LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 282, 7 May 1875, Page 3

LITERATURE.

NOTES FROM A GERMAN BAND. BY MARY CECIL HAY, AUTHOR OF “OLD Middleton’s money,” etc, ( Continued. ) He never came near her, and never seemed even to glance at her. While the party dined, we played a little apart, and it was just the same; still the short dark gentleman kept close to her, waited upon her, talked to her, and laughed with her; and still that other kept aloof. Of course, I could not understand it, but I wortied over it more than I should like to tell. I fancied Peter fretted over it as I did, and once I fancied that even Heiner noticed it, his countenance being lugubrious beyond the common. When the guests dispersed, one of the servants guided us down the hill and through the wood to the house of the short dark gentleman who had given the picnic. Although we reached it from another quarter, I knew the house again directly. It was the mansion which had looked so warm and light upon that winter night six months before, and from which we had been turned away. The short dark gentleman, then, was master here ! As we unpacked our instruments, I was startled by an angry German oath from Behr. On opening his bag he found his bow missing. We all helped him to search, but we knew the labour would be in vain, as of course, if no bow was in the bag when the bag was unfastened, there couldn’t have been one in when it was tied up. ‘ Never mind, Cello,’ remarked Peter cheerfully; ‘ you must conduct us. ’ ‘ Could you borrow a bow ? I suggested anxiously; but Behr had followed the boys, who were looking for it outside. By the time I had arranged the music we were summoned to our supper, and I could not speak to any of the band till it was over. Then I said, seizing at once on Behr, ‘ Where’s Fritz!’ ‘ Gone for my bow,’ he returned stolidly. ‘ My heavens, Cello, you’ve never sent the child back to the hill?’ I exclaimed, flashing red in my anger. ‘ If there hadn’t been such a fuss made before he went, he’d have been back before now,’ grumbled Behr. ‘ Leader, I was to go, and I was—frightened, ’ whispered Karlschen, looking terrified up into my face. ‘ I wish I’d known. I’d rather have gone myself ten times over, or lost our engagement altogether,’ I muttered, pacing the ground in hottest vexation. ‘ Don’t worry about it, Leader,’ said Peter. ‘ The boy won’t come to harm. He’s a clever fearless little fellow; you needn’t fear for him.’ * He’d no business to interfere when I threatened to send Karl,’ put in Behr; ‘I daresay I shouldn’t have sent either then.’ ‘ What a pity it all is !’ murmured Heiner, examining his reed with a sigh. * There’s that gloomy wood for the child to go through in the dark, and I don’t know when he can get back, and we shall be wretchedly off without him. ’ This was not exactly Peter’s way of looking at things, and did not do us any good at all. “ Cello, can you play for Fritz?’ I asked, in despair. ‘Not having your own bow, of course you’ve nothing else to do. ’ It was settled so, and we turned back together to the ballroom. I expect we all played our best, but I never saw anything like Peter. He stood on my empty cornetbox, and performed with the energy of a whole band melted into one. Behr handled the little violin with a kind of s avage c6ntempt; but he made the toy speak well, and only now and then startled us with the ’cello fingering. Karlschen, in mortal terror of his huge leader, made his notes truer and clearer than he had ever thought to do under the shielding wing of little Fritz; and Heiner never took any secret rests, except just before his cadenzas or a bar’s solo which fell to him. * Surely now,’ I thought, looking down the room among the gay and showy figures, ‘ those two will dance together, ” But no; everything went on just the same. She danced with the short dark gentleman, and she danced with strangers, but never once with him. ‘ Leader,’ whispered Karlschen, just as I was forgetting for a minute my anxiety about little Fritz, ‘ shall I really ha\ e to go to—to the wood to ?’ ‘ Why ?’ ‘ Because Fritz isn’t come yet, and Behr said if he wasn’t back in a twinkling he’d send me after him; will he ? Fritz ’ll be so sorry; he did’nt want me to have to go. He promised to run all the way, not even to stop to get flowers. He won’t be long. ’ I couldn’t answer for thinking of the child in the gloomy wood, which we had filled for him with weird and ghastly imagery. No fear of his stopping for flowers; better if there were. I knew he would race on, nervous and frightened; race on and on, too terrified even to glance behind him; race on and never stop, though the long day had been spent in wearying toil. All through the gay scene my thoughts would follow the lad in his lonely run. I recalled the ghostly legends which had made him timid and nervous even among us all and in the vivid daylight, and I wished with all my heart that we had not been such fools. I would have given every penny we should earn to-day if Behr had not sent my boy on this chase. I knew how thoroughly Fritz was afraid of Cello’s roughness to little Karl, and I knew there was nothing the lad would not do to spare his brother a harsh word. I heard in fancy—high above the notes we played—the clear childish voice singing to keep him company as he hurried along the dim path. I saw in fancy—clearer than the dancing crowd —the one tiny figure in the hush of the great solemn wood, the shadowy trees closing high above it, and making a darkness which was haunted by a nameless horror. At last, when 1 could bear it no longer, I went to look out into the night. It was not quite dark yet, but the thick gloom of the late twilight was almost more dismal than utter darkness. I walked restlessly about, longing for the sound of the returning quick little feet, until at last I found myself in a shrubbery, through which a path went up to a door of the house; and just then I was aware that the young lady I had watched so much to-day was standing in the path, and talking to the very gentleman to whom she had not seemed to speak all day. _ _ I was in a most uncomfortable position. It I went back, the rustling would make them think they were watched. Of course I could not go into the path, so X waited where I was, determining not to overhear a word if

I could help it. But I couldn’t help it, and very angry words I overheard, very proud and bitter ones too; while, though each voice was full of blame, it was also full of pain untold. | Yes, it has been so, Piers,’ the girl’s voice said; but you have humiliated me before every one to-day. ’ ‘ Other attentions awaited you,’ rejoined the lower and angrier voice, * and I believe now all his boasts are of your—regard. ’ ‘You left me to his attentions. What could I do?’ * Only accept them graciously—as you did; graciously and gratefully, giving smile for smile. ’ ‘You never came near me,’ she said, answering his scornful words almost as scornfully. ‘ When you could have called me to you, you would not, and now it is too late. Perhaps it is better so for us both; at any rate, it is better for you, as you seem to know. This day has shown it all distinctly to me, Mary. He told the truth in all he said of you, and I can never think of you as I thought of you before. I will not let myself be tempted, and you shall be free to accept whatever love is offered you. ’ ‘ Piers, how— ’ she faltered, a perfect agony in her voice. *He told you falsehoods, and I am— But,’ with a sudden pride in her tones, ‘ do as you will. ’ ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘after to-night I shall trouble you no more; and it will be a lifetime, I hope, before I see this spot again. You know you have wrecked me, and the thought will hardly be a solace to you even in this wealthy home when it is yours. 0, the angry firmness of his voice! ‘ One word more, Mary, before I go. Leave your little sister in the old home; leave her still with her grandfather, to the old pure life you have shared. Don’t bring her here to be with these children of hK Though you may be a mother to them, they are his children, and so what can they be but cowards and traitors?’ With a strange still pride she only answered in these few words : ‘ I see it is best we should part, Piers. I see now that it is the only thing we can do.’ In another minute she was standing alone, her head clasped in her hand, as if to shut out the sound of his footsteps. I crept away without betraying myself. I could not before have believed myself able to do it so noiselessly; and when I reached the door and paused to give one glance around, I saw my poor lad. There he came racing along, with the great ’cello bow, his face raised, his breath quick and panting, just as I had pictured him running in the wood. Without a word he went in with me, gave the bow to Behr, and took his own violin and his place above Karlschen. Karl spoke to him eagerly and gladly; but he only smiled at his little brother, tuned his fiddle, and looked up at me for my cue. With my comet in my hand, I stood gazing intently into the child’s face. I could not bear to see it; I could not bear him to play, while his lips were so tight and white, and he had that wide scared look in his eyes. Every now and then Karlschen tried to win a word, but Fritz only answered with a smile. Still Karlschen would not be content, and presently touched him pleadingly upon the arm. ‘Wait a little,’ Fritz whispered; ‘we’ll talk presently. I’m—l’m tired, I think, Karl. I want to play well, and I feel as if I couldn’t ’less I try hard. Leader, am I wrong ? Am I playing badly, that you look at me so ?’ ‘Sit down, my lad,’ I whispered. ‘ No, please; you said you wished us to play well to-day. Then I’ll rest—after ' On we played : waltz, quadrille, galop, one after another, while the dancers glided past us, and the merry voices filled in all our pauses. But there was a great difference in everything to me; for not only was I so anxious about Fritz, who persistently played on with us, but besides that I worried over the absence of those two whom I had watched all day. ‘ Put down your violin,’ I whispered again and again to my boy. ‘Am I playing so badly, Leader?’ he asked wistfully. ‘No; but I wish you not to play. You are tired, dear lad. ’ ‘ Rather—only rather. 0, let me play on, do. You always say you miss my fiddle. Let Karl rest.’ Only when the dawn was breaking did the ball end, and we were free to go, I feeling unaccountably depressed, though at the same time thoroughly ashamed of myself for doing so. The children walked together, talking earnestly, but the ready feet of little Fritz were not in advance as usual. When, after we had walked about a mile, I called them up to me, I saw that Karlschen was crying. * Why docs Fritz breathe like that?’ he asked me, for all explanation of his tears. My boy was panting dreadfully, the quick hard breath literally seeming to stagger through his white lips; and in a moment I took him up to carry him. I was the strongest in the band, though not the biggest, and could carry him easily, yet the benefit to him was almost counteracted by the effort he made to lighten his weight for me. We travelled on now slowly, Behr a good deal behind, muttering something about a great fuss: Peter walking beside me, and talking with merry encouragement to the child upon his back : and Heiner leading Karlschen in tears, and embracing his umbrella and clarionet as usual, whue he looked as thoroughly a martyr as if the child had just then been billeted upon him for life, and he’d nothing to keep him on. So we were journeying in the grey of the early morning when we met a gentleman on horseback, who looked pityingly-downright tenderly—at the drooping head upon my shoulder, and pleasantly answered our salute before he passed on. I had recognised him for the gentleman who had in anger left the ballroom that morning, and I went on more heavy-hearted than before, remembering that he had said he was going away ‘ for a lifetime.’ Suddenly the quick step of the horse turned behind us, and the rider drew up at my side. ‘Let me take the boy from you,’ he said; < i have a few minutes to spare. He is a heavy load, and my horse will not feel it. Put him here; I will hold him safe and comfortable, poor little fellow. Now, where are you going ?’ We told him we were trying to reach a tavern where we could rest and breakfast, and then he paused and thought, looking the while intently into my boy’s sleepy eyes. (To he continued .)