Effi had slept quite soundly for a while, when all of a sudden she started up out of her sleep with a loud scream, indeed, she was able to hear the scream, as she awoke, and she also noticed Rollo"s barking outside. His "bow-wow" went echoing down the hall, m.u.f.fled and almost terrifying. She felt as though her heart stood still, and was unable to call out. At this moment something whisked past her, and the door into the hall sprang open. But the moment of extreme fright was also the moment of her rescue, for, instead of something terrible, Rollo now came up to her, sought her hand with his head, and, when he had found it, lay down upon the rug before her bed. With her other hand Effi had pressed three times on the b.u.t.ton of the bell and in less than half a minute Johanna was there, in her bare feet, her skirt hanging over her arm and a large checkered cloth thrown over her head and shoulders.
"Thank heaven, Johanna, that you are here."
"What was the matter, your Ladyship? Your Ladyship has had a dream."
"Yes, a dream. It must have been something of the sort, but it was something else besides."
"Pray, what, your Ladyship?"
"I was sleeping quite soundly and suddenly I started up and screamed--perhaps it was a nightmare--they have nightmares in our family--My father has them, too, and frightens us with them. Mama always says he ought not to humor himself so--But that is easy to say--Well, I started up out of my sleep and screamed, and when I looked around, as well as I could in the dark, something slipped past my bed, right there where you are standing now, Johanna, and then it was gone. And if I ask myself seriously, what it was--"
"Well, your Ladyship?"
"And if I ask myself seriously--I don"t like to say it, Johanna--but I believe it was the Chinaman."
[Ill.u.s.tration: _Permission F Bruckmann, A.-G. Munich_ A STREET SCENE AT PARIS Adolph von Menzel]
"The one from upstairs?" said Johanna, trying to laugh, "our little Chinaman that we pasted on the back of the chair, Christel and I? Oh, your Ladyship has been dreaming, and even if your Ladyship was awake, it all came from a dream."
"I should believe that, if it had not been exactly the moment when Rollo began to bark outside. So he must have seen it too. Then the door flew open and the good faithful animal sprang toward me, as though he were coming to my rescue. Oh, my dear Johanna, it was terrible. And I so alone and so young. Oh, if I only had some one here with whom I could weep. But so far from home--alas, from home."
"The master may come any hour."
"No, he shall not come. He shall not see me thus. He would probably laugh at me and I could never pardon him for that. For it was so fearful, Johanna--You must stay here now--But let Christel sleep and Frederick too. n.o.body must know about it."
"Or perhaps I may fetch Mrs. Kruse to join us. She doesn"t sleep anyhow; she sits there all night long."
"No, no, she is a kindred spirit. That black chicken has something to do with it, too. She must not come. No, Johanna, you just stay here yourself. And how fortunate that you merely drew the shutters to. Push them open, make a loud noise, so that I may hear a human sound, a human sound--I have to call it that, even if it seems queer--and then open the window a little bit, that I may have air and light."
Johanna did as ordered and Effi leaned back upon her pillows and soon thereafter fell into a lethargic sleep.
CHAPTER X
It was six o"clock in the morning when Innstetten returned home from Varzin. He made Rollo omit all demonstrations of affection and then retired as quietly as possible to his room. Here he lay down in a comfortable position, but would not allow Frederick to do more than cover him up with a traveling rug. "Wake me at nine." And at this hour he was wakened. He arose quickly and said: "Bring my breakfast."
"Her Ladyship is still asleep."
"But it is late. Has anything happened?"
"I don"t know. I only know that Johanna had to sleep all night in her Ladyship"s room."
"Well, send Johanna to me then."
She came. She had the same rosy complexion as ever, and so seemed not to have been specially upset by the events of the night.
"What is this I hear about her Ladyship? Frederick tells me something happened and you slept in her room."
"Yes, Sir Baron. Her Ladyship rang three times in very quick succession, and I thought at once it meant something. And it did, too.
She probably had a dream, or it may perhaps have been the other thing."
"What other thing?"
"Oh, your Lordship knows, I believe."
"I know nothing. In any case we must put an end to it. And how did you find her Ladyship?"
"She was beside herself and clung to Rollo"s collar with all her might. The dog was standing beside her Ladyship"s bed and was frightened also."
"And what had she dreamed, or, if you prefer, what had she heard or seen? What did she say?"
"That it just slipped along close by her."
"What? Who?"
"The man from upstairs. The one from the social hall or from the small chamber."
"Nonsense, I say. Over and over that same silly stuff. I don"t want to hear any more about it. And then you stayed with her Ladyship?"
"Yes, your Lordship. I made a bed on the floor close by her. And I had to hold her hand, and then she went to sleep."
"And she is still sleeping?"
"Very soundly."
"I am worried about that, Johanna. One can sleep one"s self well, but also ill. We must waken her, cautiously, of course, so that she will not be startled again. And tell Frederick not to bring the breakfast.
I will wait till her Ladyship is here. Now let me see how clever you can be."
Half an hour later Effi came. She looked charming, but quite pale, and was leaning on Johanna. The moment she caught sight of Innstetten she rushed up to him and embraced and kissed him, while the tears streamed down her face. "Oh, Geert, thank heaven, you are here. All is well again now. You must not go away again, you must not leave me alone again."
"My dear Effi--Just put it down, Frederick, I will do the rest--my dear Effi, I am not leaving you alone from lack of consideration or from caprice, but because it is necessary. I have no choice. I am a man in office and cannot say to the Prince, or even to the Princess: Your Highness, I cannot come; my wife is so alone, or, my wife is afraid. If I said that it would put us in a rather comical light, me certainly, and you, too. But first take a cup of coffee."
Effi drank her coffee and its stimulating effect was plainly to be seen. Then she took her husband"s hand again and said: "You shall have your way. I see, it is impossible. And then, you know, we aspire to something higher. I say we, for I am really more eager for it than you."
"All wives are," laughed Innstetten.
"So it is settled. You will accept invitations as heretofore, and I will stay here and wait for my "High Lord," which reminds me of Hulda under the elder tree. I wonder how she is getting along?"
"Young ladies like Hulda always get along well. But what else were you going to say?"
"I was going to say, I will stay here, and even alone, if necessary.
But not in this house. Let us move out. There are such handsome houses along the quay, one between Consul Martens and Consul Grutzmacher, and one on the Market, just opposite Gieshubler. Why can"t we live there?
Why here, of all places? When we have had friends and relatives as guests in our house I have often heard that in Berlin families move out on account of piano playing, or on account of c.o.c.kroaches, or on account of an unfriendly concierge. If it is done on account of such a trifle--"
"Trifle? Concierge? Don"t say that."