lation. My Toni has not seen your
son for two years. If he does not please her--she has free choice, you
understand."

His speech touched his sister-in-law on her most sensitive point; her
motherly pride was outraged.

"My dear Moritz, I have more confidence than you, apparently, in your
daughter's good taste. As for the rest, I hold to the good old custom
that children should marry whom their parents select. It was that way in
our day, and we have found no cause of complaint. What do young people
know of such serious matters any way? But you have let your children
have their own way from the very start; any one could soon tell that
there was no mother in this house."

"Well, was that my fault?" asked Schoenau, incensed. "Perhaps, I ought to
have given them a step-mother. I suggested it to you once, but you
wouldn't hear of it, Regine."

"No, I had been married once," was the dry answer, and it seemed to
increase the head forester's irritation. He shrugged his shoulders
spitefully.

"Well, I certainly think you had no cause for complaint against poor
Eschenhagen. He, and all his people at Burgsdorf danced when you piped.
With me you would not have ordered the regiment about so easily."

"In about four weeks," Frau Regine declared calmly, "you would all have
been under my command, Moritz."

"What! You say that to my face? Well, I'd just like to prove it for
once," retorted Schoenau, full of wrath now.

"Thank you, I shouldn't care to marry a second time, so give yourself no
uneasiness."

"I can assure you I didn't mean an offer. I wouldn't think of such a
thing for a moment. One refusal was enough for me. So you need not
trouble giving me a second one."

With these words the master of the house rose, pushed back his chair
noisily, and left his guest abruptly. Frau von Eschenhagen remained
quietly sitting alone for some time, then she called out in a friendly
tone:

"Moritz."

"What is it?" he growled from the other side of the terrace.

"When are Herbert and his young wife coming?"

"At twelve o'clock," the voice had an ill-tempered ring yet.

"I am so glad. I have not seen him since he was sent to the South German
capital, but I have always maintained that Herbert was the pride of our
family, and he keeps up enough state for us all. Now you see he is
Prussian ambassador at your court, and is 'Your Excellency.'"

"And then he's a young husband of six and fifty, don't forget that,"
interrupted the fo