'Nay. It is these references to death.'
Her eyes were tender, dreamy, and sad, yet full of love, as they looked into his. After a pause, he said,
'I, Ernestine, am more in danger of death and peril than you, dearest.'
'Oh, say not so! And yet, of course, it must be, Carl, my darling Carl!' she exclaimed, throwing herself upon his breast, in a passion of tears and affection.
'Heaven and earth! So these are the terms on which you two are!' exclaimed a shrill, stern voice behind them, and a low wail of terror escaped from Ernestine, on perceiving the Countess, her mother, standing there in her robe-de-chambre, a wax taper in her hand, and her usually pale cheeks and cold grey eyes inflamed with indignation. On this night she had, unfortunately, forgotten her unlucky Spitz cur (who was quietly looking on the scene from his basket of mother-of-pearl) and had descended from her room in search of him.
'So! so!' she exclaimed again, 'these are the terms on which you are; and such are the hopes in which you dare to indulge!'
How long she had been there, or how much she had heard or seen, they knew not. They had but one common thought—that they had been discovered, and all was over! This dénouement, occurring immediately after the proposal of the Baron, was too much for the patience or equanimity of the irate Countess. Even Charlie's friendship for her son Heinrich, and the duel he had fought in defence of his honour, were forgotten now.
There was a pause, during which they all surveyed each other with undisguised signs of discomposure. At last Charlie spoke, while Ernestine withdrew a little way from him.
'Gnädige Frau' (gracious madame), he began, 'blame not your daughter, but me, for all this; and pardon me for having so far forgotten my position in this house as to love her without your permission; but could I resist doing so—even without the hope of obtaining it? What can I say to mitigate your probable severity to her—your resentment to me? What am I to do?'
'Much!'