“Thou art reading it in German!” said the mother.
“Yes, it must be a beautiful piece. I speak German very well, but when I wish to read it I get on too slowly with it: I like to get to the end of a book!”
The husband had his place at the head of the table. A little black cap sat smoothly on his gray hair, and a pair of clever eyes sparkled in his countenance. With folded hands he prayed a silent prayer, and then bowed his head, before he allowed the dinner to be served. Rosalie sat beside him. Her neighbor on the right seemed very talkative. He was an old soldier, who in his fortieth year had gone as lieutenant with the land’s troops, and had permission to wear the uniform, and therefore sat there in a kind of military coat, and with a stiff cravat. He was already deep in Polignac’s ministry and the triumph of the July days; but he had the misfortune to confound Lafitte and Lafayette together. The son of the house only spoke of bull-calves. The lady at the table was a little mamsell from Holstebro, who sat beside him, dressed like a girl for Confirmation, in a black silk dress and long red shawl. She was in grand array, for she was on a visit. This young lady understood dress-making, and could play upon the flute; which, however, she never did without a certain bashfulness: besides this, she spoke well, especially upon melancholy events. The bottle of wine only circulated at the upper end of the table; the shopman and aunt only drank ale, but it foamed gloriously: it had been made upon raisin-stalks.
“He is an excellent man, the merchant, whom you have received as guardian, Mr. Thostrup,” said the master of the house. “I am in connection with him.”
“But it is strange,” interrupted the lady, “that only one out of his five daughters is engaged. If the young ladies in Copenhagen do not go off better than that, what shall we say here?”
“Now Mr. Thostrup can take one of them,” said the husband. “There is money, and you have fortune also; if you get an office, you can live in floribus!”
Maren colored, although there was no occasion for coloring; she even cast down her eyes.
“What should Mr. Thostrup do with one of them?” pursued the wife. “He shall have a Jutland maiden! There are pretty young ladies enough here in the country-seats,” added she, and laid the best piece of meat upon his plate.
“Do the royal company give pretty operas?” asked Maren, and gave another direction to the conversation.
Otto named several, among others Der Freischütz.