Gentlemen, she said "Yes."
I heaved a sigh of relief, like a criminal who has just heard the verdict "Not guilty."
And now the strangest thing of all.
Scarcely had the word crossed her lips and the fear of humiliation been lifted from my soul than I began to wish, "Oh, if only she had said 'No'."
After the Amen there were congratulations without end. I shook one hand after another with genuine fervour. "Thank you" here, "Thank you" there. I was grateful from the bottom of my heart to every fellow there because in anticipation of the excellent food and drink to follow he bestowed his polite congratulations upon me.
Only one person was missing--Lothar.
He stood in the back row looking quite sallow, as though he were hungry or felt bored.
"There he is, Iolanthe," I said and caught hold of him. "Lothar Pütz--Pütz's only son--my own boy. Shake hands with him. Call him Lothar!" She still hesitated, so I placed her hand in his and thought to myself, "Thank God he is here. He will help us over many a difficult hour."
Please don't smile, gentlemen. You think that in the course of my married life a love relation slowly developed between the two young people. Not a bit of it.
Just a little patience. Something very different is going to come.