appropriate question, and said--"Lenz,
has your uncle not been here yet? and is he not proud of your fine
clock?"

"He was here, but the only remark he made was, that I had sold it far
too cheap, and did not understand my own advantage."

Now nothing can answer better than to bring forward some absent person,
and especially one so generally disliked as Petrowitsch. The point now
was in what tone he was to be spoken of Annele and her mother had
already sharpened their tongues, when they were forced to silence by a
warning glance from the Landlord. The Doctor began to praise
Petrowitsch, saying that he affected to be rough because he dreaded
his own soft heart; and, turning to the Schoolmaster and Lenz, he
said--"Petrowitsch is like those trees that were not transformed into
coal at the Deluge, but yet have rich warm substance within: this is
just Petrowitsch." The Schoolmaster smiled assentingly, Lenz looked
puzzled, and the Landlord hemmed.

The Doctor's eldest daughter said--"Petrowitsch is fond of music, and
whoever likes music must have a good heart." Lenz nodded approvingly,
and Annele smiled sweetly. The Landlady could not stand this. She had
turned the conversation on such a fruitful subject, that she could not
permit others to snatch it from her; so she, too, praised Petrowitsch's
cleverness, and hinted that she was his confidant on most points;
whence it was pretty plainly to be seen that she was very clever
herself, so thoroughly to understand such a superior person, for it was
not every one that was capable of doing so. Annele, too, had a good
word to say, and praised Petrowitsch for his neatness, and always
wearing such fine linen, and making so many pleasant jokes; even
Bueble came in for a good morsel from this rich banquet of praise.
Annele described Petrowitsch as the most devoted friend of her
family,--indeed, shortly they made him out to be a perfect saint, and
only wanting a pair of wings to become an angel altogether. At last the
visit came to an end; the Schoolmaster accompanied the Doctor; Lenz
followed the Doctor as he went out, and said--

"Herr Doctor, I have a question to put to you, but you must not inquire
why I ask it."

"What is it, pray?"

"I should like to know what kind of plant _Edelweiss_ is."

"Do you know it, Amanda?" said the Doctor.

Amanda, colouring, said, "It is an Alpine plant which grows in snowy
regions; in fact it springs up under the snow; but I never saw it
growi