With one bound she was out of her corner, with her arms round my neck, kissing my face through her veil and saying between sobs: "Forgive me--forgive me, you dear, dear man." At this I thought of the scene at our engagement when she had puzzled me by the same behaviour. "What's all this?" I said. "What am I always to forgive you for?" She did not answer. She merely withdrew to her corner, and from then on not another sound from her lips. The rain had stopped falling, but the wind blew at the carriage windows more madly than ever. Then--suddenly--a flash of lightning! And hard upon it a peal of thunder. The horses reared and curvetted toward the ditch. "Rein them in tight, John!" I cried. Of course he didn't hear me. However, the beasts stood still. His fists were like iron. I never had a better coachman. The thunderbolt turned out to be nothing but a signal. Peal after peal followed--right and left--everywhere. Flaming roofs, balls of fire, towers aglow, and the park all alight with a beautiful emerald green. My good old Ilgenstein transformed into a real fairy castle. A shiver of pure delight went through me at being able to show her the new home bathed in such splendour. All this I owed to Lothar--the dear boy--and perhaps much more. For often it is the first impression that casts the lot for a whole life. Iolanthe leaned out of the carriage window, and in the red glow I saw her eyes looking ahead in a kind of eager or anxious searching. "All this is yours, my dear," I said and tried to find her hand. But she did not hear me. She seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the beautiful picture. As we drew into the court, bedlam broke loose--a shouting and shooting, drums and trumpets, torches and lanterns on all sides, and faces blackened by smoke, glowing eyes, open mouths. "Hurrah! Long live his Lordship! Long live her Grace! Hurrah!" Such a trampling and waving of hats! The horde of them behaved as though possessed. "Well," I thought to myself, "now she certainly must see that she isn't married to a bad man, since his servants love him so much," and, primed for emotion as one is at such times, I began to blubber a bit. When the carriage stopped, I saw Lothar standing in front of the door among the inspectors and apprentices. I jumped out and took him into my arms. "My boy! My dear, dear boy!" In my thankfulness I could have kissed his hand. When I started to assist my young wife out of the carriage, that unfortunate creature, the chief inspector, in the midst of the excitement, started to treat us to a solemn speech. "For God's sake, Baumann," I said, "we'll take all that for granted," and I helped Iolanthe into the house. There the housemaids were standing, curtseying and tittering, the housekeeper at their head. But Iolanthe stared right past them. Then I was seized by dread of what was to come.