Das landhaus am Rhein. English

  CHAPTER V.

  A NEW PATRON AND A NEW TUTOR.

  By Roland's direction his own pony had been saddled, and also ahorse for Eric. They mounted, and rode slowly through a part of thevillage which joined the estate. At the very end of it stood a smallvine-covered house, with all the window-shutters closed. Eric asked whoowned it, and why it was shut up. Roland told him that it belonged tohis father, and that the architect, who built the villa, had livedthere, and sometimes his father also, when he came from Switzerland orItaly during the building of the house, or the laying out of the parkand garden.

  "Now for a good trot," said Eric; "take your bridle more firmly in yourleft hand. Now!"

  They started briskly, keeping side by side, but suddenly Eric's horseshied and began to rear. Roland uttered a cry, but Eric reassured him,saying, "I'll conquer him;" he drew his feet from the stirrups, androde off at such a pace that the horse was soon covered with foam andquite submissive; then he rode back to Roland, who was waiting for himin anxiety.

  "Why did you throw off the stirrups?" he asked.

  "Because I didn't want to hang by them if the horse fell backwards."

  They rode on quietly near each other. Eric asked:--

  "Which do you like best, to have some fixed object for your ride, orsimply to go over a certain distance, and then turn back?"

  Roland looked puzzled.

  "Didn't you understand my question?"

  "Yes, perfectly."

  "And what do you think?"

  "I like to have some object, a visit to pay, at the end of my ride."

  "I thought you would say so."

  "Only think," said Roland, "they say I must have another tutor."

  "Indeed."

  "But I won't."

  "What do you want?"

  "I want to get away from home and go to a military school! Why shouldManna go to the convent? They always say that my mother can't eatunless I am with her, but she'll have to eat when I'm an officer."

  "Then you want to be an officer?"

  "Yes, what else should I be?"

  Eric was silent.

  "Are you a nobleman?" asked the boy, after a pause.

  "No."

  "Shouldn't you like to become one?"

  "We cannot make ourselves noblemen."

  The boy played with his horse's long mane; glancing back, he saw thatthe flag had been lowered from the tower. He pointed it out to Eric,saying haughtily that he should hoist it again. His fine, delicatelycut, but pale face gained strength and color as it lost its weary look,and assumed a daring expression.

  Without noticing his domineering manner, Eric said how much he likedRoland's pride in being an American.

  "You are the first person in Germany who has commended it," cried theboy joyfully. "Herr von Pranken and Fraeulein Perini are alwaysridiculing America; you are the only man,--but I beg your pardon, Iought not to be talking so familiarly to you."

  "Put away that notion; we want to be good friends."

  The boy held out his hand, and Eric pressed it warmly.

  "See, our horses are good friends too," said Roland. "Have you manyhorses at home?"

  "No, not any; I am poor."

  "Wouldn't you like to be rich?"

  "Certainly, wealth is a great power."

  Roland looked at him in surprise; none of his tutors had said that tohim; they had all represented wealth as a temptation and a vanity, orhad extolled it for the sake of flattering him.

  After some time, in which the boy was evidently thinking about Eric, hesaid, "Are you French, like your name?"

  "No, I am a German, but my ancestors were French emigrants. How oldwere you when you came to Europe?"

  "Four."

  "Have you any recollection of America?"

  "No, but Manna has. I can only remember a song which a negro used tohum, but I can't quite recall it, and nobody can sing it to me."

  As they rode up the mountain, the little man, whom they had seen atwork in the garden, stood aside to let them pass, and greeted themrespectfully. They drew up, and Roland asked Nicholas, as the dwarf wascalled, why he was going home so early.

  The little man replied that he was going home now at noon, and theninto the wood to get some of the new earth which Herr Sonnenkamp hadfound. Up in the wood was a spring which contained iron, and HerrSonnenkamp had dug down and found the earth also impregnated with iron.In this earth he had planted hydrangeas, and the flesh-colored flowershad changed to sky-blue.

  The little man could not express all his wonder at Herr Sonnenkamp, whoknew everything, and how to turn everything to account; it was nowonder that he had grown so rich, while stupid men might go all overthe world, where millions were to be had, without ever knowing it.

  But the little man took especial delight in telling them of a simpledevice of his master, who always mixed juniper leaves with the earthwhere he planted seeds of fruit-trees, and in that way kept away wormsand mice.

  As they rode on, Eric expressed his admiration for a man, who, like asecond Columbus, was still making new discoveries in a world whichseemed already explored and parcelled out. His readiness to appreciate,from a single example, Herr Sonnenkamp's greatness in this directionmade Roland draw himself up in his stirrups, struck with surprise as hethought of the subject. He had never before heard his father sopraised.

  "Is there no one in the neighborhood whom you would like to call upon?""No--or--yes, the major--but he is now at the castle. But up there inthe village the huntsman Claus lives, he has our dogs----will you gowith me to see him? I must let him know how Nora's puppies are; he waswith me an hour before you came."

  Eric readily assented, and they trotted up the gentle ascent, turnedinto a side path, and dismounted before a small cottage. Dogs ofvarious kinds came round them and jumped upon Roland; Puck also seemedto have friends; he played with a brown badger-dog. An old man came outof the house and touched his cap with a military salute. He wore theshort, light-gray cotton jacket which is the easy and comfortableeveryday dress of the country people along the Rhine, and he wassmoking a clay pipe, on which a sort of Ascension of Napoleon waspainted in glaring colors.

  The tone and manner with which Roland presented his new friend to thehuntsman, showed that he knew how to take an imperious tone toward hisinferiors.

  "Off with your cap," said he to the screamer; "only think, the captainknew by their whimper how old and of what breed Nora's puppies were,before he had seen them."

  "Yes, one can do that," replied the screamer in a very loud voice, "onecan do that. Dogs have their own peculiar whine and bark, according asthey belong to a knowing or a stupid race; and stupid people, too, cryand complain quite differently from smart ones."

  He cast a pleased glance upon Eric, and held his pipe in his hand forsome time.

  "You are right," said Eric. "I see you have had much experience andreflection."

  "May be so," answered the huntsman.

  He led the way into his house, and when Eric asked what saint it waswhose picture hung on the wall, he replied, laughing,--

  "That is my only saint, it is Saint Rochus of the mountain yonder, andI like him because he has a dog with him."

  There were many bird-cages in the room, and such a twittering andconfused singing, that one could hardly hear himself speak. The old manwas very happy in explaining to Eric how he taught birds that lived onbeetles and caterpillars to eat seeds, and how he got maggots andweevils also, and he complained of Roland's want of interest in thefeathered tribe.

  "No, I don't like birds," the boy declared.

  "And I know why," said Eric.

  "Do you? why then?"

  "You have no pleasure in the free-flying creatures which you cannotmake your own, and you don't like them imprisoned either. You like dogsbecause they are free and yet cling to us."

  The dog-trainer nodded to Eric, as if to say, "You've struck the nailon the head."

  "Yes, I do like you!" cried Roland
, who had two young spaniels in hislap, while the mother stood by and rubbed her head against his side,and the other dogs crowded round.

  "Envy and jealousy," said Eric, "are striking characteristics of dogs.As soon as a man caresses one, all the rest want to share the favor."

  "There's one that doesn't trouble himself about it," said the trainer,laughing.

  In the corner lay a small brown dog, that only blinked at themoccasionally. Eric remarked that it must be a fox-hound, to judge fromits appearance.

  "Right, he understands dogs!" cried the screamer, turning to Roland."You are right! I got that fellow out of a fox-hole, and he is andalways will be an unfaithful and ungrateful beast, who is not to betrusted; do what you will for him, he is never thankful noraffectionate."

  The dog in the corner just opened his eyes and shut them again, as ifhe didn't disturb himself about the talk of men.

  Roland showed Eric his ferrets, which seemed to know him as he tookthem out of the cage. He pointed out a bright yellow one, as anespecially cunning, tough rascal; he had given him the name ofBuchanan. The name of the other he would not tell; it was really Knopf,but now he only said that he called him Master of Arts, because healways considered so long before he went into a hole, and moved hislips as if he were delivering a lecture.

  They went into the garden, and the huntsman showed Eric his bee-hives.Turning to Roland, he said,--

  "Yes, Roland, your father's flowers are good for my bees, if the poorlittle creatures didn't have to fly so far down to reach your garden. Ilet my cattle feed in other men's pastures, and the world hasn't yetgot so far that rich men can forbid poor men's bees to suck honey fromtheir flowers."

  A sharp glance shot from his eyes as he said this, which expressed thewhole rankling hostility of the poor towards the rich. The keepercomplained that Sonnenkamp cherished so many nightingales, whichcertainly sang beautifully, but robbed the bees of their honey, andeven ate the bees with the honey. The nightingale, which men prize sohighly, is a cruel murderer of bees.

  "Yes," answered Eric, "the nightingales do not know that the bees givehoney, and we cannot blame the birds for considering them as plaguesfor whose destruction men will be grateful. However, they do not eatthem altogether for our sakes but their own."

  The screamer looked first at Eric, then at Roland, and nodded as ifsaying, "Yes, yes, that's quite another thing."

  Roland now asked how far Griffin had been broken in. The reply was,that he would now run at the man, but he was still too wild, and hisleap not quite regular, but he was beginning to seize hold. Rolanddesired to see him do it; but the day-laborer, who allowed himself tobe experimented upon in that way, was not at home. Roland said that thedwarf was at home, and he would be ready to do it. He himself wentafter the dwarf.

  After Roland had gone, the huntsman, Claus, hastily grasped Eric'shand, saying, "I will help you to catch him, and I can give the fellowslick into your hand."

  Eric gazed in utter astonishment at the old man, who proceeded toinform him that he understood very well what he had come for, andwhoever knew how could make out of Roland a proper man. He signified bya very sly wink that Eric would some day be exceedingly grateful tohim, if he should help him out.

  Before Eric could make any reply, Roland came back with the dwarf, whoallowed a pillow to be fastened over his shoulders, and stationedhimself at the garden-fence, holding fast by the palings with bothhands. A large Newfoundland dog was let out of a kennel, and sprangabout awkwardly in all directions, but at a whistle from the keeperstationed himself behind him.

  The keeper now called out, "Griffin! catch him! At him!"

  With a bound the dog-leaped through the garden at the dwarf standing bythe fence, jumped upon him, bit into the pillow, tugged at him until hefell over, and then placed his right fore-foot upon his breast, lookingback at his master.

  "Bravo! bravo! You see he is a real devil!"

  "You are right!" exclaimed Roland. "Devil! that's just the name--Devilhe shall be called. Now they will be afraid of me all over theneighborhood."

  Eric was shocked at this insolent bravado as well as at the off-handapplication of the idea. He appealed to the trainer whether a dog'sname ought to be changed who had already cut all his teeth.

  "Certainly not," asserted the man; "a dog whose name is changed don'tknow when he is called."

  "And besides," added Eric, "it is wholly wrong to give a dog such aname. A dog's name ought to have an _a_ in it, and have only onesyllable; the letter _a_ can be called aloud very easily."

  "You are a great scholar; I never heard of the like before; you knoweverything;" the screamer went on in high commendation, winking at thesame time merrily, and with half-sidelong glances.

  Devil--for Roland persisted in giving the dog this name--would not comeaway from the dwarf, prostrate on the ground, although both Roland andthe trainer called to him repeatedly. That was not a part of hislesson. He held on until the trainer showed his whip.

  Roland gave the dwarf a piece of money, for which he was very abjectlygrateful, and only wished that he might be thrown down in that waythree times every day by the dog. Eric looked on meditatively. How wasthis rich youth to be made to learn to love, labor for, and influencethe world which so laid itself at his feet?

  When the two left the cottage, the trainer escorted them a part of theway, followed by a whole pack of dogs. They led their horses by thebridle, and the trainer, keeping exclusively by the side of Eric, madean ostentatious display of his whole stock of wisdom concerning thetraining of dogs. The huntsman considered himself infinitely clever,and all learned men stupid.

  He seemed also to wish, in a sly way, to instruct Eric, when he said tohim that as soon as a dog can stand without stumbling over his ownlegs, a beginning could be made. And it was an all-important thing notto say much to a dog, but to use short, simple words, such as "go!""come!" "here!" but never any long speeches; and one must not make muchof him, but leave him to himself for whole days; and if he wished tomake friends, not to mind it, for if one gives too much attention to adog he becomes troublesome; and any one whom a dog is to respect mustnot be found wanting at the hunt, especially when the dog is taken outfor the first time; if one has shot any game that the dog can fetch, hewill be faithful and true, but if one misses, he acquires no respect,and never gains over the dog.

  "Do you know Herr Knopf?" the screamer asked abruptly. Eric answered inthe negative.

  "Yes; Herr Knopf," said the screamer, "has told me a hundred times,that all the school-masters ought to be under my tuition. Dogs andhuman beings are just alike. But the dogs are the more faithful beasts,and let themselves be broken in, and bite only when the master ordersthem to."

  Eric looked at the man in astonishment; there was in him aninexplicable bitterness, and this man was the boy's friend. He returnedto their former topic, and the screamer chuckled when he said thatbeasts acquire something of the understanding of the men they are with.

  The huntsman was very merry, and when they were about to separate, onreaching the level ground, he took Roland aside, and said to him:--

  "Thou blustering fellow! all thy ramrod priests and school-masters havebeen of no account. That would be the man! Thy father ought to buy sucha man as that, and then something might be made of thee. But all yourmoney can't get him!"

  The screamer said this ostensibly to Roland alone, but Eric was also tohear it, for he must know that he ought to be grateful to him.

  Just as they mounted, the huntsman said further,--

  "Do you know that your father is buying up the whole mountain? Cursedaccumulation! Your father is buying the whole Pfaffen-street." At thesame time, pointing to the far extending wide-spread Rhineland, hesaid,--

  "In a hundred years, not one handbreadth of all those vineyards willbelong to those who rake and dig there. Must that be? Can that beallowed?"

  A brisk trot carried them back to the villa; Eric had made up hismind; at the very moment when Eric had said to himself, "It is yourduty not to ab
andon the boy," he saw in the garden, near the smallvine-embowered house, a female form which vanished round the corner.

  Had he really seen his mother, or had she been only present to hisimagination?

  Quicker than one can compute, the idea was formed in his mind, thathere his mother and his aunt were to dwell; this house with its littlegarden, its dwarf-trees, and its beautiful prospect was made ready forher.

  "Did you see a woman there in the garden?" he asked Roland.

  "Yes, it was Fraeulein Milch.

  "Who is Fraeulein Milch?"

  "The Major's housekeeper."