The Sign Of Flame Part 13

Rojanow pointed out a narrow, half-covered path which led in the direction of Furstenstein, and entered it without further ado. He decided to retain his role as guide, for the little adventure began to interest him.

His protege was, indeed, beautiful enough to make the encounter interesting. The pure, delicate oval of her face; the high, clear brow surrounded by shining blonde hair; the lines of the features--all was perfect symmetry, but there was something chilling in the strong regularity of these lines, which was rather increased by a mark of energetic will power most plainly p.r.o.nounced. The young lady could not be more than eighteen or nineteen years old at the utmost, but she had nothing of the charm of mirth and gayety belonging to that age. The large blue eyes looked as calm and grave as if a girlish dream had never brightened them, and the same cold, proud composure was visible in the carriage and whole appearance.

This tall, slender figure affected one like a chilling breath. Her plain but elegant apparel showed that she belonged to the high cla.s.ses.

Rojanow had time enough to observe her as he walked now behind her and now before, bending back the low-hanging bows, or warning of the unevenness of the ground. This narrow forest path was truly not comfortable, and proved itself not very appropriate for the toilet of a lady. More than once her dress was caught by the bushes; the veil of her hat was entangled in the boughs at every opportunity, while the mossy soil proved at times very damp and foggy.

All of this, however, was borne with perfect indifference, but Hartmut felt that he was not doing himself much credit with his post as guide.

"I am sorry to have to lead you over such a rough path, Fraulein," he said courteously. "I am really afraid of fatiguing you, but we are in the densest forest and there is no choice whatever."

"I am not easily fatigued," was the calm rejoinder. "I care little for the roughness of the road if it only leads to the desired end."

The remark sounded somewhat unusual from the lips of a young girl.

Rojanow seemed to think so, and smiled rather sarcastically as he repeated:

"If it only leads to the desired end? Quite so--that is my opinion, but ladies are usually of a different mind; they wish to be borne softly over every inconvenience."

"All of them? There are also women who prefer to go alone, without being led like a child."

"Perhaps, as an exception. I prize the chance which gives me the good fortune of meeting such a charming exception----"

Hartmut was about to utter a bold compliment, but suddenly grew silent, for the blue eyes looked at him with an expression that made the words die upon his lips.

At this moment the lady's veil was caught again by a th.o.r.n.y bush, which held it fast relentlessly. She stood still, but hardly had her companion stretched forth his hand to disengage the delicate fabric, when she tore herself free with a quick motion of the head. The veil remained hanging in shreds on the bough, but his help had become totally superfluous.

Rojanow bit his lip. This adventure was developing quite differently from what he had expected. He had thought to play the agreeable in that bold, vainglorious manner which had become his second nature toward ladies, to a timid young being who trusted herself entirely to his protection, but he was being shown back to his proper place by a mere glance at his first attempt. It was made very clear to him that he was to be guide here and nothing else.

Who, then, in truth, was this girl who, with her eighteen or nineteen years, already showed the perfect ease of a great lady and who knew so well how to make herself unapproachable? He concluded to have light about it at any cost.

The narrow path now ended; they emerged into an opening, the forest continuing on the other side.

It was not easy to be a guide here, where one was as little acquainted with the country as Hartmut, but he would never confess his ignorance now.

Apparently quite certain, he kept in the same direction, choosing one of the wood roads which crossed through the forest. There must surely be a spot somewhere which would offer a free outlook and make it possible to find the right road.

The wider path now permitted them to walk side by side, and Hartmut took immediate advantage of it to start a conversation, which thus far had been impossible, since they had had to struggle with so many obstacles.

"I have neglected so far to introduce myself, gracious Fraulein," he commenced. "My name is Rojanow. I am at present at Rodeck, a guest of Prince Adelsberg, who enjoys the privilege of being your neighbor, since you live at Furstenstein."

"No; I am likewise only a guest there," replied the lady.

The princely neighbor seemed to be as indifferent to her as the name of her companion; at all events, she did not seem to consider it necessary to give her name in return, but accepted the introduction with that proud, aristocratic movement of the head which seemed to be peculiar to her.

"Ah, you live, then, at the Residenz, and have taken advantage of the beautiful fall weather for an excursion here?"

"Yes."

It sounded as monosyllabic and rebuking as possible, but Rojanow was not the man to be rebuked. He was accustomed to have his personality felt everywhere--to meet with consideration and importance, particularly among the ladies, and he felt it almost an insult that this oft-tested success was denied him here. But it excited him to enforce a conversation which apparently was not desired.

"Are you satisfied with your stay at Furstenstein?" he began anew. "I have not yet been there, and have only seen the castle from afar, but it seems to overlook the whole vicinity. A peculiar taste is needed, however, to find the country beautiful."

"And this taste does not seem to be yours."

"At any rate, I do not love the monotony, and here one has the same view everywhere. Forest and forest and nothing but forest! It is enough sometimes to create despair."

It sounded like suppressed resentment. The poor German forests had to atone for torturing the returned prodigal to such an extent that he had been upon the point several times of fleeing from their whispering and rustling. He could not bear it--this grave, monotonous tune of old times which the leaves whispered to him.

His companion heard, of course, only the sarcasm in the remark.

"You are a foreigner, Herr Rojanow?" she asked calmly.

A dark shadow pa.s.sed again over Hartmut's brow. He hesitated for a moment, then replied coldly: "Yes, gracious Fraulein."

"I thought so; your name, as well as appearance, betrays it, and therefore your opinion is conceivable."

"It is certainly an unbiased opinion," said Hartmut, irritated by the reproach contained in the last words. "I have seen a great deal of the world, and have but now returned from the Orient. Whoever has known the ocean in its brilliant, transparent blue, or its majestic, stormy uproar; whoever has enjoyed the charm of the tropics, and been intoxicated with their splendor and coloring--to him these evergreen forest depths appear but cold and colorless, like all of these German landscapes, anyhow."

The contemptuous shrug of the shoulders with which he concluded seemed to finally arouse his companion from her cool indifference. An expression of displeasure flitted across her features, and her voice betrayed a certain excitement as she answered: "That is probably solely and entirely a matter of taste. I know, if not the Orient, at least the south of Europe. Those sun-glaring, color-shining landscapes intoxicate for the moment, certainly, and then they weary one. They lack freshness and strength. One can dream and enjoy there, but not live and work. But why argue about it? You do not understand our German forests."

Hartmut smiled with undeniable satisfaction. He had succeeded in breaking the icy reticence of his companion. All of his charming politeness had been without effect, but he saw now that there was something which could call life into those cold features, and he found it attractive to draw it out. If he offended by it, it did not matter; it gave him pleasure.

"That sounds like a reproof which, alas! I have to accept," he said, with an undisguised sneer. "It is possible that this understanding is wanting in me. I am accustomed to measure nature differently from most people. Live and work! It depends greatly upon what one calls living and working. I have lived for years in Paris, that mighty centre of civilization, where life throbs and flows in a thousand streams.

Whoever is used to being borne on those sparkling waves cannot bring himself again into narrow, _pet.i.t_ views--into all those prejudices and pedantries which in this good Germany are called 'life.'"

The contemptuous stress which he put upon the last words had something of a challenge in it, and reached its aim.

His companion came to a sudden standstill and measured him from head to foot, while from the formerly cold, blue eyes there flashed a spark of burning anger. She seemed to have an angry reply upon her lips, but suppressed it. She only straightened herself to her fullest height, and her words were few and of icy, haughty reprimand.

"You forget, mein Herr, that you speak to a German. I remind you of it."

Hartmut's brow glowed dark-red under this stern reproof, and yet it was directed only to the stranger--the foreigner--who forgot the consideration of a guest.

If this girl had an idea who spoke so to her--if she knew! Hot, burning shame rose suddenly within him, but he was man of the world enough to control himself immediately.

"I beg your pardon," he said with a slight, half-sarcastic bow. "I was under the impression that we were exchanging only general views, which have the right of unbiased opinions. I am sorry to have offended you, gracious Fraulein."

An inimitable, proud and disdainful motion of the head a.s.sured him that he did not even possess the power to offend her. She shrugged her shoulders in a barely perceptible manner.

"I do not wish to bias your opinions in the least, but as our views are so widely different on this matter, we will do better to discontinue our conversation."

Rojanow was not inclined to continue it. He knew now that those cold, blue eyes could flash. He had wished to see it--had caused it to happen, and yet the matter had ended differently from what he had antic.i.p.ated. He glanced with a half hostile look at the slender figure at his side, and then his eyes roamed resentfully again in the bitterly abused green depths of the forest.

CHAPTER XII.