Part 10 (1/2)

Frau Pomuchelskopp stood by, as stiff and stately as if she had that morning been plated with iron, and Malchen and Salchen, in their gay silk dresses, stared at the three little maidens in their clean cotton garments, like a goldfinch at a hedge-sparrow.

The Frau Pastorin was the most cordial person in the world, to her friends; but when she met strangers, and her Pastor was not present to speak for himself, she took his dignity also upon her shoulders. She drew herself up to her full height, looking as round and full as a goose on the spit, and with every word that she spoke the cap ribbons under her little double chin wagged back and forth with a dignified air, as if they would say, ”n.o.body shall take precedence of me!”

”The honor is quite on our side,” said she. ”Unfortunately my Pastor is not at home. Won't you sit down?” and with that she seated the two old Pomuchelskopps on the sofa, under the picture-gallery.

Meanwhile, as the older people were discussing indifferent topics with an appearance of interest, as the custom is, and now one and now another advancing opinions to which the rest could not a.s.sent, Louise went, in a friendly way, as was proper, to the two young ladies, and shook hands with them, and the little twins followed her example, as was also proper.

Now Malchen and Salchen were just eighteen and nineteen years old. They were not handsome; Salchen had a gray, pimpled complexion, and Malchen, though she was not to blame for it, bore too striking a resemblance to her father. But they were _educated_--save the mark! and had recently attended the Whitsuntide fair and Trinity ball, at Rostock, so there was really a great difference between them and the little girls, and since they were not very kindly disposed, they looked rather coldly on the little maidens.

These, however, either did not notice it, or took it as a matter of course that their advances should be received with coolness, and Louise said with great admiration to Malchen, ”Ah, what a beautiful dress you have on!”

Even an educated young lady might be pleased at that, and Malchen became a little more friendly, as she said, ”It is only an old one; my new one cost, with the tr.i.m.m.i.n.g and dress-making, all of ten dollars more.”

”Papa gave them to us for the Trinity ball. Ah, how we danced there!”

added Salchen.

Now Louise had heard in sermons about Sundays before and after Trinity, but of a Trinity ball she knew nothing; in fact she had no definite conception of a ball itself, for though the Frau Pastorin in her youth had taken pleasure like other people, and had occasionally set foot in a ball-room, yet, out of consideration for her present dignified position, she always answered Louise's questions what a ball was like,--”Mere frivolity!”

As for Lining and Mining they would have known nothing of b.a.l.l.s, for though their mother danced in her younger days, it was merely at harvest feasts, and young Jochen had indeed once gone to a ball, but upon reaching the door of the saloon he was so frightened that he beat a retreat,--but Uncle Brasig's descriptions had given the children a confused idea of many white dresses with green and red ribbons, of violins and clarionettes, of waltzes and quadrilles, and many, many gla.s.ses of punch. And as Uncle Brasig had described it all, he had also given an ill.u.s.tration, with his short legs, of the sliding step, and the hop step, so that they laughed prodigiously; but what a ”ball,”

such a ball as the last governess had taken away from Mining, had to do with it all, they had never comprehended. So Mining asked quite innocently, ”But, if you dance, how do you play with a ball?”

Mining was a thoughtless little girl, and she should not have asked such a question; but, considering her youth and inexperience, the Misses Pomuchelskopp need not have laughed quite so loud as they did.

”Oh dear!” cried Salchen, ”that is too stupid!”

”Yes, good gracious! so very countrified!” said Malchen, and drew herself up in a stately att.i.tude, as if she had lived under the shadow of St. Peter's tower in Rostock from her babyhood, and the first burgomeister of the city had been her next door neighbor.

Poor little Mining turned as red as a rose, for she felt that she must have made a great blunder, and Louise grew red also, but it was from anger. ”Why do you laugh?” she cried hastily, ”why do you laugh because we know nothing about b.a.l.l.s?”

”See, see! How excited!” laughed Malchen. ”My dear child----”

She went no further in her wise speech, being interrupted by hasty words from the group on the sofa.

”Frau Pastorin, I say it is wrong; I am the owner of Gurlitz, and if the Pastor's field was to be rented----”

”It was my Pastor's doing, and the Kammerrath is an old friend, and one of our paris.h.i.+oners, and the field joins his land as well as it does yours, and Inspector Habermann----”

”Is an old cheat,” interrupted Pomuchelskopp.

”He has already done us an injury,” added his wife.

”What?” cried the little Frau Pastorin, ”what?”

But her dear old heart thought in a minute of little Louise, and she overcame her anger, and began to wink and blink. It was too late; the child had heard her father's name, had heard the slander, and stood now before the arrogant man, and the cold, hard woman.

”What is my father? What has my father done?”

Her eyes shot fiery glances at the two who had spoken evil of her father, and the young frame which up to this time had known constant peace and joy, quivered with pa.s.sion.

People tell us that sometimes the fair, still, green earth trembles, and fire and flame burst forth, and showers of gray ashes bury the dwellings of men, and the temples of G.o.d. It seemed to her that a beautiful temple, in which she had often wors.h.i.+pped, had been buried under gray ashes, and her grief broke forth in streaming tears, as her good foster-mother put her arms around her, and led her from the room.