X TREE! \\- yarn Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES REMINGTONS NEW BOOKS, AT ALL LIBRARIES. GADDINGS WITH A PRIMITIVE PEOPLE. By W. A. BAILLIE GROHMAN, Author of "The Tyrol and the Tyrolese." 2 vols., 2i/. "Tyrol and the Tyrolese " is a book of quite unusual charm." Spectator. A BRITON ABROAD. By the Author of " Two Years Abaft the Mast." i vol., 7/6. SKETCHES OF RUSSIAN LIFE AND CUSTOMS MADE DURING A VISIT IN 1876-7 By SELWYN EYRE, i vol., 7/6. REMINGTON & CO., 5, Arundel Street, Strand, W.C. SACKED VOWS. E. WERNER. AUTHOR OF SUCCESS AND HOW HE WON IT," "UNDER A CHARM," "RIVEN BONDS," ETC. TRANSLATED BY BERTHA NESS. IN THREE YOLS. VOL. II. Jonbon : REMINGTON AND CO., 5, AHUNDKI. STRKKT, STRAND, W.C. 1878. [All h'mlii^ A' rr 1931 SACRED VOW8. va CHAPTER I. ONE of the great Catholic Church festivals was being celebrated in. the monastery, and as usual on such occasions, the magnificent large chapel became the centre and gathering place for all the devout people of the neigh- bourhood. The church's spacious aisles were barely able to accommodate the flocking crowds, and were densely packed. The Prelate, assisted by all the clergy of his monastery, VOL. II. B 13-1U&& SACKED VOWS. performed high mass himself to-day with all the churchly pomp and brilliancy suited to such an important feast-day. From without, the bright sunshine fell through the high arched windows, and the magnificent glass paintings shed purple and deep blue reflections upon the marble floor. Music swelled in full powerful chords from the choir and voices soared to the vaulted roof, while through it all could be heard the rustling of rich silken banners ; in the background the high altar glistened, illumined by a hundred wax lights, enveloped in clouds of incense, surmounted by a picture of the Crucifixion, and surrounded by a crowd of priests an unapproachable, consecrated sanctuary. Standing upon its steps, the Prelate cele- brated the holy office. This was indeed the SACEED VOWS. place where his influence was displayed to the fullest extent; something elevated lay in the proud, solemn dignity with which he performed all the prescribed ceremonies. Now he raised the host, and upon their knees fell high and low, bending their heads humbly to the ground ; only the priests remained erect, and looked down upon the prostrate crowd, bowing before the Holiest of Holies, although almost seeming as if bowing to them alone. Immediately beside the Prelate stood Benedict; he, too, did not wear the black garb of the Order to-day, but was, like all the rest, in full priestly vestments. The costly robes, richly embroidered and inter- woven with gold, added greatly and effectively to his appearance, which lost nothing by the pallor of his features, as SACEED VOWS. they shone forth beneath his dark, curly hair. Many an eye amongst those of the devout worshippers hung upon the young priest ; many a glance fastened itself admir- ingly upon him, but he gazed coldly and impassively upon the crowd. The ceremony in which he, too, took part appeared alone to occupy him. And yet his thoughts were far away from the high mass and consecrated building ; they sought a distant, quiet, lonely wood. Still denser rose the incense from the altar, still louder swelled the music from the choir, but amidst all these exultant tones re-echoed the soft, dream-like rippling of a brook. Out of clouds of incense peeped forth a rosy, childish face with long brown curls, and a pair of large blue eyes, looking tearfully and SACRED VOWS. alarmedly at him. The priest's lips quivered ; he wrenched himself away from these pictures which surrounded him day and night, which now even would not leave him at peace before the altar ; was he not a monk, and were not these pictures a sin ! The other priests appeared to be less con- scientious as regarded the sanctity of the time and place ; long use had blunted their feelings. It is true they preserved all out- ward decorum, but as the music, recom- mencing its fullest tones overpowered any softer sounds, and the ceremonies now taking place did not demand their attention so exclusively, many a lip moved, and low, almost inaudible remarks passed to and fro amongst them. These most reverend gentle- men had long become accustomed to this style SACRED VOWS. . of conversation, of which of course those in the church perceived nothing. " Benedict looks splendid to-day ! " whis- pered Pater Eusebius to the Prior standing by his side. " In his simple black robe one would never believe that he could look thus. His appearance does credit to the whole monastery ! " " He would do more credit to a uniform ! " replied the Prior, spitefully, but in an equally subdued voice, while his glance flew across to the prie-dieu chairs of the Rhanecks, where the son's epaulettes glittered next to those of the father. " Why not, indeed ! " murmured Eusebius. " And see, too, how Count Ehaneck looks at him ; it seems to me that he sees nothing of the sacred service save that one figure ! But SACRED VOWS. the Count's face is singularly grave and sombre to-day ; don't you think so ? " The same repulsive smile quivered again upon the Prior's lips, as at the same time he bowed low, and folded his hands in the orthodox manner. " His lordship, the Count, would perhaps prefer to have Pater Benedict as his heir on his right hand, and to see Count Ottfried at the altar instead ! " " Folly ! " whispered Eusebius, copying the Prior's manner. " Do you then believe certain dark reports ? " " I only believe my own eyes, and they see pretty sharply. Beware, too, lest such re- ports reach Benedict's ears; he is overbearing enough already, and if " The Prelate's loud, full-toned voice in- 8 SACKED VOWS. terrupted him ; he spoke the blessing. Both priests became silent; death-like stillness reigned in the whole assembly. High mass was over, the crowd pushed towards the church doors, and the more dis- tinguished hearers and spectators rose from their seats, while the Prelate retired with all his clergy. In. the equally empty sacristy, Benedict leaned against the window ; he still wore his priestly robe, and did not appear to think of laying it aside. Sup- porting his head on his hand, he looked out into the sunny world away towards the mountains rising distantly in all their majesty ; a side door was opened, and the Prior entered. " What, Pater Benedict, still in your vest- ments ? " asked he, sharply. " The mass has SACEED VOWS. long been ended ; why do you not take off your robes ? " "I had forgotten them. I will immedi- ately" Benedict moved as if to retire, but the Prior withheld him " You sought an interview with the Prelate just now?" "Yes!" " And to-day, too, when all are so much occupied? Your need seems to be very r urgent." " Does it interest your Reverence ? " asked the young priest, quietly. The Prior looked down at Benedict with all the haughty arrogance of a superior " You seem to forget that I am the medi- ator between the Abbot and clergy of the 10 SACEED VOWS. monastery," said he, severely. "It is most unseemly that any one should overlook me, and appeal personally to his Grace. " " I did not look upon the rule as a com- mand !" explained Benedict, composedly; " nor does the Prelate seem to take that view either, as he immediately granted my request. Your Reverence need not be concerned about the audience ; it merely touches my private affairs, and not any others." The tone of the last words was so peculiar that the Prior's attention was aroused. "What do you mean by that?" asked he, still more sternly ; but a quick, scrutinising glance was cast over the young monk's features. " I mean monastical affairs ; for instance, information about the deficiency of a portion SACEED VOWS. 11 of the conventual money, which the Prelate wishes for urgently, and cannot obtain be- cause the collector of rents has kept his books in an irregular, negligent manner." Sudden pallor suffused the Prior's face ; his piercing eyes were fixed watchfully on Benedict. " And are you, perhaps, able to give him this information ? " " Not the information itself, but certainly a hint as to where it might be procured. Your Reverence may recollect that shortly before the collector's dismissal, he suddenly became seriously ill. You, the sole adviser of his conscience, were just then absent, and I was called to confess him." The pallor on the Prior's face had become more livid. 12 SACRED VOWS. " Oh, indeed ! He confessed to you ? " " He named no one ! " said Benedict, coldly. " The man was schooled too well, and I would not press the dangerously sick man with over many questions ; his state of health was too alarming. But on that occasion I received the impression that the collector was merely a tool in another's hands, and that the deficient sums were not misappropriated for his own benefit. I am convinced that if the Prelate were to bring the whole weight of his personal influence to bear upon him, it would not be so difficult to obtain a circumstantial confession." " You have then, indeed, made weighty discoveries ?" The Prior did not succeed in meeting his young subordinate's eye, which rested firmly SAOEED VOWS. 13 and menacingly upon him. His voice sounded hoarse, as he added hastily " I only regret that you did not im- mediately inform the Prelate of it ; the affair happened some weeks since." " Had it not been so repugnant to me to play the part of an informer, I should have done so ; I resolved to let the matter rest when I saw that the injury could not be made good, and that the Abbot's future energetic supervision would render the convent's property safe from any such attacks. The subject would not have been alluded to to-day either, did I not find myself forced to beg that your Reverence would cease all the petty annoyances and endless persecutions, of which I have been the object during the whole period of my presence here, 14 SACEED VOWS. and for which you misuse your power as my superior. They are certainly only pricks with a needle, but with such needle-pricks people may be tortured to death, and I have now arrived at a point when I can endure them no longer. I beg you to spare me ; there are many in the monastery who have more to answer for than I/' Had Benedict been rather less proud and contemptuous towards mankind, he would have understood the look which flashed upon him in deadly venomous hatred. In that look lay his ruin, but the young priest turned contemptuously away and retired to exchange his vestments for his everyday gown. He surely had no suspicion of how boundlessly imprudently he had acted, and of the enemy he had irritated. SACEED VOWS. 15 The Prior gazed silently after him for a few moments. " Stands it thus ? " muttered he at last. " You dare to threaten me ? That weak- minded collector must have opened his eyes ; I will take care that he does not betray still more. Beware Pater Benedict ! Up to the present time you were merely disagreeable, but now you commence to be dangerous ; it is time to put you aside ! " The great convent dinner, furnished with every luxury and magnificence, which suc- ceeded High Mass, was over. The monastery loved on such days to display all the brilliancy of its riches, and to exercise a veritably extravagant hospitality towards both high and low. Now the repast was ended, most of the guests had already departed, and the 16 SACRED TOWS. Prelate had also retired, as the much simpler afternoon service was performed by sub- ordinate clergy. At the appointed hour, Benedict entered the Abbot's dwelling ; however, the servant did not conduct him into the apartments, but ushered him into the garden, where the Prelate was enjoying the fresh air after the day's many exertions. The tall figure wandered slowly up and down ; the diamonds of the great cross, which he wore on his breast, flashed upon his black robe, while a velvet cap of the same sombre hue, covered the tonsure and his grizzled but still abundant hair. The spacious, richly-culti- vated convent garden, with its park-like grounds, was laid out in equally magnificent style as the monastery itself, which would not SACKED VOWS. 17 have disgraced a royal castle. There were, indeed, few castles in the country which could compete with it, and there lay some- thing of almost regal self-consciousness in the Prelate's bearing. The former Count Khaneck had certainly chosen no abasement when he dedicated his life to the Church; even the honours and position of his brother, the present owner of the entail, did not attain to the absolute power and sovereign importance of the Abbot, who felt himself to be an autocratic lord and ruler over the ground upon which he stood. Not every one is so sensitive to impressions as the Prelate appeared to be at this moment. At least, Benedict did not seem to be so, although it was the power and glory of such a position which had from his youth been VOL. II. C 18 SACEED VOWS. pointed out to him as the aim and end of his career. Was the time then already past when ambition and enthusiasm made this goal appear desirable to him he looked as coldly and unemotionally upon the proud surroundings and upon his Abbot as this morning upon the crowd, which sank on its knees before him entreating his blessing. The Prelate seemed very gracious to-day ; he beckoned the young monk, standing before him in respectful attitude, to come to his side, and continued walking slowly by him. " You desired an interview with me, Pater Benedict. Have you any request to prefer ? I am ready to hear you ! " " I have a petition to offer to your Grace ! " The Prelate looked up slightly astonished ; it was the first time that a petition had come SACEED VOWS. 19 from those lips, wliich had ever only parted for the most necessary replies, and otherwise were silent in mute obedience. " Well, say on ! " " Vicar Clemens was here a few weeks since, to beg for temporary assistance in his parish, which from his increasing years and sickness he cannot serve alone any longer. Nothing as yet is arranged as to who is to render the aid promised " " No ! I reserved the decision for myself ! " " Then I beg to have the duty assigned to me." The Prelate suddenly stopped. " To you ? Why ? For what reason ? " Benedict looked down ; he could not prevent the bright colour rushing to his face beneath those searching eyes. 20 SACEED VOWS. " I I long for activity. Life in the con- vent offers me but little opportunity for it, because as junior, I am shut out from most of the priestly offices, and the monastic rules leave me so much leisure " " Which you know well how to employ," interrupted the Prelate. " Study occupies you day and night. Have you suddenly lost all taste for it ? " Benedict made no reply, but the colour still burned on his brow. He could and dared not give the reason which bade him fly from the monastery and its neighbour- hood ; he only felt that he must go, go at any price. " It is the most wretched of all our par- ishes," continued the Prelate. " There you would be high up in the mountains, shut off SACRED VOWS. 21 from the world and mankind, for all inter- course you would be dependent upon a poverty-stricken village ; you would have to sacrifice all society, all comfort to which you are accustomed in the monastery. Yicar . Clemens is badly endowed, he can hardly offer you the barest necessaries." "I am young, and not effeminate ; besides, for the present it is merely assistance during a few months, just before the commencement of a rougher time of year," said the young priest in a low tone. " Strange ! " The Prelate's glance still scrutinised his features. " I purposed utilising the appointment as a species of punishment, should any be needed, and certainly did not think that one of my clergy would beg for it. I will consider the matter 1 " 22 SACEED VOWS. Benedict bowed silently ; as he received no sign of dismissal, he remained at the Prelate's side, and without speaking, both continued their walk for some minutes longer. Yet the young monk apparently still had some- thing on his mind, he was evidently struggling with himself, and at last began " Your Grace ! " " Do you wish anything more ? " " Ignatius Lank's wife was with me this morning. Her husband is dying, and longs to receive the Holy Sacrament; the poor woman begged and prayed in agony for an exception to be made just this once." " You of course refused with all severity ? " asked the Prelate frigidly. "You know the man is an apostate, he was one of the first to join in a movement which is directed against us." SACKED VOWS. 23 " Ignatius Lank is the steadiest peasant in the neighbourhood " suppressed emotion trembled in the speaker's voice " he has ever shown respect to the monastery, and only lately saved Pater Eusebius' life when he was in danger of drowning." " Has he been converted ? " "No!" " Then refuse him the sacraments, and if he should die, refuse him the blessing and funeral offices also." " Your Grace ! " " Pater Benedict, obey and be silent ! " Benedict was indeed silent, but his hand clutched his robe convulsively ; this action did not escape the Prelate's eye. " How does it happen," began he again, " that in all such occurrences people always 24 SACRED VOWS. address themselves to you? Why not to Pater Eusebius, why not to the other priests, none of whom are so moody and inaccessible for the people as you ? " " Perhaps because in despite of all, they feel that I am the only one here who owns a heart ! " The incautious word was out. From the Prior and every other monk Benedict would have drawn the sharpest censure upon him- self ; the Prelate looked composedly at him, but there lay something worse in the tone of his reply than mere censure. " Beware of your heart, and T might add of your head too ! The first is not needed here, and the second only when it is required in the service of the Church. Do not forget that you vowed implicit obedience SACRED VOWS. 25 to her, and teach your head and heart in time to bend to this vow before you are compelled to do so." Benedict answered nothing, and what in- deed could he have said ! But the Prelate suddenly changed this subject of conversa- tion. " As regards Vicar Clemens' affair, I have already thought it over, and am disposed to grant your desire. You may give him the -wished-for assistance ; prepare to start for the mountains the day after to-morrow." *' I thank your Grace ! " The young priest was about to retire, when the Prelate sud- denly stepped close before him. " For the present I am letting you leave my supervision and also that of the monastery. You know the hopes which my brother, and 26 SACRED VOWS. I too, place upon your future, you are the youngest, by far the most important power in the convent. I should not wish that we might lose it. Pater Benedict! " he laid his hand heavily on the latter' s shoulder, and looked steadily into his eyes " yonder before the altar you have vowed yourself, body and soul, to the Church, the oath binds you for time and for eternity. Remember that, when temptation draws near to you. I let you go, because I know that you are capable of every- thing, save perjury ! " Benedict had become deadly pale, but he did not flinch beneath the Prelate's gaze. It was seldom that the Abbot praised any one, still more seldom that he spoke in such a solemn tone of admonition ; the proud priest usually contented himself with distributing SACRED VOWS. 27 commands or punishing misdemeanours, to warnings he never condescended. The young priest felt that, notwithstanding the sternness of the threat, it meant more than the most affable condescension towards others ; there was something in it of the manner in which one of equal birth would be addressed. " I know what I have vowed," said he, in a hollow voice, "and what I have to keep ! " " It is well ! " The Prelate returned to his ordinary tone. " I expect the Prior, and will inform him of your altered destination. Go now and be ready for the journey the day after to-morrow." Benedict had not left the garden many moments before the Prior entered and ap- proached his superior with much greater humility and submissiveness than befitted 28 SACRED VOWS. his position. The same watchful expres- sion still stood on his face ; he might well fear that in the audience certain other matters should have been discussed, but his anxiety soon disappeared. The Prelate was very gracious to him, spoke of several events of the day, received reports on various subjects, and at last said, as if casually " One thing more ! Pater Benedict will leave us in a day or so ; he goes into the mountains, in order, at his own desire, to give Vicar Clemens the assistance he has asked for in his parish." " At his own desire ? " Astonishment made the Prior repeat the words. " You are surprised ? I was equally so, the post is not one such as most persons would care for ! Have you any suspicion as SACEED VOWS. 29 to what can be the cause of this singular request ? " " Not the slightest ! Unless it were " the Prior could not possibly let the oppor- tunity pass of dealing a blow to the man he hated behind his back, " unless it were that the strict rules of the monastery are irk- some to him, and that he longs for greater liberty." The Prelate shook his head. " It is not that. The flame on his brow did not arise from that source. Have you noticed that he has become more intimate with any one lately, that he associates with any family in the neighbourhood, perhaps come into contact with any women ? " " No, certainly not. In his walks he seeks solitude most diligently, and never crosses a 30 SACRED VOWS. strange threshold unless he be wanted in his priest's capacity." "I may be mistaken," said the Prelate, thoughtfully. " Possibly he wishes to impose some new sort of penance upon himself; that appointment calls for abnegation sufficient." " Pater Benedict's ' craving for penance has long ceased ! " interposed the Prior, mali- ciously. " For some weeks he has entirely given up all exercises of penitence and prayer, which he formerly practised so freely. They suddenly came to an end." " He has doubtless seen their inefficacy ! " said the Prelate, coolly, " and he is right. I blame that least of all. Have you no other complaint against him ? " The Prior hesitated, he would gladly have aired his hatred, but he knew too well that SACKED VOWS. 31 he should have to prove every word. The Prelate was not a man to believe blindly, without examination. " No ! " said he, at last. " Then the matter may rest for the present. Inform the Yicar in the meanwhile." " Most reverend father,'-' began the Prior again, with fawning humility. " It certainly does not become me to offer advice, when your reverence has already decided, but this appointment without wishing to interfere with Pater Benedict I still doubt what re- liance may be placed upon him." " I have long doubted it ! " said the Prelate, coldly, " and that is why he shall go away. Here in the convent he guards every look and word most carefully, because he knows that every action is watched ; here nothing 32 SACRED VOWS. can be discovered from that reserve. "We will now try freedom, perhaps there he will show more readily what is in him. Of course all provisions as to the necessary supervision will be made. You have reliable people at that place." " The schoolmaster, upon whom I can depend in every respect. He certainly could not report much about the old, weak minded Vicar ; as regards Pater Benedict, I will answer for it, that not one idea of what he does, or leaves undone, will be hidden from us." " It is well. Instruct the man accurately, I will receive his reports personally. Should Benedict misuse his liberty, I shall take him back into severe training." " If it be not then too late ! " the Prior SACRED VOWS. 33 hazarded. "The neighbouring monastery made an unfortunate experience in that respect with one of its young monks, who was assisted by a similar appointment to secret flight from the Order." " The neighbouring monastery owes that experience to its lax regime and its Prelate's weakness. I keep my monks better curbed ! " " But, Benedict" "Most reverend Prior," interrupted the Abbot, with haughty, almost contemptuous, arrogance, " will you be so good as trust the wisdom of my measures. It is exactly with Benedict that I can venture upon it, be- cause he possesses something that you are certainly always used to place in the background, but that in such experiments weighs heavily in the balance a conscience. VOL. II. D 34 SACKED VOWS. To him vows and oaths are not empty words, as to so many others. He is still enthusiast enough to feel their whole weight. He may ruin himself when it comes to extremities, or deliver himself into our hands in open defi- ance ; but in secret flight he will never turn his back upon us. I know him too well to fear that." The Prior bowed submissively. He gulped down the bitter pill, which the Prelate gave him to taste in the word " conscience." Upon the whole it was to his advantage that Bene- dict should be sent away for a time. He had raised the opposition more for form's sake. The young priest stood in his chamber, and gazed in the direction where the roof of Dobra Castle rose above the trees' leafv SACRED VOWS. 35 crown. Did lie really impose a penance upon himself in the hastily-formed resolution. The Prior was right ; he had long ceased from his former acts of penitence and his prayers. He had only been able by stern necessity to deafen his head with them ; but when once bis heart began to stir he perceived that they " were inefficacious." Since the day when, lying by the edge of the brook, he had seen that rosy little fairy- like figure for the first time, the struggle had quite changed its character ; certainly it had not become easier, and now he must tear him- self away from it with one mighty wrench. Benedict put the knife firmly to the wound; let it quiver and bleed, it did not matter so long as he removed the sting. Up in the mountains he would be safe from 36 SACRED VOWS. a renewed encounter, and from the danger- ous, dreamy poetry of the wood's solitude ; safe from those dreams, too, it was to be hoped, from which he had ever sought in vain for rescue at the steps of the altar. As that could protect him no longer now nothing was left, but to save himself. CHAPTER II. " AND I tell you something has happened to the child. If she deny it ten times over to me, if you shrug your shoulders ever so scorn- fully, I adhere to it." With this sentence, evidently the conclu- sion to a longer speech, Fraulein Reich sat down, cast a challenging look at Giinther, who stood opposite to her, and took up her needlework again with such eagerness as though it were necessary to make up with all haste for the time lost in talking. Giinther did indeed look on somewhat scof- fingly, and he shrugged his shoulders, too, as he replied 38 SACEED VOWS. " But, my dear Fraulein, why this long harangue, and this warmth, in order to prove that Lucie.is beginning to become sensible at last?" "Sensible?" Now it was Franziska's turn to shrug her shoulders. " She is un- happy. Ever since that day on which she returned with tear-stained eyes from the wood, her old light-heartedness has ceased. Something has happened, I wager my head upon it, that something occurred ; but I can- not discover what it is. The chatterbox, who at other times cannot be silent for ten minutes about the veriest trifle, meets all my questions and enquiries with an obstinate reserve, for which I should never have given her credit." The scoffiing expression vanished out of SACRED VOWS. 39 Giinther's countenance, and gave place to anxiety. " If only Count Rhaneck is not at the bottom of it ! " said he seriously. " Why that, indeed ! She does not care so much for him ! " Franziska snapped her fingers. " On the contrary. I found on the even- ing of the fete that she cared only too much about him ; and even my prohibition, strictly as I issued it, seems not to have made too deep an impression. She defied me quite openly the following day." " But if I tell you that she takes no farther interest now in the Count," persisted Fran- ziska ; " that she studiously avoids him ! Indeed it is not his doing, as he wanders con- stantly around Dobra with his gun and game- 40 SACRED VOWS. bag, and appears first here, then there. For- tunately, we know what sport the young gentleman is after, and make our arrange- ments accordingly. May his patron saint have mercy upon him if he fall into my hands. I would take him to task, until any inclina- tion to come again should fade away alto- gether ! But he has the sense to avoid com- ing near me ; I can hardly ever see him from a distance." " Are you sure that Lucie has not spoken to him ? " Franziska raised her head with great self- consciousness. " Herr Gunther, you confided your sister into my hands, and therefore I should have thought that such questions were surely superfluous. Since the* day when she went SACRED VOWS. 41 into the wood without permission, Lucie has not left my side. I have watched her since the disclosure you made to me, like like" " Like a Cerberus ! " added Giinther. " That is a most flattering description of my person ! " cried Fraulein Reich, rising, much offended. " So that is the capacity in which you consider me to stand towards your sister ? " " Good heavens ! In this case it was meant as a compliment. Where are you going?" " I fear to receive more such compliments, and besides, Lucie is alone in the garden. I had better resume my office of Cerberus at her side." " But, my dear Fraulein ! " 42 SACRED VOWS. "Adieu!" " Franziska ! " She stopped; but turned her head away angrily. Bernhard rose and went towards her. " Are you vexed with me ? '* " Yes," replied Franziska, energetically ; but instead of going out, she turned round and resumed her place at the table. Calmly, as though nothing had happened, Giinther sat down opposite her again. " It is remarkable," he began phlegmati- cally, after a pause, " that we cannot be to- gether for five minutes without quarrelling." "It is not at all remarkable," declared she, still with irritation. " No one could get on with you for five minutes, even." '' I thought I got on very well with every SACRED VOWS. 43- one else," said Bernhard, still with the same phlegm. " Because every one else allows you to domineer over them. I am almost the only one left who opposes you at all." The Fraulein's tone betrayed plainly that she had not yet recovered from the " Cer- berus." Nevertheless, Gimther did not find it at all necessary to let himself be disturbed by it. "You are," said he dryly, "quite as quarrelsome as you used to be at home." " And you just as inconsiderate as ever ! " " Possibly ! We were always snarling and fighting together; the- peculiarity only was that all the same we never could remain apart." " We wished to speak of Lucie ! " inter- rupted Franziska. 44 SACEED VOWS. Bernhard frowned slightly. " You have a remarkable habit of changing the conversa- tion whenever it begins to become interest- J 5* " "What may be interesting to you, is not necessarily so to me." "Why?" He looked steadily at her. Franziska struggled with a certain embar- rassment ; however, she soon conquered it. " I can quite understand that you like to look back upon the days of your youth," said she evasively. " You have risen high enough for a simple keeper's son. I well, for me, life has been bitter enough, and I have not climbed higher than to be your sister's gover- ness. I certainly do not forget my position, Herr Giinther. I only wish, many a time, that you would not forget it either." SACEED VOWS. 45 A peculiar harsh pride lay in the frank exhortation, and now her glance met his as steadily and seriously as though she ex- pected he would cast his eyes down, but this did not take place. Giinther rose suddenly and went to her side. "You should not have said that to me, Franziska," said he quietly, "nor need you reproach me with my success. I have found life ' bitter enough,' too. You know that my father's second marriage drove me from my home. He did not find the happiness hoped for in his new wife, nor I a mother in her. Our fortune, too, was lost at the same time. When my parents died, I was obliged to support my little orphan sister with my hardly-earned savings. The world, of course, only knows the upstart, sees only the height 46 SACRED VOWS. upon which the forester's son stands ; the twenty years which lie between, years full of care and labour, full of endless toil and cease- less struggle, those it does not see. Fortune, indeed, has cast nothing into my lap without striving hardly for it. Step by step I had to fight my way to riches and possessions half a life-time I have spent over it ; would you grudge it me if I love to return to childish days ? But, it appears, I must not allude to that period before you. You fly from it." Franziska bowed her head, slightly taken aback. "You are right, Herr Giinther, but " " 'Herr Giinther! ' That means, in other words, that I must equally relinquish the familiar c Franziska,' and with it all youthful recollections ? " " I believe it is better we should both do SACRED VOWS. 47 so ! " said Franziska, sorrowfully, as she went quickly to the window and looked out, as if much interested in something. Without saying a word, Giinther returned to his seat, and again took up the newspapers which he had previously been reading. A cloud lay on his brow, although his features did not move. Fortunately, Lucie's entrance put an end to the uncomfortable silence which ensued. She came, still heated from playing with the children, threw her hat with all her wonted recklessness upon the table, herself into an armchair, and buried her head deeply in its cushions. " Well, have you exhausted your love of play at last ? " asked Bernhard, looking up from his paper ; at the same time a searching glance scanned the girl's face. 48 SACKED VOWS. " Oh ! I only did it to please the children ! " something closely akin to great weariness lay in Lucie's voice " and, besides, I knew that you were holding an important confer- ence here with Fraulein Reich, at which I should probably not be tolerated." " Possibly, as you were the sole subject of the conference." "I?" " Herr Giinther ! " interposed Franziska, as she left her place at the window and drew nearer to the table. " I do not see, Fraulein Reich," he laid a slight, but to her, comprehensible emphasis upon the mode of address, " why we should trouble ourselves any more with conjectures and fears, when in Lucie we have the proper source before us. However wilful she may SACRED VOWS. 49 be, an untruth has never crossed her lips, and I consider her incapable of falsehood, under any circumstances. Come to me, Lucie ! " The girl's eyes travelled in surprise and somewhat distrustfully from her governess to her brother, but she immediately obeyed the latter's request, and went to his side. " Have you spoken to Count Rhaneck since that evening at Baron Brankow's ? " Bernhard attacked her suddenly, and with- out any preparation, with this question. Lucie blushed deeply and glowingly, but her brother was right she was not capable of a falsehood. " Only once, on the following day," said she softly. " On that day then, when you were alone in the wood ? " Giinther sent such a glance, VOL. II. E 50 SACKED VOWS. full of meaning, towards Franziska, who turned away annoyed, as Lucie's manner did indeed harmonise little with her persistence that the Count was an object of indifference to the girl. " Did he speak of love to you again ? " continued Bernhard. " No ! " It was apparent that the examina- tion began to pain Lucie already, and that she would not endure it for long. " "We only exchanged very few words at all. He offered to accompany me." " Which you accepted ? " The colour flowed still hotter than before into Lucie's cheeks. " I did not go with him," she said shortly, with gasping breath, " he remained behind in the meadow and now, Bernhard, ask me no more. You see your SACRED VOWS. 51 prohibition was obeyed. I shall not reply another word ! " She pressed her lips together stubbornly. Bernhard saw plainly that not another word could be extracted from her, and he knew his self-willed sister too well to employ severity in this instance. " That will do," said he gravely. "It is sufficient for me that the Count did not ac- company you, and that you have not spoken to him since. This has not occurred, has it ? " " No ! " " Listen to the child ! " said Franziska, in undisguised astonishment. " Where did you get that decided * No ' from all at once, Lucie ? One might fancy it was your brother ! " The girl turned away, but the lips, lately 52 SACEED VOWS. pressed together so firmly, trembled slightly. It was unmistakable that it annoyed her greatly to have the encounter discussed by others, and now Franziska added fuel to the flames most bountifully. " But why will you not tell us anything of that which passed between the Count and yourself? " " For pity's sake, do not worry me for ever with the Count ! " Lucie broke out with such passionate violence that Franziska, completely overlooking the rudeness, hastened to her in alarm. " I thought so ; there are tears again ! " said she, in an undertone, and essayed to fold the girl in her arms. But Lucie seemed to be less disposed for this sympathy. She tore herself hastily away, conquered her SACRED VOWS. 53 tears suddenly, and forced her lips into a smile. \ " I am not crying, not at all ! But I must go now and change my dress, as Bernhard will drive me to C in half-an-hour. He always shrugs his shoulders sarcastically when I am not punctual, and to-day he shall certainly not wait for me ! " She was out of the room. Franziska shook her head as she looked after Lucie. " Now she will throw herself upon the sofa upstairs, and cry again ! Will you at last " believe that the child is unhappy, without choosing to confess- it either to herself or to us?" Giinther had risen, and walked thoughtfully up and down the room. " You are right ! I did not believe that 54 SACKED VOWS. the affair was so serious ! Her interest in the Count seems to be greater than a passing emotion of vanity, and yet she rejected his companionship. I should never have thought that my warning would make such an impres- sion." " Nor I," said Franziska, very candidly. " Lucie is usually in the habit of doing exactly the contrary of that which she is ad- vised to do." " Never mind. I should have preferred to avoid all intercourse with the Rhanecks ; yet the affair must be settled. I see it now ! I shall write and forbid the Count to approach my sister any more. His behaviour at the ball gives me the right to do so, and thus deprive him of the pretence that his constant presence here is owing to chance." SACRED VOWS. 55 " Do so ! " said Franziska, with cordial approbation. "I wish I could dictate the letter to you. The Count should have some- thing to read, such as he probably never re- ceived before in his life ! " Notwithstanding his clouded brow a smile crossed Gunther's face. " I believe it is better for me to write without dictation this time. Do not be afraid of the letter being too mild ; one may be very calm, but yet very crushing, and I have no reason to spare the Count now that I am sure of Lucie. You will see that she is ready in time. The distraction of the drive will do her good." Franziska merely nodded, but when Gu'n- ther left the room she started up as though from deep thought, and struck the table so 56 SACRED VOWS. violently with her hand that the flower vases rattled, and she said in a tone of invincible certainty " And yet she does not care for him ! " Half an hour later Lucie was seated in the carriage by the side of her brother, who fre- quently had business in , and as the road thither lay through lovely mountain scenery, he occasionally took his sister with him. Only at one spot was this road irksome and toilsome; it ascended by a steep, winding path to the top of the hill, at the foot of which, on the opposite side, the road divided, that on the right hand leading to C , and on the left hand into the mountain's range. Although the horses were young and powerful, they panted and steamed with the exertion. Bernhard let them stop, and left SACRED VOWS. 57 the carriage with Lucie. The animals had enough to do to draw it when empty to the summit, while its occupants followed on foot. Lucie, whom the ascent did not inconveni- ence in the least, ran fleetly on in front. Bernhard followed more slowly. Suddenly the girl stood still, without going a step farther forward. " What is the matter ? " asked Giinther, as he came up to her. " Oh, nothing ! I only thought we might walk more slowly." She took hold of her brother's arm, and pressed herself close to his side. He did not take any notice of this. Now, in the bend of the road, he perceived a second carriage ; it was a closed one, be- 58 SACEED VOWS. longing to the monastery. Its occupant, a Benedictine, had descended from it and was also walking by its side. Bernhard certainly did not generally care to have much to do with the inhabitants of the Convent. However, this time he appeared to wish to make an exception. He had barely cast a rapid glance at the priest before he, too, hastened his steps. Lucie clung firmly to his arm. " Do not hurry so, Bernhard ! Let us stay behind." Giinther looked amazedly at her. "Why? It is Pater Benedict? To be sure, you do not know him ! You would hardly notice him that night at Baron Bran- kow's ! " SACRED VOWS. 59 " I did, though ! " said the girl, softly, in a half-suffocated voice. " I I am afraid of him of his his eyes. Let us stay behind !" " Do not be childish, Lucie ! " interrupted Bernhard, impatiently, as he drew her on. In a few moments they had overtaken the young priest, with whom Giinther, quite con- trary to his usual habits, was the first to exchange greetings. " You, too, are making it easier for your horses, Pater ! " began he, in a friendly man- ner. " The road, certainly, is steep enough, and the nags have plenty to do to draw an empty carriage. One must make some sacri- fice for them now and then." Benedict, at the sound of approaching steps, had turned round, and then remained motionless as a statue. 60 SACRED VOWS. Perhaps it was the exertion of the ascent that deprived him of his breath, and drove the blood so surgingly into his counten- ance ; and yet his words contradicted this surmise, as he replied, after making a silent bow " For my part, I like walking." " I cannot exactly say the same for my- self ! " said Bernhard. "But here we are in the mountains, and we cannot have every- thing quite so easy as at home on our level high roads." He walked slowly on, while the young priest, it seemed as if half under compulsion, joined him; it would have been much too marked to stay behind, when his carriage was already so far in front. Lucie hung silently on her brother's arm, SACKED VOWS. 61 without taking the slightest part in the con- versation. Benedict looked straight before Mm ; not even one single glance fell to her side. It never entered Bernhard's head to ob- serve his sister; but instead he seemed to bury his eyes in the young monk's features, just as searchingly as on the evening of their first meeting. " I do not know, Pater, whether you re- member me," he began again. " "We saw one another at Baron Brankow's, certainly, with- out being introduced." " Of course ! I know the proprietor of Dobra," was Benedict's softly-spoken reply. Giinther bowed slightly. " We are taking a drive to C ," remarked he, carelessly. "You, too, appear to have a journey before you." 62 SACRED VOWS. " I am going into the mountains to N ." " So high up ? You have a long, toilsome journey before you. You are, of course, going to pay the Yicar a visit ? " " No. I go to act as his chaplain, and shall remain there some months, perhaps the whole winter." " That is certainly no enviable post ! " said Bernhard, with unmistakable sympathy. *' N lies in the most uncultivated, inacces- sible part of the mountains ; it requires per- fect heroism to think of spending a winter there." The monk's lips quivered. In spite of the averted glance, he had seen how Lucie's bosom heaved a deep sigh of relief when he spoke of his absence. " There are enemies more difficult to con- SACRED VOWS. 63 quer than frosty nights and snowstorms," replied he, coldly. Bernhard looked up in surprise. Were the words meant to be full of pathos ? They should not then have been uttered with such bitterness. " Pardon me, Pater, if I address a some- what indiscreet question to you," said he quickly. " You were born in B ? " Benedict looked surprisedly at him. " No ! I come from the south of Germany." " Oh ! Then my fancy was a mistaken one. A certain resemblance struck me. I think I knew your mother." " Hardly ! She died in my boyhood, as did my father, on Count Rhaneck's estates." " I perceive my mistake. Pardon the ques- tion." 64 SACRED VOWS. Benedict made a deprecating motion. " Do not mention it." " He knows nothing, then," muttered Bern- hard. " They have really kept him in per- fect ignorance." They walked on in silence. Benedict ap- peared half to repent having allowed him- self to be drawn so far out of his reserve, and besides the top of the hill lay already before them, where the carriages were waiting. Giinther's coachman was just putting the drag on, but he was so awkward about it that the chain slipped between the wheels- and was caught and broken by them, as the horses moved unexpectedly. The master seeing this from a distance, knitted his brows. " Joseph is stupidity itself again to-day ! I SACRED VOWS. 65 must look to it myself ; otherwise we shall be going head-foremost down the hill." He gained the summit quickly, leaving his sister and Pater Benedict alone. Lucie had remained on the spot where her brother had dropped her arm. Benedict seemed to wish to follow him ; but he too stayed now as if rooted to his place ; a dis- tressing silence reigned for a few seconds, which weighed upon both like a mountain's load. * " Are you going far away ? " at last began Lucie, who could not endure this mute position any longer, and in order to break it, seized upon the first question that entered her mind. Benedict raised his head slowly " Far enough for your wishes, Friiulein ! VOL. II. F 66 SACRED VOWS. You doubtless fear that the unwelcome wanner may cross your path again ? Calm yourself, I did it once only, certainly it should not happen a second time." " I I did not mean it so," said Lucie, looking timidly to the ground. "No! And yet you drew such a breath of relief when you heard of my depar- ture?" . The girl blushed. Yes, certainly she had breathed more freely at the news, as with his departure ' the ^pell must surely be lifted which this man had exercised the whole time upon her, even when he was not at her side. Franziska was right, she had fought angrily against it often enough and powerlessly; how powerlessly she only fdt now again in this moment, and yet some of the old SACEED VOWS. 67 defiance rang in her tone, as she asked, impetuously " How can you know that ? You never once looked at me during the walk ! " Nor did Benedict look at her now, but the fleeting colour came and went in his counten- ance, as he replied in a suppressed voipe " What for ? I know, without doing so, that you fear and hate me ! " It was the same reproach as Lucie had. hurled at him that time in the wood, and she allowed it to pass over her as^unopposedly as he had done. But the priest seemed to have expected some remonstrance or denial, his lips trembled as before, when no answer 1 1. -ued. " See how good it is that I go ! Farewell ! " However, the intense bitterness which gushed 68 SACRED VOWS. forth in these words touched Lucie, she made an involuntary movement to retain him. Her blue eyes looked amazedly and questioningly at him again ; they must exercise a peculiar, controlling power upon the gloomy monk, he stood motionless, and the sternness disap- peared slowly from his brow and lips. " Did I wound you ? We will not part so ! I shall not return for long, perhaps never return. Farewell ! " This sounded quite different from the fare- well he had spoken previously. Again his tone was full of softness, his eyes of that deep mild look which had struck Lucie once before as being so mysterious. Must every meeting with him bring her that inexplicable pain, which now awoke again and overcame her with a truly crushing power, as he SACEED VOWS. 69 turned away from her ? The agony of part- ing which raged in the man's breast, seemed to have found an echo ; the girl pressed her hand softly to her heart, which she still under- stood so little, and of which she only knew that it hurt her. Giinther in the meanwhile had had the drag put to rights, and helped to do so with his own hands; he looked up somewhat astonished, when he perceived the young priest coming alone ; he thought it rather in- considerate of the latter to have left his sister alone in the road so unceremoniously. Bene- dict passed him with a curt, hasty " good- bye," entered his carriage, and the next moment was rolling away down the hill. Then at last Lucie also appeared. " Well, I must say Pater Benedict is not 70 SACRED VOWS. guilty of any special politeness towards ladies !" said Bernhard, assisting her into the* carriage. " He might indeed have walked with you these few remaining steps to the top, as he was in our company ! " " I do not want his politeness ! " declared Lucie, throwing herself impetuously into the corner of the carriage. " I believe you, child ! His manner is much too repellant to be able to please you, besides it would be quite useless, as he is a monk." Lucie made no reply; fortunately Bernhard took no farther notice of her, the merely temporarily repaired drag occupied all his attention, he was constantly cautioning the coachman to be careful during the descent. Lucie was quite indifferent to the danger ; it would have been equally immaterial to her if SACRED VOWS. 71 the drag were to break again and the carriage be overturned, she lay with her head buried deeply in the cushions, and did not trouble herself about anything in the world. Benedict meanwhile drove in the opposite direction, still farther into the mountains. -He leaned out of the carriage window and the fresh free mountain breeze played refreshingly around the young priest's pale brow, upon which there still lingered traces of the late struggle. Once more he seemed to stand on the spot of parting, once more to taste the intoxicating poison of that presence now it was overcome ! Nearer and darker the mountains rose before him, the gigantic snow-clad crests planted themselves between him and temptation ; their impenetrable rocky walls should separate 72 SACRED VOWS. him from it for evermore. He deemed the conflict ended, deemed himself buried in the snowy summits, while a fiery young heart still beat wildly, glowingly in his breast ; he did not yet know the might of true passion, before which distance and barriers fall powerlessly, passion which with devastating strength can force its way through mountains' depths and human statutes, until it reaches its object or its ruin. CHAPTER III. MORE than three months had elapsed, summer had taken its departure, and the autumn's storms swept turbulently and wildly over the mountains. All who did not live from year's end to year's end on their estates began to think of returning to the town, and in Castle Rhaneck preparations for the migration of the Count's family to the capital were also being made ; the Count himself had not been there for some time, his appointment had called him during the previous month to his Sovereign's side, whence he only returned for a few days, in order to escort his wife and son. 74 SACRED VOWS. On the morning following his arrival he had at once ridden over to the monastery, and the two brothers found themselves again in the Prelate's study. As on the previous occasion the Abbot sat in an arm chair, and the Count stood before him leaning upon another ; it was the same room with the dark velvet-covered furniture, and the heavy purple silk curtains, but the sun's glow which then rested upon the valley and forced its way into the sheltered apartments of the abbey was now wanting; the summer's brilliancy and summer's luxuriance were missing from the external landscape, now it lay sombrely, enveloped in fog, and the mountains which then rose so vaporously blue, to-day dis- appeared entirely in the clouds. " But enough of politics and town ! " said SACEED VOWS. 75 the Count, breaking off the conversation. " I come to obtain news of Bruno. Is he still in N ? How does he fare ? " " He is well ! " replied the Prelate, laconi- cally. " And zealous in his new post ? " " Very zealous ! " Rhaneck started at the tone. " "What is it ? What is the matter with Bruno ? Is there anything wrong for me to hear of?" " Do not expect anything good ! " The Count drew himself up passionately. '* Well, what is it about Bruno ? Pray speak ! " " Pater Benedict has far surpassed all your and my expectations ! " said the Prelate, with unmistakable scorn. " In the three months 76 SACRED VOWS. during which he has acted for Vicar Clemens he has raised himself to be the apostle of the mountains, and has made that remote village of N into a pilgrimage, to which people resort from far and near to hear him. He does indeed preach wonderful doctrines ; it needs but one touch, and our opponents would welcome him as one of themselves, and as such raise him on a pinnacle." " For heaven's sake ! " cried the Count, interrupting him at last, " and you permit this ? Why did you not restrain him ? " " Because I mistook the magnitude of the danger ! I always considered Benedict dangerous ; that he should outgrow me so rapidly, so gigantically, I never thought." " And you have not interfered ? " " What was absolutely necessary has been SACRED VOWS. 77 done," said the Prelate, gloomily, " but it was done too late ; he had time to cast the brand amongst the people. I spared him long for your sake, and also for my own, as I desired at any price to preserve this power for the Order. It is the first time in my life that I made such a mistake ; it has revenged itself bitterly." " But what has Bruno actually done ? '* asked the Count, uneasily. "'When I left, you appeared to be quite satisfied with his behaviour." " I was so in the beginning. He stood his first trial as a preacher splendidly somewhat too boldly, perhaps but I had expected and wished it to be so. Our mode of preaching has long since outlived itself ; it is no longer of any use to hold fast to the old traditions. 78 SACRED VOWS. We require fiery, energetic orators more than ever, who understand how to utilise the new ideas from which the people can no longer be preserved, so that we may retain the old power even in these modern days, and Benedict would have been the man for it, as he possesses the gift of working upon the masses, and, in spite of his mental superi- ority, of making himself intelligible to them. I saw this with increasing interest, but soon he went too far ; I warned him once, twice. He always allowed himself to be carried away again. At last I determined to recall him, as the affair became serious, but he antici- pated me on the last church day, when the whole population of the district thronged to the yearly pilgrimage feast at N" , by de- livering such a sermon to the people such a SACRED VOWS. 79 sermon." The Prelate clenched his hand involuntarily. " "What can the madman have been thinking about when he dared to utter that from the pulpit ? he must have known that it would bring him to ruin ! " The Count paled slightly. "The sermon was heretical ? " " Worse than that ; it was revolutionary. The sedition which his oath forbids to himself, he preaches to others, and I fear he has already inflamed them. The Alpine people up there are an unruly, wild race, whom we have ever controlled only with difficulty and trouble. In the constant struggle with the mountainous nature around them, they learn resistance to everything, even to the confessional and church ; that weak-minded Clemens, like the other vicars, gave them their own way too 80 SACKED VOWS. much, and now, with the addition of such a,.' tutor as Benedict, I should not wonder at all if it were to break out amongst them, and, while we are obliged to employ all our powers here to suppress the elements of fermenta- tion, and to offer resistance to the ever advancing movement, up yonder the revolt would be carried out en mas*e / " The Prelate had risen, and walked up and down the room in evident excitement ; all his calmness seemed to have deserted him. The Count still supported himself heavily upon the chair. " And what have you decided to do about Benedict ? " asked he, apparently composedly. But his eye followed his brother uneasily, as the latter walked to and fro. " Naturally I forbade him to preach any SACRED VOWS. 81 more, and sent for him to answer for himself. I do not doubt that he will obey, and expect him in a few days ; I did not dare to recall him at once. The peasants cling to their chaplain with a perfectly fanatical enthusiasm; they would be capable of gathering together and retaining him by force, did they suspect what lies before him." The Count shuddered slightly at these last words. " What shall you do ? " asked he, with an effort. " Whatever the rules of the Order com- mand in such a case. Benedict has challenged the clerical tribunal ; he will feel its whole weight." " Brother, for God's sake you will surely not?" VOL. II. Q 82 SACRED VOWS. "What will I not?" asked the Prelate, standing still. " Do you think I could yield to any consideration now ? To you, Bruno certainly has been everything from the beginning; you never loved your Ottfried ! " Rhaneck turned away. " That the Countess inspired you .with no affection, I could understand," continued the other; " she was not the woman to bind you, and you made a sacrifice to the glory of our house in your union with her. But that you should maintain this mortal indifference to your son, the only son and heir she presented to you, it is for that I reproach you, that which I cannot understand." " Ottfried' s effeminate, egotistical nature is not in sympathy with mine," said the Count, defending himself moodily. " He bears my SACRED VOWS. 83 features, but lie bears not a trace of my temperament." The Prelate went a step nearer, and rested his hand upon the table. " I know who has your temperament, if he does not bear your features ! Take care, Ottfried ! That temperament once precipi- tated you into endless errors, out of which my hand alone rescued you ; it will be his ruin, too ! If that love affair of yours once " " Cease ! " cried Rhaneck, threateningly. " Do not utter that word ; you know, you best of all, that it was a marriage ! " The Prelate shrugged his shoulders con- temptuously. " A marriage ! One concluded between different religions, in a foreign country, with- out your father's consent, without the 84 SACKED VOWS. necessary formalities in such a case ! The church never recognised these Protestant nuptials ; the law declared them void after- wards." " All the same, I shall not permit you to cast a shadow of blame upon Anna ! She became mine at the altar, was joined to me by priest's hand. What did the girl of eighteen know of our law demanding different forms ? What I did afterwards, driven to it by your ceaseless urging, stirred up by that fearful event, does not fall upon her ; that may God forgive me ! " He pressed his hand passionately to his brow; the Prelate looked at him perfectly unmoved. " You did what the name and honour of our house peremptorily demanded. What SACEED VOWS. 85 was folly in a young insignificant officer in foreign service, became a crime when fate unexpectedly made, you the heir, and finally the owner of Rhaneck. Why did the citizen's daughter dare to stretch out her hand to the Count's coronet. That was her ruin ! Lucky for you that she died ; you had enough with- out her, in the child ! " " I never was allowed to possess it ! " burst from the Count, in overflowing bitterness. " You demanded the boy at once for the Church ; you undertook the care of his bringing up, his education. I was hardly even permitted to see him now and again ! " " Was I to leave him to you, so that your mad tenderness for the boy might betray the secret to the whole world ; its veil had been lifted too high already ! What position could 86 SACEED VOWS. he have occupied towards your wife, towards your son ? The Church was the only place in which his birth could be atoned for ; the only path to honour and respect, which you were so wishful to obtain for him. You know what plans we cherished for him ! Is it our fault if in his blindness he thrusts back the hand which would raise him, and precipitates himself into the abyss ? " " He has let himself be carried away in an unhappy moment ; he will come to his senses, will return " The Prelate shook his head. " He will return no more ; he is irretriev- ably lost ! He has betrayed himself too com- pletely. It is the old rebellious Protestant blood, which once created the Reformation for us, and gave us work for so many centuries ; SACRED VOWS. 87 ifc flows in his veins too, and revenges itself upon us for having forced him beneath the cowl ! " He resumed his walk through the room. Rhaneck followed him, and placed his hand, as though imploringly, upon his arm. " Spare him ! You can still do it, because as yet you are the only judge. Spare," his voice sank into a whisper, " my blood in him; it is your own, too." " I would not spare you, Ottfried, if you stood thus before me ! " said the Prelate, freezingly. " You do not know how far he has already gone. There read;" he drew a paper quickly from amongst others in a port- folio lying on the writing table, and held it to his brother. " Here you have his last sermon, word for word ; here the list of books which 88 SACRED VOWS. he studied at night. The key to the whole is to be found in them ! " The Prelate smiled unnaturally " Do you tremble with deadly fear for your favourite ? Be calm, we do not live in the middle ages ; the days are passed when dis- obedient monks were walled up, or forced by the rack to recant, we must now render ac- count to the secular powers for every member of our Order ; they have drawn our limits narrow enough." " I know it," said Khaneck gloomily, " but 1 know, too, that you have ample methods of withdrawing your sacrifices from this secular power. You declare them to be mad, and let them disappear from the eyes of men. That plea covers every cruelty, every torture of mind and body. How many of those whom SACEED VOWS. 89 you pronounced to be mad were so in reality, how many only became so under your hands ? Do not talk to me of the charity of mon- asteries ! I ask you once more, what shall you do ? " The Prelate looked at him : it was an icy, pitiless glance. " Whatsoever my decision as regards Benedict may be, you will not alter it in any way; you relinquished your rights over him when you dedicated him to the Church, the monkish vow destroys all other worldly bonds. Now he belongs to me, his Abbot, and I will deal with him as it seems best to me." " Nor now, nor never ! " cried the Count in burning rage. " I will not submit to his being sacrificed ! I have allowed myself to be guided too much by you, too often already 90 SACRED VOWS. bowed to your stubborn will, but now we have reached the limits, I tell you ; touch not Bruno, or I will assert my right before the whole world, and will expose you and all your monastery ! " The Prelate stepped back; on his brow,, too, now appeared that furrow which had long since stood menacingly on Rhaneck's, but his voice rang in calmly crushing intona- tion. " You are out of your senses, Ottfried, otherwise you would not thus threaten me. Who would be exposed in such a case ? Is it I, perhaps, whose name and honour are at stake, if you brirg an affair to light, which would hardly now be judged as it would have been five and twenty years ago ? Try it, though, begin by discovering yourself to SACRED VOWS. 91 Bruno the first inquiry will be for his mother?" The Count paled, he let the hand which was raised threateningly, fall again. " He never loved you ! " continued the Prelate mercilessly, " all your care, your affection for him, ever met with that shy avoid- ance, that instinctive dislike. Speak the fatal word, and his hatred would be en- sured to you ! " The Prelate had adopted the right method of curbing his brother's violence ; an expres- sion of pain passed over the Count's features. " I know it ! " said he in a hollow voice, " and that is what I cannot bear. You have ever made this love into a cause of reproach to me ; it is all that I have saved out of that dream of youth, and, say what you may, it is 92 SACRED VOWS. the best part of myself. But once more, brother," he drew himself up firmly to his full height, " this is the limit beyond which I defy you. If Bruno has erred, let him answer for himself, -punish him so far as your position as Abbot and the secular authorities permit you, but beware of withdrawing him from that authority which would protect him from the worst. I will never abandon him, for good or evil, to your monkish revenge 1 Beware of letting him disappear from before my eyes ; I will find out his traces, and then not in vain shall I be the powerful influential Count K-haneck. Your priestly might has a limit, and I should spare nothing if you drove me to extremities ! Farewell ! " He took his departure, he had spoken more calmly than before, without such wild fury, SACEED VOWS. 93 but on that very account the warning had more effect. The Prelate looked grimly- after him ; he saw how the power, which he had always exercised with the superiority of a cold unemotional character over his pas- sionate brother, crumbled into ruins ; he knew better even than the Count, that its limit was reached. He was lost in moody medi- tation when the Prior was announced, who entered immediately and approached in his wonted fawning, humble manner. " I come to receive the orders concerning Pater Benedict, from my most reverend Abbot," began he solemnly. "We may expect him any day after to-morrow. Your Reverence doubtless wishes, in any case, to hear his defence first ? " " Defence ? " asked the Prelate sharply. 94 SACRED VOWS.