he morning; Godfrey indeed
sometimes read so long that it gave him a headache, and Rudolph did
quite a fair amount of study. But that did not last long. They soon
began to quarrel and wrangle about theological questions, and Godfrey,
who knows more than the other, said that Rudolph did not speak from a
Christian standpoint." "Did he say 'standpoint'?" put in Braesig. "Yes,
that was his very word," answered Mrs. Nuessler. "Oho!" said Braesig. "I
think I hear him. While other people end with standpoint, Methodists
always begin with it. And then I suppose he wanted to convert him?"
"Yes," said Mrs. Nuessler. "That's just what he wanted to do. But you see
the other lad is much cleverer than Godfrey, and made so many jokes
about all that he said, that at last Godfrey quite lost his temper, and
so the discomfort in the house grew worse and worse. I don't know how it
was, but my two girls mixed themselves up in the quarrel. Lina who is
the gravest and most sensible took Godfrey's side of the argument, and
Mina laughed and giggled over Rudolph's jokes." "Yes," interrupted
Joseph, "it's all according to circumstances!" "You ought to be ashamed
of yourself, young Joseph," said Braesig, "for allowing such a Hophnei to
remain in the house." "Nay, Braesig," said Mrs. Nuessler, "let Joseph
alone, he did his best to make matters comfortable again. When Godfrey
talked about the devil till we all felt quite eerie, Joseph believed in
his existence; and when Rudolph laughed at, and ridiculed all belief in
him, Joseph laughed as heartily as anyone. When the dispute ran highest,
my little Mina took all Godfrey's books to Rudolph's room, and all
Rudolph's to Godfrey's, and when the young men looked rather cross, she
said quickly, that they'd better both study the subject thoroughly, and
then perhaps they might agree better about it than at present." "Mina's
a clever little woman," cried Braesig. "Well," continued Mrs. Nuessler,"
they didn't like it at all at first; but whatever Godfrey's faults may
be, he's a good-natured lad, so he began to study Rudolph's books. And
the other at last set to work at Godfrey's, for you see it was wintry
weather and it gave him something to do. You should have seen them a
short time afterward! They had changed as much as their books. Godfrey
made poor jokes about the devil, and Rudolph sighed and groaned, and
spoke of the devil as if he knew him intimately, and as if he were
accustomed to sit down to dinner wit