Das landhaus am Rhein. English

by Berthold Auerbach

  CHAPTER VII.

  AN EXAMINATION THAT ENDS WITH A LAUGH.

  For some time, the two walked silently side by side. Eric wasdissatisfied with himself; he lived too exclusively in himself, and inthe longing to arrange everything according to his own mental laws, andto express each truth in the most comprehensive way, throwing himselfinto it in the excitement of the moment with perfect freedom andnaivete, yet not unconscious of his intellectual riches.

  Hence the hearers felt that, what he said was not only inopportune, butwas presented with a sort of zealous importunity. Eric acknowledgedthis and was conscious of it immediately afterward, when he haddivested himself of himself; yet he was continually making the samemistake, which caused him to appear in an ambiguous light, and as if hewere out of his appropriate place. Eric had a sort of clairvoyantperception how all this was affecting Sonnenkamp, but he could notdiscern the peculiar triumph that it afforded him over the visionary,as he smiled to himself at the green youth who served up suchfreshly-cooked dishes of sophomoric learning. He knows what it is, hehas passed through it all. People settle themselves down there in thelittle university-town, and coming in contact with no one else, theylive in a fantastic world of humanity, and appear to themselves to bepersonages of the greatest consequence, whom an ungrateful lack ofappreciation hinders from manifesting their efficiency in actual life.And this captain-doctor now before him had only a small company ofideas under his command.

  Sonnenkamp whistled to himself,--whistled so low that nobody buthimself could hear the tune; he even knew how to set his lips so thatnobody perceived him to be whistling.

  He placed himself in a chair on a little eminence, and showed Eric alsoa seat.

  "You must have noticed," he said at last, "that Fraeulein Perini is avery strict Catholic, and all our household belong to the Church; may Iask, then, why you rang the changes so loudly upon your Huguenotdescent?"

  "Because I wish to show my colors, and nail them to the mast; for noone must ever take me for what I am not."

  Sonnenkamp was silent for some time, and then he said, leaning back inhis seat,--

  "I am master in this house, and I tell you that your confession shallbe no hindrance. But now"--he bent himself down, putting both hands onhis knees and looking straight at Eric--"but now--I came very nearfalling from my horse to-day, which has never happened to me before,because I was deeply engaged, while riding, in reflection upon what yousaid to me--in brief--the main point of our conversation. How do youthink that a boy who is to engage in no business and who is to comeinto possession of a million--or rather say, of millions--how do youthink that such a boy is to be educated?"

  "I can give a precise answer to that question."

  "Can you? I am listening."

  "The answer is simple. He cannot be educated at all."

  "What! not at all?"

  "That is what I affirm. The great mysterious Destiny alone can educatehim. All that we can do is, to work with him, and to help him rule overand apply whatever strength he has."

  "To rule over and to apply," Sonnenkamp murmured to himself; "thatsounds well, and I must say that you confirm an impression which hasoften before this been made upon me. Only a soldier, only a man who hasdeveloped and trained his own inborn courageous energies, only such anone can accomplish anything great in our time; nothing can be done bysermons and books, for they cannot overcome the old, nor create the newage."

  In a changed, almost cringingly humble tone, Sonnenkamp continued,--

  "It may appear in the highest degree strange, that I, a man of littleknowledge, who have not had time in the active business of life tolearn anything rightly,--that I should seem to subject you toexamination; but you must be convinced that I do it for my owninstruction. I see, already, that I have even more to learn from youthan Roland has.

  "I pray you then to tell me what training--imagine yourself a father inmy circumstances--what training you would give your own son."

  "I believe," Eric answered, "that fantasy can call up all sorts ofpictures, but a relation which is one of the mysteries of nature canonly be known through experience, and cannot be apprehended by anystretch of the imagination. Permit me then to answer from my ownoutside point of view."

  "Very well."

  "My father was the educator of a prince, and I think his task was theeasier one."

  "You would then place wealth above sovereignty?"

  "Not at all; but in a prince the sense of duty is very early awakened.Not only pride but duty is a means, every moment, of inducing him toconduct himself as a prince. The formal assumption of state dignity, inwhich those in the highest rank are so accomplished, appears from avery early age as an essential feature of their position, as a duty,and becomes a second nature. Taste becomes connoisseurship. Pardon myscholastic ways," Eric laughingly said, breaking in upon hisexposition.

  "Don't stop--to me it is in the highest degree interesting."

  Sonnenkamp leaned back in his seat, and gave himself up to theenjoyment of Eric's discourse, as if it were some choice tid-bit: verywell for this man to go off into the regions of speculation, who in themeanwhile could not call his own the chair on which he sat, nor thespot of earth on which he stood, whilst he; Sonnenkamp, could proudlycall his all that was around him, and could obtain possession, if hewished, of all that was within reach of his sight, and, as the keepersaid, buy up the whole of the Rhinegau.

  "Continue," he said, putting a fresh cigar in his mouth.

  "It may seem laughable," resumed Eric, "but it is certainly significantthat a prince receives, in his very cradle, a military rank. Whenreason awakens in him, he sees his father always under the ordinance ofduty. I do not at all deny that this duty often sits very lightly uponhim, if it is not wholly neglected, but a certain appearance of dutymust always be preserved. The son of a rich man, on the other hand,does not see the duty which wealth imposes placed so peremptorilybefore his eyes; he sees beneficence, utility, the fostering Of art,hospitality, but all this not as duty, but as free personalinclination."

  "You come round again to the obligation imposed by social civilization.I pray you, however,--you have a decided talent for instruction, I seethat plainly; and I am at any rate thankful to Count Clodwig and toyou."

  "A point for comparison occurs to me," Eric began anew.

  "Go on," Sonnenkamp said, encouragingly.

  "It was a custom, in the good old time, for German princes to learnsome trade. Irrespective of all else, they learned how to understandand to esteem labor. The rich youth ought to have something like this,without its being suffered to degenerate into a mere hollowceremonial."

  "Very suggestive," Sonnenkamp asserted. He had proposed to himself onlyto make inquiries of Eric, only to procure a new species of enjoymentby allowing a learned idealist to open his whole budget; he had takenespecial satisfaction in the thought that Eric would do this for hisenjoyment, and would reap no advantage from it himself; he alsoexperienced a certain delight in being able for once to journey intothe region of the ideal--it seemed a very pretty thing--but only forone hour, for one half-day; and now he was unexpectedly awakened to alively interest. He placed his hand upon Eric's arm, and said,--

  "You are really a good teacher."

  Eric continued, without remarking upon the compliment,--

  "I set a very high value upon sovereignty; it is a great influence, andconfers independence and self-possession."

  "Yes, that is true. But do you know what is the most desirable thing,which money cannot buy?"

  Eric shook his head, and Sonnenkamp continued,--

  "A trust in God! Look! a poor vine-dresser was buried there day beforeyesterday. I would give half my property to purchase of him for theremainder of my life his trust in God. I could not believe what thephysician said, but it was only the truth, that this vine-dresser, areal Lazarus covered with sores, in all his sufferings constantly said,'My Saviour underwent yet severer pains, and God knows beforehandwhy h
e inflicts this upon me.' Now tell me if such a faith is notworth more than any millions of money? And I ask you now, do youfeel yourself able to give this to my son, without making him apriest-ridden slave, or a canting devotee?"

  "I do not think that I can. But there is a blessedness to be obtainedfrom the depths of thought."

  "Is there? and in what does it consist?"

  "According to my opinion, in the blissful consciousness of actingaccording to the measure of our strength, and in harmony with thewell-being of our fellow-men."

  "I think that if I, when a boy, had had an instructor after your stamp,it would have been happy for me," Sonnenkamp exclaimed, in a toneentirely different from before.

  Eric replied, "Nothing that you could say to me would give me moreconfidence and hopefulness than this utterance."

  A quick movement of the hand, as if he were throwing away some object,indicated that something went wrong with Sonnenkamp. This continuedconversation wearied him, for he was not used to it, and this sort ofimmediate balancing of the ledger wounded his pride. Eric neverremained in his debt, and he himself had always the feeling that therewas something for him to pay.

  For some time nothing was heard but the splashing of the fountain, andthe gentle flowing of the Rhine, and at intervals the note of thenightingale singing unweariedly in the thicket.

  "Did you ever have a passion for play?" Sonnenkamp asked unexpectedly.

  "No."

  "Were you ever passionately in love? You look at me in astonishment,but I asked only because I should like to know what has made you somature."

  "Perhaps a careful and thorough training has given me that seriousthoughtfulness which you are so kind as to call maturity."

  "Well, you are more than an educator."

  "I shall be glad if it is so, for I think that he who is to bringanything to pass must always be something more than what his immediateactivity calls for."

  Sonnenkamp again made a wry face, and once more jerked his hand as ifthrowing something away. This readiness always to return the blow, andthis assured response, put him out of countenance.

  They heard Pranken and Fraeulein Perini walking up and down in aside-walk.

  "You must take care to stand in good relations with Fraeulein Perini,"Sonnenkamp said, as he rose; "for she is also--she is of someimportance, and is not very easily fathomed, and she has one greatadvantage over most persons I know,--she has that most valuable traitof never indulging in any whims."

  "I am sorry to say that I cannot boast of any such trait, and I askyour pardon in advance if I ever--"

  "It is not necessary. But your friend, Pranken, understands very wellhow to be on good terms with Fraeulein Perini."

  Eric considered that truth demanded of him to inform Sonnenkamp that hehad no right to call Pranken a friend of his. They were in the militaryschool together, and acquainted in the garrison, but their ideas hadnever chimed together, and his own views in life had always been whollydifferent from those of a rich elder son; he acknowledged the kindnesswith which Pranken had facilitated his entrance into the family ofSonnenkamp, but the truth must be spoken in spite of all feelings, ofgratitude. Sonnenkamp again whistled inaudibly; he was evidently amazedat this courageous openness of mind, and the thought occurred to himthat Eric was a subtle diplomatist, he himself considering it the chiefpeculiarity of diplomacy not to make any confession of being underobligation of any sort. This man must be either the noblest ofenthusiasts or the shrewdest of worldlings.

  Eric felt that this confession was untimely, but he could notanticipate that this communication would counteract the wholeimpression previously made upon Sonnenkamp.

  On meeting Pranken and Fraeulein Perini, Sonnenkamp greeted the Baron ina very friendly way, and took his arm.

  Eric joined Fraeulein Perini. She always carried some nice hand-work;with very small instruments and with a fine thread, she completed withsurprising quickness a delicate piece of lace-work. It was the firsttime that Eric had spoken with her, and he expressed his greatadmiration for her pretty, delicate work. But immediately it was fixedas firmly as if there had been a written covenant between them,--Weshall avoid each other as much as possible, and if we are placed in thesame circle, we shall conduct ourselves just as if there were no suchpersons in the world.

  In contrast with the clear, full tone of Eric, Fraeulein Perini alwaysspoke in a somewhat husky voice; and when she perceived that Eric wassurprised at hearing her, she said,--

  "I thank you for not asking me if I am not hoarse. You cannot imaginehow tiresome it is to be obliged to reply, again and again, that I havealways spoken so from my childhood."

  Eric gladly entered into this friendly mood, and related howtroublesome it was to a friend of his, born on the 28th of February, tohave the remark always made to him. It is fortunate for you that youwere not born on the 29th, for then you would have had only onebirth-day every four years. "He has now accustomed himself to saypleasantly, 'I was born on the 28th of February, and it is fortunatefor me that I was not born on the 29th, for then I should have had onlyone birth-day every four years.'"

  Fraeulein Perini laughed heartily, and Eric was obliged also to laugh.

  "What are you laughing at?" Sonnenkamp asked, drawing near. Laughingwas the thing of all others that he most delighted in.

  Fraeulein Perini narrated the story of Eric's friend, and Sonnenkamplaughed too.

  The day continued after that serene and unruffled.