r folded hands, said
a prayer, made the sign of the cross, and sat down.

Frau Ceres, during the dinner, retained her yellow gloves, scarcely
tasting any food, and appearing as if she had come to the table merely
not to derange the order of things. She declined every dish, until Herr
Sonnenkamp said:--

"Do take something, dear child, do, I pray you."

In his manner, in making this request, there was a double tone, hard to
be distinguished separately. Sometimes it sounded like the call and
signal of a tamer of wild beasts, who allowed some subdued animal to
take the food lying before him; but again it sounded as when a father,
fondly and coaxingly, beseeches his peevish child to eat something for
his own good. Frau Ceres ate only a part of a bird, and some
sweetmeats.

Pranken's demeanour at table was that of an honored guest, to whom was
conceded the duty of paying particular attention to the hostess and
conversing with her. He gave a humorous account of the horse-market at
Mannheim, from which he had returned to-day at an early hour, with his
companion; he had bought for the fall-races a gray mare, which he would
be happy to transfer to Herr Sonnenkamp. And he soon took care to gain
the good will of Frau Ceres. She had a special aversion to the family
of the Wine-chevalier, who were very reserved towards the Sonnenkamp
household. He proceeded to relate some ridiculous swaggerings of the
Wine-chevalier, although he had been his own chosen companion.

He had also great skill in imitating the peculiar manner of speaking of
different persons, and in introducing; facetious anecdotes, which
produced a movement of the muscles in the weary face of Frau Ceres, and
frequently even a smile.

The conversation was carried on in Italian, which Pranken spoke pretty
well, but in which Eric was not fluent. For the first time in his life,
Eric sat at a table where he was obliged to keep as silent as the
servants who were in waiting.

Frau Ceres considered it her place not to leave the stranger wholly
neglected, and therefore she asked him in English if his parents were
still living.

Assuming a patronising tone, Pranken went into an account of Eric's
father and mother; he did it with marked friendliness of manner, and
dwelt with special emphasis upon the fact that Eric's mother belonged
to the nobility.

"Are you a Frenchman, as your name indicates?" Fraeulein Perini
inquired.

Eric once more repeated that his ancestors h