Das landhaus am Rhein. English
CHAPTER IX.
GROWTH DURING ILLNESS.
"He is saved!" said the doctor, and "He is saved," was repeated byvoice after voice through the whole city.
The doctor enjoined double care in guarding Roland from the leastexcitement of any kind, and when the boy complained of the horribletedium of his sick-room, both Eric and the doctor laughingly remindedhim that he had his good time in the first place, and that ennui wasthe first sure step towards recovery. Roland complained also of beingkept hungry, and then added, his face seeming to grow fuller and faireras he spoke:--
"Hiawatha voluntarily suffered hunger, and do you remember, Eric, mythinking then that man was the only creature that could voluntarilyhunger? Now I must practice what I preached."
Roland showed himself particularly full of affection toward Eric'smother. He maintained that she was the only person he had recognizedduring his delirium, and that it had caused him the greatest distressnot to be able to say so at the time, but the wrong words would keepcoming from his mouth. Even the Mother did not stay with him long at atime.
He rejoiced to see lilies of the valley in his room, and rememberedthat he had dreamed of them.
"Was not Manna with me too? I was always seeing her black eyes."
Heimchen's illness, they told him, prevented her leaving the convent.
He wanted to see the photograph taken of him in his page's dress, andsaid to Eric:
"You were right, it will be a pleasant recollection to me by and by.Indeed the by and by is already here; it seems to me two years ago. Dogive me a glass, for I must know how I look."
"Not now," returned Eric; "not for a week yet."
Roland was as obedient as a little child, and as grateful as anappreciative man. The second day, he begged Eric to let him relieve hismind by speaking out what was in it.
"If you will speak calmly I will hear you."
"Listen to me then, and warn me when I speak too excitedly. I was onthe sea, and dolphins were playing about the ship, when suddenly therewas nothing to be seen but black men's heads, and in the midst of thema pulpit swimming, in which stood Theodore Parker preaching with amighty voice, louder than the roaring of the sea; and the pulpit keptswimming on and on with the ship----"
"You are speaking excitedly already," interposed Eric. Roland went onmore quietly, in a low tone, but every word perfectly distinct:--
"Now comes the most beautiful part of all. I told you how as I lay inthe forest that time when I was journeying after you--nearly a year agonow--there came a child with long, bright, wavy hair, and said, 'Thisis the German forest;' and I gave her mayflowers, and she was taken upin a carriage and disappeared; you remember it all, don't you? But inmy dream it was even more bright and beautiful. 'This is the Germanforest,' was sung by hundreds and hundreds of voices, just as it was atthe musical festival, oh, so beautifully, so beautifully!"
"That will do," interrupted Eric; "you have told enough, and must beleft alone awhile."
Eric told his mother of the strange fairy story, which that decisivejourney had given rise to in Eric's mind--he had heard of it beforefrom Claus--and mentioned as a singular circumstance, that this secondrevolution in the boy's nature resulting in his illness, should haverecalled to him this story.
The Mother was of opinion that something similar to the story mustactually have happened, but warned Eric not to refer to the subjectagain, for every recollection of past events retarded recovery and areturn to a natural state of mind.
The first time Roland could stand up, they were all surprised to seehow much he had grown during his illness. The down too, on his lip andchin, to his great delight, had increased perceptibly. When he saw, forthe first time, the straw spread before the house, he said,--
"So the whole city has known of my illness, and I have every one tothank. That is the best of all. How many I owe gratitude to! Whoevershall come to me now, for the rest of my life will have a claim uponme."
Eric and his mother exchanged glances as Roland spoke, and then casttheir eyes to the ground. Wonderful was the awakening to life displayedbefore them in this young soul.
"Did Eric tell you that I had seen Pranken? asked Roland.
"Yes. Now lie down to sleep."
"No," he cried; "one thing more!"
He called for his pocket-book, in which he had written the name of thegroom whom he had suspected of robbing him on his night journey.Reproaching himself for having hitherto neglected to inquire about him,he charged Eric to find the man, who was now a soldier in his regimenthere, and bring him to his room.
The soldier came, and received from Roland a sum of money very nearlyas large as that in the purse at the time. Eric had no need to havegiven such strict injunctions to the man not to excite Roland by muchtalking, and vehement expressions of gratitude, for the soldier had nopower to speak a word. He felt as if he were in fairy land, at beingthus summoned into a great hotel, before a beautiful sick boy, andpresented with such a sum of money; it was like being transported intoanother world.
Contented and happy, Roland lay in bed again. He begged his father,when next he came to his bedside, to give away all his clothes, for hewould wear none of them again.
"Do you want to put on your uniform at once?" asked Sonnenkamp.
"No, not now; but I want to go home soon, as soon as we can, back tothe villa; home, home!"
Sonnenkamp promised all should be as he desired.
The Professorin soon fell in with some young people whom Roland'sclothes just fitted, and he exclaimed with delight when, he heard it.--
"That is good; now my clothes will go about the streets until I amthere again myself; I shall be represented sevenfold."
He desired his father to express his thanks to all the persons who hadso kindly shown an interest in him, a duty which Sonnenkamp wouldreadily have performed without this admonition. It afforded the bestpossible way, better than the most brilliant entertainment, of comingin contact with the aristocracy.
With his handsomest carriage and horses, Sonnenkamp drove through thewhole city. His wife had refused all his entreaties that she wouldaccompany him; but he succeeded in inducing the Professorin to be hiscompanion. She, also, refused at first, but yielded to Roland'spersuasions. It was the first request, as he said, that he had asked ofher since his return to life, and she should and must gratify him bygoing with his father.
In proportion to the pain it cost the noble lady to make herreappearance before the world in such companionship, was the ease withwhich all doors flew open, as if by magic, wherever Lootz showed thecards of the Professorin and Sonnenkamp.
The lady herself was often unconscious that this was the effect of herpresence; she only knew that she was tightening between herself andSonnenkamp the bonds from which she would gladly be free, and, whenevershe returned to the carriage, she begged him not to say so much abouther motherly care of Roland. Sonnenkamp, who was looked upon as ofquite secondary importance by the persons visited, skilfully contrivedto make himself the central point of the conversation by praising theProfessorin's nobleness of spirit, and enlarging upon his own greathappiness in being allowed connection with such a family.
On this excursion Sonnenkamp tasted the best pleasure of which he wascapable; for his highest pleasure was in hypocrisy, and in the luxuryof its exercise, he forgot his deep-rooted indignation at the pride ofthe resident families, who were now obliged to receive him as an equal.Where he hitherto had been permitted only a few hasty and unmeaningwords, he was now allowed comfortably to display his manifoldexperiences, around all of which a softening halo was cast by thegenuine sentiment that served as their setting, the sentiment offatherly affection. His manner, also, of confessing that he had notalways thought as favorably as he should of human nature, but had beentaught by the Dournays to honor true nobility of mind, won for him thereluctant interest of all. He laughed to himself, as he went down thesteps, at the thought of persons saying, as he knew they would,
"Wereally never knew the man before; he has a vast deal of character andgreat sensibility."
He treated with especial consideration the members of the committeeupon orders, knowing himself, and having had particularly enjoined uponhim by Pranken, the importance of gaining them over to his plan.
Thus had Roland's illness given a fresh impulse to the nobilityproject; and the Professorin had, against her will, co-operated to thesame end.
Sonnenkamp could not do enough to testify his respect for the lady who,after all, had gained him his greatest triumph. In spite of her refusalto come to his fete, and help in furthering his plan, she had nowbecome his tool. He never grew tired of rejoicing in the convictionthat all mankind could be used like puppets; some were to be bought bythe ringing of gold, and some by the ringing of their own praises.