"Do not speak to Herbert about it, I beg of you," interrupted Adelaide, quickly. "I shall have to explain to you, since Eugene allowed himself to be carried away so far; but he has taken the matter too hard from the beginning. There is nothing dishonorable about it."
"I hope so, since Wallmoden is concerned," said the Colonel, with emphasis.
CHAPTER x.x.xVIII.
The young Baroness lowered her voice and evaded the eyes of her listener as she commenced.
"You know that my engagement happened a year ago at Florence. My father was even then very ailing, and the physicians desired that he should remain in Italy during the winter. We went to Florence, intending to stay two months, and then make further plans according to the wish of the invalid. My brother had accompanied us, but was to return home at the beginning of winter.
"We took a villa outside the city, and, of course, lived quite secluded.
Eugene saw Italy for the first time, and it was so mournful for him to sit day after day in the lonely sick room, that I seconded his request to go to Rome for a short time. He finally received permission. Oh, if I had never done it! But I could not know how deeply his inexperience would involve him then."
"That means that he followed up adventures, although his father was at death"s door."
"Do not judge so harshly. My brother was scarcely twenty years old then, and had always lived under the eyes of a loving but very strict father. The short freedom proved dangerous to him. The young German, who had no knowledge of the world whatever, was enticed into circles where high--and as it was afterward proved--false gambling was the order of the day, and where a number of bad, but outwardly charming, elements met. Eugene, in his ignorance, did not understand it, and lost heavily, until suddenly the party was raided by the police. The Italians defended themselves, and it ended in a fight, into which Eugene, too, was drawn. He only defended himself, but he had the misfortune to injure a policeman severely, and was arrested with the others."
The Colonel had listened silently, with impa.s.sive face, and his voice was as harsh as before as he said: "And Stahlberg had to live to see this of his son, who had been a model until then?"
"He never heard of it; it was only a momentary losing of one"s self--a case of one misled, rather than guilty, and it will not happen again.
Eugene has given me his word of honor for that."
Falkenried laughed so scornfully that his companion looked at him in consternation.
"His word of honor! Yes, why not? That is given as easily as it is broken. Are you truly so trusting as to believe in the word of such a young lad?"
"Yes, that I am," a.s.serted Adelaide, in an injured tone, while her eyes, earnest and reproachful, met the gaze of the man whose awful bitterness she could not explain. "I know my brother. In spite of this escapade, he is the son of his father, and he will keep his word to me and to himself--I know it."
"It is well for you if you can still believe and trust. I have long forgotten how," said Falkenried, in a low but milder tone. "And what happened then?"
"My brother succeeded in being allowed to send me word immediately.
"Keep it from father, it would be his death," he wrote. I knew better than he did that our desperately ill father could not stand such news.
But we were alone in a foreign country, without friends or acquaintances, and help had to be had instantly. In this extremity I thought of Herr von Wallmoden, who at the time was at the emba.s.sy at Florence. We had known him slightly before, and he had called directly after our arrival and placed himself at our command, should we need the help of the Amba.s.sador. He had come to our house frequently, and now hastened to me immediately upon receiving my request. I told him all, and trusted him, beseeching his advice and help--and received it."
"At what price?" demanded the Colonel, with darkly contracted brows.
Adelaide shook her head.
"No, no; it is not as you think--as Eugene also believed. I was not forced. Herbert gave me free choice, although he did not hide from me that the occurrence was much worse than I feared; that those sums lost in play must, nevertheless, be paid if one wished to keep the affair from publicity; that, in spite of all, it might get into the courts, on account of the injury to the policeman. He explained to me that he might be brought into a wrong light if he mixed himself up in such affairs. "You desire me to save your brother," said he; "perhaps I can do it, but I jeopardize my position--my whole future thereby. One makes such a sacrifice, perhaps, only for his own brother, or--his brother-in-law."
Falkenried arose suddenly and took a turn through the room. Then he stood still before the young wife and said, in angry tones: "And you, of course, believed that in your anxiety?"
"Do you mean that it was not so?" asked Adelaide, startled.
He shrugged his shoulders with a half-contemptuous expression.
"Possibly. I do not know these diplomatic reasons. I know only one thing; Wallmoden has, indeed, proved himself a great diplomat in the whole affair. What did you answer him?"
"I asked for time to think, everything had burst so upon me. But I knew, that no moment was to be lost, and that same evening I gave Herbert the right to act--for his brother-in-law."
"Of course," muttered the Colonel, with deep disdain; "the wise, shrewd Herbert!"
"He obtained leave of absence immediately, and went to Rome," continued the young Baroness, "returning in a week, accompanied by my brother. He had succeeded in freeing Eugene and withdrawing him from the whole affair. Even the newspapers did not mention the name of the young German who had been involved in it. I do not know by what means it was done. If one has powerful friends and does not need to spare money, much is possible. Herbert had spent money lavishly on all sides and had brought into use every advantage made possible to him through his long years of diplomatic work. He also cancelled the gambling debts, although with his own bond. He told me later that he had given half his fortune for that purpose."
"It was very magnanimous, since by this sacrifice he won a cool million. And what did Eugene say to this--trade?"
"He knew nothing of it, and soon returned to Germany, as had been decided at first. From that time Herbert came to our house daily and knew how to prepossess my sick father so well, that father finally felt a desire for the union himself. Only then did Herbert begin his wooing.
I was grateful to him for giving it this turn, only Eugene was not deceived. He guessed everything, and forced the truth from me. Since then he has tortured himself with self-reproach and almost feels hostility toward his brother-in-law, in spite of my repeated a.s.surance that I have never had cause to rue that step, and that I have in Herbert the most attentive and considerate husband."
Falkenried"s eyes rested intently upon the face of the young wife, as if he wished to read her most secret thoughts.
"Are you happy?" he asked, slowly.
"I am content."
"That is much in this life," said the Colonel in the old, harsh tone.
"We were not born to be happy. I have done you wrong, Ada. I believed the splendor of a high position, the desire to play a first role in society as wife of the Amba.s.sador, had made you Frau von Wallmoden, but--I am glad that t judged you wrongly."
He stretched forth his hand. Some expression was now in the icy gaze and an apology in the grasp of the hand.
"You know everything now," concluded Adelaide, with a deep breath, "and I beg that you will not touch upon the subject before Herbert. You see, there was nothing dishonorable in his dealings. I repeat to you that he used neither force nor persuasion. I was forced only by the power of circ.u.mstances. I could not expect that he would make such sacrifices for a stranger."
"If a lady had sought me in such anxiety, I would have made the sacrifices--unconditionally," declared Falkenried.
"Yes, you! I would have followed you also with a lighter heart."
The avowal betrayed, unconsciously, how hard had been the struggle which the young wife had not mentioned by a word. But she spoke the truth.
She would much rather have given herself to the gloomy, reticent man, with his harsh and often offensive manner, if the sacrifice had to be made, than to the ever polite and attentive husband, who, in the face of her extremity--had traded with it.
"You would have had a hard lot then, Ada," said the Colonel, with a grave shake of the head. "I am one of the men who cannot give or receive anything more in this life. I have finished with it long ago.
But you are right; it is better to let that subject remain untouched between Wallmoden and me, for if I wished to tell him my true opinion about it--well, he will always be a diplomat."
Adelaide arose, breaking off the conversation, and tried to a.s.sume a lighter tone.
"And now let me take you to your rooms at last. You must be exhausted by the long trip."
"No, a single night"s journey will not tire a soldier. Duty makes harsher demands than that on us."
He drew himself up straight and firm; one could see that his physical strength was yet unbroken. Those muscles and sinews seemed like steel.
It was the features alone that bore the mark of age.
The eyes of the Baroness lingered upon them thoughtfully, especially upon the brow which was so deeply and heavily furrowed and yet was formed so high and powerful under the white hair.
It seemed to her as if she had seen that brow somewhere else, under dark locks; but there could not be a sharper contrast than between this too early aged, care-lined face and that youthful head with the foreign, southern beauty and the uncanny light in the eyes. Yet it had been the same brow over which the lightnings had flamed on that lonely forest height; the same high, powerful curve; even the blue veins which were so p.r.o.nounced at the temples--a strange, incomprehensible likeness!