But the waking next morning was still more wonderful. They opened their
eyes, and did not know where they were, and thought they were still at
home at Steinheim, in their little tiny chambers, till all at once they
remembered that they had now actually and truly awakened in a castle.
Then Mina found a beautiful china basin ready for her to wash in,
whereas, at home, they had each to fill the iron dish with water from
the well before they could wash; and the breakfast-table, with its
handsome old-fashioned blue and white china service, and aniseed bread,
because they had not fresh bread every day at Barenburg Castle; indeed,
everything was just like a fairy tale.
And yet that was only the beginning of the glorious things which were
displayed to their enraptured gaze, when, after breakfast, Mrs. Walter
took the important bunch of keys, and conducted the children through the
chambers and state apartments of the castle. Softly, very softly and
carefully, with a sort of reverential awe, they stepped along the narrow
line of carpet which was laid on the polished inlaid floors, only now
and then allowing an exclamation of pure astonishment to escape their
lips, as when, for instance, they beheld their own figures advancing at
full length, to meet them in the lofty mirror-doors, or when some other
object of more than ordinary magnificence, or of an unusual character,
caught their eyes.
The flight of steps which led from the garden, through the lofty glass
doors, opened into the dining-hall, in which the gentlemen were
accustomed to dine on their return from the chase. The walls were
painted with a series of beautiful pictures, representing a forest,
through the thick underwood of which a slender roe glanced forth here
and there, or where, on the margin of some splendid lake, the noble stag
was quenching his thirst, or a mighty boar whetting his tusks on the
trunk of some old forest tree. Above, on the ceiling, the gallant falcon
and the heron seemed to be floating under masses of well-painted clouds.
The dishes and drinking vessels of the table, which were exhibited in a
large antique glass cupboard, were all formed from stags' horn, or were
ornamented therewith; splendid and immensely large deers' antlers were
fastened upon the walls, and under each pair was an inscription stating
that the noble animal which had worn these antlers had been killed by
this or that royal prince, now long deceased. To this hall succeeded
small apartments, the one more beautiful than the other, the favourite
suite of rooms of the late princess, furnished with sky-blue silk; a
dancing hall, with splendidly painted walls, representing ladies and
gentlemen in antiquated costume, who were making stately bows and
curtseys to each other, and a gloomy chamber furnished with dark red
silk damask, containing an immense richly gilded bed, in which a
persecuted emperor had once slept. Mina felt frightened in this room,
and pressed still closer to Mrs. Walter.
"There, sit down," said the old lady, "you are tired, poor child;" and
she pointed to a handsome arm-chair, covered with blue silk, which stood
beside the bed. Mina timidly seated herself, but she started up again
terrified, for that very moment, from the seat of the chair, was heard
in the sweetest, flute-like notes, the melody, "Rejoice ye in life!"
which her father, when he was not too weary, played so often to them on
the old spinnet at home. That was the most wonderful thing of all--a
chair which could play music more beautifully even than her father
himself! After this they walked on more quietly still, looking
continually round, in the expectation of some other wonderful surprise.
Mrs. Walter, through her late husband, the son of a yet older
house-steward, who had been brought up in the castle, had herself so
completely entered into the spirit of the place as almost to regard it
as her own property, and she was therefore as much gratified by the
delight and astonishment of the children as if it had been a personal
compliment to herself.
"Now, is it not beautiful?" asked she of Mina, as she turned the key in
the last door.
"Very beautiful to look at," replied Mina, "but I don't know whether I
should quite like to live in it. I don't know a single little nook where
I could sit with my knitting."
But such little nooks abounded all the more beautifully and sweeter in
the garden, where the children found a new world of wonder. According to
their ideas, derived from the garden at home, which was celebrated, not
only in the village itself, but through the whole neighbourhood, they
imagined, under the name of a garden, a beautiful smooth piece of
ground, divided into accurately-formed vegetable-beds, which wore
bordered and adorned with lovely flowers, and in the very middle of all
a green painted garden-house covered with creepers. Here, however, it
was quite different.
Adjoining the castle was "the garden in the pig-tail style," as Mrs.
Walter said, with ornamental twisted borders, the paths strewn with
bright gravel, and planted all about with box-trees clipped into the
strangest shapes, balls, pyramids, and even the human form, and, in the
middle of all, a fountain which threw up water almost higher than the
one in the front. For a great distance also beyond the castle extended,
too, what was called "the park," with shrubberies, in which stood
wonderful statues; where, amidst lawns of fine turf, shone forth the
most gloriously brilliant beds of flowers, where was a little lake, with
its red and white painted little vessel, and a cottage built of
tree-stems, in which sat an old hermit in a brown gown, with a white
beard, and a large open book before him, who turned his head and lifted
his spectacles when any one opened the door.
Mina, and even the courageous Fritz, ran away screaming at first, until
at length, accustomed by degrees to the miracle, and assured by Mrs.
Walter that the old man was only a painted figure, they took heart,
though the machinery remained a great wonder to them.
There was many a charming little nook amongst the shrubs on the soft
green sward in front of the lake, on which two old swans belonging to
former times swam about, where the children could sit side by side and
tell each other stories and fairy tales. Nor yet had they come to an end
of the discoveries in the garden, nor yet had Fritz wholly completed the
accurate description of the journey which he had promised to send his
father.
The children had been accustomed to a simple, laborious life, therefore
their holidays appeared to them a season of the purest enjoyment. Mina,
brought up to very early rising, was every morning ready dressed, and
put her head within her brother's little chamber to summon him, whilst
he was yet generally asleep; and every morning Fritz asked her, "But, I
say, Mina, isn't it a dream?" and she replied laughing, "No, it isn't a
dream."
Amidst all the pleasure and the delight of their beautiful surroundings,
they also endeavoured to do all they possibly could to be of use to Mrs.
Dote. Fritz cut small firewood for her, and piled it up neatly in the
kitchen; they both helped her to look after the little garden which she
had for her own especial pleasure. Mina threaded her needle, which was
not always easy for her old eyes to accomplish; and Mrs. Dote, on her
part, taught her all kinds of beautiful stitches in needlework, and
described to her the magnificent dresses which she made, and of which
she had the care when she was lady's-maid.
"Ah! what good times the gentlefolks have!" sighed Mina; "when I think
how my mother has to consider before she buys a cotton gown, and
countesses have satin and velvet and silk gauze."
"Never trouble yourself about that, child," said Mrs. Walter, "there are
often heavy hearts under the light gauzes and the shining silks. I was
right glad over my lowly condition, when I came to understand thoroughly
this high life."
"Yes, I must say," remarked Fritz, who was sitting at a side-table
engaged over the history of his travels, "the porter below there seemed
to me at first very high-bred and elegant; but if I had every day of my
life to walk up and down in front of this beautiful castle----"
Here he was interrupted, for at that moment a knock was heard at the
door, and in came, to Fritz's great surprise and embarrassment, the very
porter, the burden of whose life he had been compassionating. It was
very seldom that he quitted his post, although there was now nothing to
attend to at the castle door, where, frequently for months together, not
a soul approached the place excepting the few servants who now were kept
there. Mrs. Walter therefore looked with inquisitive wonder at the large
letter which he held in his hand.
"There, read, Mrs. Housekeeper," he said, "it is just come; there will
now be work enough for us."
"Really!" exclaimed Mrs. Walter, "the Princess Clotilde, with her
children! Now, that is charming! It has always grieved me so that the
beautiful castle should stand unoccupied, and I am glad that it is
precisely that excellent lady who is coming. To-morrow? Well, I must
look about me. Everything is in order, however; nothing but the beds
want getting ready. Good, very good, Mr. Schnallenberger."
Mr. Schnallenberger retired with a dignified mien. Mrs. Walter rose up
with an air of business, and took up the important bunch of keys,
saying, "Come, Mina, you shall go with me; you can be of some use."
"Ah! a real, living princess," said Mina, "I shall be frightened if I
meet her."
"I shall not," said Fritz boldly, "all men are equal before God, prince
or peasant or nobleman; it makes no difference."
"You talk as you know, foolish boy," said Mrs. Dote, now for the first
time really angry; "it is true that God created all men equal, but the
Lord himself has appointed to each one his particular place; one in a
lofty position, another humbler, and the humble must never fail in
respect; and the lofty will one day be called to answer before the Lord
for his stewardship, whether he have done well or evil, with that which
was intrusted to him."
"But in that world," persisted Fritz in a somewhat low voice, "there
will be no distinctions of rank."
"In that world," returned Mrs. Walter warmly, "our Lord, it is true,
will not judge according to rank and station, but according to every
one's work, according to the obedience of faith with which the will of
the Father has been done. And the will of the Father is, that every one
abide submissively in his own place without envy and without pride;
remember that, you conceited boy, with your equality!"
Fritz thought it wisest to remain silent, after this reproof, although
really what he meant was not so bad, after all.
Mina accompanied the old lady to the large press which contained the
delicate, though somewhat yellow, bed-linen trimmed with fine lace; and
that which was necessary was given out for the beds, and the chambers
were made ready for their new inhabitants.