“ ‘Oh, come, come,’ said he all but laughing at me.
“ ‘Are you aware,’ I continued still more hotly, ‘that I was actually required to send a poor innocent man into banishment?’
“ ‘My dear sir, you must be dreaming,’ said he in the same tone of banter.
“ ‘Are you aware,’ I still continued, ‘that the prospect of obtaining your daughter’s hand, that honours and promotion were offered me at the price of a human life?’
“ ‘Now Mr. van Nerekool,’ cried van Gulpendam with much assumed indignation, ‘now you are going too far! I forbid you to utter such insinuations and to make such charges against my wife. What! you come here to me to ask me for my daughter’s hand, and you think you will obtain your request, I suppose, by heaping insults and slanders upon the mother of the woman you pretend to love!’
“ ‘Insults and slanders!’ I exclaimed.
“At these words of mine he cooled down immediately.
“ ‘Well’ said he, ‘perhaps the expression is too strong. There must be some misunderstanding.’ And then, very quietly, he went on: ‘Your proposal, Mr. van Nerekool, is a great honour both to my daughter and to myself. It has, however, come upon me so very unexpectedly that I feel sure you will allow me some time for reflection. I must indeed take some little time to consider a matter upon which the entire happiness of my daughter will depend. Moreover, you see there can be no hurry. Anna is very young—she is indeed much too young to think of marriage just yet.’
“ ‘You do not therefore deprive me of hope?’ I exclaimed and, in my excitement, I seized his hand and held it.
“He looked at me in astonishment. ‘I can promise you nothing, absolutely nothing, Mr. van Nerekool. Anna has plenty of time before her, she can take a year—two years, perhaps—before she decides upon a step which involves a union for life. By that time we can talk over these matters again. Meanwhile—’ He broke off hesitating.