presumed that she received some comfort from her uncle's
compliments. 'And then I began to see, and your aunt began to see,
that it wasn't right that you should spend your life handing soup to
the young men here.'

'It is Peter who always hands the soup to the young men.'

'Well, well; but you are waiting upon them, and upon us.'

'I trust the day is never to come, uncle, when I'm to be ashamed of
waiting upon you.' When he heard this, he put his arm round her and
kissed her. Had he known at that moment what her feelings were in
regard to his son, he would have recommended Adrian Urmand to go
back to Basle. Had he known what were George's feelings, he would
at once have sent for his son from Colmar.

'I hope you may give me my pipe and my cup of coffee when I'm such
an old fellow that I can't get up to help myself. That's the sort
of reward we look forward to from those we love and cherish. But,
Marie, when we see you as you are now--your aunt and I--we feel that
this kind of thing shouldn't go on. We want the world to know that
you are a daughter to us, not a servant.'

'O, the world--the world, uncle! Why should we care for the world?'

'We must care, my dear. And you yourself, my dear--if this went on
for a few years longer, you yourself would become very tired of it.
It isn't what we should like for you, if you were our own daughter.
Can't you understand that?'