Part 4 (1/2)
”Karl!” he cried finally, ”since you speak of the church-tower,--G.o.d bless you! the Gurlitz pastor must take your little girl.”
”Pastor Behrens?” asked Habermann.
”Yes, Pastor Behrens, who was our private instructor at old Knirkstadt's.”
”Ah, Brasig, I will confess I have thought of it almost the whole night, whether that would be possible, if I should remain in the neighbourhood.”
”Possible? He must! He would like nothing better than to have a little child growing up near him, since he himself has no children; and he has rented his farm, and now has nothing to do but to read and study his books, which it would make another man turn green and yellow merely to look at from a distance. That is what he enjoys! And she, the Frau Pastorin, is so fond of children, that all the girls in the village tag after her; and she is an excellent, kind-hearted woman, and always cheerful, and the best of friends with your sister.”
”Ah, if that might be!” exclaimed Habermann. ”You and I owe everything to that man, Zachary! Do you remember, when he was still a candidate, at old Knirkstadt's, how he gave us private lessons in the winter evenings, and taught us writing and arithmetic, and what a friend he was to us two stupid youngsters?”
”Yes, Karl, and how Zamel Pomuchelskopp used to lie and snore of an evening, till the beams shook, while we were in the pursuit of learning. Do you remember, in the arithmetic, when we came to the Rule of Three,--you seek the fourth unknown quant.i.ty, and first get the ratio, and then it goes! In quickness I was your superior, but you were mine in accuracy, and also in orthography. But in letter-writing and in High-German, then I was better again; and these last I have ever since studied diligently, for every man has his favorite pursuit. And when I go to see the Pastor, I always thank him for his a.s.sistance in my education; and then he laughs, and says he is more indebted to me, because I have rented his farm for him, and he is now sure of a good contract. He thinks something of me, and if you stay here, we will go over to him, and you shall see he will do it.”
By this time they had arrived at Pumpelhagen, and Brasig quite impressed Habermann by his distinguished manners, as he sailed up to the old servant, and inquired if the Herr Kammerrath was at home, and could be spoken with.
He would announce the gentlemen the man said; wasn't it the Herr Inspector, Brasig?
”Yes,” said Brasig. ”Do you see, Karl he knows me, and the Herr Kammerrath knows me too. And, did you notice? regularly announcing us!
The n.o.bility don't do things meanly. My gracious Herr Count always has people announced to him by three servants; that is, one announces to the other, until the valet finally announces to him, and by this custom we sometimes have amusing occurrences,--as, the other day, with the kammerjager. The first announced to the second, instead of kammerjager, oberjager, and the second added a meister, and the third announced to the Herr Count an oberjagermeister; and, as my gracious Herr Count prepared to receive the strange gentleman with proper ceremony, it was the old rat-catcher Tibaul.”
The servant came back, and led them into a s.p.a.cious room, which was very comfortably but not splendidly furnished. In the centre stood a large, plain table, covered with papers and accounts. Behind the table stood, as they entered, a rather tall, thin man, who had on his face a thoughtful expression, and in his whole appearance an air of quiet reflection; and in his dress, although it was quite suited to his circ.u.mstances, there was the same simplicity as in the furnis.h.i.+ng of the room. He might have been about fifty, and his sandy hair was thickly sprinkled with gray; also he was evidently quite shortsighted, for, as he came around the table to receive the two guests, he reached after an eye-gla.s.s, which, however, he did not use, but went up close to his visitors. ”Ah, Herr Inspector Brasig,” said he quietly. ”What can I do for you?”
Uncle Brasig was so put out in his elaborate address, that he could not collect himself of a sudden; not to hurry him, the Herr Kammerrath looked quite closely at Habermann. ”You want---- But,” he interrupted himself, ”I ought to know you. Wait a moment,--were you not for ten or twelve years in service with my brother?”
”Yes, Herr Kammerrath, and my name is Habermann.”
”Right, right! And to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here?”
”I have understood that the Herr Kammerrath was looking for an inspector; and as I am in search of such a place----”
”But you have a farm in Pomerania, as I think I have heard,”
interrupted the proprietor.
But now it was high time for Brasig, if he had anything of importance to say, to charge into the midst. ”That he had, Herr Kammerrath von Rambow, he _had_ it, but the Jews will give nothing for it now. He, like many another farmer, got into difficulties, and the pitiful meanness and baseness of his landlord have ruined him. What do you say to that, Herr Kammerrath?”
Behind the old fellow's back at these words sounded a hearty laugh, and as he looked around he saw the bright face of a ten or twelve years'
old boy, which seemed to say, ”Wait a bit, there is more coming.” The Kammerrath also turned his face away to laugh a little; but happily for uncle Brasig, it never occurred to him that the laughing was from any other cause than natural pleasure at his well-chosen language. He concluded therefore, quite seriously. ”And so he has gone head over heels.”
”I am heartily sorry,” said the Kammerrath; ”Yes,” he added with a sigh, ”these are hard times for the countrymen; but we must hope that they will improve. As regards your wish,--Axel, go out and see if breakfast is ready,--your supposition is correct. I have just dismissed my late inspector,--I will tell you, because of carelessness in his accounts,--and I am looking for a suitable man to fill his place. But,”
said he, as his son appeared at the door, and announced that breakfast was ready, ”if you have not yet breakfasted, we can arrange the matter best at the breakfast-table.”
With that, he went to the door, but stood there, and made a motion with his hand for them to pa.s.s out first. ”Karl,” whispered Brasig, ”didn't I tell you? Just like one of us!” But as Habermann quietly pa.s.sed on, accepting the invitation, he threw up his eyebrows, and stretched out his hand as if he would draw his friend back by the coat-tails, then stood with his little twisted legs turned out, and bowed like a clasp-knife.
”Eh, how could I! I beseech you! Herr Kammerrath should always have precedence!” And his waiting was not of a bad order, for he had a long body and short legs, and they belong properly to waiters.
The Herr Kammerrath had to take himself out of the way of his compliments, that the old fellow might not dislocate his spine. At the breakfast-table the business was discussed and decided; Habermann was engaged on a good, sufficient salary, which was to be increased every five years; and the only condition which the Kammerrath insisted upon was that he should occupy the place at once.
The new inspector agreed to this, and the day was set for his entering on his duties, so that the Kammerrath before his departure could go with him about the place and tell him what he wanted done; and Brasig having concluded a brief sketch of the troubled life-career of the fifteen years' old full-blooded Wallach, which he had cared for in his business at the farm,--how he had ”had the honor to know the old carrion ever since it was born;” how the creature in its younger years had been ”such a colt as you read of in books,” but afterward ”with shying and spavin and all manner of devilish tricks had so disgraced himself that he was now punished by being harnessed to the dung-cart,”--the two inspectors took their leave.
”Brasig,” said Habermann, when they were outside, ”a stone, has been taken from my heart. Thank G.o.d, I shall be employed again! And that brings me to other thoughts. Now for Gurlitz! Ah, if we may only be as fortunate there!”