The young girl seemed quite affected by this thought, and took her handkerchief to wipe the tears which were welling up in her eyes.

Frau von Eschenhagen stood stark and stiff as a statue.

Schoenau had folded his arms, and said with a deep sigh: 

“Well, God bless you for your magnanimity, my dear child.  So everything is as if it had never been.  But you have been very generous in your statements, one must acknowledge that.  You have taken it very quietly, and seen your betrothed make love to another girl before your very eyes.”

Antonie nodded her head.  She was greatly pleased to play the role of guardian angel, and she found no difficulty in so doing for her affection for Willibald had been very mild from the beginning.

“There was no talk of love making, papa.  Dr. Volkmar was far too ill,” she explained.  “We had all we could do to comfort poor Marietta, who was dreadfully alarmed.  You can see for yourself now that I have not been deceived and that Will has been outspoken and honorable throughout.  It was I who advised him to be silent for a few days, particularly as it was a matter which only concerned us two, and—­”

“Oh, that is what you thought.  Then it does not concern us at all?” the head forester interrupted angrily.

“No papa, and Will thought with me that in such a case there was no use in troubling the parents—­”

“What did Will think ?” asked Frau Regine, who at this unheard of assertion thought it was time to take part in the conversation again.

“That one should love before one marries, and Will is right,” Toni declared with unwonted vivacity.  “When he and I were engaged, there was no talk of love.  It was all settled for us, but that’ll never happen to me a second time.  I see now for myself what it means when two people love one another with their whole hearts, and how greatly it has changed and improved Will.  Now when I marry I must be loved as Will loves Marietta, and if I can’t find a man who will love me devotedly, I’ll remain single all my life.”

And with this declaration and with a decisiveness in which nothing was lacking, Fraeulein Antonie von Schoenau tossed her head back, and walked out of the room leaving her father and aunt in anything but an enviable state.

Herr von Schoenau turned to his sister-in-law and said in a subdued but angry tone: 

“Your son has been going ahead beautifully, Regine.  Now Toni declares she will be loved devotedly, too; this is the beginning of fine, romantic ideas in her head, and Will seems to have them all down fine by this time.  I verily believe he has done his own proposing this time.”

Frau von Eschenhagen did not heed his ironical remarks; she sat gazing vacantly into space, but the look on her face was not pleasant to see.

“I’m glad you can see the comical side,” she said after a pause.  “I confess I look another way.”