Barbara Blomberg | Page 9

and the other travellers were
joyfully surprised by the news that the goal of the journey was already
at hand. Pressing their heads together, they gazed out of the open linen
tilt which arched above the first cart or crowded to the little windows of
the coaches to see Ratisbon.
Even the old Neapolitan nurse, who was predicting future events from a
pack of cards, dropped them and peered out. But the noise in the second
tilted wagon was especially confused, for there the gay shouts of the
boy choir, only half of whom were on horseback, mingled with the loud
talking of the women, the screams of the babies, and the barking of the
dogs.
The groans of two young singers who were seriously ill were drowned
by the din and heeded by no one except the old drummer's pitying wife,
who sometimes wiped the perspiration from the sufferers' brows or
supported their heads.
Other carts, containing the musicians' instruments, followed this tilted
wagon. Some members of the orchestra would not part with theirs, and
behind the saddle of many a mounted virtuoso or attendant was
fastened a violin case or a shapeless bag which concealed some other

instrument.
A large number of musicians mounted on horses or mules surrounded
the two-wheeled cart in which sat Hernbeize of Ghent, the treasurer of
the orchestra, and his fat wife. The corpulent couple, squeezed closely
together, silent and out of humour, had taken no notice of each other or
their surrounding since Frau Olympia had presumed to drag her
husband by force out of the first wagon, where he was paying a visit to
a clarionet player's pretty young wife.
Whenever Wolf appeared he urged the horsemen and drivers to greater
haste, and thus the musical caravan, with its unauthorized companions,
succeeded in passing through the gate ere it closed. Beyond it the
travellers were received by Quijada, the imperial valet, Adrian Dubois,
and several quartermasters, who meanwhile had provided lodgings.
The major-domo greeted the musicians with dignified condescension,
Wolf with familiar friendship. Master Adrian, the valet, also shook
hands cordially with him and Massi, the "first violin" of the orchestra.
Finally Don Luis rode up to Wolf and informed him that the Queen of
Hungary wished to speak to him early the next morning, and that he
also had something important to discuss at the earliest opportunity.
Then he listened to the complaints of the quartermasters.
These men, who performed their duties with great lack of consideration,
had supposed that they had provided for all the expected arrivals, but,
after counting heads, they discovered that the billets were sufficient for
only half the number. Their attempt to escape providing for the wives
was baffled by the vigorous interposition of the treasurer and by a
positive order from Quijada.
Of course, under these circumstances they were very glad to have Sir
Wolf Hartschwert return his billet--the room in the Crane allotted to
him by the valet was large enough to accommodate half a dozen
women.
The nobleman returning to his home had no occasion to find shelter in
a tavern.

Yet, as he wished to remove the traces of the long ride ere he entered
his own house and appeared before the person for whose sake he had
gladly left Brussels, he asked Massi's permission to use his room in the
Red Cock for a short time.
Leonhard Leitgeb, the landlord, and his bustling better half received
Wolf as a neighbour's son and an old acquaintance. But, after they had
shown him and Massi to the room intended for them and gone
downstairs again, the landlady of the Cock shook her head, saying:
"He was always a good lad and a clever one, too, but even if a duke's
coronet should fall upon the thin locks of the poor knight's son I should
never take him for a real nobleman."
"Better let that drop," replied her husband. "Besides, the fine fellow is
of more consequence since he had the legacy. If he should come here
for our Kattl, I'll wager you wouldn't keep him waiting."
"Indeed I wouldn't," cried the landlady, laughing. "But just hear what a
racket those soldiers are making again down below!"
Meanwhile Wolf was hurriedly attending to his outer man.
Massi had stretched himself on the thin cushion which covered the seat
of the wooden bench in the bay-window, and thrust his feet far out in
front of him.
As he watched the Ratisbon knight diligently use the little hand mirror
while arranging his smooth, fair locks, he straightened himself, saying:
"No offence, Sir Knight, but when I think of the radiant face with
which you gazed down into the valley of the Danube from the hill
where you stopped before sunset, and now see how zealously you are