Part 29 (1/2)

”That will not take long,” said Axel, who was turning over his papers.

There was a knock at the door. ”Come in!” and Fritz entered, with a letter in his hand. ”From Gurlitz,” said he.

Axel broke the seal, and read; it was an odious letter, it was from Slushur, the notary, who announced himself as coming before noon, with David; they were accidentally at Herr Pomuchelskopp's, and had heard from him that Herr von Rambow was returned, and since they must speak with him on necessary business, they begged his permission, etc. The business was very urgent, however, as was mentioned in a postscript.

Axel was in great perplexity, for he could not decline the visit; he went out and told the messenger the gentlemen were welcome, and when he came in again, he seemed so disturbed that his wife asked, ”What is the matter?”

”Oh, nothing. But I think my talk to the laborers may take longer than I supposed; it will be best for you to go alone with the Herr Inspector to see the fields.”

”Oh, Axel, I was so pleased at the thought of going with you.”

”Yes; but it cannot be helped, my dear child. I know the fields well enough. Go with the Herr Inspector, dear Frida, and--well, as soon as ever I can, I will follow you.”

It seemed to Habermann that he was really in haste to get rid of them; so he helped him in his design, and the young lady finally started, upon his invitation, though a little out of humor.

When they were gone, and the whole village had come together. Axel made his address, although the pleasure of this state occasion was quite spoiled for him by that infamous letter; for, however he might put it to himself, his own pleasure, and the importance which he felt as master, were his chief reasons for the undertaking. As for the speech itself, it happened much as Habermann had feared. Admonitions and promises, in lofty words and fine figures of speech, paraded themselves quite unintelligibly before the old laborers' eyes, and the only things which they saw clearly, though somewhat dizzied by these, were the golden wings of the benefits he promised them, saying that his people were to come to him with every wish; he would care for them like a father.

”Yes,” said Pasel to Dasel, ”'father;' I like that. He will do it. I shall go to him to-morrow, and ask him to let me wean a calf next year.”

”But you had one last year.”

”That is no matter; I can sell it to the weaver in Gurlitz.”

”Yes,” said Kegel to Degel. ”I shall go to him to-morrow, and ask him to let me have twenty roods more of potato land next spring; mine will not last through the winter.”

”Eh! you didn't hoe your potatoes at the right time; the old man gave you a fine scolding for it.”

”No matter; _he_ knows nothing about it, and he is master now, and not the inspector.”

So unrest and discontent were in full progress; Axel himself was restless and discontented, because he dreaded the coming visit, and the only being at the Pumpelhagen farm, who, though restless, was yet contented, was Fritz Triddelsitz, so the young Herr had not altogether thrown his pearls before swine.

Slusuhr and David came, and what shall I say about their visit? They sang the same song which they did before, and Axel had to write the notes for it. This time, he did it readily. Borrowing is certainly a bad business; but there is not a business in the world, down to beheading and hanging, so bad that somebody will not pursue it with satisfaction; I have known people who were not contented till they had borrowed money of all Judea and Christendom, and if Axel had not gone quite so far, he was ready enough to improve favorable circ.u.mstances; he added a new debt, to-day, to those he already owed David, that he might pay for the new furnis.h.i.+ng of his house, ”in order not to have to do with so many people, but with one;” but he probably did not reflect that this one was worse than a thousand others.

Meanwhile Habermann and the young Frau were going through the fields.

The clear summer morning soon drove away the little shadows of annoyance from her fresh face, and her bright eyes looked at everything with hearty interest, and desire to inform herself, and Habermann saw, with great pleasure, that she understood the business. She had been brought up in the country, and it was natural to her to observe things that lay a little out of her usual way, and that not superficially, she must know a reason for everything. Thus she knew enough about farming to feel quite at home here, although her father's place was a great sand-hill, and Pumpelhagen was the finest wheat soil, and if she saw anything unfamiliar which she did not understand, the old Inspector helped her, with brief, simple explanations. The walk was, for both of them, a real pleasure, and from a pure, mutual pleasure grows the fair blossom, Confidence.

They came to the Gurlitz boundary, and Habermann showed her the Pastor's field, and told her how the late Kammerrath had taken it in lease.

”And the barley, over yonder?” asked the young Frau.

”That is Gurlitz ground and soil; that belongs to Herr Pomuchelskopp.”

”Ah, that is the proprietor who greeted us yesterday, with his family,”

said Frida. ”What sort of a man is he?”

”I have no intercourse with him,” said Habermann, a little embarra.s.sed.

”But you know him, don't you?” asked the young lady.