Wichert_The_Green_Gate.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
by a sob from . the turned
to her, put his arm around her, and said, " you under-
stand his request to us? , will you honour his last
words ?"
burst into tears, and threw herself upon his bosom.
embraced both. " ! ! con-
flict to peace !"
. 369
.
was gathered to his fathers in the family
vault in the church-yard of the old .
coffin was followed to the grave by half the town.
and appeared among the chief mourners ; they walked
side by side, and every one now knew that they were betrothed.
few days later his will was opened. consisted but of
a few lines. was the heiress of his wealth ; a hand-
some legacy was left to the town, and his old housekeeper was
recommended to 's care. fear lest there might
have been a clause directing the preservation of the old family
structures was entirely unfounded.
" had forgiven before we were aware of it," said ;
" this will, drawn up before my arrival, is an undeniable proof
of his magnanimity. , no one can accuse us of in-
fluencing his testamentary dispositions !"
" the green gate?" asked, who had been not a
little anxious on that score, although from delicacy he had
hitherto refrained from speaking of it.
" now belongs to my mother," replied, " and she
certainly will but carry out the wishes of the deceased if she
removes from mortal eyes this memorial of ancient enmity."
" the inscriptions and carvings be first carefully pre-
served, to be placed beside our friend's coffin," said .
" that then remains of the old gate is yours, to do with
as you think best."
was the end of their troubles. gate could be taken
down, the street could be opened ; the great railway-project
was assured, and held his head high again
on '. felt he was vanquished, and gave up
*
370 .
all opposition. was a rumour that he intended leaving
the town for a distant city, where his future son-in-law was to
be his partner in business. was thought that the latter
needed to be closely watched. and re-
mained in , where a magnificent house was purchased, that
the young couple were to take possession of upon their marriage.
undertook to conduct the affairs of the
projected railway and put them all in working order. "
me show now what have learned, and of what am capa-
ble," he said to . " can go to , where your
heart already is, with perfect safety."
was induced to remove with his daughter
and granddaughter to the house, as steward of -
milla's rich inheritance. 's outfit, also, could be much
more easily provided in town. , the , and
showered gifts upon her. " not make it too easy for my
to marry a poor girl," she said, gaily. mother
was in an ecstasy. " child !" she exclaimed ; " she de-
serves it all for her brave father's sake !"
" make haste," begged, "that our marriage
may not be long deferred. course we must wait for my
mother, who has not yet even bestowed her maternal blessing
upon our betrothal. let the marriage take place as soon
as possible after her arrival, and there shall be a merry winter
in the old mansion ! and his young wife,
and and my young wife ! the von -
burg- and his young wife will but spend
with us, there will be jolly times indeed !"
" - !" exclaimed, with a laugh.
" like the combination ; it shall surely be engraved on my
next visiting-cards. do you think of the
-?" he whispered in his mother's ear.
" shame!" she whispered, in return. " if could
be married from off the stage !"
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day grew more impatient to be off for -
ence, whither he would have departed already, had not -
milla expressed a wish to accompany him, without, however,
seeming in a great hurry to arrange the preliminaries.
"last declared that could wait no longer, and the
time of his departure was fixed. very day the
and had a long tete-ci-tete conversation, after which
the took counsel with his son with regard to " a most
important matter." left him with a cordial grasp of
the hand and an assurance that all should be prepared.
then returned to , to attend to various
formal arrangements and to bring back . the
mean while, announced that he wished to take actual
possession of the . took a corps of workmen
thither with him, and returned forty-eight hours afterwards, de-
claring that his castle was now ready for the reception of guests.
" desire to invite you all," he said, " to spend to-morrow
with me. mother, my father, and my brother, who are
to arrive to-night from , and his ,
friend and his daughter, and, lastly, . ,
who knows more about the old castle than all the rest of us
together, with the pastor of the , who spoke
so touchingly at 's funeral. last-named
gentlemen shall drive over myself; carriages will await the
others at the and mansions. pray you
all to come in festal array."
was a glorious morning ; the sky down to the very horizon
was as clear and blue as if no clouds could ever veil it ; the air
warm, but not sultry. occupants of the carriages rolling
through the green gate and across the bridge looked down into
lie ditch where, on the gravel-paths, the lonely old man in the
blue coat was no longer to be seen. the beds and through
bushes the two cats were scampering after the birds, they
were now 's especial care ; on the moor the larks were
372 .
carolling gaily ; on the tow-path some boatmen were dragging
a skiff along the river by a long rope, its red pennon hanging
limp at the mast-head. the road near the ruins grew
narrow and uneven, the guests descended from the carriages,
and went the rest of the way on foot to the garden.
they entered its precincts, a flag fluttered out from a
flower-wreathed flagstaff, on the summit of the old watch-
tower, and from the lofty platform around it floated down the
notes of a hymn, played by a band of wind instruments.
triumphal arch of flowers was erected over the stone door-posts
of the garden gate, and there was another inside the court-yard,
while all the path to the house was strewn with roses and green
boughs, and the windows were hung with wreaths and festoons
of green. was a beautiful sight.
received his guests at the old fountain, embracing
most fondly his mother, who was greatly agitated, and then
clasping his father's hand warmly, without speaking. was
almost overcome at the thought of all that had here transpired
between these two, so dear to him.
conducted them within the house, and when, after a
quarter of an hour, they appeared again in the court-yard, a
delicate wreath of flowers rested lightly upon 's black
hair. conducted them along the flower-strewn paths to
the lindens by the old wall, beckoning to the rest of the guests
to follow. , above the old altar-stone, a mimic chapel of
greenery had been erected, and within it stood the venerable
clergyman in his surplice, waiting for the pair who now knelt
before him. laid his hand upon 's shoulder,
and and stood arm-in-arm.
the notes of sacred music floated down from the high
tower, a most touching sound ; and then the clergyman spoke,
reminding those present how lately they had stood beside an
open grave, to which had been consigned the mortal remains
of a man who had suffered much during his life, but who had
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left the world at peace in his heart with those who had done
him great wrong. " -day," he continued, "we are about to
fulfil his last and fondest wish, to obey his injunction, to forget
as he forgot, and to remember only as he remembered. this
solemn moment let his spirit, the spirit of peace and love, hover
about us and consecrate our thoughts. conflict and
struggles you have attained peace ; he in whom your love was
strong has reunited you, the son to whom you gave life en-
riches your own fourfold. memory and oblivion then let
there be solemnized, not a new union, but the confirmation
before these witnesses of the old one, and let it be so strong
that an eternity shall not suffice to dissolve it. grant that
this may be !"
then performed the marriage ceremony, and his
hands in blessing on their heads. music from the tower .
completed the solemnity.
one liked the idea of going within-doors on such a glo-
rious day. table was spread beneath the old linden by the
fountain, and here the guests enjoyed the marriage-feast which
the lord of the castle had prepared for them. " will return
here in the autumn," said the , " when and
, and , celebrate their double marriage,
and we will pass some quiet weeks here. we not,
?"
assented. " does not need the house."
" ," he exclaimed, " there will always be room enough
here for you."
" , ," said , with a pretty little pout, " what
is to become of your promise to buy the castle ?"
" is such a step from the town," rejoined; " and
a , you must remember, does not have very many
holidays."
same evening the and his wife departed for
with their two sons ; but they travelled too slowly for
32
374 .
's impatience, and he left them at , to hurry on
to his , from whom he had been separated for what
seemed an interminable length of time.
, what a meeting it was ! placed -
trine's hand in the 's, remarking, with a self-satisfied
smile, that she had always thought the was some-
body. presented his . " was an exceedingly
clever idea of ours," he said, shaking his friend's hand, "to
leave the choice of a hotel-conveyance to chance !"
" ," the replied, in a warning tone, " suppose
you had said eleven instead of twelve?"
" cannot," said , " suppose that could possibly
have been so stupid."
long afterwards, a happy party were sitting again around
a table at a marriage-feast, this time not beneath the open sky,
but in the spacious dining-hall of the .
did the honours with great dignity. the cham-
pagne was sparkling in the glasses, called his 's
attention to the decorated ceiling. looked up, her fair
hair almost touching his black curls, and with his glass he
described in the air the circlet in the decoration above them.
" ! you not see," he said, " that we have fortune's
wheel in our escutcheon ?"
laughed a low, happy laugh, and, looking across the
table, he met 's tender smile.