This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
By Georg Ebers
Up to within a few days Katharina had still been a dependent and docilechild, who had made it a point of honor to obey instantly, not only hermother's lightest word, but Dame Neforis, too; and, since her own Greekinstructress had been dismissed, even the acid Eudoxia. She had neverconcealed from her mother, or the worthy teacher whom she had trulyloved, the smallest breach of rules, the least naughtiness or wilful actof which she had been guilty; nay, she had never been able to rest tillshe had poured out a confession, before evening prayer, of all that herlittle heart told her was not perfectly right, to some one whom sheloved, and obtained full forgiveness. Night after night the "Water-wagtail" had gone to sleep with a conscience as clear and as white as thebreast of her whitest dove, and the worst sin she had ever committedduring the day was some forbidden scramble, some dainty or, morefrequently, some rude and angry word.
But a change had first come over her after Orion's kiss in theintoxicating perfume of the flowering trees; and almost every hour sincehad roused her to new hopes and new views. It had never before occurredto her to criticise or judge her mother; now she was constantly doing so.The way in which Susannah had cut herself off from her neighbors in thegovernor's house, to her daughter seemed perverse and in bad taste; andthe bitterly vindictive attacks on her old friends, which were constantlyon Susannah's lips, aggrieved the girl, and finally set her in oppositionto her mother, whose judgment had hitherto seemed to her infallible.Thus, when the governor's house was closed against her, there was no onein whom she cared to confide, for a barrier stood between her and Paula,and she was painfully conscious of its height each time the wish to passit recurred to her mind. Paula was certainly "that other" of whom Orionhad spoken; when she had stolen away to see her in the evening after thefuneral, she had been prompted less by a burning wish to pour out herheart to a sympathizing hearer, than by torturing curiosity mingled withjealousy. She had crept through the hedge with a strangely-mixed feelingof tender longing and sullen hatred; when they had met in the garden shehad at first given herself up to the full delight of being free to speak,and of finding a listener in a woman so much her superior; but Paula'sreserved replies to her bold questioning had revived her feelings of envyand grudge. Any one who did not hate Orion must, she was convinced, lovehim.
Were they not perhaps already pledged to each other! Very likely Paulahad thought of her as merely a credulous child, and so had concealed thefact!
This "very likely" was torture to her, and she was determined to try, atany rate, to settle the doubt. She had an ally at her command; this washer foster-brother, the son of her deaf old nurse; she knew that he wouldblindly obey all her wishes—nay, to please her, would throw himself tothe crocodiles in the Nile. Anubis had been her comrade in all herchildish sports, till at the age of fourteen, after learning to read andwrite, her mother had obtained an appointment for him in the governor'shousehold, as an assistant to be further trained by the treasurer Nilus.Dame Susannah intended to find him employment at a future date on he