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(ANSI and SO TEST CHAItT No. })
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Upch— Uf. Haw YMti 14WB USA
(7ia) 482 - 0300 ' ftMcw
(711) »B-9Na-Fo>
The Benefactress
BY THE AUTHOR OF "
"ELIZABETH AND HER GERMAN GARDEN -
Ston tebaif »er bttnng
WlUUUI BDSCH.
THIS ™x,ON MUST NOT B. IMPO.TED .NT» 0|«*T B^AIi. O. ™.
UNITID STATIS. ""TAIll OK TM
TORONTO
THE COPP, CLARK COMPANY, Limited
1901
P(i(o62S
<L.3
■III. htlllar«l ud on., by Th. Om, OuM OonrUT Lm™ ^!-!!f
The Benefactress
*,,, Iii"'l2
THE BENEFACTRESS
CHAPHaR B
When Anna Estcourt w^twentw-five !,„a i.,j
begun to wonder whetherXSre?«S:taWe
from hfe at a 1 counterUlaJSTtoSIt J
wonderful thing happened. '~»rer ui u, a
to hi!.''^ *" «*pee<iingly;p«t5jgiri ^ho ought
to have l^en enjoymg hwadK ffiie had a wft
S anilimbs'tL^'"^ ^^^mples, a plJaS;^
laugh, and limbs that were Wm^anA lender. Cer-
feunly she ought to have Ite^ wijoJnK heielL
Instead, she wasted her tiattiiptttwiSJf SV-
mgover the puzzles of exJateue, owr th^ u„
S^fn wf • ^T^^r^nenttJthe elderly and
fc , "^ ^"*^ ''^"°"« ^ *« motives that
"«pel a woman so to ponder;; iir. Anna's c"e the
Khe ^ cn,?r?'" ^^^'g^'^iyft'quent allusions
L?L?K u * TT^J^y- ^^ fo"- their bad
taste her hushand did not mihJrtiese allusions
• THE BENEFACTRESS
much, for he considered that he had given her a
full equivalent for her money in beftowinS hit
^V"p f'"^" ^^° *>«• practicSlyS: he
J" ^^K Estcourt of tlie Devonshire Est!
S^r'minH *" .tPh'lo-opher. and phZIhe""
never mind anythmg. But Anna was in T less
agreeable situation. She was not a ?hi CsJ,h^
^aT'^V^"''^^' '^^ had bestowed SS
inilA ^^"'^ everything, and she was of an
wheSere*is"'ir„= '"^ "^ '"dependent nature"
.(,».!!^".-^*^ was younjger and more high-flown
she sometimes talked ofsweeping crossing Z,^
•'e^^ster-in-kw Susie would not h*LrTSinJL
and dressed her beautifully, and tc^k her ouT^d
?^w" ^V""^. '"'^ dine and do as other jri?ls
did being of opinion that a rich husband of g^
position w^ more satisfactory than crossings^^
fecf h?«te" Anna was so pretty that the per-
^ Whi'^"lA\t° ^ '^ ■"«« question of
&Kf « • could the most desirable of men.
* b?WkcWn!,''/°'"'*^'""» ^''' ^=">* ">«« than
so bewitching a young creature ? But he did not
come, somehow, that man of Susie's dreamsrand
after a year or two, when Anna began to under
stand what all this dressing and J^ncing reallv
sh^d^H'"^'1^u'■ '^'}''^ hSl oflfersfromyopK
she d,d not like, and had herself fallen 1^6
Ztl 7°"*'' °* "° /"^^"^ ^ho was prudent
enough to marry somebody else with money, she
I'^,
THE BENEFACTRESS
•hrank back andsrew colder, and objected more
and more decdecBy to Susie's strenuous private
matrimonial urgings, and sometimes made remarks
of a cynical nature to her admirers, who took frieht
at such symptoms of advancing age, and fell off
considerably in numbers.
It was at this period, when she was barelv
t^renty-two, that she spoke of crossings. Sule
had seriously reprove/ her for not mfet-ng the
adi^nces of an o d and rich and single person
alluded to the number of pounds she had spent
on her every year for the last three yeare, antfthe
necessity for putting an end. by marryhg, to all
tbs outlay; and instead of being sensibH and
talking things over quietly, AnnaLd pou A out
a flood of foolish sentiments about the m; rv of
knowing that sne was expected to be nice to eTety
man with money, the intolerableness of the lUe
she was leading, and the superior attractions
«Wh^, you haven't enough money for the
broom,'^sa.d Susie impatiently. "Vou can't
sweep without a broom, you know. I wish Jou
were a little less silly, Anna, and a little more
grateful. Most girls 4ouId jump at the splendid
opportumty you've got now if m^anying, aKk-
d^?l <?f rj'^T °*/'?"'' °^- You talk a great
deal of stjiff about bein^ independent, and when
you get the chance, and! do all I can t^ help jS
you fly into a I^ssion and want to sweep a cross!
ng. Really," added Susie, twitching her shoulder
"you night remember that it isn't all roses for mj
4 THE BENEFACTRESS
either, trying to get some one else's dauehter
mamed. *
. " Of course it isn't aU roses," said Anna, lean-
ing against the mantelpiece and looking down at
her with perplexed eyebrows. •' I am very sorry
tor you. I wish you weren't so anxious to get rid
of me. I wish I could do something to help you.
But you knov, Susie, you haven't taught nie a
trade. I cant setup on my own account unless
you 11 give me a last present of a broom, and let
me try my luck at the nearest crossing. The one
at the end of the^ street is badly kept. What do
you tnink if I started there?" What answer
could anyone make to such folly?
. By the time she was twenty-four, nearly all the
girls who hrd come out when she did were mar-
ned, and she felt as though she were a ghost
haunting the ball-rooms of a younger eeneiltion
Disliking this feeling, she stiffened afd Sme
more and more unapproachable; and it was at
this period that she invented excuses for missing
f'^fl^ ^'^tf^'Jffons to which she was inviteaf,
»^n^„^" ? S?f * "^ simplicity of dress and hair
arrangement that was severe. Susie's exaspera-
tion was now at its height. « I don't know why
you should -be bent on making the worst of your-
self, she said angrily, when Anna absolutely
refused to alter her hair. -osoiureiy
"I'm tired of being frivolous," said Anna.
to do7 Tn/" "^f ^""l '°°? ^^°^ ^^^es took
Z. \-,^ y°" ^"°w liow Hilton talks. It all
f,f «J u "P "''* '" ^° minutes, and I'm
spared her conversation." "« *m
" But you are quite plain," cried Susie. " You
THE BENEFACTRESS .
are not like the same girl. The only thine your
£k S'^ say about you now is thit you
"Well i like to look clean," said Anna, and
continued to go about the world with hair tucked
neatly behind her ears; her immediate rewaid
fOTtaf ht * clergyman within the next
..P^^f'J^stcourtwas even more surprised than
his wife that Anna had not made a good match
years before. Of course she had no money, but
she was a pretty giri of good family, and it ought
to be easy enough for her to find a husband. He
wished heartily that she might soon be happily
married ; for he loved her, and knew that she and
busie could never, with their best endeavours, be
great friends. Besides, every woman ought to
have a home of her own, and a husband and
children. Whenever he thought of Anna, he
thought exactly this; and when he had reached
the proposition at the end he felt that he could
L°° ™°''^' *°^ "^^^ *° *^"^^ °^ something
His marriage w_ith Susie, a person of whom no
one had ever heard, had brought out and developed
stores of unsuspected philosophy in him. Before
that he was quite poor, and very merry; but he
loved Estcourt, and could not bear to see it falline
into ruin, and he loved his small sister, who w^^
then only ten, and wished to give her a decent
education, and what is a man to do ? There hap-
pened to be no rich American girls about at that
time, so he married Miss Dobbs of Birmingham,
and became a philosopher.
:
THE BENEFACTRESS
fortunes, she thoLh? ti^l sLt^T-'ir^ ^^^^^
enjoyment too. to some g4 d^^J^f"^^ ^"'"e
had dfne. S^erno.v°"'''*'°T'* ^''^n she
Peter fished and re^'"f "^ *^?"." '°' ^er.
removable from EstS^rt.r" ^^'^ f'®*^"'ty
too young to be^S7\ ^"?* '^**' »* couree.
ing eveKa i'!*l"i''"* *^'« «he was, tak-
unconscI^usISs^n Son T^' ^^^ ^"^
get on in the world and nob^„ Susie wanted to
wanted to bury thelthh.^J'^W ^^'- She
develop the ETtcourt'S' ff thl fef ' ^°^
was natural anH n,« ufl "^ JUobbs part
Dobbses were one an!l?r^ superficial, and the
~a race of eaaer iff smgularl^r unattractive
women. anlulfo'TS^^'r^ T^ ""^^ ^^
keep it as long as ihfy c^ld a fo^, ^^^ '°"'*^' »°d
gathering a S Snf J ^''^^"'^^^^dingin
place. Jd faK enfe vT.r°^'*f '" °"e
friends. Susie wafth^L. . f* °^ "^king
been the pretty oS iLm. °V^u'"'' ^"^^ ''^d
the least a succei^.^i'l^'J^- y^^ she was not in
to Peter's indSnce to hi / ^^^ P"* '* ^own
i-g. her to his frSs;^'t'^J^rLr^i-^-
iault thai
m It was her own. It
Peter
was not her fault
THE BENEFACTRESS
she was so unfortunatolv f«„i. J " '"**
and never did SSxl f ' ^u^ ''^^^'" ^°"W
make desirable SfntLci '"h , "^f '^"^ *°
sirable sets. iC^i i ^ *'*° *° get into de-
were not among the most blisrfS offlife %Z
the biggest fish into her little net l.?/ 1 "Tlu^
esiught "^ *" • l"8 mh simple enough to be
mere possession of mlr°"',""P°'^*"^e ^ the
• THE BENEFACTRESS
L^***ili!f '*°''°"'' ""'^ ^* «o»°« again for their bov
something he could not comprehend -someth^
r^^sive unfeminine. contrary to her nature J
he had always understood it. "He left off making
S^l,^*,f",¥^''^°° ^''°"' A^-^a's education of
the household arrangements; everything that ,^
s^nt'I^-''"!,"^ ^"''^'^ °^ *^^°^^: and^
spent more and more time in Devonshire, and
&K k"'* ^"•■^ philosophical, and when he
did talk to his wife, restricted his conversation to
the language of abstract wisdom.
»on3 l^'^ *f V"^ ^'""^ °" Susie, who had no
If?^^ '°?.°* ^^'^'^^^ *'^^°'»> and who lived
t^nr« ^ %''[^ ^ '* •" P°^''''e to 'niagine. Peter
te^"i.°^ ^u-^y-.. ^"°^ ^as subject to pr"
?™!!^.*l°*,'='""y '"«"«• Susie used, at such
lTof°th*-"^ regretfully of the cheerful Dobbs
^^V°* *''^"" ^""''^ '^'^ congenial vulgarity.
hnSr /.'"'* "J^" eighteen, Susie? prospects
brightened for a time. 1)oors that had been shut
ever since she married, opened before heron her
appeanns: with such a pretty rSiuianU under her
Sl'f lif ". ^°"ld enjoy (he reflected glory o
^JTJ-^^^^ triumphs. And then, without any
a^ST".* 5?ason, Anna had altered so strangdv
and had disappointed every one's exoecteSs^'
never encouraging the right man, never S to
^tteA ^f"^'. \-' ^Per^tingly careless on^H
matters of vital importance, and ending by show-
mg symptoms of freezing into something of the
S^ £''°r P^'""^ '*^*^*^ P^*«^- Their mother
hsd been German -a lady-in-waiting to one of
tfte Uerman pnncesses; and their father had met
THE BENEFACTRESS 9
her and married her while he was secretary at the
English Embassy in St. Petersbuig. And Susie,
who had heard of German philosophy and Ger-
man stolidity, and despised them both with all her
heart, concluded that the German strain was ac-
countable for everything about Peter and Anna
that was beyond her comprehension; and some-
times, when Peter was more than usually wise and
unaRjroachable, would call him Herr Schopen-
hauer—which had an immediate effect of pro-
ducing a silence that lasted for weeks; for not
only did he like her least when she was playftil,
but he had, as a matter of fact, read a great deal
of Schopenhauer, and was uneasily conscious that
it had not been good for him.
While Peter fished, and meditated on the van-
ity of human wishes at Estcourt, Anna, with rare
exceptions, was wherever Susie was, and Susie
was wherever it was fashionable to be. For a
week or two in the summer, for a day or two
at Easter, they went down to Devonshire; and
Anna might wander about the old house and
CTounds as she chose, and feel how much better
she had loved it in its tumble-down state, the state
she had known as a child, when her mother lived
there and was happy. Everything was aggres-
sively spruce now, indoors and out. Susie's
money and Susie's taste had rubbed off all the
mellowness and all the romance. Anna was glad
to leave it again, and be taken to Marienbad, or
any place where there was royalty, for Susie loved
royalty. But what a life it was, going round year
after year with Susie! London, Devonshire,
Marienbad, Scotland, London again, following
to
THE BENEFACTRESS
less pleading everJ^^v^Tc' I ^ ^""^^ ^°S^^
moni rWfj^^ c^ J^^^- *^ "^'" «ye and ear erew
looked rhZT^ I ~f' • ^« whether any of t
looked cheerful; and it was the rarest fW«„ *
come across an« «^«...:-_ ,^ . '^"^! ^^'ig to
iKest
interest n; r^oot t^^lu^- ^^^^f' '^^ ^' ^^e
accord on\Kd it "^^ *'"" ''^'^ ^'*'' °««
THE BENEFACTRESS „
She passionately resented her position of de-
Se &W fr^' ^"^ ^^^ passionately resented
n^!J^ p the only way to get out of it was to
many. Every hme she had an o£Fer. she first of
t^^^ >^* r u"""'«y **t astonished the
unhappy suitor, and then spent days and nights
o agony because she had refused il and becfuse
Susie wanted her to accept it, and because of an
oTheTheK^ ' H^"'"' 't'^"^ "^^'^ P°2ession
of her heart. How could Peter live so placidly
at Susies expense, and treat her with such a 3
Plete want of tenderness? Anna's love for hTr
brother diminished considerably directly she be-
g^n to understand Susie's lifei It was surh »
heroicaUy smiling in the face of ^U-treatment
No one cared for her in the very lea^ She
had hundreds of acquaintances. wX> w^ild^^t
her dinners and go away and poke fun at her
ter r„°^ r"?,«'' ^t"^- "«^ ^"^band lived on
her and hardly spoke to her. Her boy at Eton
an amazing png, looked down on her. ^Her little
daughter never dreamed of obeying her Anna
herself was prevented by gome stubborn spS? of
fetidiousness, ev^dently'not possessed™y any o^
her contemporanes, from doing the oJy tiiinj
Susie had ever really wanted hir to do -mam?
mg, and getting herself out of the way? wffif
Susie were a vulgar little woman of no education
and no family That did not make ifany Ae
more glonpus for the Estcourts to take all thev
could and Ignore her existence. It wS S er alf
the bottom of her heart; such a forlorn little
It
THB BENEFACTRESS
VMJ in peace. The privacy of the «rreat nili^r
on the perplexities of life^l hel~H f„ k u''?"'"
" The world is a dreadful olace full nf ..»i.
people." she though, looking ou't on' to'the'SfJ
THE BENEF.'^TRESS ,«
with unhappy eyes. " Each one by himself, with
no one to comfort him. Each one with more
than he can bear, and no one to help him. Oh.
a I could. I would help and comfort everyone
could?" " ** heart, or sorry— oh, if I
And she dreamed of all that she would do if
she were Susie— rich, and free from any sort of
interference — to help others, less fortunaie, to be
happy too But, since she was the very reveree of
nch and free, she shook off these dreams, and
made numbers of good resolutions instead —
resolutions bearing chiefly on her future behaviour
towards Susie. And she would come out of the
church filled with the sternest resolves to be ever
afterwards kind and loving to her; and the very
firet words Susie uttered would either irritate her
into speeches that made her sorry, or freeze her
back into her ordinary state of cold aloofness.
. If Susie had had an idea tliat Anna was pity-
ing her, and making good resolutions of which
she was the object at afternoon services, and
that m her eyes she had come to be merely a
cross which must with heroism be borne, she pi^b-
Mj would have been indignant. Pitying people
thingp. The first is soothing and sweet, the sec-
ond is annoying, or even maddening, according
to the temperament of the patient. Susie how-
ever, never suspected that anyone could be sorry
tn'ji^'"'/'"^ ^'hen, after a party, before they went
to bed Anna would put her arms round her and
^Za i ^ disproportionately tender kiss, she
would show her surprise openly. "Why what's
'4
THE BENEFACTRESS
Ann![?"'" Fori' *°"',t """ ,"A"°*" "oo*
It was when Anna was twenty-five anH m.,^k
nons as to the why and wherefore of the aimlesi
use ess existence s>.e was leading, that thi woTd.^
ful thing happened that change! her wholHSr
CHAPTER II
chin, He Aert^^citoErCl"^"'^' i~-
>ng his sister's life when aT^^^'" ?"<* <*«"••
Peter was unmrriS. Ld 4^^^, '^^ '^
happy toeether at Estcourt aL "?!**"• »•«*
introduction into the fa^/f ""^^^^^e's
when Anna was berinnin^T^ J ^ at rthat period
hair behind hw^eTrf ^ *° s«fife„.^ p^ ^^
hefuTatenLtnlSeaS"^^!!!?*'^
otSea^^a^lSs"
foffi'^uJ^nTas-aSt^^^^
have h A° fe^L^K h^J'^ISSS^
all Germans, and thouD-ht Jhf^ J^*?^***^ to
dreadful old man. IWele 'weSSfa* *
humorous comments on »,;= , f *"eti <tf md^nir
ness of his ma"ne« It^^^^, ''|t^ ««« t«feod<?
he should be withVhemTn HilllVJf*^'*^***
to give dinners while hT^"hefeia^S*^
him several times if he would nnf ^^^^wlted
Estcourt, and said that the cou^tl^"^**^**
best and the primroses troTnlTlST '*'*
who^seS-sJlKSL-ill^''^^'".
^- IwillnoTseeLo£> '"*^'*^-
•5
M
•• THE BBNEFACTRBaB
•ma picture-gallenei, sometinws alone end JanZ
Uncfc Joachim »aie„,^ S^haS^k?, *"
♦u-. • * , "" *"** seem of a certaintv tr^ u^
the voices of aneels An,j «- • ^^"*'n'y to be
TH* BBNBFACTKCas „
to IW;. he S loScS at W ^7 ""8"'* "P
wenT3«S f 1/^^"* ¥'^wed him wherever he
"ax, *® ?°°«* Peter s but a QuaiscAlr^-r'
"A Quatsikkopf?'' echoed An.T^Tk''^
18 a Quaisckkop/r * '" *''^ *°'''d
Uncle Joachim did notimmediately iplv TW
i8
THE BENEFACTRESS
AlUsdurchmackt auf Reisen / " he siirheH Ti,-
heput his handkerchief back into hfs i^ui; i ^*'l
up at Anna, who was standfnl n fmn'^f v''°f ''^
Dobbs s a vulgar woman ,Kr-' ^T-, ^'^'»''^
« M^i. • ^^"'6*"^ woman who is not nch ennncrK "
byh^r^"o?ey!"°^^LYrtr^"^V^^^^^^^
It wouy aeal^SfcS,-^^^ else.
should be a millionnaire mI ^^"^'l* woman
Hut not somebody else's."
comes it that you are not marJlS ? » '" """' ^°"
Anna frowned. "Nnu/ .,«,.
Susie." she said ^°" *"= S^^'^g Hke
THE BENEFACTRESS
«9
" &* ~~ ^^^ ^^^ y°" tJ^t often ? "
And what knows she ? "
said Annf^- *** [ '"g^t«° everybody awav"
that I loycross-tiratfr^f ^^^ *° P^^P'^-
isn t really independence." ^ oesiaes, it
I "?°'' ^ •^°™*" i* is the one life" said rinni-
Joachim with great decision. ••Taik nS to m^
o sirti*^- JJJ5^-^^^ -not frth*° ,s
husVnd if^ \woman s pnde to lean on a good
Lr home, for heThaSne 1 is not' ""rh '"'^' °*
" MdJn^ IS'r ^ .4'SdTthin2^^f ^--
.. { ™° * believe it," said Anna. ^
It IS nevertheless true."
" J'°°.'^ *t Susie — is she so happy ? "
only I were independent I " ^"'' **
■^ THE BENEFACTRESS
What halrZu t'^^tli^h'^^lif^ *°"'-
woman's head, made if ever ?^' J ^' H P""^
a good man's shoSr ? " ^ •"■ *° '^° °"
ging her (
uncle, whose hS roll^ho 't^I ^ *^?.^"' ^^"
man comes alonfaJ^^r^^^^^ ^ «°-^
her^cT^k for aTom".*?' '^* V' '^^' -"d laid
is theTnhr gc^^'^Tn^* T' M* '^ ^ ''^^^^- " This
on/'sheZI MfTwereanl^^^^^^ ^^^' '^^'^
what I would preachT" ^ ^^'' ''° y°" ^"°«^
preach? EarTylndlaS? T ''"°"' *''^* ' ^""'^
::MuchSttdLb?s^"^^
onfy; and they wouTd be i" """"^ ■*°'' ^"""^
She sat ud and ?^t«f warnings agamst props."
of her eyes ^bdt h™.^ ^* ^1"^ °"* °^ '^e comers
space. ^ ' ^ ^^ continued to stare stonily into
indeperdlVlT?.*;ir^^^^^^^ -^ ^^ -*• ' Be
talk so much, aK Se r^""*^'"* ' ^°"'*
and let your neielAour^^ v 9? y.^"' °*n way.
other peopleSvou M '■ ?°" * "^^ddle with
cutoutfor you Sin^r^lT ^" ^T °^" ^o^k
all the props ^'"^ ^^^ ^°'''^^- Shake ofif
THE BENEFACTRESS . ^,
^ Anna, thou art talking folly "
stairvter but Jo =;innl 8° *lone-.crawl, stumble,
loved, then? " he a^H.f TJ^!"" "P* ^'^^f ?ever
■:ii!
'""Ves'-^e^l^^^^^^^
1 1,1?! *^"* ^'^^y '"^ """ried somebody ei-
I had no money, and she had a great d«l <L
" oft uHt ^^' ^°^''"'' " "^ "«t t^e love."
done just right. I endured toAures^fHiSn^
look as beautiful as I thought I S Liu i
pTts^^rj't^ ""^^ poormLrnoti ?''a\1
plots-the way I plotted to get taken to the p£:e«
^ ' /■ r
" THE BENEFACTRESS
^''Sce' 7S 5"- ^ "^^^'■•^^ ^° "rtf"! before
love?-'^*'" "^^^^ ""'^'^ J°»^him. "was not true
" Yes, it was,"
"No, my child."
drS aTthTte.'- '"«' "°"' ""* '* ^^ ^^^
shllwl! "^ *!"' * S°°'^'" ^e said, shrugging his
1 hey never saw him again.
CHAPTER III
of me to have been unhapp; all this tLe^
'3
i,t ,1
:|::
lilJ i:
•< THE BENEFACTRESS
poor women, because theTwo£j*'sKr'^*H
vaguely now at her follv " It t ,« tT'"'^^'"^''
be comfortable " she tShf ■ ?"';'' '^"^r to
as aimlessly al she hid af Jl' f°'l^ ^^^ *°'*'« ^'^
it is sheer i^iS:y quarreC l°.u^ T^^''' " »"d
p'^ff -uid ttfq'STKt ••^''^ *^* °*''^'-
indifferent ser^t hSled to K ''^'' '^T^^'^ ^V ''^
were things of rught-th *^ !,' !? I'?°"g'' ^^^ey
changed Ser jjf^^S'^t-the wonderful lettere that
thetm'St!tfpo"^*/„trir ^''^^ !J ^^ *^*
writing, readine tKn^l l^ cramped German
again, tin som"f hinVsufr„? ^"*''' °''^' ^"d over
her heart. v£ thl rSsSr w*^ '°.'?'"*'='' ''t
truth ? Was Jncle iS ^ ,. ^^ *his actual
pbjected to^er liK;7; ,^ho had so much
>t to her with botfi hfnl '^^"''iependence. giving
with it? She read the™ th^ 'T^ "?ssing alonf
fully, holding them w^tn ST^^ ^.^ain. very care-
was true Ihe SaTt^ ^'""Suu''.^"'^^- Yes, it
for very love anTtendemZ' ^,'''''"g over them
melted into graSde^„!,T\'?" whole being
by a sense ofK HWe sh^ . T. »"'' ^^^«*™ct
by the thousandTove Ivri *'^'^,:J«?'^ed it, dazzled
of an eye. hi lak^a "'^ ^'^'' '" '^^ *^'"Wing
THE BENEFACTRESS -
class goose>mDobbshadfumirhe?PererS^^^^^
wise defective npsf »io u^j , ""^"^""sother-
P=n«c.<i inspect., „h„„ he'eS^S;"^";
I 'if. ,,
t6
THE BENEFACTRESS
i nen followed a short exnosi'Hnn «* k • •
1» the world s5L „ri, S?* "J'TJ ""'"8
Mnce been (.rribi, lv.(™. I "'*" ''"^ her ab-
orsi.H„i5fffl, ^^5^JP bltTbfn' "!°"'
letters tight in h^r l^^i^ i j ? ,S *"^ precious
burningiereyesiarkl^ •'' ^^''^'' ^^' ^^^^^^
tienceandanxl^tJlTstsnS" ^\^g°"/ o^ impa-
pened to delay Susfe at X!i:'"« ^houlcf have hL
ciayausieat this supreme moment At
'i M) '.
THE BENEFACTRESS ,,
street, the flower-women and tU'^kt 1°*" *''«
Sus,e,fagged from a round of cSs. cime in
Susie's afternoon had not been a success <;.,.
^J'u'JT^.f'^^ "o^e than usual rSess^.
"Oh, Susie I oh, Susie!" cnVrJ a««^ • t
•• THE BENEFACTRESS
wnted to rest for a few minutes before dressinv
to go out agaan. and here was Anna in a new3
of a violent nature, and she was wearv bev^
mewure of all Anna's moods. ^ ^°"*'
"Oh, such a wonderful thine has haoDenedl"
cned Anna; "such a wonderfufthingl Kt JiJl
Petersay? And how glad you will be^--_ "And
she thrust the lettera with trembling fingers into
Susie's unresponsive hand, * ^
beared"''" ""'''"^'^' '-•'-«»* them
"Oh, no— I forgot," said Anna, wildlv as it
seemed to Susie, pulling them out 0*^ hind
again " You can't read German -see here— »
creases she had made, her hands shakine visiblv
Susie stared Clearly something extSi^inaA;
^lifT!!^*^' °^*^'= ^™«ty Anna of the £ few
months had melted into a radiance of emS tlSt
would^nly not be ridiculous if it turned oS to i
^^^^^ -n- on,
firTi / ^^^ ' '««er is full of technical wordj S
'un e Va^fct''"V\^ '^'y'' conliS^£'t
Joachim says, and his is quite plain. He
1^^^
THE BENEFACTRESS
could only have one meaning Wotn'"? R>ce
brXTlj'-?^'"'" *^^ °"'- "«»««^» only
to ml— »"' *''' '^''"■"' ^"^ kinti^STuS
" Never mind what he was " int«M,.»,4^ a_ •
still more impatiently. .• What hSSn*'?'*
you? Tell me that/ You always SiS^lf^'
o you - Peter too - that he had E^ ^^
places somewhere in the deirt S^^"*" ?
boys What could he do for y^u > ^ **"' °*
uo for mt ? " Anna rose up with a«ik«.-:^
worthy of the ei^at news about t^ ffh^"'^
both her hands on Susie's little shodZ^fl^
•°He' hi'?r '' •^^^^'^'^ shining eytSb^
saSSfaylar""*^^^ '""^'"^ •'^^^V^'ou^'
aw;s?™?k.*'°""""" "'^°^'^ Susie. ««mp,fett,y
" Marks," said Anna.
• " °''i'"*j'«s." said Susie, chilled. " Thaf*«irm™
.sn t ,t ? I really thought for a moJJ^^"''
They re more than francs. It brinssiin «« ,„
average two thousand pounds a yeaT"%J^'"
thousand — pounds — a — year" rei>«it«*i^~
nodding her^ead at each^^ok ."^nS fe
what do you think of that? " ^^' ^^^
" What do I think of it ? Why that if,sw«-«. i.
Where would you all have bS'l w^SSS
only had two thousand a year? " "**^'''' ^n**
JO
THE BENEFACTRESS
"Oh, congratulate me I" cnV? 4»
ner una. « Ki*. m- - j . « *° Anna, openins'
Don't you see St ,%,!!*'« " "".3^°" "^fft
That w ne^never th1^t°l?'T *'*"^» '"^t W?
That you ^^l ne^er have'to^K ''"'"«"''« ^g'"''?
clothes, and never S Joir SonLr T "'°'*
more trotting me round? FT ll, **'* °"t any
us is to be congratuCLi » °u ' '51°"' "'''i^h o7
looking at Susi^wl h kI °'*' f ¥ ^'^''^d laughing
«he insisted onSi^: ^J^" ^V" ot tea«. Ven
foolish things"n hir ir fL"?r'-*"'' ""rmurlj
all her hoJd i^y"^! .I^^'K^'^S "^ sony for
determined no^^betZ^I^''^''^ ^^ her, aHd S
" My t&ar Anna .ri8°°d for ever and ever.
liked inlh^e^S n?vTt!!rt^ ^^'^'' ^^^^^s-
exhibitions of feelljg^'^f ^"/J^;^'^ »" '"espona .o
you. It almost seems as if Tr^- ' ^°"«'atulate
chances in the way you have J^r"« ^^f^' °"«'«
tl"ng to do, and is £ 1^*,^!^^ *^ ^''e right
waste time. You k,SwL^T"i^\. '^O"'* let us
has he left Peter ?" ^° °"* *° dinner. What
foesR^^^^ different. He-he
Joachim knew that » ' ^^ °^ <^°""e Uncle
'oo'k^atr Ste.".^ ''-•^ ^ot a penny. Let me
,J^They..in German. You won-tbeablefo^
the worJd 4o can do tWn^" *' ""'^ P^^"" '"
THE BENEFACTRESS
hot and cold by tumf with f„- u?*, ^°°}''"^ o".
Chance her earl/ stSs^ho..&^''l '?* ^^ »°'"e
been quite forgotten "°* ''^*'^' *" '"^e
saidlTdenr^&ir^o'r^"'^"^''^"-
It is something Dobb? wK^ ''\'"'^".^ '"•=•
rS;' I"™ fre oo others."
and with the most excruciaSnr?. ''^"^.'"? Anna,
w« ever heard. " ' SrS^i/ Z'Sf!? '''^*
lichen die bureerlich^rVl. / *^/«*^, »»«/
What stuS h^^^'ltll ^y'i!''"^^^
Yet I must Wblen J^" ^^-^^'^ understand it.
the prize. Whit \^Lf^ ^ " ^* ^^''oo'- *« get
me look." She ?o?fe,l"t"P-'"''^"*- "^et
session. " Oh thf ?s whit I ^'"'^. '"^^ ^^' ^^
doesn't think it fair t£^^'rsL?/l!''^V^
ever on ou and Peter." ^ * ''"'■''^° 'o""
" Weil, that's sensible enoue-h Th»„ij , ,
some sense in him after alSurd'^tt^ugh'TS
3'
THE BENEFACTRESS
and vulgar. ItwwVfair, of course ^A <.
say anything disagreeable or f K ,^°r" * ""^^n ^
for you in your fi7hut%°f, ^^T ^" ^ ''^^^ done
wouldhavemadrthesacn-fiSi^"""; *"^ "others
forsister^-in-W-SuSfc
"Dear Susie," saidVnni f '^^^"^^^"o^her."
arm round her rearf^ f V* tenderly, putting her
than all. the l^Sshe'&^'^'^S^ '^'^ ^"'^^o'e
been only too kinS' ntgenerou? t f ^°" u^^^^
owe vou everything in the wnHJ ^'"?°* *hat I
how fovely it fs for me to fee7thi; ^"^ i"'* ^'^J'
my weightoffyourshouldere Vn """^ ^ ^^" ^^''^
h ve with me now. whenever v„" """' *'°"'" ^"'^
and ni feel so proud hav^-2 '^- "'^'^ °* ^^'^Ss,
" Live with you ? "excSfd^s" • "i"^ ^°"^ '
self away. •■ ^here —^""^^ Susie, drawing her-
:: W therruupp^s^ «°'"^ *° "- ^ -^
"NoYu.7/ /%'''^t^ condition?"
Hope^yw^l,^ardVanrs^^^^^ ^ -^IT^ he
after the place " "^ '^o*" and look
ing. haveVou ? He w^nl ^^^f '?"'='' ^^out l^rm-
German." . ^"^ "^ ^ turn quite into a
^^^Good gracious," cried Susie, genuinely horri-
nJte^SS^^^o work, and
^ Talkmgwhat?" « ^'^'•^'^'*-
THE J- •vNEFACTRrrs
33
" Near Stralsund."
ask he/to bring her atL" "^'^ ™' ^'" ^^"^^ ^"'^
is morf than we have "^ ^ "^' ^"^ ""'P^' ''^''^
opJiheT of trToveTnl "?«Ve^S
feSy1.^Toi"r^ f ^"-^ nigS7reVe°y
brother who w/,i}' suffered greatly from having a
comhS ou? 7nn "^P' P^'""^' examinations and
coming out top, and was consequently subiertpH
herself, by an ambitious mother who w?s suri that
herseTfl^to:^"'"^^'^^^^'^ '""^ wS only^
^^iJ( ?f 'y f^amination that happened to
LeKentfhl'f h ^'' ?f^ ' ^° '^^' sheS Mi s
paring for fS ^^^^ ^•*'?^''°" ^^^ defensive. pre-
r-rfaftti^;'^^^^^^
bru^hin!?n7.r''r'"^'^ '^"^'^ of '^ashing and
Drushmg. and then Letty marched into the draw-
ing-room her atlas under her arm and deep susi
cion on her face. But no bland and treacherous
exammer was visible, covering his S n^ry
34
THE BENEFACTRESS
movements with ehastiv «i
mother and her preVllfnt'^'"''"*"^*'- °"'y her
sheope'nS^theS"'^^" ^^^^-^ci together, as
she^2gr'P^^^''°^-''«tared. "What'sthatr.
"uttl^lt''^~^ P'^« m Gerwanv"
"o-ey I We 4^, ™" *■> S" 'lial after ail thf
MOW ««.? • i" 'on your education you don't
?^'p^!s:,%zts''''"' *- "" to
a"d ^e^ at'^rlP- 'S^'S t'^'r "
th,s .sgoing to be an SLJS- 'H'*'* "aid it
to do many .hing^XcouirS"™ "* '"^ k"
a»d.|ooic (or it. wKS j SV""'' "" <=«"»""
.•Slf—^-^-SMaST^rtS
"*'""'' •^'^•^-■-■dLe.ty^oodi,,,
THE BENEFACTRESS 3^
K ^i^t!"* T'^° ^""^ ^I^" ^^s always kind to
ners ! Surely it is hard on a person of fourteen
to h/^"^ ^?"^ °^ ?j°y'"g l'^^^" as anybody else'
00m ^t^T'''^'^'t"'^P' "P^t^i^ '" a dreary
th^^MM ^ •"" '* *'''"'"§• and the voices df
the children passing come up joyously to the orisoh
windows, and all the world fs out of dooiVl lS
thought so and Miss Leech thought it hard on a
person of thirty, and each tried to consoe the other
lectures strSl """"^fl^S vistas of classes anS
S^ of f ,^"^^7 ^^^"'"^ and behind them
dot ed at intervals, oh. so frequent ! with the black
spots of examinations ? Was not the pavemen? of
^nTA'^^f' '"i^^ ^^"«'"gton Square^nd of aU
those distncts where girls can be lectured into wS
dom,qu,te worn by tKeir patient feet ? And then
the accomplishments I Oh, what a life it was A
man came twkea week and insisted on LacWng her
?K^'^'''^i3^ highly nervous man, who jerked hir
elbow and rapped her knuckles with his K when-
and ^.H?l^f^°"*°**r'*'^'^'^^as all the time,
and made bitter remarks of a killinelv s^rcJtir
nature to Miss Leech when she stumbS She
accompaniments On Wednesdays there wis a
dancing class where a pinched young lady phyed
tifeliris th.T """^"'^ tumed-out toes taught
sweaf 1 £ K ^"^^"S ^T'^'S his bread in the
ch^?hL V ''™'^- ".^ *'^ ^as sarcastic, but he
clothed his sarcasms in the garb of kindlv fun
laughing gently at them himseff, and expeSg hb
36
THE BENEFACTRESS
pupils to laugh too; which they did uneasily, for
the fun was of a personal nature, evoked by the
clumsiness or stupidity of one or other of them,
and none knew when her own turn might not come.
The lesson ended with what he called the March
of Grace round the room, each girl by herself,
no music to drown the noise her shoes made on
the bare boards, the others looking on, and the
master making comments. This march was ter-
rible to Letty. All her nightmares were connected
with it. She was a podgy, dull-looking girl, fat
and pale and awkward, and her mother made her
wear cheap shoes that creaked. " Miss Estcourt
has new shoes on again," the dancing master would
say, gently smiling, when Letty was well on her
way round the room, cut off from all human aid,
conscious of every inch of her body, desperately
trying to be graceful. And everybody tittered
except the victim. " You know. Miss Estcourt,"
he would say at every second lesson, " there is
a saying that creaking shoes have not been paid
for. I beg your pardon ? Did you say they had
been paid for? Miss Estcourt says she does not
know." And he would turn to his other pupils
with a shrug and a gentle smile.
On Saturday afternoons there were the Popular
Concerts at St. James's Hall to be gone to — Susie
regarded them as educational, and subscribed —
and Letty, who always had chilblains on her feet in
winter, suffered tortures trying not to rub them ;
for as surely as she moved one foot and began to
rub the other with it, however gently, fierce enthu-
siasts in the row in front would turn on her— old
gentlemen of an otherwise humane appearance, rapt
I " 'I
THE BENEFACTRESS j,
ladies with eyeglasses and loose clothes -and
sh_sh- her with Furious hissings into immobility.
aZa Y ly*^ ^"'^ ''* «*'"• Miss Leech, who
K It ?u '"'"y-.*""''' ""Pl°re in a whisper; but
f u-iuf ^^•"°.*.''^'^*''^'" ^^" know the torture
of chilblains inside thick boots, where they cannot
be got at ? As soon as the chilblains went, the Sat-
F^iV^""!:!.' '^^l °^' ^"'^ '* ^e^'ned as though
Fate had nothing better to do than to be spiteful.
It was indeed a dreadful thing, thought Lettv
as she bent over the map of Germanv, to be young
and to have to be made clever at all costs. Here
w^ her aunt even, her pretty, kind aunt, asking
her geography questions at seven o'clock at night
when she thought that she had really done with
lessons for one more day, and had been so much
enjoying Leechys description of the only man
she ever loved while she comfortably toasted
trtffH ^^^ «^^°o''•.o?'n•fi'•e• Anna, who spent
such lofty hours of spiritual exaltation at St. Paul's
and came away with her soul melted into pity for
the unhappy, and yearned with her whole being to
help them, never thought of Letty as a creature
who might perhaps be helped to cheerfulness with
a little trouble Letty was too close at hand; and
enthusiastic philanthropists, casting about for ob-
jects of charity, seldom see what is at their feet
It was so difficult to find Stralsund that by the
time Letty s wandering finger had paused udon it
busie could only give one glance of horror at its
position, and hurry away with Anna to dress.
,o!l?h';n?k'^°R,''^,''^J^ P'^^^"^^ •' to be farther
south, in the Black Forest, or some other roman-
tic region, where it would have amused her to go
3«
THE BENEFACTRESS
"1 a part of the woZ'fh u^'^}' ^^ '* couJd be
except in eonnStri-tfdo^-^ hard], heard S
Joacht had'SXVr ^^^^^- '•* --• Uncle
joined. ItwoSdb^S,r"'r"ded and not et
to go there and set up ho'etf '^°''''"f O' for her
need not go; she waTalm. .^^P'"« ^^one. She
SO. Anjlo'v, therlwaJno nV"'" '^^ ^°"W "ot
once fhe money w^wh.rT'"'^ *° ^^^''^e at
could spei^d it whl^Th u ^^^ ^3" ted, and she
chim'sLpectoSwhomh."'"- ^.'* ""^Woa?
go on getting forty SSaJd T u '" ^"'^^ P'^'i
the place, and she wouW^liJ ,1 ^ ^^^ °"* "^
She ran upstairs to out on jf^*^"^ ''""tent-
to have her hair done in the curr.^i*'''* ''^"^^' ^"^
so long eschewed. ShoulH =i? ^""^ "^^^^s she had
charn,fngaspossibleSi1set"°'-'""''^''^^«^'fS
every^bo^y was soyooda„dt^'"g*orld, where
measure of beauty af d t/n^ '""''■ ^"^ add her
beamed on Lett? « 1. '^"^^^ ^ the rest? She
climbing slowly^^ferhf ^r °" ^'^^ «t-i^!
from hsrand would carr^.-fl •"« ?tlas, and took it
Miss Leech, who wasScHn?f V^''^ ''^^™«d o"
schoolroom door- shJ hf ^/°'' ^^'^ P"PiI at the
beamed on her ow^ rf fl f-™^^. °n her maid she
.'ndeed at that m^en ta?trat'"f *'^ ^''^' ^^Sh
young woman. Oh haoot hf °^ ^ ^^'^ beautiful
should she do with so mnr^' ^^^^ ^"'^'^ ' What
never had a penny TnTerfe^ ^ ^^'' ^ho had
^eipasmanypeopSSlf^^^^^^^^^^^^^
THE BENEFACTRESS
39
^" J "^^5w' "^^^'■' "ever let them feel thaf tt,«
under ob cations n;^ ci, ^ \ "" ^''ey were
White HiltonTas curl-- J ^^^^^ ^^^^
into contact SThe clerSf aS^T'? ^'"S ^''
oflate had been fromlKe'rl'f vfn'th?^"^
who had preoared hpr fr,, ^^ c ^^' ■ f " *"e vicar
being the'n aS^t^SolXZ^'J'^'V^'^^
mourned, had wanted to mar^ her "^It?h^ ^^^"
I am twenty-five and staiH ttJJ^u .t. • . because
able." she thought buf. J n^^ ^'V"'' ""^ ^""t"
at the face in tie glass '^ "°* '''^^ ^'""'"g
waSce^roTsttSwW^^^^^^^^
find Mnte„tm„\"*S°,''''t ?= "^'i''' '^°»''
waves." ncrseit, and Hilton's wonderful
swfeSsfof SLir SSrSa^ "°' ^° -«' *«
and kindness sMnJn^ ^ u ' '^^PP'ness and love
:^.W^
40
THE BENEFACTRESS
bacUo beauty, by Uncle Joachim's timely inter-
stoppeJiSvolunSly L^^theiV m^ f-'"8''"?' ^^^
a strange sound in A,lf j ?/ "*"versation. It was
had said, on her rSm from tt' ^j"""'?^'" ^^^^
"but mamma and Aunt An^, ^^ ^Jrawmg-room,
night for anything Wh^","f ^'\l^ weird to-
me down for? t! ev didn\ tn ^°" ^'""'^ ^^X had
was, and wanted to Sd out tjT '"''"" ^^^^'^""d
wanted to see if /knew fa-^ J^^yP^^t^ndedthey
that game. And Auni Ann "?°", '^* *hroug^
happy. I believe she^ Lfn "t ^T^' Wghtfufiy
wants to go to StrafsunI ?or Ve^h^n "'"^^^' ^"^
And Lettv toot im kl ^ . ^ noneymoon."
Leech, as i^duty^Cn^^^^^^^^
memory in regard to sS '^^!;^«hed her pup.Ts
and the Hans! cUiergfS;'' "'"^ ^^"^nsfein
M'^KL
«H||
CHAPTER IV
come back to them • t- p f ' ^^ '^""''^ °f course
4»
THE BENEFACTRESS
kind"ofe';iri^^^^^^^^ '' '^"'' "Ot that
punt wa^ n^'ffat /he wanSrsA ^'"'iS '" »
by the love of her le-s fortunt J'jf "^^ *''""'=d
?nd the sense of power to SDth.^"°*;''?"*"'^«'
•ng to go and do'^it What shl rT'n"*^ ^^^ '""S"
Peter was that he should t.li,^'"^ ^''''^^ o^
and help her throuo-h thl / ^ v^-' '° Germany
his letter artved shV tt hT'''"''J ^°' ^^"^e
the fir^t thing to iJdone '''" *''"' '^^' ^«
appefrtoherthather b'rX !h' '?^"'*"'^' '^'^ «'
and she wrote him a ELn.. °"'f 8° ^'''^ ''er;
would.be able to ^ a'^t "l£ ^.^llll^r^.^r ''^
^ -'6'^'=. cAcuses, and eood
raents. BesiTs Deri^?J'[^'°™« """"^y "^nge-
She knew he suffered from rL™' ^ ^"^'•"? ^^H-
you have rheumatism fhT'"!*'^'": ^ncfwhen
journey is ap^ufng """' '^°''^^' °^ ^ '°"g
conSntm^J;;^^^^^^^^ clear on all matter,
sity of Anna's g^irS to r •■"^°&"'«ed the neces-
re^ardedPeteraftheCstnT'^'""^ ^^^ ^'^o
guide; but she wZs n^ ^■"'?' companion and
Her th;t he couW ^o^Jo T,?!^ ^^^" ^nna tol3
pecCapologised Annl% He oftenha,° T'^ ''■'^■
•n the spring, and perhaps het^it^nlw'""^'""'
Pq^-
THE BENEFACTRESS
43
Susie snifSFed
" whlt'L^rtot £,Lf ^""« ^ - pause
yea« never abt tol"^ ff'"^ »«' -^t. JJ'SJ
|T go with you " "S ^wmjjBelf ^" "^
"You? But what ,k ^
^ "Oh. ni throwthL'ove ^nd't ?^«^«"^^ ? "
can come too. It will do her' Ge'?"^ i^tty
mvitations to all the world Th ''?"'^'*« "S
d.ng after Easter. LThadl^Zn^'^^' ^^■
This was oneof those triak^L^^ ""^tb Susie.
K she, being in London at fU.-^""* »*« faced.
felt that she coulS not b^J it" V""''^ •*^««- She
ness pumey to the CoSnt " ""^^^^eburi!
wanted to ielp SroToTthis^t''"''^ '^'^^^
On her return she would be altT'"^**^**""-
fng discussed and expre^^her HI ^'^''^e^wed-
havmg nu-ssed it with a sLnJ b o^P^^j!?^'' at
mind. " ^ei^cne brow aoti » <jmef
Anni^t^e^^uTS^I ''^"°"''^ ^ave^^-H,
included i^l^^TnltS^^I'ft^S
-ldnotWthesec,^;T:;,,„^'/-«^5
r-AiZ^i
^1^3
<♦ THE BENEFACTRESS
S'^^kindTnn'^-;?*' her former treatment of
of inSf r'''^"' """'^^ «°'' «^o">d kindle the Ss
u^ugnter so plain. And then so fatl What a
^.^iffsriT'^
THE BENEFACTRESS
She heraclf and Peter Zrlthtf ^^ «^' " ^™'"?
It must be that LetVy aTe too n.. 'r*1.*°i^ """rtals.
onlya disgusting practice hn? "^^' *'''*='' *»« "ot
should beVtfowTro„./"!uP'n«veone,and
had not ha§ such In oppoTuniTi'of T""'' k?"?^
specting her child for yeara aS °L "'"V^'^'y '"-
prolonged examination ofTe'r".,? -^'"'^ °' **"'«
she would not let any of the n^^v, k P"'"'' ^''^ ^^^^
eat at all, declarin^that K^ T ^"^^'''''g '«
trains, expressing aVazeme„r?h.? «" 1° ^^*'"
bring themselvef to toucrthi >'. Pfople should
offered, and turning Ler Lck iSln ?°^'!i? ^°°d
on two stout German I^lv u '" ™Patient disgust
hausen, and i^hTwere en frT^" ^^^ ?°* '" ^' ^^^r-
unmoved.by.herc:n^"mp?l^'oli^^^^^^
^rom beginn ngtoend witL.,f ff ^^'•"ga chicken
taking Repeated siS oT !„ 1 J° '' ""'^ '''^ °^*'^'"
naturf from a higViZ \l,f''TP ^t'^^actory
haviVtn "r:p?rTyLXar '^^' '""'^ '^^-.
wherets Susie'^pal wa^"^^!^; ^f "^ very cheerful,
t>on ; especially Joo/ wSs Leech ."" "''''""'•
very strong, and so nearly fainteS' th?^° ^'""""^
obliged to notice it, and exoreSeH I ^"'-^ ^^«
Anna in a loud and oeevithS 1 'conviction to
«^ going to Ce a nSTce '"^' ''"* ^'^« ^^^^h
into bed. -SISK •^""^' ^ ^'^^ -ept
passions." ^'avelhng bnngs out one's wor^t
. It is indeed strano-e • for ■• .■ ,
•ng equals the expecteiit i' . ''if'" *>* ""^h-
i^ ""t . -■,. ^m and mutual
46
THE BENEFACTRESS
finfl M*^ Start except the cold dislike of the
finish. Many are the friendships that have found
an unforeseen and sudden end on a journey, and
few are those that survive it. But if Horace W^-
pole and Grey fell out. if Byron andSh S
were obliged to part, if a host of other pelonaZ
Ship desirable, could not away with each other
after a few weeks together abroad, is it toT
wondered at that weaker vessels such as Susie and
t1^2"h i'"y ^"^ I^''' ^^'^' should have found
tS enS T""! ^"^^ ^°"*^°" *° Berlin sufficreni
to enable them to see one another's failings with a
clearness of vision that was startling?^
On the lawyer, a keen-eyed man with a con-
spicuously fine face. Anna mide an entirely favour-
able impression. WhenhesawthisgraciousyoZ
;^f M T^ channing eves, he perfectly understood
2ter°L />m'''"" s'^""" tiave been bewitched SS
after a httle conversation, it appeared that she
u^l."«° P^^l* '"*""*'°" °f ^^"ying out her
uncles wishes, but. setting them coollylside nro^
posed to spend all the gSod German^rone^E
ffeXnZa':^^™^^^"^^^^-^^^^^^
janS^ShSiiK^J^f^S
Joachim's affairs before he himself had stepped into
the paternal shoes, and the feeling of both fa her
wanrferM""' '^' ^''^ ,"l^" ^'^'^ ^efn considemWy
warmer than is usual between lawyer and cl™
of men Ta^^ *.£• '•'^'' ^"'^^'"g ^^^^ ^^fm-ne"
ot men, that anything so pretty could also be un-
^mm.Mi^^^-%'^mkwr- § ■#iii«e¥'-^
THE BENEFACTRESS
47
restless liSSy ht iSc^'nn^- ''P ^'".1^ ^^*^^ ^"^ »
who was the cause of T^.fyi""'* *^^* she it was
benefactor's wishes Sus e ^^u« ^'^^ °^ ^ ^^^d
him because his Sllaf tu^^tr' '^'"'''''^
she^htllirof^ri; ?ff S^-S^,,°^ .BeH-
you see things doubleTr the r«. "J ^t^ t°P *at
Anna thought nf flT u ^^^ "^ *e time.
delightful lawyers fiiM' ^^"""'g Place, where
Susie thought of ii^^^hP"?^,^'fh ™oney.
place abroad IheS bv d S^"^ ' f '°" ^ ^''^ °"«
walks from sight to sShtTn ft '*^^"* ^'^°"0'"y.
cuous cakes Stead of tV. '^'"■•^"^ P™"""^
less cheap meS Letfv . n i"""^ satisfactory but
walde. ^ ^* "^^'^g they started for Klein-
CHAPTER V
Stralsund is an old town of gabled houses an-
"^t. churches, and quaint, rougfly pavJd s^^^s.
dikes. It look Its best m the early summer when
inff" '".'^ """""Jy P^»'"« on whosfedge k
Ste c?oLfr° ""''^ 't'^Scups, and the ffttle
Ini A £f ^^"S over them almost motionless
and the cattle are out, and the larks sing, and Se
orange and red sails of the fishine-smact<i nn 1^1
Krandtf R-"^ *^,! clivdTs^thTtn^fr^^^
the island of Rugen make brilliant points of con-
KL"^ colour between the blue of Ler and S
There is a divine freshness and brightness about
the surrounding stretches of coarse gras^ and com
mon flowers at that blest season of the year Thl
air IS full of the smell of the sea. TheTn beats
down fiercely on plain and city. The pLp"e come
out of the rooms in which most of their life is soent
and stand in the doorways and remark on thereat
poetic temperament in search of the picturesaue
SS It rr th 1r !^'' ^°'^^°^^- -uS not E
Tn v!!^i, ,1 j^? ?'"^* *""^ '" "le month of June
to be wholly delighted that he had come.
4«
^0L^^mfmr-iKk, ^^m>/-%
THE BENEFACTRESS
gloomy da^I^aMh^^lnW^'-^'" '^'^ doubly
oufiht to have shown sol^ *'"*^^ **>«" spnng
ani has not done s^ th^ /'^^°t.^ ^ ^PP™^*=^
and driving rain and'^^t K , °f "g -'"^^^
this plain is merely a hl^t i ^° snowstorms,
with a forlorn o'S^town Ly °^-'''"'*""^^«
• corner. '°^" huddling m its farthest
It was at its very bleakest =^A j
morning that Susie and hlf fK '■^^"^** °'' the
travelleS across it "What ^ J^^^ companions
Susie, as mile afte; mil7tl , P'^^^' i exclaimed
was still the same suc^2i^''o/^,r'"r''' .""'^ '^^'^
marshes, and plough fiewfP""^''"^''^^''^.
group of furiously sS„SLT"' *•*/ "^^e
b'rches bent double^fore^thf -^^ °'" °^ ^"ver
part of the world to cZo 1^ ?• '^'"''- " What a
uncle of youre was^.T^i'."^^ ''^e in I That old
think vou^d eventafhPrTf^^'^ ^.^^ ^°"Jd be to
spending even a stL^Y^i£ «?°d-. And imagine
I r^'dn-t take a b^tSa^'^^r? '^"^ '''-•
^id AnAa. "Tn?! ^f. 'su^%„T^ ^^'i!?^"'^"
nght to buy a place here ^ h. ^ /°^^''™ was
" Oh, of couree, k'sZ^dl^fJ^^ ^'^^^s right. "
up. Perhaps it gs s £ter fSh""^ to praise him
see how anybody can smiri'"°"' ^"* ^ don't
yearoutof/St'ikeSlk"'" *''° *'^°"«^"d a
tainly7o?S2cr. tt'lS ftl ^ ^^ -
anyplace would look dSnf^t *°^^ ^^"^^ *at
much too happy in the fi^Tfl '^u "^f^^^^"' *"d was
to be depresseK anvtW^l "f °^ '"dependence
not that ve^ morLng^fe ^Sibe^dt
i (I
so
THE BENEFACTRESS
reast'offenT'''2^'''"S '^' ^^<i^-^ that wL
re-i
w m-^
THE BENEFACTRESS j,
nrLv^t'*°°"'f'?"^"'P'^*'°"ofher daughter
we sh^n K» P'^'^^s- Stralsund, you know, where
^dtte'sdSpt ■^' '- '^' ^ --t tu^bullS
LeeSy ■• '' " "'' ^^"^^ " ^-"- ^ ^an't help it,
Wjlenffin r^°"^" ^"^^ ^^P- ^^ -te S
^^^'Ir^member Ididapaper. Beastly hard it was.
" Why, mamma's always savins it "
such ,
.'.' Oh"T^t^^^ v'*^ *°° *^^* '* ^^« beastly hard."
"Yes, I still remember that, though j confess
5»
THE BENEFACTRESS
thaM have forgotten the greater part of what I
I doS knotf VC dS hT.?'-' t»^" y°- know
to heaven with cha.nc ^/- V'".'**erenvetted
dramatically "' °^ "■°"' «'d Miss Leech
_" What a goat"
Whe^e'do"yoriea™\fy >*°^f ''""^^'le ^o^ds.
tainly not fS me™ S Mis,?' ^lL°"i '"«' ^^•-
She had a profound ho^or J h^^''^' '''stressed,
wildered by the wav in t^^^i,^^''^"^^' *"^ ^^^ be-
ne spran/uD on^i "'•'' *^^ ^^eds of rheto-
" ^ell^:^Z f;',^^^«'°-« >« ^etty-s speech!
•'St;'*7>^"'>"^ear?"
Chamed to heaven?"
to heavenTtltty^^^' ''"^ ^^" ^ <='ty be chained
;; Then what did he say it for?"
"Oh- •rT°«f^"'^taphor."
-tapho/^i butSpJ^d'^mrt!;""" ^\^* »
us^.n sieges, and P^Sj ^ ^^1 ^Srl^^^^
"lel^g^elS'nlK ^'^ ^-•'.
" Poor beasts ," "'"'^'^s of slam on the field."
"don't let-rSer la Wsf>" ^''^ "^'^P^'^d,
Mr. Jessup. You'd ^ot m?" ""T" ^o on with
Arnv for the fim timf " *° **'"'" ''^ ^"^d you
loved, and his historj'^2 "f fhf t'"'^^ ''^'^ ^^«^
^ was of absorbmg mterest to
THE BENEFACTRESS
^S'A^r:Jff,''2''^-:iS his first appe "
?ubsequent advanS Lfo"e the t"'"^^' ^'^^ his
>ng was reached, thi courtiia •^^^"^"^"court^
ancholv end; £«; Mr. Je JuC^a^f '' '"^ '*^ ""^l-
Churcli of England whtf'J '^^^''gJ^an of the
receive his wil. hadSdenK^^^ ^" ''^''3' ^
new convictions anH hTf ^ become a prey tc
of Rome; wh";rpt'lf:iVT-tothe&hu'rcf
clergyman of the Church of Fntl^' ^^^^^'' ^^^ a
great deal about the Scartt^ "'^' ^""^ ^^"'ed a
and had shut the door fn Mr r^^" .^^r ^^^^'on.
next he called to eZhtn ri-'^'iF^J^''^ ""^^^
when Miss Leech wS^tfventv M ^^^ \'PP^"ed
orphan resigned to the woSV ^^^l^^i^^'^Y^^n
a gentle consolation in Seating 5'*'' '^^ ^°"nd
il -starred engagement K f ^''^ ^^"O^ of her
friend and p3^nd tK» u ''^"^3' interested
the less did Tt grieve her tillttT?!!^ ^^P^^tedit
ally to enjoy the reraemh« ^'^.^''^'^^'"eactu.
have Playid the princS,""?"^^ °^ ''••P'^^^l to
that was hissed oBhSll^''^V'} * ''"'"a
sympathetic listener dweiHn^^T' l^^^ '° '^"^ a
a^s^i^oii-^^^^H^rite
t-cp tt^illf-'^e would ever have ex-
sup had he remainSfixed1nfc"v J''?'? Mr- J«-
and married her in due season r^'J*? °^ ^'' ^^thers
had unconsciously becor^^a ^o.? nf '' ''"-?''°" ^^
Letty£;ndhe.3elf,Li„eThemfr. P^^'^ence to
dulness. furnishing theif loneW^ '?^'^«« ^^ours of
romance and mystery andff &°'t°°'" "^^ with
he gradu^ly t.\ o'^'^^S^ M.j U^^^
' <;(
54
THE BENEFACTRESS
fey Wen;]'' "^ '^1 "'^Z^''^ ^^^ '""™* ot
fk ^u. i *^"'^^' ^^^ glowed and thrilled at the
mSi' *** f '■''^Ps she too would one day have a
Mr. Jessup of her own, who would have conviction,
Inn^^f .^^^'y, ''.'"S.^'^ ■" the world, till they were
roused to realities by their arrival at StralsunS and
Sus,e, thrustmg books and bags and umSas into
Hilton, the maid shared by Susie and Anna i,,^
thentobefoundand urged to^claX^dow^^^^^^^
on to the low p atform, where she stood helpkssl?
the Picture of injured superiority, hustled bv the
she7co^L°'?'" '"^ P^?,^^^'^' °"* of whost way
she scorned to move, while Anna went to look for
This cart was an ordinary farm cart used for
.W n^,??,!" *" ''^y i" J""«- ^t -ISO used for carS
ing out the manure in November; and on a sackZf
snouid St. The farm boy who drove it and whr,
helped the porter to tie tL trunks to ite sTdesTest
thev should too violently bump agains each oVlSr
so; the porter, who seemed to think it quSuraf
sa.d so ; and everybody was waiting fori? ton to 'et
.n.who,whenshehadatlengthg4edthSu2i^'n
THE BENEFACTRESS
S5
^i
shaken by passion and a fal V' *"** *'"^ » voice
tored.announc^herintentLor^,'"«'?^^
«rt as a coT,se. Xn thev r^; lf>S° "K'"that
they pleased, buTaHvini^^''' j'? *''•' her as
never. • ""^ as a living body with breath in it.
itywI^nTextf^sLtlet'^'-'^^^^^^
topressround.anfX&;:''"'>^"d sleet, began
train stopped on t&y,J^^^f^,''.T^^y^^^s^rne
boy patted the sack and SrS if. ?v ^^^^""^
straw, the coachman stood un on J u '* ^^ ^^'^a"
that it was a new sack fhZ^^'l?" '"^ ^°'^ *"d swore
lein that it was as comforK?' ^'"^^'^ ^^^e F^^u-
and nobody seempH^-^ J ^^ ^ ^^^^''er bed
was being ISt^MtsT' ^"^^ ^''^^ ^^^
^^^'^^^Si^^^^ ^en in the
herself; quoting ^their^.aJrnlr' '."^P^^enient to
they woJd havl acted n^an?„r'"*'"«^ °"' how
ways, it appeared thev hi^!f^ ^"'^" ""^^^ and al-
ton desired Susil&'frat "' f'S^'j' ^hat Hil-
slavish, and Hilton wS^^S ^^',^"*=h«ses was
hberah"tv that wa« Ik y^ated with an nduleent
luggage and the m^d If *^^^ '* ^« ^o-- the
her wfth them in what thi ^^""Posslble to take
-^ how to get^t;:;i?u^, 7:t..i SoVlatans
M ' ';■
s«
THE BENEFACTRESS
.SpaT?oA;„r"'«''»"-'^<''"--d Susie.
doi'f^bi a foolfsh^'S'" ■'r H*°.«°. •? •'• "•''<>".
in the we Th.^ k^"; r'* t"] ^"^P "« ^ere
thinks anythinAere of Hn-^"«^'^"1' ""^ "O^odv
stanng at you now because you are J^°^^^ "^
a fuss. Get in like 7^^^ ^^ ^ making such
"Only^ a corSe «?°1.«°"'. and let us start."
chattering t4th '^ev^r « T^'"''^ i^"*°" *ith
HiltS;'^£^:£" -Peated 4- "Poor
" We must ^P^^ K • t'ley must be here."
isn;tto^Sr-^"^^^
ruinous?'""''-^ ^" ''-^ '^-^--ef It will be
ple'Ke:- ''"' '*'"' ""''' ^-"^-g these peo-
Place^l ••• iriif sTsielaT" T^*° ^'""^ ''-"ble
ton's rage ' """^ '"ade miserable by Hil-
lam^el\rto''?ii?tl?r° 1'^^^"^ ''')^' *° J'-
coT)se,m'Iady/'rndwas%TrS°r"' "•°"'>' *« *
unwilling dnver who t.-i^j-^"8:'ng with an
drive to\S;^de^tf consett^Tt^'H*^"^ *°
bemg promised tw»A«^ '^°nsented to do so on
oatsfor hTho Js and r'fe,^ '^^' ^""^ ^^^d of
shape of refrSenranr^.''"'^ ^'^'*'°" '" the
sug^estij.elfSrnXn"^^^^^^^^^
^ra^^:^1;i^^S-^-pe..^topa,
the
appeased
THE BENEFACHHWSi
57
suppose." '^'^ * JWir property, I
feel, disposing of carts and /J.3-'"°8"'''«nt I
you please to^t info my cSw*". N°^- «'«
o^-f the extreme resSS J^4fj^ou
deSi.rg!tr;?o?g"gi^^^^^
cloth cap on his hea,f fnd ^J^"*' ^ l^^k-Wue
fawn-coloured suit and Site^^ ^•*'^'"=*' '" »
many tarnished silver butons^dS',"^^ ?^t
JoacW's coat of arms wS f^^*** ^"*='«
terva^s. removed his cap ^hile^ ^ '''°'^ '"-
and her party were enterin7t£il?** ""«":«
notputjio/again t?thry^wSS^""'' '^•*'
3 Ju.te as though we^e^^^-*^.^
,-^ g"4t Sstit;^ /hr^Lrs'^i^ -'•o
I'ke my horses. Susie 7 Or ^. **"• " ^ you
of having been ploughing all th ^'^"Vcct them
well." she added^qu^SMai'T.i"*^' ^^'
any part of her dear Set t«t .f '^"S*""8 ^t
has to have heavily buHtLrJl^'^l^^Wose one
-H Where the^roads '^pr^af ^^.^Jjil^
g^The.r tails might be a littfe ^^. ^
>T&fd*':;i-^,^,n---«.i,.
^ncle Joachim Will S^—^-^^^.
i
5>
THE BENEFACTRESS
they were at last somehow packed into the car-
nage and away they rattled over the rough stoneL
lanTlhf ?•. °^«''•1^°f . the town on ?he S
and. the hail and wind in their faces, out into
the open country, with their horses' heads turned
to«^ds the north. The fly c. ntoining Hilton fol
"^'''M'""^ ^2^ °f straw followed the fly
" We can't see much of Stralsund," said Anni
trymg o peep round the hood at he old tCwn
acn.^ the lakes separating it from the main and
^hniJu^'y ^T"^''^ t°*"'" observed Susie,
who had happened to notice, as she idly turned
Zli^ P'^"* ° ^^^ ^''^^^'^ O" the w/y down
hat there was a long description of it wit^ dares.'
Chi f ?°T^ /°" know.-'^she added, turning
sharply to her daughter. turning
t,L^^^^^:" ^"^ ^^"y- "Wallenstein said he'd
ound ; " "'^^^^hained to heaven, and when he
Iwav andT^".^ ^^ r? ^l8''t^""y ^•^''> »"d went
?/• ? ^" t**^"™ ^' "» the fields."
al,„l"f ^^?'''j*u° *^,°" the little seat, strug-
ghng to defend herself from the fury of the eli
ments wi h an umbrella, looked anxious, but Susie
only sa-d m a ^ratified'voice. " I'm glad you remem
ber what ;.ou%e been taught." fo wETettT
i^'n th?' '".«L''' 'fi'"*^'^"'' thought this dri^'
•Ratr^ J"{?^ fun, again replied heartily!
Rather, and her mother congratulated herself
onhavmgdone the right thing^in br nging her
to Germany, home of erudition and profunditv
already evidently beginning to do its^work ^'
The carnage smelt of fish, which presently up-
set Susie, who. unfortunately for her.*^had a no?e
m- i^:jiir:^wir.4Ta:it3iPP^
THE BENEFACTRESS
a^hou^ to be seen, she i^un/fe It'l^sT S
basket somewhere and ^J' ^*P*^^"."« *« find a
one to pushTt out* Tultfy ali!?'"''^ '' 't^ ^°""d
that she should drive for tJoK^ ^^^ •T?'"«; f°'
kerchief up to her n«^I °"" *'"' •>" hand-
could expct of ^7°^^!^%'^^:^ ^"^^y
than anybody ought tolSt^ofif '''1,*^°"J "^^^^
in goin^ to L expUseTtttuSetYfr'^'^'
convenience of the absence /mm k^ . l^^ '""
^ke. and she hope^tt A^rfehTnt ful''"sh'
had never vet shnmi- fr«», u j s^rerui. s>he
^ Smell..? I should .hi„k I did. „., a.^^^
.Ung .ha iX« JS "Tts^Sr'S' n-
«»™„ wheeliand bumpad diSl^a^d'S
6o
THE BENEFACTRESS
hZl^"^ '^""v ^"y*ing under the seats. Per-
haps the man has g^ot it on the box. Ask him
Anna; I really can't stand it." '
Anna did not quite know how to attract his
but'sTkid notT"^ l'^^'^''''^ "- P°"- i
Kw i? • 1* H"°* ^'s "ame, and the wind
blew her voice back in the direction of Stml^ n^
when she had cleared it, and couXd and caHeH
out mher shyly. "Oh, .^u^scAerF^'.^J^,?^'^
and twfr "leniembered that oh was not German
fn its d1^"^ ^ i^^^'"" ^^ "«^d sonorous Sj
Letty giggled. " Go it. Aunt Anna," she said
encouragmgTy. "dig him in the rite with vo,^r
umbrella-orl wilt if you like" ^
THE BENEFACTRESS
6i
at some length that she 3';, i:^"^ explained
offering assfstancT ""'^ ^""S nice, and
he;'fabt1!^>S^:;,X J«ke .'^''".•" ^'d Anna,
of the carriage and the h^^l? °/V" "'^ "^"hng
perhaps vou^wo Jd toucS ,^^ t T^" " ^
Miss Leech turned an^ arm. Miss Leech."
his sleeve. He a' on- -K'*^ ^-.'''«'""'y *°"^hed
who stopped ?ead! .SeS^'^'ffi '° '"'^ ]'°'^«-
'ng down at Anna inquired ? 5 ? ''^P' ^"^ 'o°k-
Jt was done so qu"ck v that A """^"Z^"-
versational German was^exrL?•"^ ^''°^« «^on-
quite unable to remember T>.!f"^>, ^^^y- was
sat looking up at ShelnlS "^^l^, ^°' ^^^' and
searched ifer brains ''^'P'^^^'^'. while she vainly
to sSrSlssiS ?h:™he m ^'\"'1' ^PP^^'-g
tng capless in the rain ^" '''°"''^ ''^ wait-
Su^ie^L]?'*'^*^'-^'^^- fish?" inquired
"Fist?" eTcSlM^t '°°.'''"^ «'"P'^-
"^«^/l/" sai^he cLh • ^'^^'''S^^ help,
at the word. <^oachman hiinself, catching
blX/r„i,t°h:r|tr1!]:.V"'::"^."-' Anna
ened'tnTpot'^Shis^'^,?- ''^ '^^ ''"6''*
sea on their right St. 5 '^'''? *° ^^^ fifing
ing fields, he sffd thaShe'r'' "'^ "?* '"*^^en?
especially herrfngs ^ "^^ '""'^'^ ^^h in it,
6a
THE BENEFACTRESS
Letty laughed uproariously. The coachman
seeing Letty and Anna laugh, thought he mus
have said tKe right thing Sfter all, and lookS
very pleasant.
I^LclttaT^f^'" "'""*'" ^""^ """^ *-'
. The coachman stared. Then he said vaeuelv
ma soothmg voice, not in the least knowine
what she meant, "iV««, nein, gnddiges FrduUin^
am-! evidently hoped she woufl be sitisfied.
Aber es rtecht, esriecht!" cried Anna, not
r,^e l^ii'"''"^ ^ ■»' °- ^» ""»£
• "'i J»l^ brightened again. « Ach so —jawohl
i^w' .^.^'iu'^"""'^ cheerfully ; and hastened to
explain that there were no fish nearer than the
to^„,^r *if * '^\^^^ h« had used that m^fng
to make the leather of the hood and apron shin!
nS^ '^tk" fi^J'y. «">«». ^ he hfmself hS
sm^ll^>K^''^-«';^^'°HS Miss loves not the
M\\ T''"'^'^ anxiouslv; for he had seven
children, and was very desirous that his new
mistress should be pleased.
Anna laughed and shook her head, and though
ft It iS K PT* «'"Ph»s« that she did not lo^e
surtd ^ ^^"'"y *''''* ^^ *«'* '^^^
"What does he say?" asked Susie.
Why, I m afraid we shall have it all the way.
It s the grease he s been rubbing the leather with "
',-p ■«*- *■' ■'
THE BENEFACTRESS
?lready'^^°cLm-^*'^. f "«e ""«"'y. feeline sick
and encourage him fnstead of^^l ""«'' «' '""'n
pa«ho„ at once and showTnt hLl& "^ y^"
stand any nonsense. He „.,^ "** y°" won't
unboxed I" she adrfp^; °"fif''* to be — to hJ
heard of delfnqSt derlSnT*'' = '°^«he°ha'S
ut^^P ^'^-'^ -X^uen^'Sac-ht^^^^^^^
cou^d^^Tilp^rJid f ^*-^-tto.butshe
\ngry by this childish l.!'-^' ™***« ««" more
*e rest o^the drivS ^'^^'°"^> sulked durfng
jny ItalS'nranTS'Si'wt" in^ gf l^new hardly
her words never could £.^^"^'^3' '»nd wanted
troubled the last two da^s bv t^' ''"* H been
these wonls came to her iL ^ "''^^ '" ^bich
opened them to speak finna^ '""^ '™^ ^''e
they4nTon^VSln?S ^^ ^^--^ -d
««t stretched^ay S| the' W*- ^'^^''^^^^
The high-road. or^W^i „" *? * *^'**a«* bend
s>de wfth maples. MrfKl; "" P'^"*ed on either
whitewashed s Ses had J^^^" 'be maples bj
way at night, and LK ^^" '^* '» ""ark thf
stones, ditfhes hadlL"„^ ?uy°^%?V'«=« and
road as a protec«on to th? P*"^"^' *'*b the
fram the po^ible wandering of ™P? '" ^"'"'"er
a cart erred, it tumbled ?n^f,f ^?"? <^rts- «
«ngementwassiSpira„d.£^^'*"^- ^he ar-
"ghUcross some ma«ht u !^u**='°"«- On the
^ for a little w£Kf^ ',^'«'- «;«y could see the
. witn the flat coast of Rugen
;;(1,I
'i
m^sM.jK^LwmwFm'i
64
THE BENEFACTRESS
opposite; and then some rising ground, bare of
trees and brilliantly green with winter corn, hid it
from view. On the left was the dreary plain, dotted
at long mtervals with farms and their little groups
of trees, and here and there with windmills work-
ing furiously in the gale. The wind ivas icy, and
the December snow still lay in drifts in the ditches.
In that leaden landscape, made up of grey and
brown and black, the patches of winter rye were
quite startling in their greenness.
Susie thought it the most God-forsaken coun-
try she had ever seen, and expressed this opinion
plainly on her face and in her attitudes without
any need for opening her lips, shuddering back
ostentatiously mto her corner, wrapping Tierself
with elaborate care in her furs, and behaving as
slaves to duty sometimes do when the paths they
have to tread are rough.
After driving along the chaussee for about an
hour, they passed a big house standing amoni/
trees back from the road on the right, and a little
farther on came to a small /illage. The carriage
pulled up with a jerk, and looking eageriy round
the hood Anna found they had come to a stand-
still m front of a new red-brick building, whose
steps were crowded with children. Two or three
men Md some women were with the children.
1 wo of the men appeared to be clergymen, and
the elder, a middle-aged, mild-faced man, came
down the steps, and bowing profoundly pro-
ceeded to welcome Anna solemnly, on behalf of
those children from Kleinwalde who attended this
school, to her new home. He concluded that
Anna was the person to be welcomed because he
THE BENEFACTRESS
"rlrhertis^and 'l^ '^^ ^ '"^^ ^'^er cor-
friendly whereS th. *^^ ^?°^^^ ^"ytf'ing but
her hand ^ '""''"« ^"'l folding out
carriage to bS £ck so h,T /^ u^?* °^ '^^
her village whohaHS^^L *''« children from
the school^hiK alark mt''^.^'-''"S°''J^^* *«
tion of fur coc^"Vp=.rt. ' '"yf*enous combina-
He spoke distinZ ^ oJe",?. *1' '"^'^.^ ^ "P^^^*»-
ing often and loni^'=.^/ a^ accustomed to speak-
■wlrd. ShrtL^at tTe^atcTt f^"^
ceremonies, and had no idea of »w u^ ^^T
say in reply, but sat sSing vfil Ltf„,''l°"t^
ing very pretty and very fhv l»L ''""• 'oo^-
that hersmiles^er^ i^a^propriatf anrh"/T^
?way: for.wa.-niing as he proceelH 1 ^^^ '^'^'^
It appeared was f^CiL^ -J^J ^^' *"^ parson,
intended to l7^ on h.^r * ^°' «^'^"*^'' ^^^^t she
quentlyde?caSg°onthecoS?'sh:' "" ^'°-
I 1'
66
THE BENEFACTRESS
wSeXSTh.-"" •« ^"'■.S^^'"' P'^'f"' °f their
weakness and their sins. His face lit up with
enthusiasm as he went on. and Anna was thanWul
X^l Susie could not understand. This crowd of
Ik^^' T^ J heanng promises made on her behalf
that she had no thought of fulfilling. She iS
down and twisted her fingers al^ut nervouslv
and felt uncomfortable. nervously,
At the end of his speech, the parson his pv^
f uM of the tea,, drawn forth, by his owTdoqueS
hii ofl^hU^K? ""• ^"'^.^'^'""'y blessed heXnd^
ng o£f his blessing with a loud Amen, after which
Amen^'^H'" '*''r,? P""^^- Susi; heard the
Amen and guessed that something in the nature
of a blessing was being invoke^ and made |
movement of impatient. The parson wa^
odious m her eyes, firet because he iS hS
the ministers of the Baptist chapels of her un!
married youth, but principally fc:ause he wl^
keeping her there in the gale and prolongirLTh^
A^'h;?' rif ""'^"'j"8 ^^"^ the smelPoWh
Anna did not know what to say after the Ainen
and looked up more shyly than ever and «tam*
mered in her confusion K^^Xhoping that
n,«^^»P™Pf '^'^"'^ '° '"^'^e: whereupo^n the
pareon bowed again, as one who should say pSv
the schoolmaster, took out a tuning-fork 3
out a note, and the children sang a^.J^a/fo^
lowing It up with other more ch«rful^n« In
sLrcSsr''""-^''"^*''^^'^'^''-^
JLdPk
^w: w.
' iTOi
THE BENEFACTRESS
tall narrow youth 3so ?n wkII °?^^"«.P^"°"> »
toned up tiefitlv in rf^ ^"^, '"'^ gloves, but-
a pallid CfSthfc^uKfl '^™r-°^»'' "'*
"Herr Vicir Klutz" S^tSl !m'" ''^"•
a wave of the hand an^S^ H ''^/r-P^'^""' *i*
his bow, and haS'hfs limnl,"!.'! ^'"'F' ""^^ing
by that other ffehanranH"1,^T"^«'*^P«d
smiled into by those otht f 5,'^ '""^^^ eyes
on the spot /espe4tel!rn/"^"'^'^^y^''b^c»'"e
very natural. SlKy he H; ^H''^'^ *^
woman under fortf for six ^Inl""^ 'F''^" *° «
self twenty and a poe? 'V;,"*°"*«' ?nd was him-
aftemoon shut un^^'i^ S-'P^"** *^^ 'est of the
all nourishmen?Ve cn^^'^°'"' *''^'«' '^f^sing
r^^thl^r^S-^^^
the?LVeVe1::''rSn"".K*"*'t^"-''' -d
wife and the pa,^nwt ^^*'\''^''°°''"«ter's
smiled and muSd ShL ^d T''' k ^""", ''^
speeches to each in turn LhkTK'^"* ""le
bowed at least » 1 V '^ ^^^ "otlded and
ladies, who ctld byTo Ss'L''"':, °' '""'^
their curtseys and LT-^ ?^ ^^^^^ ^°"e with
dumb figure in Selrner'^"'"' ^f"" *° the
monies fetty Stared rn^nJ^' j""'}^ *'^''='' <:ere-
at the sch?oiSri;rrir^r",-T"'''"i
stared round^ved a^rf n^f ^ school-children
and MissLSTookedde°^?:!"l"3^? 5* Letty.
-e co,traued ^- su^^'^'iS^'^SS
■ir
Wl;i^. ■: wir* tlMP:
69
THE BENEFACTRESS
whether she might not now with propriety con-
perted that she should give the signal.
w.?"!^?^^^ *^' f^'''''^ *' everybody else by
SnL V."'"? "A*'^ P«"^ of hesitation, except
Susie, who sliut her eyes with great dien tv and
shivered in so marke/a manner thattfeSreon
himself came to the rescue, and bade the coach-
ToAnnF . T P!J-i'P ^''l ^°~* *§f'"- explaining
to Anna as he did so that her Frau &kwest^
was not used to the climate^ -^nwester
Evidently the moment had come for going on
and the bows that had but just left ofiF befan aS
with renewed vigour. Anna was anxious to %ay
something pleasant at the finish, so she asked the
IITJIa T '^ she bade her good-bye. whether
t n'^'t 5i; t'o Sr."°"'' '^""'^ *° ^'^--''^^
anJ^^i^'f*''?" produced a very deep curtsey
and a flush of gratification, but the recipient
SsTleal^ure^'- '"'^ ^^""^ ^-P«"« '*• *« ^^
pa^iXnttS^FS?" '''"• ^^'^ ^''^
"^^Aja," stammered Anna, ashamed of herself
for having forgotten.
"y^^-i/a "exclaimed '.e parson's wife, still more
ashamed of herself for having forgotten
"Perhaps Saturday, then?" suggested Anna.
ihe parson murmured something about quiet
hours preparatory to the Sabbath; But his wffe a
person who struck Anna as being quite eJ^r
dinanly stout, was burning with curiosity to ex-
amme those foreign ladies more conveniently
THE BENEFACTRESS 4^
corner; and she ur^^j^ J ?"'' feathers in the
doforincrwatUTdet'rou",." ' ^^^ ^^''^\»°
patted her on the cheek sS" • V '^^''eupon he
said he would make fn i.! !^ 'ndu gently, and
the honour of aSSing '^ '"'^ ^° ''''"'^"
understand.^g heT^fci'''!,'"^"'S[«"<^e by
bows they drove awTv L S""*,"*- ?'""" ^"^
curtseys, theSooS takinfoff fc? '""^'"f
had hee„pierdW"aSTote1o&^ ^^
galXd'l^n^J.rfaSt^VuitH^^^
she turned to Susie w?fh=.. ' v"* l*"^ ^"^^ ^""e
had hidden the «our/i.m"«^^' '''^^" *''^ ''ood
gU2.^onsotTeSiThlntfS^^^^^^^^
came^t^tl'r/n'f twot ""^^V''^ ''^«--
its place The're 1,7 ^■^'P''^"'^^™^^^ took
tion!^one arm o' Ihkh 00^;^'*,?.* ^H"" l""^'
road that ran down c'lS tX setVj'^t. •"'*
walde scrawled on it- -.^a u -f ?^ "^ Klem-
man on HoS wa^^alSngtfthfn!^ ^'^-P"^* ^
as tfe'carfirrSppe?" ?^ ;r"'«*ed Susie
OLennspector Dellwig," said the man, intro-
I
7«
THE BENEFACTRESS
ducing himself, and sweeping off his hat and
I. U}?'J^^^^ ^ ^^^ inspector Uncle Joachim
hoped rd keep." ^id Annfin an undertonT "
dont W l*"*"" *,''° ^^ •'• ''"* ^o' heaven's sake
irt nf fV"" "'*'?^ * *P*^'=''- I can't stand thi!
your hands if you're not careful, and you won't
like /A./, so you had better stop him '■ ^
1 u*^"u *'°P I'''"'" s«d Anna, perplexed Sh«.
also had had enough of speechet ^ *
£»A^ja*M/^ -ffWw/««^ a««/w>4,," began the
ftSSs'"""^ ^^ ^^^-^ --^ - "o-
out^*' tL*" no escape, and they had to hear him
It ne would. It was not so long as the Darson'4^
but was guite as flowery in afother X ove^-
^STiAl^^''""^ ^J'"^'""" *° the^eaS'd
Ijtv nfU!i? ^ expressions of unbounded loy-
l^^TTC""^ ''^^°*'°" *° *»>« new mistrei
lo^ WW ' ?^; *"^ save herself up for
^hin^ V ''""'•^ ."'''°"' wl'o must be dose
belund waiting in the cold, uncomforted by a^
d,2d.H?>. '"'""«' ^"'■'^' ^'^'^ °f »» this? Ls"e
dreaded the moment when she would have to f^
in J»n j"?f ''*°'" ^"^"^"^^^ ^" he had intended say-
n&^ ^ A "• «l""»ng a more colloquial tone
she would be dnving through heFo^ property.
f^?/
THE BENEFACnawS!
much ; for he had a reaj H^Tj *««.*»?
things to Anna in a very loSSf^ "piawed
along, expatiating on V^iS."* ^^'^''t
crops the previouf sum.^r. ^^^^.'^ .^^
the crops of the coming suS^Sf fc' *"*
s^r£tf:°hic^/idl^^
^'xh'i'.S'dTe'^-^^^^^^^^^^
lurched and heaved from 8iS± **'^; • **
and groaning alarmingly. Si^?^."«^"?«
immment penl Anna K«u ""'*..f««:h was m
and hardly had leisure to 11"^ *■*" *** ^"^^
andyoj arid qu Jtlons^/ /.^^''^"H'^ «r>t,
whelJ the inrrpatse^d'a^ttSS^S
did not like his lonlrs a„j -^iTT^ pnsaOi. She
S VSeVth^ii^nlifd-s S^Peo^L-
to be and do ceE thTn" S£^T ^ "«
sured herself that it did f ot !„ fi^T^. '''^ '^
how they had made im fk«- -^ '®^t matter
obliged ^to ShTv^ in Cwav^Jf '''* '^'*
of her She did not want to iSlX'^PT^
ant-looking man, and what he wwSir*J"P'«^
crops and their mrvelTousneL^^**^!'* *«
g'bt^to her and who^a^K f eS'^^S^
};^
7»
THE BENEFACTRESS
J.»chlm o„ hi. ia., vi."f .'JX^k (L3!
o«\^ l£'^^ J*^ '^^P'"^' ''"^ beeches, railed
ott from the road on either side by woodek rails
^.nted m black and white stripes. tSjoachim
overfl^fld*' '°^''?'' of Prussians, and his loy^'ty
8tbctshfh,T" 'nto his fences. Esthetic in^
simcts he had none, and it he had been bro.,X
to see It, would not have cared at all thTt f k ^-i
.ngs made the otherwise'b^S av nSe iSk Hlle"
«?e entrance to a restaurant or a raiU^yTtat on
The stripes, renewed every year and of ^,f Jtr
distinctness, were an out JrHnd ".IbL S^ o?
bSs^„ic ''''i;".^^^ *''^ 'ts white and
tn fL^ f ^ ^?? symbolic; and when they came
two Pn^^-^ ^"''\" *i''*='^ t''^ house itseKo^
CHAPTER V!
A LOW. white, two-storied >,o.i,. vdim>.,( r, ,
the forest only by a circular. -■« .'P'^'-* *'' ' ' ' '
with half-melLVnoTin'i ;;^"':;' ""^ \^'"^"
house apparently quite by hs^/' • , J^/*
the r^ttlingof' thi :hSr?X\t^"t^Vh:f t?'
wJatLl°°"^T r^ garlanded with evergreen
wreaths, over which a green and white f\Zal^^T
w^thcr-toto bee, and browJS gTo^'tilo
73
itl*
kM
74
THE BENEFACTRESS
of the parson's wife. " ^^^ presence
" ; never saw so many bows in my life " cmimW-^
lie. pushing the se4nt asW. ^ 'f LA?™"«^
c,,-;' - • ". r* " =" ""my Dows m my if
?aro.fl^^l!if:i!ll---i -de,Ld netting out
nd misen
find hereelf in a Mua>^^,ll 1 *'?^- *'°'*^' ""'^ ^
intoIeraWe idnes^^of a SI* °'t-T^"" *^ *he
Uncle Joachim came dom, he 1!™)!^^' '""
M the back d the houi wlH, . j 7 "I? ™°"'
the garfen through ScT he i«'??r«,'»'''
StS? »l^,1S''^er "^ 4 -"^^
G-aSToo^'dtlraF^""-
^^f^lPUP-
THE BENEFACTRESS
Uncle Joachim, and ?rawn M,;fi,
ment of whips and huntimr .f ^ '"""^'^ *^rt.
comer stood an arranSenff°P*' '"^ '» one
Joachim's variourSSs /n»r* "-"^'^
ha_n«ngmonumentally'?™£^^.'^'=^'*--<'venn^
and took hK^Tant SseTh '"a '''^ 4"
this? Anna! Aren't von^w i V^""*> ^'ho's
body kissing my S.d^.°" '^°"""«' "««'« some-
inn^^hafwiffel'ei^r,,™--? '"to the
keeping.oneon\Kfcf? ^J/-^^^^^^^^
at once in their anxietv to J;,i/ ' , .°* talking
, "The cook? TheVterh".'^°*^™P'"^'°»
food. I shall die if I doni I, *° Sive us some
Do you know wL im^it isrprf'''"^ ^°^-
talked to Ann^ S thev ^ere'Jf. J^'"^''««' «»d
though theydid no exist ^ Tfl *^'^r"l« *° ^^' ^^
tion to be ^lite to thS difff- ?* ^^'* *" °bHga-
noneatall. ThevdKf 7^"* P^"°"s she ^It
if they had it wSd l.t ""^^"'''"^ English, but
she would ha^ gone L';:iJ?^""^'-^'J ^hen'and
though they hid f o?U"„ Se"*^ '^^-^ them as
76
THE BENEFACTRESS
hJt? ^ Dellwigs had very loud voices, so Susie
had to raise hers m order to be heardfaDd there
was consequently such a noise in the empty. eclS
house that after looking round bewiffi'rS anf
trying to answer everybody at once, Anna eive k
up, and stood and laughed. ^
" I don't see anything to laugh at." said Susie
crassly. " we are all starvfng. and fhese people won'
_'' But how can I make them go ? "
sav tffi'H L°"[ f "■?»"*'• ^ l"PP°«^- ^ «»io"ld just
•' Th.vlf»l '^ ^°' *''!'" ^^^" ^ *^"ted them."
so ilrZVV^'^ "'"'''' astonished. The man is
so far from bemg my servant that I believe he
means to be my master."
», J''^ t^oDellwigs perplexed by Anna's laughter
when nobody had said anything amusing and un
aSt themsel'^^^f ^.Vs^'"« ^* «°-"'wng
about themselves, looked from her to Susie sus-
piciously, and for that brief moment were quiet
_^*r W>i««^^,"said Anna to the wife
1 he food comes immediately." she replied • and
h^tened away with the cook and the other 2mnt
husS'tt ro^riinp^L^'s/^, ^'^
thtgcaon'geS ;;!!;,"•"« '''"^ '" - ^'^-^'^
S„c;?°^^-*'"1 P^''«'.'-,''ve in the house? " inquired
Susie, eying him with little goodwill. ^
He told me he lives at the farm But of
course he has always looked after everything here ''
When they were all in the dining-Yoom.Vriven
THE BENEFACTRESS *,
take off thei? wraSa^ 1 T"'-P°''*^"^* *«
order to lay his nlanSl"""^ '"""'^ ^^^^' on^n
*• What L« h^S^ " ike^T'"-"^ '^^"^^ ''^^•
shut behind hiril. ^ ^^^ ^"^'^- « the door
" Thi Sc* '?""'* tS^'" '^ter on."
likes with you " ^' °° ^s he
was obstinate-you ivSyfsaid?^^..*'^""^'^* '
Hei?genrd,o'u"^^°'-"'^^--hat.an.
"Uncle Joachim said he was excellent "
words,;,<«Seet?w^fL'™'!3«^' ''"* '"^^J' 'ny
place." ^ ^'^^ thousand a year out of the
Anna was silent. Susie was invariably shrewd
7«
THE BENEFACTRESS
and sensible, if inclined, Anna thought, to be over
suspicious, in matters where money was concerned.
Dell wigs face was not one to inspire confidence:
and his way of shouting when he talked, and of
talking incessantly, was already intolerable to her.
bhe was not sure, either that his wife was any more
satisfactonr. She too shouted, and Anna detested
noise. The wife did not appear again, and had
evidently gone home with her husband, for a great
silence had fallen upon the house, broken onfybv
the monotonous sighing of the forest, and the pat-
termg of ram against the window.
The dining-room was a long narrow room,
with one big windo'v forming its west end look-
ing out on to the grass plot, the ditch, and the
g^te-posts with the eagles on them. It was a
study in chocolate — brown paper, brown carpet
brown rep curtains, brown cane chairs. There
were two wooden sideboards painted brown facing
each other down at the dark end, with a collection
of miscellaneous articles on them: a vinegar cruet
that had stood there for years, with remains of
vinegar dried up at the bottom ; mustard pots con-
taining a dark and wicked mixture that had once
been mustard ; a broken hand-bell used at long-
past dinners, to summon servants long since dead-
an old wme register with entries in it of a quarter
of a century back; a mouldy bottle of Worcester
sauce, still boasting on its label that it would im-
part a relish to viands otherwise dull; and some
charming Dresden china fruit-dishe.s, adorned with
cheerful shepherds and shepherdesses, incurable
optimists, persistently pleased with themselves and
their surroundings through all the days and nights
THE BENEFACTRESS
ner-table was ap^t of HIi«^fVhP"if''' """^ d'""
in crinkly pink ti^ue ni^^f- J "^'^y- enveloped
satin ribU, with ea«^o??L n'' ™"?^ *'* P^
iween the flowcMtX?; ''*lf*P«'- drawn up be-
ttast of DinkTnd wSe P'°^"'^' " P'easingW
"Well It's warm enough here isn'f ,> ?>• ' -j
Susie, going round the ro«Sn J!f-j ' • * ' "'^
things with*^an inVrSt SrexciH^'*"i?'"« «'^^
"^Ra^hl^^^r"-^^^^^ ""^'
and Sl^^g h'er'h^n^S^' ThlW £!,^^^^''-'y.
room, peepfng into all" fK- ^^''^ked about the
cupboa?^Pt';fi^"Ve sofa a^nd'^K^P-'"'"^ '^^
frisky a fashion that h J m f u '^''^ving Tn so
her a^ home.°and kSe" Tr'oilf ° ™ f^
gloomy girl, turned once or twice fr;l^K"^"«''*y
esting sideboards to stare TtKl^ ^^^- •"*"■
through her lorgnette ''^'" '"^^iringly
of white cottoTilove for tlf; ^ P"* °" * P^'^
ing. but still worf her felt ^fnnf'^'"?;!^"* *»•*-
plates in a pile on [h? J ^'^Tv ^'^^ P"* ^he
mured sometC in ^r^f\^. '^' '^^^'' •""••-
nor did she com! back riH «f,f k "^1°"^ ^S^''" :
couree, when she ShLli ■ ''™"?''* *''« next
•nanner, and continued ?o A ^ Pf^'^"'y «'"'"«'•
meal; the dinere havta n k'^/'I.''^"«''°"' the
to sit patiently durln^th." w"' 'l'"^ °''"K«d
thought that thevil '"Nervals, until she
some more! ^ ^ P^**P« "^ ready for
It was anoflH mpqi 3„j . _ „ . ,
— nie3=, a..u began with cold choco-
8o
THE BENEFACTRESS
late soup with frothy white things that tasted of
S„ u i.*^'t^"P *** she forgot all about
Hilton, who had been driven ignominiously to the
back door and was left sitting in the kitchen tin
sSinf =. '"•Ti''°y'"« ''^^ time composing'^
speech of a spirited nature in which she intenlf^
E|a,-n" "*^*"" "°^'- '"^^ momenVsTetl
. Her mistress meanwhile was meditativ^lv +,,«,
aJJT^ ^y'^f^^ ^^^' - her soup 4Sl"
d^tjike 1," she said at last, laying dorL}
can'y°'''M?'si&^J" '"^^ ^r ^"?hter ecstati-
S end" ^'''"^ °""^ P"**'"g «' the
ere'edv ^rf A LTJ°k'' ^' "I^'^^'^te after Berlin.
f^P ^ • ^^^ ^^"^ '"ot^'er, disgusted by her
child s obvious tendency towards a too fr^ induT
gence in the pleasures of the table B^ TtSv
was feeling so jovial that in the face of "hfs ouS
tion she boldly asked for more-rrequest th^
w^ refused indignantly and at once^
iJiere was such a lone oausp afw n,„
fc'n"^.rd.trngi?nX^^ T.
white cr«:het mat in a°japann^ dis^^rso
damp and was so full of caraway seeds thlf7t
was uneatable. After a while^o^^ Sch SuU
on the estate, and with a strong muddy flavfu
>n, and after that came cutlets from Anna's pi|s
THE BENEFACTRESS j,
Ust^'^'of Xl'"?„7l«^'tl'"«"lP"^'''"§ that
evidently at an end 1^^"" k ''' "'^ '"e^l being
mendous fuss befojv w-? "^.^^^^o ""ake a tre-
treating you lik^ a oif^ ^^l l'^'" *° '^^^^ ««
to eat t1,e^puddr„g\P?,i^h'l f'^'^- teaspoons
way thro Jh. It! :K' £""Y:? .^' '"^^
ought to have stayed in Sn tk "^"'^ ^«
and down impatiently^ her chat SlCT^ "P
go over the house, then " saiHi Iff Y"''^'*
explore. ' **"' ^^"7' dying to
" Oh, yes, you may on over thp h - • • t
^ - 7 5- "cr ine nuusc, saiu her
,.w^'-iiiL-A":^.-«»i
*• THE BENEFACTRESS
anyone who hT&^Ji^'t^^''''^ P»«Jed
Tlien she suddSly SmemS W *° '?'*'"•
found lfiiton°rlmainJd s?!;f*^''* ^"?^' *''° ^J
allotted her «&"? ti'nTe "^ '" ** ^"^"^
she hll^onl'rna «;;! '^' f ''^'"- "^ -^en
ever^een^ ^aths^Xlhkh h 'U""!!^ '' *^«
and which filled it «^Vk ,^ * *?* decorated
and then ran^t o «e ^h?" hK '''''^ ^T??'''
Her heart was tallotoZ^l 71^°""?^ was like,
wandered a^ut he r£! *"^ happiness as she
n?agicword«2LX7Xr\"a Pf^*='- ■^''«
piece of furniture a chL™L^ •*",'* «V"^ "^^
that she would n^t have SH.„"**"^"^°."?'y »««*
world. She took UD th! a-^ ^ ""^ °' '* ^°' the
ments that tere s<^tte?^^.f *"*"! "T"'^^*"* o™a-
whenorwhy.andshlDutth^m!) ■ "H^ '"'ew
where else, oily beSuSe had ST" *^'" ^""^
things and she love^ t^remilrfl?*^ "^•j*.*" "^ter
patted the walls and the tahi *"^^'^ °^ '*• She
smoothed dovm the folS f tS'^^P"^; "he
tender touchj^ she win uo t '""*"•"" ^'^
looking-glass and sto<^ ?! f^ 1° f'^'^y ""Pa^te
so that there shonMi^ front- of it a moment,
the image o"itsmis^ir?K"*'''^ not reflected
dehghted wi h her sr,^»f • ^^^ •**" «° childishly
8 CO with her scanty possessions that she was
THE BENEFACTRESS g
^mi^utlS'scoff""''' •"^"'•"^ -d clid no!
that prevailed T EsSurt?"*;"^ \'"^ ''"<«"?>
these shabby Httle mSl,7the s'd? o^L'T?
the worn foxes' skins be?o« fK • .™ ^d*-
the cane or wooden^hSl ?i, *''\}»'ntine.taWes,
tains with meek ^tt„„ 5 *''*' *^J'<' '^'^co cur-
prints on the ^Ils^£f^,-"^f"' ^^^ *J"eer httle
seemed to heM„ 'ttlf""*"* ^°oden bedsteads!
tentiousnL to £ embTeScZrtf ^^^ ^'"P'-^
As she hnirered inthi • ! ' ^ *" ^''e virtues.
n«ed alonl'tS S Jaeef'^ '■°°'"^'^hile Lethl
that this Spartan Sfdt^)?"*,?"^ *° ''«"<:»
uxur, that^ours*a?/^Jf^"-/ 0' avenr
tans, if there ;"S%PSf;P^7 «' the Puri.'
must all come from wUin hL^=.if^ * i"^' «'°'y 't
only the beauty of a ruin r»*" °^ ***« spW^ be
kina thouehte Sh^ n t Jlf*.""^ *e elory of
in one of tfoS nn!SoS^,,'':^\^l-l^P
sun shminjj on her fan. =.n^.- • . *"* mommg
round of usefuK b her " • «. *2 «° ''^'' '^^V
there would be "ra uTrrJ./ J'T ''°."?«' ^^^^re
tions, and none if tnTm.n Iv? P'J'^"' ^"bi"
that need never 4 Wo^^^k'"""' ^^'^'^ches
days, those days o^'siZ^e dutS ""V^ ilfPP^
hfe — the better life " shp ~,^ * j ^ ^^^ '^tter
ine in the middle of tl h^^^ "!u''"«'^ ''t*"^.
tall windows she could Lefhl^'^i''™"^'' ^^<^
o^^-arshj: land. an°f th"n' t^^-i-"^ -?^P
«^h«« 01 tne guiis and the dark ffne^fthelu^":
•♦ THE BENEFACTRESS
frugality, hard S y^.^'^^anicallv, "Simplicity.
very wise — but still An^T i~ ^ * ^^ *"
understood me. but s^iiTlJ?" ^'^ '°^«' '"'^' "«»
lon^lS jpolirj"' '«•«''* °-^ •'•='^» ••" »
witfi iSrTk^i^ i*' * *'"" ''""re in a fur cloak
h Linidiie^o? s:rr fn ''*'* •" "^««^^n
•he sto^ ifore °he JL. ^ k 'f"","'ne. when
subdued after ^„^ '^'■^^*' P*'« >"«• t'red and
«»t up to l„„„ ,, I,,, ,i,i, „e« „Sent "
-k
lewt. But she suppS*?^ J ^"* *'^*'""8 =>*
to him. feehng soKwZLl*. T""* K^. «**>*"
authoritative a person a^'^*'"' *° »*^'"1'"K «>
a,^'^oK„t ?rs1l;?-^e '"Tu"^' w.th
noK. making a sound iS rtiSir" /'''*'::^"« '"'^
and waking the echws iU« **i' "^ trumpet.
do quietly.^she though ; hJjL:^2:''*r ''^ ^«
torsliip oddly irritated bv^^^* "[P^Pne-
affiressiveiy'^^n her houS S^Ik* '''°*\^«
oiThSlShtr ^^-^«^'«He tr,js\7ht
toh!i%sSe'XiSSir^i\-r-
•eeing that he exoer e^ < u^ ^^ '""^s on
thougT, she had7o1^;i';'Jt'^f''«" ''^"^^ *'»''•
?oon : and then she lerhS it'^K^ ^f 1 1*?^"
into the drawintr.mnm o^^^ * ushered by him
•helves, and a huge ro^S J^ •"i*'?'' ='"*' '^o'"
middleV ^ ""* l»«lished table in the
Jcicht. a'^^a'? ^ull^S l^rr^"-^ ?'^ "-'^
•at down at a big wr itimrS" ^i'" ""^'^^ ^he
top. her feet pK XlS ^'"^ * ?'*^*'" ^'""^
py rug. anIreK S, fe ^K ''^''^ °^=»
on tiptoe akd A .r, l!i""!?^^"<*._««nt out again
whatpat.ence.he-:o;adX'S^SS
'-mM^j^sm^'MMki^m^i&i^m^TLjm >- i.
MiQiocofY MwumoN mr chait
(ANSI and BO TEST piAir No. 2)
la ■2.8 12.5
5 bfi 12£
U 116
A
/ff='PLIED i^MGE Ihc
1653 EM IMn StraM ~
nocftMtor. Nm York 14aOS USA
<7tS) 482 - 0300 - Phofw
(716) 26a-36n-Fac
86
THE BENEFACTRESS
w« in iiseu an effort, and she had not vetlearnpH
the German for rye and oats and the rest t^T^
. Naturluk, natUrlicA," shouted De lw.V hi,
'• ForeS' Th^r"!^ "" '°'^^*'" «^'d Anna,
estate It L I^JVT *^°^^'^ two-thirds of the
toS SnU only forest on the entire promon!
ha^'seldSm ge" " L'^l^f ^'^ °" '>' ^°-*
«//" Andh^e^iftS-hisiL^L^KSrtrt
THE BENEFACTRESS j^
press his admiration, and was about to jro intn
lengthy raptures when the map rol ed itf^lf^ n
ES'it'oul '"^'''"«^' ^"5 -"1im1L"rf
nTrsll?n'i,tS™hTereL"^f1ef '^■^°'-
sorts of artificial manuri^'on th?diltt cr/
y«, said Anna, balancing a paper-knife nn «„«
finger, and profoundly bore^d. "Whose land ^t
Pe Jnt"^sl°5e?4"° '-^^^^^^^^^ *°
On the south it is all f nhm xk '®. *^ ®^*-
"The village where the school is?"
gracious Miss s patroness Herr v^^ i u ^/'^
Hves in the house Sn« bS frL^°t™'*^°
and perhaps noticed by "i «^c oS Mi^- '
A'^tsvorsteher in both "^IWeJ?^ ^"'' '^
every now a\d then S ZTi^U sKS
JSTu^^-J.^-^^^^
could examme her face at his L?in thJshlw
88
THE BENEFACTRESS
of the lamp-shade, her dark eyelashes lowerpH J,pr
profile only turned to him. Jth ks deSetne o
brow and nose, and the soft and gracious cu^es
of the mouth and chin and throat. One hanK
«u hVnd fun 5' r^'%°* "e^l,*' ^ «l-der,tS
titui hand, full of character and enerey, and the
other hung listlessly over the arm oPthe chlir
Anna was very tired, and showed it in ever^ ifne
of her attitude; but Dellwig was not tired Tt all
^f^^is vn- '° *"^?^' T^^y^^^' ^» times the sound
of his voice, and on this occasion felt it to be his
&h? ";-ke things cleaf. So he went Tnto the
lengthiest details as to the nature and offire nf
Amtsvoi^tehers details that were ^rfectiy £om
prehensibe and wholly indifferent to AnnaTd
spared neither himself nor her. WhHe he talS
however, he was criticising her, comparing the
aziness of her attitude with^the brisk and™fpeS
ful alertness of other women when he talked ^He
knew that these other women belonged to a dif"
ferent class ; his wife, the pardon's wife, the wives
of the inspectors on other estates, these ^ere nTof
course, in the same sphere as the newSreS'of
Kleinwalde; but she was only a woman and dress
up a woman as you will, call her by what nime
IZ "^t"^^ '' "t"^'"« ^"* ^ womanK to hdp
a clever man like himself. Old Joachim miffht
have lounged as he chose, and put his fee^ o" f e
llS/h ^^ 'n"!f^ good to him, and DeHwS
would have accepted it with unquestioning respecf
as an eccentricity of HerrschafUn; but a woman
J„^J"°fort.of right, he said to himself, wMe he
so fluently discoursed, to let hereelf go in the pr^!
THE BENEFACTRESS 89
ence of her natural superior. Unfortunately old
Jc^chim, so level-headed an old gentleman & all
tunes TnThfi,'''^ ^^^1'^' P°^^^ °^^r his fo !
back so , .nit. "^' ?^-^^'l ^^^"^ ^^'"^'e 'waning
back so unbecomingly in her chair, plavine with
the objecte on the table, never raising her efeT o
his, and showing indeed, incredible ^ it seemed
every symptom of thinking of something S
The women of his acquaintance were, he wis ^^
tain, worth individually fifty such affectedlndif
erent young ladies. Aey^worked early and la 1"
to make their husbands comfortable; t^y we^
iS iffi"''* '? '^'? "^* '^^"'^^'^ of'wom^en liv!
ing m the country ; they were models of thrift and
dingence; yet, with all their virtues and aH the?
accomphshments. they never dreamed of loungbg
°L ,• ^'V^^'ng.when a man was speaking, but sat
attentively on the edge of their chdrs, straight fn
sa.S.^f ^-'"'^•-^-^-'^ehadfiaeS
Anna certainly did sit very much at her ease
done'f i:- °f '"-^"^^'^g- ^'^^ °"ght to have
done to his descnption of Amtsvorltehere, ^
thinking of other things. Dellwig had thick hS
that could not be hidden entirely by his erLkd
rn°ow??M;"^- ^r^' ""*^ ^' ^^^'^' so/o? eyes
a bToW-'^V""'^^"*!'"' *™*f"' ^« fishy, a^nd
a big obstinate nose, and a narrow obstinate fore
arthirl'na t^,^»?^ '?.' ''"''' '^^^ ' ^"^^ho^gh
fiuiMnfshUffn^??^^-r;yj^i^^^^
iSThaft/'^^^^'* ^'^^^ sheLTTusSdlrwiS
ing that his manners were less offensive less
boastful and boisterous, and that he did noi bite
90
THE BENEFACTRESS
J?i °l ' J ^ wonder." she thought, her eyes care-
fully fixed on the paper-knife, but consciouf of hb
ev^jy look and movement. " I wonder if he°s ^
SSi W^n ' looks Surely Uncle Joachim muS
have known what he was like, and would never
tonL '^'"k *° ^""P ^'"^ " ^^ had not £
honest. Perhaps he is perfectly honest, and when
1 meet him m heaven how ashamed I shall be of
f^ni t J'""^"* H^ *^°"''*«'" And then Shi
fell to niusing on what sort of an appearance a
chastened and angelic Dellwig would probablv
he'lJl^ii!'^''!"'^^ ^y^^^ comprehensible?"
wh,T^.f u"«' ''*''"'« J"?* •^^"'^ to the end of
Loi'^d'^lLr ' "^'^''y ^"«*^ °* "- -»
tl,r ^ ^^ r","" P^*"?^"" ^ " s*'<l Anna, bringing her
thoughts 6^k with difficulty from the consiir^-
?o" ,lTS"'f ■, •^''V^hout Amtsvorstehere-.
B?; fc^''"' ''^*^'"S her head, "you have not
But that is my fault. I can't understand everv-
^'.rfA*.?")^^- ^ «hall do better later on " ^
assuZht\^'y^^l P^"*^g vehemently
assured her while he made inward comments on
the innate incapacity of all WeiSer. as he called
laTand jSe.*'^ ^""^'^^ ^"^ ^^^^^^^^ -*"
beS"uTrr^In"v"'''f°''^'''^'^Anna,remem-
Dering Uncle Joachim's frequent and affectionate
aUusipns to his swine "Are there manrS?"
« TK repeated Dellwig, lifting up h^s'^^nds
as though mere words werelnsufficTent to expreS
his feelings, "such pigs as the gracious Miss now
THE BENEFACTRESS
9«
^sscs are nowhere else to be found in Pome.
rJnS- 0^"nspector Dellwig.' The Frau
and fattenl"^' *^'lP'y '"J"^^**' f°' she too S
and fattens p.gs, but not like ours-noMike
some sort of an official and i\k,ii '^^^^ "^.'^
clear about theseTff;i"nt oSs"? ,1 C
lived here some time." ^
'^NatUrlich natvrlick," agreed Dellwig- anH
S^^STu-n fPP.""'^' ^^« whoIlyS to thJ
a-fA"^.-n«.these fine an"m£''°srcannot
listen to their ones the day they are kill^ ani
sTuffilr ' S° '^' ^?"*'-' ^^^'^ ^he prSares tSe
stuffing. The gracious Miss ate the cutlets nf
one this very day. It was V\\\^ Xl ' »
'•Wasit?^Iw^;hithSAten"3PJ7°«„^^
frowning at ihe remembrance of that m^? ^•l'^
io?t^krp%?'"«^'''"^''--XaccoSt J=
9»
THE BENEFACTRESS
I
" Not like pig? " echoed Dell wig, droppine his
fl»T 1 jf tfie gracious one does not eat pig's
flesh gladly? And my wife and I who thouglit
to prepare a joy for her 1 " He clasped his hands
together and stared at her m dismay. Indeed, he
was so much overcome by this extraordinary and
wilful spurning of nature's best gifts that for a
moment he was silent, and knew not how he
should oroceed. Were there not concentrated in
[„1^^ ° ^ ""^J^ P'« * «'"«^te'- diversity of
joys than m an^ othen form of pleasure that he
could call to mind? Did it not include, besides
the profounder delights of its roasted ribs, such
solid satisfactions as hams, sausages, and bacon?
Uid not Its hver. discreetlv manipulated, rival the
livers of Strasburg geese in delicacy ? Were not
Its brains a source of mutual congratulation to an
entire family at supper? Did not its very snout,
boiled wi h peas, make an otherwise inferior soup
delicious? The ribs of this particular pig were
IKff* *\* """"J^"* '" * '^°°J place, carefully
shielded from harm by his wife, reserved for the .
iiaster Sunday dinner of their new mistress, who
having begun at her first meal with the lesser iovs
of cutlets, was to be fed with different parts in the
order of their excellence till the climax of rejoic-
ing was reached on Easter Day in the dish of
^fAwetneSraien, and who was now declaring, in a
die-away, affected sort -f voice, that she did not
want to eat pig at all. Where, then, was her vul-
nerable point? How would he ever be able to
touch her, to influence her, if she was indifferent
to the chief means of happiness known to the
THE BENEFACTRESS
93
^'dS S hinaCof^S:*,^ '^^ -; aim
he could see, of eveSro^e elsl l^"?' ^ *" »
money « pc^ibl^l^^^'^^yi^r^en S ""' ^^
ble; and what did livinir well mL^ v •.^.?°*®'"
mean the best food ? An?' Tt '^ " ^'^ "°t
food if not pie? KtotrtiT^^ "?* ^^^ ^st
On whose^afcLrtfin^S^^^^
aVto hTvrpi|^f,uti^''^ i4^^-
wife & able to in^ whh s^dsfa^?'** ¥ ^"'^ ^^
in their favourite ffi! o oS It t?JI '^^"""^^y-
ant friends on SuSs ? hJ L j"" fi^Pf ^*-
StcraSK^^HS-^^^^^^
And then, unable to go TfdfCS?'^^:."
n^e^with violence, iof t&'^H^^' ^^Zi'^n
had^S'sSngVpSfald ,^''\*-ght he
sudden bew7ilin7his laSaster m ^^ °" ^
the tears she w« deeply touched ^ P "^^^^
she said to herself, "how unS tV. ^?°' '"a"'
course he loved dekr Unde/oachim ^^ ^^"- °'
hand gently on his ann. - T ^^^^l-i"!?" ¥•"
am. "I loved him tci;;;^^
said sStly,^.andy;u who kneSr.'^rio*-
must
94
THE BENEFACTRESS
feel his death dreadfully. We will try and keep
everything iust as he would have liked it, won't
we? You know what his wishes were, and must
help me to carry them out. You cannot have loved
him more than I did— dear Uncle Joachim!"
She felt very near tears herself, and condoned
the sonorous nose-blowing as the expression of an
honourable emotion.
And Dellwig, when he presently reached his
home and was met at the door by his wife's eager
"Well, how was she?*' laconically replied "Mrf."
CHAPTER Vn
to eat, refused S; .£.?!. 7" "mpoMd. refused
she was not S to £n*„^r'"«' ^^^"^ ^"d
forced to condude that^1?nT^i t° ^""* ^'^
a^scene, and kno4g the e^^^^^ ^Hf^'''""^^^
mo« ang'r^'atlhe" Sn "17 "' *'"'^' ?"^ ««"
that, ha^ng inSted the n5,„ ^ ^^^V?''''^*' ^"^
js luvuea tne parson and his wife to
95
96 THE BENEFACTRESS
dinner on Saturday, she could not break her en-
gagement. Susie told her that as she would never
see either of them again— for surely she would
never again want to come to this place? — it was
absurd to care twopence what they thought of
her. What on earth did it matter if two inhabit-
ants of the desert were offended or not offended
once she was on the other side of the sea? And
what did it matter at all how she treated them?
She heaped such epithets as absurd, stupid, and
idiotic on Anna's hted, but Anna was not to be
moved. She threatened to take Miss Leech and
Letty away with her, and leave Anna a prey to the
cnticisms of Mrs. Grundy, and Anna said she could
not prevent her doing so if she chose. Susie be-
came more and more excited, more and more
Dobbs, goaded by the recollection of what she
had gone through with Hilton, and Anna, as
usual under such circumstances, grew very silent
Letty sat listening in an agony of fright lest this
cup of new experiences were about to be dashed
OTematurely from her eager lips; and Miss Leech
discreetly left the room, though not in the least
knowing where to go, finally seeking to drive away
the nervous fears that assailed her in her lonely,
creaking bedroom, where rats were gnawing at the
woodwork, by thinking hard of ftfr. Jessup, who
on this occasion proved to be but a broken reed,
pitted against the stern reality of rats.
The end of it, after Susie had poured out the
customary reproaches of gross ingratitude and
forgetfulness of all she had done for Anna for
fifteen long years, was that Miss Leech and Letty
were to stay on as originally intended and come
THE BENEFACTRESS „
nf SvTn i^ in Tu""^ ""''5'"«^ "P without hav-
The oS'n'.'; ""^ «t;'[bIoVi„g fromihe north ;Jst
She opened one of her threlbig windows and let
wrfui 7n 1"^° ^'' «>om.whe«?he curious
table. io.'^edtoVJ^Si^-^'"^"^^'' ='"«' dressing-
woic, joined to the heat jrom the stove orodurS
aheavy atmosphere that made hereasD S"^^
sea was a deep blue now. with crests of f^-
1
>>',
98
THE BENEFACTRESS
the island coast opposite was a shadowy streak
stretched across the feet of the sun. Oh, it was
beautiful to stand at that open window in the
freshness, listening to the robin on the bare lilac
bush a few yards away, to the quarrelling of the
in^pudent sparrows on the path below, to the
wind in the branches of the trees, to all the happy
morning sounds of nature. A joyous feeling took
possession of her heart, a sudden overpowering
delight in what are called common things —
mere earth, aky, sun, and wind. How lovely life
was on such a morning, in such a clean, rain-
washed, wind-scoured world. The wet smell of
the garden came up to her, a whiff of marshy
smell from the water, a long breath from the pines
in the forest on the other side of the house. How
had she ever breathed at Estcourt ? How had
she escaped suffocation without this life-giving
smell of sea and forest? She looked down with
delight at the wildness of the garden ; after the
trim Estcourt lawns, what a relief this was. This
was all liberty, freedom from conventionality,
absolute privacy; that was an everlasting clip-
ping, and trimming, and raking, a perpetual
stumbling upon gardeners at every step, for Susie
would not be outdone by her greater neighbours
in these matters. What was Hill Street looking
like this fine March morning? All the blinds
down, all the peq)le in bed — how far away, how
shadowy it was; a street inhabited by sleepy
ghosts, with phantom milkmen rattling spectral
cans beneath their windows. What a dream that
life lived up to three days ago seemed in this
morning light of reality. White clouds, like the
THE BENEFACTRESS ,,
Clouds in Raphael's backgrounds, were floatin.r
by 5fed''r;, 'Y *^y -°"Wnot' be huSf
bv the wind; a black cat sat in a patch of sun-
sJune on the path washing itself ;somebZ
opened a lower window, and there w^ a ?4e o^
sweeping, presently made indistinguishable by the
a pSuV"£!o5^ t|e sweeper, no loubt Marfe. in
a pious, Good Friday mood. "LoS Gott ih,
Chftsten alUugUichr\\^r.i^i^ Marie keeping
ZIT^ ^\ ''T'"- "^^ ^^^^^ was'loud^anf
monotonous, but Anna listened with a smile and
would have liked to join in. and so fet^ome of
her happiness find its way out. *
She dressed quickly. There was no hot water
chn™.°.'^",/.? ""f ^°' ^^'^^^ ^»d she di^S
IhL r • ^""^^^."^^ cold water, assuring herself
that It was bracing. Then she put on her hat
and coat and stole out, afraid of dLurbhig Susie
who was lying a few yards away filled S
smouldering wrath, anxiois to have at St rae
quiet hour before beginning a day that Se felt
sure was going to be\ dav of wo^riel "There
^Jo.M i^l*'?"'^ '"r"*^'^*«'y f^lt shamed thirshe
should look forward to being without her. "But
I have never been without her since I was ten "
she explained apologetically to her oflfended con-
science, "and I want to see how I feel "
intnf^i^ ^■''^'''" '^•'^ M^"^' »s Anna came
F^^nch wKr°°" °" '^•- ^y °"* ^•'-"g^ •*«
\Gutm Morgenr said Anna cheerfully
Mane leaned on her broom and watch^ her go
loo THE BENEFACTRESS
down the garden, greedily taking in every detail of
her clothes, profoundly interested in a being who
went out into the mud where nobody could see her
with such a dress on, and whose shoes would not
have been too big for Marie's small sister aged nine.
The evening before, indeed, Marie had beheld
such a vision as she had never yet in her life seen,
or so much as imagined ; her new mistress had
appeared at supper in what was evidently a herr-
schaftliche BallkUid, with naked arms and shoul-
ders, and the other ladies were attired in much the
same way. The young Fraulein, it is true, showed
no bare flesh, but even she was arrayed in white,
and her hair magnificently tied up with ribbons.
Marie had rushed out to tell the cook, and the
cook, refusing to believe it, had carried in a super-
erogatory dish of compot as an excuse for secur-
mg the assurance of her own eyes ; and Bertha
from the farm, coming round with a message from
the Frau Oberinspector, had seen it too through
the crack of the kitchen door as the ladies left the
dining-room, and had gone o£f breathlessly to
spread the news; and the post cart just leaving
with the letters Tiad carried it to Lohm, and every
mhabitant of every house between Kleinwalde
and Stralsund knew all about it before bedtime.
;• What did I tell thee, wife? " said Dellwig, who,
in spite of his superiority to the sex that served,
listened as eagerly as any member of it to gossip;
and his wife was only too ready to label Anna mad
or eccentric as a slight private consolation for hav-
ing passed out of the service of a comprehensible
German gentleman into that of a woman and a
foreigner.
THE BENEFACTRESS ,oi
Unconscious of the interest and curiosity she
was exciting for miles round, pleased by Marie's
artless piety, and filled with kindly feelings towards
aU her neighbours, Anna stood at the end of the
garden looking over the low hedge that divided it
from the marsh and the sea, and thought that she
had never seen a place where it would be so easy
to be good. Complete freedom from the wearisome
obligations of society, an ideal privacy surrounded
by her woods and the water, a scanty population
of simple and devoted people — did not Dellwie
shed tears at the remembrance of his master? —
every day spent here wou'd be a day that made
her better, that would bring her nearer to that
heaven m which all good and simple souls dwelt
while still on earth, the heaven of a serene and
quiet mind. Always she had longed to be good
and to help and befriend those who had the same
longing but in whom it had been partially crushed
by want of opportunity and want of peace. The
healthy goodness that goes hand in hand with
happiness was what she meant; not that tragic
and futile goodness that grows out of grief, that iSts
Its head miserably in stony places, that flourishes
m sick rooms and among desperate sorrows, and
goes to God only because all else is lost. She
went round the house and crossed the road into
the forest The fresh wind blew in her face, and
shook down the drops from the branches on her
as she passed. The pine needles of other years
made a thick carpet for her feet. The sun gleamed
through the straight trunks and warmed her. The
restless sighing overheard in the tree tops filled
her ears with sweetest music. " I do believe the
toa THE BENEFACTRESS
place is pleased that I have come I " she thought,
with a happy laugh. She came to a clearing in
the trees, opening out towards the north, and she
could see the flat fields and the wide sky and the
sunshine chasing the shadows across the vivid
green patches that she had learned were winter
rye. A hole at her feet, where a tree had been
uprooted, still had snow in it ; but the larks were
singing above in the blue, as though from those
high places they cotfld see Spring far away in the
south, coming up slowly with the first anemones
in her hands, her face turned at last towards the
patient north.
The strangest feeling of being for the first time
in her life at home came over Anna. This poor
country, how sweet and touching it was. After
the English country, with its thickly scattered
villages, and gardens, and fields that looked like
parks, it did seem very poor and very empty, but
intensely lovable. Like the furniture of her house,
it struck her as symbolic in its bareness of the
sturdier virtues. The people who lived in it must
of necessity be frugal and hard-working if they
would live at all, wresting by sheer labour their life
from the soil, braced by the long winters to endur-
ance and self-denial, their vices and their languors
frozen out of them whether they would or no. At
least so thought Anna, as she stood gazing out
across the clear! .ig at the fields and sky. " Could
one not be good here ? Could one not be so, so
good ? " she kept on murmuring. Then she re-
membered that she had been asking herself vague
questions like this ever since her arrival ; and with
a sudden determination to face what was in her
THE BENEFACTRESS 103
mind and think it out honestly, she sat down on a
tree stump, buttoned her coat up tight, for the wind
was blowmg full on her, and fell to considerine
what she meant to do.
Susie did not go down to breakfast, but stayed
in her bedroom on the sofa drinking a glass of
milk into which an egg had been beaten, and
listening to Hilton's cnticisms of the German
nation, delivered with much verom while she
packed. But Hilton, though her contempt for
German ways was so great as to be almost un-
utterable, was reconciled to a mistress who had
so quickly given in to her wish to be taken back
to Hill Street, and the venom was of an abstract
nature, containing no personal sting of unfavour-
able comparisons with duchesses ; so that Susie
was sipping her milk in a fairly placid frame of
mind when there was a knock at the door, and
Anna asked if she might come in.
" Oh, yes, come in. Have you looked out the
trains ? "
" Yes. There's only one decent one, and you'll
have to leave directly after luncheon. Won't you
stay, Susie ? Youll be so tired, going home with-
out resting."
" Can't we leave before luncheon ? "
" Yes, of course, if you prefer to lunch at Stral-
sund."
" Much. Have you ordered the shandrydan ? "
" Yes, for half-past one."
"Then order it for half-past twelve. Hilton
can drive with me."
"So I thought"
104
THE BENEFACTRESS
"Has that wretch been rubbing fish oil on it
again r
« I don't think so, after what I said yesterday."
I shouldn t think what you said yestercfay
could have fnghtened him much. You beamed
« r? ^ , °"S" ^^ ^^^ your best friend."
Anna vras looking odd. Susie thought, and
answering her remarks with a nervous, a&tracted
air. S>he had apparently been out, for her dress
was muddy, and she was quite rosy, and her hair
was not so neat as usual. She stood about in an
undecided sort of way, and glanced several times
at Hilton on her knees before a trunk.
"Is that all the breakfast you are going to
have? she asked, becoming aware of the llass
of milk. *
"What other breakfast is there to have?"
snapped Susie, who was hungry, sad would have
liked a great deal more.
"Weil, the eggs and butter are very nice,'any-
way, said Anna, quite evidently thinking oi other
things.
" Now what has she got into her head ? " Susie
asked herself, watching her sister-in-law with mis-
giving. Anna's new moods were never by any
chance of a sort to give Susie pleasure. Aloud
she said tartly, " I can't eat Cjggs and butte. by
themselves. 1 shouldn't have had anything at all
If It hadn t been for Hilton, who went into the
kitchen and made me this hereelf."
"Excellent Hilton," said Anna absent/.
Haven t you done packing yet, Hilton ? "
" No. mm."
THE BENEFACTRESS
««S
::i, !•
Anna sa down on the end of the sofa and
began to twist the frills of Susie's dressing-eown
round her fingers.
"I haven't closed my eyes all night," said
Susie, putting on her martyr look, "nor has
Hilton.
" Haven't you? Whv not? I slept the sleep
of the just — better, indeed, than any just that I
ever heard of."
" What, didn't that man go into your room ? "
" What man ? Oh, yes. Miss Leech was telling
me about it. He lit the stoves, didn't he? I
never heard a sound."
"You must have slept like a log then. Any
one in the least sensitive would have been fright-
ened out of their senses. I was, and so was
Hilton. I wouldn't spend another night in this
house for anything you could give me.
It appeared that Susie really had just cause for
complaint She had been nervous the night be-
fore after Hilton had left her, unable to sleep,
and scared by the thought of their defenceless-
ness — six women alone m that wild place. She
wished then with all her heart that Dellwig did
live in the house. Rats scampering about in the
attic above added to her terrors. The wind
shook the windows of her room and howled dis-
consolately up and down. She bore it as long as
she could, which was longer than most women
would have borne it, and then knocked on the
wall dividing her room from Hilton's. But Hil-
ton, with the bedclothes over her head and all
the candles she had been able to collect alight,
would not have stirred out of her room to save
I0<
THE BENEFACTRESS
her mistress from dyine; and Susie, desperate at
the prospect of the aw?ul houre round Skht
to fetch her. Poor Susie, standing shiverinir be-
fore her maid's bolted door. scSntil/cIothed.
anxiously watching the flame 'of her Lde ffi
threatened each second to be blown out. alone on
the wide, draughty landing, frighten^ at th*
sound of her own c'alls min Jing Sfv'-^h he
creakings and hangings of the temp^stshaken
house, was an object cfeserving of pity^ It ?Sk
some minutes to I'nditee Hilton to open the do^?
and such minutes Susie had not. in the coureTrf
an ordered and normal existence, yet TiSed
^ZS^.TuT ?"'"5'^ room. l4edTeS:
fffjf, I ' i "''*?" ^*7 '^o*" ^n the sofa; and
A ha?fn«f /r' c''"^^"" '"*° »" uneasy ;i^'^
At half-past three Susie started up in bed- some
Ther„cJf^\^:5\°P^" *!!*' door^and knclcffg'
The candles had burnt themselves out and she
could not tell what time it was, but thought i1
Tnted'lo'b'S.'rt^/"'* ^'^^^ the°2:Ln'
m/rfn »„^ K 5^ u ^"^ ^°^ '^^^'' ^nd She woke
Hilton and bade her open the door. Hfltoir did
tT;^2' ^T' ""l"""?' ^"'^ «""g herself bade on
the sofa, wheij she lay as one dead, her face
essly. Susie was never nearer fainting in her
Jhf. '^^ '^' u ^r ^^' ^^' '^o'd hand! claspS
tightly round her knees, her eyes fixed on tSs
dreadful appantion, unable to speak or mov?
paralysed by terror. This was the end?thTn rf
all her hopes and ambitions-to come o Poml
THE BENEFACTRESS
107
rania and die like a dog. Then the sickenine
feehng of fear gave way to one of overwhelming
wrath when she found that all the man wanted
WM to liKht her stove. On the same principle
that a child is shaken who has not after all been
lost or run over, she was speechless with raee
now that she found that she was not, after all to
be murdered. He was a very old man, aiid the
light from the lantern cast strange reflections on
his face and figure as he crouched before the
stove. He mumbled as he worked, talking to the
fire he was making as though it were a pereon.
Zfu unllst nickt, brennm. Lump ? Was f Na
warte mal!" And when he had finished, crept
out again without glancing at the occupants ci
the room, still mumbling.
"It's the custom of the country, I suppose."
said Anna. *^^
" Is it ? Well the sooner we get out of such a
country the better. You are determined to stay
in spite of everything ? I can tell you I don't at
all hke my child being here, but you force me to
leave her because you know very well that I can't
let vou stay here alone."
Anna glanced at Hilton, folding a dress with
immense deliberation.
"Oh, Hilton knows what I think," said Susie,
with a shrug.
" But she doesn't know what / think," said
Anna. " I must talk to vou before you leave so
please let her finish packing afterwards. Go and
have your breakfast, Hilton."
"Did you say breakfast, m'm?" inquired Hil-
ton with an innocent look.
to*
THE BENEFACTRBSB
,.,"?«*Wa8t?" repeated Susie; "poor thine I'd
'•''„* to h"?u* *'°* '^'^ ^'^"^ »he is toget «?:••
Well, then, go and don't have yourVeakfast"
J^I sl""1i,?P**'!"!'y- ,^^^ '"^ something to
tell Susie that must be told soon, and was not in
a mood to bear with Hilton's ways.
rl^°*..Wl*"'''" "^marked Susie as the door
closed. • Really you are a delightful hostess."
Anna laughed. "I don't mean to be brutal"
fc^'^^V ^V >/ we «n exist on the food without
Ittofly'KnVd^P ''*= "^" too. especially as
tJf^L°"?it''u"*j-'^".'" '^^"9 Letty here is
that she wil be dieted in spite of herself. I ex-
pect you to bnng her back quite thin."
« A «^ ^°l fP '^"essly and went to the window.
And whatever you do, don't forget that the
return tickets onlv last till the 24th.^ But youTl
be sick of It long before then." '
th^'^rV""'"^^""'' *""• '^^"^ •>" back against
the window The strong morning light ^on
her hair, and her face was in shadowTyet Susie
had a feelinsf that she was looking guilty.
effoS'"^' "^ •'^" thinking," sSe^sai/ with an
"Really? How nice."
" Yf' 't was. for I found out what it is that I
must do if I mean to be happy. But I'm afraid
that you won' thmk it nice, and wiU scold me.
Now don t scold me.
" Well, tell me what it is." Susie lay staring at
Annas form against the light, bracing herself to
hear something disagreeable* She knew very weH
from past expenence that Anna's new plan what-
ever It was, was certain to be wild and foolish.
THE BENEFACTRESS i,-
" I am going to stay here."
«.r I- ?i ^°", ""• *"'* ^ """ow that nothing I
«n say mil make you change your mind. pSer
fLTyJ'^" J'°»-t»'e more I show him what a
£Si^ «S'"« ^ "^h" °^ '^•'"«=« the more he
msists on doing ,t He calls it determinaTion
Average people like myself, with smaUer and
more easify managed brains than youTo won
dershave^tcalfltpigheadedness.^'
meai f^goS^ °"'^ '°' "^'""y'' '^°-'^»y»'- '
•JJ?^ *^°*^ul ^"^'^ opened her mouth and
De&" r^^V*' same bfank consternation that
ov^r^^ll "^ angry with me," said Anna, coming
MshSiaxi^ai-^
anjs^ and the duty towards one's ^eigh-
<?,»?''• '^/°"''« going to talk religion » said
Susie, pulling away her hand in g^at disgust.
No, no, do listen," said Anna, catching it aeain
and stroking it while she talked, to Susie! ntense
imtation, Who hated being stroked
« mJnVrS!"^ '"*° ^^ catechism," she said,
her gSd.'- ^""^ '" ^S^'"- ^* ""'ght do
"No, no— I only wanted to say that there's
iie THE BENEFACTRESS
another duty not in the catechism, greater than
the duty towards one's neighbour "
" My dear Anna, it isn't likely that you can im-
prove on the catechism. And fancy wanting tok
at breakfast time. Don't stroke my hand — it
gives me the fidgets."
" But I want to explain things — do listen. The
duty the catechism leaves out is the duty towards
oneself. You can't get awav from your duties,
you know, Susie ^' And she knit her brows
m her effort to follftw out her thought.
" My goodness, as though I ever tried I If ever
a poor woman did her duty, I'm that woman."
" — and I believe that if I do those two duties,
towards my neighbour and myself, I shall be v'.oing
my duty towards God."
Susie gave her body an impatient twist. She
thought It positively indecent to speak of sacred
things so early in the morning in cold blood.
"What has this drivel to do with your stopping
here ? " she asked angrily.
"It has every thine to do with it — my dut/
towards myself is to be as happy and as good as
possible, and my duty towards my neighbour "
" Oh, bother your neighbour and your duty I "
cried Susie in exasperation.
" — is to help him to be good and happy too."
"Him? Her, I hope. Don't forget decency,
my dear. A girl has no duties whatever towards
male neighbours."
" Well, I do mean her," said Anna, looking up
and laughing.
" So you think that by living here yo ill make
yourself happy ? "
THE BBNEFACTREaS
tii
"Yes, I do — I do think so. Perhana I am
wrcjng. and shall find out I'm wrong! buTi !nS
stavTrtlu'^!^ J*!' ^"r ^"'?^» *"** «'>"'o" *nd
lea^dbSe^StSiSf' '* "" "^ °- ^'""^ -^
coiit^mlll*^" Tl°i'' *°°'""V^ S""'^ *it'' bitterest
contempt. "That money, then, is goinjj to be
thrown away on Germans? As tKouS, here
weren't poor people enough in Englancf if you™
^^ibitionistoposeasabenefactrestl" ^
««„?»); i 1 * T'"* '° P°'« '^ anything— I only
want to help unhappy wretches." cried >lnna. U
haL " M''''/"r'",l'y °" Susie's unfiling
hand. ' Now don't scold me — foigive me if I'm
silly, and be patient with me till Tfind ou th^t
I ve made a goose of myself and come creeping
back to you and Peter. 6ut I mus^ do it - 1 S
try — I a/,// do what I think is right "
be mlde h^^pyT"*'' *"^*^''"' P'^' "^° »« »°
"Oh, those I am sorriest for — that no one
dl^J,elps-the genteel ones, if I can only get at
"I never heard of genteel wretches," said Susie.
Anna laughed again. "I was thinking it al
M^H^ f%^°TJ. '^^ '"Owning." she said, "and i
suddenly flashed across me that this big roomy
?n«>t«7^' "^- "' ""'^"^ "°* *° be used, and tha^t
nstead of gomg to see poor people aid givinJ
nllTn^ I" *^ °'*""y ^?' 't would Vsf
.nuch better to let women of the better class^
lit
THE BENEFACTRESS
who have no money, and who are dependent and
miserable, come and live with me and share mine,
and have everything that I have — exactly the
same, with no difference of any sort There is
room for twelve at least, and wouldn't it be beau-
tiful to make twelve people, who had lost all hope
and all courage, happy for the rest of their daysF*
Oh, the girl's mad I " cried Susie, springing up
from the sofa, no longer able to bear herself. She
began to walk about the room, not knowing what
to s^ or do, absplutely without sympathy for
beneficent impulses, at all times possessed of a
fine scorn for ideals, feeling that no argument
would be of any avail with an Estcourt whose
mind was made up, shocked that good money, so
hard to get, and so very precious when got, should
be thrOTrn away in such a manner, bewildered by
the difficulties of the situation, for how could
a girl of Anna's age live albne, and direct a
house full of objects of charity? Would the
objects themselves be a sufficient chaperonaee?
Would her friends at home think sol' Would
they not blame her, Susie, for having allowed all
this? As though she could prevent it! Or
would they e:q>ect her to stay with Anna in this
place till she should marry? As though any-
bodv would ever marry such a lunatic I « Mad,
mad, mad I cned Susie, wringing her hands.
" .was afraid that you wouldn't like it," said the
culprit on the floor, watching her with a distressed
" Like it ? Oh — mad, mad 1 " And she con-
tinued to walk and wring her hands
" Well, you'll stay, then," she said, suddenly
THE BENEFACTRESS
"3
stoppmg in front of Anna. " I know you well
enough, and shall waste no breath arguine. That
infatuated old man's money has tunfed jlur hSl
;;^ur i^^J^ u"^ 'i "^^ '° ^^^ «"t J°o»^ into
your heart when I am gone— youll have time
enough and quiet enough -and ask youS
honestly whether what you are going to S^ if"
LTu "^,1^ °* P^y'"« ^'^ ^" ^ ^^^^ done for ^ou!
and all the expense you have been. You know
what my wishes are about you. and you don't c^re
one jot Gratitude I There isn't a spark of it S
yourwholebody. Never was there a more selfih
creature, and I can't believe that ingratitude and
selfishness are the stuff that makes ^ints. Don?
dare to talk any more rot about duty ^o vour
neighbour to me. An Englishwoma^ to come
„t!P^?.*^ ^^"^ money on German charities »
« "^.^rman money." murmured Anna.
m»Hl" i°/'c ^^^-}? "^« Aff^-oh, mad,
madl And Susies mdjgnation threatening to
rif«^ r* ''l^ Tl"^^^ ^^' ^^^ «"d her gesficu-
tereteardL ^^ **PP'"S '""°"«ly O" the
She longed to take Letty and Miss Leech away
with her that very morning, and punish Anna by
teivmg her entirely alone; but sW did not dar^
because of Peter. Peter was always on Anna^
?o H-T'''" *S!- " ''T' differences, and would be sur^
to do something dreadful when he heard of it —
perhaps come and live here too. and never go back
Whv\^^f"^'"°•'■^; .Oh. these half GemansI
Why had she married into a family with such a
one here, she said, turning on Anna, who still sat
"4
THE BENEFACTRESS
on the floor by the sofa, a look on her face of
apology and penitence mixed with firmness that
f Zinf ''T- 'l^^^'^^" y°" ^t'^y here alone
i,?? r! ""^ ^'"^ t^f'l'' "^'^^ yo" till the end of
the holidays, though I hate to seem to encourage
you; but then you see I do my duty and alwavs
Jave, though I don't talk about^it. ^^en I g?
W? Jf °°^ K^"""^ elderly woman wlio
In'fL l*^ '"'"'"]? ^^'^ '"'^ s«e'"g that you
dont make yourself too much of a by-word, and
the day she comes you are to send me back my
Susie ^"^"^ °^ ^°" *° '^* ""^ ^^P L^"y> dear
"Dear Susie!"
.,.:' ^"t^ do?'t mean to be a by-word, as you call
t, continued Anna, the ghost of a smile lurking
m her eyes, "and I don't want an EnglishwoS
What use would she be here? SKe wouldn't
underetand if it was a German byword that I
howf hS^h J *°"ght ^bout askings the paSon
how I had better set about getting a German lady
FnclfKm wro^;!^'"^^'^^^"^^'' '" ^-"•-
" Oh Uncle Joachim " Susie could hardly
endure to hear the name. It was that odious oS
man who had filled Anna's head with these ideas
To leave her money was admirable, but to influ-
^1™^ '^v.'' «"■[' T'"'^ ^'^^ J^'-" wishy-washy
German philosophy about the better life and such
rubbish, as he evidently had done during those
excursions with her, was conduct so shameful th^
opmion of it. Everyone would blame her for
THE BENEFACTRESS
tti
1; ;
Vi!
what had happened, everyone would jeer at her,
and say that the moment an opportunity of escape
had presented itself Anna had seized it, preferring
an existence of loneliness and hardship — any sort
of existence — to all the pleasures of civilised
life in Susie's coro-iny. Peter would certainly
be very angry witn her, and reproach her with
not having made Anna happy enough. Happy
enough! The girl had cost her at least three
hundred a year, what with her expensive educa-
tion and all her clothes since she came out; and
if three hundred good pounds spent on a girl
could not make her happy, she'd like to know
what could. And no one — not one of those
odious people in London whom she secretly hated
— would have a single word of censure for Anna.
No one ever had. All her vagaries and absurdi-
ties during the last few years when she had been
so provoking had been smiled at, had been, Susie
knew, put down to her treatment of her. Treat-
ment of her, indeed! The thought of these
things made Susie writhe. She had been look-
ing forward to the next season, to having her pretty
sister-in-law with her in the happy mood she had
been in since she heard of her good fortune, and
had foreseen nothing but advantages to herself
from Anna's presence in her house — an Anna
spending and not being spent upon, and no doubt
to be persuaded to share the expenses of house-
iPi'"^" "^"^ "°^ ^^^ '""®* S° '^°'"^ ^y herself
to blame, scoldings, and derision. The prospect
was almost more than she could bear. She went
to the door, opened it, and turning to Anna fired
a parting shot " Let no one," she said, her voice
h
u6
THE
BENEFACTRESS
hannt" ^^ '^^^^^ '''*«"**• " ^^o Wants to be
offlamia'Sn'^H-u""'^ ""*°°= nor did she leave
ott calling till Hilton appeared, and so prevented
Anna from saying anoth?7woid. P^^nted
CHAPTER VIII
f„?"^ ■' j"u'^'' "^ge was such that she refused
to say good-bye, and terrified Miss Leech while
she was waiting in the hall for the carriage by
dark allusions to strait-waistcoats, when the par-
son was taken into Anna's confidence after dinner
^,.n5* folowing night his raptures knew no
bounds. "Lubes, edeldenkendes Fraulein!" he
burst out, clasping his hands and gazing with a
moist, ecstatic eye at this young s|rig of piety.
He was a good man, not very learned? not venr
v^\ ^"*""ental exceedingly, and much in-
clined to become tearfully eloquent on such sub-
jects as dulubekUine Kinder, die herrliche Naiur,
ape I'rau als Schutzengel, and the sacredness of das
Famtlunleben.
Anna felt that he was the only person at hand
who could perhaps help her to find twelve dejected
ladies willing to te made happy, and had uXlded
her plan to fiim as tersely as possible in her stum-
bling German, with none of those accompanyinc
digressions into the question of feelings that Susie
stigmatised as drivel ; and she sat uncomfortable
enough while he burst forth into praises that
would not end of her goodness anc nobleness. It
IS hard to look anything but fatuous when some-
body IS extolling your virtues to your face, and she
could not help both looking and feeling foolish
117
Its
THE BENEFACTRESS
Hn,?U^K^ extravagant glorification. She did not
doubt his sincerity, and indeed he was aSteS
sincere, but she wished that he w^ld iS S
and^'Z""'' 'n^"S' ^"'^ *°"W skip the raptu^l
c.^j,''^ "'°''^ *^ ^'.'"P'^ ^'''te dress that had caused
such a sensation in the neighbourhood, a gaSt
cl» li ","« '" long, soft folds, accen uatfnrher
id tu^keTth-'Tt """ ''"^'^^ hair wip^arfed
her Kk ^ ^^"'l ''f ^^"^^ Everything about
her breathed an absolute want of self-conscious
ness and vanity, a perfect freedom from ?he S
thought of the impression she might be mS'
yet she was beautiful, and the gJSd man obS-'
uft told& '"'^ ?r^'"S '^^"^ what shS
iff *°''' '"'"^an equal beauty of character, for ever
^terwards when he thought of angels on aufet
Sunday evenings in his |rden, clofhed °hem 2
h^ZZ^ ''1°'^^ '^' "V^ "ot even shrinking
a^»„ K ^'"S 'J'^"? ^'■''^ ^ courage worthy of
ticrW^i^'/^; '*'' ^1! ^^ ^'^ss, which was also her
hghtest, sat on the edge of a chair some way off
'^^r^f'^'S greatly ^t many things. She ?oSld
not hear what it was Anna had laid to set her
oeS^t'^.H ^-^ r«:>^i'"in& because the governed
persisted in trying to talk German to her and
would not be satisfied with vague repHer' She
was disappointed by the sudden^isSartnce of
tuZlT^^'^'^T ^^^^^^i^^ hJ^ownher!
self to a single soul; astonished that she had not
THE BENEFACTRESS
"9
been requested to sit on the sofa, in which place
of honour the young Fraulein sprawled in a way
that would certainly ruin her clothes; distusted
that she had not been pressed at table, nay, not
even asked, to partake of every dish a second time ■
indeed, no one had seemed to notice or care
whetlier she ate anything at all. These were
strange ways. And where were the Dellwigs. those
great people accustomed to patronise her because
she was the parson's wife ? Was it possible that
they had not been invited? Were there then
quarrels already ? She could not of course dream
that Anna would never have thought of askine
her inspector and his wife to dinner, and that in
her Ignorance she regarded the parson as a person
on an altogether higher social level than the in-
spector These things, joined to conjectures as to
the probable price by the yard of Anna's, Letty's
and Miss Leech's clothes, gave Frau Manske more
food for reflection than she had had for years; and
she sat turning them over slowly in her mind in the
intervals between Miss Leech's sentences, while
her dress, which was of silk, creaked ominously
with everv painful breath she drew.
i,."J!/^ ^®* "^^7 ,*° *^*'" ^^'^ t'^e parson, when
Jie had exhausted the greater part of his raptures,
will be to advertise in a newspaper of a Christian
character.
" But not in my name," said Anna.
" No. no, we must be discreet — we must be very
1 ^f/^l*" J, advertisement must be drawn up with
Skill. 1 will make, simultaneously, inquiries amone
my colleagues in the holy office, but there must
also be an advertisement. What would the gra-
»«• THE BENEFACTRESS
ri^^lJ!*'*''^°P'"'°? ^ °^ the desirability of refer-
"^x^"*?''^?",*^ '" '•>« fi"t instance, to mr?"
Why, 1 think it would be an excdlent olln if
you do not mind the trouble - '*^^"*''* P'*"' "
"Trouble! Joy fills me at the thought of
was to become a holy place, a blessed refujre for
the world-worn, a nooi fragrant with charity?!!"
.. (J°/ n°' chanty," interposed Anna,
min^ffl '^il'r^'" '^°"''""ed the parson, deter-
mined to finish his sentence, " whose>erfu^e will
ascend day and night to the attentfve havens
But such are the celestial surprises Providence
leSfex-peSIt^^ ^"'^ '^''^^ "-" - ^^'nT
the a'Ji;i:Sif„t r- " ^"* ^''^^ ^•^^" - P"* -
I J^^* •'/'' ,*'?^ advertisement In the contem-
plation of this beautiful scheme I forget the
advertisement." And again the mSi of
ecstasy suffused his eyes? and again he clSrJd
weS SrbLlifiWemt^ ^°""^ '^''^ '^^-"
fod"? ^°* •I'P ^""^ *^"* *° the writing-table to
keeohinf'tn'i""''-".'''^"^ °* P^P^--- »™ o
Hf»*^j!l ^, *'^tP°'"*; *"«^ the parson watching
«fn, !T^^u' ^'"'^ '^g"^^ *^ more than evef
uTL^^ ^^ '■^.«f'"blance to his idea of anS
He did not consider how easy it was to lookS
a l^ing from another worid, a creature purifiS
tn KlKT/fu'*'''y/™''"^s«' to eyes accustomS
•WTpWH
THE BENEFACTRESS ,„
She brought the paper, and sat down again at
the table on which the lamp stood. " How does
one write any sort of advertisement in German? "
she said. " I could not write one for a housemaid.
And this one must be done so carefully."
"Very true; for, alas, even ladies are some-
times not all that they profess to be. Sad that
in a Christian country there should be impostors
Doubly sad that there should be any of the female
sex.
" Very sad," said Anna, smiling. " You must
tell me which are the impostors among those that
answer.
" Ach, it will not be easy," said the parson, whose
experience of ladies was limited, and who began
to see that he was taking upon himself responsi-
bilities that threatened to become grave. Sup-
pose he recommended an applicant who after-
wards departed with the gracious Miss's spoons
in her bag ? " Ack, it will not be easy," he said,
shaking his head.
"Oh, well," said Anna, "we must risk the im-
postors. There may not be any at all. How
would you begin?"
t. 7^f .Pai^n threw himself back in his chair,
folded his hands, cast up his eyes to the ceiling,
and meditated. Anna waited, pencil in hand'
ready to write at his dictation. Frau Manske
at the other end of the room was straining her
ears to hear what was going on, but Miss Leech,
desirous both of entertaining her and of practising
her German, would not cease from her spasmodic
talk, even expecting her mistakes to be corrected.
And there were no refreshments, no glasses of
»•» THE BENBPACTRESS
Sof ^l "^'"^ ''"'^^'^ '°""'l' n° "quid con-
soiation of any sort, not even seltzer water Shi
'^'^^fi ^". «^"ing « a failure *•*
fh- C ^nnst'an lady of noble sentiments " dictated
' linr°oK''a'hom^e ^f"«K ^''^ -°'^» "« !h2
" f/:u- .L * "ome m her house "
" - offlc ^^^rtjsement ? " asked Anna.
.. — offers a home m her house "
Anna. "I ^ulH"''^I!''' .•^K^""'"*" hesitated
norsentLe'nul". "''" '''''" °"' *•«"' ^he
"As the gracious one pleases Modpsfv n,„
n^verbeanything but an orLme'ni. ' A° cfctn"
a hdvf ""fc S*'^'^* '^^y ' Wl'y "°t simply
a lady? Are there, then, heathen lilies about
that you msist on the Christian? " **
Worse, worse than heathen." replied the oar-
our midst, here evervwhew. talr;„„ ^k
«f,„ u ??^^la* him. mystified. "The Jews?"
STs ":)Z\ d?r K°i *]" «^^*^^* friends at h^me
was a Jew, a delightful person, the mere recollec
tion of whom made her smile, so witS and chaS
>ng and kind was he. And of JeSb'getSi
THE BENEFACTRESS 1,3
■he could not remember to have heard anything
"But not only money fiom our pockets and
bread from our mouths," continued the parson
leanmg forward, his light grey eyes opened to
their widest extent, and speaking in a whisper
that made her flesh begin the process known as
creepmg, " but blood — blood from our veins "
" Blo<Ki from your veins ? " she repeated faintly.
It sounded hornd. It offended her ears. It
had nothmg to do with the advertisement. The
strange lieht in his eyes made her think of fanati-
cism, cruelty, and the Middle Ages. The mildest
"V"*"'" S^^^rai, as she found later on. rabidness
seiz^ him at the mere mention of Jews.
" Blood," he hiss-d, " from the veins of Christians,
for the performinct of their unholy rites. Did the
gracious one never hear of ritual murders?"
" No," said Anna, shrinking back, the nearer he
leaned towards her, " never in my life. Don't tell
me now, for it — it sounds interesting. I should
like to hear about it all another time. ' A Christian
lady offers her home,' " she went on quickly, scrib-
bling that much down, and then looking at him
inquinngl^. "
" /^f^ /f ." he said in his natural voice, leaning
back in his chair and reducing his eyes to their
normal size, "I forgot again the advertisement.
A Christian lady offers her home to others of her
sex and station who are wi^^hout means ' "
" And without friends, s.,d without hope," added
Anna, writing.
"" Gut, gut, sehr gut"
" She has room in her house in the country,"
§t^ '
««4
THE BENEPACTREaS
Anna went on, writing as she spoke, "for twelm
S'thlSh"; *"** *•" h ^'"^ '° »'«~ with tiSm
" Is the German correct ? "
will te 'S^f*- ^ *°"'^ **'^' ' Strictest inquiries
will be mi^e before acceptance of any application
by Herr Pastor Manske of Lohm, to whom aH
etten, are to be addressed. Applicants S S
"It pleases me not entirely" said Man.u-
njusmg; "the lan„e is nor^^ffidentlfnoWe*
Nobk^schemes sSoufd be alluded to in^ noble
"But not in an advertisement."
tho„^K/ T^ We ought not to hide our good
thoughts from our fellows; but rather open^
hearts, pour out our feelings, spend fiSl?^» that
we have m us of virtue and oietv forVh- ^l
tion and exhilaration of o?here!"^' ^ ^*''^'
"But not jn an advertisement I don't want tn
exhilarate the public." *°
T. ".^"^ why not exhilarate the public, dear Miss?
ouilvSrK'^ °^^'^ of like'passio?s1o
ourselves I- Units on the way to heaven unit«
bowed down by the same sorrows, cheered bvtL?
same hopes, torn asunder by the s^me temp^^^^^^^
as he gracious one and mvself ? " And frnmed?
ately he launched forth into a flood of elZ^nce
about units; for in Germany sermons are aH ex
tempore, and the clergy. trL const^nt^i^ctice
THE BENEFACTl£a8 ,„
produced on her to that which he of course £'
med, she was sony for him. ^'
" It is so good of you to help nie " she «W «,;tu
h:br?";:^r^^^^''G:Lnia"d;^
help me m the housekeeping,"
"Yes, yes. I comprehend. But would not the
th^f^l°:i^f "'^ [•'^°"''^ "°* ''"^e them to think
thpl V™"* ^"/^'""S '^""^ fo"- ""e in return for
J^!J. T^- J ^^"* *''™ to do exact !™ hat
makes them happiest. They will all have had
f^ ''!u' ^"^ "?"'* ^«te no more dme in ddn.
things they don't quite like." ^^
"Ah — nol ^ noble," murmured the nar^m
quite a.s unpractical as Anna, and fasdnated bv
the very vagueness of her plan of beneSeice. ^
I^^RflJ
i m
ia6
THE BENEFACTRESS
" The companion I wish to find would be an-
for a7a°rry°"^^''°"" ^"'^ '^""''^ ^^^^ ""^ '" '^'"'"
' Certainly, I comprehend.
advertise for such a person ? "
"Surely, surely. My wife has a sister "
He paused. Anna looked up quickly. She
having sisters." ""'^ '^' Possibility of His wife's
" Lieber Schatzr he called to his wife, "what
does thy sister Helena do now ? "
Frau Manske got up and came over to them
7t ^A 1n''\°^ 'f1- " ^^^' dost thou sa^
shoulder H f\^ked, laying her hand on hfs
Sh fi fi 1 1^°'' '* •" ^'^' ^^'°^^ it. kissed it,
ft ?W l^V^'! n™/°""'' her waist and held
It there while he talked ; all to the exceeding joy
"Thy sister Helena — is she at present in the
parental house?" he asked, looking up at her
fondly, warmed into an affection Iven greater
than ordinary by the circumstance of Lving
spectators. "ivmg
Frau Manske was not sure. She would write
and inquire Anna proposed that she should sit
down, but the parson playfully held her closer.
• t! ',?.'"y guardian angel," he explained, smil-
ing beatifically at her, "the faithful mother rf my
children, now grown up and gone their several
ways. Does tlie gracious IVfIss remember tS
immortal lines of Schiller, ' £Arei die Frauen,sl
flecktm und weben ktmmlisJie Rosen ins trdische
THE BENEFACrRFS?
to bathing reioltsSettl " "^^^^'on^l visits
five vearf a^n «fA I ^'^^y- '"°'"e than twenty-
"Yes' JXt^r-™'^'^''/'^" Manske.
question the wisdom ^Xwden^,:;,.-^ ""^^ "°*
IN o, but one might mend " a
heard so much ahnnf r.?^*, "^ ""pious. bhe had
the last trhours tharsht^""^ Providence within
no longer cS^Jo the e^St'SS '"'.^
beyond which a flying in the See oPrn' •;?''""'
might be said to begin Providence
paid L\\rd^r;nyfeh':^m^St*°H '''^ ^'^^•
for he was already well on L . ^ f ^- ^ '^y'^'S^
hlstTT^^~e;h"abittattr^^^^^
oTeach in turrthftt'?""'"' ^"^ ^"^'' ^° fondly
acn in turn that he forgot sister Helena and
Mif
138
THE BENEFACTRESS
the second advertisement; and when he had ex-
plained all their numerous excellencies and harm-
less idiosyncrasies, including their preferences in
matters of food and drink, hi abruptfy quTeS th^
opjc. and proceeded to expound AnVa's scheme
to his wife, who had listened with ill-concealed
sS'"'' L° '^' ^-^VP^^ °^ •''•« discourL.'con.
sumed as she was with curiosity to hear what it
was that Anna had confided to him
, Jn '^Tu ^"^ *° '•''*^" *° *^^ "^Pt^res a" over
h^\J/ fFI T*^^^* °^ ^^^ *'fe disturbed
her. She doubted whether Frau Manske had any
real sympathy with her plan. Her in uisitiveness
was unquestionable; but Anna felt that openTng
her heart to the parson and opening it to his wife
were two different things. ThoughTie was woX
he was certainly enthusiastic; L's wife, on the
other hand, appeared to be chiefly interested in
the question of cost " The cost Will be colossal,"
she said, surveying Anna from head to foot. " But
the gracious Miss is rich," she added
Anna began to examine her finger tips again
On the way home through the akrk ifeld^ after
having criticised. each dish of the dinner and ex-
pressed the opinion that the entertainment was
not worthy of such a wealthy lady, Frau Manskp
°''KTf V° ';^^ '^"^''^"'l *^t it wL t"u? then
what she had a ways heard of the English, tha
Sc^raSs''' '"'^ "'"' *° P™'°"S^^ ^«^^>^«
, "CrazinessI Thou callest this craziness ? It
IS my wife, the wife of a pastor, that I hear apply-
scSeme?"* *° "^ ''^''"*'^"'' ^ Christian, a
THE BENEFACTRESS ,,,
Woman, shut thy mouth ! " rr;»/ fu ^"
WW
CHAPTER IX
The next morning early, Anna went over to
the farm to ask Dellwig to lend her any news-
papers he might have. She was anxious to adver-
tise as soon as possible for a companion, and now
that she knew' of the existence of sister Helena,
thought It better to write this advertisement witiv
out the parson s aid. copying any other one of the
sort that she might see in the papers. Until she
Si^^^Tu ^^u ^""'''''^ °* * German lady who
would tell her how to set about the reforms she
intended making in her house, she was perfectly
helpless. She wanted to put her home in order
quickly so that the twelve unhappy ones should
not be kept waiting; and there were many things
to be done. Servants, furniture, everything, wis
necessary, and she did not know where such thines
were to be had. She did not even know where
washerwomen were obtainable, and Frau Dellwiff
never seemed to be at home when she sent for her
or went to her seeking information. On Good
Friday, after Susie's departure, she had sent a
rnessage to the farm desiring the attendance of
the inspectors wife, whom she wished to consult
about the dinner to be prepared for the Manskes.
all provisions apparently passing through Frau
Dellwig s hands; and she had been told that the
lady was at church. On Saturday morning, dis-
'ttl-, .•»""
^m^.^mfW'^mi^^^M
THE BENEFACTRESS ,3,
turbed by the emptiness of her larder and the
mmmence of her guests, she had gone hereelf to
the farm but was told that the lady was b the
cow-sheds-m which cow-shed nobody exactly
knew. Anna had been forced to ask^DeS
about the food. On Sunday she took LetYy wT^
her, abashed by the whisperings and staring she
had had to endure when she went alone. Tor on
this occasion did she see the inspector's wife and
T^^n n° ^°J"^^' ^''^t had become of £
1 he Dellwigs wrath and amazement when thev
found that the parson and his wife had been bvUed
to dmner and they themselves left out was inde
the"m'^' Thf'T^ ""f ^"'^!! ^" '"^"'^ beenXed
thp,vVi ^''.^y had always been the first people of
their class m the place, always held their heads
up and condescended to the clergy, always been
.'iT^he r-'lfl*'^^ S°"^ ^''' *''™"gh dolors sS
m the right-hand corners of sofas If he was
t7u'.^ ^^' '*'" """'^ ^' filled with venom
XZ^U ^^^^ 9^erjoyed, Frau Manske; and
though her own interest demanded it. she was
altogether unable to bring herself to meet Anna
for the purpose, as she knew, of being consulted
about the menu to be offered to the wretched
upstart. Indeed, Frau Dellwig's posidon was
similar to that painful one in which Se found
Kr o^r^'l!: '•?''"?"*J^' London acquaintance
Si °^ ^^^ mvitations to the wedding; on
s*Se^toT"V''r ' k"o^.. Susie had been con-
strained to flee to Germany in order to escape the
comments of her friends. Frau Dellwig could not
flee anywhere. She was obliged to stay where
'3»
THE BENEFACTRESS
she was and bear it as best she might, humiliated
.n the e;.es of the whole neighbourlioc^d. an obS
of derision to her very milkmaids. Ph losoDhIre
smrle at such trials; Lt to pe«ons who are nol
philosophers, and at Kleinwalde these were in S
anTSill'l^ '^' '""^^ *^'«'^"'' *° enXre than
thl l^^ bereavement. There is no dignity
about them, and friends, instead of sympathisin/
rejojce more or less openlv accordingTthfS
of thei • cmhsatton. The degree of civdliS
among Frau Dellwig's friendslas not gSranS
d^e rejoicings oh the next Sunday when they all
met would be but ill-concealed; there wa/no
escape from them, they had to b^ faced a^ the
malicious condolences accepted with what counte!
nance she could. Instead of making sausages
And ""t'^-r ''"* ''"1"'^ •" her bedroom and wfp
A.rfj? ^^"!f •''°"* ^''^t tl^e unconscious
Anna, whose one desire was to live at peace with
5avs""?A^"'''' "^^ *^? T""^'' within Two
days. AI women." said Dellwig to his wife
"high and ow. are alike. Unless^they have a
husband to keep them in their right plaUtheJ
has wormed himself in very cleverly, truly very
cleverly. But we will worm' him out again 3
frlft'^'™"''- ^' ^r ^'^ ^««- ^hat cSst thou
expect from so great a fool ? "
J'Jf°hi!'"^-^'^'J''°^ ^?' ^ ^^Pe«^t nothing." re.
pied his wife tossmg her head, "but from the
n ece of our late master I expected the behaviour
t^ t^^\ k"'^ ^' '^^' """^^"t- the niece of her
bedro^^ ^"^ announced, she fled into her
T^tM^^WK%
TKR BENEFACTRESS
came with Lettv into fht P °^ l?^"" ^"'val,
where he was workinawfhaCr ""^^ ^'^^^
shine in her face. TWh .K ^ "'ornmg sun-
many things, she was intern,.! \'^'" Peq^Iexed by
feet freedom after h?r,^'? ''^PPJ'- The per-
heaven. Ke she Jaf fn""]?.^ '"'"''"^ ^^ "^e
which nobody could Tak^K / °'^" ^"""^^ f^m
life as she cLse Ohl •^'■^V°*''^"«e her
and this the most iSaitlT^ * beautiful lorld.
was sure the sky wa^ K u" J"^V- °^ ''' She
in other places and th^.tk *, ^'^'^walde than
And then was she not on th/ ^"^' '""«^ '°"'^^'--
ng her dreams of CngPn^tll^uTru''^ '•f^h's-
into dark and hopelessi vfs ? t^uKu ^.^iness
beautiful world I Sh^T " • ^^ ^^^ beautiful,
with the lov°'o'f'itSrni^"^^r e?e?^'«'^ '"^"^
his S andtuTerdeplnr;- '" ""/-'"-^ely
young woman; but he was jl°" ^'^'^ P^"^^'^
talkative, considering wit^^n k' ^J^y^' '"^^ 'ess
not be expected to nf " '"'"^^'^ *hat he could
some alSSf in fifmr/er"'^ h' ^"«'i* *.'*«"'
to show that he was oawT "^ u"^ ""?''*• *>« ^^It,
it so unmistakabWat shJ •-■" °"? '° '''°*
tooffersomeSpZatilof hT'"^ ^'^^P' ^ '«J
ingly he assum^rthrsubdSed'beht'-' '^'f'"'^-
whose feelings have^en h„.7 behaviour of one
wantedThe pJ^i.^^;" '"^'^ '° ^^^^ why she
women toVad^S^s'jlS^ " "" "-""^"^^ ^°^
murder, nr =.„„*»..•-_ "rrr^"
'I !i
nythingSfthatsor;,h'.^'wSk:d
to
»34
THE BENEFACTRESS
see them, but not at other times. " Is the jrracious
^sroX!"^'"'^^'"'^'"''"^'^''-^"^^
while fiS™ ""^* "''^ ''^'^ * ""'^
" I? "" '" 'iterature, perhaps ? "
" There are some well-written articles occasion-
ally on the modes m ladies' dresses."
" Really ? "
thl^L*?^ *l"! "^^ .'^^ °**«" ««ts hints from
them as to what is being worn. Ladies, we
know, he added with a superior smile, checked,
however, on h.s remembering that he was pained
are mterested in these mattlrs."
K.l^^"' ^^X "f *Sr^^^ Anna, smiling, and
*>oWing out her hand for the papere.
"Ah. then, it is that that the gracious Miss
wishes to read? "he said quickly
.« V'l^P*'^'*'"'^'"!?'" ^'^ Anna, who began
to see that he too suffered from the prevailine
inquisitiveness. Besides, she was too much afraid
ot his having sisters, or of his wife's having sisters
Itfl u *'°'!}^ ^"'* ^^ ^ "^^'"g to l>er. to tell him'
about her advertisement.
On the steps of his house, to which Dellwie
accompanied the two girls, stood a man who haS
just got off his horse. He was pulling off his
rioves as>he watched it being led away By a boy.
He had his back to Anna, and she looked at it
interested, for it was unlike any back she had yet
seen in Klemwalde, in that it was the back of a
gentleman.
Uanl. "^ ."-•■ •nr.'.ji
THE BENEFACTRESS
unfortunately drink T^^^^" u"""^ °^ o""" People
Good FriSanS there ,-""'* °? ''°''^*y» «ke
to the gracio^us one that he ifn'""'> ^ "^P'^'^^d
He.? von Lohm turned l.u ^'"*«?'^teher."
wigWoice. and tS,k oThis hat' '-T'' °^ ^^"•
me to these ladies." he said tn n "i^y P'-^sent
bowed as gravely to ittn, ! Dellwig, and
great satisfSn ^^^ ^' *° ^""^ to her
wkbgtw?arhSt'^"^ti;: hn"^''^ ^--
which she stood with her nTni ^?''^f **^P on
" So this is old Joachim's^X ' " . ^J! ^^' ^™-
always talking ?''thouX Tn>f' °^, '"'/'?'" ''^ *^
her. "Wise fid man to leave Th.°°,'""« "P ^*
instead of to those unnlJ. ^^ P'*^^ 'o her
proceeded to mak?aTw 7n"* '?•"'-, ^"^^ he
hoping that she 5k^ h* ''\"*'°"*' '•^marks,
soon & quite used to th5/ "T '^T^ ^"'^ wo"ld
quiet and lonj^? 'ft a adv nof "^ ^'Jl' " ^* '« ^^"7
country, with its L estates Irfl'' *° °-"'Ll''"d of
hesai/in English.^ ^May I talk Fn ^f'^''^^^-"
It g|ves me pfeasure to do^o " "^^''^ '° ^^^ '
who m^h^'°bC vl!^ fe S "?; ^ P--
reached^rwits- Sd iSS, ^^^ '{ ^"^^ ^he
howdean.and whaia'nl, ^?* 'J'ce he looked,
ing so grateSy on ears1^^,\""* ^°^^ he had, fall-'
wi^'s sffouts and tL nai^if-t'^/^'^^.g ^'^h Dell-
He was somewLrfSween &^ °T^-
not young at all, she thoShav& ^"u ^°'^'
got out of the habit of ffel nt vl^- '""^'^ "'^^^
Seyond being long and wl^'^ffot^n^a tS
I. !
•J«
THE BENEFACTRESS
dency to fat. as she noticed with pleasure, there
was nothing striking about him. ?Iis tc» K
and h.s green Norfolk jacket and greenTelfhS
with a httle feather stuck in it gave him an ajj
tr^I'S-^VTV'- ^* vasreKeshingtocome
across Em, ,f onlv because he did not b^w. Also
considenne h.m !rom the top of the steps, she £
came sudcTenly conscious that Dellwig and the
parson neglected their persons moi^ than was
lent ; but she did like nicely washed men
rM^^'^u" u*"" 'j^^San tc t.!k about Uncle Joa-
chim, with whom he had oeen very intimate
Anna came down the steps and he went a few
yards with her. leaving Dellwig standing at the
door, and followed by the eyes of Dellwfg's w«e
concealed behind her bedroom curtain
T IJ^^^^ ^ *,!*'' .?°" •" °"« moment," called
Lohm over his shoulder. v«.i™
Sf ^u'ulf'** ^^"*.'«; '^^ he went in to tell his
wife that these English ladies were very free with
eentlemen. and to bid her mark his words That
Lohm and Kleinwalde would before long be one
"And us? What will become of us?" she
asked, eying him anxiously.
"I too would like to know that," replied her
husband. " This all comes of leaving land away
from the natural heirs." And with freat eneT^?
masten *° ''"'^ ^^^ memor/of his iS
A„^„°.'""'u ^"g''f.'L*^ so good that it astonished
tlk^ at i I'^H-''^ ^"^ '^°*' *">* ^^ '">«1« no mis-
takes at all. His manner was grave, and looking
■r-^^v
THE BENEFACTRESS ,3^
0! m.T.kT''"^''"'''}""'"''/ '•'« «* traces on his face
of much hard work ancf anxiety. He told her W
t^r°«So S'Th'" ^•^°"^'? °l[ Uncle jSS
mam-,„» • .•* ''l^'* " * "''?*'' relationship by
marnage existing between us.-'^he said. ^
beyo^/'retSiot" "'""^ ""'""«• "^=''"' ^--^
periS?" T'S '*'r,'"'**' y°" f"-- " indefinite
tha thL„« 1^!^-. ^ '^*""°' *void knowing
a ,™£ ..^°"A'^*^y." y°"' "'ece," he added witf
T'u- ^."'^ t''** s'^e is here with her eoveme«
FriHJ''"L^'^y ^^°"^ '^^t suddenly^on SS'
Fnday because all that concerns you is ofihe
greatest interest to the inhabitants of this auiet
plac^ and they talk of little else " ^
I ,il„'f°ril°"»5*'" '* ^^''^ "'«'" t° get used to me?
I don t like being an ob ect of inteFest. No Lettv
IS gomg home as soon as I have found a coS
panion. That is why I am taking the^nspt^^^l
newspapers home with me. I can't constractan
advertisement out of my stores of Gem?n aS
Lrvf XSjS^ ' ' ^^ «"^ something"?h\"i ii,1
mn',?i;«f^^I..*'^'P y°t"^ ^'''='t difficulties you
must meet with every hour of the day 1 " ^
I do, agreed Anna, thinking of all there was
to be done Sefore she could opin her dooA Tnd
her arms to the twelve.
fnv'n'Ii"/ ?^'^'^^.,t*>^.t I can render to my oldest
win 'T *'" S>ve me the greatest pleasure
Wil you a^lowjneto d the rdvertise^n^^;
" I don't," said Anna. " It would be very kind
^
•jS
THE BENEFACTRESS
that I should find somebody soon,"
" S," fi! ""^ ''"' importance." said Lohm.
Has the parson told him of my plans already?"
tMo;J"""- ?"' ^°*"" •'"'^ "°* seen Manske
that morning, and was only picturing this little
Sch^a Hiff""''?' i'.^'" daint'y little l=5y. used to
such a different life, alone in the empty house
struggling with her small supply of 6eVmanTo
make the two raw servants unJeLand h™way °
hZ^Z'^ Tu* ''"'^ ]'''"« ^* *"• ^^^ she would
have been half-amused and half-indignant if she
'•H^l.'^''^"i, ^^K "''^*^°'^'' ^^ began-
tadied s^ter?' ''?°"«^V"''« *' got an^unat-
K.^r oViJ r soi^etimes stays with me with
her children, and when she is here will be able o
help you in many ways if you will allow her to
She im if^* y.?*""- ""^'* ^'■°'" •>" childhood.
Sveh^^^ ^'"^"y interested to know that you
have had the courage to settle here." '
Courage?" echoed Anna. "Why, I love it
It s the most beautiful place in the world "
but tt ^ '^ doubtfully at her for a moment;
eTJ 'I^\Z"'T^'l^ the sincerity of thos^
" Mv sistir T^hT"* u '^^^ y^" '^y ^°'" he said,
iviy sister frudi would scarcely credit her ears
indV^'vP'^'""*- • J° ^'' •' i« ^ terrible place
bti^t^lnlt.^' "*' ^" ''^^ ^^^^ ''--- W
Anna laughed. She thought she knew verv
well what sister Tmdis were ifke. " I do not pS
you, she said; "I couldn't pity any being who
rmmmw-\^, f^*«*.. ..-^f t:*|p*^
THE BENEFACTRESS ,3,
Eii";/*""',!;!!"'' ""'^'='' '^'» '^y- Look how
whTte'^eTe? ■•'' '''' ^'''^ - ^'^ y°" «^- ^ee such
J^'jiite'lijSSS-eS-the
moment-it was sU a glorioKaster ?ul "
and^the world was so fu! of °the frunda'^glS
Ini ,„j "^'^ ^" "^ept waiting loie
enough, and came out again on to the step! ^
Lolim saw h.m. and flit that he must S " I
K1^.'"Z''"?"^'''\' ^^ «^i^- "but as ylu'have
toThe paXTn^t' ^n^^ ^" adve?;irement
haye^pm^^^ ^^^^^p. '^-i. to
to do, so very much to da"
f JIf
CHAPTER X
He sent the advertisement by the evening post
to two or three of the best newspapers, h! K
seen the pastor after morning churS. who had at
r^^f/*""*^-'? ° ^'K^"" ^" ^bout Anna's twelve
ladies gamisAmg the story with intenections
warmly apprecatTve of the acHon of Pro^v'dence
«.*^-\Tu^^^°'"" ^^^ been considerlbS
^tonished but had said little; it was not his ^y
to sajr much at any time to the parson, and^e
ecstasies about the new neighbour jarred on h m
Miss Estcourt's need of alvice mist have K
hJ^^L-^^aZ *° '^r ^°"fid«d in ManVke
He appreciated his good qualities, but his family
had never been intimate with the parson ; perhaps
because from time immemorial tVe Lohms hS
^Zfn'^"'''^^ ^"^. ^^^ *"'t"de of male Ger-
C ^KW^.M'".'?"*^'^*"* ^^ dealings with
him.as his father had done before him, to tTie nee
essary deliberations on the treatment of the sfck
holrH?'^ to official meetings in the schS
as^liin. .„T '°T*"/ '^1"'^ '° *»•'"• ^nd lent
as willing an ear as his slender purse allowed to
applications, for assistance; but the idea ofdis°
cussing spiritual experiences with him. or, in imes
hlTrirf, '°T7' °^ '^^e^gconver.'ationafy on
his gnefs, would never have occurred to him.
140
mr'T-m^ 0^1
THE BENEFACTRESS
'41
Lohn,. should da^e to oS-wiS^""f"'*°"^^'
honing the veil ^ihmL; l- • P'^o^ane ques-
Hfe. ManlkThteve; Le^ ""^^'^''-'^ r er
compunction. HewaiMTl.u^^^' ^"'^ "o
dous questions bSwelntwn^ lu? T^^ ^'^">^^-
backing himself uDwJf.T^i,""!''^."'' °^ Padding,
the Lutheran ChurchTesides'tSt •'"^''°"*y °^
if the poor people and thin .f ^^"P^^res; and
it, and were edffied and .n-P^*> ^^"'^^^^'^ "J^^d
talking over thdr rel^^io.T^''' .'•'"''"■"g "P ^"d
muchls theyS the tet vilf'" '°"'/l™^* ^«
who had no taste elthJrf """^g^.^candal, Lohm,
kept the parsontt a^'fletr'^' ""' ™'°--
had"lS°"h?m duS t' ^"* -^^* M-«>^e
gone to the parsori.eL for hert- ^'^^ .''^^
was no one else to ^o tn p ?' l^cause there
could imajine the!ort;f P^""" ''"'« thing. He
made her,S the sort of IjP':-*^"' ^^""'^^ ^^d
have told her to wn°te P. "^rl^f'"".'?* ^^ ^""'d
what he cou[d d^was to ouVL ? •'''?k^- ^^"•
in the house under?onj';t*'*h^
made hapDv I nhn.^ ?j ^ P''*^^^^ °f being
thepIan'^'^Lthoi^htof m"°V'^^'P ^-"'""g ^^
that had formed in the cou..e of Va^s^oTeflh^
* .^ m
>>^y. '%^'
^^mm^^MM
14a
THE BENEFACTRESS
hearts of her patients, and he trusted that she
would not exhaust her own youth and joyousness
in the eifort. Perhaps she would succeed He
did not remember having heard of any scheme
quite analogous, and possibly she would override
all obstacles m triumph, and the patients who
entered her home with the burden of their past
misery heavy upon them, would develop in the
sunshine of her presence into twelve riotously
jovial ladies. But would not she herself sufifer?
Would not her pwn strength and hopefulness be
sapped up b^ those she benefited ? He could not
think that it would be to the advantage of the
worid at large to substitute twelve, nay fifty, nay
any number of jolly old ladies, for one girl with
such sweet and joyous eyes.
This, of course, was the purely masculine point
of view. The women to be benefited — why he
thought of them as old is not clear, for you need
not be old to be unhappy — would have protested,
probably, with indignant cries that individually
they were well worth Miss Estcourt, in any case
were every bit as good as she was, and collectively
— oh, absurd.
He thought of his sister Tnidi. Perhaps she
knew of some one who would be both kind and
clever, and protect Miss Estcourt in some meas-
ure from the twelve. Trudi's friends, it is true,
were not the sort among whom staid companions
are found. Their husbands were chiefly lieu-
tenants, and they spent their time at races. They
lived m flats in Hanover, where the regiment was
quartered, and flats are easy to manage, and none
of these young women would endure, he supposed,
»^*^»-
THE BENEFACTRESS
some one of them Sht hTw' rsibilitylhat
a suitable persoT irTr,^^;^'^ *° recommend
him now she wouW be a^ea h^ln' '""^"^ ^^'^
because of what she woK f V"P* ®° """cb
could go with her to Enwalde'^SH'M- "^''^
court could come m i,^ t ! ^° ^^^ Est-
anything. and n"ed "t den "!f *'?? '^^ ^^"^^
son. It was h?,!?,.? P??*^ .^°'^'y «» the par-
unchangirkfndnes?'toT'JJ^T^« °^'^ J^^^bkn's
the old Lf £d taken to he?n l''"'"".^ ^''^ P^'"^
ment of his eLte In f ^ ^™ '" ^''^ ""^nage-
timewhenhegJSivneeH^'K?"'^?" '^'"^ ^^ ^
ment, to do all th^J I ^ t*^ '''''P ^"'^ encourage-
chim-sniie wLS hJh^aH tr.' '°'- "''^ J°-
he had decided that t hJc u- * I*"? ^^ coming
she was so pretty so ^oT^l^" P'f " '^"^y-' ^^at
and friendly'^Krde^^'^t?^: Pr!"y ?»^ ^•"Ple
H« 0..4. J , '""^ * week or two
He sat down at his writine-table in tL u- •
dow overlooking the farm™?^ jT "^ •"& *'"■
previous summer, and snSesS th.t .hi 1° "t
come for a few davs wi'ufl^, i,-.j ^ shmiUi
the spring was coTinrandThe''^ow"haT ''^'
The woods will soo? be blue San'emo^e?
i
im^'
144
• THE BENEFACTRESS
he wrote, though he well knew that Trudi's atti-
tude towards anemones was cold. Perhaps her
httle boys would like to pick them; anyhow, some
sort of an inducement had to be held out
Outside his window was a duck-pond, thin
surface; behmd the duck-pond was the dairy; and
on either side of the yard were cow-sheds and pig-
styes. The farm carts stood in a peaceful Sunday
row down one side, and at the other end of the
yard, shutting.out the same view of the sea and
island that Anna saw from her bedroom window,
was a mountainous range of manure. When Trudi
came, she never entered the rooms on this side of
the house, because, as she explained, it was one of
her peculiarities not to like manure; and she slept
and ate and aired her opinions on the west side,
where the garden lay between the hou^ and the
road. She never would have come to Lohm at
all, not being burdened with any undue sentiment
m regard to ties of blood, if it had not been neces-
sary to go somewhere in the summer, and if the
other places had not been beyond the resources of
the family purse, always at its emptiest when the
racing season was over and the card-playing at an
end. As It was this was a cheap and convenient
haven, and her brother Axel was kind to the little
S f" " J* *°° ^"^,'y !^^^" ^^^y plundered his
apple-trees, damaged the knees of his ponies, and
did their best to twist ofiF the tails of his discon-
certed sucking-pigs.
He was the eldest of three brothers, and she
"f,! '^^- ^^'^^ twenty-six, and he was ten
)ears older. When the father died, the land
THE BENEFACTRESS ,^j
eonsidarable skai aKu,! B*Sj! ""^
»4«
THE BENEFACTRESS
beautiful, thfone th^ tho,^^^ «"ti^y
been very successful. xSlfscomed J° «P^ "^1
she sad, "at the last ;= Jri j '*• Peace,*
one wan s is peace ai !h^V°^-''* *"• ^bat
middle. But you onlv ?M„u^'"r^.^»'' '» ^be
cause you h^Jn'LA} t '*"^ ^'^^ ^^^^ be-
BesideVK» k J?^' *"^ "°"^ came up his wav
anils "S^ttirjSt V7 ^f '?^^-
the least inclinaHnn^' °.^ ''^'^ "°* S'nce had
that h?hLd woS'i?S%,"'^tri'nony. After
years flew by filSi ^fif ^*" ^''^''' »"<J ^e
jr- ,j.
M^M
THE BENEFACTRESS ,^,
brother Gustav, with whatever detemiinatinn ,>
mav be.carried on, is not a labour tha™evokeTan
unflagging enthusiasm in the labourer • and A»^?
however beautiful a life of duty St' l^ to mJ.'
s"e« aja nsf r '"^^ 'l™ '""-"• ^efendi 'g^^
SwsS wl r"!,"^*"^""^ ^y Prolonged^inter-
rf the Ifil. u**^ inspector, or a zealous study
.. T !u* '^°':K°" potato diseases. ^
1 see that Bibi Bornstedt is stayine with vnnr
have two hundred thousand marks a year wh^J
the old ones die and is quite a decent ^rT Her
a wLk vou^'w^'.''"*.^''^" y?" •'^^^ bee^ marSd
a nSe ^ An^ .,"°l '° T^'^'l ^ ^^^ ^^^^ she has
L-n cf^ii u .u ^^^ **° hundred thousand marks
rnLfl^ th^'-e- ^^>i. Axel, what comfort whS
YournS' 'r.^° '^""^^^'1 thousand maTks
deffardl tomh S'J"°f S''?"°"« wreaths on fifi:
E ^J^' ^'"^^' ''^^P'"g racehorses."
Lohm suddenly remembered this letter as he
sat, having finished his own, looking out of the
window at two girls in Sunday splen^dour k°ss n^
one of he stable boys behind I f^rm cart fh"?
were all three apparently enjoying themsllves
C': I'.i
, 't
I4«
THE BENEFACTRESS
very much, the girls laughing, the boy with an
expression at once imbecile and beatific. They
thought the .master's eye could not see them
there, but the master's eye saw most things. He
took up his pen again and dded a postscript.
If you come soon you will be able to enjoy the
society of your friend Bibi. She came on Wednes-
day, I believe." Then, feeling slightly ashamed
ot using the innocent Miss Bibi as a bait to catch
his sister, he wrote the advertisement for Anna,
and put both letters in the post-bag.
The effect of his postscript was precisely the
one he had expected. Trudi was drinking her
morning coffee in her bedroom at twelve o'clock,
when the letter came. Her hair was being done
by a Fnseur, an artist in hairdressing, who rode
about Hanover every day on a bicycle, his pock-
ets bulging out with curiing-tongs, and for three
marks decorated the heads of Trudi and her
fnends with innumerable waves. Trudi was de-
voted to him, with the devotion naturally felt for
the person on whom one's beauty depends, for he
was a true artist, and really did work amazing
transformations. "What! You have never had
Herr JungbUith ? " Trudi cried, on the last occa-
sion on which she met Bibi, the daughter of a
Hanover banker, and quite outside her set but
for the nches that ensured her an enthusiastic
welcome wherever she went, " aber Bibi I " There
was so much genuine surprise and compassion in
this '^aber Bibi " that the young person addressed
felt as though she had been for years missing a
possibility of happiness. Trudi added, as a special
recommendation, that Jungbluth smelt of soap.
THE BENEFACTRESS ,4,
He had carefully studied the nature of women,
and It he had to do with a pretty one would find
an early opportunity of going into respectful rap-
tures over what he described as her klassUches
frojil; and if it was a woman whose face was
not all she could have wished, he would tell her
m a tone of subdued enthusiasm, that her profile'
as to which she had long been in doubt, was
hochst tnteresjant. The popularity of this young
man m Trudis set was enormous; and as all the
less aristocratic Hanoverian ladies hastened to
imitate, Jungbluth lived in great contentment
and prospenty with a young ^fe whose hair was
reposefully straight, and a baby whose godmother
was Trudi.
"Blue woods! Anemones I " read Trudi with
immense contempt. "Is the boy in his senses?
1 he Idea of expecting me to go to that dreary
place now. Ah, now I understand," she added
turning the.page, "it is Bibi — he is really after
her, and of course can get along quicker if I am
there to help. Excellent Axel I And why did he
go to the pams of trotting out the anemones?
What IS the use of not being frank with me ? I
can see through him, whatever he does. He is
so good-natured that I am sure he will lend us
heaps of Bibis money once he has got it. So
heder Jungblulh," she said aloud, "tKat will do
today. Beautiful — beautiful — better than ever
JfteLon." '"'■'^- ' *"^^' *° ^'■"" *'^ -»>■
And the next day she arrived at Stralsund, and
vras met by her brother at the station.
She greeted him with enthusiasm. " As we are
iJ
ISO
THE BENEFACTRESS
here, she said, when they were driving through
the town, "let us pay our respects to the Regi-
erungsprSsidentin. It will save our coming in
coming
to-day. I must get back as
The hands had their Easter
erungsprSsidenti..
again to-morrow."
"No, I cannot
quickly as possible. . ... ..„..„o ..»u men i^oaicr
ball yesterday, and when I left Lohm this morning
half of them were still in bed."
" Well, then, the horses will have to do the jour-
ney again to-morrow, for no time should be
lost.
" Yes, you can come in to-morrow, if you lonjr
so much to see your friend."
■ And you ? " asked Trudi, in a tone of astonish-
ment
" And I ? I am up to my ears now in work.
Last week was the first week for four months that
we could plough. Now we have lost these three
days at Easter. I cannot spare a single hour."
" But, my dear Axel, Bibi is of far greater im-
portance for the future of Lohm than any amount
of ploughing."
" I confess I do not see how."
" I don't understand you."
" JJ^'^y <*'*^'>'t yo" bring the little boys ? "
''What have you asked me to come here for?"
• ",^°'"*'> Trudi, you've not been near me for
eight months. Isn't it natural that you should
pay me a little visit ? "
" No, it isn't natural at all to come to such a
place m winter, and leave all the fun at home. I
came because of Bibi."
" What I You 11 come for Bibi, but not for your
own brother?"
IFrmX.
THE BENEFACTRESS |j,
col^foT'youtr '"'°*^"y-^" 'h-t I have
.^"k°'J* ^^^!, . ^''** *o"W Miss Bibi say if
she^heard you tallcing of hereelf and of me as 'you
" I wish you would not bother to go on like this.
It 8 a great waste of time."
.f Jif° '**"• "y,^"""- Any talk about Bibi Bom-
S tim? "^ *"" ~n=«rned. is a hopless waste
"Axell"
"Trudi?"
ing rf°her ? " * ""*" *° "^^ *•""* y°" "^ "°* **''"'^-
"Thinking of her? I never let my thoughts
linger round strange young ladies." ^
here for ?*'^* '" ' """^ ''*^*= y°" K°' »"«
^* The anemones are coming out - "
" They really are."
"Suppose instead of teasing me as though I
Mn^Wv TK ^^/°"^ great bully, you talked
S ^'^ l^'^ Hofienstems give a balmasqui to-
night, and I gave It up to come to you "
' V i^y cear, that was really kind," said Lohm
touched by the tremendousness of this sacrifice
^,lZJ? ,f ^?°^ boy "said Trudi caressingly,
edging herself closer to him, "and tell me you Ire
going to be wise about Bibi. Don't throw such a
Chance away — it's positively wicked."
. "My dear Trudi, you'll have us in the ditch It
dri^'^ T%r^''' ^■°" '^^" ^g^'"^* "^^' b"t I can't
drive. By the way, you remember my old Klein-
»s»
THE BENEFACTRESS
The old man who spoilt you
walde neighbour?
so atrociously ? "
"Bibi wilf make a most excellent wife." said
Tnid,. ungratefullv indifferent to the memory of
to<lay. Do dnve faster, Axel. What a taste, to
live here and to like it into the bargain I"
You know that I must live herl"
"But^ou needn't like it."
to'ZTns^^l^P'' ^-•'-"^ft Kleinwalde
on;irtremrdote" ^'^' --• -'^ ^^^ ^o-
" I irant to talk about old Joachim."
And I want to talk about Bibi."
"Well, Bibi can wait. She is the younger
You know about the old man's will ? " •' "*'"^-
.ol?.f''° •''•<"'•'"'' I ^'^- ^"« of his unfortunate
sons has just jomed our regiment. You should
hear him on the subject" snouia
decidedly They received every bit of their dues
L hrrfLr'"f • Surely the^ld man could do
entilejr^ "^'^ '^^ °"^ P^^ '^^' *^ "ot
f«Jl-^*""'* ^^^ u^"^' *'"8 *° leave one's land to a
foreigner. Is she coming to live in it?"
she came last week.'
"Oh ? " This in a tone of sudden interest.
youngT' ^' ^ P''"'^- '^'''" '^""^' ^d- " I^ she
"Quite young."
"Pretty?"
!* Exceedingly pretty."
wmm'mrww^w i "^^w^u
THE BENEFACTRESS
«5J
A^? ' ?*!? ^?!^\. <^°"tin"ing to smile.
Axel laughed outnght. " My cfear Trudi. your
astuteness terrifies me. You not only know
already why I wrote to you. but you know more
"^nt^f^W'^'V^r ^ -"y^^'f dreamer ?
^uLl^ '''^S*" ^^^ i'''* extremely helpless
because I have no woman in the house. If I had
a wife could be of the ereatest assistance."
Unly then you wouldn't want to be."
"Certamly I should."
"Pray, why?"
"Because I have a greater debt of obligations
Sec^" ""''' **" ^ '^^^ «^" -«Pay ^o hi
"Oh, nonsense — nobodv pays their debts of
obligations. The natural thing to do is to hate
the person who has forced you to be grateful, and
to get out of his way." * "ui, ana
" My dear Trudi, this shrewdness " mur-
murecf her brother. Then he added. "I know
perfectly well that your thoughts have already
flown to a wedding. Mine (Ton't reach farther
than an elderly companion.'
"Who for? For you?"
"Miss Estcourt is looking for an elderly com-
a\eTp'^hir.^°"''^'^«-^^"'*°y°-^y-
theSeddb »'''^''^y ^^'"Pa^'O" does not exclude
stan^Kn" ^'°" T. f''^ ?"*^°"" y°" *'" under-
stand how completely such a possibility is outside
»S4
THE BENEFACTRESS
her calculations. You won't of course believe that
•t IS outside mine. Why should you want to
many me to every girl^within re^h? Five
court vfC 1""" .■'' fu"^ r^ " '« Miss S
= «° SmTel!^: %ri^^ £
"Twelve ?"
" Her ambition is to spend hterstlf an^ i,«,
money on twelve old ladies.'^She tSs ha'ptint
and money are ^ good for them as for hereeL^
w3erV''^-^-°--^hper^iT£
.'.' ^y "i^^"" A*el — is she mad ? "
.. ^"^,^'0 not g've me that impression."
.. Y ••^°" ^*y ^^^ ^ y°""8 i*
"And really pretty?"
" Yes." '
plac^""'^ """''' '^ "" *'" °^ '° t^'^t flourishing
" Of course she could."
deddld^'! *"*^ '^" °" ''^'' *°-'"0'-«>^.'' said Trudi
;; It w.li be kind of you." said Lohm.
Kind! It isnt kindness, it's curiosity" said
things by their nght names."
Anna was in the garden, admiring the first
crocus, when Trudi appeared. She drive AxeTs
cobs up to the door in what she felt was^xcelknt
fS^':-" • ^f^'^ ^''' ^^t^°"^^ ^^ watching her
from a window and would see that Englishwomen
...A*
^ ,n
THE BENEFACTRESS ,„
were not the only sportswomen in the world
coat, with an immens^e Sr^urSd Tn^ ""'u^'
ears. "I wonHpr" ^.,cjj -r ?• "P o^^"" her
■■ How nS I ™ ,„ '"*? "" ""«• geniJ smiles.
she c-HSIiSaiL-S' Th^ 3?^':
quite as correctly as her brothe- -,nT^ t ^''*''
M
p*s.Am:^..<nk m^mmT'
1S6
THE BENEFACTRESS
;; One person ? Oh Graf Hasdorf."
and Trudi was so much interettfrl W, ^1 i '
in the dining-room is worse " ^ °"^
• NeSh" 2'* ,'"^= "I"' yo" «li />r«ifeA-
wr^ ;.
THE BENEFACTRESS
. . - »S7
'ig her gaze down a^ai n f n a . . ^^^'^' ^nng-
" My flat in Hanov? L in n" i- ' ^^^' '''^ ^*^'^^>
most becoming "Svou ?i"„ ' «"<i. W"es-the
so nice in theii" ^ *"*" ""^«'ne. I look
"Pinks and blues? Ti,,*. • •
here. Can't I get anv in 5? ," J"?* ^^at I want
Trudi was dfubS Shf''"1^ ' "
possible that anybody shouW."""'** °°* *hink it
Stralsund. ^ ^ *''°"'*^ «^er get anything in
S^ ^W7r:jrfel?/l-tetok.^
"^fe---'i?^^^^^' "Vou will let
" WhM^^ yrtitk^J" '^^^ -•" come."
Rested Trudi, afwav^fnrl ^ *^"* °o«''" sue-
|«d of sitting^ ■.Kfrl?^''°"'??'''l"'ck&
dnveinto Strflsund toJfv.Y ife"^ ^ "'ght
the cobs here now. D^^lM'^f^'.^"^ ^ htve
a g.gd thing, as you are^* sTh^ tl?^?"''' ^^
••Ho^Vnd^u^Sf fe;!^^^'^^'^ ^"-
you frightfully ? " °" *™ ^"'e 't won't bore
intoteh'oD?fo? *'" *« •■>*her amusing togo
l' I
I I
11
:ii^
1- !l(l '
TWr
j^'i^jSmi^m.M
158
IHE BENEFACTRESS
Anna thought Trudi delightful. Trudi's new
friends always did think her delightful ; and she
never had any old ones.
She drove recklessly, and they lurched and
heaved through the sand between Kleinwalde and
Lohm at an alarming rate. They passed Letty
and Miss Leech, going for their afternoon walk,
who stood on one side and stared.
" Who's that ? " asked Trudi.
" My brother's little girl and her governess."
" Oh yes, I heard about them. They are to stay
and take care* of you till vou have a companion.
Your sister-in-law didn't like Kleinwalde ? '
" No."
Trudi laughed.
They passed Dellwig, riding, who swept ofl his
hat with his customary deference, and stared.
" Do you like him ? " asked Trudi.
"Who?"
" Dellwig. I know him from the days before I
married."
" I don't know him very well yet," said Anna,
"but he seems to be very — verj- polite."
Trudi laughed again, and cracked her whip.
" My uncle had great faith in him," said Anna,
slightly aggrieved by the laugh.
"Your uncle was one of the best farmers in
Germany, I have always heard. He was so ex-
perienced, and so clever, that he could have led a
hundred Dellwigs round by the nose. Dellwig
was naturally quite small, as we say, in the pres-
ence of your uncle. He knew very well it would
be useless to be anything but immaculate under
such a master. Perhaps your uncle thought he
THE BENEFACTRESS ,j.
wjuld go on being immaculate from sheer habit
with nobody to look after him." "*■
*nW nf-^f ^ ''t^'**'" ^^ Anna doubtfully « He
SSh-^"'""- ''' ^^'^ -^- thi;-/caS
oJrnW^ ^^i ^°'""' "'SO riding. He was
When she was abreast of him, she winked her eve
at him with perfect solemnity. " ^^^
Axel looked stony.
I
CHAPTER XI
Neither Tradi nor Anna had ever worked so
hard as they did during the few days that ended
March and began April. Everything seemed to
happen at once. The house was in a sudden up-
roar. There were people whitewashing, people
painting, people putting up papers, people bring-
ing thin^ in 'carts from Stralsund, people trim-
ming up the garden, people coming out to offer
themselves as servants, Dellwig coming in and
shouting, Manske coming round and glorifying —
Anna would have been completely bewildered if
it had not been for Trudi, who was with her all
day long, going about with a square of lace and
muslin tucked under her waist-ribbon which she
felt was becoming and said was an apron.
Trudi was enjoying herself hugely. She saw
Jungbluth's waves slowly strai«itening them-
selves out of her hair, and for the first time in
her life remained calm as she watched them go.
She even began to have aspirations towards Uncle
Joachim's better life herself, and more than once
entered into a serious consideration of the advan-
tages that might result from getting rid at one
stroke of Bill her husband, and Billy and Tommy
her two sons, and from making a fresh start as one
of Anna's twelve.
Frau Manske and Frau Dellwig could not face
her infinite superciliousness more than once, and
kept out of the way in spite of their burning curi-
i6o
fv" I "
THE BENEFACTRESS ,j,
AZ^\^^fr«'' ^''""^^ »«^»"e intolerable.
we nave time to listen— my friend ha* n^f ,
™y ijS ■ '"' """• """ "'""« -""«
" My dear, he must be kept in his nlari. .7 »,»
tnes to come out of it. Yo^u don'tknow what a
set these pastors are. They are not likj vour
clergymen. If you are too kfnd to tha man yS
have no peace. I remember in my father's t°me
he came to dinner every Sunday Lt^lL i!!l
torn of the table, and wlS^n the7uddL?appeaS"
made a bow and went away." *^"°°"'« appeared
" He didn't like pudding ? "
" I don't know if he liked it or not, but he never
got any. It w^ a good old custom that the pa^'
tor should withdraw before the pudding and Axd
" But what has the pudding that he didn't tret
iim^nr?'^° ^° '° ^•''^ ^- '--g -^^nd^S
to 'bl on."'"^ *° '^'^'" *^ P^P^*" ^°°*'"g f°^ h™
" And^the proper footing is a puddingless one?
^r\r, m
^ km,.- M»
l6t
THE BENEFACTRESS
Well, in my house neither puddinK nor kindness
in suitable quantities shall be withheld from him,
so don't ill-use him more than you feel is abso-
lutely necessary for his good."
"Oh, you are a dear little thing!" said Trudi,
putting her hands on Anna's shoulders and look-
mg into her eyes — they were both tall young
women, and tljeir eyes were on a level — "I won-
der what the end of you will be. When you
know all these people better you'll see that my
way of treating them, which you think unkind, is
the only way. ' You must turn up your nose as
high as it will go at them, and they will burst
with respect Don't be too friendly and confid-
ing— -they won't understand it, and will be sure
to think that something must be wrong about
you, and will begin to backbite you, and invent
all sorts of horrid stories about you. And as for
the pastor, why should he be allowed to treat
your rooms as though they were so many pul-
pits, and you as though you had never heard of
the Apostel Paulus? ^
Anna admitted that she was not always 'r\ the
proper frame of mind for these unprovoked ser-
mons, but refused to believe in the necessity for
turning up her nose. She ostentatiously pressed
Manske, the very next time h*^ came, to stay to the
evening meal, which was rather of the nature of
a picnic in those unsettled days, but at which, for
Letty's sake, there was always a pudding; and
she invited him to eat pudding three times run-
ning, and each time he accepted the offer; and
each time, when she had helped him, she fixed
her eyes with a defiant gravity on Trudi's face.
THE BENEFACTRESS ,<3
at "JiJf' /''"'* >n sometimes when he had business
Axel ,„. «"^°,5eS "ThfV"?
whitewashed • the hall Ko^ v^ j *"^ '■°*»""s
sisted on the substitution of whitewash in Lvl
afte'r^ott'nl^^n^^^^^^^ which the
clean. certainly^J^^Sa^ ^^^ ^ifeeSut 7h^
^ sure however, that it woul/ never be s^
Tn^f °* ""^ ■^^^'T ^I^^* ^^"^e into it But tSi"
Trudi was sceptical about hearts. *^^"
At the end of Easter week when Tr,,^; l
iS4
THE BENEFACTRESS
nine about a cold house all day Jong, answers
to the advertisements began to arrive, and soon
arnved in shoals. These letters acted as bellows
on the flickering flame of her zeal. She found
them extraordinarily entertaining, and would meet
Manske in the hall when he brought them round,
and take them out of his hands, and run with
them to Anna, leaving him standing there un-
certain whether he ought to stay and be con-
sulted, or whether it was expected of him that he
should go home again without having unbur-
dened himself ftf all the advice he felt that he
contained. He deplored what he called tlas im-
pulsive Temperament of the Grafin. Always had
she been so, since the days she climbed his
cherry-trees and helped the birds to strip them;
and when, with every imaginable precaution, he
had approached her father on the subject, and
carefully excluding the word cherry hinted that
the climbing of trees was a perilous pastime for
voung ladies, old Lohm had burst into a loud
laugh, and had sworn that neither he nor anyone
else could do anything with Trudi. He actually
had seemed proud that she should steal cherries,
for he knew very well v/hy she climbed the trees,
and predicted a brilliant future for his only
daughter; to which Manske had listened respect-
fully as in duty bound, and had gone home un-
convinced.
But Anna did not let him stand long in the hall,
and came to fetch him and beg him to help her
read the letters and tell her what he thought of
them. In spite of Trudi's advice and example
she continued to treat the pastor with the defer-
-r ^.^
THE BENEFACTRESS
•«S
'"" ''"if heLC^*"'' ''"P"' r"- What did it
nd'wS lT,'=l??.T!-\» !>.« need have
matter « hc wiKea twice as much as h* r..^ \~ "
of which he was the!peciaro^,^„^?"*^H ""''*='."«
cere he «ally be&^tP W™"/and 'reX ? h
ttlvl""^' **°^ '" "° "•^•^'^ °^ » place aSgMlJ
Most of the women who wrote in answer to th«
wis takmg a great deal upon herself Anm.
t*°oS„*' tT^'"« '^', '!"^'^ uSeS hdping her
theTuna^kedanTif • •'''"I7'"« ^°^ ^° ^eteh
the^u-nfflthe^lTKr^^^^^^^
in aDowing her to see them at all ^l7» k -5
c5 fuSsKS;^^-'"^'"?^^°^^^^^
creatures to Trudi's mquisitive and diverted Jve^
XTeSthaW^ P^*^"!, *° herwhenTe
fr«™ , " ^\ ^""^ opened turned out to be
fe-uP^J'^" ^^^ ^^ ''"own. "Why" cried
I^tm '/"'t '^"''""S ^'* excitemeS .. herel
her nCn f^'' ''^1'''^ *^ ^'^'^oo' ^'th me. And
her photo, too-what a shocking scarecrow she
I ji
i^
iM
THE BENEFACTRESS
has grown into I She is only two years older than
I am, but miRht be forty. Just look at her — and
she used to think none of us were good enough
for her. Don't have her, whatever vou do — she
married one of the officers in Bill's first regiment,
and treated him so shamefully that he shot him-
self. Imagine her boldness in writing like this I "
And she began eagerly to read the letter.
Anna got up and took it out of her hands. It
was an unexpected action, or Trudi would have
held on tighter. " She never dreamed you would
see what she wrote," said Anna, " and it would be
dishonourable of me to let you. And the other
letters too — I have been thmking it over — tiiey
are only meant for me; and no one else, except
perhaps the parson, oueht to see them."
"Except perhaps the parson!" cried Trudi,
greatly offended. " And why except perhaps the
parson ? "
" I can't always read the German writing," ex-
plained Anna.
" But surely a woman of your own age, who isn't
such a simpleton as the parson, is the best adviser
you can have."
" But you laugh at the letters, and they are all
so unhappy."
Trudi went back to Lohm early that day.
" She has taken it into her head that I am not to
read the letters," she said to her brother with no
little indignation.
" It would be a great breach of confidence if she
allowed you to," he replied ; which was so unsatis-
factory that she drove into Stralsund that very
afternoon, and consoled hereelf with the pliable
Bibi.
THE BENKFACTRESS „y
Contemplatmg the good Bibi in he. 3 r- n. ,
splendour from Paris, Trudi's heart t'i'rl.i'.'^t
^."V"* thought of all that ^l , n .'. s
hand and take it. Anna would never ina-r\ ■
l^J c'^„?Tr-*°"''^ never ml,^';,""
being completely engrossed by her ohifantl
follies; but if she di3, what wL her pSu in
«me compared to Bibi's? And Axel Kuld^er"
^ pTars,ii; "'^ "4rAnd%?bi d"s;
venr plain , which was not fair either.
riaee of BiS^K? P"^'^?*'"- « <=°"«" by mar-
h^H'f^iu J*"/"* ^^ ^*"^ '•'ere was no hurrv and
I. II
##.
Wf.
iM
THE BENEFACTRESS
with ears perpetually pricked up in 4he hope 6t
catching gossip, felt that she had not enjoyed an
afternoon so much for years.
Bibi sat listening with her mouth wide open.
It was an artless way of hers when she was much
interested in a conversation, and was deplored by
those who wished her well.
" Oh, yes, she is quite in her senses. Rather
too sure she knows best, always, but quite in her
senses."
" Then she is very religious ? "
" Not in the oidinary way, I should think. She
goes in for nature. Go» in der Natur, and that
sort of thing. If the sun shines more than usual
she goes and stands in it, and turns up her eyes
and gushes. There's a crocus in the garden, and
when we came to it yesterday she stopped in front
of it and rhapsodised for ten minutes about things
that have nothing to do with crocuses — chiefly
about the liebeu Gott. And al' in English, of
course, and it sounds worse in English.
" But then, my dear, she is religious ? "
"Oh, well, the pastor would not call it religion.
It's a sort ot huddle-muddle pantheism as far as it
is anything at all." From which it will be geen
that Trudi was even more frank about her friends
behind their backs than she was to their faces.
She drove back to Lohm in a discontented frame
of mind. " What's the good of anytliing ? " was the
mood she was in. Sheliad over-tired herself help-
ing Anna, and she was afraid that being so much
in cold rooms and passages, and washing in hard
water, had made her skin coarse. She had caught
sight of herself in a glass as she was leaving the
~f; lr':i
THE BENEFACTRESS ,fi,
bv &l^^'?'l^"!i?i "^^ ^'^ "^^ disconcerted
by fining that she did not look as pretty as she
felt Nor was she consoled for this by the con!
sciousness that she had been unusually amusS
that the Regerungsprasidentin. when repeating all
5,^^ j'.^ltoWJ.er to her friends, woulcQd S
Trud. Hasdorf had terribly ««^./«.i/._dreadfu
word descnptiye of the filed state immeSdy
IZZ^^f '^"''L- '• ^"'^ ^^^ '">«* abhorrence by
every seir-respecting woman. 6f what earthly use
was t to be cleverer and mor« amusing than other
peoo^e rf at the same time ^ou had etLp^ki^
. \yhat a stupid worid it fs," thought ffii driv-
ing along the ckaussie in the early April twilitrht
A mist lay over the sea. and the pale sickle of the
?ST° r'«''°'H'H« "bove the white shroud!
Inland the stars were faintly shining, and all the
earth beneath was damp and fragrant It was Sat!
urday evening, and the two belFs of Lohm church
^!I£ T^ri^ ""«??« ^^'^ '^'"'"der to the coun
byside that the week's work was ended and God's
^u 1 r. " ^ ***y ^^^ I shall be bored to death
-that Estcourtckld and her governess have got
toes, and flabby boneless woman, only held to-
and children- wherever one goes, there they are.
pj..f • Tt' l^^*"^ are those noisy little boys and
tW HW^''"n'?,r''>?"8.^' ^^y'^"d then there's
tiiat tiresome Bill coming in to meals. Anna and
Bibi are just in the position I would like to be in
— no husbands and children, and lots of money"
I70
THE BENEFACTRESS
And stanng straight before her, with eyes dark
wth envy she fell into gloomy musings on the
beauty of Biks dress, and the blindn^ of fate.
Uirowmg a^y a dress like that on a Bibi, when
It was so eminently suited to tall, slim women like
herself; and it was fortunate for Axel's peace that
when she r^ched Lohm the first thinVshe saw
was a letter from the objectionable Bill teUing her
to come home, because the foreign prince who was
honorary colonel of the regiment was expected im-
mediately m Hanover, and there were to be great
doings m his honour. *
She left, aU smiles, the next morning by the first
" Miss Estcourt will miss you," said Axel, "and
wU wonder why you did not say good-bye. I am
af-^id your lourney will be unpleasant, too, to^lay.
1 wish you had stayed till to-morrow."
" 9**' L*^^'* ™'"<^ ^^^ Sunday people once in a
way. said Trudi gaily. "And please tell Anna
how It was I had to go so suddenly. I have started
her, at least, with the workmen and people she
wants. I shd see her in a few weeks again, you
know, when Bill is at the manoeuvres."
• "A few weeks I Six months,"
"Well six months. You must both try to
exist without me for that time."
"You seem very pleased to be oflF," he said,
smiling as she climbed briskly into the dog-cart
and took the reins, while her maid, with her arms
full of bags, was hoisted up behind.
" Oh, so pleased ! " said Trudi, looking down at
him v„th sparkling eyes. " Princes and parties ar«
jOiiier any day than whitewash and the better life "
THE BENEFACTRESS
"And brothers."
look better than she did yestercfay. She has im-
proved so much nobody would know-—-"
outhirwSh""'' ^°'"' *"'"•" ^^'*^ Axel,puUing
holT^f' 8°«!:by« then, «/to- /««^,.. Work
hard, do your duty, and don't let yo^r thoushte
linger too much round strange young HeT
tlfcf ^"/°'.. tWnk you sai<r? Wellfso S
aL T "i-'^'v** "° ?°'^' "« ?°od, n; good I"
And Trud,, who was in tremendous spirfts, put
her whip to the brim of her hat by way of a pSrt-
^ifln'-i"""'^ "f *^ cobs.Wrattfeloff
rioT^ lh.T 2? r 1°^^ *° Jungbluth and
glory. She turned her head before she finally
disappeared, to call back her oracular " No eo^d ^
once again to Axel, who stood watching hir from
the steps of his solitary house.
■ ■KiW^H
au-
i
CHAPTER XII
So Anna was left to herself again. She was
^tomshed at the rapidity of Trutfi's movements.
Withm one week she had heard of her, met her.
hked her begun to like her less, and lost her.
i>he had flashed across the Kleinwalde horizon,
and left a trail pf workmen and new servants be-
hind, with whom Anna was now occupied, unaided,
from morning till night Miss Leech and Letty
did all they could, tut their German being re-
stncted to quotations from the Erl-Kdnig and the
l.ted von der Gkckf, it could not be brought to
bear with any profitable results on the workmen.
1 he servants, too, were a perplexity to Anna.
Iheir cheapness was extraordinary, but their
quality curious. Her new parlourmaid —for she
felt unequal to coping with German men-servants
— wore her arms naked all day long. Anna
thought she had tucked up her sleeves in her zeal
for thoroughness, but when she appeared with the
afternoon coffee — the local tea was undrinkable
—she still had bare arms; and, examining her
more closely, Anna saw that it was her usual
state, for her dress was sleeveless. Nor was her
want of sleeves her only peculiarity. Anna began
to wonder whether her house would ever be readv
for the twelve. '
The answers to the philanthropic advertisement
were in a proportion of fifty to one answer to the
I7»
THE BENEFACTRESS
^^^S!^U^rSrt\ ?;'?^- -ere fifty
without means Sg to S ^jf'' '° T '^^
terribly, being ohUgeihv ^o^f't '^°'""^'^ ^""^
to limit the numbS to K C" "?i ^ "^y
bear to read the letter t • ^''^ could hardly
had to be 4cted -Se hnT"^ '^' "^arly aft
being dragged thmncrhu-?* "^"y ^^ "^es are
able,nheffrd tteske ±ri 'k' '^ ^omfort-
universality of impoverishment^^^i ^P^'^nt
day^Ind'^heTe tera'rntTf ""^^ *^" °"^e a
the afternoon he se^nt K wLT.'^ ^''^ '° ^^
of poetic promDtin«Jl,^Ki '*'?''. y°""g cleric
on herarrfvalT'fo^^'^^etfSrT' ^""^
spontaneousness eauaMpW k ^'^.^eshness and
sonnets that hS ever i?" ^ '^P'^^'^'ered, the best
it WK to a vo^h nf • "• '^'?"^"- What a joy
thoughtVs Su'refnoTSke r ■ 'V< ^^^ -''°
regarded it as bv nn 11 ^ Goethe's, and who
his^rain shruKroS"trbe'T°'^t'".'y ^^^^
same resemblance to laTlcda^vTh'^ ""f 't
gleaming, whisperinc' forTif ''^''y . through the
and composing^atfhes n.; '"""«'".« '^'^ «*'ck
whom they t^ted h?f f ""worthy of her of
A.i^.,anS treShanLf^''^.*°-^'-d« the magic
ets full of herTetter^^r"'vV".*^ ^'' P°ck-
clerical, but hTs b"wVf.i?w ^L"*"> ""^^ ^^^
his buttonhole l^^M^l^^Kf'^i the flower in
- -jf^v.^i oi ihe worldliness
«»
THE BENEFACTRESS
within. " A poet," he assured himself often, " is a
citizen of the world, and is not to be narrowed
down to any one circle or creed." But he did not
expound this view to the good man who was help-
ing him to prepare for the examination that would
make him a full-flledged pastor, and received his
frequent blessings, and assisted at prayers and
intercessions of which he was the subject, with
outward decorum.
The first time he brought the letters, Anna
received him with her usual kindness ; but there
was something In his manner that displeased her,
whether it was self-assurance, or conceit, or a way
he had of looking at her, she could not tell, nor
did she waste many seconds trying to decide ; but
the next day when he came he was not admitted
to her presence, nor the next after that, nor for
some time to come. This surprised Herr Klutz,
who was of Dellwig's opinion that the most supe-
rior woman was not equal to the average man; and
take away any advantage of birth or position or
wealth that she might possess, why, there she was,
only a woman, a creature made to be conquered
and brought into obedience to man. Being young
and poetic he differed from Dellwig on one point :
to Dellwig, woman was a servant ; to Klutz, an
admirable toy. Clearly such a creature could only
be gratified by opportunities of seeing and con-
versing with members of the opposite sex. The
Miss's conduct, therefore, in allowing her servant
to take the letters from him at the door, puzzled
him.
He often met Miss Leech and Letty on his
way to or from Kleinwalde, and always stopped to
THE BENEFACTRESS
^ak to them and to tear), n, , '"
ententes and practise w. **" * ^^"^ G«™an
English; and from th*m £ IZ '?■*" ''*«^'' <>'
that the youn^ woman hi ^ ^"'^ discovered all
ration wm dJn? Toh^^T'^ *''f*' h«adm -
wjde to settlelffe!;?cS itin^'lLJr ■^'-•"-
the labourers, or to tn, „# "«tween Dellwig and
several timS and°s ^pSthS K.' ^^^"'^
courtmg the govemesr^ ** ^'"*" ™"st be
Xne day Trudi Uft i „i. i ,
Annaand delivered Sssister'^m.^''^""-" "'""'' ^
embellished form. " K Jif] k,'^^^ '" » ^"ghtly
do now unassisted." heSid^ « r i ^^^'^t^ing to
any difficulty you wSf I^L^ u ^ ^^^^ ^''a* '"n
workmen are insolent for„T ^^'^ ^P"- « t^e
servants are dishonest or in ?''' ^^ ^ ^^^^ "^^
trouble. You know lis ml H.^I'^ ^ «^^« y°"
her to interfe.. when suX'hing^l^^^^^f--^-
You are very ki„d." «./a"*PP^"-
wants to come as companion* U JcTl" c """= ,"""
answers to that advertiseme;^ /), f *'?^ ^"^^ °^ *e
Lohm took the letter TnH I . ^'^^^ '"«•"
amined them. « |he Ja p,lif ^°*'?'^P^ ^"'J "-
" It is a very good fam n ^ "''^""' ^ see," he said
have been 7eS^o t;Jl" '°"'" °^ ''' hranches
old families have been ^ ^' ^ '^ '"'"y "^ our
Vou might pmpose thaTshI stouT '" ^'' ^'^''■
for a few weeks on trial ^ Vn ,, '^ ''°'"^ =>* ''^t
and she may not apSatJo'iiSr^-^ii'''^^ ''^^-
a.ccping. "' " r-"--'niniijpsc nouse-
I
I
-^r/i^F : ^w^m
tit
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna laughed. " I am doubly anxious to get
someone soon," she said, "because my sister-in-
law wants Letty and Miss Leech."
Letty and Miss Leech heaved tragic sighs at
this ; they had no desire whatever to go home.
" Will you not feel rather forlorn when they are
gone, and you are quite alone among strangers ? "
" I shall miss them, but I don't mean to oe for-
lorn," said Anna, smiling,
"The courage of the little thing!" thought
Lohm. " Ready to brave anything m pursuit of
her ideals. It makes one asnamed of one's own
grumblings and discouragements."
Anna arranged with Frau von Penheim that she
should come at once on a three months' trial ; and
immediately this was settled she wrote to Susie to
ask what day Letty was to be sent home. She
had had no communication with Susie since that
angry lady's departure. To Peter she had written,
explaining her plans and her reasons, and her
hopes and yearnings, and had received a hasty
scrawl in reply dated from Estcourt, conveying
his blessing on herself and her scheme. " Susie
came straight down here," he wrote, " because of
the Alderfon wedding to which she was not asked,
and went to bed. You know, my dear little sister,
anything that makes you happy contents me. I
wish you could have seen your way to benefiting
reduced English ladies, for you are a long way oft;
but of course you have the house free over there.
Don't let Miss Leech leave you till you are per-
fectly satisfied with your companion, Yestenlay
I landed the bigj;est " etc. In a word, Peter,
her side,
|c ifjvn«j»m<» py«ifrt|T\ ^'P*= fiH
\f^m^'^
Ik?
THE BENEFACTRESS
her (don't feed fer f^""*^ t'^^^ ''er and fed
four years and »K *^ '?"'=''^' '* wo"W only be
hands? I X telk?nl . ^^" ^^'^ yo" on my
her the other day-^^f £,"'"" ^"''TP^ ^^""^
I made him takTsom hin?off-and1e"^'J']!'*
all means let her stav InTfJl ° J?* ®*"^ ''X
speaks German noSaysI^rnL ^^^"^^7
up at once in that a3^ni, /"^^^^ *"" P'<=k «
ill when I got SckThJf '^r^ °! ^^V' ^ *« ^
had to stay in S^ Sr 2 ^^"* ^ Estcourt, and
eye.7 day/and somedm'rt^/e'"Hr 'Tl^
didn^ wonder, when I f«W \^ „ t^. ^^''^ he
through. Peter »!« v ''"" *•' ^ ^^d gone
Missfeech Sc.^i^v^'1' '"'^ ^°l "^- Send
me the day you It S,U "i * "?."*'* "°«« for
some Ger^aWf J^^,^?,%^^^^'fjo" -"'t find
remember its wretched «,^ ^ ".^ place — I can't
my address L7^-td CeVTtt.°f ^°°^'"S '»
day. Therestofthekrshe'^'JSrd^r^"^
- your tweive victims. I believe maftL^S
f m" *
ll
■ ':¥
l^t
THE BENEFACTRESS
many only charge about 6d. an hour, so it won't
ruin you. Make her take lots of exercise, and let
her nde. She has outgrown her old habit, but
German tailors are so cheap that a new one will
cost next to nothing, and any horse that shakes
her up well will do. I shall be quite happy about
her diet, because I know you don't have anythine
to eat I was at the Ennistons' last night. They
seemed verv sorry for me being so nearly related
to somebody cracked; but after all, as I tell peo-
ple, Im not responsible for my husband's rela-
tions. — Your affectionate SUSIK ESTCOURT."
" I have never seen Hilton so upset as she was
after that German trip. She cried if anyone looked
'I . „ ^°°^ *'^'"8' "o wonder. The doctor says
she IS all nerves." '
The evening meal was in progress at Kleinwalde
when this letter came. The dining-room was fin-
ished, and It was the first meal served there since
its transformation. No one who had seen it on
that dark day of Anna's arrival would have recoe-
nised It, so cheerful did it look with its whitewash^
wills. There were no dark .cmers now where
china shepherds smiled in vain ; the western light
filled It, and to a person lately come from Susie's
Hill Street house, it was a refreshment to sit in
any place so simple and so clean. Reforms, too,
had been made in the food, and the bread was no
longer disfigured by caraway seeds. A great bowl
of blue hepaticas, fresh from the forest, stood on
the table ; and the hepaticas were the exact colour
of Annas eyes. When Letty saw her mother's
THE BENElfACTRESS „
into the outer darkness ^ fft ""'?"« ^" ^<^^
andthe literature lectures Sh. °P"" F°"«rt»
•^sing a spoonful oiSt^ ft **^ '" ^''^ >«:* °f
mouth, wh^she cSf s"|ht of ?K ""'^^ ^P^"'^^
wnting. She hesitated her fiLV"^ well-known
she laid her sooonH^'J^ • ''''°°''' "nd finally
plate back Af ?hetr^2/*-'" '"'^ P^'^^ her
goon eating pudding?" WhTt1he°' ''''^^° '^'^
and joy to lee her funt «t ,n ""^ ^" '^"^
where she was sitting bVafed tn f""^™""^ to
put her arms round irn^t and t.'f '^'u*""*-
being kissed. " You a». ^- ' . *° '^^' ''«'^If
after^lll" cried Anna7elfcri!!IS/° '"^l^"'^ «"«
Letty-IshouldhavemissXn.fS'- 1^^" ""'^
you glad? YourmSSsTnTH^" ^'*"'*
ever so lone " ^ *" *° '^^P you for
and beingT^iTctiS ^PP'^g'" e^'aimed Letty •
finished ferPddl^g ^"°" "' °"« '^^"n'ed and
^-irtt-^S»^1-<«r^P^ed.
— - "-tctii, too, loc
How c„„,, 3,, ^ an^hi;g^„rpieti;d7rtire
ith a person who was always
Anna? ««_ r. i- -^
sTetThtToTt^hl^^?^^^^^^^^^
felt thai it w^l morh" tutf^ '^^""g^- -^
rf they were hurt- vet th/^ A ' """^""^ ^'"^'^
hurt 4s Painfff an^1iS:?^5jyj^«; ^"^ ^'"^
tempered as Anna was vei^SduTf^n' f° '^""
Mr. Jessup would have lik^d^S the^'S^"
1V(
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MKMCOPY MKUniOH TBT OMtT
(ANSI and ISO nsr CHART No. 2)
MS _
121
12^
12.0
Its
^Piili
/APPLIED ItVHGE Inc
16S5 Eait Uain Strwt
RoehMtM'. Nmr Yorli 14609 USA
(716) 482 - 0300 - Ptw.«
(716) 2M-S9e9 -Tom
iSo
THE BENEFACTRESS
he could have known her. A higher complinient
it was not in Miss Leech's power to pay.
And when Anna saw the pleasure on Miss
Leech's face, and saw that she thought she was
to stay too, she felt that for no sister-in-law in the
world would she wipe it out with that month's
notice. She decided to say nothing, but simply
to keep her as well as Letty. Her two thousand
a year was in her eyes of infinite elasticity. Never
having had any money, she had no notion of how
far it would go ; and she did not hesitate to come
to a decision which would probably ultimately
oblige her to reduce the number of those persons
Susie described as victims.
The next day the companion arrived. Anna went
out into the hall to meet her when she heard the
approaching wheels of the shepherd-plaid chariot
She felt rather nervous as she watched her emerg-
ing from beneath the hood, for she knew how
much of the comfort and peace of the twelve
would depend on this lady. She felt exceedingly
nervous when the lady, immediately upon shaking
hands, asked if she could speak to her alone.
" NatHrlich" said Anna, a vague fear lest Fritz,
the coachman, should have insulted her on the way
coming over her, though she only knew Fritz as
the mildest of men.
She led the way into the drawing-room. " Now
what is she going to tell me dreadful? " she thought,
as she invited her to sit on the sofa, having been
instructed by Trudi that that was the place where
strangers expected to sit " Suppose she isn't going
to stay, and I shall have to look foi someone all
over again ? Perhaps the lining of the carriage
THE BENEFACTRESS
i?f),^"*°° "'"'='' ^^-^ her. BitU
with an
heim
uneasy
towards '
smile,
i8i
«p," she said aloud,
lotioning
a seSs^iKr^eT Ss '•^' ^''^^^ 'ady with
wore a mackin osh sKat r '^'"K 1"^ ^^e
more attentively at Ann. •> J^"' ^"'^ 'oozing
who saw her foY thefe ^ !?-^ ^ost peoplf
such a change and a o7eU^ ^f- *^*- ^^ ^as
faces, and dull fSes and ^^ ^^^^ '/^'"S P'ain
■•ndeiinite perio^ ^^l^lfonll^Pel^n'r " '''^ ^"
charming yet manifpsri,, .T,! ^ • ?" * person so
te« than^£ chams '^P'^^^C'^uP-ed ^yothermat-
"b;fo4te'g"Lt&S1ot,/^y V" ^™-.
This was^alamine t£ fV?" '''^ *">*."
solemn. Anna iS^Ih i \ ^^^ * manner was
She wished that Axel Lohm ^^' ^"'^ ^^'^ s«^ared.
" 1 see you are voun^° W '^ somewhere near.
I Presume^hat ^oraiVeCSeJ'^ '^'^' "^"''
«cArornSirm££^^^
" TwentS^five ?■ You dn ^?."«^,~ t^entyfive."
is twenty./ve ? » ^°" '^^ "o* look it. But what
contSrtKaSrscTCt-'-'^^ ^ ^P^-^'e one."
smiling again at wh^. ,^ '""«^ ^""^^ ^ce, and
charge^f^'LlhSels^g^lX;''^^:- 7!^''S^
circumstances in this casf ILT^^ i- ^•.. ^"'^ *e
"Yes," said Anna •■ fhl P^'^"''ar."
than you im45e -!l- -' '^^n^^^^" '"^'^ Peculiar
°s «= And she was about to
i8i
THE BENEFACTRESS
explain the approaching advent of the victims,
when the lady held up her hand in a masterful
way, as though enjoining silence, and said, " First
hear me. Through a series of misfortunes I have
been reduced to poverty since my husband's death.
But 1 do not choose to live on the charity of rela-
tives, which IS the most unbearable form of charity
calhnp Itself by that holy name, and I am deter-
mined to work for my bread."
She paused. Anna could find nothing better
to sav than " Oh." *
" Out of consideration for my relatives, who are
enraged at my .resolution, and think I ought to
starve quietly on what they choose to give me
sooner than make myself conspicuous by working
I have called myself Frau von Penheim. I wfll
not come here under false pretences, and to you,
privately, I will confess that my proper title is the
Fnncess Ludwig, of that house."
She stopped to observe the effect of this an-
nouncement. Anna was confounded. A prin-
cess was not at all what she wanted. She felt
that she had no use whatever for princesses.
How could she ever expect one to get up early
and see that the twelve received their meat in due
season? "Oh," she said again, and then was
silent.
The princess watched her closely. She was
^?^^P°.°""' *"i very anxious to have the place.
Oh IS so English," she said, smiling to hide
her anxiety. " We say ' ack: "
Anna laughed.
"And do not think that all German princesses
are like your English ones," she went on eagerly.
THE BENEFACTRESS ,g
" ThJf u *, \~ *^^t you — • "
you li3dTever'hav° u"i„ '^^''^'''^^ ^hen
was the prompt reply '"^' ^^^" O" trial."
'M^nrf'"-^^^' '?'■'' P'^'"'y- "No. I would not"
things d " "AtTfr"^ ''''' ' shoStnd'sorr .
back V the S pit Th?an7tlf''°^°^'^P''
Ktn^dS;.4e:£rf?'^^^^
SsitS^li£!^t;ye?^if^:
straight before her Jft?/"'' ^^e added, staring
remembrance?. ^" ^^'^ 8^™^'"g dim at hef
"To''If ■'' ^"u".^' ""d^"- her breath
her?ot.'"""""'^^^"---"rii?rcatchi„
tha^^/ou SeS stetToX-P'^ who only wish
;:Mamed;.wh/steAVn^^
thinking aloud ratTer th^ai^l^'^ ^°'" '^^ ^''^ ^een
••I1^n'oweve^tht;t„T^rSSTand
'M
: .!J!:
■nik^-J
i«4
THE BENEFACTRESS
in a rush of bad but eager German she told her of
those old days when even the sweeping of cross-
ings had seemed better than living on relations,
and how since then all her heart had been filled
with pity for the type of poverty called genteel,
and how now that she was well off she was going
to help women who were in the same sad situation
in which she had been. Her eyes were wet when
she finished. She had spoken with extraordinary
enthusiasm, a fresh wave of passionate sympathy
with such lives passing over her; and not until
she had done did she remember that she had never
before seen this lady, and that she was saying
things to her that she had not as yet said to the
most intimate of her friends.
She felt suddenly uncomfortable ; her eyelashes
quivered and drooped, and she blushed.
The princess contemplated her curiously. " I
congratulate you," she said, laying her hand lightly
for a moment on Anna's. " The idea and the
good intentions will have been yours, whatever
the result may be."
This was not very encouraging as a response to
an outburst. " I have told you more than I tell
most people," Anna said, looking up shamefacedly,
" because you have had much the same experiences
that I have."
"Except the uncle at the end. He makes such
a difference. May I ask if many of the ladies
answered ioiA advertisements ? "
" No, they did not."
"Not one?"
" Not one."
The princess thought that working for one's
c..^^
^ C^^rl^c .«B^*\*7^ A'-"
THE BENEFACTRESS
185
bread was distinctly preferable tn f,i.-
charity; but then sL«^«^f ^^^S Anna's
and independent naturT •' r f """'"='">' ^^^'^y
said after a short See "tW f^^'^.^V'"*''^
best to look after your hou2^anH*°"''' ^° "^
friends and yourself?' '^ your— your
-oS"i\hrmerS?h° "^" <Jo«'«3''>*'V
thing. AndgTtupeS;besiL'^'3'^-''^l'y-
voice full of douhf tk/ . '°^' said Anna, her
she felt, to t^2iegIJ;Pors:rsIck"^'!f'°"S'^''■
and if she had asked W 0^1 ' "^'^' ^"^ sorry;
there would Lvel^^StSediffiru^ '^' *^^^^
her one But the SmplnS, 'Ife tg If ^'"f
was to be a rpal u^\^ r»'""" sne nad imagined
"No." she «.-^ "f would
But thank you, dear
child, for
ot like that at all.
making the offer.
I I '1
I I
iM
THE BENEFACTRESS
Let me stay here and do what work you want
done, and then you pay me for it, and we are
ciuits. I assure you there is a solid satisfaction
in being quits. 1 shall certainly not expect any
more consideration than you would give to a
Frau Schultz. And I will be able to take care
of you ; and I think, if you will not be angry with
me for saying so, that you greatly need taking
care of."
"Well, then," said Anna, with an effort, "let
us try it for three months."
An immense load was lifted ofif the princess's
heart bv these words. " You will not regret it,"
she said emphatically.
But Anna was not so sure. Though she did
her best to put a cheerful face on her new bar-
gain, she could not help fearing that her enter-
prise had begun badly. She was unusually
pensive throughout the evening.
CHAPTER XIII
What the Princess Ludwig thought of her ni.«.
Place It would be difficult to%.^She accented
hfthi:?f'°"f"%r"'*^^[ *° the ^comforts Tthe
hitherto comfortless without remark and entirely
as a matter of course. She got up at hours ex^r?
&n."A''' r'V'f ^' ^"d was VtT houTe"
nittl ng a bunch of keys all day long. She wa!
wholly practical, and as destitute oflllusions S
she was of education in the ordinary sense H^
knowledge of German literature w2 Slv J^l
extensiye than Letty's. and of ^ther ton^s a„1
other literatures she knew and cared nothS As
for illusions, she saw things as they are an^' hV-f
asms, rNor had she the least taste for hidden
IT'^^'Tu-^'"^ synibols. Maeterlinck,if she had
heard of him. would baye been dismissed by her
with an easy smile. Anna's whitewash to her w2
coSf kLt"^'"]?'^ ^"* economicSv:^
covering She knew and approved of it as cheao ■
how could she dream that i?^ was also s^mbolS?
She never dreamed at all, either sleeping or wak
ing. If by some chance she had fallen fnto mus
«ngs, she would have mused blood and iron the
superiority of the German nation, cookerE; its
in all which forms she was preeminent in skiU _
she would have mused, that is. on facts, pla'n and
'87
tU
THE BENEFACTRESS
undisputwL If she had had children she would
nave made an excellent mother; as it was he
made excellent cakes — also a form of activity co
be commended. She was a Dettingen b fore ..er
marriage, and the Dettingens are one of the oldest
Prussian families, and have produced more first-
rate soldiers and statesmen and a larger number
pt mothers of great men than any other 'amily
in that part. The Penheims and Dettingens had
intermarned continually, and it was to his mother's
Dettingen blood that the first Furst Penheim
owed the energry that procured him his elevation.
PnnccM Ludwig was a good example of the best
type of female^ Dettingen. Like many other
Illiterates, she prided herself particularly on her
sturdy common sense. Regarding this quality
which she possessed, as more precious than oth-
ers which she did not possess, she was not likely
to sympathise much either with Anna's plan for
™.*r"8 Peop'e happy, or with those who were
wiling to be made happy in such a way. A sen-
sible woman, she thought, will always find work,
and need not look far for a home. She herself
had been handicapped in the search by her unfor-
tunate title, yet with patience even she had found
a haven. Only the lazy and lackadaisical, the
morally worthless, that is, would, she was con-
vinced, accept such an offer as Anna's. It was
not, however, her business. Her business was to
look after Anna's house; and she did it with a
zeal and thoroughness that struck terror into the
hearts of the maid-servants. Trudi's fitful enerjry
was nothing to it. Trudi had introduced worlc-
men and chaos; the princess, with a rapidity and
THE BENEFACTRESS
skill little ahnrf «* . '
quainted with the cap^ESoJV"^^ ""«^-
German /faus/rau cWpH * /l*''* *e"-trained
reduced the cCs io o^ W fh*^- ^u''''^^" ^^^
letter SYnqr^ce^lir'^.K^^''^" "P -"'ting
o be weeded out Of Lv F^ r^*^^^« ^^ey had
'n one day. three or four leSl' •*'°"? '^^^^'^^^
alone remain for further rnn-^^ '"9""^. would
these three or four, XjT'^^''?t'0'>; and of
times pot one wodd be left °'"' ""5"''y> «""«■
« MSe?:rdtti'?hi"T'' ^^-^ - -ell
the consultations that Se tl^n -^f ^«.present at
te« of the unworthy were ^fK'"*';^'''^'' ^^' '^t-
All those ladies beloJ^r^ gathered wn-^ Wg. ,t
middle classes were in ?^ *° ^''^ AKr^^/^T or
If Anna had pr^^SeS fo tal^'^ '-'{ollylln^o. rhy
Jer home, and r^uired It ^^^''erwomen -4
brightening their TveL^f the pnncesss he! .
in the fulf measure D.I«?'J' ''^^e been ^
over, that befits a ri, ^^^^'^ ^°-n and run,
more immediately below hi°"S^'"« ^o the cla&.
fee'.-ng was only ^hrSt^n so I^"^' '''e P"ncess'.
great way off. There"v2« "« 1" '^ey kept a
'n the o&ctions sh^' J5,^° !""J goo^ sense
her best to keep an opTn mini ^","^' '^''o did
tiv-ely to advice, was fSTno ^"*^ '^ten atten-
added letters to the everlcrer' ^.!''' ''"'^"^
^ver-increasmg heap of the
190
THE BENEFACTRESS
rejected which she might otherwise have reserved
for nper consideration. After two or three days
however, it became clear to her that if she contin-
ued to consult the princess, no one would be ac-
cepted at all, for Nfanske's respect for that lady
was so profound that he was invariably of her
opinion. She did not, therefore, invite her again
to assist at the interviews. Still, all she had wid,
and the knowledge that she must know her own
countrywomen fairly thoroughly, made Anna pru-
dent; and so it came about that the first arrivals
were to be only three in number, chosen without
reference to the .princess, and one of them was
OMrnrluh.
"We can meanwhile proceed with our inquiries
about the remaining nine," said Manske, " and the
gr«:ious Miss will be always gaining experence."
She trod on air during the days preceding the
arrival of the chosen. To say that she was bliss-
ful would be but an inadequate description of her
state of mind. The weather was beautiful, and it
increased her happiness tenfold to know riiat
their new life was to begin in sunshine. She had
never a doubt as to their delight in the sun-
chequered forest, in the freshness of the glittering
sea, in the peacefulness of the quiet country life
so quiet that the week seemed to be all Sundays
Were not these things sufficient for herself? Did
she ever tire of those long pine vistas, with the
narrow strip of clearest blue between the gently
waving tree-tops? The dreamy murmur of the
forest gave her an exquisite pleasure. To see the
bl<X)m on the pink and grey trunks of the pines,
and the sun on the moss and lichen beneath, was
"THE BENEFACkESS
would not feel ittoow^l"'^^'^ ^l^"* by Te
ffinlen across the "aS\?*^ ^P'^^*- 'here was the
Of the hedge already turn/nf ^''^ "^'^e'- side
ST''; 'J? ^■^^'bS^i'-"'"" '"« »ii
" she seood with f * .™" 'My were to amv,
« the bottom of tAo Sr""""" '-««)''» shoE
fe.,7,:""X*= Sft-tt" ''',7 h«l both
?na windflowers with which f«!? °^ hepaticas
1^,''
{;
191
THE BENEFACTRESS
pleasantest in the house. Anna had given, up
her own because she thought the windows par-
ticularly pleasing, and had gone into a little one
in the fervour of her desire to lavish all that was
best on her new friends. The rooms were fur-
nished with special care, an immense amount of
thought having been bestowed on the colour of
the curtains, the pattern of the porcelain, and the
books filling the shelves above each writing-table.
The colours and patterns were the nearest ap-
proach Berlin could produce to Anna's own
favourite colours and patterns. She wasted half
her time, when the rooms were ready, sitting in
them and picturing what her own delight would
have been if she, like the poor ladies for whom
they were intended, had come straight out of a
cold, unkind world into such pretty havens.
The choice of books had been a great difficulty,
and there had been much correspondence on the
subject with Berlin before a selection had been
made. Books there must be, for no room; she
thought, was habitable without them; and she
had tried to imagine what manner of literature
would most appeal to her unhappy ones. It was
to be presumed that their ages were such as to
exclude frivolity ; therefore she bought very few
novels. She thought Dickens translated into
German would be a safe choice; also Schlegel's
Shakespeare for loftier moments. The German
classics were represented by Goethe in one room,
Schiller in another, and Heine in the third. In
each room also there was a German-English dic-
tionary, for the facilitation of intercourse. Finally,
she asked the princess to recommend something
THE BENEFACTRESS
co^Lrboot'"" *° "''^- ^"'l ^^- recommended
suiSsed'"^ ''' "°* g°-« to cook." said Anna.
go^d^eS^I^'^No^l^J^^dilrr'^^ *° -^'^
same pleasure." readmg affords me the
coolfeA-^"'^'^"^^" y°" ^^^^ something new
"No. no. at all times." insistpH n,» ^■
Anna could not quit; bSe ^h?f ^"u^^''-
was general; but in c-» nn! /*u * T^ ^ *^ste
share it. she put a coojTe'rv hoi •'''" '^T ^'^""^
In the other two severSf^K^.'" °"? bookcase,
at the last moment a vllH^»5^ ''' '''^ ^"P*
which at thatperiod she wir °i Maeterlinck, to
Matthew Ar^M¥;^!Z\f"^^y^tt^hed; and
penod she was greaTattihe'd'"' ^'^° ^* ^''^^
thJe^SSLT^lJ^rpi:^*^^
sunrise on the last mnr„ P™gress; and when, at
stealthy footsteps aSsS'^^'^T ^^^^^""^^ V
landing^ outsi^fher i ,nd 2"^'^^-;: «" th^
an mch and peering out « in J °Pl"'"g her door
the sounds should feemanaLlP' '"'""'^ '" '^^se
countably mirthful maS^waftT '°'"' IJ"^^'
a^^ist^tsTntefrtiP^^^^^^^^
I '
»M
THE BENEFACTRESS
and their faces happy. Axel Lohtn was ridinR
thoughtfully past, having just setUed an unplea?
ant business at Klein walde. Dell wig had sent
him an urgent message in the small hours ; there
had been a brawl among the labourers about a
woman, and a man had been stabbed. Axel had
ordered the aggressor to be locked up in the little
room that served as a temporary prison till he
could te handed over to the Stralsund authorities.
His wife, a giri of twenty, was ill, and she and her
three small children depended entirely on the
man s earnings. The victim appeared to be dying
and the man would certainly be punished. What
then, thought Axel, was to become of the wife
and the children? Frau Dellwig had told him
that she sent soup every day at dinner-time, but
soup once a day would neithei comfort them nor
make them fat. Besides, he had a notion that the
soup of Frau Dellwig's charity was very thin.
He was nding dejectedly enough down the road
on his way home, looking straight before him, his
mouth a mere grim line, thinking how grievous it
was that the consequences of sin should fall with
their most terrific weight neariy always on the
innocent, on the helpless women-folk and the
weak little children, when Anna and Letty ap-
peared, talking and laughing, on the edge of the
forest. °
Letty, we know, had not been kindly treated by
nature, but even she was a pleasing object in her
harmless morning cheerfulness after the faces he
had just seen; and Anna's b' uty, made radiant
by happiness and contentment, startled him. He
had a momentary twinge, gone almost before he
THE BENEFACTRESS
tract from improvinj hk 2S??™ .l*f " ?«"■
off his hor?e to sf eaf o tT SS%^rH K^^ ^°*
tired by looking at tl,« k-i' ^ "^^^^^^ ^'^ eyes,
bmwie/s face on he^ S?' P"f °"« °» the
day, is it not ?'• he «ked l^H^ 1 the important
like face to the flSweS ^ "^ ^'■°'" ''"'" fl°*^^-
__ I never was so happy before."
*our uncle was a wise man w„ * u
here.''^ would be happy leading the simple life
."??^f.t^j''aboutmetoyou?"
you alUhe tiri?- ""* *° ^"^'^^^^ ''^ ^^'ked about
UncS' ■loach?m^\"^''°°'''"«^* him thoughtfully
■-l!i:&~?~-?Si;
19$
THE BENEFACTRESS
" Womr me ? Poor things, they won't have ^ny
energy of any sort left after all they have gone
through. I never read such pitiful letters."
" Well, I don't know," said Axel doubtfully.
" Manske says one of them is a Treumann. It is
a family distinguished by its size and its disagi^e-
ableness."
" Oh, but she only married a Treumann, and
isn t one herself."
" But a woman generally adopts the peculiarities
of the family she marries into, especially if they
are unpleasant."
" But she has been a widow for years. And is
so poor. And is so crushed."
" I never yet heard of a permanently crushed
Treumann," said Axel, shaking his head.
"You are trying to make me uneasy," said Anna,
a slight touch of impatience in her voice. She
was singulariy sensitive about her chosen ones;
sensitive in the way mothers are about a child that
is deformed.
" No, no," he said (juickly, " I only wish to warn
yoa You may be disappointed — it is just possi-
ble." He could not bear to think of her as
disappointed.
" Pray, do you know anything against the other
two?" she asked with some defiance. "One of
them is a Baroness Elmreich, and the other is a
Fraulein Kuhrauber."
Axel looked amused. "I never heard of
Fraulein Kuhrauber," he said. "What does
Princess Ludwig say to her coming?"
" Nothing at all. What should she say ? "
It was Fraulein Kuhrauber's coming that had
THE BENEFACTRESS
'97
SS^^t'' "^'^^--^ ^^^ Pu:.ing of the
of ta TreTsSblf \^-" ^"^ ^«'- " A few
of the familv .?cSe ll'vS"* ""^•'^^nch atlS
been caught cheating at cards S^'l"'^ '^^ ''^d
sisters--oh. well, some of SL '^"'^ /'"«' of Ws
behave." ""^ °* *em are harmless, I
" Thank you."
;; You^are angry with me? "
"AndVhy?'
tWni"S;i«XV^^'^ *-^ poor
Thev will get^waVfi'i^Sm i?^''"^"^"*'°»« do.
and have peace." " '° ""^ ''ouse. at least,
woiS^so fSusT*- ^""^ °^*— hat is the
dull waitLgT„\Se"nc"' whf ^l*^' -''^ ^^^nd it
"It's breakfast timryo?lnn°*''''"i^°P'« talked
stand much just SJ ^t" • ^"*^ P^°P'^ ""'*
.,0 '^"' youthful Phil. Dh'prt" 1 •
".Soyoung,andof thefemal/L ^^^'^''"ed Axel,
pierced to the very root o^hnr""' ^"'^ T* ^ have
" WhS'a^i^ L?ttrof£n5r" ^^^^"-'■'
'""T^s^F^r"^"'^--^^ Then
always frank, btt 5ou"birwh? '^f "^^^ ^etty,
"Shall you come an/ ^^"^''^^ashungrV
asked. gatLing^; her sk?L"? T"^" aS
hand.prepa.to^ t^o crosf^^^ i^^ J-
Iff fl
" I
I9S
THE BENEFACTRESS
" But you are angry with me." ^
She looked up and laughed. " Not now," she
said ; " I've finished. Do you think I'm going to
be angry long th'i pleasant April morning? "
" I smell the coffee," observed Letty, smflSng.
" Then I will come to-morrow if I may," said
Axel, " and make the acquaintance of Frau von
Treumann and Baroness Elmreich."
"And Fraulein Kuhrauber," said Anna, with
emphasis. She thought she saw the same ten-
dency in him that was so manifest in the princess,
a tendency to ignore the very existence of any
one called Kuhrauber.
"And Fraulein Kuhrauber," repeated Axel
gravely.
"They've burnt the toast arain," said Letty;
" I can hear them scraping off the black."
" I wish you good luck, then," said Axel, taking
off his hat ; " with all my heart I wish you good
luck, and that these ladies may very soon be as
happy as you are yourseU."
" That's nice," said Anna, approvingly; " somuch,
much nicer than the other things you have been
saying." And she nodded to him, all smiles, as
she crossed over to the house and he rode away.
''\
'in
CHAPTER XIV
chieron«Zm lhra„''""^"« '"^^ '^^
nve. Anna and Lettv h^°V°'^'^ P^^'Wy ar-
standing at the v^nL ^" ° ^^ in the hall
steps, lo^kiytotheTffel"?^ °"* °" *<> ^e
minutes to make sure thf"*"* 'P^^^ '^veiy few
The bedrc>oms werefun of'^?'^i'''"«.'^«»d;^
morning; the coffrhadb^l''^l'>«Paticas of the
care and an eye to efferf?, T °"* ^* ^finite
^«le table in £ dtaS^^ ^T" ^^"^^^ on a
dow, through wEch the«mad"A''^M*''*.°P^ ^"-
and gently^ianned the curtain, r' ^^^^'»« i"
the princess had baked h^r>ll° ^7'' ''■°'- *"d
occasion, inwardly dSorint "^V ^^kes for the
such cakes shoX S "fff^.^ ,^^^ ^^^ «o, that
When she had seen rif,* n^*' *° s"ch people
she withd^rinto her own V^ ^ V* ^''""W bl
mained darning shSs W l°°"'rhere she re-
to excuse her Lm^ • ^°' *^^ ^^ asked Anna
ance by you.^lf/'X^'^J' ^.^iLV^eir acquaint
toomanystraneereatfi.^! • l ^.^^ Presence of
under th4 cirSSanc^^* "^^^ ^'^^°°^«rt them
her hearii^trdSlci^ *^'« — k- -ade in
when the cKgeZrLS; ''?^'"',^° 'J^^*
and^Letty were^stand,•i^n£X?in°^^3r
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna's heart bumped so as the three slowly
disentangled themselves and got out, that she
could hardly speak. Her face flushed and grew
pale by turns, and her eyes were shining with
something suspiciously like tears. What she
wanted to do was to put her arms right round
the three poor ladies, and kiss them, and comfort
them, and make up for all their griefs. What she
did was to put out a very cold, shaking hand, and
say in a voice that trembled, " Guteti Tag."
" Guten Tag" said the first lady to descend ;
evidently, from her mourning, the widowed Frau
von Treumann.'
Anna took her extended hand in both hers, and
clasping it tight looked at its owner with all her
heart in her eyes. " Es frtut mUk so — es freut
mick so" she murmured incoherently.
"Ach — you are Miss Estcourt?" asked the
lady in German.
"Yes, yes," said Anna, still clinging to her
hand, "and so happy, so very happy to see
you."
Frau von Treumann hereupon made some re-
marks which Anna supposed were of a grateful
nature, but she spoke so rapidly and in such sub-
dued tones, glancing round uneasily as she did
so at the coachman and at the others, and Anna
herself was so much agitated, that what she said
was quite incomprehensible. Again Anna longed
to throw her arms round the poor woman's neck,
and interrupt her with kisses, and tell her that
gratitude was not required of her, but only that
she should be happy ; but she felt that if she did
so she would begin to cry, and tears were surely
I I:
THE BENEFACTRESS
30 r
Elmreich ? " * • *"'' '"" «s Baroness
Baro'Sjss^E'iinSh''' *'"' '^''^ ^"-^^y. "/am
boS:'tiL'S"!f ttt^llf" ^rt Pl"°" -^'o^
out the other little «^^i^ ''}°''}^' ^'^ blotted
"^&¥?"^^^^^^^^ ^"'
with"i fhrlal^^li tr °"^ f - ^'^e other
heart. HerdefeSeGe^ *f «'T"« ''> ^"
completeJy. She d^d Sff^^" [°'^°°'' ^«' aJ™ost
. J ','•"■• and nil in the ^an<! nrjfi, u-
quivering o.....cs ar each in turn" a
doJ'.^a^.^lSbg thrst" *'^ ^''»^°- °^ ^he
tosuc/her tKb It tept"on%r"«^ ^''°'!S^
mouth of its own accord 1?H fi, ?°'"«^ "P ^ ^^"^
it down again TWswU ^^^YT °" P""'ng
she felt, wfen the suc£nrtK°^ *^ •°"'^«°n«
and a blessing. It g"ves « °-. ?'""^' '' ^ '""^'^^
'f.i
»•» THE BENEFACTRESS
Strongly mariced black eyebrows, said nothing.
i" kJ!™? "• u*',?' »'°'^'y *""» *•>« «P oi the bow
afnbbon trembling on her head to the buckles of
the shoes creaking on her feet. Ought she to
^> f*°A''1 ''*?*'' 7^"' •*^'"' o"" ought 8he to
^l^^i ''"''a " t''"*'? ^*' L«*ty «*ed herself
distractedly Anyhow it was rather rude to stare
hke that. She had always been taught that it was
rude to stare like that.
«.^."JL''^u^°'«^u"^".*" **»"* ^^'' and only
remembered her when they were in the drawir/-
™/?u t"!^*"^ u "<* '^Sun to pour out the co .e.
Oh, Letty. where are you? This is my niece,"
she^said; and Letty was at last shaken hands
SJ^^T^^^ ^**P5 y°" company," said the bar-
ones& "You found it lonely here, naturally."
f.,lL 5ir°' lu" "*''" '?"?%" ^'^ Anna cheer-
tuUy, fillinR the cups and giving them to Letty to
carry round. ■'
•' How pleasant the air is today," observed Frau
von 1 reumann, edging her chair away from the
window. "Damp,l)ut pleasant You like fresh
«ir, 1 sec
,.,"Oh, I love it," said Anna; "and it is so beau-
tiful here— so pure, and full of the sea."
" You are not afraid of catching coW, sittine so
near an open window? " *
/'Oh, is it too much for you ? Letty, shut the
window It « getting chilly. The days are so
Bne that one forgets it is only April."
Anna talked German and poured out the coffee
with a nervous haste unusual to her. The three
women sitting round the little table staring at her
THE BENEFACTRESS ^.
own roof at last, but sK Ji* " *^<='y ""der her
determinea that the4 Sd S?'°"\ ^^'^ *>«
conventionality from the fi«ft.^' "° '''"^ers of
and her; not?Ste mSof* r*^",.*''<''"«>ves
be wasted; this was 7he7r^„„ ^^""^ ''^'^ "^s to
ijady to love thm • she h^^^' T^ '^^ *>» »"
that however shy sh^ felt ,hL "'*''^"P *>«•• '"inc
as though they were her J.arwl*?'"« *° »^''''^«
deed, she assured heSf^. °"**'',~**''ch i"-
were. -herefore she stn.Ti ^''1'="^ *»>«* ♦?-'ey
J«r nervousness. addressM.'^ '"T/^'^ =^J?ainst
«ng'y. saying whate^:^r S fim'?l'*^4^^^
•n her anxiety to say someH^?n„ m*° ^^'^ ^^^
pressing the irinS's Skes o^' JiT'''"? ''^./f'*^'"'
ting them drink their coffee w" ^*'''?' ''a^dly let-
give them more. But k 1^ "^ she wanted to
and remained nervous i^u''°S'^' ^he was
when she lifted k St ^h^l^'^u'"'"'*' ^^°o^ so
, Fiaulein K^hJaufir ts'Th^''""^;
least. If she caujrht An^^ the one who stared
whereas the eves f f fK»^if ''^*' ^"^ O'^" drooped
She sat on thT^dl^Sf ?er'c^° ^"^^ ^^^^
familiar to Anna blinf^n. *'''*!'■, '" * ^^X made
and whate4 anySS^'h *'*''/'^" Manske
and murmured vV;i!f^ ?if ""^^"'^ ''^^^ead
at ease, and dropp-ed' the su^af V^ "^^ obviously ill
offered sugar ^th a louRI?"«^ '^''^" sf'e was
nishedfloo^nearyswinL t °° *° *»»« ^ar-
m her effort to pi^kTSS uV5' "'"'^ °^ *" *^"«
them°uV° KylSf, l-t'' Utty will pick
for the sugar-Sin? ^^ *'"Ss-much too big
•il
t04
THE BENEFACTRESS
y«. tifn, said Frtlulein Kuhrauber, sitting up
and lookmR perturbed. The other two removed
their eyes from Anna's face for a moment to stare
at the Fraulein. The baroness, a small, fair per-
son with hair arranged in those little flat curls
called kiss-me-quicks on each cheek, and wide-open
pale blue eyes, and a little mouth with no lips, or
lips so thin that they were hardly visible, sat very
still and straight, and had a way of moving her
eves round from one face to the other without at
the same time moving her head. She was un-
married, and w?T probably about thirty-five, Anna
thought, but siie had always evaded questions in
the correspondence about her age. Fr^uJein Kuh-
rauber was also thirty-five, and as large and bloom-
ing as the baroness was small and pale. Frau von
Treumann was over fifty, and had had more sor-
rows, judging from her letters, than the other two.
She sat nearest Anna, who everv now and then
laid her hand gentlv on hers and'let it rest there
a moment, in her determination to thaw all frost
from the very beginning. " Oh, I quite foreot,"
she said cheerfully — the amount of cheerfulness
she put into her voice made her iaugh at herself
— "I quite forgot to introduce you to each other."
" We did it at the station," said Frau von Treu-
mann, " when we found ourselves all entering your
carriage."
" The Elmreichs are connected with the Treu-
manns," observed the baroness.
" We are such a large family," said Frau von
Treumann quickly, " that we are connected with
nearly everybody.
The tone was cold, and there was a silence.
THE BENEFACTRESS
105
FriS!L*i them, apparently, was connected with
Frtu ein Kuhrauber, who buried her face in hlr
Z^nJ" "i'^^ '^f ',"''P°°" remained whit she
B^i^^uT'^y '°"g^ ^°' connections *
But she had none. She was absolutely without
relations except deceased ones. She haySn »„
aunt till she was ten. The aunt diVH ,^a -J.
found a refuge in an orphanage tiu'Se w^t'
bSV Sh '^' *»» t°W that the must eTm her
^^i^^tr,h%to'U^^
--.r ^««y«« These !/«/«, or SjSts are
common m mWdle<lass German fam5£ where
l.^.f.W'l-*''" '"•■ft'essof the hous^fn'JlS
£ Sh?n?"' '°°'' "«• ^"'^■"^' mending roS-
k?'J '"? °^ amusmg the chSdren - b| ne in
our r rauJem Kuhrau ber had no ta ent whatever for
When she saw the advertisement, her future
wa^lookmg very black. She was, as usual, unS
notice to qu.t, and had no other place in view and
only offered a home to women of good family • but
she got over that difficulty by relectingTai her
LrLT ^" '" ^^^^^"' ^"^ that therfcould £
no relations more respectabU than angels. Sh^
!; i
If' ■'■
io6
THE BENEFACTRESS
wrote therefore in glowing terms of the paternal
Kuhrauber, "gegenwdriig mit Gott" as she put it,
expatiating on his intellect and gifts (he was a man
of letters, she said), while he yet dwelt upon earth.
Manske, with all his inquiries, could find out noth-
ing about her except that she was, as she said,
an orphan, poor, friendless, and struggling; and
Anna, just then impatient of the objections the
princess made to every applicant, quickly decided
to accept this one, against whom not a word had
been said. So Fraulein Kuhrauber, who had spent
her life in shirking work, who was quite thriftless
and improvident, who had never felt particularly
unhappy, and whose father had been a postman,
found herself being welcomed with an enthusiasm
that astonished her to Anna's home, being smiled
upon and patted, having beautiful things said io
her, things the very opposite to those to which
she had been used, things to the effect that she
was now to rest herself for ever and to be sure
and not do anything except just that which made
her happiest.
It was very wonderful. It seemed much, much
too good to be true. And the delight that filled
her as she ^at eating excellent cakes, and the dis-
comfort she endured because of the stares of the
other two women, and the consciousness that she
had never learned how to behave in the society of
persons with von before their names, produced such
mingled feelings of ecstasy and fright in her bosom
that it was quite natural she should drop the sugar-
tongs, and upset the cream-jug, and choke over
her coffee — all of which things she did, to Anna's
distress, who suffered with her in her agitation,
! !
THE BENEFACTRESS ,07
while Ae eyes of the other two watched each
successive catastrophe with profoundest atten-
,ni*fr^ ""^ uncomfortable half hour. « I am shy,
and they are shy," Anna said to herself, apoloei^
mg as ,t were for the undoubted flatnes; tLt |re^
n^i i- "°* ?i*^ '* ^ otherwise, she thought?
Did she expect them to gush? Heaven forbid.
y«l-lT "" ""PO"^"* crisis in their lives, this
C^fA°l ^^^''i™™ "eg'ect and loneliness to
love, and she wondered vaguely that the obviously
paramount feehng should be Interest in the awk^
wardness of Fraufein Kuhrauber.
Her German faltered, and threatened to give
courH"h"^'^;K ^^^ '"'^*^'''" P^"^ '=a'«e, and t^ey
could hear the sparrows quarrelling in the golden
garden, and he creaking of a distant pump?
sligh^^hiven '' "•" '"^"^"^ '''' baroness^ith a
"You have no farmyard near the house to
"M'A."°.''\^^««rf"V'8aid Frauvon Treumann
"My father's house had the garden at the l«ck
and the farmyard in the froft. and one did not'
feel so cut oflF from everything. There wL
fedSt'"*^ ^""^ °" '" *^ yard-always
^niiV^'" ^^'^^ Anna; and again the pump
and the sparrows became audible.
"The stillness is truly remarkable." observed
the baroness agam.
"/a, eien," said Fraulein Kuhrauber
„ r .\u 'f- be^"t'^"l' isn't it." said Aiina, gazing
so snnth' ^'^^\ °» the water. " It is so rfstfuf
so soothmg. Look what a lovely sunset there
'1'
«o8
THE BENEFACTRESS
must be this evening. We can't see it from this
side of the house, but look at the colour of the
grass and the water."
"^cA — you are a friend of nature," said Frau
von Treumann, turning her head for a brief
moment towards the wmdow, and then examin-
ing Anna's face. " I am aL j. There is nothing
I like more than nature. Do you paint? "
" I wish I could."
" Ah, then you sing — or play ? "
" I can do neither.
"So? But what have you here, then, in the
way of distractions, of pastimes ? "
"I don't think I have any," said Anna, smiling.
" I have been very busy till now making things
ready for you, and after this I shall just enjoy
being alive."
Frau von Treumann looked puzzled for a
moment. Then she said " AcA so.
There was another silence.
"Have some more coffee," said Anna, laying
hold of the pot persuasively. She was feeling
foolish, and had blushed stupidly after that
AeA so.
"No, no," said Frau von Treumann, putting
up a protesting hand, "you are very kind. Two
cups are a limit beyond which voracity itself
could not go. What do you say? You have
had three ? Oh, well, you are young, and young
people can play tricks with their digestions with
less danger than old ones."
At this speech Fraulein Kuhrauber's four cups
became plainly written on her guilty face. The
thought that she had been voracious at the very
.THE BENEFACTRESS ,09
-first meal was appalling to her. She hastily
pushed away her half-empty cup -too hastily,
tor It upset, and m her effort to save it it fell on
to the floor and was broken. '' Ack, Herr h ' "
she cned in her distress.
The other two looked at each other; the ex-
pression IS an unusual one on the lips of eentle-
women. ? *
."Oh, it does not matter— really it does not"
Anna hastened to assure her. " Don't pick it up
— Letty will. The table is too small reall^
Itiere is no room on it for anything"
dC£^S' '"''^ ^""'''° Kuhrauler, greatly
^^2"^ ^l"^^^- 1!'^ *° ?° upstairs, I am sure,"
said Anna hurriedly, turning to the others. « You
must be very tired," she added, looking at Frau
von Treumann. °
" I am," replied that lady, closing her eyes for
a moment with a little smile expressive of patient
enduiance. r <•
•,Z ^¥{! ^\^\ so up- Come," she said, hold-
ing out her hand to Fraulein Kuhrauber. " No
"°.~/?* Letty pick up the pieces "for the
i-raulem, m her anxiety to repair the disaster,
was about to sweep the remaining cups off the
table with the sleeve of her cloak.
Anna drew her hand through her arm, and gave
It a furtive and encouraging stroke. " I will go
5,Tu . .T y°." ^^^ ^^y-" sh^ said over her
shoulder to the others.
And so it came about that Frau von Treumann
and Baroness Elmreich actually found themselves
going through doors and up stairs behind a per-
sto
THE BENEFACTRESS
son called Kuhrauber. They exchanged glances
ajgain. Whatever might be their pnvate objec-
tions to each other, they had one point already on
which they agreed, for with equal heartiness they
both disapproved of Fraulein Kuhrauber,
CHAPTER XV
As soon as Baroness Elmreich found herself
alone m her bedroom, she proceeded to examine its
contents with minute care. Supper, she had been
told, was not till eight o'clock, and she had not
much to unpack; so laying aside her hat and
cloak, and glancing at the reflection of her little
^u ,i\ ^'*®^ *° ^^ whether they were as they
should be, she began her inspection of each sepa-
rate article in her room, taking each one up and
scrutinismfir it, holding the jars of hepaticas high
above her head in order to see whether the price
was marked underneath, untidving the bed to feel
the quahty of the sheets, poking the mattress to
discover the nature of the stuffing, and investigat-
ing with special attention the embroidery on the
pillow-cases. But everything was as dainty and
^- ?f "t^*^* *^ enthusiasm could make it. Nowhere
with her best endeavours, could she discover the
signs she was looking for of cheapness and shab-
biness in less noticeable things that would have
helped her to understand her hostess. "This
embroidery has cost at least two marks the me-
ter, she said to herself, fingering it. " She must
roll in money. And the wall-paper — how unprac-
tical ! It is so light that every mark will be seen.
Ihe flies alone will ruin it in a month."
She shrugged her shoulders, and smiled ; strange
an
THE BENEFACTRESS
to say, the thought of Anna's paper being spoiled
pleased her.
Never had she been in a room the least like
this one. If whitewash prevailed ''ownstairs, and
in Anna's special haunts, it had not been per-
mitted to invade the bedrooms of the Chosen.
Anna's reflections had led her to the conclusion
that the lives of these ladies had till then probably
been spent in bare places, and that they would
accordingly feel as much pleasure in the contem-
plation of carpets, papered walls, and stuffed
chairs, as she herself did in the severity of her
whitewashed rooms after the lavishly upholstered
years of her vouth. But the daintiness and luxury
only filled the baroness with doubts. She stood
in the middle of it looking round her when she
had finished her tour of inspection and had made
guesses at the price of everything, and asked her-
self who this Miss Estcourt could be. Anna
would have been considerably disappointed, and
perhaps even moved to tears, if she had known
that the room she thought so pretty struck the
baroness, whose taste in furniture had not advanced
beyond an appreciation for the dark and heavy
hangings and walnut-wood tables of her more
prosperous years, merely as odd. Odd, and very
expensive. Where did the money come from for
this reckless furnishing with stuffs and colours
that were bound to show each stain ? Her eye
wandered along the shelves above the writing-
table — hers was the Heine and Maeterlinck room
— and she wondered what all the books were
there for. She did not touch them as she had
touched everything else, for except an occasional
THE BENEFACTRESS ,,3
fW.'/"''' ""'■^ regularly, a journal beloved of
Gennan woman called the Gartenlaube, she never
On the writing-table lay a blotter, a pretty, em-
iTttt It hai *r '"1^ ^'""^ ^' blStter'colTd
ft^^irf • '"•r^f" '^^"sen with immense care;
and opening It she found notepaper and envelopes
stamped with the Kleinwalde address and blown
Tu-^u"*"!-.. y^'^ ^ Anna's little special gift a
childish addition, the making of which hadliin
her an absurd amount of pleasure. The haoov
Idea, as she called it, had come to her one n'St
JT^^^ '"?."*"''! ^'^"''•"S ^^""^ her new frSs
and going through the familiar process of dis-
Sr"^" wT' .■ y ™^gi"in /herself in thefr
rn^nt". f u^''^'"'^ 1^' ^^^ Tjaroness's corn-
s'/""^ she decided that the best thing she
could do would be to ring the bell and endeavour
to obtain pnvate information about Miss Estcourt
houTeSd * P''°'°"S^'^ cross-examination of the
She rang it. and then sat very straight and still
on he sofa with her hands folded infer kp fnd
Zm- "^;i«o"l was full of doubts. Whotas
this Miss, and where were the proofs that she was.
as she had pretended, of good birth? That she
was not so very pious wm evident; for if she had
^!\ u^l '^""t'^ °^ ^ '■^"g'o^s nature would
inevitably have been forthcoming when she first
7£"?^:f '^'"^ 'l^'' '^°"^^- N° such word, no
audite ?r°^f ^ *"y '"^•^ *°^'^' had been
tS,<^r o "^ ^f r* ^^^" ''^^^ ^"^ allusion, a
h^A^ "^ tE'"'''^ glance. Yet the pastor who
had opened the correspondence had filled many
.^M \ I
"4
THE BENEFACTRESS
pages with expatiations on her zeal after righteous-
ness. And then she was so young. The baroness
had expected to see an elderly person, or at least
a person of the age of everybody else, which was
her own age ; but this was a mere girl, and a girl,
too, who from the way she dressed, clearly thought
herself pretty. Surely it was strange that so young
a woman should be living here quite unattached,
quite independent apparently of all control, with a
great deal of money at her disposal, and only one
little girl to givfe her a countenance? Suppose
she were not a proper person at all, suppose she
were an outcast from society, a being on whom
her own countrypeojple turned their backs ? This
desire to share her fortune with respectable ladies
could only be explained in two ways: either she
had been moved thereto by an enthusiastic piety
of which not a trace had as yet appeared, or she
was an improper person anxious to rebuild her
reputation with the aid and countenance of the
ladies of good family she had entrapped into her
house.
The baroness stiffened as she sat. It was her
brother who had cheated at cards and shot him-
self, and it was her sister of whom Axel Lohm
had heard strange tales ; and few people are more
savagely proper than the still respectable relations
of the demoralised. " The service in this house
is very bad," she said aloud and irascibly, getting
up to ring again. "No doubt she has trouble
with her servants."
But there was a knock at the door while her
hand was on the bell, and on her calling " Come
in," instead cl the servant her hostess sq)pcared,
THE BENEFACTRESS „j
- £fo«M,^K*i'' ^^"y *°""^«rf"" things to have
uD^tRi ''""^ '"^" ^''J Anna at last, rivine
'^"A/^" «?;1J"T '=°'"P««='»ted speech.^ *
It "k'^lS."^ ?"';^?'"*'*, Oh' I 'hall scold Marie
r,n """T 2""? ^ <=*n <Jo well in German"
Can you speak English ? " 'merman.
" Nor understand it?"
" No."
"French?"
" No."
bad^rman ^Zr'\ ^ P^*'""' *en with my
SesSft^r K .^^u" ^ *"" ^'°"e «''th anyone ft
goes better, but if there are many Deonle Iwfpni„„
iu?UmTt'"' ^^" "l^'^'y 'I^an'artol
giaa 1 am that you are here ! "
Anna's shyness, now thai she was by hersdf
!i ■
tl6
THE BENEFACTRESS
With one of her forlorn ones, had vanished, and
she prattled happily for some time, putting as
many mistakes into her sentences as they would
hold, before she became aware that the baroness's
replies were monosyllabic, and that she was exam-
inmg her from head to foot with so much atten-
tion that there was obviously none left over for
the appreciation of her remarks.
This made her feel shy again. Clothes to her
were such secondary considerations, things of so
little importance. Susie had provided them, and
she had put them on, and there it had ended ; and
when she found that it was her dress and not her-
self that was interesting the baroness, she longed
to have the courage to say, " Don't waste time over
It now— ni send it to your room to-night, if you
like, and you can look at it comfortably — only
don t waste time now. I want to talk to you, to
y<m who have suffered so much ; I want to make
fnends with vou quicklv, to make you begin to be
happy qjuickly ; so don't let us waste the precious
time thinking of clothes." But she had neither
sufficient courage nor sufficient German.
She put out her hand rather timidly, and mak-
ing an effort to bring her companion's thoughts
back to the things that mattered, said, " I hope
you will like living with me. I hope we shall be
very happy together. I can't tell you how happy
It makes me to think that you are safely here, and
that you are going to stay with me always."
The baroness's hands were r\ isped in front of
her, and they did not unclasp to meet Anna's;
but at this .speech she left off eyeing the dress,
and began to ask questions. "You are verj'
THE BENEFACTRESS „
many ? " ^ Mama come to Ger-
" My mother is dead"
" Ach — mine also "
here. You have no \yrr^v^ • "" ' ^^^le
you wrote." ^™**'''"' ""^ ^^^ers. I think
" Wdf"! ri'^.n' 'rr^ ^'^ » rigid look,
let me." "" «°'"« *° '^ y^^' «i«ter!^if you will
" You are very good "
ever^h'ingTn "h°e l^k tl f .''^y- I have
to have, and now that 1,, K ^""^^ ^"^ "^'^^^^
stL^iy "°"''' "' "■'^ '*^^'"^ "'^"^ y- ? How
" ^^"y ^*""g^'" J-"ghed Anna. " You see they
I' «
tiS
THE BENEFACTRESS
in my own
don't know how pleawutt I can be
house."
« And );our friends — they too will not come ? ••
* don t know jf they would or not. I didn't
ask them.
"You have no one, no one at all who would
come and live with you so that you should not be
so lonely ?
"But I am not lonely." said Anna, looking
down at the little woman with a slightly amused
expression, "ahd I don't in the least want to be
lived with."
" Then why do you wish to fill your house with
strangers ?
_ ■ Why? " repeated Anna, a puzzled look com-
ing into her eyes. Had not the correspondence
with the ultimately chosen been long? And were
not all her reasons duly set forth therein ? " Why
because I want you to have some of my nice
things too," ^
" —' "°* y""' own friends and relations? "
" They have everything they want."
There was a silence. Anna left off stroking the
baroness s hands. She was thinking that this was
a queer little person — outside, that is. Inside, of
course, she was very different, poor little lonely
thing ; but her outer crust seemed thick; and she
wondered how long it would take her to get
through It to the soul that she was sure was sweet
and lovable. She was also unable to repress a
conviction that most people would call these ques-
tions rude.
But this train of , .ought was not one to be en-
couraged. " I am keeping yon here talking," she
»«9
THE BENEFACTRESS
with heU for1«Hne cS ""^ V^'^^y^ ^"«1
No one ansVere^'^ SheTn^J^J'*"?"'""'* ^oor.
answered. Thenshe «n- ^Ht*^ ^*'"- ^o one
looked in. ^'^ °P^"^^ '•^^ ^foor softly and
firsTie^rofSL^^^^^^^^^^ these
the ice encasinrthe b^„«c K ^? ^^''^ '""^'' °f
mined not to^ cLt^°"TK "' '"'S*^ ^^t^^"
difficulties she was ful. ?„ ^ ""^ °^ "'e little
she looked into FrauvoiT-"""''^''* ^"^'^ ^"d
fresh hope in her h^^ °" Treumann's room with
waS?u'j\vi;:;^Srrhi° fin'^ ^i ^^^^^
extreme excitement, Ter Se b'at .Jd° f ST °^
tap!Tn;°" ^'"^r^"" ''^^ "^ K the .entle
Her^'Jl^,:f-^^^-er> Begged Anna.
not£?;:fSk!!L^'?« hasty reply. -l did
"o THE BENEFACTRESS
"Our lettere have said so much already — jnrelv
there is nothing you cannot tell me now? And
if I can help you "
Frau von Treumann freed hereelf by a hasty
movement, and began to walk up and down again.
No, no, you can do nothing;-you can do noth-
ing she said, and wept as she walked.
Anna watched her in consternation.
n«m! r- *° "^j"*! ^ ^^".^ '^°'"^ — s^« *o what I have
come! said the agitated lady under her breath
but with passionate intensity, as she passed and
repassed her dismayed hostess ; « oh, to have fallen
so low I oh, to have fallen so low I "
;'So low?" echoed Anna, greatly concerned.
PHifir. ??^ ''^tl^' ^ .Treumann -I, a geborene
Grafin Ilmas-Kadenstem— to live on charity—
to be a member of a charitable institution I "
Annf*'""iV°"- ?^"*y/ Oh no, no ("cried
Anna^ It is a home here, and there is no
chanty in it from the attic to the cellar." And
she went towards her with outstretched hands.
A home I Yes, that is it," cried Frau von
ireuraann, waving her back, "it is a home a
charitable home I " '
"No, not a home like that — a real home, my
h,T^;^?"''K**°'"^~r'*/^«'*'" ^""* protested ;
but ramly, because the German word Heim and
Me English word "home" have little meaning in
-ommon. °
" - :« Heim, ein Heim," repeated Frau von
Ireumann with extraordinary bitterness, "««
k^ows'^r "' ~^^^' '^ ^^^ '^' *"'' everybody
" Everybody knows it ? "
THE BENEFACTRESS
an
" How could I think " ck-. -j
hands "how could I think Xn' r,"«^-1« '^^'•
come here that the whok, „nli " ^ ''^'^'''e<' to
acquainted with yourplS IV ^ "^^^
were to be kept privatfTJ *i. *''°"?''* *hey,
think we were you? Wends !!!L*»' *°^^^ «« to
And so you are."
"r: your guests-^ — "
And she burSZo =. f T^' *** ^o^J "
Anna sto^ hSss Wh '^^T* ?^ t^^"^"
ony to aggravat?Frau v^n Tretf''.^PP^^^«'^
and rage -for surely thlreJf^""® '°"^w
sorrow? She was at%. ^! Y^* ^"S^*" ^^ well as
son of this outbTm HadT^f ^ '°'' ^°'- ^^e rea-
chanv"^"" '°'^ *''"'" *^* -« -re objects of
different mot ves-Lt t^/T',''"" ^^'^ very
of charitv. rS,g \^l t&'^,'"e an objeci;
my trunks— I neter Lv^ VT """o* ""strap
strap trunks." The sLbT k^" •^^5^*^'^ to un-
".oment with further'i^eeSr '"2?/^'' '?' '
S^-nr/re^^S SF t« -^-^- 1^
bhe shall go to-morrow." *
The others think the same thing."
THE BENEFACTRESS
" They shall go to-morrow — that is, have they
been rude to you ? "
" Not yet, but they will be."
" When they are, thej; shall go."
" I went into the corridor to seek other assist-
ance, and I met — I met "
" Who ? "
" Oh, to have fallen so low I " cried Frau von
Treumann, clasping her hands, and raising her
streaming eyes to the ceiling.
" But who did you meet ? "
"I met— I met the Penheim."
"The Penheim? Do you mean Princess
Ludwig?"
" You never said she was here "
" I did not know that it would interest you."
" — living on charity — she was always shame-
less — I was at school with her. Oh, I would
not have come for any inducement if I had known
she was here! She holds nothing sacred, she
will boast of her own degradation, she will write
to all her friends that I am here too — I told them
I was coming only on a visit to you — they knew
I knew your uncle — but the Penheim — the
Penheim " and Frau von Treumann threw
herself into a chair and covered her face with her
hands to shut out the horrid vision.
The corners of Anna's mouth began to take the
upward direction that would end in a smile ; and
feeling how ill-placed such a contortion would
be in the presence of this tumultuous grief, she
brought them carefully back to a position of proper
solemnity. Besides, why should she smile ? The
poor lady was clearly desperately unhappy about
THE BENEFACTRESS
found in its peace. pSinTt^Tj"'^ °^ '•'«• P^o-
taste of rest after wlrrf nort .ff ™°">'' *^« ««*
and here was Frau von T?e,lf ^"^ '/°™y «eas ;
very audible grief and^-„%K "' "" P^^nged in a
baroness, a difco4erl'\'ombinf/°°'"^^« '^^
tiveness and ice anH S^k ^ **'°" °^ 'nquisi-
was Fraulein Kuhr^ublr T '^T" ^'^^ P^ssagL
wondered, would St d^F^.T^"' ^''*'' ^""^
Anyhow she had little reason .^'"-.^"'''^"ber?
horror with which Prints i°r-''\ ^"* *he
mentioned seemed drdEX t^""'^ , ^^^ been
of the sterling quaEs of ?h=.^'"°'^'? '^"^wledge
She went over to the chair Yn ^ v^u'"* ^"-"a".
Jreumannlayprostrate^n^ "1 ^J^^ich Frau von
She was glad that thl^'uf '^* '^°"'" beside her
sitting doVforIa wL ?,^'^''^t'' *^ ^'^ge o^
who^wiU not keep still^ ' '^''^""'^ ^° ^ Person
tating°iS, " tfi you shSli? ^'^ T'^y^ ''"i-
unhappy the very fim^e^nin^ ^^^^^be^" made
wretch. Don't fe her sS^" ^^f"^ ^^ a little
able You shall not see S aSn'^f''" ^""^ "'^^r-
And she patted Frau vcn fre^^?' ^P''°""se you."
about Princess Lud Jgnil " ?if "" ' ^™- " ^"t
fully, "she has bfeen LeTom^ "^7* °" ^^eer-
soon learn to know a nJrc^ ^ "^^^^^ ^"^1 you
day. and really I haTeZTd" ^°" "v5" ^'*b every
and kind." "^ ^ *°""'' ber nothing but good
de;^l?„liVi:S^-sh! -^^^^ before no
outF^uvonTreirmt'S
f l:'*
' " ;: I.
14
»»4
THE BENEFACTRESS
denly removing her hands from her fete. " Thfc
trouble she has given her relations I She delights
in dragging her name in the dirt. She hii tried
to get places in the most impossible families, and
made no attempt to hide what she was doing. She
has broken the old Fiirst's heart. And she talks
about it all, and has no shame, no decency "
" But is it not admirable " began Anna.
" She will gloat over me, and tell everyone that
I am here imthe same way as she is. If she is not
ashamed for herself, do you think she *ill spare
me?"
" But whv should you think there is anything to
be ashamed of in coming to live with me and be
my dear friend ? "
" No, there is nothing, so long as my motives in
coming are known. But people talk so cruelly,
and will distort the facts so gladly, and we have
always held our heads so high. And now the
Penheim I " She sobbed afresh.
" I shall ask the princess not to write to anyone
about your being here."
" Act, I know her — she will do it all the same."
" No, I don't think sa She does everything I
ask. You see, she takes care of my house for me.
She is not here in the same way that — that you
and Baroness Elmreich are, antf Jter interest is to
stay here."
Frau von Treumann's bowed h<bd went up with
a jerk. "Ach? ^ has found a place at last?
She is your paid conipanion ? Your housekeeper? "
"Yes, and she is goodness itself, and I dop't
believe she would be unkind and make mischii^f
for worlds." .'^ ,.
THE BENEFACTRESS
comprehension. J^erte.^"/"*/" °' ^°»pSe
She dried her eves Y« ?*'''^'' ^ " ^y magic,
would hold herSguIif'Mifrp ! ""^ ^^°heTm
her to do so. She iS hLIJ''',, ^^^"'"rt ordered
to find places, and Se wolld" r'^"^''"^^^'*^
careful not to lose this onT Thr.5^''''^p'^J?'y
So she was actually wortJn.r / P®^'" ^enheim.
comcKlown for a faS"^/"'*/^*- What a
gens had alwaJstr«fi5T"l ^nl the Dettin-
Well,
and'the "Penh .r^ the h"" '\' ^^^
^gjj 'cim was the housekeeper.
«st\d"L;!Pfi5rSj;;„rof '^d her hair, and
an? sorrythat you sKA.*'"'^*'*'«'^'*y- "'
agitation," she sa^d J/h , 1-^*''^ .witnessed my
easily betraySl'^nto ^xhihtn"* ""'% " ^ ^^ ««>*
there are 4its to oS's «nT °* *^''"& ''"t
certain thines th*. K« ! ^"durance, there are
" Yes.-3 AnnJ?'^^''* "°"°* '^"•"
acdoXtthe'lSlSourX^ "^'^S^-' -X
us unable to hold uoourT ^°"'' ^"'^ '"*''««
death." "P """^ heads, is woree than
distort^""' fcuiteTmn^ ^°"« ^ ^^^^ -« not
and Iamwillingnr;ou?;n7n2°V'Jf^ '^^^^^
my son looked It it ffe Jf^ ? , • P** *as how
evidently needs Sends ^d ^"^' ^'"««' ''he
^houid you hesitatTf mSf SS^oTut?
Ift:;f
!;'?-■
aa6°
THE BENEFACTRZ3S
You must regard it as a good work.' You would
like my son ; his brother officers adore him."
"Really? "said Anna.
" He is so sensible, so reasonable ; he is beloved
and respected by the whole regiment. I will show
you his photograph — ach, the trunks are still
unstrapped."
" I'll go and send someone — but not Marie,"
said Anna, getting up quickly. She had no
desire to see the photograph, and the son's way
of looking at things had considerably astonished
her. " It must be nearly supper time. Would
you not rather lie down and let me send you
something here? Your head must ache after
ciying so much. You have baptised our new life
with tears. I hope it is a good omen."
" Oh, I will come down. You will do as you
promised, will you not, and forbid the Penheim
to gossip ? "
" I shall tell the princess your wishes."
" Or, if she must gossip, let her tell the truth
at least If my son nad not pressed me to come
here I really do not think "
Anna went slowly and meditatively down the
passage to Fraulein Kuhrauber's room. For a
moment she .bought of omitting this last visit
altogether ; she was afraid lest the Fraulein should
be in some unlooked-for and perplexing condition
of mind. Discouraged ? Oh no ; she was surely
not discouraged already. How had the word
come into her head ? She quickened her steps.
When she reached the door she remembered the
cup and the sugar-tongs. Perhaps something in
the bedroom was already broken, and the Fraulein
THE BENEFACTRESS
was mended. I tw2^th?t„r ^'""^^^ ^"™'t"re
of Frau von TreSnn H^'^^iP '"^^^'^ g^'^f
soothe. As to thaT^h. ^^^^^^'' ""^blt to
about it at present and bil-^'^jl ?«* *° think
against its fmage 'with th^lf^^^'' '^^""Shts
Tout comprendre rW /iM i^^°''"S sentence,
sentence fhe tLC^Z.^ZlTl:^' ^"^ ^
Pected that she would nL^ •* ^ ^""^ "°t ex-
soon. °"''' "ee<^ 'ts reassurance so
thetyr:i*f%tlret5^ r"^-^-^ — thed
last, was peace There h.l^* °"'"' ^^-^ ^^^^e, at
here with bells and ct«nc ^^? "J? difficulties
trunks had been oSened7nA ^"^ ¥^""- The
assistance; and wh^n A„„" ""P^"^"'^ ^th°"t
tents were all put awav . n^ p- "'f ^. '" ^^^ oon-
washed and coCbeTYnd t ^hTr" Su" X"'';^"''-'
was sitting in an easv rJ,=?, k xl "^^^ '''ouse,
sorbedinfbook Sat-foi- ^^ *^^ ^'"^^^ ab-
on her face iTontentwi^er^^^^^^^^ '™f'''>'
hne of her attitude. WheTThf 1 ^ T^"^ ^^"^
got up and made a curtsev Sh k ^!1"^' "'^^
beams were instantly reStedinr"''.- 7^^
'""S^^'^/'l/t-chltht' " ^""^^ ^^^«'
ease wlJh ?h's tmbe^'of 'f ^^'^''^ '' ^^^
happy?" member of her trio, "are you
than'Tvet 'Ittas'fa'^t^^^"'^ ^^^^^ --
She was Of those rw^^S^rfe^^^^An^t.^
I
^..-... ^W ^^ JW'^t.
ti8
THE BEtlEFACTRESS
1^1
travelling companions; but at nc time had she
had much conversation. Hers had been a rumi-
native existence, for its uncertainty but rarely
disturbed her. Had she not an excellent diges-
tion, and a fixed belief that the righteous, of
whom she was one, would never be forsaken?
And are not these the primary conditions of
happiness ? Indeed, if everything else is wanting,
these two ingredients by themselves are sufficient
for the concoction of a very palatable life.
" You have found an interesting book already? "
Anna asked, pleased that the fiterature chosen
with such care should have met with instant
appreciation. She took it up to see what it was,
but put it down again hastily, for it was the
cookery book.
" I read much," observed Fraulein Kuhriuber.
" Yes ? " said Anna, a flicker of hope reviving
in her heart Perhaps the cookery book was an
accident.
" I know by heart more than a hundred recipes
for sweet dishes alone"
" Reafly ? " said Anna, the flicker expiring.
"So you can have an idea of the number of
books I have read."
" Here are a great many more for you to read."
" AcA j'a, ach ja" said Frauiein Kuhrauber,
glancing doubtfully at the shelves; "but one
must not waste too much time over it — there
are other things in life. I read only useful
books."
'\ Well, that is very praiseworthy," said Anna,
smiling. " If you hke cookery books, I must get
you some more."
'=:«M'iir*'
THE BENEFACTRESS
said ATlSJefn U?n7j;7K ''7^ ^^ 8°«J r
brfore her wUh hfSfeft Lli- *=5""n'n« figure
tude. "This beauHfJr^!f"7''°" »"d gW
had every SSmhyA°^ """"^^ ^''e had
place to pJace from oL ■ i^'"^ *°' s^nt from
another, ever W shf l Vl*^'*?"* ^'^^s/rau to
perauaded that she hid ^ '^J'^'" »"' Anna!
of unspeakable despS ^'?''' ^r from depths
speechr " Don't tSf aCf ^ ""'^'"J-^^^ ^y this
tenderly " yo„ l^^ t!^"* deservmg." she said
were to^be happy no ' ittJ. *"f '^ '^ '^^ ^'^t ^^ you
the next fifty'^^^^'^-7'*''°"j ^^opping once for
right." ^ ^^"* '* *o"Jd onl^ be just and
»enrwrso''e"n&t?shr^"l,1 *'« «-«-
and kissed it ferventiv A ^T^^/°»a's hand
was going on and £• ""* '*"?hed while this
had Lt lant^ gir i«r H''*^^- Sh«
come it was TOnT^nl ' • "°w that it had
warming Ih^^uton^"'^'"^-^*"''*"' *"^ ^«S
the Fraflein's ne?k and kllT^'^P^'^'^^'y '°"nd
practically the first Wss^W l^""' ^".^ *« ^«
ceived, for the nerfifnof ** ^^ had ever re-
tantlydutifu aumsc^'S.f'"^^«« °^ '"^'"c-
Preti^ name. ^ ''^''^'y he called by that
iegc^nftol^fef^fevl''^^ ^^'l^''' "-
down, t-hat was the sup^r £lL'^ ' ^""^ "* «°
MMWLy
Ji^V-**-« liB^'
•so
THE BENEFACTRESS
And they went downstairs together, appearing
in the doorway of the drawing-room arm in arm,
as though thev had loved each other (or years.
"As though they were twins," muttered the
baroness to Frau von Treumann, who shrugged
one shoulder slightly by way of reply.
I (
CHAPTER XVI
first evening of the new ifff^ Kuhrauber, the
The Fraulfin, who entiSl th'/ '^'^^PPO'^^'nent.
under the impression of^,f """V '° ''Wily
awkward anrunco„Slrtau/'.'K"* ^'''' '^^^^'"^
caught sight of the oSS^ I •^''^'no'^ent she
quite pitfful sta?e nf ' ^'"J?- '"^^^ed, into a
Srough^forVet^tdme'SLfh?" °" ^^'"«
princess's critical and .m^, 1^^ ."■'"«« °f the
experience had nor^uffSn '^^- "^'
she made a series of ,n^f,fjP"""^^«' ^nd, as
one altogethe^rnsufficiffi ^'^ ''""^'^y^' ^^^^i"?
felt as though ThTcdH f '° «''^*.^ '^'^y- ^hf
through easfy iS h^^ ?^ T'^- P'^''^'"? her
inmost recess of^erci^'''?''^ discovered the
hidden, SrSemoJ^of^h" ±ma^ V° ^^^^^^^'^^
the princess looked at K s^drf.n • '7 *™^
sciousness of the Dostt«rn fl j ^" ^'^'^ ^on-
utterly refusin.^ tn h? .^ ^^"?^'' "P ^'thin her,
ing «cS&n that heT^f'^S ^^ '''' '°°'^'
thirty years That nK„; , '^?" ^"gelic for
those pureed lbs unit k'^ experienced eye and
she made no remarrwh^t!.'' '° '""PP^^^^ that
that followed%ut sat nrxttnT '^"""^ '^^ ^^^^^
231
j
^fc#iiaRP? y-a:- jpt^woi
*j»
THE BENEFACTRESS
fMtldious that Anna felt there really was some
slight excuse for the frequent and lengthy stares
that came from the other end of the table « Yet
she IS an immortal soul— what does it matter
^Zu^r^ Z/iime^rrj//- said Anna to herself.
What do such tnfle^ such little mannerisms,
really matter? I should indeed be a miserable
creature if I let them annoy me." But she turned
ousl toh"^' ^^^^^^^^' »"d taJlted assidu-
"there was no one else for her to talk to Frau
von Treumann and the baroness had seated them-
selves at once one on either side of the princess,
and devoted their conversation entirely to her.
In the drawing-room later on, the same thine
happened.— the three German ladies clusterine
together near the sofa, and the three EnelisH
^'."? .left -omehow to themselves, except for
I'raule'' Kuhrauber. who clung to them To
avoid uu» division into what looked like hostile
camps Anna pushed her chair to a place midway
between the groups, and tried to join, though not
very successfully, in the talk of each in turn.
Outward calm prevailed in the room, subdued
voices, the tranquillity of fancy-work, and the
peace of albums; yet Anna could not avoid a
chilled impression, a feeling as though each per-
son present were distrustful of the othere, and
more or less on the defensive. Frau von Treu-
mann. It is true, was graciousness itself to the
pnncess, conversing with her constantly and ami-
ably, and showing herself kind; but. on :\e other
hand, the pnncess was hardly graciru Frau
von Treumann. An unbiassed o' > >' . . ^yij
THE BENEFACTRESS
■U
u • *
both the advances of Fra" vo„ t""' "'""^'"?
the attentions of the baro^P«. "*i.^'*"'"'^n and
As for the b^^^nesTherd^t"^"^^ '°^^''''''-
respectability were bWn . *"* ''^ '° Anna's
forever wheA^oTwiCy '^^•"P'^te'y and
before supper. shS V u''^*'."*^-™^"' door
than the J^W DetfinTn''*^ ^J"^ » P«"on
The baroness Z spen fer if^ ■'*' °" '''^ «°^a-
tiny provincial town but .^- I '" ? "'"'°^^ and
t>Vn and Pen&famiHes tTb^ ^^* ^^*-
pnncess in her opinion S?nW^ "^'"^' ^'''^ a
gether precious and adml^w/ ^ f*"^**' *" alto-
sb-- miglit choos^ to do He^.''"'^ V"*V*^»*«^er
«t at ?est. but he°S" as far r^'"' *""' *^^«
cemed showed no sien^ 5 .f ^""'^ ^« con-
amiability and her eS to nJi5*'"«- ^" ''^r
pression were lavished on A^i^-'^"''^ * «°«' ™-
teing by birth aTd marri * CSdt? •""'""
the baroness had vet met «nlu ?'^"°«st person
properly, had no dfmpiS an^d^ not?^" *°"«"«
her hand. She looked on I'ti • ^^ *° ^^'°^^
irritation at the eSv mannl* '"u"S[*^ *^« and
Treumann trelt^thTs !lj",'!,^"^'' ^'^^ ^on
teemed as though she w^rl ''^.^- .^.* ^''^^^^
Really these TSmf„L f Patronising her.
race; audadous E^st P ^^'^ \ b^'^zen-hced
thought theSves L'LS"S?r bSf^"^' ^''^
st.in branch; anru^X^.^iVtZrilS
ills' ''f&m%M'
«34
THE BENEFACTRESS
brother whose end was so abrupt — had been
Sthtri fowl-run that wanted mending
J^lL. ^^^^'■'Is of the front door, and thaf
the door standing open all day long, he had fr^
quently met fowfs walking about in the haH and
passages Vet remembeSng the brother's stoS
and how there was no shadow of the sort resS
h J'r°*r .^"^^ ^°" Treumann, though L shf
had a son thei-e was no telling how long Lr shad-
seT with^M ^' '^l*' '''' '^"^ ^ in^SSe her-
self with that lady, who met her advances cooUy,
when^l^^J '"'V°T*'"g "'^^ responsivenes^
when Fraulein Kuhrauber was in question.
Fraulem Kuhrauber sat behind Letty and Miss
She t J^ ^^ T"^ ^ro™ the othe,^ as ^she cou d
kJft Sk! °''"'?^-"^".';h*"d.but she did not
kmt. She never knitted if she could avoid it and
was conscious that from want of pr^Sce her
needles moved more slowly than is^sS_so
S;^J."'''1?' ^ *e be conspicuous. Let^
fn^n^ ',"■ P''°t°g.'^.P»'s and was very kind to S
mstinctiveiy perceiving that here 4as someone
who was as uneasy under the tall lady's stares a^
the ^Jr.f- ^^' privately though her by f^
the best of the new arrivals, and wisLd she knew
iW S^ctn '"".I" *° '"^"'^^ '"to her views resp^c*
ng Schiller ; there was something in the Frauldn's
igre^iTsXlS." "-^'^ '-''^^^ ^'^y-^^^^
STouT^i^; t?^^ ^J '^'M"g exclusively to this
were'^vinrhl^T*'*''^^'" '" ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ers
were saying had been unsuccessful; and with a
THE BENEFACTRESS
135
of it, she turned to Se?n T,^" '^i'"""''^ «"*
voted herself pore anr^ to he^ *"'• ^"'^ ^^-
baroIiYiraTo^voti^L'p"^'^'' '^-"''^d ^^e
"The Miss find^he coL^'^r -^ Treumann.
quite ethereal next to her" ^'*'°"''' ^°°^^«
" Do you think her pretty ? » askoH th. k
nounceTDe iS^^ualUen- "°J^^"* ^^^ -
got up and went^out THr "? T'!,^' "'^ ^""a
walked down Se bncr ;^^ '^^*5*'^*^ '^^'- ^ she
disappeaJlegan to^diSs h"er*'*'" ^''^ ''^^
ease, their rapid Gennan K^f '?'°'^ ^* ^^^eir
hensible to Le'tty STmLuV^^ '"^""P-
"SleTas'^o^e^rSLto"!;^'^-*^^----
the princess. ^ ^'^ *° her inspector," said
..^fj"; s^'d Frau von Treumann
" These FnoriJck' ° ^^^ Pnncess.
von Trfumfnt ^'" WW r"^"^^ ^^^^•" ^^'^ ^^au
would you find with £, m^T'" ^'""^ °^ '^^'- ^8^
prise? -^ ^^'^ ^ ""c** energy and entlr-
I
»36
THE BENEFACTRESS
"Is she SO very young?" inquired the baroness,
with a look of mild surprise.
"Why, she is plainly little more than a chUd."
said Frau von Treumann.
" She is twenty-five," said the princess.
Rather an old child," observed the baroness.
i)he looks much younger. But twenty-five is
surely young enough for this life, away imm her
own people," said Frau von Treumann.
Yes — why does she lead it? " asked the baron-
ess eager V. , "Can you tell us, Frau Prinzessin ?
fS^ *i^" quarrelled with all her friends ? "
Miss Estcourt has not told me so."
*i. " ?•"* ,h "*"** ,*'*^^ quarrelled. Eccentric as
the tnghsh are, there are limits to their eccen-
tricity, and no one leaves home and friends and
country without some good reason." And Frau
von Treumann shook her head.
"She has quarrelled, I am sure," said the
baroness.
" I *'«!« so too," said Frau von Treumann : " I
thought so from the first. My son also thought
sa You remember Karlchen, princess?"
" Perfectly." ■
" I discussed the question thoroughly with him.
of course, as to whether I should come here or not.
1 confess I did not want to come. It was a great
wrench, giving up everything, and going so far
from mv son. But after all one must not be self-
ish. And F;rau von Treumann sighed and paused.
Wo one said anything, so she continued: " One
feels, as one grows older, how great are the claims
of others. And a widow with only one son can
do so much, can make herself of so much use
THE BENEFACTRESS
ways been the first to LSS' °" ""^^ ''ave al^
to the friendless, how isl Tht *>''"f ^*etic hand
Depend upon it. she hi hS ^^°" ^-es'tate now?
W needs countenance and hi^'^'^' ^* ''""e
encumbrances. Yo! can ^n '^^ ^o" have no
other^ You must ^Srd^^ T^ "^''y ^h^n
Aad that decided me^ ^* * S°°d work.'
-totes'^^^^^^^
von Treumann. « ^X^5" if^*'^^*^^^^ ^^ F^au
of deep interest. « Thtse Lf^^ '^"^ '" ^ ^O'ce
^^«- .i,rr&^» '"'^^ were your reasons?
steady eyes. « Tho^ vSre^v ^it P^"''^« but
^,/Mf-* work of charity"^ ''"^ '■^^^°"«- I
-"l^gtrU""^-"-™^^^
baroni* ' ''teree'S T'*^"^- '*'"P"* - the
von Treumann? * y°" entirely.'dear Frau
von Vtmann^'^S .^disguise." went on F^u
Jve here but poJ^'fU^^^^^^^y for me^o
husband's death—,^ °^^" since mv dear
:Perfectiy'*^°" «»»^™her Kari, prS Jf >'
formrsii^leiSnte^a^nH'i ^i^^" ''^^ sufficient
of altering VS«MliS"°^^'r^ '^'■^^^^^^^^
not been so ajpealing » ^«t«"rt s lettere had
.38
THE BENEFACTRESS
'^ Ack — they were appealing ? "
" Oh, a heart of stone would have been melted
by them. And a widow's heart is not of stone, as
you must know yourself. The orphan appealing
to the widow — it was irresistible.'
" Well, you see she is not by any means alone,"
said the princess cheerfully. " Here we are, five;
of us counting the little Letty, surrounding her..
So you must not sacrifice yourself unnecessarily."
"Oh, I am not one of those who having put
their hand to' the plough "
" But where is the plough, dear Frau von Treu-
mann ? You see there is, after all, no plough."
" Dear princess, you always were so literal."
" Ah, you used to rep- jach me with that in the
old days, when you ' • -ote poetry and read it to
me and I was rude .lOugh to ask if it meant
anything. We did i . think then that we should
meet here, did we ? "
" No, indeed. And I cannot tell you how much
I admire your courage.
- ^
me with
" My courage ? What fine qualities you invest
" Miss Estcourt has told me how admirably you
discharge your duties here. It is wonderful to me.
You are an example to us all, and you make me
feel ashamed of my own uselessness."
"Oh, you underrate yourself. People who
leave everything to go and help others cannot
talk of being useless. Yes, I look after her house
for her, and I hope to look after her as well."
" After her i Is that one of your duties ? Did
she stipulate for personal supervision when she
engaged you ? How times are changed I When
irjH'
THE BENErACTREss.
ray Kari was aliv^ ,«j ,• **'"^
housekeeper should klenZl ^°^^'i^^^ that my.
my house." '^^ "'^ '" o«ier as well «
T^irES.''"^""^ ^-^ F«u von'
you to go." ^ *^ **^>' *"™ round and request
not Ssl7s"Se"'>' '^PP^"' ^"* I hope it will '
ban|^tS^;^hersopretty?"p,,,„,,^
a?prehfnd fterP^'^'Sked'Fl?'^ '^V"" ^^^n
with a look of amuseiSnt ^n" ''°" .Treumann
always did take your dnt;« • Pnncess. you
a treasure you would ha,S L'° n"°"''y- ^^at
.ways Itis-'admirable But^n" *° ?^ '" ""any
include watching over m^° iT ^""^^^ '^'"^^Y
For I suppose you arP^hJ^u^ Estcourt's heart?
" I am tl^inkiCof !i ^'"«^ °' ^er heart? "
cess. •' Any yoll^^t^'^'V^'^r said the prin-
natu.^,ybe^dSghfedTsSeThis"°"^>^ "°""^
and Klemwalde And tho« u y?""g Jady
money have debts wn^w Tf^ ,^''° '"stead of
deli«:hW" And thTprincet'^^'j: ^' ^*'" ">°^
pens.ye,y but steacSlyTt JiV'Von T™ ^^^'^
No she said, takine ud hfr T " Treumann.
not thinking of her Lart kT'T^.^^^'"' " I was
«he might & put to Y;,^* ^ }^^ annoyance
heart would easily be touched " °'^ *^^* ^er
•40
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna came in at that moment for a paper she
wanted, and heard the last words. " What," she
said, smiling, as she unlocked the drawer of her
writing-table and rummaged among the contents,
"you are talking about hearts? You see it is
true that women can't be together half an hour
without getting on to subjects like that If you
were three men, now, you would talk of pigs/'
Then, a sudden recollection of Uncle Joachim
coming into |ier mind, she added with conviction,
" And pigs are better."
Nor was it till she had closed the door behind
her that it struck her that when she came into the
room both the princess and Frau von Treumann
were looking pretematurally bland.
m,«r
CHAPTER XVII
lettere, and thoS'vou IZ^l"^^ '^^ «* the
"Oh. I don't Wint aJL *'1S'^* *em."
isn't it so?" "*"**'« o% an excuse. Now
:Notinthl*i^,et.I?^— >-«
toosoCnrS^d Jr^Sto'Teer*^ °"^ -'-»^
door, your plan isS Are th!!!! T *'/'^* *«
What a pile I » HeVface fdl ^ '^"^" **
Yo^^^nra^^dithSeSoTh-- •'-•-
thernT^ ^°" ''° °°* seeni pleased to get
.."91' yesi I am; but I am HmJ ♦ • l
the idea of nine moii ia!S , to-mght. and
feel sleepy." ""^ '^dies makes me feel —
Ml
! 1^!
»4«
THE BENEFACTRESS
She stood under the lamp, holding the packet
loosely by its strine and smiling up to him. There
were shadows in her eyes, he thought, where he
was used to seeing two cheerful little lights shin-
mg, and a famt ruefulness in the smile.
"^Vell, if you are tired vou must go to bed," he
teid, msuch a matter of fact tone that they toth
laughed. ' >
"u °' ^ mustn't," said Anna ; " I am on my way
to Herr Dellwig at this very moment. He's in
there, she said, with a motion of her head towards
the dmmg-room door. « tell me," she added,
Idwenng her voice, "have you got a brick-kiln at
LiCthm r
^^'^A^ brick-kiln? No. Why do you want to
" But why haven't you got a brick-kiln ? "
"Because there is nothing to make bricks with.
Lohm IS almost entirely sand."
" He says there is splendid clay here in one
part, and wants to build one."
' "Who? Dellwig?"
"Sh — sh."
" Your uncle would have built one lone aeo if
there really had. been clay. I must look at the
place he means. I cannot remember any such
place. And it is unlikely that it should be as he
Srkind'hL%."°* '^'^ ^"^ propositions of
..1',}^"^°^^^ *=^s* *»eaps to set it going, wouldn't
" Yfes, artd probably bring in' nothing at all."
'f But he tnes tortiake Out that it would be quite
cheap. He says the timber could all begot oiA
THE BENEFACTRESS
dl^'afe ^^ ^ar the thought of cuttilg
,;:But he talks ffialfiriint'n'^^^^^^
heasnght He told me ist„^% seems that
double th^„^^^ theeUte-"""^'''^* '* ''""W
„ I aon t believe it."
the tip of the finger "£ harf L^^ j'^t''^ '"ed on
'oop of string that tfed thf i^^*'^'^ *''™"gh the
she watched ft as the oact.H"^'^ *°g«her, and
Axel laughed
man who dij want to Lt d 7^" ''^''"^ «' a
give anything to be men " °^ °^ *°'"^" ^ould
..Andjouareoneof ihem?'
He laughed again.
?He S^ltfhiijS'^ ffL^rr^l""^^ --'"
immediatelyfand with k ^^.n K^ ^^^^e sober
"'om door liie conTnuel !?lt f ' 'H^'^Ht dining^
^eak. My sister Susie savs '° ^°'"'^ *° ^d
P-haps I was wi-th her. bTdli^-JeS^t
n -^
I
»44 THE BENEFACTRESS
different eflFects on one." She sank her voice to
a whisper, and looked at him anxiously. " You
<an t think what an ^ort it is to me to say No to
that man." '
"What,toDellwig?"
"Sh— sh." *
" But if that is how you feel, my dear Miss Est-
court. It is very evident that the man must go."
" How easy it is to say that! Pray, who is to
tell him to go?"
'' I will, if you wish."
" If you were a woman, do you suppose you
would be able to turn out an old servant who has
worked here so many years ? "
" Yes, I am sure I would, if I felt that he was
gettmg beyond my control."
" No, you wouldn't. All sorts of things would
stop you. You would remember that your uncle
specially told you to keep him on, that he has been
here acres, that he was faithful and devoted "
" I do not believe there was much devotion."
" Oh yes, there was. The first evening he cried
about dear Uncle Joachim."
" He cried ? " repeated Axel incredulously.
" He did indeed.'' '
" It was about something else, then."
" No, he really cried about Uncle Joachim. He
really loved him."
Axel looked profoundly unconvinced.
" But after all those are not the real reasons,"
said Anna; "they ought to be, but they're not.
The simple truth is that I am a coward, and I am
frightened — dreadfully frightened — of possible
scenes." And she looked at him and laughed
4PPMriv t^ W-'
■THE BENEFACTRESS
be. Please coSr t^J* ;f«7 thin« would
"'"jrgoJonSS^^rtanVA' ^'^^" -• ' hope, on
everything Tdoi'i ^Z ^o*"/^'^o*° «y No to
^"fh if you knew wha tW m"' y°" *°"W
why cannot the place a« ** .^"^ cost me.
perfectly satisfied Xt SX f." '"'"' ' «™
out some wonderful new dTJ^ tj"^ P^^^" with-
me, and he talks — oh L^u '^'"« ^^^ before
be would convince eJeAy^^ '=«^^«' ^ believi
Axel ?n7Toi'i''^/l^rir .-^^V'said
commonly being Iou??3ces 1^'"' °^ »"««'
the effect of three doo« 1^- ^ .°"« produced
opened: the doorleadi^g tS"Sf ^"""Itaneou^y
ters, through whirh lu, ^ , *?* servants' quar.
cally of weddinV the%J ^^" '° t*''' Prophets
which DellwigTad g^Jn "^-r^'^°°' b^bfnd
^ent at bein| kept*^waTt^ ""'^ ^J''^ """^ '"Pa-
*!r«^-room^dooTorSe«^^^r^°"/= ^"'^ «"«
the baroness had been ?fnl« • "x^"*^ °' which
ments. desiring to go uosfer^J'"" ^°»« "o-
hesitating to fntei^pt A?i» A' • ^ '""°"' ^"t
I' 1
n •
i i
w-wmi^m^jK 4'. «.% m^ii
»46
THE BnNEPACniESS
went back (quickly to her seat " The Miu is
talking to ijMM£* //trr," she announced, her eyes
wider open than ever.
" A jMHg* Htrr ? " echoed Frau von Treumann.
" I thought the inspector was old ? "
"It must be Axel Lohm/'said the princess, not
raising her eyes from her work. "He often
comes in,"
" He comes courting, evidently," said the baron-
ess with a sub-acid smile.
"It has nbt been evident to me," said the
pnncess coldly.
"I thought it looked like it," said the baroness,
with more meekness.
" J* .that the Lohm who was engaged to one of
the Kiederfels girls some years ago ?^' asked Frau
von Treumann.
"Yes, and she died."
"But did he not many soon afterwards? I
heard he married."
"That was the second brother. This one is
the eldest, and lives next to us, and is single."
Frau von Treumann was silent for a moment.
Then she said blandly, " Now confess, princess,
that Af is the perilous person from whom you
think It necessary to defend Miss Estcourt."
" Oh no," said the princess with equal bland-
ness ; " I have no fears about him."
" What, is he too possessed of an invulnerable
heart?"
" I know nothing of his heart. I swd, I believe,
adventurers. And no one could call Axel Lohm
an adventurer. I was thinking of men who have
run through all their own and all their relations'
TOE BENBFACTRESS ,
Ath so, saicf Fran vnt, -r
(ect urbanity. Andif tM. fT^"!"""" w'th per-
Miss Estcourt from adve^tui'' ">"' P'^tecting
there were apparentlv „„ k '"."P'^'^e where
kind, but only treeS anrf ° "u '" '^'"«« ^^ any
a bystander to J^U^fsh^.^^"' »"?'«''' ^'^"^ to
wa8luminousneMiSKHl'*° '''^ ^I^'''''^" 't
their Jove for each oiher "° ^^^ "'<^^e^««d
and''sS'"Lf^"SoVS'cing thro ,,e door
bowed wit! his c^'stoma??e«L^"''f- '''«^"'^' ''"d
thousand times DaXn^k*^^'"^"^"- "^bega
gracious MiS" a^stngted'an^''^ "{.'''""^''^ »^e
and I was about to go^S"'^ *°"''' ""* -^turn,
Anna «.Wly°""^u?ii,P*P^^»"d am coming," said
An I wasn't I nVht ? " ck<i 1 -j
are determined to"Sk at the^?' """"f " "^"^
can a man be so^o. • •;• 'i^* arnvals. How
good-night all the SfT^K ,f*{.^ ^ ^"W
Herr Dellwig. and sS no/j^*" ''^ ^S« *ith
shook hands with him InS ^^ ^?" ^g^'"-" She
room Dellwig^SanXasidrJitrr^'^'"^^^^^
to let her pass. But she tnmL^ ^^P '"^^Pect
to him as he shut the doo"^^H I T ^"'"ething
expression of her face ih^lf ^u^' '=^"8''* the
the profound dfstrust o?sera"nd 'j°'^''°'"?» it,
the princess with an unusuiliv ^ '^^"*' ^'^ t^
mmed look on his owa ^ severe and deter-
'i
"Wb-i^^mk^^ftL
t4«
THE BENEFACTRESS
mood, "-that young man." he said to his wSk
flanging his hat and coat on to a chair and hin^
seK on to a sof^" is thrusting himself more and
more into our affairs."
" That Lohm ? » she asked, rolling up her work
preparatory to fetching his evening drink.
Kr,vu u-i cu°^* sot the Miss to consent to the
Dnclc-kiln She was quite reasonable, and went
out to eet the plan I fiad mad Then she met
mm — he is always hanging about."
"And then?" inquired Frau Dell wig e. Mrly.
K«„ ^^~ ^* petticoat government — having to
beg and pray for the smallest concession — it
makes an honest man sick."
" She will not consent? "
"She came back as obstinate as a mule. It all
had to be gone into again from the beginning."
She will not consent ? " 6 8-
adviS he'rl^ ^°*"° *°"'*^ '°°'' ** ** P'^'^ *nd
^-ik^^.u" T^i"-'"'^^ ^'^" Dellwig, crimson
TOth wrath. "Advise her? Did you not tell her
that you. were her adviser ? "
"You may be sure I did. I told her plainly
enough,! fancy that Lohm had nothing to say
here, and that her uncle had always listened to
a!L „«f "^J^fV* speaking, as she generally
does, not even looking at me -I neve? can bi
sure that she is even listenine."
"And then?" *
"I asked her at last if she had lost confidence
in me.
"And then?"
'Ib^J^.
THE BENEFACTRESS
ness, An4's way of sS^?'!^*'' «"** '''"^r-
my words, Fra^ she is^s^ w^i?^™*"' " ^"^
her obstinacy and th^ i?7^*'' =" water for all
Her can al^j:; rn^n^trtun^'^'^ "''^ ^'^'^ *°
_ Then you mustT)e the last person »
she too stopped sho~ThrKl'",'^'«:''"t
enough wharwoui?25 J^?,£H^ Jnew^l
a S o?&u°l!fh' tKS"-''^ ^r« *° «-
Anna's arrival th^Vf5 jT'?*- Ever since
farmers St^pSors S * ""g^^^ouring
them on their coiSSfeS ^.- TS'^*"'ating
ner of contJrfZ of r^n''''*'°" '™'" all man-
lady would S;e the1dS^ra«^°""A'«"°"'°*
entirely in her insoertoTK ?°" °^ i*^"" estate
activitlles. as lScam?!^°l a^A f "^"'"« ^^'
bills. Dellwi^h1,T„ J y u ''"■'''• *° paying the
be so, and h^f ^^J^} ^ted that ThiV^ould
the diflFerent^laSe had S- '''°"*'""'"^ °^
carry out. The fc«ta?« .T ^-^u ?"'' "^ «o'ng to
ticafly master waslo £.0 *'"'^'' ''^ ^^ ""* P^-
inceL?tre:t"4''riSrd«--^^^^^^^
direction, of its oD^«tm„= T?if ^"^nt, m every
Ml
I- JJ\^
tjo
THE BENEFACTRESS,
sM^ nf S?«1^ '"i''^'^°'"°^ * P'«« o" the Other
uSd h;^?n r*^' ^""^ °"V"^ ^""^ constantly
urged him to have one too; but old Joachim, with-
out illusions as to the quality of thi clay, a^^by
theS'n'.? ?r' '° ^ "^^'^ •"*« diibelievinj
InH nllf ? f u^'iu °*" ^y"' ^°"'d not hear of i?
and Dellwig felt there was nothing to be done in
t n'hul''^' I'^^'i* i^("^'- The Jrien?triumph"
ig in his own bnck-kiln and his own more pliable
master, jeered, dug him in the ribs at The Sunday
gatherings and, talked of dependence, obedienc/
toiXT't^'^''^ ^"^'^ f"«"^« ^re diS
l«=v %"".''' '=°'"Posure; and Dellwig. and still
Ihl. .If ^^' iu "^"^ '"""^'^^ P^^t l^^d hi ^dly been
able to bear the word "brick " mentioned in their
voun.','; f ^^'" ^"T" "PP^"«d °" *e scene so
young, so foreign, and so obviously foolish Dell-
Mag^ certain now of success, told hif friend on the
ve^ first Sunday night that the brick-kiln was now
a mere matter of weeks. Always ?, boaster he
could not resist boasting a little too^soon £ dS
he felt vetv sure; and the friend, too, had taken it
forgrantecT. when he heard of the impending youne
mistress, that the thing was as good as ffi ^
AnJrL7' '" ^'"'f- J* *^ ''°* the end of
Alu -w^ ^''^'y ^""*^^y *he friend inquired when
the building was to be begun, and every SundS
lonir ^ t1? '^ ^'^••i'd begin when the Sys grew
grown m a few weeks to their longest, as the friend
repeatedh: pointed out, and still nothin^S been
th.lr- -Zl^^ ""any people who do not^care what
their ne^hbours think of them, the torments of the
two I>ellw.g3 because of the unbuilt brick-kiln w?U
TjpmmjsMi' mi'^Mi.^.
wm
THE BENEFACTRESS
be incomprehensible. Yet thes^ fr,r«,««*
acute that in the weaker m«™ ?-^"*® **'■- so
ion of their neighbou% ^ The good opin-
of their neighbTrsl^aTtoTh'^J^/^''^. the envv
oftheirnostrils. In thdr U .^ ^''^ ^^"^ '''■^^*'^
first, the undisputeSy luckiest H.I "^T' ^f.'^^
off. Anypoinil^rt^^^JSlVul^^^^
Manskes,from which thet hli L '''""^!: *° ^^^
lous respect shown Mm k; ^™' *^ "^'^u-
mad chTSable schem?' ^nynr""*'"" ^'* ''^^
'i^lt::
: eyes, and hating he? with a hearti
ness
»s»
THE BENEFACTRESS
uJ" rl^ 1? i^„ ^^^ SnglanSrin wiU ruin
-^f* Cr»«, if he would die I " exclaimpri Pr,„
reopie never die when anyth mg depends on it"
he grumbled, turning over on his side AnVC"
cursed Axel several Les. Z Jent t slefp"'^ ''"
CHAPTER XVni
other everymormW as eS'^"!? *° ?^et eai
fresh, so strong solustv*^^ ^ goddesses; so
«der the newl^riSn and 'th° '^'^"^.' '''d he coS
^ust of necessftyT U S^l T'-^'"'f ^P^nited
Expenence. that hopelessly orSl?"^ ^^'^^' ""d
never ^ves us any hoidavs^v^ *" governess who
?/ >t. >or what is to b«com; rf7K^'"^^'j:,^'«Poses
.f only one in a company T^"' tJ^.S^^-like pood
aged and old. who ab6und^n Ji ^^^ ^'^^le-
seldom god-like, and are nevS S:^tT^rh "^
The mori na after fk^ • ^. ** ''reakfast.
Anna woke uf b the^rue'^'S °' ^''^ ^^'°^".
She had been brought bS t?I!!"T'' ^^"'P^''
of realities from the%py*°jJ^„/'yPy world
the sun of an unusually £LrT„ ?/ I^P^-ns by
her face. She had oZtooLl^^u^ "''•^''g °n
be convnced that all which l^K^f ,'^"''°^ ^
of blessings. Just beneath her ^^^^'^ ^ f»«
grass was a double chS tri '•„''fl"'^°'" °° t^^e
quisite th ne to loolr ^^V^ '." ^ower. an ex-
and the bei ^uijf J^^jts" blS* *'^ T^'^'^^
reasoning joyfuln"es, fk"? ■ '''?s?oms. The un-
sfon of hVhVart XneSr "tr'"?.'°°'' P°«^-
&' -ThVtjl ~^^^^^^
world that She r-;i^-t^^^^^^
■N
»S4
THE BENEFACTRESS
was manifestly a place in which to be happy.
Everything she saw was very good. Even the
remembrance of Dellwig was transfigured in that
clear light. And while she dressed fhe took her-
self seriously to task for the depression of the
night before Depressed she had certainly been •
and why? Simply because she was overexcited
and over-tired, and her spirit was still so mortify-
ingly unable to rise superior to the weakness of
her tiresome flesh. And to let herself be made
wretched by Dellwig, merely because he talked
loud and had convictions which she did not
share I 1 he god-hke morning mood was strong
upon her, and she contemplated her listless sell
of the previous evening, the self that had sat so
long despondently thinking instead of going to
be£ with contempt. These evening intervfews
with Dellwig, she reflected, were a mistake He
came at hours when she was least able to bear his
wordiness and shouting, and it was the knowledge
of his impending visit that made her irritable &-
forelund and ruffled the absolute serenity that
She felt was alone ^propriate in a house dedi-
Jk^l^t °i!*?T .?"* i^ T^ °°^ ""Jy Dellwig and
the bnck-kiln that had depressed her- she had
actually had doubts about her three new friends,
doubts as to the receptivity of their souls, as to
the capacity of their souls for returning love At
one awful moment she had even doubted whether
they had souls at all, but had hastily blown out
the candle at this point, extinguishing the doubt
at the same ime, smothering it beneath the bed-
clothes arid falling asleep at once, after the fash-
ion ot healthy younj^ p)eo->Ie.
HJHp^' i^#^
M 4
THE BENEFACTRESS
calmly oter tfe interview ^L^Tu'^^ *°"ght
intennew that had ien th^c'h.Vf"" " ^^ ^^^'
dejectioa Frau von Tr^,,! u f^"^^ ^^ her
untruth, a quite Zous and I ^^ '°^^ ^'' ^"
the face of the rnrr« j ^^^^''^ untruth in
of her cominglo wSnSdrih^ V° ^''^ ^-^
had only come af fl,» ■ . . ^he had said she
looked ui^n AnUasa^de^'^ °^ ^'' «°" i'
■And Anna had lien hurtTa!7K^ °^'^''' °^ help,
hie. by the paltriness of tWs fib^ h" '""''^ ""■«^'^-
was to reach her friends' sonl« ".^': P^^* desire
the beautiful intimacy in^v 2 ..''"'"'^'i;' *° ^"^^n
« unnecessary; and so Httle di?V'"^"''*'^^«°»
•nann understand her that iLl /[^" ^""^ ^reu-
ship that was to be for Se tltt'f ''"S"" ^ ^iend-
would not have misled a child B?,^ ""''i'*^ '^"^^
of sleep and a gracious A nril« "• ^^ ^^^ effect
shabbiness and pahrinesf ^^ thTfiK "^- 7^^ ^'9
heart jream over the pSrhdv } '^,^^\Anmi
that tried to hide its wonnH^ .purely the pride
pitiful flimsiness t^sp72unA^ \j^?' °f «"ch
such pride, all falefrSm AnJ'P^*''^'''^^ With
hut real and painful erT.ch . -f ^^'"^ °^ view,
necessity that drove her f.^^ 'ts possessor, the
must have been more cmJthlT^' ^?"^'« "^^r
cruel, generally is. He^hUrf "^^^^''i^^' ^^^^J^
fnend as she dressed anH?.^^^?^^ °ver her
.ness that must S Ss ^ J,.' '^* '^'* ^''^ ^«^k-
■ng love. For nobSv sh. "' f'^^^^^ '■^quir-
he unless driven to h^byfearT"'^' ^""^'^ 'ver
If. then, it made h.l iTo^I^^ °^^0'"^. "'""-•-
happy, and made" hefHfe
»S6
THE BENEFACTRESS
easier, let her thii that Anna believed she had
come for her sake. What did it matter ? No one
was perfect, and many people were surprisinelv
pathetic. "* '
Meanwhile the day was glorious, and she went
downstairs with the springy step of hope. She was
thinkmg exhilarating thoughts, thinking that there
were to be no ripples of misgivings and misunder-
standmgs on the clear surface of this first morn-
ing. They wojuld all look into each othere' candid
eyes at breakfast, and read a mutual conscious-
ness of interests henceforward to be shared, of
happiness to be shared, of life to be shared, —
the life of devoted and tender sisters.
The hall door stood open, and the house was
full of the smell of April ; the smell of new leaves
budding, of old leaves rotting, of damp earth, pine
needles, wet moss, and marshes. " Oh, the lovely
lovely morning I" whispered Anna, running out
on to the steps with outstretched arms and up-
turned face, as though she would have clasped all
the beauty round and held it close. She drew in
a long breath, and turned back into the house
singing in an impassioned but h^-suppressed
voice the first verse of the Magnificat. The door
leading to the kitchen opened, and to her surprise
Baroness Elmreich emerged from those dark re-
gions. The Magnificat broke off abruptly. Anna
was surprised. Why the kitchen ? The baroness
saw her hostess's figure motionless against the
light of the open door; but the light behind was
strong and the hall was dark, and she thought
It was Anna's back. Hoping that she had not
been noticed she softly closed the door again
THE BENEFACTRESS
»^' ™"^ ^' ■■■ " - *e';^r^i';;Si,?g"
" ThlfT K. 'Tj;^;! *« prince, heanily.
f»n «e. Notice Ihe a3™„„„ i"™ !'=P' "eU, I
m to breakf„t "nd nM ™|1^ ""i-S straight
i»^ A^i'/Ste^'^J ;° ""ve .!» best,"
have guests here.'^ *^ ^"P' "when I
toldll^L^^-SK"'" '"'"^- ^^-'Je. you
here r ^'^"^ "^- "« the baroness not been
_"No, she is still in bed."
we« with heT.-- "■ ' '"°'"^'^* ^°- I thought you
tesledten^-^^^^^^^^^^
Le^ than nine hours ,Z %tf n ^^^J"^' '=«*?
my bedroom and talke?much i°"°Yl'^ "^ '"to
tl^i^r^^^«-K^^^^
^
.m^'MM^^'^^
»58
THE BENEFACTRESS
SJ^ T^" l^t '=°"t'n"fd- " Axel Lohm stayed so
late I think he wanted to speak to you. But you
went straight up to bed." '
" I had seen him before he went in to you. He
didnt want to speak to me. He was consumed
by curiosity about our new friends."
them wlf Lu'^l*^''' "°* '^°'^ '""'='' '"te«st in
fU u. r ^"'^'^ *° ""^ "^^'■•y all the time. He
Af^'jf "T'."* *t' '^^ ''"^^ the baroness
Z^ri^' R f'?w ''*]'"'■ ^* fi"' »"d seemed
suipnsed. Bujt i turned out that she was only
lin^-^'^w ^^ ''?"^ She had evidently never
t»il ^™,'^^°'-«- ^t « a great pleasure to me to
while Anna ate her toast.
"So it is to me," said Anna,
nff'l ''^^.'^et "lanv people in my life, and have
often wondered at the dearth of nice ones -how
ew there are that one likes to be with and wishS
decTdedT"" "^ ^"' " °"' °^ *^ '^^'
" So he is," agreed Anna,
face "^''^'^^ '* goodness written on every line of his
I 'L?^l^l ^^ the kindest face. And so strone.
I feel that If anything happened here, anything
dreadful that he would make it righi a^in af
once. He would mend us if we got smashid, and
us thifh^P fTV\ *e got burned, and protect
us, this houseful of one women, if ever anybody
tned to run away with us." And Anna n^ded
reassuringly at the princess, and took another piece
of toast "That is how I feel about him.^she
said. So agreeably certain, not only of his
THE BENEFACTRESS
was so kind, so good S s^mnS tf "' **'*^"- "«
admired strengtHT' ou,^« ^- ^^o* much she
nerrd^!Sr£f=^K-^
-4 "hi'm^.^^ 't:^^;.:,^^ An„:: .^^^^^^^^
ask her if she JiS7t li L ^ *°"y""* «^<^n
a good thing for her hat rn^ ? '"'"*' *^* '* ^^^
have chosel my sonTn. Ll ^ £f '^ ^ ' ^^ ''^"' ^
come to church and mar™^- > Z"""" ''^t- and
an end of /L? "^ ''""• ^"^ 'here'd be
empl'o^mCtrfryiJ^i^^^^^^^^^^ - unprofitable
could not but SM what hXh uf^ ! ''^"«^- She
after the touchbg mantr of"!^-/^ ^""* = '^^
vinced of the supfrioJftv nf *"^°'^'' ^« <^on.
of real happHSllZ ""^'""^ge. as a means
other fo™ of occupaSr^v'f '^^ ""'^ ^'^^
talke. of him s£ w^ Zf J^* "whenever she
agreement and finklnSusiaL^thf"^ """"I^
being taken out of her m.^ff^' ^^/^n. words
praises o^ him Jo^bled" ndteble'd' S" °*"
promising friendship, but it wa?a 1,, i T' *
promising prelude to love singularly un-
"th'e ot£":S? r/oS "f''" '''SS^ Anna ;
not have cold stuff "H^ '^°^" '°°"' ^"'^ """st
the mere mendo?of«theoSer-''K*'"^^^ ^*
and Axel, both of .,i,T^^ ^fj^^^P^ces.
Id
^^mm^Fmf^^MM^ m^.
i«o
THE BENEFACTREM
iZJ^A °" ^^^ ^'^^^ '°"«=»' »« the princess
had already noted. There was nothing in either
»^„2l '° ^'P**' '° that side of her Sature. tf.u-
tender, mother side, which is in all good wom< .
and most bad ones. They were Tier frif,,.
suunch fnends. she felt, and of course she lil- ;
and respect«l them; but they were sturdy. . a.jc-
ble people, firmly planted on their own fee , iHe
to battie successfully with life -as differenv \s
SToiJS, TA*"" V^'P'l" °"^« *ho needed her,
whom she had iaved. to whom she was everythinir
M ^sWeld " "'"^ **"' ''"'' *°'™'^ ^^^ *^ ^^*
mJr° °/v'i''^ l^^'P'^P """^ *=»"><= '" at that mo-
ment, with frosty, early-morning faces. Anna put
the vision she had seen at the kitchen door from
fter mind, and went to meet them with happy
smiles and greetings. Frau von Treumann id
r L .u° ":espond warmlv, but it was very early
to be enthusiastic, and at that hour of the day she
^ K^^"?T"^ *° ^'"8 "^ ""'« *^™"- Besides.
A^Mui 5 !l°.u°^^^ y/*' *"*^ her hostess evi-
dently had. and that made a great difference to
an^ kS""^"*^. ^^^ ^™"«» looked pinched
^i n^- ' ' u ''* "^ '^ ^"«^^ as ever to Anna,
said nothing about having seen her before, and
seemed to want to be left alone. So thai the
ill" take^^ac^ '"*° ^^^ °*^'''* *^" '^'^ "°*' '^^^^
The princess waited to see that they had all
th« wanted. and then went out rattling her keys-
ta A V !? /"terval, during which Anna chat-
tered cheerful and ungrammatical German, and
the window was shut, and warming food eaten
THE BENEFACTRESS
F-u von Tr^umann became amiable and begl!
•t down to show S. A„H r*t"'- 'i^ '»'-°"Kht
'etter from him aiSy H. ''^^^ ''^'^ » '°ng
mother. Truly a ?cSf son^, ,^^'^'' "'^^''^^t* hi!
"I suppose 4" sS^Anlia """"^^ °^ W"
fixer t&Tn ' "rptr/" ^'^'^ --^ -cl
thought, "the son again ff- • i^^''" "^e
this morning the i^l^.ii;^* "JK^' the son.
^-tirr'^™-""^^^^^^^ The
'iPSfl7^:'^:l^ifjlf^^. - He notr
"Oh - becoming hV itS, """J"*^ uniform."
Especially on his h^oLe I Z'!u"'*°'?'''^ 'n '"t-
fnything but a hS beiu2^ of T ^'i^'"" ^
uniform. And he suits iV^Ti^ the charming
built, graceful figure /.r^ „ "^"'"^H ^ Hghtly
People^s feet, 'fe.^ von r n^" stumbles over
my poor foot last nieht ut"" j-^''^ '^^shed
scream. I never dfrf L^ • *« difficult not to
made by the n^e^^r 1 '^"""^ 'Hose long men
would go on fS evert?he^"" '' '''°"«^ ^^^Y
: He1> rat' er lonl"lg^'ed IZ "° ^f'""^'
.. " Heartwhoie." thfughf Fra^ "o ' 't'''"«-
. Tell me, dear Miss Eftcourt ~° J'-CHmann.
mg her hand on Anna's ^^^ ^'^' '^y-
"Butt°haISenT-'''"^^*-"«-"
Hk;'2sierhrili';L^r- ^earefo be
Anna." she said! tu.^trA£Sr^""^^^
■,^w
a6i
THE BENEFACTRESS
You are veiy good." said the baronew.
WelJ, my httle sister." said Frau von Treu-
mann. smiling, " my baby sister "
len'; T'/umann' " ''""^'^^ *^ ''*™"-- " E-^'"
no;;;a^l7h^nsl"tefof7or-°^ '">' ''^^ -"''^
buirSlf oneT''~"°* ' *^°'^ sister, perhaps.
"Well, as y^ou please. The idea is sweet to
JeH;r?,M.%*^°"l,? *° ^."f yo"-but Karlchen's
-such SkT''/"«^''"'^^>'-'"'='' *°"ghts in it
— such high Ideals " And she turned over
lo'^ol^rtT' ''^'^ ^"^ ''-^' ^^' •-«-
Ann^^.^^ written you a very long letter." said
Anna pleasant y; the extent to which the nose
ttrtfrc^n^ir"^'^"^^''---)^- w-
AcA netn — doch »w.»," murmured Frau von
1 reumann, turning the sheets over, and blowine
her nose harder than ever. o'owing
"It will come off," thought Letty. who had
s hpped in unnoticed, and «ls eating bS aS
butter alone at the further end of the table
Karkhen." "^' ^^''^ "^""^ "^^^ ^°^ **'
tinSTorbC- '"""« "''''^'' ^'^ "°^^ --
said^FlIf"^' %''^»"«"1. but sad -very sad,"
said Frau von Treumann, shaking her head de-
spondingly. "Poor boy _ poor *dear boy -he
■".•*.- -zs'- Tl^.
THE BENEFACTRESS
Oh. my dear Miss EstcJurtl 1^ ^ *^ '^i^-
-smiling faintiy-"! coul7n '^.""^ *hen"
you the wrench it was. the terrihl^ r' -tf"^"^^ ^^
Wmg him who forf^V^SS' r""^^^^r,nch,
five vears- has been niy ijr ^^ ^™ * ^'^o*
™tSir """ ''^'^'^"'•"-unnured Anna
^"f:^^S&---ss.sta.
»ent up K ;;„ jj^ "»"*'• The handketcTuet
J here was another silence tk- t.
Treumann wiped her evS anA Jt*"" ^'^" ^O"
*f' n. .. Now he wr[tes^Sat ttn k ? ^''^ '^Wer
been away two davs fivl d- , "«^ ' have only
stationed at, it S, ,? ^j''*,'> ^''^ ^^.n he is
b°y' He L qu'^esi^tl^ '■> years. P^oV
poor boy ^' And ^^ ~,''i*'^" *° th'"s-
readaIou'd.-..Imustsee ' '™K ^. "«J^- -"d
from fame to time. I ha/^"' t ''\ ^''^' ^'"^.
would be like this, or I couW n/^ "i" ^^P^'^tion
go. Pra^ beg Miss Estcou?-^'.'"'''^^ ''' y°"
..._tS,°"»''tt''e baroness.
»°*"ow me to visit my mother occasion-
Ml
a£4
THE BENEFACTRESS
fooljsh boy-he is desperate — "And she
folded up the letter, shook her head, smiled and
baroneS ^^^"'"'»"'»- thought the unblinking
ent1^^•n'?n i*^ some perplexity. Sons had not
entered mto her calculations. In the corresoonH
^ce. she remembered, the son haf iSn Ughtfv
passed over as an officer living on h^ pay aS
without a superfluous penny for the suDi^rt of
his parent !^ot a word had been s^/^ any
it^^nU!' '?"^^" u"'''^*'"? ^'^^^ tS. Now
It appeared that the mother and son were aJI in
l'°dSu?"A ".r- P^— XTepaiSi'n
was dreadful A mother's love was a sentiment
that inspired Anna with profound respect B^
fore Its unknown depths and heights Te st«Si
in awe and silence. How could the a soinS
even faintly comprehend that sacrS^ fueling ?k
was a mysterious and beautiful emotion thit she
could only reverence from afar. Cleariy she must
not come between parent and child; bSt yS-
ft over' "^ '^' ^'"^ "^^ '""'^ ^-^^ to think
She looked rather helplessly at Frau von Treu-
K^^a'a^J^ ^:^ ^^' ''^"'^ a l'"le squeeze. The
hand did not return the squeeze, and the face
remained buried in the handkerchief. Wei k
would be absurd to want to cut off the son
THE BENEFACTRESS
**5
entirely from his mother U i,„
alJy to see her it could not n,..*"^'''^ occasion-
gave the hand a firS saueL^ "!i'' "'^''^' She
effort that she did™er b«t fn' ^"'^ "^l^ ^'^^ ^
must come then, when hf .. ''°T'^^' " B"* he
Jong way-didn't you sav v-"' u'.'' '"^ther a
night in Beriin?" ^ ^^ ^^^ ^ad to stay a
cri^d^^r^vt V™f n''°"'' -u'">' '^-^ Anna , "
chief from her lace '^^SLe.v'"'''."^ ^''^ ''^"^ker-
both he,3. "what a weTitlm,;!^ ^T'' ''^"^ *"
? heavy, heavy weiltr ah • V. "j^^rt- what
'nghowshairi bSfti^is?^V,lf^' ^ -^"^ '^^"^-
then,and tell him whai von » ^^ T*^ '° him,
ney? You are afr^H !•/ "n^^^^ A long jour-
wifi be nothing no hi It"^ to""^ ','•".' ^J^' '^
he can see his mother^ ul ^^^'^hen if only
You will say mnraSud??:" '^" ^. '^^""^ X^" '
CHAPTER XIX
Anna put on her hat and went out to think ,>
over. Fraulein Kuhrauber was apparently sti
asleep. Letty, accompanied by MissLeeA hli
Germ^ Fr,^, ° had undertaken to teach her
oerman. Frau von Treumann said she mnef
i{h|;^;pri?J^nTs'^-^^^^^^^^
why then she must have him from tfr^e to rime
I wonder why I don't like Karlchen." ^•
grou';^d.^fh?nS'^'„\S3tX^ - %'
cajs had left her, nor didThe U^toTef wh?tt"
April mornmg was doing. Frau von Treumann
had not been under her n^of twenty-four h^m
and already her son had been added - if onW
occasionally, still undoubtedly addS- o t£
party. Suppose the baroness and Fraulein Kuh
l?v^ -.f^'l'l^ •^^"'^"y ^'"^^^ ^n inXlity to
ive without being visited by some cherished rela
,r /"T'" '^" °*''^^ "'"e- the stin Unchosen
should each turn out to have a relative wSne^
tragically in the background for per)n7ssToT"f
366
THE BENEFACTRESS
«ake repeated calU? a j '^^
''7^^Jouldallbemale? '^ '"PPo^e these rela-
was quheTa^K Kl°"f ; «° ^-^ve that she
Sodeepi„thought>»heas.e,s*,.,,,,
Anna wondered hnn, ,•*
went through theloJe^t 'wZM^""' ^° ^^^n
Lohm tb anywhere ? She hf^ * ',''°'"* «^"t ^om
four times ^atel;.. i„ q^l ^^^^ "^.e* him three o^
iUtf.lT'' '° "^^ th?oighTt and '.u'^u P^rts.
f all hours of the day^ "'^ '^^''^ through
-keJ^nTrXnra^^^^^^^^ r^"^ O"?" she
^ just then puttLVhe ™^''?t ^ ^"«h there
not dnye everyday a^boutK°M '^ ^°^ «he did
out spnngs wfth l5elS for „„!•' '" ^ ^^^^ with-
have potatoes to plant^J, Lk^'L'."/-, A«1 must
home^ then, and do it? °° ' "''^^ ^"^n't he stay at
'«ly to^iv- t^^j;ra-«on for a country
waste no time in conveni !"«^ ^'"'^sed. " S
f^k ng how I drbutl"t"a1 ^'^ '"omings or
Well, I do not believf fhr. "'^^ ^'^^ potatoes
ested in mine,soIsral tel^°" "^ '•ea% inS
hem You onlv wanV t" Smi^dl"?^"/ ^^out
ro be seeing them nlanflT • ""^ *hat I ought
about your ^oodsT '^ "'"'' '"^^^^'l of walkfng
...Anna smiled. "Ibeliev. r dy „
' aia mean some-
' Well, I
said,
am not .?o aimless
as
you suppose," he
.i;i:
<i : '
'I have be«B
the brick-
*^ THE BENEFACTRESS
returned, walking by her side,
looking at that place."
" What place?"
"Where Dellwig wants to build
kiln.
" Sll' ^^^* ^° y°" '•''"'' of it ? "
Dian Thi "^^r-^ ^u"'*^ ^'^'^ °^ '^ Itisafoor,
Plan. The clay is the most wretched stufiF h
has puzzled me. seemg how very poor it is, that
he sfiould be so eager to have the thing. I shouTd
have credited him with more sense "
thn.Sf'l5"'*^ ^^"'■'^'y ^^"^ o" 't- Last night I
thought he would never stop persuadine "
" But you did not give in ? '^
at it^»°n/I'i,'"'''j.- ^ '^'^ ' r"^^ ^'^ yo" to look
at It, and then he was simply rude. I do believe
he will have to go. I don't reaUy think wTS
7^^gtf on together. Certainly! as you Tay the
clay IS bad, I shaU refuse to build a b^k-kiln."
she was always determined about Dellwie " You
are very brave to^lay," he said. " Last night vou
seemed afraid of him." *"^ ^^^
" He comes when I am tired. I am not goine
L^ f "" "!; ^t '=''^"i"« *"y ™ore. It fs to!
dreadful as a finish to a happy day "
quickir* * ^^ '**^' *''*'"■ y^'^i-^y?" he asked
,hi ^^^ Ti*u*' '\'* ""§''* *° h^^e been, and prob-
ably would have been .?-if I hadn't been tfred."
have^bleXp"" """'^^-*'^^'""^^
n.•'T^®~?^ y,e» — "said Anna, hesitating, "I
think so. Fraulein Kuhriiuber was, I am sure, at
fHE BENEFACTRESS
twee in Berlin. She ««,.^ • *** ''^'' once or
ga^r^n^and undertr oTn fl^L"^ ^* *^^ ^-ter-
^Jancing at Londor^^Se^P^^^. -''o -''^d by
rf she painted and wore a ^g'l^'?."^««^o"ld
Thank yo'u." No^ThaTXt^ ""^^ '^ «■«*««•
- ' of telling me St?" 4 ", 'uPP°^ '^ the
^ced him^er'e^es flashing"' '"" ^*°*^ ««"
child has been hurt^v so.^- ' "mother whc2
wish," he said "thJ^ ^°"^^°']^ on puipose. •• r
when I teiriou jLfl'.r"'^ ""^ b?«o angry
for you to knC fcll^f * >?- -PortS
s.ster of the dancing bro^Sri^.'^ really the
^He|*^S^K:;sf„1SL^^r/.^Htthat
t m the letters before she?ame ' n ""^ ''''u^"^*«
•s a pra,seworthy occupalnT; a ^a-'^T •'''"t"
i-i H man, doing his
1 1.^ ^g
•70
THE BENEFACTRESS
I' I
best to find out disgraceful things about a very
poor and very helpless woman ? "
" No, I do not," said Axel decidedly. « Under
any other circumstances I would leave the poor
lady to take her chance. But do consider,'' he
said, following her, for she had begun to walk on
quickly again, "do consider your unusual position
You are so young to be living away from your
fnends, and so young and inexperienced to be at
the head of a home for homeless women — you
ought to be quite extraordinarily particular about
the antecedents of the people you take in. It
would be most unpleasant if it got about that
they were not respectable."
"But they are respectable," said Anna, looking
straight before her. "
" A sister who dances at the Wintergarten "
" Did I not tell you that she has no sister? "
Axel shrugged his shoulders. "The resem-
blance IS so striking that they might be twins."
he said.
" Then you think she says what is not true? "
"How can I tell?"
Anna stopped again and faced him. "Well
suppose it were true — suppose it is her sister,'
and she has tried to hide it — do you know how
I should feel about it ? "
" Properly scandalised, I hqje."
" I should love her all the more. Oh, I should
love her twice as much ! Why, think of the mis-
ery and the shame — poor, poor little woman —
trying to hide it all. bearing it all by herself —
she must have loved her sister, she must have
loved her brother. It isn't true, of course, but
mMFmjw
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna turned a • ^'
leave nff ,u':'^"* ^ ^'ngle thine «T "^Ji^^ be
..J™'"l)'>"»i<IA„„a.
1. "l^.
»7»
THE BENEFACTRESS
to shield his niece from possible unpleasant-
ness."
Then don't keep telling me I am too young to
do good. It is ludicrous, considering my age
besides being dreadful. You will say thatri
beheve, till I am thirty or forty, and then when
you can't decently say it any more, and I still
want to do things, you'll say I'm old enoujrh to
know better." *
Axel laughed. Anna's dimples appeared for an
mstant, but vanished again.
" Now," she said, " I am not going to talk about
poor little Else any more. Let her distant rela-
tions dance till they are tired — it concerns no-
body here at all."
"Little Else?"
"The baroness. Of course we shall call
each other by our Christian names. We are
sisters."
"I see."
" You don't see at all," she said, with a swift
sideward glance at him.
" My dear Miss Estcourt "
" If my plan succeeds it will certainly not be
because I have been encouraged."
"I think," he said with sudden warmth, " that
the plan is beautiful, and could only have been
made by a beautiful nature."
" Oh ? " ejaculated Anna, surprised A flush of
gratification came into her face. The heartiness
of the tone surprised her even more than the
words. She stood still to look at him. " It is a
pity," she said softly, " ihnt neariy always when we
are together we get angry, for you can be so kind
THE BENEFACTRESS
us be ftA^^""T7' ?*y "'« *'"'i
•73
Let
TlL^'^^^^^
and gave it nefnt^S '/ y?" '"= '--^ "
dropped it. It ^^L^"*^°^ ^ct shake, and
her in his arms and kK^^ , 5 ^^^"^ *° take
again till she had wid fh- ' *.'i*' ""' 'et her go
was exceedingly aSai%rK''j"*"y '''■'»• ^t
that if he didi^i?7ou?d / °K^^ ^1^^ ^l^'te well
, He turned rather wS^ *^f \"^ °^all things
deep into his Sets ' Y« '^.k '''"f * ^^' hands
5>1/ he said Suily .^but J' P'*"'«beauti-
And the nature tha"m2de it U r*"^ ""Poetical,
ful but of course quKunn^' f-^"? ^"'•^- ^eauti-
And he smiled down at h^r '^T*'"' '^ the plan."
"I know I doTset .hn\^u^'''«^"'alsmii;.
w»y,"shesaid. •■lfoni„„ °"* '""^^ the right
the pasts ot my pi? f^/? ''°"''^"'t worry abfut
couldhelpmesomuch" P'*"''"'^^'^ times, you
"Princei^ Sigl^'r-K^ ^^"^ - again
woman." he 3'and^/:^',f ,*"^ experiefced
ways that I cannot" '^ ^*" ^^^P y°" '" '"any
' But she only looks at n,« ^ z • ,
a question, and that is reaivnV'"'*'^'"''*' «'de of
too unpractical. I know ffi .r°"^ '''^^- ^ am
fjjough But I donT'wanttfn' ""P'-actical
What I wanted to ay w« thif ^^^ \^"t her.
ladies have been choSiS ii^ K°"^^ ■.^''^'^ P^or
making inquiries is over1sn't^<f?^^'^^' t^ *'">« for
concerned. anyhow.Tt s / ^L ^^ ^^ as ; am
them, never. «i,^. go piease li . T''^' ^°'^'^e
T P'^^^ don t try to tell me
y^^VWiOP'm.H^
ittaoeen wm i u tiow tmt oun
(ANSI and BO nXT CHAKJ No. J)
1.0 gi
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1.25
lit
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U£
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■ 2^
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1653 Eo«( Uotn StTMt ~~
Rochyrtw. NM York 14609 USA
(716) 482- 0300 -PhofW
(71«) 3a0-9SM-Fa>c
»74
THE BENEFACTRESS
things about them — it doesn't change my feel-
ings towards them, and only makes*me angry
with you Which IS a pity. I want to live 3^
peace with my neighbour."
" Well ? " he said, as she paused. " That, I take
It, is a prelude to something else "
"Yes. it is. It's a prelude to Karlchen."
" To Karlchen ? "
She looked at him, and laughed rather ner-
yously. "lam afraid," she saidT"that Karlchen
is coming to stay with me."
" And who, pray, is Karlchen ? "
widow"^" °"'^ ^°" °^ ^'^ mother, and she is a
He came to a standstill again. "What" he
said, " Frau von Treumann has asked you to invite
her son to Kleinwalde ? " '
"She didn't actually ask, but she got a sad let-
ter from him, and seemed to feel the separation so
much, and cned about it, and so — and so I did "
Axel was silent.
"I don't yearn to see Karlchen," said Anna in
rather a small voice. She could not help feeling
that the invitation had been wrung from her
Axel bored a hole in the moss with his stick,
and did not answer.
"But naturaUy his poor mother clings to him,
and he to her.
Axel was intent on his hole and did not answer.
Ihey are all the world to each other"
Axel filled up his hole again, and pressed the
moss carefully over it with his foot. Then he
^fi a" "^f"" y^* ''^^^^ °^ ^° Treumanns being
all the world to each other." *
THE BENEFACTRESS
manS" "''^" '° ^'^' ^ down on the Treu-
" Not in the Jeasf r j
est me enough t i/,f p^^* f^^ they inter-
family that his spread Svo^H v ™'''^" J""ker
and one meets them evei^whl ' °/J"'^' "">'*«.
characteristics. What Iffi ^' ^"'^ ''"°ws theii^
"'•rra^o^'"^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ''°
"At r;!i .^''^'".^^R'sJar."
you wish me to mike LY" •''^ '^'^ ^^^^^^ Do
, "Oh, no. Ttrno use ";^-'''°^''''"^"
hapy without him. so"hemu"com°e"" ^^"'* ^
in tS'Z'SUtA' ' r"5 to help you
, "I wanted to ask vo"-? !^"' ''^ >* «"/"'
think he will cleoC.' *"'■-- ^''^^her you
will^^ti^St^^el positively ..hat he
JJhl saiclAnna.
They walked on in silence.
"what yl TuldTolTo'v' J?he '''' ■ "--^X.
their relations asked down fn^^~''.'*^^s ^^nt
.Chnstmas,for instance ira L'*^^.^'*'' '^^^^
joicmg, when the colde^ L l""^ °^ general re-
lations who hJ!^£^,'';i^\M^o^ warm. Re-
other out at ChristmaV fn^ 1 ,i ^^^^^ «^ek each
of blood. And bfrS4iS *''*"y ^^ ««
ters be content to speH ^eTr/7'' *?'.^>^e sis-
remote from all mem WoJ II- ^'^^f ^'rthdays
days here are important davsT?'"''^.^, ^'^h-
a month now for vou to ~i i^^'^ "^'^ ^'^ one
walde." y°" to celebrate r Klein-
'1 ■
•7«
THE BENEFACTRESS
"I have not got farther than consiaering
Karlchen, said Anna with some impatience
"A male Kuhrauber," said Axel musingly,
swmging his stick and gazing up at the fleecy
clouds floating over the pine tops, "a male Kuh-
rauber would be quite unlike anything you have '
yet seen." '
"There are no male Kuhraubers," said Anna.
" At least," she added, correcting herself, " Frau-
lem Kuhrauber said so. She said she had no
relations at all, but perhaps— perhaps she has
forgotten som^, and will remember them by and
by. Oh, I wish they would tell me exactly how
they stand, and not try to hide anything! I
thought we had left nothing unexplained in the
letters, but now Karlchen — it seems " She
stopped and bit her lip. She was actually on the
verge of criticising, to Axel, the behaviour of her
sisters. " Look," she said, catching sight of red
roofs through the thinning trees, "isn't that
Lohm? I have seen you home without know-
ing it."
She held out her hand. " It isn't much good
talking, IS It ? " she said, moved by a sudden impulse,
and looking up at him with a slightly wistful smile.
" How we talk and talk and never get any nearer
anything or each other. Such an amount of ex-
plaining oneself, and all no use. I don't mean
you and me especially — it is always so, with every-
one and everywhere. It is very weird. Good-
bye.
» K?"» ^^ ^^^'^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^°^ vfould not let her go.
" No, he said, in a voice she did not know, " wait
one moment. Why will you not let me really he^
THE BENEFACTRESS
Kl>?t£Vg';L'Z:'^ ---hieve an"
it not better to ffce it aM fh° ""^V" '""^ ? ^^
-after that, kno^ng Se truth ? m°""'' ^^^
ang7 whenever I try to tell vn,,;., ^H """^ ^O"
I believe to be the tTuth Ihi.K^^ V".*^' °' ^^at
are certain to find Tt out fnr^^'^ ^"f}^'^ ^O"
You force me to look nn o a y""''*'^ «"« day.'
pointed. anTgrieS and 1!.^" ^^I! ''"'"^ ^'^^P-
mg you," he saJrl in k;. . ^^^ '■ am lectur-
givemefortSnk^n^ LT"'"^"" **"'«• "^or-
your plan in a wav ft,5 ^°" ^"^ '^"'"g about
As you sa;; we'^LRndTalkTnd "fh ^"^'^"^^"'•
talk the less do we under^fln^' u H '"^^ *e
a foolish world an^ understand each other. It is
He Itfted Jis hat and^"?'"'"^'>' '""^'j' °"^-"
opened her lips to lav 1 ""T^ ^^^^ Anna
gone. '^ ° ^^y something, but he vas
She went home and meditated on volcanoes.
CHAPTER XX
tJMl!^7 ^''^ ^^^'■ '" Northern Germany was
.13^ i * P?* '. ^'^^"'- The days were Ukl
a Cham of pearls, increasing in beauty and t,r1.
ciousness as the chain len|thened Thr lif,
flowered a fortnight earlierfhan fn ot£ yea "
The winds, so restless usually on tho'^^^flT
Sf<l f -leep, and hardlHtirred AboutThe
middle of the month the moon was at th^fulfand
the forest became enchanted ground. It wa?a
time for love and lovers, for vows and k ssTw
fLF'^'^^l ^"PPy- ^°P«f"' things On I ^hosl
farmers who were too old to love and vow looked
at their rye fields and grumbled becauiThere ^1^
hu?^!!!^''^"' ?"?":'"? °" **>« fi'-st Saturday of that
bessed nonth felt all disposed to love if thei«t
^1 ( L i "°* ^^^ '""ch of a young woman
milf °ru"^"^"' ^^ inwardly prayed A^Hhe
soSim: 'are'^'Se" "^^^ ^^ -ves'with money'
whjr4n^[:d. a^d' hl^^ ieThirotraSf
which is^reserved excSV^L^eS^^^i
278
■«■••••
f"!*!"
THE BENEFACTRESS
SO he had three excellent reason- t .. ■
marry. He had desired ,tTdJl!i f "^^''"n? *<>
had attempted it often and ^i'^' ^°" ^""^ "me.
The father of weSthv Tlif^ not achieved it
state of his finanres Sh /n^" ^"■'^ ^"^w the
unworthy; and they knew J^^^*'*"'^" ^^^^^^^
his little Vaknesses^As^'J/'f«;,^ven^ one of
daughters to other suitors ""o'" V''^^ «^^^ '''^'■'•
without a father who ln» .^. ^^""^ *as a girl
all. There was^f coutse ir'^l''^ '•''°"* '''•" «
ground to account for henrv? '•°'\ " ^^^ ^ack-
that was precisely what wo Jdi^'e '^^ ^^y-" ^ut
husband who wo^ld « il^e tTo^^J'"- g'ad of a
of building up the weaker Lrf L^^^ necessity
on a founcfation of what kK °' '^'i! ^^P^^ation
the inmates of the hon« J^^"• ^''^" he saw
^l^e Sck^.:hteln. Reputatbn'^'^ K^ stigmatised I
•ng at Fraulein KulSu£ ;„. k ^*^^' ^'^'^
bought. Naturally strwould ^5 ^ *°° ^^^^y
husband, who would let her 1^ ?'/" easygoing
fun, to this dreary and aimfL -^''^ *'* all it!
The Treuma7nc i. ?t'^*® ^*'stence.
Whatabu7deTh"mothe?S'!;"^" '" '"^k.
the last five vearel Mss E,?n !f"u°? '""'" fo""
him of it. 5Jow here is. ^?"1 ^^ "-eheved
would relieve him of those aLtK ^^^^ ^"'^ ^he
pent she must have had at'hnrf ^ ''."'^ entangle-
•n Germany, where no onl U^ "^""'^ "°* ""after
her. except^atSe was theT.M ^'''"^ ^''°"*
Joachim's niece. Anvwav h« ^^^i respectable
to let bygones ^^T^oli^'^^^^ftfy^''^^^'^^
walked roun'^d to^ruiTtfle^-tt S
r
ate
THE BENEFACTRESS
tTh. f''.^ ''^Pt o"t Of the way till the evening,
and he had ample time to bs haoDv with hi^
mother. When ^e did see her. he fE l^e with
^La Tli ?^ H 1"ite a simple nature, com-
^sed who% of instincts, and fell in love A^th an
ease acquired by long practice. Anna's face and
figure were far prettier than he had dared to hope.
Sfsf^tln'' '^'"i^' t' 1°''' ^^^^^ ^'th much
satisfaction. Truly the Treumanns were in luck.
He entirely forgot the roi, he was to play of loving
n«;? i,^''°*f*^>''"'^'^' ^^^ his habitual artless-
K ' J t • ■■• ¥^^^' « he had not forgotten it
iLb*^ ^1 Z^'^f' ""T ^ ""!« accustomed to
displays of affection that they would have been
but clumsy actors. There is a great difference
between affectionate letters written quietly in one's
room,andaffectionateconvetsationthathastosound
as hough It welled up from one's heart. Nothing
of the kind everwelled up from Karlchen's heart;
and Anna noticed at once that there were no signs
of unusual attachment between mother and ^n.
Karlchen was not even commonly polite to his
mother, nor did she seem to expect him to bi
When she dropped her scissors, she had to pick
flil^v. *°'/* ^'°"f- W''^" «he wanted a
footstool, she got up and fetehed one from under
his very nose. When she came into the room and
kwked about for a chair, it was Letty who offered
r rn «„T" 1 ^*''<^^^!l «?* Comfortably with his legs
Z of '.^.^^u^l^'^'i *^^ paper-knife he had taken
out of the book Anna had been reading, and
Uri^l r'^" P'^'^"*- "^ ^^^ his mother's
large black eyes, and very long thick black eye-
THE BENEFACTRESS
lashes of which he was nm.,^
rested becomingfy^n hfs cheeu"'?.'°"'u*'''»* *«y
down at the paper-knife riff '^''^" ^^ 'oo^ed
by them, an/inSd of Mfss^r'^K^':''*^^^
whether she hJef^fZtASe '" ^ '"''''^'
Mis^uiT^eiSlf''''' ^^^'-'^^ *-." replied
said U?tySfu11y.~'''^>''- -tton eyelashes."
Sati'-^Tdrjd^r^^L-h.
imperfect Sr^an S *T ''"*^'"«« of her
Chen when he^Sundulv Mn/ ''V^'^'' ^ar]-
done in Enghsh and w fK v *' *^^ ^°"'d have
as it were, at thSr one2S f •' !?°J-''"'' Presiding.
he half turned his back on h "^^T^"*" ^hen
voice to a rapid undertone ^f l"'^ ^^PP^d his
self completely i^co2reh.nc-Kf^^'"^'''"S him-
Princess pleasantly °"SS' to" ^"^ *^
slowly and distinrtiv fZ ^ , '° speak very
court woSldcertafnlv no?'"'' ^'^'^ ^'^^ Es?^
word.she took him indlL""''-'^'^"''- ^" ^
would or no. and wrsrsteH ^^'^'"P. ^'hether he
spite of his motherSrSin^cr^; fnendliness in
to d^w her into coUeSon^'^ '"P^"*^ ^^^^^
FrauvoJirrelarafLT'-'lf,^ ^"-^" -ied
cessLudwig.s=ru[\%Xtr-ftk:£
i8i
THE BENEFACTRESS
and had been unable to bear the least hrp=>fK^
She m» quite appiufinglj, sociable-. VhesDite
S more and mnr^^"" '"^^- ^^'''^h^"' be^o^:
w^kS InX^ ^ enamoured the longer he
tainl^in .uctt M^tISdTn%^Sd::r
mann, interrupting the endless questionT •• Mv
dear pnncess-your rheumatisn?_and I whol^
THE BENEFACT,>ESS „
" I do not fed"?" saf/fh "'•'' ^^' ^^^t-
thick shoes. But iou dear Fra''""""'-?.' " ^ ''''^e
do not stay if you &;£;-"" ^°" ^reumann.
^^U'^'^ "^ii^tt'on^t^ "P.^'^^ '•^'e of
On the oath /L,o ^ • " *° *^^ Path ? "
'■" <=oupL^ aZ'AT *"?* ^^7 """St walk
stopper and looked ronn-'-'^'-^^' '^ P""*^^^
"My dear chi?d." she sa^3 T''/" "^'^"^ ^'"•le.
arm. "we have b^en keepll H.i""'' '^'''"S ^^'
from his mother reSSf,f hl^fT ^'•^"'"ann
you to pardon my thou^ri« ^^ '"P" ^ ^eg
tuning to him/?uttfSsTf^^^^ ■' "^'^^^
old friends' sons has made m- \ r""^ °^ '"y
you took this long fou^nev to h^'-f J°'«f"* '^^'
mother. We will nJi^l ^ '^ ^'t'' your dear
-ydear. I wtntirS&lZ^^^r;- k^'™"
Anna away, droooino- hJ ' ^""^ she led
questioning SSg ' hren.? • '""Z'^^"^-'
cook. * '"^ ^ngagmg of a new
There was nothing to be done Ti,» ,
of comfort Karlchen obt^-ned J'^.^on'y crumb
one — was a reluctant • "T ''^^ '* ^as a big
mother's vividly delcrSLf'Jw. 'T*"*'°"' "^ ^^
the place where hfwlKll%u°"''.°^ Parting
move his luggage from S. '?''/''! "«'''• ^o re-
and to sleep tfere. '"" *° ^""a's house.
con'soS by tS/fX'^rt ^'*^'^^>^'^'' ^e said,
with his iXrZ but 7if 1f '^ ^^^ J"«t had
yemencesyou-^e^DldivJ ^"? ^^^ '"oon-
it " ^ "^^ ^''^■ers are used to roughing
»«4
THE BENEFACTRESS
fcr J^*^ l*"' '"°"'" anxiously. " It is „^'fit
f^™ ft'^J."'** ""?•,'"''' ^ J-e^'d t^his very evenimr
he had written h^^^ou^'af I't^fsunr A^h"
p^y to^'rr: Araiirth'e^'^^'"^
order a room to bs got ready ^" P"""" *°
hj™n.sUld have found that not%r^t£
Karlchen left on Sunday evenine after a n«f
The morning, then, was wasted. At luncheon
SfilFI
THE BENEFACTRBSS
time to Frt„Iei„ Kuh^VtSr ''"' "» •'>»1«
"Anna talks tohl,°*^'"«'"ore.••
-i^J^she w« alSadr S^a "'to^ ='">'°--" »>«
"Yes. It is disgusting"' '° ^"^' ^"^^ ^our,.
equa tenns with such a pSJn •' ''^'"'^ °"
,,,Jt .s .andalous. But%rwi„ change a,,
J's nose because of wHyelShes "H^fc' '^"^'^
'<:^« here," he S.^titfrTZ"' °^ *^* •y''^«'^-
h>s thoughts were rosy "C%f""'?« ^'""^^h
What relation does s?; c l ^ ""-e'ch. now.
filmreich?" ^* ^''^ ^^^ she is to Arthur
relltl^n^nr'AVlltS^' ^''-''^ - -
" A^«. «« " was I^Jri~l *,'''«*3nt cousin."
Engh-sh eq'uiSenfi^^" V^PJy; a '"^P'y whose
cal wink. "'^ ''^ a profoundly scepti-
«M
THE BENEFACTRESS
"What do you really think ?" she besan,
and then stopped.
He stood before the glass readjusting his mous-
tache into the regulation truculent upward twist
"Think?" he said. "You know Arthur's sister
LoUi was engaged at the Winteigarten this win-
^r. She was not much of a success. Too old.
But she was down on the bills as Baroness Elm-
reich, and people went to see her because of that,
and because of her brother."
"Oh — terrible," murmured Frau von Treu-
mann.
"Well, I know her; and I shall ask her next
time I see her if she has a sister."
"But this one has no relations living at all,"
said his mother, horrified at the bare suggestion
that Lolli was the sister of a person with whom
she ate her dinner every day.
" No, na," said Kar'.chen.
" But my dear Karlchen, it is so unlikely — the
baroness is the veriest pattern of primness. She
has such very strict views about all such things —
quite absurdly strict. She even had doubts, she
told me, when first she came here, as to whether
Anna were a fit companion for her."
Karlchen stopped twisting his moustache, and
stared at his mother. Then he threw back his
head and shrieked with laughter. He laughed so
much that for some moments he could not speak.
His mother's face, as she watched him without
a smile, made him laugh still more. "LiebsU
Matna" he said at last, wiping his eyes, " it may
of course not be true. It is just possible that it
IS not. But I feel sure it is true, for this Elm-
THE
BENEFACTRESS
»»7
Go/A aeh Gott/" AnJ i? u ^?"'* ^'sterf ^4^^
'ng herself up to her fuU hTk Jif""?^""' <'«w-
to tell Anna. I canL; "f *^^i' '* '« ""y duty
with such a woLT^lVetu^tl?"*^ ""' "°^
-ul^trS -i^^H. ^ ^"ffed h, an u„-
you call her? " ^"^* ^'^^^ A.s- this Lolli,^
Karlchen shook his heaH « r* • l
begin with ultimatums," he 'saw " ^"^'" ""* to
«y you cannot staHnder t^l ^^ ^- " " ^^^
Efmreich. and she do2s not i'r t?" ™°^ T'^^ ^.e
you must And that " hT.AT^ }^\ ?°' ""^V then
"would be disitrouc Nn ''^f' '°°^'"g Earned;
any case leavfit alone tHl '1"?;^""^" '* ^°"«- In
shall come down soon aSfjn ^''^ '^" ^olli. I
wish we could g^t rid o^fh^'r"..™*^ ^ «"'^- I
reaUy would be^good h?nl Tv";- • ^^^t'^^*
But Frai. vr.., T* "?• Thmk it over "
of thinkiS'iroveT^oSrhe *^^ ^>^ """""""t
Penheim. * '^""''^ ^''^y ever get rid of the
dusky garden wherl !he stofdTnT^ °"* 1'^*° ^^^^
Karichen was well on hil^ai tn S^ r ''l"*^"-
time. "'* way to Berim by that
^^-''^r.'rliMi'tt^''' i!-" veo. much if I
^"^u von Treumann shook her head sadly.
■88
THE BENEFACTRESS
' But now? I see you do not like him
now. You
J^"" —^ "v. a«n^, aamu All
hardly spoke to him. He was hurt A mother '
— " Oh, ' thought Anna, " I am tired of mothers,"
— "a mother always knows."
Her handkerchief came out She had put one
hand through Anna's arm, and with the other
began to wipe her eyes. Anna watched her in
silence.
"What? What? Tears? Do I see tears? Are
we then missing our son so much? " exclaimed a
cheery voice 'behind them. And there was the
pnncess again.
" Serpent" thought Frau von Treumann; but
what is the use of thinking serpent ? She had to
submit to being consoled all the same, while Anna
walked away.
CHAPTER XXI
such an abnoSuv larl^ r„"H^'''''^P°^^^««^ "^
had been so e^er Vhfr nffL''^™«^^*.'^ ^* ««*•
been laid down bv him in thi- Tlf' '* ''^'^ °ften
her own expe^eKf rirk h,^*'''« ^°^^^^^'' ^"^
its soundSK « tL pfnt,W?5 P™^^<1
her mind against him "?hlT ^^* have poisoned
otherwise tf^ Lin th/5^ decided at last, unable
received any S of K^Tk^^^ with which Anna
such sheer ikeT Fof £'"• ,5"^ ^^^'^ ^ver
woman with notL ^tl ^* *^°,"''' '* '"atter to a
Someb^y wS m1i^'-°r^^^^^^^
Penheim would loTe^r nil; °'r'*'^'l: ^'''^ *«
it not be KarkhenT ^ ^' *''^° ^^^ ^^°"ld
3oy
390
THE BENEFACTRESS
whether he were to have the best sheets oh his
bed, or the second best sheets ; and Anna had
replied, " The worst."
But if Frau von Treumann was uneasy about
Anna, Anna was still more uneasy about Frau
von Treumann. Whenever she could, she went
away into the forest and tried to think things out.
She objected very much to the feeling that life
seemed somehow to be thickening round her —
yet, after Karlchen's visit there it was. Each day
there were fewer and fewer quiet pauses in the
trivial bustle pf existence; clear moments, like
windows through which she caught glimpses of
the serene tranquillity with which the real day,
nature's dajr, the day she ought to have had, was
passing. Frau von Treumann followed her about
and talked to her of Karlchen. Fraulein Kuh-
niuber followed her about, with a humble, dog-
like a£Fection, and seemed to want to tell her
something, and never got further than dark utter-
ances that perplexed her. Baroness Elmreich re-
pulsed all her advances, carefully called her Miss
Estcourt, and made acid comments on everything
that was said and done. " I believe she thslikes
me," thought Anna, puzzled. " I wonder why? "
The baroness did ; and the reason was simplicity
itself. She disliked her because she was younger,
prettier, richer, healthier than herself. For this
she disliked her heartily; but with far greater
heartiness did she dislike her because she knew
she oujht to be grateful to her. The baroness
detested having to feel grateful— it is a detesta-
tion not confined to baronesses — and in this
case the burden of the obligations she was under
THE BENEFACTRESS »j,
Zh?V,5'*** *''* '* "^ ''''"°«t P«t endurance
And there was no escape. She had been starv
Zi:^£z ^' 5^^"' ^"^ ^'^^ -°^3 sta;:e
again It Anna turned her out. She owed her
SlorKis cL'litor °' '°^" '^ *^^ '°- °^ "^
der^i^lS"*^' ^^T^ i" i}^'' '■°°'"' A"'^ would won-
ness ont Z^':^^ ^^^^.gh^t the unsatisfactori-
ness ot It, and the emptiness. When were thpv
goine to begin the better life, the souTto S
We sTie was waiting for? How busy they had aH
been, and what had they done? WKothini
A ht le aimless talking,^a little aimVe!L^se: S
ittle aimless walking about, a few letters to write
that need not have Been written, a newspaper to
glance into that did not really interesrffidy
meals in rapid succession, nfght, and oblS
That was wfiat was on the surface. What ,^'
beneath the surface she could only guess at- 1^
after a whole fortnight with the dhfsen s£'4
est dmi^"*'5'°'''^ ^^ ^"'^"^^«- ^" the hot for'
est^drowsy and aromatic, where the white butter-
pS tt^T^f ¥* ^'""SS *he shadows of the
fvpm, n ^""^•■ed up and down the unending
avenues all day long, she wandered, during hi
afternoon hour when the Chosen napped to the
most out-of-the-way nooks she couldTnd; and
special bit of lovehness. some distant radiant
leaves .t^Hf^f^ ^'■^^" '*'°*^'- °^ bidding
effect of blue and white between the branches so
29'
THE BENEFACTRESS
far above her head, she would ponder and ponder
till she was weary.
There was no mistaking Karlchen's looks; she
had not been a pretty girl for several seasons at
home in vain. Karlchen meant to many her. She
of course, did not mean to marry Karlchen, but that
did not smooth any of the ruggedness out of the
path she saw opening before her. She would have
to endure the preliminary blandishments of the
wooing, and when the wooing itself had reached
the state of ripeness which would enable her to let
him know plainly her own intentions, there would
be a gnevous number of scenes to be gone through
wth his mother. And then his mother would shake
the Klemwalde dust from her offended feet and go
and failure number one would be upon her. In the
innermost recesses of her heart, offensive as Karl-
chen's wooing would certainly be, she thought that
once It was over it would not have been a bad
thing ; for, since his visit, it was clear that Frau
von Treumann was not thr sort of inmate she had
dreamed of for her home for the unhappy. Un-
happy she had undoubtedly been, poor thing, but
happy with Anna she would never be. She had
forgiven the first fibs the poor lady had told her,
but she could not go on forgiving fibs for ever.
All those elaborate untruths, written and spoken'
about Karlchen's visit, how dreadful they were.
Surely, thought Anna, truthfulness was not only
a lovely and a pleasant thing but it w-s absolutely
indispensable as the basis to a real friendship.
How could any soul approach another soul through
a network of lies ? And then more painful still —
she confessed with shame that it was m -re painful
THF BENEFACTRESS ,,3
I think,'; she said to Manske, when he cam..
"I ^IT'^'V'^- " "^* °f «^'«<=ted applkations
otUt nt:- "'" ""* ^^ "«'^ "-^-^ ch'S>singre
" I have found nine most deserving cssm" i,a
urged, "and later there may not KL'?""'' ^^
the auium'n '"*^r"Pt«d Anna, « we will wait. In
ml^u "• Pe^^aps — not now. First I must
make the ones who are here happy. You know "
she^jd, smrhng, "they cameTre to L made
thevfen7ll^l''"°* '*• ^"i ''^PPy '"deed must
!iS 'andtstwk""'°""'^'^ ^' ^" ^^^^ '"^''-
is D2?^r."''*-H"''-'°'".'^''^ Anna.musing. "It
L,^.^^*^^' '*"* •* — it should be easy to be
happy here, -yet I am not sure that they are"
THE BENEFACTRESS
tied
Not sure ? " Manske looked at her.
•tar-
Die ^J^ f people -most people, ordinary peo-
hW'.n? ti!^' 'P^^'""^ *° 'herself more than to ,
"The fear of the Lord," he replied proniDtlv
which put an end to the convention P^^P^'^'
Annah^rfnlr *>" PeT'exities about the Chosen.
Anna had other worries. De Iwie had rer«.iv«i tK-
refusal to let Jiim build the bSS wi hluch
insolence, and had, in his anger, said such ext^aor
dmaiv things about Axel ifohm, that Anna S
bl^ed out too. and had told himhe must^. U
out fm,!! l" unpleasant scene, and she hafcome
out from It white and trembling. She had hi-
Jl''' u ^?.^ ^""'^ '« ^° *e difmissini foThe;
Lt- but"Zr;K^'''"'*^'y ^^'^^ t° ^nd Wm
away , but she had been overwhelmed by a sudden
^r IrTu' '^I """'« intolerabL uisiW
tions-only half understood, but sounding for
t he^frr'^.^" they wer^ -and hady^
It herself. Since then she had not seen him. Bv
the agreement her uncle had made with him he
not rnnt '^f ""f""'' ^"^ ^'^^ ^^"ew she couW
not continue to refuse to see him: but how she
dreaded the next interview! And how uneJsv
her lis *' ''?«•/* '^' '^' mana^g^menrS
her estate was entirely in the hands oi a man
who must now be her enemy. AxelwK Muallv
had to be done, of course; but he did not like
THE BENKFACTRKSS ^
An2r?hi?°'"u^*'*" ^^ "«* •'i'"- He asked
Anna to allow him to ride round her olace «
bhe left oflf reading Maeterlinck, borrowed books
on farming from .Cxel, and eagerly studied tk^m
J^rning by heart before breaklstfoi pa^^^^^^^^
SS anTp^"'*'- '' '^^ *- chfef'^p^S
«thp"i!l,^^"°* ?° """^^ harm." Axel assured her-
d^to^he^ '15- "" '^^ '"• '^^ *hat can he
. "How kind you are," said Anna ent^MUr.
indeed, he seemed to her' to be a tow^^ofSSh
"Anyone would do what they could to hK
forlorn young lady in the straits you are in ' h^
said, smiling at her, ' ' "*
i,:."^!^*^"^*. *8^'" ''Po'^en of the Chosen since
&k^'ewtw£,^r«K^*'l^^°^^^*= -^^^^^^^^
ac Knew that Karlchen had been and eone he Ma
not mention his name. Nor did inna Th.
longer she lived with her sistei. Ihe kss did S
■^i^- ■
•9< THE BENEFACTRESS
care to talk about them, especially to Axel. As
for Frau von Treumann's plans, how could she
ever tell him of those ?
And just then Letty, the only being who was
reallv satisfactory, became a cause to her of fresh
Ceiplexity. Letty had been strangely content with
er German lessons from Herr Klutz. Every day
she and Miss Leech set out without a muftnur,
and came back looking placid. They brought
back little offenngs from the parsonage, a bunch
df narcissus, the first lilac, cakes baked by Frau
Manske, always something. Anna took the flow-
ers, and ate the cakes, and sent pleased messages
1? return. If she had been less preoccupied by
Uellwig and the eccentricities of her three new
friends, she would certainly have been struck by
Letty's silence about her lessons, and would have
quesfaoned her. There was no grumbling after
the first day, and no abuse of Chiller and the
muses. Once Anna met Klutz walking through
Kleinwalde, and asked him how the studies were
progressing. "Colossal," was the reply, "the
progress made is colossal," And he crushed
her rings into her fingers when she gave him her
hand to shake, and blushed, and looked at her
with eyes that he felt must bum into her soul.
But Anna noticed neither his eyes nor his blush ;
for his eyes, whatever he might feel them to be
doing, were not the kind that bum into souls, and
he was a pale young man who, when he blushed,
did It only in his ears. They certainly turned
cnmson as he crushed Anna's fingers, but she'
was not thinking of his ears.
. " Frau Manske is too kind," she said, as the
i
THE BENEFACTRESS
first
•97
_, ., _ intermittent, became things of
daily occurrence. They grew bigger, t-x), every
day, attammg such a girth at last tl«it L. tty could
hardly car.y them. " She must not plunder her
garden like this."
" It is very full of flowers," said Miss Leech.
Really a wonderful display. The bunch is
always ready, tied together and lying on the table
when we arrive. I tried to tell her yesterday that
you were afraid she was qjoiHn? her garden, send-
ing so much, but she did not .em to understand.
She IS showing me how to make those cakes you
said you liked.
"I wish I had some of these in my garden,"
said Anna, laying her cheek against the posy of
wallflowers Letty had just given her. There was
nothing in her garden except grass and trees;
Uncle Joachim had not been a man of flowere.
She took them up to her room, kissing them on
the way, and put them in a jar on the window-sill ;
and It was not until two or three days later, when
they began to fade, that she saw the comer of an
envelope peeping out from among them. She
pulled It out and opened it. It was addressed to
Ihr Hochwohlgeboren FrauUin Anna Estcourt;
and inside was a sheet of notepaper with a large
red heart painted on it, mangled, and pierced by
an arrow ; and below it the following poem in a
cramped, hardly readable writing : —
The earth am I, and thou the heaven,
The mass am I, and thou the leaven,
No other heaven do I want but thee,
Oh Anna, Anna, Anna, pity me I
August Klutz, Kandidat.
•»• THE BENEFACTRESS
V^iw came you to tallr «i„.k u"j
the whoktLe^iXed ?"• ''^H, about you
day Leechy ?iS»^^ ''""'S^ ^* *'^'= ^ ^
"Cooked?"
yo" mmed a, pfca«d a, »j^ftj.. ""= ''")'■ »"''
THE BENEFACfRESS ^
"And instead of learning German you and h»
have been making up this fort of thinj°" *
A^^V ""'^^ ?"** ^y^ frightened Cetty. She
2S/''°'?w".lS'!h° 'iL^TL^."'' '«>''^ down
•aid, addressing the caipet; "it's only llr fessuD
over again Leechy wasn't angry mtl Mr Cn
She was frightfully pleased. She savsit^T;
greatest compliment a person SL iTanvbodv
Sicifg^t;^"* ^'"" '^' "*^" KlS/ JSS
Anna stared at her, bewildered. "Mr lessun?"
Sf«T**'A " ^"*^ ''o y°" -n^an to tell me tVat
s^nTe?" 5h':"n^°lu''''^-*''"'l'«g"'«nTnon!
sense/ She held the maneled heart at -.r^L
length, crushing it in her hanf. ^ ** *™'
Thll**^' ^°"v 'P°" '*• "« wo'ked at it for day.
There weren't any paints red enouiih for Te
wound, and he had to go to Stralsund S pu^e
He thought no end of it." And Letb- sS^d
though sEe was. could not resist gigglTn^alMe
4aCS''^°inllLV^^^^^^
L^^ftVe^-^^^^^^
notet^"°''' *''''°".t knowing about it. soTm
not breaking my promise talking to you -1—"
"That s what I said - or something like it I
^/^j;^,;,ollyrot. He said, -what's rot?- I
300
THE BENEFACTRESS
to'Set^!'" -^^'^ Annaangrily. Shelonged
was rot, and I was sure you wouldn't, but as he
ffi K ''"T-'^''** 'P^ *^> 't wasn't much Rood
didn't W 'J °"* '" *^^ ^'^^--y- »nd stK-
" Y^uTn'f t '°°''' u« ^* ''^'" ^* indignant eyes.
You don t know what you have done?" she said
"evidently you don't, ft is a dreadful thing that
the moment Miss Leech leaves you you sLuld
begin to talk pf such things-such hoVrid thSs
-7/*5j^.J,'^i;g«r- .AHttfegirlof yourai_^»
1 didnt begm," whimpered Letty, overcome
by the wrath in Anna's voice. overcome
it "S!^^ ^U *i® ^'""^ y°" ^*ve l^en going on with
•t.^ instead of at once telling Mil feech or
-greanSn."'* ^~^ ^°''^' before- 1 thought it
^' Then aU those flowers were from him ? "
He thought I knew they were from him ? "
JNo answer.
"Did he?" insisted Anna.
"Ye — es."
"You are a very wicked little girl," said Anna,
with awful sternness. "You have been S
untruths every day for ages, which is just as bS
of thi h^ '^r- V°[?'* ^"^^^ y°" hive an iSea
of the horndness of what you have done — I hone
you have not. Of course'your lessons at Lohm
have come to an end. /ou will not go there
again. Probably I shall send yo« home^to yo^
THE BENEFACTRESS
301
forgive her^eTt h wi'Sf ^r' 1"'!t "1^'^'^ *°
She had been aDDalir^^^hi ! ^*"^*' ^^^ ^elt.
the heart and t^e^ w fat had "ILf ''""^'^ ^''
wh e she was learnir.^ * , • *^ °^" IfoJng on
kitchen. ^Such™ ^ *ir'' '" ^•""^ ^ansTce's
youn. man?' she eSmeT''r'''''-'°?'^'"g
"AnI about to take hol^'o'de;. r^"^^-^*"'^^--
at aKrAnTa ^^j^-^^^ -d respectable
jng. and quitrw"Lut"4^,r"S'^.!?*^'P"r
ised person would take arlvT^f r ^ ^ demoral-
Pupif in that way " ^^^^"t^ge of a poor little
She lit a candle, and burnt the bearf « tu ,,
Htd.Xl;?^btlo1Sn\V^^
courage to cross Sesl^l"'' °^ '*/ ^ hadn't the
I should he^r sEh?n.?v.T^''T^^^^^^id
tooangn.,SiTh^*veS*ft would make me
how, dla> m"ss Leerh I! . ' the parson. Any
again, ever w 11 te ? '''1IS "°' '"^^^ ^^^ ^^o"^
this will h;ppenTwL but ^eTffi^tt'b^'"'^
chance, will we.? Now don't T« f " ?^^^ *
Tell me about Mr. Jersup'' ^' '°" ""'^Wy.
so'eVl^l!f;^ttt\t'if^""/ '^"^^^ ''"* «he
distressed,!' reLL;TrVu"^^^^^^ " '^^P'^'
She spent the evening^S Vo S : ^r;^|^htT„
*>»
THE BENEFACTRESS
useless laments, while, in the room adjoining,
Letty lay face downwards on her bed, bathed in
tears. For Letty's conscience was in a gri< tus
state of tumult. She had meant well, and sht nad
done badly. She had not thought her aunt would
be angry — was she not in full possession of the
facts concerning Mr. Jessup's cP'Ttship? And
had not Miss Leech said that no higher honour
could be paid to a woman than to fall m love with
her and make her an offer of marriage? Herr
Klutz, it is true, was not the sort of person her
aunt could m^rry, for her aunt was stricken in
years, and he looked about the same age as her
brother Peter; besides, he was clearly, thought
Letty, of the guttersnipe class, a class that bit its
nails and never married people's aunts. But, aifter
all, her aunt could always say No when the su-
preme moment arrived, and nobody ought to be
offended because they had been fallen in love
with, and he was frightfully in love, and talked
the most awful rot. Nor had she encouraged
him. On the contrary, she had discouraged
him ; but it was precisely this discouragement, so
virtuously administered, that lay so heavily on
her conscience as she lay so heavily on her bed.
She had been proud of it till this mterview with
her aunt ; since then it had taken on a different
complexion, and she was sure, dreadfully sure,
that if her aunt knew of it she would be very
angry indeed — much, much angrier than she was
before. Letty rolled on her bed in torments ; for
the discouragement administered to Klutz had
been in the form of poetry, and poetry written on
her aunt's notepaper, and purporting to come from
THE BENEFACTRESS
poem hidden in the wfnfln ''^ '■^'"™ to his
to believe that the bou^uS h^^' K^'^ ^'"sed
nation. - There hi hlA ^'^ T''^^^ 'ts dest,°
"you have nkyed me ^Z-'J^'i" ^' ^^ed;
told up witfi Jjiction '^"'^ '^e seemed to
the lefTe^^^t^-sSid f" "'^^f*-. ^^e hasn't found
^tonished^by'thetute fe ^^-^^^rtS
nght— you wait a Wt cu m^"^^- "It's all
»«:f"jlly. and kissed them "^''' ''''^'^ '^' Aowei
, rhishTartruKSLlL'''""^^ romantically.
I f^^^^verdoesfind SietterS l^^^^^nn^
a rude answer. I will answer j'J i?"'^ '^"^ him
discourage him." Forif tL „ f?"" ¥•"■ ^nd gently
from Letty's mouth were wr'^Vt^* P'-^'^^ede J
whenever they dwdt on eiSJX"'',''^'- Noughts,
Klutz, were invariably cK^-'i^^'"? or fterr
guage of sentiment ^ ^^ '" **>« tender lan-
console. It cost K»\. • c • " to discourage and
-as finished shffeu' haf ft'L^f '' ''"' -^-" '
a". She copied it ou in caokal ^T ^°'^'' '^^"^
notepaper, folded it up carefS ^"^''•°" ^""a's
one of her own haiV Sm? "y- ^"'^ tied it with
!"\3-of-the-va%shTha5 °?h *^%"*"^ "^""^^ ^
m the forest. ^ '^ gathered for the puipose
This was the poem: —
It is a matter of regret
rhat circumstances won't
AltowmetocalltheemrpLt
But as It is they don't
304 THE BENEFACTRESS
For why? My miny yean forbid,
And likewise thy position.
So take advice, and strive amid
Thy tears for meek submission.
Anna.
And this poem was, at that very moment, as she
well knew, in Herr Klutz's waistcoat pocket
CHAPTER XXII
the poet puts it, of £ S ^S't.^-'P'^' °^' «
upt^befter th'fn^'of httte"yU^«'"^ ^° '""'^
coming cruelly to him ?„ tlf T""'' ^"'^ ^^*^'
the Lutheran Churrh u- . ?'°°"y "^^es of
no oppoS^'rLtturV^^^ J'^'^ ''^
dissolving, but remffned ^,j,? /' ''^X^'^png. and
where theV amusld^ th.m J * u^ '" ^'^ ''eart,
world to come. ' "'^^ *° ^"» of the
in;a'Jd%sj-„;^o7ria!;i ^'"^^^-«-
he was, "may or mav nnf k» ^ '^?,''''' '" ^^ch
but its'wayTs not my wW? ''^jf ? j^ ^Y'
a silence that miJht K^^V i ''■^^ ''^^^^ed in
or bored to Ma^il ^vn ^H- "*";: ^°^ «^«1
course, interpreted" S^Vwer'"" ^'"'''' °'
vicar." J,e saij^ to his wif? •• thfnU °l!'' J;°""S
-Housandcontem^lJ^l^S-b^jShr^e^a."!^:
305
3o6
THE BENEFACTRESS
IS not a man of many and vain words." To which
his wrfe replied only by a sniflf of scepticism.
bhe had no direct proofs that Klutz was not
serious and contemplative, but during his first
winter m their house he had fallen into her bad
graces because of a certain indelicately apprecia-
C/!t ll'^l''^ displayed towards her apple jelly.
Not that she grudged him apple jelly in just
quantities; both she and her husband were fond
ot It, and the eating of it was luckily one of those
pleasures whose indulgence is innocent. But
there are limit^ beyond which even jelly becomes
VICIOUS, and these limits Herr Klutz continually
overetepped. Every autumn she made a suffi-
cient number of pots of it to last discreet appe-
ar. ?/• "^u"^^ ^^'^ 7^'^ ^'^ «J*»ys been vic!ire
in their house, and there had never been a dearth
ot jelly. But this year, so eariy as Easter, there
were onlj; two pots left. She could not cinven!
lently lock It up and refuse to produce any, for
then she and her husband would not have it them-
selves; so all through the winter she had watched
the pots being emp od one after the other, and
tfte thinner the rows m her storeroom grew, the
more ^ pronounced became her conviction that
S .^^M Vu' ''"*•"'''" ''^^P- A young man
wha could behave in so unbridled a fishion
could not be really senous; there was something,
she thought, that smacked suspiciously of tlfe
flesh and the devil about such conduct. Great
then was her astonishment when, the penultimate
pot being placed at Easter on the table, Klutz
turned from it with loathing. Nor did he ever
took at apple jelly again; nor did he, of other
m. •»s-«V'
THE BENEFACTRESS
^Aat.T^ttt'^^''^ •" ''«'*. He
had to be coaxed Z^^eZ '°'^,°i ^'' "''^^'' ^nd
spent his spare time wrifi ^-^^ ^^* ^^ ^"- He
ail night, and'oir. e"K'rf.KP ^°"^*''"««
ong rate with which he had nl •* ^''f '^'"'^ ''^ad-
the elly; and when towa^rffM"'"!'^ ^^"^"'"ed
once more commenced ^1;, ^^^ ^^' ''"^hand
Man^lce. conscienc"Jl ^^^^^ St?e?he^-
a d?whrhe^S"St^ ^Ll'^^ ^* ^-^ on
s.lence and had refused tfeSt S^ "^^^^ '"
seemed' bo'tK^o rin^^^^ J^- 4 and sou,
am sick _ sick even u„to del^' ^'''' °' f^^^^- " ^
And he did feel sick n.,w ,
«nce he had received A?nir^° '^"J'^ ''^'^ ^'apsed
thrown by it into a tumuU o? Hi?"'."! '"^ ^''^ ^«
forthediscouraeemen?/iL . ?''^A* ^""^ triumph;
aged him the'SrappSrtot''"*^'--
becommg self-depreciation n?,^ '^ .'"^'^'y the
who has1,een by^StS?o!l:^„rS"l^n before him
perfectly ready to overioKf 'k °''f " "« ^as
"nion to whici; she Suded Ih^"'^'^' '"^ '^^^^
heryeare; there were trulvm ^°1!''' "«* help
would have wisheTbufSklThe "'''" *^" ''^
'We on that still bvely face ^1^^ "^^'^."P^ vis-
supposed she meant that h!: ° Position, he
a man, he refleSel comparert.""* "''^'^'- ^"^
always aaS^/^v whatever hf/ ° ^ "^^^an, is
virtue of his hiZr and „„M "^"'f ""^^ ^' hy
been for rushinfat once to ^l"'*"";!- "^ ^ad
P"P.1 and confiiant^d^ ^id^'' S!?^ 'n^fh^aS
J0«
THE BENEFACTRESS
■
said It with such energy that for that day at least
he had resisted. And now, the very morning of
the day on which the Frau Pastor was asking him
whether he were ill, he had received a curt note
from Miss Leech, informing him that Miss Letty
Estcourt would for the present discontinue her
German studies. What had happened? Even
the poem, lying warm on his heart, was not able
to dispel his fears. He had flown at once to
Kleinwalde, feeling that it was absurd not to
follow the dictates of his heart and cast himself
in person at Anna's no doubt expectant feet, and
the door had been shut in his face — rudely shut,
by a coarse servant, whose manner had so much
enraged him that he had almost shown her the
precious verses then and there, to convince her
of his importance in that house ; indeed, the only
consideration that restrained him was a conviction
of her ignorance of the English tongue.
" Would vou like to see the doctor ? " inquired
Frau Manske, startled by his looks and words;
perhaps he had caught something infectious;
an infectious vicar in the house would be
horrible.
"The doctor I" cried Klutz; and forthwith
quoted the German rendering of the six lines
beginning. Canst thou not minister to a mind
diseased.
Frau Manske was seriously alarmed. Not aware
that he was quoting, she was horrified to hear him
calling her Du, a privilege confined to lovers, hus-
bands, and near relations, and asking her questions
that she was sure no decent vicar would ever ask
the respectable mother of a family. " I am sure
-J*.^
THE BENEFACTRESS
309
would ha/shot'h^^reprnT'""^^ 'onger he
afternoon. S th^ wind thT^L^ ^"^*^ ^^^
lon^ was blowing^^'Se d'u^t i 'cSs •''"bu? hi
dusT witft ''^''^'"^^ °/ ^^^t and wind and
very turbSlv Hp ., ^ u ^'J, ^^n^e ^ him
daugKwere eitt^'r^P '^!,^''^''" '^^ P^'^o"'^
^_ f. "^'^ 7fre either married or were «!ti'll fiVj
DeHwW If' T ^ S"^^' condescension, to the
Se7aroLrS Ce^u^'t^" ^°° ''^ '"^
310
THE BENEFACTRESS
thirty, forty fifty — of a dizzy antiquity, that it,
and their talk was of butter-making and sausaees.
and they cared not at all for Love, " Oh, Love.
Love, Love, where shall I find thee?" he would
cry to the stars on his way home through the
forrat after these evenings; but the stars twinkled
coldly on, obviouslv profoundly indifferent as to
whether he found it or not. His chest of drawers
TOs full of the poems into which he had poured
the emotions of twenty, the emotions and long-
ings that welWed, unoccupied twenty mistakes
for soul. And then the English Miss had burst
upon his gaze, sitting in her carriage on that
stormy March day, smiling at him from the very
first, piercing his heart through and through with
eyes that many persons besides Klutz saw were
lovelv, and so had he found Love, and for ev»r
lost his interest in apple jelly.
It was a confident, bold Love, with more hopes
than fears, more assurance than misgivings. The
poem seemed to burn his pocket, so violently did
he long to show it round, to tell everyone of his
pod fortune. The lilies-of-the-valley to which it
had been tied and that he wore since all day long
m his coat, were hardly brown, and yet he wm
tired already of having such a secret to himself.
What advantage was there in being told by the
lady of Kleinwalde that she regretted not being
able to call him Ldmmchen or Schdtzchm (the
alternative renderings his dictionary gave of
pet ) if no one knew it ?
When he reached the house he walked past it
at a snail's pace, staring up at the blank, repellent
windows. Not a soul was to be seen. He went
THE BENEFACTRESS 3,,
■ HJIn??'","^ "'*'''?• What should he do? Th.
"»My when she heai? «,« ,h. *' ""™'
pioH„ j;rofSe%'S.';!i'5'„a "" ^
£Krs^h'^ia^.-«t.»
sit
THE BENEFACTPESS
Dellwig's eyes upon him, he bunt into a torrent
of tears.
"Well of all — what's wrong at Lohm. you
great sheep ? " asked Dellwig, seizing his arm and
giving him a shake.
Klutz signified by a movement of his head that
nothing was wrong at Lohm. He was crying like
a baby, into a red pocket-handkerchief, and could
not speak.
Dellwig, stilj gripping his arm, stared at him a
moment m silence; then he turned him round,
pushed him down the steps, and walked him off.
" Come along, voung man," he said, " I want some
explanation of this. If you are mad youll be
locked up. We don't fancy madmen about our
place. And if you're not mad you'll be fined by
the Amtsvorsteher for disorderly conduct. Knock-
ine like that at a lady's door I I wonder you
didn't kick it in, while you were about it It's a
good thing the Herrschaften are out."
Klutz really felt ill. He leaned on D-llwig's
arm and let himself be helped along, the energy
gone out of him with the fury. " You have never
loved," wis all he said, wiping his eyes.
"Oh that's it, is it? It is love that made you
want to break the knocker? Why didn't you eo
round to the back? Which of them is it? The
cook, of course. You look hungry. A Kandidat
crying after a cook ! " And Dellwig laughed loud
and long.
" The cook I " cried Klutz, galvanised by the
word into life. "The cook I" He thrust a shak-
ing hand into his breast-pocket and dragged it
out, the precious paper, unfolding it with trem-
WmA
THE BENEFACTRESS
triumphant. tC we^ In *k! j' '^«'""'ou»ly
of the house. SS tt^u t'^'^' °"' "!. •JK'^t
it clo« to hi. eyT^. Whatt th'^P': jfj'd W
"Wu\^?iL«'"''''**'^ Klutz.
What, the governess ? ••
«• ii""*^ readout Dellwiir "Anna > tu . •
MissEstcourt'sname" * ' ■'^''»* '»
" ll iem,'^. ^^i"*"- ''" *^^" »" '^^ed up.
••ii?S°K'rutr'^'"-'^^^"-V'W
"Miss Estcourt? Senf if »r ^ T»
repression while he did it v^ not fl^- ^" u'^
."{:°;jp,f^'d Klutz proudly.
eagig M.TaL£m?er •, tl ^'"^
where w. might be disturbed" "' ''^'^
t,ome on, then," said Dellwi? wralkinir nff *
a great pace with the paper in hKd ^ "^ '*
■f^
3>4
THE BENEFACTRESS
Just as they were turning into the farmyard the
rattle of a carnage was heard coming down the
road. _ "Stop," said Dellwig, laying his hand on
Klutz s arm, " the Herrschaftm have been drink-
mg coffee in the woods — here they are, coming
home. You can get a greeting if you wait."
They both stood on the edge of the road, and
the carriage with Anna and a selection from her
house-party drove by. Dellwig and Klutz swept
off the.r hats. )Vhen Anna saw Klutz she turned
scarlet — undeniably, unmistakably scarlet — and
looked away quickly. Dellwig's lips shaped them-
selves into a whistle. " Come in, then," he said,
glancing at IClutz, " come in and translate your
poem. '
Seldom had Klutz passed more delicious mo-
ments than those in which he rendered Letty's
verses into German, with both the Dellwigs drink-
ing in his words. The proud and exclusive Dell-
wigs I A month ago such a thing would have
been too wild a flight of fancy for the most ambi-
tious dream. In the very room in which he had
been thrust aside at parties, forgotten in corners,
left behind" when the others went in to supper, he
was now sitting the centre of interest, with his
«rr^'^i.®"P^'"^'''°"* ''°^*® hanging on his words.
When he had done, had all too soon come to the
end of his delightful task, he looked round at
them triumphantly ; and his triumph was imme-
diately dashed out of him by Dellwig, who said
with his harshest laugh, " Put aside all your hopes,
young man — Miss Estcourt is engaged to Herr
von Lohm."
"Engaged? To Herr von Lohm?" Klutz
THE BEN F .CTRE3S j„
side. ^ ^® dropping Jimpiy ^ his
pelted??ioud^^"*' '"^"Sed." Dellwig re-
LJame engiged" ^"°"^' ""°* "P'"^^' ''"* ^'
•■AnT^K ^:^"'"<=o'nn'anded Dellwig
. And she takes my flowers — mv^fii a
ings, floral and poetical andTh^ '"y.aaily ofiFer-
verees-and all Terim/I • u ^^".*^^ '"e *«e
one else ? " ""^ '''^ '" betrothed to some-
laughfeV'fir'KL??^'^ ^''^ ^""^"^^^ burst of
=f ;:tS°^nto have he^r l^^t jot^^n^^
^^^She is a person without shame!" cried his
"Silence. Frau!" snapped Dellwio- « I n^i.
Si«
THE BENEFACTRESS
man, eh ? Here, drink this, and tell us if you are
not a man. '
Klutz feebly tried to push the glass away, but
Dellwig insisted. Klutz was pale to ghastliness,
and his eyes were brimming again with tears,
ou'li. • L r,''®°"' Oh, this Englishwoman!
Uh, the shameful treatment of an estimable young
man ! cned Frau Dellwig, staring at the havoc
Anna had wrought.
"Silence, Fr^ul " shouted Dellwig, stamping his
foot You can t be treated like this," he went on
to Klutz, who, used to drinking much milk at the
abstemious parsonage, already felt t:,e brandy run-
ning along his veins like liquid fire, "you can't be
made ndiculous and do nothing. A vicar can't
fight, but you must have some revenge "
Klutz started. "Revenge I Yes, "but what
revenge?" he asked.
" Nothing to do with Miss Estcourt, of course.
Leave her alone "
" Leave her alone ? " cried his wife, " what, when
she it is "
" Silence, Frau ! " roared Dellwig. " Leave her
alone, I say. You won't Min anything there,
young man. But go to her Brdutigam Lohm and
tell him about it, and show him the stuff. He'll
be interested."
Dellwig laughed boisterously, and took two or
three rapid turns up and down the room. He
had not lived with old Joachim and seen much of
old Lohm and the surrounding landowners with-
out having learned something of their views on
questions of honour. Axel Lohm he knew to
be specially strict and strait-laced, to possess in
THE BENEFACTRESS
always been a nricr H. ^^'^V. ^""^ ^^ had
Estcourt to be talkS about .f?''^ ^' "'^^ Miss
be talked about ?Kw' ' °^?""^ she would
stopped, and the who'£"d'^s riS^^ouwf "°^'"
had been going on. Axel I nW ,K"°^ "^hat
would not maL a vount ^°'""^«^o"Id not and
to vicars; and7allS^ ^^^ *''° ^'^te vei^es
Kleinwalde ceased wrvtE°"'r^'^'? ^°'"" «nd
former pleasanTcouS^he De'^f "^"""^^ '^^"'"^ '*«
his post, becoming as M; n.f "^'fv^^y'^S on at
sole adviser, and^^rtalTy SeT^ ' '"'^^^^^^'^
achieving all he wanteH ;L j- , persuasion
The plainness arddi^i'^"?^ l^^ brick-kiln,
beautiful. He walked !,n/^*^^ ^"^"'•e ^as
making odd souS of satisfof- '^°*".*''^ '•°«'"
his wi^ with vSour evttll-''*'°"i.^"'^ ^"encing
lips.. Even hisS srquTck asViTle^P/"^'^ ""'^
hension, had not aracn^j k rV'^^'^^ompre-
changed their sitLf^nf ^ j u""^ *^'« Poem had
now Sot to abuse thdr'?«f ^"V. ^^^''^'^ thern
making young m4^^''c'?i'*'^s\h?fore a mischief-
by her^hatrelS^iss^fetTn'i'"'^?,''- ''^ ^'"e^.
always the slaves ifdlfiSce "f th^""""" -^'"^
ests, to some emotion or n?^ •Z'^^"' °^ ">ter-
then it was ha"S" Nev*r"cj>uld\r "°*-'7«'
anything whatever tCZ ■ ^^^y ™'t for
out and^be SduLd tej^"'"^ ?^^'°" must
quences might be^'M^han''''^r"' *^ '^""^e-
the best of fhemwhaV fools H^T ^''! ' ^"^
at h. wife as he Pass^dt^u^H^^Kla
3i8
THE BENEFACTRESS
ling from her to Klutz, who sat quite still with head
sunk on his chest, legs straieht out before him, the
hand with the paper loosely held in it hanging
down out of the cufBess sleeve nearly to the floor,
and vacant eyes staring into space, his good
humour returned, and he gave another harsh
laugh. "Well?" he said, standing in front of
this dejected figure. "How long will you sit
there? If I were you I'd lose no time. You
don't want tho?e two to be making love and en-
joying themselves an hour longer than is neces-
sary, do you ? With you out in the cold ? With
you so cruelly deceived? And made to look
so ridiculous? I'd spoil that if I were you, at
once."
" Yes, ;rou are right. I'U go to Herr von Lohm
and see if I can have an interview."
Klutz got up with a great show of determina-
tion, put the paper in his pocket, and buttoned his
coat over it for greater security. Then he hesi-
tated.
" It ts a shameful thing, isn't it? " he said, his
eyes on Dellwig's face.
" Shameful ? It's downright cruel."
" Shameful ? " began his wife.
" Silence, I tell thee ! Young ladies' jokes are
sometimes cruel, you see. I believe it was a joke,
but a very heartless one, and one that has made
you look more foolish even than half-fledged pas-
tors of your age generally do look. It is only fair
in return to spoil her game for her. Take another
glass of brandy, and go and do it."
Klutz stared hard for a moment at Dellwig.
Then heseized the brandy.gulped it down.snatched
THE BENEFACTRESS
saw h m pass ben*.aft, ViT • ? *^ ''oo'"- Thev
And he I.n^e=d"d^ *SE;°i7,r"''°"«"
l»»d, .ha, helhoSf S*rf S„' '"'")' '"""ted h».
k^iwmjj^-iim^*^' .iWwmm.
CHAPTER XXIII
Ki.oTz sped, as fast as his shaking limbs
allowed: to Lohm. When he passed Anna's
house he flung it a look of burning contempt,
which he hoped she saw and felt from behind
some curtain ; and then, trying to put her from
his mind, he made desperate efforts to arrange his
, thoughts a little for the coming interview. He
i ^VEPOs^'^ that it must be the brandy that made it so
I ! difficult for him to discern exactly why he was to go
to Herr von Lohm instead of to the person prin-
cipally concerned, the person who had treated him
so scandalously; but Herr Dellwig knew best, of
course, and judged the matter quite dispassionately.
Certainly Herr von Lohm, as an insolently happy
nval, ought in mere justice to be annoyed a little ;
and if the annoyance reached such a pitch of effec-
tiveness as to make him break off the engagement,
why then — there was no knowing — perhaps after
?"-; — ? The ordinary Christian was bound to
forgive his erring brother; how much more, then,
was it incumbent on a pastor to forgive his erring
sister? But Klutz did wish that someone else
could have done the annoying for him, leaving
him to deal solely with Anna, a womai., a mem-
ber of the sex in whose presence he was always at
his ease. The brandy prevented him from feeling
it as acutely as he would otherwise have done,
but the plain truth, the truth undisguised by
320
THE BENEFACTRESS
he was frightened ^ ^' '^''^" ^''^y met, and
foS by%&:oadsS:1bou^fi^'' ^'?^'-- -^-^
from Axel's gate he founW v," ^^^.""""tes' walk
over his sulerings once aS """^^'^ *° g°
count the dinnere he h!^^ • *^"^ ''>' one, to
the feverish nTghts and ,h'""'''^\'° '"^'"^'"ber
rehearse what &) wig'td '^^^^^/^^^I"^^ days, to
present ridiculousness or h,.^„ told him of his
back and gone home' R„. .., °"H ^^^^ t"med
him the cofrage necessa.? tol.?t- ^^u^*^'^ ^^^^
gate; and by the tfme h?^u°F' '''"? through the
m the avenue escape had L •■°"'?''^^ ^^^^ bend
Axel was standi-nfon L cT' '"^possible, for
Axelhadacigar?fh1smontfPK- u^ '^^ ^°^^-
Ws pockets, af d he was wa"ch n^' th''^'^^ ^^^^ '«
young mare which was beini^ ?!. ^^ P^*^^^ of a
Two pointers were IfttinJ^f k-'^."P ^"d down.
Klutz appeared thevr^K^ f ^" ^^^^' ^nd when
Klutz did noPas a^ 'r t!? ''°^" ^* J'™ barking
by dogs, buf h? las 'fnt^htl^ ''^'"^ Marked ft
4 a„d^Klutz,^withtt et^SaiVat Jlk^
Ax'eu'f ha'nds t JVhS o"ock .^^"^.- " -^'^d
on the mare's legs P""^^*' ^"d his eyes
^.M wish to speak with you privately." said
3"
THE BENEFACTRESS
Gut. Just wait a moment." And Klutz
waited, while Axel, with great deliberation, con-
tinued his scrutiny of the mare, and followed it up
by a lengthy technical discussion of her faults and
her merits with the groom.
This was intolerable. Klutz had come on busi-
ness of vital importance, and he was left standing
there for what seemed to him at least half an hou*
as though he were rather less than a dog or a bee-
gar. As time tJassed, and he still was kept waft-
ing, the fury that had possessed him as he stood
helpless before Anna's shut door in the afternoon,
returned. All his doubts and fears and respect
melted away. What a day he had had of suffer-
ing, of every kind of agitation ! The ground alone
that he had covered, going backwards and forwards
between Lohm and Kleinwalde, was enough to tire
out a man in health ; and he was not in health, he
was ill, fasting, shaking in every limb. WhUe he
had been suffering (leidend und sckwitzmd, he said
to himself, grinding his teeth), this comfortable
man in the gaiters and the aggressively clean cuffs
had no doubt passed very pleasant and easy hours,
had had three meals at least where he had had
none, had smoked cigars and examined horses'
legs, had ridden a little, driven a little, and would
presently go round, now that the cool of the even-
ing had come, to Kleinwalde, and sft in the twi-
light while Miss Estcourt called him Schatg. Oh
It was not to be borne ! Dellwig was right — he
must be annoyed, punished, at all costs shaken out
of his lofty indifference. " Let me remind you,"
Klutz burst out m a voice that trembled with pas
sion, "that I am still here, and still waiting, and
..tmL'^.::t
THE BENEFACTRESS 3,3
"What IS the matter, my dear Herr K\„h}
Mhav^l^ ""^'^ about Wthing" ^'"'''
I have been shamefully treated by a woman "
said AirtiSr"" '^^"^^"^ ^° ^°""« ""■"
Khtl'K^^eTrbl^'^^^P*'^'^- "^^ *^^^" cried
w.sh^metohelpyou. If yS^ ^anW^^^
"J will not go."
" My dear Herr Klutz."
"I say I will)
came to tell you. .
" Miss Estcourt ?
Then he added, "
"She is a woman
ml to^tiirvou"" Vh *'" ^ ^^^^ ^^''^ y°" ^hat I
me to tell vou. The woman is Miss Estcourt "
repeated Axel, amazed.
Call her a lady.
to all intents and purposes-
3»4
THE BENEFACTRESS
" Call her a lad^r. It sounds better from a youne
man of your station." ' '^
" Of my station I What, a man with the brains
pt a man, the mmd of a man, the sinews of a man
IS not equal, is not superior, whatever his station
may be, to a mere woman ? "
" I will not discuss your internal arrangements.
Has there, then, been some mistake about the
salary you are to receive ? "
"What salary?"
" For teaching Miss Lclty Estcourt? "
,"^*^;~''^* salary. Love does not look at
salaries.
" That sounds magnificent. Did you say love ? "
"For weeks past, all the time that I have
taught the niece, she has taken my flowers, my
messages, at first verbal and at last written "
" One moment. Of whom are we talking ? I
have met you with Miss Leech "
"The governess? Ichdanke. It is Miss Est-
court who has encouraged me and led me on, and
now, after calling me her Ldmmcfun, takes away
her niece and shuts her door in my face "
" You have been drinking ? "
"Certainly not," cried Klutz, the more indig-
nanthr because of his consciousness of the brandy
" Then you have no excuse at all for talking m
this manner of my neighbour ? "
" Excuse ! To hear you, one would think she
must be a queen," said Klutz, laughing derisively
If she were, I should still talk as I pleased. A
cat may look at a king, I suppose?" And he
laughed again, very bitterly, disliking even for one
moment to imagine himself in the role of the cat
iH^T-CAB^:
THE BENEFACTRESS
4 ^**
likes/' ^id^Ll^'bu? Ir^ ^"^ '^ °^'- « it
any/hi!;? ""' ^''^ ''^ ^o lu^nE];- about
Oh. ho! Not if it could bite,
have"^;^ ite pocket " " '""''^ ''•*^' ^"^ ^ad what I
Yo'u'Sti? ha"v°i SoLTthafv"^ '^f "f" K'"*-
is it that vou h?v?iryou^ P^""^'' ^'^y- ^"^^^
of mine THtSe't::^ "^ '" ?"«-- ^o one
might liket sl^hoTyl^Zure w-^"«^* ^^^
another man." ^ '""^^ *'^« writes to
on'me''?~Oufo^ouIl^^" "iT, ^^"^^ ^ kindJy
wife then.%lP"EltcS"'"^""^- ^^ ^"'"'^
^ ft IS an open secret."
It IS, most unfortunately, not true."
KIUU lean^ WM and A3l,S'',!S:"Si
mi!mKm^i^w M^^ .
3*6
THE BENEFACTRESS
a muscle moved. It had been calm before, and it
remained calm. Klutz could hardly keep himself
from leaping up and striking that impassive face,
striking some sort of feeling into it. He had
piaved his big card, and Axel was quite unmoved.
What could he do, what could he say, to hurt
him?
" Shall we bum it ? " inquired Axel, looking up
from the paper.
" Burn it ? ' Bum my poem ? "
" It is such very great nonsense. It is written
by a child. We know what child. Only one in
this part can write English."
"Miss Estcourt wrote it, I tell you I" cried
Klutz, jumping to his feet and snatching the
paper away.
" Your telling me so does not in the very least
convince me. Miss Estcourt knows nothine
about it." ®
"She does — she did "screamed Klutz,
beside himself. "Your Miss Estcourt — your
Braut — you try to brazen it out because you
are ashamed of such a Braut. It is no use —
everyone shall see this, and be told about it —
the whole province shall ring with it — / will not
be the laughing-stock, but you will be. Not a
labourer, not a peasant, but shall hear of it "
" It strikes me," said Axel, rising, " that you
badly want kicking. I do not like to do it in my
house — it hardly seems hospitable. If you will
suggest a convenient place, neutral ground, I
shall be pleased to come and do it."
He looked at Klutz with an encouraging smile.
Then something in the young man's twitching
htH'm'
.::ai.ii» z::
THE BENEFACTRESS
J»7
would make to your Zt S"? ' ^'''*^^'*
about f A„"';our*eUd.''"4'i''^'f'" ^T
the '-efsteak'^'a'n^;! TcLr;^;XSr"^' ^^
H ^S a^asTea^aS ^f^-^'^VZ
ever saw." *° '""^*^ ^^ any man I
har^kSowi^ThaThe diS ZTsS'' T' *^*-
himself to speal Klu?^^Sr' ^ran^lH Tl
the match Axel held for h-\. Hs "
pitifully.
" Now
go home, my ar Klutz,"
hand shook
aid Axel
3»8
THE BENEFACTRESS
very kindly. " Tell Frau Pastor to give you some
food, and then get to bed. I wish you would have
taken the beefsteak — here is your hat. If you,
like, we will talk about this nonsense later on.
Believe me, it is nonsense. You will be the first
to say so next week."
And he ushered him out to the steps, and
watched him go down them, uneasy lest he should
stumble and fall, so weak did he seem to be.
" What a hot wind ! " he exclaimed. " You will
have a dusty walk home. Go slowly. Good-
night." '
" Poor devil," he thought, as Klutz without
speaking went down the avenue into the darkness
with unsteady steps, "poor young devil — the
highest possible opinion of himself, and the small-
est possible quantity of brains ; a weak will and
strong instincts ; much unwholesome study of the
Old Testament in Hebrew with Manske ; a body
twenty years old, and the finest spring I can re-
member filling it with all sorts of anti-parsonic
longings. I believe I ought to have taken him
home. He looked as though he would faint."
This last thought disturbed Axel. The image
of Klutz fainting into a ditch and remaining in it
prostrate all night, refused to be set aside ; and at
last he got his hat and went down the avenue after
him.
But Klutz, who had shuffled along quickly, was
nowhere to be seen. Axel opened the avenue
gate and looked down the road that led past the
stables to the village and parsonage, and then
across the fields to Kleinwalde; he even went a
little way along it, with an uneasy eye on the
#M
THE BENEFACTRESS
3*9
ditches, but he did not see Klutz, either unnVl^f
or prostrate. Well, if he were in a difrh ^f^-j
to &mself, he would not drown" he'Shes wire
|epan«t Sd^^^^^^^^^^^
quickly to his own gate; for it was late anrl hi
had work to do, and he had wS ,S,re i^
than he could afford with Klutz A man onl
hJnnSr-P.°°.'"y°i:j"«4e^''^s Axel called him
bSonH a'" -**•• i*""y'ngdown the dark avenu^'
beyond Axels influence, far from fainting, Uv^^'
all Klutz could do not to shout with pafsion^t
recSn^H J" ^^^ P""^"^"*^^ o^ *e man he now
regarded as his enemy. The tears in his eve^
had given Lohm an opportunity for pretendfna
he was sorryrfor him, and for making insult nf
hln- 'r'.f '^ °^ ^°'^- What coufd r^a -^
suZ ctedT %UXT^^:' "•''^'' ''^ "^^ been
,^S *? r "^* "^ ^'^'^ been treated as a do?
rui ?t!l' ^" ■T'?."' ^^^' ^^^ ^««e and more dl:
cult o bear with dignity, as a child. A beefsteak ?
oHH^Vfe '^:t^ ^^^'■^'^ b- «0"1 as he though
hJ A This revoltmg specimen of the upper class
had declared, with a hateful smile of Sgem
JU
.%r - lir
330
THE BENEFACTRESS
supenority, that all his love, all his sufferings, all
his just indignation, depended solely for their exist-
ence on whether he did or did not eat a beefsteak.
Could coarse-mindedness and gross insensibility
go further ? " Thrice miserable nation I " he cried
aloud, shaking his fist at the unconcerned stars,
"thrice miserable nation, whose ruling class is
composed of men so vile I " A nd, having removed
his cigar in order to make this utterance, he re-
membered, with a great start, that it was Axel's.
He was in the road, just passing Axel's stables.
The gate to the stable-yard stood open, and inside
It, heaped against one of the buildings, was a
waggon-load of straw. Instantly Klutz became
aware of what he was going to do. A lightning
flash of clear purpose illumined the disorder (rt
his brain. It was supper time, and no one was
about. He ran inside the gate and threw the
lighted cigar on to the straw; and because there
was not an instantaneous blaze fumbled for his
matchbox, and lit one match after the other,
pushing them in a kind of frenzy under the loose
ends of straw.
There was a puff of smoke, and then a bright
tongue of flame ; and immediately he had achieved
his purpose he was terrified, and fled away from
the dreadful light, and hid himself, shuddering, in
the darkness of the country road.
CHAPTER XXIV
oul' ?n;;,"th'e'te?n1;llSl:!:! P"--' hurrying
alarm was given ^'^^'^ ^^^n first th^
Ann J" .u""/ ^"^'J someone else
wind. The t^eS in the wiT ^''i'"* ''^ ^^^^ hot
creaked, the air ^s olrrht ^it?. '^^^^'^ ^nd
light glared brigK eS 1^?^. '" c °^ f ^*' *he
veiynear? Surelv if w=c ^"*V Purely it was
"It^s in Lohm"'cried^n?f'''*h"^*'^^«"nd?
and Anna tu.;dTn?h:°rt^-':^--^^^^^^^
asked &ty'KhUri *?• 1:""* ^"'>-?"
the aflfair ,^th Klute ?he £ nr^/u'^""' ^^'^ «'"«
like a co„science-s"tricke: Sg "'' ""'' ^""' ^^out
itmS'g5'!:!5J"^-^''-^ -one at thefarm-
Lohm church-lells rinJ^ *7 *=°"'d hear the
335
Slar-3m*J:!»4»Ji jW..
33*
THE BENEFACTRESS
"Yes — the fire-engine — is it ordered? Has
it gone ? No ? Then at once — at once — — "
"/awoA/,jawoH" ssiid Frau Dellwig with great
calm, the philosophic calm of him who contem-
plates calamities other than his own. She said
something to one of the maids, who were standing
about in pleased and excited groups laughing and
whispering, and the girl shuffled off in her clatter-
ing wooden shoes. "My husband is not here,"
she explained, " and the men are at supper."
"Then they must leave their supper," cried
Anna. "Go, go, you girls, and tell them so —
look how terrifcle it is getting "
" Yes, it is a bi§ fire. The girl I sent will tell
them. They say it is the Schloss."
" Oh, go yourself and tell the men — see, there is
no sigjn of them — every minute is priceless "
" It is always a business with the engine. It has
not been required, thank God, for years. Mietze,
go and hurry them."
The girl called Mietze went oflF at a trot. The
others put their heads together, looked at their
young mistress, and whispered. A stable-boy came
to the pump and filled his pail. Everyone seemed
composed, and ^et there was that bloody sky, and
there was that msistent cry for help from the anx-
ious bell.
Anna could hardly bear it. What was happen-
ing down there to her kind friend ?
" It is the Schloss" said the stable-boy in answer
to a question from Frau Dellwig as he passed with
his full pail, spilling the water at every step.
" Ach, I thought so," she said, glancing at
Anna.
-' SsA-e «
THE BENEFACTRESS
doCn thefts 'afKt riri M'T'^^'i '^^ -»
wig could nofbS fol ow wWcte>/?" P^""
a ijsapproving distance ^^ ''"' ''°*'y> ^t
men?h?st"SeSd S*^ >^/^ ^* *^t -
from its shed, rot the W»c k ^^""^"^engine
after what AnVa though? L^!;""'?^'' '° '*• ^"d
away. When it staS Si I f*^^'"*^ '* ^Wled
was like one dSft e S^& *° ^''^ -"^'>
,, J. s the stables." he said to Anna.
Herrvon Lohm's?" ^
"AndthlhTuseT''"--^"
•nig"!"t"^s^!^.^^/f-M- ..1,3 a ^„,^
J»^y- Ther. ° pine trees hi. '"S^"g that
isasdiyas. deS"^ '^t^'^en. Eveiy^K.-.,g
Bi!?n'n''-^*~^'"« *ey insured?"
bell was heard abZ th^UkH°"'^ ^'l^ ^"^'^'^
of the wind. Mt^horriLk "J^*"d hanging
bell tolling, and iLlrg'i'the'st^'T^/^^^^^^
throw one single bucketful nf t!.^' . ^ '^""'^
should not feel so useless so Lw"" ? ^'j^ '^^^ ^
use or good for anything" ^' """'"'^ °^ "°
NeitHer of them had Iver seen a fi« j u
I-:
mit 1 '^^^ §
I
334
THE BENEFACTRESS
«, J 'i
W It :
to lose money: From things Trudi had said, from
things the princess had said, she knew it. There
was at Lohm, she felt rather than knew, an abun-
dance of everything necessary to ordinary com-
fortable living, as there generally is in the country
on farms ; but money was scarce, and a series of
bad seasons, perhaps even one bad season, or any-
thing out of the way happening, might make it
very scarce, might make the further proper farm-
ing of the place impossible. Suppose the stables
were not insured, where would the money come
from to rebuild them ? And the horses — she had
heard that hordes went mad with fright in a fire,
and refused to leave their stables. And the house
— suppose this cruel wind made the checking of
the fire impossible, and it licked its way across the
trees to Axel's house ? " Oh, what can we do ? "
she cried to the frightened Letty.
" Let's go there,' said Letty.
" Yes ! ' cried Anna, striking her hands together.
" Yes ! The carriage — Frau Dellwig, order the
carriage — order Fntz to bring the carriage out at
once. Tell him to be quick — quick ! "
" The gracious Miss will go to Lohm ? "
" Yes — call him, send for him — Fritz I Fritz ! "
She herself began to call.
"But "
" Fritz I Fritz I Run, Letty, and see if you can
find him."
" If I may be permitted to advise "
"Fritz I Fritz! Fritz!"
" Call the herrschaftlicke Kutscher Fritz," Frau
Dellwig then commanded a passing boy in a loud
and stern voice. " Not only mad, but improper,"
THE BENEFACTRESS
w her private comment " si,^
to her i?^VA>««, _ to her ^T ^y °'«ht
Srauttgamr f ven a r^cc-ki ""acknowledged
gam dii not. in her onJ^ ^^^^ ''"™'ns ^S
The darkAess conSdY '"^ ^"* ^ Sp.
and Anna neither notfcid nor .r?.' "^ ''^'- '^ce.
m her voice, but bewn K» f/^"* '°'" ^^^e anger
direction of the stah^f. ^-^'^ ^ run in the
her reflections '''"'■ ^"*^"« F«u Dellwig to
wh;«?S inn??jd ttJv^ ^-.^- eve^-
her, having found Frit^^^i' ^' '^o'^'ng towards
■He aid 6„ ^J^^l" |™age coming, •
house into the light of thl \ ^^^ '*^Ps of the
<-ome anJ look at
child, what do ^TKK
yourself in the glass." ^ '^ k ai
Dd'4 ha^S^d ''^ «'^^^ ^''^^ ''-g aoove the
H-JeK?SJ^^fA.na looking at
bemg got ready now." ^ " ^he carriage is
been, dotg^ trCrtafrP^ee^it '^^ ^''^ -"'^
««Ie curls. S'tulnToKoT ?» theseSffl
spect young woman " ^ '°'^'" »nd circum-
I
33«
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna bent her head and let the princess do as
she pleased. " Herr Dellwig is afraid the fire will
spread to the house," she said breathlessly. " Our
engine has only just gone "
" I heard it."
" It is such a lumbering thing, it will be hours
getting there " „
" Oh, not hours. Half a one, perhaps.
" Are they insured ? "
" The buildings ? They are sure to be. But
there is always a loss that cannot be covered —
ach, Frau Dellwig, good-evening —you see we
have taken possession of your house. To have
no stables and probably no horses just when the
busy time is beginning is terrible. Poor Axel.
There — now you are tidy. Wait, let me fasten
your cloak and cover up your pretty dress. Is
Letty to come too ? "
« 6h — if she likes. Why doesn't the. carnage
come?" , , ,„
" It will be much better if Letty goes to bed,
said the princess.
" Oh !^' said Letty.
" It is long past her bedtime, and she has no
hat, and-nothinff round her. Shall we not ask Frau
Dellwig to send a servant with her home ? "
"Abergewiss " began Frau Dellwig.
But Anna was out again on the steps, was
shutting out the flaming sky with one hand while
she strained her eyes into the darkness of the
corner where the coach-house was. She could
hear Fritz's voice, and the horses' hoofs on the
cobbles, and she could see the light of a lantern
• jogging up and down as the stable-boy who held
#S. T
THE BENEFACTRESS
337
" Quick, quick, Fritz," she
it hurried to and fro
cned.
"JawoM, gnddiges FrauUi^ "
answer in tht old man WK„ ''^"'^ ^^k the
But it was like a StmaJe 7^; T'''"''S tones.
una^etoX'S-::^^^^
i ake me with von Ui.
Letty from behind hlT «r"'^ ^°"l^ too,»pleaded
Anna's. '"'' "^^^ ^''PP'ng her hand into
yo;r\\'i.*''>saWn'^^^^^^^^^ eTe'^^^^l'^S -"'^
moving about before "£ ZT^r, °" ^''^ '^"t^"»
carnage lamps flashed out fn?""'^V ^''«" the
• the carriage rattli up ' ^^ '" ^^ot^e'" moment
^eesT^^efti t^ c^ugt'r °' *^^ P-
red horror of the skv aV,^ i? ' ?'"npses of the
the open Anna cfed ott^'i'" . ^«°* °"* '»*'
seemed as if the whole worM "^^'i'^' ^°' i*
sp.re of Lohm church Tnd th^""' T f'' ^^e
^ges stood out clear and sham^-„??'/ '^^ ^°*-
The horses, more and m«™ ^^ l" *^ ''erce 1 ght.
they drew, pirg^/ai^f^'l^ghtened the nearer
hardly hoi<f them in "''o' ';^f'^"'^ °'d Fritz could
the parsonage They wS^ „o??«k*''". *=°"«'- hy
advance another v7rdh^, "° *°> induced to
and terrified, an/ tSeate ?„"^''^ ^'''^^' ^''•^king
upset the carriage bto ?he"ltcr^ '"°'^-* ^°
^^^rlr^r^f^ZS'ZT^- '/'^ P--3.
and followed after as Svifl,""' ''^ ^^tty
the road and in the field^"Site tt S^s tH
u«
THE BENEFACTRESS
KlerTh^l!°"*"«^*''"'^' "•"•ninated figure,'
L 31' *=^^"<="ng groups. From the pump on
nelpera had been formed, and buckets of water
were being passed along from hand to ha„7 to
Ae engines; and there was no other waten
The engines were working farther down he
road, keeping the hose turned on to the tree!
between lie stables and the house. There wS
SeXste'"?r™°"V'*l'"'^"'^ *^^*e^
v,n!,jl AT •*°i'''^ carry the fire across to Axel's
house Men m the garden were hacking atVhem
the blows of thtir axes indistinguishaBle in the
uproan but every now and then one of the victims
Shirik'"'''' """"^ ''' '^"°*^ **•" '^db|
'• Oh, poor Axel, poor Axel ! " murmured Anna
drawing her scarf across her face as she pS
along to protect it from the intolerable helt.^ bS
tri T^-f T™''**"^^'^ ^S^'^ '" he"- blue cloak
and white dress, stumbling on to where the
engines were; and the |roups of Sker^
" H07 did it happen ? " she asked, suddenly stop-
ping before a knot of women. They were vE
No one knows," said the edest, when Anna
pu^S"'''^""^°"- "Theysayitwi'Soneon
ful °°T °" P'J31°*^ ' " «'=J'o«d Anna, starine at
onVu^t/p •• " '^'''' '^'^^ -°""^ -* «- *° ^ P^-
But to this question no reply at all was forth-
THE BENEFACTRESS
her hand beforeT^tr ""'"^ ^"'^ '''^n Put
;^t'5L?r^.^^^^^^^^^ two storks,
roofs now buming.Ld Sd i^*"" °" °"« o^ the
«fety and were w^tchine ovf- S ^""-i?^ ""^ '"
storks wer* only a fei^davs^w"- 7C^ young
thrown out of tL nSrhTtL ''' ""^ ^ad^been
dragged away out of d- nV • P''^"**' ""d then
parents mounting guarf"/^'" lf° '^e field, the
dislocated offspnKnl thf 'uT ^mised and
formed in the llow^'n'o a £' T-Jt ^^"P ^^ns-
white, into a family of snJWH^"''^"'- ""^V' dazzling
«« they huddlerrSfy 2S''^'«^'°r^'' ''orki,
refuge. Anna saw £°a„,'i^'V'^'''.P'^^« "f
she saw them; there^Jre fc ih?°^'"« that
one was dead. Th? nril^ ^^ ''ttle ones, and
her standing beside th'lm"'. f?^ ^^tty f^und
furnace of the s ableyS'S'""« «>« faring
the Pn"cetf4!;7Ara? IZT^ '^-•" -^
she should not again sHd,„ ™; determined that
buildings are fullfSsu Jd ^ If '',*^y^y the
have much better ones " ^^ *"" he able to
^^^Bu^thetimelost-theycan-tbebuiltina
bu2gsrdi:PstVrS3Sp,T- -ch old
congratulate himself thatlhevS ^'if* ^*^' «"
But of cou«e there w3l aS ^' ^^'? hurned.
Have you seen him ? I ^,,^ ^e the time lost,
shall be scorchedTo cinde«"heS"°° '^ ""^« —
MO
THE BENEFACTRESS
Both Axel and Dellwig were superintending
the working of the hose. " I do not want my treei
destroyed,' he said to Dellwig, with whom in the
stress of the moment he had resumed his earlier
manner; "they are not insured." He had
watched the stables eo with an impassiveness
Hiat struck several of the bystaiders as odd.
Dellwig and many others of the dwellers in that
district were used to making a great noise on all
occasions great and small, and they could by no
means believe that it was natural to Axel to remain
so calm at suclj a moment. " It is a great nui-
sance," Axel said more than once; but that also
was hardly an adeq[uate expression of feelings.
"They are well msured, I believe?" said Dell-
wig.
"Oh yes. I shall be able to have nice tight
buildings in their place."
"They were certainly rather — rather dilapi-
dated," said Dellwig, eyeing him.
" They were very dilapidat jd," said Axel.
Anna and the princess stood a little way from
the engines watching the efforts to check the
spread of the fire for some time before Axel noticed
them. Manske, who had been the first to volun-
teer as a link in the human chain to the pump,
bowed and smiled from his place at them, and was
stared at in return by both women, who wondered
who the begrimed and friendly individual could
be. " It is the pastor," then said the princess,
smiling back at him ; on which Manske^ smiles
and bows redoubled, and he spilt half the contents
of the bucket passing through his hands.
"So it is," said Anna.
"THE BENEFACTRESS
burning property. *°' ^''^ ''^""c owner of the
tnis, Manske would hL ^^"^ 'os'ig much hv
ao he would ^ saJ,! a ^ "*■
that cheerful and Smv^"""- '' "«J« reassured bv
wande^d to AxtdT/S^r'"'''^'- «"%
Je wanted done^ "hcaJ2 ''"'"^ jS^«i„g wha^'
I'ke this." she said to h^^ * S""*! '"^ngfa fire
A'U^'^Sire^ ^^'^ S^ "^^'-"*'^^
,'"oment5d«K*^,'^^^ dragged down at that
|o^. against a beech «! '"^i"" ^^'•^ from its fef
jn 'ts fall, ruining the fc ?'^"'^''^^'^ *°re d'oS
£r^i--s^^^^^^^ sird"tVhT4i?
he heard her thinW if hi ^*"!,T^"*'« though
nto her eyes. " Yof he^ r" T*^ '°?^^d ^'r^'g^t
^Ste^Ti-^^i^ o cV-'-^^- -^d-
---etourneigh^o^atfe^^^^^^^^
to. ^ <H.
34*
THE BENEFACTRESS
see if Aye can do anything. But seriously, I hear
that It IS a good thing for you."
"I prefer the less good thing that I had before
K«j^* ?" ^'^^ "^'^ *° ®*°P something that was
be ng done wrong, but returned immediately^
tell them to go into his house and not stand there
m the heat. "Vou look so tired-and anxious^
he said, his eye. searching Anna's face. " Whv
?t'',r.ii ^""'""^^ T '^'^^ ^""^ ^' frightened you ?
th.K .! "'%";^'.J ^suie vou, and there is only
the bother of having to build just now " ^
"wT^t T -'T ^"'^ •'""^^'^ ^^^ t° Ws men.
cess. "L^ «£ "t^?°^ * moment," said the prin-
^lii^k/^ ®f *''^* '^ «°'"g on m his house: It
will be standing empty and open, and it is not
necessary that he should suffer loss;s from thievS
^„ril^*T'^'?- ."'^ MamsellislikeallSS
lo« Mamsells -losing, I am sure, no opportunity
of feathering her nest at his expense " ^
Anna thought this a practical way of helping
Axel, since the throwing of water on the flame!
was not required of her. ''she turned to ,Su S
and found that no Letty was to be seen. "Why
where IS Letty?" she asked, looking round. ^'
I though she w^ behind us," said the princess,
bo did I, said Anna anxiously.
They went back a few steps, looking for her
among the bystanders. The/ saw her atlasfa
long way ofif, her handkerchief still round her
head an^ her long thick hair blowing r^und her
shoulders rapt in contemplation of the fiery fur-
nace. Then a shout went up from the people in
THE BENEFACTRESS
and tottew ^"« °"ter waJJ of f^ ^^^" ^° run
•ng hean ^J^''^,'"?' fi'lin? the m,!."^' ^ ^ terrific
A '^ro^vd ha5 irK''"''V''eyhadS ^^1" ^^^
an excited -cP'^^'^^ round it T^ " ^^*^-
rounded hv 4 ''"'^' s'ttin? on th^ *^>' '°"nd
<^««t over LTPf'"'^^". and Stu«^°""*^'«"r.
*>"* smiji,i^ , V^'^- She looked^ someone's
Kone/™hefar>'?'=^''3' »* her'^auSr'!?; P^'^'
u ''^hatisgl7,?;"^toherhea7' ^^^^'
-who savedS?? ''^ ^° ^"^^ ^o' " g'h'^K
Somebody nut f I,- u "^
Th«^^ "° °ff too." ^^ ^'"s off? If '
^nepnncessfplf ,11
»IJ^
344
THE BENEFACTRESS
took the coat o£F, and restored it with effusive
thanks to its sheepish owner. There was a mur-
mur of sympathy from the women as Letty
emerged, snom of those flowing curls that were
her only glory. " Oh Weh, die htrrlichen Haare ! "
sighed the women to one another, " Oh Weh, oh
iVeh!" But the handkerchief tied so tightly
round her head had saved her from a worse fate ;
she had been an ugly little girl before — all that
had happened was that she looked now like an
ugly little boy,
" I say, Aunt Anna, don't mind," said Letty ;
for her aunt was crying, and kissing her, and tying
and un'-ying the handkerchief, and arranging and
rearranging it, and stroking and smoothing the
singed irregular wisps of hair that were left as
though she loved them. " I'm frightfully sorry —
I didn't know you were so fond of my hair."
"Come, we'll go to the house," was all Anna
said, stumbling on to her feet and putting her arm
round Letty. And they clung to each other so
close that they could hardly walk.
" We are going indoors a moment," called the
princess, who was very pale, to Axel as they passed
the engines.
He smiled across at her, and lifted his hat.
" I never saw anyone quite so composed," she
observed to Anna, trying to turn her attention to
other things. " Your man Dellwig, who has noth-
ing to do with it all, is displaying the kind of
behaviour the people expect on these occasions.
I am sure that Axel has puzzled a great many
people to-night"
Anna did not answer. She was thinking only
H». --^i
THE BENEFACTRBSS
I
ofLetty. What a slender
345
had
__ thread of chance
ashes or nS? But LeT^ I'ff^!^ fr ''"™* ^
little niece, poor so itarl^l ^^^"^ *.? ^r• "^' «*"
less, so ugly and 2- Sr/'*y'P'?'=*'<:ally mother-
and the place dSSfed ■ AnJ /°°" "■■' »"»»
with a sW f™.ftt,e.H5'',„'*rSv '^'
?KthttXrhirti^f*^'*P»^i;
were real. *^ ''^^'" ^n^^ o^'y this
The hall was in darkness, but there w« !;,»»,»
QuietasrfMfl, i.'^'^^'^s 't The house was as
W!'^l^i
mi£^m
m
34«
THE BENEFACTRESS
and the blows of the axes. The princess pushed
open the door behind which the light was, and they
found themselves in Axel's study, where the can-
dles he had lit in order to read Letty's poem were
still guttering and flaring in the draught from the
open window. A clock on the writing-table
showed that it was past midnight. The room
looked very untidy and ill-cared for.
" A man without a wife," said the princess, gaz-
ing round at the litter, composed chiefly of cigar-
ashes and old envelopes, " is a truly miserable
being. What condition can be more wretched
than to be at the mercy of a Mamsell ? I shall go
and inquire into the whereabouts cf this one.
Axel -vill want some food when he comes in."
She took up one of the candles and went out.
Letty had sat down at once on the nearest chair,
and was looking very pale. Anna xintied the
handkerchief, and tried to arrange what was left
of her hair. " I must cut off these uneven ends,"
she said, " but there won't be any scissors here."
" I say," began Letty, staring very hard at
her.
" I believe you were terribly scared, you poor
little creature, ' said Anna, struck by her pale face,
and passing her hand tenderly over the singed
head.
" Oh, not much. A bit, of course. But it was
soon over. Don't worry. What will mamma say
to my head ? " And Letty's mouth widened into
a grin at this thought. " I say," she began again,
relapsing into solemnity.
" Well, what ? " smiled Anna, sitting down on
the same chair and putting her arm round her.
i«^
4 1'
«IS i
THE BENEFACTRESS
bu;,;!':"..''""'* ^'-^ *e whde of that poZ
r^'^re'%^T[^^ ^l; 1^^^ Klut^^ Oh.
do more ? I am so liL h ^^' ^''at did you
that I td'e%7aX1it^t^ ^"^f 't that I_
know, and keep him ^uW I^ ''°'"^°'"* ^'n". you
Jt came from you" S^^.k' ^"'l— and pretended
ooked up atTer aunt ^''-Thi',^*^'^ ^-^ead and
she said defiantly ^^'^^ now, it's out,"
breath. /hen she slfp^ dJ' ^''^^ ""der her
and put both her anr,?^ ^T" °" *« the floor
.T'e," she cried jS\™"?^dLetty " Don't tell
"I don't want to kfow S?n " ^^"^'s knees,
dreadfully hurt just n^„ u^P°^^ ^^^ had been
-hat wojld it hC ZVdr'ou'-''^''''^'
get all that ridiculous nnn?il ^^', "^^ '^'^ for-
never be so silly again"°r,f^' ^"/l o^'y never,
ffether =.nw «_:./ ^.K?"V Let us be happy to-
was all so stupid, and
itz for ever — it
so little worth while."
348
THE BENEFACTRESS
And she put up her face, and they both began to
cry and kiss each other through their tears. And
so it came about that Lettv was in the same hour
relieved of the burden on her conscience, of most
of her hair, and was taken once again, and with
redoubled enthusiasm, into Anna's heart Logic
had never been Anna's strong point
II
! If
If
CHAPTER XXV
,. Letty and AnnaS Ti^ '•" ^^^ d'ning-nS,m
cesss name and eve h^ ^uthonty of the orin
worked with , -li ' "^ collected th^ .« • j ^ ""
g-^d to find , he lJ:;rS t S^f ^^ °-
water Thir ° P^^'^^e the gentlem^ ^" ^P™"
Lohm so kr„H,f^l"^ ^n-. perhaps a?H:'*^.^y
—"«! so jcmdly rjee.ctpj ' ^^'^fPS, as Herr von
homes and bei ^^^.^^^l!: ^^^ then go to t^
-'^^y«s possible.- Mans£
k:«jni. jr
350
THE BENEFACTRESS
by far the grimiest, was also the most decided in
his refusal ; he was a godly man, but he did not
love supererogatory washings, under which head-
ing surely a washing at two o'clock in the mom-
mg came. Axel left them in the hall a moment,
and went into his study to fetch cigars ; and there
he found Letty, hiding behind the door.
"You here, young lady?" he exclaimed sur-
prised, stopping short.
"Don't let anyone see me," she whispered.
I' Princess LudWig and Aunt Anna are in the din-
ing-room. I ran in here when I heard people with
you. My hair is all burnt off."
" What, you went too near ? "
" Sparks came after me. Don't let them come
in "
" You were not hurt ? "
" No. A little— on the back of my neck, but
it's hardly anything."
" I am very glad your hair was burnt off," said
Axel with ereat severity.
" So am I," was the hearty reply. " The tangles
at night were something awful.
He stood silent for a moment, the cigar-boxes
under his arm, uncertain whether he ought not
to enlighten her as to the icprehensibility of her
late conduct in regard to her aunt and Klutz.
Evidently her conscience was cloudless, and yet
she had done more harm than was quite calcula-
ble. Axel was fairly certain that Klutz had set
fire to the stables. Absolutely certain he could
not be, but the first blaze had occurred so nearly
at the moment when Klutz must have reached
them on his way home, that he had hardly a doubt
l^E BENEFACTRESS
AnnHmuW ^^"*^- *he whole ^n"" <'"''ed in
out at hirr,\TT' '°'' if he was th^^i. f /^'^ently
*henhfthouttl"?^«' He ^uiw '"*''' 'a*
««»%. Ind »? ''• ""^ strode St r ?Pf?k
-^^e^s.''--^epassedS'J-^xe,had
them. exSpt ManT'1?, '**« tW M^"'"""'"'
*« small fiu^'oft''''"*^'^*es; and &' -"^
weariness to Se fl u """""ng were , '^^"»
his two deen hi. ^^*''- Deliwja hi -^ ^P^cial
h's friends '^h"'^.*^ ^em. lookfrf "'"? '"^de
How
^-ngiish.
<^e%htful
of
you," said Axel
to her
f
-:ii
m
JS*
THE BENEFACTREaS
m
' I am elad to hear," she replied stiffly in Ger-
man, for sTje was still anmy with him because of
Letty's hair. "I am glaS to hear that you w3
have no losses from this." / » wm
" Losses ! •■ cried Manske. " On the contrary,
^B the best thing that could happen - the w?
best thing. Those stables have long been almost
unfit for use. Herr von Lohm, and fcan say from
my heart that I was glad to see them go. They
**« V '? P'**^^ *^*" '" y°"*" father's time."
Yes, they ought to have been rebuilt long am),
but one has not always the money in one's picket.
HelD yourself, my dear pastor."
^1' Who is the enemy ? '* broke in Dellwig's harsh
«tA'^'1° '"deed?" said Manske. looking sad.
Ihat is the melancholy side of the affair— that
•cmeone, presumably of my parish, should com-
mit such a crime.
- -j^' |^„^°"« ™e a great service, anyhow."
said Axel, filling the glas^s. "y^w,
IhaaL **" ™Pe"Med his immortal soul," said
" Have you such an enemy? " asked Anna, sur-
prised.
"I did not know it. Most likely it was some
ffi." • °' P«'l"P^-Perhaps a
" f "* L^^^ ^'**' immediately after I passed
throw of the stables, going home. I had hardly
reached them when the fire broke out. Did vou
then see no one on the road ? "
" No, I did not," said Axel shorUy. There was
*i*^. :
™B BENmCTMSB
Some of us woul^ k °^^ expression
have been chosen." ^ ^'^ ''»™e3 me. Zu5
" r eiT I? !p* °'' '
'* "^'*** =■ detestable
£. ,WL^
S$4
THE BENEFACTRESS
my
man he was, always and at all times. His whole
manner to-night struck her as specially offensive
" What will be done to the poor wretch when he
is caught ? " she asked Axel.
"He will be imprisoned," Dellwig answered
promptly.
She turned her back on him. " Even though
he is half-witted ? " she said to Axel. " Are you
obliged to look for him? Can't you leave him
alone ? He has done you a service, after all."
" I must look for him," said Axel ; " it is
duty as Amtsvorsteher."
"And the gracious Miss should consider "
shouted Dellwig from behind.
" ni consider nothing," said Anna, turning to
him quickly.
" — should consider the demands of jus-
tice——" '
" First the demands of humanity," said Anna,
her back to him.
" Noble," murmured Manske.
" The gracious Miss's sentiments invariably do
credit to her heart," said Dellwig, bowing pro-
foundly.
" But not to her head, he thinks," said Anna
to Axel in English, faintly smiling.
;• Don't talk to him," Axel replied in a low
voice; "the man so palpably hates us both. You
must go home. Where is your carriage ? Prin-
cess, take her home."
" AcA, Herr Dellwig, seim Sie so freundlick
— — " began the princess mellifluously ; and de-
spatched him in search of Fritz.
When the/ reached Kleinwalde, silent, worn-
THE BENEFACTRESS
out, and onlv devri.,^ * **
^.eirbeds. &?rre^ -;7„„"';»«" '• • -.
and the baroness, who hnfh .. -^P" Tr,;u...jnn
approving face? Letty sln^''^ '"J""- '' "' ' -v
at once afraid of criticltKrli'; ' """
_ VVe have waitpH f,^, . ,, . "ai'^if?s.!i sj
Frau von Treuma„„ f„^°" ''" P'^hf .Annr ..-J
" You ouKhtnTt "hT '• ^«^/''=^^'' v..,Ve
, "We coufd'notXpose That''""^ "'^•'"^
looking at the fire ff /m! T" .^'-'^ ' ^'
baroness. *" '''" t"ne," said the
nu;n"''."^n:„^"--°"«.'>if Fn.u von Treu-
anxious." ^ ''^"' ^^^ ^^o^'d not make us
yo^^cfiKii^^-"^- or taken us with
Lohmls'K;t^St'fur"^ '" "-^ von
Frau von Treumann ^"dwigcan be." said
"Oh I'll f«ii "" SO afterwards ? "
I'c in hand.
Good-
356
THE BENEFACTRESS
X
" What I Now that we have waited, and in such
anxiety, you will tell us nothing ? "
"There really is nothing to tell. And I am so
tired— good-night."
"We have kept the servants up and the kettle
boiling in case you should want coffee."
" That was very kind, but I only want bed.
Good-night."
" We too were weary, but you see we have
waited m spite of it."
" Oh, you shouldn't have. You will be so tired.
Good-night."
She went upstairs, pulling herself up each step
by the baluster. The clock on the landing struck
half-past three. Was it not Napoleon, she thought,
who said something to the point about three-
o clock-in-the-morning courage? Had no one
ever said anything to the pol.it about three-
oclock-in-the-moming love for one's fellow-
creatures ? " Good-night," she said once more,
turning her head and nodding wearily to them as
they watched her from below with indignant faces.
She glanced at the clock, and went into her
room dejectedly ; for she had made a startling dis-
covery: at three o'clock in the morning her feel-
ing towards the Chosen was one of indifference
verging on dislike.
>i,^%jKr ,v»
CHAPTER XXVI
afterT-T "P ^^^ her breakfast ,h
after the fire to see who ,>„•'.. *"^ momine
JK ^"" Mansfield S.-*"^ ^?^" t*^!
a«Js her garden gate H^.l. ?^* *=°'"ing tow-
dressmg^own ^nf^Ljl^' Jf ^and was fn hT,
early m tge day, and $S were S^'"^ ^^ aifected
this fine weather at a "a?le L tS'"^ ^^^'^ """^^
There was, therefore no nJc-kv"'' "Jomy porch
dressing-gown, nor ye" the faM'u'y °^ hiding the
not as f?esh as a cap^o„ which ,*''*' ^^^ ^»P ^
ejfes were to rest, should S ^c ''^«'■^»t Deirw,^
wjg was not a star of the fi^t ''^ '^"^^ *at DeU-
vonLohn, b„the4a'vXS*"'t"''^"'"
of those of the second orSTnf I *"!!!* 'P'^""'^"
"r^ ui ine second order an^Ti, II "Pecimen
ch more imposing than Axel wh'' *''°"^'" ^im
"«= had never underetood n.ii^^°^ *l"'et ways
«> systematically and so hn,tn?".r« '""hbed her
hut respect and idmh-e hi^ S' *"* '^^ *^°"ld nS
women who enjoy S3nj?h.^5 '^^' °"e of tho«
tershehurrieJCtheSeJ?; ^"f^'^atfl^
receiving i„ return neitgr thll^^" '* ^°' him.
"Whei's JQuir^lTl^'-rrDd^T^
157
"Pset His father
3S8
THE BENEFACTRESS
ml
" Where is he ? "
"His father ? In bed, and not expected to "
" Where's Klutz, I say — young Klutz ? Herr
Manske, just step down here a minute — good-
morning. I want to see your vicar."
" My vicar has had bad news from home, and is
gone.'
"Gone?"
"This very morning. Poor fellow, his aged
father " ,
" I don't care a curse for his aged father. What
train?"
" The half-past nine train. He went in the post-
cart at seven. '
Dellwig jerked his horse round, and without
a word rode away in the direction of Stralsund.
"Ill catch him yet," he thought, and rode as hard
as he could.
" What can he want with the vicar ? " wondered
Frau Manske.
' "A rough manner, but I doubt not a good
heart," said her husband, sighing ; and he folded
his flappinfi; dressing-gcvn pensively about his
legs.
Klutz wjs on the platform waiting for the Berhn
train, due 'n five minutes, when Dellwig came up
behind and laid a hand c" his shoulder.
" Whal I Are you going to jump out of your
skin ? " Dellwig inquired with a burst of laughter.
Klutz stared at him speechlessly after that first
start, waiting for what would follow. His face was
ghastly.
"Father so bad, eh?" said Dellwig heartily.
"Nerves all gone, what? Well, it's enough to
THE BE;:2FAC"RESS
makea boy look pale to have
3S9
last
pale lipi
mJs! le^ve" ri^iC -»''?Pe'
-- j^^ want!
i/oic lips. Several n«>rennc u'"".*'" "^'"^z witn
his father on his
'red Klutz with
! staring.
"youjSe Sa'J^ fe;r'^'"f ]l!5 -ice a little.
few by the way Yo„ w^re i^ V"" y°"
Lohm last night — don't W.u^r^^'^ "err von
-if I did not know about vn "" /"f^^tened, man
there was sometWng onvJr^- ^^^ ^^^ ^^ink
to ask you-thSf I r,L ""^^ ^ 0"'y want
about— !-•' "^ " * strange rumour going
KlMfp ''°™«->W, do you hear? " said
you. ^Who^do^you^'hink^.^ °"^ ^"'s *o stop
stables ? " ^ ^'""'' *ey say set fire to the
inalow^S^ht'^ySZS'S.t;"''^ °^"-?
face. ■'^ "*ea on the young man?
looSfdo,^,7oot?* -f^-'^ ""^''^ «d. He
in the di«cti:^'tS^'i?r,^;47er his shoulder
come. Small cold bpa^; -5 • • *™" would
on his narrow forehead ^«"*''°" s^°«' out
-i«L'aCemS,';Sha?f^«K-^''° ''^'^ "ot
you must have Sen iTT'''"« '^^^' "that
time when -you went^^iilJr w^'^l «" ^^e
ing us ? " ^ straight to him after leav-
;iutz bowed his head.
1 hen you couldn't have
him long before
ato
THE BENBFACTREaS
I met him myself between the
ate five minutes, two minutes,
it broke out
stables and his gate
before the fire. He went past without a word, in
a great hurry, as though he hoped I had not rec-
ognised him. Now teU me what you know about
it Just tell me if you saw anything. It is to
both our interests to cut his claws."
Klut2 pressed his hands together, and looked
round again for the train.
" Do you know what will certainly happen if
you try to be generous and shield faimp He'U
tay you did it and so get n'd of you and hush up
the a£Fair with Miss Estcourt. I can see by your
lace you know ndio did it Everyone is saying
it is Lohm."
" But why ? Why shouW he ? Why should
he bum his own " stammered Klutz, in
dreadful agitation.
" Why? Because they were in ruins, and well
insured. Because he had no money for new ones ;
and because now the insurance company will give
him the money. The thing is so plain — I am
so convinced that he did it "
They heard the train coming. Klutz stooped
down quickly and clutched his ha%. " No, no,"
said Dellwig, catching his arm and gripping it
tight " I shall not let you go till you say what you
know. You or Lohm to be punished — which do
you prefer ? "
Klutz gave Dellwig a despairing, hunted look.
" He — he " he began, struggling to get the
words over his dry lips.
" He did it ? You know it ? You saw it ? "
" Yei, yes, I saw it — I saw him "
THE BENEFACTRESS ^^
5^"f '"*? ^^^^ «t °f sobbing.
oneWathers'2:iiri^on hii^U"-£d-:StT
trust Vu wl find Se i£ ^1 "T*^"*- "^
you expect." he shouSISrr Sf'' '^■"''" *^°
" Don't give wav _h«;v • ** "o^^l *«!«.
was standing nSr.^an*°)v^^"^''?*»"<^« »ho
heard that hfs father is dv.W^ h"* •*°'^ '^^ ''^ J"**
poor devil, with ^eT- ^"'»- ""^ >« overwhelmed.
dea^T^ere'S' °" ''''^^' '^""^ »»« said. "My
And thevhad a^^^ trouble us much logger."
later ^^t'^nn:'^^^:^^^^'^^!'^'
Pagne, and explaining to SservS?fK°! •^'"-
an aunt's birthdav ,l«-i. il ^^'^'pt that it was
and over again a J^.^ rt* "^"^ t '''^* °^'
been for yl^' ^ '"'* ™^"^«' *an they had
I
CHAPTER XXVII
It was an odd and a nearly invariable conse-
quence of Anna's cold morning bath that she
made resolutions in great numbers. The morn-
ing after the fire there were more of them than
ever. In a glow she assured herself that she was
not going to allow dejection and discouragement
to take possession of her so easily, that she would
not, in future, be so much the slave of her bodily
condition, growing selfish, indifferent, unkind, in
proportion as she grew tired. What, she asked,
tying her waist-ribbon with great vigour, was the
use of having a soul and its longings after per-
fection if it was so absolutely the slave of its
encasing body, if it only received permission from
the body to flutter its wings a little in those rare
moments when its master was completely com-
fortable and completely satisfied? She was
ashamed of herself for being so easily affected
by the heat and stress of the days with the
Chosen. How was it that her ideals were cru^ed
out of sight continualljr by the mere weight of the
details of everyday existence? She would keep
them more carefully in view, pursue them with a
more unfaltering patience — in a word, she was
going to be wise. Life was such a little thing,
she reflected, so very quickly done ; how foolish,
then, to forget so constantly that everything that
vexed her and made her sorry was flying past and
362
THE MINEFACTRESS ^.
What she had <Se and suB^rJf^'T''^ ^^^
indifiFerent. of wha" infilitefct tjT' ^°^
was. now; and vet sHp h^^^iJ! ""Po^ance it
about it ai the Se inclined^" ^""^ '''^""°"«
gle. taking it over-much tohi.^ '■^.'"' ^"^ '*'"«-
^were alLys goilTg to E t^ '''^« I' ^'^T
be wise in future, eniovin^ Tft ' *''^ '^""''^
loving all there waS^.td'shS t'""^''
to the rest. She wouM ^^7 t ^V""'"g her eyes
more from herChosen tK. ' !u' '"f '^"^^' ^"P^^t
were, could rive Obvion^l" ^^' '^Tf ^ *ey
her more th^ thef^ S\^L^,°"^f ^^ S^^^
comprehension, or chariS' ^"^ °^ '°^^' o""
else that was precious ".nS^r"- I"" ^"y^^ing
looked for moreXt she w« f ^^" 'T"^"^ '^^
appointed. Sh^would taL'^LXv'^^""! ^'"
happy in what they did eiv^ ^6^:,^^ • ^^''^•^•"S
was less exceUent Shf hl^^if ^ '?".°""g what
was sure, and often she Lw nfJ ""^ "^''^*'"«' ^''^
ing effect on the Chose^ S f "1""^ ^-^ '"'***-
ings, so minor that X 1""^"^ '"'"«'■ fail-
noticed C but wSfch t ^'^'""^. °^ ''^^'"g
towards maSng the davs d^ffio {f ' u*^""^- """^S
to think Ind?J fiT^ difficult, she tried not
the subject 'o?7i,Sls"a^,Wv'^ ""^^
very trivial. They included a iabit^rr,'' '°
Treumann had of shntHn^ f • Z^*" ^on
door that stood open wS 17 '^'"'^°^^ ^"'l
and however point^i;7hl7u'' ^'^^ weather was,
3«4
THE BENEFACTRESS
If!
the toroness in regard to other people's corns,
apondence and servants— every postcaS sL r^^
every envelope she examined^e^J'SLtm fot
some always plausible reason, she thouK'her
A.^n^°:r"" ^"^ ^" •"*«««* in theToing, ^
the maids was unquenchable. "These areTttU.
^r,C '^r^^'- ^""^ "*^^t don't Sn^ Zd
s.Ve?rn"fJ; 'V.'^Pf^'^"^. for the little ways per
fn £ ™ij'"''y? themselves on her rememWnce
n the middle of her fine plans of future wisdom
If we could all get outside our bodiS^eTen f^
nD^>^^'"uu'TP'?«° ^^"t •" our touShow
«^s ofTf," rS" ' '^' ''^^^ ' b"* "meanwhile Ae
souls of the Chosen were still enveloped in aegre^
«ye bodies that continued to shut ^ndow?fp^n
telegmms, and convey food into their mo^hs'^H
wJ^'t *JhL''f°"^'^« *° ^"^^ ^°" Treumann
t^^r^^h U \ ^°"JI"*, f"8^?^'' '" writing with
fevensh haste to Karlchen, bidding him llse no
bme m coming, for mischief was afoot, and Anna
^s showing an alarming interest in the affair^
of that specious hypocrite Lohm. « Come une^
pectedly." she wrote; "it will be better to S
h^rjy surprise; and above all things come at
th.^^K^-'^ the letter herself to the postman, and
neednoTs?r"''"«i°/?- ''"* needlework that
need not be done, and feeling out of sorts after
the long mghfs watch, and uneasy r.bout Axel
into the drawing-room and spent the morninK
elaboratelydiffeSng from the baroness. *^
They differed often; it could hardly be called
.HIP
j-:^'
l W-ii
THE BENEFACTRESS
Perb disreeard for « ^'^ '" "'h ch, with 1 "
up. well knXf tlSlrh^^"- ^™*heTtp^^V;
nome more ancest«l Vi! ''*«>ness had harf ni
begvn to sj^mpathise with thA P-. ^^"'"^"" had
misfortune fn mcludfnra'^em. n'"''^^ '«""'¥«
had been so much frilhten^T^'J'^^ ^o"'-; but
mediate and dreadful pafo, 1^^ 'l" v'<:«n,4 fm-
-hen toSrr "^ °" ^hi'h they agreed
her; and^more t^h?n 'on'^'^^^ ^"^S Kuh^?
young woman hSgone'^w '''''>' that hafe
Frau von Treumann Ld U^ T""^^ to her that
was abnormally sensitive 7 f"^"'^'" Kuhrauber
^g-n and again' when'tS/",!:' -^"l ^"'^ "'^"
-rea ot sparring
3«6
THE BENEFACTRESS
II
together they returned to this subject, always in
amiable tones and with pleasant looks, and always
reducing the poor Fraulein to a pitiable state of
confusion; which state being reached, and she
gone out to hide her misery in her bedroom, they
would look at each other and smile.
In all that concerned Fraulein Kuhrauber they
were in perfect accord, and absolutely pitiless.
It troubled Anna, for the Fraulein was uie one
member of the trio who was really happy — so
long, that is, as the others left her alone. Invig-
orated by her c61d tub into a belief in the pos-
sibility of peace-making, she made one more
resolution: to establish without delay concord
between the three. It was so clearly to their
own advantage to live together in harmony;
surely a calm talking-to would make them see
that, and desire it They were not children,
neither were they, presumably, more unreason-
able than other people; nor could they, she
thought, having suffered so much themselves, be
intentionally unkind. That very day she would
make things straight.
She could not of course dream that the period-
ical putting to confusion ot Fraulein Kuhriluber
was the one thing that kef-t the other two alive.
They found life at Kleinwalde terribly dull.
There were no neighbours, and they did not like
forests. The princess hardly showed herself;
Anna was English, besides bemg more or less of
a lunatic — the combination, when you came to
think of it, was alarming, — and they soon wearied
of pouring into each other's highly sceptical ears
descriptions of the splendours m their prosperous
"^THKTJPI ^ !> ""'
™« BENEFACTRESS
a -lcoS%tt°fo^^i?!"°"'^<' at first bT
women who lovS 'to L^^' *'"^ "«>th rel.vK
the amount of^i °fLy ^ "'^^ ''stenerCh
when they knew Wm a «I. i.:'''8"»«°n;^ut
the same things sev^«i *• ^"«='"' and had said
advantages and joys of S '° «*Patiate on the
wi h Mfss Estcourt of u- P"^"* mode of Be
faJking.theywS;^.'^'!,'^'' "° °"e had be^n
to see him. and felf &?'' '^^ «» being pJeSd
?J"l bickering. and^'^L"' '"?i"'^'"ent on tS
Kuhrtuber's tSe' pjacl^'^ P'°'""« of FriiuiSn
Get^r£Vth"eV''°.^ad been writing
Pnncess. letten, of inouT.^"""* ''^'H by hf
teacher for Lettv ca™"^"^ concernJng a new
5jde the drawS?S\7""d bv the fath "u^
CWandp«^StoS''ri°°'''"^ for the
The window waTshut and i *.''*''" of concord.
P^e r,.i„g t„ ^^ f "^ and she k^o.^^^ ^^ ^^d.
prettier than ever out f^r -^ herself looked
"Snf :ar tJ^" ^^^^^^^^^ £>"^^^' '^^ -
"ann. lookTng^u^ tZ h^^^'^K^'^" ^°" ^reu-
figure in the sun. "" ^^' embroidery at the
^„,„^ suppose she doe." aid the baroness tmn-
M^^MMsm''
HWlUnON TBT OMIT
(ANSI ond SO TfSr CHAKT No. 2)
in
I.I
bs |2£
1:25 iu
1^1^
ISM Coit kkiin SlrMt
RochMtK. Nm York 14409 USA
(716) *«2- 0300- PhooT^
3«
THE BENEFACTRESS
Neither of them moved.
Anna knocked again. _
"She will be sunstruck," observed Frau von
Treumann. , , .
" I think she will," agreed the baroness.
Neither of them moved. . , ^ , , . .„ ^, „
Anna stooped down, and tried to look into the
room, but could see nothing. She knocked agam ;
waited a moment; and then went away.
The two ladies embroidered in silence.
" Absurd old maid," Frau von Treumann thought,
glancing at the baroness. " As though a married
woman of my age and standing coulS ^et up and
open windows when she is in the room.
" Ridiculous old Treumann," thought the baron-
ess outwardly engrossed by her work. What
dSs sKin^, I Tnder? 'l shall teach her that
I am as good as herself, and am not here to open
windows any more than she is. .
"Why, you are here," said Anna, surprised,
coming in at the door. •„>»;_
"WW have you been all the 'no^^g? In-
quired Frau von Treumann amiably. We hardly
ever see you, dear Anna. I hope you have come
now to sft with us a little while. Come, sit next
to me, and let us have a nice chat.
She made room for her on the sofa.
"Where is Emilie?" Anna asked; Emilie was
Fraulein Kuhrauber, and Anna was the only
person in the house who called her so.
" She came in some time ago, but went away at
once. She does not, I fear, feel at ease w,th us.^
"That is exactly what I want to talk about,
said Anna.
THE BENEFACTRESS
309
and we decided to tell tou wh!f ! Kuhrauber.
came to on the first op^oS^/' '=°"^^"^'°"^ '^^
Certainly," said the baroneS
not Il'i^iTnr/o^f^^e^'^-- Luclwig should
''BuuSi^are"?S"«";S't^ t^™"-"
you are not very -Si a,Jte ^^.^^' ^^^" t'^^*
'°« d^e'""'I ^-•' you liiTelei'p >?* ^"^ '^"'^
siblet^H^Fl^utinV^ff^
amiable c^Stire!" said A„n^"'^''"' •""''^ absolutely
manl°" "" ^'"'"^^ '" ^'"'"'^^^ F"^" von Treu-
'''^>^Sir^f^^^^--^-false
forbear'Sa'cSafS^ebT ''''""?^""' ""-»"« *«
ful thini" ^ ^''^ baroness, " is a very dread-
A^n^/"'^'>F^ **>« bart)ness.
sH(sSe^koTior^£-r
^tfa" &l g^h^'^: 'r^fhSe^- ' " ^''^T'h
370
THE BENEFACTRESS
SO often — I have seen her coining out of this room
so often with red eyes — that I was sure you must
be tired of that now, and would like to begin to
live happily with her, loving her for all that is so
good in her, and not minding the rest."
"My dear Anna," said Frau von Treumann
testily, " it is out of the question that ladies of bi."th
and breeding should tolerate her."
" Certainly it is," emphatically agreed the baron-
ess.
" And why ? Isn't she a woman like ourselves ?
Wasn't she poor, and miserable too ? And won't
she go to heaven by and by, just as we, I hope,
shall?"
They thought this profane.
" We shall all, I trust, meet in heaven," said
Frau von Treumann gently. Then she went on,
clearing her throat, "But meanwhile we think it
our dutv to ask you if you know what her father
was."
" He was a man of letters," said Anna, remem-
bering the very words of Fraulein Kuhrauber's
reply to her inquiries.
" Exactly. But of what letters ? "
" She tried to give us that same answer," said
the baroness.
"Of what letters?" repeated Anna, looking
puzzled.
" He carried all the letters he ever had in a
bag," said Frau von Treumann.
"In a bag?"
" In a word, dear child, he was a postman, and
tiie has told you untruths."
. There was a silence. Anna pushed at a neigh-
f..mi'#.'^ -imSt
THE BENEFACTRESS
(ocBtool, "to tell „„Si*.."''"'=' '<" eye» oo tke
mann. ' "'^ *^^e> sazd Frau von Treu
.^J Yes. especially in this case." said Anna, ,00k-
feit cTit jf;^°r&efr L^« *"•*■ -d
understand Lw impossSble iH, f ''■ , ^°* y°" *'""
to associate with sucTapersL'/""- '^'« of family
that you will not ask us trfj^*' t'"^ ^^ ''^^ suk
away." *^^ "« ^ do so. but will send hw
" No." said Anna, in a low voice
No what, dear child?" Ini"" j ^
Treumann sweetly '"quired Frau von
; I cannot send her away."
pJr;ChttnSir'^:jr/rr'-*^;^ --^ ^o-
«ke?Trarrn^*^^4S"n^:?",*-* -* ''-? "
such contract havings mJ?* ^^'"^ ''«»*. no
, "J did not quite L what I ' '" »''' "J^" ^««-
looking up again ''fl.\ '"^*"> «'d Anna
^Ily Ld hTlway fir of CO ""T *** ^ <^^"not
E«ctly what I Sk'l^tLTn:-, rt» '^''°°^^-
-SSSTSud^^-°^"^"^^'--Had
-d pulled at^the ^i^^^^^!:^]:^
31*
THE BENEFACTRESS
thread. Both she and the baroness had felt so
certain that Anna would be properly incensed
when she heard the truth. Her manner without
doubt suggested displeasure, but the displeasure,
strangely enough, seemed to be directed aeainst
themselves instead of Fraulein Kuhrauber. What
could they, with dignity, do next ? Frau von Treu-
mann felt angry and perplexed. She remembered
Karlchen's advice in regard to ultimatums, and
wished she had remembered it sooner; but who
could have imagined the extent of Anna's folly ?
Never, she reflected, had she met anyone quite
so foolish.
" It is a case for the police," burst out the baron-
ess passionately, all the pride of all the Elmreichs
surging up in revolt againsi a fate threatening to
condemn her to spend the rest o( her days with
the progeny of a postman. " Your advertisement
specially mentioned good birth as essential, and
she is here under false pretences. You have the
proofs in her letters. She is within reach of the
arm of the law."
Anna could not help smiling. " Don't denounce
her," she said. " I should be appalled if anything
approaching the arm of the law got into my house.
Ill burn the proofs after dinner." Then she turned
to Frau von Treumann. " If you think it over,"
she said, " I inow you will not wish me to be so
merciless, so pitiless, as to send Emilie back to
misery only because her father, who has been
dead thirty years, was a postman."
" But, Anna, you must be reasonable — you must
look at the other side. No Treumann has ever
yet been required to associate "
«^ t'
'^.
THE BENEFACTRESS
s'ei^^ V^^ aid tf '^ ^Jf -'"
self/ We have no reason for i^ behaved him-
t^nlfi '?°^.* ^«««ent Sman''?V,^''"« ^''^^ he
SfctoTn;;-^^^^^^^^
e-ife^^ cned the baron-
line nowhere ? All tL Vrf^ v ^°" '^'^w the
, of gentlefolk are siJemSISff ""^ P'^J^^ices
. Oh, I object to a^~!/ '"different to you ? »
have liked itUe°i? &TtS^,'T- ' -°"'d
the literary luminary- nnof^ -f" ^ad really been
for her sake, and my sdce an"i*'''" ^''^ ^^ *« -
I don't like untruths at^ ' "'^ y^""" ^^kes. And
..Ye\^"Jf's to remain here?"
foseehV^SSeiirSV" ^"^ ^o, <^ t^.
love m her. You have dol ^ '""^'' ^''ere is t^
Anna added, smiC^r^^^^u^ '■^^' service."
on her mind any more 'nw^ 'n^^on•t have t
'eallv happy." ^ '"°'^^' ^^d will be able to be
The baroness jratherpH i,„ i, .
Fmu von Treun£ SedPat hL*^'"^ ""'^ ™«e-
rose too. 'ooKed at her nervously, and
'^ged JSdTl^d' p^priei' ^"°'''''' P^e with out-
Then really -__:" u^^' ^
more faintly, but feeling Sund'ln T "^''^'""^'n
follow her example. A^^f ,u ^^'^ ""^"er to
a^ ow themselves'^to be pS^uai?7 T''^ ^'^^^^
minds again. persuaded to change their
Anna got up too, and
they stood facing each
374
THE BENEFACTRESS
Other. Somethinc; awful was going to happen, she
felt, but what ? Were they, she wondered, both
going to give her notice ?
The baroness, drawn up to her full height,
looked at her, opened her lips to complete ner
sentence, and shut them again. She was exceed-
ingly agitated, and held her little thin, claw-like
hands tightly together to hide how they were
shaking. All she had left in the world was the
pride of being an Elmreich and a baroness ; and
as, with the relentless years, she had grown poorer,
plainer, more ii^signincant, so had this pnde in-
creased and strengthened, until, together with her
passionate propriety and horror <m^ everything in
the least doubtful in the way of reputations, it had
come to be the very mainspring of her being.
" Then " she began again, with a great effort;
for she remembered now there had actually been
no food sometimes when she was hungry, and no
fire when she was cold, and no doctor when she
was sick, and how severe weather had seemed to
set in invariably at those times when she had least
money, making her first so much hungrier than
usual, and afterwards so much more sick, as
though nature itself owed her a grudge.
"Oh, "these ultimatums!" inwardly deplored
Frau von Treumann ; the baroness was very ab-
surd, she thought, to take the thing so tragically.
And at that instant the door was thrown open,
and without waiting to be announced, Karlchen,
resplendent in his hussar uniform, and beaming
from ear to ear, hastened, clanking, into the
room.
"Karlchen I Du engelsguU Junge ! " i)ai\&\ieA
THE BENEFACTRESS
^!;;pother. in accents of supre^est «Hef aid
to come. I obtained STaftfr,;' ^ ^^'* ''"P«"ed
« for a few houra only j Return ?^ ?'?>'""• ^^
forgive me?" he adS^d t^rS^"*f "'§''*• ^o"
bowing over her hand "« *° ^""^ and
. this tiS'e". st fSi'eSil'f ^ tKh? '''' --
"I wrote this verv mntl- 8« moment
"«l..ri„kere,ciS." bT5nr" '5?" «,
£to„t°£.re^^'SF»-H';"X
— oh, sweet vision I f k ' ^™ '^^"'^ the dimples
dimples. He SSiler Ifjr • '"^^"'' ^'Ss
kissed it. The orett^rt^^^condtfmeand
slender. And the^Si^KaTT.r ^f''^'^ ^"^
for dress-how dainty it w^r»v" ''^{^•"" ^^^
come quite overcomes mJ^h^ T?*"" ^'"'^ ^^el-
ca^ y; and he looked so kv '^^ ^nthusiasti-
satisfied with himSandfh^' v.^ '° '"t^^sely
Anna laughed agab Besdit'' T^^' '^^'
really surprisingly becon^n!i^'-^- Vn'fonn was
on his fim visft^had been^^i" T''^ ^'°*es
of thlt^StSrentb- n^^-^ ^^^^^
you," he said '°"' '*'^*'" *'th greeting for
37«
THE BENEFACTKESB
"Greetinm?" repeated the baronets, suiprisedl
Then an odd look of fear came into her eyes.
He had not meant to do it then ; he had not
been certain whether he would do it this time at
all ; but he was feel'ng so exhilarated, so buoyant,
that he could no* resist " I was at the Winter-
garten last night," he said, "and had a talk with
your sister, feroness Lolli. She dances better
than ever. She sends you her love, and says she
is coming down to see you."
The baroness made a queer little sound, shut
her eyes, spread, out her hands, and dropped on to
the carpet as though she had been shot.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Stralsund doctor was still »;^*'T **>«« the
wheaershewouirseeA^ Lofe 'X'^^ ^""»
'ng downstaira and howd to f^'"V,' *'''' *« wait-
qwred Anna; and wo,Jd n^f^ "'""S""*' in-
»ure of that "^'' "°* 'nove tfll she was
-taio;? "'^ '"■^ '"°*'>«r h« gone with him to the
cairpE? 'gJitu!? n^"'"'^ «'^«' --e the
^e on thepillowfo?t2rJ°* wL*Sf """'"•ciow
iMrbarous, such jnatuitn^^ , ^^'^ ever such
"««n's? HisiSe?a'ffy^yo"n«W
°n taptoe. the last S"e to ^V °"? °' twice
'eamg. and would she not 11^'^'^ ^''^ ''e was
«»ght explain how somr he w^ f *^°r ?'' '''** ^^
hnglvdone so much^i^SR''f^>?« ">""■*•
merely shaken her head Tn jl ^J'* ^""^ had
P« eous little figua; ofthe bfd. T^ "8^" '° the
told herself, wotld she ee S^teaWo W"u' *^«
ihe movement with wKjX T *° Karichen.
expressive; and FrTu von ^,^£V""''^ ^^^^
heaped bitter reproach onT"f T"* °"* »nd
'fil
f'
377
pie time
ir
ST«
THE BENEFACTRESS
to heap all that were in her mind, and doing it the
more thoroughly that he was in a crushed condi-
tion and altoeether incapable of defending himself.
For what had he really cared about the l^roness's
relationship to Lolli ? He had thought it a huge
joke, and had looked forward with enjoyment to
seeing Anna promptly order her out of the house.
How could he, thick of skin and slow of brain,
have foreseen such a crisis ? He was very much
in love with Anna, and shivered when he thought
of the look she had given him as she followed the
people who were carrying the baroness out of the
room. Certainly he was exceedingly wretched,
and his mother could not reproach him more bit-
terly than he reproached himself. While she was
vehemently pointing out the obvious, he meditated
sadly on the length of the journey he had taken
for worse than nothing. All the morning he had
been roasted in trains, and he was about to be
roasted again for a dreary succession of hours.
His hot uniform, put on solely for Anna's bedaz-
zlement, added enormously to his torments ; and
the distance between Rislar and Stralsund was
great, and the journey proportionately expensive
— much too expensive, if all you got for it was
one intoxicating glimpse of dimples, followed by a
flashing look of wrath that made you feel cold
vith the thermometer at ninety. He had not felt
so dejected since the eighties, he reflected, in
which dark ages he had oeen forced to fight a
duel. Karlchen had a prejudice against duelling ;
he thought it foolish. But, being'an officer — he
was at that time a conspicuously gay lieutenant —
whatever he might think about it, if anyone
r ^
THE BENEFACTRESS
379
Driving with hrfustiv inl ^°'\'^>'-lchen's blood.
theduitandhSt^to the s^i'ff'^ T^'^' '''™"«h
the dismal nigh? he hid ^^^"a'u^. ^membered
and thought how m.,rh1,'P^^'' ^^°^ the duel,
fembled fn its ^iJitv hfs'^H'-'"?- '''*^" ^"^ -•'■
he had been afraid he S ^Jt^T^T t°^' ^^^
whatever people mav Tav £. ? '° '^ ''"'■*' ^nd
really Hkes l.?ngSt ^V^n „er°h"'^«' P^^Y
this business wit^ Ar,^, TJ P^'haps after all.
just as that buTine^H T"'''.*"™ «"' ''H Hgh
he had killed hnanann"^ '^'''f' "«''*• "^"-^
had been covered "^^11 at'r^'^'?^ o^ ""d^
endeavoured to snateh r£f^:* ^'l"' ^ ' chen
yet his heart was vjj^'he"^'"^ ^ ''^ <!">-. but
in the ta;SeS":l5^^^^^ he was
ar".theSfthi;reK-x^-
h JkingScoHatlTpinl'l'^r''' '^P"«^^ «'y --
;^h a«hearSn7;,a;ts; To' '^^^^'i"^
beer-boy to give hin? L S« ^JLhJ""'"^
Axel was in thp ^r-,, ■ "" i^tiien, beer.
mains of Ka rchen's 3f;'°°"''/''^'-^ *e re-
were littered on a tabl^ w^""! ^°^^^ ^'''^ ^'kes
" I am so sor^for vou^: ^ "i^""*^ 'i'^^ ^''^^■
Wig has beenleSf^-e ^Tht L^iS."""''-
380
THE BENEFACTRESS
11 :
Don t be sorry for me. Nothing is the matter
with me. Be soriy for that most ui^ortunate little
soul upstairs."
Axel kissed Anna's right hand, which was, she
knew, the custom ; and immediately proceeded to
kiss her other hand, which was not the custom at
all. She was looking woebegone, with red eyelids
and white c:ieeks ; but a famt colour came into
her face at this, for he did it with such unmis-
takable devotion that for the first time she won-
dered uneasily whether their pleasant friendship
were not about to come to an end.
"Don't be too kind," she said, drawing her
hands away and trying to smile. "I — I feel so
stupid to-day, and want to cry dreadfully."
" Well then, I should do it, and get it over."
" I did do it, but I haven't got it over."
" Well, don't think of it. How is the baroness ? "
" Just the same. The doctor thinks it serious.
And she has no constitution. She has not had
enough of anything for years — not enough food,
or clothes, or — or anything."
She went quickly across to the coffee table to
hide how much she wanted to cry. " Have some
coffee," she said with her back to him, moving the
cups aimlessly about.
" Don't forget," said Axel, " that the poor lady's
past misery is over now and done with. Think
what luck has come in her way at last When
she gets over this, here she h, safe with you, sur-
rounded by love and care and tenderness — bless-
ings not given to all of us."
" But she doesn't like love and care and tender-
ness. At least, if it comes from me. She dislikes
mfe."
THE BENEFACTRESS
sweet? HelookJEeW%?V''"*"™*t"'^Jy
the cups with restles^n? ^} "^""a anangine^
for more. ^'"^'*' "^•^""s finger, and wffi
i'er U?^to°hC "^*''^*'" ^''e asked, stillwith
"Say what?"
th^^'ittS^'XunX*'^^ ^'^^ -" h-a all
when firet she came^hat S^ ^'■- ^°" ^old me
pc«rdancingwoma^tst^^rlt\r"^ were the
to keep herliere. Don't v«n ^^* *J" "oaccount
''Quite well. Butam r .''?'^™'»'-^"
that you mV/keephJ^f v "^''^ '" supposing
better now.than f 5id thin "'^°" ^^' ' "^^ yof
-I -XX^iS'rd-J''*'"'^^^- happy
world." ^P ''^'^ '" defiance of the whde
"But as it is }"
herhandrH^tS?!^ .'^"^ °' '^"^ coffee in
" As it is," she^id • ■^h/-'"^ '* mechanically
get well ag;in befS wetrinlP^ j"' •^.'^'^ '^^ t^'
Perhaps," she add^H iJ: i • *^" *° decide thimrs
'•this fcess'taf e'hang?fe-- ^ ^* '''™ ^^X
He shook his head. "I am of -^ •
said. "For a little «,h;u ^'^"' '* won't," he
weeks at firet wh lelh.S Pe'-haps-for a few
■ng and then-^ ^h ^''Tl^mbers your nu'rs":
^ He put the untasted coffin ? "^^"^ ^g*""-"
3«»
THE BENEFACTRESS
ing back to her, "from one's old self. That is why
this work you have undertaken is so hopeless."
" Hopeless ? " she exclaimed in a startled voice.
He was saying aloud what she had more than
once almost — never quite — whispered in her
heart of hearts.
" You ought to have begun with the baroness
thirty years ago, to have had a chance of success."
" Wh^, she was five years old then, and I am
sure quite cheerful. And I wasn't there at all."
" Five ought really to be the average age of the
Chosen. What is the use of picking out unhappy
persons well on in life, and thinking you are going
to make them happy ? How can you make them
be happy ? If it had been possible to their natures
they would have been so long ago, however poor
they were. And they would not have been so
poor or so unhappy if they had been willing to
work. Work is such an admirable tonic. The
princess works, and finds life very tolerable. You
will never succeed with people like Frau von
Treumann and the baroness. They belong to a
class of persons that will grumble even in heaven.
You could easily make those who are happy
already still happier, for it is in them — the grati-
tude and appreciation for life and its blessings;
but those of course are not the people you want
to get at You think I am preaching ? " he asked
abruptly.
" But are you not ? "
" It is because I cannot stand by and watch you
bruising yourself."
" Olv said Anna, " you are a man, and can fight
your way well enough through life. You are quite
THE BENEFACTRESS
wmfortable and prosperous H„
Pathise with women like SseJ^ r "*" ^^^ ^3™-
not young you haven't a Wit ?^''^"«e she is
indifference. You tSk If'l? ^°' ^^^ -only
' don't mind he" LtisJ '"^n?? ?« -"^^^'^ "
V sure r am_ that you wou.d"Jj^llL ^^.^^ ^rty.
t"" """ t mind her bruises A „ j -r ,* myself
howsure I am that y™would"Jv '■ [^^'^ ^^y,
^ " Yes, I would," said >4«i v,^ """'^ mine." ^
hat she added qufcLlyA^:^!* ^J conviction
talk about bruises." "^ ^^" — ^ don't want to
c-el onff t£t stSvt" .T" ^^* -er the
|nfl'cted. You agrSt^J^ «" S Tu^^^ ™^" has
lariy brutal younfmln^t^ "^ ^^^ he «> a singu-
•fl bsolutely."
;; K I knew howl "'^^ ^ '* "^^P^hle o? being."
enoughVCi;;S,J-^go awav, and giving her
fee *^^ ^- -- t^UdXr J^:-',^
Anna looked down "Tu, ..
»nie thing," she said in / i ''^ ^^'^ thinking the
though shf^erl h"au1i;;rdot h^L^''^ ^^^^ »
„ perhaps you wilUetieS^.^'^^^^-
P^bl^L?T:^:,Z'y^rnay I „„t be
her advantage. Shrneed nTl^^' '* *'" he to
are not u miflionaire " "°* ''"°^- And you
/•iS^^SS:?^rcf^"p-Hi„.
384
THE BENEFACTRESS
"But why should ^^ow help the baroness? I
found her out, and brought her here, and I am the
only person responsible for her."
" It will be much more costly than just having
her here."
" I don't mind, if only she is happy. And I
will not have you pay the cost of my experiments
in philanthropy."
"Is Frau von Treumann happy?" he asked
abruptly.
" No," said Anna, with a faint smile.
" Is Fraulein Kuhrauber happy ? "
" No." "
" Tell me one thing more," he said ; " are you
happy ? "
Anna blushed. "That is a queer question,"
she said. " Why should I not be h^^py ? "
" But are you ? "
She looked at him, hesitating. Then she said,
in a very small voice, " No."
Axel took two or three turns up and down the
room. " I knew it," he said ; and added something
in German under his breath about Weiber. " After
this, you will not, I suppose, receive young Treu-
mann again ? " he asked, coming to a halt m front
of her.
" Never again."
"You have a difficult time before you, then,
with his mother."
Anna blushed. " I am afraid I have," she ad-
mitted.
"You have a very difficult few weeks before
you," he said. " The baroness probably danger-
ously ill, and Frau von Treumann very angry
THE BENEFACTRESS
The odds, too wpri ~ ^«^^nst odds."
"iqumes into the oriSn o7 ?^f T'' '" '"^'"'"g
before, and every cirrnme* *^ ^""e the nieht
^ the culprit, l^e Ssenrf ^^T '^'^ *" « S,*
they said, had gone home tk ^'u'^' ^"^ ^lutz,
gram after him and huf% ^^^" ^^ sent a tele
neither expeS^his l^''^'' "^P^'^d that he wS
then, had S:I^"p«,^rS?n"orlT ''^ '"• ^lut?
sequences of what hfhad S 1° ^':°'^ the con-
question of days before th.""''v''"^'t ^« only a
^^ck again, an^ then he woffi'! ^^^ht him
absurd story, and Pnm» -^ tell the whole
Anna's expTAse Th^^u'^"'^ ^°"'d chuckle at
n^ade Axef cold with^e""^''' °^ ''^'^ '^'^"SSing
parchVdTarJS'^'SeT °'-'''^ ^-^o^ at the
ha^y islafd aTros^'W^'S t."^'"^''«- the
dropped, and a gray fiL hS'^ ''^ ^""^ bad
sky- At the bottom of fh« ^.j'^''^'^" across the
nut-tree, Miss Leech ,^1= ^"^^''' ""der a chest!
aloud to her. The J^!f f^'"^' ^^ile Letty reld
reading. btem^Sd by"h °'louw'^™"^°' L^^ttyl
fame a mosquito stun^K °"^ complaints each
he stood th^ere in Scf ' T^^^ ^'^^'^ ea^as
gomg on within him He ^F'f f truggle was
passion that would n^' longer ^^-j^""^ ^'th a
knew that he must someh^ ,^. ^l^^^''- and he
certain that sh^ d noTcarJ.K "^^ 't- "« ^ ^
so certain that she Z.,u ^''""t him. He was
'"g him. And Jet'f everTw ''■^^'" °' -^"^■
P-eCon of an ^i-enfSSg\^°Tw2ttf
386
THE BENEFACTRESS
that moment. " That child down there has made
a pretty^fair amount of mischief for a person of
her age," he burst out with a vehemence that star-
tled Anna.
"What child ? " she said, coming up behind him
and looking over his shoulder.
He turned round quickly. The feeling that
she was so close to him tore away the last shred
of his self-control. " You know that I love you,"
he said, his voice shaking with passion.
Her face in ao instant was colourless. She
stood quite still, almost touching him, as though
she did not dare move. Her eyes wer« fixed on
his with a frightened, fascinated look.
" You know it You have known it a long
time. Now what are you going to say to me ? "
She looked at him without speaking or moving.
" Anna, what are you going to say to me ? " he
cried; and he caught up her hands and kissed
them one aftpr the other, hardly knowing what he
did, beside himself with love of her.
She watched him helplessly. She felt faint and
sick. She had had a miserable day, and was com-
pletely overwhelmed by this last misfortune. Her
good friend "Axel was gone, gone for ever. The
pleasant friendship was done. In place of the
friend she so much needed, of the fnendship she
had found so comforting, there was — this.
" Won't you — won't you let my hands go ? "
she said faintly. She did not know him again.
Was it possible that this agony of love was for
her ? She knew herself so well, she knew so well
what it was for which he was evidently going to
break his heart. How wonderful, how pitiful be-
„t^jr. 4
THE BENEFACTRESS 3
midst of her friirhttl^ • ^^^- ^"^ even in the
'opk like the baronet nr F "l^^ happened to
while inwardly remaf^nr '■''!''^"' Kuhrauber.
would not ha^e bS fi'lf^^^y ?« «he was, he
let me go » chi u- ^ ^^"^ for her. "Oh
head asSe. and sh^t ht'^^l't ' ?!?' '"^"^^^ ^^r
::ohfTn?/i7re^°.-'"
suffer -il°V ^'^ «> «orry always for people who
;; Oh stop -oh, stop f»
to look°' Irs '^^tl ' ^^- -""^-ned
don't want it, don't l7keTt^J°''^ on people who
who don't know >,«, •*' ^'^ wearied by it —
it is, and how ram LES1\^^^^
starvinor, starving, for of e dfn^l thirsting -oh,
voice sTiook. anf he feS M-^ °' '* His
t, hands with kissJsteL'JdT-co^Stf
bee?2oXd^&„^r ''^. f^^^ -' had never
to stop him. She Suld noTsUnl.T"'' '^ ^°"e
eyes shut and her hanrf, K»^ , ^''^'^ *'th her
^^asg let me so" f]f» .^^'"^ kissed for ever
her helplessnessVn toc'r^^' ^^'"^^^ -d^
him c%?„?"%j,trh' '^i;',^^^^^ «tood before
dreamtthatyo«-thatVou^''T "'"^^^^
•' she wept.
jM
THE BENEFACTRESS
" What, that I loved you ? " he asked incredu-
lously ; but more gently, subdued by her deep dis-
tress. His face grew very hopeless. She was
crying because she was sorry tor him.
• " I don't know— I think I did dream that —
lately — once or twice — but I never dreamt that
it was so bad — that you were such a — such a —
such a volcano. Oh, Axel, why are you a volcano ? "
she cried, looking up at him, the tears rolling down
her cheeks. " Why have you spoilt everything ?
It was so nice before. We were such friends.
And now — how can I be friends with a volcano? "
" Anna, if you make fun erf me "
"Oh no, no — as though I would — as though
I could do anything so unutterable. But don't let
us be tragic. Oh, don't let us be tr^c. You
know my plans — you know my plans inside out,
from beginning to end — how can I, how can I
marnr anybody ? "
" Good God, those women — those women who
are not happy, who have spoilt your hairiness,
they are to spoil mine now — ours, Anna ? He
seized her arm as though he would w^e her at
all costs from a fatal sleep. " Do you mean to say
that if it were not for those women you would be
my wife ? "
" Oh, if only you wouldn't be tragic "
" Do you mean to ssiy that is the reason ? "
"Oh, isn't it sufficient "
" No. If you cared for me it would be no rea-
son at all."
She cried bitterly. " But I don't," she sobbed.
" Not like that — not in that way. It is atrocious
of me not to — I know how good you are, how
THE BENEFACTRESS
H. f gi,.S,S1, tTir?"K« H" hand,.
Look at me." '"^^ wnst. "See here, Anna.
•^L^ootarS'TV"?'' »*'''■'"•
own mind. I wan to see "^^'/r^ y°" know your
"^ Md did it '^""'^ ■■" liandk/rehief
her souT he might unHlrf* j "'^ ^« could read
did he«e]£ TSe"det"et"' '^^^^ ^''-n she
pity, full of distress hnfi^T^^y *ere full of
co"W rind nothtg else ''"'"^ ^ ''^ "'ght he
tragic we shall still be able to Lf-^ ?°" ^'^^ "ot
|"t he did not look round ' ^"'"'^^ "
^""^" -^^'^ --^-outside comingi„.o
r
390
THE BENEFACTRESS
take the coffee away. "Oh," exclaimed Anna,
seeing that it was impossible to hide her tear-
stained face from the girl's calm scrutiny, "oh,
Johanna, the poor baroness — she is so ill — it is
so dreadful " And she dropped into a chair
and hid herself in the cushions, weeping hvsteri-
cally with an abandonment of woe that betolcened
a quite extraordinary affection for the baroness.
"Gott, die arme Baronesse" sympathised Jo-
hanna perfunctorily. To herself she remarked,
"This very moment has the Miss refused to
marry gn&diger Herr^
CHAPTER XXIX
ttiouKht, not once bu* oJ- ^ ^"'^ » mother." shl
't. "if I only had a mnfk ^'^ **>«" she though*
«yself of 4 ve,^?"*''^';/ ''T* mother aS^to
?^.'^u"^'''^' ^"'J c^mvLlf ^h'ln'"^ head on her
fee] so safe and sure an/ „ ^^^^ ""^^ ^ would
.*eretwo/o;U?';otaK "' <^^th. The°
Xfi^J on nur.inrto;r;ta^° "r^^j/nd An4
ail the more passion il ^ herself out with
°; «o little imSanee Sv t''^" '^'* ''^t ^^^
Ae Uroness li^d o? died ^ ^ ° ^"^""^ 'whether
*« 'Sl^;Le1'f:rK;,*^e people watchin.
tj^and they watched witf
39»
THE BENEFACTRESS
the indifference natural to strangers. Here was a
middle-aged person who would probably die ; if
she died no one lost anything, and if she lived
It did not matter either. The doctors and nurses,
accustomed to these things, could not be expected
to be interested in so profoundly uninterest-
me a case; Frau von Treumann observed once
at least every day that it was schreckliek, and went
on with her embroidery; Fraulein Kuhrauber
cned a little when, on her way to her bedroom,
she heard the' baroness raving, but she cried
easily, and the raving frightened her; the princess
felt that death in this case would be a blessing-
and Letly and Miss Leech avoided the houw,'
and spent the burnint days rambling in woods
that teemed with prodigal, joyous life.
As for Anna, to see her in the sick-room was
to suppose her the nearest and tenderest relative
of the baroness; and yet the passion that pos-
seted her was not love, but only an endless, un-
fathomable pity. " If she gets well, she shall never
be unhappy again," vowed Anna in those days
when she thought she could hear Death's foot-
steps on the stairs. " Here or somewhere else —
anywhere she likes — she shall live and be happy.
She will see that her poor sister has made no
difference, except that there will be no shadow
between us now."
But what is the use of vowing? When June
was in its second week the baroness slowly and
hesitatingly turned the corner of her illness ; and
immediately the corner was turned and the ex-
haustion of turning it got over, she became frac-
tious. "You will have a difficult time," Axel
THE BENEFACTRESS
had aaid on fk. j . •"•'
«nd it wa, true * tL^I^'^' 'heir friendshin-
that comer™, tur?!. '^'''''^"'t time S, ^f*^'
one«, drew Tj^XmllV^' ''•^''S^ £ tr*"
complete convale^sceS LI* "*"J^^ «»'« got to
for Anna become For .>* "'°^^''^cult t& Jife
and theyaJI resumed thefr 7J'"'f^ '^^ «" cour«
fiRr'" \ »'' ' ?htdow''o?lT '''^ ^'"'^ °w
bv no *^^" them, that Axihn^ ""mentioned
t>y no means get awav fr«\L l ** **'d they would
"""M^l thw before S^ik? ""' "'»'^ pS
approach the baroneS is T''^^' ^°^ St""
394
THE BENEFACTRESS
she had wondered often. Perhaps she had come
now to announce her departure. She prepared
herself therefore to listen with a willing ear.
She was sitting in the shade of a copper beech
facing the oily sea and the coast of Rugen quivering
opposite in the heat-haze. She was not doing any-
thing ; she never did seem to do anything, as these
ladies of the busy fingers often noticed.
" Blue and white," said Anna, looking up at the
gulls and the sky to give Frau von Treumann time,
" the Pomeranian colours. I see now where they
come from."
But Frau von Treumann had not come out to
talk about the Pomeranian colours. " My Karl-
chen has been ill," she said, her eyes on Anna's
face.
Anna watched the gulls overhead in the deep
blue. '■ So has Else," she remarked.
" Dear me," thought Frau von Treumann, " what
rancour."
She laid her hand on Anna's knee, and it was
taken no notice of. " You cannot forgive him ? "
she said gently. " You cannot pardon a momen-
tary indiscretion ? "
" I have nothing to forgive," said Anna, watch-
ing the gulls ; one dropped down suddenly, and
rose again with a fish in its beak, the sun for an
instant catching the silver of the scales. " It is no
affair of mine. It is for Else to forgive him."
Frau von Treumann began to weep ; this way
of looking at it was so hopelessly unreasonable.
She pulled out her handkerchief. " What a heap
she must use," thought Anna; never had she met
people who cried so much and so easily as the
JK15
THE BENEFACTRESS
He could not bear . "^^""gs become.
musHo^h^ ^^ suspected it "< if \ -^^ ^'^^ to
: wTomlsTn'tl"'"^'^'''" ' "'■ ^''^
" We]i:lr;er3j|^^^ he thinks on]y of you , "
contaminaW"''' ^^''^^""V-Idon'tSS^
"'■teio?- '' ' '""^ '"'''^'' ""^''^ *«
you not afraid"of — ?f ^^^^ *'^"t youreeJf ? /i
frightened by her75 *?" ^'"'nation ?"sL ^'^
tearful Ji't„?;3''';;/epJied that lady in ton., f
Wo„'S,y?"* " '■■^"mMn has «ve,ye. fchd
396
THE BENEFACTRESS
" I thought you would. It i '^or you to decide
who you will have in your hous But what would
you do if this — this Lolli came down to see her
sister?"
" I really cannot tell."
Well, be sure o: one thing," burst out Frau
von Treumann enthusiastically, " I will not for-
sake you, dear Anna. Your position now is
exceedingly delicate, and I will not forsake you."
So she was not going. Anna got up with a
faint sigh. " It is frightfully hot here," she said ;
" I think I will go to Else."
" Ah — and I wanted to tell you about my poor
Karlchen — and you avoid me — you do not want
to hear. If I am in the house, the house is too
hot. If I come into the garden, the garden is
too hot. You no longer like being with me."
Anna did not contradict her. She was won-
dering painfully what she ought to do. Ought
she meekly to allow Frau von Treumann to stay
on at Klemwalde, to the exclusion, perhaps, of
someone really deserving? Or ought she to
brace herself to the terriWe task of asking her to
go? She thought, " I will ask Axel " — and then
remembered that there was no Axel to ask. He
never came near her. He had dropped out of
her life as completely as though he had left
Lohm. Since that unhappy day, she had neither
seen him nor heard of him. Many times did she
say to herself, " I will ask Axel," and always the
remembrance that she could not came with a
shock of loneliness; and then she would drop
into the train of thought that ended with "if I
had a mother," and her eyes growing wistful.
THE BENEFACTRESS
^denfe said suT
i-a^n-a K ^^^^fi^t weather that ^fees
■ arn,ned Anna's face It^'l^^n"'"'"^^' a"*! e^'
the others were at church Th.lf^^''^""'^ »nd
recovejy was slow, wi'up in her r^'°'''''' ^'^"^^
^^^What.othe.P-n.C,lJ'^r^--thepHn.
An4;SS;^^.th*^^^ ^-t - dreadful." said
aman limp an/ soft. ax,d3iK fn^^I '^*- '
I believe I wouldn't want . S?^^ ^"tJ'er
badly." want a mother half so
"So you want a mothpr?" -j ,
taking Anna's hand in heS Ld nl*' P"""^^^'
She thought she knew whv £ « '* ^"'^^y-
house saw that somethLih^''^7°°e in the
Axel Lohm to make K.Lf ^^^^ ^een said to
Perhaps Anna S re^ntfrf'^ "^^ «° '4
'nother, help to set thinRhtaS "^""''^ ^
. I always thought it wonW K ^'?-
.'"dependent." sail Annr«i„^ "^ «'°"°"^ *« be
'«"t- It is tiring. I want ,1J?°^ '°'"^''°* it
what I ought to So, andto seeTn^r^*" *^" '"e
-i^spenmgme. Hong":? /o^ i^^^i^est"
shal^/tTeKf rstt 7^fr"^''---'^.
want. Do you know\h: coupLT- " ''''' ^^^
398
THE BENEFACTRESS
Ufan tedatf dtr Leitung
CM der mdnnUchen BtgUilung t
A truly excellent couplet."
Anna smiled. "That is the German idea of
female bliss — always to be led round by the nose
by some husband."
" Not some husband, my dear — one's own hus-
band. You may call it leading by the nose if you
like. I can only say that I enjoyed being led by
mine, and have missed it giievously ever since."
" But you had found the right man."
" It is not very difficult to find the right man."
" Yes it is — very difficult indeed."
" I think not," said the princess. " He is never
lar off. Sometimes, even, he is next door." And
she gazed over Anna's head at the ceiling with
elaborate unconsciousness.
" And besides," said Anna, " why does a woman
everlastingly want to be led and propped? Why
can't she go about the business of life on her own
feet? Why must she always lean on some-
one?"
" You said just now it is because it is hot."
" The fact is," said Anna, " that I am not clever
enough to see my way through puzzles. And that
depresses me."
" I well know that you must be puzzled."
" Yes, it is puzzling, isn't it? I can talk to you
about it, for of course you see it aU. It seems so
absurd that the only result of my trying to make
people happy is to make everyone, including my-
self, wretched. That is waite, isn't it. Waste, I
mean, of happiness. For I, at least, was happy
before." *^ "^
THE BENEFACTRESS
399
h being wretched n J P^'"^"' ^''""ght. " If
others happy it wouldn't h ""'"^^ed to Lke the
!£ft 't wouldn't have beer '^"" ^° ^ad. At
The only thing I can ?h.vl r^.° completely silll
"TS the/ron?Je'i;i?..°^ '« '^^^ ' -"us't Se
' energy. "They are all 'i]f^ ^^If Pnncess with
f" S^t them back in a ¥ff ^^"'^ tJ-^^e away
And after all, it jc ^L^f. T'P' "^o^Ji of them
see that the chief th.n^-Tv ' ^^^^ begun to
''^^Py a^ ?"« «n bit t"o\^\ '!^ ^« not to^ as
The pnncess sighed "Pn.^^^Y^-
your duty to eo on c, ??^ because you think if
40O
THE BENEFACTRESS
" What claims has he on me ? My plans were all
made before I knew that he existed. '
"Oh, my dear, your plans are very irritating
things. The only plan a sensible young woman
ought to make is to get as good a husband as
possible as quickly as she can. '
"Why," said Anna, rising in her indignation,
and preparing to leave a princess suddenly be-
come objectionable, "why, you are as bad as
Susie!"
" Susie ? " saidi the princess, who had not heard
of her by that name. " Was Susie also one who
told you the truth ? "
But Anna walked out of the room without
answering, in a veiy dignified manner ; went into
the loneliest part of the garden ; sat down behind
some bushes ; and cried.
She looked back on those childish tears after-
wards, and on all that had gone before, as the last
part of a long sleep ; a sleep disturbed by troub-
ling and foolish dreams, but still only a sleep and
only ' eams. She woke up the venr next day,
and remained wide awake after that tor the rest
of her life.
CHAPTER XXX
lands of flowers were sttZ'^'^'^ ^"'^ t^at^ga?.
"Why, how festive it S''l ^^^ 'g^* breeze
denng. '«>''-. she exclaimed, won-
Miss iS^^^ffc Pri^°'''">'''rthday,"said
^ " Oh/' said Anni Jf e " on? ^"^^-^^ ^^^ ^"
turned her head awav fn/ 1 ,^ "J"^^ P"J"ed. She
on the opposite sS S the t^"^ ^I '^' ^y^^^dl
birthdays, of course Lh/^''\ ^""^^ must have
things round h.S posts f/l,'''°"''^ ^' n°t put
she would not lofk a^?n )^ *^"*«1 to ? Vet
of the way; nor ,^ W' '"'^ ^^^ silent the rest
to attempfio i^41h'eTon''> *^'^« Leech
ant conversation AnL ."^^ *^"^e w»th pleas-
it was too hot to Mk Wh^T''^^' ^^'S
was that men were exceedSt k'^'-^' *^'"king
and that life was a snare ^^ ^°""^' ^' "^ them,
birthday w^s ^2 S'^' ^°^^^^^- ^^el's latest
spent >he cSu^glSs ff^K*^ ""' '^^^ ^^
401
Trudi had tele-
40*
THE BENEFACTRESS
graphed her blessings, administering them thus
m their easiest form. His Stralsund friends had
apparentUr forgotten him ; in other years they had
been glaci of the excuse the birthday gave for driv-
ing out into the country in June, but this year the
astonished Mamsell saw her birthday cake remain
untouched and her baiced meats waiting vainly for
somebody to come and eat them.
Axel neither noticed nor cared. The haymak-
ing season had just begun, and besides his own
aftairs he was preoccupied by Anna's. If she had
not been shut up so long in the baroness's sick-
room she would have met him often enough. She
thought he never intended to come near her again,
and all the time, whenever he could spare a mo-
ment and often when he could not, he was on her
property, watching Dellwig's farming operations.
She should not suffer, he told himself, because he
loved her; she should not be punished because
she was not able to love him. He would go on
doing what he could for her, and was certainly, at
his age, not going to sulk and leave her to face
her difficulties alone.
The first time he met Dellwig on these incur-
sions into Anna's domain, he expected to be received
with a scowl ; but Dellwig did not scowl at all ;
was on the contri^ry quite affable, even volunteering
information about the work he had in hand. Nor
had he been after all offensively zealous in search-
ing for the person who had set the stables on fire ;
and luckily the Stralsund police had not been very
zealous either. Klutz was looked for for a little
while after Axel had denounced him as the probable
culprit, but the matter had been dropped, appar-
jNf'^W^^'V^.
THE BENEFACTRESS
Hearing that th^ KS^ wf " '", ^"^ ^""'^
decidecT to go and mII af^i*^ "5^'^ well, he
nothing halh^penS sST''^' "^ *''°"?h
Pust meet AnnT TheycouW 'Tr °'' "^'^^^ *«
»ng estates and never s^^ll "°*J'^^ «" adjoin-
S-- again, \o^4^^ ithlt^^f s
ji^'S,1;;[^^!:2^-inst.isun,
.^tfSe-lXV^inr^^^^^^^
'ceswith Miss Leech waC^^f^ ^*"'' *^^* o"
and watched the unloinT^ . l""^" *» '^e quay
while Fritz and the hSef had ^^ ^^hing-smlck^
veiT much stared at bv thf ^''t"".^'""^^' was
seldom saw anything so Lh '">j),tants, who
"as tt£^t!^?- ^"^^^
preparingVtuTn herfalfi' ^T' ^"^ ^^^^ was
t.ous safety, a dosed 5S.Sf'°'" '^f °«te„ta-
towarj's them, followed ^a Sort""' 1^"''''^^ ''
second. " «it a short aistance by a
speScle'':S'ortL"S^^^^^^ ^^^'^ ^'^^
these were the denartin!!. ^' '°'' ^''^ ^elt that
she wondered howTmaSXT' J^' ^'^' ^""^
have the heart togivep^rtS 7^ '" ^f'" *=°"'d
«ther. but watchid C'Spr^^ZT^^S^Js
404 THE BENEFACTRESS
curiously. Axel was sitting in the first one, on
the side near her. He wore his ordinary farming
clothes, the Norfolk jacket, and the soft green
hat. There were three men with him, Medy-
looking individuals in black coats. She bowed
instinctively, for he was looking out of the window
full at her, but he took no notice. She turned
very white.
The second Droschke contained four more
Queer-looking persons in black clothes. When
tney had passed, Fritz pulled up his horses of
his own accord, and twisting himself round stared
after the receding cloud of dust.
Anna had been cut by Axel; but it was not
that that made her turn so white — it was some-
thing in his face. He had looked straight at her,
and ne had not seen her.
" Who are those people ? " she asked Fritz in a
voice that faltered, she did not know why.
Fritz did not answer. He stared down the
road after the Drosckkes, shook his head, began
to scratch it, jerked himself round again to his
horses, drove on a few yards, pulled them up a
second time, looked back, shook his head, and was
silent
" Fritz, do you know them ? " Anna asked more
authoritatively.
But Fritz only mumbled something soothing
and drove on.
Anna had not failed to notice the old man's
face as he watched the departing Droschkes; it
wore an oddly amazed and scared expression.
Her heart seemed to sink within her like a stone,
yet she could give herself no reason for it. She
THE BENEFACTRESS
not come; and ^^Se Ss"tl^^^°«'' *°"W
the gate v^ passed Th.^ i. ™«»^'"S to speak
't was passed.ffSw couW !t ""1 T^^'<i^^t
^ad a presentiment ^ trouW. ' °."'^. ''^'=*"'^ she
What did she think of V^^-^*i?° '° ^«l's house?
glanced at he ^tlLked^i?'^'*^. Miss Leech
matter. ° ^"^^^ 'f anything was the
■ ^olXef'^N^ZLM ^^''P^'' ^°°^i^g straight
only that blin?K„*it7,/g^thing thf mSS
feefing in her heart. *^^' """^ '^e strange
talking e°iJ^rirfc°^ °"*^'''^ the post office
at e^t-S'thelaSag caE*^?l^ '°^^
Fntz wh pped un hUh,S! '^^'"^'ound the corner
at ._ ^lop^ "P *"" h""" and drove past them
came to tl;
she asked
Pastor. Iwil[n"^rKr '*antt
^" not be a mompnf"
Th'e'^SiXtk"«i 'r^^' *° the porch
from the tabll Xu MaSt""«^ ''^t^ *e Sffee
when she heard An^ W ^ ?^^ bustling out
band. She looked Sjordwt'"^ '• ^ ''''" ^""■
has not come back vp?°cT. "^-^ 5*^'ted. "He
could speak, "he fs st^f.ttheT// ^'""'^ ^nna
terrible?"^ ' ^''^ °"e e^^"- hear of anything so
Anna iooJ'^d a«- v..^- l ,
% :^.
406
THE BENEF/CTRESS
the words came in a whisper: "Tell me," she
said.
" What, the gracious Miss has not heard ? Herr
von Lohm has been arrested."
It was impossible not to enjoy impa.'ting so
tremendous a piece of news, however genumely
shocked one might be. Frau Manske brought it
out with a ring of pride. It would not be easy to
beat, she felt, m the way of news. Then she re-
membered the gossip about Anna and Axel, and
observed her with increased interest Was she
going to faint ? It would be the only becoming
course for her to take if it were true that there had
been courting.
But Anna, whose voice had failed her before,
when once she had heard what it nas, hat had
happened, seemed curiously cold and composed.
"What was he accused of ? " was all she asked ;
so calmly, Frau Manske afterwards told her f riends^
that it was not even womanly in the face of so great
a misfortune.
" He set fire to the stables," said Frau Manske.
" It is a lie," said Anna ; also, as Frau Man ,ke
afterwards pointed out to her friends, an unwomanly
remark.
" He did it himself to get the insurance money."
" It is a He," repeated Anna, in that cold voice.
" Eye-witnesses will swear to it."
" Thev will lie," said Anna again ; and turned
and walked away. "Go on," she said to Fritz,
taking her place beside Miss Leech.
She sat quite silent till they were near the house.
Then she called to the coachman to stop. " I am
going into the forest for a little while,''^she said.
.^' '.:m-'i
THE BENEFACTRESS
jumping out •• Vm. j • ^"^
crossed the road qu°cklv"r °^^o'ne." And she
fcr a moment between th" ^^'''^ '^^^ ""tteriniJ
disappearing i„X ToJ S^ershL™"'''^ '»"'' ^f'""
Mjss Leech drove on ,i shadow.
lolt-"*^ *^ ^'^"bHng he?d"e'rf'"i «^"*'y-
something out of thp,, J* "er dear Miss Estcourt
«"?hed «he%ouI?hel7hJ "^-^ h/d happened.' S^'
. Directly the road was out .V ^'u ^^ °"' "'"ghing.
back again to the left ao^^ 1 *'*^''*' ^"na struct
towards the place whe^K '¥ '"°«« »"d lichen
path that led to Lohm %S' V^"^ ^''^'^ «^s a
and very quickly Shi /j ^^^''^ very straight
found rfeVKnd hastt^ Ti"'^'' her wa^ fut
What wereVy dolngtltl^l^^ '° ^ ™"-
'o his house, alone vL,^ ^"^ was goine
cared? And Xn .he- ^J\ ''''"''' talk. W
be told her thero'she ^^^ ISf^'-f' ^" ^hat coiJd
People would talk, wroefredf VJ'f '"''"^^'f-
indifference of slander wh«^ k- • ^he laughable
death were at stake ,'lS?i,'"f "^"^« «' h?e and
yiorid should not 4ht" tr °"«^"'? °^^" the
Her eyes had a new ifol ? I ^'^^J' 'rom Axel
fme she was widlaw^k '" ^''^.'"•. ^°' ^he fim
without dreams facblVabsSt*^ "^^ ^ ^^^
Pitilessness. This was JifetLc"*^ cruelty and
—suffering.injusticelnH fk "^ '^^'"e the realities
apparently by the mo^rl'''^'^^ ' "ot to be avoS
of men; but"^ It ,^3^ ,„''°"°"'^We and i„nSS
weapons in one's p?wer with un"/'k^'* «'' «'«
to the end, whate^ver thaT en^ - " l'"1« ^°"^ge
«^s what one needed most of .iTlf ' ^- T'hlt
^ods-nothappiness~nh f r^u *^ ^'^s of the
^w could the'r? be ha7ptessttn'"''^'' ^'•=^'"'
FPiness so long as men wer«
4o8
THE BENEFACTRESS
wicked? — bat courage. That blind look on
Axel's face — no, she would not think of that ; it
tore her heart. She stumbled a little as she ran
— no, she would not think of that
Out in the open, between the forest and Lohm,
she met Manske. " I was coming to you," he said.
" I am going to him," said Anna.
" Oh, my dear young lady I " crjed Manske ;
and two big tears rolled down his face.
" Don't cry," she said, " it does not help him."
" How can I not do so after seeing what I have
this day seen ? "
She hurried on. " Come," she said, " we must
not waste time. He needs help. I am going to
his house to see what I can do. Where did they
take him?"
" They took him to prison."
"Where?"
" Stralsund."
"Will he be there long?"
" Till after the trial."
" And that will be ? "
" God knows."
" I am going to him. Come with me. We will
take his horses."
"Oh, dear Miss, dear Miss," cried Manske,
wringing his hands, " they will not let us see him
— you they will not let in under any circum-
stances, and me only across mountains of obstacles.
The official who conducted the arrest, when I
prayed for permission to visit my dear >atron, was
brutality itself. ' Why should you visit hir- ? ' he
asked, sneering. ' The prison chaplain will do all
that is needful for his soul.' ' Let it be, Manske,
Tfn PENEFACTRESS
..uA. 'P"""•
whoIsthech^ef?"
awhiir"°^- ^'^-wnothing. Myheadisin
only very seldom -trTXP^T'' ^"'^ ^^^ "«
the moments were priceless " ^ ^o^H I felt
spoke not a won!. ■ ffi'S F^\''^^'" P^^ron
the man, making hideous ii ''^ ''^ one.' said
J^new there is nf S-' fc"*"^«-he well
one or a brother or a siste butf r'' ''/^"^ '«
" Then t?eywTff*o them."
The wonieta^d ^itt'^ ^^^^'Shf
to look at AZlt SetSs^d *Ik^".^^« -"^ out
them. Axel's house sto^ ^^^ '^'d not see
overcome by the shame 0^^°^?"- J^^ ^amsS!
?erv.ce, was^n hysterics nt'^-"?.h^" ■" S"ch a
""Pector. a devot^ed semS win . '^^?: "'^'^ *e
was upbraiding her with mL '°.''^'^ hJs master
daring to sav S.I .u"^'*^ '""^rest indignation f^i
Mamsell's l4ents and f L • "'^^ ^ ""^ter. The
preaches echoed Throu J fh"''^'^*"^'^ ^"rious re!
door, like the gate wfc ^''^i ^'"P*/ house. The
Little more thafa^' h?ur ff "'^^ V'*^ ^^JJ^.
P^sed out beneath them to ™S"' ^ ''""^ ^''^'
4IO
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna went straight to the study. His papers
were lying about in disorder ; the drawer of the
writing-table was unlocked, and his keys hung in
it. He had been writing letters, evidently, for an
unfinished one lay on the table. She stood a mo-
ment quite still in the silent room. Manske had
fone to find the coachman, and she could hear
is steps on the stones beneath the open windows.
The desolation of the deserted room, the terrible
sense of misfortune worse than death that brooded
over it, struck her like a blow that for ever de-
stroyed her cheerful youth. She never forgot the
look and the feeling of that room. She went to
the writing-table, dropped on her knees, and laid
her cheek, with an abandonment of tenderness,
on the open, unfinished letter. " How are such
things possible — how are they possible " she
murmured passionately, shuttmg her eyes to press
back the useless tears. " So useless to cry, so
useless," she repeated piteously, as she felt the
scalding tears, in spite of all her efforts to keep
them back, stealing through her eyelashes. And
everything else that she did or could do — how
useless. What could she do for him, who had no
claim on him at all ? How could she reach him
across this gulf of misery ? Yes, it was good to
be brave in this world, it was good to have cour-
age, but courage without weapons, of what use
was it ? She was a woman, a stranger in a strange
land, she had no friends, no influence — she was
useless. Manske found her kneeling there, hold-
ing the writing-table tightly in her outstretched
arms, pressing her bosom against it as though it
were somethmg that could feel, her eyes shut,
THE BENEFACTRESS
^er face a desolation «n
•n h,s turn, "dearest Miss 1"°*."^'" ^^ begged
iJey SuS>t'n,r|h?tT'''r\^^^'^hing that
t's :r "^^^^^'^'^- MS-'ir ''^'i^'^st
■ -^F^-^S^"Ma:^£
fvetJie order to drive to tt' ''■"" '"^'^ ^^^en he
^ i^^f "^"'ed up oveTfh *^ ''°"«es as the
They went up the dirty "S f T""^ *° '^^'^■
ihe door was immedJ^fi^r ^^ ^"*^ rang the bell
by an official wh^SS^^P,^"^"? -^f^- 'nches
tones, that he wo "ii^L'"j'1:«t' ""ost conciliatorv
-°"!d tell hiL^hl^trif^^y obliged 'fh^
^^St^lli^e ^/ai^lL^^e to
the steps. ,isSi:reagl"rr'^ at theVtio^^^f
7owho.shouldfaA."as.edManslce
«■'-,.•(■■/*
7/,'<,'
■j< r-
4I»
THE BENEFACTRESS
" To the judge who has conducted the prelimi-
naiy inquiries.
The door was slammed, and locked from within
with a great noise of rattling keys. The sound
of the keys made Anna feel faint ; Axel was on
the other side of that ostentation of brute force.
She leaned against the wall shivering. The chil-
dren tittered; she was a very fine lady, they
thought, to have friends in there.
"The judge who conducted the preliminary
inauiries," repeated Manske, lookmg dazed.
" Who may he be ? Where shall we find him ?
I fear I am sadly inexperienced in these matters."
There was nothing to be done but to face the
official's wrath once more. He timidly rang the
bell again. This time he was kept waiting.
There was a little round window in the door, and
he could see the man on the other side leaning
against a table trimming his nails. The man
also could see him. Manske began to knock on
the glass in his desperation. The man remained
absorbed by his nails.
Anna was suffering a martyrdom. Her head
drooped lower and lower. The children laughed
loud. Just then heavy steps were heard approach-
ing on the pavement, and the children fled with
one accord. Immediately afterwards an official,
apparently of a higher grade than the man within,
came up. He glanced curiously at the two sup-
pliants as he thrust his hand into his pocket and
pulled out a key. Before he could fit it in the
lock the man on the other side had seen him, had
sprung to the door, flung it open, and stood at
attention.
THE BENEFACTRESS
Manske saw that k- **'
'"?.'^"{,^0'- God's sake'- ^"' ^^ ^"ed. "o/e
'"^bT/'S •?•?"'■"■««." ■'^^' ''''° conducted the
. The' official' 'looked t'Z '' ^' *° ''« found?"
m the next street p • • ^' '"^ Law CnnVto
^nd^the dS'tasSu""""^ ^"^^^ SchuLT
up a°nd ir^talrcat an^at"^' ^"'^ ^^^^^
dore, vainly 'ooking for soL. "^. ^"^^'^^^ corr^
to Exam nine furf<T« c u ^"'"eone to direct thJ^
empty; they^dft mee ^•,^,''^ buiW^gt^
down one passage afterThe nth °"'' '"*^ they wen?
hf rt. and misely haS ,^*^'">a''g">sh in Anna"s
At Jast they heaX distant w ^''"'^ '" ^anske's
the emptiness. Theffo iS' ^^''°'"g through
found two women diSJr '^' '°"'''^- ^"^
i^y uT ?StT;..\irjs °^ ^ ^-.-n-
pojteh.. asked Manske. bowing
hou?:rotrwL^l,f |one ''-e. Business
-fctf rerhtf ^ ^=^ 't^ £^
the porter ? ^n^ u^ P°'^er knew. Wh^' *^^
414
THE BENEFACTRESS
{)orter. Another ten minutes was wasted looking
or him. They saw him at last through the glass
of the entrance door, airing himself on the steps.
The porter gave them the address, and they lost
some more minutes tiying to find their Droschke,
for they had come out at a different entrance to
tht one they had gone in by. By this time Manslce
was speechless, and Anna was half dead.
They climbed three flights of stairs to the
Examining Judge's fiat, and after being kept wait-
ing a long while — " Der Herr Untersuchungs-
richter ist bet, Tisch" the slovenly girl had
announced — were told by him very curtly that
they must go to the Public Prosecutor for the
order. Anna went out without a word. Manske
bowed and apologised profusely for having dis-
turbed the Herr Untersuchungsrichter at his re-
past; he felt the necessity of grovelling before
these persons whose power was so almighty.
The Examining Judge made no reply whatever
to these piteous amiabilities, but turned on his
heel, leaving them to find the door as best they
could.
The Public Prosecutor lived at the other end
of the town. They neither of them spoke a word
on the way there. In answer to their anxious
inquiry whether they could speak to him, the
woman who opened the door said that her master
was asleep; it was his hour for repose, having
just supped, and he could not possibly be
disturbed.
Anna began to cry. Manske gripped hold of
her hand and held it fast, patting it while he con-
tinued to question the servant. " He will see no
^L^^
THE BENEFACTRESS
one so Lie" «k. . •. '♦'S
At«hatSme?"
iJo not fet the coarhmf "" "'serable tM«
"J^ust^o home nor fc u' ^V'^' ^h^- We
We will come earl«\ ^ '® nothing to be\l^
success." "^ ^^^'y to-morro^v. anf have ^^o^
^i: S^e^'wtl o"2 .tv^^^s S%^f
The stare were sMnit °'^?^« ^way. "^'^•
^et county rSd aSf ftht^ P^^Sj along the
with the fragiance'of clo"e*|„7?*?f <l«nffi
man stopped to takerstonP"'^^' '^''«" Aeloach
fey could hear the cS!r'°'^''««eS2.
^ «-ts high aUrtS
CHAPTER XXXI
GusTAV VON LoHM found Manske's teleeram
on his table when he came in with his wife irom
his afternoon ride in the Thierffarten.
" What is it ? " she inquired, seeing him turn
pale ; and she took it out of his hand and read it
" Disgraceful," she murmured.
" I must go at once," he said, looking round
helplessly.
"Go?"
When a wife says " Go ? " in that voice, if she
is a person of determination and her husband is a
person of peace, he does not go ; he stays. Gus-
tav stayed. It is true that at first he decided to
leave Berlin by the early train next morning ; but
his wtfe employed the hours of darkness address-
ing him, as he lay sleepless, in the language of
wisdom; and the wisdom being of that robust
type known as worldly, it inevitably produced its
effect on a mind naturally receptive.
"Relations," she said, "are at all times bad
enough. They do less for you and expect more
from you than anyone else. They are the last to
congratulate if you succeed, and the first to akin-
don if you fail. They are at one and the same
time abnormally truthful, and abnormally sensi-
tive. They regard it as infinitely more blessed
to administer home-truths than to receive them
back again. But, so long as they do not actually
416
•THE BENmCTRESS
reached her flat %^vu'*= ^^en the tel^m,
Wends and a g^^*^ '^yeral of her fe
g^yng at bein^g'ljg"y "«"t««ants she "^j*
°«yond the town u ^ amonir the I,,! ,^
« her flower-tn.nmi, s7raw'ha?Vnd
418
THE BENEFACTRESS
muslin dress, silhouetted against the pale gold of
the evening sky.
Her eye fell on the telegram as the picnic party
came crowding in.
" Bill comine home ? " inquired somebody.
" I'm afraid he is," she said, opening it.
She read it, and could not prevent a change of
expression. There was a burst of laughter. The
young men declared they would never marry.
The young women, prone at all times to pity
other womtfi's husbands, criticised Trudi's pale
face, and s'.Lietly pitied Bill. She lit a cigarette,
flung herself into a chair, and became venr cheer-
ful. She had never been so amusing. She kept
them in a state of uproarious mirth till the small
hours. The richest lieutenant, who had found
her distinctly a bore during the drive home, went
away feeling quite affectionate. When they had
all gone, she dropped on to her bed, and cried,
and cried.
It was in the papers next morning, and at break-
fast Trudi and her family were in every mouth.
Bibi came running round, genuinely distressed.
She had nojt been mvited to the picnic, but she
forgot that in her sympathy. " I wanted to catch
you before you start," she said, vigorously embrac-
mg her poor friend.
" Where should I start for ? " asked Trudi, offer-
ing a cold cheek to Bibi's kisses.
" Are you not going to Herr von Lohm ? " ex-
claimed Bibi, open-mouthed.
" What, when he tries to cheat insurance com-
panies ? "
" But he never, never set fire to those buildings
himself."
L.W
THE BENEFACTRESS
^ She had decided th»'f »u **'*' "JowJy.
to cast him off XeSer '* 7?' '^' ""'^ way-
once and thorouJhfy i^nf^ 'J^ «"«» be dS at
ble not tn K,._ ?v y-- ^naeed, how *o» ;. _ '^ ^
• P"i<.on, »„d K sfci L,"3"" P' '"'» »i?h
^/■".husland coSj 3,'""!?"? I»'1y. She
What «t,uld hi, ^'l.t'**™'" o' dismav
teij. oldest frie„d\^',S ■■;?" ' f '«»»S
J^ been to the Ck o^Tk \!?'^*^ how they
?o again." Anna saS onT ^"•"'^^J'- " 1 S
[ess l-ue^iay. when she hjl T"'"? °^ ^''^ SS
a?a,n with knske, vainfv ,i-^" ""^ ^boJe day
mission to visit AxelaZj 2'"^> °btain pe^
d^opmg, her voi5 4t that It ''^^'^^ ^'' ^
Certa,n]y she looked pSoJndlv Tk ^ S^*^^* bore-
One cannot be to^Sf ^ "J?>PPy-
lei
in
nioney mattere,"
4M THE BENEFACTRESS
remarked Frau von Treumann, alarmed by Anna's
white looks, and afraid lest by some foolish neg-
lect on her part supplies should cease. She en-
thusiastically encouraeed these visits to the bank.
"Take care of your bank," she said, "and your
bank will take care of you. That is what we say
in Germany."
But Anna did not hear. There was but one
thought in her mind, one cry in her heart — how
could she reach, how could she help, Axel ?
He was in a cell at)out five yards long by three
wide. There was just room to pass between the
camp bedstead and the small deal table standing
agamst the opposite wall. Besides this furniture,
there was one chair, an empty wooden box turned
up on end, with a tin basin on it— that was his
washstand— a little shelf fixed on the wall, and
on the httle shelf a tin mug, a tin plate, a pot of
salt, a small loaf of black bread, and a Bible. The
walls were painted brown, and the window, fit'-''
with ground glass, was high up near the ceiling ,
It was barred on the outside, and could only be
opened a few inches at the top. On the door a
neat printed card was fastened, giving, besides in-
formation for the guidance of the habitually dirty
as to the cleansing properties of water, the quantity
of oakum the occupant of the cell would be ex-
pected to pick every day. The cell was used
sometimes for condemned criminals, hence the
mention of the oakum ; but the card caught Axel's
eye whenever he reached that end of the room in
his pacing up and down, and without knowing it
he learnt its rules bv heart.
At first he had been completely dazed, abso-
THB BBNBFACTRKSS
'l»t shoot hin, „S .'ti'ff »" '"'»of>lle SC
nad been searched on kj. i° Tavelost? Hp
-f.c,h.?.'„rA^*w.ho™.SSwts
^"irf St"
4»«
THE BENEFACTRESS
less ancient and not in itself interesting name of
Meyer. He had arrested Lohm, he had special
charge of the case, he could not but be talked
about at last. His zeal and satisfaction accord-
ingly were great, carrying him far beyond the lim-
its usual on such occasions. Axel stood amazed
at the trick of fortune that had so suddenly flung
him into the power of a young man called Meyer.
Soon after he was locked in his cell, a warder
came in with a great pot of liquid food, a sort of
thick soup made chiefly of beans, with other bodies,
unknown to Axeli floating about among them.
" Your plate," said the warder, jerking his head
in the direction of the little shelf on which stood
Axel's dining facilities ; and he raised the pot pre-
paratory to pouring out some of its contents.
" Thank you," said Axel, " I don't want any."
" You'll be hungry then," said the man, going
away. " There is no more food to-day."
Axel said nothing, and he went out. The smell
of the soup, which was apparently of great potency,
filled the little room. Axel tried to open the win-
dow wider, but though he was tall and he stood
on his table, he coulanot reach it.
It began to get dark. The lamps in the street
below were lit, and the shouts of the children at
play came up to him. He guessed that it must
be past nine, and wondered how long he was to
be left there without a light. As it grew darker,
his thoughts grew very dark. He paced up and
down more and more restlessly, trying to force
them into clearness. In the hurry and dismay
he had left his keys at Lohm, he remembeiM,
and all his money and papers were at the mercy
THE BENEFACTRESS
of the first-comer ii j l *'*
afford to lose ^^mont'TK^'' ^^^°"W not
come. WJiv a:a J. P"son. But hi> li,j
leave hfmtlpLV? r^^ Wh/|d Te
"^as determined to face h'^ ^ ?°™e°t? Axe!
yet, the feeh-ng of a£!„f"-""'^°rtune quiSry
f jt we,* bound hand anJ T'^'^ence. of S
such dir« nece.«;t^ .°_ f °^ %t when there 3
Rnf •* "'^ resolution ^"°"' »™ost
self i^S^thilr ''SV". he assured him
miiv^«
4M THE BENEFACTRESS
dowly, his shoulders bent, his head sunk, a dull
"*»? on n»s face; he was thinking of Anna.
The door was unlocked, and a warder with a
bullft^ye lantern came in quickly. "The Public
PrMecutor is coming up," he said breathlessly.
When he comes in, you stand at attention and
recite your name and the crime of which you are
accused.
He had hardly finished when the Public Prose-
cutor appeared. The warder sprang to attention.
Axel slowlv and unwillingly did the same.
" Well ? ' snaried the great man, as Axel did not
"''^v _j ^"^ *" °'** '"*°' ^'^^ * ^*ce grown sly
and hard during years of association with criminals,
of expenences confined solely to the ugly sides of
life.
" My name is Lohm," said Axel, feeling the folly
of attempting to defy anyone so absolutely powers
ful in the place where he was; and he proceeded
to explan the crime of which he was suspected.
The Public Prosecutor, who knew perfectly well
everything about him, having himself arranged
every detail of the arrest, said something incom-
prehensible and was going away.
"May I have a light of some sort?" asked AxeL
and writing raatenals? I absolutely must be able
"You cannot expect the luxuries of a Seiloss
here, said the Public Prosecutor with a scowl
turning on his heel and signing to the warder to
lock the door again. And he continued his rounds,
congratulahng himself on having demonstrated
that m his independent eye the bearer of the most
ancient name and the offscourings of the street.
THE BENEFACTRESS
tried or unfn'sr] _ **5
, ^t was now ouitp /J-. i
of distrust bv *« i"*P«cred with everv
on his face woke hhr, u °"*' '^''^n » bright liVhf
>ng very nearly re«.rnlr ^ . ^"^ ^^ was. A f«.i
i^e. He cou d see noH^.v u^ "®''' close to h«
^ -* ^-. bolting tunttat^.
4*6
THE BENEFACTRESS
Axel lay down, reflecting that such surprises,
added to anxiety and bad food, must wear out
a suspected culprit's nerves with extraordinary
rapidihr and thoroughness. There could not, he
thought, be much Irft of a man in the way of brains
and calmness by the time he was taken before the
judge to clear himself. The incident completely
banished all tendency to sleep. He remained
wide awake after that, tormented by anxious
thoughts.
Towards dawn, for which he thanked God when
It came, the silence of the prison was broken by
screams. He started up again and listened, his
blood frozen by the sound of them. They were
terrible to hear, echoing through that place.
Again a feeling of sheer horror came over him.
How long would he be able to endure these
things? The screams grew more and more ap-
palling. He sprang up and went to the door, and
listened there. He thought he heard steps out-
^de, and knocked. " What is that screaming ? "
he cned out. But no one answered. The shrieks
reached a climax of anguish, and suddenly stopped.
Death-like stillness fell again upon the prison.
Axel spent what was left <rf the night pacine up
and down. « i- o r
The prison day did not begin till six. Axel,
used to his busy country life that got him out of
his bed and on to his horse at four these fine sum-
mer mornings, heard sounds of life below in the
street— eariy carts and voices — long before life
stirred within the walls. He understood after-
wards why the inmates were allowed to lie in bed
so long: It was convenient for the warders. The
"CM
THE BENEFACTRESS
prisoners rose at six anH „ . *'^
"L the full su„sWn;^f 7,!"* \^ again atsix
Thus disposed of tL 5°*^ J"ne S^temrvfn.
'-^'jjed iist for fern ^^"^'^^^ H^^
^ if 5""ghisJamrerandDu/f'^ ^/y%ht that
one of the prisonere JkIc ^" towards seven
procured him promotion V^ «°°^ conduct S
and doing other S of .h'^'t"?'"/ ^''^ PassagS
another loaf of bread an^ ^ '""^' brought h!m
ln??r.*^^^«ack; he^ou/"* '" ^''^ <^-5ar
as he ],ke(j ju ' "«= could scream a<! lr,„j
^^' P^f^^ndly pitying
i.r2Pl'jf> »'.»^w# j!' -^
-2 •■'<..,-
4*8
THE BENEFACTRESS
those other wretched human beings, his feilow-
prisoners.
" Oh, he is very happy there. He plays all day
long at catching the rats."
« The rats?"
"They say there are no rats — that he only
thinks he sees them. But whether the rats are
real or not it amuses him trying to catch them.
When he is quiet again, he is brought back to us."
A warder appeared and said there was too much
talking. The young man slid away swiftly and
silently. He was a thief by profession, of superior
skill and intelli^nce.
Axel ate part of the bread, and succeeded in
swallowing some of the cofifee, and then began his
walk again, up and down, up and down, listening
intently at the door each time he came to it for
sounds of his lawyer's approach. The morning
must be halfway through, he thought; why did
he not come ? How could he let him wait at such
a crisis? How could any of them — Gustav,
Trudi, Manske — let him wait at such a crisis?
He grew terribly anxious. He had expected Gus-
tav by the first train from Beriin ; he might have
been with him by nine o'clock. The other brother,
he knew, would be less easily reached by the tele-
gram — he was attached to the person of a prince
whose movements were uncertain; but Gustav?
Well, he must be patient ; he may not have been
at home ; the next train arrived in the afternoon ;
he would come by that.
The door opened, and he turned eagerly ; but
it was the Public Prosecutor again.
"Name, name, and crime 1^ frantically whis-
iFmas,^
- «
THE BENEFACTRESS
419
before. Every tEhp! • ^"'* »' *e niX
hisbodjr ri|d. P^"^"™*"". his heels together!
Axel. • • '*P***«'*ne warder, glaring at
•'S^v'h£d1h?L''L«''- -"d went out.
His lawyer «me?„ ^''^^'■' """^ '°"owed him
dinner. ^ ^'^^ "^ simultaneously with his
;; Plate." said th» warder with the nnf
laji'^ IS a sad sigh, Herr tto^" said the
.He'allo^^IdlS ottt'SelTo t^ ^'^ P^=^^-
•t; he was not going to S. 'f ^"^ '"to
soup was potent. ^ *^* ""'^ because the
laJylr.'^'^*^'^ ^°" y'^te'^y." he said to the
man. He was a native of S?rl?f V^*^ *^ "«ht
employed him ever dnce h. ""'^' '"'^ ^^e' had
ancThad found Ws work satisS '"'^ t^ ««*^te.
ners exceedingly Ste-so^^^l^'^^ ^^ '"^n-
verge on crinfrnrbut th!n^t%r'''^r^' '^ to
have pointed out.1,e wSs a 1.;^ M "1** ^''"'d
man was changed. S 1ni«;,- .^°* ^^ whole
bows, the rublld hand^ Jk^ '^*'"8f ^'ni^es, the
h'^^er sat at hTeS on the'^nJT •*!>: ' ^he
>n h:s pockets, a S,^^ttn KSt^aSct
4S»
THE BENEFACTRESS
tinised Axel while he told him his case, with- an
insolent look of incredulity.
" He actually believes I set the place on fire,"
thought Axel, struck by the look.
He did actually believe it. He always believed
the worst, lor his experience had been that the
worst is what comes most often nearest the truth ;
but then, as Manske would have explained, he was
a Jew.
The interview was extremely unsatisfactory. " I
have an appointment," said the lawyer, pulling out
his watch before they had half discussed the situa-
tion.
" You appear to forget that this is a matter of
enormous importance to me," said Axel, wrath in
his eyes and voice.
"That is what each of my clients invariably
savs," replied the lawyer, stretching across the
table for his gloves.
" How can we arrange anything in a ten min-
utes' conversation ? " inquired Axel indignantly.
The lawyer shrugged his shoulders. " I cannot
neglect all my other business."
" I do not remember your having been so pressed
for time formerly. I shall expect you a^in this
afternoon."
" An impossibility."
" Then to-morrow the first thing. That is, if I
am still here."
The lawyer grinned. " It is not so easy to get
out of these places as it is to get in," he said, draw-
ing on his gloves. " By the way, my fees in such
cases are payable beforehand."
Axel flushed. He could hardly believe the evi-
r\-m
~#«i
THE BENEFACTRBS8
Pe«on who h3 fw J?^* *•"' *« »•»• obsequious
?*'%. - You know T^^"^«* ?V that," he said
.ac^inif this iS^oL?."'^'* nothing hem H?
he incK. tw ;"¥h2%fe -^P««»y. " I-
?^e of brotherly devotS' l * '^"'^''''aWe in-
Je^rthat GooditeS'„ - he I^ Jf"'^ ^''"^ *«
, ou^ feavi^g Axel in a iw' * "*^'^«''- *nd w«nt
rials. He immedTtefy~SJ SS" "f "« "^
telegrams; urgent letters a„Hf!&«^ ^^"ers '"d
Perate importSice to Wmself ^^\9^ * d«-
^ brought he gaveXm fn .J"^" h« coffee
hegged him to sef tLt aT ° *^^ '^''er. and
once; then he I^c^ up and^r'" ^^spatch^ a?
at least by feeli^ v£t L rU " *«^'"' '^b'eved
with the outer wi-ld '^ "°* communicate
tiniehi'Lw IheSen ''" /SS,?'"'°"f'>'' "«t
And gone they had, but oniiT /" "^^ ^e repjy,
office of the EUS:ingj'Sl%±:![, ^^^ to t}J
«y in a heap waiting till hf.k,]*^,' ^'he'* they
and inclination to rid Lm "^""^^i have leisure
f their contentJ^ oS tfc/»d'i he approved
they lay for three days aM^' . ?*?ted. There
passed after all, becaSe the P °- •^'" *^'* °°t
bked the tone of the^5^?,^f.'°'ng Judge dis-
wnter was innocent ftfe knf A" *^^?" thtt the
pnsonerinvariablyprotested th^^ '* *'^^' ^^^^
these protestations were Jm.sS^.f^'"." *•""«• But
we. of such strength Ke^t^J^^ J^^
43*
THE BENEFACTRESS
in his own hardened and experienced mind a pros-
ing doubt, absurd of course, and not for one mo-
ment to be considered, whether the Stralsund
authorities might not have blundered. It was a
dangerous notion to put into people's heads, that
the Stralsund authorities, of whom he was one,
could blunder. Blunders meant a reproof from
headquarters and a retarded career; uieir possi-
bility, therefore, was not to be entertained for a
moment. Even should they have been made, it
must not get about that they had been made. He
accordingly suppressed nearly all the letters.
Gustav must have missed the second train as
well, for when the sky grew rosy, and Axel knew
that the sun was setting, he was still alone.
The few hours he had thought to stay in that
place were lengthening out into days, he reflected.
If Gustav did not come soon, what should he do ?
Someone he must have to look after his a£Fairs, to
arrange with the lawyer, to be a link connecting
him with outside. And who but his brother and
heir? Still, he would certainly come soon, and
Trudi too. Poor little Trudi — he was afraid she
would be terribly upset.
But the hours passed, and no one came.
That evening he was given a lamp. It burnt
badly and smelt atrociousfy. He asked if the win-
dow might be opened a little wider. The request
had to he made in writing, said the warder, and
submitted through the usu^ channels to the Public
Prosecutor, without whose permission no window
might be touched. Axel wrote the request, and
the warder took it away. It came back two days
later with an intimation scrawled across it that if
t «
^ •^ i
THE BENEFACTRESS
down on K Thettwl'S/'?^'" u*^ ««"l'n|
nothing had ceased to «S?fh-''*' ^l^!*^ «1°"^
was right when he s5d tC ft "• ^^^ '**y"
into such a place thTn m » . was easier to get
had denounced him to sa^'V°"' ^•"- K'"*^
had not a doabt And n-^f ^""''*^ o^ that he
greatly respected h»3 ? "** *^" ''"own and
explained S^g'stnlTllf,'^^^*'- Th"2
Axel's couraee wm nZSh?^ '*'^'^ completely.
he «cognisS SffiultthT^7.V»y^
proving thathewasinnSS \'^°''^^ have in
him from outside, his caS^ iirfP^T ''"'P**'
He d,d not remember^eT^o h?"'.'^*'P^"'*«-
hack on a friend in dist,^« u '"'^ *"™ed his
that not a friend w^JflJX^''.^ was it. then,
in his extremity? Where »« '.?™"* *° hi",
jovial companions wS. shotTfJ^r?"^ ""' ^''^^
him so often, drivine anv 5;=^ 'i'* ^^'"te with
"re of killing hTs 12? WW '°'" ^^^ P'^a^
Gustav back? Wh?^id h^^^^l "^^ ^^'n«
message? How Z^itt .1^°^ ^^^n send t
fcssed^somuch atSSmeSl^n^^' *ho pr<^
such stores of ChriSchar£ L^°T' "^'^es
effort to reach him? He K^'/*^ °°* "^e an
wanted anything of anvrm- H "ever asked or
was so ter4le, fis neeTwL'" ''" ^^"' ''"» this
a failure his whole WelisH^ If ''i^?^ ^^t
always. ^^During all thTyeaJ^i^n^alone.
434
THS BENEFACTRESS
liave wivM and children he had been working h»rd.
^one. He had had no happy days, as the old
Romans would have said. And now total ruin
was upon him. Sitting there through the night,
he bqfan to understand the despair that impels
J?™PP3; beings in a like situation, forsaken of
Ood and men, to make wild efforts to get out of
•uch daces, consous that they avail nothing,
but at least bruising and crushing themselves into
the blessed mdifference of exhaustion.
The hours dragged by, each one a lifetime, each
one so packed with opportunities for gang mad,
he thought, as he counted how many of them
separated him already from his free, honourable
past life. By the time morning came, added
to his other torturing anxieties, was the fear
lest he should fall ill in there before any steps
had been taken for his release. He sat leaning
his head against the wall, indifferent to what
irent on around him, hardly listening any more
for Gustav's footsteps. He had ceased to expect
mm. He had ceased to expect anyone. He
sat motionless, suffering bodily now, a strange
feehng m his head, his thoughts dwelling dully on
his physical discomforts, on the closeness of^the
cdl, on the horrible nights. He made a great
effort to eat some dinner, but could not. What
would become of him if he couW neither eat nor
weep? On what stores of energy would he be
able to draw when the time came for defending
himself? He was atting by the table, leaning
ms head against the wall, his eyes closed, when
the pnsoner-fittendant came to take away his din-
ner, " 111 ? " inquired the young man cheerfully.
THE BENEFACTRESS
4SS
It was too much
but not yet. These thf„« !^ tne pnson doctor,
It was iIwaysthriLmT."'**\^'^ **'«•• cou«e
warder twTn^y years J^H t°""''; ''e had been a
the date on'USh"' Se??h7 ±? S "". ''°-
would be required ^**' '*'* 'doctor
abol.tlhrro&ti.edoor"^"^ Pf''^ -^^n.
He did not ^^J;^,^^^^^^^^^
back across tlTe yS ?ote^^f''*''°"«''t»
trothed? Had he Sard tJ,?''^*^''-'''^- "'« ^e-
had he been dreamine ? H. ..'"'^iT? r'^'' °'
poked vaguely S thtdr'^'in 'l^'^ ^"'^
light was out there in%i,- „-j . ' *he sun-
ptic. ashamed 'teeVfS'„'!fh*^''P,ly ''P^'""
from her like a garment whpn ^"'^ ''e!: ?hame fell
poor Axel _oh^;^rASl^^,.^/^ '''•"• "Oh.
with a quick sob " ^"^ murmured
stam sSt*° af hrs'Se'and S ''k,- ^" ^ '-
on his knees, holding he; bvihe^'"^'.^' ^""
to her as to his salvatfon - if is L? n'.' 'i'"«'"§
he asked in a voice sharp w?^,^ ^feS^tr
'■♦r'^^^3
43«
THE BENEFACTRESS
•JL? A"** ^'^ ^""'^^'^ ''y her teare, delib-
?Jw K ^•''*'°'?'''''^'' ""'^ herfuture\ntirely
to him, hauling down for ever her flag of inde-
to £ rr'W' ""^ '^"^'"g 'J"^* her face
£d ht "P*"™«i f«=e o agonised questioning
kid her hiM on his. "No," she whispered, an!
ttT^ ^^ '^■*. '' passionate tendTmess b^
tween the words, " it is only love — only love -"
jfej. ^ - ■ 'iM
CHAPTER XXXII
about^thL'SrotS'in^t"^- *" austerity almost.
«>om for the arXes^ anlJ>!,'°"- ""^ ^ "o
. away from them bo^ likf ti^^ *™P'^ ^^th fefi
which thew .^ no uL ;n%^7*^'X °maments. for
soul. unsepai"°breven thf JP'^«- Soil to
conventionality, of a tom- * .''^s.est veil of
vs.oned. steadfast. ^ t "1 \'°^^' ^'e""
quietly watching the 300^,.^^'^ ^^° a«
looked into each other'sT^sfn'iu' ^^''^^' they
were alone, he an/«v.» ^ •^"*' ''"^w that thev
cleave to one anofher toTT *" ^^--W- T^
she, against the XV wSd'' Y^^' ^' ^"'^
their betrothal meant Axel c„7«r* *^ ^hat
h's kind if he should nofSS to ^°'"'r-'"^'-°™
Anna, cutting herself off f^, ° '^'^*'" himself,
Her feet hadVu„d the nVht'n'/K*° ^f'"°'' ^™
eyes were open As t«,nT- ^1* ** ^^t- Her
- battle in Sch^£,th" mS"L? ^^ ^^^ «*
end may be death, or a^ tl 0* 1"^ ^hose
on a long journev wL« two fnends starting
tuous ways^of sufferTn^* ""^ *°°> after tor?
"^ best to be done. LX.^"'^'' °.^^'" *hat
other, always with thflS^ ^"'^"""g'ng each
fulness in their eves. H„^ .°' Perfect trust-
getherl How abHo S. 7 """".^ ^^^V ^elt to-
^ *° 8° fearlessly towards the
438
m .!tM.\
THE BENEFACTRESS
future to meet any pain, any sorrow, together!
The warder standing by, the miserable little room
the wretched details of the situation, no longer
existed for either of them. Nothing could harm
them, nothing could hurt them any more, if onl"
they might be together. They were safe within
a circle drawn round them by love — safe, and
warm, and blest. So long as he had her and she
him, though they saw how great t^ V misery
would be if thejr came to be less brav ' ey could
not but believe in the benevolence of the future
they could not but have hope. If he were sen-
tenced, she said, what, at the worst, would it mean ?
Two years', three years', waiting, and then together
for the rest of their life. Was not that worth look-
ing forward to ? Would not that take away every
sting? she asked, her hands on his shoulders, her
face beautiful with confidence and courage. When
he told her that she ought not now to cast in her
lot with his, she only smiled, and laid her cheek
against his sleeve. All her childish follies, and
incertitudes, and false starts were done with now
Life had grown suddenly simple. It was to be a
cleaving to him till death. Yet they both knew
that when that golden hour was over, and she
must go, the suffering would begin again She
was only to come twice a week ; and the days be-
tween would be days of torture. And when the
moment had come, and they had said good-lwe
with brave eyes, each telling the other that so
short a separation was nothing, that they did not
mind it, that it would be over before they had had
time to feel it, and the door was shut, and he was
left behind, she went out to find misery again,
^M^M'
THE MarePACTRESS
4»
f the unutterable fS^„n./°*'-'/.«^'^«ion
from him, how ,^k Se^^K '^''''"- ^^^7
brave. Would L^h, . j ^ ''°* ""able to be
say some kiSwoS^r^?-?,^""**^ Would s£
anything, that 3t^X 1 ' 7°'A something!
alone? With mfl!: ^ "^'" ^^el less terribRr
told her trsto^jJoEinTatr ^?'*^""S^S
hi'^d bv the tho7ghrof hfnf ^v ^^^ ^y^ tor-
*e« tilf she s;:ouK4'^,^'*'K patiently
^asmuch by theproC .IS'lT'^.VT.
struck. asTuchTy thJ'^l.^S''"- "v ™^ -we-
S«^e as bv the Stir "S P"' °^ ^""^
that A»4 fc,j ^»««ition. i,he knew of couree
-- — » uy ine
K "^^^ ''"*^ ^en anest^d-Hw" "' """"^
«9thmg to say^Ld jJS out fr K ^^ •^"''^ «nd
laid It on Anna's. - 1 am L rol5^"*^ *""''^^y ^nd
^. Her head droopin|TSdl^;-„j;An^a
f ^hXre v's^'JhS^s'^^.^ His r-^
to h.m, she%hut her e^s sL °1§^' ^' "^t,
«« happ^ summer Ss. at%r ,"°.* ^""J' at
trowing U where he S n'^kP'^^ ^^^-'^s-
H«s servants, not a ne^d r?u *He poorest of
dust, not a wretchfrf^^K ^'"'^ '"""'ng in the
^ » a dS^*i^-«f --> dog lunni^
-pared to hi. iATyJ^,r.^-^^fi
\.'%.^s^i *^-l«lL«^«!
440 THE BENEFACTRESS
his hay on the waggons. Girls in white sun-bon-
nets, with bare arms and legs, stood on the top of
the loads catching the fragrant stuff as the men
tossed it up. Their figures were sharply outlined
against the serene sky; their shouts and laughter
floated across the fields. Freedom to come and
go at will in God's liberal sunlight— just that —
how precious it was, how unspeakably precious
It was. Of all God's gifts, surely the most pre-
cious. And how,' ordinary, how universal. Only
for Axel there was none.
When they reached the house, the hall seemed
to be full of people. The supper bell had lately
rung, and the inmates, talking and laughing, were
going into the dining-room. Dellwig, his hands
full of papers, not having found Anna at home,
was in the act of making elaborate farewell bows
to the assembled ladies. After the two silent
hours of suffering that lay between herself and
Axel, how strange it was, this noisy bustle of daily
life. She caught fragments of what they were
saying, fragments of the usual prattle, the same
nothmgs that they said every day, accompanied
by the same vague laughs. How strange it was,
and how awful, the tremendousness of life, the
nearness of death, the absolute relentlessness of
suffering, and all the prattle.
" Um GotUs WiUen! " shrieked Frau von Treu-
mann, when she caught sight of this white ir.iage
of grief set suddenly in their midst. " It has
smashed up, then, your bank ? " And she made
a hastv movement towards the hall table, on which
lay a letter for Anna from Karlchen, containing,
as she knew, an offer of marriage.
THE BENEFACTRESS
Anna turned with a ki;-j
and stretched o^hcrutff''"^,°^ movement,
her to her side. instfnctiveTv sit' ^'">'' ^"^^'S
^ny support; and sh^stite^^S ^ ^-^fort!
it|r^ at the lit«e?ol5SrslfeK
cess unt'si^ ''*P^°«'' ^nna ? » asked the prin-
•n S™-.trTeSSfd^";:->i'^ i^"- slowIy
deathly whiteness. "^"^ '»«h. her face of a
D4-f'e';;^Vtstsrn'^"/^^^
words that came nex? ^ "^'^^'^ *° hear the
she safd'ThenlKlcir™ ^*«>*«d to^iay.-
;^gue, piteous look. an^^uVCl^*''^'" ^'^h^a
throat "We shall be mariv/*"'' "P ^ her
mamed-when-when h ^7^."'^' '^
CONCLUSION
The moral of this story, as Manske. wise after
the event, pointed out when relating those ports of
It that he knew on winter evenings to a dear friend,
plainly is that all females — alk WtiUr — aie best
married. " Their aspirations," he said, "may be
high enough to docredit to the noblest male spirit ■
indeed, our gracious lady's aspirations were wAA-
ity Itself. But the flesh of females is very weak
it cannot stand alone. It cannot realise the aspi-
rations formed by its own spirit. It requires con-
stant guidance. It is an excellent material, but it
IS only material in the raw."
"What?" cried his wife.
"Peace, woman. I say it is only materia, in
Sf <.'»fA A^A^}'^ "^''^'" °* *"y P'^^t'cal use
till the hand of the master has moulded it into
shape.
" &>Jr ruhtigr agreed the friend ; with the more
heartaness that he was conscious of a wife at home
who had successfully withstood moulding durine a
married life of twenty years.
"That/' said Manske, "is the most obvious
moral. But there is yet another "
., !1 Pi fu°'y 'n^"". °^ *'^^'^" "^'^ the friend, who
had had them all pointed out to him, different ones
each time, during those evenings of howling tem-
pests and indoor peace — the perfect peace of
pipes, hot stoves, and Gluhwein.
44a
jTifWi
*»■*._. ♦.#
•?^«
THE BENEFACTRESS
°',M«S'''3re?„tr° •'■«««'-»'•'<.«
Plete and perf^ th!n ' ''^PP'^ess more c.^.
dreamed, th^ S^l ^" TZ 'i^^t^ ^he hS
will, overcome by thTstate nf ^ °^"'^' *«ak of
the possible terfore of th^ !^ conscience and
Wood of three ge^r^L^J^^'K'^'^^' ^'"th rte
every drop of *wS eTed^P^ 0.3 jn his vei„t
n ght to «ve his soul affea^t 'ti"" '^^ ""**
of h,s body, Klute had coSp^ » *''' ^'"^^
twenty, he knew himsdf to 1^^, ^^ *« only
had never had anyTntent on, ^''"^ ^.^""'^^s, he
and here he was,^rdned Thr^f ^'^^'^ ^°°''«h.
?ct of temporar; madnes J , ^''*- ^I^ ^^'^ an
iPe"wig,hehadlved hTssk,„^i influenced by
Je could. Now there wLIk. * -^^^^ ^ ^e^t
heawprice,so tremendo^fJiln ''"*'" '° P^y- *e
^nalfness of the follies tStl^" IT Sf^f'^ *° ^^^
had led him
on
step
444 THE BENEFACTRESS ,
by Step. His bad nnius, Dellwig, went free; and
later on lived sufficiently far away from Klein-
walde to be greatly respected to the end of his
days. Manske's eyes filled with tears when he
came to the action of Providence in this matter
— the mysteriousness of it, the utter inscrutable-
ness of it, letting the morally responsible go un-
punished, and Slowing the poor ^oung vicar,
handicapped from his very entrance mto the world
by his weakness of character, to be overtaken on
the threshold of life by so terrific a fate. " Truly
the ways of Providence are past finding out," said
Manske, sorrowfully shaking his head.
" I never did believe in Klutz," said his wife,
thinking of her apple jelly.
" Woman, kick not him who is down," said her
husband, turning on her with reproachful stern-
ness.
" Kick 1 " echoed his wife, tossing her head at
this rebuke, administered in the presence of the
friend ; " I am not, I hope, so unwomanly as to
kick."
" It is a figure of speech," mildly explained the
friend. .
" I like it not," said Frau Manske gloomily.
" Peace," said her husband.
in-
118
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ter
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33
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