Part 93 (1/2)

”Daniel,” said Brasig, ”let us have a little breakfast, as soon as possible. For,” he added, when Daniel was gone, ”you must eat a little something, so as to have a different feeling in your stomach, for such things take away a man's strength.” Did he speak entirely from benevolence, or a little from self-love? For when the breakfast came, Axel ate nothing, but he ate like a thresher.

About ten o'clock, Frida came into the room, and exclaimed:

”Herr Inspector! and you, Axel?”

”Yes, dear Frida: I got home this morning,” said the young man in a low voice.

”And now you will not go away again, now you will stay here,” said Frida, decidedly. ”Ah, Axel, I have much to tell you,--good news. But how do you and the Herr Inspector happen to be together?”

Now, thought Uncle Brasig, it is time to keep my promise about fibbing.

”I went out for a little fis.h.i.+ng, this morning,--you will not take it ill, gracious Frau, that I have left my fis.h.i.+ng-rod in your hall,--and I met the Herr von Rambow, who was out walking, and we looked at his wheat together, and he invited me here to breakfast. But, gracious Frau, what fine sausage! you must surely have got the recipe from Frau Nussler.”

”No,” said Frida, absently, looking at Brasig and at Axel, as if it seemed very strange to her that Axel should have invited the old inspector. ”How did it happen, Herr Inspector,” she began. Hold!

thought Brasig, you will fib yourself into a trap, you must give another turn to the conversation, so he interrupted:

”With your leave, gracious Frau, you always call me 'inspector,' and so I have been; but I have been promoted, I am, now a.s.sessor at the court.

Apohpoh!” turning to Axel, ”why don't you take your money, that lies ready for you at the court, in Rahnstadt?”

”What money?” inquired Axel.

”Why, the fifteen hundred thalers, that the baggage hadn't spent. You must have had a letter about it, several weeks ago, from the court.”

”I have had so many letters from the court, of late, that I no longer open them.”

”I know about the business,” cried Frida. ”Frau Nussler told me, on the way. I will get the letter,” and she ran out of the door.

”Young Herr von Rambow,” said Brasig, drawing himself up, ”there you have done wrong again, for we judges are not only the punishers of mankind, we are also the benefactors of mankind.”

”But do tell me what money it is!”

”Here is the letter,” said Frida, giving it to her husband.

Axel opened it, and with what feelings! ”Money, money!” had so long been the cry of his soul, always ”Money!” Now this sum of money fell unexpectedly into his lap, but what money! ”Oh, my G.o.d!” he cried, staggering blindly about the room, like a sleep-walker, ”then that was not true either! All of it false! In whose hands have I been? Deceived in everything,--self-deceived! Bitterly self-deceived!”

He rushed out of the door, Frida would have followed him, but Brasig held her back. ”Let me go, gracious Frau! I know a way to quiet him.”

He followed him to the garden, where he was raging up and down; the old man placed himself in the way:

”Herr, what sort of performances are these?”

”Get out of my way!” cried Axel.

”No,” said Brasig, ”there is no necessity for it. Aren't you ashamed, to frighten your wife to death with your wild behavior?”

”Why did you not let me destroy myself?” cried Axel; ”this is a thousand times worse than death! To receive benefits, and such benefits, from people, whom in better times I have despised and slandered, yes, even ruined! Not merely to receive,--no!--if one will live,--to be _obliged_ to receive it! Oh, oh!” he cried, striking his forehead, ”why should I live? How can I live, with this sting in my heart?”

So he raged against himself and the world, and Uncle Brasig stood by quietly and looked at him. At last he said, ”Go on like that a little longer; that pleases me uncommonly; the old n.o.bleman's humor must work itself out. What? You will have no friends.h.i.+p with honest, burgher people? Isn't it so? If the Herr Vons should come, or even the Pomuchelskopps and Slusuhrs and Davids, so that n.o.body need know, of it, that would be more agreeable to you; but they won't come any more.

But that is only a secondary matter; you ought to be ashamed that, under the eye of G.o.d, who delivered you this morning, you have again expressed the wish that you had shot yourself. Why, you are a double suicide!”