Uncle Titus and His Visit to the Country

  CHAPTER IV.

  ALL SIX.

  "We shall not be able to remain here; Mrs. Kurd," were the first wordsspoken by Mrs. Ehrenreich when she came to breakfast the next morning. "Wehave come into such an objectionable neighborhood that we must move awaytoday."

  Mrs. Kurd stood still in the middle of the room, quite speechless, andstared at the lady as if unable to grasp her meaning.

  "I am fully convinced of the absolute necessity of our immediatedeparture," said Aunt Ninette, with emphasis.

  "But indeed no more respectable, no quieter spot can be found in allTannenburg than this. You cannot hope to be more comfortable anywhereelse; either you or the gentleman," asserted the good widow as soon as shehad recovered from her surprise.

  "How can you say so, Mrs. Kurd, after hearing that intolerable uproar lastevening? noises far surpassing anything that I described to you in myletters as 'absolutely to be avoided.'"

  "Oh, my dear lady, that was only the children! You know they were having afamily festival, and they were of course unusually lively."

  "Indeed! if this is your method of celebrating family festivals in theseparts, first a tempest of shouts and cries and then a fire with all itsaccompanying noise and hubbub, I can only say that such a neighborhoodseems to me not only undesirable for an invalid, but positivelydangerous."

  "I do not think you can call the fire a part of the celebration," saidMrs. Kurd gently. "It was an accident, and it was very quicklyextinguished, you must admit. A more orderly and well regulated family isnowhere to be found, and I cannot understand how the lady and gentlemancan seriously think of leaving. I can assure you that no other such spotis to be found in all Tannenburg! If the gentleman needs quiet he will dowell to walk into the wood, where it is healthful and quiet too."

  After talking awhile, Mrs. Ehrenreich became more composed, and seatedherself at the breakfast table, where Mr. Titus and Dora also took theirplaces.

  At the other house, breakfast had long been finished. The father had goneabout his business, and the mother was occupied with her householdaffairs. Rolf was off to his early recitations in Latin, with the pastorof a neighboring parish. Paula was taking her music-lesson of thegoverness, and Wili and Lili took this opportunity to look over theirlessons once more. Little Hunne sat in the corner with his newly-acquirednut-cracker before him, gravely studying its grotesque face.

  Presently 'big Jule' came in, whip in hand, all booted and spurred fromhis morning ride.

  "Who will pull off my riding boots?" he asked, throwing himself into achair, stretching out his legs, and gazing admiringly at his new spurs.Wili and Lili sprang quickly from their seats, delighted at the chance ofdoing something that was not a lesson, and each seized a foot and began topull with such force that before Jule knew what they were about he foundhimself slipping from his chair. In the next second he had grasped theside of his chair with the result that that also was pulled along thefloor. He called out hastily "Stop! Stop!" while little Hunne, who saw thesituation from his corner, now flew to his elder brother's assistance,hung on to the chair from behind, planting his little feet firmly on theground, and throwing his weight backward as well as he knew how. Hisefforts were insufficient, however, and he was dragged along the floor asif he were on a coast. Wili and Lili were determined to finish theirundertaking, and kept on pulling and pulling.

  "Stop! Stop! Wiling and Liling You terrible twinning"

  cried Jule, while little Hunne added his voice to swell the tumult.

  At this the mother made her appearance upon the scene, and the uproar wasstilled at once. Jule swung himself panting back into his chair, and Hunneslowly regained his equilibrium.

  "My dear Jule, why do you make the children behave so badly? You ought toknow better at your age," said his mother reprovingly.

  "Certainly, mother, certainly, in future I will do better, but if youwill look at it from another side, I am doing something, in affording thetwins an opportunity to be of use, instead of carrying on their usualmischievous pranks."

  "Jule, Jule, that does not look like doing better," said his motherwarningly. "Lili, go down stairs and practise your exercises until MissHanenwinkel has finished Paula's music lesson. Wili, go on with yourstudying, and the best thing you can do, Jule, to help me, is to amuse thelittle one until I am at leisure."

  The "big Jule" was ready to help to restore order after his bit of fun,and Lili ran down stairs to the piano as she was bidden. She found herselftoo much excited after the exertion of playing boot-jack for her brother,and her exercises did not run smoothly, so she took up one of her"pieces" to work off her superfluous energy upon, and began to play withgreat emphasis,

  "Live your life merrily, While the lamp glows, Ere it can fade and die, Gather the rose."

  Uncle Titus and his wife were just finishing their breakfast in aneighboring house when the affair of the boots began. Uncle Titus hastenedto his room, closing the windows and fastening them against the noise. Hiswife summoned their hostess rather peremptorily, and asked her "just tolisten to that" for herself. It did not seem to make much impression uponMrs. Kurd however, who only said smilingly,

  "Oh, how merry the dear children are, to be sure," and when Aunt Ninettewent on to explain that such disturbances were the very worst thing forher poor invalid, the hostess only again recommended the walk in the woodsfor quiet and fresh air! The noise in the next house would not last long,she said, the young gentleman would soon return to college, and it wouldbe much more quiet then. As she spoke, the sound of Lili's merry musiccame across through the open window on the morning breeze.

  "And that too, is that the work of the young gentleman, who will soonreturn to college?" asked Mrs. Ehrenreich excitedly. "It is unendurable;continually some new noise or tumult or uproar. What do you say to thislast, Mrs. Kurd?"

  "I never have thought of it as noise," said the good woman simply, "thedear child is making such progress with her music, it is a pleasure tohear her."

  "And Dora, where can Dora be? Is she bewitched too? It is time for her tobegin her sewing; where can she be? Dora! Dora! Have you gone into thegarden again?"

  Aunt Ninette's voice was querulous and excited. To be sure, Dora had creptdown again to peer through her opening in the hedge, and she was nowlistening as if enchanted, to Lili's gay music. She came back at once atthe sound of her aunt's voice, and took her appointed place at the windowwhere she was to sit and sew all day.

  "Well, we cannot stay here, that is certain," said Mrs. Ehrenreich as sheleft the room.

  The tears started to Dora's eyes at these words. She did so long to remainhere, where she could hear and partly see now and then, the merry healthylife of these children in the beautiful garden beyond the hedge. It washer only knowledge of true child-life. As she sewed, she was planning andpuzzling her brain with plans for prolonging their stay, but could thinkof nothing that seemed likely to be of use.

  It was now eleven o'clock. Rolf came scampering home from his recitations,and catching sight of his mother through the open door of the kitchen, heran to her, calling out before he reached the threshold, "Mamma, mamma,now guess. My first--"

  "My dear Rolf" interrupted his mother, "I beg of you to find some one elseto guess. I have not time now, truly. Go find Paula, she has just goneinto the sitting-room."

  Rolf obeyed.

  "Paula," he called out, "My first--"

  "No, Rolf, please, not just now, I am looking for my blank-book to writemy French translation in. There is Miss Hanenwinkel, she is good atguessing, ask her."

  "Miss Hanenwinkel," cried poor Rolf, pouncing upon her, "My first--"

  "Not a moment, not a second, Rolf," said the governess hastily. "There isMr. Julius over there in the corner, letting the little one crack nutsfor him. He is not busy; I am. Good-bye, I'll see you again."

  Miss Hanenwinkel had been in England, and had taken a great fancy to thisform of expression much in vogue there, and she constantly used it as aform of farewell, wheth
er it was apropos or not. Thus she would say to thepersistent scissors-grinder, who came to the door,

  "Have you come back so soon? Do go where you are wanted if there is anysuch place. Good-bye. I'll see you again," and shut the door with a slam.

  Or to the traveling agent who brought his wares to show, if asked todismiss him, she would say,

  "We want nothing; you know very well. Don't come here again. Good-bye.I'll see you again," and shut the door in his face. This was apeculiarity of Miss Hanenwinkel.

  Julius was quietly seated in a corner of the sitting-room, while Hunnestood before him watching with grave attention his nut-cracker's desperategrimaces as he gave him nut after nut to crack in his powerful jaws. Hunnecarefully divided each kernel, giving one half to Jule, while he poppedthe other into his own little mouth.

  Rolf approached them, repeating his question, "Will you guess, Jule? Youare not busy."

  "My first in France, applaudingly The people to the actors cry: With steady aim full in the eye, To hit my second you must try; My whole's a prince of prowess high, Who fought the fight for Germany."

  "That is Bismarck, of course," said the quick-witted lad.

  "O, O, how quickly you guessed it," said Rolf, quite taken aback.

  "Now it is my turn; pay attention. You must try hard for this now. I havejust made it up." And Jule declaimed with emphasis:

  "My first transforms the night, And puts its peace to flight. My second should you now become, You scarce will move, for fife or drum. My whole hath power to soothe you all, Be your delight in church, or camp, or ball."

  "That is hard," said Rolf, who was rather a slow thinker. "Wait a moment,Jule, I shall get it soon." So Rolf sat down on an ottoman to think itover at his ease.

  The big Jule and the little Hunne in the mean time pursued theiroccupation without interruption. As an extra proof of his skill, Juliuspractised with the shells at hitting different objects in the room, to hislittle brother's delight and admiration.

  "I have it," cried Rolf at last, much delighted. "It is Cat-nip!"

  "O, O, what a guess! what are you thinking of? It is something verydifferent, entirely different. It is music. Mew--sick--music, don't yousee?"

  "Oh, yes," said Rolf rather abashed. "Now wait Jule, here's another. Whatis this?"

  "My first sings by the water side, My next is Heidelberg's great pride, My whole was a blind poet, who In England lived and suffered too."

  "Shakspere," said Julius, whose pride it was to answer instantly.

  "Wrong," cried Rolf, delighted. "How could a _shake_ sing by the waterside, Jule?"

  "Oh, I supposed you meant a shake in somebody's voice, as he was riding ordriving along," said Jule, to justify himself. "Now what are you laughingat?"

  "Because you have made such a wrong guess. It is some one 'very different,entirely different,' Jule. It is Milton, the blind poet Milton. Now tryanother because you failed in this. My first"--

  "No, no, I must beg for a rest. It is too much brain work for vacation. Iam going now to see how Castor is after my ride this morning." And Juliusdashed off to the stable.

  "Oh, what a shame!" cried Rolf, "what a pity! Now there is no one toguess, and I made four splendid charades on my way home. It is too badthat you are not old enough to guess, Hunne."

  "But I can guess; I am old enough," said the little fellow rather vexed.

  "Well, then try this one, try hard. Stop playing with the nuts and I willcrack some more for you bye and bye. Now listen:

  "My first conceals from light of day The wanderer on his final way; My second sizzling in the pan, Makes hungrier still the hungry man; My whole, bedecked in trappings gay, Goes ambling on the livelong day."

  "A nutcracker," said Hunne without hesitation. Julius was his beau-idealof all that was best, and he thought that if he imitated Jule, andanswered quickly the first thing that came into his head, that wasguessing.

  But Rolf was angry.

  "How can you be so stupid, Hunne? Just think about it a little, can a nutcover some one on his last way?"

  "Why, it can cover--well--the shell covers it."

  "Nonsense! and a nutcracker can not go ambling all day, can it, you stupidchild."

  "Now see, mine can," said the little boy, who did not like to be calledstupid, and he tied his handkerchief round the neck of the long sufferingnutcracker and dragged it after him up and down the room, lifting it upnow and then at regular intervals.

  "Oh well, yes, you think you're right; and I can't explain it because youdon't understand anything about it. Just try to think a little; can youhear a cracker sizzling as its cooks, and will it make you hungry to hearit?"

  "If I throw a cracker into the fire, won't it burn?" said the child,planting himself before Rolf and holding his nutcracker saucily before hiseyes.

  "Oh, there is no use talking to you," said Rolf, and was just aboutleaving the room, but this was not so easily done, for now Hunne wasbitten with the mania for riddle-making himself.

  "Stop, Rolf," he cried and grasped his brother by the jacket to hold him."My first is not good to drink but to eat--"

  "Oh dear, well, that must be 'nutcracker' again," and Rolf ran off,wrenching himself from his tormentor's hands. But the boy followed him,crying, "Wrong, wrong! you are wrong. Try again, try again!"

  Moreover, Wili and Lili came scampering in from the other side, cryingout,

  "Rolf, Rolf, a riddle! guess! try!" and Lili held up a strip of paper andrattled it before Rolfs eyes, repeating, "Guess, guess, Rolf."

  So the riddle-maker was now caught in his own meshes.

  "Well, at least leave me room to guess in," cried he, striking about himwith his arms to make room.

  "You can't guess anything," cried little Hunne contemptuously, "I am goingto Jule--he knows."

  Rolf took the little slip of yellowish paper that Lili was waving back andforth, and looked at it in surprise. In a childish hand-writing that hehad never seen before, were written the following words,

  "Come lay your hand Joined thus we Each the other That our union But behold the That our future We will cut our Half for you and But we still will That our halves And with us Our friendship."

  "It is probably a rebus," said Rolf thoughtfully. "I shall guess it aftera little while. Just let me stay alone long enough to think it out."

  There was not much time left for this however, for the dinner-bell soundedand all the family assembled in the large hall for the mid-day meal.

  "What nice thing has my little Hunne done to-day?" asked the father, whenthey were at last all busy over their plates.

  "I made a splendid riddle, Papa, but Rolf never tries to guess my riddles,and I couldn't find Jule, and the rest would not listen to me at all."

  "Yes, Papa," interrupted Rolf! "and I too have made three or four splendidones, but no one has time to guess them, and those who have time enoughare so stupid that there is no use in trying to get any answer from them.When Jule has guessed one he thinks he has done enough, and I can make atleast six in a day."

  "Yes, yes, Papa"--it was now Wili's and Lili's turn--"and we have foundsuch a hard riddle, so hard that even Rolf couldn't guess it. It is reallya rebus."

  "If you will wait long enough I can get it, I am sure," said Rolf.

  "We seem to have a riddle in every comer," said their father. "I believewe have a riddle-fever, and one catches it from another. We really need aregular guesser in the house, to do nothing but guess riddles."

  "I wish I could find such a person," said Rolf, sighing, for to be forevermaking riddles for somebody who would listen with interest and guess withintelligence, seemed to him the most desirable thing in the world.

  When dinner was over, the family went merrily into the garden under theapple-tree, and seated themselves in a circle. The mother and MissHanenwinkel and the girls were armed with sewing and knitting work
. LittleHunne also had a queer-looking bit of stuff in his hand upon which he wastrying to work with some red worsted. He said he wanted to embroider ahorse-blanket for Jule. Jule had brought a book at his mother's request,to read aloud to them.

  Rolf sat a little way off under the ash-tree, and studied his Latinlesson. Wili sat by his side, meaning to study his little piece, but firsthe looked at the birds in the branches, and then at the laborers in thefield, and then at the red apples upon the tree, for Wili loved visiblethings, and it was only with the greatest difficulty, and generally withLili's assistance, that he could get the invisible into his little head.Consequently, his afternoon study usually turned to a continuousobservation of the surrounding landscape.

  Jule also seemed inclined to pass his time in looking about him insteadof reading aloud, for he did not open his book, but allowed his eyes towander in all directions, particularly towards his sister.

  "Paula," he said at last, "the expression of your countenance to-day is asif you were a wandering collection of vexations."

  "Oh, do read to us, Jule; then we shall have something more agreeable thanthese similes which nobody can understand the meaning of."

  "It would be nicer if you would read, Jule," added her mother, "but I mustsay too, Paula, that you have been for the last few days so short andsnappish that I should really like to know what is amiss with you. Youseem out of sorts with every one about you."

  "But mamma, with whom can I have any real companionship? I have not asingle friend in all Tannenburg. I have nobody in all the world with whomI can be intimate."

  The mother suggested that Paula might be a little more friendly with hersister Lili, and also with Miss Hanenwinkel. But Paula declared, that Liliwas much too young, and the governess much too old. The latter was reallyonly twenty, but to Paula she seemed very old indeed. For girls to beintimate, she declared they must be of the same age, so that they couldthoroughly understand each other's feelings, and they must be alwaystogether. Without such a friend Paula said there was no real pleasure inlife, for a girl needed some one to whom she could confide her secrets,and who would tell her own in return.

  "Yes, Paula is at the romantic age," said her brother. "I am sure that fora long time she has peeped into every field flower to see if it would notsuddenly unfurl a hidden banner, and turn into a Joan of Arc. Every littlemole that she sees in the fields, she half suspects may wear a seal-ringon his little finger, and be a Gustavus Vasa in disguise, searching amidthe mole-hills for his lost kingdom."

  "Do not be so teasing, Jule," said his mother reprovingly. "There iscertainly something very delightful in such an intimacy as Pauladescribes. I had such an experience myself, and the memory of that happytime is dear to me even now!"

  "Oh, do tell us again about your dear friend Lili, mamma," exclaimedPaula, who had often heard her mother speak of this intimate friendship,and had indeed formed her own ideal upon that model. Lili also joined hersister in begging for the story, and even more urgently, for she knewnothing about this friend, although she bore the same name.

  "Was not I named for her, mamma?" she asked, and her mother assented. "Youall know the long manufactory under the hill," continued Mrs. Birkenfeld,"with the large house surrounded by a beautiful garden. Lili, my friend,lived there, and I remember very well the first time I ever saw her.

  "I was about six years old, and I was playing one day in the parsonagegarden with my simple dolls, which I set up on flat stones, that I alwayscollected for seats for my children, whenever and wherever I found them.For I had no such outfit for my dolls as you children have now, no sofasand chairs and other furniture. You all know that your grandfather was thepastor in Tannenburg, and we led a very simple life at the parsonage. Myplaymates, two of the neighbors' children, were standing as usual by meand staring at me while I played, without saying one word. They neverseemed to take the interest in my plays that I thought they deserved. Theystood and looked at me with their big eyes, no matter what I did, and itwas very annoying to me.

  "Well, this evening, I was sitting there, on the ground, with my dolls allplaced in a circle, when a lady came into the garden and asked to see myfather. Before I could reply, a child whom she was leading by the hand,came running to my side, squatted down by me, and began to examineeverything. I had so arranged my stones that each flat one had anotherstuck into the ground edgewise behind it, so that the doll could be placedleaning back against it as if it were a chair. The child was delightedwith this arrangement, and joined in my play at once with the liveliestinterest, while on my side I was so charmed with the little stranger'slooks and ways, with her pretty floating curls and her sweet voice that Iforgot everything else, and looked on bewitched, while she made the dollssay and do all sorts of things that I had never thought of before. I wasquite startled when the lady again asked where she could find my father.

  "From that day forth Lili and I were inseparable friends, and a rich andhappy life was opened to me in her lovely home, such as I had never knownnor thought of. I shall never forget the delightful, untroubled days whichI spent in that beautiful house. I was almost as much loved and petted asif I had been Lili's own sister. Her parents had come from North Germany.Her father had been induced to buy the factory by the advice of anacquaintance, and they expected to remain permanently in our neighborhood.Lili was an only child, and having been hitherto without companionship ofher own age, she clung to me very closely, and I returned her affectionwith equal fervor.

  "What good, kind people her parents were! They asked as a great favor thatI might make long visits at their house, and my parents allowed me topass weeks at a time with my newly found friends. Those visits seemed tome like prolonged festivals. Such lovely toys and playthings as Lili had!I had never even dreamed of anything like them. I shall never forget theinnumerable figures cut from fashion plates which we used for paper dolls!We each had a large family of them, with all their kindred and relatives,each one fitted with a name, a character and a story of its own. Wealmost, nay quite, lived in their imaginary lives, and we shared theirjoys and sorrows as if they had been real.

  "I always returned home laden with gifts, and I was scarcely settled there,when new requests came that I would repeat the visit. When we were alittle older we had lessons together, both from a regular teacher andfrom my father, and when we began to read together, the heroes andheroines of our books were as real to us as our dolls had been, and welived over their lives and histories again and again. What life and energyLili had; what freshness and vivacity; my charming Lili, with her flowingbrown curls and her laughing eyes!

  "So the years passed, and no thought of coming sorrow and separationcrossed our young lives, until one day, when we were nearly twelve yearsold, my father told me--I remember the very spot in the garden where wewere standing at that moment--that Mr. Blank, Lili's father, was about togive up his factory and return to Germany. As I understood, Mr. Blank hadbeen deceived from the very beginning; the business was not in theprosperous condition that had been represented to him, and now he wasobliged to give it up, to his great loss. My father was very muchdisturbed, and he declared that Mr. Blank had been very badly treated, andwas consequently ruined.

  "I was broken-hearted. To lose Lili, and to have her lose all her property,were two things which made my life unhappy for a long, long time. The verynext day she came to say good-bye. We cried bitterly, for we could notbear to think of living apart, we were so necessary to each other'shappiness. We promised to be always true to each other, and to use everyeffort to meet again; and then we sat down together and composed a lastpoem, for we had often written verses together. We cut the poem inhalves, and took each a half to keep as a token of our lasting union, andas a sign of recognition when we should some day meet again.

  "Lili went away. We wrote to each other for several years, and ourfriendship continued as fervent as ever. These letters were the only dropsof comfort in the monotonous loneliness of my life after I lost Lili. WhenI was about seventeen, I received a letter which t
old me that her fatherhad decided to go to America. She promised to write again as soon as theywere settled in their new life. I never heard from her again. Whether herletters were lost, or whether the family never staid long enough in oneplace for her to be able to give me an address, or whether Lili thoughtthat our lives were now so irrevocably separated that we could never hopeto resume our intimacy--these are questions that I have often askedmyself, but that of course I have had no means of deciding. Perhaps Liliis no longer living; she may have died soon after that very time--I cannottell. I have mourned her as an irreparable loss, for she was my first, myonly intimate girl-friend, and nothing can efface from my mind the memoryof her friendship, and of the vast goodness and affection which her familyshowered upon me. I have inquired for them in every direction, but havenever discovered any clue to their existence far or near."

  The mother was silent; a very sad expression rested upon her face. Thechildren sympathized with her and said one after the other, sorrowfully,"What a pity, what a pity!" Little Hunne, however, who had listened veryattentively to his mother's story, put his arms lovingly around her, andsaid,

  "Don't be so sad, mamma dear! I will go to America as soon as I am bigenough, and bring your Lili back with me; that I will!"

  Rolf and Wili had drawn near, to hear the story, and presently Rolf said,looking thoughtfully at a strip of paper which he held in his hand,

  "Did your piece of paper with the poem look like a rebus, after you hadcut it in two, Mamma?"

  "Perhaps so, Rolf. I should think it might look like one. Why do you ask?"

  "Look here! is this it?" replied the boy, holding up his strip of paper.

  "Yes, yes, it certainly is it," cried the mother in great excitement. "Ithought it had been lost long ago. I kept it carefully put away for manyyears, and then in some way I lost sight of it. I thought it was lostforever. Lately I have not thought of it at all, but telling you the storyof my early friendship, brought it again to my mind. Where did you findit, my son?"

  "We found it!" cried Wili and Lili triumphantly. "It was in the old biblewith the queer pictures. We thought we would look at Eve, again, to seewhether her face was scratched as it used to be." The twins talked bothtogether as usual.

  "Yes, that is another thing that brings my Lili to mind," said theirmother, smiling. "She scratched that picture once when we were saying howlovely it would be if we were in Paradise together, and suddenly she feltso furious with Eve because she ate the apple, that she scribbled all overher face with a pencil, 'to punish her,' she said. My old verses! I cannotrecall the other half, it is so long ago, over thirty years! only think,children, thirty years ago!"

  She laid the paper carefully away in her work-basket, and bade thechildren put their things together and come into the house, for it wasalmost supper-time, and their father approved of punctuality above allthings.

  They gathered up their work and books, and returned slowly to the houseunder the triumphal arch that still spanned the garden-door of the house.

  Dora had been peeping at them as they sat clustered about their mother inan attentive group under the apple-tree. She had now a good chance toexamine each child, as they walked slowly back to the house, and as thelast one disappeared, she said, softly sighing, "Oh, if I could sit onlyjust once with them under the apple-tree!"

  At supper that evening Aunt Ninette said, "We have really had a few hoursof quiet. If it goes on so, we shall be able to stay here after all. Don'tyou think so, dear Titus?"

  Dora listened breathlessly for the answer.

  "The air in my room is very close, and I suffer more from giddiness than Idid at home," was the uncle's reply.

  Dora gazed at her plate despondently, and lost her appetite for thatsupper. Mrs. Ehrenreich broke out into lamentations It was provoking tohave made this journey without its being of any use to her husband afterall! If they had only moved away at once! However, perhaps there would beless noise over the hedge after this, and the windows could be opened!Dora's hopes rose again, for as long as they staid, there was always achance that she might go into that garden once, at least once.