Herr von Wangen was formally announced by old Hildebrandt, and when he made his appearance in full dress, with a white neck-tie, and a silk hat held in his left hand, when he bowed with ceremonious observance to the mistress of the mansion and her husband, and, accepting the seat offered him on the lounge, stared into space for some minutes with an air of confusion, evidently searching in vain for words in which to explain the purpose of his coming, Frau von Osternau began to suspect what those words when found would be.
At last the young man cleared his throat and raised his eyes to Frau von Osternau's face as he began: "Pardon me, madame, pardon me, Herr von Osternau, if I express myself ill, but I come--yes, I come to you as the relatives and protectors of my betrothed--no, pardon me, I have begun at the wrong end, I ought first to tell you that I am the happiest man in the world. An hour ago I had the good fortune to meet my beloved Bertha, pardon me for not saying Fräulein von Massenburg, but she is now my betrothed. She was going for a walk to the Oster-ford, where I am superintending the work, and she allowed me to walk with her. Her heavenly kindness emboldened me to confess to her my love; she, to my intense delight, did not reject it, and we are betrothed."
Herr von Osternau was unpleasantly surprised, he could not help remembering what Lieschen had said, and whilst his wife warmly congratulated the happy lover he was silent. He could not altogether approve this hasty betrothal, and after a short pause he said, "I cannot yet congratulate you, Herr von Wangen, or consider you betrothed to Fräulein von Massenburg. Your father is my old friend, I should not be doing my duty by him if I did not beg you to reflect before taking so irrevocable a step. Do you know that Bertha von Massenburg came to Castle Osternau to escape the----"
Herr von Wangen interrupted him, saying, in a tone of entreaty, "Do not, I beg of you, allude to that slander, I know everything. Bertha has told me how magnanimously she sacrificed herself for her father, bow she consented to be betrothed to a man whom she knew only by reputation, and how evil tongues attacked her upon the disappearance of Herr von Ernau. She has acknowledged to me that she struggled against her love for me so long as there was any possibility of Herr von Ernau's being alive; she was determined to sacrifice her affection to her duty. But she is free; she learned yesterday from the Lieutenant that Herr von Ernau is really dead, and she can obey the dictates of her heart, can be happy herself and can make me so. She is mine, my own fondly-loved betrothed."
"No, Herr von Wangen, I can allow of no such betrothal beneath my roof until your father and Bertha's have given their consent."
"My father has already given his," the young man rejoined, eagerly. "I should not have ventured without it to declare my love. I wrote him more than a week ago that I should try to win my Bertha, and he answered me instantly, and told me he was rejoiced that I had chosen a lovely girl of an old family. He cares nothing for worldly possessions, but he wishes his only son to marry his equal in rank. I should love my dear Bertha all the same if she were a peasant's daughter, but I am glad that she is a Von Massenburg. I am glad of this for my dear father's sake."
"But Bertha's father has not yet given his consent."
"That is why I am come to you with an urgent request. I know it is asking a great deal, for there is so much to do at harvest-time, but I come to beg you to give me leave of absence for two days, that I may ask Herr von Massenburg's consent in person. I can leave after dinner to-day, and take the night-train for Berlin. I can be back at Castle Osternau by noon of the day after to-morrow."
There was no refusing such a request. Herr von Osternau granted it, but upon the condition that he should be allowed to speak with Bertha before the young man's departure. The lover was quite agreed to this, he was too sure of his good fortune to dread any interference. And the event showed that he was right. Herr von Osternau had a long interview with Bertha; he asked her if she were sure of her own sentiments, if it were possible for her to be happy with a husband who was in all respects the opposite of Herr von Ernau, possessing none of the latter's brilliant qualities to fit him for playing a conspicuous part in the world. He reminded her that she was undertaking to pass her life in the depths of the country, remote from all social excitement, with a husband who was content to lead the life of a simple country gentleman upon his own estate. To all which Bertha replied, with her own charming smile,--
"I really did not expect such an admonition from you, Uncle Fritz, who are always extolling the joys of home and the home circle. I should be happy with 'the man of my choice' in any solitude, and, besides, I shall not be so very lonely. One can always assemble one's friends about one in the country in summer, and the long, tiresome winters we can spend in town. Country life may be made very delightful with plenty of money. Let me choose my own lot, Uncle Fritz; it will be a happy one."