,"*• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY Class Book Volume MrlO-20M ^o^A ^' ■ a-^.-rJ". 1 ■^»» - 'S-^.~-:^,J3| ■«. CASTLE HOHENWALD IX\^^_ VDV\ \-\oVvC^W(X\6 A ROMANCE OF ADOLPH STRECKFUSS AUTHOB OF *' TOO BIOH," BTO. BY MRS. A. L. WISTER TBAN8LAT0R OF "THE OLD MAM'MLLE'S SEOBET," " THE 8S00MD WIFE,' "TOO BIOH," " MAEGABETHE," " ONLY A eiBL," ETC. PHILADELPHIA J. B. LIPPINCOTTCOMPANY 1906 C V ^ w Copyright, 1879, by J. B. Lippincott & Co. Copyright, 1906, by A. L. Wistek. "•V* Jft t^ffp'tf/^ ■ CASTLE HOHENWALD. CHAPTER I. The music ceased. The gentlemen led their partners to their various chaperones, and then crowded out upon the balcony to enjoy the cool spring breeze, giving no attention to the remonstrances of their host, the President, who, when he found how little heed was paid to his warning against imprudence, turned away, declaring to his friend the colonel that there really was nothing to be done with the heedless young people of the present day. " They trifle with their health as if their nerves were of iron and illness impossible," he added, a little out of humour, perhaps, at the neglect of his advice. li " Why then, old friend, do you give a ball in April ?" the - colonel asked, laughing. . " Could I help -being bom on the 20th of April ? My son and daughter insist upon my keeping up the old custom and celebrating the occasion by a ball. This year it is perfect folly, but then no one could foretell this early warm spring." 'q " Come, never trouble yourself about those young people ; a my officers have often braved more sudden changes of tem- ' perature in the field without being any the worse." "But the Assessor? His constitution is none of the t strongest." " And suppose he does take cold ; 'twill do him no harm. 1* 6 141015 6 CASTLE HOHENWALD. Come, come, let the young people alone. We were once not a whit more prudent ourselves." And as he spoke the colonel took his old friend's arm and led him back into the ball-room, while the young officers upon the balcony, who had overheard all that had been said, laugh- ingly grouped themselves about the Assessor, rallying him / upon the anxiety with regard to his health manifested by the President. " The President is right," said a black-bearded cuirassier, inclining his tall figure towards the slightly-built Assessor. " You ought to take care of yourself, my dear Assessor ; the sensitive nature of which you so often tell us can never endure what our coarser constitutions brave with impunity. Put an end to the anxiety of your fiiture father-in-law and leave the balcony, I beseech you." " Herr von Saldern, I beg " " Do not make the fair Ad^le a widow before she is a wife," chimed in another officer. " Herr von Arnim, such remarks are very much out of place. It is true that I am peacefully disposed. I make no boast of it, for the gifts of nature " " Are variously distributed," Herr von Arnim interrupted the Assessor by completing his sentence. " Do we not fre- quently hear from your own lips how lavishly mother nature has endowed you, denying you the gift of a robust consti- tution alone ? Spare your precious health, — ^preserve your- self for the fair Ad^le, and for us, your tenderly attached friends ; follow the kind President's advice." The Assessor gazed helplessly at the laughing faces about him ; he was the only civilian among these reckless young fellows, and he knew that any serious remonstrance would but provoke anew Arnim's love of chaff. The more prudent part was to laugh too and yield the field. This he did, leaving the balcony and re-entering the ball-room. T^ " •rim'WBmm:^'^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 7 To his astonisliinent he here recognized an acquaintance vi'hom he had not met for a long time, and he hastened across the room to greet him, doubly pleased, since, if Amim should chance to rally him upon his flight, he could now declare that he had left the balcony to welcorae the arrival of Count Styrum. The Count, a man of about the 8ge of thirty years, was standing in the background of the ball-room, in the door- way of one of the antechambers, thoughtfiilly contemplating the brilliant scene. The ^lite of the large provincial town was assembled in the President's rooms to-night, men high in office, with their wives and daughters, the officers of the garrison, and the most aristocratic of the county gentry. The President enjoyed giving splendid entertainments, and his wealth and position entirely justified him in gratifying his taste in this direction. The hospitalities of his house were quite famous, — ^his balls had been mentioned with fa- vour by royalty itself, — had not the Prince, upon a visit to the town, accepted an invitation to one of these birthday fetes, and declared afterwards that he had never attended a more brilliant entertainment or seen a more charming collec- tion of lovely women ? Count Styrum, too, thought that he had rarely seen so many lovely faces assembled in one room, and he gazed with delight at the charming groups laughing and jesting on all sides, wondering while he gazed whom he should pronounce fairest among so many that were fair. His doubt on this head vanished, however, as his eye fell upon a young girl seated upon a low divan near him. He was quite lost for a moment in admiration of her beauty ; the features might, it is true, have been more regular, but the face was indescribably lovely and attractive. The slightly pouting lips could surely smile charmingly, although now there were pensive lines about the mouth which accorded :l 8 CASTLE HOHENWALD. well with the melancholy expression of the large and eloquent Drown eyes. The Count felt an immediate and lively interest in this lovely girl ; he had never seen her before, and yet he longed to know why she, the fairest among this gay throng, should look so sad and take apparently so little interest in what was going on around her. She could hardly number twe ity years ; could she be preyed upon by any secret grief? What was she thinking of at this moment? Scarcely of the whispered words of the man on the low seat beside her, for she never looked at him, and even turned away from him with a gesture betoken- ing that his conversation was anything but agreeable to her. " I see I am right ! It is really yourself, my dear Count. I thought you were in Rome or Naples, and am most heartily delighted to welcome you here !" It was thus that the Assessor addressed the Count, who, in contemplation of the beautiful girl on the divan, had not noticed his approach. Now, however, he held out his hand, saying, not unkindly, and with a smile, " You here in the provinces, my dear Hahn ? I had not expected to meet the lion of the metropolis here ; how does it happen ?" The Assessor, greatly flattered by the question, conceitedly twirled his light moustache and tried to look as much as possible like a flaxen-haired lion of the metropolis ; not very successfully, however. His face would look boyish in spite of the moustache, and his head barely reached to his distin- guished friend's shoulder, as he replied, " I have been here two years. Just after your departure, when I had passed my third examination, I was appointed to the post of assessor here. It is true that we forego much in the provinces, where however the heart finds truer contentment than amid the whirl of tlie capital, and therefore I am abundantly satisfied with my present life, which, unfortunately, I must shortly rfs> ^?^? -^'.i:.xri7,y^-'^ ;^j?'^-r:-»:' -;;-y3^-^$»'V CASTLE HOHENWALD. 9 resign, for I am ordered to Altstadt. It is difficult to tear one's self away from loved surroundings and companionship. I am endowed with more than my share of sensibility, I know ; not that I would make a boast of it, for it is mine from the hand of nature, and her gifts are variously be- stowed." A smile hovered upon the Count's lips as he replied, " 1 am glad to find you unchanged, my dear Hahn. Of course you are entirely a,t home in this society, where I am a total stranger. Not a soul in the room do I know except my uncle Gruntram and my cousins Ad^le and Heinrich. You will tell rae who all these delightftd people are." *' With pleasure. I know all your uncle's guests. You know the poetry of my nature. I make no boast ; nature's gifts are various, but as a poet nothing interests me more than the study of human feeling and aspiration. You have applied to the right quarter for information with regard to the character and circumstances of all these peojile." ■" I am sure of it. I have always admired your obliging amiability no less than your profound study of character." •' You do me honour. I am obliging by natiire, but I make no boast of it. Question me ; I am quite at your service." " To put you instantly to the test, tell me who is the charming girl dressed simply but elegantly in white, there, on the divan to my left, with brown hair and the wreath of snow-drops ; the beautiful creature who evidently cares not one whit for all that the fellow with the black beard, leaning over her, is pouring so eagerly into her ear." The Assessor listened with a smile to this enthusiastic description. " Evidently hit, my dear Count," he said. " Not at all ; but the melancholy on that charming faco interests me excessively." " Poor Frau von Sorr ! She may well be melancholy." " Frau ? Impossible I You do not know whom I mean." A* ■•■;:: ■,£ 'T .■fi'..w^ s.*^;!p|5j5-: 10 castLe hohenwald. " Ah ! yes I do. No one coiL d fail to know from your description, and it is not to be wondered at that you take Frau von Sorr for a young girl : it is the same with every one who first sees her. She is just twenty-two and looks much younger." " And the man talking to her is, I suppose, her husband." " Not at all. That is Count Repuin, an enormously wealthy Russian, a bosom-friend of Herr von Sorr, and a gambler and spendthrift, who throws away his money by thousands. They say Herr von Sorr knows how to pick it up, and that is the secret of the friendship between them, and also why Sorr allows Repuin to pay such court to his wife." " And does she encourage it ?" Count Styrum asked. " How deceived one may be by a face ! I thought hers so innocent and refined in expression." " And the expression does not belie her," the Assessor re- joined. " Herr von Sorr is a despicable fellow enough, and bears the worst possible reputation ; but scandal itself could not touch his charming wife. It is only on her account that he is endured in society in spite of his notorious past and his more than doubtful present. Your uncle would never have invited him here to-night except for the sake of his wife, who is the dearest friend of Fraulein Ad61e." " But the Russian " " Is desperately in love with her. He throws away in- credible sums upon her worthless husband, while she sternly reftises to accept any of his attentions. My observation is naturally very keen. I make no boast of it, but it is ; and I am convinced that at this moment that poor woman is suf- fering agonies because, without exciting observation, and for the sake of her good-for-nothing husband, she cannot repulse that fellow indignantly." The Assessor's words increased the interest with which the beautiful Frau von Sorr had inspired the Count, and it waa F*^ ^^K?^~- CASTLE UOHENWALD. 11 fitill forther heightened by a little scene that passed unob- served by any eyes in the ball-room except his oim and the Assessor's. Frau von Sorr, who had hitherto endured, rather than heard, in perfect silence what her neighbour was saying to her, never even varying by a look the cold indiflFerence of her bearing, suddenly turned upon him eyes flashing with indigna- tion. The delicate colour in her cheek deepened to crimson, the beautiful lips unclosed as if to speak, when suddenly second thoughts seemed to assert their sway, and rising, with a look of inexpressible contempt at Kepuin, she turned from him and walked slowly across the ball-room to join a group of young girls gathered about the daughter of the house, Ad^le von Guntram. "What does that mean, do you think?" Count Styrum asked the Assessor. " It means that the fellow went too far, and she turned her back upon him." " Poor young creature ! she interests me, and I must hear more of her ; pray tell me, my dear Hahn, what you know of her husband." " Certainly. What I know everybody knows, and there can be no indiscretion in relating it ; for the world I would not be indiscreet. In fact, I am discretion itself. I make no boast of it, but I am. Of course I may tell you what all the world knows. Well, then, Herr von Sorr is utterly worthless. In the last few years he has squandered his own considerable property and his wife's fortune upon all sorts of follies, and worse, in the capital. What he now lives upon no one knowb. All sorts of strange stories are told about that. They may not all be true, of course, but there must be some foundation for them, since Lieutenant von Amim lately declared that he would not play when Herr von Sorr kept the bank, and that he did not like to have him for next neighbour when he ■' '"r^^r^^::^^ P 12 CASTLE hohenwald: kept it himself, for it was so disagreeable to have to keep a sharp eye upon the pile of money before him." " Rather strong, I should say." " It was indeed ; but no one expressed any surprise at Amim's declaration ; indeed, I heard it whispered that one night when he sat next Sorr at play a hundred-thaler note had unaccountably disappeared ; as I said, the man's charao- ter, or want of it, is such that were it not for his lovely wife every respectable house in the town would be closed against him." " But how did the fellow come to have so lovely a wife ?" * Six years ago, when he married Fraulein Lucie Ahl- bom, his reputation was good ; he was held to be a wealthy man of rank, and such he was, although even then he had squandered a large part of his property. Herr Ahlborn, his wife's father, was a rich manufacturer ; he never thought of saying ' no' when Sorr applied for his daughter's hand, — he was probably flattered by the proposal, — and if he thought the young man rather wild, supposed that marriage would ::ure all that. Fraulein Ahlborn brought her husband a fine estate, which she had inherited from her mother," " Was she forced into the marriage by her father?" *' Not at all. I do not know that she was very devoted to her bridegroom, but possibly she was, for he was a handsome enough young fellow, — his wild life has told upon him now, — but then he might easily have captivated the fancy of a girl of sixteen. This I grant, although I was a student then, vis- iting very frequently at Herr Ahlborn's, and a little in love wilh the fair Lucie myself, which did not prepossess me in favour of my fortunate rival. Neither I nor any oxjd else dreamed that Sorr would ever sink so low as he has done. Everybody thought the match an excellent one, and re gretted that the charming couple withdrew to the retiremen' of Frau von Sorr's estate to enjoy their conjugal felicit] ^W ■'^^^7S^W^mWf'^--f^''' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 13 Their seclusion, however, did not last longer than a few months. They then returned to town, where Sorr played like a madman, kept a costly racing stud, and spent huge sums upon a notorious ballet-girl, scandalously neglecting his poor wife, who, however, bore her sad fate with divine patience. Fortune dealt her its heaviest blows, for she lost her father, with whom she might have sought a retdge firom her husband. Herr Ahlbom was ruined by the bankruptcy of a large business firm, and failed. There might have been some composition with his creditors^ but being a man of an even exaggerated sense of honour, he gave up everything. Not one of his creditors lost a penny, but he forfeited his entire fortune. His business Mends offered him money and credit wherewith to re-open his manufactory, but he could not endure the thought of beginning life again in a place where he had occupied so high a position. He bec^e gloomy and misanthropic, even revising to accept assist^ce .^om his daughter, who would gladly have given it to him. Taking with him but a small sum of money, the remnant of his large fortune, he left the scene of his former activity, ostensibly to sail for America. They say he never took leave of one of his old friends, but went, without even bid* ding good-bye to his daughter. This was more than four years ago, and nothing has since been heard of him ; he has never written to his daughter, and she does not even know the name of the vessel in which he sailed from Germany. Shortly before his departure he declared that he would either return as a wealthy man or not at all. If he really went to America, which b doubtful, he may not have been sucoess- ful; perhaps he is dead, — no one knows anything about him. His daughter mourned him deeply; but she soon needed to mourn still more deeply for herself for her mis- erable husband, after spending all his own fortune, did the same by hers, mortgaging her estate until it had to be sold 2 U CASTLB HOHENWALD. Since that took place, how he lives is a mystery. I have told you some of the current explanations of it, and I am sure you must now find it very natural that there should be an expression of melancholy upon Frau von Sorr's lovely face." The doors of the adjoining supper-room were here opened, and the Assessor broke oflF his long narrative, saying, " Ex- cuse me, my dear Count, for leaving you, but duty calls. Your charming cousin, Friiulein Ad^le, has promised to allow me to take her to supper." And bowing, he hurried towards the group of ladies, of which Ad^le was the centre. H-^ need not have been in any haste, however, for she herself, accompanied by Frau von Sorr, advanced to meet him, saying, with an enchanting smile that transported the little man to the seventh heaven, " I have a request to make of you, Herr von Hahn, and I am sure you will grant it." " Ask what you will, Fraulein Ad61e. You cannot ask what I shall not be proud to grant." " I will not put your amiability to any severe test," she rejoined ; " the fulfilment of my request brings with it its own reward. Pray take my dear Lucie, instead of myself, in to supper." The Assessor was not altogether charmed, since he had en- gaged his fair partner for supper a week previously ; but he was too courteous to allow a shade of disappointment to appear in his countenance, and his momentary annoyance vanished when Addle continued, " We must be neighbours at supper, however ; keep two places for me at your table, and I will follow you with my cousin, Count Styrum, who, not knowing the customs of our house, has, I fear, engaged no one to go with him to supper." The Assessor was made supremely happy by her words and manner. Never had this charming creature, to whom for the PS-^ssS*; CASTLE HOHENWALD. 15 time he was devoted heart and soul, treated him with such a degree of amiable confidence. He knew better than any one else how far he was from the attainment of his hopes, and therefore the badinage of his military friends had for him a peculiar sting ; but now on a sudden his fair one's manner was such as seemed to him to justify his aspirations. It was the custom at the President's to have the supper- room arranged with many small tables, accommodating each from four to eight persons, at which the guests seated them- selves in groups selected among themselves beforehand. This obviated the necessity for caution lest the rules of precedence should be infringed, — a very important consideration in a provincial town, — and greatly promoted the ease and comfort of the guests. With his head proudly erect, the Assessor conducted Frau von Sorr into the adjoining room, into which other couples were thronging. He soon found an unoccupied table, and was looking round for Count Styrum and Ad^le, when Count Repuin approached, and, without according him any salute or attention, addressed Frau von Sorr. " Surely, madame, you cannot have forgotten that you promised me the honour of your society at supper ?" The Count uttered these words in a tone almost of menace, scarcely consistent with the rules of polite society. He was, as was evident from his flashing eyes and his dark frown, controlling himself with difficulty, and the Assessor was very much embarrassed. He was perfectly conscious of the obliga- tion laid upon him to assert his right to escort to supper Frau von Sorr, whose hand still rested upon his arm, but such asser« tion was by no means easy, — ^the Russian's gleaming black eyes were so wrathful, and just at the moment the Assessor could not but remember the man's reputation as an unerring pistol-shot, and his great readiness to send a challenge. Poor Herr von Hahn ! He had a most uncomfortable sen- ^a-i'»»f-r syjBigf: 16 CASTLE HOHENWALD. sation about the throat, somewhat as if his cravat had been suddenly tightened. He cleared it, but could scarcely utter a word ; nevertheless something must be ventured, else what would Fraulein Ad^le, what woidd all his acquaintances say ? " Count Repuin, excuse me, but I have the honour of being this lady's escort " Count Repuin looked down upon him with undisguised contempt as he rather stammered than uttered these words, and then haughtily replied, with a coldness that was almost insulting, " I did not address you, sir. It was not of youi mistake that I spoke, but of Frau von Sorr's. Of course you will yield me the right I desire as soon as madam e accords it to me." " Which I shall not do," Frau von Sorr interposed. She had relinquished the support of the Assessor's arm, and stood tall and stately before the Count, meeting his eye with calm resolve, evidently ready to brave his anger. Repuin's face flushed crimson, — he bit his lip, and said, with forced calmness, " Have you forgotten, madame, that by your husband's permission I this morning requested to be allowed to conduct you to supper to-night, and that you con- sented to my request ?" "I have forgotten nothing. Count Repuin, not even the words you addressed to me a few moments ago ; let me beg you to leave me." " I refuse to yield my right," the Count angrily retorted. " If you deny me thus, I must appeal to Herr von Sorr to support my claim." . " I think not, Count Repuin. My friend Frau von Sorr is, I trust, secure from all insult beneath my father's roof." The words were Ad^le von Guntram's. She had arrived, leaning upon Count Styrum's arm, just in time to hear Repuin's angry threat, and now, stepping to her friend'p side, she turned to Count Repuin with a degree of dignity '■^-Tf^'^H^- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 17 and resolution that added mncli to the A^seasor's already great astonishment at such a manifestation on the part of so gentle and amiable a girl, and said, " You have permitted yourself to be carried away by your annoyance, Count, to the extent of addressing a lady in terms inconsistent with our German ideas of courtesy. I must beg you to apologise to my friend." CoUnt Repuin angrily compressed his lips, but he perfectly ' understood that he had gone too &r, and that upon this an- M tagonist he had not reckoned. If he would not entirely lose the game he was playing he must control himself, and, diffi- cult although it might be, comply with Ad&le's demand. He therefore smothered his rage, and, taking Ad^le's hand and kissing it with respectful humility, he said, " You shame me, Friiulein von Guntram, yet I cannot but be grateftd to you - ' for recalling me to a sense of the duty which, according not only to German ideas, but also to those entertained in Rus- sia and throughout the world, every gentleman owes to a lady whom he has been so unfortunate as to offend. I beg Frau von Sorr's pardon from my soul, and venture to hope for her forgiveness, the more confidently as my irritation was the consequence of my great disappointment at losing a pleasure which she will admit I had some right to anticipate." Frau von Sorr heeded his apology no more than his threat, but turned to Adele, who replied to his words and farewell bow by a cool and dignified curtsey. As soon as he was out of hearing the young girl gave a sigh of relief " Thank Heaven, he is gone ! He actually terrifies me, and I had to muster up all my courage to be- come my poor Lucie's defender. The man is indescribably ^l odious, — Russian from head to foot, — rough, coarse, and brutally passionate one moment, courteous, smooth, and smil- ing the next, but always false and untrustworthy. How- ever, he has gone, and we will not spoil our pleasure by think- "" L 2* .-■■■'^^.■T T^^^'-^'b" 18 CASTLE HOHENWALD. ing of him an instant longer. Cousin Karl, let me present you to my dearest friend, Frau von Sorr. My cousin, Count Karl Styrum, Lucie dear j and now let us enjoy our supper together." CHAPTER 11. Count Karl Sttrtjm had never been very fond of large entertainment, and had accepted his uncle the President's invitation on this evening only because he did not wish to be rude to a relative whom he had not seen for years. The ball had hitherto been rather a bore ; he did not dance, and, stranger as he was in this society, he took little interest in watching others dance. The only figure that his eyes followed with any pleasure in the waltz was his cousin Adfele's, and he had intended to slip from the room unobserved, when her gracious and cousinly invitation to him to conduct her to supper frus- trated his unsocial plan. He could not refuse so amiable a proposal, but he prom- ised himself but little entertainment in her society, since, although cousins, they were now almost entire strangers to each other. He had last visited his uncle, his mother's brother, ten years before, when Ad^le was a pretty little girl with fair curls, whom he had made a pet of and called his little sweetheart. In the busy years that ensued he had almost forgotten her ; indeed, he had hardly remembered her name. Now he haTi come to M to arrange a personal ad- justment with his uncle of a lawsuit between them concern- ing an inherited estate. It had been the cause of a not quite friendly correspondence, and the Count had not looked for- ward to a renewal of intercourse with his relati res without CASTLE HOHENWALD. 19 some misgivings. He was all the more pleased, (iherefore, by the cordiality with which his uncle received him, and begged him to forget the odious lawsuit entirely, except when it absolutely demanded attention as a matter of business. "I think, my dear Karl," the President said, when the Count first presented himself at his house a few days before the birthday ball, " we can manage to leave all quarrelling over mine and thine to our lawyers ; let us do all we can to aid in the settlement of the question, but if this settle- ment be delayed, do not, for Heaven's sake, let it disturb the &endliness of our relations with each other any more than should our difference in politics, which latter, most unfor- tunately, embittered your fiM;her towards me during the last years of his life ; to the day of his death he could not forgive me because we Prussians were victorious in 1866. I trust that you, Saxon soldier though you be, are more plaeable, and will reflect, as I do, that your dear mother was my favou- rite sister, and that we loved each other faithfully as long as she lived. It was not our fault, as we both thought, that our grand-uncle involved us in a lawsuit by an ambiguous will," Count Styrum could not possibly fail to reciprocate so kind an expression of good will on his uncle's part. He did not, it is true, accept the pressing invitation extended to him to leave the hotel and make the President's house his home while in M , but he promised to spend every spare hour beneath his roof. He did this the more readily since his cousins welcomed him as cordially as their father had done. On Ad^le's part this amiability was certainly sincere, while Heinrich, who was an assessor in his father's office, probably acted in mere compliance with his father's wish in the matter. Ad^le was thoroughly pleased with her cousin, — she knew nothing of the lawsuit, and cared nothing for politics, — Kari was to her simply the son of an aunt whom nhe had dearly loved, and with whom she could remember - l-r-'-jr. ;-" --^ ' I ^^.y^r'r^'TJwBp- i6 CASTLE HOHENWALD. friendship lasted for a number of years after the Baron mar- ried a Countess Harrangow. He seemed to live very happily with his beautiful wife, keeping open house, as well in Dres- den in the winter as in summer upon his estate of Hohen- wald, which is not far from the Prussian boundary. His wife's relatives visited him frequently, and oftien spent weeks beneath his roof, where they were upon the best of terms with the lord of the castle, although they were Prussians, and he a bitter enemy of Prussia and a great friend of Aus- tria, never hesitating to declare his anti-Prussian sentiments in the presence of his Prussian guests. " A few months aft«r the birth of his youngest child — a daughter — there was a sudden and complete transformation in the Baron's manner of life, the cause of which was entirely unknown. He separated from his wife, who revurned to her paternal home, where she received from the Baron a large yearly income, but whither she was not permitted tn take her children, two sons and the baby daughter, who remained in Hohenwald. No one knows the reason for this separation ; the Baron has never by so much as a word alluded t^ it, and all the reports concerning it circulated in Dresden society, where the affair of course made a great deal of noise, are utterly without foundation. Even the Baroness, who died within a year after the separation, without seeing either hus- band or children again, never assigned to her paren1>? any reason for her expulsion — for that is the only term to be ap- plied to it — from Hohenwald. The relatives of the Baroness, who had hitherto always found a welcome at the castle, did all they could to effect a reconciliation between husband and wife, but they were repulsed by the Baron with such harsh- ness and severity that they never renewed their efforts. My father, too, fared no better. Relying upon the claims of long friendship, he complied with the wishes of the king, who regretted that the Baron should have so treated his wife** ^W^SSP^^^TF s; 30 CASTLE HOHENWALD. school liad taught her the air and bearing of a higher social rank than her own. How could a young man, who knew nothing of society and the world, fail to be attracted by a girl of extraordinary beauty and a fair degree of culture, and with manners far above those of her class? How could he suspect the utter want of moral training beneath so fair an exterior, or dream of the arts that were practised to attract him ? You spoke, Herr von Hahn, of a * love-aflFair with the pretty daughter of a rope-maker ;' a very grave ' love- affair' it was for Arno, for he asked the girl in marriage of her parents, and of course received from them a glad con- sent to his wishes. Not only this, but, to the extreme sur- prise of Rosalie's parents, the old Baron von Hohenwald did not refuse to sanction the marriage. When Arno went to Hohenwald to tell his father of his betrothal, the old man was naturally enough dismayed at the prospect of such a mis- alliance. He represented to his son all the consequences of so fatal a step, the disapproval it would meet with in all quarters, the annihilation of all prospect of advancement in his profession, the scandal it would cause in aristocratic circles. But when Arno declared that his word was pledged, and that nothing would induce him to recall it, his father withdrew all opposition. He consented to the union, though he refused point-blank to repair to Dresden to see his son's betrothed, declaring that he should have time enough to make her acquaintance after the marriage. " In Dresden the betrothal made a most disagreeable talk ; Arno's comrades were beside themselves ; they adjured him to resign all thoughts of the girl, hinting that she was quite unworthy of the sacrifice he was making for her. All that they said was to no purpose, however ; and in several cases Arno was with difficulty prevented from calling to a bloody account those who dared to remonstrate with him. The oolonel of our regiment, by advice from very high quarters, W'^WT ^^m^' '^W^mSBm^, i CASTLE HOHENWALD. 31 called upon Lieutenant von HohenwaJd, but his lepresentar tions availed nothing against my friend's ohstinacy. Amo professed himself ready to request his dismissal from the army, but not to break his plighted faith. This offer on his part would doubtless have been accepted but that war with Prussia was imminent, and the services of so brave an officer as Amo von Hohenwald could not be spared. It was there fore intimated that the royal consent to his marriage would be accorded him provided he would accede to the king's wish that it should be postponed for a year. To this condition he consented, although the pretty Rosalie pouted and sighed, and her father and mother were quite indignant at the delay. " During the short campaign that now took him from Dres- den, Amo wrote frequently to his betrothed, without, how- evei, receiving a word in reply, a circumstance for which his trusting nature found abundant explanation in the irregularity of the Bohemian postal arrangements. At Koni^ratz he was severely wounded ; indeed, the newspapers reported him killed, and as such they mourned him for weeks at Castle Hohenwald. Meanwhile, he was lying unconscious in the hospital. I was in the same ward with him, only slightly wounded, however ; I was soon sufficiently recovered to go to Dresden, on leave, to regain my strength there. When I left Arno his condition was still very critical ; in one of his intervals of consciousness he sent a message by me to his betrothed, which I of course made it my duty to deliver as soon as possible. I found only the mother at home when I paid my visit to the rope-maker's, and she shocked and disgusted me by the want of feeling she displayed upon hearing that Arno was not dead, as had been supposed, but only dangerously wounded. She even appeared glad to learn that, in the event of his recovery, it must be months at least before he cot»ld come to Dresden. On the same day, however, all that was strange in her behaviour was %lly explained to me by the physician whom I consulted with •:r^v "■ .■3r« '■• -^5?^'l--^^;%|ia|i*y^p»pi-' 32 CASTLE HOHENWALD. regaxd to my wound, and who had been a fellow-lodger of Arno's and his warm friend. As such he felt it his duty to acquaint me, the poor fellow's most intimate friend, with the wretched story that so closely concerned him, and that filled me with consternation and disgust. Amo had been infamously deceived both by his betrothed and by her parents, whose sole thought had been how to enrich themselves at whatever expense of honour and honesty. Some time before her be- trothal to Amo, Rosalie had been secretly under the protec- tion of a wealthy manufacturer in Dresden, her connection with whom, when the report of Arno's death seemed to her to free her from the necessity for concealment, became a day's theme for public gossip. She flaunted her disgrace abroad, meeting with no opposition from her parents in her down- ward career. There is no need to dwell upon the details of this miserable business ; the investigations I felt it my duty to my friend to prosecute fully confirmed the physician's story. This being the case, what was I to do ? Of course, I ought to acquaint Arno with the facts I had learned, and yet the knowledge of them might kill him in his present precarious state. I needed advice in the matter, and I turned for it to my friend's father. I wrote to him telling him all, begging him to come to Dresden to receive personal confirmation of the truth of what I wrote, and offering, if he desired it, to go immediately to Arno and inform him of his betrothed's worthlessness. I supposed that the Baron would reply to my letter in person, but he did not come to Dresden ; by return of post I received a letter from him, expressing heart-felt grati- tude to me. ' I need,' he wrote, ' no ftirther confirmation : it is for my son to investigate this matter. Of course he will not condemn his betrothed without hearing her in her own defence. I suffer greatly from the gout, and cannot come to Dresden ; besides, I do not think myself justified in forestall- ing my son in this matter.' He then begged me to fulfil " ' Z'^W^"^^- ' ' ~ ' C.'trW , • ' lajg'^"— CASTLE HOHENWALD. 83 my promise to go to Amo as soon as possible and tell him all. ' Do not be a&aid,' he said, in conclusion, ' that jou will retard my son's recovery in thus peiforming your duty as his Mend. We Hohenwalds come of a tough stock, and know how to bear pain ; it may perhaps bend, but it will not break us. Believe me when I tell you this,' " He was right, as I found when a few days later, sitting at Amo's bedside, and finding him quite himself again, I tried to prepare him gently for what I had to say. He perceived instantly that I was the messenger of evil tidings, and briefly and firmly bade me speak out and tell him all that was to be told. I did so, and he listened in gloomy silence, with down- cast eyes, asking no question, giving no sign, except the con- vulsive clinching of the hand that lay on the coverlet, of the storm of emotion raging within him. When I had finished, he looked up with eyes that seemed to read my very soul. ' I do not thank you,' he said. ' I cannot tell, before I have seen and learned for myself, whether you have rendered me the greatest service that one friend can render to another, or whether I must call you to account as my mortal foe. Until then we must part. Leave me now. I shall soon seek you out in Dresden, either to thank or ' " I tried to soothe him, but he repulsed me sternly, and I returned to Dresden without seeing him again. His surgeon informed me that he considered his condition very alarming, that he feared the worst, and that at all events it must be months before he could leave the hospital. So I left him, filled with remorse for having followed the old Baron's advice ; but scarcely four weeks had passed when one day Amo en- tered my room in Dresden. He looked terribly, — ^his dark eyes gleamed with unnatural brilliancy in his wasted counte- nance, his right arm was in a sling, while, although he sup- ported himself upon a stout cane, he could scarcely stand. When I hurried towards him he sank, half fainting, into my C y 34 CASTLE HOHENWALD. arms, and I carried rather than led him to a lounge. He pressed my hand, and, as soon as he could speak, said, ' I thank you ; you t«ld me nothing but the truth, and yet not all the truth. You have saved me from a horrible fate, and I never will forget it. Add still fiirther to my obligations to you by granting me one request : I entreat you never, never again to make the faintest allusion to that wretched girl.' T promised, and since that day not one word with regard to her has passed Amo's lips. How he parted from her I never knew. He had spent two days in ascertaining the truth of the story I had told him, and then came to my room, which it was long before he left again. His strength of will had sus- tained him until his purpose was fulfilled, and then he was utterly prostrated. For many a night I watched by his bed, hopeless as to his recovery, but in the end his vigoroxis con- stitution conquered. The old Baron was right. " During his convalescence we often discussed our plans for the future. We both resolved to send in our resignations. I spare you our reasons for this course of action, for I know that you, my dear Assessor, are one of Prince Bis- marck's most enthusiastic supporters, and that my lovely cousin Ad^Ie, as the daughter of a Prussian official high in rank, could hardly appreciate the feeling that made it impos- sible for us to continue in the army aft«r peace was con- cluded. Amo's political opinions so closely coincided with my own that our plans for the future were the same. For him, as for me, it was simply impossible to accept office under government, and so we determined to withdraw altogether from public life, to study the management of estates and to find our calling in the friture in administering our own. " I wrote to my father, and received his speedy approval of my resolution. Amo, as soon as he was strong enough, set out for Hohenwald. I proposed to accompany him, but to this he objected, telling me frankly that he could not invito ~r!» je>s^-^s!^'^»'!- i v^"-"":; CASTLE HOHENWALD. 35 even his dearest friend to Hohenwald ; tliat his father's secla- sion must be invaded by no stranger. He attained his wish, however ; his father had no objection to make to his plans ; and so we both went to Tharandt to study, and later travelled through Europe together, until my father's death called me home. Since then Amo has been living in Hohenwald, where, as he writes me, he has undertaken the management of his estates. I have not seen him, for Hohenwald is closed to every one; but we correspond constantly, and he hap promised to pay me a visit shortly," CHAPTER III. The ladies had listened eagerly to Count Slyrum s narra- tive. Frau von Sorr, indeed, was so impressed and interested by all that she heard of the Freiherr that she forgot for the moment the late disagreeable encounter with Count Bepuin. Ad^Ie was no less interested. So absorbed was she in her cousin's account that she did not notice a certain restless- ness that had begun to pervade the guests seated at the numerous small supper-tables. It was the invariable custom at the President's balls for the daughter of the house to give the signal for the renewal of dancing, by leaving the supper- room escorted by her cavalier. This duty the young giil, usually so attentive a hostess, had wellnigh forgotten, and she would have continued to question her cousin upon the sub- ject that so interested her, had not her brother Heinrich reminded her that their guests were awaiting with some im- patience the return to the ball-room. He left the table where he had been playing the part of host, and, standing behind his sister's chair, whispered in her ear, " You seem l-i-' ■ ^'fn liilf^r V i'l'i ^Ti ■ - ^1 - --,T^T. ^''»W?55»!WI!gp^5SWpi 56 CASTLE HOHENWALD. to have lofgotten, Ad61e, that it is high time the dancing began agam." " Why are you in such a hurry ? You are not used to be so eager to daace," Ad^le repUed, in a tone of some annoyance. " I speak for our guests, who have been looking impatiently for your l«javing the supper-room, as you would have seen yourself hjkd not interest in your conversation with our cousin made you olind and deaf to everything else. Let me beg you now to beftow a little attention upon others." Althouph her brother's reproof might have been more amiably a»uninistered, Ad^le felt the justice of what he said, and, risinj- instantly, begged Count Styrum to conduct her to the ball-ri»om. The other couples followed her immediately, and the supper-room was soon emptied of all the guests with the exception of the elderly gentlemen, for whom the Presi- dent now produced his choicest Havanas, and whose enjoy- ment of the evening only rightly began when, supper finished, they could linger over their wine with closed doors. For those younger men who were not enthusiastic dancers, but who were fond of high play, Heinrich von Gruntram had his own sanctum prepared. The gaming-table was set out, the champagne duly iced, and he only waited until the dancing should have begun to assemble there the chosen few. His father discountenanced gaming, and therefore there had been no mention of play before supper, but now that the President was occupied with his special friends, Heinrich dutiftdly ianced once with his partner at supper, and then led the Tray to his room, followed by all those for whom gaming Uways formed part of an evening's entertainment. " Are you tired of dancing, Count B«puin ?" he asked the Russian, who stood in a doorway, gloomily watching Frau ▼on Sorr as she was waltzing with the Assessor. " Come to mj room and you will find a cigar." « And cards ?" CASTLE nOHENWALD. 37 « Of course." " Have you asked Sorr ?" " No ; you know " " Yes, I know ; but you will do me a great favour if yon will ask him to join us." This request embarrassed Heinrich; he did not like to spare the Russian from the card-table, for he always lost, when he did lose, with great equanimity, but he was naturally diuinclined to extend his invitation to Sorr. " I have already asked Amim," he said, hesitating, " and I am afraid " " Of his making a scene with Sorr," the Russian com- pleted his sentence. " You need not be afraid. Whatever Arnim might say at the club with regard to Sorr, be sure that beneath your roof he will respect him as your guest. Indeed, you will greatly oblige me. Herr von OuntnLii, by asking Sorr." " If you really wish it, of course I will do so," Heiniich re- plied ; " but I would far rather that the invitation should come from you than from me. I could then excuse mysolf to Arnim, upon the plea that not I, but you, introduced him." " Be it so," said the Count. " I will bring him with me, with your permission. All that Herr von Amim said was that he would not play when Sorr kept the bank, and we can easily arrange that. I will not follow you with Sorr until half an hour has elapsed, and your game wUl have been begun when we arrive." Heinrich assented ; he left the Russian, and, as he passed through the ball-room, observed that Count Styrum was standing alone, looking on at the dancers. " You are nc dancer. Count," he said, addressing him. " I think you did not dance before supper either." "No, I never dance much; and just now, as you know, I am in mourning." " It must bore you to look on at all this spinning aad 4 - ''^.y/^fref^J^ <-i-:^'^W''^^^^ 38 CASTLE HOHENWALD. whirling. If you have not forsworn cards, cousin, you will find in my room a good cigar, excellent champagne, and a few very clever fellows." " Do you play high ?" " Not at all, not at all. Count Repuin stakes rather large sums sometimes, but no one else among us does so, except per- haps Herr von Sorr, when he has any money, which is not often. The rest of us stake but little ; we play merely to kill time." Count Styrum cared very little for play. He had now and then won and lost small sums at t. public gaming-table, but it had been more out of compliance with the wish of some friend who desired his companionship than from any interest in the game. He would have refused his cousin's invitation but that he was curious to know more of Herr von Sorr, and thought that no better opportunity could offer for meeting the man who was husband to the beautiful woman who had so interested him. He therefore followed Heinrich, who led the way to the room which he called his study, and presented him to the young men, mostly officers, there assembled. Count Repuin and Herr von Sorr were not yet present. " Who is to keep the bank?" asked Herr von Saldem, who, impatient to begin, was already shuffling the cards. " Let us take turns ; each put in twenty-five thalers." " Twenty-five thalers is too little. There are but ten oi us, and that would only make two hundred and fifty thalers,' Herr von Saldern objected. " Come, come, Saldem, you shall not insist upon high play," said Herr von Arnim. " Let us have a comfortable evening, and not dip too deep in one another's pockets. 1 agree to Gruntram's proposal, but upon condition that the bank is kept only by one of those now present." « But whjjr ?" ^j^i^!^^-;'^- .'■■■■7. ;.^^' ■■^,^'^t-'^,'^;',::^W'^^'^^ '■ ' - :-'^r'',-?sr\ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 39 " Because I suspect that Sorr will find his way here before ong ; he has a wonderful scent for cards. I have declared that I will not play when he keeps the bank, and I will run DO risks." " You ought to be more careftd in speaking of Herr von Sorr, my dear Amim," Heinrich von Guntram remonstrated. " Bah ! I don't care that whether or not he hears what I say," said Arnim, snapping his fingers. " Besides, he ought to feel flattered by my fear of him. At all events, I am uuperstitious, and feel sure I shall lose my money if Son- keeps the bank ; so I repeat my condition, and will not take part in the game unless it be accepted." " Well, well, it is accepted. Let us begin, and let Grun- tram be banker first I" the rest cried, impatiently, jas they seated themselves at the table ; and Guntram, after receiving twenty-five thalers from each of the players, began the game as banker. He had hardly drawn the first card when Count Repuin and Herr von Sorr made their appearance. " I knew it !" Herr von Amim whispered to Count Styrum. " Sorr scents cards ten miles ofF; no vulture could be keener. Pray, Herr von Sorr," he added, aloud, as the latter seemed inclined to take a seat between Amim and Count Styrum, " be good enough to find a place the other side of the Count. I do not like to lose so agreeable a neighbour, and there really is no room on this side." All eyes were turned upon Sorr, and every one looked for some hasty leply to Amim's words, which were almost insult- ing from their tone and the manner in which they were uttered ; but Sorr either did not or Would not perceive intentional offience in them, and, merely saying, "You/ right ; there is more room here,"/placed a chair on the of Count Stymm and took his seat in it. This propinquity was not undesirable to the Count, who cow had the best possible opportunity for obsei'ving the man ^m" 40 CASTLE HOHENWALD. of whom he had heard so much from the Assessor. Aa he did so he could not help saying to himself, " How could this man ever have won the aflfection of that charming woman ?" Never had he been more disagreeably impressed by any one, and yet he could hardly tell why this was so. Herr von Sorr's features were regular ; his fair full beard and curling light hair became him well ; his blue eyes were fine iu form and colour ; but the expression of both features and eyes was to the Count most repulsive. An artificial smile con- stantly played about his finely-chiselled lips. His eyes never looked fairly into those of the man whom he addressed ; there was an air of utter weakness and want of character about him ; defects which, beyond all others, Count Styrum despised. The game began, and was very moderately conducted. Count Repuin, who was seated opposite Sorr, beside Heinrich von Guntram, now and then staked a large sum, which he usually lost. Sorr staked but little ; between him and Count Styrum on the table there was a little heap of silver and paper money, from which he took his stakes and to which he added his winnings; beside it lay the pocket-book of the Count, who, for want of small notes, had one of larger amount changed by the banker. The game interested him but slightly, and he had abundant opportunity to watch the players, who, in spite of the small stakes, gradually displayed an eagerness which was by no means allayed by the cham- pagne with which the servant in attendance plied them. The company began to grow noisy. Heinrich von Gun- tram, who had handed over the bank to Herr von Amim, and who began to stake larger sums, cursed his luck loudly, and was laughed at by Amim, who had a ready word of ridicule for all, and bidden to imitate the composure of Herr von Sorr, who won or lost with equal grace. Herr von Sorr did not seem to hear Amim's persiflage ; his attention all appeared to be given to the game, and he 'iai,^^ r^TT- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 41 showed a moderation in drinking which contrasted strikingly with the conduct of his friend Count Repuin, who emptied glass after glass of the champagne, which Sorr refrised, con- fining himself to a few glasses of seltzer water. The wine, however, appeared to produce no effect upon the Russian ; he seemed not at all excited and observant only of the game. But Styrum, who watched him narrowly, perceived that this was only seeming ; that in reality Repuin 's whole attention was given to Styrum's neighbour, Sorr. Thus the game lasted for about an hour, when Repuin rose from the table. " I have had enough for to-night," he said, gathering up his money ; " and you too. Count Styrum, seeiti but little interested. Shall we not, without disturbing the others, take a quiet cigar together in the next room and discuss — our Italian experiences, for example ? I think we were at Naples at the same time." Count Styrum was greatly surprised at being thus ad- dressed. He did not know the Russian, to whom he had been but formally introduced. What could be his reason for desiring to converse privately with an entire stranger in the next room ? He must have some special aim in view, although what this was Styrum could not divine. He hesitated to accept the invitation of the man whose be- haviour towards Frau von Sorr had so disgusted him, but curiosity to know what the Russian contemplated conquered his reluctance, and, taking his offered arm, he accompanied him into the adjoining room, the door of which Repuin closed behind them. " I thank you for accepting my invitation, Count," said the Rua.nan, from whose face the courteous smile vanished as soon as they were alone. " You guess, of course, that I have sought this interview with you for a graver object than any discussion of Italian experiences. I shall therefore, without circumlocution, come to the point at once with a question 4* «!Ei"|B 42 CASTLE HOHENWALD. which will doubtless strike you as very strange. Do jou know how much money there was in the pocket-book which lay before you on the t,able, and which you have just put into your pocket ?" " Your question is indeed a strange one !" '' I will explain it immediately, if you will be so kind as to give me an answer." " I cannot see what possible interest the amount of money that I carry in my pocket-book can have for you, Count Rep- uin, but, since you wish it, I can tell you about how much there was. When I sat down to play I had five one-hundred- thaler notes in my pocket-book ; one of these I exchanged for two fifties ; one of these again I put into my pocket-book, using the other for the game, so that, besides some small notes, the amount of which I cannot tell you, since I do not know how much I won or lost, my pocket-book must contain four hundred-thaler notes and one fifty." " Thank you. I pray your patience for a moment, and you shall understand my apparently indiscreet question. Pe so obliging as to take out your pocket-book and see whether it contains the sum you have mentioned." " Count Repuin, this is a most extraordinary request !" " It is ; and if you insist, I will instantly explain it to you , but you would greatly oblige me by first glancing at the con- tents of your pocket-book ; my demand can easily be complied with." Styrum could not avoid granting a request couched in terms so courteous ; he opened his pocket-book and counted his notes, finding, to his great astonishment, that they num- bered only three hundred-thaler notes in addition to the fifty and the smaller sums. " Well, is your money all right ?" asked Repuin, who waa watching him with eager interest. " No ; a hundred-thaler note is missing. It must have ; ??i!ii^M;5«w=«s"^!:K»i^!5"-?ji^^"--' CASTLE HOHENWALD. ^ 43 dropped on the floor when I changed the other. I will go look for it." " Do not trouble yourself, Count ; you will find nothing," the Russian calmly rejoined. " I will find it for you, and, in doing so, will entirely explain my apparently unjustifiable curiosity." He awaited no reply from Styrum. Opening the dooi leading intc the next room, he called, in an imperious tone, " Herr von Sorr, one word with you. Count Styrum wishes to speak to you." A livid pallor overspread Sorr's countenance. Did he suspect what was coming ? He started, and one hand sought his breast-pocket, but before it could reach it it was seized by Count Repuin and held as if in a vice. " Leave the contents of your pocket untouched," the Russian whispered in his ear. " Follow me instantly, — I command you !" Sorr obeyed, following the Russian like a trembling slave. " What is the matter ?" was the question that hovered upon the lips of all, and that was uttered aloud by one of the young men at the table. Although Repuin's last words had been spoken in a tone so low as to reach Sorr's ears alone, all had heard his first authoritative summons and had seen Sorr's confusion as the Count had seized his hand, and all wondered what was the matter, although only one uttered the question. " Something very disagreeable, most certainly,'' Heinrich von Guntram made reply. " In my opinion, gentlemen, we had better finish the game and go back to the ball-room as soon as possible. Let those three end their bxisiness as seems to them best ; the less we know of it the better." " But our bank !" Herr von Saldem exclaimed. " Arnim, who is banker, will attend to all that, and see thai each one receives his due proportion ; will you not, Herr von Arnim?" " 'Tis already done, my dear fellow. You will take charge * ■H37???r^ *4 CASTLE HOHENWALD. of Count Stymm's share," replied Arnifb. " Be quick, gen- tlemen ; here is your money. I agree with Guntram that the less we hear of what is going on in the next room the better. Let us go back to the ball-room. This scandalous scene will at all events convince our friend Guntram how unfit Sorr is to be admitted to the society of gentlemen, and we shall, I hope, be spared any association with him in future." Count Repuin closed the door of the next room after Sorr, and then, turning to Count Styrum, said, " I will now give you the solution of the riddle I have just read you, Count." As he spoke he leaned against the closed door, and looked with disdainful contempt at the miserable wretch before him, who would evidently have fled from the room had not the Russian's tall form barred his egress. Styrum had already taken a thorough dislike to Count Repuin, from witnessing his behaviour towards Fran von Sorr. Now, as he marked the triumphant malice that min- gled with the contempt expressed in his face, this dislike deepened te what was almost a horror. He divined what would be the solution of the riddle of the lost money ; he remembered all that the Assessor had said of Sorr, and, re- calling the keen scrutiny that Repuin had bestowed upon Sorr's movements at the gaming-table, he could not doubt why the Russian had summoned the pale, trembling wreteh before him. Still, he could not understand the triumph with which Repuin was regarding the detected thief. Was he Qot, according to the Assessor's report, the man's intimate friend ? What reason could he have for sacrificing him merely to restore some lost money to a stranger ? This riddle Styrum could not solve, for it was incredible that Repuin should act thus, simply from indignation at Sorr's dishonesty. After a moment's pause the Russian turned to Styrum: *' Do you now guess, Count, where your hundred-thaler note will be found ? You do not reply ? Well, I will tell you ; '■mv^rmi'm^^^^^^^;^^:^^^^^J^'y^::^^'%:^ -jvj.Ts^^^p';^;^. - . -i-w^^fs^-. CASTLE HOHENWALD. . 46 it is at present in Herr von Sorr's breast-pocket, whither it was conveyed from your pocket-book, with immense dexterity it is true, but not dexterously enough to elude my vigilance. He is the thief, — does he dare to deny it ?" He did not dare. Repuin's words seemed to annihilate him, all the more that they were uttered by a man whom he had thought his friend. Pale and trembling, unable to artic- ulate a word in self-defence, he bowed before the terrible fate that had thus overtaken him. All power of resistance seemed crushed out of him. In silence he awaited his sentence. " Give back the stolen note to Count Styrum," the Russian ordered. Again he obeyed; he was incapable of thought, — Rep- uin's iron will ruled him irresistibly. Automatically be put his hand into his breast-pocket, took out the note, and handed it to Count Styrum. " I have kept my word," Repuin continued. " You are again in possession of the missing note. We must now con- sider what is to be done with this scoundrel. It is your part, as the sufferer by his theft, to decide this. Shall we deliver him over to justice and a jail ? He is ripe for it ; this is not his first crime of the kind, as his skill in committing it testifies. Let us take the gentlemen in the next room into council, and send for the police. What say you, Count ?" " For Grod's sake, have mercy upon me !" With this cry Sorr threw himself at the Russian's feet. But Repuin thrust him from him. " Hands off, scoundrel 1 To me you appeal in vain. There stands your judge !" He pointed as he spoke to Count Styrum, and to him the wretched Sorr turned with clasped hands. " Spare me, Count !" he implored. " I have given you back the note. Have pity !" Pity for the worthless creature who crawled thus in the dust after his detection Count Styrum could not feel. Why WHTIK- 5y^-^3=4'.^","«',y inrJi^-^'^^a^ 46 CASTLE HOHENWALD. should he have any compassion upon the miserable worldling who had squandered his means in every kind of low dissipa- tion and was now nothing more nor less than a common thief? He deserved mercy less than did the criminal whom want and misery had driven to steal. It was his duty to banish him from the society of honest men and deliver him over to a just punishment. And yet, just at this moment, there presented itself to Count Styrum's mind a vision of the lovely young creature who, without a suspicion of the horrible fate impending over her, had but a short time before listened to his words with such interest. Would not a just sentence pronounced upon her husband crush her also ? And Ad^le, — Frau von Son- was her dearest friend. What a blow her misery would inflict upon Ad^le ! Thus Styrum was still undecided between the consideration he felt for Frau von Sorr and for his cousin's peace of mind and the evident duty of delivering over a thief to justice, when suddenly an idea occurred to him that caused him to waver no longer. What reason had Count Repuin for convicting his friend of a theft ? Was he weary of a friend- ship which, as the Assessor reported, cost him so much money? Had the disdainful repulse he had but now re- ceived from Frau von Sorr incited him to revenge? Or did he hope by ruining the husband to plunge the wife into such misery that she would in the end be accessible to his degrading advances ? He looked quite capable of so devilish a scheme. " Decide, Count !" Repuin said, hastily. " What is done must be done quickly !" " I have decided," Count Styrum replied. " We owe it to the hospitality extended to us beneath this roof to avoid a scandal which would be most painftil to my uncle and to my oousin Adde." W^'WH CASTLE HOHENWALD. 47 " And you will let the fellow go scot-free ?" Repoin asked, gloomily. " If we allow him to escape the legal penalty of his vil- lainy, his sole punishment must be the memory of this hour, which, I trust, may serve him as a warning." " Oh, Count Styrum, how shall I thank you I" exclaimed 3orr, to whose cheeks the colour began to return, as he at- tempted, but vainly, to take Styrum's hand. " Spare me your acknowledgments," said Styrum, taming from him with disgust. " It is owing to no sympathy for you, but to consideration for the society in which I find you, that you are spared the punishment you deserve. Go, — take my advice, and leave my uncle's house on the instant. I trust I shall never meet you again beneath his roof." Sorr would immediately have followed this counsel, but it was impossible, for Repuin, who was still leaning with folded arms against the closed door, did not stir. The Russian's eyes were gloomily fixed on the ground ; evidently he was dis- satisfied with Styrum's decision, and was considering whether or how he should cbmbat it. As Sorr approached him he looked up. " You are in too great a hurry," he said, dis- dainfully. " You and I are not yet quits ; we have a few points to discuss that would hardly interest Count Styrum. I left the decision in this matter to you. Count, since you were the injured party, and I bow to it, but I cannot suffer this man longer to frequent a society in which he is regarded as my friend, and where I must continually encounter him. The means that I shall use to prevent this will depend upon the result of a private conversation, which I must insist upon having with Herr von Sorr." There was in these words so direct a request to be left alone with Sorr that Count Styrum could not but comply ; he had no right to remain, although an imploring look from Sorr seemed to entreat him to do so. With a slight inclinatiop ■ "^^S^^^^i^^syf*. - 48 CASTLE HOHENWALD. to Repuin, who instantly made way, and even op«aed the door, he left the room. Scarcely was he gone when Sorr raised his heal. The degradation of the moment when his villainy had been un- masked in the presence of a stranger had robbed him of all power of self-defence ; now that he found himself alone with the Russian he waa once more able to speak ; his wrath he might hope to appease. Although Repuin's savagely passion- ate nature had always impressed him with a kind of terror, he thought he could devise a means to pacify him, difficult as it might be. Extreme caution was necessary, — in Count Sty- rum's presence this means could not be mentioned, but now, let him but soothe his antagonist with hopes of the fulfilment of his wild desires and all might yet be well. " How could you — you of all men — act as you have just done, Count ?" Sorr began. " How have I deserved such treatment at your hands ? You know how devoted I am to your interests, how grateful for all you have done for me, — that I should think no sacrifice too great to testify this grati- tude to you, and yet you — ^you it is who would ruin me !" Repuin looked down with haughty contempt upon the cringing figure before him. He had spent months in study- ing this man, and his servile, degraded soul was as an open book before him ; he knew the precise value of all these asseverations. " Spare me your protestations, Herr von Sorr," he replied, " they will avail you nothing. I did not detain you here to listen to your assurances of friendship and gratitude, but to put a stop to any such. I have lost my interest in the game which you and your beautiful wife have been playing with me. I must be done with it. Understand me, — I refiise to be any longer either your dupe or your wife's." " I do not understand you. I " " You shall learn to do so. I know you. I have ecniti- ■ij -"»«■ -^js, ~ J ~>5!li;^™'"!_iV-f?*'*^'W';'^^»^8a^, l^EfyBBS>y!-...JKggy^M||,^.J gF - - TfS^ CASTLE EOHENWALD. 61 aaying as he did so, " Good-night, my dear fellow," in a tone evidently intended to be heard by all aboat him. " I hope," he added, " that your terrible headache will be gone by to- morrow. Indeed, you ought to consult a physician. Pray give my regards to your wife." He held out his hand to Sorr with a friendly nod, and then, turning to Assessor von Hahn, he forestalled the ques- tion which that worthy was about to address to him, by say- ing, " I am sorry for poor Sorr ; he seems to me in a very bad way. See, Herr von Hahn, how pale he is ! He only drank a couple of glasses of champagne, and they have given him a racking headache.'' " Is his present ghastly appearance entirely the effect of champagne?" the Assessor asked, with a slight laugh. " What else could it be ? Do you think he can be seriously ill ? I trust not." " It seems, Count, that your great kindness of heart prompts you to endeavour to hush up this ugly story. I admire your amiability. I am naturally kind-hearted myself. I make no boast of it, — ^the gifts of nature are variously distributed ; but it enables me to understand you. Count, and it makes it all the more painM for me to tell you that you never will succeed in crushing this scandal, — nothing else if talked of throughout the room. See how every one looks at Sorr, how his most intimate acquaintances avoid him, tam- ing away as he passes them. Your kindness can avail that man nothing. Count; he is lost, branded, and he knows it; a guilty conscience speaks in every feature of his face." Kepuin had observed the same thing, and exulted to see the contempt with which Sorr was treated by those of his acquaintance whom he was obliged to pass in gaining his wife's side. What had taken place in Heinrich's room was already known here, then. The young officers had blabbed ; they could not have told all, for they did not know -T*'iWWl!fS^P^'!S^^3)l^'^'^^1t!«^^^'m^^^^^srP"'^^:;^^ f-^^^I'Mif. ^-j -— ■^s!'?^,«j,iijji CASTLE HOHENWALD. 63 Tate matter of Count Stymm's, to whom I liave promised silence, but this rumour must be contradicted. Pray come with me, we will make use of this pause in the dance to seek out Herr Heinrich von Gruntram, and I will explain matters as far as I may in his presence." Kepuin then walked directly across the room to Heinrich, the Assessor following him, joined by several of the gentle- men, who guessed Repuin's intention and were curious to know more of the scene in Heinrich's study. Thus the Russian was surrounded by quite an audience when he reached Heinrich, who was standing near the door of the balcony talking earnestly with Amim and Herr von Saldem. Heinrich replied but coldly to the Count's friendly address. He was very indignant that Repuin should have been the cause of so unpleasant a scandal beneath his father's roof upon this special evening ; a scandal that had called forth a decided rebuke from the President with regard to the gam- ing in his son's apartment. He was also annoyed at the indiscretion that had given rise to such disagreeable rumours, and he visited this annoyance upon the Count, although he had but just entered the room and could not possibly have originated any of them. Repuin took no notice of his cool reception. " I am sorry to disturb you, Herr von Guntram," he said, in a loud voice, " but I am forced to do so by a very unfortunate misunder- standing, which appears to be wide-spread. It concerns a conversation which took place between your cousin, Count Styrum, Herr von Sorr, and myself. May I beg you to ask Count Styrum to step here for one moment, that I may have his ratification of a declaration which I wish to make in your presence ?" Heinrich was surprised at the conciliatory tone adopted by the Russian, and he could not refrise to accede to his request. He beckoned to Count Styrum, who had returned .j--«T.',.,..-^i,^^'«ssj^wT!t3S!>;>p--7!*^-^^f5¥*&^'^?f^ .--jy ■^:7;:t-'- ■' ■; - ^^?^J^^^Bp^*«'''^ ■■. ■■ .■ - "'«-^V" -J^^^T;?!^^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 81 ficial culture, but a Baroness von Ilolienwald should not be utterly ignorant of the forms of society. Celia must leam to conform to the rules that govern the society of to-day, and it is high time that she began to do so. Amo will admit that I am right." " I cannot deny it," said Amo, who had been an attentive listener as he paced the room to and fro, and who now paused before his brother and nodded assent. " I, too, have pon- dered upon what was to be done for Celia. Something must be arranged for her further culture, but I have vainly tried to devise what it shall be." " And yet the matter is simple enough. Two methods are open to you. Let my father choose which he prefers. The first, which I myself think the best and would therefore most strongly recommend, is perhaps the one that will prove least pleasing to my father. Frau von Adelung's school in Dres- den haa the best of reputations, and Frau von Adelung her- self is a woman of refinement and culture, who moves in the first society. I made an excursion to Dresden before I came hither, saw Frau von Adelung myself, and spoke with her regarding Celia, whom she is quite willing to receive among her pupils." " Deuce take you for your pains !" cried the Freiherr, with a burst of anger. " I know without being told that if I choose to pay for it the best boarding-school in the country will be thankful to have my CeUa, but I tell you, once for all, I will not hear of it. I cannot part with the child. Celia is my sunshine in this gloomy house. My heart rejoices at the sight of her. The pain that tortures me is forgotten when I look into her laughing eyes. I am a sick old man. You ought not to be so cruel, Werner ; leave me my jewel for the few years that I have to live." The Freiherr's tone from one of angry reproach had be- come that of almost humble entreaty. F 82 CASTLE HOHENWALD. The Finanzrath nodded and smiled. " I hope you will re- joice for many years in your jewel, and one day see her a happy wife and mother," he said ; and then continued : " If you will not part with Celia, she must have the training here in Hohenwald which she could indeed procure more easily at school ; all that remains to be done is to engage a good governess for her." Amo suddenly paused in his pacing to and fro in the room. " Impossible I" he exclaimed. " What are you thinking of, Werner ? A governess here in the house ! Live with the pedantic, insufferable creature day after day, week aft«r week, and always have her interfering between our Celia and our- selves ! Our entire life would have to be changed. If so pretentious a person were to come here she would require to be amused ; we should have visitors, and would be forced to pay visits in return. The peaceful repose that has hitherto reigned in Hohenwald would be gone if a strange inmate were introduced among us." " Would you rather send Celia to school ? I confess I should prefer it myself." " But I should not !" the old Freiherr exclaimed, with decision. " I do not like womenfolk, but sooner than part with Celia I will endure a governess in the house. After all, she will be only a superior sort of servant. We get along with Frau Kaselitz, and we can get along with her too !" " Frau Kaselitz does not pretend to sit at table with us, nor to join our family circle," said Arno. " That would be insufferable," the Freiherr said, reflectively. ** Then let us have recourse to the school." ' Don't say another word about that cursed school," growled the Freiherr ; " let us have the governess and be done with it!" Amo would have made some further objection, but his &ther cut it short by declaring that not a word more should 5f»»a<'iSiSr'|ig^.;5(ptro^v''i?_T5T^fk^jK^^j-. ■^'*y:^-;;•---■. - ''^WT'/v-^:--',.'~5>|F«r-~^SMJppi3^;'»C"- t", '-• ',"1-^ r'-r \'r,-g^y^-i^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 97 " More than you ttink. My father used often to t«ll me of Griinhagen and Hohenwald, and my uncle Friese has talked of you to me also. I knew and admired you, Frau- lein von Hohenwald, from his description, and I am doubly rejoiced that chance has brought us together. But you have not yet answered me. Will you grant my request and promise me that for us the old fapily feud shall not exist?" " With all my heart !" said Celia ; and in ratification of her promise she held out her hand to Kurt, although her horse seemed to take the stranger's approach very ill, and grew restless. Kent took the little proffered hand. " Peace is formally concluded, then," he said, gayly. " We are to be good friends, and I trust, Fraulein von Hohenwald, that if you should meet me again in the Hohenwald forest, bound foT the Griinhagen wood by the shortest way, you will permit me to exchange a few friendly words with you." This Celia promised readily; but at the same time she pointed out to Kurt that he never would reach the Griin- hagen wood by pursuing a path leading directly to the lake in the Hohenwald park, and offering to show him the path he was seeking, she walked her horse beside him. She never dreamed that there could be anything unbe- coming in her readiness to show him the right way through the lonely wood ; she thought it very natural that she who was at home here should direct a stranger aright, and quite at her ease, she chatted on to Kurt as to an old acquaintance. He told her of his life in America, and spoke with such affection of his parents, who had been dead now for some years, and with such loving tenderness of his sisters, who were married in America, that Celia could not but be inter- ested and attracted by him. He told her how he had served in the Northern army in the war with the South, attaining the rank of major before it was over. He had then resigned, Q «'5W»S!fJ«»f^S 98 CASTLE HOHENWALD. and, after his father's death, had disposed o£ the Amer- ican property, and had now returned to Grermany to assist in the management of the Griinhagen estates, which, as his uncle's dechired heir, would one day be his. He had spent a few months in travelling in England, France, and Italy, and had arrived only three days before in Griinhagen, where his uncle had given him the warmest of welcomes. All this Kurt detailed to his guide on their way through the forest, and he also expressed to her his sincere regret that, as his uncle had told him, there was no possibility of estab- lishing friendly relations between Hohenwald and Griinhagen, and that he himself could not even venture to pay a visit to Hohenwald to show that he had inherited nothing of the old family hatred. " Oh, no, it would never do," Celia said, sadly. " Papa would be terribly angry ; his orders are positive that no vis- itor shall ever be admitted to the castle. Arno would have liked so much to ask his dearest ftiend, a Count Styrum, to stay with us ; but, although papa thinks very highly of the Count, and says himself that he must be an excellent man and a worthy son of his father, who was once papa's dear ftiend, he could not be induced to let Arno send him an invitation." " Of course, then, I cannot venture to come, but I hope at least to make your brother Arno's acquaintance ; this will surely be facilitated by his being an intimate friend of my cousin, Karl Styrum." Celia shook her head dubiously. Arno was just as dear and good as papa, but just as disinclined to come in contact with strangers. He never left Castle Hohenwald except when some inspection of the estate was necessary ; he spent all his time in studying learned books. " Are you, then, quite alone in the lonely castle ?" Kurt asked, compassionately, but Celia laughed aloud at his ques" pgj^jw^S^i^e^^gj^ras^s:-- ''t w:r;r??TSf^f:-f^'??V'"e|^>"»:'^-5?g^^ ^ :^ ■ t' ,,,•' -y. ■iS'^rm^ ■ , ■■ — -'■ ■>'rT^-: r" -^sp!-^; CASTLE HOHENWALD. 99 don. " I alone and lonely !" she cried. " What can you be thinking of? I have my own darling papa, and Arno, who is so kind ; you cannot conceive how kind he is. Then I have my tutor, dear old Pastor Quandt, to whom I go every morning from nine to eleven ; that is, I always have gone to him until now, — how I shall do in the future I cannot tell, for only think, now in my old age I am to have a governess." Kurt laughed, and Celia laughed too, but the laugh did not come from her heart. " You must not laugh at me," she said, with some irritation. " I am afraid I have said some- thing that I ought not. Tell me frankly and honestly, are my manners so odd that I really need a governess?" " What a very strange question, Fraulein vOn Hohenwald !" " Answer it by a simple * yes' or ' no.' Ought I to have a governess or not ?" Kurt looked at her, with a smile. " Do you really want a frank answer ?" he replied. " Of course I do ; it would provoke me very much not to have it !" " I am afraid you will be provoked with me for giving it, but I will do as you ask. In truth, I think you might learn much of a really good governess, and that she would do you no harm in spite of your ' old age.' " " How odious of you 1" " Did I not say that I should provoke you by my fr^mk- ness?" " No ; I am not provoked with you, quite the contrary. I see now that Werner was right. If you, who have only known me a quarter of an hour, see that I need a governess, it must be so. But here we are on the borders of Griinhagen, and there is the path that will lead you back to the house." She stopped her horse, and pointed out to Kurt with her riding-whip a narrow path, so grass-grown that it could have been detected only by some one very familiar with the locality- 100 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " And you really are not angry ?" Kurt asked, unpleasantly surprised by his abrupt dismissal. Celia looked thoughtful, and after an instant's pause held out her hand to Kurt. " No, I am certainly not angry with you," she said, cordially. " I was provoked, I do not deny it, that you should have thought Werner right ; but you meant no unkindness, I am sure, or you would not have been so frank." " I assuredly meant nothing but kindness !" " I am sure of it, and it makes me all the more sorry that you cannot come to Hohenwald. It would be so pleasant to have you tell me more about America and your adven- tures there. But that cannot be, and it will be long before we see each other again, unless we should meet by chance in the forest." " I trust in my good fortune." '■ Well, we may possibly chance to meet again soon, since I take my ride almost every afternoon about this hour, and am very fond of the broad road leading towards the Grunhagen woods. Adieu, Herr Kurt von Poseneck." " Au revoir, Fraulein von Hohenwald." She gave him a friendly little nod, touched her horse with the whip, and vanished in a minute along the road leading to Castle Hohenwald. Kurt looked ailer her vanishing figure, and then resigned himself to delightful reflections. Was it not something more than chance that had decreed that he, who had found his way so often in American forests, should lose it here, and thus make the acquaintance of this charming girl ? The next day about four o'clock Kurt was seized with an irresistible desire to inspect the forests ; he could not stay in the house ; it drove him forth, much to his uncle's surprise, who, however, ascribed it to the love of nature engendered by his life in the open air in America. Kurt did not this time, T5^S^!^'wr'p©!"^5Ww5!?'r-'i"--™,/ _v/ ,^^ ■;■ -i - -..■'.. -'<5? CASTLE nOHENWALD. 101 however, pursue the path he had taken on the previous day ; he remembered the ploughboy's gaping wonder, and did not choose to become a theme for gossip to the Hohenwald ser- vants ; he followed, instead, the more direct course across the Griinhagen fields to the woods, but scarcely had he reached it, when chance guided him to the very spot upon the broad road leading from Castle Hohenwald where he had been so unfortunate as to frighten Celia's horse. . The same chance that led Kurt to this place arranged that Celia also, who had hitherto been very careless about the time at which she took her afternoon ride, suddenly required her horse to be saddled on the stroke of four. Old John, the groom, could not imagine why Fraulein Celia should all at once be " so very particular." She never had seemed to care whether the horse were brought to the door a quarter of an hour sooner or later, and now she insisted sharply upon punctu- ality, although it was the Baron's birthday, and the old ser- vant had had a great deal to do, as Fraulein Celia knew. She could scarcely restrain her impatience to be gone, and as she galloped off down the road, the old man looked after her with a thoughtful shake of the head. " We may possibly chance to meet again soon," Celia had said to Kurt as she took leave of him, and chance conducted her to the very spot where she had met him yesterday, and where she now met him again. From afar she espied his light coat among the trees, and her lovely face was lit up with a happy smile. ' Had she expected him ? Impossible ! She had made no appointment with him. She knew enough of social rules to understand that a young lady could not appoint a rendezvous with a young man whom she had seen but once, and then only for a short time. Of course it was chance that had brought them both to this spot at the same time, but she was very glad of it, and greeted Kurt with a charming smile. Q* "V- -,'. >'-r:fiS:;'|^ *^ 102 CASTLE HOIIENWALD. It was quite natural tliat slie should now walk her horse that Kurt might walk beside her, although it cost her a Btruggle with Pluto to induce him to agree to this new order of things. Kurt walked beside her, looking up at her with admiration. How graceful was her every movement as she reined in and controlled her impatient horse ! She held the curb in a firm grasp, but there was nothing unfeminine in the strength thus put forth. For a while her whole at- tention was given to her horse, but when she had reduced him to a state of obedient quiescence she replied kindly to Kurt's greeting, and when he expressed his pleasure that a fortunate chance had again brought them together, she an- swered, with perfect freedom from embarrassment, that she also was much pleased. As she spoke, her smile was so arch that he could not but laugh. And then they laughed together like two children. They knew well what made them laugh, although they said no more about it. It sounded almost like an excuse when Celia said that she had come from home nearly a quarter of an hour later than usual this afternoon, old John had been so long saddling Pluto, but that she could not scold him, for he was very old now, almost seventy, and he had been up half the night helping her to hang oaken garlands all about her father's beloved garden-room, that he might be surprised by their beauty when Franz rolled him in from his bedroom at five o'clock on his birthday morning. And her father had been very much de- lighted, — he so loved his oaks, — and he had been specially pleased with a tobacco-bag that she had embroidered for him as a birthday gift. He was not very fond of embroidery, but he knew how hard it was for her to sit still at any kind of work, and he had been touched by the trouble she had taken for him. Thus Celia talked on, and Kurt listened with rapt atten- tion, as if she were imparting to him the most important ffs^^w^s^ '*^. ^r?r^ir'."",w ■■ -* \ f^-^ '' '• ■''-^^^yTf^rr^^ir^'^f-^f^^jT^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 103 secrets. Her delight in the garlands of oak-leaves and in the completion of her gift for her father charmed him. He thought her almost more lovely now than when, a few mo- ments before, her eyes had sparkled and flashed in her strug- gle with her horse. He did not know which to admire more, the blooming girl or the lovely child ; he only knew that both were adorable. On the day previous, Kurt had told of his adventures in the war and his life in America ; to-day he begged Celia to describe to him her life in Castle HohenwaJd, and she did so willingly. She was glad that Kurt should have in his mind a true picture of her dear old father, whom strangers could never portray truly, for no one knew how dear and good he was. Amo too, Frau Kaselitz and Pastor Quandt had often told her, was just as little known or appreciated as his father. She had seen yesterday, from the compassionate way in which Kurt had spoken of her solitude at Castle Hohenwald, how false was his conception of the life there ; now, strangers might think what they pleased of it, but Kurt von Poseneck must know what happy days she led there with her kind papa and her dear Arno. And so she described it to him, beginning with her father, so truly kind, although a little hasty perhaps now and then, bearing pain so patiently, never requiring any sacrifice of hia people, but always ready to befriend them. All who knew him loved him. The old servants declared that there never was a better master ; even the Herr Pastor had a great respect for him, and only regretted that he had withdrawn from the world, and was in consequence so misjudged. Amo, too, was as kind as he could be. He might look stern and gloomy, but he was not so, — only very sad, — and for this he had good cause. He had been betrothed, and had lost his love, of whom he was inexpressibly fond. Celia did not know how it had happened. Frau Kaselitz would not tell her anything 104 CASTLE HOHENWALD. about it, and she could not ask Arno, for when the engago ment had been broken some years before, her father had for- bidden her ever mentioning the subject to her brother. He had travelled for a long time, but travel could not make him forget his grief; that was why he seemed so stern and gloomy, although he was always gentle and kind to his father, to her, and to the servants and villagers. If any of them were in trouble they always came to Arno for help ; and even when it was impossible to help them he always had a kind word for them. Celia's praise of her eldest brother was by no means so enthusiastic. He was a very good fellow, but then he was not Arno ; still, he was very wise, and could always persuade his father to do as he chose. She had been told that in his boyhood Werner was very irritable and passionate, but he had quite conquered this fault. Now he rarely allowed himself to be carried away by anger ; his self-control was so great that even when he was deeply irritated he could preserve a perfect calmness of manner, and this was why he had such influence with his father, that whatever he wished to have done at Hohenwald was done. If he did not succeed in one way he tried another. Thus he had contrived that in spite of his father's dislike of having a stranger in the house hp had consented to the engagement of a governess. As she said this Celia could not suppress a Uttle sigh, al- though she instantly laughed, and added, " Well, it may be best, — you think so, and I will do what I can, and receive Fraulein Miiller as kindly as possible." Werner, she went on to say, came but seldom to Hohen wald, usually only once a year, to be present on his father's birthday, when he stayed only two, or at most three weeks. He was always very good and kind, but she could not love him as she did papa and Arno ; she could not tell why, but 80 it was, and she could not deny that she was always a ,.';?«:SK;V;'^-!W''-r™^*fi^,^;aB^J';(r.^!T?«^ 'Jf'^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 105 little glad when he went away again. She was quite siire that papa and Amo felt just as she did, although neither of them had ever said one word to that eflFect, but she had ob- served that papa breathed more freely after the carriage had rolled away with Werner. Then Celia described the few people, not her relatives, with whom she had daily intercourse — Pastor Quandt, her tutor, an old bachelor nearly eighty years of age, but still hale and hearty, and dear and good, and Dr. Bruhn, the vil- lage physician, also an amiable old bachelor, and Frau Kase- litz, the housekeeper, who could not do enough to show her love for her darling Fraulein Celia. She, Frau Kaselitz, was the chUdless widow of one of the former stewards of Hohen- wald, and had passed her entire life either in the village or at the castle. She was as good as gold ; far too kind ; she, Celia, knew that Frau Kaselitz spoiled her and made a gov- erness so desirable — as he had thought it, the girl added, with an arch glance at her companion. She could not deny her- self the pleasure of this little thrust. Celia's lively description soon made it possible for Kurt to have in his mind a vivid picture of the simple life at Castle Hohenwald, and his admiration for the lovely speaker was increased tenfold. What a treasure of simple content she must possess, to preserve such a cheerful gayety of mind with so little in her surroundings to induce it ! A long conversation followed upon Celia's narrative ; she required, in her turn, to be told of Griinhagen and its in- mates. She asked about his uncle Friese, and was amazed to learn that he was an amiable, kindly old man, who only desired to live at peace with all men. According to Frau Kaselitz and the Hohenwald servants, he was a cross, quar- relsome, purse-proud old person. In such mutual explanations the time sped rapidly, and Celia, as well as Kurt, was sui prised to find that thev had " *^wi||,«f"f: 106 CASTLE HOBENWALD. reached the Griinhagen woods and the end of the broad road that led through the Hohenwald estate. " It is time for me to turn back," said Celia, with a slight sigh. Kurt did not venture to remonstrate, although he felt as if he should have liked to talk on with her forever, and although in Celia's manner there was an indirect appetd to him to ask for a prolongation of the conversation. " Indeed I must turn round," Celia added, with an inter- rogatory glance. " I am afraid you must," Kurt replied, suppressing his desire, and yielding to more prudent suggestions. Then, holding out his hand to Celia, he continued : " Chance has been so kind to-day that I trust it will prove no less so in the future, and so I do not say ' farewell' to you, Fraulein von Hohenwald, but ' till we meet,' and may that be speedily I" Celia smiled as she nodded her farewell to him, and rode back along the forest road ; and on the following day chance was again so amiable as to bring about a meeting between the young people at the same spot in the woods. Yes, chance here proved steadfast and true, and day after day the pair passed slowly along the forest road to the Griinhagen woods, deep in innocent but profoundly interesting conversation. Kurt was on th*» spot with unfailing punctuality at four o'clock, and a few minutes later Celia would appear on Pluto, who now greeted Kurt with a neigh, and was no longer im- patient at the slow walk along the road to the Griinhagen woods. For ten days the skies smiled upon Kurt's forest walks, but then M^y, which had hitherto shown him such favour, justified the reputation for variability which she shares with April. At Griinhagen 9 cold rain pelted against the window- panes, through which Kurt disconsolately watched the skies, covered with dull gjay clouds that gave no hope that the '»™in^r«^ris3ij;^ipgpiia^fr5r"'=«=^ '^'^''^ff^v^?''v^a'T^t^^mi-?f^^^e»''i^iti^^f^^ >^^^S^gBpPP-^ ' '^'y'sS^Pf CASTLE HOHENWALD. 107 weather would dear that day, nor perhaps for several days to come. The Amtsrath had just finished his after-dinner nap and lighted his long pipe. Sitting in his arm-chair and comfort- ably sipping his cofiFee, he was not in the least incommoded by the rain that so interfered with Kurt's good humour ; on the contrary, he thought it good growing weather, for " Whenever May is wet and cool, The farmer's store-house will be full," He had often lately looked up to the sky in hopes of rain, and he was glad that it had come at last to scatter abroad its blessings over field and fell. " A fine soaking rain," the old man said, with a smile, to Kurt, who, he felt sure, must agree with him. " Soaking indeed," Kurt replied, not by any means so pleased as his uncle had expected ; but then the old man was thinking of his meadows and Kurt of Celia, whom the soak- ing rain would surely prevent from taking her daily ride. The clock in the Griinhagen church-tower struck four; Kurt took his hat. " Where are you going?" asked his uncle. " To take a walk in the woods." " In such weather?" " A few drops of rain will do me no harm." The Amtsrath shook his head, for the few drops of rain were, as Kurt himself had admitted, a steady, soaking down- pour. Still there is no accounting for tastes, and if forest walks in a pelting rain were among Kurt's American habits, his rncle had no objection to make. As Kurt stepped out into the open air, and the huge drops were driven into his face by the wind, he hesitated a moment. There was no possibility of meeting Celia in the forest in such a storm. Still, suppose she should persist in taking her ride ? f+ 108 CASTLE HOHENWALD. It was possible ; no, it was impossible ; nevertbeless, Kurt would not fail to be upon the appointed — no, it had never been appointed — spot in the forest ; he could then tell her the next day that he had been there in spite of the storm and rain, that he had not, indeed, expected her, but that he had thought of her. He knew that she would laugh at him and tease him about his walk in the rain, but he so liked to hear her laugh, she was so wonderfully charming in her gayety. In spite of the increasing rain that soon penetrated his light summer dress, the way did not seem long ; he thought of her, and perhaps because he had no hope of seeing her that day her image was all the more present to his mind. During the past ten days a very peculiar relation had been developed between Kurt and Celia. While Kurt sauntered along the forest road beside Pluto they talked together like brother and sister. Celia was never tired of hearing all that Kurt could tell her of America and the life he had led there, and his conversation had opened to her an entire new world of thought and emotion. Brought up in a narrow home-circle, whence all strangers were excluded, the girl had had no idea that people of culture could entertain any views and opinions save those shared by her father, by Arno, and by the old pastor her tutor. It was, for example, one of her articles of faith that across the boundary, just beyond that strip of meadow in Prussia, evil reigned triumphant. Prussian ! The word stood for all that was contemptible, — rapacity, low ambition, greed of gain, and arrogant conceit. Like a good Saxon, Celia hated the Prussians from her very soul, and worst and most to be hated among them all was Bismarck, whose name her father never uttered without coupling it with some opprobrious epithet. Kurt was the first to present to her mind other views with regard to the state of aflPairs in Germany, and she listened to him with profound interest. It was exquisite enjoyment to Kurt to talk with Celia, and to ^■'V'^'':}"f-^?<^$^^'''-' -■'.-'.•■--'---•:;,.,-• . ,>,^?-.r:^J5-:vS^J^-'--- -';--.:,:■■ ;- ■■■;-:, -^JP^---- ~S;'-f^,.<~'r-.i^^^^fi^'-i^--^ t CASTLE HOHENWALD. , \Vl with which Werner looked at thp young lady ; he was in txutih deeply impressed by her striking beauty. Fraulein Miiller was by no means equally pleased. She had supposed the Finanzrath to be a much older man ; hia fresh, smooth-shaven face looked to her very youthful, and she was not agreeably impressed by the satisfied smile with which he contemplated her. It was but a moment that Werner devoted to his scrutiny of the lady ; he now bowed even lower and more respectfully than at first, and said, with extreme politeness, " I was too much rejoiced, Fraulein Miiller, that I had been able to in- duce you to come to Hohenwald to allow another than my- self to be the first to welcome you here. Moreover, I felt it my duty to meet you, since I was the cause of your accepting a position for the difficulties of which you are perhaps not fully prepared. Before you enter Castle Hohenwald you ought to have a more vivid idea of those with whom your life there will be passed than it was possible to give you in my short letter. I described as impartially as I could the difficulties of your position, but there is much that you should know, which I shall be able to tell you during our drive to the castle, which in this weather, and from the consequent state of the roads, must needs be a slow one. And now let me conduct you to the carriage as quickly as possible ; it will, I fear, be quite late and very dark by the time we reach Hohenwald." Then taking her travelling-bag, and offering her his arm, which after a moment's hesitation she accepted, he led her through the station-house to where a close travelling carriage was awaiting them. The wind howled, and the rain poured in torrents. The Finanzrath was assiduous in his attentions, holding his um- brella over his companion as she got into the carriage, then hurrying to see that the porter fastened her lu^age securely in its place behind the carriage. Not until all was arranged ■'^r^-»t^-«^^|»,«a»f«| 118 CASTLE HOHENWALD. to his satisfaction did he take his seat beside her in the well- cushioned vehicle. The rattling of the carriage over the stones while the road led through the town of A pre- vented all conversation, and enabled the Finanzrath to ob- serve his companion attentively without attempting any of his promised communications. He was impressed anew by the girl's extraordinary beauty ; an expression of melancholy that v&nished when she spoke, but which characterized her features in repose, made her still more attractive, while it aflForded the Finanzrath — who remem- bered all that Frau von Adelung had hinted to him of Friiu- lein Miiller's misfortunes — an explanation of her readiness to accept the oflPer of a position at Castle Hohenwald. At length the carriage left the paved streets and entered upon the country road leading to the castle. Although the wind howled about the vehicle and the rain pelted against its win- dows, conversation had become possible. The Finanzrath was a clever man ; it was but natural that his lively portrayal of the inmates of the castle should in- terest Friiulein Miiller extremely. She listened eagerly, only interrupting him now and then by brief questions, which he answered readily. With an impartiality which was surely worthy of all praise, Werner entered upon a detailed account of the characteristics of his nearest relatives, — his father, his brother, and his sister ; he warmly extolled their good quali- ties — his father's kindness of heart and simple truth, Amo's stem sense of justice, his earnestness, his industry, his varied acquirements, Celia's gay good humour and childlike sim- plicity ; but at the same time he concealed none of their faults. As he discoursed, the daylight had vanished and darkness had succeeded the short twilight. The sky was black with clouds, and within the carriage it was so dark that Anna could scarcely see the outline of her companion's figure, al- though he leaned towards her as he repeatedly assured her y^fg^l^ j'.rf; '-s'.«^<^ <:--■'■' .:::?':::^'^mv'^^;f1!^''-'^f^';{^-- ■ -^-.■ifJ^^:!.'^,-' ■.- - . ■••;:>,.'.: '• t;-?^' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 119 that in him she would find a friend ready to aid her in any way during her life at the castle, and be^ed her to confide frankly to him any wish with which he could comply. He said not one word that circumstances did not ftdly waiv rant, and yet Anna was excessively uncomfortable. The tite- d-tite with him in the dark carriage seemed to her almost in- suflFerable. She shrank away from him at the very time when he was speaking so gently and kindly to her that there could not be the slightest reasonable cause for her distaste of his society. Suddenly the carriage stopped. Anna drew a long breath of relief when the Finanzrath broke oflF his discourse and, opening the window, asked, anxiously, " What is the matter, John ? Why do you not drive on ?" " I do not know, Herr Finanzrath," a voice from the box replied, " but I think something is wrong." " What can be wrong ?" It seemed to Anna that the Finanzrath's voice trembled as he asked the question. Was he, strong man as he was, so fearfrd of an accident that his fear betrayed itself in his voice ? The sign of weakness in- stantly put an end to all Anna's dread of the Finanzrath. She felt strong, indeed, in view of his timidity. No possible danger of the road in the dark night had power to alarm her. All she had dreaded had been the tete-d-tite with her companion. The coachman did not immediately answer; he slowly descended from the box, and not until the Finanzrath asked in a tone of still greater anxiety, " What has happened, John?" did he reply, sullenly, "Nothing has happened, Herr Finanzrath, but the devil himself could not find the way in this storm; you can't see your hand before your face. I thought we had got off the road and were going towards the Griinhagen quarry, but it is all right, and we can drive on." ''~i?^i-!''-WW^W^ 120 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " No, no, don't try, for Heaven's sake, John I" the Finanz- rath exclaimed, in evident terror. " Oh, it's all right," the coachman said, with great com- posure. " We must drive on ; we can't spend the night here in this weather." He mounted the box again and whipped up his horses, but the next instant there was a jolt, a crash 1 The wheels on on 3 side of the carriage rolled over a stone, while those on the other sank deeper and deeper into the mud, the carriage leaned more and more to one side and finally upset. Anna felt herself tossed to one side ; her head struck against some hard object. She experienced a burning pain in her temple, and was near fainting, but the next moment recalled her to herself ; she did not choose to faint, and her will was victorious. The carriage had fallen upon the side where sat the Finanz- rath. Anna heard him groan as he struggled to rise. " Are you hurt?" she asked, anxiously. *' My foot pains me terribly ; I fear it is broken," he re- plied, in a loud, distinct voice which soothed Anna's appre- hensions that his injuries might be mortal. " I will try to open the door that is uppermost," she said ; and this, after several attempts, she succeeded in doing. The rain poured down upon her, but she braved it, and exerting all her strength, she climbed out upon the side of the carriage and thence got down to the ground. At first she sank ankle-deep in the mud, but in a minute she found firm footing. " Can you possibly get out, Herr Finanzrath ?" she asked. " I will try," a voice from the carriage replied, and imme- diately afterward the Finanzrath looked out of the open door. He gazed about him, but in the gloom could see nothing. Anna's figure was hardly distinguishable, although she was but a few paces off. " John I John ! Where are you ?" Werner ^^r:^!!!^-"W--' .''■rl^^^^^ ' ■' .'■j.--?. .,■;'■ ■! "■■"■^s '^■^^-w. ■■'^ ■■■"»=■'' '^^ ■■ ■ / ■. ■ ■ ■^'^C^" ■ ■ -^ " - ^^ '-^z "ri^iri^j?:^-.?' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 121 called loudly, but, although he repeated the call several times, there was no reply. " I am afraid the poor fellow has had a bad fall," said Anna. " So it seems, since he does not answer," rejoined the Finana- rath. There was not much sympathy in the tone of his voice, and still less was there in the remark that followed. " The clumsy scoundrel cannot even hold the horses after upsetting as. This is horrible ! Suppose the horses should run off just as I am climbing out ?" This fear was groundless. The horses had stopped the instant the vehicle overturned. They did not stir, and the Finanzrath climbed out upon the carriage, but did not attempt to descend from it. " Is your foot so painfrd that you cannot step upon it ?" Anna asked, compassionately. " Can I help you ? Take my hand, I pray you I" " Thank you," he replied ; " but my foot will not permit me to climb farther. What are we to do ? We cannot sit here all night in the rain." " I will seek help," Anna replied, resolutely. " The road must lead to some house or village. Wait for me here. I shall soon return with men, who can right the carriage." " For Heaven's sake, do not go one step !" Werner cried, in great agitation. " We are close upon the quarry ; there must be a deep chasm just at hand !" " I will be very careful. At all events help must be pro- cured. Something must be done for the poor coachman, who has given no sign of life yet ; and you too, Herr Finanzrath, need assistance." " ^""es, yes ; but you must not leave me. Let us both shout for help. We shall perhaps be heard. There must be labourers' cottages near the quarry. Help I help 1" he thereupon shouted with all the force of his powerful lungs. V 11 I" ■ ''.?:■ '»'l!fptf»?553!^»S5?^ 122 CASTLE HOHENWALD. And in fact scarcely had the sound died away when a distant " Halloo !" was heard. " Thank Heaven, they have heard us !" Werner said, and hhen shouted again, " Help I help I" The answering shout came nearer, and in a few momenta a dark figure approached. " What is the matter here ?" a rough voice asked. " A carriage upset, as I live ! What the devil were you doing in the quarry at this hour ?" " We lost the road, and are greatly in need of assistance," replied Werner. " Lost the road ? Were you going to G-riinhagen ?" " No ; to Castle Hohenwald." " To the castle ? Then you belong to Hohenwald ?" " I am the Finanzrath von Hohenwald ; but this is not the time for talking. I beg you, my friend, to help me to reach some place of security " A burst of discordant laughter was the only reply vouch- safed to this request. After indulging in his ill-timed mer- riment, the new-comer inquired, " Have you ever heard of barter Jock ?" " No ; but, my friend " " No fi4end of yours ! I would rather eat my head than help a Hohenwald. Any of the castle people can tell you »bout Carter Jock. Finely they treated him indeed ; and, oy way of thanks, he wifiii'js you a pleasant night !" With another scornful laugh thj nan turned on his heel and would have gone, when Ann^ arp' «iached him, and, laying her hand on his shoulder, said, " Yo'. will not be so cruel as to desert us in our need ?" " The deuce ! The/e'o a ^oman in the scrape, and not the madcap Celia either !" thd raan exclaimed, in amazement, after having lighted a couple of matches, which the rain, to be sure, instantly extinguished, but not before he had perceived that it was not Celia who addressed him. ^Tff^P^mm^l^^Wi^'''^!^^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 123 " A lady I a stranger !" lie muttered to himself. " She must not be left all night in the quarry. The devil take the Hohenwalds ; but I must let the folks at Griinhagen know what has happened." For one moment he stood reflecting, and then, without heed- ing the Finanzrath's entreaties, he turned away and vanished in the darkness. For a while Werner von Hohenwald sat silent as if in utter despair. At last a red spark of light appeared in the distance ; again he shouted as loud as he could for help, and to his joy the voice that answered him was Amo's. In a few minutes Amo, followed by several men with lighted torches, reached the overturned carriage. " I was afraid," he said, " that John would miss the road, and so came out to meet you with torches ; not soon enough, unfor- tunately, to prevent an accident. But why do you sit up there on the carriage, Werner ? Why don't you jump down ?" " The chasm must be close by, Amo." " Nonsense ! there is no chasm here. Give me your hand and spring down." Werner grasped the hand extended to him and sprang out upon the road. His foot could not have been severely injured, since he accomplished this with apparent ease. " Where is Fraulein Mtiller ? I hope nothing has hap- pened to her." " Nothing has happened to me, Herr von Hohenwald," said Anna, who was standing in the shadow, " but I am afiraid the coachman has received some injury." Amo turned hastily, and stepped aside so that the torchlight fell Ml upon Anna's face. Its great beauty astonished him also, but he was shocked at the sight of a dark-red streak that extended from beneath the chestnut curls on her temple to the white kerchief about her throat, which was stained crim- son. " You are bleedingr ?" he exclaimed, " you are hurt?" J ■i^'Wfi 124 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " It is nothing. Never mind me ; but let ns search for the unfortunate coachman. I fear he is terribly hurt." " Where is he ? John, where are you ?" There was no reply, and Arno became alarmed. He took one of the torches from the men, and was not long in finding poor old John, who was lying unconscious by the roadside, with a terrible wound on his forehead. Arno kneeled beside him, and laid his hand upon his heart. " He is alive," he instantly declared, " but I am afraid he is very badly hurt." " Oh, is he ?" said Werner, who was seated on a stone, calmly watching his brother's proceeding. " I thought it must be so when he did not answer. But what are we to do, Arno ? My foot is terribly painful." " Indeed ? It cannot be very bad, since you easily jumped from the carriage." " Nevertheless it pains me terribly. I never can walk to the castle. Can the carriage not be righted?" " We will see." Arno examined the carriage, but found the axle broken. " This is bad," he said. " We cannot, then, drive poor old John to Hohenwald, but we can make a litter comfortable with the carriage cushions, and you, my men, can carry him to the village." The men assented eagerly, but the Finanzrath was not satis- fied. " I should suppose," he said, peevishly, " that I might be attended to before John. I cannot possibly walk. When the men have carried me to Hohenwald they can return and fetch John." His brother greeted this speech with a glance of contempt. " If you cannot walk," he said, coolly, " you can sit here I The old man's life, perhaps, depends upon his having surgical aid speedily." " I cannot stay here in the pouring rain ; I shall catch my death of cold !" " Death is not easily caught of cold !" Arno rejoined, ^*li'*Xi' "5^^'^^.^'fwT*-'- ' ^ ■• r" ''.>°!'»-''w*TV i^* " ' "«^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 125 ansympatheticallj. " Make liaste," he said to the men, who were busy constructing the litter. " Poor old John must be moved as quickly as possible." " How far are we &om Hohenwald ?" the Finanzrath asked, when the litter was nearly completed. " Three-quarters of a league from the castle and half a league from the village." " Then the manor-housei of Grtinhagen must be close at hand." " Grunhagen is not ten minutes' walk." *' Indeed ? Then, Arno, I think it would be much wiser to carry John there, and I could manage to hobble there myself." " You would go to Griinhagen ?" Amo asked, and there was surprise as well as disapproval in his tone. '' What business has a Hohenwald in Griinhagen? Am I to ask shelter for old John and for you of the Amtsrath Friese or young Kurt von Poseneck, only to meet with a rude reAisal, or, what would be worse, with a condescending compliance, which would burden me with an obligation to them ?" " What folly !" Werner declared. " You ought to be above such prejudice, Amo. It speaks ill for your humanity that you insist upon dragging poor old John to Hohenwald." Here one of the men whom Amo had brought with him advanced, and, taking off his hat, respectfrilly said, " No offence to the Herr Finanzrath, but we cannot take old John to Griinhagen." " What do you mean 1" the Finanzrath angrily inquired. " Would you disobey orders ?" " Certainly not," the man replied, exchanging a glance with his fellows. " We are old soldiers, and know how to obey always, but indeed we could not answer it to the master or to old John himself if we took him to Griinhagen. If he had his senses he would be sure to say that he would rather die 11* 126 CASTLE HOHENWALD. than be carried to Griinhagen. And, besides, if we do take him farther, we get the doctor sooner, for our Dr. Briihn in Ilohenwald would not go to Griinhagen for the world ; when they want a doctor there they have to send to A , and that is too far." Arno nodded approvingly to the man. " You are right, Kunz ; we will take John to the Hohcnwald village. Lift him carefully and lay him on the cushions, and let us be oflF instantly." " But, Arno, what is to become of me and of Fraulein Miiller ?" Werner asked, plaintively. Anna had been no idle spectator during this time ; she had helped the men to arrange the cushions on the litter, and was holding a torch to light them as they lifted the unconscious John upon it, listening the while with surprise to the conver- sation between the brothers. She had been disgusted with the Finanzrath's selfishness in desiring to be carried when his foot was evidently not severely hurt; and Amo's stern refusal to carry the wounded man to Griinhagen had also impressed her disagreeably. She had no desire to take any part in the discussion, but now, when the Finanzrath asked of Amo what was to become of her, she hastily interposed with, " I shall carry one of the torches, since I cannot, unfor- tunately, render any more important assistance ; there is no occasion to waste any thought upon me." Amo looked at her with a surprised but kindly air. " Brava !" he said. " You are brave, and I trust can walk the half-league to the village ; if you are very tired I will assist you. You, Werner, must help yourself. If you cannot walk with us, creep back into the carriage and shelter yourself from the rain until I can send you assistance. And now on to Hohenwald !" " No, Herr von Hohenwald ; to Griinhagen," a strong, manly voice was now heard to say. •■^T^^"'^^^o^?^^^^-j"'^,- -■■'>■", ■■'r'-'^;-?''-\'i;-^"TK^r-^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 127 The voice was Kurt von Poseneck's ; he emerged from the darkness into the torchlight, and, advancing towards Arno and the Finanzrath, courteously informed them that he had just heard the news of the accident in the quarry, and had in- stantly given orders to have a carriage prepared, while he had hurried hither to entreat the gentlemen to turn towards Griin- hagen, where they would be cordially welcome, and where apartments were already prepared for them. The injured coachman, too, should have every care bestowed upon him, and a carriage should be instantly sent to fetch Dr. Brtihn to Griinhagen. Kurt spoke so kindly, so cordially, that even Arno could not help for a moment forgetting his prejudice against the Posenecks as he thanked the young man for his proffered hospitality, which, however, he declined. In vain did Werner add his entreaties to Kurt's. Arno refused to yield, and cut short all further discussion by ordering the men to proceed with the litter. Werner was very indignant at his brother's obstinacy. " Such unreasonableness is inconceivable !" he exclaimed ; " but you shall not force me, Arno, to share your folly. I accept your invitation gratefully, Herr von Poseneck, for Fraulein Miiller and myself; we will return with you to Griinhagen and accept your hospitality." ** You must not speak for me, Herr Finanzrath," Anna protested. " I promised to be at Hohenwald this evening, and I shall keep my word." " But, Fraulein Miiller, you cannot surely persist in walk- ing to Hohenwald in this weather ? I will engage to excuse your delay to my father." " I need no excuse^ Herr Finanzrath," Anna replied. In vain did Werner expend his eloquence in entreaties and representations. She carried one of the torches and walked beside the litter towards Hohenwald. She stoutly braved the 128 CASTLE HOHENWALD. storm ; the wind blowing in her face cooled her burning tern pies, and she experienced a sense of strange satisfaction when, upon looking back, she found that the quarry was already so far in the distance that the light of the torch left with the Finanzrath gleamed like a faint spark in the black darkness of the night. The castle clock had struck eleven, and the Freiherr von Hohenwald, who was usually rolled into his bedroom at ten precisely, was still sitting in the spacious garden-room. He was not in a good humour, as was manifested by the frown upon his forehead, which even Celia's cajoleries could not smooth. The girl was seated on a low chair beside him, en- deavouring in vain to win him to cheerfulness. Sure as she usually was of an aflPectionate reply to her questions, to-night he would not be amiable. She had been reading aloud to him ; but even that did not please him. He took the book from her, grumblingly declaring that she was inattentive, that her emphasis was all wrong ; she was thinking, of course, of the new governess, on whose account the whole house was turned upside down. As he spoke, the Freiherr glanced angrily at the table in the centre of the room spread for four people. " It capped the climax," he added, peevishly, " for Werner to tell me it was not the thing to smoke in ladies' society, I am not to be hectored after that fashion, however. Bring me my meer schaum !" Celia sprang up and brought him his large meerschaum, with a lighted match. He usually rewarded her for this service with a loving smile, but to-night he sat puffing out clouds of smoke without a word, until he drew out his huge gold watch and said, " Ten minutes aft«r eleven ! This house- hold is topsy-turvy. It was not enough that Werner should insanely go to meet the woman at the station himself, but that ■ '•w'v^"r^f§Kw!^'^:t^^F:': CASTLE HOHENWALD. 129 fool Amo must needs run after him. There stands the table waiting, — nine o'clock is the supper-hour, and it is now nearly midnight." " But you had your supper at the right time, papa," said Celia. " How would it have helped matters to have me kept wait- ing ? It is enough that all the rest of the household sufFera because of you and this governess. It was the stupidest thing I ever did to listen to Werner. What's the use of your having a governess ? Your manners are quite fine enough for Castle Hohenwald, for Amo, and for me." " Still it was very wise in you, papa, to follow Werner's advice. I can learn a great deal from a good governess, and some time, I suppose, I shall meet those who demand more than Amo or you." " Oho ! the wind has changed, then ? So Werner has converted you too !" Celia blushed. Werner had not even attempted the con- version of which his father accused him ; but she did not say one word in his defence, — she could not tell her father that it was Kurt von Poseneck who had caused her change of opinion. " Where can they be ?" the Freiherr exclaimed, impa- tiently ; " they ought to have been here by ten o'clock at the latest." " I hope there has been no accident." " Nonsense ! The road is perfectly good, and since Amo chose to go and meet them with torches an accident is im- possible. There is just as much pother about this governess as if she were a lady of distinction." " Do not be unjust, papa ! If old John, who has not driven over that road for so long, should have missed the way and got into the Griinhagen quarry, and any accident had happened to Werner or the lady, you never would for- I 1 :10 CASTLE HOHENWALD. pve yourself for scolding Arno for going to meet them, Only hear how the wind howls and the rain beats against the windows. For my part, I am almost dead with anxiety lest an accident has happened. But, thank Heaven, no — there they are ; I hear the carriage rattling over the stones of the court-yard." Celia started up, and would have hurried out to meet the arrivals, but a peremptory word from her father detained her. " Stay here !" he exclaimed. " There is such a thing as being too kind. It is more than enough that Werner brings her from the station, that Arno goes to meet her, and that the table and you all are kept waiting for her. As she herself wrote, she is to be your paid companion and teacher. Remem- ber that, child. Any undue familiarity is very undesirable." Celia tossed her head and a reply was upon her tongue, but as she looked at her father she thought it wiser not to pro- voke him further, so she bit her lips and obeyed in silence. At the same time she privately determined that neither her father's command nor her brother's advice should influence her conduct towards the governess. Her patience was put to the proof, for several minutes elapsed before the hall-doors were thrown open and Arno ap- peared, ushering in a lady, whom he presented. " Fraulein Anna Miiller. My father, my sister Celia." This introduc- tion he evidently considered quite sufficient, for he instantly turned from her, and, taking his father's hand, said, " We have kept you waiting a long while, father — you shall hear why when you have welcomed Fraulein Miiller. I have much to tell." The Freiherr made no reply ; during the presentation he had not removed his pipe from his mouth, but when Anna approaohed with a slight courtesy, and, in a soft, rich voice, said, " Forgive me, Herr Baron, for having been the involun- tary cause of so much disturbance," he instantly laid it aside !pj^j^S'|»!»t'K- ,'7' .' ■"« .■■;'• CT^- '!"•-: 3^ — ' ;-?f^KHW«3!r'^5>~'!-; ■ ■ ■ •■ ■■-•■■- --^7^- CASTLE nOHENWALD. 131 «nd made an attempt to rise from his chair in answer to her words. It was many years since he had exchanged a word with a lady, but the memory of the time when he lived in society stirred within him as he looked at Anna. He had supposed that a negligent word of greeting would suffice for a governess, after all only a kind of upper servant, but he saw before him a lady to whom he involuntarily paid a mach greater degree of respect. It was not Anna's extraordihary beauty that thus impressed him, although he found it admira- ble, but a certain indescribable something which characterized her, and which her unsuitable dress could not conceal. She had left her drenched clothing at Inspector Hauk's, in the village of Hohenwald, and had borrowed a dark woollen dress of his wife's, which, although much too large for her slender figure, could not disguise its beautiful proportions. A few minutes previously the Freiherr had not been by any means inclined to receive kindly the disturber of his domestic peace, but as he looked into Anna's pale face, and thought he saw an entreaty for kindness in her fine eyes, the expres- sion of irritation vanished from his features, and he said, very kindly and simply, " You are heartily welcome, Fraulein !" These were the first words that Anna heard from the dreaded woman-hater, the stem Freiherr. Her ftiture pupil's reception of her was far more effusive ; she had taken Celia's heart by storm. While Anna was speaking to the old Baron, the girl stood rapt in admiration of the stranger's exquisite smile and melodious voice, and when she turned from the father to the daughter, the latter threw her arms around her in a sudden burst of girlish enthusiasm, which conveyed a far more cordial welcome than could have been given in words. Anna gently kissed her brow and felt inexpressibly pleased by the manner of Celia's greeting, founding upon it the brightest hopes for the future. And what did the Freiherr say to this infringement of the ■■i!;Tj!p^' 1H2 CASTLE HOHENWALD. rule he had laid down but a few short minutes before ? U« was not in the least angry ; he smiled benignantly, and watched with great satisfaction the two charming girls, the governess, apparently but a few years the elder of the two, and his dar- ling, his will-o'-the-wisp. Paternal pride whispered to him that, beautiful as the stranger was, she was no lovelier than Celia. Amo by no means shared his father's satisfaction. Hia face grew dark as he looked at Anna. What magical charm did this stranger, whom Werner had introduced among them, possess, to enable her thus, by a single word, to transform his father, prompting him to utter that " heartily welcome," and now so completely winning over Celia, who had naturally rebelled against the idea of a governess ? Had she not even made a far deeper impression upon himself than he was willing to admit ? She must be an adept in the art of pleasing. " Now you shall have supper," said the Freiherr ; and Amo rang the bell to have it served immediately, and then pushed his father's chair up to the table. It was only when old Franz had placed the dishes on the table that Celia ob- served that Werner's place was empty. Her father noticed this at the same time, and they asked, simultaneously, " Where is Werner ?" " Where you would least suspect him to be, father," re- plied Arno. " The Finanzrath is so far exalted above the traditional prejudices of his family that he has accepted Herr Kurt von Poseneck's invitation, and is at this moment either calmly supping with the Amtsrath Friese and Herr von Poseneck, or comfortably tucked in bed at Griinhagen." This announcement produced very different effects upon Celia and her father. Celia blushed crimson ; but so far from seeming shocked at Werner's transgression, she laughed merrily, and asked, " How did it happen ?" The Freiherr, on the contrary, would have risen hastily from '■ Tf T.-\J^-^ -^^'1^^'^"' ■**« CASTLE HOHENWALD. 133 his chair had not his gout prevented ; he muttered an oath, and exclaimed, "What a devil of a story is this? Werner at Griinhagen with those scoundrels of Posenecks !" " Why should you speak so harshly of Herr von Poseneck, papa ?" Celia asked, indignantly. The Baron gazed at his child in amazement. " What is the (liild thinking of?" he asked. " Actually taking me to task! Since when have you become the champion of the Posenecks, little one ?" " It seems to me unjust to abuse the absent, who do not desf.rve it, and cannot defend themselves !" " How do you know what the Posenecks deserve ? Would you send your old father to school ? Truly, it seems high time that your education were looked after, child." Celia's cheek gi-ew more crimson still, but she made no reply to her father's reproof. Amo had listened to the brief war of words with a smile. " Positively," he said, " I shall henceforth believe in signs and wonders. A Hohenwald partakes of the hospitality of Griinhagen ; Celia appears as the champion of the Posenecks ; my father scolds his darling, and she makes no reply ! Who can discredit miracles after all this ?" " Nonsense !" the Freiherr rejoined, peevishly. " Rather tell me how Werner came to meet that Poseneck fellow." In answer Arno gave a narrative of the evening's adven- tures. He had determined to state the simple facts to his father, alluding as little as possible to Fraulein Anna Miiller, but as he proceeded, his remembrance of the scene at the quarry was so vivid that he went farther than he had intended. He could not forbear, for mere justice' sake, to enlarge somewhat upon the courage and unselfishness of Anna's conduct, in con- trast with Werner's weakness and egotism, when he told how, although wounded herself, she had declined his aid and had begged him instantly to bestow it upon old John. He did '2 .^,_;,^ tlCTj;^', 134 CASTLE HOHENWALD. not utter one word of praise, but in his description of what had occurred there was much commendation implied, while he did not spare his sarcasm in speaking of Werner's very slight injury. Anna was not a little embarrassed by his account ; she would have liked to disclaim Arno's praise, but what could she say while he confined himself to a narrative of facts ? When Celia, however, turned to her with a warm caress, saying, " Good heavens, you are wounded, and have said nothing to us about it !" she smilingly lifted the dark-brown curls upon her forehead, and said, " You see it Is a mere scratch ; the village doctor attended to it, and told me that it would be perfectly healed in a few days. It really is nothing." Amo confirmed her words, and went on to reassure his father as to old John's condition, which Dr. Briihn pro- nounced to be not at all dangerous, although his injury had at first seemed grave. He then gave a detailed account of Werner's desire from the first to go to Grtinhagen, and of how he was not to be dissuaded from accepting Kurt von Poseneck's invitation, which, Amo admitted, was most amiably and courteously tendered. The Freiherr nodded, well pleased, when he heard how the Hohenwald people had refused to carry old John to Grtin- hagen, but he was all the more irritated by the Finanzrath's acceptance of Kurt's invitation. " It is disgraceful !" he ex- claimed. " How could a Hohenwald forget himself so far aa to accept hospitality at the hands of a beggarly Poseneck !" " It is not at all nice of you, papa !" Celia instantly de- clared, with flaming cheeks and flashing eyes. " How can you, who are usually just and good, speak so unkindly of Horr von Poseneck, who has never done anything to you ? It is poor thanks to him for hurrying out to the quarry in the storm to help Werner. And Werner was perfectly right to accept the invitation ; what had he to do with an old worn- .?'»R«i^js*^T»fr?»^^|S;j:'5^;;c' . ' - •• - -j-v •■■■.^ir'^s.Tt-rga?^, ■■ fe'-Vv ; - ■■■'---^■^- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 135 out feud ? Herr Kurt von Foseneck certainly had nci share in it ; he haa only lately arrived from America." " Why, what an eloquent advocate the Posenecks have in our little one !" Amo rejoined, before his father, who was quite speechless with astonishment, could frame a reply. " And in truth she is partly right, for the young Herr von Poseneck certainly conducted himself excessively well on this occasion ; nevertheless, I did not wish to accept his invita- tion, nor did Fraulein Miiller ; Werner, however, is superior to all Hohenwald prejudice. The Finanzrath knows far better how to conduct himself than we, who rust here in Castle Hohenwald, possibly can. His father and brother ought to be banished to the lumber-garret, — eh, Celia?" " Come, come ; have done with sneering, Amo. Go on with your story," the girl replied. " You are right. Disputing cannot change matters ; that neither my father, nor Werner, nor I can do. You and I belong to the old order of affairs, father ; we must be content to find others leaving us ; and it is but natural that Celia should vow allegiance to modem ideas ; so I will not waste another word upon the Posenecks, although I confess I practise self- denial in not doing so." And he finished his narrative, describing Anna's courageous braving of the storm and rain on their way to the Inspector's at the village of Hohenwald, where they found warmth and shelter, and whence a mes- senger was despatched for Dr. Briihn, who soon pronounced upon old John's case and dressed the cut upon Fraulein MuUer's forehead. Then, after Amo had exchanged his wet clothes for a suit of the Inspector's, and Fraulein Miiller had been provided with garments from his wife's wardrobe, a village wagon had brought them both to the castle. The old Baron was greatly interested in Arno's account ; even Werner's visit to Griinhagen was almost forgotten as he eagerly listened to his son's narrative. The new governess was 136 CASTLE HOHENWALD. evidently no spoiled city lady. He briefly expressed to hei his admiration and gratitude, and it pleased him still more that Anna quietly declined to accept any thanks for what was merely a matter of course and of no consequence. Meanwhile, it had grown late, and still, contrary to his custom, the Freiherr leaned comfortably back in his rolling- chair and said not one word of retiring, so interested was he in discussing the events of the evening. Suddenly, however, he happened to glance at the clock, and discovering that it was just about to strike one, he remembered how fatigued Friiulein Miiller must be. Directing Celia to show her to her apartment, he had himself rolled into his bedroom by Arno, after wishing the new governess a courteous good-night. CHAPTER VIIL " My dear Arno, — You have a right to scold. I can see you frown when you learn that this letter would have reached you two weeks ago, if I had fulfilled my promise of writing to you about my visit to my uncle Guntram soon after my arrival in M . " But man proposes, and a charming, smiling little blonde disposes. Indeed she is charming enough to make a man forget even the sacred claims of friendship, and so I confess my fault, and pray your forgiveness. But I can see the frown deepen on your brow, you incorrigible woman-hater, and you are less inclined than ever to forgive upon such a plea. What will you say, then, when you know the worst? Listen, and wonder, Arno. I am betrothed, — the happy lover of the aforesaid lovely little blonde. I beg leave to present g^a;:-»i.~>fpC"77"i^i«?^*;S^a- ..H.-' .■ -. ^^-:; - - .--r-_-~K:--K-^^if!r^r- .-■_■ ' '^^'■■^^■■:-: CASTLE HOHENWALD. 1^ to you the betrothed pair, Ad^le von Guntram — Karl, Count Styrum. There ! Do not throw the letter angrily aside, or you will not learn how it has all come about so quickly, and, besides, you must accustom yourself to the idea of receiving, upon your promised visit to Altenheim, a welcome from a charming little Countess Styrum. That your welcome from her will be of the warmest I can assure you, for my be- trothed takes the keenest interest in Arno von Hohenwald, about whom she is never weary of hearing. I might almost be jealous of him did I not know his views with regard to women. " And now let me tell you what is stranger than all, that it is owing to this interest of Addle's in you that I am now her accepted lover, or rather that I am so much sooner than I could otherwise have been ; and I will tell you as briefly aa T can, without breaking a promise I have made, how this came about. " You know I visited M on account of the vexatious lawsuit with my uncle Gruntram which I inherited from my father, and concerning which I hoped to effect some sort of C!>mpromise. My uncle received me with the greatest cor- diality, and we shotdd speedily have arranged matters had it not been for my cousin Heinrich, who, being a newly-fledged lawyer, would not hear of any adjustment of the affair. I believe I could not have offended him more deeply than by voluntarily relinquishing my claims. Now he must put up with this offence, although it is given in a manner different from any that he could have foreseen. His zeal for litiga- tion was of the greatest service to me, for it kept me in M when I thought my presence necessary at Altenheim. Thus weeks and even months passed, and I was no nearer the goal than at first, that is, so far as the lawsuit was concerned, otherwise my stay in M was entirely delightftd to me. My uncle Guntram wad all that he could be in the way 12* j •■'"'■ . ;f 138 CASTLE HOHENWALD. of affectionate kindness, Heinrich extremely amiable in a cousinly way, and Ad^le — no, I will not write about Ad^lc, for you would only laugh at me and call me a love-sick fool. Wait until you come to M , as friendship demands you should do, to be present at my marriage, and you will under- stand how welcome any pretext was to me for a protracted stay here, and how willingly I spent day after day beneath my uncle's roof, passing the most of my time talking with Ad^le. She treated me in the kindest manner, but her innocent famili- arity, which was almost like that she might show to a brother, made me anxious. A distant connection of yours, a certain Assessor von Hahn, frequents my uncle's house, and was evi- dently suing for my cousin's favour. I heard reports from all sides of a private betrothal between them, which was not to be announced until the Assessor had obtained the position of circuit judge, since my uncle greatly disapproved of long engagements. " I really could not perceive that Ad^le favoured the preten- sions of the Assessor, who is a very well-disposed but rather ridiculous little man ; but as all the world declared that it was a settled affair, and as even the Assessor himself let fall several hints to the same effect, I thought I should be forced to accept my fate. I should never have dared to tell my charming cousin how dear she was to me had not you, Amo, without knowing it, lent me your aid. " I had oft«n talked of you to Ad^le, telling her of our delightful travels, and even describing to her your father, your sister Cecilia, and your surroundings at Castle Hohenwald, as I had learned to know them from yourself. " When I went to my uncle's this morning at the usual time, I found Adele alone ; she received me more kindly than usual ; she even owned frankly that she had for an hour been longing for my coming. Flattering as this reception »fas, I founded no hopes upon it, for I saw that my cousin waa fp^r^5?«F5^^'«B!5pr?^'- -V ' -^ -■■-■-■: -■ "■, -■■-;-■ i":^-:S^=r^r-^- ■_.'.:• . •■; ^-SS!^ : CASTLE HOHENWALD. 139 desirous to acquaint me with some plan, in the execution of which she looked to me for assistance. She was in a state of feverish agitation ; at times she would look at me with an ex- pression of intense entreaty, and then, just when I hoped she was about to speak frankly of what was nearest her heart, she would introduce some indifferent topic of conversation. At last she evidently summoned up courage sufficient to enable her to bestow her confidence upon me. ' Cousin Karl,' she said, in her sweet, gentle voice, * I have a very, very great favour to ask of you.' I need not tell you how fervently I assured her that she could not ask what it would not be my delight to grant. She then proceeded to tell me that her dearest friend, a Fraulein Anna Miiller, who had been her schoolmate at Frau Adelung's, in Dresden, was forced by dire misfortune to seek a position as governess. Frau von A-delung had recommended the young lady to your brother Werner for your sister Celia, and Fraulein Miiller was to start for Hohenwald this very day. The mighty favour that AdMe asked of me was to write to you and exert my influence with you to insure the young lady a favourable reception at Castle Hohenwald. I never can tell so evil-minded a woman-hater as yourself how exquisitely lovely Adele was as she thus pleaded with me for her friend, nor how it happened that I retained the hand I took in mine and forgot all the silly stories about the Assessor von Hahn. Indeed, I do not know where I found the courage to tell her how inexpressibly dear she was to me, and how life had no greater joy for me than the hope of keeping for my very own forever the hand I then held. I was afraid she would instantly withdraw it, but she did not, and — no, I will only tell you that I am the happiest fellow in the world. Uncle Guntram, when he came from his study shortly afterwards, found us betrothed, and gave us his blessing, assuring me that his dearest wish was fulfilled in our betrothal, and adding that Ad^le should have 140 CASTLE nOHENWALD. the lawsuit for her dowry, so that if I wished to continue it I could do so with my wife. Heinrich made a wry face at this, but there was no help for it, and he offered us his brotherly congratulations. " Thus, you see, I owe my being the happy lover that I am to you, Arno, for had it not been for Ad^le's request I never should have had the courage to confess to her that T loved her. The bugbear of her betrothal to Herr von Hahn would have prevented my speaking frankly to her. Ad^le laughed at me when I told her this, and rallied me upon lend- ing an ear to such silly gossip. " And now, Arno, that my confession is made, my next duty is to fulfil my love's request, and cordially to recom- mend her friend to your kindness. I do this with a good conscience ; she is a cultivated, highly-gifted person. I con- gratulate your sister that your brother succeeded in inducing her to come to Castle Hohenwald. I as well as Ad61e am convinced that Fraulein Miiller's talents and acquirements will achieve for her an honoured position in your father's house- hold, and Ad^le hopes for more yet ; she trusts that her friend in the solitude of Hohenwald, in a refined family circle, may in time forget the misfortunes that have befallen her, and that your kindness may assist her to do so. I know your magnanimity and delicacy of sentiment, and that you only need be told that Fraulein Miiller, owing to no fault of her own, is very unhappy, and that any allusion to her past, any question with regard to it, would be extremely painful to her. To alleviate her sorrow she only needs cordial kindness, confidence which she deserves in fullest measure, and con- siderate regard. All these I know she will find at Castle Hohenwald, and ^mong you she will not be subjected to a curiosity to which she would be specially sensitive. You will forgive me for communicating no further particulars to you with regard to the lady's past when I tell you that I am ■KT^ -. ^^^*" CASTLE HOHENWALD. 141 bound by a promise. I know that you will be content with my declaration that I vouch for Fraulein Miiller's blameless integrity and purity of character. When you receive this she will already be beneath your roof; let me pray you not to let her know that I have written to you, and my Ad^le will thank you for not doing so when you come to M to our marriage. " One thing more before this long letter is concluded : with regard to your nearest neighbor, my cousin, Kurt von Poseneck, I have heard something of an hereditary feud between the Hohenwalds and the Posenecks, but I know you too well to suspect you of giving heed to any such folly, and therefore I cordially commend my cousin to your kindness. Kurt's life in America has been the best of training for him ; he is a fine fellow. I learned to know him well when he paid me a visit at Altenheim not long ago, and I assure you that I have rarely seen a young man so greatly to my mind, as I know he will be to yours. Although we are antagonistic in politics (he is a democrat, as was his father before him), I enjoyed every moment of his stay with me at Altenheim, for even in a political discussion Kurt never forgets that he is a gentleman. He defends his views with spirit, but with such calmness and moderation that he is never offensive. I am sure you will soon be friends, if you will only consent to break the spell of your solitude so far as to become acquainted with him. " And now adieu ! Grod bless you ! Woman-hater though you be, your congratulations are confidently expected by " Yours always, "Karl Sttbum." Amo laid the letter aside, after he had read it, with a sigh. He had found it with his other letters by the day's post upon his table after he had left the garden-room, as we have seer -'■".'^•f^y^W-c" 142 CASTLE HOHENWALD. long after midnight. " He, too !" he muttered to himself, with another sigh, and then he read the letter for the becond and third time, his face darkening as he read. After the third perusal he sat for a long time lost in thought, and finally took up a pen and wrote : " My dear Karl, — You expect congratulations from your friend ; it is indeed an ancient custom to offer kind wishes to the newly betrothed, and I follow it all the more readily as in my case I employ no empty, idle phrase when I wish you happiness with all my heart. We have always agreed to be frank and true in our dealings with each other, and never to shun entire openness through fear of giving offence. I now fiilfil my share of our compact. Indeed, after reading your letter three times I cannot but reply to you, my only intimate friend, as my heart dictates upon the impulse of the moment, not as I might after long and cool consideration. Therefore this is no formal letter of congratulation, but the true and faithful reply of a friend. Yes, I wish you all happiness, but I do so with a heavy heart, for I know how much I lose by your betrothal, — I, who have hitherto held the foremost place in your regard, must content myself with the second, and I shall shortly, as mournful experience teaches, lose this also, for love is the mortal foe of friendship. Both cannot exist together in the same heart. Thus I know that I have already half lost you, and shall soon lose you entirely, for I shall never be content with the cold modicum of regard which is all that the bridegroom and husband has for an every-day ac- quaintance. This pains me profoundly. You were the only man in whom I could thoroughly confide, — the only one to whom I could look for entire comprehension and sympathy. Nevertheless, I wish you happiness, and my wish is all the moi3 fervent since I dread its non-fulfilment. Yes, my pain in losing you is augmented by my fears for your fiiture. I -V^J^^^*^3***^**i?!^^ ^V^~-'^.''%'^^:>^«^- '. '■ ■- "'■ _-'-.- ■ ^ ' '■■--'^f^s CASTLF nOHENWALD. U3 kuow you, and I know that you never can content yourself aa can so many unless your marriage brings you ftill sympathy of heart and mind. You are in love, and I know from sad experience that love drugs the intellect and bewilders the judgment. You will, therefore, doubtless regard my doubts SB to your future as a positive crime against your betrothed, but I must be frank with you, my regard for you demands it. I repeat, I wish you joy ; you need all good wishes, and if I could I would close this letter with mine, for my head and heart are so full of your betrothal that there is hardly room in them for another thought, but you have made a request of me to which I must reply. " Fraulein Miiller, your betrothed's friend, has been for sev- eral hours in Castle Hohenwald, to which I myself introduced her after a most extraordinary fashion. Of this I will write you shortly. I will only tell you now that I have already had abundant opportunity to admire the lady's rare courage. She has by her beauty and her frank attractive bearing already taken Celia's heart by storm and conquered my father's preju- dice against her. I received your letter afier her arrival here, and therefore could not comply with your request as to her reception, but rest assured that the lady herself insured its cordiality far better than I could have done. I could not have believed it possible that my father should treat a stranger with such urbanity, although a few hours before Fraulein Miiller' s arrival he had scouted the idea of any friendly familiar intercourse with the new governess, and had declared that while Celia's companion and teacher was entitled to a courteous and respectfiil reception in Castle Hohenwald, she could lay no claim to admission within our family circle. Fraulein Miiller can have no cause to complain of any want of the cordiality you desire in my father's or Celia's welcome, but the requirement of such from me is, unfortunately, a demand with which I cannot comply. You know how I value your ■^ -•>:'(.;^^^^ 144 CASTLE HOHENWALD. opinion, bow liiglily I rate your recommendation ; it is a war rant to me tliat the lady is deserving of all regard. I promise you that she shall be annoyed by no curiosity as to her past, and that I will do all that I can to conceal from her the dis- ;;omfort that her stay among us causes me. More I cannot promise. You would not ask me to be false to my nature, and I tell you frankly that I have an invincible repugnance to all intercourse with this young person, which is rather in- creased by the fact that she is beautiful, cultured, and amiable, and that I cannot refuse to accord her a certain degree of esteem in view of the admirable courage she displayed this evening under exceedingly trying circumstances. " To treat her with cordiality is impossible for me ; I will keep out of her way as far as I can. I will always observe every rule of conventional courtesy in my unavoidable inter- course with her, and, in deference to your request, will en- deavour to make her position in the household as pleasant as it can be under the circumstances ; you will not ask more of me. Enough for to-night. In a few days I will write you a de- tailed account of my adventures in bringing Fraulein Miiller to Castle Hohenwald, and of my encounter with your cousin Kurt von Poseneck, whom I saw for a moment upon the same occasion. Farewell, and do not be angry with me for perhaps mingling one bitter drop in your cup of happiness, — I could not help it. I must always be utterly frank and true with you. " Always and all ways your faithful friend, " Arno von Hohenwald." The letter was finished ; but when Arno read it over he was not satisfied with its contents. He had meant to tell b.is friend in heartsome words how he feared for his future ; but now that they were there on the paper in black and white they seemed cold and insulting. It was but a poor reply to Karl's warm-hearted letter. And he was no better pleased ''f^fl^^^r;W:::^^'^:T^.^^^^ ■ - ■ • ^^>7 ■ .^spTr^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 145 either with what he had written about Fraulein Miiller. He had meant to be perfectly candid and true to his friend. Had he not promised always to be so ? and this surely justified all he had said. But was what he had written quite true ? Did he feel an invincible repugnance to any familiar inter- course with Fraulein Miiller ? Had she not, on the contrary, inspired him with an inexplicable interest which he vainly tried to suppress? While he was writing she was perpetually in his mind. He had been obliged once to lay down his pen because her image so flitted before him ; he saw her walking beside him through the night and the tempest, braving the storm so boldly, and yet without doing violence to a true feminine nature. Even on the road to the village of Ho- henwald he had tried to resist the impression that the first sight of this charming girl had made upon him, but in vain, although he conjured to his aid the ghosts of a vanished past He would gladly have detested this stranger thus thrust into his life ; he heaped her with all kinds of accusations, and yet confessed to himself that they were all unjust. What reason had he for crediting her with a desire for admiration ? had she sought by look or by gesture to attract him ? Would Styrum have commended her so warmly if she had not been worthy of all praise? Still, why should she alone of all women be careless of admiiation ? No ; Styrum was in love ; he saw with his betrothed's eyes. He was credulous, and had not purchased with his heart's blood the sad expe- rience that the most innocent of smiles upon lovely lips is but a prearranged means to some desired end. Poor Karl I he had not seen through the game they were playing with him, or he would not have fallen into their toils so easily. The rich Count, belonging as he did to the foremost of the Saxon nobility, would at any time have been considered by the President Guntram as an excellent parti for his daughter ; but the prospect of a happy conclusion to the lawsuit had K 13 -I^JWW,-' 146 CASTLE HOHENWALD. doubtless made the matcli doubly desirable. Therefore it was that the engagement between the fair Ad^le and the Assessor had been dissolved, and no means had been neglected to bring the Count to a declaration. Interest for her friend had afiforded Ad^e an excellent opportunity to treat her cousin with flattering confidence, and she had won the game. Poor Karl ! in his noble trust in innocence and purity he had fallen a victim to an excellently-laid plan, and was now made use of by Ad61e to insure her friend a firm footing in Castle Hohenwald. Arno could not but laugh at himself Had he really been in danger of proving false to his principles ? Ho had seen through the game at the right moment, however, — the suspicion that had been aroused on the road to Hohen- wald now became a certainty, and what he had written to his friend was the truth. Yes, he now felt an invincible repugnance to any closer intercourse with this intriguing stranger, who had selected Castle Hohenwald as the theatre for her schemes. The letter should be despatched just as it was. He folded and sealed it, and then betook himself to rest. The day's exertions had wearied him, and he soon slept, but the image of the lovely stranger mingled in his dreams. The stranger herself stood at the window of the room to which Celia had shown her, and gazed out into the gloomy night ; she heard the howling of the wind and the beating of the rain against the panes, but she did not heed them, for before her mind's eye rose a form that made her oblivious of the present. She shuddered as she looked back to that last terrible night spent beneath the same roof with the wretch who would have bartered his wife's honour for a release from poverty and detection. She had clung to him faithfully, had always conscientiously fulfilled her duty to him, hoping that she might perhaps in the end influence him for good. She had forgiven him for squandering her property, for plunging her into poverty, although she no longer loved him, and waa :^""'"'r^*>*3^™- f^/'f?.:5'H ■'- ~:"n. ■ - ' ■--■--,% •v'SgsTij CASTLE HOHENWALD. I47 bound to him only by a sense of duty ; but that he could so dishonour her as actually to wish to sell her to the Russian was a sin never to be forgiven, — ^it separated her from him forever He had spoken the decisive word himself, he had restored to her her freedom, lured by false hopes perhaps, but he had done so unconditionally, and she was now her own mistress ; she no longer felt the chains that had bound her to her wretched husband ; they might exist for the world, but no longer for herself, for her own conscience. When on that dreadful night she had bolted herself into her bedroom, her resolution was already taken. Without hesitation she proceeded to carry it out. She exchanged her ball-dress for a simple stuff gown ; she packed a few necessary articles of clothing in a travelling-bag, and hastily wrote these lines : " You have given back to me my freedom ; I accept it. It is your desire that we should part ; it shall be fdlfilled : you will never see me again. Should you dare to persecute me, you will force me to denounce you publicly and to give to the world the reasons that justify my conduct. The detected thief, who would barter his wife's honour, has forfeited the right to control her destiny. — Lucie." Her hand did not tremble as she wrote these words. She folded the sheet, sealed it and placed it where its addresB could be plainly seen by any one entering the room. It was done ! She was parted from him forever. A shudder ran through her as she thought of his threat of suicide if she refused to accede to his wishes, but the thought did not for an instant deter her. Only the coward, whose courage is never equal to the commission of the deed, can threaten suicide; if he could have preferred death to dis- grace he never would have been a detected thief. She cautiously unbolted her door and crept through the d/awing-room to the hall, upon which the door of Sorr's sleep- ing-room opened. Here she paused and listened, — he was 148 CASTLE HOHENWALD. wont to breathe heavily in his sleep, — but she could hear nothing : a proof that he was still awake. What if he should hear her and come from his room to prevent het departure ? What then ? The wonted gentleness of her look gave place to stern determination ; involuntarily she clinched her hand ; the struggle had begun, and should under all circumstances be carried on. Fortunately, however, she encountered no obstacle to her progress down the stairs to the house-door, which she softly opened and as softly closed behind her. The streets were deserted ; she passed a watchman asleep on a doorstep, and walked as quickly as possible towards the President's mansion without being seen by a human being. The windows of the house were still gleaming with light, and there was a long line of carriages in the street before it. Lucie paused and hesi- tated for a moment. The ball was not yet over. She had hoped this would be the case ; else it would have been difficult for her to obtain an entrance to the house. But how was she to pass the line of carriages ? So late a wanderer would be sure to be noticed by the coachmen and lackeys, and she might be the object of coarse jests. Perhaps the little gate leading from the garden into a side street was open : it was seldom locked ; and even should it be so, she could easily climb the low garden-fence. She was not to be stopped by such an obstacle ; from the garden, the wing in which was Ad^le's room was easily entered by a back-door, which was, of course, still open, and once in the house she could soon make her way to . Ad^le's room. She hurried into the side street. The garden-gate was not locked, nor was the back-door even closed. Fortune favoured her; not a servant did she encounter as she hurried up a narrow staircase and along the passage leading to her friend's room, which she reached without being observed. Arrived here, she sank down upon the little lounge where she had sc CASTLE HOHENWALD. 149 often sat conversing gayly with Ad61e, upon whose aid she now relied in her plan of flight. An hour passed slowly ; the music floated in from the ball-room ; but at last it ceased ; there was a bustle of de- parting guests, servants ran to and fro in the house, and the rattle of carriages told Lucie that the ball was at an end. Another half-hour went by ; the house grew quieter, the bustle entirely subsided ; there were steps in the passage, and Heinrich von Guntram's voice said, " Groo<^-night, Ad^le. Shall I light your candle for you ?" " Oh, no ; there are matches on the table Grood-night, Heinrich." "Good-night." The door opened. Ad^le entered, bolted it behind her, and then, going to the table in front of the sofa, lighted a match, by the flickering light of which she distinguished a dark figure sitting on the sofa. She gasped with terror and ran towards the door, but was instantly arrested in her flight by the gentle tones of a familiar voice, whispering, " Don't be frightened, dearest AdMe ; it is I, — Lucie !" " You — ^you here at this hour ?" " I need your help, Ad61e. Li my extremest misery I bcek reftige with you, my dearest friend." In an instant Ad^le's arms were about her, and the tenderest assurances of sympathy and aid were poured into her friend's ear. Then she drew the curtains close and lighted the candles, before seating herself beside Lucie and entrtiiting her to tell her all, Lucie complied ; she told her of her wretched past with her worthless husband, and of the incidents of the last few hours, remaining perfectly calm amid the storm of indigna- tion with which her friend greeted her narrative. Anger was dead within her, slain by the thorough contempt she now felt for Sorr. 18* ' J»ffgS:;s-1^^ 150 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " And now, dear Ad^le," ste concluded, " I come to claim your aid. Your last words to me this evening when I left the ball-room were, * Trust in me ; whatever happens, I will stand by you.' This has given me courage to take this de- cided step to break the fetters that bound me to one so un- worthy. I knew I should not be quite alone, that you would not desert me, and therefore I come to you." " Never, Lucie dear, never ; and not only I, — there is another whose aid will be of more use to you than that of a poor weak girl. My cousin Karl told me every detail of the miserable scene in Heinrich's room ; he suspected you would soon need protection and assistance, and is ready to give it to you. You may trust him ; he is a noble, true-hean ^d man, and has promised me to befriend you at your need. Be sure he will keep his promise. He will advise us what is best to be done." " I do not need any advice," Lucie gravely rejoined ; " my resolution is taken, my plans for the ftiture are arranged. I need the help of faithful friends only in their execution. I shall be grateful for Count Styrum's help ; but later, when I am no longer here." " What do you propose to do ?" " Herr von Sorr has given me my freedom. I will employ it in beginning a new life. For years I have foreseen that I should one day be obliged to turn to account for my support the accomplishments acquired during my girlhood, and I have continued to study with this end in view. I am perfectly qualified to fill a position as governess. Such a position I shall endeavour to find in some retired country- Beat, but in order to obtain it I need testimonials, with which so young a man as Count Styrum cannot furnish me. I have therefore thought of writing to our dear old teacher, Frau von Adelung, in Dresden. I remember that she was constantly applied to for governesses. But I am afraid io con- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 151 fide wholly in her. With the best intentions she is something of a gossip, and would find it difficult to keep my secret, and yet her recommendation I must obtain. When Herr von Sorr finds my letter to-morrow and discovers that I am fled, he will, I know, together with Count Kepuin, leave no stone unturned to discover my retreat. He will not be deterred even by the threat in my letter, and he must learn nothing, and therefore I cannot confide in good Frau von Adelung. You must write to her and bespeak her good offices for a friend of yours ; you were always one of her favourites, and she will not hesitate to comply with your request. I am sure, dearest AdMe, you will do this for me." Lucie's scheme seemed to her Mend admirable, and she declared herself ready to do all that she could to ftirther it : but when Lucie went on to state that she intended to leave M the next morning by the five o'clock train, to await in some retired village the result of her friend's action, Ad^le reused to entertain any such idea. Nowhere, she said, could Lucie be so safe from Sorr's persecution as in M , where he certainly would never expect to find her. The arrival of a lady alone and unattended in any little village would surely excite remark, while Lucie might stay for weeks in AdMes room and her presence beneath the President's roof never be suspected. Ad61e never received her friends in her bedroom or dressing-room, and neither her father nor her brother ever came to her there. All that was to be done was to take Lina, Addle's special maid, into their confidence, — she had lived in the house for years, and a more faithftd, trustworthy creature there could not be. Ad^le's representations overcame her friend's scruples, and it was agreed to admit the maid to a frdl knowledge of the state of the case. And when the dawn was at hand the two friends retired to bed, Ad^e happier with regard to Lucie than she had been for a long while. The next morning when Lina came to call her young mis< -•: jr~:--<.-5^» 152 CASTLE HOHENWALD. tress her surprise was great at finding a new inmate in the room, of whose coming no one had been aware. Ad^le told her the true reason for Frau von Sorr's flight from her hus- band's roof, and Lina, flattered by the confidence shown her, promised to keep such guard over the fugitive that no one should dream of her whereabouts, while she should daily fare like an honoured guest, without arousing the suspicions of the other servants. She kept her word, which she would have done out of her faithful devotion to Ad^le alone, even if Frau von Sorr's gen- tleness and misfortunes had not excited her sympathy and spurred her on to redoubled watchfulness The scheme was eminently successful. Neither the President nor Hein- rich nor any of the other inmates of the house ever suspected that Lucie von Sorr, whose sudden disappearance was the town-talk of M , was concealed in Ad^le's room. The President, at the dinner-table, expressed his surprise that so beautiful a woman could have contrived to vanish utterly without a trace. He told how Herr von Sorr had applied to the police for assistance in his search for his wife ; that inquiry had been made of all the hack-drivers of the town and the porters at the railway stations. No one could remember having seen the fugitive ; an extraordinary fact in view of the lady's remarkable beauty. Herr von Sorr was beside himself, and feared that his wife might have been driven to suicide by the strange reports circulating in the town. Adele listened to all this in silence, and reported it to her friend afterwards. In a few days many visitors made their appearance at the President's, in hopes of learning something satisfactory from Ad^le, who was well known to be Frau von Sorr's nearest friend. Among them were Madame Gransauge and Frau von Hose, the Messrs. von Saldern and von Arnim, Assessor vod Hahn, and others, all craving information. *-5f^fF^-^7T^i®^ '•■'t , ' ' --■-■-: --'^'-^ <]"--.:.. ."^-'"Vf ^-:^^r^ .^■:'\ v-, :■■' _; ■ , r -- -■"^-^^^' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 153 AdMe listened to all that they had to say, but had nothing to tell them. She could not imagine why her friend had left M so suddenly ; she could not look upon her disap- pearance as a flight, and she feigned a fresh interest in every repetition of the reports circulating in M . It was positively certain, the wife of Major Gansauge as- serted, that Frau von Sorr had destroyed herself, — a peasant had seen her at five o'clock in the morning near the Marble Gate, close by the large pond. The body had not yet been found, but doubtless would be shortly. Count Repuin waa quite inconsolable, far more so than Herr von Sorr, who bore his trial with more equanimity. Frau von Rose knew from the very best authority — she was not at liberty to mention names — that Count Repuin and Herr von Sorr had a violent quarrel. The Count would not believe that Sorr was ignorant of his wife's whereabouts. The affair was certainly very odd, for the Count behaved pre- cisely as though his wife, and not Herr von Sorr's, had run away, and had threatened the husband with some dire revenge if the fdgitive were not shortly discovered. The Assessor von Hahn was more cautious in his erpres- sions ; he hinted that Frau von Sorr had made a profound impression upon Count Styrom, and that the Count had per- haps been willing to shield her from Count Repuin's persecu- tions. The Assessor remarked that he was too discreet to say more ; he did not boast of it, for discretion was a gift of nature, and her bounties were variously distributed ; discre- tion was one of his natural endowments, therefore he would be silent. All these contradictory reports which Ad^le heard from the gossiping friends of the family she faithftdly recounted to Lucie, and the friends congratulated themselves that no attempt had been made by Frau von Sorr to leave M . Ad^le had written immediately to Frau von Adelung, tell* «« ' ">'>tsr-m 154 CASTLE HOHENWALD. ing hei that one of her dearest friends, a Friiulein Anna Miiller, was very desirous to procure a situation in the coun- try as governess. She expatiated upon the talents, acrjuire- ments, and culture of the young lady, who regretted that, never having dreamed of being obliged to support herself, she possessed no testimonials to her ability. Now, how- ever, she was in great distress ; her father had died broken- hearted at the loss of his large fortune, and Friiulein Miiller had been very unfortunate also in other ways, so that she craved retirement from the world, and would prefer a situa- tion in the solitude of the country. An answer io this letter arrived by return of mail. Frau von Adelung expressed her pleasure at being able to do any- thing for her dear Ad^le, whose friendship for Friiulein Miiller was a sufficient recommendation in her eyes. At present she knew of no situation for her, although there was no doubt that one could shortly be found, and she promised to write again as soon as this was the case. More than a week elapsed before Frau von Adelung was again heard from. Lucie continued to live in her concealment in her friend's room, hearing from her all that was going on in M . Count Repuin and Sorr had both suddenly left town, the latter deeply in debt. Whither they had gone no one knew. Count Repuin had left orders that his letters should be sent to Berlin posts restante. At last, when Lucie was beginning to chafe under her enforced idleness, a second letter arrived from Frau von Adelung, asking whether Friiulein Miiller would be willing to accept the position of governess to the Baroness Cecilia von Hohenwald, or rather, as the young lady was sixteen years old, that of companion and teacher. Lucie and Ad^le were greatly surprised by this letter ; they well remem- bered the description given by Count Styrum on the even- ing of the ball" of the secluded life at Castle Hohenwald, W-^J7fRr'¥ir.S^»^,:> ; ' '^trt. ■•".■■>:-!-•:• -=*^ — ••■ 7-.-.:'^-;''-'?:J*J^'i ■- .^•':-*. - - - ''T^. -r^^sr,. CASTLE HOHENWALD. 155 and this remembrance decided Lucie at once to accept the oflFered position. In the solitude of Castle HohenwaJd, where Ao guest ever found admission, surely she might look for the seclusion she so earnestly desired. In a short time a third letter was received from Frau von Adelung, enclosing the one addressed to Fraulein Mullet by the Finanzrath, of which we have already heard. His dreary picture of the castle and its inmates, far from deterring Lucie from accepting the post offered her there, only made her the more desirous to accept it, and she acceded instantly to the Finanzrath's request that she would, if she could, return a favourable reply and inform him of the day of her arrival at the station A . Thus the die was cast. Two days more were all that she could spend with the dear friend who had so aided and shel- tered her. AdMe now wished to intrust Lucie's secret to her cousin, that he might write and insure her a friendly recep- tion at Castle Hohenwald, but this Lucie permitted her to do only upon condition that she should wait until she had actu- ally departed from M before she spoke to Count Styrum upon the subject. The day of departure arrived, — an agitating day for Lade. Hitherto Lina's fidelity and caution had made concealment possible ; not one of the household even dreamed that the vanished Frau von Sorr was quietly living in Ad^le's apart- ments ; but how could she steal away unobserved ? The gossiping Assessor had reported that Count Repuin had bribed all the railroad officials, who were to give him im- mediate notice of the appearance at any one of the M stations of the well-known Frau von Son*. The police also were in his pay, and it seemed to Lucie almost impossible to leave the President's house without discovery. Here, too, the faithful Lina rendered most efficient aid. She had come to seek service in M years before from an 156 CASTLE HOHENWALD. Altenburg village, and the ugly national dress of the Alte> burg peasantry, although long since discarded by her. wa still reposing neatly folded in her trunk. She was aboal Lucie's height, and, with a few alterations, the peasant's dresa was made to fit the lady perfectly, so that when, one morning towards four o'clock, a neatly-dressed Altenburg peasant-girl walked out from the President's garden into the side street, the most experienced detective would hardly have suspected her of being the admired Frau von Sorr. At the Marble Gate Lina was awaiting her in a covered wagon, driven by one of her cousins, an Altenburg peasant lad, whom she had sent for to take her to her native village, where she had received permission from her master to spend a week's holiday. The peasant lad was rather surprised that his cousin Lina should have stopped him, when they had driven no farther than the Marble Grate, to wait for a young girl, who shortly arrived and got into the vehicle. Still greawjr was his surprise when, at a little wayside inn some miles from M , Lina made him wait much longer, while she went into the house with the young girl, who must have remained there, for when Lina got into the wagon again it waa in company with a very fine lady, who paid him for driving her to the nearest railroad station, where she took a kind leave of his cousin. Once in the railway carriage bound for A Lucie had no farther fear of discovery, and we have already heard of her safe arrival there, and of her adventurous drive with the Finanzrath. How diflFerent her reception at the castle had been from any she had anticipated ! She had looked forward with a heavy heart to meeting the old Baron ; but he had welcomed her so kindly, so cordially, that she felt sure that in him she should find a friend. But Arno ? Even if Count Styrum had written to him be- seeching his kind offices for the new governess, this morning . '.^w*V'y"T^r ?«K^^s?Si*^- ■ '.' ■ ■ * -. ' ■ -: ,f.-r--.7 s^T|^\v^igr^"5^i«;p--.cf- ; :^'' :- r ■ "^-'-?f^**'!lHWB'iF- --'*:■ " ' ' vyv^sT'SjE'^^.^fT^^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. Wl alter his visit at the President's, he could not have received the letter ; his conduct had been characterized only by the coldest courtesy. Still, she was prepared for this ; she knew his sentiments with regard to women. He had behaved pre- cisely as she had expected him to do, and his manner was cer- tainly far preferable to the Finanzrath's. As she called him to mind a burning blush overspread her cheek, and she leaned her forehead against the cool glass window-pane. She could not tell what it was in his behaviour to her that so aroused her repugnance. He had been all that he should be, and no more, and yet his courtesy inspired her with dread ; this man was antipathetic to her. But why trouble herself about him in any way? He was but a guest at the castle, where every- thing seemed so much more encouraging than she had hoped to find it ; he would be gone in a few days, and Celia, thig charming, lovely Celia, who had evidently conceived a sudden affection for her new companion, would still be with her. How entirely unnecessary had been Lucie's fear of the " way- ward, spoiled child' ' ! Celia could not feign ; in her clear, honest eyes the genuine welcome she had given to her new governess was plainly to be read. How happy she had seemed upon noting the pleasant impression produced by the pretty and luxurious bedroom and dressing-room to which she had shown Lucie I How cordially she as well as Frau Kaselitz had begged to know if anything were wanting for the comfort of the new inmate ! and how caressing had been the kiss with which she had said good-night ! Yes, everything was far, far more pleasant than Lucie had expected ; surely she could find repose and foi^tfulness amid these surroimdings, and in the Mfilment of a duty so in- teresting as the instruction of this sweet young girl ; and yet she could not look forward into the future with any degree of buoyancy ; the driving rain, the dark night, the moaning wind, seemed to her to symbolize her destiny. 14 . * -f-^ . :^--^r •'■ Z^l" 158 CASTLE HOHENWALr CHAPTER IX. The tempest had spent its fury in the night, and the snn shone warm and bright into Lucie's bedroom when she awaked at a rather late hour the next morning. She was habitually an early riser, but the fatigue of the previous day and evening had prevented her from sleeping until towards morning, and she did not awake until eight o'clock from her dreamless and refreshing slumber. She gazed around her in some bewilderment, and could not at first remember where she was ; but in an instant all the past, her parting from her dear Ad^le, her journey hither, and last night's adventures, flashed upon her mind, and brought with them the conscious- ness that she was actually in Castle Hohenwald. If her room had looked pretty and comfortable by candle-light on the previous evening, it was positively charming now, with a bunch of fresh spring flowers, which she had not seen the night before, upon a little table between the windows, and the sunlight glorifying the landscape without. Lucie hastily left her bed, and was proceeding to dress, when there came a low knock at her door. " Who is there?" she asked. " I, — Celia. I waited until I heard you stirring, to tell you that your trunk has been brought over from Griin- hagen, and is here in the next room — our morning room — with your dry dress from the Inspector's. I will come to take you to breakfast in half an hour." When Lucie opened the door into the next room Celia had vanished, but her trunk stood near, and her travelling-dress, brushed and dry, hung across a chair. She made haste to perform her simple toilet, and then went again into the apartment which Celia had called " our morning room." This : j.jTj-.ijr^sr,-'-. i^y''?!« . ■ sjswsv^**-*?""" CASTLE HOHENWALD. 159 room, then, she was to share with her pupil. It was a delight* fill and luxurious retreat ; its windows opening upon an en- chanting prospect of the garden, the mighty oaks in the park, and the distant mountains ; near one window was a table, upon which lay a half-finished piece of embroidery, while another table, evidently new, and prettily furnished with writing materials, was plainly destined for the new governess. Upon it was a small vase filled with flowers evidently plucked but an hour ago, the dew not yet dry upon the petals of the roses. Flowers ! So little, and yet so much ! They made a welcome where they stood. Lucie bent over them to inhale their cool fitigrance, and when she raised her head looked into Celia's laughing eyes. " How can I thank you for placing these here, Fraulein von Hohenwald?" she said, with emotion. " By never again calling me Fraulein, but Celia. Every one who cares for me calls me Celia, and I want you to care for me very much." Such a request, accompanied as it was by a kiss and a caress, could not be refused. The girl's frank tenderness was inexpressibly soothing to Lucie. " And now come with me to the garden-room," Celia went en, putting Lucie's hand within her arm. " Papa is waiting for us ; he drank his morning cup of coffee long ago, but he wants us to take our breakfast in the garden-room all the same." The Freiherr had indeed been awaiting the appearance of the ladies to breakfast in the garden-room for more than an hour. Seated in his rolling-chair in his favourite spot, he was rejoicing in the beauty of the lovely morning and inhaling the mild air of spring, while, as he sipped his coffee, he received his morning visit from his son. Arno seated himself beside his father's chair and b^an, as was his wont in the early hour of talk, to discuss mattem . "J.t.^^3H^?B!P 160 CASTLE HOHENWALD. connected with the estate, agricultural schemes, etc., which did not, however, appear to have the power to interest him to- day as deeply as usual. It almost seemed as if he were think- ing of other things as he expatiated upon the new ploughs and the building of fresh stables. He now and then paused in his talk, and seemed to lose the thread of his discourse. The case seemed the same with the Freiherr. He could think of nothing but what had already occupied his mind since he arose,- -the pleasant talk of the previous evening. For years he had not conversed with a lady. Celia, Frau Kaselitz, and the servant-maids were the only women with whom he ever exchanged a word. His conversation with the governess had therefore the added charm of novelty, and he had greatly enjoyed it. Celia's appearance to wish her father good-morning inter- rupted, to the Baron's satisfaction, the agricultural discus- sion, and gave him an opportunity to ask after Fraulein Miiller. Celia announced that she had listened several times at the door of her bedroom, but that she was not yet stir- rinjx. " Evidently accustomed to late hours," Amo observed. His words sounded like sarcasm, and instantly aroused Celia's combativeness. " Do you suppose," she said, indig- nantly, " that a delicately-framed woman, not used like you to hunting all night long, can endure without fatigue such a walk through tiic storm as Friiulein Miiller took last e\3ning? It was almost three o'clock when we went to bed, and it is now just seven. Four hours' sleep is not much after such latigue, although you may think it suf&cient for yourself. Besides, you are used to such early rising that you should not judge for others." "Don't quarrel, children," the old Freiherr interposed; " altbouph Ndu are quite right, child, to take up the cudgels for your governess ; she certainly has well earned a few hours CASTLE HOHENWALD. 161 of sleep. Even you, Amo, expressed your wonder last even- ing at her quiet endurance of so much fatigue." " Yes, papa ; is it not odious of Amo to be so unjust tc Fraulein Miiller. when she is so charming, so divinely beau- tiful, and so amiable ?" " The child is all fire and flame !" Amo remarked. " Well, well, it is nothing to me ; believe that your governess is an angel of light and a miracle of amiability if you choose, only do not require me to agree with you. Your enthusiasm lightens the duty with which my friend Styrum has charged me. I found a letter from him among my papers last night announcing his betrothal to his cousin, Adele von Gruntram, and telling me that Fraulein Miiller is his betrothed's most intimate friend. Here is his letter ; read aloud to my father what he says of Fraulein Mtiller, Celia, if you like." This Celia did most willingly. As she returned it to Amo she said reproachfdlly to her brother, " You do not deserve the confidence, Amo, that Count Styrum reposes in your friendship. I cannot conceive how you can judge Fraulein Miiller so harshly and unjustly after such a recommendation from your dearest friend." " Bah ! his recommendation is utterly worthless ; he sees with the fair AdMe's eyes, and would recommend the devil's grandmother to us if his betrothed desired it. What I did promise him was that the lady shall be annoyed by no inqui- ries or allusions to her past. In this respect Karl's word is all-sufficient, for not even the entreaties of his betrothed could induce him to vouch for Fraulein Milller's purity of character if the slightest blame attached to her. I know my promise will be kept by all." " Most certainly it shall," the old Freiherr rejoined. " Sty- rum's word is quite enough for me ; he is a man of honoui, as was his father, once my intimate friend. I respect the young fellow, although I do not know him personally. You L 14* 162 CASTLE HOHENWALD. remember, Arno, how well he conducted himself upon a former occasion, with what tact and delicacy " " Let the past be forgotten, father !" Amo interrupted him ; and, turning to his sister, he added, " I hope you will be dis- creet, Celia, and not ask any idle questions of Frauleii? Muller." " I am not curious, and I certainly will be carefiil," Celia replied, as she left the room. The Freiherr called after her, " Beg Friiulein Miiller, if she is up, to take her breakfast here in the garden-room. I am expecting her." It was not long before his darling reappeared with the gov- erness, whose cheerftil good-moming the old man returned after his most genial fashion. Then, ringing the bell, he de- sired Franz to have Fraulein Miiller's breakfast served imme- diately, and to roll his chair nearer to the table that he might take part in the conversation. This he found exceedingly entertaining. Whatever waa the subject under discussion Fraulein Miiller bore her part charmingly. The Baron found her possessed of a far higher degree of culture than he had thought possible in a woman, and he was specially pleased to find her at home in his beloved classical literature. When the meal was ended she seated herself, at his re- quest, at the fine grand piano, which had been his last gift to Celia, and, after a lovely prelude, sang a little national melody, in a rich, deep contralto, with such pathos that Celia embraced her enthusiastically with eyes swimming in tears, and the old Freiherr was inexpressibly delighted. It certainly was a fact that Werner had found a treasure ; his advice, after all, had been worthy of all gratitude. The old man was in an admirable humour, as was plainly shown when hia Bons unexpectedly entered the room together. He had in- tended on the previous evening to greet the elder upon hia ^P^fP^Pf?^??^ ^^^^^-''^^'^'^W^^-' :■' ' ^^fWJ'^V^^^W'^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 163 return from Griinhagen with a thunder-blast ; but he was now half inclined to condone his transgression of the family tra- ditions. " Why, here we have the Herr Finanzrath," ho said, as Werner approached him. " Have you had a com- fortable night at Griinhagen with the Posenecks? I am pleased to see that your broken leg is mended again. 1 certainly should not imagine from your walk that anything had ailed it." Werner had expected a much harsher reception, therefore he quietly accepted the raillery. " It was not so very bad," he replied, with a smile, " although it certainly pained me so much last evening that I could not have undertaken the long walk to the village." " Which Fraulein Miiller courageously accomplished, in spite of her evident fatigue," Amo interposed. " I admire Fraulein Miiller's courage," the Finanzrath continued, with a courteous bow to Lucie ; " but she would hardly have been able to walk so far had her injury been of the foot instead of the temple. I positively could not, and, as Herr von Poseneck was polite enough to invite me to Griinhagen, I saw no reason for declining his kindness; it might have offended him." " So you preferred to offend your father by accepting it," the old Baron said, angrily, his good humour already dii». turbed by Werner's words. " I knew of no reasonable grounds why you should be offended by my doing so. Young Herr von Poseneck, who has only lately come to reside at Griinhagen, has certainly never insulted you, nor had any desire to insult you. He assured me that he had the highest respect for you, and that only your express refusal to receive visits at Hohenwald had pre- vented him from paying his respects to you."' " Let him try it ! let him try it !" the old Baron said crossly. :.'' : r is^ssw? 164 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " I hope, father, that calm reflection will induce you to change your mind," the Finanzrath quietly rejoined. " I can assure you that young Kurt von Posencck in no wise deserves the dislike which you have transferred to him from his late father, and that he really desires to testify his respect for you. I cannot sufficiently extol the cordial hospitality extended to me at Griinhagen, and which can be ascribed only to the fact of my being your son." " Nonsense !" growled the Freiherr. " The Amtsrath Friese, as well as Herr Kurt von Poseneck, repeatedly expressed his pleasure in being able to render any little service to a Hohenwald. Both lamented your seclusion, and wished they might convince you of their friendly regard. Both treated me with distinguished hospitality, for which I am greatly obliged to them. Herr von Poseneck, after he had conducted me to Griinhagen, went back with horses and men to the quarry to extricate the carriage and horses and get them under shelter ; he sent over Fraulein MixUer's trunk at daybreak this morning, and when I expressed a wish to return home, the Amtsrath placed his own carriage at my disposal. Common courtesy requires that I should drive to Griinhagen to-morrow to call, and to tell Herr Kurt von Poseneck that he will gratify me by visiting me in return at Hohenwald." Celia's eyes sparkled as she heard the Finanzrath thus announce his intentions, but her joy quickly fled as she looked at her father, upon whose forehead the frown had deepened as Werner spoke, and whose rage now burst forth with, *' I'll have the dogs set on him if he dares to enter the court-yard ! No Poseneck shall show his face in Hohenwald so long as I am master here ! ' " Papa, that is very disagreeable of you," Celia ventured to gay ; " you do yourself great injustice !" " Is the girl out of her senses ?" the Freiherr asked, "■fSS^spp^fS;????' ..r.ir.-^»- '^"ir "Hpffi" ;- '. ^* ■■E'*\t»''wTr'^JpK5 CASTLE HOHENWALD. 165 angrily. " What are the Posenecks to you, that you should defend them against your own father?" Celia flushed t;rimson ; she could not answer this question. Fortunately, Werner came to her assistance, saying, " Celia's words, although they are perhaps to be reprehended, are prompted by her innate sense of justice. She could not help exclaiming against your threat of requiting the courtesy of a visit by setting the dogs on the visitor. I think, upon calmer consideration, you will find her conduct but natural. I am very sorry, sir, that I should so have provoked you, and will try to avoid doing so again. Of course I am not to be de- terred by the unfortunate prejudice entertained by you against the Posenecks from fulfilling the duty enjoined upon me by common politeness. I must call at Grrtinhagen, but I will not invite Herr von Poseneck to Hohenwald. I will convey to him your thanks, and tell him you regret your inability to receive him at Hohenwald, since your health does not admit of your receiving visitors." " Then you will tell him a lie ; my health admits of my receiving any visitors whom I care to see." " I think my conscience can endure the weight of a lie of that kind," the Finanzrath rejoined, with a smile. "Do as you please, but let me hear no more of the Posenecks !" growled the old Baron. His relations with his eldest son were peculiar ; he constantly disputed with him, but in spite of his father's angry vehemence Werner usually gained his end, because he never lost his temper. The old Baron felt now that he had been wrong, and, although he did not frankly admit this, he yielded. Werner seemed not to notice this ; he was too wise to insist upon his father's acknowledging himself in error. To change the conversation he turned to Lucie, who, still seated at the piano, had been an involuntary listener to the dispute between father and son. Approaching her, the Finanzrath took her '»«;;-5f^ 166 CASTLE HOHENWALD. hand, and saying, with the air of protection which had so annoyed her on the previous evening, " Permit me, dear Frau- lein IMiiller, to bid you cordially welcome to Castle Hohen- wald," would have carried it to his lips had she not hastily withdrawn it. Why she did so she could not herself have told. She had frequently allowed her hand to be kissed by way of greeting ; it was a received custom in the society to which she had be- longed, and yet she could not endure that this man should avail himself of it ; it seemed to her an unbecoming familiarity on his part. She acted upon an impulse, and she did not observe the fleeting smile that passed over Arno's face as he noticed the intentional withdrawal of her hand. She replied to the Finanzrath's courtesy by a simple inclination of her head. Celia, too, had seen that Werner's salutation was not received with favour, and with ready tact came to her new. friend's aid. " You must reserve all your fine speeches for another time, Werner," she said, stepping to Lucie's side ; " Friiulein Miiller belongs entirely to me to-day. I am burn- ing with desire to take my first lessons of her, to show her what a good scholar I can be." Lucie's grateful glance as she arose and followed Celia from the room showed the young girl that she had done right. From this time Celia devoted herself to her studies with ardour. Lucie's hardest task was to induce her to moderate her zeal. The " will-o'-the-wisp" quite forgot its errant nature ; for hours the girl would sit at the piano practising wearisome exercises, and at other times she would bury her- self in a book, — an entirely new experience for Celia. It needed but a few weeks of intercourse with her new friend to arouse within her a genuine literary taste. The old Baron and Arno were astounded at the change ; the former feared that his darling, whom he saw thus tamed, might perhaps ^^■^!^m^ - ' "^ ■. ■>' fir^paKlp:, CASTLE HOHENWALD. 167 become too tame ; he shook his head as he reminded Celia that she must not study too hard, lest her health should suflFer ; she ought to continue to take her daily exercise in the opeu air. To such admonitions the girl was not at all deaf. True, she no longer roamed about the garden as she had done : it took too much time ; she confined herself to a morning's walk there with Fraulein Miiller to visit the green-houses and the shrubberies ; but her afternoon ride was never omitted. When the hour for this arrived she could no longer fix her attention upon her book : her thoughts flew forth to the forest. Fraulein Miiller smiled at her enthusiasm for her daily ride, ascribing it in great part to the force of habit, since no weather waa too stormy to keep her at home. Celia always rode alone. Formerly, old John had some- times accompanied her, but, although he soon recovered from the eflFecta of his fall, his young mistress never now desired his attendance. She could not so easily have declined Lucie's companionship, but Fraulein Miiller had never been a horse- woman, and did not care to learn to ride. Thus, then, Celia rode alone. A happy smile illumined her features and her dark eyes sparkled as she daily cau^t the first glimpse of the light straw hat among the trees, and found Kurt at the appointed place in the forest waiting to walk along the woodland road by her side. Then the girl would drop the bridle on her horse's neck, and Pluto, who was now on the best of terms with Kurt, knew perfectly well that before he was urged to greater speed than a leisurely wulk an hour would elapse. An hour ! How quickly it flew by how much had both Celia and Kurt to say in that brief space of time ! Celia told of her studies, of the delightftil hours she now owed to her friend Anna, whose beauty and loveli- ness, clearness of head and goodness of heart, she described in ■uch glowing terms that Kurt could not at times suppress a ~^iiy»P",sgp^ 168 CASTLE nOHENWALD. smile, for which Celia would instantly reprove him as implying a doubt of the accuracy of her descriptions. Kurt, on the other hand, would tell of his life at Griin- hagen : how he was becoming more at home in Germany, how his uncle's hospitality and social qualities made his house de- lightful, a resort for the country gentry and for the principal people in the neighbouring town of A . He often spoke also of the Finanzrath, who was now frequently at Griin- hagen. Kurt, who was always candid and unreserved to- wards Celia, admitted to her that, although for her sake he should always treat her brother with the utmost politeness, he had very little liking for the exaggerated polish of his manners and bearing. Thus they talked in the most innocent manner. At part- ing Celia always ofiFered her hand to Kurt, and smilingly per- mitted him to imprint upon it an ardent kiss, but not again did she bend over him as when she once had yielded to an irresistible impulse. If he had uttered one tender word she would hardly have reftised him a second kiss, but this word was not spoken ; he withstood with manly determination the temptation to utter it. He had registered a vow that never should this innocent girl have cause to regret the frank confidence she had shown him. Lucie had no suspicion of the attraction that took Celia to the forest, nor that the simple-hearted girl could have a secret from her. She took delight in her charming pupil's tender aiTection for her, which indeed she reciprocated with all her heart. The old Freiherr had greatly changed since Lucie's coming to Castle Hohenwald : he had grown social. True, hia sociability was confined to a desire for the society of his im- mediate family circle, among whom he reckoned, of course, Fraulein Anna Mtiller ; but with them he developed a genia] courtesy that astonished his sons. - ^« •"■'jTi' ^i^ff^-^^-i^nfi ^-R^' f^^is^ - a— ^ - i^, i?^*^? ^^^s^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 169 Amo, on the other hand, preserved the same attitude towards his sister's governess that he had adopted upon her first arrival at the castle ; he was conscious of an involuntary thrill of delight when, in the course of conversation, or upon an accidental encounter in their walks, Fraulein Miiller bestowed upon him one of her rare sweet smiles ; but the next moment he would rouse himself to renewed hatred of the entire sex, bethinking himself that this very enchanting smile was bit a trap set by overweening love of admiration, and could avail nothing with him. And yet he could not avoid her. When Lucie, occupied with some bit of feminine work, seated her- self at the table beside the Baron's rolling-chair and talked pleasantly with the old man and Celia, Amo would join the circle, placing his chair where, unobserved, he could watch every change of expression on the lovely face. He spoke but little, but not a word of hers escaped him, — especially did he watch and listen when, as was but rarely the case, she appealed to Werner. Why was he so pleased at the coldness and reserve of her usual manner towards his brother ? Why should he be so much annoyed when one day Werner announced that he had just received a favourable reply from his chief in office to his request for a prolongation of his leave of absence ? Where- fore should Werner have seemed to him absolutely insuf- ferable since he had taken to paying such marked court to Fraulein Miiller ? Amo had never been upon terms of close intimacy with his brother, — theirs were antagonistic natures ; but now he felt an absolute repugnance to him for which there was no account- ing ; surely it was nothing to him if Werner chose to pay court to Celia's beautiful governess. No ; it was not " nothing to him." He excused himself for this by reflecting that Werner's superficial, frivolous manner was imworthy a Hohenwald. What views could he enter- B 15 -^r-^T^^^^mfW- 170 CASTLE HOHENWALD. tain with regard to Friiulein Miiller? Had he not often declared that in the choice of a wife he should consult his head, and not his heart ? Wealth was of no consequence ; but the future Freifrau von Hohenwald must belong to a family through whose influence the Hohenwalds might re- cover the importance they had lost with the government. Arno thought he knew well that Werner, keenly devoted aa he was to his own interests, never carried away by sentiment, would not be false to these expressed principles of his. It was inconceivable that he should sacrifice his ambition to love for a poor bourgeoise girl, his sister's governess ! He could scarcely cherish honest intentions with regard to her, and Castle Hohenwald should never be profaned by the reverse ! And this was why, as Arno tried to convince himself, he watched Werner and Friiulein Miiller so narrowly. Often when riding alone in field or forest it would suddenly occur to him to wonder whether Werner were at the moment talking with Friiulein Anna in the library, or walking with her in the garden. Then resistance was useless ; he was forced to succumb to the impulse that drove him to plunge the spurs into his horse and gallop furiously to the castle, where his calm was restored only when convinced of the groundlessness of his alarm. Lucie found nothing to oflPend or displease her in his man- ner towards her. When she had resolved, in defence of hei honour, to undertake the battle of life under a maiden name, she had not been unmindful of the dangers that might beset her path, and she had gladly accepted the position oflfered her at Castle Hohenwald, since she knew from Count Styrum and Adele that there she should have nothing to fear from obtrusive admirers. She had reckoned upon Arno's hatred of her sex, and she had not been deceived. From her first meeting with him his manner had been not only indifferent, but even repellent. It was what she had hoped for, and she •Vj""^^?*''^'^^^^^"'' ~ •*-"--- '-^'^.k' I — n» "Sflf^ -»«^-«^ CASTLE nOHENWALD. 171 was glad of it ; but her gladness was not heartfelt. Count Styrum's recital of his misfortunes had awakened Lucie's interest in the misanthrope, and this interest had grown since she had known him personally. His coldness and reserve did not irritate her ; they were but natural after the terrible experience that life had brought him. He had — how could it be otherwise ? — lost all faith in mankind ; but still he might have shown a trifle less animosity towards her. Sometimes a severe remark of his would bring a warm flush to her cheek, and she was tempted to as severe a retort ; but if she yielded to the temptation she always reproached herself afterward. He was so unhappy ! What a blessed task it would be to heal the wounds from which he was still bleeding ! But such ministry was forbidden in her sad case. Here was a dark spot in Lucie's otherwise contented life at Castle Hohenwald, and there was one still darker in the anxiety she felt at the Finanzrath's demeanour towards her. There was surely no sufficient cause for this anxiety, for the cultured man of the world never transcended conventional bounds. He was attentive and polite, but never officious ; his courtesy and kindness never degenerated into any famil- iarity which Lucie could be justified in resenting. When he extolled her beauty and amiability, her delightftd singing, her admirable instruction of Celia, and spoke of the excellent influence she exerted over her pupil, it was all done after so refined a fashion that she could not take exception to what was said. The old Freiherr said precisely the same things, though far more bluntly. And yet Lucie could not away with a feeling of uneasiness with which the Finanzrath's manner always inspired her. The news of the prolongation of his leave of absence was very unwelcome to her ; it made her really unhappy. 172 CASTLE HOHENWALD. CHAPTER X. " There comes Werner again !" Arno said to his father, when an extra post was again seen approaching Castle Ho- henwald ; and the announcement did not seem particularly to delight the old Freiherr. The Finanzrath had spent a few days in Dresden about the end of May in arranging for another prolongation of his leave cf absence. He had been successful, and upon his return had remained at the castle only a few days when a letter arrived for him from Paris. He immediately declared that he must go to Berlin, where a friend whom he had not seen for a long while was awaiting him. He departed, remaining away but a few days, when he returned, only to leave again after two days, this time to see an old college friend in Hanover, and to take a trip to Cassel, where another of his friends resided. Even after this journey he was not content to stay quietly at home. He had scarcely been at the castle for a week when he left it again for a somewhat longer tour ; he wished to visit the South German capitals, Stuttgart and Munich, passing several days in Vienna, and returning by way of Dresden. The Freiherr received Werner's announcement that thif time he should be absent two weeks, and could not return tc the castle before the beginning of July, with a smile of satis- faction ; he was not at all displeased that his eldest son should break in upon his prolonged stay at Castle Hohenwald with these frequent journeys. He as well as the other inmates of the castle felt relieved when the carriage with the Finanz- rath inside rolled out of the court-yard. " Werner makes the atmosphere dense ; he kicks up a dust wherever he goes," the old man was wont to say in excuse of ^^ '>SS^V •-'Hif*'^!'^ ^'^ ,■ -r^-V', '■■'■" -V- :-;^\?r .-„ ;,-.■-. -:■ . - ^^>. CASTLE HOHENWALD. 173 his evident relief at his son's departure ; and was it there fore to be wondered at that he greeted with a sigh Amo's exclamation, " There comes Werner again !" Arno, too, frowned when old Franz announced the Herr Finanzrath's arrival a few moments before Werner himself entered the garden-room. He paid his respects to his father and greeted his brother with his usual quiet courtesy, in which, however, there was never any genuine cordiality, and then he dropped into a com- fortable seat beside the old Baron's rolling-chair. " Home again at last !" he said. " I travelled all night to reach Ho- henwald as quickly as possible, and I bring news of vivid interest, especially for you, Arno. Not only for Amo, how- ever, but for every one who carries a good Saxon heart in his bosom. To arms, Amo ! It is time that you girded on your sabre again. I hope you will write to the king this very day to ask for your appointment to your former military rank, for I tell you beforehand in confidence that France is about to humble the arrogance of Prussia, and I need not say what side we Saxons should take in the fray ; the time has come to revenge ourselves for Koniggratz and Sadowa !" " Are you mad, Werner ?" burst out the old Freiherr, who really thought that his son had taken a little too much wine. " I mad? Do you think madness or the love of change has driven me away upon these various journeys lately ?" the Finanzrath exclaimed in his turn. '' I must tear the veil from your eyes and rouse you from your fancied security ; the time for action has come, — a time that calls upon you, Arno, in especial. You must re-enter the army immediately, for it is eminently advisable that the number of right-minded Saxon officers should be as large as possible, that Saxony may not fail to do her duty at the right moment. There is a wide-spread secret alliance in process of formation against Prussia. War will immediately ensue upon its completion. 16* 174 CASTLE ^OSENWALD. The question is not of months, perhaps not of weeks, but only of days, for every preparation is concluded, and our action must be prompt and sui'c." " From what source have you gathered this wondrous infor- mation ?" Arno asked, incredulously. " Since when have you linked yourself with those who decide the destiny of nations?" " Spare your sarcasm, Arno !" the Freiherr said, crossly ; " and you, Werner, come to the point. I should like to know something of this wonderful mess you seem to have been helping to cook." " You shall be informed, father, in a very few words of the present condition of political aflFairs." Werner began by ascribing the quarrel between Prussia and France to the choice of a Hohenzollern prince for king of Spain, and then continued, " Napoleon will compel William to choose between a humiliating compliance, that will deprive him of all prestige, and war. Now, relying upon the power of the North German alliance, upon the military treaty with the South German states just concluded, upon the friendship of the Emperor of Russia, and upon that of England, Bis- marck, who has no suspicion of the secret alliance against Prussia, to which, in addition to the dispossessed princes, Austria, Bavaria, Wiirtemberg, and the hereditary princes of Russia belong, — Bismarck, I say, will undoubtedly choose war. This you will see by next week, perhaps sooner. We can rely upon Russia absolutely ; this I have learned in con- ference lately with my friend Count Repuin. The heir to the throne of Russia hates Bismarck, and the Emperor's voice is powerless in the matter ; the anti-Prussian party at the Russian court is too large and too powerful. The Frencli preparations are all complete. Immediately after war is de- clared a French army will invade the very heart of Germany, and will be received by the acclamations of the liberated Hanoverians." aSf^^IT'S^'I^P^^^?? •■' "- *^- ■ST'-- '-'^ ; :• ■ ^ •', .,«3|P^"; CASTLE nOHENWALD. lt^ " And what part have you assigned to me in the struggle which you describe as so near at hand ?" asked Amo, who during tho preceding glib explanations had been pacing the apartment with eyes fixed upon the ground, but who now paused and confronted his brother, " The one marked out for you by your duty as an enemy of Bismarck, as an officer of the Saxon army which was so shamefully defeated in 1866, and, above all, as a true Saxon patriot," the Finanzrath replied. "If Saxony is to hold its own as the equal of Bavaria and Wtirtemberg after the down- fall of Prussia, if it is to have its full share in the distribution of the Prussian provinces, this unnatural Prussian alliance must be dissolved, and that speedily. Now our king will hardly be in a condition to do this ; at the beginning of the war he will be deterred by considerations that have no weight, however, with Saxon patriots. As in 1813, York, by his independent action, decided the destiny of Prussia and earned the gratitude of his king — as Saxon troops then, following the ignorant leading of the common people, went over to the German army with fljring colours, so must they now, in the coming conflict, act indfependently for their fatherland. It will produce a tremendous impression upon the entire German people, and conduce essentially to the speedy over throw of Prussia, if the Saxon regiments sunder the Prus- sian alliance and turn their bayonets against Prussians. The animus of our troops is good, but it will avail nothing unless their officers take the initiative, and, unfortunately, many of these are not to be relied on. Our corps of officers is tainted with a Prussian mania ; they must be recalled to their duty. Let this be your task, Amo. You can easily influence youi old comrades ; you can arouse their Saxon patriotism, inflame their slumbering hatred of Prussia. You must instantly apply for reinstatement in your old rank. I have provided that your application should receive immediate attention." ■'■-!-13-ff^ra^g|PF'' 176 CASTLE HOTTENWALD. " Treason, then ! You would incite me tu degrading per- jury and treason ?" Arno exclaimed, looking at his brother with flashing eyes. " Matters have gone far indeed when a Hohenwald can make such proposals to his brother !" The Finanzrath was quite unprepared for such a reply. He had never imagined that Arno could refuse to undertake the task assigned to him, and therefore had he explained his schemes and hopes with such reckless frankness. He sud- denly found himself exposed to a danger of which he had not dreamed. What if Arno should misuse the knowledge thus gained ! He grew pale, but speedily recovered his composure. He must show no sign of fear ; the gam*^ might yet perhaps be won. " Who talks of treason ?" he rejoined, with forced calm- ness. " Is it treason for a Saxon officer to obey his king's command ? Is it treason to break an alliance that was framed by mere brute force ? Was York guilty of treason in 1813 ? Has not posterity honoured him as the saviour of his country ? Do not judge too hastily, my dear Arno, do not yield to a momentary emotion, but ask yourself, after calm reflection, whether you are justified in refusing your services to your country at her sorest need. Can you ever forget that you are a Saxon ? Our king and country are to be delivered from the Prussian yoke ; remember that, Arno, before you decide." Amo looked at his brother with profound contempt. " 1 will hear no more !" he said, sternly. " What your share may be in the disgraceful intrigue of which you speak I dc not know, nor do I wish to know. Go your own dark way, but do not think to mislead me by your sophistry. I know my duty. You reckon upon my hatred of Prussia, upon my love for our own little Saxon land ; your reckoning is false from beginning to end. Yes, I do hate the arrogant, ambi- tious Prussian, but I have a fiercer hatred for the arch-enemy cf all Germany, and it fills me with shame and indignation ^r'^J^''^fiy^^p^>^^^'='T^ -■=^- '■ - -:--'■ -^■S^^SJfi^*'"-.- , ' y ■^'■Y^^^^^v»<' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 177 that a Hohenwald should dream of inciting his brother to a disgraceful league with France in a war with Germany. This is the error in your prudent calculations : you reckon upon the hatred of Prussia in South G-ermany, in Hanover and Saxony, but that hatred will vanish like chafF before the wind when it comes to be a question of defending Germany against French lust of conquest. Neither you nor your noble Russian friend Count Repuin can use the German love of country as a factor in your calculations, for you do not appreciate its existence, nor that there are happily but few scoundrels in Germany so ready as yourself to satisfy their own selfish ambition by giving over their fatherland to French greed of territory." The Finanzrath sprang up in a rage, but his brother, with- out waiting for a reply, left the room. " Insulting !" Werner exclaimed, quite beside himself. " Not one word against Amo !" the old Freiherr said, sternly. " Every word that he uttered found its echo in my soul, and I thank God that there is at least one Hohenwald who retains within him a sense of right and honour and a genuine love of his country. Not a word, Werner ! I will hear no more of your disgraceful schemes ; not now, at all events. I must be more myself than I am now when I speak with you again. Now leave me ; I wish to be alone." Werner hesitated for a moment, but judged it wisest to make no attempt at present to recover the ground he had lost. " I obey your commands, sir," he said ; " I hope calm reflec- tion will induce you to change your mind, and that it will also have its eflFect upon Amo." After the angry (Cspute with his brother, Amo walked out into the garden, and, feeling the need of quiet to collect him- self, took his seat upon a rustic bench nearly hidden in a clump of shrubbery. It was a favourite retreat of his, and from its seclusion he could overlook almost the entire garden. Here, then, he sat down, and resigned liimself to thought M ; w:§:!»?.raag»??»?^ 178 CASTLE HOHENWALD. So buried was lie in reflection that, although he was aware that Friiulein Miiller and Cclia came from the castle to take their morning walk, and passed quite near him, he did not heed them : his mind was filled with Werner's dark schemes. Thus he remained for he could not tell how long, when he was suddenly roused from his reverie by the sound of th<» voice that never reached his ear without thrilling him to the heart. He looked up. Walking along a leafy side-path came Werner and Friiulein Miiller ; she was speaking, and look- ing, not at Werner, but upon the ground. Amo thought he perceived that her voice trembled, although he could not dis- tinguish what she was saying. Werner's reply was made in so low a tone that not a sound reached Amo's ear ; he could only perceive its effect upon Friiulein Miiller, and it aroused within him a feeling of in- dignation. There was pain that was almost agony expressed in Anna's face as she listened eagerly to her companion's whispered words. Werner spoke long and persistently, bend- ing above Fraulein Miiller the while, and devouring with passionate admiration the lovely downcast face. As the pair passed his retreat Amo caught two words from his brother's lips, " Count Kepuin," and marked how colourless was Anna's cheek, down which a tear was trickling from beneath the drooping eyelid. They passed, and at the end of the woodland path turned into a walk leading to the castle. Celia here joined them. Near the castle gate they paused. Fraulein Miiller, with a slight inclination to Werner, left him and entered the castle with Celia. The Finanzrath turned into a side-path leading to the forest and disappeared from Amo's sight. What had passed between Werner and this girl? Wan there a secret understanding between them ? Amo felt his blood boil at the thought. Had Werner really induced Anna, who had hitherto treated him with cool reserve, to grant him FKW'^gl^''**"^*^'* w -^ ., - - , . -_..., «-5f|^»r.~ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 179 a private confidential interview ? She had begun her morn- ing walk, accompanied by Celia, and had sent away her pupil that she might speak alone with Werner. Amo sprang from his seat in uncontrollable agitation ; but he grew calm again as he remembered the pained expression of Anna's features, the tear that had rolled down her pale cheek. If there were some private relation between them, it certainly was not a friendly one. Still the mere thought that Werner by some fine-spun scheme had induced the girl to accord him this tete-a-tete, and to listen with eager attention to his words, was torture to Amo. If he had succeeded thus far, what might not be the result? She must be warned, warned against the vile arts of the betrayer ! Thus much was cer- tain. But who should warn her ? To whom could he con- fide his fears ? To his father ? Impossible ! The Freiherr was not overfond of Werner, but he would indignantly have rejected the idea that his son, that a Hohenwald could be guilty of such infamy. Celia, then? An innocent child of sixteen ? No ! Celia never must dream that her eldest brother could harbour a thought that could wrong her dear companion. And there was no one else in the castle who could speak one word to Anna upon such a subject ; he had held himself so aloof that he never could advise her in so delicate a matter. To Styrum he would turn in this need ; but first he would narrowly observe Anna and Werner, that he might be able to give his friend a clearer idea of the relations between them than he had yet been able to gain for himself. The result of his observation during the next few days could scarcely be called favourable, — it. strengthened his suspicions as to Werner's dishonourable intentions, but he arrived at no decided conclusion. There was evidently a change in the relations between Werner and Anna. Sho no longer avoided cawjallv meeting ri'»^T?jr^- 180 CASTLE HOHENWALD. the Finanzrath ; she did not cut short her morning walks witli Celia when he joined them, but Arno never again saw them alone togeoher. The political horizon darkened daily, — the newspapers were read with avidity. None of the Hohenwald household could resist the conviction that a political convulsion waa at hand ; there were constant discussions at table and in the evenings in the domestic circle as to public affairs. On these occasions Celia's governess, who took an eager in- terest in the conversation, proved herself as enthusiastic an admirer of Bismarck as was the Finanzrath his bitter oppo- nent. One morning, in the library, Arno was eagerly discussing the news of the day with Fraulein Miiller. Celia's teacher was unusually interested ; she declared that her hopes for her country were centred on Bismarck. " His enemies," she said, with ardour, " conspire in secret ; in their foolish conceit they believe him blind to their manoeuvres, deaf to their machinations, but I am convinced that he clearly sees through their dark dealings. A Bismarck is not to be hoodwinked by such men as the Herr Finanzrath." Scarcely were the words uttered when she seemed to regret them, — they had evidently escaped her unawares. Arno listened surprised. " You know of my brother's schemes, then ?" he asked. There was nothing for it but to reply. " They are not difi&cult to divine ; he has made no secret of his desires and hopes ; but he and all his associates will find themselves de- ceived. Your brother in his miserable plans reckons upon the pitiable jealousies of all petty governments ; but he is out in his reckoning, — the German people is not yet so degraded as to lend itself to so frivolous a game. If war should really be declared, Germans will, with a few disgraceful exceptions, rally promptly around the banner that will wave in the front ■'^^E'^^-^'.^^-Wss^'vJ^-r 7 ''^■JW:' v^^-^ * -^ ^^ M^^ . ..-y^-v-;r^P3!»--r'-:=y.' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 181 of the battle to vindicate German honour and faith against all rude assaults. The very attempt now made to retard Ger- many in its march towards internal unity will but bear it more swiftly to its goal of unity and freedom !" As she spoke her dark eyes sparkled, her cheeks glowed, and Arno thought he had never seen her so enchantingly beautiful. " I trust from my soul that you are a true prophet!" he rejoined. She rewarded him for these words by a brilliant glance of appreciation. " I knew that you must think thus," she said, with emotion ; " you will be among the first to forget an ancient grudge when the time comes to stand forth for German honour and German right. The Freiherr Arno von Hohenwald will be at hand when the German people is sum- moned to the defence of the fatherland ; of that I am con- vinced from my very soul." She held out her hand to him : he seized it and pressed it to his lips: for die moment he scarcely knew what he was doing; his past, his prejudices, were all forgotten ; it was as if a dark cloud which had en- veloped him were suddenly rent asunder, revealing to his mental vision a bright, sunlit future. " Tour trust shall not be deceived," he said, with enthusiasm. " Be sure that when the battle begins I shall be ready. And when I return from iho field, will you not give me a kindly welcome ?" He had not released Anna's hand ; he bent over it to kiss It once again, when it was suddenly withdrawn. He looked up, and was shocked by her altered looks. Her cheeks were deadly pale, the light of enthusiasm in her dark eyes was gone : they were veiled in tears. " This must not be, Herr Baron," she said, in a .low monotone. " Have I oflFended you ?" Arno asked, startled. " No — but — I must leave you, Herr Baron ; I must not and will not listen any longer !" 16 182 CASTLE HOHENWALD. She would have turned and left the room, but Arno took her hand again and held it fast. " But you must listen," he said, gravely ; " there must be truth between us. You will not yield to an over-sensitive delicacy of feeling that is unworthy of you, you will not leave me without letting me tell you thai the light of your candid eyes has banished the mists that hung about me ; your words have broken the spell that parted me from you. My heart is filled with sunshine ; I know now that I love you with my whole soul, that I have loved you from the first moment that I saw you in the quarry. I have struggled with this love, I have even tried to hate you ; have in my blind folly oft«n shocked and oflTended you, because I would have it that the deception which so blasted my first youthful passion had killed all power to love in my heart. I know now how grossly I deceived myself. I am in your eyes a gloomy, irritable misanthrope ; you can accord no liking to one who has so often wounded you by his severity ; but it is my dearest hope that one day your love may be mine, and in this hope I shall leave you when duty calls me tx) the field. It will henceforth be the star of my life." Anna had listened in silence to this torrent of words ; her hand still rested in his : she did not withdraw it until he had ended ; then first she raised her eyes and looked him full in the face with an expression of profound sadness. She did not reply at once ; she could not for a few moments sufficiently master her emotion to attain an external calm. When she spoke at last, it was with an evident tremor in her voice. " There must be truth between us," she said ; " you require it, Herr Baron, and I owe perfect truth both to you and to myself. Your sudden and unlooked-for declaration has de- stroyed the hope in which I had found peace. I hoped to regard Castle Hohenwald as my home ; I hoped to pass years here, sheltered from the sorrows which have poisoned my life ; but your words drive me forth into the world again 1" ,~^- - ^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 183 " Anna I I conjure you " " No more, Herr Baron ! I must not listen to you ; must not permit hopes that can never be fulfilled. You say that the hope of one day winning my love will be the guiding star of your life ; banish the idle thought, for never, — I swear it by Almighty Qt)d, — never may I return your love." " You love another, then ?" Amo exclaimed. " No, Herr Baron." " Then I will not resign the hope you call idle. I implore you not to turn from me ; I ask for so little, for no promise, only for permission to love you." " And this little I must not grant. I pray you leave me, Herr Baron ; we must part forever. I must not again ex- pose myself to a danger from which I thought myself safe with you ; my duty as well as my honour forbids me to listen to you. Once more I entreat you to leave me 1" " You rob me of all hope ?" Amo asked, gently. ."All!" She spoke so calmly, and with such absolute firmness, that Amo despaired of moving her ; he did not venture to add a single word of entreaty ; after so decided a rejection he could no longer refuse to accede to her request. He took her hand once more, kissed it passionately, and hurried from the room. He never looked back, and therefore could not see how, even before the library door had closed upon him, Lucie's hardly-won composure utterly forsook her. She sank into a seat, buried her face in her hands, and burst into a passion of tears. Half an hour afterward she was seated at her desk in her room, writing to her dearest, her only friend. Addle. " I must leave here immediately, — every hour of my stay at Castle Hohenwald is a period of unspeakable torment for me. I had feared and hoped so much from this place ; both fears and hopes are unfiilfilled, and I must leave Hohenwald, 184 CASTLE HOHENWALD. where I was so content. I love the old Freiherr like a father, and I know he is fond of me ; scarcely a day passes that he does not tell me that the sun has shone more brightly in Hohcnwald since I came here. And I love my darling Celia, dear, innocent child ; with my whole heart do I return the tender affection she lavishes upon me, — her progress delights me, but I must go. " Do not, dear Ad^le, think me variable and fickle, — my heart bleeds at the thought of leaving these dear people, but it must be ; you will say so yourself when you hear all. You know I have faithfully described my life here to you. I have told you of the distaste with which the Finanzrath's atten- tions inspired me. I did all that I could by the cold reserve of my manner to impress him with this fact. I did not think he would ever succeed in forcing me to grant him a private and confidential interview, and yet this he has done. About a week ago he came into the garden where Celia and I were taking our usual morning walk. He had just returned from one of his frequent journeys, and I could not avoid replying to his courteous greeting. He joined us and entered into conversation with us. He talks extremely well, and even I could not help being amused by his lively descriptions of his travelling adventures, while Celia, who is not very fond of her eldest brother, was much entertained. Suddenly he paused, and, turning directly to me, said, ' But I have not told you the most interesting experience of my trip, Fraulein Miiller.' Then, with a searching glance, he added, ' I have seen several friends of yours, and have talked of you a great deal.' *' I felt the blood mount into my face at these words. I could not conceal the terror with which they inspired me , whereupon the Finanzrath, with a satisfied smile, went on, * I need only mention the name of one of my friends, of Count Repuin, to convince you how interesting was our conversa- ■::r>\^^-?T^r^'^Spg'fv^\-'- ■'■-'--• ' ---;-*t^3-T~=<>-f-^>-;»|.;y.^r»;^^/v-i'»7-»-a,:.t:d..'T. . ;''>*8's«fS";~' -'■ " -,::'!^f^X^f^' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 185 tion about you.' The detested name of that terrible man produced upon me all the effect that the Finanzrath had doubtless expected. It was only by a strong effort that I could keep myself from fainting. Celia noticed my pallor ; she had not heard her brother's words, — he had chosen a moment for them in which she was lagging behind to pluck a flower. ' What is the matter, dear Anna ?' she ex- claimed, in terror ; ' you are deadly pale.' In fact, had she not put her arm about me I think I should have fallen, al- though I soon recovered myself. The Finanzrath offered me his arm, and despatched his sister to the castle for a vinai- grette. I did not dare to refuse his proffered aid, lest I should offend him, and thus I found myself alone with him, forced to continue my walk leaning upon his arm. ' I thank you, Fraulein Miiller,' he said, as soon as Celia had left us, ' for your readiness to grant me this tite-d-tite. It gives me a precious proof of your confidence in me, — a confidence which, I promise you, you never shall regret. Chance has revealed to me your secret ; but I give you my word of honour it shall remain buried in my breast.' He then told me how he had learned who I was. Repuin is his friend, — he had seen him in Munich, and one day, while Repuin was engaged in writing letters, had whiled away the time by looking over some photo- graphs in a book upon the Russian's table. Many of these he was familiar with ; but his astonishment was great when in one of them he recognized his sister's governess. He waited until Repuin was at leisure, and then his first thought, 80 he told me, was to ask the Count whether he was acquainted with Fiaulein Anna Miiller, the original of the photograph; but, reflecting that Count Styrum had made it a request that no curiosity shoidd be shown regarding my past, he suspected that I should prefer the Count's remaining in ignorance as to my whereabouts, and therefore he took up the book of photo- graphs again, as if casually, and suddenly exclaimed, 'A pretty 16* ^'^'^"^^^mr 186 CASTLE EOHENWALD. face, Count; who is this girl?' showing my likeness as he spoke. " ' Not a girl, but a married woman,' Repuin replied ' Sorr's runaway wife !' " * I could not so command my features,' the Finanzrath continued his narrative, ' aa not to show the surprise I felt at this information. Friiulein Anna Mtiller the wife of that Herr von Sorr whom Repuin had presented to me ! It seemed impossible I *' 'And then the shameful words which Repuin had uttered, " Runaway wife." I could not rest without some explanation. Can you wonder at it, Friiulein Mtiller? "The picture re- minds me of a lady whom I saw not long ago," I said. " ' Scarcely had I uttered these words when Repuin sprang up in great agitation. " You have seen her ?" he cried. " There is no other face that resembles hers ; tell me where you saw her. I have been searching for her for months, but she has vanished utterly." " ' What was I to tell him ? I saw instantly that he must be put upon a false track, and on the spur of the moment re- plied that I had shortly before travelled in a railway carriage with a young lady who closely resembled the picture. " ' My answer was so prompt that Repuin was fortunately deceived. He never suspected that I was misleading him, and questioned me further with the greatest eagerness. I told him that the young lady had been my travelling com- panion from Berlin to Cassel, but that of course I had not exchanged a word with her. " ' " I will go to Cassel this very night !" Repuin exclaimed, in the greatest excitement. " I must find her ! I have sworn to do it though it should cost me half my fortune. Now that I have traced her she shall not escape me." " ' He was completely deceived by my invention, and I could no longer doubt that it was to destroy all trace of your exift- ■f^^-' :^-?*'«J^^'*"'^St', "" -iv:- -;/!•;. -.J- - .!.; F-;-*;' :•: ~7f r-^.^T -- • ■•'_;•■.' ' ■ "VJBW-''^-.- • ■ ' -;• - ''^-'KJ^^Tt^'^^^S CASTLE HOHENWALD. 187 ence that you had taken refiige in Castle Hohenwald under a feigned name. I remembered your enigmatical letter to me, and was convinced that I had found its explanation. Let me assure you that it was entirely owing to my profound sym- pathy for you that I now begged the Count for further par- ticulars concerning you. What I heard filled me with horror and indignation. With cynical candour he informed me that he had spent fabulous sums upon Sorr that he might be near his charming wife, who at last, when he had actually purchased her of her wretch of a husband, vanished without a trace.' " Such, dearest Adele, was the Finanzrath's story, which he concluded with assurances of his profound secrecy. " I cannot describe my sensations while he was speaking, of mingled fear lest he should betray my secret and give Count Repuin some clue to my retreat, and aversion for the man himself. I quivered with anger when he called me, as he did repeatedly, ' dear Fraulein Miiller,' and yet I did not dare to show him that it offended me, lest I should provoke his re- sentment. Celia, who came &om the castle with the salts, at last relieved me from my embarrassment. The Finanzrath left us. Then I determined to leave Hohenwald, but, as the days slipped by and the Finanzrath made no further allusions to my secret, I decided to remain, since the noble old Freiherr would surely grant me his protection in case of any disagree- able advances from his son. Each day the shadow that the Finanzrath's revelations had thrown upon my peaceful life here faded still more ; my courage returned to me. I believed myself quite safe in my beloved Hohenwald with my dear Celia, when one wretched moment blasted all my hopes. " I must go ; I cannot stay here, for Amo has just told me that he loves me. I thought his heart was dead to all affec- tion, and he has j\ist declared his passionate attachment for me. " I suffered indescribably when all that I could do in answer -•■■, f h^^''ir^!^mmf 188 CASTLE IIOHENWALD. to his frank avowal of affection was calmly and coldly to crush his hopes forever. I wept bitter tears when he left me, and yet — yet the consciousness of his love brought hap- piness with it as well as misery. " Strength was given me to fulfil my duty ; not by look or word did I betray what I felt in rejecting him, but could I resist him a second time ? I must flee from my own weak- ness. " I can write no m6re, dear Ad^le, and must close. I am filled with but one desire, — to go away from here as soon as may be. I rely upon your aid again, my dear, kind friend ; try to find me another asylum. I do not care where it is or what it is, only let it be far, far away from here and from all of you. " Help me, dear Ad^e ; protect your " LXJCIE." CHAPTER XL Celia peered into the forest on either side of the road ; she had ridden from the castle more quickly than usual, that she might not be unpunctual, and for the first time Kurt was not at his post. She listened with bated breath, but no sound was to be heard except the rustling of the boughs overhead and the soft note of a woodland bird. What could have happened? He had hitherto always been awaiting her at their place of meeting. How could he allow anything to curtail, even by a few moments, the short hour to which they both looked forward so eagerly? Although he could not be to blame, still she felt aggrieved. Pluto, too, seemed to find his absence very unnatural. He pawed the ground impatiently with his fore-foot and shook his black ^^iw™|¥?9?K? ■•'•■"'?,> v ■- 1- 'v';.". -».*^,-;?^y-^V;oj>-'*'^"r -■• - - \ v ' :. ;~«'':»^s^s^.: CASTLE HOHENWALD. 189 mane ; then pricked his delicate ears with a neigh as a dis- tant crackling of the underbrush was heard, and a minute afterwards Kurt made his appearance. He was very warm and quite out of breath with the haste he had made to atone for his want of punctuality. " Now this I call scant courtesy !" exclaimed Celia, who had intended to punish him by a cool reception for his tardi- ness. She was quickly appeased, however, when she saw how warm he looked from his hasty walk. She held out her hand to him, and when he took it leaned down towards him. " You do not deserve a kiss for keeping me waiting so long, but I will temper justice with mercy. Poor fellow ! you are terribly warm ; you ought not to have walked so fast !" What had become of Kurt's good resolutions ? They had shared the fate that awaits such resolutions generally. How could he resist when Celia smiled so bewitchingly upon him ? The temptation waa too great. Besides, he had only resolved never by a single word to betray Celia's childlike trust in him, to treat her as a brother would treat a tenderly-loved sister, and is it not perfectly allowable for a brother to kiss a dear sister ? He was not wrong in kissing her. Had he been wrong several weeks before, when Celia, aiter some slight dispute, offered htm her rosy lips in token of reconciliation, not to reftise the precious gift ? Celia, in her innocent purity, never could have comprehended such a reftisal, and would have been deeply grieved by it. Since then it had become a custom for the young girl to receive him daily with a kiss, and to take leave of him with a kiss, and they called each other by their first names. It would have been ridiculous in Kurt, aft«r becoming so inti- mate with Celia, to adhere to the formal " Fraulein von Ho- henwald" in addressing her. It had vanished ; neither Kurt •or Celia could tell when or how ; it had done so so naturally. Still, after that kiss of reconciliation Kurt had not felt ■■'.■.■;.-^*:«P^';-.j^ 190 CASTLE HOHENWALD. perfectly comfortable as he walked home to Griinhagen ; he was dissatisfied with himself. Cool reflection told him that he had been false to his resolve, — he, a man to whom life and its perils were familiar, should have conquered himself; he should have been a guide to Celia, who was half a child, and who had no idea that there could be any danger in her guileless familiarity. But his heart bore away the victory from his understanding. Kurt quieted his conscience when it would have reproached him. Was it his fault that he did not go directly to Celia's father and declare his love for her, and that she loved him in return ? Ah, how gladly would he, if he could, have done this 1 But the miserable family feud, the invincible prejudice of the old Freiherr, forbade all approach. Should Kurt, then, sacrifice the happiness of his life, his love for Celia, to such a phantom ? Should he re- ject the dear girl's confidence because the old Baron in his obstinacy had an unaccountable hatred for the name of Po- seneck ? No ; he could not and he would not. He never had asked Celia whether she loved him and would be his ; but there was no need of such words between them. He knew that her heart belonged to him, and his determination to win her hand was absolute, although he vainly sought in his imagination for some means to attain this end. Castle Hohenwald was surrounded for him by an insur- mountable wall ; there was no possible way by which he could approach Celia's father. Did not the Finanzrath whenever he came to Griinhagen loudly lament that it was impossible for him to invite Herr von Poseneck to return his visit ? The attempt, too, which Count Styrum had made to influence Arno had been without result. Arno was as inaccessible aa his father. Castle Hohenwald was closed against Kurt. Yet he would not resign hope ; he was resolved that his life should not be ruined by a silly prejudice. Although Celia was now too young to bestow her hand where she chose, T^ ^, s~ 1 , K^«^^ -p^iiv-s. "' ■Wf' CASTLE HOHENWALD 191 perhaps, in direct opposition to her father's will, it would not always be so. Thus Kurt hoped in the future for some lucky chance that would make it possible for him to surmount the barriers that kept him from Castle Hohenwald. With these hopes he soothed his conscience when it re- proached him for yielding to the spell that Celia's confiden- tial familiarity cast around him. He knew that no unholy thought stained his devoted love for the dear girl, and knowing this, he believed himself justified in enjoying the bliss of the present. " But you were angry with me, Celia," he said, as, after her kiss, he walked slowly along beside Pluto. " You were angry with me for keeping you waiting. Confess it; your first words hardly sounded kind." " Well, yes ; I will not deny," Celia replied, " that I was a little vexed and hurt. I had been thinking of you all day long, and you were not here ; I did not know what to think. You never kept me waiting before ; indeed, you spoil me, Kurt, as does every one, — you, and my father, and Amo, and my dear Anna. You all spoil me, and ought not to be surprised when I am impatient." " I am only surprised that you forgave me so quickly." " Oh, I was so glad to have you here, although I ought to have scolded you for walking so fast in this terrible heat. You look warm still." *' I could not help it. I was afraid you would think I was not coming and would ride home again. In my heart I cursed that tiresome Assessor for detaining me, and when at last I escaped from him, I walked straight across the Hohenwald fields to meet you here." " You need not have done that, you dear, kind Kurt. I should have waited an hour hero for you at least." Again she held out her hand to him, and surely it was but natural that he should kiss it passionately. 192 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " Have you another visitxjr at Griinhagen?" Celia continued, without being put at all out of countenance by the tender kiss imprinted upon her hand. " You said something of a tire- some Assessor who had detained you." " Yes, an Assessor von Halin, who has lately been trans- ferred to the courts at A- , saw fit to pay my uncle a visit this morning. With his usual hospitality my uncle invited him to stay, and to my horror he accepted the invitation. He is a commonplace, tiresome man, and incredibly inquisitive. He has only one good quality, which is that he is a distant relative of yours." " Yes, the Hahns are remotely connected with my mother's family, but I never heard anything of them, and did not even know of the existence of an Assessor von Hahn." " I assure you it would mortify him excessively to hear you say so. He has already told my uncle and myself much with regard to his relationship to the Hohenwalds, and has deeply lamented that Castle Hohenwald is closed even to near connections. When he heard that your father had consented to have a governess for you he was overwhelmed with aston- ishment, and asked every imaginable question concerning Frjiulein Miiller, where she came from, who she was, how she looked ; whether she were ugly or pretty, young or old, learned or ignorant. He wanted to know all about her, and I could see was greatly dissatisfied with the scanty information he gathered from us. He tormented me with questions about you and your brothers and your father, and I escaped from him only by slipping ofi" when he was engaged for a moment with the newspaper. My uncle told him that I was in the habit of taking a solitary walk in the forest every afternoon, upon which he ofi"ered to accompany me, and was not at all dis- mayed by the terrible picture I drew of the difficulties of the path through the uudcrbrui«h. I could not get away from him except by secret flight." fl^f?- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 193 ' My precious cousin seems to be a very agreeable man," aaid Celia, laughing. " He is insufferable, and yet I ought to be glad of his visit. In his loquacity he supplied my uncle and myself with some important information which made it especially desirable that I should see you this afternoon." " Information that concerns me ! " " That concerns your brother Werner," Kurt replied, very graiely. " I am afraid he has allowed himself to be drawn into certain schemes which may place your father and Amo in a very embarrassing situation, although I do not believe that, as the Assessor hinted, they have any share in them. I never regretted so deeply as to-day that your father's and Amo's wretched prejudice against our family made it impos- sible for me to hasten to Hohenwald to warn your father, and to entreat him to turn a deaf ear to Werner's insidious whis- pers. I long to do this, but how would he receive one of the hated Posenecks? He would not credit my informa- tion, just because it came from me ; he would repulse me as an unauthorized intruder. My warning would probably do more harm than good, and Amo is just as inaccessible as your father." " Unfortunately, you are right," Celia said, sadly. " You would not be kindly received at Hohenwald. But can you not tell me what you wish to say to my father and Amo ? I am afraid that neither of them would pay me much heed, but I will induce Anna to help me, and my father at least will be influenced by her. Arno, to be sure, is incorrigible ; even Anna has no effect upon him." " Has Fraulein Midler any influence with Werner ?" " I do not know," Celia replied, thoughtfully. " I have •ometimes thought so ; at all events, the relations between them seem to me very odd and quite incomprehensible. She cannot endure him, and avoids him whenever she can, and N 17 ■■■'f'^T^^Wf 194 CASTLE HOHENWALD. yet he pays her devoted attention. I cannot understand it." " It might be dangerous, then, to trust Fraulein Miiller ?" *' Now you are unkind, Kurt !" Celia exclaimed, indig- nantly. " You must not speak so of my Anna." " But you yourself said " " I never said or thought anything that could imply a want of confidence in her. I trust her entirely. But you have told me nothing of these mysterious schemes of Werner's. I know nothing as yet." " You shall know all that I know myself, although it may be wrong for me to acquaint a young girl of sixteen with political intrigues existing perhaps only in the diseased fancy of this garrulous Assessor." Celia hastily withdrew the hand which Kurt had held in his own as he slowly walked along beside Pluto. " You are very disagreeable, Kurt," she said. " I am no longer a child ; girls are far more precocious than boys, and at sixteen I may surely be trusted. And I am very much interested in poli- tics : I read the papers daily ; have we not often discussed them together? I continually scold papa and Amo for abusing Bismarck as they do." Kurt could not but smile at her indignation. " Do not be angry with me, dearest Celia," he said. " I will tell you all I know, which, unfortunately, is not much ; the Assessor's hints were rather vague and confused. Since you read the daily papers you know well how imminent is the danger of a war with France. At such a time it is the duty of every German to be true to the fatherland, and yet there is a large party in Germany who ignore this, and who, because they are opposed to the Prussian government, wish for a war with France and the overthrow of Germany and Prussia. To this party your brother Werner unfortunately belongs." " Unfortunately !" Celia said in confirmation of his words. .^^W^^-.^^?^^^l^'&m^*''l--^^^^ : ^'^r-f^W'^j^; ^'.j^r--^-^^-^^^^ ■^'^',- '■:■ V ' ■ v'^ . ■ T TIS^F'P CASTLE HOHENWALD. 195 " Those belonging to it," Kurt continued, " know nothing of true patriotism. Prompted by mean self-interest and by silly hatred of Prussia, they are ready to ally themselves with the Frenchman, the arch-enemy of G-ermany, who believes that when war is declared all the enemies of Prussia in Southern Germany, in Saxony, and in Hanover will flock to his banner. There are at present Franch agents scattered through Germany employed in plotting and arranging for this disgraceful treachery. These agents are of every nation ; some of them are even Germans of rank, who believe that their names shelter them from suspicion, and that they can pursue their dark designs unobserved. But they are mis- taken ; the leader of Prussian polities is not so easily hood- winked as they think ; he knows his treacherous opponents, and will know how to bring them to the punishment they deserve." " And you are going to tell me that Werner is one of these treacherous agents," Celia interrupted Kurt, " I suspected it ; this is why he has taken these frequent journeys. Wer- ner is sufficiently unprincipled to lend himself from vanity and ambition to such treachery, but Amo, I assure you, Kurt, is incapable of it. He is stem and hard, but he never would dream of aiding in treason against his country. You must not suspect him for an instant." " I do not suspect him, but others do, and therefore I feax both for him and for your father. The gossiping Assessor hinted to my uncle and myself that Castle Hohenwald is the centre of various treasonable intrigues, that Werner is in con- stant communication with the most dangerous French agents, with a certain Count Repuin, for example ; nay, that he is himself such an agent, working in the French interest among the Saxon nobility, and that he is probably assisted by your father and Amo, whose hatred of Prussia is well known The Assessor implied further that Castle Hohenwald is undei 196 CASTLE HOTTENWALD. strict surveillance, and that it is only a question of time when these treasonable intripies are to be crushed out by the arrest of all the Hohenwalds. Your father and Arno must be put upon their guard against Werner, but how it is to be done I do not know." " I will warn them !" Celia said, decidedly. " Will they believe you ? Will not your father's first ques- tion be whence came your information ?" " Of course it will, and I know he will be terribly angry when he knows all ; still, I must not mind that if he and Arno are in danger of arrest. He will get over it in time. The worst is, that until he does he will forbid my riding out, or will always send Arno with me, so that we shall not see each other. But I must bear that too. It has perhaps been wrong for us to have these meetings here every day. I have never been able to look papa full in the face when the Posenecks were mentioned, or any allusion made to my afternoon rides. I never before had a secret from my dear old father, and he has a right to be angry that I have concealed from him what he ought to have known long ago. But if I should hesitate now from fear of his anger to tell him that danger threatens him, and that vou have informed me of it, how could I ever forgive myself if anything should really happen to him ? Tell me, dear Kurt, am I not right ?" " Yes, you are right, darling courageous child that you are. 1 do not know how I can bear to lack the sight and sound of you every day ; I shall be wretched without this hour of de- light ; but you are right. We must not think of ourselves, but of how to avert the danger that threatens your father and Arno." " You are the dearest and the best fellow in the world !" As she spoke, Celia allowed Kurt to lift her from her horse and conduct her to a rustic bench, which he had him- self constructed, just upon the borders of the Griinhagen ; i^^-?ff^«;r=?53f^F^5|i!^rt:^rf^^^ -. .- .;■/ -■■■^■■«-.-j- .-^-■..., ...-..•_ -.-•-\y.i-^^;y-:^'^SF^:^C^':/-V\^- y ■■■ -'. --\5SP"- ' - \' ^: .?'-:■'■ 1^'^^lfy^, CASTLE HOHENWALD. 197 forest, where they usually parted from each other. Many a time lately they had sat here side by side, but to-day every moment seemed more precious than ever, the future was so uncertain. They sat silent for a long while, his arm about her waist and her lovely head reclined upon his shoulder, while her eyes were downcast ; she was reflecting upon the coming parting. " Will your father believe you when he knows that your warning comes from me ?" Kurt asked, suddenly. " Will he not suspect me of giving it with a view of arousing his grati- tude, and thus obtaining an entrance into Castle Hohenwald ? If I did not fear that this would be so, I would go to him myself, his commands to the contrary notwithstanding ; but, as I told you before, I dread his transferring his doubt of him who warns, to the warning itself to the extent of rejecting it incredulously. The same thing will happen if you tell him that it is I who warn him ; he will even be more suspicious and mistrustful in his anger at our intimacy, which has be- come such without his knowledge and against his will." Celia's eyes sparkled. Hard as she knew it would be to put a stop to these meetings by a frank confession, she was still resolved to make the sacrifice, but Kurt's words showed her that it would be useless ; she was quite ready in a moment to convince herself that for the present it was best that her father should be ignorant of her meetings with Kurt, lest he should regard the warning with suspicion. She raised her head, and looking at Kurt with a happy smile, said, " Anna will help us ; we will tell her all. If she puts my father upon his guard and tells him that she cannot mention the source whence comes her information, but that she knows it to be correct, he will pay heed to her ; he has the greatest confidence in her, and it never will occur to him that she could deceive him." 1?* ~*;'"^^SB'- 198 CASTLE HOHENWALD. Kurt had no objection to urge to this. He consented that Celia should confide everything to her friend, both as regarded their daily meetings, and as to what Kurt had heard from the Assessor von Hahn. Thus conversing, the time flew by so quickly that the lovers did not suspect the lateness of the hour. The outer world was forgotten, when suddenly they were recalled to it by an unfamiliar voice, that gayly interrupted their confidential talk with, " Found at last ! I beg ten thousand pardons for dis- turbing you ; I never suspected that I should find Herr von Poseneck in such charming society. Now I understand his sudden disappearance ; but pray don't let me disturb you ; I am thoroughly discreet ; I will not boast of it, for discretion is a gift of nature ; I possess it, and would not for worlds interrupt a delightftil tete-d-tete." Kurt and Celia, as soon as the voice fell upon their ears, started up from the bench, Celia looking down blushing, greatly confiised, while Kurt, with anger flashing in his eyes, confronted the Assessor, who, in the best of humours, did not seem to perceive how unwelcome was his presence. This first appeared to occur to him when Kurt approached him, saying sternly, " Sir, what do you mean ? how dare you thus follow me without my permission ?" The Assessor retreated a step, taught by the angry gleam in Kurt's eyes that his jesting remarks had been quite out of place. In much confusion he stammered, "I beg pardon; indeed nothing was farther from my intention than to intrude ; I am inconsolable at having disturbed you." The poor little man, as he shrank from Kurt's indignant glance and poured out his terrified excuses, cut so odd a figure that Celia could not help smiling, although she was anything but pleased with the present aspect of afiairs. She could see that Kurt's indignation was still ftirther aroused by the intruder's apology, and she whispered to him as gentlj fV¥K~iv^F^:PfW^^^s^-''- r« "■■•f~".^_;, - "r%--y<^;,as,S!^«j»^»> ,; .' i'^T-r • -» ^ .■.-T-,..'.'^ ^TIJIB' ~'*^ > ' •*'^«1> « "i'!y?f5P5S5?5- ♦ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 215 proof conveyed in the young Baron's words ; and it suddenly seemed to him that the reasons for which he had undertaken bis walk through the forest were mere folly. " I beg pardon, Herr Baron," he said, meekly, " I should not have left my work with the men, but I saw Herr von Poseneck again, and I wanted to know what the young gentleman is after on our land. Something must be wrong when a Poseneck trampp about our forest !" " You are dreaming. Inspector !" Amo rejoined, harshly. " What could bring Herr von Poseneck to Hohenwald ? Glo back to your men, and refrain from woodland rambles while harvesting is going on." The Inspector had never before received so stem a rebuke from the young Baron, and the faithfrd fellow felt a^rieved. " Of course, if the Herr Baron orders it I will return imme- diately, but it is a pity that I should not discover what Herr von Poseneck is continually after in our forest Still, it is no business of mine why he is sneaking here, if the Herr Baron does not care about it." Amo's curiosity was aroused ; he had thought at first that the man's story was an invention to cover his neglect of duty, but he now saw clearly that he had wronged Hauk, who had been a faithful servant for many years. Therefore, in a much gentler tone, he asked, " What is it you are saying about Herr von Poseneck? Explain your meaning, Hauk." " I mean only, if the Herr Baron will excuse me, what I say. Young Herr von Poseneck, who lives at Griinhagen with the Amtsrath, has been for a long time sauntering about in our forest every day ; what he is after I do not know, but since he is a Poseneck, it can be no good. He usually takes the path along the Griinhagen boundary, and gets into the forest that way ; but to-day I saw him hurry directly across the Hohenwald meadow. Early in the spring, Kunz, who was ploughing near the Griinhagen boundary, saw him do : Y^^^S^^^'j- ;W! 216 CASTLE nOHENWALD just the same thing. I watched him enter the forest to-day with my own eyes, and I came through it from the other side, thinking to strike the very path he must have taken, and catch my fine gentleman in the act, if, as I suspect, he is at any poaching work." This was a strange piece of news. It waa folly to sus- pect Kurt von Poseneck of poaching ; the idea was begotten in the Inspector's mind by the universal mistrust of the Posenecks that was rife among the Hohenwald tenantry and servants ; still Arno wondered iihat could bring the young gentleman daily to the Hohenwald forest, and he thought the matter called for an explanation. " Ar-^. you sure, Hauk, that you are not mistaken in the man ?" " Perfectly sure, Herr Baron ; besides, all the men at work saw him as well as myself." " Strange ! And you say that he has been in the habit for some time of wandering about in our forest daily ?" " Yes, Herr Baron ; he has often been seen, mostly by the women when they were gathering sticks, but they said nothing about it, for they themselves were on forbidden ground." " Mere old women's gossip then !" " No, Herr Baron ; the forester has seen him too, but he did not speak to him, because the Freiherr has ordered us to avoid all quarrels with the Griinhageners ; and Kunz saw him, as I said, long ago." " Long ago ? That is very vague. How long ago ?" " I cannot tell exactly, but it must have been about the time that Fraulein Miiller came to Hohenwald, for Kunz waa with the Herr Baron that night in the quarry, and he told me shortly afterwards that he had seen young Herr von Poseneck cross our field to the forest ; that he had not been sure it was he until he saw him that night in the quarry ; but that then he was perfectly certain of him. So he must have been seen first about that time, and since then CASTLE HOHENWALD. 217 scarcely a day has passed that he has not been seen by some of the people in the wood." Arno's brow darkened. Kurt was no poacher, but he thought he had discovered the reason for his walks in the Hohenwald forest. Following the path by which he had been seen to enter it, he would reach the lake in the park, upon the shore of which, hidden among the shrubbery, was b bench, whence there was a lovely view of the little sheet of water. This spot was a favourite one with Fraulein Anna Miiller. Whenever, as was, to be sure, but rarely the case, she walked in the park during Celia's absence upon her after- noon ride, this bench was always her goal, for she knew that even Werner would not venture to intrude upon her there. Her reason for seeking this retreat was now plain, as was also Kurt's attraction for the Hohenwald forest. And yet Anna had said that her heart was free ! Could she lie ? Why had she not frankly confessed the truth ? He would have had no right to blame her; her avowal would, indeed, have pained him, but the pain would have been easier to bear than distrust of her. He suffered in the thought that she was no better than the rest, that she could descend to a falsehood when the happiness of a man who loved her devotedly was at stake. " Is it the Herr Baron's commands that I should return to the harvesters ?" The Inspector's question aroused Amo from his confrised Imaginings. " Yes, Herr Hauk," he said, with hardly-won composure. " You had best do so." Then seeing the man's discontented expression, he added, " I will myself endeavour to encounter Herr von Poseneck, but I do not desire any one to spy upon his movements. Let him walk as much as he pleases in the Hohenwald forest ; I am sure that no ill will towards us brings him here, and I will not have him inter- fered with. Tell this to the people, Hauk, and bear in mind K 19 218 CASTLE HOHENWALD. what I say. My father's desire that all disputes with the Griinhageners shall be avoided must be strictly complied with. Good-afternoon, Hauk." " As you please, Herr Baron," the Inspector replied, with a bow, as he took his departure. Long after he was gone Amo stood leaning against the trunk of the oak, uncertain what to do. Was Kurt at this very moment perhaps seated beside Anna on the bench near the lake? Jealousy impelled him to discover whether his suspicions were correct. In vain did he represent to himself that he had no right to spy upon Anna's actions. He strode through the wood and soon reached tht borders of the broad Hohenwald forest road, which he was obliged to cross in order to reach the lake. Here, as he was making his way through the bushes that lined it on either side, he heard a voice that thrilled him ; it was Anna's. He could not distinguish what she said, nor the words of the reply, which was given in clear, manly tones. He cautiously proceeded a few steps farther, until, parting the bushes, he obtained a clear view of the broad road. His worst fears were confirmed : Kurt and Anna were slowly walking along it engaged in earnest conver- sation. They approached the spot where Amo stood con- cealed ; a few more steps and he should hear every word that was said, for they did not suspect a listener near. For a single instant a wild desire possessed Amo to penetrate Anna's mystery ; he leaned forward as far as was possible without discovering himself, but the next moment he rose superior to the disgraceful temptation. His cheek flushed at the thought that he had been deaf though but for an instant to the dictates of honour. Silently and hastily he withdrew, moderating his pace only when he could no longer hear the sound of voices. As he returned to the castle he felt that although he had heard nothing he had seen enough. Lucie parted from Kurt as his friend, and as she slowlj rj<-^-jf^5j3^7f5ig|^jFj-?^- - t- ■'-;^V ■■«;'■ ."_rif3-'';vs??-^;-: -:■.•■: ^_ . ~ '■ ■■■^■~iS^^'^-:'- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 219 walked back to the castle she reflected upon the perils en- compassing the people who had become so dear to her. She pondered how to put the Freiherr upon his guard without betraying Celia's secret, and how at the same time to influ- ence the old man to relinquish his foolish prejudice against Kurt. She could hardly warn him directly, but could it not be done indirectly through Werner, perhaps? K she should inform the Finanzrath that his connection with Repuin and other French agents was no longer a secret, that his move- ments were watched, that he was in danger of arrest, and that his presence in Castle Hohenwald imperilled the safety of his father and brother, — ^if she begged him to leave the castle, would he not comply with her advice ? Celia hastened to meet her friend ; she had not been able to remain within-doors. Arrived at the castle, the girl threw Pluto's bridle to old John and hurried to her room to change her dress, thinking that she would await Anna in their sit- ting-room ; but, although the windows there were all wide open, the confinement seemed to stifle her ; she wanted air, — not the air of park or garden, but that of the cool, fragrant forest. As she issued from the gate of the court-yard and was just about to turn into the broad forest road she encountered Amo, and was hurrying past him, longing to see Anna and hear what she had said to Kurt, when he detained her, saying sternly, " Where are you going ?" " That is not your aflFair," she pertly answered her brother's harsh question. " I might as well ask you, Where have you been?" " I have been in the forest." " And I am going to the forest." She would have passed him, but he still detained her. " Do you usually select this road for your afternoon ride ?" Celia blushed. What did he mean by the question ? Did Amo know anything of her meetings with Kurt ? With feiii> 220 CASTLE HOHENWALD. inine evasion she hastily rejoined, " Why should I alwayi choose this tiresome broad road ?" " Why, indeed ? How long since you returned from your ride?" " About a quarter of an hour ago," she answered, frankly. " And did you ride on the broad road to-day ?" " What a foolish question ! Let me go, Arno ! How can it possibly interest you when or whore I ride ?" But Arno still held her hand fast, seeming not to notice her embarrassment. He gazed darkly down the forest road. If Celia pursued it she would meet Kurt and Anna together. Such a discovery would be but a merited punishment for Anna, but what impression would it produce upon his inno- cent sister ? A second glance along the road reassured him, — Anna was slowly approaching the castle alone. He let go Celia's hand, relieved of an ugly dread lest Anna should have confided to her pupil her love-aflPair with Poseneck. That Celia knew nothing about it was clear from her replies to him ; the " will-o'-the-wisp" was so frank a creature. So soon as she found herself free, Celia ran towards Anna, bestowing not another thought upon Arno, who went his way. Throwing her arms around her friend, she whispered, as she caressed her tenderly, " At last you are come ! My darling, darling Anna ! Now all is well, and my conscience is once more clear." " You ought to have had confidence in me," Anna said, in a tone of gentle reproof. " Oh, I have often said that to myself. I have repeatedly determined to tell you all, but I was so afraid lest you would be angry, and perhaps forbid my meeting Kurt, and so — I cannot live without just saying a few words to him every day." " You must try it, my dear Celia ; you must not meet Herr von Poseneck in the forest again." 'W!^ - ■ ■ V ■■^"^^«*fF*"S^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 221 " I thought you would say that !" Celia exclaimed. " I knew it, but you are mistaken if you think I shall obey you. I am not a child ; I know what I am doing. Kurt is my betrothed, and I have a right to meet him. But no, Anna dear, I will not be angry with you, only do not ask that of me. If you think it wrong for me to see Kurt alone in the for(;st, — and I have sometimes been afraid that it was, — then come with me ; we have no secret from you ; only you must not ask me not to see him again, — I cannot obey you : and if you will not go to the forest with me I must go by myself" " It will be of no use. Herr von Poseneck has promised me that he will not meet you in the forest again." " That \a detestable of you, — detestable !" Celia exclaimed, indignantly. She had been so utterly unused to control that she was really angry, and it was only after a long and grave explanation upon Lucie's part that the girl was brought to see that her friend's counsel was dictated by the truest motives and an earnest desire for her happiness. At last, however, she agreed to be guided entirely by her " darling Anna," and the compact was sealed with a kiss. Relieved to have been successful with Celia, Lucie now applied herself to the second task she had undertaken, and, instead of entering the castle, turned into the garden, where the Finanzrath was usually to be found towards evening. " Are we going to the garden ?" Celia asked, surpriaed. " We cannot talk together there, for Werner, as you know, will instantly join us, and we shall not be able to get rid of him." " I am going purposely to meet him this afternoon," Lucie replied, " and I beg you to leave me with him when h<» joins us." " Have you more secrets with him ?" Celia asked, fretfully. " I must speak with him," was Lucie's calm reply. " I 19* 222 CASTLE HOHENWALD. promised Herr von Poseneck to warn your father of the danger that threatens him. I cannot do this dii'ectly, since I cannot say whence comes my information." "And you are going to warn him through Werner?" the girl asked, shaking her head. " Don't attempt it, Anna dear ; you do not know Werner, — he will not believe you ; he thinks he knows more than any one else. Do not have any confidences with Werner ; speak to Amo, — he is true and trustworthy ; he will find a means to put papa on his guard and to force Werner to go away." " I must speak with the Finanzrath," Lucie insisted ; " do not try to dissuade me, dear child ; I cannot help it." Celia said no more ; she silently accompanied Lucie into the garden, and walked beside her along the winding paths until, as had been foreseen, Werner joined them, when she lingered behind to pluck a flower, and then, turning into a side-path, left her brother and her friend to themselves. Werner greeted Lucie after his usual smooth, courteous fashion ; but she interrupted the flow of his complimentary speeches by saying, in a very grave tone, " Our meeting this afternoon, Herr Finanzrath, is owing to no chance. I came into the garden expressly to find you, for I have an important communication to make to you." Werner's attention was aroused ; Lucie frankly admitted that she had come in search of him. What could she have to tell him ? And Celia had evidently left them together in- tentionally. She could have done so only by Lucie's desire. A secret hope that his endeavours to obtain the beautiftd woman's favour were about to prove more successftd flashed across his vain soul, but vanished as he looked into his com panion's grave and even stern face. " I am extremely happy, madame, in receiving this proof of your confidence," he said. " and await with eagerness what you have to tell me." " It is of no agreeable nature," Lucie went on ; " but I wiU ■'rj^-i^r-v /■.'ri'^^'*H^'-:si v^jp'?t^^l.^-3i', '"-'i:^'^?!"'* "-*-"«<- ■'^ *"*'-^i^;^?BS^ ^~ ■ > .. - - ■--•"^j'-^*T^;^-jsjM4^r CASTLE HOHENWALD. 223 gu directly to the point. You are in great peril, Herr Finans* rath ; your connection with Count Bepuin has aroused sus- picion that you are of the number of French agents who are at work here, in the interest of the French Emperor, endeavoring to effect the dissolution of the treaty that unites the South German states and those of the North German alliance, with Prussia, and who are plotting against Prussia among the people as well as in the army," Werner stayed his steps and looked searchingly into Lucie's face. His cheek grew a trifle paler, and his voice was not quite so firm and clear as usual, as he replied, with forced composure, " Your information is indeed startling, madame ; I am excessively grateful to you for it, but you must permit me one question. Whence comes your knowledge that so foolish and ungrounded a suspicion attaches to me ?" " There are all-sufficient reasons, Herr Finanzrath, why I cannot answer your question and reveal to you the source of my information, but I can assure you that my warning is sent you by a sincere friend of yours and of your family, who is well aware of the necessity for it. But let me proceed, and then you can judge for yourself of the magnitude of the peril men- acing you." " I am all ear, madame." There was a dash of contempt in his tone, and Lucie saw that her refusal to mention the source of her information had shaken his belief in its truth ; but she went on quietly : " The suspicion of which I have told you, whether it be well founded or not " " Do you doubt me, madame ?" " I have no right to form an opinion, and there is no reason why, if formed, I should express it. Of course, since you declare the suspicion unfounded, I have no choice but to be- lieve you ; nevertheless, it exists, and it attaches not only to you, but to your father and brother. The authorities arc f'V-.^^"P^^'^'i'^ j»-;^T!l^vqn 224 CASTLE HOHENWALD. convinced that your relatives know of your schemes, and aid and abet them, and that Castle Hohenwald is a centre foi treasonable plots and conspiracies. The castle is already under surveillance ; how strict this is I cannot say, nor whether it extends to the letters sent from here, but I know that it exists, and that the authorities have it in mind to crush any treasonable scheming before it becomes dangerous, by the arrest of the entire Hohenwald family. I think, Herr Finanzrath, that under these circumstances you will see that you owe it both to your family and to yourself to leave the castle as soon as possible. Your presence here imperils your father's safety. He will, on the other hand, be left undisturbed, though not unobserved, if you, the cause o?\h\s groundless suspicion, absent yourself from Castle Hohenwald for a while. Your father's age and infirmity, his seclusion from the world, will shield him from all annoyance as soon as you are away, since it certainly must be the aim of the authorities to avoid exciting indignation in Saxony by any useless arrests. This is all that I had to say to you, Herr Finanzrath. I hope that my well- meant warning will eflFect its purpose, and that you will, by a speedy departure from Castle Hohenwald, both protect your relatives from the danger of arrest and insure your own safety." Werner had listened in silence, an evil sneer playing about his lips the while. " Then my departure from Castle Hohen- wald is the purpose of your communication, madame ?" he asked, watching Lucie with keen scrutiny. " It is ; I confidently hope that your departure will remove all danger." " Indeed ? You are extremely kind. I really cannot bo sufficiently grateful to you for your care, but I must pray you to fill the measure of your kindness by telling me to what good friend you owe your information, which has the air of proceeding directly from the Chancellor himself, if, indeed, it s^jwllissrv ' ''• 'ji-;:''— !-- - - ■ - ' ■--■•.- %tsi,^. CASTLE HOHENWALD. 225 be not the fabrication of an idle fancy or of a well-laid scheme." " I do not understand you, Herr Finanzrath," Lucie asked, amazed. " Do you really imagine I could wish to deceive you?" " Let me beg you again for the name of your informant." " Let me repeat that I cannot, or rather will not, give it to you ; you have no right to demand it of me." " I do not demand it, madame ; I do not even desire it, but perhaps you will allow me to mention it to you myself." '' You cannot know it !" " But I can guess it. I see through the game that is playing with me. Have a care, madame, that the bow is not too tensely bent ; the string might break." " I do not understand you." " Then I must speak more clearly. You shall have your will and understand perfectly. Yours be the consequences of allowing me a glimpse into your heart, — of ruthlessly anni- hilating my fairest hopes. You shall not escape unpunished from the intrigue which you have spun to drive me from Castle Hohenwald." Werner's eyes flashed fire and his cheek was crimson as he spoke. His agitation Lucie could not understand, and it ter- rified her. She had never seen the calm, easy Finanzrath thus moved. " You speak in riddles, Herr Finanzrath," she said, looking frankly in his face. " I do not understand your anger. What do you mean by your threat, and by accusing me of intriguing to drive you from Castle Hohenwald ?" " Am I not yet sufficiently clear ?" Werner continued, even more angrily. " Do you still imagine you can deceive me ? You are mistaken. I see through your game. You choose that I should speak it out plainly ? Well, then, so be it ! I am weary of the restraint that I have put upon myself for months I will no longer be your plaything I I have loved you pas- p ■ ^^fs^yp'^^^''^'^r^'^^^^ sw^S^*!9 226 CASTLE HOHENWALD. sionately since the day when I brought you to the castle ; to win your love in return was my highest aim in life, my fondest hope " " I must not listen to you. I must leave you I" Lucie exclaimed, indignantly. " You must listen ; I will force you to hear me I" Werner declared. " You are mad !" '' You have made me so. Thank yourself that my passion asserts itself, that I cast aside the fetters that have bound me for months. As long as I hoped to win your love 1 endured their restraint ; now, since I see through your schemes, I will do so no longer. I suspected it all long since. I have often told myself that you were but playing with my love, but never until now did I know it surely. Do you think 1 have been blind, — that I have slumbered through these long weeks ? No, jealousy has spurred me on to constant watch- fulness ; not a look exchanged between Amo and yourself has escaped me. I have been insane with jealousy when you were alone with him in the library, but I would not believe that you could prefer him to me, and so I deceived myself and you deceived me. You may well desire my absence. I could by a single word put a stop to all your loving dalliance. Amo is your informant ; he would thrust from his path the brother in whom he suspects a rival, and he thinks to drive me away by the threat of an imaginary danger. Fool ! I Bee through his game." Lucie listened in blank amazement to the accusations thus heaped upon her, which, in their suddenness and strangeness, bewildered her comprehension. Was this Werner, the pol- ished, easy man of fashion, confronting her now with angry eyes and laying bare before her the inmost secrets of his soul ? What should she reply to so disgracefiil an attack ? A con- temptuo'is silence was all that it deserved. And she wa£ tXT-."^' • .,^-,-,, ,-. , - ...j.,,,,,,^,^^-^^,,.,,,^,,.. . -,.. . '••:■ v^jjjj^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 227 silent, but this Werner regarded in the light of a confession ; he thought she waa trembling at his anger and unable to reply. He laughed scornfully, and continued, " Am I suf- ficiently clear now, madame? Now you know, I imagine, that you can no longer deceive me. You are right not to attempt it by any denial. One thing, however, you have forgotten, that I know your past, and that one word from me can put an end to your brief dream of love. My precious brother is an idealist who might indeed bestow his heart upon Celia's poor governess, the lovely Anna Mtiller, but who would turn with aversion and disgust from the runaway wife of Herr von Sorr ! Hitherto I have kept your secret faithftiUy, but I might easily be tempted to forget to do so in future. Herr von Sorr has not resigned his rights ; he is still searching for you, and it is owing to my silence alone that he is not now here asserting those rights in defiance of which you would vainly seek protection from Amo. Your safety here you owe only to the love which, spite of all the offence it has received at your hands, still glows within me, a consuming flame. Have a care that you do not convert it to hatred, Frau von Sorr. Continue to reject my devotion, to play with my jealousy, and you shall bitterly repent !" Not a word could Lucie utter. Amazement, shame, and indignation overwhelmed her. Werner no longer awaited a reply ; he left her not as was his wont with a low bow, but with head proudly erect, hurrying towards the castle, and not even looking back at her whom he had so insulted. He did not see the intense scorn and disgust expressed in her face as she gazed after him, nor hear the word " wretch 1" that passed her lips as slie did so. . ■,. ' V. , ■■.^^ffrv;^vcB^lgr^J!^!^!l^^Ji/J!t,'^ifm. ?»p;5!spsf.' 'W 228 CASTLE HOHENWALD. CHAPTER XIV. For a few moments after leaving Lucie Werner's features wrore a smile of triumph ; he thought the proud beauty sub- dued and terrified by his threats ; but when he reached his own apartment, and had time for reflection, he felt by no means so sure of his victory. As his excitement subsided he be- came greatly discontented with himself, and bitterly regretted having yielded to one of the outbursts of passion which had cost him dear in his boyish years, but which he had lately learned to control. Pacing his room to and fro, he pondered upon the occurrences of the past hour. While in Lucie's pres- ence, rage at the thought of his brother's successful rivalry had bewildered his understanding ; he could not think clearly. Reason had returned, and he confessed to himself that he had played the part of a jealous fool. His brother was no in- triguer, his ways were never those of a schemer. But whence, if not from Amo, could Fraulein Miiller have received her information ? She saw no one but the inmates of the castle, and she had lately received no letters, as no one knew better than Werner, who distributed the letters from the post-bag every morning. He grew very uncomfortable ; Lucie had known of his acquaintance with Repuin, and she had now learned of what nature this acquaintance was ; she still main- tained a correspondence with influential people in Prussia, Ad^le von Gunti;am, President von Guntram's daughter, was her most intimate friend, and any information forwarded to them would soon reach the Chancellor's office. The longer the Finanzrath reflected the more grave did the situation appear to him. Vague pictures of an exami- nation of his papers, of an arrest, and possible trial for higlr CASTLE HOHENWALD. 229 treason presented themselves to his imagination. Finally, he seated himself at his writing-table, and thought he would write to inform Repuin of what he had heard. This, how- ever, proved to be by no means an easy task ; he could scarcely do it without implicating Lucie, and should he men- tion her relations with Ad^le von Guntram the Russian's suspicions would surely be aroused ; he would make his ap- pearance at the castle with Sorr, who would enforce his marital rights. Should this occur, Lucie would be restrained by no considerations from betraying him. At present she would feel obliged to have some regard for the man who knew her secret and held her fate in his hands. He tore up his letter to Repuin, and decided to attempt to avert in another way the danger that menaced him. Lucie was not implacable ; she had no reason for bringing distress upon the Hohenwald family by betraying him ; only a desire for revenge or to de- fend herself from attack coxdd prompt her to do this ; he would ask her pardon for expressions used in the heat of passion, and would not allow his love for the beautifril woman or his jealousy to carry him so far again. Soothed by these reflec- tions, Werner began to look to the future with confidence. What now ? Lucie had asked herself, when left alone in the castle garden. To answer this question was not easy. Suppose that Werner, impelled by anger and jealousy, should discover her retreat to Count Repuin, would not her best course be to leave the castle immediately, and await in some secluded village the result of Ad^le's e£Forts to procure her another situation? The thought of the consequences of Werner's betrayal of her secret filled her with horror. What if Sorr, summoned by the Finanzrath, should appear at the castle and require her to return to him! She felt sure that the old Freiherr would grant her his protection, but what would it avail her against her husband ! And Amo ? Lucie's heart died within her as she thought of the pain that a knowledge 230 CASTLE HOHENWALD. of her secret would cause him. Nothing was left her but a hurried flight. But no, she would not leave Hohenwald ; had she not promised Kurt and Celia to use her influence with the old Freiherr to induce him to forget the wretched feud with the Posenecks ? Could she disappoint Celia's confidence in her by forsaking her at her need, in selfish care for her own safety ? Would not Kurt in that case have a right to recall the promise he had given her ? And what mischief might ensue ! No, it was her sacred duty to watch over Celia; she would not leave the castle for some time yet But she had written to Ad^le begging her to procure another situation for her as soon as possible. The letter had gone ; should she not write another and revoke her request? In the midst of her uncertainty, Celia, who had seen from her window that Werner had returned to the castle, joined her again, eager to know the result of the interview with her eldest brother. " Well ?" she asked. " You were right, I ought not to have spoken to your brother," Anna replied ; " he does not believe me. I cannot tell you more, Celia ; it is enough that my appeal to him waa quite in vain." " I knew how it would be," the girl said, sadly ; " I wish you had taken my advice, but it is not yet too late. Let me call Amo ; he is in his room, I saw him go to it ; he will be here in a few minutes. Indeed, dear Anna, Arno has the best heart in the world. He is not so amiable and agreeable as Werner, he cannot pay compliments, but you can rely upon him. I have often watched him when he thought no one was observing him, and I am quite sure that he likes you very much. He will believe you, and soon devise some way of shielding our dear old father from danger. Do speak with Amo, dearest Anna. Let me call him. May I ?" " Yes ; I will await him here." Celia's gratitude was shown by a fervent kiss, and she flew ^ttPW^'' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 231 towards the castle, returning in a few moments with Amo, whose hand she held in hers. " Here he is !" she exclaimed as she approached Anna. " Only think, the miserable fellow refused to come at first. Scold him well, Anna dear ; although he does look so grim, h^ is really dear and good. There, he is smiling ; now you n^d not be afraid of him. Adieu !" And she was gone, tossing a kiss to her fiiend as she van- ished in the shrubbery. The smile which her merry talk had called forth faded from Amo's grave face as he bowed formally to Lucie. " I await your commands, Fraulein Miiller," he said. " You must forgive my momentary hesitation to follow my sister. I thought her jesting when she told me you wished to speak with me." " Celia was not jesting, Herr Baron. I requested an in- terview with you, and I thank you for complying with my wishes." A low bow was Amo's only reply. Lucie had thought it would be easier to begin a conversation with Amo. As he now walked beside her, grave and serious, without smoothing the way for the opening of their talk by a single word, she felt exceedingly uncomfortable. Her last words to him in the library had deeply offended him, as was evident from the formality of his manner. She had de- termined to make no allusion to their previous interview; but how could she help it ? And she longed to say one kind word to him. " You are angry with me, Herr Baron," she began, and her fair face flushed slightly ; she could not look up at him as she spoke, — her eyes sought the ground. " I regret deeply if what I was forced to say to you offended you. I did not mean that it should. It was my duty to tell you the perfect •ruth ; If I did this too harshly, I pray you not to be angry ,. ; Tfi-ir^J^-]^^'?^^ 232 CASTLE HOUENWALD. with me. I told you to-day that your words would dij^e me from Castle Hohenwald ; I was overhasty. After calm consideration, I have decided not to go away. I know that Baron Arno von Hohenwald is too proud and too noble t^j repeat words that could pain me ; I know that although 1 was forced to offend him, he will still be my friend. May 1 not cherish this conviction, Herr Baron ?" As she spoke the last words Lucie looked up at Amo and held out her hand, but he did not take it. He replied, coldly and with a low bow, " You are very kind, Fraulein Miiller. I am glad that you do me justice ; I am, indeed, too proud ever again to intrude upon you after the harsh rejection I have experienced. I assure you that you shall never hear from me a word that could cause you to leave Hohenwald sooner than you would otherwise intend. May I hope that this assurance is satisfactory to you, and that you will inform me to what I owe the honour of this interview ?" Lucie slowly let fall her hand ; Amo's cold refusal to take it, and his measured politeness, convinced her that she had nothing to fear from him, and yet she was not glad that he was thus able to command his feelings ; his cold words grieved her. But he must not suspect this ; she forced her composure to equal his own as she explained to him that she had a duty to fulfil towards the Freiherr and himself in tell- ing him of the warning sent to them from a perfectly trust- worthy source. His brother's plots were discovered, Castle Hohenwald was under surveillance, and such suspicion rested upon his father and himself of sharing in the Finanzrath's schemes that they were threatened with arrest. " I trust you, Herr Baron," Lucie concluded, " to devise means for averting the threatened danger. I had hoped that the imme diate departure of the Finanzrath would effect this, and there- fore I first appealed to him, told him what I have told you. and begged him to leave the castle, but he would not believe ^.%i'-^-''>^^Tp,~. ■T ":,■-■■ r ■ ■;-.■■ :■'- \:t- y—i.5r;-,*'vv-;;'K ---';-■. -_.f ■- f? ■'-,;-■ :^^^.-.._ -■- y'-,f iW^J^^'-^-^'^^ VASTLE HOHENWALD. 233 in my information, refused to be guided by it, and tihus forced me to turn to you, Herr Baron." " Which you would not otherwise have done," Amo re- joined, bitterly. " Nevertheless I am grateful to you for your warning; but you must excuse me for putting one question to you. You tell me that Werner refused to be- lieve in your information. Did he tell you his reason for doubting it ?" Lucie hesitated to reply. She had not expected this ques- tion, and yet it was a very natural one. How could Amo expect to induce his brother to depart if he were not in- formed of the entire state of the case ? He must know that the Finanzrath mistrusted him, and this Lucie could tell him only by letting him know of Werner's jealousy. It offended her sense of delicacy to inform Amo of this ; but it was her duty to overcome her scruples and let him know what insane folly possessed Werner. •* You do not answer," Amo continued, after a short pause, " and yet my question is a very simple one." " It shall be answered, Herr Baron. /tThe Herr Finanzrath thinks that I have been induced by yot^ to acquaint him with a fictitious tale of danger, in hopes that terror may drive him from Castle Hohenwald." " Indeed ? The suspicion is like him !" Amo exclaimed, indignantly. " And why should I wish to drive him from the castle, and why should you lend yourself to second me by a falsehood ? I do not perceive the connection here." Lucie's cheeks were crimson ; but, hard as it was to reply, she did it bravely. " The Herr Finanzrath explained this in a manner very insulting to me. He thinks that it is my de- sire as well as yours to banish him from Castle Hohenwald, that we may escape his observation. You will not require me to explain further the disgraceful suspicions aroused in his mind by an unfortunate passion." 20* 234 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " Shameful !" Amo exclaimed. " I have long known of his passion for you, — his cold, calculating nature is incap able of a genuine aflfection ; his love is an insult to you. I did not believe that he woidd dare to oflfend you by such unworthy suspicions; he is more worthless than I thought him. I thank you from my heart for bestow- ing your confidence upon me; rest assured you shall not. repent it." For a few minutes they walked on in silence, Amo think- ing of Werner's silly suspicion that he was the author of Anna's warning. Who was its author? The answer that instantly occurred to him to this question disturbed the satis- faction that Anna's frankness had afforded him. Her infor- mation could proceed from but one person, from him with whom he had so lately seen her in earnest conversation ; from Kurt von Poseneck. But a moment ago he had regarded with profound contempt Werner's groundless jealousy, and yet now he suddenly felt a like sensation with regard to the rival who had robbed him of Anna's love. Her warning lost all credibility in his eyes ; he rebelled against receiving it from a man whom he hated, and felt inclined, as Werner had done, to believe that it had been given with some unworthy aim. He must have certainty upon this point. All that was genial vanished from his manner as he turned to Lucie, and with the same icy courtesy that had character- ized his first address to her, said, " I owe you a debt of grati- tude, Fraulein Miiller, but let me pray you to complete your information. It is very important that I should know the Bource of your warning. Tell me frankly, do I owe it to Herr Kurt von Poseneck ?" " How did you know ? What made you think of him ?" Lucie asked, greatly surprised. " Thank you, Fraulein Miiller ; I am answered. You do -.'"r— - ?*5^.J«;>r.^*r^^^->^'^ ■■ -■ ' * .'■■■;.■.■: -■ v ■■< ,. -:^>, - -v ^^'■;4ry-'' - ■ ^'-: .- ' \.--r--i.---"7*J>^y: ■'_.'■' ,- = ';^. -T-,*^^*-."?^ CASTLE HOEENWALD. 236 not deny, then, that Herr von Poseneck has commissioned you to communicate with me ?" " Why should I deny it ? But I really cannot understand how " " How I arrived at the knowledge of your intimate relations with Herr von Poseneck ? Chance revealed to me your secret. I saw you to-day in the forest eiijjaged in confidential dis- course with him. I now know why you refused me all hope in the future." « Herr Baron ! " " Say no more ! Why should you blush because I allude to your relations with Herr von Poseneck and to our inter- view ? You never gave me a right to hope for your love ; it was my fault if in my conceit I cherished hopes which you crushed as they deserved. I reproach myself, not you. I deserved the harsh repulse which I received, but I did not deserve that you should deceive me at the very time when my heart was laid bare before you. Had you but told me frankly that you loved another it would have pained me deeply, it is true, but my confidence in you would have been unshaken. At such a time you should not have told me a falsehood." " Herr Baron, I assure you " " Would you still deceive me ? That first falsehood was enough, and more than enough. Let us break oflF this con- versation. Let me give you one last piece of advice in return for your warning. You know the dislike that my father entertains for the Posenecks. For this reason, perhaps, you have refrained from any mention of your intimacy with thus gentleman, and you certainly are right, for even your power- ftil influence would hardly avail, I fear, to conquer the hered- itary hatred of a Hohenwald for a Poseneck ; but if you would keep your secret, let me advise both you and Herr von Posen- Ack to be more circumspect in ftiture. The people on this -^' j—r-'-aii^r 236 CASTLE HOHENWALD. estate have noticed his daily visits to a certain part of the Hohenwald forest, and will shortly discover to whom these visits are paid unless you are more careful." It was positive torture to Lucie to hear Arno's icy tone as he gave her this advice. She porceived how he suffered ; he had betrayed his pain when he showed her how deeply he felt the suspicion of her untruth. This wretched mistake 1 But could she undeceive him without betraying Celia ? And if she did, — if she proved to him that it was solely upon Celia'a account that Kurt came daily to the Hohenwald forest, might there not be danger of reviving hopes which he had resigned ? Still, she could not bear that he should leave her with a doubt in his mind of her integrity. As he turned to go, with a formal bow, she lightly touched his arm. " We must not part thus, Herr Baron," she said, (gravely. " You owe it to me at least to listen to me." " What can you have to say, Fraulein Miiller ?" Amo asked as he paused. " You have brought a grave accusation against me," Lucie continued, " and you have done so deceived by appearances." " Was I deceived when I saw you scarcely an hour ago in the forest with Herr von Poseneck ?" " No ; you saw correctly." " Is it not true that Herr von Poseneck has, since your arrival at Castle Hohenwald, daily sought a certain spot in the Hohenwald forest ?" " This, too, is true." " Is it not true that in the forest he sought the seat hidden in shrubbery near the lake, where you are so fond of dreaming away a solitary hour?" " That is not true, at least so far as I know." Arno's face expressed doubt and amazement, but Lucie's eyes flashed. " I have never given you cause to doubt my truth," she said, more sternly than he had ever heard her 'ij^^s^W^Sf^F^f?^ ?■'■'' .'•■-' ■- c--" - ■,--"■', ,~ \--i:^-s5-'f;-w- :-:--- T'^'^'^^?''^ . ; -,. *-'^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 237 speak. " My word must suffice ; I assure you that I liave seen Herr von Poseneck but twice in my life, once upon the night of my arrival here, &nd this afternoon for the second time. I stand in no relation whatsoever with him, and our meeting to-day was entirely accidental." " But you wer^ talking to him so earnestly." " And about most important matters. I esteem Hei r von Poseneck very highly, I do not deny. He, inspired by the purest friendship for the Hohenwalds, begged me to warn you as I have done." " Was this all you were talking of?" '' This and something else no less important. What it was is my secret, and I feel under no obligation to give you farther information, as you, Herr Baron, have no right to doubt my truth. This is all I wished to say ; I will no longer detain you. Amo was dismissed ; he bowed in some confusion as Lucie left him, and yet, in spite of the severity of her words and manner, his heart felt lighter than before, and hope began to stir within him. " She does not love him," he repeated tc himself. '' There is no falsehood in those eyes." Lucie hurried to her room before joining the family circle, according to daily custom, in the garden-room, where the old Freiherr was already looking for her, — she wished to write a few lines to Ad^le. This she did hastily, delivering her letter herself to the Lispector when it was sealed, and beting him to see that it was put into the bag for the next morning's post A few moments after Lucie had left the Lispector's room Werner entered it. He had watched her firom his window, had seen the letter in her hand, and had been filled with vague misgivings. " That letter I must see !" he had said to himself. " Can a messenger be sent on horseback to A to catch the evening mail ?" he asked of the Lispector, who was just patting Lucie's letter into the bag. ^38 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " Certainly, Herr Finanzrath, very easily," Hauk replied. " Old John can go on Fraulein Celia's Pluto ; there is plenty of time." " Give me the post-bag then, — I have an important letter 10 send ; and tell John to saddle Pluto, and I will have it ready for him." The Inspector handed him the bag, which Werner instantly carried with him to his room and opened. With a triumph- ant smile he took from it Lucie's letter addressed to Fraulein AdMe von Guntram. " I thought so," he muttered to him- self. " I am just in time." Then tearing oflF the envelope he read : " What will you think of me, dear Ad^le, if a few hours after writing my last letter I tell you not to heed the request it contained ? I hope soon to be able to let you know why I do this, but I cannot tell you to-day. I cannot leave Castle Hohenwald, and so you are relieved of the burden of looking for another situation for me. Farewell, dear ; you will soon hear further from your LuciE." Werner dropped the letter disappointed. " Nothing more ?" he muttered. " I need not have opened this letter, although I had better know what she intends to do." He tried to put the letter in its envelope again, but it could not be done, the latter was too much torn. There was nothing for it but to destroy it. He tore it up therefore, and threw it into his waste-paper basket. Then putting several unimportant letters into the post-bag, he took it out to John, and despatched the old man upon his useless errand. ':r-r^:^^7^.'!^!W*^,* -■ .."-"-■ ■ '-A --mv" ^ >;';;■? s-i^-n^s.-'x, »;»r=,^. -J-J:. -- . l-- ''rJ^^tAt CASTLE HOHENWALD 239 CHAPTER XV. The time at which the old Freiherr expected his familj to assemble about him every evening in the garden-room had come. Werner on his way thither encountered his brother, who was awaiting him at the foot of the staircase. In a few mdignant words Amo informed him that Fraulein Miiller had acquainted him with the manner in which her well-mecuit warning had been received, and said all that was possible in so short a time to induce his brother to leave Hohenwald as quickly as he could. " In the castle," he added, " there are none who do not look upon your fine-spun schemes as treason- able plotting, and it is unjust that peril should threaten all on your account." Werner, however, who had now entirely recovered his usual self-control and ease of manner, treated his brother's words with contemptuous indiflFerence, and thus the two men entered the garden-room together, the elder dissembling his jealousy and rage beneath an easy amiability of manner, the younger vexed and indignant at his failure to influence the brother whose ambitious vanity and want of principle were abhorrent to him. The Finanzrath evidently felt perfectly secure, and exerted himself to prove to Fraulein Miiller his sincere regret for his late want of self-control. He begged her for one of her charming songs, and meeting with a curt refusal, acquiesced in it without a word. He was all that a courteous, high-bred cavalier should be ; and yet, in spite of his efforts to main- tain tbe conversation, it flagged continually, for each member of the little circle felt a secret oppression, which made it impossible to join in it with any interest. •> . v'^^i^T^"-^ ^ri^.**??,"-'S^~ 240 CASTLE HOHENWALD. Arno was unusually taciturn ; he possessed none of the versatility that enabled Werner so quickly to forget the serious matters that had lately occupied him. Even Oelia seemed to have lost all her wonted sprightliness ; she sat buried in thought beside her father's chair, — her stool placed BO that he could not see her face, for she could not look him frankly in the eyes to-night, and her heart was too full to allow her to take any part in the conversation. This would soon have become monosyllabic in spite of Werner's exertions had he not casually mentioned a visit that he had paid a few days before to Griinhagen. So favourable an opportunity of turning the conversation upon Kurt did not escape Lucie ; she asked Werner, with evident interest, how young Herr von Poseneck liked Griinhagen, and whether he was readily adapting himself to the European mode of life. Werner could not understand why Lucie should take so vivid an interest in Kurt, but he was glad to have ft)und a topic upon which he could command her attention. He expatiated willingly upon Kurt's excellent capacity as a landed proprie- tor, and upon the admirable understanding that seemed to exist at Griinhagen between uncle and nephew. The Freiherr listened silently ; that the topic was not an agreeable one to him the frown gathering on his brow told plainly. Arno, too, said not a word, but sat glancing now and then at Lucie with displeasure in his look. What could be Frau- lein Miiller's aim in this show of interest in Kurt ? If it were intended as a punishment for his jealousy, it seemed but a petty revenge. Celia, however, sat quite still, with sparkling eyes and glow- ing cheeks ; she said nothing, but not a word that was spoken escaped her. Werner suddenly appeared kind and amiable in her eyes as he thus praised Kurt. For a while the Freiherr endured Lucie's continued inqm- r'T-;-^ ■-■:-...-.<.-_ -_■;.']'. V-^^T-^^t ,_7-.';,>--=r--"- -- •.;^--.r-,-- - '•■^^Tt^ -V . ■■ . " ^. ' ,^- ^f?S«T^ ^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 241 ries about GriinhageQ and Kurt ; but at last his patience was exhausted. " You seem to take a remarkable degree of interest in this fellow Poseneck, Fraulein Anna," he said, crossly ; "for Heaven's sake leave him to himself in Griin- hagen, — the less I hear of him the better I am pleased !" This was the very outbreak for which Lucie had been hoping. She turned to the Freiherr and, pushing her chair nearer to his, said, " What has poor Herr von Poseneck done to you, Herr Baron, that you should be so angry with him ?" " He has done nothing to me, but I hate the Posenecks one and all," was the harsh reply. " I am quite sure that you would like Kurt von P(»eneck if you knew him, Herr Baron," Lucie rejoined. " I don't want to know him !" the Freiherr exclaimed, discontentedly. Nevertheless Lucie continued, boldly, " He is the very man to please you. Honest and true, earnest in character, but with the enthusiasm of youth, a thorough gentleman, but no fop, he has won golden opinions &om every one during the short time that has passed since his arrival in Europe." The Freiherr stared at her in amazement ; her unexpected praise of Herr von Poseneck did not at all please him, but as she spoke she looked at him with so charming an air of entreaty that he could not be angry with her, — he even smiled as he shook his finger at her, saying, " Aha ! Fraulein Anna seems quite infatuated with Ihe young man. I had no idea ihat she knew him so intimately." " Oh, yes, I know him very well, although I have really seen him but once ; my opinion of him is based upon that of a far more competent judge than I am. Count Styrum. my friend Adele's lover, is a relation of Herr von Poseneck ; his word is the best warrant for the young man's excellence. A man to whom Count Styrum gives his friendship and esteem is certainly deserving of them." Q 21 ".w +WW*' ':^w'-*-''A^sy*#|ffMip 242 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " Make your acknowledgments for the compliment, Arno 1 Count Styrum is your friend too," the Freiherr said, with a laugh ; and he then continued, half in jest and half in earnest, " The friendship of the Count, for whom I have a great regard, is certainly a recommendation for the young man, but fortu- nately I am entirely indiflferent as to whether this Herr von Poseneck deserves your praise or not, for I have nothing to do with any of the Poseneck crew. One thing strikes me, how- ever, and that is, that I must stop abusing them when Frau- lein Anna is by. Well, well, we shall not quarrel about them, only, if she persist in singing this young fellow's praises, she will make her old adorei jealous." Lucie smiled in reply ; she had done enough for to-day, and Celia's grateful look thanked her. She arose, and going to the piano unasked, sang one of the old man's favourite songs, which would have won him to forgiveness even had he been angry. The tones of her voice had just died away when old Franz entered the room with the post-bag, which he said had just been brought to the castle by an extra messenger, and must contain news of importance. The Freiherr eagerly opened it, and seizing the newspapers, which, with a few letters for the Finanzrath, were all that it contained, searched them for the expected news of impor- tance. This he found in the first one that he opened ; it con- tained the telegram reporting the abdication of the Crown Prince of HohenzoUern. With eyes sparkling with joy the Freiherr read it aloud. " Thank Grod !" he exclaimed. " I trust we have done with this miserable war. Franz, bring a bottle of champagne in honour of the good news !" " I must leave you this evening ; my duty recalls me to Dresden, as I learn from this letter," Werner said, after having eagerly looked over his letters. " What ! this evening?" the Freiherr asked, and, although -y^-wt^'-^y. '-•■'. : ■ ■ ,•-•■ ■■ -. . ' - t^. ■ '■'■■ '■ vs CASTLE HOEENWALD. 243 the question expressed surprise, there was no regret in his tone. " I must obey the call of duty," Werner replied. " While Franz orders the carriage I will pack my portmanteau, and I hope I shall be in time to catch the night train." He shook hands with his father, and then turned to Lucie, who was standing near the window. " I comply with your wish, and leave you ; forgive me," he whispered ; adding aloud, " Have you any commands for Dresden, Fraulein Miiller ? No ?" as she answered by a gentle shake of the head. " I am sorry, but pray remember that you may always com- mand me as you please. Adieu, Celia ; be diligent and good, you little romp. Adieu, Amo ; I trust you will forget, as I do, that there have lately been some diflFerences of opinion between us ; upon reflection I see that you were right in the last conversation we had together, this letter has convinced me." He oflFered Amo his hand, but the latter refused to take it. " I have no confidence in you," he said, in too low a tone to be heard by the others. " I do not know your reason for this sudden departure, but I am sure that it is not regard for the safety of your family." " Are you then implacable ?" " I refoae to reply to deceit with deceit." " What is the matter, boys ? Do not quarrel when you are taking leave of each other," the old Freiherr interposed ; and Werner, with a shrug, let fall the hand he had oflFered his brother, and, with another general " adieu," left the room. In his own apartment, he packed a few necessaries in his portmanteau, devoting all the time he had to a careful dispo- .sition of his papers. It was not until he was certain that not a scrap of writing was left either in desk or writing-table that he locked his portmanteau and gave it to old Franz, who came to announce that the carriage was waiting. 244 CASTLE HOHENWALD. As he drove oflP, just in time to catch the night train, those whom he left behind him at Hohenwald by no means ex- perienced the usual relief felt in his absence. They did not believe in the reason assigned by him for his hasty departure, and it aroused in his father's mind suspicions that he waa more deeply implicated in rebellious plots than he had hinted. No one of the little circle could throw off the gloom that op- pressed all, and the old Freiherr was rolled into his bedroom much earlier than usual. In the course of the next few days the political horizon again darkened ; all Germany keenly felt the insult offered to the King of Prussia by the French Emperor, and was ready to resent it. " Disgraceful !" Amo exclaimed, after reading the account of it aloud in the newspapers, " This is enough to make every German forget all petty jealousies and prejudices. We should be one nation in the struggle that France thus forces upon us. I am quite sure, father, that you will gladly see me leave you to take my part in the war that now seems inevit- able for the fatherland." " Go, and God speed you, my son ! Only cowards and traitors can hesitate now !" The Freiherr spoke with profound emotion, regarding with paternal pride the while the son in whom he delighted. Celia threw her arms around her brother's neck and kissed him tenderly. " You are my own darling Amo !" she exclaimed ; " the best and truest fellow in the world !" And Lucie ? She bestowed upon Amo a smile that fairly intoxicated him and impelled him to offer her his hand, in which for one fleeting instant she placed her own. The small circle at Castle Hohenwald presented a picture in miniature of the sentiments of the entire country at this time, and every day's developments served but to increase the patriotic enthusiasm everywhere. No sooner did the cry Wf^fw^'S^^yw^m^i^y^ <" CASTLE HOUENWALD. 245 resound from Paris, " On to Berlin !" than it waa decided that as soon as war was formally declared Amo should apply for re-admission to the army, and with a view to so doing he set about arranging affairs on the estate so that his ab- sence might cause his invalid father as little annoyance as possible. Those cares kept him from home almost every day, — it was only in the evenings that he could make one in the family circle ; but these evenings, when his father's welcome was so affectionate, Celia's so enthusiastic, and Lucie's so fall of gentleness and sympathy, more than in- demnified him for the hard labour of the day. Only one drawback marred the pleasure they gave him, and this was the manner in which he was constantly reminded by Lude herself of his last tete-d-tete with her. What reason could she have for perpetually dragging in Kurt von Poseneck as a subject for conversation, when she could not but perceive that it was distasteful both to the old Freiherr and to himself? This the Freiherr frankly declared many times, but consider- ate as Lucie usually was of his wishes, on this point she paid no regard to them. With persistent obstinacy she made use of every available opportunity to refer to Kurt, to extol his admirable qualities, to describe his adventures in America, in short, to depict him as a young man of distinguished qualities both of mind and of heart. Of course Amo never dreamed that Celia had supplied Fraulein Miiller with her accurate knowledge of Herr von Poseneck's life, and it seemed to him excessively strange that she should be so well informed concerning a man whom, according to her own declaration, she had seen but twice. This contradiction struck the Freiherr also, and he expressed his surprise at it, but Lucie only smiled and replied, " Oh, I have a private source of information which I know just how far to trust. I do not mean to describe Herr von Posen- eck as an actual angel in beard and moustache, but he cer- 21* "W 246 CASTLE HOHENWALD. tainly is a charming fellow, whom you, HeiT Baron, would especially like if you only knew him, as I sincerely wish you did." Celia grew crimson at this reply, but, fortunately, no on« save Lucie noticed this. The old Freiherr shook his head and declared that he felt " no desire to know any Poseneck," but, nevertheless, it was plain to be seen that Lucie by her persistency had aroused in him a species of interest, and finally one evening, when she had been recounting some of Kurt's war adventures in America, he remarked that that Poseneck must be a brave fellow since he had attained the rank of major so soon. Amo was not so easily cured of his prejudice against Kurt, Lucie's constant reference to whom was utterly inex- plicable, and at times roused within him the bitterest jeal- ousy. He was worried and anxious, too, with regard to Werner, from whom nothing was heard after his departure. Whether the Finanzrath were really in Dresden neither his father nor his brother knew, and when Amo at times saw accounts in the newspapers of the arrest of persons suspected of being agents of the French government here and there in Germany, he could not but fear lest a like fate might over- take Werner, and he knew that such a disgrace would crush his father to the earth. -1? ^ . IS ij 1 ■" * i!r<<^ ^"■'9 ^yr~^ vr ' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 247 CHAPTER XVL On one of the last days in July an unusnal crowd thronged the platform of the railway station of A , looking eagerly for the train, in which, so crowded was it sure to be at this time with troops, it was difficult for civilians to find places. On this particular occasion there were only three passengers for A , and these had been obliged to content them- selves with places in a baggage-wagon, every carriage being crowded with troops in process of transportation. As soon as these three stepped upon the platform they were be- sieged with questions of all kinds from the throng of men waiting there, — questions which seemed especially annoying to one of the three, an apparently choleric, elderly gentle- man, who elbowed his way right and left through the crowd, now and then giving vent to his irritation in a good round oath, as he declared, " I know nothing and care less !" and all the while evidently on the lookout for some one whom at first he could not find. At length his face cleared. " Hollo, Assessor !" he called ; and then, with another struggle to clear himself of importu- nate questioners, " Deuce take you all 1" he exclaimed, " I have something better to do than to answer every fool's questions !" The people about him grumbled, but perceiving that there was no satisfaction to be gained from him, turned their atten- tion to the other two passengers, and the elderly man was left to pursue his way successftdly to where the Assessor von Hahn stood awaiting him. " Here I am at last !" he said, holding out to him the hand unencumbered by his travelling- bag. " I have been trying to get to you for the last three 248 CASTLE HOHENWALD. days, but not even standing-room could I find in the rail- way-trains, wliich are nothing but military transports. I had to pay an enormous price to-day for a place in a baggage- wagon." The two men were now quite clear of the crowd, and the Assessor shook the new-comer cordially by the hand. " I am rejoiced to see you !" he said. " You know how entirely I am at your service, Herr " " Fernheim !" the stranger interrupted him before he could pronounce the name. " Fernheim? Really, I do not know " " Call me Fernheim. It is as good a name as any other, ' the stranger said, in a tone only to be heard by the Asses- sor. " I do not wish these curious people to know who I am, or what I want. The news of my coming might else reach Castle Hohenwald sooner than I desire that it should." " You are right, Herr Fernheim. I never thought of it ; but you are right, you were perhaps in more danger than you thought. Do you know by sight the Finanzrath von Hoheu- wald or Count Repuin ?" "No, I have no knowledge of the scoundrels !" " Then you do not know that they were your fellow-paa- aengers in the train ?" " Not an idea of it. But thanks for the information. 1 shall know them again when I see them. The bearded fellow is the Russian of course. Pity that Sorr is not with them ; the noble trio would then be complete." " He is not here." " I know that ; I am familiar enough with the rascal's face. I suppose those two precious rogues are bound for the castle, BO the sooner we are on our way there the better. You have kept your promise, Herr Assessor, to prepare everything for a visit to Hohenwald ?" " Of course ; I have awaited you at every train since I f^i^^^^T^^-jY^'^ -■-;".'-. ^'- -rv-- ., ' ;,-:'7' _. - -'-'^ V"!' '■'rr-'*^-^^- - • ';■ " '. - ^"^■^■■■■iJy^Sf??; CASTLE HOHENWALD. 249 received your despatch. The carriage is here to take you instantly to Griinhagen, Heir " " Fernheim. Do not forget the name. And no one in Hohenwald suspects my arrival ?" '■' No one." " A thousand thanks, Herr Assessor. We will leave in- stantly, since so much depends upon our arriving before those two worthy gentlemen." And preceded by the Assessor, he passed through the station-house, and getting into the carriage waiting for them, they were well on their way before the Fi- nanzrath and Count Repuin had extricated themselves from the crowd of eager inquirers on the platform. The Finanzrath had good reasons for answering all ques- tioners civilly, here so near his home, where there was special need that he should preserve a character for patriotism. Dur- ing the last few days several of his friends who had dared in Munich, Leipsic, and elsewhere to express unpatriotic senti- ments had been roughly handled by the enraged populace. In fear, therefore, of a like fate, Werner judged it wisest to answer all questions with the greatest amiability, re-echoing bravely the curses of the French heard on all sides, and even his companion. Count Bepuin, thought it prudent to follow his example. The Finanzrath informed his hearers that war had been declared the day before ; that Bismarck had announced this officially in the Keichstag, and that the enthusiasm in Berlin was boundless, — any amount of ftinds for the prosecution of the war would be voted unanimously. Werner bore his part admirably in the wild shouts of exultation that followed this intelligence, waving his hat with the foremost, hurrahing for Bismarck, and even adding his fine bass voice to the yelling rather than singing of " Die Wacht am Rhein," in which the enthusiasm of the mob culminated. By degrees, however, the crowd dispersed, and the two men vw 250 CASTLE HOHENWALD. were left alone on the platform. " Low-lived canaille !" the Russian exclaimed, giving vent to his suppressed indignation. " I would have every scoundrel of them well thrashed !" " You do them too much honour, my dear Count, in allow- ing them to ruffle you !" Werner calmly rejoined. " Let them roar their ' Wacht am Rhein' as they please. I am annoyed only hy Sorr's non-appearance. He cannot have arrived, as he is not awaiting us here." " True, I had forgotten the rascal in the midst of their shouts ; but you are right. Baron, he should have been here if he obeyed my commands and left for A two days ago. What can have happened to him ?" " Nothing ; we have seen the difficulty that exists now in getting from one place to another. He will come by the next train, — but it is very unfortunate for me to have to wait here at the station. I am so well known in A that people will wonder why I do not go immediately to Castle Hohen- waJd." " Unfortunately, there is no help for it." " Why should not you await him here while I go on to Hohenwald alone ?" " Impossible ; you know that I cannot appear at Hohen- wald, and that Sorr must accompany you thither, since, if introduced there by you, his wife cannot refuse to give him a hearing. Then when he swears that he has broken off all connection with me, she cannot refiise to follow him, and should she, your father would refuse protection to a wife so false to her duty. Sorr will do as I say, swear what I dictate to him, and the result is certain." " But what, aft^r all. Count, can the result avail you ? You know Frau von Sorr detests you. Will she not instantly return to Hohenwald when she finds that she has been de- ceived ?" " That is my affair, my dear friend," Count Repuin replied, ■:.^.'-'' V""*?^w«'?^-^!^^^^^T''?>--"''^''i^^^^ •■'^■"^fP!®?^I!?Tjn"^ --■ ■.■ "'V^^^^^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 251 irith an ugly smile. " There are means to tame the wildest bird, and of those means I shall avail myself." What means, the Finanzrath asked himself, would the Rus- sian use to bend the young wife's will, to conquer her hatred of him ? Brutal force spoke in the Count's words and gleamed in his treacherous eyes. And to such villainy he, Werner von Hohenwald, was lending himself ! A few days previously, in a burst of indignation at hearing that he had been denounced to the government, the Finanz- rath, believing that Lucie had caused this, had revealed to the Russian the place of her retreat ; now he bitterly repented having done so, and blushed for the part he was playing. He would gladly have warned her of the danger threat- ening her, but the ties that bound him to the Russian were of such a nature that he dared not provoke the man's resent- ment, and every precaution must be taken lest his suspicion should be aroused. With as easy an air as he could assume he said, " I suppose you will find means to attain your object, but I would advise you to take care. The lovely Frau von Sorr would, I imagine, hesitate at nothing if driven to ex- tremes, and might appeal to the law. If I go on now to the castle I can prepare my father's mind for Sorr's visit, and in- sure his refusal to grant her his protection in case she should rebel against her husband's authority." As he spoke Repuin eyed him with a contemptuous smile. " Counsel for counsel, my dear Baron," he replied, with a composure equal to Werner's. " Take care that I do not sus- pect your good faith towards me. In your delay in informing me of Frau von Sorr's whereabouts there has been quite enough to put me on my guard. I mistrust you. I will not have you going to Castle Hohenwald alone, nor will I permit you one word with Frau von Sorr, except in her husband'f presence." " Your suspicion is insulting, Count Repuin." r'^-.-W-:,^^'^^.. 252 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " You can allay it by making no attempt to provoke it. 1 do not wish to offend you ; we are allies, and I desire that we may continue friends, but I swear to you that any obstacle laid by you in the way of my plans here, will transform me into your mortal foe. Candour for candour, then ; is it to be peace or war between us ?" What could Werner reply? He had no choice. Lucie must be sacrificed to save himself. He adopted an aggrieved tone and answered, " I shall remain here until Sorr arrives, and upon your head be the consequences of your imprudence." Several hours passed, and it was afternoon before Sorr arrived in a crowded train, in which he was the only civilian. During the last months he had greatly changed. There was in his appearance not a trace of the elegance that had formerly characterized it. His dress was neglected, his beard unshaven, his face bloated. He looked like a man given over to drink and debauchery. When he emerged from the railway-carriage he looked eagerly about for the Count, whom he did not immediately perceive, but who greeted him upon his approach with the air of a master addressing his slave. Sorr, however, interrupted the imperious commands of the Russian with, " One moment, Herr Count ; I have most im- portant news for both Baron von Hohenwald and yourself, which will doubtless affect your plans. We are betrayed ! You as well as the Herr Finanzrath are not safe for a mo- ment. Your arrest is already ordered ; your intention to visit Castle Hohenwald is known, and it is there that you are to be arrested." The Finanzrath turned pale and his voice trembled as he exclaimed, " I am warned from all sides ; this news must be true !" •' It may still only be over-anxiety on the part of our friends," said Repuin. " Where did you get your information, Sorr ?' ■ ''■"-I'^jfP;^ ~ - ■ ■ '-':■'■ 'W!firif?fW' CASTLE EOHENWALD. 253 " From Herr von WaJtershansen." " Then we must indeed be upon our guard. By the infer- nal gods, this is danger ! What else did Waltershausen tell you?" " He has received trustworthy intelligence that Castle Hohenwald is to undergo a thorough search to-day. The Finanzrath von Hohenwald and Count Repuin, if they are found there, are positively to be arrested, the old Freiherr and his son Amo only in case circumstances require it. The prisoners are to be taken to Kbnigstein. That the matter is considered of importance in Dresden and Berlin is shown by the fact that the arrests are to be made under the command of Count von Schlichting, colonel in the army, and formerly an intimate friend of the old Freiherr von Hohenwald. The notorious Geheimrath Steuber is associated with him in the search of the castle. When I went to the railway depot this morning, Count Schlichting was standing on the platform eagerly conversing with some officers. I was afraid that he was to come down by the very train in which Waltershausen had procured me a place, and he knows me. Waltershausen, who was with me, feared this too. He is extremely well acquainted with the Count, and no one suspects him of any connection with Count Repuin, so he did not hesitate to address Schlichting, who spoke to him without reserve of his plans. " It appears that the colonel has been waiting since yester- day evening for the Berlin Chief of Police, the Geheimratk Steuber, and was determined that if he did not arrive by this afternoon he would take the train for A without him, and would make a requisition here for the military force needed to carry out his orders. Herr von Waltershausen enjoined it upon me to beg you both, gentlemen, not to delay an instant in escaping the threatened arrest. He is convinced, from matters being placed in charge of an officer so high in 22 _ ^,^T -■?^^.™^T?'^*P^5^ 3tj^,;iS^5?>i^-t«^ 264 CASTLE HOHENWALD. rank, that a court-maxtial will immediately ensue, and he is fiirther convinced that there would be no hope for you under such circumstances at this juncture. Life and death are at stake, be bade me tell you !" ** He is right," the Finanzrath said, eagerly. " Let me conjure you. Count, to desist from your insane schemes, which may ruin us all. We can still save ourselves by flight into Hanover, where we can be concealed until we find means of getting to England. It would be madness to persist in going to Hohenwald." Sorr's news had made Repuin anxious, but Werner's words enraged him. " No power in the world," he exclaimed, " shall force me to turn back when I have so nearly reached the goal of my desires ! Yes, I wUl fly with you, but only if Frau von Sort accompany us. And if by word or even by look you attempt to thwart me, look to yourself, Herr Finanzrath. I will not spare you if you refuse to fulfil your promise to me. I will not rest until you have reaped the harvest of your treachery if you fail me now." " But how can our putting our heads into the trap at Castle Hohenwald aid you, Count?" Werner cried, in deep agitation. " I do not ignore the danger," Repuin replied ; " but I am determined to meet it, and have no doubt that we shall suc- ceed in escaping it if you will stand by me. We still have several hours in which to act. Follow the plan that I will mark out for you, and to-night will see us in safety. As quickly as possible have at our disposal two vehicles and a trusty messenger on a good horse, and the rest is very simple. While you drive in one of these vehicles to the castle with Sorr, I will wait here at the station. I know Count Schlicht- ing by sight, although he does not know me ; it therefore cannot excite his attention for me to leave the platform as soon as he arrives and despatch the messenger to you a^ '^-;,j>')j:jy^p^ 'v ?'':■-■ '■^v;-^-'-' ^'^ "j-.^p'^^^'*^^ ■ :--^''=:i:v^WT-2- '\ ■ ■y^'^'Tifv'^- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 266 Hohenwald, while I get into the other carriage and drive to R , where I will await you. Before Count Schlichting has obtained the military aid he requires I shall be miles from here and in perfect safety. You, in the mean time, will have time enough at the castle to explain matters to your father and to employ every means to induce Frau von Sorr to fol- low her husband, for not until you receive by my messenger (he empty envelope, which is all I shall send, addressed to you, will there be any occasion for haste on your part, and even then it will be several hours before Schlichting with his dragoons can reach Hohenwald. Of course you will not return here with Sorr and the lady, but drive directly from the csistle to Baron Kronburg's at R , whence we will pursue our journey together. This is my plan ; you must admit that it is simple and deals with certainties only, not probabilities. Are you agreed ?" Werner found some difficulty in replying. " It would be much more prudent," he said, "to fly at once; but if Herr von Sorr consents " " Herr von Sorr must consent. His opinion is not asked ; all I wish is to know yours." Sorr seemed not to hear the insulting words. " I shall do just as you please," he said, with the air of a slave before his master. Repuin hailed Werner's compliance with a triumphant smile. " You never shall regret your amiable readiness tc further my plan," he said ; " but now to action 1 We must be prompt !" Matters were soon arranged according to the Russian's direc- tions. Werner, with his companion, drove off towards Castle Hohenwald, leaving a trusty messenger, who had formerly been an inspector on the Hohenwald estate, and a second car- riage at the disposal of the Russian, who took his stand upon the railway platform to await the next train from L . 256 CASTLE HOHENWALD. He supposed that several hours would elapse before it» arrival ; but here he was mistaken, — it made its appear- ance much earlier than he had expected, and as it rolled slowly into the station Eepuin recognized in one of the carriages Count Schlichting in earnest conversation with Count Stvrinn. This startled the Russian, and he feared instant recognition ; but Styrum was so absorbed in what Schlichting was saying that he did not look up until R ;puin had left the platform. Before the guards had opened the doors of the railway-carriages the Russian had despatched his messenger to warn Werner at the castle, and was himself seated in the carriage he had retained for his own use, driving rapidly towards R . An evil smile hovered about his lips as he reflected that he should shortly see the lovely Fran von Sorr again. He never doubted his power to bend her will to his, and, leaning back among the carriage-cusl ions, ha resigned himself to pleasing dreams of the future. CHAPTER XVIL Lucie had withdrawn after dinner to the library, to pore over the newspapers, now so filled with exciting intelligence. She was alone, for Celia was in the garden usually at this hour, and since her harsh rejection of Arno he never sought the library when Fraulein Miiller was there. She sat for a while lost in thought. Arno had applied the day before for re-admission into the army ; he was to leave for Dresden on the following day, and her heart told her that this would be a separation forever. She was so absorbed in her revery that she did not notice old Franz's entrance, and looked up l^p«n«».7^jss-^-y^'^T<*!^»5si^Sy«pLU!3pp*^ ?»fC5»-> ■T^ '-r-^lU.tmu.'j.-^ait CASTLE HOHENWALD. 257 itartled when he held towards her a note and announced, with a grim air of discontent, " For Fraulein Miiller." " For me, Franz ?" she asked, in great surprise. " Who could have brought it ?" " The Fraulein may well be surprised at the fellow's im- pudence. A servant-man from Grunhagen brought it, and refuses to return without an answer !" was the reply. Ailer which Franz left the room with the air of having made his protest, although vainly, against some crying sin. Lucie paid him but little heed ; she opened her note and read: " Deae Fraulein MUlleb, — I am to leave G-riinhagen to-night for I cannot say how long, perhaps forever. I am going to Berlin to obtain permission to enter the Prussian army as a volunteer. Must I go without seeing my dearest Celia once more ? May I not bid her good-bye and tell her how dear she is to me ? I promised you not to see Celia again until you consented to our meeting, and I will keep my promise if you refuse to release me from it upon this one occasion ; but I pray you to allow us to see each other once more, perhaps for the last time in this world. "I do not ask to see my darling alone. Pray come with her to the old place of meeting in the forest, where I will await you. Let me hope that you will grant my request. I need not tell you with what impatience I look for your answer, a simple * yes' or * no,' by the bearer of this. " With the greatest regard, yours, " Kurt von Poseneck." Luoie was profoundly touched by Kurt's note. Ceiia too, then, was to suffer the pain of seeing her lover depart for the war. Poor, and yet happy Celia ! She might hope that if he whom she loved returned alive the old Freiherr would R 22* v^^l 258 CASTLE HOHENWALD. relent, and hsr love be crowned with happiness; while ii Arno returned, if he should ever seek her again, what then V For her hope did not exist. She took up a pen and wrote hurriedly : " I will be at the appointed spot at the usual time ; whether Celia will accompany me or not depends upon the decision of the Freiherr von Hohenwald. Anna Muller." She sealed her note, addressed it to Herr von Poseneck, and hurried down to the court-yard to deliver it herself to the Griinhagen messenger, upon whom she enjoined the utmost despatch. She did not observe that as she spoke with the man Franz was watching her from the hall, while Arno, who was crossing the court-yard, paused in astonishment as he heard her words. Was she really so intimate with young Poseneck that she corresponded with him? Perhaps the letter after all might not have been for Kurt von Poseneck ; but all doubts on this head were set at rest by Franz, who, exercising his prerogative as a privileged servant, said grum- blingly, as his young master passed him in the hall, ** Fine doings in Hohenwald, when the Fraulein receives letters from Herr von Poseneck, and even condescends to answer them !" This was enough to arouse once more within Amo's heart the demon of jealousy, which Lucie's words to him should have killed forever. Meanwhile, entirely unconscious of the suffering she had caused, Lucie walked slowly towards the garden-room, to carry into effect the plan she had hastily formed. The Frei- herr greeted her with a smile of welcome. " Why, here we have Fraulein Anna !" he said, in great satisfaction. " Have you come to bestow your charming society upon an old fellow at this unwonted hour ? But what is that ?" he added, point- ing to Kurt's letter, which she held in her hand. " I owe CASTLE HOHENWALD. 259 the pleasure of your visit to business, I see, not to my own attractions. Never mind, I am always delighted to see you, whatever brings you." " Indeed, Herr Baron ? May I rely upon that ?" Lucie asked, meaningly, as she drew a chair to his side and sat down. " Are you sure that you will not drive me away indignantly if I come to prefer a request that does not please you ?" " A request? 'TLs granted before 'tis asked ; I know of nothing that I could refuse you." " I might take you at your word, Herr Baron, but that I will not do. You shall not be bound by a promise to grant my request, you must do it of your own free choice." " Why, this sounds quite solemn. I am curious ; out with your request, whatever it is. What do you ask ?" " Nothing for myself, Herr Baron. My request concemf Herr von Poseneck." The Freiherr was not made in the least angry, as wou'3 formerly have been the case, by this mention of the name of Poseneck ; on the contrary, he laughed, saying, as if in badi- nage, " Always Poseneck ! Really, child, I believe you are in love with this infernal Poseneck, who must be a tremen- dously fine fellow to excite such an interest in you." ** That he certainly is, Herr Baron, although I just as cer- tainly am not in love with him. He is a noble-hearted fellow, who now, after having served with honour in America, is going oflF to Berlin to enter the army there as a volunteer. His life in America never lessened his honest love for his German fatherland." "He is a fine fellow then, and I honour him. I never would have believed it of a Poseneck," the Freiherr said, with a kindly nod at Lucie. " You may believe anything that is good and true of him," Lucie continued ; " his self-devotion costs him more than it does most men. He not only has to conquer his ambition as Y Tn^:-Wi 260 CASTLE HOHENWALD. a former major in thus entering the army as a common sol- dier, but he sacrifices his whole future happiness. He pas sionately loves a young girl, whose father is a bitter enemy to Prussia, and who never will give his daughter to a man who fights for Prussia in this war." " Who is the scoundrel ?" the Freiherr exclaimed, indig- nantly. " You do an excellent old man great injustice, Herr Baron," Lucie replied, with a smile. " He is a man of honour, but the victim of a prejudice which so possesses him that he cannot conquer it sufficiently to call a Prussian his son-in- hw." " Then he does not love his child !" the Freiherr eagerly asserted, and then suddenly paused and eyed Lucie sus- piciously. " Stop ! stop, child !" he said. " I begin to sus- pect that you have been playing your own little game with me. Honestly, what has all this to do with your request ?" " Will you really not be angry with me, Herr Baron, if I speak perfectly frankly to you?" Lucie asked, laying her little hand on the old man's brown, wrinkled fist, and bestow- ing upon him one of her charming smiles. " Little flatterer, how can any one be angry with you ? Oh, you have the old bear fast in your toils, and now come, tell me all about it." " You shall hear, Herr Baron. First read this note which I received not an hour ago from Herr von Poseneck ; it will tell you all, and when you have finished I will tell you how it came to be written." The Baron read Kurt's note, while Lucie noted with keen anxiety every change in his features as he read. She saw his face darken, and then a smile dawned about his mouth ; he was not very angry. She could have shouted for joy at her victory. "A most interesting production!" the Freiherr said, »« ^Wi?!f^TsT¥K^!^j^ i^Z^-':--iif\f'-:- ";■-;■■= T^ff^-Tiri^jT^'/siV'^v-^^reiifK."".- ■• - r • ■ •"•;f(^«!a^t CASTLE nOHENWALD 261 he handed the note back to her. " Really, this HeiT von Poseneck " " Wait until you hear all, Herr Baron, and then judge," Lucie interrupted him. And she went on to tell the old Freiherr how Celia had accidentally made the young man's acquaintance ; how, in her childlike innocence and trust, she had grown to love him, and how, at last, chance had betrayed her secret. She told how Kurt had given his promise never to see Celia without her governess's consent, and how faithfully he had kept his word. " And now for my request, Herr Baron," she said, in conclu- sion. " I know it will be hard for you to grant it, but I hope everything from your magnanimity. Let me take Celia with me ; she knows nothing of this note, and if you refiise me she shall know nothing; but you will not be so cruel. There must be a farewell, — a last farewell. May not Celia go with " You are a white witch, and know how to wind the old ogre round your finger," the Freiherr said, shaking his finger at Lucie. " Li fact, I ought to be excessively angry with you, but as this is impossible I may as well take my pill without a wry face. The will-o'-the-wisp had certainly better see the young man under your auspices than run oflF, perhaps through the night and storm, to take leave of him ; the child might do it if she should hear that Poseneck was going away. But one very serious word I must speak. Your Poseneck certainly is an honest, honourable young fellow, his note and his whole conduct show that. Celia in her unsuspicious in- nocence might have fallen into bad hands. You cannot ex- pect me to be quite content, but time will bring counsel. Only there must be no more of it all for the present ; no talk of a betrothal as yet, no tender exchange of letters and such stuff. Celia is as yet little more than a child. If the young man ever comes back from the war he may come and see me ■•'WS 261! CASTLE HOHENWALD. here and we will talk it over together. But before then I'll not listen to another word about it. Do you agree, you white witeh ?" " Your will shall be my law in the matter, Herr Baron, and I thank you from my very heart for conquering for your child's sake your dislike of a Poseneck." " You may spare your thanks, child, or rather keep them for yourself, who honestly deserve them for taking care that my dislike should gradually subside. Have you not ham- mered away at my heart with your Poseneck every evenin/, for weeks, until at last the tough old muscle has grown quite lender ?" The Freiherr had caused his rolling-chair to be pushed near the open glass doors of the garden-room, that he might inhale the fragrance which now towards evening was borne in upon the delicious breeze from the garden, already lying in shadow from the lofty forest. The papers lay upon the table beside him. His thoughts were busy with the occurrences of the day. " Where can Werner be ?" he suddenly asked him- self. Several letters that had arrived at the castle for the Finanzrath and had been forwarded to his address in Dres- den had been to-day returned, with the notice on the en- velopes that he had left Dresden. Hence the question that the father asked himself. He nearly started from his chair when old Franz flung wide the folding-doors leading into the hall and announced, " The Herr Finanzrath !" His visit was not welcome, and when Werner entered, not alone, but daring to introduce a stranger without permission, the old man's patience was too sorely tried. The look with which he regarded his son was by no means amiable, but that with which he greeted his companion was darker still. He was very unfavourably impressed by this man from the first instant of his appearance. In spite of his long seclusion from r*nr.^i:^^-^-*^j^*;5?*^|P?^"fjS. J^^i^;^ --■-: '--'.-;■ y^j^---T::.--'' --.■-r.'^--:*-'.:,"::Vr"a;.---- ■^- ■ i ■ ■ _--- ■■.™^-<'-"' '" t- r-''^r-^'a7«^;t"ft-'j CASTLE HOHENWALD. 263 society the Freiherr had always retained the greatest neatness, and withal an old-fashioned elegance, in his dress. Nothing was more distasteftd to him than a want of cleanliness or an air of neglect, and both of these characterized the former fa^ tidious Herr von Sorr, whom Werner now presented to his father. And Son's countenance did not belie his dress. The pale flabby cheeks, the watery eyes, the whole expression indeed of the man, bore witness to his degraded, debauched character and made him odious to the old Baron. For such a guest no consideration was necessary. " What in thunder do you mean ?" he said angrily to Wer- ner. " How dare you bring a stranger here ? Don't you know that I receive no visitors ? Whoever you are, sir, learn that I permit no invasion of my seclusion ! There is the door !" Sorr, trained though he had been by Repuin to submit to all sorts of contemptuous treatment, was nevertheless abashed by this reception, and might perhaps scarcely have ventured to persist in his intrusion had not Werner come to his aid. " Before you express yourself so angrily, sir," he said to his father, " you should hear the reasons that exist for my transgression of your commands and my introduction to you of Herr von Sorr. I appeal to your sense of justice, sir, in informing you that Herr von Sorr has no desire to intrude upon you, but has come hither because I have assured him that no Freiherr von Hohenwald ever refused what another had a right to claim, and that his just demand must be made directly to yourself." " What have I to do with this man?" the Freiherr asked, crossly. " This you can only learn, sir, by granting a hearing to Herr von Sorr, not by repulsing him in a manner that cannot but be offensive to a gentleman who comes hither at the re- quest of your eldest son." Agam, as often before, the Finanzrath's imperturbable com- ■■•1^'' 264 CASfLE HOEENWALD. posure asserted its sway over his father's passion. The old man gave his son a dark look, but yielded, and turning to Sorr, said, with forced calmness, " Approach, sir ; I re- gret it if my hastiness oflFended you, — such was not my intention. I can make no exception to the rule which 1 have observed for years of denying myself to visitors, and therefore I beg you to tell me as briefly as possible what you desire." Sorr complied with the invitation in spite of the ungracious manner in which it was conveyed, and took a chair near the old man, but when he met his dark, searching eye the words which he had committed to memory that they might serve him in this need would not at first be uttered. He cleared his throat in a vain endeavour to begin with some fitting in- troductory phrase. " Well, sir ?" The Baron's impatient tone admitted of no further delay, and Sorr began, overcoming his first stammering hesitation as he proceeded. " Herr Baron," he said, " you see in me a wretched man, who appeals to you for aid in recovering his lost happiness. In the terrible misfortunes that have over- whelmed me I have not been guiltless, but I assure you on my honour that I repent the wrong I have done, and that I am determined to begin a new life if through your aid I sue ceed in attempting it." " What is it that you want of me ? What business have you to ask me for your lost happiness ?" the Freiherr inter- rupted Sorr's studied speech. " Forgive me, Herr Baron, if, carried away by my emotion, I fail to use the right words in which to convey my request. Bear with me for a little while and you shall learn all. I will be as brief as possible, A few years ago I was a happy man, my fortune was considerable, I enjoyed the esteem of my firiends, an exalted position in society, and I possessed a -;r>s»»s^.^:,- CASTLE HOHENWALD. ^'65 charming wife, to whom I was ardently attached. 1 lacked but one thing, — the strength to withstand temptation. One passion ruled my life, — the love of gaming. Although I was usually fortunate, my success in winning large sums destroyed in me all appreciation of the value of money. I indulged in the wildest extravagances, and my income was always exceeded by my expenses. Thus my property dwindled almost without my knowledge. My wife, who loved me tenderly, warned me, entreated me, but even her prayers, all-powerful in every other direction, availed nothing to induce me to resist the fatal temptation oflFered me by cards. It dragged me down into an abyss that engulfed my fortune and that of my wife also. I found myself at last a beggar, my fortune, friends, position in society, and, worse than all, the aflFection of a wife whom I idolized, all gone. Meanwhile, one of my friends had, with inconceivable cunning and treachery, abused my confidence. The evenings that I spent at the gaming-table he passed with my wife, representing himself as having been sent by me to beguile her solitude. He was enormously wealthy, and no sacrifice being too great in his eyes where the attainment of his vile ends was concerned, he at times forced upon me large sums for the payment of my debts, and I — with shame I confess it — was weak enough, when my wife complained to me of the persistent attentions of this treach- erous friend, to entreat her not to ofiend him by any harsh rejection of them. I had utt«r confidence in my wife, and never suspected to what depths of infamy my false friend would descend." " What the devil have I to do with all this?" the Freiherr burst out, more and more disgusted with Sorr, who had hoped his thejftrical pathos was producing a very different impression. " For Heaven's sake, come to the point !" " I am about to do so. My treacherous friend, Gonnt Repuin " M 28 '-■?K'ffF' 266 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " Stay ! Wliat name was that ? Count Repuin, t\iii Russian, Werner's friend and confidant, — was he the man?" " The same, Herr Baron. I lost the greater part of my fortune to him ; he systematically contrived my ruin, believ- ing that when I found myself a beggar, my wife, with desti- tution staring her in the face, would lend an ear to his vile proposals. When I had lost all, so that I knew not where to turn for the barest necessaries of existence, he carried to my wife the false report that I was dishonoured, that I had been detected in cheating at cards, and that it was in his power to send me to a j^il. It was a bold falsehood, but it found cre- dence with my wife, whose esteem for me my passion for play had destroyed ; and when he further informed her that, in consideration of a large sum of money, I had resigned to him all claim upon her duty, in short, that I had sold her to him, in her despair the wretched woman believed this lie also." " Infamous ! incredible !" the Freiherr indignantly ex- claimed, involuntarily interested at last in Sorr's recital. " But the scoundrel failed in his schemes, although he haa plunged me into misery. Devilish though his cunning was, he failed to take into account one thing, — in which, indeed, he had no faith, — that a woman might be impregnably virtuous. He did not know my Lucie. What was his wealth to her in comparison with her honour ? She spurned his ofiFers with contempt, and yet she believed him, and driven by despair almost to madness, she secretly left my house. When on the morning after the fearful night in which I had sacrificed my last hope at the gaming-table I sought my wife's apartment to pray for her forgiveness and to make her the promise for which she had so often implored me, that never again would I touch a card, I found upon her table this terrible letter. Read it, Herr Baron ; it will explain to you better than any words of mine the depth of my misery." And Sorr handed ...Tri'^c.'^;!^^-^:?*;;^.!,;'. , ■,-;._ ^.1<:- , , -, - .sj^j^jjh,.;-, . , ■ ;:'.-__a.^^f^^.x^- CASTLE nOHENWALD. 267 to the f reiherr the letter that Lucie had left behind her on the evening of her flight. The old Baron read : " You have given back to me my freedom ; I accept it. It is your desire that we should part ; it shall be fulfilled : you will never see me again. Should you dare to persecute me, you will force me to denounce you publicly, and to give to the world the reasons that justify my conduct. The detected thief, who would barter his wife's honour, has forfeited the right to control her destiny. — LuciE." An odious smile hovered upon Sorr's lips as he watched the Freiherr while he read this letter aloud, and as he marked the impression that it produced upon him. He exchanged a significant glance with Werner, and then, when the read- ing was finished, continued : "I was beside myself with grief and fury when I found that my adored Lucie had left me. She had fled, that was clear, although I could under- stand neither her threat nor her strange intimations that I had desired to part from her, that I had sold her. She had vanished ; no trace of her could I find, although I even sum- moned the police to my aid. Surely, as a forsaken husband, I had a right to do so. All was in vain. Again and again I read her mysterious letter, and at last, upon a sudden im- pulse, I hastened to Repuin, showed him Lucie's note, and demanded and received its explanation. The wretch had the eflfrontery to tell me with a smile, of the manner in which he had destroyed the happiness of my life. We fought. I arose from the sick-bed, where a wound received in the duel prostrated me for weeks, an altered man. I have taken a vow never again to touch a card. I have since that day earned my daily bread by honest toil, correcting proofs for publishers, and giving lessons in French and English. I have now an assured although moderate income. In this period of struggle one hope alone has sustained me, that of finding my Lucie again. She is my wife by the indissoluble bond of 268 CASTLE HOHENWALD. marriage, a marriage blest by the Cliurch. I know that she will gladly return to me and share my toil and my poverty when she knows of my change of heart and life. And chance has befricndod me, Herr Baron, leading nie to a knowledge of your son, the Herr Finanzrath, from whom I have learned that, in order to secure herself from fancied persecution, my wife has taken refuge in a feigned name, and that she dwells beneath your roof as Anna Miillcr." The Freiherr stared at Son* in blank amazement. " Good Grod,sir! what do you mean ? Are you mad ?" he exclaimed. " Fraulein Miiller a wife, and your wife !" '" Ask your son. Herr Baron," Sorr replied ; " he will confirm my words." " Herr von Sorr speaks but the truth, father ; it is my duty to attest this. Frau von Sorr has seen fit to under- take to fill the position of Celia's governess under a feigned name. I had, of course, no idea of this when I engaged her through Frau von Adelung. I learned her true name only lately and by chance, and I felt it my duty to acquaint Herr von Sorr with her place of abode." When the first shock of his surprise had passed, the old Freiherr looked from Werner to Sorr and from Sorr to Wer- ner in a kind of ftiry. He had no suspicion as to the truth of Sorr's story ; he remembered that, by Count Styrum's desire, no allusion was ever made to Fraulein Miiller's past ; there could be no doubt that Anna was Sorr's unfortunate wife, forced by a sad fate to fly from her husband. What the Freiherr did doubt, what, indeed, utterly discredited, was the man's assertion of an altered course of life. One glance at his bloated features, at his watery, crimson-lidded eyes, proclaimed the fact that Sorr was deeply plunged in debauchery and drunkenness. This man had never aroused himself to a life of honest toil. It was no affection for hin wife that impelled him to seek her out. **'p?^ii^-^wE5»«^.,^»v-;7*. •',.■*■ ■ "-- ''"- ■■■-_.-■■■. i!-;----'-,^--. ,^^-^- ^4' ■ :■- 'V'V^'y:'-- r-^: ■•_-">:■ -; ■ .-. -"-"^^^1^^^ . UASTLE HOHENWALD. 269 The Freiherr's mind was filled with vague suspicion as to the man's motives, suspicion that attached in a degree also to Werner, to whose last words he sharply rejoined, Kaying,— " So you have been playing the spy here that you might betray the poor thing's confidence ?" " As Frau von Sorr never honoured me with her confidence I could not possibly betray it," Werner replied coolly to his father's reproach. " When I saw how great was her husband's misery, and how sincere his resolution to amend, I judged it my duty to acquaint him with his wife's retreat." " I owe the Finanzrath an eternal debt of gratitude for bringing me hither," Sorr interposed, " and for promising to set the crown upon his kindness by doing all that lies in his power to induce my beloved Lucie to fiilfil the duty that she owes to an unfortunate husband." The Finanzrath bit his lip Sorr's words reminded him, as they were meant to do, of the promise he had made the Russian to do all that lay in his power to further his schemes. The part assigned him here was odious enough, but the fear inspired by the Russian's threats conquered his distaste for it. He had gone too far to retrace his steps, and he therefore replied to Sorr, " I will certainly keep my word, although I think there will be little need of any influence of mine. Frau von Sorr, I feel assured, will willingly follow you ; but should she refuse to do so, my father will surely not sustain her in such a departure from her duty. Castle Hohenwald cannot possibly be an asylum for a wife who has deserted her husband in misfortune and refuses to return to him." As Werner spoke these words he did not look up ; he did not dare to meet his father's eyes, and therefore he did not see the contempt that shone in them as the Freiherr tamed from his son to Sorr and said, sharply, " What you ndk of me, then, Herr von Sorr, is that I shall force thi< 23* r i^*X'?& ■> "rTt-V iSPi 270 CASTLE HOHENWALD. unhappy woman to return to you. Is this so ? Speak out, sir ; I want a candid reply." " Your words sound harsh, Herr Baron," was Sorr's hum- ble reply. " I never thought of force, but only that you would place no obstacle in the way of an unfortunate man who only seeks to maintain his rights. I have made an expensive journey hither from Munich in the confident hope that it needed only an interview with my dear Lucie to induce her to take her place once more beside me as my faithful wife whom I dearly love and will never forsake. Surely the last sad months have atoned for my wrong-doing. I have a right to demand that she should follow me when I solemnly assure her that I have broken off all connection with Repuin. She is my wife before God and man, and what God hath joined let not man put asunder. You certainly, Herr Baron, would never protect a wife against the claims of a husband." The Freiherr did not immediately reply. This Hen von Sorr inspired him with a disgust which his evident and nau- seous hypocrisy only served to increase, and yet he could not but admit to himself that the man's claim, as he represented it, was a just one. He rang the silver hand-bell upon his table and said to Franz, who immediately made his appearance, " Beg Fraulein Miiller kindly to come to me as soon as she can." Then, turning to Sorr, he said, " I will not listen to anothei word from you until I hear the other side of the question. I reserve my decision until then. Not until I have spoken to Fraulein Anna, — I always call her so, and I have grown very fond of her under this name, — and until she has con- firmed your statement, will I accord it fall belief." " I am convinced, Herr Baron " " Not another word, Herr von Sorr ! I will keep my judg- ment unbiassed. You shall be confronted with the accused after I have first spoken with her alone." *PriT ^jT'sf'^^-v-^^^pHaf^s * js-v^'"^ ' ^ ^-^^ - ^ ^ -'■'r:^'rry^a^'f-'r-^^: ■',^,-^^t^-: CASTLE HOHENWALD. 271 " I have accused no one but myself, Herr Baron." " I attach no importance to that ; it shall be as I say. I will hear what Fraulein Anna has to say ; I will talk with her alone, — she shall not be influenced by the pres- ence of any one. I am sure that she will tell me the whole truth." This arrangement was not at all satisfactory to Sorr. He feared that Lucie might tell the Freiherr of his conversation with her on the evening preceding her flight, and so destroy his web of specious falsehood. He would at least make an attempt to prevent this. " I entreat you, Herr Baron, to permit me to repeat in Lucie's presence what I have told you. It wounds me that you should doubt my words. Lucie's testimony shall prove to you that I " The Freiherr harshly interrupted him, " I will not hear another word. It shall be as I say ! Werner, take Herr von Sorr out upon the terrace ; you can walk up and down there until I call you ; I wish to be alone." " But, Herr Baron " " What the devil, sir, — will you do as I say or not ? I am still master in my own caatle, I believe, and I will not be contradicted ; I wish to be alone. Your place for the pres- ent is out there on the terrace. If you refuse to obey my orders, the servants will show you the shortest way out of the castle." When the old Baron fell into a downright rage there wa«> nothing to be done with him, as Werner knew, and as Sorr perceived ; he did not dare further to gainsay his will, and, with a low bow, he followed the Finanzrath out upon the terrace. The Freiherr sat alone, awaiting with the greatest impa- tience Anna's appearance ; but the minutes passed and she did not come, nor did old Franz return to explain the reason why. The Freiherr rang his bell again, and Werner and Sorr, who ■'s-:^j?j.BfSS(EiR 272 CASTLE HOHENWALD. had been awaiting this summons, instantly entered from the terrace. The Froiliorr received them with a good round oath. " 1 was rinuiniT for tliat old ass Franz !" he roared out to Werner. " Stay outside on the terrace with your Herr von Sorr until I call you by name !" The two men were obliged to withdraw. The Freiherr rang his bell a second and a third time without any result, until at the end of a good half-hour Franz appeared, with the intelligence that Fraulein Miiller was nowhere to be found. She was not in her room ; Fraulein Celia said that the Frau- lein had gone for a walk in the garden or park ; but he had searched for her there in vain, and the gardener had helped him, and was sure she could not be either in the park or in the garden. CHAPTER XVIII. " Oh, my darling, darling Anna, how can I thank you ?" Celia laughed and cried and kissed her friend amid teara and smiles, dancing about her room like some wild sprite. " Come, Celia ; pray be reasonable, child !" Lucie at last admonished her. " Anything but that, dearest Anna, you must not ask that ; I am half mad with delight. My dear, good old father ! How unjust I have been to him ! How could I keep anything from him ? It was shameful ! oh, if I only had told him all about it the very first day when I met Kurt !" Lucie said nothing ; but she had her own opinion as to whether the result would have been a very happy one for CASTLE HOHENWALD. 273 Celia if she had told her father of her first meeting with Kurt. The girl went on pouring her innocent delight into Lucie's ears, and repeating that she owed it all to her darling A.nna. The castle clock struck four. " At last !" Celia exclaimed, and begged Lucie to make the greatest haste, lest Kurt should have to wait. Her friend complied ; it would have been cruel to detain the girl longer than was necessary to hasten along the broad road, down which Celia had so often galloped upon Pluto to the appointed spot. They soon espied the light straw hat, and an instant after- ward Kurt hurried towards them. " I have fulfilled your wish, Herr von Poseneck," Lucie said, offering her hand to the young man. " How can I thank you sufficiently for so doing ! for relinquishing your purpose of referring my request to the Freiherr von Hohenwald " " No, no, dearest Kurt !" exclaimed Celia. " She did not relinquish it. Yes, you may well be surprised, you unprin- cipled fellow, who would have persuaded me to meet you again without the knowledge of my darling, kind old father. But, oh, Kurt, we are so happy, and Anna has done it all !" And the girl, amid tears and laughter, told her amazed lover of the success of Anna's exertions in his favour. In his joy that there was no longer an insurmountable bar- rier between himself and his love, Kurt gladly promised to obey every condition imposed upon him by the Freiherr, de- claring that never would he write so much as one word to his darling except under cover to her father. When Lucie had explained to him all that she had prom- ised in this way on his behalf she took no further part in the conversation, wandering along the grassy path a little in ad- vance of the lovers, anxious that Celia should enjoy to the full S ' ?'«S^- 274 CASTLE HOHENWALD. every moment of this short hour of bliss, and lost in sad reflections as to her own future. *' I beg ten thousand pardons !" Kurt and Celia, who had forgotten all the actual world, and Lucie, in the midst of her sad dreaming, looked up startled. They had just reached the spot where the foot- path from Griinhagen crossed the broad road, and confronting them stood the Assessor von Hahn. He took off his hat with an exceedingly low bow to Celia in particular. " I beg ten thousand pardons, Fraulein von Hohenwald, for intruding again, but I am discreet ; I make no boast " " There you are quite right, Herr Assessor, for surely there is not much discretion in appearing where you have once been told that your presence is an intrusion." The Assessor grew crimson at Kurt's words ; he retreated a few steps and said, in great conftision, " You wrong me deeply, Herr von Poseneck ; you will, I am sure, retract your hasty words when I tell you that my presence here ha£. nothing to do with you or with my respected cousin, but with Madame — that is — I mean, I wish the honour of a few words with Fraulein Miiller. I learned in Griinhagen, where I arrived half an hour ago, that Herr von Poseneck had gone to the forest, and I suspected that the two ladies would take their afternoon walk in the same direction. There- fore, as it was highly important that I should speak with Madame — that is, Fraulein Miiller, I ventured to come hither." Lucie bestowed upon the Assessor a glance of anything but welcome, but she could not refuse to respond to his look of appeal. " You have attained your purpose, Herr Assessor," she said. " You probably bring me a message from my friend Ad^Ie. The Assessor is an old acquaintance of mine," she added to Kurt and Celia, who looked rather surprised, " and is a constant visitor at the President von Guntram's." ;,Ci>T^7'r!;T:'t'*f;'»?^|i^£Jf»ii/,i^i!SqfW5^^ CASTLE HOMENWALD. 275 The Assessor's courage returned upon hearing Lucie ac- knowledge his acquaintance, and he went on with much more confidence than before : " Certainly, Madame — that is, Frau- lein Miiller, I bring you a message from Fraulein Ad^le, and not merely a message. I am not alone ; there is a gentleman in the shrubbery who wishes to speak with you. I brought him at Fraulein Ad^le's express desire." Lucie recoiled in terror. Had the gossiping Assessoi betrayed her secret ? Had he brought hither either Repuin or Sorr ? They were the only persons who could have any interest in discovering her retreat. She gazed towards the spot indicated by the Assessor, and, in dread of encountering Repuin's detested form, moved closer to Kurt as if for protec- tion. " Whom have you brought here ?" she asked. " I cannot mention any name, Fraulein Miiller," the As- sessor replied. " I promised not to do so, and I am a man of my word. But I can assure you that you will rejoice to see my honoured companion. He wishes to meet you alone, therefore I pray you step aside to where he is awaiting you in the forest only a few steps from here." " I will not go !" Lucie declared. " Whoever your com- panion may be, he has no right to require that I should go into the forest to meet him." " You do not know of whom you speak, Fraulein Miiller," the Assessor said, with unusual earnestness. '• I entreat you not to refiise. I assure you you will rejoice to see my com- panion, who longs to clasp you to his heart." Lucie shot at the little man a glance of flame. She turned in indignation at such insolence to Kurt, saying, " I have nothing further to say to this gentleman. May I beg you, Herr von Poseneck, to continue our walk ?" " But, Madame — Fraulein Miiller, I would say — ^you place me in the most embarrassing position ; there can be no reason why you should not see my honoured companion. I give you r^W!^ 276 CASTLE nOHENWALD. my word of honour that he comes by Friiulein AdMc's express iesire ; he is the only man in the world whom I would have conducted hither. I was so glad to meet you here in the forest, and not to be obliged to go to the castle to find you, and now you refuse to go a few steps to meet him when he has come so many miles to see you. Do you mistrust me ? I do not deserve it of you !" There was so much of honesty and good will stamped upon the Assessor's face, he was evidently so aggrieved by Lucie's distrust of him, that his words produced some effect upon her. She hesitated, and wondered whether she were right in her refusal ; but before she could reply an elderly gentleman, the same whom the Assessor had received at the railway station, emerged from the forest and hastened towards her. She gazed at him for a moment, and then, with a shriek of joy, threw herself into his arms, and, clasping her own about his neck, kissed him again and again. " I have you again ! Thank God ! thank God !" she cried. " This is too much joy ! Now I will hold you fast. You must not leave your child again." The gentleman was much moved, and the tears stood in his eyes as he returned Lucie's kisses. " My child ! my dear, good child !" he whispered, tenderly. " You are mine once more, and I shall know how to protect you from your das- tardly persecutors." " We are not alone, we must remember that," Lucie said, at length, extricating herself from her father's embrace. The old man turned, with his daughter's hand still in his, and extended his right hand to Kurt. " Forgive me, Herr von Poseneck," he said, " for presenting myself so unceremo- niously to Friiulein Cecilia von Hohenwald and yourself. I had hoped that my daughter would comply with our friend the Assessor's request and come to me in the forest ; but her natural reluctance to do so is the cause why you are the ''^ff?f^WmS!FS'^^?S^-'"----- '--^-.v '.-'-.■---;■■.-.;:■ .-s-- ..-■■-*•,?/,: ■- ■■- - i - , ••JSBW."' ■ - CASTLE HOHENWALD. 277 witnesses of a meeting between a father and daughter who have been separated for years." For a few moments the poor Assessor found himself upon a pinnacle of glory. The modesty with which nature had endowed him was in danger of great deterioration, so en- tlmsiastic were Lucie's thanks to him for his kind interest, so gratifying was the appreciation of his services by his fair cousin and Herr von Poseneck. But alas, poor man ! he soon experienced the uncertainty of such a position, and felt himself no better than the fifth wheel to a coach with the two couples, who evidently desired to be left to themselves. Kurt and Celia paid him not the least attention, and Lucie was so wrapped up in her newly-found father that she soon seemed entirely to have forgotten Hahn's existence. He was therefore fain to amuse himself by botanizing among the forest flowers. Lucie clung to her father's arm as if fearftd of losing him again should she leave him for an instant. They walked on in advance of the lovers, and as soon as they were out of hearing the daughter gave words to her delight. " I am so happy, my darling father ; I can scarcely believe the evidence of my senses that I am looking into your dear eyes and feeling your strong arm support me. Oh, father, how cotdd you stay so long away from your child ? All would have been diflFerent if you had been here !" " I could not have prevented Sorr from ruining himself and you," Ahlborn gloomily replied. " Do not reproach me, my child. I did what I was forced to do, and the result has crowned my work. When I left you without even taking leave of you, I determined never to return unless in posses- sion of all, and more than all, I had lost. Even then I sus- pected how bitterly we had been deceived in Sorr, and my only object in life was to work for you, my darling, that your future might be secure. With this one thought in my 24 ■'-'y'lrr^'^^fm^^f 278 CASTLE HOHENWALb. mind I went to America and plunged into a life of toil, in which, when I might have faltered and ftillen, the thought of you sustained me. I added dollar to dollar with the par- simony of a miser. I embarked, like a madman, in the boldest speculations. All that I touched seemed to turn to profit. But why dwell upon those wild years ? I hate to think of them, for, although I never stooped to what the worid calls dishonesty, it galls me now to remember how different was the system of mad speculation by which I re- gained my lost fortune from the plodding industry by which I first obtained it. " Three months ago I arrived in' Bremen, and hurried tt Berlin, where my worst fears with regard to Sorr were con- firmed. His reputation was gone, his property lost ; and I was told that he had removed with you to M . When I reached M it was too late, you had vanished unaccount- ably, and Sorr, too, was not to be found." " Did not Ad^le tell you where I was ?" Lucie asked. " I never thought of going to her, so wide-spread was the report that in your despair you had destroyed yourself. I left M a broken-hearted man ; of what use was my wealth ? My aim in life was gone. " I tried to divert my mind by travelling aimlessly hither and thither; and at Frankfort-on-the-Main, seeing by the papers that a fine estate on the banks of the Bhine was for sale, I purchased it, in hopes of finding relief from my misery in the care of it. But the peaceful solitude to which I had looked to soothe my pain only increased it, and again I began my wanderings, which suddenly found their close in Berlin. Last Friday I was sauntering aimlessly along the street there when I met the Assessor von Hahn. Remembering that in former days he was in the habit of frequenting our house, where he was one of your adorers, I did not rebuff him when he recognized me and with a cordial welcome on P''«i3!TOij'<'7«Tv«.''s«:sa(jKrgj CASTLE HOHENWALD. 279 his lips walked along by my side. I soon wearied of him, however, and paid no attention to the gossip he continued to retail to me, until I was aroused from my absence of mind by the question, ' Have you been to see your daughter yet ?' If he were conscious that your friends mourned you as dead, why ask so cruel a question ? I begged him instantly to tell me all that he knew of you, and this threw the little man into the greatest conftision; my joy was unbounded when he assured me positively that you were still alive, although he refused to reveal to me your retreat, and re- ferred me to your friend Addle. An hour later I was in the train bound for M , and the next morning I had an early interview with your friend, who was in raptures at recognizing me. But, ah, my child, what a tale she told me ! My poor darling, to what a fate did I resign you ! Now, however, I know all, — all, for Addle even gave me your last letter to her to read, entreating me to go instantly to your aid, to carry you to my home on the Rhine, far away from Castle Hohenwald, where, as you said, each moment was tor- ture to you." " Did Addle say that ?" Lucie asked, in surprise. " Did she not show you my second letter, which she must have re- ceived almost simultaneously with the first ?" " I know nothing of any second letter ; but your friend re- gretted deeply that she had not yet been able to procure you the situation for which you implored her, and added that she was upon the point of writing to you, to insist that you should return to your old retreat beneath her father's roof. We consulted together what was best to be done. We agreed that you must leave the castle immediately, but in view of the eccentricity of its lord, I judged it best to accept the friendly offices, so frankly oflFered, of Herr von Hahn to procure an interview with you, rather than to present myself in person to the Freiherr. 280 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " I telegraphed to the Assessor at A to meet me at the station there, and as soon as I was able to procure a place in the crowded trains came hither. He was waiting for me on the platform, and before we left the station he pointed out to me two gentlemen who had arrived by the same train aa Count Repuin and the Finanzrath von Hohenwald." " Good heavens !" Lucie exclaimed. " Werner and the Count ! This is, indeed, wretched news. I feared it, I feared it, although I could not conceive that the Finanz- rath could be so basely treacherous. But let Count Repuin come, — I am no longer defenceless ; I will confront him boldly in the presence of the old Freiherr." Then as she reflectod that her kind old friend was absolutely ignorant of her past, now probably to be so misrepresented to him, she went on, in feverish agitation : " But, oh ! my father, there is a danger which you cannot avert. What if my kind friend should be led to doubt me by the falsehoods that will doubt- less be poured into his ears ? I will not lose his esteem and affection ; we must see him before the Finanzrath and the Count reach the castle. Perhaps it is already too late. Pro- tect me from them, father, if they should be there, and stand beside me while I tell the Freiherr my wretehed story." But to this her father was not inclined to agree. Had it not been for the presence of Repuin he would gladly have allowed his child to acquaint the Freiherr with all her past, but he could not doubt the Russian's close association with Sorr, and from her husband even Lucie's father could not protect her. Should Sorr require her to follow him, nothing remained for her save to elude him by a secret flight from the castle without even bidding the old Freiherr farewell. Only when beneath her father's roof could she thank Baron von Hohenwald for all his kindness and explain to him the grounds for her sudden and secret flight. When, however, Herr Ahlborn explained his wishes on 'i-i^^rT^a^siw^.^:-^'^*^-:-'--:- '■ ■■- . .' -■-. . '-,■■.■■ ■ ' '=..:-;■; .V'?'" -.■.■■"■■- ■■• , -; 'T-^>^'r'-r - " ■. '**:r^^ is-?^ CASTLE IIOnENWALD. 281 this head to his daughter, he encountered a determined oppo- sition on her part ; she was so unwilling to leave without one word of explanation what had been to her a dear asylum, that at last, trusting in Sorr's absence, the father yielded to Lucie's entreaties and consented to accompany her to the castle. CHAPTER XIX. The time passed with incredible swiftness for all save for p<)or Herr von Hahn. Celia had so much to say to her lover that when Lucie reminded her that it was time to return she begged for " one more quarter of an hour, dearest Anna !" and was only pacified by the permission given to Kurt to accompany her to-day on the walk back to the castle. Thus all turned their faces towards home. Celia wished the road were miles long. She went first with Kurt, and Lucie and her father with the Assessor followed them. The lovers paused at the gate of the court-yard ; Kurt could go no farther. As Celia was looking back for Anna, her atten- tion was diverted by the noise of a vehicle, and through an opposite entrance came a carriage that drew up before the steps leading into the castle hall. Two gentlemen descended from it, — one was Werner, the other an entire stranger to Celia " Anna," the girl said to her friend, who was still too far off to look into the interior of the court-yard, " Werner haa come, and he is not alone, — there is a stranger with him." The intelligence did not startle Lucie ; she had feared that the Finanzrath and Repuin would reach the castle before her, but in another instant she stood by Celia's side, and recog- nized in the stranger not Repuin, but her miserable husband. 24* .i-^. 282 CASTLE HOHENWALD. "Sorr is there himself; you will not now return to the castle ?" her father, who instantly recognized his son-in-law, asked. Lucie did not reply ; she was too much dismayed to appre- ciate at first the result which a meeting with her husband in Castle Hohenwald might bring about. " I yielded to your wish," said Herr Ahlborn, " when I sup- posed that Count Repuin would be the Finanzrath's com- panion ; but since Sorr himself is here, doubtless with the intention of asserting a husband's rights, you must not lose a moment, but must follow me instantlv." " Only let me say one word of farewell, father." " No, you must not expose yourself to such peril." " What will the Freiherr think of me if I fly thus without a word ? Herr von Sorr will not venture to malign me if I confront him in the Baron's presence." " But he will demand his rights, and, in spite of his base ■ess, he has the law upon his side. You owe it to me, your father, as well as to yourself, to come with me. Fraulein Cecilia will carry your farewell to her father, and you can soon write to him and explain everything." All that Celia, standing by in utter amazement at the words exchanged between father and daughter, could understand was, that the stranger with Werner, whom they called Sorr, threatened Anna with great danger, from which her father was entreating her to fly, and that her friend was unwilling to leave the castle without a word of farewell. Celia had often pondered the mystery of her friend's past, and was firmly convinced that whatever it might be Anna never could have been to blame. " What are you saying ?" the girl exclaimed, in great agi- tation. " Are you talking of leaving Castle Hohenwald without one word of farewell to dear papa and Amo ? Oh, no, Anna ! Indeed, you must not think of doing so. What- 'CASTLE HOHENWALD. 283 ever may be the evil intent of Werner and his companion, papa and Amo will know how to protect you." " Fraulein Cecilia, do you really love my daughter ?" Ahl born aaked, earnestly. " Do I love her?" the girl rejoined. " She is my dearest friend. I owe to her all the happiness of my life." And her glance sought Kurt. '' Then, if you really love her, you will not try to persuade her to enter the castle, when I assure you solemnly that she will by so doing imperil the happiness of her life. Trust me, I implore you. You shall soon hear from us and learn all that want of time now forces us to conceal. Everything depends upon her leaving here with me without a moment's delay. Would you yet persuade her to remain ?" "No! no! you shall not stay, my darling Anna!" the girl exclaimed, more impressed by the old man's tone and manner than by his words. " If your happiness is at stake never think of us. I do not know how I shall live without you now that Kurt and Amo are both going to leave us, but not for worlds would I keep you. Gro with your father, and I will tell papa how sorry you are not to say good-bye to him, and that you will soon write and explain everything." Lucie was deeply agitated. Her heart rebelled at the thought of leaving the castle thns, but her reason told her that it was her only chance of safety, and she yielded to Celia's unselfish entreaty. At Herr Ahlbom's request the girl promised not to acquaint her father with Fraulein Mul- ler's secret departure until late in the evening, and to state in answer to any inquiries concerning her that she had com- plained of headache and had gone to take a solitary walk: The friends then took leave of each other with many tears, and Lucie, with her father and the Assessor, struck into the foot-path leading through the forest and village of Hohenwald to Griinhagen. Kurt lingered for one moment for a last 284 CASTLE hohenwald: embrace of his darling, and then, joining Lucie, walked silently by her side. Lost in thoughts of Hohenwald and of what Arno would say when he heard of her flight, Lucie walked on swiftly. Suddenly she paused with a thrill of delighted surprise, for he of whom she was thinking stood before her. Arno was on his way from the village of Hohenwald, and owing to the windings of the path was close beside the twc gentlemen, who were in front of Kurt and Lucie, before he saw them. His surprise was great on beholding the Assessor, with whom he had formerly been slightly acquainted, and who now bowed profoundly, while his elderly companion accorded him a reluctant greeting by slightly raising his hat. Arno was about to accost them when he perceived, to his still greater astonishment, at some little distance, Fraulein Miiller accompanied by Herr von Poseneck. There had been another meeting in the forest, then. It had doubtless been arranged in the letter that had aroused his jealousy. His soul was filled with bitterness. How great had been his folly in trusting Anna's words rather than his own eyes ! How she must have smiled at his futile irritation when she persisted in reiterating Poseneck's praises ! What did she mean now ? She suddenly stood still as she perceived him, and on her lovely face there dawned a brilliant smile as she held out to him both her hands. " What an unexpected pleasure !" she exclaimed. He did not take her proflFered hands, and would have passed on with a bow, but this she prevented. She took his hand. " We must not part thus, Herr Baron," she said, with so kindly a look that in a moment his bitter mood was changed ; he carried her hand tenderly to his lips, and she did not withdraw it. " You are displeased with me, Herr Baron," Lucie con- tinued; "but you do me great injustice. Now that I see CASTLE HOHENWALD. 285 you I can in some measure explain the grief that my hasty departure from the castle causes me. I told my father — ^but you do not know my dearest father yet. This, father dear, is the Baron Amo von Hohenwald." Herr Ahlborn was by no means pleased at this meeting m the forest ; it must lead to explanations which he would fain have avoided. He uttered a few phrases of conventional eourtesy, and regretted that the necessity for reaching A that very evening would prevent any prolongation of the in- terview. " I shall not fail," he added, " to communicate shortly by letter the reasons which make my daughter's sudden departure from Castle Hohenwald an imperative ne- cessity." All that Amo gathered from this was the fact — and it filled him with dismay — ^that Anna was to leave Hohenwald. " What !" he cried, " are you going, going to desert my father and Celia at the hour of their sorest need ? No, Frau- lein Miiller, I cannot believe this. Tell me you will remain. My infirm old father and Celia cannot do without you, and I — but no, I will not speak of myself, of the wretchedness that the thought of not finding you here upon my return from the war would caiise me. I will plead only for my father and Celia. Stay with us ! do not forsake us !" " It must not be. I cannot 1" Lucie replied, in much agitation. " Every moment is precious !" Ahlborn exclaimed, impa- tiently. " Farewell, Herr Baron ! Lucie, take my arm." " No, father ; you must grant me a few minutes of private conversation with Baron von Hohenwald. I owe him some explanation of my conduct." " Lucie, take care !" " It must be, father ; I cannot help it. I will follow you in a few minutes." " You are your own mistress," Ahlborn rejoined, gnun- -■■ITS^P 286 CASTLE HOHENWALD. blingly. " You must do aa you please, only I implore you to remember the danger that lies in delay." He touched his hat to Arno, and then taking the Assessor's arm and accompanied by Kurt, he pursued the path until one of its windings screened Lucie and the Baron from their sight, when they paused and waited. Lucie left alone with Arno, resolved not to leave him until she had justified herself in his eyes, and yet she was irreso- lute how to begin. Her cheeks glowed with shame at the idea of imparting to him the sad mystery of her life, and yet the precious minutes were flying; something must be said immediately. " And you are really going to leave us?" This simple question from Arno broke the silence and relieved Lucie's hesitation. " I must, Herr Baron," she re- plied. " I had hoped to find a home in Castle Hohenwald, but a sad fate has snatched it from me." " Am I the cause of your flight ?" Arno eagerly asked. " Do you so dread the few hours that are all I can yet pass in the castle ? I leave it to-morrow. Do you hate me so bitterly?" " I do not hate you," Lucie gently replied. And in her cajidid eyes, in the pressure of the little hand that still rested in his, Amo saw that she spoke the truth. " You are not the cause of my leaving Hohenwald. Your brother, who is now at the castle, will teU you the reasons for my flight." " Werner? You have confided, then, in him ?" "No; an unfortunate chance betrayed to him my sad secret, and he has made sad use of it. Even without his in- terference I should have followed my father, who is restored to me after years of hopeless separation, but I should not have been forced to steal away thus, like a criminal, without one word of farewell to your father, who has treated me with such paternal kindness." ^>.;^vw.-»vjjSSi^: ■-;>;.;.:;■■■ ■■-■- ■, - ■^■>-- ;;,;-^;---"'^-_- /-^^'^--^ ,v^. --r:. .v--y\'?^ .^^'f^', -■'"■/,■ ^"^ ■ ■ '. V' .>■ i? ;*-*^^?^=-r- " > ■ -^?T^,7f^ CASTLE HOHENWALD, 287 " You speak in riddles. I do not comprehend you." " I will solve them for you," Lucie sadly replied. " Yon will comprehend all when I tell you that the man whom your brother has just introduced at Castle Hohenwald is the cause of my misfortunes, is my miserable husband, Herr von Sorr !" Amo fairly staggered beneath the blow ; he dropped Lucie's hand and gazed at her in horror. "You are — ^you — ^you are He could not finish the sentence ; hope seemed slain within him ; his future was a blank. " Do not be angry with me," Lucie said, taking his hand again. " I implore you not to be angry with me. I am so wretchedly unhappy. I could not part from you without telling you the whole truth. I have longed to do this so often, and I have bitterly repented ever coming to Hohen- wald under a feigned name." " Lucie, we are waiting 1" Ahlbom called from the dis- tance. " Must I leave you without one word of forgiveness from you ?" Lucie continued. She still held Amo's hand in hers and gazed at him with eyes of sad entreaty. Hitherto she had suppressed all expression of her sentiments towards him. Never in the intercourse of daily life at Hohenwald had she for an instant relaxed in the stern watch and ward that she kept over every gesture, every look that might encourage any hope in his mind. But this was a supreme moment ; they were parting forever, and her heart clamoured for its rights. Amo was profoundly agitated. Heart and mind were filled with tumult. Anna the wife of a wretch from whom she was forced to flee! He suddenly comprehended why she had denied him all hope ; and now, as he looked into her miploring eyes and felt the soft pressure of her hand, the thought thrilled him with sudden ecstsjsy that she returned his love, that her lips and not her heart had rejected his affec- . ■*:f>'.-T^-'ss*76»f3^ji» 288 CASTLE nOHENWALD. tion, that she tad but fiilfillod a duty. He drew her closei to him, and for an instant, with a burning blush, she yielded to his embrace. " Lucie ! Lucie !" came Ahlborn's warning voice, in more impatient tones than before. " You love me !" Arno whispered, all else forgotten in the overwhelming bliss of the moment. Lucie extricated herself from his embrace. " We must part !" she said, sadly. " Fate divides us forever, but in this last sad moment let me implore you never to lose confi- dence in me, whatever you may hear upon your return to the castle !" " Lucie ! it is time we were gone !" " I must go. We must part," she said. Once more Arno clasped her to his heart and kissed her passionately. She did not resist, but in an instant turned and hurried to her father. As she reached the winding in the pathway she turned, waved her hand, and then vanished in the forest. Arno gazed after her like one in a dream, conscious only that just at the moment when the blissful certainty was his that she returned his love, she was lost to him forever. She was the wife of another, and Werner, his brother, had brought to Castle Hohenwald that other, her unworthy husband, from whom she had been forced to flee under a feigned name. In an instant he comprehended that it was his part to hasten to his father and espouse Lucie's cause. As he entered the castle garden he observed two persons walking to and fro on the terrace : one was his brother, the other then was Sorr. The garden-walk wound among shrubbery, whence Arno could watch the man for a while without being perceived, and disgust stirred within him at the thought that a man so evidently steeped in low dissipation should be Anna's hus- band. He felt that he hated both him and Werner, who ''^r- i;-Tajg4r CASTLE HOHENWALD. 289 had brought him hither. Resolved to defend his love against them both, he soon reached the terrace. Werner awaited his brother's approach, and intercepted his direct entrance to the garden-room. A malicious smile played about his lips as he laid his hand upon Amo's shoul- der. " Are you in too great a hurry, Amo, to spare me a word of greeting when we have not seen each other for sev- eral days ? T will only detain you for one moment, however, to present to you in Herr von Sorr a guest whom you will doubtless be glad to welcome when I tell you that he is so fortunate as to be the husband of the beautiful Frau von Sorr whom we have learned to know by another name. For reasons of which you shall be informed hereafter, Frau von Sorr thought fit to select our house for her abode under a feigned name. We know her as Fraulein Anna Miiller." Werner had arranged his sentence so that its conclusion should be a sudden revelation to his brother. He had ex- ulted in the prospect of Amo's amazement and horror at the intelligence that Anna Miiller was Sorr's wife, but to his as- tonishment his brother did not betray the slightest surprise, bestowing only a slight glance at the '' guest," who, hat in hand, but in evident con^ion, stammered various conven- tional phrases suitable, as he thought, to the occasion. Werner could not understand Amo's unlooked-for com- posure, and when his brother coldly rejoined, " Frau von Sorr has already informed me of your bringing this gentleman to Hohenwald," he hastily exclaimed, " You have spoken with Frau von Sorr ?" " Not long ago." " And she told you that I was at the castle with her huH band ?" « Yes." " She must have seen us then as we drove hither." " Very probably." T 26 - i-m^y^^ 290 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " Why, then, does she not come to my father ? She is evi- dently avoiding us. Where did you see her ? My father ha^ been waiting impatiently for her for more than half an hour." " Indeed ? Then it will gratify him to learn tidings of her." And with these words Arno passed on into the garden-room ; but in the doorway he observed that Werner and Sorr were following him ; he paused therefore, and, barring the way, said, gravely, " The tidings that I bring of Fraulein Anna Miiller are for my father's ear alone." " Herr von Sorr certainly has a right to know where his wife is and what you have to say to my father with regard to her." " The devil he has !" the Freiherr angrily exclaimed. " I told you before, Werner, that you are to remain out upon the terrace with your Herr von Sorr until I call you. No man in the world, and this Herr von Son least of all, has a right to hear what my son wishes to tell me alone. Under- stand that, Herr Finanzrath. Now go ! I wish to be alone with Arno !" Werner suppressed the angry retort that rose to his lips, and, withdrawing once more, paced the terrace impatiently with Sorr. He knew that when his father was as angry as at present there was nothing for it but to obey. " What have you to tell me of Fraulein Anna ? I will still call her by the name I love. I can hardly believe that she is the wife of that low-looking scoundrel," the Freiherr said, when Arno had taken his accustomed seat beside his chair. His son as briefly and as simply as possible told of his in- terview with her in the forest, — how she had presented her father to him and told him that she was forced to flee from her unworthy husband. He also delivered Anna's farewell to the Freiherr, and her entreaty that no one would judge her harshly, but wait until a letter from her should explain all. The old Baron interrupted his son frequently with excla- •■JF-5*- i.ir?^*' *'Y^ -*^ ^ (* ts^* CASTLE IIOHENWALD. 291 mations of surprise and with questions, and when he had concluded, declarpd " It is a most extraordinary stoiy, and I can make nothing of it; but I am glad you said nothing about her to those fellows outside, for Werner is evidently hand in glove with this precious Herr von Sorr. What they want I cannot imagine ; perhaps you may guess when you hear that fellow's story." The Freiherr then related as briefly as he could the tale told him by Sorr, adding, finally, " I must do the man the justice to say that he acknowledged that he alone was to blame in his quarrel with his wife ; he never accused her, and I might have put some faith in his protes- tations if it had not been for the scoundrelly hang-dog look of him. I don't believe one word of his repentance and change of life. There is a screw loose somewhere in his story about Count Repuin. K he had fought a duel with the Russian is it likely that Werner would bring his friend's mortal foe here ? I had hoped to hear the truth from Frau- lein Anna, but now that she has gone, what's to be done I don't know." " Celia may tell us something." " True, she may ; that's an idea !" the Freiherr exclaimed. " She went with Anna into the forest. Gro, Amo, and bring the child here." Arno found Celia in her own room, and with dif&culty per- suaded her to accompany him to her father's presence ; where, until Arno finally told her of his late interview with her dear Anna, she refused to give any information with regard to Fraulein Miiller's disappearance. Then, however, she told the little that she knew ; no more, indeed, than what Arno had already learned, that Anna was forced against her will to leave the castle instantly to escape a great peril, and that she would shortly write and explain all. " We are no wiser than we were before," the Freiherr de- clared, when Celia had finished speaking. " We know that ^■•Wf"'WK!P" 202 CASTLE nOHENWALD. she has fled, but we do not know why or whither ; there is some comfort in the thought that she is with her father, and the question now is, what is to be done with those two fellows outside. I must give them some answer." As he spoke, the Freiherr glanced towards Werner and Sorr, and observed to his surprise that they were no longer alone. A man, hat in hand, was handing Werner a letter. " Is that not Hesse, our old Inspector?" the Freiherr inquired of Arno. "Look, Amo, how agitated Werner seems; he must have received some important intelligence ; yes, here he comes again, with- out waiting for a summons." Werner, followed by Sorr, now hurriedly entered. " I can wait no longer, father," he said, approaching the Freiherr. ' I must beg you to decide instantly. Important infor- mation which I have just received forces me to leave here immediately with Herr von Sorr. I trust Frau von Sorr will accompany us. Surely you will not deny a husband his rights, — will not compel him to have recourse to the law." The Freiherr did not reply. " I entreat you, sir, to delay no longer, — every moment is precious," Werner went on. " Any long stay here is fraught with peril for me." " I will not delay you ; go when you please." " Shall I have come in vain ? Will not Frau von Sorr accompany her husband ?" " I have no right to detain her." " But you allow her to reside in the castle, while duty calls her to follow her husband. You sustain her in her dis- obedience to duty by permitting her to remain beneath your roof." " What a shameful accusation !" Arno cried, indignantly, but his father interrupted him. " Hush, Amo !" he said, authoritatively. " I will have no CASTLE HOHENWALD. 293 disputing between you brothers. My decision is made ; I will not interfere between Herr von Sorr and his wife 1" " You will not shelter her, sir ?" Werner asked. "No!" " Thank you. I expected no less of you." A contemptuous smile played about the Freiherr's lips as he rejoined, " I am greatly flattered. Thus the whole matter is ended. You can find Frau von Sorr, and tell her from me that I can no longer permit her to stay in Castle Hohen- wald. The rest is your affair, or rather that of Herr von Sorr, whom I must now beg to leave me. I am far from well, and will hear nothing further ; therefore adieu to both of you. Find Frau von Sorr, compel her to go with her husband, or do what you please, only leave me in peace. Success to you, Herr von Sorr ; adieu, Werner !" The old man leaned back in his chair, and by an imperiouB wave of the hand dismissed his son. Werner left the apartment, followed by Sorr, whose ftd- some gratitude the Freiherr cut short by another impatient wave of the hand. As soon as they had left the room, ^ Werner, still accompanied by Sorr, hurried first to the library where he hoped to find Lucie, and then up-stairs, where the maid informed them that Fraulein Miiller had not been seen since four o'clock, when she had gone for a walk with Frau- lein Celia ; old Franz had searched both garden and park for her in vain. Werner burst into a rage at this information of the maid's. " Amo saw her !" he exclaimed, when he was once more alone with Sorr in the castle court-yard. '' He knows where she is, and must tell us where to find her." He then re- turned to the garden-room alone, leaving Sorr to await him in the court-yard. The reception he met with was of the coldest; his father swore he would not hear a word ft'om him, Aruo refused to answer any questions, and Celia cod 2§* 294 CASTLE EOHENWALD. tinned her performance of one of her father's favourite sonatas without deigning even to look at him. He dared not linger longer in the castle, — there was nothing for it but to return to the court-yard, where the vehicle in which he had arrived stood ready for departure. " We must go, Herr von Sorr," said Werner ; " time flies. My father, brother, and sister are evidently in league with your wife ; they know where she is, but utterly refuse to tell, — it would take hours to find her, and every moment is priceless." " We cannot leave without my wife ; I do not dare to confront Repuin without her." " Then stay here ; I am going," Werner resolutely de- clared. " I will not imperil my freedom by a fruitless search, and besides we may chance to meet her on our way. Will you come ?" He opened the carriage-door and sprang in. Sorr hesitated a moment, and then followed him ; the coachman whipped up his horses, and they galloped oflF at a rattling pace Not more than a quarter of an hour had elapsed when there appeared, on the road to the castle along which they had so lately passed, a mounted gendarme, preceding, by another quarter of an hour, an open barouche, in which sat three gen- tlemen, two oflScers and a civilian. Colonel von Schlichting, with his adjutant, Lieutenant von Styrum, and the famous, or, as some would have it, the notorious police official, the Geheimrath Steuber, from Berlin ; a second civilian, his assistant, sat on the box beside the coachman. The gendarme, when in sight of the castle, awaited the barouche, behind which came a detachment of mounted dragoons, and reported that he had seen nothing suspicious, uo carriage either going towards or coming from the castle. " The birds are probably not yet flown," the Geheimrath Baid, rubbing his hands and chuckling. " The castle can be pg f j^pp ^:?^°^^JFg'|pg-^e^-i^»^^;^^tSigg^B3Wgp°^ - '^jm ij fi'^i^i^i^' - «»^^r CASTLE HOHENWALD. 295 approached only in this direction. I waa afraid upon learning at the station that immediately after our arrival a carriage and a horseman had left it at ftill speed that they might have got wind of our coming, but now I rather think we shall find the entire band of conspirators, including Count Repuin, together." The Geheimrath was evidently elated at the prospect of a good haul. There was a smile upon his ugly face, which, to Count Styrum, made it look uglier still, and his view was shared by Count Sehliehting. Both officers were fiilfilling a disagreeable duty ; they had received their orders from the highest authority, and were instructed if the arrest of the Freiherr von Hohenwald were really unavoidable, to proceed with the greatest caution and delicacy. Count Sehliehting and Count Styrum, the latter of whom was but just re-ad- mitted to military service, had personally been informed by their august commander how painftil it was to him to issue orders for a search of Castle Hohenwald, which might result in the arrest of the Freiherr and his son Amo in addition to that of the Finanzrath and Count Repuin, which had already been ordered. Stem necessity alone had overcome considera- tions which would else have prevailed even with the highest authorities, and both search and arrests were confided to the charge of the famous Greheimrath, who was at the head of all investigations of the treasonable combinations still existing after war had been declared. Thus the police official was, in fact, the leader of this expedition to Hohenwald, although for form's sake he appeared as the colonel's assistant, and this galled the old soldier, for the Greheimrath's past was more than questionable ; he owed his lofty position entirely to his cunning. Sehliehting would gladly have replied harshly to the exultation of the man who, with his old, wrinkled face and large, prominent eyes glaring through round spectacle-glasses, looked Mke nothing s ) much as a malicious and evil-minded 296 CASTLE HOHEXWALD. kobold, but considerations of duty kept liiuj silent Styrum^ however, felt bound by no such considerations, and when the Gehoimrath went so far as to stif^matize all the inmates of the castle as conspirators he indignantly repeated the obnoxious word, and added, in a deeply -offended tone, " You would do well, Horr Geheimrath, to be better informed before you apply such an epithet to the old Freiherr von Hohen- wald or to my comrade and friend, the Freiherr Arno. As to the latter, I can voiich for his patriotism and devotion to his country ; he is incapable of treason, and there is nothing but unfounded rumour, so far as I can learn, that can cause you to regard the old Freiherr as a conspirator." The colonel nodded approvingly to the younger oflBcer, while the Geheimrath looked at him with a smile half of pity and half of contempt as he replied, " It is the privilege of youth to trust and to hope ; you must not wonder, however, that with my experience I am readier to believe in guilt than in innocence. This, however, shall not prevent me from searching with equal vigilance for proof of the innocence as well as of the guilt of those under suspicion. If your friend is, as you believe, innocent, his fate is in good hands ; I am terrible only for the guilty." " And you believe that Baron Arno may be guilty?' " I believe nothing, Herr Count. I only know that there are incontestable proofs that the Finanzrath von Hohen- wald has treasonable relations with Count Repuin and other French agents ; that he has employed leave of absence granted him from official duty to make various expeditions from Castle Hohenwald to the large South German cities, always returning thither again, and that in his letters he has expressed the hope of winning over his father and brother to what he calls the ' good cause.' I know further that he has jattly developed a feverish activity, and that this very morn- ing he arrived at Station A in company with Count CASTLE HOHENWALD. 297 Repuin, the most dangerous of all the French agents, doubt- less intending to visit Castle Hohenwald in order to mature with their associates those arrangements that cannot be con- fided to paper. Therefore you must not be offended, Hen- Count, if an old police official makes use of the word ' con- spirator' in designating these associates. If your friend Baron Arno is no conspirator so much the better, but at present his ease has an ugly look, and I must warn you both, gen- tlemen, not to allow your belief in his innocence to betray you into any action detrimental to the success of our expedition hither." " We know our duty, and need no reminder that it is to be fulfilled," the colonel haughtily replied. " I am convinced of it, and beg to assure you that no ' re- minder' was intended," Steuber rejoined, after which, leaning back in the carriage, he made no further attempts at conver- sation. Arrived in the castle court-yard, the Gleheimrath sprang out of the barouche with youthful agility, and after a few whispered words to his assistant, requested the colonel, who followed hiTTi somewhat less briskly, to place guards at every point of egress ftova. the castle into the garden, and then to present him to the Freiherr von Hohenwald. " The sooner the search is begun," he added, " the more secure we are of results." With the best grace he could muster the colonel ordered Styrum to place guards as required. Meanwhile, old Franz, hearing the clatter of the horses upon the stones of the court-yard, made his appearance, staring in dismay at the strangers who dared, against his master's commands, thus to invade Castle Hohenwald. " We wish to speak with the Herr Freiherr von Hohen- wald. Conduct us to your master !" Franz gazed open-mouthed at the man who uttered theso 298 CASTLE HOHENWALD. words in an imperious tone. What, show a stranger into hia master's room unannounced, and no permission asked ! It waa inconceivable. " The Herr Baron cannot see any one." " He will see us !" " No ; the Herr Baron has expressly ordered that no strangers are to be announced." " You are not to announce us, but to conduct us to him !" And as he spoke, the man with the spectacles had so threat- ening an air that old Franz felt constrained to obey. " This way, then !" he said, sullenly, leading the way to the garden- room, followed by the colonel and the Geheimrath. Fatigued and agitated, after Werner's departure the old Freiherr lay wearily back in his rolling-chair, his thoughts busy with Anna, who had so often sung him the very song that Celia was now beginning to play on the piano. Arno sat beside him silent and sad, listening to his sister's charming rendering of the well-known melody. " It is past ; and all is so diflferent fi-om what I had hoped," the Freiherr said, after a long pause, taking his son's hand and pressing it. " She has left us, and all my hopes are crushed." " What were your hopes, father ?" " It is useless to speak of them." Another pause ensued ; the old Baron sadly gazing at his son, who was again lost in thought. Then he spoke once more, " Tell me frankly, Arno, am I wrong in thinking that our Anna had grown very dear to you ?" At this unexpected question Arno hastily started from hia seat, and paced the apartment to and fro, then paused and confronted his father. " Why ask such a question ?" he said, reproachfully. " What is to you, father, or to any one, whether I loved or hated her ? Our Anna, do you call her ? Have you forgotten that she is the wife of that wretch whoa CASTLE HOHENWALD. 299 Werner has chosen for his friend ? She is Frau von Sorr ! Do you know, father, that at times I think the thought will drive me mad !" " I thought so !" the old Baron rejoined, taking his son's hand as he stood before him. " It has been so great a pleasure to me to watch you during these last few weeks. My Amo will be happy after all, I thought. I dreamed of her as the lovely mistress of Hohenwald, and now — now it is all over." Amo did not reply. Again he paced the room restlessly to and fro, never heeding the unusual bustle that had arisen in the court-yard. The Freiherr too was only aroused from his brooding reverie by the sound of footsteps in the hall and the sudden flinging wide of the doors to admit Count Schlichting, fol- lowed by the Greheimrath Steuber, while almost at the same moment steps resounded upon the terrace, and two dragoons with drawn sabres stationed themselves at the glass door lead- ing to the garden. At this sight the old Baron's sadness was converted into violent anger. " Thunder and lightning, Franz ! How dare you introduce visitors unannounced !" he exclaimed, furiously, to the old servant, who stood in the doorway quite uncertain which to fear more, his master or the terrible man in spectacles. " Don't scold your servant, old friend," said Count Schlich- ting, approaching the Freiherr's rolling-chair and taking his reluctant hand. " He conducted myself and this gentleman hither only upon compulsion. And we do not intrude volun- tarily upon your seclusion, but in obedience to an august command, which, I am sure, will be respected by the Freiherr von Hohenwald." The Freiherr gazed at the colonel with flashing eyes. He ha''^'^:''' .'•:■,. :■:'■'',•-:':,' :• • "-'--S^ ;r~. ■■-,".-■ .' ;"> -Sr^^fv CASTLE HOHENWALD. 303 nrhicli indeed I now believe will be entirely fruitless. The aid I need, and which your superior officer permits me to require at your hands, consists simply in your presence as a witness during my search. Thus you are a substitute, as it were, for your friend Baron Arno von Hohenwald, to whom you may be able to render essential service. May I look for your kind compliance with my wish ?" " I am ready," Styrum replied, and, with old Franz for a guide, they betook themselves to Werner's apartment. CHAPTER XX. The Finanzrath, when he stayed at the castle, occupied a spacious room in a retired wing, where, between the windows, stood his writing-table with its many drawers and compart- ments. This inmiediately attracted the Greheimrath's atten- tion. Upon it lay an unopened letter, which Steuber at once took possession of and coolly opened. Looking up as he did so, he smiled at the expression of an outraged sense of honour on Styrum's face, and then read the letter aloud. " Make no fiirther attempt to win over your father and brother, — it might be dangerous. Unfortunately, some of our friends have been very imprudent. I have received trustworthy in- formation that many of us are under strict surveillance. The greatest caution is necessary ; a new associate could avail us little, — one traitor might ruin us. Your brother's friend, Count Styrum, has already applied for re-admission to the army ; if your brother should do likewise, he will rank among our foes, not our friends. Therefore I must entreat you to acquaint neither your father nor your brother with any of our :^04 CASTLE HOHENWALD. plans. More when we meet ; until then be upon your guard !" " And this precious epistle is signed ' A,' " the Geheimrath added. " It tells me nothing new of the Finanzrath or his friends, but it hints strongly that neither the old Freiherr nor his younger son knows anything of the Herr Finanzrath's schemes. Do you still think I did wrong to open the letter, Count ?" Without waiting for a reply the Geheimrath went on to search in the most careful manner every drawer and pigeon- hole of Werner's desk, but his trouble was vain. The drawers were all unlocked, but not one piece of written paper was to be found anywhere. " Hm ! the Herr Finanzrath has been expecting me," Steuber muttered, impatiently. " There is nothing here, and I have searched everything except the waste-paper basket." Thereupon he proceeded to examine all the papers it contained, worthless scraps, one and all, until nothing remained except some small fragments at the very bottom of the basket. Then, while the Count looked on in impatient wonder, he carefully assorted these, perceiving that they consisted of two kinds of paper, one bluish and stiflF, the other creamy and delicate, murmuring, as he did so, " There can hardly be more than two notes here, or the number of scraps would be greater." Styrum's interest began to be aroused. Since the Geheim- rath now seemed inclined to believe in the innocence of Amo and his father he was no longer so distasteftd to the Count, who testified his awakening interest by drawing a chair up to the table and closely watching the arrangement of the fragments of paper. His attention flattered the Geheimrath, who showed himself in the most amiable humour. " We will first undertake the strong, bluish paper," he said ; " there are fewer of the scraps, and our work will be comparatively easy. I fear, however, that we are very indiscreet ; the writing here is a lady's, and I suspect we have to do with a love-affair." In % V CASTLE HOHENWALD. 305 a short time the sheet lay completely fitted together before the official, who rubbed his hands with his peculiar chuckle and said, " It is no love-letter ; I was mistaken ; but it is from a lady, and not even addressed to the Herr Finanzrath, but to Fraulein Ad61e von Guntram, in M ." " A letter to Ad^le !" Styrum exclaimed. "Do you know Fraulein von Guntram, Count?" " Certainly ; the letter is addressed to my betrothed." " Then the contents, which are quite incomprehensible to me, will interest you all the more ; perhaps you may divine from them how the note came to be torn up in the Finanz- rath's waste-paper basket." And he read : " What will you think of me, dear Ad^le, if a few hours after writing my last letter I tell you not to heed the request it contained ? I hope soon to be able to let you know why I do this, but I cannot tell you to-day. I cannot leave Castle Hohenwald, and so you are relieved of the burden of looking for another situation for me. Farewell, dear ; you will soon hear farther from your ,, j „ Styrum listened with the greatest attention, but, although his betrothed had told him of the letter from Lucie in which she had entreated that another position might be found for her, he could give the Geheimrath no information as to why this letter, which had evidently been written since, should be found in the Finanzrath's waste-paper basket. Steuber tossed it aside and began upon the creamy-coloured scraps, over which he worked diligently for nearly an hour. When the letter lay complete before him he uttered an invol- untary exclamation of delight. " This," he said, " is a very important document ; it puts me upon a fresh scent. It is addressed to Count Repuin, care of Colonel ^on Berngberg, in Cassel. Colonel von Berngberg has never before been sua- \i 26* ■■■•Ki'S'if ^ 306 CASTLE HOHENWALD. pected of hostility to the government ; this is a reward for all the trouble we have had." Again the malicious twinkle of his eyes, the joy he evidently felt at the implication in treasonable schemes of a man hitherto thought loyal, disgusted Count Styrum, who, on the spur of the moment, said haughtily " I must pray you, Herr Geheimrath, to spare me the contents of this letter; any prying into official secrets is of course extremely distasteful to me as a soldier and officer." Steuber looked up from his work for a moment and nodded kindly. " I understand you, Count, but, unfortunately, I cannot relieve you from the duty of listening. I am working under orders, and in the service for the time of your superior officer, whom you now represent. Besides, I will wager that you will not regret listening to the letter that now lies before me. It was written by the Finanzrath, and afterwards, for some unknown reason, destroyed by him ; and it runs thus : '* ' I write in the greatest haste, my dear Count, to tell you that I have received intimations, whether from a trustworthy source or not I cannot say, that our correspondence is known and watched. It is better to be careful : therefore do not intrust your letters to the post again. Send them in the way you know of; it is more secure, although less speedy, than the post. I will make one more attempt to win over my father and my brother, but I tell you frankly that I fear it will be fruitless. My father is no politician, and Amo is an idealist whose heart is set upon a united Germany. If he should re-enter the service he will probably fight against our friends. Indeed, he is so enthusiastic a " patriot" that it is questionable whether it would be wise to attempt to influence him. Always yours, " ' W. VON H.' " As he finished it the Geheimrath looked up to his com- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 307 panion with a smile of triumph. " Are you satisfied now with my work, Count ?" he asked. " We may inform Count Schlichting that there can be no possible pretext for arrest- ing the Freiherr or his son Amo ; not a shadow of suspicion rests upon them. What do you think ? For my part I con sider our search ended ; there is nothing more to be found here. Let us go and report to the colonel. My task at Castle Hohenwald is over." Count Schlichting felt a sense of relief when the Geheim- rath left the garden-room and he found himself alone with his old friend and his children. " This is but a sorry errand of mine here, Hohenwald," he said, seating himself beside the Freiherr's rolling-chair ; " but you must not take it ill of me, since I accepted the part assigned me in hopes that you would rather see a friend than a stranger, odious although his duties might make him in your eyes. I am rejoiced that Werner got wind of our coming and has vanished ; now my hope is that taat cursed Greheimrath may poke his infernal nose wherever he chooses in the castle with- out raking up any evidence against you and Arno." " Have you any doubts on that head ?" the Freiherr asked, bitterly. There was a degree of embarrassment in the colonel's air as he replied, " No, not that ; but politics nowadays are puzzling. I have the greatest confidence in you ; but who can judge for others ? Here's the Finanzrath doubtless an excellent fellow in other respects, has dabbled in plots and schemes which are now thought treasonable, but which may, at another turn of the wheel, lead him to a ribbon and star. To-day a warrant of arrest is out against him, but who knows whether in another month he may not be held in high honour in Saxony and Southern Germany ? I should be very sorry if you, old friend, and your son, who fought the Prussians bravely four years \fWWif^l 308 CASTLE HOHENWALD. ago, had been led into any indiscretions ; but indeed I could not blame you, for, God knows, it is hard enough for us Saxons to fight shoulder to shoulder with our former foes, against those to whom we owe it that we are not to-day in the position of the poor Hanoverians and Hessians. I am an old soldier, and go wherever my king sends me ; but I cannot say that this time I unsheathe my sword with any enthusiasm." " I never rejoiced more to draw mine !" said Arno, whom the colonel's expressions had evidently pained. " In 1866 I fought with bitterness, a German against Germans, and I left the service with a savage hatred for Prussia smouldering within me ; to-day it is forgotten in love of country, of the German fatherland, of which Prussia is now the represen- tative, standing foremost in the conflict with the arch-enemy of German freedom, and as the defender of our German Rhine against French greed of territory. If my brother can have forgotten the duty h-e owes to his country, it is all the more incumbent upon me to do what I can to wash away all stain of treason from the Hohenwald name." " That you will surely do, my dearest brother !" Celia cried, with glowing cheeks. " Your fidelity will atone for Werner's treachery, and our father will bless you for vindicating the honour of his name." The colonel looked at them with a smile as he stroked his gray moustache, and said, " Aha, I see clearly that Steuber's long nose will soon forsake Castle Hohenwald ! You have cause to be proud of your pretty daughter and your son, old friend ; still, we will not judge Werner ; let every man be true to his own convictions. I hear with pleasure, Herr von Ho- henwald, that you wish to re-enter the army. I am at your service in this matter ; nothing would give me greater satis- faction than to have so brave an officer in my regiment, and I will, if you authorize me to do so, apprise the king of this «T».'¥^'19>KS.^.-'?-J?^-'V^;. ?' ■' ' •■ - - "- ■-?. ■■ *., - . . -.-,,., r.^,,,. CASTLE HOHENWALD. 309 when I take him the news to-morrow of our fruitless errand to Castle Hohenwald." This offer Arno gladly accepted, and it was thereupon agreed that he should accompany the colonel to Dresden that he might immediately join his regiment. All of the little party in the garden-room, in the interesting conversation that ensued, quite forgot the object of the colonel's visit, and were only reminded of it after a long hour by the entrance of Count Styrum with the Geheimrath. While Arno was greeting his friend with cordial delight, Steuber set the colonel's mind entirely at rest by his report, and by the request that the dragoons might be sent back to A and himself relieved of all fiirther duty, since no pos- sible suspicion could attach to any of the present inmates of the castle. A quarter of an hour later the obnoxious official took his departure, while the colonel and Styrum, upon the Freiherr's earnest invitation, remained in the castle a few hours longer, that Arno might conclude his preparations for leaving, and accompany them to A- , there to take the night train to Dresden. The time for parting came. The colonel and Styrum took leave of the old Baron and went down into the court-yard, where the carriage was in waiting. Arno was left alone 'for a moment with his father and sister. The old man was deeply moved. It evidently caused him an effort to release his son's hand from the firm clasp in which he held it, while a tear rolled down his wrinkled cheek upon his silver beard. " Fare- well, Arno ! farewell, my dear son, pride and delight of my age," he said, drawing his ton gently down to him and, for the first time since that son had grown to manhood, pressing his lips to his brow. " Farewell, Arno !" he repeated. " Make me one promise before you go. If, when you return, I am no longer here, be a father to my Celia. I place her happi '"^Wcm^.^ 310 CASTLE HOHENWALD. ness in your hands. You must not sacrifice it to an heredi tary prejudice, but make good a promise I gave our Anna, and if you ever meet Kurt von Poseneck in the war forget the family feud, and treat him kindly. For Celia's sake look upon him as a brother, for I have promised our Anna that when he comes back he shall be Celia's husband." Celia threw her arms around her father's neck and burst into tears, but the old man gently put her away from him, and, paying no heed to Arno's look of startled inquiry, lay back in his chair. " Go, children !" he said, in a feeble voice. " You must leave me. This parting is almost more than I can bear. Celia, go with Arno to the carriage. Farewell, my dearest son I Your father's blessing be upon you in the coming struggle for the fatherland 1" CHAPTER XXL Months had passed since the beginning of the war ; thi German hosts had overrun France, and were girdling Paris with an iron ring, making its surrender but a question of time, while upon the ruins of the empire that had crumbled to decay at Sedan the young republic had been born to pursue with the energy of despair the strife that had been bequeathed to it by imperial policy. The pretty village of Assais was among the foremost to declare itself devoted to the republic, following the lead of the Marquise de Lancy, the widowed chatelaine of the castle of Assais, who, although a Russian by birth, was an enthu- giastic supporter of the new government. Towards the end of September, however, the Marquise had departed for Eng- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 311 land, leaving the castle in the charge of a cousin, the Baron de Nouart, who had arrived at Assais only a short time pre- viously in company with the brother of the Marquise, a Russian count. The Baron was reported to have been so busy in Germany in the French interest that an asylum in the castle of Assais was exceedingly welcome to him. His reputation in this respect stood him in good stead with the villagers, who otherwise were by no means favourably im- pressed by the appearance and manner of the substitute of their fair chatelaine, which were those of a man of dissipated life given over to the vice of drinking. Assais had hitherto escaped any visit from the Prussian soldiery, but its time of immunity had passed. One morn- ing in October an officer of Uhlans, with a small detachment of Prussians, spread terror in the village by galloping through its principal street towards the castle, where he demanded to speak with the Baron de Nouart. The Baron, who had been apprised of the approach of the Prussians, had pre- pared to receive them after rather a singular fashion. B«- tiring to his apartment, he had donned a fiery-red wig, with a false beard and moustache of the same colour, while a pair of dark-blue glass spectacles made the colour of his eyes en- tirely undistinguishable. Thus disguised he appeared before the young officer of Uhlans in the court-yard of the castle. The officer scanned the strange figure before him rather cu- riously as he asked whether he had the honour of addressing the Baron de Nouart, and whether he could speak Grerman. Upon being assured of the Baron's identity, as well as of his inability to speak German, although he understood it per- fectly, the young man continued the conversation in French, informing the Baron that a regiment of infantry and a squad- ron of Uhlans were about to occupy Assais ; that quarters must be provided in the castle for the colonel, officers, and part of the men, — the rest could be accommodated in the vil- >'^^'. J 312 CASTLE HOHENWALD. lage. The more willing the inhabitants showed themselves to receive the Prussian soldiers the less cause should they have for complaint. Having delivered himself thus, and having been assured by the Baron that the castle should be at the disposal of the colonel when he arrived, the Uhlan departed with his men to inspect the village accommodations. The Baron was as good as his word. Towards evening, when Colonel von Schlichting, with his officers, arrived, the preparations for their reception were far more complete than was required by the rules of war. The Baron kept himself in the background, and was visible only to the Uhlan commander and the colonel, who was by no means favourably impressed with the man who, hat in hand, received him in the castle court-yard and in execrable German declared that he would gladly do all in his power for the comfort of the German officers, but must request to be allowed to retire, as he was a very sick man, most of the time keeping his bed by the physician's orders. His servile demeanour disgusted Count Von Schlichting ; but he was obliged to admit that he did not promise too much, so admirable was every arrangement for his comfort. At dinner, several of the officers expressed their surprise at finding such luxurious quarters and such excellent wines in so secluded a spot, and loudest in his praise was the Uhlan captain of horse, who had been ordered with his squadron to the support of the Saxon regiment in the work of ridding the surrounding country of the bands of franctireurs by which it was infested. " There are no such quarters in all France !" the captain cried, with enthusiasm ; " such rooms, such a kitchen, and such a cellar ! Indeed, gentlemen, the Baron Je Nouart deserves a toast for his hospitality. He is not handsome, that there is no denying ; but here's to his health !" The Saxon officers joined, laughing, in the Prussian cap- tain's toast, and even the colonel did not refuse it, although CASTLE HOHENWALD. 313 he drank it with no genuine cordiality. He turned to Count Styrum, beside whom he was sitting at the large round table in the dining-hall. " Are you as much pleased with our host, Count, as are our Prussian comrades ?" he asked, in a tone too low to be heard by the others ; " although I must confess that our reception here has exceeded my expectations, I am most unpleasantly impressed by our host ; he reminds me of some one whom I have seen, I cannot remember whom." '^ That's odd," Count Styrum replied ; " my own experi- ence is the same. I only saw the man for a moment, and at a distance, and yet it seems to me that I have seen him somewhere formerly, though where I cannot for the life of me remember." " Are you sure ?" the colonel asked. " No, colonel ; such fancies are very little to be relied upon. It struck me, however, that the Baron beat a hasty retreat as soon as he espied me, although I may have been mistaken there, too." " It is a singular coincidence, however, and I begin to think that Monsieur may have some reason for requesting that we will in future communicate with him through his factotum Gervais." The conversation was interrupted by Captain von Hohen- wald, who came to report that the men had been peaceftdly distributed among the inhabitants both of Assais and of the neighbouring villages. Amo had scarcely taken the place at table indicated to him by the colonel, with whom he was a favourite officer, when the young Uhlan lieutenant, who had brought the news of the approach of the regiment to Assaia in the morning, entered the dining-hall, and was presented by his superior officer, Von Saben, to Count Schlichting z& Lieutenant von Poseneck. Amo's attention was at once arrested upon hearing the familiar name. He had never yet encountered Kurt von o 27 ~WWf?^^. 314 CASTLE HOHENWALD. Poseneck, — Von Saben's squadron had joined Count Schlich ting's regiment only two days previously, Kurt reported that he had made a reconnoissanee in all directions and had found no traces of the enemy. This information convinced the col- onel that, for the present at least, there was no risk in enjoy- ing to the full the repose and hospitality offered at Assais. And this the young oflBcers certainly did. The best possi- ble understanding seemed to exist between the Prussians and Sj»xons, and the hall resounded with mirth and laughter from the various groups into which the large assembly soon divided. t.)ne of these consisted but of three, Count Styrum, Arno von Hohenwald, and Kurt von Po3eneck. They had with- drawn to a comer of the hall and were engaged in earnest conversation. How much there was to hear and to tell ! Arno felt every trace of the foolish hereditary prejudice fade within him as he looked at the handsome young fellow, who showed in every word and glance his pleasure in thus meeting his Celia's brother. Only from Celia's letters had Arno heard of Kurt, who had written of his advancement to the old Freiherr. Now Kurt was not only begged for the story of his experience since the beginning of the war, but Arno drew from him the account of his first meeting with Celia, and of how Frau von Sorr — Arno felt the blood mount to his cheek at the name — had learned by accident of the intimacy between them. To that noble woman, Frau von Sorr, Kurt declared, glad Indeed to make a confidant of Celia's brother, did he owe it that his love for Celia was no longer a secret. He had faith- fully kept his promise never to write to Celia, but he had written to Frau von Sorr two letters to be forwarded to the Freiherr. One of these he feared had miscarried, as Frau von Sorr had not alluded to it in her last letter to him. Arno's heart beat furiously as he asked, with all the indif ference he could assume, " You correspond, then, with Frau von Sorr?" •^,^- CASTLE HOHENWALD. 315 " Yes. Frau von Sorr permitted me to write to her, and promised to forward my letters to your father when there were any tidings of me to be transmitted to Castle Hohenwald." " Then you know where Frau von Sorr is at present, and how she has been since leaving the castle ?" Kurt, all unmindful of the suppressed eagerness with which this question was put, replied by giving a detailed account of Frau von Sorr's departure from Grtinhagen for Berlin, whence she had retired with her father to his beautiful estate, Kalten- born, on the Rhine, not far from S , wrhere she had found a secure retreat from her husband's persecutions. On this score Herr Ahlborn was now quite easy, since Sorr and the Finanzrath had both been obliged to flee the country as proscribed traitors, and any return to Germany for them was impossible until the war should be ended. In her last letter Frau von Sorr had described her life with her father as all that she could desire, telling Kurt that she, with various other women of S , had established a lazaretto for wounded soldiers, and that she had also prepared accommodations at Kaltenborn for some few, for whom pure country air might be specially desirable. She expressed a hope that Kurt never might be wounded, but prayed him if he were and could con- trive it to be sure and be brought to her at Kaltenborn. " And this," Kurt concluded, " I shall certainly do, if an unlucky bullet should chance to lay me up for a time. I honour that woman from my very soul ; she is an angel !" It was with difficulty that Amo restrained himself from chiming in with Kurt's enthusiastic admiration ; his respect for his sister rose on the instant. What penetration and judgment she had shown in bestowing her heart upon this excellent young fellow ! As a reward he allowed Kurt to read Celia's last letter, — a letter that transported the lover ir thought to the Hohenwald forest, so vividly did it bring hii> love before him in all that makes girlhood bewitching. -= '-■^.'''^■rf^;:?. ?^a6^i; 316 CASTLE HOHENWALD. Thus the hours flew by unheeded until the three friends found themselves alone in the spacious hall, when, as they were not weary, Kurt proposed a short walk before retiring to rest, and they all sauntered out into the autumn moonlight that was flooding the garden and park. They walked on aim- lessly until, emerging from a thicket of shrubbery, they saw before them one of the wings of the castle. All the win- dows here were darkened except two upon the ground-floor directly opposite them. The friends paused and gazed in vol untarily into the apartment thus revealed to them. It was a large room, luxuriously furnished. In a cushioned arm-chair, beside a round table in the centre of the apartment, sat the Baron de Nouart, and on the table, at his elbow, stood a glaas and a half-empty bottle. Just as the oflicers emerged from the bushes some slight noise probably attracted the Baron's attention. He raised his head, seemed to be listening for an instant, and then arose hastily and drew close the heavy curtains that had been open to admit the air. " Let us turn round," Kurt said, in a low tone ; " the Baron may else suppose that we wish to spy upon him." " Which would be a poor reward for the hospitality he has shown us," said Arno. Styrum said nothing, but followed his companions, and not until they had reached the open lawn before the balcony of the dining-hall did he remark, " The Baron seemed in a great hurry to screen himself from observation." " Naturally," Arno rejoined ; " he had good reasons for so doing. Unless I am much mistaken, that was no wine- bottle at his elbow ; it held good cognac. A fellow at such night- work hardly likes to be seen." " They told me in Nontron that he was an incorrigiblft drunkard ; never sober after noon," Kurt added. Styrum shook his head ; natural as was this explanation of CASTLE HOHENWALD. 317 .he Baron's conduct, it did not satisfy him. " He may be a drunkard," he said, " but I am convinced that he had other reasons for drawing those curtains so quickly, — the same probably that made him turn away this afternoon when he saw me. I have surely seen that man somewhere ; he knows me and fears my recognition. What else did you hear about him in Nontron, Kurt?" " Not much, but quite enough to justify any suspicion of his honesty. He is said to be a distant relative of the widowed Marquise de Lancy, the owner of the castle, where he made his appearance only a few weeks ago ; and although he is a zealous patriot, he is not, they say, a Frenchman, but a Russian. They say, too, that he can speak G-erman extremely well, and yet this morning, when I addressed him in G-erman, he could scarcely reply in the same tongue, although he said that he understood it perfectly. He is a suspicious character." " I do not see any reason thus far for your distrust of him," Arno observed. " Nevertheless, the colonel shall learn what Kurt has told us," said Styrum. " It is best to be upon our guard." The friends then separated and betook themselves to re- pose. CHAPTER XXII. It had been a weary day for the Baron Frangois de Nouart ; he had not even been able to have recourse to his usual stimulant, so impressed was he with the necessity of keeping every faculty upon the alert in the trying position in which he found himself. That this Saxon regiment of all others should have been ordered to Assais was a stroke of 27* 318 CASTLE nOHENWALD. terrible ill luck ! Not until Gervais reported to him thai all was quiet in the castle for the night did he venture to seat himself comfortably at the table in his room with the brandy-flask at his elbow. And even then five minutes had scarcely elapsed when a slight noise causing him to turn his head, he plainly saw through the open window the three officers on the moonlit lawn, and that one of them was the man whom he so dreaded. Count Styrum. He started up and closed the hangings instantly, hearing distinctly as he did so Kurt's words, " Let us turn round ; the Baron may else sup- pose that we wish to spy upon him." Then through a chink in the curtains he watched the three men disappear among the bushes, his heart beating violently the while from fear of detection. After watching some minutes longer he crept softly to Gervais's room, and having received the steward's assurance that the young Uhlan officer with his two friendi* had returned from the garden, and that all three were now locked in their rooms, he made a stealthy round of the castle. All was quiet, and he once more returned to his room to seek the forgetfulness that he so craved. But the poor man had scarcely drained a few glasses of his favourite beverage when he was once more disturbed, this time by a low tap upon the window, which he had closed. Could it be a belated officer ? Hardly ; he would not an- nounce his presence thus. It must be some friend, who for certain reasons did not dare to seek an entrance to the caatle more boldly. Again the knocking came, quicker and more impatient; with uncertain steps the Baron went to the window, and, aa he looked through the curtains, uttered an involuntary ex- clamation of horror, " Count Repuin !" and in an instant the curtains were drawn aside and the window opened. " Are you mad, Count ? Do you not know that the castle swarms jrith Germans?'" he whispered, in dismay. CASTLE HOHENWALD. 31? " Then give me your hand and help me to get in at this cursed window," whispered Repuin, who stood without in the dJsguiseof a peasant. "Quick! Am I to stay here until the guard discovers me?" " I implore you to fly, Count. You will ruin both your- self and me ; we shall be shot if you are found in the castle." " I will not be found. Do as I tell you, and give me your hand !" The Baron had no choice but to obey. He extended his hand to the Count, who seized it, and with but little difficulty clambered in at the window, which was but a few feet from the ground. Scarcely had he closed it and drawn the curtains behind him when he turned with a look of scorn to the Baron, " What a coward you are, Sorr !" he said ; " your hand trembles like a woman's. Shame on you ! Why, I do believe the fellow is drunk again. There stands the empty brandy-bottle. I wonder whether there is enough sense left in your dru^ed brain to make it worth while to talk reason to you." Repuin's insulting words made no impression on Sorr ; he was too well used to such from the Russian. But the fright that the Count's visit caused him, and the sense of the danger with which it threatened him, helped to sober him. He drank several glasses of cold water, and then bathed his head and face, after which he was sufficiently himself to turn to the Count and say, " What evil star brought you to Assais ? Are you resolved upon my ruin ?" " Bah ! what is your ruin to me !" the Count rejoined, con- temptuously. " You run no greater danger than I do. Are you sufficiently collected now to understand me ?" " Yes ; what do you want ?" " I wish to convince myself by personal information how matters stand here in Assais; there is no confidence to be oliced in the reports circulating everywhere ; these French "-l"-JSis'^ 320 CASTLE HOHENWALD. make mountains out of mole-hills. You mus< give me exact intelligence with regard to the enemy." " How am I to do that ? Do you suppose that Count Schlichting makes me his confidant ?" " Ah, Colonel Schlichting is here, then ?" " Yes ; with his whole regiment, and a squadron of Prus- sian Uhlans." " Hm ! They are too many for us as yet, then, — we must wait a few days. Is Count Styrum here ? I suppose so from your disguise ; you look like a scarecrow." " Yes, he is here, and also Arno von Hohenwald." " Baron Arno, my rival with your lovely wife. Let him look to himself!" " What can you do ? The Germans are too strong for you." " Just at present they are, but in a few days we shall out- number them ; victory has made them over-bold ; they are venturing too far northwest, and they imagine that they have to do only with some scattering bands of franctireurs. I have learned enough for to-day, but you must contrive to keep me informed of all that is going on here. For a messenger you must employ the village maire, Fournier ; his boy Louis waa shot a few days ago by some of these very G-ermans, and the man is thirsting for revenge ; he will do all and venture all to bring destruction upon these men." " But they have placed their sentinels so that it will be impossible to elude them, and, besides, how could anything of importance reach my ears ?" " Leave the eluding of the sentinels to Fournier, and for mportant information we must depend upon Gervais ; let him .isten well. These officers can have no idea that he under- stands German perfectly ?" " Not the least ; the colonel always speaks to him in exo- crable French." ^^3^t CASTLE HOHENWALD. 321 " Then let him be constantly on the watch for news, and let me hear it instantly through the maire. May I rely upon you?" " You are playing a dangerous game, Count ! "We shall be discovered ; and if we are, we are lost, for Count Schlich- ting knows no mercy." " Then none shall be shown him." " He will need none. I implore you, Count, to moderate your zeal ; you will only plunge into ruin if you attempt to attack an enemy that so outnumbers you. We, the maire and I, shall both be shot if we are suspected of holding any communication with you." The Count gazed sternly at Sorr. For a moment he seemed to bethink himself; then he said, laying a sharp stress upon each word, " I am almost tempted to believe you capable of playing the traitor, Herr von Sorr. I would not advise you to contemplate such a course ; one step in that direction and Count Schlichting shall learn by a letter from me whom your clumsy disguise conceals. Remember you are closely watched. If you are true to me you shall have your reward ; but if you are a traitor, by Heaven ! you shall meet a trai- tor's death. If you should escape a Grerman bullet, a French one shall find its way to your heart. Now you know where you stand. One more piece of advice : for God's sake avoid that cursed brandy-flask for the next week at least. Come, be a man, Sorr ; promise me that you will not drink a drop for the next eight days." Sorr promised, and Repuin took his departure, leaving, as he had come, by the window. Sorr closed it softly behind him and stood at it for a long while, dreading to hear a shot in the shrubbery, but all remained quiet. .rW-l?.-' 322 CASTLE HOHENWALD. CHAPTER XXIII. The next few days were gloomy with misty, rainy weather, and Count Schlichting grumbled incessantly at the enforced idleness of his command. Arno and Kurt employed the time in improving their knowledge of each other, and passed many a pleasant hour together with Count Styrum in ex- ploring the park and gardens of the castle, which were re- markably fine and spacious. On returning from one of these walks about a week after their arrival at Assais, they found the castle court-yard a scene of much bustle and excitement, and learned that orders had arrived recalling the Saxon regi- ment to Nontron and Chains, — orders that had been received with enthusiasm, since they pointed to a general massing of forces preparatory to a move upon the French army of the north. The colonel came into the dining-hall with a very cheerful countenance, and, taking hi& seat with the Uhlan captain, Von Saben, and several officers, drank a bumper to an energetic continuance of the war, and to its speedy victo- rious termination. The Uhlan captain alone was depressed, and with good cause ; for while the Saxon regiment was to take up its march to Nontron on the following morning, the squadron of Uhlans was to remain at Assais until further orders, to prevent the formation of bands of franctireurs in the surrounding country. Although this was an honourable service, it was one that could be crowned by no laurels, and life in the castle, aft«r the departure of the Saxon officers, would be by no means at- tractive. The captain's only hope was that the colonel might be right in declaring that before many days the Uhlans also would be withdrawn from so advanced a post. :<^'^^^l'^.ryi^y::^^^^>^^^,. ■ .. - " '■- .::?^>*-.i--'- -^ ^--' ■:^-!.-7^~^' ^-- v.-' ."- ■ :-■ ■ -:Z'-?9^yi ■ ' ■■■ --^Z-Wyi'^fw'^ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 323 Kurt von Poseneck too was greatly disappointed at the prospect of losing sight of Amo von Hohenwald. He had BO rejoiced in the new-formed friendship with his betrothed's brother, and now it was to be thus nipped in the bud. As soon as was possible without churlishness, Styrum, Amo, and Kurt withdrew from the circle of their comrades on this last evening and passed together a farewell quiet hour. When they separated Arno pressed Kurt's hand. " We shall per- haps not see each other to-morrow," he said ; " let us say farewell to-night ; only for a short time, I trust. When you send a letter to the Rhine remember to send my greetings in it, and in return I will send yours to Celia, and tell her that the greatest pleasure I have had during the campaign h:"-'*"-V ■ CASTLE HOHENWALD. 35^ sparkle in the old man's eyes as lie looked out of the car- riage. Kurt stood in the doorway with Celia clinging to him. Clasped in each other's arms, for the moment t^e world about the happy pair was forgotten ; the Freiherr's ex- clamation recalled Kurt to a sense of the present. He would have hurried out to the carriage, but Celia only clasped him the closer, crying, amid tears and laughter, ' No, no, Kurt, my dearest, I have you now, and you shall not go ; papa is not so angry as he pretends. Look how glad he is that we are all happy together at last !' " ' Let go the Poseneck fellow, you romp !' the Freiherr called from the carriage. ' Let him come here, I want to look at him.' " Kurt sprang forward to offer his arm ;• before the Baron took it, howeyer, he scanned the young man with keen scrutiny. The result of it must have been satisfactory, for he nodded complacently at Kurt, and then, with his help and with Frani's support, descended heavily from the carriage. " When I handed him his crutch-handled cane from the carriage, he let go of Kurt's arm. ' You would, of course, rather conduct the will-o'-the-wisp than the old father,' he said to Kurt, with a laugh. ' Give your arm to your Celia, then, for she is yours ; I can't prevent that My child here will take me to Amo,' he added, nodding towards me. " I was by his side in a moment ; he put his arm in mine and, leaning over me, whispered, * Will you not promise, my darling, to support your old &ther thus as long he lives ?' " I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I could not speak ; but he needed no reply, as he looked at me with a happy smile. " Thus we walked slowly through the hall, and were received at the door of his room by Amo himself, leaning upon your Karl's arm, so strong that he hardly needed its support X 80* 354 CASTLE HOHENWALD. " As the old man embraced his darling son the tears rolled down his withered cheeks ; he held him clasped in his arms for a moment, and then turning to me, said, with profound emotion, ' We owe this happy moment to our Anna. She has been the guardian angel of those two,' pointing to Kurt and Celia; 'softening my old heart until I gladly receive Kurt as a son. She has restored you to life, Amo. The dark cloud that divided you has vanished, serene skies smile above your future. Have you nothing to ask at her hands, Amo?' " What Amo replied I cannot tell you. I felt his arm about me, his lips upon mine, and heard the ecstasy in his whispered words, ' Mine, — ^mine for all et«mity I' " This was our betrothal. My dearest father joyfiiUy gave us his blessing, and Kurt and Celia, Amo and I have just passed the happiest evening of our lives, in the circle of those dearest to us, where only you, my own faithftil Ad61e, were wanting. Count Styrum recounted to the Freiherr his ad- ventures in the castle of Assais, and the old Baron told in his turn of how the danger that had threatened the Finanz- rath had fortunately been averted by the kind interference of influential friends. Upon Werner's promise, made in writing, never to return to Germany, the warrants out against him on a charge of high treason have been withdrawn, and he is living in Vienna in great seclusion. The thought of Werner, so different from his father, brother, and sister in his whole character and nature, disturbed my happiness for a moment, but only for a moment. One glance at Amo was enough to dissipate any cloud called up in my mind by the remembrance of his unworthy brother. " Darling Adele, my heart is frill. The shadows of the past lie behind me, the fiiture is brilliant with glorious sunshine. Farewell, my own true friend ; I know how you will rejoice with and for your LuoiB." '■Wra^^SVTCT"" JV-.-, ^ '•' -^ •— - ^-r» 1- 4^ -WkW^I^^*' r.r^'S?' -r -,.v.^' CASTLE HOHENWALD. 356 Spring had again returned, and with it the blessings of peace to the fatherland. In the latter days of May there WM joy indeed at Castle Hohenwald, where a doable marriage was celebrated. Of course Lucie and Amo, Gelia and Kurt, wese the happy pairs, and Count Styrum, with his charming young wife, was present on the auspicious occasion. THB BKOt. -^ SIGN OF THE CROSS By WILSON BARRETT Player' s Edition. Illustrated. Cloth, 75 cents. A new edition, illustrated by scenes from the play. There is still a live demand for this widely- known novel. "No romance of early Rome can equal it in any of the points of its splendidly ro- mantic conception, highly dramatic fervor, or its noble and ignoble extremes of charac- terization. Religion, history, literature, owe Wilson Barrett a great debt for his produc- tion of this work, which is one that one may not hesitate to prophesy will endure so long as literature itself may." — Boston Courier. NEVER-NEVER LAND By WILSON BARRETT j2mo. Decorated Cloth, $1.50. A dramatic and adventurous love-story of to-day, told by the author of the famous * ' Sign of the Cross." The book is full of action and incident. Part of the scene is laid in America and part in foreign countries. ■^ J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA •«rFWy!Kl^5^; AT THE MOORINGS By ROSA N. CAREY i2mo. Cloth, $1.50. Another book in the series of Miss Carey's fine love-stories and pictures of English life and character, which are noted for their sweetness and wholesome charm. ROSABEL By ESTHER MILLER i2mo. Decorated cloth, $1.2^. A love-story of English life which is bringing the author deserved praise. The plot is natural, and the characters true to life. AN ANGEL BY BREVET By HELEN PITKIN i2mo. Frontispiece. Cloth, $1.50 Miss Pitkin's first book has met with instant and generous welcome. It is a love-story of New Orleans. The picturesque setting, the glimpses of the old aristo- cratic life there, the strange superstitions and rites of voodooism are deftly and ably drawn. J. B. LIPPINCOTT company, PHILADELPHIA BY E. F. BENSON THE CHALLONERS lamo. Cloth, $1.50 "Mr. Benson's latest novel, •The Challoners,' is probably the best thing he has done so far. In ' The Challoners' his happiest faculty, that of putting smart society on paper, is shown to its best advantage. He is at home with English people, and when he attempts to picture the heights and depths of a father's despair when he sees his children taking what is to him a plunge into moral perdition, his work is deft and true and commendably sincere. An entertaining, well-written story, with deep feeling in it." — Chicago Record- Herald. ' ' ' The Challoners' is conceived upon a plane that lifts it immedi- ately to the highest rank in fiction. One has to recall the works of Dickens, Thackeray, and Reade to find a production of equal dignity and grasp. Indeed, there is much in it that will bear comparison with George Eliot's performances. It is impossible to read it without realizing the great burden that oppresses the clergyman who sees his son and daughter departing from the practices and rules he in his sufficiency has laid down to govern them. " — The Index. THE IMAGE IN THE SAND lamo. Cloth, $1.50 •' The author of • Dodo' has written a ' thriller.' It is a spiritual- istic story. Mr. Benson sets part of his story in the East, and part in London, and tells it in a manner to keep the reader wide awake and interested to the end." — Globe, New York. ' ' Spiritualism, hypnotism, demoniac possession, white and black magic, Oriental theosophy — all are found among the component parts of this tale. The denouement is decidedly original and highly imagi- native. Decidedly, * The Image in the Sand' will not fail to make a strong appeal to every one who has any love for the marvellous and the unknown — or who appreciates a very well-written story." — Brooklyn Eagle. ■» J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA *-«s*;^ By ''The Duchess." The Coming of Chloe. i2mo. Cloth, ^1.25. Lovice. i2nio. Cloth, $1.35 The Three Graces. With six full-page illustrations, izmo. Cloth, $1.33. Peter's Wife. Lady Patty. A Lonely Maid. A Little Irish Girl. The Hoyden. An Unsatisfactory Lo\«r. i2mo. Paper, 50 cents ; cloth, (i.oo. Phyllis. Molly Bawn. Air>- Fairy Lilian. Beauty's Daughters. Faith and Unfaith. Doris. "O Tender Dolores." A Maiden All Forlorn. In Durance Vile. The Duchess. Marvel. Jerry, and Other Stories. Mrs. Geoffrey. Portia. Loys, Lord Berresford, and Other Stories. RossmojTie. A Mental Struggle. Lady Valworth's Diamonds. Lady Branksmere. A Modem Circe. The Honourable Mrs. Vereker, Under-Currents. A Life's Remorse. A Point of Conscience. ismo. Bound only in cloth, fi.oo. " ' The Duchess' has well deserved the title of being: one of the most iuci- Mting novelists of the day. The stories written by her are the airiest, lightest, and brightest imaginable ; full of wit, spirit, and gayety, yet containing touches of the most exquisite pathos. There is something good in all of them." — Lond»n Academy. J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA.