‘It is Peter who always hands the soup to the young men.’

‘Well, well; but you are waiting upon them, and upon us.’

’I trust the day is never to come, uncle, when I’m to be ashamed of waiting upon you.’  When he heard this, he put his arm round her and kissed her.  Had he known at that moment what her feelings were in regard to his son, he would have recommended Adrian Urmand to go back to Basle.  Had he known what were George’s feelings, he would at once have sent for his son from Colmar.

’I hope you may give me my pipe and my cup of coffee when I’m such an old fellow that I can’t get up to help myself.  That’s the sort of reward we look forward to from those we love and cherish.  But, Marie, when we see you as you are now—­your aunt and I—­we feel that this kind of thing shouldn’t go on.  We want the world to know that you are a daughter to us, not a servant.’

‘O, the world—­the world, uncle!  Why should we care for the world?’

’We must care, my dear.  And you yourself, my dear—­if this went on for a few years longer, you yourself would become very tired of it.  It isn’t what we should like for you, if you were our own daughter.  Can’t you understand that?’

‘No, I can’t.’

’Yes, my dear, yes.  I’m sure you do.  Very well.  Then there comes this young man.  I am not a bit surprised that he should fall in love with you—­because I should do it myself if I were not your uncle.’  Then she caressed his arm.  How was she to keep herself from caressing him, when he spoke so sweetly to her?  ’We were not a bit surprised when he came and told us how it was.  Nobody could have behaved better.  Everybody must admit that.  He spoke of you to me and to your aunt as though you were the highest lady in the land.’

‘I don’t want any one to speak of me as though I were a high lady.’

’I mean in the way of respect, my dear.  Every young woman must wish to be treated with respect by any young man who comes after her.  Well;—­he told us that it was the great wish of his life that you should be his wife.  He’s a man who has a right to look for a wife, because he can keep a wife.  He has a house, and a business, and ready money.’

‘What’s all that, uncle?’

’Nothing;—­nothing at all.  No more than that,’—­saying which Michel Voss threw his right hand and arm loosely abroad;—­’no more than that, if he were not himself well-behaved along with it.  We want to see you married to him,—­your aunt and I,—­because we are sure that he will be a good husband to you.’

‘But if I don’t love him, Uncle Michel?’

’Ah, my dear; that’s where I think it is that you are dreaming, and will go on dreaming till you’ve lost yourself, unless your aunt and I interfere to prevent it.  Love is all very well.  Of course you must love your husband.  But it doesn’t do for young women to let themselves be run away with by romantic ideas;—­it doesn’t, indeed, my dear.  I’ve heard of young women who’ve fallen in love with statues and men in armour out of poetry, and grand fellows that they put into books, and there they’ve been waiting, waiting, waiting, till some man in armour should come for them.  The man in armour doesn’t come.  But sometimes there comes somebody who looks like a man in armour, and that’s the worst of all.’