“I do not wish to be troublesome, Mechtild!”
“It is no trouble, Mr. Seraphin! Sit down, now, and rest yourself. I am so sorry father and mother are not at home. They will be ever so glad to hear that you have honored us with a visit.”
“Is nobody at home?”
“Father is in town, and mother is at work with the children in the harvest field.”
“Are you not afraid to stay here by yourself?”
“What should I be afraid of? There are no ghosts in daytime,” she said with a bewitching archness; “and as for thieves, they never expect to find anything worth having at our house.”
She was standing on the other side of the table, looking at him with a beautiful smile.
“Won't you have a seat on this bench?” said he, making room for her. “You need rest more than I do. You have been working, and I am merely an idle stroller. Do take a seat, Mechtild.”
“Thank you, Mr. Seraphin—I could not think of doing so! It would not be becoming,” she answered with some confusion.
“Why not becoming?”