education of my son.

I desire that you would give me the opportunity, by offering you a
situation for a year, with no special employment attached to it, to
show to you how truly I am, most respectfully,

Your obedient servant,
HENRY SONNENKAMP.

While the Justice was reading, Sonnenkamp whistled to himself, keeping
time with one foot thrown over the other, manifestly very well
satisfied with the letter.

He received it back with a triumphant glance, put it in a fresh
envelope, and addressed it to Eric. While he was writing the address,
he said,--

"I should like very much to take the man into my house on a different
footing; he should do nothing but sit at the table and converse. Why
should not that be had for money? If I were a Prince, I would appoint
conversation-councillors. Are not the chamberlains something of this
sort?" he asked Herr von Pranken, with a slight touch of sarcasm.

Pranken was disturbed. There was often in this man a height of
presumption, which did not spare even the sacred precincts of the
court; but Pranken smiled very obsequiously. Lootz was summoned through
the speaking-tube, the letter was put into the post-bag, and Lootz
departed.

Roland was waiting for Pranken, who now went with him into a retired
place of the park, and there gave him an account, of his journey, and
delivered to him a second copy of Thomas a Kempis. He pointed out to
Roland the place where he was to begin reading that day, and what he
was to read every day; but always secretly, whether his tutor should be
a believer or an unbeliever.

"Isn't Eric coming back any more?" asked Roland.

"Your father had written to him a decided refusal before I came, and
the letter has been put into the post before this."

The boy sat upon the bench in the park, and stared fixedly, the book
open in his hand.

CHAPTER IX.

DEJECTION AND COURAGE IN A CHILD'S HEART.

At the table, Frau Ceres thought that her son looked very pale; she
besought the Chevalier not to tax him so severely, and especially not
to let him draw so long out of doors.

The Chevalier entirely coincided with this; it was his plan to have
Roland draw from plaster-models, and after that, he would take him out
into the free air.

"Taken out into free air?" said Roland to himself; and it seemed to
strike him that there was a contradiction in