“Why, I do anything you say, Aunt Mathilda.  Yes, I like him.  He don’t say much to me, but I guess he is a good man, and I do anything you say for me to do.”

“Well then Lena, why you stand there so silly all the time and not answer when I asked you.”

“I didn’t hear you say you wanted I should say anything to you.  I didn’t know you wanted me to say nothing.  I do whatever you tell me it’s right for me to do.  I marry Herman Kreder, if you want me.”

And so for Lena Mainz the match was made.

Old Mrs. Kreder did not discuss the matter with her Herman.  She never thought that she needed to talk such things over with him.  She just told him about getting married to Lena Mainz who was a good worker and very saving and never wanted her own way, and Herman made his usual little grunt in answer to her.

Mrs. Kreder and Mrs. Haydon fixed the day and made all the arrangements for the wedding and invited everybody who ought to be there to see them married.

In three months Lena Mainz and Herman Kreder were to be married.

Mrs. Haydon attended to Lena’s getting all the things that she needed.  Lena had to help a good deal with the sewing.  Lena did not sew very well.  Mrs. Haydon scolded because Lena did not do it better, but then she was very good to Lena, and she hired a girl to come and help her.  Lena still stayed on with her pleasant mistress, but she spent all her evenings and her Sundays with her aunt and all the sewing.

Mrs. Haydon got Lena some nice dresses.  Lena liked that very well.  Lena liked having new hats even better, and Mrs. Haydon had some made for her by a real milliner who made them very pretty.

Lena was nervous these days, but she did not think much about getting married.  She did not know really what it was, that, which was always coming nearer.

Lena liked the place where she was with the pleasant mistress and the good cook, who always scolded, and she liked the girls she always sat with.  She did not ask if she would like being married any better.  She always did whatever her aunt said and expected, but she was always nervous when she saw the Kreders with their Herman.  She was excited and she liked her new hats, and everybody teased her and every day her marrying was coming nearer, and yet she did not really know what it was, this that was about to happen to her.

Herman Kreder knew more what it meant to be married and he did not like it very well.  He did not like to see girls and he did not want to have to have one always near him.  Herman always did everything that his father and his mother wanted and now they wanted that he should be married.

Herman had a sullen temper; he was gentle and he never said much.  He liked to go out with other men, but he never wanted that there should be any women with them.  The men all teased him about getting married.  Herman did not mind the teasing but he did not like very well the getting married and having a girl always with him.