Part 27 (2/2)
”There they are,” she whispered, ”they can see us as well as we can see them--your black robe betrays you.”
”What can we do?” said Donatus.
”All around is bare--but there is a shepherd's cart and close by it the man himself minding his flock. I will ask him to hide you in it till night-fall--we cannot go on by daylight. I will mind his sheep for him till evening, in return.”
”Great G.o.d! must another day be wasted without our being any nearer to the goal?” said Donatus.
”There is no other way. If Count Reichenberg finds us you will never reach it at all, for he is of a bad sort and is plotting evil against you.”
”What, do you know him?”
”Of course I do, he was with my mother just lately and they talked of all sorts of things that I did not understand; they stormed and threatened at the convent up there, and I could plainly see it was no good that they were promising.”
”And your mother was in league with him? Oh Berntrudis!”
”She was furious with the fathers of Marienberg on your account.”
”Oh! woe is me that I must say it--we deserve it, for they made her a bad return for all her love and fidelity. But I bring misfortune and fatality on all that come near me.”
”Not on me--you have not brought them on me,” said the child, and Donatus felt as if he could see the smile of rapture with which she spoke the words.
They had reached the shepherd's hut, Beata stood still in front of it.
”Now hide yourself in here while I speak to the shepherd.”
”Beata--devise some plan for G.o.d's sake--I dare not wait till evening, for if we miss the d.u.c.h.ess all hope is lost.”
”I know of no plan--unless you will change dresses with the shepherd.
He must give you his smock and you must give him your clothes instead.”
”What! lay aside the dress of my order?” cried Donatus horrified. ”I can never do that--the rules forbid it.”
”Then you must stop here till night-fall--one or the other is the only possible course.”
Donatus wrung his hands, ”What can I do? disobedience and infraction of the rule are my fate wherever I turn. And yet if I must infringe one law it had better be the lesser. More depends on my saving the brethren than on the outward observance. Call the man here for G.o.d's sake; I will change clothes with him that I may go on unrecognised.”
”But--one thing more,” said Beata reflecting. ”If afterwards the Count were to see the man in your monk's cowl--that might betray you. I would rather burn it and give the shepherd something more valuable for his smock frock.”
”Have you any valuables then?” asked Donatus in surprise.
”Yes--here, feel; I have a ring that Count Reichenberg gave me. At first I flung it away, but my mother put it on me again, and said, 'who knows of what use it may be yet!'”
”The Count gave you a ring?”
”Aye--and a gold piece. That I have kept--we can buy bread with that when we have none left. He gave them both to me that night. The ring I was to show to the warder of the castle that he might admit me. He wanted to adopt me as his child.”
”And you did not go?”
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