The old luxury, frivolity, and extravagance returned, and a perpetual jollity took possession of it.
The most select company, moreover, assembled there--counts, barons, gentlemen of high degree, bankers, and other bigwigs.
It is true that it struck Mr.Meyer as somewhat peculiar that when he met these counts and barons in the street they did not seem to see him, and if his girls were with him, they and these friends of theirs did not even exchange looks; but it was his way not to trouble himself about anything unpleasant; besides, he fancied that great folks always behaved like this.
And now his youngest daughter also was growing up; she was already twelve years old, and she promised to be more beautiful than any of her sisters.

At present she was in short frocks, and her long thick hair, twisted into two pigtails, dangled down her back.

The guests who honoured her father's house with their presence had already begun to ask her, in joke, when she was going to wear long dresses like her sisters.
One day Mr.Meyer had an unusual and surprising visitor.

A bevy of good-humoured youths were flirting with his daughters just then, while papa was smashing flies on the wall at intervals, smiling complacently whenever one of his daughters, startled by an extra loud bang, gave a little shriek, when a knocking was heard at the door.

As nobody answered the door, the knocking was repeated twice, much louder each time, and at last one of the jovial young fellows aforesaid jumped up and opened the door, imagining that it was some other merry wag who wanted to surprise them all--and behold! a dry, wrinkled old maid in a shabby black dress stood before the brilliant assembly! Papa was so frightened by this apparition that his knees knocked together.