The Sign Of Flame Part 10

"What! you tell me this to my face? Shall we try it, then?" shouted Schonan in a pa.s.sion.

"Thank you, I shall not marry a second time. Do not trouble yourself."

"I have not the slightest idea of it. I had enough of it with that one jilting; you do not need to do it a second time"; with which the Chief Forester pushed back his chair angrily and left.

Frau von Eschenhagen remained quietly seated. After awhile she called in a quite friendly manner: "Moritz!"

"What is it?" sounded crossly from the other side of the terrace.

"When is Herbert to come with his young wife?"

"At twelve o'clock," came the curt reply.

"I am glad of that. I have not seen him since he was sent to your capitol, but I have always said that Herbert was the pride of our family, whom one could parade anywhere. He is now Prussian Amba.s.sador to His Excellency at your court."

"And a young husband of fifty-six years, besides," said Herr von Schonan scornfully.

"Yes, he took his time to marry, but then he has made a splendid match for all that. It was surely no little thing for a man of his years to win a wife like Adelaide, young, beautiful, rich----"

"And of burgher descent," interrupted Schonan.

"Nonsense! Who asks nowadays after a pedigree when a million is involved. Herbert can make use of it. He has had to get along with small means all of his life, and the position of amba.s.sador will require more display than the salary will admit of. And my brother does not need to be ashamed of his father-in-law, for Stahlberg is one of our first industry men and a man of honor from tip to toe, besides. It was a pity that he died after the marriage of his daughter, for she has surely made a sensible choice."

"Pouf! You call it a sensible choice when a girl of eighteen takes a husband who could be her father?" cried the Chief, drawing near in the heat of the controversy. "Of course when one becomes a baroness and the wife of the Prussian Amba.s.sador, one plays a big role in society. This beautiful, cool Adelaide, with her 'sensible' ideas which would do credit to a grandmother, is not congenial to me at all. A sensible girl who falls heels over head in love and declares to her parents, 'This one or none at all,' is much more to my taste."

"Well, these are beautiful ideas for a father!" cried Frau von Eschenhagen indignantly. "It is exceedingly fortunate that Toni has taken after my sister and not after you, for otherwise you might live to see the like in her. Stahlberg raised his daughter better. I know from himself that she obeyed his wish when she gave her hand to Herbert, and so, of course, it is all right and as it should be. But you do not understand anything about educating children."

"What! I, a man and a father, not understand the bringing up of children?" shouted Schonan, cherry-red with vexation.

The two were in the best possible condition to fly at each other again, but fortunately they were interrupted this time, for a young girl, the daughter of the house, stepped out on the terrace.

Antonie von Schonan could not be called exactly pretty, but she had a stately figure like her father and a fresh, blooming face, with light brown eyes. Her brown hair was folded in simple plaits around her head and her dress, although suitable to her position, was also plain. But Antonie was in those years when youth displaced every other charm, and as she drew near, fresh, healthy, stately in her whole appearance, she was exactly the daughter-in-law after Frau von Eschenhagen's own heart, and she nodded in a friendly way to her.

"Father, the carriage is returning from the station," said the young lady in a very deliberate, somewhat drawling tone. "It is already at the foot of the castle mount. Uncle Wallmoden will be here in fifteen minutes."

"What, tausend! They have driven like lightning!" exclaimed the Chief Forester, whose face brightened at the news. "Are the rooms all in order?"

Toni nodded as calmly as if that were a self-evident fact. As her father started off to look for the carriage which was to bring his guests, Frau von Eschenhagen said with a glance at the little basket which the young girl carried: "Well Toni, you have been busy again?"

"I have been in the kitchen garden, dear aunt. The gardener insisted that there were no pears ripe as yet, but I looked for myself and gathered a basketful."

"That is right, my child," said her future mother-in-law, highly satisfied. "One must have her eyes and hands everywhere, and never rely upon servants. You will some day be a splendid housekeeper. But now let us go. We will also meet the uncle."

CHAPTER IX.

Herr von Schonan was already in advance and just descending the wide stone steps which led to the castle court, when a man emerged from one of the side buildings and came to a standstill, bowing his greeting respectfully.

"Hallo, Stadinger; what are you doing at Furstenstein?" cried the Chief Forester. "Come up here."

The man obeyed the command. He walked actively with firm, erect carriage, in spite of his snow-white hair, and a pair of keen, dark eyes shone from his tanned face.

"I have been with the Herr Steward, Herr Oberforstmeister," he replied, "to ask if he could not let me have a few of his people to help me, for everything is topsy-turvy with us at Rodeck just now. We have not hands enough for the work."

"Ah, yes; Prince Egon has returned from his travels in the Orient; I heard of it," said Schonan. "But how does it happen that he comes to Rodeck this time, this small forest nook which offers neither room nor comforts?"

"Heaven alone knows that; one never dares ask why with our young Highness. The news came one morning, and the castle had to be put in order, good or bad. I have had pains and worry enough to get ready in two days."

"I believe that. Rodeck has not been inhabited for years, but now there will be life once more in the old walls."

"But the old walls will be stood on their head with it all," grumbled the castle keeper. "If you only knew how it looks there, Herr Oberforstmeister. The whole hunting hall is packed full of lion and tiger skins and all manner of mounted animals, and the live parrots and monkeys sit about in every room. There is such a noise and making of faces that one cannot hear a word at times; and now His Highness has announced to me, besides, that a whole herd of elephants and a large sea serpent are on their way here. I think apoplexy will overtake me."

"What is on the way here?" demanded Schonan, who could not believe his ears.

"A sea serpent and a dozen elephants. I have remonstrated with might and main. 'Your Highness,' I have said, 'we cannot house any more of the beasts, particularly not the sea serpent, for such a beast needs water, and we have no pond at Rodeck. As to the elephants--well, we will just have to tie them to the trees in the forest. If we cannot do that, I do not know what to do.' 'Good,' says His Highness, 'we will tie them to the trees, it will be a picturesque sight; and we will send the sea serpent to board at Furstenstein. That pond is large enough.' I beg of you, Herr Oberforstmeister, he will populate the whole neighborhood with those awful beasts."

The Chief Forester laughed aloud and patted the shoulder of the old man, who seemed to enjoy his special favor.

"But, Stadinger, did you really take that in earnest? Don't you know your Prince? It seems that he has not become more settled by his absence."

"No, really not," sighed Stadinger, "and what His Highness does not know, Herr Rojanow will surely find out. He makes it ten times worse.

Oh, dreadful that such a madcap should fall to our lot!"

"Rojanow? Who is that?" asked Schonan, becoming attentive.

"Yes, that is what n.o.body knows exactly, but he is everything with us since His Highness cannot live without him. He found this friend somewhere back there in the heathen lands. The friend himself may be half a heathen or a Turk; he looks just like it, with his dark hair and his fiery eyes, and he knows how to command from the very bottom. He sometimes drives all the servants helter-skelter with his orders and actions, as if he was lord and master of Rodeck. But he is handsome as a picture--almost more so than our Prince, who has given strict orders that his friend has to be obeyed like himself."

"Probably some adventurer who takes advantage of the Prince. I can imagine that," muttered Schonan, continuing aloud: "Well, may G.o.d help you, Stadinger! I must go now to meet my brother-in-law. Do not let any gray hairs grow on account of the sea-serpent. If His Highness threatens you with it again, just tell him I would offer the Furstenstein pond with pleasure, but I must see it alive before me first."

He nodded laughingly at the old man, who looked much comforted, and walked toward the entrance portal.

Frau von Eschenhagen and her niece had also appeared, and the carriage now came in sight upon the broad forest road of the castle mount, rolling, a few minutes later, into the castle court.

Regine was the first to greet them. She shook her brother's hand so heartily that he drew back with a slight shudder. The Chief Forester remained in the background; he stood somewhat in awe of his diplomatic brother-in-law, whose sarcasm he secretly feared; while Toni allowed neither her uncle, His Excellency, nor his beautiful wife to rouse her from her composed deliberation.

The years had not pa.s.sed Herbert von Wallmoden by as lightly as they had his sister; he had aged considerably; his hair had turned quite gray, and the sarcastic lines around his mouth had become more p.r.o.nounced; otherwise he was still the cool, aristocratic diplomat--perhaps a few degrees cooler and more reticent than formerly.

The superiority which he had borne to his surroundings seemed to have grown with the high position which he filled at present.

The young wife at his side would probably have been taken by every stranger for his daughter. He had truly shown good taste in his choice.

Adelaide von Wallmoden was, indeed, beautiful, although of that composed, serious beauty which usually aroused only calm admiration, but she seemed equal in every respect to the high position in life brought her by this marriage.

The young wife, scarcely nineteen years old, and who had been married but six months, showed perfect ease of manner--an unexceptional mastery of all forms, as if she had lived for years beside her elderly husband.

To his wife Wallmoden was politeness and attention personified. He now offered his arm to lead her to her room, returning in a few minutes to join his sister, who awaited him on the terrace.