Part 43 (1/2)

The arrow flew from the bow into Mademoiselle Marguerite's lap. But Amor did not wait for the results of his heroic deed; he turned his back, adorned with the goose wings, and hurried out, followed by the loud laughter of the company.

”What is on the paper, Marguerite?”

”You must let us see the paper, mademoiselle!”

”Of course!” cried Sophie, Franz, and the privy councillor, who was highly amused by Bemperlein's unexpected dramatic farce. But Marguerite had hardly cast a glance at the paper, than her expressive face was covered with deep blushes. She tore off the paper hurriedly and threw it into the fire-place. But Sophie, who had antic.i.p.ated this, pushed the paper aside before the flames could seize it, s.n.a.t.c.hed it up and called out, ”I have it! I have it!” Marguerite wanted to take the precious doc.u.ment from her, but Sophie ran away with it. Marguerite followed her, while Franz and the privy councillor laughed heartily at the efforts of the little Lacerta to reach up to the raised arm of Sophie, who was head and shoulders higher. In their haste the young ladies rushed at the door just as Bemperlein, who had in the meantime laid aside his Olympian attributes, was coming back, and thus it happened that Marguerite, unable to check her rapid course, ran right into his arms.

”Behold the sacred power of the G.o.d!” exclaimed Sophie, as she saw this, exulting. ”Here, Marguerite, is your paper. I do not care to see now what was written on the prescription, since I have seen the effect.”

With these words she made a deep courtesy and handed Marguerite the paper, who hid it hurriedly in her bosom.

”That was well done, Bemperly,” said the young lady in her exuberance of merriment. ”I must embrace you for it.”

Hereupon she seized the blus.h.i.+ng G.o.d of love by the shoulders and gave him a hearty kiss on the brow.

”I call you to be my witness, privy councillor,” said Bemperlein, ”that the ladies are fighting who is to have me, without my making the slightest advances, and that if Franz challenges me, I am not bound to give him satisfaction.”

Bemperlein had brought new spirit into the company, and henceforth laughter and merriment were the order of the day. The good humor of the circle rose in proportion as the level sank in the punch-bowl. Only Marguerite was more quiet than before; but the joke had been carried quite far enough, and they did not tease her any more; they pretended even not to notice her, when she left her seat near the fire-place and began to walk up and down in the room, evidently buried in thought.

Franz, Sophie, and the privy councillor were soon engaged in weighty family matters, and did not observe, therefore, that Bemperlein also had risen quietly, and joining Marguerite, had commenced a conversation in a low tone with her, which soon became so interesting that they had to adjourn to the deep bay-window, where the broad folds of a heavy curtain protected them safely against the glances of the company.

Unfortunately, however, the stuff of which the curtains were made was not thick enough to break all the sound-waves completely, and thus it happened that after the lapse of perhaps five minutes those near the fire were suddenly startled by a noise which came from the window, and evidently arose from the sudden parting of the lips of two people, after they had rested upon each other for some time.

The origin of this very remarkable sound was the following:

The happy couple had--quite accidentally--wandered off into the bay-window; Mademoiselle Marguerite had at once desired to turn back again, but Bemperlein, bold as a lion, had seized her hand and said most impressively:

”Have you read what was on the paper?”

Marguerite had read it, of course, but she would not have been a little Lacerta if she had not answered the direct question by saying: ”_Non monsieur!_”

”May I then tell you what it was?”

The little Lacerta began thereupon to tremble a little, not daring to say yes or no; Mr. Anastasius Bemperlein, however, interpreting her silence and her trembling in his favor, placed his arm around the slender waist of the little Lacerta, and whispered: ”_Mademoiselle Marguerite Martin, je vous aime de tout mon coeur?_”

As she only trembled the more after this loyal declaration, and yet did not make any effort to escape from the arms of her knight, he said in a still lower and more impressive voice:

”Marguerite! do answer! Do you love me? Yes, or no?”

As Marguerite had answered this question with a very faint ”_Oui!_”

there was nothing left to do, for a man so perfectly at home in love affairs as Mr. Anastasius Bemperlein was, but to hold the lady more firmly in his arms and to press a loud sounding kiss upon her unresisting lips.

And this kiss was the noise which suddenly started the company at the fire-place. They looked at each other in silence. The privy councillor smiled; but Franz and Sophie, who had not quite so much self-control, broke out into loud laughter.

”Oh, _mon Dieu!_” exclaimed the little Lacerta, slipping, full of terror, out of the arms of her knight.

”Be quiet!” replied the knight. ”They must learn it anyhow,” said he, and seized the little lady by the hand, drew back the curtain, stepped, like the page in Schiller's Diver, ”bold and brave” before his friends, and spoke:

”My friends, I have the inexpressible pleasure of presenting to you my dear betrothed, Miss Marguerite Martin!”