He laughed again. “Though to tell you the truth,” he added, “I can’t help finding it humorous.”

“What’s that?” asked the baron.

“It’s obvious that the two aren’t children any longer. Your daughter is every inch a woman.”

“And your son is a striking young man.”

“Exactly,” rejoined Thaddeus, still chuckling. “I can see in Matt that he doesn’t know when to be a boy and when to be a man when he’s around Sabina. They both are very grown-up and mature for their ages, and yet so young and innocent in so many ways. It’s interesting to watch them work out the growing process while they’re right in the middle of trying to figure out what they think of one another.”

“I see the humor in it,” agreed the baron, smiling. “It’s a delightful thing to watch unfold, because of who the two young people are.”

“They are rather an unusual pair,” added Marion.

“Now that you’ve told us all this, I do understand Matthew better than before,” said the baron. “I thank you for sharing as candidly as you have.”

“You just can’t know how thankful I am for these few times he’s been able to enjoy being here. Lebenshaus has indeed been life-giving for my son—in no small measure because of your daughter. She is… well, she is quite a young lady.”

“We would say the same of her friendship with Matthew,” said Marion. “We too are thankful, especially after this unpleasantness with our neighbors began….”

Her voice trailed off, and the sadness from what went unsaid was more than evident.

“Your son is just the caliber of young man we have hoped for Sabina to meet,” said the baron, stepping to his wife’s rescue. “But such come along but rarely. We too would express deep thankfulness for Matthew on behalf of our daughter. She will have a standard with which to measure other young men. Whatever your reservations, I would certainly commend you for the job you have done with him. He is clearly a young man of principle and integrity and fiber, and such qualities are not ingrained by accident. You have given him more of the mettle of manhood than perhaps you are aware.”

“Thank you, Baron,” said Thaddeus humbly. “You are very kind.”

There was a pause. It was the American who broke it after a few moments.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” he said. “About your daughter—yet, I suppose, not only about her, but concerning your whole way of life here?”

“Not at all,” replied the baron. “I would be honored to attempt to answer any question you might have.”