cut above the average," she said sharply. With the superior air of a man of the world Diederich explained that nowadays qualifications were demanded which could not be supplied through old Buck's influence: personality, a spirit of large scale enterprise, and, above all, an unimpeachable sense of patriotism. The girl no longer interrupted him, but even gazed respectfully at his aggressive moustache. But his consciousness of the impression he was making betrayed him. "I have not noticed any of those qualities in Herr Wolfgang Buck," he said. "That fellow philosophises and finds fault with everything, and for the rest, he leads a pretty gay life. … After all," he concluded, "his mother was an actress." He stared in front of him, although he felt that Guste's threatening glance sought to catch his eye.
"What do you mean?" she asked. He feigned astonishment.
"I? Oh, nothing. I was only referring to the way in which rich young men live in Berlin. After all, the Bucks are a distinguished family."
"I should hope so, indeed," said Guste sharply. Frau Daimchen, who had been yawning, remembered an appointment with a dressmaker; Guste looked expectantly at Diederich, and there was nothing for him to do but to stand up and bow himself out. In view of the tension, he made no effort to kiss the ladies' hands. In the ante-room Guste caught up on him. "Now, will you kindly tell me what you meant about the actress?"
He opened his mouth, stuttered and shut it again, blushing deeply. He had almost given away what his sisters had told him about Wolfgang Buck. In sympathetic tones he said: "We are old friends, Fräulein Guste. … All I meant to say was that Buck is not a fit match for you. He has an hereditary taint, so to speak, from his mother. The old man, too, was condemned to death. What are the Bucks, in any case? Take it from me, one should never marry into a family that
