ld boast, except the Castle Wolfsgarten and the castles of the
nobility, that Bella had ever touched a key in any other than her own
house.

Bella received overwhelming laudation, but she rejected it, and in a
half serious, half contemptuous way, maintained that every one who wore
long dresses wanted to play the piano. Bella was a genuine sister of
her brother; she could be happy a whole day if she succeeded in
uttering one pointed speech, and she took great delight now in
saying,--

"Every girl, now-a-days, thinks she must learn to knit a musical
stocking."

She continued to repeat these words, musical stocking, in a measure of
three-fourths time. Every one laughed, the English ladies looked up in
surprise, and Bella, was glad to explain to them what she meant by
these words, adding,--

"Yes, they knit a stocking out of notes, and the great thing with them
is, not to drop a single stitch. I truly believe that the good children
consider the four movements of the sonata to be the four parts of the
stocking; the top is the first movement, the leg is the adagio, the
heel is the scherzo, the toe is the finale. Only one who has a real
talent for it ought to be allowed to learn music."

This was generally agreed to, and they spoke of the amount of time
spent upon the piano in youth, and that after marriage it was given up.

The Justice's wife had been appealed to, and if there can be a higher
heaven in heaven itself, it was opened when Frau Bella praised Lina's
singing, which she had heard, and requested that Lina might make her a
visit of some weeks, when she could, perhaps, give her some
instruction. The glance which the Justice's wife cast to her husband
was inexpressibly joyful; and how delightful it is to have the
ladies ear-witnesses of all this! It seemed to her that she was very
good-natured and very condescending, to be still friendly and affable
with the doctor's wife, and also, indeed, with Frau Coal and the
merchants' wives.

Bella extolled now, in the warmest terms, the delicious, spicy cakes
which the Justice's wife knew how to make so excellently well; she
would like to know the ingredients. The Justice's wife said that she
had a particular way of giving them their flavor by putting into them a
certain quantity of bitter almonds; and she promised to write out the
receipt for her, but she resolved in her own mind never to remember to
do it.

They had hardly tasted of the May-bowl, and declared that no