e heiresses whom
she had picked out for Wilhelm, one was married, another engaged, and
there remained only the third, the one with the curly hair, who still
asked after him from time to time.

Meanwhile the news of Wilhelm's arrival had penetrated as far as Willy,
who now came rushing in.

"Onkelchen, Onkelchen! have you come back?" he shouted, long before he
reached Wilhelm, and stretched out his little arms to him. He had not
grown much, but was plump and rosy as a ripe apple. Wilhelm kissed him,
and stroked the soft, fair curls that felt so much like Pilar's silky
hair.

"Have you been a good boy all this time?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, very good--haven't I, father?" the boy cried eagerly. "And I
can read now--everything--the newspaper too. I got a beautiful big box
of bricks for it at Christmas."

Wilhelm had taken him on his knee, but the lively child would not keep
quiet for long. He jumped down and hopped about in front of his
godfather and chattered away.

"I say, Onkelchen, you have just come in time for my birthday, haven't
you?"

Wilhelm had not thought of it.

"When is your birthday, my boy?" he asked, rather crestfallen.

"Why, don't you know? It is the day after to-morrow. And what have you
brought me?"

He did not wait for an answer, having caught sight, at that moment, of
Fido, who, shy as all dogs are in a strange place and among strange
people, had crept away under a table, and sat there very still with his
eyes firmly fixed on Wilhelm.

"A dog! A spitz!" Willy shrieked with joy. "Is he for me, Onkelchen?"

He rushed at Fido, took hold of him by the paw, and dragged him out.

Malvine cried anxiously:

"Let him go, Willy!"

But Wilhelm reassured her.

"He won't hurt him, he is quite gentle."

Fido allowed himself to be dragged without much resistance into the
middle of the room, only turning his head away nervously and eying the
child askance, as if doubtful as to his intentions. But when Willy
began to pat and stroke him kindly, and set him on his hind legs in the
first position for begging, Fido realized that no harm was going to
befall him, and attached himself instantly to the new friend with that
easy confidence which was this sociable creature's great fault of
character. He fell to wagging his bushy tail in a highly expressive
manner, tried to lick Willy's rosy face, and was altogether so overcome
by pleasing emotions that he got a severe attack of coughing, sneezing,
and snort