[Effi's peace was disturbed, but the prospect of a quiet winter, with
few occasions to meet Crampas, reassured her. She and her husband
began to spend their evenings reviewing their Italian journey.
Gieshübler joined them and soon announced that Crampas was planning an
amateur performance of _A Step out of the Way_, with Effi as the
heroine. She felt the danger, but was eager to act, as Crampas was
only the coach. Her playing won enthusiastic applause and Innstetten
raved over his captivating wife. A casual remark about Mrs. Crampas
led him to assert that she was insanely jealous of Effi, and to tell
how Crampas had wheedled her into agreeing to stay at home the second
day after Christmas, while he himself joined the Innstettens and
others on a sleighing party. Innstetten then said, in a way suggesting
the strict pedagogue, that Crampas was not to be trusted, particularly
in his relations to women. On Christmas day Effi was happy till she
discovered she had received no greeting from Crampas. That put her out
of sorts and made her conscious that all was not well. Innstetten
noticed her troubled state and, when she told him she felt unworthy of
the kindness showered upon her, he said that people get only what they
deserve, but she was not sure of his meaning. The proposed sleighing
party was carried out. After coffee at Forester Ring's lodge all went
out for a walk. Crampas remarked to Effi that they were in danger of
being snowed in. She replied with the story of a poem entitled _God's
Wall_, which she had learned from her pastor. During a war an aged
widow prayed God to build a wall to protect her from the enemy. God
caused her cottage to be snowed under, and the enemy passed by.
Crampas changed the subject.]