‘No, darling. I quite understand. It will be enough if you behave to her as you do now. Besides, I was going to propose something, if your mother will agree to it. When we are married, we might live at Sigmundskron.’
‘Oh! Greif, are you in earnest?’
‘Yes. Why not?’
‘You do not know what a place it is!’ exclaimed Hilda with an uneasy laugh. She had visions of her husband discovering the utter desolation of the old castle, but at the same time she felt a sudden wild desire to see it all restored and furnished and kept up as it should be.
‘Yes, I know. But there are many reasons why I should like it. Of course it has gone to ruin, more or less, and there would be something to be done.’
‘Something!’ cried Hilda. ‘Everything! The great rooms are perfectly desolate, no furniture, hardly any glass in the windows. We are so poor, Greif!’
‘But I can put panes into the frames and get some furniture. We need not have so much at first.’
‘But you will have to get everything, everything. You are used to so much here.’
‘I should not need much if I had you,’ answered Greif looking at her, as the colour rose in his own face.
‘I do not know. Perhaps not.’