questions. Had he received her letter? Would he come? How? When? and how
would the mother be? Suddenly Gertrude rose up in bed with greater
strength than she had shown for many days. "Go! go! Veronica," she said
beseechingly, "Open the door for him! He ought not to stand there knocking
like a stranger. Show him how glad we are to see him again!"

"No one is knocking, mother; you are only dreaming," said Veronica sadly
shaking her head; but the longing in Gertrude's eyes was more than she
could resist, and she rose and left the room, thinking to please her by
compliance. She heard a step; but then the road ran in front of the house,
and it might be any passer-by. She opened the outside door--Dietrich stood
before her!

"You summoned me, or I should not have come;" said the young man, half in
excuse, and half reassuringly, for Veronica stood dumb and motionless
before him. "Will you not shake hands, Veronica?"

She gave him her hand, saying only,

"Come to your mother; she heard your step, and doesn't need to be prepared
for you. But you must control yourself; you will find her very much
altered."

Dietrich entered the room. His mother was still sitting up in bed,
watching the door, in a strained, expectant attitude. She was indeed
changed. She looked so small and thin and wasted. Dietrich was completely
unmanned at the sight. He sprang to the bedside, threw his arms about her,
and between his sobs he cried again and again,

"Forgive me, mother, forgive me! I will never act so again! I will lead a
different life! Everything shall be right! You must live to be happy,
mother!"

"Thank God that you have come, Dietrich," said his mother, trembling with
weakness and excitement. "I forgave you long ago. How could I have
anything against you? But, my dear boy, why did you not write one word,
one little word to tell me how you were and where? Didn't you know how
unhappy you were making me?"

"What, mother! what do you mean? I wrote three times to you and twice to
Veronica; and you sent me back word through Jost that you did not want to
hear from me; that the disgrace was too much, and that no one dared to
mention my name before Veronica, she was so angry with me. I had to send
my letters through Jost, and he gave me the address of his old aunt to
make all safe. It was better for you not to know where I was, because
they were hunting for me on account of the man I killed. And you have
never got one of my letters; not on