“Well, what word did my great-aunt send to me?”
“She sends you her greeting. I think she is a very good woman—she no longer seems to be offended with you.”
“But why should she be offended with me?”
“Well, if you will permit me to say so—for the way you got rid of us all.... But we will not talk about that now. Adele wanted me to tell you that you must come and visit her at Sielenburg—it would please her.”
“Thank you. Perhaps I will, next spring.” And, turning to the baroness, she said: “What do you wish I should help you about, Baroness?”
“You must not disappoint her, Franka,” suggested Albertine. “If you do what the Baroness Rinski is going to ask you, it will be for your own great advantage. You need something to occupy you and give you some object in life, something that will turn your great property to a good purpose.”
Franka concealed her vexation. She had thought that she was going to rid herself entirely of the Sielenburg protectorate, and now it was cropping up again. She could easily imagine what secret design the Baroness Rinski cherished. She had no objection to devoting large sums to charitable ends and she had already done much in that direction; yet on this score she preferred to act in accordance with her own judgment and her own impulse, and not after the prescription of others, and she certainly did not wish to be drawn into the game of charity as she happened to know it was played by the baroness. As a student of social economic literature under the wise direction of her father, she had won too deep an insight into the causes and the ramifications of human misery, not to know that if she spent her whole property in alms, it would be only a drop on a hot stone. The lever must be applied in a very different place, in order to eradicate the evil.
The little baroness took a few printed documents out of her hand-bag. “See, my dear young lady, here are the yearly reports of various societies on whose boards I serve.” And she began with great volubility to describe the blessings afforded by these associations for the rescue of babies, the protection of the young, the guardianship of maidservants, and the care of elderly persons; and she wanted Franka to enroll herself as a patroness and undertake the office of president of a new society for providing food for needy school-children.
“There is nothing,” she said in conclusion, “nothing which can better build a golden stair up to heaven than beneficence. And even here below one gains recognition by it; and even if one does not belong to high society, it affords an opportunity to meet with ladies of high standing, and one may even expect to obtain the ‘Elizabeth Order’ of the third class.”
Franka laughed and shook her head. “I am afraid that there is danger of slipping off the heavenly stairs if one has at the same time an eye for such earthly things. However, Baroness, send me the subscription-list of your associations—I will gladly put my name down according to my ability, but I will not accept any offices.”