Barbara Blomberg — Complete

by Georg Ebers

  CHAPTER XXI.

  The Emperor Charles loved his sister Mary, and he now desired to showher how dear she was to his heart. She had been obliging to him, and hehad in mind the execution of a great enterprise which she had hithertozealously opposed, yet for which he needed her co-operation.

  It satisfied him to know that the father of his love would be absentfrom Ratisbon for the present. He did not care who accompanied him.

  When the regent reproached him for having taken Sir Wolf Hartschwertfrom her without a word of consultation, although she was unwilling tospare him, he had instantly placed Wolf at her disposal again.

  The simplest and cheapest plan would have been to let Blomberg pursuehis journey alone; but the monarch feared that the despatch might not bequickly delivered if anything happened to the old man on the way, andhe had said before witnesses that he would not allow him to go withoutcompanionship.

  He scarcely thought of Barbara's filial feeling. She loved him, andthe place which she gave to any one else in her heart could and musttherefore be extremely small.

  How powerfully the passionate love for this girl had seized him hedared not confess to himself. But he rejoiced in the late love whichrejuvenated him and filled him with a joy in existence whose freshblossoming would have seemed impossible a few days before.

  How superb a creature he had found in this German city, from which,since its change of religion, he had withdrawn his former favour! Inhis youth his heart had throbbed ardently for many a fair woman, butshe surpassed in beauty, in swift intelligence, in fervour, in artisticability, and, above all, in sincere, unfeigned devotion every one whomhis faithful memory recalled.

  He would hold fast to the loved one who bestowed this happiness andfresh vigour of youth. To make warm the nest which was to receive hisdear nightingale he had conquered the economy which was beginningto degenerate into avarice, and also intended to accomplish othersacrifices in order to procure her the position which she deserved.

  He no longer knew that he had wounded her deeply the night before. Hewas in the habit of casting aside whatever displeased him unless itappeared advantageous to impose restraint upon himself; and who wouldever have dared to resist the expression of his indignation? Had Barbaraobeyed her hasty temper and returned him a sharp answer, he certainlywould not have forgotten it. The bare thought of her dispelledmelancholy thoughts from his mind; the hope of soon seeing and hearingher again rendered him friendly and yielding to those about him. Thetrivial sin which this sweet love secret contained had been pardonedin the case of the man bound by no older obligation, after a slightpenance, and now for the first time he fully enjoyed the wealth of theunexpected new happiness. It must also be acceptable to Heaven, for thiswas distinctly shown by the more and more favourable turn of politics,and he held the return gift.

  That it was the right one was proved by the nature of the gratifyingnews brought by the very last despatches. They urged him directly towardthe war which hitherto, from the most serious motives, he had avoided,and, as his royal sister correctly saw, would destroy a slowly matured,earnest purpose; for it forced him to renounce the hope of effectingat Trent a reformation of the Church according to his own ideas, and arestoration of the unity of religion in a peaceful manner by yieldingon one side and reasonable concessions on the other. He had longsince perceived that many things in the old form of religion neededreformation. If war was declared, he would be compelled to resign thehope that these would be undertaken by Rome, and the opposition, thedefiance, the bold rebellion of the Protestant princes destroyed everyhope of propitiation on their part. They were forcing him to draw thesword, and he might venture to do so at this time, for he need now feelno fear of serious opposition from any of the great powers aroundhim. Maurice of Saxony, too, was on the point of withdrawing from theSmalkalds and becoming his ally; so, with the assistance of Heaven, hemight hope to win the victory for the cause of the Church, and with italso that of the crown.

  With regard to the probability of this war, he had much to expectfrom the activity of his sister in the Netherlands, and though she nowadvocated peace, in the twelfth hour, which must soon strike, he couldrely upon her. Yet she was a woman, and it was necessary to bind her tohim by every tie of the heart and intellect.

  He loved Barbara as warmly as he was capable of loving; but had Marythat evening required his separation from the singer as the price of herassistance in promoting his plans, the desire of the heart would perhapshave yielded to the wishes of the statesman.

  But the regent did not impose this choice; she did not grudge him hislate happiness, and gratefully appreciated the transformation whichBarbara's rare gifts had wrought.

  The affectionate sister's heart wished that the bond which produced sofavourable a result might be of the longest possible duration, and shehad therefore personally attended to the furnishing of the Prebrunnhouse, and made all sorts of arrangements to render Barbara's life withthe marquise, not only endurable, but pleasant.

  The Emperor had allowed a considerable sum for this purpose, but shedid not trouble herself about the amount allotted. If she exceeded it,Charles must undertake the payment, whether he desired it or not.

  Her vivid imagination had showed her how she, in the Emperor's place,would treat the object of his love, and she acted accordingly, withoutquestioning him or the girl for whom her arrangements were made.

  Nothing was too expensive for the favoured being who dispelled theEmperor's melancholy, and she had proved how much can be accomplished ina brief space where there is good will on all sides.

  By her orders entirely separate suites of apartments had been preparedfor Barbara and the marquise. Quijada had selected four of her ownsaddle horses for the stable of the little castle, and supplied it withthe necessary servants. Her steward had been commissioned to provide theservants wanted in the kitchen, and one of her Netherland officialshad received orders to manage the household of the marquise and hercompanion, and in doing so to anticipate Barbara's wishes in the mostattentive manner. One of her best maids, the worthy and skilful FrauLamperi, though she was reluctant to part with her, had been sentto Prebrunn to serve Barbara as garde-robiere. The advice that theEmperor's love should take her own waiting maid also came from her.She knew the value, amid new circumstances, of a person long known andtrusted. The idea that Barbara would take her own maid with her rested,it is true, on the supposition that so well-dressed a young lady, whobelonged to an ancient family, must as surely possess such a person aseyes and hands.

  Barbara had just induced Frau Lerch to accompany her to Prebrunn. Theold woman's opposition had only been intended to extort more favourableterms. She knew nothing of the regent's arrangements.

  Queen Mary was grateful to Charles for so readily restoring the usefulSir Wolf Hartschwert, and when the latter presented himself he wasreceived even more graciously than usual.

  She had some work ready for him. A letter in relation to the betrothalof her nieces, the daughters of King Ferdinand, was to be sent to theImperial Councillor Schonberg at Vienna. It must be written in German,because the receiver understood no other language.

  After she had told the knight the purpose of the letter, she left him;the vesper service summoned her, and afterward Barbara detained heras she sang to the Emperor, alone and accompanied by Appenzelder's boychoir, several songs, and in a manner so thoroughly artistic that theQueen lingered not only in obedience to her brother's wish, but frompleasure in the magnificent music, until the end of the concert.

  Just as Wolf, seated in the writing room, which was always at hisdisposal, finished the letter, the major-domo, Don Luis Quijada, soughthim.

  He had already intimated several times that he had something in viewfor him which promised to give Wolf's life, in his opinion, a new andfavourable turn. Now he made his proposal.

  The duties imposed upon him by the service compelled him to live apartfrom his beloved, young, and beautiful wife, Dona Magdalena de Ulloa,who had remained at his castle Villagarcia in Spain.
She possessedbut one true comforter in her solitude--music. But the person who hadhitherto instructed her--the family chaplain--was dead. So far as hisability and his taste were concerned, it would have been easy to replacehim, but Quijada sought in his successor qualities which rarely adorneda single individual, but which he expected to find united in the knight.

  In the first place, the person he desired must be, like the chaplain,of noble birth; for to see his wife closely associated with a man ofinferior station was objectionable to the Spanish grandee, who wasperhaps the most popular of all the officers in the army, not only onaccount of his valour in the field, but also for the kindly good willand absolute justice which he bestowed upon even the humblest soldier.

  That the chaplain's successor must be a good artist, thoroughly familiarwith Netherland and Italian music, was a matter of course. But Don Luisalso demanded from Dona Magdalena's new teacher and household companiongraceful manners, a modest disposition, and, above all things, acharacter on which he could absolutely rely. Not that he would havecherished any fears of the fidelity of the wife whom he honoured as thepurest and noblest of her sex, and of whom he spoke to the knight withreverence and love; he desired only to guard her from any occurrencethat might offend her.

  Wolf listened in surprise. He had firmly resolved that on no accountwould he stay in Ratisbon. What could he find save fresh anxiety andnever-ending anguish of the heart if he remained near Barbara, whodisdained his love?

  He possessed little ambition. It was only for the sake of the womanhe loved that he had recently made more active exertions, but with hisexcellent acquirements and the fair prospects which were open to him atthe court, it seemed, even to his modest mind, too humble a fate to buryhimself in a Spanish castle in order to while away with music the lonelyhours of a noblewoman, no matter how high her rank, how beautiful andestimable she might be, or how gladly he would render her admirablehusband a favour.

  Quijada had said this to himself, and perceived plainly enough what waspassing in the young knight's thoughts.

  So he frankly confessed that he was well aware how few temptations hisinvitation offered a man endowed with Wolf's rare advantages, but hecame by no means with empty hands--and he now informed the listeningmusician what he could offer him.

  This certainly gave his proposal a different aspect.

  The aristocratic Quijada family--and as its head he himself--had in itsgift a rich living, which annually yielded thousands of ducats, in thegreat capital of Valladolid. Many a son of a distinguished race soughtit, but he wished to bestow it upon Wolf. It would insure him more thana comfortable support, permit him to marry the woman of his choice, and,if he remained several years in Villagarcia, afford him the possibilityof accumulating a neat little property, as he would live in Quijada'scastle as a welcome guest and scarcely ever be obliged to open his pursestrings. Besides, music was cultivated in Valladolid, and if Don Luisintroduced him to the clergy there, it might easily happen that theywould avail themselves of his great knowledge and fine ability andintrust to him the amendment and perhaps, finally, the direction of thechurch music.

  As Dona Magdalena often spent several months with her brother, theMarquis Rodrigo de la Mota, Wolf could from time to time be permitted tovisit the Netherlands or Italy to participate in the more active musicallife of these countries.

  Wolf listened to this explanation with increasing attention.

  The narrow path which buried itself in the sand was becoming athoroughfare leading upward. He was glad that he had withheld hisrefusal; but this matter was so important that the prudent young man,after warmly thanking Don Luis for his good opinion, requested some timefor consideration.

  True, Quijada could assure him that, for the sake of his wife, DonaMagdalena de Ulloa, whom from childhood she had honoured with herspecial favour, the regent would place no obstacle in the way of hisretirement from her service. But Wolf begged him to have patience withhim. He was not a man to make swift decisions, and nowhere could hereflect better than in the saddle during a long ride. He would informhim of his determination by the first messenger despatched from Brusselsto the Emperor. Even now he could assure him that this generous offerseemed very tempting, since solitude always had far more charm for himthan the noisy bustle of the court.

  Quijada willingly granted the requested delay, and, before bidding himfarewell, Wolf availed himself of the opportunity to deliver into hishands the papers collected by his adopted father, which he had on hisperson. They contained the proof that he was descended from the legalmarriage of a knight and a baroness; and Don Luis willingly undertookto have them confirmed by the Emperor, and his patent renewed in away which, if he accepted his proposal, might also be useful to him inSpain.

  So Wolf took leave of the major-domo with the conviction that hepossessed a true friend in this distinguished man. If the regent didnot arbitrarily detain him, he would show himself in Villagarcia to beworthy of his confidence.

  On the stairs he met the Emperor's confessor, Don Pedro de Soto. Wolfbowed reverently before the dignified figure of the distinguishedDominican, and the latter, as he recognised him, paused to requestcurtly that he would give him a few minutes the following day.

  "If I can be of any service to your Reverence," replied Wolf, takingthe prelate's delicate hand to kiss it; but the almoner, with visiblecoldness, withdrew it, repellently interrupting him: "First, Sir Knight,I must ask you for an explanation. Where the plague is raging in everystreet, we ought to guard our own houses carefully against it."

  "Undoubtedly," replied Wolf, unsuspiciously. "But I shall set out earlyto-morrow morning with her Majesty."

  "Then," replied the Dominican after a brief hesitation, "then a wordwith you now."

  He continued his way to the second story, and Wolf, with an anxiousmind, followed him into a waiting room, now empty, near the staircase.

  The deep seriousness in the keen eyes of the learned confessor, whichcould look gentle, indulgent, and sometimes even merry, revealed thathe desired to discuss some matter of importance; but the very firstquestion which the priest addressed to him restored the young man'scomposure.

  The confessor merely desired to know what took him to the house of theman who must be known to him as the soul of the evangelical innovationsin his native city, and the friend of Martin Luther.

  Wolf now quietly informed him what offer Dr. Hiltner, as syndic ofRatisbon, had made him in the name of the Council.

  "And you?" asked the confessor anxiously.

  "I declined it most positively," replied Wolf, "although it would havesuited my taste to stand at the head of the musical life in my nativecity."

  "Because you prefer to remain in the service of her Majesty Queen Mary?"asked De Soto.

  "No, your Eminence. Probably I shall soon leave the position nearher person. I rather feared that, as a good Catholic, I would find itdifficult to do my duty in the service of an evangelical employer."

  "There is something in that. But what led the singer--you know whom Imean--to the same house?"

  Wolf could not restrain a slight smile, and he answered eagerly: "Theyoung lady and I grew up together under the same roof, your Eminence,and she came for no other purpose than to bid me farewell. A lamb thatclings more firmly to the shepherd, and more strongly abhors heresy,could scarcely be found in our Redeemer's flock."

  "A lamb!" exclaimed the almoner with a slight touch of scorn. "What arewe to think of the foe of heresy who exchanges tender kisses with thewife of the most energetic leader of Protestantism?"

  "By your permission, your Eminence," Wolf asserted, "only the daughteroffered her her lips. She and her mother made the singer's acquaintanceat the musical exercises established here by the Council. Music isthe only bond between them."--"Yet there is a bond," cried De Sotosuspiciously. "If you see her again before your departure, advise her,in my name, to sever it. She found a friendly welcome and much kindnessin that house, and here at least--tell her so--only one faith exists. Aprosperous journey, Sir Knight
."

  The delay caused by this conversation induced Wolf to quicken his pace.It had grown late, and Erasmus Eckhart had surely been waiting some timefor his school friend in the old precentor's house.

  This was really the case, but the Wittenberg theologian, whose course ofstudy had ended only a fortnight before, and who, with his long, brownlocks and bright blue eyes, still looked like a gay young student, hadhad no reason to lament the delay.

  He was first received by Ursel, who had left her bed and was movingslowly about the room, and how much the old woman had had to tell heryoung fellow-believer from Wittenberg about Martin Luther, who was nowno longer living, and Professor Melanchthon; but Erasmus Eckhart likedto talk with her, for as a schoolmate and intimate friend of Wolf he hadpaid innumerable visits to the house, and received in winter an apple,in summer a handful of cherries, from her.

  The young man was still less disposed to be vexed with Wolf for hisdelay when Barbara appeared in Ursel's room. Erasmus had played withher, too, when he was a boy, and they shared a treasure of memories ofthe fairest portion of life.

  When Wolf at last returned and Barbara gave him her hand, Erasmus enviedhim the affectionate confidence with which it was done. She wascharged with the warmest messages from her father to the knight, andconscientiously delivered them. The old gentleman's companion hadadvised starting that evening, because experience taught that, on a longride, it was better for man and beast to spend the night outside thecity.

  They were to put up at the excellent tavern in Winzer, an hour's journeyfrom Ratisbon, and continue the ride from that point.

  Wolf knew that many couriers did the same thing, in order to avoid delayat the gate, and only asked whom her father had chosen for a companion.

  "A young nobleman who was here as a recruiting officer," replied Barbaracurtly.

  She had not heard until the last moment whom her father had selected,and had only seen Pyramus Kogel again while the captain's groom wasbuckling his knapsack upon the saddle. He had ridden to the house, andwhile she gazed past him, as though an invisible cap concealed him fromher eyes, he asked whether she had no wish concerning her father atheart.

  "That some one else was to accompany him," came her sharp reply.

  Then, before the captain put his foot into the stirrup, she threw herarms around the old man's neck, kissed him tenderly, and uttered lovingwishes for him to take with him on his way.

  Her father, deeply moved, at last swung himself into the saddle,commending her to the protection of the gracious Virgin. It was notwholly easy for him to part with her, but the prospect of riding outinto the world with a full purse, highly honoured by his imperialmaster, gratified the old adventure-loving heart so much that he couldfeel no genuine sympathy. Too honest to feign an emotion which he didnot experience, he behaved accordingly; and, besides, he was sure ofleaving his child in the best care as in her earlier years, when, gladto leave the dull city, business, and his arrogant, never-satisfied wifebehind, he had gone with a light heart to war.

  While pressing the horse's flanks between his legs and forcing thespirited animal, which went round and round with him in a circle, toobedience, he waved his new travelling hat; but Barbara, meanwhile, wasthinking that he could only leave her with his mind thus free from carebecause she was deceiving him, and, as her eyes rested on her father'swounded limb projecting stiffly into the air, bitter grief overwhelmedher.

  How often the old wounds caused him pain! Other little infirmities, too,tortured him. Who would bind them up on the journey? who would give himthe medicine which afforded relief?

  Then pity affected her more deeply than ever before, and it was withdifficulty that she forced back the rising tears. Her father mightperhaps have noticed them, for one groom carried a torch, and theone-eyed maid's lantern was shining directly into her face.

  But while she was struggling not to weep aloud, emotion and anxiety forthe old man who, through her fault, would be exposed to so much danger,extorted the cry: "Take care of him, Herr Pyramus! I will be grateful toyou."

  "That shall be a promise, lovely, ungracious maiden," the recruitingofficer quickly answered. But the old man was already waving hishat again, his horse dashed upon the Haidplatz at a gallop, and hiscompanion, with gallant bearing, followed.

  Barbara had then gone back into the house, and the maid-servant lightedher upstairs.

  It had become perfectly dark in her rooms, and the solitude and silencethere oppressed her like a hundredweight burden. Besides, terriblethoughts had assailed her, showing her herself in want and shame,despised, disdained, begging for a morsel of bread, and her father underhis fallen horse, on his lonely, couch of pain, in his coffin.

  Then her stay in her lonely rooms seemed unendurable. She would havelost her reason ere Quijada came at midnight to conduct her for a shorttime to the Golden Cross. She could not remain long with her lover,because the servants were obliged to be up early in the morning onaccount of the regent's departure.

  With Ursel she would be protected from the terrors of solitude, for,besides the old woman's voice, a man's tones also reached her throughthe open window. It was probably the companion of her childhood. In hissociety she would most speedily regain her lost peace of mind.

  In his place she had at first found only Erasmus Eckhart.

  The strong, bold boy had become a fine-looking man.

  A certain gravity of demeanour had early taken possession of him, andwhile his close-shut lips showed his ability to cling tenaciously to aresolution, his bright eyes sparkled with the glow of enthusiasm.

  Barbara could believe in this young man's capacity for earnest, loftyaspiration, and for that very reason it had aroused special displeasurein her mind when he gaily recalled the foolish pranks, far better suitedto a boy, into which as a child she had often allowed herself to behurried.

  She felt as if, in doing so, he was showing her a lack of respect whichhe would scarcely have ventured toward a young lady whom he esteemed,and the petted singer, whom no less a personage than the Emperor Charlesdeemed worthy of his love, was unwilling to tolerate such levity from soyoung a man.

  She made no claim to reverence, but she expected admiration and therecognition of being an unusual person, who was great in her own way.

  For the sake of the monarch who raised her to his side, she owed it toherself to show, even in her outward bearing, that she did not stand toofar below him in aristocratic dignity.

  She succeeded in this admirably during the conversation on music andsinging which she carried on with Erasmus.

  When she at last desired to return home, Wolf accompanied her up thestairs, informed her of his conversation with the confessor, and at thesame time warned her against incautious visits to the Hiltners so longas the Emperor held his court in Ratisbon.

  To have fallen under suspicion of heresy would have been the last thingBarbara expected, and she called it foolish, nay, ridiculous. But, ereshe clasped Wolf's hand in farewell, she promised to show the almoner atthe first opportunity upon how false a trail he had come.