most of the talking. Frau Regine was now in her fiftieth
year, but the last ten years had not changed her much; her life ran on
so smoothly and evenly.

A wrinkle was to be found here and there in her face, and silver threads
were weaving their way into her dark hair, but the gray eyes had lost
nothing of their clearness and sharpness, the voice was as full and
resolute as ever, and her bearing as erect and energetic as formerly.

"Willibald will be here in eight days," she was saying. "The harvesting
was not quite done; but everything will be finished within the week, and
then he can come to meet his bride. The matter has been settled between
us for a long time, but I was resolved to postpone it for some time, for
what did a young thing of sixteen or seventeen, with childish notions
still in her head know about the orderly direction of a household? Now
that Toni is twenty years old, and Will twenty-seven, it is all right.
Are you still perfectly satisfied that this betrothal is the best thing
for our children's future?"

"Perfectly satisfied," assented the head forester. "I think everything
is as it should be. One half my fortune will go, some day, to my son,
the other half to my daughter, and I think you may be well content with
the portion I have set aside as Toni's wedding gift."

"Yes, you have been very liberal. As to Will, he came into possession of
Burgsdorf three years ago; the remainder of the fortune remains, by the
will, in my hands, and at my death goes, of course, to him. But I've
seen to it that the young people won't suffer. I have made ample
provision for them."

"No need for haste. We are only going to celebrate the betrothal now;
the marriage won't be until next spring."

And now the first cloud appeared on the clear heaven of their perfect
harmony. Frau von Eschenhagen shook her head and said dictatorially:

"We won't postpone it any longer now. The wedding must take place this
winter. Willibald has no time to get married in the spring."

"Nonsense, a man always has time to get married," declared Schoenau, just
as dictatorially.

"Not in the country," asserted Frau Regine. "There something else must
be considered; first work, then pleasure. That's always been the rule
with us, and that's what I've taught Will."

"I trust he'd make an exception as regards his young wife; otherwise
he's little better than a milksop," cried the forester, angrily. "Above
all, Regine, you must remember my stipu