it is not morality that governs society, but a hardened form of the same, called custom.
as society now exists, an infringement of morality is more easily pardoned than a departure from custom. happy the time and the people, when custom and morality will be one and the same! all differences, great and small, in the mass, and in private life, have their source in the contradiction of these two—and the hardened form of custom soon stamps anew the inward flow of morality with its own impress and form.
here, in this little history of humble men, that the great world would push aside, the same principle ruled.
the mother, who secretly felt the deepest joy at the fulfilment of her hopes, was full of anxiety on account of the opinion of the world.
“you have acted thoughtlessly,” she said to amrie, “to come into the house as you did, so that you cannot be fetched for the wedding. this[269] is neither right nor the custom. if i could only send you away for a little time, or even john, that all might be done in order.” and to john she complained, “i think i can already hear the talk there will be at your hasty marriage—twice asked—and then all settled! this is as disreputable people do.”
she soon, however, suffered herself to be persuaded, and she smiled when john said, “why, mother, you formerly studied morals like a parson. why, then, should honorable people not do a thing because dishonorable persons sometimes screen themselves behind it? can a single thing be said against my character?”
“no, your whole life has been good and honorable.”
“ah, then people must show some confidence in me, and believe that to be right, which at first sight may not appear so. i have a right to demand as much as that. then, as to how i and my amrie came together, was so out of the usual order, that we might also have our own way of travelling upon the high road; it certainly was no bad way. we must have courage, and not be asking after the opinion of others. the pastor of hirlengen once said, ‘that if to-day a prophet were to arrive, he would have to submit to an examination as to whether his views were according to the old established order?’ now, mother, if we know that a thing is right, let us carry it[270] through, without asking, right or left, the leave of anybody. let them wonder for a time; by and by they will think as we do.”
his mother, no doubt, felt that even the most unusual event must at length be governed by the same laws that rule all other things. that the wedding might pass for a wonder, but not the wedded life, which must submit to the laws which govern all things; and she said, “with all these people, whom you now look upon so lightly, because you are conscious of your own rectitude, you will continue to live, and you will expect them to respect you and your honorable life. that they may do this, you must give them the best example; you cannot expect them to make you an exception, and you cannot run after each of them and say, ‘if you only knew how it happened, you would see that it was right.’” john answered,—
“you will soon learn that no one who has seen my amrie, even for one hour, will have a word to say against her.” he knew also a sure way, not only to pacify his mother, but secretly to delight her, when he told her that every thing she had said to him of advice or warning, he had found brought out in amrie. she smiled again when he mentioned the shoes, which, he declared, she should hear running about for many years to come.
his mother allowed herself to be quieted.
on saturday morning, before the family council[271] had assembled, came dami; but he must immediately return to holdenbrunn, to procure the requisite papers from the mayor.
that first sunday was an anxious day at the landfried farm. the old people had accepted amrie; but how would it be with the family? it is not easy to enter a family of such respectability, unless with a carriage and horses, household furniture, and money, and a large connection to prepare the way.
there was great driving along the roads from the oberland on sunday morning to farmer landfried’s; there came the brothers and sisters-in-law, with all their relations. it was said that john had brought home a wife without consulting parents or pastor, or that any one had had a word to say about; and they added, “it must be some beauty he had picked up behind a hedge.” the horses in the wagons suffered that day in consequence of what had taken place at farmer landfried’s; they received many a cut, and if they reared it was still worse, causing many hard words from the women who sat in the wagons, who scolded and wept at such reckless driving.
there was a small wagon-house in the court of the farm, within which the whole family were collected. some of them appeared with high water-boots, others with hob-nailed shoes. some wore three-cornered hats, with the point in front; others sat there with the broad brim shading their faces.[272] the women whispered among themselves, and winked to their husbands, saying, “we shall know how to thrust the stranger bird out of the family nest.” and there were seen bitterly angry smiles, when it was whispered here and there, that amrie had kept the geese.
at length she appeared; but she could not give any one her hand, as she bore a flask of red wine, with glasses, and two plates filled with cake and biscuits; enough for seven hands, had every finger been a hand. she placed them all so quietly and gracefully on the table, over which the mother-in-law had spread a white cloth, that they all looked on astonished. after she had filled the glasses, without the least trembling of her hand, she said, “our parents have given me the privilege of bidding you all, from the heart, a true welcome! now drink!”
“we are not accustomed to drink in the morning,” said a heavy man with an immensely large nose, and spread himself out upon his chair.
“or we drink only pure water, the wine of the geese,” said one of the women, when a not wholly concealed laugh ensued.
amrie felt the sarcasm deeply, but took no notice of it. john’s sister was the first who took the offered glass, and looking at john, said, “god bless thee;” then she glanced at amrie, who had held her the glass. the other women, not to fail in politeness, followed her example. the men allowed[273] themselves to be moved, and for a long time nothing was heard but the clinking of glasses.
“your father is right,” said at length the mother to her daughters, “amrie looks as though she were your sister, and yet she more resembles our elizabeth, that we lost.”
“yes, you are no losers,” said the old farmer; “had elizabeth lived, she would have had one portion of my estate.” the mother added, “and now we have her again.”
the old man hit the sore point, though all had persuaded themselves that amrie’s want of family was the cause of their objection to her. while she was speaking aside with john’s sister, the old man said softly to his eldest son, “she does not look like it, but only think, she has in secret a sack full of crowns; however, you must not speak of it.”
this injunction was so well obeyed, that in a few minutes every one in the room was whispering about it. john’s sister took credit to herself, that she had been good to amrie when she believed that she had not a farthing.
meantime, john had disappeared; he now came back bearing a sack, upon which was written, “josenhans of holdenbrunn.” he emptied the rich contents of the sack, clinking and rattling, upon the table, when all were astonished, the father and mother no less than the others.
[274]so amrie had really a secret treasure! for here was much more than either had given her.
amrie could not venture to look up, and all praised her unaffected modesty.
by degrees she won over all this family, and when in the evening they took leave, each said to her privately, “it was not i who objected to your want of fortune. i say now, as i always said and thought, that if you had brought nothing but what you had on, i could not have wished a better wife for john, or a better daughter-in-law for our parents.”
it was, indeed, now all right, when they believed that amrie had brought a fortune of her own.
in allgäu they yet relate how young farmer landfried brought home his wife, and how beautifully he and his wife danced together at their wedding, especially a waltz, which they called the silver-trot. she had brought the music, they said, from unterland.
and dami? he became one of the most noted herdsmen in all allgäu, and he acquired a great name, for he was sometimes called vulture dami, for having destroyed two broods of vultures, they having twice carried off the new fallen lambs. with him the family name of josenhans died out. he never married, but was a good uncle to amrie’s children—better than the uncle in america had been to him. in the winter time, when the[275] cattle are housed, he tells his sister’s children many stories of america, and of mathew in moosbrunnenwalde, and of the cattle in the allgäu mountains. especially he had many clever stories to tell of his so-called queen cow, who bore the deep sounding bell.
dami said once to his sister, “dame farmer,”—for thus he always called her,—“dame farmer, your eldest boy is just like you; he said to me yesterday, ‘uncle, your queen cow is your heart’s cow.’ yes, that is exactly like you!”
john wished to name his first daughter barefoot; but as objection was made to recording this new name in the baptismal register, he had the little girl christened barbara, and, to please himself, changed it to barefoot.
