fe itself; and he saw also how he could gratify every wish of his
mother and his aunt.

But no; the first wish of his mother will be that he should remain true
to himself. And the more Clodwig there, and here the physician, wanted
to turn him aside from his vocation, so much the clearer was it to him,
that he not only must abide by that vocation, but that he also had
incurred a moral obligation to Roland.

Weidmann related that he had received a letter from New York, from his
nephew. Doctor Fritz, who was going to send immediately his young
daughter to be educated in Germany. The conversation now turned upon
persons and things with which Eric was unacquainted.

The boatman came to inform them that the last steamboat was now coming
up the river.

The doctor and Eric took hasty leave of Weidmann, who warmly shook
Eric's hand, and requested him to claim his help in any situation in
life where he could be of service.

The physician and Eric got into the boat and were rowed to the
steamboat. Hardly a word was spoken by them during the passage to the
town, where they were to disembark.

When they reached it, men and women were walking under the
newly-planted lindens, for it is always a significant event of the day
when the steamboat arrives, which remains here over night. The wife of
the doctor was also at the landing, and she went homeward with Eric and
her husband. She was very friendly to Eric, whom she had already met at
Wolfsgarten; Eric, indeed, had no recollection of her, for at that time
he had scarcely noticed, in fact, the modest, silent woman.

Many persons were waiting at the house for the physician. Eric was
shown into his chamber, and then into the library; he was glad to see
that the physician kept abreast with all the new investigations of his
science, and he hoped through his help to fill up many a gap in his own
knowledge.

The twilight came on; as Eric was sitting quietly in a large chair, he
heard a horse trotting by the house. He involuntarily stood up, and
looked out; he thought that the rider who had just passed was Roland,
or had only his own imagination, and his continual thinking about the
boy, deluded him?

There was an air of comfort in the physician's house, and everything
gave evidence of solid prosperity; but the physician was obliged to go
from the tea-table to a neighboring village.

Eric walked with the doctor's wife along the pretty road on the bank of
the river, and there was a