It was a singular enough friendship which existed between these two, for they always met, armed cap-a-pie, for battle.  They were both strong, inconsiderate natures, and every time they saw one another they quarrelled, and as regularly made their peace again, always promising there should be no further strife between them, which promise was kept until their next dispute, for which some opportunity would give rise, sometimes within an hour after their reconciliation, when another pitched battle would begin, as passionate and wordy as the last.

At the present moment there seemed a truce between them as they sat on the terrace in front of the reception room.  The head forester, in spite of his advancing years, was an erect, stately man, with strong, sunburnt features; his hair and beard were slightly gray, but still luxuriant.  Now he leaned back in his chair listening to his sister-in-law, who generally did most of the talking.  Frau Regine was now in her fiftieth year, but the last ten years had not changed her much; her life ran on so smoothly and evenly.

A wrinkle was to be found here and there in her face, and silver threads were weaving their way into her dark hair, but the gray eyes had lost nothing of their clearness and sharpness, the voice was as full and resolute as ever, and her bearing as erect and energetic as formerly.

“Willibald will be here in eight days,” she was saying.  “The harvesting was not quite done; but everything will be finished within the week, and then he can come to meet his bride.  The matter has been settled between us for a long time, but I was resolved to postpone it for some time, for what did a young thing of sixteen or seventeen, with childish notions still in her head know about the orderly direction of a household?  Now that Toni is twenty years old, and Will twenty-seven, it is all right.  Are you still perfectly satisfied that this betrothal is the best thing for our children’s future?”

“Perfectly satisfied,” assented the head forester.  “I think everything is as it should be.  One half my fortune will go, some day, to my son, the other half to my daughter, and I think you may be well content with the portion I have set aside as Toni’s wedding gift.”

“Yes, you have been very liberal.  As to Will, he came into possession of Burgsdorf three years ago; the remainder of the fortune remains, by the will, in my hands, and at my death goes, of course, to him.  But I’ve seen to it that the young people won’t suffer.  I have made ample provision for them.”

“No need for haste.  We are only going to celebrate the betrothal now; the marriage won’t be until next spring.”

And now the first cloud appeared on the clear heaven of their perfect harmony.  Frau von Eschenhagen shook her head and said dictatorially: 

“We won’t postpone it any longer now.  The wedding must take place this winter.  Willibald has no time to get married in the spring.”