Das landhaus am Rhein. English

by Berthold Auerbach

  CHAPTER XVI.

  WE HAVE HIM.

  While the Major and Eric were sitting together, Sonnenkamp was with themother in the library; Roland and the aunt, in the recess, had a greatbook open before them, containing outline drawings of Greek sculpture.

  The boy now looked up and cried,--

  "Father, only think that Herr Eric must sell this fine library of hisfather's, and there is not a single leaf here that his father has notwritten on, and it must go now into the hands of strangers."

  "It would be a favor to me," said Sonnenkamp, turning to the aunt, "ifyou, gracious Fraeulein, would take my son out to walk; I have somethingto say to Frau Dournay."

  Roland went away with the aunt.

  Sonnenkamp now asked the professor's wife if what Roland had statedwere true.

  She replied in the affirmative, adding that the danger was over, asCount Wolfsgarten had furnished the required sum of money.

  When Sonnenkamp heard the name and the amount, a surprisingtransformation seemed to take place in him. He said that he allowed noone the privilege of helping Eric in money-matters; he claimed that asexclusively his own. And now, having once begun to be beneficent, a newstrength seemed to be unfolded in him; he considered himself veryfortunate in being permitted to render assistance to such an excellentfamily, even if Eric should not remain with him.

  The professor's widow could not refrain from confessing that itrequired great strength of soul to receive favors, and that her familywere not accustomed to it. She spoke of her son.

  "He is a child in feeling," she said, "without anything false,incapable of any indirection, a strong, steadfast, sincere, manly, andnoble character. I ought not, as his mother, to say this, but I canonly congratulate you. You can entrust to him that which you valuemost, as the precious jewel of your life, and I tell you that whoeverloves Eric has a heaven in his heart, and whoever does not love him iswithout a heart."

  Sonnenkamp rose, drawing a deep breath; he would have liked to say, Howhappy was that man who could call this woman mother; but he restrainedhimself. He stood before the flower-stand, which was artisticallyarranged, by an invisible contrivance, in a pyramidal shape, and all sowell cared for and ordered, that it was a pleasure to behold it. He ledthe conversation to botany; Eric had informed him that his mother had aknowledge of it, and he was happy to meet in her an associate in hisspecial pursuit--for he considered botany his specialty.

  He turned the conversation, aptly and sympathizingly, to the lady'spast history. He asked first, whether she would not take pleasure incoming, at some time, to the Rhine.

  She replied that she should like much to do so, and that she had aspecial desire to see once more, before she died, a friend of heryouth, the present Superior of the island-convent, and principal of theseminary.

  "Are you so intimate with the Superior?" said Sonnenkamp, and somethingoccurred to him which he could not make clear to himself, but heevidently impressed it upon himself to reserve this for furtherconsideration. He smiled in a very friendly manner, when the lady dweltat length, in a pleasant way, upon the strangeness of life. There sitsa lady in her cage, and here another has her nest in a little garden,and they cannot come to each other. The older one becomes, indeed, somuch the more enigmatical seem often the interwoven threads of humanrelations in the world.

  She added, gently closing her eyes, that it had seemed so only sincethe death of her husband, for she had been able to say everything tohim, and he had unfolded clearly and harmoniously what seemed to her aconfused puzzle.

  Sonnenkamp experienced something like a feeling of devotion, as thewife said this.

  She made mention now of her life as a lady of the court, and her eyesglistened while speaking of the Princess dowager.

  "I had not only the happiness and the honor," she said, "to visit andoversee with her, and yet oftener in her name and by her order, themany various institutions of beneficence of which her highness was theprotectress, but I had the yet more important and often moremelancholy, though blessed and refreshing duty, to visit those, or toinstitute inquiries concerning those, who applied to the Princess forassistance, often with heartrending cries for help. The greater part ofthe letters were entrusted to me, either to bring in a reportconcerning them, or to answer them. This was a sad, but, as I saidbefore, a blessed and an ennobling service."

  While the lady was thus speaking, placing at the same time herdelicate, soft hand upon her heart, as if she must repress theoverflowing feelings of this recollection, her whole countenance wasilluminated by an inexpressible tenderness.

  Sonnenkamp rose suddenly, as if some irresistible power had called tohim, and there was deep feeling in his voice, as he said,--

  "Might I be allowed, noble lady, to offer you a compensation, if youwill be induced to live in our neighborhood? I am no prince, but I am,perhaps, as much overrun with begging letters. Our good Majorfrequently helps me in instituting inquiries. But you, honored lady,could render much more effectual service in this matter; and even ifone cannot render assistance in every case, it is always a consolationto the poor to receive at least a friendly answer, and your look isradiant with a mother's blessing."

  It was an hour in which Sonnenkamp experienced a blessedness such as hethought himself wholly incapable of receiving, and his fixed purposewas,--

  "This must be; here is the starting-point in life which you have solong desired, and all the past is annihilated."

  Sonnenkamp had formed an entirely different notion of the professor'swidow and her sister-in-law. He saw in Eric's mother a stately lady offine mind and high-bred manners; she was pale, and this paleness wasvery much increased by her black cap and her mourning dress.

  The aunt seemed to him still handsomer.

  It was a peculiar gesture that Sonnenkamp made in the air; it was as ifhe seized hold of the two ladies: for he mentally transplanted them tohis splendid rooms, where they did the honors of the house, adorninghis house, and his house adorning them, and when company were present awhist-table was formed, as a matter of course.

  Sonnenkamp was obliged to restrain himself from asking the ladies atonce whether they played whist, and with the consciousness that he wasthinking about it, and with the exertion of self-control necessary tokeep it to himself, his countenance assumed a variety of expressions.

  During the conversation Roland had left the room, holding the aunt'shand; he now came in with Eric and the Major, holding in his hand alarge letter with the seal of the ministry of education.

  Roland said,--

  "I beseech you, aunt, let me speak."

  All were surprised at the appearance of the boy, who now said, holdingup the letter,--

  "The aunt has confided to me, that here is the decree appointing you tobe director for the keeping of the beautiful bronze and marble statuesof antiquity. Eric, I am not made of bronze or marble, and when you arethere among those figures it will freeze you, and it will also freezeme forever, if you abandon me. Eric, don't do it; don't do it toyourself, or to me. Stay with me, I will stay with thee. I beseech you,Eric, do not leave me; I am not plaster; I am not marble; do not leaveme. I beseech thee, Eric, do not forsake me--do not forsake me."

  All were thrilled by this scene, and while the boy was speaking thus,the Major said in a low tone,--

  "This is no child. What can it be? The lad speaks just as if a holyspirit possessed him!"

  Eric went to Roland, raised him in his strong arms, held him high up,and said,--

  "Roland, as I hold you now, and you hold me, so hold fast to me withall the strength of your life! We will together grow into somethinggreat; here is my hand."

  The letter was forgotten. The mother begged to be permitted to openit, and she had hardly run it over, when she cried with a lightenedheart,--

  "Thank God, Eric, you need not be ungrateful."

  The letter contained an expression of regret that the place had beenalready given to a young man of the nobili
ty, who had shown himselfunfitted for a diplomatic post.

  Sonnenkamp requested them to let him have the letter; he might perhapsmake use of it as a document against Eric's enemies, who charged himwith being in ill-favor at court. And now he desired that mother andaunt would remove at once to Villa Eden; but Eric answered positivelyin the negative. He himself agreed to go, but his mother and aunt couldnot before the autumn; he must first become initiated, with Rolandalone, into the family life.

  No one was happier, that everything had turned out so well, than theMajor. It was decided to start to-day. The Major promised that he andFraeulein Milch would help the mother and aunt in all the arrangements,when they removed later in the season; nothing else would do, asFraeulein Milch must be consulted in everything. He now requested leaveof absence for an hour, to visit friends in the university-town, whomhe did not know personally.

  After the Major had gone, Sonnenkamp said, in a kindly tone ofpatronage, that the Major probably had some brother Freemasons tovisit. Eric also asked to be excused, as he had yet to take leave ofone man.

  He went to see Professor Einsiedel. The Professor was always uniformlyready for every friendly call, but as uniformly angry, if, forgettingthe hour of his lecture, any one came during the half hour previous; hecould be very angry. His anger consisted in saying,--

  "But, dear friend! how could you forget this? You must surely know thatI have a lecture at two o'clock, and can now see no one. No, I must begyou very earnestly--very--very--very earnestly beg you to note mylecture-hour."

  And while saying this, he pressed one's hand with great good-nature.

  When Eric said that it would be of no service for him to note this forthe future, as he was going to leave town to-day, Einsiedel requestedto be informed of the hour when the train left; perhaps he would thenmeet him, but he would not make a definite promise, for if he did, itwould disturb him in the delivery of his lecture.

  Eric left him. The Professor went with him to the door, took off hisblack cap, and excused himself for not accompanying him down the steps,"I beg earnestly--very--I lecture at two," he turned back into hisstudy. Eric was sure that the Professor would see him again.

  The whole town lifted up their eyes, as the six persons were going tothe station. Sonnenkamp escorted Frau Dournay, the Major the aunt, andEric held Roland by the hand. They had to wait for the train to comein. Suddenly Professor Einsiedel made his appearance; and it was agreat deal for the slender little man to do, as it interrupted theregular order of the day.

  Eric introduced the Major and Sonnenkamp. Sonnenkamp had no specialword to say to him, and the Major, notwithstanding his kind feelingstowards everybody, could not find just the right friendly expressionswith which to address this delicate, feeble-looking person, when Ericintroduced him as his teacher and master. Roland, on the contrary, withhearty pleasure seized the hand of the little man, soft as a child's,and said,--

  "Do you know how you seem to me? You are my grand-teacher; for HerrEric is my teacher, and you are his teacher, and so you are mygrand-teacher; and if you want a dog, I will send a dog to you."

  Professor Einsiedel quoted some Greek words out of Plato to Eric, whichexpressed the joy one feels in a beautiful animated youth; then hepatted the boy on the shoulder, thanked him for the offer of the dog,and said that as he did not like to bid goodbye in the rush, he wouldnow bid them farewell before the train arrived. He considered thatthose who were waiting at the station had already started on theirjourney, and taking Eric aside, he said in a voice trembling withemotion,--

  "You are well enough off, and you must also marry, for the apostle Paulsays, 'Whoever careth for the things that are of the world ought tomarry.'" He requested him to write more particularly concerningClodwig's antiquities, then shook him by the hand. Roland also extendedhis hand to the professor.

  Eric looked after the little man going away, who was in his eyes awalking temple of the spirit of wisdom; and the good little man rubbedhis tender hand on his coat, for Roland had pressed it a little toohard.

  The train came thundering in. The leave-taking was hurried. Rolandkissed repeatedly the mother and aunt, and Sonnenkamp kissed themother's hand.

  His mother said in a low tone to Eric on taking leave,--

  "You are forsaking me. I am at rest, I know you are not forsakingyourself, and so you are still with me. Go, then; hold thyself withinthyself, and me in thee, and it will be well with thee, and well withme."

  In the railway-car the Major bent towards Eric and whispered,--

  "I have learned something about your father."

  "What is it?"

  "Something good for you and for me. Your father, who has gone to theeternal home, belonged to our brotherhood. It is your right to claimassistance, and my duty to give it. I only beg that you will neverthank me; we are not allowed to thank one another."

  At the first station the Major took Eric aside, and asked him whetherhe had made a positive agreement as to salary, indemnification atdismissal, and pension after the completion of the tutorship. Erictreated the subject with indifference, and the Major gave him tounderstand that he had full power to grant all his demands. He advisedEric to strike now while the iron was hot. But Eric not seeming at alldisposed to take up with the advice, the Major desisted, murmuring tohimself,--

  "Here now, Fraeulein Milch is always saying that I am not practical; andhere now is a man who is so learned, and can turn himself round andface about seven times before I can get up on my feet, and he is everso much less practical than I am." The Major was almost delighted thatEric was so unpractical; he could tell Fraeulein Milch all about it.

  On the way the diamond ring was redeemed, and Eric said to Roland,--

  "Let your father take the ring; I would prefer that you would not weara ring for the future."

  Roland gave the ring to his father, and the Major said, humming tohimself,--

  "He has him! He has him by bit and curb."

  It was evening when they drove by the small vine-covered house. Rolandpointed out the house to Eric with glistening eyes, but uttered noword. They drove into the grounds of Villa Eden, where the air wasladen with the fragrance of roses, for all the roses in Sonnenkamp'sgarden were in fresh bloom.

  "We have it," cried the architect from the castle to the Major, as hewas getting out.

  "Have what?"

  "We have found the castle-spring."

  "And we have _him_," cried the Major, pointing to Eric.

  And from this day, the Major began many of his stories with thewords,--

  "At the time I rode with Herr Sonnenkamp in the extra train."

  BOOK V.