elf. But Roland was with Eric from
morning till night. They repeated Franklin's physical experiments, they
entered into his various little narratives, and Roland would often ask
on some occurrence:--

"What would Franklin say to that?" Eric had been in doubt whether he
should say anything to Roland of the interview with Herr Knopf. He was
waiting for a more suitable time; he felt that the fixed order of
Roland's method of life should not now be disturbed.

There was a great commotion at the villa, for the entire contents of
the hothouse were brought out into the park, and a new garden was made
in the garden. Roland and Eric did not see it until everything was
arranged.

Pranken made a brief visit almost every day, and when he remained to
dinner, he spoke a great deal of the princes of the church; he always
called the bishop the church-prince. A second court-life seemed to have
been opened to him, and this court had a consecrating element, was
self-ordering, and needed no Court-marshals.

Herr Sonnenkamp enquired with much interest about all the arrangements
at the Episcopal court; but Frau Ceres was wholly indifferent, for she
had discovered that there was no court ball given, and no ladies were
visible, except some very worthy and respectable nuns. Frau Ceres
entertained a great dislike to all nuns, principally because they had
such great feet, and wore such clumsy shoes and cotton gloves. Frau
Ceres hated cotton gloves; and whenever she thought of them, she
affirmed that she experienced a nervous _shiver_.

The days were still; the trees from the South grew green and fragrant,
with those that were native to the soil; but the quiet days came to an
end, for they were packing up and making other preparations in the
house. Lootz was the director, and huge trunks had already been sent
off.

It was a rainy morning: Eric and Roland were sitting together with
Franklin's life again before them. Eric perceived that Roland was
inattentive, for he often looked towards the door.

At last there was a knock, and Sonnenkamp, who had never before
disturbed their morning's occupation, now entered the room. He
expressed his satisfaction that the course of instruction had been so
regularly arranged, and he hoped that it would suffer only a temporary
derangement from the journey, as they could immediately resume it on
arriving at Vichy.

Eric asked in amazement what this reference to Vichy meant, and was
told that the family, w