She had absolutely forbidden him troubling himself about this matter.

Even with his intention to get rid of the talk he had acted against her command.

Well, and what had he accomplished?
More than ever the whole village would say to-morrow that the ghost of Wildenstein was wandering about again.

Furthermore he did not know how to gainsay it.

If it only had not been so huge! When the mother stepped up to her children's bedside later on as usual, she stopped a little while before Kurt.