“Why, he had only one word to say—and that word was ‘never.’ ”
“Never,” cried Anna, “I do not quite understand you, mother. You told me that he confessed to you that he loves me—you showed him some prospect of winning my hand and he replies ‘never!’ How can that possibly be?”
“I placed a condition before him,” said Laurentia somewhat nervously.
“A condition!” cried Anna, “what might that be?”
“Well—it was a condition of marriage—if you will have it plainly.”
“And—” cried Anna, “to that condition of marriage he replied ‘never?’ I am more puzzled than ever.”
“It was after all but a very trifling matter,” said Laurentia, “it was merely just a little thing to please your father and, by complying with it, Mr. van Nerekool might have helped your father to win honour and glory—and, moreover, he might have considerably improved his own position.”
“Oh, dearest mother,” said Anna, “there must be some misunderstanding, Charles is a noble fellow—it is the true nobility of his soul which mainly attracted me to him—Why! not many weeks ago he promised to help me in saving the lover of my baboe and would he now—?”
“What?” exclaimed Laurentia, “the lover of your baboe?”
“Yes,” replied Anna, “of baboe Dalima. But what has that to do with it?”