The Breaking of the Storm Volume Ii Part 5

The Count had entered a few minutes before, in his deputy's uniform, with the Cross of St. John. The room was by this time nearly full, and he had had some difficulty in making his way to the ladies of the house. Elsa had not helped him in his efforts; at the moment that he appeared in the doorway she continued so eagerly the conversation already begun with Captain von Schonau, that the Count, after bowing to Sidonie, had stood for half a minute behind her without attracting her attention, till Schonau at last felt bound with "I think" and a movement of the hand to draw her notice to the newly-arrived guest.

"I am happy--" said the Count.

"Ah! Count Golm!" exclaimed Elsa, with well-acted astonishment. "I beg your pardon for not having seen you sooner, I was so absorbed. May I introduce you? Captain von Schonau, on the staff--a great friend of ours--Count von Golm. Have you seen papa, Count Golm? I think he is in the other room. You were saying, Captain von Schonau----"

The Count stepped back with a bow.

"That was rather strong, Fraulein Elsa," said Schonau.

"What?"

Schonau laughed.

"Do you know that if I were not the most modest of men I might imagine all possible and impossible follies?"

"How so?"

"Why, did not you see that the Count held out his hand, and drew back with a face as red as my collar? A young lady with such sharp eyes as Fraulein Elsa von Werben could only overlook such a thing if she did not wish to see it; which can hardly be the case here, or if she--I am afraid to go on.--Who is that?"

"Who?"

"That officer--to the left, near Baroness Kniebreche--you are looking to the right! He is speaking to your father now--a fine-looking man--he has got the cross, too. Where did you meet with him?"

Elsa was forced to make up her mind to see Reinhold, though her heart beat fast, to her great annoyance. She was vexed already at having laid herself open to Schonau's sharp-sighted eyes, and almost betrayed herself to him by her behaviour to the Count. It should not happen again.

"A Herr Schmidt," she said, arranging the rosebuds in her hair--"a merchant-captain. We made his acquaintance when we were travelling.

Papa likes him very much."

"A very fine-looking man," repeated Schonau; "just the sort of handsome, manly face that I admire; and a very good manner, too, though one recognises the officer of the reserve at the first glance."

"In what way?" asked Elsa, whose heart began to beat again.

"You ought to know that as well or better than I do, as you see more of the Guards. Compare him with Ottomar, who is late as usual, and is trying to repair his faults by making himself doubly agreeable! Look at the finished courtesy with which he kisses old Countess Kniebreche's bony hand, and now turns and makes a bow to Countess Fischbach, for which the great Vestris might have envied him--_Allons, mon fils, montrez votre talent_; and how he speaks now to Sattelstadt, not a shade too much or too little. It is really unfair to compare one of the reserve with the model of all knightly graces! Do not you agree with me?"

Elsa only looked straight before her. Schonau was right; there was a difference. She had liked him better as he walked up and down the deck in his rough pilot jacket. She had envied him the firmness and freedom of his movements. And when later he sat in the boat and steered it as calmly as a rider governs his fiery steed, then he had appeared to her as the model of a brave man conscious of his strength. If only he had not come now, just now!

At that moment Reinhold, who had all this time been talking to her father, and was now dismissed with a friendly nod, turned, and seeing Elsa, came straight towards her. Elsa trembled so violently that she was obliged to support herself by laying her hand on the back of a chair; she wished to act a little comedy before the quick-witted Schonau, and to appear perfectly cool and unconcerned; but as he now stepped towards her, his bright, honest eyes still beaming at the recollection of her father's kind reception of him, in the open, manly features a certain embarra.s.sment, which seemed to ask, 'Shall I be welcome to you also?' her heart leaped up warmly and generously; and though one hand still rested on the chair, she held out the other towards him. Her dark eyes glowed, her red lips smiled, and she said: "Welcome to our house, my dear Herr Schmidt!" as cheerfully and frankly as if there were no finer name in the world.

He seized her hand and said a few words which she only half heard. She turned towards Schonau, the Captain had vanished; the colour mounted into her cheeks.

"It does not matter," she murmured.

"What does not matter?"

"I will tell you by-and-by if-- We are going to dance a little after supper. I do not know----"

"Whether I dance! I am very fond of it."

"Even the Rheinlander?"

"Even the Rheinlander. And notwithstanding your incredulous smile, not so badly that Fraulein von Werben need be afraid to give me the honour."

"The Rheinlander then! I have already promised all the others. Now I must go and entertain the company." She nodded kindly to him and turned away, but came back immediately. "Do you like my brother?"

"Very much."

"I wish so much that you should be friends. Do try to see more of him.

Will you?"

"With all my heart."

She was now obliged to go; and Reinhold also mixed with the rest of the company, without any of the embarra.s.sment that he had felt on first entering a circle so brilliant and so strange to him. His hosts had received him as a dear friend of the house. Even the eyes of the dignified aunt had glanced at him not without a certain good-natured curiosity, stately as her curtsey had been; but the General had shaken him warmly by the hand, and after the first words of greeting, drawing him confidentially aside, had said: "I must introduce you to Colonel von Sattelstadt and Captain von Schonau, both on the staff. They are anxious to hear your opinion on the Harbour question. Pray speak your mind quite freely. You will be doing me a favour. I shall also have a special favour to ask of you with regard to this affair, which I will tell you later. Au revoir, then."

That was flattering to the lieutenant of the reserve, said Reinhold to himself as he turned towards Elsa; and now she, too, had been so kind and friendly. He felt like one of Homer's heroes, who in silence hopes that the G.o.ddess to whom he prays will be gracious to him, and to whom the divinity appears in the tumult of battle and looks at him with her immortal eyes, and in words which only he can hear, promises him her a.s.sistance. What mattered to him now that old Baroness Kniebreche's gold eye-gla.s.s was so long fixed upon him with such a disagreeable stare, and then let fall with a movement that plainly said: It was hardly worth the trouble! What mattered to him that Count Golm avoided seeing him as long as he could possibly do so, and, when it was no longer possible, walked past him with a snappish "Ah, Captain!

delighted to see you!" That young Prince Clemda's bow when they were introduced might have been somewhat less careless. What did it all signify? And those were the only marks of coldness which had been shown him during the hour that he had already pa.s.sed in the somewhat numerous a.s.sembly. He had met with scarcely anything but good-natured, open friendliness on the part of the ladies, and almost all the men, who were mostly officers, cordially received him as one of themselves.

Even Prince Clemda seemed inclined to make up for his previous carelessness by suddenly coming up to him and murmuring a few sentences, amongst which Reinhold only distinguished clearly the words: Werben--Orleans--Vierzon--confounded ride--sorry.

But what pleased him most was his acquaintance with Herr von Sattelstadt and Herr von Schonau. They came up to him almost at the same moment, and begged him, if it was not troubling him too much, to give them his views on the practicability and utility of a harbour to the north of Wissow Head. "We are both well acquainted with the locality," said the Colonel, "and are both--the Captain even more than myself--opposed to the project; we have of course discussed the matter often at the Admiralty, but none the less, or rather all the more, it would be of the greatest interest and importance to us to hear the opinion of an intelligent sailor, who, while thoroughly well acquainted with the circ.u.mstances of the case, is at the same time quite unprejudiced, more especially when he possesses at the same time the soldierly eye of a campaigner. Let us sit down in the study here--there is another chair, Schonau! And now I think it would be best if you would allow us to ask you a few questions. It is the easiest and surest way of arriving at our object. We will not trouble you long."

"I am quite at your orders," said Reinhold.

The gentlemen intended only to take a discreet advantage of the permission; but as Reinhold, against his will, was obliged frequently to enter into details, in order to answer the questions put to him, the conversation prolonged itself further than either of them had intended, though no one seemed aware of it but himself. Flattering though the respectful attention might be with which the two officers listened to his explanations, and sincerely as he admired the sagacity and knowledge displayed by every question, by every word they said--he could not refrain from casting from time to time a longing glance through the door of the study into the larger drawing-room, where the company were still circulating as before, and through the drawing-room into the second small room on the other side of the drawing-room, in which apparently a group of young people had a.s.sembled, amongst whom he perceived Ottomar and the lady who had been pointed out to him at the Exhibition as Fraulein von Wallbach, Count Golm, and finally Elsa.

A lively dispute was going on, as could be heard right across the intervening drawing-room, though naturally the actual words could not be distinguished. Even Schonau's attention was at length caught by it.

"I would bet anything," he said, "that they are quarrelling over Wagner; where Fraulein von Wallbach presides, Wagner is sure to be the subject of discussion. I would give anything to hear what she says about him this evening."

"That is to say, my dear Schonau, if I am not mistaken, I would give anything if Sattelstadt would hold his tongue," said the Colonel, smiling. "Well, we have already taken an unconscionable advantage of Captain Schmidt's patience."

He rose and held out his hand to Reinhold. Schonau protested that he meant nothing of the kind; the Colonel shook his finger threateningly at him. "For shame, Schonau, to deny your liege lady! She, you must know, Captain Schmidt, is Divine Harmony. For her he would go through fire and water, and let the harbour matters take care of themselves. Be off, Schonau!"

Schonau laughed, but went, taking with him Reinhold, who followed not unwillingly, as he was thus enabled to return to Elsa and to Ottomar, to whom he had only spoken in pa.s.sing.

CHAPTER VIII.

Ottomar had been fully occupied in making up for lost time. He went from one to the other, here whispering a compliment, there accompanying a shake of the hand with a jest, this evening more than ever overflowing with life and spirits and good-humour, the accomplished favourite of the Graces, and king of society. So said Baroness Kniebreche to Carla, who had just appeared in the drawing-room, with her brother and sister-in-law, and was immediately taken possession of by the old lady, one of whose "_mignons_" she was. "Look, my dear Carla! he is just speaking to Helene Leisewitz--how happy the poor thing is! It is not often that she is so singled out. Mon Dieu! he is positively paying attentions to her. Do look!"

Carla was in despair. She could see nothing without her eye-gla.s.s, but did not like to make use of it while with the Baroness whose pince-nez, with gla.s.ses as big as thalers, were fixed to her almost sightless eyes. Besides the old lady screamed so loud that she might be heard half across the room, and she expected to be answered equally loudly, being quite deaf of the right ear and almost deaf of the left.

"Ah! at last he has fluttered off to Emilie Fischbach--_a la bonne heure!_ She has been making eyes at him for ever so long, charming little creature! She really grows more charming every day. And how she chatters and wriggles. A little too much simplicity, but she will improve. You will have another rival next season, my dear Carla. What, going already! No, no, my dear, not so fast; I have not spoken to you for ages. You owe me a world of confidences. Do you think that an old woman like me is to go about in society as ignorant as a new-born baby, while the whole world is _au courant_? Out with it! When is the betrothal to be? Not speak so loud? Why I am hardly speaking above a whisper--this ear, please! It is not yet settled! Don't be angry with me, my dear Carla; but what in the world are you thinking about? Do you imagine an Ottomar von Werben is always to be had?"

"Do you want me, Baroness?" said Ottomar, who had heard his name.

"I want you to sit down by me here, on my left side, you faithless b.u.t.terfly!"