“Thomas, for our blessed Lord’s sake, do me some sort of justice, at least. Could I act otherwise? Tell me, could I? She who has been taken from us, and is now with God, she wrote me from her death-bed, with faltering hand, a pencilled letter. ‘Mother,’ she wrote, ‘we shall see each other no more on this earth, and these are, I know, my dying words to you. With my last conscious thoughts, I appeal to you for my husband. God gave us no children; but when you follow me, let what would have been mine if I had lived go to him to enjoy during his lifetime. Mother, it is my last request--my dying prayer. You will not refuse it.’--No, Thomas, I did not refuse it--I could not. I sent a dispatch to her, and she died in peace.” The Frau Consul wept violently. “And you never told me a syllable. Everybody conceals things from me, and acts without my authority,” repeated the Senator. “Yes, Thomas, I have kept silent. For I felt I _must_ fulfil the last wish of my dying child, and I knew you would have tried to prevent me!” “Yes! By God, I would have!” “You would have had no right to, for three of my children would have been on my side.” “I think my opinion has enough weight to balance that of two women and a degenerate fool.” “You speak of your brother and sisters as heartlessly as you do to me.” “Clara was a pious, ignorant woman, Mother. And Tony is a child--and, anyhow, she knew nothing about the affair at all until now--or she might have talked at the wrong time, eh? And Christian? Oh, he got Christian’s consent, did Tibertius! Who would have thought it of him? Do you know now, or don’t you grasp it yet--what he is, this ingenious pastor? He is a rogue, and a fortune-hunter!” “Sons-in-law are always rogues,” said Frau Permaneder, in a hollow voice. “He is a fortune-hunter! What does he do? He travels to Hamburg, and sits down by Christian’s bed. He talks to him--‘Yes,’ says Christian, ‘yes, Tibertius, God bless you! Have you any idea of the pain I suffer in my left side?’--Oh, the idiots, the scoundrels! They joined hands against me!” And the Senator, perfectly beside himself, leaned against the wrought-iron fire-screen and pressed his clenched hands to his temples.