# XIII: Mamselle Marie explained — The Story of Gösta Berling > Chapter companion for The Story of Gösta Berling by Selma Lagerlöf. ## What happens The chapter recounts the story of Mamselle Marie, an old maid living at Madame Moreus' inn, who falls in love with a young organ-builder one summer. After he leaves, she expresses her love publicly by singing and giving him roses. Later, Countess Märta Dohna arrives at Borg and befriends Mamselle Marie, only to cruelly mimic her at a party, leading to a bitter quarrel. The young Countess Elizabeth later reconciles with Mamselle Marie by buying her curtains. ## Themes in this chapter ### Love and Sacrifice Mamselle Marie's unrequited love for the young organ-builder leads her to publicly express her devotion, accepting the pain of love as better than life without it. ### Social Class and Power The power imbalance between the aristocratic Countess Märta and the poor Mamselle Marie is starkly shown when the countess cruelly mocks her without consequence. ### Guilt and Remorse Countess Märta's lack of remorse after humiliating Mamselle Marie contrasts with the young countess's attempt to make amends, highlighting differing responses to guilt. ## Character check-ins ### Mamselle Marie An old maid living at Madame Moreus' inn; falls in love with a young organ-builder and later becomes the victim of Countess Märta's cruel mimicry. ### Countess Märta Dohna The far-famed countess who arrives at Borg, befriends Mamselle Marie, then publicly humiliates her by mimicking her farewell song. ### The Young Countess Countess Elizabeth, who tries to make peace between her mother-in-law and Mamselle Marie, and later buys Mamselle Marie's curtains to redress the insult. ### Gösta Berling Mentioned as having read a poem to the countess at Borg and being forbidden from her house, leading to his gloomy forebodings upon seeing Countess Märta arrive. ### Old Madame Moreus The innkeeper at whose house Mamselle Marie boards and where the young organ-builder also stays. ### Henrik Dohna Count Henrik Dohna, mentioned as the son of Countess Märta and husband of the young countess. ## Key lines > Better to be sorrowful with him than happy without him. It is preferable to experience the pain of love than to live without it. _Mamselle Marie's reflection on her unrequited love for the organ-builder._ > You are a bad woman, Märta Dohna. No decent woman ought to speak to you. Mamselle Marie condemns Countess Märta as wicked and unworthy of association with respectable women. _Mamselle Marie's angry response after being publicly mocked by the countess._ > The old rags! Do you want to be paid for such rags? Take them away with you! Countess Märta dismisses Mamselle Marie's handiwork as worthless and orders her to remove it. _The countess's contemptuous reaction when Mamselle Marie demands payment for her curtains and covers._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_g_sta_berling_se/chapters/part-i-xiii-mamselle-marie - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_g_sta_berling_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_g_sta_berling_se/chapters