No one could tell how she produced such an effect upon him that he manifestly strove to appear particularly good and benevolent in her eyes—­the mere fact that he took any interest in a poor girl at all was in itself a wonder.  This alone was clear to Amrei—­that he did not want his wife alone to appear as the just and amiable one, and himself as the angry snarler, of whom people must be afraid.  Perhaps the fact that Amrei, even before she knew who he was, had accused him of not thinking it worth while to appear good and kind before men, had opened his heart.  At all events he had so much to say now, every time he encountered her, that it seemed as if he had been keeping all his thoughts in a savings-box, which he was at last opening.  And in it there were some very singular old coins which had declined in value, also some large medals which were no longer in circulation at all, and again there were some quite fresh ones, of pure, unalloyed silver.  He could not express his thoughts as well as his wife had done on that day when she had talked with John—­his language was stiff in all its joints—­but still he managed to hit the point, and almost gave himself the appearance of taking Amrei’s part against his wife; nor was it at all amiss when he said: 

“Look you, the Dame is like the ‘good hour’ itself; but the good hour is not a good day, a good week, or a good year.  She is but a woman, and with women it is always April weather; for a woman is only half a person—­that I maintain, and nobody can dissuade me from it!”

“You give us fine praise,” said Amrei.

“Yes, it is true,” said the Farmer, “I am talking to you.  But as I was saying, the Dame is a good soul, only she’s too good.  Consequently it annoys her when one doesn’t do as she says, because she means well; and she thinks one doesn’t know how good she really is, if one does not obey her.  She can’t understand that often one does not obey her because what she asks is inadvisable, however good her intentions may have been.  And remember this especially; don’t ever do anything after her, that is, just as she does it; do it your own way, the way you think is right—­she likes that much better.  She does not like to have it appear that people are subject to her orders—­but you will find all that out yourself.  And if anything should happen, for heaven’s sake don’t put your husband between two fires!  There is nothing worse than when a husband stands between his wife and mother, and the mother says:  ’I no longer amount to anything as far as my daughter-in-law is concerned; yes, even my own children are untrue to me;’ and the wife says ’Yes, now I see what kind of a man you are—­you let your wife be trampled on!’ I advise you, if anything should come up that you can’t manage by yourself, to tell me about it quietly, and I’ll help you.  But; as I say, don’t put your husband between two fires.  He has been a bit spoiled by his mother, but he’ll grow more manly now.  Just keep on pushing ahead, and think of me as one of your family, and as your natural protector.  For that is true; on your mother’s side I am very distantly related to you.”