me, the burning of a widow that he had once been present at. (They
say that he always tells the gentlemen a similar story about a
tiger-hunt.) For this reason it happened that I could think a great
deal about you, and when I can do that I am always happy. My darling,
have you yet learned to put a good face on a bad matter? To howl with
the wolves? To do homage to 'his serene highness your sovereign
prince,' without letting your own sovereignty come out too plainly? I
am afraid that, inasmuch as they don't dance the bolero here at the
court balls, and as the whole _tempo_ of our life is an _andante
maestoso_, you will soon grow impatient with all this again, and give
umbrage to some of the best and best-intentioned people in the world.
No one can understand your feeling better than I do; only to think that
your poor sweetheart, whom you have always teased about her good
breeding and her respect for conventional forms, is looked upon by the
society of this city as a very emancipated individual, or, at all
events, is notorious for being a _tete forte_! The reason of this is,
that I generally am quite dumb in the midst of all tiresome talk and
whispered gossip; but if the conversation happens to turn upon anything
deeper, upon affairs of real human interest and not merely upon court
events, then I express my true opinion, without troubling myself to
care whether it falls in with the court tone or not. And the good
people look on this as very pronounced, and not at all good form for a
young lady.

"But don't you see, my dearest, in this way I manage to make this whole
world of forms bearable, by holding my human part ready in reserve, and
looking upon all these absurd prejudices and narrow conventionalities
as something purely superficial and accidental, as unimportant as the
other habits and customs we have in our toilet, behavior, and our
living and dying? And although the forms of the circle in which our lot
has happened to place us are very often more tiresome and senseless
than in other stations, still existence can nowhere be entirely
formless, and at the most can only seem so to one who only looks upon
it as a traveler may look, and who, as an irresponsible spectator, does
not feel bound to submit himself to any of the constraint that is
incumbent upon the natives. Have not you yourself told me that even
among the students a severe etiquette prevails, according to which they
sing and drink, and fight duels, and make u