observed with the eye of an artist the picture,
that was exceedingly well painted; a considerable sum had already been
offered for it in order to be put into an art-collection.

There was stillness in the abode of the two ladies, who lived almost as
quietly as the flowers which throve so well under their watchfulness
and care. The postman, brought a letter in Clodwig's neat handwriting,
in every word of which the man himself could be discerned, so neat and
regular were the letters, with no stroke hastily made, and none too
elaborately precise; the whole had an appearance of uniformity, and the
lines were straight and at an equal distance apart, though the paper
was unruled. A feeling of pleasure was awakened by the mere sight of
the letter, and the contents were such as to strengthen this quiet
satisfaction. He said that the Professor's widow would lay him under an
obligation of gratitude by accepting an invitation to make a visit of
several weeks. He appealed to the friendly relations with her deceased
husband, and the beautiful renewal of them in his intercourse with
Eric, who gave to him a youthful friendship such as he had scarcely
dreamed of. Lastly, he appealed to their mutual personal acquaintance,
and there was a written smile when he added, that, during his whole
life, he had never made a demand upon the heart which had not met with
a response, and he prayed her now not to shame him in his old age. He
closed by saying that he entreated the mother of his friend Eric to
permit him to call himself "her friend Clodwig." There was no formal
politeness in the letter, and yet it was full of a delicate
friendliness.

Bella had hastily scratched underneath, in a coarse hand, a request
that the mother and aunt would honor her with a visit; she said that
she wrote only a few words, as she felt sure that she should be favored
with the intimate intercourse of the respected mother and the amiable
aunt. In a postscript she besought them to bring with them Eric's
music.

In the letter there was enclosed a second one from the Doctor, who
claimed to have been a scholar of the old Professor. He offered
good-humoredly his professional services, and there was only one brief
sentence in which he suggested that it would be a protection and a
safeguard to his young friend Eric, to be again under the eye of his
mother.

This awakened in her many thoughts, and she resolved to accept the
invitation. Sonnenkamp's telegram was deliver