“Gracious, Jettchen, she's a creature of many colours!”
“You may well say so, Ditlinde, and she's clever, so I've heard; she studies like a man—algebra, and puzzling things of that sort.”
“Hm, that too doesn't attract me much.”
“But now comes the cream of the business, Ditlinde, for Miss Spoelmann has a lady-companion, and that lady-companion is a countess, a real genuine countess, who dances attendance on her.”
“Gracious!” said Ditlinde, “she ought to be ashamed of herself. No, Jettchen, my mind is made up. I'm not going to bother myself about Spoelmann. I'm going to let him drink his waters and go, with his countess and his algebraical daughter, and am not going so much as to turn my head to look at him. He and his riches make no impression on me. What do you think, Klaus Heinrich?”
Klaus Heinrich looked past Jettchen's head at the bright window.
“Impression?” he said…. “No, riches make no impression on me, I think—I mean, riches in the ordinary way. But it seems to me that it depends … it depends, I think, on the standard. We too have one or two rich people in the town here—Soap-boiler Unschlitt must be a millionaire…. I often see him in his carriage. He's dreadfully fat and common. But when a man is quite ill and lonely from mere riches … Maybe …”
“An uncomfortable sort of man anyhow,” said Ditlinde, and the subject of the Spoelmanns gradually dropped. The conversation turned on family matters, the “Hohenried” property, and the approaching season. Shortly before seven o'clock the Grand Duke sent for his carriage. Prince Klaus Heinrich was going too, so they all got up and said good-bye. But while the brothers were being helped into their coats in the hall, Albrecht said: “I should be obliged, Klaus Heinrich, if you would send your coachman home and would give me the pleasure of your company for a quarter of an hour longer. I've got a matter of some importance to discuss with you—I might come with you to the Hermitage, but I can't bear the evening air.”
Klaus Heinrich clapped his heels together as he answered: “No, Albrecht, you mustn't think of it! I'll drive to the Schloss with you if you like. I am of course at your disposal.”
This was the prelude to a remarkable conversation between the young princes, the upshot of which was published a few days later in the Advertiser and received with general approval.