ould be lost, Effi. One can never recover from
such ridiculousness."

"But, Geert, are you so sure that there is nothing of the kind?"

"That I will not affirm. It is a thing that one can believe or,
better, not believe. But supposing there were such things, what harm
do they do? The fact that bacilli are flying around in the air, of
which you have doubtless heard, is much worse and more dangerous than
all this scurrying about of ghosts, assuming that they do scurry
about, and that such a thing really exists. Then I am particularly
surprised to see _you_ show such fear and such an aversion, you a
Briest. Why, it is as though you came from a low burgher family.
Ghosts are a distinction, like the family tree and the like, and I
know families that would as lief give up their coat of arms as their
'Lady in white,' who may even be in black, for that matter."

Effi remained silent.

"Well, Effi; no answer?"

"What do you expect me to answer? I have given in to you and shown
myself docile, but I think you in turn might be more sympathetic. If
you knew how I long for sympathy. I have suffered a great deal, really
a very great deal, and when I saw you I thought I should now be rid of
my fear. But you merely told me you had no desire to make yourself
ridiculous in the eyes either of the Prince or of the city. That is
small comfort. I consider it small, and so much the smaller, since, to
cap the climax, you contradict yourself, and not only seem to believe
in these things yourself, but even expect me to have a nobleman's
pride in ghosts. Well, I haven't. When you talk about families that
value their ghosts as highly as their coat of arms, all I have to say
is, that is a matter of taste, and I count my coat of arms worth more.
Thank heaven, we Briests have no ghosts. The Briests were always very
good people and that probably accounts for it."

The dispute would doubtless have gone on longer and might perhaps have
led to a first serious misunderstanding if Frederick had not entered
to hand her Ladyship a letter. "From Mr. Gieshuebler. The messenger is
waiting for an answer."

All the ill-humor on Effi's countenance vanished immediately. It did
her good merely to hear Gieshuebler's name, and her cheerful feeling
was further heightened when she examined the letter. In the first
place it was not a letter at all, but a note, the address "Madame the
Baroness von Innstetten, _nee_ Briest," in a beautiful court hand, and
instead o