hand of her betrothed. She accounted to Julie
for the fact that this epistle, a comic rhymed affair in Rosenbusch's
old light-hearted manner, sounded less tender than the others, by
explaining that it was accompanied by an extra sheet in prose, which
dealt with the intimate affairs of the heart. True to the profound
saying of Elfinger--"The stronger the love, the weaker the verses"--our
lover had taken good care not to compose his actual love-letters in
rhyme, for which Angelica felt grateful to him in her soul.

CHAPTER VI.

The hard war winter was over; the spring had brought peace and the
birth of a new German Empire; and midsummer saw the victorious host
returning to its home.

It is just two years since that day when our story began. Once more it
is hot and still in the Theresienwiese, so still that a flute concerto
from the window of the studio building could be heard for a long
distance around. But the flute is silent. Moreover, although it is a
weekday, a Sunday calm hangs over the country round about. No roll of
carriages is heard, and no people are seen hurrying busily through the
streets of the suburb. Yet the great bronze maiden before the
Ruhmeshalle does not seem surprised at this loneliness and quiet. It is
true, without raising herself on tiptoe, she can look away over the
houses of the city, to the gate on which stands a smaller likeness of
herself in a chariot of victory, drawn by four stately lions with
majestic heads and manes. And so she knows the reason why everything in
her neighborhood appears as if it were dead. Just as the blood from the
whole body streams swiftly to the centre of life, when some sudden
stroke of fear or surprise reaches the heart, leaving the extremities
paralyzed and lifeless, so the whole population had collected around
that spot where their heart was to-day--the arch of triumph through
which the conquerors were to enter. The great bronze woman sees the
flash of arms and the waving of flags on the high-road before any one
else, and something like a smile flits across her tightly-shut lips.
Any one who had been watching her closely at this moment would have
seen that she raised her arm higher than usual, and slightly moved the
wreath in her hand, as if in token of greeting to the triumphal
procession. This occurred just as the bells rang out from all the
church towers in the city, and a shout of joy from a hundred thousand
throats anno