""I have no luck in your house--a second time I have been bitterly undeceived. Now I have come to consider myself one of the most arrogant men the world contains. Anna Maria does not love me. I required years to get over that first disappointment; it was not easy, for I believed myself perfectly sure of her reciprocal love. Well, I succeeded at last; I will even a.s.sert that Anna Maria was right. We were ill-suited to each other; perhaps she would have been unhappy with a man of such entirely different inclinations. Then I see Susanna and--love the betrothed of my best friend!
""What remains to me? Again I turn my back on my home and seek to forget.
""In Butze everything will remain as of old, and I--go. But I do not like to leave you, who have suspected it, in darkness.
Pardon me if have caused you anxiety; I did so unconsciously.
Think of me kindly! When I come home again some day, Susanna will be the wife of my friend, and I--a calm man, who will have forgotten all the dreams of youth. I kiss your dear hands, and beg you to let what I have said here remain our secret. Susanna will be most likely of all to suspect why I went--she will secretly mourn for me, but only soon to forget me in her young happiness.
""Farewell, with most heartfelt respect,
""Your most devoted
""EDWIN VON STuRMER."
"The sheet trembled in my hands, and every instant tears hindered my reading.
"About half-past three in the afternoon Pastor Grune came with his sister to offer congratulations on the engagement. Ah, me! yes, yesterday the appointment for publishing the banns was made. Anna Maria and I sat in painful embarra.s.sment, receiving the hearty congratulations of the two old friends. They inquired for the young bride-elect, and the pastor praised her beauty and her happy, child-like nature. When he saw Anna Maria"s pale face, he took her hand:
""My dear child," said he, kindly and earnestly, "marriages are made in Heaven. G.o.d leads the hearts together, and when they have found each other no human being may disturb them. So few marriages are made to-day out of true, unselfish love that it ought to be a real joy for every one who experiences it, to see a couple go before the altar who are restrained by no earthly consideration from belonging to each other in true love. G.o.d"s blessing be upon Klaus von Hegewitz and his bride!" He was much moved, the old man who had held Klaus and Anna Maria over the font, but in surprise he let the girl"s hand drop, with a look of disapprobation at the cold, unsympathetic face. She did not answer a syllable.
"My old friend had, a little while before, drawn a sheet of paper from her knitting-bag and put it in my hand. I first glanced at it now; it was the printed notice of the engagement of Klaus and Susanna. "We received it this morning," she nodded, "but I saw it yesterday at Frau von R----"s at Oesfeld; I was there to coffee. You ought to have been there, Rosamond, to see how the ladies contended for that little sheet."
"I looked in alarm at Anna Maria, who blushed suddenly and then grew pale again. Now the engagement was in everybody"s mouth, and up-stairs lay the bride-elect, wringing her hands and weeping for another! Of what importance was Anna Maria"s own sorrow in the face of that which threatened Klaus? She seized the sheet, and after the first glance pushed it from her in abhorrence. It was a most painful quarter of an hour, and many, many such followed that day.
"The news of Klaus"s engagement had spread with lightning speed. Visitor after visitor came; it seemed as if the whole neighborhood wished to make our house a rendezvous. Carriage after carriage drove into the court; people whom we had not seen for years came to offer congratulations on the happy event. Anna Maria sat like a statue among the questioning, chattering people, and with trembling hands and ashen face Brockelmann offered refreshments. The faithful old soul felt with us the pain that every question gave; only by an effort could she suppress her tears, and as she pa.s.sed me she said, in a hasty whisper: "I truly believe the end of the world is coming!"
"Anna Maria had, nevertheless, forced a smile. She said that she was sorry not to be able to present Susanna, but the young girl had been suddenly taken ill; it was to be hoped it was nothing serious.
""But now do tell us how it came about. When did he become acquainted with her? From what sort of a family does she come?" asked the elder ladies.
""Is she pretty, Fraulein Rosamond? Ah, do describe Klaus von Hegewitz"s _fiancee_ to us; she must be something remarkable!" the young girls teased me.
"And beneath all these curious, interested questions there lurked something which could not be defined and which seemed like a very slight sort of surprise, and I heard Frau von B---- whisper to the wife of Counsellor S----: "The sister doesn"t seem exactly enchanted?" and she was answered: "No, her rule is at an end now; until now she has just had the good Klaus under her thumb."
"Poor Anna Maria! she answered all the questions so mechanically. She told them that Susanna was very beautiful; she said that the girl"s father had been a most fatherly friend to her brother--but the way she did it was strangely stiff and uncomfortable. They looked at her in surprise and interchanged glances.
"Meanwhile the brisk housemaid brought the lamps and lighted the candles on the old chandelier of antlers, and the outside blinds were closed with a creak. Some of the guests rose; the ladies looked about for their fur cloaks, the gentlemen took up their hats. I thanked G.o.d, for Anna Maria"s appearance frightened me. Then something unexpected happened, something which caused me to drop back into my chair, quite disconcerted. Brockelmann had suddenly opened the door, and there stood one whom I had certainly not expected to see at that moment--Susanna!
Isabella"s small figure was seen for an instant in the background, then the door closed again.
"A pause ensued, all eyes being directed toward the young girl. She was really embarra.s.sed for a moment, and this gave her beauty an additional bewitching charm. Like a shy, confused child she stood there, in the little black lace-trimmed dress, which so peculiarly suited her, her head somewhat bent, and the blush of embarra.s.sment on her cheeks.
"It was an infinitely painful moment, for Anna Maria did not take a step toward her. I saw how Susanna"s beseeching eyes turned away at her fixed look, which seemed to ask: "What right have you to be here?" and here her lips were firmly closed. It was only one moment; the next I was standing by Susanna and introducing her as Fraulein Mattoni, and therewith the ice was broken. They crowded about her, shook hands with her, and devoured her with admiring eyes. Her cheeks grew crimson, her eyes shone, and not a trace of the morning"s tears remained; the mouth which had poured forth such fearful laments now smiled like a child"s, and Anna Maria stood alone yonder. G.o.d knows what pain she must have felt!
"The guests sat down for another minute, out of respect to Susanna, and after the storm of customary formalities had subsided, they spoke of country life, wondering if a city girl could accustom herself to it.
They asked Susanna how the Mark pleased her, and at last the old wife of General S----, whose estate touched Dambitz on the south, remarked: "Tell me, Fraulein von Hegewitz, is it true that Sturmer is going away on a journey again?"
"She had turned to Anna Maria, who was sitting bolt upright beside her, and whose color now suddenly changed. "He is on his way to Paris, your excellency," she replied.
""The b.u.t.terfly!" joked the amiable old lady. "I did hope that he would settle down here with us, but he seems to prefer the unfettered life of a bachelor. To Paris, then?"
""Well, Paris is not a bad place for a man of Sturmer"s stamp," said Captain von T----, smiling, who was known as a pleasure-loving man. "Any one who can avoid it would be a fool to bury himself in this old sand-box and the _ennui_ of the Mark."
"Anna Maria looked into s.p.a.ce again. Susanna"s eyes sparkled at these words; she seemed to be considering something, and then she laughed. Was this the same Susanna whom I had seen afflicted to death this morning, who was now sitting, in all the bliss of a happy bride, among these people, and turning red with pleasure at each admiring look? Oh, never in my life was there so long a half-hour as this!
"And now, at last, the guests rose and took their departure. Susanna was commissioned on all sides with greetings and congratulations for Klaus, and she thanked them with her most charming smile and a beaming look from her great eyes.
""By Heaven, Fraulein," said the captain to me, twirling his mustache, "your future niece is the prettiest girl I ever saw, a pearl in any society. I hope the young ladies will not disdain our winter b.a.l.l.s?" He turned to Susanna with this request: "The place is not very comfortable, but the society--" He kissed the tips of his fingers, murmuring something about the crown of all ladies, and Susanna laughed and promised to come, "because she was so fond of dancing."
"And by the time the last of the guests were in their carriage Susanna had made at least a dozen promises which all had reference to a pleasant, lively intercourse. We accompanied the guests to the steps; in the confusion of parting words Susanna must have taken herself off, for when the last carriage rolled away I was standing alone beside Anna Maria in the dimly lighted hall.
""Come, my child," said I, taking her cold hands and drawing her into the room. And then she sat in Klaus"s chair for perhaps a quarter of an hour, without speaking a word, her hands folded on the table, her eyes cast down. The clock ticked lightly, the wind rustled through the tall trees out-of-doors, and now and then a candle sputtered; it began to seem almost uncanny to me, sitting there opposite the silent girl.
""Anna Maria!" I cried at last.
"She started up. "Yes, come," she said, "We will ask her! Rather the shrugs of those people than a misery here in the house. I would rather see Klaus unhappy for a time than deceived all his life long. Come, aunt." And with firm step she went out of the room, along the corridor, and up the stairs.
"I followed her as quickly as I could; my heart beat fast with anxiety and grief. "Anna Maria," I begged, "not to-day, not now. Come into my room, you are too excited." But she walked on. Up-stairs, in front of Susanna"s door, I perceived by the light of the hall lamp a great flat chest; white tissue-paper showed under the lid, which had not been tightly closed.
""What is that?" Anna Maria asked Brockelmann, who was just coming out of the room.
""The chest came from Berlin to-day," the old woman replied; "I suppose from the master."
"Anna Maria nodded and opened the door quickly. A flood of light streamed out toward us, and surrounded the slender white figure before the large mirror; soft creamy satin fell in heavy folds about her, and lay in a long train on the floor; a gauzy veil lay, like a mist, over the nearest arm-chair, and a pair of small white shoes peeped out from their wrapper on the table. She turned around at our entrance, and stood there with a shamefaced smile--Susanna Mattoni was trying on her wedding-dress.
"Anna Maria let go of the door-handle and stepped over the threshold, looking fixedly at Susanna, her face crimson.
""Take off that dress!" she commanded, in a voice scarcely audible from excitement.
"Susanna drew back in alarm, and turning pale looked up at Anna Maria.
""Take off that dress!" she repeated, in increasing agitation; "you are not worthy to wear it. So help me G.o.d, this wretched comedy shall come to an end!"
""Anna Maria," I begged, full of fear, catching hold of the folds of her dress, "keep calm! For G.o.d"s sake, stop!" But she paid no attention to me; the girl, usually so cool and collected, was beside herself with pain and anger. Her _own_ suffering she had borne in silence; but the thought of Klaus, the conviction that he was deceived where he had completely surrendered his kind, honest heart, robbed her of all consideration and self-control.
"Susanna stood speechless opposite her, an expression of penitence on her childish face. She was incapable of a defence, of an apology. Then, as ill-luck would have it, the old woman stepped between them, with a theatrical gesture placing herself in front of Susanna.
""Do not forget that you are standing before your brother"s betrothed,"
she said, with a tone and a gesture which would have been ludicrous at any other time.
"Anna Maria contemptuously pushed the small figure aside like an inanimate object, and laid her hand heavily on the girl"s shoulder.
"Speak," she said, with a wearily forced composure; "do you not feel what you are on the point of doing? Are you then still so young, still so spoiled, that you have entirely lost the sense of honor and duty? Is this wretched comedy your grat.i.tude for all that this house has given you?"
"Susanna tried to shake off her hand.
""I do not know what you mean!" she cried, in anxious defiance; "I have done nothing wrong!"
"Anna Maria stared at her as if she could not grasp the words. There was a pause of breathless silence in the room; then the storm broke loose, and the proud girl"s wrath carried her away like a whirlwind.
""You have done nothing wrong?" she blazed forth. "You have done nothing wrong, and you are on the point of deceiving the best of men; you are ready to perjure yourself? Your eyes have looked after another, and wept for another. I tell you, so long as I have power to move my tongue, I will not cease to accuse you before my brother! He shall not fall a victim to you!" And she shook the girl violently for a moment; then, recollecting herself, she pushed back the delicate form. The girl fell staggering to the floor, and struck her head heavily against a carved chair-back.