red at the
abundant fulness of her life; but he was aware at the same time of a
promise, and against this he struggled with all the power there was in
him.

XII

It was a sunny day in September. Eberhard, who had spent the entire
August at Erfft, had returned to the city to attend to some urgent
business--and also to hasten the arrangements for his coming wedding.

As the streets were filled with playing children, he sauntered along on
his way up to the Castle on the hill. He wanted to look up his little
house; he had not been in it for months. He had a feeling that he would
enjoy the quiet up there; he longed to look back over and into scenes
from the past; he wanted to pass in review the shadowy pictures of his
former self; pictures he saw before him wherever he went, wherever he
was. One of these was always with him; if he found himself in a certain
room it was there; if he went on a long journey it was with him. He even
found it on the faded pages of books he had taken to himself as
companions in his loneliness.

He hesitated from time to time, stopped, and seemed quite irresolute.
All of a sudden he turned around, and started back with hasty steps to
AEgydius Place. Just as he was entering the hall of Daniel's apartment,
he met Daniel coming out. He greeted Eberhard and gave him his hand.

"I was just going to call for you," said the Baron. "Won't you come with
me up to my old hermitage?"

Daniel looked out through his glasses at a swallow that was just then
circling around over the square; there was something fabulous in its
flight. "To tell you the truth, Baron, I have very little inclination to
gossip at present." He made the remark with as much consideration for
the laws of human courtesy as lay within his power.

"There must be no gossiping," said Eberhard. "I have a great secret, one
that I can tell you without saying a word."

Daniel went along with him.

The air in the little house was dead, stuffy. But Eberhard did not open
the windows; he wished to have it as quiet as it was when they entered.
Daniel took a seat on one of the chairs in the former living room of the
Baron. Eberhard thought he had sat down because he was tired; he
therefore took a seat opposite him. The evening sun cast a slanting ray
on an old copper engraving based on a scene from pastoral life. A mouse
played around in the corner.

"Well, what is your secret?" asked Daniel brusquely, after