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Beierlein et al 5E.book Page vii Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Contents vii

7 Forecasting 101
Introduction 102
The Basics of Forecasting 103
Forecasting Procedures 105
Using Forecasts 113
Use of Futures Markets to Forecast Future Prices 114
NOTE 117 ■ CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 117 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 118
Case 7A: Jerry’s Foray in Forecasting 119
Case 7B: Bull’s-Eye Popcorn: It Always Hits the Spot! 120

8 Budgeting 121
The Purpose of Budgets 122
Three Types of Budgets 123
An Application of Budgeting 127
Benefits of Budgeting 131
Limitations of Budgets 132
Budget Time Frames 132
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 134 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 134
Case 8A: Going Broke While Making a Profit 135
Case 8B: Bob’s Big Budgeting Blowout 136

PART III
THE ORGANIZING FUNCTION 139

9 Organizing for Success 141

Introduction 142
Identifying Critical Tasks 142
Four Principles of Organizational Design 144
Ways to Organize 145
Approaches to Decision Making 147
Deciding Where Decisions Are Made 147
Selecting the Best Organizational Structure 148
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 149 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 149
Case 9A: Sam’s Success Story 150
Case 9B: Western Food and Fleet (WFF) 151
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page viii Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

viii Contents

10 Choosing a Legal Structure 153

Introduction 154
Sole Proprietorships 155
Partnerships 156
Corporations 159
Limited Liability Companies 162
Comparing Legal Structures 162
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 166 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 166
Case 10A: The End of Gene’s Dream? 167
Case 10B: Dixie Fruit 168

PART IV
THE CONTROLLING FUNCTION 169

11 Organizing Production Using Economic Principles 171

Introduction 172
The Production Process 172
The Production Function 173
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 178 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 178
Case 11A: Donna’s Dilemma 179
Case 11B: The Flying W Ranch 180

12 Production and Inventory Management 181

Introduction 182
Management Information Systems 183
Defining Costs 183
General Cost Concepts 184
Contribution 187
Short-Term versus Long-Term Pricing: The Shutdown Point 189
Break-Even Analysis 189
Inventory Management 196
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 201 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 202
Case 12A: What Price Progress? 203
Case 12B: Stan and Laurel’s Juicy Decision 205
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page ix Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Contents ix

13 Basic Accounting Documents 207

Introduction 208
The Balance Sheet 209
The Profit-and-Loss Statement 213
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 215 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 216
Case 13A: Fred’s Financial Phobia: Part I 217
Case 13B: University Estate Services: No Partner Left Behind 218

14 Using Accounting Information for Business Control and Planning 219

Introduction 220
Comparative Statement Analysis 220
Net Working Capital Analysis 225
Ratio Analysis 229
Developing Pro Forma Cash Flow Budgets 234
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 239 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 240
Case 14A: Fred’s Financial Phobia: Part II 241
Case 14B: Where Did the Money Go? 241

15 Capital Budgeting I: Principles and Procedures 243

Introduction 244
The Decision Framework 245
Capital Budgeting Decision-Making Procedures
That Do Not Use the Time Value of Money 246
The Time Value of Money 248
Capital Budgeting Decision-Making Procedures
That Use the Time Value of Money 253
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 256 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 257
Case 15A: Nick’s Financial Future: Part I 258
Case 15B: Mammoth Foods 259

16 Capital Budgeting II: Applications 261

Introduction 262
The Discount Rate 262
The Effect of Taxes 266
Mutually Exclusive Investments 267
Dealing with Uncertainty and Risk 270
A Case Study: Evaluating the Financial Feasibility of Adding
a Liquid Fertilizer Line to a Farm Supply Business 272
Deciding Whether to Lease, Borrow, or Buy 274
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 278 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 278
Case 16A: Nick’s Financial Future: Part II 279
Case 16B: Nick’s Financial Future Is Now 279
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page x Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

x Contents

PART V
THE DIRECTING FUNCTION 281

17 Human Resource Leadership 283

Introduction 284
Directing Means Leading People, Not Managing Things 285
Understanding Human Motivation 285
Fulfilling Physiological and Psychological Needs 286
Developing a Work Environment Where
Everyone Seeks to Excel 288
Management Styles 293
Communication and Feedback 296
Management by Objective 299
Leadership and the Superior-Employee Relationship 300
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 302 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 303
Case 17A: Yakima Valley Orchards: Part I 304
Case 17B: Those Mumbling Millennials! 305

18 Human Resource Management: Staffing 307

Introduction 308
Determining a Firm’s Personnel Needs 308
Recruiting Personnel 311
Retaining Personnel 313
Determining Pay Levels 315
Training and Education 316
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 317 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 317
Case 18A: Yakima Valley Orchards: Part II 318
Case 18B: Fresh Foods Farms Call Center 319

19 Personal Selling 321

Introduction 322
Selling as an Internal and External Activity 322
The Eleven Elements of Successful Personal Selling 323
The Firm’s Values, Purpose, and Objective 327
Sales as a Career 328
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 328 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 329
Case 19A: Mary’s Migraine 330
Case 19B: Turf King Systems 331
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xi Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Contents xi

20 Developing a Workable Approach to Agribusiness Management 333

Introduction 334
Revenues 336
Costs 339
Information 341
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 342 ■ CHAPTER QUIZ 343
Case 20A: Erin’s Epiphany 344
Case 20B: What Price Progress? Part II 344

Appendix A: Tables Used in Capital Budgeting Decisions 345

Appendix B: Resources 353
Glossary 357
References 369
Index 371
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xii Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xiii Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Preface

Welcome to the fifth edition of Principles of Agribusiness Management! For more

than 25 years this text has met the needs of future agribusiness managers; it has
brought to students and instructors alike the latest and best thinking on agribusiness
management by utilizing the most effective learning techniques from teaching
research. In the fifth edition we have made the text interactive, tapping into the wealth
of business information available on the Internet so students are fully prepared for
their agribusiness careers in today’s information age.
When we launched the first edition of this book in 1986, we never imagined all
the changes that would take place in agribusiness. We like to think that our continued
success comes in part from practicing what we preach—providing total customer sat-
isfaction by completely filling our customers’ needs, as well as anticipating changes in
those needs.
We are often asked (1) why we continue to focus on agribusiness principles and
(2) whether this is still the right approach for teaching agribusiness management. The
answer to both questions is a resounding YES. Principles are more important today in
these unsettled economic times than ever before. Principles are based on universal
truths surrounding human behaviors that rarely vary; they might be one of the few
constants in a turbulent world. This is why we like to think of our book as more of a
compass rather than a road map for business success. This is especially true today
when many think we have gone way beyond the edges of the map. Principles endure!

Enhancements
In the fifth edition, you will find these enhancements:
• Teaching research has shown that breaking the classroom period into two to
three smaller segments that blend class discussion with lecture increases stu-
dent learning. We have adapted this method by including in each chapter three
unique learning tools that focus on current agribusiness and management top-
ics. We incorporated interactive elements in each exercise that are specifically
related to the material found in each chapter:

xiii
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xiv Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

xiv Preface

– Discussion Starters have been formulated to launch in-class discussion on

topics that expand on the content of the chapter; they creatively spur the
development of higher-level thinking skills.
– Strengthen Your Skills increases students’ confidence and knowledge of where
to find information on the Internet for business decision making.
– Start Your Business illustrates the relevance of the course material, which
heightens student engagement, provides expertise in principles that will
continue throughout students’ careers, and improves critical thinking skills.
• We wanted to show our commitment to the realities of doing business in the
information age where things are digital, personal, global, and mobile. The ben-
efits of digital technology and the increasing use of social media have been
highlighted throughout the text. The fifth edition is also available as an e-book.
• Twenty new decision cases have been included in the fifth edition. Students can
apply what they have learned in the chapter to these real-world cases. Instructors
now have twice the number of opportunities to reinforce their course material.
• Dr. Beierlein has created a YouTube channel (Beierlein AGBM Book Videos)
that includes step-by-step solutions of practice problems dealing with produc-
tion and finance to give students more hands-on experience.
• New to this edition is appendix B, which is a thorough research resource for
agribusiness students. Many of the elements provided here will help students
locate the information they need to be successful in their agribusiness courses.

The Features of Principles of Agribusiness Management

We have retained many of the good features from previous editions of the text
that experience has shown that students and teachers find valuable.

Intended Audience
Principles of Agribusiness Management is designed for students taking either their
first or only course in agribusiness management.
• For agribusiness students it is a solid foundation for higher-level courses.
• For nonmajors it provides a broad and necessary understanding of basic agri-
business management skills that will complement a technical major.
• For working professionals who need to enhance their management skills, it pro-
vides a comprehensive, straightforward presentation of all the key management
concepts and skills needed for success.

Maximizing Learning
Much of the material and many of the examples in this text come from our real-
world experiences with practicing agribusiness managers. We have combined this
practical experience with our many years of classroom teaching to maximize the
amount of learning from this book. We consulted with educational designers so we
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xv Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Preface xv

could employ the best teaching/learning practices. The following features continue to
be used to improve students’ reading comprehension:
• Chapter learning objectives kick off each chapter so students will know what the
important points in the chapter are so they can look for them as they read.
• Each chapter summarizes its material with a list of chapter highlights so students
can check their understanding of the key ideas and concepts presented.
• Approximately 20 end of chapter questions are included to test a student’s compre-
hension of the major facts in the chapter.
• Two decision cases conclude each chapter, giving students the chance to apply
what they just learned and to develop their writing and critical thinking skills.
Case discussions are a great way to end a class session.
– Cases promote active and collaborative learning by engaging students’
minds. (See information on Bloom’s Taxonomy for further insights.)
– Students learn more when they can see the practical value of what they are
learning.
– Students learn more when they can put their knowledge to work immediately.
– Cases are an engaging, fast, inexpensive way to bring the real world into the
classroom.
• A glossary at the end of text defines 300 important agribusiness terms in
straightforward language.

Topic Sequencing
With the revisions and additions to this edition, instructors have more than
enough to fill a complete one-semester introductory course in agribusiness management.
This is by design. All teachers have their own perspective on the world and the best
ways to teach. This text is a product of our experience and in-class discussions. Please
accept what we offer as suggested materials. If the activities are not your style, the
book works well without them. Each chapter can stand alone, so you can arrange the
order of presentation to fit your situation.

Online Learning
For the past six years, this book has served as the main foundation to Penn State
University’s Introduction to Agribusiness Management course (Agribusiness Manage-
ment 200), which is offered through its World Campus. The typical enrollment is
approximately 75 students per semester. All the enhancements outlined here have
been classroom tested with these students and learning, as measured by test scores,
has increased. They found the text to be a valuable part of their learning. Some stu-
dents even admitted that it was the first textbook they ever read thoroughly.

Readability
Principles of Agribusiness Management is written in a straightforward, jargon-free
style that facilitates student learning. New material is covered in a step-by-step process
with many worked examples. The emphasis is always on the application of practical
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Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xvi Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

xvi Preface

business management skills such as basic management, marketing, demand analysis,

forecasting, production, finance, leadership, and human resource management.

The Story of Agribusiness Management

Everyone loves a good story. Agribusiness management students are no excep-
tion. This is why the material in this book is arranged around the four management
functions of planning, organizing, controlling, and directing. When taken in sequence
each function leads to the next one. Planning is all about deciding what you want
your business to do. Organizing is how you go about doing what you said you would
do in planning. Controlling is about getting feedback from your business to see if you
are accomplishing the goals set in planning. Finally, directing is about implementing
your plan—finding and leading your employees to transform the plan into reality.
This integrated approach helps students to process everything into a workable
approach to agribusiness management that they can use immediately.

The Unifying Theme That Integrates Everything

Agribusiness Managers Do
The story of agribusiness management is best remembered when students can fol-
low a common theme throughout the story. The common theme that connects every-
thing a manager does is:
Every manager’s primary objective is to maximize
the long-run profits of the firm by profitably satisfying customers’ needs.
Let’s examine this statement to see why it works:
• The first part of this theme—every manager’s primary objective is to maximize
the long-run profits of the firm—means the business must be economically efficient.
– Because of competition between producers for consumers’ business, they
must keep their prices low.
– To maximize profits they must always be seeking the lowest cost ways to
produce their product.
– The normal result is that consumers benefit from this situation by getting the
largest quantity of goods at the lowest prices.
– When done with a long-term perspective the firm has a sustainable approach
to management that is compatible with good environmental stewardship.
• The second part of this theme—by profitably satisfying customers’ needs—
means the firm is effective. The firm is doing the right things in order to satisfy
customers’ desires and is doing so at a profit.
• Thus, a successful firm survives only when it is efficient, effective, and sustainable. Man-
agers must not only do things well, they must also do the right things (what cus-
tomers want) at a profit.
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xvii Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Preface xvii

Broad Coverage
We designed this book so it is easy for students and instructors to use. All of the top-
ics you will find in this text are directed toward helping students learn. Not only is the
topic coverage comprehensive, it is also practical and immersed in real-world examples.
• The size and scope of the global agri-food system. Few students, including those who
grew up on farms, understand the dynamics of world agriculture and the role that
the application of technology has played in its progress. Chapter 1 sets the stage
and establishes the need for good business management to keep this progress alive.
• The role of marketing in the US economy and the firm. Students have an easier time
grasping the concept of marketing when they understand why marketing exists
and the role that it plays in our economic system.
• How marketing relates to the four functions of business management. Students find it
easier to understand marketing when they understand how it relates to the
other functions of the firm.
• The need to stay competitive in rapidly changing global markets. Staying competitive
has opened a whole new area of business management called strategic manage-
ment. The urgency of this topic is best summed up in the well-known manage-
ment maxim it is not the strongest but the most adaptable firms that survive.
• How economics can help managers make marketing decisions. The direct application
of microeconomics helps students understand the factors that influence con-
sumer demand and how understanding consumer demand can help managers
make better pricing decisions.
• The value of forecasting in making business decisions. A variety of forecasting proce-
dures (including futures prices and seasonal price indices) are developed and
applied to agribusiness decision making.
• The importance of good organizational design for a firm to achieve its goals. Students
see how a firm’s organizational scheme and the levels where decisions are
made affect a business’s performance.
• The impact of a firm’s legal structure on its taxes and longevity. A firm’s managers
must choose carefully when deciding whether the firm should remain a sole pro-
prietorship, join a partnership, or form a corporation. Limited liability partner-
ships and some forms of incorporation may offer firms the best of both worlds.
• The importance of a good management information system to measure costs and to pro-
vide the best information needed to make business decisions. Students see the direct
application of cost information to making business decisions by learning how
to conduct a break-even analysis, define costs, determine shutdown points, set
prices, and manage inventory.
• A comprehensive discussion of the development and analysis of the balance sheet and income
statement to include ratio analysis, comparative statement analysis, and industry standards.
• The use of accounting information to develop a sources and uses of net working capital
document. This increasingly popular financial document shows managers where
the firm’s money comes from and where it is spent.
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xviii Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

xviii Preface

• A discussion of leasing as a way to acquire assets.

• A comprehensive discussion of the major capital budgeting procedures with applications.
This discussion includes a worked buy-borrow-lease problem.
• A thorough understanding of the directing function and how it differs from the other three
management functions. Once students understand that directing is focused on the
effective leadership of people, and not just the efficient management of things, they
will know how to transform themselves from a good manager to a great manager.
• The importance of personal selling to business success. Regardless of their position in the
firm, every employee is in sales because (1) they have to sell themselves and their
ideas to their bosses and their colleagues and (2) they have to sell their products to
potential customers. The eleven elements of successful selling are presented.
• A comprehensive, full integration of all the material in the text is given in the final chap-
ter. Covering this chapter is important to students since it allows them to con-
struct a workable approach to agribusiness management they can put to use
immediately. This task is made easier because of the way we have organized the
book around the four functions of management and the use of a common unify-
ing theme.

Acknowledgements
No project like this has ever run this long without the support and guidance of
many people. We extend our thanks to our colleagues and students at The Pennsylva-
nia State University and the University of Missouri for their assistance and comments.
We also wish to thank all the students over the years who have endured our endless tin-
kering with the presentations and approaches to get the text right so they have the lat-
est and best material we can give them. Our ability to feed a hungry world depends on
an efficient and effective agri-food system. This continues to be a vital and noble goal.
Special thanks go again to Al Beliasov for sharing his many years of successful
selling with our students each semester. He is a master teacher! This is why we invited
him to help write the chapter on personal selling. Al is quick to remind us, we are all
in sales because we must sell ourselves, and our ideas, to others.
With each edition, the role of information specialists has grown. Helen Smith
(associate librarian, life sciences) and Dr. Diane Zabel (Benzak business librarian) at
the Penn State Library deserve special thanks for all their help over the years. They
have shown great patience as we learned that it is much more efficient and effective to
go directly to them rather than wandering around the stacks hoping to find some-
thing. Their dedication to helping lost souls like us find obscure nuggets of informa-
tion (such as the number of hours to plant an acre of corn in 1920) hidden in
cyberspace has been invaluable. We would still be roaming the library looking con-
fused without your help. Your assistance is great appreciated.
We extend thanks to our families for allowing us to pursue projects such as book
writing.
Finally, a special thanks to Neil Rowe at Waveland Press. His professionalism
and support is greatly appreciated. Neil’s practice of visionary, value-based business is
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xix Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

Preface xix

reflected in our editors Don Rosso and Diane Evans. Their decision to make this fifth
edition embrace the information age by making it an e-book has made all the differ-
ence. We are forever in your debt.
Until you have written a book, you never look at a preface. As this project was
coming to a close, I found the perfect description of what Diane did for us in the
acknowledgement from a book entitled Drive by Daniel H. Pink. Let me paraphrase
Pink’s words:
Diane saw the promise of this new format before I did and slowly brought me
along to the idea. Her skills as an editor are only matched by her talents as a therapist.
She made this a better book without making the authors crazier people. Thanks to her
silent partners Neil Rowe and Don Rosso who threw their support behind this project.

James G. Beierlein
Kenneth C. Schneeberger
Donald D. Osburn
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page xx Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page 1 Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

PART I
Introduction to the
Business of Agriculture

When most people hear the term “agriculture,” they often conjure up an image of
a poorly educated, exhausted soul nobly tilling the good earth for a meager but honest
income. Nothing could be further from the truth. Today’s agri-food system is a
global, fast-paced, high-technology industry that is one of the most effective adopters
of scientific innovation. Managers in this industry must be well grounded in the tech-
nical aspects of food and fiber production as well as the principles of business manage-
ment. This is a tall order but one that is routinely met every day when agribusiness
managers integrate technology with business management to feed a hungry world.
The two chapters in this first section set the stage for all that follows by describing
the evolution of agriculture from simple, self-sufficient farming to a global agri-food
system; it also highlights the critical, integrative role that business management plays
in the agri-food system’s success.
• Chapter 1—The Global Agri-Food System A prerequisite for being a successful
manager is to understand the environment in which agribusinesses operate.
Chapter 1 describes the evolution of the global agri-food system. It documents
how more progress was made in food production during the past 100 years than
in the previous 10,000. This chapter also points the way to the future and sets
out the management skills that will be needed to continue this growth during
the twenty-first century. To insure global food security, it is estimated that dur-
ing the next 50 years we will need to produce even more food than we were able
to produce in the past 10,000 years.
• Chapter 2—The Agribusiness Manager Because the agri-food system works so
smoothly, most people have never given a thought to the pivotal role that busi-
ness management plays in its success. Chapter 2 is devoted to explaining how
business management integrates new technologies with consumer needs to
bring Americans the safest, greatest assortment of the lowest-priced food in the
world. The battle to end world hunger is not yet won but agribusiness manage-
ment will continue to play an important part in its success. This chapter sets out
the unifying theme of this book—the goal of all managers is to maximize the long-
term profits of their firms by profitably satisfying customers’ needs. Also, the book’s
overall framework, the four functions of management—planning, organizing,
controlling, and directing—is introduced.

1
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page 2 Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page 3 Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

1
The Global
Agri-Food
System

3
Beierlein et al 5E.book Page 4 Monday, July 15, 2013 12:17 PM

4 Chapter One

Chapter Learning Objectives

• Describe how agribusiness firms operate in a global agri-food system that
includes everyone from the suppliers who provide farmers and ranchers with the
materials needed to produce a crop to the retailers who put food on our tables.
• Explain why agribusiness managers must integrate rapidly changing technology
with business management skills in order to succeed in a volatile global market.
• Explain why agribusiness is a high-tech industry with a crucial mission that
offers a challenging future for those who have the right technical and business
management skills.

Introduction
Agribusiness is one of America’s best-kept secrets. It functions so flawlessly that
few people realize the extent of its reach. For over 150 years, US agribusiness firms
have led the world by consistently applying new technology and effective business
management to the production, processing, manufacturing, distribution, and retailing
of food and fiber. This abundance has made the United States a major food supplier
for the world. Agri-food went global before any other sector of our economy. On
nearly any day of the year, in nearly any food store or restaurant in the United States,
consumers can find an overwhelming assortment of safe, fresh, exotic, low-cost foods
from around the world.
Despite our success, much work still needs to be done. Currently, the world’s food
supply is expanding at a rate that exceeds population growth. It is vital that we sustain
this rate of growth until the middle of the twenty-first century, when the world popula-
tion rate is expected to stabilize. This is a tall order. This means that in the next 40
years we must produce more food than what was produced in the past 10,000 years.

Discussion Starters

Before you read any further, let’s see what you know about agriculture already.
• What is the most important thing you know about agriculture? Does agriculture mat-
ter anymore?
• Is agriculture a high-tech industry where you would expect to find a bright future? Explain.
• What does the following statement mean to you: “Agribusiness management is about the
integration of science and business management.”
Once you have your answers to these questions, read the rest of this chapter. When you have
finished, return to your responses. Do they match up with what you discovered in this chapter?
What surprised you the most? The least?
Other documents randomly have
different content
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could never be a husband to her. For the sake of the woman’s soul,
and for the eternal good of my master, I have acted as became a
priest and a servant of Jesus Christ. It remains for you to do what
you can to repair the injury which you have brought upon this
house. And firstly, it is for you to hold your tongue and to know
nothing, whatever question may be put to you. An explanation
would lead only to your undoing and to mine—it might lead also to a
sin greater than any we have yet contemplated. As the affair stands,
it is easy to say some accident must have overtaken Christine—even
to hint that she is dead. If the Count should learn what we know,
then we shall be the better for pretending ignorance. We can but act
like honest men and the true friends of one whom it is a privilege to
serve.’
“‘Per Baccho,’ said I, ‘you speak like a book; yet there are things I
cannot forget, Father, and the first of them is that I am an old man
and a poor one. Not that poverty is any sore to me! Poca roba poco
pensiero, is my word. Yet I doubt not that I must return to my home
at Sebenico when your master returns. It is hard that I should go
empty-handed after all my pains. Surely, my tongue would be the
stiller if there were a little weight of silver upon it.’
“‘I have thought of that, Signor Andrea,’ he answered quickly; ‘I am
not one to forget my friends. When you leave the château of Jézero,
it shall not be empty-handed. And you may count upon me always
——’
“Our discourse was cut short at this point by the return of another of
the woodlanders, who had ridden out towards Travnik in the hope of
finding Christine. He now came galloping over the grass of the park,
and many ran out to meet him, crying for his news.
“‘Hast thou heard of her? Surely I see that thou hast tidings! Saints
and angels! who shall tell the Lord Count? You have learnt nothing?
May the day be black that she passed the gates!’
“The man rode on, regardless of these cries from the grooms and
the women, and drew rein only at the door of the château.
“‘I have been sixteen hours in the saddle,’ he said to the priest, ‘and
have learnt nothing. There was a strange woman passed through
Jajce this morning, and an Italian with her; but she had rags about
her legs. Mehmed Bey, who rode by here at sunset yesterday, saw
my lady standing by the thicket at the turn of the path. She had a
rosary in her hand, and her eyes were towards the town. She was
still there when dark came down and hid her from his sight. Holy
God! that I must tell it to my master!’
“There was a little crowd round the man before he had done; and
when his message was delivered the women fell to wailing again and
the grooms to cursing. All these, excellency, had learnt love for her
whose presence had breathed so sweet an influence in the house of
the Zaloskis. They mourned for her as one of their own; they
trembled when they asked each other what saying must come to the
Count’s ears. No sooner did one of them ride into the park than
another was upon his horse, galloping swiftly through the bridle-
track of the woods, or spurring again to the house of the Prefect.
Nor did they rest, night or day, until their master stood again in the
great courtyard of the house, and the terrible moment of speaking
was at hand.
“He had driven over from the station at Travnik, for there was no
railway then to Jajce, and dark was upon the château when we
heard the bells of his horses. I can remember well that he wore the
blue uniform of his hussar regiment, and that his cloak was open
and loose and his cap somewhat over his face when he stepped
from the carriage and stood for a minute in the courtyard, where we
were drawn up, with torches in our hands, awaiting him. I had
hoped that he would have called me from the company and have
spoken with me first—for a groom had already whispered that he
had heard the tidings—but he did not so much as notice me.
“‘Where is Hans?’ he asked, casting a quick glance over the throng.
“The steward stepped forward and bent low.
“‘My Lord Count,’ he murmured, ‘blame me not——’
“Count Paul stopped him abruptly.
“‘Follow me,’ he said, ‘and let these others go to their work.’
“‘The horses are ready bridled in the stables, Herr Count.’
“‘There is no need of them—let the bridles be taken off.’
“I looked at Father Mark when this was said, and he returned my
glance. The others went slowly out of the courtyard, glad to put
distance between themselves and their master. The Count led the
steward to his study, and lighted the lamps there. We could see him
from our place in the quadrangle pacing the length of the
apartment, with his sword clattering at his heels; we could watch the
gestures of Hans, whose lips moved quickly, and whose emphasis
was abundant. It was evident that Count Paul scarce spoke a word.
Yet who could measure the sorrow of his silence?
“‘Look,’ whispered the priest, gripping my arm, ‘he is listening to the
man’s tale, but he answers nothing. You heard him give the order to
unbridle the horses. That means much, my friend.’
“‘Securo, Father,’ replied I, ‘what we know, he knows—that is plain.
You spoke well when you said that we should put curbs upon our
tongues.’
“‘I spoke as my faith taught me,’ he exclaimed; ‘yet God knows what
it cost me to do so. He is not a man to forget; Madonna mia, he will
remember always. And she had become very dear to him. I would
give half my life if she could be a wife to him.’
“‘Aye, truly,’ said I, ‘that would have been a great day. And it may
come yet—who knows? If there be a hunt still for the man she has
gone with, is it not easy to lay hands upon him? A company of
dragoons would catch him in three days!’
“The suggestion was new to him. He considered it for a moment,
and then he said:
“‘As you say, yet who will give the command? Not the Count,
certainly, for what service would it be to him if the husband of
Christine were sent to a prison, and to his regiment afterwards? The
tale that he fired upon his commanding officer is one to be told in a
guest-house, and not to a court of soldiers. You know that it is
untrue. And more than that, my friend, we are dealing with one to
whom honour is a faith. You, of course, might go to the Prefect with
the story in your mouth. He would answer you that the man Klun
was shot in the hills. You would lose then both the opportunity of
serving the woman and the reward which I have promised you. Is
that wisdom?’
“‘Nay,’ said I, for he had convinced me, ‘it would be folly beyond
words, and for the matter of that——’
“‘Hush!’ he whispered, ‘the steward is coming out.’
“It was as he said. The Count had now flung himself into a great
chair before his fire, and sat there motionless, the red light playing
upon his drawn and anxious face. But the steward came out to us,
and raising his finger warningly, he led us to the cloister. There, in
hurried whispered words, he told us what had passed.
“‘He heard all in Travnik,’ said he, ‘for they had telegraphed there.
He asked me if there was any letter left or message, or if the man—
whom they say she has gone with—has been seen about the place. I
said no, and then he charged me that my lady’s name should never
pass our lips again. His anger I could have borne with—but his
kindness—my God, that is hard to bear now. And there was no
complaint. Had I been a woman, he could not have spoken gentler
words. Black be the day that I have seen him so.’
“Excellency, I make no excuse for him, but there were tears in the
eyes of Hans when he had done speaking.
“‘Come, Master Hans,’ I exclaimed, ‘neither winter nor summer rests
always in the sky, as the proverb goes. Diamine, he will forget in a
week, and all will be well again! It must be our business to help him.
He made mention of me, did you say?’
“‘Surely he did.’
“‘The Lord bless his charity, then.’
“‘Not so fast, my friend. It is his wish that you return to your home
with to-morrow’s sun. “Let the old man be seen here no more,” he
said. A hard word, Signor Andrea, but this is not the time to alter it.’
“‘God so do to him as he has done to one that came far to serve
him,’ cried I, and would have added more, but the priest put his
hand upon my arm.
“‘How,’ said he, ‘is this the time to be brawling like a beggar at a
church door? I am ashamed of you! Is there not misfortune enough
upon the house that you should add your complaints to it? Truly the
Count is right, and it is time you went to your home again.’
“‘Father,’ I replied, ‘no man tells me twice that my company is a
burden to him. To-morrow at dawn I will set out.’
“‘You do well,’ said he, ‘nor will your services be forgotten.’
“He spoke with meaning, excellency; and when I rode out of the
gates at sunrise next day, a bag of guldens was jingling at my girdle.
Nor could I, grieve as I might for the exceeding misfortunes which
had come upon the house of the Zaloskis, deem the gift to be
unearned.
“‘God will lighten the burden,’ I thought, ‘and my Lord Count will
forget. A man has not lived his life at forty. He will love again, and
find an object more worthy. It may be even that I shall meet
someone who will think it worth his while to deal with Ugo Klun. And
if the lad were sent to the frontier, who can tell what would happen?
Priests are priests, and have not men’s eyes. We of the world judge
more justly. It is unlikely,’ I said, ‘that those at Jézero will think any
more of old Andrea now that he has left them. He must be just to
himself and watch patiently. Perchance he may yet serve little
Christine—and has he not a bag of guldens at his girdle?’
“The latter assurance was my abiding consolation. I cracked my
fingers for joy, and my heart beat light at the glory of the morning.
The sweet scent of the blossoms, the odours of the pines, the
invigorating air of the mountains, the spreading sunshine, sent me
singing on my way. I turned round in my saddle and saw the
château set as a toy-castle—for so it seemed to be in the distance—
in the hollow of the pass below me.
“‘Addio, addio,’ cried I; ‘who knows that the day is not to come when
little Christine shall return to rule that house, and old Andrea shall
find a haven for his years?’
“And, so thinking, I rode on towards my own city.”
 CHAPTER XVIII
“LE MONDE EST LE LIVRE DES FEMMES”

“‘There is your city, little Christine. What? You have no eyes for it?
You are tired, you say. Accidente, but that is a misfortune, little one.
Who knows where we shall get a night’s lodging—if we get one at
all? And we have far to walk, carissima. Oh, surely, it is work and not
play here. See what life, what talk, what shops! Is not this your
dream come to life? Diamine, you are not very grateful, my beloved!
A plague upon your pale face!’
“It was the hour when the great folk of Vienna were going to their
homes, excellency; that pleasant hour when the work of the day is
forgotten and the play of the night comes welcomely. Bright lights
shone already in the shops; a thousand budding lamps were
scattering flowers of colour over the rich grasses of the Prater. A soft
wind stirred the great trees, heavy in blossom; the deep blue waters
of the Danube foamed and sported beneath the bridges, their little
waves tipped with silver. So great was the press of carriages in the
streets that all Austria seemed to be keeping carnival there. Pretty
women, whose gowns were a garden of tints; officers of the guards
and the hussars, on horseback, lolling in broughams, loitering by the
shops; courtesans flaunting their bravade; priests returning from the
churches; Englishmen open-mouthed and wondering; Frenchmen
chattering; Americans hurrying from sight to sight—these are the
children of our capital whom Christine saw as her husband brought
her from the Northern station, and they stood together, deafened by
the clamour of her city, and half-blinded by its lights.
“‘You are tired, my Christine, and you are ashamed of your rags.
Cospetto, what gratitude to see! You think that if you were still at
Jézero there would be good food to eat and diamonds for your neck.
Managgia, we shall get food here yet, and when you work all day,
and play your fiddle in the cafés, you shall bring the money to me.
Do you hear that, little one—work all day, and work again for me at
night? Are you not my wife? Heaven! That I was fooled by thy talk,
and thought that I loved thee!’
“He took her by the hand, excellency, and dragging her roughly from
the station, he set out upon his walk to the market-place, where,
although he had hid it from her, there was a lodging awaiting him. It
is strange to think that this man, once so gentle towards the child of
Zlarin, pursued her now with so constant a hatred. Rarely, since he
had found her upon the Jajce road, and had carried her from her
new life, had pity mitigated his anger or curbed his purpose. He saw
that it lay in his power to make her suffer as he had suffered. She
had won the love of a man—she had now won his hate. He believed
nothing of her account of Count Paul and his home. His mind had
been trained in cunning and in doubt of men. Christine had found a
lover—that was the lie which steeled his will, and shut his eyes to
the anguish of the woman who followed him uncomplainingly. He
made it his business to see that every hour brought some new
humiliation upon her. He mocked at her new knowledge, at her
acquired refinement. Almost his first act was to sell the good clothes
from her back and to force upon her rags which he had bought in
the bazaar at Serajevo. The diamond ring—which was Count Paul’s
first present to her—had served to pay their fare to the capital. He
feared pursuit no longer; in his own way he felt himself the equal of
his rival. His puny soul was filled with delight because this woman
was his own to do with as he would.
“As for Christine, she walked like one from whom all life and hope
had been snatched as by a sudden visitation of God. They speak in
fables, excellency, of the difficulty we have to realise misfortune.
Rather should they say that it is difficult to believe in the good things
which come to us. The child had never satisfied herself that her life
at the château of Jézero was not a cheat of her fancy. She said that
she would wake up some day to find herself in the woods of her
island, and to hear the cackle of the old women who had cried upon
her. But she had looked for no such awakening as this. The very
months of content and of education at the house of the Zaloskis
sharpened her mind to a greater dread of the brutalities the man put
upon her. The touch of the dirty rags made her flesh creep. The foul
words whispered into her ear set her shuddering with fear. She
looked back upon her short months of life at Jézero as one looks
upon a fair garden from which one is for ever shut. Fifteen days of
hardship and of degradation had cut her off for ever from her
girlhood. She had become a woman—silent and broken-hearted.
“Only once during those fifteen days had there been a moment
when this spirit of docility had been shaken off, and something of
her old courage had come back to her. It was upon the second night
after she had left the château, a night when the man had carried her
to a dirty cottage in the mountains above the Verbas, and there had
given her the rags in exchange for her good clothes. Moved to some
passing tenderness, he had thrown his arms round her neck, and
would have kissed her as he had kissed her in the hut of Orio. But
she, snatching his knife from its sheath as he bent over her, sprang
to her feet and struck at him; and he drew back cowering.
“‘Devil!’ he cried; ‘would you kill me?’
“‘Listen!’ she said, facing him with anger in her eyes; ‘what I have
done I do because it is your right to ask it. I will work for you and
follow you and obey you—God help me—I must do this; but if you
touch me with your hands again, I will never sleep day or night until
I have paid the debt!’
“She flung the knife away from her, and sank back upon the bed of
straw. If she regretted then that she had not turned the blade upon
her own breast, who shall blame her? Yet even in the first hours of
her loss, the one thought—she must save Count Paul—was her
salvation. While she lived she could in some way watch over the
man who loved her. To that end she would submit to all but the
kisses which Ugo sought to force upon her. He—a boaster at the
best—was yet cunning enough to read her mind and to know how
far he could go with her. And he played upon her fears always.
“‘Madonna mia,’ he exclaimed, ‘that thou shouldst turn spit-fire!
Some day we will settle this, and you shall ask yourself if you have
paid the debt or no. Securo, Christine, I have a good memory. I
could tell you every line upon your lover’s face now. What—you do
not wish to hear? Benissimo, we begin to understand one another.
When he is dead, we shall come to love one another as wife and
husband should. Do you think that I shall forget him, anima mia?
That would be a strange day. Surely God will let me kill him, little
one?’
“This was his threat often while he took her north to the capital,
remembering her talent, and telling himself that she should make
money of it.
“‘Corpo di Baccho, Christine,’ he would say, ‘your face will be bread
to us in Vienna, and you shall scrape your fiddle, carina, while fools
dance, and there are guldens in my pocket. Did I not promise, when
I came to you at Zlarin, and you would have starved but for my
bread, to take you to the city? Did I not tell you always that you did
well to dream, for no dreams were like the wonders across the
mountains? Wait a little while, and you shall see. Thirty hours in the
train take us from Serajevo. We will go to Serajevo, and the money
for the diamonds which your lover gave you shall help you on the
road. That was a lucky day which took you to Jézero, my wife! Oh,
we shall be rich yet.’
“It was thus, excellency, that they came to Vienna—the man that he
might profit of the woman’s talent; the woman that she might save
her one friend and benefactor. Although the wonders of the new life
would, under other circumstances, have dazzled her eyes and made
her brain reel, they were now powerless to impress her. She saw a
railway for the first time, and no exclamation escaped her. She sat in
a stinking carriage, provided by the State for paupers and cattle, and
as the wheels droned the song of their ceaseless rolling she said—
but this in accompaniment to the rhythm of their song—I love, I
love! The boundless plains of Hungary, wearying the eye with their
unmarked horizon, told her the more that she was utterly alone. The
great city of Pesth, with its clatter of horses and its hum of men,
dinned always in her ears a word of new foreboding. ‘For ever, for
ever,’ she heard this alone of all the whirl of the city’s life. The very
magnificence of building and of street terrified her. She cried in her
heart for the woods of Zlarin and the desolation of her childish life.
She answered nothing to the questions of the man—ready, perhaps,
to forget his anger that his pride might be gratified in shewing her
these wonders.
“‘Managgia,’ he would say, ‘that you should look upon all these
things, and yet keep your lips shut! Body of my soul! but you must
have dreamt well—that all this is nothing to you! Look yonder; that
is the great opera house. Some day you shall hear the music there,
and it shall set your brain on fire. Such music is not to be heard in
sleep; it rises up like a great wave of the sea, my Christine; it makes
your blood boil; and then it tickles you so that you would run and
jump. And when it falls away, little one—oh, there is nothing but an
echo in your ears, and you think that you could lie down and dream
upon a bank of flowers. What! you do not listen to me?’
“He spoke well, excellency, for his words were wasted upon her. Nor
was it otherwise when at last they came to the capital, and she
followed him to the dreary lodging he had taken in the garret of a
house whose back windows looked out upon the cathedral church of
St. Stephen. The blaze of light did but blind her; the ringing of
church bells was like a dirge in her heart; the great throngs passing
told her that here was the beginning of her punishment. One gentle
word—one whisper of love—would have brought her sobbing upon
her knees; but there was none to speak it. Wearied with the travel,
sick for want of bread, she climbed with the man to the dark of the
attic, and the door closed upon her as upon a prisoner.
“And so the dreamer awoke at last from the dreams of long ago.”
 CHAPTER XIX
ANDREA GOES AN ERRAND

“Christine had left Jézero exactly eighteen months before it was

given to me to see her again, excellency. Think not that I had put
her from my mind. Far from it. She was to me then, as ever, a
daughter to be beloved. Could my hand have helped her, it had been
raised to her assistance every hour of my life. But God had willed it
otherwise. I knew not even in what city she had made her home. I
was welcome no longer at the house of Count Paul. The priest did
not answer my letter when I reminded him of the services I had
rendered. Strange tales came to me upon the lips of gossipers. I
heard that the château at Jézero was now like a tomb of the living.
They told me that the Lord Count himself went to Vienna no more.
They spoke of decay and desolation, of solitude and silence; of a
master who shewed his trouble to none, and yet was troubled that
he must hide it. They said that the shadow of a great solitude had
come upon the house—and all for lack of a child’s pretty face.
“I heard these things, but it was many months before I saw them for
myself. Two summers had passed when the message came—a letter
from Father Mark bidding me go to Jézero. So quick was I to answer
that I rode up to the great house three days after the summons
reached me, and found myself immediately in the presence of the
priest. He told me that the Count had been called to the autumn
manœuvres at Brod; and the opportunity being welcome to him, he
had sent for me at once to discuss a matter of much moment to us
both.
“‘Few things have happened here, Signor Andrea,’ he said, ‘since the
day you left us. I wish it were otherwise. You see for yourself what a
state we are in—the rooms half-painted, as they were on the day the
child left us; the gardens running to weed; half the servants sent
about their business. He will do nothing and have nothing done. He
sees no one. He is never out of his study except when his work calls
him——’
“‘And he never asks for news of her?’
“‘Her name has never passed his lips but once since she left him.
That was six months ago, when I told myself that he was beginning
to forget. He said it quite suddenly when we were talking of his
sister at Vienna. “She will send to me when she has need of me,” he
said. I thought at first that he spoke of my lady; but he was thinking
of the little one. And he will think always. The majority of men have
never loved a woman. Affection for them is a little spark of sympathy
and admiration and desire, which burns itself out in the first summer
of its gratification. We, in our own little way, tried to stand against
the love which was born of nature in the hearts of these two. We
might as well have tried to drain the Plevna with our buckets. Time
has taught me to look back upon those days with lasting regret. It is
a reproach to me that I sought to break in upon that sacred
confidence—a confidence which none should share. I would give half
my years if the shadow might pass from this house.’
“‘Father,’ said I, ‘there is one way, and one only, by which such a
thing might come to pass. It would be the death of Christine’s
husband.’
“‘Exactly—but how if he be dead already?’
“‘Holy Virgin!’ said I, ‘you think that?’
“‘I know not what to think. Three months ago I heard that the girl
was singing in Vienna at the Café des Trois Mousquetaires. They told
me other stories as well—of men that danced attendance at her
heels and fools who made much of her.’
“‘It is a lie!’ cried I, so loudly that he started back from me, ‘a lie, I
call my God to witness! There is no purer woman in Austria. Show
me the man that told the tale and I will strike him on the mouth!’
“‘Come,’ said he, ‘this is no time for the display of such boasts as
these. Had you been so very anxious, my friend, necessity would
have found some way of bringing you to Vienna before this.’
“‘Nay,’ said I; ‘the Lord be my judge if I have had the money. Was it
to hear this that you sent for me to Sebenico? Oh, surely, I did well
to leave my business!’
“‘Not so fast, Signor Andrea. I am not the man to summon you here
upon a fool’s errand. And I make sure that you will be very content
when you have heard me out.’
“I bowed my head at this, and was the more pleased, excellency,
since my affairs at Sebenico had gone ill with me for some time past.
‘This priest,’ I said, ‘does not forget that I am an old man, and that
poverty is a good friend of mine. If he has need of me, surely he will
remember my right to a poor man’s wage.’
“‘Father,’ said I, ‘what service I can give shall be given from my heart
for love of little Christine. It will fall heavily upon me to leave my
business now, at this busy time, when——’
“‘I have thought of that,’ said he, ‘and have made provision against
it. Here are notes for five hundred guldens. With this sum you will
set out at once for Vienna, and there you will learn all that is to be
known of Christine. Good or ill, you will keep nothing from me. They
tell me that her husband was with her daily until this last month, but
that he has now disappeared from the city, and there is no news of
him. Go, then, and learn what you can of this. You will lose nothing
by the journey. And if you can bring me intelligence of the man’s
death, I promise you that you shall return to Sebenico no more.’
“‘Gladly will I go,’ cried I, ‘and the saints be my witness that no
thought of myself shall find me loitering on the way. Blessed be God
that I am to see my child again!’
“The same night, excellency, I set out for Travnik. In two days I was
in Vienna.”
 CHAPTER XX
LA PROVA

“I found Christine neither at the Café des Trois Mousquetaires nor at

that address in the Singer Strasse which the priest had given me.
The very question, put to Albert Dietz, the proprietor of the café,
moved him to great mirth.
“‘It is very easy to see that you are a countryman,’ he said; ‘and I
advise you to button up your pockets while you are in this city. It is
three months since Mademoiselle Zlarin sang on our stage. You will
find her at the Opera House, as all Vienna could have told you this
month past.’
“‘Oh,’ cried I, ‘so she has become Mademoiselle Zlarin since we
parted? And at the Opera! Per Baccho, you must want singers badly
if you can find place for such as her. Was her husband with her, do
you know?’
“He shrugged his shoulders impatiently.
“‘Old man,’ said he, ‘if I ran about Vienna looking after the husbands
of all the ladies who sing on my stage, there would not be
shoemakers enough in the city to sole my boots.’
“‘True,’ said I; ‘yet she is not as the others. I would stake my life on
that.’
“‘Stake it on nothing so risky,’ cried he; ‘when you have seen as
much of women as I have, you will not be so ready.’
“‘Accidente,’ exclaimed I, ‘this is no place for an honest man to cry
his wares. One word more, Herr Dietz. You would tell me, I doubt
not, that Mademoiselle Zlarin sings in the chorus of the opera?’
“‘I could tell you no such thing,’ he replied; ‘she has been given the
part of Joseph in Mascagni’s “L’Amico Fritz.” She is no great singer, I
admit. But there is the devil in the music she makes with her violin;
and she acts a part with verve enough for six women. I could have
filled this garden twenty times when she was playing. The men went
mad about her. God knows, we had all the fine folks in the city here.
Donnerwetter, it was a bad day for me when she received the offer
to go to the Opernring, but I could not refuse. They said that the
Emperor wished it. He heard her at Esterhazy’s house. And now she
lives like a little Princess. Well, I am not the one to bear her ill-will. It
is something to see a smile upon her pretty face.’
“I thanked him in my heart for this, and went away to seek
Christine, as bewildered as man ever was.
“‘Dio mio,’ I said to myself, ‘that things should be thus with her—she
who was a beggar reared in beggary! Well it was that I came to seek
her in Vienna. She will not forget old Andrea who gave her bread.
And he can snap his fingers at the priest to-day. If she be rich, what
is the friendship of those at Jézero to her now? A plague upon them
all—who turned an old man from their door.’
“For a truth, this was the way the thing appeared to me, excellency.
I reflected that if Christine had married the Lord Count, it would
have been a dreary business at the best. She would have been
immured in the great house like a nun in her cell. She would have
been cut off like one in a tomb from the companionship of her true
friends. I made sure that she would be compelled to turn her face
even from me, who gave her bread. But with Christine earning
money for herself—Bon Dieu, what should she care for the gloomy
man whose love had brought so many misfortunes upon her! I
would be her protector always. Cost me what it might, I would be
near her to help her when she had need of me. There was her
husband, of course: but him, I judged, it would be easy to deal with.
He would not forget that I had held my tongue when a word of mine
might have delivered him to the Count. I would see that he learnt to
respect me. I would not neglect to remind him that it was yet
possible to make a hussar of him. Luck seemed to be mine at every
turn. I walked through the crowded streets of the great city and
cracked my fingers for joy as I went. The burden of years seemed to
be gone from my shoulders.
“It was midday when I arrived at the Opera House. I had been
saying to myself as I went along that after all I should not be
surprised that such a strange gift of fortune had come to my child.
Her sweet face alone was enough to win her that. And there had
always been a devil in the music she had made from her crazy
fiddle. I had seen this very opera, ‘L’Amico Fritz,’ played in my own
city of Sebenico, and I had always said that an impresario would be
lucky who could find a singer not only able to sing the part of
Joseph, but also to play the violin while she sang. How it came
about that little Christine had found a voice I knew not, for although
she took a part in the Mass as a child she had received no schooling
in this art. But that her mastery of the violin would be a fortune to
her I felt sure. And this made me the readier to believe the story
which Herr Dietz had told me.
“You know the new Opera at Vienna, signor? Yes! then you can
assent when I maintain that there is no house like it in the world.
Holy Virgin, what a sight to see! What painting—what gold—what
splendour! I have been in that house but twice as a spectator, and I
can never forget the things I saw—the lamps, hundreds, thousands;
the pictures, oh! the colours of them; the great folk, what dresses!
what splendid women; the scenery, the palaces, the green gardens
—greener than any in my own Italy! And the music! Body of my
soul, it is the choir of heaven come down to us while yet we live; it
is the chanting of the spirits of joy and of laughter and of dreams.
“I remembered all these things as I sought for little Christine that
day; and my heart was very light to think that she—the vagrant of
Zlarin—was to take her place in this house of splendour and of
magnificence. Nor did I fail to be amused when I stood for a
moment in the sunshine of the Opernring, and read upon a great bill
that Mademoiselle Zlarin would on the following Monday evening
play the part of Joseph in Mascagni’s opera. I made sure that she
had chosen to remember her island home in this pretty fancy, and
had posed as a Frenchwoman for memory of the mother she had
never seen. Two minutes later I stood at the stage-door of the
theatre asking for her.
“There was that which we call la prova being held at the moment of
my arrival; but a commanding word to the door-keeper, and a
gulden thrust into his hand, secured me his favour quickly.
“‘She is singing now, as you may hear for yourself,’ said he. ‘I have
authority to admit no one, as a rule; but if you are a kinsman and
have come from Jézero, as you say, it is another affair. Slip down
that passage there, and you will catch her as she returns to her
room.’
“I obeyed his suggestion quickly, and going down the passage,
whose walls were encumbered with vast piles of paint-besmeared
canvas, I found myself presently out upon the great stage. For some
minutes I could see nothing, so dark was the scene—so little
corresponding to that which I had imagined it to be when I sat in my
humble place in the piccionaja. By-and-bye my eyes accustomed
themselves to the dim light. I began to make out the boxes and the
galleries, now veiled in white cloth. I could see the lumiera high up,
as it were, at the summit of a great dome; the countless stalls below
me ranged themselves like cushions of satin upon an amphitheatre
of snow. When at length I could occupy myself with that which was
passing at my hand, so to speak, I was aware that forty or fifty
others, shadowy forms, hovered over the boards which I trod—here
a woman talking earnestly to a man behind the shelter of a wing;
there a ballet-master rating a dozen pale-faced girls; here, again, a
carpenter busy with hammer and nails; there, again, a suggeritore,
scrip in hand, and tongue well oiled. As the scene became more
clear to me, I began to understand that the rehearsal was nearly
over. Indeed, the main business was done, and the musician, seated
before a piano on the right-hand side of the stage, was playing his
notes for one singer alone. Excellency, a flare of gas cast an aureole
of light about that singer, and I recognised her—but not until I had
looked at her for the third time. She was little Christine!
“She had her fiddle in her hand, and there was a pretty laugh upon
her face when the conductor thumped merrily with his right hand
and beat time with his left. I observed with satisfaction that she was
well dressed, and that her figure had matured since last I saw her.
Presently she began to sing, and this was my greatest surprise of all,
for though there was no great volume of voice, it was singularly
sweet and pure; and my ear told me that her execution was very
exact. I said to myself that she must have studied hard to arrive at
so pleasing a result; and when, a few moments later, she snatched
up her violin and played the music of her part, I wondered no more
that she had come to the opera. Scarce another woman in Europe
could have given such a display in arts so different.
“The music being finished, and the conductor having risen from his
desk, I thought it time to make myself known. Advancing quickly
across the stage, and holding my arms out as a father should to a
child, I said:
“‘Christine, do you not know me—old Andrea of Sebenico? Oh,
blessed be the day!’
“Her response to my cordiality was not such as I had looked for,
excellency. She did not even offer me her cheek to kiss, but started
back, a flush upon her face.
“‘Surely,’ she cried, ‘it is Andrea—and what does he do here?’
“‘Per Baccho,’ said I, ‘but this is a winter’s welcome for one who
gave you——’
“She silenced me with a stamp of her pretty foot.
“‘Why did you not go to my house,’ she exclaimed; ‘do you wish to
act your message here in the theatre? Oh, for a truth, this old man
would play the father to all the lost children in Vienna!’
“‘Christine,’ said I, ‘God forgive you for that saying. I have come far
to bring a message to you; but I can go back as I have come if you
have no wish to hear me.’
“I knew that this would play upon her curiosity, and I was right.
“‘You have come from Jézero?’ she asked quickly.
“‘Certainly,’ said I; ‘and to Jézero I will go again at a word from you.’
“It was astonishing, excellency, to observe the effect of these few
words upon her. All the colour left her face; I could see that she had
begun to tremble.
“‘Come,’ she said presently, ‘we will go to my house, and you shall
tell me your message as we ride.’
“A few moments later I was in her carriage with her—the first time
in my life I had ever set foot in a carriage. I saw that those upon the
pavements stopped to watch us as we passed, and that few men did
not turn to look again at the little singer whose name was upon
everyone’s lips.
“‘Christine,’ said I, ‘this is indeed the day of my life. That I should
come to Vienna to hear such things, and to ride with you in your
own carriage!’
“She laughed merrily; but becoming serious at once, she asked:
“‘Who sent you to me from Jézero?’
“‘My love for you, little one, and a word which the priest dropped to
me. You are not forgotten there, Christine, though I make sure you
have long forgotten them.’
“This surmise of mine, made at a venture, was a thing I had better
have left unsaid. She turned upon me, her eyes flashing:
“‘How dare you say that—how dare you think it?’ she exclaimed;
‘have I not suffered enough because to forget is the one thing
denied to me?’
“‘Christine,’ said I, ‘is it possible that a woman can suffer who has
such opportunities as fortune has given to you?’
“She laughed again—a rippling laugh of irony.
“‘You speak of opportunities,’ cried she; ‘what are they but the fruits
of our own work? Such opportunities as are mine have been earned
by nights and days of ceaseless slavery. They are my sleep, my food,
my heart. I have lived twenty years of my life in a month, that I
might forget, and yet must remember more every day. Oh, I love, I
love—I shall love always, Andrea. I would give all the years of my
success for one hour of love in the gardens at Jézero.’
“I had not looked to find her in this mood, and it pleased me but ill.
Before I could reason with her, we drove up at a house in the
Wallner Strasse, where she had an apartment on the first floor, and I
followed her to her rooms. They were small, but furnished with
exceeding taste, and the déjeûner which was spread upon the table
of her dining-room was a repast to set appetite running.
“‘Eccoli, little one,’ cried I, surveying the fruit and the flowers, and
the rich red wine in the cut-glass decanters, ‘of a truth fortune has
done well to you. That your talent should have brought you such a
reward! Did I not say always——’
“She silenced me sharply, and it was plain to me that my style of
speaking was such as she did not care her servants to hear.
“‘Come,’ she said, ‘we will talk of this another time. I must be at the
theatre again in an hour, and I have much to say to you. It was well
with them at Jézero when you left?’
“‘Certainly, it was well with them—as well as it may be in that
gloomy place. Dio mio, who would live in such a barn when he might
come to this city? I tell you that the very paper hangs in strips upon
the walls. You remember what was being done when you went
away? Per Baccho, they made a pretty job of it, for the Count came
home next day and sent the lot of them about their business.
Certainly, that man is fortunate who has no need to live at Jézero!’
“My object in saying this was, if possible, to take her thoughts from
that which I saw still troubled her so deeply. But the more I talked,
the readier was she to listen, and the questions she put to me were
not to be numbered. ‘It may be as you say,’ she said, ‘but Jézero will
always be very dear to me, Andrea. I could willingly have lived my
life there; yet that was not to be. Tell me, does Count Paul ever
speak of coming to Vienna?’
“‘I have heard nothing of it,’ said I.
“‘I am glad of that,’ she answered, though there were tears in her
eyes when she said it. ‘My husband would kill him if he came here!’
“‘Your husband!’ cried I; ‘Santa Maria, I had forgotten him. Yet what
talk! He has not the courage to lift his hand against a dog. Is he in
Vienna now?’
“‘He is at Buda,’ she said, turning from the subject.
“‘Christine,’ said I, understanding much from her silence, ‘you have
suffered at his hands?’
“‘If I had done so,’ she replied, ‘should I speak of it to you?’
“She rose from the table at this, and went to the window to look
down wistfully upon the crowded street below. It was hard to think
that success meant so little to one who had climbed so steep a road
and whose feet had been so often cut by the way. Before, however, I
could say anything to comfort her, the door of the room opened, and
the servant announced a visitor.
“‘Lieutenant Gerold,’ she said.
“I stood up to make my bow, and found myself in the presence of a
boy who wore the uniform of a hussar regiment—a mere stripling,
who carried a great basket of flowers upon his arm, and had a
shamefaced smile which spoke of his confusion.
“‘Christine——’ he said, coming forward, but stopping abruptly when
he saw me.
“She turned to meet him with a face lit up by the gladness of her
welcome.
“‘Zol,’ she cried, ‘I told you to bring me no more flowers.’
“‘But,’ said he—and it was a boy’s excuse—‘they were very cheap.’
“‘Oh,’ she cried, ‘that is what you always say. Don’t mind old Andrea
here. You have heard me speak of him often. I used to sit upon his
knee once.’
“‘Lucky old rascal!’ replied the lad, playfully.
“‘But that was long ago,’ she added immediately; and then she held
out her hands to the lad for his flowers. I saw that he pinned one to
her breast with trembling fingers.
“‘I am coming to the theatre to-day,’ he said, but in a very low voice.
“‘Have I not forbidden it?’ she exclaimed.
“‘The greater reason that I should come. I love you the most when
you forbid things. And I have a week’s leave. It will be a week in the
theatre. You will not make me unhappy, Christine?’
“He bent down and kissed her hand, and I saw that she did not
draw it back when his lips touched it.

“That night, excellency, my letter went to the priest at Jézero.

“‘Trouble yourself not at all about Christine,’ I wrote, ‘for fortune has
been very kind to her here, where, if my old eyes do not deceive
me, she has both a husband and a lover.’
“‘It was a lie!’ you say. Aye, surely; yet for the child’s sake I lied
then, as I would lie to-day, to-morrow, and to the end of time. For
what service would it have been to her to have snatched her from
her triumphs in the city and to have immured her in the gloomy
house of the Zaloskis? Nay, I knew that it would be none, and I
could have danced for joy when I put my letter into the box.
“‘Now indeed,’ cried I, ‘will they have cause to remember old Andrea,
whom they turned from their door in the day of his necessity.’”
 CHAPTER XXI
“ZOL”

“The boy soldier, Lieutenant Gerold, was, I found, known everywhere

in Vienna by the name of ‘Zol.’ It had begun by his brother officers
calling him ‘Sol,’ from the blaze of gold which his father, Albert
Gerold, the banker, was supposed to possess. The softer sound of
the sibilant, however, had soon given way to the buzz of the ‘z’; and
there was no pretty girl in the Prater who could not tell you his
nickname. For the matter of that, the lad was one of those
affectionate, big-hearted boys who make friends with all the world;
he had followed little Christine like a dog since the day he first set
eyes upon her at the Café des Trois Mousquetaires. He thought her
the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her pictures were
everywhere in his rooms. He used to dress with one at the right
hand of his mirror. His first waking act was to touch with his lips a
little photograph of her hung above his bed. In his boyish way, he
used to think how glorious a thing it would be to die with Christine’s
arms about his neck. He hated the prospect of her triumph, because
that, he feared, would carry her into a new world, where she would
find new friends.
“For five months now this boy and girl friendship had been a pretty
fact. During four of the months, at any rate, Zol had been aware that
some great trouble hung about the girl, and was the shadow upon
her life.
“‘Christine,’ he had once said, ‘why must not I tell you that I love
you? Do not I say it every hour of my life? I must speak—you shall
hear me——’
“‘Hush, Zol!’ she had answered him; ‘you know why I cannot hear
you.’
“‘I know they say in the theatre that you have a husband who is a
brute——’ he blurted out; but she stopped him instantly.
“‘Never say that again,’ she had cried with a shudder; ‘never speak
to me of him, Zol. Oh, you make me remember!’
“She ran away from him to hide her tears; and he, seeing how he
had blundered, heaped new kindnesses upon her.
“‘I will love you always—always!’ he protested; ‘I care not if I may
only look into your eyes and be your friend. I will wait—wait
patiently—to hear some day a word of love from your lips.’
“The promise made of affection was of affection fulfilled. As a little
stream of water falling upon a rock will find a way to the heart of it,
so will friendship long continued break down all barriers of
circumstance and of difficulty, and cut a way to the heart of a friend.
As the months went on, Christine found herself talking to Zol as she
would have talked to a brother. Day by day they spent hours in each
other’s company. He ransacked the shops of Vienna diligently to give
her new pleasures. He asked nothing but a word spoken with the
eyes for his reward. He became necessary to her—how necessary
she had yet to learn. Though she said often that she had left all
hope of life in the mountains of Jézero, she was unconsciously
finding new hopes in the pure ties of this unselfish service. And to
this friendship she added her ceaseless, ardent toil, working with a
persistency—nay, almost a fury—of application in that art which
alone was powerful to efface the past.
“During all these months, when the lad Zol had been waiting so
patiently, Ugo Klun, the husband of Christine, had not neglected to
take advantage of her new situation. One by one he had struck the
gamut of the lusts—desire of the woman, desire of revenge, desire
of the money she earned. He had begun by putting unspeakable
insults upon her; he ended by spending what he could extort from
her in debauchery and in pleasure. And this was the baser side of
the man’s nature—that the friendship which his wife had made in the
city was rather pleasing to him.
“‘Your little hussar amuses me,’ he had said to her; ‘you are a fool if
you do not profit by it. Men like that are born with their boots full of
gold pieces. It is a pity if they do not drop some of them where they
walk. Hang him on your chatelaine like you would hang a purse.
That is my advice to you.’
“She heard him rather with contempt than with scorn. The compact
between them was quite simple now—he came to her when he had
need of her.
“‘Is that another way of asking me for money?’ she said, going to
her cabinet and taking a roll of notes from it.
“‘Exactly, Christina mia. You know how much it costs to live here.
And the husband of Mademoiselle Zlarin must not have holes in his
boots. What would your little hussar say to that?’
“She gave no heed to the insult, but began to count the notes—an
operation which he watched with greedy eyes.
“‘Diavolo, Christine,’ continued he, ‘you have your freedom cheaply:
fifty guldens a week to keep me from Vienna! My price will be higher
by-and-bye, when you sing at the Opera. And I shall go away only
for a month this time. What! there are tears in your eyes that I leave
you? How we love each other, anima mia!’
“Again she was silent; and when he had put the money into a
scented pocket-book, and had helped himself to the wine which
stood upon her sideboard, he took his leave again.
“‘Addio, little one,’ cried he; ‘do not forget that your hussar is the
son of a banker. Look into his eyes well, carina, for you will see the
colour of his gold there. It is good to have friends like that—but the
other—your devil of the mountains—God steady my hand when I
draw my knife to him.’
“He did not wait for her answer, but went singing from the place,
leaving her with hate and shame rushing to her cheeks. Coward that
he was, she believed that this was a threat which he would have the
courage to make good. Concentration upon a single hate is often the
strength of little minds. In all his debaucheries, in all his new
pleasures begotten of his wife’s earnings, the remembrance of the
Count of Jézero was ever with him.
“‘I will kill him if he comes here; I swear it on the Sacrament,’ he
said; and that word he meant.
“Excellency, the Count of Jézero came to Vienna six weeks after my
arrival there. It was upon the day that Christine was to play Joseph
at the Opera.”
 CHAPTER XXII
THE MORNING OF THE DAY

“I had found a lodging during my six weeks’ sojourn in the capital, at

a little Italian hotel in the Kohl Market. These six weeks had brought
winter to us, and the snow lay white and heavy upon the Prater. You
heard the tinkle of sleigh-bells everywhere; pretty women were the
prettier for their sables; the men went hurriedly to their work or
play, their steps quickened by the music of the frost. At the Palaces
there were great assemblages every night. The whole city seemed
full of the intoxication of dancing and of feasting. I, old man that I
was, and a stranger to the unresting pleasures of Vienna, found
myself carried away by them like a boy of twenty. Herr Strauss set
my feet leaping always. I discovered many a pretty face ready to
laugh at my words. I stood before the gorgeous shops and dreamt
that some good genius had dowered me with riches. There was
money in my pocket always, for little Christine saw to that.
“Such a novelty of pleasure caused the weeks to pass quickly, and
the first night of Christine’s appearance at the Opera in the part of
Joseph was upon me before I had learnt to realise the whole truth of
her altered situation. Not that the city neglected to talk of an event
so important. The fresh melodies of Mascagni were then making
madmen of us. We had carried my clever young countryman
shoulder high to his hotel; we had taken the horses from his
carriage, and had cheered like children upon a holiday when first we
had heard the beauties of ‘Cavalleria.’ The promise of ‘L’Amico Fritz’
was upon all our tongues. The boulevardiers said that a prettier
Joseph would not be seen upon any stage; musicians cried out that
the notes from Christine’s violin were golden threads of harmony
drawn from a skein of fire. She had made a great reputation already
at the Café des Trois Mousquetaires. People pointed to her in the
street, and said that the première of the new opera must be a
triumph for her. I listened to all the talk, and my pride grew strong
when I repeated their praise. ‘Securo,’ said I, ‘is she not my
daughter, and will not there be a place for me in whatever house of
fame may be prepared for her? Glory be to God that she did not
marry the gloomy man of Jézero!’
“On the morning of that long-looked-for day, excellency, I rose
betimes and went to the great church of St. Stephen to the early
Mass, that I might pray for Christine’s success. I have always been a
religious man, and surely, even to one who doubts that his prayers
will be heard, the chance is worth the taking. ‘Little help indeed can
I give her, but such as I have shall not be held back,’ I said. And
there was no man in all the church who prayed more fervently than I
that the little one might reap a rich harvest, and leave a gleaning for
those who had loved her.
“I heard the Mass, and then returned to my home. To my surprise, I
found the young hussar waiting in my rooms for me. It was my
thought that hitherto he had treated me with some coldness, but
now he shewed a great readiness to be civil to me.
“‘I want a word with you, old Andrea,’ said he; ‘we will go and
breakfast at Daum’s, and you can talk while you eat.’
“‘Body of Paul,’ cried I, ‘you may count upon me for that! I know
nothing which puts hunger into a man like the droning of the priests
—God forgive me for the words. It is an honour to be your servant,
Lieutenant, though I would that my coat was more worthy of the
office. Accidente, it is as full of holes as a cheese out of France.’
“‘Blitzen,’ cried he, surveying me critically, ‘you speak truth! We will
go to the Graben, old Andrea, where there is plenty of shadow.’
“I followed him out, and when an admirable breakfast was served,
and he had filled his glass the second time—for he ate very little—he
began to question me.
“‘You were at Mademoiselle’s house last night?’ he asked.
“‘Surely,’ said I, ‘did we not meet there?’
“‘Ah, I remember that we did. Then you know nothing of the ill news
she has received?’
“‘Diavolo,’ cried I, ‘ill news—and whence comes that?’
“‘That is what I want to ask you. The devil take me if I can make
head or tail of it. I left her after the rehearsal just as merry as a girl
could be—and here to-day she has the face of a nun. It cannot be
that her cut-throat of a husband is troubling her, for he is not in
Vienna. It is something else, old Andrea, and you must help me to
find it out.’
“He filled my glass as he spoke, and lighting a cigarette he threw
himself back in his chair, a picture of boyish concern which amused
me to see.
“‘Nom du diable,’ said I, ‘it is easy to talk of finding it out, but he
who runs after a woman’s whims must wear thick boots. She had no
letter that you know of?’
“‘If she had she kept it from me. And that’s what I complain of. She
tells me nothing. I hear hints all day, but devil of a word which
would let me help her. If she would only talk to me, everything
would be right in five minutes. But she won’t. That’s her obstinacy,
my friend.’
“He began to drum upon the table with his hands, and to put on an
air of ferocity, as much as to say: ‘Oh, I will deal with it—and then!’
I, on my part, while his tragedy air tickled me, fell to wondering
what news Christine had heard; and suddenly I divined the truth:
the Count of Jézero was in Vienna!
“‘Lieutenant,’ said I presently, ‘Christine has told you nothing of her
friends at Jézero?’
“He looked up quickly.
“‘What friends?’ he asked.
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