The Alpine Fay Part 22

"Can you be quite sure of your wife?"

Gersdorf smiled, both at the words and at the grave tone in which they were uttered: "Indeed I can. Molly is still a child, it is true,--a spoiled child who has never been trained,--but her heart is true as steel. Do you suppose I enjoyed leaving the wayward little creature?

She must learn that a husband's rights are to be respected; if I had yielded to my mother-in-law on this occasion there would have been no end to her interference, and that I will not tolerate."

It was plain to see that it had not been easy for the young fellow to keep his resolution; his eyes turned longingly to the window that looked out on the road to Heilborn, while Benno sat lost in admiration of his cousin's strength of character. He himself would have made any sacrifice to a tyrannical mother-in-law rather than grieve a woman whom he loved.

They were interrupted by the entrance of Veit Gronau. He still limped, but otherwise seemed quite well, as he deposited a large package on the table.

"What have you there?" asked Gersdorf.

"Genuine Turkish tobacco," Gronau replied; "and Herr Waltenberg sends his regards and he will come over this afternoon with the ladies from Wolkenstein, who wish to see the holiday dance. Said brought the message and this tobacco, which I asked Herr Waltenberg to send in pity for the doctor, who smokes wretched stuff, begging his pardon. Let me fill the pipes; I understand that business."

"That's true," said Benno, laughing. "You and Herr Waltenberg would smoke up my entire income in a year. I cannot afford to be fastidious."

Veit, who was entirely at home here, hobbled to a little cupboard, whence he took three pipes, which he proceeded to prepare, and the three men were soon filling the room with clouds of fragrant smoke.

Suddenly the door opened, and a most unexpected apparition appeared upon the threshold, in the person of a young lady in a very elegant travelling-dress, a veil wound about her hat, and a handsome travelling-bag in her hand. She was about to enter hastily, but paused as if petrified by the scene which was presented to her gaze. Gronau in all his length of limb lay stretched out on the sofa; the doctor, in his s.h.i.+rt-sleeves, was comfortably established in his arm-chair; Gersdorf sat near him astride of a chair, while the room was filled with a thick but unfortunately transparent cloud of blue tobacco-smoke.

"Herr Doctor," the voice of the old housekeeper was heard to say from the corridor behind the stranger, "a young lady has arrived, and wants----"

"I want my husband," the young lady interposed, in a resolute tone, advancing into the room, where she created a sensation indeed.

Gronau sprang up from the sofa, uttering a cry of pain as he did so, for his ankle resented the sudden motion; Benno started up in dismay and began looking for his coat, which it seemed impossible to find; and Gersdorf emerged from the cloud of smoke, exclaiming, in a tone of delighted surprise, "Molly I--is it you?"

"Yes,--it is I!" Frau Gersdorf declared in accents so annihilating that one might have supposed her husband had just been detected in the commission of a crime, and as she spoke she advanced with extreme dignity into the middle of the room, where, unfortunately, the smoke interfered with the solemnity of the occasion, for she began to cough and seemed almost ready to choke.

Poor Benno was crushed. He had privately exulted when he had learned that there was no danger of a visit from his new distinguished relative, of whom he stood in such awe that for her reception he would have donned his grandest attire, and now here she was, and he in his s.h.i.+rt-sleeves! In his confusion he took his pocket-handkerchief and tried to flap away the smoke, but, unfortunately, he flapped it directly into the young lady's face, at the same time sweeping his clay pipe off the table where he had laid it, and overthrowing his arm-chair, the leg of which was broken in the fall. At last Gersdorf seized him by the arm: "Pray stop, Benno, or you will make things worse," he said, kindly. "First of all let me present you to my wife.

My cousin, Benno Reinsfeld, Molly dear."

Molly bestowed a most ungracious glance upon this man in his s.h.i.+rt-sleeves who was presented to her as a relative,--really it was exceedingly provoking.

"I regret extremely having disturbed the gentlemen," she said, with a withering look at her husband. "My husband informed me that he should pay you a visit. Dr. Reinsfeld, but no time was appointed for his return."

"Madame," stammered Benno, in great confusion, "it is a great honour--and certainly----"

"I am glad to hear it," the lady interrupted him without more ado. "My luggage is outside; pray have it brought in. I shall stay here for a while."

This was too much; the doctor was in despair. He thought of the bare little garret room which was all he had had to offer to his cousin, and now here was a Baroness Ernsthausen about to occupy it also! Suddenly his wild, wandering glances fell upon the jacket he had been looking for so anxiously: it lay on the floor beside him; he s.n.a.t.c.hed it up, and vanished into the next room. Gronau, whose distaste for 'the ladies' was as decided as it was respectful, hobbled after him, closing the door, as he left the room, with a crash that shook the house.

"Have I fallen among savages?" Molly asked, indignant at this reception. "One shrieks, another runs away, and the third----!" She fairly shuddered at the thought that this third was her husband.

But Gersdorf cared not a whit for the frown upon her pretty face. Now that they were alone, he hurried towards her with outstretched arms: "And you really came, Molly?"

Molly withdrew from his embrace, retreated a step, and declared solemnly, "Albert,--you are a monster!"

"But, Molly----!"

"A monster!" she repeated, with emphasis. "Mamma says so, and she thinks I ought to requite you with scorn. That is why I came."

"Ah, indeed, is that why?" said Albert, relieving her of her travelling-bag. She allowed this attention, but maintained her dignified att.i.tude.

"You have deserted me,--me, your lawful wedded wife,--deserted me shamefully, and upon our wedding-tour!"

"Pardon me, my child, you deserted me," Gersdorf protested. "You drove off with the picnic-party----"

"For a few hours! And when I returned you were gone,--gone to the wilderness,--for this Oberstein is no less,--and now here you sit in this detestable tobacco-smoke, smoking and laughing and joking. Don't deny it, Albert, you were laughing. I heard your voice plainly from outside."

"I certainly was laughing, but that is no crime."

"When your wife was away!" Molly exclaimed, angrily,--"when your deeply-injured wife was at that very moment bewailing the fate that has fettered her to a heartless husband! Oh, how could you!"

She sobbed aloud, and in her despair threw herself upon the sofa; bouncing up again instantly, however, in dismay at its extreme hardness.

"Molly," her husband said, seriously, as he approached her, "you knew why I wished to avoid those people, and I thought my wife would have stood by me. I was very sorry to find myself mistaken."

The reproof went home; Molly cast down her eyes and replied, meekly "I care nothing for all those stupid people; but mamma thought I ought not to allow myself to be tyrannized over."

"And you complied with your mother's request rather than with mine, and preferred to mine the company of strangers."

"You did so too," sobbed Molly; "you drove away without a thought of your poor wife consumed with grief and longing!"

Albert put his arm around her caressingly, as he said, tenderly, "And were you really unhappy, my little Molly? So was I."

His young wife looked up at him through her tears, and nestled close to him: "When were you coming back?" she asked.

"The day after to-morrow, if I could have managed to stay away so long."

"And I came to-day. Is not that enough for you?"

"Yes, my darling, quite enough!" said Gersdorf. "And if you choose we will return to Heilborn this very day."

"No, we will not," said Molly, resolutely. "I have quarrelled with mamma, and with papa too; they did not want me to come. I have brought our luggage, and now we will stay here."

"So much the better," said Albert, much relieved. "I went to Heilborn solely for your sake, and here we are really in the midst of the mountains. I am only afraid that we must try to find some other quarters; the doctor's house can hardly hold you with all your trunks."

The little lady turned up her nose as she surveyed the room, where the smoke still lingered and the broken pipe and the three-legged chair enc.u.mbered the floor.

"Yes, this seems a detestable bachelor establishment. You would grow careless enough with this cousin of yours, who rushes away like a madman if a lady makes her appearance. Has he no manners at all?"

"Poor Benno was so terribly embarra.s.sed," Albert said, by way of excuse. "He completely lost his head. Be kind to him, Molly, I pray you, for he is the best fellow in the world. And now let me go look after your luggage."

He went, and Frau Gersdorf took her seat upon the sofa, with more caution than before. In a few moments another door was softly and timidly opened, and the master of the house appeared. He had employed the time of his absence in arranging his dress, and he now approached his guest with much humility. At first she seemed scarcely inclined to be as amiable as her husband had entreated her to be; on the contrary, she eyed her new cousin with judicial severity.

"Madame," he began, with hesitation, "pray pardon me that, upon your unexpected arrival--I was very sorry for it, very sorry----"

"For my arrival?" Molly interrupted him, indignantly.

"G.o.d forbid, no!" exclaimed Benno. "I only meant--I wished to observe that I am a bachelor."