d not lose him!

But she longed to let him feel her love. When she came in with soft
steps she was amazed, for he was standing already quite dressed in the
new black coat and trousers at the window, gazing fixedly at the field
in which they were beginning to build a villa now. The ground floor was
already finished, there was a high scaffolding round it; it was going
to be an enormous building.

"Good morning, my dear son," she said.

He did not hear her.

"Wolfgang!"

Then he turned round quickly and looked at her, terrified and as
though he did not know her.

"Oh, you're already dressed." Her voice seemed to express
disappointment; she would have been so pleased to have helped
him just on that day. There was a strange feeling in her heart; she had
never thought the day would have affected her so. Was it not a day like
other days, a festival, of course, but one of many? And now it seemed
as though the day were unique, and as though there would never be
another like it again.

She went up to Wolfgang, laid her arms round his neck and looked
deep into his eyes: "My child!" And then she smiled at him. "I wish you
joy."

"Why?" He looked past her with such a strange expression that all
the heartfelt things she had wanted to say to him remained unsaid. He
was still quite a child although he was almost taller than she, much
too much of a child, he did not understand the importance of the day as
yet. So all she did was to improve on his appearance a little, to take
away a thread from his clothes here, to blow away some dust there and
pull his tie straight. And then he had to bend his head; she made a
parting again in his stiff obstinate hair, that never would remain
straight. And then she could not restrain herself, but took his round
face between both her hands and pressed a quick kiss on his
forehead.

"Why not on my mouth?" he thought to himself. "A mother would have
kissed her child on his mouth."

They went down to breakfast. There were flowers on the table; his
father, who was wearing a frock coat, was already seated, and the gold
watch lay on Wolfgang's plate. A splendid watch. He examined it
critically; yes, he liked it. "In remembrance of April 1, 1901," was
engraved inside the gold case. Neither Kesselborn nor Lehmann would get
such a watch, none of the boys who were to be confirmed would get
anything like such a beauty. It was awfully heavy--he really ought to
have a gold chain now.

Wolfgang's pare