CHAPTER II.
THE FIRST NIGHT IN THE CAPITAL.
Eric soon withdrew; he went to his chamber, but found no rest. Here hewas, in the city where he had been born and brought up, living in astrange hotel, and in the service of a stranger. He quickly fought downthese reflections and the weakness they engendered, and wrote a letterto his mother announcing their arrival, and begging her to let nopersuasions induce her to come to the capital. He took the letter tothe post himself, and spent some time in wandering through the quiet,deserted streets of the little capital. He knew every house in them.Here and there lived some companion of his youth, some family friends;what relations he should hold to them now he could not tell.
He passed the great building where the antique relics were kept, andfor a moment allowed himself to fancy what his position would havebeen, if he had received the post of director here.
He walked restlessly to and fro, and finally entered a beer-house, tookhis place in a corner, and listened to the talk of the men, who, withlong pipes in their mouths, were laughing at each other's poor jokes,and discussing matters of all kinds.
His attention was roused by the mention of Sonnenkamp's name; a stout,red-faced man was saying,--
"I must begin now to take my very best meat to the Victoria, for HerrSonnenkamp knows what is good."
A printer whom Eric recognized said, "Our editor, Professor Crutius,declares that he knows Herr Sonnenkamp, but he isn't willing to tell usanything about him."
Eric's interest was still further excited. The men went on to tell ofthe immense sum daily paid to the landlord of the Victoria, then ofSonnenkamp's reported purchase of the Rabenecke palace, and of hisadmission to the ranks of the nobility as being a thing as good assettled. Here some remarks were made, in too low a tone for Eric tocatch, which raised a general laugh.
"I call you to witness," said a stout man whom Eric recognized as aflour-dealer and baker, "that I say now this Herr Sonnenkamp is sent ona secret mission. The young nobles in the South want an emperor, andthis Herr Sonnenkamp's designs to aim higher, perhaps, than any of usimagine."
"Then you can go with him and be court-baker," said one, whoserejoinder was received with a burst of laughter.
"What's that to us?" said another; "the man brings plenty of money intothe country. If a hundred of them came, I don't care what they areafter, as long as they bring us their money."
The speaker was a short, round-bodied little man with a greatmeerschaum pipe. He emptied his covered glass as he spoke, and calledout to the bar-maid,--
"Bring me a fresh one; I have deserved it, for I am the cleverest ofthe lot."
Eric slipped out of the room, glad not to have been recognized.
At the door he received a friendly greeting from a young man whom hehad no recollection of having seen before, but who recognized him asone of the singers at the musical festival. He was a teacher in thescientific school in the capital, and announced to Eric that he hadbeen proposed to the school-teachers' union as an honorary member.
Eric thanked him and passed on; meeting in the street a great stream ofpeople and carriages coming from the theatre; he hurried to the hotel,that Roland might find him there on his return, and happily arrivedbefore his pupil. He waited in his room, but no Roland came; he went tothe drawing-room, but he was not there; on the contrary, he was himselfasked if Roland had not yet returned.
The Cabinetsraethin observed, with a smile, that they need feel nouneasiness, for Roland was with Cuno, and of course enjoying himself.She expressed her regrets that she too must now take leave of thecompany, and, drawing Sonnenkamp into the embrasure of a window,presented him with an Almanach de Gotha for the new year, a book which,as she gracefully remarked, should henceforth never appear without thename of Sonnenkamp being in it; and she bound herself from this dayforth to pay him taxes in the shape of this canonical book, to bedelivered to him yearly as long as she lived.
Sonnenkamp was duly grateful, and escorted the lady to her carriage.
On returning to the drawing-room, he said to Eric:--
"I had supposed you would have made Roland more worthy of confidence;in spite of his promise, he has not come home."
Eric was tempted to answer that it was the father, not he, who on thisvery first evening, when the boy was hardly out of the carriage, hadgiven him permission to go his own way. He restrained himself, however;any discussion would be useless.
"I cannot go to bed till he comes," complained Frau Ceres.
"Have you any idea where we can look for him?" asked Sonnenkamp ofEric.
"It is not necessary, for here he is," returned Eric.
Roland entered.
His mother began to complain and his father to scold, because he hadnot kept his word.
"I deserve neither complaints nor reproaches," said Roland. "I hadgreat difficulty in getting away from the company at the door of therestaurant whither I accompanied them, but would not go in."
All was made smooth again, and they went to bed.
"Why do you not ask me how I enjoyed the theatre?" asked Roland when hehad entered his room.
"I preferred waiting for you to tell me."
"It was very fine; there were beautiful girls, and Cuno knew them allby name, and had some story to tell of every one; stupid stories theymostly were. For hours we had nothing but leaping and bending this wayand that, without a word being spoken. Suddenly, I began to wonder whatBenjamin Franklin would say if he could see it, and that spoiled all mypleasure. Cuno called me a snob, and I let it pass quietly, but headded something else which came near causing a duel."
"May I know what it was he added?"
"No; it was about you, but--of course you would not care for it. Youare not anxious that every one should understand you, and whatever theworld may say----"
"Say no more, dear Roland, I beg; I don't care to know what people sayabout me; it only burdens the mind without helping us to be better. Butyou have borne yourself well, and may sleep with an easy conscience.This has been your first experience under fire, and will not be yourlast. Only keep true to yourself and to me. Good-night."
Eric lay down with happy thoughts, and with happy thoughts Roland fellasleep.