Withered Leaves Volume I Part 24

He sat down to _ombre_, but his thoughts were absent. He held the most beautiful _soli_ in his hand and forgot to declare them. Close by, the noisy orchestral rehearsal was in full swing. These mangled pieces of music, which Mller von Stallupnen's zeal tore into single bars, appeared like mockery to him; these discordant, disconnected instruments, moved _en echelon_ when they ought to march in line.

But yet this rehearsal was arranged to prepare a performance in his honour, and how dreadful the dissonances that were thus disclosed.

Eva meanwhile sat in her room, which was illumined by the moon, meditating quietly and deeply. All who are completely absorbed in another's or their own life, are filled with intense melancholy.

Whether the destinies be sad or bright, their lot always seems worthy of tears. Yesterday is a dream, to-morrow a question, to-day an uncertain possession. It is always difficulty to believe in any great felicity in this world, so abundant in delusions!

How brightly life lay before her! She, the betrothed of a beloved man of position, of a respected and rich landowner--what had befallen that shy Eva? What will her school-friends say to this transformation of fortune? From her adopted father's four narrow walls, she was transported into a circle in which she could s.h.i.+ne, as well as command and influence. But if, in meditating, these thoughts and fancies just touched her mind, they wore but the gorgeous setting for the picture of the man to whom her heart had given itself fully and wholly, whom she would have followed in poverty and want, yes, even unto death!

It was an overwhelming pa.s.sion that she cherished for Blanden; she was almost alarmed at it and her own heart. Was she, then, worthy to be this excellent man's wife? Amidst tears, she looked into the mirror, and if she found those features lovely whose reflex gazed upon her, doubly lovely in the halo of transfiguration which intense emotion shed upon her, above all she was filled with joy that she was richly dowered with beauty and charm for him.

And how should she cheer him! The gloomy line had not escaped her which lay upon his forehead around his eyebrows, the pensive sadness in his half-closed eyes. Life had done him great injury; all this should be changed!

She felt the power within herself to keep spring-time awake in him; so mighty were the wish and will in her. And for her, too, what nameless bliss! What unknown enchantments the future concealed for her in its lap! How she had thrilled at his ardent kisses! Like the evening's glow from golden clouds, a dream-like fire had flowed towards her. She plunged below into the flames, and the flames did not scorch nor burn her, but pressed themselves around her limbs with a hitherto unknown feeling of ecstasy and sweet enchantment.

And yet she became so feverishly hot in that dream! She threw the window open; without, all lay calmly and indifferently in the silvery coolness of the moonlight. The waves broke upon the sh.o.r.e as they had done since the beginning of time, unconcerned in the troubles and joys of men, and only the agonised notes of unperfected music that seemed to quiver convulsively beneath the conductor's _bton_, reminded her, as they fell upon her ears from the Kurhans, of human life and her own betrothal feast.

She sat at the window, lost in thought. For simultaneously with the beloved man, another joy entered into her poor life. A touching vision bent over her; her tears flowed lightly.

The mother, who had so long been kept afar from her, was invited. She was sure to come to-morrow; could it have been a betrothal feast without her blessing? In the cold one of her adopted parents lay no charm which should be able to enchain her destiny; but a mother's every silent wish must become a blessing. How would she look now? Oh, to gaze again into those large, touching eyes, to be able to ask her why she had remained so far away from her daughter; to be able to comfort her, if she had endured great sorrow--and certainly she must be unhappy! The wicked world had made her so! All pictures of early childhood rose again before her, dream-like, unconnectedly. Yet from none was her mother's countenance absent. Here they sat in an arbour before a coffee-table, and the mother drove away the wasps which tried to steal the little daughter's cake; there she stood at a door, behind the curtained gla.s.s panes of which the lights of a Christmas tree were already gleaming impatiently. She beckoned and called, and all the festive brilliancy which had delighted the child's heart reflected itself in the mother's eyes, and as she embraced the latter, the never-to-be-forgotten tears that she kissed away from those cheeks told her how intensely she was beloved by the only one who watched over her life like the eye of Providence! And again she saw herself in a large park. The mother sat upon a bench, and worked; it was already dusk. Eva could even now still transport herself entirely into the feelings of that time--what fear she was in lest her mother might spoil her beautiful eyes. She cautioned her dear mother, and sprang to the pond close by--the lights of evening flickered--a splendid water lily attracted her--Evchen stooped down to gather it, and sank into the pond. A cry for help--she awoke in her mother's arms, who had torn her quickly as lightning from out the waves. As she opened her eyes, she looked into a face smiling beneath its tears; and often in her dreams appeared her mother's picture, as it had stood before her at that moment.

Infinite yearning, deep emotion, took possession of her; how abundant was her mother's love, and who had parted her from her daughter, wrenched her away from that child's heart? She felt that it was not the mother's will; a dark, spectre-like secret had stepped between the two!

Yet separated, even from a distance, the mother watched over her life, reckoning up hour after hour of her present and future, and adding them together in one single divine thought of illimitable love!

Sobbing loudly, she rested her head upon her hand; her eyes did not see the heavens above, nor the wide ocean--only her mother's picture.

Then she suddenly arose; why this sorrow before a day of joy? To-morrow the sun illumines their reunion, to-morrow she gives her troth to the beloved man; she will sleep and dream of all her approaching happiness.

The sounds of music had long been hushed, but through the window rang the thunder of the sea; it increased with the growing storm. The hoa.r.s.e breaking of the waves rocked Eva to sleep; but it was a sleep full of fear, and a distant angry destiny, into which the noise of the waves was changed, broke menacingly into her dreams.

CHAPTER XII.

UNDER THE PEAR TREE.

Kuhl was no friend of betrothal and marriage feasts; he thought such customs should be left to the savage races of people. For educated human beings it was most unseemly to announce such quiet secret happiness to towns and villages as if with the beating of drums. That eccentric man, therefore, experienced deep dissatisfaction at the festive mood in which all Neukuhren rejoiced on his friend's betrothal day, and sought the most lonely paths on the strand in order to escape the noise of preparations and arrangements. This was not easy; for the great kettle-drum having once been called into requisition, it shook the atmospherical waves on every side at the incessant musical rehearsals, and strove to out-do the roaring of the billows.

That Ccilie should also take part in these rehearsals, and probably practise her vocal solo with Wegen, did not conduce to improve his humour. He had become more indifferent to Olga during those days; was he not certain of her love. She was all devotion, and, as of old, had an approving smile for his most daring flights of thought; but that fugitive, smooth as an eel, occupied all his thoughts, and strengthened the ill-temper to which he gave himself up so recklessly.

Wegen meanwhile was ubiquitous; now he sat at the piano and accompanied Ccilie, then he stood by the carts full of evergreens and overlooked the decorations of the room. The Chief Forester, who was a friend of Blanden's, and who was expected on that evening, had proved himself particularly helpful in supplying garlands of leaves and flowers. Then again Wegen, with a powerful telling tenor, gave decision and firmness to the choruses, and during the pauses he might be seen outside under the pear tree where he had the nature's carpet of the dancing ground swept by the fair s.e.x of the village. The entire programme of the entertainment lay in his hands, he was a.s.sisted in the arrangements by the future diplomatist, who, as Wegen's aide-de-camp, sped hither and thither in equally feverish activity.

The physician declared himself to be perfectly satisfied with the weather; steady, immovable suns.h.i.+ne was extended over land and sea, and similar excellent intentions might be expected of the full moon. And like the sky, Mller von Stallupnen displayed a contented smile the livelong day. The orchestra surpa.s.sed all antic.i.p.ation, and even the second violins, whose notes were always dragging behind the rest, had gradually settled down into correct time. The vocal choruses also roused the master's satisfaction, but this had not been attained without dogged interference with the rights of personal liberty. A first lieutenant's widow and an unmarried young lady of n.o.ble birth in the neighbourhood, whose love for the glorious art of song was an unhappy one, had proved themselves impervious to the whole _crescendo_ of insults which had been rained upon them from the conductor's desk, and continued with lamentable obstinacy to sow the tares of false notes amongst the wheat of the otherwise superb choral singing. No other means remained but to have recourse to violent measures, and to exclude the two ladies positively from the body of musical members. They deemed it impossible to survive this insult in Neukuhren, and on the same afternoon they migrated to the neighbouring watering-place Rauschen, and in such haste that the first lieutenant's widow actually forgot to pay her bills.

Professor Baute's poodle had caused another disturbance; when accompanied by his master, he had attended one of the rehearsals, at the room door he suddenly began to bark, and indeed with all the eagerness of an art-enthusiast. Baute pacified him for a time, but as the dog again unbridled his enthusiasm, the director made a deferential observation, which obliged the poodle and his master to leave the room door. This was very disagreeable for the professor, as he was just engaged in an examination as to which series of ideas were awakened by music in an animal's soul, thus causing the dog to bark.

The excitement in Neukuhren, and the want of time were so great that on this day even sea bathing was forgotten. The bathing-woman could record that with the exception of Frulein Olga von Dornau, who did not permit herself to be disturbed in her habits of life, and would not be deprived of such daily strengthening of her immaculate health for the most important occurrences, not one woman plunged into the waves of the East Sea on that day.

Evening drew on, the full moon's pale outlines in the sky gained a clearer form as the sun went down, from a cloud it became a planet. The room resembled a meadow, upon which had bloomed the gayest field and woodland flowers mostly in light colours, the Baute family especially appeared like a prismatic rainbow.

Light summer robes, and rigorous ball dresses floated about amongst one another; Olga wore a ball dress that was cut out in Court style, and displayed her voluptuous beauty; Ccilie on the other hand a summer dress close to the neck, but which, however, displayed her excessively slight waist most daintily.

The Chief Forester created some sensation amongst the guests by his giant form and abundant white moustache. Although he was well up in years, he carried himself with military erectness, and the powerful tone of his voice awoke the envy of all the ba.s.ses in the chorus.

Blanden had greeted him with special cordiality, for the latter had been his father's dearest friend. The young man looked with emotion at the worthy forest official's grey head, he felt as though the former represented his father to-day, and shook him congratulatorily by the hand. Already during the afternoon Professor Baute had contemplated with great interest the huge bull-dog which the Chief Forester brought with him, and with his hero's a.s.sistance had made its acquaintance. He had already noted several particular tokens of intelligence, for the bull-dog clearly occupied a higher position in the scale of animal's souls than his own poodle.

Wegen had caused a couple of garlanded chairs to be placed upon a small das for the betrothed couple; the other guests sat beside it--elderly gentlemen and ladies and all those who lacked the muse of the art of sweet sounds.

Eva, accompanied by her adopted parents, appeared in a simple blue dress, a wreath of wild flowers in her hair, and amongst them gleamed the bells of the campanula. What a contrast between her dress and the townish splendour with which Frau Kalzow had decked herself, even several doubtful diamonds were not missing. The satin rustled around her stalwart but bony form, as if in wondering amazement, and as though it did not belong to her. The old Regierungsrath had brought out his stiffest neckcloth at the same time as his most solemn demeanour; every movement told how nearly this festivity concerned him, and what reflected rays of importance it shed upon his poor self. But it was not merely in her simple dress that Eva's beauty possessed such a touching charm. Intense mournfulness that alternated with suddenly aroused eagerness overspread her countenance. She had been expecting her mother's arrival during the whole day, she had rushed in feverish haste to the window as each carriage drove up to the Kursaal, and the futility of this incessant agitation acted depressingly and paralysingly at last, so that several times she burst into tears. Frau Kalzow consoled her with saying her mother might still come; she was written to punctually, and at the proper time, it was possible that the letter by some mischance might not have arrived equally punctually. She did not dare to think of any illness, they would surely have received the intelligence by writing. Nevertheless, to the bride the whole betrothal ceremony appeared upset and saddened by her mother's absence.

The good wishes of her women friends offered little compensation for it, they were mostly but the friends of yesterday. Kanzleirath's Minna spoke hers really most honestly; she liked Blanden, too, but she was too phlegmatic to be jealous, and too good natured not to give her best wishes to every bride upon her path through life.

The room had filled, the village inhabitants pressed around the open doors, some of the village beauties were invited to the dance beneath the pear tree. The orchestra commenced the overture to _Der Freischtz_. While one portion of the householders and fishermen of the place listened attentively to the music, the others were drawn away by an unhoped for distraction, because in the garden outside, Doctor Kuhl amused himself in making Nero and the Forester's bull-dog compete in jumping over tables and benches, while he declined the delights of the music in a defiant manner. Only when the spirit-like tremolo of the "Waldschlucht" had died away and a voice began to sing the Erl-king to a pianoforte accompaniment, did Kuhl push a table outside against the window, spring on to it with both dogs, and between the poodle and bull-dog listened devoutly to his Ccilie's song, for it was she who, accompanied by Wegen, executed Schubert's entrancing melody with more pa.s.sion than he had given her credit for. When the orchestra then played Haydn's Symphony in C sharp, Kuhl sprang down again from his improvised opera-box, and indulged in gymnastic amus.e.m.e.nts such as are seen at fairs and annual markets, gradually drawing the interest of the public standing outside completely away from the dream world of music.

Even the choruses of Mendelssohn's songs, "Come fly with me and be my wife," and "There fell a frost at midnight's hour," could only rouse the athletic doctor to momentary attention. "That Mller von Stallupnen," he muttered to himself, "has already let a frost at midnight fall upon the flowers of the betrothal-day; what icy cold will reign later on at that hour!"

Eva sat, stirred with silent emotion, on the decorated chair. So often as the door was opened, when a late comer arrived, she turned her glance in that direction, and sprang up from her seat several times, as if she expected to greet her mother in each lady who entered. Blanden even perceived her agitation; he enquired its cause, but she did not venture to confess to him that even on this day she still yearned for another person, for her mother. Had he not listened very indifferently to a conversation in which she mentioned her mother, and, as it appeared, had intentionally broken it off; yes, a friend even told her she had heard him say to Doctor Kuhl, when pa.s.sing by, he had quite enough with one mother-in-law.

At the conclusion, Mller von Stallupnen had arranged for an overture of his own composition to be performed by his orchestra. What young composer would allow such a rare opportunity to escape of calling his musical conceptions into life with real instruments? Blanden and Eva thanked him politely for that symphony which, from henceforth, he christened the "Betrothal symphony," and intended to issue to the world under that t.i.tle. The audience of visitors had applauded briskly, it is true, but had really found the deep thoughtfulness of the composition very tedious. The unlearned lovers of music especially wondered at it; they like to carry some tune home with them. For the abundant counter-point and fugues which worked most artistically into and amongst one another, debarred any one from reaching the enjoyment of that transitory and despised foam which many half-cultivated people designate as melody, and which they would gladly extract as easily gained from the vast undulations of a musical genius penetrating into the depths.

Now a brilliant entertainment commenced; Blanden and Wegen did the honours. Eva sat beside Ccilie, to whom she confidentially communicated her hopes and fears; that astute Frulein von Dornau was not at a loss for reasons with which to pacify the betrothed.

Nevertheless, the latter could not attain a happy state of mind.

"Just look at Evchen," said Lori to her sister Euphrasia. "Does not the poor child glance incessantly at the door, as if she expected a ghost, or some former lover, who would put his veto upon this new betrothal?"

"Indeed, in this mixed company," said Euphrasia, "one might easily imagine oneself transported to a Polish diet, where such 'vetoes' are the order of the day."

"Ccilie comforts the poor child," said Lori. "She reposes upon her laurels. Did you not remark how, when performing the Erl-king, she looked down upon Herr von Wegen's rather light-coloured head, and with peculiar fervour, at the words: 'I love you; I'm charmed with your beautiful form?'"

"Olga," said Emma, "meanwhile enjoys herself intensely at the supper-table; she has drawn her chair as closely as possible to the roasted capercailzie, and does her duty by the sweets."

"I believe," said Lori, "that girl has really no soul; she is an Undine, but of that vigorous species which is only to be found splas.h.i.+ng about at sea-side watering-places. Her body is a dense veil that hangs around her soul."

"This is a very democratic affair," said the Regierungsrath, as he pledged the Kreisgerichtsrath in a gla.s.s of Madeira. "My son-in-law enjoys that; I do not like losing myself thus amongst subordinates."

"My old friend," replied the other, "what harm have those two innocent Secretaries, who enjoy their life here, done to you? You can never take the cap-b.u.t.ton, of which Herr von Blanden told us so amusingly, with you into the bath below."

"You are an incorrigible democrat," replied Kalzow, annoyed.

Spirits still rose; the attornies begged the young ladies for dances under the pear tree. One of them had invited the seven Fruleins von Baute, one after another, and had their names written down upon his dancing-card; his friends designated him the possessor of the seven evil spirits.

Father Baute, meanwhile, had forced young Doctor Reising into a corner, and declared to him, with elevated champagne gla.s.s, that he now boldly challenged the latter to any discussion, as his ideas stepped more briskly than ever across the threshold of consciousness, while Reising, on the contrary, also excited by wine, protested in permitting himself the daring utterance that consciousness has no threshold, because it has not been made by any carpenter, and indeed that mode of philosophising always caused him to imagine himself transported to some mental timber yard, as, for example, when the formation of ideas was talked of.

But the Professor became beside himself; with a wide sweeping movement, he dashed the champagne gla.s.s into pieces against the wall.

"You say that to a disciple of Herbart; incredible!"

Reising, who had long since been shocked at his own daring, hardly knew how to s.h.i.+eld himself from the Professor's furious wrath.

Euphrasia, whose entire future threatened to fall into broken potsherds, approached the opponents, wringing her hands.