He evinced a warm sympathy for family
events, even when they did not concern him in any way, and he had
the same genuine esteem for rich people, which had been handed down
for three generations in the Brohl-Marker families. She thought that
he showed no disinclination to be her granddaughter's husband, only
at first she pondered over his calling in life. She knew perfectly
well that the highest professorship could only earn in a year what
an ordinary ship-broker made in a month. At the same time she
reflected that even a merchant made a bad job of it sometimes, as
her son-in-law's example had shown her only too plainly; that the
title "Professor" sounded very well, and if he did not make very
much money at most, at least he could not lose it, and she came to
the conclusion that in the circumstances a professor could make his
wife very happy. Frau Marker had nothing to say about the matter,
and was quite prepared to accept a son-in-law from her mother's
hand, as she had formerly accepted a husband, so the fact that Paul
had not made a very favorable impression on her did not matter very
much.
There remained only Malvine--but just there lay the difficulty. The
girl was always kind and friendly to Paul, she took his homage
without any coquetry or apparent disinclination; when they went out
walking she took his arm quite unaffectedly; when they were invited
to meet in society, by a tacit agreement he took her in to dinner,
had the privilege of the greater part of the dances, and was her
partner for the cotillion.
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