Maxa when she was sitting alone with her brother after dinner. "The best
thing you can do is to pay your old friend a call; that would add you to
the list of his admirers, instead of your bearing him a grudge."
But Uncle Philip violently objected to this proposal.
"Baron Bruno spoke of you with a sincere feeling of attachment which you
apparently don't deserve," his sister said. "He was afraid of your
feeling towards him, though. Listen to what he said 'I fear that he
won't wish to have anything to do with me, and I shall be powerless in
that case.'"
"I won't refuse the hand of an old friend, though, Maxa," said the
brother now, "if he offers it to me to reestablish peace. What is he
going to do for Salo's son?"
"Salo has already been sent word that he is to have the castle of his
ancestors for a home," replied Mrs. Maxa.
"I am going out for a walk," Uncle Philip said suddenly, taking down his
hat from the peg, and Mrs. Maxa guessed quite well where he was going.
He reappeared at supper time and sat down with merry eyes in the midst of
them all.
"Leonore," he began, "as soon as you are the mistress of the castle, I
shall often be your guest. Your uncle and I have just done some business
together. He told me how different everything used to be in the castle
grounds and that he regretted not understanding about these matters. So
he asked me to take charge of things, as they were in my special field.
He hoped my old attachment to the place"--at these words Uncle Philip's
voice became quite hoarse suddenly--"Maxa, your plum-cake is so sweet it
makes one hoarse," he said, for he would never admit that he had been
overcome by deep emotion.
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