her what had happened in his absence, but
stared vacantly, sighed often, and returned confused answers. When he
had eaten something, and drunk some strong wine, he fell asleep while
sitting at table, with difficulty roused himself sufficiently to tumble
into bed, and had just sense enough left to impress upon the woman the
fact that he must be waked at six o'clock.

Then, when the evening came, little Frances only succeeded, after much
shouting and shaking, in dispelling his leaden sleep; from which,
however, the weary man awoke with joyous eyes. He lay for a while and
enjoyed the physical relief, the peace in his heart, which he had
missed so long. Every word his beloved had said to him that morning
came back to his mind again; he knew that with all her kind words she
could have meant but one thing; and yet he trembled at the thought that
it might all have been a delusion. But the certainty of happiness
invariably kept the upper hand.

When, at length, he arose, he felt as if he had recovered from an
illness--as if he were invigorated by fresh blood--and he marveled at
this transformation; for he remembered that on this very morning he
would have liked best to burrow his way into the earth and never see
the sun again. He kissed his little daughter again and again, pressed
the old woman's hand--the foster-mother was absent--and started off for
Julie's lodgings.

But, when he arrived at the house, he was surprised to see a bright
light streaming through the blinds of all five windows. He knew that
she was fond of having her room bright, but for all that it struck him
that all was not as usual. He asked the old servant, who helped him to
take off his overcoat in the hall, but received no definite answer;
and he was painfully surprised when he opened the door and saw the
brightly-lighted room full of people.

It is true, they were all familiar faces. Angelica sat on a sofa by the
side of old Schoepf, Rossel had established himself in the most
comfortable of the two armchairs, and Rosenbusch and Kohle appeared to
be absorbed in the contemplation of some engravings on the wall, while
Julie was conversing with Schnetz and Elfinger near the door. A covered
table, decorated with beautiful bouquets, stood along the wall on the
side where the windows were, and little Frances's foster-mother was
busy adding the last finishing touches to it. They were all in evening
dress, and even Rosenbusch had refrained from wearing his hist