ter!--The money belongs to the
boy; he didn't steal it.--Hats off before the baron, do you hear?
fly!--The blacks!--Ah! Franklin!"

Eric offered to request the Commandant for an order to have the band
pass through another street, or at least stop playing when passing the
hotel.

A sudden thaw having carried away the snow, it was found necessary to
spread straw before the whole front of the Hotel Victoria, to deaden
the sound of the wheels.

Eric's mother received a most cordial greeting from Sonnenkamp, and did
her best to soothe Frau Ceres, who complained that it was horrible to
have Roland ill, and that she had to suffer for it, as she was ill
herself. At the Mother's suggestion, which Sonnenkamp at once adopted,
being only too happy to have anything to do, any new means to try, Dr.
Richard, who was familiar with Roland's constitution, was also
telegraphed for. He arrived at a late hour of the night, and approved
of all that had been done for Roland. He laid his chief injunctions
upon Eric and his mother, impressing on them the necessity of guarding
themselves as much as possible from the nervous excitement attendant on
a life in a sickroom, of taking plenty of rest and amusement, going out
often and refreshing their minds with new images. He would not leave
them till both had given a promise to this effect.

After a consultation with the attending physician he prepared to
depart, but when shaking hands at parting stopped to say:--

"I must warn you against the Countess von Wolfsgarten."

Eric was startled.

"She has remedies for every possible disease; and you must politely but
resolutely decline whatever she, in her dictatorial way, may press upon
you."

"He is not going to die, is he?" asked Sonnenkamp of the physician, as
he stood upon the steps.

The physician replied, that in extreme cases the powers of nature were
all we could rely upon.

Sonnenkamp fairly shook with rage, rage against the whole world. With
all his wealth he could do nothing, command nothing; but must fall back
upon the powers of nature, in which Roland had no advantage over the
son of a beggar!

Frau Ceres lay upon the sofa in the balcony room among the flowers and
birds, staring vacantly at them, scarcely speaking, and eating and
drinking almost nothing. She did not venture to go to Roland's bed, but
required to be informed every hour how he was.

The entire want of union among the members of the household became now
apparent