"Von Masemann."
"Well, what do you say to that?" inquired George.
"Is it possible?" cried out the old manufacturer. "I must say I have never heard of such a thing in all my life."
"And what do you think about it, Elsa?"
"I really do not know whether to laugh or be angry about it. I can't think how he isn't ashamed to write such a letter."
George laughed mockingly. "Ashamed? Why, Elsa, you can know very little about a lieutenant if you think he would be ashamed of anything. Your beauty has turned his head, you have a big fortune, so that's all right; he marches to victory like Blucher to Waterloo. If he's successful, all right, if he's not, then he seeks his luck somewhere else; he means to catch a goldfish somewhere or other. The more impudent he is the more easily he attains to the object of his desires."
"Not as far as we are concerned," burst out the commercial adviser to the Emperor. "Please tell your aristocratic friend to-morrow from me——"
George interrupted him. "No, father, I have already settled about the answer. He won't much care about it, I can assure you. I am going to ask him how it is, that he has been unable to have any social intercourse with me and yet desires to marry my sister." After a pause he continued, "It is really a pity, Elsa, you are not going to stay here a few days, for then you would have had all the officers at your feet; all, from the oldest staff-officer down to the youngest lieutenant, would try to curry favour with me so that I might say a good word to you on their behalf. Your thousands would induce even the most aristocratic lieutenant who usually boasts of his numberless ancestors, to recognise the bourgeoisie and to condescend to make you his highly-honoured wife."
"A fine set of people these," said the father, angrily.
"I thank them for the honour they pay me in wishing to marry me for my money, but I don't think I want to marry at all."