Withered Leaves Volume I Part 9

"Let the poor child alone," said Eva, "she will not leave her post."

Blanden hesitated; suddenly the girl voluntarily relinquished the oar, cried again twice in a shrieking voice--

"Father's boat! Father's boat!" and then plunged into the sea. Blanden was about to jump after her.

"Do not," said Eva, "she is the best swimmer in all the villages on the coast; but she is imbecile, and only seldom has gleams of reason."

"And you trust yourself to her?" asked Blanden.

"No one pulls so good an oar, has better knowledge of wind and weather and of the sea's peculiarities; she is a water spirit with her meaningless frog's eyes. I should rely most implicitly upon her in every danger of the stormy sea. Only look how she swims; she has reached the forsaken boat, swings herself into it, and grasps the oar!"

"That is disagreeable enough for me!" said Blanden.

"Why in the world?"

"If you would take my telescope, lovely child, you would perceive that a large number of gla.s.ses are directed towards us from the Fuchs-spitze, although a short time ago, the most solemn silence reigned beneath the Perkunos oaks. People are observing us, and will observe us still more--what will they say, if Frulein Eva sails upon the sea with a stranger."

"You are right," said Eva, suddenly blus.h.i.+ng deeply, "but what has that to do with your boat?"

"Very much, my Frulein! If the latter floated quietly away on the sea, we might relate a credible tale of how it had leaked and I had taken refuge in your safer boat; that stupid child has deprived us of this fiction because she will row the skiff, uninjured back to the sh.o.r.e."

"Then you must invent another tale," said Eva.

"Why should I not sing and tell of a Baltic Lorelei, at sight of whom the boatman in the little boat is seized with wild melancholy, to whom he is irresistibly drawn."

"Because that boatman with his little boat is not swallowed up."

"Heine only fears it, my Frulein; it need not therefore happen, and as yet we do not know the end of this little story. But just look; a whole girls' school seems to have a.s.sembled on the Fuchs-spitze and below also on the landing place I see visitors."

"I fear, they are my father and mother," said Eva, "they have already always forbidden these sailing expeditions; but I cannot give them up.

Such a morning's row upon the sea refreshes me so wonderfully; one seems to glide onwards into eternity upon these deep, quiet waves; above the wide heavens, beneath the increasing abyss, the farther we retire from the safe sh.o.r.e; and where the billows meet the sky, even there the world does not end; it only seems to do so! Far away beyond, extends the longing for other sh.o.r.es, for other people! There the sailing s.h.i.+ps, the steam boats, distant, stately pa.s.s by from harbour to harbour. How large the world is! And thus surrounded with the splas.h.i.+ng of chattering waves, with the fresh breeze wafted from afar, there I have quite different, better thoughts, than yonder amidst mankind, that is always gossiping of trivial, everyday matters, criticising dress, depriving itself of the small respect due to it."

"Bravo, my Lorelei!" cried Blanden, "the sailor shares these thoughts and feelings with his mermaid, he rejoices that he really bears a mermaid in his boat, not one of those ordinary land young ladies, who even in the face of eternity, only think of their own little wares, of their possessions and belongings, dresses and bonnets, ribbons and bows, and who believe that their pa.s.senger ticket upon earth has merely been given to them on account of their goods. But father and mother--there some slight justification is due. Did you tell them of our late meeting?"

"No," said Eva, blus.h.i.+ng.

"And why not?"

Eva was silent.

"Our adventure in the wood was too unimportant, or you forgot it quickly?"

"Oh, no," said Eva; "but visits without visiting cards are not announced."

"Good; then we have one little secret between us, and our sea excursion is another. I shall explain that I believed you to be in danger, as a half-witted girl rowed your boat, and that I therefore changed places."

During this conversation they had neared the sh.o.r.e. The Regierungsrath was running angrily up and down, his hands in his coat-pockets; the large, white cravat in which he had buried his chin seemed to be loosely twined round it to-day, and moved to and fro.

His ma.s.sive wife was more self-possessed, but an ominous lecture lay in her eyes, and about the corners of her mouth.

"Oh, Eva," she cried to her daughter, as soon as her voice could be at all audible without the aid of a speaking trumpet.

Blanden pulled to the sh.o.r.e, sprang out, bound the boat firmly to a post, offered his hand to a.s.sist Eva to descend, and then busied himself with the boat and oars, while Eva had to let the first hurricane of reproaches and reproof sweep over her.

"And, who, then, is this strange gentleman?" asked old Kalzow, with the air of an inquisitor.

Eva shrugged her shoulders.

"It is too bad, though," stormed her mother; "a _tte--tte_ upon the sea with a perfect stranger!"

"He only introduced himself to me as a pirate, who had boarded my s.h.i.+p."

"No, my Frulein," said Blanden, now stepping nearer; "I believed you to be in danger. One ought not to venture upon the sea with an idiot girl."

"There you are right," said the Regierungsrath, suddenly appeased by the stranger coinciding with him, and also reproaching his imprudent daughter.

The former's fas.h.i.+onable appearance made a favourable impression upon the old gentleman, who, as an introduction to friendly relations, offered him a pinch of snuff.

Blanden thanked him with a slight bow.

"Our meeting upon the ocean waves, my Frulein, was of so poetical a character that I feared to desecrate it by the prose of social forms; permit me, therefore, now only to introduce myself to you and your family. My name is Blanden--Max von Blanden."

The Regierungsrath gave his name.

"I have an additional pleasure in making your acquaintance if you are a relation of that old gentleman to whom the magnificent estates, Rossitten, Kulmitten, and Nehren belong. I used often to be in that neighbourhood; I know the estates, because they border upon a district whither my official duties sometimes lead me; I am, namely, in the third division of the Government, Woods and Forests--that is my branch!

Thus I have seen the old proprietor once or twice, and heard his beautiful estates much talked about--a pleasant gentleman."

"All praise that he receives, honours and gratifies me, because I am his son!"

"His son!" said the Regierungsrath, with a friendly chuckle; "then you probably manage that extensive property."

"Certainly, and entirely upon my own account; because my poor, good-hearted father now contents himself with a very small portion of it."

"Then he has resigned most of the estates to you?" said the Regierungsrthin, who looked upon the promising heir with especial good will.

"All, all, _gndige_ Frau! He only claims one very small place--the place in the Blandens' family vault--he died half a year ago!"

"Oh, how sad!" said the _gndige_ Frau, with a sigh, while, speedily consoled, she added--

"Then in you we recognise the heir and owner of these beautiful possessions."

"Alas! I cannot alter it, little talent as I have hitherto displayed in exercising my rights of owners.h.i.+p in a becomingly solemn manner."

The result of this examination was a brilliant one. Rath and Rthin were seized with internal disquiet as to how they could best ensure themselves this gratifying acquaintance for some time. They looked at one another with questioning and answering glances.

Eva was too happy; she did not know why. She concerned herself but little about the master and owner of the property; but the friendly footing between her parents and Blanden made her very happy.

For a moment she might be vexed with him that he had enveloped himself in mystery towards her, and had not even told her his name; this fleeting sensation of anger soon pa.s.sed tracelessly away.