in the grass at the border of the little woods. Oh, what
beautiful days those were! Soon they were to become more perfect still
for us.

"But I received an impression in those days which remained in my heart
for a long while like a menacing power, often frightening me so that I
was very unhappy. Once my father came down very silently from the
castle. When my mother asked him if anything had happened he replied,
and I still hear his words 'Young Bruno has inherited his ancestor's
dreadful passion. His mother is naturally more worried about this than
about anything else.'"

"Look at him," Kurt said dryly, glancing at Bruno, who was sitting beside
his mother. For answer Bruno's eyes flashed threateningly at his
brother.

"Oh, please go on, mother," Mea urged. She was in no mood to have the
tale interrupted by a fight between her brothers.

"It seemed terrible to me," the mother continued again, "that Bruno, my
generous, kind friend, should have anything in his character to worry his
mother. Often I cried quietly in a corner about it and wondered how such
a thing could be. I had to admit it myself, however. Whenever the three
boys had a disagreement or anybody did something to displease Bruno, he
would get quite beside himself with rage, acting in a way which he must
have been sorry for later on. I have to repeat again, though, that he
had at bottom a noble and generous nature and would never have willingly
harmed anyone or committed a cruel deed. But one could see that his
outbreaks of passion might drive him to desperate deeds.

"Salo, his brother, never became angry, but he had a very unyielding
nature just the same. He was just as obstinate in his way as his
brother, and never gave in. Philip was always on his side, for the two
were the best of friends. Bruno was much more reserved and taciturn than
Salo, who was naturally very gay and could sing and laugh so that the
halls would re-echo loudly with his merriment. The Baroness herself
often laughed in that way, too. That is why Bruno imagined that she
loved her younger son better than him, and because he himself loved his
mother passionately, he could not endure this thought. It was not true,
however. She loved his eldest boy passionately and everybody who was
close to her could see it.

"When I was ten years old and Philip fifteen, an unusually charming girl
was added to our little circle. I above everybody else was enchanted
with her. Our friends at the castle