Luke Barnicott, and Other Stories

by William Howitt

  CHAPTER VI.--THE PRINCELY CHILDREN.

  Spite of his views of freedom and equality, Fritz walked somewhat moretimidly with Mina in the garden the following day.

  "You may go without any fear," Mrs. Dote had said encouragingly; "onlyyou must keep rather in the side walks than in the broad alleys. You cango and gather me a beautiful nosegay and fresh green for the little hallwhere the family will dine. And if you should meet the young grandeesand they should speak, you must answer prettily and politely; only mind,don't you speak first."

  "He is, however, nothing but a boy, like me, only somewhat younger,"Fritz was again ready to reply, but he checked himself and remainedsilent.

  They had not been long in the garden before they saw the two handsomechildren coming hand in hand down the broad alley.

  "Oh, how charming it is!" exclaimed the little girl, delighted. "I neversaw anything so charming!"

  "And is it not charming," said the boy, "that your governess is stillpoorly, and that my tutor is gone a journey, and so we have a holiday?"

  At this moment they saw Fritz and Mina, who stepped somewhat embarrassedaside.

  "Do you live in the garden?" inquired the little girl.

  "No, young gentry," returned Mina, to whom no other title suggesteditself, and she curtseyed.

  "My name is Meta," said the little girl with frank simplicity; "and hisname is Hugo," added she, pointing to her brother, "but where, then, doyou live?"

  "At Steinheim, fifteen miles from here," said Fritz, in hisstraightforward manner, and perfectly self-possessed. "We are now on avisit to my godmother, Mrs. Dote, the castle housekeeper, during ourholidays."

  "Indeed! we also have holiday," said Hugo. "Do you know of any birdnests? I have never seen a bird's nest."

  "I know of one," returned Fritz, somewhat hesitatingly, "but----"

  "Well, where is it?" inquired Hugo, with a little impetuosity.

  I'll show it you, but--you must promise----

  "What must I promise?" interrupted the young prince, reddening withanger and impatience.

  "That you will only look at it, and not touch it, even with your littlefinger," returned Fritz, now speaking firmly, "else the old birds willnever come back again, and the young ones will die."

  "Yes, I know that," said the fair-haired Meta. "Mamma once told me thatthe young birds would die if the old ones did not attend to them," andshe looked very sorrowful; "but you will not touch it, will you, Hugo?"

  "Upon my honour. I will not!" declared the young cavalier so earnestlythat Fritz was ready to venture, and led him to a low fir-tree whichstood in some thick plantations, where lay between the boughs a littlenest, in which were five lovely greenish-speckled eggs. He lifted upMeta, so that she could peep in, and both children were delighted at thesight.

  "But the next time we must not come so near," said Fritz, "the littlehen-bird is sitting; but we may come every day and see it from adistance, till the young birds are hatched."

  In this joyful hope the four children became good friends, although Hugohad a something of princely pride in his bearing which did not quiteharmonize with the liberal turn of Fritz's mind. The boys rambledtogether from the garden into the deer-park, visited the old keeper wholived there, and learned to shoot under his instructions; nay, they evenone day brought home a hare which had been shot, though it could notexactly be ascertained by whom. Still more delightful was theentertainment which the two girls found together. Meta had a verywonderful doll, beautiful beyond anything which Mina had conceivedpossible. It had a lovely waxen face, and could shut its eyes; it sleptupon a cushion trimmed with lace, and had a little bassinet lined withblue silk; it wore the daintiest little cap and a little knitted jacket.Mina, it is true, had quite grown out of dolls, and at home only broughtout hers, which had a shining face of papier-mache, and wore a plainpink cotton frock, when her little friend Matilda came to see her; butshe would not have been a girl if she had not been delighted with thismiracle of a baby. It had, however, no name, and Mina assisted in thechoice of one, which, after long deliberation, it was decided should beRosalinde, because it was so beautiful. Meta was regarded as the motherof the little Rosalinde, and Mina acted as nurse-maid, but was calledthe Bonne, and she fondled, and carried, and rocked, and fed the darlingbaby to her heart's delight. The little Rosalinde was a veryquick-growing child, however, and already on the second day wore hershort frocks, and on the fourth a little dress and socks of Mina'smaking from some splendid material which Mrs. Dote produced from herwonderful old stores, and which had, once upon a time, been a part of agrand court dress. Now and then, however, again the little one became ababy, and was laid upon its cushion, and as such carried about. Manylovely little nooks, too, there were in the garden, on the green sward,and amongst the bushes, which were exactly suitable for nurseries; then,too, Meta took many great journeys with her little daughter through thegardens, Mina, in the meantime, decorating the green nursery withflowers, and setting out a pretty little feast of summer fruit in littlebaskets which she wove of rushes; whilst Meta, on her return, brought,from her mother, in fact, a pretty ribbon or a nice little bag as apresent to her faithful Bonne.

  Lightly and softly, as a sunbeam, the Princess Clotilde glided in hergrey silk dresses here and there through the garden, appearing to thecountry children almost like a being from some higher world. She hadkept a much stricter supervision over them than they had any idea of, inorder that she might ascertain whether they were fitting companions forher children. Her children had hitherto lived in such deep retirementand seclusion, that now, finding these young strangers so admirable inevery respect, she rejoiced that her children should become acquaintedthrough them with other relationships and other classes in life, andhappy in the thought that they could thus thoroughly enjoy their goldenfreedom before the return of the governess and tutor. The castlehousekeeper, Mrs. Dote, was therefore on the very pinnacle of blissbecause of the honour which was done to her young guests.

  CHAPTER VII.--THE DEPARTURE.

  Mrs. Dote had already twice obtained a prolongation of the holiday term,but now the father wrote that it could be no further extended; it washigh time, he said, for Fritz to recommence his studies. Mina, also, wasnot only required in the school, but was indispensable to her mother.Therefore a definite day was fixed by him for their return home.

  The children, who knew perfectly well that such a time of festalenjoyment could not last for ever, prepared themselves withoutopposition for their departure. And then, what a great deal they wouldhave to tell at home; how their father and mother would be astonished,and the clergyman's Carl, and the bailiff's Matilda! And then, itsounded so very nice in the diary which Fritz had kept, "I and theprince."

  Meta and Hugo were almost more cast down about the parting than theirfriends, and the tutor and the governess seemed to them anything but acompensation for the loss of such pleasant companions.

  On the day before they left, Hugo wished to perform an especial deed ofheroism. The old keeper had betrayed to him that in a cleft of atolerably lofty rock in the deer-park a screech-owl had built a nest.

  "Oh, a living owl!" exclaimed Hugo; "we must have him!"

  "Don't you trouble yourself about that, noble sir," said the keeper;"besides, it is more dangerous than it seems; the rock is steep andcrumbly, and just below is a stony hollow, where, in ancient times, theygot stone. Wait, sir, till I've got rid of the rheumatism in my feet,and then I myself will try to catch the creature for you. You must notrun such a risk."

  "Listen, Fritz," said Hugo to him after this conversation, "we'll getthe beast ourselves, spite of everything!"

  "No," returned Fritz thoughtfully, "we'd better not; think howdistressed your mother would be if anything happened to you, and mygodmother would be shockingly angry with me if I should let you go."

  "I don't care for your godmother, not I!" exclaimed Hugo in a tone ofdefiance, for he could very ill brook contradiction, and without anotherword he walked down towards the castle.


  Early the next morning, Hugo stole away quietly by himself towards thecliff in the park; he did not find it very difficult to clamber up so asto bring himself near to the cleft in the rock, which contained thecoveted nest; when, all at once, away went a piece of rock from underhis foot; he held himself fast, however, by a small bush, but there hehung, like the Emperor Maximilian of old, on the Martinswand, below himthe deep stony hollow, and feeling it impossible to advance a singlestep forward. There was an end now of all his defiant courage andprincely pride, and he uttered a loud piercing cry for help; but, ah! hethen remembered with horror that the old keeper, the only person wholived near, was a most totally deaf.

  The next moment the cry of "Hugo!" sounded from the wood.

  "Fritz, Fritz!" shouted he, overjoyed; "make haste, Fritz, and help me!"

  And Fritz, who had been for some time seeking for the prince in vain,rushed forth out of the wood, and though he was naturally of adeliberative character, and one which did not inconsiderately rush intodanger, yet he now climbed up, and with all that courage and agilitywhich a sudden sense of danger often gives birth to, seized hold ofHugo, and half-scrambling and half-tumbling, down they both came to theground, with torn hands and trousers, yet holding still firmly together.

  Hugo, whose haughty bravery was considerably damped by the terror he hadfelt, and the danger he had been exposed to, lay half-fainting on theground and gazed with emotion at Fritz, who, well pleased with theresult of his intervention, yet seemed to regard it as nothing veryremarkable.

  "Fritz," said he at length, "I should not much like to tell my mother,because she is often so sorrowful, and she will weep so bitterly over amisfortune which might have happened, just as if it had happened; but Ishall not forget you!" and with a princely bearing he drew a beautifulring, in which was set a red stone, from his finger, saying, "There,take this ring from me, it belonged to my father; and if you show meagain this ring, whether it be soon or in years to come, it will remindme how you have helped me to-day."

  Fritz, who, as I said, did not regard the affair as one of such graveimportance, nevertheless was delighted with the gift, until an ideasuddenly occurring to him, he said, "But if your mother should makeinquiries after the ring?"

  "Then I will tell her what you have done for me," replied Hugo, who hadnow recovered his self-possession, "and she will say it was right."

  The gentle, warm-hearted Meta took a tearful leave of Mina; she wishedvery much to give her, as a parting present, her beloved Rosalinde, butMina would, on no account, allow of so great a sacrifice, and thePrincess Clotilde gave her instead a pretty silk apron and a beautifulbook. Fritz also received presents of books and handsomewriting-apparatus from Hugo. Mrs. Dote, who had conceived a cordialaffection for the children, did not know how to give them enough forthemselves and as presents to carry home to their parents. She was,however, raised to the very summit of felicity, when the princessordered the carriage to be got ready, in order that her children mightaccompany their young friends at least half-way home. Fritz and Mina hadnot the slightest objection to be driven back in so stately andagreeable a manner, in a comfortable carriage, along the very road whichthey had traversed thither so timidly and humbly with their knapsack andbasket.

  Of course, these glories also came to an end, although the kind coachmandrove much farther than the half-way, so that they could now see thehospitable farm-house in the fields below them. Then came theleave-taking, which, as a rule with children, consists of not manywords. Hugo pressed significantly the hand upon which Fritz wore thering, and Meta kissed Mina with tears in her eyes. The princely childrendrove back to the castle, and the schoolmaster's children went on footto their modest home, but warm hearts and kind greetings they knewawaited them there, and they walked forward with cheerful steps, withoutlamenting over the glories which were departed.

  CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, La Belle Sauvage Works, London, E. C.50,288.