"He is silent," she thought, "that is his bad conscience; he is thinking of the cat's claws, and has not a word of thanks for my pocket-handkerchief; I have been sadly mistaken in him." This consideration made her so sorrowful that tears again rose to her eyes; but she pressed her lips tightly together, squeezed the thumb of her right hand, and silently counted from one up to ten, an old recipe she had formerly used for restraining vehement feeling.
"Things cannot go on so," thought the Doctor, "I must speak to her."
"You have not been able to use the gloves that T ventured to send you," he began modestly; "I fear I have made a bad selection."
This was too much; Laura turned her head sharply toward the Doctor. For a moment he saw two flashing eyes, and heard the contemptuous words: "I am no cat." Again her lips were compressed, and she clenched her hand convulsively.
Fritz reflected with astonishment whether gloves that wrinkle could ever have been considered a characteristic sign of our domestic animal. He thought the remark incongruous. "What a pity she is so whimsical!" After a time he began again: "I fear you will feel the draught; shall I close the window?"
"Not at all," answered Laura, with icy coldness.
"Do you know what the baby is to be called?" continued the doctor.
"He is to be called Fritz," returned Laura; and for the second time a flaming look of anger met his spectacles, then she turned away again.
Ah! in spite of the lightning that flashed from her eyes, the Doctor could not deny but that she was at this moment wonderfully lovely. She also felt obliged to say something now, and began, over her shoulder:--
"It is my own name," said the Doctor; "and as I hear it every day, I must agree with you. It is at least a German name," he added, good-humoredly. "It is a pity that they are so much neglected."
"As my name is a foreign one," replied Laura, again over her shoulder, "I have a right to prefer foreign names."
"If she continues like this the whole day," thought Fritz, discouraged, "I shall have a very pleasant time of it, indeed."
"I must sit next him at dinner, and bear the insult," thought she. "Ah! life is terrible."
They arrived at the house, both glad to find themselves among others. When they entered the room, they hurried to different parts of it; but, of course, being obliged to greet the young mother, they again had to meet. When Laura turned to her godmother, the Doctor also approached from the other side, and the good lady called to mind the day when they had come together to her summer residence, and she could not refrain from exclaiming: "That portends something; you have again come together, dear children."