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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Quicksands, by Adolph Streckfuss
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Quicksands
+
+Author: Adolph Streckfuss
+
+Translator: A. L. Wister
+
+Release Date: January 14, 2011 [EBook #34953]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUICKSANDS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Charles Bowen, from page scans provided by Google Books
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+   1. Page scan source:
+      http://books.google.com/books?id=3S0ZAAAAYAAJ&dq
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                    POPULAR WORKS AFTER THE GERMAN,
+                         BY MRS. A. L. WISTER.
+
+Banned and Blessed. After the German of E. Werner. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+A Noble Name; or, Doenninghausen. By Claire Von Gluemer. 12mo. Fine
+cloth. $1.50.
+
+From Hand to Hand. From the German of Golo Raimund. 12mo. Fine cloth.
+$1.50.
+
+Severa. From the German of E. Hartner. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+The Eichhofs. After the German of Moritz von Reichenbach. 12mo. Fine
+cloth. $1.50.
+
+A New Race. After the German of Golo Raimund. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.25.
+
+Castle Hohenwald. After the German of Adolph Streckfuss. 12mo. Fine
+cloth. $1.50.
+
+Margarethe. After the German of E. Juncker. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+Too Rich. After the German of Adolph Streckfuss. 12mo. Fine cloth.
+$1.25.
+
+A Family Feud. After the German of Ludwig Harder. 12mo. Fine cloth.
+$1.25.
+
+The Green Gate. After the German of Ernst Wichert. 12mo. Fine cloth.
+$1.50.
+
+Only a Girl. After the German of Wilhelmine von Hillern. 12mo. Fine
+cloth. $1.50.
+
+Why Did He Not Die? After the German of Ad. Von Volckhausen. 12mo. Fine
+cloth. $1.50.
+
+Hulda; or, The Deliverer. After the German of F. Lewald. 12mo. Fine
+cloth. $1.50.
+
+
+                          E. MARLITT'S NOVELS.
+
+The Bailiff's Maid. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.25.
+
+In the Schillingscourt. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+At the Councillor's; or, A Nameless History. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+The Second Wife. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+The Old Mam'selle's Secret. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+Gold Elsie. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+Countess Gisela. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+The Little Moorland Princess. 12mo. Fine cloth. $1.50.
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+Complete sets of the above, in eleven double volumes, bound in uniform
+and attractive style, can be had for $16.50. Sold in sets only.
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+*** For sale by all Booksellers, or will be sent by mail, pottage paid,
+upon receipt of price by  J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., Publishers,
+Philadelphia.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                               QUICKSANDS
+
+
+                           FROM THE GERMAN OF
+                           ADOLPH STRECKFUSS
+
+
+
+
+                                   BY
+                           MRS. A. L. WISTER
+     TRANSLATOR OF "THE OLD MAMSELLE'S SECRET," "GOLD ELSIE," "ONLY
+              A GIRL," "A NOBLE NAME," "THE SECOND WIFE,"
+                       "BANNED AND BLESSED," ETC.
+
+
+
+
+                              PHILADELPHIA
+                         J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
+                                  1884
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+               Copyright, 1884, by J. B. Lippincott & Co.
+                           *   *   *   *   *
+
+
+
+
+                               CONTENTS.
+
+
+     CHAPTER
+
+        I.--An Exchange
+
+       II.--Osternau
+
+      III.--The Castle's Lord and Lady
+
+       IV.--A Cato In Golden Curls
+
+        V.--Dinner And Dessert
+
+       VI.--Soliman's Tricks
+
+      VII.--The Harvest-field
+
+     VIII.--News From Berlin
+
+       IX.--A Letter And Its Reply
+
+        X.--Content And Peace
+
+       XI.--Good Advice
+
+      XII.--Bertha von Massenburg
+
+     XIII.--A Wise Young Judge
+
+      XIV.--Pastor Widman as a Correspondent
+
+       XV.--Renewed Confidence
+
+      XVI.--Robbed
+
+     XVII.--Two Letters Again
+
+    XVIII.--A Forced Resolve
+
+     XIX.--The Prodigal's Return
+
+       XX.--Linau
+
+      XXI.--An Accident
+
+     XXII.--An Old Acquaintance
+
+    XXIII.--Mischief For Idle Hands
+
+     XXIV.--Past And Present
+
+      XXV.--At Home
+
+     XXVI.--A Conspiracy
+
+    XXVII.--A Mischievous Coquette
+
+   XXVIII.--Clara To The Rescue
+
+     XXIX.--Clara Dea Ex Machina
+
+      XXX.--Conclusion
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                              QUICKSANDS.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER I.
+                              AN EXCHANGE.
+
+
+Upon the short, thick grass of a small, secluded opening in a
+magnificent forest of firs and beeches a young man lay, his hands
+clasped under his head, buried in waking dreams. He had chosen himself
+a charming retreat, where he was safe from all intrusion from wayfarers
+passing through the forest by any of the roads or paths that
+intersected it at a sufficient distance from this spot. The soft,
+grassy sod was a delightful couch, and the interlacing boughs of a huge
+beech-tree formed above the head of the dreamer a canopy that entirely
+protected him from the burning rays of the mid-day sun.
+
+Profound quiet reigned in the forest, intensified, rather than
+disturbed, by the humming of insects; the very birds which had
+twittered and sung in the early morning seemed silenced by the heat;
+all creatures sought repose and refreshment at high noon on this
+glowing July day.
+
+If the young fellow who lay thus luxuriously bedded were seeking mental
+as well as bodily repose, it was evident that he had not found it. He
+was not asleep; his dark eyes were wide open, gazing restlessly and
+discontentedly into the spaces of sky among the beech boughs until
+pained by their brilliancy. "How tiresome! how unutterably stupid!" he
+muttered, altering his comfortable position so as to rest his head upon
+his hand as he leaned upon his elbow. "That deadly-tiresome, monotonous
+stretch of brilliant blue sky is the very image of my own weary
+existence. Nothing but light and splendour; it is intolerable. If the
+sky were only covered with clouds,--if there could be a flash here and
+there of lightning, with thunder crashing and winds howling, one might
+have some satisfaction in sending a bullet through one's brains with
+the thunder for a dirge. But no, even that is not to be. I am to die as
+I have lived, surrounded by weary, soul-destroying sunshine. Ah, well,
+it is a fitting end to an insignificant and utterly useless life. Come,
+little friend, it is high time we were done with it."
+
+He took from his breast-pocket a small, richly-inlaid revolver, and
+looked at it with a degree of affection. "You have helped me through
+many a long, weary hour. This moment would have come for me long ago
+but for you and my piano. It certainly was interesting to learn to
+shoot one spot after another out of the six of hearts. It was
+irritating not to succeed in hitting each with the same precision. A
+useless and silly enough aim in life, to be sure; still it was an aim,
+and now that it is attained it is just as tiresome as everything else.
+To-day you are to find my heart as surely as the hearts on the card. Or
+suppose we try the head; it would be easier; an involuntary quiver of a
+muscle, and the ball might miss the heart, but if this barrel lightly
+touch the temple the effect must be sure. Three or four balls in the
+brain must produce death instantaneously. It is the better plan."
+
+He examined the revolver and made sure that it was loaded; his hand did
+not tremble, his look was clear and steadfast; there was even a smile
+of satisfaction on his lips as he contemplated the little weapon. "You
+will do your duty as you have always done it. You never were to blame
+if every spot on the card was not exactly hit, although the clumsy
+marksman would gladly have declared the fault yours. As soon as hand
+and aim were true, each heart was pierced precisely in the centre."
+
+He raised the pistol, and once more took in at a glance the scene
+around him, while his thoughts ran on: "Really, a lovely spot for my
+last act! Beneath these spreading boughs the body will lie comfortably
+on the soft grass,--for how long before it is found? For days, perhaps
+for weeks, the place is so secluded. I should like to know what they
+will say in Berlin when the newspapers announce, 'At last the body has
+been discovered of Egon von Ernau, who disappeared so many days or
+weeks ago,' etc., and there will, of course, follow a long description
+of the place where it was found, and of the condition and clothes of
+the corpse. The more there is to tell, the better for some poor devil
+of a reporter. I do not grudge it him. I can at least serve one man in
+the world by my death. And the news will fly like wildfire. It would be
+almost worth living for,--the hearing of all that heartless gossip. How
+busy all those empty heads will be with wondering what could have
+driven a fellow so favoured by fortune to suicide! 'An unfortunate
+love-affair,' the sentimentally disposed will declare. 'His father
+wished to force him into a marriage with a person of high rank, and in
+his despair he took his own life.' Of course they must invent some
+reason for a man's escaping from this wretched, wearisome existence.
+Fools! If life were worth living, why should I not comply with my
+respected parent's wishes? All women are alike. It is all the same
+tiresome sham."
+
+He still held the revolver in his raised hand, when suddenly the hand
+sank by his side, and he sat up and listened.
+
+A clear note broke upon the woodland quiet,--the sound of a man's tenor
+voice singing the hymn 'Rock of Ages' at no great distance from where
+Egon von Ernau lay.
+
+He frowned angrily. "Confoundedly annoying!" he muttered. "If I shoot
+now, that stupid psalm-singer will hear it,--and then? Then all the
+delightful Berlin gossip will be spoiled, the body will be found
+immediately, and everything will be known to-morrow. No, no, those good
+people must puzzle their brains for a while to discover what has become
+of me. My Herr Papa must have some chance to show the world what a
+tender, anxious parent he is. We must choose a still more retired spot.
+But first let us see where the psalm-singer really is. He seems to have
+established himself in the forest here, for the sound continues to come
+from the same direction and from somewhere not very far off."
+
+He uncocked his revolver, put the little weapon again into the
+breast-pocket of a very well made summer coat, and, rising to his feet,
+walked slowly through the wood in the direction whence came the sound
+of singing.
+
+It was no easy task to make his way through the thick underbrush,
+particularly as he took great pains to make no noise. He wished to see
+the singer without being seen himself, and therefore he walked very
+slowly, and it was some minutes before he attained his purpose.
+
+Still following the sound, he had reached the edge of the forest, and
+only a thick fringe of hazel-bushes obstructed his view beyond.
+Cautiously parting these he saw before him a landscape of extraordinary
+beauty. Beyond the velvet sward of a small meadow the land sloped down
+some eight or ten feet to a charming little lake, on the opposite
+shore of which green, smiling fields, stretched far away to the
+mountain-slopes of the distant highlands.
+
+The young man gave but a fleeting glance to this lovely picture; he was
+far more interested in the singer, whom he now saw at no great
+distance.
+
+On the brink of the lake the psalm-singer was kneeling, his head held
+stiffly erect, his bony hands clasped and extended to the skies, while,
+quite unaware of his listener, he continued his hymn in loud, resonant
+tones. He was a young man hardly older than twenty-six, although the
+sallow, flabby features of his beardless face, showing no trace of
+youthful freshness, might well have caused him to be thought older than
+he really was. His face was turned to the heavens, and he was staring
+into the deep, cloudless blue with prominent, lacklustre eyes. The
+large, thick-lipped mouth was wide open as he shouted out the last
+verse of his hymn.
+
+He certainly was not handsome, and he was made far more repulsive in
+appearance than he might have been by the ill-fitting, unsuitable black
+clothes that he wore. An old-fashioned dress-coat, the long pointed
+swallowtail of which lay like a train behind him on the grass, hung in
+disorderly fashion about his bony frame; black, wrinkled trousers, a
+black waistcoat sufficiently open to display linen of doubtful
+cleanliness, a high, rusty, black silk cravat, from which projected the
+huge points of his shirt-collar on each side of his beardless chin,
+formed this extraordinary being's attire, which was, moreover,
+completed by a very tall and very shabby stove-pipe hat.
+
+The hymn came to an end, but the singer did not change his attitude; he
+still held up his clasped hands to the skies. For a few moments he was
+silent; then, in a loud voice, he uttered an extemporaneous prayer.
+
+"God of heaven," he cried, "a repentant wretch casts himself upon Thy
+mercy! Pardon my betrayal of my trust, my having again yielded to
+temptation. Pardon what I have done and what I am about to do. Receive
+me into Thy kingdom. Amen!"
+
+With these words he suddenly sprang up; his clumsy black hat fell off
+upon the grass as he did so, but he paid it no attention. Clasping his
+hands above his head, he leaned forward, gazed for an instant into the
+deep green water of the lake, exclaimed, "God forgive me!" and plunged
+in head-foremost.
+
+Thus far the listener had watched without stirring a limb or giving the
+slightest sign of his presence; but at this sudden termination of the
+prayer he broke through the thick underbrush, and in a moment had
+reached the spot whence the singer had taken the fatal plunge. Here he
+threw off his coat and hat, keenly scanning the while the lake where
+the man had disappeared, and where the water was still troubled and
+sending forth huge rippling circles, while a dark body was visible
+beneath the surface.
+
+The young man looked about him for some piece of shelving shore where a
+swimmer could easily clamber upon land; scarcely ten steps to the left
+he saw what he desired, and in another moment the ripples of the lake
+broke over his head also.
+
+He was an expert swimmer; when but a mere lad he had saved the life of
+a drowning comrade at the risk of his own, so tightly had the sinking
+boy clasped him in his despairing grasp. He remembered this as he now
+rose to the surface, and seeing a dark form directly before him he
+merely gave it a powerful push in the direction of the shelving shore,
+taking good care to avoid the grasp of the wildly struggling man.
+Keeping clear of this, he contrived to push him before him as he swam
+to the landing-place. As soon as he felt the ground beneath him,
+however, he seized the half-suffocated singer by the arm and dragged
+him ashore. The rescue had been easy, and had occupied but a very few
+moments of time.
+
+For a while the rescued man lay gasping on the bank; then he started up
+and gazed wildly at his preserver, who stood quietly looking at him.
+The unfortunate man presented a still odder and uglier appearance than
+before; his long black hair hung in dripping locks over his pale face,
+and his wrinkled coat clinging to his spare figure was more ridiculous
+than ever.
+
+"Why did you not let me die?" he cried, wringing his hands.
+
+The young man half smiled. "You are right," he replied; "it was very
+stupid of me. It always is so when I act upon the impulse of the
+moment. Had I taken time to consider I should have said to myself,
+'This gentleman is tired of life and voluntarily puts an end to it; you
+have no right to interfere with so reasonable a proceeding.' I should
+then have seated myself up there on the bank, and have looked on as you
+came two or three times, to the surface gasping for breath, sinking to
+rise again, and hastening your death, perhaps, by the frantic efforts
+you made to retain a detested existence. Finally, you would have sunk
+to rise no more, and at this moment you would be lying quiet and
+comfortable, with only a slight quiver of the limbs, at the bottom of
+the lake. My impetuosity has deprived me of an interesting spectacle
+and prevented your fulfilment of a sensible and laudable intention. I
+pray your pardon, and would suggest that you can repair the wrong I
+have done. We are but a few steps away from the high bank whence you
+took your plunge into the lake. The spot was admirably selected, for
+the water here is too shallow for your purpose. I promise you that you
+shall not be disturbed again; I will look on with the greatest
+interest."
+
+The young man's quiet words filled his hearer with horror; his arms
+dropped by his sides, and his prominent eyes opened wider and protruded
+still farther from his head. He shuddered at the description of his
+death-agony; he looked in fear at his preserver, who could talk so
+calmly of such horrors, and when the latter proposed that he should try
+another plunge into the lake he was seized with a nameless dread.
+Involuntarily he recoiled a step, and with a gesture of abhorrence
+cried, "No, no, I cannot! It was too horrible! When the dark water
+closed over me, and I sank deeper and deeper, the suffocation, the
+dreadful noises in my ears, the throbbing in my temples--no, I cannot
+do it again!"
+
+"Indeed? True, death by drowning cannot be agreeable; I have heard so
+before from one of my acquaintances who very nearly lost his life in
+the water. The death-struggle is too long; it must be most unpleasant.
+Now, a bullet through the head is instantaneous. I will make you
+another suggestion; I owe it to you since I have interfered with your
+plans in so uncalled-for a manner. My coat lies on the bank yonder; in
+its breast-pocket there is a six-barrelled revolver. I was just putting
+it to my temple when I was arrested by your song. I only need two or
+three balls for my purpose. Come up on the bank with me, wait until my
+work is done, and my revolver is at your service. How people will
+wonder when the two bodies are found after a while lying peacefully
+side by side! What odd stories will be told of a duel without
+witnesses, or some such stupid nonsense! It is a pity one cannot be by
+to hear them. Come, we will soon make an end of the tiresome affair."
+
+"I cannot! I cannot do it a second time! Good God! I can neither live
+nor die! Help me, I implore you! Shoot me down with your revolver; I
+cannot do it myself! Kill me! I will bless you with my dying breath!"
+
+He flung himself upon his knees, wringing his hands, as he implored his
+preserver to kill him, but the young man shook his head decidedly, as
+he replied, "Very sorry, but the part of an executioner does not suit
+me; one must conclude such matters one's self, or let them alone. If
+you will not comply with my suggestion, there is nothing for you but to
+go on living. I wish you joy of it."
+
+"Good God! what shall I do? I implore you to help me, to advise me!"
+
+"How can I possibly advise you, when I have no knowledge of you or of
+the circumstances that have driven you to despair?"
+
+"I will tell you about it. I am the most miserable man in the world!
+You have saved my life, and I will confide my wretchedness, my
+disgrace, to you."
+
+The young man looked down thoughtfully for a moment before he said,
+"Very well, tell me. An hour more or less makes no difference. Let us
+sit down in the shade on the grass; you shall pour out your woes to me,
+and if I can give you help or counsel, I will do so."
+
+"Will not the shade be rather too cool for us in our wet clothes? We
+might catch cold."
+
+The young fellow laughed aloud at this strange mixture of despair and
+dread of taking cold.
+
+"Well, then, sit in the sun," he said, still laughing. "I prefer the
+shade, since a cold is of no consequence to me. And now, since we find
+ourselves comrades after this odd fashion, here at our ease, you can
+initiate me in the dark mysteries of your life. I promise you an
+attentive listener."
+
+He had thrown himself down beneath a huge beech-tree, while his
+companion was looking for a seat on some stone in the blazing sunshine.
+
+"My wet clothes will soon dry here," said the singer. "When they are
+dried on the body they do not lose their shape." And as he spoke he
+looked down sadly at the long wet tails of his coat as they draggled
+dripping behind him. There was no trace to be seen in him of the
+contrition and despair which had possessed him a few moments since, his
+whole mind was given to the choosing of a spot in the sunshine. At last
+he found a fragment of rock which suited him, he sat down upon it, and
+leaning forward propped his elbows upon his knees and his chin upon his
+hands. In this attitude he looked, as his companion could not but
+inwardly observe, like a strange caricature of incredible ugliness. He
+paused a while to reflect, and then began, in a whining, lachrymose
+tone,--
+
+"I have always been a child of misfortune. The Lord has punished me
+with the greatest severity for my sins, although I have tried to lead a
+pious, resigned life, however heavily His hand might be laid upon
+me. Wherefore, O Lord, shouldst Thou thus visit Thy most devoted
+servant----"
+
+He could not go on, for his listener had stopped his ears, and
+exclaimed angrily, "Stop, stop! nothing in the world is quite so
+detestable and tiresome as circumlocution. If I am to listen, you
+must be brief, simple, and unaffected. Let us have no whining
+sentimentality. I hate it! Give me a clear, simple statement of facts."
+
+"Out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh," was the reply to
+this blunt interruption of the man's flow of eloquence. "I will command
+my emotion, if I can, out of regard for you, my preserver. I have
+always been unlucky; my very name was a misfortune,--not my first name,
+Gottlieb, which I received in holy baptism, but my surname,
+Pigglewitch. I always see a smile of derision upon the lips of those
+who hear it for the first time, when a boy I was always laughed at for
+my name, and this trial has never left me. But I will not murmur; it is
+the Lord's will that I inherit such a title, and His ways are always
+right. How can we, weak mortals that we are----"
+
+"Hold, friend Pigglewitch! You are forgetting again. No preaching!"
+
+"I have done," Gottlieb Pigglewitch replied, instantly subsiding into
+an ordinary narrative style. "My father was pastor of Wilhelmshagen. I
+scarcely remember him, he died when I was not quite six years old; my
+mother had died at my birth, and her brother now took me home, or
+rather kept me in my home, for he succeeded to my father's position. He
+said he befriended the orphan for the love of God, but he never showed
+me any affection, even as a little child I had to work hard for my
+daily food, he employed me to tend first his geese and afterwards his
+sheep. I was sent with the other village children to the village
+school, but as soon as I came home I had to work for my uncle, and the
+dread of a beating often made me perform tasks that were far beyond my
+strength. I was given many a blow, with very little to eat, and never a
+kind word; my uncle declared that I was a good-for-nothing, lazy young
+hypocrite and liar, who could not be treated too severely, I was fit
+for nothing but a stupid tiller of the ground. As such he meant to
+bring me up, but Herr Brandes, the Schulze of Wilhelmshagen, befriended
+me. He had been a friend of my father's, and would have taken me into
+his house and brought me up with his daughter Annemarie, who is two
+years younger than I, only he did not wish to interfere with my uncle.
+
+"Nevertheless he stood my friend, and often when I was very hungry I
+got a good meal at his house; little Annemarie, too, would sometimes
+bring a piece of bread out to me in the fields and stay a while and
+play with me. Those were the only happy hours I can remember as a
+child. It was a time of sore trial, and I, unworthy sinful man----"
+
+"Friend Pigglewitch!"
+
+"Ah, to be sure! Well, the Schulze befriended me. 'After all, he is a
+pastor's son,' he said to my uncle, 'and every one is saying that he is
+being brought up like the son of a day-labourer.' My father had left me
+a small patrimony amounting to about a thousand thalers, and Herr
+Brandes told my uncle that he ought to demand a portion of this from
+the Guardians' Court, to be spent in sending me to town to school,
+where I might be suitably educated. At first my uncle refused to do
+this, he found me too useful on the farm, but he yielded at last to the
+Schulze's representations, seeing clearly that he should lose credit by
+refusing any longer to do so. So I was sent to town to board with one
+of the teachers of the public school. I nearly starved there, and I
+often wished myself back in Wilhelmshagen, where I could always get
+something to eat at the Schulze's, for Annemarie was sure to put by a
+morsel for me. From the public school I went to college, and I have
+passed my examination as a Candidate for the ministry. The Lord was
+gracious to me. My mind moves slowly, and when I went up for
+examination I was conscious of ignorance with regard to various
+branches of secular knowledge. I was afraid of being plucked, but the
+Herr Director encouraged me. He told me to trust in the Lord, who would
+not forsake the most faithful of His servants. So I went up for
+examination, and passed, although all my fellow-students predicted my
+failure. Immediately afterwards, through the influence of the Herr
+Director, I obtained a position as private teacher in Wilhelmshagen. I
+was delighted to receive my first employment in my old home. My uncle
+had left the place for a better parish in Wennersdorf, in Silesia, and
+I was quite free. Never have I felt so happy as then. I never dreamed
+that the Lord was about to try me beyond my strength,--poor, sinful man
+that I am. I had hitherto lived with the greatest economy. I had never
+had a penny in my pocket. My comrades at the public school and in
+college cared nothing for me,--they called me a hypocrite, laughed at
+me when I failed in my lessons, and would have nothing to do with me.
+Now I suddenly found myself freed from all restraint. I had a position,
+and moreover, as I was of age, the rest of my patrimony amounting to
+five hundred thalers was paid over to me. I had money and friends. The
+sons of the wealthiest peasants made much of me; formerly they took no
+notice of me, now they felt it an honour to have me join them at the
+village inn and drink a glass or play a game of cards with them, which
+last I was only too glad to do. I never could resist the sight of a
+card. Often, when I returned home at night after having lost my money
+at play, I repented with tears and vowed never again to touch a card. I
+prayed to the Lord for strength to keep my vow, and resolved never to
+go near the inn again; but the next Saturday evening the temptation was
+sure to be too strong for me. I could not resist it.
+
+"The Schulze had received me with great cordiality upon my return to
+Wilhelmshagen, and Annemarie had fallen upon my neck and given me an
+honest kiss. I was always welcome at the Schulzenhof. I loved my dear
+Annemarie, and she returned my love."
+
+The young man, who lying stretched upon the grass had hitherto listened
+quietly, only interrupting the narrative now and then with a word of
+warning when Gottlieb Pigglewitch's discourse grew too unctional,
+started and sat upright when the speaker uttered the word love. He
+stared in amazement at the forlorn, bedraggled figure perched on the
+stone before him. Could it be? That caricature of humanity was talking
+of love, and there was a girl in the world who returned the affection
+of a Gottlieb Pigglewitch!
+
+The young man's surprise was so evident that Gottlieb became
+embarrassed. "What is the matter?" he asked timidly.
+
+"My worthy Pigglewitch, you have converted me to a belief in miracles.
+Seriously I begin to have faith in them. In fact is it not a miracle
+that I am actually interested in you and your history? I thought that
+nothing in this tedious world could entertain me; you have shown me
+that I was mistaken. Go on with your story. You had just come to where
+you loved and were loved in return."
+
+"Yes, so it was. It was a brief period of bliss," Gottlieb Pigglewitch
+went on, with a deep-drawn sigh. "I trifled away my happiness by my own
+folly. The Schulze, who had received me so kindly, altered his
+treatment of me after a while. He remonstrated with me once or twice,
+telling me that it was not the thing for a teacher to sit until
+midnight of a Saturday drinking and playing cards with the young
+fellows of the village, such conduct was, at all events, quite beneath
+the son of a pastor, who, as such, ought to stand upon his dignity. I
+promised him then to shun the inn, but when Saturday came I could not
+withstand the burning desire for play. I dreamed of the cards and of
+the gains they might bring me, I had to go whether I would or not.
+Then, when I went the next evening to the Schulzenhof, Annemarie would
+receive me with tearful eyes, and her father with hard words. I was no
+longer welcome there, and I knew why. A hundred times I vowed
+improvement, but in vain. In short, I went on playing,--I could not
+help it,--and because I almost always lost, I drank too much in my
+despair. Several times my companions had to take me home drunk. I was
+most unfortunate. After living three years in Wilhelmshagen, I had to
+leave it. I had lost my entire patrimony at play, and with only twenty
+thalers in my pocket I had to look for another situation. When I bade
+farewell to Annemarie, I thought I should have died, only the hope of
+seeing her again sustained me. I knew that the Herr Director in town
+would befriend me and procure me another situation. I told the Schulze
+this, and since I was on the subject of my hopes, I confessed my love
+for Annemarie, and declared my intention of returning to ask for her
+hand so soon as I had found another situation. I should not have had
+the courage to say this to him had I not just bidden good-by to my
+comrades in the inn parlor, where I had taken a glass more than was
+good for me. The Schulze did not let me finish my sentence, he called
+me a vagabond, a gambler, and a drunkard, who had squandered his
+patrimony, and who never should marry his child. If I ever became a
+respectable man once more, and could save up from my earnings the five
+hundred thalers I had lost, I might come to see them again, but not
+until then. And he thrust me from his door without even letting me give
+my Annemarie a farewell kiss. With despair in my heart I left
+Wilhelmshagen. My patron, the Herr Director, to whom I first applied,
+received me with a severe reproof; but when I had described with many
+tears my struggles, my agony, and my firm resolve to do better, he took
+pity upon me, and got me a situation in Berlin with a salary of twenty
+thalers a month."
+
+"You could not possibly live in Berlin upon twenty thalers a month!"
+his hearer exclaimed.
+
+"But I did do so. Of course I had to practise strict economy, and I
+could not lay by anything; but, as I had no acquaintances there to
+tempt me to drink or play, I got along. I had been more than a year in
+Berlin, when just three weeks ago to-day I received a letter from my
+patron, the Herr Director. He wrote me that he had heard with pleasure
+from my principal that I had become a respectable, industrious man. As
+there is more joy in heaven over one sinner----"
+
+"Pigglewitch!"
+
+"Well, the Herr Director wrote me that he had recommended me for a very
+advantageous situation to a Frau von Osternau, of Osternau, in Silesia,
+who had applied to him for a tutor for her son, a boy six years of age.
+I was to reside with the family and receive three hundred thalers
+yearly. I could enter upon my duties immediately. He enclosed a letter
+of introduction to Frau von Osternau, and another to my Principal
+requesting him to put no obstacle in the way of my good fortune, but to
+release me immediately from my engagement to him. I was supremely
+happy. Three hundred thalers and my board! I could save up two hundred
+thalers a year, and in two years and a half at the latest I should have
+my five hundred thalers again. I went instantly to my Principal, who,
+however, declared that he could not possibly spare me before the 3d of
+July. This I wrote to the Herr Director, and in a few days heard from
+him in reply that Frau von Osternau was willing to wait, and that she
+would expect me on the 6th of July."
+
+"The 6th of July? Why, that is the day after tomorrow."
+
+"Precisely. The day after to-morrow. I left my situation yesterday,--a
+day of misery which has ruined my life forever. So soon as I received
+from the Herr Director the letter which confirmed my hopes of the
+situation at Osternau I wrote to my Annemarie and told her of my good
+luck, in three years at the furthest, I wrote her, we should be
+married. I had written several letters to her during the year, and had
+received no reply from her; now I had an answer by return of mail. Her
+father had forbidden her, she told me, to reply before, but now that he
+had hopes of my becoming a respectable man once more, he had permitted
+her to write. She would be true to me, and surely wait the three years
+for me, but she was nevertheless afraid that we never should be man and
+wife, for she was forced to go with her father across the sea to
+America. They had been very unfortunate,--their farm-house had been
+burned down just after harvest, before the crops had been insured, and
+her father had therefore resolved to dispose of his farm and to try his
+fortune in America. Everything was prepared for their departure. Her
+father was to bring her to Berlin on the 1st of July, that he might
+receive the last payment of the purchase-money of his estate, and on
+the 3d they were to leave for Bremen, whence their passage to America
+was taken. I might expect them at the railway-station on the evening of
+the 1st, and we could at least spend a few hours together. It was a
+dear, good letter, as good and kind as my Annemarie herself. I wept as
+I read it, so transported was I with delight. She would be true to me.
+In three years I should have enough to follow her to America. Perhaps I
+could buy a small farm there with my five hundred thalers, and become a
+farmer. The world lies open to the man who has money, he can purchase
+every conceivable delight."
+
+"Do you think so?" the listener drawled, contemptuously. "But go on; I
+beg pardon for interrupting you."
+
+"On the evening of the 1st I received the Schulze and Annemarie at the
+railway-station, and went with them to the little inn where they were
+to lodge. Annemarie was unchanged, and the Schulze was as cordial to me
+as he had been formerly. He read my patron's letter carefully, as also
+the testimonial which my Principal had given me. He expressed his
+satisfaction with my plans for the future, and promised that he would
+give me Annemarie so soon as I could show him five hundred thalers of
+my own. His confidence in me was entirely restored, as was shown me the
+next day, when, after he had received all the purchase-money for his
+estate, he intrusted to me twelve hundred and seventy-two marks to hand
+over to my uncle in Wennersdorf. Many years ago my uncle had loaned
+this money upon interest to the Schulze, and had always objected to its
+repayment, but now, upon the eve of his departure for America, the
+Schulze as an honest man insisted upon returning it. On my way to
+Osternau in Silesia, it would be very easy for me to turn a little
+aside and visit my uncle Widman, at Wennersdorf. The Schulze impressed
+it upon me to get a receipt for the money and transmit it to him. I had
+a delightful day with my Annemarie and her father, and yesterday
+morning I accompanied them to the railway-station, where I took leave
+of them. At noon I was to leave for Wennersdorf, whence, after leaving
+the money with my uncle Widman, I could continue my journey to
+Osternau. Everything was ready for my departure.
+
+"When Annemarie and her father had left me, and I turned away from the
+railway-station, my heart was so heavy that I could hardly bear it. I
+felt so weak, so forlorn, that I needed something to strengthen me, and
+I turned into a small restaurant to get a glass of beer. I seated
+myself at a table, and I had hardly done so before three men, who had
+entered the house just after me, took their places at my elbow. In the
+early morning we four were the only people in the room. The men talked
+for a while, and then began to play cards,--lansquenet,--taking no
+notice of me. I looked on, not thinking of playing; but when I saw the
+thalers passing from hand to hand, as the game grew more absorbing, my
+interest grew keen, and the wretched passion for play was again aroused
+within me. I was seized with an uncontrollable desire to join the game.
+The Evil One had me in his clutches once more----"
+
+"Go on, Pigglewitch, go on!"
+
+"Forgive me; I could not help it. I was, indeed, possessed by a demon.
+I asked the gentlemen if I might take part in the game, they assented,
+and in an instant I had joined them. I had not played for more than a
+year, but the passion for gambling had got hold of me. I lost, doubled
+the stakes, lost again, and went on increasing the stakes in hopes of
+winning back my money. Still I went on losing, in my desperation I
+drank glass after glass, everything reeled before my eyes, and when at
+the end of an hour I had staked my last piece of money, I suddenly
+became conscious that I had gambled away my life. I was a thief
+condemned to jail, for I had lost not only my own money, but the sum
+intrusted to me for my uncle. I sat alone at the table, the gentlemen
+had left me, finding I had nothing more to lose, and I had not noticed
+their departure. The last hour seemed to me like an evil dream. I laid
+my head upon the table and wept. After a while a waiter roused me and
+requested me to leave, my score had been paid by my friends. I
+staggered out of the place. How I reached my lodgings I do not know. I
+lay in a feverish stupor all day long, in the evening I came to myself.
+How terrible was my awaking! I now saw clearly what I had done. I knew
+that I was lost. My uncle would demand his money of me. I should be
+handed over to the authorities as a thief. I should be sent to jail. I
+was lost,--lost past rescue. But I would die sooner than be sent to
+jail.
+
+"Suddenly there arose in my memory the picture of the lake of
+Wandelitz. How often in my boyhood had I wandered away from
+Wilhelmshagen to this quiet lake in the forest, and, seated upon the
+bank yonder, passed hours in dreaming and gazing down into the green
+depths of water! The thought of it came to me like an inspiration.
+I gathered myself together. On the chair beside my bed lay my
+travelling-bag, I packed it early in the morning for my noon-day
+departure, and it contained, as I now remembered, ten silver thalers,
+every penny I possessed in the world. It was enough to purchase a
+ticket for Wilhelmshagen, whither I might go by the night train. I
+scarcely know what followed,--how I set out, how I arrived here. I only
+remember that I sang a hymn, and then--well, you know the rest. I am an
+unfortunate, miserable wretch!"
+
+"You're a very queer fellow, friend Pigglewitch," the other declared,
+in answer to Gottlieb's last desperate exclamation. "You are a compound
+of contradictions. I do not understand you, and least of all can I
+comprehend how a fellow can be so overwhelmed by despair at losing a
+paltry twelve hundred marks at cards. Such a trifle!"
+
+"I was horrified at the prison which awaited me," Pigglewitch declared.
+"Oh, I am lost,--lost beyond all hope!"
+
+For a while his companion made no reply, but sat looking dreamily
+across the lake, while he mechanically plucked to pieces a tiny
+wild-flower. His face, rather handsome than otherwise, suddenly lost
+its habitual expression of weary indifference, a smile played about the
+lips, the dreamy eyes sparkled.
+
+"Friend Pigglewitch," he said, scrutinizing keenly the odd figure
+before him, "an idea has suddenly occurred to me,--an original, some
+sensible people might call it an insane, idea! You, friend Pigglewitch,
+play an important part in the development of this idea. You please me,
+you interest me, and that is saying a great deal, for I assure you that
+it is years since I have taken any interest in anything, or any
+pleasure in a living creature with the exception of my Bello, an
+abominable mongrel pug, whose intense ugliness pleased me. But, as I
+said, you too please me. It would be no end of a pity if so magnificent
+a sample of humanity should be early snatched from this world by
+despicable suicide. I now rejoice that I pulled you out of the water.
+You must live!"
+
+"Why do you jeer at me?" Pigglewitch asked, in a doleful tone of
+reproach. "I have done you no harm, and have told you all my story."
+
+"In return for which you shall have mine, with but some trifling
+reservations. It is but reasonable that you, in return for this recital
+of your life and its woes, should listen to mine. It will be much
+shorter than yours, for I really have had no experiences. My name
+is--but why need you know my name? you cannot care for it, and I am
+quite sure you will find it easier not to mention it if you do not know
+it. Since from my earliest infancy Fortune has showered upon me her
+choicest gifts, I will call myself Fritz Fortune. Yes, Fritz Fortune
+had from his birth everything that mankind considers a means of
+happiness. His health was perfect, they say he was a very handsome boy,
+he had quick powers of mind, a lively intelligence which enabled him to
+learn without trouble; he was the only son of an immensely wealthy
+father, his every desire was fulfilled before it was expressed. He had
+everything, everything, except one mere trifle of no real consequence
+in life,--affection. The stupid fellow, however, thought he wanted it.
+He loved his kind, and longed for love in return, but he did not find
+it. His mother had no time to bestow upon him. She was wonderfully
+lovely, and always surrounded by a crowd of adorers. There was not a
+moment of her day not given to society or to dressing for some grand
+entertainment, how could she possibly find a moment to devote to the
+boy, who was, besides, admirably cared for by a most expensive tutor
+and an excellent housekeeper? When Fritz Fortune was ten years old his
+mother died suddenly of disease of the heart. He did not miss her, for
+he scarcely knew her. His father was a model parent, he was willing to
+make any sacrifice for the child, upon whom he lavished enormous sums
+of money, save one,--the sacrifice of his time, which was devoted
+partly to business, but mostly to pleasure. Weeks passed continually
+without the boy's even seeing his father, but then no toy was too
+expensive to be purchased for him so soon as he expressed a wish for it
+to the housekeeper, there was no delicacy upon which he might not feed
+until it disgusted him. Everything, everything save affection was
+lavished upon him. Was he not the silliest of lads in that so far from
+being contented he sometimes shed bitter tears over his lot? He had
+soon done with tears, however. His tutor did just as the boy told him
+to, and the housekeeper and all the servants followed his example.
+Fritz Fortune's will was never gainsaid, if he had not chosen of his
+own accord to go to school, he never would have been sent there, but he
+was tired of his home, and hoped to be better entertained at school,
+consequently to school he went. There too luck pursued him. As he
+was clever enough and studied diligently, not from love of books
+but to beguile the time, he learned readily. He outstripped his
+school-fellows, and they consequently hated him, but as his pockets
+were always filled with money and school-boy dainties which he
+scattered with a lavish hand, the young rogues took care to conceal
+their dislike of him. They flattered the son of the wealthy banker, and
+for a short time the boy was really happy, for he thought himself
+beloved by his school-mates, for whom he had a sincere affection.
+Chance opened his eyes. He accidentally overheard a conversation
+between two boys whom he thought his best friends. Every word then
+spoken revealed their hatred, their mean envy of their comrade. It was
+enough. Fritz Fortune no longer lavished either gifts or affection upon
+his school-fellows, and they no longer concealed the true nature of
+their feelings towards him. They pursued him with falsehoods and
+calumny. There was a fresh battle to be fought at every recess, he was
+agile and strong, and declined none of them. Since he returned every
+blow with interest, and in addition had the teachers on his side, so
+that after a fight his opponents were the ones selected for punishment,
+he came out of all these contests victorious. He continued to be
+Fortune's favourite, but he was not happy, he was solitary and alone
+among his fellows.
+
+"When only sixteen years old he passed a brilliant examination and
+entered the university, where he studied,--that is to say, he fluttered
+about from one science to another. There was no need of his pursuing
+any laborious course of study: he was wealthy in his own right by
+inheritance from his mother, and was, besides, the only son of an
+immensely wealthy father, who gave him everything save affection. His
+career at the university was as successful as at school. Whatever he
+attempted was a success. He was a capital boxer, an untiring swimmer, a
+bold rider,--he was an object of admiration and envy.
+
+"He had learned somewhat at school, his bitter experiences there had
+not been lost upon him. Again he scattered his money with a lavish
+hand, he was surrounded by flatterers and friends, but he now knew what
+they were worth. He despised the rabble of young men as he had despised
+their childish prototypes, but he was too wise to let this be seen.
+Solitude was too tedious. He wanted to enjoy life. To do this he needed
+jolly companions, his money bought him these. He drank deep of all
+these delights of student life, he was always surrounded by a merry
+throng of so-called good friends, but he was often wretchedly forlorn
+and unhappy.
+
+"The wild, gay life that he led filled him with disgust, he forced
+himself to seem carelessly merry when he was constantly a prey to
+mortal ennui. Of course Fritz Fortune was a favourite with women. He
+had not in appearance fulfilled, it is true, the promise of his
+boyhood, but he was by no means an ugly fellow, and, what was far more
+to the point, he was rich, very rich. He was everywhere received with
+distinction,--the mothers flattered his vanity, the daughters met his
+advances far more than half-way. Once or twice, when a pair of blue
+eyes looked innocently into his own, when a rosy cheek blushed rosier
+still at his words, he thought the glance and the blush due to his real
+self, his heart beat high, hope dawned within him, but he was sure to
+be cruelly undeceived. Some skilled coquette behind a mask of maidenly
+innocence had been speculating upon his wealth, but Fortune still
+befriended him in that he discovered in time the net in which he was to
+have been caught. He escaped, it is true, but every vestige of his
+faith in mankind was left behind him in the toils that had been spread
+for him.
+
+"When he left the university he had not decided upon a career. Should
+he take part in his father's business? He had no inclination to do so.
+Why should he devote himself to the accumulation of wealth? The
+business was in trustworthy, competent hands; his father, it is true,
+was at the head of it, but he paid little attention to its details;
+more as a pastime than as a necessity he spent a couple of hours in his
+counting-room every day, all the rest of his time was devoted to
+pleasure. He had no desire that his son should apply himself to
+business. He was so tender a father that he gladly fulfilled his son's
+every wish, only asking in return that his son should not interfere
+with him or with his little amusements. Could a son ask more of a
+parent? Certainly Fritz Fortune's was a most enviable lot. He was
+surrounded by young men of rank who called themselves his devoted
+friends, and he was an idol among women. Wherever he went he was
+treated with distinction, he drained every delight of the German
+capital to the dregs, there was no necessity for his denying himself a
+single pleasure. Whatever money could procure might be his, for his
+father's cashier stood ready to honour his drafts to any amount. What
+could he desire more? And yet the foolish fellow was absolutely
+wretched; he had but one wish, and to fulfil it money was of no
+avail,--he wished to be relieved from the mortal tedium of an
+insufferable existence. The amusements of the capital disgusted him,
+society bored him, he had no interest in any pursuit, he could not
+decide to pursue any particular branch of study; even music, which had
+formerly helped him to pass many a lonely hour, no longer attracted
+him. In glowing physical health, his weary mind was 'sickening of a
+vague disease,' his only wish being to close his eyes never to open
+them again.
+
+"It was some time before it occurred to him that it was within his
+power to gratify this wish by a firm resolve. He had become too
+indolent even to think, but yesterday this brilliant idea occurred to
+him. It was suggested by his reading in the morning's paper that a
+young banker of his acquaintance had shot himself. What in this case
+had been done in despair might also be done to put an end to the tedium
+of existence. His spirits improved on the instant, the mere thought
+that he could rid himself of his burden dissipated his weariness for a
+while.
+
+"He pondered upon what his numerous dear friends would say if he should
+suddenly vanish from Berlin, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. His
+fancy was excited. He made all sorts of plans for best putting an end
+to his wretched existence without causing an immediate report of his
+death to be spread abroad in Berlin.
+
+"For the first time for years he was really entertained for a couple of
+hours, so great was his interest in the different schemes thus
+contemplated. Forthwith he proceeded to the carrying out of his
+resolve. He drew from his father's bank a considerable sum of money,
+that his friends might be led quite astray as to his disappearance,
+called upon several acquaintances, showed himself at the theatre, and
+left Berlin by the night-train.
+
+"Some years previously, in a summer excursion, he had noticed a
+charming forest in the neighbourhood of Wilhelmshagen. He remembered
+that one might wander there for hours and find no thoroughfare.
+
+"In this forest he determined to search out a secluded spot, where his
+body might lie undiscovered for weeks. This plan he pursued. Was he not
+Fortune's favourite? He saw no one whom he knew at the railway-station.
+He made his journey entirely alone, in a first-class carriage, and,
+reaching Wilhelmshagen in the early morning, entered the forest without
+meeting a human being. Every trace of him was lost, no one could
+surmise what had become of him. For some hours he wandered about until
+he found a spot suitable for his purpose. Here he lay down upon the
+grass, and once more passed in mental review his entire wearisome,
+frustrated existence, it seemed to him so forlorn and pitiable that he
+was but confirmed in his resolution. He was about to carry it into
+effect, he had in fact raised his revolver for the purpose, when he
+heard a hymn sung near at hand. He dropped his hand, and--the rest you
+know. This is the history of Fritz Fortune. How do you like it, my
+worthy Pigglewitch?"
+
+Gottlieb stared at the narrator with unutterable astonishment in his
+prominent eyes. "And is that all?" he asked, thinking it impossible
+that he had heard the end of the tale.
+
+"Do you wish for more? As I told you, my story is brief, but edifying."
+
+"Were you then going to shoot yourself out of mere _ennui_, Herr
+Fortune? It is inconceivable, impossible! I am almost always bored,
+especially when I am alone, but it never occurred to me to shoot myself
+upon that account. How can such an idea enter the head of any one who
+has money?"
+
+A bitter smile hovered about Fortune's lips. "That precisely the view
+of the mass of mankind," he said. "Whoever has money must be happy, and
+the silly fools rush after wealth, never perceiving that there is no
+greater misery than what they call happiness. If I were poor, if I had
+to strive and contrive for a pittance for my daily bread, if I had a
+single aim in life worth attaining, I too might perhaps endure
+existence. This thought occurred to me while you were telling your
+story, and I suddenly fancied that I should like to try whether
+existence under your circumstances could make the burden of life
+supportable. Should it prove as devoid of interest, as tiresome and
+insufferable as my former existence, I can always have recourse to my
+faithful revolver. I will make you an offer, friend Pigglewitch. If you
+accept it, it will help us both, you perhaps forever, myself at least
+for a while, but that is not your affair. The dearest wish of your
+heart at present is to be able to pay your uncle his money, and to gain
+as quickly as possible the five hundred thalers to enable you to follow
+your Annemarie to America. Are you willing to make a sacrifice to
+accomplish this end?"
+
+"Any, every sacrifice!" Pigglewitch cried, eagerly. "Ask what you will
+of me, it shall be done."
+
+"I will not ask much. You shall have the round sum of three thousand
+five hundred marks--just enough to pay your uncle, replace your
+patrimony, and take you to America--if you will give me, to dispose of
+as I may see fit, your beautiful name of Gottlieb Pigglewitch, with the
+necessary articles and documents thereto belonging,--to wit, your
+testimonials, credentials, letter of introduction to Osternau, etc.,
+and, above all, your beautiful black suit, which fits you so
+admirably,--promising also to go direct from here to Wilhelmshagen,
+whence you can send your uncle his money, and whence you promise to
+take the next train, by way of Berlin, to Bremen, where you will embark
+in the first vessel bound for America, and all this without revealing
+to a living soul the occurrences of the last two days."
+
+"You are making game of me, Herr Fortune," Pigglewitch said, in his
+most lachrymose tones; "but I must endure it, for you have saved my
+life."
+
+"Don't mention it. That is a debit and credit affair. Had you not sung
+your hymn I should be lying in the forest with a bullet in my brains,
+and you would be reposing peacefully beneath the green, crystal waters
+of the lake. You certainly owe me nothing, and need think of nothing
+save your own advantage in deciding whether or not to accept the
+bargain I offer you, for I am not jesting. I make you the serious offer
+of three thousand five hundred marks cash, payable upon the receipt of
+your name, your credentials, your clothes, which you can exchange for
+mine,--and not a bad exchange either, it seems to me,--and lastly, of
+your express promise to emigrate immediately to America."
+
+"Are you really not joking? Three thousand five hundred marks----"
+
+"Cash. I pay _en amateur_. I like the beautiful name of Pigglewitch,
+and your black coat, with its long, pointed swallow-tail, enchants me.
+I am sure it will become me admirably."
+
+Pigglewitch looked doubtfully at the young man, who spoke so calmly,
+but whom he was inclined to pronounce insane. "What do you want to do
+with my name and my credentials?" he said.
+
+"I have lived a long time as Fortune, and for the sake of variety I
+should like to live and labour for a while as Pigglewitch. For how
+long? I do not know; and besides that is not the question between you
+and me. I shall go on living from day to day until the Pigglewitch
+existence also becomes intolerable to me. Come, decide, friend
+Pigglewitch; will you accept my proposal or not?"
+
+Gottlieb reflected. Herr Fritz Fortune was evidently quite insane. Only
+a madman would kill himself from _ennui_ when his pockets were full of
+money. His offer was a crazy one, but what business was that of
+Gottlieb Pigglewitch? The proposal was most tempting,--three thousand
+five hundred marks. He might well sell his credentials, which would be
+valueless in America, for such a sum. Why should he not in his need
+accept an offer which would lay the foundations of his fortune? It
+would be unpardonable folly not to seize with both hands so unexpected
+a piece of luck.
+
+"If you are really in earnest," he said, with a suspicious look at Herr
+Fortune,--"I can hardly believe it,--but if your offer is made
+seriously, I will accept it."
+
+"Bravo, friend Pigglewitch! you are a delightful fellow!" cried
+Fortune. "There's my hand, the bargain is concluded."
+
+With some hesitation Pigglewitch took the offered hand. He was still in
+some doubt, but this vanished when Fortune sprang up and led him up the
+bank whence a short time previously each had thrown himself into the
+lake. Here upon the short grass lay Fortune's coat and hat, with
+Pigglewitch's tall beaver and travelling-bag. In the breast-pocket of
+his coat Fortune found a pocket-book, which he opened, taking from it a
+thick bundle of bank-notes of a thousand or five hundred marks each,
+with here and there one for a hundred only. At this sight everything
+glimmered before the astonished eyes of Pigglewitch, who had never
+before seen so much money together. And the happy possessor of this
+wealth, which seemed quite 'beyond the dreams of avarice,' had very
+nearly killed himself voluntarily a short hour previously. Oh, the poor
+fellow was evidently mad, quite mad!
+
+Meanwhile, Fortune selected three bank-notes of a thousand marks each,
+and ten hundred-mark notes. "Here, friend Pigglewitch," he said, "are
+four thousand marks; our bargain was for three thousand five hundred,
+but I add the rest and make the four thousand complete on condition
+that you make over to me your travelling-bag and its contents. I should
+like to begin my new life fully equipped as Pigglewitch. Do you agree?"
+
+"Oh, certainly. You are most generous. I thank you from my soul,
+but----"
+
+"But? Go on; why do you hesitate?"
+
+"If you really wish to assume the life of a poor man like myself you
+must not carry about you so well filled, a pocket-book."
+
+Fortune looked up in surprise. "You are cleverer than I thought," he
+said; "you are right. It were best to throw the entire rubbish into the
+lake, where it can do no mischief."
+
+"For God's sake, take care what you do, Herr Fortune!" Pigglewitch
+exclaimed, in dismay, seizing the young man by the arm as he was about
+to toss the pocket-book into the water. "It is a sin to destroy all
+that beautiful money. If you do not want it, give it to me."
+
+Fortune's hand fell by his side, he reflected for a moment, and then
+said as he looked at Pigglewitch with a smile, "The appetite grows with
+eating. A moment ago four thousand marks seemed wealth to you, now you
+would like to have more. No, friend Pigglewitch, four thousand marks is
+enough. If you cannot begin life afresh with that sum, a larger one
+would assuredly plunge you into misery. But you were right,
+nevertheless, to prevent me from destroying this money, it would have
+been folly. I always act foolishly when I follow the impulse of the
+moment, and I thank you for hindering me. I will keep the pocketbook.
+There is no danger for me in the money, I know its worthlessness. Give
+me your travelling-bag. Is there a key to it? Yes? Thank you. I will
+deposit the pocket-book here in this bag, where it shall remain
+untouched. And now we will exchange clothes. I am longing to don your
+charming black suit as a bride longs to deck herself in her veil. We
+are about the same height, we shall have no difficulty in the matter."
+
+He took off his cravat and waistcoat, and with a shake of the head
+Pigglewitch followed his example. In a few minutes the transformation
+was complete. Fritz Fortune in the wet black suit confronted its amazed
+former possessor; the clothes, 'a world too wide' for his slender,
+muscular figure, dangled and hung loosely about him, he clapped the
+tall black hat upon his head and exclaimed with a laugh as he looked at
+himself in a small pocket-mirror which he had taken from his own coat,
+"Horrible! ugly beyond belief! Indeed I am worthy of you, friend
+Pigglewitch. But my poor fellow, how you look! You have the worst of
+the bargain. My new summer coat suits you about as well as does a
+dress-coat a poodle. Look at yourself!"
+
+He handed Pigglewitch the little mirror. Gottlieb contemplated his
+image with much complacency. He thought he presented an aristocratic
+appearance in his elegant attire, and said so.
+
+"Are you pleased? So much the better," said Fortune. "Then we are both
+satisfied. And now, friend Pigglewitch, let us take leave of each
+other, but first swear to me by all that you hold sacred, by the very
+salvation of your soul, that you never will reveal to a human being
+what has taken place between us, and that you will sail for America as
+soon as possible."
+
+"I swear it, so help me God! Amen!" Pigglewitch rejoined, raising his
+hand towards the skies.
+
+"Farewell, my worthy other self, then. Farewell until we meet in
+another world more pleasantly than we did in this. You are going
+towards Wilhelmshagen. My way lies in an opposite direction. Farewell."
+
+He shook Pigglewitch cordially by the hand, took up the travelling-bag
+and hung it by the handle on the end of a stick, which he rested upon
+his shoulder. Then, with an elastic step, he started for the forest.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER II.
+                               OSTERNAU.
+
+
+Castle Osternau is situated in the midst of a country distinguished not
+for any conspicuous or unique beauty of natural scenery, but for
+luxuriance of cultivation. The undulating landscape forbids an extended
+view, it is only from the summit of some of the larger hills that the
+long range of the Riesengebirge can be discerned in the distance. All
+sight of this range is shut off from Castle Osternau itself by low
+hills.
+
+Nevertheless, the country about the castle is by no means wanting in
+charm. The richly-cultured fields waving with golden grain, the
+luxuriant, flowery meadows, which lie like broad green ribbons among
+them, the dark forests which bound the horizon do not it is true
+combine to form a scene of majestic magnificence, but the landscape is
+full of a tender, benignant beauty, and in the eyes of Herr von
+Osternau, who was agriculturist to his very heart's core, there was in
+all Silesia no more beautiful spot than his dear Osternau. A field of
+wheat was far more lovely in his eyes than the most picturesque bare
+rocks. The steep mountains, available only for the cultivation of
+timber and inaccessible for the plough, where the peasant toiled
+laboriously to earn a scanty subsistence, were odious to him. An
+extensive, level, cultured plain was his ideal of beauty. It was hardly
+attained in the gently-undulating fields of Osternau, but, so far as
+luxuriance of cultivation was concerned, they left nothing to be
+desired.
+
+All the lords of Osternau had been capable, practical agriculturists.
+The love of agriculture had descended for centuries from father to son
+with the entailed estate. Its proprietors had successively, from time
+immemorial, resided at Castle Osternau and personally superintended the
+management of its extensive lands, the younger sons only had devoted
+themselves to a diplomatic career, and, for the most part, not for
+long. So soon as they could lay claim to a pension from the government
+they had followed their natural bent, resigned their positions, and
+retired to Castle Osternau, where they had loyally assisted the elder
+brother in the management of his estates. But few of these younger
+brothers had ever married, most of them had died bachelors. Thus the
+male descendants of the Osternau line had never been numerous. At
+present there were but three of them. The head of the house, Friedrich
+von Osternau, had but one son, a boy six years of age, and only one
+male relative, a cousin, Albrecht von Osternau by name, who had for a
+long time considered himself the heir-at-law, since the marriage of
+Friedrich von Osternau had been blessed for some years with a daughter
+only. When this daughter, however, had reached the age of eleven, the
+birth of a son had blasted the young man's hopes of succeeding to the
+estates.
+
+Albrecht von Osternau was a young, pleasure-loving officer. As the
+future possessor of Osternau, he had cared very little for the fact
+that he had gambled away and squandered his patrimony in a few years.
+His credit was good, for it was supposed by the Berlin money-lenders
+that the present owner of Osternau was consumptive and could live but a
+few months longer at the furthest. But the victim of consumption lived
+not only months, but years, and just when his death was predicted with
+great certainty, he astonished the world with the news that a son and
+heir was born to him.
+
+It was a fearful blow for Lieutenant Albrecht von Osternau when he
+suddenly learned, in a very kind letter from his cousin, that his
+expectations in life had crumbled to ruins. With his prospects of
+inheritance his credit also vanished. His creditors, hitherto most
+patient, besieged him, and in one case, where he had imprudently given
+his note of hand, he was threatened with a complaint to be lodged with
+his commanding officer. Until now the lieutenant had never found any
+difficulty in covering one debt with another; this was no longer
+possible. The money-lenders, who had formerly considered it an honour
+to accommodate the Herr Lieutenant, rudely refused compliance with his
+wishes.
+
+In his great need, Albrecht von Osternau decided to apply to his only
+relative, the head of the house, although until now he had had but
+little intercourse with him. He paid a visit to Castle Osternau, where
+he was received with open arms. The good-natured Friedrich considered
+it a duty to indemnify his only relative, in some measure at least, for
+his shattered hopes. He recognized the severity of the law of entail
+which cuts off all the younger branches of a family from a share in the
+wealth which is lavished upon the heir, and he thought it quite natural
+that Albrecht should have heretofore ordered his life upon a scale
+commensurate with his expectations.
+
+Since the state of his own health had prevented him from leading any
+but the simple life of a country gentleman, he was in the habit of
+yearly laying aside considerable sums, which were usually, however,
+expended in the improvement of the estates, wherefore his private
+property was not very large. Nevertheless, he gladly sacrificed a
+considerable amount of money in paying his cousin's debts.
+
+Amply provided with means, Albrecht returned from Osternau to Berlin.
+He arrived there a day too late. His merciless creditor had already
+sent to the colonel of the regiment a notice of the note that was due.
+Upon the payment of his claim he would gladly have recalled it, but,
+since the colonel had received it, the latter was obliged to advise the
+young officer to send in his resignation from the service.
+
+Albrecht's military career was ended. It must shortly have terminated
+at all events, for with his expensive tastes and habits he could not
+possibly have maintained his position as cavalry officer of the guards
+without loading himself with debt. What was he to do? At the age of
+twenty-four, in the very flower of his youth, he found himself without
+a future.
+
+Once more he found a kind and ready friend in his cousin, to whom he
+confided his misfortune. Baron Friedrich invited him to come to
+Osternau, there to follow the traditions of the family in devoting
+himself to agriculture.
+
+The luxurious young officer, accustomed to the delights of the
+capital, unused to work of any description, after living a careless
+life of pleasure among his wealthy comrades, was to bury himself in a
+lonely castle, where, in the society of an invalid cousin and his
+simple-hearted wife, he must spend his weary days in a pursuit that was
+odious to him. He who had been free as a bird of the air after the easy
+duties of his daily service were over, must now be his cousin's slave,
+condemned to constant occupation, obedient to command, assuming the
+part of an upper superintendent upon the very estates which he had been
+wont to consider as his own in the future. Could the munificent
+compensation offered him by his cousin atone to him for what he
+relinquished, for the delights he must resign? He felt no gratitude
+towards his generous relative; he hated him as he had always envied
+him. For years he had set all his hopes upon the death of the man whom
+he had believed a prey to consumption. These hopes were now
+annihilated, and he felt almost inclined to reproach his cousin for
+still living, and for being blessed with a direct heir. How could he be
+grateful to the hated relative whose subordinate, whose slave he was
+doomed to be? The thought was intolerable; and yet, hard as this lot
+was, no choice was left for the ruined officer. Again and again he
+destroyed the letter in which he had tried to accept his cousin's offer
+with thanks. He ground his teeth as he wrote out the hollow expressions
+of his gratitude, but there was no help for it, he had to write them,
+and when the letter was finally finished he paced the floor of his room
+in a frenzy of envy and disgust.
+
+In a few days he followed his letter to Castle Osternau, and from that
+time all the male members of the ancient family were united beneath its
+roof. Albrecht occupied some elegantly-furnished rooms in the third
+story of the castle; the windows of his sleeping-room looked out upon
+the court-yard, those of his other rooms upon the garden.
+
+The head of the family himself occupied the second floor of the castle.
+He was so enthusiastic a farmer that he quite despised the lovely view
+of the castle gardens. His delight was in overlooking from the windows
+of his sitting-room the spacious court-yard, with its busy throng of
+servants and labourers. If the state of his health confined him to the
+house, he thus contrived still to maintain a supervision of his people.
+He would sit at these windows from early morning when the weather was
+bad, only leaving his post to repair to the dining-hall at dinner-time.
+From half-past two until half-past four was his only time for
+recreation or repose. If the weather were propitious he spent the
+entire remainder of the day out of doors, in the fields, on foot or on
+horseback, in the court-yard and stables. He took an interest in the
+smallest details of his extensive agricultural operations without
+relaxing in his strict general superintendence. The Osternau estates
+were regarded all through the country as a model of good management.
+
+The castle court-yard was a huge quadrangle, one side of which was
+formed by the extensive structure of the castle itself. Its spacious
+barns were on the opposite side; to the right were long rows of stables
+for horses and cows, and to the left were those devoted to various
+breeds of sheep. In the midst of the large space thus enclosed was a
+pond for watering the cattle, and beside it stood a shed, beneath which
+was a fire-engine.
+
+Perfect neatness and order reigned in the court-yard; the keen eye of
+the master of Osternau saw to it that these were always strictly
+maintained. He certainly was the gentlest and kindest of masters, but
+he could not endure the slightest disorder. Even the huge muck-heap
+before the cow-stables, the pride of its possessor and the ornament of
+the court-yard of an agricultural estate, was well kept, and gave no
+impression of uncleanliness; indeed, the neighboring landed proprietors
+regarded it with admiration when they drove past the court-yard on
+their way to pay a friendly visit to Herr von Osternau. They preferred
+to go round the narrower country road, past the court-yard, to gain the
+front entrance to the castle, rather than to approach it by the broader
+road leading directly from the highway.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER III.
+                      THE CASTLE'S LORD AND LADY.
+
+
+Herr Fritz Von Osternau, the lord of the castle, was seated in his room
+at the open window looking discontentedly out upon the court-yard. In
+consequence of over-exertion he had suffered for some days from a
+violent attack of the spasmodic cough which many years previously
+ignorant physicians had pronounced consumption. These attacks of a
+chronic malady were not dangerous. The famous Mitterwurz, of Berlin,
+when consulted by Herr von Osternau, had assured him that with care he
+might regard his cough as a warrant for length of life, but care he
+must take. In stormy or very warm weather he must stay in the house, he
+must avoid violent exercise, and never ride far afield even in fair
+weather after an attack of coughing, as physical exertion might provoke
+a return of it. Since this verdict of the famous physician's, Frau von
+Osternau never had allowed her husband to indulge in his agricultural
+mania when he had coughed during the night. She would permit him to
+take a short walk, upon which she always accompanied him that he might
+not be induced to prolong it, and he was obliged to return to the
+castle after an hour at most of sauntering. He obeyed her at such times
+reluctantly, but still he obeyed, and thus he was sitting to-day at the
+open window instead of being where he longed to be, out in the fields
+superintending the harvesting. It was so tiresome to gaze out into the
+sunlit court-yard, where not a person was to be seen, every man and
+maid, as well as a host of day-labourers, being busy with the harvest.
+
+Profound quiet reigned in the spacious quadrangle: even the poultry had
+retired to the barns out of the glowing sunshine and were silent. The
+court-yard was so lonely and deserted that its master grew tired of
+looking out of the window, and taking up a book he tried to read. But
+it would not do, his thoughts were with the harvesters, and the book
+did not interest him. He laid it down with a sigh of impatience.
+
+"This sitting idly here is intolerable," he said to his wife, who was
+seated near him knitting diligently. "I detest laziness. Everybody is
+busy in the fields, and I sit here doing nothing. I cannot bear it any
+longer, Emma, I must go out, and besides there is no use in taking care
+of myself any longer, I have not coughed once for two hours."
+
+Frau von Osternau dropped her knitting in her lap and looked at her
+husband with a smile. She was not beautiful, but her smile was
+wonderfully lovely and lent a charm to her face, revealing such simple
+kindness of heart that one forgot, in looking at it, its irregularity
+of feature, and in spite of her forty years she was still youthfully
+attractive. Her smile was really irresistible: it was sure to overcome
+any rebellion against her wishes upon her husband's part; when he would
+have obstinately resisted any severity of manner, he was powerless
+against his wife's smile.
+
+"Dear Fritz, you forget your wretched night," she said, gently. "You
+coughed so terribly that neither of us slept an hour, and now you want
+to go out into the hot sun with the harvesters. For my sake, dear, stay
+quietly in your arm-chair. It will soon be noon, and the men will be
+back in the court-yard."
+
+Herr von Osternau muttered some unintelligible words, but resigned
+himself to his fate with a sigh, and made another fruitless attempt to
+read.
+
+"Emma," he said, after a pause, "do you know that to-day is the 6th of
+July?"
+
+"I believe it is; but what makes you think of it?"
+
+"You know we expected the tutor on the 6th."
+
+"Then he will surely be here in the course of the day."
+
+"I wish he would fail to keep his appointment. It would be a good
+reason for getting rid of him. I confess I cannot reconcile myself to
+your idea of having a tutor. We should have been wiser to engage a
+governess for Fritzchen. A cultivated, well-born young woman is a
+pleasant addition to one's household; she could easily have taught
+Fritzchen all he need learn for a couple of years, and it would have
+been well for our romp Lieschen to acknowledge a more strict control
+than yours."
+
+"Do you imagine that Lieschen would have submitted to it? You know I
+thought at first of engaging a governess for Fritzchen, but our
+experiences with Lieschen's governesses were too terrible. I could not
+try that experiment again. If Liese drove her governess to desperation
+when she was a child of seven, it is hardly likely that she would be
+very docile as a girl of seventeen. She is too unaccustomed to control.
+No, no, it is better as it is. And I may as well tell you, Fritz,
+although I know how you will laugh at me, that when I wrote to Director
+Kramser I made it a stipulation that the young man whom he should send
+to us must be positively ugly. This I did in view of the position I
+wished him to occupy with regard to Liese, who is to take music-lessons
+of him."
+
+"Oh, Emma, Emma! what an extraordinary idea!" Herr von Osternau
+exclaimed, with a laugh.
+
+"It is impossible to be too prudent," Frau von Osternau said, gravely.
+"Lieschen has an antipathy to everything ugly, there could be no danger
+for her in an ugly, awkward man. Director Kramser is, as you know, an
+old friend of mine, he used to be tutor to my brother Karl----"
+
+"I remember him," her husband interrupted her. "I used to see him at
+your father's before we were married. A very unattractive, awkward
+young man, but in spite of that he has had a very successful career, I
+believe."
+
+"He certainly is rather awkward, but very good-humoured, and as honest
+and good a man as ever lived. I have great confidence in him. I told
+him so in my letter, and frankly confessed to him the reason why I
+wanted an ugly tutor. I did not wish that there should be any danger
+for Liese in taking music-lessons of him, and I am quite sure that
+Kramser will have had a regard for my wishes in this respect."
+
+"No doubt of it, so far as ugliness is concerned," her husband
+rejoined, with a laugh. "Speak of an angel, and you hear the rustle of
+his wings; there comes the tutor. Come to the window, Emma; there, I am
+certain, comes your _protege_ across the court-yard. Heavens! what a
+scarecrow!"
+
+Frau von Osternau hastened to her husband's side and looked out of the
+open window. His exclamation had made her curious; she too had a slight
+shock, and could not but admit that 'scarecrow' was not too strong an
+expression, when she saw the young man who had entered the court-yard
+by the gate between the barns, and was now leisurely coming towards the
+castle across the deserted quadrangle. He was still too far off to
+allow of her distinguishing his features, but his figure was certainly
+suggestive of a scarecrow. With his clothes hanging loosely upon
+his long limbs and the tails of his black coat dangling against his
+legs, the man looked like a caricature. His tall, rusty hat, as
+well as his coat, seemed the relic of a bygone age. With a shabby old
+travelling-bag hung over his shoulder on the end of a stick, he
+sauntered slowly along, casting curious glances about him. Herr von
+Osternau continued to stare at the strange figure as it gradually
+approached the castle. "Most certainly your friend has obeyed your
+directions with regard to the ugliness, Emma. And we are to have this
+scarecrow living beneath our roof and eating at our table? Why my food
+will choke me with that thing before my eyes!"
+
+"He really does look almost too ugly," his wife replied, rather meekly;
+she began to feel that she had laid too much stress Upon ugliness in
+her letter to the Herr Director.
+
+As the man came nearer, and her keen eye could distinguish his
+features, she thought they did not quite correspond to the impression
+made upon her by his figure. He could hardly be called very handsome.
+The nose was too large, the mouth, shaded by a large moustache, not
+sufficiently well formed, and the face was too pale to be pronounced
+very handsome; but surely the large, dark eyes might be so considered,
+as they looked observantly about the court-yard; and when, upon
+advancing sufficiently near the castle to perceive Herr and Frau von
+Osternau at the window, the man lifted his hat courteously, his manner
+of doing so was such a contradiction of his appearance that Frau von
+Osternau hardly knew what to think. The head from which the hat was
+lifted seemed by no means repulsive, the dark, expressive eyes lent it
+a certain interest.
+
+Herr von Osternau's impressions with regard to the stranger were
+identical with his wife's. "A very odd person," he observed, as the
+man disappeared beneath the window. "I am really curious to see him."
+His wife said nothing, but looked eagerly towards the door of the
+sitting-room. She had not long to wait. In a moment Hildebrandt, Herr
+von Osternau's old personal attendant, appeared, to announce that a
+very odd-looking stranger had arrived with a travelling-bag; his name
+he said was Gottlieb Pigglewitch, and he asserted that he was the Herr
+Tutor whom madame expected.
+
+Old Hildebrandt looked grave when his mistress desired him to show in
+the Herr Tutor immediately, and he ventured to observe that the man did
+not look like a respectable tutor, but like some tramp who had stolen
+his ill-fitting clothes; nevertheless he obeyed his mistress's
+reiterated order, and ushered Herr Gottlieb Pigglewitch into the
+sitting-room.
+
+When the tutor appeared on the threshold of the door, which Hildebrandt
+held open for him, Frau von Osternau could not but be struck again by
+the contrast between the young man's exterior and his air and bearing.
+He held his shabby old hat in his hand with the careless grace of a
+gentleman paying a morning call, and the bow with which he greeted the
+mistress and master of the house was respectful but easy. As he bowed,
+the large, dark eyes rested keenly for an instant upon Frau von
+Osternau, and were then turned with the same observant glance upon her
+husband.
+
+The shyness and the awkwardness which are wont to attack young men
+unused to society upon first meeting persons of rank were evidently
+unknown to Herr Gottlieb Pigglewitch. He approached Frau von Osternau,
+and bowing again slightly, said, "Madame, allow me to introduce myself
+as the Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch, whom Herr Director Kramser has
+recommended to you for a tutor. I beg to thank you for your kindness in
+consenting to postpone my entering upon the duties of the important
+post assigned me until to-day, and to assure you that I am now ready to
+fulfil them to the best of my ability. Yes, I confess that I greatly
+desire to enter upon the honest performance of them. I am eager to
+teach your little son what you would have him learn."
+
+It was an odd speech, and there was certainly no trace to be found in
+it of the formal tone always adopted upon every special occasion by the
+Herr Director Kramser in his youth. Everything about the young man was
+different from what Frau von Osternau had expected to find it. She was
+not easily embarrassed, in her gentle, kindly way she was used to be
+equal to any emergency, but, oddly enough, she hardly knew how to treat
+this tutor whom she had engaged, this young man who was henceforth to
+occupy a superior position among the dependants of her household. She
+had thought it but natural and right that she should not be at all
+disturbed by his entrance, and should calmly proceed with her knitting,
+but it was laid aside, and she felt obliged to receive him as she would
+have done a morning visitor of her own rank, as in a few courteous
+words she expressed her pleasure in seeing him and motioned him towards
+a seat.
+
+Herr von Osternau's sensations were of a similar kind. He too rose from
+his chair and left the window as the tutor entered, and when the latter
+took a chair near the sofa, in compliance with Frau von Osternau's
+invitation, her husband seated himself likewise, and felt himself
+impelled to continue the conversation his wife had begun.
+
+"I am glad to find you so punctual, Herr Pigglewitch," he said, with a
+kindly nod. "I am quite sure, from the representations of Herr Director
+Kramser, who is an old friend of my wife's, that you will inculcate
+fidelity to duty and punctuality in your teaching of my Fritz, but I
+must warn you upon one point. I prefer to undertake my son's training
+myself in all matters bearing upon religion. It is of importance to me
+that his views upon such subjects should agree with those of his
+parents."
+
+At this explanation a smile hovered about the young man's lips. He
+inclined his head courteously towards the master of the house as he
+replied, "I thank you for relieving me of your son's religious
+instruction, since it is the department in which I feel myself least
+fitted to impart knowledge."
+
+"That surprises me. I should have supposed the contrary from Herr
+Director Kramser's letter."
+
+"Herr Director Kramser is probably disposed to judge too favourably of
+my capacity and acquirements. I frankly confess that I have had doubts
+whether I am capable of instructing and educating a boy, whether I am
+not wanting in conscientiousness in undertaking an office for which I
+may have no vocation. I decided to do so in a moment of excitement.
+Perhaps I should not have done so. Still, I may be able to overcome all
+difficulties, and accomplish my desire to do well and honestly what is
+required of me. I do not know whether I possess the patience, force,
+and talent required for the task, but I will hope so. I owe it to you
+to be frank with you, Herr von Osternau, and I pray you to permit a
+trial of my capacity,--a trial to which I concede your right to put an
+immediate stop provided I do not fulfil entirely to your satisfaction
+the duties required of me."
+
+Herr and Frau von Osternau listened in increasing surprise to these
+words, which they could scarcely comprehend. They exchanged significant
+glances, and for a moment Herr von Osternau was doubtful whether it
+would not be best to dismiss Herr Gottlieb Pigglewitch at once.
+However, the young man's last sentence allayed his doubts. There could
+be no harm in making the trial of which he spoke. Therefore he replied,
+"I accept your proposal, although I confess myself surprised by your
+manner of making it. I really cannot understand how a Candidate, who
+has gone through the schools and passed his examination, should doubt
+his ability to instruct a boy of six."
+
+"I have never been a private tutor."
+
+"Indeed? You doubt then your success in imparting private instruction?
+That shows a laudable modesty. You certainly will have some
+difficulties to overcome. Fritzchen is an undisciplined little fellow.
+It will be hard to induce him to study, and as for Lieschen----"
+
+"Lieschen? I beg your pardon. I thought my duties were confined to the
+instruction of a boy."
+
+"True. But, since Herr Director Kramser wrote to my wife that you were
+very musical, we thought you might give some lessons weekly upon the
+piano to our daughter Lieschen. I am of course ready to make them an
+object of special remuneration."
+
+"Not at all. You have relieved me from instruction in religion; instead
+I will gladly give lessons in music."
+
+"You play the piano very well, as Herr Kramser informs me, and you have
+a fine voice," Frau von Osternau observed.
+
+"So it is said, I believe."
+
+"So Herr Director Kramser wrote me," the lady rejoined, in a tone
+sharper than it was her wont to use. She was aggrieved by the small
+degree of estimation shown in the young teacher's words for the Herr
+Director. "I shall be very sorry if your talent and capacity in this
+respect have been overrated by the Herr Director, for I laid special
+stress in my letter to him upon my desire that the tutor whom I engaged
+should be a good musician, not only because I wished that Lieschen
+should take lessons, but principally upon Fritzchen's account. I
+consider it of the first importance that a child should receive his
+primary instruction in music from a competent teacher."
+
+"I cannot tell whether I shall be able to satisfy your desires in this
+respect, madame. I am but a _dilettante_, and have never given lessons
+in music. Here also I must pray you to make trial of me, as I will also
+try to adjust myself to my new duties. The future must show whether I
+can succeed in pleasing you and in satisfying myself. Will you allow me
+to give you some idea now of the amount of artistic skill I possess?
+the fine instrument yonder invites the test. You can at least judge
+whether my execution and touch are satisfactory, whether my voice
+pleases you. One does not like to purchase an article without first
+examining it; why should you engage a music-teacher without first
+hearing him? He can, unfortunately, give you no instant proof of his
+ability to impart instruction, but this is the case with every kind of
+teacher. I know from sad experience how large is the number of
+musicians, whom Heaven in its wrath has allowed to teach, who bring to
+their calling only the merest superficial facility, without the
+smallest vocation for teaching."
+
+He arose as he spoke, and, without waiting for Frau von Osternau's
+permission, went towards the grand piano. It was open; Frau von
+Osternau, no mean performer herself, had been playing an hour or two
+before for her husband's entertainment, and had not closed it. Herr
+Pigglewitch looked at the notes upon the music-desk. "Beethoven," he
+said. "Is your daughter then so far advanced? It is refreshing nowadays
+to find such music open upon a piano. Young ladies whose execution is
+sufficiently brilliant to play the 'Moonlight Sonata' usually prefer to
+exhibit in what is called drawing-room music. Cultivated taste is but
+little thought of nowadays. The popular performers are those who can
+make most noise, and rattle off the greatest number of notes in a given
+time. I abhor such mere execution as I do the sentimental stuff so
+popular with the ladies of the present day."
+
+Very admirable sentiments these, but in their ease and freedom of
+expression so very different from anything that Frau von Osternau had
+expected to hear from the tutor recommended by Director Kramser, that
+she looked in wide-eyed wonder at the singular person who, turning over
+the music and talking thus, appeared to have forgotten for the moment
+the purpose for which he had gone to the piano.
+
+She believed herself exalted far above any aristocratic prejudice of
+rank; she prided herself upon the humanity and kindness of her
+treatment of inferiors, even of servants. The Inspectors of the estate
+and the various governesses she had employed had been treated almost
+like members of the family, she never had required of them the servile
+respect customary among people employed in such capacities by many
+families of rank, but the negligent ease of Gottlieb Pigglewitch's
+manner and address seemed to her scarcely permissible. She was tempted
+to recall him to a sense of his position, but while she was pondering
+upon how this could best be done, the young man had seated himself at
+the piano, his fingers were wandering over the keys, and in another
+moment Frau von Osternau had completely forgotten that she had wished
+to reprove, so intense was her enjoyment of the man's wonderful
+playing.
+
+He had taken his place at the instrument to give some proof of his
+musical ability, but no sooner did his fingers touch the keys than this
+was quite forgotten, He had not played for weeks, he had even felt a
+kind of dislike of music, to the charm of which he had so often yielded
+involuntarily. In the melancholy in which he had been plunged life
+appeared to him so shallow and wearisome that he could not spur himself
+to the exertion of extricating himself from its cheerless misery. But
+now, when the first tones of the piano responded to his touch, they
+awakened within him memories of hours in which he had lost himself and
+revelled in the world of melody and harmony, music cast its spell
+around him once more, life dawned upon him afresh, and he gave
+expression in his playing to this feeling. He improvised so wondrously
+that Frau von Osternau was profoundly touched, and her husband forgot
+to look out into the court-yard, where the men were returning from the
+fields, he forgot all else save the music, to which he listened with
+head bent and clasped hands.
+
+The last chord died away, the player dropped his hands from the keys
+upon which his gaze had rested dreamily, and turned to Frau von
+Osternau with a smile.
+
+"Pardon me, madame," he said, "I forgot myself, and have given you my
+own wild fancies. I could not resist the impulse of the moment, it is
+my misfortune that I lack self-control. But I will try to improve, and
+will make an instant beginning by praying you to suggest something you
+would like to hear, only begging you not to ask to-day for what is mere
+technique. We will postpone that to another hour."
+
+Frau von Osternau's eyes were moist as she replied,--
+
+"You must play no more at present. I would not have the pleasure you
+have just given me disturbed by a single other note. You are an artist,
+a divinely-inspired artist, Herr----" She hesitated; she could not bear
+at the moment to pronounce the ridiculous name Pigglewitch, but it had
+to be done, nevertheless, and as she uttered it the spell that had held
+her was broken. The man's name recalled her to prosaic reality; again
+she was aware of the ugly, old-fashioned coat with its long pointed
+tails that hung down behind the music-stool and reached to the ground.
+There sat before her no longer the artist who had transported her to 'a
+purer ether,' but the Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch, awaiting her
+further commands.
+
+"There is no need, Herr Pigglewitch," she continued, "that I should
+hear anything more to be sure that you are capable of giving my
+children instruction in music, the future must show whether to teach is
+your vocation in life. Let us make the trial, and discover whether you
+are fitted for the situation, and whether you can be comfortable in
+fulfilling its duties. I frankly confess to you that I have my
+misgivings. You do not at all answer to the idea I had formed of the
+tutor recommended to me by the Herr Director Kramser, but then reality
+seldom corresponds to the representations of our imagination. With your
+consent, Fritz," she added, turning to her husband, "I beg Herr
+Pigglewitch to consider himself from this time our children's teacher."
+
+"I give it with all my heart," Herr von Osternau replied, with a nod,
+offering his hand to the young man, who had left his seat and
+approached him. "There's my hand, Herr Pigglewitch, we will all put
+this matter honestly to the test. If we are unsuccessful, we can part
+friends, but I hope we shall succeed. From this moment the castle is
+your home, and I pray you to consider it such. My old Hildebrandt will
+show you to the rooms that have been prepared for you, and I will send
+Fritz to you that you may make acquaintance with your pupil. We dine at
+three, you can use the time until then in establishing yourself in your
+new quarters. At table and while coffee is being served we can perhaps
+discuss some plan of instruction. We will detain you no longer at
+present."
+
+Pigglewitch, upon whom Herr von Osternau's kindly manner made a most
+agreeable impression, thanked his employers courteously, and when old
+Hildebrandt appeared in answer to a touch upon a silver bell on the
+table beside his master, the young man followed him after a graceful
+bow to the lord and lady of the castle.
+
+Silence reigned for many minutes in the room he had left. Frau von
+Osternau had taken up her knitting, the needles clicked incessantly as
+they always did when the lady was lost in thought. Her husband was the
+first to speak. "Tell me frankly, Emma, how you like your _protege_."
+
+"I really do not know. I cannot make up my mind."
+
+"Nor can I. A very strange fellow! He attracts and repels me. I called
+him a scarecrow when I saw him coming across the court-yard, but as he
+sat playing at the piano, and his dark eyes fairly shone, I thought him
+really handsome."
+
+"So did I. What are we to think? But indeed since my good old friend
+Kramser has recommended him, we need be under no anxiety."
+
+"It is odd though. I never should have imagined that so prosaic,
+commonplace a man as Kramser would have recommended so singular a
+person. How can the young fellow have been led to adopt teaching as a
+vocation? Will he, do you think, ever tame down the spirit that
+sparkles in those eyes to the dull routine of every-day life? If he
+does, we shall have cause for gratitude to your friend Kramser for
+many an hour of enjoyment. You were right when you called him a
+divinely-gifted artist."
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IV.
+                        A CATO IN GOLDEN CURLS.
+
+
+"Beg pardon, Herr Candidate, I must request you to follow me."
+
+Old Hildebrandt bowed as he spoke these words, and proceeded to conduct
+Herr Gottlieb Pigglewitch to his apartments. In a corner of the hall
+lay the ancient travelling-bag. Pigglewitch would have picked it up to
+carry it to his room himself, but this Hildebrandt would by no means
+allow. "I will call a servant," he said, taking the bag from the young
+man's hand, and in answer to his twice-repeated call of "Johann!" a
+footman appeared, who was taken to task for his dilatoriness and
+ordered instantly to carry the Herr Candidate's portmanteau to his
+room.
+
+Johann scanned the figure of the stranger contemptuously, mentally
+comparing the threadbare coat of the latter with his own well-kept
+livery. It was really quite derogatory to his dignity to carry such a
+fellow's luggage up the stairs. "It's not my place to fetch and carry
+for _him_!" he was mentally ejaculating, when he suddenly encountered
+the glance of the stranger's eye, and what he saw there was in such
+contrast to his shabby exterior that he meekly took the bag and obeyed
+Hildebrandt's directions.
+
+The old servant led the way up the broad staircase and along a wide
+corridor, at the end of which he threw open a door with "This is your
+sitting-room, Herr Candidate."
+
+Pigglewitch was most agreeably surprised by the appearance of the
+apartment into which he was ushered,--a large, comfortably-furnished
+room, lighted by two broad windows. The low, chintz-covered sofa, with
+its large pillows, the big arm-chairs, the piano in one corner, the
+well-filled book-shelves, the study-table, all gave the place a refined
+air of comfort which gratified the young man's taste. He was especially
+pleased to find a piano here,--his dormant love of music had suddenly
+revived. Formerly his piano had been his best friend, he greeted it
+once more with joy.
+
+He went to the window, which looked out upon a charming old-fashioned
+garden filled with bloom, and an extent of close-shaven lawn.
+
+The old servant allowed the young man time to observe the prospect, and
+then remarked, "This door leads into your bedroom, Herr Candidate,
+where you will find your wardrobe and conveniences for washing, and
+where Johann has left your bag. The family dines at three o'clock
+punctually, and Herr von Osternau likes to have every one in the
+dining-hall as the clock begins to strike. It would be well if you
+would set your watch by the castle clock so as to be dressed by five
+minutes of three, when I shall with your permission show you the way to
+the dining-room. Madame likes to have every one dress for dinner; the
+Herr Lieutenant always does so, and when the Herr Inspectors are too
+busy to do so they dine in the Inspector's room and do not appear at
+table."
+
+"You wish me to dress, then?" Pigglewitch asked, with a smile.
+
+"If you please, Herr Candidate; I do not mean to presume, but you will
+like to know the custom of the household. Should you require anything
+further, you will be good enough to pull your bell three times in
+succession; the Herr Lieutenant rings twice and Herr von Osternau and
+madame once only. Johann will obey your summons immediately."
+
+He bowed and left the room, leaving its occupant gazing thoughtfully
+out of the window. He looked across the blooming flower-beds, the
+velvet lawn, the luxuriant shrubbery, his eyes sought the distant
+horizon while his thoughts took shape in a half-muttered soliloquy:
+"The first step in the new life is taken, and everything differs
+utterly from my anticipations. Where is the haughty aristocrat, the
+scornful lady, whom I hoped to inspire with horror by my appearance?
+What has become of the struggle with arrogant self-assertion to which I
+looked forward? Positively my ill luck, the tiresome good fortune which
+has been lavished upon me ever since I was a child, pursues me here
+also, my irresponsible folly has introduced me to a household where any
+man save myself would be perfectly happy. Was it worth while to don
+Pigglewitch's ridiculous attire to be pursued here too by my fate? And,
+besides, how can I answer it to my conscience to deceive these worthy,
+unsuspicious people? If they were what I imagined them, arrogant,
+brutal, looking down with contempt upon the man whose services they had
+hired, there would have been some amusement in bringing their pride low
+in a contention with them. Such a struggle would have been worth a
+couple more weeks of existence. But now? Well, why not? I have
+something very different here from the eternal monotony of a
+fashionable society life. This one may be as tiresome, but variety will
+make it endurable for a time. I am already refreshed and enlivened by
+the idea of attempting to conform myself to new conditions of
+existence. But have I a right to play with these kindly people, to
+deceive them, for the gratification of a whim of the moment? Pshaw! It
+can do no harm to assume the _role_ of a Candidate Pigglewitch for a
+few days. I have acknowledged frankly that this is but a trial, that I
+mistrusted my own qualifications for the position; what more could be
+desired? And, besides, if my _alter ego_, the real Pigglewitch, had
+come to them, would they have been any better off? They ought to thank
+me for ridding them of him. The farce is begun; it must be carried out
+until--until it grows too tiresome, and then the sham Pigglewitch can
+go the same way that the real Pigglewitch was so near going but
+lately."
+
+He paused. His thoughts were diverted from their course by the clear,
+joyous voice of a child in the garden below his windows.
+
+A handsome little fellow, with fair close curls, broke forth from the
+shrubbery on the farther side of the lawn, and a few steps behind him
+came running, still faster, a girl hardly more than a child. She tried
+to catch the boy, he slipped from her but only for a moment. She caught
+him, lifted him in her arms, kissed him, and then putting him down with
+"Now catch me, Fritzchen!" she vanished again among the bushes. It was
+a charming picture. The graceful, girlish figure had glided like a
+fairy over the lawn, seeming to the spectator rather to fly than to
+run. With all her tender grace how strong and healthy she looked!
+Pigglewitch had but one fleeting glimpse of her face, when she lifted
+the boy and kissed him. It seemed to him wonderfully lovely, but the
+next instant she had disappeared in the shrubbery, and the boy followed
+her with a shout.
+
+"Herr Fritzchen! Fraeulein! Fraeulein Lieschen!"
+
+Old Hildebrandt was standing in the gravel-path that ran through the
+garden, calling in stentorian tones.
+
+"Yes, yes!" came from the shrubbery, and immediately afterwards the
+brother and sister appeared, hand in hand, running swiftly. As they
+crossed the lawn, however, they slackened their pace, so that
+Pigglewitch could observe them at his ease. They were extremely alike,
+both handsome, but the maidenly charm of the young girl was
+indescribably attractive.
+
+"What is it? Why are you calling us, Hildebrandt?" she asked, from a
+distance. The tone of her voice delighted the ear of the listener at
+the window. It was rich, clear, and melodious.
+
+"Madame your mother sent me. The Herr Tutor has come. Fritzchen is to
+go to him in his room immediately."
+
+"The new tutor? Oh, I must see him too!" was Lieschen's reply, and hand
+in hand with her little brother she ran so swiftly towards the castle
+that her golden curls were blown backward by the wind.
+
+Pigglewitch turned from the window and looked towards the door in
+expectation of the visit. That beautiful boy was to be his charge, that
+charming fairy his pupil in music. Here was another surprise. Would
+fortune never tire of showering her favours upon him? This time,
+however, her gifts did not strike him as tiresome. If he had ever
+hesitated as to whether he should carry out his mad scheme of remaining
+as tutor in Castle Osternau, all such hesitation was now at an end.
+
+He waited but a few moments before light, tripping steps were heard in
+the corridor, then came a low, melodious laugh, and then a knock at his
+door.
+
+"Come in!"
+
+The door opened, and on the threshold there appeared, still hand in
+hand, the beautiful boy and the golden-haired fairy. The girl looked
+around the room with an air of arch curiosity, but no sooner did her
+eyes encounter Pigglewitch's figure than she burst into a laugh, which
+she vainly tried to suppress. She blushed, her efforts at self-control
+were evident, but they were of no use. One glance towards the new tutor
+was enough to provoke her merriment afresh. Thus, still laughing, she
+advanced into the room with Fritzchen, who looked in shy amazement at
+the stranger.
+
+The young lady's unbridled mirth aroused in Pigglewitch, who guessed
+its cause, a very disagreeable sensation. On the day previous, and on
+this very morning, he had contemplated his image in his hand-glass with
+much complacency, congratulating himself upon the impression his
+slouching, bedraggled figure would make upon the aristocratic inmates
+of Castle Osternau. His expectations had been fulfilled, and were being
+fulfilled at this moment, but he was not enjoying himself. The
+prolonged laughter of the young girl vexed him, and as she sank into an
+arm-chair, and seemed entirely unable to regain her composure, he bit
+his lip and gave utterance to his annoyance by observing, sharply, "May
+I inquire the cause of your amiable merriment, Fraeulein?"
+
+The question only provoked a fresh burst of laughter, after which the
+girl controlled herself for a moment sufficiently to reply, "I am so
+sorry, but indeed I cannot help it when I look at you, you do look so
+utterly ridiculous!"
+
+"Your pertinent reply bears testimony to taste in dress and to love of
+truth rather than to good breeding on your part, Fraeulein."
+
+Lieschen suddenly grew graver; she looked him fairly in the face for
+the first time. Hitherto her attention had been given to the queer
+black coat, with its long, pointed tails. She saw now that its wearer
+was offended, and she said, kindly and ruefully, "I am sorry to have
+vexed you, but indeed I could not help it. I mean no harm, but I must
+laugh when I look at you." Then, suddenly altering her tone, she went
+on, "But why should I excuse my conduct? Have you not just called my
+reply pertinent and a proof of good taste? consequently you must know
+yourself how utterly ridiculous that old-fashioned coat is, how ugly
+you look in it. If you come to Castle Osternau dressed like a
+scarecrow, you must not complain if you are laughed at. Hildebrandt
+told me how odd you looked. He prepared me, and yet I could not help
+laughing when I saw you. How can you wear such clothes? They do not
+suit your face at all, and Hildebrandt says you played the piano most
+delightfully."
+
+She looked him full in the face as she thus lectured him, and shook her
+curls with a charming air of severity.
+
+"A poor Candidate has no means wherewith to dress himself elegantly,"
+Pigglewitch replied, colouring in spite of himself at the girl's
+reproof, the truth of which he could not deny, and taking refuge in
+prevarication.
+
+"I do not believe you," Lieschen replied, adding after a short pause,
+during which she looked at him with grave reproof in her eyes, "It
+shows a want of respect for papa and mamma and for all of us. If you
+knew no better we could not help laughing at you although we should
+pity you, but your words betray your consciousness of the ridiculous
+appearance you present, and yet you come dressed thus to Castle
+Osternau. Papa always dresses for dinner, although he is an old man and
+the head of the house. And would you teach Fritzchen and me in that
+coat? Then do not ask us to be serious. Oh, I cannot help laughing when
+I look at you!"
+
+She leaned back among the cushions of the arm-chair as her laughter
+burst forth again, while little Fritz, whom awe of the new tutor had
+hitherto kept quiet, was emboldened by his sister's example, and also
+laughed aloud.
+
+The situation was by no means an agreeable one for Pigglewitch. If the
+girl's reproof had only not been so just! He cursed himself for his
+folly in exchanging clothes with the real Pigglewitch, but the deed was
+past recall, and he must bear the consequences.
+
+"You ought not to ridicule poverty, Fraeulein," he observed, merely for
+something to say.
+
+Lieschen grew grave again; she was charming when she laughed, but still
+more attractive when she spoke with her little air of serious
+disapproval:
+
+"I should be ashamed of laughing at a poor man because he could not
+dress in the fashion. I never should laugh at you for wearing a
+threadbare coat, although I cannot understand how a young man who has
+only himself to provide for should not be able to dress decently. You
+must have another suit of clothes. What is there in that old
+travelling-bag?"
+
+She pointed to the bag which Johann had put just inside the open door
+of the next room. Her question embarrassed Pigglewitch. Had he told the
+truth he must have replied, "I don't know." He could not possibly say
+this, and again he had recourse to prevarication.
+
+"Certainly nothing in the fashion," he replied. "Since, however, you
+lay such stress, Fraeulein, upon my dress at table and during study
+hours, I will take care to provide myself as soon as possible with the
+best clothes that can be found here in the country. Until I have done
+so, I will beg madame your mother to dispense with my society at meals
+and to relieve me of my duties as instructor, for I cannot allow my
+pupils to laugh at me, even although one of them be a young lady."
+
+Lieschen looked approval, she bethought herself a moment and then said,
+"I have a plan to propose, Herr Candidate. It would be a great pity
+that you should stay away from table for several days, for it will take
+the tailor fully that length of time to provide you with a new suit.
+Herr Storting will help you. He is just your size, and his clothes will
+at all events fit you better than that ugly, ridiculous coat."
+
+"Who is Herr Storting?"
+
+"Our second inspector. He is so obliging he will surely help you if I
+ask him to. He never refuses me anything, and I know he has a whole
+wardrobe full of suits. Do you consent? Indeed you must, you cannot
+reject my proposal, and in return I promise you that I will not even
+smile, either when you come to dinner or when you give me my first
+lesson on the piano. Herr Storting has just come in from the fields, I
+saw him ride into the court-yard a moment ago. I will go and ask him,
+and he will be here in five minutes and will offer to do anything for
+you. You need not say a word. Run quickly to the inspector's office,
+Fritzchen, and tell Herr Storting that I wish to speak to him
+immediately, and that I am waiting for him in the garden in the
+jessamine arbour. Adieu, Herr Candidate! We have had a little quarrel,
+but that is no matter, it can all be made up. We shall see each other
+again at dinner."
+
+She did not wait for an answer: before Pigglewitch could either accept
+or reject her proposal she had tripped away, with Fritzchen running
+before her, eager to obey her orders.
+
+"Egon, you have made an infernal fool of yourself," Pigglewitch
+muttered, when the young girl had left him. He felt really humiliated
+by the reproof uttered by those charming lips with so much girlish
+dignity. A mere child had ventured first to laugh at him, then to
+lecture him, and finally to act as it were as a kind of guardian over
+him. It was rather hard, especially as he could not but be conscious
+that Lieschen was right. Egon von Ernau, having taken upon himself
+Pigglewitch's name and social standing, must submit to be treated
+accordingly. He could withdraw from such treatment, for he was not as
+yet bound even by any promise. The idea occurred to him that he had
+best leave Castle Osternau as quickly as possible, but it was banished
+almost before it had taken shape. It would be unpardonable weakness,
+actual cowardice, he said to himself, to end the struggle for existence
+which he had hardly begun, by a flight from the scene of action. Was it
+the struggle only that interested him? Was there not an attraction in
+the image of a charming child, a fairy with golden curls, her dark-blue
+eyes now dancing with laughter, now frankly reproachful? No, he could
+not leave Castle Osternau at once, this child must learn to respect
+him, and if he stayed it must not be to afford the fairy occasion for
+mirth: he must lay aside the ugly mask which he had purchased of the
+real Pigglewitch. Perhaps the travelling-bag, as yet unopened, would
+furnish more respectable apparel than that which its owner had worn
+when travelling.
+
+Egon had felt no antipathy to exchanging clothes with Pigglewitch, but
+he was suddenly seized with disgust for everything belonging to the
+man. He had laughed when he had first looked at himself in the glass,
+but as he now caught sight of his reflection he was positively ashamed.
+"She called me a scarecrow," he muttered, "and, by Jove! she was right.
+No scarecrow could be a more ridiculous object than I am at this
+minute."
+
+He picked up the travelling-bag: it was locked and there was no key,
+there was nothing for it but to force the wretched lock with his
+pocket-knife. When it was opened, the contents proved worse than he had
+imagined. He found, to be sure, another suit of clothes rather better
+than Pigglewitch's travelling attire, but it was made after precisely
+the same fashion, and when Egon put on the coat he thought he looked
+more like a scarecrow than before. The real Pigglewitch must have
+purchased his wardrobe in some old-clothes shop, with a special view to
+a certain bygone fashion. The newer coat being less shabby than the
+other could be less easily forgiven for its antique cut.
+
+The linen which Egon discovered formed no contrast to the suit, it
+entirely disgusted him. What should he do until other clothes could be
+procured? and when could he procure these? Should he use the money in
+his pocket-book? He had determined not to touch it. It had been a chief
+part of his wild scheme to live for a while like a poor Candidate, with
+no other means than his salary as tutor. He had thought it interesting
+to try for once how life looked to a poor man, who must economize and
+contrive. Was he at the outset to be false to this scheme? No.
+Disagreeable as he might find it, he had resolved to taste, as Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch, the joys and sorrows of a poor Candidate, and he would
+carry out his intention. What would Gottlieb Pigglewitch do in his
+place? This was a question difficult to answer. He would hardly have
+been very sensitive beneath the laugh of the charming fairy. His usual
+dress had not been odious to him, and he would not probably have wished
+to exchange it for any other. In vain did Egon attempt to devise some
+way of procuring decent habiliments without having recourse to his
+pocketbook. He was pacing his room to and fro, in a very unenviable
+state of mind, when there was a knock at his door, and a fine-looking
+young man made his appearance. An involuntary smile played about his
+mouth at sight of Egon's peculiar attire, as, with a courteous
+inclination, he said, "Allow me to introduce myself to you, Herr
+Candidate. My name is Storting. Fraeulein Lieschen sends me to you. You
+know the purpose of my coming, and I need not tell you how happy I
+shall be to serve you. My wardrobe is well supplied, and I can easily
+provide for you until you can make other arrangements."
+
+The frank kindliness of the young man's offer embarrassed Egon afresh.
+He felt an eager desire to accept it, but was reluctant to place
+himself under such obligations to a stranger. Herr Storting's tall,
+well-made figure was like his own. Fraeulein Lieschen had truly guessed
+that the young inspector's coat would fit him, but---- "I really do not
+see how I can accept your exceedingly kind offer, for which I thank you
+most cordially," he said, with hesitation.
+
+"But indeed you must accept it," Storting replied, with a laugh. "It is
+Fraeulein Lieschen's wish, and, as you will acknowledge before you have
+passed many days in Castle Osternau, this is a sufficient reason with
+every one of its inmates, from Herr von Osternau to the gardener's boy,
+with the exception perhaps of the Herr Lieutenant, for turning the
+world upside down. It is Fraeulein Lieschen's wish, and to this wish you
+must bend. Pray come with me to my room. We shall soon be able to equip
+you suitably. To be honest with you, the young lady's wish is perfectly
+justifiable. You must not take my frankness amiss, I cannot help
+telling you that it would never do to appear at dinner in that coat.
+You would expose yourself to the derision of the servants, and
+compromise your position in the castle."
+
+"I understand, but----"
+
+"Do not hesitate to accept my offer. What harm can it do to wear a coat
+which I do not need myself, for a couple of days, until you have fitted
+yourself out?"
+
+"Until I have fitted myself out? But when shall I be able to do this?"
+
+"Ah! yes, I understand you. You are for the moment in some pecuniary
+embarrassment."
+
+"And supposing this to be the case?"
+
+"That can easily be arranged. We will both ask for leave of absence for
+to-morrow forenoon. Mirbach Station is only a quarter of a mile from
+the castle. We can take the first train thence to-morrow, and be in
+Breslau by eight o'clock. I will take you to my tailor there, who will
+give you credit upon my recommendation, if you will promise to make
+quarterly payments on account when you receive your salary. He has a
+large establishment of ready-made clothing, and is not too dear. For
+fifty thalers you can easily procure a summer outfit, and I shall be
+happy to be of service to you in your selection, since you are probably
+not familiar with the prevailing fashions. We will take with us to
+Breslau the suit which you have on and that other lying on the chair,
+and dispose of them to the best advantage, for really they are not
+suitable to be worn at Castle Osternau. Do you agree?"
+
+"Assuredly, and with a thousand thanks for your courtesy," Egon
+replied. He might, he thought, accept this proposal, and he quite
+enjoyed the idea of needing a sponsor to procure him a credit of fifty
+thalers, and of selling the wardrobe of the worthy Pigglewitch to an
+old-clothes dealer. Certainly there was variety here for Egon von
+Ernau.
+
+He immediately followed Herr Storting to his room, where the wardrobes
+were found almost too well stocked, as the young inspector remarked,
+for their owner's means. "But better too many clothes than too few," he
+added. "It is specially needful to be always well dressed in the
+country, where there is so much temptation to be negligent, and where
+one's authority among the peasants and labourers depends more than
+would be believed upon a certain distinction of dress. Wherefore I am
+grateful to Herr von Osternau for strictly requiring that we should
+dress for dinner. It confirms us in good habits, as you, Herr
+Candidate, will admit when you have been a few weeks here."
+
+Egon made no reply to this exordium. He merely expressed his thanks
+again, as Herr Storting selected from a wardrobe and placed at his
+disposal a plain but well-made summer suit, and it was with a positive
+sense of relief that he stripped off Pigglewitch's habiliments. As he
+did so Storting observed with surprise in his tone, "You are a riddle
+to me, Herr Candidate. Your linen is of the finest, and of the latest
+and most expensive fashion, while the remainder of your attire is so
+inconceivably forlorn. I cannot understand it. But my coat, you see,
+fits you as if it were made for you. You look a different man without
+that swallow-tailed abomination."
+
+The pleasure with which Egon now contemplated himself in the
+looking-glass was an entirely new sensation. Involuntarily he wondered
+whether Fraeulein Lieschen would again liken him to a scarecrow.
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER V.
+                          DINNER AND DESSERT.
+
+
+Herr Von Osternau had no fancy for aristocratic conventionalities. He
+lived the life of a plain country gentleman, was on the best of terms
+with his servants and peasants, and treated his inspectors quite as if
+they belonged to his family, gave them a place at his table, and
+frequently invited them to join the family circle in the evenings.
+Nevertheless he observed certain forms. When his inspectors appeared at
+dinner or at tea in the drawing-room they were expected to do so in
+simple evening dress. No orders were given to this effect, but they
+knew what Herr and Frau von Osternau desired, and conformed to their
+wishes.
+
+As the clock struck three, dinner was announced: the most exact
+punctuality was observed. The lord of the castle always betook himself
+half an hour before the time to the large dining-hall, at one end of
+which the table was set. Here he paced the long room to and fro, and it
+pleased him to have the members of his family bear him company here.
+During this half-hour before dinner he liked to talk with his children.
+He would often pace to and fro with Lieschen hanging on his right arm
+and Fritz holding his left hand. Frau von Osternau would sit by with
+her constant knitting, and at times Cousin Albrecht, the Lieutenant,
+would join the small party.
+
+After dinner coffee was served in the adjoining billiard-room, whither
+the inspectors followed the family only on holidays or when there was
+comparatively little to be done out of doors. They usually took their
+leave, to return to their duties of superintendence, so soon as Herr
+von Osternau rose from table. The only exception to this rule was the
+superintendent, Lieutenant von Osternau, who belonged to the family,
+and who was, besides, not very strict in the discharge of his duties,
+although he drew with great punctuality when quarter-day came round the
+very considerable sum which he received as salary. As he himself was
+wont to say, his office as superintendent of the entire estate did not
+require him to oversee the smaller details of its management, and he
+could therefore always find time for a game of billiards with his
+cousin and Lieschen, as well as for visits to the neighbouring estates,
+with frequent hunting expeditions. He could do this the more readily
+since Herr von Osternau himself always exercised a general supervision
+of all agricultural operations and kindly allowed his young cousin
+every possible liberty.
+
+On the day upon which the Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch arrived at the
+castle, Lieutenant Albrecht von Osternau appeared in the dining-hall
+somewhat before half-past two. The third inspector, Herr von Wangen,
+was overseeing the harvesters in the Oster meadow and had excused
+himself from appearing at table, and Herr Storting was busy with the
+reception of the first instalments of hay. Therefore the superintendent
+had seen no necessity for exerting himself in the hot sun, but had
+taken a siesta from twelve to two, and was now awaiting his cousin in
+the cool, airy dining-hall.
+
+He had not long to wait. Punctual as ever, Herr and Frau von Osternau
+entered. A minute later, Fritz rushed in, and Lieschen came to take her
+father's arm and accompany him in his daily promenade. Cousin Albrecht
+accosted her, but she slipped past him with an arch glance and the
+half-contemptuous inquiry, "Are you up again, cousin? I hope you
+enjoyed your nap."
+
+"What makes you think I have been sleeping?" Albrecht asked, crossly,
+annoyed that Lieschen should betray him. Kind and courteous as was the
+castle's lord, he could hardly be pleased to learn that his
+superintendent had spent the precious time in a nap before dinner.
+
+"Can you deny it, cousin?" Lieschen rejoined, with a laugh. "You had
+better not try that. So loud and sonorous a sound came from your room
+as I passed your door a while ago, that I stopped for a moment to
+wonder what it was. It was wonderful music. You say you are not very
+musical, but no one who has heard you snore will believe you."
+
+"What were you doing at my room door? What did you want of me?"
+
+Lieschen looked round scornfully at her cousin, who was following a few
+steps behind her father and herself. "You do not suppose, do you, that
+I was going to pay you a visit? No, Cousin Albrecht, I was on my way to
+one more worthy of such an honour, our new Candidate. Why do you look
+surprised? Oh, I understand, you do not know yet that we have a new
+inmate. You have been sleeping sweetly and snoring most musically while
+the Candidate was being installed in his rooms, which are just beyond
+yours. You cannot deny now that you have been asleep."
+
+Albrecht was at a loss for a reply, and was relieved by Herr von
+Osternau's turning to Lieschen with the inquiry, "Did you pay the
+Candidate a visit in his room?"
+
+"Of course, papa. I was frightfully curious to see him."
+
+"And how did you like him?" asked her father.
+
+"Do you know, papa, I have been thinking that over for an hour, and I
+cannot make up my mind?"
+
+"Why, you laughed at him terribly, Lieschen, and told him he looked
+like a scarecrow," little Fritz interposed.
+
+Her father and mother exchanged a glance of intelligence, and Herr von
+Osternau said, "The same comparison occurred to me as I saw him
+crossing the courtyard, so the resemblance must have been striking.
+But, Lieschen, you ought not to have used such a word to him: you are
+too old, my child, to let your tongue so run away with you. We ought
+not to say everything that we think, and, besides, it is impossible to
+judge a man by his exterior. The Candidate himself is a proof of this.
+At first sight he seems only an awkward, uncouth man, but no one can
+look into his eyes and not see intelligence sparkling there."
+
+"I saw no sparks," interposed Fritz again.
+
+"But I did," Lieschen said, thoughtfully, "and that was precisely why I
+told you just now, papa, that I could not make up my mind."
+
+Again Herr von Osternau exchanged a glance of intelligence with his
+wife. They had each used almost the same words which Lieschen had just
+uttered to express their own inability to pronounce judgment upon the
+stranger.
+
+"This sparkling-eyed Candidate must be an extraordinary man," Albrecht
+remarked. "What is his name? You have not mentioned his name, cousin."
+
+"Pigglewitch."
+
+The name produced an instant effect. Albrecht burst into a laugh, in
+which Lieschen and Fritz joined, while even Frau von Osternau could not
+suppress a smile.
+
+"Pigglewitch! A charming name! I am really curious to make his
+acquaintance."
+
+"You will stop laughing, and never bestow a thought upon either his
+ridiculous name or his odd appearance, when you see him at the piano
+and hear the wondrous charm of his music," Herr von Osternau replied to
+Albrecht's remark. "There's magic in his playing. It positively
+bewitched me. I scarcely ventured to breathe while the melody lasted,
+and when the tones had died away on the air the echo still rang on in
+my heart."
+
+"He'll not bewitch me," Albrecht declared, still laughing. "The name of
+Pigglewitch will act as a counter-charm to provoke laughter in spite of
+all the melody imaginable."
+
+Lieschen agreed with her cousin, and Fritz seemed quite of the same
+opinion, inasmuch as he repeated the name several times, and always
+with fresh merriment. Frau von Osternau had some difficulty in subduing
+the young people's mirthfulness, in which she was half tempted to join,
+strictly forbidding Fritz to offend the Herr Candidate by any show of
+amusement at his odd name. It would be best that, until he became used
+to its sound, he should address his tutor as Herr Candidate, "and
+Lieschen and Cousin Albrecht," she added, with a glance towards the
+pair, "would do well to observe the same rule." Whereupon Cousin
+Albrecht declared that he could not promise to do so, that ridiculous
+people existed in order that others might have the pleasure of chaffing
+them, and that if the Candidate's name was Pigglewitch he must expect
+to have it laughed at. Besides, there was no fear of offending the man,
+that sort of people ought to feel it an honour to be noticed at all, he
+would doubtless be flattered by their laughter.
+
+Herr von Osternau objected to this remark of his cousin's, but Albrecht
+maintained that he was right, and there ensued a sharp war of words, in
+which Albrecht showed himself a thorough conservative aristocrat,
+despising all, even the most cultivated, of the _bourgeoisie_, and
+quite unable to conceive how a Candidate could prefer any claim to be
+received in what he called society, while the elder cousin with much
+greater persistence expressed his liberal views and declared that he
+required that the Herr Lieutenant should treat their new inmate with
+the courtesy due to every man of culture, whatever might be his social
+standing.
+
+Herr von Osternau was always extremely forbearing in his treatment of
+Cousin Albrecht, for whose disappointment with regard to his
+inheritance he felt great compassion, but to-day he showed some
+irritation in the warmth of his defence of the Candidate's rights. He
+declared that he would not suffer any slight or want of courtesy to be
+shown in his house to a young man to whom he had confided the
+instruction of his children.
+
+Albrecht rejoined that he would have no rules laid down for his conduct
+towards a man who was too much his inferior to be worthy of notice; he
+could not possibly treat the Candidate as a social equal; such people
+could not but be conscious that they were merely tolerated.
+
+The dispute between the cousins threatened to become warmer still, and
+the gentle words of Frau von Osternau failed of their usual soothing
+effect, when fortunately the bell of the castle clock tolled three, and
+before it had finished the folding doors of the dining-hall were
+opened, and Herr Storting and the Candidate Pigglewitch appeared,
+followed by Johann bearing the soup-tureen.
+
+But was this really the Candidate Pigglewitch? Herr and Frau von
+Osternau could scarcely believe their eyes, so complete was the
+transformation. There was no longer a trace to be seen of the
+awkwardness of gait or carriage that had seemed a part of his antique,
+dangling habiliments. So easy and unconstrained were his movements in
+the simple summer coat with which Herr Storting had provided him that
+there was hardly anything about him by which to recognize Pigglewitch.
+His first glance as he entered the room was for Lieschen, his first bow
+of course for her mother, whom he approached with respectful courtesy,
+while he was quite conscious of the roguish sparkle in the fairy's
+eyes, by which she showed her satisfaction in the metamorphosis her
+power had effected.
+
+In consequence of the interrupted dispute the lord of the castle
+received the Candidate with extreme kindliness, offering him his hand
+as he said, "Welcome to our small circle, Herr Pigglewitch. Most of its
+members you are already acquainted with, my children have introduced
+themselves to you, and Herr Storting has become known to you as I see
+by your coming into the room together; my cousin, then, is the only
+stranger to you here. Herr Candidate Pigglewitch, Herr Lieutenant
+Albrecht von Osternau."
+
+At this formal introduction Egon was about to bow courteously, but,
+observing that the lieutenant held himself haughtily erect with the
+faintest acknowledgment of his cousin's introduction, he only slightly
+inclined his head, with a half-smile at the scowl with which Albrecht
+noted his behaviour. Not a word was exchanged between the young men,
+but each felt instinctively that they were foes.
+
+"The soup is upon the table," said Herr von Osternau, who had observed
+this little scene with some displeasure and was in a hurry to cut it
+short. "Let us be seated. Your place is here between Lieschen and
+Fritz, Herr Pigglewitch."
+
+Herr von Osternau was wont during dinner to discuss with his inspectors
+the various agricultural interests of the estate. Of course it would
+have been natural that he should apply first in such matters to his
+superintendent, Cousin Albrecht, but he knew that he should receive
+unsatisfactory replies from that quarter, and accordingly he conversed
+upon these subjects directly with Herr Storting and the third
+inspector, Herr von Wangen. As, however, the latter had excused himself
+from dining with the family to-day, being too much occupied with the
+harvesting, Herr von Osternau directed his inquiries and remarks to
+Herr Storting only.
+
+These farming disquisitions, questions as to the yield of hay to be
+expected from this or that meadow, as to the excellence of the crop,
+etc., matters of vivid interest to the landed proprietor, were utterly
+devoid of such for Egon. He knew perfectly well that hay was dried
+grass and was used for fodder for horses and cattle, but he had no idea
+of the importance of the labour which was necessary to gather in and
+duly store this precious product of the fields. He really could not
+follow the conversation which was carried on almost entirely between
+Herr von Osternau and Storting, with here and there a remark thrown in
+by Cousin Albrecht by way of asserting his dignity as superintendent,
+and he would have been very much bored had his attention not been
+entirely absorbed by his neighbour on his right.
+
+As he took his place beside her Lieschen had given him a charming
+little nod, and when her father began his agricultural talk with Herr
+Storting, she turned to Egon and said, in a low tone,--
+
+"I thank you, Herr Piggle----" She paused; "Herr Candidate," she added.
+
+"Why do you interrupt yourself, Fraeulein Lieschen?"
+
+"I promised not to laugh at you at table, and I do not wish to break my
+word. You must not take it amiss, but indeed your name is too comical,
+I should laugh if I said it, and that would mortify you."
+
+"Not in the least. I resign my ridiculous name with pleasure to your
+tender mercies. Laugh if you like, and I will join your laughter at
+'Pigglewitch.' The owner of such a name must make up his mind to have
+it laughed at, so it is his best policy to laugh too."
+
+Lieschen looked at him in surprise.
+
+"That I cannot understand," she said. "How can any one laugh at his own
+name, however ridiculous it may be? For him who bears it a name must be
+something sacred, to be revered as a memento of parents and
+grandparents who have borne it."
+
+"If you think thus, Fraeulein Lieschen, you ought not to laugh at a
+ridiculous name."
+
+"You are right, Herr Pigglewitch. I will call you by your name, and I
+promise you that not a muscle of my face shall stir as I do so."
+
+"No, no, Fraeulein Lieschen, I was not in such grave earnest. You will
+not mortify me, on the contrary it will please me if the name of
+Pigglewitch excite your merriment, and I am convinced that all the
+Pigglewitches now with God would take no offence at a smile upon such
+charming lips."
+
+"Now you are laughing at your ancestors. I do not like to have you do
+that. Some things are too sacred to be trifled with. I do not know what
+to think of you. You really pleased me just now when you reproved me,
+but your sneer at what every man should hold sacred spoils it all. I am
+afraid you are not a good man, Herr Pigglewitch."
+
+"I do not think I am, and yet I am not as bad as I might be," Egon
+replied. "I pray you, Fraeulein Lieschen, take me for what I am;
+besides, I am capable of improvement, as I have proved to you. Have I
+not sacrificed to you my beautiful coat with its charming long tails,
+and consented to appear no longer in the part of scarecrow, but as an
+ordinary human being in Herr Storting's clothes?"
+
+"I have already thanked you for that."
+
+"Quite unnecessarily. I deserve no thanks. You read me a charming
+homily, and I deserved it. I knew you were right, and the result you
+have before you. I have even arranged with Herr Storting, who has been
+extremely kind to me, to go early to-morrow to Breslau, where my
+beautiful black coat is to find its grave in the shop of some humane
+old-clothes dealer until some needy wretch effects its resurrection. I
+shall return from Breslau stripped of the borrowed plumes which at
+present adorn me, but in attire, I trust, which will allow me to appear
+before you without being considered a ridiculously ugly scarecrow."
+
+"You have not forgotten my thoughtless word," Leischen said, with a
+blush.
+
+"No, I do not mean to forget it, it was just, and made a deep
+impression upon me. You see I am capable of being instructed. Perhaps
+you may be induced to be kind enough to occupy yourself somewhat with
+my neglected education."
+
+Lieschen opened her eyes in wonder. "It would seem to be really
+necessary," she said, gravely. "I know you are laughing at me when you
+ask an inexperienced girl of seventeen and your future pupil to
+attend to your education, but indeed you might learn one thing from
+me,--frankness. Papa blamed me a little while ago for always speaking
+out my thoughts, but indeed I cannot help it, and I tell you plainly
+that I think your way odious of ridiculing everything, even yourself,
+your name, your parents and ancestors, and--me for venturing to declare
+your old clothes ugly. Your ridicule wounds and offends me. We shall
+never be good friends if you talk so to me."
+
+The girl's sharp reproof surprised Egon so much that he was at a loss
+for a reply. He was used in society to meet with the greatest
+complaisance from any young lady upon whom he bestowed attention. It is
+true he understood the reason for this, he knew why the belles of the
+capital lent so ready an ear to him, manifesting the greatest interest
+in everything that he said, and from this knowledge he had acquired the
+habit--now become to him second nature--of treating them with an easy
+air of superiority. He was consequently greatly surprised to find a
+girl scarcely more than a child administering to him for the second
+time to-day a rebuke which he could not but be conscious was well
+merited. He was really in some embarrassment as to how he should reply
+to her, when he was fortunately relieved of the necessity for doing so.
+
+The discussion of the important agricultural matters which had claimed
+Herr von Osternau's entire attention, and had been listened to with
+such interest by his wife that she had paid no heed to the conversation
+between the Candidate and her daughter, came to an end after Herr von
+Osternau had arranged operations for the next day, and he now turned to
+Egon, saying, kindly, "You must have been somewhat bored, Herr
+Pigglewitch: you can hardly take any great interest in agricultural
+pursuits, but if you are to live at Castle Osternau I trust you will
+find some in what concerns us here so nearly. It will come, I think,
+on a closer acquaintance with the subject. The management of an
+extensive landed estate, the pursuit of agriculture, always seems to
+one town-bred as an inferior, unintellectual occupation. To him the
+ordinary peasant is stupidity personified,--a man who follows his
+plough like some soulless machine,--and the landed proprietor is but
+slightly the superior of his peasants. Among our titled official
+circles, if a son is too dull for diplomacy they make a soldier of him,
+and if there are fears as to his passing his examination as an officer
+he is thought at all events clever enough for agriculture. They buy him
+an estate, and should he find a clever, well-taught superintendent, the
+machinery of his farms works well, and the opinion that the dullest
+fellow is not too dull for an agricultural career receives
+confirmation. The poor development of our agricultural resources in
+many parts of our country is owing to this wretched prejudice. The
+larger number of landed proprietors have no idea of the significance of
+their vocation, they farm after the fashions which have been handed
+down to them through long generations, without a thought of the study
+which should be devoted to the agriculture of to-day. For the
+enlightened management of a large farming interest a constant and keen
+observation of nature's methods is required, and an understanding that
+must be well directed by a cultivated intellect. It is so easy to tread
+the well-worn paths that our forefathers have trod, and in doing so one
+wins approval as a practical farmer from those who are always ready to
+point out the mistakes of others whom they regard as given over to
+theories, never suspecting how study might enable them to treble the
+produce of their fields and meadows. The intelligent farmer makes
+science his servant, by whom he wrings nature's secrets from her and
+turns them to the best advantage. The smallest agricultural details are
+of importance to him, for through exactitude in these the whole vast
+machinery of a large estate is kept in order, and small results will be
+reached by those who despise them. But I hardly meant, Herr
+Pigglewitch, to deliver you a lecture upon agriculture. I only wish to
+prove to you that an interest in the details of a large farming
+establishment is not so tiresome and belittling as you may have
+hitherto believed. When you have been here some time you will begin to
+perceive the complicated wheel-work of the vast machine, and will
+perhaps take some pleasure in our daily discussion of agricultural
+matters."
+
+Egon listened attentively to this long explanation, and as he did so a
+new sphere of ideas lay revealed before him. He himself possessed an
+extensive estate in Western Prussia, Plagnitz, which he had inherited
+from his mother, but he had never concerned himself in the slightest
+degree with its management; indeed, he had never visited it but once,
+when, after a stay of somewhat less than a week, he had left it with
+the determination never to see it again, so flat, stale, and
+unprofitable did life seem to him in a country where the scenery was
+not particularly fine, in an old manor-house that might have been a
+mediaeval castle. His administrator, who bore the reputation of a good,
+practical agriculturist, was interested in nothing save rye and wheat,
+cows and sheep. Upon no other subject could a word be exchanged either
+with him or with his wife, who was an admirable housekeeper. He had
+conducted his young master through stalls and stables, and would, if
+allowed, have told him the history and pedigree of every horse and ox.
+He knew just how much milk every cow gave daily, and the number of
+calves born on the estate in a year, all which details he was desirous
+of giving to his master. The sheep were passed in review before their
+lord, and the administrator grew enthusiastic over the merits of
+Negrettis and Merinos. Egon hardly understood a word of his
+explanation, and was simply bored. Then horses were brought, and the
+two men rode over the entire estate. Egon was called upon to admire the
+crops, when he really did not know the difference between wheat, oats,
+and rye. Everything that the administrator admired tired his master.
+Egon was delighted to leave Plagnitz at the end of four days; he made
+up his mind that nothing was more stupid or conducive to intellectual
+torpor than the pursuit of agriculture. Since this visit he had not
+even read his administrator's letters; he gave them to some one of his
+father's clerks to answer, and drew from his father's bank the income
+from the estate, heedless whether it was as large as it ought to be or
+not. Such details were too insignificant to occupy his attention. He
+had more money than he knew how to spend. He really had not thought of
+his West Prussian estate for a long time, when it suddenly occurred to
+him during Herr von Osternau's discourse. With the remembrance of it
+came, however, the memory of the intolerable tedium of his visit there.
+Could it have been his own ignorance that made the management of his
+estate so utterly devoid of interest for him? Was his administrator one
+of the practical farmers spoken of by Herr von Osternau? Was it
+possible to introduce more enlightened methods at Plagnitz,--methods
+with a scientific basis, which might make of it a model for the
+cultivation of the surrounding estates? He would consider this when he
+returned to Berlin. But should he ever return to Berlin? Had he then
+quite relinquished the purpose for which he had left the capital? His
+present existence was to have been only a short episode before the
+close of a useless career, and here he was thinking of the future and
+of something to be done after a while. It was folly. He must live in
+the present, there was no future for him.
+
+For a moment he lost himself in memory and reflection. He was recalled
+to the present by a sneering remark of the Lieutenant's: "You are
+preaching to deaf ears, my dear cousin. Herr Pigglewitch does not find
+your admonitions worth listening to."
+
+"You are mistaken, Herr Lieutenant," Egon rejoined, hastily, "I have
+not only been listening attentively, but have been drawing conclusions
+from what Herr von Osternau has been saying which may prove of
+advantage to me, and for which I thank him. I frankly confess that I
+have hitherto had no idea that the cultivation of the soil required any
+amount of intellectual capacity, and I cannot tell whether I shall ever
+feel any real interest in agriculture. At present I am so absolutely
+ignorant upon the subject that the meaning of various words and
+phrases that fell upon my ear during your discussion, as, for instance,
+four-course rotation, naked fallow, extirpator, is unknown to me."
+
+Herr von Osternau laughed at the young man's frank confession of
+ignorance, at which Frau von Osternau was much surprised.
+
+"You amaze me, Herr Pigglewitch," she said. "Director Kramser wrote me
+that you were the son of a country clergyman and had been brought up in
+the country."
+
+"Again I have made a blunder," thought Egon. "Impudence, befriend me!"
+and, without seeming at all confused, he turned to the lady of the
+house. "I confess, to my shame, madame," he replied, "that as a boy I
+had a great dislike for every sort of occupation not connected with my
+books. And then the small farm attached to a country parsonage is a
+very insignificant affair. I took no kind of interest in it then, nor
+did my tastes change with years. A teacher who is not content with
+inferiority in his training has very little time for any occupation
+save what is connected with his future vocation."
+
+"Ah! with such incessant study you must have become wonderfully
+learned," the Lieutenant observed.
+
+Egon took no notice of the remark: he was only too glad that he had
+been able to satisfy the mistress of the house without telling a direct
+falsehood. He saw that he had come off conqueror when Frau von Osternau
+gave him a kindly nod and said, "You have turned your time to good
+account, Herr Pigglewitch, your wonderful music to-day was proof of
+that. I can understand how long and how diligent has been the practice
+which has given you so brilliant an execution. The expression, the
+feeling in your playing cannot be taught or learned, it is a God-given
+inspiration possessed by comparatively few of us. I shall be too happy
+if you are able to call forth only a hint of it in my children."
+
+"Herr Pigglewitch is then an artist as well as a scholar," the
+Lieutenant observed. "Really, I begin to stand in awe of him, and to
+consider Fritz most fortunate in having such a light to illumine the
+path of wisdom for him. 'Tis a pity that for the present Fritz must
+confine himself to the A B C of learning, or Herr Pigglewitch could
+regale him with chemistry, physics, mathematics, Latin, Greek, French,
+English,--in short, with everything worth knowing."
+
+"Add Italian, and your list of the subjects upon which I ought to be
+competent to teach will be complete," Egon rejoined, quietly, as if
+unconscious of any irony in the Lieutenant's words.
+
+"What! you understand five languages besides your own?" Herr von
+Osternau asked in amazement that a Candidate should be thus
+accomplished. "I thought that modern languages were rather neglected in
+our first-class schools."
+
+"I did not learn them at school," Egon said, smiling. "I was always
+ambitious to learn something more than was prescribed by the school
+curriculum, and I have a natural gift for languages. I like to read
+great poets in the original, translations are apt to be but weak
+transcriptions, therefore I studied English to read Shakespeare, and
+Italian for the sake of Dante. Every educated man understands French of
+course, and Greek and Latin form part of the usual classical
+education."
+
+Frau von Osternau was indeed surprised. Were these quietly-uttered
+words true, or was Herr Pigglewitch boasting of accomplishments which
+he did not possess, in the belief that no one at Castle Osternau could
+put his knowledge to the test? If this last were the case he was
+mistaken. True, she herself had no knowledge of Greek, Latin, or
+Italian, but she spoke both French and English quite well. She
+addressed him in English, expressing her pleasure at his proficiency in
+languages; he answered her in the same tongue with an accent and with
+fluency superior to her own. French he spoke with equal purity and
+facility. She could not, after a short conversation in both tongues,
+forbear an expression of her admiration of his ability, and was a
+little embarrassed when he rejoined, in German, "I have then been
+undergoing a slight examination. Perhaps Lieutenant von Osternau will
+have the kindness to continue it, and to test my qualifications in
+Latin and Greek, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. I gladly place
+myself at his disposal."
+
+"I have never had anything to do with school examinations, and feel no
+desire to begin to-day," the Lieutenant replied, giving the
+insufferable Pigglewitch a look that was meant to be crushing, but
+which was only furious.
+
+"You are right there, Cousin Albrecht," Lieschen interposed; "you would
+come to grief if you attempted the part of an examiner."
+
+The Lieutenant had no chance to reply to his young cousin, for Herr von
+Osternau rose from table and every one followed his example.
+
+On week-days the inspectors always took their leave, returning to their
+duties, but to-day Herr Storting lingered and asked for leave of
+absence for the next morning. Herr von Osternau seemed surprised. "Is
+your business in Breslau so very pressing?" he asked. "You know every
+hour is precious during the harvesting."
+
+"Yes, papa, Herr Storting has very urgent business in Breslau,"
+Lieschen replied in the young man's stead. "He and Herr Pigglewitch
+must both pay a visit there to-morrow morning. Please, papa, do not ask
+why now, I will tell you by and by."
+
+"And why not now?"
+
+"Because Cousin Albrecht stands there pricking his ears most curiously,
+and the matter is no affair of his. I am sure, papa dear, you will
+allow Herr Storting and the Herr Candidate to go to-morrow without
+asking any questions. They will both be back by noon."
+
+"Of course we must all do as you please, you witch," her father
+replied, stroking back the golden curls from his darling's forehead. "I
+will ask no questions. Certainly they should both have gone without
+your interference. I am sure Herr Storting has good reasons for wishing
+to spend any time away from Osternau during the hay-harvest."
+
+Storting looked a little confused. "Indeed you are most kind, Herr
+von Osternau. I was perhaps in a trifle too much haste, I might
+postpone----"
+
+"Do not believe him, papa, he cannot possibly postpone, and I'll tell
+you in your ear why,--you will allow me, Herr Pigglewitch?"
+
+"No, Fraeulein Lieschen, I beg you, on the contrary, to withdraw your
+request," Egon replied. "I cannot suffer Herr Storting to leave his
+duty here to do me a favour. The matter in question is a favour to me,
+Herr von Osternau, and I really cannot see why it should be kept
+secret. I could not appear at dinner in the only clothes which I
+possessed. Herr Storting therefore very kindly lent me one of his own
+suits, and offered to go with me to-morrow to Breslau and help me in
+the choice of attire suitable for a residence in Castle Osternau. This
+is the entire mystery."
+
+"A ridiculous trifle!" exclaimed the Lieutenant. "And Herr Storting was
+to go to Breslau during harvest for this? An extraordinary idea!"
+
+"Which never occurred to me," replied Egon. "Herr Storting offered to
+accompany me, and I accepted his proposal, not imagining that his short
+absence could be any disadvantage in the farming operations, which are
+carried on under the distinguished auspices of Herr Lieutenant von
+Osternau. Since, however, I am now better informed, I beg to decline
+his kind offer, and will, with Herr von Osternau's permission, go to
+Breslau alone."
+
+"For Heaven's sake, do not let him, papa!" Lieschen whispered to her
+father. "Think of that black coat! No, you must not go alone, Herr
+Storting must go with you and advise you."
+
+Herr von Osternau laughed at his daughter's zeal, nevertheless the
+remembrance of the black coat outweighed any objection he might have
+had to dispensing with Storting's services. The Herr Candidate might be
+a very accomplished and cultivated man, but he certainly had no idea of
+how to dress himself. Storting must look after him in this respect. He
+did not indeed give this as a reason for his ready acquiescence in his
+daughter's wishes, but cut short a remonstrance on the part of the
+Lieutenant by declaring that the matter was settled, Herr Storting and
+Herr Pigglewitch would start on the morrow for Breslau, and if they
+found their business required more time than was anticipated, they need
+be in no hurry to return, but could spend the entire day there. When
+the Lieutenant here ventured to remark that Herr von Wangen would find
+it difficult to superintend the harvesters alone, his cousin replied,
+with some asperity, "Then perhaps you, Cousin Albrecht, will have the
+kindness to take Herr Storting's place, since he is certainly going to
+Breslau. And now no more of this. We will take our coffee in the
+billiard-room. Do you play billiards, Herr Pigglewitch? Yes? So much
+the better, you can take part in our game. There are usually but three
+of us, Cousin Albrecht, Lieschen, and myself. Four players make the
+game much more entertaining. We usually spend an hour every day in
+billiards. When I am kept within-doors, as to-day, it is my only
+exercise. You must prepare yourself for a hard contest, Herr
+Pigglewitch, for Albrecht is a master of the game. Fortunately, we play
+for glory only, and Lieschen and I are always forced to yield this to
+the Lieutenant."
+
+"Herr Pigglewitch will probably dispute this glory with me: he is, no
+doubt, also a master of the game," rejoined the Lieutenant.
+
+Albrecht certainly was an extremely good billiard-player, he had had an
+admirable opportunity to become so during the hours spent at his
+military club, and he was inclined to resent the idea that he should
+find an actual antagonist in a man who could not possibly be a
+proficient in a game requiring for its mastery both time and money.
+Chance gave him precedence of Egon in the present game, and he made
+sure of soon establishing the Candidate's insignificance and his own
+supremacy as a player. But he was much mistaken; he could not but see
+very shortly that he had found his master. At Egon's first successful
+stroke Albrecht muttered something about "luck" and "beginners," but
+when the course of the game did but further reveal the Candidate's
+skill and brilliant play, the Lieutenant grew furious. He tried to
+preserve an appearance of equanimity, but when the game was at an end
+he refused to take part in another, declaring that he must ride out to
+the harvest-field. It did not improve his temper, when his cousin
+repeated his request to him to stay for one more round, for Lieschen to
+say, with a laugh, "Do not tease him, papa dear. How can you ask him to
+play on after his discomfiture? He must calm himself down with a
+ride,--
+
+
+          "'He scarcely breathes within these walls,
+            Forth to the meadows nature calls!'"
+
+
+"Your school-girl quotation fails of its mark," the Lieutenant said,
+crossly; "I am not at all discomfited, and it would not in the least
+affect me if this gentleman, who appears to have used his time for
+study to such good purpose, really played a better game of billiards
+than I. My calling is not that of a billiard-player, and I have never
+attempted to acquire the artistic skill which I grant is possessed by
+Herr Pigglewitch. I leave that to professional gamblers."
+
+He uttered the last words with an expression of great contempt, looking
+full at Egon, who had hitherto listened in silence, but who now turned
+with flashing eyes and addressed the Lieutenant in a voice which he
+forced to sound calm: "You have made use of a word, Herr Lieutenant,
+which I require you instantly to retract. Out of regard for the ladies
+and Herr von Osternau, I have hitherto taken no notice of your
+offensive expressions; your last remark touches my honour, and you will
+either retract it or give me satisfaction."
+
+"The fellow is insane. He presumes to take me to task and to demand
+satisfaction of me!"
+
+"Which you will give the gentleman, Cousin Albrecht," Herr von Osternau
+said, sharply, before Egon could reply to this fresh insult. "You will
+give it immediately by apologizing to him. Take care, cousin! I would
+advise you to reflect before uttering words that may be irrevocable. I
+told you an hour ago that I would not suffer the man to whom I have
+intrusted my children's instruction to be treated beneath my roof
+otherwise than as a gentleman. You have insulted Herr Pigglewitch
+without provocation; this I will not permit. I give you your choice:
+either you retract your offensive expressions, or you leave Castle
+Osternau this very day. I am not jesting, Cousin Albrecht, my word is
+immovable. You have insulted me in insulting Herr Pigglewitch. I
+require an apology not only for his sake, but for my own."
+
+Was this the easy, good-natured man who had not spoken a harsh word for
+years to the cousin whom he had received into his household? His
+figure, usually slightly bent, stood erect, his keen glance scanned
+Albrecht's features, in which surprise was evident, as he spoke in a
+manner that admitted of no contradiction.
+
+"You are very kind in thus espousing my cause, Herr von Osternau," Egon
+interposed. "I cannot think of causing any dispute between yourself and
+your relative by my presence beneath your roof. I thank you sincerely
+for your generous words, which make all the more clear to me the
+necessity for ending this contest by my departure from Castle Osternau.
+I see clearly that I am not fit for the position of tutor. I never
+should have undertaken to accept it. I shall know how to obtain
+satisfaction hereafter from Lieutenant von Osternau, and it only
+remains for me, my dear sir, to bid you a grateful farewell."
+
+"Not at all! Not a word of that!" the old man replied. "You have made a
+contract which cannot he cancelled save by the consent of both parties.
+You will, as you have promised to do, attempt the duties of my
+children's tutor. Until that attempt has been made I shall not release
+you from your promise. And as you have just heard, I demand an apology,
+not only for you but for myself. This Cousin Albrecht will make, and
+immediately, or leave Castle Osternau forever. Forever, Albrecht!
+Reflect what you are doing!"
+
+The Lieutenant could not meet his cousin's flashing eyes, before which
+he cast down his own. The fire of his anger had quickly died out, but
+from his very soul he hated this insolent plebeian Candidate who had
+thus humiliated him. And he must apologize to him,--he must, he could
+not refuse to do so. He knew how stern was his cousin's resolve when
+once made known, how implacable his resentment when once it had found a
+lodgement in his kindly nature. There was no choice left him. What was
+he to do if his generous relative refused to shelter him? He thought of
+the future with horror. He had lost at play during his occasional
+visits to Berlin the entire large sum of this year's salary received
+for his unimportant services at Osternau, and had contracted debts for
+which he was continually dunned, although his creditors knew that they
+would be paid, as had so frequently been the case before, by his
+magnanimous cousin. How should he satisfy them if he were banished from
+Castle Osternau?
+
+"Well, Cousin Albrecht, I await your decision."
+
+The Lieutenant bit his lip; he could no longer hesitate; he must submit
+to the humiliation, but he registered a mental vow that he would avenge
+it upon the man who had been the cause of it. His task now was to make
+this humiliation as little apparent as possible: so, although the blood
+tingled in his veins, he forced himself to appear calm, as he replied
+to his cousin, "There really was no need of harsh words from you,
+Cousin Fritz, to induce me to recall a thoughtless expression, which I
+regretted as soon as I perceived that it had been misunderstood. I had
+no idea of styling Herr Pigglewitch a professional gambler, and I
+should have told him this, and asked to be excused for my misunderstood
+expression, had he not demanded with such an air of menace the
+satisfaction which the difference in our rank makes it impossible that
+I should give him. This declaration, to which I add that I had no
+intention to offend, and that I gladly retract any expression that
+could be considered insulting, will, I hope, entirely accord with your
+wishes."
+
+"Entirely, and I think Herr Pigglewitch too will be quite satisfied,"
+said Herr von Osternau, kindly, offering Albrecht his hand.
+
+Egon bowed. He was not satisfied, but the Candidate Pigglewitch was
+forced to be so since Herr von Osternau was. Egon von Ernau would have
+rejected the apology and demanded again the satisfaction that had been
+denied him, finding in the reference to a difference of rank a fresh
+insult, but in the Candidate Pigglewitch such conduct would be
+unjustifiable, he must submit to seem content. He was even forced to
+admit that his adversary had gone farther to conciliate him than was
+absolutely necessary when, upon leaving the room to ride out to the
+harvest-fields, the haughty Lieutenant von Osternau offered him his
+hand in token of amity.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VI.
+                           SOLIMAN'S TRICKS.
+
+
+It is no easy matter to be a tutor! This was the sum of Egon von
+Ernau's reflections as he sat at the study-table in his sitting-room an
+hour after the late scene with the Lieutenant, awaiting his little
+pupil. When Albrecht left the billiard-room, Herr and Frau von Osternau
+had a conversation with their new tutor concerning the course they
+wished him to pursue with their son. Frau von Osternau was desirous
+that the child should not be kept too long at his books. She thought
+that with two hours of daily instruction he could soon learn to read,
+write, and cipher, which was all that need be thought of at present.
+If, in addition, Herr Pigglewitch would give him a music-lesson
+every day, Fritz would be sufficiently occupied, at least for the
+first few months. Any excess of application was sure to be a physical
+disadvantage to the child, and his physical health and strength were
+the first considerations.
+
+These views certainly differed widely from any that Egon had found in
+the teachers who had conducted his own education; nevertheless they
+seemed reasonable, and he undertook, by Frau von Osternau's desire, to
+give Fritz his first hour of instruction on the same afternoon.
+
+For the first hour, which was to begin at five o'clock, he was now
+preparing himself. It had suddenly occurred to him upon his return to
+his room that he really had no conception of how to teach a boy to read
+and write. He had but the faintest remembrance of how he had been
+taught himself, and there was besides a dim idea in his mind of having
+heard somewhere that the old methods were no longer in use, that
+children were not taught first to read and then to write, but that
+there was a way by which both arts could be acquired at the same time,
+and with surprising rapidity. What could it be?
+
+He opened one of the various books for the instruction of the young
+with which his table had been provided by the careful mother of his
+pupil, and tried to imagine himself a perfectly ignorant child,--a very
+difficult task.
+
+It is no easy matter, after all, to be a tutor! How had Egon looked
+down hitherto upon this calling, and here he sat racking his brains
+over the problem of how to teach a child his A B C! Half an hour passed
+like a moment, when a timid knock was heard at the door, and Fritz
+entered shyly. Positively Egon felt his heart beat quicker. Never, even
+when about to pass the most difficult examination, had he felt such
+trepidation, such a sense of the utter inadequacy of his knowledge as
+at this moment. He could not but smile at his cowardice, he could not
+understand himself. How had he come to take thus seriously the wild
+jest that had been prompted by the whim of the moment?
+
+'Some things are too sacred to be trifled with!' A charming child had
+said these words to him a few hours before, and they had sunk into his
+heart. He had intended to play a madcap prank, but the jest had come to
+be earnest. He was really undertaking the duty of a teacher, and this
+duty took grand and sacred proportions in his eyes as he looked at the
+handsome boy gazing with a smile, but with some shyness, into his face.
+
+In fact, the teacher was more embarrassed than the pupil, but he
+collected himself, and drew the little fellow towards him, stroked his
+curls, and said, kindly,--
+
+"Well, Fritz, are you going to please mamma, and study like a good
+lad?"
+
+"Yes, I have promised mamma, and I promised Lieschen that I will not
+laugh when I call you Herr Pigglewitch."
+
+"That's right, my boy. Well, here is a primer, and I see you have
+brought a slate and pencil. We'll begin at once."
+
+And the first hour of Egon's tutorship began. It went better and easier
+than he had imagined. He contrived to interest his little pupil upon
+the spot, and the boy's cleverness and capacity interested him in turn.
+Egon could hardly believe that an hour had really passed when, upon the
+last stroke of six, Lieschen made her appearance as her mother's
+ambassador to carry off Fritz.
+
+"We are to go to the meadows by the Oster," Lieschen said, to appease
+her brother's discontent at being forced to leave his new and
+delightful occupation. "It will be so pleasant there; even all the
+maids are busy raking the hay. Can anything be more charming than
+harvest in such glorious weather? If you will come with us, Herr
+Pigglewitch, I can perhaps fulfil the wish you expressed to-day in
+derision, and do something in aid of your neglected education. You may
+be very learned, and speak Greek and Latin, as well as English and
+French, but every peasant-lad here in the country will laugh at you if
+you know nothing of the simplest farming work; there an ignorant
+country-girl like myself can instruct you."
+
+"You will find me an attentive and grateful pupil, Fraeulein Lieschen."
+
+"Then come with us in our walk, that I may enter immediately upon my
+new office."
+
+"Are we going to walk?" Fritz asked. "No, Lieschen, let us ride. We
+have had no ride to-day. You would rather ride, Herr Pigglewitch, would
+you not?"
+
+"I like to ride, but since I have no horse----"
+
+"Do you know how to ride?" Lieschen interrupted him. "Is riding taught
+at the schools? Oh, if you like to ride you can easily have a horse;
+but no, now I think of it, I must not offer you papa's riding-horse, he
+does not like to have Cousin Albrecht or the inspectors ride it, and
+Herr Storting and Herr von Wangen are both using their horses to-day.
+There is Cousin Albrecht's second horse, but I don't know whether he
+would allow----"
+
+"And even if he would I should not take advantage of his permission."
+
+"But Soliman is in his stall," Fritz interposed.
+
+"We must not offer Herr Pigglewitch Soliman, he is too wild and
+uncontrollable. No one can ride him except Cousin Albrecht, and he has,
+as you know, Fritz, been thrown twice."
+
+"I do not think Soliman would throw me," Egon said.
+
+"Oh, you do not know how tricky he is," was Lieschen's grave reply.
+"Even Cousin Albrecht, who is a very skilful horseman, has as much as
+he can do to control Soliman; he advised papa to sell the beautiful
+creature at any price, for he never can be cured of his tricks."
+
+"You make me really anxious to try my fortune with Soliman. There is no
+pleasure in riding a quiet horse. The pleasure in riding comes from the
+necessity of straining every muscle and exercising all one's will to
+keep one's horse well in hand."
+
+"But indeed Soliman is too dangerous, I cannot have him saddled for
+you," said Lieschen.
+
+"If there were any real danger it would but make the temptation to ride
+him greater. Surely one ought eagerly to seek occasion for investing
+our commonplace existence with interest by means of physical and mental
+exertion. One might perhaps find life attractive if one had to struggle
+for it, it would then cease to be such an intolerable bore."
+
+"I do not understand you, Herr Pigglewitch," Lieschen replied, staring
+at Egon in wide-eyed wonder. "What wicked nonsense are you talking? I
+cannot comprehend your meaning perfectly, but I can see that you are
+wrong in speaking thus before Fritz."
+
+Here was another deserved reproof! But it did not offend Egon. The
+youthful moralist, with her dark, reproachful eyes raised to his, was
+so very charming. She was a lovely fairy when she laughed, but an angel
+when she spoke so gravely.
+
+"I will try to improve, and to set a watch upon my tongue," Egon
+rejoined, humbly. "If you had not spoken of danger, Fraeulein Lieschen,
+I should not have exposed myself to your censure. There is really no
+danger for me in riding an unruly horse. I assure you that I can
+control him."
+
+Lieschen was hard to convince, but the certainty of power shown in
+Egon's continued persuasions to be permitted to ride Soliman had its
+effect at last. Fritz was sent to order Soliman, with his sister's mare
+and his own Shetland pony, to be brought round, and Lieschen ran off to
+put on her habit, assuring Herr Pigglewitch that she would meet him at
+the side-entrance from the court-yard in five minutes.
+
+Fritz fulfilled his commission with delight, but old Wenzel, the groom,
+shook his head dubiously when he heard that Soliman was to be saddled
+for the Herr Candidate. No good would come of it, he said; but since
+Fraeulein Lieschen had ordered it, it must be done. He was just leading
+the restless, dancing animal from his stall when the Lieutenant, on his
+return from the meadow, rode into the court-yard.
+
+"Halloo, Wenzel! what are you about?" he called out. "Are you saddling
+Soliman? Who is going to ride the brute? I hope my cousin has no idea
+of such a thing?"
+
+"No, Herr Lieutenant, the master is not well enough to ride at all
+to-day. The Herr Candidate is to ride Soliman."
+
+"What! he? Nonsense! Who ordered him saddled?"
+
+"Fraeulein Lieschen sent Master Fritz to tell me to saddle him."
+
+"Another of her crazy notions. She probably supposes that the Herr
+Candidate has six necks and will not mind breaking one. Soliman will
+throw him before he is fairly in the saddle."
+
+"So I think, Herr Lieutenant. It will never do. But I have Fraeulein
+Lieschen's orders."
+
+"You're right, old fellow, there's no gainsaying them. Go on, saddle
+Soliman for the Candidate; it will be a very interesting sight. What is
+it to me," Albrecht muttered to himself, "if the insolent scoundrel
+breaks a leg or an arm? it will teach him to know his place."
+
+He rode across the court-yard to the side-entrance, where Egon and
+Lieschen were already waiting, Lieschen looking wonderfully lovely in
+her close-fitting habit and little round hat set jauntily upon her
+golden curls.
+
+"I am glad you have come, Cousin Albrecht," she called out to the
+Lieutenant. "Herr Pigglewitch has taken it into his head to ride
+Soliman, because there is no other riding-horse in the stables except
+yours. I have allowed myself to be persuaded to have him saddled, but I
+knew I was wrong. Now you can relieve my mind, cousin, by offering Herr
+Pigglewitch your other horse."
+
+"I would do Be with pleasure," the Lieutenant replied, "were I not
+convinced that Herr Pigglewitch rides as admirably as he plays
+billiards. It would be an insult to him to dissuade him from riding
+Soliman, who is fiery, to be sure, but much better than his reputation.
+If, however, Herr Pigglewitch is afraid----"
+
+"No need to discuss my state of mind, Herr Lieutenant," Egon said,
+sharply.
+
+"Beg pardon, I meant no offence, but only to offer you my lamb-like
+riding-horse, should Soliman be too fiery for you."
+
+"Thanks, I prefer to ride Soliman."
+
+"Good luck to your preference! It will afford you pleasure. You have no
+spurs, I see; take my riding-whip. A good cut at the right moment will
+inspire Soliman with respect."
+
+"Your manner to Herr Pigglewitch is odious, cousin," Lieschen
+interposed. Her anxiety lest the Candidate should meet with an accident
+increased every minute. She reproached herself for the consent she had
+given, which could not now be withdrawn, and her fears were confirmed
+by the malice in the smile with which her cousin listened to the
+Candidate's declaration that he should ride Soliman.
+
+There was nothing to be done, however. Old Wenzel was leading up
+Soliman, keeping a sharp watch upon the spirited creature lest he
+should break loose from him.
+
+"The brute is perfectly wild to-day, he would not bear even the Herr
+Lieutenant," the old man muttered, intentionally loud enough for
+Lieschen to hear, while his glance towards her seemed to say, "If any
+accident should happen it will be all your fault."
+
+"I do most earnestly entreat you, Herr Pigglewitch," Lieschen
+exclaimed, her anxiety reaching its height, "to give up riding Soliman!
+Let us walk, I pray you. Do, for my sake!"
+
+"Against such words I am defenceless," said Egon, who had approached
+the beautiful animal and was gently stroking its back, but who now
+retired.
+
+"You're right; very wise and prudent," said the Lieutenant. "Lead
+Soliman up and down a little, Wenzel, you need not take off his saddle,
+I will ride him after a while to show Herr Pigglewitch that the horse
+is not so wicked after all. But you are quite right, Herr Pigglewitch,
+to accede to Lieschen's request. Soliman might be dangerous for a tyro
+in horsemanship. You shall take my Iduna here for your ride with
+Lieschen, she is as quiet as a lamb and will not throw you, I'll
+engage."
+
+Egon bit his lip; his eyes sparkled with irritation and the colour rose
+to his check.
+
+"Do you still persist in your request, Fraeulein Lieschen?" he said to
+the girl, in a low voice. "Do you wish me to be thus derided and
+accused of cowardice? I will keep my word if you insist upon it, but
+put yourself in my place, and I think you will not desire it."
+
+"No, I do not," Lieschen rejoined, with an angry glance at her cousin.
+"It will be your fault, Cousin Albrecht, if there is any accident, and
+I never will forgive you for it as long as I live."
+
+A smile of victorious malice was the Lieutenant's only reply, but it
+faded from his face the next moment to give place to an expression of
+sheer amazement. Without the aid of the stirrups the despised Candidate
+had swung himself into the saddle, and caught up in a firm hand the
+bridle which old Wenzel dropped. Soliman reared, but his rider kept his
+seat as quietly as if he were upon the meekest of horses, smiling down
+at Lieschen, who was pale with terror.
+
+"Have no fear, Fraeulein Lieschen," he called down to her. "Soliman will
+know in a few minutes that he has found his master."
+
+"Wait until he tries some of his tricks," the Lieutenant muttered
+between his teeth.
+
+And Soliman proceeded to do so; he was not yet conquered. He tried the
+same tricks that had twice unseated the Lieutenant and thrown him in
+the dirt,--the same tricks that had forced his former possessor to sell
+the magnificent creature for a mere song. He reared again and again,
+then, standing on his hind legs, turned round and round quickly, and
+finished by leaping and plunging wildly.
+
+Twice when this last point was reached the Lieutenant had been thrown
+over Soliman's head; the two following times he had mounted the horse,
+however, he had succeeded in keeping his seat, although gasping and
+exhausted, since when Soliman had not attempted his tricks when ridden
+by the Lieutenant. He now tried them again with his new rider, but
+without any result. Egon sat as quietly firm in the saddle as if he
+were part of the animal, holding the bridle in a hand of iron, and so
+compressing the horse's flanks with his knees that, after a few more
+unsuccessful plunges, the creature stood still, with dilated nostrils
+and foaming at the bit. His rider, however, showed no signs of physical
+exertion; he nodded with a smile to the Lieutenant, whose last muttered
+words he had heard and understood. "You are right, Herr Lieutenant," he
+said, "Soliman is rather too fiery for a tyro in horsemanship, but only
+a tyro would ever be unseated by his tricks. He will not try them
+again; he knows his master now, and will soon know him better. He
+certainly is a magnificent animal."
+
+He stroked the panting creature's neck caressingly, and then, after
+giving him a moment's rest, shortened his bridle, and with a degree of
+ease and skill which seemed to the Lieutenant little short of
+miraculous in a Candidate, put the horse through all his paces, guiding
+him in a wide circle around the court-yard. Soliman attempted no
+further rebellion, and when Egon halted at the side-entrance again he
+could confidently assure Lieschen that their ride would have no
+disturbance from Soliman's tricks.
+
+Lieschen had followed the rider's movements with genuine admiration.
+When the horse first tried his 'tricks' she grew ashy pale, but the
+next instant her anxiety vanished, there was no danger. Her cousin
+Albrecht was a bold and skilful horseman, the best she had known
+hitherto, but his glory faded when she compared him with this rider.
+How could she ever have thought that proud, graceful man ugly? How easy
+was his bearing! The control of his spirited steed seemed to cost him
+no exertion. He could smile whilst all who were watching him were
+trembling with dread.
+
+Upon his return Lieschen received him with a beaming face, Fritz
+clapped his hands and shouted, and old Wenzel grinned as he said, "He
+knows how to ride, Herr Lieutenant. He'll teach Soliman to have done
+with his capers."
+
+The Lieutenant made no reply. He looked darkly at the daring horseman,
+whom he could not but admire, but whom he hated all the more bitterly.
+He had been outdone, outdone in the very art upon which he most prided
+himself. He had exulted in being the best rider in the country, and
+here was this wretched Candidate disputing his honours with him.
+
+Lieschen invited him to join them in their ride to the Oster meadows,
+but he crossly declined to accept her invitation, and when the detested
+stranger sprang from the saddle, throwing the bridle to old Wenzel, in
+order to put Lieschen on her mare, he muttered a curse, turned his
+horse, and rode out of the court-yard in a direction opposite to that
+in which lay the Oster meadows. Lieschen, however, rode out into the
+fields between Egon and Fritz, laughing and talking, and throwing
+kisses to her father, who was standing at his window. She was gayer and
+happier than words could tell.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER VII.
+                           THE HARVEST-FIELD.
+
+
+As Egon rode by Lieschen's side along the road leading through the
+fields to the Oster meadows he was more light of heart than he could
+remember ever being before. She pointed out to him the various villages
+and farms in the neighbourhood of the castle, and his eyes, it is true,
+followed the direction of her extended riding-whip, but his attention
+was not given to the rather commonplace landscape; his interest was all
+for his charming companion. How pure and clear was the look in the
+dark-blue eyes raised so confidingly to his own! Her smile was frank
+and free, as she made no attempt to conceal her admiration of his
+courage and strength in subduing Soliman. She told him how delighted
+she was with his success, and how her heart had seemed fairly to stand
+still with terror when she saw him in such peril and by her fault.
+
+Her _naive_ frankness, her open avowal of whatever filled her mind,
+enchanted Egon. He seemed to have entered a new world. The compliments
+and admiration which he had received from other girls as to his music,
+his singing, or some other of his accomplishments had always aroused
+the suspicion in his mind that such words were for the wealthy Egon von
+Ernau, uttered to flatter his vanity, to entrap him. But as he listened
+to Lieschen's artless talk he paid homage to the sincerity of this
+girlish nature, and was refreshed and cheered even by her words of
+reproof. His sensations were a surprise to himself: he thought he was
+indifferent alike to praise and blame, but here he was positively
+exulting in the admiration of a mere child.
+
+"There are the Oster meadows!" Fritz called out from the summit of a
+low hill, which he had gained in advance of his companions.
+
+Egon sighed; they had nearly reached the goal of their ride, and he
+would gladly have ridden thus through the lovely fields for hours.
+
+"Is not the prospect from here charming?" Lieschen asked, when she with
+Egon had reached the eminence.
+
+He had to answer her, and that he might do so he looked around him,
+although he would far rather have continued to gaze into his
+companion's lovely face. As if awaking from a dream, he saw before him
+a picturesque landscape,--a green extensive valley, through which wound
+the Oster, a small river, which, making its way among low, distant
+hills, was lost in the mighty chain of the Riesengebirge.
+
+The rich meadows that bordered the Oster on either side presented an
+animated scene. On one hand the mowers were wielding their scythes, on
+another women, girls, and children were turning the hay with long
+rakes, while from some of the fields the piled hay-wagons, each drawn
+by four stout horses, were beginning their slow journey to the barns of
+Castle Osternau. All who were able to work were busy gathering in the
+plentiful hay-crop of the year, for there had been warning clouds in
+the west at sunset for two or three days, although hitherto they had
+fled before the dawn. They were massing now about the descending sun.
+The harvesters would occasionally cast an anxious glance towards the
+west, and then proceed with their labour with renewed zeal.
+
+"Is not the prospect from here charming?" Lieschen had asked, and Egon
+replied, "Most charming!" giving utterance to his sincere conviction.
+At the moment the broad, smiling valley, with the silver river winding
+through it, seemed to him inexpressibly attractive; but the words had
+scarcely left his lips before he was aware that they were at variance
+with all his previous ideas and sentiments. He had never found anything
+to admire in peaceful, smiling valleys, they had always impressed him
+as the ideal of tedious, commonplace rusticity; he had turned for
+enjoyment to the wild grandeur of rocky mountain fastnesses, to the
+splendour of glacier and torrent. The more savage the aspect of nature
+the more beautiful it had seemed to him. When he had been caught in a
+mountain storm, the crashing of the thunder among the giant peaks and
+the vivid play of the lightning had quickened his pulses. What could
+make this simple landscape at which he was gazing with Lieschen seem so
+charming in his eyes? Had he undergone a transformation in the last few
+hours? Could it be that a warm, sunny ray from heaven had pierced his
+soul and made it sensitive to the charm of a simple scene from which he
+would but yesterday have turned in weary disgust? He had a sense of
+disgrace in the consciousness that he was so hopelessly given over to
+the influence of the moment. Yes, he was ashamed of thus belying all
+his former tastes just because----yes, because a pair of sparkling,
+girlish eyes were beholding with rapture the petty, commonplace scene
+before them,--yes, it suddenly grew to be commonplace and petty, the
+charm that had transfigured it was broken, the ray that had penetrated
+his soul was extinguished.
+
+A horseman came galloping up the hill from the meadow. It was Herr
+Storting; he waved a greeting to Lieschen as he drew near, but as he
+drew up his horse beside Egon he exclaimed, in surprise, "Can it be
+possible, Herr Pigglewitch, that you are riding Soliman?"
+
+"As you see," Egon replied, curtly, his good humour all gone.
+
+"I see, but I do not understand. Why, even the Lieutenant does not
+venture to take that horse any distance from the castle, he only rides
+it in the fields just beyond the garden. Pardon my saying so, Fraeulein
+Lieschen, but you have been wrong in exposing Herr Pigglewitch to a
+danger the extent of which he cannot understand, since he does not know
+Soliman's tricks and temper."
+
+Before Lieschen could reply, Egon interposed, "Your reproof is
+administered to the wrong person, Herr Storting. I insisted on riding
+Soliman precisely because of his tricks and his temper. And now we know
+each other, Soliman and I, and he is afraid of me, not I of him. You
+need have no anxiety on my account."
+
+Egon's words by no means satisfied Storting. "You must be a capital
+rider to have kept your seat upon Soliman until now, but the danger
+will not be over until the horse is back in his stall. I beg you to
+return at once, and at all events do not attempt to ride him down into
+the meadows. The brute shies terribly, when people are about he grows
+restless, and the least sudden movement, the lifting of a rake, the
+flutter of one of the women's white kerchiefs, or the merest trifle,
+will suffice to make him mad with terror. At such times no rider can
+control him or keep his seat."
+
+But Egon only smiled. "Are you really so unruly, my poor Soliman?" he
+said, leaning forward and patting the beautiful creature's slender
+neck. "I could wish you would try your worst, that I might have the
+opportunity to convince you of a will stronger than your own."
+
+"Foolhardy words," Storting said, sternly. "Again let me beg you to
+turn back. If you ride down to the meadows you run the risk of having
+Soliman plunge with you into the Oster. Such a ride would be suicidal."
+
+"Your ugly word does not terrify me," Egon said. "I surely have a right
+over my own body, my own life. I need take counsel with none, if I
+choose to end the drama with a bullet in my heart or a wild ride. Come,
+Soliman, let us measure our strength together, and if you come off
+conqueror I shall not care; let the waters of the Oster do their
+worst."
+
+A smart stroke of his riding-whip accompanied his last words. It had a
+fearful effect upon the fiery animal, who had scarcely yet been brought
+under his rider's perfect control. Soliman put back his ears and tore
+down the hill to the Oster meadows.
+
+"My God! what madness!" Storting exclaimed, horror-struck. The colour
+faded from his sunburned cheek as he gazed after the rider, who was
+being carried directly towards the spot where the river was deepest and
+the current strongest. To the inspector the man's fate was sealed. How
+could the Candidate have dreamed of riding Soliman? It was a miracle
+that the fellow still kept his seat.
+
+He not only kept his seat, but on the very brink of the river, when
+Storting was convinced that his doom was certain, the horse was pulled
+up on his haunches, his rider had mastered him. Storting could hardly
+believe his eyes. Was that wonderful rider sitting easily and as if
+unconscious of danger upon the fiery brute, now stamping the soft
+meadow soil with impatient hoofs, but held in rein by a hand of iron,
+the same ridiculous, awkward tutor whom he, Storting, had transformed
+to the likeness of humanity with a suit of his own clothes?
+
+Lieschen too had been terrified for a moment, when Egon had driven
+Soliman wild by the stroke of his whip, but she did not share in
+Storting's forebodings; she had seen Soliman obey Egon's strength and
+skill, and she had entire confidence in them. Still there was a cloud
+upon her brow, and the gaze with which she followed the daring rider
+was scarcely one of approval. When she saw that the horse was stayed at
+the river's brink, she simply said, "Let us follow," and without
+another word rode quietly down into the meadows after Fritz, who had
+started off to overtake his admired tutor.
+
+Egon awaited their approach. The swift gallop, the struggle with the
+furious horse, which again called into play all his force and skill,
+had quickly dispelled his sudden ill humour. He called out to Storting,
+"You see, Herr Storting, there really is no danger in my riding
+Soliman. The horse is far better than his reputation. He needs only to
+be kept firmly in rein, and then he obeys every pressure of the knee.
+The magnificent creature knows me now, and I will answer for it will
+not shy or run so long as he feels my hand upon his bridle. You see
+that your reproof was quite undeserved by Fraeulein Lieschen. If the
+horse is really timid I will engage to cure him of it. Shall we not
+ride towards those people who are working so busily over there?
+Fraeulein von Osternau has promised to be my teacher, and to instruct me
+in some of the elementary principles of agriculture, and I am eager to
+prove myself a docile, intelligent pupil. Make friends with me again,
+Herr Storting, you will not remain provoked with me for answering your
+kindly warning by a furious run of a moment or two?"
+
+He held out his hand as he spoke to the inspector, who could not any
+longer maintain a show of irritation, although he was not quite
+satisfied, nor was Lieschen. Storting, however, took pains to conceal
+the remnant of his displeasure, and succeeded in doing so, but Lieschen
+made no attempt to hide the fact that she was seriously displeased with
+Herr Pigglewitch. She took her place again, it is true, beside him, but
+she answered his questions in monosyllables, and left it to Storting to
+give him any information with regard to the harvesting. His desire to
+receive the promised instruction from her was evident as they rode
+around the meadows, but when he turned to her with an inquiry she only
+replied, "Herr Storting will explain it to you." She could not be easy
+and friendly with him, for the last words he had spoken on the hill
+still resounded in her ears, and they had shocked her profoundly.
+
+Lieschen's taciturnity had its effect upon Egon's recovered gayety; he
+ceased to ask questions, and scarcely bestowed a glance upon the
+harvesters. He forced himself to listen with an appearance of interest
+to Herr Storting's explanations, out of regard for the inspector, but
+the merry songs of the girls raking the hay struck harshly on his ears,
+he was tired of it all, and he was relieved when at the end of half an
+hour Lieschen announced that it was time to return home.
+
+Herr Storting could not yet leave the harvest-field, Fritz galloped
+ahead to the castle, and thus Egon being left alone with Lieschen had
+an opportunity to ask her the cause of her sudden reserve; was she
+displeased, and why? he had not, he thought, given her cause to be so.
+
+She looked gravely up at him, and said in surprise,--
+
+"Do you not know why I am displeased? Have you no suspicion of how your
+wicked words shocked me? Yes, I am displeased. I cannot forgive you for
+sneering at what is most sacred. I told you so before today. You are
+not a good man, Herr Pigglewitch. You almost frighten me."
+
+"What have I done or said to provoke such a reproof from you?" Egon
+asked, in dismay.
+
+"You do not know? So much the worse. You do not even admit that what
+you said was wicked. Do you not remember what you said here upon the
+hill, yes, upon this very spot, just before you gave Soliman that
+stroke with your whip? You said you should not care if Soliman drowned
+you! yes, you declared that you had a right to take your own life!"
+
+"And was that what displeased you? Have I not the right to end my
+miserable existence if it becomes too heavy a burden to be borne?"
+
+"No, you have no right to do so, and it is a sin even to think of it!"
+Lieschen replied, her beautiful eyes lifted to Egon's in stern
+reproach. "Your words shocked me deeply. Is there any courage in
+putting an end by the act of an instant to an intolerable existence? It
+is cowardice, miserable cowardice, to turn and flee from the battle of
+life. I have heard pity bestowed upon those wretched men who in despair
+have taken their own lives; for my part I cannot help despising them,
+and I cannot understand how a man can find a word to say in defence of
+such cowardice."
+
+What Lieschen said was neither novel nor clever, and yet her simple
+words made a deep impression upon Egon. He had lately read a learned
+essay upon the right of self-destruction, in which every conceivable
+argument was brought forward to prove that nothing save insanity could
+excuse the act, but the sapient disquisition had only provoked a smile
+as he read, while these few simple words of the young girl's staggered
+him in the views he had hitherto held. Involuntarily the image of the
+real Pigglewitch arose in his mind, he saw the ridiculous figure
+kneeling singing upon the green bank, then suddenly start up and leap
+into the water. He saw the wretched creature standing dripping before
+him, wringing his hands and entreating to have his miserable life ended
+for him, he was afraid to do it himself. Did it really require more
+courage to endure a sad existence than to end it with a pistol-bullet?
+Was it cowardice to flee from a blank, weary world? Lieschen felt
+contempt, not compassion, for a suicide. She did not know how her words
+fitted Egon's case. He could not look into her clear eyes, he was
+forced to cast down his own.
+
+It was Egon's nature to be easily swayed by the impulse of the moment;
+thus it was with him now, as he said, after a short pause,--
+
+"You judge harshly, very harshly, but perhaps justly. You can have no
+idea of how nearly your words touch me. I promise to reflect upon what
+you have said, and now I beg you not to be angry with me any longer. I
+cannot bear to have you look so gravely and disapprovingly at me. I
+will try never to shock you again by thoughtless words which may seem
+to you like a sneer at sacred things, but I beg you to have patience
+with me. You promised to be my teacher, and a teacher ought not to be
+impatient."
+
+"Now you are making game of me again."
+
+"No, I declare to you I am not jesting. What I said half in jest to you
+at dinner I now repeat in earnest. I am conscious to-day for the first
+time that the experience of my life has made me morbid. Regard me as a
+sick man, and when some word of mine shocks you, do not be angry, but
+tell me of it frankly, without reserve. Blame me, take me to task, and
+I shall be your debtor."
+
+Lieschen looked at him rather dubiously. "I do not know what to think
+of you, Herr Pigglewitch," she replied, shaking her pretty head
+thoughtfully. "You change with every moment. When a little while ago
+you talked so wickedly and urged Soliman towards the river, I was
+afraid of you, and now you suddenly speak so sadly and gently that I
+almost have faith in you. But since you only ask that I should tell you
+what I think, without reserve, I can easily grant your request, I
+should do so whether or not, because I cannot help it."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER VIII.
+                           NEWS FROM BERLIN.
+
+
+Whilst Egon, with Lieschen and Fritz, was taking his ride to the Oster
+meadows, Herr von Osternau was pacing his room slowly to and fro.
+
+From his window he had observed old Wenzel saddling Soliman, but he had
+naturally supposed that Albrecht had ordered the horse, and it never
+entered his mind that the fiery animal had been saddled for the
+Candidate, or he would have instantly put a stop to it. He was not
+aware of the true state of the case until the moment when Egon swung
+himself lightly into the saddle, and then remonstrance was useless.
+Involuntarily he had uttered an exclamation of dismay, which called
+Frau von Osternau to his side, and together they had looked on while
+Egon reduced Soliman to submission. Their horror was speedily
+transformed to admiration as they saw how firm was the rider's seat,
+how powerless were Soliman's leaps and plunges to do him any injury.
+
+Not a word was exchanged between them until the riding-party had left
+the court-yard, when Herr von Osternau first gave utterance to his
+amazement:
+
+"This surpasses belief. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I never
+could have believed that a mere Candidate, who one would have supposed
+had never been on horseback before, could ride Soliman, and ride him in
+such a fashion! The man is a riddle. If we were not sure from your old
+friend Kramser's letter that he is a Candidate, I should think it
+impossible. He is compounded of contradictions, he is never the same
+for a moment. When I saw him coming across the courtyard this morning I
+was fairly frightened by his ugliness, I called him a scarecrow, and so
+did Lieschen when she first saw him, he looked so inconceivably
+ridiculous and uncouth, but ten minutes had not passed before I changed
+my mind. As he sat there at the piano, playing in that inspired way, he
+seemed to me a divinely-gifted artist. He cannot be a mere ordinary
+Candidate. His carriage and air are those of one used to refined
+society, and the conventional habits of such society are acquired only
+by association. Remember his manner to Albrecht in the billiard-room.
+He demanded satisfaction just as any well-bred gentleman would have
+done, and received Albrecht's apology in the same way. He speaks
+English and French with an accent so admirable that he must have had
+the best instruction in those languages. It requires capital teachers
+and years of practice to attain such proficiency as he possesses in
+music, he plays billiards so well as almost to justify Albrecht's sneer
+about the professional gambler, and, finally, he has just shown himself
+a first-class horseman. No riding-master could have put Soliman more
+finely through his paces. The man is a perfect puzzle."
+
+Herr von Osternau had begun to pace the room to and fro as he spoke. He
+paused and looked inquiringly at his wife. She nodded assent to what he
+said, and he went on: "The more I think of it the more incomprehensible
+it is to me that Kramser should have recommended to us just this sort
+of man, one who in no single particular corresponds to the description
+contained in Kramser's letter."
+
+"I am quite as much puzzled as yourself," Frau von Osternau said,
+meekly.
+
+"Go and get Kramser's letter; let us read it once more, and see if it
+can give us any explanation."
+
+Frau von Osternau brought the letter from her desk and read it aloud to
+her husband:
+
+
+"Most Respected Lady,--It has been to me an exceeding great joy that,
+after the lapse of so many years since the happy season of childhood,
+you still remember me, and honour me with the great confidence shown in
+your esteemed epistle. My heart swells with gratitude at the thought of
+having it in my power to be of service in any way to so highly honoured
+a lady.
+
+"I have bestowed the gravest reflection upon the choice among my
+numerous scholars of one possessing the qualifications which you desire
+for the tutor of your amiable son.
+
+"You ask for a young man possessing the education requisite to give
+primary instruction to a boy of six, and sufficiently proficient in
+music to be able to give lessons to your daughter of seventeen. You
+require, finally, that the young man shall be in no wise distinguished
+by beauty of person. Nay, you would on the contrary have him ungainly
+in outward appearance, that the Fraeulein your daughter may find no
+attraction in the person of her preceptor.
+
+"I sympathize fully with your maternal anxieties, and I have therefore,
+in this connection, carefully stricken from my list of pupils all those
+possessing goodly exteriors; of those who remain, all are indeed
+qualified as scholars to teach the rudiments of learning to a boy of
+six, but few, alas! are sufficiently proficient in music to give
+lessons on the piano to a lady. At last I have found one, formerly my
+favourite pupil, whom I can recommend to you, respected madam, in full
+confidence that he will prove a faithful servant to you, and a capable
+tutor for your son.
+
+"The Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch possesses in the highest degree all
+the desired qualifications. He is of an ungainly exterior, but in his
+uncouth form there dwells a soul of great piety, strong in faith in the
+Lord. There are, indeed, deficiencies in his worldly attainments, but
+he knows quite enough for the instruction of a boy of six, and his
+musical capacity far excels that of any of my other pupils. He plays
+very well upon the piano, and the Lord has bestowed upon him the gift
+of song, his voice is clear and pleasing.
+
+"Pigglewitch has been an usher in schools for three years, the last of
+which he has passed in a boys' school in Berlin, where, as I am assured
+by the principal, he has discharged his duties with diligence and zeal.
+Of all my pupils he, respected madam, is the one whom I can most
+earnestly recommend.
+
+"I have written to Gottlieb Pigglewitch; he is only too glad to accept
+the honourable position offered him, upon the terms you propose, but he
+cannot enter upon its duties before the 6th of July, since he is not
+released from his present situation until July 3d. Should this
+arrangement meet your approval, respected madam, I beg you to write me
+to that effect, and the Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch will appear at
+Castle Osternau punctually upon the 6th of July.
+
+"With grateful and respectful regard, yours to command,
+
+                                                   "Kramser."
+
+
+"Is there an imaginable contrast greater than that between your
+friend's recommendation and the reality?" asked Herr von Osternau when
+his wife had finished reading the letter. "His worldly knowledge ought
+to be deficient, but sufficient for the instruction of a child of six,
+yet he speaks French and English fluently. He ought to be awkward and
+ungainly, and nothing can be more easy and graceful than his air and
+carriage. And then his ugliness! Uncouth enough he was in that queer
+coat, but since he threw that aside he has become another being. I
+cannot understand your friend Kramser."
+
+Frau von Osternau agreed with her husband. "You are right," she said,
+thoughtfully. "Neither can I understand him. When that young fellow's
+eyes flashed to-day as he confronted Albrecht, I thought him actually
+handsome, and I could not but admire him again just now as he rode out
+of the court-yard, keeping Soliman so perfectly in rein. It makes me
+very anxious. It would be terrible to have Lieschen admire him too. He
+offered to leave Castle Osternau rather than be a cause of dissension
+in our family. Suppose you----"
+
+"Not a word more, Emma," her husband interrupted her. "After his
+dispute with Albrecht, in which he conducted himself with such absolute
+propriety, it would be a crying injustice to dismiss him. Did I not
+declare that he must remain until we had made trial of his capacity as
+Fritzchen's tutor?"
+
+"But Lieschen? I have heard you say you should be glad to have Lieschen
+marry Albrecht. What if she should take a fancy to the Candidate?"
+
+"No fear of that. The little witch has no idea of taking a fancy to any
+one, and as for the wish I may have expressed to you some time ago, I
+confess that I no longer cherish it. It arose from my desire to
+indemnify our cousin for the loss of the estate, but Lieschen's
+happiness is my first consideration, and I do not think Albrecht is the
+man to make a woman happy. He is wanting in force of character, he
+cannot forget his gay life in the capital, indeed I am afraid that he
+has continued it in his frequent visits to Berlin, and that he is in
+debt again. But why should we puzzle our brains with what the future
+has in store for us? I cannot deny that it is a disagreeable sensation,
+the not knowing what to think of this strange man, I wish we had some
+one else, even although much more awkward and uninstructed, for Fritz's
+tutor, but since we have him and have undertaken certain obligations
+with regard to him, they must be fulfilled. We must show him all the
+respect we would have Fritz feel for him, we must receive him into our
+domestic circle that he may feel at home here, but in the mean time we
+must observe him closely, and should he neglect his duty, or prove to
+be unfitted for his situation, we can, as we agreed to, part with him."
+
+"But Lieschen?"
+
+"Will take piano-lessons from him. Do not worry yourself unnecessarily;
+you can always superintend the girl's music-lessons if it will make you
+less anxious to do so, and can soon convince yourself that there is no
+danger for the child in Herr Pigglewitch."
+
+Frau von Osternau was not so easy in her mind, but she did not
+contradict her husband, she only resolved to watch her daughter and the
+Candidate closely, not only during the music-lessons, but at all times
+when they were together. The idea of her child's entertaining any
+warmer feeling for Herr Pigglewitch than that which a pupil should have
+for a teacher was extremely distasteful to her. She was not reassured
+when, soon after the above conversation, she saw the riders return from
+their visit to the harvesters, and observed the gentle, happy smile
+with which Lieschen thanked the Candidate for the ready, easy aid which
+he lent her in dismounting. The mother imagined that she perceived a
+change in her unconscious child.
+
+Fritz, who had preceded his sister and her cavalier, and had been
+seeing that his favourite pony was properly attended to, rushed into
+the room. He had a long story to tell his father and mother, first
+about the charms of his new tutor during the study-hour, and then of
+his wonderful riding. "Even Herr Storting grew pale when he saw Soliman
+tearing down to the Oster, but Herr Pigglewitch didn't care, he only
+laughed; ah, he knows how to ride! why, he rides better than even
+Cousin Albrecht!"
+
+Fritz poured out his raptures over his new tutor, much to his father's
+delight, while Frau von Osternau's maternal anxiety was sensibly
+increased. She was hardly pleased when her husband sent old Hildebrandt
+to invite the Candidate to take tea with the family at eight o'clock,
+in the sitting-room; it seemed to her that it was too speedy a welcome
+to the domestic circle.
+
+But her fears were appeased when Lieschen, having taken off her habit,
+made her appearance, and talked without reserve or embarrassment of her
+ride. The very fact of her expressing with perfect frankness her
+admiration for the fearless rider and his courage reassured her mother,
+and when the girl went on to give a faithful account of her
+conversation with the Candidate, and the rebuke she had administered to
+him for entertaining such wicked ideas with regard to suicide, her
+parents exchanged glances of entire satisfaction.
+
+"Was I not right?" Herr von Osternau asked his wife, with a smile, and
+she nodded a pleased assent. Lieschen's freedom from all reserve had
+quite reassured her, although, as she repeated to herself, her fears
+had not been altogether groundless, since the girl's interest in the
+stranger was evident from her manner of speaking of him. Even when she
+blamed him there was an unwonted seriousness in her voice and manner,
+she really seemed to have suddenly grown older.
+
+Egon appeared punctually at eight o'clock in accordance with his
+invitation, and immediately afterwards Albrecht arrived, not by any
+means pleased to find the Candidate installed as a member of the
+circle. His humour was not improved by hearing Herr von Osternau
+request the tutor to consider himself henceforth as one of the family,
+joining them at tea whenever he felt so inclined, without further
+invitation, a privilege hitherto enjoyed by the Lieutenant alone. The
+two other inspectors never appeared at the tea-table without being
+specially invited to do so.
+
+In fact, Lieutenant von Osternau did not at all enjoy himself on this
+particular evening. Until now he had been the enlivening element of the
+little circle, he had, as it were, formed the centre of conversational
+interest, but he suddenly found himself superseded by the Candidate,
+who conducted himself with an easy assurance inconceivable in a man of
+his station, receiving Herr von Osternau's gracious advances as if they
+were a matter of course, and taking part in the conversation as though
+perfectly accustomed to intercourse with people of rank.
+
+And yet, as the Lieutenant could not but admit to himself, the
+Candidate never thrust himself forward, never attempted to lead in the
+conversation. When it naturally turned upon his mastery of Soliman, he
+made no claim to any special bravery or skill, but smilingly put by all
+the compliments addressed to him, and skilfully changed the subject by
+remarking upon the interest he had felt in the harvesting, which had
+been to him so novel a spectacle. He thus gave Herr von Osternau an
+opportunity to expatiate upon his favourite theme.
+
+When the lord of the castle was once fairly launched upon this subject
+he usually held forth at great length, but to-day, when Herr
+Pigglewitch mentioned the singing of the girls and men as they raked
+the hay, Herr von Osternau called to mind the praise given by Herr
+Kramser to Herr Pigglewitch's pleasing voice, and he suddenly closed
+his discourse by a request that the Candidate would gratify him with a
+song.
+
+With ready amiability Egon went instantly to the piano, where he sang
+to his own accompaniment, and in a full, rich baritone, a simple
+Folksong:
+
+
+                 "In Oden forest stands a tree
+                    With branches fresh and green,
+                  Beneath its shade a thousand times
+                    I with my love have been."
+
+
+The Lieutenant observed, with positive rage in his heart, the effect
+which this song produced upon every member of the family. Frau von
+Osternau, who was busy at her tea-table, dropped her hands in her lap
+at the first notes, and listened intently, with eyes fixed upon the
+singer. Her husband sat leaning back in his arm-chair, scarcely daring
+to move, for fear of losing one delicious tone, while Lieschen bent
+forward in rapt delight with sparkling eyes and parted lips, and when
+the last sounds had died away, and Egon arose to take his place again
+beside her at the tea-table, she looked up at him with a dreamy,
+far-away expression in her dark eyes, which told how great had been her
+enjoyment, although she said not a word.
+
+"Charming! Delicious!" Herr von Osternau exclaimed. "Thank you! thank
+you! I never heard that song so exquisitely sung. Every note came from
+the heart, and, of course, went straight to the heart. You understand,
+Herr Candidate, how to render our 'folksongs' with the simplicity that
+belongs to them, without any of our modern frippery hung about them."
+
+Egon bowed slightly. Herr von Osternau's cordial enthusiasm was
+gratifying, but Lieschen's eyes, as she looked up at him, filled him
+with a delicious intoxication, which, however, quickly evaporated when
+the Lieutenant, feeling forced to repress his irritation, uttered a few
+commendatory phrases in order to display his appreciation of music. His
+praise sobered Egon at once. He would willingly have disclaimed it in a
+few sharp words, but he suppressed them out of regard for the master
+and mistress of the house. He was glad to have further discussion of
+his song interrupted by old Hildebrandt's entrance with the post-bag,
+which had just arrived from Station Mirbach.
+
+"A letter for you already, Herr Pigglewitch," Herr von Osternau said,
+handing Egon an envelope.
+
+Egon hesitated for a moment to take the letter which could not possibly
+be for him, but there was no help for it, and he laid it on the table
+before him.
+
+"Read your letter, Herr Pigglewitch, you need not stand upon ceremony,"
+Herr von Osternau continued, kindly. "Here in the country the advent of
+letters is quite another matter than the receiving them in town. We
+live here so secluded from the world that letters are all we have to
+connect us with it, and of course we wish to open our envelopes as soon
+as they are brought to us. The post-bag comes in at this time every
+evening, and each of us instantly opens and reads whatever it brings
+him or her,--the contents often give us matter for discussion and
+conversation. So pray read your letter, I will set you an example by
+opening mine, whilst my wife, Lieschen, and Cousin Albrecht look
+through the papers and journals."
+
+He broke the seal of his letter as he spoke, and became instantly so
+absorbed in its contents that he did not observe that Egon thrust the
+one addressed to Herr Pigglewitch into his breast-pocket without
+opening it.
+
+Herr von Osternau's letter was very long, and it took him some time to
+read it through. Meanwhile there was a pause in the conversation around
+the tea-table. Frau von Osternau and the Lieutenant were busy with the
+newspapers, and Lieschen turned over the leaves of a journal, without,
+however, reading a word; she could not fix her attention, the melody of
+the song she had just heard so rang in her ears.
+
+"A very odd, disagreeable letter from your uncle Sastrow," Herr von
+Osternau said, after a long pause, turning to his wife. "He wishes us
+to invite Bertha von Massenburg to pay a long visit at Castle Osternau,
+and I cannot very well see how we can help complying with his wish."
+
+Egon, who had been reflecting for the last few minutes upon what was to
+be done with Gottlieb Pigglewitch's letter, started from his revery as
+the name of Bertha von Massenburg struck upon his ear. He turned, with
+an interest he could hardly conceal, to Herr von Osternau, who went on:
+
+"Very unpleasant things have been happening in Berlin, things that
+concern us, although not very nearly: still we are distantly related to
+the Massenburgs, and Sastrow reckons upon the relationship. Bertha
+should be withdrawn from public attention and the gossip of the capital
+for a considerable time, your uncle says, and he thinks her best asylum
+would be with us; wherefore he begs me to send her an invitation at his
+house as soon as possible."
+
+"What has happened?" asked his wife.
+
+"Oh, 'tis a very ugly kind of story. I had better read you Sastrow's
+letter: 'My dear Fritz----'"
+
+Egon rose as Herr von Osternau began reading the letter aloud. However
+great his curiosity might be, he could not but remind Herr von Osternau
+that there was a stranger present who had no right to a knowledge of
+private family affairs. He was about to withdraw, but Herr von Osternau
+kindly signed to him to sit down again.
+
+"I appreciate your delicacy, Herr Pigglewitch, but I pray you to
+remain. This letter does, to be sure, contain a very unpleasant bit of
+family scandal, but it is unfortunately no secret. At the present time,
+when distance is annihilated, Berlin gossip spreads far and wide in an
+incredibly short space of time. If Bertha von Massenburg comes to us,
+the scandal of which she is the innocent subject will follow her very
+shortly; all our neighbours will know everything about Bertha and her
+unfortunate betrothal, and it will be hard to separate truth from
+falsehood. So it is better that you should know the truth from a
+trustworthy source, especially as she stands in a certain relationship
+to our family. You can then aid to the best of your ability in putting
+a stop to idle gossip; therefore I would rather you should hear the
+letter.
+
+
+"My Dear Fritz,--There must, of course, be some important reason for my
+sitting here in the middle of the night writing you a lengthy epistle
+which must be sent to the post at dawn, that you may receive it
+tomorrow evening. This reason consists in my great desire to avert as
+far as is possible the consequences of a most unpleasant family affair.
+I will be as brief as possible; of course our cousin Werner von
+Massenburg is at the bottom of it; who other of the family could
+provoke a scandal?
+
+"You have lost money enough by the man to know him well, although
+perhaps not so thoroughly as I know him. Of course he is always in
+pecuniary difficulties, but even I, poor as is my opinion of him,
+should not have suspected him of attempting to relieve himself of his
+debts by selling his daughter,--the expression is not too strong,--and
+this is just what he has done.
+
+"About two weeks ago Werner came to me and informed me that he was
+about to betroth Bertha to a distinguished young fellow, Egon von
+Ernau, the son of the Privy Councillor von Ernau. The affair had been
+concluded with the young man's father, who declared that his son was
+nothing loath. All that remained to be done was to bring the young
+people together that the betrothal might take place in the usual way,
+since it could not very well be announced before they had even seen
+each other. He therefore begged me to invite Bertha to pay us a visit;
+he would introduce young Ernau to us, and everything could be speedily
+arranged.
+
+"When I expressed my great disapproval of a marriage thus contracted,
+he went on to explain that it was a matter of life and death to him.
+His old friend the Privy Councillor Ernau had promised to liquidate all
+his debts in case the recent patent of nobility of the Ernaus should
+receive the aristocratic veneer which would be given it by a union with
+the old knightly line of the Massenburgs. He was so persistent in his
+entreaties that at last I consented, although sorely against my better
+judgment, and wrote to Koenigsberg, inviting Bertha to exchange for a
+while her aunt Massenburg's home in Koenigsberg for our house in Berlin.
+By return of post I received a charming letter from Bertha accepting my
+invitation, and she arrived here yesterday.
+
+"After writing to Bertha, I thought it my duty to inform myself with
+regard to our future connections the Ernaus. What I learned of them was
+by no means reassuring. Privy Councillor von Ernau is, it is true,
+immensely wealthy, the head of an extensive banking business, his
+reputation for honesty and business capacity has never been even
+breathed upon, but he is the most insufferably self-important,
+conceited fellow, who never loses an opportunity of seeing his name in
+the papers, so great is his love of notoriety. He keeps open house, and
+poses as a patron of art and science without having a conception of
+either. He keeps a racing stud, although he is no horseman; and he
+contributes vast sums for political purposes, without the faintest real
+interest in politics. Only let his name appear in the papers and he is
+content, no sacrifice is too great to make to his vanity.
+
+"What I could gather concerning the son is scarcely any better. It is
+generally conceded that Herr Egon von Ernau is a very talented young
+fellow, but that he abuses most frivolously the brilliant gifts
+bestowed upon him by nature. He studied and passed brilliant
+examinations, without turning his knowledge to any account. He has
+inherited from his father--with whom, moreover, he is on terms of no
+intimacy, father and son sometimes not meeting for weeks--an enormous
+stock of vanity, which, however, he shows after an entirely different
+fashion. It is his pleasure to pay no heed whatever to the opinion of
+the world, to appear alike indifferent to praise and to blame, to
+attach no importance to worldly honours. He has drained to the dregs
+every pleasure, every delight that wealth can give, and he is to the
+last degree _blase_. In the assurance of his own superiority he
+despises all other men and treats them accordingly. He is a man
+of talent but of no character, and he utterly lacks balance and
+self-control.
+
+"It is easy to see that such a man is not calculated to make a wife
+happy; therefore I thought it my duty, before the affair was finally
+decided, to talk seriously to Massenburg, but it was too late; he could
+not withdraw, even had he desired to do so. He had made binding
+promises to Councillor Ernau; the betrothal, if not actually announced,
+was known everywhere. The Councillor had informed his friends on
+'Change that the betrothal of his son Egon to the noble Fraeulein Bertha
+von Massenburg was shortly to be celebrated by a grand entertainment,
+and Werner himself had been so imprudent as to admit this when
+questioned upon the subject. The betrothal was already an open secret,
+much discussed among the aristocracy of money as well as of blood.
+There was pity expressed for the poor girl who was to be sacrificed to
+a vain, heartless _roue_. There were various remarks made at the club
+in Werner's hearing with regard to the burnishing of an aristocratic
+scutcheon with money gained in trade, but he was firm in his resolve.
+The effect of all this gossip was to induce him to hurry as much as
+possible the public announcement of the betrothal. It was arranged by
+the two fathers that Herr Egon von Ernau should pay his first visit
+here yesterday and should be invited by me to an evening party. So
+soon as the young people had fairly met, there was to be a large
+garden-party at the Councillor's villa, and the betrothal was to be
+formally announced.
+
+"It was very distasteful to me, of course, to lend myself to what was
+to bring about a connection which I considered so undesirable, but I
+was forced to consent to what was asked of me. I did so, however, only
+upon condition that I should be allowed immediately after Bertha's
+arrival to lay before her the true state of affairs. Should she decline
+then to accede to her father's schemes, I declared that no force should
+be put upon her beneath my roof. I would then refuse to receive young
+Ernau.
+
+"Early yesterday morning (the express train from Koenigsberg arrives in
+Berlin at six o'clock) I went to the railway-station to meet Bertha. I
+did not recognize her when she first stepped out on the platform. I had
+not seen her for several years, and she had grown from a pretty little
+school-girl into an elegant young lady. She, however, instantly
+recognized me, rushed into my arms, calling me 'dearest cousin,' and
+was so charming and amiable that she won my heart at once. All the more
+did I hold it to be my duty to warn her against the wretched scheme.
+
+"I did so as we drove home from the station. We were alone, and I had
+plenty of time to explain matters thoroughly.
+
+"To my exceeding surprise, I found that she showed no distaste whatever
+for the union forced upon her, she had without hesitation written to
+her father that she was quite ready to bestow her hand upon Herr von
+Ernau. Even my unflattering portrait of the young man did not make her
+waver in her resolve. With a degree of cool equanimity which seemed
+unnatural in so young a girl, she explained that the faults which I
+attributed to Herr von Ernau were common to all wealthy young men who
+had lived fast, and that she was not at all shocked by them. Certainly,
+from all she could hear, she judged young Ernau to be a man of honour,
+very clever, and withal extremely rich, wherefore she was quite willing
+to forgive him some small faults of which he would probably be cured in
+the course of time. She had lived a life of weary dependence with her
+aunt Massenburg and longed for freedom. She should not have refused to
+marry even a less distinguished suitor than Herr von Ernau, to be
+relieved from the cheerless existence she had been leading.
+
+"After the cordiality and affection with which Bertha had greeted me, I
+was entirely unprepared to find her so coolly calculating. I told her
+so, and she replied with a smile that she was too old--she is just
+nineteen--to be deceived by any illusions as to 'love's young dream,'
+that the place to seek such was in popular romances; in real life a
+poor girl of rank must learn to be practical and to take reason for her
+guide. No better match could be found than the one her father had
+provided for her, and since she had no fancy for being an old maid, she
+certainly should not commit the folly of rejecting such good fortune.
+
+"Much disappointed, I dropped the subject; the girl no longer appeared
+so charming to me. Her wonderful self-possession, her cool calculation,
+made a very disagreeable impression upon me, but this vanished when I
+spoke to her of her father. She was so frankly rejoiced to relieve him
+from his embarrassments, to restore to him the possession of his
+ancestral estate, and she expressed her joy so warmly and with so much
+love for her father, that I was quite reconciled to her again. And it
+was just so with my wife. Bertha took her heart by storm. During
+breakfast, when the Ernaus were discussed, she was as displeased as I
+had been by Bertha's cynicism, but her displeasure was only transitory.
+The girl soon conquered her again by her amiability.
+
+"I really dreaded Egon von Ernau's visit. Werner had informed me that
+the young man would make his appearance about twelve, but he did not
+come. Hours passed, and at four o'clock Werner appeared in his stead.
+Bertha rushed into his arms, she was bewitching in her delight at
+seeing her father again; indeed, she was like some artless, lovely
+child in her tender, caressing ways with her father.
+
+"You know Werner, he neither deserves nor appreciates such affection. I
+really think he cares more for a fine race-horse than for his charming
+daughter, whose caresses evidently annoyed him. He endured without
+returning them, only bestowing a cold kiss upon Bertha's cheek, and
+immediately desiring to see me in private.
+
+"As soon as we were alone in my library the tempest, the signs of which
+I had already seen in his face, burst forth, he raged and swore, talked
+of putting a bullet through his brains; and some time elapsed before he
+was sufficiently calm to explain to me the cause of his anger.
+
+"His affairs certainly looked black enough. The son-in-law of his
+desires had disappeared, thus destroying the scheme upon which all
+Werner's hopes had been based.
+
+"The Privy Councillor von Ernau had risen, according to his wont, at
+eight in the morning, and, not at all according to his wont, had been
+desirous of breakfasting with his son, that he might consult him with
+regard to the arrangements for the celebration of his betrothal. He
+therefore sent to desire his son to come to him. The servant sent
+returned in a few minutes with Egon's man, who explained that his
+master had not returned home at all on the previous night, his bed was
+untouched, and upon his writing-table a letter had been found,
+addressed to his father, in his handwriting. This letter was handed to
+the Privy Councillor. He broke the seal, as he himself stated, with a
+trembling hand, but this last is doubtful. The letter contained only
+the words 'Farewell! E. von E.'
+
+"'He has destroyed himself!' was the father's exclamation, as he
+hastened to Egon's rooms in company with the servant, and searched them
+through in hopes of finding some scrap of writing that might allay his
+apprehensions, but in vain. His first words seemed the only true
+explanation of his son's disappearance.
+
+"Egon could not have left town for a journey, his servant had received
+no directions to prepare for a trip, and the young man's clothes were
+undisturbed, none were missing save those which he wore when last seen.
+A costly revolver, a favourite weapon of Egon's, was not to be found.
+Everything strengthened the Privy Councillor in the belief that his son
+had committed suicide. He had hitherto taken but a languid interest in
+his son, he had often indeed passed weeks without seeing him, although
+the same roof sheltered both; now the Privy Councillor suddenly assumed
+the part of a tender, agonized parent. He burst into loud lamentations
+over the terrible fate of his beloved son, he reproached himself for
+having driven him to put an end to himself. Nothing but despair at
+being forced to marry a girl whom he did not love could have driven
+Egon to such a horrible deed.
+
+"These lamentations were publicly made, and by them Herr von Ernau
+attained a vast notoriety. He was quite given over to the _role_ of
+tender, agonized parent. He played it before his servants at home and
+the clerks in his counting-room. In vain they all tried to soothe him,
+to represent that there was as yet no proof that his terrible suspicion
+was correct; in vain did his cashier declare that if Herr Egon had
+contemplated suicide he would not have drawn, as he had done the day
+before, twenty thousand marks from the bank. The Privy Councillor
+insisted that his son had shot himself, the drawing of the twenty
+thousand marks was an additional proof of the deed. Egon had wished to
+pay everything that he owed before his death, and had drawn the money
+for this purpose.
+
+"Werner von Massenburg believed that the Councillor's loud lamentations
+were all dictated by his vanity, which was always urging him to seek
+notoriety at any price. At nine o'clock he had ordered his carriage and
+was driving about among all his intimate friends and acquaintances
+enacting the same scene over and over again, and declaring that the
+wretched proposed betrothal had driven Egon to despair. By noon the
+universal topic on 'Change was young Ernau's suicide and its cause, and
+the story flew like wildfire all through the town. An hour previously
+it had reached Werner, and he had hurried to the Councillor, with whom
+he had gone through a terrible scene. The Councillor, in his false,
+theatrical fashion, had cursed the unfortunate projected betrothal, and
+had heaped reproaches upon Werner, who, of course, was not slow in
+retaliating, until at last Ernau vowed angrily that if the faint hope
+that still existed should prove a certainty, and Egon be found to be
+alive, the hated betrothal should never take place.
+
+"This was the sum of Werner's incoherent narrative. He cursed the
+Ernaus, father and son, and in his utter selfishness even found fault
+with Bertha for bringing him into this frightful difficulty by a too
+ready acquiescence in his plans. She must be completely compromised by
+the scandal, which was now known all over the town, and in a few days
+society would cast scorn upon the names of Massenburg and Ernau, and
+the wildest exaggerations of the story of Egon's suicide would be told
+everywhere.
+
+"I tried to soothe Werner, but with small success. He left me at last
+with the task upon my hands of informing Bertha of what had occurred.
+
+"This was unpleasant enough, but the girl made it as easy for me as
+possible. She listened to my account with great composure, only
+expressing her sorrow that her poor father should be disappointed in
+his dearest hopes. When my wife spoke indignantly of young Ernau, she
+shrugged her shoulders. 'I am sorry for him,' she said, in a tone
+expressive of quite as much scorn as pity; 'he is evidently one of
+those unfortunate men who, bred in the lap of luxury, have lost all
+force of character, all capacity to shape their destiny. He is
+certainly more to be pitied than blamed for shuffling off his life like
+a coward instead of opposing his father's schemes like a man.'
+
+"I was glad that she so easily acquiesced in the inevitable, and I
+hoped that Werner's fear lest her reputation should suffer from what
+had occurred would prove groundless. To-day has, unfortunately,
+convinced me of the contrary.
+
+"The scandal is full-blown. The whole story is talked of everywhere,
+and one of the morning papers tells it in detail, with all sorts of
+additions. It is hinted that Herr Egon von Ernau is the victim of a low
+money speculation on the part of a family of rank. Fraeulein Bertha von
+Massenburg knew that he was in love with a girl of the middle class,
+but would not withdraw her pretensions because she did not choose to
+lose a wealthy _parti_. The young man had been led, by his love for his
+father, into giving his consent to the betrothal, in hopes that
+Fraeulein von Massenburg would reject his hand when she learned that he
+loved another. Disappointed in this hope, he had recourse to his
+revolver.
+
+"Although everybody knows how perfectly untrustworthy are these
+romantic tales conceived in the brain of some newspaper reporter,
+everybody believes them, as I have, alas! seen only too clearly during
+the past day. In the course of it my wife has had more visits than she
+has received for weeks from friends and acquaintances of every degree
+of intimacy, and she is in despair over the expressions of
+commiseration and the curious inquiries concerning private family
+affairs to which she has been compelled to listen. These visits have so
+unnerved her that I have been forced to forbid the admission of
+visitors to the house for some days to come.
+
+"This is only the beginning of the annoyance. The newspapers will all
+shortly have their various versions of the affair. Instead of pitying
+the poor girl, as people would have done a few days ago for being
+sacrificed to a _roue_, all now condemn her, and lavish their
+compassion on the poor fellow who was tormented into putting an end to
+a life so full of promise.
+
+"Under these circumstances Bertha cannot remain in Berlin. Her stay
+here would be intolerable, both for her and for my poor wife. Neither
+can her aunt Massenburg recall her to Koenigsberg, where gossip would
+inevitably pursue her and be more rife in the provincial town than in
+the capital. Moreover, Aunt Massenburg is, as you know, a person of
+such very strict ideas that it is doubtful whether she will ever again
+receive beneath her roof a girl so talked about.
+
+"In our need we have thought of you, dear Fritz. You are, through your
+wife, related to poor Bertha, and you must give her an asylum in your
+house until the storm has blown over. After a few weeks, at most after
+a few months, no one will remember that there ever was an Egon von
+Ernau. We live quickly, and forget as quickly, at the present day.
+
+"So I entreat you to invite Bertha to pay a long visit to Castle
+Osternau. I know that I ask you to make a sacrifice in granting my
+request. Malicious gossip may follow Bertha even to the depths of the
+country and cause you annoyance, but I know you well enough to be sure
+that you will not on that account hesitate to do such a kindness.
+Nothing can so surely tend to re-establish Bertha's reputation in
+public opinion as the knowledge that she is the guest of a family so
+highly esteemed as your own.
+
+"And now farewell. My warm regards to your excellent wife. Do not let
+her be vexed with her old uncle for asking so great a service at your
+hands. Write soon to yours faithfully,
+
+                                               "Sastrow."
+
+
+A long silence followed upon the reading of this lengthy epistle. Herr
+von Osternau waited in vain for some expression of opinion from his
+wife. "Well, Emma," he asked, at last, "what do you think of this
+unfortunate story?"
+
+"I pity the poor girl," Frau von Osternau replied. "The punishment of
+her folly is almost too hard."
+
+"I cannot even see in what her folly has consisted," observed the
+Lieutenant. "What has she done to deserve such a reproach? She obeyed
+her father, consented to make a brilliant match, and did it gladly. She
+could not possibly foresee what would be the consequences of an
+engagement which seemed so advantageous both for herself and for her
+father."
+
+"That is just it. She thought of nothing save what she thought
+advantageous," Lieschen eagerly interposed. "I cannot even pity her.
+She knew from Uncle Sastrow all about that odious Egon von Ernau,--that
+he was a man without heart or principle,--and yet she was quite ready
+to marry him because he was rich. It makes me indignant!"
+
+"Ought she then to have refused to obey her father?" asked the
+Lieutenant.
+
+"Yes, she ought! No father has a right to ask his child to disgrace
+herself by such a marriage. I am indignant with Bertha Massenburg. I
+never could have believed it of her. She was so charming, so
+good-natured, so kind, I liked her so much when she spent nearly the
+whole summer with us here at Osternau, about five years ago. I cannot
+bear to think that she could allow herself to be so dazzled by mere
+wealth. She deserves her punishment."
+
+"My child, your judgment of her is very severe," her father said,
+gravely. "Since her mother's death, Bertha's lot has been a sad one.
+She was homeless, for her father, who spent his time in all kinds of
+dissipation, was deep in debt, his estates were mortgaged, and he took
+no interest in his child. She was obliged thankfully to accept shelter
+with her aunt Massenburg, at Koenigsberg. There her life must have been
+absolutely wretched. I know what a hard and loveless woman Gunda
+Massenburg is. We must not condemn Bertha for gladly consenting at last
+to anything that her father proposed that could deliver her from such a
+home. We should rather pity her. It is your duty, Lieschen, to receive
+her here with all the affection which you gave her in happier times."
+
+"You have decided to invite her here, then?" Frau von Osternau asked,
+anxiously.
+
+"Yes, Emma. The poor girl ought to find a refuge with us from the
+gossip and slander which have attacked her good name."
+
+"But, Fritz----"
+
+"Indeed it is our duty, disagreeable as it may seem, so let us say no
+more about it except in the way of arranging how your uncle's wishes
+may be most speedily fulfilled. I will write to-night both to him and
+to Bertha. Herr Pigglewitch is going to Breslau with Herr Storting
+to-morrow morning early. If he will kindly post my letters there we can
+have a reply by day after to-morrow night, and shall know when to
+expect Bertha. You will take charge of the letters, will you not, Herr
+Candidate?"
+
+At this direct question Egon started as if from a dream. He had
+listened with intense attention to the letter, but had really heard
+nothing of what had since been said. It was his fault, all this
+wretched scandal which so painfully involved all these people, and from
+the annoyance of which Herr von Osternau and his family were not
+exempt.
+
+When he left his father's house, as he thought forever, and succeeded
+in leaving Berlin without being seen or recognized by any one, he had
+taken genuine satisfaction in his success in vanishing without leaving
+a trace behind. He had derived a unique enjoyment from imagining the
+impression which his disappearance would produce among his
+acquaintances; he had never once fancied that his voluntary departure
+from the world could cause any real regret to a living being. He knew
+that his father was incapable of feeling genuine grief; there was no
+one to be pained by his sudden death. Egon had loved and been loved by
+no one. And his imagination had not played him false. Herr von
+Sastrow's letter described the theatric woo of the Councillor: if he
+had actually felt a degree of sorrow for his son's death he was more
+than indemnified by the opportunity for playing the part of a bereaved
+parent. His vanity was flattered by the sensation caused by Egon's
+disappearance.
+
+The young man could see it all in his mind's eye,--his father's
+well-acted agony for the death of a son upon whom he had bestowed no
+affection, and the equally well acted sympathy of his acquaintances.
+All were aware of the farce at which they were assisting, but it was
+played because required by the customs of society, and because the
+actors were well pleased with their parts.
+
+Yes, everything had happened as Egon had thought it would. What he had
+not thought of was that his death could cast a shade upon another human
+existence,--upon the reputation of his proposed bride.
+
+He had been most disagreeably affected during the reading of the letter
+by the enumeration of his various characteristics, for he could not but
+admit the degree of truth in the written picture. A fleeting blush had
+passed over his cheek when he heard the terms in which Bertha von
+Massenburg had summed up his character, 'An unfortunate man who, bred
+in the lap of luxury, had lost all force of character, all capacity to
+shape his destiny.' She had bestowed upon him her contemptuous pity!
+
+Lieschen had spoken of cowardice when, during their ride, she had
+expressed her detestation of suicide. And Bertha von Massenburg had
+pitied him as a coward!
+
+He was so absorbed in these thoughts that he heard nothing of what was
+going on about him, and when startled by Herr von Osternau's appeal to
+him he was obliged to confess that he had not heard his question.
+
+"Extraordinary absence of mind," the Lieutenant observed, but Herr von
+Osternau said, in his gentle, kindly way, "Herr Pigglewitch has had a
+most fatiguing day, and it is very natural that he should feel but a
+slight degree of interest in the family affairs of strangers."
+
+Then, after repeating his request with regard to the letters, and
+receiving on the instant an assurance from Egon that he would gladly
+undertake the charge of them, Herr von Osternau added,--
+
+"As you must be tired, Herr Pigglewitch, and need rest, I will not
+detain you from seeking it. I would ask but one favour of you. We have
+all been moved by Sastrow's letter, which will give me at least a
+troubled night. Perhaps you may succeed in diverting our thoughts if
+you will kindly go once more to the piano and give us some of your
+delicious music."
+
+An eloquent look from Lieschen seconded her father's request, and Egon
+willingly complied. He himself had often resorted to music for
+consolation, but of late this source of comfort had failed him; he had
+played with enjoyment to-day for the first time for months, and now so
+soon as his fingers touched the keys the old spell threw its charm over
+him. He forgot that Herr von Osternau had asked him to play, he forgot
+that he was among strangers, of whom one, the Lieutenant, was eying him
+with dislike and suspicion; he played for himself alone. Involuntarily
+he glided after a brief prelude into one of Schumann's wonderful
+reveries. He had played the studies of the immortal master so often, he
+had made them so thoroughly his own, that the notes came now as if from
+his very soul, and thus affected his hearers, who listened breathless,
+fairly carried away by the magic of sound.
+
+It was over--with the last tone the spell too was broken. He knew that
+he was among the Von Osternaus; there upon the lounge sat the
+Lieutenant sullenly staring at the floor, and beside him was Frau von
+Osternau, her hands clasped in her lap, lost in dreamy enjoyment. And
+Lieschen?--there were tears in the girl's eyes! Egon saw no more, he
+felt his pulses quicken, any word of praise or thanks would have been
+intolerable to him. Rising from the piano, he would have left the room
+in silence, but that he suddenly remembered what was due from Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch to his employer. Little as he had learned of self-control,
+it must be exercised now. So with a courteous bow he turned to the
+master of the house and begged to be excused from playing anything
+more, he was really much fatigued and would ask permission to retire to
+his room. He then kissed Frau von Osternau's offered hand, bowed low to
+Lieschen, even bestowed a formal inclination upon the Lieutenant, and
+retired.
+
+When the door closed behind him he passed his hand over his eyes as if
+to push away some cloud from his mind. Was he the same Egon von Ernau
+who had never paid the slightest regard to what others might think of
+him,--to anything indeed save his own whim of the moment? A strange and
+sudden change had come over him,--he could not comprehend it.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER IX.
+                        A LETTER AND ITS REPLY.
+
+
+The heavy clouds which had veiled the horizon in the afternoon had
+slowly covered all the skies, the night was very dark, the gloom only
+broken from time to time by dazzling flashes of lightning.
+
+Egon stood at his open window. He felt easier and freer now that he was
+once more alone, and the spectacle of the beginning of the storm was a
+relief to him. The old trees waved and creaked in the blast, the
+rustling of the leaves, the crashing of boughs, and the moaning of the
+wind were as music in his ears. If only some ray of light could
+illumine the darkness within him, as the lightning's play lit up the
+world without!
+
+He had suddenly become aware of the serious importance of existence.
+Hitherto he had never reflected upon the future, and but seldom upon
+the past. He had lived in the present, obeying the impulse of the
+moment, with no thought of the consequences of his actions. He had
+known no feeling of responsibility, he had lived for himself alone; who
+in all the world had any claim upon his consideration?
+
+When the insane idea occurred to him of playing the part of Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch for a little while, it had indeed entered his mind that it
+might result in some annoyance, but he had thoughtlessly followed the
+impulse of the moment; he could put a stop to it all whenever he
+pleased, he still possessed his revolver. He had not been bored, it is
+true, for a moment since he had changed clothes with Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch and borrowed his name, but what had he gained? Was he
+happy? Was life any more attractive to him? No, not in the least.
+Formerly, when he had thought it worth while to recur to the past, he
+had done so without regret, without the slightest remorse, he had
+recalled his past with a kind of weary indifference; today this
+retrospect begot within him a sensation of shame. His whole past life
+seemed to him frivolous and insignificant. Bertha von Massenburg had
+characterized him correctly. It was only by chance that he had not fled
+from life like a coward. Involuntarily, as the feeling of shame grew
+stronger, he felt for his revolver in his breast-pocket to toss it from
+him, and as he drew it forth, a letter likewise was pulled from his
+pocket and fell upon the floor.
+
+It was the note addressed to the Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch, which
+he had received a few hours before. Egon had forgotten it; he picked it
+up now and carried it to the table, where a light was burning.
+
+His thoughts had taken another turn; the momentary disgust at the
+thought of his revolver vanished, he contemplated it with a half-smile,
+and his thoughts ran thus: "I had very nearly thrown you away forever,
+old friend. It was only an accident, the appearance of this wretched
+letter, which prevented me from yielding to the impulse of the moment.
+Shall I never, then, be master of myself? 'He is a man of no force of
+character, he has no self-control.' Those were old Sastrow's words,
+and, by Jove! he is right. Always the sport of the moment! Why should I
+toss away my revolver? There is no danger in it for me, except by my
+own will, by my being too great a coward to fight the battle of life.
+No, old friend, you shall stay by me, not as an aid in my extreme need,
+but as a warning to me to control myself."
+
+He thrust the weapon again into his breast-pocket, and then turned to
+the letter in his left hand. It was addressed in a very fine, round
+hand to the "Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch, at Castle Osternau, near
+Mirbach;" but just after the name Pigglewitch two words, enclosed in
+brackets, were written, in a handwriting so excessively small as to
+escape notice at the first glance. Egon held the note near the lamp,
+and by its light deciphered the words "Fritz Fortune."
+
+Fritz Fortune! It was the name that Egon had invented and given instead
+of his own to the real Pigglewitch. No one else knew this name, and
+hence it was clear that the note was for Egon, and from the redoubtable
+Candidate himself. The young fellow broke the seal, and read:
+
+
+"Respected Herr Fortune,--Forgive me for once more turning to you in my
+extreme need; indeed I cannot help it. Wonderful indeed are the ways of
+the Lord! He sent me aid when with a wanton hand I attempted my own
+life; you, dear sir, rescued not only my body, but my immortal soul,
+saving it from mortal sin. And in your inexhaustible generosity you
+provided me with means not only to repay my uncle, but to emigrate to
+America and live happy there. Four thousand marks you bestowed upon me.
+Permit me, however, to remark that you counted out to me one hundred
+marks too little. I went carefully over the notes as soon as you had
+left, and they amounted to only three thousand nine hundred marks. I
+called after you, but you did not hear me; therefore you still owe me
+one hundred marks.
+
+"But not for this do I now address you. A hundred marks is, to be sure,
+a large sum for me, but I would not mind it, I should now be in Hamburg
+or Bremen, ready to start for America by the next steamer, if fate had
+not subjected me to fresh trials.
+
+"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. I have been
+assailed by temptation and have been unable to resist. Wretched man
+that I am, I have again lost everything,--everything! There is nothing
+left for me, Herr Fortune, but to appeal once more to your benevolence;
+and my heart is filled with hope that you will not let me plead in
+vain.
+
+"You can probably surmise how I have been stripped of everything that
+you bestowed upon me. My miserable passion for play has again wrought
+my ruin. I could not withstand temptation. Upon arriving in Berlin,
+full of the brightest hopes, I encountered near the station the same
+men who had shortly before won all that I possessed. But why dwell upon
+these wretched details? In little more than an hour I was again a
+beggar, with hardly money enough for food for a couple of days. I
+sought out my former lodgings, where my landlady received me,--I had
+paid her up to the 15th,--and here, sitting despairing in my lonely
+room, it has occurred to me to write to you, honoured Herr Fortune.
+
+"You are rich. You have with you now thousands of marks. You cannot
+refuse to help a miserable man who knows no help save in you. I
+entreat, I implore you to send me four thousand marks more, and I will
+say nothing about the hundred marks that you still owe me.
+
+"What shall I do if you refuse to aid me? It is true that I promised
+you to reveal to no one the fact that you had under my name installed
+yourself in my situation at Castle Osternau, and that I had handed over
+to you all my credentials, but with the best will in the world it is
+impossible for me to keep my promise. I cannot now emigrate to America,
+I must stay here, and in order to live I must find a situation here; to
+do this I need my papers. Yes, I must lay claim to the situation
+promised me at Castle Osternau; only by procuring it can I ever lay by
+money enough to pay my uncle. This is my only hope, for if I do not pay
+it he will send me to jail, whereas if I make him remittances he will
+perhaps wait in order not to lose his money.
+
+"You will see yourself, Herr Fortune, that I shall be forced to break
+my promise to you, much as it will pain me to cause you any annoyance.
+I am so grateful to you that the thought of your being arrested and
+brought to punishment for assuming a false name and presenting false
+credentials drives me to despair.
+
+"This must not happen. You will give heed to my entreaty, and once more
+send me the four thousand marks which I, miserable sinner that I am,
+have lost at play. I swear to you, by all that is sacred, that by the
+next mail after the receipt of the money I will transmit my uncle's
+money to him, and will go straight to Hamburg without spending a day
+more in Berlin. I swear to you that I will not touch a card, that I
+will not yield to temptation.
+
+"Help me this once, only this once, honoured Herr Fortune, I implore
+you on my knees, lying in the dust before you!
+
+"Your wretched, desperate, bat eternally grateful and devoted
+
+                                            "Gottlieb Pigglewitch.
+
+"P.S.--My address is 'Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch, Berlin, 52 Ensel
+Street, care of Frau Wiebe.'"
+
+
+With a face darkening as he read, Egon perused this precious epistle,
+tossing it disdainfully aside when he had finished reading it.
+"Miserable scoundrel!" he muttered. "What a worthless mass of
+hypocritical gratitude, servility, stupidity, and dishonesty the
+creature must be, thus to threaten me indirectly in hopes of getting
+more money from me! He talks to me of arrest, and thinks that for fear
+of it I shall send him another four thousand marks that he may be
+plucked for the third time by sharpers. No, my worthy Pigglewitch, you
+have reckoned without your host this time; not a mark will you get!"
+
+He paced his room to and fro, deciding that any further thought of the
+miserable letter and the rogue who had penned it was foolish, and yet
+he could not banish it from his mind.
+
+Was the threat so very ridiculous? If the true Pigglewitch had the
+courage to attempt it he might bring the false one into a deal of
+trouble, as Egon's sober second thought could not but admit.
+
+The bearing of a feigned name was legally a crime, but that was of no
+consequence in Egon's mind. If he chose early the next morning to go to
+Berlin instead of to Breslau, who could succeed in finding the
+Pigglewitch who had vanished from Osternau? Nobody would suppose that
+Egon von Ernau, suddenly appearing in the capital again after a short
+pleasure-trip, had for a day or two taken it into his head to play the
+part of a Candidate Gottlieb Pigglewitch. The real Pigglewitch could
+not betray him, for he knew him only as Fritz Fortune. The false
+Pigglewitch simply vanished, leaving not a trace behind.
+
+What would the world say if the Egon von Ernau whom it believed dead
+should suddenly appear safe and sound in Berlin? Egon laughed as he
+pictured to himself his reception in the paternal mansion, the faces of
+the servants, and the amazement of his father thus interrupted in his
+successful performance of the part of a broken-hearted parent. His poor
+father! But there would be some consolation for him in the sensation
+caused by his son's return. He could drive about town in his carriage,
+and, with a beaming countenance, inform all his friends, 'My son lives,
+I am the happiest of fathers!' Whether in joy or in woe, he could still
+be the model parent.
+
+Would it not be best perhaps to cut the Gordian knot of his foolish
+adventure after this fashion? Yes, it would be his wisest course to
+leave Castle Osternau on the morrow, never to return. And what of the
+future? He had never formerly thought of the future, he did so now for
+the first time.
+
+He would doubtless be received with enthusiasm, would be the topic of
+the gossip of the capital for weeks, all the silly rumours which had
+been flying about with regard to him would die away of themselves,
+Bertha von Massenburg need not leave Berlin, for--here Egon
+shuddered--the betrothal could take place as agreed upon, the betrothal
+to which Egon had thoughtlessly consented because it was of no
+consequence to him what woman was the sharer of his tedious existence.
+All women seemed alike calculating, frivolous, insignificant. He had
+given his consent, it could not be withdrawn.
+
+Why did his pulses suddenly quicken? Why did he feel a positive
+aversion to the girl who was described as so beautiful and amiable?
+"Never, never," he muttered. He could not act wisely, he could not
+return to fulfil his father's promise, no, he could not.
+
+He would remain in Castle Osternau and carry out to the end the
+adventure in which he was embarked, if only to test his force of
+character, his ability to carve out a new life for himself. Was it for
+this alone? Did not a lovely vision hover before his mental vision,
+casting its spells upon him, robbing him of freedom of will and forcing
+him to remain, when to go would be so prudent, so sensible?
+
+He determined to remain. But he must not expose himself to the danger
+of being driven forth from Castle Osternau by the real Pigglewitch. For
+should the latter make good his claim, as he could, to the name now
+borne by Egon, he would doubtless be expelled from the castle pursued
+by the Lieutenant's scornful laughter.
+
+And he could not possibly explain the matter to Herr von Osternau. No,
+the real Pigglewitch must be disarmed. But how? There was but one
+course,--to grant his request. Egon bit his lip; it irritated him to be
+influenced by the rogue's threats, but he had no choice. He could
+secure himself from discovery only by sending the fellow four thousand
+marks. Should he then be secure? Could he trust the man in the
+slightest degree? No, never. But it was of little consequence, he could
+at all events be made harmless for a short time. It was, after all,
+only a matter of a petty four thousand marks.
+
+He sat down at the writing-table and wrote: "I will help you this time,
+but it is the last. If you allow yourself to be led astray again by
+your insane love of play you have nothing further to expect from me. I
+ought now to leave you to your fate, for your folly in allowing
+yourself to be made a second time the prey of ordinary sharpers
+deserves punishment, the more as by your threat of breaking your
+promise you have forfeited all right to my clemency. You owe the money
+which I herewith send you to my pity for your inconceivable stupidity,
+not in the least to your threat as to arrest, etc., which, I would
+remark by the way, is absolutely futile, since your papers were given
+me voluntarily by yourself, and the only inconvenience to which you
+could subject me would be the payment of a fine which would be of no
+importance to me, and the abridgment of a foolish jest which I was
+silly ever to attempt. Your broken promise would avail you nothing
+here, since your letter to me would prevent Herr von Osternau from ever
+receiving into his house, as tutor, a low, dishonest gambler, who,
+according to his own confession, should be at present within the walls
+of a jail.
+
+"You know now what you have to expect, and I would advise you in your
+own interest to keep your word and to sail by the first vessel for
+America. If in your new home you should ever need money to purchase a
+farm you may again apply to me. I may perhaps be induced to remember
+that I saved your life against your will. How far this remembrance will
+serve you in the fulfilment of a reasonable request from you your own
+conduct must decide.
+
+"I wish no thanks from you for the enclosed four thousand marks. Any
+communication made from you to me before your arrival in America will
+destroy all hope of future assistance from
+
+                                               "Fritz Fortune."
+
+
+
+
+                               CHAPTER X.
+                           CONTENT AND PEACE.
+
+
+The morning after the first night spent by Egon at Castle Osternau
+dawned so brilliantly that the light of the rising sun shining in at
+his window awoke him. The storm had raged itself out, and the blue sky
+was cloudless.
+
+He was quickly dressed and down in the garden, where the delicious air
+and the dewy flowers filled him with a new delight. Although he had
+slept but a few hours, he felt more rested and refreshed than when
+rising in Berlin at noon.
+
+He walked through the garden out into the fields, involuntarily
+striking into the path leading to the Oster meadows. He had time for a
+walk, for he was not to be ready for the trip with Herr Storting until
+seven o'clock, and it was now but a little after five.
+
+He soon reached the eminence whence he had yesterday looked down with
+Lieschen upon the harvest-fields. The charming view seemed more lovely
+and peaceful than before, for the busy crowd of harvesters was absent.
+Labour in the fields had not yet begun. A single horseman was riding
+through the valley towards the castle. When he saw Egon he waved his
+hand, and spurred his horse on to where the young man was standing.
+Egon recognized Herr Storting. "Good-morning, Herr Pigglewitch,"
+Storting called from afar. "I did not expect to meet you in the Oster
+meadows at five in the morning. Did you wish to be sure that the storm
+has done us no harm? Aha! you begin to take an interest in our harvest.
+You may be easy, we have come off very well. The rain was only an
+honest summer thunder-storm. In some places it has indeed beaten down
+the grain, but the injury is slight, and I can with a clear conscience
+fulfil my promise and go to Breslau with you this morning."
+
+Storting was so rejoiced at the safety of his harvest that he entirely
+forgot his yesterday's displeasure at his companion's conduct, and he
+walked his horse slowly back to the castle at Egon's side, pointing
+with pride to the luxuriant fields on each side of them, and speaking
+with enthusiasm of Herr von Osternau and his agricultural foresight and
+skill.
+
+His talk was most interesting to Egon, who felt an increased respect
+and esteem for the man of whom an intelligent inspector in his employ
+could speak in terms of such admiration.
+
+Arrived in the court-yard the pair separated, Storting to superintend
+the arrangement of the day's labour, since, as he said, with a
+half-smile, "The chief superintendent will hardly appear before eight
+o'clock, his usual time of rising," while Egon repaired to his room.
+Here he found his breakfast awaiting, and beside his plate a letter
+addressed to Colonel D. von Sastrow, Berlin. It was the one he had been
+requested by Herr von Osternau to take charge of on the previous
+evening, and the sight of it reminded him of his own letter to
+Pigglewitch, which he had laid away unsealed after he had written it.
+He took it out and read it over once more. It did not please him, but
+he could not resist the longing desire that possessed him to remain for
+a while at Osternau. He shuddered at the thought of resuming the
+tedious old Berlin life. Any means were justifiable that should enable
+him to escape that.
+
+With a sigh he enclosed the notes for the promised money, sealed the
+letter, and addressed it. Then he took from his pocket-book an
+additional two hundred marks. Thus much, he reflected, Gottlieb must
+have possessed before falling into the hands of the sharpers, and so
+much therefore his substitute might surely sacrifice to the exigencies
+of the occasion. He needed some school-books, and also some linen. That
+contained in the travelling-bag filled him with disgust.
+
+Punctually at seven he started with Storting for Breslau. The
+travelling-bag containing Pigglewitch's old suits was carried to the
+station by a servant, and the travellers arrived duly at their
+destination, where Egon's first care was to post Herr von Osternau's
+letter and his own. After this he began his expedition in the town with
+Storting, the first visit naturally being paid to the tailor. Here it
+would have gone ill with him but for Storting's assistance. The tailor
+at first seemed disinclined to grant credit to a stranger, and
+Candidate Pigglewitch could not possibly pay the two hundred and fifty
+marks requisite for the furnishing him with two respectable suits of
+clothes, except by quarterly instalments. Storting, however, came to
+the rescue. His credit with the tradesman was excellent, and he
+arranged the matter, while Egon stood by, now and then biting his lip
+to keep himself from laughing, so ludicrous did the whole situation
+seem to him. In less than an hour his outfit was complete. The clothes
+borrowed from Storting and one of his own new suits were packed up to
+be sent to the railway-station. Egon paid the ready money agreed upon,
+and the tailor requested him to sign a paper agreeing to pay the rest
+in quarterly instalments as arranged. The pen was in his hand when he
+suddenly reflected that he had no right to sign Pigglewitch's name to a
+due-bill, that to do so was actually a transgression of the law. He
+hesitated, but when Storting said, "Sign, Herr Pigglewitch, I will
+write my name as surety below yours," there was nothing for it but to
+comply. Here was one of the consequences of coming to Castle Osternau
+under a false name.
+
+His enjoyment of the occasion was disturbed, but only for a moment;
+when they had left the shop he felt it his duty to make a special
+acknowledgment to the inspector for his great kindness in so readily
+becoming surety for an entire stranger. Storting interrupted him with a
+laugh.
+
+"You must thank Fraeulein Lieschen, if you wish to thank anybody--our
+gracious little lady. 'Pray make Herr Pigglewitch look like a human
+being,' she said to me yesterday. Not very flattering to you, but for
+me a command to be obeyed under all circumstances. I tell you frankly
+that but for this I should have had some hesitation in going surety for
+you, for your conduct yesterday provoked me. To-day, however, you are a
+different person, and I am quite sure that I run no risk in signing
+your promise to pay."
+
+"Fraeulein Lieschen's word is your law, then?"
+
+"Yes, so I told you yesterday, and so I tell you again to-day."
+Storting laughed as he spoke, but the seriousness in his eyes
+contradicted the laughter of his lips. "Fraeulein Lieschen rules at
+Castle Osternau. Just as you controlled Soliman yesterday, Fraeulein
+Lieschen will control you before two days are gone by. Yesterday you
+tried to withstand the magic of her glance, to-morrow you will obey her
+implicitly, as I do, as every one in the castle does."
+
+He turned as he finished the sentence into the old-clothes shop, where
+Pigglewitch's cast-off habiliments were to be disposed of. If Egon had
+enjoyed the novelty of the transaction with the tailor, here he was
+infinitely more entertained. Storting defended his interests bravely.
+The Jew dealer declared that he should be ruined by the purchase at any
+price of such antiquated garments, but finally with many lamentations
+agreed to give twenty-four marks for the two suits. Storting was
+content; the porter who had carried the bag was paid and dismissed;
+Egon pocketed his gains with a smile, and took the empty bag under his
+arm.
+
+The chief business in Breslau was completed, and Egon found that he had
+still half an hour before the departure of the train for Osternau. This
+time he employed in the purchase of linen and school-books, and arrived
+with Storting at the station just in time to pack away his various
+bundles in the railway-carriage and to take his seat beside his
+companion before the train started.
+
+The events of this little expedition to Breslau were very unimportant,
+and yet they exercised an important influence upon Egon's mode of
+thought, his views of life. For the first time some idea occurred to
+him of the value of money. The tailor's hesitation to trust him for the
+insignificant sum of two hundred and fifty marks, the petty haggling
+for an infinitely less sum in the old-clothes shop, were a lesson to
+him. And in his purchase of linen and books the impossibility of his
+buying, as he had been wont to do, everything that he desired, or even
+everything that he thought necessary, set him thinking in earnest.
+
+He had smiled at the gravity with which Storting, at the tailor's,
+reckoned up the cost of the clothes, at the eagerness with which he had
+contested a few marks with the Jew dealer, while his zeal was all in
+behalf of another, and the same man who was so anxious to save expense
+for the poor Candidate Pigglewitch did not hesitate to pledge himself
+to pay a hundred and fifty marks in case the tutor should be unable to
+do so. And this when the sum in question was of great importance to
+him, for, as he had frankly told Egon, he was without means except his
+salary as inspector, out of which he contributed to the support of a
+sister who was preparing for the governess examinations in Berlin.
+
+Under these circumstances the kindness shown to Egon by Storting was
+genuine indeed, and placed the recipient under an obligation which
+instead of annoying him gave him pleasure. Hitherto Egon had been
+disposed to regard any favour shown him as due to his wealth and
+position. Storting's disinterestedness therefore made the greatest
+impression upon him, and weakened the morbid suspicion with which he
+had come to look upon all friendly advances made to him.
+
+The elation that he felt upon returning from Breslau to Castle Osternau
+was not damped by the fulfilment of his duties there. His little
+pupil's boyish eagerness to learn, his affectionate enthusiasm for his
+dear Herr Pigglewitch, warmed Egon's heart, while the hours spent in
+giving Lieschen her music-lessons were the most delightful he had ever
+passed in his life.
+
+After the daily game of billiards, in which, much to the Lieutenant's
+chagrin, Egon maintained his supremacy, Frau von Osternau accompanied
+her daughter and the tutor to the sitting-room, where the lesson on the
+piano was given. Egon began his instruction with an interest which the
+discovery of his pupil's talent for music heightened to enthusiasm, and
+the girl's progress was such that Frau von Osternau was charmed, and in
+the delight which these lessons gave her forgot that she had at first
+been present at them from a sense of duty. Indeed, her anxiety lest
+Lieschen's interest in her teacher might transcend the limits of that
+which a pupil should feel for a master seemed entirely groundless. The
+girl admired the musician, as did Frau von Osternau. She listened to
+every word of his, and did her best to obtain his approval. When he
+praised her her lovely face beamed with smiles, but it was to the
+teacher as such that she paid her tribute of respectful attention. The
+lesson once concluded, Lieschen was again the merry, artless, audacious
+child. She teased Herr Pigglewitch as she was wont to tease Cousin
+Albrecht, Herr Storting, and Herr von Wangen, the third inspector. She
+expressed without reserve her admiration for his skill at billiards and
+as a horseman, and then, when displeased by some reckless speech of
+his, she scolded him as unreservedly. She was as frankly familiar with
+him as with the others, and her conduct in this respect was at times a
+proof to her mother that her fears for her daughter had been unfounded.
+She willingly allowed the daily rides, during which the pair, of
+course, were never alone, Fritz always forming one of the party.
+
+It was a delight indeed to Egon to make these expeditions through field
+and forest with the sister and brother. Lieschen assumed all the
+gravity of age as she held forth to the Herr Candidate upon the
+mysteries of agriculture, now and then praising the progress made by
+her pupil, and she was no less charming when she laughed at him for his
+ignorance. Herr Storting was right when he prophesied that Egon would,
+like all the other inmates of the castle, shortly yield Fraeulein
+Lieschen a willing obedience. Egon smiled at his own folly, but none
+the less did he succumb to her charm, even putting a bridle upon his
+tongue when habit would have led him to utter some sneering remark. One
+word of admonition from Lieschen was enough to put him upon his guard.
+
+The life he led at Castle Osternau, in utter contradiction as it was to
+everything that he had known hitherto, threw a strange spell around
+him, made him calm and content, filled him with a satisfaction which
+forbade for the time all idea of change.
+
+At the noonday meal he no longer listened mutely to the agricultural
+discourse of the lord of the castle. His awakened interest found
+utterance in inquiry and discussion which afforded Herr von Osternau
+genuine pleasure. Frau von Osternau also would give the young man a
+kindly nod as she marked his growing interest in such topics. The
+Lieutenant alone was discontent; he never let slip an opportunity for a
+covert sneer at the Candidate. Egon paid no attention to his insulting
+words, but they called forth at times a sharp reproof from Herr von
+Osternau, which but served to embitter Albrecht still further against
+its cause.
+
+And the evenings around the tea-table, from which Egon would rise to
+take his seat at the piano, were perhaps the most enjoyed of all this
+pleasant existence. What matter was it to the young fellow if the
+Lieutenant hated him? He felt that every other member of the family
+regarded him with kindness, that Fritz positively worshipped him, that
+Frau von Osternau had confidence in him, that her husband treated him
+as his equal in rank, as a friend of the family. And Lieschen? She was
+as frank and merry as upon their first meeting. She even teased him now
+and then about his old coat, in which she still insisted he looked like
+a scarecrow, but at intervals, in the midst of her girlish merriment,
+her eyes would meet his own with a look which, he could hardly have
+told why, filled him with intense, unreasoning joy.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XI.
+                              GOOD ADVICE.
+
+
+"Bertha will arrive to-morrow," said Herr von Osternau, looking up from
+the letter which he had just received by the evening mail.
+
+Egon alone of all the little circle had had no letter, and he had
+therefore been looking over the paper, which he now dropped in dismay.
+Two weeks previously he had taken Herr von Osternau's letter to
+Breslau, and for a few days afterwards he had thought with a kind of
+dread of the threatened visit from Fraeulein von Massenburg, but as the
+invitation remained unanswered, and as there was no mention made by any
+of the family of Bertha, he had forgotten that the peaceful life at
+Castle Osternau might be disturbed by the intrusion of a foreign
+element. His dismay was shared by Frau von Osternau and Lieschen, as
+was evident from their faces as they looked up from their letters.
+
+"Indeed!" said Frau von Osternau. "I hoped that Bertha would refuse our
+invitation, since she has left it so long unanswered. Has she written
+herself?"
+
+"No; Sastrow tells me that she is to leave Berlin early to-morrow
+morning, and so she will be here towards evening. You can read his
+letter, or I will read it to you. Albrecht and Herr Pigglewitch heard
+his first, and this is simply a conclusion of it." And the old Herr
+began:
+
+
+"My Dear Fritz,--Forgive me for delaying my thanks for your prompt
+response to my request. You must have daily expected my reply, but I
+could not before inform you exactly when Bertha would go to you. Almost
+immediately after the arrival of your letter Werner von Massenburg came
+to me in a state of great perturbation, to tell me that Egon von Ernau
+had probably not killed himself, but was knocking about in the
+mountains somewhere. One of his intimate acquaintances had seen him in
+Breslau two or three days after his disappearance. Werner had himself
+seen this acquaintance, a certain Baron von Freistetten, and had heard
+the tidings from his own lips. The Baron assured him that as he was
+driving to the railway-station in Breslau he had seen Ernau on the
+sidewalk, walking very quickly. The Baron was in a hurry to catch his
+train, and so had not accosted his friend, but he knew him well enough
+to be sure that it was he. He nodded to him from the carriage, but
+Ernau was looking at some books in a bookseller's window, and did not
+perceive him. If he had known that Ernau was reported dead, the Baron
+would certainly, even at the risk of losing his train, have stopped and
+identified the missing man; but he had been absent from the capital for
+some time, and knew nothing of the gossip current there. However, he is
+ready to take his oath that the man whom he saw was no other than Egon
+von Ernau.
+
+"Werner fairly shook with agitation as he recounted this wonderful
+story to my wife, to Bertha, and to me; he had just come from the
+Councillor Ernau, whom he reported as quite as much agitated as himself
+by Freistetten's statement. They discussed what was best to do under
+the circumstances, and decided that a notice should be sent to the
+newspapers contradicting the report of the suicide of young Ernau, who
+had merely left Berlin upon a pleasure-trip. The Councillor was also to
+engage the police to make search for his son in Breslau. They agreed
+that if, as they both believed, Egon von Ernau still lived, nothing
+should be changed in their former arrangements. The Councillor was
+convinced that his son would not think of relinquishing his claim upon
+Bertha's hand, especially after the public scandal to which his
+disappearance had given rise.
+
+"You know Werner Massenburg, and how sanguine he is; nothing that I
+could say as to the possibility of a mistake on Baron Freistetten's
+part had any effect upon him. His hopes were again high, and he thought
+it quite natural that young Ernau, who had always followed the impulse
+of the moment, should have chosen this time for a short absence from
+Berlin. According to the unanimous verdict of his companions, the young
+man was ready to commit any folly, and to carry out, regardless of the
+feelings of others, any project that might occur to him.
+
+"Neither I nor my wife was convinced by what he said, but Bertha
+listened to him with sparkling eyes, and declared that nothing should
+induce her to leave Berlin until the matter of Egon's absence was fully
+explained; she would write to you instantly and decline your invitation
+with thanks. I dissuaded her with difficulty from doing so.
+
+"Again, after her father had left us, I entreated her to pause and
+consider. If young Ernau still lived, his want of regard for the
+feelings of others had proved him entirely incapable of making a wife
+happy. I painted her future linked for life with so eccentric, selfish,
+and _blase_ a husband; but my words had no effect whatever upon her,
+she only smiled. Her smile is wonderfully lovely, but it did not then
+seem lovely to me, it made me shudder.
+
+"She had, she declared with calm decision, no anxiety for the future if
+she could but attain her desire of becoming young Ernau's wife. If the
+young man did really, as was by no means certain, feel a certain
+antipathy for her, which had been the cause of his temporary flight, it
+should be her task to cure him of his dislike. Without vanity, she was
+conscious of possessing enough beauty to inflame the heart of any man
+susceptible to a woman's charms, if she so desired to do. Therefore she
+must stay in Berlin. So brilliant a match must not be resigned without
+a struggle. Herr von Ernau's reputed eccentricities mattered nothing to
+her; he was immensely rich, a gentleman, and born and bred in the best
+society; these advantages outweighed all else. She laid no claim to
+idyllic bliss in marriage, she was perfectly indifferent as to whether
+she could love or even esteem her future husband, if he could but
+satisfy her requirements in the life she wished to lead, and if, above
+all, he could deliver her father from his pecuniary embarrassments.
+
+"My good wife listened with positive horror to these declarations, and
+I was indignant. I cannot tell you how unlovely, with all her beauty,
+Bertha seemed to us; and we have not recovered from the effects of this
+impression. The girl has taken the greatest pains to please us since
+then, and has been charming and bewitching, but in vain. I cannot but
+think, whenever I look at her, of her sordid views of life, and I do
+not trust her cordiality; it comes from calculation. She wants to stay
+with us in Berlin, and therefore she flatters and caresses my wife and
+myself and anticipates all our wishes.
+
+"Werner supposed that the notice sent to the papers would put a stop to
+all scandalous gossip, but such has not been the case. You can have no
+idea of the annoyance to which we have been subjected; my wife actually
+talks of retiring from society.
+
+"Under these circumstances Bertha must not remain with us any longer at
+present. I explained this to her to-day and told her that she really
+must leave for Castle Osternau to-morrow morning. Her eyes flashed as I
+spoke, and she was evidently tempted to make an angry retort, but she
+possesses immense self-control: she thanked me most amiably for
+allowing her to stay with us until now in spite of the annoyance she
+had caused us. She declared herself quite ready to start for Castle
+Osternau to-morrow, but at the same time begged that she might return
+to us if Egon von Ernau ever made his reappearance in the capital. This
+request was preferred so bewitchingly that I could not but accede to
+it.
+
+"So Bertha will arrive at Castle Osternau towards evening to-morrow. I
+know, my dear Fritz, how much I ask of your wife and yourself when I
+beg you to keep her with you for some time, but I cannot help hoping
+that this visit may turn out well. Bertha can be extremely delightful
+if she chooses to be so, and I am sure she will so choose in this case.
+Farewell. I send a thousand affectionate messages to your wife from her
+grateful old uncle,
+
+                                                        "Sastrow."
+
+
+"A charming prospect!" said Frau von Osternau when her husband had
+finished. "If our good-natured uncle Sastrow is so indignant with
+Bertha von Massenburg, she must have behaved badly. Can you ask me--can
+you ask Lieschen, Fritz, to make her welcome here for months?"
+
+"You look only on the dark side, Emma. Sastrow says expressly that she
+can be enchantingly amiable if she chooses."
+
+"Any one who is amiable only when she chooses is not amiable at all,"
+his wife replied. "Indeed, Bertha von Massenburg does not seem to me a
+fit companion for Lieschen. I am afraid we have been somewhat hasty
+about this invitation."
+
+"It has been given and accepted, Emma. Bertha is coming to-morrow, and
+hospitality demands that she be kindly received. Neither you nor
+Lieschen, I hope, Emma, will forget that."
+
+"Must I play the hypocrite, papa? How can I receive Bertha kindly when
+I am indignant at her conduct? I think it detestable in her to insist
+upon marrying that miserable Egon von Ernau when she knows that he does
+not like her and that he is a worthless man. I cannot tell you, papa,
+how odious Bertha's greed for wealth seems to me, and you tell me to
+receive her kindly. I cannot pretend to what I do not feel."
+
+"I do not ask you, dear, to lavish affection upon her or to adopt her
+as your confidential friend, but to treat her as a relative of the
+family who has come to live with us for a while. You are no longer a
+child, Lieschen, and you must learn to fulfil the conventional
+requirements of society. I never desire you to play the hypocrite, and
+a courteous silence as to what we are thinking at the moment is not
+hypocrisy. You must accustom yourself, my dear, not to wear your heart
+upon your sleeve, and to bridle your tongue."
+
+Lieschen was unaccustomed to so serious an admonition from her father,
+and she replied, meekly, "I will try, papa," while her mother did not
+look up from her work, but knitted faster than ever.
+
+All were a little put out of tune by the news of Bertha's arrival, with
+the exception of the Lieutenant; he expressed the hope that the
+beautiful Fraeulein von Massenburg would put fresh life into the old
+castle. He took Bertha's part; he could not see how she was to be
+blamed for wishing to be wealthy for her father's sake. Certainly
+Lieschen least of all ought to find fault with her frank expression of
+her sentiments as to wealth. As in royal families, so also in the
+higher aristocratic circles, marriages were contracted without the
+sentimental affection talked of in novels; Bertha was only conforming
+to the laws of good society if she overlooked Egon von Ernau's trifling
+defects and showed herself ready for a union which would relieve her
+father from pecuniary embarrassment. Even judging from Herr von
+Sastrow's prejudiced description, young Ernau was a talented man of
+unstained honour, and it would be inexcusable folly in Bertha not to
+overlook any little faults in one so richly endowed.
+
+Although the Lieutenant delivered himself thus with a degree of
+enthusiasm, no voice was raised in sympathy with him; Frau von Osternau
+maintained an obstinate silence, seeming to be absorbed in her
+knitting, Lieschen frankly declared that she could not understand a
+nature so coldly calculating, and thought it detestable, and all that
+Herr von Osternau said was that he could not judge Bertha until he had
+seen her, and that, whatever she might be, no member of his family was
+justified in showing her anything save kindness; it would be best for
+the present to drop all discussion of her, and he therefore begged Herr
+Pigglewitch to go to the piano and soothe their troubled minds.
+
+Egon complied, but he himself was so filled with all kinds of
+conflicting thoughts and emotions that his heart was not in his music,
+and he soon arose from the instrument. It was impossible to resume the
+customary happy evening talk, all were absent and uncomfortable in
+mind, and the circle broke up at an unusually early hour.
+
+On the following day both Lieschen and her mother were depressed in
+spirits. They scarcely spoke during dinner, and but for the talk
+between the master of the house and his inspectors there would have
+been absolute silence.
+
+When the time came for the afternoon ride Fritzchen was about to rush
+off to order the horses, but Lieschen detained him.
+
+"Let us take a little walk to-day, Herr Pigglewitch," she said. "My
+father wishes me to arrange some flowers in Bertha von Massenburg's
+room, so I cannot be away from home long, and yet I have a great deal
+to say to you. I do not want to ride to-day, we can talk so much more
+easily on foot."
+
+"Oh, Lieschen, it is delightful to gallop across the fields, and you
+always talk all the time to Herr Pigglewitch," Fritz cried out, with a
+discontented air, but Egon pacified him by promising to ride with him
+after their walk, and the little fellow ran on before the pair who
+sauntered slowly out into the fields.
+
+In the narrow path along which they strolled Lieschen walked close by
+Egon's side. She had said that she had much to say to him, but she
+seemed unable to begin, and even when Egon asked the name of a distant
+hamlet she gave a brief, hasty reply, and then walked on with downcast
+eyes, until her companion, eager to put an end to the uncomfortable
+silence, asked, directly, "What have you to say to me, Fraeulein
+Lieschen?"
+
+She looked up at him.
+
+"You are right to remind me; it is folly to delay asking your advice,
+since I have made up my mind to do so. I do not often need advice, my
+own feeling tells me what I ought to do, and I follow its promptings,
+but to-day it leaves me in the lurch, I am doubtful whether I feel and
+judge rightly, wherefore I want to ask your advice, only you must
+promise me, Herr Pigglewitch, to tell me your opinion frankly, even at
+the risk of offending me."
+
+"I promise you."
+
+"It really is strange for me to turn to you for advice. When you came
+to us two weeks ago, I had no confidence in you, you talked so oddly,
+and ridiculed what I held sacred,--I was almost afraid of you. I
+thought you could not be a good man. Do you remember I told you so the
+first day you came?"
+
+"I have forgotten none of your words."
+
+"I was wrong. You have been very different since. When I see you now
+and hear you talk I can hardly believe you are the same man who talked
+so frivolously about self-destruction. You looked strangely and your
+laugh was so bitter that it hurt me, but now you laugh from your heart,
+and you look so kind and sincere that I cannot help having faith in
+you. I beg your pardon for what I said. You certainly are a good man,
+or Fritzchen would not be so fond of you. None but good men win the
+affection of children."
+
+Egon's heart beat as he listened to her simple words. She was right;
+fourteen days had made another man of him. Formerly such praise from
+girlish lips would have excited his ridicule, now it delighted him. "I
+hope your opinion of to-day may prove as correct as was your former
+one," he said. "I am trying, at all events, to improve."
+
+Lieschen looked up at him gratefully. "Yes, you shall advise me. To
+whom should I turn when I am at odds with myself? To my parents? Oh, I
+know how ready they are to help me, but upon this point they do not
+agree. To Albrecht? Never. He is not good. I never could trust him. But
+you wish me well,--I know you do,--and you will be frank with me."
+
+Egon did not speak, but his eyes were more eloquent than words.
+
+"You shall hear how I am at odds with myself," Lieschen went on. "It is
+about Bertha von Massenburg. My father wishes me to receive her
+affectionately, to let no word or look betray how indignant I am with
+her, with her sordid views, her odious conduct. My dear father is so
+gentle and kind, he cannot bear to think ill of any one. He does not
+believe in Bertha's low motives. It is easy for him to receive her
+kindly, but in me it would be hypocrisy. Must I be a hypocrite? Should
+not truth be our first consideration? Ought I to be false to myself out
+of conformity with conventional ideas of courtesy? Nothing makes me so
+indignant as falsehood, and now I am asked to act a falsehood myself.
+My mother thinks as I do, but she submits. In whatever my father
+seriously desires she always obeys him. He yields to her in all small
+matters, but when he has formed an opinion upon any important question
+my mother always conforms to it. I know that she is as indignant as I
+am about Bertha von Massenburg, but she never will allow it to be seen;
+my father's wish is her law, and it has always been mine, but now I am
+sure he is mistaken. Advise me what to do. What would you do if you
+were in my place?"
+
+Egon's gaze was bent upon the ground. He did not dare to look into the
+clear eyes that were questioning his face. 'Nothing makes me so
+indignant as falsehood,' the girl had just said, and her words yet
+sounded in his ears. Was not his whole life at Castle Osternau a
+falsehood? She did not dream of the sentence she had passed upon him.
+She hated falsehood, and asked advice of him! He commanded his voice
+with difficulty, and, without lifting his eyes, said, "You wish to know
+what I should do? I cannot tell you. I do not know. It has always been
+my misfortune to yield to the impulse of the moment. How can I tell
+what that impulse might be?"
+
+"Is that all you have to say? You have no advice to give me?"
+
+"What ought I to say? Can I advise you to disobey your father? Should I
+be tempted to do so I might perhaps sin grievously, not only against
+Herr von Osternau, good and kind as he is, but against Fraeulein von
+Massenburg. It is easy to pronounce a harsh judgment upon those who
+have not acted rightly according to our convictions, but what do we
+really know of their springs of action? How do you know that it has not
+cost Fraeulein von Massenburg a bitter struggle to insist upon her union
+with Herr von Ernau, whom you call a miserable fellow, judging him no
+less harshly than you judge her? Do you know him at all except from the
+description of a man who is not acquainted with him? And if he is, as
+Herr von Sastrow says, at odds with life, do you know what has made him
+so? I can imagine a wretched man satiated from earliest childhood with
+every pleasure that money can procure, with no wish ungratified save
+that for affection, never having known the love of either father or
+mother, miserably lonely, surrounded by flatterers and parasites who
+feign friendship for the sake of his riches, but who care nothing for
+him in reality. Is it his fault if he has become disgusted with
+his fellow-men, if he is vain, _blase_, dictatorial, destitute of
+self-control? How do you know that deep in the soul of the man whom you
+have condemned there do not slumber the sparks of nobler and truer
+sentiments, beneath the ashes of the ruin wrought by his ill-spent
+life? It needs but a breath, perhaps, to make this spark a flame, a
+breath of self-inspection or a breath of affection, and yet you condemn
+him. If he should judge himself as you judge him, the spark would
+surely die beneath the ashes, and he would be lost without hope of
+rescue."
+
+Lieschen stared at the speaker in wonder. "How strangely you speak,"
+she said, "exactly as if you knew Herr von Ernau! And how agitated you
+have become! you have grown quite pale. Oh, you must know Herr von
+Ernau, or you would not thus defend him."
+
+"I did not mean to defend him," Egon replied, in some confusion. "He
+may not deserve any defence. I only wished to point out to you the
+harshness of your judgment both of him and of Fraeulein von Massenburg,
+and to show you that your knowledge of them is insufficient to allow of
+your forming such a judgment."
+
+"That means that you advise me not to receive Bertha Massenburg coldly,
+but to suppress my dislike for her and comply with my father's wishes?"
+
+"I am not worthy to advise you to do anything save to act according to
+the dictates of your own heart."
+
+Lieschen shook her head. "You are a very strange person, Herr
+Pigglewitch," she said, with a smile. "You do not wish to advise me,
+and yet you have given me advice which I shall follow. You have shown
+me clearly that I was wrong in condemning Herr von Ernau and Bertha,
+and that my dear father was right in asking me to receive Bertha
+kindly. I am glad I came to you for counsel. I shall think of what you
+said about Herr von Ernau, and I should like to hear more of him from
+you, for I am sure you know him; but I cannot now, for it is time to
+return to the castle."
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XII.
+                         BERTHA VON MASSENBURG.
+
+
+After a long ride with Fritzchen, Egon returned to the castle later
+than usual. As they rode into the courtyard a dusty carriage was
+standing before the carriage-house, and old Wenzel informed them that
+the Fraeulein from Berlin had arrived a little while before.
+
+During the ride the talk of his lively young pupil had left Egon small
+time for reflection, and he really felt a desire to be alone for a
+time. Much as he usually enjoyed the evenings spent with the family, he
+preferred to pass this one in his own room, and he suspected also that
+his kind employers would be quite willing to dispense with his society
+upon this particular occasion. He therefore commissioned Fritzchen to
+tell his father that he would not intrude upon the family this evening,
+but would remain in his own apartments. Scarcely had he reached them,
+however, before Fritz made his appearance to say that his father had
+sent him to tell Herr Pigglewitch that he could not possibly intrude,
+and that he should expect him at the tea-table. After giving his
+message the boy hurried away, declaring that he must go instantly to
+his 'lovely new cousin.' She seemed to have quite supplanted his adored
+tutor, for the while, in the child's affections.
+
+Of course Egon could not but comply with Herr von Osternau's expressed
+desire. Reluctant as he was to confront Bertha von Massenburg, he knew
+that he must meet her sooner or later, and he resigned himself with the
+best grace possible to the inevitable. He dressed quickly and repaired
+to the tea-room.
+
+Before he reached it he heard the notes of a popular _Conzertstueck_
+played with great execution. He paused in the corridor and listened. He
+knew the thing well enough, he had played it several times himself, but
+always with distaste, for he did not like this style of music, but he
+listened attentively, for he knew how much practice it must have
+required before it could be rendered thus clearly and brilliantly.
+
+He did not listen long, for there could be, he thought, no better
+moment in which to enter the room unnoticed than just when every one
+was occupied in listening to the music; he softly opened the door and
+entered.
+
+His first glance fell upon the performer, whose back was towards him,
+his second upon a tall mirror opposite that reflected her face and
+figure. Involuntarily he stood still.
+
+He had heard that Bertha von Massenburg was beautiful, and Herr von
+Sastrow's letter had confirmed the report, but the image reflected in
+the mirror amazed him by its wondrous, transporting beauty,--beauty
+consisting not only in faultless regularity of feature, but much more
+in the strange loveliness of expression, in the gentle smile of the
+delicately-chiselled mouth, in the dark, fiery eyes that sparkled
+beneath long lashes, in the grace which informed every motion of the
+full yet slender figure. A piano-player is seldom graceful in the
+exercise of her art, but with Bertha von Massenburg even the rapid
+movement of hands and fingers as they flew over the keys seemed natural
+and beautiful; therein lay one charm of her playing, and yet, masterly
+as it was, it lacked something,--it lacked depth of feeling. Was it
+really lacking? or was there no opportunity for its revelation in a
+brilliant drawing-room piece of music, which was calculated to display
+merely the execution and skill of the performer?
+
+Egon remained standing near the door, after bowing to Herr and Frau von
+Osternau, and exchanging glances in the mirror with Lieschen, who stood
+with her back to him, turning over the leaves for her cousin. At last
+the piece was concluded; the performer arose, and was greeted with
+enthusiastic applause from the Lieutenant, who advanced from the recess
+of a window. Herr von Osternau also expressed his admiration of the
+performance. "Brilliant indeed," he said. "You are an artist, not a
+_dilettante_. You will have all the more pleasure in making the
+acquaintance of another artist in our Fritz's tutor, Herr Pigglewitch,
+whom I beg leave to present to you."
+
+The smile which Egon's assumed name when first heard was sure to
+provoke hovered upon Bertha's lips as she turned to the tutor, looking
+at him with evident interest and curiosity. Her glance took in his
+entire figure, his movements, his bow upon being presented, in short,
+she observed him so closely as almost to embarrass him, as she said,
+easily, "My kind uncle pays a very high compliment to my indifferent
+performance in ranking me with you, Herr Pigglewitch,"--the smile
+deepened on the charming mouth. "I have heard that you are a true
+artist, and had I known that you were standing behind me I might have
+hesitated to continue my performance and subject myself to your
+criticism."
+
+She had seen Egon in the mirror upon his first entrance, and he knew
+that this was so, for their glances had met. "I hate falsehood!"
+Lieschen had said. Why was Bertha untrue? Where was her inducement to
+be so? Had untruth become to her a second nature, as to so many women
+of the world of society? Egon suddenly felt himself transported to the
+old life which he knew so well,--Herr von Osternau's pleasant room
+changed to a brilliant ball-room, and before him stood one of the
+ball-room puppets whom he so hated and despised, particularly when they
+tried to make themselves attractive by flattering him.
+
+Involuntarily he stood more erect. The disdainful smile which Lieschen
+had so disliked, and which she had not seen of late, appeared on his
+lips as he replied, "Is it possible that you fear criticism, Fraeulein?
+A mastery of technique is the ideal of our modern art. You are
+certainly aware that the sternest critic would not withhold his
+recognition of the brilliancy of your execution, but must pronounce you
+a virtuoso indeed."
+
+"A virtuoso? My kind uncle called me an artist, and I was proud that he
+did so."
+
+"Who makes such subtile distinctions nowadays? The virtuoso is the only
+true artist. He alone represents the true modern ideal; he is never led
+astray by the genius, now so out of fashion, of wearisome classical
+music."
+
+Her eyes flashed. "You think you can interpret this genius, or you
+would not pass such a criticism upon modern art," Bertha replied,
+sharply. "Pray take my place at the piano. He who pronounces such
+sentences must justify them by his own performance."
+
+Her cheek flushed slightly as she spoke, her dark eyes glowed, she
+seemed to Egon at the moment enchantingly beautiful. Her tone and her
+words were not those of a ball-room puppet. Bertha was not of them,
+then; she could be vexed and angry and could transgress conventional
+forms, as was proved by her request to him and by its manner.
+
+He obeyed, dominated by her glance. He took her place at the piano, but
+for a few moments his hands rested idly upon the keys and his eyes were
+downcast. The glow in those large black eyes recalled to him the memory
+of old days which he had thought half forgotten, when suddenly the eyes
+into which he gazed turned, in his vision, from black to dark, melting
+blue, and were filled with sympathy for the mental struggles through
+which he was constantly passing. The spell of the moment that had
+summoned up the past was dissolved; he belonged again to the peaceful
+present. Involuntarily the hands upon the keys began to give expression
+to the gladness that arose within him. He played he knew not what, the
+various melodies awoke and resolved themselves to harmony beneath his
+touch, he played as if in a dream, uttering in tones all that he would
+have said to the lovely child to whom he owed a new and delicious
+content of soul,--exulting words of joy, gentle words of gratitude,
+tender words of love.
+
+"Bravo! bravo!" The Lieutenant, desirous of showing his impartial love
+of art by applauding the detested tutor, clapped his hands loudly. His
+'bravo!' roused Egon from his dream as the last notes died away.
+
+He arose. His first glance sought Lieschen, who had been standing
+behind him, and, who involuntarily held out her hand to him, while
+tears stood in her frank eyes.
+
+Bertha seemed no less affected. "Thank you," she said, and her voice
+faltered. "I promise you that you never shall hear a drawing-room
+performance from me again."
+
+"Splendid! wonderful!" exclaimed the Lieutenant. "Herr Pigglewitch, you
+have surpassed yourself, you never played so delightfully before. It is
+your work, Fraeulein von Massenburg. Of course, Herr Pigglewitch did his
+best not to disgrace himself before such an artist. You must play us
+something else, Herr Pigglewitch."
+
+But this Egon was not to be induced to do, and to cut short the
+Lieutenant's persistence he closed the piano, and just in time, for
+Frau von Osternau at that moment called them to the tea-table.
+
+Herr von Sastrow had declared that Bertha von Massenburg could be
+charming if she chose to be, and she certainly chose to be this
+evening; she captivated every member of the Osternau family, even, at
+last, Lieschen and Frau von Osternau, in spite of their prejudices. She
+did not appear to notice that at first Frau von Osternau's manner was
+but coolly courteous, and that Lieschen scarcely spoke at all, and
+never addressed her. She talked on innocently and gaily, and was so
+cordial and amiable that Frau von Osternau could not but abandon her
+reserve, and Lieschen became herself once more. As for the head of the
+house, Bertha had charmed him from the very first, while the Lieutenant
+was quite enraptured by her, although she paid him less attention than
+she bestowed upon any other of the little circle. She was more gracious
+even to the tutor than to Cousin Albrecht.
+
+Indeed, the manner in which she included Egon in the conversation was
+especially pleasing to Herr von Osternau. In every word which she
+addressed to the young man she showed the estimation in which she held
+so accomplished a musician. She said not one flattering word to him
+with regard to the pleasure he had given her, but there was a
+respectful acknowledgment of his superiority in the way in which she
+listened to everything that he said when the conversation turned upon
+modern music.
+
+With infinite tact she avoided dwelling upon her late stay in Berlin
+when the Lieutenant clumsily alluded to it. She spoke of her uncle von
+Sastrow with the greatest affection, but speedily contrived to change
+the subject.
+
+The evening passed delightfully. The head of the house was late in
+giving the sign for retiring, and did so at last only in view of his
+wife's admonition that it was time to bid good-night, since he
+generally paid for so pleasant an evening by some hours of
+sleeplessness.
+
+"Well, Emma," he said when he and his wife were again alone together,
+"do you now think that Bertha will be a disturbing element in our
+little circle? I fancy you are cured of your prejudice against her."
+
+Frau von Osternau did not immediately reply, perhaps she would gladly
+have been relieved from the necessity of doing so, but when her husband
+repeated his question she said, "I have not yet made up my mind about
+Bertha. I confess that so long as I was with her, and listened to her
+gay, innocent talk, and looked into her dark, sparkling eyes, I was
+charmed with her; she captivated me as she did you and Albrecht and
+Herr Pigglewitch, and even Lieschen, who finally treated her as
+affectionately as she used to do when Bertha visited us years ago. But
+now that she is no longer present, and that I am not subject to the
+magic of her eye, I am doubtful about her. Was her amiability from the
+heart? She seems unaffected, but is she so in reality? I must defer
+giving you my opinion of Bertha until we have known her longer."
+
+The same doubt that troubled the gentle mistress of the castle
+tormented Egon, as he paced his room to and fro, pondering upon the
+evening he had just passed. Frau von Osternau was right in saying that
+Bertha had captivated him; she seemed to him so wondrously beautiful
+that even Lieschen's lovely image paled beside her.
+
+"If you had seen her a while ago you would not have fled from Berlin,
+and she would have been your wife," he said to himself, and his
+imagination ran riot in picturing what might then have been his future.
+To call that exquisite creature his own, to love her and be loved in
+return, to spend his life beside her,--the thought quickened his pulses
+and his temples throbbed.
+
+He opened the window. The cool night air refreshed him. As he looked
+out into the black night of the garden, two strips of light were marked
+distinctly upon the dark lawn. The one was thrown there by the light in
+his room. Whence came the other? Involuntarily he wondered, whence? Ah,
+from Lieschen's window. Was she too gazing out into the dark night? Her
+image suddenly arose in his soul as clear and distinct as Bertha's, it
+looked at him reproachfully, the lips parted to say, "I detest nothing
+so much as falsehood!" He almost heard the words.
+
+Clearer and more brilliant grew Lieschen's fair and lovely image, while
+Bertha's faded into night and darkness. He turned from the window
+calmed and cheered.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XIII.
+                          A WISE YOUNG JUDGE.
+
+
+The spell which Bertha von Massenburg had cast around the inmates of
+Castle Osternau upon her first appearance within its walls did not
+fade, but grew stronger, and embraced in its charm every individual of
+the household, with the exception of Lieschen. Both the inspectors,
+Herr von Wangen and Herr Storting, and even all the servants succumbed
+to it. Her sweetness and gaiety were unvarying; she had a word of
+kindness for all, and knew exactly when to utter it.
+
+She talked with Herr von Osternau of his farming, and displayed a
+degree of knowledge and judgment in such matters rare indeed in a young
+girl. Her entire childhood before the sequestration of her father's
+estates had been spent in the country. She had kept alive all her
+interest in country pursuits and occupations, and was never weary of
+introducing a discussion of her uncle's favourite topic. It was a
+genuine delight to the old man to be able to explain his theories and
+practice to her, while her large black eyes gazed intelligently into
+his own; and not less did he enjoy her gay talk of Koenigsberg and
+Berlin, and her affectionate, caressing way of leaning her head on his
+shoulder and stroking the gray hair from his forehead as she called him
+her dear, dear uncle Fritz.
+
+Nor could Frau von Osternau resist the influence which Bertha exercised
+upon her also. There was no withstanding the girl's innocent, amiable
+readiness to assist in any occupation in which her aunt was engaged.
+She was sure to place the footstool just in the right place for Frau
+von Osternau's feet, and was always ready to take up dropped stitches
+in her knitting, or to ring the bell just when the servant was wanted,
+or to make herself useful and indispensable in the household in a
+thousand ways. Cultivated and well bred as she was, she disdained no
+feminine occupation. Indeed, she was a pattern for Lieschen, who had
+been allowed, her mother thought as she watched Bertha's ways, to run
+wild altogether too long. And then how perfect was her behaviour
+towards the gentlemen of the family! She received their homage with
+genuine pleasure, but never exacted it, and armed herself with a
+dignified reserve whenever there was the slightest risk of their
+attentions becoming importunate. This was especially the case with her
+treatment of the Lieutenant, who paid her decided court, and this often
+in a way which annoyed Frau von Osternau, although Bertha was never
+thrown off her guard, but preserved her maidenly dignity intact. On the
+other hand, she encouraged the shy young inspector, Herr von Wangen, by
+a charming degree of kindly interest in his labours.
+
+Herr von Wangen was the only son of a wealthy landed proprietor in West
+Prussia. His father had sent him to Castle Osternau to learn
+agriculture upon a model estate, and in the hope of conquering his
+great natural shyness by a stay among strangers. The bashful young
+fellow, who at table scarcely spoke unless he was spoken to, and who
+rarely accepted an invitation to join the family at tea, for fear of
+transgressing some rule of social life, was suddenly metamorphosed by
+Bertha's arrival. He began to converse at dinner with Bertha, who sat
+next him, and as she kindly encouraged him he soon took part in the
+general conversation, and gladly joined the family in the evenings.
+
+Frau von Osternau was grateful to the girl for thus drawing out the
+young man. She had frequently regretted that the son of one of her
+husband's oldest friends should spend almost all his leisure time in
+his own apartment. She observed with great satisfaction the signs in
+Herr von Wangen of a budding attachment for her charming guest. Bertha
+grew in favour with her as the good lady began to indulge in such plans
+for the future as are dearest to the feminine mind. Herr von Wangen
+was, to be sure, rather young,--only a couple of years older than
+Bertha,--but he was an excellent match for her, since she had given up
+all thoughts of Herr von Ernau. It seemed doubtful to Frau von
+Osternau, however, whether Bertha would smile upon the young fellow's
+suit; there were signs that her fancy had been suddenly caught by one
+who, of all the men in the house, paid her the least attention,--Herr
+Gottlieb Pigglewitch. She must be sure about this, and so she carefully
+watched them both.
+
+She soon made up her mind that Bertha was greatly interested in the
+tutor; her tone of voice changed when she addressed him; she never
+jested with him as she did with Herr Storting and Herr von Wangen, or
+even with the Lieutenant; she was more reserved with him, although she
+listened eagerly to everything that he said. When engaged in lively
+conversation with others she nevertheless heard every word uttered by
+the Candidate, and she watched him when she thought herself unobserved.
+She was always present during Lieschen's music-lessons; she had asked
+permission to be in the room, saying, with a smile, that she could not
+ask Herr Pigglewitch to give her actual lessons, but that he could do
+so indirectly if he would allow her to observe his method with
+Lieschen. And she also joined the afternoon walks and rides which Herr
+Pigglewitch took with Lieschen and Fritz. She was a bold, fearless
+horsewoman, and especially enjoyed the rides. She certainly knew how
+well she looked in her riding-habit, and how the hat upon her black
+curls' became her.
+
+And it was a significant fact, Frau von Osternau thought, that Bertha
+was never to be induced either to play on the piano or to sing when the
+Candidate was present, while in his absence she was always amiably
+ready to do so. She evidently feared his criticism. When he played she
+listened in rapt attention.
+
+All these observations confirmed Frau von Osternau in her suspicion
+that Bertha was in danger of falling in love with the tutor, but she
+was led to doubt this again by certain observations and remarks of the
+young girl's, which gave her much food for reflection,--remarks similar
+to those which had so shocked her uncle Sastrow, and which were
+exceedingly singular in the mouth of a lovely young girl, since they
+betokened a perfectly materialistic conception of life and its duties.
+
+Bertha was wont in conversation to play the part of a listener; she was
+usually reserved in the expression of her own views, and it was only
+when very much interested that she took a lively part in any
+discussion, but then she was apt to become eager and to express herself
+with reckless frankness. Thus at times she advanced opinions which
+shocked Frau von Osternau no less than they had Herr von Sastrow.
+
+One evening, when the conversation turned upon a distant relative of
+Herr von Osternau, a beautiful young girl of an ancient noble family,
+who had just become the wife of a poor young bourgeois councillor, with
+whom she had long been carrying on a compromising love-affair, a sharp
+war of words had arisen between Herr von Osternau and the Lieutenant,
+the former expressing his great satisfaction in the marriage as the
+only atonement for the past, while Albrecht severely denounced the
+_mesalliance_ with a poor man from the people. Bertha agreed eagerly
+with the Lieutenant, declaring that a daughter of an ancient and noble
+race might be pardoned for yielding, in a moment of weakness, to an
+impulse of the heart, in bestowing her love upon a man her inferior in
+rank, but that she acted unpardonably in degrading herself and her
+family by a marriage with this inferior, especially if he were poor.
+There was only one thing which could justify such a _mesalliance_, and
+that was immense wealth on the part of the inferior in rank,--wealth
+that could reinstate in splendour an impoverished family of noble
+descent. The present Frau Councillor had been both unprincipled and
+foolish: unprincipled in forgetting what was due to her noble descent,
+and foolish in forgetting what was due to herself. The highest aim of
+existence was enjoyment, and it was unpardonable folly to resign all
+the delights which wealth could procure for the sake of indulging in a
+brief dream of love from which one must soon awake to bitter repentance
+and misery.
+
+Frau von Osternau listened in dismay; her favourable opinion of Bertha
+was shaken by her avowal of such sentiments, but the unpleasant
+impression faded when Bertha immediately afterwards showed herself so
+sweet-tempered and charming that it was impossible to resist her. Frau
+von Osternau could not but think that in her interest the young girl
+had been led to say more than she meant; it was a pity, but excusable;
+she was sure that Bertha herself would never conform her actions to the
+opinion which she had asserted, and the girl's evident interest in Herr
+Pigglewitch seemed to her suspicious.
+
+The good lady could not decide as to the sentiments entertained by the
+tutor for her guest, indeed the young man was more of a puzzle to her
+than ever. Immediately after his arrival at the castle he had become
+quite a different creature, had been transformed from an awkward,
+uncouth Candidate into a courteous, well-bred gentleman, a restlessness
+of manner peculiar to him had entirely vanished, and now since Bertha's
+arrival he had undergone another metamorphosis.
+
+His eyes again showed the same restless gleam that animated them when
+he was agitated, the scornful smile, so long absent from his lips,
+again often hovered there, accompanying some sneering remark, and there
+was a want of repose about him which made itself especially apparent
+when he improvised upon the piano. Frau von Osternau often seemed to
+hear the cry of a wounded heart in the strange, wild melodies that
+echoed beneath his fingers, and anon she would be carried away by the
+din and strife of a chaos of tones which harassed and troubled her, and
+from which there was no escape save by a crashing dissonance. His
+playing was always admirable, but it no longer brought refreshment to
+the mind, it was bewildering, confusing. Lieschen was profoundly aware
+of this; her eyes did not fill with tears as she listened, but her
+cheek paled and her downcast glance would avoid that of the player when
+he had finished. When he noticed this he would turn away with a shiver,
+and pass his hand across his eyes as if to brush away some cloud, then,
+seating himself again at the instrument, he would evoke from it such
+touching sounds as quickly reconciled Frau von Osternau to the artist.
+
+His conduct towards Bertha grew to be as contradictory as his music.
+When he gazed at her his eyes would glow darkly, but when they were
+turned upon Lieschen their fire faded, a happy expression took its
+place, too often to be banished again by the mere sound of Bertha's
+voice. He seldom appealed directly to her in conversation; he even
+avoided all _tete-a-tetes_ with her, but what he said to others was
+constantly addressed indirectly to her. And this was frequently the
+case, as Lieschen told her mother, during their rides. The Herr
+Candidate addressed Fritzchen or herself, but what he said was meant
+for Bertha.
+
+In short, Pigglewitch had become entirely changed since Bertha's
+arrival; he was the same only in one respect,--his duties were most
+scrupulously fulfilled. Over Fritzchen he exercised the same
+affectionate superintendence, beneath which his little pupil made
+extraordinary progress, and he acted with the same conscientiousness in
+his instruction of Lieschen. During the music-lessons he had neither
+eyes nor words for the lovely Fraeulein von Massenburg, he seemed to
+live only for his pupil, and Lieschen showed her gratitude by giving
+him her undivided attention.
+
+These lesson-hours had come to be the happiest time of the day for the
+young girl, who had so lately been little more than a careless, happy
+child. Since Bertha's coming to the castle there had been a change in
+the daughter of the house, which filled her mother with anxiety. The
+girl no longer ran races with Fritzchen when lessons were over, her
+merry laughter no longer came floating up every day from the lawn, the
+charming romp, who had deserved and received many a loving reproof from
+her father, had vanished, and in her stead there was a serious, gentle,
+sensible maiden, almost too serious, her mother thought, remembering
+her former playfulness. It did not please Frau von Osternau that
+Lieschen had suddenly lost all pleasure in her childish games, that she
+would sit for a long while at times over her embroidery, not always
+working, sometimes in a profound revery, with hands clasped in her lap.
+Of what could she be thinking? Her mother would have given much to
+know; such knowledge might have relieved her of a great dread,--a dread
+never quite laid to rest in her mind,--lest Lieschen should cherish
+a warmer affection for her music-teacher than her parents could
+approve,--an affection now shown, perhaps, by an awakening jealousy of
+Bertha von Massenburg.
+
+This really seemed the only explanation of the change wrought in the
+young girl. This might be the reason why Lieschen withstood the charm
+which Bertha exercised upon all the other members of the household. She
+alone treated Bertha with a scrupulously courteous reserve, which was
+not to be overcome by any effort on the part of the guest to win her
+affection.
+
+"What is your objection to Bertha Massenburg?" Frau von Osternau asked
+her daughter one morning when they were alone together, Bertha having
+accompanied her uncle in his walk in the fields. "You treat her with a
+coldness and reserve that she really does not deserve at your hands.
+She will surely be offended by your manner some day."
+
+"I think I show her all the courtesy that is her due," Lieschen
+replied, gravely, looking up from her work. "She has never heard an
+unkind word from me."
+
+"That is not what I mean. It only seems to me that you might be more
+cordial and frank to so amiable a girl."
+
+"I cannot feign what I do not feel."
+
+"I do not understand you, Lieschen. Bertha treats you with special
+sweetness. She is fond of you, and shows that she is so by not being
+hurt by your coldness."
+
+"I do not believe in the sincerity of her sweetness and cordiality. Now
+and then when she forgets herself in the heat of conversation she
+betrays her real thoughts and feelings, and a curtain suddenly seems
+lifted from before her inner self. Do you not remember how she spoke a
+while ago of Valerie Laupe?"
+
+Frau von Osternau looked at her daughter in surprise, and, more for
+something to say than from a desire to defend Bertha, replied, "We
+ought not to weigh every hasty word with such nicety. One often says
+more in the heat of argument than reason would justify; you do so
+sometimes, as every one does. What, for example, should we think of
+Herr Pigglewitch, if all his words were so harshly criticised?"
+
+Lieschen's cheek flushed slightly, but she looked up at her mother and
+replied, without embarrassment, "They are both puzzles to me. In a
+certain way they are alike,--the true self of each seems hidden behind
+a veil; but when this veil is slightly lifted in his case I seem to see
+a poor, harassed heart, a spirit longing for the noble and the true. In
+Bertha's case the veil covers an abyss of selfishness, avarice, and
+love of pleasure."
+
+"Good heavens, child! what puts such thoughts, such words into your
+head?" Frau von Osternau exclaimed in dismay.
+
+"I cannot tell, mother. I have been thinking a great deal about these
+two people, and I have come to this conclusion."
+
+Her mother did not continue the conversation, but at night, when she
+was alone with her husband, she repeated to him word for word what
+Lieschen had said. "If that extraordinary man had only never come
+inside our doors,"--it was thus she concluded her tale. "He, and not
+Bertha, is to blame for the sad transformation which our child has
+undergone. For my sake, Fritz, dismiss him. Pay him his salary for an
+entire year; only let him leave the house."
+
+Herr von Osternau shook his head. "Do you think Lieschen conceals
+anything from you?" he asked.
+
+"No, assuredly not."
+
+"Did she ever complain that he had spoken to her otherwise than as a
+teacher should speak to a pupil, or have you ever observed that he has
+in his lessons or in social intercourse with us transgressed any law of
+good breeding?"
+
+"I cannot say that he has, but----"
+
+"Has he ever neglected the duties which he undertook to perform when he
+entered our house? Is he not a conscientious and affectionate tutor for
+Fritzchen? Has he ever done anything for which he could justly be
+reproved?"
+
+"No. I do not ask you to dismiss him abruptly. If you would pay him his
+salary for an entire year----"
+
+"Do you suppose that a man of honour could be compensated by a year's
+salary for being turned from our door? I think there was a great deal
+of truth in what Lieschen said of him, and I should never forgive
+myself for wounding him by injustice. He certainly is not a happy man.
+So long as he does his duty we must do ours. Good-night, Emma."
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIV.
+                   PASTOR WIDMAN AS A CORRESPONDENT.
+
+
+The Lieutenant had returned from Berlin, whither he had gone upon
+business for Herr von Osternau. He had driven over from the station
+without waiting for the sorting of the mail, because he was in haste to
+tell his cousin of the results of his mission, so he said at least to
+excuse himself for not bringing with him the post-bag, but the excuse
+was a very lame one, since he had but little to tell and his news could
+easily have waited for an hour.
+
+Apparently the Herr Lieutenant had found waiting at the lonely station
+too tedious; he was in a mood on this particular evening to find such
+waiting very irksome, for he was possessed by a spirit of unrest that
+did not leave him even after he had reached the castle. Scarcely had he
+taken his place at the tea-table, and communicated to Herr von Osternau
+certain insignificant details relating to his visit to Berlin, when he
+arose quickly and hurried to the window, declaring that it was so warm
+that his head ached. After cooling his forehead against the panes he
+returned again to his place, only to arise in a few moments and pace
+the room hastily to and fro as he detailed some vapid anecdotes which
+he had heard in Berlin.
+
+His restlessness was so evident that Herr von Osternau looked at him
+with some anxiety. "Are you not well, Albrecht?" he asked, kindly. "You
+look pale and your eyes are feverishly bright. Would you not rather go
+to your room?"
+
+"No, no; nothing is the matter with me," the Lieutenant replied,
+hastily. "I am only a little upset by my Berlin visit; it always is so
+when I leave the quiet and repose of the country for the whirlpool of
+city life and sit far into the night with my old friends."
+
+After this he forced himself to suppress all sign of the unrest which
+possessed him, but he could scarcely bear his part well in the
+conversation around the tea-table. After staring for a while absently
+before him, he would suddenly make some remark which showed that he had
+paid no attention to what was going on, and even Bertha, to whose
+slightest observation he was wont to pay great heed, could not to-night
+succeed in fixing his attention.
+
+He was usually vexed when Pigglewitch was entreated to play, but
+to-night he hailed with joy Frau von Osternau's request for some music
+from the Candidate. He seemed to be glad to be relieved from the
+necessity of taking part in the general conversation. As soon as Egon
+had struck the first chord he left his place at the tea-table, and,
+exchanging a rapid glance with Bertha, retired to the recess of a
+window. Contrary to her habit, Bertha rose immediately afterwards and
+joined the Lieutenant in his retreat, where they were soon deeply
+engaged in a whispered conversation. They might easily have continued
+this unnoticed, for Herr and Frau von Osternau were absorbed in the
+music, if Herr von Wangen had not followed with his eyes Bertha's every
+movement. It did not escape him that the girl's cheeks were suddenly
+suffused by a burning blush at the Lieutenant's first whispered words,
+and that she instantly listened with the greatest eagerness to all that
+he said.
+
+Herr von Wangen heard not one note of Egon's music, his entire
+attention was bestowed upon the pair whispering together in the recess;
+what would he not have given to overhear what they were saying? Several
+times during the month which Bertha had already passed at Castle
+Osternau Herr von Wangen had been tormented by the suspicion that there
+was a greater degree of intimacy existing between the Lieutenant and
+the beautiful guest than either cared to have observed; he had
+surprised one or two meaning glances exchanged by them, but Bertha had
+always succeeded in allaying these suspicions by the easy indifference
+with which she received the Lieutenant's homage. He had hovered between
+fear and hope, the hope inspired by every gentle word addressed to him
+by Bertha, the fear aroused by every look exchanged between Bertha and
+the Lieutenant; to-night fear was in the ascendant, his jealousy was
+aroused, he felt desperately wretched, but in another moment he was
+lifted to heights of supreme delight, for Bertha looked across the room
+at him, and there was such enchantment in her glance as he had never
+seen there before. She spoke a few hasty words to Albrecht and then
+returned to her place at table, excusing herself in a low whisper to
+her neighbour for leaving him to learn from the Lieutenant how her
+father was. Herr von Wangen was enraptured, his jealousy of a moment
+before vanished, he was ashamed to have felt it. Never had Bertha been
+to him so gentle, so kind, so engaging as on this evening after her
+conversation with the Lieutenant. Herr von Wangen was so intoxicated
+with delight that he did not notice the depression of spirits of all
+the other members of the circle, Bertha alone excepted.
+
+This melancholy mood had been induced by the contents of the post-bag,
+which had brought a letter for Herr von Osternau and one for
+Pigglewitch. The latter had indeed thrust his unread into his
+breast-pocket, but the mere fact that it was addressed in a hand
+unknown to him worried and annoyed him. Herr von Osternau, on the other
+hand, read his letter not only once, but several times; it must have
+contained some very depressing intelligence, for Herr von Osternau grew
+graver at each perusal, now and then casting a peculiarly searching
+glance at the tutor, and then continuing his reading with a shake of
+the head. The contents of the letter must have occupied his mind during
+the entire evening; he took scarcely any part in the conversation, and
+when Egon bade him good-night he did not respond with his usual
+cordiality.
+
+Just as Egon was leaving the room Herr von Osternau recalled him:
+"Excuse me for a moment, Herr Pigglewitch, I have a few words to say to
+you."
+
+Egon turned round and awaited his employer's pleasure, divided between
+anxiety and curiosity with regard to what had induced Herr von Osternau
+to adopt so unusual a tone in addressing him.
+
+The old man paced the room silently to and fro for a while until the
+rest of the family had retired and left him alone with the tutor. Then,
+turning to Egon, he said, gravely,--
+
+"I have received a very surprising letter that concerns you nearly,
+Herr Pigglewitch, and I do not deny that its contents have affected my
+good opinion of you. I do not wish to discuss them with you at present,
+such a conversation would probably agitate me, and rob me of my night's
+rest, which is very important for me, and then, too, I might under the
+immediate influence of the letter treat you with injustice. I must
+give you time to defend yourself; therefore I beg you to come to me
+to-morrow morning at nine o'clock, and we will quietly talk the matter
+over. Here is the letter, take it to your room and read it. You can
+return it to me to-morrow. No more for the present. Good-night, Herr
+Pigglewitch."
+
+Egon was dismissed. He took the ominous epistle and repaired to his
+room, where, his curiosity on the stretch, he lit his lamp and read as
+follows:
+
+
+"Most Respected Herr,--Pardon a stranger for venturing to intrude upon
+you with a complaint and a request. In the unfortunate situation in
+which I am placed no other choice is left me. I must appeal to you,
+most honoured Herr, if I would not run the risk of losing forever a sum
+of money hardly earned and accumulated only by constant self-denial.
+Permit me to lay the case before you.
+
+"Some years ago I loaned the Schulze Brandes, in Wilhelmshagen, the sum
+of four hundred thalers at a reasonable rate of interest, knowing him
+to be an honest man. He has justified my estimate of him as such, for
+although impoverished and forced to emigrate to America, he sent me
+before his departure all that he owed me, both capital and interest,
+but in such a manner that I am in danger of losing my hard-won savings
+entirely. Before leaving for America he gave it to my nephew, Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch, commissioning him to hand it to me. Whilst on the ocean he
+conceived a suspicion that Gottlieb had not fulfilled his trust, and
+therefore he wrote me immediately upon his arrival in New York to ask
+me if I had received the sum in question. Unfortunately his fears were
+but too well grounded; my nephew has never paid me the money, it is
+probably squandered, or lost at cards.
+
+"My nephew, the son of my sister and the deceased Pastor Pigglewitch,
+of Wilhelmshagen, has repaid by the basest ingratitude the benefits
+conferred upon him by me when he was left a friendless orphan. He has
+never concerned himself about me since he left my house to enter upon
+an independent existence. He has forgotten my teachings, he has
+squandered his substance, leading a dissolute life, and given over to a
+passion for cards. His conduct lost him a good situation in
+Wilhelmshagen, since which I have heard nothing of him until the
+arrival of Schulze Brandes's letter, which has filled me with anxiety
+concerning my money.
+
+"More than four weeks had passed since this money was intrusted to
+Gottlieb Pigglewitch. I did not know his address, and therefore wrote
+to his patron, Herr Director Kramser, from whom I learn that my nephew
+is receiving a high salary in your worshipful household as tutor to
+your son. I have now written to him to beg him to restore my property
+to me, but I fear that my request will be vain if it is not seconded by
+yourself, respected Herr. It is not probable that the money is at
+present in my nephew's possession, therefore he could not pay it even
+if he wished to do so. I might easily bring him to justice, but a
+feeling of kinship restrains me; I could bring myself to adopt such
+extreme measures only in case my nephew should refuse to pay me the
+money with interest. He can do this if he chooses.
+
+"I learn from Herr Director Kramser that my nephew receives from your
+highly-respected self a salary of three hundred thalers cash. A young
+man can get along extremely well upon one hundred thalers yearly; I
+myself as a Candidate did with much less than that sum; he can then pay
+me at least two hundred thalers every year, if he only will.
+
+"My humble request to you is, respected Herr, that you will compel my
+nephew thus to fulfil his duty by giving him only one hundred thalers
+yearly of his salary, and transmitting the two hundred to me, until the
+debt is liquidated. My nephew will, I am sure, be content with this
+means of returning to me my money; he will not force me to appeal for
+justice to the law of the land, and you, respected Herr, will establish
+a claim upon my everlasting gratitude by yielding to my entreaty.
+
+"With devoted respect, your obedient servant,
+
+                                 "Widman, _Pastor of Wennersdorf_."
+
+
+"A most edifying document!" Egon said to himself, when he had read the
+letter. "I suppose the communication which I received this evening and
+put unread into my pocket also comes from Uncle Widman." He took out
+the letter and read it. Yes, it was from Widman, and contained threats
+of arrest and exposure if his nephew refused to devote two hundred
+thalers of his salary each year to the payment of his debt.
+
+Egon indignantly crushed the letter together in his hand. "Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch has lost his money for the third time," he muttered. "There
+is no helping him, he must be left to his fate. He probably knows this,
+and therefore has made no further attempt to extort money from me by
+threats and promises."
+
+Once more the young man read the letter to Herr von Osternau; it filled
+him with a vague apprehension. What should he say to the kind old man
+on the morrow? In his eyes, his tutor was Gottlieb Pigglewitch, the
+confirmed gambler, who had actually appropriated money intrusted to him
+for his uncle. 'I do not deny that this letter has affected my good
+opinion of you,' Herr von Osternau had said, and certainly he was
+justified in saying so.
+
+"It is high time that this farce were ended," Egon murmured. "I must
+leave this house, and break the spell that has been cast about me!"
+
+He had often of late made this resolve; almost nightly, after he had
+retired to his solitary apartment, and thought over the events of the
+day, he had determined to tear asunder the bonds that were being woven
+about him, but the next morning found him powerless to carry his
+determination into execution. Yes, a spell had been cast upon him which
+paralyzed his will, and whose this spell was, he could not rightly
+tell.
+
+When Bertha's wondrous beauty filled his mind, a wild feeling of
+delight thrilled through him, his pulses throbbed, his thoughts made
+chaos within him, he longed to clasp in his arms as his own her whom he
+had so foolishly insulted and scorned.
+
+But in the midst of this rapturous intoxication he was recalled to a
+sober certainty of waking disgust when he remembered various
+expressions of Bertha's which had revealed to him her true self; he
+turned away from the thought of her, chilled and repelled, and in her
+place there was a very different image,--Lieschen gazed at him with a
+look of reproach, and yet of love! In thought of her he was calmed and
+cheered, she incited him to continued exertion, she called forth all
+his better nature,--she, the good angel who had led him out from the
+slough of an existence into which the beautiful fiend with the glowing
+eyes would fain drag him back!
+
+Did he love Bertha? Did he love Lieschen? He did not know. Bertha
+exercised a demoniac influence upon him, Lieschen's spell was
+fairy-like, but mighty. His soul hovered between the two, in a conflict
+which robbed him of repose, subjugated his will, and made any firm
+resolve impossible for him.
+
+Perhaps chance would befriend him.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XV.
+                          RENEWED CONFIDENCE.
+
+
+Herr Von Osternau passed a miserable night. Pastor Widman's letter had
+excited him more than he cared to confess to himself. If he could have
+told his faithful partner of the wretched epistle, he would soon have
+been soothed to rest, but he could not do this for fear lest his Emma
+should find in the Pastor's letter fresh reasons for urging her
+oft-repeated desire for the tutor's dismissal. Herr von Osternau's
+sense of justice revolted against condemning the accused without
+allowing him a hearing.
+
+As he had frankly confessed, his faith in the Candidate was shaken, and
+the more he thought, during his sleepless night, of the Pastor's
+letter, the more he suspected that he had bestowed his confidence upon
+one quite unworthy of it. The Pastor's accusation of his nephew did not
+seem like an invention, and if it were well grounded, Pigglewitch could
+no longer be retained as Fritzchen's tutor. The man who could lose at
+play money not his own was unfit for such an office, whatever might be
+his intellectual acquirements. But perhaps he was not so guilty as he
+seemed. He should not be judged before he had been allowed to speak in
+his own defence.
+
+The next morning Herr von Osternau awaited the tutor's visit with the
+greatest impatience, continually consulting the clock as he walked to
+and fro in his sitting-room. It was only half-past eight; there was
+still half an hour to wait, since he had appointed the interview at
+nine o'clock.
+
+He was pleased and surprised when thus early, nevertheless, a knock was
+heard at the door. Upon his "Come in," however, he was equally
+disappointed by the entrance not of Pigglewitch, but of the Lieutenant.
+
+"Is it you, Albrecht? I thought you had gone to the meadows," he said,
+rather testily, but the next instant, perceiving that the Lieutenant
+looked downcast and unhappy, he continued, kindly, "What is it,
+Albrecht? You look out of sorts. I hope nothing is the matter."
+
+The Lieutenant did not reply immediately. He had meant to look
+desperate, and not merely out of sorts, and it cost him some effort to
+make his features convoy the desired impression. Perceiving in an
+opposite mirror that his efforts were crowned with a degree of success,
+he said at last, in a trembling voice, "I come to you, Cousin Fritz, a
+prey to remorse and despair. On the day before yesterday evening I
+actually had my revolver in my hand to put an end to my wretched
+existence, but I thought of you, and of the contempt which you feel for
+a man who lays violent hands upon himself; the pistol dropped from my
+grasp, I had a glimmer of hope. I remembered your inexhaustible
+kindness. You have helped me so often that I cannot but look to you in
+my extremity."
+
+Herr von Osternau's face had grown dark as the Lieutenant spoke. He had
+heard words like these too often not to know that they were the preface
+to a demand for money to pay some extravagant or gambling debt. He
+replied, indignantly, "Spare your words, cousin; they are useless. I
+must remind you of what I told you last year when I paid two thousand
+thalers for you. I assured you then that it was for the last time, and
+the money was paid upon your solemn promise never again to contract a
+debt which you could not pay yourself. It is of no use to continue this
+conversation. I shall be true to my word."
+
+"I implore you, Cousin Fritz----"
+
+"I will hear nothing further. I should wrong my daughter by sacrificing
+fresh sums of money to you. I felt free to do for you what I have done,
+but now it is time that I should lay by Lieschen's portion, since I
+have been spending my whole income all these years upon the improvement
+of the estate."
+
+"All that is needed is three thousand marks, an insignificant sum for
+you. Would you for such a trifle drive me to suicide, Cousin Fritz?"
+
+"It is sacrilegious to talk thus."
+
+"Do you not force me to it? Can I live disgraced? I have signed a note
+of hand. I must pay the money in fourteen days, or I shall be
+dishonoured."
+
+"You told me a year ago that you owed nothing."
+
+"It was true, but--I am ashamed to confess my folly--I was insane
+enough to be tempted to play. I fell in with some of my comrades the
+day before yesterday in Berlin, and cards were proposed. I refused for
+a long time to join the game, but I was overpersuaded. At first the
+stakes were very low, and I won, but the luck changed, I lost my head,
+and I came away with a debt of honour for three thousand marks. If it
+is not paid in fourteen days I shall be dishonoured."
+
+"You are dishonoured already, even though your debt were paid; you
+promised me never again to touch a card."
+
+"I was mad! I was mad!"
+
+"Your word of honour should have kept you sane. But I shall not depart
+from what I told you a year ago. You have no help to expect from me."
+
+"At least lend me the three thousand marks. You can easily do so; you
+have ten thousand there in your desk; the trifling sum can readily be
+paid from my salary in two years at the latest."
+
+"That cannot be done, either; you must learn to help yourself."
+
+"You drive me to suicide."
+
+"That threat is useless. It will not move me to break my word to you."
+
+An evil look was the Lieutenant's only reply; he saw that further
+entreaty would be of no avail. There was no need, then, to subject
+himself to further humiliation. The expression of despair in his face
+gave place to one of sullen defiance. Without another word he left the
+room.
+
+Herr von Osternau had been calm and decided so long as Albrecht was
+present; but now that he was alone he grew restless and anxious. Had he
+perhaps been too hard? No, he could neither speak nor act otherwise.
+For years he had been far too much influenced by the reflection that
+Albrecht had been deprived of an inheritance which he had long
+considered as his own. The sums which had been sacrificed for this
+dissipated, reckless relative were enormous; the sacrifice had been
+made in vain, Albrecht was utterly ungrateful. He seized every
+opportunity for a visit either to Breslau or to Berlin to resume his
+dissolute career, to contract fresh debts. There was no helping him,
+least of all by compliance with his demands. Only by being thrown upon
+his own resources, with no hope of assistance from his cousin, might he
+perhaps be induced to resist the temptation to play.
+
+Herr von Osternau was sure that he had acted for the best, but
+nevertheless he felt very anxious. The thought that his cousin might
+fulfil his threat of self-destruction, filled him with dread. His
+kindly nature gave him no repose. He sat down at his writing-table and
+scratched off a note to Herr von Sastrow begging him to write to
+Albrecht and offer to lend him the money he needed upon his promise to
+repay him from his salary. The money, Herr von Osternau assured his
+uncle, should be repaid him,--for that he would go surety,--but of this
+the Lieutenant must be kept in ignorance. He must believe that the
+offer of help came unsuggested from Herr von Sastrow alone.
+
+When the note had been handed to Wenzel, with orders to take it
+directly to the post at Station Mirbach, Herr von Osternau felt
+relieved, but so occupied had he been with the Lieutenant's case for
+the last half-hour that it was only when the Candidate presented
+himself punctually at the appointed time that he was reminded of Pastor
+Widman's miserable letter, according to which the Candidate, like the
+Lieutenant, had squandered his patrimony; like Albrecht, he was an
+inveterate gambler, who had lost at play money not his own.
+Involuntarily Herr von Osternau compared the two men in his mind. There
+was no trace in the Candidate's face of the theatric despair which
+Albrecht had laboured to display. Herr Pigglewitch was so calm and
+collected that Herr von Osternau was half convinced of his innocence
+before he had spoken a word, and not until the young man avoided his
+searching glance did he again doubt him.
+
+Did Egon suspect this? He looked up again frankly, and in a clear, calm
+voice, without embarrassment, without waiting to be questioned, he
+opened the interview which was to decide his future relations with the
+lord of the castle.
+
+"You made use of harsh language to me last evening, Herr von Osternau.
+You told me that you had lost confidence in me----"
+
+"No, I only said that my confidence in you was shaken. It was best to
+be frank, and you could not but see that I was justified by the
+Pastor's letter. The importance to be attached to that letter depends
+entirely upon the explanation which I expect from you."
+
+"I am ready to give you an explanation. I assure you that every word
+which I am about to utter shall be perfectly true, but I do not deny
+that the circumstances in which I find myself forbid my telling the
+whole truth. I am forced to be silent with regard to these
+circumstances, whilst I could by a single word prove the falsehood of
+the ridiculous charges--ridiculous so far as I am concerned--contained
+in the letter. This word, however, I shall not speak. If the
+explanations which I am able to give you do not satisfy you, then, Herr
+von Osternau, I must remind you of our agreement when I first came to
+your house. We reserved for each of us perfect liberty to dissolve at
+any given moment a connection which cannot continue to exist if you
+withdraw your confidence from your son's tutor or believe him capable
+of appropriating to himself money confided to him by others."
+
+"This is a strange preface to your explanation, Herr Pigglewitch; it
+can be answered only when I have heard you further."
+
+"I do not ask a reply until then. I understand perfectly that this
+letter, which I beg now to return to you, has shaken your confidence in
+me. Your knowledge of me is of too recent a date to convince you that
+in spite of grievous defects of character I am incapable of a
+dishonourable act, and Pastor Widman's letter, containing as it does a
+mixture of truth and falsehood, may well give you cause for reflection.
+Let me refer to the letter in detail. It is untrue that Pastor Widman
+befriended his sister's orphan boy. He treated him with great severity,
+only sending him to school when he was forced to do so, the expenses of
+his education being defrayed from the orphan boy's patrimony. On the
+other hand, it is true that the weak, thoughtless young man squandered
+the rest of his inheritance, and sacrificed his first situation to his
+passion for gaming. Later, in another situation, he so won the esteem
+of his employer that Doctor Kramser felt himself justified in
+recommending him to you for your son's tutor. I candidly confess to
+you, Herr von Osternau, that I have led a life far from blameless, that
+I have foolishly squandered both time and money, but I swear to you
+that I have never been involved in any dishonourable transaction. It is
+true that the Schulze Brandes gave the sum in question to the nephew of
+Pastor Widman for transmission to his uncle, and that this money has
+not yet been paid him, but I have neither appropriated this money nor
+have I lost it at play. The reason why this money has not been paid I
+cannot now disclose to you, all I can say is that I have a perfect
+right to refuse to give this sum to the Herr Pastor. Nevertheless, he
+shall have his money without abatement of a penny; here it is, and I
+beg of you, Herr von Osternau, to transmit it to him."
+
+As he spoke, Egon took out his pocket-book and counted out the notes
+upon the table.
+
+Herr von Osternau was amazed. "You have the money? Why then did you not
+send it to your uncle long ago?"
+
+"I regret that I cannot answer this question, for in doing so I should
+be obliged to refer to matters which were best passed over in silence,
+at least for the present. I can only assure you that I never even
+dreamed of depriving Herr Pastor Widman of his property. If this does
+not suffice you, Herr von Osternau, I can no longer remain in the
+castle; I must resign my situation here, much as I regret to do so. I
+can no longer be your son's tutor if you have lost faith in me."
+
+"No, I have not lost it. I believe you to be incapable of anything
+dishonourable, but I tell you candidly that I do not like your wrapping
+yourself up in mystery."
+
+"I regret being forced to do so. At present I cannot tell you the whole
+truth, and I will not tell you a falsehood."
+
+"I have no right to force your confidence or to lay down the law to
+you, but, as a man much your elder, I have a right to tell you honestly
+what I think. The manner in which you speak of your uncle displeases me
+as much as does your foolish mystery. You speak of him as Herr Pastor
+Widman, in the most formal way; however harshly he may have treated you
+years ago, you are wrong thus to bear malice. When there has been a
+coolness or a quarrel between relatives, it is the duty of the younger
+to take the first steps towards a reconciliation. If my good opinion is
+worth anything to you, you will accept my advice to put back into your
+pocket-book the money you have counted out upon the table. I will not
+undertake to mediate between uncle and nephew. You ought to return his
+property to him; if you comply with my wishes, you will take it to him
+yourself. Wennersdorf is only a few hours' journey from Breslau. The
+journey thither is neither difficult nor expensive. Take your uncle his
+money, pay him a visit of a few days, and be reconciled with him. I
+will gladly give you leave of absence for a week. Will you not start
+early to-morrow morning?"
+
+Egon hesitated to reply. He had not expected such a proposal. Could he
+accept it, since he could not possibly deliver in person Pastor
+Widman's money? He could not positively reject it without wounding Herr
+von Osternau, and, besides, it had a certain attraction. If he could be
+delivered for a few days from the spell that bound him, if he could
+make a short excursion in the Riesengebirge, he might perhaps come to
+some clear conclusion in his own mind. After a short pause for
+reflection, he said, "I can give you no decided promise, Herr von
+Osternau. If you will allow me leave of absence for a few days, I shall
+be grateful for it. I shall then go to Breslau to-morrow, but whether I
+shall go thence to Wennersdorf, or employ the time granted me in making
+a pedestrian excursion among the mountains, I cannot at present tell
+you."
+
+"I do not ask you to tell me. I hope that calm reflection will show you
+the right path to pursue. At all events I am glad that our interview
+has had the effect of entirely restoring my confidence in you, in proof
+of which I beg you to transact a little business for me in Breslau
+to-morrow. A manufacturer in Breslau, whom I have known for many years
+as an honest, industrious man, became some time ago so involved in his
+pecuniary affairs as to solicit of me a loan of some ten thousand
+marks, for which he gave me his note. It falls due to-morrow. I do not
+wish this note presented at the bank, it might injure the man were it
+known that he had borrowed money of a private individual; nor do I wish
+the note to be protested if he should not be quite ready to pay the
+money. I have entire confidence in his honesty, and I do not wish to
+embarrass him. I thought of sending my cousin Albrecht to-morrow to
+Breslau to attend to this affair for me, but since you are going I
+should be much obliged by your undertaking it. Will you do so?"
+
+"With pleasure."
+
+"Use your own discretion. I do not want to have my debtor harassed. If
+he pays the money, please send it to me immediately by post, I shall
+receive it to-morrow afternoon; if he does not, send me back the note."
+
+Herr von Osternau went to his secretary and opened it. In one of its
+centre partitions stood an iron-bound box with a patent lock. From it
+he took first a pile of bank-notes representing a considerable sum;
+these he laid on the desk of the secretary until he had found the note,
+then returning them to the box, he locked it and the secretary, and
+turned to Egon. "I hope," he said, kindly, "that our conversation
+to-day, painful as it was at first, has left no unpleasant impression
+on either of us. I shall be glad if it is the means of reconciling
+relatives at present at odds. And now, Herr Pigglewitch, I will detain
+you no longer. Fritzchen is, I am sure, awaiting you."
+
+He dismissed Egon with a friendly grasp of the hand, and when the young
+man had left the room, gave himself over to reflection as to whether he
+had not been somewhat hasty in putting so much trust in him. "I am sure
+he will justify it," he concluded. "If he had not held sacred the money
+intrusted to him for his uncle he would have used it in Breslau to
+purchase what he so greatly needed; he would not have paid for his
+clothes by instalments. I would far sooner trust him than Albrecht with
+ten thousand marks. Still he is a strange, incomprehensible fellow, and
+I detest mysteries. He said himself that he could not tell me the whole
+truth. I wonder what he suppressed." Upon this he pondered for some
+time without coming to any conclusion.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XVI.
+                                ROBBED.
+
+
+It was an uncomfortable, wearisome evening. A conversation like that of
+the morning between Herr von Osternau and the tutor always leaves
+traces, even although it has ended satisfactorily for both parties; for
+some short time at least it leaves behind it an uncomfortable sense of
+restraint, and this was evident now. Herr von Osternau could not
+recover from the effect upon his mood of the interviews with the
+Lieutenant and the tutor. He tried to be as cordial and kindly as
+usual, but he did not succeed very well, and his efforts were by no
+means seconded either by Albrecht or by Pigglewitch.
+
+The Lieutenant was so absent-minded and self-occupied that he took no
+part whatever in the conversation, and the Candidate was noticeably
+taciturn. He did not add to the evening's entertainment either by
+playing or by singing; he declined, indeed, to sing when asked,
+pleading fatigue, even when Lieschen added her voice to the general
+petition for a song.
+
+"He is jealous," Frau von Osternau whispered to her husband, and it
+really seemed as if she might be right. Herr von Osternau noticed that
+the Candidate was watching Bertha narrowly, and if he really were in
+love with her she certainly gave him abundant cause for jealousy.
+
+Bertha alone of the little assemblage was in the rosiest mood, she was
+so gay, so absolutely charming, that Herr von Wangen was to be pardoned
+for having eyes and ears for nothing save her radiant self. The young
+fellow, who was wont to be so shy, now conversed with readiness and
+ease, nay, he and Bertha monopolized the talk. He did not find the
+evening wearisome, he could have wished that it might last much longer
+when Herr von Osternau declared that it was time to separate for the
+night, since Herr Pigglewitch would be obliged to rise early for his
+journey the next morning.
+
+"You are leaving us?" the Lieutenant asked, suddenly becoming
+interested. "Where are you going, and for how long?"
+
+Lieschen looked at Egon in surprise, awaiting his reply.
+
+"I do not yet know how long I shall be gone," Egon replied. "My leave
+of absence is for three or four days."
+
+"Oh, no, Herr Pigglewitch," Herr von Osternau interposed, "I leave that
+entirely to you; if you wish to remain longer with your uncle you need
+not return for a couple of weeks. Herr Pigglewitch, Emma, is going to
+visit a relative of his, Pastor Widman, in Wennersdorf," he added, in
+reply to his wife's look of surprised inquiry.
+
+An odd smile hovered about the Lieutenant's features for an instant.
+His sullen mood was suddenly dissipated, and with a good grace he
+wished the tutor a successful journey and a speedy return. In this he
+was joined by Bertha and Herr von Wangen, but Lieschen said not a word;
+there was only a dreamy, far-away look in her eyes as she bade him
+good-night, and her hand rested in his a moment longer than was usual.
+
+Herr von Osternau had another interview on his hands this evening. He
+had his confession to make to his wife. She had a right to know the
+meaning of this sudden visit of the Candidate to his uncle. Her husband
+could not but acquaint her with Herr Pastor Widman's letter, and with
+his conversation of the morning with Herr Pigglewitch. As he did so he
+expressed his conviction that Pigglewitch was a thoroughly honest man,
+and he added an account of the commission with which he had intrusted
+him.
+
+Frau von Osternau did not share her husband's faith. "I am afraid,
+Fritz," she said, shaking her head, "that you have allowed yourself to
+be carried away again by your kind, unsuspicious nature. Had you not
+better recall the commission? Ten thousand marks is a large sum, quite
+sufficient to tempt a poor Candidate who, as we now learn, has a
+passion for play. Let Albrecht go to Breslau to-morrow, or Herr
+Storting, or Herr von Wangon."
+
+"To change my messenger now would be a positive insult to Herr
+Pigglewitch. I was perhaps imprudent, but it is done now and cannot be
+altered."
+
+The old Herr, however, was not quite easy in his mind. He slept but
+poorly, and awoke the next morning so weary that in spite of the
+glorious weather he did not go out, but sat at his favourite window in
+his arm-chair. Lieschen and her mother kept him company, but they could
+not enliven his gloomy mood, which was partly caused by his confinement
+to the house and partly by a vague feeling of anxiety. His thoughts
+dwelt upon the Candidate. Would the money arrive punctually from
+Breslau?
+
+Towards eleven o'clock the Lieutenant entered the room, and seemed
+confused and not quite agreeably surprised to find Lieschen and Frau
+von Osternau with his cousin, but quickly collecting himself he said,
+"I come to you at a rather unusual time, Cousin Fritz, to ask you for
+leave of absence for a few days. I must attend to that money matter of
+which I told you. I must spend a short time in Berlin."
+
+"You know I never wish to put any restraint upon you," his cousin said,
+kindly; "still less would I do so in this matter, in which I wish you
+all success. When would you like to go?"
+
+"With your permission, immediately after dinner. I wish to leave
+Breslau by the night-train, and so have the entire day in Berlin
+to-morrow."
+
+"I am quite willing. I beg you, however, to go to see Sastrow to-morrow
+as early as possible. I know that you are not on very good terms with
+him. I ask you as a favour to me to see him yourself, and learn from
+him about Bertha's affairs: whether anything has been heard of young
+Herr von Ernau, and whether there is any abatement of the disagreeable
+gossip of society. Write me to-morrow what you hear."
+
+"It will hardly be necessary. I can tell you the latest news of the
+affair without having seen Sastrow. You must pardon me for not letting
+you know before what I heard from a friend in Berlin, who accompanied
+me to the railway-station when I was last there. I was so preoccupied
+with my own affairs that I quite forgot Fraeulein von Massenburg's.
+However, I told Fraeulein Bertha herself soon after my arrival that
+there was no longer any doubt of the death of Herr von Ernau, his body
+has been recovered from the Spree."
+
+Herr and Frau von Osternau uttered an exclamation of surprised dismay.
+Lieschen was not at all surprised. "Now I understand," she said,
+"Bertha's excited manner on the evening of her conversation with Cousin
+Albrecht in the window-recess, and her great amiability towards Herr
+von Wangen after it. As Herr von Ernau is certainly dead, Herr von
+Wangen is to take his place."
+
+"How can you speak so unkindly, child?" said her father.
+
+"I only speak the truth. I know that she would have preferred the
+millionaire, but since she must give up all hopes of him, Herr von
+Wangen will do."
+
+"Not another word, Lieschen!" Herr von Osternau exclaimed. "Hush! If
+you cannot conquer your childish, unfounded dislike for Bertha, at
+least do not give it utterance. Go on, Albrecht, tell me what else you
+heard."
+
+"Nothing else, except that the body of the unfortunate man had been
+found in the Spree. Whether Herr von Ernau was murdered or had drowned
+himself my friend did not know. The chief of police, from whom he had
+his information, did not know either, but suspected he had been
+murdered, since none of the money which he had drawn from his father's
+bank on the morning of his disappearance was found upon the body.
+Doubtless all this has tended to increase the talk about Fraeulein von
+Massenburg, so it is scarcely necessary for me to go to inquire of Herr
+von Sastrow."
+
+"You will, however, oblige me greatly by doing so, and by letting me
+know what he says."
+
+"Your wish shall be my law, Cousin Fritz. My first visit to-morrow
+morning shall be to Herr von Sastrow. I shall leave, then, immediately
+after dinner, and I must ask you to advance me five hundred or a
+thousand marks. I dislike to ask this favour, but if I am to make any
+settlement of the matter I spoke of to you I must have some cash in
+hand."
+
+Herr von Osternau frowned. He would fain have refused the young man's
+request. He suspected that the money would be used to attempt to
+recover his losses at play, but he did not wish to expose the
+Lieutenant before Lieschen and her mother, and he could not explain to
+them his reason for wishing to refuse a demand apparently so
+reasonable.
+
+He rose slowly and went to his secretary. It was usually opened with
+great ease, but now something seemed the matter with the lock, he was
+several moments in unlocking it, and he had the same difficulty with
+the money-box. "Strange!" he said, trying to turn the key in the last;
+"either I am very awkward today or these keys are growing rusty." As he
+spoke the lock yielded and the lid of the box opened. One glance showed
+him to his dismay the reason why he had found so much difficulty in
+turning his keys. His secretary had been forced in the night by means
+of false keys, and the money had been stolen from the iron-bound box.
+The bundle of bank-notes which Herr von Osternau had returned to it on
+the previous day, after giving the note of hand to the Candidate, was
+gone.
+
+One look sufficed to tell Herr von Osternau that he had been robbed,
+and by some inmate of the castle; no one else could have known of the
+considerable sum in the money-box, no one else could have used false
+keys in the night without a forcible entrance into the castle, of which
+there were no traces.
+
+It was not the loss of his money, but the thought that there was a
+thief beneath his roof which so disturbed Herr von Osternau that he
+tottered, and might have fallen had not his wife and the Lieutenant
+hastened to his assistance and helped him to his arm-chair.
+
+It was but a momentary weakness, however, to which the old Herr
+succumbed; in an instant he was on his feet again, examining the
+secretary and the papers left in his box. They were all there, even a
+package of certificates of stock in a sugar-refinery, worth some ten
+thousand thalers; everything was there save the bundle of bank-notes.
+The thief had been too cunning to take anything which might lead to his
+detection.
+
+But who was the thief?
+
+This question Herr von Osternau put to himself and to his wife, after
+informing her of his loss, and of his belief that he must have been
+robbed by some one of his household.
+
+Frau von Osternau was no less shocked than her husband, she did not
+reply. The Lieutenant made answer in her stead. "It can be no other
+than that fellow, the Candidate, who left the castle this morning with
+the booty obtained thus in the night."
+
+He had scarcely finished speaking when Lieschen, flushed with
+indignation, confronted him. Her little hand was clinched and her eyes
+flashed as she said, in a voice which she vainly tried to steady, "It
+is a vile, cowardly calumny! You would not dare to say it to his face
+if he were here! I should sooner believe that you were the thief than
+that he could be guilty of a dishonourable act!"
+
+The Lieutenant started and turned pale at this sudden denunciation;
+unable to meet Lieschen's indignant eyes, he cast down his own and
+answered not a word.
+
+"My child, my child, of what are you thinking?" Frau von Osternau
+exclaimed.
+
+But Lieschen was not to be stopped. With flashing eyes still riveted
+upon the Lieutenant, she went on, "I will not have an innocent man
+slandered when he is not here to defend himself, and by one, too, who
+has always shown himself his enemy, and who may have his own ends to
+serve by this accusation."
+
+"Cousin Fritz, can you allow your cousin to be thus treated by your
+daughter?"
+
+Herr von Osternau had entirely recovered from the shock of his
+discovery, and he replied calmly and gravely to the Lieutenant's
+complaint: "No, neither can I allow an unfounded charge to be brought
+against one who, as Lieschen says, is not here to defend himself. My
+child is right in espousing the Candidate's cause, but her manner of
+doing so I cannot approve. Go to your room, Lieschen, and stay there
+until Cousin Albrecht consents to pardon you."
+
+Lieschen silently obeyed the father whom she loved, but her glance at
+Albrecht, as she left the room, spoke of anything save a desire for
+pardon at his hands.
+
+"It is infamous!" the Lieutenant exclaimed, when Lieschen had left the
+room; "just to whitewash a vagabond, an adventurer, dropped down among
+us from nobody knows where, I am exposed to such vile insinuations!
+This Pigglewitch----"
+
+"Has done nothing to lay himself open to the charge of a midnight
+robbery," Herr von Osternau interposed.
+
+"But, cousin, you yourself said that the thief must have been one of
+the household. Whom else can you suspect save this fellow? The servants
+are honest and tried, and have been here for years, while the tutor has
+been here but for a short time. We know nothing of his past, he never
+mentions it. Such reserve betokens an evil conscience. I never trusted
+him. I will not repeat my suspicions, but surely they are justified by
+his absent-minded manner yesterday, his strange behaviour, and the fact
+that the robbery occurred the very night before his departure. I shall
+avail myself of my short time in Breslau to-day to notify the police of
+what has happened, and beg them to try to arrest the thief. He probably
+has the money still in his possession; to-morrow he will have hidden it
+in some safe place or will run off the day after from Hamburg or Bremen
+for America. Whatever is done must be done quickly."
+
+"I strictly forbid all notice to the police. I will not have an
+innocent man insulted by their interference in his affairs."
+
+"But, Fritz, will you let the thief escape with his booty? How are you
+to discover him if you do not call in the police, whose business it is
+to catch thieves?"
+
+"I do not wish to discover him," Herr von Osternau quietly replied to
+his wife. "You will let the money go?"
+
+"That is the least of my loss, although the sum was a considerable one.
+What I find hardest to bear is that among those whom I have trusted
+there is a scoundrel, a thief. I do not wish to know him, to bring him
+to punishment. I can do without the money. I would rather lose it than
+have Castle Osternau made the subject all over the country of the talk
+which I hate. Therefore, I beg you to say not one word to any one about
+the robbery. You hear, Albrecht? You understand?"
+
+"As you really desire it, I will promise to be silent."
+
+"Enough. Now I will detain you no longer. Before you start I will find
+means to give you the advance you have asked for, and to do this I must
+drive to Mirbach myself. Pray have the horses put to the light, open
+wagon, and brought round to the door as soon as possible."
+
+"Do you mean to drive yourself, cousin? No, you must not; you look pale
+and ill. The discovery has agitated you, the drive might do you harm.
+Permit me----"
+
+"You have preparations for your journey to make."
+
+"But, Fritz, I pray you let Albrecht go with you," Frau von Osternau
+said, anxiously, but her husband shook his head impatiently. "Do not
+oppose me," he said. "I have reasons for wishing to go alone. The wagon
+must be at the door in five minutes; pray see to it, Albrecht."
+
+There was no gainsaying the old Herr when he was thus decided, and the
+Lieutenant left the room to do as he was requested. No sooner had the
+door closed behind him than Herr von Osternau said to his wife, "I must
+go to Mirbach myself. If Pigglewitch has received the money on the note
+and sends it immediately by post, it will arrive with the mid-day
+train. I must see for myself whether he has sent it."
+
+"I am afraid you will have your drive in vain. All excitement is, as
+you know, injurious to you; why will you not let Albrecht go?"
+
+"Let him go? Do you forget what Lieschen said, Emma?"
+
+"For heaven's sake do not tell me that you share the suspicion at which
+Lieschen's words pointed so unjustifiably?"
+
+"Lieschen's look probed her cousin's soul, he could not endure it, an
+evil conscience spoke in his eyes. Do you guess now why I would rather
+lose the money than ask the police to interfere? Their investigation
+might result in what the Lieutenant would hardly like. I have made many
+a sacrifice to preserve the name of Osternau from dishonour, I shall
+make this one also. There must be no whisper of even a suspicion that
+an Osternau could be guilty of theft."
+
+"But you cherish such a suspicion, while your confidence in
+Pigglewitch, whom there are quite as many reasons for suspecting, is
+unshaken."
+
+"I hope in a short time to bring you proof that the Candidate deserves
+my confidence; this is why I am going to Mirbach."
+
+Frau von Osternau said no more, but accompanied her husband to the hall
+door, before which the light wagon was waiting.
+
+As he drove off she followed him with anxious eyes, and then applied
+herself to waiting patiently for his return. Fortunately, she had not
+long to do so; hardly three-quarters of an hour had passed when the
+vehicle again drove up to the hall door, and her husband sprang from it
+with an elasticity and vigour which showed that he felt stronger than
+before his drive.
+
+"I was not deceived," he whispered to his wife, who had come from the
+sitting-room to receive him. "I do not deny, Emma," he went on, when
+they were alone together, "that I could not help being somewhat
+doubtful as I drove to Mirbach. I thought of Lieschen, of her implicit
+trust in Pigglewitch, of her fearful disappointment if he should be
+discovered to be a scoundrel who might well be suspected of theft. My
+heart beat faster when I asked for my letters at the post-office, and
+when they handed me the envelope with five seals, I was delighted. Here
+it is. Pigglewitch is all right, he has executed his commission
+promptly and well. If he had committed the robbery, he would surely
+have added to his gains the ten thousand marks which he sends me here,
+that he might carry away in his flight everything he could get. This
+letter is the best proof of his innocence. Do you suspect him how?"
+
+"No; but I cannot tell whether to rejoice that I do not, and I cannot
+see how you can be so glad. How can you look so happy when, as you
+cease to suspect a stranger, your next of kin takes his place in your
+suspicions?"
+
+"I gave _him_ up long ago," Heir von Osternau replied. "I keep him
+beneath my roof because my duty and the honour of our name link me to
+him, and because I owe him some indemnification for the annihilation of
+his hopes. The unhappy event which has just occurred does not relieve
+me of this duty, it must remain a secret between us two."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XVII.
+                           TWO LETTERS AGAIN.
+
+
+The day was an eventful one for Herr von Osternau. Scarcely had he
+recovered from the effects of the robbery and of the hurried drive to
+Station Mirbach, when he was surprised by an unexpected visit.
+
+Herr von Wangen was formally announced by old Hildebrandt, and when he
+made his appearance in full dress, with a white neck-tie, and a silk
+hat held in his left hand, when he bowed with ceremonious observance to
+the mistress of the mansion and her husband, and, accepting the seat
+offered him on the lounge, stared into space for some minutes with an
+air of confusion, evidently searching in vain for words in which to
+explain the purpose of his coming, Frau von Osternau began to suspect
+what those words when found would be.
+
+At last the young man cleared his throat and raised his eyes to Frau
+von Osternau's face as he began: "Pardon me, madame, pardon me, Herr
+von Osternau, if I express myself ill, but I come--yes, I come to you
+as the relatives and protectors of my betrothed--no, pardon me, I have
+begun at the wrong end, I ought first to tell you that I am the
+happiest man in the world. An hour ago I had the good fortune to meet
+my beloved Bertha, pardon me for not saying Fraeulein von Massenburg,
+but she is now my betrothed. She was going for a walk to the
+Oster-ford, where I am superintending the work, and she allowed me to
+walk with her. Her heavenly kindness emboldened me to confess to her my
+love; she, to my intense delight, did not reject it, and we are
+betrothed."
+
+Herr von Osternau was unpleasantly surprised, he could not help
+remembering what Lieschen had said, and whilst his wife warmly
+congratulated the happy lover he was silent. He could not altogether
+approve this hasty betrothal, and after a short pause he said, "I
+cannot yet congratulate you, Herr von Wangen, or consider you betrothed
+to Fraeulein von Massenburg. Your father is my old friend, I should not
+be doing my duty by him if I did not beg you to reflect before taking
+so irrevocable a step. Do you know that Bertha von Massenburg came to
+Castle Osternau to escape the----"
+
+Herr von Wangen interrupted him, saying, in a tone of entreaty, "Do
+not, I beg of you, allude to that slander, I know everything. Bertha
+has told me how magnanimously she sacrificed herself for her father,
+bow she consented to be betrothed to a man whom she knew only by
+reputation, and how evil tongues attacked her upon the disappearance of
+Herr von Ernau. She has acknowledged to me that she struggled against
+her love for me so long as there was any possibility of Herr von
+Ernau's being alive; she was determined to sacrifice her affection to
+her duty. But she is free; she learned yesterday from the Lieutenant
+that Herr von Ernau is really dead, and she can obey the dictates of
+her heart, can be happy herself and can make me so. She is mine, my own
+fondly-loved betrothed."
+
+"No, Herr von Wangen, I can allow of no such betrothal beneath my roof
+until your father and Bertha's have given their consent."
+
+"My father has already given his," the young man rejoined, eagerly. "I
+should not have ventured without it to declare my love. I wrote him
+more than a week ago that I should try to win my Bertha, and he
+answered me instantly, and told me he was rejoiced that I had chosen a
+lovely girl of an old family. He cares nothing for worldly possessions,
+but he wishes his only son to marry his equal in rank. I should love my
+dear Bertha all the same if she were a peasant's daughter, but I am
+glad that she is a Von Massenburg. I am glad of this for my dear
+father's sake."
+
+"But Bertha's father has not yet given his consent."
+
+"That is why I am come to you with an urgent request. I know it is
+asking a great deal, for there is so much to do at harvest-time, but I
+come to beg you to give me leave of absence for two days, that I may
+ask Herr von Massenburg's consent in person. I can leave after dinner
+to-day, and take the night-train for Berlin. I can be back at Castle
+Osternau by noon of the day after to-morrow."
+
+There was no refusing such a request. Herr von Osternau granted it, but
+upon the condition that he should be allowed to speak with Bertha
+before the young man's departure. The lover was quite agreed to this,
+he was too sure of his good fortune to dread any interference. And the
+event showed that he was right. Herr von Osternau had a long interview
+with Bertha; he asked her if she were sure of her own sentiments, if it
+were possible for her to be happy with a husband who was in all
+respects the opposite of Herr von Ernau, possessing none of the
+latter's brilliant qualities to fit him for playing a conspicuous part
+in the world. He reminded her that she was undertaking to pass her life
+in the depths of the country, remote from all social excitement, with a
+husband who was content to lead the life of a simple country gentleman
+upon his own estate. To all which Bertha replied, with her own charming
+smile,--
+
+"I really did not expect such an admonition from you, Uncle Fritz, who
+are always extolling the joys of home and the home circle. I should be
+happy with 'the man of my choice' in any solitude, and, besides, I
+shall not be so very lonely. One can always assemble one's friends
+about one in the country in summer, and the long, tiresome winters we
+can spend in town. Country life may be made very delightful with plenty
+of money. Let me choose my own lot, Uncle Fritz; it will be a happy
+one."
+
+What could Herr von Osternau reply to such arguments? he did not try to
+reply, seeing that Bertha's mind was fully made up.
+
+That afternoon Herr von Wangen and the Lieutenant both took their
+departure, and at noon of the following day a lengthy dispatch was
+received at Castle Osternau. It announced the full and free consent of
+Herr Werner von Massenburg that the betrothal should be made public,
+and also stated that Herr von Wangen would certainly return by noon of
+the next day to his fair betrothed.
+
+He did so punctually, beaming with delight, overjoyed at the reception
+he had met with from his future father-in-law. In truth, Werner von
+Massenburg had bestowed his paternal blessing upon the union so soon as
+he was informed that no dowry was looked for. Of course, Herr von
+Wangen's delicacy led him to suppress this last fact, as also the
+slight circumstance of Werner's explanation as to his present pecuniary
+embarrassments, in view of which Herr von Wangen had signed a checque
+for two thousand marks to relieve the worthy gentleman from his
+temporary trouble. On the other hand, he told with great delight how
+Werner had hastened to present him to several of his friends, among
+whom were Herr von Sastrow and his wife, whom he had called upon, and
+from whom he had received cordial congratulations. Herr von Sastrow had
+declared that this betrothal would put an instant stop to all malicious
+gossip.
+
+Herr von Wangen was in such a state of rapture that there were
+positively no shadows in the picture which he painted of his journey.
+The Lieutenant had been the most delightful travelling companion, only
+unfortunately they had not seen each other after parting at the Berlin
+railway-station. Werner von Massenburg was a fine, open-hearted man,
+just such a father-in-law as he had always wanted, and Herr von Sastrow
+and all the father-in-law's friends were most delightful people. But
+what filled the young man with the wildest joy was that Werner had
+expressly desired that the marriage should take place as soon as
+possible, since he disliked long engagements.
+
+When Bertha declared with a blush that she should be guided entirely by
+the wishes of her betrothed, and when Herr von Osternau expressed
+himself willing to dispense with the services of his third inspector so
+soon as harvest should be over, that the young man might immediately
+betake himself to West Prussia and undertake the charge of the family
+estates, Herr von Wangen was transported to the highest heaven of
+felicity.
+
+He adored his charming betrothed, and never noticed that Lieschen's
+manner towards her was more coolly reserved than ever, nor dreamed that
+he was the object of the sad, compassionate expression that sometimes
+appeared in the young girl's eyes. He was fairly intoxicated with
+bliss. He was perpetually with his betrothed. She paid him visits in
+the fields, she went to meet him when he returned to the castle. And
+then the evenings, the delicious evenings! Herr von Wangen did not
+observe that the little circle was in general silent and monosyllabic,
+that Lieschen bent silently over her embroidery, and that Herr von
+Osternau frequently resigned himself to revery. So long as he could
+exchange glances with Bertha and hang upon every word she uttered, his
+cup of happiness was full to the brim.
+
+Herr von Osternau was far from easy in his mind. He could not forget
+the sad event that had so lately occurred, and he shared his wife's
+anxiety upon another point. Since Lieschen had so boldly entered the
+lists for Pigglewitch against the Lieutenant, Herr von Osternau had
+agreed with his wife in believing that the young girl's feelings for
+the tutor were warmer than those of a pupil for a teacher. He took a
+lively interest in the young man, indeed he was surprised to find how
+much he missed his conversation and his charming music, but he could
+not but see that his wife was right in regarding the tutor as a most
+undesirable son-in-law. Lieschen's attachment to him caused him all the
+greater anxiety since he could not reconcile it with his sense of
+justice to dismiss the young man as his wife advised.
+
+The old Herr really dreaded, therefore, the Candidate's return, and he
+had a sense of relief when day after day passed and the tutor did not
+come back to the castle.
+
+Five days had thus gone by without bringing tidings of either the
+Lieutenant or the Candidate, when the post-bag brought two letters for
+Herr von Osternau, one from Berlin addressed in the Lieutenant's
+handwriting, and the other postmarked Hirschberg and addressed by
+Pigglewitch. This last Herr von Osternau opened first, read it, and
+then turned to his wife. "A strange letter!" he exclaimed, "as strange
+and enigmatical as its writer. Only listen." And according to his
+custom of reading aloud to his family all his letters which contained
+nothing private and confidential, he read aloud: "Farewell! I cannot
+tell you how hard it is for me to part from you, from the generous,
+high-hearted man whom I so respect, from my dear pupil Fritzchen, who
+has grown into my heart, and from the kindly family-circle where I have
+passed such happy hours. But it must be done in spite of the pain it
+gives me, pain increased by a sense of guilt. You trusted me and I
+deceived you. My entire life in your home was a lie. Even now, when I
+am going from you, I cannot tell you the truth, I can only pray you to
+forgive a most unhappy man, who never can forget the gratitude he owes
+you. Farewell!"
+
+"There is no signature," said Herr von Osternau, handing the letter to
+his wife. "The man is in all respects a riddle, only one thing seems
+clear, and that is that we shall not see Herr Pigglewitch again."
+
+"I knew he would not return," Lieschen said, with a strange quiver in
+her voice. "He could not."
+
+"He could not?" her father asked, in surprise.
+
+"No, he owed it to himself to flee. He was on the brink of an abyss. It
+was well for him that he had the strength to save himself."
+
+"Lieschen, what nonsense are you talking?" her mother exclaimed, in
+dismay. "You do not know what you are saying!"
+
+"I wish I did not," Lieschen replied, glancing for an instant with
+scorn in her eyes at Bertha, who, paying no apparent attention to what
+was going on, was engaged in a whispered conversation with her
+betrothed.
+
+"There is no use," Herr von Osternau said at last, after reading the
+letter again over his wife's shoulder, "in our beating our brains over
+this mystery. The Candidate's going, like his coming, will always be a
+riddle for us."
+
+After this he opened the Lieutenant's letter and began to read it, but
+he had not read far before he turned to his wife again, with: "This is
+absolutely incredible, Emma! Only hear what Albrecht writes: 'My dear
+Cousin,--First of all forgive me for not returning, and for delaying to
+write until now. After many tedious transactions, of which I will
+inform you more minutely by word of mouth if you desire it, I have
+concluded the affair you know of, and should have returned to you
+to-morrow, but that I think it best to remain here a day or two longer
+in the interest of our family. You will allow this, I am sure, when I
+tell you of the astounding news which I have learned to-day. Herr Egon
+von Ernau, whose body it was affirmed was found in the Spree, has
+returned from quite a long journey, and is now here in Berlin!'"
+
+An exclamation of surprise from Bertha interrupted Herr von Osternau.
+He turned towards her. She had grown very pale, and her large eyes were
+riveted upon his face. "He is alive!" she almost whispered.
+
+"He is alive, and you are betrothed to Herr von Wangen," Lieschen said,
+quietly.
+
+A look of positive hatred was Bertha's only reply. The next instant her
+colour came again, and she turned with her own lovely smile to her
+lover: "Yes, Hugo, and I thank God that I am so, and that I am saved
+the struggle between duty and affection which I must have undergone if
+Herr von Ernau had reappeared before I was betrothed to you."
+
+Herr von Osternau looked rather dubiously at her as she spoke, but he
+said nothing, only continued the reading of his letter: "I could
+scarcely credit this when I heard it this afternoon from an
+acquaintance. Yesterday there was no doubt but that his body had been
+found in the Spree. It had, to be sure, been too long in the water to
+allow of the features being recognized, but Ernau's body-servant
+identified the summer suit of the dead man as positively his master's,
+and there was in one of the pockets a small silver card-case, which
+both the servant and the Councillor recognized as young Ernau's. The
+Councillor was so convinced that the body was that of his son that he
+arranged an imposing funeral, at which half the aristocratic society of
+Berlin was present; and yet here was the dead man alive and well. I
+went directly to Sastrow for further information.
+
+"From him I received confirmation of the incredible report. Herr von
+Ernau did really return yesterday from a tour among the mountains. He
+employed his time this morning in visiting his acquaintances,
+apparently to convince them that he is alive. He has nothing to say of
+where he has been or why he left Berlin so abruptly, but he ridicules
+his own splendid funeral and thanks the mourners profusely for their
+sympathy. He is as reckless and extravagant as ever. Werner Massenburg,
+who has just seen Sastrow, gave him all these particulars. I shall go
+to him again to-morrow, when I may have more to tell you, but for the
+present the subject must give place to certain revelations I have for
+you concerning the redoubtable Herr Pigglewitch, who I was quite
+certain was what he proves to be,--an adventurer and deceiver."
+
+"What a shameful calumny!" Lieschen exclaimed, indignantly.
+
+"Hush, my child!" her father rejoined, gravely. "I neither can nor will
+believe that your cousin's harsh expressions are justifiable, but I
+hardly know what to think. Listen to what Albrecht says:
+
+"You forbade me to put the police upon the fellow's traces, and I
+obeyed you, but you did not forbid my instituting inquiries as to his
+previous life and circumstances. This I have done, and as I have an
+acquaintance who is one of the superior officers of the police force, I
+easily learned from him the following particulars: The man calling
+himself Pigglewitch, who brought you a letter from Herr Director
+Kramser, and who lived so long at Castle Osternau, has no right to the
+name he bore there, and must be a mere adventurer.
+
+"I remember perfectly well that the so-called Candidate Pigglewitch
+arrived at Castle Osternau on the 6th of July, and on that very day the
+real Pigglewitch is proved to have been in Berlin. He had informed his
+lodging-house keeper--a woman by the name of Wiebe--that he had
+obtained a situation as tutor, and that he was to be at Osternau, in
+Silesia, on the 6th, but after leaving Berlin on the 5th he returned on
+the evening of the 6th and took possession of his old quarters. Here he
+stayed for several days, expecting, as he told his hostess, a letter
+containing money, which would enable him to sail for America, and in
+fact on the 9th of July a letter did arrive, addressed to Herr Gottlieb
+Pigglewitch, and containing a large sum of money, some four thousand
+marks, Frau Wiebe says. She further states that Pigglewitch was
+overjoyed at the arrival of the letter, and told her that he should
+spend a few days longer in Berlin to take some recreation before
+sailing; that he left home early in the morning and returned late at
+night until the 12th of July, when he went from the house at eleven in
+the forenoon, and has not since been heard of. As there were no charges
+against him, and as it was more than probable that he had sailed for
+America, no search was made for him. Thus much at least is certain,
+that the real Pigglewitch was in Berlin from the 6th to the 12th of
+July, and that therefore the man who was at Castle Osternau must have
+been an adventurer and impostor, wearing an assumed name.
+
+"The conclusions to be drawn from this fact I leave to you. If the sham
+Pigglewitch has returned from his journey, give him this letter to
+read. I am curious to know whether he will defend himself against the
+charges it contains, and whether you, Cousin Fritz, will still refuse
+to call in the aid of the police. I have no I doubt that they would
+find in his possession skeleton keys and a considerable sum of money,
+unless he has been prudent enough to conceal them during his absence
+from the castle.
+
+"Day after to-morrow I shall return to Osternau, and in the mean time I
+may perhaps learn something further of Herr von Ernau and of the sham
+Pigglewitch.
+
+"With great regard, faithfully yours,
+
+                                     "Albrecht Von Osternau."
+
+
+"These are terrible revelations!" Frau von Osternau said, when her
+husband had finished reading the letter. "Who would have thought it?
+But yes, I always suspected that something was wrong. I never trusted
+Herr Pigglewitch. While he sat at the piano and played or sang I
+forgot, it is true, all my doubts, but they returned as I looked into
+his restless, dark eyes. You know, Fritz, how often I have warned you
+against him and begged you to dismiss him. Now he is proved to be an
+adventurer and an impostor. In his own letter he confesses that he has
+deceived us, that his life was a lie. He knew that discovery was
+imminent, and so he has not returned. Now you will change your opinion
+of him, and no longer delay sending an account of the robbery to the
+Breslau police inspector."
+
+"No, Emma, I am as thoroughly convinced of his innocence now as I
+always have been," her husband replied. "Whoever the thief may have
+been, it was not the Candidate. I wish for no clearing up of that
+mystery."
+
+Lieschen arose, went to her father, and, putting her arm around his
+neck, kissed him tenderly, and said, "Thank you, my own kind, darling
+papa!" Then she ran out of the room to hide the tears which Bertha must
+not see.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XVIII.
+                           A FORCED RESOLVE.
+
+
+On the morning of his departure from Castle Osternau Egon had packed up
+enough clothing to last him for a few days, and carried it himself to
+Station Mirbach, whence he took the next train to Breslau.
+
+He did not know himself what course he should take. He trusted, as he
+had formerly been wont to do, to the impulse of the moment. Only one
+thing was clear to him, he needed rest and solitude, and a forcible
+severing of the ties which bound him to Castle Osternau, before he
+could come to any clear decision as to his conduct.
+
+Arrived in Breslau, he first attended to Herr von Osternau's
+commission, and dispatched the money to him. At the same time he
+enclosed to Herr Pastor Widman, in Wennersdorf, the sum owing him. "No
+need of a letter of explanation," he said to himself, as he sealed the
+envelope. "I am a fool to send this money, but I promised Herr von
+Osternau, and I wish the Herr Pastor joy of his good luck."
+
+As he sauntered through the streets of Breslau after posting his
+letters, whiling away the time before the departure of the noonday
+train, which was to carry him to the mountains, he tried in vain to
+collect his thoughts, to arrange his ideas. It was in vain, his mind
+was a chaos; he seemed walking in a confused dream; old impressions
+recalled by the busy life of the streets, from which he had so long
+been absent, struggled with those of the last few weeks, and he
+attained some degree of calm only when, after a couple of hours in the
+railway-carriage, he arrived at the little mountain village whence he
+was to set out upon his pedestrian excursion. He strapped upon his back
+the knapsack which he had purchased at Breslau to contain his few
+effects, and set out; it was not long before the physical effort
+necessary for mountain-climbing had its usual beneficial effect.
+
+His rebellious thoughts would still revert to Castle Osternau, and
+refuse to be held captive by the changing landscape on either hand, but
+they were no longer so confused and unsteady as they had been early in
+the day, and when, after a long walk, he retired for the night,
+tolerably late in the evening, at a little mountain inn, he soon fell
+into a dreamless sleep.
+
+He waked in the early morning refreshed and invigorated mentally and
+physically. The weather was glorious, and most propitious for mountain
+travel on foot; Egon felt awaken within him an old longing for some
+days alone with nature in her grand, careless mood. It was long since
+he had felt so fresh and strong, and as he walked upwards among the
+odorous pines he calmly reflected upon his life at Castle Osternau.
+Could he return thither? He was able now to ponder the question
+quietly. His position there was uncertain; Pastor Widman's letter had
+raised doubts in Herr von Osternau's mind which an accident might
+reawaken, he might naturally make investigations as to his tutor's
+past, and then? The inevitable consequence would be the ruin of the
+false structure erected, as Egon was forced with shame to confess, upon
+falsehood. The unmasked impostor would be thrust in disgrace from the
+castle, despised by those whom he held so dear.
+
+No, he could not expose himself to such a peril; if he returned he must
+confess the whole truth to Herr von Osternau. But could he do this?
+There rang in his ears all the words of disapproval and condemnation
+uttered by almost every member of the Osternau circle with regard to
+Herr von Ernau. Lieschen had called him a wretched, detestable man, and
+her father and mother had openly expressed their contempt for him.
+Should he say to them, "I am that Egon von Ernau whom you so despise!"
+Could he defend himself against the accusations brought against him? He
+had tried once to do so to Lieschen, and how incredulously she had
+shaken her lovely head! with what surprise, nay, dismay, she had looked
+at him! Had not his former life justified all that was said of him? Had
+he not given additional reason for it by carrying on a deception for
+weeks, living under an assumed name among those who had trusted him?
+
+In imagination he saw Lieschen turning from him indignantly, as she
+exclaimed, "There is nothing I detest as I do falsehood!" He heard the
+Lieutenant's scornful laughter. And Bertha! Should she too witness his
+humiliation?
+
+No; he could not return and run the risk of being discovered, nor could
+he confess his deceit. Both were alike impossible.
+
+But if he did not return to the castle, what was he to do? Go back to
+Berlin! And why not? Formerly the thought of falling in with his
+father's plans had filled him with disgust; now his heart beat quicker
+at the thought of calling Bertha von Massenburg his wife.
+
+And yet he hesitated and could come to no decision. Always in the midst
+of the intoxication of the senses that accompanied the remembrance of
+Bertha, a lovely girlish image would rise before his mental vision to
+calm and soothe him, and no sacrifice seemed to him too great to
+purchase a gentle word of pardon from Lieschen, one look of love from
+her eyes.
+
+He could not decide. For three days he wandered about the mountains,
+pursuing those paths least frequented by tourists, and lodging at night
+in some lonely, retired little inn, determined to avoid any chance
+encounter with acquaintances. But on the fourth day of his wanderings
+he was slowly descending the agate rocks towards Hermsdorf, lost in
+thought, his eyes bent upon the ground, when he was roused from his
+revery by a clear, merry voice: "All good spirits praise the Lord!
+Positively this is a capital joke! Day before yesterday we buried you,
+Herr von Ernau, and to-day I meet you, sound in body and limb, upon
+this far from delightful ascent!"
+
+Egon looked up startled. Before him stood an old acquaintance from
+Berlin,--Baron von Freistetten, a wealthy young nobleman, whom he had
+often met in society, and whom he had liked rather better than most of
+his associates, since in the preference shown him by the young fellow
+there could be no suspicion of interested motives.
+
+Freistetten was in the act of making the ascent of the agate rocks, in
+company with a guide, and had paused for a moment to take breath, when
+he perceived Egon coming down towards him and instantly hailed him. All
+fatigue was forgotten; he hurried to meet him, and shook him cordially
+by the hand. "Upon my word, Ernau," he said, "this is the greatest
+pleasure I have had for years! I never believed you were dead, for did
+I not see you a month ago in Breslau? But when everybody insisted that
+your body had been found, and when I followed it to the grave, the day
+before yesterday, I thought I had been mistaken, and sincerely mourned
+you. Thank God! I was right at first. I am indeed delighted."
+
+The young fellow's joy was so sincere that Egon could not but
+reciprocate his cordiality. Disagreeably surprised as he was at first
+at the encounter, several of the Baron's expressions had aroused his
+curiosity, and he agreed readily to the young man's proposal that they
+should find some shady spot for a half-hour's talk.
+
+Beneath an overhanging rock they threw themselves down upon the soft
+green moss.
+
+"I cannot get used to it," said Freistetten, shaking Egon again by the
+hand. "This is what I call a surprise indeed. But now tell me all about
+yourself. Where in the world have you been hiding? What reasons could
+you have for vanishing so suddenly and giving no sign of life?"
+
+"I was tired of the stupid society life of the capital, and I have been
+spending a few weeks quietly in the country. I really have nothing to
+tell. But you must satisfy my curiosity. What was it you said about
+finding my body and going to my funeral? What did you mean?"
+
+"That you were buried, and have risen from the dead. But no, the matter
+is too serious for trifling. You shall hear the consequences of your
+flight from Berlin."
+
+And he went over the whole story; how he had not been believed when he
+said that he had seen Egon in Breslau, how every one said that young
+Ernau had taken his life because of an unhappy love-affair. "You have
+deeply grieved your friends, Ernau," he added.
+
+"Have I any friends?" Egon rejoined. "The few who felt some slight
+regret at my death were more than indemnified by the interesting gossip
+to which it gave occasion."
+
+"I don't envy you such sentiments as those," Freistetten said, gravely.
+"They can only be entertained by one who is no man's friend, and who
+thinks only of himself. I am no moralist, but I cannot understand how
+you could make up your mind to play so reckless a game with your
+friends, among whom I count myself, and, above all, with your father."
+
+Egon had no reply to make to this reproach, and Freistetten continued
+his narrative, telling how the dress of the corpse found in the Spree
+had been identified by the servant and by Councillor von Ernau, and how
+magnificent had been the funeral.
+
+Egon listened eagerly, and when he heard how the body had been
+identified, he had a sudden conviction as to who had been so
+ceremoniously consigned to earth in his stead. He remembered that he
+had forgotten to take his empty silver card-case from the breast-pocket
+of the coat which he had exchanged for Pigglewitch's. The Candidate had
+not been heard from for weeks. Doubtless he had gambled again, had
+again lost all, and his second attempt at suicide had been more
+successful than his first. His body was now at rest in the church-yard.
+
+"You are really dead in every one's estimation," Freistetten concluded.
+"It is fortunate that I chanced to meet you, and could tell you of the
+result of your flight from Berlin,--else you might not have thought of
+returning thither to put a stop to the wild rumours about you. Or were
+you going down to Hirschberg, to start thence for Berlin?"
+
+"No," Egon replied, "I did not think of that. I have not yet decided
+what to do, and I must pray you to keep my secret, and inform no one
+that you have seen me."
+
+"I shall do no such thing!" Freistetten exclaimed, indignantly. "That
+would be to make myself an accomplice in what offends my sense of
+right. Indeed, Ernau, you must return to Berlin; it would be
+unpardonable to allow your father to believe any longer that he has
+lost his only son. I know that your relations with him were never very
+cordial, but he is your father, and you owe him a son's duty. If you
+refuse to return to Berlin, I shall cut short my mountain excursion and
+go there myself to tell your father that his son is alive."
+
+Freistetten had arisen, and now signed to his guide that he was ready
+to go on.
+
+"Decide, Ernau," he said, gravely; "your decision will govern mine."
+
+Egon had hoped for some chance that should force him to a resolution;
+his wish was fulfilled; his hesitation between Castle Osternau and
+Berlin was at an end. He was not angry with Freistetten for his severe,
+almost insulting, words: he was justified in using them.
+
+"I thank you, Freistetten," he said, likewise rising. "Your admonition
+is harsh, but I will lay it to heart. Continue your tour; I promise you
+to go directly to Berlin from Hirschberg. Since I am, half unwillingly
+I admit, forced to take upon me the old yoke, I will do so without
+delay. Farewell!"
+
+The young men separated with a warm grasp of the hand, and Egon walked
+on down into the Hirschberg valley. With a heavy heart he went his way
+back to the old life. Now that he was resolved not to return to Castle
+Osternau, existence there appeared to him in the rosiest light; he
+longed for each one of those of its inmates who had grown dear to him;
+he could not bear the thought of parting from them without one word of
+farewell, one prayer for pardon for having deceived them.
+
+Lieschen's image accompanied him on his way; it seemed to beckon him
+on. He felt an intense desire to hasten to Castle Osternau, if only for
+a day, an hour, that she might decide whether he should remain there,
+or return to Berlin.
+
+He lodged for the night in a little inn seldom visited by strangers. He
+could not sleep when he first retired to his room; the effort to abide
+by his resolve chased sleep from his eyelids. At last he sat down and
+wrote two farewell letters, one to Herr von Osternau, the other to Herr
+Storting. In the latter he enclosed the payment of the little debt for
+which Storting had so readily gone surety in Breslau. Both letters he
+posted the next morning before starting for Berlin, thus destroying all
+possibility of a return to Castle Osternau. He then grew calmer; the
+struggle was over, he hesitated no longer.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XIX.
+                         THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN.
+
+
+Privy Councillor Von Ernau was sitting in his dining-room, at the
+little round table, which was to-day set for but one person. He was not
+fond of dining alone; guests were always invited to join him at this
+meal, which was on table punctually at four o'clock. Certainly gay
+conversation is the best seasoning for delicate viands. Neither
+well-prepared food nor excellent wine delighted the Councillor's palate
+if partaken of in solitude. He therefore reflected sadly, as he sipped
+his soup, upon the number of days upon which he should now be obliged
+to dine alone,--fourteen, at the very least. He sighed profoundly.
+Fourteen days appeared an endless time to him. Since the finding of
+Egon's body had established the fact that the unfortunate Councillor
+von Ernau had lost his only son, eight days had passed; for eight days
+he had worn deep mourning. Until eight days ago there had been some
+doubt as to his calamity, and he had not felt it necessary to deny
+himself all social pleasures; but now there was no help for it. As a
+father overwhelmed with grief, such joys were not for him. He glanced
+sadly enough at the broad band of crape that encircled his left arm.
+
+During the first few days after the finding of the body there had been
+some satisfaction in the sensation produced in Berlin by the actual
+death of Egon von Ernau. It had been very interesting to read the
+accounts in the papers, to receive visits of condolence, to show to
+each new-comer how profound was the grief that wrung the paternal
+bosom; then came all the arrangements for the funeral, which was
+magnificent. Thus occupied the time passed quickly, and the sacrifice
+of a solitary dinner was a matter of course, but now? The visits of
+condolence had ceased, the funeral was over, the newspapers said
+nothing more with regard to the death of Herr Egon von Ernau, the
+Councillor felt very lonely, and the thought that he must yet pass at
+least fourteen days secluded from all the delights of the capital made
+him very sad. It really was a hard fate to lose an only son in the
+bloom of youth, and to have to go into mourning for him besides!
+
+The soup was delicate, but he did not relish it. He looked up with a
+sigh----The spoon dropped from his fingers and fell clinking into his
+soup-plate, as he gazed with staring eyes at the ghost which suddenly
+confronted him in broad daylight,--a ghost the very presentment of his
+dead son. There it stood in the open door-way. No, it did not stand; it
+moved as if made of flesh and blood; it walked with the elastic step
+that had been Egon's, through the room and directly towards its
+solitary occupant.
+
+"Good-day, sir," Egon remarked, as quietly as if he had just returned
+from a short walk; and then, turning to the servant, who stood staring
+in no less terror than his master, he said, "Bring me a plate, Johann,
+and be quick, for I am desperately hungry."
+
+No ghost speaks thus; no ghost coolly draws a chair up to a table and
+sits down.
+
+"Good God!" exclaimed the Councillor, who could not yet collect
+himself, "is it really you, Egon? and alive?"
+
+"As you see, sir, alive, and very hungry. Will you have the kindness to
+order Johann to bring me a plate and not to stand there staring at me?
+I think my appetite will soon convince both you and him that I am
+alive."
+
+Johann hastened to obey the order, and the Councillor no longer doubted
+that his son was before him. He took up his spoon again, wiped a spot
+of soup off the handle with his napkin, and as he did so eyed his
+resuscitated son with an air of anything but delight. "You are alive,
+then," he said, peevishly; "and that you are so destroys the only
+satisfactory excuse that there could be for recklessly plunging me into
+the greatest embarrassment by your sudden disappearance, just when your
+betrothal was announced."
+
+"Did I embarrass you, sir?" asked Egon, upon whom the paternal reproof
+appeared to produce but a slight impression. "I am sorry, but I should
+not have believed it. You are not wont to be easily embarrassed. So far
+as I can learn, you have had a very agreeable time. The variety which
+the sensation caused by my disappearance, by the discovery of my body,
+and at last by my funeral must have introduced into your monotonous
+existence has certainly been entertaining. The crape upon your arm
+becomes you admirably; it is a pity to have to take it off, but then
+you will be indemnified for its loss by the fresh sensation which the
+prodigal's return will-excite. We shall both form the topic of Berlin
+gossip for at least a week. Dead men do not rise from their graves
+every day. The funeral, I hear from Freistetten, was really brilliant,
+quite worthy of your distinguished taste. I regret not to have
+witnessed it. However, I can go to the church-yard tomorrow to look at
+my grave and admire the flowers with which you have adorned it. I must
+beg you to accept my thanks for them."
+
+"Always the same," the Councillor murmured, "a venomous sneer in every
+word; you return as you departed."
+
+"Does that vex you, sir? We have always got along very well together.
+You never troubled yourself about me, and I never annoyed you. I think
+we can do as well for the future. You never shall be disturbed in your
+enjoyment of life by me, not even now. Pray do not let your soup get
+cold; here comes mine. We will dine together, and consult comfortably
+how we can introduce to the living world in the manner most agreeable
+to you the son risen from the dead. But before I say another word I
+must take my soup; I am as hungry as a wolf."
+
+He applied himself to his task with an excellent appetite, and the
+Councillor followed his example.
+
+The Councillor did not speak until the soup was removed and Johann was
+busy changing the plates for the next course. Then he availed himself
+of the interruption of the dinner to say, "It seems high time that you
+should inform me of your reasons for leaving me so suddenly, of where
+you have been, of what you have been doing, and why we have heard
+nothing from you for all these long weeks? Certainly, as your father, I
+have a right to an explanation from you."
+
+"There we differ, sir," Egon replied, in the same tone of cool contempt
+which he had thus far used in addressing his father. "Our relations
+have hitherto not corresponded to those usually existing between father
+and son. You never desired any confidence from me. You have pursued
+your pleasures without troubling yourself to think whether your son
+might not perhaps need a father's affection, and you have never
+required of me any explanation of my actions or sentiments. You gave
+the boy perfect liberty to commit any folly he chose; how can the man
+possibly be called to account by you? We had better continue our
+relations as you have arranged them. It can be of little moment to you
+where I have been and why I went away. It is enough that I am here
+again, and that you are relieved of the duty of mourning for my death.
+It is true that you are also deprived of the inheritance of my estate,
+but this is a matter of indifference to you. You never attached any
+great value to money, and you have probably never even remembered that
+my maternal inheritance fell to you at my death."
+
+"You do me but justice. I certainly never thought of that when I saw
+you alive before me. I did think of what I could reply to the countless
+inquiries that will be made of me as to where you have been and what
+you have been doing all these weeks."
+
+"Tell the truth, sir. Say that you do not know, that your son is an
+incorrigible fellow, with no regard for the opinion of the world or for
+his father's feelings, and that he is resolved to act as he himself
+sees fit. Say this to all eager inquirers, and if they are not
+satisfied send them to me, and I will so answer them that they will not
+repeat their questions."
+
+"You will make yourself impossible in society!"
+
+"Precisely. I shall remain only a few days in Berlin, and may not
+return here for years."
+
+The Councillor stared at his son with a comical expression of dismay.
+To him it was inconceivable that a young and wealthy man should propose
+voluntarily to leave Berlin. A visit to London, Paris, or Vienna was
+all very well in its way; he himself had never cared to see those
+cities, but he could understand how they might interest some men for a
+while; but to leave Berlin for years without being forced to do so! the
+thought was preposterous. "You are going away again?" he asked,
+incredulously.
+
+"Yes; I shall be here but a few days. I returned only to show you and
+all my acquaintances that I am alive. I am tired of this insignificant
+existence, and am resolved to devote my future life to some serious
+pursuit. I shall, I think, pursue the study of agriculture for a year
+or longer, and so soon as I am capable of the management of a large
+estate I shall retire to Plagnitz, where I hope to play the part of an
+able agriculturist."
+
+"I believe you are insane!" the Councillor exclaimed. The idea that
+Egon von Ernau, the spoiled darling of society, could desire to
+establish himself upon a West-Prussian estate as a simple agriculturist
+was monstrous, incredible!
+
+Egon smiled involuntarily at his father's dismay. "You see, sir, I have
+very sensible and rather commonplace plans for the future. I hope you
+will approve them, although they surprise you at present. Of course I
+shall also want a wife. Here I shall meet your wishes. During the few
+days which I shall spend in Berlin, my betrothal with your choice for
+me, with Fraeulein Bertha von Massenburg, can be announced publicly and
+celebrated by a brilliant _fete_ after your own heart. As soon as it is
+over I shall leave Berlin, and my marriage will take place when my
+castle in Plagnitz is put in a condition to be a worthy abode for my
+young wife, and when I am fitted to undertake the management of the
+estate."
+
+Were the surprises which Egon had prepared for his father never to come
+to an end? The shock of this last announcement was too much for the
+Councillor's self-control, He tossed aside his napkin, rose from his
+chair, and hastily left the room, to return in a moment with a note,
+which he handed to Egon. "Read that!" he said.
+
+
+"I have the honour to announce to you the betrothal of my only daughter
+Bertha to Herr Hugo von Wangen.
+
+                                     "Werner von Massenburg.
+
+                       "Bertha Von Massenburg.
+
+                       "Hugo von Wangen.
+
+                          "Betrothed."
+
+
+The blood rushed to Egon's cheeks and there was a mist before his eyes
+as he read these words. Bertha betrothed to that insignificant,
+unintellectual, good-natured young fellow! And this was the end of the
+struggle through which he had passed in his sleepless night at
+Hirschberg, where he had at last resolved upon his future career! His
+plans were all annihilated by a paltry bit of paper, on which was
+printed "Bertha von Massenburg, Hugo von Wangen, betrothed."
+
+If the Councillor's amazement at all that he had seen and heard on this
+day could have been increased, it would have been so by the alteration
+visible in his son's features as he road this note. "What now?" he
+exclaimed. "You are absolutely incomprehensible! When you could have
+had Bertha von Massenburg for a wife by simply saying 'yes,' you ran
+away to be rid of her, and now you look as if the lady's betrothal to
+another man were an immense disappointment to you. You have never seen
+her; it can make no possible difference to you whether you have her or
+somebody else for a wife, since you are resolved to marry and settle
+down as a country squire."
+
+"True, sir, it can make no possible difference to me," Egon said,
+slowly, his eyes still fixed upon the note in his hand.
+
+"Besides," the Councillor continued, "betrothed is not married. If your
+heart is so set upon this girl, which I never should have suspected, I
+will speak to Werner Massenburg about it. He consented to the present
+betrothal only to put a stop to disagreeable gossip. It will be easy to
+retract his consent, especially since your appearance gives him a
+reason for declaring the engagement to Wangen null and void. He will be
+glad, and so shall I, to have matters take the course we decided upon
+two months ago. Since you wish it, Egon, I will speak to him."
+
+Lost in thought, Egon had not understood a word his father had uttered.
+The syllables had struck upon his ear without conveying any impression
+to his mental sense. When he heard his name spoken he started from his
+revery and rose. "I must now leave you, sir," he said.
+
+"But you cannot possibly have eaten enough. Sit down and let us consult
+what is to be done."
+
+"I really am unfit for discussion at present. I will go to my room. You
+can employ the afternoon in acquainting your friends with my return.
+To-morrow I will pay the requisite visits, and then try to evoke some
+order out of the chaos that now reigns in my mind."
+
+He left the room, and slowly walked through the familiar rooms and
+corridors until he reached his own apartments. Here nothing had been
+changed during his absence, and it seemed to him that he had been away
+but for a few hours. His lot appeared as empty and forlorn as when he
+had decided to put an end to his tedious existence: life was as
+comfortless and devoid of interest now as then. He threw himself upon a
+lounge, and buried his face among the cushions. He wished neither to
+see, to hear, nor to think. He sank into a half-unconscious state
+between waking and dreaming. Pictures from the past arose, mistily
+indistinct, before his mental vision. He saw himself as a little lonely
+child in his luxurious nursery, longing for affection, filled with
+childish envy of other children who might kiss and caress their father
+or mother; then he saw himself a youth among the throng of his
+fellow-students, all ready to flatter and fawn upon him so long as he
+lavished money upon them; then in society among women whom he despised
+and men who wearied him; then came the scene on the shore of the
+lake,--Pigglewitch's confession, and his own sudden impulse that led
+him into so wild an adventure. All these pictures were cloudy and
+vague, when suddenly there emerged from among them, in startling
+distinctness, Lieschen's image. He saw her as she looked upon the
+afternoon when she had asked counsel of him as she turned to him
+trustfully. How could he ever have forgotten for a moment that pure,
+confiding look?
+
+And as once the reality, so now the remembrance affected him
+profoundly. He felt suddenly invigorated, strengthened for the further
+conflict of life; the dull despair that had assailed him when he saw
+all his plans crumble to ruins vanished; he was ashamed that the
+thought of Bertha should so have moved him, and that he should have
+again blindly followed the impulse of the moment. "Lieschen's pure
+memory shall be my guiding star," he said to himself, "in all the
+conflicts to come!"
+
+He arose from the lounge, and just in time, for steps were heard in the
+corridor, his door was flung open, and there appeared on the threshold
+a man, tall and still handsome in spite of his years, followed by the
+Councillor. Egon recognized his visitor instantly, although he had
+never seen him before, so decided was his resemblance to his daughter.
+
+"My son Egon, Herr von Massenburg," the Councillor said, introducing
+the young man to the stranger. But Werner von Massenburg put aside all
+formality, and, offering Egon his hand, said, with the greatest
+cordiality, "Pardon the informality of my visit, Herr von Ernau; its
+excuse is my great pleasure when I heard from my friend, your father,
+that our mourning for you is at an end, that you are restored to life.
+I could not but come to you immediately to express my joy."
+
+Why should Egon be repelled by this frank display of cordiality? He
+could not tell. As Herr von Massenburg spoke, the resemblance between
+his daughter and himself increased; but this did not lessen Egon's
+distaste for the man. Every friendly word that he spoke seemed to the
+young fellow a conscious falsehood, and he reciprocated but coldly the
+other's kindness.
+
+Nothing deterred by Egon's reserve of manner, Werner continued to pour
+forth his joy upon the occasion of this 'resurrection,' as he called
+it, and his self-congratulations that it was not too late to prevent
+the mischief which might have ensued upon any longer continuance in the
+belief of Egon's death. "Your father knows," he said, "how pained I was
+to be forced to resign all our delightful schemes for the union of our
+families, and that I am all the more rejoiced now that the hope of
+their fulfilment blooms afresh."
+
+"If I am not mistaken, Fraeulein von Massenburg is betrothed to a
+certain Herr von Wangen?" Egon said, quietly.
+
+"True," Massenburg replied, no whit embarrassed. "In the distressing
+situation in which my daughter was placed, I was forced to have
+recourse to some means to vindicate her imperilled reputation. A very
+well-to-do landed proprietor, an honest but rather insignificant young
+fellow, proposed for her. I gave my consent, hard as it was for me, and
+harder still as it was for my daughter to submit to the lot thus
+decided upon for her. She considered herself, so she wrote me, as the
+widow of one so suddenly snatched from her and from the world. The
+supposition under which both Bertha and myself, as Herr von Wangen well
+knows, were induced to give our consent to the betrothal proves to be
+erroneous, and the betrothal is consequently void. I gladly consent to
+declare it so, since your father informs me of your readiness to accede
+to our old plans."
+
+"But Fraeulein von Massenburg and Herr von Wangen?" Egon asked.
+
+"Bertha will be happy to be liberated from a tie that is odious to her,
+and Herr von Wangen must resign himself to the inevitable. I will write
+to him to-day, and shall rejoice to welcome you, my dear Ernau, as my
+future son-in-law."
+
+"I regret, Herr von Massenburg," Egon said, quietly, but firmly, "that
+I can make no claim to the title with which you would honour me. I
+could never consent to be the cause of the rupture of an engagement
+which has been publicly announced."
+
+"What new whim is this?" the Councillor exclaimed, angrily. "Why did
+you send me to Herr von Massenburg?"
+
+"I did not send you, sir."
+
+"But you made no reply when I told you that I would arrange that the
+betrothal should be declared void."
+
+"I do not remember hearing you say a word upon the subject."
+
+"Incredible!" the Councillor exclaimed, indignantly. "I expressly told
+you that I would dissolve the engagement which seemed so obnoxious to
+you. For your sake, to fulfil your wishes, I went directly from the
+dinner-table to Herr von Massenburg, and now you leave me in the lurch,
+for the sake of heaven only knows what insane idea. It is too much, too
+much!"
+
+"Indeed, Herr von Ernau," Werner von Massenburg went on to say, "your
+father's anger would be justifiable if you were in earnest in what you
+say, but that I am sure you are not. I respect the delicacy which makes
+you hesitate to be the cause of the rupture of a betrothal which has
+been publicly announced. But my daughter's engagement to Herr von
+Wangen was only a sad means of putting an end to much scandalous
+gossip. It was but an empty form, and owes its existence to the force
+put upon my daughter's will by myself."
+
+That it was an empty form Egon knew only too well. He knew how gladly
+Bertha would escape from it did she but know who Herr von Ernau really
+was. Gottlieb Pigglewitch, the tutor at Castle Osternau, had learned
+thus much from many a glance of the large, dark eyes that had often
+robbed him of his rest. One word of his, a simple 'yes,' and she might
+yet be his wife.
+
+'Lieschen's pure memory shall be my guiding star in all the future
+conflicts of life.' These words, which he had murmured to himself a few
+moments before, echoed in his soul. In imagination he saw her eyes bent
+on him in pity,--pity for the weakness of a nature prone to yield so
+readily to the impulse of the moment.
+
+He hesitated no longer. "I deeply regret," he said, gravely, "if I have
+been the cause of Fraeulein von Massenburg's contracting an engagement
+to which her heart is not a party, but in my opinion, and I trust in
+that of the young lady, a betrothal is no empty form. I should consider
+it an insult to Fraeulein von Massenburg to suppose her capable of being
+false to her betrothal vow. I certainly never can give her occasion for
+being so, and I beg you, Herr von Massenburg, to consider this as my
+irrevocable resolve."
+
+Werner von Massenburg had much ado to preserve his self-possession. He
+arose, and, with rage in his heart, said, coldly, "After so decided an
+expression of opinion there is no reason for another word upon this
+subject. I can only regret having been induced to comply with your
+request, Herr Councillor."
+
+He then took a formal leave of Egon, and left the room, followed by the
+Councillor, who did not deign to bestow one farewell glance upon his
+son.
+
+When Egon was once more alone he drew a deep breath of relief. For the
+first time in his life he had absolutely controlled an impulse to yield
+to the whim of the moment. He had resisted temptation in a most
+alluring form, and he might hope to date from this moment the dawn of a
+truer and nobler existence.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XX.
+                                 LINAU.
+
+
+The mansion-house of Linau, the German corruption of the Polish
+Linorov, is by no means an imposing residence. Many a wealthy peasant
+in Saxony can boast of a home grander in appearance than the seat of
+the ancient noble family which Hugo von Wangen inherited from his
+father, and in which he was living at present with his young wife and
+his orphan sister, four years after his marriage. Before his father's
+death the young couple had occupied a small but comfortable farm-house
+on the estate, to which Hugo had brought his bride, and where, in
+accordance with his father's ideas as to the frugality and economy
+proper to be observed by young people just beginning life, they would
+still have been residing, had not his father died two years after his
+son's marriage and bequeathed to him the large manor-house itself.
+
+The old Herr left only two children behind him, a son and a daughter,
+the latter a child twelve years of age. His will declared his son Hugo
+the heir of his landed estate, and arranged that the daughter, whose
+inheritance consisted of a mortgage upon the estate, should find a home
+in her brother's house.
+
+Hugo von Wangen gladly fulfilled the duty thus imposed upon him. He
+loved his sister dearly, and needed no injunction from his father to
+induce him to act the part of an affectionate protector to the girl,
+whose mother died shortly after her birth, having received her son's
+solemn promise that he would be a faithful brother to little Clara.
+
+Thus, since the death of his father, Hugo von Wangen, with his wife and
+sister, had inhabited the manor-house of Linau. It was a low, rambling
+assemblage of buildings, quite large enough for Hugo's wishes, as it
+had been for those of his father, who had for many years lived happily
+in it with his family and kept open house. The guest-chambers were
+seldom empty, the hospitality of the host had always been generous, and
+although the style of living had been devoid of pretension to modern
+elegance, there had never been any lack of comfort in the old Von
+Wangen manor-house.
+
+For Hugo, every piece of the quaint, old-fashioned furniture, every
+nook and corner of the house, suggested some incident of his childhood,
+some tender recollection of the mother and father whose memory he
+revered; but to his young, pleasure-loving wife the place was odious.
+She begged that at least the old furniture might be banished, to give
+place to what was more worthy of a Herr von Wangen. To this Hugo would
+in no wise consent, and it was with great reluctance that he yielded so
+far to his wife's wishes as to have the finest of the rooms--one which
+opened by folding doors upon a large balcony built out over the
+garden--given over entirely to her and newly furnished and decorated
+according to her taste. In all the other rooms the old articles of
+furniture in which he delighted remained untouched, contrasting oddly
+enough with the gorgeous arrangements of the garden-room, as it was
+called. Here Bertha spent most of her time, sitting in the balcony when
+the weather was fine, and receiving there the frequent visitors, who
+now as formerly were seldom wanting at Linau.
+
+The tin roof of this addition to the garden-room protected it from sun
+and rain, and that it might be thoroughly warmed in winter Bertha had
+it enclosed with sashes of glass, which could be opened and closed at
+will.
+
+Here, oh a sultry day in August, we find Bertha, something more than
+four years after we last saw her in Osternau. The glass doors and
+sashes of the balcony were all wide open to admit every breath of air,
+and the fair mistress of the house was leaning back in an arm-chair,
+fanning herself lazily with a large lace fan, and evidently wearied and
+discontent.
+
+There was not the faintest breeze stirring, and, low in the west, dark
+masses of clouds were slowly gathering; the afternoon sun was already
+hidden behind them, and they were mounting high above the tall
+shrubbery that bounded the lawn of the garden below the balcony.
+
+"It is insufferably hot and sultry," Bertha sighed, laying aside the
+novel she had been reading. "In this wretched climate one either
+freezes with cold or melts with heat. Such a thing as a fair, mild
+summer afternoon is positively unknown in this odious Western Prussia."
+
+Did she speak in soliloquy, or were her words addressed to the young
+lady who, seated at some distance at a table in the centre of the
+spacious balcony, was busy correcting a sketch by Clara, Hugo's young
+sister, who stood by intensely interested in the operation? It was
+impossible to say, for, as she spoke, Bertha's glance was directed to
+the distant horizon, and she fanned herself uninterruptedly.
+Nevertheless she expected an answer, and, receiving none, the movement
+of her fan grew more energetic, and there was a degree of ill humour in
+the voice with which she said, sharply, "Elise!"
+
+There was such atone of command in the word that she who was thus
+addressed, and who was bending over the drawing on the table, looked up
+from it startled. Her charming face flushed slightly as she left her
+place and approached Bertha in obedience to her call.
+
+"I really think you might reply to me when I speak to you," the latter
+said, as if aggrieved.
+
+"I beg pardon! I really did not know that your remark was addressed to
+me."
+
+"To whom else could I be speaking? You cannot think me so silly as to
+sit here talking to myself. Do try to pay a little attention to me."
+
+Every word was uttered with an evident intention to be disagreeable,
+but no retort was provoked from the person addressed. In fact, she had
+no time to reply before her young pupil eagerly took up her defence.
+Clara threw down her pencil and turned sharply to her sister-in-law:
+"What is it, Bertha? What has Elise done to provoke you? How should she
+know that your criticism of West Prussia was addressed to her? It might
+as well have been uttered for my benefit, and you may be sure I should
+have taken up the cudgels if I had not been so busy over this miserable
+drawing."
+
+The child was most attractive in her eager defence of her teacher, but
+Bertha's ill humour made her blind to any charm in her little sister,
+to whom she administered a sharp rebuke for want of respect to her
+brother's wife, adding, "I cannot see. Elise, that your teaching is
+likely to produce any very fine results here. Clara grows too pert and
+insubordinate. I really must ask Hugo to have her sent to some one of
+our many admirable boarding-schools, where she may have the advantage
+of stricter discipline than any that can be exerted over her at home."
+
+"No need to try that," Clara retorted; "Hugo never will consent. Papa
+has taken care of that, I know."
+
+"Clara, Clara!" her governess interposed.
+
+"Let me speak, Elise," Clara went on, putting aside the warning hand
+extended to her; "I must for this once. I cannot see why Bertha should
+treat you as she has so often done since you came to us, a month ago. I
+cannot help speaking of it. I love you dearly, and I will not have any
+one unkind to you if I can help it."
+
+"Surely, Elise," Bertha said, angrily, "you must see that I am not
+called upon to endure this patiently. Fortunately, there comes Hugo: he
+will know how to put a stop to Clara's impertinence."
+
+Hugo von Wangen was returning from an expedition to the neighboring
+town of G----. He had driven thither in the early morning, and had
+hastened his return to Linau that he might escape the storm threatening
+in the west. His vehicle was just entering the court-yard, whence he
+came immediately through the garden-room out on the balcony.
+
+Hugo von Wangen had changed greatly in the past four years; the
+shy, retiring youth had developed into a strong, capable man. The
+good-natured expression of his kindly face was, however, unaltered, it
+was even more pronounced than it had formerly been. He could hardly be
+called a handsome man, but he certainly was pleasant to look upon.
+
+As he appeared upon the balcony he was so pleased with his speedy
+return and the happy termination of his business in town, that he did
+not observe the frown upon his wife's brow.
+
+"Fortunately back again before the storm," he called out, gaily. "How
+are you, darling?" As he spoke he bent above his wife and gave her a
+resounding kiss upon her forehead, took Clara's head between his hands
+and kissed her likewise, and then bowed to the governess with a
+cordial, "Good-day, Fraeulein Lieschen."
+
+"Indeed, Hugo, I must beg you to dispense with the babyish 'Lieschen'
+in addressing a young lady of twenty-one," his wife said, sharply.
+
+"You're right, my dear," he replied, good-humouredly. "I forget myself,
+Fraeulein Lieschen comes so naturally to my lips; but I shall learn not
+to use it; so good-day, Fraeulein von Osternau. I am so glad to be at
+home again, and I have had such a pleasure to-day. I met an old
+acquaintance, or rather an old friend, most unexpectedly in G----.
+Guess who it was, my dear,--you know him, and so do you, Fraeulein
+Lieschen,--I mean Fraeulein von Osternau."
+
+Bertha had no desire to guess. She was contemplating preferring a
+complaint of Clara's disrespect, but her interest was aroused when
+Wangen went on eagerly,--
+
+"No, you could not possibly guess. Just as I had got into the carriage
+to drive off from G----, whom should I see coming striding down the
+street but my dear old friend Storting? I jumped out of the carriage,
+and he was as much delighted as I was at our meeting. I should have
+liked to talk for an hour with him, but the skies looked so threatening
+I had to leave, and he too was in a great hurry to get back to Plagnitz
+before the storm came up."
+
+"Plagnitz?" Bertha asked. "Is not that Herr von Ernau's estate?"
+
+"Yes, and that is the strangest part of the whole story: Storting is
+now Herr von Ernau's head inspector."
+
+At the sound of the name Ernau, Elise's attention was evidently
+attracted.
+
+"Herr von Ernau?" she said. "Is that the same man----" Her glance fell
+upon Bertha, and she hesitated slightly. "I mean the Herr Egon von
+Ernau who----"
+
+"You need not hesitate, Fraeulein von Osternau," Wangen interposed with
+a laugh. "You can with an easy mind ask whether it is the same Herr von
+Ernau who ran away from the most charming of women, who was declared
+dead, and who afterwards came to life again, and has since been
+travelling or something of the kind. I am far too grateful to him for
+his folly, and I think Bertha is likewise, to find anything
+disagreeable in the recollection of him; indeed, I am quite curious to
+make his acquaintance."
+
+"Does he live in this neighborhood?" Elise asked, evidently greatly
+interested.
+
+"His principal estate, Plagnitz, is scarcely two miles from Linau, but
+he is not living there at present. No one knows exactly where he is.
+All his letters and papers are sent to his father's banking
+establishment in Berlin. Herr von Ernau has hitherto seemed to take
+very little interest in the management of his estates, except that a
+few years ago his requirements as to the accounts and remittances from
+Plagnitz became much more strict than they were formerly. His old
+superintendent, Sieveking, told me that he had never been there but
+twice, the last time about four years ago. On that occasion he made a
+very exact inspection of the entire estate, informed himself of every
+particular of its management, and took copious notes in his notebook,
+since which time he has never revisited the place, nor have any orders
+been received from him. He informed the superintendent when he left, at
+the end of two weeks, that he was about to undertake an extensive
+agricultural tour, and that he intended at some future time to assume
+the superintendence of his estates himself, but that in order to do so
+he must acquire a thorough knowledge of agriculture. Since then nothing
+has been heard of him at Plagnitz. He must be a queer fellow. I really
+am curious to know him. I suppose he will be back here some day. What
+do you say, Bertha, should not you like to see this eccentricity face
+to face?"
+
+"I really care nothing about it," Bertha said, shrugging her shoulders
+indifferently.
+
+"But I do. I should like to know how Storting will get along with him,"
+her husband went on; "he has never seen him, he has not even
+corresponded with him. Five weeks ago he saw in one of the country
+papers that a head inspector was wanted on the baronial estate of
+Plagnitz, further particulars to be obtained at the office of the
+banking firm of A. C. Ernau & Co., Berlin. He addressed a letter to
+that office, inquiring as to the terms upon which the place could be
+obtained, declaring himself an applicant for the situation, and
+offering to furnish testimonials as to his capacity to fulfil its
+duties. Two weeks after sending this letter he received a most amazing
+reply; any stipulations which he might make were acceded to beforehand,
+including the amount of his salary; it was entirely unnecessary to send
+in any testimonials; it was desirable that he should enter upon the
+duties of his office as soon as possible, to which end he was directed
+to report at his earliest convenience to Herr Sieveking, the
+administrator, who was instructed to comply with all his requirements
+and to conclude the engagement with him. The letter enclosed three
+hundred marks for travelling expenses. Of course Storting instantly
+betook himself to Plagnitz; old Sieveking, who has been ailing for some
+time, and greatly in need of assistance in his duties, received him
+with delight, and thus Storting has been installed at Plagnitz as head
+inspector for more than two weeks, without ever handing in a single
+testimonial as to his ability."
+
+"He deserves such confidence," Elise said. "He is an honest, excellent
+man, prudent, conscientious, diligent, and an admirable superintendent.
+My father trusted him entirely."
+
+"And he merited it, as I know well," said Wangen. "Had I known that he
+was unemployed I should have engaged him at any price; but how in the
+world did they know of his admirable qualifications in the Ernau
+counting-room? It is unprecedented, the engaging of a head inspector
+without any examination of his testimonials."
+
+Elise made no reply, but the shadowy smile that hovered about her mouth
+seemed to indicate that she had her own opinion with regard to what was
+so incomprehensible to Wangen, who dwelt at length upon the
+unaccountable bestowal of Herr von Ernau's confidence. He was very
+sorry that he had been able to have only five minutes of conversation
+with Storting, but he was resolved to drive over to Plagnitz shortly
+and have a talk with his friend about the dear old times.
+
+At mention of the dear old times Elise sighed, whereupon Bertha
+bestowed upon her a glance of displeasure: she too remembered them, but
+they were anything but dear to her. Suddenly recalling in her
+displeasure her cause of offence with Clara, she said, ill-humouredly,
+"We have had enough of your Herr Storting for the present: the account
+of your meeting him drove out of my head for a while the urgent request
+I was about to make you that Clara should be sent to boarding-school.
+You have no idea how pert and headstrong the child is becoming. Elise
+seems quite unable to govern her, and I really must appeal to you, both
+for the girl's sake and my own. Elise's incapacity is a great
+disadvantage to her pupil."
+
+"That is not true!" Clara declared.
+
+"Hush, Clara! I am talking with your brother and guardian."
+
+"But, Bertha, I cannot hush when you say what is not true. You began
+our quarrel, and Elise did all she could to prevent it. It was your
+fault that I was pert; you made me angry by threatening to ask Hugo to
+send me away from here----"
+
+"That is precisely what I ask of him," Bertha angrily declared. "You
+hear, Hugo, how impertinent the child is. You cannot hesitate as to
+what should be done."
+
+She was angrier than her husband had ever before seen her, but her
+anger became her. To Hugo she looked adorably beautiful, with her large
+black eyes flashing, her cheeks flushed, and her lovely lip curled. He
+did not like angry people, he was too easy and good-natured himself,
+but even anger charmed him in his wife. He said, smiling, "My darling,
+my darling, you exaggerate. Fraeulein von Osternau, will you have the
+goodness to take Clara to her room for a while, that I may quietly
+discuss this matter with my wife?"
+
+Elise inclined her head in assent and withdrew, taking Clara with
+her. The girl went willingly, but cast a glance of defiance at her
+sister-in-law as she left the room, thus further exasperating Bertha's
+angry mood. "Surely, Hugo," she said, when the husband and wife were
+alone together, "you cannot wish to expose me to such insult at the
+hands of a child? I cannot have Clara in the house any longer."
+
+"You will listen to reason, darling," Wangen replied, in his easy,
+good-humoured way, "when your present irritation has subsided. You know
+how gladly I comply with every wish of yours if I can do so, but you
+must not require of me the impossible. Clara is my only sister. I
+promised my mother on her death-bed to be a father to her, and I
+promised my father never to allow her to leave me, except to become the
+wife of some worthy man. I cannot break such promises; and really the
+child is good at heart and affectionate; she is a little pert and
+forward, perhaps, but she responds instantly to kindness. You see how
+devotedly attached she has become to Elise."
+
+"That is just it. Although you will not see it, they are leagued
+against me. Elise hates me. Years ago, at Castle Osternau, she showed
+only too plainly her invincible dislike of me. I never can forget how I
+was forced then to feign affection for her, and how she never neglected
+an opportunity to repulse me. Then I was dependent, now it is her
+turn,--her turn to feign and dissemble, although I can see how it galls
+her pride to do so."
+
+"My dear Bertha, what do you mean? If I did not know how really kind
+and good you are, such words as these would make me doubt you; but I
+know you better. It was your proposal to engage Lieschen for Clara's
+governess, and to give her a salary so large as to enable her to
+support her poor mother. Your unwillingness to suffer the unfortunate
+girl to go among strangers bore testimony to your goodness of heart."
+
+Bertha's expression of face, as her husband spoke thus, was not
+pleasant to see. "We'll say nothing more of Elise," she said.
+"She can remain here as my companion, but Clara must be sent to
+boarding-school."
+
+"I told you that I could not break my promise. I must tell you now that
+by the conditions of my father's will I could not if I would. I did not
+wish to annoy you, and so I have hitherto refrained from explaining
+these conditions to you, but there is no help for it. You must know
+that it is impossible to send Clara away if we would retain possession
+of the estates."
+
+"But how can this be? Explain to me exactly how your father's will is
+expressed."
+
+"I should greatly prefer not doing so, but, since there is no help for
+it, you must know that in the last years of his life my father regarded
+you with a certain suspicion which I could not allay. He conceived an
+idea that when he was no longer here you would use your influence with
+me to induce me to remove to Berlin, and that you would find in Clara
+an obstacle to your schemes. I did all I could to disabuse him of his
+mistrust of you, dear, but in vain, and he gave it expression in his
+will, by which I am not the proprietor of the estates; their income is
+mine only so long as Clara is brought up beneath my roof. Upon the day
+of her marriage, if she lives until then with me, the estates become my
+own. My father had a horror of boarding-schools for girls, and
+expressly forbade my sending Clara to any such. Should I transgress the
+injunctions laid upon me by his will, Clara becomes his residuary
+legatee. The value of his property is legally appraised, and my share
+will be only that which the law allows me. The same result will ensue
+should Clara, through my own or my wife's unkindness, be forced to
+leave my house before she is of age; as to the sufficiency of her
+provocation the courts would decide. My father provided for all
+possible contingencies. The will is drawn up by an admirable lawyer,
+Councillor Herder, and I could not possibly evade its provisions, even
+should I be so lacking in filial respect as to endeavour to do so."
+
+"Does Clara know of all this?"
+
+"I believe Councillor Herder has informed her upon the subject. She is
+a great pet of his, as you know, and he is her godfather. You know,
+too, that he has always been somewhat prejudiced against you; indeed,
+dear, you have not treated him with quite the respect due to an old
+friend of the family. And now you see that I could not send Clara away
+from home if I would, and I frankly confess to you that even if I could
+I would not. Only try to win the child's affection and it will be given
+to you without reserve, and you will be glad to have her with us."
+
+"I am, then, to kiss the hand that smites me?" Bertha rejoined, with
+bitterness. "It does not make me love the child any better to have her
+thus forced upon me. But you may rest easy, Hugo, I understand it all
+now, and you may be sure that I never shall give your sister an
+opportunity to use her power against us. She is quite aware of the
+extent of it, and would doubtless hail an occasion for exercising it.
+Be sure that I will so conduct myself that no court in Prussia would
+justify her in leaving your house and defrauding you of your
+inheritance."
+
+Wangen was deeply grieved by his wife's words and her manner of
+speaking; for the first time he entertained suspicions as to the
+genuineness of her kindness of heart. All such he had hitherto
+banished, reproaching himself at her first kind word for even allowing
+their shadow to cross his mind. To-day he could not lay them to rest,
+he was so hurt by his wife's open expression of her dislike of his pet
+Clara.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXI.
+                              AN ACCIDENT.
+
+
+The rain rattled against the glass enclosure of the balcony, flash
+after flash of lightning illumined the darkness, and the crashing
+thunder shook the walls of the old manor-house of Linau to their
+foundations.
+
+Hugo von Wangen was pacing the spacious room restlessly to and fro. The
+storm had been raging for more than two hours. The rain was falling in
+torrents, and through it could be heard the rushing noise of the brook
+at the end of the garden,--it was plainly overflowing its banks.
+
+"The storm is increasing," said Wangen, and his words instantly
+received confirmation from an intensely vivid flash of lightning,
+followed by a reverberating clap of thunder. The panes in the windows
+shook almost to breaking, and the howling of the blast all but drowned
+the sound of his voice.
+
+"You make me very nervous," Bertha said, "by pacing backwards and
+forwards in that manner, like some wild animal in a cage. Come and sit
+down with us, your restlessness can do no good."
+
+Wangen did not heed her; he quickened his steps, his anxiety evidently
+increasing every minute. "I hope there has been no accident," he said.
+"The Dombrowker bridge is unsafe at the best of times, and very
+dangerous in a storm like this."
+
+"Don't worry yourself, Hugo," Clara rejoined, leaving the table where
+she had been seated at her embroidery and affectionately putting her
+arm through her brother's as he pursued his restless walk. "Herr Kaempf
+is with the men, and he is so prudent he will see that nothing happens.
+Perhaps he has not started from the station, but is waiting there for
+the storm to abate."
+
+"Clara is right," Bertha said, kindly. Since Elise and her charge had
+made their appearance again at supper the mistress of the house had
+been once more all sweetness and amiability, and had seemed desirous of
+effacing any unfavorable impression produced by her previous ill
+humour. "Herr Kaempf is certainly waiting at the station. He must have
+seen the storm coming up all the afternoon."
+
+"That is just why he will surely have driven over,--it came up so very
+slowly, and then burst forth with such sudden fury. Something must
+surely have hap----"
+
+He interrupted himself to listen. The noise of the rain beating against
+the glass panes was fainter for the moment, and Wangen distinctly heard
+the rolling of wheels in the court-yard.
+
+It ceased, and the next moment the door of the garden-room was
+hurriedly opened, and Inspector Kaempf appeared on the balcony. The
+water was dripping from his wet and muddy overcoat, and his hair hung
+in damp, straight strings over his sunburned forehead.
+
+"Thank God you are back again!" Wangen exclaimed, hastening to meet
+him, but pausing as he looked into the troubled face of the man, who
+turned in some hesitation from him to the ladies.
+
+"We are back again," the inspector said, after an instant's pause. "The
+first carriage is here, the other is directly behind us, nothing has
+happened to us, but--I should be sorry to startle madame and the
+ladies, but--there has been an accident. A stranger left the station a
+short time before us in a one-horse light wagon, and wagon and horse
+fell over the cliffs in the Dombrowker Pass. The driver is dead, and
+the stranger is senseless. He fell but a short distance, but there is a
+wound upon his forehead,--he must have struck his head against a stone.
+We put him into our foremost wagon and brought him here; there was
+nothing to be done for the unfortunate driver. The storm was furious,
+and we have been obliged to drive very slowly. The stranger may revive,
+but I fear----the men are now bringing him into the hall."
+
+As he spoke, the sound of many footsteps and a murmur of low voices
+were heard in the hall, whither Wangen instantly went, followed by the
+inspector, Elise, Clara, and last by Bertha.
+
+The spacious hall was filled with men-servants and maids, who had
+hurried hither from all parts of the house and stables upon hearing of
+the accident. The unconscious stranger had been carefully brought in
+from the wagon and laid upon various wraps on the floor of the hall,
+where men and maids were crowding about him, whispering their pity and
+dismay, and wondering who the unfortunate man could be lying there as
+pale and lifeless as the poor driver, whose body had just arrived in
+the second wagon.
+
+No one knew him, not even Herr Berndal, the second inspector, who had
+lived at Linau for years, and who knew every one in all the country
+round. One of the men affirmed that he had seen the gentleman
+get out of a first-class carriage when the train arrived at the
+railway-station. He must be a rich man, he thought, for he had a very
+grand air, and the station-master had bowed low to him and had sent one
+of the porters to get him a conveyance immediately.
+
+There was nothing of the grand air to be seen now in the senseless
+figure lying there, his clothes muddy and disordered, his face ghastly
+pale and stained with the blood that trickled from a wound in the
+forehead, now half concealed by the thick dark hair. The features were
+scarcely distinguishable in the fitful light of the candles in the
+hall and of a stable lantern held by one of the men, but the maid
+at the man's elbow whispered that the poor gentleman would be very
+fine-looking if he were not so horribly pale, and he could not be over
+thirty at most.
+
+The whispering suddenly ceased when Herr von Wangen appeared, and the
+servants respectfully made way for the new arrivals.
+
+Wangen looked down compassionately upon the unconscious man; Bertha,
+after one timid glance at the motionless form, hid her face in her
+hands and turned away in horror; while Elise stooped, and, gently
+brushing aside the hair from the wound, listened eagerly, in hopes of
+catching some faint sound of breathing from the parted lips.
+
+"There is hope," she said, gently: "he is still living." Then, as the
+light of the lantern held by the man beside her fell full upon the
+stranger's face, she started, grew very pale, and with difficulty
+suppressed a cry of horror. "Good God!" she whispered, "it is he! Oh,
+horrible!"
+
+Her start, her change of colour, and her whispered words attracted
+Bertha's attention again, and Wangen, no less amazed, bent over the
+prostrate figure and eagerly examined the lifeless features. "You know
+him?" he asked, hurriedly. "Yes, yes; I too have seen that face before,
+but where? Now I remember--at Castle Osternau. Surely it is the
+Candidate who disappeared so suddenly, the tutor with the odd
+name,--yes, I remember it now,--Pigglewitch."
+
+The name, even at this moment, called forth a smile from some of the
+servants, but Wangen exclaimed, eagerly, "There! his lips moved, he
+will recover! Help me, Hans, instantly to take him up gently and carry
+him to the blue room, it is ready for guests. Be careful! he is coming
+to himself."
+
+And, all alert in the hope of the stranger's recovery, Wangen himself
+supported the head and shoulders of the wounded man, and, with the help
+of the groom, carried him slowly up the steep staircase to the
+designated guest-chamber and laid him upon the huge old-fashioned bed.
+Elise walked beside the bearers, lending what aid she could, and never
+heeding that the blood, which was beginning to flow freely from the
+wound in the unfortunate man's forehead, was staining her hands and her
+dress.
+
+"We must have medical aid immediately," Wangen said, when his burden
+had been safely deposited in the blue room; "every minute is precious."
+
+He was interrupted by a vivid flash of lightning and a terrific clap of
+thunder, the echo of which was drowned in the dashing of the rain
+against the rattling window-panes.
+
+"No servant will venture to drive to Ostrowko in such a night as this,"
+Inspector Berndal declared; "we shall have to wait until the storm
+abates. It would be impossible to brave its fury."
+
+Elise had occupied herself in arranging the pillows about the wounded
+man's head, after sending a maid for water to wash the wound, but as
+the words of the inspector fell upon her ear she turned to him, and
+said, quietly, "I know the road to Ostrowko perfectly well. I will
+drive over there and bring the doctor if you will have a vehicle made
+ready for me."
+
+"What! you drive to Ostrowko in this storm, Fraeulein Lieschen?
+Impossible!"
+
+"You forget that I am a country girl, and accustomed from my earliest
+childhood to drive alone over the roughest possible roads. My sight is
+keen, my hand is sure. I know the road, and am not afraid either of the
+darkness or of the storm. Delay may imperil a human life; you have just
+said that every minute is precious, Herr von Wangen. You must not
+prevent my going to Ostrowko."
+
+The inspector looked admiringly at the girl, who announced her daring
+resolve as quietly as if it were the easiest and most natural of
+undertakings.
+
+"I really believe you would do as you say, Fraeulein von Osternau," he
+said, "but it is out of the question. I never could look any one in the
+face again if I allowed you to go. I will go for the doctor, and bring
+him back with me as soon as may be."
+
+"You have just got home," Elise remonstrated.
+
+"All the more reason why I should be the one to go out again,--I could
+not possibly be wetter than I am. I shall bring the doctor back with
+me."
+
+He was so evidently resolved to go that Elise did not gainsay him, but
+quietly declared her intention to stay beside the wounded man until the
+doctor arrived. Wangen suggested that, since the poor fellow was
+unconscious, the housekeeper or one of the maids might just as well
+relieve her of this duty; but Elise was firm, and Bertha supported her
+in her decision, although in a mocking way that was very irritating.
+"Let her do as she wishes," she said to her husband, quite loud enough
+to be heard by the self-constituted nurse. "It will be a comfort to
+her. Do you remember her enthusiasm for her music-teacher when she was
+but seventeen? She preserved his image faithfully in her heart and
+recognized him immediately. We ought not to interfere with her."
+
+Elise blushed painfully, but she suppressed the bitter retort that rose
+to her lips. Clara threw her arms round her and whispered to her,
+"Don't let her distress you, darling Elise. She grows worse and worse;
+you must not mind her."
+
+Wangen, too, was grieved by Bertha's tone and manner, reminding him as
+it did of his late interview with her, and his voice was not so cordial
+as usual as he rejoined, "This is no time for jesting, Bertha. Come,
+let us leave Fraeulein Lieschen to her work of mercy. The poor man could
+not be in better hands."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXII.
+                          AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.
+
+
+Egon awakened as from a long, deep slumber. He opened his eyes, and was
+conscious of a dull pain in his head, and of a burning, pricking
+sensation in his forehead; he raised his hand to it, and his fingers
+encountered a wet linen bandage, while he observed that the place in
+which he was was entirely strange to him. He had never before seen the
+blue and white draperies of this room, nor had he any recollection of
+its rather quaint but comfortable furniture.
+
+How had he come here? and why was his head bandaged? He closed his eyes
+again and tried to collect himself, finding that, in spite of the pain
+in his head, he was able to think connectedly. He had certainly arrived
+shortly before at Station R----. He had asked a porter to get him a
+conveyance to take him to Plagnitz. The man had been eager to serve
+him; but had not some one warned him against driving along so rough a
+road in such a storm? Yes; he remembered this quite well, and that he
+had laughed at the speaker's warning, and had driven off in the pouring
+rain, and in a pitchy darkness which was illuminated every moment or
+two by vivid flashes of lightning. The driver had grumbled and sworn in
+a mixture of Polish and German, and the vehicle had dragged on at a
+snail's pace, because its one horse scarcely sufficed to pull it
+through the mud that came up to the hubs of the wheels.
+
+Egon had shivered in his wraps, which did not avail to protect him from
+the drenching rain, and then--what happened then? He remembered a jolt,
+a cry, and nothing more. But yet--yes, there were flitting, vague
+visions still haunting his memory. Had not he been faintly conscious of
+a light flashing in his eyes? And he had seen a crowd of dark, dim
+forms about him, not all quite strange to him. Surely, while he had
+been powerless to move a limb, he had felt rather than seen the
+compassionate gaze of two dark blue eyes in an angelic countenance. Was
+it a dream? Ah! during the last four years that face had often haunted
+his dreams,--the face of the fairy of Castle Osternau. It was her face,
+and yet not the same,--even more lovely than ever. Yes, this too was a
+dream, this touch of her soft, cool hand upon his forehead, and it so
+absorbed him that he could not rouse himself to a sense of reality; he
+went on dreaming, and a voice which he had surely heard at Castle
+Osternau said, at last, "We have been longing for you, doctor."
+
+And another voice, which Egon did not know, replied, "I am very sorry,
+Herr von Wangen, but I could not possibly be here before. I trust I am
+not too late."
+
+"I hope not, indeed." Egon recognized this voice perfectly: it was Herr
+von Wangen's. "The poor man's condition is unaltered. His kind nurse
+has just informed me that during her watch all night beside him he has
+never awaked to consciousness, although his breathing has been quite
+regular. The door on your left, doctor; he is in the blue room."
+
+Egon opened his eyes again as the door of the room was opened and the
+speakers entered. One of them was Herr von Wangen. Egon recognized him
+immediately, in spite of the increase of manliness which the past four
+years had imparted to him. The other was an elderly man, an entire
+stranger.
+
+This was no dream; here was Herr von Wangen in the flesh. Egon roused
+himself. He was on a bed, with a wound in his forehead, in a perfectly
+strange room; but how he came there, or what had happened, he could not
+divine.
+
+"Aha! our patient is entirely conscious, a very cheering sign," said
+the doctor, approaching the bed. "No fever! Why, he'll soon be all
+right. You have distressed yourself very unnecessarily, Herr von
+Wangen."
+
+He proceeded to examine the wound in the young man's forehead, which
+he pronounced of no consequence. "The shock of the fall had stunned
+him,--had produced unconsciousness. You have had a very lucky escape."
+
+"What happened to me?"
+
+"Herr von Wangen will tell you all about it. You really do not need my
+aid; you're a little weak from loss of blood, and I dare say you still
+have some headache. Be careful for a few days to take no amount of
+exercise, and you'll be all right. I must bid you good-by immediately
+and return to Ostrowko, where they really need me."
+
+"May Herr Pigglewitch get up?" asked Herr von Wangen.
+
+"If he feels like it; he can do as he pleases. Good-by, Herr----
+Pigglewitch, I believe?" and a faint smile hovered about the doctor's
+lips.
+
+"No, my name is Von Ernau," Egon rejoined, simply.
+
+"What the deuce! Herr von Ernau, the long-expected proprietor of
+Plagnitz?" the doctor exclaimed, evidently much pleased. "Ah, this will
+delight my old friend Sieveking; and Herr Storting, too, has been very
+anxious for your arrival. I am doubly glad that you have escaped so
+well from the Dombrowker Pass. I'll come to-morrow to see how you are
+getting along, but I cannot stay another minute now,--I have two
+patients desperately ill at Ostrowko. Good-morning to you, Herr von
+Ernau, and to you too, Wangen. Don't trouble yourself, I know my way
+perfectly."
+
+And the vivacious little man had bowed himself out of the room before
+Wangen had recovered from his surprise. The name Ernau solved a riddle
+that had often puzzled him. Egon von Ernau, the wealthy young fellow
+who had been selected for Bertha's husband, had then passed some weeks
+at Castle Osternau under the name of Herr Candidate Pigglewitch. At
+last he comprehended why young Ernau had, as he had been told by Werner
+von Massenburg, laid claim to Bertha's hand immediately upon his return
+to Berlin, although, as Werner had further declared, his pretensions
+met with a decided rebuff from himself, since Bertha's heart was no
+longer her own. Ah, yes! Herr von Ernau had known Bertha at Castle
+Osternau, and--how could it be otherwise?--had fallen desperately in
+love with her. When he returned to Berlin and heard that Bertha
+belonged to another, when his suit was so resolutely rejected by Werner
+von Massenburg, as Werner himself had represented, he had left Berlin
+again in utter despair, and had wandered to and fro on the earth
+seeking a cure for his wretchedness. Wangen's kindly heart was filled
+with compassion for the unfortunate man whose hopes in life he himself
+had thus dashed; but at the same time he could not do away with a
+certain disagreeable sensation. He remembered having been frequently
+tormented by jealousy at Castle Osternau, when Bertha bestowed too
+large a share of her attention upon the Candidate, or had listened in
+rapt admiration to his singing.
+
+All these thoughts passed like lightning through Wangen's mind while
+recovering from his astonishment. "Are you then Herr Egon von Ernau?"
+he said, at last.
+
+"Yes, Herr von Wangen, you find an old acquaintance under this name. I
+will explain the metamorphosis to you; but first gratify my burning
+curiosity, and be kind enough to tell me how I came here and what has
+happened to me. The past night is a blank in my memory."
+
+Egon's questions restored Wangen's equanimity; he seated himself by the
+bed, and told his guest the whole story of his inspector's arrival with
+the wounded stranger, and of the accident that had occurred, finally
+depicting his wife's and his own anxiety, now happily dispelled by
+Egon's return to life.
+
+He found an eager listener; when he alluded to his wife Egon remembered
+the vision of the past night. Now he knew whose was the gentle hand
+that had lain so cool and soft upon his forehead. How strange that he
+should, in his vague semi-consciousness, have taken Bertha for
+Lieschen! But it had sometimes happened during the past years that the
+two had been confounded in his dreams, although Bertha's image had
+gradually faded from his memory, while Lieschen's lovely face still
+frequently haunted him. He felt something akin to disappointment on
+learning that Bertha had been his kind attendant, but he banished the
+feeling as rank ingratitude; he thanked Wangen warmly for his kindness
+and hospitality, adding a short explanation of the manner in which he
+had come to play the part of Candidate Pigglewitch at Castle Osternau.
+
+"I was a spoiled child of luxury," he said. "I had exhausted all the
+sources of fashionable amusement, and was weary of the existence which
+I was leading in Berlin, wherefore I left the capital suddenly, and
+meeting accidentally with the Candidate Pigglewitch, who told me the
+pitiful story of his life, I conceived the wild idea of finding out by
+personal experience what the existence of such a man really was. I
+carried out my insane scheme by buying of the fellow his name, his
+papers, and his dress, and going as the Candidate to Castle Osternau.
+You know, Herr von Wangen, all the embarrassments into which this
+foolish freak led me, and you know that I disappeared, as the
+Candidate, about the time that Egon von Ernau reappeared in Berlin. I
+had made up my mind to abandon the idle, aimless life which I had
+hitherto led, and which had always disgusted me. At Castle Osternau I
+learned the true value of life, the need of action in the line of some
+duty for all worthy the name of men, and I became much interested in
+agriculture. There is no necessity to weary you with an account of the
+means which I took to perfect myself in a knowledge of the management
+of a landed estate. I travelled much, and availed myself of every
+opportunity for improvement in this respect. Finally I have returned to
+Plagnitz, where I intend establishing myself for the future. This is,
+in brief, my story, Herr von Wangen. I pray you to tell it to madame
+your wife, who may, I hope, be induced to pardon the deception
+practised by the pretended Candidate. And now, with your permission, I
+will rise and dress,--I see my portmanteau has been brought to my
+room,--and I shall then have the honour to present myself to Frau von
+Wangen to thank her for her kindness and hospitality."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIII.
+                        MISCHIEF FOR IDLE HANDS.
+
+
+Bertha Von Wangen was seated at breakfast on the balcony. She had risen
+quite early to enjoy the dewy freshness of the morning which had
+followed the storm of the night before, and Elise and Clara were her
+companions. The lady of the mansion was not fond of solitude, and,
+moreover, she was desirous of knowing how her guest had passed the
+night. For this purpose she had sent her maid to question Fraeulein
+Lieschen in the blue room an hour previously, but Elise was no longer
+there,--she had resigned her post to a maid so soon as her patient's
+quiet, regular breathing showed that he was sleeping naturally. Thus,
+while Elise now poured out the coffee, she replied to Bertha's
+inquiries as to how the night had been passed; Wangen, meanwhile,
+pacing the garden-walk below, within hearing, with his cigar. He
+disappeared, however, when the physician from Ostrowko was announced,
+and Elise eagerly awaited his return, although from fear of Bertha's
+spiteful observations she suppressed all show of anxiety in her face or
+manner.
+
+Nor was Bertha herself so easy and careless as she would fain have
+appeared while waiting for the verdict of the doctor. As, years before,
+she had striven at Castle Osternau to manifest none of the interest
+excited in her mind and heart by the tutor, so now she feigned
+indifference with regard to his state, and spoke of the obligation of
+receiving a man of Pigglewitch's condition beneath her roof as a
+burdensome duty, hoped the "poor creature would soon be able to pursue
+his journey," and twitted Elise with the eager philanthropy which had
+led her to transgress the bounds of strict propriety. But here Clara,
+with her ready championship, interfered, and, embracing her dearest
+Elise, rather stormily declared that everything that she did was "good,
+and kind, and perfect."
+
+In fact, the mistress of Hugo von Wangen's heart and home had by no
+means forgotten the Candidate of former days, or the interest with
+which he had inspired her. Her life, so different from any which she
+had imagined and hoped for in her girlish dreams, bored her from
+morning until night. No children had appeared to bless her loveless
+marriage, and, perhaps, to open their mother's heart to nobler
+aspirations and a higher ideal of duty. She was entirely unable, from
+the intrinsic shallowness of her nature, to appreciate her husband's
+nobler qualities or his intense chivalric devotion to herself. She was
+idle and weary, and her empty mind and heart were ready to welcome any
+unworthy passion that could bring them amusement and occupation. The
+image of the enigmatical tutor of Castle Osternau arose before her
+invested with a thousand attractions, and she actually felt envious of
+Elise who had been able to watch beside him. Yes, the girl was always
+in her way.
+
+The doctor stayed but a few minutes in the blue room. Bertha distinctly
+heard his footsteps descending the stairs, and his only, so her husband
+must have remained with the Candidate. Why had the physician left so
+soon? Had he come too late then? She was possessed by a feverish
+anxiety, she longed to run out into the corridor and question him; but
+no, Elise must not suspect her of eagerness to hear his verdict. She
+was doomed always to be forced to feign before Elise.
+
+At last, after some minutes, which seemed to her hours, Wangen entered
+the room; one look at his face was enough to show that he brought no
+bad news, and she sank back negligently in the arm-chair from which she
+had half sprung up to meet him.
+
+Hugo advanced with a beaming smile; his first glance was for his wife,
+but she was evidently so uninterested in what he had to say that he
+turned to Elise, whose eager eyes showed the depth of her anxiety. He
+nodded kindly to her:
+
+"Good news, Fraeulein Lieschen: your patient is all right. He awoke
+perfectly conscious, and the doctor says his wound is nothing to
+signify. He has had a wonderful escape, and is now dressing, in hopes
+of presenting himself to the ladies in half an hour, with a bandage
+about his head, to be sure, but scarcely enough of an invalid to make
+himself interesting on that score."
+
+Elise flushed crimson, and her eyes were suffused for a moment; she
+said nothing, but her joy and relief were so evident that Clara loudly
+expressed her sympathy:
+
+"Now all is well once more, darling Elise, and you will not cry, as you
+were doing this morning when Bertha sent for you."
+
+"No, no need for tears," Wangen said, gaily; but he grew grave as he
+turned to his wife with, "I bring you a special message, Bertha, from
+our guest. He asks permission to present himself to you, to thank you
+for the hospitality which he has received beneath our roof. He
+requested me to announce his visit to you."
+
+"I really do not consider a visit from Herr Pigglewitch of such
+importance as to need a special announcement," Bertha made reply. "The
+man has evidently not lost the good opinion which he formerly
+entertained of himself."
+
+"But in this instance there is some reason why you should be prepared
+for a visit which else might have surprised you not quite agreeably.
+Herr Pigglewitch wishes to present himself to you without the mask
+which he wore at Castle Osternau, as his true self and our future
+neighbour, Herr Egon von Ernau."
+
+"It is he then? Ah, I knew it, I knew it!" Elise exclaimed,
+involuntarily.
+
+The effect produced upon Bertha by the name of Ernau was magical. She
+lost entirely her hardly-won self-control, and, starting up, gazed
+alternately at her husband and at Elise with eyes aflame.
+
+"You knew it? You were his confidante, and leagued with him against
+me?" she cried, her voice trembling with anger.
+
+"No, Bertha; how can you even imagine such a thing?" Elise calmly
+replied. "He never uttered a word to me in confidence; but once, when
+we were alone, and I had distinctly expressed my low estimation of Herr
+von Ernau, he reproved me for my harsh judgment, and as he went on to
+explain how Herr von Ernau might have suffered from evil influences, he
+spoke so from his heart that I suspected he was defending himself, and
+not another. Then, when he left us and Herr von Ernau suddenly
+reappeared in Berlin, I suspected still more strongly who my teacher
+had been. I never revealed this by a word, not even to my father and
+mother; I had no right to betray his secret so long as he guarded it
+himself, but for me it was a secret no longer."
+
+"You knew yesterday evening then that we had Herr von Ernau beneath our
+roof? Ah, now I understand your eagerness to tend and nurse the wounded
+man."
+
+"Dear Bertha, how unkind, how unjust you are!" her husband said,
+reproachfully.
+
+"Of course you think me unjust, and Elise the model of all sweetness
+and compassion. She could have had no interested motives. The poor
+Candidate and the wealthy Egon von Ernau were alike to her."
+
+"I have given you no reason, Bertha, to speak thus insultingly. Let me
+go to my room until you are able to compose yourself and think better
+and more justly of me."
+
+"Oh, you will not be allowed to stay there long; you will speedily be
+summoned to receive the acknowledgments of your grateful patient. Clara
+can be his Mercury."
+
+"Clara will come with me, and I shall stay in my room so long as Herr
+von Ernau remains at Linau. Since I make it a special request, I am
+sure that you, Herr von Wangen, will not mention my presence beneath
+your roof. I pray you promise me this."
+
+"But, Fraeulein Lieschen----"
+
+"I can take no refusal to give me this promise. It is the only way in
+which you can atone for Bertha's unworthy suspicions. Come, Clara, you
+will surely obey me?"
+
+"Indeed I will--go with you and stay with you, my dearest Elise!" the
+girl exclaimed, impetuously. "I see how Bertha hates you, but I will
+love you all the more." She took Elise's hand and drew her gently
+towards the door, casting an indignant glance at her sister-in-law as
+she passed her.
+
+Wangen had been moving restlessly about the room while his wife and
+Elise had been speaking. Every word of Bertha's cut him to the heart.
+He could not but sympathize in Clara's honest indignation, and the
+vague consciousness that he was taking part against the wife whom he so
+adored made him miserable. "I did not think you could be so unkind," he
+said, sadly, when he and Bertha were left alone in the room.
+
+Bertha heard his words, but she did not heed them; her eyes were bent
+thoughtfully upon the floor. Suddenly raising them, she said, "Did you
+tell Herr von Ernau that Elise is here?"
+
+"No, I forgot to. I was so amazed to find him perfectly conscious, and
+then to hear him declare himself Egon von Ernau, that I never thought
+of Elise during our short conversation."
+
+"You need not excuse yourself, dearest Hugo, you were perfectly right.
+Ernau must not know that Elise is here. If he is to fall a victim to
+her snares, it must not be beneath our roof. Oh, I suspected her air of
+unconscious innocence long ago! How craftily she has plotted to compass
+her ends! I never dreamed that it was for the wealthy Egon von Ernau
+that she was casting her nets four years ago. I thought her enamoured
+of the poor Candidate. Her exclamation just now opened my eyes. Now I
+understand why, knowing that Plagnitz was so near us, she instantly
+consented, greatly to my surprise, to come to us as Clara's governess.
+Oh, I have been blind! but now that I see it all, her schemes shall be
+foiled!"
+
+Wangen had listened in growing distress to his wife's voluble
+accusations of Elise. For the first time since his marriage the glow
+upon Bertha's cheek, the angry light in her fine eyes inspired him with
+anything save admiration, although he was too good-humoured to be
+seriously provoked with her. "I cannot comprehend you, my dearest," he
+said, sadly. "How can you give rein to such unkind fancies?"
+
+"They are not fancies," Bertha insisted, with vehemence. "Your good
+nature blinds you, but you must be made to perceive the truth. Elise
+shall not attain her ends, however. I owe it to poor Herr von Ernau to
+save him from this Circe. You and I wronged him deeply years ago. We
+will atone for it now in coming to his rescue."
+
+"I do not understand you, Bertha. What wrong did you and I ever do to
+Herr von Ernau?"
+
+"Have you then quite forgotten the past? Was I not all but betrothed to
+him, and did I not forget him so soon as I learned to know you?
+Scarcely had I heard of his death when I lent an ear to your vows, and
+when afterwards he would have claimed his rights I repulsed him with
+aversion. He loved me. Now, since I know that he knew me at Castle
+Osternau, I can understand why he left Berlin in despair after learning
+of my betrothal to you. You have heard the sad story from my father. Do
+you not see how we have embittered the unfortunate man's life? I could
+not help it. I loved you, but I am conscious of the wrong I did him. Do
+you not feel this with me, my dearest love?"
+
+She clasped her hands about his arm and looked up at him, her eyes
+swimming with tenderness, and Wangen thought he had never seen her so
+surpassingly lovely. What was there that he could refuse her? What
+proposal of hers could he gainsay?
+
+"Do you not see that it is our duty to be doubly kind to him to atone
+for the wrong our love has done him?" she asked, still gazing into his
+eyes.
+
+"Why--yes, of course, my darling; but what can we do?"
+
+"Receive him as a dear friend, be to him the best of neighbours, and,
+above all, prevent his falling a prey to the arts of a thorough
+coquette. Who knows but that in time he may take a fancy to Clara?"
+
+Wangen laughed outright. "What an idea!" he said. "Ah, trust a woman
+for match-making! That child!"
+
+"That child is now a wonderfully lovely girl, and will in a couple of
+years be well worth the wooing."
+
+"Nonsense! nonsense, my darling!"
+
+"Promise me at least not to let Herr von Ernau know that Elise is
+here."
+
+"The fact cannot be concealed."
+
+"Trust me to see that it is. Only say that you will not tell him of
+it."
+
+He promised, although he could not persuade himself that Fraeulein
+Lieschen was what his wife represented her. How could it be that he had
+been so mistaken in her? Still, his respect for his wife's superiority
+of mind, his entire confidence in her keenness of insight, so far
+beyond his own, forbade his seeming to doubt what she asserted so
+positively. And then when she looked into his face with those pleading
+eyes he was as wax in her hands.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIV.
+                           PAST AND PRESENT.
+
+
+Egon rose to dress after Wangen had left him, but he found that he had
+overrated his strength. He grew giddy, a dull headache confused his
+thoughts, and he lay down again for a while to collect them before
+making another attempt to rise. By degrees the pain subsided, and he
+was able to reflect calmly upon what had occurred, and upon the future.
+
+He was to see Bertha again, and, to his own surprise, the thought of a
+fresh meeting with the woman with whom he had once dreamed of passing
+his life had no power to agitate him, or to quicken his pulses. It was
+simply a necessity, and, since the vicinity of Plagnitz to Linau made
+future intercourse unavoidable, the sooner it was over the better.
+
+His second attempt to complete his toilet was much more successful than
+the first, although, as he finally looked at himself in the mirror
+before leaving his room, he was startled at the pale face and weary
+eyes which he saw there. He was conscious for the first time that he
+had grown very much older in the last four years. Was there not a white
+hair in the curl that escaped from beneath the narrow strip of linen
+bound about his brow?
+
+"Madame will hardly find her old admirer dangerous," he said to
+himself, with a smiling nod at his reflection. "You never were
+handsome, old fellow, at the best of times, but to-day you are a
+positive fright. Perhaps 'tis best so. The consciousness of the figure
+that I cut may be of use in putting an end to any foolish fancies that
+might be born from a very gracious reception of me. Let the past be
+buried in the grave of poor Pigglewitch, we do not need it for the
+better life of the future." Thus reflecting, he left his room to take
+his way to the balcony, where, Wangen had told him, he should find the
+mistress of the mansion.
+
+As he closed his door behind him he heard another door open at the end
+of the corridor, along which there instantly came tripping a graceful
+little girl of scarcely fifteen.
+
+Involuntarily Egon's slow steps were stayed. There was something about
+the child that reminded him of Lieschen as he had first seen her. For
+an instant the present vanished, and he was standing, in the form of
+'the new tutor,' at his window at Castle Osternau. Merry laughter
+floated upward from the lawn, and two children came flying out of the
+shrubbery. Lieschen's image as he had then seen it arose vividly before
+his mind's eye in all its innocent charm; but another moment brought
+him back to reality, and he knew that he was in a strange house, and
+that courtesy required that he should show himself aware of the
+presence of the new-comer. He bowed as ceremoniously as he would have
+done to a woman grown, and surveyed the pretty girl with great
+interest. Indeed, there was something of Lieschen in the arch sparkle
+of her eyes and in the girlish grace of her movements.
+
+Clara paused also as she became aware of the stranger's presence, and
+returned his bow with a charming little courtesy. Then, suddenly
+approaching him, she said, "Are you Herr von Ernau, of whom I have
+heard so much? Oh, I thought you would look so different!"
+
+"Indeed? And in what does the reality differ from the picture you
+condescended to frame of my insignificance?"
+
+"I can't exactly say, but you are very---- Of course that bandage
+disfigures you, and you will look better when you have recovered from
+losing so much blood. Do you feel better? Are you strong enough to go
+alone, or shall I support you? Oh, you think I am too little to be of
+any use; but indeed you are mistaken, I am very strong. Lean on me.
+Indeed you do need help, you look so terribly pale and tired."
+
+"I thank you for your kind offer of help, but----"
+
+"Oh, you refuse it, of course; but I shall walk behind you, and if you
+totter I shall hold you up. Now I think of it, you do not know who I
+am. I must introduce myself. I am Clara von Wangen, Hugo von Wangen's
+sister, and I know you are on your way to pay my sister-in-law a visit.
+Is it not so?"
+
+"You are right, Fraeulein Clara."
+
+"Do not call me Fraeulein, it sounds as if you were laughing at me. Only
+the servants say Fraeulein Clara, every one else calls me Clara only. I
+will show you the way to the balcony, where my sister-in-law is
+anxiously expecting you. She was very much surprised when she heard
+that you were Herr von Ernau, and I don't wonder at it, for a cousin
+who used to live with us while poor papa was alive told me such an
+interesting tale about how you were once betrothed to Bertha, and how
+you were thought dead, when she was betrothed to my brother. I hope it
+is not pert and forward to talk so to you, Herr von Ernau?"
+
+"Not at all, I like it very much."
+
+"Well, then, I'll go on, and tell you that you'd better be careful with
+Bertha. I don't think she has a good heart, and just when she seems
+kindest she is sometimes really most unkind. You'd better take care,
+Herr von Ernau. But I really must not talk to you any longer, or she
+will wonder what has become of you. Good-by!"
+
+She turned as they reached the door of the balcony-room, and, tripping
+up-stairs, vanished from Egon's sight. He stood for an instant,
+pondering upon her childish warning, and then entered the room, where
+Bertha advanced instantly from the balcony to meet him.
+
+How exquisitely beautiful she was! much more beautiful even than the
+picture of her which he had preserved in his memory. Her figure had not
+lost one whit in grace, while it had gained in fulness and finish. Her
+dark eyes sparkled and she smiled bewitchingly as she held out both
+hands to him, with "Welcome! a thousand times welcome, Herr von Ernau!
+Ah, what an anxious night you have given us!"
+
+'You'd better be careful with Bertha.' The words occurred to Egon as he
+kissed the fair hand extended to him and felt its lingering pressure.
+The ordeal through which he was passing could hardly have been imagined
+by the child who had just left him, and yet her words helped him to
+suppress all evidence of emotion, although his heart did undeniably
+beat faster and louder.
+
+"Your kind welcome, madame, gives me courage to hope that you forgive
+me for once deceiving you with a name and personality not my own,
+and----"
+
+"I will not hear one more word that bears reference to the past, Herr
+von Ernau. It lies far behind us, and I have made a vow to forget it
+and to think only of the present and the future. Promise me to follow
+my example."
+
+"It shall be as you please, madame."
+
+"And I please to forget everything that is not delightful. We are near
+neighbours, I hope we shall frequently see each other, and I promise
+never to ask you a single question about your masquerading time. You
+must dismiss it from your thoughts."
+
+"That will not be so easy. I should like to explain----"
+
+"But I always detested explanations. What interests me at present is
+that you should take a comfortable chair and rest yourself: you are
+weak from loss of blood. You are trembling: take my arm."
+
+In truth Egon was giddy for a moment, and involuntarily availed himself
+of the hand she extended to him. Wangen came forward to assist his
+wife, and conducted Egon to a luxurious chair on the balcony, where
+Bertha flitted about him, placing the cushions comfortably beneath his
+head, silently lavishing upon him a hundred little kindnesses, which
+scarcely contributed to dispel a certain embarrassment which began to
+possess him. Wangen was unwontedly silent; in truth his thoughts, like
+those of his wife and his guest, were busy with the past. Although
+hardly of a jealous temperament, his sense of his wife's intellectual
+superiority was always present to prompt him to self-depreciation, and
+he had remembered more than once during the morning the many brilliant
+qualities which he had long since heard attributed to Egon von
+Ernau,--the same man who, marvellously enough, had played the part of
+the Candidate at Castle Osternau. As he marked his wife's eager
+attention to their guest it occurred to him to wonder--it was but a
+passing thought--whether Bertha had not once been more interested in
+the tutor than she would have cared to admit. He felt ashamed of
+himself on the instant that such an idea should have found entrance in
+his mind, and yet he could not quite forget it.
+
+His wife's influence, however, was so great over his moods that she
+soon conquered his taciturnity, and Egon was both interested and
+charmed by the lively talk that occupied the next hour. Bertha passed
+in review for her guest's entertainment and information all the
+principal persons in the neighborhood. True, her wit was sometimes far
+from kindly, but her tact was great, and she was quick to mark and to
+obliterate any adverse impression with regard to herself which she
+might produce. He therefore resigned himself to the spell of the
+moment, and had quite forgotten the unfortunate cause of his presence
+in Linau, when Inspector Kaempf made his appearance to announce to
+Wangen that the conveyance was about to start for Station R---- with
+the body of the unfortunate driver.
+
+This recalled Egon to a sense of reality, the spell of the moment was
+broken; he begged the inspector to inform himself as to the poor man's
+family, for whose future he should care, and then, turning to Wangen,
+asked that he would kindly allow him the use of a vehicle in which to
+drive immediately to Plagnitz.
+
+"Impossible! Indeed you cannot, you must not leave us, Herr von Ernau,"
+Bertha exclaimed, in answer to his request. "You must stay in Linau
+until your wound is healed. We cannot let you go until you are
+perfectly strong."
+
+Wangen added his entreaties to his wife's, although not with the same
+urgency, but Egon was firm. He declared that it was a matter of
+necessity that he should be in Plagnitz before evening, that he was
+quite strong enough to undertake the short journey thither, and that,
+with many thanks for the kind hospitality extended to him at Linau, he
+was resolved not to trespass upon it further. Neither Wangen nor Bertha
+could turn him from his purpose, and the former therefore yielded to
+his request, and directed Inspector Kaempf to have a light wagon made
+ready for Herr von Ernau's use.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXV.
+                                AT HOME.
+
+
+The old administrator, Sieveking, at Plagnitz, had at last actually
+taken to his bed, and the whole responsibility of the management of the
+estate devolved upon Storting. He was quite equal to it, but just at
+present he was rather anxious; a few days previously a magnificent
+grand piano, with several large cases of books, had arrived from
+Berlin, addressed to Herr Egon von Ernau, Plagnitz, and it was evident
+that the proprietor of the estate was shortly to arrive and establish
+himself in his home.
+
+There were many matters not yet ordered as Storting could have wished.
+Herr Sieveking belonged to the old school of agriculture; he was an old
+man, and had been ailing for some time; abuses had crept into his
+management which Storting had not been able to reform in the short time
+that had elapsed since his installation as inspector.
+
+Thus the honest fellow was anticipating the arrival of the unknown
+proprietor with a degree of trepidation of which he was quite
+conscious, when, upon returning at noon from some distant fields, he
+became aware of a light carriage rolling along the road that led to the
+manor-house.
+
+The gentleman leaning back in it must, of course, be Herr von Ernau;
+but no, it was not he. Storting's keen gaze recognized an old
+acquaintance, in spite of the distance and of the bandage beneath his
+hat. The pale face in the rapidly-approaching wagon was that of the
+Candidate Pigglewitch!
+
+The inspector overtook the vehicle as it was turning into the
+court-yard. "Welcome, Herr Pigglewitch!" he cried, jumping on the step
+of the light conveyance, and extending his hand to its occupant. "How
+odd! Yesterday I met Wangen, and to-day you arrive at Plagnitz. This is
+an unexpected pleasure; you are cordially welcome."
+
+Egon grasped the hand extended to him. "Your hearty greeting shows me
+that you at least bear me no grudge, Storting," he said, with some
+emotion. "I trust you will think none the worse of me when I tell you
+that I have no claim to the name by which you knew me. I am called Egon
+von Ernau."
+
+Storting's surprise was so unfeigned, and his stare one of such blank
+amazement, that Egon burst into a laugh. "Why, what's the matter,
+Storting? Were you so attached to the Candidate with the charming name
+that his sudden disappearance fills you with dismay? I assure you that
+Egon von Ernau is excessively like him, except that just at present he
+is rather shaky from a fall over the Dombrowker Pass, and will thank
+you to lend him an arm, that he may enter his home with becoming
+dignity."
+
+The carriage stopped before the principal entrance. Storting opened the
+door, silently offered his arm to Egon, and conducted him up the steps
+and into a luxuriously-furnished room.
+
+In truth the lord of Plagnitz had, in his impatience to be really at
+home, rather overrated his strength. He begged to be left to himself
+for a while, and throwing himself upon a lounge, fell almost
+immediately into the profound sleep of exhaustion, from which he did
+not awake until after several hours. The housekeeper answered his bell,
+and upon his declaring himself positively famished hurried away to see
+that dinner was instantly served for the master so anxiously expected.
+To this Egon did ample justice, and when Storting again made his
+appearance, just as dessert was placed upon the table, he was eagerly
+welcomed. Egon told him of the accident of the previous evening, which
+made it unwise for him to attempt as yet any inspection of his fields
+and meadows. He regretted this all the more as he was anxious to show
+Herr Storting that he was now really capable of appreciating his
+valuable services. "And we should have grown very confidential,
+Storting, tramping around together. You know, I owe you an explanation
+of the sudden transformation of your old acquaintance Pigglewitch into
+Egon von Ernau, and this you shall have, even if I am tied to the house
+for a day or two. Sit down, take a glass of wine, make yourself
+comfortable, and we will each unfold the tale of the years that have
+passed since we last saw each other."
+
+Storting readily complied, and eagerly awaited the solution of the
+riddle that had frequently occupied him during the past four years. He
+had, of course, suspected that there was a story attached to the tutor
+who rode so wonderfully, played billiards with such skill, was so
+admirable a musician, spoke French, English, and Italian fluently, and
+was rich enough, although he had as yet received no salary from Herr
+von Osternau, to remit, after his departure from the castle, the amount
+of a debt which he had contracted, but it had never entered the
+inspector's head that the Herr von Ernau, who had been so often and so
+severely criticised at Osternau, and the Candidate tutor were one and
+the same.
+
+Egon leaned back in his arm-chair, and after a few moments' pause began
+his story, and, just as he had done long ago to the wretched Candidate
+on the shore of the little lake, told of his unhappy childhood and
+youth, and of his weariness of life. From this he went on to his sudden
+resolve to purchase the name and papers of the unfortunate Candidate.
+He condemned in sharp terms his useless, misspent existence before
+going to Castle Osternau, and spoke with reverential admiration of Herr
+von Osternau and his family, gratefully acknowledging the influence
+which the life at the castle had exercised upon his entire manner of
+thought. He told of his determination to turn his energies to some
+account, and of his pursuit of the study of agriculture during the past
+four years. He frankly confessed his faults and failings, and
+extenuated none of his follies. Upon one point alone he was silent: to
+no human being could he accord a glimpse of the inner sanctuary of his
+heart.
+
+"And here you have me," he said, at the end of his story, "with a
+broken head, to be sure, but perfectly sound in limb, having escaped
+the death which befell my ill-fated driver, and all ready to begin my
+life as a country gentleman, in which I rely, Storting, upon your
+advice and assistance. I have been thus frank with you, because it
+seemed to me an absolute necessity that you, who once befriended
+me so unselfishly, should know me as I am. In fact, I should now
+like, if possible, to obliterate your memory of that aimless, idle,
+good-for-nothing fellow who came as tutor to Castle Osternau. He had
+but one good quality: he was not vain, and when he got among really
+capable, intelligent people he recognized his own worthlessness. He did
+not deserve such friends, but the ambition to be worthy of them arose
+within him, giving a new interest to existence. Yes, I learned from
+you, Storting, and especially from that admirable old Herr von
+Osternau, how there could be no weariness in a life of constant
+occupation directed towards worthy aims. I had to begin at the
+beginning; I attempted no royal road to the knowledge which was to
+shape my future career. I obtained a subordinate position on an estate
+in Saxony, and worked my way up. Now I am ready to reap the benefit of
+these years of hard work,--work that has been a positive blessing to
+me. And now, enough of myself and my doings, tell me of yourself, and
+of those among whom I was so happy for a while that I could scarcely
+carry out my plan of not returning to them. Tell me of Herr von
+Osternau, Storting, and why you resigned your position with him."
+
+Storting looked in amazement at Egon as he thus calmly asked for news
+of the Osternau family. "Is it possible, Herr von Ernau," said he,
+"that you know nothing, positively nothing, of what happened at Castle
+Osternau scarcely three months after you left it?"
+
+"Such is the case," Egon replied. "When I resolved to begin a new life
+I rigorously broke with all old associations, and although I could not
+drive Castle Osternau from my memory, I strictly refrained from
+informing myself with regard to its inmates. But my finding Wangen and
+his wife yesterday and seeing you to-day have called up old
+associations so vividly that I beg you to tell me minutely of every one
+of the Osternau circle,--of Herr and Frau von Osternau, of Fraeulein
+Lieschen, of my pupil Fritz, even of Lieutenant Albrecht, if you will.
+I am eager for it all."
+
+Storting gazed sadly at his companion. "Your eagerness to hear, Herr
+von Ernau, makes it even harder to tell you of the terrible misfortunes
+that have befallen Castle Osternau and its inmates."
+
+"You amaze and distress me. Is Herr von Osternau not living then?"
+
+"He has been at rest in the graveyard at Osternau for almost four
+years. I have a sad story to tell you, Herr von Ernau. It all happened
+in the night of the 18th of November. I had been to Breslau on that day
+to draw the money to be paid for the Wernewitz and Rudersdorf farms,
+which Herr von Osternau had bought. I was tired out with travelling in
+the cold November weather, and of course slept more soundly than usual.
+In the middle of the night I was wakened by a bright light shining into
+my face, and I sprang out of bed to find the flames leaping up to my
+window from the story below. You remember my room was directly above
+that of Herr and Frau von Osternau. I threw on my clothes and opened my
+door; the passages were filled with stifling smoke. The fire must have
+broken out in Herr von Osternau's study adjoining his bedroom, and the
+lives of himself and his wife were in danger. The staircase was already
+in flames. My only course was to climb from one of my windows down into
+the court-yard, which I accomplished successfully, shouting the while
+at the top of my voice to arouse the servants and labourers from the
+various farm-buildings. Two grooms, who had rooms in one of the barns,
+were the first to appear, when suddenly Lieutenant Albrecht stood
+beside me; whence he had come I could not tell, but he must have been
+aware of the fire for some time, for he was entirely dressed. The
+instant I looked at him a terrible suspicion occurred to me. 'Good
+heavens! what a misfortune!' he said. His face was ghastly pale, and
+his eyes avoided mine. I made no reply, the urgency was too pressing.
+Every minute the flames were gaining ground. They had caught the
+curtains of the open window of my room, and as yet Herr and Frau
+von Osternau gave no sign of being awakened by them. Had the fire
+reached their room, or were they already smothered? I rushed to the
+side-entrance, forgetting that it was always locked at night from
+within. I found it, however, unfastened, and as I flung it wide open a
+huge tongue of flame burst from the open door of the study. There was
+no reaching Herr von Osternau's bedroom by this way, neither could
+either of its occupants have penetrated through the smoke and flames of
+the study to gain safety. The only possible way to reach them was from
+the garden, upon which their bedroom windows opened. Meanwhile all the
+farm-people were thronging the court-yard; the fire-engine had been
+dragged from its shed, but there was no one to take the lead there, for
+Lieutenant Albrecht seemed paralyzed, and I was intent upon saving my
+good old employers. In the garden I found one window of their bedroom
+open, and the smoke pouring from it in volumes. I called Herr von
+Osternau loudly, but there was no reply. Two stout labourers lifted me
+upon their shoulders, and I leaped thence into the room. Near the
+window on the floor I found both of those whom I sought, unconscious
+from the effect of the stifling smoke. I can hardly tell you how we
+contrived with the help of the gardener's ladder, luckily left leaning
+against the wall of the house, to lift the unconscious master and
+mistress of the house through the window into the open air. We carried
+them immediately to the parsonage in the village, and left them in the
+care of the pastor and his good wife, while I returned to the burning
+castle. Here I found the wildest confusion; the peasantry from the
+neighbouring hamlets had flocked to the scene, women were shrieking,
+children crying, and through it all the crackling and roaring of the
+flames made night terrible indeed. The engine had been found useless,
+and when the men turned to the Lieutenant for counsel he had none to
+give. He was as one dazed. When I appeared among the terrified people
+they rushed to me for orders. What could I do? The fire had made
+terrible headway during my brief absence, there could be no hope of
+extinguishing it. The wing in which Fraeulein Lieschen and Fritz slept
+was the only part which was as yet untouched by the flames, but they
+were already stretching hungry tongues towards it.
+
+"'Where are Fraeulein Lieschen and Herr Fritzchen?'
+
+"No one answered my question; the men looked at one another in mute
+horror. All the servants who lodged in the castle had contrived to
+escape from their rooms unhurt. Some had leaped from the windows, and
+even old Hildebrandt was in safety, and had gone to the village to do
+what he could for his beloved master and mistress. Fraeulein Lieschen
+and Fritz were alone missing. 'They are still sleeping, they are lost!'
+one of the servants wailed. The Lieutenant did not speak, but watched
+with horror the creeping flames that had already reached the roof of
+the wing.
+
+"It was high time indeed to try some means of rescue. To enter the
+castle was impossible, but at my command a dozen willing hands brought
+two of the long ladders from the engine-house, and just as they were
+placed against the wall of the house, beneath Fraeulein Lieschen's
+window, the young girl herself, with Fritz by her side, opened it and
+stood for an instant looking out upon the dreadful scene. The shout
+that went up from the crowd at sight of her I never shall forget. Two
+stout men had mounted the ladders in an instant; the young girl opened
+wide the window, lifted her little brother in her strong young arms,
+and delivered him to one of her rescuers, then easily climbing on the
+window-sill she stepped out upon the topmost round of the other ladder,
+and descended to the ground as lightly as she had been used to do when
+as a child she had climbed about the barns and granaries.
+
+"All were saved then, but the dear old castle was gone beyond hope of
+rescue. In the early morning, when I left it again to go to the
+parsonage, it was a heap of smoking ruins, and but for the direction of
+the wind, which blew the flames towards the garden, the barns and
+storehouses would have shared its fate.
+
+"At the parsonage sorrowful tidings awaited me. Frau von Osternau had
+indeed quickly recovered consciousness; she was now sitting with
+Lieschen at the bedside of her husband, who was in a most critical
+condition. The physician gave no hopes of his recovery. He was
+perfectly conscious, but an inflammation of the lungs had set in,
+which, in the precarious state of his usual health, could not but be
+fatal.
+
+"When I entered the darkened room Fraeulein Lieschen arose, and coming
+towards me spoke two or three kind words in acknowledgment of what she
+called my devotion; she was quite calm and collected, but her eyes were
+brimming with tears, and she was evidently controlling herself by an
+effort marvellous in one so young.
+
+"Herr von Osternau was no sooner aware of my presence than he begged to
+be left alone with me for a few minutes. His poor wife burst into tears
+as she tried to speak to me, and Fraeulein Lieschen gently led her from
+the room.
+
+"I sat down beside the bed where lay the man who had been so true a
+friend to me, and pressed the hand which he feebly extended.
+
+"'It will soon be all over,' he whispered, 'I have but a few hours to
+live, but I cannot go without confiding to you, my faithful friend, the
+terrible suspicion which makes these few hours miserable for me. To you
+alone, Storting, can I tell this: the fire last night was the work of a
+robber, who used this means to prevent the discovery of his theft, and
+this wretched incendiary is my cousin Albrecht.'
+
+"I was horrified to have my own vague suspicion of the past night thus
+confirmed, and by a dying man. Herr von Osternau signed to me to bend
+down over him that he need use no unnecessary exertion, saying,--
+
+"'I must have strength enough to deliver over to your special
+protection my little Fritz. A man who is a thief and an incendiary
+would scarcely hesitate to commit any crime; therefore I do solemnly
+commit my boy to your care, asking you to be as faithful a friend to
+him as you have always been to me.'
+
+"I was naturally greatly moved, and willingly gave him the promise he
+asked for. Then, after a short pause, he went on in his failing voice
+to tell me how he had suspected, some weeks before, that a sum of money
+which had been taken from his secretary had been stolen by the
+Lieutenant, and that he had the lock replaced by one of most intricate
+construction to guard against any further loss. On the previous evening
+he had, before going to bed, arranged the notes I had brought him from
+Breslau, and had carefully put them into his strong-box and locked it
+up in his secretary, placing the keys on a little table beside his bed.
+When roused from his first deep sleep by the stifling smoke he had
+first called his wife, and then, remembering the money in the next
+room, which represented his daughter's portion, he looked for his keys
+to possess himself of it. They were gone from the table! In an instant
+it was all clear to him: his keys had been stolen! He rushed to the
+door which separated his room from the study, it was locked on the
+other side. Through the crack of it he could see the flames. He called
+to his wife to come and help him, and received no reply. He succeeded
+in opening the window, but knew no more until he recovered
+consciousness at the pastor's. He went on to say that no one save
+myself and Albrecht knew of the sum brought that day from Breslau, no
+one else could have taken the keys from his table while he slept. Then,
+when the theft was committed, he had locked the door leading into the
+next room, and set fire to the scene of his crime, that all chance of
+discovery might be destroyed in the flames. His end had been answered,
+the secretary was destroyed; how baseless must be any charge of theft
+or of incendiarism brought forward now! It would be worse than useless
+to stain with such an accusation an ancient and noble name, which he
+had taken pride in keeping untainted. The thief must be left to enjoy
+the result of his crime, but again he adjured me to watch over his boy.
+Then, utterly exhausted, he bade me farewell, and asked for his wife
+and daughter.
+
+"They came again to his bedside, and I left the room and the house,
+encountering Lieutenant von Osternau as I did so. 'I hope my cousin is
+doing well,' he said, but he did not look me in the face as he spoke. I
+longed to strike him to the earth, but I controlled myself. Of course I
+shared Herr von Osternau's conviction, but all proof in the matter was
+wanting. I managed to tell him with tolerable composure that Herr von
+Osternau was so ill that there were fears for his life. I fancied I saw
+a gleam of triumph in his eye that belied his hypocritical words of
+regret, as he declared that under such sad circumstances he would not
+disturb his cousin's wife and daughter. As superintendent, it was his
+duty instantly to communicate with the insurance companies,--he must
+start immediately for Breslau.
+
+"Convinced as I was of his guilt, I then committed an act of
+unwarrantable rashness. As he talked on so smoothly of going to Breslau
+in his cousin's interests, I made up my mind that it was to deposit his
+booty in a place of security that he was departing so soon, and the
+wild idea seized me that Fraeulein Lieschen's portion might be recovered
+by a bold stroke. He most probably--nay, certainly--had it about him. I
+lost my head, and seeing two of my farm-hands who I knew were devoted
+to me coming down the street, I shouted to them, 'Seize Lieutenant von
+Osternau! he is the incendiary!' It was all wrong. I had no right to
+resort to such means, but, as I tell you, Herr von Ernau, I lost my
+head. The two men hesitated but for an instant, and then, with an 'Ah!
+we thought so!' fell upon the Lieutenant. He defended himself against
+them, and struck out wildly both at them and at me when I approached
+him, but of course he was quickly overpowered and bound. The noise of
+the struggle brought various labourers and villagers from their houses.
+No one took part with the Lieutenant, who had evidently aroused their
+suspicions by his strange conduct during the fire. For fear of
+disturbing Herr von Osternau, we did not carry the fellow into the
+parsonage, but into a cottage near at hand, where I searched him
+thoroughly, but found no trace of the money. If he had taken it, he had
+already made it secure elsewhere. I saw how rash I had been, what a
+terrible error I had committed, and I stood before him overwhelmed with
+shame. I ordered the men, who had stood by curiously while the search
+was going on, to release him, declaring myself in the wrong and my
+suspicions unfounded. They obeyed me with reluctance, and left me with
+the Lieutenant, who up to this moment had not uttered a single word,
+either during the search or while he was being unbound. When we were at
+last alone he confronted me with folded arms and an evil look.
+
+"'You are only the servile tool of my cousin, or of his wife, who
+always hated me, and in whose brain was conceived the infamous
+suspicion of which I have been the victim.'
+
+"I would have interrupted him to tell him that he was mistaken, but he
+exclaimed, 'Hush! I will listen to no excuse from you. If you were my
+equal in rank I should require from you the satisfaction of a
+gentleman; as it is, you cannot insult me. Tell Frau von Osternau that
+every tie of kindred is broken between us forever.'
+
+"'Frau von Osternau knows nothing----' I began.
+
+"'Spare me all falsehood,' he interrupted me. 'I do not believe you. I
+know that Frau von Osternau and Lieschen are my mortal enemies, and I
+shall not forget that they are so.'
+
+"He turned on his heel and went out of the house, leaving me in a state
+of mortification and depression quite indescribable. I gathered myself
+together, however, and went again to the parsonage, feeling it my duty
+to confess what I had done to Herr von Osternau. This, however, I could
+not do: Herr von Osternau had died a few minutes after our interview
+had ended.
+
+"I cannot describe to you, Herr von Ernau, the utter wretchedness of
+his poor wife. She had loved her husband with her whole heart; in her
+eyes he was the wisest and best of men, and at first she could find no
+consolation even in her children.
+
+"Indeed, she was an object of compassion in every respect, for after
+Herr von Osternau's death his affairs were found to be in by no means
+so prosperous a condition as had been supposed. In former years he had
+devoted all his surplus income to the improvement of his estate, and
+when he began to save, in order to leave his wife and daughter
+independent, his own generous, kindly nature, which led him to pay
+Lieutenant Albrecht's debts repeatedly, and into other similar acts,
+was a bar to the fulfilment of his purpose. Only very lately had he
+succeeded in accumulating the sixty thousand thalers which was to
+purchase Wernewitz and Rudersdorf for Fraeulein Lieschen, and this
+money--the only independent fortune which he had to bequeath--was
+either destroyed in the fire, or the prey of a scoundrel. There was no
+solution of this last question, for nothing came to light to confirm
+the suspicion which Herr von Osternau had confided to me.
+
+"The Lieutenant had gone to Berlin immediately after being treated in
+the disgraceful way of which I told you, and did not return to
+Osternau, for, as he explained in a letter to Frau von Osternau, not
+even his cousin's death could obliterate from his mind the insult
+offered him, which must henceforth estrange him from his kindred. He
+lived in Berlin, as he had done formerly,--not more expensively, but on
+a scale of such luxury as to make a certain income indispensable. I was
+quite sure that I knew its source, but my conviction was useless in the
+matter. Popular opinion in the country round regarded the Lieutenant as
+the incendiary, but no proof of his guilt was forthcoming. Since,
+however, it was the common talk of the country, the courts took the
+matter up, and there was an investigation of the cause of the fire. It
+was without result, however; the only suspicious circumstance with
+regard to it being the state in which the fire-engine was found, after
+having been thoroughly examined and pronounced in good order a few days
+previously by the Lieutenant at Herr von Osternau's request.
+
+"I thought it my duty to acquaint Herr von Sastrow, Fritzchen's
+guardian, with what the boy's father had confided to me, but I could
+not gainsay the good old man when he advised me to dismiss from my mind
+such apparently groundless suspicions.
+
+"Frau von Osternau, after her husband's death, could not bring herself
+to leave the place which she so dearly loved. Herr von Sastrow tried to
+persuade her to remove to Berlin, where it would be much easier to
+educate Fritzchen; but she preferred to remain, for a while at least,
+in a modest little cottage which she rented in the village of Osternau.
+The allowance made her from the estate for the education of its heir
+sufficed amply for her wants. Herr von Sastrow confided the management
+of Osternau to me, and this rendered it possible for me to fulfil the
+promise made to his father to keep watch over Fritzchen.
+
+"Three sad months passed after Herr von Osternau's death, and then the
+widow was called upon to sustain another terrible blow, in the loss of
+her prop and stay, her darling Fritz."
+
+Egon had listened hitherto without a word to Storting's sad tale; he
+had been profoundly moved by the account of the burning of the castle,
+and of the death of its master, but at Storting's last words he started
+forward, exclaiming, "Fritzchen dead! What a terrible trial! Was his
+father's dying foreboding----"
+
+"No, no, Herr von Ernau," Storting interrupted him. "Whatever crimes
+Lieutenant von Osternau may have committed, he is guiltless of Fritz's
+death: the boy died of scarlet fever. Fraeulein Lieschen tended him
+night and day with a devotion which I have never seen equalled. She
+would not leave his bedside for an hour, although the physician tried
+to induce her to resign the care of him to some one else, since she had
+never had the fever herself. She was his only nurse, for her mother was
+ill in another room,--too ill even to see her darling, who breathed his
+last in his sister's arms.
+
+"After Fritz's death the Lieutenant was the heir of Osternau; his
+cousin's wife and daughter could lay no claim to anything save the late
+proprietor's private property, and this had been destroyed on the night
+of the fire.
+
+"A week after the boy's death the new master came to Osternau. He had
+told the pastor of his coming, and had asked him to rent a couple of
+rooms for him in some farm-house, which he could occupy until the
+rebuilding of the castle was complete.
+
+"Immediately after his arrival he sent for me. I could not but obey his
+summons, for he was the lord of Osternau, and I was obliged to hand in
+to him my accounts for the management of the estate since Herr von
+Osternau's death.
+
+"I went to him with a heavy heart, fully expecting that he would make
+use of the power now in his hands to revenge himself for the insult I
+had once offered him, and as fully resolved to requite scorn with
+scorn.
+
+"He was sitting in a bare little room, the best the pastor could
+procure for him, at a table covered with papers. As I entered he rose
+and came towards me. He was greatly changed. The last few months had
+made him many years older. His eyes had an uncertain, flickering
+brilliancy; his face was haggard and very pale. The erect military
+carriage that had formerly characterized him was gone: he had grown
+old.
+
+"He offered me his hand, and addressed me in a tone of hypocritical
+friendliness that disgusted me, as after one fleeting glance of keen
+scrutiny his eyes fell before mine.
+
+"'We were hardly friends when we parted, Storting,' he said. 'You
+offended me, and I used harsh words towards you. We were both in a
+state of unnatural agitation, induced by the events of the night and my
+cousin's danger. You meant to act for the best, as the friend and
+servant of my dear departed relative. When I was cooler I perceived
+this, and therefore, I assure you, I bear you not the faintest grudge.
+Here is my hand. I trust you will take it in the spirit in which it is
+offered.'
+
+"I could not refuse to take his hand, although my whole nature rose in
+revolt against any fellowship with the man. I had to sit down and take
+a cigar, while he talked to me as one would to some dear old friend,
+without a trace of the arrogance which had formerly made him so
+disliked by me. He asked, with every appearance of sympathy, after Frau
+von Osternau and Fraeulein Lieschen. I had to inform him of the
+particulars of Fritz's death, and of Fraeulein Lieschen's devotion; he
+showed the keenest interest in the welfare of his relatives, and
+postponed all business details, remarking that the management of the
+estate could not be in better hands than mine, and that he would
+discuss business with me when his relations with Frau von Osternau and
+Lieschen should be arranged. That they might become so, he begged me to
+assist him.
+
+"'I assure you, Storting,' he said, 'that I am profoundly distressed by
+the terrible trials that have fallen to the lot of my dear relatives.
+For Frau von Osternau I entertain a greater regard than words can
+express, and Lieschen, whom I have known from her early childhood, has
+always been my ideal of feminine loveliness. My cousin Fritz formerly
+frequently expressed the wish that a nearer tie might some time exist
+between his daughter and myself,--the dear child was in a measure
+brought up for me. This thought has often solaced me in hours of
+depression. I always regarded her as my future wife, even in the midst
+of our trifling disputes. Unfortunately, by my own fault, the relations
+between my relatives and myself have not of late years been so
+harmonious as they once were, and I fear that Lieschen may not think
+favourably of her father's former promises, the fulfilment of which
+forms the chief--I may say, the only--hope of my existence. My heart
+would lead me to declare this myself to Frau von Osternau and her
+daughter, but my head tells me to entreat your mediation, Storting; no
+rash word uttered by Lieschen in the excitement of the moment must be
+allowed to place a barrier between us. I ask of you a favour, Storting,
+which will make me your debtor for life: tell Frau von Osternau what I
+have just told you. She is a woman of practical sense and discernment,
+she will not be led astray by the mood of the moment, but will perceive
+that a union between Lieschen and myself is the most natural and
+harmonious solution of the present unhappy state of affairs, for which
+the law of entail is to blame. As my wife, Lieschen will be mistress of
+the Osternau estate. Surely Frau von Osternau will use her influence
+with her daughter to induce her to encourage my hopes.',
+
+"My blood ran cold at the idea of Fraeulein Lieschen's becoming this
+man's wife, but I could not refuse to carry his proposal to Frau von
+Osternau. What had the future in store for them save a life of poverty
+and care? By the terms of the Osternau entail, the widow of a former
+proprietor was entitled to but three hundred thalers yearly from the
+revenues of the estate; the daughters were entirely unprovided for.
+Under these circumstances was not a marriage with the Lieutenant to all
+appearances Fraeulein von Osternau's only resource? Was there not a
+degree of generosity in the offer just made? I could not but make it
+known to the mother and daughter.
+
+"It was a hard task. When I presented myself in their lodgings, I found
+them already informed of the Lieutenant's arrival. I reported to them
+the conversation I had just had with him, and strove, to the best of my
+ability, to do so in an entirely impartial manner. I must have
+succeeded in this, for my words evidently produced an impression upon
+Frau von Osternau.
+
+"'We have done Cousin Albrecht injustice,' she said, gently. 'He may be
+thoughtless and imprudent, but he cannot be bad, or he would not so
+soon forget the insult lately offered him in Osternau. His offer is
+magnanimous at least. You never treated him well, Lieschen, you often
+offended him, and yet he loves you, and would make you mistress of
+Osternau.'
+
+"Fraulein Lieschen gazed at her mother with an expression of positive
+horror. 'You cannot think for an instant that I could accept his
+terrible proposal?' she asked, and her voice trembled.
+
+"'Do not judge your cousin so harshly, my child,' said Frau von
+Osternau. 'He hopes, as you have heard, that you will not decide
+hastily; he knows your impetuous temperament, and dreads your saying to
+him in a personal interview words which could neither be forgiven nor
+forgotten. What you have just said proves him right. Therefore he has
+asked our good Herr Storting to be his messenger, conscious also that
+you are my dear, unselfish child, and that you may be brought to
+overcome your momentary impulse of aversion to this marriage when you
+consider that your 'no' would drive us both away from our dear
+Osternau,--from the graves of your father and Fritz,--out into the
+world, to struggle with poverty and want, while your 'yes' would make
+you mistress of Osternau, and allow me to live here, where I have been
+so happy, and where, in the midst of memorials of the past, I never can
+be quite unhappy. I feel sure that, after due reflection, you will
+decide for the best, and, therefore, I beg you not to decide at once.'
+
+"Fraeulein Lieschen wept bitterly while her mother was speaking, but
+when she paused, and, taking her daughter's hand, drew her towards her,
+the young girl embraced her tenderly, and, controlling herself, said,
+calmly and firmly, 'It would be wicked to postpone my decision for an
+hour. I will sacrifice everything for you, mother dear, except my
+soul's salvation, and that would be imperilled by false vows. How can I
+promise to revere and love a man whom I despise? I cannot sell myself
+to him, mother, even for your sake. To require this of me would be to
+doom your only child to death.'
+
+"'Lieschen!' cried her mother, 'do not blaspheme.'
+
+"'No,' she rejoined, 'I do not blaspheme. I should not lay hands upon
+my own life, mother, but the sense of my degradation would kill me. But
+you will not compel me to such a fate? you will not be faithless to the
+memory of my father, who never would have permitted it? I will gladly
+share poverty with you, gladly work for you, dearest mother, but marry
+that thief----"
+
+"'Hush, Lieschen, hush!' her mother interrupted her.
+
+"'It was my father's word, whispered in my ear in his last moments,"
+the girl went on. "'Watch over Fritz,' he said; 'protect him from the
+thief and incendiary.' Go back to Herr von Osternau, Herr Storting, and
+tell him what you have heard; tell him the mere thought of him inspires
+me with aversion, and that I would rather die in misery than sell
+myself to him. You have carried his message faithfully, do the same by
+mine.'
+
+"You know, Herr von Ernau, that I was never at any time able to resist
+Fraeulein Lieschen's requests, and I did not fail her in this the
+darkest hour of her life. I promised to report her decision to the
+Lieutenant. She thanked me with a look, and Frau von Osternau said,
+with a sigh, 'I must submit. Lieschen has inherited her father's
+strength of will in matters of conscience. The foolish child is
+destroying her future; it is sad, but I cannot prevent it. I must yield
+to her resolve. Since it must be so, it is, perhaps, better not to
+postpone acquainting Albrecht with her decision.'
+
+"I left them with a far lighter heart than I brought to them. The
+commission with which I was charged could hardly be considered an
+agreeable one, especially as Fraeulein Lieschen begged me to repeat to
+the Lieutenant everything that she had said concerning him; but the
+sense of relief in knowing that she was in no wise to belong to that
+villain outweighed every other consideration in my mind.
+
+"The Lieutenant had probably foreseen the answer he should receive. He
+calmly listened while I repeated, as far as I could recall it, all that
+Frau von Osternau and her daughter had said, only omitting to mention
+that Fraeulein Lieschen had called him thief and incendiary. An evil
+smile played about his lips, but he only glanced at my face from time
+to time, seeming unwilling to meet my eye.
+
+"'I meant well,' he declared, when I had finished, and then he went on
+to explain his regret that his relatives should be so limited as to
+means, that he would gladly have shared his wealth with them, and that,
+in view of Lieschen's youth and inexperience, he should continue to
+hope that with time she might be brought to regard his suit favourably.
+Meanwhile, he offered Frau von Osternau and her daughter a home in the
+castle so soon as it should be rebuilt. If they refused to avail
+themselves of this offer, he should, of course, confine himself to the
+payment to the widow of the yearly sum allowed her by law. It would
+weary you, Herr von Ernau, to recount to you all the details of our
+conversation. I thanked God when it was ended.
+
+"Of course Frau von Osternau refused to live beneath his roof,
+dependent upon his bounty. There was no need of Fraeulein Lieschen's
+indignant rejection of any such idea to influence her mother's
+decision. The two went to Berlin, where it was easier than in any
+country town to find some employment wherewith to eke out their scanty
+income. They left the village of Osternau two weeks after the
+Lieutenant's arrival, without having seen him, and on the day of their
+departure I too bade farewell to the place where I had spent such happy
+years.
+
+"Herr von Osternau offered me a large salary if I would continue to
+occupy my position as superintendent of the estate, but I could not
+bring myself to serve the man who could never be to me anything save a
+thief and an incendiary. I procured another situation not nearly so
+profitable in a pecuniary point of view.
+
+"I corresponded at first very frequently with Frau von Osternau, and
+although of late our letters have been fewer, I have never lost sight
+of her. She has had a weary, anxious time of it. Too proud to ask help
+from her wealthy relatives, she had no resources save her paltry yearly
+pittance of three hundred thalers and the untiring industry of Fraeulein
+Lieschen, who furnished embroidery for one of the large Berlin firms.
+Frau von Osternau wrote with positive enthusiasm of her daughter, who,
+in spite of her constant labour at her embroidery, found time to study
+and to complete her defective education, so that last spring she passed
+a brilliant examination as governess. My last letter was received from
+Frau von Osternau between three and four months ago, when this
+examination was just passed; and while the mother spoke of it with
+pardonable pride, she mourned over the probability of a coming
+separation from her daughter, who was about to accept a situation as
+governess, thereby greatly increasing her mother's means of support. Of
+Cousin Albrecht she had heard only through Herr von Sastrow. He lived
+for a short time the life of a hermit in his gorgeous new-built castle,
+avoided by all families of his own rank in the neighbourhood; for the
+report that he had set fire to the castle was rife in the country
+around, and he was virtually sent to Coventry. He therefore spent most
+of the year in Berlin, where he associated with needy members of the
+aristocracy and doubtful characters whose good will he could purchase
+with his money. The doors of the first people in society were closed
+against him. His large income he wasted in all sorts of extravagant
+dissipation, and it was reported in Berlin that he had contracted
+enormous debts.
+
+"For herself Frau von Osternau wrote that, if her daughter accepted a
+situation as governess away from Berlin, she too should leave the city
+and go to some Silesian village, where her small income would suffice
+for her modest wants."
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVI.
+                             A CONSPIRACY.
+
+
+What a story was this! To Egon, Storting's narrative seemed like some
+wild romance. Herr von Osternau and Fritzchen, the bright, intelligent
+little fellow, dead, Frau von Osternau the victim of a scoundrel's
+crime, and Lieschen forced to work hard to stave off destitution! He
+could hardly trust his ears, and it needed the sight of Storting's sad,
+earnest face, as he spoke, to confirm his words.
+
+Egon's mind was filled with the eager desire to aid those to whom
+during the past few years his heart had so often turned,--those who, as
+he was now painfully aware, had formed part of every vision of his
+future life. He had resisted all impulse to revisit Castle Osternau;
+only when his new existence was fairly and honestly begun at Plagnitz
+could he hope to find there the pardon for which he thirsted for the
+deceit practised upon its inmates. And now this could never be, and the
+thought that he was possessed of superfluous wealth, while those dear
+to him were working for their daily bread, was positively intolerable.
+He sprang up, but the instant and intense pain in his head reminded him
+that the physician had forbidden all exertion for some days, and that
+he could not hasten as he longed to Lieschen's side, to shield her from
+all further distress. He sank back wearily in his arm-chair.
+
+"Confound that miserable accident!" he said, angrily. "It keeps me a
+prisoner here when every moment is precious. Frau von Osternau must not
+live a day longer in such unsuitable circumstances. Storting, you must
+do me a favour to-morrow,--no, to-day. By the night-train you must go
+to Berlin. I cannot go myself, as you see, and perhaps it is better
+that you, Frau von Osternau's old friend, should act for me. I will
+give you an order on our bank. You must draw any sum necessary to
+provide handsomely for Frau von Osternau, and to prevent Fraeulein
+Lieschen from taking the place of a hired servant. I will not allow it;
+it shall not be. Make haste, Storting! I will write to our cashier and
+get the order ready for you while you are preparing to set off. You
+must be in Berlin to-morrow."
+
+Storting smiled, but shook his head.
+
+"Your kind and generous intention does you honour, Herr von Ernau," he
+said, cordially, "but I fear it will be of no avail. My journey to
+Berlin, where, according to her last letter, I should no longer find
+Frau von Osternau, would be of no use even were the lady still there.
+She would thank you for your generosity, but would refuse to accept
+your money, as she has already refused the offers of help made her by
+Herr von Sastrow and others of her relatives. 'As long as I can work,
+we are not objects of charity,' I myself heard Fraeulein Lieschen say,
+while her head was held as haughtily and her eyes sparkled as brightly
+as in the dear old times. She will work to the last, but she never will
+suffer her mother to receive aid from outsiders."
+
+What had Egon been thinking of to propose to offer money to Frau von
+Osternau? Storting's words convinced him that Lieschen would indeed
+refuse such a gift. It was well that his wound had prevented his
+immediate departure for Berlin. How mortified he should have been to
+have his thoughtless gift rejected with fitting pride! And yet he could
+not endure the thought of Lieschen--in his heart he almost said his
+Lieschen--forced to labour for her daily bread, to resign her freedom
+and place herself at the beck and call of strangers. Oh, it was
+intolerable! What could he do? A happy idea suddenly suggested itself.
+
+"Did you not once tell me, Storting," he asked, "that old Herr von
+Osternau had lost large sums of money through his careless generosity?
+was there not some story of a manufacturer in Breslau whose factory
+burned down, and to whom Herr von Osternau loaned a very considerable
+amount of money without sufficient security, and lost it all by the
+man's absconding?"
+
+"Yes, that did really happen. The swindler was a paper-manufacturer by
+the name of Simon; he ran off to America ten years ago, and Herr von
+Osternau lost every penny of the twenty thousand thalers he loaned
+him."
+
+"Now, perhaps the poor fellow was no swindler at all. Probably only
+extreme need drove him to America, and so soon as he is aware of the
+circumstances in which Frau von Osternau and her daughter are placed he
+feels it his duty to restore, both principal and interest, the loan so
+generously made him. As he does not know Frau von Osternau's present
+place of abode, he naturally makes application to Herr Storting, whom
+he knew formerly as the admirable Osternau inspector, and to him he
+sends the owing money, commissioning him to hand it over to the heirs
+of the late Herr von Osternau. Of course Herr Simon will require from
+these heirs a receipt for the sum handed them, and a quittance of all
+further claims. You must not be surprised, Storting, to receive a
+communication from Herr Simon this very evening, with an order upon the
+firm of A. C. Ernau & Co., in Berlin, for the sum in question; and of
+course I shall give you leave of absence for some time that you may
+arrange the matter satisfactorily. I am sure you will not refuse to
+undertake the affair, Storting."
+
+"What can I say, Herr von Ernau," cried the delighted Storting, "except
+that I am honoured in being the instrument of such generosity?"
+
+"After all, there is really not much honour, my dear fellow, in being
+made accomplice in a forgery. But we must contrive to answer all that
+to our consciences. Go now and get ready to start. In an hour you shall
+receive Herr Simon's letter. You will be obliged to suppress the
+envelope, which may not bear the correct stamp."
+
+"No need even of that, for I received a letter from New Orleans
+yesterday, and its envelope will serve your purpose admirably. It
+followed me to Plagnitz from my former place of abode, and will explain
+my desire to leave here as soon as possible: of course I am in a hurry
+to hand over her property to Frau von Osternau."
+
+"Bravo! and now to business."
+
+Two hours later Storting was on his way to the nearest railway-station,
+with a letter from Carl Johann Simon, New Orleans, Louisiana, U. S. A.,
+and an order upon the banking-house of A. C. Ernau & Co., Berlin, in
+his pocket.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXVII.
+                        A MISCHIEVOUS COQUETTE.
+
+
+The morning after Storting's departure, Egon received a visit from the
+vivacious little Ostrowko doctor, who declared that he could not be
+responsible for the consequences if his patient persisted in neglecting
+his instructions. "I distinctly told you, my dear Herr von Ernau, that
+rest was all that you required, that rest you must have, and what has
+been your course? Instead of remaining where you certainly were very
+well off, and with a charming _chatelaine_ to attend to your every
+wish, you jolt off over here, along an infernal road, a few hours
+after I leave you, and, I make no doubt, purpose to inspect your estate
+to-day. Not at all, not at all, my dear Herr von Ernau. You have had a
+shock to your system. Great as was your escape, 'tis no joke falling
+from the Dombrowker Pass, and you must be quiet. You've a fine library
+here, and a magnificent grand piano: sit still, read some trashy
+romance, and play Offenbach for the next week, and leave your estate in
+the hands of your admirable inspector,--Storting is his name? What! he
+has gone to Berlin for a time? Well, the younger fellow--I forget his
+name--is quite competent, with old Sieveking to direct. I am going to
+see that, now we have got you here at Plagnitz, we keep you from any
+ill effects of your accident, or you'll be saying that the climate does
+not agree with you, and you'll be running off to Berlin. Aha! I know
+you young fellows. I was young myself not a hundred years ago."
+
+And he rattled on, until he had indeed fully convinced his patient that
+rest was an admirable remedy for many ailments.
+
+Egon was doomed, then, to a time of inaction, and this just when he was
+most eager to enter upon the supervision of his affairs. Still, there
+might be much to interest him in these first days at home, and he
+resigned himself with the best grace that he could to refrain from
+riding, driving, or any long walks for a while, according to the
+doctor's orders.
+
+The degree of order and method which prevailed everywhere at Plagnitz
+delighted him, and no less was he pleased, when he sauntered through
+the fields in the immediate vicinity of the manor-house, with the
+kindly courtesy of those of his people whom he met, and who greeted the
+master without a trace of that slavish servility so frequently
+to be found in the Polish-German provinces, and so odious to Egon.
+Day-labourers and grooms took off their hats to him, but did not, half
+kneeling, offer to kiss his hand, as is the invariable custom
+elsewhere; nor were they at all embarrassed in the intelligent replies
+which they made to his inquiries concerning their various occupations.
+To the master's great satisfaction, he perceived that there pervaded
+Plagnitz an air of freshness and freedom beyond what was enjoyed upon
+most other large estates of the province; the people were treated like
+human beings, not like slaves, and, in consequence, manifested an
+interest and vivacity almost unknown to the ordinary imbruted Polish
+labourer. Here old Sieveking's influence had been admirable, and all
+that Egon had thought lacking upon his previous visit to Plagnitz had
+been largely supplied by Storting's diligence and experience.
+
+A young man presented himself as the bailiff, Hensel, and modestly
+asked permission to show Herr von Ernau through the farm-buildings and
+to give him any desired information concerning them. When Egon accepted
+his offer, he showed himself so intelligent and well informed in all
+matters pertaining to his special province, that the master of Plagnitz
+was even more than ever impressed with the faithful care taken of his
+estate during his absence by old Sieveking, who, although he could not
+entirely fulfil the requirements of a disciple of the modern school of
+agriculture, had yet prepared an excellent foundation for the new
+methods which Egon hoped to introduce with Storting's assistance.
+
+Even the slight inspection which he thus made, on the first day of his
+residence in his home, was condemned by the little doctor on his next
+visit. He declared that for a week at least nothing in the way of
+out-of-door exercise must be attempted. "As much fresh air as you
+please, my dear Herr von Ernau, but taken by an open window, or seated
+on your terrace, whence the prospect should surely content you for a
+while."
+
+This enforced repose was particularly irritating to Egon just at the
+present time. The delicious weather lured him into the open air; he was
+feverishly desirous of beginning the work for which he had been
+preparing for four long years, and to sit quietly gazing abroad over
+his fields and meadows, at the groups of labourers, among whom he
+longed to be, was almost intolerable.
+
+If Storting had only been at home he could have conversed with him. But
+he was entirely alone; old Sieveking was too ill and feeble to be
+disturbed, and young Hensel, although excellent in his way, was
+entirely unavailable for purposes of conversation that did not bear
+upon his vocation.
+
+His only consolation during these wearisome days was the fine grand
+piano which he had had sent to Plagnitz from Berlin. During his years
+of study he had rather neglected his music, and he now found in it all
+the delight it had formerly given him. His feverish restlessness was
+soothed by giving it musical expression; as of old, he was able to
+forget himself in the world of harmony.
+
+He was seated thus at his instrument, on the fourth afternoon after his
+arrival at Plagnitz; the last chords of a wild rhapsody had just died
+away, and his fingers were wandering over the keys in a dreamy
+fantasia, half memory, half hope. Lost in his fancies, he did not hear
+a footman announce an arrival, or the sound of footsteps in the room
+behind him. He suddenly seemed aware of a soft sigh near him; he turned
+hastily and gazed into a pair of dark eyes. At first he saw Bertha
+only; but she was not alone, behind her stood Wangen and Clara.
+
+"If the mountain will not come to us, we must come to the mountain,"
+Wangen said, with a laugh, holding out his hand. "You must not think us
+too eager to thrust ourselves upon you, Herr von Ernau, in coming thus
+soon to see how the patient is faring, since the doctor tells us that
+he may receive visits, although he can pay none."
+
+Involuntarily Egon passed his hand across his eyes, as if to banish the
+vision of the moment. Yes, this was reality. Here was no Bertha von
+Massenburg, but Frau von Wangen, with her husband, and the charming
+child with whom he had exchanged a few words at Linau; and he was the
+lord of Plagnitz, whose duty it was to welcome his guests and pray
+pardon for having at first been unaware of their entrance.
+
+Hugo von Wangen laughed in his good-humoured way. "We stood behind you
+listening for a minute," he said. "I do not think anything short of an
+earthquake would have aroused you when we first came in, you were so
+absorbed. We ought to ask pardon for disturbing you. My wife would not
+let me come alone, as I thought of doing. She was too anxious, she
+said, to see how the patient was getting on."
+
+What was there for Egon to do but to express his gratitude to madame,
+and to kiss the fair hand extended to him, while declaring his pleasure
+in welcoming beneath his roof both Frau and Fraeulein von Wangen?
+
+These formalities concluded, the visitors took seats, and a very lively
+talk ensued. Bertha was positively charming; she dwelt just long enough
+upon her anxiety lest the drive from Linau should have proved too much
+for Herr von Ernau, and was so easy and cordial that she banished all
+feeling of restraint from the conversation, which soon turned to Herr
+von Wangen's favourite theme, agriculture. All the party regretted
+Egon's inability to act as their guide in an inspection of so famous an
+estate as Plagnitz, which Wangen had never before visited. In especial
+was he desirous to see a certain wonderful breed of sheep. Of course,
+Egon proposed that his bailiff, Herr Hensel, should act as his guest's
+cicerone in default of his own companionship, and Wangen eagerly
+accepted the proposal, after consulting his wife by a glance.
+
+Herr Hensel was summoned, and was much honoured by the office intrusted
+to him. He asked whether the ladies also might not perhaps be
+interested in the sheepstalls, which were constructed upon an entirely
+new plan. Frau von Wangen declined to accompany her husband, but Clara
+gladly arose to go with her brother and Herr Hensel: she took all a
+country girl's interest in sheep and cows.
+
+Wangen seemed a little disconcerted by this arrangement; he was in his
+heart reluctant to leave his wife alone to the fascinations of her old
+admirer. He could not possibly let this be known, however,--Bertha
+would have laughed at his foolish jealousy. Nevertheless, he felt far
+from comfortable when Bertha added her approval of Clara's intention,
+saying, "Do go, my dear Clara, and take note of all the improvements,
+which we may be able to introduce at Linau." He could not, without
+making himself ridiculous, insist upon Clara's staying behind; she was
+already hanging upon his arm, and he quietly followed Herr Hensel.
+
+For the first time in his life Egon was alone with Bertha. Even at
+Castle Osternau they had never met except in the presence of some
+member of the family, and there was a vague sense in his mind of wrong
+done to his ideal by this _tete-a-tete_, although he had done nothing
+to bring it about; it was purely accidental. In fact, the young man's
+mind had been, during the past four days, so continually filled with
+thoughts of Lieschen, he had so constantly recalled her every look and
+word of former years, the restlessness that possessed him had been so
+largely caused by his anxiety to hear from Storting, and had been so
+much more keenly felt since he was forbidden to allay it by physical
+exertion or hard mental effort, that he was not as open as it was his
+wont to be to the impression of the moment; it cost him some pains to
+prevent his imagination from driving present realities from his mind.
+Therefore, for some time after they were thus left alone, the
+conversation was of a quite indifferent character; and yet how
+exquisitely lovely she was as she sat opposite him, with a gentle smile
+hovering upon her charming mouth! How sweet and tender was her voice
+as, at last, after a pause, she leaned towards him, her eyes seeking
+and holding his, and asked, softly, "Herr von Ernau, are you still
+angry with me?"
+
+Honestly, Egon did not understand why she should ever have thought him
+angry, and honestly he rejoined, "Why should I be angry with you,
+madame?"
+
+She blushed slightly as she said, sadly, "Ah, yes, I see you are still
+angry. You persist in dwelling upon the past, although I begged you to
+forget it. Yet can we forget? I cannot practise what I would enjoin
+upon you. The consciousness of the wrong I did you has robbed me of
+rest since I last saw you. I long to hear you say that you forgive me.
+I came to-day with Herr von Wangen, hoping for this opportunity, which
+accident has given me, to entreat you not to add to all that is hard
+and cruel in my lot by withholding your forgiveness for the past.
+Believe me, I have suffered in listening to the dictates of prudence,
+rather than to the voice of my heart."
+
+She would have gone on, quite charmed with her own eloquence,
+absolutely fancying herself thrown away upon her idolizing husband,
+playing a part which had presented itself as most attractive to the
+shallow imaginings of her idle hours, but that something in Egon's face
+arrested the words upon her lips; she paused and waited for his reply.
+
+In truth, while she had been speaking, Egon's thoughts had been hardly
+such as it would have pleased her to divine. Yes, she was incomparably
+lovely; he saw it all,--the dark, pleading glance, the wonderful grace
+of every movement; but how, he was asking himself, had he ever thought
+it possible to find his other self in this woman? How well he had known
+her kind in days gone by! Fate had been only too good to her in
+bringing her the devotion of so honest and single-hearted a man as Hugo
+von Wangen. He had surrounded her life with luxury and affection, and
+she had neither the heart to return his love, nor the mind to
+appreciate it. How false, how shallow she was! And his memory conjured
+up another face and another voice. 'There is nothing which I so detest
+as false words and false seeming.' His mind wandered from the present
+for an instant; but Bertha was silent, he must answer her, and, little
+fitted as he felt himself to play the part of a moralist, the thought
+of Wangen, so cordial in his kindness to his new neighbour, lent an
+additional coolness to his words:
+
+"I assure you, madame, that I never imagined that I had the smallest
+right to feel myself in any way aggrieved by your conduct. All who know
+Hugo von Wangen can well understand how happy a woman she must be upon
+whom he bestows the treasure of his devotion. Let me repeat your kind
+advice to me when first I met you at Linau: Forget the past; we have to
+do with the present and the future."
+
+The expression of Bertha's face as he spoke was not pleasant to see;
+the pathetic lines about her mouth vanished, her eyes lost their
+gentle, pleading look. The change was so sudden that it rather
+disconcerted Egon, who was immensely relieved by hearing footsteps in
+the corridor and by the rather hurried entrance of Clara, eager to tell
+her sister-in-law of all she had lost in not joining Hugo and herself.
+The girl was followed immediately by her brother, whose first glance,
+always for his wife, took note of her embarrassment, and then sought
+Egon's face, where also, he thought, he discerned signs of confusion.
+All his jealous suspicions, vague as they were, and therefore all the
+more tormenting, sprang to life. He tried his best to follow the lead
+of his host and talk with interest of the Plagnitz cattle and the
+various improvements in stalls and stables. It was of no use;
+conversation would no longer run in easy grooves, and all were rather
+glad than otherwise when the time for the departure of the guests
+arrived.
+
+When their carriage was announced, Egon would have escorted them to it,
+but this Wangen would in no wise permit. The doctor had expressly told
+him, he said, that Herr von Ernau must avoid all exertion for a while
+and keep his room. Bertha added her words to his to prevent their
+host's accompanying them down into the hall, and even Clara sagely
+observed that if Herr von Ernau were not careful he never would be able
+to come to Linau shortly as he had promised.
+
+Egon went to the window to wave a farewell to his guests, when he
+observed the young girl, who had taken her place on the back seat of
+the barouche, suddenly spring out of it again. "I have forgotten my
+parasol!" she called up to Egon.
+
+The footman, who had been helping the visitors to get into their
+carriage, would have gone back for it, but with a "Never mind, I will
+get it myself," she ran into the house and up the stairs. The next
+instant she stood, with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, beside Egon,
+and said hurriedly, in a low voice, "I left it on purpose, because I
+wanted to say something to you, Herr von Ernau. The doctor, I know,
+told Hugo yesterday that you could not drive to Linau before Monday,
+but you must come before. You are perfectly well, promise me to come on
+Saturday at the farthest,--to-day is Monday. Oh, you can easily come
+before, or on, Saturday, if you drive slowly."
+
+"Why must I promise you to come 'before, or on, Saturday,' little
+Clara?"
+
+"Oh, because I want you to come so much that I can hardly wait for the
+time to pass."
+
+"Oh, I am not vain enough to believe that."
+
+The girl laughed merrily.
+
+"Indeed! Well, there is somebody, at all events, who does want to see
+you, I know, and I must not tell you who it is, because I promised not
+to. But I did not promise not to beg you to come before Sunday. Oh, you
+must, or it will be too late. Adieu, Herr von Ernau! Here is my
+parasol; they are waiting for me. Remember, before Sunday!"
+
+She hurried away, and waved her hand, flourishing her parasol, from the
+carriage, as it drove out of the court-yard.
+
+Egon stood a long while at the window, gazing after the carriage as it
+disappeared. What had he just heard? Had Bertha made that innocent
+child her messenger, her tool, in the idle flirtation with which she
+would fain employ her empty hours? Yes, she was indeed false and
+shallow; and good, kindly Wangen deserved a better fate. What had
+become of the magical charm which Bertha von Massenburg's beauty had
+exercised over the Egon of former days? He thought of her almost with
+aversion. Nevertheless, he must return the visit that had been paid
+him; kindly relations with Linau must be preserved.
+
+
+
+
+                            CHAPTER XXVIII.
+                          CLARA TO THE RESCUE.
+
+
+The afternoon was delightful, the setting sun glorious in the crimson
+splendour of the west, but the elder members of the party driving home
+to Linau through the warm summer air were scarcely in the mood to enjoy
+it. Wangen was annoyed at what he declared to himself were groundless
+suspicions of his beautiful wife; he tried to atone for them by
+redoubled tenderness in his manner when he addressed her, and this very
+tenderness irritated Bertha, in her consciousness of failure in her
+first attempt to vary the monotony of her existence by what she assured
+herself should be but an innocent flirtation,--merely a piece of
+feminine vengeance upon the man who had so insulted her vanity in years
+gone by. Clara, indeed, rattled away about the various delights of
+Plagnitz, winding up her eulogium of its lord, however, with a heavy
+sigh.
+
+"If my darling Elise could but have been with us!" she exclaimed. "And
+now she may never see it! Oh, Bertha, how could you be so unkind to
+her? I know that it is all because of your bitter speeches that she is
+going to leave us on Sunday. Why do you not love her? Why can we not
+all be happy together?"
+
+To this question Bertha deigned no reply, and Hugo said, rather
+sadly,--
+
+"I too, dearest Bertha, should have been glad to have kept Fraeulein
+Elise with us. But perhaps she is right. You two are like fire and
+water, and since she has so advantageous an offer, and can be so near
+her poor mother, I have nothing to say, only I am greatly mistaken if
+you do not wish for her many a time after she has left us."
+
+"You know, Hugo, I cannot agree with you in your estimate of Elise. She
+has always disliked me, and of course I see her from my point of view.
+Before she came, everything that I did was right in your eyes; her
+presence irritates me, and leads you to criticise and object to what I
+do and say; in short, I cannot be sorry that she leaves us on Sunday."
+
+The sun was just disappearing as Linau was reached. Hugo and Bertha
+betook themselves to the balcony, and Clara went in search of her dear
+Elise, guessing correctly where she should find her. At the farthest
+end of the extensive garden at the back of the old manor-house of
+Linau, just where it was separated from the road that divided it from
+the meadows beyond by an old-fashioned picket-fence, there stood,
+concealed among the luxuriant shrubbery, a shady arbour, which was
+reached by a narrow pathway among the tall bushes bounding the garden
+on one side. This arbour had formerly been a favourite retreat of old
+Herr von Wangen; from it he could see far over his meadows and fields;
+here he was wont to sit with his pipe and book through the long summer
+hours, overlooking his people at work; and hence it had come to be
+called 'the master's arbour.' After his death the shrubs and bushes
+about it were allowed to grow more rankly, so as almost entirely to
+conceal it, for his son did not like to sit here; he preferred to ride
+out over his estate, to visit his labourers; and his young wife would
+have thought it excessively tiresome to spend any time on a wooden
+bench in this lonely spot, when she might be lounging in a luxurious
+chair on her favourite balcony.
+
+But for Elise this arbour was a delightful retreat,--she liked to teach
+Clara here, sure of freedom from all interruption,--and here Clara
+found her after the wonderful visit to Plagnitz. She was in the midst
+of writing a long letter, and the child's presence might have been more
+welcome at another time, but she responded affectionately to her
+pupil's enthusiastic caress; not for the world would she have grieved,
+by any show of a desire to be alone, the girl whom she had grown to
+love dearly.
+
+Clara's talkative gaiety, however, seemed to have exhausted itself upon
+the homeward drive. She sat down beside her governess, and gazed
+thoughtfully from the leafy opening of the window in the little arbour
+abroad over the fields and meadows in the direction where in the unseen
+distance lay Castle Plagnitz. She was silent for a long while, and
+then, suddenly turning to Elise, she exclaimed,--
+
+"You do not know how dearly I love you!"
+
+"Oh, yes, I do, dear child; I know your warm little heart very well."
+
+"But indeed you cannot dream how much I care for you. I did not know it
+myself. And how can I bear to have you leave us forever on Sunday?"
+
+"I must go, Clara."
+
+"I suppose you must, for Bertha does not love you; she does not know
+you. But, oh! Elise, why would you not let me tell Herr von Ernau that
+you are here, and that you are going away on Sunday?"
+
+"Clara!"
+
+"Yes, Elise; it grieves me to the very heart that you have no
+confidence in me. I am not such a child that I do not see and
+understand a great deal more than you think I do. You might confide in
+me."
+
+"What could I confide in you, Clara?"
+
+"You might have told me how much you cared for Herr von Ernau."
+
+Elise blushed crimson and uttered another indignant "Clara!" but the
+girl threw her arms around her, and, undeterred, continued, "Oh, your
+blush betrays you! You need tell me nothing; I knew it all before. I
+love you so much that I saw it in your dear, beautiful face,--in your
+eyes. I knew it when you recognized him as he lay, pale and bleeding,
+in the hall. I saw it in your happy look when Hugo told us that his
+wound was not dangerous. And then I asked Hugo, and begged him to tell
+me when he and you had known Herr von Ernau, and he told me all about
+how he had been in disguise at Castle Osternau, and had given you
+music-lessons. Oh, I know it all, and a great deal more!"
+
+"Much more than it is right that you should," Elise said, gravely.
+
+"No, just enough to let me show you that I am not such a child as you
+think me, and that, at all events, I am old enough to have plans and
+schemes of my own. I was very glad to go to Plagnitz to-day, and I
+enjoyed my visit there very much."
+
+"Clara, you did not forget----"
+
+"No, you need not be anxious. I promised you that I would not even
+mention your name, and I shall keep my promise, although I cannot see
+why you made me give it. But I shall find some way to let Herr von
+Ernau know that you are here without breaking my word. My mind is made
+up, and I tell you so, because I never mean to deceive you."
+
+"Clara, promise me, if you love me, to do nothing."
+
+"Oh, it is just because I love you that I will make you no more
+promises. I have learned wisdom."
+
+From the manor-house came the clear tones of the bell ringing for the
+evening meal.
+
+"There goes the bell!" Clara exclaimed. "We must hurry to be in time. I
+am glad we can stay here no longer, for I do not wish to say another
+word. My mind is made up, and I feel much pleased with myself."
+
+With a laugh she left the arbour and tripped along the path towards the
+house. Elise slowly followed her; she needed a few moments of solitude
+to evoke some order in the wild confusion of thought caused by Clara's
+words. She trembled as she reflected upon the possibility of seeing
+again him upon whom her mind had dwelt for four long years, and who had
+occupied her thoughts ceaselessly during these last days and nights.
+How she dreaded meeting him! and yet, in thinking of such a meeting, a
+strange, sweet hope stirred within her which she herself refused to
+recognize.
+
+
+
+
+                             CHAPTER XXIX.
+                         CLARA DEA EX MACHINA.
+
+
+Never during the past four years had Egon been so lonely, never had he
+felt so deserted, so miserable and dissatisfied, as during the first
+ten days of his residence at Plagnitz. Everything combined to make his
+mood of the gloomiest. He was not ill, and yet he was not perfectly
+well. The doctor now permitted him to take short walks, but had exacted
+from him a promise that he would curb his impatience to take more
+exercise until the next week. There was nothing for him to do, after
+walking through a field or two, but to return to his room and take up a
+book or sit down at the piano.
+
+Could he only have given entire attention to his book, or have become
+absorbed in his music,--but this was impossible. After he had
+determinedly read a page or two his rebellious thoughts would wander
+back to old times at Castle Osternau, or fly after Storting in his
+travels, or try to peer into the future. And it was just the same when
+he sat down at his piano: before long his hands would drop listlessly
+from the keys, and he would resign himself to profitless and cheerless
+musings.
+
+After the visit of the Wangens he was, if possible, more uncomfortable
+than before; he was annoyed to feel any restraint in his intercourse
+with Linau. Bertha's presence, too, had made old memories more vivid
+than ever. Where, where was Lieschen? He had received only one brief
+letter from Storting, in Berlin. Frau von Osternau had left the capital
+a couple of weeks previously; the mistress of the house where she had
+lodged could not tell him whither she had gone, and Herr von Sastrow
+and his wife were unfortunately absent, travelling. Storting could do
+nothing save go to Osternau, where he hoped that the pastor might tell
+him what he wished to know; if this hope were disappointed, he was
+resolved to apply directly to Herr Albrecht von Osternau, who would
+certainly know the address to which the quarterly payment of the
+widow's legal income was to be sent.
+
+After this letter, which had been dispatched immediately before
+Storting's departure for Osternau, no further news had been received
+from him. His silence filled Egon with restless anxiety; he sent a
+mounted messenger to the post-office three times every day, but on
+Friday evening he had not yet heard that Frau von Osternau had been
+found.
+
+At last, on Saturday morning, Egon's eager expectations were
+gratified,--the post-bag contained a letter addressed in Storting's
+handwriting. Egon tore it open with a hand trembling with anxiety, and
+read,--
+
+
+"My Dear Herr Von Ernau,--Your admirable plan has been successfully
+carried out, as I am most glad to inform you. I did well in going to
+Osternau, where I learned from the pastor that Frau von Osternau had
+established herself at Hirschberg. I instantly travelled thither, and
+found the dear lady in excellent health. She was no less pleased than
+amazed to see me, and when I told her the story of Herr Carl Johann
+Simon and showed her his letter, she was at first quite speechless with
+surprise, and then burst into tears of joy and gratitude. Evidently it
+never occurred to her to doubt my account. She blessed her husband's
+memory, remembered his lending the money perfectly, and that she had
+remonstrated with him for his ready confidence in every one's honesty.
+And then she broke forth in exclamations of delight at knowing that she
+could now bring her daughter home to live with her, and that Fraeulein
+Lieschen need no longer sacrifice herself for her mother's sake. I only
+wish that you could have witnessed the joy of which you were the
+source.
+
+"Frau von Osternau is to go with me to Berlin to take possession of her
+property and have the receipt for the same duly made out and signed.
+This we do to-morrow; the result of our expedition I shall tell you by
+word of mouth, but I write to-day to let you know of my success, and of
+a fact which you ought to know immediately. Fraeulein Lieschen is at
+present your neighbour; you have, without knowing it, passed a night in
+the same house with her. Herr von Wangen engaged her as governess for
+his young sister. In order, however, to be near her mother, she has
+accepted another situation in the vicinity of Hirschberg, and is to
+leave Linau next Sunday. Fortunately, there is now no need of her
+accepting any situation whatever, as her mother joyfully declared. It
+seems rather odd--does it not?--that you should neither have seen
+Fraeulein Lieschen nor heard of her presence in Linau when you were
+there; but then your accident probably chased everything else from the
+minds of your hosts. I thought it my duty to let you know immediately
+that Fraeulein Lieschen leaves Linau on Sunday, thinking that you may be
+able to drive over and see her on Saturday afternoon, if this reaches
+you, as it should do, on the morning of that day."
+
+
+Egon dropped the letter; he could not read further; the last lines
+danced before his eyes. Lieschen was in Linau! for only one day longer,
+it is true, but this day was his own. What did he care for the
+physician's prohibition? He must drive to Linau; every moment of delay
+was an opportunity lost.
+
+Lieschen in Linau! She had been his nurse that night; it was her lovely
+face of which he had been aware in his semi-consciousness; her cool,
+gentle hand had been laid upon his forehead; she had leaned over him in
+anxious hope for his return to life. His dream, had been no dream,
+after all.
+
+And he had supposed that Bertha had cared for him so kindly! He
+rejoiced that he owed nothing to her nursing. He could not think of her
+save with a sensation akin to dislike. Her charm was utterly gone. Why
+had she concealed from him that Lieschen was beneath her roof? No one
+had even hinted at her presence there. But yes, Clara! Egon suddenly
+comprehended the child's parting words to him, words which he had
+understood falsely: 'There's somebody, at all events, who does want
+to see you.' She had flown back to say this to him unheard by her
+sister-in-law.
+
+Oh, he understood it all,--the _ennui_ of the woman trained to live in
+the whirl of society and stranded in her quiet home, knowing 'so ill to
+deal with time' as to turn for excitement to an idle flirtation with
+the first man available, and dreading lest another should interfere
+with her schemes. But it was not too late to baffle them.
+
+To Linau then! He went himself to the stables to order the horses put
+to a light hunting-wagon. The coachman could not obey his orders
+quickly enough. Anton shook his head over his master's impatience,
+while to Egon every moment that passed seemed an irreparable loss.
+
+At last he found himself seated behind his spirited horses; but Anton
+did not drive fast enough; his master took the reins from him, and
+urged the pair to their quickest speed. To him they seemed to travel at
+a snail's pace. On they flew; not until Anton ventured to call his
+attention to their condition did he bethink himself that there really
+was no need for such urgent haste. The servant's words recalled his
+resolve to exercise self-control, to curb the impulse of the moment,
+and he gave back the reins to his coachman's hands.
+
+The way seemed to stretch out infinitely, but at last Linau appeared,
+half hidden in trees, on the summit of a gentle incline. A quarter of
+an hour would bring them to its court-yard, but Egon was forced to curb
+his impatience and to order the coachman to rein in his horses. This he
+did in obedience to the flutter of a white kerchief waved by a graceful
+horsewoman who came galloping across-country towards him. It was Clara,
+who had seen him from a distance and thus signalled him to await her
+approach. The high-road was separated from the meadows bounding it on
+one side by a tolerably wide and deep ditch, but this was no obstacle
+for Clara; her pretty little mare took it at a leap, and in a minute
+its rider drew up beside the light wagon. With sparkling eyes she
+greeted Egon, saying, with a confidential nod, "You have come at last,
+Herr von Ernau! I expected you yesterday and the day before, as poor
+old Jost knows to his cost," and she pointed with her riding-whip to
+the old groom, who had followed her and was riding about on the other
+side of the ditch, looking for a narrow place at which to cross it.
+
+"You expected me, Fraeulein Clara?"
+
+"Of course. I considered that you promised me to come before Sunday,
+and therefore on the day before yesterday and yesterday I rode about
+the fields here at the time when I thought you would appear, looking
+out for you. If you had not come now, I was going to send my old Jost
+to Plagnitz to remind you to keep your promise this afternoon, and, if
+the worst came to the worst, I should have gone and brought you over
+myself, for I was determined that come you must to-day."
+
+"If I am right in my conjecture," Egon said, very gravely, "you wished
+me to come to Linau to-day because Fraeulein von Osternau leaves it
+to-morrow."
+
+Clara dropped her bridle and clapped her hands. "Oh, this is
+delightful!" she exclaimed. "You know that Elise is here! I have never
+told you, and now my silly promise not to tell you binds me no longer."
+
+"To whom did you make this promise?"
+
+"Why, to Elise, of course. But you need not look so cast down, Herr von
+Ernau. I'm sure she felt sorry that she allowed herself to be so
+influenced by Bertha's ill-natured words as to make me promise. I was
+determined that you should know that my darling Elise is here, for if
+you knew her long ago at Castle Osternau, I am sure you must want to
+see her again."
+
+"Does Fraeulein von Osternau know that you expect me?"
+
+"Of course not. That would have spoiled it all. I took good care not to
+tell her. It is all a little plan of my own. Elise never tells me
+anything; she thinks me nothing but a child, but I can see in her eyes
+how glad she would be to see Herr von Ernau again. But indeed there is
+no time to go on talking. Tell me, honestly and frankly, Herr von
+Ernau, do you come to Linau to-day to see Elise?"
+
+"Honestly and frankly then, my dear little Clara, yes."
+
+"And for that only?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And would you like to see her now, just when she is alone and
+expecting nobody?"
+
+"That is just what I desire beyond all else."
+
+"Then you must not drive on to Linau, but follow me on foot. We will
+let your carriage wait, lest it should betray us. Get out, Herr von
+Ernau, and I will show your coachman a spot where he can wait for you
+without exciting any one's attention. Let him drive along that path
+that skirts the fields, and he will find a cool, shady place on the
+edge of the forest, where the horses will not tire of standing."
+
+Egon did as he was bidden; and, while his coachman obeyed the young
+girl's directions, his master walked beside Clara's horse as she slowly
+rode along the highway towards Linau. Old Jost, who had managed to
+cross the ditch, followed at a respectful distance.
+
+Clara was in the gayest mood, enchanted that her charming plan, which
+she had contrived entirely by herself, was on the eve of being so
+successfully carried out, without any necessity on her part of breaking
+the promise made to Elise. She never asked what happy chance had
+informed Egon of Elise's presence at Linau; it was enough for her that
+he knew of it, and that she had not been forced to reveal it herself.
+There was no longer any secret to keep, and she ran on with a long
+description of how Elise had taken such care of Herr von Ernau on the
+dreadful night of the accident, and how her eyes had filled with tears
+of joy when she heard the next morning that his wound was not
+dangerous. Nor did she fail to dwell upon her own insight in making
+sure from Elise's face, without hearing one word from her lips, that
+nothing would please her more than to renew her acquaintance with Herr
+von Ernau. It was so sad, too, that Bertha did not seem to care for
+Elise, and that made it easier for her, Clara, to part with her. Did
+Herr von Ernau know that Elise had found another situation near her
+mother? For her part, Clara wished that Frau von Osternau lived near
+Linau, and then, perhaps, if Bertha would only be as sweet and kind as
+she was sometimes, Elise might be persuaded to stay with them. Did not
+Herr von Ernau think it a real misfortune to lose so charming a person
+from the neighbourhood?
+
+In truth, Egon's mind and heart were in such a turmoil of hope and fear
+that he heard but vaguely his young guide's talk. He was absolutely
+conscious of but one fact, that along this road, led by this charming
+child, he was on his way to see once again the fairy of Castle
+Osternau, the girl who had held him captive all these years, whose
+influence, established in a few short weeks, had transformed him from
+an idle, weary, useless creature to a man who felt that he had a part
+to play in the world, and who meant to play it to the best of his
+ability. And yet, if she should refuse to stand by his side to aid him
+in this new life, how dark the future looked! Could she ever pardon the
+falsehood he had practised upon her and those dear to her? Clara was
+obliged, to her dismay, to repeat her question before Herr von Ernau
+heeded it and looked up with, "The greatest misfortune that could
+befall us, my little Clara."
+
+The warmth of the reply when it came soothed Clara's fears lest Herr
+von Ernau did not fully appreciate her services in thus procuring him
+an interview with her adored Elise. She went on to tell him that at
+this hour on Saturday Elise was sure to be in the 'master's arbour,'
+which he might now see, half hidden among the trees on their left. "And
+there is a gate in the picket-fence," she added, "always kept locked;
+no one goes out of the garden by it now that poor papa is dead. He
+always went to the meadows that way, but I knew perfectly well where
+the key was kept, and I have had it in my pocket since the day before
+yesterday, all ready for just this moment. Here we are, Herr von Ernau,
+and here is the key," she said, handing it down to him. "Let it stay in
+the lock. I will go off with Jost for a ride, and then, after about
+half an hour, when you have talked enough with Elise, I will come back
+and take you to the house. I want to see how surprised they'll be when
+they know that you have found Elise. Good-by, Herr von Ernau! Do not
+miss the path,--the one on the left leads directly to the house, and
+the one on the right to 'the master's arbour.' Good-by! I shall see you
+again in half an hour."
+
+With a merry laugh and a wave of the hand she was off at a pace at
+which old Jost found it hard to follow her.
+
+Egon unlocked the little gate, and with a beating heart struck into the
+winding right-hand path. The moment that was to decide his future was
+at hand; he was to see Lieschen again. Had she really, as Clara would
+have given him to understand, cherished his memory kindly? Was it not
+more likely that the child's insight had been utterly at fault, and
+that his image had long since been banished from the mind and heart of
+one go pare, so true, to whom all disguise was hateful?
+
+And now the little arbour, about which the vines hung heavily, making
+the closing of its rustic door quite impossible, was just before him.
+How quiet it all was! Suppose Clara was wrong, and that upon pushing
+wide that door he should find nothing but solitude. He paused for a
+moment, half afraid to go on, and as he did so there fell on his ear
+the low tones of the voice which he knew so well, singing softly the
+words of the old Folksong--
+
+                 "In Olden forest stands a tree."
+
+
+It was the first he had ever sung at Castle Osternau. He saw it all
+again,--the good old Herr in his arm-chair, the sweet face of his wife
+as she sat beside him knitting, and Lieschen's eyes gazing in rapture
+at the singer. For an instant memory wellnigh unmanned him, but that
+she should be singing just that song gave him for encouragement than he
+was himself aware of; he gently pushed open the door. Yes it was she.
+She sat half turned from him, her hands resting in her lap upon the
+embroidery with which she had been occupied, her gaze fixed upon the
+distant landscape, visible through an opening in the vines and
+shrubbery. The door had swung noiselessly, she did not look towards it.
+"Lieschen!" It was all. She started and turned towards him a face from
+which all colour departed, only to return in an instant and mantle
+neck, cheeks, and brow in crimson. "Herr von Ernau!--I--" Then, burying
+her face in her hands, she burst into an uncontrollable fit of weeping.
+In an instant Egon was beside her, at her feet, pouring forth
+protestations, vows, entreaties for pardon.
+
+"My love, my darling, can you ever forgive me for deceiving you as I
+did? I have no right to ask it, still less to hope that you can, and
+yet I do hope. Your memory has been the light of my life since I left
+Berlin, four years ago; the though of you and of your words spurred me
+on to begin a new existence, it gave me strength in all my struggles
+with self, and, oh! Lieschen, take pity upon me. The future will be so
+cheerless without you. Complete your work, dear. Try to make me of some
+use in the world. You have suffered, my darling; I know it all. Let me
+shield you in future, at least from suffering alone. Can you forgive me
+and heed my pleadings, for the sake of the love I bear you, which will
+always be yours, and yours only, whatever may be your answer to me
+now?"
+
+Elise did not speak, but her sobs ceased; she let her lover wipe away
+her tears, and read her answer in her eyes.
+
+
+
+
+                              CHAPTER XXX.
+                              CONCLUSION.
+
+
+Meanwhile, on this particular day, Hugo von Wangen had been taking a
+long ride to a distant part of his estate. He had asked Clara to
+accompany him, quite despairing of inducing Bertha to leave her
+luxurious balcony and mount a horse, but, to his surprise, his young
+sister had declared that she was far too busy, and that a short ride
+across the fields with Jost was all she should allow herself. His
+expedition had been a successful one. The improvements which he had set
+on foot in the way of drainage of outlying meadows answered his
+expectations fully, and it was in a very satisfied and peaceful frame
+of mind that he dismounted at a short distance from his home, and,
+ordering the groom who had accompanied him to ride to the stables with
+his horse, undertook a short ramble on foot through the fields bounding
+his garden. The sun was hot overhead, and he gladly sought the cool
+shade of the strip of forest on the hither side of these fields, where,
+throwing himself on the soft moss, he resigned himself to reflection,
+which ended in a pleasant noonday nap. He was wakened by what seemed to
+him the stamping of horses. Yes, his ears did not deceive him, that was
+an unmistakable neigh; there must be horses near, but how they came
+here he was at a loss to divine. There was but a narrow driving road
+along the edge of this bit of woodland, and it led abroad into the
+fields in one direction and in the other--yes, in the other out on the
+road to Plagnitz.
+
+Why should he think of Plagnitz? The road was a highway, and led to
+other estates likewise, but the fact was that the jealousy lately born
+of his self-depreciation, and of his immense appreciation of his wife's
+personal charms and intellectual capacity, was never quite at rest in
+his mind.
+
+He arose and walked in the direction whence the sound proceeded. Sure
+enough, on the edge of the forest, drawn up in the shade beside the
+narrow roadway, stood a light, elegant vehicle, and harnessed to it
+were two fine horses, which he well remembered to have seen in the
+Plagnitz stalls. The coachman, too, who had made himself as comfortable
+as possible on his high seat, was the same fellow whom he remembered to
+have noticed about the stables at Plagnitz.
+
+But where was the master of this equipage? and why had Herr von Ernau
+transgressed the physician's orders by this early visit? The answer to
+the latter question was plain: Herr von Ernau had never forgotten his
+former love for Bertha von Massenburg, and he was willing to run all
+risks to enjoy the society of Frau von Wangen. Poor Hugo! his jealousy
+was no melodramatic passion, but a very uncomfortable, uneasy sensation
+that quite poisoned his morning's enjoyment. He had entire confidence
+in his wife's honour, but was not so sure of her discretion; at all
+events, it 'was confoundedly irritating to think of Von Ernau spending
+his idle time at Linau, singing his songs and discussing with my wife
+all the books, in which I never could take the smallest interest. We
+were very happy before the fellow came.' These were Von Wangen's
+thoughts as he tried to find some reason for Egon's leaving his
+equipage at this point, if he had really come to pay a visit at Linau.
+He walked on to the road, and was about to jump the picket-fence at the
+bottom of the garden, when he perceived that the key was in the lock of
+the little gate. It puzzled him to know how it came there. Had it
+anything to do with Ernau's visit? He opened the gate, and then
+remembered the winding path to 'the master's arbour.' Surely the lord
+of Plagnitz was not being received there by the fair lady of Linau. The
+idea was ridiculous, and yet, instead of taking the left-hand path
+leading to the house, he walked slowly along that on the right, at the
+end of which stood the rustic structure. As he approached it, the door,
+which had partly closed again after Egon's entrance, prevented any view
+of the interior, but surely those were the tones of a man's voice that
+struck upon his ear; he advanced more quickly, his steps quite
+inaudible on the soft moss of the path, when, just as he was about to
+enter the half-closed door, the same voice, which he had continued to
+hear, said, in a tone of fervent affection, "Lieschen, dearest
+Lieschen----" Wangen turned and positively fled, quite dazzled and
+confused by the light that suddenly dawned upon him, and yet filled
+with a sense of relief for which he could hardly have accounted to
+himself. But what would Bertha say? She must have been mistaken in that
+idea of hers with regard to Ernau's affection for herself; yes,
+entirely mistaken. And affairs at Osternau must have gone further
+between the Candidate and his pupil than any one suspected. Now he came
+to think of it, all the evidence of Ernau's sudden passion for Bertha
+had been given by Werner von Massenburg, whose word, as his son-in-law
+had had frequent opportunities of discovering, was not always to be
+received with implicit faith. Really this was a delightful ending of
+affairs, for, as for Bertha's opinion of Fraeulein Lieschen, it was all
+the consequence of those old Osternau misunderstandings. Never could
+he, Hugo von Wangen, believe that the daughter of his kind old friend
+was any other than she seemed,--a dear, gentle, unselfish girl. Oh,
+Bertha would see it all now, and she could not but rejoice, for the
+sake of Clara, for whom she certainly was beginning to care as a sister
+should, that Fraeulein Lieschen was to be their neighbour at Plagnitz.
+
+Filled with these thoughts, he reached his home, and sought his wife
+where he was sure to find her,--not however, so much bored as usual,
+for she was engaged in reading a long letter from her father, which
+contained an enclosure for her husband, the contents of which Hugo was
+at no loss to divine.
+
+"What have you to tell me, Hugo? your smile is positively beatific. Has
+your last purchase of cattle turned out a wonderful bargain, or is the
+wheat crop on the east meadow twice as heavy as you supposed it would
+be?"
+
+Hugo laughed good-humouredly; he cared nothing for the pin-pricks of
+his wife's ridicule. "Oh, better than all that, my darling, although
+both your suppositions are correct. Circe has gained possession of her
+victim."
+
+"What do you mean? Nothing short of insanity, Hugo, can drive you to
+mythology."
+
+"I'm only quoting you, Bertha; when I wish to be convincing I always do
+so. Herr von Ernau has found his way over here in spite of the doctor,
+and I played eavesdropper involuntarily just now at the door of 'the
+master's arbour,' and can assure you that Fraeulein Lieschen will not go
+very far away from Linau. For my part I am delighted, and so will you
+be, dear child, when you get over the remembrance of old times and your
+fancied dislike of Fraeulein Lieschen. Think what an advantage it is to
+have such neighbours at Plagnitz! Clara will, I am afraid, spend half
+her time there."
+
+Bertha had listened in bewildered dismay to her husband's words. How
+had this result, against which she had schemed, been brought about? How
+could she endure to have the Lieschen whom she had always detested
+carry off the prize which she had failed to win? It was scarcely to be
+hoped that a daughter of Werner von Massenburg's should submit with a
+good grace to be thus foiled. And yet she was not all worthless. We
+must leave her, in hopes that Lieschen's unconscious influence may in
+time assert itself here, as it had so often done elsewhere. Frau von
+Wangen was assuredly shrewd enough and self-controlled enough, as we
+have seen, to be outwardly all that could be desired and quite equal to
+the occasion.
+
+What need to tell of the happiness that reigned in future years at
+Plagnitz? In Lieschen's joys and in Lieschen's children Frau von
+Osternau lived over again her own peaceful existence at Osternau. Egon
+had found that for which he had so thirsted; the discontent and folly
+of his early time seemed to him like some evil dream, the very memory
+of which was dispelled by the clear light of love and truth shining in
+his wife's eyes.
+
+
+
+                                THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
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