feel it very
much, though, I must part from him. It will be better."

Another pause. No sign of emotion, no quiver of the lips, no groan,
though the heart might be afaint. I sat speechless.

"I have not come to the conclusion lately. I've always known it," he
went on, and spoke slowly. "I have known it--and have thought about
it--so as to get accustomed to it--see?"

I nodded.

"At that time--as you seem to have a fancy for the child--will you give
an eye to him--sometimes, Friedel--that is, if you care enough for me--"

For a moment I did not speak. Then I said:

"You are quite sure the parting must take place?"

He assented.

"When it does, will you give him to me--to my charge altogether?"

"What do you mean?"

"If he must lose one father, let me grow as like another to him as I
can."

"Friedhelm--"

"On no other condition," said I. "I will not 'have an eye' to him
occasionally. I will not let him go out alone among strangers, and give
a look in upon him now and then."

Eugen had covered his face with his hands, but spoke not.

"I will have him with me altogether, or not at all," I finished, with a
kind of jerk.

"Impossible!" said he, looking up with a pale face, and eyes full of
anguish--the more intense in that he uttered not a word of it.
"Impossible! You are no relation--he has not a claim--there is not a
reason--not the wildest reason for such a--"

"Yes, there is; there is the reason that I won't have it otherwise,"
said I, doggedly.

"It is fantastic, like your insane self," he said, with a forced smile,
which cut me, somehow, more than if he had groaned.

"Fantastic! I don't know what you mean. What good would it be to me to
see him with strangers? I should only make myself miserable with wishing
to have him. I don't know what you mean by fantastic."

He drew a long breath. "So be it, then," said he, at last. "And he need
know nothing about his father. I may even see him from time to time
without his knowing--see him growing into a man like you, Friedel; it
would be worth the separation, even if one had not to make a merit of
necessity; yes, well worth it."

"Like me? _Nie, mein lieber_; he shall be something rather better than I
am, let us hope," said I; "but there is time enough to talk about it."

"Oh, yes! In a year or two from now," said he, almost inaudibly. "The
worst of it is that in a case like this, the years go so fast, so
cursedly fast."

I could make no answer to th