I do not know whether it was shrewdness or arrogance towards his companion or ourselves, that induced Schweitzer-Schmalz to assume his wonderfully self-complacent air.
"Yes, Colonel," said he, "another American war would not be so unpleasant to us after all?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why, that we gained one great advantage from it, or, as my student says, 'pitch.'"
"I do not understand you."
"Yes," began Schweitzer-Schmalz, after emptying his glass, "your father doesn't like rosin; but, for the little farmers, the pine-trees which give rosin are just like so many milchcows. I have a piece of woodland that I milked hard, because, so long as the war lasted, no rosin came from America, and the price of ours went up very much."
Richard could not refrain from remarking on the wonderful connection that made changes in one country affect the most distant portions of the globe. And thus the visit, which had promised to be so disagreeable, ended quite pleasantly.
Funk and his companions left, and when Richard was about to speak of Funk's emptiness, Ludwig replied:
"You are deceived in him. He is full of what we, in America, call 'steam.' He has a restless spirit of enterprise."
My daughter-in-law and Johanna went to church together, and Ikwarte followed after them.