in a half-sorrowful
tone: "Yes, Geert, if it is absolutely necessary, but I shall be bored
to death." Innstetten never disputed the statement. What was said,
during these afternoon calls, about families, children, and
agriculture, was bearable, but when church questions were discussed
and the pastors present were treated like little popes, even looked
upon themselves as such, then Effi lost her patience and her mind
wandered sadly back to Niemeyer, who was always modest and
unpretentious, in spite of the fact that on every important occasion
it was said he had the stuff in him to be called to the cathedral.
Seemingly friendly as were the Borcke, Flemming, and Grasenabb
families, with the exception of Sidonie Grasenabb, real friendship was
out of the question, and often there would have been very little of
pleasure and amusement, or even of reasonably agreeable association,
if it had not been for Gieshuebler.

He looked out for Effi as though he were a special Providence, and she
was grateful to him for it. In addition to his many other interests he
was a faithful and attentive reader of the newspapers. He was, in
fact, the head of the Journal Club, and so scarcely a day passed that
Mirambo did not bring to Effi a large white envelope full of separate
sheets and whole papers, in which particular passages were marked,
usually with a fine lead pencil, but occasionally with a heavy blue
pencil and an exclamation or interrogation point. And that was not
all. He also sent figs and dates, and chocolate drops done up in satin
paper and tied with a little red ribbon. Whenever any specially
beautiful flower was blooming in his greenhouse he would bring some of
the blossoms himself and spend a happy hour chatting with his adored
friend. He cherished in his heart, both separately and combined, all
the beautiful emotions of love--that of a father and an uncle, a
teacher and an admirer. Effi was affected by all these attentions and
wrote to Hohen-Cremmen about them so often that her mother began to
tease her about her "love for the alchymist." But this well-meant
teasing failed of its purpose; it was almost painful to her, in fact,
because it made her conscious, even though but dimly, of what was
really lacking in her married life, viz., outspoken admiration,
helpful suggestions, and little attentions.

Innstetten was kind and good, but he was not a lover. He felt that he
loved Effi; hence his clear conscience did not require him t