her attention taken up in
finding a suitable _parti_ for the chaplain. The whole congregation was,
in fact, busy in the same direction; for Martens was a man of about
thirty, not otherwise than prepossessing in appearance, and it was now
more than a year and a half since he had lost his first wife, so that
nothing could be more natural than that he should be thinking about
another.

"Good morning, ladies; good morning, Miss Garman. I hope you are both
well," said the chaplain, as he came into the room. "I could not resist
your kind invitation, although I knew by experience that a visit to you
is far too agreeable to be of very short duration."

"You are really too kind, Mr. Martens; and your complaisance to such a
child of the world as I am, always causes me great astonishment," said
Fanny, giving Madeleine a look.

"A great many people are astonished at it," answered the chaplain, not
understanding her meaning.

"No, really! Who? who?" cried Fanny, curiously.

"Ah, you can scarcely understand," Martens began to explain, "to what an
extent we poor clergymen are observed by the hundred eyes of our
congregation; and the fact is, there are several most respectable old
ladies who have taken offence at my frequent visits to Sandsgaard and to
yourself."

"No! How amusing! Do listen, Madeleine!" cried Fanny, beaming.

"It's all very well for you to laugh," said the chaplain, good
humouredly; "but it might be very embarrassing for me, were it not that
I can rely on the support of the good dean."

"So Dean Sparre and you get on now. I was under the impression that the
relation--"

"Yes, at first; only just at first. But I am not ashamed to confess that
the fault was on my side. You see, when I first came I took up with some
of our so-called Evangelical neighbours; respectable, worthy people,
too--I should be sorry to say otherwise--but still, not exactly
such--such--"

"_Comme il faut_?" suggested Fanny.

"Well," answered he, smiling, "that was not exactly the expression I was
looking for; but still, you understand what I mean."

"Perfectly!" said Fanny, laughing, as she took the cup of chocolate
which Madeleine had poured out for her.

"I am sorry to say I took up a false position with regard to the dean,
which led to many annoyances until I learnt to know him; then everything
smoothed itself down so nicely that, if I may venture to say so, the
relations between us became almost that of father and son. He is