"You will stop laughing, and never bestow a thought upon either his ridiculous name or his odd appearance, when you see him at the piano and hear the wondrous charm of his music," Herr von Osternau replied to Albrecht's remark. "There's magic in his playing. It positively bewitched me. I scarcely ventured to breathe while the melody lasted, and when the tones had died away on the air the echo still rang on in my heart."
"He'll not bewitch me," Albrecht declared, still laughing. "The name of Pigglewitch will act as a counter-charm to provoke laughter in spite of all the melody imaginable."
Lieschen agreed with her cousin, and Fritz seemed quite of the same opinion, inasmuch as he repeated the name several times, and always with fresh merriment. Frau von Osternau had some difficulty in subduing the young people's mirthfulness, in which she was half tempted to join, strictly forbidding Fritz to offend the Herr Candidate by any show of amusement at his odd name. It would be best that, until he became used to its sound, he should address his tutor as Herr Candidate, "and Lieschen and Cousin Albrecht," she added, with a glance towards the pair, "would do well to observe the same rule." Whereupon Cousin Albrecht declared that he could not promise to do so, that ridiculous people existed in order that others might have the pleasure of chaffing them, and that if the Candidate's name was Pigglewitch he must expect to have it laughed at. Besides, there was no fear of offending the man, that sort of people ought to feel it an honour to be noticed at all, he would doubtless be flattered by their laughter.
Herr von Osternau objected to this remark of his cousin's, but Albrecht maintained that he was right, and there ensued a sharp war of words, in which Albrecht showed himself a thorough conservative aristocrat, despising all, even the most cultivated, of the bourgeoisie, and quite unable to conceive how a Candidate could prefer any claim to be received in what he called society, while the elder cousin with much greater persistence expressed his liberal views and declared that he required that the Herr Lieutenant should treat their new inmate with the courtesy due to every man of culture, whatever might be his social standing.
Herr von Osternau was always extremely forbearing in his treatment of Cousin Albrecht, for whose disappointment with regard to his inheritance he felt great compassion, but to-day he showed some irritation in the warmth of his defence of the Candidate's rights. He declared that he would not suffer any slight or want of courtesy to be shown in his house to a young man to whom he had confided the instruction of his children.
Albrecht rejoined that he would have no rules laid down for his conduct towards a man who was too much his inferior to be worthy of notice; he could not possibly treat the Candidate as a social equal; such people could not but be conscious that they were merely tolerated.
The dispute between the cousins threatened to become warmer still, and the gentle words of Frau von Osternau failed of their usual soothing effect, when fortunately the bell of the castle clock tolled three, and before it had finished the folding doors of the dining-hall were opened, and Herr Storting and the Candidate Pigglewitch appeared, followed by Johann bearing the soup-tureen.
But was this really the Candidate Pigglewitch? Herr and Frau von Osternau could scarcely believe their eyes, so complete was the transformation. There was no longer a trace to be seen of the awkwardness of gait or carriage that had seemed a part of his antique, dangling habiliments. So easy and unconstrained were his movements in the simple summer coat with which Herr Storting had provided him that there was hardly anything about him by which to recognize Pigglewitch. His first glance as he entered the room was for Lieschen, his first bow of course for her mother, whom he approached with respectful courtesy, while he was quite conscious of the roguish sparkle in the fairy's eyes, by which she showed her satisfaction in the metamorphosis her power had effected.
In consequence of the interrupted dispute the lord of the castle received the Candidate with extreme kindliness, offering him his hand as he said, "Welcome to our small circle, Herr Pigglewitch. Most of its members you are already acquainted with, my children have introduced themselves to you, and Herr Storting has become known to you as I see by your coming into the room together; my cousin, then, is the only stranger to you here. Herr Candidate Pigglewitch, Herr Lieutenant Albrecht von Osternau."
At this formal introduction Egon was about to bow courteously, but, observing that the lieutenant held himself haughtily erect with the faintest acknowledgment of his cousin's introduction, he only slightly inclined his head, with a half-smile at the scowl with which Albrecht noted his behaviour. Not a word was exchanged between the young men, but each felt instinctively that they were foes.