"Yes, sir!" involuntarily agreed Hartmann.
"Yes, sir," replied Hartmann stiffly as he recovered his self-control.
"Ach!" murmured Grimm, as he signed letter after letter and passed them over to Hartmann for sealing. "What a grip she has taken on my heart! A good girl, James. A good little girl. And I've sheltered her, ever since she came to me, as I shelter my violets from the cold. That's as it should be, hey?"
"Y-e-s,—in a way."
"What's that?" bristled Grimm, looking up at the unexpected answer to the question that had seemed to him to require none. "What do you mean? Oh, speak out, man!" as the secretary hesitated. "Never be afraid to express an honest opinion."
"I mean just this. No one can shape any one else's life. All people should be made to understand that they are—free."
"Free? Nonsense! Katje's free. Free as air. Do you mean to tell me a girl should be more free than she is? We must think for young people who can't think for themselves. And no girl can."
"But I believe——"
"Bah! Who cares what you believe. James, I'm sometimes afraid you're just a little bit set in your ways;—almost obstinate."