Part 39 (1/2)
”Begging your pardon,” called Pomuchelskopp after him, ”you are going the wrong way; you turn to the left to go to Pumpelhagen.”
”I know it,” said Axel, ”I am going to the Pastor's, to call for my wife. Adieu!”
”Ah,” said Pomuchelskopp, going back across the yard, ”this is very nice, this is very pretty! For the young Herr, I am good enough; but for the gracious lady? Children!” cried he, as he entered the door, ”the gracious lady is at the Herr Pastor's, we are not good enough for her.”
”That pleases me, uncommonly, Poking,” said the old woman, ”that the n.o.bleman has put such a fine pair of leather spectacles on you.”
”Is it possible!” exclaimed Salchen.
”Possible indeed!” said her father, ”it is certain;” and he gave Nanting and Philipping, who were running about, the remainder of the cookies, one apiece: ”Out with you, baggages!” and he threw himself into the sofa corner, and struck at the flies; and the old woman teased him with invidious remarks about distinguished acquaintances, and beggars, and the n.o.bility, and said, ”Salchen, take that bottle of costly wine back to the cellar; there is some in it still, father can treat some highly honored friend with it.” And after a while she called, ”Father, come here to the window! See, there goes your distinguished friend, with his gracious lady--the foolish fellow! and who have they with them? Your incendiary, that old Brasig!”
It was really so: Brasig was walking with the pair, towards Pumpelhagen, and it did not trouble him in the least that Axel turned a cold shoulder on him, and gave him very short answers, for he was taking his delight in the gracious lady, whom he had met at the Pastor's, and whom he had found still more pleasing to-day than at the dinner.
And she might well have pleased him, or have pleased any body, as she came in, so friendly and confiding, to the Frau Pastor's parlor, where he sat with the old Herr Pastor, who was lying half sick upon the sofa; as she held back the old gentleman, who would have risen in honor of her visit, and, laying her two hands on the little Frau Pastorin's shoulders, asked if she would be mother-confessor to one who was a stranger, and needed good advice, And then turned to Brasig, and shook hands with him as frankly, as if he were an old acquaintance. And then Louise! came in, and she greeted her also as an old acquaintance, but kept looking at her, as if there were something new to be read in her face, and grew thoughtful, as one who reads a beautiful book, and will not turn the leaf, until he fully comprehends it.
The young Frau had many leaves to turn here, and upon every leaf stood something lovely and intelligent; on the Pastor's side, stood experience, and friendliness and benevolence, and on the Frau Pastorin's stood housewifery, and enjoyment of life, and the kindest disposition, crossed over each other, and on Louise's stood modesty, and good sense, and pleasure at meeting a lady who bore that name which had become so dear to her; and on Brasig's side, stood at first sight, only notes on the whole, but they belonged to the matter, and made it clearer, and the young Frau read these notes with as much pleasure as we sluggards used, formerly, on the _pons asinorum_, or _ad modum Minellii_, in Cornelius Nepos. And it all harmonized together, so sweetly and innocently, and there was such love and joyousness, that the gracious young lady felt as if she stood among a group of pretty children, in a lovely garden, under cool shadows of old trees, dancing Kringelkranz, and Louise stood in the ring, and reached her hand towards her, saying, ”Come, now you must release me!”
Into this lovely peace Axel came, full of annoyance at the story that had been trumpeted in his ears, and vexed at having to call for his wife among such people, and Brasig's greeting, ”Good day, Herr Lieutenant!” quite overflowed the measure of his good temper. He turned shortly to the Pastor, and made some indifferent remark about the weather, but so coldly, that his manner struck like an icicle to the warm heart of his wife, and she sprang up, hastily, to take leave, that all this warm friendliness should not be chilled, as by a shower of hail in summer.
They went, but Uncle Brasig went too, not at all disturbed by the young Herr's discourtesy; he had done nothing, and he had a good conscience, and withal he had a great opinion of his ability in entertaining people, and putting them in a good humour, when they were vexed. He limped along, therefore, by the young lieutenant, and talked to him of this and that, but did not succeed in changing the young Herr's short and cutting replies to more friendly remarks. But as the young Herr stopped, where the church path joined the street, and asked him which way he would go, it shot through his head, for the first time, that the ”confounded fool” might think he wished to force himself upon them.
”Listen to me, Herr Lieutenant,” said he also standing still, ”this strikes me as very strange. Perhaps you are ashamed to be seen walking with me, in the public street? Then let me tell you, I was not going on your account, I was only going with your honored, gracious lady wife, because she is friendly towards me. In future, I will not incommode you,” and, with a profound bow to the young lady, he started off across the rape-stubble, to Habermann, who was building a stack of rape-straw, near by.
”Axel,” said Frida, ”why have you grieved that good-hearted old man?”
”Your good-hearted old man is nothing but an old tattler and busybody.”
”Do you really believe that? and do you think, if he were, our Habermann would be on such intimate terms with him?”
”Why not, if he is useful to him?”
The young wife looked at him half astonished, half grieved: ”Axel, what is the matter with you? You were always so friendly towards everybody, and trusted everybody, what has prejudiced you so against these people?
against these, too, who have always been so friendly and honest towards us?”
”Friendly? Why shouldn't they? I am the master of the estate. But honest? Time will show, and what I have heard today, does not agree very well with my conception of honesty.”
”What have you heard? From whom have you heard it?” asked Frida, quickly and meaningly. ”Tell me. Axel! I am your wife.”
”I have heard a good deal,” said Axel, in a derisive tone, ”I have heard, that our Habermann, as you call him, has already been a bankrupt; and the best thing I heard about him was that he perverted the influence that he exercised as an instructor, to fasten his daughter--with the help of the parsonage people and this old go-between, whom I have just got rid of--to our cousin Franz, and”--he added, angrily and spitefully, ”the stupid dunce has let himself be caught!”
Frida boiled over with indignation; by this detraction, not merely that poor child, Louise Habermann, but her whole s.e.x was wounded to the heart, and put to shame; her eyes kindled, as she grasped Axel by arm, and made him stand still: ”You have been in bad company, and have yielded to the most unworthy influences!” Her hands loosed their hold, the anger pa.s.sed, and a deep sadness came over her. ”Oh, Axel,” cried she, ”you used to be so good, how can such insinuations disturb your honest judgment?”
Axel was startled at the heat with which his wife took up the matter, he would gladly have taken back what he had said; but he had said it, and if he should make light of it now, he would seem to himself like a credulous, easily prejudiced man, and he wished to seem a decided one, so he took nothing back, but said, ”Frida, what ails you? There is no denying the matter. The whole region knows that our foolish cousin has entangled himself with this girl.”
”If you will express this part of your news differently, if you say that your cousin has fallen in love with this girl, I shall be glad to believe it, and your cousin, whom I do not yet know, will be so much the dearer to me.”
”What? Shall my cousin, who has a large, independent fortune, marry the daughter of my inspector?”
”That is the greatest advantage of a large, independent fortune for a young man, that he is free to choose; and, truly! he has not chosen unworthily.”