's
guardian."

Mrs. Maxa was quite unable to hide her excitement.

"You can be reassured, for we have thought of that, too," the visitor
said with a slightly superior smile. "My husband's sister does not live
very far from Mr. Falcon in Sils. So he planned to visit your brother
and talk the plan over with him."

This calmed Mrs. Maxa a trifle, for her brother knew already how it
stood between the three comrades and how little she wanted them to live
together. But she could not help wondering why these people were trying
to force the boys to live together.

"I do not really understand why the boys should have to live together,"
she said with animation; "they do not profess to feel much friendship for
each other, and never seek each other out. You yourself, Mrs. Knippel,
do not seem to get a very good impression from my children's ways. I do
not see why you wish your sons to live with mine at all."

"It is a matter of decorum," the attorney's wife replied, "and my husband
agrees with me. What would people in town say if the sons of the two
best families here, who have always studied together, should not live
together? Everybody would think that something special had happened
between the families. Both parties will only gain in respect by
joining."

"I do not believe that people in the city will be interested in what the
three boys are doing," said Mrs. Maxa, smiling a little.

That same moment the door was flung wide open. With a triumphant face as
if she wanted to say, "Just look whom I bring you here," Maezli stood on
the threshhold leading Apollonie in. The latter hastily retreated.

"No, no, Maezli," she said quite frightened, "you should have told me that
there was company."

Mrs. Knippel had risen to take her departure: "It seems to me that other
visitors are greeted very joyfully by your children. Well, I must say
they have rather odd tastes," she said, walking towards the door.

"Apollonie is a very old friend of ours. All the children love her very
much. They may have inherited this attachment, though," Mrs. Maxa
replied with a smile.

"I only want to say one more word," said the lady turning round before
stepping outside the door. "The scene your son Kurt enacted to-day in
front of Apollonie's cottage with his crowd of miscellaneous friends can
only be called a vulgar noise."

But Mrs. Maxa did not yet know what Kurt had done. The visitor turned
to go now, as it seemed not worth her while to waste