Читать книгу Ivar: or, The Skjuts-Boy - Emilie Flygare-Carlén - Страница 13

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It was on a beautiful July afternoon, in the year 1833, that the steamer Thor lay near the shore of Soederkoeping,[B] to take on fuel. While a part of the passengers were promenading on the beautiful piazza which was placed around the large assembly-room, a party of three persons were to be seen, followed by two porters, approaching the boat. A tall well-formed man, in a blue undress uniform, led the van. He wore a large moustache, which, with his erect and firm walk, would cause one to recognise an old military man in him. He was followed over the gangplank by a lady, whose appearance furnished evidence that the summer of her life had not entirely vanished. The last person was a young lady, of about eighteen or nineteen years, of rather small, but neat form, and pleasing exterior. In her every motion the lively fire of youth was displayed.

With a proud and aristocratic mien, our acquaintance (we mean the gentleman) overlooked the almost empty quarter-deck, saluted the captain with a slight bow and a few words, and afterward called to a chattering female servant.

"Show us the state-room which has been ordered by the Lieutenant-colonel and Chamberlain de Dressen and family."

"There it is," said Miss Christine. When the gentlefolks had entered the dressing-room, and unlocked the door of Number 2, "Pshaw! I do not wish to have that room," grumbled the colonel; "we shall be roasted there! Tell the captain I must have another state-room."

"There are no more vacant, except one, and that has already been spoken for by another gentleman," replied Christine.

"Never mind, go; there must be a change made." With these words, the colonel gestured to her that she should go, and then threw himself upon a sofa, and, without troubling himself how the ladies should arrange their matters, he threw his hat, gloves, pipe, and carpet-bag upon the table.

"We shall have close quarters here," said the elder lady, the wife of the lieutenant-colonel; and gave her daughter, Amelia, who had just put her little head through the door, a signal to arrange her things on the left-hand side of the state-room.

"One must know how to accustom themselves to a small room; I have been obliged to do so for the last twenty years," replied the colonel.

At that moment the servant-girl returned with the answer from the captain, that it was impossible to have another room.

"That would be a pretty story, indeed, if I should not be allowed to make a change! Go, once more, and tell the captain that he may have the kindness to come here for a moment. Tell him that the Lieutenant-colonel and Chamberlain de Dressen wishes to see him."

After the girl had closed the door, which she did with a dubious, almost pointed smile, Madame de Dressen turned toward her husband, and ventured timidly to observe, that the captain would probably not heed the request, but would expect that the passenger would come to him.

"I expect, nevertheless, that he will do so." With these words, the lieutenant-colonel stopped further conversation, and gazed eagerly at the door.

Suddenly, Christine again entered, saying—"The captain sends his compliments to the lieutenant-colonel, and says, if he wishes to speak to him, he may be found on the after-deck."

A lengthened "Indeed," lingered on the lips of the haughty man. "If the mountain will not come to Mohammed, Mohammed will be obliged to go to the mountain," he added, contemptuously, rising and ascending the staircase, with becoming dignity.

The captain was standing on the wheel-house, with a telescope applied to his eye, looking at another steamer.

"Hear ye!" commenced the lieutenant-colonel, in a loud voice, that the captain, who feigned that he was not aware of his presence, might render to him due deference. "Hear ye, captain: you must know that I must have another state-room for myself and family; the one that has been shown me is placed too near the engine; we shall be completely roasted!"

"That would not be pleasant, certainly," said the captain without removing the telescope from his eye.

"Not very pleasant? d—d unpleasant!" replied the lieutenant-colonel, in great wrath. "But I should think it was the duty of a captain of a steamer to respond to the wishes of his passengers with politeness!"

"Yes, certainly, as long as they are moderate."

"Now, if you admit that, procure another state-room for me; for you certainly cannot find anything more reasonable than my unwillingness to become an inmate of the leaden chambers of Venice."

"There are no other state-rooms to be had; the rest are all occupied," replied the captain, shortly.

"I have been told, notwithstanding, that there is one yet unoccupied."

"But will be taken by a person who has ordered Number 6."

"But listen! Can there not one be found among the passengers to whom the heat would be less troublesome than to me? You will certainly be so gallant; and consider that——"

"I beg your pardon!" interrupted the captain; "I can consider nothing but my orders, and that is the same to all. As soon as a state-room is engaged by its number, it is handed over if it is not yet occupied. The lieutenant-colonel was not pleased to order a distinct number, and for that reason.... Excuse me! but my time will not permit me to delay longer."

With these words, the captain descended the stairs, with the bearing of a man who knows the meaning of the four words, "Here I am master!" The lieutenant-colonel walked back to his room, trembling with rage and excitement, and found his wife and daughter had, in the meantime, endeavoured to arrange the state-room as comfortably as possible.

Without speaking, the lieutenant-colonel flung himself on a sofa, and with the flat of his hand rubbed his knitted brow until it became as red as the cherries which Amelia extended to him in a neat little basket, with the innocent words—

"Will you not refresh yourself, papa? they are so juicy!"

"To refresh me! why?"

"It is so warm," replied Amelia; and, taking the finest cherries, made them into a little bunch, to show how truly she spoke.

"Thank you, my child," said the lieutenant-colonel, taking a couple of them; but did so more to comply with the will of his lovely daughter, than because he was very fond of them. Then, moving Amelia a little to one side, he turned toward his wife. "That bear has not a spark of good-breeding in him; I shall be obliged now to take a berth in the saloon."

"Here it will certainly be too close for us," replied his wife; and in her tone there lay—still more than in her words—applause for her husband's determination.

"Yes, convenience is near your heart; but what my purse will say to it is quite another thing: but about that you care very little."

"You do me injustice! Only recollect how much I was against this journey to the bathing-place."

"This only shows your dulness. Whoever wants to fish, does not remain at home and angle in the goose-pond, if he is not a goose himself."

"Don't say so!" whispered Amelia, entreatingly, and looking toward the door. "I thought that somebody was listening outside." Hardly had she uttered these words, when they heard a loud noise, which neared them more and more—state-room doors were suddenly opened, and then flapped back again, and on the quarter-deck it became more lively. Every thing signified that the passengers had arrived, and that the Thor was about continuing its voyage.

"Keep quiet down here!" said the lieutenant-colonel, arising. "I shall walk up-stairs, and see what kind of folks there are above, and whether I can find society fit for us among them. Do not make your toilet until I bring you news."

The lieutenant-colonel walked off, carefully locking the door behind him. With the exclamation, "Yes, yes; all right!" Amelia placed her hat on her trunk, laid her fingers over her lips, nodded to her mother, and suddenly moved the table, laying papa's things one side, so as to make room for her mirror.

"How warm it is in here, dear mother!—my curls are entirely loosened; I must do them up a little. Whoever there may be up there, I must, at any-rate, look a little Christian-like."

"Yes, arrange your locks, dear child. Papa does not call that making toilet."

"But dear mamma, I must also put on a new cape—the one I have on is not clean."

"Wait until to-morrow; for you will be obliged to open the chest, which will cause everything to appear in confusion when papa returns."

"Yes, yes, I will have to wait until to-morrow; but then I will dress most magnificently. I shall put on the new veil, and hang over my shoulders the green mantilla. Lord, how kind it was of papa, that he took a state-room in the saloon. I could almost have cried out with joy when he said so."

"Dear Amelia, you were before afraid that some one on the outside would hear what papa said," interrupted her mother, bestowing a slightly reproachful look at the child of her heart.

"Pardon me, kind mother." With these words she laid aside her comb, and bending down to her mother's hand, kissed it heartily, and, with a roguish smile, whispered: "He is often odd and excited, is he not? but I have learned to know his ways so well, that he scarcely ever gets angry with me."

"You learn in time, to conceal with smiling lips your pain. I have already studied him for years—but you are happy that nature has granted you a light and gay heart, which does not trouble itself much about such things. If this was not the case, I would be obliged to bear still more sorrow; for then you would feel such unpleasant domestic affairs more deeply, and to your own harm, while they now vanish into the air before your gay and almost childish disposition."

"No, mamma, do not believe that I am so insensible toward them; but I have found out how to work myself, if I can use such an expression, into papa's eccentricities. And I have found out particularly, that he especially dislikes tears. For these reasons I never show a wet eye in his presence, even if I am obliged to hear ever so much that grieves me. When I am alone, I am often scarcely able to repress my tears."

"And should Amelia keep them concealed from me?" inquired her mother, patting her daughter's chin.

"Has not my mother enough already to bear herself with her tears?" With these words Amelia looked into her mother's face with an indescribable expression of tenderness, but soon walked up to the mirror, as though it was wrong to give way to such sad thoughts, and began, not without a small touch of vanity, to arrange her beautiful hair, and place her curls in order. Madame de Dressen arose also, and with her accustomed love of order, examined her apparel, and arranged the furniture, that the state-room might not look like a pawnbroker's shop, while her eyes ever and anon reposed with the utmost pleasure upon the innocent, youthful face of her daughter.

More beautiful eyebrows than Amelia's could not easily be found—auburn, like her hair, soft as silk, and finely penciled, they arched themselves in beautiful bows over her eyelashes, which, when somewhat downcast, allowed one to guess of that soft and speaking expression, that belonged to the bright stars which they concealed. But it is a pity that soft skin, beautiful eyebrows, and speaking eyes do not alone constitute everything. They are merely single parts, that are not able of themselves to unite the whole in harmonious beauty; and to be faithful to truth we must confess, that we cannot assume the responsibility of calling our heroine really beautiful. Perfect beauty with the female sex is rarely to be met with: for was not her nose too small, and far from being of the Grecian or Roman mould? Was not her forehead too low, and her chin not sufficiently rounded? and the mouth?—yes, that might do; and her lips also were pretty red, but certainly too thin; and her teeth? one certainly could have seen others of a more ivory white, and to pearls they could not be compared. Aside from this, Amelia was of a small figure: for the rest, fine and neat in all her motions, and, in spite of form, which could justly be called voluptuous, still she lacked that perfection and majesty in her whole bearing which are more frequently found in more stately figures. But as far as grace, life, and soul in all her movements were concerned, Amelia did not lack. And, finally, if one looked into her gray, bright eyes, one was uncertain whether it was a warm, deep feeling which was glowing within them, or whether artless naiveté smiled forth from them. In short, her eyes changed their expression so rapidly, that before one could fully understand one expression, they assumed quickly another, which misled the ungrateful endeavour of unriddling them.

While Amelia was busy in curling and arranging her locks, the lieutenant-colonel walked to and fro on the upper-deck, with a cigar in his mouth. Sometimes, especially at every turn, he gave a searching glance upon those who were seated upon the green benches, at the same time assuming an air of indifference. But he was obliged to give up the hope of finding a decent person among the passengers. This was the case, at least, with the groups which met his eye. Here, for instance, were a couple of fat gentlemen deeply incased in great frieze coats, earnestly engaged in conversing concerning the prices of grain. There, a young man was to be seen who, with great care of his comfort, occupied an entire bench, so as to be able to read with ease, comfortably stretched out under a huge umbrella, which completely protected him from the flies, the rays of the sun, and the wind. A little on one side stood a card-table, the occupants of which were deeply engaged in their game, seeming to be anxious to make up the time they had lost, when they took a stroll on shore. Near the staircase stood a tall, yellow-visaged, haggard man, dressed in a faded brown overcoat, and wearing green spectacles. He fixed his natural eyes straight before him upon the floor, at times looking up, scratching his head, and was also so polite as to spit overboard, so as not to soil the clean deck, or the ladies' slippers. The owners of those slippers, three in number, were clothed in Scottish plaid-cloaks, hoods made of grey stuff, and seemed, on account of the continued moving of their parasols, to be the perpetual motion. Nothing further was there to be seen on the quarter-deck. After walking a few rounds on the deck, the lieutenant-colonel had come to the conclusion that it was not worth the trouble to form the acquaintance of any of the assemblage.

He gravely descended into the saloon, to look over the list of passengers, and for the purpose of ordering a place for himself on the sofa.

But it seemed as though no star was to shine for him that day. Except the hammocks there was no vacant place to be found; and to fill up the glass of his misfortune, there stood on the passenger-list many people of distinction, who thought, however, too much of their rank to expose themselves to the scorching rays of the sun above. There was Count B——, Baron H——, Private-secretary U——, Councillor X——, and several others of like note.

Heaven knows what these people would think, if they should see the Lieutenant-colonel Chamberlain de Dressen lying in a hammock, surrounded with students, merchants' clerks, and all other kinds of low people.

"No, that would be impossible," muttered the lieutenant-colonel between his teeth. "Necessity knows no law. I shall be obliged, at any rate, to roost down there, for one must suffer something for the purpose of sustaining his name, rank, and dignity. I might, perhaps, have lain on a sofa, but in a hammock—no, that will not do; that is a perfect impossibility."