s
to-day. Do drive faster, Axel. What a taste, to live here and to like it
into the bargain!"

"You know that I must live here."

"But you needn't like it."

"You've heard that old Joachim left Kleinwalde to his English niece?"

"You have only seen Bibi once, and she grows on one tremendously."

"I want to talk about old Joachim."

"And I want to talk about Bibi."

"Well, Bibi can wait. She is the younger. You know about the old man's
will?"

"I should think I did. One of his unfortunate sons has just joined our
regiment. You should hear him on the subject."

"A most disagreeable, grasping lot," said Lohm decidedly. "They received
every bit of their dues, and are all well off. Surely the old man could
do as he liked with the one place that was not entailed?"

"It isn't the usual thing to leave one's land to a foreigner. Is she
coming to live in it?"

"She came last week."

"Oh?" This in a tone of sudden interest.

There was a pause. Then Trudi said, "Is she young?"

"Quite young."

"Pretty?"

"Exceedingly pretty."

Trudi looked up at him and smiled.

"Well?" said Axel, smiling back at her.

"Well?" said Trudi, continuing to smile.

Axel laughed outright. "My dear Trudi, your astuteness terrifies me. You
not only know already why I wrote to you, but you know more reasons for
the letter than I myself dream of. I want to be able to help this
extremely helpless young lady, and I can hardly be of any use to her
because I have no woman in the house. If I had a wife I could be of the
greatest assistance."

"Only then you wouldn't want to be."

"Certainly I should."

"Pray, why?"

"Because I have a greater debt of obligations to her uncle than I can
ever repay to his niece."

"Oh, nonsense--nobody pays their debts of obligations. The natural thing
to do is to hate the person who has forced you to be grateful, and to
get out of his way."

"My dear Trudi, this shrewdness----" murmured her brother. Then he
added, "I know perfectly well that your thoughts have already flown to a
wedding. Mine don't reach farther than an elderly companion."

"Who for? For you?"

"Miss Estcourt is looking for an elderly companion, and I would be
grateful to you if you would help her."

"But the elderly companion does not exclude the wedding."

"When you see Miss Estcourt you will understand how completely such a
possibility is outside her calculations. You won't of course believe
that it is outside mine. Why