- Nor was this the whole extent of the baron's misfortunes. About a year after his nuptials, there came into the world a lusty young baron,
- in whose honour a great many fireworks were let off, and a great many dozens of wine drunk; but next year there came a young baroness,
- and next year another young baron, and so on, every year, either a baron or baroness (and one year both together),
- until the baron found himself the father of a small family of twelve. Upon every one of these anniversaries,
- the venerable Baroness Von Swillenhausen was nervously sensitive for the well-being of her child the Baroness Von Koëldwethout
- and although it was not found that the good lady ever did anything material towards contributing to her child's recovery,
- still she made it a point of duty to be as nervous as possible at the castle at Grogzwig,
- and to divide her time between moral observations on the baron's housekeeping, and bewailing the hard lot of her unhappy daughter.
