ed by delicate female
arms. "Father, dear father," he heard as if an angel's voice murmured
in his ear. He turned around and Lydia nestled to his heart. In his joy
he raised his arms as if to enfold her to himself; but stepped
backwards.

"What took thee to the Holtermann?" he asked in a stern voice. She
looked up into his face with an honest gaze.

"Father I did not wish any evil, or do any evil. I let myself be
enticed thither by the message of the Italian clergyman, which thou
hast already heard about, but found nobody there but the herb picking
woman, and because I disturbed her in her witch's work, she turned
three wretches loose on me, who hunted me down, so that I fell into the
Heidenloch. Father Werner found me there, he brought me in spite of a
broken foot home again, the good true man!"

Never before in his whole lifetime had the pure clear eyes of his
daughter been such a comfort to him as at that present moment. Words
were not necessary, it was plainly legible in this childish look that
Lydia had no conception of the wickedness which she was otherwise said
to have committed. Consoled he drew her to his heart.

"The Kurfuerst has then permitted thee to keep me company, my poor
scared bird," said Erastus tenderly stroking the maiden's fair hair.
"How pale and ill thou dost look after all thy fright."

Lydia did not contradict her father. If he only would believe that she
was there to keep him company. But Erastus was horrified, as he noticed
after a closer look at his only treasure, the feverishly red cheeks of
his child and counted her rapidly beating and tremulous pulse. "Lie
down Lydia, thou requirest rest," he said gravely, "an illness seems to
be coming on." The poor child obeyed. But however carefully the
physician avoided disturbing her, sleep would not come to her. Finally
she determined, as her father must in course of time learn what took
place, to relieve her heart. Mute and cold did the bowed down father
listen to the account given by his weeping maiden.

"They are learned in the old dispensation," he said to himself, "they
root out their enemies with their entire seed." Then he stooped over
Lydia and kissed her pure forehead. "That thou art here my child," he
said gently to her, "proves the Kurfuerst's favour. Should wickedness
however obtain the mastery, we shall die united."

Lydia tenderly wound her arms round his neck and after having heartily
kissed her father she fell into a deep sou