Irretrievable (16 page)
Authors: Theodor Fontane
“Yes, a game, Frau Brigitte, because it was in Siam. But we are not there all the time and in good old Copenhagen there's one thing that we all have as well as in Siam and that is, an eye for beauty. And the one who has it most and, in his exalted position, no doubt the most effectively â¦. But we need mention no names, dear Frau Hansen, and I only want to express my admiration for your dear husband about whom I have heard so many admirable things ⦔
“About my husband? Well yes, he knows his Brigitte,” she said, modestly lowering her gaze.
“He knows you, my dear Frau Hansen, and he knows the complete and utter trust he can have in you. And I should like to say that I know it, too. Because if on the one hand, beauty is a danger, on the other it is a shield and protection as well,” and as he spoke he let his eye rest on the tray. “One look at your pure white brow is enough to tell me that you are not subject to the weaknesses of your sex â¦. ”
Frau Brigitte was hesitating how to take such flowery language but suddenly noticing that Holk had a gentle twinkle in his eye, she realized that Pentz or Erichsen or both must have been talking and so, dropping her pretence of dignity, she answered his smile with an understanding smile of her own, at the same time leaning her elbow on the high mantelpiece so that, as on the first evening, her wide sleeve fell back â¦
This would certainly have been a suitable time to give a more intimate turn to the conversation but Holk preferred for the moment to play the part of moral tutor, even if jokingly and ironically: “Yes, dear Frau Hansen, let me repeat, not subject to the weaknesses of your sex. There is no doubt of it. And yet I may perhaps be allowed to raise a warning voice. As I ventured to hint a moment ago, it is always dangerous to live in a town where kings have such an eye for beauty. One can perhaps resist the
love
of the powerful ones of the earthâbut not their power. And as for Countess Danner, who to be sure is still to be reckoned with at the moment, surely she cannot go on living for ever ⦔
“Oh yes, she can.”
“Well then, perhaps the affection of her royal admirer might wane ⦔
“Not that either, Count Holk. The Countess has a special charm and you hear all sorts of things about it.”
“Can't you tell me what it is?”
“No, my mother is always saying: âListen Brigitte, you're always giving everything away,' but this question of Countess Danner's charm is really too much.”
“Well then, I shall have to ask Baron Pentz.”
“Yes, he can tell you, he knows all about it. Some people say that she has been given the apple of beauty, I mean Countess Danner; but that is not her greatest charm, at the best it's just a minor one ⦔
“I agree with you entirely. And in general, frankly speaking, I can't understand why it should always be an apple. It's always seemed to me quite incomprehensible. Now if it were cherries I can imagine what it might be, but an apple ⦔
“I'm really not sure, Count Holk,” replied Brigitte, smoothing down her jacket to give full value to her figure. “I'm really not sure whether you are quite right about that â¦.” And having reached this slippery slope, she seemed quite prepared to pursue the topic, but before she could do so, she heard a voice calling from the stairs: “Brigitte!”
“That's Mother,” she said with annoyance and put the breakfast things on the tray. Then with a dignified bow, as if they had been discussing important affairs of church or state, she left the room.
When the door had closed behind Brigitte, Holk walked up and down the room, a prey to very mixed feelings. He was by no means insensitive to the beauty or the flirtatiousness of this attractive young woman, both of which seemed calculated to create all sorts of entanglements; but the danger was diminished by the very excess of her calculation. Many conflicting feelings struggled within him until finally his better nature won the day and enabled him to view the events of the last few days with a certain detached humour. By so doing, he at last achieved the mood required for his letter to Holkenäs, to follow on the few lines he had already written announcing his safe arrival. For a brief moment he once more recoiled at the amount of news that he would have to retail, for a distaste for letter-writing was another of his cardinal weaknesses; but finally he sat down at the roll-top desk, straightened the sheet of paper and began:
Copenhagen, October 3rd, 1859
4, Dronningens-Tværgade
My dear Christine,
You will by now have received the note in which I informed you of my safe arrival. It is now time for me to give a further sign of life and, as I can fortunately add at once, well-being. Let me begin with the most immediate: my lodging at Frau Hansen's. It is exactly as it was before, only more elegant, so that it is plain that their circumstances have improved. This is perhaps due to the fact that she now has her daughter living with her, also called Frau Hansen, the wife of a sea-captain who used to sail with her husband on his voyages to China. No doubt this brings more money into the household. The young Frau Hansen is a fine-looking woman, so beautiful that when on one occasion she was presented to the Emperor of Siam, she was given an official court-reception. She has a Junoesque calm, auburn hair (not a great deal of it but very nicely arranged), and of course the complexion that goes with auburn hair. I should call her a Rubens, if Rubens were not often too coarse. But let us not bother with Frau Hansen now. You will no doubt be laughingâas you have every right toâat the interest that my comparison with Rubens might suggest. And better than Rubens at that! The very first evening I went to Vincent's restaurant in Kongens-Nytorv; Pentz and Erichsen took me there. Saw a large number of acquaintances, and de Meza, who had come over from Jutlandâbut spoke to no one, because of the big political hubbub that is taking place at the moment. Hall is to be dismissed and Rottwig put in his place. Of course, only a pure caretaker government, even if it succeeds at all, which is doubtful. Read the reports in
Dagbladet
, they are more detailed and less biased than those in the
Flyveposten
. The following morning, I presented myself at the Princess's. Her treatment of me was exactly as before: she knows that I don't share her political views but she forgives me for preferring the old Denmark to the new. She is sure of my loyalty and complete devotion to her person. For this reason she can afford to overlook the rest, at least as long as the King is still alive and there can be no question of a serious political crisis. So we are in the agreeable position of being able to talk on an entirely amicable footing.
In the Princess's
milieu
scarcely anything has changed, in fact not enough. Everything is comfortable and cosy but at the same time grey and dusty; the Princess herself has no eye for such things and Pentz, who could perhaps bring about some change, thinks it wiser to let things go quietly on as they are. Countess Schimmelmann is dignified and benevolent but rather depressing. In place of Countess Frjis who has been the Princess's favourite for the last ten years, a Fräulein von Rosenberg has appeared. The Rosenbergs come from the little West Prussian town of Filehne and were only made barons under Gustav III. They bear no relationship either to the Bohemian or Silesian Rosenbergs. Fräulein Rosenberg herself is very intelligent and witty and has a good deal of influence over the Princess, in so far as anyone has. She has undoubtedlyâand for this alone she must be thankedâshe has undoubtedly helped to reduce the boredom of the Princess's little court, which was previously its chief characteristic. Yesterday when I was on duty, I was able to notice the change and even more so the day before when we drove out in a small party to Klampenborg and the Hermitage. It was a wonderful day and when, at sunset, two thousand deer paraded in front of us in whole squadronsâa sight of which I had often heard but never seenâit was so exciting and enthralling that I wished that you and the children could have been there to witness it. And by the way, I'm anxiously waiting to hear from you. What have you decided about the schools? I was delighted to be able to give you a free hand and I have every confidence in your judgement but I do hope that you will not do anything too hasty. Sending children away from home certainly has obvious advantages but the family and the home is still the best thing of all. And if it's your hand that is running the household, then what I have just written is all the truer. Give my regards to Julie and Alfred when he comes over from Arniewieck, which I hope he is doing frequently. When Asta goes down to the Petersens, ask her to remember me to him and give him and his granddaughter my kindest regards. See that Strehlke doesn't harass poor Axel too much with algebra and mathematics but tries to form his character. It's a pity that he hasn't any himself, nice enough fellow though he is. But after all, who has got character? Not everyone is as lucky as you; you possess what most of us lack. But if I'm not mistaken, even you are feeling a slight desire to have somewhat less of your most outstanding quality â¦. Am I wrong? Send news of yourself and the childrenâgood news if possible.
Your
Helmut
He put down his pen and re-read what he had written, not without satisfaction at certain passages. But when towards the end he read the words: “the home is still the best thing of all ⦔ and then: “if it's your hand that is running the household ⦠,” he felt a certain emotion whose nature and cause he would have found it difficult to define. Had he been able to do so, he might have realized that it was his guardian angel warning him.
Holk posted
the letter himself and then proceeded towards Pentz's, having been invited to lunch at his flat. None of the Ministers was there, not even Hall, although he had accepted, but there were members of Parliament and of the armed forces: General Bülow, Colonel du Plat, Lieutenant-Colonel Tersling, Captain Lundbye of the navy, and Worsaae of course, who was bound to be there as an almost official
esprit fort
and
raconteur
. Tersling was in good form and Worsaae too, as was seen in the mutual banter they exchanged; but entertaining though the pair were, Holk found himself only moderately amused, partly because, not being a Cophenhagener, many of the points escaped him and partly because there were questions on his mind which he found no opportunity of asking because of the incessant badinage of the two competing humorists, for Pentz was all ears and heard nothing but the chaff. Like all good lunches, it lasted until evening. When it was over, several of the younger men went off to Tivoli to see the last act of an operetta; but Holk, unaccustomed to metropolitan life and always anxious, indeed almost pedantically anxious, about his health, accompanied Bülow and du Plat to the War Ministry and then returned to his lodgings. The elder Frau Hansen welcomed him as politely and attentively as ever, asked after his health and brought him tea. She was much less talkative today and what she was saying was all in the sentimental mode: her daughter was not very well and when she considered that the poor young woman was still only a girl and her husband away seven months already and not likely to be back for some time yet, yes, when she considered all that and Brigitte might fall seriously ill and even perhaps “pass on,” then really she would just as soon die herself straight away. “What's the point of it all? When you are fifty and a widow”âshe dried a tearâ“yes, Count Holk, what is there left in life? The sooner it comes to an end the better. The worst thing is not poverty but loneliness, nothing but loneliness and nobody to love you â¦.” Holk, amused by this pathos, naturally agreed with everything she said. “Yes, my dear Frau Hansen, of course, it's just as you say. But you mustn't take it too hard. There's always a little love to be found somewhere.”
She glanced sideways at him and was pleased to find him so understanding.
The following day, Holk was again on duty, something which was not, in fact, very arduous at the Princess's court. Almost a septuagenarian, she always went late to bed and rose even later in the morning, never appearing in public before noon. Until then, the gentlemen-in-waiting on duty had nothing to do except wait in the ante-chamber, reading newspapers or even writing letters, and when, long before the appearance of the Princess, the flunkey brought in a generous cold collation, Pentz would move over to the window-corner, half-filled by a horseshoe-shaped divan, where Erichsen or Holk joined him. So it was today, and after a sip of sherry, Pentz having expressed his appreciation of the sardines, Holk said: “Yes, really excellent. But today, my dear Pentz, I should like to hear from you about something other than culinary matters. I had intended asking you a few questions yesterday but those two fighting cocks took all your attention. Worsaae really was very amusing, wasn't he? And then I said to myself that so remarkable a host as yourself is a host and nothing more and he has no time for private conversation in a discreet corner.”
“Very kind of you, my dear Holk. I really did neglect you yesterday and instead of blaming me, you are singing the praises of my hospitality. And incidentally, I must confess to you that if I lost the chance yesterday of a private conversation with you and what is more, if I heard you correctly, of a private conversation in a discreet corner, then I am prepared to condemn all those hospitable virtues with which you credit me. In a discreet cornerânow there I should expect to hear something quite out of the ordinary.”
“Yes, I'm afraid that I feel rather doubtful about it myself. In any case, at first sight it seems nothing at all extraordinary. It concerns a topic that we talked about on our very first evening, but when I recall how everything we said on the subject was veiled in mystery, it no longer seems to be quite so common-place and trivial. In a word, I'm not quite sure what it's all about myself exactly, except that I feel curious. So tell me, what is all this about those two women, the mother and daughter?”