the household arrangements, no common
breakfast being served. When Eric met Sonnenkamp in the garden, the
latter asked him if he would go with them to church. Eric answered no,
at once, adding in explanation, that by going he should be guilty of an
act of hypocrisy; as a mark of respect for a confession not his own, he
might perhaps be willing to go, but a different view would be taken of
it.

Sonnenkamp looked at him in surprise. But this straight-forwardness
seemed to have an effect upon him, for he said,--

"Good; one is at no loss to find out your opinion."

The tone was ambiguous, but Eric interpreted it favorably.

After all had gone to church, Eric sat alone, writing to his mother. He
began by saying that he seemed to himself like Ulysses thrown upon a
strange island; he had, indeed, no fellow-voyagers to take care of, but
he had for companions many noble sentiments, and he must watch sharp
lest they be turned into----

Just as he was writing the word, he stopped; that was not the proper
tone. He destroyed the sheet, and began again. He narrated, simply and
briefly, the interview, with Pranken, Clodwig, and Bella, saying that
as the Homeric heroes were under the special protection of the gods, so
to-day a different and better one was vouchsafed, and he was
accompanied by the spirit and noble character of his parents. In
speaking of Roland, he said that wealth had a peculiar power to excite
the fancy, and a mighty energy in carrying out its purposes, for Roland
had already removed her into the small, vine-covered house.

The bells were ringing in the village, and Eric wrote with flying speed
about his conception of the noble vocation of guiding in the right path
a human being, upon whom was conferred the great and influential power
of wealth.

And now, mingled with the ringing of the bells, there came suddenly the
recollection of that narrative in the Gospel of the rich young man
coming to Jesus. He did not remember the precise question and answer,
and he looked for a Bible in Roland's library, but there was no Bible
there; yet it seemed as if he could go no farther, until he had become
exactly acquainted with that incident.

He went down into the garden; there he came across the gardener, the
so-called squirrel, who was very happy to be able to give an
affirmative answer to the question whether he had a Bible. With words
full of unction he brought one to Eric, who took it with him to his
room.

He wro