Herr von Wallmoden did not indulge in this hilarity, which seemed to jar upon his nerves. He only shrugged his shoulders.

"I do not intend that, indeed; it would probably be lost pains; but I and Willibald are now the only representatives of the family, and if I should remain unmarried----"

"_If?_ Are you contemplating marriage in your old age?" interrupted his sister in her inconsiderate manner.

"I am forty-five years old, dear Regine. That is not usually considered old in a man," said Wallmoden, somewhat offended. "At any rate, I consider a late contracted marriage the best, because then one is not influenced by pa.s.sion as was Falkenried to his great misfortune, but one allows reason to guide the decision."

"May G.o.d help me! Must w.i.l.l.y wait until he has fifty years upon his back and gray hairs upon his head before he marries!" exclaimed Frau von Eschenhagen, horrified.

"No; for he must consider the fact that he is an only son and future lord of the estates; besides, it will depend upon an individual attachment. What do you say, Willibald?"

The young future lord, who had just finished his ham and eggs, and was now turning with unappeased appet.i.te to the _wurst_, was apparently greatly surprised at having his opinion asked. Such a thing happened so seldom that he was now thrown into a spell of deep musing, declaring as the result of it:

"Yes; I shall probably have to marry some time, but mamma will find me a wife when the time comes."

"That she will, my boy," affirmed Frau von Eschenhagen. "That is my affair; you do not need to worry about it at all. You will remain here in Burgsdorf, where I shall have you under my eyes. Universities and travels are not to be considered--that is decided."

She threw a challenging glance at her brother, but he was regarding with a kind of horror the enormous amount of eatables which his nephew was piling upon his plate for the second time.

"Do you always have such a healthy appet.i.te, w.i.l.l.y?" he asked.

"Always," a.s.sured w.i.l.l.y with satisfaction, taking another huge piece of bread and b.u.t.ter.

"Yes; G.o.d be thanked, we do not suffer from indigestion here," said Frau Regine, somewhat pointedly. "We deserve our meals honestly. First play and work, then eat and drink, and heartily--that keeps soul and body together. Just look at w.i.l.l.y, how he has prospered with that treatment. He need never be ashamed to be seen."

She slapped her brother upon the shoulder in a friendly manner at these words, but so heartily that Wallmoden hastily pushed his chair out of her reach. His face betrayed plainly that his hair was "standing on end" again; but he gave up the enforcing of his rights as guardian in the face of these primitive conditions.

w.i.l.l.y, on the contrary, apparently discovered that he had turned out extraordinarily well, and looked very pleased at this praise of his mother, who continued now rather vexedly:

"And Hartmut has not come to breakfast again! He seems to allow himself all sorts of irregularities here at Burgsdorf, but I shall lecture the young man when he comes, and make him----"

"Here he is already!" cried a voice from the garden.

A shadow fell athwart the bright sunshine that poured in through the open window, in which there suddenly appeared a youthful form, which swung itself through from the outside.

"Boy, are you out of your senses that you enter through the window?"

exclaimed Frau von Eschenhagen indignantly. "What are the doors for?"

"For w.i.l.l.y and other well-raised people," laughed the intruder mirthfully. "I always take the shortest route, and this time it led through this window."

With one jump he landed in the middle of the room from the high sill.

Hartmut Falkenried, like the future lord of Burgsdorf, stood at the border between boyhood and manhood, but beyond that likeness it required but a glance to see the superiority of Hartmut in every respect.

He wore the cadet uniform, which became him wonderfully, but there was something in his whole appearance indicative of a revolt against the strict military cut.

The tall, slender boy was a true picture of youth and beauty, but this beauty had something strange and foreign about it; the movement and whole appearance had a wild, unruled element; and not a feature reminded one of the powerful, soldierly figure and grave composure of the father. The thick, curly hair of a blue-black color, falling over the high brow, denoted a son of the South, rather than a German; the eyes also, which glowed in the youthful face, did not belong to the cold, calm North; they were mysterious eyes, dark as night, yet full of hot, pa.s.sionate fire. Beautiful as they were, there was something uncanny about them.

And now the laugh, with which Hartmut looked from one to another of the a.s.sembly, had more of the supercilious about it than of a boy's hearty mirth.

"You introduce yourself in a very unconventional manner," said Wallmoden sharply; "you seem to think that no etiquette is to be observed at Burgsdorf. I hardly think your father would have permitted such an entrance into a dining-room."

"He does not take such liberties with his father," said Frau von Eschenhagen, who fortunately did not feel the stab which lay for her also in her brother's words. "So you finally come now, Hartmut, when we have finished breakfast? But late people do not get anything to eat--you know that."

"Yes, I know it," returned Hartmut, quite unconcerned; "therefore I got the housekeeper to give me some breakfast. You can't starve me out, Aunt Regine. I am on too good terms with all your people."

"So you think you will be able to take all sorts of liberties unpunished," cried the lady of the house angrily. "You break all the rules of the house; you leave no person nor thing in peace; you stand all Burgsdorf upon its head! We shall know how to stop all that, my boy. I shall send a messenger over to your father to-morrow, to ask him to kindly come for his son, who can be taught no punctuality or obedience."

This threat was effective; the boy grew serious and found it best to yield.

"Oh, all that is only jesting," he said. "Am I not to utilize the short vacation----"

"For all sorts of foolishness?" interrupted Frau von Eschenhagen.

"w.i.l.l.y in all his life has not done so many pranks as you in these last three days. You will ruin him for me by your bad example and make him also disobedient."

"Oh, w.i.l.l.y can't be ruined; all pains are thrown away with him,"

confessed Hartmut frankly.

The young lord did not look, indeed, as if he had any inclination to disobedience. Quite unconcerned by all this conversation, he calmly finished his breakfast by still another piece of bread and b.u.t.ter; but his mother was highly incensed over this remark.

"You are doubtless extremely sorry for that," she exclaimed. "You have taken pains enough to ruin him. Very well, it remains as I said--to-morrow I write to your father."

"To come for me? You will not do that, Aunt Regine. You are too good to do that. You know very well how strict papa is--how harshly he can punish. You surely will not accuse me to him--you have never done so before."

"Leave me alone, boy, with your flatteries." Frau Regine's face was still very grim, but her voice already betrayed a perceptible wavering, and Hartmut knew how to take the advantage offered. With the artless frankness of a boy, he laid his arm around her shoulders.

"I thought you loved me a little bit, Aunt Regine. I--I have antic.i.p.ated this trip to Burgsdorf so joyously for weeks. I have longed until I was sick, for forest and lake, for the green meadows and the wide, blue sky; I have been so happy here--but, of course, if you do not want me, I shall leave immediately; you do not need to send me away."

His voice sank to a soft, coaxing whisper, while the large, dark eyes helped with the pleading only too effectively. They could speak more fervently than the lips; they seemed, indeed, to have peculiar power.

Frau von Eschenhagen, who to w.i.l.l.y and all Burgsdorf, was the stern, absolute ruler, now allowed herself to be moved to compliance.

"Well, then, behave yourself, you Eulenspiegel," she said, running her fingers through his thick curls. "As to sending you away, you know only too well that w.i.l.l.y and all my people are perfectly foolish about you--and so am I."

Hartmut shouted in his happiness at these last words, and kissed her hand in fervent grat.i.tude. Then he turned to his friend, who had now happily mastered his last sandwich, and was regarding the scene before him in quiet amazement.

"Are you through with your breakfast at last, w.i.l.l.y? Come on; we wished to go to the Burgsdorf pond--now don't be so slow and deliberate.

Good-by, Aunt Regine. I see that Uncle Wallmoden is not pleased in the least that you have pardoned me. Hurrah! Now we are off for the woods."

And away he dashed over the terraces and down to the garden. There was in this unruliness an overflowing youthful happiness and strength that were enchanting; the lad was all life and fire. w.i.l.l.y trotted behind him like a young bear, and they disappeared in a few seconds behind the trees and shrubberies.

"He comes and goes like a whirlwind," said Frau von Eschenhagen, looking after them. "That boy cannot be restrained when once the reins are slackened."

"A dangerous lad!" declared Wallmoden. "He understands how to rule even you, who otherwise rule supreme. It is the first time in my knowledge that you pardon disobedience and unpunctuality."

"Yes, Hartmut has something about him that really bewitches a body,"

exclaimed Frau von Eschenhagen, half vexed over her yielding. "When he looks at one with those glowing, black eyes, and begs and pleads besides, I would like to see the one who could say no. You are right; he is a dangerous lad."