'll run my own errands. Agnes belongs to me. That settles
it."

And yet Philippina was in an especially good humour about this time.
Benjamin Dorn, like Herr Zittel, had left the Prudentia, and obtained a
position with the Excelsior. He was taking unusual interest in
Philippina. In a dark hour, Philippina had told her friend, Frau
Hadebusch, that she had saved a good deal of money, and, equipped with
this bit of earthly wisdom, Frau Hadebusch had gone to the Methodist,
told him all about it, and put very serious matrimonial ideas in his
head.

Benjamin Dorn took infinite pains to gain Philippina's good graces. He
was, to be sure, somewhat dismayed at having her blasphemous system of
theology dinned into his ears. He shook his head wearily when she called
him a sky-pilot and declared right out that all this sanctimonious stuff
was damned rot, and that the main thing was to have a fat wallet. In
this philosophy Frau Hadebusch was with her to the last exclamation
point. She had told Benjamin Dorn that a doughtier, bonnier, more
capable person than Fraeulein Schimmelweis was not to be found on this
earth, and that the two were as much made for each other as oil and
vinegar for a salad. She said: "You simply ought to see the dresses the
girl has and how she can fix herself up when she wants to go out.
Moreover, she comes of a good family. In short, any man who could get
her would be a subject for real congratulations."

To Philippina Frau Hadebusch said: "Dorn--he can write as no one else on
this earth. Oh, you ought to see him swing a pen! He limps a little, but
what of it? Just think how many people go around on two sound legs, but
have their heads all full of rubbish! But Dorn! He's whole cloth and a
yard wide! He's as soft as prune juice. Why, when a dog barks at him, he
gives the beast a lump of sugar. That's the kind of a man he is."

In October Benjamin Dorn and Philippina went to the church fair, and
naturally took Agnes along. Benjamin Dorn knew what was expected of him.
He had Philippina take two rides on the merry-go-round, paid her way
into the cabinet of wax figures, and took a chance on the lottery. It
was a blank. He then explained to Philippina that it was immoral to have
anything to do with lotteries, and bought her a bag of ginger snaps; and
that was solid pleasure.

Philippina acted very nicely. She laughed when nothing amusing had taken
place, rolled her eyes, spoke with puckered lips, shook her hips