Luke Barnicott, and Other Stories

by William Howitt

  CHAPTER IV.--BARENBURG CASTLE.

  But the waking next morning was still more wonderful. They opened theireyes, and did not know where they were, and thought they were still athome at Steinheim, in their little tiny chambers, till all at once theyremembered that they had now actually and truly awakened in a castle.Then Mina found a beautiful china basin ready for her to wash in,whereas, at home, they had each to fill the iron dish with water fromthe well before they could wash; and the breakfast-table, with itshandsome old-fashioned blue and white china service, and aniseed bread,because they had not fresh bread every day at Barenburg Castle; indeed,everything was just like a fairy tale.

  And yet that was only the beginning of the glorious things which weredisplayed to their enraptured gaze, when, after breakfast, Mrs. Waltertook the important bunch of keys, and conducted the children through thechambers and state apartments of the castle. Softly, very softly andcarefully, with a sort of reverential awe, they stepped along the narrowline of carpet which was laid on the polished inlaid floors, only nowand then allowing an exclamation of pure astonishment to escape theirlips, as when, for instance, they beheld their own figures advancing atfull length, to meet them in the lofty mirror-doors, or when some otherobject of more than ordinary magnificence, or of an unusual character,caught their eyes.

  The flight of steps which led from the garden, through the lofty glassdoors, opened into the dining-hall, in which the gentlemen wereaccustomed to dine on their return from the chase. The walls werepainted with a series of beautiful pictures, representing a forest,through the thick underwood of which a slender roe glanced forth hereand there, or where, on the margin of some splendid lake, the noble stagwas quenching his thirst, or a mighty boar whetting his tusks on thetrunk of some old forest tree. Above, on the ceiling, the gallant falconand the heron seemed to be floating under masses of well-painted clouds.The dishes and drinking vessels of the table, which were exhibited in alarge antique glass cupboard, were all formed from stags' horn, or wereornamented therewith; splendid and immensely large deers' antlers werefastened upon the walls, and under each pair was an inscription statingthat the noble animal which had worn these antlers had been killed bythis or that royal prince, now long deceased. To this hall succeededsmall apartments, the one more beautiful than the other, the favouritesuite of rooms of the late princess, furnished with sky-blue silk; adancing hall, with splendidly painted walls, representing ladies andgentlemen in antiquated costume, who were making stately bows andcurtseys to each other, and a gloomy chamber furnished with dark redsilk damask, containing an immense richly gilded bed, in which apersecuted emperor had once slept. Mina felt frightened in this room,and pressed still closer to Mrs. Walter.

  "There, sit down," said the old lady, "you are tired, poor child;" andshe pointed to a handsome arm-chair, covered with blue silk, which stoodbeside the bed. Mina timidly seated herself, but she started up againterrified, for that very moment, from the seat of the chair, was heardin the sweetest, flute-like notes, the melody, "Rejoice ye in life!"which her father, when he was not too weary, played so often to them onthe old spinnet at home. That was the most wonderful thing of all--achair which could play music more beautifully even than her fatherhimself! After this they walked on more quietly still, lookingcontinually round, in the expectation of some other wonderful surprise.

  Mrs. Walter, through her late husband, the son of a yet olderhouse-steward, who had been brought up in the castle, had herself socompletely entered into the spirit of the place as almost to regard itas her own property, and she was therefore as much gratified by thedelight and astonishment of the children as if it had been a personalcompliment to herself.

  "Now, is it not beautiful?" asked she of Mina, as she turned the key inthe last door.

  "Very beautiful to look at," replied Mina, "but I don't know whether Ishould quite like to live in it. I don't know a single little nook whereI could sit with my knitting."

  But such little nooks abounded all the more beautifully and sweeter inthe garden, where the children found a new world of wonder. According totheir ideas, derived from the garden at home, which was celebrated, notonly in the village itself, but through the whole neighbourhood, theyimagined, under the name of a garden, a beautiful smooth piece ofground, divided into accurately-formed vegetable-beds, which worebordered and adorned with lovely flowers, and in the very middle of alla green painted garden-house covered with creepers. Here, however, itwas quite different.

  Adjoining the castle was "the garden in the pig-tail style," as Mrs.Walter said, with ornamental twisted borders, the paths strewn withbright gravel, and planted all about with box-trees clipped into thestrangest shapes, balls, pyramids, and even the human form, and, in themiddle of all, a fountain which threw up water almost higher than theone in the front. For a great distance also beyond the castle extended,too, what was called "the park," with shrubberies, in which stoodwonderful statues; where, amidst lawns of fine turf, shone forth themost gloriously brilliant beds of flowers, where was a little lake, withits red and white painted little vessel, and a cottage built oftree-stems, in which sat an old hermit in a brown gown, with a whitebeard, and a large open book before him, who turned his head and liftedhis spectacles when any one opened the door.

  Mina, and even the courageous Fritz, ran away screaming at first, untilat length, accustomed by degrees to the miracle, and assured by Mrs.Walter that the old man was only a painted figure, they took heart,though the machinery remained a great wonder to them.

  There was many a charming little nook amongst the shrubs on the softgreen sward in front of the lake, on which two old swans belonging toformer times swam about, where the children could sit side by side andtell each other stories and fairy tales. Nor yet had they come to an endof the discoveries in the garden, nor yet had Fritz wholly completed theaccurate description of the journey which he had promised to send hisfather.

  The children had been accustomed to a simple, laborious life, thereforetheir holidays appeared to them a season of the purest enjoyment. Mina,brought up to very early rising, was every morning ready dressed, andput her head within her brother's little chamber to summon him, whilsthe was yet generally asleep; and every morning Fritz asked her, "But, Isay, Mina, isn't it a dream?" and she replied laughing, "No, it isn't adream."

  Amidst all the pleasure and the delight of their beautiful surroundings,they also endeavoured to do all they possibly could to be of use to Mrs.Dote. Fritz cut small firewood for her, and piled it up neatly in thekitchen; they both helped her to look after the little garden which shehad for her own especial pleasure. Mina threaded her needle, which wasnot always easy for her old eyes to accomplish; and Mrs. Dote, on herpart, taught her all kinds of beautiful stitches in needlework, anddescribed to her the magnificent dresses which she made, and of whichshe had the care when she was lady's-maid.

  "Ah! what good times the gentlefolks have!" sighed Mina; "when I thinkhow my mother has to consider before she buys a cotton gown, andcountesses have satin and velvet and silk gauze."

  "Never trouble yourself about that, child," said Mrs. Walter, "there areoften heavy hearts under the light gauzes and the shining silks. I wasright glad over my lowly condition, when I came to understand thoroughlythis high life."

  "Yes, I must say," remarked Fritz, who was sitting at a side-tableengaged over the history of his travels, "the porter below there seemedto me at first very high-bred and elegant; but if I had every day of mylife to walk up and down in front of this beautiful castle----"

  Here he was interrupted, for at that moment a knock was heard at thedoor, and in came, to Fritz's great surprise and embarrassment, the veryporter, the burden of whose life he had been compassionating. It wasvery seldom that he quitted his post, although there was now nothing toattend to at the castle door, where, frequently for months together, nota soul approached the place excepting the few servants who now were keptthere. Mrs. Walter therefore looked with inquisitive wonder at the largeletter which he held in his hand.


  "There, read, Mrs. Housekeeper," he said, "it is just come; there willnow be work enough for us."

  "Really!" exclaimed Mrs. Walter, "the Princess Clotilde, with herchildren! Now, that is charming! It has always grieved me so that thebeautiful castle should stand unoccupied, and I am glad that it isprecisely that excellent lady who is coming. To-morrow? Well, I mustlook about me. Everything is in order, however; nothing but the bedswant getting ready. Good, very good, Mr. Schnallenberger."

  Mr. Schnallenberger retired with a dignified mien. Mrs. Walter rose upwith an air of business, and took up the important bunch of keys,saying, "Come, Mina, you shall go with me; you can be of some use."

  "Ah! a real, living princess," said Mina, "I shall be frightened if Imeet her."

  "I shall not," said Fritz boldly, "all men are equal before God, princeor peasant or nobleman; it makes no difference."

  "You talk as you know, foolish boy," said Mrs. Dote, now for the firsttime really angry; "it is true that God created all men equal, but theLord himself has appointed to each one his particular place; one in alofty position, another humbler, and the humble must never fail inrespect; and the lofty will one day be called to answer before the Lordfor his stewardship, whether he have done well or evil, with that whichwas intrusted to him."

  "But in that world," persisted Fritz in a somewhat low voice, "therewill be no distinctions of rank."

  "In that world," returned Mrs. Walter warmly, "our Lord, it is true,will not judge according to rank and station, but according to everyone's work, according to the obedience of faith with which the will ofthe Father has been done. And the will of the Father is, that every oneabide submissively in his own place without envy and without pride;remember that, you conceited boy, with your equality!"

  Fritz thought it wisest to remain silent, after this reproof, althoughreally what he meant was not so bad, after all.

  Mina accompanied the old lady to the large press which contained thedelicate, though somewhat yellow, bed-linen trimmed with fine lace; andthat which was necessary was given out for the beds, and the chamberswere made ready for their new inhabitants.