Part 5 (1/2)

And Brasig, as if it devolved on him to sustain the honor of the Habermann family, said to her impressively: ”Frau Pastorin, what are you thinking of? The little girl is quite hearty!”

And the Frau Pastorin ran again to the door, and called back the maiden. ”Rika, Rika, not the cradle,--ask her to lend me a little crib, and then go to the s.e.xton's daughter, and see if she can come this afternoon,--G.o.d bless me, to-day is Sunday! But if your a.s.s has fallen into a pit, and so forth,--yes, ask her whether she can help me stuff a couple of little beds. For it is not heathenish, Brasig, it is a work of necessity, and quite another thing from your Herr Count having his wheat brought in Sunday afternoon. And, my dear Herr Habermann, the little girl must come to us to-day, for Franz,” said she to her husband, ”the old Nusslers would not give the poor little thing even her dinner if they could help it, and, Brasig, bread which is not freely given----” here she was a little out of breath and Brasig went on: ”Yes, Frau Pastorin, one may grow fat on grudged bread, but the devil take such fatness!”

”You old heathen, how can you swear so, in a Christian Pastor's house?”

cried the Frau Pastorin. ”But the long and the short of the matter is, the little girl must come here to-day.”

”Yes, Frau Pastorin,” said Habermann, only too happy, ”I will bring her to-day. My poor sister will be sorry, but it is better for her, and for the peace of her family, and also for my child.”

He went up to the two worthy people, and thanked them so warmly, from the depths of his grateful heart; and when they had taken leave, and were outside, he drew a long breath, and said to Brasig, ”How gloomy the world looked this morning, but now the sun s.h.i.+nes in my heart again! I have yet a disagreeable business to attend to; but it is a lucky day, and that may go well also.”

”What have you got to do now?” asked Brasig.

”I must go to Rahnstadt, to old Moses. I gave him, six months ago, my note for six hundred dollars; I have not heard from him since my bankruptcy, and I must try to make some arrangement with him.”

”That you must, Karl; and I would do it at once, for old Moses isn't the worst man in the world, by a long way. Now I will tell you what shall be our order of battle for to-day: we will both go back to Rexow, and eat our dinner; after dinner young Jochen must lend you his horses, and you can take your little one to Gurlitz; go from there to the city, and come back in the evening to me, at Warnitz, and stay over night; and to-morrow you can go over to Pumpelhagen, since the Herr Kammerrath depends on your speedy coming.

”Right,” said Habermann, ”it shall be so.”

They arrived, the dinner was eaten, and Brasig asked of young Jochen the loan of his wagon and horses. ”Of course,” cried Frau Nussler,--”Yes, of course,” said Jochen, and went out himself immediately, to order the horses harnessed.

”Karl,” said the sister, ”my dear brother, how glad, how heartily glad, I should be, if---- But you know the reason; Brasig has told you. But, dear heart, if one could only keep peace in the family! Don't believe that Jochen thinks differently from me, only he hasn't the energy to stand up for his rights. But I will look after your child as if she were my own, though it will not be needful at the Parsonage.”

The wagon drove up. ”What the devil!” cried Brasig, ”young Jochen, you have got out your state-equipage, the old yellow coach!”

”Yes, Herr,” said Christian, who sat up in front. ”May we only get safe home again with the old thing, for it is fearfully crazy in the box, and the wheels clatter as if one were spinning flax.”

”Christian,” said Brasig, ”you must first drive a little way through the village pond, and then through the Gurlitz brook; and then, before you get to Rahnstadt, though the frog-pond. That will tighten the wheels.”

”Eh!” said Christian; ”one might as well go a sea-voyage!”

As Habermann had taken leave, and put his little girl in the wagon, young Jochen pressed out through the company in such haste that all made way for him, and his wife cried out, ”What is the matter now?”

”There,” said he and placed in the hand of the little Louise a pound of Fleigen Markur, for he smoked no other tobacco; but it was only in outward appearance, for, as Habermann looked closer, he found a great piece of white bread, which young Jochen had merely wrapped up in tobacco-paper, because he had nothing else at hand.

The equipage started. Christian took the pond and the brook on his way, as Brasig had recommended; the little one was given up at Gurlitz, and I will not try to describe how the pretty little dear was handed from one to the other, with kisses and petting, and seemed in her uncomprehending innocence to find herself at home with the good people.

Habermann drove on Rahnstadt, to see Moses.

Moses was a man of about fifty. He had large, wise-looking eyes, under strong, black eyebrows, although his head was nearly white; heavy eyelids and dark lashes gave him an aspect of mildness; he was of middle size and of comfortable fulness; his left shoulder was a little higher than his right, and that was in consequence of his grip. When he got up from his stool, he stuck his left hand in his left coat pocket, and took hold of his breeches on the left side, which was always slipping down; for he wore but one suspender, and that was on the right side. ”What's the use?” said he to his Blumchen, when she would persuade him to wear a second suspender. ”When I was young and poor and had no money, I managed my business with one suspender, and courted my Blumchen with one suspender; and now that I am old and rich, and have money, and have Blumchen, why do I need two suspenders?” And then he would pat his Blumchen, give a grip at the left coat-pocket, and go back to his business.

As Habermann entered he sprang up. ”O heavens! it is Habermann. Haven't I always told you,” turning to his son, ”Habermann is good, Habermann is an honest man?”

”Yes, Moses,” said Habermann, ”honest truly,--but----”

”Stand up, David, give the seat to Herr Habermann; sit here by me. Herr Habermann has something to say to me, and I have something to say to Herr Habermann. Do you see?” he added to his son, ”David, what did you say? 'I should declare myself before the Prussian Justice.' What did I say? 'I will not declare myself before the Prussian Justice; Herr Habermann is an honorable man.' I declared myself once, it was in a business with a Prussian candidate. I had reminded the fellow of his debt, and he wrote me a letter, saying I should read a verse out of the Christian hymn-book,--David, what was it?”

”It was an infamous verse,” said David.

”'Moses cannot accuse me.