arrival she pulled the bell-rope. Mr. Trius appeared,
quietly opened and silently walked away again. Apollonie, who knew from
Maezli where the master was, went towards the terrace. When she saw the
sick man, she was completely overcome by memories of former times. She
only said shakily, "Oh, Baron, Baron! I cannot bear this! It is my fault
that you have no proper room or bed! And ill and suffering as you are!"
Apollonie could get no further for sobs and tears.

The Baron shook her hand kindly. "What is the matter, Mrs. Apollonie?
We have always been good friends. What do you mean?"

He then heard from Apollonie that it had been the Baroness' wish to leave
the whole house unchanged on account of his possible return. Apollonie
frankly admitted that she had only moved the things away to keep them
from being ruined and had naturally counted on putting every object back
again as soon as he came back, for she remembered where every pin-cushion
and tiny picture belonged. She begged the Baron's permission to let her
fix his room to-day, another one the day after, and so on till the castle
looked again as his mother had wished it to be.

The Baron replied that Apollonie could do whatever she chose, adding that
he trusted her entirely.

Her heart was filled with joy as she ran towards the attic. She came
down soon afterwards laden with blankets, sheets and pillows, only to go
up again for a new load. This went on for a couple of hours, and between
times she set the manifold objects in order. How gladly she put up the
heavy hangings in the Baron's room. She knew how he had always loved the
beautiful red color which dimmed the bright sunlight. Apollonie stood
still in the middle of the room and looked about her. Everything was
there down to the two pen-holders the Baron had last been using, which
were on the big shell of the bronze inkstand. Beside them lay a black
pen-wiper with red and white roses which Miss Leonore herself had
embroidered. The cover was half turned back and the snow-white bed with
the high pillows was ready to receive the sick man. Over the bed hung a
little picture of his mother, which had been there since his boyhood, and
Apollonie had also remembered every other detail. When she went down to
the terrace, a cool evening breeze was already blowing through the
branches of the pine tree.

"Everything is ready, Baron," she said; "we are going to carry you up
together, because Mr. Trius can't do it alone. I am