If the answer be a rejection, you will send back this ring by him; if, on the other hand, my proposal be accepted, you will answer that I must come for it myself." [Footnote 10: In Hungarian, as in German, a rejected lover is said to "receive a basket."] And with that the gentleman arose, pressed Master Boltay's hand amicably, and left him in a perfect chaos of conflicting thoughts.
Impatiently, Boltay began pacing up and down the room.

What was he to do?
He felt within himself that Karpathy had spoken the truth.

The girl would not be able to resist the tempting prospect, and would accept the offer.

And thus she must needs be unhappy; and what would be the end of it all?
At first he had half a mind to conceal the whole thing from her.
But no, that would be unworthy of him; a man really worthy of the name must never conceal the truth.
Suddenly a good idea occurred to him.

He had discovered a way out of the difficulty.