Whitsuntide! A word that will thrill with its magic the human soul as
long as trees burst into leaf, larks soar trilling aloft, and clear
spring skies laugh above us. A word which can awaken an echo of spring
in hearts encrusted with selfishness and greed of gain, chilled by the
snows of age, or deadened by grief and care.
Whitsuntide is at hand. A gentle breeze flutters over the Thuringian
mountains, and brushes from their brows the last remains of the snow
which whirls mistily into the air and leaves its old abiding-place in
the guise of luminous spring clouds. Freed from their wintry garments,
the mountains deck their rugged brows with wreaths of young strawberry
vines and bilberries. In the valley below, the rippling trout-stream is
flowing forth from the dark forest directly across the flower-strewn
meadow.
The lonely saw-mill is clacking merrily, while its low thatched roof
shines white with the fallen blossoms of the sheltering fruit trees.
Before the windows of the scattered huts of the wood-cutters and of the
villagers many an accomplished bullfinch was singing in his little cage
the airs which were the fruits of a course of instruction in high art,
daring the winter in the hot, close room of his master. And his
brothers in the forest were trilling wilder but far sweeter lays, for
their little throats inhaled the clear air of freedom.
Where, a few weeks before, the melted snow had foamed down from the
mountain tops in a bed created by its own torrent, beautiful moss was
now weaving a soft carpet, that would soon quite conceal the scarred
breast of the mountain, while here and there, through the thick green
the silver thread of some little stream glittered in the sunlight.
Upon the highway running through a charming valley of the Thuringian
forest the Ferbers were travelling, in a well-packed carriage, toward
their new home. It was very early in the morning; the bell from a
distant church-tower had just tolled the hour of three, wherefore only
the shabby old sign-post by the roadside and a herd of stately stags
were permitted the sight of a happy face that looked upon this lovely
forest for the first time.
Elizabeth leaned far out of the window of the dark carriage, and inhaled
deep draughts of the invigorating air, which she maintained had already
cleared away from her eyes and lungs all the dust of the city. Ferber
sat opposite, sunk in thought. He too was refreshed by the beauty and
tender grace of the forest; but he was more deeply moved by the delight
in the eyes of his child, who was so susceptible to the charms of nature
and so unspeakably grateful for the change in their circumstances. How
busy her hands had been since the Royal answer to Ferber's application
for the new office had been received! There had been much to do. She
had shared faithfully in all the cares which their departure from the
city brought upon her parents. It is true the prince had sent his new
official a considerable sum of money for travelling expenses, and the
forester uncle, too, had shown his usual generosity; but with the
greatest economy it did not suffice, and therefore Elizabeth had
employed every hour which she usually had for recreation in sewing for a
large ready-made linen establishment,--occupying herself thus with her
needle for many a night, after her unsuspecting parents were sleeping
soundly.
There had been one bitter experience amid all the busy hurry, which had
cost the young girl many tears. She had seen her dear piano borne off
upon the shoulders of two strong men to its new possessor. It had to be
sold for a few thalers, because it was old and frail,--too frail to be
transported to the new home. Ah, it had been so true a friend to the
family! Its thin, quavering voice had sounded in Elizabeth's ears
tender and dear as the voice of her mother. And now, probably,
unfeeling children would thrum upon its venerable keys, and tease the
old instrument to speak more strongly, until it should be mute forever.
But this sorrow was past, and lay behind her, with much beside which she
had sacrificed and endured silently; and as she sat looking out into the
morning twilight, with eyes sparkling with delight,--eyes that seemed to
read behind the misty veil of the dawn all kinds of brilliant prophecies
for the future,--who could have discerned in that figure, glowing with
the elasticity of youth, one trace of the fatigue of the last busy
weeks?
For another half hour the travellers drove along the smooth, level
highway, and then turned aside into the thick forest by a well-kept
carriage-road. The sun was just rising in the eastern sky, and shot his
rays upon the earth in splendid amazement at the diamonds with which she
had adorned herself during his absence. In the night a heavy shower had
come up, much rain had fallen, and the large drops were still hanging
upon twig and leaf, falling pattering upon the roof of the carriage
whenever the postillion touched one of the overarching boughs with his
whip. What a glorious forest! From the thick underbrush at their feet
the trees reared their colossal trunks, and above, their boughs
intertwined in a fraternal embrace as though determined to defend their
peaceful, quiet home from light and air as from two deadly enemies. Only
here and there a slender, green-tinted sunbeam would slip from bough to
bough down upon the feathery grass and the little strawberry-blossoms,
sprinkled everywhere like snow-flakes, even laying their little white
heads impertinently upon the road.
After a short drive the wood grew less dense, and soon the retired Lodge
appeared in the midst of a meadow in the heart of the forest. The
postillion sounded his horn. A tremendous barking of dogs was heard; and
with a loud whirr a large flock of doves soared, terrified, into the air
from the pointed gable of the house.
A man in a hunting uniform was standing at the open door,--a gigantic
figure, with a huge beard that almost covered his breast. He shaded his
eyes with his hands as he looked keenly at the approaching carriage, but
suddenly running down the steps, he tore open the door, and threw his
arms around Ferber, as the latter sprang out. For one instant the
brothers stood in a close embrace; then the forester gently released the
slender figure of the younger, and, holding him by the shoulder at arm's
length, gazed searchingly into his pale worn countenance.
"Poor Adolph!" he said at last, and his deep voice trembled with
emotion. "Has fate brought you to this? But wait awhile, we will have
you sound and well again; it is not too late. A thousand welcomes to
you! And now let us stick together until the last great trumpet call,
when we shall not be asked whether we will stay together or not."
He tried to master his emotion, and helped his sister-in-law and little
Ernst, whom he embraced and kissed, to descend from the carriage.
"Well," said he, "you must have been knocked up at an early hour, I must
say, and that's hardly the thing for women."
"What can you be thinking of, uncle?" cried Elizabeth. "We are no
slug-a-beds, and know exactly how the sun looks when he says good
morning to the world."
"Halloa!" cried the forester with a laugh of surprise. "Who is that
quarrelling with me in the corner of the carriage? Come out instantly,
little one."
"I, little? Well, sir, you will be finely surprised when I do get out
and you see what a tall, stately maiden I am!"
With these words Elizabeth sprang down from the high carriage and stood
on tiptoe, drawing herself up to her full height beside him. But
although her slender, graceful figure was something above middle size,
she seemed at this moment like a pretty king-bird measuring itself with
an eagle.
"Look," she said, in a rather disappointed tone, "I am nearly up to your
shoulder, and that is more than tall enough for a respectable girl."
Her uncle, holding himself as erect as possible, looked down upon her
with a roguish smile of great self-satisfaction for a moment, then
suddenly picked her up in his arms as though she had been a feather, and
amid the laughter of the others carried her into the house, calling in a
voice of thunder--
"Sabina, Sabina, come here, and I will show you how the wrens look in
B----."
He put his terrified burden down in the hall as gently and carefully as
though he were handling some brittle plaything, took her head tenderly
between his large hands, kissed her forehead again and again, and said,
"That such a queen of Liliput, such a moonshine elf, should dream of
being as large as her tall uncle! But, forest fairy as you are, you
know all about the sun, for your head is covered with its beams."
As she was carried into the house upon her uncle's arm the girl's hat
had fallen from her head, revealing a mass of fair hair, the golden
colour of which was all the more remarkable as her delicately pencilled
eyebrows and long lashes were coal black.
In the mean while an old woman entered from a side door, and at the head
of the first flight of stairs several boyish faces appeared, which,
however, vanished as soon as they found themselves perceived by the
forester. "Oh, you need not run away," he cried, laughing. "I have
seen you peeping. They are my assistants," he turned to his brother;
"the fellows are as curious as sparrows, and to-day I really cannot
blame them," and he glanced archly at Elizabeth, who, standing aside,
was binding her loosened braids around her head. Then he took the old
woman by the hand and presented her, with an air of comical solemnity:
"Fraeulein Sabina Holzin, Minister of the Interior to the Forest Lodge,
High Constable in all stable and farm affairs, and to every one therein
concerned, and, lastly, absolute monarch in the kitchen department.
While she is putting the dinner on the table do just as she tells you,
and all will go well with you; but, if she begins with her stock of old
proverbs and ghost stories, get out of her way as quickly as possible,
for there is no end to them. And now,"--he turned to the smiling old
woman, who was a miracle of ugliness, and who yet prepossessed all in
her favour by her honest eyes, by an expression of roguery and fun that
lighted up her face, and especially by the spotless cleanliness of her
attire,--"now bring us as quickly as you can whatever pantry and cellar
will afford: I know you baked our Whitsuntide cakes earlier than usual,
that our travellers might have something to refresh them after their
fatigue."
With these words he opened the door opposite to the one from the kitchen
through which the old woman disappeared, and showed his guests into a
large apartment with bow-windows. But Elizabeth lingered behind,
looking through the door which led into the court-yard, for, between the
white picket fences which shut in the feathered tribes on each side of
the enclosure, she saw gay beds of flowers, while three or four
late-blossoming apple trees stretched their rosy bloom-laden branches
over one corner of the space. The garden was large, climbing a short
distance up the mountain side by terraces, and even enclosing within its
realm a beautiful group of old beeches, outlying members of the forest.
While Elizabeth, entranced, stood thus in the hall, the door of a side
wing of the house opened and a young girl stepped out into the
court-yard. She was strikingly beautiful, although her figure was
rather diminutive, a defect for which nature had seemed to wish to
indemnify her by gifting her with a pair of large eyes that glowed like
dazzling black suns. Her abundant dark hair was arranged evidently with
an eye to coquettish effect, and several charmingly curled locks had
escaped just above the pale forehead. Her dress, too, although of
simple material, betrayed in its arrangement the greatest care, and the
observer could not but suspect that the skirt was so artistically looped
not merely that the hem might be kept from the dust, but also with an
eye to the neat little boot which it revealed, and which certainly was
not made to be hidden beneath the heavy woollen stuff of the dress.
She had in her hand a bowl full of grain, and threw a handful upon the
stones at her feet. A great noise ensued; the doves fluttered down from
the roof, the fowls left their roosts and nests with loud cacklings, and
the watch-dog felt it his duty to assist in the universal clamour by
barking loudly.
Elizabeth was astonished. It is true, her uncle had been married, but
he never had any children, as she knew; who then was this young girl, of
whom no mention had been made in his letter? She descended the steps
that led to the court-yard, and approached the stranger: "Do you live at
the Lodge?" she asked, kindly.
The black eyes were riveted searchingly upon her for one moment, with a
look of unmistakable surprise, then an expression of annoyance flitted
across her delicate lips, which closed more tightly than before; the
eyelids fell over the glittering eyes, and she turned silently away, as
though entirely unconscious of the presence or address of any one, and
continued feeding the fowls with the grain.
Just then Sabina passed through the hall with the coffee-tray. She
beckoned confidentially to Elizabeth, who stood amazed, and, when she
drew near, bade her follow her into the house, saying: "Come, child, you
can do nothing with her."
In the sitting-room, Elizabeth found all as comfortable and happy as if
they had lived together for years. Her mother was sitting in a large
arm-chair, which the forester had pushed near a window that commanded a
lovely view down one of the vistas of the forest. A large striped cat
had sprung confidingly into her lap, where it was purring with
satisfaction beneath the small hand that was gently stroking it. And
for little Ernst, the four walls of the room were a perfect museum of
all imaginable curiosities. He had climbed into one chair after
another, and was then standing in speechless admiration before a glass
case containing a gorgeous collection of butterflies. The two men were
seated, side by side, upon the lounge, in deep consultation concerning
the future abode of the family, and, as Elizabeth entered, she heard her
uncle say, "Well, if the old ruin on the mountain cannot afford you
shelter, you must stay here with me. I can move my writing-table and
all my other matters out of your way for awhile, and then I will besiege
the authorities in the town until they consent to add another story to
the right wing of my old house."
Elizabeth took off her travelling cloak, and assisted old Sabina to set
the table. The first shadow had fallen upon the enjoyment that had
filled her soul. Never before had any advance of hers been met with
unkindness. That she owed this exemption from the ill humour of others
to her beauty, the charm of her manner, and the childlike purity of her
nature, which exercised an unconscious influence upon all around her,
had never occurred to her. She had taken it for granted that she should
experience only kindness from all, since she was conscious of meaning
well by all the world. Her disappointment at the repulse was all the
greater, because the sight of a young girl of about her own age had
caused her such surprise and joy; and the beautiful face of the stranger
had interested her deeply. The studied arrangement of the girl's dress
had not struck her, as she herself had never yet known the desire of
heightening her attractions by the aids of the toilet. Her father and
mother had always assured her that no time spent in the cultivation of
mind and heart was lost, and that if they were what they should be, her
exterior could never be unattractive, whatever might be the form with
which nature had endowed her.
The thoughtful expression of Elizabeth's face did not escape her
mother's notice. She called her to her, and her daughter began an
account of the meeting; but at the first words the forester turned
towards her. A deep wrinkle appeared between his bushy eyebrows, and
made his face dark and gloomy.
"Indeed," he said, "have you seen her already? Well, then, let me tell
you who and what she is. I took her into my house some years ago, that
she might assist Sabina in her housekeeping. She is a distant relative
of my deceased wife, and has no parents, brothers nor sisters. I wished
to do good, but I have provided myself with a perpetual
scourge,--although I do not deserve it. She had not been here a month
before I discovered that she had not a single healthy thought in her
entire composition; she is a mass of exaggerated ideas and inconceivable
arrogance. I had half a mind to send her back to the place she came
from, but Sabina, who has still less cause than I to love her, entreated
me not to do it. Why, I cannot tell, for the girl gave her a great deal
of trouble, and was insolent. I did all I could to tame her haughty
spirit by giving her regular duties to perform, and for awhile matters
went on pretty well. But about a year ago a certain Baroness Lessen
came to live over at Lindhof,--that is the name of the former Gnadewitz
property, which the heir-at-law sold to a Herr von Walde. The possessor
himself, who has neither wife nor child, is a kind of antiquary, travels
a great deal, and leaves his only sister under the charge of the
aforesaid baroness, more's the pity, for she turns everything upside
down. Years ago, when I used to hear great piety spoken of, all my
veneration was excited, and I wished at least to take my cap off; but
now, when I hear of such things, I clench my fist and pull my hat down
over my eyes, for the world has greatly changed. The Baroness Lessen
belongs to those pious souls who grow cruel, hard, and narrow-minded out
of what they call pure fear of the Lord; who persecute a fellow-creature
who does not cast his eyes down hypocritically, but lifts them to heaven
where God dwells, as persistently as a hound hunts down game. This is
the herd to which my excellent niece belongs; there could not be a
better soil for all the weeds that her brain generates, and all sorts of
annoyances are the consequence. She made acquaintance with a
lady's-maid over there, and spent all her leisure time with her. At
first I was content enough, until all at once she began with her
plans,--for our conversion, as she calls it. Sabina was a miserable
sinner, because she would not leave off work, at least ten times a day,
to pray; the poor old thing, who never misses church every Sunday at
Lindhof, even through wind and rain, and often with rheumatism racking
her old bones, and who has lived a faithful, laborious life, infinitely
more religious than sixty years of idleness spent upon her knees. And
then my fine moralist attacked me; but there she found her match, and
contented herself with a single effort. Then I forbade all intercourse
with Lindhof; but my prohibition was of little use, for whenever my back
is turned she takes occasion to slip over there. Of course, there can
be no question of any gratitude towards me; I have no bond of union with
her as her guardian, and that makes my task of guiding and guarding her
doubly difficult. God only knows what insane idea has taken possession
of her now, but for two months she has been perfectly dumb, not only
here at home, but everywhere. For that space of time not a single word
has passed her lips. Neither sternness nor gentle entreaty produces the
slightest effect upon her. She attends to her duties just as she used
to do, eats and drinks like every one else, and is not one whit less
vain or wise in her own conceit. But because she grew pale, and did not
look very well, I consulted a physician, who had formerly known her,
with regard to her health. He assured me that her physical health was
excellent, and advised that she should be treated with gentle firmness,
as the minds of several of her family had previously been somewhat
affected. He said, too, that she would grow tired of her entire
silence, and would begin talking some fine day like a magpie. I am
content to wait; but in the mean time it is a sore trial to me. All my
life I have longed to have happy faces around me, and would rather eat
bread and salt with cheerful people than the costliest dainties with
morose companions. Come, my Fair one with the golden locks," he
concluded, stroking Elizabeth's head with his huge hand, "push your
mother's arm-chair up to the table, tie a napkin round the neck of that
little rogue who is staring his eyes out at my case of rifles, and let
us breakfast together, for you all need repose, and must rest your weary
limbs after your long journey. After dinner we must begin to think of
Castle Gnadeck; but first strengthen your eyes with a little sleep, lest
they should be dazzled by the splendour which will flash upon them up
there."
After breakfast, while her father and mother were asleep and little
Ernst was dreaming in a large bed of the wonders of the forest-lodge,
Elizabeth unpacked in the upper room, which her uncle had resigned to
her, all that was necessary for the coming night. She would not for the
world have gone to sleep. She went repeatedly to the window and looked
across to the wooded mountain which arose behind the lodge. There,
above the tops of the trees, she could see a black streak, which stood
out distinctly against the clear blue sky. That was, as old Sabina
said, an ancient iron flag-staff upon the roof of Castle Gnadeck, from
which in times long gone by the proud banner of the Gnadewitzes had
flouted the air. Was there behind those trees the asylum for which she
longed, where her parents might rest their feet, weary with long
wandering upon foreign soil?
And then her eyes sought the court-yard below, but the dumb girl did not
appear again. She had not come to breakfast, and seemed to wish to
avoid all intercourse with the guests at the lodge. For this Elizabeth
was very sorry. Although her uncle's account had not been promising, a
youthful spirit is not quick to resign its illusions, and would rather
be undeceived by the bursting of its gay bubble than admonished by the
experience of age. The beautiful girl, who could so determinedly
conceal her secret behind closed lips, became doubly interesting to her,
and she exhausted herself in conjectures as to the cause of this
silence.