Toni shrugged her shoulders with compassionate superiority.
"You have very childish views at times, Marietta--but now let us talk about the dresses."
"Yes, we will, before your elect returns and posts himself at our side like a guard. He has a remarkable talent for mounting guard. Now, you wear with the blue silk----"
The pending question was not destined to receive a solution this time, either, for the door opened and Frau von Eschenhagen entered, calling for Antonie, whose presence was desired elsewhere.
Antonie arose obediently and left the room. Frau Regine made no effort to follow her, but took her vacant seat at the window instead.
The reigning mistress of Burgsdorf was not diplomatically inclined like her brother; she had to interfere everywhere with force. She had become impatient, for Willy had as good as reported nothing. He grew red and stammered every time he should have repeated what the "theatre princess" had said and done, and his mother, who would not believe in a harmless girls' chat, concluded to take the affair in her own hands.
Marietta had dutifully risen at the entrance of the older lady, whom she had scarcely seen at the first visit, and whose hostile bearing she had not observed in the joy of the first meeting. She only thought that Toni's future mother-in-law had little friendliness about her, but troubled herself no further about the severe lady who was now measuring her from head to foot, with the stern mien of a judge.
In point of fact this Marietta looked just like other young girls, but she was pretty--very pretty, which was that much worse. She wore her hair in short curls--that was improper; other bad attributes would doubtless make their appearance in the conversation which was now begun.
"You are a friend of the fiancée of my son?"
"Yes, gracious lady," was the unembarrassed rejoinder.