He dressed quickly, she being occupied meanwhile in completing the coquettish adornment of his room with knots of ribbon, bouquets of flowers, Japanese fans, pictures and bronzes which she arranged with unerring taste on the walls beside the mirror, over the doors and window, or strewed about the secretaire, the table, or the chest of drawers, in studied negligence.  They had breakfast in the red salon, after which she led him to her boudoir, which he had not yet seen, and that looked like a pink silk-lined jewel box.  She drew up an armchair beside the crackling wood fire, begged Wilhelm to sit down put a little inlaid rosewood table before him, and out of a cabinet she fetched a large Russia leather pocketbook with a gold lock and laid it on the table.

“Let us settle these details once for all,” she said to Wilhelm, who had watched her proceeding with surprise, “so that we need never refer to them again.  You are my husband, and must relieve me now of all my business cares.  Here—­” she opened the pocketbook and spread out some formidable-looking papers, with stamps and seals attached, before him:  “This is my check book, here the deposit receipts for my government stock and, bonds.”

“What do you mean?” cried Wilhelm.  “I understand nothing of such things; I have never had anything to do with them, and I am certainly not going to begin now, and with you.”  He gathered up the papers impatiently, thrust them back into the pocketbook, which he closed with a snap, and seeing Pilar standing there like a disappointed child balked of a surprise, he added:  “However, I am grateful for the suggestion, as it helps me out of a dilemma.  I was at a loss in what form to put what I must say to you—­you have helped me in the nick of time.  Pilar,” he drew her on to his knee and kissed her, “at the seaside the matter was very simple, we had only to divide the bill between us.  That will not do here.  I am not well enough off to defray half the expense of such an establishment as yours.”

“Oh, Wilhelm!” she exclaimed, horror-stricken, and attempted to jump down, but he held her fast and continued: 

“I know this subject is painful to you, so it is to me; but, as you said yourself, it must be settled once for all.  You must allow me to defray my own expenses as I would in a good family pension.  I will put the trifling sum in your pocketbook once a month, and you will have a little more for your poor—­one cannot have too much for them.”

“I am simply petrified,” murmured Pilar, “that you can take such a thing into consideration?”

“It is the one condition on which I stay here,” returned Wilhelm firmly.

“What a dreadful proud boy you are!  You will not accept a thing from me, and I told you yesterday that I would never be too proud to share your possessions with you.  And if you had married me, you would no doubt have scorned to touch my dowry, and wanted to pay me for your board too.”