The Price He Paid — page 255: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

" 246 MAX INTERVIEWS COUNCILOR MOSER. home expenses? I certainly cannot reckon on any fortune here.” “Well, I must say you go very consistently to work,” exclaimed his father.. “All this is in direct contradiction to the views you have hitherto ex- pressed. What has come to you, my good fellow?” Max heaved a deep sigh. “T don’t know; but I believe the germ of idealism is sprouting in me. You have all your life been striving in vain to convert me. Agnes managed it in a few weeks; and as vou have always found me painfully deficient in sentiment, I hope you will be enchanted at the change.” The doctor appeared anything but enchanted. He looked on his son’s conversion to idealistic doctrines with evident distrust. “But, Max,” he said, shaking his head, “this won’t do at all. A young girl, brought up with convent notions, inclined to religious enthusiasm, the daughter of a bureaucrat of the purest water— how can you transplant this tender plant into our midst? how can you accustom her to our ways and habits of thought? Reflect——” “JT don’t mean to reflect—I mean to get married,” interrupted Max. “Kverything you can say in the way of objection, I have said to myself a hundred times, or more; but it has never been of any good. I must have Agnes—and have her I will, if Iam driven to take all the obstacles, our papa the coun- cilor and his white cravat included, by storm!” “Ah, yes, the councilor!” interposed Brunnow. “What does he say to this business?” “Nothing at present, because he knows nothing at all aboutit. Asamatter of course, I could not ask him for his daughter’s hand while you were in- carcerated as an offender against the State. But now I shall delay my suit nolonger. He will kick me out at once, or at least he will manifest the gracious intention of so doing; but it is not an easy thing to make me quit a position I desire to main- tain. Ican stand my ground as well as any one. You need not look so grave, father. I assure you, when you getto know Agnes, you will admit this Eomichboo ¢s) (EO)