On the Way through, and other tales

Front matter

CHEAP EDITION OF 'ORTHODOX By DOROTHEA GERARD Illustrated cloth cover, 3s 6d. AND OTHER TALES BY DOROTHEA GERARD^ Author of Lady Baby,' ' Orthodox.' etc., and Joint-Author of ' Reata, ' the Waters of Hercules,' etc. |C o n i> o n EDEN, REMINGTON & CO., PUBLISHERS KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I892 CONTENTS PAGE On the Way Through, — Chap. i. the first news, . . . . i II. in the hotel amerique, . . 12 in. the first glimpse, ... 29 IV. WANTED : A FAIRY PRINCE, . . 49 V. THE STERNENSEE, ... .66 VI. ' THOSE INSUPPORTABLE ALPENROSEN ! ' 88 VII. ILLONA'S TWO ESCAPES, . . . IO4 VIII. THE BLUE CROQUET-BALL, . . I15 My Nightmare, . . . . 145 How I came to be a Thief, . . . 173 The History of Two Wedding-Gowns, . ■o-

Chapter I The First News

The gardens were unusually crowded this evening. In Eulenburo*er language this means that there were almost as many full benches as empty ones, and that the usually so desert-like appearance of the Curgarten was relieved here and there by an oasis of humanity. The day had been splendid, that is to say — speaking again in Eulenburger language — that only three showers and one short hail-storm had occurred since morning. A Among the above - named oases of humanity which presented some agreeable interruptions to the above-named sandy, or rather dusty desert, one chief group shone conspicuous. This group consisted of a company of ladies and gentlemen, whose chairs were placed in an irregular circle, and who obviously were - troubling them selves as little about the performances of the band as about their fellow creatures.

No stony wall surrounded this group, no thorny hedge cut off the entrance, neither double nor triple steel formed the line of defence, and yet it was magically closed. Not even the most reckless person in Eulenburg, unless he bore upon himself the indubitable social seal, would have ventured to draw near to this formidable concentration of the crime de la creme. There could be no doubt that a subject of unusual interest was occupying the attention of the circle, for the gentlemen were whispering eagerly to each other, and the heads of the ladies swayed from side to side like poppies in the wind. It is true that in Eulenburg these symptoms do not necessarily portend an event, for here people have been known to work themselves into a fever over the appearance of a new hat or a new dog ; but to-day there could be no doubt that the root lay deeper, and so great was the preoccupation that assuredly not one member of the circle had the faintest idea whether Beethoven or Strauss was being played. ' I have counted the boxes,' said an excited young man, who appeared to consist principally of a pair of spectacles, a .prematurely bald crown, and a smile so dazzling that it was difficult to look at him without being put in mind of a dentists advertisement, * and I can assure you that they were close upon thirty.' * And I counted the servants,' shouted a yellow-maned dragoon captain, who looked like the very embodiment of self-satisfaction.

There was no denying that he had to shout in order to be heard over and above the music, but, there was no denying, either, that he enjoyed the shouting for its own sake. ' Close upon a dozen, I tell you.' ' But who has counted the members of the family ? ' inquired the very ample Countess Ballaban, with a certain severity of tone ; for, as one of the leaders of society, Countess Ballaban considered it her duty to keep a watchful eye on the arrivals and departures of Eulenburg. No one had counted the members of the newly arrived family, or even caught a glimpse of them, but the greater the un certainty on this point the more numerous were the conjectures thrown out. ' They are Hungarians,' remarked Captain Kimmel, still at the top of his voice, ' and are said to be enormously rich.' ' Hugely rich,' murmured the most juvenile of all the lieutenants present, trying very hard to pull at his almost non existent moustache. ' How delicious ! ' owo-led the fair-haired Baroness Lebra. ' A hugely rich family is the very thing we want.

Perhaps they will entertain, — oh, it is just too delicious ! ' ' Perhaps they will give a ball in Carnival,' suggested the dainty little Lili Engelsbrecht. ' Why wait till Carnival ? ' objected her yet daintier and yet smaller sister Mimi, ' Let them give goilters now in summer.' ' Or better still,' pensively corrected a fat and rosy-faced lieutenant, ' let them give dinners. At gouters you get nothing to eat but cakes and iced coffee ; that is not nourishing.' ' Slowly, slowly, ladies and gentlemen,' put in Captain Kimmel, with a smile of superior wisdom. ' Matters are not quite so far as that. The Szentmers are only on the way through.' ' Only on the way through ! ' echoed back from all sides. ' No balls ! ' sighed Lili. ' No gouters ? ' responded Mimi. ' No dinners ! ' murmured the fat lieutenant, ' only cakes and iced coffee ! ' Even Baroness Lebra's o-io-o-les were stiffled by the depressing news. * Only on the way through !

What a pity ! ' ' It's a huge pity ! ' echoed the juvenile lieutenant, who never made any assertions of his own, but was all the more assiduous in backing up those of other people. ■ Oh, I see — only on the way through ; ' said Countess Ballaban, leaning back upon her heavily - laden and dismally creaking chair with an air of indifference. She felt herself relieved of all responsibility. The young man with the smile and the spectacles, whose name was Baron Strobl, was the first who recovered from the shock. ■ Let us be philosophic. Perhaps the grapes are sour, after all. Perhaps the Szentmers wouldn't have given either balls or dinners; perhaps they have no daughters; perhaps — ' ' Oh, yes, they have daughters,' remarked a young man who up to this moment had not opened his mouth. He spoke in a some what trailing; tone and stared the while at the tree-tops, as though he found them ever so much more interesting than his companions.

Herr von Berningen was a young man, with a light brown moustache, eyes which might have been either blue or grey or green, and nothing in the least remarkable about his appearance. He was moderately tall, moderately good-looking, and obviously very much bored. He had shown no interest in the newly-arrived family ; had put no questions, nor had he till now answered any. He had not been elated at the prospect of balls and dinners, and he had not been depressed by the collapse of these castles in the air. ' Daughters ? Really ? ' How many ? ' inquired the ladies, ' Are they pretty ? ' inquired the gentlemen. ' I don't know how many ; but I fancy I have heard somewhere that one of them is considered a beauty.' ' Hugely beautiful,' confirmed the juvenile lieutenant. A long-drawn ' A — a — ah ! ' composed of interest, surprise and curiosity made the round. ' Ah ? ' said the ladies with a point of interrogation. ' Ah ! ' repeated the gentlemen with a point of exclamation.

Herr von Berningen was bombarded with questions. What style of beauty was she ? Was she tall ? short ? fair ? dark ? pale ? rosy ? Was it the beauty of a goddess or of a flower ? But Herr von Berningen's information was exhausted. He knew only that she was said to be beautiful. The frame was there, but the picture was wanting. ' My name is not Strobl,' remarked that gentleman with an almost savage energy, ' if I don't get a glimpse of this mysterious beauty before she has quite done passing through Eulenburg.' ' Oh really ? ' retorted his brown-eyed cousin Fanny, somewhat coldly. ' You seem to have a fine gift of curiosity. Good heavens, what a row those wind-instru ments are making ! ' ' Strobl is quite right,' decided Captain Kimmel, with a shake of his yellow mane. ' We are surely not going to let a celebrated beauty pass this way, without so much as finding out whether her hairis black or brown.' ' The question does not interest me in the least,' pouted Baroness Lebra, ill-treating her unoffending fan as she spoke. ' If only one knew by what train they are going to continue their journey,' heavily remarked the fat lieutenant. ' I occasionally dine at the station ; they manage the baked cutlets better there than in the town.' ' And the cutlets taste better, of course, when they are seasoned with curiosity,' said Lili Engelsbrecht with a touch of irritation, as she drew her wrap round her shoulders. ' Mimi, I think Mamma is making signs for us to go.' A general leave-taking ensued, not, however, without many more words being exchanged, and all on the same subject.

Strangely enough, however, the ladies got cooler in exact proportion as the gentlemen got warmer, and if, in the course of the following evening, many of the latter more than once said to themselves : ' What a pity that she is only on the way through ! ' The former just as often reflected : ' What a good thing that she is only on the way through ! '

Chapter II In The Hotel Amerique

' Waiter ! Breakfast for four — boiled eggs for two — tea with rum for one, rolls for two, coffee for three, two with cream and one without — Kugelhupf 'for all. Do you under stand ? And in double-quick time, mind you ! The Prince is not fond of waiting.' ' Three black coffees, one with cream, or was it the other way round ? ' murmured the persecuted waiter as he clasped his hands above his head. ' Rolls for four, rum for all ! ' ' Waiter, who cleans the boots in this establishment ? ' * At your service, monsieur, le valet, immediately — ' ' Waiter, mind the eggs are not too soft ; the Princess never eats watery eggs.' ' At your service,, mademoiselle — ' ' But not too hard either, or else the Prince might possibly throw them at your head.' ' At your service — I — ' 'And don't forget to order the carriage,' somebody called out of an open door. ' And the doctor, and the list for the apothecary's, and the telegram, and — ' But the unhappy man was already half way down the staircase, holding his splitting head between his two hands, while from all sides there resounded the cry. ' Waiter !

Waiter ! Waiter ! ' When he reappeared at length he was heavily laden, and a liveried footinan, taking ON THE WAY THROUGH 14 the large breakfast-tray from his hands, carried it into an inner sanctuary. This was a large, light room, which, despite its handsome furniture, looked dreary with that peculiar dreariness which is inseparable from hotel drawing-rooms. Travelling-plaids, travelling-bags, travelling boxes and red guide-books littered the shining parquet, and each thing belonged to the most costly class of its kind. Silver clasps shone here and there, and a perfume of fine leather floated in the air. Upon everything there stood, so to say, written in large letters : ' On the way through.' Upon everything, not even excepting the single occupant of the apartment. This was an old gentleman with a snow-white but jauntily twisted moustache, bushy eye brows and well-cut nose.

He wore a light travelling-suit and high Hungarian boots. While the footman was laying the cloth he drummed impatiently upon the table. ' How the Lord Almighty ever stumbled upon the idea of creating so slow a people as these Germans, is a mystery to me,' he grumbled to himself. ' And as for those eggs, I can see from here that they're as hard as German skulls. Yes, there's the tea for the Princess.' The last words were addressed to the maid who had just made her appearance. ' How has Princess Gisela slept ? ' asked the Prince. She had slept badly, it seemed, and the doctor had been sent for again. ' That means that we are still stuck fast,' and he set to hacking away savagely at his eo-g, almost as though the unoffending shell were one of the afore-mentioned German skulls. ON THE WA Y THROUGH 16 In an apartment which adjoined this big room an altogether different scene was being enacted.

Here the Princess, clothed in a richly embroidered morning-gown, was sit ting in an armchair and wringing her hands with a tolerably desperate air. Her elder daughter, wrapped in a cloud of muslin and lace, paced the floor ; the younger one's face was almost as white as the pillows on which she lay. 'Oh, mon Dieu! slowly, slowly! ' breathed the Princess in a tone of displeasure, as the fussy maid entered with the breakfast tray. ' What sense is there in tearing open the door in that way ? Every breath of air is poison for Gisela. Ma pauvre enfant, wouldn't you like another blanket ? ' ' I do believe, Mamma, that you would like best to pack me up in cotton-wool,' remarked the invalid, smiling faintly. ' And why not me as well, when you are about it ? ' said the elder daughter, with a touch of impatience, standing still by the table as she spoke. ' Oh, Illona !

I never noticed till this moment how lightly you are dressed, — there is always so much to think about, and I do believe that I haven't measured your waist for three whole days. Ah, ma pauvre tete ! I implore you to put on a flannel jacket at least ; the mountain air is so sharp.' ' How much mountain-air do you suppose can get in through the double windows, Mamma ? ' asked Illona with a shrug of her shoulders. ' You forget that we are not in December but July.' And Illona threw herself back in an armchair, while one small foot tapped the floor. ' But what a July ! ' sighed the Princess, not without reason. B On days like this it required a pretty robust faith to believe in the existence oi the far-famed Eulenburg mountains, for not even the tiniest peak of them was to be discovered. ' It is nothing but the mountain air that has knocked up poor Gisela.' The eyes of the two sisters met for a moment, and to herself Illona said, ' The mountain air, yes, or else her corsets-de- Paris. ' The Princess was still wringing her hands. ' And to be brought up just in this wretched hole of a place !

And all your new toilettes for Baden-Baden lying in the boxes. And I had counted so much upon the Girondiste hats ! ' ' Baden-Baden is always dreadfully mono tonous,' remarked Illona, stifling a yawn. ' And the Plage costumes for Ostende ' went on the Princess, despondently. .* The French bathing-dresses.' ' Ostende ! That means travelling over half Europe in order to see the same people that are to be met on the Vienna Ring strasse.' ' And the lawn tennis suits — ' I never cared for lawn tennis.' ' And the English yachting costumes — ' Yachting always makes me sea-sick.' ' But you are not sick the whole time ; and think of the opportunities ! The highest titles and the largest fortunes are to be found on board of yachts. Oh, Illona, Illona, another summer will have passed and you are still — ' 'An old maid,' finished Illona, composedly.

The Princess sank back in her chair with a groan. ' With your millions of caprices it will come to that. I cannot yet understand why you refused the Marquis Fleurette.' ' Because he dyes his hair, Mamma, and I don't want a painted husband. It might come off when he's kissing me, you know.' ' Oh, Illona, I wish you were not so frivolous ! And there was Count Stumfenspor — his hair wasn't dyed.' ' If Count Stumfenspor had had as many brains as he had horses, I might possibly have taken him into consideration.' ' And Prince Schnappingen ? ' Illona laughed a little wearily. ' Count Schnappingen was in love with my gold-bags, not with me, and I don't want a bought husband any more than a painted one.' * Another of your caprices ! But you can't say the same of his rich cousin. That man's bouquets during the Carnival must have cost a fortune.' ' Possibly,' said Illona quietly. ' I know that I greatly preferred his bouquets to himself.' ' But what objection had you to him ? ' ' None, except that I didn't care for him.' ' But, au nom du del !

There is nothing in the world that you care for, child. Here have I been taking you about for — how many years, is it ? I shudder at the thought.' ' In winter it will be ten years since my first ball, Mamma.' ' Don't speak so loud. There might be people listening. Verily, ten years ! And on the 30th of this month you will be — - — ' ' Twenty-seven,' said Illona. 'Twenty-seven! C'est terrible. Ten Carnivals, ten summer-seasons, half of the Vienna aristocracy at your feet, and nothing moves you ! Are you made of stone, Illona, or of ice ? ' Illona made no reply, but stared out in silence through the streaming pane. She was not unlike a fair statue of ice as she leant there, immovable, in her white draperies. Illona was tall and slender, with soft, brown hair, a well-poised head and delicate, clear-cut features.

Her com plexion was of that colourless sort which late hours and town-life are apt to produce, but in this case the dead-white tint did not lack a charm of its own. The finely moulded lips gained a more vivid hue by contrast, and the dark eyes looked all the darker. They were strange, those eyes ; they betrayed nothing of youthful vivacity, rather there was to be read in their depth a spirit of world-weariness which accorded but ill with her years. And verily, it was no great wonder if Illona, now in her twenty-seventh year, had grown weary of the world. The pleasures which to most girls are ladled out in spoon fuls she had drunk of in full draughts. Since her seventeenth year the queen i d every ball-room, surrounded with suitors, led, or — as she herself called it — dragged in triumph from one fashionable watering-place to another, paraded in every Vienna salon, for ever dressed according to the newest fashion, admired, adored and envied on all sides — what could the world still contain for her that was new ?

There were moments in which Illona put the question to herself, and there were moments too, in which she would have been almost ready to change places with her younger sister, who, being far less pretty, was also far less perse cuted. Her early triumphs she had naturally en joyed, but very soon this universal admir ation which was, so to say, hurled at her head, had begun to stir disgust within her. It was several years now since the moment of quitting a ball-room had become to her much pleasanter than that of setting foot within it. The mere sight of a camelia bouquet was an irritant, and as for hot house violets she found their scent unbearable. Nothing seemed capable of attracting her attention. With her beautiful, tired eyes she looked at all her suitors — and looked past them. It was a gaze which appeared to be always searching and never finding, and which grew ever more tired with the fruitless search.

The poor Princess could not understand her daughter. Was Illona determined a tout prix to remain an old maid ? Was it for this end that this self-sacrificing mother had for ten whole years borne such huge fatigues ? For this end that she had kept so strict a look-out upon her daughter's stay laces, and had actually achieved the triumph of having Illona's waist spoken of as the smallest in Vienna ? These pathetic reflections were inter rupted by the entrance of a maid with a perfumed note. All three ladies gazed at it in astonishment. ' Who on earth can be writing to us here ? An Eulenburger billet ! as far as I can see,' said the Princess, who had turned the note round, ' there is " Hirschthal " on the seal. That would mean that it is from the Duke.' ' Heaven guard us from an invitation ! ' said Illona to herself.

But it was an invitation. The Duke who had often met the Szentmers in Vienna, had heard of their interrupted journey and requested their presence at a garden-party to-morrow afternoon, at his summer residence, Hirschthal. 'Of course we must go,' said the Princess, a little excitedly. ' Of course ! ' repeated Illona with a touch of bitterness. ' But it will give me a whole lot of things to think of. Ma pauvre tete ! Dresses to be unpacked, carriages to be ordered, and then to leave Gisela alone all evening. Illona, why don't you help me ? What shall we do ? ' ' Perhaps stay at home ' No, that is impossible. But I shall have no time again for my letters, and then there is the long drive — Don't you think we had better telegraph to Vienna for your fur cloak ? ' ' As you like, Mamma, only it will pro bably reach us after the garden party is over.' ' Ma pauvre tete !

That is true. But go we must. There are no chances for you, for of course there are no marriageable Eulenburgers, and the Duke's adjutant is in love with you already and you won't have him ; but at least you can show a toilette. What will you wear, mon enfant ? ' ' I don't know, Mamma.' ' Perhaps the new torchon dress with the Russian embroidery ? ' 'As you like, Mamma.' ' Or else the blue with the Mousquetaire hat, although it is almost too good for Eulenburg.' ' As you like, Mamma.' ' No, — I have it ! The pale pink — that is the dress for the occasion. Illona, you will wear the feuilles de roses ecrasees to-morrow, and of course the new corset de Paris.' Illona smiled a little inattentively, but her answer was the same as before. ' As you like, Mamma.'

Chapter III The First Glimpse

The amiable, elderly gentleman, who bore the title of Duke of Hirschkron, was, if possible, more amiable than ever, while re ceiving his guests next day in the gardens of his chateau. Among the ladies there were some who looked anxiously from their fresh toilettes to the thunder clouds over in the west, and from the thunder clouds back again to their toilettes, but, on the whole, it was a quite passable sort of summer's day for a moun tainous climate like Eulenburg. The group of bright dresses under the trees was diver sified by dragoon uniforms and by a plentiful sprinkling of black, for it is needless to say that at this ducal garden-party all the non military gentlemen were in full evening dress. Just now Countess Ballaban comes sailing over the vast expanse of gravel which lies stretched before the doors of Hirschthal.

For an inexperienced or diffident person the solemnities attending an arrival at Hirsch thal were unquestionably trying. To step easily, and, if possible, gracefully over a stage, conscious, the while, that the eyes of earlier arrivals are following your movements with an anything but charitable closeness, to hit off the right moment for your curtsey, and last, but not least, to find your way into your own legitimate group, where alone you will be in your proper place, all this constitutes an ordeal of which nervous or in experienced Eulenburgers have been known to dream, more than one night in advance. But Countess Ballaban was neither inexperienced nor nervous. The fine Hirsch thal gravel had crunched several hundred times, at the very least, under her stately shoe soles. She always was very sure of her business, and appeared to-day to be even more so than usual.

Scarcely had she reached the haven than she turned to her next neighbour, and said, still somewhat breathlessly, for the day was hot : ' We are going to have an addition to our circle to-day.' ' Really? Who ? ' was eagerly inquired. ' The Szentmers. They have been obliged to interrupt their journey.' It took but a few minutes to spread the news throughout all the groups, and now all eyes turned, more or less furtively, to wards the entrance gate. The carriages had almost ceased arriving ; every eligible Eulenburger was already within the sacred precincts, and still these agonies — or was it delights ?• — of expecta tion trailed on. The iced Macedoine had been disposed of, and the younger portion of the guests, giving up all hope, had left their chairs at the suggestion of a stroll in the park, when once again carriage wheels were heard.

An old gentleman was seen to jump out, an elderly lady followed him, and finally a tall, slender figure in pale pink. There could be no doubt that she was magnificently built, but the features were not at once recognisable. Every step that brought her nearer more distinctly revealed the deli cacy of tint, the softness of outline, and by the time she made her curtsey to the Duke there could be no more doubt remaining that the celebrated beauty was equal to her reputation. There followed a volley of apologies on the part of the Princess, waved aside by the amiable Duke to whom that lady's notorious unpunctuality was nothing new, then a series of introductions, and finally, at the end of a quarter of an hour of bow ing and smiling, Illona found herself moving along one of the gravel walks in company of some dozen or so of her new acquaint ances.

On one side of her walked Mimi Engelsbrecht, on the other side the Duke's adjutant, Count Rambert, with whom she had danced frequently, not only during the past Carnival but during many past Carni vals. Count Rambert had the goldenest and silkiest moustache, the bluest eyes and c ON THE WA Y THROUGH 34 the whitest teeth that it would have been possible to imagine, and yet Illona paid a very divided attention to the remarks uttered by his flute-like voice. To the in experienced Mimi it seemed utterly incom prehensible that such open adoration should be so coolly received. The straggly procession moved onwards, until at the entrance to a fairy-like pavilion, built entirely of birch-stems and smothered in climbing roses, a halt was made. ' I have heard of this rose pavilion,' said Illona. ' The Duke told me about it last winter. ' ' And so did I,' responded Count Ram bert. ' During the cotillon on Carnival Tuesday I gave you a complete picture of the Hirschthal park.

Surely you must remember, Princess Illona ? ' ' I am afraid I have forgotten,' said Illona. ' Perhaps the cotillon music was too loud,' suggested Baron Strobl, showing his teeth in an amiable grin. ' You must know that we Eulenburgers are very proud of Hirschthal,' put in Cap tain Kim me! . ' Hugely proud,' emphasized the juvenile lieutenant. ' And the Duke gives splendid dinners,' said the fat lieutenant. ' You will enjoy them, no doubt, in autumn.' 'No, I shall certainly not enjoy them,' replied Illona. ' In autumn we shall pro bably be at the other end of Europe. You forget that we are only on the way through.' Illona stood now surrounded by men, and on every face admiration was more or less plain]}* written. She was certainly worth looking at as she stood there in the deep tree shade. Her wide straw hat set off her face to ad vantage.

At the first glance her dress ap peared to savour of an almost childlike sim plicity ; but this artlessness was in reality nothing but a higher development of art. Princess Szentmer knew very well that the untrimmed skirt of pink jaconat would serve to show off Illona's perfect build far better than more intricate draperies could have done. The belt and broad silk sash might have been pronounced suitable for a child of six years, and yet each fold and each turn of the ribbon had been closely studied and carefully adjusted by the Princess her self. ' What do you think of her ? ' whispered Lili Engelsbrecht to Fanny Rosen. ' Lovely ! ' answered the good-natured Fanny, but she said it somewhat sorrowfully, for her cousin Fritz Strobl formed one of the circle around Illona. ' I wonder she can stand being laced so tight,' remarked Mimi. ' Her hat is delicious ! ' sighed Baroness Lebra, who was feeling too pensive even to giggle, ' I wonder if I could manage to copy it?' ' And I wonder whether it would suit you as well as it does her,' retorted Lili, a trifle sharply.