Under a Charm Volume I Part 15

"Has he been accusing me to you?" asked the young man, looking up with a frown.

"He has, unfortunately, been forced to speak to me. Must I remind you that to your superior in age, your relative and leader, you owe unreserved obedience? Instead of obeying, however, you place new and unnecessary difficulties in his path--put yourself at the head of a band of young men, your own contemporaries, and offer him open opposition. What does this mean?"

A look of stubborn defiance came into Leo's face, as he answered, "We are no children to be led without a will of our own. If we are younger, we have still a right to our opinion; and we are resolved not to bear this eternal hesitation, these doubts and fears which hold us back."

"Do you suppose that my brother will allow himself to be drawn by young Hotspurs such as you into a course he knows to be ruinous?" asked the Princess, sharply. "You are much mistaken. It was hard work for him before to keep all the clashing elements in check, and now he has the vexation of seeing his own nephew set the example of disobedience."

"I only contested his decision, nothing more," said the young Prince, defending himself. "I love and honour Morynski as your brother, still more as Wanda's father; but it wounds me that he will not admit my right to independence. You yourself repeat to me continually that my name and descent ent.i.tle me to the first place, and my uncle requires me to be satisfied with a subordinate one."

"Because he dares not confide the direction of all-important matters to a hot head of one and twenty. You misjudge your uncle altogether. He has been denied an heir, and, idolise Wanda as he may, those hopes which only a son can realise are concentrated on you--you who are so closely connected with him by ties of blood, and who will shortly be to him indeed a son. If, for the present, he thinks it necessary to restrain your ardour, for the future he counts upon your fresh young strength, when his own shall begin to fail. I have his word that, when the decisive moment arrives, Prince Leo Baratowski shall a.s.sume the position which is his due. We both hope you will show yourself worthy of it."

"Do you doubt it?" cried Leo, springing up with flashing eyes.

His mother laid her hand soothingly on his arm. "Most a.s.suredly we do not doubt your courage. What you lack is reflection, and I fear you will never learn it, for you have your father's temperament. Baratowski would blaze out as you do, without considering obstacles, or staying to inquire whether things were possible, and often enough has his impetuosity brought trouble both on himself and me. But you are my son as well, Leo, and I fancy you must have inherited something from your mother also. I have answered for you to my brother. It will be for you to redeem my surety."

Earnest as were her words, they breathed of such fond, motherly pride that Leo threw his arms round her in a burst of loving emotion. The Princess smiled. She was but rarely accessible to soft touches of feeling; but at this moment all a mother's tenderness was in her look and in her tone, as, returning her son's embrace, she said, "What _my_ hopes for your future are, my Leo, I need not now repeat to you; I have told you again and again. You have ever been to me my all, my only one."

"Your only one?" the young Prince reminded her a little reproachfully.

"You forget my brother?"

"Waldemar?" The Princess drew herself up. At mention of this name all softness vanished from her features, all tenderness from her voice. Her countenance was grave and severe as before, and her tone icy cold as she went on, "Yes, truly, I had forgotten Waldemar. Fate has decreed that he should be master of Wilicza. We shall have to endure him."

CHAPTER II.

At no great distance from the Castle stood the dwelling of Herr Frank, the land-steward. The administration of the Wilicza estates had ever been carried on distinct from the Castle, which, whether it were inhabited or not, stood apart in stately seclusion, while the management of the property was left exclusively in the hands of the agent. The latter's handsome house, with its surrounding buildings and offices, almost all newly erected, excited much admiration; and the order reigning throughout the farm, so different from what was to be seen on the neighbouring estates, was marvelled at, though not imitated, by the whole country-side. The position of the Wilicza steward was, indeed, one which many a landed proprietor might have envied, both as regarded income and his manner of life.

It was growing dusk. Over at the Castle the long rows of windows on the first story were being gradually illuminated; there was a grand reception at the Princess's. In the agent's parlour no light had as yet been kindled, and the two gentlemen sitting there were so absorbed by their conversation that they did not appear to notice the ever-increasing darkness.

The elder of these was a fine man of n.o.ble presence, still in the prime of life, and with a frank and exceedingly sunburnt face. The younger, on the other hand, bore in his whole appearance evident marks of town breeding. In spite of his rather diminutive stature, he might be considered a good-looking man. His carefully curled hair, and the fashionable cut of his clothes, gave him somewhat of the air of a dandy; but there was no affectation of this in his manner. On the contrary, his speech and bearing were weighted with an excess of dignity and importance which occasionally came into rather comic contrast with his small person. "The thing is settled, I shall go!" the elder man was saying. "I made known to the Princess the day before yesterday that I intended doing her the pleasure of turning my back on Wilicza, since to that her man[oe]uvres have long been tending. I got no further in my disclosures, for she interrupted me in her majestic way, 'My good Frank, I sincerely regret that you are wishing to leave us; but I will place no obstacles in your path. Be persuaded that your long and active service at Wilicza will be forgotten neither by my son nor myself.' She said that to me--to me, whom she has systematically hunted out! Do you think I could make head against that look and tone?

I had intended to relieve my mind at length by telling her the whole truth, as a parting compliment; but at this--I made my bow and went."

The younger man shook his head. "A remarkable woman, but a most dangerous one! We Government men have proofs of it. I tell you, Herr Frank, that Princess Baratowska is a source of danger to the whole province."

"Stuff and nonsense!" said the agent, irritably; "but she is a source of danger to Wilicza. She has contrived now to get the whole property under her dominion. I was the last stumbling-block in her way; and, at last, she is ridding herself of me. You may believe me, Herr a.s.sessor, when I say I have held out as long as I possibly could; not for the sake of the post--thank G.o.d, I am sufficiently before the world to stand on my own feet any day--but I don't like to think of all I have worked for and accomplished these last twenty years going to the dogs now because the old Polish management is to the fore again. When I came to the place, Herr Nordeck had been dead a few years, his son was living with his guardian at Altenhof, and farmers, foresters, and agents were working the concern merrily as best suited themselves. Here at Wilicza things were worst of all. My predecessor had robbed so openly and audaciously that it grew too strong even for Herr Witold, who, one fine day, dismissed him summarily. The Castle, the magnificence of which was talked of far and wide, stood shut up and deserted. Of the state of things in the village and on the farms about, I can give you no idea. Miserable wood and clay huts tumbling down over one's head, dirt and disorder whichever way one turned; the lower orders cringing, false, and full of pious national hatred to the 'German'; the fields in a condition to make a good farmer's heart sick within him. There was need, truly, of a pair of strong fists to the rescue. It was a good six months before I could send for my wife and children, because, outside the Castle, there was not what to our notions would seem a single habitable house to be found anywhere about.

How could it be otherwise? The deceased Nordeck had never done anything but hunt and shoot, and quarrel with his wife, and Herr Witold did nothing at all. There were a few rows regularly each time he came; but, in general, he let himself be led by the nose, and that was pretty well known throughout the place. If the accounts were down on paper in black and white, and the figures added up right, then all was as it should be; whether the expenditure were real or fict.i.tious, he never troubled himself to inquire. What sums I had to ask for at first to bring the concern into anything like order! They were granted me without delay or difficulty; and the fact that I really employed them on the estate, instead of putting them into my own pockets like my worthy colleagues, was a mere hazard. Mine was an exceptional case. But the old gentleman had some glimmering of the fact that I was the only honest man of the whole set, for at the end of the first year he raised my salary and commission, so that I, with my honesty, fared just as well as the others with their thieving; and if he had lived, I should never have left Wilicza, in spite of the Princess's intrigues. She was too wise to attack me in those days. She knew I had only to write to Altenhof and put Heir Witold up to what was going on, and there would have been an explosion. He had still influence enough over his adopted son to procure me liberty of action. During his lifetime I was left in peace; but when he died, all that was over. What good does it do me that my contract guarantees me a free and independent position? When these continual encroachments proceed from the Castle itself and are authorised by the owner's mother, there is nothing for me but either to bear them, or to go. I have borne them long enough, and now I shall go."

"But it is a real misfortune for Wilicza!" struck in the a.s.sessor. "You were the only one who ventured in some degree to resist the Princess, whose sharp eyes inspired a wholesome fear. If you go, they will have full scope for all their secret machinations. We Government men"--he each time laid great stress on these words--"best know what will be the consequences if the Nordeck estates, with all their vast extent and confounded proximity to the frontier, come under the rule of a Baratowska."

"Yes, she has made good progress in the s.p.a.ce of four years," said the steward, bitterly. "She set to work on the very first day, and has continued slowly, but surely, advancing always towards her aim with an energy one cannot but admire. When some time ago the farm leases expired, she contrived that they should all be taken up by men of her own nationality. They applied for and acquired them. Herr Nordeck probably never knew that there were any other applicants. From the administration of the woods and forests every German element has been gradually expelled. The whole staff is now composed of obedient partisans of the Princess. How often I have had to interfere in the most energetic manner, in my endeavour to keep my German inspectors and overseers in their situations! It grew to be of no use at last. They went of their own free will, tired out by the refractoriness of the people; and we are pretty well aware who urged and incited the underlings on to resist. I think I know my successor in office. He is a drunken lout who understands as good as nothing of agricultural economy, and who will altogether ruin Wilicza, just as the tenants and foresters are busy ruining the other estates and the woodlands; but he is a National of the purest water, and that is enough for the Princess.

He is sure of the post."

"If Herr Nordeck would only make up his mind to come!" said the a.s.sessor. "He has no suspicion, I dare say, of what is going on here on his property."

Frank shrugged his shoulders. "The young master? As if he ever troubled his head about Wilicza! He has never set foot in it for the last ten years; he likes roaming about the world better. I hoped that, on reaching his majority, he would come here for some length of time, and there was some talk of it at first; but he stayed away, and sent us instead his lady mother, who lost no time in a.s.suming the reins of government. None of the officials are in direct communication with him.

We send in all our accounts, make our payments, and address all our statements and demands to the magistrate at L----. Besides, before I decided to go, I tried my last resource, and wrote to Herr Nordeck myself. I knew that my position was untenable; but I thought it my duty, after twenty years' service, to make him acquainted with the doings here, and to tell him frankly that, if matters went on so, not even his fortune would be able to stand it. I sent the letter off a month ago, and--would you believe it?--I have never had an answer. No, from that quarter there is nothing to hope.--But with all this worry, I am forgetting that we are sitting in the dark. I can't think why Gretchen does not bring in the lamp as usual. She probably does not know you are here."

"Yes, she does," said the a.s.sessor, in a tone of pique. "Fraulein Margaret was in the hall when I drove up; but she did not give me time to speak to her. She ran upstairs as fast as she could, right up to the garret."

Frank looked a little embarra.s.sed.

"No, no, you must have been mistaken."

"Right up to the garret," repeated the little gentleman, emphatically, raising his eyebrows and looking fixedly at the steward, as though calling on him to join in his indignation; but Frank only laughed.

"I am sorry for it; but with the best will in the world, I can't help you."

"You can help me very much," cried the a.s.sessor, warmly. "A father's authority is unbounded, and if you were to say to your daughter that it was your will and desire ..."

"That I will never do," interrupted Frank, with quiet decision. "You know that I place no obstacle in the way of your suit. I believe you have a sincere affection for my daughter, and I have no objection to make to you either personally or as regards your circ.u.mstances; but to obtain the girl's consent is your business. I shall not meddle with that. If she, of her own accord, thinks fit to say yes, you'll be welcome to me as a son-in-law; but I must say there seems to me little chance of it."

"You are wrong, Herr Frank," said the a.s.sessor, confidently. "You are most decidedly wrong. True, Fraulein Margaret sometimes treats me rather strangely--inconsiderately, I may say; but that is nothing but the usual bashfulness of young girls. They like to be sought and won, like to hold back, so as to make the prize of greater value. I understand them perfectly. Make your mind easy. I shall certainly succeed."

"I shall be glad of it," replied the agent, breaking off shortly as the object of their conversation came into the room, carrying the lamp in her hand.

Gretchen Frank might be about twenty. She was no delicate, ideal beauty, but a true living picture of youth and health. There was something of her father's stately vigour about her; and, as the bright rays from the lamp fell on her fresh rosy face, with its clear blue eyes and fair crown of plaits, she looked so charming that it was easy to understand how the a.s.sessor at once forgot that flight to the garret, and sprang to his feet in a violent hurry in order to greet the maiden.

"Good evening, Herr a.s.sessor," said she, returning his greeting somewhat coolly. "So it was you who drove into the courtyard just now.

I certainly did not expect that, as you were here only last Sunday."

The a.s.sessor thought proper not to notice the last words. "Official business brings me here this time," he replied; "an affair of great importance which has been entrusted to me, and will detain me in this neighbourhood for some days. I have taken the liberty of making a claim on your father's hospitality. We Government men are having a bad time of it just now, Fraulein Margaret. There is a sort of dull ferment abroad everywhere, secret machinations, revolutionary tendencies! The whole province is one nest of conspirators."

"You hardly need tell us that," said the agent, drily. "I think we are at the fountain head for such news here at Wilicza."

"Yes, this Wilicza is the real centre of all their plots and intrigues," cried the a.s.sessor, warmly. "They dare not play their game so openly at Rakowicz. It is too near L----, and is enclosed on all sides by German settlements. That somewhat shackles the n.o.ble Count Morynski; here, on the other hand, he has free elbow-room."

"And the most favourable ground to work on," added Frank; "the Nordeck domain extending to the very frontier, and all the foresters, rangers, and inspectors at the beck and call of the Princess! You would say such a sharp look-out is kept that not a cat could get across without its being known; and yet every night of our lives there is pa.s.sing to and fro, and all who come from out yonder find open doors at Wilicza, though, to be sure, for the present they are only the back doors."

"We know it all, Herr Frank," a.s.serted the a.s.sessor, with a look which betokened omniscience, to say the least. "All, I tell you; but we can do nothing, for proofs are wanting. We can discover absolutely nothing. At the approach of one of our people the whole busy hive vanishes--sinks, so to speak, into the earth. My present mission is connected with these doings; and as you have the superintendence of the police here, I shall in some measure have to rely on you for help."

"If I must, I must; but you know how unwillingly I lend my hand to such services--though over at the Castle they insist upon it that I am a spy and a detective, because I will not deliberately close my eyes, and when the people turn refractory I proceed against them with all severity."

"But you must. There are two dangerous persons wandering about this neighbourhood under all manner of pretexts, who must be placed in safe custody if possible. I am on their traces already. On my road hither I met two most suspicious-looking individuals. They were on foot."

Gretchen laughed out. "Is that a reason for suspecting them? Perhaps they had no money to pay the post."

"I beg your pardon, Fraulein. They had even money enough for a private post-chaise, for they had pa.s.sed me in one previously; but at the last station they left the carriage, and made all sorts of the most minute inquiries about Wilicza. They declined the proffered guide, and continued their journey on foot, avoiding the main road, and striking off straight across the fields. They could give no account of themselves to the post-master. I, unfortunately, did not reach the station until after they had left it, and as dusk was coming on apace, all further investigations were at an end for to-day; but to-morrow I intend to set about them in earnest. The two men must still be lurking somewhere in the neighbourhood."

"Perhaps over there, even," said Gretchen, pointing in the direction of the Castle, with its long rows of illuminated windows shining across through the darkness. "There is a great meeting of conspirators this evening at the Princess's."

The a.s.sessor started up. "Meeting of conspirators? How? Do you know it for a certainty? I will surprise them, I will ..."

The steward pushed him laughingly down into his seat again. "Don't let yourself be taken in. It is only an absurd notion of the girl's own, nothing more."

"But, papa, you yourself said not long ago that there are good and special reasons for all the gaieties which are going on at the Castle,"

interposed Gretchen.