"All this is yours, my dear," I said and tried to find her hand.
But she did not hear me. She seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the beautiful picture.
As we drew into the court, bedlam broke loose--a shouting and shooting, drums and trumpets, torches and lanterns on all sides, and faces blackened by smoke, glowing eyes, open mouths.
"Hurrah! Long live his Lordship! Long live her Grace! Hurrah!" Such a trampling and waving of hats! The horde of them behaved as though possessed.
"Well," I thought to myself, "now she certainly must see that she isn't married to a bad man, since his servants love him so much," and, primed for emotion as one is at such times, I began to blubber a bit.
When the carriage stopped, I saw Lothar standing in front of the door among the inspectors and apprentices. I jumped out and took him into my arms.
"My boy! My dear, dear boy!" In my thankfulness I could have kissed his hand.
When I started to assist my young wife out of the carriage, that unfortunate creature, the chief inspector, in the midst of the excitement, started to treat us to a solemn speech.
"For God's sake, Baumann," I said, "we'll take all that for granted," and I helped Iolanthe into the house.
There the housemaids were standing, curtseying and tittering, the housekeeper at their head. But Iolanthe stared right past them.