the next day an aunt of violet's arrived from a distant town. she was a sister of john's wife and a wife herself, very young and very fair, and with a wonderful likeness to the poor dead mother. her husband, who was many years older than herself, was amongst the militia, and had not yet been called out; and at the cry from john's broken heart she came at once, leaving her own little ones behind her, to remain a few days with violet, until the bitterness of the parting was over.
on this day the little girl had made no effort to leave her bed; all the long morning she had remained with her head buried in the pillows, and with the sheet drawn over her head, deaf to all comfort or words of sympathy. for who could comfort her when the appalling fact remained unchanged that her father was going to leave her, to go to the war, and she would be left alone?
[pg 88]
in vain fritz had stood by her bed and called to her. he had brought her a box of the most delicious sweetmeats, a farewell present from the confectioner; for poor madame bellard, like all the rest of the french residents in edelsheim, had had to break up her home since the war was declared, and prepare to leave germany at once; and now, as her shop was being closed, the children of the neighbourhood were profiting by her good-nature. to violet she had sent a special gift of great beauty—a box of frosted silver, and all within were sweetmeats of various colours, pale pink and green and white, which shone glitteringly, as if they had been sprinkled over with diamond dust.
but no words of fritz, nor descriptions of the treasure he held in his hand, could induce violet to look up. her head was buried in her pillows, and no sound but smothered sobbings reached his ears. once a little thin hand was stretched out for a moment through the sheets, and grasped his gratefully, and there was an effort to say something, but fritz did not understand it; and having left the sweetmeat-box on the table beside her bed, he moved away dejectedly, followed by ella, who, in endeavouring to walk out on her tip-toes, had nearly fallen down on her face in the doorway.
once in the afternoon violet started up, and [pg 89]lifting herself painfully from the pillows, flung the clothes from off her face. she had heard a step on the stairs, and now she heard her father's voice calling to her. he was standing in the doorway as she looked up, and all the bright colour rushed to her pale face, and an exclamation of admiration and surprise burst quite unconsciously from her lips.
"father, is it thou? oh, how splendid!"
and splendid he did look this afternoon in his new uniform—a giant in height, in breadth, in strength, with a fair open face, which could look stern enough at times, but now there was no sternness about it, only a searching eagerness to see if he might win one smile from his darling in the bed yonder.
john had to take his helmet off to enter at the doorway. and now, as he stood by his little girl's bed, turning himself round with an assumed pride for her admiration, he looked, as he was, one of the very flower of the german army, ready to die for his king and fatherland; with a heart of steel to face the foe, and a heart of wax to be moulded by those tiny burning fingers in the bed, into whatever shape or form she chose.
"has the king seen thee, father?" she asked with a sob and a smile.
"no, my child."
[pg 90]
"ah, he will be delighted. thou art the finest soldier i ever saw."
"thou thinkest so, my treasure?"
"yes, yes; the best soldier in all the army"—she stretched out her arms lovingly, yearningly—"and the best, the very best, the dearest father in all the world."
john put down his helmet on the bed; his spurs clattered, his sword clanked, as he stooped over it; but she heard nothing—only the whisper in her ear: "violet, my heart's treasure, how can i go away and leave thee?"
later on in the evening, when he had gone out to make some final arrangements, and to buy some last comforts for his little girl, and she had relapsed into her former state of speechless grief, there came a tap at the door of her room, and a voice, which seemed to thrill through every fibre of her frame, cried softly,—
"is violet awake? may aunt lizzie come in?"
violet once more flung down the clothes and made a violent effort to rise up quickly. her cheeks flamed to a carmine red, her eyes glowed in the twilight, and there was something in their expression which made her aunt pause on the threshold and place her hand suddenly upon her heart.
[pg 91]
"poor little girlie! all alone?" she said, in the same sweet, low voice. "aunt lizzie has come at a good time to sit and comfort thee."
violet had not seen her aunt lizzie for two long years; but now, at this crisis of her young life, when her heart was hungering for a face which she could never see again, and her spirit was crying out for her lost mother to comfort her, aunt lizzie had come in at the door, with the same gentle voice, the same sweet blue eyes and waving golden hair, and had laid just such a soft cheek against her own. all violet's reserve gave way at once, and she turned with a sudden movement of overpowering relief, and flung her arms around aunt lizzie's neck.
"aunt lizzie! aunt lizzie! dost thou know, hast thou heard?—my father—;" here she turned her head in upon her aunt's breast; she could not finish the sentence—only a storm of sobs completed it.
"yes, yes; i know it all. thy father has to go away to the war. it is terrible. i was thinking of thee all the way in the train, and of all the other poor little children in edelsheim who must say 'good-bye' to-morrow to their fathers."
"but, aunt lizzie, violet will be so lonely, so quite alone."
"yes; thy father is so wonderfully good, and so[pg 92] kind, thou wilt miss him more than most children: i know that well."
"there will be no one to sit with violet all day, no one to kiss violet at night, no one to hear violet say her prayers, no one to talk about mother—only kate, and kate never knows what violet says."
"ah, well, aunt lizzie must think of some one to come and stay with violet. our little darling must not be left alone. we will talk to father this evening. and now violet must dry her eyes. aunt lizzie has seen so many tears to-day that she feels quite sad; and, besides, when father comes home we must not weep."
"where did aunt lizzie see so many tears?" asked violet, still sobbing.
"oh, so many!—such red eyes and blistered faces!—at the railway station. it was at first almost impossible for aunt lizzie to find a seat. only the colonel interfered, and said they must make a place for her. so many wives with babies in their arms, sobbing and stretching out their hands; and quite old women from the country, and little girls about thy size."
"violet cannot go down to the station and see her father off to the war, can she, aunt lizzie?"
"no, no; it would only make father sad, and it would tire thee."
[pg 93]
"were there any poor little hunchbacks at the station at edelsheim?"
"what?" cried aunt lizzie, with almost a start of horror. "sweetest treasure, thou must not say such things. thou art our own sweet violet—a little sick girlie that every one loves, and god most of all. is it not so, my loved one?"
"some hunchbacks have wings," said violet, with a sudden gasp and a swift upward glance at her aunt's face. "god gives them wings."
"yes, dearest child; and some day he will give thee wings too, and then violet will fly away and be at rest: she will be so happy up there with mother; and she will have no more pain in her poor back, and she will never cry any more, nor have tears in her eyes."
"yes," said violet, with a sigh and a long, fluttering sob, "no more tears. the poor little hunchback in the fairy tale never cried once, not once, after god gave her wings. i read that in the book, underneath the picture, and i know it is true, although fritz will not believe it, for i found the words in mother's bible."
"yes, yes, it is quite true," said aunt lizzie softly: "there will be no more sorrow nor trouble of any kind in heaven—nothing to make us cry—no more fighting, no more wars."
"no more soldiers, and having to say 'good-bye,'"[pg 94] added violet sobbing. "aunt lizzie, aunt lizzie, violet cannot say good-bye to father."
"ah, darling, it is hard, but thou must try to say it;" and aunt lizzie pressed the little head close to her breast. "father is a soldier, and violet must seek to be a soldier too. thou wilt be brave, sweetest child, for his sake, wilt thou not? father's heart is breaking at having to say farewell to his little girl, and yet thou seest, dearest one, how he strives for thy sake to be cheerful."
"i know a text about soldiers, aunt lizzie," said violet almost in a whisper.
"what is it, my little girlie?"
"'fight the good fight;' but, aunt lizzie, violet is too sick to fight, and her back aches so."
"violet is one of christ's own little soldiers, and when she is very tired she must just lay her head on his breast, and he will fight for her all her battles, whatever they may be."
"yes; that is like mother's hymn that we used to say always at night, 'how sweet to rest on jesus' breast.' and then when mother used to lie down beside violet on the bed, and put her arms so closely around her, violet used to say, 'how sweet to rest on mother's breast;' and there was no harm, was there, aunt lizzie?"
[pg 95]
"none, none," replied the young mother with an effort to keep back her own tears. "now lay thy head softly down on aunt lizzie's breast, and she will sing thee to sleep."
"dost thou know what kate said to violet once?" asked the little girl, a smile spreading over all her face.
"no, my child; what was it?"
"she said violet would soon sleep on mother's breast, and then violet would have no more headaches. is not that lovely, aunt lizzie?"
"lovely," she answered almost in a whisper.
while they were talking thus, john came in. at first his face was somewhat white and stern. he seemed afraid to trust himself to glance towards the bed. when at last he did look across to the corner where aunt lizzie, who had taken off her hat and shawl, was sitting on the bed beside violet, his face suddenly changed; a light, a look came into it, a sudden flush passed over his handsome face, and he stretched out his hand with a hasty movement and a quick outburst of thanks.
"lizzie, thou best of sisters! so thou hast come. i scarcely dared to hope it. it has been too good of thee to leave thy home; and of henry, too, to spare thee." he kissed her affectionately, and sat down on[pg 96] the edge of the bed, where violet lay, partially supported by her aunt's arm.
"ah, god be thanked, my task is now comparatively light." he drew a long, deep breath, and tried to smile a happy smile as he gazed into his little girl's face and lifted one of her hands into his own. "i have had such a busy afternoon," he continued, still searching into the large wistful eyes opposite him for some ray of cheerfulness. "i have finished violet's carriage, and i have bought a lovely cushion for it, and a rug to put over her feet; and fritz put ella into it, and found it was so light he could draw her up the steep hill from the church to the fountain without drawing breath: so now violet can go out also every day and get some roses in her cheeks.—is that not so, my heart's angel?"
violet nodded her head silently, and pressed her father's hand, but no words came.
"and father is going to give violet his canary to take care of for him; and such a grand cage as he has bought for him, all gold and silver, and with beautiful green fountains. and violet must feed him herself, and see that he is never hungry or thirsty either. eh, my darling?"
"yes, father."
"and here is a desk father has got for thee—a[pg 97] real leather desk full of paper and envelopes and beautiful red sealing-wax; and, look here, my treasure, a seal with 'violet' on it. is not that lovely?"
"beautiful," said violet, her eyes dilating and her mouth expanding with a troubled smile.
"and somewhere in the desk violet will find, if she searches well for it, a little box with silver in it, bright silver money to buy stamps with; and when she wants more money in her box she must ask madam adler for it, and then she can always write letters to father and tell him all the news."
"father will write to violet?"
"of course, of course;—and the ink-bottle thou hast not seen yet, nor the pens and pencils," cried john with a sudden access of interest; for violet's lips quivered ominously, and one large tear had already fallen with a splash upon the pink blotting-paper.
"and now we will shut up the desk, and violet will get up on father's knee. we are all going to sit by the stove and have our supper. and father has a cake for thee, which madame bellard has baked on purpose for us. wait till aunt lizzie sees it; it is all sugar on the top. it was good of madame bellard, in all her trouble, to think of us. was it not, violet?"
"yes, yes, too good," she said softly.
[pg 98]
it did not take long to dress her. a couple of shawls fastened loosely round her, and stockings drawn up over her feet, were enough for the occasion; and when the coffee was ready the cake was uncovered in all its glory. such a splendid cake as it was, all covered with creamy frosted white sugar; and on the top were letters made of pink comfits, which formed these words, "john and violet;" and underneath, in smaller comfits of the same colour, was added, "auf wiedersehen" (to meet again).
carving the cake
carving the cake. page 98.
poor violet! once her eyes fell on the pink letters it was with difficulty she could swallow any of the cake. she put a small piece in her mouth, and crumbled up the rest in her fingers, letting the currants fall through them on the floor. she drank her coffee eagerly, so as to swallow down the tiny bits she had taken; and then john, watching her closely, saw it was no use to offer her any more.
"we must give some of this grand cake to kate," he said presently. "we cannot allow aunt lizzie to eat it all. and fritz, too, and ella, they must each have a slice." he took up the knife and began to carve the cake with some recklessness.
violet watched him intently as he cut a large piece for kate, then another for fritz; and the knife was already buried in the frosted silver for ella's slice,[pg 99] when she suddenly stretched out her hand and cried out piteously,—
"no, dear father, not there. ah, leave that piece for me. do not cut off those words; violet loves them."
john drew out the knife and laid it on the plate. "aunt lizzie shall cut ella a slice by-and-by," he said softly; then drew his girl so close in to his side that violet could feel the loud beating of his heart.
after all, the supper proved but a sorry meal, though aunt lizzie talked and laughed and told anecdotes about her children at home, some of which caught violet's attention, and drew forth questions and answers; but every now and then a deep unconscious sigh from john, or a smothered sob from violet, would show that their minds had wandered far away from the little fair-haired children at gützberg.
at last he got up and laid her down upon her bed. "i must say good-night now to my darling," he said wearily as he stretched his arms up into the air. "father is very tired, and he must go down to the barracks presently."
"not to stay—not to sleep? thou wilt not say good-bye to-night?" cried violet. "dear father, not to-night!" her appeal broke into one long, pitiful wail.
[pg 100]
"no, no; not to-night. oh, darling child, if violet only knew how father's heart aches, she would not cry so. try, sweetest darling, to be brave. father will come back when he has reported himself to the captain, and aunt lizzie will stay with thee while he is away."
violet ceased crying aloud, and lying back on her pillows, resorted to her old device of drawing the bedclothes over her face. john stooped down and kissed the little hand that grasped them so tightly; then saying a few words in a low voice to aunt lizzie, he went out of the room.
when he returned about two hours later, violet was asleep. her aunt had sat by her bed and sung to her, in a low, droning voice, little hymns and nursery songs familiar to her ears in the old mother days, until at last the sobbing ceased, the hand which held the sheet gradually relaxed, and the child slept.
poor john! it was a relief to him to find all so quiet in the room when he came up. he had the bird-cage in his hand, which he hung up on a peg in the centre of the eight-sided alcove which formed the window, and which jutted out some distance over the street.
then he drew a chair over into the alcove for lizzie, and they sat down in the gloaming to talk[pg 101] over violet and what was to be done to insure her happiness and comfort during the time he must be away at the war.
it was a long talk and a sad one, and to john, sitting there in the moonlit window, it seemed as if he were speaking in a dream to the poor little dead mother; for aunt lizzie listened with the same earnest sympathy, and when she replied it was in the same low tones. when she spoke, too, of the poor sick child lying now so quietly asleep on the bed in the corner, she used the very same expressions and endearing epithets of love, which came back to poor john's ears like whispers from the grave.
it was finally arranged between them that she was to remain with violet for a few days after his departure, so as to allow the first burst of childish grief to pass over under her loving and watchful care. then aunt lizzie had hoped that it might have been possible to have moved the poor little invalid to gützberg, where she could have devoted herself to her charge, and she would have done so lovingly and faithfully. but john had already thought of this plan, and had consulted over it with the physician, a kind and clever man, who had known violet from her birth; and he had decided against the plan, saying that any attempt to move the child from the room[pg 102] where she had lived all her little life would be almost certainly attended with fatal consequences. the shock of a removal, and the tearing up of the frail tendrils which held this little fading flower to life would cause it suddenly to wither away. "and besides," the doctor added kindly, "what should we all do here in edelsheim without our little violet? why, you might almost as well take down the clock out of the old church tower and tell us still to know the time of day, as to take our violet's face from the window and tell us all to live pure and patient lives. no, no, good man; leave us the child, and i for one will watch over her."
so john had returned home with sudden tears in his eyes, satisfied that the doctor was right. and aunt lizzie afterwards confirmed him regretfully in the same view; for she had said to violet that afternoon, when she was lying on the bed beside her, "how would violet like to leave edelsheim for a little while, just while father is away, and to return with aunt lizzie to gützberg? the little children at home would scream with joy to have violet amongst them, and they would hold out their hands to welcome her."
but the child had cried out almost in terror, "no, no, no; do not take violet to gützberg. she must watch[pg 103] for father at the window; she must wait for him till he comes home. he will not be long away. and besides, aunt lizzie, violet could not leave her little mother. she is quite, quite close to violet down there at the church; and sometimes violet sends her flowers; and fritz calls out quite loud, 'mother, mother, violet sends thee these flowers and her heart's love, and never, never forgets thee.' fritz says it is all no use—she does not hear him calling out; but oh, aunt lizzie, violet knows she does listen, for god hears all violet's prayers, and father says my little mother is quite close to god."
after this outburst from the child's heart her aunt did not seek to urge her point. to tear asunder such strong links of love would indeed be death to violet, and the little aching, loving heart, already half in heaven, must not be troubled further by any act of hers.
so now, all thoughts of gützberg having been abandoned, it was arranged that a little maid called evelina, who was at present in charge of lizzie's children at gützberg, should be engaged by john as nurse to violet. she had been living in lizzie's family for three years, and had a pretty bright face, a gentle manner, and up to this time had, under lizzie's motherly direction, taken excellent care of the[pg 104] little ones. she was the only person lizzie knew whom she could recommend from personal experience; and she undertook to impress on the girl's mind that she must, during john's absence, devote herself entirely to the sick child, and have no thought but for her comfort and happiness.
"one word more, lizzie," said john, in a low, constrained voice, as he bent his head down on the back of violet's chair, which stood empty in the moonlit window. "if—if, dearest lizzie, it should please god that i should not return—what then? what is to become of my poor child?"
"god preserve us from such trouble," cried lizzie, starting up suddenly, for there was a movement in the corner. "hush. violet will hear thee. make thy mind happy. if i were to leave gützberg and the children, and even henry himself, i would come here and be a mother to her."
"it will not be for long," he said almost inaudibly as he lifted his helmet from the window seat and rose up. "the doctor told me so to-day. thanks, a thousand thanks, good lizzie. to-morrow at ten i shall be here to say good-bye. i shall have but a few minutes, that is all. we start at twelve for the front."
