A few days later he called on my father, who was rather bewildered by this honour, and asked permission to take me to the garden.  He treated me like a grown-up person, and after we had inspected the lawns and borders, and looked at the ripening bunches in the grape-house, I felt myself half-way to become mistress of the place.  It never occurred to me that my plans might fall through.

At the same time it began to dawn upon me that the personality of Von Brincken, or rather the difference of our ages, inspired me with a kind of disgust.  In spite of his style and good appearance, he had something of the “elderly gentleman” about him.  This feeling possessed me when we looked over the house.  In every direction there were lofty mirrors, and for the first time in my life I saw myself reflected in full-length—­and by my side an old man.

This was the beginning.  A year later, after I had been confirmed, I was sent to a finishing school at Geneva at Von Brincken’s expense.  I had not the least doubt that he meant to marry me as soon as my education was completed.

The other girls at the school were full of spirits and enthusiastic about the beauties of nature.  I was a poor automaton.  Neither lakes nor mountains had any fascination for me.  I simply lived in expectation of the day when the bargain would be concluded.

When two years later I returned to Denmark, our engagement, which had been concluded by letter, was made public.  His first hesitating kiss made me shudder; but I compelled myself to stand before the looking-glass and receive his caresses in imagination without disturbing my artificially radiant smile.

Sometimes I noticed that he looked at me in a puzzled kind of way, but I did not pay much attention to it.  The wedding-day was actually fixed when I received a letter beginning: 

    “MY DEAR ELSIE,

      “I give you back your promise.  You do not love me.

      “You do not realize what love is....”

This letter shattered all my hopes for the future.  I could not, and would not, relinquish my chances of wealth and position.  Henceforth I summoned all my will-power in order to efface the disastrous impression caused by my attitude.  I assured my future husband that what he had mistaken for want of love was only the natural coyness of my youth.  He was only too ready to believe me.  We decided to hasten the marriage, and his delight knew no bounds.

One day I went to discuss with him some details of the marriage settlements.  We had champagne at lunch, and I, being quite unused to wine, became very lively.  Life appeared to me in a rosy light.  Arm in arm, we went over the house together.  He had ordered all the lights to be lit.  At length we passed through the room that was to be our conjugal apartment.  Misled, no doubt, by my unwonted animation, and perhaps a little excited himself by the wine he had taken, he forgot his usual prudent reserve, and embraced me with an ardour he had never yet shown.  His features were distorted with passion, and he inspired me with repugnance.  I tried to respond to his kisses, but my disgust overcame me and I nearly fainted.  When I recovered, I tried to excuse myself on the ground that the champagne had been too much for me.