"You must help me to break the engagement," his son cried, in despair.
At these words Karl Leskjewitsch, who with all his confusion of ideas had managed to retain a strong sense of humour, made a grimace, and pushed back the straw hat which he wore, and which had made the ascent of Mount Vesuvius with him and had a hole in the crown, so that it nearly fell off his head.
"Ah, indeed! First of all I should like to know to whom you are betrothed,--the result, of course, of garrison life in some small town? I always maintain that for a cavalry officer----"
Harry felt the liveliest desire to summon the aid of Doctor Smolka to stem the tide of his father's eloquence, but, since this could not be, he loudly interrupted him: "I am betrothed to Paula Harfink!"
"Harfink!" exclaimed the Baron. "The Harfinks of K----?"
"Yes; they are at Dobrotschau this summer," Harry explained.
"So she is your betrothed,--the Baroness Paula? She is handsome; a little too stout, but that is a matter of taste. And you want to marry her?"
"No, no, I do not want to marry her!" Harry exclaimed, in dismay.
"Oh, indeed! you do not want to marry her?" murmured the Baron. "And why not?"
"Because--because I do not love her."