"Marcella, dear, did you hear?" said my brother in a low tone.
"Yes," replied Marcella, in a whisper; "I heard all. Oh! brother, I cannot bear to look upon that woman--I feel so frightened."
My brother made no reply, and shortly afterwards we were all three fast asleep.
When we awoke the next morning, we found that the hunter"s daughter had risen before us. I thought she looked more beautiful than ever. She came up to little Marcella and caressed her; the child burst into tears, and sobbed as if her heart would break.
But, not to detain you with too long a story, the huntsman and his daughter were accommodated in the cottage. My father and he went out hunting daily, leaving Christina with us. She performed all the household duties; was very kind to us children; and, gradually, the dislike even of little Marcella wore away. But a great change took place in my father; he appeared to have conquered his aversion to the s.e.x, and was most attentive to Christina. Often, after her father and we were in bed, would he sit up with her, conversing in a low tone by the fire. I ought to have mentioned, that my father and the huntsman Wilfred, slept in another portion of the cottage, and that the bed which he formerly occupied, and which was in the same room as ours, had been given up to the use of Christina. These visitors had been about three weeks at the cottage, when, one night, after we children had been sent to bed, a consultation was held. My father had asked Christina in marriage, and had obtained both her own consent and that of Wilfred; after this a conversation took place, which was, as nearly as I can recollect, as follows:
"You may take my child, Mynheer Krantz, and my blessing with her, and I shall then leave you and seek some other habitation--it matters little where."
"Why not remain here, Wilfred?"
"No, no, I am called elsewhere; let that suffice, and ask no more questions. You have my child."
"I thank you for her, and will duly value her; but there is one difficulty."
"I know what you would say; there is no priest here in this wild country: true, neither is there any law to bind; still must some ceremony pa.s.s between you, to satisfy a father. Will you consent to marry her after my fashion? if so, I will marry you directly."
"I will," replied my father.
"Then take her by the hand. Now, Mynheer, swear."
"I swear," repeated my father.
"By all the spirits of the Hartz Mountains----"
"Nay, why not by Heaven?" interrupted my father.
"Because it is not my humour," rejoined Wilfred; "if I prefer that oath, less binding perhaps, than another, surely you will not thwart me."
"Well, be it so then; have your humour. Will you make me swear by that in which I do not believe?"
"Yet many do so, who in outward appearance are Christians," rejoined Wilfred; "say, will you be married, or shall I take my daughter away with me?"
"Proceed," replied my father, impatiently.
"I swear by all the spirits of the Hartz Mountains, by all their power for good or for evil, that I take Christina for my wedded wife; that I will ever protect her, cherish her, and love her; that my hand shall never be raised against her to harm her."
My father repeated the words after Wilfred.
"And if I fail in this, my vow, may all the vengeance of the spirits fall upon me and upon my children; may they perish by the vulture, by the wolf, or other beasts of the forest; may their flesh be torn from their limbs, and their bones blanch in the wilderness; all this I swear."
My father hesitated, as he repeated the last words; little Marcella could not restrain herself, and as my father repeated the last sentence, she burst into tears. This sudden interruption appeared to discompose the party, particularly my father; he spoke harshly to the child, who controlled her sobs, burying her face under the bed-clothes.
Such was the second marriage of my father. The next morning, the hunter Wilfred mounted his horse and rode away.
My father resumed his bed, which was in the same room as ours; and things went on much as before the marriage, except that our new mother-in-law did not show any kindness towards us; indeed, during my father"s absence, she would often beat us, particularly little Marcella, and her eyes would flash fire, as she looked eagerly upon the fair and lovely child.
One night, my sister awoke me and my brother.
"What is the matter?" said Caesar.
"She has gone out," whispered Marcella.
"Gone out!"
"Yes, gone out at the door, in her night-clothes," replied the child; "I saw her get out of bed, look at my father to see if he slept, and then she went out at the door."
What could induce her to leave her bed, and all undressed to go out, in such bitter wintry weather, with the snow deep on the ground, was to us incomprehensible; we lay awake, and in about an hour we heard the growl of a wolf, close under the window.
"There is a wolf," said Caesar, "she will be torn to pieces."
"Oh, no!" cried Marcella.
In a few minutes afterwards our mother-in-law appeared; she was in her night-dress, as Marcella had stated. She let down the latch of the door, so as to make no noise, went to a pail of water, and washed her face and hands, and then slipped into the bed where my father lay.
We all three trembled, we hardly knew why, but we resolved to watch the next night: we did so--and not only on the ensuing night, but on many others, and always at about the same hour, would our mother-in-law rise from her bed, and leave the cottage--and after she was gone, we invariably heard the growl of a wolf under our window, and always saw her, on her return, wash herself before she retired to bed. We observed, also, that she seldom sat down to meals, and that when she did, she appeared to eat with dislike; but when the meat was taken down, to be prepared for dinner, she would often furtively put a raw piece into her mouth.
My brother Caesar was a courageous boy; he did not like to speak to my father until he knew more. He resolved that he would follow her out, and ascertain what she did. Marcella and I endeavoured to dissuade him from this project; but he would not be controlled, and, the very next night he lay down in his clothes, and as soon as our mother-in-law had left the cottage, he jumped up, took down my father"s gun, and followed her.
You may imagine in what a state of suspense Marcella and I remained, during his absence. After a few minutes, we heard the report of a gun.
It did not awaken my father, and we lay trembling with anxiety. In a minute afterwards we saw our mother-in-law enter the cottage--her dress was b.l.o.o.d.y. I put my hand to Marcella"s mouth to prevent her crying out, although I was myself in great alarm. Our mother-in-law approached my father"s bed, looked to see if he was asleep, and then went to the chimney, and blew up the embers into a blaze.
"Who is there?" said my father, waking up.
"Lie still, dearest," replied my mother-in-law, "it is only me; I have lighted the fire to warm some water; I am not quite well."
My father turned round and was soon asleep; but we watched our mother-in-law. She changed her linen, and threw the garments she had worn into the fire; and we then perceived that her right leg was bleeding profusely, as if from a gun-shot wound. She bandaged it up, and then dressing herself, remained before the fire until the break of day.
Poor little Marcella, her heart beat quick as she pressed me to her side--so indeed did mine. Where was our brother, Caesar? How did my mother-in-law receive the wound unless from his gun? At last my father rose, and then, for the first time I spoke, saying, "Father, where is my brother, Caesar?"
"Your brother!" exclaimed he, "why, where can he be?"
"Merciful Heaven! I thought as I lay very restless last night," observed our mother-in-law, "that I heard somebody open the latch of the door; and, dear me, husband, what has become of your gun?"
My father cast his eyes up above the chimney, and perceived that his gun was missing. For a moment he looked perplexed, then seizing a broad axe, he went out of the cottage without saying another word.
He did not remain away from us long: in a few minutes he returned, bearing in his arms the mangled body of my poor brother; he laid it down, and covered up his face.
My mother-in-law rose up, and looked at the body, while Marcella and I threw ourselves by its side wailing and sobbing bitterly.
"Go to bed again, children," said she sharply. "Husband," continued she, "your boy must have taken the gun down to shoot a wolf, and the animal has been too powerful for him. Poor boy! He has paid dearly for his rashness."
My father made no reply; I wished to speak--to tell all--but Marcella, who perceived my intention, held me by the arm, and looked at me so imploringly, that I desisted.
My father, therefore, was left in his error; but Marcella and I, although we could not comprehend it, were conscious that our mother-in-law was in some way connected with my brother"s death.