erself to see a face
stamped with the melancholy of early disappointment, whereas she now
beheld a fresh, rosy-cheeked countenance, golden locks, and blue eyes in
which no tears had been able to dim the dancing light of a lively and
cheerful temperament. Other women there were also in the
family,--Rebecca, Berthold's wife, and Susanna, the helpmate of
Barnabas, with a little circle of children around each.

The home-coming of the long-absent brother with his betrothed was
celebrated, in accordance with time-honoured custom, with a great dinner
that filled the spacious family dining-room to its utmost. Blanka could
not sufficiently admire the skill and patience with which Susanna
directed the feast and ministered to the varied wants and the individual
tastes of so many guests. The eldest brother and his family were
vegetarians and would touch no meat, but indulged freely in milk and
eggs, butter and cheese. With them sat Doctor Vernezs, who was even
stricter in his vegetarianism; the sole contribution from the animal
kingdom that he allowed in his diet was honey. Brother Aaron sat beside
Blanka, and partook freely of a dish of garlic that had been provided
especially for him. He offered some to Blanka.

"I can eat this all my life," said he, with a roguish twinkle in his
eyes, "but you only eleven weeks longer."

She understood the allusion. In Szeklerland a lover and his sweetheart
bear themselves with much decorum and mutual respect throughout the
entire period of their engagement. Only after the wedding do they
exchange the first kiss.

Anna wished to come to her new friend's aid at this embarrassing
juncture. "It won't be so long as that, Aaron!" she exclaimed.

"Let us reckon it up, my little turtledove," returned the brother.
"To-morrow we will tell the parson that our sister Blanka wishes to join
our communion. The law requires her to wait two weeks after this first
announcement and then to go and declare her purpose a second time. After
that follow six weeks for the divorce proceedings. That makes eight
weeks. Then the banns have to be published three successive Sundays, and
so we make out the eleven weeks, as I said. For seventy-seven days and
nights, then, our peach-blossom will be your companion, sister Anna."

Anna and Blanka embraced each other with much affection. The latter
showed no embarrassment at Aaron's plain speech.

"I will add five days to the seventy-seven," said she, with a smile.

"How