something like a grim smile. 'She forgets things easily, and has
probably been detained by some household matter.'

Frau von Sigmundskron could not help admiring the way in which
Greifenstein always spoke of his wife, excusing her more noticeable
eccentricities, and affecting to ignore her minor peculiarities, with a
consistent dignity few men could have sustained in the society of such
a woman. It was a part of his principle of life, and he never deviated
from it. It had perhaps been strengthened by the necessity of teaching
Greif to respect his mother and to treat her with a proper show of
reverence, but the prime feeling itself was inseparable from his
character, and did honour to it. Whatever he might think of his wife,
no living person should ever suspect that he could have wished her to
be different. He had chosen her and he must abide by his choice.

But his cousin was a very keen-sighted person and understood him better
than he guessed, admiring his forbearance and giving him full credit
for his constancy. She had her own opinions concerning his wife, and
did not like her; nor was she quite free from a disturbing apprehension
lest at some future time Greif might develop some of his mother's
undesirable peculiarities. At present, indeed, there seemed to be
nothing which could justify such fears; but she found it hard to
believe that the young man had inherited nothing whatever from his
mother. She could remember the time when Frau von Greifenstein had been
younger and fresher, when her hair had been less dull and colourless,
and when her complexion had possessed something of that radiance which
was so especially noticeable in her son. And yet Hilda's mother felt
instinctively that she could never dislike Greif, even if he became
vain and foolish, which did not seem very probable.