Part 40 (2/2)
”What is it? speak out!” said the head forester. ”Has any misfortune happened to the prince? He's not at Rodeck?”
”No, his highness is in the city, but Herr Rojanow is here and sent me.
He begs that you and Herr von Eschenhagen come down at once to Rodeck, and,” he glanced at Frau von Eschenhagen, of whose arrival he had not heard, ”and my lady should come, too.”
”But what is it, what has happened?” cried the forester, seriously alarmed now.
The old man hesitated; he seemed not to know how to break his bad news gently. At last he spoke.
”His excellency Baron von Wallmoden is at Rodeck--and the baroness, too.”
”My brother?” Regine cried apprehensively.
”Yes, my lady. His excellency was thrown from his carriage and now he is unconscious at Rodeck, and the physician whom we summoned in haste, says his condition is very serious.”
”G.o.d help us! Moritz, we must go at once,” exclaimed Regine.
Schonau had already rung and he ordered horses and carriage to be got ready at once. ”And now, Stadinger, tell us how it happened.”
”The Herr Baron was on his way from Ostwalden to Furstenstein,” began Stadinger. ”The way lay through the Rodeck lands, not far from the Castle. Our forester, who was in the woods close by with some of the men, fired a couple of shots at a deer which started out of the thicket and ran across the road just in front of His Excellency's carriage. The horses s.h.i.+ed and started off, and the coachman lost control of them.
The forester, who reached the road at that moment, heard the Frau Baroness say to her husband: 'Sit still, Herbert! for G.o.d's sake, don't move!' But the baron must have lost his head, for he stood up and made one spring. Of course he did not know where he was going, and fell with great force against a fallen tree. Just a few yards farther on, at a bend in the road, the coachman succeeded in pulling up the horses. The baroness, who was not hurt at all, only shaken a little, hastened at once to her husband, but the poor gentleman was badly hurt, and was unconscious. The forester and his men brought him to Rodeck. Herr Rojanow did everything that was necessary, and then sent me in hot haste for you!”
In the presence of this new disaster, all dissensions ceased, and Toni was summoned and orders were hastily given, and as soon as the carriage was ready the head forester and Frau Regine hurried off. Willibald and Stadinger followed them at once, but as they descended the stairs, the former held back for a moment and asked in a whisper:
”What did the physician say? Did you hear anything?”
The old man shook his head sadly and answered in a subdued tone:
”I stood by when Herr Rojanow questioned him in the hall. There is no hope. The poor baron won't live until night.”
CHAPTER XIII.
The little hunting lodge of Rodeck, which lay so white and silent in the snow of that first December day, had seldom been witness to so great an excitement as that occasioned by Baron Wallmoden's accident. It was about noon when the two foresters appeared with their unconscious burden in their arms. Hartmut Rojanow had seen at a glance what was to be done.
He had the injured man taken at once to Prince Adelsberg's room, sent off a messenger for the nearest physician, and gave intelligent orders concerning the sick man's treatment until the doctor should arrive.
Then, when the physician told him there was no hope, he dispatched old Stadinger to Furstenstein. Frau Regine only arrived in time to see her brother die. Wallmoden never recovered consciousness after the fearful shock of his fall; he lay upon the bed silent and motionless, breathing with difficulty, and recognizing no one, and an hour later all was over.
Toward evening Herr von Schonau and Willibald returned to Furstenstein.
Before starting for Rodeck a telegram had been dispatched to the emba.s.sy telling of the accident, and now the head forester sent another announcing its fatal termination.
Fran von Eschenhagen remained at Rodeck with her brother's widow. The corpse would be taken to the city early in the morning and until then the two women would remain with it. Adelheid, who had faced the danger so bravely, and had done her duty, though there was little to do at her husband's death bed, now when all was over, seemed to lose her strength.
She was bewildered by the sudden and terrible occurrence.
Hartmut Rojanow stood at his window in the second story, and glanced across the desolate, bare forest, which, with its snowy mantle, had a ghostly, uncanny look.
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