site sex. The Miss's
conduct, therefore, in allowing her servant to take the letters from him
at the door, puzzled him.

He often met Miss Leech and Letty on his way to or from Kleinwalde, and
always stopped to speak to them and to teach them a few German sentences
and practise his own small stock of English; and from them he easily
discovered all that the young woman he favoured with his admiration was
doing. Lohm, riding over to Kleinwalde to settle differences between
Dellwig and the labourers, or to try offenders, met these three several
times, and supposed that Klutz must be courting the governess.

The day Trudi left, Lohm had gone round to Anna and delivered his
sister's message in a slightly embellished form. "You will have
everything to do now unassisted," he said. "I do trust that in any
difficulty you will let me help you. If the workmen are insolent, for
instance, or if your new servants are dishonest or in any way give you
trouble. You know it is my duty as Amtsvorsteher to interfere when such
things happen."

"You are very kind," said Anna gratefully, looking up at the grave, good
face, "but no one is insolent. And look--here is some one who wants to
come as companion. It is the first of the answers to that advertisement
that pleases me."

Lohm took the letter and photograph and examined them. "She is a
Penheim, I see," he said. "It is a very good family, but some of its
branches have been reduced to poverty, as so many of our old families
have been."

"Don't you think she would do very well?"

"Yes, if she is and does all she says in her letter. You might propose
that she should come at first for a few weeks on trial. You may not like
her, and she may not appreciate philanthropic housekeeping."

Anna laughed. "I am doubly anxious to get someone soon," she said,
"because my sister-in-law wants Letty and Miss Leech."

Letty and Miss Leech heaved tragic sighs at this; they had no desire
whatever to go home.

"Will you not feel rather forlorn when they are gone, and you are quite
alone among strangers?"

"I shall miss them, but I don't mean to be forlorn," said Anna, smiling.

"The courage of the little thing!" thought Lohm. "Ready to brave
anything in pursuit of her ideals. It makes one ashamed of one's own
grumblings and discouragements."

Anna arranged with Frau von Penheim that she should come at once on a
three months' trial; and immediately this was settled she wrote to Susie
to ask what