The Grasshopper

Chapter I. Ludwig Heimholtz

Everybody who is " somebody " must have heard of Luddock Grange in Blankshire. They must also have heard of our market-town of Muddj'ford. It is pos sible, however, that some of you ladies and gentlemen are "nobodies," and have never come across any men tion of either of these two places. For your benefit I will try to describe the town of Muddyford, and the house and grounds of Luddock Grange. The important town of Muddyford consists of fifteen private houses, sixteen shops, two breweries, three banks, three hotels, a town hall, six public-houses, and one church. I have been told that there is also a Baptist Chapel, but I do not know in what part of the town it is situ ated. A deep and stately flowing river, quite twelve feet wide at high tide (for it is a tidal river at Muddy ford, which is six miles from the sea) runs past the B lower end of the town.

This fine stream is spanned by a wooden bridge at this point. The road leading over the bridge is the only highway through the town. All the shops are ranged along both sides of the only street. Before the Town Hall, the road widens out ; and, on this clear open space, a market is held at certain fixed days during the year. So much for Muddyford. Luddock Grange is a ruined old mansion, at the upper end of the town. The building is simply a shell, having been unoccupied, and allowed to fall to pieces, many years before I came to Muddyford. Somewhere about 185 — , the Grange was sold to an eccentric old gentleman named Ludwig Heimholtz, said to be a Hamburg Jew. He must have been an ex tremely wealthy man ; for, not satisfied with the large park surrounding the old Grange, he managed, by "hook or by crook," to purchase several other estates adjoining, besides numerous plots of ground, and fields.

Having thus satisfied his hunger for land, he was attacked by a mania for building. First, he spent thousands upon thousands in erecting a strong stone wall, fully twelve miles long and fifteen feet high, all round his estate. While this fortification was rising up, he began to build in the very centre of his park a queer-looking villa of red brick. The plan of this house was simple in the extreme. It consisted of six circular towers, of two stories, placed side by side. The two centre towers were twenty-four feet, and the four outer ones twenty feet, in diameter. Kitchens, sculleries, servants' quarters, and other out-houses, he placed a little way in the rear of his towers, and connected the two buildings by a short covered wa}-. It was into this model dwelling that Ludwig Heim holtz marched one fine morning in the year 1855, bringing with him no less than sixteen menservants and one maid.

He brought also a baby just three months old. LUDWIG HEIMHOLTZ. 3 I was that baby. It must not be supposed that all I am saying is the result of my own experience. I include in this short narrative all the information I was able to pick up in after years of what occurred during the memorable time I passed with the man who called himself my father. So let me proceed with my story. If the inhabitants of Muddyford and its neighbourhood thought old Heimholtz eccentric before his house was finished, there is evidence to show that they thought him quite mad when he came to live among them. For, after having placed a high wall round his possessions, and used tons upon tons of broken glass to border the top, and render the scaling of it impossible by the most adventurous boys, he next gave out that he would allow nobody to come within these walls on any pretence whatsoever.

His sixteen stalwart men servants formed a kind of private police force. They were not gardeners, for his gardens were non-existent. They were not gamekeepers, for he had killed off every head of game in his possessions with absurd parade. They were not even Englishmen. They were an un canny set, silent and gloomy ; and, like their master, shunned the society of their fellow men ; also, like him, were called German Jews. The walls of Luddock Grange were placarded with printed notices, warningtrespassers that, if caught, they would be punished with the utmost rigour of the law. These threats were not idle ones, as some venturesome people discovered to their cost. The sixteen men on guard seemed to be everywhere at once. Not a soul was ever known to get over those walls, and return undetected, during the twenty-one years that old Heimholtz lived at Luddock Grange.

Another fact about the owner of the Grange and his men caused some surprise. They were total ab stainers and vegetarians to a man. Numbers of cows B — were kept, and multitudes of fowls, but only to supply milk and eggs. For a short time after his arrival, Heimholtz was greatly worried by callers. He received everybody politely, and as politely informed them that he wished to live the life of a recluse. The parson hung on to him the longest ; but even the pertinacious Ebenezer Moreton was obliged to own himself defeated at last, and ceased to trouble the Timon of Muddyford. What gave the finishing stroke to the worthy young parson was the confession of Heim holtz that he was a Jew converted to Buddhism. This awful combination was too much for even the burning zeal, begot of curiosity, of the Revd.

Ebenezer. So it came about that Heimholtz at last obtained his wish, and was allowed to enjoy his self-imposed solitude in peace. He paid his rates, taxes, and every other legal impost, and gave no trouble to anybody but the would-be trespassers on his domain. It was in this desert of solitude that all my early youth was passed. I saw nobody but my self-styled parent and his servants. At prolonged periods a few friends from foreign lands came to see us, but I was always glad when they went away again. I was by no means unhappy during these years. It must be borne in mind that I knew of no other world but the park and grounds of Luddock Grange. Everything that my limited mind could long for was given without stint. If anybody had forced me to eat meat, or drink wine, or spirits under any form, I should have been deadly sick.

This I found out in subsequent times, after I had left the Grange. The park was, to me, a lovely place. There were hills and vales, plantations of trees, and lovely hedge rows, streams of clear water, and one delightful lake, where the dabchick had its home. Along the borders of this lake were cool, shady, paths, where I spent most of my time idly watching the gambols of the various water-fowl that made the lake their home. LUDWIG HEIMHOLTZ. 5 Then there were my pet deer, my cows, my dogs, my horses. All the animals in the park were as tame as cats. The very birds used to come and drink and eat out of my hands. Who shall say, therefore, that those days were unhappy ones? On the contrary, I am inclined to think that they were the most peaceful and happy of my life. There was one thing that made me feel uncomfort able from my earliest years, and that was the look of deep unhappiness that brooded on the faces of my father's servants — for at that time I took Ludwig Heimholtz to be my father.

They all avoided me, while at the same time they never seemed to lose sight of me. I never attempted to take any childish liberties with them. There was a hard brightness about their eyes, as if a sullen fire were burning within them, that fiercely repelled any familiarity. One man, especially, Solomon Uscher was his name, had a most forbidding face. He kept the big gates of the park near the old, ruined Grange. At the very sight of him I used to slink away and hide mj'self. From my supposed father, I received nothing but kindness ; but, try as hard as I could, I found it quite out of my power to have any feeling towards him but one of awe. He was a tall strongly-built man with a big massive head, straight eyebrows, long nose, bushy iron-grey hair, and a long nearly white beard with a yellowish tinge at the ends.

His eyes were the best part of him. They did not flicker and burn like the eyes of the menservants, or of my Nurse Tabitha, (what her other name was, she would never tell me), but had a soft and dreamy expression. He never showed any anger against me, but he had only to say, "Robert ! " (by the way, have I mentioned that my name is Robert Garland Heimholtz ?) Well, as I was saying, he had only to say, " Robert ! " and fix his dreamy eyes upon me, and I would be ready to obey his slightest wish. Disobedience was aword unknown in my vocabulary. I think I have said enough about my surroundings at Luddock Grange. Tabitha, my nurse, was a short squat woman, who was for ever smiling with her lips, while her eyes burnt fiercely and angrily. As soon as possible in the morning, she turned me out in the park to roam.

In the evenings she put me to bed as early as she could ; so I saw as little of her as could possibly be managed. The only washing my body received, was from a daily plunge in the lake. I slept in my clothes, and brushed my hair with my hands.

Chapter II. The Seance Interrupted

The first event in my life, that enables me to fix my memory down to a point, was what happened to me one fine night in August, 1862. I knew afterwards, from the papers left behind by Heimholtz, that I was then seven years of age. The same papers mention that I was a fine, well-grown boy, with large steel-grey eyes, full lips, well-shaped nose, and my naturally fair complexion sunburnt to a ruddy, glowing, bronze colour, and my hair long and golden-hued. I remember being greatly struck one early morning by the increase in the volume of sound made by the " voices." Ah, the " voices " ! That reminds me that, as yet, I have said nothing about these same "voices." Well, you must know that as far back as I can remem ber I have always heard " voices " during the night and in the early morning. Numbers of people seemed to be talking to each other in a language I did not understand.

Sometimes I fancied these "voices" were in the air, for I used to run from room to room in the dark, and never catch a sight of the people who were talking. When I asked my father who these people were, he answered that they were friends of his, but that I must not mind them. On this my seventh birthday, these " voices " sounded so loud that I asked Tabitha to tell me who the people were that talked so loudly, and yet made only meaningless sounds. As far as I can remember, she said that, if I was a good boy and did as I was told, I should see the owners of these " voices " some day. At sunrise these " voices " died away, as usual, but I remember noticing that my father looked more dreamy and pre-occupied than he habitually did. All the servants had an alert look ; their eyes blazed more fiercely than usual, while there was a mocking expres sion in Tabitha's face that quite frightened me into holding my tongue, and asking no questions.

It was a fine day, and I had a glorious scamper about the park with my dog Ponto. Tired out, I fell asleep over my tea, and was taken to bed and left there with my clothes on, as usual. This was nothing strange to me, as Tabitha had always treated me in the same way before. How long I slept I don't know, but I was suddenly woke up by the sound of people talking furiously. It was the first time in my life that I had ever heard anyone talking in that strain. I was more frightened at those voices, although I could not understand what was said, than at anything I had ever yet come across. Suddenly there was another sound such as I had never heard before. It was like what cats make at night, but yet not quite the same. This noise did not by any means frighten me. On the contrary, it at tracted me.

Then I became curious. What creature could it be that was making such a sunn}- noise ? Quickly- I crept out of bed, and felt my way in the thick darkness to the two centre rooms. Here all was dark, but still the strange mewing of the cat continued. Following my ears, as I might say, I crept softly to the main staircase, and through the second circular room, till I came to the door of what was called the " red tower." It was thence that the strange cry proceeded. There were other sounds, as of several people talking ; THE SEANCE INTERRUPTED. 9 but, strange to say, I could not make out what they were saying. It never entered my head to suspect that I was doing anything wrong, so I boldly opened the door and stepped into the room. The sight that met my eyes caused me to utter a cry of surprise.

The room was circular, as were all the others in the house. L^sually it was lighted by windows, but now the shutters were closed. There was a round table in the middle of the room, on which was an iron pot. My father was standing by the table with three rods in his hand. A little way from him was a stranger with a vacant face, and long hair falling down his back. His face was hairy in patches. On two chairs, close to the wall, sat two people dressed in the same way as my nurse Tabitha, only their clothes were much hand somer. But it was not the sight of these strangers which caused me to utter the cry of surprise. No ! it was something much more wonderful. It was some thing that lay kicking and sprawling its legs about in a tiny bed close to one of the strange women. This was the thing that was making the queer sound which had drawn me thither.

It was the surprising sight of the first baby I had ever seen that made this a red-letter day in my life — a day never to be forgotten. Attracted by an irresistible impulse, I ran towards the cot, and, falling down on my knees before it, de voured with my eyes the lovely cherub it contained. Immediately it saw me, the little thing left off making a noise, and smiled in my face. Then I knew that it was a being like myself, and had been crying. I had been in such good health for years, and such care had been taken to render me happy, that I had almost for gotten when I had last cried. On my unexpected entrance into the room, everybody had left off talking. The unusual silence at last at tracted my attention, and I looked up. The first face that I saw was that of the elder of the two women. She was gazing at me with a stare so fixed, that it made me start.

The other woman now laughed, and said something to her that I did not understand. "Little boy," said the elder woman, at last, "come and make our acquaintance." Seeing me loth to leave the baby, she smiled, and said, " never mind your little playfellow, come and tell us how you are." I obeyed mechanically. " So this is the great Robert Garland," she continued, as she stroked my hair, " who is to be the recompense for all our disappointments." Somehow these words became fixed in my memory. I repeated them over and over again, all the time won dering what they meant. Then both the women spoke many other kind words to me, which I don't remember, till my father said something to them, which I did not understand, and then told me to sit down and be silent. "Robert," said myfather, "I am not pleased that you have come here ; but, as nobody can leave the room now, you must keep absolute silence.

I don't think these were his exact words, but I know that he said that, for some reason, I could not now leave the room. After this little speech to me, my father got up on the table with the three rods in his hand. These he set up in the form of a tripod, the end of which nearly touched the top of the circular ceiling. Having seen that his tri pod was firm, he got off the table and fetched a copper chain and glass jug from a cupboard let into the wall of the room. One end of the chain he made fast to the top of the tripod, so that it hung to within a foot of the table. To this he fixed the glass vessel, which I now saw was shaped like a man's hand, with the fingers holding a glass pen, such as I had often seen him use for writing. THE SEANCE INTERRUPTED. 11 Having finished these preparations, he turned to the strange man, with the long hair hanging down his back, and said, "Approach, Johannes."

Then, turning to me, he said, " Go to the baby, Robert, and turn your back to us." To hear was to obey with me, so I ran to the little smiling creature and began playing with it. It was sometime before I heard my father say, " Robert, resume your seat." I looked round, and saw that the strange man Johannes was lying asleep on the floor with his right arm bound round with rags ; while my father was pouring a red liquid, which I then thought to be ink, but which I now know was blood, into the hand-shaped glass vessel suspended over the table. The two women now came forward and placed under the vessel a long strip of black paper. The tripod was then lowered till the pen, in the hand suspended from the top, just touched the paper. The two women then sat down on chairs placed for them on opposite sides of the table, and we all in silence kept our eyes fixed on the suspended hand.

This continued so long that, wearied out, I fell asleep ; and was only awakened by an exclamation from the elder woman. " I told you so ! " she exclaimed, in the same angry tone I had heard before I came into the room. After this, they all gathered round the table and seemed to be watching the pen and the strip of paper. Sleepily I walked up to the table and saw that the suspended hand was moving of its own accord over the paper that my father was pulling awa}' from it. Surprised at seeing the hand thus move, I suddenly said : — ■ " Who is it that is moving the glass jug, father ? " I remember quite well that these carelessly spoken words acted like a spell. The hand instantly stopped t writing, and my father interposed between me and the younger woman. " Do not be angry, Jeanetta," he said, softly : " nothing is lost.

We know with certainty now that our work has been thrown away on this idiot,' and he kicked the prostrate form of Johannes. My disobedience in speaking, when I was told to keep silence, broke up the seance ; and I was led away to bed. The next morning the baby and the two women left the house ; but Johannes remained. Strange to say, the vacant look on his face, which had struck me the night before, was now replaced by a fierce exultant one — as of gratified malice. From that day Johannes became one of our servants, and behaved in all respects like the others. J3

Chapter III

A VISION OF LOVELINESS. The first great event in my life was, undoubtedly, my introduction to the baby at my father's seance, when my interruption put a stop to the proceedings. It was the baby that made that never-to-be-forgotten impression. I was a little surprised at the hand of glass, suspended over the table, moving without human aid. For a time I was interested in Johannes ; but, after his hair was cut short, his face shaved clean, and he had lost the vacant far-away look in his eyes, and had assumed the mocking fierce expression peculiar to all our other servants, I took no more notice of him. The two women left the faintest impression of all on my youthful mind. But the smiling baby ! Ah ! I shall never forget the sweet creature. After that memorable night I never again set eyes on the little cherub.

To my anxious enquiries, my father always returned the same answer, " It was brought by Mrs. Montcalm, and was taken away by her ; " but he gave me no hopes of ever seeing it again. Miss Jeanetta Montcalm was the name of the younger woman, I now learnt. She was the daughter of the elder one. I should see them both again, I was assured, but this gave me no satisfaction ; it was the baby, and only the baby, my heart longed after. Childish longings do not cling persistently to one. I was in time consoled for my loss, and my father now commenced instructing me in various things. I began to learn reading and writing. Looking back on this period of my life, I am struck by the recollection that my father never gave me anything to do which I did not like. The moment I shewed any distaste for my lessons I was dismissed to my roamings in the park.

At last I got to look upon them as a treat. Beautifully illustrated books were placed at my disposal during the time these lessons lasted, then they were taken away and locked up till such time as I was anxious to resume work. Thus seven years passed. Then my father began another experiment. As I could now not only read such books as he allowed me to see, but could also write, he proposed that I should put down in a book that he gave me anything that I was struck by as remarkable. In short, I, a boy of fourteen, was required to keep a diary of my daily doings and daily thoughts. I have this truly astonishing work by me now, as I am reading ; and, with its aid, I am able to give you a fairly correct account of my childish adventures and thoughts. Nothing was ever pressed upon me as an imposition.

I was urged to carry out this truly colossal work by a system of rewards cunningly de vised. But with all this careful kindness, and apparently affectionate supervision, it is surprising to recall the fact that I never felt any love towards my supposed father. Fear, and a dread of opposing him in anything whatsoever were my ruling motives ; if there were any motives beyond trying to afford myself pleasure. It must be confessed that I felt a positive delight in surmounting difficulties. Great indeed were those with which I had to contend at first in finding expres sion for my thoughts, and giving a detailed account of A VISION OF LOVELINESS. 15 my thrilling adventures with my dog Ponto, the cows, the tame deer, and the impudent pet birds. Very grave indeed was my father when he looked over this book ; but, after he had pointed out my faults, he always ended by saying it was " satisfactory, very satisfactory indeed."

As I always entered in my diary when my birth day came round, I now know how old I was when the second great event in my life took place. It was exactly five days after my fifteenth birthday, when, walking in the park with my dog by my side, I suddenly saw one of our trees fall. In a moment I was racing with Ponto to the scene of the catas trophe. When we got up to the fallen tree, I saw at once that the soil at the roots was only a thin layer over the chalk, not sufficient in short to support so large a tree. My next discovery was that the tree had fallen on to the high outer wall and had broken a great gap in it. Of course I had been strictly warned never to go out side this wall. Needless to say, 1 never thought of disobeying an order of any kind, especially this one on which great stress had been laid by my father.

I stood, therefore, staring at the gap in the wall, half filled up as it was by the brancbes of the fallen tree, without attempting to approach nearer to it. Suddenly the mass of foliage parted, and a strangely beautiful creature forced itself through, and stood before me. It was, indeed, a vision of loveliness. We stared at one another for a long time. Then the creature came nearer, and I discovered that it was only a little boy, something like myself, with long, fair hair hanging down its back, the same as I had, only it was dressed quite differently. This boy was much smaller than I was, and had such a beautiful face, with such a sweet expression in his eyes, that, without any reason for doing so, I laughed and clapped my hands with delight. At this he laughed also, and stared at me with wide-open eyes.

Presently, growing bolder, he felt my hair, then burst out into such a merry peal of laughter that I could not help joining in ; although I could see no reason for merriment. My new-found friend then sat on the trunk of the fallen tree, and said something I could not understand. I asked what it was he had said, but the only answer he made was to laugh more heartily than ever, and make a motion for me to sit down beside him, which I did. After this we were silent for a long time, looking at each other with wide-open eyes of amazement. I know I was mightily astonished that the little fellow could not speak, but only make strange sounds like my never-to-be-forgotten baby. He, on his part, kept on making noises as if trying to speak, but, of course, I saw no sense in them. Suddenly the idea struck me that the little stranger was one of the people whose voices I heard every night, but whose words I could never understand.

Now, of course, I know that it was only because we were speaking different languages, and that my visitor was not a boy at all, but a very pretty little girl about eight years of age. Although I was a grown-up boy of fifteen, I had never seen any other child but the baby which had departed as mysteriously as it had come. My father and the servants spoke the same language as myself. But to return to the ever-memorable day of my first introduction to this truly delightful little stranger. We sat on the trunk of the tree and talked, neither com prehending the other, till a voice called out from behind the wall. My little friend then jumped up, put her arms round my neck, pressed her lips to mine, then scrambled through the branches of the tree and was gone. Ah, how I longed to follow her 1 But I dared not.

A VISION OF LOVELINESS. 17 My father's strict injunctions were that I was never to go outside the walls. With reluctant steps I went back to the house, where I consoled myself by writing in my journal a long account of our interview. For the first time since I began my diary, twelve months before, I found that I could write without an effort. When this labour of love was over, I was impatient for my father to see, and praise, my work. Book in hand I wandered through the house, visiting every room, but could not find him. This so surprised me that I sat down in the library, lost in amazement at the strange adventures of the day. Never before had I been unable to find my father when I wanted to do so. After a time I went to look for Tabitha my nurse, She had disappeared also. Wonder upon wonder !

When I ran out into the park, where I knew Johannes always lurked, I could not find him either. The whole afternoon was passed in running from one end of the park to the other, but not one of our eighteen servants could I find. Even the much-disliked Solomon Uscher, the gatekeeper, I should have been glad to see ; but he was not at his post. Only one spot was left where I had not been, and that was the old ruined Grange, close to the gates. It was only a shell of a place, I knew, but I had been warned never to enter it, although I had often peeped through its doorless gates. I did so now, but saw nothing but the grass-grown open interior, with the bare stone walls beyond. When I fully realised that I was the only human being within those high park walls, a great feeling of loneliness fell upon me.