the aunts--Gabriele must continually make
her glass clink against those of her little nephews.

In the mean time Jeremias Munter made with love-warm looks the following
speech to his bride. "That was a joke now! that you should have made me
of such consequence! How did she know that I would have her? To woo me
yourself, and to take me so by surprise! To give me no time to think.
What then? It is quite unheard of! Was the thing arranged beforehand?
No, that is too troublesome. Nay, nay, nay, nay then, nay say I! But now
I think about it, it was quite for the best that I accept you--but
indeed you were a little hasty; I've a good mind to----What now? What is
fresh in hand? Comes her little grace, the little sister-in-law, without
any ceremony and kisses me. Heavens! the world is very merry!"

But nobody in the whole circle found the world so merry as Petrea.

"Are you now satisfied with me, Petrea?" asked Eva, archly laughing.
Petrea clasped her warmly in her arms.

Now the voice of Mother Louise was heard saying, "Nay, nay, children,
you must not drink a drop more! What do you say, my little David? A
thee-and-thou toast with Uncle Munter? No, thank you greatly, my dear
fellow, you can propose that another time. You have drunk to-day toasts
enough--more, perhaps, than your little heads can carry."

"I beg for the boys, sister Louise," said the Assessor; "I will propose
a skal, and they must drink it with me. Fill, yet once more, the
glasses, little carousers!--I propose a skal for peace! peace in our
country, and peace in our homes! A skal for love and knowledge, which
alone can make peace a blessing! A skal, in one word, for--Peace upon
Earth!"

"Amen! amen!" cried Jacobi, drank off his glass, and threw it behind
him. Louise looked at her mother somewhat astonished, but the mother
followed Jacobi's example; she too was carried away.

"All glasses to the ground after this skal!" cried the Judge, and sent
his ringing against the ceiling. With an indescribable pleasure the
little Jacobis threw their glasses up, and endeavoured to make the skal
for Peace as noisy and tumultuous as possible.

* * * * *

We leave now the joyful circle, from which we have seen the mother
softly steal away. We see her go into the boudoir, where reposing in
comfortable quiet she writes the following lines to her friend and
sister:

"I have left them now for a few minutes, in order to rest, and to say a