ligious veneration for the
humbug.

For a little while Sonnenkamp thought of giving up the whole scheme.
Why should he be ennobled; why should he enter the Court circle, and
put himself under a lasting obligation? He was proud of possessing an
independent nature, and now was he to allow himself to be put in
uniform, and to measure every step, every movement, and every word,
according to the court etiquette? He would rather remain as he was,
proud of his own position, and show openly the contempt which he felt
for the whole body of nobles.

Then he felt with pain that he had already gone too far; a retreat
would be a mere disgrace. And how long he had consoled Frau Ceres with
this hope, how far he was bound for Pranken's sake, and, more than all,
for Roland's! What was to become of the latter, if he was not raised to
the nobility? Were Roland and his descendants to be impoverished again?
No, rank must be won. On the boldly earned property an entail should be
laid, so that generation after generation of his descendants should
never be stripped of rank and wealth; the villa and the castle should
remain an inalienable possession in the family.

Something of his own past life rose in Sonnenkamp's memory, and he said
to himself aloud,--

"You owe it to your child to turn aside from him what has brought you
to this pass."

Calm and resolved he went back to the house, and appeared to all highly
gratified with the visit. Indeed, when Joseph told him that the
Princess' party had not left a single present for the servants, he gave
him a handsome sum, saying that it had been entrusted to Pranken; the
servants would spread the report far and wide, that the Prince had been
at the villa and left large gratuities for them; this would rouse the
envy of the neighbors, and the envy would carry the report still
farther, and the best of it was that they would all be deceived.

Sonnenkamp whistled softly, a sure sign that he was particularly
cheerful and contented. He devoted himself with special attention to
the Aunt, praised her modesty and the Prince's insight in knowing how
to value her as she deserved. It seemed really to delight him to see
people decline praise which really tickled them excessively.

On the next evening but one, when the Aunt and Manna went out upon the
flat roof to look at the stars, they found an excellent telescope
placed on a movable stand. When they thanked Sonnenkamp for this
surprise, he asked in return