Das landhaus am Rhein. English by Berthold Auerbach
CHAPTER VII.
AN ILLUMINATING FLASH.
After the crisis of a storm has passed, a company of persons becomevery lively, and have an additional feeling of home. They had withdrawninto the inner music saloon, whose vaulted ceiling, brilliantly lightedup, had even a festive appearance. Half way up the walls of the roomfour balconies projected, and in the centre was the grand piano. On oneside was a circular seat, upon an elevated platform, where Bella wassitting with the happy Justice's wife on the right, and the forester'swife on the left.
The young girls were promenading arm in arm through the saloon, andPranken, full of his jokes, accompanied them; he carried in his hand arose out of Lina's wreath; when Clodwig and Eric joined the circle,with the major, the young people came up to them.
Bella asked the major whether the work upon the castle, which HerrSonnenkamp had begun to rebuild, was still continued. The major nodded;he always nodded several times before he spoke, as if carefullyarranging beforehand what he should say.
He asserted very confidently that they would find a spring in thecastle court-yard. Clodwig begged him to preserve carefully every relicof the middle ages and the Roman period, and promised soon to gohimself, and superintend the excavations. The head-forester jestinglyobserved, "Herr Sonnenkamp,"--everybody called him Herr, but with apeculiar accent, as if they wished no further acquaintance withhim,--"Herr Sonnenkamp will probably now give his name to the restoredcastle."
When Herr Sonnenkamp's name was mentioned, it seemed as if a dam hadbeen carried away, and the conversation rushed in headlong from allquarters.
"Herr Sonnenkamp has a deal of understanding," said theschool-director, "but Moliere maliciously observes, that the rich man'sunderstanding is in his pocket."
The apothecary added, "Herr Sonnenkamp loves to represent himself as anincorrigible sinner, in the hope that nobody will believe him; butpeople do believe him."
Eric caught the names Herr Sonnenkamp, Frau Ceres, Manna, Roland, FrauPerini; it was like the chirping of birds in the woods, all soundsmingled together, and no one melody distinctly heard. The wife of theJustice, with a significant glance towards Pranken, said, "Men like themajor and Herr von Pranken can take up at once such mysterious,interloping people from abroad, but ladies must be more reserved." Thenshe gave it to be understood that the old established families couldnot be too strict in receiving foreign intruders.
In a somewhat forced humor, Bella joked about the long nails of FrauCeres; but her lips trembled when Clodwig said very sharply, "Among theIndians long nails take the place of family descent, and the oneperhaps is as good as the other."
All were amazed when Clodwig spoke so disparagingly of the nobility. Heseemed displeased at the detracting remarks upon the Sonnenkamp family;he was above all meanness, and everything small and invidious wasas offensive to him as a disagreeable odor. Turning to Eric, hesaid,--"Herr Sonnenkamp, the present subject of the conversation, isthe owner of many millions. To acquire such immense wealth is anevidence of strength; or, I should rather say, to acquire great wealthshows great vigor; to keep it requires great wisdom; and to use it wellis a virtue and an art."
He paused, and as no one spoke, he continued,--"Riches have a certaintitle to respect; riches, especially one's own acquisition, are anevidence of activity and service. Far easier does it appear to me to bea prince, than to be a man of such excessive wealth. Such anaccumulation of power is apt to make men arbitrary; a very wealthy manlives in an atmosphere saturated, as it were, with the consciousness ofsupreme power, and ceases to be an individual personality, and thewhole world assumes to him the aspect of a price-current list. Have youever met such a man?"
Before Eric could reply, Pranken roughly broke in, "Captain Dournaywishes to become the tutor of the young Sonnenkamp." All eyes weredirected towards Eric; he was regarded as if he had been suddenlytransformed, and clad in a beggar's garment. The men nodded to eachother and shrugged their shoulders; a man engaging in a privateemployment, and such an employment too, had lost all title toconsideration. The ladies looked at him compassionately. Eric sawnothing of all this. He did not know what Pranken meant by thissurprising revelation; he felt that he must make some reply, but knewnot what to say.
A painful pause followed Pranken's communication. Clodwig had placedhis hands upon his lips, that had become very pale. At last he said,"Such an appointment will contribute to your honor, and to the honorand good fortune of Herr Sonnenkamp."
Eric felt a broad hand laid upon his shoulder, and on looking round hegazed into the smiling countenance of the major, who, pointing severaltimes with his left hand to his heart, said at last, "The count hasexpressed what I wished to say, but it is better for him to have saidit, and he has done it much better than I could. Carry out yourpurpose, comrade."
Pranken now came up, and said, in a very affable tone, that it was hewho had advised and recommended Eric. Lina had opened a window, andcalled out in a clear voice, "The storm is over."
A fresh, fragrant air streaming into the saloon gave relief to theirconstraint, and every one breathed freely again. A gentle rain stillpattered down, but the nightingales were again singing in the woods.They now urged the forester's wife to sing. She declined, but could notwithstand the request of Bella, who very seldom played, that she wouldsing to her accompaniment.
The forester's wife sang some songs with so fresh and youthful a voice,so clear and simple, that the hearts of all the hearers were touched.Lina also was urged to sing. She insisted that she could not to-day,but, on receiving a reproving glance from her mother, she seatedherself at the piano, sang some notes, and then gave up. Withoutembarrassment, as if nothing had happened, she said, "I have now provedto you that I can't sing to-day."
The wife of the Justice bit her lips, and breathed hard with quiveringnostrils, at the foolish girl acting as if nothing was the matter. Theforester's wife sang another song; and now Lina, placing herself at herside, said that she would sing a duet, but she could not sing alone.And she did sing, in a fresh soprano voice, somewhat timidly, but withclear and pure tone.
With unconscious simplicity, as if he were an old acquaintance, she nowasked Eric to sing. The whole company united in the request, but Ericpositively declined, and looked up surprised when Pranken joined inwith the remark, "The captain is right in not exhibiting at once allhis varied talents." It was said in the gentlest tone, but thesarcastic point was unmistakable.
"I thank you for standing by me like a good comrade," said Eric,looking round.
The sky was clear, only it still lightened over the Taunus mountains.The company took their leave, with many thanks for the delightful daythey had spent, and the charming evening. Even the perpetually silent"Mrs. Lay-figure" now spoke, appearing in her fashionable new hood,which she had put on very becomingly. Just as they were departing, thephysician made his appearance. He had been detained by the storm whilevisiting a patient in a neighboring village. He drove off with therest, having scarcely had time to say good-evening to the Count Clodwigand Bella.
Bella drew a long breath when the reception was all over. There wasmuch conversation in the different carriages, but in one there wasweeping, for Lina received a sharp scolding for her behavior, in actingas if she were nothing but a stupid, simple country girl. Instead ofbeing sprightly and making the most of herself, she behaved as if shehad come, only an hour before, from keeping geese. Lina had for a longtime been accustomed to these violent reproofs, but she seemed today totake them more feelingly to heart. She had been so happy, that now thesevere lecture came doubly hard. She silently wept.
The Justice, who was no justice of the peace in his own family, took nopart in this feminine outbreak. Not until he was ready to take a freshcigar did he say, "This loquacious Dournay seems to me a dangerousman."
"I think him very agreeable."
"Woman's logic! as if the amiability, instead of excluding, did notrather include, the dangerous element. Don't you see thr
"No."
"Then put together these facts: we come across him at the convent,where the daughter of this exceedingly wealthy Herr Sonnenkamp isliving, and he acts as if he knew no one, and had no special end inview. Now he wants to be the tutor of young Sonnenkamp. Ha! what aflash!"
A bright flash of lightning illumined not only the landscape, but therelation in which several people stood to each other. Especially theEden villa was as clearly defined in every part as if it were only afew paces off.
"Just see," continued the Justice, "how this great pile of buildingsand the park are lighted up, and no one knows what is brewing uphere. Amazing world! Baron Pranken introduces this Dournay to hissister-in-law and his father-in-law as a friend, and yet these two menare sworn enemies."
The wife of the Justice was vexed with her husband. He was so animated,and made such keen observations, alone with her and at home, while insociety he had hardly a word to say, and let others bear away all thehonors.
"Who is the father-in-law you speak of?" she asked, for the sake ofsaying something.
"Why, Herr Sonnenkamp, of course; at least, he is to be. Thatinexhaustible wealth of his is guano for the Baron Pranken; he needsit, and why should he trouble himself about where it comes from?" Linathrew her veil over her face, and shut her eyes. The Justice nowexplained the special reasons why neither he, nor his wife, shouldbecome mixed up in these affairs.
"This captain-doctor is a dangerous man, dangerous in many respects."This was his last remark, and they were silent until they reached home.