r's child. Something of the story of Andreas and Christine, and
something of what he had done for her and for her husband, was known
in the bakery; and enough more was guessed to make these friends of his
feel towards him, because of it all, a still stronger and more earnest
friendship. Herr Sohnstein, who, being a lawyer with an extensive
practice in the criminal courts, was not by any means in the habit of
praising his fellow-men indiscriminately, even went so far as to say
that Andreas was "better than any of the saints already." And when Aunt
Hedwig, somewhat shocked at this comparison to the disfavor at a single
thrust of the whole body of saints put together, reproved Herr Sohnstein
for his irreverence, he stoutly declared that while his knowledge of
saints was comparatively limited--since they did not come within the
jurisdiction of the courts--he certainly never had read of one who
had shown a finer quality of charity, both in forgiveness and in
self-sacrifice, than that which Andreas had displayed.

"Don't you make believe, Hedwig," Herr Sohnstein continued, "that if
you go off after promising yourself to me and marry another fellow, that
I'll take care of him when he's sick, and set him up in business when
he gets well, and wind up by giving him a first-class funeral; and don't
you get it into your head that I'm going to adopt any of your children
that are not mine too--for I'm not a saint already, even if Andreas is."

To which general declaration Aunt Hedwig replied, with much spirit, that
in the first place Herr Sohnstein had better wait until she promised
to marry him--or to marry anybody, for that matter--before he took to
preaching to her; that in the second place it was unnecessary for him
to declare that he was not a saint, since only a deaf blind man would be
likely to take him for one; and that in the third place he would do well
to save his breath to cool his broth: at which lively sally they all
laughed together very comfortably.

With these good friends Andreas consulted in all important matters
relating to Roschen's well-being. Aunt Hedwig's practical advice in
regard to clothing and food and general care-taking was of high value
in the early years; and it was Gottlieb's suggestion, when the time
came for beginning the sowing of seeds of wisdom in her small mind, that
Roschen should go with his own Minna to the school where the Sisters
taught; and of a Sunday the children went also together to b