If it would give you any pleasure, I am ready to marry him."

"Give me pleasure, indeed! I want you to please yourself, girl. The lad
is such a worthy fellow, that seek as you like you will not find a
better. He is no mere blockhead, like the ordinary workman; he has
travelled in foreign parts, he can stand up before anybody; and then he
loves you so much."

"I know; I admit it. I have always respected him, worthy man that he is;
but love him I cannot. I will marry him, I will be faithful to him to
the day of my death, but he will be unhappy, and so shall I."

Boltay sighed; and in a few moments he said, in a scarcely audible
voice, "Then, don't marry him."

The tears flowed involuntarily from the eyes of the two old people. They
loved the young folks as if they were their own children; and oh, how
they would have liked to have seen them happy together! And Fate willed
otherwise!

At last Boltay brushed the sweat off his forehead with his hand, and
said, with a great effort at composure, "Get up, my girl! Overrule your
heart I cannot; it would be wrong. He certainly could not accept your
hand without your love. No, let us talk of something else. You have
another suitor. A great and rich gentleman would make you his wife; he
has an illustrious name and an honourable title, it takes him a whole
week to ride over his estates, and he has an annual income of a million
and a half."

Fanny cast down her eyes and shook her head. Then she answered coldly
and sensibly, "That would mean good luck, but not happiness."

"It is true," continued Boltay, "that your second suitor is not young;
but, instead of love, he promises you ease and a high position."

"Who is it?"

"His name will not have a very pleasant sound in your ears, for it is a
gentleman of the same name who is the cause of most of your troubles;
he is John Karpathy, the uncle of that tempter at church."

Here the girl burst out laughing.

"Ah, yes! the man like a fat spider."

"His figure has improved since then."

"Whom they consider such a lunatic."

"He is much wiser now."

"And who is always drinking and making merry with peasant girls."

"He has completely changed his mode of life now."

"Ah, my dear guardian, this is only a joke, surely, or, if it be a
serious business, you only want to make fun of it. Now, look here, Daddy
Boltay, first of all, when I told you to marry and I would be your wife,
you said you might be my grandfather, and now you