Withered Leaves Volume Iii Part 4

The wild cat left the lion's den.

CHAPTER III.

THE MISTRESS OF THE BOARDING SCHOOL.

Da. Reising's credit had done its duty, as was shown by the s.h.i.+ning bra.s.s plate, upon which the skilful town engraver had etched the words, "Lori Baute's Boarding School," in large, legible characters.

There she sat, a small sovereign of a small state. The first object of her ambition was attained. Indignant as she was at the noise which the cla.s.ses sometimes made, to her there was even a melodious echo in the tumult. All these noisy beings are your pupils, entrusted to you, given up to your authority, and this turbulence only proves how your school flourishes.

She had adopted a short, decided, dictatorial manner, and practised it before the mirror; she had also pondered over a necessary alteration in her dress, and arrived at the conclusion that her present position required a certain sacrifice, the sacrifice of youth. Frulein Sohle, her predecessor, had none to make in that respect, she was totally different from her pupils, with the advantage of her maturer years, and with unartificial dignity, such as is united without effort to creases, wrinkles, and a figure which only appears as the physical residuum of an intellectually extinguished spirit.

But Lori was still young; her looking gla.s.s told her that she might compete in charms with the youngest teachers, yes, she even looked younger than she was.

School, and that life to which she might still lay claim, were opposed to one another, but she must make some concession. She made up her mind to it, and decided upon the loss of those curls, which the profane world designated "love-locks."

It was not easy for her to relinquish the glossy, youthful head-gear, but the gloomy framework of snake-like curls imparted an otherwise unattainable dignity to her features. To be sure her eyes flashed out all the more boldly, and her tiny person could not possibly transform itself into a Juno. Nevertheless she knew how to inspire respect; wherever she appeared, all noise was stilled, her omniscience was feared, because she knew how to find out by inquisition and torture everything that happened in any portion of her dominions. The governesses were afraid of her and her spies; they felt that every step was watched, without knowing in what tangible form those dark powers dogged their heels.

The older tutors also obeyed the young ruler's will with a certain gallantry; only the young master with the moustache opposed an unbending mind, and appeared to be determined to go his own way.

She was thought to be omniscient, poor Lori! How gladly would she have been so! because unnatural obscurity hovered over one of the most important questions which occupied her. Far away beyond the attained goal her ambition was again striving after new objects--how very different to be a proud _chtelaine_, and the wife of a n.o.bleman of position--and was this impossible for her?

She sat silently, and counted up all the tokens of attention which Blanden had vouchsafed to her. The sum was a considerable one, if only all the separate posts had been secure--!

Blanden had availed himself of her last invitation in the confectioner's shop to visit Reising, just before his departure to the province, and, indeed, on the same day. Was it merely his eagerness to fulfil a social duty while he had time, or was it liking for, and interest in her poor self?

Dr. Reising had received him very pleasantly. Euphrasia had been agreeable, yes, coquettish--Lori had no other name for it; even Emma had shed the light of her kitchen lantern upon the high politics of the reception-room; and actually Albertine made up her mind to speak.

But he had distinguished her above all the others, talked with her in preference, and she herself had been intellectual, particularly intellectual; she must say that for herself, there are days upon which the silver melts unaided from the mental ore, and becomes liquid, days of an intellectual silvery appearance. Could Blanden be unsusceptible to such silvery looks? For he had been in the province a long time. Dr.

Reising had departed with her sisters; she had undertaken the school, it was a time of anxiety. He was far away, she could only preserve his image in her heart, and at rare moments take it out for devout contemplation.

But now he had returned again, she had seen him. Twice he had ridden past her house. Was it chance, or intentional? He had looked up at her windows; did he seek her, or did he only notice the wild noise issuing from one of the cla.s.ses, the windows of which, in spite of the cold, had to be opened on account of a worn-out stove!

Much more weighty was the fact that for several days she had each morning found a bouquet of hot-house flowers in her vase.

A man-servant had delivered them to the housemaid without giving the name of the donor. In each bouquet was concealed an envelope, in which was a card containing a verse. Such forbidden goods in a girls' school, and to be sent to her, the mistress! But she resigned herself to the inevitable, did not burn the cards, nor did she forbid the reception of the bouquets.

Did they come from Blanden? A blissful suspicion told her so, she believed to find reminiscences of their conversations in some of the verses. Had he not spoken of the solitude of his woods, and did not the first verse begin with an allusion to it?--

"Without thee darling I am lonely, All the light of life doth die, All my heaven is in thee only, No star is in th' eternal sky Save thou smile and bid me see, Save thou come and bide with me."

She imagined she heard Blanden's soft mellifluous voice in the melody of these lines; but why did he not come? She would gladly have let her eyes s.h.i.+ne upon him.

Bolder was the last poem! It spoke of the lotus-flower. Blanden had been in India, the exotic colouring of the lines possessed a warmth such as only personal experience can impart:

"A G.o.d of Hindoo dreams, Cradled in the lotus-flower, Then enchanted it would seem By a G.o.ddess' magic power; And wert thou my G.o.ddess true I should be enchanted too."

In spite of the oriental figurative language, the meaning of these lines was not incomprehensible; they were from Blanden. They must have originated from him, and mentally Lori composed the anti-strophe--

"Let the lotus shed its perfume, Tarry not in lover's pain, In the castle of Kulmitten I will as your G.o.ddess reign."

And if Blanden were the author, the sender of these exotic nosegays, nothing but delicate consideration could restrain him from seeking her!

He indeed knew where the lotus-flower bloomed, but could he know how he should be received? He must show some regard for the mistress'

character, upon which her existence depends. He had no pretext for such a visit; he had no little daughter to introduce. Oh, she understood him thoroughly, and she respected him the more, the more she understood him.

She considered long what pretext she could find for a meeting; she made plans, and rejected them again. At last she decided upon her favourite weapon, a pink note--an anonymous pink note! He was discreet, she might trust him, there was nothing remarkable about a chance meeting in the confectioner's shop; but the reason? This was of less importance; once she was seated before him, all doubts must vanish.

These lines, these flowers, and the look in his eyes, a single pregnant word--and the enigma would be solved with magic speed.

The pink note merely contained the words, "a lady begs for your advice and help," also the place and the hour of the a.s.signation.

Blanden was on friendly terms with Reising; she, without male support since her brother-in-law's departure, had she not every right to turn to him, and her doing so would enlighten him.

There was the tutor with the moustache, handsome Dr. Sperner, he became bolder and more defiant each day, yes even at times he seemed to treat her like a little girl, and not as the princ.i.p.al of the school. Blanden should advise her how she was to behave to the doctor, a little interference in her favour would lower the young man's presumptuous tone; he must learn that she was sure of manly protection.

When in the act of taking her straw hat out of the drawer so as to make her toilette in keeping with her correspondence, Dr. Sperner was announced again. He entered so boldly, that one might have expected to see spurs on his boots.

"You wish to speak to me, dear Frulein?"

"Later, a few hours later, I begged you to come to me."

"I know, but I shall not have time! This white slavery only extends over lectures and consultations, not the entire day, even if it be the most amiable lady planter's slavery."

"What do these insinuations mean, Herr Doctor?"

"I gladly look upon myself as your slave, my Frulein! If capital be allowed to plunder our mental labour, it may be endured from an owner of capital, such as you, dear Frulein, with whom a man could live. But what do you wish?"

"I can now only explain my views very briefly upon two points which I wish to see altered; yes, I expect, I command that they be altered!"

The Doctor bowed with a mocking smile.

"Even on my first visit to the establishment, I made these observations," continued Lori, while she a.s.sumed a stern tone, and shook back one spiral curl that fell over her face, "the themes which you give to the pupils are totally unsuitable, just so the theme for the last composition, 'Why did Egmont not marry Klrchen?' That does not appear to be the proper manner of introducing our cla.s.sics."

"There our views differ, dear Frulein! Upon reflection, you will find how improving such tasks are. They accustom the girls to grasp the most important questions in life in an independent manner, and, above all, to treat them with tact. Besides, I avoid themes which lead to commonplaces, and which have already been written upon hundreds of times. New questions which cause independent thought--that is my object. I should like to wager that hitherto even you have not thought over my questions."

"I must decline, Herr Doctor, to be placed on a par with my pupils."

"I am far from doing so, excepting on one point, namely, youth and loveliness."