The latter had quite lost her presence of mind. How could she let him come in with the coach-house full of visitors" equipages, and the hat-stand full of their coats and hats? It would be an insult. Pressing the hand of the trembling Felicitas soothingly, she declared that she must go out to him and explain. But before she could carry out this intention, the door was opened wide, and Leo"s ma.s.sive figure entered, with elastic step and much self-a.s.surance.
It was true that his sunburnt face had lost a little of its colour, true that his eye searched the salon quickly and nervously, yet no one suspected what a struggle it had cost him to find the way here, and what a drama was to be enacted.
"I always was a lucky dog," he exclaimed, as he stooped to kiss Frau von Stolt"s large red hand. She was still dumb, but had advanced a few steps to meet him. "I had made up my mind that I should have to beg each of these ladies" pardon separately for having been so remiss about calling since my return; but now I can make one solemn ceremony do for all."
This was rattled off fluently, as if it had been learnt by heart. Frau von Stolt, whose broad shoulders entirely hid Felicitas"s, muttered a subdued "Welcome," and shook his hand as if she never meant to let it go.
But it was no good. Laughing, he pa.s.sed on, and stretched out his hand (saying that they were all equally good friends and neighbours) to the first who sat next on the sofa to the hostess.
A long, terrified silence ensued. His right hand remained suspended in mid-air. Then _her_ name rang haltingly from his lips.
Felicitas, deadly pale, slowly lifted her big blue eyes, and gave the clumsy hostess a look of pitiful reproach, as much as to say that the responsibility for the monstrous thing that was going to happen, if it caused a scandal in the house, would be on her own shoulders. And then she laid two trembling fingers in the waiting hand.
A deep breath pa.s.sed through the salon.
Leo had bent down to impress a light kiss of grat.i.tude on the hand which had been extended to him in forgiveness, and now he turned hurriedly away from her to Frau von Sembritzky, whom he greeted with the noisiest effusion. Thus there was no reason why he should remark that Felicitas, who was half fainting, was led from the room by Frau von Stolt.
The ladies, delighted from the bottom of their hearts that the painful situation had been so well got over, also seemed as if they saw and heard nothing; while Leo broke into exclamations of amazement at the sight of little Meta Podewyl--had he not carried her pickaback?--promoted to the dignity of a married woman.
The gentle little person, who in her lilac silk gown was enthroned so prettily among the older ladies, smiled, feeling shy and flattered.
Together with the others sitting at the "young girls"" table, she had gushed and dreamed about the fugitive. It was said that it was she who had composed the verses of the chorale, which every Sunday during the confirmation time had been pa.s.sed round amongst them, and in which "foreign lands" rhymed with "sacred bands," and "home love" with "pure dove." But then Hans von Sembritzky had shown he was in earnest, and she had suddenly forgot her prayers for the absent hero.
Frau von Neuhaus, who had designs on Elly for her son, and so considered herself almost as one of the family, caught Leo by the arm, and led him over to the young people"s table, where some who had proved less faithless were gathered.
The young creatures, six of them altogether, stood up and ranged themselves in a half-circle. They were all blushing, and all cast their eyes on their plates. There was not one in this bevy of girls who had not languished for him since she was twelve years old, who had not felt a romantic thrill at the story of the fatal duel, and the flight from his fatherland of the much-admired murderer. There were two younger sisters Podewyl, then Trude Kra.s.sow, Susi Neuhaus, and two bourgeois maidens with whom they were compa.s.sionately intimate.
Leo"s eye rested with pleasure on the pale-golden and reddish-golden heads of the little crew who stood with beating hearts smiling at him.
He was elated that the game he played was turning out so well. An ecstasy of success rushed over him, giving his spirits wings and doubling his capabilities of enjoyment. He squeezed each of the soft rosy hands, and gazed with the rapture of a privileged flame into each pair of shining eyes.
He had quite forgotten Felicitas; and then he took his leave of them in order to join the gentlemen of the party. As he followed the servant across the gravel path of the garden, and drew near the group of young cavaliers, he became aware that, amidst loud laughter, they were shooting at small yellowish quoits, which at every shot flew into the air and mostly fell to pieces before the bullet had even touched them.
These quoits were thin slices of Gruyere cheese (somewhat crumbly from the dry air), which with other good things had been supplied for the young gentlemen"s six-o"clock light refreshment, but as the appet.i.te necessary for their enjoyment was lacking, they had been turned to another purpose.
Bets were concluded, books made, forfeits paid, false starts announced just as if they were on the racecourse.
Leo stepped into the circle, which respectfully opened to admit him. He belonged to an older generation than these scatter-brains, the oldest of whom had not pa.s.sed the first third of his twenties. In consequence he did not "know" any of them, and had indeed scarcely set eyes on them since they had left school. After they had greeted him with astonished respect, a laughing babel of voices began to explain to him the newly invented sport.
He took them in one by one when they were not looking. So it was in the society of these cheese-shooters that she had sought and found enjoyment? How infamous! and, what was more, how ridiculous!
Lothair Stolt, as son of the house, invited him to take part in the game; he himself offered to give up one of the favourites, which had already been heavily backed, because it was certain not to fall to pieces before it was shot at.
Leo expressed his thanks, and said that he was a novice in this art.
"But you can shoot?" asked the young master of Zesslingen.
"A little, dear Benno."
They scouted his modesty. Every one knew that he used to be the first shot in the country; and who could say what fresh skill he might have acquired on the other side of the ocean?
"We won"t hear any excuse," some one cried from the little crowd.
Leo felt in the humour for the prank. It was an opportunity, too, of reading a timely lesson to some who might later perhaps be disposed to make themselves objectionable.
"The revolver was our speciality over there," he said, looking round.
"We have one! We have one!" they shouted in chorus.
Lothair handed him a magnificent pistol with long blue gleaming barrels.
"But he must shoot at the cheese," called out Herr von Zesslingen, who, since he had drunk the three gallons, was looked upon as an authority amongst them.
"Just as you please," replied Leo.
The favourite, a fine slice of porous, golden-yellow cheese about the size of a plate, with firm rind, was solemnly handed to him. He carried it between two fingers to the mark, which was about fifteen paces from the shooting-place, and placed it on two of the pegs by which the circular target was fastened to the table.
"It must fall directly it is. .h.i.t," he said.
The youths exchanged glances. One didn"t need to go to South America to learn to hit an object the size of a man"s hand at a distance of fifteen paces. The first shot was fired. The slice did not stir, and surprise increased.
At intervals of several seconds two other shots followed. The slice stood fast as if it had taken root on the mark.
"Will the gentlemen satisfy themselves that the target has not been struck?" said Leo.
"It seems pretty clear that it hasn"t," replied Lothair, feeling that he might now safely venture on a little impertinence.
"All the same, I invite inspection."
Shaking their heads, the little group trotted over to the target. It seemed almost as if he had been pulling their legs. But not a trace of the last shots was to be found on the broad surface of the marking-table. The bullets must have stuck in the air. Only when Leo knocked over the slice of cheese with the nail of his little finger was the mystery solved. The slice had three pores larger than the rest. A bullet had penetrated through each of these almost without grazing the side.
They gave vent to an exclamation of awed amazement, for here was a man capable of choosing the very pore in his enemy"s skin that he might fancy in which to lodge a bullet. Soon afterwards the older gentlemen came over from the stable-yard, Ulrich amongst them. When he beheld his friend laughing and joking with the youngsters, he stiffened and withdrew a few steps, looking almost shocked. Before he could open his mouth, Leo was at his side.
"Silence!" he exhorted.
Then he shook heartily the hands stretched out to him on all sides. So soon as it was over he led Ulrich aside.
"We must keep up the deception," he said to him, "and seem as if we had not met since the day at the station."
"Why these hole-and-corner resources?" he asked, mystified.
"Because Felicitas is cleverer than we two put together," he answered, with cynical exuberance.
"She planned this?"
"Yes, of course."
"And wrote to you?"
"Equally of course."