DAILY BREAD My mother ought to have been happy in her engagement.

Everybody congratulated her on securing such a scholar, her parents loaded her with presents, and her friends envied her.

It is true that the hossen's family consisted entirely of poor relations; there was not one solid householder among them.

From the worldly point of view my mother made a mesalliance.

But as one of my aunts put it, when my mother objected to the association with the undesirable cousins, she could take out the cow and set fire to the barn; meaning that she could rejoice in the hossen and disregard his family.
The hossen, on his part, had reason to rejoice, without any reservations.