"Yes; she will die--perish of heart-sickness and unsatisfied longing."
The scar on his under-lip began to burn.
"Take her in your arms and then kill her; that will save her all further misery," was the next thought that rushed through his brain.
"But it would be literal madness to do such a thing," he added to himself, shuddering.
And again their eyes met and sank in each other"s depths. Their souls knew of no resistance, even though their bodies still sought despairingly for weapons of defence.
"Save yourself!" cried that warning voice again. "Think of the curse!
Keep yourself pure and unspotted for the Fatherland!"
He tried to think of words to speak that would break the spell of blissful enchantment; but none would occur to him. Then he rose and walked to the open window to bathe his hot brow in the cool night air.
"Speak--act--end this silence," he exhorted himself. He thought of the letters she had spoken of.
"Give me the letters," he said. His voice sounded harsh.
She fetched a packet of white covers, which she laid by his plate. He opened the first he came to, and stared vacantly at the unfolded sheet.
Would it not be better to allude now to the unavoidable? Why spare her allusion to a parting which was inevitable? But he put the idea from him in horror. "Till midnight she shall be happy. Take her in your arms, and then----"
"His Hochwohlgeboren the Freiherr Boleslav von Schranden is hereby informed that his appeal for an inquiry into the causes and events which eventually led to the destruction by fire of Castle Schranden, on the 6th of March 1809, is receiving attention, and that a day has been appointed for----"
With a discordant laugh he tossed the communication to one side, and fumbled for the next letter. His eye fell on Helene"s handwriting. A feeling almost of aversion shot through him. What did she want now? Why disturb him at this the eleventh hour?
"My Dearest Boleslav,--I can"t let you go to the war again without once seeing and speaking to you. I beg and implore you to meet me this evening at nine o"clock, near the churchyard side-gate, where I will wait for you.--Your Helene."
"Why not before," he murmured, "when there was plenty of time to spare?" Then suddenly it flashed across him that again in an hour of danger his guardian angel had put forth her rescuing hand to him, and that it would be criminal folly on his part to disregard the sign, and not respond to the summons.
"You must--you must," he said to himself, "or you won"t be worth the cannon-ball that at this moment is being cast for you in France."
Was it not a special dispensation of divine grace that the daughter should intervene at such a perilous crisis as this to transform the father"s curse into a blessing? He looked at the clock. It wanted only a few minutes to the hour mentioned. He dragged himself on to his feet.
"I must go down to the village," he said. "There is some one who wants to see me." And though he avoided meeting her eyes, her pathetic, beseeching glance penetrated to his innermost soul.
"I shall soon be back," he stammered.
She folded her hands, and placed herself silently before him.
"What is it?" he asked.
She could hardly articulate her words.
"_Herr_! I am so frightened--I feel as if something dreadful was going to happen!"
"Since when have you been given to presentiments?" he said, trying to joke.
"I don"t know-but I feel so strange, _Herr_! ... something in my throat--as if ... Oh! I know it"s stupid of me, but I pray you--not to go--not to-night----"
He pushed her gently to one side. The hand that she stretched out to hold him back fell helplessly.
"Please-please don"t go! ... _Herr_!"
He set his teeth and went--went to his guardian angel.
CHAPTER XVII
The Schrandeners, as many as could leave their homes and property, were meanwhile gathered together at the Black Eagle, engaged in a farewell orgie.
Old Merckel served them himself. He stood behind the bar, refilling unceasingly the empty gla.s.ses, with the melancholy smile, which to-day there was every reason to believe was not put on.
"Drink, dear friends," he exhorted; "don"t let the unhappy event in my family prevent you! What does it matter even if he is shot? He will die a n.o.ble death for his honour and his Fatherland!"
He wiped the sweat from his shiny forehead, while his little eyes wandered in uneasy antic.i.p.ation from one face to the other.
"Go and take a gla.s.s, Amalie," he said, turning to the barmaid, "over to those on guard. I won"t bear them malice for helping to bring him to his ruin!"
The Schrandeners, deeply touched at the expression of so much high-minded sentiment, gazed into their tankards in moody anger. They would have been ashamed of rushing to the inn and displaying such avidity for a carousal in the face of their landlord"s private misfortune, had they not felt they could not better show their sympathy than by taking advantage of the old man"s generous impulses. So they poured beer and schnaps down their throats in positive streams, and emulated each other as to who could drink the fastest.
The barmaid, as fat and cunning as her master, slipped out with a tray containing a dozen foaming tankards, after she had received a few whispered instructions from him, accompanied by a knowing nod and wink.
"And if you should see old Hackelberg about," he called after her, "ask him in--ask him in. He has suffered too at the hands of the scoundrel.
He ought not to be missing on this sad occasion."
"Brave soldiers," he continued, wiping his eyes, "drink! drink! You must try to forget that this day your honour has been forfeited. Yes, indeed, your case is lamentable--even more lamentable than that of my poor son, to whom it will at least be granted to meet death for honour"s sake. But you! faugh, for shame! What will be your feelings to-morrow morning, when you have to march away under the leadership of that son of a traitor, the villain whom our revered _Herr Pastor_ has cursed? It"ll be "Braun, clean my boots!" and "Bickler, hold my stirrup!" and that sort of thing."
The two men mentioned thus by name started up with an oath.
"And all you others, however much he may oppress and bully you, you must submit because he is your commander; and if you dare to mutiny, you"ll only be shot down like vermin for your pains. Such, my poor dear friends, is your pitiable lot! Therefore I say drink, and bid farewell to your military honour. To-morrow the very dogs will hesitate to take a crust of bread from your hands!"
A half-stifled murmur ran through the room, more ominous than a howl of rage.
Then the carpenter Hackelberg, who had been loafing about in the neighbourhood of the inn, reeled into the common parlour, half-drunk as usual.
He was received in silence. But old Merckel advanced solemnly to meet him, seized him by the hand, and led him to a seat of honour.
"You, too, are an unhappy father," he said to him in a voice quivering with emotion. "Your heart, like mine, has been broken by the ruin of your child. You, as well as myself and us all, has the tyrant up yonder, on his conscience. So sit down, you miserable man, and take a drop of something with us!"
The drunkard, who was used to being fisticuffed and held up to derision, even by those who bore him no ill-will, scarcely knew what to make of this highly flattering reception. He glanced suspiciously round him with his fishy eyes, and appeared to be considering earnestly whether he should begin to brag or to weep. Meanwhile he drank all he could lay hands on.
"Look at this deplorable victim of baronial l.u.s.t," Herr Merckel continued. "A man who is deprived of the possibility of revenge must lose his self-respect as he has, and degenerate into a sloven. Day and night he broods inwardly on the wrong that has been done him. But even the trodden-on worm turns at last, and who can blame us if we wish with all our hearts that the miscreant should not live to see another day?"
"Strike him dead!" spluttered the carpenter, suddenly waxing furious, but there was only a faint echo in response, for to the men who were now soldiers under orders for active service the glibly made suggestion seemed no longer a trifle.
Herr Merckel a.s.sumed an air of holy horror. "For shame, dear people! we must not listen to such treason. I, being your mayor, cannot countenance it. To strike him down in broad daylight would be an unwarrantable act of violence, and I wonder you dare entertain such an idea for a moment. But who can stem the torrent of righteous wrath that vents itself in imprecations and anathemas? And so it is my most earnest desire that our arch-enemy and tyrant may die in his bed to-night, or disappear and never be seen again, or that his body may be found to-morrow morning in the river Maraune. Then it would at least be clearly proved that there is still a G.o.d above to judge and condemn sinners. Amen."