to take it on any account, what
would people think of it?--but he was so strong, he stuffed it into my
hand. I could have screamed, he pulled my fingers apart so--are you
angry, mother, that I took it? I didn't want to, I really didn't want
to. But he said, 'It's for your mother.' And 'Do be sensible, Frida.'"
Frida almost cried, she felt so touched and so grateful.

Frau Laemke took it more calmly. "Perhaps I can go to Eberswald to
my brother, or even to my sister in the Riesengebirge. And I'll give up
the places where I clean for a few weeks, that will do me an enormous
amount of good. The good boy, that was nice of him, that he thought of
his old friend. Hm, he can do it too. What are fifty marks to people
like him?"

When Wolfgang had taken Frida to her door he had strolled on slowly,
his racket under his arm, his hands in the pockets of his wide
trousers. A sky, richly spangled with stars, extended over his head,
innumerable golden eyes watching him with a kind twinkle. There were no
more wheels to be heard, no crowds of pedestrians whirled up the dust
of the street any longer. What the dust-carts, passing backwards and
forwards during the day, had not been able to do, the night-dew had
done. The loose sand had been settled, a cool freshness rose up out of
the earth, one could smell the trees and bushes; a fragrance of flowers
ascended from the beds in the gardens that the darkness had swallowed
up. Wolfgang drew a deep breath of delight and whistled softly; his
heart was full of peace and joy; now it was a good thing he was not
wandering about in Berlin. It had been so nice with Frida. What a lot
they had had to talk about--and then--he was really awfully pleased to
be able to help Frau Laemke a little.

He came home thoroughly happy.

"The master and mistress have had their supper long ago," Friedrich
took the liberty of remarking with a certain reproach--the young
gentleman was really too unpunctual.

"Well, can't be helped," said Wolfgang. "Tell the cook she's to
prepare me something quickly, a cutlet or some beefsteak, or--what else
was there for supper this evening? I'm ravenous."

Friedrich looked at him quite taken aback. Now! at half past ten?
The master or the mistress had never thought of asking for such a
thing--a warm supper at half past ten? He stood hesitating.

"Well, am I soon going to get something?" the young gentleman called
to him over his shoulder, and went into the dining-room.

Hi