as all a-glow.

They went to the mother as to a temple, and they came away from her as
from a temple, for this gentle, peaceful spirit conveyed a benediction
in every word, in every movement of the hand, in every glance of the
eye; and she it was who appealed to the sanctity of established rule,
and the persistent continuance in duty, for she said to them that she
should regard it as the most perfect proof of love and loyal
attachment, if they would go on with their work to-day just as they did
yesterday; in every situation in life, whether in tribulation or in
gladness, the appointed duty must be performed.

They were again seated at their work, and they read together, to-day,
the return of Ulysses to Ithaca. Eric was somewhat absent, for
everything took the hue of the feeling that he was with his mother; he
overcame this,--he would be wholly engaged in what was before him, but
he caught himself unexpectedly drawn away in this direction as he
looked at Roland. "Ah! why can you not have the same feeling? The best
refreshment and blessing for a human being is the mother's love. Every
other love must be sued for, be obtained by conquest, be earned, be
struggled for through obstacles; a mother's love alone one has always
unsought and undeserved."

Now Bella came again into his mind. Eric hoped to have annihilated
everything in himself that was false to human nature and to purity, and
summoning up a greater, strength than ever, a strength obtained by hard
wrestling, he devoted himself to the work of instruction, and succeeded
in projecting himself and the youth into the life of another, so that
they forgot everything immediately around them.

At noon, the realization of the mother's presence came to them as a
fresh gift. They were in the garden together; Frau Ceres was not
visible, and she begged, through Fraeulein Perini, to be excused.
Sonnenkamp smiled, for he knew that it had never occurred to Frau Ceres
to send an excuse, and that Fraeulein Perini had done it of her own
accord; and it was well for her to do so, he thought, for the
refractory disposition of his wife led her to turn away from the guests
intruding upon her privacy and her strong point was in declining; she
allowed nothing to approach her. Fraeulein Perini manifestly took very
great pains to render herself as agreeable as possible to the
Professor's widow, and was grateful as a child when she was shown how
to execute a new piece of handiwork.

The Ca