"Oh, Fatty, darling! don't you know me better than that?" his wife protested. "No, no, nothing of the sort! But seriously, I do mean that those two young people would suit each other very well. With regard to Marie, I know positively this much, she thinks Reimers very nice; and that is, at any rate, something to go on, until our dear Reimers opens his eyes." "But let him open them quite by himself, please; no assistance, I do beg!" the captain interrupted. "Of course, Fatty, quite by himself." "But, Kläre, how about that episode of the Gropphusen? That was a bit off the rails, wasn't it?" "Nothing of the kind. Nothing but a mere passing flirtation." Güntz shook his head thoughtfully. "No, Kläre," he replied. "I understand Reimers. He would never have anything to do with mere passing flirtations. It is just the dear fellow's misfortune that he takes everything so damned seriously. It went pretty deep with him that time with the Gropphusen; you can believe me as to that." "Still, one does not cling for all eternity to such a useless sort of business." Güntz was not quite convinced. "Well, we must hope not," he said. "And, really, the two would suit each other excellently." Walking up and down the room he continued: "Yes, in all respects. Reimers has an income of about seventy thousand marks, and the colonel would certainly be able to give his daughter a bit of money without having to pinch himself. I should say about twenty thousand. True, he is no Cr[oe]sus; but then he will soon be made a general. Our dear Reimers will have to keep his passion for books in check. Yes, yes! The thing would answer admirably." He stood still and knocked the ash off his cigar. "Why are you laughing, you sly little woman?" he asked, glancing down at her. "How funny you are, Fatty!" Kläre answered. "You accuse me quite sternly of the worst intentions, and then you make plan after plan, and even begin to reckon up their joint income!" But Güntz parried the accusation gallantly: "Just another compliment for you, my Kläre. Only happy couples try to bring about other marriages." A short time afterwards, without any prompting from the Güntzes, Reimers said to his stout friend: "Güntz, doesn't it strike you that Mariechen Falkenhein is a very nice girl?" Güntz leant back in his chair reflectively, and answered: "A nice girl? how do you mean? Certainly she has a pretty face, her eyes are especially sweet, and she has a good figure. Just a little too slight. For my taste, of course I mean." "No," replied Reimers, "I don't mean that so much. Certainly she is pretty. But, after all, that's a secondary matter. I mean more the effect of her personality. There seems to be something so sure, so comfortable, so restful about her. Don't you think so?"