a
pensioned lady of high rank, who also ate heartily, and, while eating,
spoke very compassionately of the poor children of the millionaire.

But the conversation took a very peculiar turn in the house of Dr.
Richard, where they were to-day giving a great coffee-party in honor of
Frau Weidmann, who had come on a visit; it had been arranged several
days before, and the Professorin, Aunt Claudine, Frau Ceres, and Manna
had been invited; of course they did not come. Here and there they were
earnestly discussing how they should treat the Sonnenkamp family, if
they had the audacity not to leave the country as soon as possible.

Lina, who had returned from the trip with her betrothed, said that she
would be the same in Sonnenkamp's family that she had always been, and
that she would remain Manna's friend; for wherever the Professorin was,
there any one might maintain social intercourse without detriment to
one's honor.

The tone of the conversation became kindly as Frau Weidmann gave
unreserved support to Lina; she spoke of the noble character of Roland,
who had been on a visit to her house, and of the solid worth of Eric,
whom her husband held in very high esteem.

Thus every one in the house, as well as in the neighborhood, seemed to
be putting himself right, and adopting a moderate, kindly tone towards
the Sonnenkamp family. But the bitter, detestable consequences of the
occurrence manifested themselves in the green cottage on Sunday
morning.

During the hour before mass, the indigent neighbors used to come for
their regular weekly allowance; to-day there came only one solitary
woman, in a sorry plight. She was a drunkard's wife, who was forever
complaining and lamenting; she was constantly fretting about two
children, one of which she held in her arms, and the other she led by
her side.

It was only with some difficulty that the Professorin had brought
herself to furnish assistance to this woman, because she was afraid
that the drunkard would only be made more shiftless by so doing; she
had yielded to the persuasion of Fraeulein Milch, though she generally
cut the talkative woman short. But she had to listen patiently to-day,
now that the woman came alone and no others were there. The Professorin
trembled when the woman said to her:--

"Yes, yes, such is the world! It's a topsy-turvy world. My husband
makes wife and children unhappy because he squanders everything, and
Herr Sonnenkamp makes wife and children unha