with the
fairest and noblest of gifts, the love of a woman who, in his opinion,
had not her equal beneath the wide vault of the azure sky.

Countess Cordula was not suited for his master. During the long hours
that he lay quietly on his pallet a hundred reasons strengthened this
opinion. The man for whom he had steadfastly endured such severe agony,
and was suffering still, was worthy of a more beautiful, devout, and
calm companion-nay, the very loveliest and best--and that, in his eyes,
was the girl for whom Heinz had felt so overmastering a passion just
before his luckless winnings at the gaming table. This potent fire
of love might doubtless be smothered with sand and ashes, but never
extinguished.

Such were Biberli's thoughts as he recalled the events of the previous
day. He had found Eva less equable in her tender management than usual.
Some anxiety concerning something apart from her patients seemed to
oppress her. True, she had not wished to reveal it, but his eyes were
keen.

Soon after sunrise that morning she had carefully rebandaged his crushed
thumb, which was not yet healed. Then she had gone away, as she assured
him, for only a few hours. Now the sun was already high in the heavens,
yet she did not return, though it was long past the time for the
bandages to be renewed, and the drops to be given which sustained the
life of the dying Minorite in the adjoining room. It made him uneasy,
and when anxiety had once taken root in his heart it sent its shoots
forward and backward, and he remembered many things in which Eva had
been different the day before. Why had she whispered so long with Herr
Pfinzing and then looked so sorrowfully at him, Biberli? Why had Frau
Christine come not less than three times yesterday afternoon, and again
in the evening? She had some secret to discuss with the surgeon Otto.
Had any change taken place in his condition? and did the leech intend
to amputate his thumb, or even his hand? But, no! only yesterday he had
been assured that he could save all five fingers, and his sorely
mangled left foot too. The widow was better, and all hope of saving the
Minorite's life had been relinquished two days ago. Eva's anxiety must
have some other cause, and he asked himself, in alarm, whether she could
have received any bad news from his master or Katterle?

A terrible sense of uneasiness overpowered him, and the necessity of
confiding it to some one took such possession of the loquacious ma