r. Eynhardt
had come and gone away again, without saying good-day to her. As she
was going to ask what the visit meant, Malvine came and embraced her
grandmother, crying bitterly, to the old lady's great distress. With
many tears she had given a confused and broken account of the interview
with Wilhelm, begging Frau Brohl to comfort her and foretell that it
should end well. Frau Brohl explained that Malvine was now in her room,
meaning that Paul must not try to see her just at present. Such a
silly, inexperienced creature must have time given her to learn to be
reasonable, beside, she (Frau Brohl) would take care of everything, and
Herr Haber could call her grandmamma now if he liked. He kissed her
hand, deeply moved and grateful, and her eyes filled with tears. She
then explained the situation to Frau Marker, who, after looking very
much surprised, also embraced her son-in-law. It was a dignified scene,
tender, and, as befitted an honorable family, without any over display
of feeling; if all the wealthy people of Stettin had been assembled
there, they could have expressed nothing but admiration.

On the next day Frau Brohl spoke to her grand-daughter. She made her
understand that there were no real objections to be made, that she was
silly and was acting against her own happiness. Paul was much the
better match of the two, was more chic and practical than Wilhelm, had
better prospects in life, and was really better-looking than his
friend. Above all she liked Paul, and did not like Wilhelm, and that
ought to be taken into account. Malvine was not inaccessible to such
arguments, as Paul was really sympathetic to her. Soon her tears ceased
to flow, and her sighs became fainter and fainter. In two days' time
she regained her appetite, signs which Frau Brohl noticed, and quickly
imparted to Paul. At their first meeting he showed a little anxiety,
and she, a good deal of constraint, but that soon passed off, and as
they were constantly together, she found a great deal of pleasure in
his manly good looks and honorable qualities. Beside, it was spring!
the sun shone, the sky was blue, her room was full of the fragrance of
flowers, which Paul brought every day with the regularity of a postman,
and fourteen days later they were engaged, and his first kiss was given
in the presence of her grandmother, mother, and Paul's parents. Her
heart felt very warmly toward him, and she would have felt dreadfully
confused had not Wilhelm, w