He saunters toward the boundary of the wood and stares into its obscurity, already beginning to be animated by pale lunar reflections; then he proceeds for some distance beneath the trees, deeply inhaling the soft, aromatic fragrance of the pines. He is determined that by main force he will master this mysterious intoxication which seems to fever his whole being; but the further he betakes himself away from the festival ground the more does his unrest increase. Just as he is about to enter the dancing-room he sees Franz Maas hurrying towards him in breathless excitement. A vague presentiment of disaster dawns within him.
"What has happened?" he calls out to him.
"It"s a good thing I"ve found you. Your sister-in-law has been taken ill."
"For heaven"s sake! Where have you taken her?"
"Martin led her to your tent."
"How did it happen? How did it happen?"
"Some time before, I noticed that she had become pale and quiet, and when I asked her what was the matter, she said her foot hurt her. But in spite of that she would not sit still, and, while I was dancing with her, she suddenly broke down in the middle of the room."
"And then? What then?"
"I raised her up and drew her as quickly as possible to her chair, while I sent some one off to fetch Martin."
"Why didn"t you send for me, man?"
"Firstly I didn"t know where you were, and then, of course, it was the proper thing to send word first to her husband."
Johannes breaks into a shrill laugh. "Very proper, but what then?"
"She opened her eyes even before Martin arrived. The first thing she did was to send away the women who were crowding round her! then she whispered to me, "Don"t tell him that I fainted;" and then when he came hurrying in, looking quite pale, she went to meet him apparently quite cheerfully and said, "My shoe hurts me; it is nothing else.""
"And then?"
"Then he took her outside. But I just happened to see how she burst out sobbing and hid her face on his shoulder. Then I thought to myself, "G.o.d knows what else may be hurting her."" Johannes hears no further.
Without a word of thanks to his friend he rushes off.
The canvas which covers the entrance to the Rockhammer tent is let down low. Johannes listens for a moment. Soft weeping mingled with Martin"s soothing voice is audible from the interior, he tries to tear the curtain open, but it does not give way; it is evidently fastened down with a peg, "Who is there?" calls Martin"s voice from the other side.
"I--Johannes!"
"Stay outside."
Johannes winces. This "stay outside" has given him a very stab at his heart. When there is a chance of being at her side to help her in her trouble,--of giving her peace and comfort, he is to "stay outside." He grates his teeth and stares with hungry eyes at the curtain, through the apertures of which a faint red gleam pierces.
"Johannes!" Martin"s voice is heard anew.
"What do you want?"
"Go and see if our carriage is here."
He does as he is bid. He is just good enough to go errands! He inspects the rows of conveyances, and, when he does not find what he is seeking, he returns to the tent.
Now the curtain is drawn aside. There she stands--a little transparent shawl about her shoulders, looking pale and so beautiful.
"Just as I expected," says Martin, when he reports to him--"the carriage wasn"t ordered till daybreak."
"But what now? Does Trude want to go?" he asks anxiously.
"Trude must!" says she, giving him a look out of her tear-stained eyes, which are already trying to smile again.
"Resign yourself to it, my child," answers Martin, stroking her hair.
"If it were only the foot, it would not matter. But your crying just now--all this excitement--I think your illness is still hanging about you and rest will do you good. If only it did not take so long to fetch the carriage! I believe it would be best if you could walk the short distance across the fields--of course, only if you have no more pain.
Can you manage it?"
Trude gives Johannes a look; then nods eagerly.
"The air is warm, the gra.s.s is dry," Martin continues, "and Johannes can accompany you."
Trude gives a start, and he feels his blood mount in a hot wave to his head. His eyes seek hers, but she avoids his glance.
"You can easily be here again in half an hour, my dear boy," says Martin, who takes Johannes" silence to mean vexation. He shakes his head, and declares, with a look at Trude, that he too has had enough of it now.
"Well then, good speed to you, children," says Martin, "and, when I have disbanded my party, I will follow!"
Johannes sends a look into the distance; the plain which lies before him, swathed in silver veils of moonlight, appears to him like an abyss over which mists are brewing; he feels as if the arm which is just being pushed so gently and caressingly through his were dragging him down--down into the deepest depths.
"Good-night," he murmurs, half turned away from his brother.
"Aren"t you even going to shake hands?" asked Martin, with playful reproach, and, when Johannes hesitatingly extends his right hand, he gives it a hearty shake. What pain such a shake of the hand can inflict!
The din of the fete more and more dies away into the distance. The many-voiced tumult becomes a dull roaring in which only the shrill tinkle of the merry-go-round is distinguishable, and when the dance-music, which has been silent so long, commences anew, it drowns everything else with its piercing trumpet-blasts.
But even that grows more and more indistinct, and the big drum alone, which hitherto has played only a modest part, now gains ascendancy over the other instruments, for its dull, droning beat travels furthest into the distance. Silently they walk beside each other--neither ventures to address the other. Trude"s arm trembles in his; her eyes rest upon the mists which rise up in the greenish light from the meadows.
She steps along bravely, though she limps a little and from time to time gives vent to a low moan.
They have perhaps been walking for about five minutes when she turns around and points with outstretched hand towards the twinkling lights of the festival ground, that glisten against the black back-ground of the pine-wood. The merry-go-round is spinning its glittering hoop round, and the canvas part.i.tion of the dancing-room sparkles like a curtain of woven flames.
"Look, how lovely!" she whispers timidly.
He nods.
"Johannes!"
"What is it, Trade?"
"Don"t be cross with me!"
"Why--should I?"
"Why did you go away from the dancing?"
"Because it was too hot for me in the room."