Greifenstein

one could look down the sheer precipice to the leaping stream and watch the dark swallows shooting through the shadow and the sunshine, or the yellow butterflies and moths flutter

including its mistress, and the house was frequently convulsed because there was too much salt in its soup or too little sugar in its tea. Greifenstein's pointers generally regarded it with silent scorn, but occasionally, when it was being petted with more than usual fondness, they would sit up before it, thrust out their long tongues and shake their intelligent heads, with a grin that reached to their ears, and which was not unlike the derisively laughing grimace of a street-boy. Greif

, about the mouth, and even on her cheeks, not to mention that tell-tale wrinkle, the sign manual of advancing years, which begins just in front of the lobe of the ear and cuts its way downwards and backwards, round the angle of the jaw. There was a disquieting air of improbability, too, about some of the colouring in her face, though it was far from apparent that she was painted. Her hair, at all events, was her own and was not dyed. And yet, though she possessed an abundance of it, such as many a girl might have envied, it remained utterly uninteresting

enstein suddenly straightened himself, as though an idea had occurred

ure to see you once more in our

p from her fine needlework, an

nswered. 'You know how hap

ervous movement on his part at the sound of her voice. The dog stirred uneasily and uttered a feeble little growl, turned round on her lap, bit his tail, and then settled h

, looking up with a wild smile, 'because when he is curled up, with his little legs together, on his side, he is just the shape of those little twiste

igmundskron without takin

t not, Hugo? I am sure I

Greifenstein. 'But I suppose that what is modern

old-fashioned, the times must have advanced very, very quickly! Eh? Dearest c

at the swallows and the flitting butterflies, her weary features expressing nothing that could be connected with mirth, any more than if she had not laughed for years. The repose could not last long, but Greifenstein felt that it was refreshing. In five and twenty years of married life, by dint of never exhibiting any annoyance at his wife's way of expressing herself, he had grown hardened against the disturbing effect of her smile and voice until he was really very little affected by either. So far a

leaning forward again and speaking to his cousin,

Sigmundskron with her g

prove, and if your daug

her companion's with an engaging simper. 'As if dear, sweet, beautiful Hilda could have any object

ss that Pretzel did not move, as his mistress anxiously l

She has none. But I do not think that

rly in the new year, if neither you nor your d

so! Oh, Hugo, how dull men are, where lo

January,' said Hilda's mother. But there was a shade of annoyance i

ugh his wife had not spoken. 'We will say the f

eifenstein with a fine affectation of

up quickly, but Greifenstein s

'If you will be as kind as to remember our conversation of last night, you will call

resay we did speak of it. Ah, you see, the multiplicity

expressionless and she looked agai

am sure you will recollect that we proposed to ask our cousin to s

d!' she exclaimed turning quickly with one of her unexpected smiles. 'Of course! Dear, dear! What could you do,

e their children altogether when they have married them. Hilda will

always be ready to receive you

' affirmed his wife

hing seriously in the presence of Frau von Greifenstein, for her

otonous. Neither of his companions, however, felt inclined for sleep. His wife watched the birds with a weary look, and his cousin plied her needle upon her fine work. During many hundreds of afternoons like this Frau von Greifenstein had sat in the same place hearing the same voice, a

bination of events, it were possible that a fairly good actress should ever be obliged to play the same part every night for five and twenty years in an absolutely empty theatre, and if she did not go mad under the ordeal, she would perhaps turn out very like the Lady of Greifenstein. The stage was always set; the scenery was always of the best and newest; the vacant boxes and the yawning pit were brilliantly lighted; the costumes were by the best makers; the stage manager was punctual and in his place; the curtain went up every day for the performan

e of life to plunge into a pietist course of simplicity and asceticism. But when the morning came, the emptiness of her existence made the diversion of personal adornment a necessity. There was nothing else to do. And yet she never pressed her husband to go and live in town, nor to fill the castle with visitors. She had lost all hold upon the current of events in the outer world; and as she looked at herself in her mirror, and saw better than any one else the remorseless signature of time etched deep in the face that had once been pretty, she felt a sharp pain in her breast, and a sinking at the heart, for she knew that it was all over and that she had grown old. There were even moments when she feared lest she were becoming ridiculous, for she had not origin

an article upon the European situation, another upon tariffs, the court news, the gaz

ccasion, his majesty has deigned t

ughed, running his eye alo

ired his wife with

s voice grew unaccountably husky. What followed was merely a eulogium upon the imperial clemency, and he read on rapidly without taking his eyes from the printed sheet. Frau von Sigmundskron uttered a little

cratch. 'But, my dear, you have wounded yourself! Your finger is bleeding! Oh, it is too dreadful! You must have so

pon all-fours with a pathetic little squeak. But Frau von Greifenstein picked him up and fled towards t

d Greifenstein, who had lowered the newspaper and

n attempt to smile, but her eyes fixed themselves

d, in a low voice, and the

sible?' asked his co

ed in the amnesty. He has ho

ill not come here. Yo

e stopped, as though he were choking with anger, but excepting by the p

see him either,' said Frau von Sigm

got a sabre cut for his pains. He kno

tact with him. Hilda would not understand, even if she were told. What can she know

exclaimed Greifenstein fiercely. 'If he had not been the

that he should live out his life in a fo

n Judas Iscariot for his model I think he oug

ly irreligious prejudice about such matters, and though her convictions told her that suicide was a crime, her pers

e,' she observed, by way of changi

rawing his thumb-nail sharply along the doubled edges. The action was unconscious, but was mechanically and neatly performed, like most thi

d for a political misdeed, but for a military crime involving a breach of trust

ve it himself?' asked

sed a momentary satisfaction. Again he folded the paper wit

nt back to the fortress,

omily. 'The whole scandal would be revived-my name would appear, it would be a

ed Frau von Sigmundskron, lo

She never hea

ft us just now because she was disturbe

ith something like a grim smile. 'She forgets things easily

in the society of such a woman. It was a part of his principle of life, and he never deviated from it. It had perhaps been strengthened by the necessity of teaching Greif to respect his mother and to treat her with a proper show of reverence, but th

ght develop some of his mother's undesirable peculiarities. At present, indeed, there seemed to be nothing which could justify such fears; but she found it hard to believe that the young man had inherited nothing whatever from his mother. She could remember the time when Frau von Greifenstein had been younger and

ng upon her knees and her hands joined one upon the other. As for Greifenstein, he had at last folded the paper to his satisfaction and had returned

lowing a pair of scissors and nearly had a fit, so that I had to give him a hot bath to calm him. He is such a care! You have no id

seemed uncharitable to make Clara's errand look wholly superfluous before Greifenstein. But he paid very little attention to what was passing, for he was preoccupied with

day she had an unpleasant consciousness that she was in the way, and that, if she were not present, Clara w

remarked, as a preparatory mov

on as though she had been

surprised that the fact should be questioned. 'But t

resay it is. How very good

nt an a

much harm. I am sure I would not have done it-would y

ng, but she was stopped by a feeling of consideration for Clara. 'I w

g you know.' An engaging smile-poor woman, it was more than half

at, she must be nearer sixty. In other words, she must have been well over thirty when she had married Greifenstein. She was certainly wonderfully well preserved. And yet Greifenstein had more than once told his cousin that he had married his wife when she was a widow five and twenty years of age. This was the fi

by the pardon will be

be less than sixty-a man of sixty is still young at that age. I wonder whether a

each other by their first names. They generally avoided the difficulty by a plentiful use of the convenient designation of cousin. Frau v

ntry and exiled for many years, would naturally take the first opportunity of returning. I shou

and?' repeated

s own, and might prefer to stay there. It would depend upon the man, upon his character, his tastes, perh

Frau von Greifenstein

the strongest element in his nature. An ambitious man would either have found a field for his

th one of her unexpected bursts of laughter. 'What a novel! Do you not see it! Oh, if I were only