My Lady Rotha: A Romance, Page 3

  CHAPTER II.

  THE COUNTESS ROTHA.

  My Lady Rotha, Countess of Heritzburg in her own right, was at thistime twenty-five years old and unmarried. Her maiden state, whichseems to call for explanation, I attribute to two things. Partly tothe influence of her friend and companion Fraulein Anna Max ofUtrecht, who was reputed in the castle to know seven languages, and toconsider marriage a sacrifice; and partly to the Countess's owndisposition, which led her to set a high value on the power andpossessions that had descended to her from her father. Count Tilly'sprotection, which had exempted Heritzburg from the evils of the war,had rendered the support of a husband less necessary; and so she hadbeen left to follow her own will in the matter, and was now littlelikely to surrender her independence unless her heart went with thegift.

  Not that suitors were lacking, for my lady, besides her wealth, waspossessed of the handsomest figure in the world, with beautifulfeatures, and the most gracious and winning address ever known. Iremember as if it were yesterday Prince Albert of Rammingen, a greatmatch but an old man. He came in his chariot with a numerous retinue,and stayed long, taking it very hardly that my lady was not to be won;but after a while he went. His place was taken by Count Frederick, abrother of the Margrave of Anspach, a young gentleman who had receivedhis education in France, and was full of airs and graces, going soberto bed every night, and speaking German with a French accent. Him mylady soon sent about his business. The next was a more famous man,Count Thurn of Bohemia, he who began the war by throwing Slawata andMartinitz out of window in Prague, in '19, and paid for it by fifteenyears of exile. He wore such an air of mystery, and had such tales totell of flight and battle and hairbreadth escapes, that he wasscarcely less an object of curiosity in the town than Tilly himself;but he knelt in vain. And in fine so it was with them all. My ladywould have none of them, but kept her maiden state and governedHeritzburg and saw the years go by, content to all appearance withFraulein Anna and her talk, which was all of Voetius and Beza andscores of other learned men, whose names I could never remember fromone hour to another.

  It was my duty to wait upon her every day after morning service, andreceive her orders, and inform her of anything which I thought sheought to know. At that hour she was to be found in her parlour, along room on the first floor of the castle, lighted by threedeeply-recessed windows and hung with old tapestry worked by hergreat-grandmother in the dark days of the Emperor Charles, when theCount of Heritzburg shared the imprisonment of the good Landgrave ofHesse. A screen stood a little way within the door, and behind this itwas my business to wait, until I was called.

  On this morning, however, I had no patience to wait, and I made myselfso objectionable by my constant coughing that at last she cried, witha cheerful laugh, 'What is it, Martin? Come and tell me. Has therebeen a fire in the forest? But it is not the right time of year forthat.'

  'No, my lady,' I said, going forward. Then out of shyness or sheercontradictoriness I found myself giving her the usual report of thisand that and the other, but never a word of what was in my mind. Shesat, according to her custom in summer, in the recess of the farthestwindow, while Fraulein Anna occupied a stool placed before areading-desk. Behind the two the great window gave upon the valley. Bymerely turning the head either of them could look over the red roofsof Heritzburg to the green plain, which here was tolerably wide, andbeyond that again to the dark line of forest, which in spring andautumn showed as blue to the eye as thick wood smoke.

  While I spoke my lady toyed with a book she had been reading, andFraulein Anna turned over the pages on the desk with an impatienthand, sometimes looking at my lady and sometimes tapping with her footon the floor. She was plump and fair and short, dressing plainly, andalways looking into the distance; whether because she thought much andon deep matters, or because, as the Countess's woman once told me, shecould see nothing beyond the length of her arm, I cannot say. When Ihad finished my report, and paused, she looked up at my lady and said,'Now, Rotha, are you ready?'

  'Not quite, Anna,' my lady answered, smiling. 'Martin has not doneyet.'

  'He tells in ten minutes what another would in five,' Fraulein saidcrossly. 'But to finish?'

  'Yes, Martin, what is it?' my lady assented. 'We have eaten all thepastry. The meat I am sure is yet to come.'

  I saw that there was nothing else for it, and after all it was what Ihad come to do. 'Your excellency knows the Bavarian soldier and hisdaughter, who have been lodging these six months past at the RedHart?' I said.

  'To be sure.'

  'Klink talks of turning them out,' I continued, feeling my face growred I scarcely knew why.

  'Is their money at an end?' the Countess asked shrewdly. She was agreat woman of business.

  'No,' I answered, 'but I dare say it is low.'

  'Then what is the matter?' my lady continued, looking at me somewhatcuriously.

  'He says that they are Papists,' I answered. 'And it is true, as yourexcellency knows, but it is not for him to say it. The man will not besafe for an hour outside the walls, nor the girl much longer. Andthere is a small child besides. And they have no where else to go.'

  My lady's face grew grave while I spoke. When I stopped she rose andstood fronting me, tapping on the reading-desk with her fingers. 'Thismust not be allowed, Martin,' she said firmly. 'You were right to tellme.'

  'Master Hofman and the Minister----'

  'Yes,' she interposed, nodding quickly. 'Go to them. They will seeKlink, and----'

  'They are just pushing him on,' I said, with a groan.

  'What!' she cried; and I remember to this day how her grey eyesflashed and how she threw back her head in generous amazement. 'Do youmean to say that this is being done in spite, Martin? That afterescaping all the perils of this wretched war these men are sothankless as to turn on the first scape-goat that falls into theirhands? It is not possible!'

  'It looks like it, my lady,' I muttered, wondering whether I had notperhaps carried the matter too far.

  'No, no,' she said, shaking her head, 'you must have made a mistake;but go to Klink. Go to Klink and tell him from me to keep the man fora week at least. I will be answerable for the cost, and we canconsider in the meantime what to do. My cousin the Waldgrave Rupertvisits me in a day or two, and I will consult him.'

  Still I did not like to go without giving her a hint that she mightmeet with opposition, and I hesitated, considering how I might warnher without causing needless alarm or seeming to presume. FrauleinAnna, who had listened throughout with the greatest impatience, tookadvantage of the pause to interfere. 'Come, Rotha,' she said. 'Enoughtrifling. Let us go back to Voetius and our day's work.'

  'My dear,' the Countess answered somewhat coldly, 'this is my day'swork. I am trying to do it.'

  'Your work is to improve and store your mind,' Fraulein Anna retortedwith peevishness.

  'True,' my lady said quietly; 'but for a purpose.'

  'There can be no purpose higher than the acquirement ofphilosophy--and, religion,' Fraulein Anna said. Her last words soundedlike an afterthought.

  My lady shook her head. 'The duty of a Princess is to govern,' shesaid.

  'How can she govern unless she has prepared her mind by study andthought?' Fraulein Anna asked triumphantly.

  'I agree within limits,' my lady answered. 'But----'

  'There is no _but!_ Nor are there any limits that I see!' the otherrejoined eagerly. 'Let me read to you out of Voetius himself. In hismaxims----'

  'Not this minute,' the Countess answered firmly. And thereby sheinterrupted not Fraulein Anna alone but a calculation on which,without any light from Voetius, I was engaged; namely, how long itwould take a man to mow an acre of ground if he spent all his time insharpening his scythe! Low matters of that kind however have nothingin common with philosophy I suppose; and my lady's voice soon broughtme back to the point. 'What is it you want to say, Martin?' she asked.'I see that you have something still on your mind.'

&
nbsp; 'I wish your excellency to be aware that there may be a good deal offeeling in the town on this matter,' I said.

  'You mean that I may make myself unpopular,' she answered.

  That was what I did mean--that at the least. And I bowed.

  My lady shook her head with a grave smile. 'I might give you an answerfrom Voetius, Martin,' she said; 'that they who govern are created toprotect the weak against the strong. And if not, _cui bono?_ But that,you may not understand. Shall I say then instead that I, and notHofman or Dietz, am Countess of Heritzburg.'

  'My lady,' I cried--and I could have knelt before her--'that is answerenough for me!'

  'Then go,' she said, her face bright, 'and do as I told you.'

  She turned away, and I made my reverence and went out and down thestairs and through the great court with my head high and my heart highalso. I might not understand Voetius; but I understood that my ladywas one, who in face of all and in spite of all, come Hofman or Dietz,come peace or war, would not blench, but stand by the right! And itdid me good. He is a bad horse that will not jump when his rider'sheart is right, and a bad servant that will not follow when his mastergoes before! I hummed a tune, I rattled my staff on the stones. I saidto myself it was a thousand pities so gallant a spirit should bewasted on a woman: and then again I fancied that I could not haveserved a man as I knew I could and would serve her should time and thecall ever put me to the test.

  The castle at Heritzburg, rising abruptly above the roofs of thehouses, is accessible from the town by a flight of steps cut in therock. On the other three sides the knob on which it stands isseparated from the wooded hills to which it belongs by a narrowravine, crossed in one place by a light horse-bridge made in moderndays. This forms the chief entrance to the castle, but the road whichleads to it from the town goes so far round that it is seldom used,the flight of steps I have mentioned leading at once and moreconveniently from the end of the High Street. Half way down the HighStreet on the right hand side is the Market-place, a small pavedsquare, shaded by tall wooden houses, and having a carved stone pumpin the middle. A hundred paces beyond this on the same side is the RedHart, standing just within the West Gate.

  From one end of the town to the other is scarcely a step, and I was atthe inn before the Countess's voice had ceased to sound in my ears.The door stood open, and I went in, expecting to find the kitchenempty or nearly so at that hour of the day. To my surprise, I found atleast a dozen people in it, with as much noise and excitement goingforward as if the yearly fair had been in progress. For a moment I wasnot observed. I had time to see who were present--Klink, the twosoldiers who had put themselves forward the evening before, and half ascore of idlers. Then the landlord's eye fell on me and he passed theword. A sudden silence followed and a dozen faces turned my way; sothat the room, which was low in the roof with wide beetle-browedwindows, seemed to lighten.

  'Just in time, Master Schwartz!' cried one fellow. 'You, can write,and we are about a petition! Perhaps you will draw it up for us.'

  'A petition,' I said shortly, eyeing the fellow with contempt. 'Whatpetition?'

  'Against Papists!' he answered boldly.

  'And favourers, aiders, and abettors!' exclaimed another in thebackground.

  'Master Klink, Master Klink,' I said, trying to frown down the crowd,'you would do well to have a care. These ragamuffins----'

  'Have a care yourself, Master Jackanapes!' the same voice cried. 'Thisis a town meeting.'

  'Town meeting!' I said, looking round contemptuously. 'Gaol-meeting,you mean, and likely to be a gaol-filling. But I do not speak to you;I leave that to the constable. For Master Klink, if he will take aword of advice, I will speak with him alone.'

  They cried out to him not to speak to me. But Klink had still senseenough to know that he might be going too fast, and though they hootedand laughed at him--being for the most part people who had nothing tolose--he came out of the house with me and crossed the street that wemight talk unheard. As civilly as I could I delivered my message; andas exactly, for I saw that the issue might be serious.

  I was not surprised when he groaned, and in a kind of a tremor shookhis hands. 'I am not my own master, Schwartz,' he said. 'And that isthe truth.'

  'You were your own master last night,' I retorted.

  'These fellows are all for "No Popery."'

  'Ay, and who gave them the cue?' I said sharply. 'It is not the firsttime that the fat burgher has raised the lean kine and been eaten bythem. Nor will it be the last. It serves you right.'

  'I am willing enough to do what my lady wishes,' he whimpered;'but----'

  'But you are not master of your own house, do you mean?' I exclaimed.'Then fetch the constable. That is simple. Or the Burgomaster.'

  'Hush!' he said, 'he is hotter than any one.'

  'Then,' I answered flatly, 'he had better cool, and you too. That isall I have to say. And mark me, Klink,' I continued sternly, 'see thatno harm happens to that girl or her father. They are in your house,and you have heard what my lady says. Let those ruffians interferewith them and you will be held to answer for it.'

  'That is easy talking,' he muttered peevishly; 'but if I cannot helpit?'

  'You will have to help it!' I rejoined, losing my temper a little.'You were fool enough, or I am much mistaken, to set a light to thisstack, and now you will have to smother the flame, or pay for it. Thatis all, my friend. You have had fair warning. The rest is in your ownhands.'

  And with that I left him. He was a stupid man but a sly one too, and Idoubted his sincerity, or I might have taken another way with him. Inthe end, doubtless, it would have been the same.

  As I turned on my heel to go, the troop round the door raised a kindof hoot; and this pursued me as I went up the street, bringing theblood to my cheeks and almost provoking me to return. I checked theimpulse however, and strode on as if I did not hear; and by the time Ireached the market-place the cry had ceased. Here however it beganafresh; a number of loose fellows and lads who were loafing about thestalls crying 'No Popery!' and 'Popish Schwartz!' as I passed, in away which showed that the thing was premeditated and that they hadbeen lying in wait for me. I stopped and scowled at them, and for amoment they ceased. But the instant my back was turned the hootingbegan again--with an ugly savage note in it--and I had not got quiteclear of the place when some one flung a bundle of carrots, which hitme sharply on the back. I swung round in a rage at that, and dashedhot foot into the middle of the stalls in the hope of catching thefellow. But I was too late; an old woman over whom I fell was the onlysufferer. The rascals had fled down an alley, and, contenting myselfwith crying after them that they were a set of cowards, I set the oldlady on her legs, and went on my way.

  But I had my thoughts. Such an insult had not been offered to me sinceI first came to the town to serve my lady, and it filled me withindignation. It seemed, besides, not a thing to be sneezed at. I tookit for a sign of change, of bad times coming. Moreover--and thistroubled me as much as anything--I had recognised among the fellows inthe square two more of the fifty men my lady had sent to serve withHesse. There seemed ground for fearing that they had deserted in abody and come back and were in hiding. If this were so, and theBurgomaster, instead of repressing them, encouraged their excesses,they were likely to prove a source of trouble and danger--real danger.

  I paused on the steps leading up to the castle, in two minds whether Ishould not go to the Burgomaster and tell him plainly what I thought;for I felt the responsibility. My lady had no male protector, nohigher servant than myself, and we had not a dozen capable men in thecastle. The Landgrave of Hesse, our over-lord, was away with the Kingof Sweden, and we could expect no immediate support from him. In theevent of a riot in the town therefore--and I knew that, in the greatPeasants' War of a century before, our town had been rebelliousenough--we should be practically helpless. An hour and a littleill-fortune might place my lady in the hands of her mutinous subjects;and though the Landgrave would be certain sooner or later to chastisethem, many thing
s might happen in the interval.

  In the end I went on up the steps, thinking that I had better leaveHofman alone, since I could not trust him, and should only by applyingto him disclose our weakness. There was a way indeed which occurred tome as I reached the head of the stairs, but I had not taken two stepsacross the terrace, as we call that part of the court which overlooksthe town, before it was immediately driven out again. Fraulein Max waswalking up and down with a book, sunning herself. I think that she hadbeen watching for me, for the moment I appeared she called to me.

  I went up to her reluctantly. I was anxious, and in no mood to listento one of those learned disquisitions with which she would sometimesfavour us, without any thought whether we understood her or no. Butthis I soon found was not what I had to fear. Her face wore a frownand her tone was peevish; but she closed her book, keeping her placein it with her finger.

  'Master Martin,' she said, peering at me with her shortsighted eyes,'you are a very foolish man, I think.'

  'Fraulein!' I muttered in surprise. What did she mean?

  'A very foolish one!' she repeated. 'Why are you disturbing your lady?Why do you not leave her to her studies and her peace instead ofdistracting her mind with these stories of a man and a girl? A man anda girl, and Papists! Piff! What are they to us? Don't you understandthat your lady has higher work and something else to do? Go you andlook after your man and girl.'

  'But my lady's subjects, Fraulein----'

  'Her subjects?' she replied, almost violently. 'Papists are nosubjects. Or to what purpose the _Cujus Regio?_ But what do you knowof government? You have heard and you repeat.'

  'But, Fraulein,' I said humbly, for her way of talking made me seemaltogether in the wrong, and a monster of indiscretion, 'if my ladydoes not interfere, the man and the girl you speak of will suffer.That is clear.'

  She snapped her fingers.

  'Piff!' she cried, screwing up her eyes still more. 'What has that todo with us? Is there not suffering going on from one end of Germany tothe other? Do not scores die every day, every hour? Can we prevent it?No. Then why trouble us for this one little, little matter? It istheirs to suffer, and ours to think and read, and learn and write. Wewere at peace to do all this, and then you come with your man andgirl, and the peace is gone!'

  'But, Fraulein----'

  'You do no good by saying Fraulein, Fraulein!' she replied. 'Look atthings in the light of reason. Trouble us no more. That is what youhave to do. What are this man and girl to you that you should endangeryour mistress for their sakes?'

  'They are nothing to me,' I answered.

  'Then let them go!' she replied with suppressed passion. 'And undoyour folly the best way you can, and the sooner the better! Chut! Thatwhen the mind is set on higher things it should be distracted by suchmean and miserable objects! If they are nothing to you, why inheaven's name obtrude them on us?'

  After that she would not hear another word, but dismissed me with awave of her hand as if the thing were fully settled and over; buryingherself in her book and turning away, while I went into the house withmy tail between my legs and all my doubts and misgivings increased ahundredfold. For this which she had put into words was the verythought, the very way out of it, which had occurred to me! I had onlyto let the matter drop, I had only to leave these people to theirfate, and the danger and difficulty were at once at an end. For a timemy lady's authority might suffer perhaps; but at the proper season,when the Landgrave was at home and could help us, we might cheaplyassert and confirm it.

  All that day I went about in doubt what I should do; and night camewithout resolving my perplexities. At one moment I thought of my dutyto my lady, and the calamities in which I might involve her. Atanother I pictured the girl I had seen praying by her father'sbed--pictured her alone and defenceless, hourly insulted by Klink, andwith terror and uncertainty looming each day larger before her eyes:or, worse still, abandoned to all the dangers which awaited her, inthe event of the town refusing to give her shelter. Considering that Ihad seen her once only--to notice her--it was wonderful how clearly Iremembered her.