The Sign Of Flame Part 23

"You may rest a.s.sured, gracious lady, that I have come to Furstenstein for the last time. As the Chief Forester received me with his usual cordiality, and Antonie with the old affection, I did not comprehend that I now bear a stain in their eyes. I certainly would not have made myself troublesome otherwise. It shall not happen again--no, never!"

Her voice faltered; with effort she suppressed the tears, but they trembled bitterly and plaintively around the little mouth, and Frau von Eschenhagen felt that she had gone too far in her management of the case.

"I did not wish to offend you," she said soothingly. "I only intended to make clear to you----"

"You did not wish to offend me and yet tell me such things,"

interrupted the young girl in an outburst of anger. "You treat me like an outcast, who should not dare to approach decent circles, because I earn my living, and give pleasure to mankind with a gift which G.o.d has given me. You abuse my good, dear old grandfather, who has made such painful sacrifices for my education, who has let me go into the world with such a heavy heart. Bitter tears stood in his eyes when he drew me once more into his arms at parting and said: 'Remain good, my Marietta--one can be good in every position. I can leave you nothing.

If I should close my eyes in death to-day or to-morrow you would have to struggle for yourself.' And I have remained good, and I will remain good, even if it is not made easy for me as it is for Toni, who is the daughter of a rich father, and only leaves her paternal home to go to the home of her husband. But I do not envy her the good fortune of calling you mother."

"Fraulein Volkmar, you forget yourself," cried Regine, highly offended, rising to her fullest height; but Marietta was not intimidated, she only grew more excited.

"Oh, no; it is not I who forget myself. You are the one--you who insult me without cause, and I know that the Chief Forester and Antonie are under your influence if they turn from me. Nevertheless, I do not want any kindness nor friendship which cannot stand more firmly, and I am done with a friend who gives me up at the request of her mother-in-law--done with her once for all. Tell her so, Frau von Eschenhagen."

She turned and left the room with a stormy gesture, but in the ante-room the carefully preserved composure gave way; pain overcame anger, and the bravely suppressed tears burst forth hotly. The young girl leaned her head against the wall in pa.s.sionate, bitter sobbing over the insult.

Hearing her name called in a low, timid voice, she looked up and saw Willibald von Eschenhagen standing before her, holding out the paper which he had dropped so hastily into his pocket. It was folded back now, and disclosed a rose branch, bearing a wonderfully beautiful and fragrant blossom with two half-open buds.

"Fraulein Volkmar," he repeated, stammering, "you wished a rose--please accept----"

Mute apology for his mother's rudeness could be plainly seen in his eyes and his whole bearing. Marietta suppressed her sobs, but the tears still glistened in the dark eyes, which looked at him with an inexpressibly contemptuous expression.

"No, I thank you, Herr von Eschenhagen," she replied sharply. "You have probably heard what has been said in there and have also probably received a command to shun me. Why do you not obey?"

"My mother has done you wrong," Willibald said half aloud, "and she also spoke without the knowledge of the others. Toni does not know anything about it, believe me----"

"So you knew that and did not offer a word of contradiction!" the girl interrupted, scarlet with anger. "You listened to your mother insulting and offending a defenseless girl and did not have chivalry enough to oppose it! Oh, yes, you tried it, but were scolded and sent off like a schoolboy and--bore it meekly!"

Willibald stood there as if thunderstruck. He had, indeed, felt the injustice of his mother deeply, and wished to make it good to the best of his ability, and now he was treated like this! He stared at Marietta in deep perplexity, while she only grew angrier at his silence.

"And now you come and bring me flowers," she continued, with increasing pa.s.sion, "secretly--behind your mother's back, and think that I will accept such an apology! You would better learn first how a _man_ deports himself when he is witness to such injustice. But now--now I will show you what I think of your present and of you!"

She tore the paper with its contents out of his hand, threw it on the ground, and in the next second her little foot stamped upon the fragrant blossoms.

"My, Fraulein----" Willibald wavered between shame and indignation, but a stern glance from the hitherto saucy eyes silenced him, and the poor roses were finished by a push from the small foot.

"So--now we are at the end. If Toni really knows nothing of this affair I shall be sorry, but in spite of it I must remain away in the future, for I will not expose myself to fresh insults. May she be happy. I could not be in her place. I am a poor girl, but I would not accept a man who is still afraid of his mother's switch--no, not if he were ten times lord of Burgsdorf!"

With which she disappeared, and left the poor lord standing alone.

"w.i.l.l.y, what does this mean?" demanded the voice of Frau von Eschenhagen, who appeared in the door. As no reply came, she approached her son with threatening mien.

"It was certainly a strange scene which I had to look upon. Will you be so good as to explain what it really meant? That little thing actually glared with anger and said the most impertinent things to your face, and you stood there like a sheep, without defending yourself."

"Because she was right," murmured Willibald, still looking at the roses.

"She was what?" demanded the mother, who could not believe that she had heard aright.

The young lord raised his head and looked at her. He had a peculiar expression on his face.

"She was right, I say, mamma. It is true, you have treated me like a schoolboy. I ought not to have submitted to it."

"Boy, I believe you are not in your senses," said Frau Regine, but Willibald started in irritation:

"I am no boy. I am lord of Burgsdorf and twenty-seven years old. You forget that always, mamma, and I have forgotten it always--but now I recall it."

Frau von Eschenhagen looked with boundless astonishment at her hitherto obedient son, who was now suddenly making resistance.

"I actually believe you would like to be rebellious, my boy. Do not try; you know I will not permit it. What possesses you suddenly to be so arbitrary? While I try to end a highly improper intercourse and put aside this Marietta, you go and, behind my back, actually offer an apology for it--even offer her the roses which you had intended for your betrothed. Although I do not know how you came to do it, it is the first time in your life--but Toni will not thank you for it. It served you right that the little witch crushed them. You will leave such foolishness alone in the future."

She scolded him in the usual tone without taking any notice of his rebellion, but Willibald took it wrongly this time. He who had but ten minutes before hidden the flowers in his pocket with fear now had a touch of heroism. Instead of leaving his mother in her belief and hushing the dangerous storm, he positively challenged it.

"The roses were not destined for Toni at all, but for Fraulein Volkmar," he explained defiantly.

"For----" the word choked the terror-stricken woman.

"For Marietta Volkmar! She wanted to wear a rose in her hair to-night, and since there were none to be had in Waldhofen, I went to the castle gardener and got those flowers. Now you know it all, mamma."

Frau von Eschenhagen stood there like a pillar of salt. She had turned ashy pale, for suddenly a light had dawned upon her, but it showed her something so awful that she lost both speech and motion for a while.

But her old fire returned. She grasped her son's arm as if she meant to have him in any case and said curtly:

"w.i.l.l.y--we leave to-morrow."

"Leave!" he repeated. "For where?"

"Home. We depart to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock, so that we can catch the fast train and arrive at Burgsdorf the day after to-morrow. Go immediately to your room and pack."

But the commanding tone made no impression whatever on w.i.l.l.y this time.

"I shall not pack," he declared sullenly.

"You shall pack. I command you."

"No," defied the young lord. "If you want to leave so badly, mamma, you can leave--I remain here."

This was unheard of, but it dispelled the last doubt and the energetic woman, who still held her son in her grasp, now shook him fiercely.

"Boy, wake up! Come to your senses! I believe you do not know what is the matter with you. I will tell you then. You are in love--in love with this Marietta Volkmar."

She threw the last words at him with annihilating emphasis, but Willibald was not in the least annihilated. He stood quite still from surprise for a moment. He had not thought of that, but now it began to dawn upon him.

"Oh," he said with a deep sigh, and something like a smile flitted over his features.

"'Oh!' is that your whole answer?" burst forth the enraged mother, who had hoped for a denial. "You do not even deny it? And I have to live to see that in my own son whom I have raised--who has never been allowed to leave my side! While I put you there as a guard during those previous visits to your fiancee she bewitches you--that is plain--and even plays the virtuous, deeply offended one before you--this----"

"Mamma, stop; I cannot allow it," interrupted Willibald, irritated beyond silence.

"You cannot allow it? What does it mean----" Frau von Eschenhagen suddenly paused and looked toward the door, listening. "Toni is returning, there--your betrothed, to whom you have pledged your word, who wears your ring. How will you account to her?"