Page 113 - The Diary of A. H. W. Behrens

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1875 – 1876
I lived in the Mission House but knew more than enough families and houses in Hermannsburg where I could stop for
a bite to eat and where I was welcome. There was Von der Lühe, my godfather, and his wife and the two old ladies Von der Lühe. They invited me in the first days already and at the table I got to sit next to a young lady, Miss Elisabeth Martins, second daughter of the economist Th. Martins from Beckedorf. I liked her a lot and later in 1883 she followed me and became my wife. A full five years I had to keep my love for her a secret and in terms of the strict house rules I was not allowed to say
a word. But our eyes spoke of mutual love and the touching of hands when we met while we were fetching the post, did the rest. She still had two sisters Käthe and Agnes. I often visited the Martins’ home in Beckedorf together with Stielau and played croquet there. The two sisters and their brother Theodor suspected that we were in love and became part of our pact;
all in secret. We could not even consider getting engaged, one word of it in public and I would have been sent straight to Africa, as had happened in the previous course to my friend Wilhelm Ahrens, whose love that became known had actually been helped on by the wife of the Inspector. Order is order and must be followed.