' Ah! my son, I shall return to see you his
counsellor and friend."
Those days had no delicacies as to the lady's side taking the
initiative: and, in effect, the wealth and power of Wildschloss so
much exceeded those of the elder branch that it would have been
presumptuous on Eberhard's part to have made the proposal. It was
more a treaty than an affair of hearts, and Sir Kasimir had not even
gone through the form of inquiring if Ebbo were fancy-free. It was
true, indeed, that he was still a boy, with no passion for any one
but his mother; but had he even formed a dream of a ladye love, it
would scarcely have been deemed a rational objection. The days of
romance were no days of romance in marriage.
Yet Christina, wedded herself for pure love, felt this obstacle
strongly. The scheme was propounded to her over the hall fire by no
less a person than Maximilian himself, and he, whose perceptions were
extremely keen when he was not too much engrossed to use them,
observed her reluctance through all her timid deference, and probed
her reasons so successfully that she owned at last that, though it
might sound like folly, she could scarce endure to see her son so
bind himself that the romance of his life could hardly be innocent.
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