in these words:--
Mr. James E. Fluxion is hereby appointed vice-principal of the
academy squadron, and will be obeyed and respected accordingly.
Mr. Fluxion is also hereby instructed temporarily to discharge the
duties of Professor of Greek, Latin, and Mathematics, on board of
the Josephine.
R. LOWINGTON, _Principal_.
The new vice-principal handed a note to Mr. Hamblin as he came upon
deck, in which he was directed to repair, with his baggage, on board of
the ship. The learned gentleman was not quite satisfied with this
arrangement. It looked a little ominous.
"Have you no order for Captain Kendall, Mr. Fluxion?" he asked, as the
vice-principal waited for him to read his letter.
"I have given him an order from the principal."
"Is he not directed to go on board of the ship?"
"He is not."
"I have preferred charges against him, and I was led to believe that he
would be suspended," added Mr. Hamblin, who was not quite sure that he
was not to be suspended himself.
"No order to that effect was sent by me," replied Mr. Fluxion. "You will
excuse me, but the vessel is about to get under weigh."
"I am not satisfied with these proceedings. I complained to Mr.
Lowington that it was impossible for me to instruct my classes while
they were under the influence of Captain Kendall. No notice appears to
have been taken of my charges."
"I think some notice has been taken of them. You are directed to report
to the principal, with your baggage, on board of the ship."
"Am I to be punished instead of that obstinate and impudent pupil?"
demanded the professor.
"I have nothing to say about it, Mr. Hamblin," added Mr. Fluxion,
sharply. "If you are not going to the ship, we will weigh anchor and
proceed on our voyage."
The professor went down into his state-room, and hastily packed his
trunk, which was brought up and put in the boat by one of the stewards.
The students watched these movements with the deepest interest, and they
could hardly conceal their satisfaction when it was clear that the
obnoxious instructor was going to leave the Josephine, "bag and
baggage." There was a great deal of punching each other in the ribs, a
great deal of half-suppressed chuckling, and a very decided inclination
to give three cheers. A few of the more prudent ones checked any noisy
demonstration; but the moment that Mr. Hamblin went over the side was a
very joyous one.
The Josephine tripped her anchor, and, hugged by the steam-tug, stood
down the river on her way to Rotterdam. Mr. Fluxion went below, and
installed himself in the state-room vacated by Professor Hamblin. Mr.
Stoute gave the vice-principal a hearty welcome; and it was soon evident
that they were men who could cordially agree. Paul was delighted with
the change; for if there was any one in the squadron, besides the
principal and the doctor, for whom he had a high regard and a thorough
respect, it was Mr. Fluxion. He was a sailor from the sole of his foot
to the crown of his head. He had visited all the maritime ports of
Europe, spoke half a dozen modern languages with facility, and was
popular with the boys. He was a sharp disciplinarian, and the students
found it difficult to outwit him. He knew all the tricks of sailors,
and especially of man-of-war's men. He was the right hand man of Mr.
Lowington, and the new arrangement, whereby the professor had been
created vice-principal, and sent on board the consort, was to prevent
the recurrence of such an incident as that which had imperilled her in
the German Ocean during the squall.
Though Paul felt that his own powers were in some degree abridged by the
presence of the new officer, whose authority, unlike that of the
instructors before, extended to the vessel, and was equal to that of Mr.
Lowington, he was now satisfied. A competent person was present, with
whom he could share the responsibility of the navigation of the vessel
in case of an emergency. He was on the best of terms with Mr. Fluxion,
and he was happier than he had been before since the Josephine sailed
from Hull. Leaving him to the enjoyment of the new order of things, we
will follow Mr. Hamblin on board of the ship.
The barge ran up alongside, and the professor's trunk was hoisted on
board. As soon as the students saw the barge and the baggage, which
indicated that the obnoxious old gentleman had been transferred to the
Young America, a murmur of disapprobation went through the ship.
"I say, Wilton, we are to have that old humbug in the ship!" exclaimed
Perth, the chief of the Red Cross Knights, who, however, had changed
their name to the Knights of the Golden Fleece.
"That's so," replied Wilton, who had contrived to keep out of the brig
nearly a week. "He has his plunder with him."
"We must do as the Josephines did," added Perth, in a whisper.
"What's that?"
"Get rid of him. This shall be the first job of the Knights of the
Golden Fleece. McDougal, who is a capital fellow, told me all about how
the fellows in the Josephine managed it."
"I heard they had been hazing him."
"That they did," laughed Perth. "There is fun in the thing. If the old
fossil was a decent fellow, of course we wouldn't disturb him. Just as
soon as he made a row on board, all the fellows took the captain's part.
Morgan dropped him into the river, by drawing out the nail that held the
boat-hook in the wood; Blount dropped a coil of signal halyards on his
head; and McDougal ducked him with the hose-pipe; and the old fellow got
a bogus letter from Antwerp, inviting him to visit some of those kings,
or something of that sort."
"Who sent the letter?" asked Wilton, greatly interested, as he always
was, in anything of this kind.
"Nobody knows; at least McDougal says so. When we were at Brussels, the
old Greek went to see some big fellow there,--the king or some
minister,--and the big bug wouldn't look at him. One of our fellows
heard Stoute telling the doctor about it; and Fatty was so tickled that
he shook just like a freshly-baked cup-custard. There goes the
boatswain's whistle. We are off now," added Perth, as he sprang to his
place at the capstan.
The anchor had before been hove short, and in a few moments the Young
America, also in the warm embrace of a powerful steam-tug, moved down
the river.
"All hands in the rigging!" shouted the first lieutenant, as the ship
approached the Victoria and Albert.
The students ran up the shrouds like monkeys, and stationed themselves
in the rigging.
"Three cheers for the Queen of England," called Goodwin; and they were
given with becoming zeal.
A lady dressed in black, who was walking the promenade deck, near the
dining saloon, bowed and waved her handkerchief. That lady was Queen
Victoria. The Josephine at this moment came up on the other side, and
delivered her round of cheers. Mr. Fluxion carried the intelligence on
board that the queen had returned, and that the yacht would sail that
evening; and all hands were on the lookout for her majesty. She bowed
and waved her handkerchief to the Josephines, as she had to the students
in the ship.
She was not very distinctly seen by the curious students in either
vessel, and appeared like a stout "dumpy" little woman, in no respect
different from any other lady. In spite of this fact, it was voted to be
a big thing to have seen the Queen of England; and the king of the
little realm of Belgium sank into insignificance, compared with her.
"She don't look like a queen," said Captain Haven to Mr. Mapps, who
stood next to him.
"Did you expect to see her with her crown and coronation robes on, and
with the sceptre in her hand?" laughed the professor.
"Not exactly; but I was not prepared to see a lady so much like any
well-dressed woman we meet in the street."
"Let me see," said Mr. Mapps, glancing at the shore, intent upon
renewing his favorite topic, "Fort St. Laurent must have been here; and
this is where Van Speyk went down, or rather went up."
"Who was Van Speyk?"
"He was the commander of a Dutch gunboat, in the revolution of 1830. His
vessel wouldn't come about--what do you call it?"
"Missed stays, sir," replied Captain Haven.
"Missed stays, and got aground right under the guns of the fort. He was
ordered to surrender, but refused to do so, though there was not the
least chance for him to make a successful resistance. He was determined
that the rebels should not have his vessel, and, rushing down into the
powder-magazine, he said his prayers, and coolly laid his lighted cigar
on an open barrel of powder. An explosion followed which shook the whole
city. Twenty-eight, out of thirty-one on board, including the heroic
captain, were killed--blown up into the air. A monument to his memory
was erected by the side of that of De Ruiter, and the government pledged
itself that a vessel in the Dutch navy should always bear the name of
Van Speyk."
"He was a good fellow," replied the captain, warmly.