CHAPTER IV
"YOU ARE HEAD OF THE HOUSE NOW"
My chief feeling as I rose to receive the Prince's daughter was a sortof shamefaced regret that I had allowed myself to be hurried into aposition which made it necessary for me to mislead her. I meant hernothing but good. I had been brought to the castle all against my will.I had stayed there largely in order that I might be the means of savingher from danger; and everything I heard only served to increase thatdanger in my view. Yet the fact of the deception I was practisinghampered and embarrassed me in her presence.
She was garbed now in the deepest black, was pale and hollow-eyed, andtrembling under the stress of her new sudden sorrow; and she seemed sofrail and fragile that my heart ached for her, while my senses werethrilled by her exquisite beauty and by a strange subtle influence whichher presence exercised upon me. My pulses beat fast with a tumultuousdesire to help her in her helplessness. Never, indeed, had woman movedme like this.
She paused a moment on the threshold, her hand on the arm of an elderlylady who accompanied her; and her large blue eyes rested on my face,searching, reading, and appealing, as I hastened across the room towardher. Her scrutiny appeared to give her confidence, for she withdrew herhand from her companion's arm and held it out to greet me.
"I felt I must come to bid you welcome, cousin," she said in a low,sweet voice that trembled. "You are welcome--very welcome."
I took the hand and raised it to my lips.
"You should not have distressed yourself to come; I should haveunderstood," I answered.
"I felt that I must see you," she said, very graciously; and I,remembering what I had seen in the garden and all that von Krugen hadtold me, knew well enough the doubts and fears, anxieties and hopes,that might lie behind the words.
I racked my brain for some sentence that would convey some assurance ofmy wish to serve her; but I could find no words that pleased me; andafter a pause, that to me was awkward enough, she added:
"You are now my only relative in the world except my dear aunt here, theBaroness Gratz."
The old lady made me a very stately and ceremonious bow, which Ireturned with such courtesy as I could command.
"A great heritage has come to you, sir, and a trust that must test tothe utmost one so young in years," she said.
"My one life-purpose shall be to prove worthy of it," I answeredearnestly; and I thought the girl's eyes lightened a little at thewords.
"We were alarmed, sir, when we heard that you were unwilling to come,"said the baroness.
"I am here, madam, to remove that alarm."
"The future fortunes of this noble house rest largely in your hands, aswell as those of this sweet child. You know that?" she asked in reply.
"I know little as yet; but in all I shall strive earnestly to win theconfidence of you both."
"You will have mine, cousin," said the girl, impulsively and almosteagerly, as it seemed to me. "And at the earliest moment I wish to tellyou all that is in my thoughts and to ask your help."
"You will never ask that in vain, believe me," I returned, raising myeyes to hers, which had all the time been fixed on my face.
"I do believe you--I am sure of you," she cried, again impulsively; andI could have blessed her for the words. "And, oh, I am so glad you havecome. There is so much to change and set right."
"Minna!" said the aunt in a gently warning tone.
"I am with friends, and I can speak freely. I feel it. I am sure weshall be friends, cousin. Shall we not? And you will be on my side?"
At this Captain von Krugen, who had remained at the other end of theroom, took two or three steps forward as if to speak; but the baronessinterposed, and after a warning glance at him whispered to the girl:
"We have not come for this now, child."
"The captain will be my friend, too, whatever happens, I am confident,"said the girl, looking toward him; "even if I will not go forward with ascheme that must die----"
The word distressed her, and she caught her breath, and her lipsfaltered so that she could not finish the sentence. She sighed deeplyand turned to lean on her companion's arm again.
"You must not distress yourself, Minna," said the baroness gently.
A rather long, trying pause followed, during which the Countess Minnaappeared to be struggling to regain her self-composure. And at theclose she said, sadly and listlessly, and yet with a great effort tospeak firmly:
"I did not come to speak of these things now, but to ask you, cousin, todo all that has to be done at this time of--of sorrow. You are the headof the house now, and I trust you will use the authority."
"Until you desire otherwise," I answered. "You may depend upon meabsolutely."
"That is my wish, cousin; and when I can trust myself, we will have along conference."
She gave me her hand, and I was in the act of putting it once more to mylips when hurried steps approached, and the Count von Nauheim enteredthe room hastily. I felt the girl's fingers start, and involuntarilythey closed on mine in a little trembling gesture of half agitation andfear. The touch thrilled me.
"I am surprised to find you here, Minna," he said bruskly. "I think,baroness, it would have been more seemly if Minna had kept in herapartments."
The old lady was more afraid of him than Minna herself, I could see, andshe murmured some half-incoherent excuses.
"I see no wrong in coming here to welcome the head of the house," saidthe girl, trying to appear firm.
"Head of the house," he cried, with a sneer. "You are the head of thehouse, and, as your affianced husband, it is for me to say what isnecessary in these matters of courtesy. I have already seen Herr vonFromberg to welcome him, as you say. Nothing more was necessary. Let megive you my arm to take you to my apartments. Come."
She hesitated an instant, and seemed as if about to refuse; but thenchanged and placed the tips of her fingers on his arm, and as she didso turned and bowed to me with a smile on her sweet, sad, pale face.
SHE TURNED AND BOWED TO ME WITH A SMILE.]
"I shall see you, cousin Hans, soon, as I said just now. In the meantime I rely upon you to order all such arrangements as you thinkbest--as your position here now requires."
"This gentleman need not trouble himself," said the man, frowningheavily and angrily. "I have given all necessary instructions."
"I will do what you wish," I said to her, ignoring him entirely.
I kept out of sight my rage at his conduct until the three had left theroom, and then, forgetting that I was not alone, I vented it in a heavy,bitter oath, and turned to find von Krugen's keen dark eyes fixed uponme.
I was annoyed to have thus bared my feelings to his quick gaze. I didnot wish him to know that I suspected, or even disliked, the count; buthe had seen it already.
"He would try to overrule even the Prince himself in the latter time;and he takes interference very ill. He will ride roughshod over all ofus if he can."
"Ah, you do not like him," I answered. "But there is no room fordissensions among ourselves. Let it go no farther."
"Have you any commands to give, your Highness? If I am to take them fromhim, I am to leave the castle."
This was intended to see if I should exercise my authority.
"You will not leave, Captain von Krugen," I replied promptly. "Heavenknows there is too much need of a faithful friend at such a juncture."He bowed, and his eyes lighted with pleasure at my words. "And now,"I added, "we will discuss together what has to be done, and try tosettle the arrangements."
There were, of course, many arrangements to be made, and theconsultation occupied a long time. As a result I issued a number ofdirections such as seemed best, including those for the funeral, which Ifixed for three days later.
Then I had to consider my own matters, and to mature a plan which I hadformed after my interview with the Countess Minna. I felt that I couldnot continue the deception in regard to myself; and I resolved that Iwould use the interval before the funeral to try and find the real vonF
romberg, and bring him to the castle to take his own position. I wouldcome with him, and, by using the knowledge I possessed, help him in atask which, if he had a spark of honor in his nature, he could not butundertake.
The next day I took the captain so far into my confidence as to tell himthere was an urgent private matter to which I was compelled to attend,and that I must return to Hamnel for that purpose. I told him to keepthe fact of my absence as secret as possible, saying merely that I wasout riding or walking, and that I would return soon. If the countessasked for me, he was in confidence to tell her the truth, and to assureher that, in any event, I should be back before the day of the funeral.Moreover, he was to keep a most vigilant watch over everything andeverybody, and if my presence was urgently needed to telegraph to me toHamnel. But to no one was he to give that address.
I started early, and the same evening arrived at Hamnel, but failed tofind von Fromberg either in his own name or in mine; and theft Ihurried on to Charmes. There I caught him at the house of the Compte deCharmes, whose daughter, Angele, he was to marry.
At first he was like an emotional girl. He rushed into the room, andwould have embraced me had I not prevented him, while he loaded me withthanks and praise for having helped him to get free from his uncle bynot declaring myself; while, with all this, he was profuse and gushinglyvoluble with his apologies.
He acted like an hysterical fool, bubbling over with silly laughter onemoment and shedding equally silly tears the next. He was ridiculouslylight-spirited and happy, until his fantastic hilarity angered me. Heappeared to think that, as he had become a Frenchman, he ought to behaveas a sort of feather-headed clown.
His one consuming wish was that I should see Angele--the girl was theone object in his mental outlook at that moment, and everything else wasall out of perspective.
It was a long time before I could make him understand that a much moreserious matter than his love-farce had brought me to Charmes; and evenwhile I compelled him to listen to the position of affairs at thecastle, and the plight of his cousin there, I could see that histhoughts were away out of the room with his Angele.
"I am sorry for her, poor soul. I am sure I would have every one happyat a time like this. But I suppose it will be all settled somehow andsome day," he said at the close, in a tone which made me fully realizethat he considered it no business of his.
"There is a train that starts from Charmes in an hour and a half," saidI, thinking it best to assume that he would go back with me. "We cancatch by that a fairly good connection at Strasburg, and can reach thecastle to-morrow."
"You are going back, then?" he queried.
"I think I can be of help to you."
"How can you help me if you are going there?"
"You will wish, of course, to hasten to the castle to save the honor ofyour family and of your cousin?"
"My family is here. My home is France. I am no longer a German. I havemade the declaration to become naturalized. Do you think I would leaveAngele on almost the eve of my wedding-day? To-morrow we shall be manand wife. Shall I instead, then, go to look after the affairs of a deadold man who never worried himself the paring of a nail about me until hethought I could be of use to him? What do you suppose Angele's fatherwould say? Pouf! I can hear him. 'Very well, monsieur, go away. Attendto these people--these Germans--leave my daughter. Show yourself moreGerman than French, and give the lie to your protestations. Pretend tobecome a Frenchman one moment and the next recognize the claim of yourFatherland and your German blood and kinship. Go, by all means, but donot return. Never set eyes on Angele again!' Eh, do you think I could dothat?" and he threw up his hands, shoulders, and eyebrows in a perfectecstasy of repudiation of the mere idea.
"A helpless young girl, your only kin in the world, is waiting theredependent upon your assistance. You are now the head of that greatfamily whose honor and future are now threatened; and the entirefortunes of your noble house are at a crisis which make it imperativein all honor that you should assume the responsibilities of theposition."
"And is there not a helpless girl here who will be dependent upon me? AmI not here taking the headship of a noble family? With thisdifference--that here I was not forgotten and ignored until I becamenecessary as a prop for a tottering wall. Would honor, think you, havenothing to say against my desertion of this family in the way yousuggest? No, no, my friend; these people have appealed to yoursentimental side. My place is here, and here I stop."
From that resolve no pleas, reproaches, arguments, or goads could movehim. Nothing should make him budge from Angele; and he viewed everythingfrom that one new standpoint.
"If you are eager to free my family from the mess their affairs have gotinto, take my place, go back and do it. You may claim by right all thereis to be got; for certainly I could not help if I would. If he who wasall his life at this work could not keep his house from falling, his sonfrom being killed, and his daughter from danger, what can I hope todo?--I, a student, who have lived three-quarters of my life in France,who loathe a military life, and know absolutely nothing of theintricacies of diplomatic intrigue? You say you could help me? I don'tknow how; but if you could, what is the gain for me? My uncle is deadand leaves me nothing but a mess of intrigue and danger. My cousin isengaged and therefore will marry--and what is her husband to me?"
"Surely you are not dead to the demands of honor?" I cried; but againstthe wall of his selfishness the sea would have broken itself in vain.
"How do I serve my honor by forsaking Angele? No, no. I tell you I haveceased to be a German; I have renounced my family, and shall live undera new name. I am a student. This is work for men like you. Go and do it.I am rendering that girl a far greater service by sending you than bygoing myself."
It was useless to argue with him. He was hopelessly callous; and I satbiting my lips in anxious thought.
"When they know I have become a Frenchman, do you think they will accepthelp at my hands? Will they welcome my French wife, or my new family?Should I wreck my own happiness to enable them to insult me, and allthat are now dear to me? Am I a fool? I will do what I can, but notthat. If my cousin should need a home, she shall have as comfortable aone as my means will provide. But they must not claim me as one of theirown kin. That is all."
"They are not likely to make any claim of the kind on you," I said. Andthe bitter contempt I felt for him came out in my tone.
He winced and flushed, and for a moment was stung to anger; but itpassed.
"You think poorly of me because I have decided matters thus. As youwill. We shall not meet again. Probably I shall never again cross thefrontier. To show you my decision is no mere whim, but a deliberatelychosen course, here I have a duly drawn up declaration renouncing myheirship. I drew it, of course, before I knew of the Prince's death, andI declined absolutely his proposals, and announced my intention tochange my name and become a Frenchman. I was going to have this attestedbefore a notary, and then send it to my uncle; but you can take it as itis, if you like. I will make a sworn declaration at any time it isdesired. Do just what you will. And this I swear to you: I will neverbreathe a word of what has passed unless you wish me to speak. I owe youthat for having brought you into the mess."
I took the paper and rose to leave.
"I will take means to let you know what is done. Here, I suppose?"
I spoke curtly, for I felt strongly.
"I do not wish to hear anything. A letter here will find me, of course,but my name for the future will be Henri Frombe--Hans von Fromberg willhave ceased to exist, unless you are he." So indifferent was he to thecritical seriousness of the affair that he laughed as he said this, andadded: "After all, then, you will not see Angele. I am grieved at that,"and he held out his hand.
"I cannot take your hand, M. Frombe," I said sternly. "I remain aGerman. Your desertion of your family at such a juncture of need makesany friendly feeling toward you impossible on my part. You hold that anyman can lightly renounce his family and country. I do not. I take thestrongest view of
your conduct. France profits little by her newestcitizen, and the Fatherland gains by the loss of so self-satisfied arenegade. I trust that we shall not meet again."
He was a coward, and shrank and paled under the lash of my words; but hemade no attempt to resent them, and I left him with a feeling of bittercontempt and disgust at his conduct.
During the whole of my long journey back to the castle I sat absorbed inclose thought, mapping out my plans, recalling old memories, and rousingmy wits and energies for the task which Fate had set me, and from whichapparently I could not break away.