e of a pure heart is holy! This holiness may be indicated,
but not described! We return to Otto.

CHAPTER XXII

"A man only gains importance by a poet's fancy, when his
genius vividly represents to our imagination a clearer, but
not an ennobled image of men and objects which have an
existence; then alone he understands how to idealize."--H.
HERTZ.

We pass on several weeks. It was toward the end of September, the examen
philosophicum was near. Preparations for this had been Otto's excuse for
not yet having visited the family circle of his guardian, the merchant
Berger. This was, however, brought about by Otto's finding one day, when
he went to speak with his guardian, the mistress of the house in the
same room. We know that there are five daughters in the house, and that
only one is engaged, yet they are all well-educated girls--domestic
girls, as their mother assured her friend upon more than one occasion.

"So, then, I have at length the honor of making your acquaintance," said
Mrs. Berger, "this visit, truly, is not intended either for me or the
children, but still you must now drink a cup of coffee with us. Within
it certainly looks rather disorderly; the girls are making cloaks for
the winter. We will not put ourselves out of the way for you: you shall
be regarded as a member of the family: but then you must come to us in a
friendly way. Every Thursday our son-in-law dines with us, will you then
be contented with our dinner? Now you shall become acquainted with my
daughters."

"And I must to my office," said the husband; "therefore let us consider
Thursday as an appointment. We dine at three o'clock, and after coffee
Laide gives us music."

The lady now conducted Otto into the sitting-room, where he found the
four daughters in full activity with a workwoman. The fifth daughter,
Julle, was, as they had told him, gone to the shops for patterns:
yesterday she had run all over the town, but the patterns she received
were not good.

The lady told him the name of each daughter; their characteristics he
naturally learnt later.

All the five sisters had the idea that they were so extremely different,
and yet they resembled each other to a hair. Adelaide, or Laide, as she
was also called, was certainly the prettiest; that she well knew also,
therefore she would have a fur cape, and no cloak; her figure should be
seen. Christiane was what one might call a practical girl; she knew how
t