Chapter Twenty-Two

As always, what's italicized is what I'm unsure about.

     The situation had come to a head, the kaiser explained the state of the war.

     Mayor Stoltzmann, who was about to go on a long vacation trip with his wife, had immediately cancelled this and had already been in Rodenburg for a few days, where he had his hands full and his circumspection and energy showed themselves in the best light.

     Only Hans did not come.  Else, who had long since left Bärwalde in order to arrange everything at home for the brother's homecoming, waited for him with an uneasiness that grew to fear when still no news of him arrived.

     Edith von Barrnhoff, who had come to Rodenburg in order to call the doctor for help against the stubbornness of her father, had truly consoled her:  in these days, wires for private individuals would not be carried at all, and if it were to happen, then one must reckon with very slow conveyance, now the war would be everything.  And in these days where everyone wanted to go home he would certainly not get anywhere quickly with the railway.

     It was become afternoon.  The evening drew closer.  No trace of Hans.  His vacation ended to-day, he had to preach the sermon to-morrow.  His name was in the church bulletin.  Mr. Brettschneider had already sent, if one still knew nothing of the brother and if, in any case, he shouldn't prepare himself for the sermon?

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     Then - the church tower clock across the way had just struck the sixth hour - a quick stride up the steps of the [Beischlag] in front of the old parsonage.  Else hurried down the stairs, opened the door - in his loden coat, the small, sturdy suitcase in his right hand, blanket, cane, and umbrella in his left, stood Hans before her.

     "Finally," she cried from out of a relieved heart, "we see each other again!"

     "Yes," he answered, "neither of us had thought when we parted then, now difficult times are come."

     "We must accept them - but how did you simply arrive?  Carrying everything with you?  Did you go like this through the whole city?"

     "Do you think I had gotten a taxi or a valet?  Everything has disappeared!  Now everyone is pointed to himself.  We will have to learn still other things."

     They were gone upstairs.  He proceeded to his study and cast a quick glance at the notes that had arrived.

     "It is nothing important," she said.

     He also had his mind on other things, she noticed.  She didn't like the look of him at all, his complexion was indeed tanned, but his eyes were dull and sunken, and although he had also pulled himself together, the restlessness that lay over his entire being and his movements could not escape her.

     "I had hoped I would find you more refreshed after your long vacation."

     He laughed stiffly.  "The upheaval came a little suddenly.  Out of the deep peace of Zoppot so quickly into this uncertainty!  Give me just

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a little to eat, and everything will be fine.  I haven't gotten anything yet, our train had no dining car, and there was such a rush at the stations that one preferred to stand back."

     She led him into the dining room.  The tea kettle bubbled on the table, bread, butter, and cold cuts were set there.  He sat down, he even helpt himself.  But even before the first bite, he stopt.

     "There is great unrest in the city," he said, "I heard paper money would not be accepted anymore, and the businesses were often closed for hours on end."

     "It is not so bad and will soon ease up again."

     "And in the congregation?  Has anyone askt about me? ...  How many would have to go with if it would really come so far!  One still hopes, yes, but I fear the chances are only very small."

     "Don't you want to tell me about your trip?"

     "An-other time.  It all lay so far behind me, as if it had been a hundred years ago; now there is nothing in me but the seriousness of the hour."

     "No," she said quickly and with worried eyes lookt him firmly in the face, "that is not it.  Something has happened to you-"

     "How do you know?"

     "You see, now you admit it yourself.  And now tell!"

     He pushed the plate away from himself and with agitated, sometimes faltering, then again overly fast voice told her his adventure up until the moment when his travelling companion was arrested as a dangerous Russian spy and he had also been led away out of the train.

     "And then?" she askt in breathless suspense.  "What did they do with you?  And how did you get free again?"

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     "Right away they put me in the train station in an already stopt, closed carriage and led me through the dark night to the guard.  There they started a short interrogation with me.  They were probably convinced of my innocence, but they did not set me free, I had to spend time in a not very cosy room until the next morning.  Then a higher officer came.  He did not doubt for a moment the truth of what I told him, regretted with hospitable sympathy the serious mishap that had befallen me through no fault of my own, added however that it would have been impossible for his officers to let me travel farther because my statement as a witness would be of great importance.  I found out that it had to do with a wide-ranging nest of Russian spies.  They had their accomplices everywhere, made plans and sketches, wrote and received traitorous letters.  And they knew how to act so cleverly that one tracked them down only yesterday, and this was possible only through the showing-off of one of theirs who had wanted to take revenge on the head of the band, a German-Russian by the name Sandkuhl.  That was the man that that ill-fated creature had introduced to me as a higher Russian officer.  He was of course not her master, but rather her partner, who had her quite in his control.

     "And I, in my unawareness, I noticed nothing, not in the least!  And only now does it fall from my eyes like scales:  the puzzling and contradictory nature of this girl, her secret beach walks, her fervent interest in the warship, her total reserve then with the arrival of the foreigners, the

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shared work until late into the night, - everything so clever, like the final plan that the two had cookt up when despite all their calculation, they were unexpectedly surprised by the events:  that she wanted to place herself as a harmless travel companion under my protection until the border and then bring herself in safety into the Russian territory at night.

     "That was certainly a wicked sequel!" said Elise after a longer silence.  "Now your poor appearance no longer surprises me."

     "That is the least of it.  For me the matter is an unpleasant adventure and over with.  It is something quite different that I can't get over:  with what methods, Else, one already works against us, even before the war had begun!  Just such a nest of spies as here on the east border, they should have pulled out of the west.  Today already we are surrounded by betrayal on all sides, we in our German honesty and gullibility!"

     "May God still avert the worst from us!" said Else.

     Somebody knockt at the door.  Seydelmann, the sexton from St. Nikolai, stept in.  He had for a longer time been a sergeant; something soldierly had stayed in his character and in his bearing.

     "I have to report to the pastor that His Majesty the Kaiser has just ordered the general mobilization for the entire German army at sea and on land."

     Hans stood up.  "I expected it, we all did.  Now, however, that it is here - but it is good that it is here.  All uncertainty and all wavering are over now - God will be with us!"

     "It has further been ordered that

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to-night from eight to nine o'clock all church bells should toll for an hour long." - 

     The bells ring, through the whole city they ring, their brass mouth sounds in the lanes and over the markets, into the houses it calls, in the parlors, where the people sit at their work or at dinner, to the beds of the children it carries the news, and in the places where the sick restlessly toss and turn on their pillows.  "War!  War!  War!"  Ding-dong, ding-dong...  As a darkly surging, never interrupted line flowed the stream of people through the city.  Silently, some go, their gaze bowed to the ground, others talking lively and with their arms cutting complete circles through the air.  A few horsemen, armed for battle, come dispersed along the main street, a train of soldiers follows.  Loudly the captain's command resounds, the drums roll.  Tamtamtamtam!  War!  War!  War!

     Merchants announce extras, they sell quickly although they report only what everyone knows.  A detachment of infantrymen, their bundles under their arms, marches up.  "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" sounds from their lips.  In a coffee house in the market, violin and viola play patriotic songs, cheerful, confident of victory, courage-inducing.  But then they strike up an-other melody:  "Morgenrot, Morgenrot, leuchtest mir zum frühen Tod!"

     Three soldiers, just kitted out, sing along, without thinking anything of it.  A plainly dressed woman remains standing, her watery eyes shimmering.  It is the only thing that they take with to-morrow.  Brighter and louder the bell tone floods over the market.  "War!  War!  War!"  Ding-dong, ding-dong...

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     Now it falls silent.  A light rain falls, the beam of light of the city street lamps, which to-day appear to burn more sparsely and wearily than on previous days, reflects dully on the polished paving stones, the horn of a car sounds.  It is the urban.  The first mayor goes once again to the town hall.  A busy time is come for him.