"Yes. Well, she has a little son. When the mother was taken to prison, the little lad was turned away from every door, was beaten and abused by the other children, until at last he fled to the marshes, where he ate the young shoots of the reeds, and slept in the mire. The nameless count discovered with his telescope the little outcast, and wrote to me to have him taken to Frau Schmidt, where he would be well taken care of until his mother came back."
By this time the tears were running down the baroness"s cheeks.
"Poor little lad!" she murmured brokenly. "Your story has affected me deeply, Herr Pastor."
Then she summoned her steward, and bade him fill a large hamper with sweets and pasties, and send it to Frau Schmidt for the poor little boy.
"And tell Frau Schmidt," she added, "to send the child to the manor. We will see to it that he has some suitable clothes. I am delighted, reverend sir, to learn that my tenant is a true n.o.bleman."
"His deeds certainly proclaim him as such, your ladyship."
"How do _you_ explain the mystery of the veiled lady?"
"I cannot explain it, your ladyship; she is never mentioned in our correspondence."
"She may be a prisoner, detained at the castle by force."
"That cannot be; for she has a hundred opportunities to escape, or to ask for help."
Here the surveyor managed to express his belief that the reason the lady wore a veil was because of the repulsiveness of her face.
At this, a voice that had not yet been heard said, at the lower end of the table:
"But the lady is one the most beautiful creatures I ever saw--and quite young."
Every eye was turned toward the speaker.
"What? Audiat? How dares he say such a thing?" demanded the vice-palatine.
"Because I have seen her."
"You have seen her? When did you see her? Where did you see her--her whom no one yet has seen?"
"When I was returning from college last year, _per pedes apostolorum_, for my money had given out, and my knapsack was empty. I was picking hazelnuts from the bushes in the park of the Nameless Castle, when I heard a window open. I looked up, and saw in the open sash a face the like of which I have never seen, even in a picture."
"Ah!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the baroness. "Tell us what is she like. Come nearer to me."
The clerk, however, was too bashful to leave his place, whereupon the baroness rose and took a seat by his side.
"She has long, curling black hair," he went on. "Her face is fair as a lily and red as a rose, her brow pure and high, with no sign of the branding-iron. Her mouth is small and delicate. Indeed, her entire appearance that day was like that of an angel looking down from heaven."
"Is she a maid or a married woman?" inquired one of the company.
A maid, in those days, was very easily distinguished from her married sister. The latter was never seen without a cap.
"A young girl not more than fifteen, I should say," was the reply. "A cap would not suit her face."
"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Bernat bacsi. "And this enchanting fairy opened the window to show her lovely face to Audiat!"
"No; she did not open the window on my account," retorted the young man, "but for the beasts that were luckier than I--for four cats that were playing in the gutter of the roof; a white one, a black one, a yellow one, and a gray one; and all of them scampered toward her when they heard her call."
"The cats are her only companions--that much we know from the servants,"
affirmed the justice.
The laurels which his clerk had won made the vice-palatine jealous.
"Audiat," he said, in a reproving tone, "you ought to learn that a young person should speak only when spoken to; indeed,--as the learned Professor Hatvani says,--even then it is not necessary to answer all questions."
But the company around the dinner-table did not share these views. The clerk was a.s.sailed on all sides--very much as would have been an aeronaut who had just alighted from a montgolfier--to relate all that he had seen in those regions not yet penetrated by man. What sort of gown did the mysterious lady wear? Was he certain that she had no cap on? Was she really no older than fifteen years?
The vice-palatine at last put an end to his clerk"s triumph.
"Tut, tut! what can you expect to learn from a mere lad like him?--when he saw her only for an instant! Just wait; _I_ will find out all about this nameless gentleman and lady."
"Pray how do you propose to accomplish that?" queried the baroness, who had returned to her former seat.
"I shall go to the Nameless Castle."
"Suppose you are not permitted to enter?"
"What? _I_, the vice-palatine, not permitted to enter? Wait; I will explain my plan to you over the coffee."
When the time came to serve the black coffee, the amiable hostess suggested that it would be pleasant to enjoy it in the open air; whereupon the company repaired to the veranda where, on several small tables, the fragrant mocha was steaming in the cups. Here the baroness and the vice-palatine seated themselves where they could look directly at the Nameless Castle; and Herr Bernat Gorombolyi proceeded to explain how he intended to take the castle without force--which was forbidden a Hungarian official.
Then the two ladies withdrew to make their toilets for the evening; and the gentlemen betook themselves to the smoking-room, to indulge in a little game of chance, without which no "installation" ceremony would have been complete.
CHAPTER III
The following morning, after a very satisfactory breakfast, the gentlemen took leave of their amiable hostess, Bernat bacsi lingering behind the rest to whisper significantly:
"I will not say farewell, Katinka hugom, for I am coming back to tell you all about it." Then he took his place in the extra post-chaise, and bade the postilion drive directly to the neighboring castle. The Nameless Castle was built on a narrow tongue of land that extended into Lake Neusiedl. The road to the castle gate ran along a sort of causeway, which was protected from the water by a strong bulwark composed of fascines, and a row of willows with knotty crowns. A drawbridge at the farther end made it necessary for the person who wished to enter the gate to ask permission.
On ringing the bell, there appeared at the gate the servant who has already been described,--the groom, coachman, and man of all work in one person. He had on a handsome livery, white gloves, white stockings, and shoes without heels.
"Is the count at home?" inquired the vice-palatine.
"He is."
"Announce us. I am the vice-palatine of the county, and wish to pay an official visit."
"The Herr Count is already informed of the gentlemen"s arrival, and bids them welcome."
This certainly was getting on smoothly enough! And the most convincing proof of a hearty welcome was that the stately groom himself hastened to remove the luggage from the chaise and carry it into the vestibule--a sign that the guests were expected to make a visit of some duration.
Now, however, something curious happened.