Das landhaus am Rhein. English
Page 83
CHAPTER VII.
NOT EASILY DIGESTED BY ONE OF THE GUESTS.
If Claus had heard in prison that Sonnenkamp had bought anothercountry-house, he would certainly have exclaimed,--
"Yes, indeed. Of course he'll buy up the whole Rhineland yet." But helearned nothing of it.
The legal inquiry was protracted, and the Judge was sufficiently welldisposed to draw up new papers for the interrogation of Eric and Rolandat the villa; yet this unpleasant occurrence interrupted the course ofinstruction more than one could have believed.
Entertainments also were not wanting, for Roland one day announced toEric:--
"Count Wolfsgarten is to give a grand fete; father and mother arerejoiced; and you and I are also invited."
Sonnenkamp was very well satisfied with Pranken for having brought thisabout; Eric's cooperation was no longer of any account. It was settledwith Pranken, that Clodwig, who was the most influential member of theCommittee for conferring nobility, should be gained over to favor theobject now exclusively occupying their attention, and induced to takeactively the initiative.
Sonnenkamp stood before his armory, and before the large money-safebuilt into the walls; here were many potent agencies, but they were ofno help in this matter, where personal influence alone availed. He wasdespondent for a short time; then he proudly drew himself up, thinkingthat he had already succeeded in other undertakings, and here alsothere would not be wanting to him the requisite means.
He had a severe contest with Frau Ceres on the day they were to go tothe fete; she wanted to wear all her jewelry to dinner, and evenFraeulein Perini could not divert her from her purpose, by representinghow irrefragably settled it was that no diamonds should be worn bydaylight. Frau Ceres wept like a little child, and she preferred toremain at home if this pleasure was begrudged her.
Sonnenkamp entreated her to dress plainly, and not annoy the Countessby wearing jewels worth twenty times what she herself possessed; and itwas promised her, that at the next fete given at the house, she mightappear in full costume.
But Frau Cores persisted in saying that she would not accompany them ifshe could not wear her jewels.
"Well, then," said Sonnenkamp, "I will send a messenger to Wolfsgartenimmediately, to inform them that you will remain at home."
He had a groom sent for at once, and gave him orders to saddle a horse,in order to ride immediately to Wolfsgarten. He went off. Frau Ceres'look followed him with a very angry glance; she was then the miserablechild who must remain at home, when all the rest were going to thefete. After a time, she hastened to Sonnenkamp's room, and announcedthat she would go with them in the way they desired.
Sonnenkamp regretted that he had already sent the messenger off, andnow Frau Ceres besought him, with tears, to send a second messengerannouncing her coming. Sonnenkamp asserted that this was no longerpossible, but finally yielded. He went himself to the stables, and hadnothing further to do than to say to the groom,--
"Take off the saddle!" for he had not sent him away, knowing that FrauCeres would, after a while, beseech him like a child.
They drove to Wolfsgarten. Frau Bella was extremely glad to be able towelcome the Cabinetsraethin; she was very amiable, and looked to-daylovelier than ever. She had a friendly word for everybody, and she wasespecially gracious to Eric. She thought that, at his last visit, heseemed to be a little out of tune, and she wished now to dissipate anysuch feeling by exhibiting a decided preference.
Eric received the friendly attention gratefully, but very coldly, asthe sharp-eyed woman did not fail to perceive.
Sonnenkamp, who had quick perception, held his breath as a hunter does,when the game comes within range of his shot. Indeed, thought he, theyknow how to play a good game! The reputation of this house for virtuehad hitherto weighed upon him somewhat, but now he moved about with asort of home feeling.
It was a little court assembled here, and the etiquette, thoughsavoring of rural freedom, was not the less precise. A large number ofprominent personages were collected, and the fact was the morestriking, because they were brought together from scattered points ofcountry life; it was a group of separate and independent individualsdrawn hither from their retirement. The larger portion were officerswho had retired on pensions, or been honorably discharged from theservice; there were red, yellow, and blue ribbons of different ordersmodestly tied in the button-holes; the old gentlemen had their haircarefully dressed, and their beards freshly colored; the ladies showedthat they had sojourned at Paris some weeks in the year to somepurpose.
The conversation was carried on in French, out of regard to a Frenchlady.
A celebrated musician had also been invited, now staying at thecountry-house of a brother-artist, who had married a formermusic-pupil, a rich heiress, and had gained a highly respectablestanding in the neighborhood.
Except Eric, Herr Sonnenkamp and the musical-artist were the onlyuntitled personages in the company; his genius raised the artist, andhis millions the rich man, into the new atmosphere. The Wine-cavaliermight already be considered as one of the nobility, for it was knownthat his whole family were to be ennobled very soon. The newlybetrothed couple had also been invited, but on the day of the fete, aletter was received which contained the information, couched incourteous terms of regret, that the bridegroom, having been takenslightly ill, was unable to be present, and the bride had thereforeremained at home. No one of the Wine-count's family made hisappearance, except the Wine-cavalier, who expressed in renewed termsregret for the indisposition of his future brother-in-law.
A famous portrait-painter was also present, who had been for severalweeks at the country-house of the Wine-count in order to paintlife-size portraits of the betrothed couple. He was very much thefashion, and was very successful in pearls, lace, and gray satin, andalso in faces, except that they all had a strong tinge of blue; but hewas very popular with the court, and there could be no question butthat he was the only man to paint the distinguished bride.
The Russian Prince was, of course, a star of the first magnitude.Sonnenkamp occupied the place of honor next to Frau Bella, and on theother side sat the Prince. Clodwig had Frau Ceres by his side, and theMajor was very naturally seated next, as an efficient ally. Clodwigentertained Frau Ceres in a very friendly way, and she ate freelyto-day, out of embarrassment, without Sonnenkamp's intervention.
Sonnenkamp had brought into play his old weapons of gallantry, but heseemed to have no success, for Bella did not half listen to him, givingmuch of her attention to the conversation of Eric with the Russian.
All at once the conversation between different individuals ceased, asthe Prince asked Herr Sonnenkamp,--
"Do they also designate the slaves in America as souls?"
"I do not understand your meaning."
"I mean that in Russia we designate the serfs as souls: a man is saidto have so many hundred or thousand souls; and do they call them so inAmerica too?"
"No."
"It is questioned indeed," interposed Clodwig, "whether the niggersreally have souls. Humboldt relates that the savages have the notionthat apes also can speak, but that they purposely refrain from doingso, because they are afraid that they also shall be compelled to workif it is known that they can speak."
A general laugh proceeded from the company at table, and Clodwigadded,--
"If we dig up the smallest vessel belonging to the Greek and Roman age,we discover always some sort of beauty; but, so far as I am acquainted,the niggers have never embodied a single new beautiful form."
"Neither have they," interposed the Prince, "as has been said, everinvented even a mouse-trap!"
"Not even that," replied Clodwig. "The question comes up, whether thenegroes can be inheritors of civilization, for they are not inheritorsof the beautiful human form as it has been handed down to us fromEgypt, Greece, and Rome, and so cannot become cultivators of theplastic arts; and art alone is the ennobler of humanity. They cannotcreate the beautiful after
their likeness; and as it is said, 'God mademan after his image,' so man fashions his gods after his own likeness,which the negroes cannot do. Perhaps in the coming time they willcreate something for themselves, but not for others; and they aretherefore not partakers of the inheritance, for they are not includedin the great human brotherhood, which is not to be entered by force."
Sonnenkamp looked up; his whole countenance expanded. This is theutterance of a man whose love of humanity is not to be questioned.
"That is a fact!" he interposed. "There is no sentimentalism inAmerica: our plain common-sense views are declared heterodox indeed bypedantic wisdom, and branded as inhumanity, but there is a priesthoodof so-called humanity; and it has its inquisition as well as the otherpriesthood."
Sonnenkamp spoke with a concentrated scorn, with a repelling violence,which clearly showed how unsuitable he considered the topic introducedby the Prince, although he had done it in a most civil manner. Clodwigthought that he ought to come to his assistance, and he began in a lowtone but became more animated as he went on.
"Whoever considers historical facts with coolness and impartiality seesthat the Idea is continually unfolding, working long in stillness, butwithout cessation; and this silent working goes on, until someunexpected fact which has nothing in common with the Idea brings itinto clear light and perfect development. The Idea only prepares theway by setting the tune; the fact is irrefragable, and performs anactual part."
Bella said something in a low tone to the Prince on her right, butClodwig was well aware that it was meant for an apology for hissomewhat heavy and abstract statement; with a hardly perceptible twingeof his face, and his lips drawn somewhat pointedly together, heresumed:--
"I am of the conviction, that without Sebastopol the emancipation ofthe peasants would not have been brought about, and in the way it hasbeen; and who knows when and how it could have been accomplished in anyother way? Saul goes forth to-day, as of old, to look for an ass, andfinds a kingdom,--the kingdom of a regal, all-powerful Idea. TheCrimean war was undertaken for the purpose of humiliating Russia, andit brought Russia to the measure of establishing a free peasantry, andrenewing herself in her inner life. These are the great facts ofhistory, and they are not our doing."
"That is new to me, surprisingly new," interposed the Prince, whileClodwig continued:--
"The Russian ambassador informed me that during the Crimean war therumor was spread--no one knew its origin, and yet it was in allmouths--that every one who had fought at Sebastopol, or who hadvolunteered for the war to deliver the Emperor from the Allies, shouldhave land given him as a free present at its conclusion. This was afixed notion in all brains, and where did it come from? The idea of theemancipation of the serfs, which had been mooted for a long time inbooks and journals and among the higher classes of the community, nowtook deep hold of the imagination, and assumed a definite form in theconsciousness of the people, becoming a fact plain as day, thatrequired only the imperial decree to set its seal upon it."
Clodwig stopped, as if wearied, but he summoned up his strength afreshand cried:
"This is the old grand saying: 'the swords shall be turned intoploughshares.'"
The entire company looked at each other with surprise, notunderstanding why and how Clodwig had fallen into such a strain; Ericalone gazed at Clodwig with a beaming countenance. As a hand was placedupon his shoulder, he looked round, startled. Roland, standing behindhim, said,--
"That is exactly what you once said to me."
"Sit down, and be quiet," said Eric. Roland went to his seat, but hewaited until he caught Eric's eye, and then drank to him.
Bella looked around, as if wanting help to start some subject morebefitting table-talk: she looked at Eric, and nodded to him, as ifbeseeching him to divert the conversation from these detestablematters.
Just then the servants poured out some Johannisberg in delicate prettyglasses, and Eric said, holding the glass up before him,--
"Herr Count, such wine as this the old nations never drank out of thosestone jars which we have dug up from the ground."
Bella nodded to him cheeringly, but as he said nothing further, sheasked,--
"Have we any precise information about the ancient method ofcultivating the vine?"
"Very little," replied Eric. "The ancients probably had no notion ofthis bouquet, this spirit of the wine, for they drank it onlyunfermented."
"I am very far," interposed Sonnenkamp, "from laying any claim toclassical lore, but it is very easily seen, that without the cutting ofthe vines there can be no maturing and full concentration of the sap inthe clusters; and without the cask there can be no mellow and perfectlyripe wine."
"Without the cask? Why the cask?" asked the Russian. "Does the wood ofthe cask serve to clarify the wine?"
"I think not," answered Sonnenkamp, "but the wooden cask allows the airto penetrate, allows the wine to become ripe in the vaults, allows itto work itself pure,--in a word, to come to perfection. In vessels ofclay the wine is suffocated, or, at best, experiences no change."
With great address, Bella added,--"That delights me; now I see that aprogressive culture contributes to higher enjoyment even of theproducts of nature."
Sonnenkamp was highly pleased; he was here able to add somethinginteresting, and he appeared in a very favorable light. Then theconversation was carried on between different individuals.
There was general cheerfulness and hilarity, and every painfulimpression seemed to have passed away: their faces glowed, and theireyes shone brightly, as the company arose from the table.