ou that you and Karen were here.
Already Karen's husband must know it. And if you could prevent it, would
you wish to, Franz? Would you wish, if you could, to bind her to this
man for life? Try to think clearly, my friend. It is Karen's happiness
that hangs in the balance. It is upon that that we must fix our eyes. My
faith forbids divorce; but I am not _devote_, and Karen is not of my
faith, nor is her husband, nor are you. I take my stand beside Karen. I
say that one so young, so blameless, so unfortunate, shall not have her
life wrecked by one mistake. With me as your champion you and Karen can
afford to snap your fingers at the world's gross verdict. Karen will be
with me. I will take her abroad. I will cherish her as never child was
cherished. We make no defence. In less than a year the case is over.
Then you will come for Karen and you will be married from my house. I
will give Karen a large dot; she shall want for nothing in her life. And
you and she will live in Germany, with your friends and your great
music, and your babies, Franz. What I had hoped for two years ago shall
come to pass and this bad dream shall be forgotten."

Franz, looking dazedly about him while she spoke, now dropped heavily on
his chair and joining his hands before his eyes leaned his head upon
them. He muttered broken ejaculations. "_Ach Gott! Unbegreiflich!_ Such
happiness is not to think on! You are kind, kind, _gnaedige Frau_. You
believe that all is for the best. But Karen--_gnaedige Frau_, our little
Karen! She does not love me. How could she be happy with me? Never for
one moment have I hoped. It was against my wish that the Muetterchen
wrote to you that time two years ago. No; always I saw it; she had
kindness only for me and friendliness; but no love; never any love. And
it will be to smirch our Karen's name, _gnaedige Frau_. It will be to
accept disgrace for her. We must defend her from this accusation, for it
is not true. Ah, _gnaedige Frau_, you are powerful in the world. Can you
not make it known that it is untrue, that Karen did not come to me?"

He leaned his forehead on his clasped hands, protesting, appealing,
expostulating, and Madame von Marwitz, leaning slightly back in her
chair, resting her cheek against her finger, scrutinized his bent head
with a change of expression. Intently, almost fiercely, with half-closed
lids, she examined Franz's crisp upstanding hair, the thick rims of his
ruddy ears, the thick fingers with