The Daltons Volume II Part 8

"The marriage can only take place in St. Petersburg, and in presence of the Emperor; and she is merely betrothed, at present, to enable her to accompany the lady, Madame de Heidendorf, to Russia, where the Prince will follow in a few weeks."

"That bangs Banagher! Why could n't they get a priest where they are? Be gorra! they 've scruples about everything but _me!_ _I_ 'm the only one that's not considered! What the devil is the Emperor to her,--sure _he_ is n't her father? Well, well, go on."

"She would seem to have yielded to persuasion," said Nelly, feelingly.

"The Prince, with all his greatness, appears not to have won her heart.

See how she dwells upon his immense wealth and the splendor of his position."

"Let us hear about that," cried Dalton, eagerly.

"My heart is nigh to bursting when I think of you and dearest Nelly living with me, in all the enjoyment that riches can bestow, nothing denied you that you can fancy, and free to indulge every taste and every wish. To know that I can at last repay, in some sort, all your affection--that poor worthless Kate can minister to your pleasure and your comfort--would make me dare a rasher destiny than this. And he is so generous, Nelly. The whole of yesterday is like a page from the 'Arabian Nights,' as I sat surrounded with gorgeous articles of gold and gems--diamonds such as a queen might wear, and rubies larger than the gla.s.s-drops I used to deck my hair with long ago! And yet they tell me I have seen nothing as yet, and that the treasures of Vladovitch Palace I hear of at every moment are greater than most royal houses. Lady Hester is kinder than ever, and the Heidendorf also; but she is cold and reserved--too stately for my taste--and I cannot overcome my awe of her. Is not this like a confession of my unfitness for the station I am to occupy?--are not these signs of inferiority? How little Hans would stare at the objects of taste and art by which I am surrounded and of which I never tire in admiring!

"There have been great changes in this family since I wrote, and some mysterious circ.u.mstance is now hanging over them; but Lady Hester has not told me anything, nor do I care to repeat rumors which reach me through others. I only know that Sir Stafford is about to proceed to England as soon as Captain Onslow's health will permit; he, poor fellow, met with an accident on the day we left Florence, and my maid, who sat in the rumble, saw the mishap without knowing or suspecting the victim! I have done everything to obtain leave to visit you before I set out, or even to see you on my way; but Madame de Heidendorf is absolute, and she has so much important business in hand--such deep political affairs to transact at Vienna and Dresden--that I find it is impossible.

"The Prince has promised to write at once about Frank. He says it will be better to obtain his promotion in the Austrian service before he enters the Russian, and that this shall take place immediately. I could see that on this point he was acutely alive to the fact of our humble position; but he knows from Lady Hester all about our family, and that the Daltons acknowledge nothing superior to them in birth.

This, however, is always a difficulty to a foreigner; they have no idea of unt.i.tled n.o.bility; and I saw his chagrin the other day when I told him to address papa as plain Monsieur. Since yesterday morning I am called Princess; and I cannot conceal from you the throb of delight the sound still gives me! I often stop to ask myself if this be all a dream, and shall I wake beside the fire and see dearest Nelly bending over some little group, and Hans with wondering eyes staring over her shoulders.

"The Prince only intends to spend one winter in Russia.

Madame de Heidendorf says that he will be named Amba.s.sador at Paris; but I hope and trust not: I feel too acutely my inferiority for such a position. This she laughs at, and merely says, 'Nous verrons.' Of course, wherever I am, you will both be with me; meanwhile, what would you wish to do?

I told Monsieur Rubion, the Prince's secretary, that I wanted money, and he gave me these bills, so he called them, on Baden and Carlsruhe, as easily negotiable in that neighborhood; pray, say if they be serviceable. The Prince intends to visit you at Baden; and I suppose you will like to see him. His manners are perfect, and except a degree of constraint in first acquaintance, he is generally thought very agreeable. Such preparations as they are making for my journey, you 'd fancy I was a queen at the very least All my _trousseau_ is to come from Paris direct; and up to this I have merely what Madame de H. calls the strictly 'indispensable;' which, shall I own? contrives to fill two large fourgons and a heavy travelling-carriage. Nina is in a perfect ecstasy at everything, and is eternally 'draping' me in Brussels lace and Chantilly; so that, even while I write, these flimsy tissues are floating around me; while caskets of jewels and precious gems dazzle my eyes wherever I turn them.

"The whole is like a gorgeous vision; would that it might remain ever thus, for I almost tremble to take a step further. Are these unworthy fears? I hope they are."

Nelly paused, and laid down the letter on her knee. "Well, may I never see grace, if that letter isn't enough to confuse a bench of bishops!"

cried Dalton. "She's marrying the first man in Europe,--be the other who he will,--and she has as many crotchets and misgivings about it as if it was little Hans, there, below! And he a Prince! a real Prince!--devil a doubt of it--that scatters the money about like chaff! Here's an order at sight for nine hundred gulden; and here's a bill at ten days--a nice date--for fourteen hundred and eighty-six Prussian dollars; and this is nearly as much more. Kate, my beauty, I knew you 'd do it! I never looked at you in your old clogs and the worsted cloak that I did n't think of the day I 'd see you in satin and velvet! Faix, it's the best bottle of claret in the Adler I 'll drink your health in this day!

Nelly, who will we ask in to dinner?"

"Don't you think, papa, it were better we should not speak of this--"

"Why, better? Are we ashamed of it?"

"I mean, more prudent as regards ourselves, and more respectful to the Prince."

"Respectful--to my son-in-law!--that's 'more of it.' Upon my conscience, I'll have to go to school again in my old days. I know nothing of life at all, at all! Respect, indeed!"

"I would but suggest, papa, that for Kate's sake--"

"There--there----don't provoke me. I never set my heart on a thing yet--big or little--that I was n't met with a caution about this, or a warning about that, till at last I got so tutored and corrected and trained that, as Billy Morris used to say at whist, 'I dread a good hand more than a bad one.'"

"Far be it from me, dearest father," said Nelly, smiling, "to throw a shadow over a bright moment. If it will give you pleasure--"

"Sure I said it would,--sure I told you 't is what I 'd like. A fine dinner at the 'Schwan;' four gulden a head, without wine; a dozen of champagne in ice, hock for them that can drink it, and port and Lafitte for Peter Dalton and men of his own sentiments. There's the programme, Nelly, and you'll see if I can't fill up the details."

"Well, but we have yet much to do; here are several letters,--here is Frank's. Let us learn how the dear fellow fares."

Dalton sat down without speaking; there was, indeed, more of resignation than curiosity in his features, as he crossed his arms and listened.

"Dearest Nelly,----I only heard a few days ago that my last two letters had been stopped; they were not, as they should have been, submitted to my captain to read, and hence they were arrested and suppressed. This goes by a private hand--a friend of mine--a pedler from Donaueschingen--"

"A what?--a pedler is it?" broke in Dalton, angrily.

"Yes, papa; remember that poor Frank is still in the ranks."

"Well, G.o.d give me patience with you all!" burst out the old man, in a torrent of pa.s.sion. "Does he know that he's a Dalton?--does he feel blood in his veins? Why the blazes must he seek out a thieving blaguard with a pack full of damaged cambric to make a friend of? Is this the way the family's getting up in the world?"

"Adolf Brawer, by name," read on Nelly, in a low and subdued voice. "You will be surprised when I tell you that I owe all his kindness and good-nature to you,--yes, to your own dear self. On his way through the Tyrol he had bought two wooden statuettes,--one a young soldier asleep beside a well; the other a girl leaning from a window to hear the bugles of a departing regiment Can you guess whose they were? And when he came to know that I was the brother of the little N. D.

that was sculptured, half hid in a corner, and that I was the original of the tired, wayworn recruit on the roadside, I thought he would have cried with enthusiasm."

"Didn't I often say it?" broke in Dalton, as, wringing his hands in despair, he paced the room with hasty strides. "Did n't I warn you a thousand times about them blasted images, and tell you that, sooner or later, it would get about who made them? Didn't I caution you about the disgrace you 'd bring on us? The fear of this was over me this many a day. I had it like a dream on my mind, and I used to say to myself, 'It will all come out yet.'" #

Nelly covered her face with her ap.r.o.n as these bitter words were spoken; but not a syllable, nor a sigh, did she reply to them; still, the frail garment shook with an emotion that showed how intensely she suffered.

"A Virgin sold here, an Angel Gabriel there; now it was Hamlet; another time Gotz with the iron hand. All the balderdash that ever came into your head scattered over the world to bring shame on us! And then to think of Kate!"

"Yes, dearest father, do think of her," cried Nelly, pa.s.sionately. "She is, indeed, an honor and a credit to you."

"And so might you have been, too, Nelly," rejoined he, half sorry for his burst of anger. "I 'm sure I never made any difference between you.

I treated you all alike, G.o.d knows." And truly, if an indiscriminating selfishness could plead for him, the apology was admirable.

"Yes, papa, but Nature was less generous," said Nelly, smiling through her tears; and she again turned to the letter before her. As if fearful to revive the unhappy discussion, she pa.s.sed rapidly over Frank's account of his friend's ecstasy; nor did she read aloud till she came to the boy's narrative of his own fortunes.

"You ask me about Count Stephen, and the answer is a short one. I have seen him only once. Our battalion, which was stationed at Laybach, only arrived in Vienna about three weeks ago, but feeling it a duty to wait on our relative, I obtained leave one evening to go and pay my respects. Adolf, who knew of my connection with the Field-Marshal, had lent me two hundred florins; and this, too, I was anxious to pay off,--another reason for this visit.

"Well, I dressed myself in my best cadet cloth, and silk sword-knot,

Nelly,--none of your 'commissaire' toggery, but all fine and smart-looking, as a gentleman-cadet ought to be,--and then calling a fiacre, I ordered the man to drive to the 'Koertnor Thor,' to the Field-Marshal von Auersberg*s quarters. I 'm not sure if I did n*t say to my uncle's. Away we went gayly, and soon drew up in an old-fas.h.i.+oned courtyard, from which a great stair led up four stories high, at the top of which the 'Feld'--so they called him-- resided. This was somewhat of a come-down to my high-flown expectations, but nothing to what I felt as the door was opened by an old Jager with one leg, instead of, as I looked for, a lackey in a grand livery.

"'What is 't cadet?' said he, in a tone of the coolest familiarity.

"'The Field-Marshal von Auersberg lives here?' said I.

"He nodded.

"'I wish to see him.'

"He shook his head gravely, and scanning me from head to foot, said, 'Not at this hour, cadet,----not at this hour.'

"'Let him see this card,' said I, giving one with my name.

'I 'm certain he 'll receive me.'

"I believe if I had presented a pistol at him, the old fellow would have been less startled, as he exclaimed, 'A cadet with a visiting-card! This would serve you little with the Feld, younker,' cried he, handing it back to me; 'he likes to see a soldier a soldier.'

"'Tell him my name, then,' said I, angrily; 'say that his grand-nephew, Frank Dalton, has been standing at his door in full parley with a servant for ten minutes.'

"The announcement created little of the astonishment I calculated on, and the old soldier merely replied, 'All under field-officer's rank come before eight of a morning.

you cannot expect to have the privilege of an archduke.' He was about to close the door in my face as he spoke, but I placed my shoulder against it and forced it back, thus securing an entrance within the forbidden precincts.

"'Right about, quick march!' cried he, pointing to the door, while his whole frame trembled with pa.s.sion.