The Price He Paid — page 300: what you’re looking at

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

REJOICING AT MAX’S HOME, 291 whole fortune was bequeathed to his ward, the young Baroness von Harder. After Arno’s death, Gabrielle had been prostrated by a long and terrible illness, from which she but very slowly recovered. Since that time she had been living with her mother in the capital, where the rich heiress was, of course, besieged by suitors, to none of whom she inclined a willing ear. She seemed, indeed, to put the idea of marriage far from her, to the despair of the baroness, who would often exhaust all ber powers of eloquence in the vain hope of bringing her daughter round to her views. Gabrielle had lately come of age, and was now absolutely mistress of her property. It was, therefore, in her mother’s opinion, high time that she should make a choice. Councilor Moser had retired from his post four years ago. The death of the chief had been a great blow to him, and had gone far toward inducing him to carry out his lovg-cherished project. Another motive, however, combined with this. A man could not, he felt, with dignified consistency, re- main in the service of the State when an alliance had been contracted between a member of his family and the son of areactionary demagogue. This misfortune had really overtaken the unhappy councilor. He had struggled against it long and manfully, but to no purpose. Max Brunnow gave him no peace until he yielded. That irrepressible wooer appeared regularly, day after day, always ready to assure his dear father-in-law of the de- light he felt at their future connection, and of his rofound conviction that no better son-in-law than himself was to be found the wjde world over. If the old gentleman flew into a rage, this unscrupu- lous doctor menaced him with apoplexy, and pre- scribed a composing draught. If he forbade his unwelcome guest the house, Max declared that he could not live without seeing his betrothed, and came the next day an hour earlier. Atlength the councilor resigned himself to his fate. He was one of those, who, if a thing be constantly repeated to them, come in the end to believe init. Forced now to bear, day by day that this son-in-law was as excel- (E(0) Gomicbooks