, llow Frau Amberger's lead. " I have, in following the path of sulphur, madame," he said, " devoted myself principally to volcanic regions. The most remote points of my expeditious have been Iceland and Mexico. My work upon extinct craters 6* 66 THE GREEN GATE. has found favour with men of science, but it can scarcely recom- mend itself as a favourite in a lady's drawing-room." Frau Barbara Amberger cleared her throat slightly, " dallied with her golden chain," and looked up at him in some embar- rassment. After awhile she observed, " A few days ago I read something about volcanoes in an illustrated magazine 5 perhaps you wrote that? It was very amusing." The Professor regretted that his publications could scarcely be called amusing, and mentioned that he had, during the pre- vious winter, given a short course of popular lectures in the circle of which Frau Wiesel and her daughter were members. " Then I was not entirely wrong in regarding you as Lilli's instructor," the lady declared, with a self-satisfied air. " Oh, I assure you I am very proud of my lady pupils," he replied, gallantly. A pause ensued in the conversation. Frau Amberger had exhausted her inquiries, and seemed to think that the visit had lasted long enough. The Professor was pondering the con- tinuance of his campaign. He was forced to admit that he had, as yet, made no approach to the fortress. As he did not rise to take leave, she remarked, in a meditative tone, " It is a pity that my son Philip is not at home ; he is thought some- thing of a scholar, and he could have shown you his curious collections." Here was a topic of mutual interest. Schonrade told of his accidental meeting with Philip in Florence, and was listened to with interest. " He must have been greatly pleased with Florence," said his mother. " He stayed there several weeks, and now writes us from Rome that he shall go no farther south, but probably return thither for a second visit." The Professor smiled diplomatically. " He has made the acquaintance in Florence," he observed, " of a young person who is quite an authority upon those matters of art in which THE GREEN GATE. 67 he is so much interested, but whether she can be transported across the Alps, like one of his favourite Etruscan vases, is, of course, doubtful as yet." Either she did not, or did not choose to, understand his jest. " He is a dear, good fellow," she said, " but entirely spoiled for business. My late husband might have yielded to his wishes, and allowed him to study as he pleased ; he will hardly be forced to play the schoolmaster for his living." This last observation so plainly indicated her own point of view, that her guest began to doubt whether he should be thought quite right in his mind if he touched upon his own aspirations, and he could not regret that the visit was here interrupted by the entrance of a young man whom he rightly divined to be the chief of the house of Amberger. Frau Barbara presented the two men to each other, and the Pro- fessor rose to go. Moritz was very unlike his brother in appearance. He had a round, smooth face, quick, lively eyes, carefully-parted hair, and altogether the air of a man who was no stranger to the joys of good living. He held a little riding-stick in one hand, and had a trick of inserting the thumb of the other in the armhole of his waistcoat and drumming upon his chest with his fingers. As he spoke, there was now and then a slight contraction of his left eyelid, which seemed to say, " Listen, and you will learn something worth hearing." Perhaps this habit had been acquired in his counting-room in his character of man of business. He announced that he had taken advan- tage of the fine weather to arrange an expedition for the afternoon with the Feinbergs. He and Sidonie were to ride with a couple of young officers, and he had ordered the carnage for Madame Feinberg and her husband and brother-in-law. But if Frau Barbara, as he hoped, would join them, Otto Feinberg should be her escort. They were to go out to Seehausen and take supper. Orders had been sent out, and 68 THE GREEN GATE. they would have excellent fish ; the wiiie he meant to supply from his own cellar. " I am surprised to hear of it first at this late date," said his mother, with some pique. " Why did you not tell me of it at dinner?" He kissed her hand. " Because I only heard of it myself a little while ago. This morning a sail in our new boat had been decided upon, but at dinner Sidonie laid a wager with Herr von Otten that her mare would leap like a bird a ditch which his brown gelding refused yesterday, and it must be decided. You know that when Sidonie once gets an idea into her head " She sighed. " Yes, yes, she often gets such ideas into her head. You ought to get them out again, Moritz." He looked at her in amazement. " I ?" he asked, and it sounded as if he thought himself the last to be able to effect such a change. His mother went on, without heeding his ex- clamation, in a tone of disapproval : " What a wager ! Sidonie will break an arm or a leg some day in these wild rides of hers. And then to race with an officer for a wager !" " I shall be with her, mother," he reminded her. She shook her head. " It does not please me. I saw you from the window the other day you rode meekly behind her like her groom." " Only in your eyes, mother," he said, tossing his head. "It would be ridiculous for me to be always close at her elbow. May I order your phaeton ? They thought it odd at the Fein- bergs' the other day that you so often pleaded an engage- ment." " They thought it odd ?" she asked, stiffly. " I should sup- pose that Madame Feinberg knew " Moritz stopped her by a glance towards their guest. The Professor now took leave, Moritz having taken but small notice of him, seeming quite absorbed by the proposed expe- THE GREEN GATE. 69 dition. Frau Barbara thanked him for his visit, but made no inquiries as to the length of his stay in town. A longer delay was impossible; even before he clearly appreciated that he had not advanced one step towards his aim, he found himself descending the steps. The great hall-door was closed and secured behind him with iron bolts ; just such a door seemed to close between himself and all that he hoped to attain. As he walked slowly along the street, he had never seemed to himself so stupid, so devoid of expedient. Pie would have liked to take the next train for Berlin, but how could he face his Katrine ? He must await some fortunate chance which might bring him into closer association with her family ; some- thing must happen, something should happen. But how to dispose of his time until the next day in this strange place, without books or occupation of any kind ? The assiduous waiter made civil inquiries as to whether he had found the house, and it suddenly occurred to the Professor to ask, why he knew not, how far it was to Seehausen. " About a mile, or a mile and a half," the man replied. " A delightful road, impossible to miss it, through the Kramer- gate and the Neustadt and the English garden, by the broad alley, to the ferry ; then along the right side of the river, through a fine forest of firs, to a small lake. Beyond it lies Castle Seehausen, belonging to one of our princes, he comes there to hunt now and then ; to the left is the mill, and the miller keeps the inn ; very well kept it is too, our first people patronize it. Shall I order a carriage for you, sir?" " Is it too far to walk ?" "No, not too far," the man replied, "but it is more con- venient " A sudden thought occurred to the Professor. " Can you let me have a riding-horse, my man ?" " A riding-horse ? That, sir, you will find at the livery- stable." 70 THE GREEN GATE. " Get me a good riding-horse, and you shall be well paid, but it must be a good one, remember, and at the door in half an hour." The man looked rather puzzled, but bowed, and vanished obediently. Twenty minutes afterwards, a groom was walking a power- ful gray horse to and fro before the door of the hotel, awaiting the Professor's pleasure. Schonrade was a practised rider, his seat was excellent, his horsemanship perfect, and as he rode through the town many a passer-by turned to look, wondering who the graceful stranger might be. He rode by the Amberger mansion, and said to himself, as he saw a phaeton waiting before it, " Frau Barbara is going, then." After a rapid trot to the English garden, he let his horse walk slowly along the shady alley, thinking it likely that the riding-party would overtake him. And so it turned out. In a few moments he heard behind him the noise of horses' feet ; he did not turn his head, but calmly pursued his way, and soon four horses' heads appeared side by side. Nearest to him rode an officer, then a young lady in a blue riding-habit, then another officer, and lastly a gentleman in civilian's dress. They gradually distanced the Professor, who did not increase his horse's speed, and in passing each honoured him with a scrutinizing glance, followed, on the part of the gentleman in civilian's dress, by a slight bow, and a lifting of his hat. Moritz Amberger recognized him, and apparently thought him much more worthy of notice on horse- back than as a guest in his mother's drawing-room. Schon- rade could see that the others addressed some inquiry to him, to which he laughingly replied. A hundred steps further on, the fair rider turned her head and inspected both steed and horseman, after which she gave her mare the spur, and the gentlemen followed fast behind her. By the ferry the road turned aside into the forest. As soon THE GREEN GATE. 71 as the riders were hidden by the trees, Schonrade permitted his steed more liberty. Through the winding wood-path he rode, among high fir-trees and scanty brushwood, until the forest opened upon an extensive marshy meadow traversed by deep and broad draining-ditches. The principal ditch cut the road at right angles, and was bridged across. Near this bridge, in the middle of the meadow, the riders had halted. Moritz Amberger's horse stood parallel with the bridge, its master was evidently to enact the part of spectator. One of the offi- cers retreated to the border of the forest, then, turning, rode back and put his horse at the ditch, but it refused the leap. The other officer made a like attempt, with equal ill success. At this moment the young lady observed the Professor, and, seeming to think it a favourable time for displaying her prow- ess, gathered up her bridle, backed her mare, whose delicate hoofs sank deep in the marshy ground, and then suddenly struck her sharply with the whip and gave utterance to the peculiar cry with which the amazons of the circus encourage their steeds. The mare reared, and the saddle-girth snapped; then she planted her forefeet upon the bank of the ditch, evidently not liking the water, and, as her rider continued to ply her with the whip, reared again wildly, and the saddle began to turn. The fair rider's hat, with its floating blue veil, threatened to fall off her high hair ; she put up her hand to keep it on, and lost her stirrup. Fortunately, she retained sufficient presence of mind to clasp the neck of her mare, that turned and rushed wildly through the meadow towards a recent clearing, thickly strewn with stumps half hidden in tall ferns. The young merchant and the two officers galloped after her, but their pursuit only terrified still more the already frightened animal. Schonrade appreciated the danger instantly, and lost no time in averting it. He motioned to her pursuers to fall back, and, directing his course to that part of the field whither the mare 7 THE GREEN GATE. was rushing, met her there, rode neck and neck with her for a few minutes, during which time he gathered up the hang- ing bridle, and successfully assisted the rider to regain her seat, and to soothe her mare, who was soon reduced to order and brought to a pause. " I thank you, sir," said Sidonie, arranging her hat upon her dishevelled locks, with aifected composure. " There was no danger, indeed, but the situation might have become dis- agreeable, and I thank you." Then she patted her mare's neck, and regarded the Professor with a look that was half curiosity, half approval. " I still insist that my mare can easily take the ditch," she continued, " but the other horses refused it, and a bad example is catching. But you know nothing of our wager. Here comes Herr von Otten most gallantly. Do not exult too soon, Herr von Otten, you are not yet out of the woods. You shall see with your own eyes that I am right." Moritz Amberger held out his hand to her. " Thank God, 1 ' he said, " you are safe ! I was in terror for you. You never ought to " She laughed loudly. " What was there to be afraid of? The mare would soon have come to her senses, and if the worst had come to the worst 1 could have thrown myself off. It is all the fault of my groom, who did not. see to her girth carefully enough. I think it can yet be made all right." She turned and beckoned to a man who was tending some cattle on the border of the forest. Meanwhile, Schonrade had made acquaintance with the officers. The second was presented to him as a Herr von Oschersdorf. He declared that the livery-stable Almansor was hardly to be recognized under his present rider. " Why, really," exclaimed Herr von Otten, slightly through his nose, " I did not know him at all. He is still a fine creature. Where in the world did you get such an excellent seat?" THE GREEN GATE. 73 Schbnrade's face was perfectly impassive. " I have ridden a great deal in Mexico," he quietly remarked, " where one does not hire horses from a livery-stable." Involuntarily the hands of the two officers sought their caps, as if for a mili- tary salute, and Amberger regarded his new acquaintance with more respect. In the mean time the herdsman had approached, and by Sidonie's directions, which she gave without getting off her mare, the girth was arranged so as to serve its purpose for the present. While he was busy with it, she talked with the gentlemen, perfectly at her ease, accepting and lighting a cigarette which Herr von Otten offered her. "All the women smoke in Mexico, I believe?" she said, addressing herself to Schijnrade. " The bad practice of smoking is almost universal there," he replied. " But you smoke yourself, Herr Professor," she remarked, in some surprise at his temerity. " That gives me the right to criticise the habit," he rejoined, courteously. The herdsman's task was ended. Sidonie threw him a piece qf money, and turned her mare off to the meadow again. " What are you going to do, Sidonie ?" Amberger ex- claimed. "To try the ditch again, of course," she replied, with great composure. He rode up to her and whispered a few words in her ear. " Don't trouble yourself," she replied, aloud. " I know perfectly well what to do, and what not to do." " But, Sidonie, I pray " She gave her mare the spur. " Better not pray at all, Moritz ; my mind is made up. There is the bridge, built on purpose for those who are afraid to leap the ditch." " Give it up, Fraulein Sidonie! give it up!" both the offi- cers called out to her ; " the bank on either side of the ditch is D 7 74 THE GREEN GATE. too soft." She paid them no heed, but continued to urge on her mare, who tossed her head wildly at every fresh stroke of the whip. " Your horses are both young, gentlemen," observed the Professor, following the lady ; " you can. do nothing by at- tempting to force them. They break, and refuse the ditch because they are unaccustomed to leaping, but they will readily follow when they see there is no danger. My respectable Al- mansor, although he is no longer one of the strongest upon his forefeet, will make a very fair bell-wether. Let them fol- low him : there is not the slightest danger." As he spoke the words he passed Sidonie, touched his horse lightly with the spur, and cleared the ditch with perfect ease. Sidonie fol- lowed close upon his heels, and the two officers immediately after her. Amberger's steed still refused to leap, and he crossed by the bridge, whereat his betrothed railed loudly. " Herr von Otten admits that I have won my wager," she added. " It would as certainly have been won if the Herr Professor had waited a moment longer ; do you not think so, gentlemen ?' ' What could the gentlemen do but assent eagerly ? Amberger was vexed at his failure, and declared that he should sell his horse and buy an animal that could be trusted. " I'll lay another wager, Moritz," Sidonie called out to him, " that if you change horses with the Herr Professor you will immediately find out that Almansor is too weak in the knees to make that leap, but that your horse can take it easily. Every horse has as much courage as its rider, and no more." The young merchant showed no inclination to accept this wager. " Rather a bold assertion," he muttered, in a tone of irritation, and then fell silent. When, soon after, the equip- ages arrived, he devoted himself to Madame Feinberg, who appeared en grande toilette beside her husband, a little man almost buried in a huge coat. Naturally enough, Professor Schb'urade was one of the party. THE GREEN GATE. 75 Sidonie, in especial, appeared to take great pleasure in his society, retaining him by her side, keeping up a steady con- versation with him, and asking him all sorts of questions with regard to himself. The officers hovered around her, being only now and then allowed to pick up some crumb of her favour. Of her betrothed she took not the slightest notice. When they arrived at the mill, romantically situated by the lake, Moritz dismounted and helped the ladies to descend from their vehicles. Madame Feinberg and Frau Barbara Amberger greeted each other with great formality. Ilerr Ignaz Fein-- berg, small, round-shouldered, with a sly face, little twinkling gray eyes, and a wide, thin-lipped mouth, walked to and fro, with his hands in his coat-pockets. Otto Feinberg offered his arm to Frau Amberger, and conducted her to a seat by a table beneath a huge linden-tree. She greeted the Professor after her own measured fashion, manifesting no surprise at finding him one of the party. The fat miller, who was also inn-keeper at Seehausen, showed great respect for his guests. He was all servility and desire to please. Several bottles of wine were produced from the boxes of the carriages, and ice was required to cool them. It was brought in a bucket, the host kmenting the while that, although he had ordered a wine-cooler some months previously, it had not yet arrived. " No matter," cried Herr von Otten, " rustic fashions are good fashions. Eh, madame ?" Madame Feinberg, to whom his remark was addressed, an elderly lady with remarkably fine teeth, tossed back over her shoulder the curl that hung from her huge chignon, and remarked, in a soft, lisping tone, " I do indeed love pure un- adulterated nature." Frau Amberger smiled to herself, she had already taken her knitting out of a pretty little work- basket, and to Herr von Oschersdorf : s sprightly entreaty that this "divine evening might not be profaned by labour," simply replied that she " greatly disliked being idle." 76 THE GHEEN GATE. Moritz Amberger, who seemed to have forgotten his irrita- tion, and to wish to make others forget it, paid great attention to his betrothed, without eliciting from her much notice in return. She had thrown herself negligently into an arm-chair, in which some carriage-cushions had first been placed, and now drank glass after glass of wine, jesting meanwhile with the two offi- cers, whose replies were not always of the choicest. It seemed to annoy her that the Professor confined his attentions to Fran Amberger and paid not the slightest homage to herself; she mingled in the conversation whenever she could, and tried to attract his notice. Frau Feinberg regarded her daughter with great admiration across the table, now and then exclaiming to Herr von Otto, behind her hand, but quite audibly, " Isn't she charming? Isn't she lovely and brilliant to-day ?" He was lavish in his praises ; but Frau Amberger, to whom her remarks were addressed on her other side, did not assent so enthusiastically, but gravely continued to knit. Herr Ignaz Feinberg found the evening to be growing much cooler, and the air from the lake almost too fresh, in view of which he had his paletot brought him from the carriage. In one of its pockets he found a newspaper, and he was soon buried in the prices of stocks. The sun was setting. Part of the forest was in shadow, but the red roof and the high white chimneys of Castle Sce- hausen glowed in the parting light. Schbnrade called attention to the beautiful sight. " Ah, heavens, what nature !" cried Frau Feinberg, with enthusiasm, waving her hand in its straw- colored glove towards the horizon. Her husband's eyes never left his paper. Herr von Oschersdorf obligingly thought the sky, and particularly the " ensemble," magnificent, while Herr von Otten emptied a glass to the departing sun, with a wish that " no sadder tear might fall upon its disappearance." Sidonie suddenly grew sentimental. " When the last sun- Bet comes " she sighed. THE GREEN GATE. 77 1 You have no cause for any foreboding, Fraulein Sidonie," th-j Professor reassured her. "As long as our earth turns upon its axis we shall enjoy our beautiful sunrises and sunsets, the sunsets at least, for I fear that few of this honourable company appreciate the beauty of a sunrise." Sidonie leaned her head upon her hand and looked with an air of melancholy at the speaker. " You jest," she said ; "but why should not all this splendour fall to decay in a single tight? Would it be an impossibility?" " Oh, not at all," Schbnrade rejoined, with great gravity. ' May not this earth be neither more nor less than a huge bombshell filled with all sorts of stones and having a mine of ful- minating matter in its centre ? The volcanoes may be nothing more than the fuse, as Herr von Oschersdorf can explain to you far better than I, they are filled with combustible material, *\nd their fire is fanned by the outer air. Let it once communicate with the centre, and instead of our beau- tiful earth a hundred little planets will go careering around the sun, to the wonder of astronomers in Jupiter." " Don't joke so horribly," said Madame Feinberg. " All that would be so very unnatural." Sidonie arose, and observed, with great unction, " This hour, at least, is ours to enjoy !" She walked to the shore of the lake and untied the miller's boat from its mooring. The gentlemen looked after her curiously, and immediately followed her. She would probably have been allowed to do as she pleased had not just at this moment the inn-door opened and various servants appeared bearing smoking dishes, the preparations for a good supper being at length completed. Moritz Ambcr- ger remonstrated with her. " Do you wish to go upon the lake now, Sidonie?" he asked. " The air is quite cool, and the mists are rising. You have no shawl. Do not leave the party thus." She drew the. boat by its loosened chain up on the sandy shore. " I do not require that you should accompany me," 7* 78 THE GREEN GATE. she replied, composedly ; " do not come if you dislike the mists, which are the chief charm to me of a sail in the cool twilight. My nature craves such refreshment, but that im- poses no obligations upon you." Moritz went up to her side and tried to take the chain from her, saying, in a low tone, " You know how my mother dis- approves of such extravagances. Pay her, I beg of you, the respect I have a right " " Do not spoil the evening for me, Moritz," she interrupted him, as, laying her hand on his shoulder, she sprang into the boat. " But, Friiulein Sidonie," exclaimed Herr von Otten, with a degree of excitement that was comical, " I pray you look, see what a splendid fish they have just put upon the table !" " And Herr Otto Feinberg says there is a wonderfully fine dish of asparagus to come," added Herr von Oschersdorf ; " magnifique, he tells me." He smacked his lips. " Can we leave all these delights to row about the lake in that gray mist, while the dishes grow cold and the wine grows warm ? Another time, another time, Friiulein Sidonie." Sidonie took up an oar and leaned upon it. " What is to hinder you, gentlemen," she called out to them, "from re- signing yourselves entirely to the pleasures of the table ? I propose for once to live upon air. Herr Professor, is your nature so gross that you prefer fish and asparagus to a lovely row on the lake? Pray do it no violence on my account." She prepared to push off from the shore, but did not imme- diately succeed in doing so. " I am the only unaccredited guest at that Lucullan ban- quet," said Schonrade, " and I have not yet ordered my own supper." "Oh," Moritz Amberger interrupted him, "surely you cannot need a formal invitation ? Of course you are our guest." THE GREEN GATE. 79 "A little exercise, then, will season the feast,'' said the Professor, offering him his hand. " Return to the table ; I will bring you back your lady fair safe and sound. We can- not let her go entirely alone," he added, in a low tone. Amberger hesitated. " I am willing to go," he muttered ; but the Professor was already in the boat, and had pushed off from the shore. ' Pray hand me the oar, Friiulein Feinberg," he said, hold- ing out his hand for it. " No, no ! I will row myself," she exclaimed ; " it is my great delight. I thank you for coming with me. Pray be quite at your ease, light a cigar, and take no trouble. Is it not an entertaining change to be rowed about by a lady, instead of having to play the courtier? Thank Heaven, neither Herr von Otten nor Von Oschersdorf came : they would have made such a fuss aboiit having the oars, very likely nearly capsized the boat. There would have been no danger for me, however : I swim very well." " You swim, too ?" " Oh, yes. I am an only child, and have been allowed to learn everything I wished to. Where shall we row ?" " Towards the middle of the lake, I think, so that they may keep us in view from beneath the linden." " For that very reason I should prefer to sail behind that projecting cape of forest. I do not like to be observed." " But Herr Amberger will be anxious about you." " Oh, Moritz ? He must learn to accustom himself to that, or we shall never get along together." Schonrade perfectly agreed with her, but, of course, made no reply. He leaned over the side of the boat and let his hand dip into the water, making a little furrow in its mirror-like surface. Sidonie rested upon her oars and looked at him. " Is there a moon to-night?" she asked. 80 THE GREEN GATE. " Too late for us to see it, Friiulein Feinberg." "Why?" " If I do not mistake, it does not rise before eleven." " Let the rest go home without us ; we can find the way to town alone." The words were quietly spoken, but they startled Schonrade. He could not regard them as the na'ive remark of a young girl ready to rave about moonlight, and careless of propriety. He already suspected her sentimentality. " You are floating in- shore, Fraulein Feinberg," he said, grasping a handful of rushes. She looked hastily over her shoulder. " True !" she ex- claimed. " I kept too much to the right." One or two vigorous strokes of her oar brought the light skiff into clear water again. The wooded point lay just before them, the trees rising as it were out of their mirrored present- ments in the clear lake, and sharply defined against the crimson- and-yellow horizon. A cricket chirped faintly, and the croak of a distant frog came from the depths of the forest. Sidonie rowed around the point ; the mill and the spreading linden vanished : the castle alone was visible on the left, shrouded in mist. The lake expanded, and was bounded in the distance by a flat meadow, above which blue ghost-like vapours were hovering. Large-leaved water-plants floated upon the water, lifted dripping now and then upon their long stems by the stroke of the oar. Yellow water-lilies waved to and fro in the furrow left in the wake of the boat. Profound peace reigned everywhere in nature ; it was an evening to awaken memories of the happiest hours of one's life. The Professor gazed down upon his hand, still idly toying with the water. " What are you thinking of so earnestly ?" asked Sidonie. He was thinking of Katrine, but he did not say so. Sidonie urged the boat under the drooping boughs of the THE CREEN GATE. 81 overhanging trees, and then, letting it drift whither it would rested upon her oars, leaning her head upon her hand. "What do you think of those people ?" she asked, after awhile. " What people, Friiulein Feinberg?" " Oh, those people ! my father, my mother, my betrothed, my future mother-in-law, my uncle, my aunt, no, my aunt is not with us to-day, but those two Von what d'ye- call-em's ?" He laughed. "You surely cannot expect an answer?" he said, throwing away his cigar. " No answer is an answer," she replied, in a low tone, as if half to herself, " as when just now I asked you of what you were thinking." " I think them all very amiable," he said, evasively, dis- agreeably impressed by her tone and manner. " Of course," she rejoined, " very amiable. But, constituted as you are, you could live an eternity with them without being attracted by them. Am I not right ?" " I have so slight an acquaintance with them." " My father is a man of wealth, which he began to accu- mulate by stopping the peasants as they passed his door and buying their grain of them before they took -it to market. My mother takes four ' Journaux des Modes,' and is always a day in advance of Paris. My mamma-in-law plays the part of a worthy patrician dame excellently well ; she does not consider me her equal by birth, and expects me to regard her son Moritz's choice of me for a wife as a great honour. Uncle Otto is a thorough merchant ; he foresees every variation in the stock-market, and when stocks fall he would see his best friend ruined without lifting a finger to help him. Moritz " Pray tell me, Friiulein Feinberg, how I have deserved such confidence on your part," Schonrade here hastily inter- rupted her, excessively annoyed at the turn the conversation had taken. D* 82 THE GREEN GATE. " Moritz is a good fellow," she continued, without heeding his words, " but I am not sure that good fellows wear very well as companions for life " " He is your betrothed " " True, that happens to be so. But it might happen to be otherwise : it all depends upon me, upon what might be called my whim. Very sad, is it not, that so much should depend upon a girl's whim? I should like not to be mis- understood by you. Sometimes I would claim the right not to be judged by their standard. Do you think this pre- sumption ?" " Fraulein Feinberg " " Be honest. I can bear blame if it comes from a strong, upright nature. Our acquaintance, it is true, is but a few hours old " " That is unquestionably true." " But I am surely not mistaken in you. You are a man ! I recognized in the first moment that I saw you " He leaned over, took up the oars, and urged the boat away from the trees out into the open lake. Sidonie laid her hand upon his and prevented his making another stroke. " Oh, don't !" she said ; " it destroys the entire illusion. It is as if you wished to drown my words with the noise of your oars. Are you too proud to hear praise, that is indeed no flattery, from the lips of a young girl ?" " Neither flattery nor praise," he said, gravely ; " on the contrary, I consider it an insult to call. a man manly or a woman feminine." Sidonie seemed to feel the sting his words were meant to convey. She drew back her hand, and was silent for awhile ; then she said, speaking slowly and without manifesting any irritation, " And yet we poor creatures must either expose our- selves to the blame of being unfeminiue or die of ennui." "You exaggerate !" he exclaimed. THE GREEN GATE. 83 She shook her head decidedly. " I do not exaggerate. The ideal woman is best developed in the hard school of necessity, in sordid circumstances, in the grasp of an iron will. The virtue most highly prized in her is entire submission. But now suppose a life fostered in luxury from earliest childhood, a want of all stern training, a longing for freedom, a feeling of self-reliance, and a need of a field of action ; then consider the pitiable inferiority of those who claim a right to rule that life, and what choice is left save a slavish submission to what is despised, or a defiant breaking asunder of the trammels that would bar approach to all for which there is a true affinity ?" " What that is the whim of the hour must decide," ho interpolated. " Not when it really attracts." " And when does it really attract?" " When it fetters us." " Nothing is capable of always fettering a human being, save duty. Every pleasure palls." " The right to be happy is born with us." " That requires proof, but it may be so. The duty to make others happy is none the less born with us." " We can only make those happy who choose that we should make them so." " Or rather, who possess the capacity to be made happy by us." " Then mistakes are unavoidable ?" " Most assuredly, Fraulein Feinberg." " And when discovered to be such, what remains for us ? Resignation ?" " For gentle natures." " Or repentance ?" " For religious temperaments." " And if one's nature is not gentle, nor one's temperament religious what then ?" 84 THE GREEN GATE. Schi5nrade continued to row gently. " I am no doctor of souls, Fraulein Feinberg," he said, evasively ; " and appar- ently you are not in need of any such." She sighed. " Let me assist your Professorship. There then remains for us life. It is ours with all its needs and im- perfections, and also with all its chance delights and pleasures." " And we can play with it until we shatter it," he concluded. A loud halloo resounded from the shore. The boat had been seen and hailed by the gentlemen. Schonrade rowed hastily towards them, without any opposition from Sidonie. She sat leaning her head upon her hand, gazing into the thickening mist, through which the outlines of the wooded points showed like the landscape of a dream. As she left the boat, she took the Professor's hand and lightly pressed it, as if by way of thanks. To the many inquiries of the two officers, her replies, when she answered at all, were short and monosyllabic. Frau Barbara Amberger had already driven home : she had entirely disapproved of the row on the lake. This had annoyed Moritz at first, but his easy good humour soon asserted itself. He was rather relieved by the absence of his mother, who, he well knew, regarded with no favour his relations with Sidonie, and, indeed, his entire connection with the Feinbergs. He had long ago given up all attempt to shape his conduct accord- ing to her wishes, conscious that, should he do so, his engage- ment to Sidonie would not last a day; and now that she was not present to watch him, it was far easier to receive his be- trothed with amiability and conduct her to her place beneath the linden. To the surprise of all present, Sidonie expressed a desire to return to town in the carriage. Her mother tenderly trusted that her excursion on the water had not been too much for her, and her father observed, with his own peculiar grace, that " it was deuced folly to go floating about on that swamp THE GREEN GATE. 85 in the fog." The young lady, however, assured them that she felt perfectly well and strong, only she did not care to ride again at present. She whispered in her mother's ear, " Ask Professor Schonrade to visit us; he is delightful." And Madame Feinberg was but too well accustomed to obeying such directions from her spoiled darling. Moritz Amberger uncorked the last bottle of champagne, and insisted upon the Professor's drinking a glass. He seemed to wish to prove to his betrothed that her trip upon the water had not aroused his jealousy, but that he knew how to value a man of Schonrade's stamp. He had drunk considerably, and was jovial and talkative. At last he offered to resign his horse to Otto Feinberg, and to ride Sidonie's mare back to town " lady-fashion," as he called it. The jest was greatly relished by the two officers, and measures were taken for carry- ing it out immediately. Moritz tied a large plaid about his waist for a riding-skirt, and fastened a handkerchief to his hat for a veil, insisting upon being put into the saddle by Herr von Oschersdorf, who, accordingly, held his stirrup. Sidonie, to whom he waved his hand as he rode off, shrugged her shoulders, but could not help laughing. She seemed tired of playing the languishing fair one, and perhaps regretted having asked for a scat in the carriage. Schonrade conducted the ladies to the vehicle, and, on the way, Madame Feinberg asked him how long a stay he intended to make in the town, and if she might learn the nature of the business that had brought him hither. He replied that his stay would last but a few days, and then went into some long explanation about a desire to see all the antiquities of the place, and a hope of investigating a new species of infusoria in its waters ; by which ingenious fraud he succeeded partly in convincing himself, but produced small effect upon Madame Feinberg, who exclaimed, as he helped her into the carriage, " My dear Herr Professor, if you wish to see the curiosities 8 86 THE GREEN GATE. of the town, you must not miss our house. It is one of the oldest patrician mansions. My husband spent a great deal of money in buying and rebuilding it a few years ago. It over- looks the ancient fosse, and the garden-wall is partly com- posed of the old wall around the town. Oh, you must see it ! Heavens ! on the lower terrace you see nature, pure nature, on every side !" He promised to pay his respects to them, if the ladies would allow him. Sidonie followed her mother, and added, " Pray come, we have nothing in the world to do." Ignaz was already comfortably ensconced in the back seat, and gave the coachman a nod to drive off, muttering, by way of excuse, " The horses will not stand any longer." " We shall see you soon?" his wife screamed, putting her head out of the window as they drove off. Schonrade mounted his horse, and would have been glad to have no company but his own thoughts, but it scarcely seemed courteous to take so sudden a leave, and perhaps an acquaint- ance with the Feinbergs might further his views. So he put spurs to his steed and was soon by the side of the carriage. Here, in spite of the noise of the wheels, the ladies man- aged to keep up a running fire of conversation with him, and shortly afterwards, when the horsemen were overtaken, the arriage was quite surrounded by riders. Moritz's lady-like demeanour was loudly applauded by Madame Feinberg, but Sidonie ordered him to stay behind in the English garden until they were out of sight, since she did not choose to be made ridiculous on entering the town. He meekly did as he was bidden. Upon their arrival at the Feinbergs', a servant darted for- ward to open the carriage-door. " Are you engaged to dine anywhere to-morrow ?" Madame Feinberg asked the Professor. He replied that he had no engagement, and received a press- ing invitation to a family dinner. " And no formal nonsense," Sidonie added. THE GREEN GATE. 87 Schb'nrade rode slowly through the dimly-lighted streets. He did not know his way, and never thought of finding it through the rows of houses with pointed gables, above which the pale moonlight was beginning to gleam. He was buried in thought, and was recalled to himself by his steed, which stopped before a large gate and neighed loudly. A groom made his appearance, and it was manifest that the horse had wisely chosen to go directly to his own stable since affairs were intrusted to his guidance. It made very little difference ; the hotel was close at hand, and the Professor walked home. And these, then, were the people with whom he had to do ; he felt very little attraction for any of them. Frau Barbara Amberger inspired him with a certain respect, but she was the most unapproachable of all. He pitied Mo- ritz as one pities a man whom, nevertheless, he feels no call to assist. He was entirely unlike his brother Philip. As for Katrine, his Katrine, with her quick intelligence and un- affected gayety, he could not imagine her in this circle. He determined not to judge her people, however, until he had observed them more closely. The Feinbergs were easier to understand. Sidonie alone was something of a problem. He could not be quite sure whether she was only a frivolous co- quette, with an affectation of singularity, or whether she had pome depth of nature and was only spoiled or misunderstood, as she herself declared. Whence her sudden confidences ? What did she mean by singling him out so decidedly ? Was it a custom with her to conduct herself thus with every new acquaintance, or was he specially honoured ? Her self-asser- tion, her caprices, her treatment of Moritz, disgusted him: he did not even think her pretty or attractive ; and yet when he remembered the sail on the lake he could not but admit that he felt a certain temptation to try his influence upon such a wild and unrestrained nature. He could never have the slightest inclination to do more, now that his choice for life was made. THE GREEN GATE. CHAPTER VI. AFTER a rather restless night, the Professor determined to make no further delay in declaring his hopes to the mother of his love, and accordingly presented himself at an early hour in her drawing-room. " You returned home yesterday so early and unexpectedly," he began, after the first formal greetings, " that I had no op- portunity to bid you ' good-evening.' I hope indisposition was not the cause of your departure." " You can hardly have missed an old woman," she said, shaking her head, " while you were in such interesting society." " I did, greatly," he insisted. " Let me confess that I went to Seehausen solely on your account." She looked at him incredulously. " Then you should not have been persuaded to sail on the lake," she said, " in the mist and darkness with a young lady." She tried to say it jestingly, but her irritation against Sidonie was manifest in spite of herself. " I could not allow Friiulein Feinberg to go alone upon the water," he said ; " and as the other gentlemen were ready for supper " " Oh, Friiulein Feinberg would have changed her mind in five minutes," she interrupted him, not without evident an- noyance ; " I know the fleeting nature of her fancies." " But if you did not approve of her sailing, why not have told the young lady ?" She sighed. "There are things," she said, "to which we must resign ourselves. Sidonie is very independent, and my son no longer owns my rule. Young people of the present THE GREEN GATE. 89 day do very much as they please, and my opinions I was very strictly brought up would be thought old-fashioned." " But in this case," he said, bowing, " you may be perfectly assured that I am not a man to " " Oh, pardon me," the matron interrupted him. " I should rejoice to think you had made a conquest there, did I not know But why speak of the matter at all ? Sidonie is betrothed to my son, and will soon be his wife. She will bring life into this old house; it has already put on a new dress, which will greatly surprise my son Philip. Well, it is large enough ; my rooms in it are mine by my husband's will, and there is space enough in them for Katharina until she Let us say no more about it." " My dear Frau Amberger," he replied, moving his chair closer to hers, so that she looked up in surprise, " it is of her that I beg to be allowed to speak. What I have to say lies nearer my heart than anything else in the world. I pray you to listen to me." " How am I to understand you, Herr Professor?" she asked, in some embarrassment. He looked her full in the face. " You spoke just now of Katharina, and of a time when she would no longer need your protection. Suppose that time were already come- " " How, sir?" " You must hear me, madame. I have learned to know and to love Katharina Amberger during her stay in Berlin ; I have asked her if she can love me, and she has answered ' yes.' In coming here, I had no other aim than to present myself to you and pray you for your consent. Do not, do not refuse to give it to me !" Frau Barbara Amberger sat in her cushioned chair like an image of stone, her lips slightly parted, her eyes riveted upon the Professor, who to >k her hand and carried it to his lips. " But how can this be ?" she asked, after a pause, express- 8* 90 THE GREEN GATE. ing her astonishment in the words that first suggested them- selves. * "Indeed, it would be hard to say," he answered, imme- diately, infinitely relieved and quite ready to treat the matter gaily. " A philosopher would find it difficult to invent a formula to explain it ; but it is a truth, and must be treated as such. I love your daughter, and am convinced that she loves me. These are facts that no consent given or withheld can affect. But it depends upon others whether our love prove fortunate or the reverse, and therefore I entreat your blessing." Frau Barbara drew away her hand. " But Katharina has never in any of her letters " " How could she reveal a secret which she was guarding closely even from herself? I declared myself only the day before my departure. I left her, promising to come hither immediately, madame, to ask her at your hands." She wrung her hands uneasily, looked down, and seemed to reflect. " Does any one know of this ? Do the Wiesels know ?" she asked. " How should they ? They were not at home, and I have not seen them since." " They do not even know, then, that you came hither?" "No." She breathed more freely. " Thank Heaven I Herr Pro- fessor, I require your promise that no one no one else shall learn what you have just told me. Indeed, you owe me this consideration." Schonrade bowed in assent. " I, too, think that a betrothal should first be made public through the mother of the be- trothed." Frau Amberger moved uneasily in her chair. " You speak of betrothal, Herr Professor," she said, with some hesitation, " but matters have not yet gone so far by a great deal. THE GREEN GATE. 91 Katharina has acted very thoughtlessly, very. I cannot see how such a tete-a-tete could have taken place while she was under the Wiesels' roof. I allowed Katharina to go there because I thought that until her brother Moritz was mar- ried to Sidonie she would be safer there than here from all undesirable influences, and now I learn that my daughter has entered into secret relations with an entire stranger, that she has had a tete-a-tete conversation with him, and has even shown so little consideration for her mother as to give utter- ance to words which you, sir, consider yourself justified in understanding as an avowal of affection. Herr Professor, all this confuses and astounds me." He waited calmly until she had finished ; his expression plainly showing how powerless was her disapproval. " Ma- dame," he now said, gently, " I give you my word of honour that nothing has happened that could in any way compromise your daughter's maidenly dignity in the eyes of the strictest parent, unless, indeed, it be a crime to love me. My declaration was entirely unforeseen by her. I took her by surprise, and in an unguarded moment obtained from her the confession of her affection. Whatever reproach you may think I deserve, madame, Fraulein Katharina and her friends are blameless." Frau Amberger shook her head. " Our views upon the subject are entirely different, Herr Professor," she replied. " In the circle whose customs and opinions you share, it may be considered correct for a young man and a young girl to engage themselves, if they please, to each other, and then to ask the consent of their parents, who probably have nothing else to give. But in this ancient commercial town, you must know, certain good old customs, that accord but ill with modern ideas, are handed down from generation to generation, There are here patrician families, who have, it is true, lost many of their old municipal privileges, but who still retain 92 THE GREEN GATE. their solid wealth and their pride, and with whom marriages are contracted after a different fashion from any prevailing among the common bourgeoisie. Among the oldest of these patrician families the Ambergers and the Vorbringers, of whom I am one, belong. I have suffered great pain from my son Moritz's connection with a plebeian family. Fein- berg is a parvenu, who had no weight on 'Change as long as my father lived, but his wealth gives him a certain position now, and Sidonie is his only child ; but my daughter is my charge, and the disposal of her hand belongs to me and to her brothers, whom my husband's will endowed with full rights in the matter. These are my views with regard to Katharina." She sat upright and looked haughtily down at the Professor, whose gloomy gaze was bent upon the ground. " I could not have believed that such prejudices prevailed anywhere except in certain narrow aristocratic circles," he replied, after a pause. " Let me ask, in my turn, How can this be ? How can it be in these advanced times, in which in reality men are divided only into two classes, the cultivated and the uncultivated ? Ask your heart, madame, if you can answer it to yourself to sacrifice your daughter's happiness to such idols, and then give me your final decision." Frau Barbara Amberger compressed her lips and regarded him sternly. " You confidently assert, sir, that my daughter's happiness consists in a union with yourself. I do not know upon what you ground this assertion." " Upon my honest conviction," he replied. " I know that I love Katharina unspeakably, and that she loves me. All else is of minor importance." " Not to me," she hastily rejoined. " How easily we are mistaken in our own sentiments ! how soon we yield to a fleet- ing inclination ! An inexperienced girl, a forward lover, an unguarded moment, and the happiness of an eternity is arranged : a happiness that is shivered like glass at the first THE GREEN GATE. 93 shock. Your conviction, sir, is no warranty for me. I do not know you, I do not know your family : I heard your name yes- terday for the first time ; I do not even know whether I could prudently intrust Katharina's property to your keeping, not to speak of herself. I love my only daughter too dearly to dispose of her so recklessly." Schb'nrade smiled sadly. " How shall I explain to you, madame, who and what I am ? I foresaw the necessity of such an explanation, and yet I am unprepared to make it. A man who has been called to fill a chair in a renowned German university, where he is regarded with respect by all ranks of society in our capital, a man who has expended considerable sums in 'foreign travel to fit him for the duties of his career, a man who has given to the world the results of his scientific attainments in a work which has passed through three editions in a few years and has been approved by competent critics, I do not know how to characterize this man who now sues for your daughter's hand, if this does not suffice. Surely you need no further assurance that I am able suitably to support even a portionless wife." The matron reflected. " All this procures you the respect of your associates," she said, more gently, and somewhat mournfully. " But in an old merchant family " "It should do no less," he interrupted her. "There is a patrician rank in science, and princes should not scorn to ally themselves with it." These proud words impressed her. She cast down her eyes, and drew her golden chain slowly through her fingers. " You must not think it strange," she said, " that I am cautious where I am ignorant. You have an office : so much I under- stand. Now, in our family we have always attached great im- portance to entire independence. In old times, an Ambergcr frequently occupied the position of burgomaster, the family was always represented in the Senate, some of my ancestors 94 THE GREEN GATE. served as captains of vessels and of land-troops in the wars of the period ; but such offices were always held simply as posts of honour ; they were and they remained nicrchanjts. From the time when the civil government was intrusted to hired officials, no Amberger and no Yorbringer could be induced to fill an office. You see, there are offices, and offices, Herr Professor." " The difference lies least of all, I should say, in whether labour for the common weal receive remuneration or not. If any post may be termed a post of honour, it is, I should think, that of teacher in a great university." She changed the subject. " Have you any family ?" she asked. " My mother is still living. Before her retirement she was greatly esteemed as an artist." Frau Barbara started in horror : " An artist !" "An opera-singer, madame. The name of Camilla Bella- rota is perhaps not entirely unknown to you." " Camilla Bellarota, I seem to have heard the name, in my youth it must have been. Yes, yes, there was a story I forget. Your mother, then, was an opera-singer indeed ! And your father?" Schonrade saw all the ground he had gained slipping from beneath his feet. " I never knew my father," he replied, somewhat embarrassed ; " he must have died quite young." " Indeed ! died ?" she said, coldly. " He was an Italian ?" The Professor really had not the courage to tell all the truth. " Probably," he said. " He was certainly a gentleman, or my mother would not have married him. But "why speak of these things ? I am what I am." " True, true," she remarked, absently and indifferently. The conversation began to oppress him. He arose, and said, " May I dare to hope, madame?" The lady arose at the same time, and stood still, leaning one hand upon the back of her chair arid the other upon u table. THE GREEN GATE. 95 . " I will be honest with you, my dear Herr Professor," she said, " that you may not deceive yourself. Judging from the conversation which we have just had, I cannot approve my daughter's choice, and I shall do all that I can to turn her thoughts into other channels. But this ought to give you no offence, for, in the first place, I act upon principles that are far older than your suit, and, in the second place, I know you too slightly to allow any question of your personal worth to influ- ence me. I believe that Katharina is mistaken, and that she would be far from happy in those circles to which a Professor and a man of science would introduce her. This I must be- lieve until I am convinced of the contrary. In conclusion, my right is more that of refusal than of consent. My husband was very anxious that the inherited and acquired property of the family should be kept together. He therefore arranged in his will that nothing of importance, either of a business nature or otherwise, should take place without the consent of his sons, two men widely differing in nature and temperament. Al- though Philip leaves the business, perhaps, too entirely in his brother's hands, I must, in such an important event as Kath- arina's marriage, appeal to their decision if she should oppose my wishes. Her fortune will then remain in trust with her brothers. Wait until Philip returns from Italy, and make your request of my son Moritz in the mean while. The rest must be left to the future." The Professor had listened calmly. " Madame," he said, frankly, " I thank you for your candour. If I had only my- self to think of, I should say, ' When I learned to love Kath- arina Amberger, I had no idea that she was an heiress, and it is a matter of perfect indifference to me whether she possesses a penny or not. Were she a poor girl, she is still the only woman in the world whom I would marry, and if she pos- sesses a fortune, not a groschen should ever be used for my household that I did not earn myself.' But I cannot be thus 96 THE GREEN GATE. egotistical. It would be a grief to me to cause discord between the girl whom I love and her family, or to leave her dependent upon brothers who blamed her. I shall, therefore, while I do not swerve from the troth I have plighted, do all that I can to preserve family peace and harmony. This, niadame, will be my plan of action." He approached her and kissed her hand. For the first time, a gleam of kindliness softened her expression. " That is spoken like a man of honour," she said, gently, and slightly pressed his hand. He turned to go. " One more thing," she called after him : " I trust you will refrain from disturbing Katharina's peace of mind, and will not seek the continuance of a relation with her which has not received the sanction of her nearest relatives." Schonrade stood proudly erect. " She shall know," he re- plied, " that under all circumstances I shall love her as dearly as it is possible for one human being to love another. For the rest, madame, be assured I shall conduct myself towards her like a man of honour." Her face grew dark again. He bowed once more, and left the house. As he did so, involuntarily the thought occurred to him, " When, and with what emotions, shall I cross this threshold again?" CHAPTER VII. IT was one o'clock when he reached his hotel, and he would far rather have taken the first train for Berlin than have stayed to fulfil his engagement to dine with the Feinbergs. He was utterly depressed mentally, and he felt physically wearied in consequence. To have to pass hours in the society of those THE GREEN GATE. 97 who were entirely indifferent or rather obnoxious to him, was a terrible prospect. But he could not return to Berlin without first speaking with Moritz. He could not neglect this duty, although it was almost a matter of course that the son, as a good merchant, would share the mother's views. It would be playing a dis- honourable part towards Katrine were he to retreat after a first defeat; his own annoyance must have no weight whatever in determining his actions. Nothing would so serve to exalt him in Moritz Amberger's estimation as the attention with which the Feinbergs seemed disposed to treat him, and any neglect of their kindness upon his part would prejudice them against him, and Sidonie's bridegroom would, of course, share such a prejudice, a result, in the present state of his affairs, greatly to be deprecated. So he made up his mind to submit to be entertained with as good a grace as possible. As all this was passing through his thoughts, there was a knock at his door. He supposed it was the officious waiter, and called out, rather irritably, " Come in !" when, to his sur- prise, Moritz Amberger entered the room. " I lose no time in returning your call, Herr Professor," the young man remarked, quite with the air of an old acquaint- ance. " I venture to think that your visit of yesterday was not intended exclusively for my mother." " You are very kind," Schonrade answered, shaking hands with him ; " and I thank you for an attention which I hardly had a right to expect. How are you after your yesterday's exploit?" "Oh, don't speak of it!" the merchant exclaimed, with a laugh. " The jest was tedious enough, suited to the wits of my military friends. Where did you go ? We wanted you to take a glass of beer with us at our bachelor-club, after the fatigues of the afternoon, but you were nowhere to be found." " My steed carried me whither he would," Schonrade ex- E 9 98 THE GREEN GATE. plained. " and that was to his own quarters. I am sorry to have missed the pleasure of your society and the refreshment of a glass of beer, which I should certainly have appreciated." Amberger threw himself upon the lounge, and drew off his glove. " You have not forgotten," he said, as if incidentally, ' : that you are engaged to dine at the Feinbergs' this after- noon ? Friiulein Sidonie requested me to remind you of it. You see, she imagines all learned men are very absent-minded, and that without a reminder you would never remember. Is she right ?" " Not at all !" the Professor replied, instantly divining the cause of the present visit. " I have the best memory in the world for such matters. I am by no means insensible, either, to the pleasures of the table." " No bookworm, then," the young man rejoined. " I was sure of that when I saw how you rode. Yes, yes, in spite of all that sages may say, meat and drink are as important to-day as they were a thousand years ago. And no one understands that better than the Feinbergs, as I think you will admit after to-day." " I have no doubt of it," Schonrade replied. " Your future father-in-law seems to be a man of wealth." " He is so considered," Amberger answered, with a know- ing look ; " and yet the half of his resources is not known. There are very few such heads for business in the world. Wherever he takes hold he fairly coins money ; he knows the people he deals with, knows all their sources of income, plans a campaign like a field officer, and manoeuvres so skilfully that his troops always come into play at the right place and time, and nothing is ever lost except what he has determined shall be sacrificed. Sometimes I am really very anxious, but in a perfect fire of telegrams he is calm and cool, and sure of con- quest. A very remarkable man in his way." " Is Herr Otto Feinberg his partner ?" THE GREEN GATE. 99 " No, not his partner. Ignaz Feinberg will tolerate no one in that position ; even his brother is not allowed to examine his books. But he is his right hand, as I am his left. In all his great projects he sends him to feel the way, as it were, while he himself never stirs from his counting-room, and, as compensation, he gives him a large share of profit, without any risk. Otto Feinberg is a man of excellent capacity, but not very attractive in society, a man who simply eats when he's hungry and drinks when he's thirsty; it is a perfect sin to waste fine wine upon him, although he certainly does appreciate a good cigar." " What did you mean by calling yourself his brother's left hand ?" " Why, you see, he uses me in another way. The firm of Amberger is one of the oldest and most respected in the country. Its antiquity stands it in good stead in the com- mercial world, a reputation inherited from father to son for centuries outweighs anything that can be done in a single lifetime. Who knew anything about Ignaz Feinberg thirty years ago? But five hundred years ago the ships of the Ambergers sailed the North Sea. Feinberg, rich though he is, is often glad of the support of an ancient name, and mine stands him in stead. We often do business together, and I should but poorly understand my own interest if I ever refused to go as far with him as he would carry me. In accordance with his advice, I have had less and less to do of late years with the old commerce in grain, which is not nearly so profitable as in former times, and have turned my attention to banking and exchange. I am able to accommodate him with money, and receive large interest for it. My father would open his eyes if he could look into our books to-day." He thrust his hands in his pockets, leaned back among the sofa-cushions, and laughed. " But the connection that you describe," observed the Pro- fessor. " presupposes boundless personal confidence." 100 THE GREEN GATE. " Of course, of course," Amberger assented ; " but I have a bit in his mouth. I would not advise any one to follow my example who was not to be his son-in-law. He is getting and gaining for his only daughter, and, as you know, Sidonie is my betrothed." In spite of the air of easy confidence with which these words were spoken, they failed to produce the desired effect upon Schonrade, who could not but remember what he had heard from Sidonie herself, that Moritz's position as her lover was dependent upon her whim. If it suited her caprice some fine day to break the slender thread that bound her to her present choice, he would, to be sure, regain his freedom, but most disastrous consequences might ensue in his commercial affairs. The fortunate lover, however, left him no time to pursue these reflections. He took out his watch, held it mechanically to his ear, although there was not the least reason to doubt its correctness, and observed, " It is time to go ; shall we walk together? At present you possess an immense amount of interest for Friiulein Sidonie, but her appetite for novelty is amazing. You will have to economize your means of enter- tainment, Herr Professor ; she would so squander the resources of a millionaire in this respect as soon to make him bankrupt. I often laugh at my mother's insatiate appetite for romances, but it is nothing in comparison with Sidonie's greed of amusement." Schonrade smiled as he drew on his gloves. Did Moritz wish to hint to him that his rapid rise in the young lady's favour rested upon an insecure basis ? Were his remarks prompted by a faint feeling of jealousy, or by the simple hu- mour of the moment ? At all events, he replied honestly enough, " I should greatly dislike to have to fulfil extraordinary ex- pectations. An idea that such fulfilment was looked for would make me unendurably stupid. Fortunately, niy future happi- THE GREEN GATE. 101 ness would not be shattered even by a sudden fall from favour." " Since you are on the eve of departure, as I hear," the young merchant said, laughing, " it can under no circumstances affect you as it does Messrs, von Otten, Oschersdorf & Co., who have dwindled to mere nebulae, after careering about for a day or two as stars of the first magnitude." The Professor regarded him attentively. This young man played his ambiguous part extremely well. The Feinberg mansion justified the praises bestowed upon it by its inmates. It was really a remarkable edifice, that had been adapted within and on the side away from the street to all the requirements of modern luxury, without destroying the antique appearance of the building. In former times it had been bounded on one side by the town wall, and on the other by a tower in the large garden ; but the wall had fallen to decay, and its ruins had been used to fill up the ancient ditch, while upon its massive foundation a graceful addition of iron and glass led from the ground-floor out into a terraced garden. A single spacious apartment formed the upper story of this ad- dition, and the opposite wall as you entered was occupied by one huge window, extending from ceiling to floor, from which a flight of steps led first to a lower balcony beneath the old tower, and then down into the garden. The table was laid in this apartment. Schonrade expressed his admiration of the room to his hostess, who was evidently looking for a burst of enthusiasm from him. " Yes," she rejoined, " our architect has done extremely well, I think. If you stand here, just here, Herr Professor, before this wall of glass, you have na- ture, pure nature, everywhere. Each pane is eleven feet high, and so well set that you can scarcely see the joinings. The thin gilt frames are made in imitation of slender tent-poles, 9* 102 THE GREEN GATE. and the ceiling is, as you see, draped in imitation of a tent. Oh, yes, if you have plenty of money you can really produce beautiful effects and surround yourself with nature." Sidonie offered her hand to the Professor as to an old ac- quaintance. She wore a summer dress of some fine thin fabric covered with lace, and a string of large pearls, encircled her throat. Her airy costume threw into strong relief her rather broad face, long nose, decided eyebrows, and her stern mouth, that displayed, when she laughed, teeth dazzlingly white but rather too large. Schonrade had not thought her handsome on the previous day, but in her riding-habit and high hat she had certainly been more interesting than in her present dress. Her eyes, however, struck him as they had done when he saw her first, as possessing a peculiar intensity : she fairly riveted them upon what engaged her attention at the moment. There needed both assurance and ease to parry their glances. " Do you know that I sailed on the water all night?" she said to him, in a low tone, " in my dreams, of course. I saw the moon rise above the mists, and we sang together the German folk-song, ' I do not know what it foretelleth' do you sing when you are awake ? and suddenly a wind blew, far too strong a wind for the Seehausen mill-pond, and upset the boat. I was not in the least frightened, however, only frightfully anxious to know whether you would save me. And you did save me, but, very drolly, after you had first composedly put on a pair of kid gloves." " You see, I knew, Fraulein Sidonie, that you could swim, and, as my task was merely a conventional one, I was anxious that it should be perfectly performed," the Professor answered, in a jesting tone. Moritz clapped his hands, and cried, " Bravo ! bravo ! That I call true courtesy." " Nonsense !" she pouted, toying with her fan. " Like a hero in a modern novel." THE GREEN GATE. 103 Ignaz Feinberg was seated in a wheeled chair, an afghan over his knees, looking through the newspapers. He alone, of all present, was not in dinner dress, but appeared in the same gray coat that he had worn the previous day, and which, judging from the inky splashes on the left sleeve, must have been the one usually worn in his counting-room. From time to time he folded a paper together so as to bring into relief some notice or paragraph, which he would hand to Moritz Amberger or Otto Feinberg, as either happened to be near him, without speaking or altering a muscle of his face. From the recipient would ensue a laconic " hm, hm !" " indeed !" " not bad," or words of a like nature. After this fashion Ignaz Feinberg composed for his own inspection a mosaic picture of the business world of the day, and his relish for his dinner depended on the effect of the said picture upon his mind. The two officers were also invited guests. Sidonie whispered to the Professor, as they entered rather noisily, " For the sake of contrast ! And my mother is so fond of a uniform !" In especial honor of the stranger, old Dr. Sperling had been invited. He was the head-master of the scientific school of the place, and had been town-recorder for many years, a man, in his host's opinion, eminently well fitted to enlighten a stranger upon all that the town contained of antiquity or in- terest. His hair was very gray, and his face looked as if' it were carved out of wood ; he was stiff and angular in his move- ments, and evidently rather ill at ease in the tight dress-coat that he had donned in honour of the occasion, but there was a grave courtesy in his demeanour, and he was treated with much consideration. Schonrade's place was between the mother and daughter. Ignaz Feiuberg sat beside his wife, Moritz Amberger on the other side of his betrothed. The four other gentlemen occu- pied the opposite side of the table. " We have arranged a gay 104 THE GREEN GATE. sight for ourselves," said Madame Feinberg, indicating the gorgeous uniforms on either side of the old Recorder's black coat. " I rejoice in not being a lady," the old man remarked, in a ponderous fashion. " Were I one, the presence of such attract- ive neighbours would, I fear, spoil my dinner for me." The jest was very well received; even Ignaz Feinberg laughed quietly over his soup-plate. He, the host, never tasted the exquisite dishes that com- posed the meal, but, to the Professor's surprise, partook of the simplest fare, served for himself alone, with a single glass of claret. His wife felt it necessary to explain apologetically. " My dear husband is very fearful of injuring his health ; he trusts his friends will excuse him," she said. " It has nothing to do with my health," he corrected her; " I like to eat what I've always been accustomed to. I think I might be allowed that luxury." Schonrade found it quite natural, and Sidonie added, " Papa is really a most remarkable man in this respect; he would have no objection to our con- juring up here a fairy-palace, if he might have his old counting- room left just as it is. I could far more easily coax out of him a check for a hundred thousand thalers than persuade him to have the threadbare horse-hair covering of his sofa renewed, or his shabby old desk re-covered. For himself, he clings to simplicity." The banker smiled scornfully. " A very fine explanation," he said, " but the fact is that I am as superstitious as a play- actor. On that old sofa, at that old desk, I have come to occupy my present position, in which, thank God, I can let my wife and daughter conjure as they please ; but who knows whether I should find myself as comfortable on velvet and springs?" Frau Feinberg was annoyed by his remarks, but the Pro- fessor said, courteously, "Why should you call it superstition ? THE GREEN GATE. 105 It is certain that we depend mentally, in some measure, upon our outward surroundings, and are sometimes actual slaves to trifles. A new carpet in my study might render me in- capable for days of bestowing due attention upon my books or writing ; and an error in a merchant's accounts is not as readily corrected as a mistake in a scholar's manuscript." " A mistaken order can throw a whole regiment into con- fusion," said Herr von Otten ; and Herr von Oschersdorf remarked, carefully wiping his moustache after his glass of Canary, " Well, I don't know ; I think I can read my novel as easily on one sofa as another, always provided that it is not stupid." "How can you read novels at all?" asked the Recorder; and the conversation was turned into another channel. Moritz Amberger and Otto Feinberg both sat silent. The former received hardly a crumb of the lively conversation that his betrothed carried on with the Professor, and, after making several fruitless attempts to join in it, he rather sulkily devoted himself to his dinner. Otto Feinberg treated the Professor with great reserve. He could not believe that he was visiting the town simply for the sake of amusement ; it seemed to him significant that he had been seen at the Wiesels', and had here called nowhere except at the Ambergers'. He put together this and that, and the result, although hardly clear, was by no means to his taste. He felt it best to preserve a very formal demeanour in his presence. Schonrade certainly had no desire to alter this. "What is that remarkable building?" he asked, looking through the wall of glass ; " the one to the left, upon the hill. It is too far off for me to decipher those architectural hieroglyphs." Dr. Sperling cleared his throat ; here was water for the Re- corder's mill. " That is the ruin of Honeburg, Herr Profes- sor," he explained, " formerly a massive structure, as may still E* 10G THE GREEN GATE. be seen from its remains, consisting at present of only a small part of the ancient main building, and a portion of the watch- tower, which once arose to a height of one hundred and twenty- three feet above the top of the hill, which there commands the river." "Why not one hundred and twenty -four feet?" Sidonie asked, pertly. " One hundred and twenty-three feet, Fraulein Sidonie," the old man insisted, with great gravity. " In the archives of the town the account is preserved of how the castle was first injured by the town in 1478, when the Freiherr Botho von Honeburg was taken prisoner by mounted towns-folk. It is all recorded there how that the tower was never again rebuilt to its previous height, although the town suffered severely after- wards from many a lord of Honeburg. You must know that the castle was called Honeburg because it was built for an insult* to the town, and that at one time the lord of Honeburg stretched an iron chain across the river, which could only be removed, giving free passage to vessels, upon payment of a heavy toll. Those were hard times, and the Ambergers were often forced to take arms with their fellow-citizens to protect themselves." '' That would never have done for you, Moritz," Sidonie said, with a sneer. " To what use could we put our valiant military," he replied, with a glance towards the two officers, " if we bankers donned sword and helmet ?" " The feud between the town and the Honeburg was pro- longed through centuries," the learned Recorder continued ; " indeed, there never was a formal end put to it. The chain, to be sure, that once spanned the river, now hangs in our town hall, and since the Thirty Years' War there has been no clashing * " Holm," the German for " insult." THE GREEN GATE. 107 of hostile steel on the meadows beyond the ancient fosse. Not far from here you can see the old gate through which we usu- ally sallied forth to meet our foes ; it has always been called the green gate, from its colour, and many an inscription on its battered surfaco tells of bloody encounters upon the bridge beyond it, and upon the other side of the fosse. The gate has not stirred upon its ancient hinges for many years, and the iron portcullis was removed long since ; in later times the strife was continued with other weapons. The Freiherrs lost their wealth, borrowed of the town, could not repay their debt, and were obliged to mortgage acre after acre of the castle territory. Lawsuits innumerable ensued ; expensive executions and all kinds of ruinous processes at last left the Von Honeburgs im- poverished courtiers and soldiers, with nothing to testify to their past greatness but the possession of those ruins and the sandy hill between the town and the river, certainly not an enviable piece of property. But the old aristocrats could not rest content, and continued their quarrels with our towns-folk until lately. We have hardly been quit of them thirty years.'' "Are any of their descendants living?" asked the Pro- fessor, not without interest. " The last Freiherr von Honeburg whom we can remember was a very gay young officer," replied Dr. Sperling, shrugging his shoulders. " He had an affair with the daughter, or rather adopted daughter, of a most honourable and patrician mer- chant, Egidius Kostling, whose house and garden you may see there near the green gate, and made a great deal of trouble in his time. But that is a long story." He was not requested to tell it. In the mean time the ices had been served. Herr von Otten reached across the table and offered one end of an ex- plosive bonbon to Sidonie, saying, " Let us recall the ancient feud with the Honeburg by a salvo of artillery." There was a laugh, bonbon after bonbon exploded, and the hostess arose from table amid a most warlike rattle. 108 THE GREEN GATE. The guests separated into groups. The host returned to his wheeled chair, and was soon buried in his newspapers. Otto Feinberg offered the gentlemen cigars, and carried off" the two officers into the garden, whispering, " Be careful, my child !" into Sidonie's ear as he passed her. Madame Feinberg ordered coffee to be served in the balcony of the old tower, retained Moritz by her side, and began a conversation with the old Recorder. Sidonie walked through the dining-hall with the Professor. " You have seen nothing of the old house," she said, loud enough to be heard by all ; "and yet it is twice as worthy of your inspection as this addition. Come, and I will be your cicerone." She put her hand within his arm and conducted him through open folding-doors into the adjoining room, thence through a dimly-lighted corridor to a suite of apartments the windows of which looked out upon the street and the narrow alley lead- ing to the tower. The furniture was everywhere luxurious, but not distinguished by any special originality. The young lady hastened on, merely saying, with a shrug, " My mother's taste," until they reached a flight of six or eight steps deco- rated charmingly with drapery and flowers, and leading ap- parently through a very thick wall. In a niche on either side stood a statue. " Here my Tusculum begins," said Sidonie, taking her hand from his arm and going before him. They passed through several apartments large and small, with high vaulted ceilings and arched windows with deep embrasures. The Professor approached one of these and looked out. Beneath him was the balcony where the servants were placing the coffee-table, on one side the glass wall of the dining- hall, and in front a distant view beyond the old fosse. He saw that he was in the tower, which had been skilfully connected with the house. " This is my drawing-room," she explained, " this, my library, and here I have a little armory." As she THE GlfEEN GATE. 109 spoke, she drew aside a curtain hanging before a deep recess, where were arrayed upon the wall old shields, swords, and crossbows, with some very handsome pistols richly inlaid with silver and ivory. " You are a good shot, I suppose ?" Schb'nrade remarked, with a smile. " Each of my follies has had its day," she replied. " This one went out of fashion some time ago." The Professor looked around him with the air of a man prompted rather by courtesy than by curiosity. A single glance sufficed to show that these objects in the several rooms had their place there more in the way of decoration than with any eye to their use. The library contained rows of volumes in the costliest bind- ings, all shining with fresh gilding. The little studio would have delighted a painter ; everything needed was at hand, even to the life-size lay -figure draped in heavy woollen stuff and maintaining an attitude that could certainly have been taken by none but limbs of wood ; but the easel looked as though it were innocent of any picture save the one in a half-finished state at present reposing upon it, and which could hardly have been painted by the untouched brushes thrust into the thumb- hole of the palette that lay close by. Schb'nrade did not venture to ask if she were also an artist. Sidonie took from a stand a portfolio, opened it upon a table in front of a lounge, and, motioning the Pro- fessor to be seated, asked, " Are you fond of engravings ? Here are some rare pictures, if our connoisseurs are to be trusted." He sat down and turned over a few. " I am no connoisseur," he said, merely glancing at them. " Nor am I," she rejoined, with an affectation of candour ; " but I can tell something about these, like a parrot that has learned its lesson. Here, for instance " She came closer 10 110 THE GREEti GATE. and almost leaned upon his shoulder, to direct his attention to the stippling of a Cleopatra. lie disliked being here alone with Sidonie ; he would have disliked still more to be discovered here with her by any of the guests. He turned over the prints still more hastily, merely lifting the corners of some of them, as if to show how impos- sible it would be to examine the entire collection. Sidonie turned away, drew from a cabinet against the wall a shallow drawer and placed it upon the table. It contained a collection of minerals, neatly arranged, a bought collection, in short. "This is in your line," she said, sitting down beside him, " and will interest you." She was mistaken, the man of science detested all dilettanteism ; but she had gained her point : he did not rise. " Is it true that you leave us to-morrow ?" she asked, as he courteously examined one specimen after another. " Most probably, Fraulein Feinberg." " Possibly not, then ?" " My business will be concluded to-day." " Give us a few more days, Herr Professor. I will promise you an excursion upon the river that shall be delightful." " You are kindness itself, but I cannot interrupt my home labours for so long." " That is a mere excuse. Confess that you do not find us especially agreeable." " How could I entertain sentiments so ungrateful ?" She looked askance at him. " Between ourselves, I am not very fond of this place myself. I should like to go to Berlin ; although perhaps not, like my future sister-in-law, to Coun- cillor Wiesel's. Frau Wiesel is a fool." Her mention of Kiitharina affected him unpleasantly; he led away from it. " Where could you be happier or more com- fortable than in this luxurious home?" Sidonie sighed. " Believe me, I grow very tired of it all. THE GREEN GATE. Ill I like well enough to arrange it, but when it is finished there is nothing left but the pleasure of showing it, and I had enough of that long ago." " You prize the gifts of fortune too lightly, Fraulein Fein- berg. You do not appreciate the possession of means sufficient to enable you to shape your surroundings as you please. You do not know what it, is to be forced to deny yourself." A sigh still more profound. " I do not know what it is to be forced to deny myself ! Ah, how little you know me, Herr Professor ! How poor and unsatisfactory all this frippery often seems to me ! I know that I should have been happier if I were still surrounded by the poverty to which I was born. I should not then have resigned, what I continually miss and long for, but what can never be mine, a genuine interest in life." This was the same elegiac mood that had so startled him upon the lake. It did not seem entirely assumed ; it might be in some measure the result of genuine feeling. If his heart had been free, he might seriously have pitied her at such a moment, and there might have thus arisen a bond of sym- pathy between them that even a change of her mood might have failed to sever. As it was, these sudden appearances of hers in a character seemingly foreign to her nature, annoyed and embarrassed him excessively ; little prone as he was to self-conceit, they seemed to him baits held out to win him from his intentional reserve. "It is easy enough," he said, more harshly than he in- tended, " to desire as an advantage that which is universally regarded as a bar to the enjoyment of existence, if we are per- f ctly sure that our lives will always be-without it." She leaned her elbows upon the table, and her strange eyes looked full and seriously into his own. " Perhaps you are right," she said. " It is easy. But does it follow that this con- stant longing is any the less painful ? Suppose, for example, that a girl longs to be a man, is she not wretched in the 112 THE GREEN GATE. consciousness of the impossibility of ever attaining her desire, even although the world may regard her as the most fortunate of beings ?" " I suppose it is so," he said, examining attentively a speci- men of quartz. " I long to be a man !" she exclaimed. " Laugh if you will, I have seriously reflected whether it would not be worth the trouble to simulate at least what I never can become. I might have studied, have proved life in its profoundcst depths, have travelled widely ! Aha ! easy enough, are they not, these dreams ? Do you know that I have even arranged the small details of the existence that might have been mine ? I per- petrated, in imagination, the maddest freaks, broke with my parents, outraged society, made myself unendurable as a girl, to be allowed to do as I chose. Still it might all have failed. Ah, you do not know what it is to be the only child of wealthy parents !" He crumbled off little fragments of the mineral in his hand and dropped them into the drawer. " Excuse me," he said, still more embarrassed by her manner, " but these are danger- ous whims !" " I wish I could find some one to chase them from my brain," she said, as if to herself, casting down her eyes ; " perhaps I should not wish to develop the ideal in myself, if I could find it embodied elsewhere. I am capable, I think, of an entire resignation of self." Suddenly she broke off, took the piece of quartz out of his hands, threw it into the drawer, and said, in an altered voice, " Why do you play with that stupid stone ? It annoys me !" He started and looked up at her in surprise, like a child detected in mischief. Sh > seemed to regret what she had done, for she hastily gathered up a handful of minerals from the drawer and put them into his hand, pressing it with both her own. '' There, play as much as you choose," she exclaimed, " but listen to me 1" THE ORE EN GATE. 113 The Professor was about to reply, when Moritz Amberger drew aside the portiere and entered the room. He looked vexed, and said, coldly, " Your mother wishes to know whether she shall send your coffee up to you, since it runs a chance of growing cold before you come down to drink it." " Mamma sent no such message," Sidonie replied, darting an angry look at him as she arose. " Well, then, I brought it on my own account," he rejoined. " I would suggest that you should not entirely monopolize the Herr Professor." " And I would suggest," she retaliated, " that you should not intrude upon my special domain unannounced." All trace of colour left his good-humoured face. " This to me," he stammered, :- and before a stranger !" Sidonie seemed to fear she had gone too far. " The Herr Professor is no stranger, but a friend," she said, more com- posedly, with a troubled glance at his grave, disapproving face. " Then permit me," he said, " to act the part of one, and to entreat you to repair, arm-in-arm, as a betrothed couple should, to the coffee-table. I can find the way by myself." She reflected a moment, and then offered her hand to Moritz, with a loud laugh. " How he stands !" she exclaimed, apparently once more in excellent humour, " like some poor penitent praying for mercy. Courage ! courage ! I graciously pardon." She took his arm, and turning, as she reached the snail flight of steps, nodded to the Professor : "It was your wish." This hasty interruption was the consequence of a conversa- tion that Otto Feinberg had held with Moritz. He remarked the lengthened absence of the pair, and added that the Pro- fessor was not to be trusted. The officers contributed their mite to Moritz's annoyance by their badinage, and he forgot the part which he had played so well hitherto, and gave occa- sion for the war of words in which, as we have seen, he hardly 10* 114 THE GREEN GATE. came off conqueror ; and he was painfully aware of this as he conducted his betrothed to the other guests. There was no trace, however, of the scene just enacted in the demeanour of those chiefly interested. Sidonie jested gayly about the cold coffee, Schonrade gratified his hostess by his admiration of her house, and Moritz described how he had found the Pro- fessor absorbed in an inspection of Sidonie's minerals. As soon as Schonrade could find an opportunity, he whispered to him, " When can I speak alone with you ? I have an important communication to make." Amberger looked fixedly at him for an instant, pondering what it could possibly be, and then said, somewhat grandiloquently, as if a duel were in prospect, " I am at your service, sir." And the Professor's reply seemed to hint at the same possibility, " Appoint time and place, if you please," only there was not a shade of hostility observable in his expression, which might, indeed, have been assumed. They walked for awhile in the garden, and then the guests took leave. " This is not the last time we shall meet," Sidonie declared confidently to the Professor, and her eyes flashed and sparkled. " If you do not come here, we shall go to Berlin." And her mother added, " Pray feel yourself entirely at home in this house as long as you are in town, my dear Herr Pro- fessor. You may be sure of always finding nature, pure nature, here. Am I not right?" He judged silence to ba his best reply. THE GREEN GATE. H5 CHAPTER VIII. IN the street Schonrade joined Moritz Amberger, taking leave of the others, after courteously thanking the old Recorder for his interesting information with regard to the Honeburg. " Where shall we go ?" he asked. " To my hotel ?" " My house is nearer," the merchant replied, gravely, " and we shall be perfectly quiet there." The Professor assented, and they walked on in silence until they reached the Amberger mansion. Here Moritz produced a key, that admitted them by a side-door. They were soon seated comfortably in a small room, fitted up as a special retreat for its bachelor owner. " I suspect," Schonrade began, " that in your secret soul you do not acquit me of conducting myself towards your betrothed with a want of due consideration for yourself as her lover. Am I not right?" Moritz had by no means recovered from the insult Sidonie had offered him, and half a dozen plans for repairing his wounded honour in the stranger's estimation had been chasing one another through his brain. But they were all very vague and shadowy, and he now replied, with more composure than might have been expected, " Sidonie finds a peculiar gratifica- tion in meeting, as it were, upon equal terms, any interesting man whom chance brings in her way. I can make no objection to this, since I myself never belonged to the number of those thus singled out ; my relations to her, being of a quite different nature, are not at all interfered with. But the estimation in which she is held by others cannot be a matter of indifference to me, and as, since you leave here so shortly, you can scarcely have any opportunity of seeing how little 116 THE GREEN GATE. He hesitated ; it was a difficult matter to finish the sentence without either compromising himself or insulting his compan- ion. The Professor came to his assistance. " Pray conclude,' 1 he said, with a smile ; " you need not be at all afraid of dis- pelling any illusions of mine. For your entire satisfaction, let me tell you, if you have been suspecting a possible Don Juan in me, that at present I am protected in armour of triple steel against the lightnings of the finest eyes in the world, and am incapable of deserving the trouble that feminine caprice might expend upon me only to make me a target for ridicule after wards. In a word, I come here as a suitor." Moritz entirely forgot his diplomatic look, opened his eyes wide, and stared in surprise. " As a ?" Then suddenly a load seemed taken from his mind ; all his muscles relaxed, and he reclined comfortably in his chair. " May I congratulate you, my dear fellow ? may I congratulate you ?!' The Professor shrugged his shoulders. " That depends upon your 'yes' or ' no,' " he said, looking him directly in the eye. "Upon my 'yes' or 'no'?" the young man asked, bewil- dered. " What do you mean ?" Schiinrade craved his attention, and then unfolded all his hopes and wishes with regard to Katrine, recapitulated his con- versation with Frau Amberger, and ended by entreating him not to act in accordance with " prejudices which the world had outgrown." At first Moritz was influenced by the delight he felt at his own escape from danger ; he nodded kindly from time to time ; but gradually these nods became rarer, he cast an embarrassed glance now and then at the speaker, and finally the spirit of op- position asserted itself in frequent interruptions of " But ," and " One moment, my dear fellow ," so that the Professor had some trouble in bringing his discourse to an end. When he had finished, Amberger rose, and walked to and fro in the room, THE GREEN GATE. 117 saying, " But this is most unfortunate, most unfortunate ; not in itself, good heavens ! not in itself; but as matters stand," he ran his fingers through his fair hair, "as matters stand, you don't know you can't know oh, most unfor- tunate !" Schonrade waited in silence until he stood still before him, and said, more sensibly and collectedly, " As for my mother's objections, they are mere nonsense, not to be disrespectful, hereditary folly ! Patricians ! What are patricians ? Those times are past. We are all towns-folk, some with rather larger incomes than others. One has something, and another nothing, and many a one who has nothing is more of a man than those who have something." The Professor sat quietly regard- ing him in silence. He had said all that he had to say. At last Amberger noisily pushed a chair near his guest, seated himself in it, and seized his hand. " My dear Herr Profes- sor," he said, with a kind of gasp, " I like you very much, so far, I do, upon my soul I do, and if all is as you say, and I haven't the slightest doubt that it is, it would give me the greatest pleasure to call you brother-in-law. Why, in my opin- ion, my dear Herr Professor, we are honoured the house of Amberger is greatly honoured by such a proposal from a dis- tinguished man like yourself. But but " He jumped up, then seated himself again immediately, and continued, in quite a changed tone, " Let us lay aside all disguises. I am one man, you are another ; let us talk together as man to man. Why should I inspire you with false hopes ? It cannot be, believe me, it cannot be. Even if I liked you far better than I do, it could not be. And I will tell you why, I will tell you why frankly, as my regard for you dictates ; and I may rely upon your discretion, my dear fellow, may I not?" Schonrade gave him the desired assurance as to his discre- tion, and Moritz continued : " We were talking to-day of my business relations with Feinberg, and, if I remember rightly, I 118 THE GREEN GATE. called myself his left hand. Now, to be perfectly frank with you, it is no longer a voluntary matter with me whether I will be his left hand or not. If I cease to be his left hand, I am nothing, no more on 'Change than a severed limb to a body. A hu- miliating confession enough for the head of the house of Am- berger, confound it ! I feel that, but I know what I say. My mother has no suspicion of it ; with her old-fashioned views she could not understand it. There is no danger so long as we are good friends, but good friends we must remain. Do you suppose that I would tolerate Sidonie's insufferable caprice for He paused, perhaps startled by his own temerity, but collected himself instantly, and continued : " Why, you have eyes, and know how to use them ; what need is there to tell you what you must know as well as I do ? Sidonie's whims are countless, and I must bear the brunt of them, for I am powerless to remonstrate. I tmist endure them, it is my fate, at least until after our marriage. I am so deeply involved with Ignaz Feinberg that I cannot retreat without ruining myself, entirely ruining myself. To-day I am a man of weight on 'Change, for he supports me ; if he deserts me, I must fall, and drag down my family with me." The'Professor tried to follow his meaning, but it was diffi- cult for him to x>mprehend complications of this kind. " How did all this com about?" he asked, bewildered. Amberger moved his chair closer and laid a finger on his arm. " In the simplest way in the world. I inherited from my father an extensive and profitable business in grain and transportation ; we owned storehouses, river-vessels, sea-going shipg, and had an agency in the nearest seaport. Of late years American competition has been detrimental to our commerce in grain ; there was more risk in our ventures. By Feinbcrg's advice, I closed up that business, drew my capital out of it, and invested it in projects of which he approved. Philip took not the least interest in such matters, but let me do as I THE GREEN GATE. 119 pleased. This banking business, if successful, constantly in- duces fresh speculation, and numerous issues of paper. Large profits accrue ; but if there is a crisis, one's very means of living are endangered. I have invested wherever Feinberg advised, he is prudence itself, and am far too deeply en- gaged for my means ; I ain the left hand to another man's head. Feinberg can withdraw without overwhelming loss, I cannot. My whole aim at present is to conceal how deeply I am involved." Sehonrade shook his head thoughtfully. " I pity you," he said, gravely. " Everything depends, then, upon the continu- ance of the tie between Fraulein Sidonie and yourself; and from what I have seen of her " Amberger interrupted him. " Did she say anything about it to you?" " She knows her power over you, and seems inclined to use it unless you make every concession that she can demand. And if you are so indulgent " " Don't you see," the young man again interrupted him, " that I am steering a leaky vessel against wind and tide ? I cannot do as I wish." " I see. But what has my relation with Katharina " " My dear fellow, it has everything in the world to do with it. Katharina is my chief stay, unconsciously she is the cause why my position is not quite so desperate as it would seem. Ignaz Feinberg has, as you know, a brother Otto, who is really his right hand. As long as I have a firm hold upon Otto Feinberg, his brother cannot shake me off, and Sidonie must pay some heed to what she does. At present I have thi? firm hold, for Otto Feinberg loves my sister, and I have promised that, so far as I have any influence over her, she shall be his." The Professor sprang to his feet, thoroughly indignant. " What ! you could give her your own sister to that usurer? 120 THE GREEN GATE. It is absolutely fiendish ! Why, with these plots and schemes of yours, you may chance to break her heart, dear, inno- cent child, with no thought of wrong, with no idea that her brother can so trade away her life. It is " "No matter how right you may be," Moritz interrupted him, uneasily rubbing his forehead, " there is no help for it. Who could foresee that Katharina, young as she is, would make a choice of her own ? Why should she not have found Otto Feinberg a desirable partner for life? He has had abundance of time and opportunity to win her. Now I see how unsuccessful he has been, Herr Professor ; to my terror, I assure you, for my best hold upon his brother is gone as soon as Otto finds he has no hope. Oh, it is most unfortunate !" " You certainly would not force Katharina " " Force ! force ! How can I force her ? But I must keep my promise, and use, as I said I would, all my influence. If Katharina, in defiance of her father's will, denies my authority over her, I cannot, of course, force her to marry a man of my selection ; but most assuredly I shall never give my consent to her marrying any one else, never ! Otto Feinberg, now my friend, would then be my enemy, and I should be lost." Schonrade folded his arms and tapped his foot impatiently upon the floor. " I expected to meet with opposition," he said, sternly, " but I never dreamed of contending with such views as these. Poor child ! Poor child ! Is there no way " Amberger grasped his hand. " Deliver me from these fet- ters I know as well as you do how degrading they are and I will be eternally grateful to you. I have told you so much that I might as well confess all. I tremble at the idea of a union with Sidonie, whom I do not love, and who does not love me. I know that my weak good nature will soon lose me all show of authority with her, and my own self-respect besides. At times, as at present, my whole soul rises in rebel- THE GREEN GATE. 121 lion against such a fate. And yet yet how can I escape it ? How can I preserve the honour of the house of Aniberger ? Only show me how." The Professor's look was dark and stern. " It seems to me," he replied, after a pause, " that you have lost the courage to make yourself master of the situation, which you doubtless were at the beginning of your connection with Feinberg. You have leaned upon him so long that your own powers have rusted. It may be thus. Throw off his authority by one vigorous effort, and convince yourself that you can pro- ceed without his support." " Oh, you are 110 merchant !" exclaimed Moritz. " No merchant would talk thus. You cannot see the importance of this connection, or how much must be thrown overboard if it be dissolved. My mother's and my sister's fortunes are involved. I cannot think of myself only. There is but one possible way, but one, out of my difficulty, and that is too chimerical to be thought of." " Tell me, nevertheless, what it is." said the Professor. " If I could embark, without the knowledge of the Fein- bergs, independently of them, in some commercial project of vast importance, and obtain firm footing there, I should com- pel their respect. The undertaking must be sufficiently large to make their friendship or their hostility alike a matter of in- difference to me ; and it is hardly to be hoped that anything of the kind can be conjured out of nothing for my special benefit. Therefore, my dear fellow, you must follow my example : resign yourself to the inevitable, and be thankful that your fancy is sufficiently youthful not to have taken any very deep root. Katharina must see that it is impossible for me to accede to her wishes, and by-and-by, when her heart has recovered the loss it must sustain, she will be all the more ready to contract a mariage de conveyance which is in every way " F 11 122 THE GREEN GATE. " Silence !" Schonrade exclaimed, with such vehemence that Morit-z ceased in amazement. " It is as degrading for me to listen to such word| as it is for you to utter them. I sincerely pitied you, but I begin to regret having done so. You are upon the point of resigning not only the right of disposing of your property, but also the repose of your conscience." " Herr Professor !" "The repose of your conscience, Herr Amberger. Why did your father in his will invest you with such authority ? Because he fully relied upon his son's integrity, and affection for his sister, which should prompt him to think solely of her welfare, without any selfish consideration. But you are sell- ing your sister " I cannot permit this, sir !" " I say no more. You know what I think ; oppose me to the extent of yowr will and ability. But do not suppose that I shall look idly on and patiently allow myself to be thrust aside. I will preserve an inviolable secrecy to all save one, Katharina shall know of your fraternal designs with regard to her, and she will either obey the dictates of her own heart, or owe her unhappiness to your shame be it spoken to you. And for yourself, be sure that this corrupt tree of your planting will never bring forth good fruit." He raised his hand with an air of menace; his tall form seemed invested with a kind of majesty ; he towered haughtily above the banker, who involuntarily cowered as if he would have sunk into the ground. The jovial expression of his good-humoured face had vanished entirely ; his confession had certainly not procured him absolution. He felt humiliated in the presence of this man who saw into his very soul, and who could be hoodwinked by no such plea as would have found weight with men of his own stamp, how pitiful such men seemed to him at this moment ! THE GREEN GATE. 123 He would have given worlds to be able to stand erect, look the Professor full in the face, and say, " You are right ; I was a coward; but I will be one no longer." But he had not the courage ; he shut his eyes and stroked his chin. " What can't be cured must be endured," he thought. P When he looked up, he was alone. He arose, dipped his handkerchief in water, and laid it upon his forehead. All his previous hopes and expectations seemed mere folly to him now. How could he ever have imagined it possible that Otto Feinberg could gain his sister Katharina's affection ? And how would Sidonie receive himself after the events of the day ? What fresh humiliation was in store for him at this woman's hands ? What reliance could he place upon Fein- berg's friendship ? To whom could he turn ? What was to be the end of it all ? His excellent physique and the wine he had taken at din- ner fortunately solved these questions for him for the present, he fell asleep. Schbnrade could not so soon find repose from his torment- ing reflections. After he had hastily left the room and the house, he began to regret the violence into which he had been betrayed, and which had perhaps closed the door of approach for him to Katharina's family. He remembered with a sigh her close association with these people, upon whom he must have produced anything but a favourable impression. He could not even tell her, without wounding her, what a pitiable figure her brother Moritz had presented during his interview with him. And should she know that he had parted from him in anger, what could she think of such a quick-tempered, impractical lover? He paused for a moment, half inclined to retrace his steps. " But it would do no good ; the arguments of each have no force with the other," he said to himself. " Let matters take their course." He walked on, at first with hasty strides, as if anxious to 124 THE GREEN GATE. put as much distance as possible between the Amberger man- sion and himself, then gradually more slowly. He did not think again of returning, but, as he reflected, Moritz seemed to him more and more excusable. A suitor for his sister's hand, suddenly appearing to the detriment of all his plans and expectations, could hardly be anything but extremely unwel- come to him, and when these plans and expectations were first formed he could have had no possible idea that Professor Schonrade would lose his heart during a visit at Councillor Wiesel's. It certainly was matter for gratitude that he had not dismissed him with the usual set phrases, but had laid bare the most secret troubles of his life, that he might explain his refusal of his suit. And the poor fellow was greatly to be pitied. Nature had formed him for an easy, good-humoured enjoyment of existence ; he would have been perfectly con- tent never to soar aboTe the commonplace ; but in an evil hour he had been induced to resign the certain profits of his father's business to embark upon the high seas of speculation, and to propose to Sidonie Feinberg to share his home, as if she had been the unassuming daughter of some well-to-do merchant. And Sidonie ! what pains she took to show her lover that she wore his betrothal-ring solely from caprice ! When he looked around him, he found himself in a quarter of the town of which he was entirely ignorant. Before him stretched a long narrow street, lined on each side with tall houses, and growing still narrower towards the end, where it was spanned by a gateway. He pondered what he should do. His business in the town was finished ; he could leave at any moment. But the next train to Berlin left in the night, and was not an express train. He had nothing to do, and yet the evening must be passed after some fashion. Anything but his room at the hotel ! He would take a long walk to get rid of the time ; so on he went. The gateway was connected on the left with a large man- THE GREEN GATE. 125 sion, the last in the street, with quite a stately facade retreat- ing some feet from the line of the rest of the row, to give room for a massive flight of stone steps. The simple arch of the gateway was, in fact, a public passage beneath a wing of this house that extended across the street to the last of the houses on the right, beyond which he observed the outline of an an- cient tower, not altogether unfamiliar to him. Above the arch- way were a few small windows with tiny panes of glass, too few. however, tc relieve the effect of the bare, undecorated ex- panse of wall, topped by a steep gable, with its little window near the roof, beneath the rusty weather-cock, that showed in transparent letters clear against the sky the venerable date 1357. Had he reached the famous Green Gate of which the Recorder had spoken ? Its colour was difficult to deter- mine ; it might as well have been called brown as green ; many a year must have gone by since the painter's brush had touched it. He walked through the echoing archway, and found him- self upon a narrow bridge that could hardly have allowed two carriages to pass each other. It certainly must be the " Green Gate" through which he had just come, for in front of him was the hill crowned by the ruin of Honeburg. He looked back and upwards, directly into the face, carven in stone in the keystone of the arch, of a knight thrusting out his tongue maliciously. That must have irritated many a Freiherr of Honeburg, he thought to himself, and his grave face relaxed with a smile. There were not lacking inscriptions in Lutin and in German, but he contented himself with deciphering one only, which stated how a certain Hans Kbstling had main- tained this bridge with his single spear against six armed horsemen, until the gate could be closed behind him, and had then sprung into the fosse and swum across to the town. Schonrade looked down into the fosse. It was dry, and had been converted here, as at the Feinbergs', into a garden. Old 11* 126 THE GREEN GATE. trees reared their branches near the railing of the bridge, and the walls were covered with ivy. Far below him, in what had been the deepest part of the ditch, rippled a little brook, winding prettily among the flower-beds, and spanned by rustic bridges. There was a distant prospect beyond the turn of the old wall, which enclosed, in turning, an ancient battlemented tower. As the Professor stood gazing about him, he became aware, upon the gravel-walk immediately below him, of an old man in a blue broadcloth coat of by-gone fashion and a close-fitting velvet cap. He was walking slowly along, his head bent upon his breast, smoking a long pipe, and pausing from time to time before a rose-bush or to look up at some tree laden with fruit. The most noticeable point about him was that he was followed gravely by two sleek, well-fed cats, who marched at his heels like two dogs, stopping when he stopped and continuing their promenade when he walked on. Evidently he was an old bachelor fond of animals. But why had he selected cats for the companions of his lonely walk ? This old man must have a history. A woman passed upon the bridge. "Who is that?" the Professor asked her, pointing downwards. " Why, old Herr Kostling," she replied, in a whisper. "Every child in the town knows who he is," she added, as she pursued her way. He was seized by a desire to visit the Honeburg also. He had time enough, and the afternoon was lovely. He could certainly reach the summit of the hill in half an hour. \ THE GREEN GATE. 127 CHAPTER IX. BEYOND the bridge the road forked. To the left it ran along the fosse, apparently skirting the town, and to the right it led directly across the fields, towards the Honeburg. Schon- rade pursued the latter road, which was not nearly so much worn as the other. Some hundred paces farther on, he passed a large tile-kiln, and beyond this the ground rose considerably. From the summit of this rise the road turned to the left, leading down to the river, to a ferry, where some tall-masted river-craft lay moored. The Professor looked this way and that, expecting to find some path to the Honeburg, but there was nothing between him and the ruin but a strip of sand, contrasting sharply with the brown heath beyond, overgrown with low juniper-bushes and young birch-trees. There was not even a foot-path across this heath, which extended to the old wall. Schbnrade went back and inquired of a man at the tile-kiln his road to the Honeburg. " Oh, no one goes there !" was the laconic reply. He then determined to keep his goal in view and march straight towards it. He was reminded of his pathless future. The sand covered a stony foundation ; here and there grew tufts of thin grayish-green grass. The most abstemious goat could not have found pasturage here. But farther on there was more tender grass growing, and pale-blue harebells were to be seen among the juniper-bushes on the brown soil. At intervals there was discovered what at first sight seemed a pathway in the right direction, but it always proved to be some old furrow kept open by the rain. Many a year must have passed since the golden grain had here waved in the wind or the ploughshare furrowed these meadows. The birches were six feet high, and among the bushes were the 128 THE GREEN GATE. stumps of what had formerly been large trees. It produced a very strange impression, so near a populous town, to come upon this perfect wilderness, and its effect was heightened by the view of the old ruin, that loomed larger upon the vision as one approached it, darkening a portion of the horizon. A solitary lark trilled high in air, a white butterfly fluttered up from a harebell, and a belated bee hummed about the cup of a wild flower ; these were the only signs of life around. The hill upon which the castle had been built, upon a nearer approach, was found to be rather insignificant, but it was the highest point in all the country round, and commanded the turn of the river. The fosse about it was half filled up and easily crossed. On the other side massive foundations sup- ported a wall, crowned here by the lower portion of a tower, its uneven surface overgrown with wild grape-vine. On this side there was no trace of gate or door to be seen. The Professor walked along the wall to where it turned and made a corner. Here the way was blocked by masses of fallen stones and tiles ; two window-slits at some elevation had been boarded up, and were brushed by the boughs of a linden that had struggled up through the heap of ruins. Farther on the wall sloped intermittently to the foundation, and above it nodded and waved the tops of old trees, as if they were grow- ing in a garden within. Here also no entrance was to be seen. A little arched doorway of the olden time had been walled up. On the southern side, however, an entirely different picture presented itself. Looking quite away from the town, and perfectly protected by the ruin from the north wind, a strip of land on the terraced hill had been carefully cultivated, neatly fenced in, and planted with vegetables of all kinds, fruit-trees, and grape-vines. Lower down lay small fields of potatoes and grain, bounded again by a wide extent of barren heath. The fosse on this side was deeper, but it had been converted into a shady garden, and was crossed at about the THE GREEN GATE. 129 centre of the old wall by a bank of earth, probably filling up the place where had stood the ancient drawbridge. Here there was a gap in the old wall which had been repaired by one of modern construction, built of loose stones and broken tiles, and just where the bank of earth led across the fosse an opening had been left in this wall, so flanked by two huge stones, which had probably once formed the arch of a port- cullis, that a wooden door could be fitted between them. Two or three stone steps led up to it. The ruin was inhabited, then, to the no little surprise of the Professor, who could not remember that the Recorder or any one at table had mentioned it. He passed easily over the ditch, and a low hedge on the other side, and then, as no one was to be seen in garden or meadow, walked up to the door and knocked boldly. He was curious to know who had built a nest here among the bats and owls. A dog began to bark violently from within as he knocked the second time ; a chain also rattled ; there was no danger, then, of being attacked. After awhile a gentle female voice was heard. " Be quiet, Nero ! what is there to bark at?" Schonrade knocked again, rather more softly. " Is any one there ?" the voice asked. " A traveller begs for admittance," the Professor replied. " This is not an inn,'' the voice returned. " The town ia near at hand, where there are lodging-houses in plenty." " I have just come from the town," he rejoined, " where I am in an excellent hotel. I will not give any trouble." " But what do you want here, then ?" " I will tell you when I am admitted." " But I must know before you can be admitted." The Professor frankly stated that he was a stranger, lured hither by a desire to see the ruins, which he should like to inspect from within. 130 THE GREEN GATE. " There is nothing remarkable to be seen here," was the answer he received. " I am very tired, and would be glad to have a glass of water." He listened for a few moments, but no reply came. " Are you as cautious here now as in the olden time?" he began again. " Well, then, let me assure you I bring no following of armed towns-folk. I am quite alone, without even a cane by way of weapon." He heard a low laugh above him, and, looking up, saw a lovely curly head, that disappeared upon finding itself observed. "What is the matter there, Lena?" a rough voice called out from some distance. " What is the dog barking at, and whom are you speaking to?" " There is a strange gentleman outside, grandpapa," was the reply, " asking for admittance." '' What does he want?" The question sounded surly. " Oh, he wants to see the ruins, and drink some water from our well." " He can see ruins enough outside, and you may hand him out a mug of water." He was not actually turned away, then. A few minutes afterwards the bolt was withdrawn and the door half opened. A slender girl, the owner of the lovely head, appeared upon the threshold and offered the weary wayfarer a stone mug of sparkling spring water. The wide sleeves of her embroidered white linen underdress were rolled up above the elbow ; her petticoat was slightly caught up, showing pretty little naked feet. Behind her, on a slight elevation, stood Nero before his kennel, thrusting his shaggy black head under her raised arm. It was a pretty picture. Schonrade drank a little water, but did not return the mug immediately. " This water is delicious," he said, beginning another conversation, that he might have time to enjoy the charming apparition. THE GREEN GATE. 131 " Indeed it is," the girl replied, with a smile. " I think you are not very thirsty, though." " But all the more anxious to see the old castle, now that I have made acquaintance with the chatelaine." " The true chatelaine is to be seen here only between twelve and one at night. Come by here at that time, if you are net afraid, and perhaps she will wave her veil from the balcony." She laughed, and held out her hand for the mug. " Stop !" he exclaimed, withdrawing his hand. " This water belongs to me, and until I have drunk it I must ask questions and receive replies." " Ask, if you please, then." " Who lives in the Honeburg ?" " An old gardener, sir, with his daughter-in-law, a widow, and his grandchild, whom you see before you." " Is there any road from here to the town ?" " Oh, yes ; but probably not upon the side by which you came. There was an old feud between the castle and the town, and there was always a waste heath on that side. From here you go down to the river, and there is a road along the bank to the ferry. But pray drink some more ; I cannot wait here until the water dries up." " And I cannot come in ?" " My grandfather will not permit it ; he wishes to have as little to do as possible with people outside." " Does no one know, then, that the castle is inhabited ?" The girl laughed. " We are not quite such recluses, and, indeed, it could not be concealed. Huckster-women come here every morning in summer ; many a table in the town is supplied from our garden." She looked up at the sky. " But pray give me the mug, and make haste to go. A storm is coming up, and it may readily overtake you before you reach the town." He also looked, and saw that she was right. But some 132 THE GREEN GATE. mysterious force seemed to rivet him to the spot. He could not bear to leave without accomplishing his purpose. " If I should wait here until the rain began to fall," he said, in a jesting tone, " you could not have the heart to keep me out in the open air." She moved the door to and fro upon its creaking hinges, as if about to close it instantly. " Better not try," she said. " Why don't you shut the door?" the harsh voice was heard again, and a heavy step approached. " Here conies the grandfather," thought the Professor. " So much the better ! I shall soon know if I must go away without seeing the IT'oneburg." A bony hand, placed above the girl's, opened the door wide. A man with snow-white beard and hair, but erect and powerfully built, pushed her away and stepped out. It was evident that an angry remonstrance with the intruder was upon his lips ; but it died away without utterance. He started as if in terrified surprise at sight of the Professor, knitted his brows, and stood still, the picture of amazement. " Sir," he stammered. " Your grandchild refused me admittance," said the Pro- fessor, " and you look at me as if I were a ghost." " A ghost," he repeated, darting a keen glance at the stranger. "A ghost, it might well be so." Then, collecting himself, and passing his hand over his brow, he asked, " May I beg you to tell me your name, sir?" " Professor Schonrade, from Berlin." The old man shook his head dubiously. " Schonrade, Pro- fessor Schonrade, no ! 'Twill not do, 'twill not do. But come in, sir, come in. Be quiet, Nero! lie is chained. Strange, very strange !" Most strange indeed the Professor thought this reception, but he said nothing for the present, as he followed the old man up the stone steps into the court-yard. It was a spacious THE GREEN GATE. 133 square ; on the right there was a little garden, and on the left the remains of the old watch-tower, with a magnificent gateway of carved stone. Partly within this, and partly built against it and the wall of the main building, was a pretty little cottage, with a small stable. The stones from the ruins had afforded a fine foundation, laid above the old castle cellar, where pro- visions could be stored, and upon them a frame structure had been erected, with a projecting roof, the supports of which were wreathed with wild grape-vines, forming a veranda, be- neath which ascended the light staircase. No more unique picture could be imagined than this pretty vine-wreathed cot- tage in the shade of magnificent old trees, and surrounded by the ancient castle walls, battered and weather-stained by the storms of centuries. There, where the pavement around the basin of the ancient fountain was still preserved, steeds panting for the battle had once neighed, amid the clang of steel and the rattle of harness. Peace had built her nest here in the ruined stronghold of war. The girl appeared to understand as little as the stranger the sudden change in the old man's mood. Her eyes, from be- neath her clustering curls, gazed in surprise at the altered ex- pression of his stern features, that had lost all harshness, in an air of dreamy reverie. He followed Schonrade with his glance, and murmured, shaking his head, " Schonrade ! no no. I am wrong, I am wrong. It is odd I should be so deceived." The Professor begged to be allowed to sit down upon the stone seat by the fountain, and the old man assented. The girl's mother now appeared from the cottage, a spare woman with a careworn face, but well dressed, and bade the stranger welcome. She was quite at her ease, and began to talk of what interested her in " the world outside." " We seldom see a newspaper," she said, with a sigh ; " we live a very lonely life." In reply to his inquiries, Schonrade learned that her husband had been a sergeant in the army, and had 12 134 THE GREEN GATE. been killed in the last war. After his death she had come with her only child to keep house for her father-in-law. Lena delighted in the life here, solitude was refreshing to her after her father's death, and she would not have exchanged it for the gayest life in town. Healthy in mind and body though she was, nevertheless she was by no means insensible to the charm of romance which invested these old ruins ; they clothed with life the chivalric stories and fairy-tales of her childhood. The mother, with her sorrowful experiences and her ever-fresh sorrow for her husband's loss, longed for distraction and excite- ment; she was always glad to welcome a guest in the old ruin. Had the old man no other son? the Professor asked. Yes, but he might almost as well have had none, for his elder son had left home very early in life, and had finally settled in Italy, where he had married. From time to time they had a letter from him, but of late years they had been written in very bad German, he seemed almost to have forgotten his mother tongue. He was, however, quite well-to-do in the world. " There is no reason why my father should slave here at his gardening," the woman remarked ; " we might very easily live in the town, but he chooses to do it " " He must do it, my child," the old man declared. " You cannot understand that property that has been intrusted to one's charge must be looked after." While they were talking, a violent wind had arisen, it was roaring in the tops of the trees, and whistling in all the holea and crannies of the old walls. Thunder-clouds were banked high in the western sky. It grew very dark, and some large drops fell upon the paving-stones. " You will be sorry that you did not take my advice," the girl said to the Professor; "the storm will not wait for you." " Oh, we can't let the gentleman go now," her mother observed ; " in ten minutes it will rain so that he would be wet to the skin. He must wait until the worst has passed THE GREEN GATE. 135 over." As she spoke, she looked towards the old gardener, who nodded his head in assent. Schonrade was not at all in a hurry. He was soon seated heside the old man at a round table in a comfortable little room, before the windows of which the vine-leaves were dancing in the storm. The woman placed before him bread and butter, cheese, and beer. The girl had vanished, and reappeared in neat stockings and shoes. The lamp burned brightly, but the rain fell in torrents, and there was a constant roll of thunder. The Professor, in his turn, now asked his host's name, and learned that it was Vogelstein. "And you have a son in Ttaly ? In Florence ?" " Yes, yes ; he wrote us last from there that he had under- taken to keep an inn," the old man replied. " And I remember now that Signer Uccello told me he came from this part of Germany," the Professor exclaimed ; and then ensued question and answer, by which it was made plain that Signer Uccello was no other than old Vogelstein's eldest son. Of course they were all upon a friendly footing at once. The Professor happened to mention, with a touch of humour, the " Palazzo Bellarota," and on the instant the old man grew attentive, and laid his hand on his arm, as if to arrest the conversation at that point, but, seeming then to bethink himself, shook his head and said nothing. Schonrade introduced the Recorder's account of the Honeburg, in order to learn, if he could, how Vogelstein came to inhabit the ruins. " I suppose," he concluded, " that there is no mystery in the matter? If there is, I will curb my curiosity." " Certainly no mystery," the gardener replied. " All is as plain and simple as possible, too simple to interest any one, even the diligent police. My family has been closely connected in a certain way with that of the Freiherrs von Honeburg for a long time. My ancestors were towns-folk, who centuries 136 THE GREEN GATE. ago possessed great wealth and took their seats at the council- board. The Feinberg mansion, which you tell me you have seen to-day, belonged to one of them, and the inscription on his monument is still legible in the church of the Blessed Virgin. There is a long story concerning the loss of our possessions, which I will only lightly touch upon. In a bloody feud between the town and the Freiherr, the town had un- justly thrown two of his followers into a dungeon as robbers, my ancestor secretly espoused the cause of Von Honeburg, to whom he was beholden for many a personal kindness, and admitted him to the town at night by the green gate. In spite of his friend's aid. however, Von Honeburg was unsuc- cessful, and the Vogelsteins were deprived of their rights as townsmen, and forced to fly. I do not excuse his conduct: I only tell of it to show how the Vogelsteins came to live at the Honeburg, first as allies of the Freiherr, and afterwards in his service. The friendship between them continued when what had given rise to it was wellnigh forgotten. In later times, when the lords of the castle were frequently absent at court or in the army, they always appointed the Vogelsteins their bailiffs, and this continued as long as there was any land left to look after. My father was bailiff here, but even in his young days his master was going down-hill, and farm after farm had to be sold. Ever since I can remember, poverty was the order of the day, very little more than daily bread was made by cultivating what land remained. I was very young when I was obliged to serve in the army, and I was in the same regiment in which the Freiherr von Honeburg was cap- tain of cavalry, and in his squadron. Then the French war broke out, and we took the field. We rode side by side in many a battle, and once I saved his life when he would not have given a pin for his chance. He was terribly wounded, and resigned from his command, retiring upon his pension to a small provincial town. He had been married shortly before THE GREEN GATE. 137 the war, and his wife now accompanied him into his retreat and bore him a boy, to whose education he devoted himself. As soon as I had served out my time he put me here to take care of the Hb'neburg, that is, all of it that was left to take care of, so that a small sum from here was added yearly to his pension. His son entered the school for cadets, and was often sent hither in the vacation for the sake of the fresh country air. After his father's death he came here, a young officer, and reinstated me in my office for my lifetime ; but he sold a few more acres, so that I am nothing but a gardener. He led the gay life of a young officer in many a garrison town, and was finally ordered to this place. What happened here " He interrupted himself, put his hand up to his mouth, and coughed. Then he looked steadily at his guest for awhile, moved his lips without speaking, and finally asked, " Do you not knew ?" " How should I know?" asked the Professor, in surprise. " Well, whatever happened," the old man continued, " was, I plainly perceive, no affair either of yours or mine. I will only tell you that the lieutenant, my master, came here to the Hb'neburg one day, and ordered me to put in order the best room I could find, for that a young lady was coming here to stay. I looked at him in amazement, and it seemed to me that he carried an uneasy conscience in his breast. He saw what I thought, and sl to me, ' There certainly is some secrecy to be preserved, but it will scarcely result in a siege of the castle, as in olden times.' I shook my head doubtfully, and he felt it necessary to reassure me still farther. ' It is in strict honour,' he said, ' in strict honour ! We are to be married, but it can't be done immediately. She will be mar- ried to some one else to-morrow if we do not prevent it.' It was my duty to obey, and I obeyed. In the night he brought her across the moor upon his horse, in front of him, after true 12* 138 THE* GRE&N GATE. knightly fashion, gave her in charge to us, and returned im- mediately to the town, as she told him to. He came often to visit her, and one day he brought a priest with him, and they were married, standing upon the site of the old castle chapel, just where the altar-stone lies, beneath the large linden. After that the Freiherr often spent days at a time here, and finally took up his abode here altogether, having received or taken his dismissal from the army." The old man rubbed his brow, as if to freshen up old memories, or to drive away those that thrust themselves for- ward unbidden. "How long ago was it?" asked Schonrade, far more in- terested in these modern tales of the Honeburg than he had been by the Recorder's revelations. " Oh, more than thirty years ago," the gardener answered, making a silent calculation, "perhaps thirty-five; certainly more than thirty. I can tell you to a day if I consult my old day-book, where I wrote it all down faithfully, because I was one of the witnesses of the marriage. Certainly more than thirty years." " And did they live here long ?" " That depends upon what you call long. Compared with my lifetime it was not long, but they certainly found it so although they were very happy together at first. Oh, what s beautiful lady she was ! She had wonderful eyes, so black and flashing, not like the eyes of tlA women about here, and, indeed, she was only h^ilf German. And her hair ! She would sometimes go to the fountain in the early morning with it hanging^ all unbraided and loose about her. There was a bluish lustre to it. and it was so long and thick that it fell about her like a cloak. I never saw such hair either before or since." He looked into vacancy with a glow of enthusiasm on his wrinkled face, then nodded his head slowly, and passed his THE GRE^N GATE. 139 hand across his eyes. " This has nothing to do with it." he began again ; " you wanted me to tell you of myself. But, I cannot tell why, I cannot drive it all from my thoughts to- night. Excuse me, sir." " Oh, go on, pray !" said the Professor, who had grown very grave, and was listening with eager attention. " What happened next ?" " Oh, there is little more to tell," the old man continued. " Although tney neither of them could have been used to the solitude of the life here, yet they lived together very happily for a year and more. A little son was born to them, and their content seemed perfect. Sometimes we were rather pinched, for the Freiherr had no pension, and the castle territory was small indeed ; the young wife, too, had brought her husband nothing but her beauty and her love. The Freiherr was cross sometimes, and then his wife used to shed tears in secret. Once an official came here from the town about some old debts of my master's, and after that there was many a wretched, unhappy day. ' We shall soon be at the end of everything,' the Freiherr said to me one day, ' and have to leave even this miserable nest, and what then ?' But the Baroness was too proud to complain either to me or to my wife ; she de- voured her grief in secret, and her beauty began to fade. I am sure that the Freiherr never alluded to her poverty to her ; no, no : that was not his way ; but she probably accused her- self of being the cause oMiis miserable difficulties. She sang less .and less in those days. Ah, how wonderfully she could sing ! I once said in jest to my master, ' The Frau Baroness would make a great sensation upon the stage !' But he was very angry with me for my presumption ; perhaps she had said something of the kind to him before. At last, when their need was the sorest, a letter arrived that greatly agitated them. A distant cousin of the Freiherr's, whom he had almost for- gotten, was dead, and his immense estate, which had been in 140 THE GREEN GATE. the family for centuries, in default of nearer heirs, fell to my master. He was also to bear henceforth the title of Graf von Gleichenau. The future of the young couple was luxuriously provided for. The Freiherr hurried off to take possession of his wealth, leaving his wife and child here tem- porarily." "And did he never come back?" asked Schonrade, eagerly. " Yes, he came back once more, I can't tell how long afterwards, but not at all as he had left. His beautiful wife may have learned how matters stood from his letters, for she received him so coldly that it cut me to the heart. I heard him in the room speaking loud and violently to her as he never had spoken before, and then I had to go for the doctor, for she was seized with a violent fit of hysterics ; and the cause of their disagreement I never discovered, I never tried to discover it. A notary made his appearance here, with all kinds of papers for signature, but the Baroness refused to sign anything. Then the Freiherr gave me money to have the house put in better order, and to provide for the welfare of mother and child, and again took his departure. Since then I have never seen him." " And his wife? and the child?" " They stayed here for some time. Letters came and went ; I never knew what their contents were, for she was silent as the grave. Once a packet arrived, with five seals, and a large amount of money written out on the cover of it ; but she returned it immediately. A few days after that she took her departure, weeping bitterly as she thanked me again and again for what little kindness I had been able to show her. She drove off with her baby, without saying where she was going. I immediately informed my master of what had occurred, but I received no reply, nor has he ever answered any of my letters since. I send him a yearly statement of my adminis- tration here, but apparently he does not wish to be reminded THE GREEN GATE. 141 of the Honeburg. I shall die, I suppose, without ever seeing another line from his hand ; but I will die at my post, like an. old sodier." CHAPTER X. THE Professor rose hastily and left the room. He was greatly agitated, more so than he cared to show in the presence of strangers. Had he just penetrated the mystery of his birth, so carefully guarded from him hitherto by his mother ? He was certain of nothing, and yet he could have sworn that so it was. He stood still beneath the veranda, where the fresh breeze after the storm brought him coolness and refreshment. The drops were falling from the vine-leavesj but the rain had ceased. A few dark clouds were drifting overhead towards the town, but between them the deep-blue skies were clear. He pon- dered whether he should not instantly leave the ruin and try to forget what he had just heard. But how to leave without making courteous acknowledgment to his hosts for their kind- ness, when they could not possibly imagine what urged him to depart? And did it urge him to depart? Did it not rather bind him by invisible ties to the spot? A short time ago, all this had been a matter of supreme indifference to him ; now he grasped eagerly at anything that could be of advantage to him in his suit. If he was on the eve of what might prove a fortunate discovery, why avoid it ? His filial duty prompted no such course. He tapped lightly on the window in invita- tion to those within, then walked to the fountain and gazed into its depths, where gleamed the friendly sparkle of a star. He hailed it gladly, and thought of her whom he loved best. The gardener, with his daughter and grandchild, joined him. 142 THE GREEN GATE. " It is time to go," said the Professor, hoping that they would try to detain him. The old man looked up to the skies and remarked that the storm seemed to be over. His daughter happily observed that the meadows and moor were drenched with rain, and that it would hardly be possible to find the shortest path to the ferry. Was it necessary that he should re- turn to the town that night? He replied that there was no need for such haste, and that if he could have lodging here he would far rather remain than wander about the damp moor seeking his way. The woman looked at the old man, who an- swered her look more kindly than she had expected, with a " Do as you please." Then the young girl joined in the con- versation, and suggested the empty room, which, as her grand- father had told her, the beautiful baroness had occupied with her little son. That was just what he would like, the Pro- fessor declared, and the two women hurried into the house to make the necessary arrangements. The old man remained, and seated himself on the stone seat, which was already dry. Schonrade again leaned over the basin of the fountain. " You seemed greatly struck by my appear- ance when you first saw me," he began, "and I thought I heard words from your lips expressive of surprise. Was I right ? and, if so, may I ask what startled you upon seeing me?" " You were right," replied the gardener, " you were right. But I was wrong, although it is most strange " " What is most strange ?" " Your resemblance to to " To whom ?" " I can hardly say. At first I thought to the Baroness von Honeburg, of whose sorrows I have told you, and then it seemed to me that the Freiherr himself But I could not say whether it lay in the face or figure, in eyes, nose, or mouth. And now that I am more familiar with your appear- ance, it fades, and I see perfectly that I was wrong. You must THE GREEN GATE. 143 not take it ill of the man who has been waiting for more than thirty years to see his master and the lord of this castle." The Professor could hardly control his emotion. After a few moments, he said, " And suppose you had not erred ? suppose " The old man turned, and laid a trembling hand upon his arm. " I have no certainty in the matter," the Professor con- tinued, hurriedly, " and nothing can be farther from my thoughts than any desire to impose upon you or myself. But there were some strange coincidences suggested by your story, and my mother, who has always concealed from me every par- ticular of my birth and early infancy, was averse to my coming hither. Do you know' the Baroness von Honeburg's maiden name ?" " I do." " Let me tell you my mother's. She is a Bellarota, ,the daughter of the singer Carlo Bellarota, who died here in the hospital of the town when she was scarcely ten years old." " In truth, sir, it was as you say." " And my name is the German rendering of hers. Schon- rade is German for Bellarota." The old man arose, took off his cap, and bowed low. " Then there can be no doubt," he exclaimed, with heartfelt joy. " Welcome, welcome, Herr Freiherr, to your ancestral home !" This solemn address served instantly to change the entire tone of the Professor's thoughts, to destroy the melancholy mood in which he was indulging, and he burst into a laugh. The gardener started, and looked half offended. " Forgive me, good friend," said Schonrade. " Indeed, you would laugh as I do if you knew all. Did I not tell you that Philip Amberger believed he had discovered the Palazzo Bellarota in your son's hotel ? So it was, and he gravely addressed me there as in the palace of my ancestors. I come to Northern Germany, and 144 THE GREEN GATE. find here evidence to prove ray descent from trie Freiherrs von Hb'neburg, whose oldest and most faithful friend bids me welcome to my ancestral halls. Is it not better to laugh than to cry ? tell me." Vogelstein's face relaxed a little. " Yes, yes," he said, " it seems strange enough, but many an event in real life seems too strange for a romance, and why not Oh that I should live to see the day !" " Do not let us take a well-founded suspicion for complete proof," the guest said, warningly. " Permit me to remain, as far as you and yours are concerned, Professor Xaver Schb'n- rade, until " " Xaver ?" exclaimed the gardener. " It was the boy's bap- tismal name." " That, too, strengthens the probability. Nevertheless, let me remain what I know I am until I receive full confirmation from my mother and the Count von Gleichenau. I lay claim to only one proof of confidence on your part: tell me whether you have any papers in your keeping that may throw farther light upon this matter. You can safely intrust them in my hands while I am with you here." " Yes, there are some papers," the gardener said, after a moment's reflection, "and they must be just where the Frau Baroness left them, in the upper drawer of the cabinet, in her bed-chamber. I kept the key. There are both papers and let- ters, but she cannot have attached much value to them, or she would have taken the little packet with her. She left in anger, and bowed down by grief; she may have forgotten them." His daughter came to conduct their guest to his room. Lena was standing on the stairs with a lighted candle, and she bade him a kindly good-night. Vogelstein brought him the key of the cabinet, and the two men shook hands in silence. A moment afterwards the Professor stood within the little low-ccilinged room where, perhaps, his cradle had once rocked. THE GREEN GATE. U5 He was overpowered, in thus unexpectedly finding his home, by sensations that were both sad and plea.sing. For awhile he paused where he stood, near the door, and his eyes grew dim as he looked towards the window where the wretched young wife must have often sat, and at the simple couch where she had passed sleepless nights, and at the wardrobe and cab- inet of plainest birch-wood which had contained her belong- ings. What had taken place here between those two people who certainly had once loved each other dearly? What stormy experience had assailed the heart that had been left here to throb in sickening expectation or passionate grief? He thought he could now understand why his mother had drawn an im- penetrable veil over all that far-off time, and had withheld from him the name of the husband who had so saddened her life and deprived her son of his rights. Hitherto he had felt only indifference towards this father of his, now he seemed to hate him as his mother ha'ted him. "It makes no difference, ' he muttered sadly to himself. " I have no father." He placed a chair in front of the cabinet, and opened the drawer. He found within, as the old man had said, papers and letters, which he arranged hastily, and then read one by one. From them he gleaned a knowledge of what had happened, but the light and shadow cast upon that past all came from one direction ; from Camilla there was nothing save a few words hurriedly written by way of comment on the margin of some of the letters. The Freiherr's tone in writing was uniformly gentle and kind; even when he lamented an obstinate misconception of his good intentions, or enforced some stern demand, his style never ceased to be characterized by a respectful forbearance and a cordial good will, that spoke well for the writer, although they had evidently been but scant- ily appreciated by the reader. Some sheets were torn in two, and parts of some were entirely wanting. The seals of others were still unbroken ; either their contents had been surmised G 13 146 THE GREEN GATE. beforehand, or the wife's displeasure upon receiving them had found vent in this sign of an absence of interest. Until long past midnight the Professor sat poring over these papers and unveiling a melancholy past. It was beyond a doubt that the Freiherr had truly loved Camilla. How he won her for his wife there was nothing here to tell, but in one letter he said that he never could for- get that for his sake she had resigned the certain prospect of a life surrounded by every luxury ; and this passage was underscored in pencil several times, by the same hand, evi- dently, that had appended to it a mark of interrogation. The son knew his mother too well not to suspect that her proud and passionate temperament might but too probably have been the cause of disagreements in her married life that had cooled the ardour of a husband not especially constant in character. The fine bond of union must have been somewhat frayed when the event occurred which necessitated the Freiherr's absence. True, there followed from Castle Gleichenau the tenderest letters, that in their constant reference to the idyllic life in the old ruin were not without a deep tincture of romance, and that painted in glowing colours the happy future that should be passed in the midst of wealth and plenty. But soon the communications grew less frequent and more common-place, being often confined to excuses, scarcely received as sincere, for delay in writing. Camilla had apparently answered these with bitter reproaches, requiring that her husband should return, or should send for her and her child, for the Frei- herr renewed his excuses, at first eagerly, then more coldly, postponing the day of his return, and entreating her not to think of coming to him until the castle should be ready to receive her. At last, in answer probably to renewed inquiries as to the cause of his delay, ca,me a letter of grave import. It appeared from an investigation of the title-deeds to the large entailed THE GREEN GATE. 147 estate of which the Freiherr had just taken possession, that it could devolve only upon heirs noble on the side of both the father and the mother, who must themselves be able to prove a certain number of noble ancestors. The Freiherr apparently informed Camilla of this fact simply as a preamble to what fol- lowed ; he thought he had heard her say that her father belonged to an ancient Italian family of rank. She well knew how little importance he himself attached to noble birth, how small a value he had placed upon his own, but, now that this large estate of Gleichenau had fallen to him, it was of moment to know whether his son could inherit it, or whether it must devolve at his death upon another branch of the family. Camilla, perhaps smarting from a sense of previous real or fancied neg- lect, appeared to have suspected in this letter a regret upon her husband's part at having contracted an unequal marriage, for his next letter contained a remonstrance with her for her intemperate outbreak of passion, and for her accusations, which were certainly as yet without foundation. This " as yet" was again strongly underscored in pencil, and attention was called to it by exclamation-points on the margin of the paper. She must have replied, however, that her family was indubitably noble, for the Freiherr, although he expressed himself as by no means convinced, promised her that he would go immediately to Italy, and make all possible inquiries there, that she might be reinstated in her rights, praying her, until that should be done, to remain in the Honeburg, since he desired to present his wife to the noble families in the neigh- bourhood of Gleichenau in a manner that should insure her a suitable reception from them. This last communication must have greatly irritated Ca- milla, and, indeed, one might easily conclude from it that the new Count of Gleichenau was nowise inclined to submit to any social rebuff for his wife's sake. She must have discerned in such an ignoring of herself a greater want of affection 148 THE GREEN GATE. than even his previous coldness had prepared her for, and she dearly saw the loss that threatened her child. In a short memorandum in her handwriting she accused her husband of treachery in wishing to make use of the law of inheritance, to which he referred, in order to rid himself, in his changed circumstances, of wife and child. There was, besides, the copy of a letter to a famous advocate, inquiring whether such conditions of inheritance would hold good in a marriage contracted before coming into possession of an entailed estate. The answer was not to be found, but it could scarcely have been satisfactory, since there were several notes from various Italian cities, proving that Camilla, in her distress, had insti- tuted inquiries there upon her own account. And certainly any impartial judge would have agreed that the Freiherr spared no pains to discover traces of the Bella- rotas. There was a good-sized roll of papers, information procured from magistrates and priests, from which it was clear that a noble family of the name did assuredly exist, but no link could be discovered by which Carlo Bellarota could be associated with it. Meanwhile, time widened the breach between the hus- band and the wife. It was undeniable that the Freiherr was strongly influenced by his new surroundings, and was grow- ing more and more familiar with the thought of breaking a bond which his wife's constant mistrust, complaints, and reproaches threatened to convert into a galling chain. His proposal for a separation was not surprising. On the margin of this letter Camilla had written, "Never! never! never!" There were some lawyer's letters, offering a generous main- tenance for mother and child ; several of these were much torn. A letter with them from the Freiherr was still un- opened. His return to the Honeburg must have interrupted the correspondence. The old gardener had told of the meeting. THE GREEN GATE. 149 Then came an agreement, carefully drawn up, the conditions of which were most favourable to the wife, signed by the Freiherr, but not by Camilla. Beneath his signature this sentence in his handwriting bore a later date : " I hold my- self bound to all these conditions, even without Camilla's expressed acquiescence." Xaver knew that his mother had never received any means of support from this source, and he must therefore conclude either that his father had broken his word or that his mother had been too proud to receive anything at his hands, which last supposition was the more probable. With this contract he found another paper, that occupied his most profound attention. It was an official document, made out with all the legal formula, in which the Freiherr von Hb'neburg and Graf von Gleichenau, after a short explanatory introduction, irrevocably declared that, in the event of his legal separation from his present lawful wife Camilla Bellarota, whatever opinion might be entertained concerning blame to be attached to either party, he not only acknowledged his son, Xaver von Hb'neburg. born of this marriage, as his sole heir to all that he, as Freiherr von Hb'neburg, should possess at his death, but that he wished hereby to make over to him at the present time the Hone- burg, with all the buildings, gardens, fields, and waste lands thereto belonging, upon the sole condition that the boy's mother should be allowed the use and control of it during his minority. " Small in value as the gift is," the paper concluded, " it is all that now belongs to the Von Hbneburg race, and by this act I wish to convince my son, for whom I hope to pro- vide abundantly from the income of the Gleichenau estates, that my love endows him with all over which I have power of disposal." The Professor read this paper three or four times, examining the seal and the notary's signature. Unquestionably, here was a document the validity of which could be proved in any court of law. According to it, he was lord of this ruin 13* 150 THE GREEN GATE. of Honeburg, in which he had been offered a shelter for the night, he had been so for thirty years, and learned the fact now for the first time. The document had been given into his mother's keeping, and she had valued it so little that she had left it behind her when she left his birthplace. Was it because the place had seemed to her so worthless ? Hardly. But she hated the man who had given it to her son, and she had left the Honeburg, evidently resolved that her son should bear her name and should grow up in ignorance of that of her thankless and faithless husband. It was strange. As the heap of letters laid aside as read accumulated on his left hand, his sentiments underwent an astonishing change. He cordially loved his mother, he was grateful to her for her care of him, the many sacrifices she had made in his behalf, and the thousand proofs of her tender affection ; he could not but admit that one of the chief causes of her grief and despair had been the thought of her child who was to lose a father ; her love for her husband had been most fervent and passionate, her sufferings had been great in proportion*; and after her life had been shattered, as it were, the manner in which she had relied solely upon her own efforts, and refused all other aid, was proof of extraordinary force of character; and yet he could not but feel more and more that the man who had wrought all this wrong was some- thing to him, that he could not be as angry with him as he seemed to deserve, and that he could not refuse him a large share of sympathy. Those two people, lie reflected, could have made each other happy only for as long as their several peculiarities of temperament were held in abeyance ; if all this had not happened to separate them, they would not have pur- sued life's pathway much further arm-in-arm, they would have become estranged, and perhaps neither would ever have reached any desirable goal. Camilla Bellarota was a born artist. THE GREEN GATE. 151 The further course of events, so far as it was to be gathered from these papers, strengthened him in this idea. The Frei- herr declared that during the short period of their marriage he had become convinced that an enduring union between them was impossible. He could not compel his wife to consent to a divorce, but he should henceforth live away from her, and he hoped that time would bring her the power to see and judge more clearly as to her course. Her reply to this must have been the announcement of her intention to go upon the stage, for a letter from the Freiherr ensued, evidently written in extreme irritation, in which he distinctly and emphatically forbade any such step on her part. Several others, all occu- pied with the same subject, were found, until at last he briefly and sternly declared that persistence in her determination would constitute a sufficient plea for a divorce from the Count of Gleichenau, and that he should not fail to avail himself of it. This was the last letter in his handwriting, and it was blis- tered here and there with tears. According to the old gar- dener, Camilla had delayed her departure from the Hbneburg for some time after receiving the letter containing money, of which he had told. Perhaps she had pondered long whether she should disregard the menace, which was certainly the result of stern determination on her husband's part. But at last she had thrown all consideration to the winds, and had gone forth into the world with her child, to pursue the vocation for which she was born. The Count of Gleichenau had doubtless shortly received intelligence of the singer's brilliant success, and had easily obtained a divorce. The candle had burned low in the socket ; the Professor extinguished it, and, throwing the window wide open, leaned out into the cool night-air. The heavens were clear, sprinkled with glittering stars, a gentle breeze rustled among the tops of the trees, and from a crevice in the ruins a moping owl sent forth its melancholy cry. Was his Katrine asleep and 152 THE GREEN GATE. dreaming? How little the dear child knew of what was now agitating his very soul ! Not until after an hour spent in deep reverie did he betake himself to bed, where he slept until late the next morning. The gardener's daughter had twice served the coffee, and twice cleared it away, when he at last appeared for what was almost a mid-day meal. His healthy nature had recovered its wonted tone after his hours of sleep ; his nerves were no longer shaken by the agitating revelations of the previous evening; he was even ready to jest again. "Bygones are bygones," he said to himself as he dressed ; " those tears were dried long ago ; those sighs there is not even an echo of them left. Each of those two has long passed the meridian of life, and is upon the downward path ; the chance that re- vealed all that vanished time to me thus late made it present to me last night. What influence it may have upon my life is most uncertain. In the clear light of to-day I will let it take its place for me also in the past." Accordingly, he did not fail to compliment the sergeant's widow upon the excellence of the coffee and the breakfast, or to observe that Lena was this morning attired very pret- tily and quite like a town-bred maiden. He discovered also that the girl was remarkably well educated, more thoroughly and carefully than many a daughter of the aristocracy who had masters by the dozen at her command. " Where will your pretty daughter find a lover in this soli- tude and seclusion?" he jestingly asked the mother. She sighed. " It is indeed very lonely and quiet here, but sometimes we mix with our kind. Almost every Sunday we go to town to church, and I see many a fine gentleman turn to stare after my Lena's pretty face. One and another comes here from time to time ; but the girl holds her head very high, because the Vogelsteins, she says, have patrician blood in their veins. And yet I do not say that an upright, honest man, THE GREEN GATE. 153 with his heart in the right place, would be unwelcome to us all." Lena brought a basket of ripe cherries, fresh from the garden. Her grandfather, in the joy of his heart, had let fall something of the previous night's conversation, and she asked, in a tone of gay raillery, " Are you our Freiherr, then, or not ? How can we pay you due respect unless we know ?" " Oh, if the Professor does not inspire respect, Fraulein Lena," Schonrade said, with a laugh, " the Freiherr will come off but poorly. You are too familiar with the length and breadth of his noble possessions." " We cannot tell what they may be worth," the old gardener gravely interposed. "Not long ago there were some gentlemen here surveying the meadow and the sandy tract. There was some talk of a new railroad, and they wanted space for a depot and machine-shops. They thought I had the disposal of the land, and offered me a sum for it that I should hardly dare to mention. And yet I rather think they hoped to drive a close bargain with so poor a man. They probably had recourse to the Graf von GMchenau." From these words the Professor concluded that Vogelstein knew nothing of the deed of gift. He might have put the paper in his pocket and carried it off, but he could not for a moment contemplate such an abuse of confidence. He took the old man up-stairs and delivered up to him again all the papers, showing him the important deed and commending it to his special care. " I cannot ask you," he said, " to let me take this paper, for I am still only a stranger to you, and must make good my claim, although I am sure that I could easily satisfy your mind on this point. But I am not yet certain whether I shall find it best, in my own interest, to vindicate my rights here ; and therefore you will certainly not object to my taking a copy of this deed, and referring, if necessary, to the original in your possession." G* 154 THE GREEN GATE. The gardener gladly consented. " I am sure you are our Freiherr's son," he said, " and I only pray Heaven to grant its blessing upon all you undertake." He brought paper and pen. In an hour Schonrade had fin- ished, and bade good-bye to his kind hosts. He reached his hotel in time to pay his reckoning and leave by the express train for Berlin. On the long journey he had sufficient leisure to think over all that had occurred, and to form his plans for the future. CHAPTER XL THERE were many surmises in the villa in the Thiergarten- strasse as to the cause of the Professor's absence for two con- secutive days. The. Councillor's wife received his card, left for her with the servants, but had heard nothing further from him. Katrine judged it best to mention having seen him, as he had of course been observed to enter the pavilion, but she naturally made no further reference to his visit, and no one felt any curiosity on the subject. Who could suspect that those few minutes had been a crisis in two lives ? " You must stop at his rooms as you come home from 'Change," the Councillor's wife said to her husband. " He may be ill, and it would be very unkind to take no notice of his absence." She found the evenings very tiresome, and had con- stant headache again. Mr. Fairfax offered to call on the Professor. " But why ?" Lilli inquired. " He might think " What might he think ?" her mother asked, with more asperity than the timid remark seemed to warrant. " The Pro- fessor is our dear friend, and it is no more than proper that THE GREEN GATE. 155 Mr. Fairfax, who has learned to value him, should ask after his welfare." Lilli made no reply. She had not altogether regretted Schonrade's absence, since she had not been the cause of it. These few days of uninterrupted intercourse with the young Englishman, during which she had seen very little of Katrine, who had been busy with some embroidery and seemed to like to be alone, had convinced her that the society of the man of science was not necessary to her happiness. The young people were growing very intimate, and, although no formal declara- tion had as yet been made, there were many signs of an ap- proaching betrothal. The Councillor's wife observed this with satisfaction ; her husband's wishes were on the eve of accom- plishment. Mr. Fairfax inquired at the Professor's rooms, and found that he was absent from the city ; his landlady could not tell whither he had gone or how long he would be away. Frau Wiesel thought such a sudden departure very odd, leaving no address, either. " Did he say nothing to you about it ?" she asked, turning to Katharina ; ' it is extremely strange." The poor child felt the blood rush to her cheeks, and bent her head low over her embroidery, as she replied that she had seen him but for a few moments, and that probably some sudden occur- rence " Of course, of course !" Frau Wiesel assented ; " we shall soon learn that there is no cause for our anxiety. One grows so accustomed to seeing people, and then, in turn, to their ab- sence. He could not have gone to Wiesbaden with us, at all events." Her thoughts were again occupied with' the contem- plated pleasure-trip. Katrine had put the rose that Xaver had given her in a glass of water, in her own room, and tended it carefully. Be- fore it withered, he must be back again, she thought. Lilli wondered at the care thus bestowed. " Why are you so de- 156 THE GREEN GATE. voted to that one rose ?" she asked ; " there are hundreds far finer in the garden, and you can have as many of them as you like every day, you know." Katrine laughed archly. " This rose is very different from the rest," she replied ; " can't you see that?" " Not at all. I think it faded and poor-looking." " It has a very rare and peculiar fragrance." " That is pure imagination." " Perhaps so." The next morning Katrine found a rose in a vase of water in Lilli's room. " You too ?" she asked. " Oh, dear !" she replied, with some embarrassment, " Mr. Fairfax plucked it yesterday and gave it to me. It is very silly to save one rose, when there is a garden-full ; but then he did it so kindly, and said " What did he say ?" " Oh, I can't tell you. I ought to have thrown the rose away, I know." " Yet there it is in water, and there it will be, I wager, until it is entirely faded and its fragrance is all gone. Then it will probably be pressed and preserved." " What nonsense !" Katrine shook her finger at her. " Oh, Lilli, how faithless you are to your Professor " " Katrine !" " Out of sight, out of mind !" " You must confess that all that was very stupid " " With pleasure, my dear." Lilli was struck by a sudden idea. " Tell me that rose of yours " " Make yourself easy. Mr. Fairfax did not give it to me." Lilli pouted prettily. " I'm quite sure of that." " Oh, indeed !" THE GREEN GATE. 157 " But did some one else ?" Katharina laid a finger on her lips. "Don't ask yourself riddles, my dear, that all your wisdom will never solve." " What ! you have secrets from me ! And I tell you every- thing ! Down upon your knees and confess !" Katrine sighed. " Yes, if you could only give me absolu- tion." And that was all she would say. That very day the post brought two letters for " Fr'dulein Katharina Ambergcr." She took them hastily from the ser- vant, glanced at their addresses, and put them, unopened, into her pocket. " From my mother," she said to Lilli, who was with her. "And the other?" " From my brother in Italy," she replied, instantly, without looking up. " It did not look like a German hand ; it seemed to me more French." " Oh, Moritz often uses the Italian characters." " Moritz ?" " I meant to say Philip." " But that letter had a German post-mark. Let me see it." " How curious you are ! I will go up-stairs and read it." " Why not read it here? I'll not disturb you." Katharina gave her a kiss, and hurried out of the library. She locked herself up in her own room, threw herself into an arm-chair by the window, arid looked at the two unopened letters in her lap, delaying the decisive moment that their con- tents would surely bring her. She was not familiar with the Professor's handwriting, but she never doubted that the second letter was from him. Yet she opened her mother's first, for she knew it would be the more important of the two, and she would read her lover's words when they might be needed as comfort. Frau Barbara Amberger wrote : 14 158 THE GREEN GATE. " My DEAR CHILD, I have received a visit to-day from a certain Professor Schonrade, who has said some very strange things to me, unfortunately, having reference to you. I can- not at all imagine that you have given him the encouragement which he speaks of having received : you could not have so far forgotten what you owe to your family and to your own self-respect. At all events, I must interpose my authority to prevent any continuance of your intercourse with him, and it is inconsistent with my sense of maternal duty to allow you to remain any longer beneath a roof from which I have no right to exclude such bold intruders. To avoid all remark, I do not recall you to your home, but shall come to Berlin to take you with me upon a journey, which we can afterwards shorten at our pleasure. I have informed Frau Wiesel of my plans in a manner that can awaken no suspicion ; and it is your part, my dear child, so to conduct yourself that neither we nor you may experience further annoyance from this disagreeable occur- rence. All discussion I will postpone until we meet. In the mean time, hoping to find you the same good and obedient child that you have ever been, I am your loving mother, BARBARA AMBERGER." Katharina knew it all now, her worst forebodings were fulfilled. The letter dropped from her trembling hand into her lap ; the enclosure to the Councillor's wife fell upon the floor. Her eyes grew dim as she looked out of the window at the acacias waving in the breeze, across the glass containing her poor rose, the leaves of which had fallen off in the pre- vious night and were strewn upon the window-sill. She did not wonder what was to be done, what the future had in store for her if she obeyed or resisted her mother's will ; her thoughts were simple sadness for her happiness destroyed. Now she saw how, in spite of all her prudent foresight, her heart had been in reality filled with hope that her lover's THE GREEN GATE. 159 powers of persuasion would have won to him both her mother and her brother. The dream was over. She burst into tears, and not until they had relieved and soothed her did she open the second letter and read : " MY DEAREST, No oak ever fell at the first stroke of the axe ; no need, therefore, to lose courage. Certainly it was rather rash to invade an old patrician house with a modest demand for the hand of its only daughter ; but there must be a beginning to everything. The fact is that I have not prospered in my suit, there is no disguising it. But I do not at all despair of victory in the end, if you will only be true and steadfast. Let no reproach disturb you, my darling ; you have done right in following the dictates of your heart. Some of Frau Barbara's objections I am sure I could remove by bringing to my aid a few facts with regard to myself which I have just discovered by chance. Your brother Moritz has selfish views with regard to you, so selfish that I cannot but look upon his opposition with contempt. But even although this letter were a thick book, I could hardly tell you all in it, I must speak with you face to face, my own love, must let you know all that has happened, and advise with you as to what is next to be done. I have no doubt that your mother will do all in her power to separate us. This can do no harm if we are sure of each other, but we must have one confiden- tial talk to arrange future communication with each other, in spite of all the Argus eyes in the world. Where shall we meet for such an interview ? Hardly at the villa, I cannot think it advisable to make a confidante of Frau Wiesel. She would not lend her assistance to what your mother disapproved, and even could we persuade her to befriend us, we should incur too weighty an obligation by doing so. We had better act in- dependently. I propose that we should meet at my mother's, to whom I will tell all, and who will delight to know the girl 160 THE GREEN GATE. in whom her only son's hopes for a happy future are centred. She loves me, and she will dearly love you. To-day I shall pay my usual visit at the villa. I shall at least see you, ah, what a joy that will be ! But even if we have an opportunity of saying a few confidential words to each other, they will be so few that I write you now that you may be ready to let me know whether and when you can come to my mother, or if you can propose any better plan. Courage, dearest Katrine, courage, and just as much daring as will assure me of your acquiescence in my plan. Always and forever your XA-VER." This letter, unsatisfactory as it might be thought, neverthe- less comforted her extremely. After what her mother had said, the announcement of her lover's want of success was no shock to her, and all the rest that he wrote was so reassuring. She kissed the paper again and again ; no misgiving that her own resolve could be affected by the opposition of her family troubled her soul. He loved her and she loved him, here was a truth for which it was a duty to endure the worst that could befall. It was only when this first ecstasy of delight in the consciousness of her lover's strength and fidelity began to yield to graver reflection, that she could not resist feeling anxious and troubled. Not only must she patiently endure and wait, but she must devise some plan for seeing Xaver in private, and this after her mother's written injunctions for- bidding all intercourse with him. Reared as she had been in the strictest obedience to the parental rule, she could not medi- tate, without absolute terror, any plan for a secret rendezvous which might, after all, be detected. She knew that she was incapable of deceit, and to what might she not be exposed? She must s arrange matters that malice itself should find no cause for blame in her. Then she accused herself of too great a dread of conse- THE GREEN GATE. 161 quences. Of course she would deal frankly and openly with her mother ; in spite of her displeasure she would confess her love, and that no power on earth should force her to be false to it. Love demanded self-sacrifice, and it was hardly a sacri- fice to conquer her timidity sufficiently to devise means for an interview with the man in whom she reposed absolute confi- dence. And the interview would take place in the house of his mother, a woman universally esteemed, whom she should be proud to know and love. But how should she explain her desire for a lonely walk so long as would be necessary for the meeting ? What if she made a promise that she was unable to perform ? Suppose the Councillor's wife should not permit her to go out alone ? There were a thousand difficulties in her path. The more she pondered them, the more fanciful all her plans for disguising her intentions seemed to her. At last she decided that it would be impossible to accom- plish anything without Lilli's assistance. Surely she might tell her friend all, and make her her accomplice, as it were. To be sure, Lilli was not the wisest friend in the world, but she had been greatly interested in the Professor, and she was certainly falling in love with Mr. Fairfax. She would under- stand her and feel for her, and, above all, be silent. Yes, her friend should know her secret and assist her. She arose to look for Lilli in the garden. But as she unlocked her door she seemed to herself over-hasty. She would wait until the evening : by that time Xaver might have changed his mind and thought of another plan more easy of fulfilment. She seated herself at her desk, selected hei smallest sheet of note-paper, and, in case any word of mouth should be impossible with all the family present, she wrote, " I have had a letter from my mother, and she is coining to take me away upon a journey in a few days. But I shall be true to all eternity. I know that we must speak together, and that we have no moment here unobserved. To-morrow 14* 162 THE GREEN GATE. forenoon, then, at the appointed place, if I can succeed in arranging a means of getting there. If I do not come it will not be my fault. I am yery sorry, and very happy. God grant all may turn out well ! Forever your Katharina." She folded the note so small that she could easily conceal it in her hand, put it in her pocket, and then, taking the letter from her mother to Frau Wiesel in her hand, she went down to the drawing-room, where she knew she should find the lady of the house. Frau Barbara's note gave the Councillor's wife no cause for suspicion of any kind. " I am sorry," she said, " that we are to lose you so soon, and Lilli will be inconsolable. But I can- not wonder that your good mother wishes you to accompany her upon this journey, which she has been so long desirous of taking. I rather think she is pining to see Philip, and means to surprise him at Naples or Rome. Well, I congratulate you upon so delightful a pleasure-trip. Oh, if my husband would only consent to let me have our travelling-carriage packed too ! This terrible atmosphere will be my death." Her maid brought in a new gown which had just arrived from the most fashionable dress-maker in Berlin, and for a moment or two the lady luxuriated in fancy in displaying it at Wiesbaden. Then, bethinking herself again of Katrine, she said, " Is your wardrobe quite in order for the journey, my dear child ? People dress so much nowadays, and one doesn't like to be behind the fashion. Your mother writes that she shall spend barely a day here ; there will be no time to do anything then." It suddenly occurred to Katrine that here perhaps was an opening for her. She had thought of that, she replied, and she should like to add somewhat to her stock of laces and ribbons ; upon which Frau Wiesel declared that the carriage was quite at her service. Oh, what a long day it was ! The sun seemed resolved THE GREEN GATE. 163 never to leave the zenith ; no occupation sufficed to kill the time. Again and again Katrine held her watch to her ear, convinced that it had stopped. At last the streets began to grow gay with equipages and passers-by. The Councillor came home, and with him Mr. Fairfax. Dinner was over at length, and coffee was taken in the pavilion. One more hour must pass. " How restless you are to-day !" Lilli remarked. She was playing chess with the young Englishman, but her eyes were everywhere. " Sit down here by me, Katrine dear, and see me checkmate my adversary. How many more moves do you give him?" Katrine leaned over her and looked at the game. " Mr. Fairfax takes the greatest pains," she said, " to be beaten. You cannot avoid being victorious." " How mean of you !" Lilli exclaimed. " Mr. Fairfax really plays a much worse game than I do." And, as she spoke, she captured his last remaining castle. The Englishman smiled contentedly : he knew he was winning the only game he really cared for. Suddenly Lilli moved her chair, and so jostled the little table that the chess-men tumbled about upon it. " The Pro- fessor !" It was no news to Katharina, whose sharp eyes had already detected him making his way towards the house through the crowd of passers-by. But the Councillor's wife put up her eye-glass. " At last !" she said, in a tone of satis- faction ; "he has not forgotten us, then." Schonrade exchanged one hurried glance of intelligence with Katharina, and then kissed Frau WieseJ's hand with as easy a grace as if he had only taken leave of her on the pre- vious evening. " Do you call it well-behaved, ' ehe a&ktd, " to leave us as you did, without even letting us know towards what quarter of the globe we might send after you <>r w:'sues for a successful journey?" 164 THE GREEN GATE. " I hardly hoped I should be missed here," he replied. " I am greatly flattered by your reproof, madame." She held out her hand to him again. " Let it be of service to you, then." Katharina took her seat upon a low chair opposite him, a little behind the others, where she could now and then return his glance unobserved by the rest. To her surprise, he was easily induced to speak of his absence from Berlin ; but she soon saw his reason for this want of reserve. A friend had told him of a deposit of coal lately discovered in a part of the country where he thought any such deposit impossible. He had been greatly interested, and induced to interrupt his work for several days. As he had supposed, however, his journey was fruitless ; the coal proved to be only a remarkably hard species of peat. " But do you know, Fraulein Amberger," he said, turning to Katharina, " that my road led me past youi native town, and that out of regard for you solely, I assure you, out of regard for you I stopped two days there ?" Every one wanted to hear more, and he told all that he could, how he had accidentally met the riding-party, of the leap across the ditch, the supper at the mill, his row on the lake with Friiu- lein Sidonie Feinberg, at which point in his story Katharina showed signs of restlessness, and of his visit to the Hone- burg. Evidently he wished to inform Katharina of all these indifferent matters, that their future interview might not be occupied with such details. She understood him, and was grateful. The others were greatly entertained, especially with the account of the Hb'neburg and its latest possessor, which he related just as it had been told him by the old gardener, and which produced the effect of a romance. Of course he made no mention of either his mother or himself in the matter. Twilight set in before any one was aware of it. A walk in the garden was proposed, and the Councillor un- wittingly did the Professor a great favour by offering his arm THE GREEN GATE. 165 to his wife. Mr. Fairfax, of course, never left Lilli's side, and, as a matter of course, the Professor escorted Katharina. To be sure, the conversation among the party was to a degree gen- eral ; still, there was an opportunity now and then for a low question and reply, and, as Xaver and Katrine walked behind the others, they could saunter more slowly, and the Professor could press the little hand that lay upon his arm without fear of being observed. It was indeed a delightful evening. " And you will come ?" he whispered, when the conversation between the others was louder than usual. " I ought not," she answered, in as low a tone. " But you will come? My mother expects you." " Does she know ?" " She knows all." Frau Wiesel asked a question of the Professor, and they were interrupted. Xaver took Katrine's hand, and she slipped into his her note. " It will tell you all," she whispered. " Thanks, a thousand thanks !" " And your mother lives ?" He gave her the number of the house. It was high time that this important communication should be made, for the Councillor's wife now complained of the nar- rowness of the paths, that forbade more than two people to walk abreast, and, to remedy this, proposed a change, setting the example by leaving her husband's arm, and waiting for the Professor, who disguised as best he could his dissatisfac- tion with this new arrangement. Wiesel, of course, offered his arm to Katharina, and this degree of change appeared en- tirely to satisfy Mr. Fairfax and Lilli, who were by this time arm-in-arm, Lilli not at all sorry to demonstrate thus to the Professor the hopelessness of his passion. Thus they remained until they all repaired to the supper- table. The Councillor's wife had uttered all her choicest com- monplaces, selected from her beloved romances, about life and 166 THE GREEN GATE. the world, and, feeling that she had been excessively interest- ing, applied herself to her supper with an excellent appetite. Wiesel could not but remark this. " I shall have to engage you for my family physician, Herr Professor,'' he said, with a sly glance at his wife. " Doctor though I am," said Schonrade, not understanding immediately, " I am, as you know, no physician." " Your medicines are purely sympathetic," his stout host continued, facetiously. " See how they suit my wife. For some days she has lived solely upon lemonade." " That is of no consequence," his wife remarked, with a languid smile that was meant to convey a great deal to the Professor. It was provoking to have Wiesel joking so at her expense ; but she was not sorry that Schonrade should thus learn what his society was to her. " If I am really fortunate enough to be of service to madame without any merit of my own," the Professor said, gallantly, " I am doubly sorry that my daily visits here are almost at an end." " You are going to deny us the pleasure of seeing you thus regularly?" asked the lady, rather surprised at this unexpected turn of affairs. " I am the greatest sufferer," he continued, in the same tone ; " but there are duties "Duties?" Lilli blushed, and glanced timidly at Mr. Fairfax, her next neighbour. " Duties, madame," the Professor continued, " which cer- tainly do not add to the charm of existence, but which, if neg- lected, revenge themselves as certainly. For several weeka past I have not been as diluent as I should be, and the pub- lisher who has announced my book for this autumn is growing very urgent. If I am to keep my promise to him, I must omit some of niy walks during the next month or two." He wished THE GREEN GATE. 167 to pave the way for the cessation of his visits after Katrine's departure. Lilli supposed he was devising a fitting pretext for withdrawing, but entertained her own views as to the cause of this withdrawal on his part. She gave a little nod to Katharina, who would understand it all too, she thought. "Why, we shall be lonely indeed," said the Councillor's wife. " Do you know that Fraulein Amberger wants to leave us too ?" "Must leave you," Katharina corrected her. " My mother writes me that she wishes to travel for awhile, and that I am to accompany her. Perhaps she may be here by to-morrow evening." This was for Schonrade's information. " You will enjoy yourself greatly, and never miss us," said Frau Wiesel. " And whither do you go ?" the Professor asked. " I think mamma hardly knows that yet herself. She sel- dom makes any plan of travel, but follows the inclination of the hour. She enjoys travel more in anticipation than in reality, I think. She is used to the regularity and order of a home-life, and she soon wearies of railway-carriages and hotels and longs for her own peaceful rooms. I foresee that our present journey will not be a long one : we shall soon turn our faces homeward." This plausible declaration would, she thought, forestall any future expression of surprise if the journey with her mother should, as she suspected it would, come to a speedy termination. " By the way, I am forgetting to tell you what your story of the Honeburg reminded me of," exclaimed the Councillor, when there was a pause in the conversation. " You spoke of a Count von Gleichenau. Do you know that there is a gen- tleman of that name in Berlin at the present time ?" Schonrade listened attentively. This might be important news for him. " Perhaps not the one you spoke of," Wiesel continued. 168 THE GREEN GATE. " My physician mentioned paying frequent visits to a Count Gleichenau staying here with his son, who is ill, and whom his father is moving heaven and earth to keep alive." " If I am not mistaken," the Professor remarked, evasively, rf" there are several noble families of that name in Germany. It would be of small consequence, either, even if the man so strangely connected with the old romance I have told you should really be in Berlin, since we do not know where to find the young Baron Hbneburg. And, besides, who knows whether the old hermit of the ruin was not, after all, amusing himself at my expense ?" He was sorry to have told the story and mentioned the Count's name. He certainly had not reck- oned upon his sudden appearance on the stage. The party broke up late in the evening. The lovers were obliged to content themselves with a slight pressure of hands ; but Xaver had no need of even this to assure him of his Ka- trine's fidelity, and he had in his pocket her letter, containing, as she had told him, a consent to his wishes. He took a long walk in the Thiergarten before returning to his tods-ings. CHAPTER XII. As Lilli was undressing, she heard a knock at her door. " Is it you?" she asked, knowing that it must be Katrine. " Let me in," was heard in a whisper ; " I want to speak to you." The bolt was withdrawn. " Oh, this is delightful !" said Lilli, embracing her friend. " Shall we put out the light?" " If you like. It is bright moonlight." " Oh, magnificent moonlight !" She. extinguished the candle THE GREEN GATE. 169 and opened the window-shutters. " Come here and take this big arm-chair, and I will sit on this little one at your feet. There, now what have you to tell me?" " Can you keep a secret, Lilli ?" " I can be silent as the grave." She laid her hand on her heart, and nestled close to her friend. " This is a very important secret, my child." " So much the better, dear, so much the better." " And our friendship would be destroyed forever if you should ever betray to any living creature " " You need say no more : you know I never tell anything." " Not to your mother, nor Mr. Fairfax." " Mr. Fairfax, indeed ! It's likely I should speak of such things to him !" " You soon may. Promise me " " I promise yes, yes I promise !" She was too impa- tient even to wait to know what it was she must promise so solemnly. Katrine leaned towards her, and whispered in her ear, " I am betrothed, dear." Lilli started. "You are betrothed? I don't believe it." " Privately." " To whom ? to whom ?" " To Professor Schonrade." An earthquake could hardly have produced a more startling effect than did the utterance of this name. Lilli sprang up, overthrew the little chair upon which she had been sitting, and stood in her white night-dress, tall and slender in the moon- light, like a ghost. She seemed actually terrified. "To ?" she ejaculated, in what was little more than a whisper. For the moment she could not pronounce the name. " Certainly it is nothing so very dreadful," her friend said, soothingly, startled in her turn. " You do not love the Pro- fessor." H 15 170 THE GREEN GATE. " No, no ! I do not love him ! I hate him now !" Lilli ex- claimed. " Because he loves me ?" " No, no ! because I imagined because I told you " She covered her face with her hands, and hid it on Katrine's shoulder. " Oh, never trouble yourself about that," Katharina reas- sured her. " You conducted yourself with such perfect pro- priety that the Professor never suspected your preference for him. You ought to be very glad, dear, that I did as you begged me, and diverted his attentions from you, for your heart is now " " Oh, don't say anything about that !" Lilli pouted ; " you have deceived me, and it is very vexatious to have taken such pains for nothing." " You would have liked to repulse the poor Professor, and to see him waste away in despair." " Oh, men don't waste away in despair. Who knows but what, if he really had " Oh, are you jealous? But the mischief is done now." " Yes, it can't be helped, and I must endure with heroism. Oh, you traitors ! But now tell me confess explain how could it all come about and I know nothing of it?" She pushed the low chair nearer to her friend than before, and seated herself again. " Are you entirely reconciled ?" " I must be. Tell me all, begin !" Not until the placid moon had sunk behind the trees did Katrine slip off on tiptoe to her own room, where she soon slept calmly, for a plan of operations had been arranged, which the next day was to see carried into effect. Lilli had shown herself even more skilful in devices for assisting the lovers than Katrine had expected, although, as she gave her friend a last good-night kiss, she solemnly declared that she would never look upon the Professor again. THE GREEN GATE. 171 The Couvicillor's wife had finished her breakfast the next morning when the young girls entered the breakfast-room. Katrine soon left it to write a few lines to her brother, and Lilli made use of her absence to carry out the plan formed the night before. She wished, she said, before her friend left her, to present her with some token of her affection, and, as Katrine had mentioned that she was going to spend the morning in shopping, she proposed to accompany her, and discover what gift would be most agreeable to her. Her mother thought it an excellent idea. " And then I need not leave the house to- day," she said ; " I had meant to accompany Katrine in the carriage, but really I feel so languid and exhausted that it is a great relief to have you go in my place. Buy her something very pretty, she is a dear child." The simple plot was en- tirely successful. A little after eleven the two girls were driven from home, Lilli in most exuberant spirits, Katrine very grave and silent, to a large shop which possessed the double advantage of being very near the house occupied by Camilla Bellarota and of opening upon a parallel street at the back of the salesroom. " You can leave me and pass directly into the back street," Lilli instructed her friend, " as soon as we have asked to see the laces. I will linger here as long as possible, and then drive to the other shops, mentioning to the footman that your busi- ness here is not yet concluded, and that I am to return for you ; so you will have plenty of time to pay your visit to Madame Bellarota. Don't hurry too much, dearest Katrine, you shall have a whole long hour. My regards to your Pro- fessor, and tell him that he is a most objectionable person, to induce young girls to disobey their mothers." The plot was ajj eminent success. Katharina was admitted by Madame Bellarota's old servant, and conducted to the little drawing-room, where the Professor received her and presented her to his mother. Camilla held out both hands to her, and 172 THE GREEN GATE. kissed her on either cheek. " What a beautiful woman !" thought Katharina. Immediately upon his return to Berlin, Schonrade had con- fided his love to his mother. He would have done so even had he not felt the need of her assistance, for he could not endure the thought of reserve in such a matter with a mother who had always been to him so tender and devoted. Camilla was surprised, is not every mother surprised when her son comes to her with a confession of his love for another ? and perhaps if the course of his love had run smoothly her old antipathy to everything connected with Katrine's birth- place would have aroused her antagonism. But that his suit had been denied by the merchant kinsfolk of his love, a suit that her maternal pride prompted her to feel conferred honour where it was proffered, produced an effect upon her mind most favourable to her son's wishes. She instantly enlisted herself upon the side of the young people against Frau Barbara and Moritz Amberger, was indignant at the narrow- mindedness and cold hearts of "those trades-people," and evinced the liveliest interest in the girl upon whose steadfast fidelity in the face of all opposition Xaver placed such im- plicit reliance. He had a warm partisan in his mother. She knew nothing as yet of his experiences at the Hone- burg. He would taste the delight of presenting these two, dearer to him than all else in the world, to each other before any awakened memories of old sad days should have cast a gloom over his mother's mind and aroused her passionate re- grets. Let her think that he was occupied solely, as he was chiefly, with his wooing in that old town, and she could for the present look back with equanimity upon his visit there, in view of which her thoughts had been filled with such sad forebodings. His course in the future should be guided by circumstances. Camilla was all gentleness and amiability. The charm of her THE GREEN GATE. 173 manner, her caressing kindness, soon placed Katrine entirely at her ease, and called forth her son's grateful glances. There was only one cause for discontent on his part, he was not left alone with his Katrine for a single instant; to be sure he could take her hand, draw off her glove, and imprint kiss after kiss upon her little rosy palm, but here were two people pledged to each other for life whose lips had never once met to seal the bond between them. The time was limited, too limited to allow of any range of topics of conversation. Xaver reported every particular of his interviews with Frau Barbara and Moritz, and felt it his duty to inform Katrine of her brother's views with regard to Otto Feinberg. " I do not believe," he said, " that Moritz likes the man ; he certainly has no real friendship for him, but he is weak, and seems to be entirely influenced by these business associates of his, to whom he is under certain obliga- tions. His relations with Sidonie seeru to me most unfortu- nate, although in the interests of his business he is disposed to make every concession to her. I think he will be greatly to be pitied if he ever marries her, for the entire happiness of his life will be sacrificed by such a union ; and yet it would be the best thing that could happen for us, for Ignaz Feinberg would be obliged to stand by his son-in-law, what- ever his brother Otto might say. If, on the contrary, any- thing should occur to sever the connection between Moritz and Sidonie, Otto Feinberg would be your brother's last hope, and he would do everything in his power to make you yield to his wishes. You shake your head, dearest Katrine. I know that all his efforts would be vain, but, depend upon it, Moritz would present the matter to you under aspects that might cause you many a hard struggle. Least to be dreaded in the case will be the loss of your property. In addition, he will probably tell you that the hostility of the Feinbergs will bring ruin upon the ancient house of Amberger, and this con- 15* 174 THE GREEN GATE. sideration will induce your mother, who at present has no liking for these parvenus, to join her voice to your brother's in entreating you to sacrifice for their sakes your own inclina- tions. I dare not conceal this from you, and you must judge yourself whether your heart is brave enough to endure the struggle, and whether its sufferings will not be too intense even in victory." Katharina looked gravely at Camilla, who was eagerly awaiting her answer. " I will never be Otto Feinberg's wife," she said, after a pause, in a low tone, as entirely devoid of passionate inflection as it was of faltering or indecision ; " and I will love you while life lasts. God grant I may be yours one day !" " Your being so," he replied, " depends upon yourself alone." She looked at him with eyes full of fervent affection, and slowly shook her head. " Not upon myself alone. My heart is free to choose, and will always insist upon its rights, but I will never stand before the altar without my mother's bless- ing. I came resolved to tell you this. If you love me, never try to make me false to this duty." " I will do all that I can," he replied, perhaps not altogether satisfied, " to win her consent. But if she persists in her opposition, if neither prayers nor argument can move her " Katharina laid her hand upon his arm. " Do not let us think of that to-day. Let us believe, as you wrote me, that everything will come right in the end. I will bind myself by no promise that could offend my conscience ; and I will not force a decision which is unnecessary at present, and which might grieve you. Trust me, I desire nothing more fervently than to be yours ; and in resigning such happiness I should be the greatest sufferer. Indeed, you may trust me." " Right, right, dear child !" Camilla exclaimed, embracing her. " Xaver is my only son, and dear to me, Heaven knows, THE GREEN GATE. 175 as son can be to mother. I hold him incapable of an un- worthy act, and yet Whoever has once built up the fabric of life upon what has seemed steadfast rock, and felt it crumble like sand beneath the foot, can never counsel rash or daring measures, but will rather urge the claims of prudence and duty. No, no ! Do nothing rash, Xaver, nothing that can cause yourself or this dear child a future pang of remorse. Promise me this !" " Katrine does not, cannot understand you, mother," he said, half in reproof ; " do not disquiet her unnecessarily." " You are right," she said, controlling herself. " You can neither of you understand or know what wretchedness I pre- pared for myself by ruthlessly following where passion led. I will not sadden your hearts with my woes, my children. I will not say a word to shake your firm faith in each other ; but the chosen of my son shall know that his mother feels as she does. If my mother had been living, perhaps " She did not finish the sentence, but turned to Katrine and kissed her forehead. " Enough, enough !" she said, checking her- self; " every trial repeats itself in this world ; and yet the re- verse is true also, that the same experience never occurs twice." Then, extending her hand across the table to her son, she said, " You are honest and true, Xaver. He is the best son in the world, dear Katharina, the very best. And a good son will be a good husband. I can testify to his noble nature " " Mother ! mother !" he interrupted her eulogium. " Your mother, my son," she went on, " has a right to speak thus, and your love may listen. It is only because they do not know you that the Ambergers do not receive you with open arms. The time will come when they will be proud to count you among them, and Katrine will be envied " " Dearest mother, indeed this is more than enough," he in- terrupted again, with a laugh. " In a few moments more you 176 THE GREEN GATE. will have them all at my feet begging my pardon for not appreciating me. No, no, that is the least of our troubles. There are great material interests in the way of our happiness, and my chief care must be to remove these obstacles, if pos- sible. If I succeed here, they will all find me quite charm- ing, although Frau Barbara Amberger will hardly emulate my dear mother's enthusiasm." The beautiful woman nodded gently in assent. The dark fire in her eyes glowed still, but more calmly. Katrine looked at her in admiration, and whispered, " Give me a little of the love you bestow upon him." " But what can you do," Camilla asked her son, " except show them what you are ? If you wait until your books and lectures make a Croesus of you, Katharina's heart may well be sick with hope deferred." " I will try to influence them in another way," he replied. " I have lately discovered several clues that may. if followed out, lead to very unexpected results. In science we often thus accidentally come upon something which signifies little in itself, but, in connection with other facts, reveals some im- portant truth." " Do not speak in riddles," said his mother. " I must for the present," he answered, " for I am not yet clear in my own mind. But I rely upon my dear mother's support." "What? Upon my support ?" she asked, surprised. "Am I to go upon the stage again to make a fortune for you ? My voice might still find favour, it is true, but what am I to do with this old face of mine?" " Oh, no," he said. " When I think of all I have cost you, I see what wonders you have already accomplished. We will consult together some other time upon this matter. The prin- cipal point to be discussed at present is how to arrange a cor- respondence between Katrine and myself when we are apart THE GREEN GATE. 177 from each other. I think even my stern and strict mamma will admit that we ought to be able to establish a confidential correspondence between us." " Yes, lovers must write to each other," she replied, " or they pine in despair." " I can tell how it may be safely arranged," Katrine ob- served, glad of this important concession. " Quick, quick ! what is it?" Xaver said, kissing the little hand he held in his. " Lilli Wiesel is my devoted friend. I have told her all, and am sure I can rely upon her silence and assistance. We owe it to her that I am here now without being missed from her home. My mother will think it very natural that I should write to her from time to time, and I can easily slip an en- closure to you into my letters. She will contrive that you receive it." " Admirable !" he exclaimed. " But why from time to time only? It seems to me it will be very cold-hearted to refrain from a constant interchange of letters. And can I too rely upon her for my messenger? In that case I shall take delight in still devoting a portion of my time to visiting at the villa. Lilli is a charming girl." "Have you just found that out?" she asked. Of course he could not divine her thoughts as she put the question. The hour allowed Katrine fled all too swiftly. She started up as she heard the clock strike in the adjoining room. " Good Heavens, it is time I were away !" she cried. " I must not get Lilli into trouble ! Good-bye !" She embraced Camilla, and leaned her head for a moment upon her breast. " My dear good child," Camilla repeated, caressingly, several times, as she stroked her cheek, " I have been very inhospi- table, I'm afraid. I have given you nothing to eat, for fear of interrupting you. The next time when you come to me you shall be better treated." H* 178 THE GREEN GATE. 11 With lemonade and cake," laughed Xaver. " Quite enough to sustain you in Katrine's society," she retorted. " And now, children, I am going to look put of the window for one minute, only one." She turned away, and walked towards the other end of the room. Xaver threw his arm around Katrine's waist, drew her lithe figure towards him, and pressed a first lingering kiss upon the lips that did not shun his own. " Mine forever !" he said, and her happy but tearful eyes replied, " Amen." " Now, go," said Frau Camilla, turning towards them, and, taking Katrine's hand, she conducted her to the door. " Stay where you are," she said to the Professor, who would have followed them. " You ought to be satisfied." He patiently obeyed. The same evening an important event occurred at the villa. Mr. Fairfax presented himself with Lilli upon his arm, be- fore her father and mother, and implored their blessing. "Are you surprised at my betrothal?" Lilli whispered in Katrine's ear as they separated for the night. CHAPTER XIII. IT cost Frau Barbara Amberger a very considerable effort to resolve upon this journey. And yet to resolve was not, after all, the difficult part, for her ideas of maternal duty left her no choice in the matter, but, with her domestic habits, it was hard to leave her home. At first she thought of snatching Katrine away from Berlin, if possible, before the Professor could contrive to see her again ; but so hasty a departure from home was hardly possible ; the letter announcing her in- THE GREEN GATE. 179 tention was dispatched, and then several more days were spent in preparations for the journey. She discussed the subject with Moritz, whom she found in a very strange and cross humour about it. He sneered quite offensively at all her objections to the marriage, and spoke of the Professor as if no more desirable son-in-law could be imagined, and yet he went on to say that the thing was im- possible, not to be thought of, and that he had prevented any renewal of the suit, without stating why he disapproved of the suitor. Naturally enough. He knew he should have to encounter from his mother objections to his own plans. The time was not ripe for their disclosure. But this was not all that made him irritable and sulky. His tete-d-tete with Schb'nrade had produced an effect that he could not away with. The truth had been told him for once, and that not by a man upon whom he could look down, but by one whom he was obliged to respect as his superior, and, what was worse, who was in the right. The Professor was right. Disguise it as he might, he was playing a base part towards his only sister, for whom he had a genuine fraternal affection, and he was wronging himself, even while acting only from self-interest. He had tried his best to shut his eyes as long as he could to all that was humiliating to himself in his connection with the Feinbergs ; he could do so no longer, since it had been immediately manifest to an entire stranger. Ignaz Feinberg treated him like a child, used him, and tossed him asMe ; Otto Feinberg was a coarse fellow, who stooped to transactions in business that even his brother would scarcely undertake ; and Sidonie did not think it in the least worth her while to consider his claims upon her when it suited her to ignore them ; she endured him only so long as he made no assertion of his rights. He laged inwardly as he plainly admitted all this to himself. He had serious thoughts of calling " these insolent upstarts" to a reckoning, of demanding that Ignaz 180 THE GREEN GATE, Feinberg should balance certain accounts between them, and of taking Sidonie to task for her treatment of him ; but any step in this direction was sure to turn out a disastrous one for him, and he persisted in the inaction for which he despised himself, until his life grew almost unendurable. And to crown all, there came a letter from Philip, -that was by no means welcome in the present state of affairs. Philip, who was wont to be the most economical of men, suddenly de- clared himself in want of considerable sums of money. He talked of purchases and orders to the amount of thousands, of removing and sending to Germany the entire wainscoting of a room in Florence, and more nonsense of the same kind. Philip doubtless supposed himself fully justified in his de- mands, but Moritz had disposed of all the available means of the firm, and could not raise the sum he asked for with- out drawing upon Feinberg. Of course his draft would be honoured, but it was wretched to place himself under such an obligation. He had never felt so utterly weak and dependent. A few days after the Professor's departure, Madame Fein- berg surprised him by the intelligence that she was going with her daughter to Berlin to pass some time there. In summer ? it seemed strange. A visit to some watering-place might be desirable, but to go voluntarily in warm weather to a large city, he begged to know their reasons for the plan. " I like what is odd," Sidonie replied, with a shrug. " Any fool can find amusement in Berlin in autumn or winter, I want to see how a large city looks when no one is at home. I like to play the country-girl come to town to see the sights, to visit museums and galleries, catalogue in hand, to stare at the strange beasts in the aquarium and zoological gardens, and to give the droschky-drivers something to do. Why should I not? Often as I have been to Berlin, I have seen very little of it." Moritz thought any further discussion entirely superfluous. THE GREEN GATE. 181 His private opinion could not be publicly expressed ; but he would have given a deal to be able quietly to remark that Pro- fessor Schonrade was privately betrothed to his sister Katrine. To see the face with which this intelligence would be received would have indemnified him for all he had suffered. What a trump card it would have been ! He thought of Katrine, and swallowed his vexation. Madame Amberger could hardly believe her eyes when, upon driving to the railroad-depot from her home, she found the Feiubergs, mother and daughter, already descended from their coupe and about to enter a railway-carriage. She had not neglected to pay them a farewell visit, but had received no intimation of this project of theirs. " A sudden resolve, my dear," Madame Feinberg explained. " You know Sidonie hates long preparations." " Quite a surprise for Moritz," said Frau Barbara, rather tartly. " Oh, he knows we are going, and will not, I trust, allow us to leave without coming to bid us good-bye. There he is ! rather late, to be sure. He has paid Sidonie but scant atten- tion for some time, it seems to me : it is well that he should miss her for awhile. Will you get in with us, my dear ? we have taken the whole carriage, so as not to be annoyed by intruders ; pray " " I thank you, no," Frau Barbara replied, coldly. " My maid has arranged my place in the next carriage." And she bowed and passed on. " We shall see each other in Berlin," Frau Feinberg called after her, and Sidonie settled herself in her place as Moritz came up. He passed them with a bow, and went to see that his mother's arrangements were completed, returning as the signal for departure was given, to exchange a few indifferent words with his future mother-in-law, as she looked out of the carriage- 16 182 THE GREEN GATE. window. Sidonie was leaning back in a corner, selecting a cigarette from a package of them which she had taken from her travelling-bag. She nodded carelessly as Moritz bade her a rather formal adieu. ." Do not forget to give my regards to Professor Schb'nrade," he could not help calling in at the window after the train was in motion. Thus it happened that Madame Amberger and Madame Feinberg, with her daughter, paid their fii-st visit at the Coun- cillor's villa upon the same forenoon. Frau Wiesel received them with all due courtesy, only lamenting that they could not make their home while in Berlin at her house. To tell the truth, the household had been rather agitated by a sur- prising event Lilli's betrothal. Mr. Fairfax was forthwith presented and congratulated, and Lilli was kissed again. Naturally enough, the young couple were the chief objects of interest, and Katrine could retire to the background, to her great content. She had never liked Sidonie. Not because of any influ- ence exerted upon her by Frau Barbara, for that good lady felt it inconsistent with her maternal duty to give utterance to any criticism of her son's betrothed ; but it had required only a very short acquaintance with her future sister-in-law to convince Katharina that the greatest caution was necessary in her intercourse with her. She had no taste for Sidonie's masculine airs and affectations ; she was disgusted by her coquetry, and she thought her deceitful, if not absolutely false-hearted. It was an entirely superfluous precaution on Frau Barbara's part to remove her daughter from the influence of such an example ; there was not the slightest sympathy between the two girls. In the beginning of their acquaint- ance Sidonie had affected a passionate attachment for Katrine, which had cooled almost instantaneously, and she was only deterred from openly sneering at her by a degree of haughty THE GREEN GATE. 183 dignity in Katrine's bearing. Since then there had been just as much courtesy exchanged between the two astne fact that they were future sisters-in-law required, and no more. Meeting now as they did, beneath a strange roof, the inter- change of a few remarks was unavoidable. " People are so tiresome when they are just betrothed," said Sidonie, taking a seat by Katharina's side. " You must be glad you are to have no more of them." " I like to be alone," Katrine replied, " and therefore such happy young people never tire me. It is delightful to see Lilli so happy and her father and mother so satisfied." Sidouie replied, " ' Ah, might they ever verdant prove!' I should thiuk life in England would be very tiresome." " That depends upon what one expects." " What a philosopher you are ! Have you learned all this wisdom in Berlin ?" " One need hardly come so far from home to learn so much ;" and then, changing the subject, Katrine asked, by way of something to say, " Shall you make a long stay here ?" " Long enough to see if I too cannot learn something here," Sidonie replied. " It has seemed to me lately that I know very little of a great many things that are worth knowing. A few private lessons could do me no harm." " What do you mean ?" " What do I mean ? Why, just what I say. A very clever Professor dined with us lately, why, you must know him : he visits here, Professor Schbnrade." Katharina felt a sudden sinking of the heart ; she remem- bered the evening sail upon the mill-pond, of which Xaver had told her. She flushed, and then grew pale. She could not have told why she so detested to hear Sidonie speak of him, but she would have liked to get up and run away, to put an end to the conversation. Sidonie observed her change of colour. "Oh," she said, 184 THE GREEN GATE. "you seem to take an interest in him; and no wonder: he is the most interesting man I have ever met, and I do not deny that it is partly on his account that I wish to spend some weeks here. He condescends to initiate certain young ladies into the mysteries of science, and he shall find me an apt pupil, if he will consent to be my teacher." " So far as I know, he is occupied at present in writing a book ; at least, I think he made that an excuse the other day for not coming here so often as heretofore. You must con- side, Sidonie, that any interruption of his work at present can hardly be welcome to him." Sidonie tapped her lightly on the shoulder with the ivory head of her parasol. " How careful you are for the poor Pro- fessor ! But I understand all this. Nothing is more welcome to these learned scholars than to be gently obliged to shut up their books and beguile their time in ladies' society. Oh, the Professor is a man of the world, however he may con- sider it his duty to knit his brows upon his students in the lecture-room ; no one knows him who has not seen him at a dinner-party. I will lure him from his retirement ; he must dine with us, drive with us, show us the eights of Berlin ; and he shall have time and opportunity to expatiate upon the prop- erties of the surface of the globe upon which we saunter, or upon the nature of the fixed stars that shine above us on these lovely summer nights. It will be delightful !" Sidonie would probably have said all this even if she had known of the pain she was causing ; but Katrine could not at present accuse her of malicious intent. What could have occurred to justify her in speaking thus of Schb'nrade, in forming such expectations for the future ? For a moment she was startled into wondering if Xaver had been dazzled and misled at first AVhat folly ! It was impossible. She knew Sidonie, and had often been a witness of her arts to attract every stranger. Xaver was quite innocent ; and yet THE ORE EN GATE. 185 this much was certain : Sidonie had come to Berlin on his account, and would do all that she could to entangle him in her net, whether she thought it worth while to keep him there or not. The Professor would be frequently thrown into her society, while Katrine herself must be far from him, travelling about with her mother, who hoped thus to estrange him fiom her. Had she anything to fear from Sidonie ? She could not tell. There were those who praised her beauty, admired her eccentric style of dress, thought her manners at- tractive and her wit brilliant. And Xaver ? How had he ever loved herself, if he could find any attraction in her opposite ? No, she had nothing to fear from Sidonie, although she could not feel quite easy in thinking of her. Madame Feinberg arose to take her leave. Sidonie was quite ready to accompany her : Katrine was not entertaining ; her thoughts were evidently elsewhere. Frau Wiesel begged them to repeat their visit often, and, before they had reached the garden-gate, made various critical remarks with regard to them, which were not at all interrupted by the gracious nod she gave them as they drove off. " Frau Feinberg would be a dear creature," she said, " if she only had a little more cul- ture. She is a good soul, but very weak where her daughter is concerned. I suppose Sidonie rules the whole household at home, everything she says is regarded as oracular. What a pity it is to spoil a child so ! She is not in the least like a young girl, but really conducts herself like a woman of the world. I should be very sorry to see Lilli dressed so, either, all to produce a startling effect. It is well they are so rich, or her husband would have a hard time of it." Frau Barbara Amberger could have subscribed to every word of this, but she replied only by a half-smothered sigh and a troubled face. The Councillor's wife understood these mute signs, and began to trumpet forth Katharina's praises. " The dear, good, modest, unaffected, sweet-tempered child had stolen 16* 186 THE GREEN GATE. her heart, and as for Lilli, she doted on her. She could not bear the idea of losing her so soon." Frau Barbara might perhaps have enjoyed this culogium more thoroughly if she had not been aware of the fact, of which Frau Wiesel was fortunately profoundly ignorant, that the " dear, good, modest child" was at present entangled in a love-affair, and deserved a severe reproof, which her mother was prepared to administer as soon as she could see her alone. She wished to take her back with her to the hotel and leave Berlin that very afternoon, but this the Councillor's wife would not hear of. So sudden a departure would really offend her. Lilli's betrothal was to be celebrated the next day, or the day following that, by as large an assemblage of friends as could be gathered together at so unpropitious a season, and the entire evening would be spoiled for the dear child if Katrine, her best friend, her confidante in the whole affair, were absent. Lilli added her entreaties, and Mr. Fairfax prof- fered the same request for Friiulein Katharina's presence on the happy occasion. Frau Amberger was prevailed upon to consent in spite of herself, and to permit Katrine to continue in her present abode until their departure. Of course luvr mother must consider the villa as her real home in Berlin, and only the nights were to be passed at the hotel. " I hope to persuade my husband," Frau Wiesel concluded, " to take me to Wiesbaden after the betrothal celebration, for the sake of my health, which has been very poor lately. Why not go with us, my dear Frau Amberger, and take a course of the waters to prepare yourself for your journey to Italy, I suppose ? We have hired an entire house there, and I shall be delighted to let you have some rooms in it." Frau Barbara thanked her kindly, but could not so prolong her absence from home. Katrine was by no means pleased with the prospect of this trip to Wiesbaden. What was to become of her fine plan for carrying on a correspondence with Xaver through Lilli ? THE GREEN GATE. 187 Perhaps he would not even be reminded of her by a letter, while Sidonie would see and speak with him every day. She was sad and down-hearted, and would gladly have avoided all gayety. The day after his interview with Katrine, Professor Schb'n- rade paid his mother another visit, and found her most cheer- fully disposed. She had been very favourably impressed by Katrine's grace and loveliness, and her first words after her kiss of welcome were, " I cannot believe. Xaver, that Madame Amberger will withhold her consent long, after she sees how truly Katrine's heart is your own." " In fact, she is only acting like a prudent mother," he re- plied. " She does not know me as you know me, and may well doubt whether Katrine has sufficiently weighed all that in her estimation are very important considerations. If that were all, we could look forward with confidence to the future ; time would smooth away all difficulties. Unfortunately, how- ever, there are deep-rooted prejudices to be overcome, which we, indeed, from our point of view, may regard lightly, but which, nevertheless, are insurmountable obstacles in my path. The Ambergers are an old patrician family, and Frau Barbara is proud of her name." " I think Bellarota is hardly inferior to it in antiquity," Camilla observed, rearing her head haughtily. " It may be," he replied, with a shrug; " but you know we have no means of proving that to the world." " It is the truth !" she exclaimed. " My father was incapa- ble of falsehood, and he frequently referred to the antiquity and nobility of his name. You show but scant respect for your grandfather if you do not believe his word." " My belief in the matter is of very little consequence,'' he replied, calmly. " And you must certainly admit also that it is hardly an agreeable thing for me to be obliged to refer to my mother's ancestors for my name " 188 THE GREEN GATE. Her face grew dark. " You have every right to bear your father's name,'' she said, " and a name that would abundantly satisfy Frau Barbara Amberger. But I cannot bear it, I cannot." He did not answer immediately, but left her time to become familiarized with the thought that there must no longer be any secret between them. Then, taking her hand in his, and stroking it as if to beg her to be calm, he said, " Mother dear, I have always respected your desire that I should ask you nothing concerning your marriage and my birth. Chance has lately revealed to me all that I ought to know. I only need that you should simply admit certain facts " " Chance chance ?" she interrupted him, hurriedly. Her brow was moist from nervous agitation. He told her of his walk to the Honeburg, and of all that he had learned there, confining himself to a bare state- ment of the facts as he had gathered them. " Was it all so, mother?" he asked. " It was all as you have said," she replied, in a firm tone. II And the judgment you passed upon it, Xaver ?" " Do not ask me for it, mother." " But I do ask you. Was I right, or did I rob you when I deprived you of a name which brought me only pain and remorse ? No, my son, I obeyed the dictates of a mother's love. You were all that was left to me, and I could not be to you what I ought and wished to be if you daily and hourly re- minded me of the traitor who " " Mother," he gravely interrupted her, " remember you are speaking of my father !" " Oh, I loved him !" she exclaimed, and her eyes flashed fire. " I loved him as only a woman can love, and he be- trayed me. I have a right to sit in judgment upon him, and to condemn him." " I know how you have suffered," he said, soothingly, " and THE GREEN GATE. 189 I will do no violence to your feelings, mother. I will not try to excuse my father to you, for he offended you bitterly, wounded you to the very heart ; but do not forget " " From those letters, which should have been destroyed," she interrupted him, passionately, " you learned much of my misery ; but they could not tell you all. You know that we were happy, and that he threw away that happiness when it excluded him from the hope of securing to his name the pos- session of a newly-inherited estate ; but you do not know all that I had gone through to secure this happiness, which I fondly dreamed was for eternity, how I had destroyed, anni- hilated the hopes of others to pave the way No, no ! enough of that! I will not make you your mother's accuser, my son, and I have atoned for the wrong I inflicted. Oh, God ! I have atoned for it !" Xaver placed himself beside her, and put his arm around her. " Is it s