A clergyman of the Calvinist persuasion is the leading spirit of our community but, in full acceptance of the spirit of toleration, he allows the parents and guardians of the pupils entrusted to our care to decide whether or not they should take part in this religious instruction …”

The countess was visibly amused. She possessed the characteristic, common to most devout churchgoers, not only of suspecting the piety of others but of considering them, on the whole, rather comic; as a result, reports from the Catholic or, even more, from the Calvinist camps were usually a source of amusement to her, even when, as now, her amusement had not been directly aroused by a blatant piece of commercialism. She took the paper in order to finish the rest of the advertisement, but the servant who had been watching the whist-table for the last quarter of an hour, waiting for the rubber to end, now announced that tea was served.

“Just at the right moment,” said Arne. “When you have just won, a partridge—and I hereby warn you that I am relying on having one—a partridge is the best possible meal. When you have lost, it’s different.”

With these words, he offered his arm to Fräulein Dobschütz, while Schwarzkoppen preceded him with the countess.

“Well, Petersen,” said the count, “we must make do with each other.” And as he passed Asta and Elizabeth, he called to them: “Now, ladies.”

But Asta merely stroked his hand and said: “No, Papa, we are staying here, Mama said we might; we still have all sorts of things to talk about.”

[1]A well-known Danish sculptor of the nineteenth century. W. von Humboldt was a philologist, Alexander a scientist.

4

The table was laid in the dining-room, the double doors were open and bright lights met them as they went in. The countess sat down between the two clergymen while Julie sat opposite with Holk and Arne. A moment later the tutor and Axel appeared.

“I have just been highly amused,” said the countess, turning to Schwarzkoppen.

“Really?” interpolated Holk, in a tone of voice that would have been more charming had it been less sarcastic. Arne, who noticed the irony only too plainly (for Christine was incapable of being really amused), chuckled to himself.

“Yes, I have just been highly amused,” repeated the countess, with a certain hauteur, and went on: “It really is a most peculiar thing about those Swiss boarding-schools, the way they seem to combine their Calvinism so well with their sense of business. Its worldliness has always seemed to me the unpleasant side of Calvinism …”

Schwarzkoppen, to whom this second remark was also addressed, inclined his head; but her brother said: “That is the first time I have heard that, Christine. As far as I know, Calvin was ruthless and uncompromising and so was John Knox, too. And after all, Coligny can’t have been as worldly-wise as all that or he might have lived a little longer. And then there was la Rochelle and the ten thousand believers who went into exile for their faith. Lutherans would be hard put to it to match that or improve on it. I appeal for justice: Schwarzkoppen, you mustn’t leave me in the lurch against my sister. Nor must you, Petersen.”

Holk, who was, in any case, very fond of his brother-in-law, was delighted to hear him talking like this. “That’s quite right, Alfred. The absent must be defended.”

“Even when it is Prussia,” added Arne with a smile. “And that reminds me of the article that was being read a moment ago. What was it saying exactly? You know that I have the faculty of winning at whist and at the same time following, more or less, all that is being read or said. I heard something about the court at Charlottenburg and rearmament and 1813. Was I right? I certainly heard 1813 and rearmament as well.”

“Do tell the Baron what it was all about, my dear Julie,” said the countess.

“It was exactly as the Baron was saying. In general, the article seemed to think that Denmark was finished unless the language question can be satisfactorily settled.”

Holk laughed. “Denmark finished? Oh no, Mr. Prussian, things haven’t yet reached that stage and whatever happens we must not forget the fable of the stork and the fox. The fox couldn’t reach the water because it was in a bottle and the latest fox, the Prussian, cannot reach Denmark because it is all islands. Yes, water, thank God! It is always the same story, what some people can do, others can’t, and however good the Prussians are at their goose-step, you can’t march across the Baltic, even if Klaus Groth did write: ‘The Baltic is nowt but a puddle.’”

Arne, who used regularly to start his dinner, until sometime in late autumn, with a spoonful of sour milk and was just putting bread and sugar on the bowl in front of him, calmly completed his task, took his first spoonful and then, wiping his beard, replied:

“Now there we differ. Our only difference. And let me add, fortunately, because one can wage all sorts of war against one’s sister but not against one’s brother-in-law.