He laughed his cheery laugh , and whispered behind her fan : ` If I had not come to America for the poor lads , I never should have found my Jo . The hard times are very sweet now , and I bless Gott for all I seemed to lose , because I gained the blessing of my life . ' ` Spooning ! spooning ! Here 's an awful flirtation on the sly , ' cried Teddy , peering over the fan just at that interesting moment , much to his mother 's confusion and his father 's amusement ; for the Professor never was ashamed of the fact that he still considered his wife the dearest woman in the world . Rob promptly ejected his brother from one window , to see him skip in at the other , while Mrs Jo shut her fan and held it ready to rap her unruly boy 's knuckles if he came near her again . Nat approached in answer to Mr Bhaer 's beckoning teaspoon , and stood before them with a face full of the respectful affection he felt for the excellent man who had done so much for him . ' I have the letters ready for thee , my son . They are two old friends of mine in Leipzig , who will befriend thee in that new life . It is well to have them , for thou wilt be heartbroken with Heimweh at the first , Nat , and need comforting , ' said the Professor , giving him several letters . ` Thanks , sir . Yes , I expect to be pretty lonely till I get started , then my music and the hope of getting on will cheer me up , ' answered Nat , who both longed and dreaded to leave all these friends behind him and make new ones . He was a man now ; but the blue eyes were as honest as ever , the mouth still a little weak , in spite of the carefully cherished moustache over it , and the broad forehead more plainly than ever betrayed the music-loving nature of the youth . Modest , affectionate , and dutiful , Nat was considered a pleasant though not a brilliant success by Mrs Jo . She loved and trusted him , and was sure he would do his best , but did not expect that he would be great in any way , unless the stimulus of foreign training and self-dependence made him a better artist and a stronger man than now seemed likely . ` I 've marked all your things -- or rather , Daisy did -- and as soon as your books are collected , we can see about the packing , ' said Mrs Jo , who was so used to fitting boys off for all quarters of the globe that a trip to the North Pole would not have been too much for her . Nat grew red at mention of that name -- or was it the last glow of sunset on his rather pale cheek ? -- and his heart beat happily at the thought of the dear girl working Ns and Bs on his humble socks and handkerchiefs ; for Nat adored Daisy , and the cherished dream of his life was to earn a place for himself as a musician and win this angel for his wife . This hope did more for him than the Professor 's counsels , Mrs Jo 's care , or Mr Laurie 's generous help . For her sake he worked , waited , and hoped , finding courage and patience in the dream of that happy future when Daisy should make a little home for him and he fiddle a fortune into her lap .
Mrs XXXXX knew this ; and though he was not exactly the man she would have chosen for her niece , she felt that Nat would always need just the wise and loving care Daisy could give him , and that without it there was danger of his being one of the amiable and aimless men who fail for want of the right pilot to steer them safely through the world .
America Daisy Heimweh Jo Laurie Leipzig Nat Pole Professor Rob