He complied with her invitation rather shyly, but the little lady soon put him entirely at his ease. She questioned him closely, and he soon grew very confidential; he told her about his awkwardness at the Nordheim villa, his consequent mortification, and his desperate but fruitless attempts to attain some degree of ease of manner. As he went on, all his awkwardness vanished and he showed himself as he was, frank, true, intelligent, and kindly. When Gersdorf returned at the end of a quarter of an hour, he found his wife and his cousin talking together like the best of friends.
"I have had the luggage brought here for the present," he said, "and I have sent to know if we can have rooms at the inn."
"Not at all necessary," said Molly; "we can stay here. I am sure Benno will make room for us; will you not, Benno?"
"Of course I will," the doctor exclaimed, eagerly. "I shall move out. Gronau and I can move into the garret, and you can have the lower rooms, Molly. I will go and have it arranged immediately."
He sprang up, and hurried out to do as he said.
"Benno?--Molly? You seem to have made astonishing progress in a few minutes!"
"Albert, your cousin is a very superior man," Molly declared. "We must befriend the young fellow; it is our duty as his relatives."
Her husband burst out laughing: "The young fellow? Allow me to observe, madame, that he is just twelve years your senior."
"I am a married woman," was the dignified reply, "and he, unfortunately, is a bachelor. But it is not his fault, and I shall have him married as soon as possible."
"Good heavens!" exclaimed Gersdorf, "you have scarcely seen poor Benno, and you are already scheming to marry him? I beg you----"