Part 10 (1/2)

Sally had fully decided. ”Just give me your hand, Erick,” she urged.

”So, I promise you that I will tell to no one a single word of that which you want to tell me.”

Now Erick felt safe. ”You see, Sally,” he began, ”in Denmark there is a very large, beautiful estate, with a beautiful lawn before the house to which one can go directly through large doors out of the halls, and in the middle of the lawn are the beautiful flower-beds just filled with roses; and on the other side of the house one goes across to the large, old oaks, where the horses graze--for there are many beautiful horses.

And on the left side of the house one comes directly into the small forest; there is a pond quite surrounded by dense trees, and a small bench stands above and from there one descends three steps to the little boat that has two oars, and my mother liked best to sit there and row about the pond. For, you see, my mother lived there when she was a child, and also later when she was grown up. And there below, where the lawn stops, begin the large stables where the horses are when they are not grazing; and my mother had her own little white horse. She rode about on that with grandfather or with old John. Oh, that was so beautiful! But once Mother was disobedient to grandfather, for she wanted to go far away with my father, and grandfather would not have it; but she went, and then she was not allowed to come back, and everything was over.”

Sally had listened with breathless attention. Now she burst out: ”Dear, dear, what a pity! That is exactly like Adam and Eve in Paradise! But where did your mother go to? And who is now on that beautiful estate?”

”Mother went far away to Paris, then to many other places, and at last we came to Middle Lot. My grandfather still lives on the estate.”

”Oh, Erick, we will write a letter at once to your grandfather and ask him whether you may now come home again?”

”Oh, no, no! I dare not do that,” opposed Erick. ”I must not go to my grandfather until I have become an honorable man, so that I may say to him: 'I will not bring shame on your name, Grandfather, but Mother would like to make up through me for what you have suffered through her!' I have promised that to my mother!”

”Oh, what a pity, what a pity!” lamented Sally, ”you may never go to the beautiful estate until you are a man; that will be a terrible long time.

And then you have to go away in the winter to quite strange people, to an inst.i.tute. Oh, if you only could go to the beautiful estate, to Grandfather! Can it not be brought about, Erick? Can no one help you?”

”No, that is quite impossible,” said Erick, thoroughly convinced. ”But now, since you know all, I will tell you a good deal more about the estate, for I know much more, and Mother and I have talked so often about it,” so Erick told more and more until they reached home, where both of them were much distracted, for both were wandering in thought about the beautiful estate far away. The mother looked several times now at the one, then at the other, for nothing unusual in her children ever escaped her motherly eye; but she said nothing. When later she had prayed with the children, and was now standing in her own bedroom, she heard how Sally, in her little bedroom beside hers, was praying loud and earnestly to G.o.d.

The mother wondered what could so occupy the thoughts of her little girl, who was usually so open and communicative. What had happened this evening, and what was urging her to such a pleading prayer, and why had she not said a word about it? Could the child have a secret trouble? She softly opened the door a little, and now heard how Sally several times in succession fervently prayed: ”Oh, dear G.o.d, please bring it about that Erick may come to his grandfather on the beautiful estate.”

Now the mother entered Sally's room. ”My dear child,” she said, ”for what did you pray just now to the dear G.o.d? Will you explain it to me?”

But Sally made such an uproar that the mother stopped with surprise.

”You did not hear it, Mother? I hope you have not understood it, Mother.

Have you? You must not know it, Mother, no one must know it. It is a great secret.”

”But, dear child, do be quiet and listen to me,” said the mother kindly.

”I heard that you prayed to the dear G.o.d for something for Erick.

Perhaps we, too, could do something for him. Tell me what you know, for it may lead to something good for him.”

”No, no,” cried Sally in the greatest excitement, ”I will say nothing, I have promised him, and I do not know anything else than for what I have prayed.” And Sally threw herself on her pillow and began to sob.

Now the mother ordered her to be quiet and let the thing rest. She would not ask her any more, nor speak of it. Sally should do as she felt, and surrender everything to the dear G.o.d. But the mother put two things together in her mind. When Marianne had come to take leave, she had questioned her about Erick's mother and the latter's condition; also whether Marianne knew her maiden name. But Marianne did not know much, only once she had seen a strange name, but had not been able to read it.

It was when Erick, at one time, had taken the cover from his mother's little Bible; then she saw a name written with golden letters. Erick must have the little Bible. The lady had seen the little black book in Erick's box and had taken off the close-fitting cover and had found written in fine gold letters the name, ”Hilda von Vestentrop”. She at once a.s.sumed that this must be the maiden name of Erick's mother; but she knew nothing further.

Now she had learned through Sally's prayer that Denmark had been her native land, and that a father was living there. All this she told to her husband the same evening, and proposed that he should write at once to this gentleman in Denmark.

The pastor leaned far back in his armchair and stared at his wife with astonishment. ”Dear wife,” he said at last, ”do you really believe that I could send a letter addressed 'von Vestentrop, Denmark'? This address is no doubt enough for the dear G.o.d, but not for short-sighted human beings.”

But the wife did not give in. She reminded her husband that he knew their countryman, the pastor of the French church in Copenhagen, and that he perhaps could help him onto the track of von Vestentrop; the latter must be the owner of an estate and such a gentleman could be found. And the wife spoke so long and so impressively to her husband that he finally sat down that very evening and wrote two letters. The one he addressed ”To Mr. von Vestentrop in Denmark”. This one he enclosed in the second and addressed that to his acquaintance, the pastor of the French church in Copenhagen. Then he laid the heavy letter on his writing-table so that early to-morrow morning 'Lizebeth would find it and carry it to the post office.

CHAPTER X

Surprising Things Happen

Weeks had pa.s.sed by since Erick had become an inhabitant of the parsonage, but 'Lizebeth had not changed her mind. Just now she was standing in the kitchen-door, when Erick came running up the steps, and hastily asked: ”Where are Ritz and Edi?”