They were hardly alone for a moment when the major urgently repeated his question. After a moment’s pause, his sister replied, smiling, ‘ If you want to find the lucky man whom she loves, then you need not go very far. He is quite near: she loves you.’

The major stood bewildered and then exclaimed, ‘It would be in very poor taste to try to convince me of something that, if true, would make me both uncomfortable and unhappy. Although I need time to recover from my initial surprise, I can already anticipate how such an unexpected event would upset our affairs. My only consolation is the conviction that infatuations of this sort are often only feigned and the cause is usually self-deception. A truly good soul can be dissuaded immediately from such a mistake either by her own reasoning or at least through the guidance of other reasonable people.’

‘I do not share your opinion,’ the baroness replied. ‘According to all her symptoms, Hilarie is overcome by a truly sincere feeling.’

‘I would not have thought that such a natural soul could be capable of something so unnatural,’ replied the major.

‘It’s not so unnatural,’ said his sister. ‘I remember that as a young woman I loved a man who was even older than you. You are fifty – even if other, more lively nations age more quickly, it is not that old for a German.’

‘How do you propose confirming your suspicion?’ asked the major.

‘It’s not a suspicion, it’s a certainty. You’ll learn the details by and by.’

Hilarie  appeared and, against his will, the major felt different. Her presence appeared more precious to him than before, her conduct more charming. He  began to believe his sister’s words. He found the feeling extremely pleasant, although he wanted at first neither to confess it nor permit it. Hilarie was indeed captivating, combining a tender shyness towards a lover with an undisguised ease towards an uncle, for she truly loved him with all her soul. The splendours of spring were on display in the garden, and the major, surrounded by so many aged trees in leaf, began to believe in the return of his own spring. Who would not have been seduced by this idea in the presence of such a beautiful young woman!