In the Summer House [pp. 129-138]

In the Summer-house.
But today when in his counting he had
reached eighty-four, the eighty-five stuck in
his throat. His glance fell on his neighbor's
garden, his look' grew black. What was
going on next door? Under the trees the
student Richter was walking to and fro; he
was thinking of his book, which he was to
begin this morning.
The Master sighed deeply, "Oh! the depravity of youth!" Then he drew on his
long, black coat, wound the white band three
times around his neck, seized hat and cane,
and was off to his pupils. On the way he
shook his head many times. By the time
the school was closed he had also concluded
his deliberations. He set off promptly and
knocked at D)ame Lerche's door. "Neighbor," he cried, when the door had hardly
closed behind him, "who is that fellow out
there? Oh! youth! youth!"
"Well, Master,towhat do I owe this honor?
I pray you be seated. How can I serve you?"
She was alone in the room. Hannchen
sat in the kitchen by the hearth, scraping
beets. Timotheus Baumgarten remained
standing between the door and the window,
and continued to shake his head, while he
pressed the knob of his walking stick against
his chin. "Neighbor, I firmly believed that
you were a woman who endeavored to behave yourself in the most decorous manner;
but now I must confess that I have been
mistaken, and that my-"
A glance shot from her eyes, her tall, thin
figure seemed to become taller and thinner,
she lifted her arm; she had intended to make
a withering speech, but after the first words
"What have you to say to it? "-she
stopped
The Master pointed with his stick to the
window, frowned, and inquired in a raised
voice: "Does that fellow out there live with
you?"
"The young man's name is Richter; he
is a student; he writes books, and he lives
with us," she said shortly, and set her arms
akimbo.
He drew his eyes together and said in an
impressive voice: "This fellow, Richter, will
do you much harm."
"No," she said decidedly, "he would not
hurt a fly."
"And yet he offends daily, hourly, every
moment, he offends decorum. Neighbor,
where are your eyes?"
She laughed aloud. "Now I see you
wish to joke with me."
"I never joke," he answered in icy tones.
"Is that the clothing of a respectable man?
Does not this fellow, Richter, go about, the
horror of decent people, without neckerchief, without cue, without powder? That
is the dress of a vagrant, and consequently
you have the best proof that you have a
vagrant living with you."
"He has a good, honest face, and consequently I have the best proof that he is no
vagrant."
"A mask; only a mask! If the authorities should learn your attachment to this
swaggerer! He must leave the summerhouse and be off from the place."
Dame Lerche set her teeth together and
turned her back on the school-teacher; then
she suddenly screamed:
"And if I say he remains, then he shall
remain! Do you understand? I, and I
alone, will concern myself about this Richter;
and as for you, Master, do you concern
yourself about your boys, that they learn
something. Bah!"
"That, then, is your last word on this
highly-important matter? You will bitterly
repent it. Farewell!" He threw his walking-stick over his shoulder, and left the
room, sighing deeply.
Two minutes later there was a clatter in
the kitchen. Hannchen let fall two earthen
plates. Dame Lerche rushed to the door
like a bird of prey, and called out: " The
like has never happened before. What
could crazy Mam'selle have got in her head?"
Hannchen said not a word, and her mother went back muttering to herself.
During the dinner Dame Lerche made
some observations. First, Hannchen had
no appetite; second, Hannchen's disturbed
looks betrayed the fact that her thoughts
were not on her food; and third, Hannchen
began to ask inconsiderate questions. Half
1885.]
133