Chapter 2
"Of course, General."
"Thank you."
The General touched his cap with a slight bend of the head. Reinhold lifted his for a moment, returning the movement with a stiff bow.
"Well?" asked Elsa, as her father came back to her.
"The man must have been a soldier," answered the General.
"Why so?" asked the President.
"I wish I could always get such clear, explicit reports from my officers. The case stands thus."
He repeated what he had just heard from Reinhold, and wound up by saying that he would speak to the Captain about the immediate disembarkation of such pa.s.sengers as wished it.
"For my part, I do not intend to put myself to such inconvenience, which may be unnecessary too, unless Elsa----"
"I, papa!" cried Elsa, "I should not think of such a thing."
The President was in much embarra.s.sment. It was true that he had only that morning, on leaving Stettin, renewed a very slight former acquaintance with General von Werben; but now, after he had been in conversation with him all day, and had taken every opportunity of showing attentions to his daughter, he could not well do otherwise than declare, with a quiver of the lips, which was meant for a smile, that he would share with them as formerly the pleasures, so now the disagreeables of the journey. Should the worst come to the worst, the Prussian Government would be able to console itself for the loss of a president, who besides, as the father of six hopeful children, would have his name handed down to posterity, and could therefore make no claim upon the sympathy of his contemporaries.
Notwithstanding his resigned words, the worthy official was very uncomfortable at heart. In secret he cursed his own inconceivable thoughtlessness in having trusted himself to a "tub," merely to be at home a day sooner, instead of waiting for the next day's mail-boat; he cursed the General's "stupid security," and the young lady's "coquettish affectation of courage," and when a few minutes later the large boat was really launched, and in an incredibly short time, as it seemed to him, filled with the happily small number of deck pa.s.sengers, and a few ladies and gentlemen from the after-cabin, and at first with a few powerful strokes of the oars, and soon after with sails hoisted, made all speed to the sh.o.r.e, he sighed deeply, and firmly resolved, at whatever cost, even at that of a scornful smile from the young lady's lips, that he also would leave the s.h.i.+p before night.
And night was approaching only too rapidly for his fears. The evening glow in the western sky was fading with every minute, and from the east, from the open sea, it grew darker and darker. How long would it be before the land, which to his short-sighted eyes already appeared only as an indistinct outline through the evening mists, would disappear altogether from his sight?
And there could be no doubt, too, that the waves were rising higher every minute, here and there even for the first time that day showing crests of white foam, and breaking with ever-increasing force against the unlucky s.h.i.+p! Added to this the horrible creaking of the yards, the dismal howling of the wind in the rigging, the intolerable roaring and hissing of the steam, which was being almost incessantly let off from the overheated boiler! The boiler would blow up perhaps finally, and the shattered limbs of the man who but now was b.u.t.toning up his overcoat, would be sent flying hither and thither through the air.
The President grew so hot at this idea that he unb.u.t.toned his coat and then b.u.t.toned it up again as he was struck by the ice-cold wind.
"It is unendurable!" muttered he.
Elsa had long since observed how very little the
She had been maliciously amused at first with the embarra.s.sment which he tried to conceal, but now her good-nature conquered. He was after all an elderly gentleman, and apparently not very strong, and a civilian! he could not of course be expected to have either the intrepid courage or the indifference to hards.h.i.+ps of her father, who had not even put on his greatcoat yet, and was now taking his usual evening walk up and down the deck. But papa had made up his mind, once for all, to remain; it would be quite useless to try to persuade him to go. "_He_ must devise some means!" said she to herself.
Reinhold had disappeared after his last words with her father, and was not now on the after-deck; she went forward, therefore, and found him sitting on a great chest, looking through a pocket telescope towards the sh.o.r.e so intently that she had come close to him before he remarked her. He sprang hastily to his feet and turned towards her.
"How far have they got?" asked Elsa.
"They will land directly," he answered. "Will you look through this?"
He handed her the gla.s.s. At the moment when she touched it the metal still retained some warmth from the hand which had held it. In general this was not at all a pleasant sensation to her, but on this occasion she did not perceive it. She thought of it for a moment as she tried to bring the spot which he pointed out to her within the focus of the gla.s.s.
The attempt was unsuccessful; she could see nothing but undefined mist.
"I would rather trust to my eyes!" cried she, putting down the telescope. "I can see it so, quite plainly, there close in sh.o.r.e--in the white streak. What is that?"
"The surf."
"What has become of the sail?"
"It has been taken in so as not to have too much way on as they run in.
But really you have a sailor's eye!"
Elsa smiled at the compliment, and Reinhold smiled too. Their looks met, and remained turned upon each other.
"I have a request to make to you," said Elsa, without dropping her eyes.
"And I was about to make one to you," answered he, looking steadily into the brown stars which shone up towards him, "I wanted to ask you also to go on sh.o.r.e. We shall be afloat in an hour, but the night will be stormy, and we shall be obliged to anchor as soon as we have pa.s.sed Wissow Head." He pointed to the promontory. "Under the best of circ.u.mstances the situation would not be pleasant, at the worst it might be very unpleasant. I should like to know that you were safe from either alternative."
"Thank you," said Elsa, "and now my request need not be made;" and she told Reinhold why she had come.
"That happens most fortunately," cried he, "but there is not a moment to lose. I will speak to your father immediately. We must go at once."
"We?"
"With your permission I will take you on sh.o.r.e myself."
"Thank you," said Elsa again, with a deep breath. She held out her hand to him; he took the small delicate hand in his, and again their looks met.
"That hand may be trusted," thought Elsa, "and the eyes too!" And aloud she said: "You must not think, however, that I am afraid of remaining here! it is really only on the poor President's account."
She withdrew her hand, and hastened away towards her father, who was already surprised at her long absence, and now came in search of her.
In the act of following her, Reinhold saw lying at his feet a little pale grey glove. She must have dropped it just now, as she took the telescope.
He stooped quickly, picked it up, and put it in his pocket.
"She will not have that back again," said he to himself.
CHAPTER III.
Reinhold was right; there was not a moment to be lost. As the little boat which he steered cut through the foaming waters, the sky was gradually obscured by black clouds which threatened soon to extinguish the last gleam of light in the west. In addition to this the wind, which was blowing violently, veered suddenly round from south to north, and it became necessary, in order to enable the boat to return more quickly to the s.h.i.+p, to land at a different place from that where the large boat, which they already saw on its way back, had discharged its pa.s.sengers. This had been at the fis.h.i.+ng village of Ahlbeck, in the centre of the bay, immediately under Wissow Head. They were obliged to keep close to the wind, and more to the north, where there was hardly s.p.a.ce for a single hut, far less for a fis.h.i.+ng village, on the narrow beach under the bare dunes; and Reinhold might think himself fortunate in being just able to bring the boat round by a bold man[oe]uvre so near to the sh.o.r.e, that the landing of the travellers with the few articles of luggage which they had brought from the s.h.i.+p could be effected without much difficulty.
"I am afraid we have only fallen from the frying-pan into the fire,"
said the President in a melancholy tone.
"It is a comfort to me that it is not our fault," answered the General, not without some sharpness in his deep voice.
"Oh! certainly not, most surely not!" admitted the President; "_mea maxima culpa!_ my own fault entirely, Fraulein von Werben. But you must confess that our situation is deplorable, really miserably deplorable!"
"I don't know," answered Elsa; "I think it is quite beautiful here."
"I congratulate you with all my heart," said the President; "but for my part I should prefer a fire, a wing of chicken, and half a bottle of St. Julien; but if it is a consolation only to have companions in misfortune, it is a double one to know that what to the sober experience of the one is a very real misfortune, appears to the youthful fancy of the other as a romantic adventure."