art was burdened by this
mystery of the children's having to suffer for the sins of the parents.

In the midst of these sonorous and powerful lines, she heard the sound
of wheels stopping before the house. Perhaps it was the Doctor coming
to sit an hour with her, as he often did; she knew he liked to have her
stay quietly in her place. But it was another step that approached,
another knock at the door, and Herr Sonnenkamp entered.

"Are you quite alone?"

"Quite alone."

The Frau Professorin was greatly embarrassed; this was the first time
she had seen Sonnenkamp since hearing that about him which she could
never tell him; it required all her self-control to enable her to offer
him her hand. He drew off his fur glove and grasped her hand in his.
For the first time she felt the steel ring on his thumb like a cold
snake. With terror she saw her hand in his. This hand of Sonnenkamp's,
so thick and hard, with the fingers bent back and the flesh growing
over the nails, was the hand of the Pharisee in Titian's picture of the
tribute money. So between the thumb and forefinger does the Pharisee
hold the piece of money, and there is an evil, violent, and
hypocritical look, if we may so express ourselves, about the hand. She
remembered standing one day, during her wedding journey, in the picture
gallery at Dresden, when her husband covered for a moment the face of
Christ and that of the Pharisee, and drew her attention to the
wonderful drawing of the two hands, which in themselves revealed the
opposite characters of the men. With the speed of lightning did those
thoughts and images pass through the lady's mind.

Sonnenkamp observed this emotion, so unlike her usual calm
self-possession, but naturally attributing it to surprise, said with
ready tact:--

"I have often noticed that intellectual persons who live much in
themselves, and especially noble women of superior cultivation, are not
fond of surprises; I must therefore beg your forgiveness for this one."

The Frau Professorin looked at him in amazement. How was it possible
that a man, whose life in the past had been what this man's had, could
understand such subtle emotions and express them so delicately? She
confessed that he had rightly interpreted her emotion, and asked
whether his visit was to herself, or one of inspection to his
establishment. The question was an awkward one, she knew, but she could
think of no other at the moment.

"My visit concerns no one but