Then the door was opened again, and in elegant attire, her mocking little face enframed in the ribbons of a pink bonnet, upon which was perched a small garden of roses, his sister-in-law Lori entered. Reising believed himself to have gone out of the frying-pan into the fire. The two ladies greeted one another pleasantly; then Cäcilie said, with meaning emphasis-- "But I fear I am disturbing you; my sister whom I expect, will seek me here; I will go to meet her." And she took leave with a polite smile. "It is outrageous!" cried Reising. "What, in the world?" "She believes--no, I cannot say it!" "Surely it is nothing dreadful." "Dreadful enough! She thinks--it is as absurd as possible, but what does the world not believe--that you have made an assignation with me here!" "An assignation; how so?" asked Lori, with a roguish smile. Reising now held the trumps in his hand; he would not play the pink note yet. "Why should she have left us alone?" "Well, a brother and sister-in-law have surely much to say that is not meant for any third person. Is it not so?" She offered him her hand, which he grasped warmly. "But indeed, dear brother, what brings you here at this unwonted hour?" "I expect a friend, a young doctor--you do not know him, but he seems to have left me in the lurch. But what brings you here, then, my sister?" "I also have invited a friend to meet me." "Whom in the world, then?" "Well, dear brother, no one but yourself." "But for heaven's sake, Lori--the pink note?" "Came from me!" "It is an unseemly jest," said Reising, angrily, "and it has already caused me disagreeable embarrassment!" "It is no joke." "But we can talk much more comfortably at home." "That is just what we cannot do; Euphrasia listens to every word." "She is indeed jealous!" "No, you do my good sister injustice. She is not at all jealous, only avaricious, uncommonly avaricious. That alone is why she peeps through the keyholes, and listens at every door; she is afraid you might in an unguarded moment open your sesame, and that your treasures might also some day give pleasures to others." Lori looked charming at that moment; she smiled so roguishly. Reising could not resist squeezing her hand heartily once more. "I invited you to come here for this reason, that I have an important request to make to you. You must go with me now at once to Fräulein Sohle's boarding school; it is only a few houses distant from here." "And what shall I do there?" "Fräulein Sohle is about to retire, to give up her school and boarding house to some one else, and--I will be that some one." "You, Lori, you would leave us?" "With a heavy heart, but it must be; you have known my wish for long, but I could never talk it over quietly with you. I require some money for the good-will, about three thousand dollars, not given, oh, on no account--only lent upon ordinary interest, and for this money I was about to ask you."