s
calling in life. She knew perfectly well that the highest professorship
could only earn in a year what an ordinary ship-broker made in a month.
At the same time she reflected that even a merchant made a bad job of
it sometimes, as her son-in-law's example had shown her only too
plainly; that the title "Professor" sounded very well, and if he did
not make very much money at most, at least he could not lose it, and
she came to the conclusion that in the circumstances a professor could
make his wife very happy. Frau Marker had nothing to say about the
matter, and was quite prepared to accept a son-in-law from her mother's
hand, as she had formerly accepted a husband, so the fact that Paul had
not made a very favorable impression on her did not matter very much.

There remained only Malvine--but just there lay the difficulty. The
girl was always kind and friendly to Paul, she took his homage without
any coquetry or apparent disinclination; when they went out walking she
took his arm quite unaffectedly; when they were invited to meet in
society, by a tacit agreement he took her in to dinner, had the
privilege of the greater part of the dances, and was her partner for
the cotillion. But whether they were alone or in company, whether they
danced or talked, whether he came or went, she showed a perfect
unconcern and freedom of manner to which he longed to put an end. She
was much too cold and collected even for his unsentimental nature. He
would have forgiven some agitation, some confusion, a few blushes now
and then, perhaps a sigh, but these signs of the heart's flutterings
were nowhere forthcoming. As they were out one day alone together,
something happened which filled Paul with doubt and trouble. Malvine
had been attracted to Wilhelm when first she saw him, and since then
she had incessantly thought and talked of him. He was so handsome, he
spoke so charmingly! She thought it astonishing that any one should not
love him, just because his admiration was mingled with so much shyness.
She herself was much too insignificant a person to think of loving him,
and beside, he was not free, and it would have been a sin to think of
the man who was engaged to her friend. This enthusiasm for Wilhelm
naturally did not escape Paul's notice, but it did not disquiet him,
because he took into account Malvine's nature. "It is a harmless
fancy," he said to himself, "the sort of fancy girls take sometimes for
princes whose photographs they s