She withstood bravely the temptation to fill up the empty room with the overflow furniture from the drawing-room, and spoke on the contrary of leaving the room free, so that the young couple might make it their headquarters when they came to Berlin.

Paul hypocritically invited Frau Brohl and Frau Marker to come and live on his estate--he did not even fear two mothers-in-law.
Grandmother and mother, though pleased with his attachment for them, declined with thanks.

The cunning dog had reckoned on that refusal.

He would have been in a terrible dilemma had they accepted.

He would then have had to reveal the whole truth, and tell them that his so-called "property" was a mere swamp, where there was no place for one's feet to tread unless clad in waterproof boots; hardly a fit place for townspeople, accustomed to comfort.