Chapter II
The Children’s Expectation Disappointed—The Scapegrace—The Forester’s House—Curiosity of the Villagers—Their Remarks—The Captain’s Luggage.
“I knew by the smoke that so gracefully curled
Above the green elms, that a cottage was near;
And I said, ‘If there’s peace to be found in the world,
A heart that was humble might hope for it here.’
“It was noon, and on flowers that languished around,
In silence reposed the voluptuous bee;
Every leaf was at rest, and I heard not a sound
But the woodpecker tapping the hollow beech-tree.”
—MOORE.
Night had already closed in when they reached the village, and the moon was just appearing over the tops of the mountains. Here they were met by the pastor’s wife. She had already heard of the stranger’s arrival from the two children, who had run home before. “Pray do not be alarmed at the sight of a strange and unexpected guest,” said the old man to her, “I hope my arrival will not inconvenience you at all.” “Not in the least, sir,” replied she, “you are very welcome to such accommodation as we can offer.”
Upon this they entered the house, and were soon comfortably seated in the parlour, while the children, who had heard that the stranger was a great traveller, listened very attentively, hoping that he would begin talking of his long voyages, and perhaps tell them some interesting stories of his adventures. This evening, however, they were doomed to be disappointed, for though the captain could easily have satisfied their curiosity, and amused them for a long time with an account of some of the dangers he had passed through, and the many foreign countries he had visited, he seemed just then to be more inclined to seek for information on different points, than to talk about himself and his own doings.
He began by asking the pastor a great many questions about different places in the neighbourhood, and the people (several of whose names he knew) who used to live there; and seemed very much interested in all he heard. He then inquired whether there were still living any descendants of the former pastor, a Mr Buchman. “So far as I know, there are none,” replied the pastor, “indeed, I understand he had only one son, a regular scapegrace, who left home a long time ago, and has never been heard of since.” “It must be nearly forty years since Pastor Buchman lived here,” he added, “perhaps you remember him?”
“Indeed I do,” said the captain, “I remember him well, for he was my father, and I am no other than the only son you spoke of!”
“Is it possible?” cried the worthy man, a little disconcerted; “are you indeed that very young man, of whose wilful character I have heard so many speak? Forgive me, my friend, for having spoken of you as a scapegrace. How could I imagine that you, who as a boy were so wild and disobedient, would have become a quiet and pious man, as you seem to me to be.” “Yes, thank God,” said the captain in a voice trembling with emotion, “He has at length, after many hard trials and severe chastisements, shown me the error of my ways, and guided my feet into the way of peace. But pray excuse my speaking more on this subject just now. I could scarcely relate all the details of my long story to-night, and, fatigued as I am, it would be too much for me; indeed, as it is, the idea of passing the night under your roof almost overcomes me; for this is the very house that I was born in, and here, too, my parents both died.”
Notwithstanding his anxiety to hear a full account of the extraordinary events in the life of his guest, the worthy pastor considerately forebore to touch on the subject again during the evening. As to the children, they did not cease to pay the greatest attention, hoping to hear, at least, something interesting, but in vain. The captain sat buried in thought, and during the short time before supper scarcely spoke a word. Directly after supper, the pastor read a chapter from the Bible, and made a short evening prayer, and then the children had to go to bed. This seemed to them a greater hardship to-night than it had ever done before, and they could not help thinking, as they went up-stairs, that perhaps the captain might relate his adventures after they had gone, and so they should miss hearing them. They kept all these thoughts to themselves, however, for they were good, obedient children, and went to bed without murmuring.
After they had left the room, the captain still refrained from speaking on the subject of his travels, only telling the pastor of his intention of spending the rest of his life in his native village, if he could find a suitable house, either to rent or buy. His host heard this resolution with pleasure, and told him that there was a neat, comfortable cottage, close by his own parsonage, which was for sale; it had belonged to a forester who had died about six months ago, and would, he thought, be very likely to suit him. They continued talking on various subjects for some little time, till the pastor’s wife reminded them that it was past ten o’clock. Upon this they went up to bed; but for nearly an hour afterwards the pastor heard his guest, who slept in an adjoining room, walking up and down, and occasionally praying in a loud voice. After a time, however, all was silent, and peaceful sleep closed the labours of the day.
The next morning the two children were the first down-stairs. They had always been accustomed to get up early, and little Willie, when only four years old, once said to his father, “Isn’t it a shame, papa, to let the sun get up before we do? He must be more tired than we are, for he has such a long way to go every day.” Their father usually employed the first part of the morning in taking them both out for a walk, either up the mountains, or in the fields, or perhaps into the forest, where they would gather ferns or flowers, and get him to tell them their names. But to-day they seemed so anxious to hear the captain’s adventures, that they did not like to go out far, for fear they might miss some opportunity of hearing his story; and they could scarcely contain their joy when their mother told them that he was not going to leave Dornbach (that was the name of the village), but was going to live at the forester’s house.
In a retired country village like Dornbach, where everything went on from one week’s end to another in the same quiet manner, it was rarely indeed that anything occurred to furnish the villagers with a new topic of conversation, and every traveller who stopped at the road-side inn, if it were only to bait his horse, created quite a sensation. If the stranger should happen to get into conversation with any one, for the next three days at least every one in the place would be talking about him. This was specially the case now when the report was spread that the captain of a ship had arrived at the parsonage, not for a passing visit, but with the intention of settling in the neighbourhood; and when it was further reported that this old captain was no other than the much talked-of son of the late Pastor Buchman, well remembered by the older inhabitants as the scapegrace, the excitement of the good people of Dornbach was immense. This was now the subject of everybody’s conversation. The people all seemed to have forgotten their ordinary occupations; everywhere they were to be seen gathered together in groups, talking about the news of the day, of which, however, as yet they knew very little.
“Oh yes, I have seen him,” said old Hannah; “I saw him yesterday, when he first came to the village.”
“Is he not very rich?” asked another.
“Of course he is,” said Frau Margaret; “how can he be otherwise, if he is really the captain of a ship? I’m sure he must have a million of money.”
“A million of money!” muttered the old bailiff; “if he had half as much as that he would never think of shutting himself up in an out-of-the-way village like this.”
“If he had twice as much,” said old father Nicholas, with an air of irony, “he would not have it long, if he is anything like what he used to be. Ah, I remember him well: I was at school with him, and if ever there was a spendthrift in the world, one who did not even seem to know there was such a word as ‘save,’ believe me, he is the man.”
In short, every one had something to say on the subject, in spite of the fact that no one knew anything about it; and after a great deal had been said, they came to the conclusion that there was nothing for it but to wait and see what would happen.
While all this was going on in the village, the captain had sent down to the inn at Aurbach, where he had left his luggage, and ordered it to be sent to Dornbach, to his new house, which the bailiff had put into good repair for him. He had also borrowed some necessary furniture from his good friend the pastor, until he could get some of his own from the neighbouring town. When the cart arrived with his boxes and portmanteaus in it, the curiosity of the villagers received a fresh impetus. “What can he have in that strong-looking box?” said one. “If it were money, two men could could never carry it. And look what a number of packages besides! I can’t think what a single man can want with so much luggage.”
“How do you know he is single?” answered another: “he may, for all we know, have a wife and family, who will come down here when his house is ready for them.”
“Well, well, perhaps that is it,” said a third, who stood opposite; “we must wait and see.”
Willie and his sister Mary were quite as curious as any one else, and kept asking their papa what all those boxes contained. “I really do not know,” was his answer; “perhaps when he has unpacked them he will show you some day, if you are good children.”
The captain soon set to work unpacking, but for more than a week he did not ask any of his friends to go and look at his treasures. Even the old servant whom he had engaged was not allowed to go into the room where most of his boxes were, so that for a time every one’s curiosity remained unsatisfied. As it was only a few steps through his garden (which joined that of the pastor) to the parsonage, he had made arrangements with the pastor’s wife to dine with them regularly, so that he might not be troubled with the duties of housekeeping.