she was inwardly vexed. In this house, in this garden, she must
encounter such rebuffs as she had never believed possible. But
outwardly there was no trace that her feelings were hurt, although it
required her utmost exertion to remain composed.

With an easy turn of the conversation, she asked Eric if he now had
another pupil.

Eric answered her in the same light tone, that Manna had already
completed her education.

Bella nodded pleasantly.

The formal visit to Manna was now over; and when she excused herself
for not returning it, saying that it was her purpose to visit nowhere,
Bella made a friendly call upon the Mother and the Aunt. She went back
to Wolfsgarten with the resolution to give, hereafter, the go-by to
this house and all its inmates. Otto wanted to marry a wife from it,
and that was his affair; but she believed that she ought to call his
attention to the fact, that in the mutual reserve of Manna and Eric
there was the germ of a deeper feeling. Pranken replied with a spice of
maliciousness, that the family tutor was not half so dangerous as he
appeared to his sister, especially not to one whose character was
grounded in religious conviction.

Pranken made frequent visits to Villa Eden, and always enlivened its
inmates. But it did not escape Manna's penetrating observation, that he
was an artisan, but not an artist; he displayed much clever ingenuity,
but had no productive genius, and was unstable and impulsive. This was
especially noticeable when Eric was present.

Pranken was never at a loss in uttering some pointed remark, but he
could not carry on a discussion; novel propositions bewildered him, and
he had no pertinent observations to bring forward, whilst Eric became
more inspirited and more original by the presentation of opposing
thoughts and new statements.

Eric was always the same from morning to night, while Pranken was a
different being in the evening from what he was in the morning. In
the morning he was obliged to rouse himself; he was tired, heavy,
low-spirited; at evening he was lively, dashing, and full of energy. He
often seemed languid and spiritless; and being aware of this, he was
stimulated to exertion. There was always an element of disquiet in
intercourse with him, and under an appearance of friendliness there was
almost always a latent bitter hostility. He thought now, too, that he
could discover an understanding between Eric and Manna.

Both Manna and Eric thought more of