CHAPTER VI.
GOLD GIVES FAME.
A stranger is inspecting the house, the garden, the park, thehot-houses, the stables. Who owns them all? An American, about whosepast life there is a mystery.
Sonnenkamp returned to his old home-life as in a dream; he looked backupon a time long past; it was no longer himself, but a stranger who wasexamining the place; he who had built, and planted it all was dead.Sonnenkamp smote his forehead with his hand, to banish the spell whichwas overmastering him. What power was weaving it over him, anddepriving him of his own personality? Nothing but this woman's poorpride in her own virtue.
"I still am, I still will, and all of them shall serve me," he saidaloud to himself.
He examined the trees in the garden; a pure tender covering of hoarfrost upon the branches kept them motionless, and threw over all aroundan aspect of such stillness, yet so shining and glorified, that thespectator involuntary held his breath. Here and there trees and shrubshad been cut down by his direction, as was necessary in order that theartistic effects that were aimed at in the laying out of the parkshould be preserved; and Sonnenkamp never allowed the growth of thetrees to exceed the conception he had in his mind when planning hisgrounds.
Two fine Newfoundland dogs, which had always been his close companions,he ordered to be let loose, and smiled as the creatures leaped upon himfull of delight at greeting their master. There was something thatcould give him a joyous greeting and be glad in his presence; dogsafter all were the best creatures in the world. He made the entirecircuit of the place with the dogs, and when he reached the fruitorchard looked about him with a pleased smile; the carefully trainedbranches, with their mantle of snowy rime, were like the most delicateworks of art. He only wished that he could transplant them just as theywere into the capital, and set them up before the astonished eyes ofhis guests.
His guests! Would they really come? Would not this entertainment sopompously announced end in humiliation? The branches of fruit-trees canbe trained and beat at will; why are men so obstinate? Suddenly hisface broke into a smile. He had heard a great deal said of a famoussinger who was enchanting all Paris; she must come, cost what it would,and she must pledge herself to give no public concert, but to sing onlyin his drawing-room, and perhaps at court. He would offer thecontemptible beau-monde of the capital what no one else could.
He had the dogs shut up again, and heard them whining and barking. Thatwas all right; the only kind of creatures to have were those that couldbe sent for when you wanted them, and shut up when you were tired ofthem.
Sonnenkamp had the horses harnessed at once and drove to the telegraphstation, whence he sent a message to his agent in Paris, statingexactly his plan, and ordering the answer to be returned to him at theCapital. Animated with fresh courage, full of contempt for the wholeworld and of pride in his own fertile invention, he drove back to thehotel. That same evening he received the intelligence that the singerwould come. Pranken was with him when the message was received.
Sonnenkamp was anxious to have the world at once informed of thisextraordinary entertainment which he was able to offer them; it shouldbe announced in the court journal. But Pranken was opposed to any suchpublic announcement, and advised that one and another of the guestsshould be confidentially informed of the pleasure in store for them;and then every one would be flattered by the confidence, and would dulyspread the news abroad. Pranken himself undertook to communicate theextraordinary intelligence to some of his favorite companions at themilitary club.
The singer came, and exercised a greater force of attraction than theFrau Professorin could have done.
Bella appeared early on the evening of the ball, and congratulatedSonnenkamp on his great success; and in fact nothing was wanting to thebrilliancy of the entertainment. The popular Prince appeared with hiswife, and the rooms were filled with the cream of the society of thecapital; the American Consul-general, with his wife and two daughters,was present also; everywhere were heard expressions of admiration ofthe host, and thanks for his generosity. Frau Ceres alone was somewhatout of temper at having her own splendor eclipsed by the wonderfultalent of the singer, who drew the whole company about her. The Princetalked with her a full half hour, while with Frau Ceres he spoke but afew minutes.
Sonnenkamp moved among his guests with a feeling of triumph in hisheart. Outwardly he affected great modesty, but inwardly he despisedthem all, saying to himself,--
A handful of gold can work wonders; honor, distinction in society,everything, can be had for gold.
Two topics engrossed the conversation of the capital the next day: HerrSonnenkamp's ball, the like of which the city had never seen, and thedeath of the young husband of Fraeulein von Endlich, news of which hadbeen received the evening before, but had been kept back in order notto deprive the family and numerous connections of the Court Marshalfrom enjoying Sonnenkamp's ball.
The next evening, the paper edited by Professor Crutius contained awitty article upon the two events, sarcastically blending the news ofthe death with the Sonnenkamp ball. The splendor of the occasion wasthus partially dimmed, and Sonnenkamp discussed with Pranken thepossibility of gaining over this poor devil of an editor also with ahandful of gold.
Pranken opposed the plan, on the ground that no communication of anykind should be held with these communists, as he called all those whowere not in sympathy with the government; and this man, who scorned nomeans that could further the plan of being admitted to the nobility,was amazed that Sonnenkamp should not be ashamed of employing briberyhere.
Sonnenkamp appeared convinced, but appealed to Eric, who before hadbeen the medium of conveying relief to the man, and desired him to puthimself again in communication with him, and let him know thatSonnenkamp was ready to assist him if he were in need.
Eric emphatically excused himself.
The singer was not summoned to Court, it being contrary to etiquettethat she should sing there after appearing in the house of a privatecitizen. She left the capital, and Sonnenkamp, ball, and music weresoon forgotten.
Sonnenkamp was even obliged to submit to the humiliation of not beinginvited himself to Court. He was openly given to understand that theSovereign had been much displeased with his having, at the French play,so awkwardly introduced a matter which needed to be handled with thegreatest delicacy. Pranken told him this in a tone of maliciouspleasure mixed with regret; Sonnenkamp should always keep in mind thathe was to be indebted to him for his patent of nobility.
The evening of the court ball, which was the one subject ofconversation throughout the capital, and which was attended by twonoble families from the Hotel Victoria who had come from the countryfor the purpose, was a most trying time to Sonnenkamp; yet he had tohide his rage and exert himself to comfort Frau Ceres, who keptinsisting on leaving the capital at once, since this was the one thingshe had been aiming at, and now it was all over.
Even the Cabinetsraethin absented herself this evening, being obliged,to her great regret, as she said, to appear at Court. Thus the familysat by themselves; and this evening, for the first time, Eric managedto acquire again a firmer hold upon Roland's mind, for Roland, too, wasfull of indignation. He listened in silence, but with dilating eye, asEric described the emptiness of all worldly honors if we have not aconsciousness of self-respect within us; for they make us dependentupon others, and such dependence was the most abject slavery.
At the word slavery, Roland rose and asked Eric if he had forgotten hispromise of telling him how different nations dealt with slavery. Ericwas amazed that the subject should have dwelt in the boy's mind throughall the excitement he had undergone, and promised to give him thehistory of the whole matter, as far as he was able, when they shouldreturn to Villa Eden.
Sonnenkamp had great difficulty in concealing his sense of injury, yethe must not give additional weight to the slight that had been put uponhim by allowing his feelings to appear. The family of theCabinetsraethin he took espec
ial pains to load with friendly attentions.They must be made to keep to their bargain; they had had their pay, andwere not to be allowed to cheat him. He made the young cadet a spy uponhis son, giving him money for taking Roland to the gaming-table,tempting him to high play, and then making an exact report of hisbehavior. He was not a little surprised at the cadet's reporting thatRoland utterly refused to play, because he had promised Eric never togamble, even for an apparently trifling stake.
Sonnenkamp would have liked to thank Eric for this great influence overhis son, but judged it best to feign ignorance of the whole matter. Hebegged Bella, when she came for Eric to fulfil his promise and take herto the cabinet of antique casts, not to disturb his wife's presenttranquillity by referring to the court-ball.
Eric took Roland with them to the museum, and though Bella saidnothing, she understood his motive for doing so. On their way thitherthey met the Russian prince, and Bella ordered the carriage to stop andinvited him to accompany them, thinking that thus the party coulddivide into two groups, the Russian walking sometimes with Roland, andshe with Eric; but she could not manage it so; Eric did not once let goof Roland's hand.
They stood long before the group of Niobe and her children, Bellajokingly protesting that the teacher, who seeks to protect the boy fromthe arrow of the god, was of the Russian type. Eric might explain asoften as he would that the head was a modern addition and represented aScythian, that the teacher was a slave who attended the boy to schoolor wherever he went, as one of our lackeys might, she still insistedthat he was a Russian. As Eric called attention to the fact, that themaiden in the centre of the group clings to her mother Niobe and hidesher face in terror, while the boy by the side of his attendantvoluntarily turns toward the danger, and with outstretched hand strivesto avert it, Roland gazed fixedly upon him, and turned almost as whiteas the plaster itself; his eye sparkled, and the soft dark hair justbeginning to show on lip and chin seemed to tremble. On the way home hedrew close to Eric, and trembling as if with cold said:--
"Do you remember when that letter with the great seal came to yourparent's house?"
"Certainly--certainly."
"Then you should have been director, and is it not strange, here standthese figures day and night, summer and winter, waiting for us, andkeeping still, and looking on while we are dancing and dying."
"What are you talking of?" asked Eric, alarmed by Roland's strange toneand manner.
"Oh, nothing--nothing. I don't know myself what I am saying. I seem tobe only hearing the words, and yet am really saying them. I don't knowwhat is the matter with me."
Eric hurried the feverish boy home.