Pomuchelskopp went back, and threw over his left shoulder a glance into
the parsonage-pew, making most elaborate attempts at distinguished
behavior, but they were quite discomfited as he met Bräsig's venomous
face, for Bräsig was such a bad Christian--as the Frau Pastorin would
have said had she seen it--that even in the Lord's own house he could
not keep his wicked feelings from showing in his face. But how quickly
was his old face changed when the three little girls came back, with
happy tearful faces, to give him also their hands, and offer their lips
to be kissed, as they had done to their parents and foster-parents! How
he lifted his eyebrows, and wrinkled his forehead, giving himself a
really paternal expression! This was his manner to Louise and Lining,
but when his little pet Mining came, he looked as comical as if he were
a child himself, he put his arms round her and whispered in her ear,
"You shall see, Mining, you shall see, I will give you something!" And
since he did not know what, at the moment, and chanced to have his
handkerchief in his hand, he said, "I will give you a dozen
handkerchiefs, bright ones!" for he wanted to do the business
thoroughly.
Each of the company had now offered his kind wishes, and each had
taken his thanks in kisses from the fresh, red lips, two only
excepted,--young Jochen never got more than half a kiss, and Franz got
none at all. Young Jochen could, of course, blame no one but himself,
for he need not have squeezed himself into the farthest corner of the
pew, so that the long left side of his mouth was quite out of their
reach, and the little girls must content themselves with the short
right side, which was not quite half of it. And Franz? He never thought
of the matter, he had not yet returned to earth, but was still in
heaven, and it did not occur to him, till they were leaving the church,
and he found himself near Louise at the door, to take her hand and say
something, which he could not recollect a moment after. He was
certainly in love! That beautiful face in deep devotion was imprinted
upon his heart and imprinted for ever-more!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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