but, spite of all
this finesse, she still remained the lady from Lemvig. They could remove
no bows from her pronunciation. She had been the first at home; here she
could not take that rank. This evening she was to see in the theatre,
for the first time, the ballet of the "Somnambule."

"It is French!" said Hans Peter; "and frivolous, like everything that we
have from them."

"Yes, the scene in the second act, where she steps out of the window,"
said the merchant; "that is very instructive for youth!"

"But the last act is sweet!" cried the lady. "The second act is
certainly, as Hans Peter very justly observed, somewhat French. Good
heavens! he gets quite red, the sweet lad!" She extended her hand to
him, and nodded, smiling, whereupon Hans Peter spoke very prettily
about the immorality on the stage. The father also made some striking
observation.

"Yes," said the lady, "were all husbands like thee, and all young men
like Hans Peter, they would speak in another tone on the stage, and
dress in another manner. In dancing it is abominable; the dresses are so
short and indecent, just as though they had nothing on! Yet, after all,
we must say that the 'Somnambule' is beautiful. And, really, it is quite
innocent!"

They now entered still deeper into the moral: the conversation lasted
till coffee came.

Maren's heart beat even quicker, partly in expectation of the play,
through hearing of the corruptions of this Copenhagen Sodom. She heard
Otto defend this French piece; heard him speak of affectation. Was
he then corrupted? How gladly would she have heard him discourse upon
propriety, as Hans Peter had done. "Poor Otto!" thought she; "this
is having no relations, but being forced to struggle on in the world
alone."

The merchant now rose. He could not go to the theatre. First, he had
business to attend to; and then he must go to his club, where he had
yesterday changed his hat.

"Nay, then, it has happened to thee as to Hans Peter!" said the lady.
"Yesterday, in the lecture-room, he also got a strange hat. But, there,
thou hast his hat!" she suddenly exclaimed, as her eye fell upon the hat
which her husband held in his hand. "That is Hans Peter's hat! Now, we
shall certainly find that he has thine! You have exchanged them here at
home. You do not know each other's hats, and therefore you fancy this
occurred from home."

One of the sisters now brought the hat which Hans Peter had got in
mistake. Yes, it was certain