Quicksands Part 27

She turned as they reached the door of the balcony-room, and, tripping up-stairs, vanished from Egon's sight. He stood for an instant, pondering upon her childish warning, and then entered the room, where Bertha advanced instantly from the balcony to meet him.

How exquisitely beautiful she was! much more beautiful even than the picture of her which he had preserved in his memory. Her figure had not lost one whit in grace, while it had gained in fulness and finish. Her dark eyes sparkled and she smiled bewitchingly as she held out both hands to him, with "Welcome! a thousand times welcome, Herr von Ernau!

Ah, what an anxious night you have given us!"

'You'd better be careful with Bertha.' The words occurred to Egon as he kissed the fair hand extended to him and felt its lingering pressure.

The ordeal through which he was pa.s.sing could hardly have been imagined by the child who had just left him, and yet her words helped him to suppress all evidence of emotion, although his heart did undeniably beat faster and louder.

"Your kind welcome, madame, gives me courage to hope that you forgive me for once deceiving you with a name and personality not my own, and----"

"I will not hear one more word that bears reference to the past, Herr von Ernau. It lies far behind us, and I have made a vow to forget it and to think only of the present and the future. Promise me to follow my example."

"It shall be as you please, madame."

"And I please to forget everything that is not delightful. We are near neighbours, I hope we shall frequently see each other, and I promise never to ask you a single question about your masquerading time. You must dismiss it from your thoughts."

"That will not be so easy. I should like to explain----"

"But I always detested explanations. What interests me at present is that you should take a comfortable chair and rest yourself: you are weak from loss of blood. You are trembling: take my arm."

In truth Egon was giddy for a moment, and involuntarily availed himself of the hand she extended to him. w.a.n.gen came forward to a.s.sist his wife, and conducted Egon to a luxurious chair on the balcony, where Bertha flitted about him, placing the cushions comfortably beneath his head, silently lavishing upon him a hundred little kindnesses, which scarcely contributed to dispel a certain embarra.s.sment which began to possess him. w.a.n.gen was unwontedly silent; in truth his thoughts, like those of his wife and his guest, were busy with the past. Although hardly of a jealous temperament, his sense of his wife's intellectual superiority was always present to prompt him to self-depreciation, and he had remembered more than once during the morning the many brilliant qualities which he had long since heard attributed to Egon von Ernau,--the same man who, marvellously enough, had played the part of the Candidate at Castle Osternau. As he marked his wife's eager attention to their guest it occurred to him to wonder--it was but a pa.s.sing thought--whether Bertha had not once been more interested in the tutor than she would have cared to admit. He felt ashamed of himself on the instant that such an idea should have found entrance in his mind, and yet he could not quite forget it.

His wife's influence, however, was so great over his moods that she soon conquered his taciturnity, and Egon was both interested and charmed by the lively talk that occupied the next hour. Bertha pa.s.sed in review for her guest's entertainment and information all the princ.i.p.al persons in the neighborhood. True, her wit was sometimes far from kindly, but her tact was great, and she was quick to mark and to obliterate any adverse impression with regard to herself which she might produce. He therefore resigned himself to the spell of the moment, and had quite forgotten the unfortunate cause of his presence in Linau, when Inspector Kampf made his appearance to announce to w.a.n.gen that the conveyance was about to start for Station R---- with the body of the unfortunate driver.

This recalled Egon to a sense of reality, the spell of the moment was broken; he begged the inspector to inform himself as to the poor man's family, for whose future he should care, and then, turning to w.a.n.gen, asked that he would kindly allow him the use of a vehicle in which to drive immediately to Plagnitz.

"Impossible! Indeed you cannot, you must not leave us, Herr von Ernau,"

Bertha exclaimed, in answer to his request. "You must stay in Linau until your wound is healed. We cannot let you go until you are perfectly strong."

w.a.n.gen added his entreaties to his wife's, although not with the same urgency, but Egon was firm. He declared that it was a matter of necessity that he should be in Plagnitz before evening, that he was quite strong enough to undertake the short journey thither, and that, with many thanks for the kind hospitality extended to him at Linau, he was resolved not to trespa.s.s upon it further. Neither w.a.n.gen nor Bertha could turn him from his purpose, and the former therefore yielded to his request, and directed Inspector Kampf to have a light wagon made ready for Herr von Ernau's use.

CHAPTER XXV.

AT HOME.

The old administrator, Sieveking, at Plagnitz, had at last actually taken to his bed, and the whole responsibility of the management of the estate devolved upon Storting. He was quite equal to it, but just at present he was rather anxious; a few days previously a magnificent grand piano, with several large cases of books, had arrived from Berlin, addressed to Herr Egon von Ernau, Plagnitz, and it was evident that the proprietor of the estate was shortly to arrive and establish himself in his home.

There were many matters not yet ordered as Storting could have wished.

Herr Sieveking belonged to the old school of agriculture; he was an old man, and had been ailing for some time; abuses had crept into his management which Storting had not been able to reform in the short time that had elapsed since his installation as inspector.

Thus the honest fellow was antic.i.p.ating the arrival of the unknown proprietor with a degree of trepidation of which he was quite conscious, when, upon returning at noon from some distant fields, he became aware of a light carriage rolling along the road that led to the manor-house.

The gentleman leaning back in it must, of course, be Herr von Ernau; but no, it was not he. Storting's keen gaze recognized an old acquaintance, in spite of the distance and of the bandage beneath his hat. The pale face in the rapidly-approaching wagon was that of the Candidate Pigglewitch!

The inspector overtook the vehicle as it was turning into the court-yard. "Welcome, Herr Pigglewitch!" he cried, jumping on the step of the light conveyance, and extending his hand to its occupant. "How odd! Yesterday I met w.a.n.gen, and to-day you arrive at Plagnitz. This is an unexpected pleasure; you are cordially welcome."

Egon grasped the hand extended to him. "Your hearty greeting shows me that you at least bear me no grudge, Storting," he said, with some emotion. "I trust you will think none the worse of me when I tell you that I have no claim to the name by which you knew me. I am called Egon von Ernau."

Storting's surprise was so unfeigned, and his stare one of such blank amazement, that Egon burst into a laugh. "Why, what's the matter, Storting? Were you so attached to the Candidate with the charming name that his sudden disappearance fills you with dismay? I a.s.sure you that Egon von Ernau is excessively like him, except that just at present he is rather shaky from a fall over the Dombrowker Pa.s.s, and will thank you to lend him an arm, that he may enter his home with becoming dignity."

The carriage stopped before the princ.i.p.al entrance. Storting opened the door, silently offered his arm to Egon, and conducted him up the steps and into a luxuriously-furnished room.

In truth the lord of Plagnitz had, in his impatience to be really at home, rather overrated his strength. He begged to be left to himself for a while, and throwing himself upon a lounge, fell almost immediately into the profound sleep of exhaustion, from which he did not awake until after several hours. The housekeeper answered his bell, and upon his declaring himself positively famished hurried away to see that dinner was instantly served for the master so anxiously expected.

To this Egon did ample justice, and when Storting again made his appearance, just as dessert was placed upon the table, he was eagerly welcomed. Egon told him of the accident of the previous evening, which made it unwise for him to attempt as yet any inspection of his fields and meadows. He regretted this all the more as he was anxious to show Herr Storting that he was now really capable of appreciating his valuable services. "And we should have grown very confidential, Storting, tramping around together. You know, I owe you an explanation of the sudden transformation of your old acquaintance Pigglewitch into Egon von Ernau, and this you shall have, even if I am tied to the house for a day or two. Sit down, take a gla.s.s of wine, make yourself comfortable, and we will each unfold the tale of the years that have pa.s.sed since we last saw each other."

Storting readily complied, and eagerly awaited the solution of the riddle that had frequently occupied him during the past four years. He had, of course, suspected that there was a story attached to the tutor who rode so wonderfully, played billiards with such skill, was so admirable a musician, spoke French, English, and Italian fluently, and was rich enough, although he had as yet received no salary from Herr von Osternau, to remit, after his departure from the castle, the amount of a debt which he had contracted, but it had never entered the inspector's head that the Herr von Ernau, who had been so often and so severely criticised at Osternau, and the Candidate tutor were one and the same.

Egon leaned back in his arm-chair, and after a few moments' pause began his story, and, just as he had done long ago to the wretched Candidate on the sh.o.r.e of the little lake, told of his unhappy childhood and youth, and of his weariness of life. From this he went on to his sudden resolve to purchase the name and papers of the unfortunate Candidate.

He condemned in sharp terms his useless, misspent existence before going to Castle Osternau, and spoke with reverential admiration of Herr von Osternau and his family, gratefully acknowledging the influence which the life at the castle had exercised upon his entire manner of thought. He told of his determination to turn his energies to some account, and of his pursuit of the study of agriculture during the past four years. He frankly confessed his faults and failings, and extenuated none of his follies. Upon one point alone he was silent: to no human being could he accord a glimpse of the inner sanctuary of his heart.

"And here you have me," he said, at the end of his story, "with a broken head, to be sure, but perfectly sound in limb, having escaped the death which befell my ill-fated driver, and all ready to begin my life as a country gentleman, in which I rely, Storting, upon your advice and a.s.sistance. I have been thus frank with you, because it seemed to me an absolute necessity that you, who once befriended me so unselfishly, should know me as I am. In fact, I should now like, if possible, to obliterate your memory of that aimless, idle, good-for-nothing fellow who came as tutor to Castle Osternau. He had but one good quality: he was not vain, and when he got among really capable, intelligent people he recognized his own worthlessness. He did not deserve such friends, but the ambition to be worthy of them arose within him, giving a new interest to existence. Yes, I learned from you, Storting, and especially from that admirable old Herr von Osternau, how there could be no weariness in a life of constant occupation directed towards worthy aims. I had to begin at the beginning; I attempted no royal road to the knowledge which was to shape my future career. I obtained a subordinate position on an estate in Saxony, and worked my way up. Now I am ready to reap the benefit of these years of hard work,--work that has been a positive blessing to me. And now, enough of myself and my doings, tell me of yourself, and of those among whom I was so happy for a while that I could scarcely carry out my plan of not returning to them. Tell me of Herr von Osternau, Storting, and why you resigned your position with him."

Storting looked in amazement at Egon as he thus calmly asked for news of the Osternau family. "Is it possible, Herr von Ernau," said he, "that you know nothing, positively nothing, of what happened at Castle Osternau scarcely three months after you left it?"

"Such is the case," Egon replied. "When I resolved to begin a new life I rigorously broke with all old a.s.sociations, and although I could not drive Castle Osternau from my memory, I strictly refrained from informing myself with regard to its inmates. But my finding w.a.n.gen and his wife yesterday and seeing you to-day have called up old a.s.sociations so vividly that I beg you to tell me minutely of every one of the Osternau circle,--of Herr and Frau von Osternau, of Fraulein Lieschen, of my pupil Fritz, even of Lieutenant Albrecht, if you will.

I am eager for it all."

Storting gazed sadly at his companion. "Your eagerness to hear, Herr von Ernau, makes it even harder to tell you of the terrible misfortunes that have befallen Castle Osternau and its inmates."

"You amaze and distress me. Is Herr von Osternau not living then?"

"He has been at rest in the graveyard at Osternau for almost four years. I have a sad story to tell you, Herr von Ernau. It all happened in the night of the 18th of November. I had been to Breslau on that day to draw the money to be paid for the Wernewitz and Rudersdorf farms, which Herr von Osternau had bought. I was tired out with travelling in the cold November weather, and of course slept more soundly than usual.

In the middle of the night I was wakened by a bright light shining into my face, and I sprang out of bed to find the flames leaping up to my window from the story below. You remember my room was directly above that of Herr and Frau von Osternau. I threw on my clothes and opened my door; the pa.s.sages were filled with stifling smoke. The fire must have broken out in Herr von Osternau's study adjoining his bedroom, and the lives of himself and his wife were in danger. The staircase was already in flames. My only course was to climb from one of my windows down into the court-yard, which I accomplished successfully, shouting the while at the top of my voice to arouse the servants and labourers from the various farm-buildings. Two grooms, who had rooms in one of the barns, were the first to appear, when suddenly Lieutenant Albrecht stood beside me; whence he had come I could not tell, but he must have been aware of the fire for some time, for he was entirely dressed. The instant I looked at him a terrible suspicion occurred to me. 'Good heavens! what a misfortune!' he said. His face was ghastly pale, and his eyes avoided mine. I made no reply, the urgency was too pressing.

Every minute the flames were gaining ground. They had caught the curtains of the open window of my room, and as yet Herr and Frau von Osternau gave no sign of being awakened by them. Had the fire reached their room, or were they already smothered? I rushed to the side-entrance, forgetting that it was always locked at night from within. I found it, however, unfastened, and as I flung it wide open a huge tongue of flame burst from the open door of the study. There was no reaching Herr von Osternau's bedroom by this way, neither could either of its occupants have penetrated through the smoke and flames of the study to gain safety. The only possible way to reach them was from the garden, upon which their bedroom windows opened. Meanwhile all the farm-people were thronging the court-yard; the fire-engine had been dragged from its shed, but there was no one to take the lead there, for Lieutenant Albrecht seemed paralyzed, and I was intent upon saving my good old employers. In the garden I found one window of their bedroom open, and the smoke pouring from it in volumes. I called Herr von Osternau loudly, but there was no reply. Two stout labourers lifted me upon their shoulders, and I leaped thence into the room. Near the window on the floor I found both of those whom I sought, unconscious from the effect of the stifling smoke. I can hardly tell you how we contrived with the help of the gardener's ladder, luckily left leaning against the wall of the house, to lift the unconscious master and mistress of the house through the window into the open air. We carried them immediately to the parsonage in the village, and left them in the care of the pastor and his good wife, while I returned to the burning castle. Here I found the wildest confusion; the peasantry from the neighbouring hamlets had flocked to the scene, women were shrieking, children crying, and through it all the crackling and roaring of the flames made night terrible indeed. The engine had been found useless, and when the men turned to the Lieutenant for counsel he had none to give. He was as one dazed. When I appeared among the terrified people they rushed to me for orders. What could I do? The fire had made terrible headway during my brief absence, there could be no hope of extinguishing it. The wing in which Fraulein Lieschen and Fritz slept was the only part which was as yet untouched by the flames, but they were already stretching hungry tongues towards it.

"'Where are Fraulein Lieschen and Herr Fritzchen?'

"No one answered my question; the men looked at one another in mute horror. All the servants who lodged in the castle had contrived to escape from their rooms unhurt. Some had leaped from the windows, and even old Hildebrandt was in safety, and had gone to the village to do what he could for his beloved master and mistress. Fraulein Lieschen and Fritz were alone missing. 'They are still sleeping, they are lost!'

one of the servants wailed. The Lieutenant did not speak, but watched with horror the creeping flames that had already reached the roof of the wing.

"It was high time indeed to try some means of rescue. To enter the castle was impossible, but at my command a dozen willing hands brought two of the long ladders from the engine-house, and just as they were placed against the wall of the house, beneath Fraulein Lieschen's window, the young girl herself, with Fritz by her side, opened it and stood for an instant looking out upon the dreadful scene. The shout that went up from the crowd at sight of her I never shall forget. Two stout men had mounted the ladders in an instant; the young girl opened wide the window, lifted her little brother in her strong young arms, and delivered him to one of her rescuers, then easily climbing on the window-sill she stepped out upon the topmost round of the other ladder, and descended to the ground as lightly as she had been used to do when as a child she had climbed about the barns and granaries.

"All were saved then, but the dear old castle was gone beyond hope of rescue. In the early morning, when I left it again to go to the parsonage, it was a heap of smoking ruins, and but for the direction of the wind, which blew the flames towards the garden, the barns and storehouses would have shared its fate.

"At the parsonage sorrowful tidings awaited me. Frau von Osternau had indeed quickly recovered consciousness; she was now sitting with Lieschen at the bedside of her husband, who was in a most critical condition. The physician gave no hopes of his recovery. He was perfectly conscious, but an inflammation of the lungs had set in, which, in the precarious state of his usual health, could not but be fatal.

"When I entered the darkened room Fraulein Lieschen arose, and coming towards me spoke two or three kind words in acknowledgment of what she called my devotion; she was quite calm and collected, but her eyes were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears, and she was evidently controlling herself by an effort marvellous in one so young.

"Herr von Osternau was no sooner aware of my presence than he begged to be left alone with me for a few minutes. His poor wife burst into tears as she tried to speak to me, and Fraulein Lieschen gently led her from the room.

"I sat down beside the bed where lay the man who had been so true a friend to me, and pressed the hand which he feebly extended.

"'It will soon be all over,' he whispered, 'I have but a few hours to live, but I cannot go without confiding to you, my faithful friend, the terrible suspicion which makes these few hours miserable for me. To you alone, Storting, can I tell this: the fire last night was the work of a robber, who used this means to prevent the discovery of his theft, and this wretched incendiary is my cousin Albrecht.'

"I was horrified to have my own vague suspicion of the past night thus confirmed, and by a dying man. Herr von Osternau signed to me to bend down over him that he need use no unnecessary exertion, saying,--

"'I must have strength enough to deliver over to your special protection my little Fritz. A man who is a thief and an incendiary would scarcely hesitate to commit any crime; therefore I do solemnly commit my boy to your care, asking you to be as faithful a friend to him as you have always been to me.'