Chronicles of the Schonberg-Cotta Family

by Elizabeth Rundle Charles

  XXV.

  Thekla's Story.

  _October_, 1522.

  Once more the letters come regularly from Flanders; and in most waystheir tidings are joyful. Nowhere throughout the world, Bertrand writes,does the evangelical doctrine find such an eager reception as there. Thepeople in the great free cities have been so long accustomed to judgefor themselves, and to speak their minds freely. The Augustinian monkswho studied at Wittemberg, took back the gospel with them to Antwerp,and preached it openly in their church, which became so thronged witheager hearers, that numbers had to listen outside the doors. It is true,Bertrand says, that the Prior and one or two of the monks have beenarrested, tried at Brussels, and silenced; but the rest continueundauntedly to preach as before, and the effect of the persecution hasbeen only to deepen the interest of the citizens.

  The great new event which is occupying us all now, however, is thepublication of Dr. Luther's New Testament. Chriemhild writes that is thegreatest boon to her, because being afraid to trust herself to say much,she simply reads, and the peasants seem to understand that book betterthan anything she can say about it; or even, if at any time they come toanything which perplexes them, they generally find that by simplyreading on it grows quite clear. Also, she writes, Ulrich reads it everyevening to all the servants, and it seems to bind the household togetherwonderfully. They feel that at last they have found somethinginestimably precious, which is yet no "privilege" of man or class, butthe common property of all.

  In many families at Wittemberg the book is daily read, for there are fewof those who can read at all who cannot afford a copy, since the priceis but a florin and a half.

  New hymns also are beginning to spring up among us. We are no moreliving on the echo of old songs. A few days since a stranger from thenorth sang before Dr. Luther's windows, at the Augustinian convent, ahymn beginning,--

  "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her."

  Dr. Luther desired that it might be sung again. It was a response fromPrussia to the glad tidings which have gone forth far and wide throughhis words! He said "he thanked God with a full heart."

  The delight of having Eva among us once more is so great! Her presenceseems to bring peace with it. It is not what she says or does, but whatshe is. It is more like the effect of music than anything else I know. Aquiet seems to come over one's heart from merely being with her. No oneseems to fill so little space, or make so little noise in the world asEva, when she is there; and yet when she is gone, it is as if the musicand the light had passed from the place. Everything about her alwaysseems so in tune. Her soft, quiet voice, her gentle, noiselessmovements, her delicate features, the soft curve of her cheek, thosedeep loving eyes, of which one never seems able to remember anything butthat Eva herself looks through them into your heart.

  All so different from me, who can scarcely ever come into a room withoutupsetting something, or disarranging some person, and can seldom enteron a conversation without upsetting some one's prejudices, or grating onsome one's feelings!

  It seems to me sometimes as if God did indeed lead Eva, as the Psalmsays, "by His eye;" as if he had trained her to what she is by thedirect teaching of his gracious voice, instead of by the rough trainingof circumstances. And nevertheless, she never makes me feel herhopelessly above me. The light is not like a star, which makes one feel"how peaceful it must be there, in these heights," but brings littlelight upon our path. It is like a lowly sunbeam coming down among us,and making us warm and bright.

  She always makes me think of the verse about the saint who wastranslated silently to heaven, because he had "_walked with God_." Yes,I am sure that is her secret.

  Only I have a malicious feeling that I should like to see her for oncethoroughly tossed out of her calm, just to be quite sure it is God'speace, and not some natural or fairy gift, or a stoical impassivenessfrom the "Theologia Teutsch." Sometimes, I fancy for an instant whetherit is not a little too much with Eva, as if she were "translated"already; as if she had passed to _the other side_ of the deepest earthlyjoy and sorrow, at least as regards herself. Certainly she has not asregards others. Her sympathy is indeed no condescending alms, flung fromthe other side of the flood, no pitying glance cast down on grief shefeels, but could never share. Have I not seen her lip quiver, when Ispoke of the dangers around Bertrand, even when my voice was firm, andfelt her tears on my face when she drew me to her heart.

  _December_, 1522.

  That question at last is answered! I _have_ seen Cousin Eva moved out ofher calm, and feel at last quite sure she is not "translated" yet.Yesterday evening we were all sitting in the family room. Ourgrandmother was dozing by the stove. Eva and my mother were busy at thetable, helping Atlantis in preparing the dresses for her wedding, whichis to be early in next year. I was reading to my father from Dr.Melancthon's new book, "The Common Places," (which all learned peoplesay is so much more elegant and beautifully written than Dr. Luther'sworks, but which is to me only just a composed book, and not like allDr. Luther's writings, a voice from the depths of a heart.) I wasfeeling like my grandmother, a little sleepy, and, indeed, the wholeatmosphere around us seemed drowsy and still, when our little maid,Lottchen, opened the door with a frightened expression, and before shecould say anything, a pale tall man stood there. Only Eva and I werelooking towards the door. I could not think who it was, until a lowstartled voice exclaimed "Fritz!" and looking around at Eva, I saw shehad fainted.

  In another instant he was kneeling beside her, lavishing every tendername on her, while my mother stood on the other side, holding theunconscious form in her arms, and sobbing out Fritz's name.

  Our dear father stood up, asking bewildered questions--our grandmotherawoke, and rubbing her eyes, surveyed the whole group with a puzzledexpression, murmuring,--

  "Is it a dream? Or are the Zwickau prophets right after all, and is itthe resurrection?"

  But no one seemed to remember that tears and endearing words andbewildered exclamations were not likely to restore any one from afainting fit, until to my great satisfaction our good motherly Elseappeared at the door, saying, "What is it? Lottchen ran over to tell meshe thought there were thieves."

  Then comprehending everything at a glance, she dipped a handkerchief inwater, and bathed Eva's brow, and fanned her with it, until in a fewminutes she awoke with a short sobbing breath, and in a little while hereyes opened, and as they rested on Fritz, a look of the most perfectrest came over her face, she placed her other hand on the one he heldalready, and closed her eyes again. I saw great tears falling under theclosed eyelids. Then looking up again and seeing my mother bending overher, she drew down her hand and laid it on Fritz's, and we left thosethree alone together.

  When we were all safely in the next room, we all by one impulse began toweep. I sobbed,--

  "He looks so dreadfully ill. I think they have all but murdered him."

  And Else said,--

  "She has exactly the same look on her face that came over it when shewas recovering from the plague, and he stood motionless beside her, withthat rigid hopeless tranquility on his face, just before he left to be amonk. What will happen next?"

  And my grandmother said in a feeble broken voice,

  "He looks just as your grandfather did when he took leave of me inprison. Indeed, sometimes I am quite confused in mind. It seems as ifthings were coming over again. I can hardly make out whether it is adream, or a ghost, or a resurrection."

  Our father only did not join in our tears. He said what was very muchwiser.

  "Children, the greatest joy our house has known since Fritz left hascame to it to-day. Let us give God thanks." And we all stood around himwhile he took the little velvet cap from his bald head and thanked God,while we all wept out our Amen. After that we grew calmer; theoverwhelming tumult of feeling, in which we could scarcely tell joy fromsorrow, passed, and we began to understand it was indeed a great joywhich had been given to us.

/>   Then we heard a little stir in the house, and my mother summoned usback; but we found her alone with Fritz, and would insist on hissubmitting to an unlimited amount of family caresses and welcomes.

  "Come, Fritz, and assure our grandmother that you are alive, and thatyou have never been dead," said Else. And then her eyes filling withtears, she added, "What you must have suffered! If I had not rememberedyou before you received the tonsure, I should scarcely have known younow with your dark, long beard, and your white thin face."

  "Yes," observed Atlantis in the deliberate way in which she usuallyannounces her discoveries, "no doubt that is the reason why Evarecognized Fritz before Thekla did, although they were both facing thedoor, and must have seen him at the same time. She remembered him beforehe received the tonsure."

  We all smiled a little at Atlantis' discovery, whereupon she looked upwith a bewildered expression, and said, "Do you think, then, she did_not_ recognize him? I did not think of that. Probably, then, she tookhim for a thief, like Lottchen!"

  Fritz was deep in conversation with our mother, and was not heeding us,but Else laughed softly as she patted Atlantis' hand, and said,--

  "Conrad Winkelried must have expressed himself very plainly, sister,before you understood him."

  "He did, sister Else," replied Atlantis gravely. "But what has that todo with Eva?"

  When I went up to our room, Eva's and mine, I found her kneeling by herbed. In a few minutes she rose, and clasping me in her arms, she said,--

  "God is very good, Thekla. I have believed that so long, but never halfenough until to-night."

  I saw that she had been weeping, but the old calm had come back to herface, only with a little more sunshine on it.

  Then, as if she feared to be forgetting others in her own happiness, shetook my hand and said--

  "Dear Thekla, God is leading us all through all the dark days to themorning. We must never distrust Him any more!"

  And without saying another word we retired to rest. In the morning whenI woke Eva was sitting beside me with a lamp on the table, and the largeLatin Bible open before her. I watched her face for some time. It lookedso pure, and good, and happy, with that expression on it which alwayshelped me to understand the meaning of the words, "child of God,""little children," as Dr. Melancthon says our Lord called his disciplesjust before he left them. There was so much of the uncloudedtrustfulness of the "_child_" in it, and yet so much of the peace anddepth which are of _God_.

  After I had been looking at her a while she closed the Bible and beganto alter a dress of mine which she had promised to prepare forChristmas. As she was sewing, she hummed softly, as she was accustomed,some strains of old church music. At length I said--

  "Eva, how old were you when Fritz became a monk?"

  "Sixteen," she said softly; "he went away just after the plague."

  "Then you have been separated twelve long years," I said. "God, then,sometimes exercises patience a long while."

  "It does not seem long now," she said; "we both believed we wereseparated by God, and separated for ever on earth."

  "Poor Eva," I said; "and this was the sorrow which helped to make you sogood."

  "I did not know it had been so great a sorrow, Thekla," she said with aquivering voice, "until last night."

  "Then you had loved each other all that time," I said, half to myself.

  "I suppose so," she said in a low voice. "But I never knew tillyesterday how much."

  After a short silence, she began again with a smile,--

  "Thekla, he thinks me unchanged during all those years; me, the matronof the novices! But oh, how he is changed! What a life-time of sufferingon his face! How they must have made him suffer!"

  "God gives it to you as your life-work to restore and help him," I said."O Eva, it must be the best woman's lot in the world to bind up for thedearest on earth the wounds which men have inflicted. It must be joyunutterable to receive back from God's own hands a love you have both sodearly proved you were ready to sacrifice for him."

  "Your mother thinks so too," she said. "She said last night the vowswhich would bind us together would be holier than any ever uttered bysaint or hermit."

  "Did our mother say that?" I asked.

  "Yes," replied Eva. "And she said she was sure Dr. Luther would think soalso."