by Georg Ebers
CHAPTER IV.
In spite of the darkness and the zigzag turns of the stairs, Wolf was sofamiliar with every corner of the old house that he did not even need togrope his way with his hand.
He found the door of the Blomberg lodgings open. Putting down in theanteroom whatever might be in his way while greeting Barbara, andcarrying the roll of velvet under his arm and a little box in hispocket, he entered the chamber which the old man called his artistworkshop. It was in total darkness, but through the narrow open door inthe middle of the left wall one could see what was going on in Barbara'slittle bow-windowed room. This was quite brightly lighted, for she wasironing and crimping ruffs for the neck, small lace handkerchiefs, andcuffs.
The light required for this purpose was diffused by a couple of tallowcandles and also by the coals which heated the irons.
As she bent over the glow, it shone into her beautiful face and upon hermagnificent fair hair, which rippled in luxuriant confusion about herround head or fell in thick waves to her hips. The red kerchief whichhad confined it was lying on the floor. Another had slipped from herneck and was hanging on the corner of the ironing board. Her stockingshad lost their fastenings and slipped down to her feet, revealing limbswhose whiteness and beauty of form vied with the round arms which, afterholding the iron near her hot cheeks, she moved with eager diligence.
The image of a vivacious, early developed child had impressed itselfupon Wolf's mind. Now he stood before a maiden in the full bloom of hercharms, whose superb symmetry of figure surprised and stirred him to thedepths of his nature.
In spite of her immature youth, he had cherished her in his inmostheart. Youth, she confronted him as an entirely new and doubly desirablecreature. The quiet longing which had mastered him was transformed intopassionate yearning, but he restrained it by exerting all the strengthof will peculiar to him, for a voice within cried out that he was tooinsignificant for this marvellous maiden.
But when she dipped the tips of her fingers into the dainty little bowl,which he had once given her for a birthday present, sprinkled the linenwith water, and meanwhile sang in fresh, clear notes the 'ut, re, me,fa, sol, la' of Perissone Cambio's singing lesson, new wonder seizedhim. What compass, what power, what melting sweetness the childish voiceagainst whose shrillness his foster-father and he himself had zealouslystruggled now possessed! Neither songstress nor member of the boychoir whom he had heard in Italy or the Netherlands could boast of suchbell-like purity of tone! He was a connoisseur, and yet it seemedas though every tone which he heard had received the most thoroughcultivation.
Who in Ratisbon could have been her teacher? To whom did she owe thismasterly training? As if by a miracle, he knew not whether from lookingor listening, he found a combination of notes which he had long beenseeking for the motet on which he was working. When he had registeredit, and she sang a few passages from it, what an exquisite delightawaited him! But what should he do now? Ought he to surprise her in thisway? It would certainly have been proper to be first announced by herfather; but he could not bring himself even to stir a foot. Beads ofperspiration stood upon his brow. Panting for breath, he seized hishandkerchief to wipe it, and in doing so the roll of velvet which he hadheld under his arm fell on the floor.
Wolf stooped, and, ere he had straightened himself again, he heardBarbara call in a questioning tone, "Father?" and saw her put down theiron and stand listening.
Then, willing or not, he was obliged to announce his presence, and, witha timid "It is I, Wolf," he approached the little bow-windowed room andhesitatingly crossed the threshold.
"Wolf, my tame Wolf," she repeated gaily, without being in the leastconcerned about the condition of her dress. "I knew that we should soonmeet again, for, just think of it! I dreamed of you last night. I wasentering a golden coach. It was very high, so I put my foot on yourhand, and you lifted me in."
Then, without the least embarrassment, she held out her right hand, butslapped his fingers smartly when he passionately endeavoured to raise itto his lips.
Yet the blow was not unkindly meant, for even while he drew back shevoluntarily clasped both his hands, scrutinized him intently from headto foot, and said calmly:
"Welcome to the old home, Sir Knight!" Then, laughing gaily, she added:"Why, such a thing is unprecedented! Not a feature, not a look is unlikewhat it used to be! And yet you've been roaming five years in foreignlands! Changes take place--only look at me!--changes take place moreswiftly here in Ratisbon. How you stare at me! I thought so! Out withit! Hasn't the feather-head of those days become quite a charming younglady?"
Now Wolf would gladly have made as many flattering speeches as she coulddesire, but his tongue refused to obey him. The new meeting was toounlike his expectation. The sight of the self-conscious woman who,in her wonderful beauty, stood leaning with folded arms on theironing-table stirred his heart and senses too strongly.
Standing motionless, he strove for words, while his eyes revealedplainly enough the passionate rapture which agitated his soul. Barbaraperceived what was passing in his thoughts, and also noticed how herdress had become disarranged during her work.
Flushing slightly, she pursed up her lips as if to whistle, and withher head thrust forward she blew into the air in his direction. Then,shaking her finger at him, she hastily sat down on the chest beside thefireplace, wound the kerchief which had fallen off closer around herneck, and, without the least embarrassment, pulled up her stockings.
"What does it matter!" she cried with a slight shrug of the shoulders."How often we two have waded together in water above our knees, like thestorks! And yet such a thing turns the head of a youth who has returnedfrom foreign lands a made man, and closes his bearded lips! Have yougiven me even a single honest word of welcome? That's the way with allof you! And you? If you stand there already like a dumb sign-post, howwill it be when I thoroughly turn your head like all the rest with mysinging?"
"I've heard you already!" he answered quickly; "magical, bewildering,magnificent! Who in the world wrought this miracle with your voice?"
"There we have it!" she cried, laughing merrily and clapping her hands."To make you speak, one need only allude distantly to music. That, too,has remained unchanged, and I am glad, for I have much to ask you inrelation to it. I can learn many things from you still. But what haveyou there in your hand? Is it anything pretty from Brabant?" Thisquestion flowed from her lips with coaxing tenderness, and she passedher soft hand swiftly over his cheek.
How happy it made him!
Hitherto he had been the receiver--nay, an unfair taker--but now he wasto become the giver and she would be pleased with his present.
As if relieved from a nightmare, he now told her that he had gone fromRome, through the Papal Legate Contarini, whom he had accompanied toItaly as a secretary skilled in German and music--to the imperialcourt, where he now enjoyed the special favour of the Regent of theNetherlands, the widowed Queen of Hungary; that the royal lady, thesister of the Emperor Charles, had chosen him to be director of herlessons in singing, and also permitted him to write German letters forher; and what assistance worthy of all gratitude he had enjoyed throughthe director of the imperial musicians, Gombert, the composer and leaderof the royal orchestra, and his colleague Appenzelder, who directed theQueen's boy choir.
At the mention of these names, Barbara listened intently. She hadsung several of Gombert's compositions, and was familiar with one ofAppenzelder's works.
When she learned that both must have arrived in Ratisbon severalhours before, she anxiously asked Wolf if he would venture to make heracquainted with these great masters.
Wolf assented with joyous eagerness, while Barbara's cheeks crimsonedwith pleasure at so valuable a promise.
Yet this subject speedily came to a close, for while talking Wolf hadripped the linen cover in which the roll of velvet was sewed, and, assoon as he unfolded the rich wine-coloured material, Barbara forgoteverything else, and burst into loud exclamations of pleasure andadmiration. Then, whe
n Wolf hastened out and with hurrying fingersopened the little package he had brought and gave her the costly furwhich was to serve as trimming for the velvet jacket, she again laughedgleefully, and, ere Wolf was aware of it, she had thrown her arms aroundhis neck and kissed him on both cheeks.
He submitted as if dazed, and did not even regain his sensessufficiently to profit by what she had granted him with such unexpectedliberality. Nor did she allow him to speak as she loosed her arms fromhis neck, for, with a bewitching light in her large, blue eyes, fairlyoverflowing with grateful tenderness, she cried:
"You dear, dear, kind little Wolf! To think that you should haveremembered me so generously! And how rich you must be! If I had becomeso before you, I should have given myself a dress exactly like this.Now it's mine, just as though it had dropped from the sky. Wine-colouredFlanders velvet, with a border of dark-brown marten fur! I'll parade init like the Duchess of Bavaria or rich Frau Fugger. Holy Virgin! if thatisn't becoming to my golden hair! Doesn't it just suit me, you littleWolf and great spendthrift? And when I wear it at the dance in the NewScale or sing in it at the Convivium musicum, my Woller cousins and theThun girl will turn yellow with envy."
Wolf had only half listened to this outburst of delight, for hehad reserved until the last his best offering--a sky-blue turquoisebreastpin set with small diamonds. It brought him enthusiastic thanks,and Barbara even allowed him to fasten the magnificent ornament with hisown fingers, which moved slowly and clumsily enough.
Then she hurried into her chamber to bring the hand-mirror, and when inan instant she returned and, at her bidding, he held the shining glassbefore her, she patted his cheeks with their thin, fair, pointed beard,and called him her faithful little Wolf, her clear, stupid pedant andSatan in person, who would fill her mind with vanity.
Finally, she laid the piece of velvet over the back of a chair, let itfall down to the floor, and threw the bands of fur upon it. Every graverword, every attempt to tell her what he expected from her, the girlcut short with expressions of gratitude and pleasure until her fatherreturned from the suffering Ursel.
Then, radiant with joy, she showed the old man her new treasures, andthe father's admiration and expressions of gratitude were not far behindthe daughter's.
It seemed as though Fate had blessed the modest rooms in Red Cock Streetwith its most precious treasures.
It might be either Wolf's return, the hopes for his daughter whichwere associated with it in the crippled old warrior's heart, or theunexpected costly gifts, to which Wolf had added for his old friend aNetherland drinking vessel in the form of a silver ship, which had movedthe old gentleman so deeply, but at any rate he allowed himself to betempted into an act of extravagance, and, in an outburst of good spiritswhich he had not felt for a long time, he promised Wolf to fetchfrom the cellar one of the jugs of wine which he kept there for hisdaughter's wedding.
"Over this liquid we will open our hearts freely to each other, my boy,"he said. "The night is still long, and even at the Emperor's court thereis nothing better to be tasted. My dead mother used to say that thereare always more good things in a poor family which was once rich than ina rich one which was formerly poor."