the new convert.

"Ah," she cried, "you are very properly afraid that this Herr Dournay
will be pleasing to the glorified Manna, and you suppose the same in
regard to me. You have just hit it. The man has something bewitching
for us women, provided we are shut up in the bonds of wedlock, or in a
convent."

Pranken did not fall in with this tone; he repeated, that every jest,
every act of trifling, bordered upon a sin, and jesting was liable to
remove imperceptibly the boundary line. He was so zealous, that he took
the book out of his breast-pocket, and read aloud to Bella a passage
having reference to the subject.

Bella looked with astonishment when Otto exhibited so pious a book: she
pointed out to her brother, meanwhile, what impregnable virtue was; she
made fun of the young man, who had a truly revolting self-confidence.
Moreover, Otto could be wholly at rest, if there was the appearance of
an understanding between her and Eric; yes, she would willingly make,
so far, a sacrifice for him; her virtue would be secure from every
misconstruction, and she would assume this appearance, in order to free
Otto from a dangerous rival.

"I am, indeed, in earnest," she concluded. "Are the good to deny to
themselves a friendly intercourse, because the bad conceal under this
appearance all kinds of baseness? That would be a world turned upside
down; that would be the subjection of the good to the evil."

Bella was not aware, or she did not think it worth while to take note
of it, that she here set forth a remark of her husband. Pranken looked
at her with surprise. Was he, in fact, misled by his newly awakened
zeal, or was this only a nicely-woven veil, a mere outside show of
virtue? He was in perplexity; he was at a loss what to say in reply to
this jesting and playful tone, to these insinuous and flexible evasions
of his sister.

CHAPTER IV.

A FRUSTRATED PLAN.

Eric found great difficulty in keeping his pupil steadily at his
lessons, so completely was he taken up with the thought of the journey.

The day came for the journey to the convent; it was a bright day of
sunshine.

Eric requested that he might remain behind; Sonnenkamp immediately
agreed, adding kindly that it would probably be agreeable to Eric to
have a few quiet days alone. This considerateness appeared very
friendly to Eric, who returned it by saying that it should be his
endeavor not to e