On his inquiring in return about their affairs, Paul and Malvine vied with one another in the redundancy of their account.

All was well, so far.

At the last distribution of Orders Paul had received the Order of the Red Eagle, and beside that, during the course of the winter, two new foreign decorations.

There were all sorts of innovations on the estate, which he described in detail.

At present he was hard at work on an entirely new scheme: the founding of a colony on the moor, composed of discharged prisoners, tramps, and such like ne'er-do-wells; where, by supplying them with agricultural labor, they might be brought back to a decent and remunerative way of life.
Malvine had much to tell of the autumn and winter festivities, both at her own and other houses, and also, that of the three heiresses whom she had picked out for Wilhelm, one was married, another engaged, and there remained only the third, the one with the curly hair, who still asked after him from time to time.
Meanwhile the news of Wilhelm's arrival had penetrated as far as Willy, who now came rushing in.
"Onkelchen, Onkelchen! have you come back ?" he shouted, long before he reached Wilhelm, and stretched out his little arms to him.