d mull kerchief about her shoulders to
the shapely foot in the little laced shoe. Would Susanna ever practise
household duties thus?

"Never! That princess, that will-o'-the-wisp, with the curly hair and
little, childish hands! But would Anna Maria remain here forever? Lost
in thought, I stood for a moment at the door of the cool cellar. Anna
Maria drew a line below her figures, laid the slate aside, and took up a
letter. 'From Klaus,' she said, as she caught sight of me. 'I will read
it by and by in my room.' On the table lay another letter, significantly
smaller than the first, and already opened. Anna Maria noticed that my
eyes rested on it a moment, questioningly.

"'Stuermer announces his coming to the harvest festival,' she explained,
bending forward quickly and putting something on the table. When she
raised her head again a slight flush still lay on her cheeks.

"'You have accepted, Anna Maria?'

"'Yes,' she said, quickly; 'I think it is only right to Klaus.'

"'Klaus has written to Susanna too,' said I; 'did you know it?'

"She quivered, noticeably. 'No,' she replied, 'but that must be.'

"'She has run, the Lord knows where, with her treasure,' I continued,
smiling; 'she will probably answer it to-day, too.'

"Anna Maria nodded. 'We will go up,' she said; 'I would like to read,
too.' We went through the busy kitchen and up the stairs. Anna Maria
went at once to her room, and I to the upper story, to seek my own room.
In the hall I stopped; the sound of Susanna's sobbing came to my ear,
and the indignant voice of the old woman:

"'For shame, Susanna!'

"'No, I cannot, I will not!' sobbed the girl.

"They had forgotten to latch the door; I slipped nearer, but did not
understand Isabella's hissing whisper, nevertheless.

"'No, no!' cried Susanna again, but with little resistance. Fresh
whispering, then a kiss. 'My little hare, my Susy, it may all be yet;
now the thing is, to put a good face on the bad game!' in genuine Berlin
speech. 'Now at it; you are brave!'

"An icy chill crept over me, even to my heart; I could not account for
it to myself. But I was in no mood then to open the door, and went to my
room with the consciousness that something wrong, something mysterious,
was going on over there.

"An hour later Isabella came to me with a letter. 'Here it is,' said she
proudly. 'Susanna is ready with her pen, she gets it from her father,
and all that she says in this is beautiful. It is a shame t