you
impress it upon yourself at first that you are entering service, and
moreover are to serve an extremely rich man, who would like to keep
everything unpleasant out of sight. The more you keep to yourself your
own personal feelings, the more free will you be."

Clodwig smiling quoted from Lucian's "Sale of the Philosophic Sects,"
where the Stoic as a slave cries out, "Even if I am sold, I am still
free within myself!"

Eric good-humoredly took the crape from his sleeve.

Bella had excused herself from appearing at breakfast, and sent Eric a
message of farewell till their next meeting.

The two men were now alone. Clodwig gave Eric a letter for Herr
Sonnenkamp, but begged him not to make any positive engagement until he
had seen him again, adding almost inaudibly, "Perhaps I shall keep you
for myself."

As a mother crams all the pockets of her son going away from home, so
Clodwig sought to give his young friend all sorts of instructions.

"I have but slight acquaintance with the boy," said he; "I only know
that he is very handsome. Do you not agree with me that it is a great
mistake to give a young soul the foundation principles which are to
determine his life-course, before this young soul has collected the
material of life or knows his own tendencies?"

"Certainly," replied Eric; "it is like building railroads in
uncultivated or half-civilized countries, before roads have made
possible the interchange of agricultural and manufactured products. The
root of the disease of modern humanity, as my father often said, lies
in the habit of teaching children dogmatically the laws which govern
the universe; it is a superfluous labor based on ostentation, which is
unfruitful, because it leaps over the first steps."

Clodwig nodded several times. This man might be trusted to sail out
into the open sea; he would always have a compass with him.

The time of departure came; Clodwig said,--

"I will go a little way with you."

Eric took his horse by the bridle, and they walked on side by side. The
old man often fixed an anxious, affectionate look upon his young
friend. He repeated that he considered it a highly honorable task to
train the young American for a useful life; then he advised him again
to keep this one object in view, and to turn resolutely from all gossip
concerning Herr Sonnenkamp, who had certainly left many rumors
uncontradicted, either because he was too upright to trouble himself
about them, or becau