ng on as well as possible. The lady shook her
head lovingly at him, and bade him not play any pranks, or fancy
himself well before the time, and the youth, although in the highest
spirits, gravely assured her that he would be passive as an unweaned
child. But that very evening, as mother and daughter were sitting in
their saloon by candlelight, and Lisabethli practising some foreign
tune upon the spinett, there came a knock at the door, and in answer to
a somewhat nervous "Come in,"--for the ladies were not accustomed to
such late visitors--their young guest appeared leaning on the arm of
Valentin, who by silent shrugs, gave them to understand that this was
no doing of his, and that he washed his hands of the consequences of
such imprudence. Kurt, however, over whose pale cheeks a flush of
pleasure passed at this escape from the sick room, gaily and gracefully
bent his knee before the grave matron, and prayed her forgiveness for
having ventured once more to stand on his own feet contrary to her
command. He only wanted to wish his benefactress good-night, and to
thank the young lady too, whom he had not seen since that terrible
evening, for the trouble she had taken in making lint and sewing
bandages together. It was impossible to resist his lively cordial
manner: and even Lisabethli, who had been more startled by his
unexpected appearance on this occasion than on the first, soon regained
her natural ease and replied playfully and intelligently to his
friendly talk. At a signal from her mother she brought in a tray of
fruit and pastry, and their guest who had fasted for some days (first,
however, asking and obtaining leave from Valentin), was soon biting
with his white teeth into the juicy early pears.

"Noble lady," he said, "I cannot describe to you how pleasant it is to
me to find myself at this table. When I first saw your lights shine
from the terrace below, and directed my fugitive steps hither, how
little I dreamed that I should ever sit here safely and happily, and
that you would be so very kind to me! You must know that I am a
thoroughly spoilt child, and on my journey here, much as I enjoyed the
freedom and novelty of it, yet in the wretched hostelries, spite of
good food and fiery wine, I used to long for the clean tablecloth laid
by our maid at home for our simple fare. I never ventured to sleep in
any of their beds without spreading my cloak over the sheets. Now here
I find everything just as it is at my own