She had been playing mechanically with one of her rings, and it now fell from her-hand. Henri picked it up, and, with a smile, replaced it on her finger. Again she blushed. "Why?" she asked unconsciously.
"Our child is sad," he said to Veronica, with the winning expression which had always prevailed upon women to devote their lives to him. "What can we do to cheer her?"
Cornelia, as if spell-bound by the magic of these tones, made no reply.
"How kind you are!" said Veronica.
"Are you angry because I call you 'our child'?" asked Henri, with admirably assumed simplicity. "I am becoming intimate too rapidly, am I not? Be kind, and attribute it to my warm, truthful nature. Sooner or later we shall meet more familiarly, I am sure; so why delay and so lose the precious moments for the sake of troublesome forms. I would gladly take you to my heart as carefully and protectingly as--a father. Fräulein Veronica will allow me to do so, I am sure. Be our dear child, and let me take some small share in your education."
He arose and stood before her in all his gentlemanly dignity, bent down and kindly took her hands; but the quick pulsations of his heart, which Cornelia heard close beside her ear, accorded strangely with these paternal words. This was the well-calculated charm he had for her: the manly, noble superiority which expressed itself in this fatherly authority, and involuntarily extorted a childlike reverence; and the enthusiastic, almost boyish, tenderness which bowed before her to raise her to giddy heights.
"Teach me, then but permit me to do the same by you," she said, with an embarrassed smile, rising from her chair.
"Certainly," replied Henri; "I need it more than you. Oh, I will follow you blindly; the words of those pure lips shall be my oracle!" His eyes-rested upon the young girl's fresh, beautiful mouth with ardent longing. He felt that it would be better to go, and allow the impression he had made to produce its effect upon her in silence. With a violent effort he released Cornelia's hands and hastily took his leave. As he opened the door he heard his name called gently: he turned; Cornelia had followed him a step and asked, with the most lovable frankness,--
"When will you come again?"
"Cornelia!" cried Henri, and was about to rush back to her; but Heinrich, with a tremendous effort, checked the excited feelings, made her a low bow, said, in a fatherly tone, "I will come as soon as I can; I cannot fix any positive time now," and left the room without looking back.