of the contrary. Though but
a simple girl, she, who had often been the guest of the abbess, felt the
grandeur and glory of God as much more deeply in the world and during
the fulfilment of the hardest duties which life imposed than with the
Sisters of St. Clare, as the forests and fields were wider than the
little convent garden.

The old man, in a rage, upbraided her with being a blinded fool,
and asked her whether she did not know that the world was finite and
limited, whilst what the convent contained was eternal and boundless.

Another time he had wounded her so deeply by his severity that she had
found it impossible to restrain her tears. But he had scarcely perceived
this ere he repented his harshness. Nothing but love ought to move
his heart on the eve of a union with Him whom he had just called Love
itself, and with earnest and tender entreaties he besought Eva to
forgive him for the censure which was also a work of love. Throughout
the day he had treated her with affectionate, almost humble, kindness.

All these things returned to Eva's thoughts as she left her grey-haired
patient.

He was standing on the threshold of the other world, and it was easy for
her to think of him kindly, deeply as he had often wounded her. Nay,
her heart swelled with grateful joy because she had been so patient
and suffered nothing to divert her from the arduous duty which she had
undertaken in nursing the old man, who regarded her with such disfavour.

A light had been brought into Biberli's room too. When Eva entered with
glowing cheeks she found the Swabians still sitting beside his couch.
The door leading into the chamber of the dying man had been closed long
before, yet the notes of pious litanies came from the adjoining room.
Lady Schorlin noticed her deep emotion with sympathy, and asked her to
sit down by her side. Maria offered her own low stool, but Eva declined
its use, because she would soon be obliged to ride back to the city. She
pressed her hand upon her burning brow, sighing, "Now, now--after such
an hour, at court!"

Lady Wendula urged her with such kindly maternal solicitude to take a
little rest that the young girl yielded.

The matron's remark that she, too, was invited to the reception at the
imperial residence that evening brought an earnest entreaty from Eva to
accept the invitation for her sake, and the Swabian promised to gratify
her if nothing occurred to prevent. At any rate, they would ride to the