nge Zeiten,
Es giebt so trueben Muth!"--NOVALIS.

The next morning Wilhelm related his evening adventure at the
breakfast-table; the sisters laughed at it. The mother, on the contrary,
was silent, left the room, and after some time returned.

"There have been thieves here!" said she, "and one might almost imagine
that they were persons in the household itself. They have been at the
press where the table-linen is kept, and have not been sparing in their
levies. The beautiful old silver tankard, which I inherited from my
grandmother, is also missing. I would much sooner have given the value
of the silver than have lost that piece!"

"Will not the lady let it be tried by the sieve?" asked the old servant:
"that is a pretty sure way!"

"That is nothing but superstition," answered she; "in that way the
innocent may so easily be suspected."

"As the lady pleases!" said the servant, and shook his head.

In the mean time a search through the house was instituted. The boxes of
the domestics were examined, but nothing was discovered.

"If you would only let the sieve be tried!" said the old servant.

In the afternoon Otto went into the garden; he fell into discourse with
the gardener, and they spoke of the theft which had occurred.

"It vexes every one of us," said he, "because we think much of the lady,
and of the whole family. And some one must, nevertheless, be suspected.
We believe that it was Sidsel, for she was a good-for-nothing person! We
folks tried among ourselves with the sieve, but however, at the mention
of her name, if it did not move out of its place. We had set it upon
the point of a knife, and mentioned the name of every person about
the place, but it stood as if it were nailed quite fast. But there was
really something to see, which not one of us would have believed. I'll
say no more about it, although we had every one of us our own thoughts.
I would have taken my oath of it."

Otto pressed him to mention the person who was suspected.

"Yes, to you perhaps, I may mention it," replied he; "but you will not
say anything about it? As we were standing today, at noon, around the
sieve, and it did not move at Sidsel's name, she became angry, because
a word bad been let fall which could not be agreeable to her if she were
innocent. She drew herself up as if in a passion, and said to us, 'But
there are also in the hall a many people besides us, who may slip and
slide! There are strangers here, and the f