Das landhaus am Rhein. English

by Berthold Auerbach

  CHAPTER IX.

  UPON NEW SOIL.

  A cheerful life they led at Mattenheim. The day began and ended early.There was no trespassing upon the night. All were incessantly occupied,and even Adams could not hold aloof.

  Weidmann had arranged matters very methodically.

  Adams received no orders; but they allowed him to see that every oneabout him was busy, and, in the end, he could not choose but followtheir example. He became ashamed of his idleness; and the servant whohad once been a criminal must now teach him to plough and sow. He waseven eager to thresh; but this was exceedingly difficult for him,because he could not keep time. He liked best to work in the mill; andit was a droll sight to see the stalwart negro pass and repass,powdered with meal. He also applied himself zealously to his books, inthe evening, with Knopf for a teacher.

  Of all the dwellers at Mattenheim, Knopf was the happiest. What morecould he desire? He had Weidmann whom he revered, Eric whom he held inhigh esteem, Roland whom he loved enthusiastically, and a prince and aslave to instruct; for Prince Valerian had to submit to being taught atAdams's side; and, while Adams toiled at his writing-book, the Princepursued his studies in history and mathematics; and it was oftenamusing to hear Knopf say, when giving a lesson in the history ofliterature, "Observe, my dear young lady," for hitherto his pupils inthis department had been mostly girls.

  During the day-time, they were employed, whatever the weather, in theopen air. Surveys were undertaken, especially of the recently purchaseddomain; and many a good hunt came off, in which Roland distinguishedhimself by his great expertness.

  Roland was passed, so to speak, from hand to hand; for each ofWeidmann's sons took possession of him for hours or days at a time, andfound a peculiar pleasure in affording the youth all possibleassistance. Roland gained an insight into many different processes ofmanufacture; but his curiosity was also awakened in quite anotherdirection.

  In the cement-manufactory all was so still, that Roland asked theInspector, Fassbender's eldest son, whether the workmen were notallowed to speak.

  "They prefer not to," was the answer; "for talking distracts theirattention, and, as they work by the job, it would hinder them verymuch."

  Roland looked confounded. These men imposed silence upon themselves forthe sake of earning their bread!

  The noon-bell rang. He saw young men and girls of his own age come outof the manufactory: some of the girls were knitting as they walked; andthe question arose within him, In what respect do you and your sisterdiffer from these, and why?

  On Saturday evening, Roland stood by while the workmen were paid off.They were gathered in groups before the house. Some had washedthemselves, and others were still covered with dust. The little slidingwindow in the counting-room was opened, and Roland stood near theInspector, as the latter opened a drawer in which lay various packagesof money, and read aloud the list of the workmen's names. He watchedtheir hard hands as they took up the money from the shelf, or swept itwith the right hand into the left.

  When they were all paid off, he went out and mingled with the people.There were soldierly fellows among them: some were young, and some old;and all carried sticks with sharp ferrules, and were chaffering with abaker-woman for loaves of bread, which they wrapped in cloths, andcarried away under their arms. One called to another to bear himcompany in his walk; and they dispersed up and down the mountain.

  Is it really the lot of human beings to live so? How old are these men?Where are their homes?

  Roland gazed thoughtfully after them.

  Is there any help for such things? or is there none?

  "What are you thinking about?" asked the Inspector.

  "I am wondering why these tired men should have so far to go."

  "It is good for them. It is what keeps them well. The worst feature oftheir lot is being pent up in a confined space."

  Roland was silent; but countless questionings arose within him. Hecould not cope with them; and no one else, however well disposed, couldsolve them for him. He did not regain perfect composure except after aninterview with Weidmann.

  Weidmann possessed a firm and unvarying equipoise of character, beforewhich the stormy agitation of other souls subsided. He had dignitywithout severity. He was not so vivacious and stimulating as Eric; buthe preserved a steady and quiet moderation in all things. He took noteof a blunder, a disaster, whether in public or private affairs, withmanly calmness; never allowing himself to be bewildered or disheartenedthereby.

  Eric had caused his pupil to see things through a polished andmany-sided prism, which seemed to remove objects from their trueposition, and make them appear higher or lower than they really were.Weidmann, on the other hand, revealed them in their simple, naturalaspect. He introduced method into Roland's thought, life, and work;for, thus far, the latter had been too unstable, even in spiritualthings. He gave Roland a course of lessons in agricultural chemistry,which, at the same time, served Prince Valerian as a review of theteaching he had already received.

  Eric, too, came in for a share of this instruction, and became Roland'sfellow-pupil.

  Very seldom did Weidmann pass from positive facts to spiritualinterpretations; but he was all the more impressive when he did. He ledRoland to a comprehension of human life, to patience, and wisdom. Heshowed him, that, despite the stress laid on the equality of mankind,men differed as widely in their power of grasping thoughts, asdifferent substances in their ability to conduct heat. Earth warmsquicker than water; but it cools more rapidly also. Thus, by analogiesfrom Nature, did Weidmann endeavor to teach his pupil justice, andhumanity, and was not unfrequently surprised to discover in Roland akind of previous preparation, which enabled him to receive new ideasreadily, and to develop them; for ideas having an analogy to each othermust needs suggest and flow into one another, giving rise to newcombinations of thought, as we see in mechanics, and conspicuously inchemistry.

  Weidmann often expressed briefly to Eric his pleasure at Roland's zealin work and study, and his interest in the labor of others in themanufactories.

  But, if a great and noticeable change was taking place in Roland, astill greater transformation was being effected in Eric. Here, where aman wrought always with reference to his neighbor, where no one dreamedof grasping the entire system, but each throve quietly by himself; hereEric's lips were often sealed for days together. He no longer felt ithis duty to be always imparting. He not only found a deep joy in hislove for Manna, but he preferred listening to talking, and seeing toshowing. He felt as if he were on some peaceful island, where yet hecould hear a friendly voice at any hour. Pranken might now have watchedhim from morning till night in vain: he would have had to retract thatbitter speech of his about Eric's zeal for imparting knowledge.

  Roland and Knopf often regarded him with surprise. He would accompanythem on long walks without uttering a single word.

  The evening of each day was devoted to festivity. Great stress was herelaid upon that evening recreation, which, unfortunately, has becomeobsolete in the world. Frau Weidmann, who dressed neatly but plainlyduring the day, appeared regularly each evening in holiday attire. Theydid not have prayers at Mattenheim; but Weidmann held private worshipin his soul.

  When Roland expressed his peculiar pleasure in the fine and efficientsystem of horse-breeding at Mattenheim, Weidmann would say,--

  "I have a story to tell about that. Everybody has heard, and possiblyseen with his own eyes, how the old lord of the manor used to drivethrough the village with his span of dock-tailed bays, to theadmiration of all beholders. And it is customary to say that we have nosuch horses now-a-days, so large, so fat, so handsome! Well, that maybe. But no more are there such miserable nags to be seen as in oldtimes. All horses are moderately strong and handsome, and of tolerablygood blood. The breed generally has improved. And there you have thepresent age. The horse is a fine emblem to my mind; the lilac isanother. They used to bring this flowering shrub from Persia, and setit only
in the parks of great people; but now it grows everywhere, andis none the less beautiful for being common. And so the beautifulenlarges its circumference perpetually."

  Roland's eyes sought Eric's at such words; and their flash said, "Hownew, how glorious, how wide, the world is!"

  On another evening, Weidmann made the casual remark,--

  "If the last century deserves to be called the age of enlightenment,ours should be called the age of free labor; for self-imposed labor isalone genuine and productive."

  Roland did not look at Eric after this, but sat with downcast eyes. Heknew what the expression signified, having heard it used before now incontradistinction to slave-labor.

  Prince Valerian, too, created much amusement. He had always retainedthat insatiable desire for knowledge, which he had displayed on hisfirst day at Wolfsgarten; but Weidmann was as indefatigable in hisanswers as the Prince in his questions.

  Teaching had acquired a new impressiveness for Roland. He was a memberof society. He heard questions answered which he himself had notproposed, and, when he subsequently asked these same questions ofhimself, the replies sank into his heart more deeply than the answersto his own inquiries used to do. Weidmann's teachings were always clearand definite. They fixed attention on the subject exclusively, never onthe teacher, insomuch, that Weidmann's own worth was often quiteoverlooked.

  A stream so clear that its bed is plainly visible frequently appearsshallower than it really is; and so it was with Weidmann. He was notbrilliant; but he had genuine common sense.

  There was always unusual excitement at Mattenheim when a letter arrivedfrom Dr. Fritz; and Weidmann said openly, that, since storms wereabroad in the world, he trusted that the tempest which had broken overAmerica might clear the air in Europe.

  Encouraged by this remark, Knopf related how it had been represented toLouis XIII. that he could never convert savage nations, and bring theminto the church, without first enslaving them: now, however, he said,the heathen were brought into the church, but the little matter offreeing them afterwards was forgotten.

  Frau Weidmann deprecated this sort of discussion before Roland, butcomforted herself with the thought that her husband must have somedeliberate purpose in it all.

  And, in fact, it was Weidmann's design to lead Roland to a fullconsideration of this question. He knew the sophistry of the world, andhow accessible to such sophistry is a heavy heart. He had often in thecommercial town heard intelligent and philanthropic people discuss thequestion of the slave-trade, and offer all manner of palliations forit. Roland must feel to the full the anguish of having to work out thesolution of this problem as best he could. With a vehemence altogetherunusual, Weidmann expressed his indignation that any one should everjustify the trading in human beings endowed with speech and reason, asif they were inanimate things.

  It was, however, impossible to brood long over any one thought amid thefar-reaching and many-sided activity of the place. Moreover, thelaying-out of a new village upon the lately-purchased domain affordedmanifold occupation.

  Weidmann particularly enjoyed the carrying out of this plan. Headmonished the younger men that it was a misfortune not to have arableland connected with a vineyard, not only because crops sometimes fail,but because the smaller vine-dresser, who must sell in the autumn, isunderpaid for his petty crop. A peasant who has wheat or potatoes tosell receives the same fixed price for a given amount of produce asothers do whose crops are large; but it was not so with grape-culture.

  Knopf was very urgent that the village should not be one of thosetiresome colonial settlements built exactly in a straight line: and thearchitect consoled him by pointing out that the meandering brook, andthe church upon the hill hard by, gave an effect of grouping by nomeans geometrical.

  Knopf won Roland over to his plan of building a music-hall forthwith.

  So there was perpetual interest and variety about the life atMattenheim.

  When they came home from the fields, the manufactories, the mines, orthe domain, they could see it at once in Frau Weidmann's face, if shehad had a letter from America.

  Doctor Fritz wrote often; but their greatest pleasure was when Lilianwrote also.

  Roland's interest in Lilian was stimulated and enhanced in two ways.Prince Valerian liked particularly to congratulate Roland on cherishingan early love without losing his manly energies. Knopf had a poet'sdeep delight in being the secret confidant of so romantic a love.