united
in us. He among us who does not concern himself about matters of state,
is not regarded as a peaceable, but as a useless, man." Pericles shows
that he possesses the true religion when he cries: "You must constantly
keep before your eyes the powers of the state, and must love them. Seek
for happiness in liberty, and for liberty in your own courage."

CHAPTER V.

"A Prussian doesn't let go his grip from anything he holds," said
Ikwarte to the councillor, when the latter called to him not to let a
badly wounded man, who was being carefully carried by, drop. This was,
in a certain sense, a motto for us all.

Prussia has the Frenchman in her grip, and will not let him go; and our
troops have gone bravely on. The blood of the South and North German
has been shed together. Grief for the individual was assuaged by the
thought of the result which would be achieved.

The union of the German people is now indissoluble.

The councillor returned to the army.

I was greatly grieved that I could not also lend a hand, and that I was
forced to return home, there to watch and wait. But the councillor
assured me, and I dare say he was right, that I would be unable to
stand the sights of the battle-field. On the first day, he himself,
even before he knew of his son's fate, had become so crushed and dazed
that he could hardly keep his feet. Now he no longer thought of the
misery itself, but solely of the means of remedying it.

Rontheim related, to our momentary amusement, how the vicar had lost
the trunk containing his robes of office, and how he therefore had to
perform his duties without his distinctive dress: a circumstance which
worked no harm, as he was of great service at any rate. Martha took a
quantity of goods along, which she wanted either to finish up at home,
or to use as a means of instructing the children of our village. We
drove home. It seemed like a dream to me that the saw-mill was running,
that wagons loaded with wood met us, and that people were at work in
the fields. Everything goes its gait, and yonder rages the battle.

At the newspaper-tree we met Carl's mother and Marie, and she
called out to me, "Do you see the flock of hungry crows! They are
flying beyond the Rhine, to where the boys who used to sing are lying
dead--and each of them had a mother."

"Your Carl has written that he is safe and sound."

"Yes, yes, until to-morrow. Come! We'll go home."

The t