The designing of a coat-of-arms had been no light task to Paul. From
the moment--now five months ago--that he knew his promotion to the
nobility was a settled affair, he had devoted the best part of his
thoughts to this weighty question. He hesitated long between
medieval simplicity and modern symbolism. An illustrative crest that
should be a play upon his name was out of the question; for of
course it was only another of Mayboom, the farce-writer's, jokes--he
had taken him into his confidence on one of his visits to Berlin--to
suggest a sack of oats, gules on a field, vert. After devising a
dozen crests, each of which he thought charming, only to reject it a
day or two afterward as inappropriate, he finally fixed on the one
which now adorned his proud banner. It displayed on a field, vert,
three waving transverse bars argent, and in a free quarter-purpure-
dexter a medal of the Franco-Prussian War in natural colors. The
waving bars were in allusion to the drainage canals on his marsh
estate, and the medal to his career in the war. He did not forget
that he owed the realization of his life's scheme to his wife's
marriage-portion, and wished to show his appreciation of the fact in
a delicate manner by crossing the transverse bars with a marshmallow
in natural colors.
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