“No, most gracious Lady.”

“I am going to send them to you.”

At this moment Major von Crampas stepped up to Effi and inquired about her health.  Effi was red as blood.  Before she had time to reply he said:  “May I ask you, most gracious Lady, to present me to these Ladies?”

Effi introduced Crampas, who had already got his bearings perfectly and in the course of his small talk mentioned all the von Paddens and von Titzewitzes he had ever heard of.  At the same time he excused himself for not yet having made his call and presented his wife to the people beyond the Kessine.  “But it is strange what a separating power water has.  It is the same way with the English Channel.”

“How?” asked old Mrs. von Titzewitz.

Crampas, considering it inadvisable to give explanations which would have been to no purpose, continued:  “To twenty Germans who go to France there is not one who goes to England.  That is because of the water.  I repeat, water has a dividing power.”

Mrs. von Padden, whose fine instinct scented some insinuation in this remark, was about to take up the cudgels for water, but Crampas spoke on with increasing fluency and turned the attention of the ladies to a beautiful Miss von Stojentin, “without question the queen of the ball,” he said, incidentally casting an admiring glance at Effi.  Then he bowed quickly to the three ladies and walked away.

“Handsome man,” said Mrs. von Padden.  “Does he ever come to your house?”

“Casually.”

“Truly a handsome man,” repeated Mrs. von Padden.  “A little bit too self-assured.  Pride will have a fall.  But just see, there he is, taking his place with Grete Stojentin.  Why, really, he is too old, he is at least in the middle of the forties.”

“He is going on forty-four.”

“Aha, you seem to be well acquainted with him.”

* * * * *

It was very opportune for Effi that the new year, from the very beginning, brought a variety of diversions.  New Year’s eve a sharp northeast wind began to blow and during the next few days it increased in velocity till it amounted almost to a hurricane.  On the 3d of January in the afternoon it was reported that a ship which had not been able to make its way into port had been wrecked a hundred yards from the mole.  It was said to be an English ship from Sunderland and, so far as could be ascertained, had seven men on board.  In spite of strenuous efforts the pilots were unable to row around the mole, and the launching of a boat from the beach was out of the question, as the surf was too heavy.  That sounded sad enough.  But Johanna, who brought the news, had a word of comfort.  Consul Eschrich, she said, was hastening to the scene with the life-saving apparatus and the rocket battery, and success was certain.  The distance was not quite as great as in the year ’75, and that time all lives had been saved; even the poodle had been rescued.  “It was very touching to see how the dog rejoiced and again and again licked with his red tongue both the Captain’s wife and the dear little child, not much larger than little Annie.”