"I think you've heard enough," she added dryly. "You're now convinced,
Herr Candidat, that such a mangy sheep would make a poor figure among
the gentle flock you lead to pasture, so I beg you in the future not to
trouble yourself about my temporal and eternal welfare."

"Certainly I have heard enough," answered Lorinser opening his eyes so
suddenly upon her, that the metallic lustre of the whites, subdued by
the green lamp light, seemed ghostly, "though you have really told me
nothing more, than I knew at the first glance. You're mistaken if you
think such confessions are new to me or repel me. They always proceed
from an exceptionally powerful nature, and grace can work only where
there is strength. Gentle, unselfish souls have nothing to oppose and
so nothing to gain. But since I have fully understood your nature, it
would be of great value if you would trust me sufficiently to disclose
the external circumstances among which you have become--no, have
remained, what you were from the beginning; I mean, your history, the
events of your life."

"My history?"--she laughed. "I have none, or what I have has already
been told you. My face is my history, my heavy eye-brows and the
shadow on my upper lip are my destiny. My father happened to look as I
do, and was considered a stately, interesting man. But I should have
been wiser to choose the face of my mother, who was by no means filmed
for her beauty, but must have been exactly what I am not, a thorough
woman. At least she made all sorts of innocent conquests. I, on the
contrary, though I was neither stupid nor had unwomanly manners--I
mean when I was a young girl; for I now go about boldly, like an old
student--although my talents early attracted attention among my
father's colleagues--he was one of the court musicians,--never made a
conquest in all my life. That is, I might have married two or three
times; but it was for very different reasons than love. One wanted to
give concerts with me, another, who was an elderly man and tired of his
bachelor life, needed a housekeeper, and that she should be ill-favored
he rather preferred than otherwise. He thought he would be all the more
sure of her faithfulness and self-sacrificing gratitude, in return for
his making her a married woman. The third--but why should I tell you
these disgusting tales, which at first deeply humiliated me. And though
I might have learned from them what my mirror had not then taught me, I
was mad enou