The situation was by no means an agreeable one for Pigglewitch. If the girl's reproof had only not been so just! He cursed himself for his folly in exchanging clothes with the real Pigglewitch, but the deed was past recall, and he must bear the consequences.
"You ought not to ridicule poverty, Fräulein," he observed, merely for something to say.
Lieschen grew grave again; she was charming when she laughed, but still more attractive when she spoke with her little air of serious disapproval:
"I should be ashamed of laughing at a poor man because he could not dress in the fashion. I never should laugh at you for wearing a threadbare coat, although I cannot understand how a young man who has only himself to provide for should not be able to dress decently. You must have another suit of clothes. What is there in that old travelling-bag?"
She pointed to the bag which Johann had put just inside the open door of the next room. Her question embarrassed Pigglewitch. Had he told the truth he must have replied, "I don't know." He could not possibly say this, and again he had recourse to prevarication.
"Certainly nothing in the fashion," he replied. "Since, however, you lay such stress, Fräulein, upon my dress at table and during study hours, I will take care to provide myself as soon as possible with the best clothes that can be found here in the country. Until I have done so, I will beg madame your mother to dispense with my society at meals and to relieve me of my duties as instructor, for I cannot allow my pupils to laugh at me, even although one of them be a young lady."
Lieschen looked approval, she bethought herself a moment and then said, "I have a plan to propose, Herr Candidate. It would be a great pity that you should stay away from table for several days, for it will take the tailor fully that length of time to provide you with a new suit. Herr Storting will help you. He is just your size, and his clothes will at all events fit you better than that ugly, ridiculous coat."
"Who is Herr Storting?"
"Our second inspector. He is so obliging he will surely help you if I ask him to. He never refuses me anything, and I know he has a whole wardrobe full of suits. Do you consent? Indeed you must, you cannot reject my proposal, and in return I promise you that I will not even smile, either when you come to dinner or when you give me my first lesson on the piano. Herr Storting has just come in from the fields, I saw him ride into the court-yard a moment ago. I will go and ask him, and he will be here in five minutes and will offer to do anything for you. You need not say a word. Run quickly to the inspector's office, Fritzchen, and tell Herr Storting that I wish to speak to him immediately, and that I am waiting for him in the garden in the jessamine arbour. Adieu, Herr Candidate! We have had a little quarrel, but that is no matter, it can all be made up. We shall see each other again at dinner."
She did not wait for an answer: before Pigglewitch could either accept or reject her proposal she had tripped away, with Fritzchen running before her, eager to obey her orders.