"Certainly not; but I must, or the whole project is not worth a red cent to me," exclaimed the other. "What! Am I to haul my corn half a mile, as before, and an hour later let the train whizz past my nose! In that case I shall prefer to vote at the Diet for the highway which the government offers; that will run right behind my new barn; I can push the wagon from the barn floor to the road. Isn't that true, Mr. President?" "Whether the highway will run directly behind your barn or not, von Strummin, I really do not know," said the President. "In any case it will come through your property; as for the rest, my views have been long known to the gentlemen;" and he turned to Else again, to continue with her the conversation which had been interrupted. The Count was angry at the reproof which these last words seemed to convey, the more so as he was conscious that he had not deserved it. He had not begun the discussion! Now it might and must be carried still further! "You see," continued he, turning to von Strummin, "what a bad turn you have done us--I must say 'us,' now--by this continual, disagreeable intrusion of personal interests. Of course we want our profit from it--what sensible man does not want that! But that is a secondary matter. First the State, then the other things. So I think, at least, and so does the General here." "Certainly I think so," said the General; "but how is it that you bring me into it?" "Because no one would profit more by the execution of the project than your sister--or whoever may be in possession of Warnow, Gristow, and Damerow." "I shall never possess a foot of those estates," said the General knitting his eyebrows. "Besides, I have had absolutely nothing to do with the matter, as you yourself know, Count; I have not once expressed an opinion, and so am not in a position to accept the compliment you paid me." He turned again to Madame von Strummin. The Count's face flushed. "The views of a man in your position, General," he said with a skilful semblance of composure, "can no more be concealed than the most official declaration of our honored President, even if he give them no official form." The General knitted his brows still more sternly. "Very well, Count," exclaimed the General, "be it so, but I confess myself openly to be the most determined opponent of your project! I consider it strategically useless, and technically impossible of execution."