by Mór Jókai
CHAPTER II
Marie had finished practising her lesson, and hastened to join Katharinain the park. She found her in the pavilion, and was filled with alarmwhen she saw her "little mama" kneeling among the fragments of herfortune. Katharina's tear-stained eyes, swollen face, and drawn lipsbetrayed how terribly she was suffering.
"My dearest little mama!" exclaimed Marie, hastening toward the kneelingwoman, and trying to lift her from the floor, "what is the matter? Whathas happened?"
"Don't touch me," moaned the baroness. "Don't come near me. I am amurderess. I murdered her who called me mother."
She held the ivory locket toward Marie, and added: "See, this is whatshe was like when I deserted her--my little daughter Amelie!"
"Your daughter?" repeated Marie, wonderingly. "You have been married?Are you a widow?"
"I am."
Katharina now held toward the young girl the portrait M. Cambray hadgiven her. "And this," she explained in a hollow tone, "is what she islike now--now, when I wanted her to come to me."
"Good heaven!" ejaculated Marie, gazing in terror at the miniature, "sheis dead?"
"Yes--murdered--as you, too, will be if you stay with me! You mustfly--fly at once!"
"Katharina!" interposed the young girl, "why do you speak so?"
"I say that you must leave me. Go--go at once! Go down to the parsonage,and ask Herr Mercatoris to give you shelter. Tell him to clothe you inrags; and when you hear the tramp of horses, hide yourself, and don'tventure from your concealment until they are gone. I, too, am going awayfrom here."
"But why may not I come with you?" asked Marie, in a troubled tone.
"Where I go you cannot accompany me. I am going to steal through thelines of Ludwig's camp."
"You are going to Ludwig?" interrupted the young girl.
"Yes, to deliver into his hands the casket containing your belongings.After that I--I don't know what will become of me."
"Katharina! Don't frighten me so! Do you imagine that Ludwig will ceaseto love you when he learns you are a widow, and that you had adaughter?"
"Oh, no; he will not hate me because I had a daughter," returnedKatharina, shaking her head sadly, "but because my wickedness destroyedher."
"Don't talk so, Katharina," again expostulated Marie.
"Why, don't you see that she is dead? Look at these closed eyes, thewhite face! Ask these closed lips to open and tell you that I did notmurder her!"
"Katharina, this is not true! Your enemies have told you this to grieveyou. Look at these two pictures! There is not the least resemblancebetween them. This pale one is not your daughter. He who told you solied cruelly."
Katharina sighed mournfully.
"He who told me so does not lie. It was your old friend Cambray."
"Cambray?" echoed Marie, with mingled delight and astonishment. "Cambrayis here? My deliverer, my second father! Where is he?"
"He is gone. He accomplished that for which he came,--to crush me to theearth, and to serve you,--and has gone away again."
"Gone away?" repeated Marie, incredulously. "Gone away? Impossible!Cambray would not go away without seeing me! Which way did he go? I willrun after him and overtake him."
"No; stay where you are!" commanded Katharina, seizing her arm. "Youmust not follow him."
"Why not?"
"Listen, and I will tell you. Cambray brought these pictures and thisletter from Paris. The letter was written by my daughter in thehospital, where she caught the dreadful disease which caused her death.She had been nursing the sick, like a heroine, and died like a saint. Itis well with her now, for she is in heaven. If I weep, it is not forher, but for myself. The deadly disease Amelie died of has seized uponyour friend Cambray; and the noble old man is unselfish even in dying.He does not want you to come near him, lest you, too, become affected bythe pestilence. He is gone to the Nameless Castle, where Lisette willtake care of him--"
"Lisette?" interrupted Marie, excitedly. "Lisette, who was afraid to gonear her own husband when he lay dying!"
"Well, what would you? Shall I send some one to nurse him?"
"No--no. _I_ am the one to take care of him! He was a father to me. Formy sake he was imprisoned, persecuted, buried alive all these years! AndI am to let him die over yonder--alone, without a friend near him! No; Iam going to him. That which your other daughter had the courage to do,this one also will do!"
"Marie! Think of Ludwig! Do you wish to drive him to despair?"
"God watches over us. He will do what is well for all of us!"
"Marie"--Katharina made a last effort to detain the young girl--"Marie,do you wish to go to Cambray to learn from him that I am the curse-ladencreature who was sent after you to capture you and deliver you into thehands of your enemies?"
Marie turned at these desperate words, held out her hand, and saidgently:
"And if he were to tell me that, Katharina, I should say to him that,instead of destroying me you liberated me, and instead of hating me youlove me as I love you."
She made as if she would kiss Katharina; but the excited woman turnedaway her face, and held toward Marie the letter Cambray had given her.
"Read this, and learn to know me as I am," she said in a choking voice.
While Marie was reading the letter, Katharina covered her burning facewith both hands; but they were gently drawn away and held in the younggirl's warm clasp, while she spoke:
"A reply must be sent to this letter, little mother. I shall say to her,through the soul now on the eve of departure to the better land whereshe dwells: 'Little sister, your mother will wear the pure whitegarment, as you desired, in mourning for you. Instead of you, she willhave me, and will love me, as I shall love her, in your stead. Bless usboth, and be happy.' Shall I not send this message to your Amelie withmy good friend Cambray?"
"Go, then; go--go," convulsively sobbed Katharina, and fell upon herface on the floor as Marie hastened from the pavilion.