He had a sort of easy indifference, as if he would let things come to him, but yet, when they touched him nearly, he would not fail to grapple with them. His figure was slender, and yet robust, and with the roguery in his brown eyes was mingled a spark of obstinacy, with which the little scar on his brown cheek harmonized so well, that one could safely infer he had not spent all his time in the study of dogmatic theology. "Yes," said he, as he sat there, "the fox must go to his own hole. I have beaten about the bush long enough; to be sure there has been time to spare, there was no hurry about settling matters until now; but, to-day, two things must be decided. To-day the old man is coming; well for me that mother does not come too, else I might find myself wanting in courage, at last. I am as fit for a parson as a donkey to play on the guitar, or Gottlieb for a colonel of cuirassiers. If Bräsig were only here, to-day, he would stand by me. But Mining! If I could get that settled first." Just then, Mining came along, with a plate of bread and butter. Rudolph sprang up: "Mining, what a good little thing you are!" and he threw his arm around her. Mining pulled herself away; "Ah, let me be! What a naughty boy you are! Mother is dreadfully angry with you." "You mean on account of the sermon? Well, yes! It was a stupid trick." "No," said Mining, earnestly, "it was a _wicked_ trick. It was making light of holy things." "Oh, ho! Such candidates' sermons are not such holy things,--even when they come from our pious Gottlieb." "But, Rudolph, in the _church_!" "Ah, Mining, I acknowledge it was a stupid trick, I did not consider it beforehand; I only thought of the sheepish face Gottlieb would make, and that amused me so that I did the foolish thing. But let it go, Mining!" and he threw his arm about her again. "No, let go!" said Mining, but did not push it away. "And the pastor said, if he should report the matter, you could never in your life get a parish." "Let him report it then; I wish he would, and I should be out of the scrape once for all." "What?" asked Mining, making herself free, and pushing him back a little way, "do you say that in earnest?" "In solemn earnest. It was the first and last time I shall enter a pulpit." "Rudolph!" exclaimed Mining, in astonishment. "Why should that trouble you?" cried Rudolph, hastily. "Look at Gottlieb, look at me! Am I fit for a pastor? And if I had whole systems of theology in my head, so that I could even instruct the learned professors, they would not let me through my examination; they demand also a so-called religious experience. And if I were the apostle Paul himself, they would have nothing to do with me, if they knew about the little scar on my cheek." "But what will you do, then?" asked Mining, and laid her hand hastily on his arm. "Ah, don't be a soldier!" "God forbid! Don't think of such a thing! No, I will be a farmer." "Confounded scamp!" said Bräsig, up in the tree.