"Fraulein Maria?"
"You said there was a sewing machine, Frau Schmidt?" I had only used a sewing machine a few times before, but even if it took me a day or so to get used to it, a machine would still speed up the my sewing considerably. If I was going to make my own clothes, as well as playclothes for the children, I wanted to get started as soon as possible. It was going to be difficult, particularly with seven children to sew for... I sent a resentful arrow of thought in the direction of their overly strict father and his immaculate uniforms.
She glanced at the drapes in my hands and lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "I thought the Captain had enough material for you to make several dresses. If you need more-"
"This isn't for me. I'm going to make playclothes for the children."
Her eyebrows rose even higher. "The Captain won't be pleased."
"The Captain," I retorted, "Isn't here." A bit acerbic of me, but I had spent the evening drying Marta's tears when her father didn't show for her birthday. He had left her a beautifully gift wrapped teddy bear that was almost as tall as she was. While Marta adored the bear, she would have preferred her father. In my admittedly biased opinion, the Captain needed to be shaken, either physically or metaphorically and I was perfectly willing to supply the vibrations. I also suspected the children would be more than willing to provide a nudge or two…so long as their chance of being caught in the act was fairly minimal.
Frau Schmidt studied me for a moment, then nodded. "As you wish."
She led me to a small room, with a fairly new sewing machine and everything one could possibly need to make or repair clothes and left me there without further comment as I began measuring the material. I was going to have to be very careful not to waste any cloth if I was going to fit seven children. It was involving work and I was startled when Frau Schmidt reappeared in the room carrying a household ledger.
"We didn't get a chance to talk earlier, so I'd like to explain some things now, if it won't disturb you too much." She explained.
"Not at all." I only hoped the conversation didn't involve whistles.
"Now this," she handed over an envelope "Is your salary for the month. I need you to sign here in the ledger next to your name."
I looked at her in surprise. "Monthly Salary? But I've only been here a few days."
"Yes, well the Captain believes anyone who is starting a new job is probably short of money, so he pays new employees for the full month, no matter how late in the month they start." She sounded faintly disapproving, as if she found this generosity extravagant. Certainly it was unheard of, and not at all what I had expected from the Baron.
Truthfully, I was surprised at even being paid. I was, after all , here on the Reverent Mother's orders and had he wished, the Captain could have used that as a reason to provide only food and board. When I saw the salary in the ledger I was even more surprised. Captain Von Trapp was paying me far more than I had ever received, even while earning my teaching degree.
"There seems to be some mistake-" I began.
"No mistake." Frau Schmidt interrupted briskly. "Believe me, the Captain has become quite used to offering a generous wage to the children's governess; not that is does any good. Truthfully, I think the children get rid of the poor creatures just so they can see their father again."
"Oh." I felt a pang of sympathy for the children, who seemed caught between hero worship and fear of their imposing parent.
"Now, the cost of the material the Captain supplied came out of the household budget, but if you wish to make additional dresses, you will have to cover that out of your salary." That would be no problem. The amount in the envelope was far in excess of my needs. The housekeeper continued her instructions. "You are not responsible for the children's expenses of course. The Captain will pay for anything needed for their education and welfare, but come to me before you buy anything and let me know what you need. I may be able to get it for less that you would have to pay." Obviously she spent her employers' money with care.
"You're very devoted to him, aren't you?" The question slipped out before I stopped to think about it. I really had to learn to stop myself before saying the first thing that came to mind.
Frau Schmidt looked at me in surprise. "The Captain has been very good to me. Far kinder and more generous than I ever had any right to expect."
"Really?" I was dying of curiosity. Coming straight out and asking her would have been unforgivably rude, but I hoped she would take the hint.
She closed the ledger and toyed with the edge for a moment, then appeared to come to a decision.
"You have to understand how much he loved his wife. He was so young during the war, and had seen such terrible things. When he met her he was....lost. I think he had seen to much pain and grief and horror that he couldn't remember there was anything else. His wife reminded him that there were good things in the world. It was as if she made him feel safe in some way."
"Is that when you first met him?" I felt secure enough to ask that question since she had already started talking.
"Yes, just after the war, before he even met his wife. I'm afraid he gave me a job out of pity more than anything else."
"I don't understand." By now I had given up any pretense of working on my sewing. Gossip was a sin and I would have to do penance for it, but it would be worth it to get more information about the infuriating man I was working for.
"My husband had died of influenza, my son had returned from the front desparately ill from mustard gas and barely able to breathe. And I was an old woman with no job, no money and no food in the house. So, when I heard the Captain had bought the villa and intended to repair it and make it his home, I spent the morning walking up here in the hopes that he was hiring." Her face took on a distant look. "You couldn't tell now, but the house was in terrible shape at the time. It was damaged with great holes in the walls, all the windows were shattered. When I knocked on the door it swung right open as latch was broken. The Captain was the only person there, and was not at all pleased at having strangers wander in uninvited, but he listened politely enough when I asked him about a job and answered that if I wished to leave my name and address he would notify me when he was prepared to hire someone."
"My heart sank, as I fully expected to be evicted before the week was out, but I left the information and was able get past the doors before I started to cry. Captain Von Trapp must have seen something in my face, though because all of the sudden he was standing in front of me, offering his handkerchief. I remember apologizing, ashamed at having burst into tears over what was simply one more disappointment and he asked me if I would stay and help him with tea. For the first time I noticed his hand was wrapped in bandages and realized how tired and pale he looked. He had been injured in the last days of the war and was still recovering. Well, I made tea for the two of us and sat down with him in the battered kitchen. Somehow I ended up telling him everything: About my husband who had died wheezing for breath and my son in the hospital who sounded the same way as he fought to pull air into his damaged lungs. I told the Captain how the Doctors believed he needed to go a private sanitorium in Switzerland if he was going to live out the month and how I couldn't afford to pay the rent, much less the cost of a private hospital.'
"I was so absorbed with my own problems that I didn't notice how stiffly and painfully the Captain moved, how ill he was. He never mentioned his own discomfort, though. He just listened quietly to me until I had run out of words and was feeling foolish and ashamed at having spilled every detail of my life to a complete stranger. Then he said perhaps he could use someone after all and asked me when I could start. Part of me was embarrassed; plainly he was offering me a position that he was creating simply because I needed one. I was so grateful however, that I seized the oppurtunity and said I could start that day. The Captain waved me off, saying I probably had errands to run before I could start, then paid me what he called an advance, though he never subtracted it from my salary, and suggested that I start the next day.'
"It was the most amazing feeling, knowing I had a job, a steady salary. I hurried to pay the landlord, before he locked me out of my apartment, then rushed to the hospital to tell my son. When I got there, I found another surprise awaiting me. The Doctors were preparing to move him to the private hospital in Switzerland. Apparently the Captain was making the arrangements and had promised to cover the cost of my son's stay. In the space of one day the Captain had given me hope for not only my future but my son's as well. I tried to thank him, but he simply said it was what my son was due as an Austrian soldier."
"Is your son still there?" I was fascinated at this unexpected side to the reserved man I had recently met.
Frau Schmidt smiled fondly. "He's in the United States, living in place called New Mexico. His condition has improved a great deal but his lungs still aren't very strong. The Doctors thought it would be the best climate for him. The Captain offered to help me move there if it was what I wanted, but for the present, I prefer to stay in Austria."
I sat in silence, contemplating the conflicting information I had about Captain Von Trapp. He kept his children at arm length and missed his daughter's birthday, but had plainly made an effort to find a gift that would please her. He summoned people with whistles, but would, at a time when he was injured and in pain, listen to a stranger's problems and go to great lengths to help. He gave his children commands and expected instant obediance but had greeted Brigitta's tardy arrival with gentleness and what had been little more than a fond tap on the bottom. It was almost as if his aloof air and chilly manner was a front; a defense of some kind. But why on earth would he feel the need to protect himself from his own children?
"Well," Frau Schmidt interrupted my thoughts. "I need to get to bed. I'd suggest you get some rest as well. In case you haven't noticed, the children will keep you busy.
How on earth do you plan to get them to stand still long enough to get their measurements?"
"I thought I'd make it part of a math lesson." I replied. "Sometimes a practical application can do wonders at helping children learn."
She smiled. "You remind me of the Captain," She said unexpectedly. "Always a plan. Goodnight."
And with that she closed the door and left me alone with the drapes, and my plans for play clothes, and a mass of troubling thoughts about a distant, brooding Sea Captain.
"You said there was a sewing machine, Frau Schmidt?" I had only used a sewing machine a few times before, but even if it took me a day or so to get used to it, a machine would still speed up the my sewing considerably. If I was going to make my own clothes, as well as playclothes for the children, I wanted to get started as soon as possible. It was going to be difficult, particularly with seven children to sew for... I sent a resentful arrow of thought in the direction of their overly strict father and his immaculate uniforms.
She glanced at the drapes in my hands and lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "I thought the Captain had enough material for you to make several dresses. If you need more-"
"This isn't for me. I'm going to make playclothes for the children."
Her eyebrows rose even higher. "The Captain won't be pleased."
"The Captain," I retorted, "Isn't here." A bit acerbic of me, but I had spent the evening drying Marta's tears when her father didn't show for her birthday. He had left her a beautifully gift wrapped teddy bear that was almost as tall as she was. While Marta adored the bear, she would have preferred her father. In my admittedly biased opinion, the Captain needed to be shaken, either physically or metaphorically and I was perfectly willing to supply the vibrations. I also suspected the children would be more than willing to provide a nudge or two…so long as their chance of being caught in the act was fairly minimal.
Frau Schmidt studied me for a moment, then nodded. "As you wish."
She led me to a small room, with a fairly new sewing machine and everything one could possibly need to make or repair clothes and left me there without further comment as I began measuring the material. I was going to have to be very careful not to waste any cloth if I was going to fit seven children. It was involving work and I was startled when Frau Schmidt reappeared in the room carrying a household ledger.
"We didn't get a chance to talk earlier, so I'd like to explain some things now, if it won't disturb you too much." She explained.
"Not at all." I only hoped the conversation didn't involve whistles.
"Now this," she handed over an envelope "Is your salary for the month. I need you to sign here in the ledger next to your name."
I looked at her in surprise. "Monthly Salary? But I've only been here a few days."
"Yes, well the Captain believes anyone who is starting a new job is probably short of money, so he pays new employees for the full month, no matter how late in the month they start." She sounded faintly disapproving, as if she found this generosity extravagant. Certainly it was unheard of, and not at all what I had expected from the Baron.
Truthfully, I was surprised at even being paid. I was, after all , here on the Reverent Mother's orders and had he wished, the Captain could have used that as a reason to provide only food and board. When I saw the salary in the ledger I was even more surprised. Captain Von Trapp was paying me far more than I had ever received, even while earning my teaching degree.
"There seems to be some mistake-" I began.
"No mistake." Frau Schmidt interrupted briskly. "Believe me, the Captain has become quite used to offering a generous wage to the children's governess; not that is does any good. Truthfully, I think the children get rid of the poor creatures just so they can see their father again."
"Oh." I felt a pang of sympathy for the children, who seemed caught between hero worship and fear of their imposing parent.
"Now, the cost of the material the Captain supplied came out of the household budget, but if you wish to make additional dresses, you will have to cover that out of your salary." That would be no problem. The amount in the envelope was far in excess of my needs. The housekeeper continued her instructions. "You are not responsible for the children's expenses of course. The Captain will pay for anything needed for their education and welfare, but come to me before you buy anything and let me know what you need. I may be able to get it for less that you would have to pay." Obviously she spent her employers' money with care.
"You're very devoted to him, aren't you?" The question slipped out before I stopped to think about it. I really had to learn to stop myself before saying the first thing that came to mind.
Frau Schmidt looked at me in surprise. "The Captain has been very good to me. Far kinder and more generous than I ever had any right to expect."
"Really?" I was dying of curiosity. Coming straight out and asking her would have been unforgivably rude, but I hoped she would take the hint.
She closed the ledger and toyed with the edge for a moment, then appeared to come to a decision.
"You have to understand how much he loved his wife. He was so young during the war, and had seen such terrible things. When he met her he was....lost. I think he had seen to much pain and grief and horror that he couldn't remember there was anything else. His wife reminded him that there were good things in the world. It was as if she made him feel safe in some way."
"Is that when you first met him?" I felt secure enough to ask that question since she had already started talking.
"Yes, just after the war, before he even met his wife. I'm afraid he gave me a job out of pity more than anything else."
"I don't understand." By now I had given up any pretense of working on my sewing. Gossip was a sin and I would have to do penance for it, but it would be worth it to get more information about the infuriating man I was working for.
"My husband had died of influenza, my son had returned from the front desparately ill from mustard gas and barely able to breathe. And I was an old woman with no job, no money and no food in the house. So, when I heard the Captain had bought the villa and intended to repair it and make it his home, I spent the morning walking up here in the hopes that he was hiring." Her face took on a distant look. "You couldn't tell now, but the house was in terrible shape at the time. It was damaged with great holes in the walls, all the windows were shattered. When I knocked on the door it swung right open as latch was broken. The Captain was the only person there, and was not at all pleased at having strangers wander in uninvited, but he listened politely enough when I asked him about a job and answered that if I wished to leave my name and address he would notify me when he was prepared to hire someone."
"My heart sank, as I fully expected to be evicted before the week was out, but I left the information and was able get past the doors before I started to cry. Captain Von Trapp must have seen something in my face, though because all of the sudden he was standing in front of me, offering his handkerchief. I remember apologizing, ashamed at having burst into tears over what was simply one more disappointment and he asked me if I would stay and help him with tea. For the first time I noticed his hand was wrapped in bandages and realized how tired and pale he looked. He had been injured in the last days of the war and was still recovering. Well, I made tea for the two of us and sat down with him in the battered kitchen. Somehow I ended up telling him everything: About my husband who had died wheezing for breath and my son in the hospital who sounded the same way as he fought to pull air into his damaged lungs. I told the Captain how the Doctors believed he needed to go a private sanitorium in Switzerland if he was going to live out the month and how I couldn't afford to pay the rent, much less the cost of a private hospital.'
"I was so absorbed with my own problems that I didn't notice how stiffly and painfully the Captain moved, how ill he was. He never mentioned his own discomfort, though. He just listened quietly to me until I had run out of words and was feeling foolish and ashamed at having spilled every detail of my life to a complete stranger. Then he said perhaps he could use someone after all and asked me when I could start. Part of me was embarrassed; plainly he was offering me a position that he was creating simply because I needed one. I was so grateful however, that I seized the oppurtunity and said I could start that day. The Captain waved me off, saying I probably had errands to run before I could start, then paid me what he called an advance, though he never subtracted it from my salary, and suggested that I start the next day.'
"It was the most amazing feeling, knowing I had a job, a steady salary. I hurried to pay the landlord, before he locked me out of my apartment, then rushed to the hospital to tell my son. When I got there, I found another surprise awaiting me. The Doctors were preparing to move him to the private hospital in Switzerland. Apparently the Captain was making the arrangements and had promised to cover the cost of my son's stay. In the space of one day the Captain had given me hope for not only my future but my son's as well. I tried to thank him, but he simply said it was what my son was due as an Austrian soldier."
"Is your son still there?" I was fascinated at this unexpected side to the reserved man I had recently met.
Frau Schmidt smiled fondly. "He's in the United States, living in place called New Mexico. His condition has improved a great deal but his lungs still aren't very strong. The Doctors thought it would be the best climate for him. The Captain offered to help me move there if it was what I wanted, but for the present, I prefer to stay in Austria."
I sat in silence, contemplating the conflicting information I had about Captain Von Trapp. He kept his children at arm length and missed his daughter's birthday, but had plainly made an effort to find a gift that would please her. He summoned people with whistles, but would, at a time when he was injured and in pain, listen to a stranger's problems and go to great lengths to help. He gave his children commands and expected instant obediance but had greeted Brigitta's tardy arrival with gentleness and what had been little more than a fond tap on the bottom. It was almost as if his aloof air and chilly manner was a front; a defense of some kind. But why on earth would he feel the need to protect himself from his own children?
"Well," Frau Schmidt interrupted my thoughts. "I need to get to bed. I'd suggest you get some rest as well. In case you haven't noticed, the children will keep you busy.
How on earth do you plan to get them to stand still long enough to get their measurements?"
"I thought I'd make it part of a math lesson." I replied. "Sometimes a practical application can do wonders at helping children learn."
She smiled. "You remind me of the Captain," She said unexpectedly. "Always a plan. Goodnight."
And with that she closed the door and left me alone with the drapes, and my plans for play clothes, and a mass of troubling thoughts about a distant, brooding Sea Captain.