56 LOUIS AGASSIZ. [CHAP. iv. 



was to get married. As is often the case with stu- 

 dents, the trio, Agassiz, Braun, and Schimper, had 

 promptly fallen in love. They were surrounded by too 

 many young sisters and friends' sisters not to succumb. 

 Agassiz's choice was Cecile Braun ; Schimper became 

 engaged to her older sister Emmy, and Braun himself 

 was soon enamoured of a sister of Arnold Guyot, also 

 called Cecile. As shown by the result, it would seem 

 that it would have been well if the three engagements 

 had been broken off. Alexander Braun, the most rea- 

 sonable and practical of the three, had the good sense 

 not to go too far. His regard for Cecile Guyot of Hau- 

 terive, near Neuchatel, soon took the form of friend- 

 ship. No public engagement was announced, prudence 

 on both sides keeping the matter rather quiet, until, by 

 common consent, Mademoiselle Cecile Guyot, instead 

 of a " mariage d'inclination," considered by her very 

 practical family as a great " imprudence," agreed to a 

 "mariage de convenance ' at Neuchatel, - -a " parti 

 fort avantageux," according to Arnold Guyot,- -and, 

 instead of becoming Madame Braun, was contented to 

 call her old sweetheart "son bon frere Alex." : 



Although Alexander Braun was a great admirer of 

 the botanical genius of Karl Schimper, he soon saw the 

 weak point of his character. After waiting several 

 years from the time of the engagement in 1832, Miss 

 Emmy Braun realized too well the unfitness of Schimper, 

 and, with the help of her brother, broke the engage- 



1 See " Alexander Braun's Leben," by Mrs. C. Mettenius, where are 

 many details of the whole affair, even including letters of Braun to Cecile 

 Guyot. 



