"I am glad I have anticipated your wishes," said Anna Maria. "I confess I had not expected you would have so much taste for the simple pleasures of country life. How fortunate it is that Helen has the same taste! You will lead a very sensible, quiet life one of these days, as it suits your position." "Well, my position, dear aunt----" "Will be very good, I doubt not; but you will have to work hard, dear Felix, till you can breathe quite freely again. How long it has been before we could remove the most serious obstacles here in our own position! And, after all, our position will not be perfectly secured till Stantow and Baerwalde are positively our own, and the other farms are in the hands of new tenants. You ought to have your estates also surveyed anew, Felix. You would find Timm a clever and diligent workman. I was quite surprised to hear that you knew him before, as cadet, I suppose?" "Yes, dear aunt; he was a great----" "Favorite--I doubt not. We all like him very much." "I did not mean to say that exactly," replied Felix, laughing. "Still, they were generally quite fond of him. He was an indefatigable joker, and whenever some bold prank was to be played he was sure to lead. However, it is well to keep an eye upon him; he is one of those people who, if you give them the little finger, are sure to take the whole hand." "Ah! indeed!" said Anna Maria, raising her eyebrows; "I took the young man to be modesty personified; he certainly is far more modest than, for instance, Mr. Stein." "Really!" said Felix. "Why, I thought Mr. Stein was fully aware of his position!" "Well, you will learn to know him better. He is one of the most arrogant men of his class I have ever known." "We'll soon get that out of him," said Felix, twirling his very diminutive moustache. "With such people short answers are best. I know that. These low-bred people are all alike. As soon as they find out that we really mean to be what we are by right--the masters at home and in the State--they become submissive. It is our own fault if they are impertinent. They have to be kept down in a proper knowledge of their position. You have been too kind to that man, that is all. To tell the truth, I was wondering at dinner why Miss Helen should submit so very patiently to some correction or other." "Well, Helen is not generally a friend of his. She has a thoroughly aristocratic aversion to everything plebeian. I hope you will encourage her in these principles. Besides, that is the nearest way to her heart." "Well, I hope the way will not be so difficult to find," said Felix, with a self-complacent smile; "I have some experience in that line, _ma chère tante_."