m an
established place of abode and a daily employment.

He was well received by the school-proprietor, and the conditions were
acceptable. The respect in which his parents were held was of great
advantage to him here; but the necessity of adopting the old
regulations and methods made him hesitate. Without coming to any
definite arrangement, he left the school-building.

He met now in one of the streets an old friend of his father, the
present minister of education, who, stopping him, and inquiring about
his mother and his own welfare, offered him the situation of custodian
in the cabinet of antiquities, with the assurance that he should soon
be promoted to the directorship. Eric promised to take the matter into
consideration.

Just as he left the minister, an oldish man, who had been waiting for
him under a house-porch, came up to him and greeted him in a very
friendly manner. Eric could not call to mind who he was, and the
man said that Eric had once done him a good turn in the house of
correction, and thanked him for it; he was now in a very good situation
as servant of the chancellor, and with a half-sly, half-pious
expression of countenance, he offered to render Eric any service that
was in his power.

Eric thanked him; he did not notice that many persons, who went by and
recognised him, regarded this companionship as very odd.

Now the comrade who had taken Eric's place, and had become an actual
captain, came from parade; he took Eric with him to the military
club-house, and Eric was cheerful and lost all thought of the troubles
of life. In the club-house there was much talk about Otto von Pranken
and his marriage with a Creole worth many millions. Eric did not
consider it necessary to say that Manna was no Creole, and that he had
some knowledge of how the matter really stood.

CHAPTER XI.

WHERE ART THOU, ROLAND?

"Where is Roland?"

Sonnenkamp asks Joseph, Joseph asks Bertram, Bertram asks Lootz, Lootz
asks the head-gardener, the head-gardener asks the Little-squirrel, the
Little-squirrel asks the laborers, the laborers ask the children, the
children ask the air, Fraeulein Perini asks the Chevalier, the Chevalier
asks the dogs, and Frau Ceres must find out nothing from any of them.

Sonnenkamp rides at full speed to the Major, the Major asks Fraeulein
Milch, but she, who knows everything, this time knows nothing. The
Major rides to the ca