urned scarlet.

"Oh, I see, you are not allowed to. All right, stop away then, it's
all the same to me." She turned round to go, full of anger.

"Well, what do you want now?" A sound from him made her stop; she
remained against her will. There was something in the glance the boy
gave her, as he looked her full in the face, that kept her standing. "I
know, my dear," she said good-naturedly, "it's not your fault. I know
that."

"She won't let me," he muttered between his teeth, cracking his whip
with a loud noise.

"Why not?" inquired the woman. "Hasn't she said why you're not to
play with Artur and Frida any more? Artur has got a new humming top--oh
my, how it dances. And Frida a splendid ball from the lady who lives in
our house."

The boy's eyes flashed. He put out his foot and gave such a violent
kick to a stone in front of him that it flew over to the other side of
the street. "I shall play with them all the same."

"Come, come, not so defiant," said the woman admonishingly. "It may
be the children were naughty--bless you, you can't be answerable for
all they do. Listen, little Wolfgang, you must obey your mother if she
won't hear of your coming." She sighed. "We've been very fond of you,
my dear. But it's always like that, the friendship is very warm to
begin with, and then all of a sudden the rich think better of it. And
you really are too big to sit with us in the cellar now----"

She was chattering on, when she felt someone seize hold of her hand.
The boy held it in a very firm grip. Bending down to him--for
she was tall and thin and her eyes were no longer very good owing to
the demi-obscurity of their room--she saw that he had tears in his
eyes. She had never seen him cry before, and got quite a fright.

"Hush, hush, Woelfchen. Now don't cry, for goodness' sake don't,
it isn't worth it." Taking hold of a corner of her coarse blue
working-apron--she had just run away from the wash-tub--she wiped his
eyes and then his cheeks, and then she stroked the hair that grew so
straight and thick on his round head.

He stood quite still in the street that was already so sunny, so
spring-like, as though rooted to the spot. He who had shrunk from
caresses allowed her to stroke him, and did not mind if others saw it
too.

"I shall come to see you again, Frau Laemke. She can say what she
likes. I will come to you."

As he went away, not running as he usually did, but slowly and
deliberately, the woman followed h